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CNN Live Saturday

The Nation's Gas Prices Continue to Rise; Controversy Surrounds Today's Election in New Orleans; President Bush Speaks On Alternative Fuel Options;

Aired April 22, 2006 - 17:00   ET

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

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone's complaining about the recent spike in gas prices. But wait until you see what people are paying at the pump here in California.
I'm Kareen Wynter.

I'll have all the latest developments straight ahead.

SUSAN ROESGEN, GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Roesgen live in New Orleans covering the first election since Hurricane Katrina.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And trouble on the front lines -- I'll show you what the Army is going to do to keep soldiers from committing suicide.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

I'm Carol Lin and here's what's happening right now in the news.

Five U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq today. All were killed by roadside bombs. Iraq's parliament named a Shiite hardliner to be the new prime minister. Jawad al-Maliki now has 30 days to put together a cabinet.

Senator John Kerry wants the U.S. to hand an ultimatum to Iraq -- create a unity government by May 15th or the U.S. pulls its troops out immediately.

Defense attorneys for two Duke University lacrosse players accused of rape want the I.D. made by the alleged victim tossed out. They say the woman was only shown a picture lineup consisting of Duke's lacrosse team players and not anyone else.

A warning from the U.S. Treasury secretary. John Snow told world financial leaders today that soaring oil prices and massive trade imbalances are putting the global economy in jeopardy.

Now that you're caught up, let's focus on why gas prices are going up. Gas prices are up nearly $0.03 since yesterday, to a national average of $2.88 a gallon. Now, since we're all being hit with higher prices, CNN wants to help you hit back.

Now, we've got comprehensive coverage of those surging prices and ways to save money. But first to L.A. and our Kareen Wynter -- $3.09 a gallon there, Kareen?

WYNTER: Very high, Carol. And here in California, public transportation really isn't an option for many people. It's not as widely used as in other parts of the state, for example, in New York or the nation's capital. So people here say they're definitely experiencing sticker shock, reluctantly filling up their tanks.

Many commuters are also outraged by what they're seeing in terms of the high gas prices. They say they're also asking consumer analysts how long this trend will continue.

The answer? Well, what we're getting, what we're hearing is that at least for the next several weeks.

At this particular gas station where we are, it's $3.19 for regular unleaded. It's higher at other Gas Marts in the area. I've seen it about $3.25 at other locations.

One factor leading to the increased costs has to do with refineries. What they're doing now is switching over to less polluting ethanol. And once this is complete, experts say you should expect the market to cool a little bit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL THORP, AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Right now, everybody expects that gas prices will continue to go up for another couple of weeks, which could even push it up to the $3.20 level. Nobody knows for sure, but it's likely it will go there. But there is more gasoline expected to be on the market before Memorial Day, so you might actually see a dip in gasoline prices over Memorial Day.

Then what happens after that is anybody's guess.

GEORGE DALZELL, MOTORIST: How can it curb anyone's habits? I mean I've got to drive, I've got to go to work, you know? I don't have any choice, so, we're stuck. We're stuck. I was thinking when I got out of the car, when I was going into the gas station, I should tell the guy, you know, I'm really angry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: Just to give you a glimpse of how things look across the region, right now, compared to last year at this time, well, let's start in Los Angeles, the Long Beach area, as well. $3.06 for regular unleaded. That's the average. Up $0.50, a little over $0.50, actually, from last year. Orange County, a little over the $3 mark, compared to $2.60 last year. And the State of California as a whole, $3.05 compared to $2.64.

Carol, I can tell you, many commuters are taking matters into their own hands. They're trying to ride their bikes more, walk whenever possible, even to work. But realistically, it's just not an option for many people here in the greater Los Angeles area -- Carol. LIN: No. You drive. I mean I'm from there, Kareen. I know. You just get in your car and you've got to go. There's no other way to get there.

So, how much is it costing you to fill up your tank now?

WYNTER: Well, I'm cheating a bit. I just live not even a few blocks away from where I work and I rely just on my car for that.

LIN: There you go.

WYNTER: So it doesn't cost me much.

I'll fill up $5, even $10 at a time, because I just really don't want to fill it all up. So I'm cheating there. I really don't know.

LIN: You know, so many people saw gas prices go up after Hurricane Katrina and then we all saw them go down again, but your experts are telling you that this may be here to stay. So we'll see how it changes people's lifestyles.

Thanks, Kareen.

Well, the higher gas prices go, the more people call for alternatives.

So is there a cheaper way to get where you need to go?

President Bush is pushing for the development of alternative fuels. And just before the top of the next hour, he's scheduled to give a speech explaining how fuel cell technology and other research could revolutionize the way we drive.

Or, is it all just politics? We're going to do a Fact Check with him.

But first, let's hear what the president has to say.

We're going to bring those comments to you live as soon as it happens.

Well, voters are going to the polls in New Orleans today to pick, among other things, the city's mayor. Mayor Ray Nagin wants to keep the job, but 21 other candidates think they can do a better job.

CNN's Susan Roesgen in New Orleans -- Susan, how is the turnout since people are turning out from three different states?

ROESGEN: Well, the turnout has been steady, they say, but light. Not as much as you might imagine.

Now, we know that the early voting and the absentee voting was about 10 times what it would normally be in a mayor's race. Normally, Carol, you might have 2,500 mail in votes and early voting. This year, they're expecting about 20,000 of them. They have to count all of those. They think that will take some extra time. But just in person here, like where I am, at the University of New Orleans, one of the four mega sites where people from 50 different precincts are voting, the turnout has been light, but steady. So we shall see.

You know, in the first few days after the hurricane, I interviewed Mayor Ray Nagin, the incumbent mayor. And in the course of a long interview I asked him about a lot of different things. And at the end, Carol, almost tongue in cheek, I asked him whether he would still consider running for reelection.

And he told me then yes, but he thought that he had found an opponent he couldn't beat, and her name was Katrina.

Now, eight months later, the voters may prove him right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF CROUERE, POLITICAL ANALYST: It's a referendum on Ray Nagin. I mean I think people are going to be either casting a vote in support of the trials and tribulations that he's been through and the leadership he's shown getting the city through it, or they're going to be voting against all the problems that occurred, the controversies, blaming him and saying we can do better.

If it wasn't for, you know, Ray Nagin's controversies, like the chocolate city comments, the problems during Katrina, he'd be cruising because, you know, incumbent mayors in New Orleans always win. They haven't had one lose since 1946.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: And most political analysts like Jeff Crouere believe that no candidate today will get more than 50 percent of the v. And so we'll be looking at a runoff election between the top two candidates a month from now -- Carol.

LIN: Susan, I'm going to ask you this because I know you know that city inside out.

Why do you think people would reelect Ray Nagin?

ROESGEN: Well, there are those who believe that you shouldn't switch horses in midstream, that now, as the mayor says himself, is not the time to experiment with new leadership.

But listen, I have to tell you, I've been speaking to my friends, to my neighbors, to people I interview, and there is a strong undercurrent here of people who say they want a simply anti-incumbent v. They're going to step behind the curtain today and they're going to push the button for anybody who was not in office during the election.

There's a strong sense here, Carol, that there was a complete failure of city government, from the mayor on down to the dog catcher, and they want everybody who was in office during Katrina out. So we have to see how it plays out, Carol. Well, there are those who believe that Mayor Nagin went through an incredible thing and he did the best we could and we should keep the guy we've got. And then there are those who say no way, let's start over, let's get somebody different.

LIN: Well, Susan, let's -- let's hope the dog catchers aren't on that ballot today, huh?

ROESGEN: A lot of city council members, though.

LIN: We'll see what happens in the mayor's race.

ROESGEN: OK.

LIN: Yes, you bet.

Hey, Susan, e-mail me your thoughts on this next segment, because, you know, with voters scattered in other states, is the election in New Orleans going to be perceived as legitimate?

Now, in about 12 minutes, I'm going to ask my guests whether this election will be legitimate or tied up in the courts.

We'll see what happens.

Finally, the Iraqi government fills its top leadership jobs. And we've been waiting since January for this to happen, so this is a really big deal.

Ryan Chilcote has more details from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iraq just made a big step in the formation of a government in ending the political stalemate that has existed here for the last four months.

Members of the parliament just met here in Baghdad's convention center and named Shiite politician Jawad al-Maliki to be Iraq's prime minister designate, giving him one month to form a new government of national unity.

Now, all of this came possible, the breakthrough in the political impasse, after the United Iraqi Alliance -- that's the religious Shiite coalition that has the majority of the seats in the parliament, and with that, the right to choose the candidate for prime minister -- said that it was withdrawing the candidacy of the embattled acting prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in favor of Mr. Maliki's candidacy.

The Sunnis, the secular groups and the Kurds have all said that they are prepared to work with Mr. Maliki as he does that. And, of course, that is a very important job, indeed. Many people believe that a government of national unity that would include the Kurds, the Sunnis and the Shiites in the decision-making process is the best way to get the sectarian violence and the raging insurgency here in Iraq under control.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: Fighting depression on the front lines -- what the military is doing about soldier suicides.

Measuring the power of race and economics in the New Orleans elections. I'm going to speak with two residents from different sides of that city.

And find out how Brazil is using what you use to sweeten your coffee to power their cars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We have detected a painful trend in how Americans lose their lives in Iraq. That trend is suicide. Army suicide rates nearly doubled from 2004 to 2005.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr looks for reasons behind that trend.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a soldier in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, the stress is hard to imagine. Last year, 25 soldiers in the war zone could not cope. They committed suicide. That is nearly twice as many that committed suicide in 2004, when 14 troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan killed themselves.

Now, three years into the war in Iraq, military research doesn't indicate that combat itself is the sole cause of such tragedy.

COL. JOSEPH CURTIN, U.S. ARMY: The nemesis, in many cases, is failed relationships, financial problems, perhaps substance abuse and other factors that are out there.

STARR: As the war has gone on, the Army has sent more than 230 mental health counselors into some front line areas. Commanders now are trained to look for signs of depression in the ranks.

According to the latest statistics made available to CNN by the Army, in 2005, a total of 83 soldiers on active duty around the world committed suicide, or 12.9 per 100,000. That is up from 67 in 2004, or a rate of 11.0 per 100,000.

In 2003, the first year of the war in Iraq, 76 soldiers committed suicide worldwide, 25 in Iraq.

The up and down statistical trend underscores the difficulty for the Army itself in trying to assess what this all means.

CURTIN: We really don't know why they go up and down from one year to the next. STARR: The Army rate continues to be significantly lower than the rate of 19.8 per 100,000 in civilian society. The marker that the Army says is the closest comparison to its at risk population, mainly young men between the age of 18 to 24.

(on camera): The 2005 suicide rate is slightly ahead of the 25- year average. Senior Army commanders tell CNN they are watching this troubling trend closely to see if it continues.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: In our World Wrap tonight, Canada is bearing more of the burden of patrolling Afghanistan and the country is paying a price. Four Canadian soldiers were killed today by a roadside bomb. So far, 15 Canadians have been killed in Operation Enduring Freedom.

In Gaza, attempts being made to resolve tensions between Hamas and Fatah supporters. Twenty people were injured in clashes yesterday. Egypt is mediating talks today between officials from the two parties.

And thousands of Vietnamese gave American billionaire Bill Gates a warm welcome in Hanoi earlier today. The Microsoft company chairman says Vietnam could become a real player on the global market by embracing education and information technology.

Katrina destroyed a large part of New Orleans, but which parts of the city should be repaired first?

I'll talk with two residents with differing views.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We feel an allegiance to that city. We want to v. We want our votes to count.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: But will they count?

Up next, we'll look at the credibility question surrounding the New Orleans election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're always on the move, eight hours a day -- eight hours a day, 24-7. Our primary job is dealing with accidents, keeping the traffic flowing as quickly as possible. Cell phone, eating, not paying attention to the highway -- all it takes is one improper lane change for the motorist to cause an accident on an interstate. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the public just pay attention to what they doing, the way they drive, you know, I believe that travel would be safe for everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That's a great goal, but it seems like a long way off. About 40,000 people die on America's highways every year. That's 109 people every day. But what if our cars could warn us of the dangers even before an accident occurred?

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Meet Jim Meisner, a transportation safety expert at U.C.-Berkeley. His goal? Simple -- to eliminate accidents.

JIM MEISNER: We focus on something called intelligent transportation systems, essentially putting technology into the roadside and into cars to make the road safer.

O'BRIEN: It's like your car's GPS navigation system beefed up and made interactive, with intelligent sensors mounted on the car and on the street alerting you to unsafe intersections, blocked lanes or hazardous road conditions.

MEISNER: You can have intersections talking to a car, cars talking to the intersections. The cars, therefore, can communicate better to the drivers what's happening.

O'BRIEN: Meisner says the system could roll out as soon as 2010, with an end goal of George Jetson proportions.

MEISNER: In the end, we could have very safe cars that drive automatically. If you have a fully automated system, you have to have a lot of acceptance by drivers and by society for it to happen.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: In case you're just tuning in, today, the Iraqi parliament filled its top job, something we had expected some time back in January. This is a big step and today, a short time ago, President Bush talked about this historic day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, the Iraqi people reached an important milestone in their journey on democracy. Iraqi leaders announced agreement on the top leadership posts for a national unity government. This agreement represents compromise and consensus among many different Iraqi groups, and it came after months of patient negotiations. The agreement reflects the will of the Iraqi people, who defied the terrorists by voting to choose the men and women who will lead their nation forward. And this historic achievement by determined Iraqis will make America more secure. Iraq is a nation made up of many different ethnic and religious groups and Iraq's new leaders represent their country's great diversity. The Iraqi people have rejected the terrorists' efforts to divide them and they have chosen the path of unity for their free nation.

The new Iraqi leadership now has 30 days to finalize the makeup of the Iraqi cabinet. Once inaugurated, the new government will hold power for up to four years. Unlike the interim and the transitional governments that came before, the new Iraqi government will have full constitutional authority. And because it expresses the will of 12 million Iraqis who went to the polls last December, it will have the popular mandate to address Iraq's toughest long-term challenges.

Iraq's new leaders have important responsibilities to the people who chose them. The new government has a responsibility to deploy the growing strength of the Iraqi security forces to defeat the terrorists and insurgents and establish control over the militias. The government has the responsibility to rebuild infrastructure that makes commerce possible and that supports the education and health needs of the Iraqi people. The government must strengthen the economy and encourage job creation and enforce the rule of law.

The new government must ensure that improvements in prosperity and security occur throughout the country, so that all Iraqis share in the benefits of their new democracy.

These are major challenges and the new Iraqi government will not face them alone. America is helping Iraq's young democracy move forward. Iraqis and Americans are fighting side by side against a common enemy. We're going to defeat the terrorists in Iraq. We will deny them safe haven. And a free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will be a powerful blow to the terrorists and a beacon of liberty for people across that region.

The formation of a new Iraqi government is an opportunity for America to open a new chapter in our partnership with the Iraqi people. The United States and our coalition partners will work with the new Iraqi government to reassess our tactics, adjust our methods and strengthen our mutual efforts to achieve victory in this central front in the war on terror.

The new Iraqi government will assume growing responsibility for their nation's security. And as more Iraqi forces stand up, American forces will stand down.

I want to thank all the brave Americans, both in our military and the diplomatic corps, who have served the cause of freedom in Iraq over the past three years. I thank their families who have sacrificed time with loved ones serving far from home. I want to thank our wounded service men and women who have given so much to make this moment possible. And our nation remembers the fallen heroes who gave their lives to bring liberty to Iraq and security to America. And we will honor their sacrifice by completing this mission. There's going to be more tough fighting ahead in Iraq and there will be more days of sacrifice and struggle. Yet the enemies of freedom have suffered a real blow today and we've taken a great stride on the march to victory.

The Iraqi people have defied the terrorists' threats. Iraqi soldiers and police have fought with valor for the freedom of their country. And Iraqi leaders have laid the foundations for a democratic government of, by and for the Iraqi people.

On behalf of all Americans, I congratulate the Iraqi people and their new leaders. The Iraqis are showing the world that democracy is worth the wait, that liberty is worth the sacrifice and that freedom is the future of every man, woman and child on this Earth.

Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: President Bush making remarks on the elections in the Iraqi parliament, filling these top jobs, saying that it will create a more secure America. Let's hope that the families of the four U.S. soldiers who were killed in Iraq today take comfort in some of his remarks, as he thanks the families for their sacrifice.

Some civil rights groups are questioning the credibility today of the municipal elections in New Orleans. They say many voters, mainly minorities, are scattered across the country.

So what's going to happen next?

I'm joined by Kenneth Gross.

He is an election law analyst.

Kenneth, you take a look at the situation here, I mean it took, you know, a couple of lawsuits and delays to even have this election day.

KENNETH GROSS, ELECTION LAW ANALYST: Right.

LIN: And even then, polling places were limited to Louisiana, when people, you know, are in Houston, in Atlanta and scattered through all the 50 states.

GROSS: Right.

LIN: Dux that this election is going to be challenged?

GROSS: If this election is close, we're definitely going to see more challenges. There is already -- there already has been a lawsuit, as you noted, a federal lawsuit. And within nine days of this election there's a period where further challenges can and most likely will be filed if this is a close election.

There are many unprecedented things occurring in this election -- the satellite voting, absentee voting by fax, those types of things.

LIN: So why didn't the Justice Department allow polling places in at least parts of Texas and the State of Georgia, where a majority of the Katrina refugees live?

GROSS: Well, that is a difficult issue that the court had to rule on. It's, in fact, what the court did allow is voting places throughout the State of Louisiana. As far as we know, that's the first time in the history of voting in this country where you can actually vote for someone at a polling place outside of the district where the person you're voting for is being elected.

To go out of state would create further security issues, in the court's view. But it does disenfranchise voters, no question about it. Many voters are living in Atlanta, as you noted, Houston, other places outside of Louisiana and they are going to have to vote absentee, if they're going to vote, and that is a difficult process. It's been difficult getting the ballots to them and it's going to be difficult getting the ballots back from them.

LIN: So, hypothetically, if there is a legal challenge to this mayoral race, where does that leave New Orleans just weeks before the hurricane season?

GROSS: Well, we have, of course, the potential of natural disasters, but this could be a manmade disaster, with this election being up in the air. If no one gets 50 percent of the vote, we won't have a final result. We will have another election on May 20th. But if the results of this election are not resolved in short order, it could hold up a runoff election.

LIN: So then what happens, because...

GROSS: And it will create uncertainty.

LIN: Yes, because then Ray Nagin, does he stay in the job until the outcome of the election is...

GROSS: No. This will have

LIN: ... resolved by the courts?

GROSS: This will have to be resolved one way or the other. The courts will have to step in and resolve this and determine who is the victor, if it is that close and it comes down to legal challenges. The courts are under certain expedited procedures within the nine day challenge period. They have to rule within expedited periods of time.

So it will be intense and there will be a likelihood of a lot of back and forth. But one way or the other, it'll need to get resolved and will be resolved.

LIN: Kenneth, you should know. You used to work for the Federal Elections Commission.

So appreciate the time. Thank you.

GROSS: Yes.

Thank you.

LIN: All right, let's get you caught up here, in case you've been checked out this weekend.

This is what's happening right now in the news.

Overnight, gas prices went up an average $0.03 a gallon. Yesterday, the price of crude hit a record high of $75 a barrel.

Meanwhile, President Bush says any price gouging on gasoline will be dealt with firmly.

These are live pictures of the president in California right now, looking at some alternative fuel technologies. We're going to bring you his remarks live.

In Iraq, a roadside -- a series of roadside bombings, actually, killed five U.S. soldiers. The military says four died when an IED struck their patrol vehicle south of Baghdad. Now, it's unclear if the fifth fatality died in the same incident.

Washington says it's pleased with Iraq's new choice for prime minister. A short time ago, you heard from the president of the United States on this. Jawad al-Maliki gets the job of forming a government. He's the prime minister elect. And it ends months of deadlock. President Bush just called the event an historic achievement for Iraq.

Using the power of plants to break America's addiction to oil -- we're going to show you two alternatives.

And up next, deciding which areas should get priority in rebuilding in New Orleans. I'm going to talk with two residents from two very different parts of New Orleans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: One of the big stories today is the New Orleans race for mayor. And with so much at stake, we thought it would be interesting to talk with two voters from two very different parts of the city. Darren Schmolke from New Orleans whose neighborhood Lakeview joins us there on the right and so does Glenda Harris from hard-hit ninth ward. Good to have both of you to the program. Glenda I want to begin with you because, how many miles did you drive? You are actually living in Houston right now?

GLENDA HARRIS, DISPLACED NINTH WARD RESIDENT: Yes, I am.

LIN: And you drove all the way back to cast your ballot?

HARRIS: Yes, last night, we came in about 9:30. It was significantly important to me to be here to see the process. We have encouraged citizens throughout Houston, through the Metropolitan Organization to participate in voting. So I surely wanted to participate here and see how the citizens reacted in New Orleans.

LIN: Because it's very possible that the next mayor is going to determine what happens to your neighborhood. They haven't even really directly redrawn the boundaries of where the ninth ward can be rebuilt.

HARRIS: Yes. And that's very important to me. As you know, the majority of the lower ninth-ward area, even though they were low- income workers, the majority of them were homeowners and so those citizens that are displaced throughout the country are waiting to hear what's going to happen to their community.

LIN: Darren, you in your neighborhood of Lakeview, not only were you able to rebuild your house, but you've actually helped your neighbors. What do you want to see the outcome in this mayoral election? What do you need from your next mayor?

DARREN SCHMOLKE, NEW ORLEANS LAKEVIEW RESIDENT: Hopefully we can get a short-term plan and a long-term plan. Short term, let's get the housing and infrastructure in the communities that need it. Long- term, how can we build a city that can compete and stand up with cities that have the same attractions we have here? I mean, you can see that, you know, how weak the city -- you know, before -- when Katrina hit, you know, that this kind of economically broke our backs, so hopefully we're not in that condition with the next administration that's going to be in.

LIN: All the experts say that people are casting their ballot for or against Ray Nagin, the current mayor. Darren, can you tell me who you voted for?

SCHMOLKE: You know, I'm a Mitch Landrieu fan, and I feel like we need somebody who is a politician and somebody who can help us through Baton Rouge and Washington and get things done. And, you know, it hasn't happened in the -- we're not -- we're not a whole far along from the -- from the last eight months. You know, everything that's been done basically is individual effort. People taken ownership of their own circumstances.

LIN: Glenda, who did you vote --

Excuse me, Darren, I'm sorry, there's a little bit of a satellite delay. Glenda, who did you vote for?

HARRIS: Normally I'm going to say this, normally I don't do this publicly, but I did continue my vote in support for Mayor Ray Nagin. Mostly because I know the troubles that exist in our community. Many of them have attributed to lack of coordinated leadership. But clearly being a governmental employee, I realize that that leadership ranked all the way through the levels of state government and even to the federal government of what didn't happen.

I know many of us are disappointed with many of our elected officials and in due respect to even Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, I know him as well, and I know of his abilities as well as some of the other candidates. I decided to make that choice. But mostly, I don't tell people or encourage them on who to vote for. I tell them to examine the candidates, make their choices and that's what we did at the Metropolitan Organization.

LIN: I understand. I understand. Since the two of you are from very different neighborhoods and there you are standing side by side. I got to ask both of you, because of the remarks that Ray Nagin made leading up to the election, predicting a chocolate city, the whole sort of racial overtone of this election, do you believe that it's going to come down racial lines? Darren, let me begin with you, very quickly.

SCHMOLKE: I mean, more than likely, that's just -- that's just the nature of this beast. But I don't see it that way. She drove from Houston to vote, and that's -- I'm impressed with that, so, you know, her vote counts.

LIN: You bet. Glenda?

HARRIS: Well, you know, for me, that question was asked of me before, by the "Associated Press." I think as I talk to senior citizens and I talk to working professionals who are homeowners in this community and in this city, they just want someone who is going to have effective leadership, and if that be Mayor Nagin, if that be Mitch Landrieu, if that be Reverend Tom Watson, if that be Attorney Cohacker, whoever that is, if that be Mr. Forman, I don't think people see it as someone white or black. They just want someone who's going to do the job.

LIN: Fair enough. Glenda, thank you so much for joining us. Glenda Harris and Darren Schmolke, a pleasure to be able to speak with you again as well.

SCHMOLKE: Thank you.

HARRIS: Thank you.

LIN: Well, from Willie Nelson to the White House. The push is on to kick America's oil addiction. Up next, the alternative fuel options you can choose from today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right, live to this event in West Sacramento, California where President Bush is talking about the possibility of cars that don't run on gas.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I appreciate the good stewardship, the commitment to good stewardship at the heart of the California fuel cell partnership. Bet a lot of our citizens don't understand what goes on here. It's a really interesting collaborative effort between automakers and energy companies and fuel cell technology companies and state and federal agencies. All united toward a great mission, which is to make hydrogen-powered automobiles and trucks and buses a reality for American drivers.

And that will help us be good stewards of the environment. And that will help us become less dependent on foreign sources of oil. Today I saw cars and buses that run on hydrogen instead of gasoline. And that emit pure water instead of exhaust fumes. This nation does not have to choose between a strong economy and a clean environment. We can have both at the same time. And investing in new technologies like hydrogen will enable this economy to be strong, people to be able to afford fuel. This country, national security, not dependent on parts of the world that are unstable, and technology will once again make this country the leader in the world. That's what we're here to celebrate.

And I want to thank Katherine Dunwoody, the executive director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. I appreciate your commitment. You can tell when somebody's pretty enthusiastic about what she's doing. A true believer. And she's a believer, because she is not only a person with vision, but she is a practical person, and she has seen firsthand the progress being made. I want to thank Congressman John Doolittle and Julie for being here. I also want to thank Congressman Dan Lungren, thank you all for joining us today. I appreciate your interest. [ applause ]

I thank the members and representatives of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. I want to thank the three guys from Ford Motor Company for giving me a tour. One guy was here, he spent 40 years, I think, at Ford. He's a -- and here he is, describing what it's like to maintain a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. I bet you didn't think he'd be talking about that ten years ago, 20 years ago, maybe 5 years ago. Things are changing for the better. And we're here to celebrate this nation's desire to improve the quality of life. I would like to report to you on earth day that America's air is cleaner, our water is purer and the land is better cared for. And that's important for people to know.

Over the past five years, things have improved with air, land and water. And we're setting tough standards when it comes to air quality. We're implementing clean-air rules that will reduce power plant pollution by 70 percent. We've established the first-ever national cap on mercury emissions from power plants which will result in nearly a 70 percent decrease in those emissions as well. Two years ago, I announced an important goal -- and that is to end the no- net-loss policy of wetlands in the United States. And increase wetlands in this country. I set a goal to restore, improve and protect at least 3 million acres of wetlands over the next five years. And so far we've restored improvement, protected 1.8 million acres of wetlands. We're doing our part in the federal government. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our air and our water and our land.

You know, flying in here, the Congressman Lungren pointed out, you know, all the different farms. And I want to thank the farmers and ranchers for being good stewards of the land as well. They've got a lot -- they got a lot at stake when it comes to being mindful of maintaining, you know, good land practices. I don't know if you realize this or not, but in the farm bill I signed, and congress passed, we provided about $40 billion over a ten-year period to encourage our farmers and ranchers to protect wildlife and conserve our natural resources.

Flying over the mountain ranges, we saw the forests and in Washington we passed a healthy forest initiative which will help us clear out dangerous underbrush that will help reduce the risk of catastrophic fires. We've got some commonsense, practical things we're doing in Washington that I know the American people expect us to do. Riding my bike today in the parks, reminded me of how important it is to make sure those parks are maintained and accessible to the American people. After all, it's your park system. I pledged $4.9 billion over five years to reduce the maintenance backlog in national parks and we're honoring that commitment.

I tell you something I find very interesting, in the 36 years since the first earth day, air pollution in America has been reduced by 50 percent. Yet, our economy has tripled in size during that time. And there's one main reason why. And that's because of technology. We're a technologically competent nation. We must always be on the leading edge of research and development in this country if we expect to be good stewards of the environment and make sure our people are able to find good work. That's the challenge.

I -- and so today, we're here to honor a group of folks who are employing technology, using new ideas to help change the face of America. And it's important what work you're doing here, because we got a real problem when it comes to oil. We're addicted. And it's harmful for the economy and it's harmful for our national security, and we got to do something about it in this country. And so I want to talk -- share some ideas with you about what we can and must do.

First of all, I understand the folks here, as well as other places in the country, are paying high gas prices. And you are because the primary component of gasoline is crude oil. And we live in a global marketplace. And when crude -- the demand for crude oil goes up in China or India, fast-growing economies, if the corresponding supply doesn't meet that demand, the price of gasoline's going to go up here in America. The American people have got to understand what happens elsewhere in the world affects the price of gasoline you pay here. When that price of gasoline goes up, it hurts working people. It hurts our small businesses. And it's a serious problem that we've got to do something about.

The federal government has a responsibility, by the way, to make sure there is no such -- there's no price gouging. And we're watching real careful to make sure that people are treated fairly. We're going to have a tough summer, because people are beginning to drive now during tight supply. Energy Department predicts gas prices are going to go up. Part of the reason, of course, is the escalating price of crude oil. Another reason why is we haven't added any refinery capacity in the United States in a long period of time. When you don't add refining capacity and demand goes up, you're going to see a price increase. And so this country has got to be wise about how we permit refineries and encourage additional refining capacity.

As well as you well know here in this state, we're changing the fuel mixes from MTBE to ethanol. It was right to get rid of MTBE. MTBE was polluting water. It was a product that wouldn't biodegrade. It's a terrible pollutant, and we're replacing that with ethanol, but there's a transition period that has to take place, and all these factors remind us that we got to do something about our dependence on oil. That's what the lessons at the pump say today.

I told you that about national security. Let me talk a little bit about that. We get a lot of our oil from places that are unstable. And we get our oil sometimes from people that don't particularly care for us. That's what I mean about national security problems. We do not want to be reliant upon unstable parts of the world. We don't want the lives of our people affected because some nation may not like us. And so here's the strategy to deal with it. One, we're spending a lot of money at the federal level to encourage research and development with the goal of getting away from oil. We spent $10 billion over the last five years to develop cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy sources. If the goal is, as I mentioned in my state of the union, to promote hydrogen and hybrid vehicles and ethanol.

In other words, what technology will enable us to do is change our driving habits. Is to figure out new ways to utilize fuels so that they are not oil -- so we get away from oil-based fuels. I strongly believe hydrogen is the fuel of the future. That's what we're talking about. Hydrogen is using a fuel cell that can power a car that uses no gasoline, produces no pollution, or greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen vehicles can be twice as efficient as gasoline vehicles. Hydrogen can be produced from domestic energy sources. Which means it has the potential, a vast potential --

LIN: All right, President Bush talking about the potential to have a car that doesn't use gasoline. But how far out is this? All right, we're going to find out more about it when we come back.

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LIN: Welcome back. The president talking about the possibility of hydrogen-driven cars. No gasoline. All right, we're going to find out what the implications of that are. How realistic is? He says it's going to happen maybe in 14 years. Our Frank Cessno says not exactly. The fact check coming up.

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