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CNN Live Saturday

Too Orleans Vote Still Too Close To Call; Iraqi Parliament Approves New Cabinet; Sky-High Oil Prices Boosting Prices Of Other Goods And Services; Confiscated Drugs Kept In Vault; Home Movie Services Becoming Popular; New Vaccine Against Cervical Cancer

Aired May 20, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News" decision day in New Orleans. Voters are choosing the city's next mayor. Today's runoff pits incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin against Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and it's all about who the voters trust to get city back on track after Hurricane Katrina. We'll go live to New Orleans, straight ahead
Tragedy at a Kentucky coal mine. Five miners are dead after an early morning explosion; and one other miner was able to make it out alive. So far, there's no word on what caused the blast.

Meanwhile in Iraq, more deadly bloodshed, a roadside bomb in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood killed at lease 19 and wounded dozens more. Today's explosion happened near a busy bus station.

And this developing story now, a car has exploded in Gaza City. Palestinian police say at least three people are dead. Israel says it conducted an air strike there. An earlier explosion in Gaza today wound the head of the Palestinian intelligence service. That's been called an assassination attempt and is being blamed on Palestinian factional tensions.

Meanwhile in southern Iraq, two British soldiers were injured when their convoy hit a roadside bomb. That attack took place earlier today in the city of Basra.

The U.S. death toll still on the rise in Afghanistan, as well. An American soldier was killed and six other troops were wounded in a firefight in southern Afghanistan. The Pentagon says the troops were on patrol when they were attacked by fighters aligned with the Taliban.

Now we go to Rob Marciano for a quick check of the weather. Rob, what's going on?

(WEATHER REPORT)

KEILAR: Thank you so much, Rob.

And we update the top stories every 15 minutes on CNN LIVE SATURDAY. Your next update is coming at 12:15 Eastern.

Straight ahead this hour -- the dollars and deals on home movies. Netflix, Blockbuster On Demand. We'll tell you how to get the most bang from your buck.

Also, from prices at the pump to produce. How rising gas price are fueling inflation on almost everything. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Brianna Keilar in for Fredericka Whitfield. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

Nine months after Hurricane Katrina, a monumental decision for New Orleans voters. Who will they choose to lead the city's uncertain future? Today's run-off election for mayor pits incumbent, Ray Nagin, against Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and polls show it's too close to call. Let's check in now with our Sean Callebs -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey Brianna, exactly right. We're standing in front of the so-called super precincts. Basically there are 28 of these around the city. People have been filing in here throughout the day.

The weather, absolutely perfect, it's expected to be up close to 90 degrees. And really, this morning's "Times-Picayune" kind of sums it up saying, "A historic vote," saying "who will or will die the city through post Katrina landscape"? And on the right, we see Mayor Ray Nagin, on the left, here, Mitch Landrieu, both doing some last minute politicking that we saw yesterday.

And really the issue here, who is going guide the city and they continue to rebuild. There is like the lower ninth, Chalmette, Lakeview, all those areas where it's just thousands and thousands of people live. As well as controlling, making sure the levee system holds up very well. The only thing keeping water out of this bowl shaped city.

Now, a number of people have been coming in from other cities to vote today. There was a Freedom Caravan that rolled in from Historic Ebenezer Church earlier today. And joining us...

You made that trip, you got onto the bus last night, Larry Hayes, about what -- at 10:00 at night.

LARRY HAYES, NEW ORLEANS VOTER: Yes.

CALLEBS: And how do you feel, firstly in -- you have to be excited about this vote. But you have had a beat with that ride?

HAYES: Well, I was able to sleep on the bus. We actually boarded the bus at 7:30, didn't leave Atlanta until 10:00. We left from the Historic Ebenezer Baptist in downtown Atlanta.

CALLEBS: What's at stake in this? And what are you looking for in the next leader of the city?

HAYES: I would like to have someone who could lead us through the post Katrina era and hopefully make it as convenient as possible for those persons who want to return home.

CALLEBS: Who do you support and why? HAYES: I would rather say who I'm supporting, but I'm supporting the person who I think would do the best job as making it more feasible for the persons to come back to the city and to a city that will brace them and that they can embrace.

CALLEBS: Great, thanks very much for joining us. Have a safe trip back.

HAYES: Thank you.

CALLEBS: We're hearing that from a lot of people. Really who can -- what candidate can be the one to guide this city. And the democratic process, certainly people wanted to keep that close to the vest, Brianna, but there's a big turnout here, perhaps bigger than the primary back at the end of April which would surprise some political pollsters in the area.

KEILAR: Thanks, John, for that. And we'll be coming back to you throughout the day for that.

You can stay here with CNN for all day coverage of this historic election in New Orleans. Coming up just, 10 minutes from now, we'll hear from a couple of voters. One, a Ray Nagin supporter, the other is a Mitch Landrieu backer.

A first in Iraq. The new parliament approves a new cabinet aimed at unifying the country and ending widespread violence, but if today's deadly attacks are any indication, Iraq's new government faces a difficult road ahead.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote is in Baghdad.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Brianna. Well, Iraq's new government will serve for four years and it will have much more power than the preceding governments, here in Iraq, the interim governments that we have had for the last three years. The hope is that this government will be able to fill the political vacuum that Iraq has been in for the last six months. That political vacuum is really blamed for fueling the insurgency and, in particular, the sectarian strife here.

Today we heard the new prime minister as he spoke after his government was approved, talking about this government being a government of national unity that's going to put that insurgency to an end and try to bridge some of the sectarian divide that has appeared in this country, particularly since February after a Shiite mosque was blown up.

The -- and it's also a very important moment for the United States, the U.S., the Bush administration, the U.S. envoy here in Iraq, very hopeful and very confident in a lot of ways that this government will be able to create the conditions where the U.S. military can begin to draw down the number of troops it has here. Perhaps, as we've heard before, as early as next summer. The U.S. military believes it may be able to bring some troops back home. But we did see some problems today, perhaps some worrisome one, the politicians were unable to agree who will run the country's interior and defense ministries for the long run, that could mean problems down the road in terms of fighting the insurgency and that sectarian strife, the prime Minster was talking about -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Ryan, thank you for keeping an eye, also, on this historic day in Iraq. We've got more on that and what's ahead for the new cabinet. And that's all on our Web site at CNN.com.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Supported the decision to go to war in Iraq. Many Americans did not.

(BOOING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: In "News Across America" this morning, you heard it there, Senator John McCain was booed at a New York college commencement. He gave basically the same pro-war speech he used at Reverend Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, but this time dozens of faculty and students turned their backs in protest. The new school is a noted progressive university.

A cruise ship captain is out of a job today. The Coast Guard says the man was about to set sail drunk. The Mercury, part of the Celebrity Cruise's family, got on its way to Alaska with a relief captain.

And a vintage plane sits underwater today, outside of Seattle. Look closely and you can make out outline there of the plane. The World War II era Air Coupe sputtered as the pilot tried to put it down on a private airstrip. The plane ended up in Rocky Bay. And people who live on that bay, luckily, they quickly pulled the pilot and his passenger from the chilly water.

It's D-day in New Orleans. Will it be Ray Nagin or Mitch Landrieu? Voters are deciding who will be the city's mayor and the man in charge through the next hurricane season. We talk with two voters next.

And later, we'll head for the border. Anderson Cooper tours a secret government vault that's filled with drugs. Going after drug traffickers right at the source.

And notice anything weird at the grocery store lately? Are mangos costing you more than usual, perhaps? You can blame rising gas prices. That story and more ahead this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A quarter past the hour, now. Happening in the news, the battle for mayor in New Orleans. Incumbent Ray Nagin going up against Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu in a close runoff. In the first round last month, Nagin finished first with 38 percent of the vote. Landrieu captured 29 percent. Polls close at 9:00 Eastern Time, tonight.

This developing story now, a car has exploded in Gaza City. Palestinian police say a top Hamas commander and two others are dead. Israel says it conducted an air strike there.

An earlier explosion in Gaza, today, wounded the head of the Palestinian intelligence service and that's been called an assassination attempt and it's being blamed on Palestinian factional tensions.

In Iraq, a day of deadly violence ushers in the new unity government. Parliament approved incoming Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki's picks for cabinet, but at the same time, a series of attacks including a roadside bombing in Baghdad killed at least 27 people.

Moving now to Eastern Kentucky, at least five workers were killed today in an explosion at the Darby mine in Harlan County. One miner was able to get out alive, it's not known how many miners were on duty or what caused the blast.

Up, up and away. It's those magnificent men and women in their flying machines. The Defense Department's Joint Service Air Show is under way at Andrews' Air Force base in Maryland, right now. Stars of the show, of course, members of the Navy and Marine Corps's Blue Angels.

Let's go now to Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center. Rob, what's going on?

(WEATHER REPORT)

KEILAR: Thank you so much, Rod. And we update the top stories every 15 minutes on CNN LIVE SATURDAY. And your next update is coming up at 12:30 Eastern.

Of course Memorial Day is right amped the corner and kicking off the summer travel season, if you'll be driving, check this out. AAA says the nation's average for regular unleaded is $2.91 a gallon. That's right, and it's up 11 cents from a month ago and up 77 cents from a year ago.

And sure, we've been peeling the pinch at the pump, but there's a ripple effect here, those sky-high oil prices are boosting the prices of other goods and services. For instance, prices at the grocery store. Here's CNN's Alan Chernoff.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mangos from Haiti, produce distributor, Steven Katzman, pays for them to be flown into the U.S. and then trucked out to retailers. He's paying higher fuel expense on the way in and the way out.

STEVEN KATZMAN, PRODUCE WHOLESALER: The biggest cost we have is transportation costs.

CHERNOFF: Katzman's customer, Nicholas Kotsianas who runs the Garden of Eden Gourmet Market now charges shoppers $1.99 each for the mangos.

NICHOLAS KOTSIANAS, MGR. GARDEN OF EDEN: Domino effect. If his prices go up, my prices go up, if my prices go up, the customers going to see it immediately on the shelf.

CHERNOFF: Many shelf prices are up 20 percent throughout the store, Kotsianas says to me. Like plum tomatoes from Holland, now $7 a pound.

KOTSIANAS: They're beautiful, but to get them here -- they just don't fly by themselves.

CHERNOFF: It's the expense that a distributor like Katzman has to pass along to the retailer.

KATZMAN: It's not uncommon for the freight of the product to be higher than what I actually end up paying the farmer. We could sell strawberries this time of year for about $15 and you can see, they come 12 pints in a container. Right now, going about a month or so ago, we were paying $2.25 freight to get it from California to New York. Now we're paying $2.75 a crate.

CHERNOFF: Beyond the transportation costs, there's Mother Nature's impact on the marketplace. Last winter's deep freeze in southern Europe, for example.

(on camera): There was a frost, this past winter, now it's showing up in olive oil prices?

KOTSIANAS: Absolutely because of the lack of supply. There's not enough olives now to be crushed to make the oil, so....

CHERNOFF: How much are price up?

KOTSIANAS: Twenty percent.

CHERNOFF: It's not just produce that's on the rise, it's all kinds of food. For example, Greek yogurt, this container is now $1.99 up 50 cents in the past month. That's partly because the cost of jet fuel has been soaring, but also because the dollar has been declining. So yogurt or any other product priced in euros now costs more dollars.

(voice-over): Kotsianas says he's taking a hit as well, reducing profit margins to limit price hikes for his customers. But inevitably, unless fuel prices turn around, he predicts shoppers are likely to see even higher prices later this year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: That report was from CNN's senior correspondent, Alan Chernoff. More to come now. Pardon me, inflation worries played out in the stock market this week when government economists said consumer prices rose faster than expected in April.

And more to come now, or in just a moment from New Orleans. We'll talk with two voters with opposing views on this historic election.

And thinking about renting a movie tonight for a fun Saturday night? We'll tell you how to get the best deals on DVDs and downloads, that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Back now to New Orleans where voters are picking the man who will lead the city in trying times ahead. In today's election, current mayor, Ray Nagin, faces a stiff competition from Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu. With us now from New Orleans, Nagin supporter Wendy Brown and Darryl Phillips who supports Landrieu.

Wendy and Darryl, thanks for being with us.

Wendy, let's start with you first. Just give us a sense of what was your situation? Where were you when Hurricane Katrina hit? Are you living in New Orleans now?

WENDY BROWN, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Oh yes, I'm back in my house and actually at the time of the storm I had evacuated to Dallas and my parents evacuated to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. But, I'm fine, we're recovering. And I think that's the message the national media has not gotten across to the world. We need to make sure that everybody knows that we're coming back, we're strong and we're recovering. Now at the time of the storm, it was very touch and go, but now, we're recovering.

KEILAR: And Wendy, you're actually a distant relative, right, of mayor Ray Nagin's.

BROWN: No, that's not true.

KEILAR: Oh, that's not true, I apologize, I got some wrong information there. But can you just tell me why you are supporting Ray Nagin? Why Nagin? Why not Landrieu?

BROWN: Well, I think we need to stay the course. Mitch Landrieu was doing an incredible job as our lieutenant governor and I think he was very much a very good mouthpiece for us nationally, supporting Hollywood South (ph) and doing an incredible job as lieutenant governor. And I worry if he's no longer there, what will we do for our tourism mouthpiece. He was an incredible lieutenant governor. I think Ray Nagin has done what any mayor would have done in a similar situation.

I think, if you really think about it, show me a mayor of a major city in any county -- in any city across this country and I'll show you a mayor who is clueless as to what he really would do if Hurricane Katrina came knocking at his door. I think Ray Nagin did absolutely the best he could do with what he was given. And I think that the federal government needs to do a little bit more and work with him.

And I think it's really unfortunate that he's sort of taken a hit for the Chocolate City comment, I'll just go there, if you will, because here's what I think about that, let's just put this to rest. Ray Nagin made a statement that he thought the city would be chocolate once again, I would have chosen my words a little differently, if I were him, but really he just stated a fact.

Our great city was predominantly black before and it's probably, likely to be predominantly black after the storm. I just think it's unfortunate that his words were taken out of context. All he did was state a fact and said it's probably going to be chocolate again.

KEILAR: I know, Darryl, you disagree with Wendy on this. You are a fan of Mitch Landrieu. Tell us a little bit about your situation, before Katrina and after Katrina, now.

DARRYL PHILLIPS, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Before Katrina, we evacuated maybe 12 hours before the storm hit. Traffic -- all of the prior traffic had been going to the West of the city, we decided to go to the east of the city and ended up in little place called Dolton, Alabama with six adults, six children, five dogs and a rabbit -- that was sort of our evacuation story.

KEILAR: So why Mitch Landrieu?

PHILLIPS: I think, right now, with the national spotlight on New Orleans that we've taken the negative hit, not all rays' fault, but not withstanding that, the city has taken a negative hit. I think we need to get a candidate in there that can build coalitions between the various groups and the political entities that he's got to deal with. I think Nick (sic) has got experience dealing with the national government at that level, and I just think feel that Nick (sic) is probably the better man for the post Katrina rebuilding efforts.

KEILAR: Darryl and Wendy, thanks so much for being with us and we are going to be checking out the situation in New Orleans all day today. We've got up to the minute coverage of this historic election. So you'll want to stay right here with CNN for all of that.

It's top secret, it's heavily guarded and it's filled to the brim with illegal drugs. An exclusive look inside the vault, ahead. And later, you can take out a loan to buy a movie ticket and a bucket of popcorn or you can just watch it from the comfort of your home. But who has the best deal for your viewing dollar? We've go an answer for you in our "Dollars & Deals," Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Happening "Now is the News," it's the battle of New Orleans. Incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin and Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu are locked in a runoff election today. It will help determine the course of one of the biggest reconstruction projects in U.S. history. Violence flares in the Middle East. We have new video of a car explosion in Gaza City. Palestinian police say a top Hamas commander and two others are dead. Israel says it did conduct an air strike there. An earlier explosion in Gaza, today, wounded the head of the Palestinian intelligence service. That's been called an assassination attempt and is being blamed on Palestinian factional tensions.

In Iraq, it's what the U.S. has been waiting for since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a unified government. Parliament today approved the cabinet of incoming prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, but the day was marred by a series of attacks that kill more than 30 people.

Now back Rob Marciano for a quick check of your weather -- Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KEILAR: All right, well, that will be good news for our next story, actually. And we update the stories here on CNN every 15 minutes as you know, and your next update is coming up at 12:45 Eastern.

President Bush's plan to have National Guard troops deployed to the border with Mexico is not expected to be a short mission. According to a Pentagon memo obtained by the Associated Press, it may last at least two years with no end in sight.

The memo doesn't spell out the cost or when soldiers would be deployed, but officials in the California Guard tell the AP they were told deployments wouldn't begin before early June.

The battle over immigration reform came over loud and clear on the radio today. In his weekly address, President Bush urged Congress to compromise. Mr. Bush also repeated his call for beefing up the border patrol.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week I asked Congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at the border. We'll hire thousands more Border Patrol agents. And to help these agents do their job, we'll deploy advanced technologies such as high-tech finance fences in urban areas, infrared cameras and unmanned vehicles.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KEILAR: In response, Congressman Mike Honda of California urged Mr. Bush to take a stand against right-wing immigration extremists. He also criticized the president for not spelling out the cost of his plan.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

REP. MIKE HONDA (D), CALIFORNIA: On what little substance the president did offer, he left out critical answers on costs at a time when our nation faces record high deficits and a soaring national debt. He left out critical answers on practicality at a time when the brave men and women of our National Guard are already stretched thin.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KEILAR: Honda dismissed the president's overall plan as a public relations campaign.

Secure borders -- agents hope they will stop more than illegal immigrants. The U.S. seizes mind boggling amounts of drugs that smugglers try to get into the country. Well, what happens to it? Anderson Cooper got an exclusive look inside "The Vault."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): As night falls, a shoot-out in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. As a new day nears, the streets will run red with blood, drug traffickers battling with Mexican federal agents. In this shoot-out, all but one of the drug cartel gunmen are killed. Others will quickly take their place, however. There's money to be made and valuable smuggling routes to protect.

After midnight, Border Patrol agents on the U.S. side wait in darkness to catch smugglers bringing drugs across. The violence on the border has been increasing, and drug seizures are on the rise.

At the San Ysidro border crossing, at least 50 bricks of cocaine were found hidden this car. The driver, a Mexican woman, was allegedly a drug mule, supposed to meet up with a contact in San Diego.

(on camera): Most of the drugs which are seized at the border end up here. Now, we can't tell you exactly where here is. All I can say is that it's a secret location, heavily guarded, somewhere in Southern California.

This is a locked vault, operated by the Customs and Border Protection. It's heavily guarded. Inside this vault are more drugs than you've ever seen in your entire life.

(voice-over): From floor to ceiling, there are boxes and boxes of drugs.

(on camera): So you have all drugs here? Marijuana? Cocaine? Methamphetamine? Heroin?

PAUL HENNING, U.S. CUSTOMS & BORDER PROTECTION: We have the big four here: marijuana, meth, coke, and heroin. In addition to that we have other drugs, such as steroids, ketamine, date rape drugs, and a variety of other things that are of smaller quantity.

COOPER: This is incredible. I mean, it's a warehouse of drugs.

HENNING: That's correct. It's one of 67 warehouses that we have in the United States. This is the largest. It contains right now about 80 tons of different types of drugs, right now amounting to a street value of about $150 million. COOPER (voice-over): Marijuana is stored in boxes on open shelves, but harder drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, are kept in locked cages.

(on camera): This is what meth looks like up close?

HENNING: That's what it looks like up close in its raw form, that's correct. And this was actually seized from the gas tank of a motorcycle.

This is heroin. This is black tar heroin. This was seized in a Volkswagen Jetta, in the firewall of the Jetta. And, again, this officer was picking up on the nervousness on the part the driver, and then the presence of the odor was confirmed by one of our detector dogs. And you can actually smell the pungent odor of the heroin through the packaging.

COOPER: That's what that is?

HENNING: It smells very much like vinegar.

COOPER: Yes, yes.

(voice-over): One pound of heroin sells for about $25,000 on the street. That adds up to big business too tempting for criminals to ignore.

(on camera): Who are the traffickers?

HENNING: The traffickers are very large cartels, very large organizations that control the flow of the narcotics from where it's produced to where it's going.

And they'll simply recruit anybody that they can to actually smuggle it across the border. They're not going to do that themselves. They're going to try and hire somebody who's expendable that they can then talk into bringing this stuff in.

COOPER: This is just one package of marijuana. This one weighs about 13 pounds. It's worth about $45,000 on the streets in the Midwest. What's remarkable, though, in this shipment, is they found 11,000 pounds of marijuana hidden in a tractor trailer truck, which was supposedly carrying television sets. It did have some TVs, but it also had all these bales of marijuana.

On the street, all of this stuff is probably worth about $33 million.

(voice-over): The drugs here don't stay forever. Most are kept as evidence until the judicial process runs its course. Then they're moved out.

(on camera): This is literally the end the line for the narcotics that have been seized in this area. They're boxed up, shrink-wrapped and then sent to be incinerated. They're basically burned. Before they're put in these boxes, however, they get tested one more time by Customs and Border Protection officers.

That's a brick of marijuana, and he's putting it in those plastic containers to do what?

HENNING: That's correct. He puts it inside the plastic container, seals it up, and then breaks three individual ampoules of chemical that are inside. And once all three of those react then with the THC content in the marijuana, we'll get a purple color, a very vibrant purple color, which will tell us that that is indeed marijuana.

COOPER (voice-over): For all of the drugs incinerated, more boxes and narcotics will quickly take their place. The cat and mouse game between drug traffickers and law enforcement shows no sign of letting up.

Anderson Cooper, CNN, Southern California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And Anderson Cooper is keeping a close watch on border issues. You can join "A.C. 360" weeknights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

It's no secret that going to the movies costs a pretty penny. Up next, we explore the best options for watching those films at home.

And up later, could this shot protect you, your sister or maybe your daughter from cancer? The details of this amazing medical breakthrough still to come this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: "Going Global" now, Palestinian security sources say Islamic jihad's most senior militant in the Gaza coastal area was killed in an Israeli air strike today. Earlier, Palestinian sources incorrectly said the victim was a Hamas commander. One other person was killed and six were injured.

You probably heard of the proverbial horse of a different color. But here are eight baby alligators of a different color. These rare albino alligators were born a month ago in Brazil. Albino alligators often face special challenges in the wild because they're unable to disguise themselves in the green vegetation.

And at Cannes, film critics are all starry eyed over "Dreamgirls," the movie based on the wildly popular Broadway show. It stars Jamie Foxx and Beyonce -- quite a duo there -- and the film won't hit theaters until December, but already the Cannes elite are whispering about a second Oscar for Jamie Foxx.

And, of course, here at CNN, we're trying to save you a little money with our consumer segment "Dollars & Deals." And today, we're going to the movies. Actually, we're Bringing the movies to you.

Russell Pearlman of "SmartMoney" magazine joins me from New York. And, Russell, "SmartMoney" tested many of the home movie services. So there are just so many choices out there. Why don't you kind of walk us through these and let's start with video stores.

RUSSELL PEARLMAN, SENIOR WRITER, "SMARTMONEY": Well, just we've seen a decline in rentals from video stores over the past five years because we've seen a growth in movies by mail and downloading directly from the Internet and on demand cable.

But for most people, probably taking your car or walking to the video star is still the number one option. Prices range anywhere from three to $4.80 or so for the average video. The selection is still somewhat limited, but for instant gratification purposes, you go there, you walk in, find the movie you want, go back home, you can watch it over a three or four day period.

KEILAR: So let's talk now about on demand cable. What is the cost per movie here?

PEARLMAN: The cost per movie is anywhere from $2 for a television show to $5 or $6 for a movie that has just come out on DVD. We've seen the selection grow from nearly nothing five years ago to perhaps about 200 films over any given month from a particular cable provider.

KEILAR: And movies by mail, this is something you're maybe doing it through Blockbuster, you're doing it through Netflix. It seems to be kind of cheap, right?

PEARLMAN: That's right. It's probably the best bang for your buck these days. For $17.99 a month, the subscription service you can have up to three movies out at any given time.

Both Blockbuster and Netflix have over 50,000 movies in their libraries. We found that Netflix is perhaps the most comprehensive of libraries of our movies. We had a 100 movie list that we wanted to see if each of our providers would have. Netflix had everything except inexplicably "Fantasia." But everything else they seem to have had.

If you have a family of three or four and you rent eight movies a month, using Netflix that works out -- or Blockbuster mail service -- that works out to about $2.25 a film if you go by that $18 a month subscription plan. That's a great deal, $2.25 a movie. It's certainly cheaper than a rental at a movie store and definitely cheaper than popcorn at a theater.

KEILAR: Oh, yes. So it's cheap, it's convenient, right? You never really -- you don't even have to leave your home if you don't want to, but there's got to be a downside as well, right?

PEARLMAN: Well, the catch is if you're into the instant gratification scenario, that's not going to happen with either Netflix or Blockbuster's mail service. You're going to have to wait at least 24 hours from the time you click into that you want the movie until that the movie will arrive.

And in some cases, if supply for that particular movie is not huge or there's huge demand for that particular movie, you could wait a couple of weeks for that movie to arrive.

KEILAR: So let's talk about getting your movies on the Internet. This is something that also seems to be kind of convenient, but is it really catching on and how much are we going to pay for it?

PEARLMAN: Well, it is catching on. Up until recently, the only ways to get movies over the Internet was illegally, but now we're finding there are some less illegal means to get these type of movies. There's something called Movielink which is a joint venture between six different studios.

You're going to see movies that when they are released on DVD, the same day, you're going to be able to get these movies through the Internet. There's two different plans where you can buy the movie outright for anywhere between $8 and $25 depending on the popularity and newness of the move, or you can rent it from anywhere from $1 to $5 also, again, depending on the popularity and how new the movie is.

There's also something called MovieBeam, which is very, very recent. It's put out by Disney where you actually buy a box for about $200, install it in your house, and the movies come to you from anywhere from $2 to $4.

KEILAR: That certainly sounds like an investment there, Russell. Russell Pearlman of "SmartMoney" magazine, thank you so much for being with us an breaking down all of those options. And if you want more, you can check it out on SmartMoney.com.

Forty-five minutes past the hour now, and here's what's happening right now. Nearly nine months after Hurricane Katrina, it's decision day in New Orleans. Voters are choosing the city's next mayor, the man who will lead rebuilding efforts in the months ahead.

Today's runoff pits incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin against Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu.

And in Iraq, a milestone in that country's road to democracy. Parliament has given its stamp of approval to the prime minister designate's cabinet, but because of political bickering, permanent defense and interior ministers still haven't been named.

Look out below, it's a massive parachute drop of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne. These are new pictures from the Defense Department's Joint Services Air Show at Andrew's Air Force Base in Maryland. The Navy and Marine Corps Blue Angels take flight later today.

And let's check in once again with Rob Marciano for a quick look at your weather. Rob, can you tell us what are they going to be -- well, obviously the weather looks pretty good there, right, Rob?

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KEILAR: Rob, thank you so much.

And we update the stories every -- top stories every 15 minutes on CNN LIVE SATURDAY. Your next update is coming up at the top of the hour. That's 1:00 Eastern.

A breakthrough in the fight against cancer. Next we'll tell me you about a new vaccine that could protect millions of women from cervical cancer. You won't want to miss this important health story. We'll be back.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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KEILAR: An historic election going on today in New Orleans. We have new video here of lieutenant governor and mayoral candidate Mitch Landrieu showing up to vote. We are expecting incumbent mayor, Ray Nagin, also to vote later, and we'll bring that you video as soon as we have it. And we'll also go live to New Orleans later in the show for more on this historic election.

Moving on, a new vaccine against cancer, and doctors say it's highly effective. It targets cervical cancer and could be on the market by late summer. CNN's Christy Feig has more on what it is and what it's intended to do.

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CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You may not have heard about a virus called human papillomavirus or HPV, but chances are if you're sexually active you've had it. Most of the time our immune systems can get rid of it. But in about 10,000 women a year, it develops into cervical cancer. That's what happened to Silvia Ford.

SILVIA FORD, CERVICAL CANCER SURVIVOR: I was very scared. I didn't know much about cervical cancer. I heard cancer, and I really was afraid that I was going to die.

FEIG: At age 34, she had a hysterectomy. Silvia's cancer was caught early with a pap smear. And for now that's the only way. But soon women may have another protection, a vaccine.

It's called Gardisil, and it made by Merck and Company Incorporated. There are more than 70 different types of HPV. A doctor who led one of the clinical trials says this vaccine protects against four of them.

DR. KEVIN AULT, EMORY UNIV. SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: These are the four medically most important types. Two of the types, 16 and 18, are responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer. And then the other two types, 6 and 11, are responsible for about 90 percent of genital warts.

FEIG: Every year cervical cancer kills nearly 4,000 women in the U.S. Some doctors believe the vaccine could change that.

AULT: If everybody would get the vaccine and the vaccine would work as well as it has in the trials, you might get up to a 70 percent reduction in cervical cancer. FEIG: The FDA will make the final decision on whether the vaccine is approved. The agency is not bound by the recommendations of the its advisory committee, but it usually follows them. The decision is expected by early June.

I am Christy Feig reporting from Washington.

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KEILAR: It's a beautiful day at Andrews Air Force Base. There you see some of the planes there taking part in the air show, but first we take a look at "Modern Living."

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REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For years, the defunct Atlantic Steel Mill was a toxic eyesore near downtown Atlanta. It's been transformed into Atlantic Station, one of the hottest places in the city to live, work and play.

JIM JACOBY, CHAIRMAN, JACOBY DEVELOPMENT INC.: This is about a seven-acre park. This is a retention facility for all the storm water runoff and we filter the water and reuse the water.

WOLF: The retail-residential mix is attracting the young and the hip, empty nesters and many others. Twenty-five hundred residential units have already been sold and they've been weaved into a million and a half square feet of retail and entertainment venues.

The U.S. Green Building Council has recognized Atlantic Station for its sustainability, perhaps a model for other cities.

Reynolds Wolf, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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KEILAR: We've got some decent weather today in Maryland. Good news for the air show at Andrews Air Force Base and also for the Preakness going on in Baltimore. But let's go right now to Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center. What's going on in other places, Rob?

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KEILAR: Thanks, Rob, and we'll definitely be taking a look at keeping an eye on that severe weather possibility.

A look now at our top stories in just a moment, but first a preview of "IN THE MONEY."

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Thanks. Coming up on "IN THE MONEY," all about inflation. We'll look at how higher gas prices are making waves throughout the economy.

Also ahead, nice work. Now get lost. Find out why so many Americans over 50 have no choice but to retire.

And hot tips from total strangers. See if film reviews have anything to do with how a movie performs at the box office. All that and more after a quick check of the headlines.

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