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The Politics of Peace; Rising Oil Proces Affect Small Businesses

Aired April 14, 2005 - 14:30   ET

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

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


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Stories that are making news right now.
Massive sweep nets more than 10,000 fugitives from justice. Law enforcement officials say Operation Falcon, aimed at taking criminals off the street. Among those nabbed, murder and robbery suspects, gang members, unregistered sex offenders and hundreds wanted for rape or sexual assault.

Prosecutors announce the indictments of a Texas oilman and his company in the U.N. oil-for-food investigation. David Chalmers, the head of Bayoil, was arrested in Houston earlier today. He's accused of paying illegal surcharges to the regime of Saddam Hussein. Two of Chalmers' associates also facing charges.

More emotional testimony from the mother of Michael Jackson's accuser. She said Jackson and his associates convinced her there was a plot against her family. The mother also said she saw Jackson licking her son's head on a flight from Miami to Florida.

And Alabama issues a media alert for a missing 16-year-old girl. Authorities believe Jade Padgett from Cherokee County might be with a man she met through the Internet. She was last seen yesterday afternoon, possibly with an unknown older white male, possibly in his 30s.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The duties of federal government get carried out by departments. The Department of Justice, the Pentagon, the State Department, and more recently, the new Department of Homeland Security. Now there's a push in Washington to add a U.S. Department of Peace to the list. The legislation to create it has 53 co-sponsors in Congress.

From avoiding war to curbing gang violence to promoting civil rights, this bill would create a new cabinet-level position, a secretary of peace appointed by the president of the United States.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio created that legislation. Best-selling author and co-founder of the Peace Alliance, Marianne Williamson is helping him with this grassroots effort. They both join me live. Great to have you both.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: Thank you very much, Kyra.

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, AUTHOR, "THE GIFT OF CHANGE": Thank you. PHILLIPS: Congressman, let's start with you. And tell our views, how is this different from other departments, say the State Department?

KUCINICH: Well, the State Department's job is to advance U.S. interests. The Department of Peace would embrace the concerns of people all over the world, but specifically would work to avert from war, would give the president a whole range of options other than having to go to war and, quite possibly, help avoid unnecessary wars.

PHILLIPS: We'll get into more detail about that in a minute. And Marianne you said that, quote, "What marching through the streets was to the '60s, walking through the halls of Congress is now." What to you mean why that?

WILLIAMSON: Well, this legislation is an example of the kind of thing that can happen in Washington that can have a fundamental effect on the way our nation does business, not only domestically, but internationally. And so I think that that statement speaks to a general uprising of civic concern and political activism among people today. And the Department of Peace represents the kind of new thinking that can infuse governmental action that a lot of people wish to see occur.

PHILLIPS: Now, Congressman, I'll tell you, I read that legislation. And I'm going to ask you specifically about Section 12, and that's the consultation part. Let's say before OIF, before the war in Iraq, a secretary of peace would have been an adviser to the president, along with other secretaries.

It says here the secretary of defense and the secretary of state shall consult with the secretary of peace concerning non-violent means of conflict resolution. So give me a little more detail on the role of this secretary of peace and if, indeed, you had to go to war, there would be options there, too, on how this position would be utilized.

KUCINICH: Well, first of all, in the case of Iraq, secretary of peace could have advised the president that there didn't appear to be enough proof to warrant the United States taking the action and that, furthermore, the work of the United Nations and U.N. inspectors appeared to have been sufficient enough to guarantee that there were no weapons of mass destruction. Now, that's with respect to international matters.

On a domestic level, Kyra, this department can help to address the issues in our society of domestic violence, spousal abuse, child abuse, violence in the schools. Look at how many school stories you cover about violence in the schools. This department will create programs practically -- practical application of principles of non- violence to help lift this scourge of violence from our schools.

PHILLIPS: We talk about international and domesitc missions within this department. Marianne, and you told me the Peace Academy is a part of this legislation. Explain what that is and how that would help in both of these missions. WILLIAMSON: Just as we have a military academy where we study, of course, the most cutting-edge ways to effectively wage war, the Peace Academy would be a sister organization institution in which we will study and teach the most cutting-edge ways to wage peace. The Congressman was just talking about specific strategies for conflict resolution. You will have programs at the Peace Academy. It will be a kind of best practices model. What are the best practices for teaching non-violence, conflict resolution, for instance, among school-age children, domestic abuse.

You know, the city of Detroit, officially -- the city council of Detroit officially endorsed this resolution, and one of the reasons was because 80 percent of all police runs in the city of Detroit deal with domestic abuse. Look how that sucks from the financial and personal resources of the city.

So this, the Peace Academy would be able to help cities throughout the country identify, articulate and facilitate non-violent solutions, programs, specific strategies, whether you're dealing with gang members in East L.A. and of course from an international perspective, it could be dealing with teenagers, Palestinian and Israeli teenagers. Because the kind of psychological and emotional processes apply the same way.

PHILLIPS: And you brought up the financial aspects and I want to ask you, Congressman, about that. You say it would take $8 billion to build this U.S. Department of Peace. Critics might say, Congressman, the last thing we need is another governmental entity where our taxpayers are going toward and we really don't know what's happening within that department. Tell me how you justify that number to the critics?

KUCINICH: Kyra, we're spending every year over $400 billion for the military. We're spending close to $270 billion total, once the Senate approves the bill, for the war in Iraq. How much better it would be to dedicate a small percentage of the kind of money we spent preparing for war, to spend money preparing for peace? There's a whole philosophy behind this, and if your viewers go to the Web site at kuncinich.us., they will see the philosophy, that war is not inevitable, peace is inevitable if we're willing to work for it and if we're committed to principles of non-violence in our life of -- in the life of our nation and in discourse between nations.

PHILLIPS: Congressman, in addition to that Web site, Marianne, you also told me about the peacealliance.org. You can log on to that, read about the legislation, read about the efforts from the political side of things. Marianne, to your site also, with the Peace Alliance. We're going to follow this. Congressman, you're introducing this in September, correct?

KUCINICH: Yes, because -- I'm introducing it in September and I want to thank Marianne and all the members of the Peace Alliance for their support, because it is so imperative that we start to change the memory of September 11th to being one of deep grief, which we all share, to a new beginning for peace, so that, from the ashes of the World Trade Center, will rise a new hope for America, a hope that we can create a world of peace and a nation of peace.

PHILLIPS: And a shift of consciousness that both of you talk about. You can read Marianne's column on her Web site and read this legislation on Dennis Kucinich's Web site. Both of you, thank you so much. We'll follow up.

WILLIAMSON: Thank you.

KUCINICH: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Well, I'm confused today. You always heard that heard that advice about drinking a lot of water when you're running? Throw it out.

PHILLIPS: You're always confused.

O'BRIEN: Well, this is true. But apparently, you know, with people that run, and particularly slow people like me who end up drinking a lot of water, well, they might be drinking too much. My alternate would be just go to the beer line but that's another story. All right, we'll tell you about that one.

Then this, what about oil prices? Have they gone to the dogs, paws and -- get it, paws? And watch the story. It's a visual cue. P-A-W-S. Watch the story of one small business owner as he takes his business on the road. It's a gnarly tale.

PHILLIPS: Sibila's wearing pink just for you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Oh, you look great. You look fantastic.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, darling. Thank you. And you guys look marvelous, too.

O'BRIEN: Pretty in pink, I'd say.

VARGAS: If you plan on watching the finale of "The Apprentice," then get ready to see something different. And why is "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek answering questions instead of asking them? I'll explain when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Couple items for you today.

You exercise lots, so you should push the water, right? Well, not so fast. New medical study advises athletes to go easier on the water while competing; in layman's terms, it says overhydrating is more dangerous than dehydrating. Little bit of revisionist history here. Check today's "New England Journal of Medicine" on that. Apparently, it reduces your salt content or whatever.

All right, look what may be come coming back: silicone-filled cosmetic implant. The FDA banned silicone for most uses years ago, but yesterday ruled that implants from one manufacturer be allowed again. Silicone-implant maker insist they're safer now. PHILLIPS: Well, the Black Eyed Peas want to get started again. Get it get it start -- I'm not going to sing it -- with their new album, and the young, hot and stylish are named in Hollywood. CNN's entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas joins us live from L.A. with more.

VARGAS: I like that.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I'm not going to see, because I'm leaving that up to you.

VARGAS: You did it. I know that. That's pretty good. Whoo.

It was a who's who of Hollywood hotties last night at "US Weekly's" Young Hot Hollywood Style Awards. America's favorite couple, newlyweds Nick and Jessica, showed up, dispelling rumors of an impending breakup. Here's Hilary Duff. At some point, we'll get to Jessica. They were there to get the Style Icon Award. There's Black Eyed Peas and also Miss Tori Spelling. The sexy blonde sport a new 'do. There she is, Paris Hilton with dark hair. Actually, it's a wig she was wearing for an upcoming movie. Winners of the event are chosen by editors of the magazine.

One person who didn't make the list was Donald Trump. That's not to say that he's not hot. The real estate mogul says that the season finale of this year's "Apprentice" will offer something very different. Mainly, two hours shorter than the previous finales. At a press conference, he said, at my insistence, I wanted it to be a one- hour finale. We ended up with a reunion and all this nonsense. Nobody wants that, all they want is a finale where somebody gets fired. We do like to hear him say, "You're fired."

Moving on, "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek may soon have to answer some questions instead of asking them. A woman is suing the game show host in connection with the alleged disappearance of a $100,000 horse. Marian Warner (ph) says she delivered a $100,000 horse to the Trebek's California horse-breeding farm.

Warner claims she sent the horse to Trebek's farm to be bred on January 21st. She says on February 24th, she was informed the horse would be bred the very next day, and then days later, on March 2nd, Warner said she received another call telling her that the horse had become sick and had to be euthanized. In a lawsuit, the woman states that the defendant sold, traded, gifted or otherwise disposed of Beebee (ph) the horse. We contacted Trebek's office just a short time ago and Trebek released a statement which reads in part, "there's no truth to the allegations. I fully expect the lawsuit will be withdrawn."

Finally, they seem like they're everywhere. If they're not entertaining millions at the Superbowl, they're getting the party started at the Grammy's. The Black Eyed Peas mean business, monkey business that is. That's the name of their new album. The album is a follow-up to the incredibly successful "Elefunk". Second year pop singer Justin Timberlake and funk legend James Brown lending their vocals the album. The album hits record stores on June 7th. Sounds like a good one. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: "Where's the love," still my favorite. Still my all- time favorite. I can't wait to hear Justin and now James Brown, all right.

VARGAS: Not bad, huh? Good line up.

PHILLIPS: Adding a little spice. Thanks, Sibila.

O'BRIEN: What would you do if you heard a cry for help? For a Philadelphia woman, it was an easy choice. Louise Jordan was walking her son to school this week when she heard a woman screaming for help, so she thought. She had some call police and then frantically began trying to bang on the door to try to find the victim. Police broke into the victim's home only to find a large parrot. It was squawking help me, help me.

PHILLIPS: How is that?

O'BRIEN: Help me, help me. My best parrot. Police say they didn't mean to ruffle any feathers, however. The parrot was not arrested for making a false police report. Apparently didn't have the right cuffs for the wings. The wing cuffs. The wing cuffs. All right.

PHILLIPS: All right. If dogs could talk, this one would tell you the tough tale of rising gas prices is -- well, you get the connection here between pets and what you pay at the pump?

O'BRIEN: No, no, we actually don't, but that's why you've got to stay tuned to live from, OK? We don't get it at all. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Geez, it's like my alarm in the morning.

Gasoline: the national average price this week $2.26. It's a painful -- pretty painful to look at, but more painful to shell out, especially if your career depends on being on the road. So, what's a gas dependent small business to do? I think you know already. But they pass the pain on to you, the customer. Here's Allan Chernoff with the case in point.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If only Michael Brennan could tap his client's energy to fuel his business.

MICHAEL BRENNAN, MOBILE PET GROOMING OWNER: I know. Nobody likes this part that much.

CHERNOFF: Brennan run as mobile dog grooming service. If your pup needs a wash, cut and style, perhaps even a toenail clipping, Michael's Aussie Pet Mobile will make a house call.

BRENNAN: There's a sort of pleasure in dealing with dogs all day long. And in dealing with owners of dogs. It's -- they're remarkably pleasant group. I know...

CHERNOFF: A retired nurse, Brennan got into the business a year and a half ago. He's had no problem finding clients. Trouble is, the cost of getting to them. The pet mobile is a 3500-pound converted horse trailer, equipped with water, heater, pumps and generator. A Ford F-150 pulls the load. Combined truck with trailer and you get about eight miles a gallon, by Brennan's estimate.

BRENNAN: It does eat gas remarkably well. Certainly a little troublesome that we have to drive big trucks in order to pull the trailers that we pull.

CHERNOFF: Now consider prices at the pump. Near a record high of $2.27 a gallon nationwide. And in Chicago's northern suburbs, Brennan's territory, $2.33 a gallon. Ouch! Brennan has two pet mobiles, his cost of gas has been averaging about $570 a month.

BRENNAN: Our most recent bill from Shell was on the order of $750. If you go back to October, it was about $450. So there is a substantial increase going on there.

CHERNOFF: That's why Brennan raised prices in October. The average groom is now $63. And he's planning another price hike. Well, aware it will likely cost him some customers.

BRENNAN: And we're breaking even about now. But if the gas price goes up, if our overhead goes up, then it will no longer be breaking even.

CHERNOFF: Brennan fears if gas prices keep soaring, he'll take such a bath that he'll no longer be able to afford giving them to Chicago's dogs.

(LAUGHTER)

BRENNAN: I'm on the lookout for technology that will turn dog hair into gasoline because I've got a whole lot of dog hair.

CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Dog hair mobile, that's brilliant. That's brilliant. Forget fuel cells. Dog hair mobile.

Susan Lisovicz, I think that would be a stock that would be a real winner on the stock exchange.

PHILLIPS: I'd invest. I've got lots of it.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it might, but not today. Today is a tough sell.

Today we're going to talk about the death tax, though, which may die, Miles and Kyra. A bill seeking to abolish the estate tax passed the House yesterday and now it heads to the Senate.

Lawmakers in favor of the measure say the taxes is a burden on owners of small businesses and farms, but opponents say the bill only benefits the wealthy. The IRS says roughly 2 percent of the population that died in 2001 left estates subject to taxation, which brought in about $23 billion in tax revenue. Previous attempts to elimination the estate tax have died in the Senate, but supporters of the legislation hope a bigger Republican majority will make the difference this time around -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Susan. Yes. Let's talk taxes, shall we?

LISOVICZ: It's a very timely subject.

O'BRIEN: We're laughing because of course I did not get my taxes done. Kyra is rubbing in the fact she's done them on time this year, for the first time ever, congratulations.

PHILLIPS: Yes. He's the king of extensions.

LISOVICZ: I haven't done mine either, actually.

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You've got good company. And in fact, millions of people have not yet completed their taxes. And many of them should consider -- listen up -- filing for an automatic four-month extension.

But remember, even though you get some extra time, the IRS wants your money now. Taxpayers must provide an estimate of taxes due and send in the check along with the extension form. If you don't pay at least 90 percent of your ultimate tax bill by tomorrow, midnight, you will be charged interest, plus a late penalty fee every month.

Talking about being penalized, look at the stock market today. Day two, another bad sell-off. Dow Industrials off 69 point. The Nasdaq down about 1 percent. That's the latest from Wall Street.

Kyra and Miles, back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Susan. Good luck on that extension. I already got mine in. I actually file it like January, because I knew that wasn't happening.

All right we, here on LIVE FROM, faithful viewers know, kind of march to different drummer.

PHILLIPS: Isn't that the truth. And we're going to prove it.

Just listen to this.

(DRUMS)

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Got a good beat.

O'BRIEN: Sounds like that gas thing. PHILLIPS: Easy to dance to.

Just ahead on LIVE FROM, former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart's going to explain to us why this music paved the way for rock, rap and just about everything else you listen to on your iPod.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Now in the news, the mother of Michael Jackson's accuser back on the stand in the pop star's child molestation trial. She says she was acting when she heaped praise on Jackson in a videotape made to review damaging TV documentary -- or rebut, rather, a documentary on Jackson. And was following a script given to her by Jackson's associates.

Marriages dissolved in Oregon where the State Supreme Court has ruled licenses issued to gay couples last year are not valid. The judge is determined, under state law, that marriage is a union between a man and woman and that officials had no right to issue the licenses in the first place.

The president's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N. must wait until Tuesday for a key vote on his confirmation. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had been scheduled to vote today, but Democrats pushed for a delay to review Bolton's record and claims that he intimidated intelligence analysts who disagreed with him.

A big test for Discovery as NASA prepares for the first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster. Discovery's redesigned external tank was filled with fuel today. It's all a test run to make sure all systems are go for a return to flight next month.

Miles, you going to be on it?

O'BRIEN: I wish.

First, this hour, a Texas oil man indicted today in the Iraq oil- for-food scam, engulfing the United Nations. At a news conference in New York, federal authorities announced the arrest of David Chalmers of Houston-based Bay Oil USA and a Bulgarian associate. Those two plus a British man accused of helping Saddam Hussein arrange kick- backs through the program designed to help hungry Iraqis eat.

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


Aired April 14, 2005 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Stories that are making news right now.
Massive sweep nets more than 10,000 fugitives from justice. Law enforcement officials say Operation Falcon, aimed at taking criminals off the street. Among those nabbed, murder and robbery suspects, gang members, unregistered sex offenders and hundreds wanted for rape or sexual assault.

Prosecutors announce the indictments of a Texas oilman and his company in the U.N. oil-for-food investigation. David Chalmers, the head of Bayoil, was arrested in Houston earlier today. He's accused of paying illegal surcharges to the regime of Saddam Hussein. Two of Chalmers' associates also facing charges.

More emotional testimony from the mother of Michael Jackson's accuser. She said Jackson and his associates convinced her there was a plot against her family. The mother also said she saw Jackson licking her son's head on a flight from Miami to Florida.

And Alabama issues a media alert for a missing 16-year-old girl. Authorities believe Jade Padgett from Cherokee County might be with a man she met through the Internet. She was last seen yesterday afternoon, possibly with an unknown older white male, possibly in his 30s.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The duties of federal government get carried out by departments. The Department of Justice, the Pentagon, the State Department, and more recently, the new Department of Homeland Security. Now there's a push in Washington to add a U.S. Department of Peace to the list. The legislation to create it has 53 co-sponsors in Congress.

From avoiding war to curbing gang violence to promoting civil rights, this bill would create a new cabinet-level position, a secretary of peace appointed by the president of the United States.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio created that legislation. Best-selling author and co-founder of the Peace Alliance, Marianne Williamson is helping him with this grassroots effort. They both join me live. Great to have you both.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: Thank you very much, Kyra.

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, AUTHOR, "THE GIFT OF CHANGE": Thank you. PHILLIPS: Congressman, let's start with you. And tell our views, how is this different from other departments, say the State Department?

KUCINICH: Well, the State Department's job is to advance U.S. interests. The Department of Peace would embrace the concerns of people all over the world, but specifically would work to avert from war, would give the president a whole range of options other than having to go to war and, quite possibly, help avoid unnecessary wars.

PHILLIPS: We'll get into more detail about that in a minute. And Marianne you said that, quote, "What marching through the streets was to the '60s, walking through the halls of Congress is now." What to you mean why that?

WILLIAMSON: Well, this legislation is an example of the kind of thing that can happen in Washington that can have a fundamental effect on the way our nation does business, not only domestically, but internationally. And so I think that that statement speaks to a general uprising of civic concern and political activism among people today. And the Department of Peace represents the kind of new thinking that can infuse governmental action that a lot of people wish to see occur.

PHILLIPS: Now, Congressman, I'll tell you, I read that legislation. And I'm going to ask you specifically about Section 12, and that's the consultation part. Let's say before OIF, before the war in Iraq, a secretary of peace would have been an adviser to the president, along with other secretaries.

It says here the secretary of defense and the secretary of state shall consult with the secretary of peace concerning non-violent means of conflict resolution. So give me a little more detail on the role of this secretary of peace and if, indeed, you had to go to war, there would be options there, too, on how this position would be utilized.

KUCINICH: Well, first of all, in the case of Iraq, secretary of peace could have advised the president that there didn't appear to be enough proof to warrant the United States taking the action and that, furthermore, the work of the United Nations and U.N. inspectors appeared to have been sufficient enough to guarantee that there were no weapons of mass destruction. Now, that's with respect to international matters.

On a domestic level, Kyra, this department can help to address the issues in our society of domestic violence, spousal abuse, child abuse, violence in the schools. Look at how many school stories you cover about violence in the schools. This department will create programs practically -- practical application of principles of non- violence to help lift this scourge of violence from our schools.

PHILLIPS: We talk about international and domesitc missions within this department. Marianne, and you told me the Peace Academy is a part of this legislation. Explain what that is and how that would help in both of these missions. WILLIAMSON: Just as we have a military academy where we study, of course, the most cutting-edge ways to effectively wage war, the Peace Academy would be a sister organization institution in which we will study and teach the most cutting-edge ways to wage peace. The Congressman was just talking about specific strategies for conflict resolution. You will have programs at the Peace Academy. It will be a kind of best practices model. What are the best practices for teaching non-violence, conflict resolution, for instance, among school-age children, domestic abuse.

You know, the city of Detroit, officially -- the city council of Detroit officially endorsed this resolution, and one of the reasons was because 80 percent of all police runs in the city of Detroit deal with domestic abuse. Look how that sucks from the financial and personal resources of the city.

So this, the Peace Academy would be able to help cities throughout the country identify, articulate and facilitate non-violent solutions, programs, specific strategies, whether you're dealing with gang members in East L.A. and of course from an international perspective, it could be dealing with teenagers, Palestinian and Israeli teenagers. Because the kind of psychological and emotional processes apply the same way.

PHILLIPS: And you brought up the financial aspects and I want to ask you, Congressman, about that. You say it would take $8 billion to build this U.S. Department of Peace. Critics might say, Congressman, the last thing we need is another governmental entity where our taxpayers are going toward and we really don't know what's happening within that department. Tell me how you justify that number to the critics?

KUCINICH: Kyra, we're spending every year over $400 billion for the military. We're spending close to $270 billion total, once the Senate approves the bill, for the war in Iraq. How much better it would be to dedicate a small percentage of the kind of money we spent preparing for war, to spend money preparing for peace? There's a whole philosophy behind this, and if your viewers go to the Web site at kuncinich.us., they will see the philosophy, that war is not inevitable, peace is inevitable if we're willing to work for it and if we're committed to principles of non-violence in our life of -- in the life of our nation and in discourse between nations.

PHILLIPS: Congressman, in addition to that Web site, Marianne, you also told me about the peacealliance.org. You can log on to that, read about the legislation, read about the efforts from the political side of things. Marianne, to your site also, with the Peace Alliance. We're going to follow this. Congressman, you're introducing this in September, correct?

KUCINICH: Yes, because -- I'm introducing it in September and I want to thank Marianne and all the members of the Peace Alliance for their support, because it is so imperative that we start to change the memory of September 11th to being one of deep grief, which we all share, to a new beginning for peace, so that, from the ashes of the World Trade Center, will rise a new hope for America, a hope that we can create a world of peace and a nation of peace.

PHILLIPS: And a shift of consciousness that both of you talk about. You can read Marianne's column on her Web site and read this legislation on Dennis Kucinich's Web site. Both of you, thank you so much. We'll follow up.

WILLIAMSON: Thank you.

KUCINICH: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Well, I'm confused today. You always heard that heard that advice about drinking a lot of water when you're running? Throw it out.

PHILLIPS: You're always confused.

O'BRIEN: Well, this is true. But apparently, you know, with people that run, and particularly slow people like me who end up drinking a lot of water, well, they might be drinking too much. My alternate would be just go to the beer line but that's another story. All right, we'll tell you about that one.

Then this, what about oil prices? Have they gone to the dogs, paws and -- get it, paws? And watch the story. It's a visual cue. P-A-W-S. Watch the story of one small business owner as he takes his business on the road. It's a gnarly tale.

PHILLIPS: Sibila's wearing pink just for you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Oh, you look great. You look fantastic.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, darling. Thank you. And you guys look marvelous, too.

O'BRIEN: Pretty in pink, I'd say.

VARGAS: If you plan on watching the finale of "The Apprentice," then get ready to see something different. And why is "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek answering questions instead of asking them? I'll explain when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Couple items for you today.

You exercise lots, so you should push the water, right? Well, not so fast. New medical study advises athletes to go easier on the water while competing; in layman's terms, it says overhydrating is more dangerous than dehydrating. Little bit of revisionist history here. Check today's "New England Journal of Medicine" on that. Apparently, it reduces your salt content or whatever.

All right, look what may be come coming back: silicone-filled cosmetic implant. The FDA banned silicone for most uses years ago, but yesterday ruled that implants from one manufacturer be allowed again. Silicone-implant maker insist they're safer now. PHILLIPS: Well, the Black Eyed Peas want to get started again. Get it get it start -- I'm not going to sing it -- with their new album, and the young, hot and stylish are named in Hollywood. CNN's entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas joins us live from L.A. with more.

VARGAS: I like that.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I'm not going to see, because I'm leaving that up to you.

VARGAS: You did it. I know that. That's pretty good. Whoo.

It was a who's who of Hollywood hotties last night at "US Weekly's" Young Hot Hollywood Style Awards. America's favorite couple, newlyweds Nick and Jessica, showed up, dispelling rumors of an impending breakup. Here's Hilary Duff. At some point, we'll get to Jessica. They were there to get the Style Icon Award. There's Black Eyed Peas and also Miss Tori Spelling. The sexy blonde sport a new 'do. There she is, Paris Hilton with dark hair. Actually, it's a wig she was wearing for an upcoming movie. Winners of the event are chosen by editors of the magazine.

One person who didn't make the list was Donald Trump. That's not to say that he's not hot. The real estate mogul says that the season finale of this year's "Apprentice" will offer something very different. Mainly, two hours shorter than the previous finales. At a press conference, he said, at my insistence, I wanted it to be a one- hour finale. We ended up with a reunion and all this nonsense. Nobody wants that, all they want is a finale where somebody gets fired. We do like to hear him say, "You're fired."

Moving on, "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek may soon have to answer some questions instead of asking them. A woman is suing the game show host in connection with the alleged disappearance of a $100,000 horse. Marian Warner (ph) says she delivered a $100,000 horse to the Trebek's California horse-breeding farm.

Warner claims she sent the horse to Trebek's farm to be bred on January 21st. She says on February 24th, she was informed the horse would be bred the very next day, and then days later, on March 2nd, Warner said she received another call telling her that the horse had become sick and had to be euthanized. In a lawsuit, the woman states that the defendant sold, traded, gifted or otherwise disposed of Beebee (ph) the horse. We contacted Trebek's office just a short time ago and Trebek released a statement which reads in part, "there's no truth to the allegations. I fully expect the lawsuit will be withdrawn."

Finally, they seem like they're everywhere. If they're not entertaining millions at the Superbowl, they're getting the party started at the Grammy's. The Black Eyed Peas mean business, monkey business that is. That's the name of their new album. The album is a follow-up to the incredibly successful "Elefunk". Second year pop singer Justin Timberlake and funk legend James Brown lending their vocals the album. The album hits record stores on June 7th. Sounds like a good one. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: "Where's the love," still my favorite. Still my all- time favorite. I can't wait to hear Justin and now James Brown, all right.

VARGAS: Not bad, huh? Good line up.

PHILLIPS: Adding a little spice. Thanks, Sibila.

O'BRIEN: What would you do if you heard a cry for help? For a Philadelphia woman, it was an easy choice. Louise Jordan was walking her son to school this week when she heard a woman screaming for help, so she thought. She had some call police and then frantically began trying to bang on the door to try to find the victim. Police broke into the victim's home only to find a large parrot. It was squawking help me, help me.

PHILLIPS: How is that?

O'BRIEN: Help me, help me. My best parrot. Police say they didn't mean to ruffle any feathers, however. The parrot was not arrested for making a false police report. Apparently didn't have the right cuffs for the wings. The wing cuffs. The wing cuffs. All right.

PHILLIPS: All right. If dogs could talk, this one would tell you the tough tale of rising gas prices is -- well, you get the connection here between pets and what you pay at the pump?

O'BRIEN: No, no, we actually don't, but that's why you've got to stay tuned to live from, OK? We don't get it at all. Stay tuned.

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PHILLIPS: Geez, it's like my alarm in the morning.

Gasoline: the national average price this week $2.26. It's a painful -- pretty painful to look at, but more painful to shell out, especially if your career depends on being on the road. So, what's a gas dependent small business to do? I think you know already. But they pass the pain on to you, the customer. Here's Allan Chernoff with the case in point.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If only Michael Brennan could tap his client's energy to fuel his business.

MICHAEL BRENNAN, MOBILE PET GROOMING OWNER: I know. Nobody likes this part that much.

CHERNOFF: Brennan run as mobile dog grooming service. If your pup needs a wash, cut and style, perhaps even a toenail clipping, Michael's Aussie Pet Mobile will make a house call.

BRENNAN: There's a sort of pleasure in dealing with dogs all day long. And in dealing with owners of dogs. It's -- they're remarkably pleasant group. I know...

CHERNOFF: A retired nurse, Brennan got into the business a year and a half ago. He's had no problem finding clients. Trouble is, the cost of getting to them. The pet mobile is a 3500-pound converted horse trailer, equipped with water, heater, pumps and generator. A Ford F-150 pulls the load. Combined truck with trailer and you get about eight miles a gallon, by Brennan's estimate.

BRENNAN: It does eat gas remarkably well. Certainly a little troublesome that we have to drive big trucks in order to pull the trailers that we pull.

CHERNOFF: Now consider prices at the pump. Near a record high of $2.27 a gallon nationwide. And in Chicago's northern suburbs, Brennan's territory, $2.33 a gallon. Ouch! Brennan has two pet mobiles, his cost of gas has been averaging about $570 a month.

BRENNAN: Our most recent bill from Shell was on the order of $750. If you go back to October, it was about $450. So there is a substantial increase going on there.

CHERNOFF: That's why Brennan raised prices in October. The average groom is now $63. And he's planning another price hike. Well, aware it will likely cost him some customers.

BRENNAN: And we're breaking even about now. But if the gas price goes up, if our overhead goes up, then it will no longer be breaking even.

CHERNOFF: Brennan fears if gas prices keep soaring, he'll take such a bath that he'll no longer be able to afford giving them to Chicago's dogs.

(LAUGHTER)

BRENNAN: I'm on the lookout for technology that will turn dog hair into gasoline because I've got a whole lot of dog hair.

CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Dog hair mobile, that's brilliant. That's brilliant. Forget fuel cells. Dog hair mobile.

Susan Lisovicz, I think that would be a stock that would be a real winner on the stock exchange.

PHILLIPS: I'd invest. I've got lots of it.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it might, but not today. Today is a tough sell.

Today we're going to talk about the death tax, though, which may die, Miles and Kyra. A bill seeking to abolish the estate tax passed the House yesterday and now it heads to the Senate.

Lawmakers in favor of the measure say the taxes is a burden on owners of small businesses and farms, but opponents say the bill only benefits the wealthy. The IRS says roughly 2 percent of the population that died in 2001 left estates subject to taxation, which brought in about $23 billion in tax revenue. Previous attempts to elimination the estate tax have died in the Senate, but supporters of the legislation hope a bigger Republican majority will make the difference this time around -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Susan. Yes. Let's talk taxes, shall we?

LISOVICZ: It's a very timely subject.

O'BRIEN: We're laughing because of course I did not get my taxes done. Kyra is rubbing in the fact she's done them on time this year, for the first time ever, congratulations.

PHILLIPS: Yes. He's the king of extensions.

LISOVICZ: I haven't done mine either, actually.

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You've got good company. And in fact, millions of people have not yet completed their taxes. And many of them should consider -- listen up -- filing for an automatic four-month extension.

But remember, even though you get some extra time, the IRS wants your money now. Taxpayers must provide an estimate of taxes due and send in the check along with the extension form. If you don't pay at least 90 percent of your ultimate tax bill by tomorrow, midnight, you will be charged interest, plus a late penalty fee every month.

Talking about being penalized, look at the stock market today. Day two, another bad sell-off. Dow Industrials off 69 point. The Nasdaq down about 1 percent. That's the latest from Wall Street.

Kyra and Miles, back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Susan. Good luck on that extension. I already got mine in. I actually file it like January, because I knew that wasn't happening.

All right we, here on LIVE FROM, faithful viewers know, kind of march to different drummer.

PHILLIPS: Isn't that the truth. And we're going to prove it.

Just listen to this.

(DRUMS)

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Got a good beat.

O'BRIEN: Sounds like that gas thing. PHILLIPS: Easy to dance to.

Just ahead on LIVE FROM, former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart's going to explain to us why this music paved the way for rock, rap and just about everything else you listen to on your iPod.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Now in the news, the mother of Michael Jackson's accuser back on the stand in the pop star's child molestation trial. She says she was acting when she heaped praise on Jackson in a videotape made to review damaging TV documentary -- or rebut, rather, a documentary on Jackson. And was following a script given to her by Jackson's associates.

Marriages dissolved in Oregon where the State Supreme Court has ruled licenses issued to gay couples last year are not valid. The judge is determined, under state law, that marriage is a union between a man and woman and that officials had no right to issue the licenses in the first place.

The president's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N. must wait until Tuesday for a key vote on his confirmation. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had been scheduled to vote today, but Democrats pushed for a delay to review Bolton's record and claims that he intimidated intelligence analysts who disagreed with him.

A big test for Discovery as NASA prepares for the first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster. Discovery's redesigned external tank was filled with fuel today. It's all a test run to make sure all systems are go for a return to flight next month.

Miles, you going to be on it?

O'BRIEN: I wish.

First, this hour, a Texas oil man indicted today in the Iraq oil- for-food scam, engulfing the United Nations. At a news conference in New York, federal authorities announced the arrest of David Chalmers of Houston-based Bay Oil USA and a Bulgarian associate. Those two plus a British man accused of helping Saddam Hussein arrange kick- backs through the program designed to help hungry Iraqis eat.

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