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President Bush Delivers Commencement Address in Mississippi; White House Dismisses Iranian Letter

Aired May 11, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour.
A school year derailed by devastation is ending with a visit by President Bush. He's delivering the commencement address this hour at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

A little while ago, I spoke with two of those graduates, Derek Goff and Andrea Noll about the challenges they face as they worked to earn those diplomas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEREK GOFF, MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE GRADUATE: What time wasn't being devoted to work was devoted to trying to keep my grades up. And I had to throw in there trying to get my mother and the rest of my family back on their feet, because, I mean, everyone literally came home to slabs after Hurricane Katrina.

ANDREA NOLL, MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE GRADUATE: Yes, it was -- it was hard to keep -- to keep grades up, because of all the stress, you know, having to think about school and then think about, you know, what's going home -- what's going on in your home life. It was kind of hard at first, but, then, you know, everything started working out. And it started becoming normal, and everyday life again, going back to school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Our White House correspondent Elaine Quijano joins me now from Biloxi.

A lot of excited students, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. Good afternoon to you, Kyra.

President Bush this hour is set to deliver the commencement address here. It is the commencement address, of course, for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, which, as you mentioned, was devastated and hit very hard by Hurricane Katrina nine months ago.

But, back in Washington, President Bush and the controversy continuing to swirl around the domestic NSA surveillance program -- questions about that continuing to surface after a story today by "USA Today" saying that the government is collecting tens of millions of Americans' phone records. Now, the president wasted no time in -- in pushing back on the story, without confirming or denying any of the details contained within it. Before he left Washington, he spoke briefly about the issue, saying that the program is lawful and protects Americans' privacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities. We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans. Our efforts are focused on links to al Qaeda and their known affiliates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the president took no questions. He spoke for just a couple of minutes, before leaving en route here to Biloxi, Mississippi.

Just a short time ago, the White House deputy press secretary, Dana Perino, told reporters on board Air Force One that, when it comes to General Michael Hayden, who, of course, headed the NSA at the time that this domestic surveillance program was implemented, that his nomination is full steam ahead -- his nomination, of course, announced this week by President Bush to be the new CIA director -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Elaine, have you been able to get any scoop on the title of the president's speech, what he's going to talk about, what he's going to say to these students?

QUIJANO: Well, obviously, he's going to talk about the stories of the -- the students, who have worked so hard to get the campus back together, to get this school back on track.

It was just 17 days after Katrina hit that, in fact, the campuses reopened. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College was the second largest community college within the state of Mississippi at the time that Hurricane Katrina struck. Certainly, there have been a lot of inspirational tales. And we expect to hear the president outline them when he speaks just a short time from now -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We will take it live. Elaine, thanks so much.,

President Bush does deliver that commencement speech at MGCCC in just a few minutes. You will hear it live right here on LIVE FROM.

Stopping terror isn't easy, a less-than-groundbreaking conclusion to a British government investigation of last summer's suicide attacks on the London mass transit system.

Here is CNN's Paula Hancocks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thursday morning rush hour in London, July 7, 2005 -- three suicide bombers simultaneously attack three underground trains. An hour later, a fourth suicide bomber blows the roof off a bus. Fifty-two are killed, 700 injured in Britain's worst-ever terrorist attack.

The intelligence agencies had warned the government an attack of this nature was not a case of if, but when. And in its report on Thursday, parliament's intelligence and security committee said there was no easy answer to the threat.

STEVE PARK, SECURITY ANALYST: While greater resources for the agencies mean a greater chance that attack planning will be identified, it is by no means guaranteed. This is not just a domestic threat that we are facing, but part of international terrorism.

HANCOCKS: Thursday's report does not point the finger of blame at any single agency or individual. It says the sheer number of potential threats being monitored by the intelligence agencies made it difficult to know what to prioritize, and the report claims three terrorist plots have been thwarted since July.

The ringleader, Mohammed Siddique Khan, and fellow suicide bomber Shehzad Tanweer, were already known to authorities. They were under partial surveillance before the attacks. But this report claims their identities had not been confirmed, and security services had understandably shifted their focus elsewhere.

The Home Office report gave a minute-by-minute account of what happened on July the 7th. John Reid, home secretary, told the British Parliament, two of the bombers are known to have traveled to Pakistan and met with al Qaeda figures, but the extent of al Qaeda's role is still unclear.

JOHN REID, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: There are a series of suspicious contacts from an unknown individual or individuals in Pakistan in the immediate run-up to the bombings. We do not know their content. Al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for launching the attacks, but the extent of the involvement is unclear.

HANCOCKS (on camera): These findings are unlikely to quell the calls from relatives of the victims and opposition politicians for a public inquiry. They want an inquiry independent of the government, in the hope of finding out definitively whether or not these attacks could have been prevented.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And that live event is about to start, the president of the United States, you can see side by side there with Governor Haley Barbour. He's getting ready to give the commencement address this hour at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

Right after Katrina hit, he visited that college, saw the devastation. Now he's coming back to give the commencement speech. We will take it live as soon as it begins.

Let's take an eye -- or for an eye on Iran today, rather, we look eastward to Indonesia. And that's where Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is enjoying warm welcomes and supporting audiences. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population -- more fiery language from the Iranian leader today, calling Israel a cancer, but he also is cracking the door to possible nuclear talks with the United States.

In fact, he says he's ready to talk with anybody.

Cut off the hand of any invader? Well, that's what Iran's president says its military can do, and he's going to brag about it. But how would Iran's military match up against U.S. forces in a real war?

Here's what the experts say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever since its devastating war with Iraq in the 1980s, Iran has been struggling to rebuild its military. The biggest obstacle, international sanctions on spare parts, which "Jane's Defence Weekly" says are desperately needed for an aging weapons systems.

For its part, Iran claims great strides in beefing up its military -- among the weapons it claims to have: flying boats that can fire missiles, radar-avoiding missiles, high-speed torpedoes, and tanks.

Western analysts dismiss most of the claims as mere chest- beating. "Jane's Defence Weekly" says recent Iranian reports of new missile tests were actually variants of existing missiles, and that the high-speed torpedoes are believed to be based on Russian models that would pose little or no threat to the U.S. Navy.

As for Iran's 350,000 strong army? "Foreign Policy" magazine says more than half are conscripts, who are poorly trained and undisciplined. The air force apparently is in worse shape. "Foreign Policy" says, in addition to a lack of spare parts, it has been years since pilots have had air combat training.

That aside, analysts say Iran does have this ability: Its navy could cause havoc around the world by attacking oil tankers and oil platforms in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So, Iran's president and the American president pen pals now? Not likely. A high-level letter sent from Tehran to Washington wasn't returned to sender, but it is being handled like junk mail at the White House.

CNN's John King reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Tehran's English-language newspapers, it was portrayed as an historic diplomatic overture, a new chance for old adversaries to open a dialogue.

But, at the White House, the letter is viewed as a gimmick, its tone, in the view of senior U.S. officials, more in your face than friendly. "Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ and make war on terror his slogan?" the Iranian leader asks, repeatedly saying, Mr. Bush's policies do not match his talk of being a devout Christian.

ED DJEREJIAN, RICE UNIVERSITY'S BAKER INSTITUTE: I think, in that respect, the Iranian president's letter is quite provocative, and I think it's meant to be provocative.

KING: The letter only briefly touches on the source of the current standoff, Iran's nuclear program. "Why is it that any technological and scientific achievement reached in the Middle East regions is translated into and portrayed as a threat to the Zionist regime?" Mr. Ahmadinejad wrote. "Is not scientific R&D one of the basic rights of nations?"

And while it was addressed to Mr. Bush, the intended audience might well have been Bush critics here in the United States and in countries key to the Security Council debate about whether to sanction Iran.

"Lies were told in the Iraqi matter," the letter said. "Many people around the world feel insecure and oppose the spreading of insecurity and war, and do not approve of and accept dubious policies."

DJEREJIAN: This letter, to me, is a deflection at -- at many different levels, propagandistic, ideological, but also very cunningly tactical, to buy time and to try to divide the international community.

KING: For all Mr. Ahmadinejad's blustery rhetoric, two straightforward lines near the end are viewed by many as the most troubling: "Liberalism and Western-style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today, these two concepts have failed."

ELLEN LAIPSON, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: That does suggest that Iran has a -- you know, a revolutionary agenda, globally, saying that there's a -- a religious form of governance that is superior. To me, that was the most disturbing and ominous language.

KING: Just that President Ahmadinejad sent the letter is significant. The United States has not had diplomatic relations or president-to-president communications with Iran since the hostage crisis, nearly 30 years ago.

But, if the Iranian leader truly wanted a breakthrough, national security experts like Laipson say he would not have publicly discussed his letter before Mr. Bush had received it. Still:

LAIPSON: I think it's a challenge for the Bush administration, because, for better or worse, Iran has now one-upped us.

KING (on camera): But the White House says there will be no response letter, and that, even if Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program, Mr. Bush is in no mood to deal directly with an Iranian leader he considers a threat to peace.

John King, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Volcano alert -- in the wilds of Indonesia, towering Mount Merapi has blown smoke for weeks. But some say the big one is only a matter of time, and more than 30,000 people may be in danger. At least half of those are under orders to clear out. An eruption of the mountain in 1930 killed more than 1,000 people.

Two men who were down under down under have resurfaced at a fund- raising concert. Todd Russell and Brant Webb were trapped for two weeks after last month's cave-in at an Australian gold mine. Well, they were rescued Tuesday and, today, made a public appearance, looking none worse for their ordeal. They spoke at a televised concert that raised money for workers who won't be working until the mine reopens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD RUSSELL, RESCUED MINER: To our wonderful friends here in Beaconsfield, the support they gave to our family and loved ones during our ordeal shows, not only to us, but also to the entire country, the importance of our community. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

(APPLAUSE)

RUSSELL: To our friends, all the people here tonight, we will never forget you. Thank you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BRANT WEBB, RESCUED MINER: And to our colleagues who are here tonight, and especially their families, while we were trapped, we had to say, but -- it's pretty emotional, you know, when you sort of think about, you know, the -- how much the people actually put in for us.

But, for all our mates who, each day, said goodbye to their families and loved ones every shift to put their lives on the line for us and work in dangerous, unstable conditions to bring us out, we owe our lives to them.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the survivors pledged to help the families of their colleague Larry Knight, who was killed by that cave-in.

President Bush delivers a commencement speech at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in just a few minutes, the graduation ceremony in Biloxi now under way. We will hear his live remarks right here on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A Florida woman who went for a jog and never came back may have crossed paths with an alligator. The dismembered body of Yovy Suarez Jimenez, 28 years old, turned up in a canal in the town of Sunrise. Investigators say the evidence suggests that she was the victim of an 8-to-10-foot gator. Since 1948, there have been 25 fatal alligator attacks in Florida.

Surf, sand, and smoke, not to mention shutdown of a major thoroughfare in Florida -- fire crews say it may take days to reopen a 12-mile stretch of Interstate 95 between Port Orange and Edgewater. Workers are trying to clear trees that have toppled in the dozens of brushfires that have plagued the Sunshine State all week. Across the state, smoke has closed other roads, but only for a short period.

Curfew dust to dawn in north Texas -- people in Collin County, near Dallas, are still collecting themselves and their possession, after a wave of tornadoes late last Tuesday night. More than 25 homes are gone. Three people are known dead, among them, an elderly couple found in what is left of their mobile home.

CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider has today's forecast -- Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Kyra, a much better picture for Texas and a good portion of the Southern Plains today. As high pressure builds in, cooler and a lot dryer, so it's a lot more comfortable out there. You don't have that oppressive humidity to contend with.

This high is actually pushing in winds from the Northwest. And that's really making for some much better conditions. Also, we mentioned that stretch of interstate on I-95 that is closed right now to the possibility of fallen trees from brushfires. Well, there's some good news today. We are getting rain in that area, not a lot, but at least it is helping to some degree. It will keep the sun from shining out there and really kicking up temperatures.

But this is the stretch from areas to the south of Daytona Beach, just north of Titusville, where we're watching for the potential for falling trees. And we are getting some rain. It's been raining there through a good portion of the day. And that rain is actually pushing off to the east.

So, we will keep it in the forecast for a little while longer. As we look towards high temperatures for today, much cooler to the north. Actually, snow is falling in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin today. Temperatures are covering into the 30s and 40s in the extreme northern tier of those states, but high of 55 in Minneapolis, not the prettiest day in Chicago. We will look for some clouds and showers, with a high of 54.

And, in Atlanta, we will look for a high of 73, still very warm, though down in all the way extreme South Florida. Ninety is the high temperature for Miami, and 100 degrees out to the Southwest in Phoenix, so we will be watching for that.

We're 21 days away from the start of hurricane season. And, here at CNN, every day, we're giving you information to keep you safe.

Here's your hurricane 101 factoid for today. We are talking about storm surge, which is actually the piling of water that occurs when a hurricane come onshore. This is Hurricane Dennis. It came onshore last year, July 10, 2005. But over 100 miles away, in the town of Saint Marks, Florida, we saw a tremendous amount of storm surge.

And this is what it looked like in Saint Marks last week, 10 feet of water. And, once again, that's 100 miles away from where that storm made landfall. The piling of water and the flooding that results is actually the leading cause of death when it comes to hurricanes every year.

So, storm surge is something we're going to be watching very, very closely throughout the year, especially when we have hurricanes coming onshore in the Gulf and any areas that are low-lying, like Saint Marks, which is actually just at the mouth of two rivers, the Wakulla and the Saint Marks River, where they come together, that is where Saint Marks is located, so real suspectible to flooding.

And this is just one of the many communities along the Gulf Coast that do run the risk of flooding if a storm does come onshore anywhere in the vicinity of their region.

Now, if you would like more information on hurricane 101, just go right to our Web site, CNN.com/weather. CNN is your hurricane headquarters, and we will keep you up to date, as we get closer and closer to the start of hurricane season, so, 21 days away from today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Bonnie...

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

PHILLIPS: ... thanks so much.

Live pictures once again -- President Bush expected to deliver the commencement speech at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in just a few minutes. The graduation ceremony is there in Biloxi, now under way. And you're going to hear his live remarks, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Guess who is coming to breakfast? A man despised by many liberals and a woman loathed by many conservatives. The former will host a breakfast fund-raiser for the latter, an event that suggests a historical political thaw, or a else a freezing over of you know where.

CNN's Mary Snow has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: am I worried about being targeted by Republicans?

(LAUGHTER)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator Hillary Clinton makes light of a question about Republican foes. And now one of those foes is a new and unlikely ally.

Conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch will host a fund-raiser for Senator Clinton. She's been a frequent target of Murdoch's media companies.

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Murdoch's media properties -- "The New York Post," most famously, FOX News Channel -- beat up on Hillary for years. She was a big, fat, juicy target when she was first lady.

SNOW: She fired back at Republicans, going on NBC's "Today Show", telling Matt Lauer, in 1998, the right wing waged a battle against her husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TODAY SHOW," JANUARY 27, 1998)

CLINTON: The great story here, for anybody willing to find it and write about it and explain it, is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Smack in the middle of that battle, say political observers, was Murdoch's media empire.

Of Murdoch's support now, Senator Clinton says -- quote --"I am very gratified that he thinks I am doing a good job."

With Murdoch's praise comes criticism towards Clinton.

BEN SMITH, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Liberal bloggers are saying she's sold her soul to the devil.

SNOW: Others say it's a move towards moderation, much in the same way she's formed alliances with Republicans, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senator John McCain. HANK SHEINKOPF, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It proves again that she's a consensus-builder who is not extraordinarily ideological, but significant enough as a Democrat, and who is not a polarizer.

SNOW: The question is, will it affect the news coverage of Hillary Clinton at Murdoch's media companies? Some media observers say "The New York Post" is taking a gentler tone with Clinton, especially after 9/11. Others doubt the coverage will change dramatically.

PAUL WALDMAN, MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA: They know that beating up on Clinton is part of their bread and butter. And I can't imagine them stopping now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, join Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" for more reports from Mary Snow afternoons at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, and then a live prime-time edition at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Well, next time the phone rings, think about this: Uncle Sam is keeping records. A report out today details a data collection effort we never heard about before in the government's war on terror. And it's causing an uproar. And President Bush is trying to calm things down again. We have heard from a number of politicians. We have also asked the question, where is that new CIA director, the one that headed the NSA, General Michael Hayden.

Well, we heard from him just a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: Well, the general and I had a good meeting and had an opportunity to discuss the issues in connection with his pending confirmation. And it probably won't come to a great surprise to most of you that I'm thoroughly impressed by this nomination and have every intention of supporting it, you know, barring some bolt out of the blue that none of us anticipate.

QUESTION: General, could you describe under what legal authority this NSA program that is described in "USA Today" was carried out?

GENERAL MICHAEL HAYDEN, CIA DIRECTOR NOMINEE: All I -- all I would want to say is that everything that NSA does is lawful and very carefully done, and that the appropriate members of the Congress, House and Senate, are briefed on all NSA activities. And I think I would just leave it at that.

QUESTION: Can you understand the concerns of everyday Americans, sir?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Of course, we hope to hear more from the general, also, as he approaches the confirmation hearings for the head of the CIA. Well, live pictures now of the graduation ceremonies at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Biloxi, Mississippi. President Bush is expected to speak in just a few minutes. You will hear his remarks live moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Straight to the president of the United States now, as he starts his commencement speech at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You continued your studies in classrooms with crumbling walls. You lost homes, and slept in tents near campus to finish courses.

You cleared debris during the day, and then went to class at night. You worked past exhaustion to catch up.

By your determination to reach this day, you have sent a message to the world: Mississippi is coming back, and it's going to be better than ever before.

I come with a message of my own: This nation honors your dedication, we are inspired by your optimism, and we will help the great state of Mississippi rebuild.

I am honored to be the first sitting president to address a community college commencement.

Recognizing that this is a great occasion, I wanted some tips from the best speaker I know. So I went to the first lady, Laura. I asked her what I should talk about; she said, "You should talk about 15 minutes."

I have learned that her advice is worth taking. And she sends her best to all of you. Today I want to share a few -- today I want to share a few thoughts on the history you have seen this year and the history you will make once you leave this fine college.

For some of you, graduation day has been a long time in the making. Many of you have large responsibilities beyond school, such as jobs and families to care for. And none of those roles are part- time.

Others here are taking a first step toward further education at one of Mississippi's fine universities.

And on this special afternoon, some of you are fulfilling the dreams of generations by becoming the first person in your family to graduate from college.

This college is also part of a strong military community. And it's obvious that some of you earned your degree while serving your nation in uniform. I am proud to be your commander in chief. There are also military family members in the graduating class, including the Levens family of Long Beach. Margaret Levens and her son, Matt, are getting their degrees. And they are both carrying pictures of a loved one who they remember today.

Earlier this year, Donnie Levens -- Margaret's son and Matt's brother -- was killed in a helicopter crash while his Marine unit was fighting terrorists near the Horn of Africa. Margaret says Donnie's courage inspired her to complete her studies.

She said: "I've never been a quitter. Donnie was never a quitter either. He had a job to do and he did it well. I am graduating for him today." America honors the service of Donnie Levens, and we honor the strength and sacrifice of our military families.

This day of accomplishment would not be possible without the faculty and the staff and administration of this college. They re- opened this school just 17 days after the worst natural disaster in American history struck your campus and your state.

All who work at this college have dedicated themselves to this school's stated mission of making a positive difference in people's lives every day. You have fulfilled that mission, and so much more. Your students will always remember your unselfish service in an hour of need. And the United States of America is grateful to you all.

This is my tenth visit to Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina hit. I have seen firsthand the devastation in Gulfport and Gautier, Poplarville, Pascagoula, and Pass Christian, Bay Saint Louis and Biloxi. This was the first city in your state I visited after the storm.

I remember walking down the street with your fine mayor through a neighborhood where every house had been destroyed. I remember sitting on a doorstep that was surrounded by boards. I remember looking into the eyes of people who were stunned and saddened and longing for all they had lost.

I remember something else, too: a quiet, unyielding determination to clear the wreckage and build anew -- people who saw their own houses flattened rose to the aid of neighbors.

One group of men tied themselves together with a rope, dove into a flooded street, and pulled 20 others to safety. Churches and congregations gave to the limit of their resources, and then found a way to give more. Thousands lost their homes, their cars, and their businesses, but not their faith in the future.

Across this state, a powerful spirit has emerged: a Mississippi spirit that sees hope in adversity and possibility in pain, and summons a strength that wind and water can never take away.

That Mississippi spirit is embodied by your great governor, Haley Barbour. Haley spoke for the state when he said: "Our people aren't leaving. They're hitching up their britches and rebuilding Mississippi."

That Mississippi spirit is carried to Washington by your superb senators, Trent Lott and Thad Cochran, and by an outstanding congressional delegation.

And the Mississippi spirit is sustained daily by your mayors, county officials and local leaders. Many of those leaders are here today. I appreciate your service and you can count on a steady partner in my administration.

Over the past nine months, we have seen what the Mississippi spirit can achieve.The population of coastal Mississippi has returned almost all the way to full strength. Every school district that closed after the hurricane has reopened. More than 90 percent of the debris has been cleared. Highways and bridges are being repaired. Homeowners are rebuilding with help from the state and federal government. There are more jobs available in Mississippi today than before the storm.

And the resurgence of this great state has only begun. The renewal of the Gulf Coast is one of the largest rebuilding efforts the world has ever seen, and all of you will play a leading role. Your experience at this college has prepared you to shape the future of your state.

I ask you to rise to the challenge of a generation: Apply your skill and your knowledge, your compassion and your character, and write a hopeful new chapter in the history of the Gulf Coast.

A hopeful future for the Gulf Coast will require your skill and your knowledge. The destruction left by Katrina reaches beyond anything we could have imagined.

Rebuilding will create an immediate need for workers with a wide range of skills. I appreciate how this college responded: by offering courses in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, drywall and other skills in high demand.

Federal funds allowed students to complete these courses for free, and many moved straight into good jobs with Mississippi companies. When it comes to rebuilding this state, there is no question of "if"; it is a matter of "when."

Mississippi will rebuild, and you will be the ones to rebuild it. Ultimately, rebuilding this region will require more than the reconstruction of buildings and bridges that were destroyed. A renewal of the Gulf Coast will also require creativity, innovation and enterprise in every aspect of society.

The growth and vitality of the Gulf Coast will come from people who open new stores, design new urban plans, create new jobs, teach children, and care for the sick.

The key to unlocking these opportunities is knowledge, and millions who want to gain new knowledge come to community colleges like the one you're graduating from. In the Gulf Coast and beyond, community colleges are centers of hope and gateways to social mobility. At any stage in life, you can come to a community college, and you can learn something new, and put yourself on a course to realize your dreams.

The class of 2006 is filled with people determined to use their knowledge to revitalize the Gulf Coast. It's full of people determined to realize dreams.

Today I met Tracy Malosh. She is graduating with a degree in nursing. Tracy was born nearby at Keesler Air Force Base, and she has lived in this part of the country her whole life.

She married her high school sweetheart, Charles, 13 years ago. And they have three children who, by the way, are proudly watching their mom graduate today.

After Tracy's son Trevor was born with a heart condition, she decided to come to this college to become a pediatric nurse.

When Hurricane Katrina hit, Tracy's family lost everything they owned, but she kept coming to class. She was determined. The family is now looking for a new home in the area. Today Tracy is getting a degree and she is planning to work in pediatrics at a local hospital.

Here is what she said: "I can't even begin to describe to you how good it feels to finish this. I always knew I would go to school, but I never knew I would face the difficulties that I did. And I conquered this."

Tracy's story shows a clear lesson: It is never too late to get a fresh start in life. And people all over the Gulf Coast are following her lead.

Out of the devastation of Katrina will come great opportunities to get a fresh start. And for many in this great state, the road to a brighter future will run through a community college.

A hopeful future for the Gulf Coast will also require your compassion and your character. Our whole nation has been moved by the outpouring of kindness and decency shown by the people of this great state.

Neighbors have joined forces to care for the weak and vulnerable. Strangers have come together to help each other cope.

Now you must work to sustain the compassion inspired by this storm long after the damage has been cleared away.

I urge you to take the same determination you brought to rebuilding schools and use it to ensure that every school provides a good education. Use the same bravery it takes to rescue people from water to rescue communities from poverty.

My hope is that one day Americans will look back at the rebuilding of Mississippi and say that your work added not only to the prosperity of our country, but also to our character of the nation.

Earlier today, I met one of your classmates who represents the character necessary for the Gulf Coast to succeed. Kendrick Kennedy grew up here in Biloxi, and he is a proud graduate of Biloxi High. At age 30, an illness caused Kendrick to go blind. And eventually he lost his job.

So he decided to come to this college. He recorded each of his lectures on tape, and he scanned his books into a computer program provided by the school that reads them aloud.

When the hurricane hit, Kendrick opened his home to family members in need, and returned to school as soon as possible. Today this good man is graduating at the top of his class, and he hopes to attend law school one day.

Here is what Kendrick said: "I'd be doggoned if I was going to let Hurricane Katrina stop me." I thought, "You started school when you were blind, and you can overcome this hurricane." Kendrick is right, and today we honor his inspiring example.

That same optimism is present in many graduates today and in so many others across the Gulf Coast. And that optimism is justified. There's going be a day when communities across Mississippi sparkle with new homes, and businesses bustle with customers, and this college is filled with more students than ever before.

I plan to return one day to the Biloxi neighborhood I visited on my first trip and see beautiful houses with children playing in the yards. Across this entire region devastated by the storm, new vitality will emerge from the rubble, and cities from Mobile to Biloxi to New Orleans will be whole again.

It's going to take time for that vision to be realized, and it will demand the skill and knowledge and character of all of you. Yet you can leave this college with confidence in your future and with certainty you will not work alone.

In these trying months, we have been aided by a power that lightens our struggles, reveals our hidden strength, and conquers all suffering and loss. We can never know God's plan, but we can trust in his wisdom and grace. And we can be certain that, with his help, the great state of Mississippi will rise again.

Congratulations to the class of 2006. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

PHILLIPS: A school derailed by devastation, ending with a visit by President Bush. He delivered the commencement address at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. You may remember that he came through and toured this college right after the hurricane hit, had a chance to mingle with some of the students.

We had a chance to talk with some of those students today, and they were looking forward to his speech. They thought it was encouraging to having him come back. Didn't think that they'd ever see a president come to a community college, so it's been inspiring for the students as the president makes his visit there in Biloxi, Mississippi.

We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

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PHILLIPS: Retirees in Florida are warned to beware of the gators. But maybe it should be the other way around. The 74-year-old Connie Gittles was working in her garden in Punta Gorda when a five- foot gator sank its teeth right into her ankle. That was a mistake. Gittles counter attacked and pretty soon it was a case of "see you later, alligator."

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CONNIE GITTLES, ATTACKED BY ALLIGATOR: He was just looking at me so I just took the hose like this and I got him right on the nose. One whack and then he just -- I don't know where went, but he was gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Gittles went for treatment for her ankle wounds but only after she finished gardening. She says she is a farmer's daughter from way back. And when she start a chore, she finishes.

It appears some funky inter species loving is going on in the Great White North. And now, well there's proof. Check out this bear, half polar and half grizzly bear. A DNA test confirms it, the first case ever discovered in the wild. The oddball offspring was bagged way up in the northwest territories of Canada. Grizzlies and polar bears don't usually get along but come on, those winter nights, they get long and cold.

Ali Velshi and the closing bell straight ahead. Stay with us.

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PHILLIPS: Let's check in with Wolf Blitzer. He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Hi, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra, thanks very much. The government is not trolling through your personal life, that's what President Bush says. But new reports show the NSA has been collecting a massive data bank of your phone records. We're taking a closer look at how its done, plus the political and legal fall-out.

Also, immigration deal in the U.S. Senate. Republicans and Democrats agree on a plan that includes a path toward citizenship and a guest worker program for millions of illegal immigrants. Now they are on a collision course with the Republicans in the House of Representatives.

Plus first lady politics. The most popular person in the White House hits the campaign trail. And chopper crash in the high seas. You're not going to believe how many people survived this one. All that, Kyra, coming up right at the top of the hour here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

PHILLIPS: All right Wolf, we'll be watching.

Well we never hear about serial criminals in Hawaii. I guess that's why the toilet robbers are so intriguing. You heard me. Thieves in Honolulu have hit 28 public park restrooms in the past month. What do they grab? Only the toilet handles and the valves, more than 100 so far. And they're expensive. It costs about $100 each to replace them. You're asking, we're asking. Why on earth would anyone want to steal a toilet handle? Well police think it's for scrap metal.

The markets seem to be going down the toilet. Ali Velshi watching all the action on Wall Street for us.

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