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CNN Live Today
Logistics and Security Overwhelming Rome; Iraq Takes Major Step in Establishing Interim Government; Gas Price Watch
Aired April 07, 2005 - 11:00 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
The Vatican this morning released the contents of Pope John Paul II's will. It reveals that in 2000 the ailing pope pondered whether the end of the millennium would be the end of his papacy. Details just ahead in a live report from Rome.
Pfizer says it's withdrawing its arthritis painkiller Bextra from the market. It's in response to a request by the Food & Drug Administration. The FDA says the risks posed by the drug outweigh the benefits. The agency also wants the strongest possible safety warning on Celebrex and similar painkillers.
A judge is holding a hearing this morning on the internal report about the Atlanta courthouse killings. He's considering whether the report by the sheriff's department should be made public. The rampage that began at the courthouse last month left four people dead, including a judge, a court reporter and a sheriff's deputy.
Testimony in the Michael Jackson trial set to resume this hour after a one-day recess. Earlier this week, a witness testified that he was fondled by Jackson as a young boy. Prosecutors are trying to show that Jackson had a history of molesting boys.
It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, and 8:00 a.m. on the West. From CNN Center in Washington, D.C., I'm Daryn Kagan.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Daryn. I'm Rick Sanchez.
The funeral mass for Pope John Paul II is now 17 hours from now. CNN plans extensive coverage of the historic event. It's going to begin at 3:00 a.m. Eastern.
And for now, the final mourners are lining outside St. Peter's Basilica. They're viewing the pope's body. Unexpectedly, the Vatican reopened the lines a few hours ago so some more people would be able to get through.
Mourners are going to be allowed in St. Peter's for another five hours. That's when the basilica will close for final funeral preparations.
Now, the Vatican released translated copies of the pope's will today. He wrote the document over the years of his papacy. In it, Pope John Paul reveals that he considered a funeral in his native Poland. In the end, he left it to the cardinals to make their own decision on this.
No one knows for sure, but five million people perhaps will visit the Vatican by the end of the pope's funeral tomorrow. Rome plans to set up 25 giant television screens all around the eternal city for mourners to be able to watch -- Daryn.
KAGAN: It is one of the largest gatherings in human history, with so many mourners and world leaders at its doorsteps. Logistics and security are overwhelming Rome. Our CNN correspondent Jennifer Eccleston joins us this morning from St. Peter's Square.
Good morning.
JENNIFER ECCLETSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Well, you know, when Pope John Paul II's body was initially laid out for public display the crowd was overwhelmingly Italian, as it would be, as we are in Italy and it was a weekend and they were allowed to come out. Now that the days have passed, it's becoming more international from Europe, from Asia, from North America.
But today, I think it's safe to say that it's a day for Polish mourners. And I'm going to ask my cameraman now to just pan over to the crowds where you can see countless hundreds of Polish flags here raising their colors, showing their tribute to their native son, Pope John Paul II.
Now, it was feared that the Poles who came over the last 12 hours would not be able to get in to see Pope John Paul II because yesterday the Vatican and Roman officials announced that they would close the line, the end of the line at 10:00 a.m. because they simply could not get all the pilgrims through in time necessary to make the proper accommodations for the funeral tomorrow.
Well, overnight, that seems to have changed, because now we know that the line that people are on, the pilgrims have been able to come in this morning. It has been open now for several hours.
And yesterday it took pilgrims 12 to 15 hours to get into the basilica. Today, it's only taking them about five to six hours. It seems like a very long time, but much better than the one previously. And it is great to those tens of thousands of people who are here standing behind me, waiting to catch a final glimpse, to say a final farewell to the pope.
Of course we do expect at some time there is a number -- put a number out there at 10:00 p.m. that they must close the basilica in order to make those preparations for tomorrow's funeral. But Roman authorities are possibly thinking about delaying that, putting it off for an hour or two to make sure that the final pilgrims who are on this line will be able to get in.
Now, they keep streaming in. So, at some stage, Daryn, they're going to have to close this line and no longer permit people to get in so they can actually close the doors and get ready for tomorrow's big day -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And you were telling us, Jennifer, in our last hour that even though this is a difficult situation, you have to wait a long time, the temperatures can be somewhat warm, the mood of the crowd is actually rather calm and nice.
ECCLESTON: It is. It's quite extraordinary.
I mean, you can imagine how difficult it is for these people to be in line for such a long period of time. They're not able to eat anything except for the crackers that they've brought along or the small sandwiches.
People here are handing out water. There's tons of volunteers around making sure that the pilgrims are hydrated. But it is very hot during the day. The sun is very strong at this time of the year.
And it's also very cold at night. And some of the volunteers here were handing out blankets so people could at least stay warm while they're standing in place.
But as I mentioned earlier, it's extraordinary. People are smiling. They're contemplative. They're just so anxious and eager to get in there to say goodbye.
And I met this young man from Texas a few hours ago. And he had flown in yesterday from Dallas, transferring through Atlanta, a very long flight.
Got here early this morning. Got on a bus. Got on a train with a huge backpack that is practically making him double over just so that he could come and witness this event. And he's hoping to get on a plane to be back at work on Monday -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Amazing. A very quick weekend, but one he will never forget. Jennifer Eccleston reporting live from St. Peter's Square.
Well, the Vatican estimates that at least two million mourners have filed past the body of Pope John Paul II. Some enduring as long as a 20-hour wait. But the end of the line, as Jennifer was just telling us, the end of that line is in sight today. Our Anderson Cooper takes a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The line is as far as the eye can see, and it's brought Rome to a standstill. Hundreds of thousands of people winding their way through the streets to pay their final respects to Pope John Paul II.
They waited patiently, hour after hour after hour to pass through St. Peter's Basilica where the pope lays in state. 6,500 extra police officers have been deployed to deal with crowd control, but people were as respectful outside as they were inside. Fields have been turned into tent cities. Visitors who were prepared to sleep anywhere have been pleasantly surprised.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't expect this. It's like a luxury.
COOPER: There were some problems, of course. Ten to 15 people an hour needed first-aid at an emergency post near St. Peter's Square. Most had fainted or suffered from panic attacks.
As night fell, Rome slowed to a crawl as people continued to stream into the city. Authorities announced they would not allow anyone to join the line after 10:00 p.m.
A day ahead of schedule so that the crowds could pass through St. Peter's Basilica ahead of Friday's funeral. Some were simply too late.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know they decided to stop at 10:00. I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you didn't know that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what are you going to do now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we don't know. What can I do? Who is the chief?
COOPER: Officials now say one million people from Poland may come to Rome for the funeral. And the total number of visitors could reach four million.
Anderson Cooper, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: We should mention as well the Vatican made the pope's will public today. In fact, this morning. It's a spiritual document, not really a laundry list or a traditional will as many would think.
It's a list of his worldly possession, among other things. But the testament does include some new revelations about the pontiff's thinking throughout the years.
Let's go to CNN analyst Delia Gallagher. She's been following this.
I imagine people will be studying this for years to see what was in the pope's mind at any given time historically through his papacy, right, Delia?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: That's right, Rick. It's very interesting to see the sort of progression of his thoughts.
He updated this at several stages after 1979. But he says that he read it every year during the spiritual exercises just before Lent. And so we get to see a little incrementation (ph) throughout the years.
The last time that he wrote in 2000, when he was really pondering -- it's very interesting to just see the pope's thought process -- saying he was really pondering this question of arriving at the new millennium, a mission that the thought that he was entrusted with and that he had achieved.
And then he was 80 years old in 2000, and he was sort of saying, what am I supposed to do now? This is my mission, it has been accomplished. And I wonder what god wants from me now.
So from there, of course, one can deduce that he was considering resigning. He said, maybe I should be like Simeon in the bible who said, "I have seen the baby Jesus. Now I can be done."
But that can be interpreted either as sort of a resignation meditation or as a question of god, taking him literally from this Earth. And I think that was also in the pope's mind when he was writing that -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: What do we expect from the funeral mass tomorrow? How long do we expect it to go? Will it be on time? Any insight on this that you've been thinking about, Delia?
GALLAGHER: Well, those are good questions. The Vatican tells us it will run from about 10:00 to 1:00. But that's approximate, because before the funeral begins they have to do a ceremony of the closing of the coffin. And this is a rather elaborate ceremony where they have to put certain things into the coffin.
They have to put a white silk veil over the pope's face. They have to put in some medals. They put in a rogito (ph), a summary of his life, into the coffin. And this is a private ceremony.
We don't know if we will be able to see it on television. But that happens before.
They will close the coffin, and then we will have the funeral mass. And that's going to be a long mass, at least three hours, possibly longer. And then they must do the burial. So it's literally going to be the whole day of ceremonies here at the Vatican.
SANCHEZ: What is the significance if you can share this with us of the very place where he's going to be buried, that particular spot in the basilica?
GALLAGHER: Well, that particular spot was the spot where John XXIII had been buried before he was beatified in 2000. The beatification being the first step to sainthood. And the pope put that process in motion. And when he was beatified he was moved up to the central part of the basilica.
You know, the pope will be buried down in the crypt, which visitors can see. It's underneath St. Peter's. They say it's the place where St. Peter himself was buried, where they discovered his bones. So there are 66 crypts down there. Now, interestingly, when you go down there, a lot of the popes are buried in sarcophagus. So a sort -- a sort of marble tomb, if you will. But the pope, like his predecessor, Paul VI, wants to be buried in the ground. So all you will see on the pope's tomb will just be the marble slab over the piece of ground.
SANCHEZ: In the very area where St. Peter's bones were found. Wow.
CNN's live seven-hour coverage of the papal funeral will begin tomorrow, we should say.
And we thank you, Delia, for that update.
Now, if you're unable to be up at that early hour, we're going to do this for you. CNN plans a taped replay of the funeral mass beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That's 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
KAGAN: This breaking news and new pictures for you coming from the eastern shore of Maryland. A series of shootings. Police are not sure if they're related, but it has resulted in a number of schools being put in a lockdown situation.
This is Wicomico County in Maryland on the eastern shore, about two and a half hours from D.C. Police say that two people from two shooting sites near West Salisbury Elementary School were taken to a local hospital. In addition to the two Maryland shooting scenes, there's a couple other scenes in Delaware that police are looking at that may or might not be related.
So, once again, all the schools in this county, Wicomico County, on the eastern shore of Maryland, are in lockdown as police investigate these shooting incidents. Much more on that just ahead.
But first, to Iraq. The country took another major step forward today in establishing an interim government. The country's new president was sworn in, and a prime minister has been nominated.
Let's go live to Baghdad and CNN's Aneesh Raman for more on the emerging Iraqi government.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.
A hugely symbolic moment as Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, today was sworn in as Iraq's transitional president. Also sworn in were his two deputies, Ghazi al-Yawar and Adel Abdul Mahdi.
Now, they also wasted no time in dealing with the practical implication of today, naming a prime minister designate, Ibrahim al- Jaafari. That comes as little surprise. The Shia was widely known to be taking that position prior to today, but it pushes Jaafari now and charges him with coming up with a cabinet of ministers, essentially what has been stalling this process all along.
From people we spoke to today, we heard that it could just be a matter of days before he and that cabinet go before the National Assembly for a final vote and for this transitional government to be fully formed.
Now, a show of confidence coming from interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. This morning he phoned Talabani, both to congratulate him, but also to submit his resignation. It will take effect once the government is voted upon. But implicitly, it really begins this transfer of power from the interim government to the transitional government.
Talabani in his speech spoke about a number of things, not the least of which was trying to form an inclusive government, outreaching directly to the Sunnis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JALAL TALABANI, INTERIM IRAQI PRESIDENT (through translator): We greatly hope that the Arab Sunnis will participate with us having acknowledged the dangers of the black terrorism that is important from outside. That was in coalition with those orphans (ph) of the old regime. So Sunni Arabs will participate with everybody to destroy and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: So, Daryn, another big day in Iraq. The traditional government now just one vote away from being fully formed.
KAGAN: Aneesh Raman, live from Baghdad. Thank you -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Let's bring you up to date on some of the other stories that we're going to be following for you throughout the course of the next hour.
Tornadoes once again hitting many parts of the Southeast overnight. A live weather report on the latest from the area. That's going to be coming up in just a bit.
Also, gas prices. Can you believe it? They have gone from high to higher yet. What is going on? We'll tackle it for you.
And is security at the weekend's royal wedding tight enough? There's a claim from a tabloid that's causing a bit of an uproar across the pond.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY.
Hold on to your wallet, folks, when you hit the road for a summer vacation. I know it's still weeks away, but there's a government report out today saying that the record high gas prices will climb even higher during the peak summer driving season. The figures that they're giving for May are somewhat astonishing, $2.35 a gallon.
CNN's Chris Huntington, he's in New York with the details -- Chris.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, thanks a lot.
You know, it's not surprising to any of us who drive. We're already seeing those kinds of prices at the pump. It is a little bit surprising, though, that the Department of Energy and the Energy Information Administration was caught a little bit off guard.
You know, just a couple of weeks ago they were predicting that the peak monthly average price would only be $2.15 a gallon. They've upped that, as you must mentioned, by 20 cents. Now they're saying that the peak month price, national average price, will be $2.35 in May. Take a look at some of the other findings here from the Energy Information Administration.
Overall, throughout the entire so-called summer driving season, the Energy Information Administration is predicting that the average price will be $2.28 a gallon. That's up about, as you see -- well, 38 cents a gallon higher than last year.
Most of that is due to the rise of crude price, which the Department of Energy calculates at a rise of about 37 cents per gallon. So, again, most of the increase, according to the Department of Energy, is due to the rise in crude oil prices.
The Energy Information Administration's director spoke about one of the lead factors for high gas prices. And it really is U.S. driver demand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUY CARUSO, ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION: A leveling off of the average efficiency of our vehicles with the increasing amount of heavier vehicles being purchased, light duty trucks, as they're called. But SUVs are in that category, as well as increasing horsepower. Every year the average vehicle's weight and horsepower have been increasing over the last five to 10 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTINGTON: All right. So let's review what moves gas prices up and down.
As I mentioned, the cost of crude oil right now accounts for more than half of the retail price you're going to see at the gas pump. Supply from refiners, refining capacity is very, very tight.
Refiners are pretty much maxed out in this country. If there's any breakdown in any of the major refineries, any bottlenecks, you will see prices go up. Demand from drivers, it's steadily increasing, continuing, despite these high prices.
Finally, you get investors in the market. There's a huge flood of new investors in the energy market. The big Wall Street firms are playing in the markets. It's the good old-fashioned fear and greed on Wall Street that is preying on the fundamentals that are affecting the oil markets.
And finally, the oil companies do, of course, have some discretionary pricing. They practice what's called zone pricing. We're all familiar with it.
You can drive 10 blocks or half a mile and see as much as a 20- cent difference even at the same branded stations. This is simply the oil companies using their best calculations to figure out what the market will bear almost on a station-by-station basis -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Chris Huntington, with the bad news. We thank you, nonetheless, for that report. And we should mention that summer driving months are still months away. Wow.
We're going to be right back with more news with a lot going on, on this day. I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's show you pictures we're just getting in from Santa Maria, California. Michael Jackson arriving at the courthouse.
As always, has an umbrella when he gets out of the black SUV. Today, it turns out with the rainy weather in southern California he needs it. The daily turnaround to wave at the fans there.
Today could be a really big day in the trial. Among those who may testify for the prosecution, former employees of the Neverland Valley Ranch who say they witnessed what they consider to be inappropriate behavior between Jackson and young boys. That's what might happen today inside that courthouse.
What's happening outside in California and all across the country, let's check in with Orelon Sidney for that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is speaking out publicly now about his private dealings, not to mention some of his public dealings. Is it enough to quiet the critics? There's a live report from Washington. It's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We are coming up on the half-hour. We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
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Aired April 7, 2005 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
The Vatican this morning released the contents of Pope John Paul II's will. It reveals that in 2000 the ailing pope pondered whether the end of the millennium would be the end of his papacy. Details just ahead in a live report from Rome.
Pfizer says it's withdrawing its arthritis painkiller Bextra from the market. It's in response to a request by the Food & Drug Administration. The FDA says the risks posed by the drug outweigh the benefits. The agency also wants the strongest possible safety warning on Celebrex and similar painkillers.
A judge is holding a hearing this morning on the internal report about the Atlanta courthouse killings. He's considering whether the report by the sheriff's department should be made public. The rampage that began at the courthouse last month left four people dead, including a judge, a court reporter and a sheriff's deputy.
Testimony in the Michael Jackson trial set to resume this hour after a one-day recess. Earlier this week, a witness testified that he was fondled by Jackson as a young boy. Prosecutors are trying to show that Jackson had a history of molesting boys.
It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, and 8:00 a.m. on the West. From CNN Center in Washington, D.C., I'm Daryn Kagan.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Daryn. I'm Rick Sanchez.
The funeral mass for Pope John Paul II is now 17 hours from now. CNN plans extensive coverage of the historic event. It's going to begin at 3:00 a.m. Eastern.
And for now, the final mourners are lining outside St. Peter's Basilica. They're viewing the pope's body. Unexpectedly, the Vatican reopened the lines a few hours ago so some more people would be able to get through.
Mourners are going to be allowed in St. Peter's for another five hours. That's when the basilica will close for final funeral preparations.
Now, the Vatican released translated copies of the pope's will today. He wrote the document over the years of his papacy. In it, Pope John Paul reveals that he considered a funeral in his native Poland. In the end, he left it to the cardinals to make their own decision on this.
No one knows for sure, but five million people perhaps will visit the Vatican by the end of the pope's funeral tomorrow. Rome plans to set up 25 giant television screens all around the eternal city for mourners to be able to watch -- Daryn.
KAGAN: It is one of the largest gatherings in human history, with so many mourners and world leaders at its doorsteps. Logistics and security are overwhelming Rome. Our CNN correspondent Jennifer Eccleston joins us this morning from St. Peter's Square.
Good morning.
JENNIFER ECCLETSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Well, you know, when Pope John Paul II's body was initially laid out for public display the crowd was overwhelmingly Italian, as it would be, as we are in Italy and it was a weekend and they were allowed to come out. Now that the days have passed, it's becoming more international from Europe, from Asia, from North America.
But today, I think it's safe to say that it's a day for Polish mourners. And I'm going to ask my cameraman now to just pan over to the crowds where you can see countless hundreds of Polish flags here raising their colors, showing their tribute to their native son, Pope John Paul II.
Now, it was feared that the Poles who came over the last 12 hours would not be able to get in to see Pope John Paul II because yesterday the Vatican and Roman officials announced that they would close the line, the end of the line at 10:00 a.m. because they simply could not get all the pilgrims through in time necessary to make the proper accommodations for the funeral tomorrow.
Well, overnight, that seems to have changed, because now we know that the line that people are on, the pilgrims have been able to come in this morning. It has been open now for several hours.
And yesterday it took pilgrims 12 to 15 hours to get into the basilica. Today, it's only taking them about five to six hours. It seems like a very long time, but much better than the one previously. And it is great to those tens of thousands of people who are here standing behind me, waiting to catch a final glimpse, to say a final farewell to the pope.
Of course we do expect at some time there is a number -- put a number out there at 10:00 p.m. that they must close the basilica in order to make those preparations for tomorrow's funeral. But Roman authorities are possibly thinking about delaying that, putting it off for an hour or two to make sure that the final pilgrims who are on this line will be able to get in.
Now, they keep streaming in. So, at some stage, Daryn, they're going to have to close this line and no longer permit people to get in so they can actually close the doors and get ready for tomorrow's big day -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And you were telling us, Jennifer, in our last hour that even though this is a difficult situation, you have to wait a long time, the temperatures can be somewhat warm, the mood of the crowd is actually rather calm and nice.
ECCLESTON: It is. It's quite extraordinary.
I mean, you can imagine how difficult it is for these people to be in line for such a long period of time. They're not able to eat anything except for the crackers that they've brought along or the small sandwiches.
People here are handing out water. There's tons of volunteers around making sure that the pilgrims are hydrated. But it is very hot during the day. The sun is very strong at this time of the year.
And it's also very cold at night. And some of the volunteers here were handing out blankets so people could at least stay warm while they're standing in place.
But as I mentioned earlier, it's extraordinary. People are smiling. They're contemplative. They're just so anxious and eager to get in there to say goodbye.
And I met this young man from Texas a few hours ago. And he had flown in yesterday from Dallas, transferring through Atlanta, a very long flight.
Got here early this morning. Got on a bus. Got on a train with a huge backpack that is practically making him double over just so that he could come and witness this event. And he's hoping to get on a plane to be back at work on Monday -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Amazing. A very quick weekend, but one he will never forget. Jennifer Eccleston reporting live from St. Peter's Square.
Well, the Vatican estimates that at least two million mourners have filed past the body of Pope John Paul II. Some enduring as long as a 20-hour wait. But the end of the line, as Jennifer was just telling us, the end of that line is in sight today. Our Anderson Cooper takes a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The line is as far as the eye can see, and it's brought Rome to a standstill. Hundreds of thousands of people winding their way through the streets to pay their final respects to Pope John Paul II.
They waited patiently, hour after hour after hour to pass through St. Peter's Basilica where the pope lays in state. 6,500 extra police officers have been deployed to deal with crowd control, but people were as respectful outside as they were inside. Fields have been turned into tent cities. Visitors who were prepared to sleep anywhere have been pleasantly surprised.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't expect this. It's like a luxury.
COOPER: There were some problems, of course. Ten to 15 people an hour needed first-aid at an emergency post near St. Peter's Square. Most had fainted or suffered from panic attacks.
As night fell, Rome slowed to a crawl as people continued to stream into the city. Authorities announced they would not allow anyone to join the line after 10:00 p.m.
A day ahead of schedule so that the crowds could pass through St. Peter's Basilica ahead of Friday's funeral. Some were simply too late.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know they decided to stop at 10:00. I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you didn't know that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what are you going to do now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we don't know. What can I do? Who is the chief?
COOPER: Officials now say one million people from Poland may come to Rome for the funeral. And the total number of visitors could reach four million.
Anderson Cooper, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: We should mention as well the Vatican made the pope's will public today. In fact, this morning. It's a spiritual document, not really a laundry list or a traditional will as many would think.
It's a list of his worldly possession, among other things. But the testament does include some new revelations about the pontiff's thinking throughout the years.
Let's go to CNN analyst Delia Gallagher. She's been following this.
I imagine people will be studying this for years to see what was in the pope's mind at any given time historically through his papacy, right, Delia?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: That's right, Rick. It's very interesting to see the sort of progression of his thoughts.
He updated this at several stages after 1979. But he says that he read it every year during the spiritual exercises just before Lent. And so we get to see a little incrementation (ph) throughout the years.
The last time that he wrote in 2000, when he was really pondering -- it's very interesting to just see the pope's thought process -- saying he was really pondering this question of arriving at the new millennium, a mission that the thought that he was entrusted with and that he had achieved.
And then he was 80 years old in 2000, and he was sort of saying, what am I supposed to do now? This is my mission, it has been accomplished. And I wonder what god wants from me now.
So from there, of course, one can deduce that he was considering resigning. He said, maybe I should be like Simeon in the bible who said, "I have seen the baby Jesus. Now I can be done."
But that can be interpreted either as sort of a resignation meditation or as a question of god, taking him literally from this Earth. And I think that was also in the pope's mind when he was writing that -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: What do we expect from the funeral mass tomorrow? How long do we expect it to go? Will it be on time? Any insight on this that you've been thinking about, Delia?
GALLAGHER: Well, those are good questions. The Vatican tells us it will run from about 10:00 to 1:00. But that's approximate, because before the funeral begins they have to do a ceremony of the closing of the coffin. And this is a rather elaborate ceremony where they have to put certain things into the coffin.
They have to put a white silk veil over the pope's face. They have to put in some medals. They put in a rogito (ph), a summary of his life, into the coffin. And this is a private ceremony.
We don't know if we will be able to see it on television. But that happens before.
They will close the coffin, and then we will have the funeral mass. And that's going to be a long mass, at least three hours, possibly longer. And then they must do the burial. So it's literally going to be the whole day of ceremonies here at the Vatican.
SANCHEZ: What is the significance if you can share this with us of the very place where he's going to be buried, that particular spot in the basilica?
GALLAGHER: Well, that particular spot was the spot where John XXIII had been buried before he was beatified in 2000. The beatification being the first step to sainthood. And the pope put that process in motion. And when he was beatified he was moved up to the central part of the basilica.
You know, the pope will be buried down in the crypt, which visitors can see. It's underneath St. Peter's. They say it's the place where St. Peter himself was buried, where they discovered his bones. So there are 66 crypts down there. Now, interestingly, when you go down there, a lot of the popes are buried in sarcophagus. So a sort -- a sort of marble tomb, if you will. But the pope, like his predecessor, Paul VI, wants to be buried in the ground. So all you will see on the pope's tomb will just be the marble slab over the piece of ground.
SANCHEZ: In the very area where St. Peter's bones were found. Wow.
CNN's live seven-hour coverage of the papal funeral will begin tomorrow, we should say.
And we thank you, Delia, for that update.
Now, if you're unable to be up at that early hour, we're going to do this for you. CNN plans a taped replay of the funeral mass beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That's 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
KAGAN: This breaking news and new pictures for you coming from the eastern shore of Maryland. A series of shootings. Police are not sure if they're related, but it has resulted in a number of schools being put in a lockdown situation.
This is Wicomico County in Maryland on the eastern shore, about two and a half hours from D.C. Police say that two people from two shooting sites near West Salisbury Elementary School were taken to a local hospital. In addition to the two Maryland shooting scenes, there's a couple other scenes in Delaware that police are looking at that may or might not be related.
So, once again, all the schools in this county, Wicomico County, on the eastern shore of Maryland, are in lockdown as police investigate these shooting incidents. Much more on that just ahead.
But first, to Iraq. The country took another major step forward today in establishing an interim government. The country's new president was sworn in, and a prime minister has been nominated.
Let's go live to Baghdad and CNN's Aneesh Raman for more on the emerging Iraqi government.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.
A hugely symbolic moment as Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, today was sworn in as Iraq's transitional president. Also sworn in were his two deputies, Ghazi al-Yawar and Adel Abdul Mahdi.
Now, they also wasted no time in dealing with the practical implication of today, naming a prime minister designate, Ibrahim al- Jaafari. That comes as little surprise. The Shia was widely known to be taking that position prior to today, but it pushes Jaafari now and charges him with coming up with a cabinet of ministers, essentially what has been stalling this process all along.
From people we spoke to today, we heard that it could just be a matter of days before he and that cabinet go before the National Assembly for a final vote and for this transitional government to be fully formed.
Now, a show of confidence coming from interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. This morning he phoned Talabani, both to congratulate him, but also to submit his resignation. It will take effect once the government is voted upon. But implicitly, it really begins this transfer of power from the interim government to the transitional government.
Talabani in his speech spoke about a number of things, not the least of which was trying to form an inclusive government, outreaching directly to the Sunnis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JALAL TALABANI, INTERIM IRAQI PRESIDENT (through translator): We greatly hope that the Arab Sunnis will participate with us having acknowledged the dangers of the black terrorism that is important from outside. That was in coalition with those orphans (ph) of the old regime. So Sunni Arabs will participate with everybody to destroy and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: So, Daryn, another big day in Iraq. The traditional government now just one vote away from being fully formed.
KAGAN: Aneesh Raman, live from Baghdad. Thank you -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Let's bring you up to date on some of the other stories that we're going to be following for you throughout the course of the next hour.
Tornadoes once again hitting many parts of the Southeast overnight. A live weather report on the latest from the area. That's going to be coming up in just a bit.
Also, gas prices. Can you believe it? They have gone from high to higher yet. What is going on? We'll tackle it for you.
And is security at the weekend's royal wedding tight enough? There's a claim from a tabloid that's causing a bit of an uproar across the pond.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY.
Hold on to your wallet, folks, when you hit the road for a summer vacation. I know it's still weeks away, but there's a government report out today saying that the record high gas prices will climb even higher during the peak summer driving season. The figures that they're giving for May are somewhat astonishing, $2.35 a gallon.
CNN's Chris Huntington, he's in New York with the details -- Chris.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, thanks a lot.
You know, it's not surprising to any of us who drive. We're already seeing those kinds of prices at the pump. It is a little bit surprising, though, that the Department of Energy and the Energy Information Administration was caught a little bit off guard.
You know, just a couple of weeks ago they were predicting that the peak monthly average price would only be $2.15 a gallon. They've upped that, as you must mentioned, by 20 cents. Now they're saying that the peak month price, national average price, will be $2.35 in May. Take a look at some of the other findings here from the Energy Information Administration.
Overall, throughout the entire so-called summer driving season, the Energy Information Administration is predicting that the average price will be $2.28 a gallon. That's up about, as you see -- well, 38 cents a gallon higher than last year.
Most of that is due to the rise of crude price, which the Department of Energy calculates at a rise of about 37 cents per gallon. So, again, most of the increase, according to the Department of Energy, is due to the rise in crude oil prices.
The Energy Information Administration's director spoke about one of the lead factors for high gas prices. And it really is U.S. driver demand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUY CARUSO, ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION: A leveling off of the average efficiency of our vehicles with the increasing amount of heavier vehicles being purchased, light duty trucks, as they're called. But SUVs are in that category, as well as increasing horsepower. Every year the average vehicle's weight and horsepower have been increasing over the last five to 10 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTINGTON: All right. So let's review what moves gas prices up and down.
As I mentioned, the cost of crude oil right now accounts for more than half of the retail price you're going to see at the gas pump. Supply from refiners, refining capacity is very, very tight.
Refiners are pretty much maxed out in this country. If there's any breakdown in any of the major refineries, any bottlenecks, you will see prices go up. Demand from drivers, it's steadily increasing, continuing, despite these high prices.
Finally, you get investors in the market. There's a huge flood of new investors in the energy market. The big Wall Street firms are playing in the markets. It's the good old-fashioned fear and greed on Wall Street that is preying on the fundamentals that are affecting the oil markets.
And finally, the oil companies do, of course, have some discretionary pricing. They practice what's called zone pricing. We're all familiar with it.
You can drive 10 blocks or half a mile and see as much as a 20- cent difference even at the same branded stations. This is simply the oil companies using their best calculations to figure out what the market will bear almost on a station-by-station basis -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Chris Huntington, with the bad news. We thank you, nonetheless, for that report. And we should mention that summer driving months are still months away. Wow.
We're going to be right back with more news with a lot going on, on this day. I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's show you pictures we're just getting in from Santa Maria, California. Michael Jackson arriving at the courthouse.
As always, has an umbrella when he gets out of the black SUV. Today, it turns out with the rainy weather in southern California he needs it. The daily turnaround to wave at the fans there.
Today could be a really big day in the trial. Among those who may testify for the prosecution, former employees of the Neverland Valley Ranch who say they witnessed what they consider to be inappropriate behavior between Jackson and young boys. That's what might happen today inside that courthouse.
What's happening outside in California and all across the country, let's check in with Orelon Sidney for that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is speaking out publicly now about his private dealings, not to mention some of his public dealings. Is it enough to quiet the critics? There's a live report from Washington. It's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We are coming up on the half-hour. We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
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