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CNN Live Today

Bush South Asia Trip; New Supreme Court; Iraq War Update; Vacation Rental Tips

Aired March 03, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get you started now with what's happening "Now in the News."
That controversial take over of six U.S. ports has gained yet another powerful opponent. Republican lawmaker Duncan Hunter says he will do everything he can to kill the deal. Under the proposal, the firm owned by the United Arab Emirates is trying to buy the British company that operates the ports. The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee says, "Dubai cannot be trusted."

The streets of Baghdad are mostly empty today as Iraqi soldiers and police enforce a daytime curfew on vehicles. Many shops were also closed and market places largely empty. The curfew was designed to curb the sectarian violence that has targeted mosques and worshipers on the Muslim holy day of Friday.

Just minutes ago at the Pentagon, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said the worst of sectarian violence there seems to have passed. Yet Army General George Casey speaking via video link from Iraq would not rule out the possibility of a civil war. A new CNN Poll shows that almost three out of four Americans believe Iraq will be plunged into civil war within a year.

Health officials in the Bahamas are now saying that bird flu does not appear to be the cause of death among wild birds. Officials also say that instead of the 21 birds deaths first reported on the southern island of Great (ph) Inagua, only five dead bird were found. The island has some 60,000 flamingo and health experts say an outbreak of bird flu would likely have caused thousands of deaths.

And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, in for Daryn Kagan, at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

We begin in South Asia where President Bush has just conclude a speech promoting the war on terror and now heads to what one aide call a battleground in that war before leaving for Pakistan. The president praised India's help in fighting terrorists, but he also raised an issue of concern to working Americans. Our Senior International Correspondent Satinder Bindra covered the president's speech in New Delhi.

Satinder.

SATINDER BINDRA, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. The president's speech was well received and he started off by talking about shared values between the world's oldest and the world's largest democracies. The president saying that democracy and freedom had the power to transform the world.

As expected, the president did cover the expanding Indian economy. He did talk about the controversial subject of outsourcing. The president saying he was sad that so many American jobs had been lost, but he said his government was focusing on retraining American workers.

The president also said he would never resort to protectionism and isolationism. And he said the answer lay in now viewing India's economy not as a threat but as an opportunity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You've dramatically raised the living standards of your citizens. In his middle class, now numbers 300 million people, more than the entire population of the United States. America welcomes Indian's economic rise because we understand that as other nations prosper, it creates more opportunity for us all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BINDRA: Tony, the president also defended his controversial civilian nuclear energy deal with India, saying that it, in the long run, it would reduce the price of oil. It would reduce the demand, as well. And Americans would benefit because they would have to pay cheaper prices for gas at the pump.

HARRIS: CNN's Satinder Bindra for us. Satinder, good to see you. We appreciate it. Thank you.

A nationwide strike and protest are going on across Pakistan ahead of President Bush's visit. While this march in Islamabad was peaceful, Karachi police had to fire tear gas to prevent protesters from marching on the U.S. consulate. In another part of that southern city, quiet streets reflected the call for a strike. That strike organized by an Islamic coalition, is against cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

While the president is rallying South Asian allies in the terror war, his message may not be getting out at home. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll says fewer than half of all Americans approve of how Mr. Bush is handling terrorism. That's down seven points from last month. As for the latest numbers on how the president is handling his job, overall 38 percent approve, 60 percent disapprove.

And now to Hurricane Katrina. Six months later and renewed concerns about response to the storm. This morning on CNN, former FEMA head Michael Brown said President Bush made a mistake in being overconfident in FEMA. Brown had been sharply critical of the decision to tuck the agency inside the Department of Homeland Security. He told CNN's "The Situation Room" about a warning he'd made long before Katrina hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BROWN, FORMER FEMA DIRECTOR: I had been screaming internally that the budget cuts, the personnel cuts, what they were doing within Homeland Security was, in effect, marginalizing FEMA. And I predicted that at some point in a very specific memo to both Tom Ridge and to Chertoff, that at some point FEMA would fail. I just didn't expect to be in the middle of that failure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Brown went on to call Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff naive about disaster response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: When Chertoff does things like tells me that I've got to go to Baton Rouge and plop my butt down in a seat in Baton Rouge and run a disaster from there, I think that shows naivete about how disasters are run. And so you've either got to get with it or move on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should he lose his job?

BROWN: Well, I think so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The White House is standing behind Secretary Chertoff. Minutes ago Deputy White House Press Secretary Trent Duffy appeared on CNN. He denied the administration set FEMA up for failure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRENT DUFFY, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president was well aware that this was a devastating storm and we pre-positioned more manpower and material ahead of the storm than ever before. It turned out not to be enough. Now as to FEMA going forward, we do need to strengthen their capabilities, particularly in a regional sense. One thing we learned in Katrina was that we do need to have closer relationships with state and local officials so that when crisis strikes, we're working with people that we know, that know the communities best and that know the neighborhoods the best. And that's what we're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And you can hear more from former FEMA Chief Michael Brown later. He will be a return guest on CNN's "The Situation Room." That's tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Caught on tape during Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco saying that New Orleans levees were holding. She said this on a video of a FEMA briefing obtained by the Associated Press. The governor reportedly made the comment shortly after noon on August 29th, the day the storm hit the Gulf Coast. In fact, the National Weather Service received a report of a levee breach three hours earlier and issued a flash flood warning.

Six months after Hurricane Katrina, about 2,300 people are still listed as missing. Yesterday, searchers with cadaver dogs again moved slowly through ravaged neighborhoods in New Orleans' hard hit ninth ward. The search teams targeted 160 homes and more than 100 piles of debris around addresses of people still missing. The searches come as workers gear up to remove debris and demolish homes in parts of the city.

A congressional delegation gets a person tour of the devastation along the Gulf Coast today. Plans call for 34 members of Congress to visit a school in downtown New Orleans. Then later, a five-hour tour of coastal Mississippi.

I'm sure you remember class photo day at school. Well, it's sort of like that today at the Supreme Court. With two new justices on the high court, it's time to record it for posterity. This is new video of the justices just into CNN. John Roberts took his seat as chief justice last September 29th. Samuel Alito took his seat on the bench January 31st. On that day, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retired after 24 years on the Supreme Court.

We want to take a closer look at inside the new Supreme Court. Exactly how has the court shifted with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito on board. And with us today is Edward Lazarus, the author of "Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall and fortune of the Modern Supreme Court." He clerked in the late justice Harry Blackman in the 1980s and he joins us from Los Angeles.

Edward, good to talk to you this morning.

EDWARD LAZARUS, AUTHOR, "CLOSED CHAMBERS": Good to talk to you, Tony.

HARRIS: Well, I have to ask you, the first class photo without Sandra Day O'Connor, what are your thoughts? Are you feeling a bit nostalgic?

LAZARUS: Oh, yes. You can't help. They were all together there on the court for 11 years without any change. Now there are two new faces. So on the one hand there's some nostalgia and some sadness because, of course, Chief Justice Rehnquist has passed away. At the same time, from the court's perspective, there's new blood there, new ideas, and a lot of new energy and I think that's a good thing in many respects.

HARRIS: New blood. New ideas. OK. The impact of the justices. Roberts and Alito on the court. Why don't you start with the new chief justice.

LAZARUS: Well, Chief Justice Robert is probably not that different politically from the former chief. But he's a very, very collegial, very nice man. He's setting a lovely tone for the court. I think anyone who's attended any of the oral arguments this year has seen what a lively courtroom he runs. And so I think people are very happy with the job he's doing.

HARRIS: Well, how about Justice Alito?

LAZARUS: Just too soon to tell, of course. He's only been up there a few days. But he also has taken a very aggressive posture in oral arguments. He's asking a lot of questions. He's very, very well prepared. So anyone who's going up there to argue has to be ready to talk to him.

HARRIS: Hey, you know what, Edward, I want to know what it's like to walk in. These are two very accomplished men. We know that. Brilliant in their own way. But what is it like when you walk into the building, into the structure, as a Supreme Court justice, maybe you've argued cases on the other side, but when it is now your building and your office, is it -- can it be a little intimidating for these two men?

LAZARUS: Well, I actually talked to Justice Blackman, my former boss, about that. And he said how incredibly intimidating it was, no matter how accomplished you might be, to go in there as a justice. It takes several years, really, to get your legs under you as a new justice and get used to the idea of wielding such enormous power.

HARRIS: Well, I'm going to break it down a little further than that. Who conducts the tour? I mean who showed Justice Alito around? Who showed them where the cafeteria is, where the coffee machine is? Who did that?

LAZARUS: Well, I wouldn't be surprised if John Roberts, being the kind of person he is, took him around personally. But, you know, there's a lot to see. You've got to get to the gym and the barbershop and a lot of other things.

HARRIS: Right. Right.

And which of the justices here, I can't imagine it was -- well I don't know. I shouldn't say that. But which of the justices, do you think, would have been the one to break the ice for these two men?

LAZARUS: Well it wouldn't shock me to see Clarence Thomas be one of the people who breaks the ice. People think of him as a very polarizing figure outside the court. He certainly is. Inside the court, he's known for his gregarious sense of humor and I think that would be a surprise to a lot of people to realize that.

HARRIS: Wow. Yes, I think so. I didn't expect you to say that.

And do you think this president will get an opportunity to nominate another person to this court?

LAZARUS: I think it's unlikely but possible. John Paul Stephens is 85 years old. That's one of the oldest justices who's ever sat. Some of the other justices have had some health problems. But I think the odds are that he's seen the two appointees he's going to get.

HARRIS: Yes. Edward Lazarus, that's good stuff. Thank you this morning. Thanks for your time.

LAZARUS: Thank you.

HARRIS: Well, he's being called the deadbeat donor. A man who was supposed to give his kidney to his ailing son. He disappeared. Law enforcement has a lead on him and his girlfriend in another country.

And dangerous and deadly police car chase as we go inside a law enforcement driving school that teaches officers how to maintain control during tense situations. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Straight to the Pentagon now with Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr who is just out of a briefing with General Casey.

And, Barbara, did we get a sense from that briefing what the general thinks about the recent wave of sectarian violence in Iraq?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Tony.

General Casey rarely appears before the Pentagon press corp. so the fact that he decided to brief today is an indicator along of how serious the U.S. military thinks the situation is in Iraq. Now General Casey talked to the press for about 30 minutes. Said he believes generally that the crisis has past in Iraq, but he refuses to rule out the possibility of civil war, saying anything can happen.

One of the very strong points that he made was his concern about Iraqi civilian casualties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, CMDR., MULTINATIONAL FORCES IN IRAQ: We do believe that about 350 civilians have been killed as a result of the sectarian violence following the bombing. This is obviously unacceptable and something that we and the Iraqi transitional government and security forces continue to work hard to prevent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Tony, General Casey also now, for the first time in this recent spade of violence, addressing the question of the militias in Iraq. Something that is of great concern to the military commanders there. What he said was that Iraqi security forces, the official security forces, while they generally had performed well, in his words, during this crisis, he said there were several instances when the security forces allowed militia members to pass through military checkpoints, through Iraqi military lines.

That is something of concern because it would show that still the Iraqi security forces don't really completely have a handle on the militias. He said it is very important for that to happen for the militias to be dismantled, to be disarmed. He said that is the ultimate solution to success in Iraq, but he predicted that that would be very difficult.

Tony.

HARRIS: So, Barbara, General Casey and General Abizaid on their way to Washington now. Next week should be a busy week for both of those men's.

STARR: Absolutely. They are headed back to Washington. They will talk to Congress, to the Pentagon, possibly even to President Bush, though we don't have official word on that, about how they see the situation and the decision on the table, whether to recommend additional troop cuts in Iraq this spring. General Casey saying he hasn't made up his mind. Most commanders saying they need to really see how this situation sorts out before they can recommend additional troop cuts.

Tony.

HARRIS: CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr for us. Barbara, thank you.

STARR: Sure.

HARRIS: Boy, a nightmare in paradise. Take a look at some of these pictures. Incredible pictures from Hawaii. Heavy rains have triggered major flooding on the island of Oahu. This raging river is normally a quiet stream, believe it or not. One area of the island has recorded more than a foot and a half of rain. Roads have been shut down and schools closed. Flash flood warnings remain in effect. Let's get you upstairs now to the CNN Weather Center.

And Dave Hennen, maybe you can give us a look at maybe some relief for Hawaii.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: We'll talk to a meteorologist from Oahu in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY to get the take from them on the ground there.

Still ahead, thinking about those summer vacation plans? Stop thinking and start acting. Gerri Willis says now is the time to make those plans.

Good morning, Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony, good to see you.

Hey, we're talking vacation today. Are you ready to dump those winter scarfs and gloves? We're heading to your summer dream house. It's up next in today's tips.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And a quick check of the early numbers right now on Wall Street. Still early in the trading day but the Dow is down 11 points at 11,013. And we can tell you the Nasdaq is down almost five points. Still early in the day.

Spring is still more than two weeks away, but it's never too early to start planning that summer vacation. In fact, now is the perfect time to book the vacation rental because, as the temperatures grow, so does the line of like minded folks seeking that summertime escape. CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis with us this morning.

Wow, it's a big deal when you're with us. Good morning, Gerri.

WILLIS: Oh, you're so nice. Good morning, Tony. Good to see you.

Hey, it's time to talk vacation. It's Friday. Aren't you thinking about vacations today just a little?

HARRIS: Yes, but I've got to tell you something. I have to tell you something. Judges by your first tip, I think I'm a little behind already.

WILLIS: Yes, you've got to get on it. If you want to rent a house, maybe a beach house, maybe you're thinking Martha's Vineyard, maybe a little Hilton Head action, guess what, January and February were the top months to do that. Now you're going to be fighting for the best houses that are left.

Now, if you can't find something, why not pick a place maybe where the high season is actually winter, like Vermont or Colorado or Washington. There are great places to go there but you're going to have to get on it if you want to play.

HARRIS: OK, you say consider your timing. Is this about when you can actually take your trip?

WILLIS: Yes. This is about shoulder seasons. You've heard about shoulder seasons. This is after Labor Day is a great time to go to the beach because they're still warm pretty typically. You can save as much as 30 to 50 percent on your trip. Let's face it, this is a lot of money if you're going for two weeks and you're taking four people. So think about playing with those dates a little bit if you've left it for a long time.

HARRIS: Go it alone. Is this a matter sort of searching the web for deals and bargains?

WILLIS: Actually, it's about agents. There are real estate agents that will rent these places out to you but they're going to charge you for the privilege as much as 10 percent. So if you don't want to pay that, we do have websites at your request, Tony, I might add.

HARRIS: Great.

WILLIS: Check these out, vamoose.com, there's vrbo.com, which stands for vacation rental by owner, and cyber-rentals. Now the beauty of this is, these are being marketed by the owners. So they show you pictures, you get a sense of the house, you sort of know what they have in there that you might need but you don't have to pay the 10 percent commission.

HARRIS: I've got to tell you, Gerri, I'm all about this next tip, getting down to the nitty-gritty. Works for me.

WILLIS: What I mean by that is you've got to know what's in that house. You know, do they have the kitchen implements that you need? Do they have sheets? Do they have a nice dock if you're on a lake? Is there a swimming area? You know, you've got to have all those details, particularly if you're taking little kids or maybe the parents with you. Maybe it's a big family endeavor. You want to understand whether they're going to accept your pets or not. You never know when somebody's going to tell you, hey, you know those pets, you've got to leave them at home.

HARRIS: Right. Right.

WILLIS: That may not work for you.

HARRIS: Yes, how do you -- this is a good one, how do you go about protecting your trip, protecting your investment?

WILLIS: Well, a lot of these folks will say, hey, send us a check to pay.

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: No. Don't go there. You want to pay with a credit card. So get out the visa, get out, you know, the master card, whatever it is. That's the way you want to pay because then you're protected if something happens you can actually stop payment, get your money back. It's much easier. But make sure you read the fine print on the contract because there are cancellation policies and they're different everywhere across the country. But at the end of the day, you know, plan it, plan it now, get away, have some fun.

HARRIS: What are you doing tomorrow on "Open House"?

WILLIS: Oh, we're going to have a ton of fun. It's all about cars, believe it or not. We're going to be talking about cars. We're looking at the top 10 cars from "Consumer Reports." I even got to go to their test drive area and test some of these cars. Tony, it was a blast.

HARRIS: Nice. That's a good job you have, Gerri.

WILLIS: I know.

HARRIS: Have a great weekend. Good to see you.

WILLIS: Thank you.

HARRIS: And let's get you caught up now on stories happening right "Now in the News." President Bush is on his way to Pakistan after wrapping up a three-day visit to India. The highlight was the completion of a nuclear deal. Under that agreement, India will separate its civilian and military nuclear programs and the U.S. will provide nuclear fuel, reactors and expertise. The pact must be approved by Congress.

A huge haul for British police investigating that cash depot robbery. Police say millions of pounds were found at an industrial estate in southeast London. Another man was arrested in the probe. And a fourth suspect has been charged. Police believe the equivalent of $92 million was taken in last week's heist.

The so called cell phone bandit is being sentenced this morning. Candice Martinez was given her nickname after surveillance video showed her chatting on the phone with her boyfriend while robbing a bank. He received a 12 year sentence. Martinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy and weapons charges.

Dangerous and deadly police car chases when CNN LIVE TODAY returns. We go inside a law enforcement driving school that teaches officers how to maintain control during a tense situation.

And a story that is truly hard to believe. A police chief accused of refusing to allow a dying man to be helped. Why the ACLU is involved, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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