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President Bush Goes Inside New Orleans to See Full Extent of Devastation; Confirmation Hearings for Judge John Roberts Gets Under Way

Aired September 12, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien. President Bush not far from here. He spent the night -- or far from New Orleans, I should say. He spent the night docked on a Navy ship. We will show you pictures of it today. Today for first time, in fact, President Bush goes inside the flooded city to see the full extent of the devastation for himself. Much more on his visit. And we want to tell you another key sign of progress as well.
In North Carolina, we are watching for Hurricane Ophelia. The governor is now ordering 200 National Guard troops deployed to the coast as the storm inches closer.

And in Washington D.C., the first Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 11 years begins. Judge John Roberts is going before the Senate, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. Welcome, everybody. Two weeks since Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi. Miles O'Brien is in New Orleans this morning.

Hey, Miles. Good morning.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

Almost two weeks to the moment. I was standing in Baton Rouge when that storm came through. Who could of predicted what we would have seen. Of course that is a lot of the debate right now, who could have predicted, what they could have predicted as the president of the United States sits aboard an amphibious assault ship just a little bit down the river from where I stand right now, the USS Iwo Jima, which has become a command center here in the devastated city of New Orleans. The president arriving last night at New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport, met by various members of the military leadership here, and then made his way to the Iwo Jima. Today he'll gets a briefing from local officials, and on his third visit to the devastated region, get his first on-the-ground visit of the city proper of New Orleans, where he will see the French Quarter, and some of the areas around and some of the neighborhoods which, to this moment, are still underwater, even though those floodwaters are receding.

There are signs of improvement here in the city. Just driving in, although a city on the ropes, so to speak, you do see significant signs that things are getting better here.

CNN's Sean Callebs is on Jackson Square, not far from where I stand with more on that part of the story -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. What will President Bush see when finally he gets in and looks around? He will see that widespread devastation that you talked about, Miles. But he will also begin seeing some signs of life, as this city begins to try to recapture some of its flavor and its charisma. If you look in the distance, you can actually see some lights on in some of the hotels, some of the other buildings. That's certainly very positive news for the people of the city. That's something that's happened relatively -- didn't happen in the -- it's happened very recently.

Also in the distance we can here the whine of generators, something that has been going on throughout the city for some time.

The convention center, really the flashpoint for much of this chaos, has been cleaned up to a large degree. Crews have just been working around the clock and really done amazing work in that area, if you consider what it looked like a couple of weeks ago. And that's certainly good news to the residents of this area. Streets are being cleaned.

However, the grim task of recovering the many bodies continues. The last death toll I saw stood at about 197, certainly much lower than the 10,000 many had predicted right after the storm.

Also in some of the more quaint areas of the city, if you look at Jackson Square, cleanup going on there as well. Streets have been cleaned. Indeed, some people are even returning to the city for the first time, the brave and those who can get in, to see the damage to their city, to their home firsthand.

Also, not only what the president will see, but what he will smell, because this city right now is simply a cauldron of debris, sewage, mud, muck, oil, and the sewage treatment plants, however, are beginning to go back online. Miles talked about the water slowly receding from the city. There are more than 60 pumps working around the clock, and the city -- at highest, flooded at 80 percent; now, Miles, it is down to 50 percent. Certainly making progress in that area -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. And as they call it the de-watering, Sean, that actually has done a little better than we thought.

You mentioned people trying to come back in, because people, of course, want to check on their homes and their property. Officially there is a mandatory evacuation order, and of course we've been telling people about all of those forced evictions. The city has backed off of that, haven't they?

CALLEBS: The city has have backed off of that significantly. We know they're not going to use force to try to remove all of the people, the estimated 10,000 people that really chose to ride out the disaster within the city. And driving in from Houston yesterday I saw a great number of SUVs and vehicles loaded down, clearly people who had evacuated trying to get in, maybe to Orleans Parish, but to neighboring Jefferson Parish. M. O'BRIEN: Sean Callebs in Jackson Square in New Orleans, thank you very much.

Let's go a little bit farther to the east, which is where the president will go. After touring the city of New Orleans proper this morning, getting a briefing from local officials here in Louisiana, he will make his way to Gulfport, Mississippi, where this morning, yet another encouraging sign. A school is opening. School is in session. Kids thought they could get out of school because of this storm, not so in Gulfport, and we're actually happy to report that.

Allan Chernoff is in Biloxi, Mississippi this morning.

Good morning, Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

The kids here have been out of school for two weeks, but this morning, in fact, in about an hour's time, they'll have a ribbon cutting here. This school, the St. James Catholic Elementary School, is the first opened in the entire region, so certainly a very important sign of recovery, renewal here.

The school itself, well, yesterday, the Mississippi National Guard was here cleaning up the playground area, but the school itself didn't suffer significant damage. In fact, only three windows were damaged, and the pastor here says that was darn near miraculous. There are 300 children who go to school here, and they'll also be accepting another 35 children who have been displaced. That number is likely to increase as people find their new homes and try to get their lives together.

Now while the public schools in the region, well, it's going to be a little longer for them. They're hoping to reopen in early October. So still plenty of rebuilding. They have to fix the building. They also have to find homes for some of the teachers, bus drivers, etc. So still a lot of work to be accomplished, but when the president does come to this region, certainly there will be signs of recovery and renewal -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: CNN's Allan Chernoff who is in Gulfport, Mississippi, thank you very much. We'll check back with you later.

And now back to you, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles, thanks.

In less than two weeks' time, thousands of Katrina evacuees who landed in Houston, Texas have made their way out of temporary shelters like the Astrodome and into long-term housing. Betty Nguyen is live for us at the Astrodome in Houston this morning.

Betty, good morning to you.

You were telling us yesterday about the numbers of people who were actually still in the Astrodome, getting significantly smaller each and every day. Are you seeing that again today?

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. The numbers continue to drop. Yesterday, they were down 2,000 from the day before. And today, in about two hours today, we are going to get the latest numbers, to see if they do continue to drop.

But I have to tell you, in all of the days that I've been out here, and I've been here since last Tuesday, every single day you've seen a significant drop out here. So, obviously, people are going into those temporary homes, they're getting out of these shelters, and that's really in line with the plan out here. The goal is to get everyone into homes and out of these shelters by this weekend.

Now the governor of Louisiana was here yesterday. She wanted to thank Texans for its hospitality and rolling out the welcome mat during this time of need.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO (D), LOUISIANA: They immediately, without hesitation, said, yes, yes, we will take your citizens. We will care for them. We will give them food. We will give them shelter. We will give them what they need. What they didn't tell us is that they were going to give them love, they were going to give them dignity, they were going to give them respect, and they were going to give them honor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And they're helping them get on with their lives, because out here, I have to tell you, we took a tour of the Astrodome yesterday, and there was to the to cot to cot. You could see empty spaces, so it's evident that people are getting on with their lives. They're getting out of these shelters and into temporary homes.

And another thank you must be coming from the evacuees to the New Orleans Saints. Because yesterday, their home team played against the Carolina Panthers, and in a last-second victory, they won 23-20. I got to tell you, cheers erupted. People were excited. It was really nice to see people happy again -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: I certainly bet it was. Betty, I want to ask you about these NBA stars who came by to visit as well last night. What was that like?

NGUYEN: You know, NBA stars come out here. They went to a couple of the shelters, in fact. They signed autographs. They gave big hugs. We had Kobe Bryant out here. We had Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade, Kenny Smith, you name it, all of these NBA stars who came out here to show their support, and it meant a lot to the evacuees here. They've been through so much, and to see celebrities come bringing their good wishes really means a lot to them. It shows them that their are people around the world, of all different status, who really care about their well-being -- Soledad. S. O'BRIEN: That's nice to see. Betty Nguyen for us this morning. Betty, thanks.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: You want to stay with CNN, of course, for complete coverage of Hurricane Ophelia. CNN is your hurricane headquarters.

Let's get to the Supreme Court now. The first of three days of confirmation hearings for Judge John Roberts gets under way in Washington today. Roberts is President Bush's pick for chief justice of the United States. National correspondent Bob Franken live for us on Capitol Hill this morning.

Hey, Bob, good morning. What's on the agenda today?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's going to be an awful lot of preliminaries, a lot of introductions, the statements from each and every one of the senators. You know how that can drag on. An opening statement from Judge Roberts. Beginning of hearings that while overshadowed are hugely significant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In less than two months, John Roberts has been nominated to be on the Supreme Court not once, but twice.

BUSH: I am pleased to announce that I will nominate him to serve as the 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court.

FRANKEN: Roberts had clerked for William Rehnquist, the man he would now replace. He was originally nominated to fill the seat of Sandra Day O'Connor.

The president believes that because Roberts' record is well known now, he'll be quickly confirmed, particularly with his pleasant demeanor that could smooth over any rough spots.

But skeptics charge that Roberts' personality masks a hard-core conservative, out to undo civil rights and abortion rights.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D-NY), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: The burden is on Judge Roberts to show that he is within the mainstream of America.

FRANKEN: As a prospective chief justice, Roberts will have to finesse even more probing questions than when he was named to succeed Associate Justice O'Connor.

EDWARD LAZARUS, SUPREME COURT LEGAL ANALYST: Democrats are going to argue that there's a higher threshold for someone who is going to come in and be chief justice. But at the end of the day, they're still going to have the same information available that they have now. Roberts is going to be still just as impressive as he was before. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: And barring any surprises, barring any surprises a confirmation vote on the Senate could come as early as next week, in time for Roberts to be sitting on the Supreme Court as Chief Justice Roberts on October 3rd.

Meanwhile, Sandra Day O'Connor will continue to await for her replacement -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning. Bob, thanks.

Today's hearings begin at noon Eastern Time, and you want to stay with CNN for live coverage as those opening statements get under way. Let's go back to Miles in New Orleans this morning -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Thanks very much, Soledad.

Coming up in the program, we'll tell you a little bit more about what the president is up to today. He is here in the city of New Orleans. He'll get his first look, firsthand at the center part of New Orleans, the heart of the city. That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: As we've just heard from Miles, there is President Bush in New Orleans. This morning, he's about to get his closest look yet at the destruction there. He's going to tour the city today. This two-day trip could, in fact, be one of many as the president tries to show that he's taking a hands-on approach to the disaster.

"Time" magazine's White House correspondent Mike Allen joins us from Washington this morning.

Nice to see you, Mike.

MIKE ALLEN, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Three trips in I think it's about the span of nine days or so. Is this an indication that beneath it all, this is a big problem for the White House, the perception that this disaster has been mishandled from the start?

ALLEN: Well, the president wants to show both that he knows what's going on and that he is solving what is going on. White House officials say they hope certainly that they are going to be judged on what happens in the future, not in the past.

One official said to me, what's done is done, all we can focus on is the decisions we have before us.

So here you see the president, you make the point he will probably go there many times. He will send many official down. You saw the first lady down there last week, on Saturday. I accompanied the vice president to a shelter, to the Convention Center in Austin, which is filled with evacuees from Louisiana.

So you're going to see on many fronts the administration showing action.

Now, separately, the president's strength has been in unifying the nation, in talking about a sense of national purpose. So I think in the coming days, you'll see the president give a major address, whether it's a an address to Congress, or it's down in New Orleans. I'm not sure it's been determined where, but talking about what has happened, his solution to fixing it, and why he's optimistic about the long-term for the Gulf coast.

S. O'BRIEN: You write, though, in your article about the president being so insulated that, in fact, while many Americans were watching what was happening in New Orleans unfold, he actually knew less than your average American who was watching TV. Who's protecting him? And is this, essentially, the reason why it's perceived that nobody responded fast enough?

ALLEN: Well, there's obviously a lot of blame going around. And the "Time" cover story "System Failure" talks about how confusion, incompetence, and ironically, a fear of making mistakes, hobbled government at all levels, and of course that stops and starts at the top.

And a lot of people wonder how is it possible that people watching images on your channel, that that's not translating into action by the government.

The president prides himself on being a big-picture person, on setting and following big goals, on thinking about the long run, and that generally works for him. It keeps him from being swayed around by the news cycles. He, frankly, a lot of times doesn't care what we're saying or what we're talking about. In the campaign, that got him through a lot of rough spots.

Here is a place where you needed a very nimble and minute sense of bureaucracy. You needed somebody who could look at the TV and get diapers to the Superdome, and that was not done. Exactly why, no one has been able to explain to me.

But the challenge for the president now is to see how he can adopt his system, which has worked for him, to make it more responsive.

The lead piece in time by my colleague, Amanda Ripley, makes the point that perhaps homeland security needs to be more like national security, where in the military have you a clear chain of command, and something the president is very fond of, accountability.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, you talk a lot about looking forward, and you also write a lot about the strategy, the specific strategy that the president has in moving forward, according to your sources.

I want to kind of break it down. First, you say spend freely, worry about the tab later. And we've seen already lots of money certainly being promised to the folks who are trying to rebuild in New Orleans.

The second one, though, is the one that I find interesting. You say don't look back, get outside Republican groups to blame the Democrats and state and local officials. As you say, plenty of blame to go around in this, but do you think that can work? Do you think it's possible for everyone so to say, let's look forward? It's time to move forward and let's not look back? I bet there's a lot of people who say, you know what, actually, let's look back.

ALLEN: Right. When have you a car wreck, it would be great to look forward, but somehow the judge wants to do something else.

A very interesting political drama that's emerging that there's been some coverage of, but not a lot, is Democrats want to have an independent commission to look into this, sort of like the one they looked into 9/11. The White House is favoring an idea by Republican congressional leaders for a bipartisan panel appointed by them that will include both parties.

Now the House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said that she's going to prevent that from occurring just by not appointing people to it.

So exactly how this is going to be investigated is going to be something that's going to be fought very intensely. But I think what you're going to hear Republicans saying this week is that constructive criticism is fine and necessary, but rhetorical fire bombs do not get help to any people.

So again and again, you're going to hear the Republicans, the White House, talking about what is being done now.

Similarly, the president wants to make his hallmark on the rebuilding of New Orleans. We hear talk of some sort of creation like the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which is overseeing the rebuilding of ground zero, so that means this president, this administration's hallmark would be the reconstruction, rather than what happened right after Katrina.

S. O'BRIEN: See if it works. Mike Allen with "Time" magazine, and he's the White House correspondent. Mike, thanks.

ALLEN: Have a great week, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, and likewise.

Let's get right back to Miles in New Orleans.

Good morning, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, Soledad.

Coming up on the program, ever since Katrina, it's hard to believe it's been only two weeks, but we have seen prices at the pump skyrocket. The question is, as is there is relief here this morning for New Orleans, will there be any relief for you at the pump? Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. You're looking at some live pictures of the USS Iwo Jima. President Bush is onboard. He's going to spend the day touring some of the most heavily damaged sections of New Orleans. The aircraft carrier was the home for the president overnight. He spent the night there.

Miles O'Brien is in New Orleans as well. We're going to check in with him in just a few moments. First, though, some business news. Gas prices, I don't have to tell you this, it surged to an all-time high in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Drivers are starting to get some relief at the pumps.

Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning. Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad. Nice to see you.

Slowly, grudgingly, the price of gasoline is falling. The latest survey from AAA says $2.96 a gallon, below $3. Nice to see that. But you can see that a month ago, it's just a lot less. 50 cents more than a year ago. I mean, we still have a long way to go until we get down to that.

Gas stations also happy, some of them, that the price is below $3, Soledad, because some with old-fashioned pumps were unable to price over $3, and had to price in half gallons. Let's hope that we don't have to do that any more for a while.

Another sign of the times. The IRS is upping the deductible rate for cars used for business purposes. Upping it eight cents a mile now to 48.5. That's interesting, because they normally up it once a year in the fall for the following year, but this time, they've upped it effective immediately, and decided to delay when they are going to up it for 2006. Of course, you deduct this rate based on the usage and the gas that you use. The IRS is obviously doing this to reflect higher gas prices, so a little bit of relief there, too.

S. O'BRIEN: A little bit of love from the IRS.

SERWER: Oh, how often do we see that?

S. O'BRIEN: Almost never, actually.

SERWER: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: Andy, thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, as it rebuilds New Orleans, could learn lessons from Charleston, South Carolina. That city had to recover after Hurricane Hugo hit back in 1989. We'll take a look at the challenges that city faced, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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