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American Morning

Bush Expected to Present Energy Plan; At Least 23 Dead in Egypt Explosions

Aired April 25, 2006 - 07:00   ET

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

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Pressure on the president. I'm Ed Henry at the White House, where President Bush is ordering an investigation of alleged price gouging at the pump.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, another court date for one of those Duke lacrosse players accused of rape. This time, it's in another court on another charge.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A frosty welcome. Protests over the war in Iraq clogged the streets of Athens, Greece, just in time for a visit from the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. .

S. O'BRIEN: And amazing pictures of an Oklahoma tornado. Luckily, no injuries.

M. O'BRIEN: And are you tired of high gas prices? Why not unplug from the pump? How about a car that runs on laptop batteries? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning, everybody. Welcome. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us this morning.

Even a U.S. president who used to be an oil man does not have a lot of options dealing with gas prices. But President Bush will try to do something about it today. About three hours from now, he'll announce an investigation into price gouging and a four-point energy plan. The high price of gas is dragging down the president's approval rating. The newest poll we have shows him at 32 percent. That is down 16 points from this time last year. With nearly 70 percent of Americans saying rising gas prices are a hardship, that's up 11 points from April of last year.

Let's turn to Ed Henry, live at the White House now. Ed, tell us about this four-point plan.

HENRY: Well, good morning, Miles.

The president is under heavy political pressure from fellow Republicans who fear that these soaring gas prices could fuel a Democratic takeover of control of Congress. So the president will lay out this four-point plan later this morning in a speech.

Point one, of course, as you mentioned, the president will order an investigation by three different federal agencies to get to the bottom of whether or not there has been price gouging at the pump. Secondly, the president will promote greater fuel efficiency. Point three, the president will call for boosting the gasoline supply at home. That includes such controversial provisions as opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration. Finally, the president will encourage energy companies to invest in alternative fuels. This follows up on the president's Earth Day speech, where he called for more hydrogen-powered cars.

Most significant part, of course, is this federal investigation of alleged price gouging. The president will also ask all 50 states attorneys general across the country to aid this federal investigation, look out for price gouging on the state level. Democrats note they've been calling for these actions for months. They think the president, facing these plummeting poll numbers, is finally feeling the heat -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Ed. Let's shift gears here. We have word this morning, sources are telling us, that Tony Snow, who is a commentator on Fox News, might very well be accepting the job as press secretary there. What do you know about that?

HENRY: That's right. We're hearing it's very likely that Tony Snow will accept this job. We've been reporting since last week, in fact, that White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten had reached out to Tony Snow, and that basically senior officials here believe that if Tony Snow wants to do it, it would be a no-brainer, because he has so much gravitas in the eyes of these senior officials.

The only real question is whether or not Tony Snow's health is up to it. As you know, he had been battling colon cancer. We're now told he's been given a clean bill of health, so we're expecting that he is very likely to take it as soon as this week -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry at the White House. Thank you very much. Let's continue on with politics here.

Bill Schneider joining us now also in Washington. Bill, let's talk about these poll numbers. Thirty-two percent. That's a scary number if you're in the White House.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: It certainly is. Very few presidents have survived getting numbers that low. He doesn't have to run for re-election, but his party is very nervous. Seems like an obvious answer to what's going on. Gas up, Bush down. But that's not the entire story, because his numbers have been going down all year, even before the recent gas price hike.

And even those who say that the gas prices are not causing him any hardship, they, too, disapprove of the way President Bush is handling his job. It's not just gas prices. It's also Iraq, illegal immigration, indictments and corruption in the White House. The president has a lot of problems on his plate.

M. O'BRIEN: And as you say, with the congressional elections upcoming, what do you do right now if you're a Republican in Congress? Do you try to distance yourself from the president as much as you can?

SCHNEIDER: That's certainly one strategy. There's another you hear from Republicans a lot here in Washington, and that's to argue reassuringly all politics is local. Every race will be fought on its own terms. It will all about local issues and local candidates. Because Republicans are very nervous that if it's a nationalized election about national issues like gas prices and Iraq, they're going to be sunk.

The latest poll shows them running 10 points behind the Democrats when people are asked how would you vote for Congress. That's the national condition. So just run away from that, and make sure the election is not about Bush or Washington. It's about you.

M. O'BRIEN: I assume it could be interpreted as being trouble if the Republicans are quoting the late great Tip O'Neill there, saying all politics is local. These types of elections can become national mandates, can't they?

SCHNEIDER: They often do, and they often do, in fact. The last national mandate everyone talks about is 1994, which was when there was a revolution where the Democratic majority that had been in place for 40 years was overthrown because of anger at Bill Clinton. Well, you know what? Bush's numbers right now are a lot lower than Bill Clinton's were in 1994. That's what's got Republicans a little worried -- a lot worried.

M. O'BRIEN: Interesting. Bill Schneider, we'll be back with you a little bit later in the program. Thank you very much. There are some new poll numbers out on immigration this morning, and we will talk to him about that and some other matters at 7:30 Eastern time, about 25 minutes from now.

And a reminder, the president's remarks on energy 10:05 Eastern and CNN, of course, will bring that to you live -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: CNN "Security Watch" now. Four Americans are among the dozens injured in a terrorist attack in Egypt. At least 23 people are dead in three nearly simultaneous bombings. The attack targeted a busy street in the Red Sea resort city of Dahab.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is live for us via video phone from Dahab this morning. Paula, good morning. Where does the investigation stand now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Soledad.

Well, there has been no responsibility for these attacks. Nothing to go on for the security forces, but what they are saying is that they are very similar to two other attacks they have seen in the same areas. (INAUDIBLE) in 18 months. So they're saying that it could be the same group which (INAUDIBLE) it's a local connection. Local (INAUDIBLE) are saying that is linked to (INAUDIBLE).

It's not directed, but it's linked (INAUDIBLE) in 2004, about 60, 65 miles north of here, you had a bomb attack where 34 people died. And then just last July, 60, 65 miles south of here, you had more than (INAUDIBLE) in bomb attacks. So many people I have spoken to here say that they are...

S. O'BRIEN: Hey, Paula, I'm going to stop you there. Paula, I'm going to stop you there, because obviously, we're having some serious problems your video phone connection from Dahab. What Paula was saying is that is the third time, the third attack in just 18 months. Obviously, the fact that this is a big tourist area, very appealing, unfortunately, for terrorists. We're going to try to improve that connection, bring you another update from Paula in just a little bit.

Moving on, though. Happening in America this morning, in Florida, four teenagers who pleaded guilty to beating a homeless man to death last spring in Fort Lauderdale, they're going to serve long sentences, but not life. The teens are between 15 and 19 years old. The shortest sentence given was 22 years. The 15-year-old got 35 years.

A former TV producer filed a $100 million sexual harassment lawsuit against talk show host Maury Povich. Bianca Nardi alleges that she was forced to expose herself, her videos of the show's guests. Also named in the lawsuit, NBC Universal Television and three other producers, too.

Sixteen-year-old charged in an attempted plot to attack his high school near Takoma, Washington. In a search of the teenager's home, police say they found several guns and a homemade bomb. Police say he planned to kill 15 people at random on Wednesday.

And five teenagers also charged in connection with an alleged plot to attack their school in Riverton, Kansas. They're charged with incitement to riot and making criminal threats. One of them, 18-year- old Coy Neu (ph), can be released on bond. Four others, who are between the ages of 15 and 17, are being held until a status hearing which happens on May 3rd.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: An update now on the Duke lacrosse team rape investigation. More legal trouble for lacrosse player Collin Finnerty. He's due in court today in Washington, D.C., for a hearing on a separate case, a separate assault charge. That charge stemmed from an incident in November in Georgetown. It was deferred so long as Finnerty had stayed out of trouble, but the rape allegations in Durham that he is embroiled in could prompt a trial on that case.

CNN's Jason Carroll brings us up-to-date.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The defense gave clues how it will challenge the woman who has accused the Duke lacrosse players Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty of rape.

In three defense motions, Seligmann's lawyer wants the district attorney to turn over background information on the alleged victim. The motion reads: "This request is based on the fact that the complaining witness has a history of criminal activity, mental, emotional and/or physical problems." The motion didn't specify those problems, but court records show the accuser pleaded guilty after stealing a taxi four years ago.

Seligmann's attorney also asked for a pre-trial hearing "to determine if the complaining witness is even credible enough to provide reliable testimony." The second motion informed the district attorney the defense will show Seligmann has alibis. One of them likely will come from a Durham cab driver who says he remembers picking Seligmann and a friend that night.

The last motion asked the D.A. to provide any other information he has gathered about the case. The D.A. did not comment on the motions or to defense complaints the accuser identified the two players from a photo line-up made up only of Duke lacrosse players and no one else. But Michael Nifong did confirm that he is waiting for a second round of DNA test results on the players after their first round showed no match between anyone on the team and the alleged victim.

MICHAEL NIFONG, DURHAM, N.C. DISTRICT ATTY: I know what I'm going to do. I have told you that when I'm ready to make an announcement, I'll make an announcement, a public announcement, as I did the last time I did something in the case. And I have confirmed for you that we're not expecting the DNA results back until May the 15th.

CARROLL: May 15th also coincides with the next scheduled court date for Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Durham, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Jason's report first aired on the Paula Zahn program. It's "PAULA ZAHN NOW." You can see it at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time weeknights nights here on CNN.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: I've shown pictures of tornadoes before; seldom, though, from this angle. Take a look at this. This is from a chopper. A news chopper actually caught these pictures near El Reno in Oklahoma, part of a big storm that swept across the central and northern parts of the state. The storm damaged some hangars at the El Reno Airport. And you know, when Chad talks about golf ball-sized hail? Well, that's it right there. That's a real golf ball in the middle, but the rest of the stuff around it is hail, big chunks of hail.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: In the shadow of Columbine, a student's plot to kill classmates in Washington state. Ahead, you're going to be amazed and horrified when you see the arsenal that police found at the suspect's home.

S. O'BRIEN: And then, of course, we're all paying high gas prices. So are your smaller independent gas stations. Wait until you hear what some of them are doing in protest.

M. O'BRIEN: And if you're tired of $3 a gallon -- who isn't? -- I've got just the solution for you. You can just unplug entirely. How about $3 for 180 miles? That's what you get with this lithium vehicle. Snappy looking, isn't it?

S. O'BRIEN: It's cute.

M. O'BRIEN: Would I look good in it?

S. O'BRIEN: Where do you put your briefcase?

M. O'BRIEN: You actually can put the whole car in the back of my Yukon. That's coming up in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Here's a quick reminder for you. AMERICAN MORNING begins every morning, 6:00 a.m. Eastern time. We invite you to start your day with all the latest news from around the U.S. and the world, your business and travel forecast, headlines from Wall Street. AMERICAN MORNING every weekday, 6:00 a.m., right here on CNN. Back with more in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BERAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, the immigration debate. Surprising new poll numbers. Find out how Americans feel about legalizing undocumented workers.

First, though, new threats from Tehran over its nuclear program. We're live in Teheran up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: A warning from Iran this morning to tell you about. All cooperation with nuclear inspections cut off if the U.N. imposes sanctions. Iran showing no signs of backing off its nuclear ambitions in the face of a U.N. deadline.

CNN's Aneesh Raman in one of the only American journalists in Tehran. He joins us by phone.

Hey, Aneesh, good morning.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning.

If anyone is waiting (INAUDIBLE) enrichment, they should wait no further, the message yesterday from the Iranian president. Nuclear negotiators said Iran will continue its peaceful civilian nuclear program. (INAUDIBLE) has a right to do so. And after it was able to enrich uranium, something that was announced on April 11th, they (INAUDIBLE) pride here, and they feel that the world is unfairly treating Iran.

Now we've heard from the West, the U.S. specifically, that its concerned that if Iran has a nuclear program on Iranian soil, it could one lead day to Iran having a nuclear weapon. The country denied that. They government from the start (INAUDIBLE) on the table now ahead of that Friday's deadline to decide whether or not it cease its nuclear operations.

S. O'BRIEN: That was Aneesh Raman. We're having a little trouble with his audio, obviously, coming to us from beeper from Tehran. Difficult to get out. And we'll update you with a report from Aneesh as soon as we get a better connection.

Aneesh, thank you. If you can hear me, thank you for that update. We'll hopefully get a little better sound from him later.

A jury is deciding life or death for al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui? Is it going to e a quick verdict, though? Senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin will weigh in coming up next.

And this:

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Carol Costello. Another teenage allegedly hatches a plot to kill his fellow students and teachers. More in two minutes.

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