Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Senior Bush official Calling America's Energy Problem A Crisis; Day Without Immigrants; President Bush Three Years Ago Declared "Mission Accomplished" For Iraq; Colin Powell Says Administration Did Not Commit Enough Troops To Iraq; Florida Brush Fires

Aired May 01, 2006 - 08:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Massive demonstrations coming today. Immigrants taking to the streets in a show of political strength.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A gas crisis with no easy fix. The Bush administration admitting there is a problem, but what to do about it?

Three years after the president's victory call, the violence rages on in Iraq. The mission not yet accomplished.

S. O'BRIEN: And devastating brush fires in southern Florida to tell you about -- and they were set. Now, two boys are in custody. We'll take you there live for the very latest ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning.

Welcome everybody.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

We're glad you're with us this morning.

Let's get right to it. Lots going on in the world.

Word from the White House officially now that America is in an energy crisis. The price of gas is going up, won't come down for two or three years. That's according to fuelgaugereport.com.

The current national average $2.92 for regular unleaded. That's up $2.55 -- from $2.55 last month, $0.69 higher than a year ago, $2.23.

It seems like part of the White House strategy is getting us all prepared for the worst.

CNN's Ed Henry live now from the White House with more -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

That's right, Miles. In fact, a pretty bleak assessment from the president's energy secretary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): For the first time, a senior Bush official is calling America's energy problem a crisis and said it may take three years to lower gas prices.

SAMUEL BODMAN, SECRETARY OF ENERGY: There is apparently some evidence that we have a crisis. There is a lot of concern about this and so the president is looking at everything, every tool at his disposal to put to work on it. And so, you know, I'm not embarrassed by that.

HENRY (on camera): Do you call it a crisis?

BODMAN: I would call it that, yes. I think that there is great concern.

HENRY (voice-over): Democrats charge this shows President Bush's plan to increase supply, promote investment in alternative fuels and investigate price gouging falls short.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D-CA), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Well, all we had to do was look at Mr. Bodman's body language and what he said, "and we think we have a crisis," "I'm not embarrassed."

What is that?

HENRY: And the White House is facing new pressure from a conservative Republican, Trent Lott, who says he's now open to a Democratic plan to tax the huge profits oil companies are reaping.

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: And this may come as a shock to you, but I'm going to keep my options open. The message to the oil companies is hold down your price of gasoline and it better start sliding back the other way. If they don't control it and if they continue to have prices go up, profits go up and salaries go up, Congress will do something.

HENRY: But experts point out raising taxes or a Senate Republican plan to give consumers $100 gas rebates will have little impact on prices in the short-term. The long-term problem is America's dependence on foreign oil.

JAMES WOOLSEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: And that's why we need to keep -- we need to start dealing with these problems now, so the next time this comes up, we won't be wringing our hands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: The president has already shot down the idea of a windfall profits tax and he probably will not look kindly on a new Democratic proposal, Senator Chuck Schumer saying maybe it's time to break up the oil giants, charging that a lack of competition is only raising the price of gasoline -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry for us this morning.

Ed, thank you.

Coming up in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING, we're going to talk to an oil industry analyst who thinks these high gas prices are going to lead us right into a recession.

Across the nation today, a call to action and inaction, too. Immigrants, legal and illegal, and their supporters skipping work and school and rallying to flex their economic and political muscle.

The theme of the day's rally is "A Day Without Immigrants." A recent study says there are about seven million undocumented workers in this country.

Organizers are calling on workers to walk off the job today and to refuse to shop, as well. Thousands of students plan on boycotting school, too. The numbers could be staggering. Just in Los Angeles and Chicago, police and organizers there estimate that as many as 500,000 people could take part in each of those cities. And because of that, some businesses are scaling back. Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat producer, is closing nine of its 15 plants. Perdue Farms is closing six out of its 14 plants.

Today's demonstrations are more than just undocumented workers. It's about immigrants as a whole and their impact on everyday life. And that's the message that supporters are trying to send in New York today with a human chain.

CNN En Espanol's Ines Ferre is live for us in New York -- hey, Ines, good morning.

INES FERRE, CNN EN ESPANOL: Good morning, Soledad.

That human chain is expected to take place in nine locations throughout the city. Several hours later, a rally will be held here in Union Square Park.

Now, we spoke to the owner of one business that said that today he's closing his doors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FERRE (voice-over): Francisco-Guerrero, co-owner of a body shop on New York's Long Island, says on any given weekday, up to 16 cars get serviced here. But Monday, they'll be closing up shop for the day in support of immigrants.

FRANCISCO GUERRERO, AUTO SHOP CO-OWNER: We need to help them because we -- we were helped before.

FERRE: Francisco-says he was forced to immigrate to the United States when he was 12, after civil war broke out in El Salvador. He was granted permanent residency and by age 24, he was serving in the U.S. Navy. He later saw duty in Desert Storm.

Francisco-says these are crucial times for immigrants.

GUERRERO: We have to be part of this movement. We need to. Just because we are legal, that doesn't change anything. I mean we're still immigrants.

FERRE: All of Francisco's employees are immigrants, some documented, some still waiting for their papers. Days after the last public protests, raids carried out around the country led to the arrests of almost 1,200 immigrants and brought the anxiety level up another notch.

One of Francisco's relatives who has permanent resident status but doesn't want to reveal his identity, fears that by openly supporting illegal immigrants, he could somehow lose his residency and be deported.

(on camera): (SPEAKING IN SPANISH). Just by associating?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN SPANISH).

FERRE (voice-over): He says he has a family. If he loses, he loses everything. But Francisco-never forgets his roots. His father's picture reminds him of where he came from and why he's here.

GUERRERO: Every day that I come to work, I feel good because of what I learned of my father.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FERRE: And to him, that means closing shop today, losing, he says, anywhere between $3,000 and $4,000 in sales. But he added, he'd be losing a lot more if he didn't participate -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ines Ferre for us this morning.

Ines, thanks.

CNN has the "Day Without Immigrants" covered coast to coast. We've got a team of CNN reporters standing by across this nation into Mexico, too. You'll get to see live reports from our Spanish language news network, CNN En Espanol. And when you're away from your TV, go online and get the latest with CNN Pipeline. It's all there at CNN.com -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: A coal mine explosion in northwest China. The official Chinese news agency reporting rescuers are trying to reach at least two trapped miners there. Authorities say about 30 miners were killed in Saturday's explosion. Seven miners survived the blast. The cause of the explosion under investigation. The mine's owner has been detained.

In Australia, family and friends of two gold miners learn they're OK. The two are trapped 3,000 feet underground. But rescuers have been at work since they were trapped six days ago. Rescuers have cut an opening, are providing them with food and water until they can get them out.

For more on these and any of our top stories, head to our Web site. CNN.com is the place.

Let's check the forecast now.

Jacqui Jeras is in for Chad today -- hello, Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Boy, a lot of awareness you've got to be aware of.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Weather is all about being aware.

M. O'BRIEN: Wait. They should do -- have an awareness -- awareness day, you know what I mean? Be aware of your awarenesses.

S. O'BRIEN: That gives a list of all the awarenesses coming up over the year.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: That's a good idea, actually.

M. O'BRIEN: It would a big one. It would be helpful for me. Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, well, three years ago today, President Bush made that famous "mission accomplished" speech on Iraq. Coming up, we're going to take a closer look at what's actually been accomplished there since then.

M. O'BRIEN: Immigrants take to the streets today. How close, though, are we to any real immigration reform? We'll take a look at what's going on in Washington.

S. O'BRIEN: Then later, a stunning development in those devastating Florida brush fires. Two children are now accused of starting them. We'll take a look at whether they're going to be charged as adults, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Three years ago today, President Bush declared "mission accomplished" in Iraq. But a new CNN poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation finds many Americans have some deep doubts.

The question was: "Has the U.S. accomplished its mission?"

An overwhelming 84 percent of you say no. Nine percent of you say yes.

Asked: "Will the U.S. eventually accomplish its mission?," nearly half say yes, 44 percent say no.

Three years ago today. So much has happened and, in some cases, so little has happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended.

M. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Three years ago today, President Bush roared onto the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared "mission accomplished," a U.S. victory in Iraq. At the time, 139 American troops had died in Iraq.

Now, the toll stands above 2,400. No end in sight for the occupation and Iraq on the verge of civil war.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Day to day conditions really are no better than they were two or three years ago. And in some cases, they're even a little bit worse.

M. O'BRIEN: Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution is author of a comprehensive report on the war. It says that since 2003, the insurgency has more than tripled in size, from 5,000 then to at least 15,000 today. Insurgent attacks have also increased, from an average of eight a day in June, 2003, to 75 a day now.

O'HANLON: The insurgency has gotten better and bigger, unfortunately. That's the simple story line.

M. O'BRIEN: Roadside bombs are killing more American troops, from zero at the time the president made his speech on the Lincoln to nearly 40 in April. In all, 69 American troops died in Iraq last month, the deadliest month since November.

All that said, there are some glimmers of hope.

O'HANLON: We're getting a lot more tips from Iraqi citizens, for example, who now want to see the insurgency defeated and realize they have to help, at least among the Shia and the Kurds.

M. O'BRIEN: The number of car bombings has dropped from 136 a year ago to just 22 in March. And the number of Iraqi military police killed is down, as well, from 304 in July of last year to around 170 last month.

The Bush administration says Iraq is moving forward, despite the violence.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I know what people see on their screens every day. I see it, too. But I also know that the violence is accompanied by a political process in which the Iraqis have met every deadline, they've met every test and in which they themselves are moving forward.

M. O'BRIEN: Iraq's economy and infrastructure are also improving. Crude oil production is seven times what it was three years ago, though not back up to prewar levels. More Iraqis have potable water and working sewage systems, telephones, cell phones and Internet access.

The number of trained judges in the country has risen from zero three years ago to 351 today. Teachers' salaries have risen from an average of $2.a month to $100 a month. And the number of independent broadcasters and newspapers has gone from zero before the war to more than 200 today.

O'HANLON: That is, perhaps, the single most important bright spot, that people are able to communicate and they're able to do so freely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: A stunning admission, meanwhile, from the former secretary of state, Colin Powell. He is indicating that the Bush administration did not commit enough U.S. troops to Iraq for the invasion or the occupation. The revelation coming in a British TV interview over the weekend.

Correspondent Barbara Starr joining us now from the Pentagon -- Barbara, significant when somebody of this stature, Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former Army general, author of the Powell Doctrine, says this.

BARBARA STARR, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Miles. And the influence that Secretary Powell still has over the American debate was significant this weekend when he made that statement. That still dominating the headlines three years after the "mission accomplished" statement. Secretary Powell making it clear that in his view, more troops were needed for the invasion of Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I had raised directly with General Franks and with Secretary Rumsfeld and in front of the president the size of the force that was going in.

But I'm the secretary of state, not the secretary of defense or the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And the president's military advisers felt that the size of the force was adequate. And they may still feel that years later. Some of us don't. I don't. And I have said that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Miles, Secretary Powell well aware of the timing of his statement and well aware of statements of many of his retired fellow generals about their views on the war -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm curious, you know, it -- why did -- why do you think he waited until this moment? Do you think it was the words that were coming from that -- those half dozen generals or so that prompted him to speak out? STARR: Well, you know, Secretary Powell has, in fact, made similar statements in the past. But he knows full well the debate that has currently been raging in the Army, with active duty generals here in the Pentagon, at the U.S. Central Command in Iraq and the retired generals. He's well aware of that and I think one could fairly interpret his statement as a very clear reminder to his fellow generals, both the retired and those still on active duty, about where he stands about all of this.

M. O'BRIEN: All right.

Let's talk for a moment about reconstruction and where things are in Iraq right now.

I was reading something earlier this morning from the Brookings Institution that Michael O'Hanlon is a part of -- we just saw him -- that on average in Baghdad still, four hours per day of electricity. That says a lot right there. The reconstruction is very much behind schedule, isn't it?

STARR: Absolutely, Miles. There have now been a series of new reports, about seven of them, from the Iraqi inspector general. That's a U.S. official that runs an office monitoring the billions of dollars being spent on reconstruction.

They have put out a very damaging, if you will, set of new reports saying simply that reconstruction goals will not be met because so much money has had to be diverted to security issues and the point that you just made. They said in the utilities sector, oil, gas, electricity, that simply much of that is still below prewar levels because of the violence, because of the attacks.

And consider this. We've said so much about U.S. troops killed, Iraqis killed. According to this report, 467 contractors who have tried to run-and help the reconstruction effort have been killed in Iraq since March, 2003.

M. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Thank you very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: New worries about the bird flu this morning, this time involving pets. We'll explain just ahead.

And two young boys -- one is just 10 years old, the other is 12 -- accused of setting those devastating brush fires in Florida. Will they be charged as adults with the crime?

That's up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Brush fires in southwest Florida have scorched more than 1,500 acres this weekend. At least nine homes were destroyed. Authorities now say two boys are to blame. One is just 10 years old, the other 12. They're set to appear in court today. And joining us this morning from Lehigh Acres in Florida is Lieutenant Robert Forrest.

He is a spokesman for the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

It's nice to see you, sir.

Thank you for talking with us.

LT. ROBERT FORREST, LEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Why don't you tell me a little bit about these two boys, all that you can? I know we're not naming them, obviously. They're juveniles.

What led you to the suspects and what kind of motive do you know at this time for these boys?

FORREST: Well, I can't tell you too very much about it, because the investigation is still open and active. I can tell you that they live in the area. They're respectively, 12 and 10 years old. And as far as motive, I'm not clear on what the motive was. I don't know if it was intentional or if it was an accident. But they do live in the area and --

S. O'BRIEN: What led you to them?

FORREST: ... and unfortunately they've caused a lot of damage.

S. O'BRIEN: What led you to the boys?

FORREST: I'm sorry?

S. O'BRIEN: What led you to the boys? I mean why were they picked up as suspects? What evidence do you have?

FORREST: I cannot comment on that right now. I was not privy to the investigation. But, again, as I mentioned, we're looking for a third suspect and until that third suspect is apprehended, we're not releasing a lot of information regarding that.

S. O'BRIEN: Got it.

Got it.

Let's talk a little bit about the damage. I told everybody a moment ago nine homes destroyed, 2,000 acres, by some estimates, 30 vehicles, pets killed, as well.

How devastating has this fire been for the region?

FORREST: Well, we haven't had an event this significant since, I believe, around 1998. This area has experienced tremendous growth in the last few years, so there are a lot more homes in the area now, so it's more populated. And it swept through a lot -- several blocks, pretty much from a southwest direction to northeast. And it's -- it's affected a lot of people.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, wow!

Tell me a little bit about these folks. Now that they know that suspects have been arrested, what's the reaction in the neighborhoods like? Are they just furious?

FORREST: Well, it ranges from disbelief to anger. One lady actually expressed pity for them. And so we are concerned about retribution because some of the people have been quite verbal about their anger.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, I would -- I would bet.

The boys, they could be charged as adults.

Will they, do you know, at this point?

FORREST: That's up to the state attorneys office and for the judge to decide that.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, they could, because of their age, of course, to some degree, the parents could be held responsible, at least financially, for the damages.

Any word on if that's going to be pursued?

FORREST: I would imagine so, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Lieutenant Robert Forrest from the Lee County Sheriff's office.

We're going to follow this story, of course.

They're looking for a third suspect and I'm sure the motivation for people in the area who just want to know what happened, I mean, it's very interesting.

Thank you for talking with us.

Appreciate it.

FORREST: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Health officials are worried about a new way to the get the bird flu -- for it to get into the United States. And this time around it involves pets. We're going to explain, just ahead.

Plus, the immigration debate. Lots of planned protests, but is Congress going to pass any reform?

We'll take a closer look ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING Quick News at CNN.com/am.

Still to come this morning, so you say you want a little more balance in your life -- your home life and your work.

M. O'BRIEN: You bet. You bet.

S. O'BRIEN: This morning we talk to a woman who loved flex time as an employee. As a boss, she says it's not so great. She's got some tips on how to make it work.

M. O'BRIEN: Hmm. I want to watch that.

S. O'BRIEN: You can't have flex time.

M. O'BRIEN: I can't?

S. O'BRIEN: You start at 6:00 a.m.

M. O'BRIEN: How did you know? How did you the wheels are turning?

S. O'BRIEN: I can tell. I can see it in your eyes.

M. O'BRIEN: I like that idea.

S. O'BRIEN: Other people, not you.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Happy birthday Empire State Building. A live picture.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, it doesn't look anything like 75 years old.

M. O'BRIEN: Absolutely. It doesn't even need a facelift. It looks beautiful, beautiful on this, it's 75th birthday. Twelve hundred feet from the city street, 34th Street, to the top there.

S. O'BRIEN: The 86th floor observatory or the tippy top?

M. O'BRIEN: Actually, that's the 102 level, which would not take you right to the top of the radio tower, I believe.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: There's any number of ways of measuring a building.

S. O'BRIEN: There sure are.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. It's kind of a tricky thing, but anyway.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. So a big day for the Empire State Building.

A big day for the issue of immigration, really, as massive protests are planned in many major cities across the country; also some smaller cities, as well. We've got reporters across the country today. We're going to bring you that in just a little bit.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com