Return to Transcripts main page
The Situation Room
Brown Blames Others for Slow Response to Katrina
Aired September 27, 2005 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's 4:00 p.m. here in Washington. And you're in the SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive at one place simultaneously.
Happening now, the former FEMA director, Michael Brown, has lawmakers seeing red. At a House hearing, Brown blames others for the slow response to Hurricane Katrina and this hour members of both parties still are seething.
It's 3:00 p.m. Central along the Texas-Louisiana coast, where President Bush saw Hurricane Rita's wrath up close. But after calling for gas conservation, his travels are fueling some debate.
And the first woman president gets sworn in tonight, at least on television. Is America ready for that in real life? A question this hour of interested voters and to Hillary Rodham Clinton's camp.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Former FEMA Director Michael Brown's reputation may be even more battered this hour because of his grilling by a House committee. Brown acknowledges some mistakes in FEMA's handling of Hurricane Katrina, but he's also pointing fingers and leaving lawmakers, at least several of them, furious.
Let's go to Capitol Hill right now. Our congressional correspondent, Ed Henry standing by. Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, six hours and counting now that Michael Brown has been in the hot seat. As you know, for weeks now he's been a political pinata. He's finally swinging back, answering his critics and, as you mentioned, not taking responsibility himself for the failures in the immediate aftermath of Katrina. Instead, very clearly shifting blame to local and state officials in Louisiana.
In fact, he was saying that the biggest mistake he made was on that first Saturday, two days before Katrina hit, when he -- quote -- when he failed to realize that -- quote -- "Louisiana was dysfunctional," a clear shot at those officials there.
You heard Mayor Nagin in the last hour responding, saying that was an unfair shot.
And this clearly rankled some of the Republicans on this House select committee, including Republican Chris Shays. He took tough shots back at Michael Brown, saying that he looked like a deer in the headlights and he was glad that he was now out at FEMA. In fact, Chris Shays also raising questions about the fact that Mr. Brown is still technically, though, on the FEMA payroll for another month, suggesting, perhaps, that's why he's still toeing the administration line.
Also some very tough shots from the only two Democrats who showed up at this committee, Gene Taylor of Mississippi, as well as William Jefferson of Louisiana. Take a listen to some of these heated exchanges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. WILLIAM JEFFERSON, (D) LA: Are you saying FEMA did everything right in Mississippi and Alabama, and Louisiana only had problems?
MICHAEL BROWN, FORMER FEMA DIRECTOR: No. I'm saying the system worked in Mississippi and Alabama. The system didn't work in Louisiana. Congressman Jefferson, we can't deny the point it worked in the other states and it did not work in Louisiana.
REP. GENE TAYLOR, (D) MS: The fact is those policeman sat at the EOC doing nothing when they could have been delivering food. Are you aware of that?
BROWN: No. I'm not aware of every single county.
TAYLOR: Maybe the president made a very good move when he asked you to leave your job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Again, those are the only two Democrats who showed up for this hearing. The majority of them boycotting this hearing. In the words of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, they think this investigation will be a partisan whitewash, that congressional Republicans are covering for the Republican White House.
Republican leaders up here say that's nonsense. They cite the fact that both Chairman Tom Davis and Chris Shays, asking very tough questions of Michael Brown. And instead, they say it's time for Democrats to show up for work.
Wolf?
BLITZER: And the Democrats are basically arguing, they want an independent outside commission as opposed to these congressional committees. That's why the Democrats are refusing to participate -- the Democratic members of this specific committee -- is that right?
HENRY: That's right. They feel it should be a commission modeled after the 9/11 Commission. Republicans basically respond by saying that on all of the major investigations in recent years, ranging from Watergate to Iran-Contra, it was handled by Congress. It has a major responsibility of oversight, and that responsibility should not be shirked. Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much, Ed Henry on Capitol Hill. That hearing, by the way, is now in recess, the hearing involving Michael Brown.
In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we learned a little while ago that the New Orleans Police superintendent is retiring.
Our Mary Snow is on the streets of New Orleans. She's joining us now live right now. That was pretty much of a surprise, Eddie Compass, who became relatively well in recent weeks, announcing he was stepping down. What has happened, Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it was an absolute surprise, Wolf. And just a short time ago he showed up with the mayor and saying that he is going to resign. He did not give a reason. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUPT. EDDIE COMPASS, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: At this time, within the next 30 to 45 days during the transition period, I'll be retiring as superintendent of police, and I will be going on in another direction God has for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: No replacement has been named yet, Wolf. In recent days, both Eddie Compass and the mayor, there've been questions raised about their accounts of what happened inside the Superdome immediately following the hurricane. Some reports have suggested that what they said in terms of what happened -- in terms of violence -- was exaggerated.
We asked the mayor about that a short time ago. He said, as far as exaggeration goes, he says, I was in the moment, there was lots of information flowing in. I was trying to filter out rumors, and that he was getting his information from people on the scene -- civilians, National Guardsmen, and police.
Now, Mayor Ray Nagin also responding to the criticism coming today from former FEMA Director Michael Brown, who specifically asked about criticism that Brown said that he was reticent to declare a mandatory evacuation. Here's what he had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: Obviously, Mr. Brown is maybe under a lot of pressure. I feel kind of sorry for him in a way. All I know is that there's a clear record of what happened. And I think we ought to look on both sides of the coin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And he's saying that it's too early to play the blame game -- that he wants to take a look at exactly what happened and analyze it.
Now, all of this is happening as New Orleans is really under the microscope because the city is trying to have its re-entry program. Here in the Central Business Direct and the French Quarter, you can see, there's signs of activity, utility crews coming in. This street is lined with businesses. Some business owners have been coming in to inspect the damage. The mayor saying, so far this re-entry program, which was resumed yesterday, in his words is going well, and that he may have an announcement as early as tomorrow about how far -- long it will continue.
Wolf.
BLITZER: It looks like there's a lot of traffic, relatively normal, at least cars parked along the sides. It looks like the power is on in all of the buildings. We see lights there. I sense since you've gotten to New Orleans, there's been a significant improvement.
SNOW Absolutely, Wolf. And on this street, on Canal Street, there are a lot of hotels. Hotels have been hiring clean-up workers to get in there and clear out these hotels, get ready for business. Every day you see more lights coming on.
But you are right. When you see these cars, it does look pretty normal. But I just want to focus in across the street. It looks normal until you take a close look at some of these stores. And as you can see, it's really anything but normal. Is there a huge challenge ahead for the city as it tries to rebuild itself.
BLITZER: Mary Snow on the streets of New Orleans for us. We'll get back to you. Thank you very much.
Three days after Hurricane Rita hit, local authorities say east Texas needs everyone's attention right now. At least nine deaths are being blamed on Rita, and nearly a million homes still without power in Texas and Louisiana. Water, ice and other supplies are desperately needed in many of those areas, especially with temperatures rising along the Gulf Coast -- over 100 degrees.
While residents of Texas coastal towns still are blocked from going home, authorities in Louisiana have been unable to keep bayou residents from returning by boat to see if Rita wrecked their homes.
President Bush went to the Texas-Louisiana coast today to see firsthand how Hurricane Rita has damaged the oil industry. He's now on his way back to the White House.
Our Suzanne Malveaux is standing by at the White House. She's got more on the president's day. Suzanne?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, what was significant yesterday was the fact that President Bush, a former Texas oilman himself, asked for the first time explicitly for Americans to start conserving -- particularly to take un-- or not to take unnecessary travel. And the president turned around and announced he was making the seventh trip to the hurricane region. Now he took a trip today to Beaumont, Texas, as well as the Texas-Louisiana border. That's where he focused on the refineries that produce about 10 percent of the country's gasoline.
Now critics are saying here, Wolf, that they believe the president's trips are no more than just these gas-guzzling photo ops to improve the president's image. The White House making it very clear, they believe these trips are necessary -- they say, not only to look at recovery, not only to look at damage and survey that, but also to comfort the victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I understand there's a lot of frustrations with the people who left this part of the country. People who are scattered around, want to come back and see their homes. They want to come back to the community they love. But it's very important for them to understand that now is not the time to come back -- until they get the utilities up and running and until they can get the sewer systems running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And Wolf, of course, one of the big questions today, how much does it cost for the president to go on these trips? The White House won't say. But an Air Force spokeswoman said it costs $6,029 to fly Air Force One, and that's just for one hour.
Wolf?
BLITZER: And he has got those big SUVs that he drives around the motorcades. Getting a lot of e-mail asking, what is the White House doing to conserve energy as the president is urging all Americans to do so?
MALVEAUX: Well, the White House spokesman is saying that he has asked the staff, directed them to find ways -- that means cut off the lights, the faxes, the printers, the computers overnight after-hours, to carpool or try not to travel unnecessarily. But he did say as well that he's shortening that motorcade, the motorcade anywhere from about a dozen vehicles to about 20. That includes the two presidential limousines, SUVs, vans that carry the Secret Service and press.
Today, Wolf, what we found -- one of the press vehicles actually was eliminated. The press secretary saying it could go from four press vehicles down to three or perhaps two. But not just the press. He also said the staff were doubling up as well.
BLITZER: All right. Suzanne Malveaux reporting for us at the White House.
And our Ali Velshi, by the way, is crunching the numbers to find out how much it actually cost to fly the president around and to drive the president around. He'll be joining us shortly with those numbers.
Let's check in with Jack Cafferty. He's working on something. I don't know what you're working on, Jack, but I'm sure it's something good.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, before we get to the next e-mail question, I've gotten a lot of mail, as you said you have, from viewers on that very subject. The president wants us to conserve energy, and yet he's made seven trips in Air Force One, you mentioned the SUVs. And let's not forget, too, he flies in a helicopter from the White House out to Andrews where he gets on Air Force One. And those things don't run on jelly. You have got to put some kind of fuel in those, too. So, I don't know, turning off the White House computer overnight compared to -- what did Suzanne say? -- $6,000 an hour to fly Air Force One around?
BLITZER: Something like that.
CAFFERTY: All right. The United States is going to get a glimpse of its first woman president tonight, but only on television. Geena Davis will play the nation's first female commander in chief in an ABC drama.
Up until now, there have been some overtures made by women for the top job. Geraldine Ferraro was number two on Mondale's ticket back in 1984. Elizabeth Dole and Carol Moseley Braun both ran in their party's primary. But so far none has made it all the way to the Oval Office. That might change, though. There's been talk recently that both Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice could run for the presidency in 2008.
In a recent CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 46 percent of those polled said the U.S. will elect a woman president in the next 10 years. Forty one percent said it would happen in the next 25 years.
Here's the question. Is this country ready for a woman president? CaffertyFile - one word -- @CNN.com.
I mean, the answer, as far as I'm concerned is absolutely. They couldn't do any worse job than some of the men who have had the office. And I've had two wives and four daughters, and I'm convinced they're smarter than we are.
Wolf.
BLITZER: I totally agree. If women can lead India and Israel and Britain, why can't they lead the United States?
CAFFERTY: Where's your wife right now? Mine's at home watching this program. I rest my case.
BLITZER: I can assure you that mine is not watching this program. Thanks, Jack. We'll get back to you on that later.
Still ahead, did Mississippi's governor gamble? Should the state's casinos be rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina? Religion, politics, cold hard cash all come into play.
And Katrina creating opportunity here in Washington, and taxpayers will pay for it. We'll explain. Plus, was Michael Brown's testimony a disaster for the former FEMA boss? There's plenty to talk about in our "Strategy Session".
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
The Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour, issued a challenge to the state legislature to rebuild the Gulf Coast bigger and better after Hurricane Katrina. In the process, Barbour entered what we call the culture wars, by offering a plan to revive devastated casinos.
Our national correspondent Bruce Morton is standing by. Bruce?
BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, as you know, legalizing gambling in Bible Belt Mississippi wasn't easy. The compromised law that did that said casinos had to be in the water -- the Mississippi or the Gulf of Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MORTON (voice-over): Katrina tore them apart. One casino was blown clear across a highway. Others were smashed as well.
Governor Haley Barbour, who campaigned against any expense of gambling when he ran in 2003 looked at the damage and said, we learned the hard way, that making them float on the water is not a good idea. So Barbour is asking the state legislature to let the casinos come ashore, not 10 miles inland, but maybe 1,000 feet or so.
Looking at the damage, you can see why. Churches like the Mississippi Baptist Convention, 2,100 churches in the state, still oppose gambling, but it's been a big economic success in traditionally poor Mississippi -- a $2.8 billion industry, giving the state $344 million last year in tax revenue according to the State Gaming Commission. That's almost 5 percent of the state budget.
Casinos, pre-Katrina, employed 28,000 people. One of the biggest employees in the state was Harrah's, a casino. Most say they want to rebuild, and Governor Barbour says, "To me there's no material or significant difference in a state that's 400 miles long with allowing a casino to sit on the ground 1,000 feet from the beach than for it to sit over the water, 100 feet off the beach."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MORTON (on camera): We'll see now, Wolf, if the legislature agrees.
BLITZER: Very interesting. We hope to speak to the governor, hopefully in the next few days. Thanks very much, Bruce, for that.
Seven trips and counting. But are the president's travels to the hurricane-ravaged region making a difference? We'll get some expert opinion. That's coming up in our strategy session.
Plus, the U.S. isn't the only country facing fierce weather. We have our eyes on some dangerous storms around the globe. We'll tell you what's going on. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Do the president's hurricane-related travels and his new call for energy conservation add up? Our Ali Velshi is doing some math. He's coming up with his own "Bottom Line". What are you picking up, Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you know, I've been figuring this out. I've been hearing a lot of this talk about the president -- yesterday I was with the president. He called on everybody to conserve and to let go of some nonessential travel.
So I just wanted to get a sense of what the president's been doing. So we've been working with some of the folks in Washington at CNN who have been -- we've been doing an itinerary and doing a little back of the envelope math on what it's all been.
I'm not making any statement here as to whether that's essential or nonessential travel. That's up to other people to decide. But let's take a look at where the President Bush has been since Friday. He's gone from Andrews Air Force Base to Colorado Springs, then to Austin, then to San Antonio, then to Baton Rouge, and then back to Andrews Air Force Base. Then to Beaumont, Texas, Lake Charles, Louisiana, and back to Andrews Air Force Base -- 6,038 miles, approximately -- in a 747, that is Air Force One. They get a good rate, the government, on fuel. They get $1.57 a gallon for jet fuel. So that comes out to, as we heard earlier from Suzanne, a little over $6,000 an hour.
So if you add that 6,038 miles, just so you know a 747 gets about five miles per gallon, you average that out, you're talking about an amount of travel from Friday to today of about $50,000, $47,398. That is nobody else's calculation. That's sort of a rough calculation. We've just been figuring it out. As I say, Wolf, I'm not interested in figuring out whether that was essential or not, just giving you the facts.
BLITZER: Well, in the scheme of things, when we're talking about $200 billion to rebuild Louisiana and Mississippi ...
VELSHI: It's a deal.
BLITZER: ... $50,000 sounds like, I guess, not much.
VELSHI: Yeah. But, you know, as Sam Feist, our esteemed producer just pointed out, that's just the air travel. He has got a fancy motorcade. But that has got to be pretty impressive, the amount of gas. You've seen them, all of the SUVs and all of that kind of thing. And I don't know if they've cut back on the in-flight service on Air Force One, either.
BLITZER: I've been on Air Force One many times. I don't know if you remember, I was once our White House correspondent, spent many times in those motorcades reporting on the Clinton administration, and they were big, fat cars. Air Force One is a big fat 747 ...
VELSHI: And they give you more than peanuts, right, they give you a little more than on commercial flights I bet?
BLITZER: They give you a nice meal. Ali, thanks very much.
He was the go-to guy during weather disasters, now he's weathering a political storm of his own. Coming up, the former FEMA director, Mike Brown, being grilled by members of Congress on Capitol Hill today. We'll talk about what has happened over these many hours.
And why is First Lady Laura Bush taking a turn on a hit TV program? She is. And we'll tell you what's going on.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. We're getting new video coming in over Cameron Parish. Check this out. This video just shot, showing the devastation, the destruction in that area. This from a military helicopter that was flying over, clearly moving at a relatively fast speed, flying over this devastated area in Louisiana.
No doubt that the destruction, the flooding, very, very significant. We'll continue to watch this video and bring you more of it and slow it down a little bit as well.
Let's get on to some of the top stories we're following -- top political stories this hour.
The former FEMA Director Mike Brown in the hot seat up on Capitol Hill. That's been going on for hours.
And the president of the United States on his seventh trip to the hurricane-ravaged region, overseeing the federal response, possibly trying to oversee his own political comeback as well, at least from the early days of Katrina.
There's plenty to talk about in today's "Strategy Session." Joining us, radio talk show host Bill Press and Republican strategist Greg Mueller. Guys, thanks very much for joining us.
Bill Press, was it a mistake for the Democrats, most of the Democrats, who are members of this House committee not to show up and grill Michael Brown?
BILL PRESS, RADIO HOST: I learned something right here on CNN on CROSSFIRE when you had two Republicans who were attacking each other and tearing each other up, the bets thing you can do is stay out of the way and let them go at it. I think that's what the Democrats did today. I think it was smart for that.
BLITZER: Democrats who were members of the committee from Louisiana and Mississippi did come.
PRESS: But I think overall the strategy was a correct one. The other thing I think is that they didn't want to be part of this whitewash, which I think is aimed at taking the blame away from the White House and putting it on anybody else, whether it's local officials or Michael Brown, to deflect it away from George Bush. They didn't want to be part of that.
BLITZER: What about that, Greg?
GREG MUELLER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think -- look, I don't think throwing a partisan political temper tantrum in Washington is going to win them any votes, if they're thinking of this as strategy. I mean, long term, I think the president's rolling up his sleeves, he's going down there. And long term, they're going to rebuild Louisiana, Texas, and he's going to get some credit for that by rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.
But look, the Democrats have to be very careful not to overplay their hand. Because while I think the president does share in this strategy some of the responsibility that's happened on his watch and he's fixing to move that, there is a Democratic mayor and a Democratic governor, Bill, that have responsibilities and were derelict in their duties. And they're going to have to come before a committee here, too.
BLITZER: Before you respond, listen to Bennie -- Congressman Bennie Thompson, whose own district was destroyed by this Hurricane Katrina. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON, (D) MISSISSIPPI: The Republican leadership have made a conscious decision not to hold any hearings around the hurricane other than this sham of a hearing that you see happening today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And he's a ranking member, I believe, of the Homeland Security Committee.
PRESS: And it's his district that was affected. As you said, look, this committee was appointed without consulting any Democrats. It was announced without consulting the Democratic leadership. I believe it is a whitewash. And I think that the danger, Greg, is that most of the American people, overwhelming percentage, know the 9/11 Commission did a great job. That's what we need. They don't trust the administration to investigate itself. They don't trust Congress. It doesn't matter whether Democrats or Republicans are in charge, they don't trust Congress to investigate themselves and that's why I don't think...
BLITZER: Shouldn't the Republican leadership have gotten the Democratic leadership on board before announcing these hearings, the schedule of hearings? MUELLER: Well, I think you always want to try to work together, but I don't think the Democrats are willing to play on anything right now, Wolf. They're sensing blood in the water. Strategically, I think short term, they could get some gains on that, but long term, it's going to hurt them, not putting anything on the table.
I think the problem with all of this, though, Wolf, at the end of the day, they got to put an agenda on the table. They got to be for something. Right now, I'm not sure we know what happened in Louisiana. A hurricane came through, the mayor was derelict, the governor was derelict and the president stepped up to the plate. At the end of the day, we shouldn't be spending taxpaying dollars on commissions when victims need the money, not some commission in Washington that Hillary Clinton wants.
PRESS: Well, I have to laugh at a president who yesterday says we should conserve energy and not take any unnecessary travels. Talk about putting taxpayer dollars on the table. And today he takes his seventh trip on Air Force One, just totally violating what he said yesterday. I mean, the message seems to be -- and again, speaking strategically, I think it's a mistake -- do as I say, but not as I do. I can fly around on my flying machine all I want, but you can't drive to work.
BLITZER: What do you say?
MUELLER: Well, I think the president needs to be there. Strategically, it's the right -- frankly, it's the only choice he's got. He needs to be there. He needs to be there with these people working. There were some mess-ups early on. He needed to act on it quicker. He didn't get the governor to cooperate on that. So now he's in the game.
And I think, again, long-term strategic, I think it's very good for the president. He's in there. He's rolling up his sleeves. And when all this is coming, jobs are being created -- we're rebuilding Louisiana and Texas and Mississippi and Alabama -- he's going to be the guy that's responsible for that, while the Democrats sat out a hearing.
BLITZER: By the way, that Michael Brown hearing, it's been going on for more than six hours, just broke up. Congressman Tom Davis, the chairman of the committee, wrapping this hearing up. But listen to what the president said earlier today, describing why he needs to be on the scene. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I have the top people here with me -- Coast Guard admirals in charge of the federal response. I had the head of FEMA with me. I had a three-star Army general here. A ll of them here to help make sure these people can get their lives back together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Bill, if the president doesn't go, then he's seen as being aloof and distant and not involved. If he goes, then he's wasting energy.
PRESS: Wolf, you said it.
BLITZER: He's in a no-win situation, right?
PRESS: No, no, no. There is a win situation. He did it very well on Florida. He waited a few days, he went down there. He handed out the ice, he handed out the drinks, he was handing out bottles of water. And this one, seven trips.
Look, the president is not the director of FEMA. He's not an Al Roker wannabe to put a yellow slicker on and go down there and -- these people had a job to do. I heard you say earlier you've been in White House motorcades. So have I. You know how many people it takes -- all those cops and all that security and all those people. I think the president now ought to stay out of the way, put FEMA back in the White House and the Cabinet, where it belongs, call for an independent investigation and say everything is on the table to pay for this, including my tax cuts. That is leadership.
BLITZER: Wrap it up for us.
MUELLER: I think the American people want to see their president in a time of crisis down there. He was criticized by Democrats for working -- waiting too slow when he was waiting for the governor to ask him to come in, Democratic governor. She never did, she admitted. Now the president's doing what the American people want. That's where tax dollars should be, not on some silly commission when we know what went wrong. Buses were not brought by the mayor to evacuate people.
BLITZER: Thought you were going say, so there's plenty...
PRESS: They couldn't take them out. FEMA gave the orders not to roll the buses.
MUELLER: I think strategically, the president's got to do this. It's good that he's doing it. And the Democrats are going to try and do what they can...
PRESS: Why is Michael Brown still on FEMA's payroll?
BLITZER: We'll leave it there. We'll continue that discussion for mother day. Bill Press, thanks for very much. Greg Mueller, thanks to you, as well.
Coming up, political benefits and budget deficits after Hurricane Katrina. Who wants to spend, who wants to cut, who will pay the price?
And a hit TV program lends a hand in the hurricane disaster zone. We'll -- with a little help from the White House, specifically the First Lady of the United States. We'll tell you what's going on.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Here's a look at some of the hot shots coming in from our friends at the Associated Press, pictures likely to be in your hometown newspapers tomorrow.
In southern China, a storm of destruction. Typhoon Damrey killed nine, flattened homes, and wiped out crops.
In Vietnam, a look at the typhoon in action. It pounded the coastline, packing 83 mile an hour winds.
In Peru, earthquake rubble. Residents of Lima check out their house after a 7.5 quake ripped through the area.
And in Louisiana, farmers use a boat to round up cattle from a flooded pasture. The men have moved about 500 animals to higher ground since Hurricane Rita hit.
That's some of the pictures coming in from the best photographers in the world over at the Associated Press.
Now to an ongoing dilemma for officials here in Washington and for America's taxpayers. How will the United States pay for the damage done by back-to-back hurricanes?
Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is looking into the price tag and the politics. He's joining us now live. Bill, what have you found?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Wolf, a crisis is also an opportunity, and Washington politicians see plenty of opportunities in the debate over paying for Katrina.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Louisiana's congressional delegation is proposing $250 billion in spending and tax breaks for hurricane recovery.
SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: This is an unprecedented natural disaster and national tragedy, and it's going to take an unprecedented response.
SCHNEIDER: Where's the money going to come from? Some Democrats talk about rolling back tax cuts for the wealthy, but they're the minority. Conservative Republicans see the hurricane crisis as an opportunity to cut spending on other things. Like what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We propose cutting NASA's new moon and Mars initiative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The subsidy, as it relates to Amtrak.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Virtually all of the United Nations budget, the money that we give to Egypt each year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That $10 million on the citrus canker compensation program.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I propose that we cut the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
SCHNEIDER: And one big-ticket item conservatives have never been enthusiastic about.
REP. ZACH WAMP, (R) TENNESSEE: The big dollars are in the prescription drug bill.
SCHNEIDER: That's one of President Bush's signature commitments. Another non-starter, $24 billion earmarked for local projects in the new highway bill that helps protect incumbents. Conservative spending cutters have run smack into opposition from Republican leaders whose interest is to protect the GOP majorities.
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: Everybody is looking for offsets. But frankly, I doubt that we'll be able to find offsets to pay for this.
SCHNEIDER: If the government won't raise taxes or make other spending cuts, what's the other alternative? Borrow.
DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE: How much do you want to pass on to taxpayers, our children, in the future, versus take care of now?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: But isn't the deficit a big enough issue to motivate serious spending cuts? Actually, it's not. The deficit is a tax on future generations, and they're not around to vote yet.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Very interesting. Bill Schneider, thank you very much.
On our "Political Radar" this Tuesday, full Senate confirmation of John Roberts as the chief justice of the United States could happen as soon as tomorrow. All 55 GOP senators are expected to vote for him, along with at least 17 Democrats. So some senators are using today's debate on Roberts to joust over the next Supreme Court nominee. President Bush is expected to name his choice to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor as soon after Roberts is confirmed.
New ammunition for the political debate over immigration. A just released report shows people are illegally crossing the border into the United States at a faster pace despite tighter security measures since 9/11. The Pew Hispanic Center pegs the surge of illegal immigration to economic growth and job availability. The center reports anti-terror measures have had an effect. They've reduced legal immigration.
Senator Robert Byrd is kicking off his campaign for a record ninth term, even as the GOP makes his ouster a top priority. On track to be the longest serving senator in history, the West Virginia Democrat wants voters to focus in on his experience and his vigor for the job. Byrd says -- and I'm quoting now -- "show me another 87-year- old man who's got the energy that I've got, and I'll eat your hat."
The first lady, Laura Bush is back in the Katrina disaster zone today, visiting a Salvation Army Center in Mississippi, and taking part in an extreme makeover. She stopped in Biloxi Community Center where the hit TV program that overhauls homes is taping an episode. But don't expect to see Mrs. Bush on TV with a hammer or a paintbrush in hand. The White House says she joined the cast in handing out supplies. Good for her.
Just ahead, we'll talk with a reporter who just got an aerial tour of storm-ravaged Louisiana. What she saw, nothing short of extraordinary. We'll show her pictures, all that coming up.
And later, ready or not, here she comes. Will life imitate art, or at least network television with a woman in charge at the White House? Jack Cafferty, your e-mail, that's coming up.
Also ahead, Donald trump getting a new apprentice? We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You're now in THE SITUATION ROOM. Welcome back.
Let's bring in Sara Vincent of CNN affiliate KLFY. She flew over parts of this ravaged area earlier today in a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. Sara, let's talk about some of the aerial shots that you saw. We'll show our viewers. Give us a sense of what it was like.
SARA VINCENT, KLFY REPORTER: Well, I mean, it was just amazing. Especially -- I was there just six days ago when the first mandatory evacuation order went into place, so just being able to go back, and then now see these aerials, it was just absolutely devastating.
Right now, it looks like we're actually flying over Cameron. Actually, the only thing you can really see is that water tower. That's one of the few things that stayed up, and that's how I was kind of able to pinpoint what has changed and what has not changed. And as you can see, a lot of the plants still stayed intact, too.
But all of that debris, was just everything coming off from those buildings. That area has been completely flattened, and that's also another area, too. Right behind those trees, that big, huge white building that you can see is actually the courthouse.
That is probably actually one of the better intact buildings. I actually went into it with one of the clerk of office, and he was actually able to salvage most of the files, keep it up on the second floor, so that was some good news for them as well. But the area is just absolutely devastated.
BLITZER: Was this a wide -- you flew over a wide area of Louisiana. Did this go on for miles and miles and miles? VINCENT: Miles and miles and miles. And I'll tell you, too, looking at the ocean, just seeing how far that storm surge went, I mean, that just went for miles and miles and miles. And literally too -- it's just amazing though.
I flew out of Lafayette, and Lafayette, you know -- it got beat up minorly. And then to go from there and just be within an hour overlooking Cameron, which just looked like literally a bomb exploded on it, it's just astounding. Absolutely astounding.
BLITZER: Then the helicopter, the Black Hawk landed, and then you got on the ground and began driving around. Is that what we're seeing now, Sara?
VINCENT: That actually is. We're actually walking around. We were actually able to land, so that really -- you know, to give us that up close and personal. You can see debris everywhere, an entire electric pole down. Also, too, just the buildings of those businesses were just completely gutted out.
So you look across the street, and you'd see registers. I saw a toilet, a sink. Just every little piece of debris that was once in that business or restaurant is now across the street in just a stockpile. I mean, it's just -- it's literally amazing.
And, of course, the only people there right now are the National Army Guard. And they're doing a great job. They said they're trying to clean up right now as best they can. And of course, that's going to take a little while. They also said the floodwaters receded far more quickly than they ever expected. So that's good news for them so that they can start that cleanup process as soon as possible.
BLITZER: All right. Sara, good work. Thanks very much. We'll have you back. Sara Vincent of our affiliate KFLY. She was joining us from Lafayette, Louisiana.
Let's go to the CNN Center in Atlanta. Zain Verjee is standing by with a closer look at some other stories making news. Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNNHN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf.
We've just learned that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has named an acting head of the New Orleans Police Department, Assistant Superintendent Warren Riley. Now he's going to step in for Superintendent Eddie Compass who made a surprise resignation announcement today. No reason given. Compass says he'll stay on for a transition period up to 45 days.
Typhoon Damrey is lashing Vietnam with rains, winds topping 80 miles an hour and 16-foot seas. State media reports thousands of homes flooded and tens of thousands of acres of rice damaged. The storm killed at least 16 people when it hit the Chinese Island of Hainan yesterday.
She stared down an accused killer and survived. Now Ashley Smith has a new book, "Unlikely Angels" released today. Now, she's the Georgia woman held captive in May by suspected courthouse gunman Brian Nichols. In the book, Smith admits to being a drug user at the time, and she says she gave Nichols drugs from her personal stash. Smith ultimately talked Nichols into setting her free.
And real estate tycoon Donald Trump may just need a bigger home. Wolf, he and his wife are expecting their first baby. A spokesperson tells CNN that his wife Melania Knauss is pregnant. The 59-year-old billionaire and 35-year-old former model wed in January. There's no word when the new baby is due or if the child will make an appearance on a future episode of "The Apprentice." Wolf, do you watch "The Apprentice?"
BLITZER: I do, of course, everybody does (ph). Donald Trump, he's a nice guy.
VERJEE: Does our Jack watch "The Apprentice?"
BLITZER: Jack -- we're going to ask Jack. Let's ask him.
CAFFERTY: I've never seen ...
BLITZER: Jack, first off all, do you watch "The Apprentice," and, b, what do you think of Donald Trump?
CAFFERTY: I've never seen "The Apprentice," and when Donald Trump's kid graduates from college, he'll be 80 years old.
BLITZER: All right, so that'll be -- he'll be a young, spry 80 years old.
CAFFERTY: No, he'll be a funny-looking 80-year-old guy with that goofy looking hairdo just like he is now.
BLITZER: I like Donald trump. You know, he's a -- I've interviewed him a few times. He's a very nice guy.
CAFFERTY: Well, I'll tell you some stories sometime.
BLITZER: All right.
CAFFERTY: No, just kidding. Donald's a great man, a great American.
BLITZER: He is.
CAFFERTY: What?
BLITZER: He is. I'm serious.
CAFFERTY: OK, OK. If he runs for president, you can be his campaign ...
BLITZER: He almost ran for president. I interviewed him when he was thinking about running for president.
CAFFERTY: I know he was. He actually -- you know, back -- I'm not a huge fan of him, but some of the things he does I admire. One of them is years ago the city was trying to rebuild a skating rink in Central Park. And, of course, like, you know, usual city projects, cost overruns, delays, reason -- 84 reasons why we couldn't get it done. Trump says, I'll fix the skating rink. He did it in six weeks, came in under budget, it was done, bang it was done. So he is good at building stuff. But if I was graduating from college, I wouldn't want my dad in the audience if he was 80.
Americans later tonight -- we should probably move on here. Americans later tonight will see Geena Davis in the role of the first woman president of the United States on a drama that's scheduled to air on ABC Television.
In a recent CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 87 percent of people interviewed said the U.S. will elect a woman president in the 25 years or maybe sooner.
So the question this hour is, is this country ready for a woman president? A lot of you think that we are.
Greg in Denver: "It's hard to imagine any woman could make as big a mess of things as we men have."
Matthew in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia: "Let's say Hillary Clinton for example does run for president. I guarantee you she won't even win the women's vote. I can see it now. It's 2008 and Hillary Clinton has just lost the women's vote to Bill Frist. Trust me, when it's all said and done, America will elect the same person they always elect, an unqualified man from the South with a simple, easy to understand catchphrase. Never underestimate the stupidity of the American voter."
Alicia in Roundup, Montana -- you've got to read a letter that comes from Roundup, Montana -- "If a woman runs for president and she happens to be the better candidate, then we should elect her. But woman voters shouldn't vote for her solely because she is a woman. And also, you Stone Age men should not be afraid of a female president."
Amy in Burlington, Kansas: "With Condoleezza Rice attending a Broadway show and shopping in New York for shoes in the wake of a national disaster" -- that would be Hurricane Katrina -- "it doesn't exactly make a good case for women in office. The men in this country will think a woman president would ignore a national crisis just to hit the shoe sale at Saks."
Maggie in Downers Grove, Illinois: "No, men are too stupid to vote for one."
And Lois, in Vancouver, British Columbia -- you were commenting earlier, Wolf, all of the British -- or Canadian views we have. Lois writes from Vancouver: "The reason so many Canadians watch is because this is an excellent show and we love you. Keep up the good work."
BLITZER: Now, we love Lois in Vancouver as well.
CAFFERTY: Absolutely.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lois. Good work.
CAFFERTY: You bet you.
BLITZER: OK, Thanks very much, Jack. We love Jack too, and Zain, We love everybody.
Still ahead, online outrage. After the former FEMA chief's testimony today on Capitol Hill, bloggers are pounding their keyboards on this story. We're going to check and see what's happening on the Web.
And a National Guard major on the ground in Louisiana will give us a live update on the devastation.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Michael Brown's personal disaster, and FOBs, as some are calling them -- friends of Bush -- getting choice jobs in the administration, both hot topics right now on the blogs. Our Internet reporters, Jacki Schechner and Abbi Tatton, standing by with more. Hi guys.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. The blogs have been checking into Michael Brown's background, really just after Hurricane Katrina. And that is something not lost on Michael Brown himself. He actually mentioned a blog during testimony today before the Congressional committee. We've covered over the name of the blog because it has kind of a bad word in it.
But this is from thinkprogress.org, Brown talking about the blog that looked into his background with the horse association, and he says that FEMA was then inundated with phone calls of people demanding immediate press response to this background statement, and that this had an impact on his ability to do his job. They are also picking up more portions of his testimony at thinkprogress, calling it revisionist history.
For example, they have his testimony saying that FEMA over the past several years has lost a lot of manpower. But then what they did is went back to an interview that Wolf Blitzer did himself back in September of 2004 with Michael Brown on LATE EDITION regarding Hurricane Jeanne, where he asked Michael Brown, are you ready for this hurricane? And Michael Brown said, we absolutely are. We have the manpower we need and that President Bush has been a big supporter of FEMA.
And another thing they're picking up is the same thing we've heard on the show over and over again, is how Michael Brown is blaming everybody but himself, specifically local and state government.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: It's those same statements on the right being cheered on by some. This is polipundit.com where Lorie Byrd is blogging, pointing out when Brown was shifting the emphasis away from FEMA's responsibility, this was her favorite quote here. "My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional."
Now, on the right, there is a range of opinion about Michael Brown. A lot of people like PunditGuy here picking up on the fact that he's still being paid by the federal government, not very happy about that.
But some of the right really being led by Michelle Malkin, michellemalkin.com, a big conservative blogger who had been saying from the beginning, fire Michael Brown. Well, now that Michael Brown is no longer head of FEMA, Michelle Malkin is turning her attention to Julie Myers. This is Bush's nominee to run the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. On the left and the right, people are calling this political cronyism. Talkleft.com there also focusing on Julie Myers.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, guys, thanks very much. We'll continue to monitor what's happening on the Internet. I remember that interview with Michael Brown very, very well.
It's 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive in one place simultaneously.
Happening now, tough, intense questioning for the embattled former FEMA director, testifying before a sometimes hostile committee about the botched Hurricane Katrina response.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
