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CNN Sunday Morning
White House Regroups, Hoping for Fresh Start; Hurricane Beta Heads for Central America; Where Does Gas Money Go?
Aired October 30, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Indian authorities say 61 people were killed and another 188 wounded in yesterday's string of explosions in New Delhi. Government officials blame terrorists, but named no group so far. Two of the blasts were in busy markets; a third happened on a bus. Both the United States and Pakistan are condemning the attacks.
A stronger Hurricane Beta has Nicaragua on edge this morning. Beta was upgraded to a Category 3 status just a few hours ago. It is expected to make landfall soon just south of the Nicaragua/Honduras border. Now evacuations are under way, but authorities say they may not have enough shelters able to withstand a Category 3 storm.
Hundreds pay their respects to civil rights trail blazer Rosa Parks in a city where she would take change a nation. A memorial service will be held this morning in Montgomery, Alabama, before Parks' body is flown to Washington. There she will lie in honor today and tomorrow in the capitol rotunda, a first for any American woman.
And the 30th annual Marine Corps marathon will kick off this morning in the Washington area. Here's a live look at the White House this morning. A beautiful, sunny day. Organizers expect a record number of runners. An estimated 30,000 will lace up for the 26 plus mile jaunt. That's up from 18,000 in years past.
TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We set the block back, didn't we?
NGUYEN: I got an extra hour. Hopefully you did.
HARRIS: An extra hour, October 30. Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for joining us today.
HARRIS: Coming up, this hour, President Bush digs in his heels, hoping to bounce back from a bruising political slump.
Also ahead, fed up at the pump? Are you being ripped off while big oil companies rake in the profits? We'll tell you just where the money goes.
And seniors beware, you may be the target of a new scam. We'll tell you about one couple's nightmare ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: And it could be back to basics at the White House. And embattled President Bush returns to Camp David today, ready to hit the ground running. He is struggling, though, to recover from a dismal week of one upset after another, topped off by the indictment of top Cheney aide Scooter Libby.
CNN's Elaine Quijano reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It had been a big source of anxiety for White House officials, but President Bush made no mention of the CIA leak investigation or Scooter Libby's indictment in his weekly radio address. Instead, he turned to an issue actually dragged down his past approval ratings, Iraq.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The progress we have made so far has involved great sacrifice. The greatest burden has fallen on our military families.
QUIJANO: The White House is looking for a new beginning.
BUSH: We remain holy focused on the many issues and opportunities facing this country.
QUIJANO: A chance to move from the bad news of recent days.
TARA SETMAYER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The Bush administration's second term is going to begin officially Monday.
QUIJANO: But there are still unresolved questions. The fate of Karl Rove, the president's top political adviser, is unclear. Though not indicted, he remains under investigation.
And as Libby's case moves forward and the special counsel continue his work, there's a possibility White House officials, including Vice President Cheney, might be called to testify.
JULIAN EPSTEIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: If the investigation continues, you will have inquiries going into senior White House staff. White House staff will all have to get attorneys. It will paralyze the White House.
The major question facing the White House right now is, how quickly does this scandal go away?
QUIJANO: One issue that would grab the headlines: an announcement of a new Supreme Court nominee, fresh off White House counsel Harriet Miers' withdrawal from the process.
SETMAYER: It's going to be the Supreme Court nomination that is going to knock the CIA leak investigation right off the map, because that is something that affects the American people on a day-to-day basis.
QUIJANO: Critics say the president's political challenges are more deeply rooted. EPSTEIN: He doesn't have a lot of public support for his agenda right now. His poll numbers are in the 40s. The public has lost faith in his ability to handle big things like the Iraq war, and things like Katrina.
QUIJANO (on camera): For now, the president is focusing his attention on things within his control, like that Supreme Court nomination. Aides say he could announce a decision within days.
Also next week, the president is expected to discuss what his administration is doing to get ahead of a possible flu pandemic.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A smear campaign orchestrated by the Bush administration. That's what former U.S. Ambassador Joe Wilson calls the leak of his wife's identity as a CIA operative.
In an opinion piece in Saturday's "Los Angeles Times," Wilson says the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson was cheap political payback, plain and simple. She was identified in a published report in 2003 shortly after Wilson publicly challenged the president's justification for war against Iraq.
In the "L.A. Times," Wilson wrote, "The attacks on Valerie and me were upsetting, disruptive and vicious. They amounted to character assassination. Senior administration officials used the power of the White House to make our lives hell for the last 27 months. But more important, they did it as part of a clear effort to cover up the lies and disinformation used to justify the invasion of Iraq. That is the ultimate crime. We anticipate no mea culpa from the president for what his senior aides have done to us, but he owes the nation both an explanation and an apology."
And this program note: you can hear more from Joe Wilson himself. He will be a guest in a special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM with Wolf Blitzer tomorrow night at 7 Eastern.
NGUYEN: And this just in. Take a look at these pictures. People are getting up and out. But we have learned, Tony, just now that Tropical Storm -- actually, it's a hurricane, Hurricane, Beta has been downgraded to a Category 2, but it is expected to make landfall very soon. So people are in a rush to get out of the area.
Brad Huffines is here. Brad, exactly where is Beta expected to hit?
BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This storm is moving near the town, the coastal town of La Barra -- La Barra, Nicaragua. That's about 70 miles south of where we were talking about yesterday, a little place called Puerto Cabezas.
And right now we have a hurricane warning still in effect from the Costa Rican-Honduras boarder all the way down to where that storm is hitting. It's hitting as a Category 2 hurricane with 110 mile-an- hour winds, and the storm will continue to move inland today.
In fact, it's moving rather quickly over the mountains, and it does look like the rainfall may be affecting Managua and Nicaragua later today as it moves across the isthmus of Central America here. Some heavy rains expected across Nicaragua.
The good news is, for Honduras at least, yesterday the storm was expected to move into Honduras. As of right now, most of the effects of the heaviest rains are going to be across Central Nicaragua. Although there are some very heavy rain bands right now across the northern coastline of Honduras.
Just a reminder, these are the Greek alphabet names. We've been through Alpha. We've been through Beta and Gamma. Right now, there's a chance that Gamma could be developing east of the Windward Islands. And as of right now, we are still biting through that Greek alphabet this hurricane season until the storm season comes to an end. We'll have more on the nation's weather coming up in just a few minutes now.
NGUYEN: All right. We'll be staying tuned. Thank you, Brad.
HARRIS: Well, many Floridians are without power nearly a week after hurricane Wilma. Florida Power and Light says it's restored service to 60 percent of customers affected by the storm. That's approximately 1.9 million homes. Another 1.3 million customers are still without electricity. The company hopes to have 95 percent of its customers powered up by mid November.
NGUYEN: In the aftermath of Hurricane Nguyen, is arson the answer for some homeowners who had no flood insurance? Well, New Orleans investigators speculate a rash of fires to hurricane damaged homes may have been set by owners to collect insurance money.
State Farm Insurance says there has been an increase of fire- related claims in the storm's aftermath, and one person has been arrested for alleging setting a damaged home on fire.
Meanwhile, many Louisianans want to keep hurricane reconstruction work close to home. In Baton Rouge yesterday, hundreds turned out for a labor rally headed by the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Organizers say politically connected companies like Halliburton are getting sizable work bids instead of storm affected Louisiana contractors.
State officials say the hurricane wiped out as many as 290,000 jobs, at a cost of up to $300 million in unemployment benefits.
HARRIS: Checking stories across America this morning. In Sacramento, California, dueling demonstrations over proposed ballot initiatives to create state border police. Authorities report at least three arrests.
Rival groups are at odds at how best to secure California's border with Mexico to stop illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.
More news out of California, this time Orange County, where three are dead after a 19-year-old went on a suspected random shooting spree before killing himself. Authorities say William Freund was dressed in a black cape, helmet and paintball mask when he shot a man and his daughter in an upscale neighborhood. Freund then killed himself. No word on a motive.
Former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev is in Lindsborg, Kansas, promoting a Chess for Peace initiative. The effort, started by a Russian immigrant, organizes games among traveling players and on the Internet. He hopes to make Lindsborg a chess Mecca. Two world champion players square off there today.
NGUYEN: Well, do you feel like you're getting ripped off every time you buy gasoline? Find out exactly where your dollars go when you fill up your tank. We'll break it down for you. That's next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
HARRIS: And later this hour a new scam has an innocent face, and it is targeting seniors. You won't believe what the con artists have up their sleeves. We'll show you pictures, tell you the story. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: From the streets of despair to the pulpit of prosperity. George Bloomer started spreading the word, get this, while still being addicted to cocaine. That's right. His remarkable story in our "Faces of Faith." That's next hour on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, watched by more Americans than any other news channel. Now, back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING, with Betty Nguyen and Tony Harris.
HARRIS: And if you're just joining us this morning, let's run down our top stories for you.
Hurricane Beta has just been downgraded to a Category 2 storm this morning. It is expected to strike the Nicaraguan coast shortly.
More people in Florida have their lights back on a week after Hurricane Wilma. The state's biggest electric company says it's now restored power to 60 percent of its customers. More than one million customers are still in the dark.
Stores are reopening this morning in New Delhi, India, after yesterday's string of deadly explosions. Two of them happened at crowded marketplaces. At least 61 people are dead and 188 wounded. There's been no claim of responsibility.
And seniors, beware. A new scam is targeting you and your money. We'll bring you the details in 20 minutes.
NGUYEN: Now to gas prices, those painful gas prices. Yes, the pain at the pump continues and there's no relief in sight. But there are some who are smiling. Maybe not us, but there are some. We're talking about oil companies. They're reporting record profits. Exxon Mobil posted a 75 percent increase in third-quarter profits, creating nearly $10 billion.
It's a similar story over at Royal Dutch Shell. Profits there have jumped to 68 percent to $9 billion. That's a billion with a "B" folks. Lots of moneys to be made -- lots of money to be made. And ditto over at other major oil companies.
So what is going on? Well, we're going to talk to an analyst in just a moment. But first, though, here's CNN's Tom Foreman. He's been tracking who gets what out of every dollar you spend at the gas pump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The luck ran out downtown for Steve Thomas.
(on camera) This can't be good.
STEVE THOMAS, DRIVER: Can be.
FOREMAN (voice-over): He was shopping for the lowest gas price when his tank ran dry.
(on camera) So you actually ran out of gas trying to get here?
THOMAS: Never in my life have I seen gas this high. We can't drive. We can't heat our homes. We can't do business. Nothing can be done without energy.
FOREMAN: So you think there are people who are just flat out taking advantage of this?
THOMAS: Of course. I think it's price gouging.
FOREMAN (voice-over): With that accusation flying everywhere these days, we broke down the average price of a gallon of gas so far this year, around $2.29, to see where the pennies go.
According to the American Petroleum Institute, you can start by giving $1.34 of that pump price for crude oil paid to the company or country that pumps it from the ground.
Next, federal, state and local governments, about 43 cents a gallon in taxes.
Gas stations get about 10 cents a gallon, the entire distribution chain, about 12 cents. They have their own ideas about who's getting much more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess the people who are running the oil refineries.
FOREMAN (on camera): Maybe those people. But you're not getting rich?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. FOREMAN (voice-over): The refineries, indeed, get the remaining 30 cents. But what about the oil companies? Well, for any gallon, they're raking in money from the ground all the way to the tank.
Rayola Dougher is with the Petroleum Institute, and she gave us all these numbers.
RAYOLA DOUGHER, AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE: This is a huge industry. They're making billions of dollars, billions. They're spending hundreds of billions. And energy that we're consuming right now is brought to us by investments made many years ago.
FOREMAN: She has many explanations about how rising demand among the Chinese, consumption by Americans, and hurricane damage in the gulf, may mean even with all those billions coming in, the oil business may not be all that lucrative in the long run.
(on camera) I just get lost in all this.
DOUGHER: Do you?
FOREMAN: I'm trying to understand this. But it sounds like everybody is saying, "It's not our fault." But people are getting fabulously wealthy while other people are paying. Is that fair?
DOUGHER: Well, no. It's really not. Because there are winners and losers, as I said, and we're going to have to...
FOREMAN: Yes, and the losers are the people buying the gas; the winners are the ones selling it.
(voice-over)) Still, she points out that commodities brokers are also cleaning up. What in the Dow Jones is a commodity broker? Well, you already know the most famous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Randolph Duke.
EDDIE MURPHY, ACTOR: How are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My younger brother Martin.
MURPHY: Hey, Martin, what it is?
FOREMAN: Remember in "Trading Places" how the Duke brothers wanted to buy all the oranges in Florida because they knew the harvest would be small? The short supply would drive up demand, and they could resell at a much higher price.
Anyway, the same thing is happening right now with oil. But if that's all part of keeping big oil companies rolling, Marisa Paul (ph) says so what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we see it at the pump. It's a little shocking to us, but I think in their long-term business, they're trying to protect themselves.
FOREMAN: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do.
FOREMAN: They're posting, like, record profits. Doesn't that make you a little odd when you're paying record amounts?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they going to be posting record profits in a year from now two or three years from now? I think that's what they're thinking about.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Finally, a voice of calm and understanding in the beleaguered populace. By the way...
(on camera) What do you do for a living?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a lobbyist.
FOREMAN (voice-over): On the other side of the pump, Steve Thomas says it all comes down to fear: fear of shortages, fear of natural disasters, fear of what brought him here, running out of gas.
THOMAS: People would spend all that they have to consider themselves safe.
FOREMAN (on camera): Pay and pay and pay and pay.
THOMAS: They'll pay and pay and pay. And these people know this.
Twenty on No. 1, please.
FOREMAN: Just like Steve knows he'll pay and others will profit when he rolls up to the pumps again in just a few days.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. Pain at the pump for drivers means a cash bonanza for oil companies. Is there a disconnect somewhere, or is the public simply getting ripped off?
Well, joining us is Roben Farzad of "Businessweek" to help explain it all.
Let's go through the numbers, first of all, once again, just to remind us how rich these oil companies are getting. Exxon's third quarter earnings are up 75 percent, almost $10 billion. So why are oil companies really making these record profits? We looked at the numbers there. Does it cost them any more to pump this oil out of the ground?
ROBEN FARZAD, WRITER, "BUSINESSWEEK": Look, Betty, that's what they're in business to do. I mean, they can write these editorials, these touchy-feely editorials in newspapers until they turn blue in the face, but nowhere in Exxon Mobil's founding charter, if you look back to Standard Oil or any of the companies mission statements in the past 100 years, has it been that "We're there to make consumers happy, necessarily." Exxon Mobil is a corporation for its shareholders, for its stakeholders.
NGUYEN: OK. So it's not costing them any more money? They're just pocketing all of this, is what you're telling me?
FARZAD: you know, but Betty, look, it cuts both ways. When oil was at $12 a barrel in the late '90s, nobody came to their defense and said, "Listen, we have to bail out Exxon because they're hurting." So this...
NGUYEN: Point taken. So is it a situation of supply and demand, or is it price gouging?
FARZAD: You know, it's tempting to want to shake your fist at the gas station owner and the refineries and the oil companies, but this is a supply and demand issue. And we've been pinched for the past year, two years.
If it's not happening from the ground, the actual price of oil, then it's Hurricane Katrina pinching us in the bottleneck of a refinery shut down. We're worried about heating oil supplies over the summer, when to shift from gasoline refining to heating refining. Then there are the wild cards of China and India. I mean, how many different moving parts do you have here? The net result is there's not one single, like, Dr. Evil entity that you can vilify.
NGUYEN: All right. So while these companies make all of this money, is there anything that they're doing to help the consumer out, or they just don't care?
FARZAD: I mean, they're not -- they're not -- they're not specifically gouging the consumer. I mean, take the gas station owners, for example. You speak to a gas station owner right now. A lot of places in the country have oil at $2.90 a gallon. You think they're raking it in. I mean, people remember gasoline at $1.25 or even 99 cents not too long ago.
NGUYEN: Yes, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.
FARZAD: No, no. It's not. But these guys, their mission is in life is to sell you a jug of Gatorade and pack of Combos. It's not to make a couple cents a gallon on selling you gasoline.
The oil companies, on the other hand, who own everything upstream and downstream, from the drilling to refineries and the whole works, they're making a killing. And if they're not apologetic about it, at least they're being quiet about it. They're not exactly rubbing it in.
NGUYEN: Well, is there any chance, though -- maybe they're not going to be apologetic about it, but is there any chances that these prices are going to come down?
FARZAD: I think that it's pointless for consumers to have their fingers crossed. I mean, you should be thinking in terms of CYA. I mean, cover your fanny, if you're a consumer. There's a whole new meaning to defensive driving here. You have to make sure your tires are inflated to the right pressure...
NGUYEN: Right.
FARZAD: ... that your fuel injecting -- everything is correct. Because the oil companies are not going to come to your rescue.
Listen, I was caught in Hurricane Wilma in Miami last week, and we had a little microcosm of gas station headaches there. Everybody was getting in line because the gas stations were shut down.
NGUYEN: And they're still getting in line as we speak.
FARZAD: And they're still getting in line. And for five days we have to learn how to make do without filling up. And it was an abject lesson.
NGUYEN: Here's my last question for you, and quickly, there is talk of this excessive profit tax for oil companies.
FARZAD: Right.
NGUYEN: Is that reasonable, or is it really basically punishing companies for making a whole lot of money at what they do?
FARZAD: I mean it's a whole lot of saber rattling from D.C., where this issue really has bipartisan legs. I mean, whether you're Republican or Democrat, it's killing you to not say anything and let these oil companies seem to get away with these windfall profits.
So you are seeing saber rattling, even from the likes of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, that maybe we need to look into some sort of windfall tax.
But listen, again, let's take the counterfactual. Google, for example, is making a killing right now.
NGUYEN: True.
FARZAD: They're minting money, and they're putting a lot of small advertisers out of business. We're not going to go and bring up a windfall tax on Google. And similarly, you know, we're not going to turn around and come to these companies' rescue when they're struggling. So we have to think about it. Step back.
NGUYEN: Point taken. Roben Farzad with "Businessweek," we appreciate it. Thank you.
FARZAD: Thank you, Betty.
NGUYEN: Tony.
HARRIS: Well, you know, this brings us to our e-mail question of the morning. Who do you hold accountable for high gas prices? E-mail us -- Weekends@CNN.com -- and we'll be reading your thoughts throughout the program.
And up next, hundreds of innocent people are imprisoned in America. When your fate rests upon reasonable doubt, can you really trust the forensic facts found in crime labs? CNN uncovers a shocking lack of standards. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A look at the most popular TV shows on any night you will find "CSI." These programs show you crime fighters using high tech crime labs to find all the answers. But is this science or science fiction?
"CNN PRESENTS" investigates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Janeane Arfizu (ph) has audited all kinds of laboratories over her long career. Much of what she sees in crime labs disturbs her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are no requirements and no standards that must be met for you to be a forensic laboratory in most parts of the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In fact, in many places, all it takes to set up a crime lab is a white coat and a business card. In all but a few states, there is no oversight of crime laboratories, and there is no federal watchdog to make sure that forensic analyses used to imprison people or send them to their death are scientific and accurate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forensic science a has gotten free ride for the last 50 years, primarily because they made this bogus argument that we don't need to be regulated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, if bad lab work does come to light, nothing requires officials to determine whether it's an isolated incident or part of a pattern.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no one to require that they conduct an audit. If after the space shuttle disaster, if NASA said, "Hey, mistakes happen," you know? I mean, it doesn't work that way. In our society, every time you have a screw up like that, there are major external audits which ensue. The only institution in this country where that doesn't happen, the only institution, is forensic science.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You can watch the entire "CNN PRESENTS" investigation, called "REASONABLE DOUBT," tonight here on CNN, 8 Eastern.
NGUYEN: That is an eye opener.
Well, Hurricane Beta is another eye opener. It is expected to make landfall very shortly. Thousands are ordered to evacuate from the Central American coastline. We will have the latest on that. Plus, a new scam targeting seniors even roped in veteran investigators. Find out what and who to watch out for. That's next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Beta is now a very strong category 2 hurricane, and thousands are evacuating in Central America.
Want to welcome you back on this Sunday, the day before Halloween. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris. Good morning, everyone. That story in a minute.
First, a look at other top stories this morning.
Now in the news, runners are lining up right now -- take a look at this, a live picture -- for this morning's Marines Corps marathon. The race begins in about two hours. You know, I think it's actually less than that, about 8:50. I'll double-check that. A record 30,000 people are expected to pound the pavement for the 26.2-mile course. It begins in Arlington, Virginia, and ends at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington.
A day after a memorial in Alabama, the public will get to pay its respects to Rosa Parks tonight. Her body will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington tonight and tomorrow morning. Parks is credited with jump-starting the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man.
Things are getting better in hurricane-stricken Florida. As of yesterday, power had been restored to about 60 percent of people who'd been in the dark since Wilma hit almost a week ago. But more than a million customers are still without power, and utility officials say it could be close to Thanksgiving before power is fully restored.
The most popular story on CNN.com right now, a tragic tale from southern California. A 19-year-old wearing a black cape and a paintball mask went on a shooting rampage, allegedly, through his upscale neighborhood on Saturday, killing a man and the man's daughter before committing suicide. Police don't have a motive. You can read more about it at CNN.com/most popular.
NGUYEN: Stores and marketplaces in New Delhi, India, reopened for business this morning following yesterday's series of explosions. At least 59 people were killed and 188 wounded when four separate explosions went off Saturday evening. At least two blasts were at markets packed with people preparing for Indians' huge Hindu Festival of Lights.
Now, CNN's Ram Ramgopal joins us live by phone with the latest. Ram, let's clarify something. Was it four blasts? That's what we were learning yesterday. But also I'm reading today that it was three. So do you know which it is? RAM RAMGOPAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Betty, it actually is three. There were three blasts all -- in all, two in crowded marketplaces, and the third on a city bus. Now, that's the focus of the investigation right now, because the police believe that the bomb that was found in the bus is -- was actually going to be able to provide some clues.
The bus driver and the conductor on the bus basically herded passengers off it just moments before it exploded, one reason why the deaths -- number of deaths on the bus actually were nil. There were just several injuries sustained in the explosion.
But three explosions, 69 people killed, but more than 200 people wounded, Betty.
NGUYEN: And at this point, still, any claim of responsibility for these explosions?
RAMGOPAL: There has been no credible claim of responsibility, if one can put it that way. The Delhi police just had a news conference just a short time ago. They announced that they're looking into claims of responsibility, which was -- which were called in earlier today, but they believe, at this point, that their investigation is going well. This joint commissioner of police told the media that it was premature to comment on the status of the investigation, but other officials are saying that the investigation is going well.
They believe that they have several clues that they're following. But at this point, they're not pinning the blame on any individual or any group.
NGUYEN: Ram, let's shift gears now to that train derailment. Bring us up to date on what's being done to get those injured and the dead out of the collision there.
RAMGOPAL: Now, this is a very difficult situation in the southern part of India, Betty. This was a separate accident, is what investigators are saying. It certainly, it did not have anything to do with terrorism.
It appears that floodwaters washed away a track. The train plunged into the water. At this point, 110 people have been confirmed killed, but the bad news is that many of the train's carriages continue to remain in the reservoir into which they fell. At this point, it looks like as if there may be more bodies inside the train, but the authorities have not been able to lift the carriages out of the water. They're still waiting for heavy lifting cranes to make their way to the site.
But more than 100 people killed in that particular accident, Betty.
NGUYEN: Lots of difficulties there. CNN's Ram Ramgopal, we appreciate that update. Thank you.
HARRIS: In Central America, thousands are preparing for Hurricane Beta's arrival by getting out of its way. Beta strengthened to a category 3 overnight, but just in the last 30 minutes was downgraded to a category 2, with winds of 115 miles per hour. Right now, it's hovering off the coast of Nicaragua, where many are worried about shelters, and whether those shelters will actually hold up. After the storm, the big worry is the threat of mudslides.
ANNOUNCER: Keep watching CNN, your hurricane headquarters.
NGUYEN: You know, we were talking about the fact that Beta has been downgraded to a category 2. But Brad Huffines is here. Brad, this is a strong category 2.
HARRIS: Yes.
HUFFINES: It is a very strong, 110-mile-per-hour hurricane. The bad news is that it's moving so slowly, and the winds have been lashing the shoreline, and the rains have been falling across eastern Honduras into Nicaragua, that, as we mentioned earlier, the mudslides and the flooding problems are really going to be terrible across parts of Central America, from Honduras all the way down into Nicaragua.
The storm right now is coming ashore near the town of La Barra, which is in the central coastline. Notice it's also drifting to the west-southwest at about eight miles an hour. That will also mean that as it moves across the isthmus, the Central American isthmus, that the rains and the winds will likely strike Managua, which is where the largest population center in Nicaragua is.
The storm will continue to move across Nicaragua and will likely emerge into the Pacific Ocean sometime into Tuesday morning as a rainmaker continuing.
Meanwhile, we're also looking at this tropical wave east of the Lesser Antilles. We're watching that very carefully, because, as of right now, Hurricane Center says that one has some potential for developing. If that does, then it could become the third Greek alphabet name of Gamma.
Boston, you get the best pick of the day today, 64 degrees, most improved weather.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
HUFFINES: Boston, you win the award, best improved weather.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE).
HARRIS: That's wonderful.
NGUYEN: Love the 60-ish temps out there. Thanks, Brad.
HUFFINES: Sure.
NGUYEN: Well, police are trying to track down the suspected con artists running scams on senior citizens.
We get more now from CNN's Kareen Wynter in Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this quiet suburb of Los Angeles, residents often leave their doors unlocked, and neighbors still borrow a cup of sugar. That's why Raymond and Pat Elmer didn't think twice when a family showed up at their door, asking for help.
PAT ELMER, SCAM VICTIM: That was the slickest scam, because they based it on us being decent people.
WYNTER: Two women with a child told the Elmers they were looking for a lost cat, and claimed it was in the couple's back yard.
RAYMOND ELMER, SCAM VICTIM: We just closed the door, and didn't lock it, which was a big mistake.
WYNTER: A costly one, indeed. Los Angeles police say in minutes, someone burglarized the home, taking off with $2,000 in cash, jewelry, and a revolver.
RAYMOND ELMER: By the time we got back around, why, there was nobody in the house by that time. We didn't know it. We came in, came in here to watch the TV. Wasn't until about 30 minutes later that went down the hall and found stuff dumped out all over.
WYNTER: The rooms ransacked.
RAYMOND ELMER: Went through all the drawers, books, just dumped stuff out.
WYNTER: Elmer, a retired LAPD detective who spent years tracking con artists, says he never saw this one coming.
(on camera): Los Angeles police say there've been about six cases this year. Detectives are concerned the numbers could be much higher, with some victims perhaps too ashamed to come forward.
(voice-over): This is a sketch of one of the suspects police say was involved in the Elmers' burglary, and, to date, has stolen more than $10,000 from elderly victims.
DET. ABEL PARGA, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: I hate to think that our citizens would harden their hearts for the sake of being a harder target, as we like to say. But take -- do a little more homework if you do see someone claiming to be a neighbor. Take a step towards confirming that.
WYNTER: A lesson the Elmers paid a high price to learn.
Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE).
But you don't want to forget...
HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: ... about the e-mail question today. We're going to talk about that right now. There it is, Tony.
HARRIS: Who do you hold accountable for high gas prices? Got to blame someone.
NGUYEN: Yes, we do.
HARRIS: We are at weekends@cnn.com. Tell us what you think. We will read your thoughts throughout the program this morning.
NGUYEN: Plus, the body of Rosa Parks arrived on Capitol Hill today. We'll have a special tribute to the civil rights pioneer. That's later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So how much do you know about the U.S. Federal Reserve system and its past chairman? CNN.com's Shannon Cook explains where you could find information about outgoing chairman Alan Greenspan, along with the man who's been tapped to take over.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHANNON COOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Bush nominates his economic adviser Ben Bernanke to succeed Alan Greenspan. For a federal focus, log onto CNNmoney.com/fed. Bernanke is known for sharing Greenspan's tough stance on inflation. And while he might not be a household name, critics have generally lauded the nomination.
Take a look back at the Federal Reserve chairmen from 1951 in this gallery. William McChesney Martin, Jr., held the post for almost two decades, the longest tenure in Fed history. The Greenspan era ends when the Maestro, as he's become known, steps down January 31.
So what is the outgoing chair's next move? Well, one financial expert predicts Greenspan will write a book. Others suggest he'll become a freelance economic consultant.
And just how much do you know about the Central Bank of the United States? Test your Fed IQ with our quiz.
For the dot.com desk, I'm Shannon Cook.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Time now for a check of our top stories.
Just in case you're joining us this morning, get ready for another big hurricane heading for the Americas, this one targeting Nicaragua, and it's called Beta. Overnight, it strengthened to a category 3. But, as we've been telling you, it is back to a category 2 storm, but a strong category 2, and it's about to make landfall. Thousands have evacuated the Nicaraguan coast.
In Washington, final preps are under way to honor a pioneer of the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks's body will lie in honor tonight and tomorrow at the Capitol Building Rotunda, giving Americans an opportunity to pay some last respects.
And across the river in Arlington, Virginia, look at this, runners are lining up right now -- here's a live look at it -- for this morning's Marine Corps marathon. The 26.2-mile run is drawing a record 30,000. And you can tell by that live picture.
So you don't want to forget our e-mail question this morning. Who do you hold accountable for high gas prices? Don't hold back. Share those thoughts toward weekends@cnn.com. And we'll be reading those replies coming up shortly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: What a woman.
The body of Rosa Parks will lie in honor tonight from 6:30 until midnight Eastern in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building. We'll have live coverage as President Bush pays tribute to the civil rights icon.
Her body will also lie in honor for three hours Monday morning, from 7:00 to 10:00. Parks's funeral is Wednesday in Detroit.
This morning, we learn more about the woman who's been called the mother of the civil rights movement, from a man who's a historical figure himself. Famed civil rights historian John Hope Franklin has just penned his autobiographical book "Mirror to America." We talked to Mr. Franklin about the legacy of Rosa Parks and the future of the civil rights movement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN, AUTHOR, "MIRROR TO AMERICA": Everything was right by the time Rosa Parks sat in that bus and refused to move. The organization of the civil rights movement was launched. There were lawyers ready to defend her. There were all kinds of forces that were acting in her favor. That's not to take anything away from Rosa Parks, but merely to suggest that things work well when things all fall into place properly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, LARRY KING LIVE)
ROSA PARKS: (INAUDIBLE).
LARRY KING, HOST: Did you have any idea...
PARKS: No, I didn't...
KING: ... you were starting something that day? PARKS: No. I didn't know what would be the outcome of my taking this stand, except I knew that when the driver said he'd have me arrested, that is what he was going to do, and I would be on my way to jail.
KING: Were you frightened?
PARKS: I wasn't really frightened, but I thought about the things that I had to do at home and felt a little bit annoyed about that. And then, I took this as an opportunity to let it be known that as a passenger, I was not being treated fairly, and as a person, and we as a people, were not treated fairly to have to undergo this type of treatment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKLIN: I think unfortunately, we think that Mrs. Parks, with all of her grace and charm and dignity, is the only person who had it. There are plenty other women and, indeed, men, for that matter, who have grace and charm and dignity. Indeed, it implies -- to say that she had it is to imply that others probably didn't have it. That's the wrong implication, I think.
And it takes nothing away from Mrs. Parks. It is, though, to say that there were plenty of people with those qualities, plenty of them with those qualities, who would have performed just as well as she did. And I think that that's very important to make that point.
Well, I met her on several occasions, but the one that I remember the most is the day that I made the report as chairman of the president's advisory board on race. I made the report to President Clinton about the work of the advisory board that had -- that was just concluding in September 1998.
Mrs. Parks was at the White House at the time, and although she was already in advanced age, she was most gracious, most charming, that same grace, that same charm, that same culture that one always associates with her.
We must somehow provide better economic opportunities for all the people if we're going to have anything approaching equality in this country. You can say all that you want to say about the equality of treatment, but until the equality of treatment approaches and gets into the economics here, until it gets into the area of living, day- to-day housing, and that sort of thing, until it gets into every aspect of American life, we are -- we have still a long, long way to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Talk about getting people riled up this morning on a Sunday.
HARRIS: You have said it, Betty. NGUYEN: Words like "stupid" in the e-mail responses.
HARRIS: NIMBYs.
NGUYEN: Yes, NIMBYs. Let's put up our question. Here's what we've been asking. Who do you hold accountable for high gas prices?
Well, Duce says, "I think the American people are stupid. When you put oilmen in the White House, you must know that the oil prices are going to go up, Katrina or not," exclamation point, says Duce.
HARRIS: Yes, and this from Dan. "The real blame lies with consumers who buy gigantic SUVs that they don't need." Exclamation point, I guess.
NGUYEN: Yes. And this person says, "It's everyone's fault. We keep buying gas, so we keep the companies in business. Car companies continue to produce and sell SUVs and cars that run on gas, so we buy them. If gas was the price it is in Europe, more of us would walk, and we'd even be helping the obesity epidemic. Make those kids walk to school," says Louise.
HARRIS: He tied about four different issues, didn't he?
NGUYEN: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Wow. All right, there's the question. Who do you hold accountable for high gas prices? Obviously enough blame to go around. Weekends@CNN.com. And we'll read more of your responses next hour.
NGUYEN: And that's happening right now. Stay with us.
Told you we were starting the next hour, and here we go.
They, look at this, are heading for cover in Central America this morning, where Hurricane Beta is coming ashore. This powerful storm is now a category 2.
Good morning, from the CNN Center in Atlanta. It's CNN SUNDAY MORNING, the 30th day of October. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: Good morning, I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us. A quick look at what else is happening now in the news:
Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda today and tomorrow. President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush will attend a wreath laying ceremony this evening. Parks is the second African American and first woman to be accorded the honor by Congress. She will be buried in Detroit on Wednesday.
Joe Wilson has been reacting to the indictment of top White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby. It was the outing of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, that led to the investigation by prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. Wilson has written an editorial in the "Los Angeles Times" -- the details coming up in just a moment.
The death toll in a train derailment in southern India has reached 110; 92 people were injured. The accident happened when a passenger train tried to cross tracks washed away by floods. Seven of the 15 cars went into a reservoir. The area had been experiencing torrential rains.
NGUYEN: Central America is battening down the hatches for Hurricane Beta, now a powerful Category 2 storm. Beta's outer bands have been pelting the Nicaraguan coast for hours now, sending thousands scrambling for higher ground. In the Nicaraguan capital of Managua, food, medicine, and related relief supplies are being directed to staging areas. But government officials worry about the structural integrity of homes and shelters, considering the storm's intensity. Beta threatens not only Nicaragua but neighboring countries, such as Honduras and Costa Rica. The storm has already made significant damage in the Colombian island Providencia, in San Andres. But no deaths have been reported so far.
HARRIS: Somebody, let's get the latest on Beta - its position, where it is, the intensity of the winds, its path. Let's check in now with CNN meteorologist Brad Huffines.
Good morning, Brad.
HUFFINES: Good morning.
Twenty-four hours ago, this storm was an 80-mile-per-hour hurricane. Now, this storm is a 110-mile-per-hour hurricane, as it was briefly a 115-mile-per-hour hurricane, earlier.
I want you to notice something, though. Imagine being a planter in Nicaragua. Yesterday, the storm looked to be headed toward Puerto Cabezas over the next - over the past 12 hours. Watch this storm veer to the left toward La Barra. That is where the storm is making landfall, right now, as a 110-mile-per- hour Category 2 hurricane. Next up, as it moves across the mountains, could be some heavy rains toward Managua.
We will talk about our nation's weather as this storm continues to move ashore, and the end of No. 23 this season, coming up in just a few minutes.
HARRIS: OK, Brad.
NGUYEN: That's too many storms. OK, thank you, Brad.
HARRIS: A California community is trying to find out why a 19- year-old man went on a deadly neighborhood shooting spree yesterday. When it was over, three people were dead, including the suspect.
From our CNN affiliate KTTV, Mary Beth McDade picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY BETH MCDADE, KTTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The murderous rampage in Aliso Viejo began shortly after 9:00. That's when 19-year- old William Freund suited up in a cape and paintball helmet, armed himself with a shotgun, drove around the corner from his house, and allegedly began to kill his neighbors.
JIM AMORMINO, ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: For unknown reasons, and maybe at random, walked into the home, shooting to death a 22-year-old female and her 45-year-old father.
MCDADE: A 20-year-old brother, somehow, somehow, was able to escape out the backdoor, but Freund didn't stop at their doorstep.
AMORMINO: The suspect, then leaving that home for unknown reason, shot at the home across the street through the front window.
MCDADE: This man suffered minor cuts from the flying glass; that was just before another victim came into Freund's eyesight.
AMORMINO: Another neighbor, hearing the gunshots, came out to investigate. The suspect pointed the weapon at him; however, the shotgun misfired.
MCDADE: It was then, Freund ran back to his own house and, apparently, ended his life.
AMORMINO: With no known dispute between the suspect and the victims, they both have lived in the neighborhood for approximately nine years.
MCDADE: By all accounts, no one in this quiet upscale community saw this coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just amazing. You just don't think it's going to happen in your neighborhood.
MCDADE: Residents knew little about the shooter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He kept to himself. He was a really quiet guy.
MCDADE: As for the deceased father and daughter, Christina and Vernon Smith, everyone knew their household as the holiday favorite.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're all really friendly, really nice. They get really into the holidays.
MCDADE: And so, as this Smiths' Halloween lights still glow in the dark, neighbors keep them in their thoughts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I am going to pray for the people and those left behind, that's for sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: That was Mary Beth McDade reporting from CNN affiliate KTTV. Again, authorities have not settled on a motive for the shootings. NGUYEN: "Like being hit in the stomach," that is how Joe Wilson describes his wife's feelings when her identity as a covert CIA agent was revealed.
Writing in the "L.A. Times," Wilson says - quote: "Valerie told me later that it was like being hit in the stomach. Twenty years of service had gone down the drain."
"She wondered how her friends would feel when they learned that what they thought they knew about her was a lie."
It was the outing of Plame that led to the investigation by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald and, ultimately, the indictment of the vice president's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
Now, the Libby indictment is just one in a series of major setbacks for President Bush. There is also the Harriet Miers's withdrawal and the ongoing gas price woes, the war in Iraq -- all have been pushing his approval rating steadily downward.
So where to go next? Well, we're going to go now to CNN's Dana Bash at the White House -- good morning, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.
Officials here say that they hope to dig the president out of the political hole that he's in, one step at a time. But they understand that it is, as you just described, quite deep. So they do say that they realize it's not going to be easy.
Now, the last time we saw the president, he was on the South Lawn of the White House, notably, not condemning "Scooter" Libby or anyone else who may have had any kind of role in leaking classified information. Instead, expressing sadness about Libby's indictment, but, then immediately, trying to turn into what he said is his role in governing and doing things that he needs to do.
No. 1, finding somebody to appoint to the Supreme Court after Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination. That is what the president has been doing much of this weekend, while at Camp David, looking through the names on the short list that he had already compiled. We expect an announcement on that as early as tomorrow.
Now, what Bush allies hope is that naming somebody who is conservative with a true judicial record to prove it will help to heal one of the many problems that the president has, and the first is the wounds, the rift within his own party over the Harriet Miers's nomination. But, beyond that, look for the president this week to try to use the bully pulpit for, what aides call, back to basic governing. On Tuesday, for example, he is going to talk about the government's plan to prevent or combat any kind of pandemic from the bird flu - Betty.
NGUYEN: Dana, you talk about back to basics. I think, one of the basic questions right now, after all of this has happened, especially in the CIA leak investigation, is, is the president going to shake up his staff?
BASH: That is a key question. I can tell you that he is getting a lot of free advice on that, of people who have been in Republican administrations, even Democratic administrations, saying, that is exactly what he needs now. One of the big problems is that he has a senior staff that has been with him, not just for the past five years here, but even before that, when he was first running for president back in in '99 and 2000, and they're tired. And many people think that they are simply too insular, and that is exactly what he needs is a shakeup.
The understanding now, in talking to some people close to the White House and even inside, is there doesn't seem to be an appetite for that at is this point, especially since Karl Rove, the president's top political strategist, at this point -- this point -- seems not to be in legal jeopardy. But, you know, anything could happen. But for the president who certainly likes to have people around him who he's comfortable with, people close to the White House, like I said, say, probably, there is not very much appetite for that right now.
NGUYEN: Yes, but you are right. Anything can happen, and the investigation continues.
BASH: That's correct.
NGUYEN: Dana Bash at the White House for us this morning -- thank you.
BASH: Thank you.
HARRIS: Former presidential contender John Kerry has been weighing in on the president's woes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, I think it's unfortunate for the country and it, obviously, reflects on the arrogance of power that we've seen in this administration. They're not setting the real priorities of the American people. I think, people are very upset about what's happening in Iraq. They think there's a better policy. The budget is out of control. Our schools aren't receiving the funding they need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Kerry adds, "Scooter" Libby had used access to national security information as a weapon against an administration critic.
And as program note, you can hear more from Joe Wilson himself. He will be a guest on a special edition of the "SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer. That is tomorrow night at 7:00 Eastern.
NGUYEN: You have heard about the crisis of desperation from drivers concerned -- that's putting it lightly -- concerned about high gas prices. Meanwhile, oil companies are experiencing record profits. Supply and demand, rant and rave -- right here. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BISHOP GEORGE G. BLOOMER, BETHEL FAMILY LIFE CENTER: Tell the devil you got to go, in the name of Jesus: "I refuse to live with you!"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Speaking of raising the roof: My conversation with mega-church Bishop George Bloomer. His story of survival in "Faces of Faith."
Good morning, Brad.
HUFFINES: Good morning.
We are looking at clouds well off shore. There are the clouds; this is Washington.
And let me also show you that this is Washington: The Marine Marathon is just about to kick off in about four minutes -- about 30,000 participants. Goodness gracious knows how many runners. This began in 1975, and it continues in 2005. It ends, in fact, right there. It ends at Iwo Jima monument. They're ready to go. We'll talk about the nation's capital weather, as well as the nation's weather, coming up next.
Good morning, Arlington, Virginia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: On your mark, get ready, let this race begin!
HARRIS: Well, it will, Betty, any moment now.
NGUYEN: Yes, just under two minutes away, the Marathon Corps Marathon kicks off this morning. A record -- you can tell, look at this picture. Some 30,000 runners are expected to take part. It is a 26.2-mile race. It starts in Arlington, Virginia, and ends at the Marines Corps war memorial in Washington.
HARRIS: Look, here's the thing: This is not some, you know, building implosion, where you have to wait for everything...
NGUYEN: We've been there.
HARRIS: We've been there. We have to wait for everything to be just right -- wind speed, wind direction -- to be just right. This thing is going to start on time. It's the Marines Corps, OK. It's going to start military precision.
NGUYEN: Talk about military precision.
HARRIS: You see, as we wait.
NGUYEN: This is not for wimps. This is not for wimps. Let me tell you why. Because it requires -- and I am reading here -- a 14- minute mile pace.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: I don't think I can do that.
HARRIS: Brad, hop on -- great weather for this race today because you want it cool.
NGUYEN: Right.
HARRIS: You would love it overcast.
NGUYEN: Uh-huh.
HARRIS: But cool conditions, great conditions for running.
HUFFINES: Well, it is cool outside now, and it will remain comfortable through the day. Although, when you are running 26 miles, once it gets above 60, it becomes uncomfortable. By the way, we're seeing the clouds well offshore. The weather is just perfect in Washington today. Again, it will be right around 70 for high temperatures. Again, that's a bit warm. The good news is, Tony and Betty, I can run a 14-minute mile.
NGUYEN: You can?
HUFFINES: One, perhaps two, if I'm being chased by a lion.
HARRIS: Right. There you go.
HUFFINES: Three, I'm dinner.
HARRIS: All right, we're just sort of a minute away.
HUFFINES: While we wait for this thing to start, let me go ahead and start the weather, as we watch and wait for the...
HARRIS: Good, good, good.
HUFFINES: ... marathon to start.
HARRIS: We will keep the screen split there, so folks can see the actual start of the race, as you work through your weather maker.
HUFFINES: Well, the closest weather maker is off shore. There's the East Coast there. The closest weather maker is well offshore, approaching Bermuda now. But while we are watching, this tropical wave that is approaching the lesser Antilles. That tropical wave, Hurricane Center says, has the potential for development, and if that happens, it would be Alpha Beta Gamma, the third letter in the Greek alphabet.
NGUYEN: There we go! Look at them go...
HUFFINES: And it's 8:15.
NGUYEN: ... taking off on this day.
HARRIS: That's it -- yes!
HUFFINES: Here it is.
NGUYEN: Look at the guy in front. He's going to burn out.
HARRIS: That guy is a rabbit.
NGUYEN: He totally is going to burn out!
HARRIS: No, that guy is a rabbit. That's the guy that gets off to a quick start, and about 10 more steps, he'll pass out.
NGUYEN: Yes, that's what I'm saying. He's going to be a goner.
Look at all of them go -- and 30,000 people. I mean, this is up from 18,000 in years past. The reason why is because this is a major milestone for the Marine Marathon, celebrating its 30th year.
HARRIS: Well, you know, they divide this thing up in -- this is probably not technically the correct way to say this -- but in flights, so that your better runners get started first. I saw that there was a road divider. Maybe that's what happens there is that hey divide the competitive runners on one side and then, the folks who are out there...
NGUYEN: The folks like me.
HARRIS: Yes, recreational runners on the other side.
NGUYEN: Not even recreational -- walkers, towards the back.
HUFFINES: I have the key to victory, by the way.
NGUYEN: What's that?
HUFFINES: The key to victory.
HARRIS: What's that?
HUFFINES: Find the fastest guy, and pass him in the last 30 feet.
NGUYEN: I say, put on some roller blades and just hook yourself up to the fastest guy and let him pull you.
HUFFINES: That is a good one. Well, then you finish second.
NGUYEN: Yes, True. Hey, I'll take second that way.
HUFFINES: But I want to pass him.
HARRIS: Thank you for that, Brad.
NGUYEN: Go for it, Brad. HUFFINES: Sure, no problem.
HARRIS: Brad, thank you.
You know, as we do this next story, I sort of want to split the screen again and just see the runners go. But, all right, we'll move on.
Now to gas prices: They go down; they go up. Maybe we should all just run. Either way, most of you think that the price of petrol is just way too high, and there's no real sign of relief anywhere in sight.
But there are some who are benefiting all the way to the bank. Check this out: Oil companies are reporting record profits. Exxon Mobile posted a 75 percent increase in third-quarter profits, creating nearly $10 billion. It is a similar story over at Royal Dutch Shell. Profits have jumped 68 percent, to $9 billion.
Is there price gouging going on, Betty? Well, we asked that question of Roben Farzad, of "BusinessWeek," last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FARZAD: While it's tempting to want to shake your fists at the gas station owner and the refineries and the oil companies, but this is a supply and demand issue, and we've been pinched for the past year, two years. If it's not happening from the ground, the actual price of oil, then, it's Hurricane Katrina pinching us in the bottleneck of a refinery shutdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So this brings us to our E-mail question this morning. Hold the phones on this one -- wow!
Who do you hold accountable for high gas prices? E-mail us your thoughts. I don't even have to say that.
NGUYEN: People are fired up over this one.
HARRIS: Working this one out. Weekends@cnn.com. We will be reading your comments throughout the program.
It is a story of repentance, renewal, and divine revelation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLOOMER: The devil is a liar. I've been set free by the power of God. .
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Up next, Bishop George Bloomer shares candidly his life, including his battle with addiction and how he overcame those hurdles. That is next on our "Faces of Faith." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLOOMER: I was hired by the groups to go up on the roofs and watch out for the police officer, and while I was up there watching out for the police officer, I was humming the words to the song "Jesus keeps me near the cross."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: In this morning's "Faces of Faith," a personal look at a popular and unusual preacher. He knows, all too well, what it is like to be poor and dependent on crime and drugs. But Bishop George Bloomer never shies from his troubled background. In fact, as you will see in my interview with the author of "The Little Boy in Me," the mega-church preacher embraces his past, and he says, by doing that and having faith in God, you can change the future for thousands. We start with a question about Bloomer's father, who had nine children with several different women.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLOOMER: Tell the devil you got to go in the name of Jesus: "I refuse to live with you!"
He has dealt with his own personal issues -- abandonment, fatherlessness, and those issues. It sort of kind of trickles down from generation to generation, and I want to see that kind of thing stopped.
HARRIS: Yes, what...
BLOOMER: But I love my dad.
HARRIS: That's great to hear. What followed for you, in your personal life -- at least in your early years -- was a life of crime, drugs, prison?
BLOOMER: Yes.
HARRIS: What was going on for you in those years?
BLOOMER: Well, I dropped out of school in the ninth grade; second grade reading ability. Learned how to read about 15, 16 years old. I owe that to my lovely wife, Jeanne (ph), who pushed, pushed, pushed to deliver me from a life of illiteracy. $300, $400 a day cocaine habit, crack, running through the streets, snatching pocketbooks -- winds up in prison. There, I meet Jesus -- which is really a jailhouse conviction -- get out of jail, and have to go through the process again because I learned religion, but I don't learn relationship.
HARRIS: Yes.
BLOOMER: After I entered into relationship with him, 20 years later, I'm free, I'm clean, and I'm helping other people get on with their lives.
Satan is playing the game in your head!
HARRIS: You would think that the criminality, you would think that prison, you think that drug abuse, you would think that would be the bottom line, and sort of where you would bottom out. But that was not the case with you. You move on. You become a bishop, a pastor, and you still have a bit of a relapse, and are preaching at some points in your life while high.
BLOOMER: Yes, right. You know, storms that come to make us strong, sometimes makes us weak, first. That was my situation. When I say that, sometimes the Lord allows us to go through things that becomes our processing chamber to give us a testimony, a window into what other individuals are going through. You know, I don't like people to tell me about how to stay in my marriage and they're on their fifth marriage.
So the Lord allowed me to go through some things, experience some things. I came out of it, and now, I truly have a testimony. The testimony is an undeniable experience that you have had with God in the past to sustain you through any present or futuristic difficulties. And having said that, I know that there are thousands of people who are challenged in their lives, and I know that the person of the Lord Jesus Christ can truly, truly help them.
There are three words that describes all of theology: They are the Christ virgin birth; the sinless life of Jesus; and the Resurrection. Take away any one of those three, and immediately, you slip into a occult.
HARRIS: Did you ever think that it was entirely too much personal baggage to be bringing to any pulpit?
BLOOMER: I think -- I think that the church is a reflection of life. And so, although we believe that everybody in the pews is all right and saved, that's not the issue. The real issue is that we come from work and we go and we look to the preacher to give us a little bit of old-time religion. Well, old-time religion has died.
We need some new time relationship with Jesus Christ, being responsible and accountable and being prepared for the consequences that are directly attached to our choices. And that's the message that I preach.
HARRIS: Got you. And in that message, do you draw upon your own experience?
BLOOMER: Absolutely totally. Without my own experience, it's nothing. It's the pie without the -- it's the crust -- the pie without the filling.
Every financial stronghold in this place today, I curse it in the name of Jesus! Every one of you that has to hide your car from the repo-man, cut it out! Everyone of you that received a letter that your house was about to be repossessed, look the devil in the face and say, "Psych! It ain't going to happen! Because when we break this curse, the spirit of jezebel -- in the next few seconds, that spirit has got to go! That spirit has got to go! That spirit has got to go!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Wow. From rock bottom...
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: ... to the pulpit.
NGUYEN: Speaks from experience.
HARRIS: "Faces of Faith" this morning.
E-mail question -- hot. Hot!
"Who do you hold accountable for high gas prices" is the question.
Reed writes --
OK. Reed (ph) writes: "Most are aware that "the buck stops at the president's desk. So if he would stop using Air Force One and switch to Bicycle One, things should improve!"
NGUYEN: OK, Reed (ph).
Wayne (ph) says, "High gas prices come as a result of George -- Crude Oil -- Bush and Dick -- Diesel -- Cheney having a blind eye on the gasoline companies. The oil companies' lobbyists have filled the pockets of all the politicians," they say.
HARRIS: Do we have time for one more? OK, this is -- we don't. Here's the question: Who do you hold responsible for high gas prices? Enough blame, apparently, to go around. We will take more of those E-mails, read them back to you...
NGUYEN: Keep them coming. Those are good ones today.
HARRIS: ... the next hour.
NGUYEN: More than 2,000 American troops have been killed in the war in Iraq, faces many of us will never know. But artists will project compassion with Project Compassion. They are working to make sure those soldiers are never forgotten.
We have a special soldier's story that is live next hour, right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
HARRIS: But first, another look at the 30th annual Marine Corps Marathon, getting underway just outside of Washington this morning. We'll be back at the top of the hour.
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