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Your World Today
President Bush Speaks to Restaurant Association in Chicago; Unemployed Teenagers Sent to 'Boot Camp' in France; China's Three Gorges Dam Now Complete
Aired May 22, 2006 - 12:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan.
President Bush speaking in Chicago, now taking questions from the audience. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And also, by the way, there were some incentives in our economic recovery package that encouraged you to buy equipment. And when you buy equipment, somebody's got to make the equipment. When somebody makes the equipment, it means somebody's more likely to be able to find a job, not only at your place of work, but the equipment manufacturer's place of work.
And so his question was, "Are you going to allow the tax cuts to expire?" See, they weren't permanent.
My answer is, in order to make sure this economic recovery is lasting and real, the tax cuts need to be made permanent.
And the speaker agrees with me, you'll be happy to hear, it is...
(APPLAUSE)
It's important for Congress to understand that when there is any uncertainty in the tax code, it'll make it less likely someone is willing to invest in a small business and expand their businesses.
Uncertainly in the tax code creates uncertainty in the investment community or when people make investments. And so we're absolutely committed to making the tax cuts permanent.
The argument you'll hear is, "Well, how can you possibly balance the budget if you make the tax cuts permanent?" I guess the reveres of that is, "We want to raise your taxes to balance the budget."
Unfortunately, that's not the way Washington works. The way Washington works is, they will raise your taxes and figure out new ways to spend the money and not balance the budget.
The best way...
(APPLAUSE) The best way to balance the budget is to keep pro-growth economic policies in place. I think you're going to find a report coming out this summer to be very interesting.
Last year, by the way, we exceeded the estimated revenues by about $100 billion. The economy's cranking. When the economy works, people are employing people; and when people are making money, they pay more taxes.
Right now, it looks like that the revenues coming into our treasury are greater than anticipated this time around, too.
And so the best way to reduce our deficit is to keep pro-growth economic policies in place -- hence, permanent tax cuts -- as well as being wise about how we spend your money.
And the best way to be wise about how we spend your money is to set priorities. And my priority is to make sure our troops have what it takes to defend the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
QUESTION: Mr. President, (inaudible) a 16-year-old girl. What advice or recommendations would you give to her and the other youth of our country to help make our country a better place?
BUSH: Thank you.
I would say that -- to Jamie: Listen carefully to that universal admonition to love a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself.
BUSH: The -- you know, I get an interesting perspective of America.
I, of course, get to see the incredible folks who wear our nation's uniform. It's an -- unbelievably inspiring to meet men and women who have volunteered to serve our country in a time of war. And not only do I get to meet them, I get to meet their families.
I also get to meet the entrepreneurs of America: people who are willing to risk time, effort and money to grow a business. And as a result, we've got a great -- you know, we've got fat wallets relative to the rest of the world.
But the true strength of the country lies in the hearts and souls of our citizens. That's the really unbelievable strength of America.
I get to meet people all the time. Met two youngsters today, Chinese-Americans, who volunteered to go down to help the Katrina victims. Nobody told them to do it. There was no government law that said, "You're going to go down and love your neighbor." They heard the call.
And so, my advice is to tell your daughter that she can be a part of a changing America by helping somebody who hurts, feed the hungry, find shelter for the homeless. America's strength lies in the armies of compassion that exist all across the United States of America. And so I -- but thank you for your question.
(APPLAUSE)
Yes?
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. President, Carol Doger (ph), Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.
First, I want to tell you thank you -- how much we love your brother...
(CROSSTALK)
BUSH: I had nothing to do with it.
(LAUGHTER)
Thank my mother.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: Well, he has been very good to the restaurant industry.
BUSH: He has been eating a lot, I noticed.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: You said that, not me.
(LAUGHTER)
BUSH: OK.
QUESTION: Mr. President, with mandated health care beginning to sweep the nation -- and we're seeing it pop up on the state level -- do you see the association health plan passing, hopefully, before you're out of office? And where do you see mandated health care going for the business industry?
BUSH: First of all, I think that the government has a -- the federal government has the responsibility particularly on two fronts when it comes to health care. One is to take care of the elderly. Lyndon Johnson signed that bill and -- that said the federal government will provide health care for the elderly called Medicare.
And thanks to the speaker's leadership and others here, we reformed Medicare so it actually meets the needs of our seniors. My attitude is, if you made a commitment to the seniors, make it a good commitment, make it work. And we didn't have prescription drug benefits as a part of Medicare, and yet we're willing to pay for the surgery for an ulcer, for example, but not the drugs to prevent the ulcer from happening in the first place.
Secondly, we've got to -- made a commitment to the poor, and that's through Medicaid, as well as community health centers. These are facilities -- and the speaker and I have been working on this to expand community health centers throughout America so the poor and the indigent can get primary care in these facilities and not at your local emergency rooms.
Now, I also believe...
(APPLAUSE)
But I believe the best health care system beyond that means making sure we strengthen the doctor-patient relationship. And that's not a mandate; that's just a practical way to view medicine. And so how can you do that?
Well, one is to promote health savings accounts, which we are doing. Health savings accounts are unique products that enable a small-business owner and/or an individual to be able to purchase a catastrophic plan -- low-premium catastrophic plan, high-deductible catastrophic plan -- coupled with a tax-free savings account.
Now, that's important because it means that you're in control of your account. The person, the customer, the consumer is in control of making health care decisions.
One of the problems we have when it comes to cost is that we have the third-party payer system: Somebody else pays the bills, and therefore there is no consumerism so to speak involved in health care.
Secondly, we've got to recognize that certain individuals don't have the capacity to be able to buy health insurance like big companies can do. And, therefore, it erodes the capacity of small businesses to be able to maintain their purchasing power.
In other words, if you -- if it costs you a lot of money to buy an insurance plan, you're not going to pay for your insurance, see? And right now, our small businesses are being penalized because they're not allowed a pool risk across jurisdictional boundaries.
A solution to that is association health plans.
The speaker got it passed out of the House. It got killed by the trial lawyers in the United States Senate.
(APPLAUSE)
To answer your question: Yes, I hope to get it out. It's a practical way of making sure that small businesses aren't mandated but have got choice in the marketplace. That's what I'm trying to tell you.
I believe in choices in the marketplace. I believe in empowering people to make rational choices. In order to have a health care system that helps control costs and where people can make rational decisions, there needs to be transparency in pricing.
I know when I go to restaurants, I've got a menu, see, and they say: Here's what it costs you. That's not the case in most health care decisions, is it? I haven't seen a lot of price postings.
So we're working -- we're using federal leverage, through Medicare and the Veterans Administration, for example, to say, "If you're doing business with the federal government, post your prices and the quality of service you're getting so consumers can start making rational decisions in the marketplace."
When you've got rational decision-making based upon price, it's going to help control costs, which is very important for your industry.
Third, this is an industry -- the health care industry is one that's, kind of, lagging behind when it comes to information technology. You know, the docs are still writing out prescriptions with longhand. Or when you sometimes, when you're in a hospital and you're going from place to place, you're carrying files, all right, and they've been written out in longhand. Well, it's not a very efficient use of a person's time. Plus most doctors can't write.
(LAUGHTER)
And therefore costs are higher than they should be in medicine. So we're working to make sure the information technology is spread throughout the medical industry.
Again, the federal government has got a good chance to help leverage our position. We're a major provider of health care. And therefore we ought to be using our position to start off helping the industry write a common language.
Part of the problem in medicine is that there's not a common language, and therefore it's hard to have a smooth information technology system throughout the medical industry.
Our goal, by the way, is for every American to have an electronic medical record and -- by the way, with a guarantee of privacy.
And finally, one reason why you're having trouble buying health care is because these lawsuits are running good docs out of practice. Do you realize there are over 1,500...
(APPLAUSE)
There are over 1,500 counties in America without an OB/GYN. And if part of the argument is we got to have a health care system that is accessible and affordable, then we got to do something about these junks lawsuits.
Again, the speaker got a good medical liability bill out of the House of Representatives, but the trial lawyers defeated it in the United States Senate. And if you really want to help the country and make sure you've got affordable health care, got a hold of your United States senators who are voting against meaningful medical liability reform and help us get a bill passed.
(APPLAUSE)
That's a long answer -- it's a long answer, because I wanted to show you, we got a comprehensive plan that runs the opposite of a federal government being the decider at all costs.
BUSH: I don't believe we ought to federalize medicine. I believe we ought to localize medicine. And the most local medicine is between the doctor and the patient.
(APPLAUSE)
QUESTION: Good morning, Mr. President. My name is Robert Carter from Toronto, Canada. And my question is regarding border restrictions between our two countries.
Given the impact on tourism, do you feel that it's necessary to continue increasing border restrictions between Canada and the U.S.?
BUSH: Yes. What he's referring to is right after 9/11 the Congress passed legislation that said there will be a new border -- an identification card between -- between travel between our countries.
And you can understand why our nation reacted the way -- I hope you can understand the way our nation reacted the way we did after 9/11. I mean, we were -- we analyzed all aspects of our security. We were -- we were -- we said we're going to do everything we can within the law to protect ourselves.
And Congress passed some new laws to make sure that we knew who was coming in in the country and who was leaving the country. And I supported those laws.
And now we're working with your government to make sure that the identification cards that will be used between our two borders are compatible not only with our needs but your needs.
I spoke to Prime Minister Harper about this subject. He's very aware and worried about an identification card that would be difficult to get into the hands of Canadians. It would make it difficult for Canada to continue to attract conventions.
And so to answer your question, yes, we ought to have a system that is compatible with both our countries' needs.
There's a difference between -- and by the way, it's very important for the Canadians to understand there's a difference in the debate going on between the northern border and the southern border.
The southern -- and by the way, it's important for Americans to understand, the language of this debate must never say that Canada and/or Mexico are the enemies of United States. They're friends of the United States. They're our friends and neighbors. And...
(APPLAUSE)
And so the issue this gentlemen is referring to, it really is how do we make sure we have a system that enables the legal people to come back and forth, I guess is the best way to describe it. And we're working on it to make sure that whatever -- whatever documents are needed will not be restrictive. But nevertheless, information, I guess is the best way to put it.
Thanks.
(APPLAUSE)
Yes, sir.
OK, you're next after that.
QUESTION: President Bush, first of all, I wanted to say: You're doing a fine job.
BUSH: Well, leave it at that, will you?
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. That, kind of, makes your question not very credible when you say something like that.
(LAUGHTER)
But I'll accept it anyway.
QUESTION: My question is: Is there a realistic yet aggressive timetable and strategy to get our reliance off of Middle East oil and go to a different fuel source or ways that the United States can prosper?
BUSH: No, that's a great question.
One of the things that should be evident to the American people now is that we live in a global world, and when demand for hydrocarbons increases in places like China and India, it causes our gasoline prices to go up.
In other words, a global economy is such that when demand rises faster than international supply, the price of crude goes up, which is the feedstock for gasoline.
And so the American people see firsthand what it means to be in a global world which is dependent upon fossil fuels, hydrocarbon.
And so the realistic timetable is as soon as possible. And I do think it's realistic. And here's -- what he's saying is how quick can we get off oil, all right?
Well, most oil is consumed in America because of our automobiles. And the question then is how quickly can we diversify the automobile fleet from one that is gasoline only to one that becomes a mix, for example, of gasoline and ethanol.
And we're making pretty good progress. If you really think about, for example, the penetration of ethanol in the Midwest, it's been amazing over the last couple of years. Indiana people are beginning to get E85 pumps. E85 means 85 percent of the fuel you buy at an E85 pump is ethanol.
We've put tax incentives in place to encourage the construction of ethanol refineries and they're beginning to grow quite dramatically.
The -- some people say, "Well, you know, you've got ethanol pumps, but doesn't it make it difficult to use it, because the cars are not compatible?"
That's not true. There are 5 million automobiles on the road today that are flex-fuel vehicles. In other words, they can use ethanol and/or gasoline or a combination of the both.
So the technologies to make our automobiles ethanol compatible are around. As a matter of fact, you may have a flex-fuel vehicle and just don't know it.
The question, then, is how do we -- do we have enough feedstock into the ethanol business to be able to really get major penetration? And that's where we're spending some money. Because we got corn, right? Sometimes you got to eat corn.
(APPLAUSE)
And sometimes your pigs and cows have got to eat corn.
And so pretty soon we're going to run into a bind when it comes to corn for ethanol and corn for other means and other needs. And so we're spending quite a bit of money at the federal level, and have been for a couple of years, to see whether or not we can develop new technologies to make ethanol out of other feedstocks, like switchgrass or wood chips.
They say we're getting pretty close to that. I can't give you a specific timetable.
I know we're getting close to a hybrid -- a battery that can go into a hybrid vehicle. Hybrid vehicles are good things -- you know, that switches between electricity and gasoline. And the next breakthrough is going to come to a vehicle that doesn't switch between electricity and gasoline until you've driven your first 40 miles. In other words, you'll have a battery that'll be able to last for 40 miles before your car has to kick into gas -- gasoline. And that's going to help save a lot of -- that'll help reduce demand for oil.
Longer term -- and this is -- this is a longer -- that's within five years they tell me, as well. But over the next 10 years, my hope is that we have hydrogen become a technology that is commercial and applicable, so you're really driving automobiles with hydrogen as a fuel source, not gasoline. And we're spending a lot of money on that. We spent over a $1 billion to accelerate technologies to do that.
In the short term, in order to -- by the way, it doesn't answer your question of how do you get off oil, but it does answer how do we help consumers in America. I view rising gasoline prices as like a tax. It certainly affects small businesses.
And one way to do it is to make sure we've got ample supplies of gasoline available. You realize we hadn't built a new refinery since the 1970s. If Congress is that concerned about the price of gasoline, it seems like they ought to give us flexibility so we can permit expansions and/or new refineries, so as we can keep the price...
(APPLAUSE)
It's a long-winded answer, but it's a problem that requires a tragedy in which we spend money on research and development and on a variety of fronts.
Another example is clean-coal technologies. It's conceivable that relatively -- well, within a period of time -- not in my lifetime, let's put it that way -- that we can have coal-fired plants that have got zero emissions.
Now, that's important for people to know that it's possible. We spend about -- billions there as well to achieve this breakthrough, because we got 250-some-odd years of coal reserves in the United States.
I think we ought to be using nuclear power. It is renewable and it produces no emissions.
(APPLAUSE)
We're spending money on technologies to make sure we can reprocess spent fuels.
In other words, we're working on a variety of fronts. I don't know the timetable. Soon as possible.
And the reason why is, is that our national security issues oftentimes rest with countries that have got oil, and they don't like us, see? So the faster we're off oil, the better off we're going to be from an economic security perspective and an a national (inaudible).
And I probably surprised you when I got up at my State of the Union and said, "We got a problem: We're addicted to oil." You know, I'm from Texas and all that. But I believe it, and I know it. And so I'm going to work with members from both political parties to expedite research and development so we got new technologies to achieve this important objective.
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: Yes, ma'am?
QUESTION: Thank you. Speaking of oil-producing countries that are not friendly to the United States right now, I'm very concerned about what's going on in Venezuela and Bolivia and all the coalition of Hugo Chavez.
I wondered what your strategy was going to be or what you're working on in that respect.
BUSH: Thank you.
I am going to continue to remind our hemisphere that respect for property rights and human rights is essential for all countries in order for there to be prosperity and peace.
I'm going to remind our allies and friends in the neighborhood that the United States of America stands for justice; that when we see poverty, we care about it, and we do something about it; that we care for good -- we stand for good health care.
I'm going to remind our people that meddling in other elections is -- to achieve a short-term objective is not in the interests of the neighborhood.
I will continue to remind people that trade is the best way to help people be lifted from poverty; that, you know, we can spend money, and we do in the neighborhood, but the best way for there to be growth is to encourage commerce and trade and prosperity through the marketplace.
I'm going to remind people that the United States stands against corruption at all levels of government; that the United States is transparent; the United States expects the same from other countries in the neighborhood and will work toward them.
I will continue to work with forces like the Central -- the countries like the Central American countries where we passed a free trade agreement called CAFTA to remind the people in that area that relations with the United States will be beneficial to their people.
There's a lot of things we're doing.
Thank you very much. I'm concerned -- let me just put it bluntly: I'm concerned about the erosion of democracy in the countries you mentioned.
KAGAN: We've been listening in to President Bush. He is speaking to a restaurant association group in Chicago, Illinois. The president taking questions from the audience, answering a wide variety of subjects, including energy, Iraq, health care, and the last one was on Venezuela.
We'll continue to monitor what the president has to say there in Chicago.
Meanwhile, let's get to some other news of the day from here in the U.S.
Get ready for another bad hurricane season. Just last hour, the National Hurricane Center released its predictions for the new storm season. It rolls in next week.
Experts forecast as many as 10 hurricanes. Up to six of those storm could intensify to Category 3 strength or even higher. Experts say the overall increase in activity could last for the next 30 or so years.
The good news, the season is not expected to match the ferocity of last year's historic numbers.
Jacqui Jeras, I bet you were fascinated to hear what the hurricane center had to say this morning.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, though really not a big surprise, Daryn, to anybody in meteorology. We were expecting it would like likely be on the high side.
And how high? Well, here's the average numbers in the far column there, compared to what NOAA's forecast is, just to give you an idea how above average we are predicting it. The sea surface temperature in the Atlantic, about one degree above average, and expecting to have light wind shear in the Atlantic as well. And that's why we're expecting things to be above normal.
The one good point with this is that really not looking at La Nina conditions any longer. It's kind of neutral. Normally in a La Nina year you tend to have a very active hurricane season.
So hopefully not quite as bad as last year. But keep in mind, it only takes one storm. That's all it takes. So the key here is preparedness.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: All right, Jacqui. Thank you.
You know what they say, you get what you pay for. Those words from experts who studied the New Orleans' levee system after Hurricane Katrina. Their new report was released this morning. It says the levee system was routinely underfunded, and that when Katrina struck it couldn't stand up to the onslaught.
The report also blames poor engineering. Just over a week before the new hurricane season, repair work continues on the New Orleans levee system.
A few bucks now, hopefully fewer headaches later. Florida is urging residents to stock up on hurricane supplies. And they're offering tax breaks on the items you would most need before and after a hurricane. The list includes, storm shutters, generators, flashlights and batteries. The program runs until June 1st, the first day of the new hurricane season. He made it. You're looking at a 7-year-old boy from Arizona completing a historic swim. About an hour ago, Braxton Bilbrey became the youngest person to swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco. He finished the 1.4 mile swim in a little more than an hour.
Braxton was joined on the swim by his coach and two other strong adult swimmers. The water temperature, a chilly 56 degrees. But he may have faced his biggest challenge when he reached shore. That's where he ran into the media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Braxton, how are you feel, buddy?
BRAXTON BILBREY, 7-YEAR-OLD WHO SWAM FROM ALCATRAZ ISLAND TO SAN FRANCISCO: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good? What was the hardest part for you?
BILBREY: The swim probably.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're in the water. So we're just going to move a little bit up the shore.
Can you turn this way so our viewers can see your face and tell us what you think now that you've made it?
BILBREY: What?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think about the fact that you made it, you set the world record?
BILBREY: Well, I think it's pretty cool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think it's pretty cool?
Dad, how did he do out there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did great. He did great. He swam all the way in and just looked so strong. He did so awesome. So proud of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Braxton still has another big goal. He says now he wants to swim the English Channel. But before Braxton does that, another challenge. He will talk to us here on CNN. He's live at the top of the hour on "LIVE FROM" with Tony Harris.
Meanwhile, YOUR WORLD TODAY is next on CNN.
I'm Daryn Kagan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Rosemary Church.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Jim Clancy, and these are some of the stories that are making headlines around the world.
Hamas militiamen engaging in a fierce gun battle at times with security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. Each side blaming the other for starting the violence in Gaza City.
The driver of Jordan's ambassador to Gaza was killed in the crossfire. He was driving a diplomatic car. The power struggle between Hamas and Abbas intensified as Hamas deployed its own security forces in Gaza.
CHURCH: A coalition forces spokesman says an investigation is under way into claims that civilians were killed during U.S. air strikes on suspected Taliban. The attack killed at least 65 people in southern Afghanistan and wounded more than a dozen others. The military says the attack resulted in the unconfirmed deaths of Taliban members. However, witnesses say some of those killed were civilians.
CLANCY: British Prime Minister Tony Blair says Iraq's new government represents a real step toward peace and that it's up to the Iraqi people now to write the next chapter in their history themselves. Mr. Blair making an unannounced visit to Baghdad Monday. At a news conference, alongside Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Mr. Blair called the development a new beginning for Iraq.
CHURCH: Well, the new Iraqi cabinet headed by the prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is still incomplete. Three key slots remain open, their defense, interior, and ministry of state for national security.
Earlier, we spoke Hoshyar Zebari, who will continue on as foreign minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOSHYAR ZEBARI, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: Definitely, this government is bound by a constitution that is voted by the majority of the Iraqi people. And this discussion, this negotiation over these two or three key posts reflects the seriousness that Iraqi leadership gives to a new beginning for this new government.
That's why this negotiation has taken so long to select a competent people to run those ministries, especially the interior and defense. And in the next couple of days, I'm confident that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will be able to announce the right people for -- for these positions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And the prime minister and his two deputy prime ministers will temporarily assume those three vacant slots until they're filled.
CLANCY: Well, now to some fallout from those massive demonstration in France earlier this year. As Juliet Bremner tells us, jobless young people are lining up for what looks like a boot camp. But it's not to get them ready for the front lines in any battle, but for the front of the line, the employment line.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIET BREMNER, REPORTER, ITV NEWS (voice over): Bringing law and order to young lives. Violence and chaos that hit French suburbs last year demanded drastic action.
This is it, Montere (ph), a military-style camp for troubled teenagers. The idea, to get them away from the rioting and the rundown estates.
Now every morning begins with the national anthem, such a culture shock for these 18 to 21-year-olds. Many have to be taught the words. We are the first British journalists to be allowed on to the barracks to see how this conversational experiment is working.
(on camera): They call this program "Defense, the Second Chance". In reality, it's probably the last chance for many of these youngsters to find a job. They're trying to instill in them the discipline that many employers feel they lack.
(voice over): Contrary to appearances, they are not being punished. All are volunteers. Organizers want them to learn new values.
NATHALIE MOUILLET, FRENCH MINISTRY OF DEFENSE: Making them singing the "Marseillaise," making them loving their flag, is a way to say you're a complete citizen of France, France accepts you.
BREMNER: The goals are ambitious. More than 30 of the 200 students can't read or write. Yet, the aim is to offer everyone who completes this course a job.
ALI SYLIA, STUDENT: I just want to change my life. I don't want to stay home like (INAUDIBLE). So I'm coming here to get something out of it, to get a life (ph).
BREMNER: The physical regime may seem harsh, particularly for girls. But for kids who've dropped out of school, like Veronique Duval, it's a chance for a fresh start.
VERONIQUE DUVAL, STUDENT (through translator): Well, in fact, I lost any idea of how to even get myself a job. I really wanted to get back into a working environment, learn to work regular hours, and live a healthier lifestyle. That's it. That's what motivated me to come here.
BREMNER: It's a tough, yet practical formula that's proven surprisingly popular. There are more volunteers than places, and plans to open 25 more centers by the end of the year. Juliet Bremer, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Well, in the United States, a long-awaited report is released explaining just what caused the devastating flooding in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Much of the focus is on the city's failed levees in New Orleans.
Sean Callebs pores over the report, which concluded much of the damage didn't have to happen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Katrina was a powerful storm. But it shouldn't have caused so much devastation. Eighty percent of the flooding that destroyed New Orleans could have been prevented. That's according to a eight-month study by the National Science Foundation.
PROF. ROBERT BEA, U.C. BERKLEY ENGINEERING: That's the essence of the story, is to say that undesirable, unanticipated breaching in the levees is what brought us to our knees.
CALLEBS: Bob Bea, a Cal Berkley researcher, is one of the authors of the study. During Katrina, almost all the water that poured into the heart of New Orleans was driven south, down canals leading from Lake Pontchartrain. Scientists say the reason flood walls and levees gave way is simple.
BEA: Well, we were trying to do this in a cheap save, save money.
CALLEBS: We now know a design flaw by the Army Corps of Engineers allowed raging water to eat away soil far below the water line. The corps had drilled sheet piling 17.5 feet into the ground to guard against erosion. Scientists say it wasn't nearly deep enough.
BEA: Today we're driving them to deeper than 60 feet.
CALLEBS: The Army Corps of Engineers says it won't comment on the study until it's read the entire document. Even with poor levee design, massive floodgates now going up along Lake Pontchartrain would have provided tremendous defense against flooding, according to the report. But don't blame the corps for that. Scientists say years of quibbling, back and forth among local governments, killed floodgate plans.
BEA: Well, it's petty. We have been dysfunctional. We've forgotten really what the name of the game is, and that's to protect the public.
CALLEBS: The Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish hit hardest by flooding, the study says, in large part, because the Army Corps used cheap, porous soil instead of more stable clay on earthen levees that eroded quickly. Bea knows firsthand of what he speaks. He lived in New Orleans in the 1960s and saw his home flooded by Hurricane Betsy.
So with the new flood protection plans going on, would he move back?
BEA: The answer is no. I wouldn't come back here and buy a house. I would come back here and rent a second floor apartment, which says I would proceed cautiously.
CALLEBS (on camera): The scientists concluded that not only was all of the massive flooding predictable, it was preventable. That for decades warning signs were out there that were simply ignored.
Sean Callebs, CNN, in New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Well, there for a while, he was the best known mayor in the world. And nobody envied him.
Well, now Ray Nagin is preparing for his second term of New Orleans. A very different city, of course, from when he was first elected.
Let's take a look at the scene over the weekend when Nagin won reelection.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: This is a great day for the city of New Orleans. This election is over. And it's time for this community to start the healing process.
MARC MORIAL, FMR. NEW ORLEANS MAYOR: There ought to be a great congratulations to Mayor Nagin. He threaded the needle politically. He did what he needed to do under very difficult circumstances against a tough, articulate energetic challenger.
LT. GOV. MITCH LANDRIEU (D), NEW ORLEANS: Of course I want to congratulate Mayor Nagin. This was a hard-fought campaign. It was fought well within the boundaries of political discourse.
NAGIN: Mitch ran a splendid campaign. He is a gentleman, and he is a good public servant for this state.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!
LANDRIEU: I am asking you to join with me in supporting Mayor Nagin and his administration and the people of this city to get this city back again.
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: Now it's time to go forward. And I think the money's promised, so a lot of people are coming back home, going to reconstruct some houses and hospitals and schools -- and job training. That must be the agenda now.
NAGIN: This city is positioned for growth. This great city, New Orleans, is ready to take off. We have the levees being repaired. We have incentive dollars for businesses and for people. We have citizens around the country who want to come back to the city of New Orleans, and we're going to get them all back to the city of New Orleans!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: All right.
CHURCH: Well, still ahead, a controversial concrete monster.
CLANCY: And an engineering marvel, we must say. They're one in the same. We're going to take you to the Yangtze River for a look at it, coming up next.
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CHURCH: Rescuers in northern China say at least 57 coal miners may be trapped by an underground flood. The mine in Shanxi Province flooded Thursday night.
CLANCY: State media report that police detained nine members of management, who, it's claimed, tried to cover up the scale of the mine accident.
CHURCH: Well, news of the latest accident comes as China celebrates an engineering marvel, the largest manmade construction of its type ever attempted.
CLANCY: The main dam of China's Three Gorges project finally complete now. Stan Grant, who's been there several times, give us the latest on this costly concrete monster along the Yangtze River.
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STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mao Tse-tung dreamed of a great wall taming the mighty Yangtze River. Now, it is complete. To stand at the Three Gorges Dam is to see a display of force unequalled at any hydro-power plant on Earth. Massive generators will pump out energy equivalent to 15 nuclear power plants; its transmission range, 1,000 kilometers; doing away with dirty coal fuel and potentially providing millions with reliable electricity.
(on camera): Seventeen years to build, a cost of $25 billion U.S. dollars. At its peak, 30,000 workers. And at the center of it all, one man.
CAO GUANGJING, VICE PRESIDENT, THREE GORGES PROJECT: You know, you really have time for relax. Because it very...
GRANT: You're racing against time?
GUANGJING: Yes.
GRANT (voice-over): Only 38 years old, Cao Guangjing has been the man in charge, pulling all this together. He has delivered. Construction of the dam has been brought in nine months ahead of schedule. The entire project will be fully operational by 2009. An impressive feat, but not one without criticism.
DAI QING, ACTIVIST: It's too (INAUDIBLE), what we critics try to suggest. Stop it, don't have it. Keep the river go through it. But no, because this is a political project.
GRANT: Critics say the damming of the Yangtze will increase pollution and the spread of disease. Lei Henshun is a retired professor and respected environmental expert. He is concerned about the varying water levels of the river. During the dry winter months, it will be kept at 175 meters to maximize hydropower. In summer, it will be lowered to 145 meters to allow for the flood season.
LEI HENSHUN, ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERT: Some special problems will show up because a large area will be exposed in summer. And then the garbage, plant and dirty mud will easily become breeding grounds for disease.
GRANT: Look at the state of the river. It's a muddy brown color; medical waste visible, floating debris, even the bodies of dead animals. But Chinese officials say don't believe your eyes.
CAO GUANGHUI, ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION BUREAU (through translator): Monitoring results obtained by the environmental department show that with the rise of the water level, the quality of the water has, in fact, improved instead of deteriorated.
GRANT: Then there are the people forcibly removed from their homes as villages and towns have been submerged. More than a million people have been displaced. Many complain they don't want to move and, in any case, can't afford it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): How can they force us out? We can't afford to leave, and we don't have a house to move to.
GRANT: Yet in China, the past must make way for progress. The dam will provide much needed power and help with flood prevention. The project stands as a symbol of China's precarious balance between nature and the future.
Stan Grant, CNN, Three Gorges Dam, China.
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CLANCY: Still ahead in our report, Christian leaders are not the only ones that have been upset by the controversial "Da Vinci Code" movie.
CHURCH: We'll tell you about another group not happy with the way they're portrayed in the film. Also ahead, we'll introduce you to a woman on her way to becoming the hippest and coolest mom on the block. Look at that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, we're going to open up our inbox now. We've been asking you this, your thoughts about the weekend's record-breaking film.
CLANCY: Our question is this, what did you think of the movie "The Da Vinci Code?" Did it live up to the hype? Here's how you replied.
CHURCH: Malou from The Netherlands said, "The Da Vinci Code" certainly lived up to the hype. It's interesting and beautifully shot, a movie everyone should see."
CLANCY: I don't think Christina from France agrees. "Some books should remain books like "The Da Vinci Code." It's full of poor acting and endless monologues.
CHURCH: And Eva in The Netherlands writes, "As a fan of the book I was very pleased with the movie and how true it stayed to the original plot with a few minor exceptions."
CLANCY: Those folks are probably not big fans of movies. We have a lot of people here that said it was OK.
CHURCH: Hot on the heels of "The Da Vinci Code," there's "The Albino Code."
CLANCY: This is interesting. It is intended to make a serious point but with humor.
CHURCH: Who else to do that but Jeanne Moos who covers all these points with a touch of humor herself.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Remember when the good guys used to wear white? Well, in "The Da Vinci Code," it's the bad guy who is white -- all white. An albino monk.
PAUL BETTANY, ACTOR: Is there a secret you would die for?
MOOS: When Tom Hanks recently hosted "Saturday Night Live," there was an albino bit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I object to the way albino monks are portrayed in your movie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am an albino monk, and we're pretty creepy.
MOOS: But real albinos do object. They're sick of being...
DENNIS HURLEY, ALBINOCODE.COM: The longer, the bottom of the joke, or the creepy evil assassin...
MOOS: From "The Matrix Reloaded" to "End of Days..."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've come for you. MOOS: ... to "Foul Play." Now, albinos are crying foul over...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The Da Vinci Code."
MOOS: And retaliating with...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The Albino Code."
MOOS: A 12-minute parody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an albino.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Albino.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Albino.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is what I said.
MOOS: Actually, the name they prefer is...
HURLEY: A person with albinism.
MOOS: Dennis Hurley is such a person. He's also an actor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You must kill two people and steal the sacred keystone.
HURLEY: You know, my last job was at Foodmart.
MOOS: Dennis actually tried to get the part of the albino monk in "The Da Vinci Code," but it went to a non-albino, Paul Bettany.
BETTANY: Yes, I play an albino.
MOOS: But Dennis didn't get mad; he got busy making his parody film.
The real film.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A murder.
MOOS: The parody.
"The Da Vinci Code."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Witness the biggest cover-up in human history.
MOOS: "The Albino Code."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the biggest cover-up in movie history.
HURLEY: This is great. I burn easily.
MOOS: Dennis points out that real people with albinism tend to have problems with their eyesight, which would make for a bad assassin.
But this is the kind of thing that really drives them nuts. His irises were pink, with dark red pupils.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't anger the red-eyed demon.
HURLEY: We don't have red eyes. That's just a myth.
MOOS: Dennis spent almost $10,000 making this parody, and just as the movie albino beats up on himself, the real albino self- flagellates with a fly swatter.
HURLEY: Ow.
MOOS: It's enough to make the Mona Lisa grin.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: All right. She sailed alone around the world nonstop for 178 days.
CLANCY: Most sailors embarking on such a trip would choose to do so with the prevailing winds and the currents favoring their voyage.
CHURCH: But not Dee Kafari (ph). The British skipper has become the first woman to do it the other way, or as sailors call it, the wrong way.
CLANCY: Of course it had to rain during her homecoming parade on Sunday. That didn't bother the woman who battled storms, icebergs and giant waves, home again.
CHURCH: Well, an American woman is not breaking any world records, but a new-found passion is changing her life.
CLANCY: That's right. Carol Lin introduces us to one mom who is getting attention taking up with a sport that is popular with -- well, teen aged boys.
CHURCH: And says she wants to encourage all woman to take up the sport. She went to the Web site of international society of skateboarding moms. Www.skateboardmoms. Here's the story.
CLANCY: Around and around she goes. Carol Lin got lost somewhere. I don't know if her skateboard broke or what happened. This is amazing. I don't think I'd do that. But you roller blade, Rosy.
CHURCH: I do. I'm a roller blading mom. I think we're going to go to that story now.
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CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Anne Howard works from her home office. But when it's lunchtime, it's time to play. Since last winter, the 46-year-old started a new but old school hobby, something she hasn't done since she was a teenager in the '70s.
ANNE HOWARD, SKATEBOARD MOM: When I'm out there skateboarding, I'm not thinking about, oh, gosh, what am I going to cook for dinner tonight, what kind of work schedule I have going on. It all goes away for me when I hop on the skateboard and ride it.
LIN: She's the only mom who shows up regularly at this Atlanta skate park. And the teens think it's cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's into the old school stuff like I am. She has a board from the '80s and seems pretty into it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just never see girls really skating, especially moms. Usually, they're trying to get you to stop skating.
LIN: Anne says she got inspired again while doing something very sedentary like watching TV.
HOWARD: I always loved to watch the extreme sports like Shawn White, Flying Tomato, Tony Hawk.
LIN: She's even days away from her first competition. Husband James thought she was a little crazy at first.
HOWARD: Kind of thought, oh, she's going to buy a board, do it for a couple of times. The first time she falls she probably won't have anything else to do with it.
LIN: But Dad got it once he saw what it did for her. Plus, Anne's lost 25 pound since her new found love.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: That has to be it for this hour. I'm Jim Clancy.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Stay with us on CNN.
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