Controversy Surrounds May Day Protest by Immigrant Activists; Severe Storms Pound North Texas
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, severe storms pound parts of north Texas, including the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Among the hardest hit areas, the City of Gainesville. The high winds damaged homes and businesses and knocked down trees power lines. More on that story straight ahead. In South Asia, at least two deaths and dozens of injuries are reported in Myanmar after a cyclone battered the western part of that country. Earlier, as we see here, the storm lashed parts of India. Winds topped 150 miles an hour. In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is planning to resign on Tuesday, but he will remain a member of parliament and leader of his party. Romano Prodi defeated Mr. Berlusconi in national elections earlier this month. A new development in the standoff with Iran over its nuclear program. Iran says it is ready to allow snap inspections again, but only if the issue is removed from the U.N. Security Council. Iran says it wants to deal solely with the U.N.'s nuclear inspection agency. Terror on tape -- al Qaeda's number two man is out with a new videotaped message. In the message, posted on Islamic Web sites, Ayman el-Zawahiri praises insurgents for their attacks on coalition forces in Iraq. And welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. It is April 29th. Ahead this hour, Rush Limbaugh is making news at the courthouse. Our legal team will argue the latest developments in that case. And teenagers with robots -- we'll hear from the man who brought hundreds of them together in Atlanta this weekend. But first, our top story. Parts of Texas still face the threat of severe weather. Right now, hours after a round of brutal storms, high winds and hail left a trail of damage behind after sweeping across north Texas overnight. These scenes show some of the damage at the airport in Gainesville near Dallas. Earlier, an official with the airport told CNN what happened.</s>MATT QUICK, GAINESVILLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT: I was able to make it out here to the airport about 30 minutes after it went through. And, of course, we had no power. And I was able to look at some of the hangars. We've got some corporate hangars and some T hangar complexes and several large airplanes on the east side of the airfield and you could tell that there was major damage sustained to the infrastructure and to those aircraft.</s>WHITFIELD: Along with the high winds and heavy rain, hail stones fell across parts of Texas. This was the scene as the storm swept across the town of Marble Falls. In some areas, hailstones were the size of baseballs. For the latest on what's happening right now, let's check in with meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center -- hi, again, Bonnie.</s>BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: The fight for Iraq, it takes its toll on U.S. troops. Sixty-eight have died in Iraq this month, the deadliest month so far this year. The military says U.S. combat deaths since the start of the war stand at 1,886, including troops who died from illness or accidents and seven civilians working for the military. That total would then be closer to 2,400. Calling the war in Iraq illegal, immoral and unethical, anti-war protesters turn out in New York City for a United for Peace and Justice rally. Headliners include Jesse Jackson, Susan Sarandon, Cindy Sheehan and Al Sharpton. Organizers say the marchers also oppose any military action against Iran. Immigration activists flexing their muscles. Final planning is underway this weekend for boycotts intended to have a deep impact on major U.S. cities from coast to coast. Monday, May Day, is when organizers plan to stage their pro-immigration rallies. Our Chris Lawrence explains the plan, first seen on CNN's "SITUATION ROOM."</s>CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT:  (voice over): Organizers say this is what Americans will see Monday -- millions of people staging the largest protests since the civil rights era.</s>NATIVO LOPEZ, MEXICAN-AMERICAN POLITICAL ASSOCIATION: Immigrants are losing their fear.</s>LAWRENCE: Activists have called for a national boycott.</s>LOPEZ: They don't go to school. They don't go shopping. They don't go selling.</s>LAWRENCE: Opponents say it's got one goal -- pressure Congress into legalizing millions of undocumented people.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I'm not a -- I'm not a supporter of boycotts. I am a supporter of comprehensive immigration.</s>LAWRENCE: Hundreds of small stores and big factories will all shut down.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will not sell any vegetables or fruits.</s>LAWRENCE: By itself, L.A.'s 7th Street Market Association distributes food to 3,000 supermarkets, and its closure could put a million dollar dent in the economy.</s>ANGELICA SALAS, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ACTIVIST: The boycott is confrontational.</s>LAWRENCE: Some immigration rights activists say pictures of people walking off the job could backfire in middle America.</s>SALAS: Who is our audience? Who are we talking to? Who are we seeking to embrace and to be embraced by?</s>LAWRENCE: The Latino community has been active in the Catholic Church and church leaders continue to support the protests. But this time, they're urging students not to skip class. And school officials warn students they're expected to show up Monday.</s>JACK O'CONNELL, CALIFORNIA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: I do not intend to grant any waivers as a result of mass protests or students who leave school.</s>LAWRENCE: Organizers admit the boycott's a big step, but a needed one.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we're not convinced, for example, that the representatives in Congress will really listen to the immigrant unless the immigrant imposes his will.</s>LAWRENCE (on camera): The boycott's biggest impact will be right here in California, where immigrants as a whole make up about one third of the workforce. But organizers say New York, Chicago, Phoenix -- the entire country will feel the effect. Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.</s>WHITFIELD: President Bush may not support the protesters, but he does support their calls for a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Let's go live to CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano for more on that. She is part of the best political team on television -- Elaine.</s>ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Fredricka. President Bush believes that a temporary guest worker program will help take pressure off of the nation's borders. He talked about that yesterday in that question and answer session with reporters and the Rose Garden. Now, Mr. Bush flatly rejects the idea that a proposal like this amounts to amnesty. That's because, he says, people would still be required to get to the back of the citizenship line. They would not be able to cut in front, he says. Still, though, he is facing some heated opposition from some members of his own party, some conservative Republicans who vehemently disagree with him. As for the debate itself, Mr. Bush said he does not support boycotts and he again called on all sides to keep the debate civil.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's very important for people, when they do express themselves, they continue to do so in a peaceful way, in a respectful way, respectful of the -- the, you know, how highly charged this debate can become.</s>QUIJANO: Now, the president also reiterated that he wants to see three things included in a comprehensive piece of legislation dealing with illegal immigration. Those include border security, interior enforcement and, of course, the controversial guest worker program -- Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: And, Elaine, what about on the issue which has become rather controversial in this country, this second version of the national anthem, the national anthem in Spanish? The president had some comments about it yesterday.</s>QUIJANO: Well, that's exactly right. The president said that he thinks the national anthem should be sung in English. And he went on to say that he thinks people who come to this country and want to become citizens should learn English. It was an interesting answer because, of course, this is a president who himself has never shied away from trying to speak Spanish. He is a former Texas governor who grew up in west Texas with Hispanics. So he has a lot of empathy for Hispanic immigrants. But clearly here, in answering that way, he let conservatives know he does see boundaries and he feels this is one of them, by saying that the national anthem should be sung in English -- Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House, thank you. New information today about how the government uses the controversial Patriot Act. The Justice Department says it sent out more than 9,000 national security letters seeking information on 3,500 U.S. citizens and legal residents. It's the fact of the matter the Bush administration has revealed how often it uses the subpoena known as the national security letter. The National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program is back in the news. The government is asking a federal court to throw out a lawsuit by phone company customers. The customers say AT&T; violated their rights by cooperating with the surveillance, conducted without a warrant. Justice Department lawyers say a trial could force the disclosure of national security information. CNN's Security Watch keeps you up to date on safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security. Is it divorce or the demolition derby? We'll tell you what happened straight ahead. Also, why is Rush Limbaugh smiling in this police mug shot? And remember when chads were hanging in Florida? Well, we'll have a guest coming up who has found that there are a whole lot of weird and wacky things that happen in the Sunshine State, so much so that he actually has filled a book -- in fact, two books.