New Energy Strategy; 9/11 Revisited
HARRIS: As you fill up at the pump, are you cutting back elsewhere? A CNN poll done by Opinion research Corporation says most of us are. The question: "Have rising gas prices caused financial hardship for you or your family?" Sixty-nine percent say yes, with 23 percent citing severe hardship. Forty-six percent cite moderate hardship. President Bush wants to change those numbers. That's for sure. And just this morning he laid out a strategy. Let's go to the White House now and our Ed Henry. OK, Ed, talk us through this new strategy.</s>ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good afternoon, Tony. You know, the president got an up-close look at what you're talking about with those soaring gas prices. On his way to the speech on energy, ironically enough, he passed the Watergate Hotel here in Washington. Across the street there's an Exxon gas station. They were selling gas for $3.49 per gallon. Democrats point out the average price for a gallon of gas was just about $1.46 when the president took office. In five years it's just about doubled. And amid all this political pressure, the president, as you noted, unveiled a four-point plan today. First of all, he's now launching a federal investigation to take a look at these charges of price gouging by oil companies. And secondly, the president has decided to halt all deposits to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a really dramatic move. He's going to delay those deposits until after the summer, try to increase the supply of gasoline and aid consumers. Take a listen.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our strategic reserve is sufficiently large enough to guard against any major supply disruption over the next few months. So, by deferring deposits until the fall, we'll leave a little more oil on the market. Every little bit helps.</s>HENRY: Now, the president is also promoting better fuel efficiency. He also, in the final point in that four-point plan, is talking about getting energy companies to pony up for more research and development, those hydrogen-powered cars that we heard the president talking about over the weekend on Earth Day. But Democrat Chuck Schumer says there were five words missing from this speech today: get tough on big oil. Democrats say they've been demanding various actions for the president to take over the last five years. They say he hasn't done it until now. They say he's doing it now because he's feeling that political heat, fearful that these high gas prices will fuel a Democratic takeover of Congress in November -- Tony.</s>HARRIS: White House Correspondent Ed Henry. Ed, thank you. The president mentioned the strategic reserve a moment ago. Let's talk about it. The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is the world's largest supply of emergency crude. It was debated for decades but created only after an international crisis. Here's a fact check.</s>HARRIS (voice over): In 1973, oil-producing nations in the Middle East unleashed economic shock waves throughout the U.S. by cutting off oil imports. In the aftermath of that dramatic move, President Gerald Ford signed legislation establishing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The measure calls for a reserve of up to one billion barrels of petroleum. At present, about 700 million barrels are stored in huge underground salt caverns along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. That's enough to guard against any major supply disruption for almost 60 days. Only the president has the authority to withdraw oil from the reserve. And that's happened only twice. President George H. W. Bush did the first time in the aftermath of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The current President Bush did it again after Hurricane Katrina caused massive damage to oil production facilities along the Gulf. Once the president orders a withdrawal, it takes about 13 days for the oil to enter the U.S. market.</s>NGUYEN: The Zacarias Moussaoui trial is still deliberating, but in the court of public opinion, the verdict is in. In a weekend phone poll of about a thousand U.S. adults conducted for CNN by Opinion research Corporation, half said they favor the death penalty for the admitted al Qaeda conspirator, 45 percent think Moussaoui should be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Just five percent said they have no opinion. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus three points. Now, when the official verdict does come, Moussaoui won't face his fate alone. His mother, Aicha El Wafi is due to arrive shortly from France.</s>AICHA EL WAFI, MOUSSAOUI'S MOTHER (through translator): It's not just a moment. This has been going on for four years. But now my life is hell. It's hell, and that's all. Right now I have nothing to say. We have to wait until after the verdict to see what, but for now, I have nothing to say. I feel too much pain to speak.</s>HARRIS: Like the Capulets and the Montagues, families on both sides of the 9/11 tragedies are destined to suffer together. But for people such as Hamilton Peterson, a Virginia courtroom is just one place to revisit the pain. With the release of the film "United 93," movie theaters are another. His father and stepmother were on that plane. Hamilton Peterson joins us from Washington. Hamilton, good to talk to you.</s>HAMILTON PETERSON, LOST DAD & STEPMOM ON FLIGHT 93: Good afternoon, Tony.</s>HARRIS: Let me see if I can set this up and then get your response to it. Zacarias Moussaoui, confessed 9/11 conspirator, death penalty eligible. Do you want to see him put to death?</s>PETERSON: I would like to see him put to death assuming he's given the fullest, fairest trial he can receive. I believe he has received that, and the jury will make that final determination.</s>HARRIS: What would it mean to you to have him put to death?</s>PETERSON: I think it's the appropriate sentence, Tony. Under the statutes, which require him to be put to death if a finding is made, that the aggravating factors balance in favor of death, one of those factors is, did he create grave risk of death to another human being? We've got nearly 3,000 people dead. I think that statutory element has been fully satisfied.</s>HARRIS: He would essentially -- and I know you've thought about this, so I'll ask it. He would essentially be put to death, if that's the way the jury comes back, for his inaction, not telling investigators what he knew. Are you comfortable with that? Clearly, it sounds like you are.</s>PETERSON: Well, Tony, I'd be careful how you characterize it. He has admitted that he was an active part of a criminal conspiracy, which means he was part of a greater role or group of people with an affirmative plan. So, yes, his act of omission was not telling the truth. Telling the truth at the time, he could have prevented that 2,972 horrific death day here in the United States. But clearly, he's responsible.</s>HARRIS: OK. That leads to my next question. How much anger do you reserve even today for the individuals in the various government agencies who for whatever reason didn't communicate to one another in a way that might have prevented this plot from being carried out?</s>PETERSON: Well, certainly, there is severe disappointment, Tony. One fact remains. Whether it's the government or business, they both recruit from the human race. And as a result, there are many honorable, desirable, and I believe most government employees fulfill that description. And there are others who satisfy the other side of the coin.</s>HARRIS: You've seen this movie, "United 93". It opens up at the Tribeca Film Festival, I believe, in New York this evening. What's your opinion of it?</s>PETERSON: Tony, I had the opportunity to see it two weeks ago. Universal has been extremely generous with the families of Flight 93. As you may be aware, we are in the process of building a memorial at the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The families have already raised in excess of $7.5 million. Universal is giving to the families 10 percent of the gross of the three-day premier weekend. And that is a very generous offering. And I would encourage everyone to see the movie this weekend if they can fit it in. Tony, I would just like to share with us our Web site.</s>HARRIS: Sure.</s>PETERSON: If any your viewers are inclined to get additional information, www.honorflight93.org provides a tremendous amount of information relative to our memorial effort. And again, I encourage your viewers to visit that site.</s>HARRIS: I certainly appreciate that the studio is making such a donation. I have to ask you, though, does this feel in any way exploitive to you? This is a movie studio that is making a movie to make money. Does it in any way feel too soon for you?</s>PETERSON: Tony, you've asked a very fair question. And, frankly, my perspective on Hollywood is that I prefer how they treated the American causes back in World War II. However, if your question is, is this an exploitation of our loved ones, I believe absolutely not and that's because this is an accurate depiction of what occurred on Flight 93 on 9/11. Just like "Schindler's List" has produced a very horrific recounting or replication of the Holocaust, this is a message which must be carried forward. I can't think of a better medium that a well-resourced, blockbuster movie. Universal has certainly stepped up to the plate.</s>HARRIS: Hamilton, thanks for your time.</s>PETERSON: Thank you.</s>HARRIS: I really appreciate it. It's a good conversation. I really do appreciate it. Hamilton Peterson, thank you.</s>NGUYEN: Well, in other news, many of us remember pranks at the end of the school year. These days though, we're hearing more about the end of the year plots to kill. Coming up, LIVE FROM explores the reasons behind this violence.