[Betty Nguyen, Cnn Anchor, Cnn Live Sunday:] If you think you are paying more each day at the pump, you are right. Gas prices are going through the roof. We'll take a look at the latest numbers and see if there's any relief in sight. And the power of one. How one woman's campaign to support Americans in Iraq started a movement. Now hundreds of people are involved, and they are doing some amazing things to support the troops. That story is just ahead. Nebraska is reeling from a rash of tornadoes that have ravaged the southern part of the state. Twisters capped two days of severe weather that caused damage and left hundreds of thousands of people without power. From the upper plain states to West Virginia. Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns has declared a state of emergency. The small village of Hallam took the worst punishment. The winds destroyed or damaged every home there, and killed a 73-year-old woman. All 276 residents had to evacuate. Let's find out if the folks in the region are getting any relief from the storms. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in the CNN weather center. Jackie, it's been a rough few days.
[Jacqui Jeras, Cnn Meteorologist:] Yes, it really has been. In fact yesterday, the most active tornado day of 2004, but we're still counting the numbers. These are preliminary tornado reports from yesterday, 85 total most of which happened in Nebraska and in Iowa. But the thing to keep in mind as you take a look at these numbers, these are just reports of tornadoes. So it could have been the same tornado spotted in a different town or a different county as it tracked along. So 40, not the actual number of tornadoes. Probably about half of that is what we're expecting. Now there is more active and severe weather going on right now. We just have word of a couple of new tornado warnings which are in effect. I hope I'm saying this right. I'm guessing Genesee County in Southeastern Michigan, and this includes the town of Flint. Doppler radar indicating a tornado there near Flushing, 12 miles west of Flint, moving eastward. If you live in Flint Michigan in that area, you want to be taking cover right now. Get to the lowest level of your home. Get to the basement if you have one, away from doors and windows. Wait until your sirens go off. Wait until the storm passes. Very dangerous situation shaping up right now in right now in Flint. We also have tornado warnings-both of these also in Michigan for Livingston County and also, Shiawassee county in southeastern Michigan until 6:30 local time. This is the same storm system that produced the tornadoes yesterday across Iowa, and into Nebraska. We have a particularly dangerous situation labeled for the storm prediction center for this tornado watch. Very strong cell here. South of I-70 the tracking on off to the east. Probably going to see a lot of large hail and damaging winds, maybe 60, 70 miles per hour out of that particular thunderstorm cell. We have a severe thunderstorm watch as the frontal system lifts up to the north including New York City until 10:00 tonight and a brand new tornado watch, a different system all together, Betty, believe it or not. Including Rapid City. This one in effect until about 10:00 local time. So while one severe storm system progresses off to the east, we've got a new one, and it's going to be a very active start of the next week, as well.
[Nguyen:] All right, Jacqui Jeras, staying on top of it. Thank you. You'll find full coverage of the deadly tornadoes in Nebraska. National weather maps and your hometown forecast at our website, cnn.com. Before the U.S. invaded Iraq Ahmed Chalabi was thought to be one of America's biggest assets. Now many Washington insiders say he's become a huge liability and even accuse him of spying for Iran. Today, the former Iraqi exile spoke out in his own defense. CNN's Elaine Quijano has more.
[Elaine Quijano, Cnn Correspondent:] Iraqi governing council member Ahmed Chalabi once a favorite of the Pentagon denied that he spied for Iran.
[Ahmed Chalabi:] We never provided any classified information from the U.S. to Iran. And neither I nor anyone in the INC. And that was a charge being put out by George Tenet.
[Quijano:] Chalabi says he's a victim of a CIA smear campaign, and he wants a hearing before congress to clear his name. But judging by the reaction of senior lawmakers, congress will be a hostile audience.
[Sen. Dianne Feinstein  Intelligence Cmte:] I think he's a Charlatan, I think he's manipulator. I don't believe he's a man that you can trust.
[Sen. Chuck Hagel,  Intelligence Cmte:] What we have here is a guy who has a record like we all do. And that record has not turned out very well. Trouble has followed him everywhere he's been.
[Quijano:] Chalabi heads up the dissident Iraqi National Congress which advocated war to oust Saddam Hussein, helped gather intelligence for the U.S., and until this month, was on the U.S.'s payroll receiving more than $30 million in all. SEN. PAT ROBERTS, [R-KA] ARMED SERVICES CMTE There is a school of thought, especially by the CIA, that Mr. Chalabi's intelligence input was not that good. And that's probably an understatement. As for Chalabi's request for congressional hearings to clear his name, a Democratic member of the Senate Intelligence Committee said why bother? It's not clear to me that Mr. Chalabi speaks for anybody other than Mr. Chalabi right now. I don't know if you have a congressional hearing just to give a platform to one individual to sort of speak out. Neither the White House nor the Pentagon will comment on Ahmed Chalabi's credibility. When asked last week, a White House spokesman said it was not the president's place to weigh in on who the future leaders of Iraq should be. Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.
[Nguyen:] President Bush will be weighing in on the future of the U.S. role in Iraq tomorrow night. He'll address the American public in a speech at the Army War College in Pennsylvania. It's expected to be a first in a series. Our Dana Bash previews what the President needs to accomplish and how he hopes to do it.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Correspondent:] President Bush arriving in Connecticut for day two of private weekend celebrations for his college-graduating daughters. He was also reviewing drafts of Monday night's speech the White House is counting on to turn around growing concern about the mission in Iraq, and sinking support for Mr. Bush as a leader. Recently, the president has struck a defiant tone.
[George W. Bush, President, United States:] The world watches for weakness in our resolve. They will see no weakness.
[Bash:] But on the eve of the speech, calls from both sides of the aisle to go light on the platitudes, heavy on specifics and candor.
[Feinstein:] People are going to want hard answers. We have gone on now with the sense of, we will stay the course for to long. We need to know precisely what that course is.
[Newt Gingrich, Former House Speaker:] When he says let's stay the course,
[Bash:] Bush sources say he will detail a series of steps for the transfer of power to Iraqis June 30, and the U.S. role beyond that date. The President will use the primetime address to lay out plans for an interim government set to take over in just five weeks, though he'll give no names. While the President talks of democracy, a key Bush ally set lower standards.
[Rep. Duncan Hunter,  Armed Service:] The nation that has a modicum of freedom for it's people, basic freedoms for it's people, and is benign with respect to its relationship with the United States.
[Bash:] Aides say the President will unveil new information about the command structure for the U.S. military as part of a multinational force. But negotiations continue with countries like Germany and France who want to see the U.S. set an exit date. One Republican said the President is too isolated, and should learn from the mistakes of his Iraq policy.
[Hagel:] To essentially hold himself hostage, to two or three key advisors and never reach beyond that is very dangerous for a President.
[Nguyen:] Dana, this speech tomorrow night is the first in a series. What will the others focus on?
[Bash:] Well, what Bush officials say is that the President will continue to speak out. Obviously we've been talking about tomorrow night. We're going to hear from the President when he talks at the dedication of a World War II memorial later this week. The following week, he'll be talking at an Air Force academy commencement. All of those speeches will be sort of platforms for the President to give new details as they emerge about the plans. There won't be maybe a lot of specifics tomorrow night, but as the President gets more plans, he will be offering them in the speeches. But it's really about continuing to try to lower the level of concern in America. As all part of a broader public relations effort to try to turn around really the sinking support for the President on the Iraq policy.
[Nguyen:] A lot of questions to be answered. CNN's Dana Bash, thank you. Well, a penny a day. That's how much the already record price of gasoline has gone up over the last two weeks. The Lundberg survey shows the average price at the pump in the U.S. has shot up 14 cents in as many days to $2.07 a gallon. CNN's Miguel Marquez is watching the price pick up at the gas station in Burbank, California. Miguel, prices just keep going up, it seems.
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, it's really no fun, is it, Betty? The city with the highest average gasoline prices is San Diego. The lowest, Charleston, South Carolina all the way across the continent. We are at a Costco where this is pretty much normal fare for a Sunday. And the reason that they're coming here, is because gas prices are probably cheaper here than just about anywhere in Los Angeles. Where you can find gas prices are about $2.70 a gallon typically. The cheap stuff is $2.26 and that has people rethinking the cars they drive.
[Marquez:] This Toyota dealership sells more alternative fuel vehicles than any other in the country. The reason, pretty obvious.
[Unidentified Female:] I drive a Jeep Cherokee and I spent about $80 a week in gas.
[Marquez:] Californians, used to higher gas prices than the rest of the U.S. are beginning to balk at prices making a run at $3.00 a gallon. Nowhere has the effect been more immediate than the car lot.
[Unidentified Male:] Our large SUV's have the percentage of vehicles sold is declining.
[Marquez:] And that trend may be playing out nationwide. Auto Data, a company that tracks vehicle sales says in April consumers bought fewer large SUVs like the Ford Explorers, Chevy Suburban, and Hummer H2. While it's still not clear if high gas prices are driving SUV sales down, pricing petroleum is driving interest in hybrids up. How many of these could you sell if you could?
[Chris Abrahms,toyota Sales Manager:] We could use another 2 or 300 right now. Today.
[Marquez:] Marketing firm J.D. Power estimates the next few years, up to 20 models of hybrid will be on U.S. roads. In yearly sales will hit half million vehicles. That's ten time what's they are now. Some consumers considering buying a hybrid say it's not just that gas prices are high, it's that they expect them to stay high.
[Unidentified Male:] They're not going to go down below $2. Probably only go up. And, yes, $3, $4. It seems likely.
[Marquez:] So, what does the future hold for gas prices? Well, even though the OPEC has indicated that it's going to raise production by 28 percent starting in a month, Trilby Lundberg with the Lundberg Report that studies the gas industry says that because it's a summer months, where Americans travel more, they're reformulating the gasoline for the summer months to bring down the smog and the economy is picking up, all that may negate any production increase that OPEC does. So it looks like high prices may be here to stay.
[Nguyen:] And while the hybrid market is doing great, how worried are carmakers? Especially those making the SUVs?
[Marquez:] Well, I think there is concern, although Ford has a new hybrid coming on later this year. Toyota has another model coming on Acura or Honda has another model coming on. So it looks like they are just ready to make the switch as soon as consumers are Betty.
[Nguyen:] All right. Miguel Marquez in Burbank California, thank you. Imagine this, if every home in your town were leveled or at least damaged by a tornado. That's what happened in Hallam, Nebraska. Reporter Brandi Peterson of affiliate KETV is there live. What can you tell us about the situation?
[Brandi Peterson, Ketv:] well, I'm here in Hallam, Nebraska right now. It's about 20 miles south of our capital of Lincoln. This is just one of a dozen towns in Nebraska that have been devastated by last night's storms. As you can see, every house or structure that was in this twister's path was flattened. There's pile after pile of rubble laying where houses sat yesterday, and many of the houses that are still standing have broken windows, torn off roofs and exposed beams or planks just jutting out of the sides. Now as we arrived here this morning, we saw hundreds of people were streaming in here trying to get back into the town and find out if their house was still standing. Or what happened to their belongings. Many of the people we talked to said they're so overwhelmed right now. They don't know where to turn or what to expect next. We do have one confirmed death. She's a 73-year-old woman. At least 37 people we know of are injured. Governor Mike Johanns has declared a state of emergency for the area. No word yet on dollar damages for Hallam or any of the other towns affected by this storm.
[Nguyen:] Brandi if we look at those pictures behind you, it is just amazing that all the destruction that we see in the town. You say every house is flattened. What's being done for those folks who live there? What kind of shelters are set up?
[Peterson:] Well I tell you what, right after the storm happened last night, Halem residents were bused to Lincoln, where there was a shelter set up. They could reunite there and make sure all of their family members were together and OK, and that seemed to work really well. Today, the American Red Cross has come in. There are stations set up here and at several other towns in the area. Hundreds of volunteers have really come together and that's the one good thing. Many of the towns are small and they are devastated by this. But being small, they all come together and help each other when things like this happen.
[Nguyen:] All right. Brandi Peterson of affiliate KETV, thank you. We showed you pictures of a funnel cloud earlier in the show. Coming up later, we're going to talk to the man who shot this picture and ask him what was he thinking?
[Unidentified Female:] It's a legacy for us. It's a painful legacy. It has a lot of risk in it. It has a lot of fear in it.
[Nguyen:] Are your genes against you? Could you lose your health coverage if your DNA were tested for cancer? Plus a little later, you've heard of soccer moms and NASCAR dads, but who are the Lipstick Liberals? Why don't they vote? The answers might surprise you. Stay tuned.