La. Flood Deaths: Criminal Case

Owners Of Nursing Home Where 34 Died Are Arrested

(CBS/AP) 

Mississippi landlords were being told strongly that they can't evict people just to rent to someone else for more money, reports CBS News Correspondent Lee Frank. With tens of thousands of people having no place left to live, county judges are trying to make sure renters are not pushed out.

The port of New Orleans expected the arrival late Tuesday of its first cargo ship since the hurricane, and at least three more ships by week's end, said Gary LaGrange, port president and chief executive. The arriving ship was carrying up to 500 containers of coffee and wood products from Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, LaGrange said.

Mr. Bush's admission comes just days after accusing the news media and critics of the administration storm response of "playing the blame game," reports CBS News White House Correspondent Peter Maer.

"I want to know what went right and what went wrong," the president said. "I want to know how to better cooperate with state and local government, to be able to answer that very question that you asked, 'Are we capable of dealing with a severe attack or another severe storm?'"

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the relief operation was entering a new phase.

Initially, he said, the most important priority was evacuating people, getting them to safety, providing food, water and medical care.

"Now we have to reconstitute the communities that have been devastated," Chertoff added.

He said the federal government would look increasingly to state and local officials for guidance on rebuilding the devastated communities along the Gulf Coast.

"The federal government can't drive permanent solutions down the throats of state and local officials," Chertoff said. "I don't think anyone should envision a situation in which they're going to take a back seat. They're going to take a front seat," he said.

Chertoff said that teams of federal auditors were being dispatched to the stricken areas to make sure that billions of dollars worth of government contracts were being properly spent.

"We want to get aid to the people who need it quickly ... but we have a responsibility as stewards of the public money," Chertoff said.

"We're going to cut through red tape," he said, "but we're not going to cut through laws and rules that govern ethics."

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©MMV CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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