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Campaigning in Selma; Georgia Tornados
Aired March 04, 2007 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. You're in the NEWSROOM.
First this hour, the scene in Selma, Alabama, 42 years ago.
Voting rights marchers beaten by police as they try to cross this Edmund Pettus Bridge. Flash forward now to today. And that bridge is the backdrop for another battle, a political one.
Two top Democratic presidential candidates are in Selma to mark that 1965 protest with a ceremonial march and two emotional campaign speeches at churches just yards apart.
Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama facing off and delivering decidedly similar messages to a critical Democratic voting block.
Joining us live from Selma, CNN's Mary Snow - Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT, SELMA, ALABAMA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Fredricka (ph). And many here are saying that today is also an historic day to have two Democratic presidential candidates here in Selma on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
You can see behind me there are crowds gathered around a stage where former President Bill Clinton is going to be getting an award. He's being inducted into the Voting Rights Hall of Fame.
Now, this follows a march that just took place. And this march was unusual in that Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, former President Clinton all in the same line.
Although Senator Obama and Senator Clinton were not side-by-side, but certainly so much focus on how they would interact coming face-to- face for the first time since they announced that they were seeking the Democratic nomination.
Earlier today there was a time for prayers. It's been a day about prayers and politics.
And both senators - simultaneously, really - delivered messages in separate churches. Senator Obama speaking about the new generation of civil rights leaders. And he seemed to answer the critics who say that he does not have roots in the civil rights movement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BARACK OBAMA, D-ILLINOIS, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Alabama. Don't tell me I'm not coming home when I come to Selma, Alabama.
(APPLAUSE)
I'm here because somebody marched for our freedom.
(APPLAUSE)
I'm here because y'all sacrificed for me.
(APPLAUSE)
I stand on the shoulders of giants.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And just around the same time, not far from the church where Senator Obama was speaking, Senator Clinton appealed to a crowd, and she tied together the anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the fight for voting rights, saying that the roots of Selma take hold today in presidential politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, D-NEW YORK, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Voting Rights Act gave more Americans from every corner of our nation the chance to live out their dreams. And it is the gift that keeps on giving.
Today, it is giving Senator Obama the chance to run president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
And by its logic and spirit, it is giving the same chance to Governor Bill Richardson, a Hispanic. And, yes, it is giving me that chance, too.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And, of course, the focus so much on both candidates courting the all-important African-American vote. So many people here today say they are really torn between these two candidates, but applaud the fact that they say they have a choice to make - Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And you can tell how people are torn, because even while Senator Barack Obama was speaking, he had in the audience there Reverend Joseph Lowery, Reverend Jackson.
And then at the induction there for President Clinton, where Mrs. Clinton is also in attendance, again you've got Reverend Joseph Lowery, as well as John Lewis.
So everyone's having a difficult time making choices here, by saying they're both extraordinary candidates. Those are the words, at least, that Congressman Lewis used.
SNOW: Absolutely. And when you talk to people in the crowd, that is what they are saying. Even people I talked to earlier today who had to decide which church service to go to, they said they were very torn about which one to go to.
So, there's certainly a lot of conflicting feelings among a number of people I spoke with today.
But as for Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, they were very cordial to one another, had nice things to say right before the march, addressing one another. So, that was one other element that people were curious to see how that would play out, as well.
WHITFIELD: And Mary, we understand President Clinton is speaking right now. Let's listen in a little bit of what he has to say.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All the good speaking has been done by Hillary and Senator Obama today already. I'm just sort of bringing up the rear.
(APPLAUSE)
But I want to say something, seriously. I basically don't think former presidents should get any awards, because the job was honor enough.
But I am honored to be here with you, because of the price that our forbearers paid walking over this bridge and going to Montgomery, and what it did for America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!
BILL CLINTON: I said here in 2000, that if it hadn't been for Selma, there would have been no Voting Rights Act. And if it hadn't been for the Voting Rights Act, the South would have never recovered and two white Southerners, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, never could have become presidents of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
And we see the opportunities struck in that long-ago year of 42 years ago, 1965, is still going. The circle is widening.
John Lewis brought a delegation of House members down here today, and Representative Davis did. And they included Congressman Keith Ellison from Minnesota, the first Muslim American member of the United States Congress. And we're proud of that.
(APPLAUSE)
We have an Hispanic American governor, Bill Richardson, who was in my Cabinet, running for president.
(APPLAUSE)
Because of the promise of the Voting Rights Act, we have Senator Obama running of president, because of the promise of the Voting Rights Act.
(APPLAUSE)
And we have the junior senator from New York running for president, because of the promise of the Voting Rights Act.
(APPLAUSE)
So, it was a gift that was given to us. But what I want to say to you is, I'm happy today. It's beautiful. It's sunshiny. I'd be happy in Selma any day.
(LAUGHTER)
But I was thinking as I was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) streets of Selma ...
WHITFIELD: We apologize for missing that signal there. When we get it reestablished, which I think is now, let's go back to it.
BILL CLINTON: ... still here. And Ralph Abernathy was still here. And Jose Williams (ph), who has passed on, along with Coretta, since we did this together the last time in 2000.
We walked across the bridge in red Converse tennis shoes. I never will forget that.
(LAUGHTER)
And everyone was here, and it was 42 years ago. But today - that is, if they were (UNINTELLIGIBLE) if John Lewis were the same age today he was 42 years ago, they wouldn't be looking back, they would be looking forward.
We always talk about the gift that we were given by (UNINTELLIGIBLE) price for the Voting Rights Act. I would like to ask you to think about he responsibility we were given by them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right!
BILL CLINTON: When somebody gives you a right you didn't have before, they impose a responsibility.
Now, it's been a great gift. We've got all these people running for president who couldn't run for president 40 years ago.
And isn't it a high-class problem?
Now (UNINTELLIGIBLE) thinking that we've got to vote against half of the people on the ballot. We can actually think about who we wish to be for. We like them all. Isn't that good?
(APPLAUSE)
That's a high-class problem.
But that's our gift. What about our responsibility?
I would argue to you, that as long as there's a vacant storefront on the streets of Selma, we haven't fulfilled our responsibility.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right!
BILL CLINTON: As long as there are tens of thousands of people who are victims of Katrina living in house trailers ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes!
BILL CLINTON: ... and nobody's gotten their houses built, we haven't fulfilled our responsibility.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right!
(APPLAUSE)
BILL CLINTON: And ...
WHITFIELD: Former President Bill Clinton there making a first- time campaign appearance with his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, who, along with Senator Barack Obama, campaigning there in Selma, Alabama.
Well, coming up later on in the NEWSROOM, we'll be talking to Democratic strategist Morris Reid. He'll be talking to us about how Clinton and Obama are differentiating themselves this early in this stage, in this Democratic presidential race.
Meantime, on the Republican front, a group of conservative activists throws its support to a presidential candidate not exactly considered a favorite of the right. Former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, unexpectedly won a straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.
Twenty-one percent of those attending said they'd support him for the 2008 Republican nomination, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani second. And Senator John McCain, who chose not to appear at the conference, finished fifth with 12 percent.
And now to Michigan - a gruesome story.
A woman is dead, her body found dismembered. Now her husband is under arrest and the couple's two children, at last word are unaware of their loss.
Early this morning, authorities in northern Michigan arrested 37- year-old Stephen Grant on charges of murder, disinterment and mutilation. On Friday, Grant fled suburban Detroit and ended up driving more than 200 miles after authorities served a warrant to search the family's home.
In the Grants' garage, investigators found a human torso, apparently that of Tara Lynn Grant, missing since February 9th. Other body parts were found in a nearby park. They, too, are believed to belong to the victim.
Authorities say a barefoot Stephen Grant was captured around dawn, hoisted aboard a Coast Guard helicopter and taken straight to the hospital, suffering from hypothermia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF PETER WALLIN, EMMET COUNTY, MICHIGAN: I don't think he probably could have made it much longer in those kind of conditions at 14 degrees. And plus, when sunrise comes, it gets a lot colder. I wouldn't want to be out there unless I was dressed for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The Grants' children, a girl aged six and a boy aged four. They are reportedly in the care of their paternal aunt and uncle.
A freeway design flaw may be partly to blame for a fatal bus crash in Atlanta. That's the word from federal investigators probing the charter bus accident, which killed four college baseball players, the bus driver and his wife on Friday.
Having a left-hand exit ramp, like this one off Interstate 75, is rare. A number of accidents have apparently happened at that intersection. NTSB officials suspect the bus driver was unaware that he had left the interstate at all. There's no indication he tried to stop the bus before it went off the overpass.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KITTY HIGGINS, NTSB BOARD MEMBER: Unfortunately, the bus was not equipped with an event data recorder, so we will not have as much data as we had hoped.
We will continue to examine the bus for any other electronic data devices that might give us additional information. We'll be looking for electronic data that might be provided by the engine and also the transmission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: In about 15 minutes from now, emotional reflections from two survivors of that tragic crash. We'll hear from the Rathman (ph) brothers. Both were on the bus when it went off the overpass.
Former Senator Thomas Eagleton will be remembered for more than just a footnote in the 1972 race for the White House. Coming up in the NEWSROOM, the legacy of a former vice presidential candidate.
Plus, perhaps the most disturbing video you'll see all day. These are toddlers. And they're smoking pot. And how they got that pot will surprise you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Now to another story of survival in Georgia, this one in the town of Americus. Residents are relying on their faith in the wake of deadly twisters that swept through the area.
And one father's worst nightmare turned into his happiest moment after all. The incredible survivor story from our Allan Chernoff.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICUS, GEORGIA: It could have been the worst day of Tony Morris' life.
His daughter, Jaime, was working Thursday night, selling apparel at Cato Fashions, a store that is now mostly rubble. Tony had planned to pick Jaime up at closing time to bring her home.
As the storm rapidly approached, 18-year-old Jaime called her dad and told him it was too dangerous to drive. She would take cover at the shop.
TONY MORRIS, FATHER OF TORNADO SURVIVOR: She called me and said not to come. She said, just wait.
CHERNOFF: The tornado passed quickly, doing no damage to the Morris home.
TONY MORRIS: About 10 minutes or so later, she still hadn't called, so I thought I'd try to call her. And tried to call her. No answer.
CHERNOFF: So, Tony drove to the strip mall and found this.
TONY MORRIS: When I saw the devastation, I was just crushed. I knew she was dead. I just - everything was destroyed, and there was no way that anybody could live through that.
CHERNOFF: Police and firemen were already on the scene searching for the nearby supermarket.
JAIME MORRIS, TORNADO SURVIVOR: We were over here.
CHERNOFF: Jaime and her manager took cover here in the bathroom in the back of the store - a decision that saved their lives.
JAIME MORRIS: We were right here kneeling down on the floor, and we were praying. We had our heads covered.
As soon as we got in here, I just said, "We've got to pray." And so, we started praying. And Vicki (ph) joined in with me, and we were praying - praying, I guess, loud enough that we couldn't hear what was happening with the storm, because we never heard it, just never heard it.
CHERNOFF: You didn't hear the wind?
JAIME MORRIS: No. Never heard it.
CHERNOFF: On the other side of the wall, the tornado had trashed Cato Fashions into a mangled pile of roofing, insulation, pipes and ruined clothing.
Jaime and her manager remained in the back, too fearful to leave.
JAIME MORRIS: Then we could hear people start talking to us and starting yelling, "Are you OK?"
And we had been yelling for a long time, "We're in here! We're all right!"
CHERNOFF: A search team went to the back and found the spot where Jaime was waiting was virtually untouched. Tony, a minister, believes now more than ever before in miracles.
TONY MORRIS: I didn't know that she was really safe until they actually came walking around the building. And I saw her over there with them then.
CHERNOFF: Biggest relief of your life.
TONY MORRIS: Oh, it was awesome. It was awesome.
We got a big hug, and just really, really proud to see them good - without a scratch. That was the biggest miracle. They didn't even have a scratch on their heads.
CHERNOFF: The Morris family, grateful and amazed to be reunited.
So, you look at your store here. I mean, what do you think?
JAIME MORRIS: I think I need a job!
It's amazing. It's really amazing. I can't believe that we survived this.
CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN, Americus, Georgia.
(END VIDEO)
WHITFIELD: And here, too, are some amazing but really disgusting pictures for you of a two-year-old and a five-year-old, apparently smoking marijuana. And you won't believe who is accused of giving it to them. That's straight ahead.
Also, avalanches and those concerned out West. We've got the very latest.
And right here in the NEWSROOM, there's our Rick Sanchez and the rest of the team getting ready for what's ahead in the NEWSROOM. He'll be joining us in a few minutes to tell us what to expect.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) anybody (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Your (UNINTELLIGIBLE), baby. Your turn, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your turn, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your turn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, this is in that hard-to-believe kind of category.
Two brothers - one, two years old, the other, five - supposedly smoking a marijuana cigar. And this taking place in a Dallas suburb. It was allegedly given to them, the cigar, by their 17-year-old uncle and his 18-year-old friend, both of whom now face third degree felony charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF BRUCE URE, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY, WATAUGA POLICE DEPARTMENT: I've never seen anything like this. It's quite, quite - so disturbing.
Our children count on us to protect them. These individuals did everything but protect those children. They have scarred them, and it's just - it's absolutely horrific.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Watauga police chief, Bruce Ure, says both of the children have been turned over to child protective services. Police found the videotape while serving a search warrant at the home.
And here's another instance where video helps make and break a criminal case.
This home surveillance tape released by Los Angeles police to local media shows a home invasion in progress. The suspect swiped a trio of Yorkshire terrier pups. Airing the tape on TV brought in a torrent of tips, including the father of one of the suspects, who confronted his son.
The son turned himself in, and all but one of the pups had a happy reunion yesterday with their owners. Police believe the thieves didn't even intend to sell the dogs, but rather give them away as gifts.
Well, concern on the mountains of Utah today. Avalanche warnings are posted in the high back country.
Northern Utah recently received some heavy snow. And that, coupled with strong winds, spelled danger on the steep slopes. Just take a look.
Large avalanches have sent tons of snow tumbling down the mountainside for the past two days.
The snowboarder on this mountain was lucky - that one right there. He survived, but others are not always so lucky.
Let's check in with our ...
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Incredible video.
WHITFIELD: Isn't that crazy?
SCHNEIDER: He actually triggered the avalanche, and then he came back up and he was on his board again. So, maybe it looks exciting, but you don't want to try that at all, especially not today for (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Well, one thing, he is a good snowboarder.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Give him that. But that was pretty remarkable.
SCHNEIDER: It sure it.
Now, the reason a lot of snowboarders and skiers like the back country is because it's very quiet, you don't have a lot of skiers there and it's free to use.
The problem is, today it's a dangerous place to be, even though the sun is shining and the winds aren't too bad. What's been happening across much of the region is, we've been seeing a lot of conditions kind of working together to bring us the threat for an avalanche across this region into the mountains of the Wasatch area.
You can see here highlighted in blue, this is where the avalanche advisory is in place. And it's in a very popular area near Salt Lake City, Park City, down through Provo in Utah.
Let's take a look at some of the factors that are creating this avalanche danger. It has to do with the way the snow pattern has been emerging over the past few months.
We had light snow in December and January, but then heavy snow, 100 inches of snow in February.
When you have light snow to start off, it doesn't allow enough time for the snow to really bond with the ground and create a strong snow pack, or base. And that's why, when you get the heavy snow on top of a weak snow pack, it creates an avalanche danger situation.
Specifically, this morning, temperatures are about 20 to 25 degrees warmer than they were yesterday, so that allows some melting and some loosening of the snow. And this is courtesy of avalanche.org. You can get more information on that there, as well.
So this advisory is in effect for today. Hopefully, it will expire for tomorrow and we can enjoy some good skiing.
WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Bonnie.
Well, perhaps you're looking for a way to help pay for your five- year-old's education.
(UNINTELLIGIBLE). Try getting the attention of singer Mary J. Blige. No, that's not her, but that little girl has got Mary J. Blige's attention. It's one of those stories that will make you go "aaw," coming up in the NEWSROOM.
Plus, FEMA gives some Katrina evacuees 48 hours to get out of their trailer homes. We'll have details on the relocation.
And CNN's Soledad O'Brien takes home a rather special honor. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.
But first, new passport regulations could change your travel routines. That's the topic of today's "On The Go."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY ZIFF, TRAVELOCITY: The new rule will mean that kids under the age of 18 can travel with their parents and get in with a copy of their birth certificate.
And if children the ages of 16 to 18 are traveling with, say, a religious group, a social group, a school group - something like that - they'll be able to get into the country from Canada or Mexico, the Caribbean, as well, with just their copy of their birth certificate. And that is by land or by sea.
Air travel, everybody needs a passport. That's really important to emphasize. If you're cruising or if you're driving, you don't need a passport until January 1, 2008.
For people who have any questions on how to get a passport, where to get a passport, if they want an expedited passport, renewal questions, anything like that, they can go to www.getapassport.com. It has all of the answers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA: I'm here because somebody marched. HILLARY CLINTON: Nobody told me that the road would be easy.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The fight for black votes heats up on a legendary civil rights battlefield. Plus, we remember Thomas Eagleton for more than just his forced withdrawal from the 1972 presidential race. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Many of the friends and family of Bluffton University's baseball team who came to Atlanta after Friday's terrible accident are making their way back home now. But plenty of questions remain unanswered regarding the deadly wreck of the teams' tour bus. NTSB investigators say the highway exit ramp in question has been -- has seen its fair share of accidents. Six people in all died in this accident. Eight more remain hospitalized after the bus plunged from the interstate overpass. CNN's Nicole Lapin has eyewitness accounts from the survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
A.J. RAMTHUN, BUS CRASH SURVIVOR: I asked questions "why not me?" I was closer to the window. I was in a more vulnerable spot. Why did it not happen to me? And yet, I'm thankful that it didn't.
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN INTERNET REPORTER (voice-over): A.J. Ramthun was sitting right next to Cody Holp on the bus, one of his best friends, one of the four players who died.
RAMTHUN: I'm very confused. I lost one of my best friends, I lost four of my best friends, four of my teammates. But yet, my brother and I survived. The rest of my teammates are as far as I know alive, we're all walking but it's horrible. I don't know how to feel.
LAPIN: His brother, Mike, still in the hospital. The bus literally landed on his leg. Not only that, he didn't even know if A.J. made it out.
MIKE RAMTHUN: I was so scared. He came around that corner and I saw him all beat up and I'm here. And he was walking. I was so happy and I just gave him a big hug. And I just said -- we're going to be all right.
LAPIN: One family, the Ramthuns, two kids on the same team. One in the hospital, one walked away with cuts and bruises. Both are going to be ok. And yet, it's a bittersweet celebration for the kids and for their parents.
GREG RAMTHUN, MIKE AND A.J.'S FATHER: I drove home thinking oh man, how bad is this and then you know, your mind wanders and -- are my kids ok, are they dead? I was scared to death. I cried all the way home.
MIKE RAMTHUN: I was laying there, it was dark, couldn't see a whole lot. The first thing I saw was, you know, where's A.J. and I need to get a hold of my family right away. And tell them that, you know, we were in a wreck because I figured it would be on TV. That bad of a wreck and just tell them I was ok.
LAPIN (on camera): Well that family is going to be ok but there were other families that weren't so lucky. After all, these are boys, these are athletes. They are taught not to cry. And as you just saw, it finally hit them. Nicole Lapin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Air Tran Airways flight which had many of the Bluffton University families on board was set to arrive last hour in Toledo, Ohio. As we said, eight of the accident victims remain in Atlanta area hospitals tonight.
And as we have been reporting, presidential politics mixed today with a major civil rights anniversary. Democratic candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama spoke less than a block apart this afternoon in Selma, Alabama. They were helping mark the 42nd anniversary of bloody Sunday, March 7th, 1965, when civil rights marchers were beaten and tear gassed by police while trying to cross the Edmund Pettis Bridge. And to some, their presence, these two candidates also showed the intense competition for the African- American vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today it is giving Senator Obama the chance to run for president of the United States. And by its logic and spirit, it is giving the same chance to Governor Bill Richardson, a Hispanic. And, yes, it is giving me that chance, too.
[ applause ]
You know, this may be interesting for the legislators who are here but before Selma and the voting rights act, put equality front and center, it was illegal under Alabama law for women to serve on juries. I know where my chance came from and I am grateful to all of you who gave it to me.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Kennedy's decided we're going to do an airlift, we're going to go out to Africa and we're going to start bringing young Africans over to this country and give them scholarships to study. So that they can learn what a wonderful country America is. And this young man named Barack Obama got one of those tickets and came over to this country. And he met this woman whose great, great, great grandfather had owned slaves but she had a different idea. There is some good craziness because they looked at each other and they decided we know that in the world as it has been, it might not be possible for us to get together and have a child. But something stirred across the country because of what happened in Selma, Alabama, because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. And so they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born. So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Alabama. Don't tell me I'm not coming home when I come to Selma, Alabama. I'm here because somebody marched for our freedom. I'm here because you all sacrificed for me. I stand on the shoulders of that. (END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Let's talk about how these two appearances in Selma today as Senators Clinton and Obama just might influence the Democratic race. Democratic strategist Morris Reid with us now from Washington. So we heard some pretty powerful statements coming from both, didn't we, today? Both of them saying this is who I am. And this is why I'm here.
MORRIS REID, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Terrific day for both candidates. I thought that Hillary looked great. Her speech was awesome. I think she probably gave the better of the two speeches, believe it or not.
WHITFIELD: Why is that?
REID: And I thought it was clever the way she not only was able to work Obama into her speech and Richardson but to tie it back to her was very clever. So I thought she looked good and I thought her delivery was excellent. But Barack did a heck of a job as well. I think that there were a lot of questions about his blackness and he did an effective job of telling his story and connecting it to the African-American experience. Both had a pretty good day.
WHITFIELD: So while both had very similar speeches in terms of content, clearly stylistically, they are very different. So how might they appeal to the voting constituency out there? What is it that might separate them?
REID: Well, I think that Barack's challenge is a bit different than Hillary's because he has the burden if you will of being an African-American and not trying to appeal only to African-Americans. We saw that that didn't work with Al Sharpton. If you have 90 percent of the black vote, you still don't get to be president. So he really has to reinforce the message that he is an African-American and understands that experience, but to really relate to the rest of America. Hilly did a good job because she was able to weave in the fact that she benefited from the African-American experience, she's a woman, she's connected to the Clinton success story which is very important to African-Americans. But it also is important to regular Americans because of the economic success. So both of them did a great job of launching their campaign in Selma towards the African- American community but to speak to the general public as well.
WHITFIELD: Well Congressman John Lewis put it very succinctly this way. He's quoted as saying, isn't it healthy to have two wonderful, gifted politicians? Both coming to the pulpit today to talk about very similar things about, you know, the plight of America and where we are today and what needs to be addressed. Let's listen in to some of what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: How can we rest while poverty and inequality continue to rise? How can we sleep while 46 million of our fellow Americans do not have health insurance? How can we be satisfied when the current economy brings too few jobs and too few wage increases and too much debt? How can we shrug our shoulders and say this is not about me when too many of our children are ill-prepared in school for college and unable to afford it if they wish to attend?
OBAMA: The tragedy in New Orleans happened well before the hurricane struck. Because in many of those communities there were so many young men in prison, so many kids dropping out, so little hope, a hope gap. A hope gap that still pervades too many communities all across the country and right here in Alabama. So the question is then what are we the Joshua generation doing to close those gaps?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Ideologically, somewhat parallel. Do you see these two candidates coming together at some point?
REID: No, no. This was one -- a unique day Fredricka. This is one of those days where they could really coalesce around the issue because the issue really was the celebration of Selma. So it wasn't really about them per se. But I thought it was interesting that they did talk about some of the same things from healthcare to education and they also got their dig in at the president and his lack -- in their opinion, lack of response to the folks in New Orleans.
WHITFIELD: And remarkably nearly simultaneously as they were, you know, conducting their speeches in two different churches just yards apart. Yet, just really minutes apart in message.
REID: Yeah and if you look at who sort of had the better day also, I heard that Barack had 500 people to see him and Hillary had 300 to see her. So I think that this was a really special time. It is really now about the African-American community. I was in a meeting a couple days ago with some strategists talking about what they're going to do. This is an opportunity for the black community to really come out in record numbers because they really have two attractive candidates. A lot of times they are -- we say we're going to vote for the lesser of the evil. They really have two, maybe some more, but these two candidates really appeal to them. So we'll see how that encourages people to get to the polls.
WHITFIELD: I have a feeling voter turnout this go round is going to be pretty high in all sectors.
REID: We'll see.
WHITFIELD: Something tells me. All right Democratic strategist Morris Reid, thanks so much, always appreciate your insight.
REID: Thanks for having me, appreciate it.
WHITFIELD: Well join the best political team on television for the first presidential debate. CNN, WNEY and "The New Hampshire Union Leader" are sponsoring back-to-back debates for the Republican and Democratic candidates. April 4th and 5th, two exciting events you don't want to miss. Longtime lawmaker Thomas Eagleton passed away. Many Americans knew him best as George McGovern's running mate who bowed out of the race before McGovern's blowout election loss to Richard Nixon. But to his Missouri constituents, the former senator was much more than a failed footnote in presidential politics. CNN's Andrea Koppel takes a look back.
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ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thomas Francis Eagleton considered it only one chapter in a long and active political life. But it was a chapter many Americans will remember best. In the sweltering and politically chaotic summer of 1972, the newly chosen Democratic presidential candidate, George McGovern, chose Missouri Senator Tom Eagleton to be his running mate. A selection made only after several other prominent Democrats had turned McGovern down. The Vietnam war was still raging. Watergate was yet to emerge. And George McGovern believed he had the perfect partner to challenge Richard Nixon. But only day's later word began to leak that Eagleton had been hospitalized three times for nervous exhaustion. And in fact, had twice received electric shock therapy.
Facts that made it impossible for McGovern to keep him on the ticket. Even though at one point Senator McGovern claimed he was behind Tom Eagleton 1,000 percent. Eagleton withdrew on the last day of July and was replaced by Sergeant Shriver. Thomas Eagleton served for more than three decades in public life after he left the senate, he practiced law in St. Louis, taught at Washington University of St. Louis and was instrumental in negotiating the transfer of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams to St. Louis in 1995. Late in life, Eagleton was also instrumental in convincing Senate Democratic leaders to recruit Claire McCaskill to run against Missouri incumbent Jim Talent in last year's elections. When she won, she told supporters that Tom Eagleton deserved a great deal of the credit. Andrea Koppel, CNN, Washington.
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WHITFIELD: Move over "American Idol", the internet is helping a budding diva's singing dreams come true.
She's singing and dancing. That pint sized song bird is 5-year- old Mia Frazier singing Mary J. Blige's "Enough Crying." The video sharing site Youtube has turned the kindergartener into a web celebrity. Now only is she attracting millions of online fans, but some pretty big entertainers as well. Mia donned a blond wig and shot a commercial for Blige's album "Reflections." And she's also expected to perform with Earth Wind and Fire in Las Vegas. That's the way of the world ladies and gentlemen.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The way of the world as told by --
WHITFIELD: It's one of my favorite EWF tunes.
SANCHEZ: There you go. WHITFIELD: Yeah.
SANCHEZ: Big political day today, ah?
WHITFIELD: Indeed, Rick Sanchez here.
SANCHEZ: You have been all over it, by the way.
WHITFIELD: We have. We as a team have been all over it. Yes.
SANCHEZ: It's funny to watch Obama with Hillary and then suddenly Bill comes into the picture and it's the three of them. So here's --
WHITFIELD: So you'll be talking more about that?
SANCHEZ: No.
WHITFIELD: No? Ok, fine.
SANCHEZ: No, I just thought that was fascinating. We're going to be talking about something else, poverty in America. We're going to do something that's going to be looking at one particular angle of it. You wouldn't believe what it is. Rats, of all things. Cities, big cities, inner cities having a huge problem with this. Some 10,000 people in the United States bitten by rats. We focus on one particular family with a little baby apparently had part of its face disfigured. The mother didn't know it and the rat had attacked it. But obviously, we're not doing just that part of the story. It's a public welfare issue. A major public welfare issue and it speaks to people who are really in a bad way that can't help themselves. And then tonight Osama bin Laden, remember he was in Tora Bora and then apparently he got into that mountainous region that we've been talking about in Pakistan. Still there, U.S. officials say they know where he is but they can't get to him. And we'll explain why tonight at 10 o'clock.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. Yeah, all right. Well terrain I'm sure has something to do with it.
SANCHEZ: And the people around him who are more loyal to him than just about anybody else in the world, protective to say the least.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, yeah, all right. Rick Sanchez, thanks so much. We'll be watching in the NEWSROOM.
All right, a new insult to dozen of Katrina survivors now struggling in FEMA trailers. They had to scramble, pack up their belongings again. This time because FEMA said their trailer park had to go. Rick Barrett with CNN affiliate WGNO has details.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok, let me go tell -- and talk to them about that because we're trying to keep you all accommodated as yall were and keep yall together. We wasn't aware of that in the beginning so we're going to see what we can do to take care of that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right miss, all right.
RICK BARRETT, WGNO (voice-over): The news to evacuate came quickly and caught some off guard.
GIANA PHILLIPS, FEMA TRAILER RESIDENT: They gave us 48 hours and we got 30 people in the six units that we're in, in our family. Forty-eight hours is not enough for us to move.
BARRETT: FEMA says it began notifying people on Thursday they were being relocated. Today they were helping people pack up their belongings. While some were reluctant to leave, others like Cecile Degreat was ready to go.
CECILE DEGREAT, FEMA TRAILER RESIDENT: My thing is the sewer problem that I've complained about. I've been here since October 16th and I've put in several, several complaints.
BARRETT (on camera): FEMA says part of the reason people are being moved out is this water pump, they say it doesn't work and it leaks dirty water onto the ground in the back of the trailer park. Frank Bonner the owner of the trailer park says he has done everything he can to fix it.
Bonner says a damaged float and a water pump located near the back of the trailer park caused the spillage but he cleaned it up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I immediately was out here and got the sewage and linemen got it washed out as well as pumped out the whole tank, that -- that was done and did everything. Anything that's ever happened at the park I have taken care of immediately.
BARRETT: But FEMA spokesman Ronnie Simpson disagrees saying not enough was done and it has now become a health and safety hazard.
RONNIE SIMPSON, FEMA: You just can't have kids playing around in that kind of situation, you can't have old folks walking around. It's just unhealthy, it's not safe and we won't put people in that kind of situation.
BARRETT: FEMA says it's doing its best to keep families together when they move to their new locations. But some are left wondering where their next home will be.
PHILLIPS: I don't know, no where. From my understanding I have no where to go. No where.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: In addition to sanitation problems at the trailer park, the electricity has been turned off three times since October. Our thanks to Rick Barrett with WGNO for that report.
And CNN's own Soledad O'Brien received a major honor on Friday night. We will be bringing that to you when we come right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Family members of those Atlanta bus crash victims making a difficult journey home today. Relatives of the four students who died in the crash returned to Toledo, Ohio, aboard a special chartered flight. We're just now getting video of their arrival back home. Along with the families of the injured students and those who survived the crash that are well enough to travel.
A huge honor for our friend and colleague Soledad O'Brien.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm proud to present the president's award to Soledad O'Brien.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Soledad received the president's award at Friday's NAACP Image Awards. She was recognized for her dedication to the stories she reports and the people behind them.
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SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is a privilege to cover some of the most important stories of our time and to at times be a voice for people who have no voice, shine a light on places that sometimes people would prefer to ignore, to ask the uncomfortable questions.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Among other honorees at the gala celebration, in Los Angeles. All right. So much more ahead on CNN. Later the CNN special investigations unit on the more than 3100 U.S. troops lost in Iraq. "Ambush at the River of Secrets" at 8:00 p.m. eastern. But first today's top stories then "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT."
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