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More Details Emerge of T.B. Traveler; Senator Lieberman Visits Iraq; Tropical Storm Brewing; Bush Announces More Money to Fight AIDS; Wayward Whales May Be Home

Aired May 30, 2007 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
ROB MARCIANO, CO-HOST: And I'm Rob Marciano, in for Don Lemon, who's on assignment.

The T.B. traveler. Questions about the case. How did he get back to the United States? And why did he travel out of the states in the first place?

PHILLIPS: And how many people did he put at risk? Answers this hour. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Next up, a bit of a scare at Walt Disney World today. But we're now told all is calm. Three suspects are in custody.

Here's what happened. Two Orange County sheriffs' deputies were shot near Walt Disney World as they interrupted a possible car burglary. Their injuries, we are told, are not life threatening. Three suspects now in custody. Sheriff's deputies that were shot are hospitalized.

We'll keep you updated. Live pictures from our affiliate, WFTD, in Orange County, Florida. As you can see, that final suspect captured right there. Police surrounding him. We'll keep you updated on this story.

Now, the first federal quarantine order in more than 40 years, along with a global health alert. All of it sparked by one man infected with an extremely rare, extremely dangerous strain of tuberculosis.

He's now under guard right here in Atlanta, Georgia. But he certainly didn't stay put earlier this month. And that has health authorities worried.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen is at Grady Memorial Hospital now. And this broke, of course, when you were here, Elizabeth. We were talking about it all afternoon. What do you know now about his condition and just how contagious this form of T.B. is?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, the man inside the hospital behind me, he told the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" this morning that he has no symptoms and that he feels fine. And, in fact, the CDC says that the chances of him giving this T.B. to anyone is very low, but certainly not zero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): It's called XDR-TB, extensively drug resistant tuberculosis, a horrible disease.

DR. JULIE GERBERDING, CDC DIRECTOR: Many of the people who have XDR-TB do not survive their infection.

COHEN: And now health authorities have learned that a man with this disease was on two transatlantic flights. He traveled on Air France Flight 385 from Atlanta to Paris on May 12. He flew again on May 24 on Czech Air Number 0104 from Prague to Montreal. Then he drove by car into the U.S. the same day.

The CDC is urging passengers on these flights to get tested for T.B.

GERBERDING: We have no suspicion that this patient was highly infectious. In fact, the medical evidence would suggest that his potential for transmission would be on the low side. But we know it isn't zero.

COHEN: That's why the CDC took the highly unusual step of ordering him to be isolated at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

So who is this man public health authorities are so worried about? He's a resident of the state of Georgia. And he knew, and so did health authorities, that he had T.B. when he got on the plane from Atlanta to Paris. But they didn't know he had the drug resistant kind of T.B. They only learned that once he was in Europe.

U.S. health authorities contacted him in Europe and told him not to fly home, but he did anyway. And that leaves health authorities searching for the other people on those airplanes who might have been infected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Now, a dispute that's come out in this morning's "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" is that this man says, "Nobody told me not to get on a plane when I was still in Atlanta. We thought it was just the garden variety kind of T.B. Nobody told me not to fly."

Health authorities dispute that. They said they really encouraged him not to get on that plane to go on his European honeymoon -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Do we know enough about his case at this point to say if he's more or less contagious than others?

COHEN: It appears that he is less contagious. He's not actively sick. CDC said that they've actually looked at his spit, and they can tell that the amount of bacteria in it means that he's really less contagious than someone who might be more sick. So we know that he's less contagious probably than other T.B. patients. PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, live from Grady hospital. Thank you.

MARCIANO: Well, federal officials say that the man knew he wasn't supposed to travel. They said they trusted him to stay put.

Now we're learning about his side of the story from an interview from the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" reporter Alyssa (sic) Young.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISON YOUNG, "ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": He wants people to know -- and the reason he spoke to the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" is he does not -- he did not believe he was putting anyone at risk.

He -- he notes that he has been under treatment and under supervision of -- of government health authorities since -- since January when he was first diagnosed, and he says he has done everything that they told him to do.

He says that they have told him -- prior to the call in Atlanta no one had told him to take precautions or to isolate himself. He said he would never have put his family, his child at risk, his fiancee. None of these people have tested positive for tuberculosis. And he didn't -- he says he didn't believe he was putting anyone at risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: The man also says he felt like he needed to sneak back into the U.S. so that he would get proper medical treatment.

Well, this is one story where there's no such thing as too much information. We're waiting to hear the latest details from the Centers for Disease Control at 2 p.m. Eastern. We'll bring you that presser, live right here in the NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: A new boss for the World Bank. President Bush today nominated Robert Zoellick to the post. If the bank's board confirms him, he's going to take over leadership of the bank's mission to reduce world poverty.

Zoellick is a Wall Street executive with Goldman Sachs, but his long resume includes stints as deputy secretary of state and U.S. trade representative.

He would replace Paul Wolfowitz, who is stepping down after a controversy over his role in arranging a pay package for his girlfriend, a World Bank employee.

Now, we're standing by live for the president to step up to the podium at the Rose Garden. We are expecting for him to announce his new package for AIDS money, actually.

He is seeking to actually extend the AIDS effort. He's asking Congress to provide $30 billion towards battling AIDS. We'll bring that to you live as soon as he steps up to the mic.

MARCIANO: Target Sadr City. It's a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad where U.S. and Iraqi soldiers are on an aggressive search for five British nationals kidnapped yesterday.

They sealed off parts of Sadr City overnight and went house to house. Five suspected militants were taken into custody. The search teams reported no signs of the British hostages.

Also, still no sign of two U.S. troops missing since May 12. They and one other soldier were taken by insurgents after an ambush that killed everyone else in their patrol. The body of the third man was found last week.

An unannounced visit to Iraq. That means that a VIP is on the ground there. Today, it's Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. CNN Paula Hancocks is touring with Lieberman's group. She joins us live from Baghdad -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Well, that's right. That's why earlier on this morning, we went to one of the joint security stations with Senator Lieberman just in southeast Baghdad. And that is one of the stations where there's Iraqi police, Iraqi armed forms, and also U.S. soldiers working alongside. And Senator Lieberman was highlighting how important this aspect is to try to break the insurgency here in Iraq.

Now we have seen at least 30 of these JSS's, as they're called, springing up in and around Baghdad. We also went to one of the forward operating bases and chatted with some of the troops there, trying to boost morale.

And I asked him how he reacted to the fact that there have -- that there have been such an increase in U.S. troop deaths over the last couple of months. In fact, this month is the deadliest since November of 2004.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: That's the heart-breaking part of it. That the casualties that the American military have taken have been high this month. And part of that is, as I've been told today, because our military is out here, not just in camps, but we're out in the city and other cities, but particularly in the capital city, and we're having a positive effect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Senator Lieberman said as many other politicians have said that there is no timetable for withdrawal of the troops. He said they will stay until the job is done. And also they will stay until they have succeeded in training and equipping all the Iraqi military.

But he said it is a very positive step forward as far as he was concerned, that so many Iraqi troops were working alongside the U.S. officials. And also in the search for the missing U.S. soldiers and also in the search for these five Britons and two Iraqis that were kidnapped. He said the cooperation is certainly the way forward to try and break this insurgency -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Paula Hancocks live for us in Baghdad. Thank you, Paula.

Well, U.S. troops stationed in Iraq for years, even decades, similar to the U.S. force in South Korea. That's what President Bush would like to see, according to White House spokesman Tony Snow.

Snow told reporters today the so-called Korea model is an attractive option. The long-term military presence would provide stability at the invitation of Iraq but without a front line combat role. No mention of that yet from the president himself.

PHILLIPS: And a tropical storm is brewing in the Pacific. Let's get right to Bonnie Schneider at the CNN weather center, working it all for us. Hey, Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Kyra.

This is Tropical Storm Barbara. Looks very impressive on our satellite perspective. Remember, when you see these colors in bright orange and purple indicates the higher cloud tops. So we're seeing a lot of convection with this storm.

A lot of thunderstorms getting going. And this storm is actually forecast to intensify to hurricane strength. So Barbara will likely become the first hurricane of the Pacific tropical season. The Atlantic season will begin on June 1. The Pacific season already began, and that was on May 15.

Here's the track in the area of concern. Acapulco right here on the Mexican coastline, we're concerned with by Monday morning. So really, throughout the weekend, we'll be monitoring this system. If you're planning a vacation to coastal Mexico, you'll want to keep a watch on Barbara, because it is forecast by the National Hurricane Center to become a Category 1 hurricane, meaning we're likely to see winds get as strong as 73, 74 miles per hour.

The sustained winds with this storm right now are at 40 miles per hour. So it's not that intense right now. But we are expecting it to intensify and to gain strength.

You have to remember, the water temperature right through here, through coastal Mexico, right now is about 84, 85 degrees. So it certainly is warm enough for a strong system to get going.

Another factor to keep in mind is that the storm over the past six to eight hours has been somewhat stationary. So as long as it sits here over this warm water, it has more of an opportunity to intensify. And that's where the forecast track does bring it over the next two or three days to the status of a Category 1 hurricane, something we'll be watching, certainly, throughout much of the weekend.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Bonnie, you mentioned Barbara. But Friday is the first day of hurricane season. Anything brewing in the Atlantic at the moment?

SCHNEIDER: This is the one thing I'm watching here through the Yucatan. This system really hasn't gotten going yet. And as you know, Rob, it's hard to take a look at something that hasn't happened yet.

But our computer models are forecasting something to develop near the Yucatan. So we'll keep a close watch on it.

But no, it's unusual. We're usually dreading these systems coming in and getting going. But here, we need the rain, so it will be wonderful to get a soaker in and get some rain to the states of Florida and Georgia.

MARCIANO: Yes. This would be the first time a lot of red and purple on the map would be a good thing.

SCHNEIDER: Good thing. Yes.

MARCIANO: All right. Thanks, Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Want to take you now to a live picture at the White House. President Bush about to step up to the mic at a Rose Garden event. He's expecting to announce more AIDS money to go toward research.

Apparently, he has called on Congress today to provide $30 billion toward battling the global AIDS crisis over the first five years after he leaves office. Now, this would be doubling of the current U.S. commitment, apparently.

The increase in the president's emergency program for AIDS relief would provide life saving treatment, according to the White House, to 2.5 million people. Right now, it serves about 1.4, so obviously, this pushes the aid money and the support to a much higher level.

The program's original five-year mandate, which provided about $15 billion in U.S. funding, is going to expire in September of 2008, next year, in the fall. Bush's plan would extend this, obviously, five more years.

Globally, about 40 million people suffer from HIV/AIDS, a number that has been increasing fast, despite growing prevention.

A lot of people have been asking why the president is coming forward a year early and making this announcement. They say it's a bit of an unusual time. But he has had the opportunity to do that, some say. He just wants to make this announcement in advance of next week's summit, during which Bush is likely to take a lot of criticism for the administration's position on climate change. Also, you know, we've been talking about Zoellick being appointed as the new head of the World Bank. That has stirred up a lot of opposition after the Paul Wolfowitz controversy that he was providing money to his girlfriend while being in that job.

So President Bush making a positive move towards support for AIDS research, doubling up on the money over the next five years. He's going to step up to the podium, make the announcement. We'll find out who the dignitaries are by his side.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... Rose Garden. Today, I'm joined by some very determined people who are battling one of the worst epidemics of modern times, the spread of HIV/AIDS.

I want to thank you all for being here. I'm honored to be in your presence. And I want to thank others who are joining us in this important cause as well, starting with Ambassador Mark Dybul, who's the U.S. global AIDS coordinator. He runs our PEP-4 (ph) initiative. Mark, thank you for being here.

As well as Rajat Gupta, who is the chairman of the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Rajat, we're proud you're here.

He's told me something very interesting. Actually, he and I attended the same graduate school. And he said, it's important for people who have been successful in the business world to contribute something back to society.

And, Rajat, thank you for that spirit, and thank you for that compassion and concern.

Secretary Mike Leavitt is with us of the Department of Health and Human Services; Ambassador John Negroponte, deputy secretary of state. I'm about to make an important initiative. I appreciate my members of my administration for joining us to hear this initiative.

The U.S. and our citizens have tackled HIV/AIDS aggressively. Many HIV-positive Americans are able to lead productive lives. The story has been quite different elsewhere, especially in sub-Sahara Africa.

When I took office an HIV diagnosis in Africa's poorest communities was usually a death sentence. Parents watched their baby die needlessly, because local clinics lacked effective treatments.

The story of a mother of Kenya affected me deeply. When she couldn't afford drugs, except for one person in her family, so she forgave her own treatment to save her son.

Despairing families who had lost everything to AIDS started to believe that they had been cursed by the almighty God. This modern- day plague robbed Africa and other countries of the hope of progress and threatened to push many communities toward chaos.

The United States has responded vigorously to this crisis. In 2003, I asked Congress to approve an emergency plan for AIDS relief. Our nation pledged $15 billion over five years for HIV/AIDS treatment and care in many of the poorest nations on earth.

In the years since, thanks to the support of the United States Congress, and the American people, our country has met this pledge. This level of assistance is unprecedented, and the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history. This investment has yielded the best possible return: save lives.

To date the emergency plan has supported treatment for 1.1 million people infected with HIV. This is a promising start. Yet, without further action, the legislation that funded this emergency plan is set to expire in 2008.

Today I asked Congress to demonstrate America's continuing commitment to fighting the scourge of HIV/AIDS by reauthorizing this legislation now. I asked Congress to double our initial commitment and approve an additional $30 billion for HIV/AIDS prevention, for care, and for treatment over the next five years.

This money will be spent wisely through the establishment of partnership compacts with host nations. These compacts would ensure that U.S. funds support programs that have the greatest possible impact and are sustainable for the future.

America will work with governments, the private sector, and faith- and community-based organizations around the world to meet measurable goals, to support treatment for nearly 2.5 million people, to prevent more than 12 million new infections, and to support care for 12 million people, including more than five million orphans and vulnerable children.

To assess the progress we have made to date, Laura, the first lady, is going to go to Africa next month. She's going to meet with community leaders and visit with participants in HIV/AIDS programs during her trip to Zambia, Senegal, Mali and Mozambique. And she's going to come back with her findings.

I really thank her for her concern about HIV/AIDS. She and I share a passion. We believe strongly that, to whom much is given, much is required.

Much has been given the United States of America. Therefore, I feel strongly, as does she, that much is required of us in helping solve this problem.

The statistics in dollar amounts I've cited in the fight against HIV/AIDS are significant. But the scale of this effort is not measured in numbers. This is really a story of the human spirit and the goodness of human hearts.

Once again, the generosity of the American people is one of the great untold stories of our time. Our citizens are offering comfort to millions who suffer and restoring hope to those who feel forsaken.

One good example of this good work is supported by -- that the U.S. supports is called the Coptic Hope Center in Nairobi, Kenya. Three years ago, the center had a staff of four people and resources to treat no more than five HIV/AIDS patients a day.

Today, the staff consists of 40 people and ten volunteers who provided care and treatment services to over 6,000 people.

I want to thank the director of the Hope Center, Bishop Paul, who's with us today.

I want to thank you for being here. I want to thank you for your leadership and for your care for your fellow human beings.

Dr. Bill Popp (ph) is with us, as well. Dr. Popp (ph) is an expert on infectious diseases and founded, in Haiti, a leading HIV treatment program which is a major PEP-4 (ph) partner.

Dr. Popp (ph) has shown that even in the most difficult circumstances, dedicated and caring people can make great progress in fighting HIV/AIDS.

We're sure proud you're here, Doc. Thanks for coming.

Also with us is...

PHILLIPS: President Bush honoring leaders there with regard to AIDS research, infectious disease research as he stands before everyone there in the Rose Garden, reporters and supporters of his initiative alike asking for Congress to triple the amount of funding for his international AIDS initiative and extending the program an additional five years.

If accepted, this means that the program's funding would increase by $30 billion from the initial $15 million that had already been approved.

Both Democrats and Republicans are in support of this initiative. And as you heard from the president, the first lady, Laura Bush, will be heading to Africa to show more support for this initiative and what this administration wants to do for AIDS research.

MARCIANO: And all the way on the other side of the country, they're rolling down the river. But can they make it all the way out to open water? We're on the whale watch ahead in the NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: And is the presidential pool about to get a little more crowded? Another candidate starts testing the water. Candy Crowley has got the latest from the crowded campaign trail just ahead.

MARCIANO: And remaking an American icon. So what do you serve at McDonald's when beef is off of the menu? We'll take a look ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Delta, Dawn, where are you? It seems like everybody in the San Francisco Bay area is looking for these two wayward whales, including our own Dan Simon, who has certainly become one with the whales at this point in your career.

You've been out there for, it seems like, a week now, Dan. Where are they? And where are they headed?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rob, honestly, we have no idea where these whales are. There's a possibility that they might be in open water, which means all the thousands of people here in northern California who wanted to see these whales one final time may be disappointed.

There are some boats in the water. There's some helicopters in the sky, trying to track these whales. Unfortunately, crews were not able to put a GPS unit in the mother whale. They wanted to do so. They wanted to track her for an extended period of time. That did not happen.

And one official talked about the possibility that these whales may have left. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNADETTE FEES, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH & GAME: We've known that we've had sightings of them throughout the day. So the assumption is that if we have not sighted the mother and calf by -- by later this afternoon, that they have made their way back out to the Pacific.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Well, Rob, it would be a little sad for all these people who have become obsessed with this story. A lot of people here have come to the Golden Gate Bridge to say good-bye to these whales, if you can believe that.

But, look, everybody's happy, if you have a -- a good conclusion here.

So we'll just wait to see. Again, you heard the officials say that if they're not spotted sometime this afternoon, they're just going to assume that these whales are in open water and that -- that they've reached a safe place, Rob.

MARCIANO: I would think with all this coverage, Dan, maybe they would have put some sort of tracking device on these whales to keep up with them. Was that ever considered?

SIMON: It was considered. The opportunity just didn't present itself. They never got close enough to the whales to be able to affix that unit.

Moreover, the unit they actually had, they discovered it was broken. This is specialized equipment. It's not something that you can go and buy at Target. It's really hard to find. And they were hoping possibly to get another one, but they just didn't get it, Rob.

MARCIANO: Now, I haven't seen the whale section at Target yet, Dan.

PHILLIPS: Or Wal-Mart.

MARCIANO: Yes. Or Wal-Mart. You're probably right about that.

I suppose no news is good news. We'll assume that they're healthy and on their way out to sea.

Thanks, Dan Simon, live for us in San Francisco.

SIMON: OK.

PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead, unwittingly sealed up with a potentially deadly bug for hours. Now the race is on to track down transatlantic travelers who may be at risk of extreme T.B. infection. More on the investigation just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: He's just one man, in isolation under guard. But he sparked the first federal quarantine order in 40 plus years, along with a global health alert. That's because he took himself and a dangerous disease on two overseas flights.

CNN's Anderson Cooper brings us up to date.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was frightening news for some airline passengers to hear. They may have been sitting next to a man with a potentially fatal form of tuberculosis. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the patient boarded Air France flight number 385 from Atlanta that landed in Paris on May 13. On May 24, he flew from Prague to Montreal on Czech Airlines flight 0104, then drove back to the United States.

DR. JULIE GERBERDING, CDC DIRECTOR: During these two long flights, the patient may have been a source of infection to passengers.

COOPER: According to the CDC, the patient is a man who lives in the Atlanta area. They say he was diagnosed with TB some time ago, but he didn't know he had the highly dangerous drug resistant form of the disease until he was halfway through his trip to Europe. And they didn't know he intended to leave the country.

GERBERDING: If we had been aware that travel was imminent, we may have been able to act if requested by the local health officials. But under the circumstances, I think we were surprised that the patient had left the country.

COOPER: Health officials say there's no evidence the man was highly infectious and that the risk of his spreading the disease is low but that risk is still there. They've ordered the patient into isolation at Grady Memorial hospital in Atlanta, a very unusual step for the CDC to take. GERBERDING: Because this organism is so potentially serious and could cause such serious harm to people, especially those that have other medical conditions that would reduce their immunity, we felt it was our responsibility to err on the side of abundant caution.

COOPER: Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That is just one story where there is no such thing as too much information. So we're waiting to hear the latest details from the Centers for Disease Control, 2:00 p.m. Eastern. We'll bring that live to you right here in the NEWSROOM.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Organized crime is a growing problem for retailers. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us why it's your problem too. You mean, they're still mobbed up? What's up?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It could be that the Sopranos family, I suppose. But it doesn't have to be quite that organized, Rob. The National Retail Federation defines this type of crime as theft of fraud involving multiple items by two or more people in more than one store, basically a crime ring that's more sophisticated than the individual shoplifter. The group says nearly 80 percent of retailers say their company has been a victim of organized retail crime within the past year. Nearly three-quarters say they've noticed a rise in this type of theft over the past year. That's up dramatically from less than half who saw an increase last year.

These crime rings stole everything from baby formula, to power tools and designer jeans and then sell them at flea markets or online auction sites. They fell off a truck. One positive note, retailers say they've been recovering more of their stolen merchandise, Rob.

MARCIANO: What does that mean for me and you, the average consumer?

LISOVICZ: Yeah, the people who pay retail, full price? According to the National Retail Federation, one in 10 retailers say they spend more than $1 million annually to fight and prevent this kind of crime. It's estimated that organized theft rings steal billions of dollars of merchandise each year. Because of this, retailers say they're forced to raise prices. They pass it along to make up for those losses. It's not just consumers who are victimized. The group also said criminals endanger the safety of store employees.

As for the markets, well, stocks have turned positive as investors move past a big sell off in the Chinese stock market, the biggest since February's plunge, you all remember that, which triggered the Dow's biggest one-day loss in 5 1/2 years. There is some caution though this afternoon ahead of the Fed's release of minutes from its meeting earlier this month. That will come at the top of the hour. So we'll see if that rally holds. Checking the numbers, the Dow right now is up 18 points. The Nasdaq is up four points. Not so bad at all. In the next hour of NEWSROOM, I'll tell you why more and more older workers are deciding that retirement just isn't for them. Fortunately, we're not quite there yet, Rob and Kyra. Many years in the workforce left.

MARCIANO: That sounds pretty nice.

LISOVICZ: It does if you can afford it.

MARCIANO: Right, yeah. Don't quit just yet. We'll be back to you in a little bit. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange, thanks.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, near catastrophe over a condiment, what happened when an unhappy customer met the chili sauce limit. That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Candy Crowley on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, a state often overrun with presidential candidates. Still there's always room for one more. I'll have that story coming up on NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, will there soon be 11? Fred Thompson may be close to joining the already crowded field of Republican candidates seeking the presidency. The actor and former senator has consistently polled way before today's revelation that he's beginning to raise money and hire staff with an eye toward the race. CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley joins us now from New Hampshire where she's been out among the voters. Candy is Fred Thompson really in this thing or not? .

CROWLEY: Yes is probably the right answer to that. Everybody around him says they're sure he's going to get in. Here's where he is now. He's going to maybe as early as Friday, probably early next week, go ahead and file some papers with the FEC - the testing the waters papers as they say, as they like to describe it, an exploratory committee, however you want to look at this. It will allow him to begin to raise money to see how viable he is to begin to bring on some staff.

Now there's a report out there from politico.com that he's going to announce on July 4. We're told that's one thing under consideration, that there are other things that we've been cautioned to say he's not in the race. Why do this? Why this sort of back and forth? It keeps us talking about it. If you're not going to be in the race, it's good to have people talking about how you might get in the race because it keeps your name out there. So again, everybody around him thinks he's going to get in. He's not quite officially there yet, step by step.

PHILLIPS: Step by step, needless to say. He's a pretty popular guy with the voters. We took this poll earlier this month and likely Republican voters put Thompson third behind Giuliani and McCain. Why do you think he's so popular?

CROWLEY: One of the reasons is he's in the race. I mean voters tend to really like their politicians when they're not running for anything. They look good. You've got these people now in the race and everybody is looking at every nook and cranny of their records, how they voted, what they've said, what they've said since they've been on the campaign trail, whereas if you're standing outside the arena, people are not really giving you that look over. They only do that when you get in so there is that. There is the fact that everybody looks good outside of the arena.

The other thing is that obviously there is a lot of sentiment within the Republican Party that they haven't really met the right person yet. That, in fact, I think something like 50 percent of voters -- Republicans have said, listen, we just -- we're just not in love with anybody. So, they're still looking around. There are problems with each of the candidates currently in the race as far as the conservative part of the party is concerned and Fred Thompson looks like a good catch.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's switch gears for a minute. Candidate Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor and a Mormon, we caught him on tape, graciously, shall we say, handling a not so gracious comment from a potential New Hampshire voter. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sir, how are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm one person who will not vote for a Mormon.

ROMNEY: Oh, is that right? Can I shake your hand anyway?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

ROMNEY: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: OK. He's not going to vote for a Mormon, didn't want to shake his hand either. Does he get a lot of flak like that on the campaign?

CROWLEY: It's interesting - campaign, the reality show is sort of what that is. No, not really. There have been some people that have brought it up. A lot of what happens is that the talk is behind closed doors with Mitt Romney. We're told that he often has brought that up, particularly in South Carolina. It is a problem in this sense -- there are some people, particularly evangelicals. This man said he was voting for Hillary Clinton, but particularly in the south, evangelicals don't tend to see Mormonism as a Christian religion. He has acknowledged -- Romney has acknowledged that this may in fact be a problem. He's tried to approach this by talking about common values and not about religion. There is talk and he has talked himself about perhaps meeting at some point to give a speech about his relationship with his religion much as JFK did with Roman Catholicism.

PHILLIPS: For Democrats, Senator Hillary Clinton picking up a big endorsement today. What does an endorsement like this mean to the campaign and does the right endorsement start bringing in even more votes?

CROWLEY: Well, what this particular endorsement does is it puts behind Hillary Clinton the machinery of one of the most popular Democrats in California. That's always helpful. It's helpful that he's a Latino in a state with a burgeoning Latino vote, doesn't help bring votes. My answer to that is no. I bring you sort of this anecdote. I remember in a big flurry getting on a plane with Howard Dean, racing out to Iowa so he could be endorsed by Al Gore. It was a huge, huge gaff and as you know, Howard Dean lost Iowa. So, I've always err on the side of saying I don't think they bring in votes. They may get you a little attention.

PHILLIPS: Hillary hasn't had any wild screams (ph) lately either (INAUDIBLE).

CROWLEY: That's right.

PHILLIPS: All right, Candy Crowley, great to see you.

CROWLEY: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Well, the candidates will debate in the first primary state live from New Hampshire. The Democrats battle on Sunday June 3. The Republicans go to it Tuesday, June 5. It all happens right here on CNN.

MARCIANO: CNN goes on the road. We answer the question -- is it cheaper to drive or to fly? Find out straight ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So you make hamburgers for a living, why would you even consider selling your product in a place that doesn't even eat it? That's a question. Doesn't appear to be hurting McDonald's in India. I'm Don Lemon live in New Delhi. We're going to try to answer that question coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Coming up on 47 minutes after the hour. Here are three of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're waiting to hear from Federal health officials at the top of the hour about a global health alert. This after a man infected with a dangerous form of tuberculosis was quarantined at an Atlanta hospital. Earlier, he flew on two trans-Atlantic flights potentially infecting others.

And you're seeing an ominous radar image or satellite image. Tropical storm Barbara is churning in the Pacific Ocean right now. Forecasters say the storm could grow into a hurricane as it heads for Acapulco this weekend. And they're clearing debris right now in southwest Indiana. An F-15 fighter jet on a training mission has crashed just outside of the city of Vinzance (ph). The pilot parachuted to safety and no reports of injuries on the ground. PHILLIPS: A billion plus people and that's just today. India's population is on track to shoot past China in the coming decades. That's a lot of mouths to feed. It doesn't take a genius to see the business potential in being Mayor McCheese of India's fast food business. Get ready for an Indian spin on the good old burger and fries, all the way from New Delhi, NEWSROOM's very own Don Lemon. Hey, Don.

LEMON: Hey Kyra. Did you write that Mayor McCheese part? I hope you didn't. I want to show you this. Take a look. It certainly looks like a McDonald's hamburger. The box certainly looks like McDonald's hamburger. There's everything in this thing except for the hamburger part, the part that made McDonald's a staple in the U.S. Why is that? It's because cows are sacred here in India. But it certainly hasn't stopped the golden arches.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): The foot traffic alone is to die for. But for McDonald's, the world's biggest fast food chain, location, location, location, is a double-edged sword. In a place where most people don't eat beef and cows are sacred. In 2001, Hindu protesters called for McDonald's to get out, claiming they used beef by-products to enhance the flavor of their French fries. The company denies it.

From the very beginning, McDonald's jettisoned its staple, two all-beef patties. There is no beef or pork anywhere on the menu or in the kitchen. Why work so hard in a place where it appears there's no demand for your product? McDonald's owners in India say it's the economy, stupid. India's economy is booming and the population is four times bigger than America's and most of them are young. From two restaurants in 1996, there are now 113. McDonald's says it grew 40 percent last year. The restaurants are cheap to operate by American standards, but the company pays its workers four times the minimum wage here. Nineteen-year-old Nishan Sharman (ph) delivers McDonald's by bike through the bustling old Delhi streets. Do you get tired of this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not tired.

LEMON: Do you ever crash?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never have.

LEMON: You have never fallen down?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, yeah.

LEMON: Like this guy -- he's going to hit you back here. American style fast food is increasingly popular in a place where many worry about food poisoning. Why do you like it so much?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of two reasons, first its taste, second the quality.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm loving it. (END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. So it's important that the food that's made in the restaurant that they don't touch each other, the veggie and the non-veggie part. So workers who are working on the veggie side of the restaurant, they wear green aprons. They work completely on one side of the restaurant. Those who are working in the non-veggie part, they wear red aprons and they work on a completely different side of the restaurant and the two will never touch. All of this, Kyra, seems to be working because they plan an opening 40 new restaurants in the country by next year. And you sent me an e-mail, you said you better send me, bring me a happy meal. I got you one, Kyra. I've gotten you a (INAUDIBLE) burger. I got you some McDonald's fries cooked in nothing but vegetable oil. And then I've got you a Shrek 3 little happy meal toy. So I'll bring it back on the plane because you know I'm not coming back for a couple weeks, so it might be a little stale, could be a little green by then. It will really be green.

PHILLIPS: Do me a favor and put it in the freezer if you can. That will be helpful. What's interesting is you have been talking about India's economy, right? For some it really is exploding. Do you think it's translating throughout the entire society?

LEMON: It's not. I mean, it's translating mostly to sort of the middle class people who are -- who are able to afford this -- this new tech stuff or working in this new tech society, this new outsourcing society, but really, not for the most part. That's really about 2 percent or less of the population. But, it's growing and it's growing very fast. So, it's translating a little bit, but not that much.

PHILLIPS: Our Don Lemon, look forward to more reports, great to see you, Don.

MARCIANO: Not quite the rainy season in India. But in Dallas, folk there are saying, well, it looks a little bit better now. There have been travel delays in the Dallas area. A lot of rain, some thunderstorms around. We'll talk to Bonnie Schneider ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, get a complete forecast. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Storms rumbling across the plains in a live picture in Dallas. Plus possibly a hurricane could hit Mexico this weekend. Bonnie Schneider in the CNN severe weather center with the latest. Hi Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi Rob. Let's take a look at the radar for Dallas because we were looking at pictures earlier, what it looked like at the airport. It is looking a lot better. All of the heavy rain is now pushed furtherer to the east but we still have a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for the Dallas area and also to the east where that squall line is so heavy. You can see the rain sweeping across eastern Texas on into Louisiana and areas like Shreveport that are coming under the gun for some very strong thunderstorms. We're going to take a look now at our flight explorer and this is real time flights in the sky. 108 flights across the United States are headed to the Dallas-Ft Worth area at this hour. The FAA is not reporting delays, but there were cancelled flights earlier. Take a look at the lineup here. You can definitely see the planes kind of backed up trying to head in from the south, from the north, from the east and from the west. But the squall line had it pushed further to the east, the weather conditions look a whole lot better there. In fact, you can see that rain as it passed through the region moving at about 30 miles per hour. Some of our Doppler radar indications show five inches of rain in parts of Texas already. Looking at our current flight delays, because that storm system is heading to the east, Houston's departure delays right now are at 30 minutes but they are on the way up because they are expecting the weather to go from bad to worse there. Also we've had delays in Newark, San Francisco and Phoenix for those of you who are traveling, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right, Bonnie, thanks very much. We'll check in with you next hour.

PHILLIPS: Also that TB scare we've been telling you about, that patient that flew two trans-Atlantic flights. We just want to remind you that we are waiting to hear the latest details on his case and who exactly is at threat at this point. The Centers for Disease Control planning on holding a 2:00 p.m. Eastern news conference on that. We'll bring it to you live from the NEWSROOM as soon as it happens.

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