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Mitt Romney Wins in Michigan; Americans in Lebanon On Alert; Deadly Cease-Fire in Sri Lanka; Police 9-1-1 Tapes from Tiger Attack; Three Schools in DeKalb County, Georgia Locked Down; Two Officers Shot; Baghdad Bombings By Campus
Aired January 16, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
Welcome to the NEWSROOM live on Wednesday, January 16th. Here's what's on the rundown -- Mitt Romney wins Michigan. At the same time, the Democrats roll the dice in Vegas. What's next?
HARRIS: You are holding on to your wallet and cutting back spending, bad mortgages, soaring energy, falling stocks -- do they add up to a recession?
COLLINS: A report links several big-name figures to human growth hormone. Could it hold off aging? We'll see you in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And, at the top of this hour, on the Republican road to the White House, there are now three winners knotted at the top. The latest showdown, the Michigan primary. The latest winner -- Mitt Romney, easily capturing his native state. Coming in second, John McCain, third, Mike Huckabee. Michigan is seen as an important springboard to the next critical task.
CNN's Mary Snow explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a win Mitt Romney needed.
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Tonight marks the beginning of a comeback -- a comeback for America.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: You know, only a week ago, a win looked like it was impossible.
SNOW: A week ago, Romney's campaign was on the ropes after losing New Hampshire to John McCain and having already come in second to Mike Huckabee in Iowa. Romney set his sights on the state where he was born, touting his Michigan roots and father's years as a popular governor in the 1960s. McCain was sure to mention his rival's home- state advantage in congratulating him.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R-AZ) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: His campaign worked hard and effectively to make sure that Michigan voters welcomed their native son with their support. Michigan voters were good to the native son and I understand that and support their decision.
SNOW: And McCain is relying on South Carolina to give him the victory he didn't get there in 2000. A South Carolina loss, combined with a series of negative attacks on his campaign, helped sink McCain's presidential bid. This time around, he's put forth a truth squad to debunk any smear campaigns. But both McCain and Romney will face stiff combination from rival Mike Huckabee who's popular with evangelicals. Huckabee came in third in Michigan. His campaign has sputtered since winning the Iowa caucus nearly two weeks ago.
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Looks like that I won Iowa, John McCain won New Hampshire, Mitt Romney won Michigan. But, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to win South Carolina.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right, Mary Snow joins us live from Charleston, South Carolina.
Mary, great to see you. How are the Republican candidates trying to reach out to voters where you are?
SNOW: Good morning, Tony.
And as you note, this state is very different from Michigan. There will be different issues. Certainly all of the candidates are here in South Carolina, with the exception of Rudy Giuliani, which we'll get to in a minute, but social conservatives, obviously, are the key voters that Mike Huckabee and, also, former Senator Fred Thompson are trying to reach. You know, Fred Thompson really didn't campaign in Michigan very much and he is really hoping to make a good showing here.
John McCain will be traveling throughout the state today. One of the things that he's been stressing is national security and his military service, because this is a state that has such a big military population. That is one of the things that she trying to strike. Mitt Romney is looking at overall delegates. Realistically, his team is thinking that perhaps, Nevada is more realistic for him in terms of picking up delegates, but he is coming here to this state hoping to build on the momentum from Michigan.
HARRIS: Boy, we have got a lot of candidates still that we have to sort through as we start to do these post-primary, post-caucus wraps. Mary Snow for us in Charleston, South Carolina.
Mary, appreciate it. Thank you.
COLLINS: Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton won the Michigan primary but there were no delegates at stake, her chief rivals not even on the ballot. The Democrats are focusing on Saturday's Nevada caucuses, courting the state's Latino voters.
CNN's Jessica Yellin at this point.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And together...
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Barack Obama, a rallying cry made famous by the late labor activist Cesar Chavez:
OBAMA: (SPEAKING SPANISH)
YELLIN: From Sen. Clinton, the human touch, at home with Hispanic voters. Hispanics make up nine percent of eligible voters nationwide but 12 percent here in Nevada. And, with the race this tight, they could decide who wins the state.
ADAM SEGAL, DIRECTOR, HISPANIC VOTER PROJECT: If you have to win this state and if this is the state that the Democratic party set up as the example of the influence of Hispanic voters in the Democratic party, you have to be able to demonstrate you can win Hispanic support.
YELLIN: Obama scored a crucial boost when the state's culinary workers union endorsed him. Most of their members are Latino and will be encouraged to caucus for Obama. But, Senator Clinton countered, announcing the endorsement of Cesar Chavez' brother, organizer Richard Chavez and the Latino community has a long history of affection for all things Clinton. Their top concerns are the same kitchen table issues that worry the rest of the nation.
SEGAL: They're really focused on whether they're going to have a job over the next six months or a year; whether they're going to be able to afford healthcare and whether the local education system is adequate for them and their families. Certainly, the war in Iraq and immigration are also enormous issues but the Democrats are not really using those issues as a wedge issue in the primary battle.
YELLIN: Whoever is able to win the most Hispanic voters here will have bragging rights, as they head to California, New York, and New Jersey -- states in which the Latino vote could also be decisive.
YELLIN (on camera): Stepping up their efforts to quit the Latino vote, both the Clinton and the Obama campaigns have just launched their first Spanish language television ads. At the same time, their organizers are going door-to-door, speaking in both English and Spanish, encouraging people to turn out and caucus on Saturday.
Jessica Yellin, CNN, Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COLLINS: Let's look ahead now to the next battleground for Republicans, the next date circled on the calendar is this Saturday. That's when the Nevada caucuses and the South Carolina primaries will be held. Then, it's the big stakes of the sunshine state, Florida. Holding its primary on Tuesday, January 29th. Democrats are also looking ahead to Saturday's caucuses in Nevada. Their primary in South Carolina is one Saturday after the Republicans, January 26th. Got it?
HARRIS: Yes. Now, to your money. World markets plunge this morning, a reaction to the Dow's nosedive on Tuesday, the biggest drop in almost a year for U.S. stocks. There she is, Stephanie Elam, joining us.
Stephanie, great to see you.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.
HARRIS: You know, we can start talking about the reporting from Intel, after the close yesterday, fourth quarter profits, the big write-down from Citigroup but, I'm wondering how all of that reporting might impact the open today?
ELAM: Yes. Well, right now, we're looking for a weaker opening for sure. But, let's start off by taking a look at this. Let me put yesterday's loss in perspective for you.
HARRIS: Great.
ELAM: We have only had, what -- 11 sessions of trading so far, as of yesterday? Five of ten of those were down -- over 200 points on the Dow -- that's a really bad start. And yesterday was the biggest loss so far this year -- 277 points, 12,501. NASDAQ losing two-and-a- half percent; same score for the S&P for data was lost of a little more than two percent. More fears that the U.S. is heading for a recession or, perhaps, is already in one. And, let's talk about some of the issues that were feeding into this -- retail sales.
For all the year last year, retail sales were only up four percent. That's the worst showing in five years. So, that didn't help the December sales which, obviously, the holiday sales are in there, those numbers were actually down. All of that feeding into what happened. Then, you brought up the idea of Intel -- that's the world's largest chipmaker. They came in after the bell yesterday, saying that their numbers were weaker than expected. Came in, missed the street. On top of that, their outlook moving forward is also weaker. That doesn't make anyone feel good about the fact the economy is, perhaps, slowing down.
HARRIS: Stephanie, just very quickly, because I'm already long on the segment. What are the markets rooting for now? Is it an interest rate cut? Is it a stimulus package? Do you have any clues on this?
ELAM: I think, obviously, the rate cut is pretty much expected when the Fed comes out with that on January 30th. Everyone pretty much expects that will happen. If it doesn't happen, there will be some very upset people. Obviously, we are in the middle of earnings season. So, the company comes out and gives us some numbers that were better than expected. It could give a glimmer of hope. But, right now, it looks like things are just going down -- Euro markets, Asian markets, really taking a hit last night, too, because of it.
HARRIS: There she is -- Stephanie Elam, "Minding Your Business" this morning. Stephanie, great to see you. Thanks.
ELAM: Good to see you, too, Tony.
COLLINS: I want to check on all things weather now because, I don't know about you, Jacqui, but my little one last night, already talking about the possibility of snow and no school...
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: ... Here and in the Atlanta area.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, tell him -- wishful thinking.
COLLINS: Yes, he worked on it, anyway, because he's not feeling well.
JERAS: Well, that's too bad.
COLLINS: A lot of kids are hoping to...
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: OK. OK.
JERAS: Anyway, well, here's the storm system we're talking about here, Heidi. The rains haven't arrived in the Atlanta area just yet, but it will be in the next couple of hours. Low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico. Look at all the rain that this is bringing in! The heaviest of rainfall is going to stay along the gulf coast. There, you can see New Orleans, at Tippy Joe, some heavy showers coming in there.
A little bit of lightning we've been seeing offshore -- so be aware of that possible threat. A live picture out of New Orleans right now -- very wet, look there. At Lee's circle, where you can see the bridge in the background. The roadways are flooded. It's going to be tough traveling along I-10 corridor today. Use a lot of caution.
You might see some urban and streets flooding at these rains come down very heavy at times. There is a flood watch in effect for that one to three inches of rain. But, pretty confining. Also might see coastal flooding, too, as the strong winds come in with the system and could gust to 40 miles per hour and bring up the surge a little bit -- maybe one to three feet above normal.
There, you can see the forecast precipitation and there is cold air in place. And it's kind of damming in along the Appalachians. As that moisture runs into that cold air, we will see a wintry mix and some freezing rain and sleet. I think a little bit of sleet, Heidi, is the best thing I can tell Riley there, but, I don't think it's going to be enough to be called "no school". Most of the stuff is going up to the north.
HARRIS: Well, it is Atlanta.
COLLINS: It is?
JERAS: It is.
HARRIS: Yes -- where sleet is enough. Look.
COLLINS: Mess up everything.
HARRIS: Sure.
JERAS: Not this time around.
COLLINS: I think, he's home playing video games, hanging out with granny and grandpa.
HARRIS: You better believe it.
COLLINS: That's exactly what's going on. All right, Jacqui. Thank you. We'll check back with you later.
We are getting word this hour of new clashes in Kenya's capital of Nairobi and riot police are now on hand. And our Zain Verjee is live outside a parking lot where things are still very tense, very uncertain after last month's disputed elections. Zain, what are you seeing around you?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, it was really a day of drama and confrontation both in Nairobi as well as in many different towns and cities around the country. Just a few hours ago, the opposition leaders here who say that the current president isn't actually the president and their guy won the elections. Protesting -- and they wanted to go into the park behind me. It's called the "Hoodoo Park" in the central business district of Nairobi.
The police and paramilitary forces, hundreds of them out there, Heidi. And they refused to let them in. Instead, they fired tear gas. All the opposition leaders and their supporters scattered. Some of the leaders were holed up in hotels around the city of Nairobi and they're regrouping now to figure out what to do and whether they will try, at least symbolically, to protest and enter the park. Meanwhile, in places like Kisumu, in a slum known as Kibeta on the outskirts of Nairobi, a town called Eldoret, mass confrontations between demonstrators and police. A lot of violence, a lot of tear gas. We're hearing at least three people have been shot and wounded and one person is reported dead. Heidi?
COLLINS: Wow. Obviously, a situation that we're watching very closely. Zain, very quickly, if you could, remind our viewers what the next step is in this area? I mean, we're talking about recounting or a possible another election? What is it that the country is waiting for to happen next with regard to this election?
VERJEE: Well, basically, what's happening here is that the opposition leader is saying that the government has rigged the election and he's actually the winner. What happens next is really anybody's guess. The opposition leader hopes that three days of this, these kinds of scenes being played out all over country -- mass demonstrations.
He says he wants to pressure the government by civil disobedience into acknowledging that they lost the election and to genuinely share power. The other thing, too, everyone's hoping for here is that Kofi Annan, the former U. N. Secretary-General, will come here and somehow use diplomatic skill to broker some kind of compromise. That seems pretty far off. Kofi Annan has the flu, so he is delayed, and both sides here continue to publicly express a lard line -- Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Zain Verjee for us in that park there, in Nairobi. Thanks so much, Zain.
HARRIS: Well, President Bush talks Mid-East peace. More bloody violence and reports of an air strike that went terribly wrong. We are going to take you live to the region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris. A marine murdered another. On the run. Another new development in the manhunt.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: She didn't feel threatened. That's what the military says about a pregnant marine and the marine accused of killing her. Plus, a new development in the search for the suspect. Now, Ed Lavandera is joining us live from Jacksonville, North Carolina, where he's been following this story.
Ed, what is the latest now on the search?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Heidi, I wish there was something to report. In fact, there isn't. They did find his truck yesterday just north of here in the Raleigh area, but there have been no other sightings that authorities here have been talking about. They do say that there are tips that continue to come in, but this is a nationwide manhunt and remains so.
It's now day six since Cesar Laurean left the area. And, you know, over the last few days, military investigators have been under a lot of pressure to explain what they knew and when they knew it early on in this case and whether or not they passed along key information over to civilian authorities and, they say, they did.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED BROWN, SHERIFF, ONSLOW COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: Laurean's name was not mentioned in the report.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Sheriff Ed Brown has repeatedly said his investigators were not given Cesar Laurean's name until 20 days after Maria Lauterbach was reported missing. But, after conducting a lengthy internal review, military investigators say the sheriff's office was, indeed, told about Laurean on December 19th, the day she was reported missing.
PAUL CICCARELLI, OFFICER, NAVAL CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION SERVICE (NCIS): It was at that particular day that NCIS special agent that was working the rape investigation, Special Agent Megan Graft, contacts Onslow County, actually contacted us, and engaged in conversation that it wasn't a superior officer, it was actually the corporal. The corporal's name was Corporal Laurean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Military officials say every clue suggested Lauterbach left on her own. She left her roommate a note saying she was tired of marine life and wanted out. Even though she claimed Laurean raped her, military officials say he never violated the military protective order to stay away from Lauterbach.
COL. ROBERT SOKOLOSKI, MARINE STAFF JUDGE ADVOCATE: When she was specifically asked by the each of those individuals whether she felt threatened by Corporal Laurean, she responded that she was not and did not and did not feel threatened by Corporal Laurean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five days after Cesar Laurean disappeared, his truck was found near the Raleigh airport, but still no sighting of the marine since he's been on the run. Laurean's wife is also a marine and military sources say she's been ordered to continue her work on the Camp Lejeune base.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: Now, sheriff's investigators here in Jacksonville have not responded to what the marines, the kind of timeline the marines laid out yesterday afternoon. But, from everything that we've heard yesterday, it's clear that all of the indications and everything surrounding Maria Lauterbach --everyone believes she left on her own accord and that there was never any foul play suspected until some 20 days after she had been reported missing and no one thought to question otherwise -- Heidi?
COLLINS: Wow. Ed, that's really interesting. However, we haven't too many tips on the whereabouts of this guy. All right, we know you're following this and let us know if anything else happens. Thanks.
HARRIS; Overseas, President Bush wrapping up his eight-day Mid- East mission this morning. He's heading home with a promise from Egypt to work for peace in the region and Mr. Bush vowed to stay committed to reaching an Israeli-Palestinian agreement by the end of his term.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because I believe, the leadership in Israel and the leadership of the Palestinians is committed to a two-state solution. And, I know, nations in the neighborhood are willing to help, particularly yourself and I appreciate your strong constructive support for the process, and I told the press that I am going to stay and -- because they're wondering whether when the American president says something, whether he actually means it. When I say I'm coming back to stay and gaze, I mean it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And the president's Mid-East tour also included stops in Israel, the West Bank, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, along with Saudi Arabia. Still in the Middle East, a missed target and a top militant killed. Another tumultuous day in the West Bank and Gaza. CNN's Atika Schubert live from Israel's border with Gaza.
Atika, great to see you. Sadly, after the president's visit, it feels like business as usual with this new round of violence?
ATIKA SCHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. In fact, there's been a steady escalation of violence in the last few days. Yesterday, 19 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack. And Islamic militant group Hamas from Gaza vowed revenge. That revenge came in the form of rocket attacks. Since this morning, at least 20 rockets have been launched from Gaza landing in Israeli towns.
In fact, here on the Gaza border, we have seen and heard a few of those attacks, one landing fairly close nearby. One of those rockets actually made a direct hit on a home causing light injuries. Israel has responded with air strikes. In fact, one of those air strikes hit, missed its target, hitting a car with a family traveling inside.
According to Palestinian medical sources, at least three people were killed. Now, all of this, Israelis and Palestinians, are wondering how long will it go on. Will this end up in a major ground operation inside Gaza? That's the question many are asking today, Tony.
HARRIS: Atika Schubert with us along Israeli's border with Gaza. Atika, appreciate it. Thank you.
COLLINS: Youth in a vial? Will these drugs really make you look and feel younger? Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the lowdown in a just minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Human growth hormone. Is it a fountain of youth? The "Albany Times Union" reports entertainers among thousands of names turning up in an investigation. The newspaper named singer Mary J. Blige. Her spokesman denies she's taking any illegal or anti-aging steroids. What is human growth hormone? I can't even say it. Does it deliver its promise of youth?
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here with us. A lot to talk about this yesterday.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
COLLINS: People wondering, you know, I think basically, is it safe? Does it work?
GUPTA: There's a lot of claims about this and does it work is a sort of at the heart of most of those claims. The right answer, I think, for most people is that we simply don't know. But, by way of background, what exactly is human growth hormone? It is a hormone that is naturally produced in the brain. Take a look now. This is the base of the brain. It produces the substance and as you get older, some of the amount of the substance actually goes down.
By the time you're in your 60s, you're producing a fraction of what you used to produce in your 20s, and therein lies a lot of these claims. If, somehow, you supplement that growth hormone, can you erase the ravages of time? That's where the claims lie. There are some legitimate uses for growth hormone, such as children with short stature, for example, aids patients who have had wasting. Sometimes, growth hormone can help with that. But, as far as a lot of the other claims, they're very hard to substantiate and seem to be more founded, Heidi, in anecdotal evidence as opposed to real scientific evidence.
COLLINS: So, if a starlet or someone who wants to look younger says, "HGH might work. So, even if it doesn't, I'm going to take it, anyway." Is there harm in that?
GUPTA: There's harm in that and there's not great data on either side of this issue. There's not great data to show that it works. Not great data that it's harmful and that's because, in order to study this, you have to inject a bunch of people with growth hormones who otherwise didn't need it.
That's a difficult study to do, obviously. The concerns are, could it cause cancer? Could it exacerbate diabetes? Could it cause arthritis and joint problems? But, also, even more than that, could it cause cosmetic changes in your face, cause a widening in the area around your nose, cause soft tissue around your jaw?
COLLINS: That's not very pretty at all.
GUPTA: And that's not what people want, obviously. But that may be one of the side effects as well.
COLLINS: Are there claims out there, too, that it might reduce body fat?
GUPTA: Yes. You know, a lot of this is based on a single paper. We did a whole documentary about this. I feel like I sort of breathe in growth hormone for some time. But, in early 1990s, there was one paper, it was a small study that basically showed it can decrease body fat by about 15 percent and increase lean muscle mass by about 10 percent. A lot of anecdotal studies after that but everyone sort of hinging their hat on this one study that turned it into a multi- billion dollar industry because of that one study. COLLINS: That's dangerous.
GUPTA: I'm telling you. The regulations have gotten a lot stiffer as well. Doctors who prescribe this without seeing a patient and for unregulated uses can face prison time. They can pay thousands of dollars in fines. They can lose their medical licenses. We've actually seen that happen as well.
COLLINS: A good reminder on that, definitely. But, the second you say skinny and young, people's ears perk up.
GUPTA: Billions of dollars spent every year on that.
COLLINS: Yes, I know. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Thank you.
GUPTA: Thank you.
HARRIS: Urban cayote -- you say cayote or coyote -- what do you say here? This wild animal turns up in a Boston neighborhood. Can you imagine that? Captured there by wildlife officials and animal experts believe this week's big snowstorm confused the coyote. He also may have been hit by a car. The coyote was checked out by vets. It is now in good condition. They hope to return him to the wild soon.
Good morning, everyone. Coming up at the top of the hour, welcome back, Ms. Heidi.
I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: Yes. I'm glad to see you, Tony.
HARRIS: Good to see you.
COLLINS: I want to get to some of our top stories this morning now. The Michigan primary and a tale of two parties. First, the Republicans: Mitt Romney easily captured his native state. John McCain, a distant second. Mike Huckabee, third.
And now, the Democrats. Hillary Clinton won Michigan but, there were no delegates at stake and her chief rivals weren't even on the ballot. The Democrats shared the stage last night for a debate in Las Vegas. The tone, mostly cordial -- they were really, really sweet to each other. Clinton and Barack Obama blame supporters for their racially charged feud.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D-NY) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to ask Senator Obama if you will co-sponsor my legislation to try to reign in President Bush so he doesn't commit this country to his policy in Iraq, which both of us are committed to end.
OBAMA: Well, I think, yes, we can work on this, Hillary, because I don't think, you know, the -- we got unity in the democratic party, I hope, on this. The notion that President Bush could somehow tie the hands of the next president, I think, is contrary to how democracy is supposed to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The Democrats sparred in Nevada, site of the party's next big showdown. Those caucuses coming this Saturday.
HARRIS: Let's get you to the New York Stock Exchange now, just in time. Live, just in time for the opening bell. Boy, it looks to maybe a tumultuous day of stocks today. At the close yesterday, Intel reporting fourth quarter profits down, below market expectations. So, the Dow gets started today at 12,501 after losing, my goodness, over 277 points yesterday. We're following the markets all morning long with Susan Lisovicz right here in the NEWSROOM.
And still ahead a growing problem for the presidential candidates, immigration reform and Florida farmers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So behind the ballot in the Michigan primary. More detailed look at the voters and their choices. For that we turn to senior political analyst Bill Schneider in New York.
Bill, good to see you. What are the exit polls telling us today?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Mitt Romney won an important victory in Michigan. Keeps his campaign going. How did he do it? Well, he dominated the vote among the base of the Republican Party. It was one factor. Those are conservatives. Here's how conservatives voted as you can see. They clearly preferred Romney over John McCain. McCain didn't even get a quarter of the vote among those conservatives. They are the base of the Republican Party. It's very difficult to get the nomination if the conservatives oppose you. And it's pretty clear here that McCain had a problem with conservatives. Romney beat him almost two to one.
A second factor, the big issue in Michigan, the economy. The economy in Michigan is in very bad shape. Those voters who said that major concern was the economy, again, clearly preferred Mitt Romney over John McCain. Mitt Romney is a former business executive and something of a turnaround artist. And that's what Michigan voters are hoping for. A turnaround in their state's economy and they looked to Romney as someone who has the skills and the experience to do it.
HARRIS: Yes. And, Bill, how might the folks in Michigan have voted for Democrats, if they had the chance to vote for a full slate of Democrats?
SCHNEIDER: Well, Tony, as you've reported, in fact, the Michigan Democrats didn't have a full slate. They had Hillary Clinton, uncommitted and a few other candidates. Well, the big surprise in the Michigan Democratic primary, again, a beauty contest, didn't count for choosing delegates, was that African-American voters, who are almost a quarter of the voters in Michigan yesterday voted uncommitted. 70 percent of them. If they had had the name Barack Obama or John Edwards, and others on the ballot, 73 percent -- told us in the exit polls - 73 percent of African-American voters in Michigan in the Democratic primary say they would have voted for Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. That's a very troubling sign for Hillary Clinton. The next big Democratic primary is in South Carolina, where about half the voters are African- American. Clearly indicates that she may have a problem with those voters running against an African-American candidate.
HARRIS: So, so interesting. Bill Schneider for us in New York. Bill, appreciate it. Thank you.
And for more on the presidential candidates and their next stops, go to cnnpolitics.com. It is your one-stop shop for all things political.
COLLINS: Baghdad bombings by campus. The college area of the Iraqi capital hit by roadside bomb this morning. The bomb went off as students were arriving for classes. Police say two people were killed. Ten others wounded. In other Iraqi violence today, a female suicide bomber killed six people in Diyala Province, a market there.
Americans in Lebanon urged to be on alert. This after a powerful and deadly bomb targets U.S. diplomats. CNN's Anthony Mills is live from Beirut now with the very latest on this.
Anthony, what type of measure to be in taken now in the wake of this attack, security wise, obviously?
ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the U.S. Embassy here has first of all restricted movement of its staff members, and it has also urged U.S. citizens here to exercise extreme caution. It's not clear at this stage whether Tuesday's bomb blast represents a return to the kind of persistent anti-American violence, high-profile violence that rocked this country during the '80s.
You recall that in 1983, a marine barracks bombing here and an U.S. Embassy bombing resulted in the deaths of close to 300 Americans. It's not clear whether that kind of violence is returning to Lebanon, but many Americans and indeed westerners in general, Heidi, very much on edge.
COLLINS: No question about that. Overall, what is the feeling? Are people staying inside? I mean, has it got into that level, Anthony? Can you put it in perspective for us a bit?
MILLS: Tuesday's blast, Heidi, was just the latest explosion in a series of bombs and assassinations that have rocked Lebanon over the last two and a half years. This country has been very unstable for three years or so, since in early 2005, Lebanon's Former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was blown up. And foreigners in particular here have been exercising caution. The country is caught up in a deep political dispute between on the one hand a parliamentary majority backed by the west, notably the United States. And on the other, an anti-government opposition force led by the militant Hezbollah Group and backed by Iran and Syria. One of the claims made by the opposition, Heidi, is that the United States is interfering in Lebanon and so Americans, although not physically targeted in this country until Tuesday, were at, nonetheless, the object of very severe criticism. And together with the blasts of course and the series of assassinations and explosions that have rocked this country, they have been very much on edge, Heidi.
COLLINS: Very understandable. All right, CNN's Anthony Mills joining us live from Beirut this morning. Anthony, thank you.
HARRIS: A deadly end to the cease-fire in Sri Lanka. Gunman opened fire with guns and grenades killing at least 25 civilians on a bus. As many as 50 others were injured. It happened about 150 miles south of the capital Colombo. And the government says separatist rebels are to blame for the attack and official ceasefire between the two sides officially came to an end this morning, though they resumed fighting about two years ago.
COLLINS: Back here at home, police released dramatic 9-1-1 tapes from that deadly Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo. This call was made by one of the two brothers who survived the attack.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DHALIWAL: It's a matter of life and death. How long is it before they get permission to go there?
DISPATCHER: OK. I understand that, but at the same time, we have to make sure the paramedics don't get chewed out, because if the paramedics get hurt, then nobody is going to help you.
DHALIWAL: (INAUDIBLE).
DISPATCHER: OK, I understand that, all right?
DHALIWAL: (INAUDIBLE), get an ambulance in here.
DISPATCHER: OK, the ambulance is staging. I need you to understand that if the ambulance people, paramedics
DHALIWAL: What do you want me to understand? My brother is going to die out here.
DISPATCHER: OK, calm down.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COLLINS: At the time of that call, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa had already been killed by the escaped tiger. Investigator say, the wall of the tiger habitat was shorter than recommended. Zoo officials have question whether the tiger was taunted. Police have said they would not press charges against the brothers. But they have a warrant to search the car and cell phone records of the victims indicating their investigation is not yet complete. HARRIS: A fugitive on the run gunned down by police outside of a California Casino. Pretty dramatic stuff here. It happened in Palm Springs. Officers were trying to arrest the man. He got away after a brief struggle. Police say they shot and killed him after he pulled a gun. A worker inside the casino was hit by a stray bullet.
COLLINS: Three schools in DeKalb County, Georgia are locked down this morning while police search for two men suspected of gunning down two police officers in what is described as an ambush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF TERRELL BOLTON, DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA: It hurts that the -- I've never seen such, just brutality in terms of people that represent you every day, and how they had no chance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The shooting happened overnight at an apartment complex. Police say the officers were off duty, but had a security job at the building. They were reportedly responding to a call about a suspicious person when someone opened fire. The names of the officers have not been released. Both have been on the force for less than five years.
HARRIS: Let's get another check of the weather now. Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center. What am I looking at there, in the box there over your right shoulder, Jacqui?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Are they here? A Texas town says yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say it was a half mile wide and about a mile long. It's humongous, whatever it was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an unidentified flying object.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Strange light, talk of aliens. You're in the twilight zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Florida citrus growers want to put the squeeze on candidates. Who's got the juice to make immigration reform a reality?
CNN's John Zarrella reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since 1933, they've been picking oranges off the trees at smoke grove in Lake Placid, Florida.
MASON SMOAK, SMOAK GRANGE GROVES: (INAUDIBLE), they are -- will be ready to harvest in two to three months.
ZARRELLA: Mason Smoak is worried about the uncertainty. Immigration reform could destroy the industry and there may not be anyone to pick next year's crop.
SMOAK: This country relies on a work force that is not necessarily from this country.
ZARRELLA: Agriculture is the second biggest industry in Florida behind tourism. Citrus alone brings in $9 billion. Presidential candidates coming to Florida have to talk about more than just building a border fence, because about 65 percent of essential farm workers nationwide are illegal, according to the Department of Labor.
SMOAK: More than just closing the borders and sending everybody home. We will be crippled as an industry and as a nation if everybody was sent home and we did not have a guest worker program.
ZARRELLA: Based on what he's heard so far, Smoak isn't sure who he's voting for. They all want tighter security. Beyond that, Republican Mitt Romney supports an increase in legal immigration, but not amnesty. Mike Huckabee opposes amnesty and wants a crackdown on those who overstay their visas. John McCain is in favor of a guest worker program similar to the president's which failed in Congress. And Rudy Giuliani already campaigning heavily in Florida wants foreigners to have an I.D. card and wants an expansion of legal immigration.
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We'll let you in. We'll let you work. But you're going to have to pay your fair share. You're going to have to pay taxes. But it will be all part of an open system.
ZARRELLA: Among the leading Democrats, Barack Obama supports allowing illegal immigrants to pay a fine and go to the back of the line for citizenship. Hillary Clinton favors a guest worker program. John Edwards backs allowing some illegal immigrants to stay here legally. A recent survey found 76 percent of Floridians viewed illegal immigration in the state as a somewhat to very serious problem. And a majority believes tightening border security is the most important immigration issue.
For strawberry grower John Stickles, there's more confusion than clarity. Unless the candidates accept that agriculture needs workers who will do the job but the $8 to $10 an hour the industry can afford to pay, Stickles fears he could go under.
JOHN STICKLES (PH), STRAWBERRY GROWER: Looking for somebody that is open-minded, realizing that they're going to shut down agriculture by removing these people.
ZARRELLA: The farmers and growers say if the next president doesn't come up with a viable guest worker program, the workers won't be coming from other countries, but much of your fruits and vegetables will. John Zarrella, CNN, Dover, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: We're trying to explain a strange sighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were dancing around and they were flickering, but they weren't just doing this. They were like -- just moving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Not alone in a small Texas town. Dozens say they saw something they just can't quite identify.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Seriously.
HARRIS: Yes, Heidi?
COLLINS: Thank God you're back for this.
HARRIS: What? Oh no, no, no. I've been watching. You have been holding it down, taking care of business in the podcast.
COLLINS: I am just?
HARRIS: Yes, yes you have, Heidi. But you know what? I also checked out our Robin Meade's podcast over there at CNN "HEADLINE NEWS."
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: You know, folks have been watching our podcast. That's all I'm saying. So we're going to stay ahead of the curve as we always do. Introducing some new elements to the podcast, because we want you to download it today. And here's what you do. You go to cnn.com.
COLLINS: Seems we're competing with our own.
HARRIS: You're dog gone right, we are. You're dog gone right. So you download our podcast today, available to you 24/7. Great stories on the podcast. A little emphasis on the political season, because folks are really into that right now. Do it today.
COLLINS: Here's something else though. Some people in Texas, anyway are really into close encounters in that state. Dozens of upstanding townspeople witnessed something they just can't explain, but they're trying. Here's Gary Reeves now from Dallas affiliate WFAA. He is in Stephenville, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY REEVES, WFAA AFFILIATE (voice-over): You remember seeing it?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.
REEVES: Well, there was the county constable or the trucking company owner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seem to be hovering over Stephenville.
REEVES: Or the former air force technician.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an unidentified flying object.
REEVES: The only thing weird about these folks here is what they say they saw in the skies over Erath County.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say it was a half mile wide and about a mile long. Just humongous, whatever it was.
REEVES: Businessman Steve Allen (ph) is also a pilot. He described flashing lights, exactly the same as Constable Leroy Gaitan says he saw 20 miles to the south.
LEROY GAITAN, ERATH COUNTY CONSTABLE: They were dancing around and they were flickering. But they weren't just doing this. They were like -- just moving. You know...
REEVES: Like a live show.
GAITAN: Yes, similar to live show.
REEVES: And then they both say it took off.
GAITAN: And just all of a sudden just shot off and it went directly south, southeast -- or northeast, correction, at a high rate of speed. It so fast that I couldn't keep up with my binoculars to it.
REESE: The reports have lots of people in Stephenville laughing. That places like Cowboy Travel, for Alison Rinehart and Garrett Martinez (ph) were booking an exotic vacation.
ALISON RINEHART, STEPHENVILLE RESIDENT: I think it's crazy. I think - I mean, I think it could be true, and I think that there really might be some, but I have not personally seen them.
REEVES: But what gives them credibility is the fact that folks who saw it seem so trustworthy. Alan has received 30 calls from other witnesses. The military denies it has anything to do with this. The constable says he hopes its military and he hopes it's ours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would like an explanation. We're not all a bunch of idiots. You know, there's so many people that saw it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The residents of Stephenville are about to get more visitors. UFO investigators and enthusiasts are expected to descend on the town to get their own look at the lights.
HARRIS: Let's just figure this out. All right, it is being called a super bug, exceptionally, resistant to drugs. Are you at risk? We will tell you whose being hit the hardest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A health alert today. Word of a new highly drug- resistant, cases apparently exploding in one particular community. Holly Juscen of affiliate KRON reports from San Francisco.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLLY JUSCEN, AFFILIATE KRON (voice-over): Sexually active gay men are the most vulnerable to a new highly infectious strain of bacteria. It's a form of MRSA and public health expert say it could gain ground on the general population.
JEFFREY KLAUSNER, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT: It can infect anyone. It's already impacted people in all sorts of settings from school children to inmates to members of sports teams, to the gay community.
JUSCEN: According to a study released Monday by the annals of internal medicine, the highest concentration of infection was found in and around the San Francisco Castro Districts. The risk of contracting this Staph infection is 13 times higher for gay men compared to the rest of the city's population. This new strain called USA 300 is different to threat and it's resistant to six types of antibiotics. This bacteria spreads easily through skin-to-skin contact.
KLAUSNER: Sex is a contact sport, and people, you know, share skin and come together, and that's a way that these germs can be spread.
JUSCEN: But this particular Staph bacteria can also be transmitted with just casual contact with another person. It invades the skin and tissues beneath the skin. It causes abscesses or sores like these and can quickly turn into life-threatening infections.
KLAUSNER: And you see this redness and when that redness spreads, we know that's a serious infection.
JUSCEN (on-camera): Public health officials say that the most effective way to prevent skin to skin contact transmission is a good scrubbing.
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