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American Morning
Major Endorsement for Barack Obama Campaign; Mitt Romney and Senator John Mccain Trading Verbal Jabs; Mitt Romney Picking up Endorsement's of Dick Cheney's Daughter
Aired January 28, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Briana Keilar joins us now.
So what are folks in the Senate saying that they want to do with this bill that has been hammered out already between the Treasury secretary and the House leadership?
BRIANA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some of the ideas that Senate and Democrats are floating include extending unemployment benefits and food stamps. And then in terms of Senate Republicans, one of their priorities is lowering the corporate tax rate.
You know, the Senate really wants to put its two cents in on the house plan but really it could be a political misstep if they appear to be slowing it down with this process about anything done, John.
ROBERTS: So the president is going to send a message to the Senate tonight saying they'd like to get this thing as quickly as possibly. He also got a message to send to all of Congress on this issue of Earmarks.
KEILAR: Yes. This is really interesting. Something we just learned, that President Bush is going to be telling Congress, when you send me those spending bills that fund the U.S. government later this year, I want you to cut your marks in half. And if you don't I'm going to veto it.
Now, the other thing, basically, the way Earmarks work, is in a spending bill, you've got this legal language and then the Earmarks, a lot of times, are in that. They're in sort of an explainer section. Well, President Bush is also going to be issuing a presidential order tomorrow saying, if those Earmarks are not in that legal language, they don't have to be honored. They don't have to be funded. This could really be a big deal. No doubt, this is going to ruffle the feathers not just of Democrats but also of Republicans here on the hill, John.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, we'll see how that one goes over. What else is the president expected to put in the speech tonight? A lot of it will be in the economy but there are other items people talking about.
KEILAR: Yes, there are. He's going to be talking about the war in Iraq. How troops should not be sped home. He's also going to be talking about Mid-East peace. Obviously, this will be his chance for a legacy, something that he's been working on for a while but could be near impossible according to some critics.
ROBERTS: His saying he wants to get a Mid-East peace agreement by the time he leaves office next January. That will be a tough road ahead.
KEILAR: Tough road.
ROBERTS: Briana, thanks very much.
I spoke with White House Press Secretary, Dana Perino, in our last half hour here on AMERICAN MORNING and asked her what the president plans to say to senators who might want to make changes in his stimulus package.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think the president is going say that the American people expect that we should be able to follow through on a bipartisan agreement that we reached last week. And if the Senate should not do anything that would slow that down or blow it up.
So the president's going to call them to push forward and get this thing done so that we can make sure that we have an insurance policy against a possible economic downturn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Perino also says the White House does not see the economy falling into recession. You can watch the president's State of the Union, primetime coverage begins tonight at 8:00 Eastern here on CNN. And if you can't watch it on television but you do have a computer near you, catch the president's address online at cnn.com/live.
Kiran?
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: John, thanks.
Well, Senator Barack Obama is going to be receiving a key endorsement from Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. Kennedy is expected to announce his endorsement today. It will take place at a rally in Washington, D.C. Kennedy plans to campaign for Obama, as well pretty heavily heading into Super Tuesday.
Senator Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, says she will go to Florida tomorrow after the polls close in the Florida primary. The Democratic National Committee said it would refuse to allow Florida's delegates to attend the National Convention because they defy the party and moved up the state's primary. The Clinton says that they need to be there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to try to seat the Florida delegates. I have said that the people of Florida deserve to be represented in the process of picking a president for the Democratic Party. I've never seen such intense interest as we're seeing across our country, and I think it's fair to say, based on recent experience that Florida will once again be a battleground state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Senator Barack Obama's campaign also says it disagrees with the National Committee's ruling and says that whoever the nominee is will get to fight, fight to get Florida's delegates involved.
Obama, by the way, building on the momentum from his win in South Carolina. He sat down with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux and explains why he thinks that all the bitter talk of race last week did not hurt him with the voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have dedicated a big chunk of my life to moving us beyond some of those old arguments, and I think the people of South Carolina responded yesterday in part, because they don't want to go backwards. They want to look forward and that's part of the reason why we did so well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Both Obama and his main rival, Hillary Clinton, are saying that the party will be unified behind whoever is chosen as the nominee.
John?
ROBERTS: It's coming up to five minutes after the hour. 57 delegates are up for grabs tomorrow for the Republicans in Florida. And the candidates are scrapping each other for every last one of them.
Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain are trading verbal jabs. McCain accused Romney of supporting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Romney called him a liar and but then quickly rephrased that saying, he's dishonest. It's a battle definitely. And congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, has got a front row seat. She joins us this morning live from Orlando.
What are you seeing there, Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll show our viewers, John, right away what we're seeing and why these two men, John McCain and Mitt Romney are going at it so intensely. Let's look at the poll of polls here in Florida just a day ahead of the primary here.
John McCain is at 27 percent. Mitt Romney is at 26 percent. Essentially neck and neck there. And then you have Rudy Giuliani at 16 percent essentially vying for third place. It looks like with Mike Huckabee, he is at 14 percent. But on the issue of John McCain versus Mitt Romney, John, the sun barely has come up here in Florida and already Mitt Romney has had a press conference going after John McCain on the issue that he thinks is going to win him Florida, and perhaps the nomination and that is the economy.
He had a press conference at a gas station that accused John McCain of having a lack of understanding of our economy, and essentially also going after John McCain for his Washington experience. Saying that all of the legislation that John McCain has supported in Washington, whether it's the immigration legislation, whether it is global climate change or even campaign finance reform, he says that that has hurt the economy.
Well, already we have a response, as can you imagine, from John McCain, saying that Mitt Romney supported the same kind of climate change initiative that John McCain supports now. Essentially trying to go in Mitt Romney's sweet spot, which is perhaps not being authentic on the issues.
Meanwhile, as you know, John, John McCain has still been trying to stay on the issues he thinks is going to serve him best with Florida voters. That is national security. So over and over, he talks about that as what he thinks is the dominant issue and should be the dominant issue for Florida voters because he thinks that, that is the issue that makes him the best to perhaps be the best Republican nominee.
So this intense back and forth between the economy and national security is what we're seeing play out as these two men really vie for the number one spot in Florida, and perhaps, perhaps, the nomination overall.
John?
ROBERTS: And Rudy Giuliani was claiming last week that he was getting a surge in this final weekend. I guess we'll find out tomorrow if that worked or not. Dana Bash this morning in Orlando. Dana, thanks.
Mitt Romney is picking up the endorsement's of Dick Cheney's daughter, Elizabeth Cheney. Liz Cheney says that she's going to work for the Romney campaign. She was working for Fred Thompson. We're going to find out why she made the switch, when we talk to Liz Cheney, coming up 8:30 Easter on AMERICAN MORNING.
A reminder, we're hitting all the battleground states on the road to Super Tuesday. Talking with voters and candidates to help you choose a president. Tomorrow, I'm going to be in Florida where Dana was today in Orlando for the primary there. And then we head across the country for CNN's back-to-back debates with Democrats and Republicans Wednesday and Thursday night in Southern California.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. Thanks a lot, John. Well, our Alina Cho is here with some other stories developing this morning including breaking news out of Pakistan.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Things developing minute by minute, Kiran. Good morning, everybody.
That breaking news out of Pakistan. A hostage standoff at a school. We are now learning that one of the gunmen was killed in a shoot-out before the gunman stormed the building. Now, police say 30 students and teachers are inside the high school in Peshawar. Security forces have surrounded the building.
It all started after a failed kidnapping. Police say they're up against five or six hostage-takers there. They are not believed to be al Qaeda or Taliban militants, just suspected criminals running from police. We are watching that story very closely.
Also this, the man who led the Mormon Church for more than a decade has died. Gordon Hinckley was 97 years old. He died of complications from old age. He was the president of the Mormon Church for nearly 13 years. Hinckley is credited with using the radio and even YouTube to spread the Mormon word to more than 13 million members worldwide. Flags in Utah are flying at half-staff.
We already buy soda and candy in a vending machine. Why not marijuana? Starting today in Los Angeles, patients can buy legal medical marijuana in vending machines at an Herbal Nutrition Center. All they have to do is pass-through security, submit their prescription and pay. The machine will take their fingerprints and picture, too. California is starting with two machines for now, but could add more.
Playing a different tune. A snag with a new free music downloading website called keytracks.com. You may have heard about this one. Warner Music now saying it never gave keytracks permission to post its content. The website sent out a press release saying it would have 30 million tracks available from all the major record labels, all for free.
And the stars were out for The Screen Actors Guild Awards last night. Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor for "There Will Be Blood." He dedicated his award to Heath Ledger even though the two never met. Julie Christie won Best Actress from "Away From Her." And "The Sopranos," Kiran, swept the TV side. Best Ensemble Cast Performance, Best Actor and Actress for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco.
The Writers Guild, of course, didn't picket the show because The Screen Actors Guild is a big supporter of the writers' guild. That may not be the case for the Oscars, which of course, coming up in February.
CHETRY: They say the show is going to go on, but the question is will any stars attend it?
CHO: And more importantly for us, will they be in all their glitz and glamour and their dresses? So we can talk about it the next morning.
CHETRY: Exactly. All right, Alina, thanks so much.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: Well, we're also watching extreme weather this morning. Freezing temperatures leading to a frightening scene in Massachusetts. Check this out. 27-year-old man falling through thin ice on a pond. There you see, only his chin above water and then all of these firefighters jumping in. They pulled him to safety. A half an hour later, they had to wear a cold water gear, there you see it, as they're trying to pull him into that canoe. He was treated for hypothermia and they say he is going to be OK.
Reynolds Wolf is in for Rob Marciano this morning. It's hard to imagine that 20-some degree water and just trying to keep yourself above water in general. He got pretty lucky.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Next time he comes up, I want to check with Reynolds to make sure that it's actually going to be warm in Orlando tomorrow. Every place we've gone, Kiran, on this trip, we always run into cold weather. It's getting cold here in Washington, too.
Hey, coming up. Personal finance editor, Gerri Willis shows us how the crisis in home foreclosures is spreading and where it looks like things are starting to turn around. We've got your "Financial Security Watch" just ahead.
And a major coup for Barack Obama. Senator Ted Kennedy about to give him his endorsement and will Hillary Clinton keep her husband on the campaign trail? News from both campaigns just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A major endorsement for the Barack Obama campaign. Longtime Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy is expected to throw his support behind Obama later today, after weeks of back and forth over everything from race to Bill Clinton's role in the campaign. And this morning, we're talking with supporters of both candidates.
Joining us first Democratic senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri. She is backing Barack Obama for president and she joins us this morning from St. Louis. Thanks for being with us this morning.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL, (D) MISSOURI: You bet.
CHETRY: You know, congratulations first of all on this endorsement that's coming from Senator Ed Kennedy. It sort of caps off a week of controversy. A lot has been said about the role that Former President Bill Clinton has played in his wife's campaign, and some comments that he made about Senator Obama. Here's what he said yesterday following Obama's victory in South Carolina. He said -- well, let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Won South Carolina twice in '84 and '88 and he ran a good campaign and Senator Obama is running a good campaign here. He's a good candidate with a good organization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Now, what do you make of that comment, senator?
MCCASKILL: Well, I think that it was trying to minimize who Barack Obama is to the American people and what he can be as president and it is unfortunate. But people in South Carolina figured it out and the people in America are figuring it out. And what Ted Kennedy knows, and I think this is something that is important.
He knows that Barack Obama has the intellectual weight and experience to be a great president from day one. He works closely with both senators. He has worked closely with many, many presidents. He has had a ring-side seat watching how things work. I think he really believes that Barack Obama will not only be a great president on day one but will lead our country to a place we haven't been before. Where we can all come together again and feel better about who we are.
CHETRY: You know, Senator Clinton is taking a lot of heat for letting her husband, though, do some of this campaigning on her behalf. He is not the only spouse, though, of a potential candidate who has come on strong and come out there on the campaign trail. In fact, we heard from Michelle Obama. And she used some tough words going to bat for her husband as well that seemed to allude to the Clintons. Let's listen on what she said back in August.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: Our view is that, if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Now, is there a double standard when it comes to what role and how harsh the candidates' spouses can get, when helping their spouse campaign?
MCCASKILL: Listen, I don't think that was a good thing for Michelle to say. She said it back in August. I don't think it was the highlight of her time on the campaign, but let's put this in perspective.
Michelle Obama is an educated, smart woman who cares deeply about her president -- about her husband and hopefully her president, but Senator Clinton's husband is a former president of the United States. And I think he understands the scrutiny and how every word he says is going to be looked at carefully, and I think he chooses his words carefully.
I think, some of this is calculated. And so I think, what we need to do is quit worrying about whether or not they're going back and forth and frankly we need to move on. Barack Obama wants to move on. He wants all the votes in Florida to count. He wants all the delegates in Florida to count and they will count once he becomes the nominee of the Democratic Party.
CHETRY: Now, it's interesting, because you said that Former President Clinton does choose his words carefully. You said to the "Kansas City Star" last week that Clinton has tried to manipulate the facts in a way that is patently unfair.
Are you suggesting that the president has been less than truthful, perhaps even lying about some of Obama's record?
MCCASKILL: You know, that's way too harsh. I think that President Clinton just needs to be careful and needs to realize that he has a different kind of role.
I respect how much he wants to campaign for his wife. I would think it was weird if he didn't, but he's got to be careful, and I think the American people are so tired of the old politics. They're so tired of this knit-picking back and forth. What they want is they want a candidate says hey, I can work with Republicans. I can work with independents.
This shouldn't be about just making the other guy look bad. That's a new kind of politics. It's a different kind and I think its one that America is yearning for.
CHETRY: Senator McCaskill, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
MCCASKILL: You bet.
CHETRY: We appreciate it. Well, we also have with us, Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek. He is endorsing Senator Clinton for president and he joins me here this morning.
Now, thanks for being with us Congressman. Are people getting tired of, because there has been some criticism, even from those who are supporting the Clintons like Charlie Rangel, who even said that, "The focus has got to get back on Hillary. It has to be about her election to win. It's become too much about his role."
Is the former president's tone taking away from what he's trying to do for his wife?
KENDRICK MEEK, (D) FLORIDA: You know, it's interesting. The first time we've actually had a leading female candidate, leading African-American candidate and the first time, a former commander-in- chief is now espoused to one of those candidates.
I also think it's important, even on the last clip talking about the response to Barack Obama's win. I was actually with the president in South Carolina. I've been traveling with him over several days. He was asked a question about historic voting in the state of South Carolina and that was at 10:00 a.m. in the morning. We just left breakfast. We didn't even have any exit polls at that time. So some of it is the reporting of how events actually took place but I think...
CHETRY: So, you're thinking he was asked about historic voting in South Carolina, he responded to it and then it's been picked up as...
MEEK: It's been picked up as a response to the win. So that has been going on and on and on and folks are writing about it, but it's very interesting. The president's not trying to make news. He's trying to help his wife and help the best qualified candidate between Republicans and Democrats make it to the White House, and that's Hillary Clinton.
CHETRY: This is interesting, because in South Carolina the exit polling did show that nearly two out of three voters who said that Bill Clinton had an, some sort of effect on their decision did not vote for him. Does that indicate that perhaps this negative campaigning has taken votes away from his wife?
MEEK: Well, the real issue is the reporting of what the president is actually saying, President Clinton. Being there with him and traveling with him and hearing what he said and hearing how the questions are coming through, is the Clintons snip and it's coming out the wrong way.
Anyone that would think that Bill Clinton, who has spent his entire life and Hillary Rodham Clinton, making sure that we come together, not only races but genders and America in general, And I think that 20 second and I believe in Florida, the vote is going to take place tomorrow is going to be evident of the kind of politics that they've played over the years.
Hillary Rodham Clinton has great plans for the United States of America and it's important that we hear her. Tonight, we're going to hear the president. I'm on my way back to Washington, D.C. and I'm pretty sure she's going to have a response to some of the things that he said. How she differs in leading America in the right direction.
CHETRY: Well, I'm interested for you as an African-American and you're supporting with and traveling with the Clintons. How do you feel about the role that race has played in this campaign? Bill Clinton has come under fire for this as well as Hillary Clinton. And Barack Obama, as you said, he is the first black man running for president.
Does it make race off limits or if anybody criticizes Barack Obama, is that considered playing a race card?
MEEK: We're going to have to put on our thick skin in many ways, because you have third-party players here. "The Atlanta Constitution" just last week ran an article about Republican consultants running robocalls against the Clintons in South Carolina and also against John Lewis, the last living person that spoke at the march on Washington was criticized in his own district by these robocalls. So you're going to have people there that are going to continue the race issue. They want that to happen. They want the Democratic nomination to not be what it should be and making sure that that candidate will be able to win the White House in November. So we have a lot of work to do as Democrats and as Americans.
CHETRY: Jesse Jackson is going to call me if I don't correct myself. He's the only black man running right now for president in 2008. So it will be interesting to see how all of this shakes down. Thanks so much for joining us.
MEEK: Thank you. Thank you.
CHETRY: Good to have you on the show with us this morning. Congressman Meek out of Florida. A lot going on in your state, by the way. We're out of time for that today.
John?
ROBERTS: Kiran, Dick Cheney's daughter says she's getting behind Mitt Romney. She used to work for the Thompson campaign. So just what is she looking for from a candidate and what does she see in Mitt Romney? We'll tell you coming up.
And something new just out of china. A new venue for the Olympics. It looks like a box of bubbles on the outside. See what its like on the inside. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: China this morning unveiled its Olympic swimming venue. It's pretty cool. They call it the "Water Cube." But basically, it looks like a box of bubbles on the outside and on the inside it has a pool and then 17,000 feet. After the Olympics, by the way, they're going to convert it into a shopping area. It's going to be a leisure center with tennis courts and a lot of other things. So pretty neat.
Time now for our "Hot Shots," by the way. And it's our favorite new polar bear cub trying to take its first steps. We first met Flocka, a couple of weeks ago. Zoo keepers in the Nurenberg Zoo kept her happy with a belly rub and a bottle. And there she is, moving slowly but surely and she makes her way in the world. Adorable little polar bear.
If you got the "Hot Shots" to send us, please do. It's cnn.com/am. Include your name, a little bit about the picture, where you're from and also please make sure the image is yours and not someone else's.
See that? Step aside commute, John. How about it? Have a little Flocka.
ROBERTS: The heat just got elbowed out of the way. Didn't he?
Hey, Kiran, we're getting a snapshot now of the home foreclosure crisis. Where it's spreading, where it looks like, we've started to turn a corner. Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis is breaking down the numbers for us in our "Financial Security Watch" this morning.
Gerri, you looked at numbers state by state. What did you find?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is interesting stuff, John. We did look at the biggest increase year over year 2007, over 2006. The biggest gainers and foreclosures. Take a look at this.
Maryland, Virginia, Washington and Massachusetts at the top of the list. This probably comes as something as a surprise, because you might expect some of the big real estate gainers, like, say, Florida to be in this list, they're not. This is where the foreclosure fire is burning the hottest right now. As you can see, many of these markets have had price increases but probably not the biggest price increases going.
Let's take a look at some more numbers here with the problems are bad and getting worse. California on this list as well, foreclosures there rising 230 percent year over year, Nevada, Florida. Those three states have had incredible gains in prices and now incredible falls. It's showing up in the foreclosure numbers.
Also, Ohio and Michigan tell a totally different story. This is where industrial jobs are being lost, and the auto industry and other areas. And as you can see, their foreclosure filings up dramatically as those economies really suffer.
Now, here's a surprise. We have some areas where foreclosures are actually going down, believe it or not. And this is areas where prices are actually rising. Take a look at this list. Look at Utah, foreclosures are down 28 percent. Prices are up 13 percent there. So if you're having trouble making your mortgage payment, you can probably sell that house and get out from under it.
All of these markets are really experiencing either flat or positive price appreciation. They're doing pretty well and they're really the exception to the rule that we're having real estate problems across the country, but the devils in the details here. You saw the numbers tell a very interesting story about where the foreclosures are and where they're going next.
John?
ROBERTS: At least it's good to see, Gerri, there are areas where those foreclosures are going down.
WILLIS: That's right.
ROBERTS: Gerri Willis for us this morning. Gerri, thanks.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
ROBERTS: Still ahead, the vice president's daughter, now that Fred Thompson is out of the race, Liz Cheney is switching teams. We'll ask her why Mitt Romney is her man, that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
And can't get an appointment with your doctor? There maybe about a new place right down the street where you can get the attention you need. Is it the right move for your health? We'll pay a visit, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: This morning inside the Rotunda, the Capitol Rotunda there in D.C., it's cloudy, 38 degrees. Shaping up to be a high of 46 and sunny on this Monday, January 28th in a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks for being with us. I'm Kiran Chetry in New York. It doesn't look like it's going to be sunny behind you this morning. It's sort of gray back there.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: It's one of those gray kind of days. Good morning. I'm John Roberts live from Capitol Hill, here in Washington.
We're following some breaking news this morning. A hostage standoff at a school in Pakistan. We are now learning that one of the gunmen was killed in a shoot-out before the suspects stormed the building. Police say up to 30 students and teachers are inside the high school in Peshawar. Security forces have surrounded the building. It all started after a failed kidnapping. Police say they are up against five or six hostage-takers. They are not believed to be Al Qaeda or Taliban militants, just suspected criminals running from police.
An overseas financial markets fell sharply overnight and there are indications that Wall Street will likely follow suit today. Traders are still worried about the U.S. economy. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 4.25 percent this morning. In Japan, the Nikkei was down 4 percent. China's bench market at six month low and European markets all trading lower this morning. Dow futures also pointing lower at this point. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, also new this morning. There's a study that's due out today that both praises and criticizes the Coast Guard's role in the San Francisco oil spill last November. That report says the Coast Guard should have notified the public hours earlier about the 58,000 gallon spill, but that it did not hamper its ability to contain the fuel, as the Coast Guard arrived quickly at the scene. That spill happened November 7th when a container ship sideswiped the bay bridge. The report still doesn't give a cause for the accident.
Chicago's O'Hare now has more cancellations than any other airport in the world. The airport ranked last for on-time departures last year with more than 30 percent of its flights leaving late, and more than 13,000 of those flights never took off at all. That's according to the Federal Bureau of Transportation statistics.
A broken U.S. spy satellite is falling out of orbit. Now, you remember this. This is the Mir space station that broke up back in 2001. Scientists were able to control that re-entry. They had rocket fuel on it. They were able to steer it. But they say that with this new satellite, there is nothing they can do. It broke. And they have no clue where it will hit when it lands in late February or early March, but don't get too worried because CNN's Miles O'Brien, our space expert, says the odds of getting hit by any space junk are 1 in a trillion. Some people have bad luck, though, you never know.
Well, some bar owners in California are getting creative to help their regulars avoid being busted for drunk driving. Police in Fresno have stepped up their DUI checkpoints that lead to dozens of arrests and also a drop in business at local bars. Some bar owners have now began texting customers the locations of police checkpoints. They're saying it's not meant to help people get away with drunk driving, but they want their customers to be safe. John.
ROBERTS: Thanks. A coup for Senator Barack Obama. He is picking up a key endorsement from Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. Kennedy is expected to make it official at a rally in Washington today. The Clinton camp had hope that he would at least stay neutral. Kennedy is planning to campaign for Barack Obama ahead of super Tuesday. He says he's going to campaign hard. Strategists say that the endorsement will add to Obama's credibility with unions, Hispanics and the party's base.
It's shaping up to be a fierce battle in Florida for the republican presidential candidates. John McCain and Mitt Romney running neck and neck according to latest polls and each candidate just picked up key endorsements. Florida Governor Charlie Crist is backing McCain and Vice-President Dick Cheney's daughter, Elizabeth or Liz Cheney has signed on to serve as foreign policy adviser for the Romney campaign and she joins me now. Our apologies about the breeze out here this morning.
LIZ CHENEY, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN ADVISER: No problem.
ROBERTS: A lot of air coming out of the Cannon office building. First of all, let me ask you, you were with Fred Thompson prior to this.
CHENEY: I was.
ROBERTS: Why did Fred not catch fire?
CHENEY: You know, I don't know. It just wasn't his year. He clearly laid out a set of very important policy positions that I think has helped shape the nature of the campaign going forward. But clearly, it didn't work out, and I'm really honored and excited to now be a part of Governor Romney's team.
ROBERTS: Well, Fred Thompson had called himself the real conservative in the campaign. In terms of his conservative credentials, Mitt Romney likes to talk about them a lot. But here's what the "New York Times" said about him recently, "it's hard to find an issue where he has not repositioned himself to the right since he was governor of Massachusetts. It's impossible to figure out where he stands or where he would lead the country." So why are you supporting him? CHENEY: Well, I think that's just wrong. I think if you look across the whole range of issues that are important to the country that the next president has to face, whether it's on the economy, whether it's on national security, whether it's on social issues, Governor Romney is obviously the man who, on the economy, for example, has actually lived out in the economy, and has actually created jobs, knows what it means to take an organization like the Olympics, for example, and turn it around. Has the management and executive experience that a president really needs when he steps into the oval office.
ROBERTS: Now, we have seen this pretty rough and tumble back and forth among the democrats in South Carolina. It's getting rough and tumble between the republicans here in Florida.
CHENEY: It is.
ROBERTS: John McCain the other day leveled an accusation at Mitt Romney about the Iraq war saying that he's looking for a timetable for U.S. forces to get out. Here's how John McCain put it. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The statement is, "you don't want the enemy to understand how long they have to wait in the weeds until you're going to be gone. You can only interpret that as having timetable." And that, in my view, has sent out a message to Al Qaeda that we're leaving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: He's talking about comments that Mitt Romney made last year about Iraq. What do you say about (inaudible)
CHENEY: Well, I think he's mischaracterizing Governor Romney's position. I think that Governor Romney has been absolutely clear - we got to win in Iraq. Senator McCain just a few weeks ago in New Hampshire when asked whether Senator Romney was a strong supporter of the war said he believed that he was. He said, I do, I do. So, I think, you know, it's the middle of a heated primary, as you said. I think that people are, you know, issuing a lot of charges against each other, but this is one that is not true.
ROBERTS: Well, Governor Romney came back after that when he was asked about it. He had some harsh words for John McCain which he dialed back a little. Let's take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, he's lying. He's dishonest about the truth. He's being dishonest. He made a dishonest comment. I misspoke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, he called him a liar then he drew back a little bit and said, no, he made a dishonest statement. I misspoke. What do you think? Is McCain lying about this?
CHENEY: No, I think he's mischaracterizing the governor's position. I think you see that a lot in politics. I think this is really an important issue though and I do think it's important to make sure people's positions are accurately portrayed. Governor Romney understands that we've got to win in Iraq. He understands that the surge is working. We've got to give the folks on the ground, the troops that need to do the job and he knows that we're engaged in a larger war on terror as well. So, I think that this back and forth, you know, is par for the course in politics but it's not an accurate characterization of Governor Romney's position.
ROBERTS: Well, you know, when we hear of Mike Huckabee and John McCain talk about each other is relatively friendly. Rudy Giuliani talks about John McCain as relatively friendly. Governor Romney seems to have a fairly tested relationship with these other candidates.
CHENEY: You know, I don't think that's accurate. I think they're all fighting hard for what is a very important cause, where the stakes are extremely high, and I think that you know, you will see people come to blows in a campaign, but I think that they all have a lot of respect for each other as candidates, and we all will very shortly be focused on November and on the democrats, and making sure that the republicans return to the White House.
ROBERTS: Liz Cheney, it's great to see you.
CHENEY: Same here.
ROBERTS: Thanks for joining us. Sorry about the breeze this morning.
CHENEY: Thank you.
ROBERTS: That's all right. You did very well.
You can again watch it tonight on television. By the way, catch President Bush's state of the union address online at cnn.com/live with multiple live streaming angles. Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks, John. The stars, by the way, were shining once again in Hollywood. It was a one-night-only thing, though. Award season not looking the same this season. Our Lola Ogunnaike will be along with a morning after look at the Screen Actors' Guild Awards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, the quickie clinic. No appointment needed. New patients always welcome. But is that clinic in the corner safe? Elizabeth Cohen visits the drug store and checks up on the newest trend in health care, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 42 minutes now after the hour. We should also mention to you, we had Liz Cheney in today. She is supporting Governor Romney. Tomorrow we'll be talking with Florida Governor Charlie Crist who recently cast his lot with Senator John McCain. Right now, our Reynolds Wolf in for Rob Marciano today tracking extreme weather out in Southern California. What are they looking at there today, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: A little bit of everything now in California. They've had rain, sleet, snow, flash flooding, mudslides. The whole gamut. But today, they should get a little bit better, thankfully. Especially in parts of southern California where the rain continues to fall through the L.A. basin. Not only some rainfall, but in the San Gabriel, which is in the higher elevations, down here in Big Bear, we've seen some snow. So, certainly out on the grapevine, we could see several inches as you're making your way through the morning commute.
Something else we've been seeing is a little bit of that onshore flow near Long Beach southward to Huntington Beach. I don't think that's going to stop until you get to the afternoon hours. But overall, we're expecting much of the moisture to work its way a bit farther to the east where we could see some heavy snowfall across parts of the Rockies. And speaking of snow, we had nearly a foot of snowfall in parts of Massachusetts, just during the last night hours and heading into the morning. It has begun to taper off. However, still rough conditions in parts of route 6 today. So, certainly be careful if you're heading out there. Also look for some ice on parts of 495. That is the latest on your forecast. John, let's send it right back to you.
ROBERTS: All right, and thank you for the upbeat weather forecast for Orlando as well. Reynolds, looking forward to that. Appreciate that.
Check out this cool video, meantime. A flock of birds flying in formation darkening skies in St. Catherine's Ontario. Take a look at this aerial ballet. That is pretty incredible stuff. Kiran, it almost looks like they're dancing for the cameras there.
CHETRY: It really is neat. And you know, I saw something similar. We were driving back from Delaware, like along the shore, and we saw the same thing. I said to my husband, I've never seen that many birds at once. And they were just -- they would go in waves where you would see these huge flocks and then they'd be gone. And you could look ahead and see even more. I wonder if they know something that we don't know about what's going on with the weather.
ROBERTS: Synchronized flying there. It almost looks like they're performing, creating patterns in the air. Pretty incredible stuff.
WOLF: It makes you wonder how many birds there really are? Are there that many or was it just because it was taken in Canada, the exchange rate. It kind of makes it look a little better. Actually, it looks like scene out of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." It kind of spook you, too.
ROBERTS: And Reynolds, I'd be careful about making currency jokes looking at value of the dollar these days.
WOLF: Very, very true. I stand corrected.
CHETRY: It's for the birds. Thanks, Reynolds.
Hey, if you're sick and your doctor's booked up, you can't see someone for days, this a situation that has happened to many of us. Well, now there's a new way to get medical treatment when you need it. CNN's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has been checking out these convenient quickie clinics. You may have actually seen them in your neighborhoods. Some of the drug stores have a clinic now.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You walk in, you can do your shopping, and you can go see the nurse practitioner at the same time. It's sort of a good old fashioned clinic. No appointment necessary, just come on in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMY WARNER, FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER: Let me check your temperature.
COHEN (voice-over): Sanya Ataullah is feeling lousy.
SANYA ATAULLAH, PATINET: I came in because I had headache and fever, and I had watery eyes.
COHEN: But instead of visiting her doctor, she went to this clinic in her neighborhood pharmacy. At convenient care clinics, you don't need an appointment, and new patients are always welcome. Sometimes you have to wait, but not always.
ATAULLAH: She took me right away.
COHEN: Right now there are more than 900 clinics like this in 30 states and another 700 are expected to open this year. That's according to the Convenient Care Association, an industry group. What kind of things do people come to see you for?
WARNER: They see us for sore throats, ear pain, minor skin problems.
COHEN: The clinics are kind of like fast food restaurants. The menu is basic and the prices are set. The average visit costs about $60. Most clinics take insurance, but you don't need it to be treated. Most don't have doctors on site. Usually these clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners. That's one reason the American Medical Association has been critical of in-pharmacy clinics, but that's changing.
DR. NANCY NIELSEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT, AMA: Our only concern about those, frankly, is what is the quality of care that's being delivered in those clinics and if the quality of care is good, then that's fine.
WARNER: We tell them how important it is to have a medical home. We're not a substitute. We're not a replacement. COHEN: For many, it's a convenient way to get care quickly when they're feeling sickly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: There you see it. And you know, it really does turn out to be a matter of convenience, sometimes, if you just simply can't get an appointment. Is there a down side though to this?
COHEN: The down side is that some people might take this as replacement for their primary care doctor. You have to have a doctor. This is not a replacement for a doctor. And you know, sometimes people might say, hey, it worked out so well last time, why don't I just keep going to these clinics? And even these clinics will say, don't do that.
CHETRY: Really, what exactly are they meant to be used for.
COHEN: They're meant to be used for example - a sore throat is a great example. You have a sore throat and you want to know if it's strep or not. You want to know if you should take antibiotics. That's a perfect use for one of these clinics. Something that wouldn't be of great use.. Let's say your child has asthma and you want to know long term what combinations of drugs and inhalers should your child be on. These clinics are not meant to do that kind of long-term planning, they're going to or they should send you to your primary care physician for that.
CHETRY: So, you're saying nothing really takes the place of a doctor that knows and knows your history and knows what sort of, how you've been feeling for a long period of time?
COHEN: Right. Exactly.
CHETRY: But is a nice alternative, as we said. You know, as a mom, is it a mere infection and it's Sunday night.
COHEN: It is nice to know it's there. I mean, it's either that or in emergency room sometimes and going into one of these clinics many would say is a much better idea than an emergency room. Why should you take up space if it's not something that's, you know, about to kill you?
CHETRY: Exactly. Elizabeth, thanks so much. John.
COHEN: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Kiran. CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away now. Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta with a look at what's ahead. Good morning, Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN, ANCHOR: Good morning to you, John. We got these stories straight ahead in the NEWSROOM on the rundown. New trading week. Old worries. We're watching Wall Street. Could another interest rate cut be in the works?
And this is only a test. The government team goes undercover to sneak a bomb past airport security.
And shark takes the bait and a bite from the fisherman's leg. Ouch! What the crew did to save his life. Join Rob Marciano and me in the NEWSROOM. We get started at the top of the hour on CNN. John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to it. Fred, thanks very much. We'll see you soon.
An incredible sight in Spain. Thousands of skiers at the Masea Resort in the Spanish pyramies (ph) attempted the largest torch-lit mountain descent. They lit torches and skid downhill creating a series of orange dots that were visible from the air. Look at how pretty that looks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, the return of the red carpet. For one night only, glitz and glamour back in Hollywood.
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: And the actor goes to --
CHETRY: From who won to what they wore. The best and worst of the SAG Awards. It could be the only award show in town, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Eight minutes to the top of the hour. In "Quick Hits" now, there she is, Miss America. 19-year-old Kirsten Haglund, Miss Michigan was crowned the new Miss America over the weekend in Las Vegas. Haglund won a $50,000 scholarship. She plans to raise awareness to eating disorders. Haglund dedicated the victory to her grandmother, who was Miss Michigan back in 1944. Runs in the family, Kiran.
CHETRY: How about it? Well, congratulations to her.
And there was a red carpet alert in Hollywood, John. The Screen Actors Guild Awards went off without a hitch last night. So, who were the winners and who were they wearing? Any why weren't the writers picketing this big show? Our Lola Ogunnaike is here to fill us in on all the details of the S.A.G. Awards that could be just the only one where stars actually show up this season. Why did they sort of get a pass from the Writers' Guild?
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Screen Actors Guild has been very supportive of the Writers' Guild. I mean, they essentially shut down the Golden Globes telling actors not to attend the event. And so, is a way of saying again as a sort of thank you. The Writers' Guild granted them a waiver. And that's why they've been the only show that's been allowed to go.
CHETRY: All right. So who was the recipient of some of these big awards?
OGUNNAIKE: Well, the biggest surprise of the evening in terms of awards, I think, was Ruby Dee. I mean no one expected her to win for best supporting actress. She was up against Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett and she just pulled it out of nowhere. I mean, she had a very small role in "American Gangster." This woman is 83 years old, never been nominated for an award this big before but she really made a lot out of a little. She had a little bit of screen time but her up against Denzel was really magical, and she's up for the Oscar as well. She could also win.
CHETRY: Very interesting. And with the S.A.G. Awards, it's the peers that vote for their peers?
OGUNNAIKE: Exactly. It's peers vote for the peers.
CHETRY: All right. Let's talk about some of the gowns.
OGUNNAIKE: Yes, the gowns.
CHETRY: First of all, Joan Rivers who would be the fashion don't last night?
OGUNNAIKE: I would have to say the big fashion don't of the night was Sandra Oh. Oh, what were you wearing, honey?
CHETRY: Let's take a look at it. That's not Sandra Oh. Because I know there's a much bigger bow involved. That was Glenn Close who looks fabulous.
OGUNNAIKE: Glenn Close looked great and she was sporting one of the trends of the evening. A lot of them wearing, you know, bare shoulders with no necklaces. There goes the big bow. I mean she looks like a big old giant Christmas present. And I give her props for being daring. That just did not go very well at all.
CHETRY: How about it, come to the S.A.G. Awards and get free gift wrap.
Now, there's also some baby buzz around Angelina Jolie, and you said her outfit did nothing to sort of dampen those rumors?
OGUNNAIKE: Nothing to dispel the rumors. People are saying that she may be pregnant and she shows up in, what, the biggest dress of the night. I mean, it's a giant tent. She could be hiding all of kids underneath there. I mean, Little Maddox, Little Sahara, Shiloh, all hiding underneath that dress. So, you know, she's not saying anything. We don't know. Again, just rumors, but that dress did nothing to dispel those rumors.
CHETRY: She's still drop-dead gorgeous though. So, it's not fair is it?
OGUNNAIKE: Yes. And she got that little arm candy also looking very good as well. CHETRY: All right. Lola Ogunnaike with a look at the S.A.G. Awards. Could be the only one and we'll see if the stars show up for the Oscars. If they hammer out some deal. The writers strike continues.
OGUNNAIKE: Still going on. They're saying that the Oscars will continue but what will it look like? I don't know.
CHETRY: All right. But we'll be watching, anyway. Thanks, Lola.
OGUNNAIKE: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Just 34 minutes to the top of the hour now. And a quick look now at what CNN NEWSROOM was working on for the top of the hour.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, ANCHOR: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're watching Wall Street, signs point to a shaky start.
Win plus endorsement. Barack Obama takes a primary and a prime ally.
A great deal for Super Bowl lodging. You just have to follow the house rules. Make that monastery rules.
And pair skaters become one. Proposal at center ice.
NEWSROOM, top of the hour on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And before we leave, now, one final tally of this morning's "quick vote" question, we ask you, do you feel the current airport security system is enough to keep us safe? 25 percent of you saying yes, 75 percent of you saying no. And to all who voted this morning, thanks.
ROBERTS: And a reminder to you that AMERICAN MORNING on the road continues from here in Washington. Tomorrow, we'll be in Florida for the primary and then we head all the way across the country for CNN's back-to-back debates with the democrats and the republicans on Wednesday and Thursday in southern California. Looking forward to some warm weather coming up. We've been in Iowa too long, it seems, everywhere we go it's Iowa.
Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. Kiran, see you again tomorrow.
CHETRY: All right. CNN NEWSROOM with Rob Marciano and Fredricka Whitfield begins right now.
WHITFIELD: Huh, tongue twister.
MARCIANO: Yes. Well, the big team is in, Heidi and Tony is off. And Heidi. WHITFIELD: You're an A minus.
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