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Six Key Terror Suspects at Guantanamo Bay May Face Execution if Convicted; Presidential Candidates Gearing up for Potomac Primaries

Aired February 11, 2008 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN, ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You'll stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Here's what's on the rundown now, six key terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay may face execution if convicted. The Pentagon announcing charges this morning. You'll see it live.

Presidential candidates gearing up for the Potomac primaries. Will Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. add clarity to the muddled delegate picture?

And nasty winter weather turning northeastern freeways into demolition derbies. Cleaning up the smash today, Monday, February 11th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A report just in. CNN now confirming representative Tom Lantos of California is dead. Representative was 80 years old and passed away at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in suburban Maryland. He was the only holocaust survivor to ever serve in Congress. He had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and survived many, many years ago obviously when he was 16 years old back in 1944 by escaping twice from a forced labor camp. So, his life very much remembered today. Again, Representative Tom Lantos of California is dead at the age of 80.

And now, big developments to report this morning in the 9/11 attacks. Next hour, the government is expected to announce death penalty charges against six terror suspects now held at Guantanamo Bay. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has been working her sources and has all of the new development. Good morning to you, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi. More than six years after American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into this building on the morning of September 11th at about one hour a top Pentagon official will step to the podium here and announce charges and death penalty requests against six high-value detainees at Guantanamo Bay, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man said to be the mastermind behind that day, behind the 9/11 attacks.

What is expected here at 11:00 is an announcement that charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attacks on civilians, and a request for the death penalty against six men are being referred to the so-called convening authority, the judge in charge of the legal efforts at Guantanamo Bay. It will be up to that judge whether to accept the charges and have it all move ahead to trial or make any modifications. This may wind up being the first contested trial, if you will, at Guantanamo Bay. There have been proceedings in the past. You'll recall David Hicks, the Australian, pled guilty. There have been a number of pre-trial motions for other detainees but this certainly is the most high-value, high-profile situation to date. Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara, thank you.

So who is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? Here's a quick sketch of the man accused in one of the worst mass murders in U.S. history. He was born in Kuwait but carried a Pakistani passport. He claims to have been the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and boasted he personally beheaded Wall Street reporter Daniel Pearl. Almost five years ago, Mohammed was arrested in a raid in Pakistan. He's been linked to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. The bombing of the "USS Cole" and the 2002 attack on a nightclub in Bali.

The Pentagon will announce its charges next hour, so stay with CNN. We will be carrying it live. That briefing at 11:00 Eastern here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Just hours left for the candidates to get out there before the next round of important presidential contests. Tuesday, it's the Potomac primaries. That would Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.. For democrats, Barack Obama's momentum is building after a weekend sweep. He went 5 for 5 winning the Louisiana primary by double digits, in fact. Also earning decisive caucus victories in Maine, Nebraska, Washington state, and the Virgin Islands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We won by a sizable margin in Maine and I want to thank the people of Maine. I want to thank the people of Maine. We have now won on the Atlantic coast. We've won in the Gulf coast. We've won on the Pacific coast. And we won in between those coasts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: As for the republicans, Mike Huckabee has sort of put the brakes on John McCain's momentum. Huckabee won in Louisiana and Kansas and he is now contesting McCain's micro-slim win, if you will, in Washington state. John McCain is trying to change the tie with tomorrow's Potomac primary. CNN's Dana Bash is with the McCain campaign this morning in Annapolis, Maryland. And Dana, I know you just wrapped up his speech. Tell us a little bit about what he had to say.

DANA BASH, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: It's really interesting, Heidi. John McCain, of course, needs to win in Maryland and they think he is going to do very well in the primary here tomorrow. But this was far from a traditional campaign rally. In fact, he just had one event that as you said, we just wrapped up. It was a press conference. He did a Q&A session with reporters. And the tone of it was quite interesting. He was very low key. Over and over again, as you can imagine, you've got questions about his challenge in uniting the republican party, especially given the big loss that he had this past weekend in the state of Kansas to Mike Huckabee. And over and over he basically deflected that question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a lot of work to do to unite the party. Our party is dispirited because of spending and corruption, as we all know, and we've got to re-energize our base. And also primaries are tough. Look, as I've said before, after the 2000 primary that I had with President Bush, it took some time for my supporters to come over and solidly support President Bush's candidacy, but they certainly did and I urged them to do so. So these things take a little time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: These things take a little time. Again, making the point that he does understand that he has some work to do in his own party. But Heidi, the fact that he was trying to make the point about where the state where I am right now, Maryland, that this is a state that has not gone for republicans in recent years at all. He is trying to make the point that in Maryland and in other states that he has won in the primaries and the northeast like New York and New Jersey, he is saying that you know, I might not have intense support among some in the conservative base but I want to expand the party. He insists he is going to have a competitive time in the general election in some of these states which he says will change the way republicans run campaigns, recently. Heidi.

COLLINS: Dana, as I know you're very busy covering the McCain campaign and all the politics, I'm sure you heard the news about Representative Tom Lantos. I know you covered him on Capitol Hill and knew him pretty well. In fact, I think you had a sit-down interview with him recently, right?

BASH: That's right. In the fall, actually, before I went on the campaign trail. It was during the intense, one of the many intense debates about the war. And you know, it's interesting, Heidi, we've been talking about the fact that Tom Lantos was so unique in so many ways but particularly he was unique because he was the only Holocaust survivor to serve on the United States Congress. And when I was talking to him I actually just pulled a quote that he said which I think is really telling about the kind of service that he provided.

He said, "I feel that I have a tremendous opportunity as a survivor of the Holocaust by adding a moral dimension to our foreign policy." He talked about adding a moral dimension to the foreign policy. That's the experience he brought because of his terrible experience in the Holocaust. Really unbelievable experience. I think you were walking to Elie Wiesel earlier about the fact as a very, very young man, he escaped a couple of prison camps. He helped many, many people escape. He helped the diplomat, Raul Wallenberg. He was sort of one of his couriers.

You know, the other thing that is interesting to remember about Tom Lantos is the love story in his life. He and his wife, Annette, Heidi, they were married for almost 60 years. Not just that, they met when they were really little kids in Hungary. You know, you could not find Tom Lantos on Capitol Hill in his office anywhere without his wife. She was a big, big part of his life, a big part of the sort of policy that he was pushing, the policy that he was pushing in Congress and beyond to really focus on the issue of human rights. Again, because of his experience in the Holocaust.

COLLINS: And we're talking to you now and looking at a live shot of the flags going to half staff in remembrance and in honor of Representative Tom Lantos. Look at those. Boy, a lot of people certainly very much effected by him and should also mention that in the middle of all of that, his survival in the Holocaust was not the same situation for his mother and much of his family whom he lost. All right. Certainly appreciate your remembrances as well. Dana Bash coming to us live this morning from Annapolis, Maryland.

Again, as we continue to look at those flags just now being lowered to half staff in remembrance of Representative Tom Lantos of California.

Hillary Clinton is changing campaign managers now after a string of disappointing losses. Moving in is long-time Clinton aide Maggie Williams. She was chief of staff for Clinton during most of her time in the White House. The Clinton campaign is also hoping to bring someone else on board, John Edwards. The campaign says Clinton went to North Carolina to speak with Edwards last week. Barack Obama is expected to meet with Edwards today. Edwards suspended his campaign just before super Tuesday. He has not endorsed either candidate, probably pretty popular at this point.

An important programming note to tell you about. Michelle Obama is tonight's guest on "LARRY KING LIVE." She's going to talk about life on the campaign trail and the prospects of being the first African-American first lady. "LARRY KING LIVE" comes your way tonight at 9:00 Eastern.

We want to get back to this weather situation. Look at this. Strong winds, blinding snow, a travel nightmare in the northeast. It is a little bit better now this morning. All lanes of interstate 81 in eastern Pennsylvania are open again, but yesterday just a mass. You see the pictures there. 68 cars and trucks involved in a pile-up. In fact, one woman was killed and dozens of other people were hurt.

Then to New York, this chain-reaction pile-up blamed on blowing snow. More than 35 vehicles on i-390 near Rochester were involved. In fact, a teenager was killed in that mess. A look at this i-report picture, too. Ryan Loy sent it us. He shot it from an exit ramp overlooking that crash site.

Rob Marciano is joining us now to tell us a little bit more about what's going to be happening today. Boy, I certainly hope it's a lot better for those people.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it is in those areas it's better. The snow bands have shifted elsewhere and the winds are dying down just a little bit. But if you live in Boston, if you live in the eastern part of New England, you're still going to have winds with temperatures in the teens and 20s. that makes it feel worse than that. Minus one, that's the actual temperature right now in Chicago. South of the front, though, 61 in Dallas. Got a live picture for you. Dallas northward through the Red River Valley, you're under a slight risk for seeing severe weather today. A little bit overcast. WFAA affiliate out that way giving us a live shot of the big "D."

All right. Let's talk about what we think is going to happen with this storm system that's going to roll across the mid south. Freezing rain north of the front. Slight risk of thunderstorms south and through Dallas and maybe Little Rock, Arkansas. We actually had a report of thunderstorms in parts of southwest Missouri with rain falling in subfreezing air. Just a nasty mess here from Springfield back through Joplin, extreme southeast corner of Kansas is also seeing some icing. North and east of Tulsa, i-44, this is just, you're going to see probably half an inch of ice in many spots, maybe more than that. That's going to bring down some power lines. There you see southern half, some thunderstorms rolling through Joplin. But this pink is just ice with sleet, freezing rain and even a little bit of snow.

St. Louis you'll probably see mostly snow. A couple of inches of it but this whole red swathe is where we have winter storm warnings posted this. This moisture will march eastward up the Ohio River Valley from Louisville up through parts of Cincinnati by tomorrow morning. And just a little sliver of lake-effect snow, east of Lake Ontario today, one to two feet of snow but no ice there.

COLLINS: My parents are e-mailing telling me to tell you they feel like they're in Lake Ontario, Minnesota, like 40 below wind chill.

MARCIANO: Oh, but your parents are tough.

COLLINS: They are. Hearty folks, isn't that what we say?

MARCIANO: Exactly.

COLLINS: All right. Rob, thanks. We'll check back later.

MARCIANO: OK.

COLLINS: Striking TV writers may soon be back at work. It could happen as early as Wednesday thanks to a new deal from the studios. Writers will vote tomorrow on whether to end the strike. And then they'll vote on a deal that could boost their paychecks. Union leaders are claiming victory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATHIC VERONE, GA WEST PRESIDENT: It was arguably the most successful strike American labor movement in the a decade, certainly the most important of this young century. It is not all that we hoped for and it is not all we deserve, but as I told our members, this strike was about the future and this deal assures for us and for future generations of writers a share in the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: If the contract is approved, writers will get paid when their work is available on the Internet. That's what it was all about. So we'll follow that one for you.

Meanwhile, the influence of youth, will they make a difference in the presidential race? Coming up, we're going to look at how the Internet is changing politics in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Iraq's new growth industry. The way to double the price of a new car, just add armor. The story in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We've heard it for years, but is the youth vote really making a difference in this election? Veronica de la Cruz has been tracking the candidates online. What's the word, what do you think, yes or no?

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's plenty of evidence out there so far young people and we're talking about those 18-29 definitely having an impact, Heidi. Although it's probably something we're seeing more of on the democratic side. You probably remember this, Heidi. It all started in Iowa with the Iowa caucuses where Barack Obama turned out 57 percent of the youth vote. And then Clinton in comparison took only 11 percent. Since then we've really seen this trend continue, Heidi, with Barack Obama tapping into that youth voting block, those under the age of 30.

COLLINS: Yes. When it comes to the youth vote, though, what is the difference than this year compared to past years?

DE LA CRUZ: well, you know, taking a look at politico.com that political blog, they've been saying that 14 percent of the voters in the democratic primaries this year have been under the age of 30. It doesn't really seem like a lot but that's actually up from 9 percent in 2004, 8 percent in 2000. In fact, Heidi, the youth turnout rose in every super Tuesday date where there was data available except in New York where it basically stayed the same.

Here's the thing. A lot of people connect part of Barack Obama's popularity with his online presence, which is pretty immense. Let's take a look at this. This is techpresident.com. They've got this really interesting graphic. It breaks down the support on the web for each candidate. And we're going to look at MySpace here where Barack Obama has interestingly enough, more than 270,000 friends. Hillary Clinton has about 179,000 friends.

Looking at the other social networking sites, Facebook, you see that Obama there leading the pack with 481,000 Facebook supporters. Clinton has about 109,000. So, those number I just want to mention both include the official and unofficial sites for both of those candidates. But really interesting to see how it pretty much translates.

COLLINS: Yes, it's very interesting. But he's not even just popular on social networking sites, right?

DE LA CRUZ: No, not at all. You know, the interesting thing is, first and foremost, he is the youngest candidate. He's what, like, he's 46 years old. So there is that to keep in mind. Also young people out there making really good use of the web. You probably remember this, this is the Black Eyed Peas "Will I Am." This was a viral video that was released over "Super Bowl" weekend. And this video exploded all over the Internet. I think it brought in 10 million hits on its website, four million on various YouTube pages. There was the Obama girl video. So the bottom line here, Heidi, is that Barack Obama has a lot of momentum when it comes to young voters and probably don't see that ending any time soon. So really, really interesting to make the connection between what's going on online and what's happening with the candidates bringing out the youth vote.

COLLINS: Only bad news is, we know Obama girl didn't even vote, did she?

DE LA CRUZ: She didn't even vote.

COLLINS: I can't believe that.

DE LA CRUZ: She said she was so busy with "Super Bowl." She was flying back from Phoenix and couldn't quite make it out to vote. So... hmm.

COLLINS: Hmm, is exactly right. All right. It's interesting, nonetheless. Veronica de la Cruz, thanks so much.

DE LA CRUZ: Of course.

COLLINS: Appreciate it.

Americans coming back in the country and giving up all their personal information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMIR KHAN, TRAVELER: He said if you denied to log me in, I will force you to log in. And so, I had no choice.

COLLINS: Cyber searches at the border. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Ouch, taking a look at the big board now. Well, just a second ago it was down 107 points. Now we're down 96 points. Dow Jones industrial averages resting just above 12,000 there. We will continue to watch all your business stories and talk more about the headlines in that department coming up on Nasdaq, also I'm hearing down nine points. Again, we'll bring Susan Lisovicz in a just little while and talk business for you in a moment.

The next time you go through customs, think about this. Agents can take your laptop and there's not much you can do about it. Here now is CNN's Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN, CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Computers are Amir Khan's business. The Pakistani-born U.S. citizen is an I.T. consultant and always travels with at least one. But on five occasions, he says customs and border protection agents searched his computer when he returned to the U.S. from oversees. He says they even forced him to give him access to confidential company data.

KHAN: He said even if you deny to log me in, I will force you to log in. And you know, so I had no choice. I said, can you at least show me what you're doing, but he didn't, you know, he just don't listen to me. He just turned the laptop to in a direction that I can't see.

MESERVE: Other travelers tell similar stories. Some even had electronic devices confiscated and never returned, laptops, cell phone, blackberries, often chockful of highly sensitive or personal information.

PROF. DAVID COLE, GEORGETOWN LAW: Is it really like the same thing as opening someone's luggage or bag and rifling to see if whether there's any contraband in it or is it more like a strip search?

MESERVE: To search your house, the police need probable cause to believe you have committed a crime, not so with customs and border protection searches of computers. A spokeswoman says the agency has "broad search authority at the borders to determined admissibility or look for anything that may be a violation of criminal law." She insists the agency does not racially profile, but will not say how it picks which electronic devices to search or what is done with the information inside. Some civil liberties groups are suing for answers.

MARCIA HOFFMAN, ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION: Who they share it with, whether it's ever destroyed, whether citizens have any ability to get that information back.

MESERVE: Amir Khan wants those answers, too, because traveling without a laptop is simply not an option.

KHAN: It's like a wallet, right. You need your wallet everywhere you go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Capitol Hill mourns the only Holocaust survivor to serve in the U.S. Congress. Representative Tom Lantos is dead. We're looking now live at the picture of Capitol Hill, all those flags flying at half staff now in his memory. We'll have the story coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Welcome back this Monday morning, everybody.

Breaking news on Capitol Hill to tell you about. Congressman Tom Lantos has died after a bout with cancer. Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress. The Democrat chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lantos represented his northern California district for 14 terms.

His spokeswoman says Lantos passed at Bethesda Naval Medical Center early this morning. Lantos disclosed last month that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. You see those flags now flying on Capitol Hill, a live picture for you, at half staff. He was 80-years-old.

Among our top stories this hour, a big announcement is expected coming up soon in the 9/11 terror attacks. CNN has learned military prosecutors will seek the death penalty against six terror suspects now housed at Guantanamo Bay naval base. That's expected to be announced at the top of the hour, along with the charges.

CNN will have a live coverage of the Pentagon briefing. The suspects include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. He's the former al Qaeda operations chief who has described himself as the mastermind of the attacks. Those strikes killed almost 3,000 Americans.

Seeking the death penalty will draw more international attention and anger to the case. The military commission has been a lightning rod of controversy since it was established just two months after the attacks. The military official reviewing the case can accept or reject the death penalty request. So stay with CNN, the Pentagon will announce its charges next hour and we're going to carry it live for you. That briefing 11:00 Eastern, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Commanders consensus on troop withdrawals from Iraq. Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, met in Baghdad today with General David Petraeus. Gates -- backing Petraeus' idea of a pause in troop withdrawals when the so-called surge ends in July. The commanders are concerned, pulling four more brigades by July could compromise security gains. President Bush will make the final decision. Gates was on an unannounced visit to Baghdad, his seventh in 14 months.

A booming business in Baghdad. Armored cars, a necessity for some, an unaffordable luxury for others. Here now, CNN's Michael Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the chaos that is traffic in Baghdad, they're mixed in with the clunkers, the buses and the vans, armored cars. Diplomats use them, politicians, security outfits, the media and even a few well-healed locals.

(on-camera): Driving around Baghdad, or anywhere else in Iraq, for that matter, is, of course, still a very a risky business. There's the threat of bombs, gunmen, kidnap. Armored cars are very much the norm for Westerners, and others. You really wouldn't leave home without one.

(voice-over): There are half a dozen armored car shops in Baghdad's fortified green zone. Sales, rentals and repairs all doing rather well. Some open 24/7.

ALLAN GILRUTH, ARMORED CAR MANAGER: The business is growing rapidly. We are expanding on a constant basis.

HOLMES: Allan Gilruth manages one of those businesses, GW Fixer. It's fair to say he's seen it all.

GILRUTH: We do repairs all the time where the vehicle is absolutely destroyed but nothing has penetrated the armor.

HOLMES: To many, these larger vehicles, seen here in a security company video, stand out too much. Many prefer to go low profile. Cars that look like a regular sedan or so-called soft skin car, except they have that something extra, potentially life-saving armor.

GILRUTH: This will -- stop a ballistic round from an M-14, AK- 47, slight impact on it. It takes four bullets in the same hole to penetrate the glass. It would penetrate the steel plate.

HOLMES: If you want to buy an armored car, peace of mind doesn't come cheap. A vehicle that costs maybe $40,000 in the U.S. will run you over $100,000 when armor is added. Buy one brand new, purpose built, and you can spend well over a quarter of a million dollars. If that's a bit steep, guys like Allan will supply you a rental on steroids.

How does $500 a day? A bargain actually. Some places charge upwards of $750 a day. Few locals can afford one, of course, but there is an economic upside for some -- jobs. All the workers here are Iraqi, feeding their families with well-paying jobs in a city where unemployment is rampant.

One thing to remember if you're in the market to rent, no insurance in these parts. Bring the car back shot up or blown up, and you pay for the repairs.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Seventeen-year-old sounding cynical about another assignment?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this another school election we're going to be participating in? Or is this, you know, is this a joke?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: This is no mock election. It's for all the marbles. Voting before 18, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Want to take a minute to you some cool pictures from space. Take a look at this now, live pictures, in fact. Space walk that's going on today. Space shuttle Atlantis astronauts are getting ready for this space walk, just when they thought they had it all figured out, someone got sick, one of the German astronauts.

And they thought were going to have to change the whole schedule but then decided not to and just change the crew instead. So that space walk on-going as we speak. And their whole purpose today, helping to install the European lab, Columbus, that the Atlantis brought up to the international space station. So that will be in place shortly, probably.

But isn't that cool? Look at that blue sky. Those pictures coming in, of course, from NASA, live.

Underaged voting, it is allowed in tomorrow's Maryland and Virginia primaries. Let's take a look now with CNN's Kate Bolduan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If scenes like this are any sign, young people are bucking the stereotype of being disengaged and apathetic. Instead, they're getting involved in the 2008 presidential race, and the candidates are taking notice.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Everybody talks about, well, how are you going to get the younger vote --

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In Iowa -- on the day of the caucus, I had been telling reporters, you know, I think young people are going to come out like never before.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can solve our problems again. But I can't do it without your help.

BOLDUAN (on-camera): And young voters are even younger in the upcoming Maryland and Virginia primaries, along with a handful of other states, 17-year-olds can vote, as long as they're 18 by the general election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this another school election we're going to be participating in? Or is this, you know, is this a joke?

BOLDUAN : That's what many teenagers may ask themselves. But Maryland high school students we talked to say, they love the idea.

BEN ELKIN, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I will absolutely be out there on Tuesday staffing the polls and voting.

IAN MUIR, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I may not be of age or I might not have a job or secure income, per se. I still have the right to say what I think.

BOLDUAN: Polls show young voters in general are doing just that, making their voices heard. The Pew Research Center says the California Democratic primary is one example.

MARK LOPEZ, PEW RESEARCH CENTER: Young people increase their share of voters on election day from about 10 percent to 14 percent. To be able to do that is really quite striking.

BOLDUAN: Striking, maybe. But will it last? These students say, absolutely.

JULIE CHANG, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: Youth in America are realizing that when you don't vote, you don't get a say.

BOLDUAN: Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Stay tuned for much more on the candidates as they crisscross the country and don't miss a full hour of the CNN "Ballot Bowl" from noon until 1:00 Eastern. We'll have live coverage of the candidates as they make their pitches ahead of tomorrow's contest.

Economists have been debating if and when the economy will slip into a recession. But a majority of Americans say we are already in one. Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with details.

We've been hearing this for a while, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And basically what this poll says, Heidi, this poll from A.P./Ipsos, is that we don't need an official declaration of recession -- 61 percent of those polled say the economy is already in one. And that's troubling because this could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Why is that? Because what we spend and how much we spend drives the U.S. economy. Those polled said that they can't afford things they normally buy. And we've seen, of course, we've been reporting it, there was a sharp decline in overall economic growth in the final three months of 2007.

In fact, it was the weakest in five years -- just 2.2 percent. Of course, it's all rooted in the housing recession. For most of us, our homes are the biggest asset we own. And those, of course, are declining in value. Credit tighter to get -- to get by. So if you're trying to buy a home, it's tighter to get it.

And of course, if you're using your home as a piggy bank for other projects, tighter to get. And we, of course, have also seen a weakening labor market, as well as higher energy prices. So call it what you will, a downturn, no official declaration of recession. But this poll says a lot of folks believe we're already there -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Well the stock market has to be a big worry, too, right? We've seen some massive, wild, crazy swings, big declines this year.

LISOVICZ: That's a very good point, Heidi. And we talk about what happens day to day. Most of us are not really fixated on it day to day, except for the fact that we're saving for the long term, for our retirement. So that was a worry in this poll -- 59 percent of those polled say that the stock market's downturn worries them a lot.

But just keep this in mind, Heidi, because I know you're an optimist. That -- S&P, the S&P 500, which is the broadest of the three major averages, tends to decline in the six months preceding a recession historically. That it goes down. But during a recession, the S&P edges slightly higher. And six months afterwards, the S&P gains an average of nearly nine percent.

With that, what's happening today? Yes, another sell-off. It's kind of a light day in terms of economic news, no major economic data. But we're coming off one of the worst weeks, the worst week for the Dow in nearly five years. And there's continued selling today. AIG putting a lot of pressure on the blue chips. Its shares are down 11 percent on concerns that it has more mortgage debt to write off.

The Nasdaq, meanwhile, is down 40 points. And finally, Heidi, a bit of changes in the Dow 30. It's a very elite club, as you know. As of next Tuesday, Honeywell, which is the defense and aerospace company, and Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris, are out of there. Replacing them, Bank of America, a big financial, and Chevron, a big energy company. So there's a little bit of change in the Dow Jones Industrial. It's up as of next Tuesday.

COLLINS: Wow, that's interesting. All right.

LISOVICZ: Yes. It happens periodically to reflect the performance of the companies, as well as the overall economy.

COLLINS: I'm sure they tried to get a good representation there. And they only have ...

LISOVICZ: Exactly.

COLLINS: ... thirty companies. All right. Thanks so much, Susan Lisovicz.

LISOVICZ: See you next hour.

COLLINS: You got it.

Coming up now, a salute to musical history. But a young star takes the current call. Grammy night highlights, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: Want to get this information to you as we get it here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

T.J. Holmes is in the newsroom working on some type of shooting that's happened in Memphis, T.J.?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Mitchell High School is the area we're talking about here. The high school in particular we're talking about. Mitchell High School in Memphis, Tennessee. What we know now is that a 17-year-old has been shot, found inside the school cafeteria.

These reports coming to us from the local affiliates there. And that this student is now being transferred -- or has been now taken to a hospital in critical condition. The school now in lockdown -- the reports at this point. Now, this information just coming to us, very fresh right now.

So we don't know anything about the possible gunman, the alleged gunman in this case, and where that gunman could be. So, these are always scary instances, any time you have a situation of a school shooting. You'd like to know where the shooter is, what the intent is.

Here are some pictures we have, apparently live pictures, we have out of Memphis. One of the affiliates there, apparently of this high school. Not showing us much here in particular in this picture, but at least a picture of the high school which is now in lockdown.

We don't know where this shooter, again, possibly could be and also if the shooter is affiliated with the school, is a student at the school, could possibly still be on the grounds of this school. But the report is that the student who was shot, 17-year-old victim who was found inside the school cafeteria.

It's about 9:50 local time there, in Memphis right now. So this shooting just happened just a short, short time ago. We just lost that live signal. But again, we're trying to get more information here, and a critical piece of information is where this particular shooter is and if any more students possibly at that high school or anyone in the surrounding area -- possibly still in danger.

So Heidi, we're going to keep working this story. A lot more information we need to get about this and certainly a scary situation and unfortunate would be -- so much part of the landscape now. We seem to hear about these all the time, school shootings. But here's another one, another scary situation that is certainly not resolved just yet. A lot more questions. We're going to get some of the answers for you.

COLLINS: OK, very good. We'll come back to you should you get some of that information.

HOLMES: All right.

COLLINS: Thank you, T.J.

Quickly want to get to the other story that we have confirmed here at CNN. And that is the death of Representative Tom Lantos of California. He was 80-years-old and died at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, suburban Maryland. He had suffered from esophageal cancer. Of course he was the only Holocaust survivor to ever serve in Congress, and had worked on many different committees.

Most importantly, he had worked on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He was actually the chairman of that committee. And you see those flags flying at half staff now on Capitol Hill.

yy I want to read you a quick quote, something that he said quite some time ago. Listen to this. It's pretty profound. He says, quote, "It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi could have received an education, raised a family and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a member of Congress." Once again, this was what he said upon announcing his retirement, just last month, actually. He said, "I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country." The words of Representative Tom Lantos, dead this morning at the age of 80.

To south Georgia now. Firefighters this morning are searching for two workers. They've been missing since Thursday's explosion at a sugar refinery. At least six people were killed in that explosion and firefighters pulled the latest victim from the debris last night. The fire is now out, at least in part of the refinery, but some of the silos are still burning. Plant officials blame the explosion on flammable sugar dust.

Dolphins slaughtered by the thousands. So a town can survive.

CNN's Kyung Lah reports. But a warning now, you may find some of these pictures disturbing.

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KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sunrise in Taiji, Japan. Fishermen from this picturesque small village are already at sea. The day is just beginning, and just like the last 400 years, so is the hunt.

RIC O'BARRY, DOLPHIN ACTIVIST: This here is ground zero for the largest slaughter of dolphins on planet Earth.

LAH: Activist Ric O'Barry brought dolphins to the living room as the trainer on the popular 1960s TV show "Flipper." Now he wants to bring the annual dolphin hunt to the world's consciousness.

O'BARRY: This needs to be abolished. It's over the top. This is absolutely barbaric and it needs to stop.

LAH: The dolphins are corralled in from sea. Fishermen in boats and divers in the water chase or drag them into this lagoon. In only a few minutes, the water turns red with blood. The dolphins stabbed and slashed. Activists who release video like this in the past say the animals suffer, sometimes bleeding to death for hours. (on camera): The water in the cold stays bloody for hours and that's something the fishermen don't want the animal activists, the media or the public to see. So in the public parts overlooking the cove, they put up these tarps, hoping to secure the view.

(voice-over): As we're talking to him...

O'BARRY: Here comes the boys.

LAH: The boys are the local fishermen. And they're angry that we're interviewing the activist they've been battling for years. Even the police watch outsiders, who are stopped and asked to show identification.

The suspicions and anger comes from a fishing town of 3,000 people feeling their way of life is under attack by Western activists.

MASARU MATSUSHITA, TAIJI FISH DEALER: I don't understand why they want to stop the fishing, says Masaru Matsushita, the Taiji fish dealer. This is our culture and they need to understand it.

The fishermen and the town government refused numerous requests from CNN for interviews. But the mayor's office does tell us that without the hunt the town would die.

Once killed, the dolphins are brought here and gutted. The meat is packaged and sold in local Taiji supermarkets and shipped to other small coastal towns.

JOJI MORISHITA, JAPAN FISHERIES AGENCY: As long as this is beneficial or this creates some money for some people, yes that will continue.

LAH: Japan's fisheries agency says the battle between Taiji and animal activists is another dimension of the international whaling issue. The government allow as maximum of 20,000 dolphins killed every year because the species is not endangered. The government says the dolphin is singled out by the west because of an emotional connection to the animal.

MORISHITA: We don't like to play god saying that this animal is just for food, and this is not. For some people this is inhumane activity. When we have to compare the other hunting activities and we are sure that the hunting of dolphin is not so different of hunting of other hunted animal.

LAH (on camera): Do you understand their perspective, though, that they do see it as an outsider coming in to invade on their life?

O'BARRY: Of course I do understand that. If somebody came into my hometown and told me what to eat and what to do, I would be outraged, so I do understand it. But that's not going to stop me from doing it.

LAH (voice-over): So in this quiet town, the animal blood spills and human blood boils, with both sides pledging this fight will not fade away.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Taiji, Japan.

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COLLINS: A moment of grace for a troubled singer. Amy Winehouse took a leading five awards at last night's Grammy show.

CNN' Brooke Anderson has a look.

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BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Grammys turned 50 this year and celebrated its history by pairing performers from the past and present. Alicia Keys summoned the late Frank Sinatra for a duet. Rihanna sang alongside the '80s group The Time, and Beyonce went rolling on the river with Tina Turner.

History may have been the theme of the night, but high emotion was felt, too, in the form of four-time winner Kanye West, who paid tribute to his late mother, Donda.

KANYE WEST, RAPPER: Mama, all I'm going to do is keep making you proud. We run this.

ANDERSON: Speaking of history, Grammy voters shocked everyone by giving Herbie Hancock's "River: The Joni Letters" the album of the year award. It's the first time a jazz artist has received that honor in 43 years.

HERBIE HANCOCK, JAZZ ARTIST: I would like to thank the academy for courageously breaking the mold this time.

ANDERSON: But the night was dominated by a troubled 24-year-old singer, by the name of...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amy Winehouse!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amy Winehouse!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amy Winehouse!

ANDERSON: The retro-soul singer who performed via satellite from London led the pack with five trophies, including best new artist and both song and record of the year for her autobiographical hit "Rehab."

Amy Winehouse's problems may have kept her out of the country, but they didn't keep her from Grammy glory.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: You're with CNN. Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on Monday, the 11th of February. Here's what's on the rundown. The Bush administration pushing the death penalty for key terror suspects at Guantanamo. The Pentagon announcing charges live in just minutes.

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