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American Morning
Pakistan Elections; Kosovo Declares Independence; Southern Tornadoes; George H.W. Bush Endorses McCain; Beef Recall: Largest in the U.S.; HD-DVD Setback
Aired February 18, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: The country's holding the national elections. They were delayed, but they are now going on. New video this morning of President Pervez Musharraf casting his own vote. The election delayed after the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
CNN's Michael Ware is watching the elections this morning. He joins us live from Islamabad. Musharraf was promising free and fair elections. There are U.S. lawmakers there to make sure that things that are going OK. Have there been red flags raised already, Michael?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's been some complaints, Kiran, by various political parties, some of the smaller ones that have been denied access by their rivals to some of the polling stations. There's been vague, really unconfirmed reports of some ballots gone missing. But by and large, no. There's been no official or significant red flags put up.
But you need to remember this, that if the fix is in, it's already in. It's not about stuffing ballots or making boxes disappear on today, the actual election day. What the opposition parties have been saying is that the rigging was done when the government put people into provincial and local positions many weeks, months ago. That's when they say that the fix was put in.
Now, of course, the government denies that. And American observers and international observers are here, yet really only in a symbolic way because they're not going to see anything. These people are not that clumsy or foolish. Yet, nonetheless, as one of the congresswomen here said to me, their presence is nonetheless important in sending a message. If these elections are not free and transparent, then America will have a very serious response said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee -- Kiran.
CHETRY: And, you know, Musharraf, by the way, seen by the administration as an ally on the war on terror. So if he does lose his grip on power, which he could, can the U.S. rely on any successor?
WARE: Well, that depends on who emerges, but by and large, the answer is yes. Now, we've heard from Pakistani commentators here on the ground, political representatives, analysts, members of the intelligence services and the military, and even western military and intelligence services and, indeed, some of the congressional delegates themselves that, you know, it depends on who emerges. America has relied far too much on one man, dumping their eggs in one basket. We heard President Bush refer to President Musharraf as indispensable. We then saw Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pull that back, saying the relationship between America is with the Pakistani people. America cannot afford to rely on one man who is seen as a dictator, who has held on to power with his second coup d'etat in November last year. So, yes, America will be working with whomever remains president and whomever emerges as prime minister -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Michael Ware for us in Islamabad this morning. Thank you.
We also have some breaking news from that region. Thirty-five people killed in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber. This is according to a provincial governor there. The attacker exploded his car near Canadian troops. It happened at a busy market in the town of Spin Boldak that's near the Pakistan border. Two Canadian soldiers said to be wounded.
There are celebrations but also violence in Kosovo today, hours after it declares independence from Serbia. Thousands flocked to the capital holding signs, setting off fireworks. There's also new video this morning of protesters in Kosovo's Somadia (ph) Square. The U.S. and most European Union members are expected to recognize the new state. Serbia and Russia are fiercely opposed.
And there's also a new video this morning. President Bush and his wife, Laura, touring a factory in Tanzania where mosquito nets are made. Earlier, they visited a hospital where they handed out the nets. The nets are a low-tech but effective way to stop the spread of malaria. Tanzania is the second stop on the president's five-country tour of Africa.
Also today, it's the largest meat recall in U.S. history. The U.S. government recalling 143 million pounds of beef from a California slaughterhouse after the facility was investigated for animal abuse. About 25 percent of this meat went on to school lunch programs across the country. USDA officials say there's a "remote probability that this beef could cause illness in humans."
Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now from Atlanta, and you brought up a scary point. They're pointing out, Elizabeth that, you know, people haven't been sick in. But as you said, the thing they're afraid of, the mad cow or BSE, is something that you don't see symptoms of for a very long period of time.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. So the fact, Kiran, that nobody is sick now doesn't necessarily mean anything. But the USDA has gone out of its way to say they have no reason to think that these cows did have mad cow disease. They said they are just exercising an abundance of caution. But still, when you look at the video that was taken inside of this manufacturing plant, you can see why they're concerned about these cows.
These cows are called downer cows. They are unable to move and when a cow is unable to move, the rules are very clear. A USDA inspector needs to be brought in because when cows can't walk, there is a possibility that they could have BSE or mad cow disease. And again, this is two years worth of production that is being recalled because of fears that this was going on. These practices that you see here were going on for quite a while. Now the company says they have done nothing wrong. I'm going to read you the company statement.
It says, "I want to reassure our customers and consumers that our company has met the highest standards for harvesting and processing meat under the Federal Meat Inspection Act." And they say swift action was taken against the employees in the video -- Kiran.
CHETRY: What do you do if you think that you may have eaten this? How do you, first of all, even find out if you did or if your children did in the school lunch? And if so, what do you do?
COHEN: You know, it is tough because this isn't as if you went to the grocery store and bought it necessarily.
CHETRY: Right.
COHEN: It might have just been served to your child and, I mean, you could certainly ask the school what vendor they use. But if it was consumed, it was consumed. That's it. There is nothing that you can do about it, and it may have been consumed many months or even several years ago so there's nothing that you can do at this point. But, again, the USDA says that they have no reason to absolutely think that this meat is tainted. They said they are acting out of caution.
CHETRY: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.
Also coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll be speaking with Dr. Kenneth Peterson. He's from the USDA about this incident and also the safety of the U.S. food supply.
Former first lady Nancy Reagan in the hospital in Santa Monica, California, this morning. She was taken there as a precaution Sunday after a fall at her home. Doctors say she did not break her hip as they initially feared. Mrs. Reagan is said to be doing well and is in good spirits, and she could be released later today.
Meanwhile, we are tracking extreme weather this morning. A tornado rips through Prattville, Alabama. Two hundred homes and businesses damaged including a tanning salon. A short time ago, I spoke to one of the employees who was in that store when the roof suddenly collapsed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID SHOUPE, TORNADO SURVIVOR: We're standing there, like we saw cars going across the parking lot and then we saw things start flying. And one of our customers, Ken Hargrove (ph), says you-all run. And as soon as he said that, we all took off down the hallway. We opened the door to the laundry room and dove in. And as soon as we dove in, Kate (ph) was on the ground. I got on top of Kate (ph) and I was covering her up and then Melanie (ph) was behind me and Ken did the same for her, and then everything just started falling through at that time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Blizzard conditions also in parts of the Midwest. Snow and freezing rain fell in Wisconsin and Iowa. And in Missouri, heavy snow and slush forced officials to close the Kansas City International Airport for six hours yesterday.
Rob Marciano tracking all of the extreme weather, and he joins me right now. Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning. Yes, winter weather and severe thunderstorm. This is the time of year we get it. February very active, this one especially. And we start you off with a little bit of snow total across parts of the Midwest, and we'll blow through these pretty quickly.
As much as almost a foot of snow in spots, but here's the radar first off across Lake Michigan and wind chills minus 18 in Minneapolis and minus 30. So we've got some colder air that's going to be coming down, even though it's very mild across the East Coast right now. Cold air will be infiltrating quickly. Upwards and over, 10 inches of snow in some part of Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri. Five inches in Smartsville and rainfall amounts, a much needed areas in the southeast getting it good. 2.1 in Fort Benning, Georgia. Atlanta, Georgia, 1.38, but it came with some rough weather especially in southern Georgia and in Alabama.
Still have some tornado watches out tonight or this morning for Hampton Roads and the Virginia Beach area. South across Pamekasan and Cape Hatteras, about -- just about into Myrtle Beach. And in extreme parts of southeast Georgia and the panhandle of Florida, still a tornado watch in effect there until 10:00 and 11:00 this morning. Tallahassee getting a little bit of rainfall and a pretty strong line heading towards Gainesville and Jacksonville this morning.
We've got some fresh video out of Prattville, Alabama we want to show you from our affiliate there, where we had upwards of 30 people injured from this big tornado that ripped through that area. There really were two strong lines of storms that rolled through just north of Montgomery and just south of that area, rolling into southwest Georgia as well, where there were also some injuries. So, southern Alabama and Georgia getting the brunt of it last night.
CHETRY: And when you see the power of these storms, I mean, there are people who said that they saw big rigs blown onto houses. I mean, we saw some of the damage from the cars, and you can see it's amazing there were no fatalities here. Earlier in the month, we had several people killed in a line of storms.
MARCIANO: Yes, and I love it.
CHETRY: Probably the same power right?
MARCIANO: Well, we'll have to see what the storm surveyors have to say. But it certainly, that looked to be pretty bad and, you know, a lot has to do with just dumb luck. A lot has to do with people taking cover and where these storms hit. So we'll just count our blessings that there were no fatalities with this one.
CHETRY: Smart thinking on the part of the guy we talked to. He said they knew that they had to run into the back and that was possibly the safest place to be, and it was the only place in this tanning salon that didn't get smashed.
MARCIANO: Hey, sometimes survival instincts take over and that's your best bet.
CHETRY: Rob, thank you.
MARCIANO: All right.
CHETRY: Turning to politics now. In the morning, former President Bush is expected to endorse Senator John McCain for president today. He will meet Bush 41 in Houston, Texas. McCain calling the former president one of the most respected people in the Republican Party. The current President Bush has still not officially endorsed anyone. He says he will not do that until a nominee is picked. He did, though, call McCain a "true conservative."
Also, a not so secret meeting between Senator Barack Obama and John Edwards. No endorsement yet. They met in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Sunday. Obama says they spoke about how to focus the Democratic Party on the middle class.
Meanwhile, Obama's health care plan is the center of a new fight with Senator Clinton. He says that a new flier mailed out by the Clinton campaign is misleading. It claims his plan will leave 15 million without health care, waste billions and will cost $1,700 per person. Obama says his plan is similar to Mrs. Clinton's.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Clinton and all the other candidates, Senator Edwards, Senator Richards -- Governor Richardson and others are advancing a health care plan. Senator Clinton's plan includes many of the proposals that I put out when I put forward my plan last spring.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Clinton's also calling on Obama to debate her in Wisconsin ahead of tomorrow's primary there. She's focusing her time now in Ohio and Texas. Those primaries are set for March 4th. Senator Clinton, though, says that the best way she could have met people in Wisconsin was with a debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a lot of talk about hope on the other side. Maybe we could get it fulfilled and have this debate. One of the TV people said, well, you know, we're still ready. We could still do it. Well, so am I. I was, you know, somewhat surprised that Senator Obama, you know, wouldn't debate me. I thought that that was going to happen and we accepted early, and we're very committed to it. And I think the fact that he won't debate me says a lot about his campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Obama's camp says the two candidates have already debated 18 times. Their next debate actually is taking place right here on CNN. It's Thursday. It's live from Austin, Texas.
CNN's Mary Snow is in Milwaukee for us ahead of the Wisconsin primary and candidates. What are they talking about in their final hours before the primary today?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, for Senator John McCain, you mentioned that he's getting that endorsement today from former President George H.W. Bush. That's happening in Texas, and it will happen before Senator McCain comes here to Wisconsin to campaign. But it's also seen as like another sign that the Republican establishment is rallying around Senator John McCain. He is saying that he still has a lot of work to do to re-energize the party base and reunite the party. He's been fielding criticism from conservatives, but he is stacking up these endorsements and is hoping that today's endorsement from former President Bush will help him in Texas' primary.
But John McCain is saying, despite the fact that he is clearly the front-runner and the presumptive Republican nominee, he says he is not taking that for granted until he gets the 1,191 delegates needed to seal the deal and become the Republican nominee -- Kiran.
CHETRY: And also, you were on the campaign trail with Governor Mike Huckabee yesterday. He's back after giving a speech in the Cayman Islands and vowing to go on. What if he falls short in Wisconsin?
SNOW: Well, you know, he has said even with the endorsement of former President Bush of Senator McCain, that is seen as growing pressure on him to step aside. But he says he will not do that and he believes that voters need a choice. This is something that he keeps repeating and he hopes -- he says he expects to do well here. He has spent roughly about five days altogether, campaigning in Wisconsin and he says after that, he's going to Texas and he hopes that is a state where he will really make his mark. And he believes that, if nothing else, he is sending a message that Republicans need an alternative. He considers himself the conservative alternative but certainly, he is planning to go forward whatever happens here in Wisconsin.
CHETRY: All right. Mary Snow for us in Milwaukee this morning. Thanks.
Meanwhile, there's a look at the political calendar for you now. Take a look.
Tomorrow, Hawaii holding its Democratic caucuses. Washington and Wisconsin will be holding primaries as well, and we'll bring you the live coverage and the results Wednesday morning. Also, another reminder, not to miss the Democratic presidential debate, CNN Univision hosting. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is live from Austin, Texas. It's Thursday night right here on CNN.
Still ahead, the campus killer's chilling goodbye to his girlfriend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA BATY, NIU SHOOTER'S GIRLFRIEND: It says you are the best, Jessica. You've done so much for me, and I truly do love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: She's speaking out for the first time since the Northern Illinois University massacre. The conversation that you will only hear on CNN ahead.
Well, last week he threatened to cut off oil to the U.S. Now, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has a new warning. We'll tell you what it is coming up.
Also, eight people killed during an illegal street race in Maryland.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Drag racing on a state highway is wrong. It's just completely wrong, and it should not ever happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So why did it happen, and what's being done to make sure it never happens again? That story when AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. A lot going on this morning. Veronica de la Cruz in for Alina Cho who's on assignment. Good morning, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. Nice to see you, and nice to see you all.
Some gruesome news to share with you now. New this morning. The suspect in the killing of a New York psychologist arraigned on murder charges and ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. Police say evidence and witness accounts place David Tarloff at the scene of the crime. Last week, Catherine Faughey was stabbed to death in her office. Another therapist was stabbed but survived.
The campus at the University of Nevada, Reno, is on edge this morning. A serial rapist is on the loose after police linked a woman's death to at least two other attacks in the area. Police released a sketch of the suspect, a white male at least 5'6" with a long face and brown hair. The university president is advising students to lock their windows and doors and to never go out alone at night.
Well, Venezuela will continue to sell oil to the U.S. for now. Last week, President Hugo Chavez threatened to halt shipments. Chavez is upset that Exxon Mobil convinced U.S. and European courts to freeze Venezuelan assets.
A shocking allegation this morning from the father of Dodi Al- Fayed. Just a short time ago, he told a London court, the Royal Family wanted to "get rid of his son and Princess Diana." Mohamed Al- Fayed says Diana told him she knew Princes' Philip and Charles wanted her dead. Fayed says Diana was pregnant, and the couple was set to announce their engagement three days after the deadly August 1997 crash. French and British police have maintained the crash was an accident.
The space shuttle Atlantis is beginning its journey home. Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station this morning, ending a nine-day visit to install Europe's new orbital lab. The shuttle pilot then guided Atlantis through a fly around the orbiting outpost before moving off. The shuttle crew due to arrive back on earth on Wednesday.
And another dramatic finish at the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Ryan Newman broke an 81-race winless streak, getting a last lap push by his teammate Kurt Busch to help catapult him past Tony Stewart. Take a look at this.
There he is, the number 12 car, in the lead. And he takes it. And he came up from the fourth place position. Did you see how he did that? And he used his teammate. They worked together. It was kind of nice of Kurt Busch there.
CHETRY: Rob is mad because you were with the Casey Mears' team, right?
MARCIANO: Yes. Yes.
CHETRY: And what happened to poor Casey?
MARCIANO: Well, he was -- he was coming up strong. He was in third with five laps to go and looking good. And, you know, one thing led to another and the 20 car gave a little nudge and, boom, he was in the wall. So --
DE LA CRUZ: It was like the fifth lap, though.
MARCIANO: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: So close.
MARCIANO: Very close.
CHETRY: What was it like? I know it's really loud. And what about the smell? Did it get to you after --?
MARCIANO: No, no. You know, it feels pretty good after a while. The smell, you get used to it. No --
(CROSSTALK)
DE LA CRUZ: He's throwing the gasoline.
CHETRY: He's energized.
MARCIANO: I described it -- you know, the fire suit -- man, that just feels good. And the tremendous amount of power when you walk around that track and the fire, I can't tell you how much free coffee and danishes I got in between lap shots.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Danishes, no, no, no. I'm sure you had Raisin Bran or Wheaties.
MARCIANO: Oh, sure. Yes. So, hey, listen. Kiran, stop it.
The legal department called me after my shoot because of wearing that jacket.
CHETRY: Hey, what are you going to do? You just put it on, you know.
MARCIANO: Hey, it's for safety. It's a fire suit, and it's for safety. I describe NASCAR. So many closet NASCAR fans had e-mailed me that you would never think. (INAUDIBLE) NASCAR fan.
CHETRY: He didn't talk about that.
MARCIANO: Once you go to a race --
DE LA CRUZ: Can we name a couple? Brianna Keilar, the one --
MARCIANO: OK. Yes, I don't want to throw one -- yes. Sight, sound and speed. It's really quite a spectacle.
CHETRY: Well, I'm glad you had a chance to go. It looked like it was fun.
MARCIANO: Good to be there, too.
CHETRY: We'll go next year.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: See you.
CHETRY: Well, a pair of big name out on the campaign trail this morning. There's Michelle Obama. She's stumping for her husband, Barack Obama. Well, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton is trying to put her mother back on Pennsylvania Avenue. The two women in their own words coming up. Also, a CNN exclusive. The shooter's girlfriend speaks. What was his state of mind before he went on that Illinois campus and opened fire?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Looking back, are there any warning signs?
JESSICA BATY, NIU SHOOTER'S GIRLFRIEND: The person that I knew was not the one that walked into Cole Hall and did that. I mean, that wasn't -- that wasn't the Steve I knew. He was anything but a monster. He was probably the nicest, most caring person ever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We have more of her emotional conversation coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A live picture this morning on the campus of Northern Illinois University. A live picture of a memorial there. Of course, students come back to campus. They're paying their respects even though there won't be classes there for another week after that tragic shooting that took place on Valentine's Day.
And we have a CNN exclusive for you right now. One-on-one with the girlfriend of the Northern Illinois University gunman, Steven Kazmierczak. She talks a little bit about why this may have happened, saying he stopped taking the antidepressant Prozac about three weeks ago. She spoke exclusively with CNN's special investigations correspondent Abbie Boudreau, and also read his final good-bye.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA BATY, NIU SHOOTER'S GIRLFRIEND: It says you are the best, Jessica. You've done so much for me, and I truly do love you.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Looking back, are there any warning signs?
BATY: The person that I knew was not the one that walked into Cole Hall and did that. I mean, that wasn't -- that wasn't the Steve I knew. He was anything but a monster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: She also says that she knew about at least two of the guns he owned, but that he may have bought others while at work.
Well, it's 26 minutes past the hour now. Sony's Blu-ray technology is emerging as the likely winner in a format battle for the next generation of DVD players.
Stephanie Elam is in for Ali Velshi, "Minding Your Business" this morning. She talks about how it could affect you. So you're talking -- we're talking about the HD-DVD.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right. Exactly. I'm calling this VHS/Beta round two, because it's just basically, you know -- years ago, we saw this happening before, and everyone kind of expected that one of these formats would become the winner. And, so far, it does look like Sony's Blu-ray is winning out and here's why.
Wal-Mart is phasing out HD-DVDs. They're saying their customers have just chosen Sony's product over the other ones. They are also taking HD-DVD off their shelves at Sam's Club. Then, take a look at Netflix last week. They're saying no more HD-DVD. They'll start sending out Blu-ray disks as well. So this is a series of setbacks here for HD-DVD.
On top of that, home rental companies like Walt Disney, Warner Home Video, which is a unit of Time Warner just like CNN is, 20th Century FOX, MGM, all of those companies also saying they're going with Sony's Blu-ray. Now, obviously, this does not mean you can't go out and buy an HD-DVD. You have a few months if you really want to have that. But as things move forward here, you'll probably be better off if you get the Sony Blu-ray because that's what everyone is going with.
And, Kiran, I just actually had a conversation with someone here at CNN, I won't say who, who said just last week he went out and bought HD-DVD.
CHETRY: Can't return it?
ELAM: Yes. I think he probably could, but, you know, this is the kind of thing that people need to pay attention to. It says it looks like this format will win. I mean, they're compatible. They're not compatible, I mean. The sound and clarity -- those are pretty both good, but the problem here is that they're not compatible with each other, and your older disks won't play on the new one.
CHETRY: All right. So you can sit there and watch your favorite movie over and over again.
ELAM: Right.
CHETRY: You just can't rent anything new.
ELAM: Right.
CHETRY: Stephanie, thanks.
Well, the largest meat recall in U.S. history. Millions of pounds already ended up in school lunches. Should inspectors have done something sooner? We're going to be talking with the USDA official after the break.
Also, inside the secretive mysterious world of street racing after a deadly accident this weekend. If everyone knew the races were going on, why couldn't more be done to stop them? We're going to have a live report coming up at our next half hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: A beautiful shot this morning coming to us from central Florida, News 13. This is Daytona Beach. The day after the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Cloudy right now 73, shaping up to be 80 degrees. Boy, a nice place to be today when you look at what things were like around much of the country. And welcome back, it's Monday, the 18th of February. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Kiran Chetry. John Roberts is off today.
We start with Afghanistan in the news this morning that a suicide bomber detonated an explosive in his car, ramming it into a Canadian military convoy leaving 35 civilians dead. That car bomb exploded in a busy market, a town near the Pakistan border. 25 people were injured including two Canadian soldiers.
Just a short time ago the polls closed in Pakistan's parliamentary elections. That vote was supposed to take place six weeks ago but was postponed after the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Critics of President Pervez Musharraf say the elections could be rigged. Musharraf's office denying that and saying whatever the result, we will accept it with grace. He also says whoever is the prime minister, he'll work with that person in a fashion to make sure that everybody is conciliatory.
President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush are in Tanzania today. They're touring a textile factory that make mosquito nets that are designed to stop the spread of malaria. Earlier, the President and First Lady visited a hospital where they handed out those nets. Tanzania is the second stop on a five-country six-day tour of Africa.
A powerful tornado rips through Prattville, Alabama. Here's a look at some of the aftermath. Cars went flying. Roofs of homes and buildings ripped off. In all, about 200 homes and businesses damaged or destroyed; 30 people injured. Luckily, though, no one was killed in those ferocious storms.
Also to politics and word of a secret meeting that took place between Senator Barack Obama and John Edwards. No endorsement yet but he did meet with Edwards yesterday in North Carolina. Barack Obama says that they spoke about how to focus the Democratic Party on the middle class. Insiders say that Edwards is torn between supporting Obama or Hillary Clinton.
Well, two high-profile faces are out campaigning for their family members this morning. Chelsea Clinton for her mom and Michelle Obama for her husband. Obama, the 44-year-old mother of two, was in this week's "Newsweek" magazine talking about her role in her husband's race for the Democratic nomination. The title "Barack's Rock." Here now is Michelle Obama in her own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: We are a nation at war right now. We're at war right now. And the only people who are sacrificing are the soldiers who are over there dying and their families. Every single person in this race marched us into this war that should have never been authorized and never been waged. The only person who had the courage to stand up and tell us something that was hard to do at a time that wasn't politically convenient for him was Barack.
No child left behind is strangling the life out of public schools. Our children are being tested to death. And let me tell you, if my future would have been determined by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn't be here. The one thing I tell everybody ever where I go when they look at me, I don't want them to see the next first lady of the United States. I want them to see what an investment in public education looks like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Michelle Obama will campaign for her husband today in Wisconsin as well and, meanwhile, the Clinton camp has deployed the once quiet Chelsea Clinton in an effort to sway the youth vote. The 27-year-old was in Obama's childhood state of Hawaii over the weekend, talking to college students at the University of Hawaii. Here now is a bit of Chelsea Clinton in her own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHELSEA CLINTON, DAUGHTER OF SEN. Hillary CLINTON: I support what the Democratic Party says which is that, you know, the super delegates should support the candidate that he or she most believes in. We're talking about physical responsibility. My mother is more physically conservative than my father and certainly this president and on health care, I think that she learned a lot through trying to achieve health care the first time that really has enabled her to articulate a plan that will be politically viable while covering everyone.
As a Democrat, you know, I really believe that if we're going to have universal health care, we should have universal health care. We should fight to have everyone covered. She was the first to use the terminology 'green collar jobs.' I think it's great that some of the other candidates are talking about that now as well. But what she means by 'green collar jobs' is investing in clean, renewable energy.
I profoundly believe that my mom is not only ready to be president on day one and would be the best president that I could imagine, even with my biased views as her daughter but that she also is the one that can really win in November and I think that should matter for those of us who really want to have a different life after the Bush administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Senator Clinton's daughter is expected to have a key role in the campaign as it moves forward as well. Be sure to tune in tonight for CNN "Election Center." We're talking about negative campaign speeches, negative ads. Do they really work in politics and do they make a difference to you? Join Wolf Blitzer in the "Election Center," it's all tonight 8:00 Eastern. Forty-seven million Americans have no health insurance. In a new study this morning, says they are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced cancers than those with private insurance. Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us in just a minute with more details on exactly how devastating that can be.
Also, a crackdown on illegal immigration in a city where it's been described as an epidemic. We're going to talk to the mayor about a new plan. Also, the credit crisis is spreading and driving up the cost of college loans.
CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis will be joining us with our financial security watch coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It was fast, furious, and also deadly and there are questions this morning about a street racing accident that left eight people dead. It happened about 20 miles outside of Washington, D.C., on route 210, near Accokeek, Maryland, early Saturday morning. CNN's Kathleen Koch is live along route 210 this morning with more on that. People living there said that they had complained about this illegal racing taking place there for a very long time.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: They did and it's so sad, everyone says, it came to this. For 48 hours, this roadway was just a horrific scene. It was closed. It was strewn with wreckage, with human remains and everyone says all because of a sport that's simply gotten out of control.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH (voice-over): Memorials now line the stretch of flap four lane road where neighbors say that lack of traffic signals has attracted racers for more than 20 years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Drag racing on a state highway is wrong. It's just completely wrong. And it should not ever happen.
KOCH: So why does it happen? Police say the racers are well organized, often moving from site to site and using police radios and lookouts to avoid getting caught.
CPL. CLINTON COPELAND, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY POLICE: It's something that we're working on and we continue to monitor this situation and we continue to use our resources.
KOCH: At least some neighbors agree that police are trying.
KELLY CANAVAN, NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: They do get a responsive police but I guess it's very hard to control.
KOCH: Police say they have yet to determine if they received complaints Saturday morning when witnesses say at least 50 people showed up to watch the races. The gruesome accident happened when some of the spectators apparently rushed onto the highway to get a better look at the passing cars.
CRYSTAL GAINES, FATHER KILLED IN ACCIDENT: Two race cars went on down, and the race was over, and all of a sudden I looked back and I saw this white thing coming but I didn't hear no lights, no nothing on it.
KOCH: That white car was a Crown Victoria. Police say the driver was not involved in the race but plowed into the crowd likely after being blinded by smoke from the screeching tires. People who live in the area say they hope something good will come out of this horrific scene.
CANAVAN: Hopefully it will raise the racers' awareness also and they'll realize that this is not all fun and games.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: Well, there have been no charges filed in this case as of yet and police are still looking for more cooperation from those who were here on the scene when the accident happened and they're also looking for more ways to crack down on the sport that so many people saw as fun and exciting but now has turned quite deadly. Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Kathleen Koch for us this morning in Accokeek, Maryland. Thank you.
Well, we have some video right now to show you a moose on the loose. This is referred to as a baby moose. Looks pretty big to me. Maybe it is a baby, though. They get big. This is in Salt Lake City, Utah, by the way, trotting through the hills, hanging out in the back yards. Police tried to get to him before he walked out into traffic and before he decided to maybe attack someone. He kept going after the -- why? They're tame?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: No, they can attack. He's so cute. He wouldn't dare.
CHETRY: He's so cute because that's after he got hit with a tranquilizer dart. Police did eventually catch up with him, moved him on to some place, probably a little bit safer than the backyard near a highway.
MARCIANO: They're all over the place out there. I ran into a much bigger daddy moose.
CHETRY: Well, here in New York?
MARCIANO: No, near in Conwood Canyon in Salt Lake. So, they're definitely. What's the plural of moose, by the way?
CHETRY: Meese.
MARCIANO: I think so, too. I'm pretty sure it's not.
CHETRY: I think it's just moose, either way.
MARCIANO: Moose.
CHETRY: Anywhere you slice it.
MARCIANO: Deer? I'll go with meese. All right. Thanks. Kiran, let's show you some radar. We do have activity on the scope this morning, not nearly as bad as last night. But we still do have some tornado watches that are in effect. Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, you're still in it for the next hour or two but most of the heavy weather moving off shore.
The area and through the outer banks of North Carolina, you will be hit with some rough weather in the next 20 minutes. Now just moving off New Bern and Morrisville. Down south of Savannah, we still have a tornado watch that's in effect for the next couple of hours including Valdosta, Georgia, southwest Georgia, southeastern Alabama hammered with thunderstorms and tornadoes overnight. And now that existing line, which is pretty strong heading towards Jacksonville. So the front moves through today, number one, but it will be windy behind this front but warm. The second cold front that you see there, the second blue line that will really bring in more bitterly cold air than we're used to when these storms roll through.
Boston, New York, even D.C., Hartford, Providence, Philly, you'll probably be stuck with some delays today as the winds kick up behind the system, Atlanta as well. Gusty winds expected there. So, just be patient if you're traveling today. Tomorrow should be a little bit more tranquil. We still have this storm to deal with, though, the next couple of hours. I'm sure the moose can handle it, that kind of weather today.
CHETRY: He's used to it. He can handle that. He's trying to get away from the tranquilizer darts.
MARCIANO: I would, too.
CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: OK.
CHETRY: Well, a thread connecting the gunman from the Northern Illinois shooting and the Virginia Tech shooting, we're going to tell you what the two had in common still ahead. And a CNN exclusive, the girlfriend of the shooter says she had no idea what was going to happen but she shed some more light on what could have been the state of mind before that tragedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would have never in a million years guessed that when they said that there was a shooting at NIU, I mean, no. There's no way. Steve would never do such a thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: More of that emotional conversation, you'll only see it here on CNN, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It is by far the largest beef recall in the nation's history. 143 million pounds of meat. 37 million pounds has gone to schools and officials say that most of it has already been eaten. Should the government have taken an action sooner. Dr. Kenneth Petersen, an assistant administrator with the U.S.D.A. joins us now from Washington. Dr. Petersen, thanks for being with us this morning.
DR. KENNETH PETERSEN, ASST. ADMINISTRATOR, U.S.D.A.: My pleasure. Good morning.
CHETRY: We talk about this being the largest recall but we also say that most of this has already been eaten. So what impact does this ground beef potentially have to the safety of our food supply at the present time?
PETERSEN: I think really your viewers should know the food supply in the U.S. is and I think, will remain the safest. In the U.S., we need to look carefully what this recall really is about and we think it's an important recall obviously and we thought it was important to ask the company to voluntarily recall these products. This is a class II recall and that's what we refer to as having a remote probability of causing any adverse illness. That's quite different than some other recalls we do, what we call class I recalls and those recalls, for example, due to E. coli 15787 or Listeria. Those cases we are worried about people getting sick. And so here we have a remote chance of people getting ill.
CHETRY: Right. But let me ask you about this because first of all, and correct me if I'm wrong, but the reason that this is even out there today is because of a video that surfaced, right, a humane society videotaped some very disturbing video of cows and we're going to show you a little bit right now. If you're eating, just either look away or put down your food. Some of these cows, as you can see, are unable to walk on their own, being fork lifted to the slaughterhouse, something that is not allowed. Would we have known about this if it were not for that videotape?
PETERSEN: Well, what happened in this facility, yes, we did have the videotape and we started an investigation at this firm. We did an investigation obviously for what you see on the tape which is just clearly unacceptable handling practices. And then during the course of the investigation, we did uncover some evidence that after my inspectors looked at animals prior to slaughter, and they look at them to make sure they're healthy and they look at them in motion, after that on rare occasions an animal may have gone down and the plant is obligated to notify us so that we can come out and re-examine that animal. They did not do that and that's a serious violation. And that's really what led to the recall. These occasional circumstances going back as long as two years where animals that came down after we had inspected them and then they were slaughtered by the establishment.
CHETRY: You guys -- the inspectors come out there the day of, right? I mean, I know we're probably giving people a little bit more information than they want about exactly how hamburgers make it to their plate, but you come out there day of to inspect the animals. What would, "make them be down" within hours after that took place? I mean, I thought that it was because they would have problems possibly like mad cow disease that would prevent them from being able to walk.
PETERSEN: What we saw on the videos, those animals would never have passed our initial inspection and so it was an inhumane handling situation. Here what was happening at this facility, these are called dairy cattle and so they have obviously they have finished their life as milk producers and so they're coming to slaughter. Many of them have been transported and so we look at the minutes if not hours before they actually enter the slaughter plant. And so we looked at them, they were healthy and then they could either go down for certainly some disease reasons or they could go down simply because they're tired and they really don't want to walk anymore. But it's for us to make the decision after they go down whether they can then proceed to slaughter.
CHETRY: One of the things I think has people on alert is that we talked about millions of pounds. I think it's 37 million pounds that possibly -- or that did, in fact, go to school lunch programs and the concern is the possibility that the reason some of these cows were down as we've been calling them is because of mad cow disease. That's something that you can be exposed to and then not have symptoms of for months. Should parents be concerned?
PETERSEN: Well, as you said, some of these product have gone into the school lunch program and those products, the most recent production have been on hold really for the last two weeks. But we need to be careful what we're talking about with BSC in the United States. Going back to 1997, the FDA put in place some significant firewalls to limit exposure of cattle, what we call the T-band.
Then the Department of Agriculture has done extensive surveillance of the cattle herd in the United States. Almost 800,000 animals have been tested over the last few years. Only two of those, two of almost 800,000, were positive for BSE and both of those were born prior to the feed ban, and so the BSE situation in the United States is not zero but very, very low. And because we inspected these animals first and then they went down, that is not at all typical of an animal that would be exhibiting clinical signs of BSE.
So that's why we think this is a class II recall, a remote probability, and we think the food supply is safe but we think this recall is important and we think it's important for parents to know that the schools are taking action to put those products on hold.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, about the company, they released a statement saying I want to reassure customers and consumers that our company has met the highest standards for harvesting and processing meat under the Federal Meat Inspection Act. What is the status of the investigation now against Westland/Hallmark?
PETERSEN: Well, the firm remains suspended and as I indicated through the course of our investigation, really just in the last few days, we uncovered this additional information and we acted on it immediately. And now it's up to the firm to really respond to our suspension and they can do that anytime they want. They can do it this week or next month and explain what happened, why it happened, and most importantly what significant measures are they going to put in place to prevent this kind of handling of animals from occurring in the future.
CHETRY: You know, we asked to our viewers this morning, it was our "quick vote" question -- do you trust that the U.S. food supply is safe? And right now 14 percent say, yes, but a whopping 86 percent say no. Dr. Petersen, is there anything you can say to reassure people that the food supply is safe?
PETERSEN: I say, we know that the food supply in the United States is safe. I mentioned some of the firewalls that we have for BSE. There's a very important firewall inside the plant where we removed certain high-risk materials that did occur in this plant. This plant as well as others are subject to stringent inspection. We're in the plants every single day that they operate, particularly a slaughter plant, and we do a lot of testing for pathogens such as E. coli 15787 and Listeria. Those pathogen results in our products have really gone down over the last few years and that's been mirrored in reductions in human illness that the Center for Disease Control is reporting.
And so, we understand obviously the concern that the recall of this size generates, but I think if you carefully look at the facts on the safety of the American food supply, we do think the food supply is safe, but we will continue to maintain close attention to what's happening not only in this plant but in any plant that's producing food in the United States.
CHETRY: Well, we want to thank you for joining us this morning, Dr. Kenneth Petersen, assistant administrator with the U.S.D.A..
PETERSEN: Thank you.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, a historic day in Kosovo. Declaring independence from Serbia. Certainly, not everyone is happy about the move. There's some controversy and violence as well.
Also, a city at the center of the immigration debate comes down hard on illegals. Critics calling it racist and Latinos say they're being singled out. Why the mayor of Phoenix says it's necessary. The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: President's day, John McCain get the boost from the first President Bush. And Obama meets Edwards. Do endorsement matter? The most politics in the morning.
Record recall, millions and millions of pounds of beef. A home video exposing a sick slaughterhouse. How worried should you be? On this AMERICAN MORNING.
And welcome, it is Monday, February 18th. I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us this morning. John Roberts has the day off. We begin with the CNN exclusive and that is learning more about the state of mind of the man who killed 5 students and then himself at Northern Illinois University. It happened on Valentine's Day. Steven Kazmierczak's live-in girlfriend, Jessica Baty spoke with CNN and said that he stopped taking the anti-depressant Prozac about three weeks ago. She also says he wasn't a monster.
CNN's Special Investigations Unit Abbie Boudreau sat down for an exclusive conversation with Jessica Baty.
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