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Obama Gets Victories in Wisconsin Primary and Hawaii Caucuses; Fern Creek Traditional High School on a Lockdown; Cleric Muqtada Al- Sadr May End Six-Month Ceasefire
Aired February 20, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Heidi today.
Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live this Wednesday, February 20th. Here's what's on the rundown.
Barack Obama and John McCain sweep. Hillary Clinton steals the squeeze. Will she make a stand in Texas? We'll look ahead.
HARRIS: And Fred, here we go. Seven minutes to touchdown, the space shuttle Atlantis comes home to Florida. See it live.
WHITFIELD: And a streak of light burns across the Oregon night. So what is it? Fireball, maybe? In the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Wow. Look at the live pictures. Look at this. Very cool, happening right now. We are watching the space shuttle Atlantis. Live pictures from NASA right now, with the shuttle close to final approach to the Kennedy Space Center right now. Just minutes from landing. We will take you there as soon as the shuttle gets a bit closer.
You know what? Let's not hesitate. It looks too good. The pictures look great. Let's bring in Miles O'Brien now.
Miles, this is terrific.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Tony. I got to tell you, it's a terrifically clear day in Florida.
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And that's why we're seeing these wonderful tracking pictures of the space shuttle Atlantis. Six minutes away from its expected rival at the runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center, about 70 miles away right now.
Very soon Commander Steve Frick will take control of the space shuttle Atlantis. And a lot of people don't think about this much. He's a first-time commander. The first time he's going to fly the thing for real ever. $2 billion orbiter, one-shot deal. The world's most expensive, heaviest glider, and you got to do it right the first and only time.
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We're talking about the end of a 4 1/2 million mile journey here. They've been in space for 13 days. He's feeling the effects of gravity for the first time in two weeks. He's feeling a little bit heavy right now. But needless to say, this guy has got some experience on his side. A captain from the United States Navy, an Annapolis graduate, 370-plus carrier landings, F-18s. All appears to be going well right now for the space shuttle Atlantis. And, of course, we've breathed a sigh of relief as it came in through -- into the atmosphere, that fiery re-entry where certain parts of it reached upwards of 3,000 degrees.
This is the 121st shuttle flight, Tony.
HARRIS: Wow.
O'BRIEN: The 29th for Atlantis. Doesn't look too worse for the ware, does it?
HARRIS: No. It look great, Miles. It looks absolutely great.
O'BRIEN: And this is the (INAUDIBLE) mission of the International Space Station. Now you hear that call. Four and a half minutes until touchdown. You heard Rob Navias, the public affairs officer in Houston, saying going subsonic.
Now, Tony, I've been in the simulator in Houston. This is when the commander takes the stick. If he's a nice commander, he'll give it to his pilot Alan Poindexter for a little while, give him a feel of what it's like, then he'll take it back over. And with any luck, in just a few minutes, we're going to be seeing precisely what they're seeing over the instrument panel there, through the windshield of the space shuttle Atlantis as they begin this precipitous event.
I will tell you this, Tony, when I -- they gave me the stick in the simulator.
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And I looked at the runway and I looked to where I was, I said, we're never going to get down that fast. And they said, oh, yes, you will. Because, basically, this is like flying a piano with stubby little wings.
HARRIS: Oh it's nice. That's nice. That's a great visual. Hey, how about the mission? Did the mission go pretty much as planned, Miles?
O'BRIEN: Well, this is -- it didn't go as planned but they got their -- task done. You recall the astronaut -- did you hear those sonic booms?
HARRIS: Yes. OK, OK.
O'BRIEN: Double sonic booms.
ROB NAVIAS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, NASA: Double sonic booms. Heralding Atlantis's arrival at the Florida space port.
O'BRIEN: That's always a good sign. Early on in the mission, Hans Schlegel, the German astronaut, was supposed to conduct a space walk.
HARRIS: A little sic, huh?
O'BRIEN: Got under the weather.
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: They haven't officially gotten the cause. There you -- they're making a steep left turn now as they come into the heading alignments cylinder, lining up the runway 15, northwest to southeast departure there at the Kennedy Space Center.
In any case -- all right. Here we are aboard, Tony. I want to just walk you through what you're seeing here.
HARRIS: OK. Go ahead.
O'BRIEN: Because this is kind of cool.
NAVIAS: Let's view now. The heads up display of the pilot...
O'BRIEN: If you take a look right here on the left-hand side, you will see -- I'm having a hard time with this telestrator. You're going to see right here the speed on that side.
HARRIS: Right.
O'BRIEN: Right here. OK? And there you'll be able to look right out the window and see this transposed. And that's the altitude, 29,000 feet. Now pay attention to this right here.
HARRIS: I'm with you.
O'BRIEN: That is -- it's almost like a video game. The idea there is to keep the little square thing and the little round thing lined up. The computer's onboard the space shuttle, are able to predict exactly how much energy it needs to get to the end of that runway, and exactly what pitch or where the nose should be in order for that to happen.
Steve Frick right now is trying to keep those two things lined up as he does this steep turn. Makes it sound easy, doesn't it? Not so easy. Now watch here. We're traveling now at about 295 knots, it's about 300 miles an hour, and we're coming down right now at about, let's see, we're coming in on -- is it 18,000 feet there on the right- hand side. A little bit of an overcast, light, puffy clouds. They're going to break through that very soon, and pretty soon get a look at threshold of that runway.
Now, as I was telling you, the mission itself went off not without a hitch.
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: But they did, in fact, get everything done. Hans Schlegel didn't do that first space walk. Set it out. Let's go to the cloud deck. It's kind of cool.
HARRIS: Yes, this is (INAUDIBLE)
O'BRIEN: Little (INAUDIBLE). Pretty soon we're going see that mangrove swamp -- there is, lined up.
HARRIS: Wow.
O'BRIEN: That's a beautiful sight, isn't it? All right. Take a look once again. Right there. That's he's trying to line up on. Whop, we're outside the cockpit now. You can see the steep descent. You know it's about 15 times steeper than a commercial airliner's...
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ...descent to a runway. And I've done this in another kind of simulator there at the Cape. It's like a dive bomb. I got to tell you. It really gets your attention as you go down there. And all you see in the windshield there is that swamp and you think, boy, I hope they pull up in time.
HARRIS: Look at this, Miles.
O'BRIEN: And here we are, coming down here. OK, now, we're at -- take a look on the right-hand side, 5,000 feet, 300 miles an hour. Everything's good. Remember, follow that. Everything's good. Steve Frick, he's the best and brightest, he's the right stuff. He's got it lined up just the way it should. About 15 seconds before landing.
Alan Poindexter's most important job, he's the pilot, is to do what? That is to deploy the landing gear 15 seconds before landing. We can count it out. It's just amazing if you think about it...
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ...that they don't -- put that gear out sooner.
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: But it's spring-loaded, ready to go - there it goes. OK, now count 15 seconds from now and we should get touchdown of Atlanta after -- Atlantis after a 4 1/2 million mile journey. Let's listen.
NAVIAS: Landing gear down and locked. Main gear touchdown. Poindexter now deploying the drag chute. Nose gear touch down. Atlantis rolling out on runway 1-5 at the Kennedy Space Center wrapping up a 5.3 million mile mission to expand the global village of space. Dan Tani, home after 120 days in orbit. O'BRIEN: Rob Navias talking about Dan Tani who is up on the space station, Tony. And in the midst of his mission up there for four months, his mother passed away. You can imagine what the...
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ...cross currents of emotion he's feeling right now.
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: As Atlantis comes to a stop here. His 90-year-old mother dying in an automobile accident while he was up there. He had called her his inspiration.
Let's listen to what they say as Atlantis has its wheels stop here and as any good commander does, right down the center line of the runway there. Let's listen to the call now.
I think we missed the call. But there you have it. The space shuttle Atlantis, back home. The next mission, March 11th. The launch of the space shuttle Endeavor, another space station mission.
Hey, Tony, the next time we see Atlantis...
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ...it's going to be an exciting mission. Atlantis is headed up to the Hubble Space Telescope this summer.
HARRIS: That's terrific.
O'BRIEN: We're hearing it now from Steve Frick.
STEVE FRICK, COMMANDER, SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS: And we appreciate all great help and support from the folks here at Kennedy and at all of over NASA and especially at the Johnson Space Center at mission control for keeping us safe from we're airborne and bring us safely home.
O'BRIEN: Safe home they are. In any case, this summer it's something really interesting to see as they go to the Hubble Space Telescope for one last repair mission to make sure that eye on the distant heavens has a few more years.
Boy, look at that shot.
HARRIS: Wow.
O'BRIEN: Isn't that a cool shot?
HARRIS: That is so cool.
O'BRIEN: Take a look at this. You see what that is? It kind of looks like a steam engine.
HARRIS: Yes. O'BRIEN: What's coming out of there is the exhaust from the auxiliary power unit. That's the system that provides all the hydraulic electrical power as the Atlantis comes in. In other words, moves the movable flaps on it and it's conducted by burning hydrazine, which is interestingly the same fuel that's in that spy satellite coming up.
HARRIS: Well, there you go. That's right.
O'BRIEN: Hey, by the way, I want to say one more thing before we get away here.
HARRIS: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Because space nuts will remember this. Where were you on this day in 1962, Tony?
HARRIS: '62? I was at -- I was a kid and I was probably running around the house like a little fool. I was (INAUDIBLE) years old.
O'BRIEN: Well, here's the (INAUDIBLE) question. What happened on this day in 1962?
HARRIS: I do know this but I won't steal your thunder.
O'BRIEN: Let's just roll the film. Not the tape, the film.
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: John Glenn climbed aboard the Freedom 7.
HARRIS: Wow.
O'BRIEN: The Mercury astronaut, orbiting the earth four times, and putting himself in the record books. The first American to orbit the earth. Yuri Gagarin, of course, beat everybody, orbiting the earth as a Soviet cosmonaut before. But John Glenn...
HARRIS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ...making his way in the history books into our hearts and minds and a true American hero. I have a hunch he's watching right now. Tony, let's you and I offer him a tip of the hat.
HARRIS: How about that? How about that?
O'BRIEN: He's a great American and a good guy.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: And we wish him well on this anniversary of his launch. What a -- you know, how's that? Atlantis comes in on this wonderful day.
HARRIS: That's great.
Fred, best play-by-play man in the business.
WHITFIELD: I'm telling you. Miles is the man.
HARRIS: We call him the rocket man. All right. The shuttle man. But there he is. Miles O'Brien.
Miles, that was terrific. What a day, what a landing.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Tony. All right.
HARRIS: Man, thank you, sir. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: What a great journey.
And I know another John Glenn who is celebrating with the senator John Glenn, my husband John Glenn.
HARRIS: There you -- there you go.
WHITFIELD: You know? He loves this day. Loves that man.
All right. To politics now. Keeping up their winning ways. Barack Obama makes it 10 in a row. John McCain marches towards the Republican nomination. Next the road to the White House runs through the critical states of Texas and Ohio.
So on the Democratic side, Obama won Tuesday's Wisconsin primary and the Hawaii caucuses. He ran well among white women and blue- collar voters. Obama is rallying supporters in one of the next big battleground states of Texas. Clinton showing no signs of surrender. She didn't mention her latest defeat during a speech in Ohio last night. Instead, she is positioning herself as the candidate with solutions.
And on to the delegate count. Obama now leads Clinton 1301 to 1239, that's according to CNN estimates. It takes 2,025 to win the nomination. In the Republican race, McCain widened his delegate lead over Mike Huckabee with wins in Wisconsin and Washington state.
Now back to the Democrats. Hillary Clinton in New York there at Hunter College coliseum. Let's listen in.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right now with millions of new, clean energy jobs. And one of us has actually taken on the special interests for years and years, standing against them, fighting against them, making progress against them. And finally one of us has faced serious Republican oppositions in the past, and one of us is ready to do it again.
And, of course, the contrast with our likely Republican opponent couldn't be more stark. You know, Senator McCain is willing, as Chuck said, to continue the war in Iraq for 100 years. I will start bringing our troops home within 60 days. Senator McCain admits he doesn't understand much about the economy. Well, I have a plan to turn our economy around and create five million new jobs. Senator McCain wants more of the same. I will deliver 21st century solutions so that we can get off this track towards nowhere that George Bush and the Republicans have placed us on.
You know, both Senator Obama and I would make history. And I am thrilled by that. You know, I have spent my entire adult life working on behalf of civil rights and women's rights and here we are at this moment in American history.
But, you know, maybe because I understand how difficult this job will be and how lonely it is in the oval office, because when all the cameras are gone and the lights are out, when the advisers have all had their say, the president has to decide, and we need a president who is ready to do that. Only one of us is ready on day one.
You know, this -- this campaign is not about a campaign. This campaign is not about a personality. This campaign is about hundreds of millions of Americans who are yearning for leadership again. People who across this country do the hard work that makes America work. I've spent most of my life helping people who are trying to make it.
I know who you are. You pour coffee in the corner restaurant. You fix people's hair. You ring up the cash register. You deliver the mail. You put out fires and patrol our streets. You grade papers after your kids have gone to sleep. You stand on the wall late at night defending our nation so the rest of us can sleep. You're the nurses who tend to the sick. The caregivers who care and give.
You're the parents on the frontlines of daily life, determined to achieve the American dream for your family. You're the foundation of the families, the communities and the country we love. You truly are the miracle that makes America what it is. Now, others might be joining a movement. Well, I'm joining you on the night shift and on the day shift, and I'm asking you...
WHITFIELD: Hillary Clinton there at Hunter College, at the coliseum trying to draw the distinction between she and her Democratic and Republican opponents there. Perhaps looking a little bit exhausted and hearing it in her voice, too, as she now succumbs to at least the last 10 wins going to her Democratic opponent, Barack Obama.
John McCain, meantime, she did talk about the Republican establishment, how she would bring the troops home from Iraq within 60 days, something that John McCain, of course, is taking issue with. He is sharpening his aim against the Democrats as a whole as he rallies Republican supporters.
Dana Bash with the McCain campaign in Columbus, Ohio.
Dana, McCain really went after the Democrats, but one in particular last night.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. And you know, listening to Hillary Clinton there, I was thinking that she sounds a lot like John McCain in her criticism of Barack Obama, in the criticism that we heard in very, very sharp terms last night from John McCain. He didn't mention Obama's name but almost immediately after he for the first time declared that he will be the president, the Republican nomination for president -- nominee for president, rather, he really went after Barack Obama on the same thing you just heard from Hillary Clinton on the experience factor.
A bit different from the McCain campaign's point of view coming from somebody who is 71 years old, and somebody who has been in the Senate for 24 years and certainly has experience in the military as well. And that is what the narrative, what the storyline at the McCain campaign is trying to build now against Obama, or frankly any Democrat that he is going to face. But in particular what he said is that Americans should not be deceived by eloquent yet empty calls for change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Will the next president have the experience, the judgment and experience and forms and the strength of purpose to respond to each of these developments in ways that strengthen our security and advance the global progress of our ideals? Or will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested bombing our ally, Pakistan, and suggested sitting down without pre-conditions or clear purpose with enemies who support terrorists and are intent on destabilizing the world by acquiring nuclear weapons?
I think you know the answer to that question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: And the McCain campaign thinks that portraying Barack Obama, again without naming his name, like that really allows them to have a good foil for the theme that they are going to continue to carry out. Certainly behind me we're going to see John McCain in probably about an hour talking to the press and he's going to be campaigning here in Ohio, the next contest state for him. We're going to hear a lot more of him going after Democrats as he is hoping, Fredricka, hoping that in the next contest states on March 4th, Ohio is one, Texas is another, that he will officially get the 1,191 delegates to mathematically become the nominee -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, still in the race, Mike Huckabee. How in the race?
BASH: He is still in the race. Very much in the race, he says. In fact, he is leaving his home state of Arkansas where he spent election night last night a very disappointing election night. No question about it. He lost big time in Wisconsin to John McCain. But he's leaving to go to Texas where, as I mentioned, there is going to be a big contest.
Mike Huckabee's campaign thinks that because he is from a neighboring state of Arkansas and because he can appeal like he has across the border in all of these contests, to the evangelical base in the state of Texas, they think that he can show that he is a viable candidate on those issues and in that community, that very important community of Republican voters.
Listen to what Mike Huckabee said about why he is still staying in the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not staying in the race hurts the GOP. It makes it like that we're so weak that we can't even have a debate and a discussion. If this party is so completely incapable of discussing the issues that matter deeply to Republicans, then I'm not its problem. Its problem is it doesn't have a message that it can run on, and it wants to just sort of circle the wagons and act like all is well.
Well, it isn't all well and anyone who thinks it is, is kidding themselves and is going get clobbered in November.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So Mike Huckabee says he wants to keep the debate going within the Republican Party. This whole idea of unity in order to approach and attack the Democrats with one voice, he said he simply doesn't buy it, and, Fredricka, I mentioned he's going to Texas tomorrow. His stop is going to be at the Alamo.
WHITFIELD: All right. Dana Bash, thanks so much. Columbus, Ohio.
And stay with CNN throughout the day. We have much more on the candidates as we look ahead to the March 4th primaries. Join us for the CNN "BALLOT BOWL" today noon Eastern. Remember, CNN equals politics.
HARRIS: Oil tops $100 a barrel. Why you are bound to pay more at the pump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: CNN NEWSROOM brought to you by...
Live breaking news, unfolding developments, see for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And this just in to CNN, a story that we're following here in the NEWSROOM.
Louisville, Kentucky now and a high school there in Louisville, we understand, is on lockdown after police received a call warning that someone with a gun was in the school. Officers are now searching Fern Creek Traditional High School, interviewing potential witnesses.
Again, this is Louisville, Kentucky. A student reported seeing what she thought was a young man with a weapon talking to two others in the school cafeteria. And the student who reported this did not recognize the young man she thought was carrying a weapon.
Again, this is a high school in Louisville, Kentucky, the Fern Creek Traditional High School, 1200 students attend that high school. We'll keep an eye on the story for you right here in the NEWSROOM. WHITFIELD: Meantime, just moment ago you saw it right here on CNN, the end of a five million mile journey. A picture perfect landing for the space shuttle Atlantis. This beautiful flight being guided by a first-time commander, Steven Frick. This $2 billion orbiter now safely on the ground. Of course, they were all welcomed, the crew was, to their family members. All -- right there at Cape Canaveral, looking at this as it happened live there. Beautiful.
Well, NASA wanted to hurry up and make this Atlantis return take place to make way for that planned shoot down of that failed satellite. Of course, we'll have much more on those efforts later on in the morning.
Meantime, you're seeing the live pictures right there of Atlantis on the ground, Cape Canaveral.
HARRIS: Wow. Crystal clear morning.
Oil prices spiked past the $100 mark. That sends stocks sliding overseas. And the price of gas could be heading up.
Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Ali, no way we -- look -- oh, the barrel is back.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, Tony, just so you know, this is a real barrel.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: OK? This is a -- and we used to be black. We've made it, you know, nicer like a barrel. These numbers are peel-off magnetic numbers and I keep them in a little box and I -- I mean we had to look for the box today. Green numbers and I got red numbers and I had to look for the box.
HARRIS: Because it's been a while. Yes.
VELSHI: Take a look at where oil's been since the beginning of the year. It's came in at about 95 bucks. 2007 saw about a 70 percent increase in the price of oil. And then it kind of -- coasting down. We haven't seen that $100 since December. In fact, about a week ago, Tony, it was down around the high 80s. And most economists think that oil should be sort of in the 70s or lower right now.
We've had 13 bucks in the price of oil in the last week.
HARRIS: Wow.
VELSHI: I mean look at the spike. OPEC said that because of the high price of oil and gasoline people are using less of it. That's logical, right? Well, that may led speculators to think that OPEC is going to cut its output of oil and that's why we saw this. The first time we've ever seen oil settle above $100 was yesterday. And right now we're looking at oil that is -- it's pulled back a little bit but it's still about 99 bucks. HARRIS: Well, we're going to get that increase at pumps here soon. Come on.
VELSHI: Absolutely. I mean the average price for a gallon of gas right now in the United States is $3.05 a gallon. There's no question you're going to get that. By the way, we know we're going to get it as spring approaches and we head into the driving season.
HARRIS: We have to re-blend, right?
VELSHI: Have to re-blend. Well, get used to it. We are -- you know, even when oil went down you didn't see a big discount in your gas prices.
HARRIS: That's right. That's right.
VELSHI: This is what gas costs these days.
HARRIS: Got to ask you, Ali. How is this price likely to affect the open of the U.S. markets?
VELSHI: Well, it's been affecting markets around the world. I mean...
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: Japan was off 3.25 percent. European markets down about 2 percent and we're looking at futures on the Dow right now, three minutes away from open, down 135 points. So it looks like we're going to have, I would say, a bit of a rough start this morning.
HARRIS: There he is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Ali Velshi and the barrel in New York City.
Good to see you, Ali. Thank you.
VELSHI: Thank you, my friend.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the most trusted name in news. Now back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Coming up on the half hour, welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
All right. Welcome to the NEWSROOM.
The space shuttle is out of the way, Atlantis, just a short time ago as you saw here live on CNN, now it's the Pentagon's turn to look at space. The military will try to shoot down a failing satellite -- well, let's call it a failed satellite. They hope to do that tonight.
CNN senior Pentagon Jamie McIntyre shows us how it is supposed to work. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Pentagon is feeling pretty good about its chances of hitting the satellite, even though it's not as easy as it looks in this animation. The Navy is using a standard missile, although there's nothing standard about the three that have been especially modified to kill a satellite instead of intercept a warhead.
(On camera): This is a model of the three-stage standard missile. The first stage gets it off the ship. The second stage guides it to the edge of the atmosphere and notice the third stage doesn't have any pins on it. That's because it's exoatmospheric. That is to say it operates in space where there's no air.
(Voice over): Inside the third stage is the kill vehicle, a non- explosive warhead that opens its eyes, spots the satellite with infrared sensors, and maneuvers force a collision. The force of two objects slamming into each other at a closing velocity of 22,000 miles per hour, is enough to do that job. Should it miss, the kill vehicle continues harmlessly into space.
Even though the satellite is a fatter target, the size of a school bus, compared to a warhead that might be three to five feet long, it's not easier to hit. It's traveling faster, slightly higher and is much colder than a warhead. Temperature makes a difference, because it's the heat signature that the missile seeker uses to find the target in the cold of space. That's why the attempt is being made during daylight hours. The rays of the sun may warm the cold, dead satellite just enough so the kill vehicle can zero in on it.
If it works, the Navy says it has no plans to add satellite killing to its list of missions. For one thing, there's no money in the budget for it.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Now, Phil Russell with the Louisville Police Department is on the line with us as we circle back to the story we told you about just a few moments ago. A Louisville High School on lockdown.
Phil, good to talk to you. What can you tell us about the situation? I understand it's as Fern Creek Traditional High School in Louisville?
PHIL RUSSELL, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY POLICE: Well, you know, it's around 8:00. Actually, about the start of school session this morning. A student reported that they possibly saw someone inside the school cafeteria with a weapon. It was -- we're still attempting to substantiate whether anything was actually observed or whether it was just indicated threatening another student.
So for safety reasons and just prudent measures dictate, we lock down the school and search room by room just to ensure the safety of the students and teachers and staff. At this time, though, nothing has been substantiated that there was, indeed, anyone inside the school with a weapon.
HARRIS: All right. That's how it's checking out right now. But it sounds like, boy, this is a school with 1,200 students. Sounds like a pretty sizable campus. This could take a while to go room to room?
RUSSELL: Well, certainly, you know, they've been out here for the last hour, hour and a half, and it's going to probably take another hour or so before we can fully secure the school. But all indications at this point, it does not appear that, at least at this time that there is anyone inside the school with any kind of firearm.
HARRIS: OK. Well, it's always prudent to check these things and you were obviously asking the students to be vigilant and keep their eyes open. So it sounds like it's all working out in the best possible scenario. Phil, we appreciate it. Thanks for your time.
RUSSELL: Thank you.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. As usual, we are watching your money. The markets opened just moments ago. We understand Dow opening not so good. Down side, down 80 points. All this as we all wake up to news of the oil, $100 and a penny a barrel for oil. Very depressing. And the continued concerns over the credit market as well. All still looming. Right now, the Dow down 83, now 84 points. We're going to continue to watch your money for you throughout the day.
HARRIS: It burned up the night sky and a few telephone lines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 DISPATCHER: 911.
CALLER: I just saw something fall out of the sky. I'm not sure if it was a plane or if it was fireworks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: What was that? Light show in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We take you back to Louisville, Kentucky right now. First pictures of the school in question here. This is Fern Creek Traditional High School in Louisville. And it looks like the situation, pretty much under control right now. We just talked to Phil Russell with the Louisville Police Department.
They're investigating this call of a student reporting that they saw someone who they thought, the student thought, had a weapon in the cafeteria. And the school placed on lockdown and the police are on the scene, obviously, going room to room at this point trying to find out if there is, in fact, someone on that campus with a weapon right now. The police have not found anyone, but the search continues at this time, but there you go.
The first pictures of a campus right now and the situation seems at least be under control, but the school remains on lockdown. We'll continue to follow this story for you out of Louisville, Kentucky.
WHITFIELD: All right. Also making news this morning, Barack Obama, 10 for 10. John McCain picks up another pair of wins. Now the presidential candidates set their sights on Ohio and Texas. Obama wracked up victories in the Wisconsin primary and the Hawaii caucuses. Now, he's rallying supporters ahead of the March 4th primary in Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Houston, this is our moment. This is our time. And if you are willing to vote for me, if you are willing to stand with me, if you are willing to caucus for me, then I truly believe that we will not just win Texas, we will win this nomination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Hillary Clinton counting on Texas and Ohio to rebound from ten straight losses. At a rally of supporters in Youngstown last night, she said she's ready to lead the country forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only one of us is ready on day one to be commander in chief, ready to manage our economy and ready to defeat the Republicans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So on the delegate count, Obama now leads Clinton 1,301 to 1,239. That's according to CNN estimates. It takes 2025 to win the nomination.
On the Republican side, McCain shores up his position as the nominee in waiting with victories in Wisconsin and Washington State. But Mike Huckabee vows to stay in the race. The crucial contests ahead in the race for the White House. The next big showdown, the March 4th primaries, in delegate-rich Ohio and Texas as well as Vermont and Rhode Island. For the Democrats, there are 370 delegates at stake. 256 Republican delegates are up for grabs.
HARRIS: Well, a flash of light and something falling from the skies over the Pacific Northwest. What the heck was going on? That's what plenty of people wanted to know. Here's Tim Gordon of affiliate KOIN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
911 DISPATCHER: 911.
CALLER: Hi. I'm sorry to call. I just saw something fall out of the sky. I'm not sure if it was a plane or if it was fireworks.
CALLER: I don't know what it was. Just caught my eye, a big flash of fireball coming down.
TIM GORDON, KOIN REPORTER (voice-over): 911 calls poured in, those from (INAUDIBLE), Multnomah counties. This was what they saw in Spokane from a security camera at a hospital there. Grainy but you can see the fireball in the sky. And courtesy of the Idaho Air National Guard from a base near Boise, capturing the meteor's descent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a collective example of an iron meteorite.
GORDON: OMSI's Jim Todd says today's meteor could have been traveling in space for millions, even billions of years before it made its grand entrance.
JIM TODD, OREGON MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY: If it creates a sonic boom, which is characteristic of a meteor that comes in faster than the speed of sound at 50,000 miles per hour, that's pretty typical.
CAROL COATES, PROVIDENCE PORTLAND MEDICAL CENTER: And sure enough, first thing this morning it was seen.
GORDON: Providence Portland's Carol Coates heard about the meteor driving into work and was thrilled to see it recorded on one of their cameras.
COATES: Almost half an hour looking at the camera. We were just shocked, because we really didn't think we'd see anything on the camera or that it was even in view of the camera.
GORDON: But the best view was live for people up early.
PAM JOHNSON, SAW FLASH: I was driving along Front Avenue about quarter to 6:00 this morning and the whole southern sky just flashed blue twice. A double flicker of blue.
GORDON: A thrill, for some a scare.
CALLER: It's right in front of me. It has to hit some houses.
CALLER: I don't know how much of an emergency it is, but it was definitely something that I've never ever seen before.
CALLER: Yes. Another people call?
911 DISPATCHER: Indeed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well, you know what? Private pilot also reported seeing a burst of light west of Spokane early on Tuesday. Sheriff's deputies in that area say they didn't see a meteor. WHITFIELD: All right. We've been reporting to you within the last hour about a school on lockdown in Louisville, Kentucky. The Fern Creek Traditional High School, all because of reports of someone in the school with a gun, and a search underway for the weapon and the person responsible. Mike Brooks, our security analyst, is on the phone with us.
And Mike, you've talked to your sources, you've got new information?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka. As a matter of fact, I spoke to the law enforcement source close to the investigation who tells me that apparently this all started a couple of days ago with an altercation between a couple students.
Well, one of the students apparently came to school today and flashed a gun in his waistband to the other students. Some other students saw it. They notified officials. All this began about 7:20. The school is on lockdown. It's the Fernwood High School on Fernwood Road and our Fern Bank Road and they're going to go ahead and keep the school locked down until they find this student and this weapon. But as of right now, they haven't found either.
WHITFIELD: All right. So because of the other kids being able to identify the student, they know who the student is. They feel rather confident that the student might still be in the school, no one is in danger, and that's why they're continuing to have the lockdown?
BROOKS: Exactly. Because they want to put -- get that -- find the person with the gun, with the weapon so that's why Fern Creek School -- Fern Creek is going to be shut down until they find this. If I get additional information, I'll let you all know.
WHITFIELD: And so Mike, just looking from this aerial view of this high school, pretty significant size school. Would they have their own security or would they be calling in local authorities to help them out in this situation?
BROOKS: They would have the local authorities and most of the time at schools like this, and I believe that even at this school here, Fredricka, you'll have usually a school resource officer. At least, one officer who is assigned to a high school as large as this and you'll also have additional security people with the school system and sometimes even volunteer parents.
These guys, I think will come in during the school day and act as volunteer security, if you will, at the different doors. But we don't know exactly where this person was in the school when this happened. We're trying to find that out right now. But abundance of caution, they're going ahead and keep the school closed down until they find the person and the gun.
WHITFIELD: Now, you just said unclear exactly when this happened?
BROOKS: No. It happened about 7:20. My source didn't tell me exactly if it happened outside of the school or if it already happened inside the school, but somewhere on school ground.
WHITFIELD: All right. So this is a school of about 1,200 students there. Fern Creek Traditional High School on lockdown. As you see the live pictures here of the K-9s being used for the sweep as well as, you know, on the outside perimeter of the facility. Mike Brooks, thanks so much.
BROOKS: All right, Fredricka.
HARRIS: All right. Time to get a check of weather now. And Rob Marciano, back from Daytona.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right. This CNN exclusive. The military's top commander in Iraq talking about an important change for U.S. troops. You'll hear all about it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: New worries in Iraq. Radical anti-U.S cleric Muqtada al-Sadr may end the six-month ceasefire. That's sparking fears of new violence from his powerful Mahdi Army militia. U.S. and Iraqi officials credit al-Sadr's ceasefire with helping to reduce violence in Iraq. A spokesman for the cleric says if al-Sadr doesn't issue a statement extending the ceasefire by Saturday, then the freeze is over.
WHITFIELD: A possible break for U.S. troops in Iraq. They could soon be spending less time in the war zone. From Baghdad, our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As American troops are just weeks away from beginning a sixth year of combat operations in Iraq, they may get some welcome news. General David Petraeus is strongly hinting that the grueling 15-month tour of duty is about to be scaled back to 12 months on the ground.
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL FORCES IN IRAQ: The army will be able to make an announcement later this spring. We've had discussions about that and sometime around the time of the testimony I think that the army can layout tour lengths that will be back to what was normal before that.
STARR: Petraeus will be in Washington in April to brief President Bush and Congress on his recommendations for the next round of troop reductions in Iraq. In an exclusive interview with CNN at his Baghdad headquarters, Petraeus laid out new details about the next step.
He will recommend a pause before deciding when to withdraw more troops beyond the five brigades scheduled to come home by July, but he is adamant more withdrawals will come. PETRAEUS: Reductions are going to take place, though, Barbara. This is not about not reducing. It's about the pace and the tempo and the size of those reductions over time.
STARR: The general continues to say it will all depend on conditions on the ground. There's no question in many areas violence is down. And troops are better protected with these new armored vehicles. Still, Petraeus makes clear security is tenuous. And he won't let the talks back home about firm withdrawal deadlines push him into a corner.
PETRAEUS: Again, as I mentioned earlier, conditions, base reductions are from the point of view of the commander on the ground. The logical way to go.
STARR: President Bush is expected to keep Petraeus as the top commander on the ground until the end of his administration. Almost, a two-year tour in a still fragile country. Barbara Starr, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And still to come, the Obama phenomenon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really like Obamazon, which will be an ardent female Obama supporter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or baracklamation. Anything that Barack says.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: What's in the name? When it's Barack Obama, we're just getting started.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The shoot down of that failed and falling spy satellite. Is it on or off? Kathleen Koch is at the Pentagon with the very latest.
Kathleen?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it's looking much less likely today, that according to a senior military official who just briefed reporters. Basically what the senior official said is that all of the conditions have to be perfect for this shoot down to occur.
Let's explain first of all. This is faltering 5,000 pound spy satellite that has -- the problem is onboard. It has some 1,000 pounds of fuel, hydrazine fuel, potentially toxic if it landed on earth could put gas, potentially deadly gas over an area two football fields wide. The military wants to be able to blast this satellite out of the sky and have it fall into the water.
The problem with the military says with day is that the ship that is shooting this missile up to blast the satellite apart. The seas in Hawaii, off the west coast of Hawaii, are just a little high. They are little too rough at this point. They haven't set it to no go, but it's looking much less likely.
Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: OK. So I thought originally they said there would be like a two-hour window. A very narrow window of opportunity. Now we're already looking ahead, you know, to this even and already nixing it?
KOCH: They aren't nixing it. But actually, Fredricka, while did we have one opportunity they said, every day. And it's going to be just like ten-second window. It will be just that matter of seconds where all of the criteria have to be perfect.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
KOCH: Everything has to fall into place. And you know, the defense secretary, himself, Robert Gates, will make that call and if the conditions are not perfect, they won't go for it. They'll wait until the next day.
WHITFIELD: All right. Kathleen Koch for the Pentagon. Thanks so much.
KOCH: You bet.
HARRIS: You know, he has beaten the odds in one race. Can John McCain do it again? What's in the warrior's arsenal? We're digging deeper, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Good morning, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Heidi Collins today.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown for you this morning.
Obama on a role, Clinton back to the wall. Will Texas and Ohio rescue her campaign? Political strategists live this hour.
WHITFIELD: And just 53 minutes ago, Atlanta is touching down and reporting this all live, right here on CNN. At 5,000,000 miles to the shuttles odometer.
HARRIS: Stove that can actually tip over the danger in your kitchen. Today, Wednesday, February 20th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: All right, a couple of breaking news for you that we have for you right now. This out of Indiana. Look, the weather is certainly a factor.
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