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Obama Surges; What does the Teamsters' Endorsement Mean for Clinton?; U.S. Navy Aims at Falling Satellite; Oscars Will Soon be Awarded
Aired February 20, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Talk about long shots. The U.S. Navy has a ten-second window -- 10 seconds -- to fire off a missile at a falling satellite with a toxic payload. Rough seas could mean no window at all.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And two more victories and another big endorsement for Barack Obama. Our political roundtable taking a look at whether he can ride the winning streak all the way to the Democratic nomination.
Hi there. I'm Brianna Keilar at CNN Center in Atlanta. Kyra Phillips is on assignment.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
OK. It is heading our way, with almost 1,000 pounds of poisonous fuel, a spy satellite right on a collision course with the Earth. The Pentagon is ready and is aiming, but it may be holding its fire, at least for today. Let's go straight to CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre with the very latest on this.
Jamie, what do you have for us?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, the Pentagon is hedging its bets a little bit tonight. This is the first window it has to shoot down this satellite as it passes over the Pacific Ocean just west of Hawaii. They were warning this morning that some weather problems may be an issue.
They want everything to be perfect as they make this first attempt at shooting down the satellite with a sea-based standard missile. It is not just the missile, by the way, that is going to connect with this satellite. It is actually a sophisticated kill vehicle that is inside the missile, part of the Star Wars technology.
Now, as I said, the Pentagon has been warning that there are some issues, high seas, that could affect the test, but they say they will go through a meticulous checklist and if they think they can get a good shot off tonight, they will go ahead with that shot about 10:30 tonight.
And, Don, they only have a 10-second window when the satellite actually passes over the target area to decide if they're going to take that shot. So, we probably won't know until the very last minute whether they got shot off -- Don. LEMON: Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre -- thank you, Jamie.
KEILAR: And the Navy not alone in keeping a close eye on this satellite. Our very own Chad Myers is watching it from the CNN Weather Center.
Hi, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Brianna. A hurricane-type, well, strength storm up here in the Gulf of Alaska, this would probably be a Category 1 or 2 hurricane if it was in warm water and if it was obviously in the summer, but this is just a low pressure system, a huge one, making big waves, big swells out here in the Pacific, about six to eight feet tonight.
Now, that eight foot number is where they are kind of teetering on, but it doesn't go below eight feet until Saturday, so if we don't get it done now, it isn't going to get any better, because this weather is still coming down.
Now, you are talking about this 10-second window. Literally, this thing is hauling the mail. From just down here off the screen, to right here, that is three minutes, three minutes, 800 miles, so about 265 or so miles per minute. And, so, it is going to go up there and it's going to try to connect it, and it's over 22,000 miles per hour as they try to come together in what is kind of a one-shot deal there. But they can do it again, but they would like to get it on the first try -- Brianna.
KEILAR: I love it when we geek out with these maps, Chad. It's just so much fun. It makes it so interesting.
MYERS: I know.
KEILAR: All right, thanks, Chad. Appreciate it.
MYERS: You're welcome. All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Main gear touchdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: What a cool sight there, space shuttle Atlantis gliding home this morning, wrapping up a five million mile, 13-day mission. Its crew delivered and helped install a new European laboratory to the International Space Station, also bringing back astronaut Dan Tani, who spent four months aboard the ISS. It also brought back memories of another mission; 46 years ago today, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.
LEMON: We have some new developments to tell you about in the case of missing British child Madeleine McCann. A Dutch teenager believes she saw the missing girl alive in France just last week; 18- year-old Melissa Firing tells a Dutch newspaper that she saw Madeleine at a restaurant.
She says she was sure the girl was Madeleine, because of the way she reacted when she called our her name. An adult man with the child quickly took the girl out of the restaurant. The paper reports the French police are looking at security tapes of that incident.
KEILAR: And we are learning more now about Stephen Kazmierczak, the gunman who killed five students and himself at Northern Illinois University last Thursday. Kazmierczak's girlfriend tells CNN he had been taking three drugs that his psychiatrist prescribed, the anti- anxiety drug Xanax, the sleep agent Ambien, and also the anti- depressant Prozac. Jessica Baty says her boyfriend stopped taking the Prozac three weeks before the rampage.
LEMON: Stephen Kazmierczak, gunman, killer, but one man knew the Northern Illinois University shooter by another name. That name, godson.
Here is our Chuck Goudie from our Chicago affiliate WLS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD GRAFER, GODFATHER OF STEPHEN KAZMIERCZAK: I was so happy to hear from him, that it...
CHUCK GOUDIE, WLS REPORTER (voice-over): It had been years since Richard Grafer had spoken to his godson, estranged in a family feud. When Stephen Kazmierczak called on a Sunday a month ago, Grafer said both men were excited about spending some time together.
GRAFER: We can get back together. We can do all of the things we missed. We're going to go fishing. We are going to play chess. I said, well, come this Saturday, because I will be off, and we can spend the whole day together. And you can stay overnight at the house.
GOUDIE: But Kazmierczak was also interested in something else during those phone calls the past four Sundays. He wanted some information about guns from his godfather, who he knew to be an outdoorsman, explaining that he needed some home protection.
GRAFER: And he said he bought a .9-millimeter Glock.
GOUDIE: That would be a Glock .9-millimeter pistol, purchased from this gun store in Champaign, where Kazmierczak was attending the U of I grad school. And there were other guns, two more pistols and a shotgun, all bought from the Champaign gun retailer.
State police investigators say Kazmierczak tried to buy weapons from a total of six Illinois gun stores. That is how many separate background checks were under way on the 27-year-old when he killed five students and then himself last Thursday here at NIU.
Grafer says he didn't seem violent as an adult and wasn't violent as a kid.
GRAFER: You could say bad things to him, and he would just walk away and go home.
GOUDIE: Understandably now, there is little good being said about Stephen Kazmierczak. And that his godfather a platter of nerves.
GRAFER: When they tell me that he was -- he's a monster, he's a killer, and he's this and he's that, he is not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was Chuck Goudie from our affiliate WLS.
The NIU campus is closed until Monday. There will be a memorial service for all five victims. It will happen on Sunday.
KEILAR: Leading our Political Ticker today, the Democratic political race still undecided, but Republican front-runner John McCain apparently expects to face Barack Obama, not Hillary Clinton. Today, he called on Obama to accept public funding for the general campaign and to live with the spending limits that go along with it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A year ago, I signed a piece of paper, and committed that, if I were the nominee of my party, that I would take public financing for the general election campaign. At that time, Senator Obama made that same commitment.
Now I notice in a column in a "USA Today" today, he is talking about other outside money, about working out -- well, that is Washington double-speak. I committed to public financing. He committed to public financing. It is not anymore complicated that than. I hope he will keep his commitment to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: An Obama spokesman says McCain has no business criticize Obama on campaign funding. The spokesman says McCain abandoned to rely on public funding for the primaries.
Now, moving on now, sources telling CNN the Teamsters Union is about to endorse Barack Obama. With victories yesterday in Wisconsin, also Hawaii, Obama widens his lead in the Democratic presidential race. The latest CNN count shows Obama with 1,315 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, compared to Hillary Clinton's 1,245 delegates.
Again, the magic number there, 2,025 delegates. And a Teamsters endorsement for Obama could be very bad news for Clinton, a sign that her union support may be slipping away perhaps. Clinton has been campaigning as a pro-union candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am proud to be a pro-labor candidate, because I always tell people, if you want to know how America got its great middle class, how we got fair wages, how we got benefits and a shot at the American dream, because of unions, because they stood up, they spoke out, and they refused to back down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Clinton is pinning her hopes on the March 4th primaries in Ohio and Texas.
And check this out. The Democratic rivals facing off in another debate ahead of the big Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4th. You will want to watch their face-off. It's tomorrow night in Austin, Texas. And our special coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. You will only see it right here on CNN.
LEMON: He is still in it, but why?
Texas Congressman Ron Paul, Republican candidate for president, he has just 16 delegates so far, compared to hundreds for John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney, who is not even running anymore.
Well, Paul spoke to CNN this morning, and he said he still has a message and people eager to hear his message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "AMERICAN MORNING")
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think there's any choice on my part. I don't think I could stop the movement if I tried. But if I encourage it, it is going to continue, because the subject comes up all the time.
And when I finish a rally, like the other day we were at the University of Northern Texas -- North Texas -- we had 1,400 people there. And I tell them, this is just a beginning, because they're young people and they want to hear this and they want change.
They hear others talking about change, but they know there's no change with the other candidates. It's the same old stuff they get over and over again. There's no difference with the other candidates, nobody's serious about the Constitution.
And so when they hear this message they know it's going to take a while. And I think the analogy of turning around an aircraft carrier takes time, you don't turn on a dime, and people can't expect us to do that. But I do believe there's something very significant going on. As I travel around the country, I sense it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, Ron Paul won seven percent of Washington State's primary vote yesterday. That is compared to 20 percent for Romney, who dropped out of the race two weeks ago.
KEILAR: Tight restrictions imposed on U.S. military personnel in Okinawa, after the alleged rape of a teenager. We have got more on the outcry and the fallout ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Fourteen past -- 15 now past the hour. Three of the stories we are working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Ready, aim, fire? Not yet. Tonight, the Navy was planning to shoot down a faulty spy satellite that is hurtling toward Earth with a tank full of poisonous fuel. But choppy seas in the Pacific today might delay that attempt.
A lockdown has now been lifted at Saint Peter's College in New Jersey. It's in Jersey City. School officials locked down the campus for a few hours after they found a possibly threatening note taped to a wall. They e-mailed and sent text messages to students within two minutes as part of an alert system they set up after -- after the Virginia Tech massacre.
A high school lockdown in Louisville, Kentucky, is now over. Police tell CNN a student reported seeing someone with a gun on campus. They went class to class to look for weapons, but found nothing. Parents are now being allowed to pick up their kids.
KEILAR: We have been here before, a U.S. servicemen on Okinawa accused of raping an underaged girl. Japanese are furious. American commanders are embarrassed. Today, they slapped tight restrictions on troops and other personnel, basically confining them to home and work.
CNN's Kyung Lah has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yankee, go home!
CROWD: Yankee, go home!
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Anti-American chant from Tokyo, to Okinawa. A rare public show of anger across Japan over the alleged rape of a young girl by a U.S. Marine. Female organizers call this a national day of protest, saying they're fed up, both with crimes committed by the U.S. military and their very presence in Okinawa.
HISAKO MOTOYAMA, ASIA-JAPAN WOMEN'S RESOURCE CTR.: That's enough. So, we -- our protest is against U.S. military forces, as well as Japanese government.
LAH: The protests stem from the arrest of this U.S. Marine, identified by the Okinawa police as 38-year-old Staff Sergeant Tyrone Hadnott. Authorities accuse Hadnott of raping a 14-year-old girl in his car. Police say the Marine denied raping the girl, but admitted forcing her to kiss him. Prosecutors have not yet charged Hadnott. But his arrest, and the arrest of two other Marines accused of drunken driving and trespassing, led Japan's prime minister to explain what is the matter with the U.S. military.
Prime Minister Fukuda also promised to discuss the matter with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she visits Japan next week.
(on camera): This is deja vu for many of these protesters, who stood in the streets of Tokyo and Okinawa more than 12 years ago expressing the very same message.
(voice-over): In 1995, Okinawa residents marched through the streets and jammed the front gates of U.S. bases on the island, after three American servicemen were arrested for gang-raping a 12-year-old girl. The three were convicted and sentenced to prison. National calls rang out for the U.S. to draw down the 50,000 troops stationed in Japan, an enduring presence since World War II and resented by many residents of Okinawa, who want the land back in Japanese hands.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're saddened by this incident.
LAH: This time, there have been early expressions of regret by the U.S. military and the embassy. The U.S. military also announced this Friday will be a day of reflection emphasizing core military values. But protesters say until the behavior of U.S. servicemen changes, their calls for military removal from Japanese soil will go on.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Why are so many of you tapping into your 401(k)s long before retirement? Susan Lisovicz explains.
You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: We want to update you on a story that we have been covering here in the CNN NEWSROOM this afternoon. This was a fire in Charlotte, North Carolina, a brushfire that came into contact with homes.
What we are hearing now is from the Charlotte Fire Department, the firefighters have made a significant stop to this brushfire. In the end, it damaged six homes. This was a three-alarm fire. The good news, no serious injuries, but there was heavy damage to two homes. And if you are wondering about the people who live in those homes, the American Red Cross is on scene to provide them aid.
But, again, Charlotte, North Carolina, the fire department there saying that they have made a significant stop to this brushfire that has damaged six homes, heavily damaged two homes.
LEMON: Classes are canceled at a school in rural Minnesota after a school bus accident that killed four students; 14 other people were hurt. The bus was hit by a van outside of Cottonwood in southwestern Minnesota. The bus landed on its side. Other drives say the scene and the children's screams were heartbreaking.
KEILAR: Another school district dumping beef, this one outside of San Francisco. The Vallejo School District says it is throwing away 21 cases of beef. That is enough for more than 1,000 lunches.
Nationwide, about 143 million pounds of beef have been recalled. It stems from reports that sick and crippled animals were killed at a California slaughterhouse that supplies government nutrition programs.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
KEILAR: John McCain and Barack Obama now turning their attacks on each other. Is that a little premature? We are going to be asking our political analysts.
It is roundtable time here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: It hasn't been decided by a long shot, but we now have a pretty good idea whom John McCain expects to face in the general election, according to McCain himself. And after what happened yesterday in Wisconsin and Hawaii and a major endorsement expected this afternoon, he may be right.
So here to lend their insights, Jeffrey Toobin, CNN senior analyst, Carl Jeffers, syndicated columnist and Republican strategist Annie Dickerson. So I'm going to propose the first question here, guys. But basically it's just a free-for-all, so jump on in.
The first question basically looking at -- well, let's talk about this union endorsement. Barack Obama expected to be endorsed -- a big deal -- by the Teamsters union this afternoon. And, also, if you're looking at exit polls from Wisconsin last night, it's suggesting that Obama may be chipping away at some of Hillary Clinton's bread and butter.
You know, he's really been more so the candidate of the younger, college-educated, higher paid voters, but he's really making way -- headway with normally the crowds that go for Hillary Clinton -- women, as well as union voters.
So what's going on here? Is this a trend? Is this a huge deal or is too early to tell?
ANNIE DICKERSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: This is bad news -- bad news for Hillary. Hillary Clinton was anticipating this endorsement and many others. After the numbers from the votes last night, where Barack Obama was able to get women. His demographics are broadening.
It's not just African-Americans. It's not just an increasing number of unions. We're seeing women and older voters. And these are numbers and these are constituencies that, honestly, Hillary anticipated owning. So it's bad news for Hillary.
KEILAR: Jeffrey, Carl you guys agree?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, when you get nearly 60 percent of the vote, as Obama has done in Wisconsin, in Maryland, in Virginia, you're going to win most demographics, because 60 percent is a big landslide. And that's what he's approaching in the recent primaries. So, you know, she has got to do something to change the dynamic or she's done.
The Teamsters, I think, endorsement is a modest deal. It's helpful. I don't think unions carry the political clout that they used to. But it's a sign that there's a bandwagon here and people are starting to get on board.
CARL JEFFERS, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Let me just jump on with what Jeffrey just said. The reality is -- and Jeffrey is absolutely right. I mean Barack Obama won by 17 points in Wisconsin and that's going to cut into virtually every demographic group.
Having said that however, what we could also say -- and this is a benefit for Hillary -- is that despite having lost by 17 points, she still managed to hold onto older women and mature women, white women. And that is primarily her major, major asset and major component group. And she still won that particular demographic, even losing 17 points -- by a 17-point margin to Barack Obama in Wisconsin.
And going into Texas and Ohio, I do think that the endorsement of the Teamsters is less important in terms of the vote than it is down the road. And by that I mean Hillary actually won in Nevada when the largest union in Nevada endorsed Barack Obama, the Culinary Workers Union. So, in fact, those votes don't translate because the Teamsters represents working class, blue collar families and many of the men are married to the very white women who are, in fact, the base of Hillary's support.
KEILAR: And, you know, I'm sorry, Carl...
JEFFERS: But I would say this...
KEILAR: ... I'm sorry to interrupt you.
JEFFERS: Yes, sure.
KEILAR: We're going to -- I have two quick questions, you guys.
JEFFERS: Yes, sure.
KEILAR: And if we can't get through this next one in a minute, then I'm going to have to cut the last question, but it's a goody and I want to ask it of you. So let's ask about the victory speeches we heard last night. Big wins for McCain and Barack Obama. Neither of them focused on Hillary Clinton. Obviously, McCain thinks he -- or at least says he's going to be up against Obama.
Is this premature, for him to be assuming this?
DICKERSON: No. It really -- it really looks like the movement of Barack Obama. It's not just merely momentum. It's really a movement that he's got going out there and it's been happening for a very, very long while. Look at what he did in the Chesapeake sweepstakes and look at what he did last night. This man is going to win. And, really, from John McCain's perspective, he has no reason to doubt that this is going to be his opposition. And in his remarks last night, he went right at Barack Obama, anticipating the general. He said eloquent but empty -- eloquent but empty. I mean he really -- those are very strong words and I think that's the rhetoric you're going to be anticipating over the next weeks and months.
KEILAR: And, Jeffrey, what do you think?
TOOBIN: Well, what John McCain's problem is that, that argument, that all he is is talk and eloquence alone isn't good enough is an argument that Hillary Clinton has been making...
DICKERSON: Exactly.
TOOBIN: ... in so many words for quite some time and it hasn't worked. Perhaps it will work for McCain. But I mean the record so far is not very good on that argument succeeding against Obama.
KEILAR: All right, and, Carl, I'm so sorry. I'm being told that we have to wrap. So I'm going to -- I'm going to give you an extra one next time. I promise.
JEFFERS: I'll look forward to that.
KEILAR: All right. But thanks so much for being with us. Jeffrey Toobin, Carl Jeffers and Annie Dickerson. We really appreciate your time.
Meanwhile, Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton -- we've been talking about them. They're going to face-off in another debate ahead of the big Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4th. You'll want to watch their face-off. It's tomorrow night in Austin, Texas. Our special coverage starts at 8:00 p.m. and you can only see it right here on CNN.
Are politics and the government are ruining the environment? CNN's Miles O'Brien investigating "Broken Government, Scorched Earth." CNN tomorrow night, right after the debates.
LEMON: Blowing up a wayward spy satellite -- is it a shot in the dark? We'll shed some light with a CNN team member who is also a retired Navy captain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, so it looks easy, right? Well, I'm not sure if it looks so easy. To shoot a missile off a destroyer in the Pacific and boom -- a wayward spy satellite is destroyed before it falls to Earth with about a thousand pounds of toxic fuel. It kind of sounds like a movie. It doesn't sound easy, though.
Well, it's not as easy as it might look in that animation. The Navy has a 10 second window to fire. And because of choppy seas, it might not be able to take its shot when the first window opens -- and that's tonight.
Just how tough of a shot is it? I asked retired Navy Captain Alec Fraser, a member of the Turner Broadcasting team. His last command was USS Cape George, a guided missile cruiser.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAPT. ALEC FRASER, U.S. NAVY (RET.): You take the missile launcher in front here. It holds 60 missiles. One or two of those cells will include the missile that they will be able to shoot at it. And an SM-3 missile can go a long way. But to be able to get it there, you've got to -- you've got to take the radar system that is up here -- if we can clear this off for a second. And then we put the radar system in.
LEMON: Radar right here, right?
FRASER: Right there. So the radar system is something that can detect the track and then track it. So in the detection the National Reconnaissance Association will -- Organization -- will be able to tell the ship exactly where the satellite is. And then it has to track it.
Now, most of the time people are aware that the tracking of a radar -- the tracking of an airplane is something really that you see those antennas going around back and forth outside the airplane window. That's about every five seconds. The Aegis system is updating it several times a second. That's the accuracy that you need to be able to intercept something going at the closing rate of 22,000 miles an hour.
LEMON: They've done it before. But still, I mean, this is like -- is this like a needle in the haystack? I would think it is, obviously.
FRASER: Well, it's 150 miles high.
LEMON: Right.
FRASER: And they have never done that before. And, yes, it's sort of a needle. They have done a setup on a medium altitude and they've done setups on low altitudes, but nothing this high. So being able to go up above the atmosphere, intercept a satellite that's traveling 22,000 miles an hour at closing rate is tough.
LEMON: All right, but looking at -- just looking at this and all the graphics and the animation, I mean it's fascinating that -- to think that this is going to happen. And yesterday I asked Jamie McIntyre this and I'm still getting e-mails from people who missed his answer.
What happens to this missile if it doesn't hit? I mean does it pose a problem to Earth? Does it pose a problem to space? Could it actually blow up and cause some sort of problem?
FRASER: Well, once the missile is launched, it really becomes -- and the boosters go out -- it becomes like a speeding bullet. But the bullet has an infrared sensor in the front. It can detect --
LEMON: And this is a missile, right?
FRASER: This is it. And so up in the front, up at the top there's an infrared sensor that will home in on the final terminal side when it's a few miles away from the satellite. That's the key. It's the bullet, but that will zero in on the satellite.
The problem is the satellite is cold. It's not as hot as an intercontinental ballistic missile. So with those two things in mind, you know, there's a good chance that this thing will work, because the missile system is good.
LEMON: But if it doesn't -- that's what my -- that's my question.
FRASER: Well --
LEMON: If it doesn't hit its target, then what happens?
FRASER: It's a bullet and so if it misses, it just goes. It's already up in the -- and it just --
LEMON: Space junk?
FRASER: Well, it will probably burn up in the atmo -- you know, some place. Or it becomes space junk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. That was retired Navy Captain Alex Fraser. He's also a member of the Turner Broadcasting team here. Experts say the satellite could release a cloud of toxic gas if it tumbles to the Earth -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Take a close look at this woman. Would you believe that she's 120? She's going to reveal her secret to a really long life in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Time now the check what's clicking at CNN.com -- some of our most viewed video today.
A meteor streaking down in the Pacific Northwest all caught on tape by some surveillance cameras. It also caught some people's attention. 911 operators logging a whole bunch of confused calls.
And Lindsay Lohan dares to go bare in some Marilyn Monroe-style photos. A career boost or bust? Hollywood watchers and CNN.comers still debating.
And this, an Ohio man drinks and drives his way to an eight year jail sentence -- a significant stay. And that's all thanks to his significant record -- 19 D.U.I. convictions.
You can link to all of our top 10 lists from the front page of CNN.com.
LEMON: Speaking of records, the oldest person on the planet -- what do you want to guess? Some point to a woman here in the U.S. Others say it's a woman in Israel, whose record shows she's all of 120 years young.
CNN's Ben Wedeman introduces us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Five-year-old Iyad (ph) sits in his great, great grandmother's lap. Mariam Ammash claims to be a record-breaking 120-years-old, which would make her six years older than the next contender, Edna Parker, of the United States. For a woman her age -- if that's her age, of course -- she's a veritable spring chicken. She lives on her own and keeps an eye on the neighborhood.
"She really looks after herself," her 54-year-old son Muhammad tells me. "She watches what she eats and she walks all over the place."
She does seem remarkably fit -- doubly so when you consider she would have given birth to Mohammed when she was 66-years-old.
(on camera): The secret to Mariam's longevity is lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, no processed food and no alcohol and tobacco.
(voice-over): She is a bit hard of hearing and doesn't recall the details of life two centuries ago, during which time she would have seen the fall of the Ottoman Empire, three decades of British rule and the creation of Israel almost 60 years ago. But while rulers came and left, Mariam, a Bedouin, was busy keeping track of her ever expanding family -- her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on number well over 400.
She survived two husbands, but when we asked if she's on the lookout for a third, the answer was emphatic no, though she does say she has lots of offspring she's trying to marry off.
She had only two documents to show us -- her Israeli passport and identity card, which puts her year of birth -- there is no birthday -- at 1888. Now back then, recordkeeping was a bit more lax, so there's no way to ascertain whether she really is 120 years young. But then again, who are we to argue with our elders?
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jisr Al-Zarqa, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: How cool is that?
KEILAR: No liquor, no tobacco, no processed food.
LEMON: Fresh fruits and veggies. She walks -- we're out on that one. (LAUGHTER)
LEMON: But fresh fruit and veggies and she lives on her own. She said no husband. She wants to be single. Smart lady.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
KEILAR: That's right.
He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good for that lady, indeed. All right, guys, thanks very much.
A major endorsement coming up for Barack Obama. Is it a slap in the face of the Clinton family? Coming up, my exclusive interview with the Teamsters President, James Hoffa. I'll ask him why the union has made this controversial move.
Hillary Clinton says she's not giving up, but what will she have to do to win the nomination? We'll have the latest delegate count and just how far each candidate has to go right now.
And John McCain on the attack, going after Barack Obama on experience, fundraising and the war on terror. We're checking his facts.
All that and a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- back to you.
LEMON: Hey, Wolf, do you remember Sanjay did that thing on the anchors about how long you've lived? Did he do one on you, do you know?
BLITZER: No.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: I don't know. I don't think so.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: You're going until -- how old do you think?
BLITZER: I don't want to -- I don't want to know. I just want to live.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Good call.
LEMON: Wolf is ubiquitous. He'll live forever. All right, thank you, Wolf Blitzer. We'll be watching. KEILAR: Speaking of Wolf Blitzer, it is so good to be bad -- well at least at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony. We're going to take a look at Oscar's bad guys and girls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) do something dumber now, but I'm going to anyway.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: When they're good, they're good. But when they're bad, yes, they're even better. The upcoming Oscar ceremony might be a villainous affair.
Here's Kareen Wynter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THERE WILL BE BLOOD")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A whole ocean of oil under our feet. No one can get at it except for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: This year, it's a good to be bad in the race for Oscar gold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN")
JAVIER BARDEM, ACTOR: I can't stop what's coming.
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WYNTER: Brace yourself for the venomous villains who rule the big screen with heart-stopping performances, like supporting actor nominee Javier Bardem...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN")
BARDEM: Call it.
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WYNTER: He stars in the psychological thriller "No Country For Old Men".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's this guy supposed to be, the ultimate bad ass?
(END VIDEO CLIP) WYNTER: Some movie critics say he comes pretty darned close. But so do these cold-blooded contenders, who caught the Academy's eye. In the lead actor category, Daniel Day-Lewis, the ruthless oil man from "There Will Be Blood".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THERE WILL BE BLOOD")
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, ACTOR: I want no one else to succeed.
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WYNTER: Johnny Depp, the demonic barber in "Sweeney Todd"...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SWEENEY TODD")
JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: Welcome to the grave!
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WYNTER: ... and Viggo Mortensen, a Russian tough guy in "Eastern Promises."
(VIDEO CLIP FROM "EASTERN PROMISES")
VIGGO MORTENSEN, ACTOR: Are you calling me a villain? I don't think I am a villain. But I don't want to ruin the story for anybody.
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WYNTER: Neither do we, but let's face it, the Academy has a history of embracing evil on occasion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS")
ANTHONY HOPKINS, ACTOR: Please, come close.
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WYNTER: Anthony Hopkins' cannibalistic performance as Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs" earned him an Oscar in 1992.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "MISERY")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kitty (ph), please!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: The year before, Kathy Bates took a statue for her maniacal role in "Misery."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "TRAINING DAY")
DENZEL WASHINGTON, ACTOR: Today is a training day.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WYNTER: Denzel Washington's crooked copper tale in "Training Day" and Charlize Theron's sinister role as a serial killer also won Oscars. What's the appeal?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOPKINS: I guess people like to be scared or whatever, you know, like psychos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHY BATES, ACTRESS: It was such a challenge to play a character that complex, to take all of those wild, way out characteristics and make them real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: Real enough to leave the viewers shaken. And that's what Bardem told me happened after one of his movie screenings.
BARDEM: And they were facing me and they were really like freaking out. It was like oh my god, right after they saw the movie.
WYNTER: This could be another year where the good guys finish last.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN")
BARDEM: You know how this is going to turn out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And as CNN covers the Oscar race, we want to know who you think will win. You can choose at CNN.com by playing our "Inside the Envelope" prediction game. You can win some great prizes. Also, you can challenge your friends. And all of that at CNN.com/ite.
LEMON: I would vote for Susan Lisovicz as the best financial reporter. What do you think?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ah!
KEILAR: Yes, but not a villain.
LEMON: And the winner is...
LISOVICZ: I report bad news.
LEMON: ... Susan Lisovicz.
LISOVICZ: But I wear the white cowboy hat, right?
LEMON: Yes.
KEILAR: Yes, that's right. John Wayne -- Susan Lisovicz, the John Wayne of the NYSE.
LISOVICZ: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
LISOVICZ: Well, I've got bad news, partner.
LEMON: Uh-oh.
KEILAR: OK.
LISOVICZ: Yes. No, actually, I have good news, because we have time to talk about this elevator story.
LEMON: OK.
LISOVICZ: That's with the elevator stopping at only certain floors. There is a new building being built here in downtown New York. It's an academic building. And, yes, it will give you quite a workout, guys, because it will only stop -- this nine story building -- it will only stop at two floors, the fourth and the seventh.
Why? It's a green building and the green movement encourages social interaction and walking. So bring your sneakers when you go to Cooper Union Advancement for Science and Arts. Now, there is a way around it, because the freight elevator will stop at every floor. And that's also to comply with federal disability laws. So -- LEMON: (INAUDIBLE).
LISOVICZ: Yes, what?
LEMON: I don't know. Some -- some of this is going too far, don't you think, a little bit?
LISOVICZ: Well, I think for some of us, you know, we could use our legs more. I actually -- we don't have a 13th floor in the New York Stock Exchange, by the way. I guess they're kind of superstitious, not surprisingly. But I do tend to walk between floors sometimes.
LEMON: Yes, I do. And -- but it's giving people the option. Some people want to walk, some people don't want to walk. Let the elevator go to every floor. Stop it already.
KEILAR: I don't know, that may be all the cardio I would even get, so it could be good.
LISOVICZ: Exactly. And that's...
LEMON: Yes?
LISOVICZ: And that is the idea for some of us, that may just be simply the only opportunity we get to move our legs.
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