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American Morning
Reports Links McCain and Female Lobbyist; Target Hit: Navy Shoots Down Spy Satellite; Clinton's Last Stand: Ohio and Texas Must Win; Inflation Fears; British Airways Strike
Aired February 21, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: So people will be looking at this debate tonight very, very closely, looking at how much comparing, contrast there is, how aggressive that is, because Hillary Clinton -- some people are saying that this will be a do or die contest for her, so she really has to make an extraordinary impact tonight here at the University of Texas.
But first this morning, serious questions for Senator John McCain's campaign this morning. "The New York Times" and the "Washington Post" are running with the story about his past links to a female lobbyist. Here she is. Her name is Vicki Iseman. She is a telecommunications lobbyist whose clients had business before McCain's commerce committee.
The papers say during his 2000 presidential campaign, advisers grew concern. They thought that McCain was spending too much time with Iseman, who at the time was in her early 30s.
Here's how "The New York Times" put it.
"Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself, instructing staff members to block the woman's access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him."
The reports even say a top aide, John Weaver, seen here next to McCain, arranged a meeting with the woman at Washington's Union Station to tell her to stay away. But this morning, there were just as many questions about the timing of the articles as there are about John McCain's conduct. His campaign has come out blasting. And John McCain is expected to address it himself at a news conference at 9:00 Eastern this morning.
CNN's Dana Bash is following the McCain campaign. She is live in Perrysburg, Ohio. And Dana, they're aggressively trying to get out in front of this story this morning.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are, and they're going to do exactly what you just talked about, John. They're going to have John McCain come before reporters as he does pretty much every day, but they are keeping that schedule, keeping that press conference going this morning so he can take questions from reporters.
Unclear how many answers we're going to get, but certainly John McCain is going to take the questions. And, you know, the reason is because his campaign understands, John, about this whole story.
First of all, the questions in "The New York Times" on the one hand, suggests that there might have been a romantic relationship between John McCain and this lobbyist. Both of those, both John McCain and the lobbyist adamantly deny that.
But beyond that, the suggestion here is that perhaps John McCain used the influence he has in the Senate and particularly on the Senate Commerce Committee to help this lobbyist and her clients in the telecommunications industry. That, McCain's campaign understands completes goes at the heart and questions the heart -- the whole premise of this campaign which is that he's trying to change the way Washington works. And that's why they released last night a statement adamantly denying what is in the newspaper. Now, I'll read you part of that statement, John.
The campaign spokeswoman says, "He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists. And he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election. Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career."
Now, specifically, what the McCain campaign did last night is release a couple of letters that Senator McCain wrote back then to the FCC, which in the story suggests that he was trying to help Miss Iseman in those letters, at least help one of her clients. In these letters, the campaign insists that it shows that it wasn't necessarily trying to help her, just trying to move the process along. That's one example of how the campaign is trying to react to this.
But the bigger question at this point, John, is something that you talked about in the intro. It's whether or not back in 2000, because this is what we're talking about, we're talking about an eight-year plus old story at this point. Back in 2000, during McCain's first run for president, whether his aides at that time were so worried about the appearance here, again, because it does go to the heart of who John McCain is as a candidate for president back then, as it is now, that they tried to confront both Senator McCain and Miss Iseman to say that they're worried about it.
And you mentioned John Weaver, one of Senator McCain's former aides, who was his campaign manager up until this summer. He is quoted on the record in the story in "The New York Times" saying that he approached her and went to her and said that he was worried that it would undermine the effort of the campaign -- John.
ROBERTS: Yes, it's interesting that they have got him on the record. And it's not like it's any kind of a case of sour grapes with Weaver, because even though he's not the campaign manager anymore, he still remains very close to McCain.
BASH: He does remain close to McCain, and I should mention that last night, CNN tried several times to reach out to John Weaver by e- mail and he hasn't responded yet. He does remain close with Senator McCain. You know, some of Senator McCain's current advisers are suggesting maybe there is a little bit of sour grapes there.
But the reality is, John Weaver has until this quote has said nothing but good things about John McCain in the newspaper because they have been very close. And in fact, recently, he had been quietly working behind the scenes, and at least it appeared according to us and the people who were talking to in the campaign, that he had been coming back into the campaign.
So this is a sort of an interesting story. And it is one of the many, many things, John, that Senator McCain is going to be asked about this morning, at least in a couple hours when he goes before the press -- John.
ROBERTS: All right. Dana Bash for us this morning covering that.
We should also mention that "The New York Times" sat on this story for a number of weeks, if not months, before coming out with it late last night. We've got a can't miss interview ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. John McCain's 2000 campaign spokesman person who is in the campaign when all of this was going on, is going to join us live at 6:30 Eastern.
Right now, back to New York and Kiran has got some more political new for us. Good morning.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: We have some brand new poll numbers released just a few minutes ago, John. They're from CNN's Research Opinion Research Corporation Poll. And they're out of Texas, showing that if John McCain and Barack Obama were the nominees, 52 percent of registered voters would choose McCain. Forty-four percent would choose Barack Obama.
If Hillary Clinton were the nominee, McCain would also beat her 55 percent to 42 percent. Texas usually does vote Republican in the general election. This poll also conducted before these allegations about John McCain were published today.
Senator Barack Obama picking up a huge union endorsement. The Teamsters says it backs Obama, calling him the candidate that best understands the challenges that working people face every day.
The union president spoke to CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES HOFFA, TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT: This is not about the Clintons. We have a good relationship. I have utmost respect for her, but the question is who can win. And the question is who is speaking about issues, and whose caught the imagination of the American voter and who's caught the imagination of workers in America.
We've got to talk about issues, about bringing jobs back to the United States, rebuilding America, rebuilding our infrastructure. And I think that he has hit these tones and he's the one that is talking about issues that resonate with our members, and that's why we made the endorsement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The Teamsters Union, by the way, has 1.4 million members.
Also, some candid words from former President Bill Clinton about his wife's campaign. He spoke to Hillary's supporters at a rally in Beaumont, Texas, and said the primary elections on March 4th will decide the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If she wins in Texas and Ohio, I think she'll be the nominee. If you don't deliver for her, I don't think she can be. It's all on you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Bill Clinton is still emphasizing that his wife has the experience to be president, while suggesting that Senator Obama may not be able to deliver on his promises of change.
Well, the Navy says they shot down a dead spy satellite soaring 130,000 miles above the Pacific Ocean. We have some new pictures right now of the modified missile that was shot from the USS Lake Erie. The fuel tank was carrying a thousand pounds of toxic fuel. The Defense Department says it is now waiting for confirmation that that tank was indeed destroyed.
CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre is watching the Navy's first of its kind mission live from the Pentagon this morning. And Jamie, any word one will know whether they actually did hit this fuel tank?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, very soon. But I got to tell you, there were broad smiles on the faces of U.S. military personnel and command centers from here in the Pentagon all the way across the nation of the pacific command in Hawaii. Everything looked really good, like it was literally a smashing success.
And there are indications that the fuel tank, which was the primary target, was hit because they saw what they thought was an explosion. In addition, the U.S. Navy monitored debris fields, as many as 80 separate debris fields, which indicates again, a direct hit of this satellite.
As you said, they have released some pictures. We see the Navy standard missile being launched from the Lake Erie. We see the sailor who actually hit the button to launch it. And General Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England monitoring the launch from a brief -- from a monitoring room here at the Pentagon.
General Cartwright will be briefing in about 50 minutes or so here at the Pentagon. They don't yet have any video to release of this intercept. They're going to continue to do that analysis and see if they can confirm that the fuel tank was fragmented. But at this point, they're very optimistic.
And Kiran, this launch basically was picture perfect. It went off exactly as planned. The technology worked exactly as advertised, and it looks like they've completely destroyed the satellite. The debris, by the way, most of it is going to burn up in the atmosphere. Some of that will stay in space for another -- maybe a month or so before it falls to earth or burns up -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Wow, the pressure of the guy who was pulling the trigger had about 10 seconds' window to get it right. So maybe we'll find out more, Jamie, in about 50 minutes as you said, when they give that press conference and talk a little bit about how it went. Thanks, Jamie.
MCINTYRE: You're welcome.
CHETRY: Veronica De La Cruz is in today for Alina Cho following some other stories that developed overnight. Good morning, Veronica, good to see you.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning. It's nice to see you, and good morning to all of you out there.
We begin with a Supreme Court saying workers can sue if they're employers mismanaged their 401(k) retirement accounts. The ruling came in a case of a man in Texas who claimed his employer failed to follow his instructions to switch to safer investments, which cost him more than a $150,000. The decision versus a ruling made more than 20 years ago when 401(k)s were much less popular. Now, 50 million workers have them with $3 trillion invested.
President Bush is in Liberia this morning. It is his last stop on his week-long trip to Africa. He's meeting with Liberia's president, the first woman ever elected president in the country. U.S. aid to Liberia has totaled some $750 million since the country's 14-year civil war ended in 2003.
The violent protest to tell you about now in Pakistan this morning. Police firing tear gas at lawyers demanding that the new government impeach President Pervez Musharraf and reinstate judges whom he had kicked out. The demonstration comes just two days after the opposition party won national elections. President Bush has called the elections part of the victory in the war on terror.
A police in Okinawa, Japan, are investigating another rape allegation against a member of the U.S. military. A serviceman is accused of raping a Filipino woman. The army says it is investigating, and it's not clear whether the suspect is a soldier or a civilian employee at the military base. Last week, police detained a U.S. marine in the rape of a 14-year-old girl.
And police in France, they reported a Madeleine McCann sighting. It turned out to be a false alarm. A Dutch tourist reported possibly seeing the missing British toddler at a restaurant. The woman said she called Madeleine's name. The little girl reacted, but a man quickly took her out of the restaurant. Police say they looked at the video from the restaurant, and the girl was not Madeleine.
Skywatchers across the United States and much of the world watched last night's total lunar eclipse. And the skies were clear for our I-Reporters. Take a look at these cool pictures from Hedi Enghelberg in Hollywood, Florida. Also, i-Reporter John Bosham (ph) snapping these in Hope, Indiana, our affiliates in Brookline, Massachusetts. Take a look.
They captured the moon turning red and then brown. The lunar color show lasted about 50 minutes before returning to its usual glow. And then the view from Buenos Aires, Argentina as crowds there party it up in the streets. So don't forget to mark your calendars because the next eclipse, Kiran, is December 21st, 2010. Doesn't that sound so far away? 2010?
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: But it's not.
DE LA CRUZ: Actually ...
CHETRY: It's not.
DE LA CRUZ: They're around the corner. Just right around the corner.
CHETRY: It's funny. My husband is a weatherman, so he's, of course, you know, just such a geek about this. Looking through the binoculars. He woke me up. I remember stumbling out.
DE LA CRUZ: Oh ...
CHETRY: I saw a little part of it and then went back to bed.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
CHETRY: Did you see it? Or where you already in bed?
DE LA CRUZ: No, no.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: The ship does not make it easy to see lunar eclipses.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, exactly. I've never seen one. Meteor showers.
CHETRY: Another meteor, mark it down. Thanks, Veronica. We'll see you in a few.
DE LA CRUZ: Of course.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, we're going to head back to Austin, Texas. How about you, John, did you see it? ROBERTS: No, I didn't. And I was up as well. But I just -- there were too many other things to do. I didn't get the chance to look out the window. Bad on me. I'm not that much of a geek myself, anyway.
You're watching the most news in the morning. It's Clinton versus Obama in a Texas showdown. What's on the line for both candidates in tonight's Democratic debate? We'll have a preview of that just ahead.
And before he hosts the Oscars on Sunday, Jon Stewart sat down with our Larry King. We'll tell you what he had to say about CNN ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Or 170, 170.
CHETRY: Hey, Rob. Rob Marciano at our weather desk right now tracking extreme weather. And a tornado watch, this is in Louisiana, Rob?
MARCIANO: Yes, it's in effect until noon today. Check it out. It's right along the Gulf Coast. There's an active weather moving in right now, and the potential for tornadoes does exist in this area. Through the mouth of the Mississippi River here and through New Orleans really getting the brunt of it at the moment. A number of severe thunderstorm warnings have been posted, but no tornado warnings as of yet.
Again, that watch in effect right on through the rest of this morning until noontime Eastern. The other area of concern is this wintry precipitation that's moving across parts of southern Missouri in through the middle Mississippi River Valley. This is going to be just a mess today.
And we have ice storm warnings and winter storm warnings in effect for a good chunk of this area. Cape Girardeau and through Paducah, east towards Louisville and north towards to St. Louis. So slow-go there for sure. We could see ice accumulations of a quarter of an inch an hour in some spots.
We'll talk more weather in about 20 minutes. Kiran, back over to you.
CHETRY: Were you like my hubby last night? The weather geeks looking at the eclipse?
MARCIANO: Oh, yes. It's frustrating down here, though, because the moon's kind of peeking in and out of the clouds. But it was definitely open to see. Yes, we geeked out.
CHETRY: So once in -- every three years experience.
MARCIANO: At least until next time. Yes.
CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right.
ROBERTS: Well, a fight for the Democrats in Texas. Hillary Clinton's campaign is hoping that tonight's debate against Barack Obama here at the University of Texas will turn things around for her. Texas and Ohio are now must-wins for the Clinton campaign on March 4th. Clinton reeling from 10 consecutive defeats and slipping further behind Obama in the delegate count. What does she need to do to reverse the front-runner's momentum?
Joining me now is "New York Times" political reporter Jeff Zeleny. Let's get to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama just a second. But first of all, the McCain story that "The New York Times" broke late last night. What impact do you think this is going to have on his campaign?
JEFF ZELENY, "NEW YORK TIMES": I think it depends how Senator McCain actually answers these questions this morning. We heard Dana bash saying he's going to have a press conference, one of his famous press conferences this morning at 9:00. So we'll see how he answers that. But look, this goes to, at least raise some questions at the heart of his candidacy. It's sort of his narrative is built on his integrity and things, and this raises some questions by his own advisers on the record. So we'll see how he answers this.
ROBERTS: There is no proof in either your story or the subsequent story in "The Washington Post" of an inappropriate relationship. And certainly, concerns were raised at the very least about the appearance of it. They have John Weaver, his former campaign manager on the record, saying that he had a meeting with this woman in 1999 at Union Station to say, stay away from him. So what does that mean, just in terms of at least the public perception of all of this?
ZELENY: He has at least in the perception, it was concerning enough to John Weaver who's a longtime supporter and friend, actually, a very close personal friend of Senator McCain to intervene like this. So what it means in terms of this candidacy? It's hard to say. He's on the verge of winning the Republican nomination. In fact, he almost has done that. You know, it's interesting to see what Governor Huckabee might be thinking this morning, or even Mitt Romney who's out of this race now. So I think we'll find out more about this as soon as it goes on.
ROBERTS: In terms of the timing of the story coming out, Mitt Romney may be saying why didn't this come out a month ago. Maybe it could have given him a better chance if this thing had some sort of traction.
We're going to be talking with the McCain's former spokesman coming up in just a little while as well, Charlie Black who's a senior adviser of the campaign in our next hour.
But let's switch to the Clinton and Obama campaign because this is getting very, very interesting. Let's listen to some of what happened on the campaign trail yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to make a choice between speeches and solutions because while words matter greatly, the best words in the world aren't enough unless you match them with action.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not a choice between speeches and solutions. It's a choice between the politics that offers more of the same divisions and distractions that didn't work in South Carolina and didn't work in Wisconsin and will not work in Texas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So this is getting rough again. Now, she is essentially accusing him of the old Texasism (ph) of being all hat and no cattle. And he is accusing her of practicing the politics of divisiveness. So what do we expect to see at this debate tonight?
ZELENY: I think we'll see just that, and time is running out for Senator Clinton. She knows that. There's a debate inside her group of advisers how hard she should take on Senator Obama. But as we heard her saying yesterday, she's continuing the message that she started saying in Wisconsin. She's saying, look, speeches don't solve problems. It didn't work in Wisconsin. In fact, he won by 17 points there which is very demoralizing to them.
So tonight, she is going to raise all the questions she's raised. But I think what matters is how she packages them. If she comes off as too harsh or too shrill, it may not have the effect she's looking for. But there's no question that the Obama campaign is concerned about this, because they know that time is running out for her. And they have everything to lose at this point, not her.
ROBERTS: Yes. And there's still a lifetime between now and the primary on March the 4th. What does she need to do, not just tonight, but between now and March 4th to try to turn things around, to try to zap his momentum and get herself back on the driver's seat?
ZELENY: I think what she need to do, first of all, is sort of coalesce her own supporters, her contributors, the Democratic officials. There are a lot of people who have questions about her candidacy right now. Congressman John Lewis, for one, who I talked to last week, he raised questions about that. And there are other people who are certainly raising questions. So that's one thing she needs to do.
And she also just needs to take this message of hers to the voters in Ohio and Texas. These should be very strong states for her, very good places for her. I was in Ohio earlier this week talking to voters and they said, look, we still like her. We haven't voted yet. So this race is not over by any stretch.
ROBERTS: It will be interesting to see what impact the endorsement of the Teamsters Union for Obama has. Maybe not much of an effect here in Texas, but certainly they're huge in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
ZELENY: Absolutely. And the Teamsters have some 1.2 million members, and this really connects Senator Obama with the working class, he hopes. But throughout the campaign, throughout these few months, the endorsements haven't always played as they should so we'll see.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: Sure. All right. But unions are great at organizing ...
ZELENY: Indeed. Especially the Teamsters.
ROBERTS: Yes, and we'll see what happens tonight, too. Jeff Zeleny, as always, thanks for being with us this morning.
ZELENY: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: And tonight on CNN, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton face off in that primetime special. The Democratic debate here on the campus of the University of Texas. It begins at 8:00 Eastern -- Kiran.
CHETRY: There's a bit of a face-off last night on CNN as well. Larry King spent an hour talking with comedian Jon Stewart, hosts of "The Daily Show." They discussed politics and the upcoming presidential elections, and Stewart had some high praise for CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": There are very few organizations left that have a credibility savings account that they can draw on anymore. Except of course, for CNN, who has the best political team in television.
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: You think we have the best political team in television?
STEWART: No, I was told I had to say that every seven minutes. Wolf Blitzer would come in here and beard me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Wolf, of course, if you don't know him, is one of the nicest guys. I think, ever.
ROBERTS: He is. But you do not want to be bearded by Wolf Blitzer. There's no question about that. So ...
CHETRY: Did that happen to you, John?
ROBERTS: Well, no. But the threat of it has. So good on Jon Stewart for avoiding that fate. I don't blame him. CHETRY: Yes. He had a couple of other funny exchanges with Larry. We'll show you some more coming out throughout the show.
Meanwhile, still ahead, oil topping $100 a barrel for a second day in a row. What does it mean for your bottom line and why you're likely to pay more at the pump?
Also, the girlfriend of the Illinois campus shooter says he was prescribed three medications and stopped taking one just weeks before the killings. We'll tell you why ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Time now, 25 minutes past 6:00 here on the East Coast. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" this morning, talking about oil closing yet again above $100 a barrel.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
CHETRY: Also, possibly word of an airline strike.
VELSHI: Yes. In fact, I'll get to the oil in a second. We're just getting word in. CNN has confirmed that British Airways pilots have voted overwhelmingly in favor of going on strike over this new airline that British Airways is starting called Open Skies. It's going to fly flights between mainland Europe and the United States. The pilots have voted to strike. We do not have a date or a time set for the strike.
But, of course, British Airways being such a major airline and such a major hub, that will start to affect things all over the world if that actually happens. British Airways saying they're hoping that the airline -- the pilots will allow themselves to negotiate with the airline and come to some settlement.
Now, as you can see, from the barrel right beside me, $100.74. This is incredible these numbers. This is a new record for the price of oil, the price which it settled at NINEX yesterday. The interesting thing about this, Kiran, is that when oil prices are this high, it suggests that demand is this high, except that what we've hearing about the economy around the world, the economy slowing down would suggest to you that oil prices would be lower. And that's why we saw them lower about a week or two weeks ago. We saw them in the 80s.
Now, we're looking at these higher oil prices. We also got minutes from the Fed meetings in January. One of the weird things about the Fed is that they sit. They have these meetings. They make a decision about interest rates but we don't actually get the minutes, the notes from those meetings until weeks later. So we finally just got those. Let me just quickly show you what the Fed is saying.
They're expecting unemployment in the United States to get to 5.2 or 5.3 percent this year. And they're expecting GDP, that's growth, to be between 1.2 and two percent. So that is not a recession as far as the Fed is concerned, but it is lower than expected, Kiran. I'll have all this for you all morning.
CHETRY: OK, Ali. Thanks so much.
VELSHI: OK.
CHETRY: John?
CHETRY: Thanks, Kiran.
Energy prices are just one of the things eating into the family budget, and some people are tapping into their 401(k) plans for cash, jeopardizing their retirement. Analysts say taking a loan from your retirement account can provide short-term relief, but it also could cause a lot of long-term problems. We'll be talking with our Gerri Willis about that coming up.
But first, this morning's "Quick Vote" question. Have you had to tap into your 401(k) to pay any kind of monthly bill? Cast your vote at CNN.com/am. We'll have the first tally of votes coming up later on this hour.
You're watching the most news in the morning. He is calling it a smear campaign, but what do campaign insiders really know about it? We'll talk to John McCain's 2000 campaign spokesman about his alleged links to a female lobbyist. That's straight ahead.
And new concerns for women across the country. Why researchers are warning more and more are at greater risk for having a stroke. That story and today's headlines when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Looking inside the Rec Center here at the University of Texas in Austin, which in 13 and a half hours will be the scene of what could be the most important moment in this campaign so far. The big debate, one-on-one, head-to-head between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Their big Texas debate before that all-important primary on March 4th. A primary that could be do or die for her campaign.
Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks very much for joining us on this Thursday, the 21st of February. I'm John Roberts.
Good morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: Good morning, John. Good to see you.
This morning, we're waking up to the news of the John McCain campaign blasting a "New York Times" report about the candidate's links to a female lobbyist denying anything inappropriate took place. The "Times" report as well as an article in "The Washington Post" today as well.
But the "Times" report claims advisers to McCain's 2000 campaign were concerned about his relationship with Vicki Iseman -- pictured here, a telecommunications lobbyist whose client had business before McCain's commerce committee. The story is, as we said, also in today's "Washington Post."
Todd Harris was the spokesperson for that 2000 McCain for President Campaign and joins me now from Washington.
Todd, thanks for being with us.
TODD HARRIS, SPOKESPERSON, 2000 MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN: Good morning. Thank you.
CHETRY: What was your initial reaction to this story?
HARRIS: You know, frankly, I couldn't believe that this warranted a story in "The New York Times," anywhere in the paper, much less on the front page. I can tell you, I traveled all over the country with John McCain during the 2000 campaign. I never saw anything that would even come close to corroborating what was in this story.
And I think the lesson for voters is that you need to be aware of news stories that are suspiciously timed, filled with rumor and innuendo that is being dished by unnamed sources. And that's exactly what you have here.
CHETRY: I want to ask you about that timing in a second. But let's get to some of the points that were made in these articles. "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" both quote, John Weaver who worked as a strategist in that 2000 campaign where Weaver apparently claiming that he arranged a meeting with this woman, Ms. Iseman, and asked her to stay away from Senator John McCain.
HARRIS: Look, John Weaver is a friend of mine. The role of every political consultant, I don't care what campaign you're working on is to be concerned about what potentially could happen. I don't know this woman. I personally never met her. If John says that he met with her and communicated that message, I'll take him at his word.
All I can tell you was what I saw with my own eyes. And let's keep in mind that it's not John Weaver who is being sourced in this "New York Times" article talking about all of this rumor and innuendo. These are unnamed sources that the "Times" specifies and says, these people had an ax to grind. The "Times" points that out. And I think that voters need to be very wary of stories with rumor and innuendo from unnamed sources.
CHETRY: So the insinuation about any possible relationship or inappropriate relationship is one thing. And as you said, yes, there are anonymous sources.
There's another issue that seems to be cropping up in this article and the one in "The Washington Post" as well which is that, McCain has campaigned on the reputation of fighting corruption in Washington. Says he doesn't do favors for lobbyists or special interest groups. But both of these papers are reporting that McCain sent letters to the FCC.
In fact, urging a vote on the sale of a TV station to one of Vicki Iseman's client. And the chairman of the FCC at that time, even went as far as to say that the letters were quote "highly unusual." Especially coming from McCain whose committee chair gave him oversight over that agency. So is that a conflict of interest?
HARRIS: No, absolutely not. And you're right. He sent letters urging a vote. But you know why he did that? Because both sides in this debate, on the telecommunications side, the corporate side and on the public television side, both sides came to Senator McCain's staff and said, look, we disagree on how the FCC should vote on this. But it's been two years and they haven't made a decision. This bureaucracy is dragging its feet. Could you please send a letter just asking them to make a decision? That's what Senator McCain did.
If you read the letter, which, by the way, "The New York Times" conveniently left this piece out of their story. The letter goes out of its way to say I'm not advocating one way or the other how you should rule. I'm simply asking that you take a vote and rule on this decision and make a decision. The bureaucracy has to get moving. That's exactly what he did. It was in the interest of the industry. It was in the interest of people on both sides of this debate and it was in the interest of the American people.
CHETRY: "The Washington Post" article also says though that at the time that he sent that first letter, he had flown on this corporate jet four times and also gotten about $20,000 in campaign donations. Could that be seen as a conflict of interest?
HARRIS: Look, you know, I think that the "Times "and "The Post" are judging what happened back in the 2000 campaign based on the prism of today's campaign finance laws. You have to look back at what the laws were in 1999 and 2000. Candidates of both parties were flying all over the country in corporate jets. And of course, giving donations to a political campaign is not illegal.
John McCain followed both the letter and the spirit of the law. He has a 24-year record of public service at the highest levels of honor and integrity. And for "The New York Times" now to come forward with an article like this, based entirely on unnamed anonymous sources trying to smear Senator McCain's record, this character assassination right at the very time that he is securing the nomination is the hype of journalistic irresponsibility.
CHETRY: Let me ask you about that though, very quickly, before you go, because you talk about the timing. They've also endorsed John McCain for president, though.
HARRIS: They did. It's ironic. And in their endorsement, they said John McCain has the character to stand on principle. So that was their language that they used to describe John McCain during the primary. But what do they do as soon as he secures the Republican nomination?
"The New York Times" takes its traditional position at point to tear down the nominee of the Republican Party. It's the role they've played in every presidential election throughout history. And it's the role that clearly, they're going to play again this year. CHETRY: Well, I want to thank you for coming on this morning, Todd. And defending John McCain and you used to work for him. And it is very interesting to get your point of view as well on this situation.
HARRIS: My pleasure.
CHETRY: Because you know this is certainly going to be making news throughout the day.
HARRIS: All day long.
CHETRY: Todd Harris, thank you.
HARRIS: Thank you, Kiran.
CHETRY: John?
ROBERTS: Well, the McCain campaign not the only ones doing damage control, some being done by Michelle Obama as well. The candidates' wife says that she has always loved America. She was criticized earlier in the week after saying that for the first time in her life she was really proud of her country. Here's how she clarified that remark.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: What I was clearly talking about was that I am proud in how Americans are engaging in the political process. I mean everybody has said what I've said, which is we haven't seen these record numbers of turnouts. People who are paying attention, going to rallies, watching the debates. I mean, for the first time in my lifetime, I'm seeing people rolling up their sleeves in a way that I haven't seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Michele Obama also says she wouldn't be involved if she didn't care deeply in the opportunities that this country offers to every child.
Hillary Clinton is banking on wins here in Texas and Ohio on March the 4th to get back in the race. Right now, Obama leads with 1,319 delegates. Clinton has 1,250. Those are total delegates. 2,025 are needed to nominate. But the race could ultimately be decided by so called super delegates who can endorse a candidate regardless of how they're doing in their own state.
Georgia Congressman John Lewis is one of those super delegates. He is facing a challenge to his House sit. Apparently, because he can't decide whether to continue supporting Hillary Clinton or switch to Barack Obama.
Last night on CNN's Election Center, I spoke with another Democratic super delegate, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-lee. I asked her if she has been the target of political arm twisting to switch her allegiance from Hillary Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE, (D) TEXAS: This has to be the most historic time of our lifetime and what I hope it will be an opportunity for people to express themselves but they also respect the opinion and the rights of those who choose to participate in this Democratic process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, we're going to talk with the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party and his wife. Both of them are super delegates. Both are undecided right now. We'll ask them about this whole process and how they think the super delegates should vote.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, don't forget, face off in primetime tonight, debating right here in Austin. It begins at 8:00 Eastern. Here on CNN from the Rec Center at the University Of Texas.
Other stories new this morning. Exclusive new details about the medications that the Northern Illinois campus shooter was and was not taking just weeks before his bloody rampage.
Steven Kazmierczak's girlfriend Jessica Baty tells CNN that a psychiatrist prescribed him Xanax, Ambien, and Prozac. Baty says she was concerned about him combining all of those drugs so she persuaded him to stop taking one of those. And he did. She says that he stopped taking Prozac because the antidepressant made him quote, "feel like a zombie.
Women with expanding waistlines are in an increased risk for a stroke. That's according to new research out of California. The study's author say the number of women who suffered a stroke nearly tripled in recent years. Researcher says that sudden spike coincides with an increase in obesity among middle age women.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to take a closer look at these important findings. That's coming up at the top the hour -- Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, that is if he made it through what he was doing yesterday with just flying with the Blue Angels. How does it feel to pull seven Gs, Dr. Sanjay Gupta went to find out. We showed you part one yesterday, when he was just standing outside of the jet talking about it. Then, he actually suited up and took off. Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you feeling?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Ah...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got a little pressure in your ears. See what you just did? Valsalva. That's a rapid fine from 4,000 to 50,000 feet, which we did so it's natural to have a little pressure in your ears there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And we'll show you exactly how he made out. Here's a hint. We now know what he had for breakfast. No, that cannot be the case. We're going to see Sanjay soar in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
The Texas primaries are coming up in just under two weeks. And there is a big voting block that can't wait. Young voters. They're gathering in droves. They're rallying behind both parties and they're not alone. Our Ed Lavandera joins us with a look at how the kids can make a difference.
Also, a water fight down south. Georgia wants to redraw the map, Tennessee saying no way. Our Rob Marciano standing by with the ruler. We'll explain ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, take a look at your map of the U.S. You may soon have to throw it out because Georgia wants to change its border. State officials passing a resolution that's urging the boundary with Tennessee be, quote, "fixed." They say it was drawn wrong back in the 19th century. Not everyone agrees, though.
Our Rob Marciano breaking up the ruler and checking it out for us.
This breaks down really about a fight over water, right, Rob?
MARCIANO: Absolutely. That's the big deal. That's why lawmakers are saying -- hey, let's go back in history and pretty much try to rewriting it. I mean, there is a case that the Georgia legislators have. The question is does everybody want to agree to move it, which is probably not going to happen.
All right, here's the deal. Back in 1796, Congress said we're going to make the border between Tennessee and Georgia, right along the 35th parallel. So got some surveyors out there and they did some work. Here's Georgia. Here's Tennessee. And this is where the 35th parallel should be. Now, this body of water, this river, that's the Tennessee River coming very close to where that border is.
Zooming in a little bit more, now, what they're saying -- and actually, the surveyor who did this, way back when, said you know what, about five to six years later, he said, I did make a mistake. I'm about 1.1 mile off. So 1.1 mile will bring the Tennessee River into Georgia. And the Tennessee River has a flow that is 15 times greater than what the flow from the river that typically comes into Atlanta, the Chattahoochee.
So, that little mile mistake could very well solve the water problems in through parts of Georgia. So that's why legislators want to rewrite the border. But in order to do that, they got to get agreement with not only Georgia, but Tennessee and then approved from Congress. So unlikely that that's going to happen. Of course, the folks in Tennessee say, hey, you folks in Georgia should have planned a little bit better for you growth.
All right, what's the drought looking like right now? It's still extreme and exceptional in many cases. We'll zoom in to the southeast. That's been the problem area. There has been some improvement across parts of southern and central Georgia in through here. There has been a little bit of improvement. But still, northern Alabama in through, especially to Carolina is just really in it.
And there might be a little bit improvement, but we're still for the year, Kiran, we've received about 5 inches of rain. We should get 8 or 9. This is a recharging time of year and we still haven't seen enough rain to alleviate the drought. And we might not see enough until maybe hurricane season when we get some tropical storms in here and we can't -- that didn't happen last year, so let's just wait and see what happens.
CHETRY: Not at all. We had a relatively mild hurricane season it seem this past year.
MARCIANO: And I don't think the border is going to move. But they're certainly talking about it.
CHETRY: It's funny, when they talk about drawing those borders though. You look at a lot of the Midwest and the plain states are perfectly neat squares. You know -- or something along those lines. And then on the east coast, I feel like they're just drawn. They're very wavy.
MARCIANO: Well, you know, they were drawn a little bit farther back. They were using sections going by the stars. They certainly didn't have GPS. So you can't fault those guys for getting a few mixed up -- Kiran?
CHETRY: The advances we've made since then.
MARCIANO: Exactly.
CHETRY: All right, Rob, thanks.
MARCIANO: OK.
CHETRY: John?
ROBERTS: You want to see some unusual borders, take a look at congressional districts here in Texas. Violence in streets of a town near Brazil's Amazon Forest. We'll tell you why the angry mob is not happy with the government's plans to protect the world's largest rainforest.
And they are not talking about "American Idol" or updating their Facebook pages, the kids in Texas are all about politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was told I was sounding like a broken record. I was creating some nerves. But we can hear (INAUDIBLE) my other broken record.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: How the youth vote could shape the upcoming Texas primaries and beyond. That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Eight minutes now to the top of the hour. Young voter turnout is hitting the roof. And all eyes are on young voters in Texas, many of them showing their support behind both the Republicans and the Democrats.
AMERICAN MORNING's Ed Lavandera is with us here in Austin this morning to take a look at what's behind their motivation.
Good morning, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, John, 44 million young people are expected to vote in this presidential election this year. And those are numbers that no candidate can ignore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Young voters of a certain legal age drown their political sorrows in this Austin, Texas pub. It's a two- year tradition. The grouped called "Drinking Liberally" was organized by 27-year-old, Ben Andrews, to get him and others through the last of the Bush years.
BEN ANDREWS, COLLEGE STUDENT: I was told I was sounding like a broken record. I was creating some nerves. But we can hear (INAUDIBLE), my other broken records.
LAVANDERA: With a laptop surfing blogs and news articles, the conversation isn't about Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, it's all politics.
Across the country, young voters are mobilizing, marching for both Democrats and Republicans. Some campaign events sound and feel like rock concerts. These voters are known as the millennial generation. In the last presidential race, exit polls showed young voters opted for John Kerry by a nine percent margin over George W. Bush. Voter turnout jumped nine percent and Rock the Vote predicts an even bigger jump this year.
HEATHER SMITH, ROCK THE VOTE: It's just a whole new generation -- the millennial generation. We're not the older brothers and sisters of Gen-X. And we're paying way more attention to politics.
MARY DIXON, VOTING ANALYST: It's election season. And it's exciting and it's fun. LAVANDERA: Mary Dixon studies voting trends. She says this generation is also lured in part by YouTube satire and the close race that has a reality TV feel, which candidates will be voted off the island next?
DIXON: They can participate on blogs. They can participate by creating their own YouTube videos. They can participate by e-mailing their friends, texting their friends. So it's a whole different way of looking at the campaign. And I think candidates are playing catch- up to that.
LAVANDERA: On the Republican side, young voters have been important to the Huckabee and Ron Paul campaigns.
NEIL SINHABABU, COLLEGE STUDENT: She's been really, I think, a candidate spouse.
LAVANDERA: Back at the pub, Neil Sinhababu says young voters are motivated to turn out the vote.
SINHABABU: We've just had a lot of really gripping things happen in the world over the last -- in America over the last -- you know, since Bush got elected. The Iraq war, stuff like that. That's another thing that just gets people into oh, my goodness, how can we keep this from happening again.
LAVANDERA: Until Election Day, there won't be a last call here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: You know, and across the aisle, both the Republican and Democrat young voters, you really hear that sense of there's just a lot happening in the world right now. And that they feel engaged because of all the issues surrounding them right now.
ROBERTS: It is great to see the level of engagement with young people here. And you know, a lot them point to those YouTube debates. The fact that they felt like they could actually be a part of the process. Help to get them energized.
LAVANDERA: And there's so many different creative ways like you saw this group getting together over a couple of beers. You know, talking politics. You know, you look around the country and everyone has got a different way of expressing how they want to share their political ideas.
ROBERTS: Certainly. You go down to 6th Street here in Austin, you can hear that all day and night.
LAVANDERA: (INAUDIBLE) to throw back a few dime.
ROBERTS: Ed, thanks very much.
And don't forget, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton face off in primetime debating tonight right here in Austin. It begins at 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN. Now let's get back to New York and here's Kiran.
CHETRY: Thanks, John.
Also new this morning, there could soon be trouble in the skies for British Airways. Ali Velshi just breaking the news a few minutes ago that British Airways pilots have voted to go on strike. The pilots union said that it has not yet set a date for when that strike will take place. But to the main issue, they say, is pay. The union fearing new demands between transatlantic flights will mean lower wages for pilots.
We're also talking this morning about a lot of things eating into your family budget. And analysts say that people are tapping into their 401(k)'s for cash. Saying it's not a good idea because, of course, even though it can provide short-term relief, in the long term, you are hurting yourself.
And so, we're asking today, are you tapping into your 401(k) to pay for monthly bills? Right now, 52 percent of you say yes, 48 percent say no. Cast your vote at cnn.com/am. We're going to tally them throughout the morning.
And we also have Gerri Willis who is coming up in about an hour or two. And she's going to give you some advice and some tips. If you are doing this, what you really should know about tapping into your 401(k).
Well, even her husband admits, it's do or die. The Clinton campaign's message now for winning Texas and Iowa. A senior campaign adviser is going to be joining us in the next half hour.
There's also some new research of why you might need to worry about a stroke even if you're only in your 40s or 50s. Sanjay is paying a house call at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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