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Ralph Nader Runs Again; Cuba has a New Leader; Student Gunned Down Because of His Sexual Orientation; Financial Security under Assault
Aired February 24, 2008 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Deja vu. It's not a scene Democrats want to remember.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RALPH NADER: I have decided to run for president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Ralph Nader runs again. Which campaign is feeling the pressure?
Plus, a new leader emerges or is that really so. How much rule will Raul Castro have with his older brother nearby?
A 15-year-old student gun down apparently because of his sexual orientation. The kid who allegedly pulled the trigger even younger. What went wrong?
Plus, she says she's afraid of heights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I don't have any choice. Just stay and burn up or just jump off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: How little kids help their entire family escape a burning building.
And what is that? A plane sliding down an expressway. Watch out. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And good evening, everyone, I'm Tony Harris here. We go again. He is well known. He has lots of Washington experience and he says he is the best choice for Americans unhappy with both political parties. Ralph Nader, consumer advocate and political god flies as he is joining the race for the White House. Our Jim Acosta has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There he goes again.
RALPH NADIR: The Senate is the mother of the Senate and in that context, I have decided to run for president.
ACOSTA: Four times of losing candidate for the White House, consumer advocate Ralph Nader is bouncing another long shot dead for the presidency on issues he says the two major parities won't touch.
NADIR: All the candidate, McCain, Obama, and Clinton are against single payer health insurance. Full Medicare for all. I'm for it.
ACOSTA: That was Nader's message back in 2000 when the then Green Party candidate earned just enough votes to essentially deny Al Gore's the estate of Florida and the White House.
In 2004, some on the left begged Nader not to run. He did anyway. But in the end, he wasn't a factor in John Kerry's lost. Still, Republicans see Nader as a potential spoiler.
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it always would probably pull votes away from the Democrats, not the Republicans. So naturally Republicans would welcome his entry into the race and hope that maybe a few more will join in.
ACOSTA: Barack says it's up to his party to make sure that doesn't happen.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the job of the Democratic Party is to be so compelling for a few percentage of the vote going to another candidate is not going to any difference.
ACOSTA: Neither first gain public attention with his campaign for car safety more than forty years ago. He now faces a hard question. Who's buying what he's selling?
RACHEL SKLAR, HUFFINGTONSPOST.COM: I'm wondering who wants him to run. Where is the demand? Who has been clamoring for Ralph Nader? This is what I genuinely don't understand.
ACOSTA (on camera): While he is a headache for Democrats, Ralph Nader is not a proven vote getter. Four years ago, he managed to pick up just a meager .3 percent of the ballots cast. Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So, like Ralph Nader, Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is facing very long odds to reach the White House, but he is still very much in the race, refusing to step aside. And he even poked some fun at himself when he showed up on "Saturday Night Live".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even if he won every remaining un-pledge delegate, you would still fall 200 delegates short.
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Wow. Sep, that was an excellent explanation. But I'm afraid that you over looked the all important super delegates. Don't forget about them.
Well, I won't forget about them, but the super delegates are only in the Democratic primary.
HUCKABEE: They can't vote in the Republican primary?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They cannot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, coming this hour, our bloggers will join us from the left, right, and the political center. They will chew on the latest news involving Democratic hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain.
One teenager is dead. His classmate is locked up on murder charges. Of course, there is much more to the story out of Oxnard, California. And it has triggered a debate over what motivated a school boy to kill. CNN's Vince Gonzales reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VINCE GONZALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Students marched in Oxnard, California, in memory of Lawrence Larry King. A 15-year-old student police say was gunned down by a classmate because he was openly gay. King's murder shocked the Southern California community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's inconceivable that anybody could be that angry at a kid that was that nice.
GONZALES: He's remembered as friendly and outgoing but fellow student say he became the subject of taunts and bullying in school after speaking out about his sexual orientation and reportedly wearing makeup, lipstick, and jewelry to school.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was a very small part of Larry and just one facet of his life.
GONZALES: But the situation apparently escalated and on February 12th, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney allegedly shot King in the head in the school's computer lab.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was Larry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was.
GONZALES: McInerney was arrested a few blocks away from campus a short time later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's over. It's over.
GONZALES: King was pronounced brain dead at a local hospital. His body was kept alive so his organs could be donated.
MAEVE FOX, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Mr. McInerney is facing one charge of murder. There's an allegation that he was 14 years old at the time, which allows us to direct file on him as an adult. There's a special allegation of the personal use of a firearm under 12 on 22.53 and there's a special allegation that it was a hate crime.
GONZALES: Defense attorneys say McInerney is too young to be tried as an adult. He just turned 14 recently.
RYAN VOGEL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: My client hasn't become an adult in the last three weeks. So we feel that it would be more appropriately addressed in the juvenile court.
GONZALES: At the school where McInerney allegedly shot King, some parent says it's time to teach more tolerance in California classrooms.
LUCY RODRIGUEZ, PARENT: It's sad but it's not just in this district, it's every district. Something really has to be implemented.
GONZALES: Whatever changes are implemented, it will come too late for King and his alleged murderer who is expected back in court to enter a plea in late March.
For CNN, Vince Gonzales in Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A Long Island police today made a gruesome and sickening discovery. They were responding to a 911 call in a New Castle apartment. Inside, three young children, all dead. We don't know much more about how they died or if they were related.
And East St. Louis Illinois family is alive and grateful today after some quick thinking in a fiery emergency. Alex Fees from our affiliate KSDK has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERNICE DORRIS, FIRE VICTIM: All fire, black smoke coming out.
ALEX FEES, KSDK REPORTER (voice-over): 8-year-old, Bernice Dorris was asleep inside her family's home early Saturday along with her siblings, 3-year-old Bernard, 4-year-old Beyancia, 7-year-old Bernicia, 9-year-old Deveontae, their big sister, 12-year-old Derrionna, and their parents.
FEES: Who was upstairs?
DERRIONNA ADAMS, FIRE RESCUER: Me, Deveontae, and Bernice.
FEES: Bernice smelled smoke and awakened Derrionna.
ADAMS: There was a fire on the step and black smoke was coming upstairs. So what we could have (INAUDIBLE) kicked the window and busted it and we got out the window.
FEES: So Derrionna, Bernice, and Deveontae found themselves on the roof of a burning house in the middle of the night.
DORRIS: I was scared because I was afraid of heights.
FEES: So what made you jump?
DORRIS: I didn't have any choice. Just stay and burn up or just jumped off.
FEES: What was your big sister telling you?
DORRIS: She told me to jump off. Don't be scared. Everything's going to be all right and stuff. So I jump.
DORRIS: So who jumped first?
ADAMS: My little sister.
FEES: Yes.
ADAMS: And then my brother and then I jumped.
FEES: Deveontae fractured his ankle in the fall. He remains hospitalized with burns to his arms.
ADAMS: My little brother tried to go and looking for my little sister. Therefore, when he went in -- that's how he got burned and then we jumped off the roof.
FEES: What happened when you hit the ground?
DORRIS: Nothing. I hit my toe but I was OK.
FEES (on camera): The Dorris' rent this home and while the American Red Cross is providing them with a place to stay in the short term, Velma Dorris says they do not have renter's insurance. And wait until you hear how Derrionna responded when I asked her just how she knew what to do.
(voice-over): How did you know what to do?
ADAMS: Because that's how mama raised us.
FEES: Really?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Wow. All right. The hero of the family. 12-year-old, Derrionna, is a 6th grader. All five of her brothers and sisters are fine today. Thanks to her. Again, that was Alex Fees from our affiliate KSDK reporting.
West Texas is dry. It is windy and lots of it is on fire tonight. Huge grass fires have already gobbled up more than 5000 acres West of Fort Worth. The Texas Forest Service and local firefighters are working on the ground and from the air to try to keep the blazes from spreading. Nobody is reported hurt yet and only a few buildings have been damaged. But West Texas could use some rain badly.
Jacqui Jeras -- yes, Jacqui is in the severe weather center for us tonight. Maybe to let us know whether or not there's any rain in the forecast for West Texas.
Good evening, Jacqui.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: 40 years after driving Dr. King, one man is now revealing another side of the civil rights leader. Actually, many sides.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The human side. The fun side to Dr. King. Also, about this young white boy that found his own dream.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A view of history from behind the wheel.
But, next, we head to Havana, Cuba has a new leader for the first time in nearly 50 years. What does it mean for them? What does it mean for us?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So Cuba has a new leader tonight. The communist nation's parliament has named Raul Castro as president. The move comes as no surprise. The younger Castro has been running the island nation since his brother, Fidel, became too ill for the job. But today's change made the in name only. Here's CNN's Havana Bureau Chief, Morgan Neill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MORGAN NEILL, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Was it once an unprecedented and widely expected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raul Castro rules.
NEILL: With little fan fair, Cuba's National Assembly ended nearly 50 years of rule by Fidel Castro, named his 76-year-old brother Raul Castro, the country's president. This side, an empty chair where Fidel Castro once sat. But Cuba's new president made it clear his brother's role in government had not ended.
PRES. RAUL CASTRO, CUBA (through translator): I ask out of this assembly, the supreme organ of national authority that on decision, especially concerning the events of the nation's future, above all in defense, foreign politics, and the social economic development of this country. It allows me to continue consulting with the leader of the revolution, our brother Fidel Castro Ruiz.
NEILL: The new number two, 77-year-old, Jose Ramon Machado. Among the five vice presidents of the Council of State, just one new face in General Cuba's Armed Forces. The message was clear. There would be no big break with the past.
HAL KLEPAK, ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA: It's the signal I think is one of continuity and even conservatism but it's also one of Raul's taking overplay completely the reigns of government.
NEILL: Cubans were generally unsurprised by the announcement. Giselle (ph) who works as a cook said who better than him to continue in his brother's path. Gilberto (ph) out with his wife said there are problems that Raul is going to have to solve, but within he's possibilities, he's going to try and solve them.
As 614 deputies showed their unanimous support, President Raul said only the communist party could direct the state. But he also gave hope to those Cubans looking for relief from the country's often suffocating web of regulations and red tape.
(on camera): For anyone expecting to see signs of a new direction in this government, it was a reality check. The team of close allies, many from the Armed Forces, Raul Castro's message was clear. In this revolution don't expect big changes. Morgan Neill, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Peter Kornbluh oversees the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive, a nonprofit public interest research center. He joins us tonight from Washington.
Peter, good to see you. Let's get right to it. Is this leadership change in name only?
PETER KORNBLUH: Well, it's not even a different name because it's still a Castro.
HARRIS: It's still a Castro. Yes.
KORNBLUH: And it may not be a major change but it's certainly is going to be change because Raul Castro is not his brother. He is a very different person. He is stepping out of his brother's shadow.
He's not a speechmaker and one big difference for the Cuban people is they're not going to be subjected to three, four, and five-hour long speeches. He's focused on problem solving, administration, and management of the economy. And in his speech today, he reaffirmed that those are the areas that he is addressing immediately and understands the need for change in those areas.
HARRIS: Wow. Will this change have any impact on you U.S. relations with Cuba.
KORNBLUH: When Raul Castro first took over 19 months ago, when his brother got sick, he went out of his way to say to United States publicly and through that channel message to the Bush administration, we are interested in dialogue with the United States. And the Bush administration admits that they dismissed him and in a rather insulting fashion I might add. It's kind of Fidel like. And the Cubans have concluded that they simply have to wait for the next president of the United States, who will become president at the same time as Cuba's celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution.
And I think the next president is going to face some real reality in the failure of U.S. policy over 50 years.
HARRIS: All right we'll talk about it in just a second here. I'm wondering, under Raul Castro, will the government -- will his government face higher expectation from Cubans demanding more of everything. Food, more access maybe to the internet, travel? What do you think?
KORNBLUH: Well, certainly he's raised expectations about changes in the kind of economic factors of their daily lives. Transportation, housing, incredibly low wages and the lack of substantive jobs. And he's actually inviting public criticism -- you know, a debate over these issues as a prelude to making some changes. And he has a track record of making these changes and I think that now that he's raised expectations, he's certainly going to have to meet them.
HARRIS: Does he have real autonomy here?
KORNBLUH: Raul Castro certainly has autonomy. He is now the maximum leader. He says he's going to consult with Fidel and that means that Fidel still will obviously be exercising a strong opinion.
HARRIS: OK.
KORNBLUH: I think it's clear that Raul and his disciples are going to move forward particularly on the economy.
HARRIS: Yes. One last question, any chance of -- let's say, high level talks between the Raul Castro administration and the Bush administration before the end of the Bush. You're shaking you head -- the Bush presidency?
KORNBLUH: No.
HARRIS: No.
KORNBLUH: I have to say that the State Department released a statement today that was rather cautious. It called on solidarity with the Cuban people and struggle for democracy. But it wasn't bellicose as the President Bush's speech was last fall on Cuba when he basically exhorted the Cuban people to rise up and throw off the shackles of the Castro regime.
But I think we're going to have to wait until the next president of the United States is inaugurated and then there will be an issue of whether there can be a dialogue, whether two countries can find common ground after 50 years by decades of perpetual antagonism.
HARRIS: Peter Kornbluh, great to see you. Thanks for your time this evening. And still to come tonight in the CNN NEWSROOM. He experienced history from behind the wheel of a car. The story of a young white man who drove for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Two Civil Rights icons are being mourned this weekend. In Alabama, Johnnie Carr is being remembered for her courage and her role along with Rosa Parks in the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. Carr died at the age of 97.
And the Reverend James Orange was remembered Saturday in services at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Orange worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His arrest in 1965 is considered one of the catalysts for the historic Selma-to-Montgomery March in Alabama. James Orange died a week ago in Atlanta. He was 65.
Another member of the civil rights movement had a front row seat to history but you have probably never heard his unlikely story. A young white man, a high school dropout, Massachusetts born and bread, does sounds like someone who would work as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s driver? The answer is yes. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield sat down with Tom Houck.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are foot soldiers with footprints in American history, indelible indeed. You know most of their names and faces. The men who marched in the civil rights movement alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jesse Jackson, Ralph Abernathy, Hosea Williams. There were others, mostly in the shadows, sometimes literally in the driver's seat.
TOM HOUCK, DR. KING'S DRIVER: I'm Tom Houck. I was Martin Luther King Jr.'s driver.
WHITFIELD: You probably do not recognize him, but part of his story will sound familiar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to drive you to the store.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Do you kind of think it's funny, there are funny, little parallels between your role with the King Family and "Driving Miss Daisy," the movie?
HOUCK: Well, I'm not Houck of that Houck. I'm Tom Houck.
WHITFIELD: Tom Houck was just 18 at the time. 40 years later... HOUCK: It still gives me goose bumps. So with damn, every day, I still think about it and the fact that I was able to be that close to a man that has changed the world.
WHITFIELD: And changed this Massachusetts native. At an early age, he was both the witness and a participant in the civil rights movement. Tagging along with a brother to pick at Woolworth in support of those in the south doing the same thing.
HOUCK: That was my first demonstration at age 12.
WHITFIELD: And did it feel right?
HOUCK: I liked carrying that sign.
WHITFIELD: That same year, his mother died. Houck moved south with an aunt. He left high school lured by everything Dr. King's dream promised. In Atlanta, he joined the Southern Christian Leader Conference, the SCLC, which Dr. King founded.
HOUCK: I was a foot soldier and I saw myself as a person that was a hell of a good organizer.
WHITFIELD: So clearly something happened, you know. When you became involved -- you know, your routes are deeply into this movement now and somehow you have caught the attention of Dr. King.
HOUCK: Well, he asked if there was a person on the staff that could help with the writing, helping answer mail. I raised my hand and I said -- Dr. King looked at me. And said, Tom, I hear you haven't even finished high school. How can you possibly answer mail? I said (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Then, one day...
HOUCK: And he asked me if I would like to have lunch with the family. This was a Sunday lunch after church. I said to myself -- I mean, I was in awe. Then the kids wanted me to play with them. Go try to play football with them. Dr. King had to go off somewhere. And by the time he came back from where he went, Coretta had asked me if I had my driver's license and said would you mind taking the kids to the school tomorrow morning.
WHITFIELD: This is also the start of a great relationship with the kids. What did they call you?
HOUCK: Well, Marty and Dexter called me Uncle Tom. And as Mrs. King drives she said don't call him Uncle Tom.
WHITFIELD: Did they giggle about it? Did they kind of know that (INAUDIBLE) there.
The relationship in this new extended family would endure.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: So how did this young white boy growing up in the south find his dream through Dr. King? Tom explains. And he even tells us how he reacted when he was called the "N" word.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Driving Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Just before the break, you heard the first part of Tom Houck's story. How a young man from Massachusetts became Dr. King's personal driver. What you didn't hear is how the public reacted. And it wasn't always pretty. Here again is CNN's Frederick Whitfield.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOUCK: I'm hoping that this new computer will translate and I'd be able to get up. I won't lose anything in the process.
WHITFIELD: Tom Houck, gregarious, politically savvy, and proud of his roots in the '60s is now writing his memoir.
HOUCK: Marty and Dexter asked me to go out into the front yard and go to football catching a pass. I fell gracelessly to the ground. The boys' laughter was loud but I was now their play friend.
WHITFIELD: What are you hoping yours will reveal that others haven't?
HOUCK: The human side, the fun side to Dr. King. And also, about this young, white boy that found his own dream through Dr. King.
WHITFIELD: And Dr. King's love of music and conversation.
HOUCK: They enjoyed music. I mean, Dr. King used to like groups like the OJays, Gladys Knight abd the Pips, you know what I mean?
WHITFIELD: Which you would play in the car?
HOUCK: We played in the car. We listen to WOAK radio in Atlanta and this is before FM took off.
WHITFIELD: It's a tribute to a pivotal man, his movement, his family, his powerful reach and impact.
HOUCK: I was amazed at the easy-going manner of Dr. King and his family.
WHITFIELD: This has to be a huge challenge -- this catalog of memories. To condense it now in the form of a book. Why now after all this time, you decide to put it in a book form?
HOUCK: Well, for so many years, people would come to me and ask me. All of the people within the movement thought it was a great idea. Everybody said to me, you know, this is really phenomenal. So we came up with the title, "Driving Dr. King, Chasing the Dreams."
WHITFIELD: It's clear Dr. King is in the fabric of Houck's daily life. Four decades after being the personal driver of Dr. King and his family. Houck's home address? On Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
HOUCK: You know, I can't tell you, when I decided to write this book how happy I was to find a loft over here.
WHITFIELD: As we look at the traffic that goes by, you know, we're listening to it, I can't help but wonder what it was like for you when you were behind the wheel of the car driving Dr. King. What kind of looks did you get from folks?
HOUCK: I did get strange look. Here I'd be driving four black kids, two black kids, or their friends and, of course, you would get looks in Atlanta in those days. I think I was strong enough to handle it.
WHITFIELD: People called you the "n" word, but a hybrid of it.
HOUCK: Oh, yes. Right. White nigger.
WHITFIELD: While writing about the past, Houck says he is excited about witnessing a new milestone in American culture and politics.
HOUCK: It's going to be historic, one way or the other, for the Democrats this year. A woman or a black man.
WHITFIELD: Do you think for a moment, gosh, I wish Dr. King got a chance to see this?
HOUCK: Yes, I do, and Mrs. King. I think both of them would be very proud.
WHITFIELD: Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Tom Houck, what a story.
Ralph Nader's in the race again. What that means for the presidential election. We will ask our political bloggers. Left faces off with right. And tonight, we add the middle. Let's get ready to rumble.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Time to check out the buzz on the blogs. On the right, Michael Goldfarb from "Daily Standard" blog. Michael, good to see you.
Jeff Chang, on the left from "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" blog. Jeff, good to see you.
And in the middle, Jill Zimon, from "The Moderate Voice" blog. Jill, good to see you.
All right, it's a new twist we've added to make things a little more interesting, especially with the Ralph Nader news out today.
So, Jill, let's start with you. What do you think? Ralph Nader in the race again. Whoopee or oh, no? JILL ZIMON, "THE MODERATE VOICE" BLOG: Probably a little bit closer to the "oh, no." You know, the independents and the unaffiliated voters that have been drawn out are individuals who are coming out a lot in part because of Obama.
And the independents, the unaffiliated that might normally want to go to Nader, you know, they're not lacking as much as they might usually be when Nader was a little bit more popular. If we look back at 2000, he still got under 3 percent of the vote. In 2004, he had something like .35 percent of the vote. So, I don't really think that this is really going to impact too many people, at least, you know, the current people running now.
HARRIS: Well, Michael, do you agree with that?
MICHAEL GOLDFARB, "DAILY STANDARD" BLOG: I don't know. I mean, this is what Barack Obama might call "The Audacity of Hope", right? He's going to go out there and he is going to try and drum up some support. But what you might have is you might have three candidates who are anti-war. You might have Ron Paul, you're going to have Nader, and you're going to have Obama. And I think that's good for the GOP.
ZIMON: And you know, being in Cleveland, where we've got Dennis Kucinich, we've got a lot of audacity up here. So, you know, when I think about what Kucinich was like when he ran and how the people here were treating that presidential run, both the last two times that he's run, you know, I'm not feeling all that hopeful for Ralph Nader.
HARRIS: Hey, Jeff, don't let these two have the stage here. Jeff, better miss it up. Come on.
JEFF CHANG, "CAN'T STOP, WON'T STOP" BLOG: I was just going to say, I think he's got a problem, you know. This is a year, he's a protest candidate. Nader's a protest candidate and this is a year, in which a lot of the protest energy has shifted into, for better or worst, the Democratic Party.
So, you know, I don't necessarily see where his candidacy can go. He's the same on the war, as Mike has already noted, and he's trying to be a pro on healthcare, but you know, this stuff is not necessarily going to motivate people to come out of the woodwork. They've already come out for Obama.
ZIMON: Also, when he points to how much dissatisfaction there is with the different political parties. You know, what we're really seeing is a lot of dissatisfaction with Congress and with our current administration. So, to say that people are specifically dissatisfied with the parties and are looking for a third-party candidate isn't going to fly as much this year as perhaps it has in the past presidential election.
HARRIS: Hey, let me jump in very quickly here because I don't want to lose our time here before we talk about John McCain. And what do you think, Michael, about how he faired this is week, standing up to "The New York Times" the way that he did. Did he come out of it OK, at least so far?
GOLDFARB: I think he's come out of it better than OK. I mean, the backlash has been against "The Times." And so, you know, it's really "The Times." It wasn't even really able to conjure the appearance of impropriety, let alone evidence of impropriety.
And unless the other shoe drops, this has worked out great for McCain. He's used it for fundraising. And frankly, I mean, he's an old guy. I think the notion that he's sort of out there with young ladies, flirting with them, I think it's awful.
HARRIS: Oh, no. We can't go there.
ZIMON: I'll take issue with that, Michael. I mean, I think that the underlying issue about whether or not McCain is hypocritical in his behavior is really what's at issue. I agree with Michael completely about how "The New York Times" went about bringing up the story and the information behind it. But I also think that people are not happy to have issues raised about whether or not the candidate is being hypocritical in terms of what they are putting out there and how they behave there.
(CROSSTALK)
GOLDFARB: This is an example where Barack Obama has been in Washington for only two years. So obviously, he's not got much done and he hasn't been there for very long. But frankly, this is how business gets done in Washington and McCain's has done a lot of business.
HARRIS: Jeff, you've got a point here.
CHANG: That's the point here. I think that what you have to look at is the case that they've been talking about here. We're talking about McCain intervening on behalf of a company that wanted to take public broadcasting station private. To privatize the public airways.
So it comes down to an issue of whether or not he supports corporate interest or the public interest. And I think it's going to play out very much so over the next five months here.
HARRIS: Michael, you want the last word on this one?
GOLDFARB: Yes. I'm bored already. I mean, that's so boring and we're eight months from the election. I just can't imagine that (INAUDIBLE).
HARRIS: Well, OK. Well, I hope you're not bored with this next one. How about this dream ticket on the Democratic side here -- Obama-Clinton, Clinton-Obama. Oh, Jeff, what do you think? You want to go first, Jill?
ZIMON: You know, I don't see it happening. But I think Tuesday night here in Cleveland, when we get to see the debate, we're going to see just whether or not that's even feasible. You know, Hillary Clinton is going to have to come out very hard but it's hard for her to come out hard because then she looks like a bully and she's fighting and she's desperate. That's how she's going to get painted.
Whereas Obama is very comfortable right now in terms of his lead, how many states he's won. And here in Cleveland, you know, we've got some really interesting demographics. We've got Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, who's a congresswoman and a district support, where she supports Hillary Clinton and her district. You know, people are predicting that her district is going to go anywhere from 4-1 or 3-1 for Barack Obama. And so, she's got some real issues to deal with.
HARRIS: But boy, isn't that an unbeatable, some would say at least, an unbeatable ticket. Given all of the energy that the turnout for the Democratic slate?
ZIMON: I think an unbelievable ticket might be a little bit more accurate. You know, I think people are just can't believe that these two would be able to do it together. Frankly, I'm not sure either. And you know, it would be interesting to find out how those voters, particularly independents and unaffiliated, will come out specifically because they were roused by Barack Obama, would stick with an Obama- Clinton ticket.
HARRIS: Yes. All right, Jeff, jump on in here. What do you think? Do we have a dream ticket here on the Democratic side?
CHANG: I mean my dream ticket would be checked if (INAUDIBLE). But you know, the thing here that we have to look at is that Senator Obama is moving towards victory on this side. I can't see Senator Clinton saying, yes, you know, when she were to be asked. She's got a very, very good job to go back to.
HARRIS: Yes. OK. All right, Michael, last word on this.
GOLDFARB: Yes. I know, I mean, it's not going to happen and because if you're the change candidate, why do you want to bring Hillary Clinton in your ticket? She's an albatross around his neck. She's good for Republican fundraising. It would just be a disaster. I can't imagine under any scenario that he would.
HARRIS: There you go. The bloggers tonight. Michael Goldfarb, Jeff Chang, Jill Zimon, thanks to the three of you. That was fun. That was fun. Let's do it again, why don't we?
ZIMON: All right. Thank you.
HARRIS: Good weekend to all of you.
ZIMON: OK.
HARRIS: So, imagine driving down the highway and seeing this coming your way. What happened here? We'll tell you. But first, the housing crisis, the credit crunch, and how to safeguard your money. Personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, gives you some points.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, every day here on CNN, you hear about more and more problems facing the economy. CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us now from New York.
Gerri, good to see you. You know, a lot of people are really worried these days that they are going to run into some serious financial problems, trouble with all of these economic issues out there right now.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony. And it's not just that they're worried about it, they actually are running into these problems. It is a scary time for consumers and there are a number of threats out there to your financial security.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIS (voice-over): The credit crunch, the mortgage melt down, up and down investments, uncertainty in the job market, your financial security is under assault. The average American household with a credit card of nearly $10,000 in 2007, according to cardweb.com, would serve the credit card industry. Adam Levin of consumer information website credit.com.
ADAM LEVIN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CREDIT.COM: It's a disastrous threat. And it's a threat based on the fact that the more debt that you get yourself involved in, the less income you're going to have available to pay for other things.
WILLIS: The nation's housing crisis doesn't help with debt problems. Even if you make your mortgage payments, the more than 400,000 foreclosures last year affect the value of your home. A Center for Responsible Lending report says nearly 41 million homes will lose value because of foreclosures in their neighborhoods.
If the loss in home value wasn't enough to pinch your pocket book, the loss of value in your investments certainly could. The stock market started this year with one of the worst Januarys on record. Those declines lead to fears of are recession and with recession comes the possibility of job losses.
JACK OTTER, DEPUTY EDITOR, "BEST LIFE MAGAZINE": Job loss is about as serious a threat to your financial security as there is. It's not terrible right now. The problem is the trend is going in the wrong direction. Jobless claims are creeping higher.
WILLIS: In the last U.S. recession in 2001, nearly 2 million people lost their jobs in mass lay-offs. Mixed all of these factors together, it signals a threat to your bottom line, a threat to your money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well, OK. Gerri, so next week, you're going to be taking a look at all of these financial security threats in a one-hour special every day at noon.
WILLIS: That's right.
HARRIS: Love the idea. Love that you're doing it. But here's the question. How are you going to actually tackle these issues?
WILLIS: Well, Tony, we're bringing in some of the smartest folks in the country to give you ideas about how to solve these problems. We're not just going to talk about the problems, we're going to provide you solutions to issues with your home, your investments, your debt, and, of course your 401k. We're talking about all these issues. The pillars, really, of your financial foundation.
HARRIS: Again, this is terrific. What is it that you want people to get out of watching the specials next week?
WILLIS: Two words. Practical advice. We're going to have solutions, strategies, and tips. Things that you can put into place in your own lives. So these things, these problems, these issues, you still are safe at the end of the day and you can take care of you and your family. That's what we're aiming for, Tony.
HARRIS: Love it. Love it. Love it. I'm just happy that you're doing it. Gerri, good to see you. Thank you.
WILLIS: Thank you.
HARRIS: And once again, you can watch Gerri's "Financial Security Watch Special" every day, next week at noon Eastern. She will take your calls and give you ways to protect your financial security.
Gerri, great to see you. Thanks.
WILLIS: Thank you, Tony.
HARRIS: She was written off but now this young girl is speaking up for people who have autism. The amazing part, she was not supposed to be able to speak at all.
But next, why was this plane driving down the highway? We'll fill you in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Here's something you don't want to see in your rearview mirror. The pilot of the single-engine plane had some engine problems today near Indianapolis. So, he made an emergency landing on Interstate 70. Touch down. Well, wow. He got out, made a few repairs, and, as you can see, decided he should get his plane off the highway so police cleared the road and off he went.
Let's keep our eyes on the skies now. Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center with a look at the flight tracker.
Jacqui?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: A young woman muted by autism until a keyboard provided her a voice. Her story is next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We have some new information just in to CNN this hour about a horrible story we've been reporting out of New York, the discovery of three young children, all dead, found in their New York home.
We've just learned from the Associated Press that their mother, a single mom, is in police custody on Long Island. The three young victims were all under seven years old; the youngest, just 18 months. The Associated Press reports the mother faces murder charges. We will keep you posted on this story.
An amazing voice and it translates what's inside the mind of an autism patient. You've got to hear this. Avis Favaro from Canada's CTV has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AVIS FAVARO, CANADA CTV REPORTER (voice-over): This is Carly, a 13- year-old who is becoming a remarkable window into the world of autism. Since she was a child, it was clear that she had autism and that she couldn't speak.
ARTHUR FLEISHMANN, FATHER: Lay people would assume that she was, I guess it's politically incorrect here that she's mentally retarded. Professionals whom we saw had identified her as moderately to severely cognitively impaired.
FAVARO: Her parents hired therapists who work with her with intensive training programs. Two years ago, she started very slowly typing on her own, spelling words and the computer became her voice.
BARBARA NASH-FENTON, SPEECH PATHOLOGIST: All of these words, they'd just pour out of her. It's almost -- it was just sort of an exciting moment, because we didn't realize that she had all these words.
FAVARO: Then Carly began opening up, describing what it was like to have autism, why she makes odd noises, why she hits herself.
CARLY, AUTISM PATIENT: It feels like my legs are on fire and over a million things are crawling up my arms.
FLEISHMANN: And we were stunned. I mean, we realized inside was this intelligent, articulate, emotive person that we had never met.
FAVARO: And this is what Carly wants people to know about autism.
CARLY: It's hard to be autistic because no one understands me. People just look at me and as they do then I end up because I can't talk or act differently than them.
FAVARO: We asked Dr. Wendy Roberts to look at a video of Carly and to read some of her writing.
DR. WENDY ROBERTS, AUTISM SPECIALIST: I think the initial reaction is just that it's incredibly remarkable.
FAVARO: It could be that Carly is a rare case or that her new skills are the result of her intensive training.
ROBERTS: What she does is quite uncommon and that then begs the question, are we giving children enough intensive intervention in order to see? Are we missing probably a fairly small percentage of kids that would have this ability?
FAVARO: Carly has given her therapist advice for those who work with autistic kids.
ROBERTS: And the first thing she wrote was -- I would tell them never to give up on the children that they work with.
FAVARO: And this is Carly's message for those who look down on children with autism.
CARLY: If I could tell people one thing about autism, it would be that I don't want to be this way but I am. So don't be mad. Be understanding.
FAVARO: Urging the world not to see her as a child with autism but a normal girl trapped behind the odd behaviors of a mysterious disorder.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: That was Avis Favaro of Canada CTV. And I will take any moment I can to remind you that you can page our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta with your health questions. Just log on to cnn.com/health.
I'm Tony Harris. LARRY KING LIVE is next.
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