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White House Race Heats Up; Passenger Dies on American Airlines Flight; Stony Brook University on Lock Down; Amber Alert in Arizona

Aired February 25, 2008 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we do have some more information on that Amber Alert out of Arizona, where two children are missing. In fact, we have some descriptions of those children.
And you're going to be looking at some video of Interstate 10. That's where they were last seen in a Dodge Ram pickup truck. So, let me tell you what we know so far. The suspect in this case is Jesus Gallardo, and he's accused of kidnapping not only those two children but their mother, by the name of Bobbie Gonzales, and her brother, Enrique Gonzales.

The children, Jesus Gallardo, he -- actually, no, that's not correct. Children, Monica Gonzales, she is 6-years-old. She has brown hair, brown eyes, last seen wearing a two-piece baby blue pajama set and green-and-yellow sandals. The little boy, he is 5-years-old. His name is Jose Gonzales. And he was last seen wearing a t-shirt, a red one, and brown shorts. He also has black hair and brown eyes.

So, again, we're looking at four people total here being kidnapped, according to police reports, and an Amber Alert has been issued, especially for those two young children in the vehicle. The suspect, again, Jesus Gallardo, he's 32-years-old, 5'7'', weighs 140 pounds, has black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a brown checkered shirt, blue jeans, black baseball cap with gray stripes.

And another key bit of information that is important, according to police, the suspect is armed with a black handgun and two magazines and has already made threats to use deadly force against law enforcement. So, extreme caution is being advised. And as we said a little bit earlier, they do believe the children are likely in danger. So, this taking place in Arizona. As soon as we get more information, we will bring that to you.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Also want to bring you this story coming in to us, a report of a lockdown at Stony Brook University in New York.

This is in Eastern Long Island, New York, where that campus now we understand is in lockdown, because of reports of a possible gun on campus, reports of a man with a handgun scene on campus.

What police are saying is that the alert went out on the university Web site. So, students are now being informed, being told about this and to keep a lookout for a black male approximately 25 years old who is wearing a black coat and a black wool hat. Apparently he was at the student activity center cafeteria and displayed what was reported as a handgun. Now, no shots have been fired. No word of anybody being injured, certainly nobody being shot at this point. But the alert going out on campus. We have seen several of these unfortunately around the country and now certainly schools have put measures in place to alert the student body to let them know to take caution and oftentimes to stay in place.

But they are -- to explain to students to remain alert, proceed with caution and notify university police if you see anybody fitting this description or anything unusual. So, again, this is Stony Brook University. Population of that school, about 23,000 students at that school, but it's in Eastern Long Island and now reports of a gun on campus, students being put on alert.

We will keep an eye on this story. Hopefully, this is something that will resolve itself safely and peacefully, but we continue to get information on it, bring it to you as we get it.

NGUYEN: In the meantime, struggling to breathe and begging for help, a woman dies on a flight while her family members watch. And now they are speaking out, and so is the airline.

Here's CNN's Deborah Feyerick in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two very different stories, one from American Airlines, the other from the family of the deceased.

Here's what happened. About an hour into American Airlines Flight 896 from Port-au-Prince to New York, Carine Desir started having breathing problems. Her cousin Antonio Oliver tells a news reporter he begged a flight attendant for oxygen, but says he was refused twice.

ANTONIO OLIVER, CARINE DESIR'S COUSIN: She said, my darling, please don't let me die. Get me oxygen, please, baby, I love you, baby, I love you. Don't let me die. I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe. Please, please.

And I start yelling on the plane, "Somebody help me."

FEYERICK: American Airlines says within minutes of determining the woman was having problems breathing, the captain made an announcement asking for medical help. Seven people responded, including three doctors and a nurse. They administered the oxygen and performed CPR for 45 minutes as the captain prepared to land in Miami.

A spokesman for American says the automatic defibrillator did not sound, indicating a shock to the heart was needed. They are now investigating that. When the doctors declared the woman dead, the captains scrapped plans to land in Miami and continued on to New York, where the woman is from.

In a statement, American Airlines says, "Oxygen was administered and the automatic external defibrillator was applied," the airline saying, "We stand behind the actions and training of our crew and the functionality of the on-board medical equipment."

The woman's cousin told one of the doctors she suffered from diabetes. Reports also suggest she had high blood pressure. The medical examiner has said Carine Desir died of natural causes.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: All right, we do have a new update on the Amber Alert in Arizona where two children were kidnapped along with two adults. We understand from our affiliate KNXV that they have all been found and everyone is OK. Again, we don't understand the circumstances behind that, because at last we were told the suspect was armed and was on an interstate in a Dodge Ram pickup truck.

But the good news here is that everyone appears to be OK, according to our affiliate report, and that they have been found. Of course, we will stay on top of the story and bring you any information as it becomes available to us.

HOLMES: We will turn to politics now. And leading our Political Ticker: Hillary Clinton accuses Barack Obama, neither of them being shown here, of using campaign tactics, "out of Karl Rove's playbook." There they are.

Clinton is angry over two mailers by her Democratic rival's campaign. One accuses her of switching her position on the North American Free Trade Agreement. The other criticizes her health care plan. Clinton says the mailings are false. The Clinton (sic) campaign says they're true.

We're now just eight days away from the next round of nominating contests, the big ones, of course, Texas and Ohio. Also, they will be voting in Rhode Island and Vermont.

Now Ralph Nader, as you're seeing, running for president, again. If you count his write-in campaign of 1992, this makes his fifth attempt at the presidency. And once again, the consumer advocate is lashing out at the Democratic, as well as the Republican contenders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH NADER (I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm running for a simple reason. Washington has closed its doors on citizen groups, labor, citizen, consumer reform groups, environmental groups. It's corporate-occupied territory. And we have got to heed Thomas Jefferson who said when we lose our government, we have got to go into the electoral arena. He used the word revolution. I think we need a Jeffersonian revolution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, Nader said Americans will not vote for a pro-war McCain and he says, if the Democrats can't win in a landslide this year, the party should, "wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form.

Democratic Party chief, Howard Dean, is attacking the Republican front-runner over campaign financing. Dean accuses John McCain of trying to get out around campaign laws by trying to opt out of public financing for his primary campaign.

Dean says McCain used the prospect of almost $6 million in federal matching funds as collateral for a campaign loan, but McCain notified the Federal Election Committee earlier that he wasn't claiming federal matching funds. And his campaign denies any wrongdoing here. The FEC chairman however has raised some similar issues.

Well, the economy -- economy, it's getting weaker and as it gets weaker, its power as a campaign issue getting stronger.

Our Ali Velshi and the CNN Election Express deep in the heart of Texas. Ali joins us now.

Ali, where are you and what are you doing?

ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: T.J., I'm in Devine, Texas, about 30 miles outside of San Antonio. We're driving through with the Election Express.

We're talking to people about the economy and politics and what their concerns really are. Now, we were in Bandera, Texas, a little earlier today. That is the cowboy capital of the world. And they welcomed me with the hat on.

And we heard about job issues. We heard about wages. We heard about health care. But one of the things we talked about was gas prices. Today, we found out that gas prices have shot up in the last two weeks by 16 cents a gallon. In the last year, up 75 cents a gallon. Of course, we have seen the price of oil going up again to $100 a barrel.

And that's really affecting people. Now, here down in Texas, while there are a lot of horses, there are also a lot of people who have to drive. And they drive big trucks down here, T.J., not those minivans. So, we talked to somebody who said, look, it's hard to get by.

Some people in Texas are getting rich off of oil, but a lot of people are just working people. And they having trouble with these gas prices.

Listen to what one cowboy told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gas is over $3 a gallon. If you make $6 an hour, figure it up. Forty hours a week, you don't get too much, you know? You don't have cable. You don't have Internet. There's lots of things you don't have. How do you get gas to go to work?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: So that's the kind of thing we have been hearing about. People are very concerned about gas prices here in Texas. We're going across the state talking to people. As we get further south, we will probably get somewhere around the Mexican border tonight and obviously immigration becomes big issue as we get further south -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. And people are willing to talk to you. You said all you needed was the hat. And you're telling me, all you had to do was put the head on and people accepted you just fine?

VELSHI: Well, it wasn't just that. I had to -- I had to wear the hat and I had to ride a steer. I found a guy who would let me ride his steer. So, I did that today. I don't know if you have got those pictures of me on that. That was quite an adventure.

HOLMES: There they are.

VELSHI: So I proved my worth as a cowboy. As we say, I'm not just hat and no cattle.

HOLMES: What about a horse? Are you going to ride a horse? Don't they ride horses down there?

VELSHI: I did ride a horse.

HOLMES: OK.

VELSHI: I did ride a horse. That was a lot of fun. Don't know if I will get another chance to do that for a few days, but now we actually have to do some work.

But it is a lot of fun down here. The people in Texas are very, very warm, and they are all willing to come and talk to you and teach you how to ride a horse, if that is what it is. I'm in agricultural country, so I might have to get on a combine or something.

HOLMES: Yes. That's exactly what Betty just said. You need to hop on a tractor.

VELSHI: That's right.

HOLMES: Well, you have got the big bus behind you, but you are also riding other things there as well.

Our Ali Velshi, kind sir, always good to see you.

NGUYEN: He can get himself into some situations, can't he?

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: Yes. He can get out of them, too.

NGUYEN: This is true. Well, come November, American voters should have a clear choice on Iraq. Republican John McCain vows to stay until in the job is finished. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton say they will get the troops out. And for the Pentagon's perspective, let's go to CNN's Barbara Starr.

What are you hearing on your end, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Betty, it is very interesting. Both senators Obama and Clinton, of course, have talked about timetables for troop withdrawal from Iraq.

But when you begin to listen to what senior commanders are saying here and in Iraq, where I just returned from being there last week, you get quite the different picture.

Let's start with what the Pentagon had to say today. They are now publicly acknowledging that, in July, when the surge ends, when those five combat brigades are all back home, there will be more troops in Iraq than when the surge began. It began with 132,000. When the surge ends, there will be 140,000 troops. So, why the extra 8,000? They say those troops are going to be needed to stay behind and provide support for the Iraqi security forces. That's likely to be very controversial.

And at the same time today, they are reiterating here at the Pentagon, they don't want to see a firm timetable for withdrawal. They want these troops to stay. They want them to help the Iraqis. And they want any further additional withdrawal of troops to be based on how the conditions are on the ground.

Listen to -- just a minute to what the director of operations here in the Pentagon had to say a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEUTENANT GENERAL CARTER HAM, DIRECTOR OF OPS, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: I think the sense -- the sense is that to establish a firm timetable at this point is -- would not be helpful and doesn't recognize the fluid nature of the conflict in which we're engaged in both in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now, I have to tell you that General Ham is only one of several top commanders who are saying a firm timetable, such as perhaps Senators Obama and Clinton are suggesting, although generals are not mentioning them by name, he is only one of several who are saying no firm timetable.

General Petraeus in Iraq said it last week. Admiral Fallon, the new head of the U.S. Central Command, he is saying it. So, it's going to be very interesting to watch how this box may form around the candidates -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Indeed. Barbara Starr, joining us live -- thank you, Barbara.

HOLMES: And, again, we're keeping an eye on a story out of Stony Brook University in Eastern Long Island, out of New York, where there is a report of a man on campus with a gun, apparently walked into a cafeteria on campus, wearing dark clothing, a dark hat, a dark jacket, and apparently and reportedly, brandished a gun, a weapon. And no reports of shots being fired, anyone on campus being injured or anyone being in danger.

And the word now is that classes have continued or are continuing there at the school right now, no imminent threat to the students of as well. So, we're getting reports kind of all over the places. This is a fluid situation, so we're getting different information right now.

But we're trying to decipher through it and bring you the best, most accurate information we can. But we do know, according to police there, and the word that is going out to students at least is to be alert and to be on the lookout for anyone who fits this description of a 25-year-old black male wearing a dark hat and a dark jacket who apparently reportedly had a gun on campus. We're keeping an eye on this story. We will bring you the latest as it continues to come in to us.

Also, we will turn to Baghdad and a tension-filled journey to Baghdad. Our Kyra Phillips is there.

Hello there, Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: T.J. and Betty, I'm listening to Ali Velshi riding in on horses in this presidential year. I'm riding in on armored cars. What it takes to get into Baghdad five years into this war, that's coming up, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: There is a developing story that we want to tell you about. We understand there's been a TSA incident as they are describing it at the Miami International Airport.

Let's take you now to our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve. She joins us live with the latest on this.

What have you learned, Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, officials are still trying to get to the bottom to this. According to a federal official who is familiar with this investigation, a man described as being in his mid-30s arrived at a security checkpoint at Miami International Airport this afternoon.

The document checkers became suspicious of this individual because of his behavior and also because of his documents. They called behavior detection specialists to come in and keep an eye on this guy. In the meantime, he went through primary checking and he got through just fine. He didn't alarm in the magnetometer. But he was routed into secondary screening. And while he was in secondary screening, he joint up and took off, and ran away, back past the magnetometers, into the unsecure area of the airport. Miami-Dade Police were alerted. They brought him down, and he is now in custody, as they try and figure out exactly who he is and what he was up to.

Apparently, we're told by this federal official, he had several different pieces of identification with different names from different countries. So, who exactly he is and where he is from is unclear at this point in time.

We are told he did not appear to have a gun. He did, after all, make it through that magnetometer. And the bags were still being searched when last we checked. It did not close down the concourse at the airport. There was some shutdown of that security checkpoint for a while, but it has now been reopened, as authorities investigate and try to get to the bottom of this -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes. And, Jeanne, was he traveling alone?

MESERVE: That's what it appears to be. It appears he was by himself.

NGUYEN: OK. All right. We will stay on top of this. Thank you, Jeanne.

MESERVE: You bet.

HOLMES: Well, a tension-filled journey to Baghdad. Our Kyra Phillips is there. She will show us how it's still a harrowing trip, even with the security gains there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, usually during this time during the CNN NEWSROOM in the afternoon, you would see Kyra Phillips here. Well, you may have noticed she's not here now and, of course, she's been gone for a little bit. Well, she's not on vacation. She's on special assignment. She will be out reporting in Iraq for the next few weeks. And that reporting begins right now.

She joins us live from Baghdad. Hello there, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Hey, T.J. And before I left, my neighbor who is a flight attendant to co-workers at CNN asked me how exactly do you get into Baghdad and is it safe and how do you get to the bureau? And I said, well, believe it or not, you don't fly in with the military. It's a pretty harrowing experience getting from the airport to the bureau, but there's a lot of details that you probably don't know that I had a chance -- well, that I have a chance now to tell you.

I just grabbed my handy-cam from home, and I tried to document the journey as best that I could.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: So, basically this is the beginning of the trip. Everybody that's boarding for Baghdad are security types, construction workers and journalists.

A lot of people always ask what kind of -- or how we get into Baghdad. And they always think it's through the military, but, believe it or not, you fly a commercial airplane. This one is Royal Jordanian. It's an Airbus. And it's going to be a packed flight today.

(voice-over): For many of these passengers, it's their first trip into Baghdad, like Matt (ph). He's a paramedic from Washington State.

(on camera): Tell us what you're going to be doing in Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to be doing convoy operations out of Baghdad.

PHILLIPS: And you're a civilian, so why come in and do this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good pay.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): The flight is quiet. And it's tense. Passengers are lost in their own thoughts, going to work, going to war, going home. It's time to land.

(on camera): To come in for a landing, you have to do a really tight loop. And it used to be a lot tighter and faster. They used to call it the spiral landing. But now it's just a gentle turn and then it comes in. So, once you hit ground, you're totally relieved.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Isn't that right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Correct.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): You can see Saddam's mansions all across Iraq, ornate and flashy palaces, now mostly military compounds.

(on camera): We're in Baghdad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): It's always a relief to land. Armed guards hurry us to the bus. We head to baggage claim. And for security reasons, I can't show you very much here. But I can show you we are incredibly protected.

(on camera): So, basically we have got to put our vests on. And then we will have armored cars taking us from the airport to the bureau. It's actually

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unclean shirt.

PHILLIPS: That's all right. The unclean shirt's OK. It's actually one of the most dangerous parts of the trip. But we have got great security. We have got a couple cars. We have our Iraqi security and our other security. And that's about all I can say.

(voice-over): I can't show you faces of our security team, but I can tell you the mantra: weapons, medical packs, and communications.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the radio here.

PHILLIPS: Safety in numbers and mitigating every threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the purpose of this journey, should anything, all right, do not attempt to get out of the vehicle or open the doors. Just listen to me. I do tell you to get down and try and get down below the window line.

PHILLIPS: This is the route from Baghdad International Airport to our bureau, infamous for terrorist attacks.

(on camera): Why has this essentially been one of the dangerous routes here in Baghdad?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it presents mass -- mass groups of foreigners, it uses targets of opportunity. They know that, by sitting around and monitoring this route, that they have got easy pickings. Within an hour, someone is going travel along this road.

PHILLIPS: There was a time you could never come down this road without something happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's about true, yes.

PHILLIPS: And now you have got more Iraqi army.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, more -- yes, out in the front line. Today, we have had a lot of -- overpass clear -- you will spend probably an hour, 10 kilometers an hour, from the Green Zone and sweep the road for IEDs, objects, and whatever.

PHILLIPS: So, it's times like this where security definitely becomes more concerned. They call it a bit of a choke hold, where we come to a standstill, and all the cars stop, because, if something were to happen, you're a bit of a sitting duck.

So, security pays attention to the balconies, if anybody's up on balconies or houses. So, no one's allowed to gawk over the overpasses anymore, right?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, or throw anything, more importantly, or fire at us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be quite easy just to drop a grenade over the top of the -- onto a vehicle.

PHILLIPS: About two minutes from our compound, but I'm going to turn off the camera, because the last thing we want to do is compromise where we live and all the security around our compound.

We have a lot of Iraqi workers and other workers that work really hard to protect us. So, we made it. We're here, and we're looking forward to doing a lot of great stories.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the journey was smooth, T.J., but the reality hit as soon as we got into that compound. Within about 10 minutes, a bomb went off just outside of where we lived, shook the whole bureau.

We had to go down into the safe room, do a head count. And I looked at my producer, Isabelle (ph), straight in the eye, and I said, Welcome to Baghdad. It's her first trip here, so it was quite an awakening for her especially -- T.J.

HOLMES: Well, as soon as you got there, a bomb goes off. Nothing like a hello, welcome back, Kyra.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: Well, also we are -- we're going to see you again tomorrow in the NEWSROOM. What can we expect?

PHILLIPS: That's right. I'm really excited about this, actually. You know how much I love to do stories about any type of flying, in particular military flying. And seeing what's happening here in Iraq, it is definitely a sign of progress.

A year ago, it wasn't even up and running. Now the Iraqi air force is building slowly and doing missions run by Iraqis. But what was really impressive, the young pilots that are coming into this school, being trained by the U.S. Air Force and learning how to fly. Hopefully, the goal is to eventually move into strike fighters.

We followed through with one young Iraqi lieutenant. We go into the sims together. Then I fly with him, and he tells me about his life and why he's doing this. And when I asked what exactly influenced him to become a pilot, listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Why do you want to be a pilot?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have three answers. First, this is my dream. And, secondly, I want to serve my country, and, actually, "Top Gun."

PHILLIPS: "Top Gun"?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

PHILLIPS: The movie "Top Gun"?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I saw this movie three times. So, he motivated me to be a pilot. So...

PHILLIPS: So you're Maverick and I'm Goose?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, T.J., obviously, the lieutenant has quite a ways to go from this training Cessna to possibly an F-16 or an F-18. Of course, his biggest dream is to go supersonic, fly over the skies of Iraq, and hopefully keep his eyes on those insurgents down on the ground and take out those threats to protect troops eventually at some point. That is the goal. So, inside Iraqi top gun coming up tomorrow.

HOLMES: Well, we certainly hope he makes it to that goal. Kyra Phillips, we will see you here tomorrow. Thanks so much, Goose.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: You knew you would hear her laughing.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Well, the race for the White House, it is getting more heated, as another big round of primaries draws near. We will check in with our political roundtable.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, there's lots on our political plate as we head toward another big round of presidential primaries. Attacks and counterattacks from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but their party's chairman takes on the Republican, John McCain. Also, Ralph Nader -- he's jumped into the race. And the Democratic superdelegates are still in the spotlights.

Joining us now from Washington Jeff Zeleny from "The New York Times." Also, Republican adviser and former Congresswoman, Susan Molinari. And Ryan Lizza, "The New Yorker's" Washington correspondent.

Hello to you all. We've got a lot to get to in a little time. We will start with Obama and Clinton.

I'll ask you first, Mr. Lizza, were you surprised how strongly she came out and just went after him? It's one thing to attack him on some issue, but she was visibly angry.

RYAN LIZZA, "THE NEW YORKER," WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm not that surprised. Look, she's in a do or die situation. She -- her campaign has said she has to win both Texas and Ohio in order for her to stay in the race.

And they believe that the fundamental strength they have over Obama is who is ready to be commander-in-chief. So I think they've made the decision that they want this next week to be a conversation about foreign policy and sort of strength. And they're going to play the commander-in-chief part every day, I would suspect.

HOLMES: Well, you say that, they want to have a conversation. We'll see if this sounds like a conversation to people.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: We have that piece of sound. Let's roll it and we'll keep talking about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Enough with the speeches and the big rallies and then using tactics that are right out of Karl Rove's playbook. This is wrong and every Democrat should be outraged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right.

There was also a part, Representative Molinari, where she said, hey, meet me in Ohio. That was clearly a meet me out back moment she was having.

SUSAN MOLINARI, REPUBLICAN ADVISER: Step outside.

HOLMES: Now, how much of it do you think was tactical and how much of it do you think is she is genuinely perturbed?

MOLINARI: Well, I think it's a combination of both. I think she's obviously largely frustrated by what is seemingly her inability to move a lot of these poll numbers. I think Ryan is right. In the last week of the campaign, they have to shift and adjust tactics.

I think one of the problems is, though, the lack of consistency. When you watched the debate that was on just a few days ago, she was truly honored and delighted and, you know, couldn't say enough great things about being there with Senator Obama. And then, you know, just a few -- 24 hours later, he's just ticking her off. So I mean I think it's that lack of consistency that's making it hard for them to really make their case.

HOLMES: Well, Jeff, can she be honored and delighted to share a stage and still be upset? How do you think viewers -- excuse me -- voters are going to take this?

I mean it's one thing to see people get into a back and forth, but are we used to seeing our presidential candidates -- I mean, I don't know if it's just me, but she seemed pretty upset.

JEFF ZELENY, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Well, she is upset. And as Ryan said, she has reason to be upset. But really what I think is happening here is a call to arms, if you will, of her supporters. There's one more week in -- for voters in Ohio and Texas and Vermont and Rhode Island to sort of come to Senator Clinton's rescue. And we'll see at their final debate tomorrow night sort of what approach she takes.

But look, she's making the same argument she's making, but she's just been sort of increasing the volume. And now is the time to do it. There's much dissension in her campaign what type of approach she should be taking -- should she be sort of softer, should she show the human side. I think she's trying to do all the things.

But the reality is, these negative attacks, these distinctions work and Senator Obama hasn't really been faced with this very much. So she's trying to see if he can do it.

HOLMES: Well, let's see how. We talked about this negativity. And something that a lot of people just think is maybe a low blow.

I think we do have this photo that has surfaced now -- Barack Obama in this African garb. This was on a trip he took he took to Kenya. And it was -- and this has come out. And, of course, you can assume one campaign might accuse the other of putting this out there. But we're not exactly sure where this came from.

But, still, Ryan how does this play? Does this have any place -- and will there be a negative backlash if this photo is in any way, shape or form attached to or affiliated with the Clinton campaign possibly putting it out there?

LIZZA: Maybe. Look, the last I checked, the Clinton campaign was not denying that they may have been circulating this and putting it into the press. But I think this will be forgotten in a very short period of time.

What is this picture? It's Barack Obama looking somewhat silly because he was on a foreign trip and he was doing what you do as an American -- as a legislator on a foreign trip. You're gracious. And, you know, you dress up in the local outfit that you're given as a present.

HOLMES: Well...

LIZZA: And I don't think it's going...

HOLMES: ... Well, guys, the idea that's been out there about his background and all -- of course...

LIZZA: Right. Yes.

HOLMES: ... when he was younger and his Muslim background --

LIZZA: I think -- HOLMES: Just putting an image out there, you all don't think that in some way they're trying to -- just some kind of way get into the subconscious of some voters?

LIZZA: Maybe. But anyone that's not going to vote for Barack Obama because they saw him in this picture, they weren't going to vote for him anyway, is my belief.

HOLMES: Well, Representative Molinari and Jeff, do you all feel the same about this picture?

MOLINARI: Well, I don't think it hurts Barack Obama at all. I think it does call into question some of the judgment of the people in Senator Clinton's campaign, that thinks this is an effective tactic, with a week to go before the end of her potential run for a presidency.

I mean she has a tremendous record, whether you agree with it or not, as a United States senator and first lady and advocate. And you hate to think that just a week before, you know, time may be up, that this is the stuff you're getting into.

HOLMES: All right.

MOLINARI: I don't think it hurts Senator Obama.

HOLMES: And, Jeff, I've got to hurry through now, so I want to get to this other issue now.

A pretty prominent name in the Democratic Party, Geraldine Ferraro, at least the former V.P. want to be, she has written an op-ed now, talking about the superdelegates and the role they play. And she is saying -- there's been so much debate about these party insiders possibly deciding things on the Democratic side.

And, Jeff, in the op-ed she says this, "Superdelegates were created to lead, not to follow. They were and are expected to determine what is best for our party and best for our country." And she would hope that that is why many superdelegates have already chosen a candidate to support. She is saying these superdelegates, they should not be jumping on the -- to Obama's side because the people in their district might have voted for him.

What is your thought now? Is this the way to go with the super- delegates -- they were chosen and they're there to lead?

ZELENY: Well, I think what Geraldine Ferraro is saying, you know, is really issuing a memo, if you will, to all the super- delegates out there who may be getting a little antsy or nervous. She's saying, look, hold on. You don't have to go the way of your district.

But I think a lot of the superdelegates, really, over the next week, or perhaps more the uncommitted ones, are going to hold fast and probably remain uncommitted. But there is a lot of nervousness out there, particularly among the superdelegates who represent places where Senator Obama won by overwhelming margins.

It's one of the reasons that Congressman Lewis has had second thoughts in terms of who he's going to support and other people. But it works both ways. There are plenty of super-delegates who support Senator Obama, who represent districts that Senator Clinton won. So I think at this point, the superdelegate fight is going to be on hold until the voters of Ohio and Texas have their say.

HOLMES: Well, they will have their say on March 4th. We've been talking about Obama and Clinton, because a lot is going on on that side. Also, McCain and some issues of campaign finance we're not able to get to get to right now.

But I want to thank you all, Ryan Lizza, also Jeff Zeleny and Representative Susan Molinari. I appreciate you all for being here. Thank you and, of course, we'll be talking about this a lot --

LIZZA: Thank you.

HOLMES: -- For the next day eight days at least.

MOLINARI: Thank you.

ZELENY: Thanks.

HOLMES: We'll see if they can decide anything on March 4th. Thank you so much.

Well, all the latest campaign news is at your fingertips at CNNPolitics.com -- analysis from the best political team on television. That and more at CNNPolitics.com.

NGUYEN: Well, cops on trial and the state launches its case against three New York detectives in the killing of an unarmed man on his wedding day.

Plus, it is not your imagination, gas prices have shot up. We'll give you the dollars and cents.

But first, A.J. Khubani is an inventor with an eye for a good product. Our Christine Romans tells us how he built his business by helping other inventors fulfill their dreams on this week's Right On Your Money.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's known as the infomercial king. A.J. Khubani is the president and CEO of Telebrands, the original "As Seen On TV" company.

A.J. KHUBANI, PRESIDENT & CEO, TELEBRANDS: We come up with creative, innovative consumer products and make life a little easier. We sell them first with direct response television and then we launch international retail chains.

ROMANS: Khubani's love of gadgets started at a young age and developed into a passion to come up with innovative products.

KHUBANI: We know the specific categories that work the best for us. Anything that solves a common problem around the house and anything that saves time in the kitchen is a big deal.

ROMANS: But now he's using his expertise to invest in other inventors.

KHUBANI: Every single week, we review dozens of products. And at least two to four times a month, we invite inventors to come in and show us new products. Even if we don't cut a deal with the inventor, at least we provide some valuable feedback for the invention.

ROMANS: Khubani says inventors need to come up with as many ideas as possible and keep putting them out there.

KHUBANI: My words of advice to anyone wanting to get into this business is, first of all, don't fall in love with a product. Because if you fall in love with a product, you can end up wasting a lot of money. You've got to know when to move on to the next one.

Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: The trial of three New York police detectives is getting underway more than a year after they opened fire on an unarmed man. Sean Bell died in barrage of 50 bullets as he left his bachelor party just hours before his wedding.

Two of the detectives are charged with manslaughter, the third with reckless endangerment. They say a drunken Bell struck him with his car that night and they thought someone in his group had a gun.

HOLMES: A jury in Ohio is deciding the fate of convicted murderer Bobby Cutts Jr. . Three of his relatives took the stand today to plead for the one-time police officer's wife. Cutts was found guilty of killing his pregnant girlfriend, Jessie Davis, as well as their unborn daughter. He claimed it was an accident. Well, besides the death penalty, the jury can recommend life in prison or life with the possibility of parole.

NGUYEN: Well, a Philadelphia TV anchor got some good news this morning. In a five minute hearing, a Manhattan judge OK'd a deal to reduce the assault charge against Alycia Lane. Lane was arrested in December, accused of hitting a New York cop in a traffic tiff.

But prosecutors today downgraded the case to obstruction and misdemeanor harassment. That means Lane's police record can be wiped clean in six months, barring another arrest. Now, she's not quite done with court just yet. Lane is suing her former bosses for wrongful dismissal.

And for the best crime coverage on the Web, you can check out CNN.com/crime. It's the new effort from our friends at truTV and CNN.com to go behind the police tape and into the courtroom like never before, at CNN.com/crime.

HOLMES: Well, Portal, Georgia -- a tiny little town. And it turned out to be the doorway to riches for one lucky couple. We'll take you to the tiny town with the huge winners.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, sorry, Chicago. I know things are bad. But the news is it's going to get worse.

There is a big storm system that is threatening ice in the Midwest -- but, Jacqui, fire in the Southwest?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we've got a lot going on today, T. J.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, when Robert Harris called his boss and said he wouldn't be at work, he didn't call in sick. Hope, he called in rich. Yes, Harris nailed the Mega Millions jackpot over the weekend using his grandkids' birthdates to do it. And now he and his wife Tanya are mega-millionaires. In fact, they're my new best friends. And they are retirees with some big plans.

On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," they talked about their $164 million visit to Clyde's Market in tiny Portal, Georgia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT HARRIS, MEGA MILLIONS WINNER: I stopped at the store. And it was heavy rains in our area. And by the time I got to the register, after filling it out in the car, I went up and I couldn't play it. So I went home and asked Tanya to go back to the store later and play the two tickets that I filled out. And she played them. And we woke up the next morning, and we hit.

TANYA HARRIS, MEGA MILLIONS WINNER: We would like to have a home. We want to buy some acreage and build a home. And I'm going to get my Mercedes I've always wanted. And, of course, he's going to buy him a truck and we'll take care of the grandkids and the kids and, you know, the family and the our church, and, you know, people we care about, you know, that's been there for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Wait. She gets the Mercedes and he just gets a truck?

HOLMES: It might be a Cadillac truck.

NGUYEN: Oh. Well, she didn't say what type.

HOLMES: It might be very nice. She may be more excited. They don't seem enthused enough. NGUYEN: Well, they're waiting for the check to cash, I mean, you know.

HOLMES: They don't deserve the ticket if they can't --

NGUYEN: You'd better stop it.

HOLMES: No, I'm kidding.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: They're definitely not sharing it with you now. The Harrises are visiting the Georgia lottery officials to get their ticket confirmed. That's why.

HOLMES: Yes, OK.

NGUYEN: And then they begin their new life in that new Mercedes.

HOLMES: OK. We'll check in with them after they get the ticket cashed.

All right, time now for us to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

NGUYEN: He is standing by live in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour.

Hi, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, guys. Thanks.

Lot coming up, including Hillary Clinton going after Barack Obama about his experience in international affairs. Now she's comparing him to President Bush. And what he's saying about all of this.

John McCain talks about what might make him lose the race for the White House, saying he knows he has a tough battle ahead of him.

And an historic moment between two nations, as the New York Philharmonic becomes the biggest ever U.S. delegation to visit North Korea. Coming up, why this is a major step.

All that and a lot more right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM" at the top of the hour -- back to you.

NGUYEN: Good stuff. We're looking forward to it. Thanks, Wolf.

HOLMES: Well, the closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. You know it. You feel it. Gas prices, they are up again. And, according to the Lundberg Survey, pump prices jumped almost 16 cents a gallon over the past two weeks. The national average for a gallon of self-serve regular is now $3.10. That's about 75 cents more than this time last year and you thought it was high back then. Well, the closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.

HOLMES: So let's bring back in Susan Lisovicz. She's standing by with a final look at the trading day.

Hello, again.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, T.J. and Betty.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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