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James Baker to Back McCain; Bloomberg Won't Run for President; Switching Sides; Congressman Lewis Backs Obama; Obama Stumps in Texas

Aired February 28, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Lasted about 45 minutes or so. And our Elaine Quijano, White House correspondent, was inside that news conference to hear all of the details on all of these topics.
Obviously, Elaine, the one that most people, I think, were listening for were comments on the economy.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The economy, absolutely. And we didn't really hear anything new on that front. But of course, anything the president says is going to be intertwined with the current campaign season. Of course, the general election just months away.

Mindful of that, the president today pushed back a notion that the economy is in or headed towards a recession. The president used the word slowdown in describing the economic picture here in the United States. And he touted the $150 billion economic stimulus package as an example really that the politicians here in Washington, the leadership here in Washington, is, in fact, taking steps to try to address their concerns.

Now, at the same time, foreign policy entered into the picture here as well. The president being asked about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom members of the administration criticized for crackdowns on democracy. Now, at the same time, the president understanding that the United States and Russia have not always seen eye to eye defended that relationship with Vladimir Putin. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES: As you know Putin's a straightforward, pretty touch character when it comes to his interests. Well, so am I. And you know we've had some head butts. Diplomatic head butts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Diplomatic head butts. What's interesting to note, though, the president walked a very fine line, asked essentially about an issue out on the campaign trail and that is how, in fact, foreign leaders should be dealt with, foreign leaders who are not necessarily on the same page when it comes to the U.S.

Interesting because the president very passionately said, look, you shouldn't sit down with dictators, he talked about Raul Castro, Fidel Castro's brother. You shouldn't necessarily have your picture taken with them because that will elevate them in stature. And yet the president today didn't hear it but the president today also maintained that when it comes to Russia and specifically Russian President Vladimir Putin, he thinks it's very important to maintain a personal relationship even though leaders don't always see eye to eye. It was interesting to see that fine line he was walking today.

COLLINS: Yeah, a very fine line indeed. All right, CNN's White House correspondent Elaine Quijano. Thanks, Elaine.

Presidential politics now. John McCain picking up another endorsement today. Former secretary of state and White House chief of staff James Baker is set to throw his support behind McCain. Another indication that Republicans is closing ranks around McCain.

Now to who's not running. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says, count him out. In a "New York Times" editorial, Bloomberg says he won't launch an independent campaign to the White House but he hints he may throw his support and his money behind the candidate who takes a bipartisan approach.

A prominent superdelegate switches his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis says he is following the will of his constituents. His announcement comes less than a week before crucial primaries in Texas and Ohio. Lewis says Obama represents the beginning of a new movement in American politics.

As we look at live pictures coming in to us. This is Senator Barack Obama in Austin, Texas, today, town hall meeting there. As we said, he is honored to have Lewis' support.

The loss of support though from Lewis comes at a tough time for Hillary Clinton. She is trying to rebound from 11 straight losses to Obama. Clinton is campaigning in Ohio today.

Hillary Clinton says it's not about who is supporting her, it's about where she stands on the issues. So what does John Lewis' about face mean for the Clinton campaign? On the phone for us this morning, senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley. Candy, what does it mean?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it moves things at a lot of levels. First of all, just the political level. This is a superdelegate. Not only that, John Lewis is now arguing the Obama point of view. And that is if these two Democratic candidates get to the Denver convention and still neither one of them has enough for the nomination, how do those superdelegates, those lawmakers, former lawmakers, party members, how would they vote?

Now the Obama campaign counting on having the most pledged delegates at the time of the convention says, well, the superdelegates ought not to overrule the will of the people who came out and voted. That is, they ought to go the way their districts voted, which John Lewis has done. The Clinton campaign argued, listen, these superdelegates were set up so that they could vote their conscience. Politically, Lewis has obviously taken the side of the Obama campaign as to how to approach these superdelegates. It's also as you alluded to, Heidi, just a psychological blow. This is a campaign that really if you look at the numbers, isn't that far behind in pledge delegates. Less than 100, I think by our count. None the less, you take a blow by this that takes up the oxygen of the newspapers and obviously the networks, and you're trying to kind of steady your campaign. This is a blow because it looks as though people are leaving.

COLLINS: Yeah.

CROWLEY: In fact, you don't want to strike that domino thing that you talked about.

COLLINS: Yeah, you know, maybe something more personal, too. Not sure how much that affects voters at home. Is this seen as a loss of loyalty to the Clintons?

CROWLEY: Absolutely. And it's personal. They've known John Lewis for a long time. We have noted throughout this campaign what deep roots the Clintons have in the African-American community. So at a personal level it certainly hurts.

And one of the things Clinton indicated in some responses she gave to the Lewis defection was, I understand the pressure he's under. There has been pressure on a number of African-American leaders who left initially to the Clinton campaign saying, wait a second, you know, here you have this chance for the first African-American who could be president. Is this really what you want to do? And besides that, he looks like he's going to win.

So the pressure has really been intense behind the scenes on these superdelegates from both on the Obama side and the Clinton side. They're getting a lot of phone calls.

COLLINS: Yes. I bet they are. All right. CNN's Candy Crowley for us. Candy, thank you.

I want to take a moment to get you back to Senator Barack Obama. We have been taping these live events. Earlier we listened to Senator John McCain at his event in Houston. Let's listen in to Senator Barack Obama in Austin, Texas.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Workers and ordinary families are not hurt. In Washington, that's thrown its doors open to lobbyists and special interests who have riddled their tax code with loopholes that let corporations avoid paying their taxes while you're paying more. They've used money and influence to kill health care reform at a time when half of all bankruptcies are caused by medical bills. And then they bring up bankruptcy laws to make it harder to climb out of debt.

I do not believe that these lobbyists represent ordinary Americans which is why they don't fund my campaign, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voice of the American people when I'm president of the United States.

This is what's been happening in Washington at a time when we have greater economic income disparities than at any time since before the great depression, at a time when some CEOs are making more in a day than average workers make in an entire year, when the typical family income has dropped by $1,000 over the last seven years when you adjust for inflation, when wages are flat, jobs are moving overseas and we've never paid more for basic needs.

And it's also a time when we've never saved less because if wages are flat lined and costs are going up, people don't have a lot at the end of the month to put away for retirement. Barely $400 is being saved for the average family last year, despite the fact that the average family has never owed more, an average of $8,000 in debt, most of it on credit cards, with rates that can range from 20, 25 percent, 30 percent.

At a time like this, the American people need real change, the kind of change -- a kind of change that is about more than switching parties in the White House. They need a change in our politics. Somebody who can help close the divisions in Washington so we can stop just talking about these challenges and actually start solving them, who doesn't defend lobbyists -- who doesn't defend lobbyists as part of the system but sees them as part of the problem, who will carry -- who will carry your voices and your concerns to work, to the oval office every single day, every single week, every single month and every single year. And that's the kind of president that I want to be.

Now, I've laid out a comprehensive economic plan. It's in this blue booklet. Everybody should have received it when they came in. A plan aimed at keeping America's promise. The idea that prosperity can and must be the tide that lifts every boat, that we rise and fall together as one nation, that our economy is strongest when the middle class rose and people who are striving to get into the middle class have ladders of opportunity.

We've outlined this plan in the book. You should have received a copy when you walked in this morning. Let me just talk about a few details and then we can open it up for questions.

COLLINS: All right. There you have just a little bit of what Senator Barack Obama is saying to his supporters in Austin, Texas, sort of a town hall meeting. You've seen a variety of these as the candidates crisscross the country. If you would like to see more, you can. Go to CNN.com/live.

Your money, your concerns. Top decision makers focus this morning on the troubled economy and signs that even rougher times may actually lie ahead.

Just a few minutes ago we heard from President Bush and right now the nation's top economist is back on Capitol Hill for a second day with more blunt assessments of the grim signs. We are watching Ben Bernanke's testimony. Alongside CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff in New York. Allan, yesterday I guess the headline out of there yesterday was that he called it a wobbly economy.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: And it's wobbling some more. Let me tell you about that.

The fed chairman once again is telling congress we are looking at some very serious problems here. And let's pick it apart.

On the one side, we've got economic slowdown and we had that re- enforced this morning with the GDP report coming out anemic growth of only .6 percent during the fourth quarter. The fed chairman is saying house willing be slowing down and non-residential housing also is going to be slowing down. We haven't seen that really happen too much just yet. He's saying the business spend willing be constrained. We're having a credit crunch. The banks are scared to lend the money. And he's saying this is going to happen over an extended period of time. Let's have a listen to some of what he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN BERNANKE, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: Inflation projections submitted by FOC participates for 2010 which range from 1.5 percent to 2.0 percent for overall PCE inflation, were importantly influenced by participates' judgments about the measured rates of inflation, consistent with the Federal Reserve's dual mandate and about the timeframe over which policy should aim to achieve those rates.

The rate of inflation that is actually realized will of course depend on a variety of factors. Inflation could be lower than we anticipate if slower than expected global growth moderates the pressures and prices of energy and other commodities or if the rates of domestic resources utilization fall more than we currently expect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: OK, the focus there, translation, he's betting that commodity prices will decline and that energy prices will decline.

What's been happening in the futures market? Those prices have been soaring. So the fed chairman is saying here, hey, inflation should come down. We're betting inflation will come down. And it depends on those commodity prices moving lower but future markets are doing just the opposite.

Heidi, as we mentioned yesterday, wholesale prices rose on a year-to-year basis 7 1/2 percent. That is huge inflation.

The other problem here is that this really constrains what the Fed can do. And the chairman said that because when the Fed lowers rates, and he says -- he has said the Fed will continue lowering rates. When the Fed lowers rates, that usually, as you know, leads to more inflation. Supposed to jimmy up the economy and it has an inflationary risk. The Fed is in big, big trouble here. And the Fed chairman is admitting the economy is as well. COLLINS: All right. We will continue to watch some of that testimony today. Certainly do appreciate it. CNN's Allan Chernoff out of New York this morning. Thank you, Allan.

Racist, vial and disgusting. A spoof of a reality show igniting outrage. See the tape for yourself in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: A missile strike dead on. Pakistan state media reports eight suspected militants killed and three wounded. The strike hit a house where the suspects gathered in South Waziristan. That's a rugged mountainous region of Pakistan near its border with Afghanistan. Intelligence officials believe the area is a safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban militants. It is not clear though who fired the rocket. Local tribesmen say it came from an undisclosed location.

Another salvo of rockets pounding southern Israel today. Israel responding with a series of air strikes on a Hamas target in Gaza. The strikes and counterstrikes have left one Israeli and more than a dozen Palestinians dead in the past two days. Palestinian medical sources say four children were among the latest killed.

Just a short time ago a big breakthrough in Kenya. Rival politicians signed a power-sharing agreement. Former U.N. Chief Kofi Annan helped broker the deal. Negotiations were initiated after weeks of violence over the disputed presidential elections back in December. Hundreds were killed and more than 300,000 displaced in the ethnic clashes.

Coming up, now your money, your decisions. What you need to know about your rights as a consumer. Gerri Willis fills us in. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, we were kind of giggling here up on the set about something unrelated and then we looked at this. Dow Jones Industrial average on the big board there down about 130 points. It's only 11:30 Eastern Time right now, too. So there's obviously a few more hours to go of the trading day.

As you know, the president spoke for about 45 minutes or so, a lot of it about the economy and also Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, his second day on Capitol Hill testifying. So lots to talk about there. And we'll keep our eye on it for you.

All week in fact we have been bringing you a financial security watch from your desk to your job. Gerri Willis is here to tell us what your consumer rights are and how to get them. This seems like a very timely subject.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: We're mad as heck and we're not going to take it anymore. We have great ideas for your consumer rights.

Get your credit card rights. If you buy something with a credit card you have a right to get what you pay for. If you buy something, unhappy with it, maybe it's the wrong size, wrong color, dispute that charge on your credit cart. This is a quality claim. And it does come with a lot of restrictions. First off, you must have made a good faith effort to resolve the issue with the retailer in the first place and then the charge has to be over 50 bucks. The sale must have happened in your home state or close by your house. To get your due, complain by certified letter in less than 60 days. When you mail it, be sure to use the issuer's address for billing inquiries, not the payment address. But you can get it back.

COLLINS: That's a good thing. I didn't know about this because I always end up going -- when I have a major issue, the better business bureau.

WILLIS: You don't have to do that.

COLLINS: You don't have to do that. Cancel the credit card charge, love it.

What about your right to a mortgage? Obviously this is a bigger payment probably than something that you buy on your credit card.

WILLIS: Well, you can't be discriminated against when you apply for a mortgage. You don't have to put up with discrimination when you're getting mortgage or refinancing or even just making home improvements. Lenders cannot discourage you from applying for a mortgage or even reject your application because of your race, national religion or origin, or sex, or honey, where's your husband, is he signing the papers, too, that's illegal, or age, or even if you receive public assistance. They can't impose a higher interest rate or a larger down payment because of any of these factors. Lenders can't ask about your plans for having a family. That's illegal. And they can't require a cosigner if you meet the standards.

Now, if you've been rejected you have the right to know why you've been rejected. They have to give you a specific reason and if you think you've been discriminated against, contact the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department at hud.gov. They investigate these all the time.

COLLINS: Yes I was going to say what happens if somebody does ask you that question, sounds like it could become sort of a he said, she said kind of thing.

WILLIS: These are not people you want to do business with. I would walk away. That's the first job. I would also report to it HUD because they sue people all the time, bring them to justice. It's their job.

COLLINS: Yikes. What about advice for consumers who are being just pounded by collection agencies? The phone calls, the e-mails and so forth. WILLIS: There are rules about that. They can't call you before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. They can't call you at work if you ask them not to. Agents can't talk to anybody but you or your lawyer about your debts, although debt collectors can call other people to find out where you live, what your phone number is and where you work. They can't threaten to garnish your wages or seize your property unless they intend to do it and they cannot threaten you with arrest or jail.

It's your right to send a letter to the collection agency and tell them to cease and desist. They may not contact you again. But it doesn't make your debt go away if you actually owe it.

If you think they violated the law you have a right to sue collector within a year. Report any problems you have with a debt collector to the Federal Trade Commission. Those are the regulators. They are at ftc.gov.

COLLINS: Not funny but I always wanted to say cease and desist!

WILLIS: I say that all the time.

COLLINS: I know you have another installment of financial security watch coming up in 30 minutes from now.

WILLIS: That's right. We're about to do it. We're going to be talking about foreclosures. What do you need to know, all the details. And if you can't sell your home and thinking about renting it out, devil's in the details. We'll tell you how to do it and what you need to know. We'll talk about the issues we've been talking about all week, debt, your job, 401(k), what you need to know now. Give us a call. We will answer your questions. Live in the show, 866-792-3399. We love to hear from you.

COLLINS: It's been going great. There are so many questions out there right now.

WILLIS: We're getting great questions.

COLLINS: Good. Gerri, we will see you in 30 minutes. Thank you.

An officer clings to the side of a speeding car and lives to tell about it. Amazing ride coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Good morning once again, everybody. 11:30 Eastern Time now. Shock tactics. A video from South African students triggering widespread outrage. We caution you, the pictures you are going to see are disturbing.

CNN's Nkepile Mabuse reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a demeaning and degrading video, white students at the University of the Free State in South Africa appear to have filmed themselves using black staff workers to express their disdain of racial integration in the university's residence hall.

The students making the video can be heard referring to "Fear Factor," a popular television show that challenges people to do outrageous things. The cleaning staff are given alcohol, run in a race, and fed what appears to be meat stew.

But it is the last ingredient that has shocked and horrified South Africans. The tape shows one of the students urinating in the stew, seemingly before feeding it to the cleaners.

The black staff members are mocked and cheered on by the students, urging them to finish their portions. Some of them appear to get sick.

One of the women is given a bottle of liquor as her prize of winning the fear factor game, and then a graphic appears that reads, quote, "That, at the end of the day, is what we think about integration."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it was a joke, it's a very bad joke.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's appalling for someone to treat older people like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. I haven't seen it, so I can't say. But it sounds really bad.

MABUSE: The head of the university describes the video as a gross violation of human rights, and has promised to take swift action.

FREDERICK FOURIE, UNIVERSITY VICE CHANCELLOR: We are having a management meeting at the moment, and it is strong condemnation of this from everybody concerned.

MABUSE: The release of the video sparked protests and demands that tough action be taken against those responsible.

(on camera): It has been condemned across the political spectrum, and the South African media are calling it an apartheid video. Now calls are being made for the imposition of civil and possibly even criminal charges against those involved to send a clear message that racial abuse will not be tolerated in today's south Africa.

(voice-over): The students responsible have not been named by the university, but officials say the two who are still studying there have been prohibited from coming on to the campus, pending internal disciplinary action. The university official said criminal charges would be filed. The students have made no public statements. But there are now fears that the damage has been done, that the video may further exacerbate race relations in a country that is still healing from a brutally racist past.

Nkepile Mabuse, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A quick update to that story now. We have just into the NEWSROOM from South African Press Association. Two students involved in the making of the have now apologized. In a statement released by their lawyers, the student said they acted without malicious intent. They also expressed sorrow for the embarrassment they may have caused any individual or group.

(NEWSBREAK)

COLLINS: Ride of a lifetime. A Tampa police officer dragged about half a mile, clinging to the car of the fleeing suspect.

Carol Minn with Bay News 9 has the harrowing story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL MINN, BAY NEWS 9 REPORTER (voice-over): This is the Tampa Police chopper video of a pursuit that began around 11:00 Sunday evening. What you can barely see through the infrared camera is an officer holding on for dear life.

OFFICER KIET TRUONG, TAMPA, FLA. POLICE: Because we were going pretty fast, and I wasn't going to let go. I wasn't going to let him hit a vehicle on the left side, because I was going to be dead then, too.

MINN: Officer Kiet Truong spoke to the public for the first time about his close call. Truong had pulled over LeGrand Pratt Jr. of North Carolina. He saw Pratt reach for the ignition, so Truong treechd in to turn the car off. That's when what you see on this video happened. The suspect sped off with the officer hanging on.

TRUOUNG: I just grabbed on to whatever I could and jumped into the vehicle.

MINN: Officer Truong held the driver's open and used his left arm to steer the car toward the middle of the road. His right arm was lost between the steering wheel and Pratt's body.

TRUOUNG: I was a little scared and -- well, a lot scared. And basically, I just trying to keep him from running off on the left side, hitting -- he was trying to hit some telephone poles.

MINN: Officer Truong held on to the car for about four blocks.

TRUOUNG: I don't know if he pushed me out or jerked the vehicle so -- all I know is I went flying out. MINN: Even then Officer Truong wasn't about to let the suspect get away. His partner, Officer David Bradley, was close behind.

TRUONG: I'm amazed I jumped up and got in the car with Dave and started chasing him again.

MINN: Truoung says, thinking back may have done something differently, but he can't think of what that might have been.

TRUOUNG: The whole thing was crazy. It's the worst 30 seconds of my life, basically. It's just scary.

MINN (on camera): Evidence of the police chase remains here at the corner of Braddock Street and Heinz Avenue near Raymond James Stadium. Officer Truong plans to return to duty by this weekend.

Reporting in Tampa, Carol Minn, Bay News 9.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: He learned the Heimlich and kept it in the back of his head.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I kept it in there for like two years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Playground lifesaver, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Federal investigators are trying to figure out what caused a fiery plane crash in Riverside, California. All three people in the single-engine plane were killed. It went down last night in a neighborhood south of the Riverside Airport shortly after takeoff. The plane hit a small car, but no one was inside and no one on the ground was hurt. Fire officials say the pilot did an amazing job avoiding houses.

No. 2 in waiting, a popular governor could try to deliver his state to John McCain in November by agreeing to move to Washington.

Here now is CNN's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He calls himself the people's governor and with near 70 percent approval ratings, Charlie Crist can.

GOV. CHARLIE CRIST (R), FLORIDA: See, we've got the manatees over there. ZARRELLA: The 51-year-old white-haired Florida governor has gone after insurance companies over high rates, engineered the passage of a property tax reduction amendment, preached going green, right down to solar heating his own swimming pool.

CRIST: I've just about convinced my father in St. Petersburg to do the same thing. His pool (ph) isn't heated.

ZARRELLA: And now, Crist, only one year into his first term, could be on John McCain's short list for vice president.

(on camera): If you were asked, what would you say?

CRIST: Well, I've got to continue to work hard as the governor of Florida and I haven't been asked, so it's really kind of moot at this point.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Clearly, he's in play. Few people have been more instrumental in getting McCain to the threshold of the Republican party nomination. Days before the Florida primary, McCain was in a dead heat with Mitt Romney and losing ground. Crist, against the advice of some advisers, endorsed the senator.

CRIST: I did receive advice all over the map, like anybody does in life, I'm sure. And, but, you know, my conclusion was, this is a great man. He's been a great leader. He's a true American patriot. I think the world of him. I just like the guy, frankly.

ZARRELLA: He campaigned with McCain for three days.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Say hi to the governor and maybe he'll pardon me some day.

ZARRELLA: McCain won by five points, instantly becoming the frontrunner.

CRIST: In some small way, an endorsement here or there helps him along the way and along his journey, so be it.

ZARRELLA: Crist's critics say the governor is too centrist, he's too much like McCain to help much outside of Florida. But even an Obama superdelegate says a Crist vice presidency would virtually give Florida to the Republican.

ALLAN KATZ, OBAMA SUPERDELEGATE: I think what happens is is that if Charlie Crist is on the ticket, it may well take Florida out of play. Now, that's not my true (ph) decision to make, you know, but it just -- if you start looking at things and you suddenly say, OK, do I have to spend $30 million here or do I want to spend $30 million in Ohio.

ZARRELLA: On the ticket or not, the man who calls himself the people's governor says, come November, he will deliver the people of Florida for McCain.

John Zarrella, CNN, Tallahassee, Florida. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A number of charities are beginning to focus on the housing crisis now. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details on this.

Hi there, Susan.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COLLINS: Boy had his friend back. An eight-year-old uses the heimlich maneuver to save a life.

Reporter Mark Johnson of affiliate KTXA has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn't look like a snake.

MARK JOHNSON, KTXA REPORTER (voice-over): Eight-year-old Corbin Warren doesn't think of himself as a hero.

CORBIN WARREN, SAVED HIS FRIEND'S LIFE: I didn't want him to die. He was my friend.

JOHNSON: That friend was in trouble Friday afternoon at this day care playground. A rock somehow lodged in his throat.

C. WARREN: He was going down the slide. And then I said, are you choking? And then he nodded. So, I gave him the heimlich. After when I -- he spitted out that rock, I said, you OK? He went and got a drink and he said I'm OK.

JOHNSON: That's right. Little Corbin learned the life-saving maneuver from watching his mom teach it to Girl Scouts.

C. WARREN: I didn't have to right anything down. I kept it in my brain. I kept it in there for like two years.

JOHNSON: Corbin's now a Cub Scout and was honored by the Hazelot (ph) Fire Department for his good deed.

GENE WARREN, CORBIN'S FATHER: It makes you feel good. You know, makes you feel like a proud parent when he does something right.

JOHNSON: Corbin's still not sure what all the fuss is about. He's just glad his friend's still around.

C. WARREN: It's not about living. It's not about dying. It's about living and taking care of people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Yes, pretty insightful for an eight-year-old.

That guy is probably most likely the next president of Russia. Pardon me. What is his name again?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Metavedev (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mecdev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medvedich.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medevich.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medevich.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: They're not the only ones having a hard time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Funky music, isn't it? Well, you already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. until noon Eastern. But did you know you can take us with you anywhere on your iPod? The CNN NEWSROOM podcast available 24/7 right on your iPod.

I wonder what is it. 70s, 80s, early 80s, maybe? I don't know.

Tongue-tied over a name. The man likely to be Russia's next president is tripping up U.S. candidates and just about everybody else, including our Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Name that leader.

(on camera): What is the name of the incoming expected leader of Russia?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Medvedev or something like that, beginning with an M, M-E-D-O -- you going to start (ph) filming with this?.

MOOS (voice-over): Hey, we didn't soccer (ph). Tim Russert did. Actually, he didn't address the question to either candidate specifically.

TIM RUSSERT, NBC HOST: It was a toss-up. She jumped at the chance to answer it.

What can you tell me about the man who's going to be Mr. Putin's successor?

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I can tell you that he's a hand-picked successor.

MOOS: But that wasn't the part that got noticed.

RUSSERT: Do you know his name? CLINTON: Med -- Medvedev, whatever.

RUSSERT: Yes.

MOOS: Whatever is this guy, Vladimir Putin's pal expected to be elected president of Russia Sunday. Hillary's ever so slight stumble ...

CLINTON: Medvedev.

MOOS: ...was echoed by many folks not running for president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Medvedev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medvedev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medvedev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medvedev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medvedev.

MOOS: Better check the voice of America Pronunciation Guide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medvedev.

MOOS (on camera): Full disclosure, I did not know his name. I only knew it began with an M. I had to Google it and I still can't pronounce it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dmitry Medvedev.

MOOS (voice-over): Now, Hillary's slip up has hit the Web, dubbed by some, Hillary's W. moment, a reference to the time George W. Bush, then a presidential candidate, was asked who the president of Pakistan was.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can name the general.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is?

BUSH: General.

MOOS: From General Musharraf to Iran's President Ahmadinejad, President Bush has struggled.

BUSH: Until Ahmadinejad came in prior to the election of Ahmadinejad.

MOOS: Now, silver-tongued Barack Obama occasionally messes up.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President of Canada.

MOOS: Only Canada has a prime minister, not a president. Maybe it's lucky for Obama that Tim Russert didn't call on him.

RUSSERT: When I put the question out there, they both looked at me and then Senator Obama looked at her.

MOOS: Let her answer that one. And when it was his turn ...

RUSSERT: Senator Obama, do you know anything about him?

OBAMA: Well, the -- I think Senator Clinton speaks accurately about him.

MOOS: Except for that tongue twisting name that never escaped Obama's lips. Better ask a Russian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medvedev.

MOOS (on camera): Medvedev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medvedev. Medvedev, it means the beer, the beer guy because ...

MOOS: Beer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...Medvedev is a beer -- bear.

MOOS: Bear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bear.

MOOS (voice-over): If you can't bear trying to pronounce it, then someone asks, name that leader, try this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the name that Hillary Clinton said (INAUDIBLE) about last night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, he's cute.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: CNN NEWSROOM continues just one hour from now. "FINANCIAL SECURITY WATCH" with Gerri Willis is coming up next. She'll be taking your phone calls and e-mails.

I'm Heidi Collins. We'll see you tomorrow, everybody.

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