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Pressure Primaries: Ohio, Texas Votes Loom Large; Young Voters Getting Involved; Study: Snoring Linked to Heart Disease

Aired March 03, 2008 - 10:59   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Presidential politics. The pressure builds. Today the top four candidates are focusing on the delegate- rich states of Texas and Ohio. Primaries there tomorrow, and in Vermont and Rhode Island.
Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton is looking to interrupt Barack Obama's momentum. He's won the last 11 state contests and leads her by about 100 delegates, according to our estimate.

John McCain pulls a staggering lead over Mike Huckabee, but Huckabee says he's staying in the race.

Hillary Clinton is gathering her troops in Ohio now. Here's a bit of what she had to say last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we know how important it is that Ohio have a president, who, as the governor says, is a fighter, is a doer, is a champion for the people of Ohio. And what I want to ask you to consider, as you move toward this important primary election choice tomorrow, is who would you hire for this job?

You know, in elections you can vote for or against a person based on anything. And that's our right. You know, in our system nobody's vote is more valuable than anybody else's, which is why it was so important that you threw out the Republicans in '06, so we can be sure your vote counts in '08 here in Ohio.

(APPLAUSE)

But as you think about this election, I want you to imagine that when the next president is inaugurated on January 20, 2009, less than a year from now, waiting in that Oval Office is going to be a stack of problems. You know, we are going to have to go in and clean up after George Bush. And I don't know about you, but it took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, it's going to take a Clinton to clean up after the second Bush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And things are again getting nasty between Clinton and Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, I have to say, when it came to making the most important foreign policy decision of our generation, the decision to invade Iraq, Senator Clinton got it wrong. She didn't read the national intelligence estimates. Jay Rockefeller read it, but she didn't read it.

(APPLAUSE)

I don't know what all that experience got her, because I have enough experience to know that if you have a natural intelligence estimate and the chairman of the national -- chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says you should read this, this is why I'm voting against the war, that you should probably read it. I don't know how much experience you need for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: We have CNN crews deployed across the country from tomorrow's battleground states to the nation capital. The best political team on television brings you the most extensive coverage.

The undecided crowd in Ohio. Well, there's enough of you out there to tip the scales to either Democrat.

Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley is on the phone now from Cleveland.

Hello once again, Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.

You're right. I mean, these undecideds, as usual, because this race has been so close throughout, really hold the key. So you should hear the intensity. And I think you heard a little bit of it in those sound bites that you just played.

The intensity is huge, but particularly here in Ohio, where polls show Hillary Clinton is ahead, but not by as much as there are undecided voters. So the stakes are very high for her particularly. Her husband has said if she does not win Ohio and Texas, she won't win the nomination.

Add into this the fact that in Ohio, where jobs are probably the issue, where they consider NAFTA, the North America Free Trade Agreement, to be a four-letter word, there has been a lot of back-and- forth between these two candidates about who is the most against NAFTA. We now have into this mix, Heidi, a memo that has surfaced which indicates that a top official in the Obama campaign met with a consulate official from the Canadian Embassy in Chicago, and talked about NAFTA and seemed to imply that what the Canadians were hearing from Barack Obama should be looked at in a -- in a political way, as opposed to really how he felt about policy.

This will be a huge story today. I can assure you the Obama camp says that is not what the official talked about at all. But there have been denials. It's been going on for about a week, but now this memo has surfaced, picked up by The Associated Press.

So look for more of that today -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, I imagine we'll have a lot of these stories fighting through right before the primary tomorrow.

CNN's Candy Crowley.

Thanks so much, on the phone from Cleveland for us.

And to the Republican race. Now, the numbers suggest the nomination is wrapped up, but Mike Huckabee says not so fast. He says the nation's most Republican state must weigh in.

CNN's Mary Snow is in Houston now to give us a wrap of the GOP front-runner.

Hi there, Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Heidi.

And you know, on the Republican side, you don't have that intensity that Candy was just talking about on the Democratic side. But certainly there is a fight going on.

We're in Houston, where Mike Huckabee is going to be attending a rally here later tonight. And he has stacked his schedule today with about 10 events, really trying to make a push here in Texas to put a dent in Senator John McCain's momentum, although it appears inevitable that Senator McCain will become the Republican nominee. He's certainly hoping to wrap that up tomorrow with four contests.

But Mike Huckabee is trying to make a stand here. And he got a bit of a boost yesterday.

"The Dallas Morning News" reemphasized its endorsement of Mike Huckabee. It initially endorsed him back in December.

Again, yesterday, had an editorial saying, you know, it's probably most likely that John McCain will get the nomination, but it believes, it says, that a vote for Mike Huckabee is a vote for the Republican Party future. And that's something that Mike Huckabee talked about on CNN this morning, saying he believes that it's important to have a voice for Republicans, particularly on conservative issues, such as abortion. He's also strongly opposed to same-sex marriage.

Those are some of the points that he's been making out here on the campaign trail this morning. He started his day out in Dallas, and particularly appealing to young people, reaching out to them.

He had a rally at Southern Methodist University, saying he is not going to get out of the race until someone gets 1,191 delegates on the Republican side. He's making a point of saying pledged delegates, and clearly Senator John McCain is hoping to become the Republican nominee shortly. He had a down weekend this weekend. He was in his home in Arizona. Yesterday he even held a barbecue for reporters in Arizona.

He's going to be traveling here to Texas later today. And you know, clearly, Heidi, he's been looking forward to the general election, just hearing what he has to say on the campaign trail as he takes on Senator Obama and Senator Clinton.

COLLINS: Yes. Mary, I quickly want to ask you about something that I heard from one of the analysts saying, that one of the reasons why Huckabee is staying in all of this is kind of for the sake of history, that he wants to be known as the number two.

He doesn't want this campaign to be remembered as McCain/Romney, Romney coming in as the number two nomination. He wants to be remembered as him, Mike Huckabee.

SNOW: Yes, that is something that has been talked about, that he wanted to get enough delegates to come ahead of Mitt Romney. You know, there was bitter rivalry there when Mitt Romney was in this race.

But also something that is also being talked about is the fact that, you know, Mike Huckabee has an appeal with evangelicals. And perhaps after this race, that he may emerge as a voice for evangelical leaders, because there seems to be somewhat of a vacuum. And he is clearly looking to the future of the Republican Party, and he wants to have a say in the Republican Party no matter what happens tomorrow.

COLLINS: All right. We are watching all of it.

Thanks so much, Mary Snow, coming to us live from Houston this morning.

The pulse of voters -- CNN stacked up the latest polls and crunched all the numbers in Texas. Now, there were five recent surveys of likely primary voters.

According to our poll of polls, Obama still holds a slight lead over Clinton, 47 percent to 45 percent. Eight percent though said they were still undecided.

Then when you look at Ohio, four surveys there. They show Clinton at 48 percent, Obama at 43 percent, and 9 percent undecided.

Many of you in tomorrow's primary states didn't wait to cast your ballots. In fact, here's a look at early voting in Ohio. These I- Report pictures sent to us by Michael Candelori at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

We are, of course, counting on you to help us out tomorrow. So just log on to the I-Report page on CNN.com and send us your pictures and videos from your polling place.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Young voters, why are they so energized? I'll talk to a Rock the Vote organizer coming up in just a couple minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

COLLINS: Young voters getting involved and possibly making the difference in the close race among Democrats.

Heather Smith is the executive director of Rock the Vote. She's joining us from Los Angeles this morning.

Heather, good morning to you.

Let's get right to it. Texas and Ohio tomorrow, what kind of turnout are you expecting from the young voter?

HEATHER SMITH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ROCK THE VOTE: Well, we've seen increased turnout in every single early primary and caucus contest so far in 2008. And not just increase, but double, triple, quadruple what it was four years ago. And even just like early voting returns in Ohio and Texas, we're seeing the same thing happening in those states. And all signs point to really significantly increased turnout in the elections tomorrow.

COLLINS: Any idea where that young voter will have more significance, more impact, whether it be Texas or Ohio?

SMITH: You know, I really don't know. I think both places, there's a huge population of young people. And it's really where the candidates are reaching out, talking to them about issues that we'll see young people respond.

COLLINS: And so do you think of the thousands of young voters that I imagine you have spoken with directly, do they really feel like the candidates are speaking to them?

SMITH: Yes, it's a really different scenario. I mean, we have about 91,000 activists in those two states alone who have been calling each other, doing peer-to-peer organizing, using their cell phone to text message and share information, knocking on doors, handing out flyers. And the response -- I've been out there with them in both states, and we're really seeing that they're not only engaging each other, but they're feeling like the campaigns, for really the first time, are coming to campus as well, are talking to them about their issues, are talking about things like college affordability and health care.

COLLINS: What about the voters themselves? I mean, do they sometimes feel intimidated by this whole voting process?

SMITH: Yes, they're new voters. And they're first-time voters. It's a very new process.

And at Rock the Vote, I mean, we see our role as bringing new people into the process. So we've run massive registration drives all around the country. And when we simplify the process and we make the registration form one page and we bring it online, our registration rates go through the roof.

In fact, four years ago we registered about 12,000 people at this point in the campaign. Today we've registered over half a million young people because we simplified the registration process. And I think the more information we provide, the easier we make the process for young people, the higher turnout will go.

COLLINS: Well, tell us a little bit more about this Texas turnout campaign that you guys are doing. If people are interested and they want to get involved in that, what do they do?

SMITH: They should just go to rockthevote.com and sign up. And what we're doing is we're know that peer-to-peer communication is the best way to turn out young voters.

We've proven repeatedly that a text message reminder on Election Day has a significant increase or impact on turnout. And so we're asking all of our activists and anyone around the country -- well, actually in Ohio and in Texas...

COLLINS: Right.

SMITH: ... to sign up. We'll send them a text message about where to go, where your polling place is, what the hours are, and then they can pass those on to their friends in those states.

COLLINS: Looking ahead to the general election, what does Rock the Vote have planned to really keep the interest in the young voter?

SMITH: Yes. So we'll continue to register young people in record numbers. We've set a goal to run the largest youth voter registration campaign in history.

Our goal is to register two million young people ages 18-29, and then educate them about the process, give them activities that they can take to stay engaged into the campaigns, and ultimately turn them out to the polls. And if things keep going the way they are, which we believe they will just based on the polling that we've done and the work we've seen on the ground, we really expect this to be the highest turnout ever for young people since they won the right to vote.

COLLINS: Yes, it's really interesting.

All right. Heather Smith from Rock the Vote. That's Rock the Young Vote, to be specific.

SMITH: That's right.

COLLINS: Thanks so much, Heather.

SMITH: Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: Do you snore? Well, you could actually be at greatest risk for heart disease.

We'll tell you why in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Some 40 million Americans have sleep problems. That's according to the National Institutes of Health. How you sleep and how long say a lot.

Let's turn now to our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The CDC study just came out that said fewer and fewer Americans are getting six hours. Even just six hours.

COLLINS: Six. Yes, forget eight.

COHEN: More -- right, forget eight. More and more are getting fewer than six hours. And experts say we need seven to nine. And that's a problem not just because you're grumpy, you've got -- that's bad.

COLLINS: No. Never grumpy.

COHEN: Not you. I don't mean you. I don't mean you.

COLLINS: Never.

COHEN: No, I was just listing a personal thing. Everyone's grumpy when they don't get enough sleep.

COLLINS: Sure.

COHEN: But it also can make you more vulnerable to getting all sorts of diseases. So let's take a look at what researchers have found, disease that are linked to not getting enough sleep.

Heart disease, diabetes, obesity and depression, all of those, you've got more of a chance of getting those diseases if you don't get enough sleep. I mean, obesity again, sort of just instinctively you sort of know that if you don't get enough sleep, you're kind of eating more. But really, studies have shown that not getting enough sleep can make you fat.

COLLINS: Yes. And you're not going to feel like working out either if you...

COHEN: Right, if you're exhausted, right.

COLLINS: But there was something else in this study, took, about snoring, right?

COHEN: Right. There was another study about snowing that was really fascinating.

They looked at -- again, instinctively, people know that if you don't -- if you snore you're not getting enough sleep. You might be at more of a risk for getting certain diseases. But this actually quantified it, and the numbers are really pretty staggering. Let's take a look at them.

If you snore loudly, you've got a 40 percent increased risk of getting high blood pressure, 34 percent more likely to have a heart attack, and 67 percent more likely to have a stroke. And researchers...

COLLINS: Wow.

COHEN: ... aren't sure why, but they think one of the reasons is that if you snore loudly, there's a good chance you've got sleep apnea, and you're not taking in enough oxygen. That's not a good thing. We need oxygen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Yes, we need oxygen.

I should say, to get a better night's sleep, go to bed at the same time every night. Try to the to be hungry or stuffed when you hit the hay. And if you want to stop snoring, they recommend losing weight if you are overweight. And sleeping on your side.

To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness. The address, CNN.com/health.

Jail doors swinging open for thousands of hardened drug criminals? New crack cocaine sentencing rules. A reality check ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: 11:30 Eastern Time now.

Pressure building for tomorrow's critical primaries. Voters in four states to get their chance to weigh in on the presidential race.

We'll see ballots cast in Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and Texas. Right now polls show Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama locked in tight races in the big states. Clinton is making a final push in Ohio today before heading to Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: This is not supposed to be a race to the bottom. We're supposed to be lifting up other people around the world to have a better life. And specifically on NAFTA, I don't just criticize it, and I don't have my campaign go tell a foreign government behind closed doors: that's just politics, don't pay any attention. I tell you what I mean. I think we've got to renegotiate NAFTA.

And what I'm going to do is make it very clear, we need core labor and environmental standards. We need to end the provision that let's foreign companies sue to overturn protections for the environment and our workers here in the United States. And we need to enforce all of these trade agreements. That's why I've called for a trade prosecutor, somebody who will, day in and day out, say to these foreign countries: wait a minute, you're not following the rules.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Obama is trying to solidify his standing in Texas with several events there today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Clinton has been running around telling people that our entire campaign, according to her, is only based on the fact that I gave a speech in opposition to the war in Iraq from the start. That that is the only basis of my campaign and that, on the other hand, she has, supposedly, all this vast foreign policy experience.

Now, I have to say, when it came to making the most important foreign policy decision of our generation, the decision to invade Iraq, Senator Clinton got it wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: On the Republican side, John McCain laid low this weekend, staying in his home state of Arizona. That left the Texas campaign trail wide open for Mike Huckabee. He spent the entire weekend stumping there.

Plenty of you will cast your ballot tomorrow based on your wallet. CNN senior business correspondent, Ali Velshi, is covering America with the CNN Election Express. Today he is in the Texas town of Junction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We're here in the town of Junction, Texas, which is just on the edge of west Texas. Population around here is about 2500. There's some industry here, but this town is largely dependent on its abundant water, so there's a lot of visiting. There are also a lot of people who come in here for hunting season.

So we've been talking to people about the kind of town it is and the kind of issues that they face. Here's what they told me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like gas prices is going affect Junction for -- our biggest season is hunting season and in our summer season, people come here to float the river. And if gas prices are too high people won't be able to afford to go on vacation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My work truck, I don't pay for gas in it. And I drive it every day. But on my own personal cars and trucks, stuff, it's, you know, I spend $100 just to fill one truck up. And I've got three of them. And I don't -- it's the talk of the town. VELSHI: Now there are some issues that are permeating all through Texas. Inflation and gas prices do tend to be at the top of the list. There are some people in Texas who do well off of the price of the oil, particularly in the oil fields or in the investment community or in Houston, where all that oil money goes. But most people are finding that the benefit of the oil -- the price of oil to Texas is being offset by the high prices that they are paying.

Across Texas, the economy is No. 1 amongst Democrats. Health care is a very big issue. And amongst Republicans, the border issues and immigration does tend to play out as well.

We're going to continue our journey across Texas and we'll be in a little town where we're going to hear people talking about how they're going to vote for the primary and we're going to watch them as they watch the results coming in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Texas and Ohio, the primary focus heading into Tuesday's voting. But don't forget Rhode Island.

Here's CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, part of the best political team on television.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (on-camera): You want to know how tight this Democratic race is? Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are fighting over Rhode Island.

(voice-over): Is Rhode Island worth fighting over? The state has only 32 delegates. And it's supposed to be Clinton territory.

PROF. DARRELL WEST, BROWN UNIVERSITY: Both she and Bill spent a lot of time here. They've made almost annual pilgrimages to this state. Much of the state's political establishment supports Hillary Clinton.

SCHNEIDER: Last weekend, Hillary Clinton showed up in Rhode Island.

H. CLINTON: I love Rhode Island. I've been here many times.

SCHNEIDER: But guess who showed up on Saturday and spoke in the same arena to an audience three times as large as Clinton's?

OBAMA: Thank you, Rhode Island.

SCHNEIDER: Does Obama really believe he has a chance in Rhode Island? It's the most Catholic state in the union, and Catholic voters have tended to favor Hillary Clinton in primary after primary. The latest Rhode Island poll shows Clinton with a single-digit lead over Obama.

Obama senses an opportunity to score an upset. And Rhode Island voters are thrilled by all the attention.

WEST: There's a tremendous amount of excitement. Rhode Island often is the "off-Broadway" venue. But in this presidential campaign, we are right in the middle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the my 14 years I have never seen Rhode Island be relevant in the primaries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's more national attention here, for this primary, than we've ever had in all the years that I've been voting.

SCHNEIDER: What's at stake in Rhode Island? For Hillary Clinton, everything.

WEST: I think Hillary Clinton does have to win Rhode Island because in terms of the politics and the topography of this state, it's tailor made for her. If she cannot win in Rhode Island, she's not going to be the next nominee in the Democratic Party.

SCHNEIDER (on-camera): Rhode Island is not a swing state. It's the most reliably Democratic state in the country. If Hillary Clinton loses Rhode Island, it means she's lost the Democratic base.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Providence, Rhode Island.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Stay with CNN for unmatched political coverage throughout the day and maybe some new hats, too. We have much more as we look ahead to tomorrow's critical primaries. Join us for the CNN Ballot Bowl today at noon, Eastern.

Back here at home, thousands of drug criminals back on the streets today. New crack cocaine sentencing rules take effect.

CNN's Kelli Arena has a reality check.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: This is the day the Justice Department has been warning about; when the jails start opening their doors releasing up to 20,000 hardened drug criminals into society. A nightmare scenario.

DEBORAH RHODES, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: The concern that so many people would be released all at once, people who have shown that they are repeat offenders. And without the possibility, in many cases, of any kind of transition or re-entry program to bring them from prison back to the streets.

ARENA: OK. That's the nightmare. But the reality is far less terrifying. According to the U.S. sentencing commission, of those 20,000, only 1,600 are immediately eligible to apply for early release. And most of them are not career criminals. Take Burton Hagwood, for example. He's already served more than seven years. A 60-year-old amputee, his wife says he hardly poses a threat to society. She asked us not to show her face for fear of community backlash.

V. HAGWOOD, PRISONER'S WIFE: He wants to come back to the community and he also wants to help the community. He plans on doing some paralegal work when he gets out. So he would be an asset.

ARENA: Public defender, Michael Nachmanoff, has filed motions for more than a dozen inmates who qualify for possible early release. He says judges have a great deal of discretion to decide what the term "released" really means.

MICHAEL NACHMANOFF, FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER: But they can also impose intermediate protections as well, or refer someone to a halfway house or to home confinement for some period of time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: An added protection for the public, the Bureau of Prisons has asked judges to give it at least ten days to notify victims, witnesses and law enforcement. That's so they can prepare for the weight (ph) even if it turns out to be a trickle.

Developing this hour. Luxury homes burning. Are radical environmentalists behind these fires? An update from the scene, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Luxury homes up in flames outside Seattle. The fire chief says a critical clue may have been left behind. We want to go directly to the scene now. Reporter Tim Robinson, of our affiliate KING, is joining us now with an update.

Boy, the pictures we've been getting out of here, Tim, unbelievable.

TIM ROBINSON, KING REPORTER: Yes, we thought they were pretty unbelievable, too, Heidi. Because these flames burned very hot and very fast and they were allowed to burn because firefighters thought that there may be some booby traps set inside.

One of the reasons is there was a sign left. Now I'm at this place called Quinn's Crossing (ph). Of the three homes that burned, none of them were occupied. In fact, none of the five were burned. They're part of something called "Street of Dreams." It's an annual event where people pay money to tour these very beautiful, nice homes. The money goes to charity.

Well it is a development, called Quinn's Crossing. There are parcels for sale. But somebody apparently didn't think any of these homes should have been here and that's why these were arson set fires.

There was a sign that was left behind that said "Built green, nope, black. McMansions and RCDs" -- that's rural cluster developments -- "McMansions and RCDs are not green." And it was signed by E.L.F., Earth Liberation Front.

This is a group that has taken responsibility in the past for setting some fires like this in the Oregon area, in the Pacific Northwest, in Washington, as far down as Salt Lake City, where there is a trial that's coming up in March. There is a trial that starts today for somebody who affiliated themselves in the past with E.L.F. He's been in prison up in Canada. He's going on trial, has been extradited to Oregon. And he's going on trial today.

But again, back here near the Seattle area we're about 25 miles northeast. These three homes called the "Street of Dreams" were completely destroyed after being set on fire around 5:00 this morning. And they kept burning and were allowed to burn for fear of booby traps inside, which never came true.

They were allowed to burn. They're just about out right now and the rain has started. So that's the situation from here -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, very familiar with the group from the two E.L.F. lodge incidents that happened in Vail, Colorado back in '98. I was out there reporting in Colorado when that happened. And the point with this group then, Tim, was to keep Vail, the ski resort, from expanding. They didn't want them to take up any more, I guess, of the green space, if you will.

But with this, are they just saying they don't want any more homes built period?

ROBINSON: Well what they're saying is that these were supposed to be green built homes --

COLLINS: Right.

ROBINSON: -- Which the developer said they were, but ELF, or at least the person who wrote that sign said, well, no, they weren't. He called them black homes, juxtaposing that with the idea of green homes. Said no, they're not green built, these are black.

I was in these homes last fall just after they were built. And there were many, many green elements to them that I did see. Now, as far as being green enough for an extreme environmentalist, not so sure on that count. But regardless of what it is, nothing justifies torching these three beautiful homes.

COLLINS: Yes, well you got that right. Glad no one was hurt at least so far as we know. Thanks so much. Tim Robinson, from our affiliate KING there near Seattle.

We are also following that mysterious ricin case. It started in Las Vegas with a sick man and the deadly poison found in his hotel room. Over the weekend the hunt for answers crossed the state border into Utah. The FBI and hazmat crews searched some storage units and the home where the man used to live. The FBI isn't saying whether agents found anything but the investigation is moving forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JUAN BECERRA, FBI SPOKESMAN: Our focus is still the public safety aspect of the investigation. Criminally, we cannot say one way or the other which way the investigation is going simply because we don't have that information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Meanwhile, CDC officials are in Las Vegas now at the hospital where the man is said to be in a coma. They're trying to confirm his diagnosis.

Overseas, voters pick a new president in Russia but is Vladimir Putin still calling the shots?

CNN's senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They shared a victory handshake as crowds gathered in red square to celebrate their landslide. Dmitry Medvedev was hand picked by Vladimir Putin to succeed him. His resounding win was never in doubt.

DMITRY MEDVEDEV, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): I would like to thank everybody who voted for me. I would like to thank everybody who voted for the other candidate because, together, we make almost two-thirds of the population of our country. This means that we are not indifferent towards its future and we can maintain the course that was proposed by President Putin.

AUDIENCE: Putin, Putin, Putin.

CHANCE: For Vladimir Putin, and his legions of supporters, this was a victory, too. Russia's powerful and immensely popular leader has installed a loyal ally as his successor.

PRES. VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA (through translator): This is an indication that we live in a Democratic state and our civil society is becoming efficient, responsible and active.

CHANCE: But as millions of Russians voted cross this vast country's 11 time zones, independent election observers reported that many had been pressured to vote, to boost turnout. Russian media coverage of the election campaign was slated by international monitors as heavily one-sided in favor of the Kremlin's candidate.

Russian officials, brushed aside the criticism. A high voter turnout, near 60 percent, has given the election a veneer of legitimacy.

(on-camera): Ran fair or not, another key question has yet to be answered: Who will really be in charge now Russia's presidential election is one with Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin is said to become the Prime Minister. Kremlin watchers say it could guarantee his grip on power for years to come. (voice-over): The suggestion is Putin's protege will merely be a technical president, leaving the real business of ruling Russia to his powerful prime minister. Will President Medvedev emerge from his mentor's shadow or become his puppet?

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: In the Middle East, Israeli ground troops pulled out of northern Gaza today. That ends Israel's nearly week long offensive against Palestinian rocket squads. At least 110 Palestinians have been killed since fighting broke out last Wednesday.

The assault prompted the Palestinian president to call off peace talks. Tomorrow, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits the region despite the Israeli pullout. Gaza militants are still launching rockets into southern Israel. Our correspondent in Gaza says militants fired at least 20 today. Israel warns another ground offensive is possible.

What's in a name? When it comes to this election, it depends on who you ask. CNN's Jim Acosta has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What started with an Ohio talk radio host, mocking Barack Obama's middle name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama.

ACOSTA: And ended with a fierce response from the Obama campaign.

MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: They threw in the obvious ultimate fear bomb that we've been hearing now. They said his name.

ACOSTA: Played out to a much larger audience around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Hussein Obama.

ACOSTA: For Arabs and Muslims watching the campaign unfold on the Dubai-based Al Arabiya, the name Hussein is a positive.

HISHAM MELHEM, AL ARABIYA's WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: In the Arab world and Muslim world, for someone to be named Barack Hussein Obama is a tribute even to United States.

ACOSTA: Al Arabiya's Washington bureau chief, Hisham Melhem says Arabs and Muslims are riveted by the prospect of an American president, who he believes is cut from a different cloth.

MELHAM: That's why there's almost fascination of people in the Arab and the Muslim world, as well as in other parts of the world, with this unfolding American drama. I mean, this is historic in the true sense of the word.

ACOSTA (on camera): In the Middle East, Hussein is a common name, shared not just by the ousted leader of Iraq, but also by the late King Hussein of Jordan, a strong American ally. But Arabs and Muslims see more than just a name.

JAMES ZOGBY, FOUNDER, ARAB AMERICAN INSTITUTE: It sends a message about America, the values that we have, the openness that we represent.

ACOSTA (voice-over): The president of the Arab American Institute, James Zogby, is a Democratic super delegate backing Obama. He points to Obama's keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic national convention.

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If there's an Arab- American family, being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process that threatens my civil liberties.

ZOGBY: Candidates were running away from us. And here at the podium of the Democratic convention, Barack Obama identifies with the civil liberty concerns of Arab-Americans by name. They were terribly excited. Never forgot it.

ACOSTA: These days, Arabs and Muslims not only see a candidate subjected to assaults over his name and rumors about his religion, Obama is Christian, some also see a side of America they never knew until now.

(on camera): The Arab and Muslim media are also keenly interested in the Clinton campaign. The notion of a woman president has not been lost on a region that is largely governed by men.

Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Close call, a wicked wind challenges a hotshot pilot. See the runway dual, in the NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: If your headed out on a flight today this story might zap your confidence a bit. Look at this wild landing in Hamburg, Germany. This Lufthansa Airbus fighting high winds over the weekend. One gust forcing the left wing right to the ground. The tip actually scraped the runway. The pilot pulled up and came around for another try. Much better luck the second time around. The plane down safely and no one was hurt.

High gas prices, high demand for small cars. Automakers scrambling for subcompacts.

CNN's Jim Boulden has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We introduce the 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman!

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): Forget about just small cars, it's the red-hot subcompact segment that's catching the eye in American dealerships. This chocolate-colored mini wagon was sold sight unseen before the Club Man launch party in Manhattan in February. It's small, but the Club Man is nine inches longer to lure more drivers.

LOWRI REES-JENKINS, MINI OF MANHATTAN: The customers who've originally came in to see the Mini said if it was just a tad bit bigger, accommodate a little more, then it would be perfect. We're hoping that's exactly the people we're going to capture this time.

BOULDEN: There's small and then there's the smart car. The U.S. version of the smart Fortwo launched in January. It, too, is longer than its predecessor.

DAVE SCHEMBRI, PRESIDENT, SMART USA: When the planning for the second generation started a few years ago, the U.S. market was at the forefront, and then this is a car that is right for American roads.

BOULDEN: Of course, with better gas mileage and a smaller sticker price come concerns about safety.

ADRIAN LUND, INSURANCE INST. FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: We see that your risk of dying in a motor vehicle crash, per vehicle out there, is about twice as high in the smallest vehicles.

BOULDEN: Still, subcompact sales in the United States rose by 20 percent last year, helped by the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris and GM's Aveo. For has joined the pack with the revival of its European car, known as the Fiesta, until now code named the "verve." The Fiesta has not been seen on American roads since 1980.

Chrysler plans to import Chinese-made cars by 2009. While GM is importing its popular Belgian-made Astra Opel model into the U.S., under the Saturn badge. GM spent $100 million adapting the Astra, much cheaper than designing and building a whole new subcompact model at home.

BRADLEY RUBIN, BNP PARIBAS: It's very difficult for GM, Ford or Chrysler to be profitable making these smaller vehicles, but that is what the consumer wants right now.

BOULDEN: Smart USA hopes sales will be helped with quirky extras.

SCHEMBRI: You can buy a completely new set of panels, and when the mood strikes you, you can change them out.

BOULDEN (on camera): But big vehicles like pickup trucks are still the top selling in the U.S. market, while the subcompact market still makes up just a tiny fraction of total U.S. car sales.

Jim Boulden, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now. "THE BALLOT BOWL" is coming up next so don't miss that. I'm Heidi Collins. We'll see you tomorrow, everybody.

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