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Southwest Airlines Grounds Several Planes; New York Governor Resigns; Fallout from Geraldine Ferraro's Comments; FBI Fears Man May Kill Abducted Children
Aired March 12, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: The scandal was shocking. The upshot seemed only a matter of time.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Barely 14 months after taking the oath of office, 48 hours after being exposed in a prostitution scandal, Eliot Spitzer resigns as New York governor.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN World Headquarters here in Atlanta.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in today for Kyra Phillips.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: If you have been watching CNN, you have seen the culmination of a stunning political collapse, the law and order crusader whom New Yorkers elected governor by a landslide buried by a scandal of his own making.
KEILAR: Here is what we know now. Eliot Spitzer is resigning. That is, he has resigned, but it is going to be effective Monday, that date supposedly set by his successor, New York Lieutenant Governor David Paterson. Paterson saying, "It is time for Albany to get back to work."
Now, what we don't know and what Spitzer likely doesn't know either is whether he still might face prosecution. The feds in New York say, no deal, no deal exists to close to case in exchange for Spitzer's resignation.
As you may know, the whole mess came to light when the FBI discovered Spitzer's back-channel payments to a call girl ring.
LEMON: And, Brianna, one of our very own was at his resignation today. Let's go now to our senior correspondent Allan Chernoff in New York for more on Spitzer's resignation.
You witnessed it, sir. Tell us about it.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Don, it all happened so quickly. The resignation announcement itself lasted just over two minutes. And, as you mentioned earlier, all of this has transpired in less than 48 hours.
Only Monday afternoon, we learned that Eliot Spitzer had been discovered to be a client of an international prostitution ring. And now we have the resignation from the governor, resigning in disgrace. Indeed, this is the first governor of the state of New York to be forced from office in 95 years.
I think that puts this in perspective, the magnitude of this scandal. And it is even greater, because of the fact that Eliot Spitzer, as you said, really had been an ethical crusader his entire career based upon that eight years as attorney general here in New York State.
And he came across as Mr. Clean, the man who would take down corruption on Wall Street in the health care industry, and, yes, also even within the prostitution area, and now only to learn that he had been a client of an international prostitution ring.
In resigning, the governor did say that, "I am deeply sorry I didn't live up to what was expected of me". And then he briefly said that he would be stepping down, and that, as of Monday, the lieutenant governor would be taking his place -- Don.
LEMON: So, Allan, when this broke, I remember you were reading the affidavit there, and so you know a little bit about what is going on behind the scenes, and what is in the record here. Can you say that we can expect some sort of criminal prosecution to come in this case? And, if so, how soon?
CHERNOFF: It is certainly possible. Now, we all know that clients of prostitutes, they are rarely -- not charged with crimes, even though it is illegal, but what we are talking about here as we know from that affidavit that came out -- actually came out last Thursday, but it wasn't until this Monday that we really knew client number nine in the affidavit was indeed Governor Spitzer.
He had helped to arrange for the transport of a woman from New York City to Washington, D.C., transporting a person across state lines for the purpose of prostitution, and that is a federal crime. The other possible crime here that he could be charged with is something known as financial structuring.
This involves taking amounts greater than $10,000 and breaking them up into smaller chunks, so that they will not be actually detected by federal investigators. As you know, banks these days are required to make reports of any amounts over $10,000 actually being transferred around.
And, so, it is theoretically possible he could be charged with this crime of structuring. The maximum penalty, by the way, for that is five years for every count.
LEMON: We shall see. Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff -- thank you, Allan.
KEILAR: Southwest Airlines has taken some of its planes out of service amid a federal investigation into its inspection and maintenance procedures.
Let's get now to CNN's' Drew Griffin. He has details for us.
What is going on?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, this instantly happened last night. The airline, out of an abundance of caution, pulled 44 of its planes, now, not all of them scheduled to fly, but in the 30s is the number that were supposed to fly today. It has led to some minor interruptions on the schedule, a few cancellations according to the airline.
What we are being told is that these planes had to be inspected immediately before they could fly again. That is the same kind of thing that Southwest got in big trouble for last week, fined $10.2 million after a congressional investigation actually found out that Southwest had flown dozens and dozens of planes on thousands of flights in 2006 and 2007 beyond these mandatory inspections.
Brianna, they are called airworthiness directives. These are directives from the FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration, that says, every so often, in a termed flight, you have to inspect these planes for this specific type of damage. Why? Because that type of damage led to fatality crashes in the past.
Southwest has a great maintenance record until now. It has an excellent safety record up until now, and last night the airline itself pulled 44 of its planes for these emergency inspections.
Brianna, we are told the situation is improving. The inspection on each airline takes about 90 minutes, and they are being sent back into service once they pass that inspection, but kind of a surprise move last night, a self-correcting move last night by an airline that right now is taking a lot of heat from the FAA.
KEILAR: Well, pulling these planes out also -- am I wrong? Weren't there also a few suspensions or something by Southwest Airlines?
GRIFFIN: Yes, Southwest -- last week, we had the FAA announcing one of its inspectors, its supervisors, actually, was demoted because that supervisor allowed these planes to fly beyond the mandatory inspection deadline.
Yesterday, the airline announced it put three of its employees on administrative leave, hired an outside consultant to review the maintenance inspections.
KEILAR: But, Drew, let me ask you, can this be read as Southwest Airlines admitting any culpability in this situation or no?
GRIFFIN: I am not going to read into anything right now. I think what we can read into is the fact that Southwest has taken another look at its inspections schedules and look at its fleet and decided that for some reason or another, it had to instantly ground dozens of planes.
So, obviously, that is not something an airline would willingly do unless it absolutely had to take those out of service to meet safety and/or legal requirements. So, this is a bit of a surprise move. But, again, it was directed by the airline of itself as the airline continues to review its entire maintenance schedule.
KEILAR: Special investigations unit correspondent, Drew Griffin, for us -- thanks.
LEMON: Let's look at some live pictures here of a lovely day in Washington, D.C. You see the American flag there blowing just in front of the Capitol there, but it is much calmer there now than a couple of hours ago.
A small plane entered the very restricted airspace over the city shortly this afternoon. The Coast Guard scrambled helicopters, and several Capitol Hill buildings were evacuated just as a precaution. And we know now that the plane, well, it landed in Virginia. The pilot is having a chat with authorities. And the word in D.C. is that it is all clear.
KEILAR: Former Democratic vice presidential hopeful Geraldine Ferraro is standing by her comments, her controversial comments, about Barack Obama. Ferraro says she is not taking back her recent remarks that Obama's success in the presidential race is due in part to the fact that he is black.
Obama is accusing Ferraro of what he calls slice-and-dice politics. But Ferraro says Obama's campaign has twisted her comments, and earlier today, she remained defiant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERALDINE FERRARO, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN: The spin on the words has that somehow I was addressing his qualifications. I was not. I was celebrating the fact that the black community in this country has come out with a pride in a historic candidacy and is has shown itself at the polls.
You would think he would say, yes, thank you for doing that. That is the kind of thing that we want to say thank you to the community. Instead, I am charged with being a racist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Geraldine Ferraro is a member of Hillary Clinton's campaign finance committee and a fund-raiser for her campaign. Senator Clinton is downplaying the controversy over Ferraro's remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I don't agree with that. And I think it's important that we try to stay focused on the issues that matter to the American people. And both of us have had supporters and staff members who have gone over the line. And we have to rein them in and try to keep this on the issues. There are big differences between us on the issues, and let's stay focused on that. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: An Obama spokesman says that Clinton campaign is not living up to the standards set by the Obama team. Last week, an Obama adviser resigned after describing Hillary Clinton as a -- quote -- "monster."
Barack Obama is celebrating yesterday's primary win in Mississippi. He cruised to victory with 61 percent oft vote, to Hillary Clinton's 37 percent. The state's 33 delegates will be divided proportionally.
Obama says it is premature to talk about who will be on the Democratic ticket, but, last night, on CNN, he was asked about running alongside Hillary Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I am the nominee, then I am going to go through the process of figuring out what vice president would be most able to continue with those same themes if something happened to me, who could lead the country, who could serve as commander in chief.
And, obviously, Senator Clinton is a very capable person. And, as I have said before, she would be on anybody's short list.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Let's take a quick look now at where things stand in the race for the Democratic nomination, including results from the Texas caucuses and yesterday's Mississippi primaries.
CNN estimating that Senator Obama leads the delegate race with 1,611, Senator Clinton close behind with 1,480. And the total needed to clinch the party's nomination, of course, that remains at 2,025.
And all of the latest campaign news available your fingertips. Check it out at CNNPolitics.com. Plus, you will find analysis from the very best political team on television -- that and more. Just go to CNNPolitics.com.
LEMON: Well, the CENTCOM commander, four-star Admiral William Fallon, well, he is stepping down, retiring over what he calls an embarrassing incident with a major American magazine. The allegation is, he won't fall in line with the White House.
CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre joins us now to talk about that.
Jamie, big fallout there.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, the Pentagon sources confirm that Admiral Fallon was encouraged to step down after a series of press reports, and "Esquire" magazine story being only the latest one, portrayed Fallon as opposing President Bush on Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice-over): Admiral William "Fox" Fallon's 41-year career and his term as top U.S. commander for Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East was brought to a crashing halt by this profile in April's "Esquire," magazine which portrayed Fallon as brazenly challenging his commander in chief in opposing war with Iran.
"He is that rarest of creatures in the Bush universe, the good cop on Iran," the article asserts, adding, "He might not get away with it for much longer. President Bush is not accustomed to a subordinate who speaks his mind as freely as Fallon does."
Fallon's boss, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, insists there was no pressure from the White House and that he only informed President Bush, who was traveling, after Gates decided to accept Fallon's offer to step aside.
ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Admiral Fallon reach this difficult decision entirely on his own. I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are, in fact, significant differences between his views and administration policy.
MCINTYRE: Fallon issued a statement from his Central Command headquarters in Tampa, saying in part: "Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect have become a distraction at a critical time. And, although I don't believe there have ever been any differences, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve."
While Fallon says the decision to step down is aimed at removing a distraction, it does just the opposite, reinforcing the perception he was pushed aside because he opposed attacking Iran.
GATES: The notion that -- that this decision portends anything in terms of a change in Iran policy is, to quote myself, ridiculous.
MCINTYRE: But Fallon's abrupt resignation is already giving ammunition to the administration's sharpest critics, such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said, "I'm concerned the resignation of Admiral Fallon is yet another example that independence and a frank, open airing of experts' views are not welcomed in this administration."
Insiders say what got Fallon into trouble was not his private advice, but public statements that sometimes came off as dismissive of U.S. policy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: Today, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said President Bush has always encouraged, fostered an environment of robust and healthy debate and solicited views that sometimes dissented from his own. But Dana Perino said -- quote -- "It is critical an administration speak with one voice." And she said, if there is a perception that they are not speaking with one voice, then that is a problem.
And Don, that is the problem that ensnared Admiral William Fallon.
LEMON: CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie, thanks, as always.
KEILAR: Before he was a governor of New York, he was a proud and capable crime fighter. We will hear more about Eliot Spitzer from an author who wrote about his climb up the political ladder.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Seventeen past the hour, just a couple of stories we are working on for you here today in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Southwest Airlines grounded eight percent of its fleet and canceled some flights today -- 44 planes -- 44 -- are out of service pending possible further safety infections. Southwest faces a possible $10 million penalty continuing -- for continuing to fly planes after missing required inspections.
Some precautionary evacuations on Capitol Hill after a private plane flew into restricted airspace. The plane later landed in Virginia, where authorities are questioning the pilot now.
A disturbing admission today at a congressional hearing into the largest beef recall in U.S. history. The head of a Southern California processing company confirmed that cows too sick to stand were slaughtered and turned into meat.
Journalist Brooke Masters reported a whole lot on Eliot Spitzer the crime fighter before he was New York's governor. She is the author of "Spoiling For a Fight: The Rise of Eliot Spitzer." And she is joining us now from London.
So, Brooke, I am just wondering, have you been in touch with either of the Spitzers, Silda or Eliot since this...
BROOKE MASTERS, AUTHOR, "SPOILING FOR A FIGHT": Not with either of them personally.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
MASTERS: I have talked to a lot of their staff, but I have not actually talked to them. I thought that was a little intrusive.
KEILAR: OK. So, but talk to me about what they are saying about the state of this couple, the state of their marriage as well?
MASTERS: Who knows what happens in a marriage of 20 years. It's pretty clear that Silda's first instinct was that Eliot ought to fight on and stay governor and accomplish the things he hoped to accomplish, which is really consistent for her, actually.
She has always encouraged his ambitions for himself. She didn't want to be a political wife. She didn't hitch herself to some rising star. She married a guy she thought was going to be a lawyer in private practice. And when then he turned out to have political ambitions, she reluctantly supported them.
But, once she did, you go in for a penny, you go in for a pound. She was totally behind him. She learned to speak in public, which she was not particularly comfortable with, in order to be better on his campaigns.
KEILAR: So, how would you characterize them in happier times? We see video of the two of them. They seem very happy. We have seen them kissing before the cameras. He is holding her hand as they go into a dinner.
They are both an accomplished couple. They seem close, but, of course, this whole scandal calls that into question. How would you characterize them before this?
MASTERS: I would have said they were a happy couple. They are well matched. They are really bright. They clearly have the same views on how to raise children.
She is actually really moderating for him. She is better with judging people. He is kind of a charge ahead, I know what is right, tough guy, which is, of course, why he is in trouble now, for hypocrisy. And she has always been the sort of gentler, more empathetic one.
And he genuinely seems to like her. I mean, he -- this is a guy whose desk is littered with photos of his kids and his wife, who talked about her a lot. She would come up and the kids -- she and the kids would come up spontaneously in his conversations, not just sort of practiced politician plants, would really like -- as if they really mattered. So it is hard to know what was going on.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: Now, you interviewed Silda Wall Spitzer on I believe it was four occasions. Obviously, you interviewed the governor on several occasion.
Why do you think, if you can provide some insight, that she has decided to stand by him? You don't seem surprised.
MASTERS: I am not surprised, because I think, faced with this kind of scandal and this kind of publicity, she basically had two choices. One was to stand by him, and the other was to leave immediately, which is really kind of declaring war, to say to your spouse, at the moment of your greatest need, I will leave.
I mean, if she was not there, everyone would assume she was divorcing him. I am sure she hasn't made any decision yet. They have got three kids. She has got to think about them. And my guess is, she has probably made the judgment that it is better for the kids, better for the long-term state of her family that she stick with him at least for now.
She has to got to, I am sure, reflect on exactly how angry she is and what he has done to bust up the trust in their marriage, but to walk out immediately seems sort of petulant almost.
KEILAR: Yes.
MASTERS: I absolutely understand why she is doing it. I feel terrible that she has to.
KEILAR: Yes. It is a judgment a lot of other women have made.
So, very insightful, Brooke Masters with "The Financial Time" -- pardon me -- "Financial Times" -- author of "Spoiling For a Fight: The Rise of Eliot Spitzer." Thanks for being with us.
MASTERS: Thanks for having me.
LEMON: All right.
We have some breaking news we want to get to you. This is in Montreal. Actually, it's just north of Montreal in a place called Morin Heights. Look at these pictures, just unbelievable stuff here.
Here is what we are getting via CTV. As many as three people are trapped, we are told, following a roof collapse at Morin Heights. This is just north of Montreal. Police believe excess snow caused a roof to give way at a food warehouse in Chemin du Village. That's around 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
A Morin Heights official says the victims are employees of the warehouse, they are still alive, and that firefighters can hear their voices and hope to free them shortly.
Following the collapse, electrical wires caused a small fire, which was put out by firefighters. But, again, this source is according from TVA -- TVA. This is just north of Montreal. We have several people who are trapped here, but officials say they can hear their voices and they are working frantically to get to them.
But it is important that they get to them quickly, as you can see the flames or the smoke there, because a fire, an electrical fire started shortly after the collapse there.
We are going to continue the follow this developing story and bring you the latest details right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Let's talk now about gun-runners crossing the U.S./Mexico border. But why are the bad guys coming here to get their weapons? The answer will stun you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
KEILAR: Eliot Spitzer was a national name long before he was elected governor. How is his exit going to play beyond New York? And are there going to be any effects on the White House race? We will ask our panel of insiders.
LEMON: A high-stakes child abduction case has police worried and the mother of three frantic -- today, new details from the FBI.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: We want to tell you about a roof collapse. This is outside of Montreal, coming to us from TVA. That's where the pictures are coming in from. As many as three people trapped following this roof collapse. This is in Morin Heights, just to give you a sense.
It is in the Laurentian Mountains area. This is a ski resort area. It's north of Montreal. And police believe that a whole bunch of snow -- excess snow caused the roof basically to give way here at a food warehouse.
An official there in the city says the victims are employees of this warehouse, that they are still alive and that firefighters can actually hear their voices and they're working and hoping to free them shortly.
Now following the collapse, something of a perhaps somewhat concern, an electrical -- electrical wires caused a small fire. Firefighters did put that out. So, again, this is a roof collapse north of Montreal. Three people trapped inside of the roof collapse.
We're going to continue to follow this, bring you any updates as they come into THE NEWSROOM.
LEMON: He built his career on bringing down powerful people who had run afoul of the law. Today, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's career, well, it is in ruins, just days after he was linked to a prostitution ring.
Here's what he said just a few hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPITZER: To every New Yorker and to all those who believed in what I tried to stand for, I sincerely apologize. I look at my time as governor with a sense of what might have been. But I also know that as a public servant, I and the remarkable people with whom I worked, have accomplished a great deal. There is much more to be done and I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work.
Over the course of my public life, I have insisted -- I believe correctly -- that people, regardless of their position or power, take responsibility for their conduct. I can and will ask no less of myself. For this reason, I am resigning from the office of governor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Let's bring in our political experts now.
Amy Holmes is in Washington. She's a CNN contributor and a Republican strategist.
Keli Goff is a political analyst and author of "Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence". And she's joining us from New York.
And Ben Smith, also in New York -- he doesn't have a cell phone to his ear today. Obviously no breaking news. He's a political reporter for Politico.com.
And I have to warn all of you guys, keep it short. We don't have a lot of time today because we've had so much breaking news.
OK, Eliot Spitzer, and, also, David Paterson, really, are supporters of Hillary Clinton. She has responded, saying her heart goes out the family. How far aware are they -- are they trying to dodge this hot potato in the campaign.
We'll start with you, Amy.
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think as of the resignation today that this is no longer a political issue. Had he tried to hang on, brazen it out, it would have been extremely awkward for Hillary Clinton when she was asked -- when she would have been asked, over and over, should Eliot Spitzer resign, when you remember when her husband was caught in a sexual scandal, he hung on.
So, I think, though, as a political -- as a national political matter, that this mine field has been defused for Hillary Clinton. It's now really in the realm of personal tragedy.
LEMON: And, Ben, I have to ask you, because every time this comes up, obviously, you know, Hillary Clinton, the president and the whole scandal that went down when they -- when they were in office, that sort of brings that all back for her. Not necessarily good for campaign, even though he's a supporter, Spitzer, and Paterson, as well.
BEN SMITH, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, POLITICO.COM: Well, one of the great mysteries of kind of the politics of Hillary Clinton is how that plays, how the memories of the '90s play, whether it's a matter of sympathy for her -- I mean nobody ever accused her of doing anything wrong -- or whether it's something that, you know, that reminds people that the circus is coming back into town. And, you know, I don't -- I think that's a very unpredictable thing and so -- but I do think that Clinton supporters are relieved that Spitzer is -- that Spitzer's off the scene.
LEMON: Do you think that this had much play at all, any of you, in Mississippi? HOLMES: No, I don't.
KELLI GOFF, POLITICAL ANALYST: No.
HOLMES: I don't think so, no.
GOFF: Not really.
SMITH: It's a long way from Mississippi.
LEMON: All right.
All right, let's talk about -- since we're talking about Mississippi and we're talking everything that's going on, Geraldine Ferraro lately -- we know her comment saying Barack Obama -- essentially saying he would not be in the place that he is now if he were not black, if he were not African-American.
What do you think? She's saying, you know what, she's being deemed a racist when she's trying to give him and African-Americans the ultimate credit in all of this -- Keli.
GOFF: I think that she and Gloria Steinem should go start a club together for people who think they're helping Hillary Clinton and are really doing nothing but hurting the Democrats overall. I think that there, you know, there is really no place in this campaign for that type of rhetoric, because all it does is increase the divide while the Democrats have enough that they're struggling with.
I mean, essentially, John McCain can go off, relax, raise a bunch of money while the Democrats sit back dealing with prostitute scandals and, you know, allegations of racism inside the party.
LEMON: But --
GOFF: So it's a little silly.
LEMON: Her response was, again, as I said -- and do you think, though, this is taken out of context, because depending upon which way you read it and which way you look at it, she says, yes, she wouldn't have been in the position she was in had she not been a woman when she ran for vice president.
She's saying Barack Obama wouldn't be in the position, he wouldn't have people who were supporting him -- 92 percent of African- Americans. So she's, again --
HOLMES: I think I'd like, Don...
LEMON: Again --
HOLMES: ... Don, you know what, I accept her explanation for her candidacy, but I don't think it has anything to do with Barack Obama's candidacy.
SMITH: Right. HOLMES: And if you were to look at the fact that when we started this campaign that Hillary Clinton was double digits ahead, where was this magical mystical black advantage for Barack Obama?
GOFF: Right. And --
HOLMES: He has won -- he has been winning these contests because he's been persuading the American people that he's the superior candidate. But, you know, I -- to get to what should Barack Obama do about all this, I don't think he needs to get into the mud with a woman who was half of the most losing ticket in American presidential history.
I think he needs to rise above it. And he can say, you know what, I am lucky. I'm lucky to be an American and I'm lucky to have the support of Americans all across every categoric divide.
LEMON: OK, and --
GOFF: And I think we would have given him the benefit of the doubt if he had --
SMITH: He's basically --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Keli, let...
SMITH: (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: Yes, because I want Ben to get here, because, Ben, I've read on your blog -- and I'm pretty sure it was your blog, that same thing in '88 -- she said the same thing when Jesse Jackson was running for president.
SMITH: Well, she said -- yes. She said in '88 that Jesse Jackson was only in the race because he was black, which raised a lot of eyebrows when it resurfaced yesterday. But she's also -- I mean what she's saying may, in some very narrow sense, be accurate. He probably wouldn't have gotten 91 percent of the black vote in Mississippi yesterday if he was black.
But as Obama said yesterday, if you were going to design a residential candidate from scratch, you know, the most electable candidate, nobody was thinking an African-American named Barack Hussein Obama.
LEMON: OK...
SMITH: He said that at a press conference just now.
LEMON: All right, Ben Smith, Keli Goff, Amy Holmes -- I warned you we didn't have much time, but I appreciate you guys --
GOFF: That's OK.
LEMON: Hey, thank you. Have a great day, all right?
GOFF: Thanks so much.
HOLMES: Thank you.
SMITH: Thanks.
KEILAR: Fearing a father might do the unthinkable, the FBI has just released some new details and photos in an abduction case. Eddie Harrington and his three young children disappeared from Western Georgia last week.
CNN's Rusty Dornin has the very latest on this for us.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, just within the last hour, the FBI held a press conference. And they are very worried about the safety of those children, because apparently 29-year-old Eddie Harrington is not considered stable at this point.
They say that he did try to commit suicide recently and he also left a note at the house claiming that he was planning to kill the children. He also sent a letter to his father in Indianapolis saying that he was going to kill the children.
Now, the children missing are 2-year-old twins by the name of Agana and Ailyah and Cedric Harrington, 3-years-old, that is his son. He is wanted by the FBI for cruelty to children, child endangerment and now, of course, unlawful flight from prosecution.
The mother, Ajeena Battle, made a tearful plea for her children.
Let's listen.
(AUDIO GAP)
KEILAR: All right...
DORNIN: OK. We had the wrong sound there, of course. The mother did say that her children were not able to care for themselves, that they needed help, but they needed the public's help to really come out and find out where Eddie Harrington is.
Now the problem is, Brianna, that apparently he does have relatives in Jacksonville, Florida, Chicago, Illinois and also Indiana -- Indianapolis. So they are really looking for him in a very large area. His car is described as a 2002 Chevrolet Impala with Indiana tags. But they are very concerned, of course, about the safety of those children.
KEILAR: And we have the sound, so let's go ahead and listen to the mother.
DORNIN: All right. OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AJEENA BATTLE, MOTHER: And I'm asking the public to please help me. I want my children home, where they belong, with me. My daughters Ailyah and Agana are only 23-months-old. My son Cedric is a three- year-old -- he's a three-year-old boy. My children cannot take care of themselves. Please help me. Please look around and if you see Eddie, his car or the children, please call 9-1-1.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Apparently she made phone calls to a lot of their friends, but no one says that they've seen or heard from him, although someone said they did apparently see him in Jackson, Tennessee, which is why they were looking for him in Tennessee.
KEILAR: That's a wide net.
DORNIN: Very wide.
KEILAR: I can't imagine what she's going through.
DORNIN: No.
KEILAR: All right. Rusty Dornin, thank you.
LEMON: Gunrunners crossing the U.S./Mexico border. But why are the bad guys coming here to get those weapons? The answer, well, it might stun you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. So it used to be that college kids vacationing in South Texas would flock across the Mexican border during spring break. Well, not this year -- not with violence on the rise in Mexico.
CNN's special investigations correspondent Drew Griffin, with our Special Investigations Unit, has found the direct link between increasing violence and the gun trade that's heading south.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: It's the largest caliber weapon you can legally buy -- a .50 caliber shooting palm-sized bullets that can blast through car doors and bulletproof vests in one deadly pull of a trigger.
(on-camera): I mean, look at the back.
PETER FORCELLI, ATF: Yes, it gets frayed. Yes, there it is. There's your exit wounds right there. And they went through that car door. There's nothing that's going to stop this round.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Which is exactly why the .50 caliber rifle, like this Barrett, has suddenly become the gun of choice in a war erupting just south of our border.
(on-camera): And you believe four had already gone south by the time you guys intercepted this guy? FORCELLI: Absolutely. Four or five Barretts have already made its way south.
GRIFFIN: And those .50 caliber guns are showing up on the streets of Juarez, Mexico, this street, Guatzemala (ph), next to a day care center, where a commander of the police department, coming out of his home and getting in his car was gunned down right here with the largest weapon you can legally buy in the United States.
I mean, I assume he's your friend?
JUAN ANTONIO GARCIA: Yes. He was the person behind me, the second in charge here.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Juan Antonio Roman Garcia is the police director in Juarez. He now also does the work now of Francisco Ledesma Salazar, his friend and the director of operations before he was gunned down by drug traffickers.
He talks openly about war between police and the drug cartels. Police operations here, even roadblocks like this one, are carried out in military-style convoys. Street cops know they're outgunned by criminals who have gone north to buy bigger weapons in the U.S., where they are much easier to obtain.
CESAR QUITANA, JUAREZ, MEXICO POLICE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I think most of us feel scared just to bring this with us, but this is what we use to defend ourselves.
GRIFFIN: Since mid-February, five high-ranking members of the police forces in Mexico have been gunned down -- many with large caliber weapons -- weapons illegal to buy here in Mexico.
So where are they coming from? Call it the worst free trade imaginable. Mexican drugs easily flow north. American guns and ammunition easily flow south.
FORCELLI: Those weapons are being used by drug cartel members and people that are involved in drug trafficking and in a war that they're having with Mexican authorities, be it the military and Mexican police to...
GRIFFIN (on-camera): A war?
FORCELLI: Pretty much, yes. And some of the battles they're actually winning.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): An illegal trade that ATF agent and former New York cop Peter Forcelli says is like nothing he's ever seen. The ATF is trying to stop the gun trade heading south. Labeled Operation Gunrunner, agents stake out some border state gun shows, going undercover.
They wait to find people buying large quantities of big guns, girlfriends on phones who bring cash or potential straw purchasers -- illegal dealers buying huge amounts of ammunition. This Phoenix gun show netted a few arrests, weapons and ammunition.
(on-camera): And this is the ammo for that?
FORCELLI: Yes. Yes. In fact, the last time we worked one of these shows, we seized 8,000 rounds of this type of ammo and approximately 19 of these firearms just in two days.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): All of these guns were confiscated in one storage locker near the border. The haul included AK-47s, hundreds of rounds of .50 caliber bullets...
WILLIAM NEWELL, ATF SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: They're using these types of firearms...
GRIFFIN: But most dangerous of all, says special Agent William Newell, the dozens of handguns with one special purpose.
NEWELL: It's a Fabritte National (ph) and it fires the 5.7 by .28 millimeter round, which is technically a rifle round. But what's interesting about this gun and why it's in high demand is the nickname that it has in Mexico. It's called "mata policias" or "cop killer."
GRIFFIN: This is a Romanian AK-47 type knock-off all in boxes -- 30 of these guns found in a U-Haul pulled over on a road in Phoenix heading south, they believe towards the border.
(voice-over): Out on the firing range, the power of these AK- 47s, fully automatic, is incredible. In Mexico, the firepower has become overwhelming -- police yards filled with trucks and cars, riddled with bullets. Drug lords aren't just killing cops, they're sending a message with U.S. purchased guns that they are the ones in control.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: The Western attorneys general and the Mexican Attorney General Association just wrapped up a conference, Don, in Phoenix, trying to handle this problem. But, again, the free flow of drugs north and dangerous free flow of guns heading south.
LEMON: Oh, it's just unbelievable, Drew.
OK, Drew Griffin in New York. Thank you very much for joining us.
And make sure you're tuned in this weekend when CNN's Arwa Damon takes us on a dangerous journey to show us the struggles, the risks and obstacles women face every day in Iraq. The special investigations unit report on deadly ground -- it's called "On Deadly Ground: The Women of Iraq". It airs at 8:00 p.m. Eastern both Saturday and Sunday, of course, right here on CNN.
KEILAR: And we learned today that Southwest Airlines has grounded dozens of planes for inspections after the FAA handed down a record fine against the airline. We'll be hearing more information from Drew Griffin after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: We learned today that Southwest Airlines has grounded dozens of planes for inspections. This coming after the FAA handed down a record fine against the airline for failing to undergo proper maintenance inspections.
We want to get you now to New York, where special investigations unit correspondent Drew Griffin is there with some developments.
What's going on -- Drew?
GRIFFIN: Brianna, we've been following this pretty much all day since we learned about this -- instant checks that were going on at Southwest that began last night. The company deciding after looking over its maintenance schedule to take a look at these 44 airplanes.
Now, not all of them were part of today's service flights, but a good 30 plus were. It led to some minimum disruptions, according to the airline, and some cancellations. I just got off the phone with Southwest not too long ago. They had inspected all but 19 of these aircraft now.
And I think that on the phone we have Ginger Hardage, the senior V.P. of corporate communications for Southwest.
Ginger, just tell us how the inspections are going over there and how many of these planes are now back in service.
VOICE OF GINGER HARDAGE, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES SPOKESWOMAN: That's right. We've started this -- these tests last night as a result of our own internal investigation. And we made the decision to take these aircraft out of service. There were 44 aircraft and 19 of those have already returned to service because of the inspections that are taking place in four of our maintenance bases.
GRIFFIN: Now, Ginger, the airline was fined last week by the FAA for missing some of the inspection deadlines on 46 of its planes. And basically what that airworthiness directive was looking at was cracks in the skin or the fuselage of those planes.
Is that the same thing you're looking for in this particular inspection?
HARDAGE: Yes. We're looking for hairline fuselage cracks. And, again, only -- there are two ways to test for that. One is with a machine called an eddy current, which is a magnetic testing device. And the other is a visual inspection. And, again, then these are just hairline cracks that we're looking for.
But what we're wanting to do is to assure the flying public that we're in full compliance with all of the FAA directives and just to reassure them about our 37-year history of safe -- safe operation.
GRIFFIN: Well, Ginger, go ahead and assure them now. I mean you -- you're the largest carrier of people in this country. You carry more people than any other airline. But the fine was a big deal and the airline has yesterday announced it's going to take some pretty significant steps toward recouping that safety record that you guys have maintained over those 37 years.
HARDAGE: Absolutely. We want to be as transparent with the flying public as we possibly can be. We have really escalated our own internal investigation.
And when -- last night when we discovered some ambiguity on exactly how a test should be conducted, whether it was using the eddy current or the visual, we wanted to make sure that we were re- inspecting these aircraft and we were leaving no stone unturned. So we're being very transparent with the public, telling them about the testing we're doing...
GRIFFIN: Right.
HARDAGE: ...and also about the fact that we're having our own internal investigation. We're working with an outside consultant and we're also very fully engaged with the FAA, who is also coming in and doing an audit.
GRIFFIN: All right, Ginger, very quickly, when will the -- when will the inspections be done on this batch?
HARDAGE: Well, we hope that that will be completed this evening. This is -- it really results in minimal disruption. We have only had 4 percent of our flights canceled today.
GRIFFIN: OK. Thank you so much.
Ginger Hardage, senior V.P. at Southwest Airlines -- Brianna, I guess that's the story of Southwest today. They hope to have this all completed by the end of the business day.
KEILAR: All right. Drew Griffin, thanks.
GRIFFIN: You're welcome.
LEMON: The closing bell and a wrap-up of all of the action on Wall Street straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.
LEMON: Susan Lisovicz is standing by with a final look at the trading day. OK, so it was up and not so much now.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
KEILAR: Not so good.
LISOVICZ: Yes, an about-face. And that's the story I want to talk about real quickly. You know, you can't judge a book by its cover, but you can sell a book by its cover, this according to borders.
"The Wall Street Journal" says the nation's second largest book retailer is going to start selling books with their face out instead of by their spines out. You know what I'm talking about, right, guys?
KEILAR: It seems like that would...
LEMON: Oh, yes, yes.
LISOVICZ: Instead of the --
(CROSSTALK)
LISOVICZ: The book is going to be like this. If you guys take a look at me...
LEMON: That's a face (ph).
LISOVICZ: Tyre going to sell the book like that, as opposed to that.
KEILAR: Yes, but doesn't it seem like that would take up a lot more space?
LISOVICZ: Bingo, Brianna. They're going to have less inventory.
KEILAR: Bummer.
LISOVICZ: But they're doing it because they feel they need to compete against Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com. So it's a radical approach, but Borders is going to do it, according to "The Wall Street Journal," so you'll be able to see the cover and not just the spine.
LEMON: And they put a lot of time into picking a cover. I just saw a story on that.
LISOVICZ: Oh, absolutely.
LEMON: A lot of time, yes.
LISOVICZ: No question about it. Now take a look at this cover story, so to speak. CNNmoney, our excellent Web site, had a story this morning that said beware, the sucker's rally.
So we did have a monster rally. Yesterday we had a modest rally at the open, but it faded. Oil closes at all new -- all time high. So, that's pretty much the story here. See you guys tomorrow.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, Susan.
KEILAR: And let's head on over to "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer.
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