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Travels With Obama; Clinton Attends 'Solutions for America' Event in Indiana; Best Bets: Cars That Save You Money

Aired March 20, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning again, everyone.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on Thursday, the 20th of March.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Floodwaters overrun homes and roads from Arkansas to Ohio. And there is more to come. Rivers cresting this weekend.

HARRIS: You're home for politics. CNN's Anderson Cooper, a day on the presidential campaign trail with Barack Obama.

COLLINS: A luxury ride or a gas sipper? Can you have both? We've got the car coach in the NEWSROOM.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Do-over deadline. Michigan state lawmakers scrambling to agree on a primary revote today. They are heading out for a two- week recess. Once they get back there's not enough time to put an election together.

The current plan calls for redoing the Democratic primary June 3rd. Michigan could be crucial in the fight for delegates between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

The Obama camp has raised concerns about any revote, but Clinton says Obama should back up his rhetoric and empower the people. Michigan and Florida moved up their primaries in violation of party rules, so their delegates were disqualified. Florida has decided against a do-over.

HARRIS: Let's see here. Let's put up the pictures right now and give you a look at what's happening right now on the campaign trail.

On the left of your screen there, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton taking her campaign to Indiana this morning -- Terre Haute, Indiana, right now. She is at the Saratoga Diner. That is on Wabash Street.

You want to talk about retail politics? Here we go. And next to her is Indiana's senator, Evan Bayh.

And on the right, Barack Obama with a campaign stop in Charleston, West Virginia, for a speech on Iraq and the economy at the University of Charleston -- Riggleman Hall, Geary Auditorium.

We will continue to monitor both of these events, and we will dip in from time to time to give you a bit of a flavor of both of these events. Senator Bayh there on the left with Senator Clinton. And the Barack Obama event on the right.

COLLINS: Behind the scenes on the campaign trail. CNN's Anderson Cooper got to travel with Barack Obama yesterday. We pick up Anderson's journal as the campaign plane is about to land in Charlotte.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The atmosphere is surprisingly loose. There's music playing, personal photos taped to overhead luggage bins.

When we land, we're not surprised to find Senator Obama working. But what he is working on does surprise us.

(on camera): You know, everyone back there is kind of thinking you're writing out another speech or something. And here you are, doing an NCAA Tournament bracket.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A little higher priority.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: How do you see this playing out? I mean, how long do you expect to be doing this?

OBAMA: You mean the campaign?

COOPER: Yes.

OBAMA: We know that the last contest that is scheduled is in early June.

And I thought that, actually, Governor Bredesen of Tennessee had an interesting proposal, which is, as soon as we finish with the last primary, the superdelegates should schedule to get together, whatever remaining ones are uncommitted, and go ahead and make a decision. Now, that would probably be the best way to ensure that there's at least a couple of months before the convention.

COOPER: So, you don't see any knockout punch, in terms of popular vote in a primary?

OBAMA: You know, I don't anticipate it at this point. Senator Clinton has been very tenacious. We feel very confident that we're going to have won more states, we will have a higher portion of the popular vote. And I think we're going to have more pledged delegates. But there's nothing in the rules that says she can't continue on as long as she wants to.

All right, we ready to go? Who is introducing me?

COOPER (voice-over): In Charlotte, the crowd is bigger, and Senator Obama clearly feeds on their energy.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

COOPER: The themes are familiar: change, Iraq, the economy. But perhaps the biggest applause he receives is when he mentions his speech on race.

Afterwards, we speak with him backstage.

(on camera): Earlier today, you said you weren't sure, demographically, how your speech yesterday is going to play. What is your gut telling you? Out there, you were talking about it. It got a lot of applause. What's your gut telling you, more than 24 hours now, later?

OBAMA: My gut tells me that the people who were not going to be voting for me are not going to be voting for me after this speech and, even if they think I made some good points, there are other reasons why they're not going to vote for me. They think we should be staying in Iraq, or they think that I haven't been in Washington long enough.

I think the people who are supporting me are continuing to support me.

COOPER: At the end of a day like this, what do you do? How do you decompress?

OBAMA: Well, you know, I'm really going to have a relaxing evening, going to a couple of fundraisers. And then I fall asleep. Although, I try to watch "AC 360" all the time.

COOPER: Please. I don't need your sympathy. I don't want your pandering.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: You can hear more from Barack Obama on CNN tonight. He will be live on "LARRY KING LIVE." He's the guest there 9:00 p.m. Eastern tonight.

HARRIS: Speaking of live, let's get you back to Terre Haute, Indiana, right now at the Saratoga Diner.

Senator Hillary Clinton.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS) SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... the progress that we've made, but we know that we've got challenges. And it's up to us to determine how we're going to meet those challenges.

And I'm running for president because I know we can do better. I have every confidence and I'm optimistic that together we can make the changes we need to make.

It won't be easy, but nothing in life worth doing is easy. So what we have to do is resolve that we're going to start acting like Americans again. We're going...

(APPLAUSE)

And we've, you know, compiled here a couple of folks who are going to talk about some of these challenges. And I really want to give them the opportunity to do this, because I always think you learn more by listening than by talking. And, you know, Evan and I want to have a conversation, because we've worked on many of these issues.

We have, you know, honestly run into a lot of roadblocks from the Republican Congress and the Republican White House, but I do believe that we're going to have finally the, you know, opportunity to really address a lot of these issues.

So this is, for me, an important conversation. And I want to thank our host here at Saratoga. The bar and cafe, I know we met them as we came in. I want to thank them for opening up this lovely restaurant to us.

And so why don't we get started, Evan, and...

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: Let's do it. And I also thought it was appropriate when I talked to Hillary about how to begin. She said, "Well, you know, we do a lot of these big rallies, but I would like to just meet with some regular people to listen. I want this to be a dialogue, a two-way street."

And so we're going to have a conversation here today about the challenges you face, and she's going to share with us some of the ideas about how to meet those challenges and to build a better America. So I'm grateful to you, and I admire that kind of leadership. You know? It's not just talking at people, but it's listening and collaborating to come up with real solutions that will make a difference.

So, maybe we should just kind of go around the table.

CLINTON: I'd like that.

BAYH: And where's the best place?

Ma'am...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. BAYH: ... how about we start with you. Is that OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's fine.

BAYH: Why don't you just -- for the sake of everybody here, just tell us, you know, who you are, where you're from, and let's just share some thoughts and we'll just continue. How about that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I am Judy Osborn (ph). I'm from Vincent, Indiana, which is the southwest part of Indiana.

BAYH: Knox County.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Knox County. And Senator Bayh here has been to our farm...

BAYH: I sure have.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... on numerous occasions. And we are a small family farm. These are my two sons sitting beside me.

And we have struggled through the years. We've had good years and bad years. And right now, with the price of oil and everything, it's kind of a domino effect, it's just affecting everything with our cost input at the farm.

I do the business end of it there. And I'm the worrier of the family. And so I -- you know, I hear this daily and deal with it. And...

BAYH: So the cost of energy and the burden that's placing upon your operation, the family budget, that kind of thing, is a major challenge that many Americans have.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BAYH: And I know that, Hillary, you have got some real thoughts about what we should be doing about that.

CLINTON: I do. And, you know, I think that there is something that sort of passes on to a mother who becomes the designated worrier. That's what they call me in my family. And...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You share that with me.

CLINTON: Yes, I do share that with you. And I think it's worrisome that so many of the costs are rising.

And maybe before we hear a little -- I say anymore -- why don't we hear from your two sons, see if they have something to add to any of the other challenges that you're facing.

What do you produce on your farm?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, we're strictly grain, corn, soybeans and wheat. CLINTON: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And also, with that, I want to add to this -- maybe they don't deal with this as much -- is being a farmer, we have to provide our own insurance.

CLINTON: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's very costly. Just for me alone is $10,000 a year.

CLINTON: The health insurance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Health insurance. Just for a single policy. My husband is on Medicare now, and he's a part of our farm too. He's not able to be here with us today. But that is a key issue, too, with us.

CLINTON: I hear that from everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CLINTON: But I think farmers are especially disadvantaged because you really are on your own.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are on our own.

BAYH: Tell us what you would like to share.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think we're doing a lot of good things with ethanol and biodiesel. There's just -- I think there's a wide opportunity for us out there.

We can produce it, you know, and there's going to be years we'll probably be short. Just if the weather cooperates.

I mean, the input, you know, I just bring in the bills. And I know, you know, the fertilizer, the fuel, and the whole economy is really hurting on the fuel.

CLINTON: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, it's -- we just think that we've got to make some changes and try to do some different things for ourselves in the country. And I think that we've got the resources here.

CLINTON: We sure do. Have more homegrown fuel and be more energy-independent.

Is there any plant nearby where you are that is producing biodiesel out of soybeans?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mount Vernon, probably another 60 miles south. But they are doing a lot down there. And we got the GPC, which is not a true ethanol plant at (INAUDIBLE).

CLINTON: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, it's really -- you know, and it's helped our market.

CLINTON: But you haven't notice -- it's helped your market in terms of the price your getting...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The price, yes.

CLINTON: But it hasn't -- you haven't seen any results from it lowering your fuel price by being able to blend it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Blend it.

BAYH: I did pass a station I think just yesterday, the day before, Hillary, and I noticed right there on the sign that ethanol was about 40 cents a gallon cheaper than regular gasoline, so there is...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, there's some savings with ethanol. We need to expand the distribution of it so more people can have access to it.

CLINTON: We have to require the oil companies to put in pumps in every single station.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's going take some time. But it really needs to be looked at going on.

CLINTON: But at least we're beginning to move in that direction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CLINTON: Right.

Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary, as my mother and my brother said on the issue of the farm -- and I'm also involved with a retail business in downtown Vincent. So I guess I'm seeing the economy as a whole also. A little scary at times.

Just uneasy, I guess. A little uncertainty. I feel like when the media portrays the recession, I think it has a domino effect and makes people feel that way at times. So, knock on wood, I hope we will not see this. I hope we will come out of it soon.

CLINTON: You haven't noticed any slowdown yet from your customers?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: January was good. February was slow. So March is holding the same.

So it's kind of -- I'll say erratic. CLINTON: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess that's what's scaring me right now, is there's no trend or significant direction.

At the same time, I also help with the family farm, too. So the whole economy as a whole (INAUDIBLE). But my mother brought up the whole health care issue because Don and I are helping...

COLLINS: OK. We've been listening in to at least a portion of what's going on Terre Haute, Indiana, with Senator Hillary Clinton, who you see there, alongside Senator Evan Bayh, in Indiana today with their "Solutions for America" event. We heard from a mother and her two older sons talking about their farming business and different concerns they have regarding the economy and fuel and so forth.

Also want to let you know we're watching another event from yet another candidate. He's not quite at the podium yet, but Barack Obama is going to be talking about Iraq and the economy from the University of Charleston. Obviously Charleston, West Virginia.

So we will bring a snippet of that, the same amount of time, equal time here, for the senator coming up as soon as he takes to the podium.

Meanwhile, more on our other top story. The rain comes down, the flood warnings go up. The very latest on the deepening misery in the middle of the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The pulse of the economy. Just released, the index of economic indicators, down again in February for the fifth straight month now.

One economist says the signals are flashing yellow. The index is used to predict where the economy is headed in the next three to six months.

Another sign of trouble, more new jobless claims than expected just last week. But hey, the markets are up. Let's take a look.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: Gas prices are on track to reach $4 a gallon across much of the country, but do you have to cram yourself into one of those tiny subcompact vehicles to save money?

"The Car Coach," Lauren Fix, joins us form New York in the NEWSROOM.

Lauren, great to see you.

LAUREN FIX, "THE CAR COACH": Great to see you, too, Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, Lauren, what's the story at these car shows around the country? I know one a big one in New York starts -- what is it, tomorrow, Lauren?

FIX: It starts tomorrow at noon.

HARRIS: Are you going to be there?

FIX: I'll be their live right through Easter Sunday.

HARRIS: Great. Great.

What is the story at these car shows? Is it -- is the story cars and not the SUVs and the trucks?

FIX: It's absolutely the cars. And there's a lot of fuel- efficient cars coming out, and everyone from Suzuki to Audi, everyone and anything in between, are coming up with these great fuel-efficient cars. But at the other end of the total end of the spectrum are these amazing vehicles like the Lamborghini Murcielago and Aston Martins and the Corvette ZR1.

It's really odd. It's two different spectrums.

HARRIS: Well, let's talk about the -- because we're worried about inflation right now and trying to get as much as we can out of our vehicles and the price per gallon. Is the problem here with some of these small cars, particularly for the auto industry, that there isn't much profit in them for the automakers?

FIX: Well, the idea obviously is to get market share, and since the domestic manufacturers keep losing market share, they are doing the best they can to produce really quality cars. I mean, Ford has come out with a crossover utility vehicle with the Edge, and they've got the Ford Focus. And GM is really trying to push with the E85.

I mean, everybody's pushing -- Chrysler came out with the new Challenger. Everyone's trying to get great cards, but in reality, look at the vehicles that are at the top of the fuel economy list, and they are the imports. Although many of them are built here in the U.S., which is something that people forget about.

HARRIS: Well, you drive me to another question here. If you're an U.S. automaker and you're not running, sprinting to get more of these fuel-efficient cars on the market, are you not just behind the curve, you're way behind the curve?

FIX: Yes, you're kind of way behind the curve. I mean, people have their leases coming up. The first thing they are looking for is a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

HARRIS: Yes.

FIX: You know, who wants an SUV that's getting eight miles to the gallon right now? You want to be looking at -- it doesn't necessary have to be a hybrid. You want to look at maybe a Honda Fit, can we get our family into that? Will that work?

HARRIS: Right. FIX: You know, do I need a wagon? What options do I have?

HARRIS: Hey, do we have to compromise some sense of comfort for fuel efficiency?

FIX: No, actually, you don't have to anymore. I mean, you look at even a Toyota Yaris, there's a ton of room. I personally have a Mini Cooper. There's so much room in the back, I could put a big TV in the back if I had to.

HARRIS: Get out of here. Really?

FIX: Yes.

HARRIS: Well, explain to us sort of the hybrids now and where we're going with hybrids. Are they making more sense economically?

For so long now it felt like, well, you bought a hybrid, you were paying more for the car. And then maybe you recoup the gas down the road a few years. Is it making more sense now economically?

FIX: It does. It depends where you live in the country.

My ruling on hybrids, a personal rule, is if you sit in traffic a lot and you're at zero miles to the gallon -- you know, New York, L.A, Chicago, Baltimore, D.C., in millions of cities, it makes sense to get a hybrid. However, you know, I live in Buffalo. We don't have rush hour traffic. So, for me to sit at zero miles -- I'm never sitting in traffic unless I'm leaving a Sabres game.

So it doesn't make sense. So there are other options. And that's why I always tell people, look at what's out there and what fits your need, because it's still going to take you a few years to recoup that additional cost.

When you can buy some of the vehicles that are out there, you can get -- a Nissan (INAUDIBLE) is getting 26 miles to the gallon.

HARRIS: Wow.

FIX: I mean, that's not too bad.

HARRIS: That's not bad.

FIX: And then there's diesel available. In the top five states, New York, and, of course, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire, they didn't allow diesel cars for the longest time because they weren't clean burning enough. Well, now Audi is offering clean burning diesel. BMW and Mercedes, they're all coming with blue tech motors.

So you're going to start seeing diesel cars which get even better fuel economy. So there are other options.

HARRIS: Yes. Lauren, take me back to hybrids for just a moment.

FIX: Sure.

HARRIS: Talk to us about these plug-in hybrids. And when do they start to come on the market? And what's the great advantage of those vehicles?

FIX: Well, we have to be careful when we say plug-in. Everyone things you plug it in your wall and you get your power, but there's no -- but someone's got to pay for the electricity.

HARRIS: Exactly. Exactly.

FIX: So there's kind of a tradeoff here.

HARRIS: That's a great point, yes.

FIX: Right. So, you've got that draw when you look at plugging in -- I know the volt is something that they're really talking about bringing to market. And they did do some talking about that yesterday at General Motors.

When you think about that, how much is it going to cost you, I guess it depends what electricity you're using and where you're getting it from. So it could cost you more than gasoline over the long haul. And of course where are you going to plug it in when you're at work? In the parking lot?

HARRIS: Boy, you were so good on this. How long have you been working on cars? Someone just whispered in my ear since you were 8 years old?

FIX: Yes, my dad got me into cars. I've worked on cars. I'm an engineer and a ASE certified technician.

HARRIS: OK, and you're going to be at the car show for the rest of the weekend, correct?

FIX: Yes, sir, I'll be there.

HARRIS: Yes, Lauren, great to see you. Thanks for your time.

FIX: OK, nice to see you, too, Tony. Thanks.

HARRIS: Bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi there, everybody, Heidi Collins.

In Arkansas at least two people are missing after driving into rushing floodwaters. We've been talking about it all morning long here, about not doing that. Byut in the northwest part of the state, three men survive a harrowing ordeal. It began with a leisurely canoe ride. We're going to get the details now from reporter Doug Kern (ph). He's with CNN afilliate KARK.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DOUG KERN (ph), KARK REPORTER (voice-over): Common sense would tell you that waters like this are nothing to fool around with. Michael Green and Dave Bradley know that. They never intended to be in rough section of Lake Seqouia like this one. They started out in Elkins (ph), where they would enjoy the day in their canoe. But as soon as they realized they were about to encounter waters like these things took a very quick turn for the worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got a little bit too much current coming into the narrow channel, so we just decided to pull over, and it was too late. It tipped and took us the rest of the way.

KERN: Their canoe hit a rock and got wrapped around it. All three men were immediately thrown into the cold water. Nearby drivers saw the trio and called 911 immediately. Michael Green and Dave Bradley managed to make to it the bank of the lake safely, but not without a struggle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By the time I came out of the water I couldn't see any of my buddies so I thought they were still underwater. I was freaking out.

KERN: But their friend, the third man in the boat ended up hanging on to tree limbs and brush to keep himself alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our other buddy he got washed on down, further down. He made it out on a little island out on the other side of this deep water. Couldn't get to him.

KERN: Rescuers from Fayetville did what they're trained to do, save lives, and they saved the life of the third boater who was transported to Washington Regional Medical Center for hypothermia, and is recovering tonight. And all are lucky to be alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And that was just one of a number of rescues in Arkansas. Up to a foot of rain fell in parts of the state.

And right now let's get you to Charleston, West Virginia. Senator Barack Obama is speaking.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... diligent, one of the most hard-working, one of the most intelligent individuals that I know in the Senate, somebody who, the moment I got there, I immediately gravitated towards because he is somebody who doesn't take himself seriously, but takes his work seriously, who doesn't stand on his high position and on a high horse, but rather is focused on just trying to do what's right for the people of his state and the people of America.

Finally, the fact that he had the good judgment to marry Gail...

(APPLAUSE) ... an Illinoisan, somebody from my home state, indicates how wise he is. So I am so grateful for his support. I'm so grateful for his endorsement and his friendship. Please give a big round of applause to Senator Jay Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon.

(APPLAUSE)

By the way, I think I misspoke and said "Gail" instead of "Sharon," because I was looking at a card, but Sharon has been -- some of you know she is the daughter of one of our great senators, Chuck Percy in Illinois.

(APPLAUSE)

And if I'm not mistaken, I am occupying the Percy seat. So I am very proud of that.

I want to talk to you about the Iraq war today. I spoke about the Iraq war yesterday and focused on strategy, our national security strategy.

Five years ago, the Iraq war began. And on this fifth anniversary, we honor the brave men and women who are serving this nation in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world. And we pay tribute to their sacrifices, to the sacrifices of their families back home, as well. And a grateful nation mourns the loss of our fallen heroes.

Now, I understand that the first serviceman killed in Iraq was a native West Virginian, Marine First Lieutenant Shane Childers, who died five years ago tomorrow. And so, on this anniversary, my thoughts and prayers go out to Lieutenant Childers' family and to all who've lost loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The costs of war are greatest for the troops and those who love them, but we know that the war has other costs, as well.

Yesterday, I addressed some of these other costs in a speech on the strategic consequences of the Iraq war. I spoke about how this war has diverted us from fighting Al Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan and from addressing the other challenges of the 21st century: violent extremism and nuclear weapons, climate change and poverty, genocide and disease.

Today, I want to talk about another cost of this war, the toll it has taken on our economy. Because at a time when we're on the brink of recession, when neighborhoods have "For Sale" signs outside of every home, and working families are struggling to keep up with rising costs, ordinary Americans are paying a price for this war, as well.

It's not the same price, obviously, as the price borne by our troops and their families, but it is a price. When you're spending over $50 to fill up your car because the price of oil is four times what it was before Iraq, you're paying a price for this war.

When Iraq is costing each household about $100 a month, you're paying a price for this war. When a National Guard unit is over in Iraq and can't help during a hurricane in Louisiana or floods here in West Virginia, our communities are paying a price for this war.

(APPLAUSE)

And the price our families and communities are paying reflects the price America is paying. The most conservative estimates say that Iraq has now cost well over $500 billion dollars, more than any other war in our history besides World War II. Some say the true cost is even higher and that by the time it's over this could be a $3- trillion-dollar war.

What no one disputes is that the cost of this war is far higher than what we were told it would be. We were told this war would cost $50 billion to $60 billion and that reconstruction would pay for itself out of Iraqi profits. We were told higher estimates were nothing but baloney.

Like so much else about this war, we were not told the truth.

(APPLAUSE)

What no one disputes is that the cost of this war has been compounded by its careless and incompetent execution, from the billions that have vanished in Iraq to the billions more in no-bid contracts for contractors like Halliburton.

(APPLAUSE)

What no one disputes is that, five years into this war, soldiers up at Fort Drum are having to wait more than a month to get their first mental health screening, even though we know that incidents of PTSD skyrocket between the second, third and fourth tours of duty.

We have a sacred trust to our troops and our veterans, and we have to live up to it, and we have not yet done so.

(APPLAUSE)

What no one disputes is that President Bush has done what no other president has ever done in this nation's history and given tax cuts to the rich in a time of war. John McCain once opposed...

HARRIS: There you have it, Illinois Senator Barack Obama in Charleston, West Virginia for a speech on Iraq and the Economy at the University of Charleston. The second day in a row that the Illinois senator has had comments about Iraq, making the argument today that the Iraq War has had a negative impact on the nation's economy. In case you're wondering, the West Virginia primary, May 13th.

COLLINS: Tough economic times and toll on military families. Our Rick Sanchez is in Columbus, Georgia.

Hey Rick, you must be near Fort Benning down there, yes? RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This place is called, Heidi, Ranger Joe's. And this is where a long line of military folks for years now have been coming to get their supplies, everything from their tactical gear to, you know, the canteens that we always used to see and play with when we were kids.

Now, we've been doing this for several weeks. What we do is we go around the country and just talk to regular people, talk to truck drivers about how the economy is affecting them. We talk to people at the unemployment line about the -- how the economy's affecting them. You know, real, girthy conversations, real meaty stuff about the real deal for these folk, how difficult it may be for them.

And there's really two parts to this, if you're a soldier who's in the military or getting out of the military or coming back from Iraq. One part is, they're no different than anybody else. They're being affected by the same economic factors that are affecting the rest of us.

I just talked to a family a little while ago. And I said well, how are you all getting by? She says, well, my husband and I were involved in the real estate market. We were flipping houses just like everybody else was doing during the good times. Now, that times are lean, it's hard on us as well because we were trying to supplement our income that way. Again, just like regular people.

But then, there's a psychological effect as well. And this is what we're going to be talking about when we gather a bunch of them in the noon hour, Heidi. And that is there's now this apparent perception in the United States, according to the latest report we released yesterday, it said seven out of 10 Americans are saying that the economic times that we're having right now, which seems to be, depends on how you describe it from dismal to just bad to mediocre, is affected by the war in Iraq.

So, for the guys who are directly involved in the war in Iraq, what's it like for them to come back and hear that seeming perception around the country? So, there's a psychological effect, there's economic effect, both on them and their family and that's what we're going to be sitting down and talking to these folks about, like we've been talking to everybody else on issue No. 1: the economy -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, CNN's Rick Sanchez. Rick, we'll be watching at noon. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Sure.

COLLINS: And just as a reminder, keep watching CNN all this week. In fact, our money team has a special report on your money called "ISSUE #1," the economy. Coming your way noon Eastern only on CNN.

HARRIS: America's female combat veterans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What does rock bottom feel like?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very dark, lonely place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Home from the war, but dealing with nightmares.

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COLLINS: Quickly, some new video here. Look at this coming in from our affiliate KSDK, Fenton, Missouri. What we're looking at is an area known as Peerless Park where there's a rock quarry. Apparently, there have been quite a few sand bags there and now those sand bags as you can see have completely given way.

Live pictures now, same situation. Boy, oh boy, you can see how fragile those grounds are and the rate of the water and how it is rushing. Right outside of St. Louis, Missouri, Fenton, Missouri to be specific. Again, Peerless Park, the exact area, it's a rock quarry whose sand bags have completely given way. And now, this is the situation that they are left with there.

Certainly the top story of the day, all of this flooding across Missouri and a couple of other states. A total of 13 dead that we know of. Many other people have been evacuated from their homes and I imagine certainly some of those homes they will not be able to return to because of this excessive water. In some parts, Reynolds Wolf telling us, more than a foot of water came down at one time.

So, obviously, we will continue to watch this story here and pictures coming in, again from our affiliate KSDK.

Quick break here. We'll be back in just a moment.

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HARRIS: Planning on a trip overseas this summer? Well, you may want to think twice. Prices are sky-high. Stephanie Elam is at the New York Stock Exchange with details.

Stephanie, good morning.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COLLINS: Not getting enough sleep? Well, you might be surprised at what a little sleep deprivation can lead to.

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COLLINS: For your daily does of health news, sleep walking. Some four percent of us actually do it, but doctors often don't know why. A new study might provide a clue.

Here's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's actually that being sleep deprived can trigger sleep walking. Isn't that strange? So, people who are already genetically predisposed to sleep walking, if you deprive them of sleep, it will make them sleep walk. So, yet another reason why you shouldn't be sleep deprived.

COLLINS: I guess I feel like I'm not too surprised by that. I mean, when you think about fitful sleep, it usually happens after, I mean for me anyway, when I'm overtired.

COHEN: See, I thought if you were sleep deprived, you would just sleep so soundly that nothing would get you out of bed, but apparently not.

COLLINS: See now, this is evidence that I've been more sleep deprived than you because we always, you know, complain about that.

COHEN: Yes, constantly.

COLLINS: What other effects, though? When we talk about sleep deprivation, it does become pretty surprising how these effects really can almost attack your body.

COHEN: Really, it can affect you from head to toe. I mean, sleep deprivation doesn't just make you grumpy and apparently doesn't just make you sleep walk. It can have all sort of effects.

First of all, it can make you gain weight. There are lots of studies that show that people who don't get enough sleep tend to eat too much. It can also really impair your memory. Your brain doesn't work the way it does when it's rested and it can also cause poor driving. Lots of studies that show that many, many accident are caused by sleep deprivation.

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COLLINS: So, here's the big question. How do you get a good night's sleep? Experts recommend unwinding before you hit the pillow. And if you don't fall asleep within 15 minutes -- which this surprised me -- get up and do or read something that is not too stimulating.

CNN NEWSROOM continues just one hour from now.

HARRIS: "ISSUE #1 is next with Ali Velshi and Gerri Willis. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: I'm Heidi Collins. Have a good day, everybody.

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