Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to be Arraigned on Felony Charges; Fight for Pennsylvania: Black Votes Battle
Aired March 25, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And you were participating in the Easter egg roll yesterday?
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. When you got a 2-year- old, you run around after plastic eggs.
ROBERTS: She did well on the Easter egg hunt, though.
CHETRY: How about that? Made me proud.
ROBERTS: Excellent. She won. That's the important thing.
Good morning to you. Hey, the next big primary prize four weeks from today in Pennsylvania. Getting ever closer. But Senator Hillary Clinton's past is haunting her campaign today. She is now backpedaling from comments about a visit to Bosnia that she made as first lady. Clinton had claimed that her entourage came under sniper fire while landing in Tuzla (ph) back in 1996, but the pictures show her and her daughter Chelsea, seen here, seemingly in no danger walking calmly across the tarmac. Here is how Senator Clinton described the trip last Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Well, Clinton now calls that a misstatement. Yesterday, she tried to clarify for the "Philadelphia Daily News." She said, "Now let me tell you what I can remember. I was told was that we had to land a certain way and move quickly because of the threat of sniper fire. So I misspoke. I didn't say that in my book or other times, but if I said something that made it seem as though there was actual fire, that's not what I was told."
Senator Obama's campaign called Senator Clinton's comments "a growing list of instances in which Senator Clinton has exaggerated her role in foreign and domestic policymaking."
Meanwhile, Senator Clinton is trying to keep her campaign focused on the economy. She hosts a town hall meeting this afternoon in Pennsylvania -- Kiran. CHETRY: And Barack Obama actually staying out of the campaign battle today, but he could be pulled into his own controversy as soon as tonight. Right now, he is kicking back in the Virgin Islands. In fact, there's exclusive CNN video of Barack Obama vacationing on the island of St. Thomas, relaxing and chatting on the cell phone in one of the lounge chairs. Tomorrow, it's back to work, though. He's going to be campaigning in North Carolina.
Meantime, his former pastor, the fiery Reverend Jeremiah Wright, is expected to speak at a church revival tonight in Florida. And it will be Reverend Wright's first appearance since tapes emerged of his controversial sermons that caused a big crisis in the Obama campaign.
Meantime, John McCain will be talking about the economy to business leaders in Los Angeles today. In particular, the housing crisis, and that he'll consider all options to help solve the problem. He was talking Iraq though at a stop in Chula Vista yesterday. McCain repeated his belief that Iraq has become a central battleground in the fight against al-Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We urge Palestinians, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia to "help and support of their Mujahadin brothers in Iraq, which is the greatest opportunity and the biggest task." So General Petraeus and I and Osama bin Laden are in agreement. It is hard to understand why Senator Clinton and Senator Obama do not understand that. I don't know if it's naivete or what the problem is, but it's obvious that they are dead wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: McCain says he thinks it would be a mistake to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq and redeploy them to Afghanistan as some have suggested.
Well, New York's governor, David Paterson, making another confession about his past. You may remember last week he and his wife both admitted to extramarital affairs. Last night, Paterson admitted to using drugs in his 20s. Paterson said he smoked marijuana and used cocaine a couple of times. He says this isn't a new revelation, and it also came up during the 2006 campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOMINIC CARTER, HOST: Marijuana?
GOV. DAVID PATERSON (D), NEW YORK: Yes.
CARTER: Cocaine?
PATERSON: Yes.
CARTER: You have used cocaine, Governor?
PATERSON: I'd say I was about 22 or 23. I tried it a couple of times, yes.
CARTER: When is the last time that -- is that the only time you've tried cocaine, Governor?
PATERSON: Yes, around that time, a couple of times and marijuana, probably, when I was about 20. I don't think I touched marijuana since the late '70s.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Paterson also denied using money to finance any of his extramarital -- using state money to finance any of his extramarital affairs.
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will be arraigned today on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, are accused of lying under oath about their alleged romance. The prosecutor says the case goes beyond a private affair.
AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence is following this live for us this morning in Detroit. And Chris, the mayor is vowing to fight these charges.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you've got that right, John. You know, it's quiet this time of day, but that won't be the case later this afternoon when Kwame Kilpatrick is arraigned on eight felony charges at a courthouse less than a mile from the mayor's office.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): He's the youngest man ever elected mayor of Detroit. Now, this mug shot is the face of the Motor City. But Kwame Kilpatrick defiantly refuses to step down.
MAYOR KWAME KILPATRICK (D), DETROIT: I look forward to complete exoneration once all the facts surrounding this matter have been brought forth.
LAWRENCE: But the mayor could be kicked out of office and even sent to prison if he's convicted of perjury and obstructing justice. It all goes back to a whistleblower lawsuit filed by two police officers. They claim they were fired for investigating corruption, including an alleged coverup of the mayor's extramarital affairs. Under oath, Kilpatrick denied he was romantically involved with his chief of staff, but text messages obtained by the "Detroit Free Press" indicate otherwise. One says, "I'm madly in love with you."
And what chief of staff, Christine Beatty, allegedly asked, "Did you miss me sexually?" The message back from Kilpatrick's pager read, "Hell yeah!" Prosecutors accused the mayor from settling the case to keep those texts from being made public, and more Detroiters are demanding Kilpatrick resign.
LAWRENCE (on camera): Who possibly economically could get hurt if that would happen?
TERRY CROSS, BUSINESS CONSULTANT: I think the small neighborhoods businesses would feel it the most.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Business consultant, Terry Cross, says Kilpatrick has helped local entrepreneurs and brought a lot of new development downtown. On the other hand, the scandal has already caused one major convention to pull out of the city, which hurts suburban business as well. And if the losses don't stop there, all of southeastern Michigan will feel the economic pain.
CROSS: It's going to have an effect on the whole area if it's going to have an effect on Detroit.
LAWRENCE: The whistleblower settlement has already cost taxpayers $8 million.
KYN WORTHY, PROSECUTOR: Public dollars were used. People's lives were ruined. The justice system was severely mocked, and the public trust trampled on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Harsh words from the prosecutor who says she does not expect Kilpatrick to seek a plea deal. The married father of three has publicly apologized to his wife but promises to stay in office and fight these charges -- John.
ROBERTS: And Chris, how much longer can he resist these growing charges for him to step down?
LAWRENCE: Well, if you believe his lawyer, his lawyer says if you put this in front of a jury, a jury of Detroiters, he feels that the mayor can be vindicated, although if the chorus starts to get a lot louder from some of the business leaders from other influential politicians around the state, state legislators, it could put a lot more pressure on the mayor to step down.
ROBERTS: Chris Lawrence for us this morning in Detroit. Chris, thanks very much -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, finally, possibly some encouraging news about home sales. Could that mean the economic tide is turning? Ali Velshi joins us now with attempting a silver lining.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I was going to say this one -- I've been working on this silver lining all morning. Home prices have had a major drop, in fact, about eight percent since the same time last year. We're looking at February numbers. That's the most recent we have.
We're now down to 2004 levels for the median price of a single- family home, down to $193,900. One year ago, the median single-family home was worth $212,400. In July 2006, which was thought of as the peak in the recent markets, the highest home prices have ever been, $231,000. That's bad news if you bought a house in 2006. Good news if you're looking for a house right now because home sales in February were actually up compared to January, the first month that they have been up since last July.
So what's happening is with these prices coming down, people are actually thinking it might be time for them to get into that market. So those are up. Now, I should tell you, February compared to last February, big drop-off. Almost a 24 percent decline in sales. So it's not like everybody is rushing into this market, but it is the first time we're seeing a corner being turned. It could be that the combination of low mortgage rates, relatively low mortgage rates, still around six percent for a 30-year fixed mortgage, and these lower home prices are allowing some people or otherwise we're feeling priced out of the market to get in. And if more of those people get in, we could start to see a turnaround.
Remember, there are some people who are saying that this downturn continues into 2009, 2010, I've heard 2011. I've never agreed that it's that bad. I've always been saying the end of 2008 might see this turnaround. This is not overwhelming evidence. It's not like steamy text messages or anything, but it is a little bit of evidence that things are turning around.
I'm going to stop talking right now because that yellow thing spinning around behind me, it's driving me nuts.
CHETRY: Well, if you hadn't woken up, you know, that's something --
VELSHI: Yes, and I'm up. I'm up.
ROBERTS: There you go.
VELSHI: You're background looks way better than mine.
ROBERTS: It's our new nuclear morning.
VELSHI: Look at this. This is nuts. Look at this thing spinning around.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: And the way they shot you, (INAUDIBLE). I think they're going to gradually zoom out until you disappear.
VELSHI: Guess who I work for? Guess who I work for?
ROBERTS: You're slowly getting sucked into the background there. There you go.
VELSHI: Good to see you guys. I'll try to find some good news later.
ROBERTS: It's like a tractor beam.
VELSHI: That's right.
ROBERTS: All right. Ali, thanks.
Well, now, extreme shot topping our extreme weather this morning. Check out this picture that caught our eye overnight. It's the northern lights from above earth. The picture was taken by an Endeavour crew member from the International Space Station.
Our Rob Marciano at our weather update desk for us this morning. And Rob, we're not looking at northern lights but are looking for some snow across Michigan today.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We're already getting it, John. Good morning, everybody. Got some snow out rolling across the Great Lakes. It's going to head into parts of upstate New York and the winter weary residents across the northern tier say, hey, where is spring?
My goodness! It should be here on the calendar for sure, and it's not warming up too much. Three to six inches of snow expected across the Great Lakes today, and we're already starting to see some of that button (ph) beginning to pile up across, especially Michigan, the U.P., all across actually the lower hand, too. It's all heading towards Detroit. There's a little bit of warm air behind this so Milwaukee, mostly in the form of rain showers, and Green Bay continue to see their record season pile up as far as snowfall is considered there.
Hey, talk about what's going on down here. Remember we've got the flooding issues. We've got days until this all comes to pass. So we're still watching all of these river gauges which are either at moderate flooding or at severe and major flooding. And across eastern parts of Arkansas, these are the rivers, the White, the Black, the Little Red River, they're all trying to feed into the Mississippi that we're still seeing problems.
Now, expected to peak today is the White River. And right now, we're looking at a stage of about 33 feet. Baton Rouge still under a flood warning. They're not expected to see the Mississippi peak until Monday morning. So still have several days for this massive water to work its way down all the riverways into the Gulf of Mexico. John, back up to you.
ROBERTS: Rob, thanks very much. We'll check back in with you in just a little while -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Still ahead, you're watching the "Most News in the Morning." A new prime minister swears in today by the very man that he says threw him in jail. Find out what country we're talking about.
And forget tuning into traffic and weather together on the radio. How your neighbors and fellow commuters can help you beat the morning rush. You will find out how, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Fifteen minutes past 6:00 here on the East Coast. We have Veronica De La Cruz with us following stories this morning. Hey, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Good morning. Nice to see you. Nice to see you, John.
ROBERTS: Good morning.
DE LA CRUZ: And good morning to you as well. We've got some breaking news to start with out of Pakistan this morning. Yousaf Raza Gilani sworn in as the country's new prime minister just a short time ago. President Pervez Musharraf gave the oath, even though Gilani blames him for jailing him for five years. During the ceremony, Gilani supporters chanted long live Bhutto, referring to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who was killed late last year. Also today, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte arrived in Pakistan for talks with Pakistani lawmakers.
Dramatic images to show you now of a violent protest and crackdown in Nepal. Police used bamboo sticks to beat monks and refugees in the latest round of demonstrations in support of Tibet and against China. This is the first protest outside of the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu. Police arrested about 100 people today. Over the last couple of days in Nepal, protesters say nearly 500 people have been taken into custody.
Well, the U.S. Navy says an American cargo ship working for the Navy fired on Egyptian boats in the Suez Canal. The ship fired warning shots at several small boats after instructions to turn away were ignored. Egyptian authorities say one person was killed, two injured. The boat operators say they just wanted to sell cigarettes and other products to the American ship.
And families of victims of the Virginia Tech shootings are being offered $100,000 to not bring lawsuits against the university or the state. A family member who has seen the settlement offer says families and surviving victims would also receive medical help and counseling. It's been almost a year since Seung-Hui Cho opened fire killing 32 people and then himself.
Well, the crew of the shuttle Endeavour is ready to return to earth. They shared farewell hugs with fellow astronauts on board the International Space Station, swarming (ph) out a member of the crew, the hatches were closed and the shuttle undocked. Landing is set for tomorrow night. The group performed a record tying five spacewalks installing a giant robot arm and a portion of a new laboratory.
Some Netflix subscribers will have to wait a little longer to get their latest DVDs. The movie rental site is now back up and running after being down for about 11 hours yesterday. A large number of movies will be mailed today. Instead, there is no word on what happened.
And you can soon avoid traffic snarls courtesy of someone else's navigation system. The new dash navigation two-way device works by essentially having stranded and barely moving drivers share realtime information with each other. The new GPS device should hit store shelves Thursday for the cost of around $600. And that is what is new this morning. I'll send it now back to John and Kiran. So it's not coming cheap, 600 bucks.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Yes, but it would be interesting. So you can actually obtain the information in someone who's far ahead of you and see what their traffic situation is so you get a better picture.
ROBERTS: So if there -- so if they're stuck in a highway...
CHETRY: That's right.
ROBERTS: ... it relays that information. The satellite relays it to other...
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, exactly.
ROBERTS: ... pops up a little traffic.
(CROSSTALK)
DE LA CRUZ: But if you have nowhere to go, you won't see it.
CHETRY: Walk us through. How the heck do you get out of it? You know, exit here with a huge sign.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, you know, they're saying they're going to go ahead and try to also include Internet with that. And I'm scared of what Internet access on the road could do, you know.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: How are we telling people not to use their cell phones, but now we're going to bring them the Internet?
DE LA CRUZ: That's what I don't understand about this, but it's going to be interesting to see how it works.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: You need to grow another arm, too, because it's -- driving, steering, Blackberry.
DE LA CRUZ: Cell phone, Blackberry.
ROBERTS: Another pair of arms as well. Thanks, Veronica.
CHETRY: Thanks, Veronica.
ROBERTS: Key endorsements for both candidates from different African-American leaders. Why the breakdown may not be along racial lines in the state of Pennsylvania.
And for years, it was the woman's responsibility but could it now be the guy's turn to get on the pill? That's right. A male birth control pill is in the works. Not just a dream anymore, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, it's "Hot Shot" time now. And what do you get when you're the tallest man in the world? Well, I don't know if you would really want a compact car, would you? It makes for a funny picture, though.
It was a gift from Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko to Leonid Stadnyk (ph). He stands 8'5" tall, and there is not a sunroom. Maybe not the best selection of a gift. It's the thought that counts, right?
Well, then, he was learning to ride a bike as well. Leonid did not fare too well on this one either. It was custom made supposedly for his long legs, but they didn't put any training wheels on it. And it was the first time that he was learning how to ride. So he'll catch on, you know. Fall off a couple of times, then you catch on.
If you got a "Hot Shot," by the way, send it to us. Head to our Web site, CNN.com/am and follow the "Hot Shot" link -- John.
ROBERTS: Race is pushing other issues to the back burner in the intense battle for the Democratic nomination. But in Pennsylvania, some African-American voters are giving Senator Hillary Clinton a second look now.
CNN's Jason Carroll talked with voters in the next key battleground one month from today. Gosh, it's getting closer and closer.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very, very close.
ROBERTS: Jason joins us this morning. Good morning.
CARROLL: Yes, good morning. It's getting very, very close. Clinton still doing extremely well in Pennsylvania, and she has picked up the endorsement of one of the state's leading African-Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): Senator Barack Obama has a tough road ahead in Pennsylvania. Senator Hillary Clinton leads among working and middle-class whites as well as women. Obama still leads among African-Americans, but Clinton has the backing of the state's popular governor and Philadelphia's mayor.
MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER (D), PHILADELPHIA: I think she is the kind of leader that we need at this point in time.
CARROLL: Mayor Michael Nutter could help Clinton among black voters as well as higher income whites. Both groups supported him during last year's mayoral race.
NUTTER: I'm not claiming to have some, you know, magic wand to, you know, drive people to a particular candidate, but those who understand where I'm coming from, respect my opinion.
CARROLL: Clinton may not need the African-American vote to win the state, but even a strong showing could be viewed as a victory of sorts, giving the overwhelming black support Obama's received in past primaries.
REV. ELLIS WASHINGTON, ST. MATTHEWS A.M.E.: I am talking about Senator Barack Obama. That's what I'm talking about.
CARROLL: An organized group of black ministers are backing Obama. Reverend Ellis Washington says he has heard arguments for both candidates in and out of church.
WASHINGTON: We understand the mayor. We understand the governor. But, you know, we think that we have to be the prophets of this time and go a different way.
CARROLL: But these church volunteers have made up their own minds.
SHIRLEY THOMAS, VOTER: There's a chance for a female to be in office, and she has more experience. I mean, I'm not opposed to Obama, but that's my choice.
CARROLL (on camera): Strong for Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Strong for Obama.
CARROLL: Strong for Obama. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But Hillary brings a lot of experience and intelligence with her program as well.
CARROLL (voice-over): That seems to reflect a common theme found among many black Pennsylvania voters.
DR. G. TERRY MADONNA, FRANKLIN AND MARSHALL COLLEGE: I don't think there's distrust or a dislike for Senator Clinton. And in the polls that we've done, we do find a surprising number of people, African-Americans say, well, if it's not Senator Obama, you know, they're comfortable with Senator Clinton.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And recent polling shows that Clinton leads in virtually every demographic group except two -- voters in Philadelphia and non-whites statewide.
ROBERTS: You know, we keep finding this in the polls. It's not like they don't like one candidate and like another one. Most democrats like both candidates.
CARROLL: There's definitely feelings there for among in the black community for Senator Clinton. Absolutely, we felt it there when we were there. And a lot of people, the African-American community are torn quite frankly. ROBERTS: So how do they measure up on the issues then with voters?
CARROLL: Well, you know, when you look at the polling statewide, Clinton seems to do better with voters who say the economy or health care are their top issues. Obama seems to do slightly better with voters statewide who say the war in Iraq is their number one issue.
ROBERTS: Well, as we know, though, the economy is the number one issue.
CARROLL: Yes.
ROBERTS: So perhaps that will be driving voters to Clinton. Jason Carroll, good piece.
CARROLL: Yes.
ROBERTS: Interesting look at what's going on in the state there. Thanks very much -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, here's some new info for you guys this morning. There's a male version of the birth control pill that could soon be available in the United States. There's a new study that says this pill on the horizon is safe. It's reversible. It's a hormone. It's a male contraceptive, 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. That means it's as effective as the pill that women take.
So we wanted to know what you think. Do you think men will take the guy's version of the pill once it goes on the market? Would you, guys? Cast your vote, CNN.com/am. We'll have the first tally of the votes a little later in the hour. We're going to talk with Sanjay Gupta about this new contraceptive, how it works and what are any possible side effects.
Hillary Clinton's past haunting her on the campaign trail today. What she said about a trip as first lady that's now causing her to backpedal and what the potential fallout could be from that.
Also, Barack Obama's longtime pastor returns to the pulpit today. We're taking a look at the words he used to inspire his church and whether or not they'll work in Obama's favor now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Shot this morning as the sun is beginning to come up on New York City. A little chilly out there right now, 31 degrees, going up to a high of 48 today and mostly sunny. Spring still, you know, not quite here yet, but hopefully it will be one of these days soon.
CHETRY: It's a reluctant spring it feels like.
ROBERTS: It always is.
CHETRY: Easter was early.
ROBERTS: Is it always a reluctant spring?
CHETRY: It is. You've got to coax the flowers out of the ground, coax the sun. But welcome back. Great to have you with us this morning. And politics, of course, issue number one this morning.
Hillary Clinton admitting that she told -- that the story that she told about landing under sniper fire in Bosnia may have been a "misstatement." Clinton backpedaled Monday after a video surfaced showing a very different picture from the dramatic landing she described more than once on the campaign trail. Here's how Clinton described that trip to Bosnia in 1996 just a week ago Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Here is a look at that actual arrival. And you can see from the pictures, Chelsea, her daughter with her. Hillary Clinton walking off the plane. There are no snipers, no running, and she does actually go on to a small greeting ceremony on the tarmac.
Joining me now senior political analyst Bill Schneider live from the CNN Election Express in Philadelphia.
Thanks for being with us this morning, Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure.
CHETRY: For your take on it, is this basically, did she lie on the campaign trail?
SCHNEIDER: I don't want to call anyone names so let me give you a lawyerly answer. Her account is at variance with the evidence and with the testimony of other witnesses who were there. She was clearly embellishing the story. And I think it does raise some questions about her credibility, which, of course, the Obama campaign was very quick to jump on.
CHETRY: It does raise some questions also about why you would not be a little bit more careful. She's savvy and she also knows that clearly there were reporters with her. Clearly this was on tape. And wasn't anybody going to double-check?
SCHNEIDER: Well, clearly, this was a blunder on her part. She should have known that there were many other people, that there were reporters there, that there was videotape, and she's gotten into some serious trouble. Trouble because of a very specific thing about her and her name "Clinton." It reminds a lot of voters of the thing that they didn't like about her husband's administration. He wasn't a straight talker. That's where John McCain came out in 2000 as the un- Clinton, because he ran a straight-talk campaign. What people remember about her husband's administration, aside from the many good things that he accomplished, was that he was evasive, he was sometimes deceptive, I didn't inhale. It depends on what the meaning of "is" is. I did not have sex with that woman. Well, he had a credibility problem right from the very beginning. And I think this reminds to many voters that she also is a Clinton.
CHETRY: Here's what she said when she was responding to questions about her version of the story. She told the editorial board of the "Philadelphia Daily News," "I was told that we had to land in a certain way and move quickly because of the threat of sniper fire. So I misspoke if I said something that made it seem as though there was actual fire, that's not what I was told."
Does that clear things up or make it worse?
SCHNEIDER: Well, she acknowledges that she misspoke. And she's trying to make very little of it, but I think there is something there that her opponents are going to latch onto.
CHETRY: Let's talk about the presidential primary that's taking place in Pennsylvania. It's actually just four weeks away from today. You're obviously there. An interesting article today in "The New York Times" was talking about Hillary Clinton's big hope, which is among the superdelegates showing that she actually is able to get this blue collar white vote in a huge swing state and that would then be the argument moving forward in terms of why she should -- they should side with her over Barack Obama.
How key is it how she does in Pennsylvania, especially among that demographic?
SCHNEIDER: Well, here we're dealing with the expectations game, of course. She is expected to win here and possibly win big. This is her kind of state. She's got the support of the entire Democratic establishment, Governor Ed Rendell, the mayors of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, putting the African-American mayor just elected in Philadelphia. So she has a lot of strength here.
It's her kind of state. A lot of seniors, rural voters, Catholics, blue collar workers, union members. She really ought to do well here. And if she does win a big double-digit victory, that could help convince the superdelegates that the momentum is with her and she's a very strong candidate who can win big swing states like Pennsylvania.
And that question has been raised about Barack Obama. Can he do the same thing? If Obama does well here and if he wins, that would be a huge unexpected surprise. If he were to win Pennsylvania, I think that would shut down the contest and she would be under a lot of pressure to get out.
CHETRY: Bill Schneider for us in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this morning. Thanks.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: 34 minutes now after the hour. James Carville, an adviser to Senator Hillary Clinton is not backing down from a comment that he made comparing Governor Bill Richardson to Judas.
Carville said that Richardson once a member of President Clinton's cabinet betrayed the Clintons when he endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president. Carville defended his remarks last night on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CARVILLE, ADVISER TO SENATOR CLINTON: My view is that this was a particularly disloyal thing to do, and that's my view. I was speaking for myself, not speaking for anybody else. And that's my judgment then. It's my judgment now. And I've found in my life that if you think something and you feel it, then you ought to say it, and I did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Earlier on CNN's "Larry King Live," Richardson urged both campaigns to stop the personal attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: That I don't want to get into the gutter like that. I want to stay positive. I think it's going to hurt his own candidate. I did this for party unity, and I did this because I believe honestly that Obama has the intellect, the judgment, the competence, and the enormous ability to bring people together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The Clinton campaigns communications director, Howard Wolfsen, says he does not agree with Carville's comment.
We've got breaking news to tell you about out of Pakistan this morning. Yousuf Raza Gilani was sworn in as the country's new prime minister just a short time ago. President Pervez Musharraf delivered the oath even though Gilani blames him for jailing him for five years.
During the ceremony, Gilani supporter chanted long live Bhutto, referring to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who was killed late last year.
Also today, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte arrived in Pakistan for talks with Pakistani lawmakers.
Government soldiers routed rebel forces overnight in the Comoros Islands, 250 miles off of the Southeastern Coast of Africa. Pictures just in to us show people on the island of Anjouan cheering the liberating troops. They had been under the rule of a renegade colonel since last May. The Comoros Islands have been caught up in political turmoil since they gained independence from France back in 1975.
Also new this morning, troop withdrawals from Iraq should be put on hold. That's according to the top U.S. commander there. General David Petraeus is asking President Bush not to bring any more American forces home after July. At that point, troops will be back to their pre-build up level of about 130,000.
Issue No. 1 now, the economy. Home sales are up for the first time in six months. But home prices had their biggest fall in 40 years. Bargain hunters drove sales of existing homes up nearly 3 percent from January to February, according to the National Association of Realtors. They say the median price of a home is just under $196,000 now. That's down $17,000 in just one year.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, check out the video now of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii. This video was taken yesterday as steam poured out of the volcano after an eruption in one of the volcano's craters.
And you know, according to the scientists, Rob Marciano, at the volcanic observatory there on the big island. They say that this is the first time in 84 years that eruption has actually come out of the main crater. That they've been seeing some, you know, smoke and activity off the side, but they're quite excited about this.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Barack Obama's former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, is expected to have his say tonight in Tampa. Will he clear the air or stir up more controversy?
And a private jet is forced to make an emergency landing after an almost unthinkable calamity. The story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 42 minutes after the hour now. And the Reverend Jeremiah Wright is back in the spotlight this morning. He is said to headline a revival at a church in Tampa later on today. His first major appearance since he became caught up in presidential politics and his rhetoric went beyond his church to viewers around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): We've heard plenty of this.
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT, TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: No, no, no. Not God bless America, God damn America.
ROBERTS: And this.
WRIGHT: America sickens coming home to roost.
ROBERTS: But when Reverend Jeremiah Wright speaks at a revival tonight in Tampa, those in attendance are more likely to hear something like this.
WRIGHT: Have the audacity to hope for the child of yours. Have the audacity to hope for that home of yours. Have the audacity to hope for the church of yours. For whatever it is that you've been praying -- keep on praying.
ROBERTS: It's from the same sermon, The Audacity of Hope, that inspired Barack Obama's best-selling book. And his popular keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Audacity of Hope.
ROBERTS: It's a side of his old pastor that Obama says people aren't getting to see. A point he made again this week on a Philadelphia radio show.
OBAMA: Despite these very offensive views, this guy has built one of the finest churches in Chicago. It's not some crackpot church.
ROBERTS: So while images like this play on TV, the question is whether Wright can change minds and win more converts like Obama. People who see his sermons on family and hope is uplifting and inspiring.
WRIGHT: Hope is what saves us. Keep on hoping. Keep on praying. God does hear and answer prayers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: So what can we expect to hear from Reverend Wright later on today when he appears in Tampa? Joining me from Chicago is CNN contributor Roland Martin. He is the host of "The Roland Martin Show."
So, what do you think, Roland? I mean, here is a guy who at its most basic level has been quite an inspiring figure, took his church from just a handful of people to more than 8,000 members. What do you think he might say tonight?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we don't know. I mean, bottom line is I've heard any number of sermons where he talks about family, children, divorce. Also, he talks about social issues when it comes to HIV/AIDS. And so, frankly, we don't know.
I mean, it is a revival. I mean, preachers do this all across the country. They also preach in the sermon -- preaching their pulpits on Sunday, and then preaching revivals. He'll be in Tampa, then, of course, he will be in Houston. Later this weekend, he's going to be preaching at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church for the last 15 years.
In fact, the pastor of that church is Marcus Cosby, who is one of his spiritual sons. And so frankly -- look, my wife is an ordained minister. And to be honest, whatever God puts in their heart, we never really know until they step up to the microphone.
ROBERTS: Right. The church in Tampa is making a very special point tonight in saying no video equipment allowed inside the church. No recording devices of any kind.
MARTIN: Well, I'm not shocked by that because many churches have various rules for that. In fact, my church is a Church without Walls in Houston, Texas. Whenever media go there, you have to get approval from the pastor in order to record or do anything of a particular church.
In fact, when I was a member there, I was taking some pictures and I had had to get approval from the pastor just to take pictures within the "Sanctuary" as well, the newspaper that I was running at that time.
ROBERTS: Sure. But certainly there were lots of pictures that were taken of Reverend Wright's church in the past. Do you think that Barack Obama has affected the address this weekend?
MARTIN: But, remember, his church has a ministry so where they actually have their own video crew that actually records the services because it's also broadcast on TV, on cable network.
I mean, look, he has address it. I think -- here's the deal, though. The question is, we've been seeing snippets of sermons. Obama has addressed it. He's spoken to it. What more can he say about it? I mean, when I hear people say, what they wanted more for him, so exactly what more is there to say if he's denounced it, if he's repudiated the comments, if he said he's disagreed with it, then what next?
There are people out there who want him to leave the church, disown the church. But I would never ask anybody to disown their church. To me, that is offensive to ask someone to disown the church, which is their spiritual home.
ROBERTS: And there are certainly enough people out there who want us to drop the whole idea as well. Let me just switch gears and ask you about Hillary Clinton. Misremembering, according to her, the circumstances of this 1996 trip that she made to Tuzla.
She was pretty clear when she was on the campaign trail last Monday that the circumstances were pretty hot when she got on the ground there. She said they were under sniper fire. They had to run with their heads ducked into their cars to get off to the base.
The videotape tells a different story, as do other accounts that she has recalled over the years in her book "Living History," being one of those examples. What effect do you think that this might have on her?
MARTIN: Truthfulness is the biggest problem that she has when you look at the polling data, which you'll likely going to find. First of all, she oddly came out and said she misspoke. Her campaign is quickly trying to spin this whole deal, which makes absolute sense because what you don't want is a credibility issue.
She has said that foreign policy is a significant issue of her experience, where to be there from day one. Don't be surprised if the media and the Obama campaign, the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee, they are going to go through all of her statements. They're going to figure out how many times that she recounted this story.
And they're going to say, wait a minute, have you said this five or ten times before, did you somehow misspeak or misspoke during those particular times? And so she needs to get this quickly behind her because you don't want, as any candidate, for your integrity or your credibility to be questioned by anybody, especially when that's already a high negative for you.
ROBERTS: Yes. The early telling of this story seemed to be more in line with what the videotape tells us. It's only been recently that there has been this idea that there was a lot more going on on the ground than there actually appeared to be.
MARTIN: Of course. And it doesn't help when you have Sheryl Crow as well as Sinbad who were there. And Sinbad saying, wait a minute, I don't recall any sniper fire. So you had people who are literally on the trip with her, giving a different account.
And so again, I think the biggest thing for her campaign is to quickly get out of the way and say look, here is exactly what happened. Because like anything, bottom line is, John, we have a long time between now and April 22nd. And you don't want these small little insignificant items to all of a sudden grow and get larger.
So don't be surprised if we see the next 24 to 48 hours more stories saying, well, she said it here, here, here, and here. Now, all of a sudden, what does it all mean?
ROBERTS: Roland, we're going to let you go. They are yelling for you to get on the radio. We'll see you again, my friend.
MARTIN: I appreciate it, John. Thanks a lot.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Roland.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Two pilots getting quite a scare just after takeoff. We're going to tell you about some tense moments aboard a private jet just ahead.
Also, the cost of raising a child is on the rise. Just how much will you spend on your little bundle of joy before you can finally ship the cute little guy off to college?
ROBERTS: (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: Then they really hit you up for money, right? We have the staggering...
ROBERTS: Then they come back and want more.
CHETRY: We'll have the staggering numbers ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. But they're so cute.
ROBERTS: They are, for now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back. It is about -- eight -- I was hoping they weren't going to get my sneakers, but I think they got them in that shot.
ROBERTS: They got your sneakers?
CHETRY: Just a little.
ROBERTS: Those are some pretty jazzy sneakers you've got.
CHETRY: I'm changing into these five-inch stilettos any minute. Right at seven, right at seven on the East Coast.
ROBERTS: You know, you're going to need to show these now that you've talked about them.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we'll show it a couple of -- oh, no, you did get them! Sorry.
Well, if you're joining us, here's a look at what's making headlines this morning. We're talking about the protests that have been going on during these anti-Chinese demonstrations in Tibet. And according to the main Tibetan exile group based out of India, 140 have been killed.
Beijing is claiming that number is way overblown. That only 22 have been killed in the rioting that has been going on there. They are protesting against China's authority which began on March 10th, the biggest in nearly 20 years.
Police in Iowa now saying they believe the body found in a wrecked and burning van is that of a husband suspected of killing his wife and four children. Emergency crews found that van a short time after police were called to the Iowa City home and found the five bodies. Investigators say that the husband was recently charged with embezzling $500,000 from the bank where he worked.
Well, some tense moments aboard a private business jet. This was shortly after taking off from a Chicago airport. The main passenger door simply fell off. The plane was able to land safely, returning to Grand Junction Regional Airport. There were no passengers on board at the time and the two pilots were OK.
Well, if you need more proof that kids are expensive, you probably don't. But a government study find that middle-income U.S. families will spend more than $200,000 raising a child born in 2007 until he or she is 18. That would include food, housing, health care, education. But it leaves out, you know what, the huge chunk as John was pointing out, that's college, if you're so kind as to pay for your child's education. The study found that the overall cost for raising a child jumped 15 percent from 1960 to last year. ROBERTS: You know, it doesn't end to college either because then there's the boomerang kid who comes back right on and lives at home.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This article I heard this weekend about people who are sort of in the 50-year-old age category who are moving home.
CHETRY: Really?
VELSHI: It never ends. It never ends.
CHETRY: Are you serious?
VELSHI: Mom and Dad, keep that room ready.
CHETRY: I think it's a top spot for those, you know, 40 to 60- year-olds to be -- because you're taking -- you're still dealing with your kids, but you're dealing with your parents, too. Everyone needs something from you.
ROBERTS: Nice at the very least that the family unit remains strong.
VELSHI: That's right. That's right. And you have choice. You have choice. If you all move in, you have three, four generations living in a house, and you get satellite radio, you can listen to anything you want because the XM-Sirius deal is going through, or at least has been approved by the Justice Department.
Now, those of you who subscribe to each of these, you understand that there's -- they both have very specific offerings that are different. So, the idea there, together, might help people. XM Radio has 170 channels, about 9 million subscribers. The big draws there are Major League Baseball, Oprah and my producer made me say Snoop Dog.
Over on, Sirius, 130 channels, 8.3 million subscribers at last check. They got NASCAR, NBA, NFL, Howard Stern, Martha Stewart. The combination of these two has been approved by the Justice Department but not by the FCC because back in 1997 when they got their licenses, both of these organizations, separate companies, said that they would never merge. And there's nothing the FCC likes more than finding a rule to enforce, except Stevie (ph) text messages, they like that too.
So, the FCC has suggested that they've got some hurdles to overcome. The two companies have said that when they join you'll be able to get a la carte pricing. You'll be able to use receivers that work for both services. And the combination, the best of both, will be less money than buying the top tier on both services right now.
ROBERTS: That's still to be 25 months.
CHETRY: You're in trouble, though, if your favorite shows, you know, if your favorite shows happen at the exact same time.
VELSHI: That we can't help you with. Then you need the TiVo of satellite radio.
CHETRY: Right. So, are they going to merge also, TiVo with radio?
VELSHI: That would be an interesting suggestion. You heard it here first.
ROBERTS: And I think the referee has to get in here. Stop. Stop it.
Ali, thanks very much. You forgot the best part, though. CNN on both XM and Sirius.
VELSHI: That's absolutely right.
ROBERTS: Be sure to join Ali, Gerri Willis and the entire CNN money team for "Issue Number 1 Your Money." That's at noon, Eastern. All this week. Right here on CNN.
CHETRY: Well, the mayor of Detroit and his former chief-of-staff into serious trouble this morning, both of them charged with perjury, among other felonies after testifying that they did not have an affair. It goes deeper than that. But what the mayor is saying today, vowing to fight on in this case, coming up.
Also, the pill. It may not just be for women anymore. There's a new study saying that the male version of the contraceptive is 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. So, how does it work? And guys out there, would you actually take it?
It's our "Quick Vote" question. And Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxantshop.com
