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American Morning
Housing Secretary Resignation Expected Today; Iraq Power Struggle: Who's in Charge?; Clinton Not Quitting: Does She Have Finances?; Workplace Revolution: Coworking Sites
Aired March 31, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: A 16-day festival. So we're only on the first three. It's only going to get better. Welcome. We're glad you're with us this morning. And we begin with new developments for your money. A lot to talk about.
We're going to start with a look at the overseas market. They are sinking this morning. That sort of picks up where Wall Street left off Friday. Asia's major indexes all down big. Tokyo's Nikkei plunging nearly 300 points. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shedding 436 points, and the Shanghai composite also down 127 points.
To gas prices, hitting another record high overnight, slight but still significant. AAA says that the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded hit $3.28. That's more than 63 cents higher than it was just a year ago.
And there's word overnight of a high profile resignation happening today. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson is expected to resign according to this morning's "Wall Street Journal." Recently, he's been at the center of an investigation into allegations he gave lucrative housing contracts to friends. Democrats say Jackson is a distraction of the agency at a time when the housing crisis needs to be front and center.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, all of this is framing our major economic story of the day and that is this morning Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is going to be announcing the most sweeping overhaul of how banks have regulated since the Great Depression. So what does it mean for all of us? Gerri Willis here to explain it. Good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good morning, John. Good to see you. Yes, this is a very big story indeed. The treasury secretary, Henry Paulson, today at 10:00, is expected to announce a broad sweeping change to regulation of financial institutions in this country. In the cross hairs, the Fed here will have broader powers to regulate investment banks. Very big changes in the way.
Also, there will be three big agencies that will oversee all financial institutions. Consolidation of financial oversight agencies will create a national mortgage commission and iron out different lending rules nationwide.
What's interesting here is that there's been a patchwork of regulation for years and years and years. This is going to change that, but there are big criticisms today that it's not going far enough. And, of course, this plan started in Henry Paulson's reign (ph) many, many years ago. He actually wanted to curb some of the regulation out there so that investment banks would be more competitive globally.
Now, as you know, you talked to Henry Paulson just last week on Friday. Here's what he had so say at that time about what he was thinking about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY PAULSON, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: Banks are very important to our overall economy. It's very important that they continue to play the role they need to play and make credit available for businesses to create jobs, for consumers to buy a home or make a college loan. And again, the effort here is, first of all, to encourage them to raise capital so they continue to play the role they need to be rather than shrinking their balance sheet. And so, stable, orderly markets are very important and regulators are focused on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: As you see, a little hint there that something might be coming down the pike. And, of course, this is a dramatic change but already being criticized by the Democrats on the Hill.
ROBERTS: So what does it mean to you and I? What does it mean to people who invest in the stock market, people who borrow money from banks?
WILLIS: Well, most significantly, I think the people who are in trouble with mortgages right now, it won't change their world very much at all right now. People who went into foreclosure last year, 2.2 million people, they're not going to get a lot of assistance here. So there's going to be a lot of criticism of this. Congress is coming up with its own plan, which will be more thorough going, and I'm sure we're going to battle it out to see just exactly how this plays out.
ROBERTS: Going to be hearing a lot more about this this morning.
WILLIS: That's right.
ROBERTS: Gerri Willis, thanks very much. And you can watch Treasury Secretary Paulson deliver that plan this morning, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Turning now to the race for the White House, and there's new polling out today showing that Senator Barack Obama now has the largest lead yet over Senator Hillary Clinton. This is the first time this year the Gallup tracking poll leading, has Obama leading Clinton 52 percent to 42 percent, and it's the first time either candidate has held a double-digit lead over the other since the beginning of February. Back then, Hillary Clinton led by 11 points.
And there's a new endorsement for Barack Obama as well. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is expected to make the announcement sometime today. She's a superdelegate and the 64th one to endorse Barack Obama since Super Tuesday. Party officials say she and Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey had planned to stay neutral, but made the endorsements after the race became more bitter.
ROBERTS: Meanwhile, the pressure is on for Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race. But Clinton told "The Washington Post" over the weekend she has no intention of stopping until she finishes what she started. And she told voters in Indianapolis that they need to be heard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are some folks saying, well, we ought to stop these elections. I didn't think we believed that in America. I thought we, of all people, knew how important it was to give everyone a chance to have their voices heard and their votes counted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean agrees that Clinton should not quit. Obama also weighed in on the infighting over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My attitude is that Senator Clinton can run as long as she wants. Her name is on the ballot, and she is a fierce and formidable competitor, and she obviously believes that, you know, she would make the best nominee and the best president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Meantime, two high profile Obama supporters Senators Patrick Leahy and Chris Dodd, say Clinton is hurting the party by staying in the race.
Former President Bill Clinton was stumping for his wife in California. He told undecided superdelegates at the state convention in San Jose that they should stop worrying and just let the race play itself out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are strengthening the Democratic Party. Chill out. We're going to win this election if we just chill out and let everybody have their say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A third of the state's superdelegates are undecided. Clinton met privately with more than a dozen of them before his speech. And on the Republican side, presumptive nominee, Senator John McCain, will be in Mississippi this morning for a fund raiser. He'll talk about his family's long military history in Meridian before attending a $1,000 a plate dinner in Jackson.
McCain and his wife Cindy attended the "Wings Over Meridian" air show on Sunday at McCain Field. It's the naval air station after his grandfather. McCain was once a flight instructor at that base.
CHETRY: Well, new this morning. The remains of a U.S. soldier listed as missing and captured in Iraq since 2004 have been found and identified. The army says that DNA tests have identified Staff Sergeant Keith Matt Maupin. Maupin's father says his heart sank when he heard the news.
Maupin was 20 years old when his convoy was ambushed near Baghdad nearly four years ago. He was seen in a hostage video taped just a week after he was captured. Another tape surfaced a short time later allegedly showing a soldier being executed. The military has not confirmed the identity of the person on that tape.
Well, Iraq lifting a four-day citywide curfew in Baghdad. Still, though, reports of new violence this morning. The attacks come just a day after radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters to stand down. They've been locked in a deadly battle with Iraqi and American forces. Al-Sadr calls on his military to get off the streets and stop their attacks which have paralyzed the capital over the week.
And in exchange, al-Sadr is calling for police to stop arresting his followers. He's also calling for them to be released, those who have been captured to get amnesty for it. The U.S. military says at least 25 enemy fighters have been killed in Baghdad during the widespread violence.
Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, calling al-Sadr's offer a step in the right direction, but will it end the violence? Joining me now is CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Nic, what's the latest this morning?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, we do know that the militia fighters, the armed militia fighters who've been on the streets of Basra and some parts of Baghdad over the last few days, are off the streets. They're not walking around with their weapons. Despite that, however, there were several rockets or mortars fired on the international, the Green Zone, where two Americans were killed over the past few days by similar attacks.
There appear to be no casualties today. This could hold both sides. The government and Muqtada al-Sadr do seem to have stepped back from the brink here. But it's not clear how this is going to play out. The prime minister says that he will continue rounding up these militias through the rest of the week.
And I think it's important that Muqtada al-Sadr has put conditions on telling his fighters to step back from the brink as well. He's put the onus on the government here to release all those fighters of his that have been detained, Kiran.
CHETRY: And what about the reasons for this initial dust-up in the first place? The concerns that Basra, controlled by the majority of Basra being controlled by these so called criminal elements and what's taken place there to try to make sure it gets under control of the central government.
ROBERTSON: You know, there's been some criticism over the last few days of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Number one, for getting into a military confrontation that he couldn't win, that appears to have been ended by political negotiations with Sadr's militia. There's been criticism that Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, has tried to achieve political goals by using the Iraqi military forces because he has only targeted some of the militias. There are militias associated with Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister's political allies, who haven't been targeted, and this is causing the prime minister some criticism and it puts him in a weakened position right now, Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Nic Robertson for us this morning in Baghdad. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Coming up at 10 minutes after the hour now. Airports can be pretty stressful with all the security alerts. But how about a security check that actually calms you down. What's that all about? Details of the Transportation Security Administration's new screening process, that's ahead.
Plus, Hillary Clinton says she's not going anywhere. But does she have the funds to back that up? The latest on her campaign finances as the race for the nomination goes forward, next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. New this morning.
The Olympic flame begins a controversial around the world journey. The flame arrived in Beijing overnight. And as China gets ready to host the games this summer, this will be making the rounds throughout many, many cities across the world. Chinese President Hu Jintao lifted the torch to begin this global relay.
And here's a look from Beijing. The torch will then be carried 85,000 miles through 20 countries. The first stop, Kazakhstan, tomorrow in the most controversial part of the journey as it stops at the top of Mount Everest, putting the spotlight on Tibetans that are protesting Chinese rule. Demonstrations for global human rights are expected when the torch makes its only North American appearance. That will be San Francisco April 9th.
ROBERTS: Thirteen minutes after the hour now. And Alina Cho here with other stories new this morning. Good Monday morning to you.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good Monday morning to you, guys.
CHETRY: That's a lot of paper. You must have a lot of stories to tell us this morning.
CHO: Yes. A lot of extra paper. You know, I'm just waking up on Monday morning. Good morning, guys, and good morning, everybody.
We have this just in to us, new this morning. A ruling from the coroner overseeing an inquest into the death of Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed. He says there is no evidence of a murder plot. He says there's nothing to substantiate claims by Fayed's father that British Royals or the secret intelligence service were behind the couple's death in a car crash in Paris back in 1997. The corner telling jurors they had the option of deciding that Diana died as a result of an accident.
Security forces in Zimbabwe are on high alert today amid fear of possible vote rigging. The opposition party there says it has defeated the government of President Robert Mugabe which would end his three decades in power. But this morning, only a handful of winners have been named, three from Mugabe's party, three for the opposition there. There are still hundreds of parliament seats to be decided. The government in Zimbabwe has denied CNN and other news organizations access to the country to report on the elections.
President Bush is expected to board Marine One within the hour, the start of a week-long trip to Eastern Europe. The president's first stop will be Ukraine ahead of the NATO summit, where expansion to three Balkan countries will be a key topic in addition to the war in Afghanistan.
Aloha to Aloha Airlines. That airline is shutting down after more than 60 years in business. Aloha Airlines will stop flying this week after filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month; 1,900 Aloha employees will soon be out of work. The airline's partner, United Airlines, will shoulder some of the burden, flying Aloha passengers who are booked on flights after this month.
And a story we told you a little bit about just before the break. Mood music at the airport? The Transportation Security Administration is launching a new plan that is aimed at easing tension during security screenings. Is that possible?
The TSA says it will start using soft mauve lighting and soothing music at security checkpoints starting in May at one terminal at Baltimore-Washington Airport. Now, if the plan works, of course, it will be expanded throughout the country. Now, the TSA says the idea is that a chaotic, noisy atmosphere can often put subtle pressure on TSA screeners to rush the job. A calmer environment by the same sort of thinking could help them do their job better.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Are you --
CHO: No, no. I mean, listen, as I always say, you still have to take off your shoes and put all your toiletries in a quart-size zip lock bag...
CHETRY: Which you carry around with.
CHO: ... which I carry around with me. CHETRY: She never knows when she has to fly, guys. You know what I mean. She's ready. She's ready for the mauve mood lighting.
CHO: Totally turning me on.
ROBERTS: But the theory is to calm where everybody is.
CHO: That's right.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: People who have nefarious intent will seem a little more anxious.
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: That's just it. I mean, I don't know how they picked mauve. But -- hey, there you go.
CHETRY: That's the fluorescents.
CHO: That is true. You look better.
CHETRY: Exactly.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Alina.
CHETRY: Thanks, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
ROBERTS: Hillary Clinton says that she is staying in the Democratic race for president all the way until the end. But a trail of unpaid bills is raising fresh doubts that she has the cash to back her up.
Joining us now from Washington to talk about the weekend in politics is Ken Vogel. He is the senior reporter for "Politico." Good morning to you, Ken, good to see you.
KEN VOGEL, SENIOR REPORTER, "POLITICO": Hey, great to be with you.
ROBERTS: Hey, you wrote about Hillary's cash and a lot of unpaid bills. Let's listen to what she said in the campaign trail over the weekend though in Indiana, about this idea of dropping out or staying in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are some folks saying well, we ought to stop these elections. I didn't think we believed that in America. I thought we, of all people, knew how important it was to give everyone a chance to have their voices heard and their votes counted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, Ken, as I said, you wrote this article about some unpaid bills. Does she have the cash to be able to stay in all the way until the convention?
VOGEL: That's a big question. These campaigns, there's the electoral side and then there's the business side. And like many businesses, campaigns will typically carry at least a little bit of debt from one week to the next, even one month to the next, in the form of unpaid bills.
What makes Hillary Clinton's debt so noteworthy and potentially problematic is the size. She owes $9 million or nearly $9 million to a wide array of vendors and also the type. It's not just the usual suspects, it's not just the pollsters, the consultants, the ad makers who do politics for a living and kind of expect that they'll run a little bit behind in reaping payment from some of their client campaigns.
She owes money to caterers, to the health insurance provider, to event planners. And we talked to a number of event planners in our story on Politico.com, who say she's getting a little bit of a reputation. If you're going to do business with the Hillary Clinton campaign, you got to get your money up front.
ROBERTS: Bill Clinton, in California over the weekend at the state convention there, urged everybody, hey, take a deep breath about this idea of how long this primary season is going on. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are strengthening the Democratic Party. Chill out. We're going to win this election if we just chill out and let everybody have their say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Is he right about that, Ken? Are people getting a little bit too anxious about how long this is going on? When you look back to 1992, he didn't get the nomination sewn up until the first week of April.
VOGEL: That's right. People have been pretty chill so far, though. So, I think, that there's already concern that the longer this goes on, the better it is for John McCain. And Democrats are really starting to grapple with this idea that they're going to need some time to kind of mend feelings. There are a number of Hillary Clinton supporters who probably would never imagine voting for Barack Obama if he wins the nomination and vice versa.
ROBERTS: Yes.
VOGEL: So, in order to kind of put these bad feelings, the bitterness of this campaign behind the Democrats, they're going to need a little bit of time. And if it drags through the convention, that window is going to be much shorter. It's going to be much more difficult for them to make up the ground that John McCain has had to kind of get a little bit of a head start, put his story line out there in a positive way while Democrats continue to bicker with one other in a very bitter way.
ROBERTS: And Ken, if you look at the latest polls in Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton, if they hold up, will win a clear victory there. She leads Barack Obama by 11 points. If she wants (ph) some in Pennsylvania, will sentiment to her staying change, do you think?
VOGEL: Perhaps a little bit, but the math is still the math. And there is no way that she can catch Senator Obama in pledged delegate votes. And what we're starting to see which is potentially more problematic for her is superdelegates kind of easing over to Barack Obama. And once that movement, if it becomes more pronounced, I think it's going to be really tough for Hillary Clinton to continue to make the argument that she is a sound case for candidacy.
ROBERTS: With the expected endorsement of Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota today, it will put them only 31 superdelegates apart, so things are getting close.
VOGEL: Yes.
ROBERTS: Ken Vogel, senior reporter for "Politico, thanks for joining us this morning. It's good to see you.
VOGEL: My pleasure.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: You know, it brings us to our "Quick Vote" question. And as Bill Clinton said, chill out, right? The ongoing battle for the Democratic nomination, do you think it's bad for the party or it will work itself out soon?
Cast your vote, CNN.com/am. We'll have the first tally of votes later in the hour. You can also e-mail us. Do you think it is time to chill out, or do you think Democrats should be more concerned? CNN.com/am is where you write to us.
Well, they kept hope alive for nearly four years. And now, a family in Ohio finally knows what happened to their captured U.S. soldier in Iraq. The latest on the news about Sergeant Matt Maupin.
Also, it's called coworking, a way for people who usually do their jobs at home alone to work side by side with others. Polly LaBarre has details ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Time now for a look at this morning's "Hot Shot." It comes to us from Israel. The Israeli cabinet met inside of a cave yesterday. There it is. It's in a national park. Kicking off Israel's love of water, nature and the environment week, cabinet members discussed a national program for promoting activities and nature and also encouraging Israelis to take up bicycling. And there's the shot.
It almost looks like a painting, doesn't it? Well, if you got a "Hot Shot," send it to us. Head to our Web site, CNN.com/am. Follow the "Hot Shot" link. Please include your name, where you're from, and a little bit about the picture or video - John.
ROBERTS: If you have ever driven on roads in Israel, you'll know that bicycling on them could be taking your life in your hands.
Millions of Americans don't actually travel to work. They telecommute. Now, there is something for those telecommuters who may miss the social interaction of the workplace. CNN contributor Polly LaBarre is here to tell us about coworking in her series on workplace revolutions. It's all -- what is it?
POLLY LABARRE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's a movement around creating cafe like collaborative spaces all over the world for the massive independent workers, entrepreneurs and telecommuters that you just mentioned. It's part of, I think, the changing landscape in the world of work. We've got all these telecommuters, 30 million in the U.S. alone. We've got 20 million independent entrepreneurs. They've all escaped the office, right?
But then, they go home and work, and they fall into the pitfalls of isolation, kids and pets and not being able to get out of their pajamas, and they want to actually spend some time with people, mix it up and collaborate. So coworking is the best of both worlds. You have the colleague reality and the collaboration of the office space without the politics. You have the coffee and the mix of ideas and the informality of the coffee shop without having to fight for an electrical outlet at Starbucks.
ROBERTS: Yes.
LABARRE: And you have all the freedom and flexibility of working at home. So these sites have popped up all over the world in the last two years.
ROBERTS: I love this. It's all part of the changing workplace. People want to get out of the office, so they got home telecommuting, found themselves to be lonely and bored and now want to come back to a different type of office.
LABARRE: Well, we're looking here -- I spent a day at Jelly (ph) in New York, which is one of the most popular coworking sites. It's got 18 sites around the world. And you go in and you could drop in for the day. It's completely free. It's a live work lost space.
ROBERTS: It looks like they're sitting around in somebody else's living room.
LABARRE: Well, this is. In this case, it's very informal. You know, I saw somebody sort of laundry hanging out in their bedrooms. And then, I saw a meeting of entrepreneurs in the kitchen. People started businesses here.
There are other more formal variations on the theme where you can actually rent a desk for a month for $400, or you can drop in for a day. In San Francisco, there are a few sites called Hat Factory.
ROBERTS: It's all very kind of 1960s, isn't it? I saw something like that in Washington, George Washington University the other day. There's a bunch of frat house guys who were doing the landscaping out in front, listening to Led Zeppelin with a bong displayed prominently on the table in front of them.
LABARRE: Well, I think --
ROBERTS: Are we going back in time here?
LABARRE: I think in the '60s, and it says not the bong, but the communal spirit. It's really about how do you share ideas if you're an independent worker, an independent entrepreneur. How do you really get that mix of serendipity and running into ideas and sharing skills that you don't get if you're not working inside the company?
ROBERTS: So how do people find out about this?
LABARRE: You can go to the coworking with wiki on the Web site or the coworking blog. And I think we've got the URL for that. It's http://coworking.pbwiki.com. And there's also a blog.coworking.info. And if you want to check out one of these coworking sites, chances are there is one in your city.
ROBERTS: The advice for the lonely telecommuter. Polly, thanks very much.
LABARRE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning." And still ahead, after nearly four years of hoping and praying, an Ohio family finally learns what happened to their captured son in Iraq.
Also, a sweeping plan to change the way banks are watched and regulated. What does it mean for the thousands of homeowners facing foreclosure or anyone looking for a new mortgage? Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis will break it down next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I wonder if John Roberts is perhaps there in that video. This is some shots over the weekend from Washington, D.C. along the Tidal Basin. And the beautiful cherry blossoms out in full effect for the 16-day festival that takes place. 44 degrees and cloudy right now. Some rain today so it may not be the perfect day to go out there. 55 degrees. But boy, a beautiful weekend. JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: That was not when I was there. Because when I was there -- Saturday afternoon, it was so jammed you could not move. There were so many people there. Yes, it's beautiful though. And I think that probably within a week, they'll be at their absolute peak, because there were still a few trees that the buds had not come out yet.
CHETRY: Such a beautiful sight.
ROBERTS: It's absolutely beautiful.
CHETRY: I still remember my whole life. All our relatives would come down. We take them, walk around the cherry -- the Tidal Basin every year.
ROBERTS: It's really nice. I mean, if you can get down to D.C, it's a great thing to do.
Hey, news this morning. Baghdad's around-the-clock curfew has been eased, giving the capital's 6 million people the freedom and move about for the first time in four days.
There are new reports of violence in Iraq this morning, one day after the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his followers to end their attack. On Sunday, al-Sadr ordered his fighters off the street. He also demanded the Iraqi government stop arresting his followers. Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called Sadr's action as, quote, "step in the right direction."
CHETRY: Well, the Iraq war has been hitting home again for an Ohio family this morning. The father of missing Army Staff Sergeant Matt Maupin says that his heart sank when he learned that the military says it did recover his son's remains. Maupin was captured by insurgents back in April of 2004 after his convoy came under attack near the airport in Baghdad.
Jason Carroll has been following this story from the beginning and there is the video that was seen around the world of Sergeant Maupin clearly in custody and then what happened to him after that was a mystery.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it's really a sad story. You know, I met Maupin's family. It was I believe three years ago. They still have the Christmas tree up at the home waiting for him to come home. Their lives were really on hold with that unanswered question of whether Matt was alive.
Now, the Army says DNA tests confirm his remains are the remains that were found -- are that of a 20-year-old who was captured on April 9, 2004. The Army did not say how or where Maupin's remains were found.
He was captured when his fuel convoy was ambushed west of Baghdad. Al Jazeera aired a videotape of Maupin being held by his captors. Later, another tape showed a soldier being executed but it was unclear if it was Maupin. His parents lobbied to have the Army have him listed as missing/captured so the search for him would continue. It did. Now the hope that their son is alive is gone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH MAUPIN, SGT. KEITH MATTHEW MAUPIN'S FATHER: Saddened and still letting it sink in. As Americans, we are proud of the continued efforts made by our military and particularly the Army to return Matt home to us.
CAROLYN MAUPIN, SGT. KEITH MATTHEW MAUPIN'S MOTHER: It hurts. It hurts after you go through four years, almost four years of hope and then this is what happens, it's like a letdown to me. So I'm trying to get through that right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Candlelight vigil was held in Maupin's hometown of Batavia, Ohio last night. At this point, still a little bit unclear when Maupin's remains will be sent home. The Army is expected to release a statement later today. Perhaps at that point, we'll have more information on when a proper burial can take place.
One of the other things I remember about, you know, being at the house at the time was, you know, his room was left untouched. And in fact, his sister had gotten married during this period of time when he was, you know, missing. And they still have the wedding invitation there left unopened. You know, really sad.
CHETRY: It is. It's heart breaking for the family. I mean, you know, in some ways it's better to know, now lots of questions, but there is that little shred of hope that you just keep.
Thanks a lot, Jason.
CARROL: All right.
John?
ROBERTS: We're back with "The Most Politics in the Morning." Our delegate totals are changing as results from Texas come in. Here's how the Democrats stand now in the national race. Barack Obama has 1,625 total delegates to Hillary Clinton's 1,414.
Obama is leading Clinton in the Texas caucuses right now. He's got 58 percent; she's got 42 percent with about half the vote counted. Texas held yet another set of caucuses on Saturday. Its primaries then the caucus that followed that were held back on March the 4th.
Another superdelegate is pledging her support for Barack Obama. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is expected to announce her endorsement sometime today. She will be the 64th superdelegate to back Obama since Super Tuesday. Party officials said she and Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey had planned to stay neutral but made the endorsements after the race became more bitter.
Kiran? CHETRY: Well, Senator Barack Obama continues to campaign in Pennsylvania. He'll be at stump speeches today in Lancaster and Allentown, speaking in the state capital as well. Obama renewed his calls for party unity, taking though a little swipe at Senator Hillary Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's a smart lady and she's a dedicated public servant, but she thinks that Washington works the way it should except that it's Republicans instead of Democrats. And my attitude is that unless you've got transparency and accountability and members of Congress are answerable to their constituents, then nothing is going to change. Not as much as it needs to change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Obama also went after presumptive Republican nominee Senator John McCain, saying that he's now supporting the Bush tax cuts after previously opposing them.
Well, Hillary Clinton also continuing to campaign in Pennsylvania today, vowing to forge ahead despite renewed calls for her to drop out of the race. Senators Patrick Leahy and Chris Dodd are among those asking her to quit but Senator Barack Obama says that's premature.
Also her husband told Democrats to, quote, "chill out." He says that the close fight with Obama might actually strengthen the party, making some comments at about the 3,000 different convention goers at San Jose's Convention Center. He said, you know, we're going to win this election if we just chill out and let everyone have their say.
So it brings us to this morning's "Quick Vote" question. Just Chill: The ongoing battle for the Democratic nomination. Right now, let's take a look. Is it bad for the party? Well, 61 percent think that the ongoing battle is bad for the party. 39 percent saying it will work itself out soon. Cast your vote, cnn.com/am. We'll continue to tally your votes throughout the morning.
ROBERTS: You know, there are plenty of primary seasons that have gone on longer than the one that we're in now, but you know.
CHETRY: And former President Bill Clinton, look the 1992 prolonged primary season. It turned out to be a really good thing for him.
ROBERTS: From his point of view. Yes, there you go.
Well, Republican John McCain is in Mississippi today. He's kicking off a week-long biography tour. The idea is for American to get to know him better. CNN's Dana Bash is live in Meridian, in Mississippi for us this morning.
How much more do they need to know, Dana? DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you ask the McCain campaign, they say that there is a lot that the American people really don't know about John McCain. About his background. And you just really hit the nail on the head in saying that their goal is to try to get the American people to connect better with him. But it's also from their perspective, to try to paint a picture and tell a story that makes John McCain unique and very different from either of his Democratic opponents.
And at least in today's speech, it will be the first of a series of speeches that will last all week long. He's going to talk a lot about his family. Talk about the military service and his family. Going back, he will say that they can trace an ancestor back to working alongside with George Washington.
But in particular, John, he's going to talk about his father and grandfather. Both are also named John McCain and both were four-star admirals. In fact, yesterday here in Meridian, in fact one of the reasons why he's here in Meridian, Mississippi is he went to McCain Field.
That is named for his grandfather. It is also a place where John McCain himself was a flight instructor right before he went to Vietnam. And this is a kind of a personal statement that John McCain is going to make in this speech that he's going to give later today.
I'll read you a quote, John. He will say, talking about his grandfather and father. "They were my first heroes, and their respect for me has been one of the most lasting ambitions of my life. They gave their lives to their country and taught me lessons about honor, courage, duty, perseverance, and leadership that I didn't fully grasp until later in life."
So, basically, what you're going to see here is John McCain trying to describe himself and the family he comes from as sort of true patriots. And again, you know, this is the story line and this is kind of politics 101 to try to get people to connect and understand the person than a candidate more than just the policies.
And there will be very, very real policy differences between John McCain and the Democrats. But this is I think their attempt to use their time wisely while the Democrats are hitting each other for him to introduce himself the way he wants to, not the way the Democrats will.
John?
ROBERTS: Yes, of course John McCain also likes to joke, Dana, that he is the son, grandson of admirals and finished fourth from the bottom at the Naval Academy. All right, Dana Bash for us this morning.
BASH: Exactly. We'll hear about that in his Indianapolis stop.
ROBERTS: Yes, all right. Thanks very much, Dana. See you soon.
Kiran?
CHETRY: An armed robber holding a hostage caught in police crosshairs. Then moments later, bullets fly. It's a dramatic standoff. All of it playing out in front of our affiliate's cameras. We're going to show you how it all ended. Next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 43 minutes after the hour. The Bush administration is finalizing a plan to directly help homeowners who are facing foreclosure. CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, joins us now with the details.
What plans are there out there to help people so desperately in need of it?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Interesting story. Absolutely, John. Interesting story. Federal Housing administrators are talking about a plan that would bail out the 8.8 million or so Americans who are behind on their housing.
As a matter of fact, this would go to help people who owe more than their house is worth. They are so called underwater. This plan would bring together the Housing administrators to issue new loans for less than what people owe right now.
The FHA would then stand behind these loans. Now, this would not help out people who are investors in homes. It would only go to people who are actually living in that house. Lenders would forgive part of the loan and then the new loans would be federally backed as I said.
The administration not talking about this plan. I tried to contacts them this weekend to find out. If anything was immanent, they have been talking though for some weeks to experts in the housing industry about what can we do? Where do we go next? But no details yet. This was a story that was in the "Washington Post" this weekend.
ROBERTS: Congress back in session again today and number of other proposals out there. What are some?
WILLIS: Yes, exactly. There's a lot on the table right now. A similar proposal from Representative Barney Frank and Senator Chris Dodd that would also help people who are underwater in their mortgages with some $300 billion in loan forgiveness.
This would work the same way, the FHA would come in and stand by these loans. So that if people defiladed, the government will be on the hook to make good.
Senator Harry Reid is also out with a plan that's been on the table for some time now, that would actually help people who are in bankruptcy. Bankruptcy judges would be allowed to write down some of the debt. This has been very controversial with the industry and we'll see what happens there.
ROBERTS: A lot of people (INAUDIBLE). A lot of people could use some help.
WILLIS: You bet.
ROBERTS: All right. Gerri, thanks very much. And the economy is, the voters issue no. 1 of concern. So later on today, join Gerri, Ali Velshi, and the rest of the CNN money team. "ISSUE #1", all this week, noon Easter, right here on CNN.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, you may want to think twice about picking up your cell phone this morning. I know you can't think twice. You need your cell phone but there's a leading doctor coming out with a dire warning about the effects of talking too much on your cell phone. Could there be a link to brain tumors? We're going to talk more about that.
Also golf ball-sized hail creating a stormy mess in Oklahoma. Jackie Jeras tracking extreme weather for us this morning.
And a dramatic standoff caught on tape. This was in Miami where an armed robber hold a store manager at gunpoint. Shots are fire. We're going to show you how it all ended, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. We have some health headlines for you now. Scientists say they have been able to reverse the effects of cirrhosis in rats. They say it is possible to trick the liver by inviting vitamin A-laced molecules into cells.
Those cells then shutdown the production of collagen which is what can cause the liver to scar and deteriorate. There's no word yet on when human trials may begin.
There's also some new hope this morning for people with diabetes. Researchers say they have identified six new genes that play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Why is this significant? Well, they say that it can maybe help doctors prevent and treat diabetes which affects more than 180 million people worldwide.
And there's a new scary headline this morning. Using your cell phone could be more dangerous than smoking or obesity, at least according to one neurosurgeon. The Independent of London quoting a study -- this neurosurgeon who conducted some studies saying that there's growing evidence that using a cell phone for, let say, a decade can double your risk for brain cancer. The trade group representing cell phones dismissed the study saying it does not present a balanced analysis of the published science.
ROBERTS: Dramatic images over the weekend of a police standoff following a robbery and a hostage drama. A suspected armed robber is recovering this morning after he was shot by police. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Just give it up! Just give it up! UNIDENTIFIED GUNMAN: Stay back. I'll shoot him!
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Give it up!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Police say the man walked into a Miami Walgreens, demanded money and then held the manager at gunpoint as he walked out the store's backdoor. Police shot the suspect after the manager was able to break free. Just a hail of gun fire that was all caught on tape here as the gunman trying to get away.
You could hear all those shots being fired. They almost sounds like machine-gun fire. The man was later arrested and taken to the hospital but he is said to be recovering.
And coming up, we're going to talk to the reporter and the photographer from our affiliate, WPLG in Miami who capture the dramatic standoff as it happen. That's coming up at 8:30 Eastern. So if you're on your way to work right now, make sure that you're around your television set because you'll want to hear from these folks. Pretty dramatic stuff.
CHETRY: Well, a severe weather forecast for much of the country today. Heavy rain and hail battered parts of Oklahoma on Sunday. Check out the hail here. Well, that's the sky because you'll see the hail in a second. Making for some treacherous driving.
Officials say that the storms produced a tornado and funnel clouds could be seen rolling across Northern Oklahoma. I was waiting for the hail, Jackie, because that was pretty good. I thought if I kept talking it would show up.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: The Olympic torch is beginning it's around the world journey. But it may not be so welcome to everywhere. Anti-Chinese protests could make this a rough trip for the torch.
Before departing on a trip to Eastern Europe, President Bush is expected to deliver a message to Congress. We'll have a live report coming up at the top of the hour. Stay with us here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well a colorful celebration welcoming the Olympic flame to Beijing this morning. The summer's Olympic games are a source of great pride of course to china. However, the torch relay could become a source of embarrassment to the nation as it attracts human right protest around the world.
There is a look at the celebrations and a look at the running of the flame. It's going to make its way to many, many cities across the world. CNN's John Vause is live in Beijing for us now.
Hi, John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kiran. Well, there wasn't a protest here. There wasn't a Tibetan flag. In fact, there wasn't even an unhappy person anywhere near the Olympic flame today. Everything here was stage manage and tightly controlled by Chinese authorities from the moment the Olympic flame touched down at Beijing Airport, all the way to that ceremony Tiananmen Square. Everything went according to plan.
China's president Hu Jin Tao handed the Olympic torch to Lee Shuang (ph). He is a gold medalist from the 2004 summer games in Athens. He won that gold medal in the hurdles and he is now heading off on that Olympic relay.
VAUSE: And unfortunately, John, we're going to break in on you here because President Bush is coming to the microphones here in preparation for his trip to Europe. Let's take a quick listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And members of the United States Congress are on their way back to Washington. And they have a lot of work to do. Congress needs to pass FISA reform. Our intelligence professionals are waiting on the Congress to give them the tools they need to monitor terrorist communications.
Congress also needs to provide liability protection to companies that may have helped save lives after September the 11th, 2001. Congress needs to pass legislation to modernize the Federal Housing Administration. Struggling homeowners are waiting on Congress to act so that the FHA can help more Americans refinance their mortgages and stay in their homes.
Congress needs to act urgently to approve the Colombian Free Trade Agreement. Courageous ally in South America is waiting on Congress to approve an agreement that will strengthen our national security. American businesses, workers and farmers are waiting on Congress to level the playing field. These are all vital priorities.
And I ask members of both parties to get these important pieces of legislation to my desk as soon as possible. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: There you have it. The president and the first lady leaving, getting ready to get on board their helicopter there as he gets ready to head overseas. There's talking about new troops commitments. Probably one of the big things for this week along trip to Europe, ahead of a NATO Summit that's set for Tuesday, where he is going to try to get more countries to commit troops to Afghanistan. We've heard France saying that they will be contributing, I belief 1,000 more troops.
ROBERTS: Also looking as well as NATO expansion into three former Balkan countries. So we'll see how that goes, too. Certainly, lots to talk about in that front and we'll be following the president's trip over the next few days.
CHETRY: All right. And meanwhile, we're going to head to Ed Henry right now who joins us with more.
Hi, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, you're absolutely right. I mean, obviously the president has less than 300 days in office. The clock is ticking. He's trying to get as many of these foreign trips in as possible. But he's also trying to prod Congress as often as he can to try to push through his agenda. It's getting tougher and tougher to do that.
You just heard the president mention FHA reform. He wants Federal Housing Reform to try to help people with troubled mortgages. That's going to be made more difficult by the fact that there are reports this morning, that its housings secretary, Alphonso Jackson, is expected to step down amid allegations of corruption and other allegations.
Also the president talking about the free trade agreement with Colombia. That's another key economic matter he wants to talk about. He did not mention what Treasury secretary Henry Paulson will talk about in a couple of hours. Obviously, this massive reorganization that the Bush administration wants to see for financial regulators. Give the Federal Reserve a lot more power.
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