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Man Arrested Trying to Board Plane with Bomb Parts; Zimbabwe President Calls for Run-Off in Contested Election; Causes and Treatment for Autism Remain a Mystery
Aired April 02, 2008 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Technology certainly has its place. But when it comes to spotting potential threats in airports, nothing beats a trained pair of eyes. We're live in Orlando where an expert's suspicions apparently paid off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My big hope is that one day there will be somebody who will love Ari, who isn't related to him, and who we don't pay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Autism is many things to many, many families. And on this first World Autism Awareness Day, CNN is dedicated to helping unravel that mystery.
Hi, there. I'm Brianna Keilar, in today for Kyra Phillips at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Federal prosecutors are pouring over the mental health records of a man arrested yesterday at Orlando's international airport. Thirty- two-year-old Kevin Brown allegedly tried to board an Air Jamaica flight with items that could have been used to make a bomb.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is live with the very latest for us.
Susan, certainly frightening, to say the least.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's for sure. And the law enforcement official does say they want to look into the mental health issues involving this man to see whether he is mentally stable.
What we are hearing more details this hour about exactly what they found inside suspect Kevin Brown's luggage. This is coming from a federal affidavit, a complaint that was released this day.
Besides those two galvanized pipes we've been telling you about all day, they also discovered two vodka bottles that were containing nitromethane, which is very volatile -- very volatile. There were also BB's in prescription bottles, one model rocket igniter. And an FBI agent says in the complaint that if the bottles were broken containing that flammable liquid, the rocket igniter could have been used as a wick and you theoretically could have thrown it to light a bomb, if everything had been assembled. Remember all these were components that were found inside his checked luggage. They also found a number of batteries.
Now, what did he intend to do with all of this? Well, at first the FBI says he told investigators that he planned to take this on the flight to Jamaica and blow up a tree stump. Then they said he changed his story to say that he was going to show his friends, "how to build an explosive devices like the kind he saw in Iraq."
Now, it took several hours at the airport yesterday before they could sort everything out, calm things down. By then about 12 flights had been delayed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE KAIR, FEDERAL SECURITY DIRECTOR, TSA: I can say that there was no immediate threat to anyone in the terminal. There was no imminent threat to any person or any of the incoming folk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, at this hearing today, the government asked the judge and was granted more time. So the hearing was, in essence, put off until tomorrow afternoon. They'll also be discussing bond at that time. The government will ask that this man be held without bond -- Don.
LEMON: And Susan, I want to -- before you get away I want to ask you a question. Do they think he acted alone or links to terrorism in this case?
CANDIOTTI: Well, they're looking into all of that. At this time they say that they do not have -- have any evidence that he belonged to any kind of organization. They're also double-checking the date of birth that he gave to see whether it is accurate, to see whether, in fact, he had any relatives that were in the military or had any kind of connections to Iraq.
LEMON: Susan Candiotti in Miami for us. Susan, thank you very much for that report.
Security officials in this report say they were tipped off by the suspect, who say -- that he was acting suspiciously. But what constitutes suspicious behavior? That's what we want to know. And what exactly do security agents look for in this kind of case? Find out next hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
KEILAR: Just in now to the CNN NEWSROOM, a mall in Miami is in lockdown. These are aerial pictures coming to us from our affiliate WSVN. And this is the Dolphin Mall in Miami, Florida.
And according to the Miami-Dade sheriff's office, police are actually searching for a suspect who was last seen going into this mall. At this point sheriff's office does not know what police think this suspect did. They also don't know if the suspect is perhaps armed. But at this point there is enough concern that the mall is on lockdown. So police officers can conduct their search.
And there are some people inside the mall. You can see some people outside of the mall. No one is really allowed to go in or out. But police are working to get these people, who are inside the mall, out in an organized fashion again.
Again, this mall in Miami, the Dolphin Mall, under lockdown as police there search for a suspect. Obviously, we're going to need to fill in the blanks here. And as we do, we'll bring you those details.
Meantime, another round of flight cancellations over airplane safety checks. Today, United Airlines warning passengers to expect delays while it checks the cargo fire suppression systems on its Boeing 777. Those make up about 11 percent of United's fleet.
It grounded the planes after a review of maintenance records indicated some components hadn't been inspected. About 12 of the 52 airliners had been cleared to fly by mid-morning. Inspections should be completed tomorrow.
And you'll recall, also, that Delta and American Airlines grounded planes for inspections just last week. Well, Southwest Airlines doing it three weeks ago. In the next hour the FAA is due to announce the results of some of those inspections. And you're going to hear them right here, first, on CNN.
LEMON: All right. Jeffrey Skilling is the highest-ranking Enron executive to the convicted in the company's collapse. Well, today his lawyers are appealing.
Less than two hours from now they're set to tell a federal court in New Orleans that Skilling's convictions in 2006 should be dismissed or he should get a new trial. They claim prosecutors hid evidence and used a flawed legal argument.
The same appeals court has overturned other Enron-related convictions based on that second claim. Skilling won't be in court. He is serving his 24-year sentence in a federal prison in Minnesota.
KEILAR: For John McCain day three of his so-called Service to America Tour. Today McCain is visiting his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The Republican Party's presumptive nominee told the crowd that Americans who find fault with their country should work to make it better. Later he talked about party unity.
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SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm very pleased at the polling data that shows that our party is very unified. More Republicans say they'll vote for me than Democrats say they'll vote for either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: A prominent conservative disagrees, though, with McCain's views on Republican unity. In a statement to the "Wall Street Journal," Focus on the Family founder James Dobson says he sees no evidence that McCain is unifying the Republican Party or attracting conservative supporters. Dobson's statement is written as a private citizen, not as a spokesman for his group.
With less than three weeks to go until Pennsylvania gets its turn on the election calendar, we've got some new poll numbers. A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Democrat Hillary Clinton leading with 50 percent to Barack Obama's 41 percent. Now, that nine-point margin, a bit of a lead there, but it is down slightly from two weeks ago when Clinton led by 12 points.
One hundred fifty-eight Democratic delegates, of course, are at stake in the April 22 primary.
LEMON: Well, it is fairly calm outside for most of us today, but we're looking for some big changes tomorrow, right, Jacqui Jeras?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: All right, Jacqui. All right. Thank you. We'll check back. Thank you.
KEILAR: On this World Autism Awareness Day, more people seem to be aware of the disorder, but there are still so many misconceptions. We're going to separate the facts from the myths.
LEMON: And Brianna, security trumps everything as the United States builds a fence along the border with Mexico. We'll tell you why that's not gaining the government any kudos from environmentalists.
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LEMON: An apple for the teacher? Not these kids.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Violence is everywhere. And so, I mean, so it's not exempt from no school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Not even elementary school. Third graders accused of plotting a very grown-up crime.
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LEMON: Today is World Autism Awareness Day, as designated by the United Nations. And for days now, CNN has focused on unraveling the mystery. Let's bring in our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, it seems autism is affecting more people every day, yet it's still such a puzzle and a mystery.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think that it's because we don't know what causes it.
LEMON: Right.
GUPTA: I think scientists, if they could say, "Look, this is what causes autism," a lot of these misperceptions would probably go away.
But you know, I don't want to call them myths, but I think there are a lot of misperceptions out there. We tried to dig to try and find out how we could get at some of the answers. Here is what we found.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): One out of 150 kids may be diagnosed with some form of autism. No doubt, the numbers are staggering. But I still had this lingering question.
(on-camera): Is autism an epidemic?
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, CDC DIRECTOR: Is it becoming more common? We need more information over time to say that. We should just agree that it's way more common than we ever thought it was. It needs to be experienced as an urgent health threat.
GUPTA (voice-over): Not an epidemic but an urgent health threat. As the urgency mounts, so does the misinformation. One perception: autism is solely caused by environmental factors like vaccines.
(on-camera): Are we ready to say right now, as things stand, that childhood vaccines do not cause autism?
GERBERDING: There have been at least 15 very good scientific studies in the Institute of Medicine who have searched this out. And they have concluded that there really is no association between vaccines and autism.
GUPTA (voice-over): So what do we know about the cause? Right now all signs point to genetics.
DR. ERIC HOLLANDER, SEAVER AND NEW YORK AUTISM CENTER OF EXCELLENCE: There's a stronger genetic predisposition for autism than any other neuropsychiatric disorder.
GUPTA: But something in the environment can actually trigger it in some cases.
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Did you memorize the whole book?
DUSTIN HOFFMAN, ACTOR: Yes.
CRUISE: You start from the beginning?
HOFFMAN: Yes.
CRUISE: How far did you get?
HOFFMAN: G.
GUPTA: Dustin Hoffman's character in the 1998 movie "Rain Man" had extraordinary mathematical and memory skills. So another perception: every person with autism has savant abilities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you have a skill in autism, typically you have one skill. Maybe 10 percent of people with autism may have one of these unusual abilities.
GUPTA: So much in the world of autism is unusual, even controversial. But researchers and patients agree that, for now, there are still more questions than answers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So Sanjay, do people with autism have a heightened sense of, say, hearing, touch or even taste?
GUPTA: Well, you know, people -- that movie, the "Rain Man" movie, certainly gained a lot of attention.
LEMON: Yes.
GUPTA: But I think that maybe a little misrepresentative. Certainly, not everyone has savant-like abilities, for sure, but they do have heightened -- could have heightened sense of being aware of light, of sounds.
Sometimes it's a detriment, though, Don, to the extent that, like, you -- you have a very bright light and it almost overwhelms all the other senses so someone can't function. So as opposed to being savant-like, someone actually just is rendered functionless because of this.
LEMON: OK. Well, Sanjay, thank you very much for that.
And I want to tell you, you have a special guest joining you on this World Autism Day, coming up in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Tell us about that.
GUPTA: Yes. Dr. John Polling. He's the father of Hannah Polling.
LEMON: Yes.
GUPTA: She's a little girl who the government conceded that vaccines contributed to her autism-like symptoms. He's a neurologist, Don. His wife is a nurse. They have a very interesting vantage point on this. And I think a lot of useful information as to what parents should do who are worried about vaccinating their children. LEMON: I remember sitting here talking -- this was just a couple weeks ago, about a month ago when this happened.
GUPTA: That's right.
LEMON: Or so. We were sitting here talking to you about them and watching their press conference live on television with their attorney. So I look forward to that. It's going to be great.
GUPTA: Yes. We'll see what happens. OK. Thanks, Don.
LEMON: We'll see Sanjay with that in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Sanjay, thank you very much.
And you can read more about autism online at CNN.com and share your personal stories with an I-Report. You can learn more about this mysterious illness. And we have a virtual resource center for those with autism. Just go to CNN.com/autism.
KEILAR: A father facing hard truths about autism's hold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard because you have to grapple with the fact I do have a normal daughter, but I'll never have a normal son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Three siblings -- one typical, one doing better, one losing ground.
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KEILAR: Zimbabwe's ruling party has lost control of parliament, and opponents claim President Robert Mugabe is on his way out, too. The opposition MDC Party says its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has won Saturday's election.
CNN's Jim Clancy is standing by for us in Johannesburg, South Carolina. There's been some confusion here, Jim, but it appears -- pardon me, South Africa, of course -- some confusion, as I was saying, that it appears things may be clearing up a little?
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Confusion is the right word for it all, Brianna. Because as we look at the situation tonight, CNN is hearing from highly reliable sources that the president, Robert Mugabe, wants to take this to a run-off vote.
Now, if you remember earlier in the day, the movement for Democratic change of Morgan Tsvangirai made its own announcement, ahead of Zimbabwe's election commission, saying that it counted the votes as they were posted outside polling stations and finds that their candidate won 50.3 percent of the vote. Now, that would mean there didn't have to be a run-off election. However, some people are already questioning the numbers that the MDC is putting forward. And chief among them are the leadership of the Zanu-PF, the political party of President Robert Mugabe.
So much at stake here in South Africa, all across southern Africa. We saw the rand, the South African currency, jump. We saw shares jump for companies that have investments in Zimbabwe. A lot of people reacting enthusiastically to this.
Because in the past decade or more, the government of Zimbabwe has been so unpredictable and such a destabilizing force, sending millions of its citizens running across borders to find a better life in another country.
Because of the results of this election, people see that there's a stabilization under way, a political stabilization. They have a lot more enthusiasm and exuberance for the future, their future here across southern Africa.
So we continue to follow this. Robert Mugabe, we're being told, wants to take it to a run-off. We'll find out. Zimbabwe's election commission should make known the results of the presidential vote in the next 24 to 48 hours -- Brianna.
KEILAR: And Jim, real quick, because we're running out of time here, but are supporters of the opposition group skeptical of the run- off, I would imagine?
CLANCY: Well, they have fears for that. They've seen in the past and charged in the past that elections have been stolen from them. But there are some new election laws in place. Likely, this is what is being examined by President Robert Mugabe and his supporters right now. Could they even win it if it went to a run-off? All of these questions yet to be answered, Brianna.
KEILAR: So many questions. Jim Clancy answering some of them for us from Johannesburg. Thank you very much.
And we're working hard to get information directly from Zimbabwe. We will be talking with a U.S.-based freelance journalist next hour who is inside the country covering the elections. And for safety reasons, we're identifying her only as Lee. Again, she'll be joining us by phone next hour.
LEMON: Security before ecology? Well, environmentalists say the border fence between the U.S. and Mexico threatens wildlife. But the government says there's no time to wait. We'll hear from both sides.
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BEN BERNANKE, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: It now appears likely that real gross domestic product will not grow much, if at all, over the first half of 2008 and could even contract slightly. We expect economic activity to strengthen in the second half of the year, in part as the result of stimulative monetary and fiscal policies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, acknowledging for the first time that the economy may be shrinking. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with the latest on that.
Susan, did I even need to say maybe shrinking?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. He said that it may be shrinking that. And that -- that's pretty telling, because when you're looking at the GDP, gross domestic product, it's pretty much the overall economy. If it's shrinking, that's one of the most common factors in determining recession.
The "R" word did appear a number of times today. And in response to a question, Don, the Fed chief said recession is possible, but he's not ready to say whether the U.S. economy is there now.
Either way, the Fed chief says he expects the situation to improve later this year and says measures taken by the Fed lately seem to have been helpful. Bernanke feels the financial markets are still under considerable stress, though. But he concluded by saying he remains confident about the long-term health of the U.S. economy -- Don.
LEMON: Susan, what is he saying about the Fed's rescue of Bear Stearns a few weeks ago that many have called just simply a bailout?
LISOVICZ: Well, the Fed chief was certainly prepared for that, even in his prepared comments, Don. He acknowledged the move raised some tough policy issues.
He says normally the market itself determines which financial firms survive and which don't. And that is the way it's supposed to be. But he said that, because the market was already in such a fragile state and that the firms do so much business with each other, a failure by Bear Stearns could have been severe and extremely difficult to contain. His words.
Bernanke says the adverse effects would not have been confined to the financial system. He said the whole economy, the broader economy would have suffered, as well.
As for further interest rate cuts, Bernanke wasn't specific. That's typical. Investors interpret his comments to mean the rate of cuts will slow down, but that there could still be at least one more cut -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Susan Lisovicz, thank you very much for that.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome. KEILAR: Yesterday Senate leaders pledged to move a bill to ease the housing crisis. Are they following through today? We'll be checking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Kyra Phillips.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: We are working on a number of stories for you today in the CNN NEWSROOM. This one, he's accused of trying to board a flight in Orlando with bomb-making materials. Kevin Brown made a brief appearance in court today but he'll have to wait until tomorrow for a formal hearing so officials can determine if he is mentally ill.
Just about 90 minutes from now, Jeffrey Skilling's lawyers head back to court. They are appealing the former Enron CEO's 2006 conviction, claiming prosecutors hid evidence and used a questionable legal argument.
A lobster institute, just one of the thousands of pork barrel projects obtained by members of congress last year. They are all listed in a watchdog group's annual "Pig Book" just released today. We'll hear who the worst offenders are a little bit later.
KEILAR: Senate leaders pledges yesterday to move legislation aimed at easing the housing crisis. Here is what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID, (D) MAJORITY LEADER: This is a crisis that we have. The only way it's going to be solved is working together. We can both go and do our separate press availabilities and beat up on the other. The time has come for us to legislate, not continue our bickering.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) MINORITY LEADER: This gives us a maximum chance of demonstrating to the American public that we can deal with important issues on a bipartisan basis quickly. So we've arranged a way to go forward that we think makes sense.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The plan was to come up with a bipartisan bill in 24 hours. Of course, the time has come. Have the senators followed through? Let's ask Kathleen Koch, she's there for us in Washington.
Kathleen, deadline met?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deadline is very close to being met, Brianna. Banking committee staffers not only met through the night, they huddled behind closed doors all morning. Just a few minutes ago Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid came to the floor and he announced an agreement in principle has been reached. He says that he wouldn't go into any of the details. He did describe it though as a "robust package."
Now what I want to do is describe a couple of the items that might be in that package. $4 billion for local communities to buy and refurbish foreclosed properties, possibility of $200 million for counseling to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. Another possible item tax breaks for the home-building industry.
One thing that was apparently -- apparently I say tossed out was a controversial measure that would have let judges change the terms of home mortgages during bankruptcy proceedings. Basically reduce them to what the fair market value is. And again that apparently has been dropped. We are hearing it could reappear as an amendment but the word right now from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is that they are putting this potential agreement into legislative language. Then they'll be back again on the Senate floor around 5:00, hopefully to announce details.
KEILAR: That bankruptcy provision Kathleen, Republicans really opposed to that by and large, right?
KOCH: Republicans opposed to it and even some Democrats had some concerns because the banking industry said that they would have to raise rates for everyone, interest rates. And this would really have a ripple effect across the economy at least that was their threat. So that apparently is out of there but we won't know until about 5:00 when we hear the details.
KEILAR: That's right, this is developing. We'll be checking in with you. Kathleen, thank you very much.
LEMON: The Bush administration says some things are more important than rules and regulations. A fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, for instance, we now know the feds plan to bypass more than 30 federal laws to try to finish more than 600 miles of border barrier by year's end.
Here's CNN's Casey Wian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Security secretary Michael Chertoff donned a welding mask last year to show his commitments to building more border fencing. Many border security activists were skeptical.
Chertoff's department is making progress, despite opposition from open borders advocates, environmentalists and some land owners. Now DHS says it will use congressionally authorized waivers to bypass dozens of environmental laws and regulations that threaten to delay the border fence.
REP. DUNCAN HUNTER, (R) CALIFORNIA: I'm glad the administration is using it. If they weren't using it you would have a myriad of lawsuits and we would see massive amounts of narcotics and illegal aliens being smuggled in as the lawsuits dragged on.
WIAN: Supporters say border fencing will reduce the massive amounts of trash left by illegal crossers. The DHS says it held more than 100 meetings with environmental groups, residents and lawmakers about the fence.
But the Sierra Club is asking the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the construction waivers. It says waiting long- standing laws that protect the environment and our cultural heritage to build a wall along the Texas-Mexico border would undermine decades of work to establish and preserve a vibrant wild life corridor. Fence construction is also being delayed by legal challenges from some border land owners.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Can we simply abandon the enterprise because it's a problem for particular individuals and thereby creating a grave invitation for drug dealers to move across? For people to shoot at our border patrol agents? I don't think I can accept that.
WIAN: The department says it's nearly halfway to its goal of 670 miles of new vehicle and pedestrian barriers on the border by year's end.
(on-camera): Chertoff says more border fencing has been built in the past year than during the previous 20 years. Even so, Congressman Hunter and other border security advocates say much more could be done including building more double-layered fence which has been effective in reducing illegal crossings near San Diego.
Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: What about the presidential hopefuls? Where do they stand on the border fence? Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton say they are in favor of the border fence, but only to a certain extent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I've said is that I would say wait a minute, we need to review this. There may be places where a physical barrier is appropriate. I think when both of us voted for this we were voting for the possibility that where it was appropriate and made sense, it would be considered.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is an area where Senator Clinton and I almost entirely agree. I think the key is to consult with local communities, whether it's on the commercial interests or the environmental stakes of creating any kind of barrier. The Bush administration is not real good at listening. That's not what they do well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Republican John McCain says he's learned from his 2005 attempt to overhaul U.S. immigration. He says securing the border is now his first priority and the border fence will have to be built.
KEILAR: John McCain's conservative credentials are under fire again from a prominent conservative leader. We'll tell you what focus on the family's James Dobson has to say about the Arizona senator's campaign.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Just into the CNN NEWSROOM, the "Associated Press" reporting that Interstate 26 in South Carolina is closed. This is near St. George, South Carolina. This is the southeastern part of the state. And apparently it's shut down in both directions because of a tanker that was carrying hazardous materials, well that tanker overturned.
At this point officials say no serious injuries, but hazmat teams are working to clean up the spill. Traffic is being rerouted to rural areas as a precaution. Again, no other vehicles involved in this crash, I should say. The driver of this tanker only had minor cuts. But again, this is Interstate 26.
This is the interstate that would head right on into Charleston, South Carolina. It is closed both directions in the southeastern part of the state. We are going to continue to monitor this story here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: We also have some breaking news coming to you from Roswell, Georgia. Here's what we're being told, there was a chemical spill at a school there and at least eight people are being treated after that chemical spill. It's at Roswell High School.
A spokesman for the Roswell fire department tells the "Associated Press" that seven students and one police officer complained of breathing problems after a pint of formaldehyde spilled in the bathroom at Centennial High School. That happened on day -- one of the people were taken to the hospital, the others are being treated there at the scene.
As you can see right there, being treated under the overhang right out in the open. Officials are currently airing out the school, no word yet on what caused the spill. These pictures of course being brought to us by an affiliate here in Atlanta WXIA. We thank them for that. We'll continue to follow this developing story, get you new details as they come into the CNN NEWSROOM.
There is no doubt he commands attention in conservative circles. He is still not throwing his support to John McCain. James Dobson founder of focus on the family told the "Wall Street Journal," "I have seen no evidence Senator McCain is successfully unifying the Republican Party or drawing conservatives into his fold. To the contrary, he seems intent on driving them away."
So does this spell trouble for John McCain? Joining me now from Washington, our senior political analyst Mr. Bill Schneider.
I'll ask you the question again -- does this spell trouble for John McCain?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, with conservative leaders like Mr. Dobson, some of whom are dissatisfied with John McCain there could be some trouble. But we don't see much trouble among conservative rank and file voters. I'm not sure about the evidence that Mr. Dobson is looking at.
But John McCain was interviewed by our own Dana Bash today and he said I think our party is largely unified. More Republicans say they will vote for me than Democrats say they will vote for either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton. Among conservative voters out there, they seem to be pretty much on board with McCain. They are just conservative leaders who are not entirely satisfied because they say on some issues, on some issues he is not indicating he is entirely with them.
LEMON: Let's switch now Bill to the Democrats, if you will. Talk about a new poll out today in Pennsylvania. Senator Clinton is ahead but her lead appears to have shrunk just a little bit. She has the governor of the state and several big city mayors on her side. Does this mean that Senator Obama is gaining ground there and how is he doing it if so?
SCHNEIDER: I would not leap to that conclusion based on one poll. This poll does show a little bit of slippage, not statistically significant. The last time they polled in the middle of March, Clinton had a 12-point lead. She was at 53 percent, now she is at 50 percent. Obama is unchanged, 41 percent in mid March, 41 percent now.
That's not a significant movement. I would have to see some other polls showing some slippage before I reached a conclusion that her lead is slipping or narrowing or that she is in any kind of serious trouble in Pennsylvania.
LEMON: This is supposed to be her big get, right Bill?
SCHNEIDER: Yes. Pennsylvania is a state that looks very good for Senator Clinton. She has been ahead there all along, usually by double digits, this poll shows a nine point lead. And I want to see more polls before I reach any serious conclusions.
She is however expected to do well in Pennsylvania. If Obama were to win Pennsylvania, then I think her race might very well be under pressure to end.
LEMON: OK. Bill Schneider, thank you very much.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
KEILAR: This month we'll be talking a lot about Pennsylvania and this Democratic primary. The state is important, with 158 delegates at stake and Pennsylvania's biggest city it's a microcosm of some of the country's biggest problems.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOSH RUBIN, CNN ELECTION EXPRESS PRODUCER (on-camera): Welcome to Philadelphia, city of brotherly love. I'm Josh Rubin, producer for CNN's "Election Express" and we're wheels down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the run-up to the presidential primary on April 22.
(voice-over): Over the course of the next four weeks we're going to be bringing you an insider's view of Philadelphia. CNN sent the election express here to serve as our Pennsylvania bureau, which will allow us to cover the keystone state primary with unparalleled depth. Philadelphia is the sixth largest city in America. It's a big town with a lot of history and a lot to offer. But it has a lot of problems.
MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER, PHILADELPHIA: This is a city, Philadelphia, and many other major cities face the same problem. We have a 45 percent high school dropout route, issues of poverty. Philadelphia has a fairly high poverty rate as a major city in the country. What I've been trying to say to the candidates is you need to address these day-to-day issues and challenges that people face on a regular basis.
I know that health care is critically important. There are many people in Philadelphia. I know the war is on people's minds in a variety of ways. There are other issues and challenges that these presidential candidates will face if they are elected president of the United States of America.
RUBIN: In Philadelphia, one quarter of the citizens live below the poverty line. For the people that live here the economy is issue number one. This is where America was founded, right in that building, Independence Hall. On April 22, the next chapter in American democracy will be written. CNN's election express will be here.
Josh Rubin from CNN's Election Express, Philadelphia.
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KEILAR: All of the latest campaign news is available right at your fingertips at CNNPolitics.com. We also have analysis from the best political team on television there, as well as much more. That's CNNPolitics.com.
LEMON: Preventing trouble in the air by spotting potential terrorists before they board an airplane. We'll have the psychology and the science straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought he was autistic. He didn't use any functional language at all. He couldn't tell me "I want juice," but he could tell me all the letters and numbers and colors and shapes.
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KEILAR: The right intervention, the right medication, they can make a huge difference in the life of an autistic child, but sometimes they don't. Sometimes the disorder overpowers anything parents or doctors or therapists can put up against it. As part of our series, "Unraveling the Mystery",
CNN's Alina Cho looks at the two faces of autism.
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ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight year old David Slatkin is autistic. So is 11-year-old Ari Cantor. But while Ari can play the piano, shoot baskets, ride a bike, type, even speak, David has never uttered a word. And despite years of intensive therapy, he's not getting better. Nobody knows why.
HARRY SLATKIN, SON HAS AUTISM: The window of hope is getting smaller for us. That's a hard thing.
CHO: We first introduced you to the Slatkins nearly two years ago. Back then David who was severely autistic was well enough to go to the park with his twin sister Ali. His parents say they've tried everything, more than two dozen medications along with round-the-clock care. But David is not responding and today he's so aggressive his family is scared to let him leave the house to play.
ALI SLATKIN, BROTHER HAS AUTISM: He's getting much bigger and stronger so it's going to be harder to take care of him.
CHO: The Slatkins are now considering what was once unimaginable, sending David away to this inpatient facility near Boston that specializes in children with autism.
H. SLATKIN: It's hard because you have to grapple with the fact I do have a normal daughter. But I'll never have a normal son.
CHO: The Slatkins say they'll try to make that agonizing decision soon. Ari is exceeding his parents and doctors expectations. With good therapy and some love, they hope their son might be able to make his own bed, do the laundry and go out to eat.
ILENE LANIER, SON HAS AUTISM: My big hope is that one day there will be somebody who will love Ari who isn't related to him and who we don't pay.
CHO: When you think about David as a grown man, what is your great hope for him?
LAURA SLATKIN, SON HAS AUTISM: That he's happy. All we care about is happiness. We just want to see him smile.
I love you.
CHO (on-camera): Laura and Harry Slatkin, David's parents, have worked tirelessly over the years to raise money for autism research. In fact, they have raised millions of dollars. They've even opened a school for autistic children here in New York City. When I asked Laura Slatkin how they are able to do it with everything else going on in their lives, she told me that it takes away the pain.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
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KEILAR: We are going all day and night with coverage of autism, "Unraveling the Mystery." Catch a special edition of CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Actress Jenny McCarthy will be talking about her relentless quest to help her son who also has autism. And also on the show, a leading pediatrician and the parents of triplets with autism.
LEMON: An apple for the teacher? Not these kids.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Violence is everywhere. So I mean it's not exempt from no school.
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LEMON: Not even elementary school. Third graders accused of plotting a very grown-up crime.
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KEILAR: More flight delays as another big airline grounds part of its fleet for safety inspections. What is going on? Has the FAA been asleep at the controls? We'll take a look in just a few minutes.
LEMON: But first, a group of Georgia school kids apparently wanted to teach their teacher a lesson. Police say the third graders, get this, third graders, came to school last week with weapons, handcuffs and even more than that.
Details from reporter Laura Mazzo of our affiliate WJXT.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a very detailed plan.
LAURA MAZZO, WJXT REPORTER (voice-over): A steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape and a heavy crystal paper weight, these weapons and tools that the Waycross police says a group of third graders brought to Center Elementary School on Friday, the day they say they were supposed to execute a plot to harm their teacher Ms. Bell Carter.
CHIEF TONY TANNER, WAYCROSS, GA POLICE: We can't say intend to kill. We knew they talked about I believe that they might hit her in the head or they may even stab her.
MAZZO: Investigators say three out of nine children will be charged for being an unruly child. That means basically a juvenile delinquent. But police say all nine kids had a different role to play in the attack. For example, they say one kid was supposed to cover the windows with paper. What investigators don't know is when the children aged eight to 10 knew the consequences of what they were planning.
TANNER: Do kids know enough about anatomy or enough about injuries to whether they even realize that if they were to have stabbed her or would have hit her in the head or anything else how much harm that they would have done? That's our biggest question.
MAZZO: A spokesperson for the school says the teacher is of course shocked and upset.
THERESA MARTIN, SPOKESWOMAN, WARE COUNTY SCHOOLS: She showed me a picture of the students of her class and I think she's just really surprised that they would do this. She sees them as good kids. In fact, she asked me to look at them and see if I thought they would do anything like this.
MAZZO: Also shaken up are the parents who can't believe what some third graders here are accused of planning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very scary. Especially since my son is in the third grade here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Waycross, Georgia, it goes to show you violence is everywhere. So I mean it's not exempt from no school.
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LEMON: That was reporter Laura Mazzo from our affiliate WJXT reporting. The D.A. says the three children who are facing charges are an 8-year-old boy, two girls ages nine and 10.
The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
KEILAR: You know it's almost incomprehensible especially if you're not an airline mechanic. All of the parts on all of those planes that have to work right just to keep those planes flying safely. This hour we should learn more about what's turned up in a series of inspections.
LEMON: So if autism's cause is a puzzle so are its effects. Sometimes its victims are locked away in their own minds forever closed off from the world. Other times, though, the disorder taps unimagined talents. On the first World Autism Awareness day, we'll help unravel its many mysteries.
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