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Senators Clinton & Obama Make Final Push in Pennsylvania; National Gas Average Up to $3.50/Gallon; DNA Testing to Begin on 416 Children; Food Shortage Crisis Becoming Dire Situation
Aired April 21, 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: A crucial contest, a struggling economy. You can't talk about one without the other.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: And it is the eve of the Pennsylvania primary, the biggest battle left on the Democratic calendar. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama definitely not holding back.
LEMON: Definitely not holding back.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: You see there. Yes. Look to the left, Barack Obama live in a park in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. We may dip into that in just a little bit.
But you know what? When it comes to the economy, it is the No. 1 issue for voters. Of course, the economy, all of us are paying more for food, and we're paying more just to drive to the polls. From the voting booth to the grocery store and, Veronica, to the gas pump, CNN certainly has it covered.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
DE LA CRUZ: And I'm Veronica De La Cruz, in today for Kyra Phillips.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: All right. Let's get right to it. Weeks of intense and intensely negative campaigning heading for a climax. It all happens tomorrow.
CNN's Jim Acosta live for us in Philadelphia.
Jim, the big finish, could be the big finish for one of them.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. We never thought this day would come, but, yes, it is coming. Tomorrow is April 22, the date of the Pennsylvania primary. And both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are turning up the heat. They're stepping up their attacks on each other, just as they are barnstorming across the Keystone State in search of those last-minute undecided voters. And as expected, they are sharpening their attacks against one another. Hillary Clinton, who was in Scranton, Pennsylvania, earlier this morning, she was emphasizing her blue-collar roots there in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She's talked about it time and again, about how her grandfather worked the mills in that area.
She also suggested to the crowd that a vote for Barack Obama is a roll of the dice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been very specific in this campaign, telling you what I will do and how I will do it and asking you to hold me accountable for producing results for you. Because I don't want you to take a leap of faith or have any guesswork. We've had enough of that.
We, unfortunately, ended up electing a president in 2000, and we didn't have a clue about what he was going to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: As expected, both Democrats are airing scores of negative TV commercials aimed at each other, while at the same time accusing the other side of hitting below the belt. Barack Obama is accusing the senator from New York of slash-and-burn politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I hear Senator Clinton's campaign say they're going to throw the kitchen sink strategy at us, and they try to manufacture or exploit fake controversies, instead of talking about what is important for the American people, how we're going to deal with the energy problems, how we're going to deal with the mortgage-lending crisis, and I'm thinking, you learned the wrong lessons from those Republicans who are going after you in the same way, using the same tactics all those years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Hillary Clinton has seen her lead dwindle from the double digits to seven percentage points, according to the latest CNN poll of polls. That is up just slightly from five points at the end of last week.
Barack Obama is still hoping to pull off -- pull off an upset victory in the state. That is why he is hitting those undecided voters. He is wrapping up his campaign day in Pittsburgh. She will be coming here to Philadelphia to end her campaign swing through the state. Both of them trying to go after each other's bases of support as they try to convince those last-minute undecideds, Don.
LEMON: Down to the wire.
All right. Jim Acosta, thank you very much for that. As you heard Jim Acosta say, Barack Obama's going wrap up his day in Pittsburgh. But right now he's in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, talking to students and working families.
Let's take a listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
OBAMA: ... I think there's some fundamentals that we can deal with that put our economy on the right path. And so let me just mention a couple that I think are really important. And they have to do with investment.
No. 1, investment in infrastructure. You know, when you think about where we're -- where we are here in the community college, part of the reason that this community has thrived is because back in the '60s, a lot of people said, you know what? We need to grow a community college system.
Part of the reason that our university system is world class is because the last president from Illinois, who was pretty good, a guy named Lincoln decided, you know, it would be a good idea to set up the land grant college system, so that everybody -- mostly in rural areas -- would have access to not only practical education about how to improve their farming, but also get access to liberal arts educations, as well. And a lot of our great universities grew out of that investment.
So, you know, the interstate highway system, although now we realize maybe we underinvested in rail service. What's clear is that that helped to stitch the country together the same way, previously, the intercontinental railroad stitched the country together.
So there are areas where we're falling behind on infrastructure. Some of it's just repairing roads, bridges, sewer lines, you know, water systems. You know, we have fallen behind or are in the process of falling behind.
I haven't been to Shanghai lately, but everybody tells me that, when they come back, all they see are cranes and high-speed trains. And you get a sense of major investment. That sets up long-term competitiveness. Their docks, how they deal with the various waterways, they are leapfrogging us in terms of infrastructure investment. We've got to make those investments...
LEMON: Barack Obama in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, speaking at a park, a very intimate gathering, it appears, at a park in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. As our Jim Acosta said moments ago, he's going to end his day in Pittsburgh.
Hillary Clinton also on the campaign stump today. She is in Pittsburgh. She's going to spend time in Pittsburgh, Scranton, Harrisburg and also Philadelphia. We will check in with her in just a little bit -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Another day, another record price at the pump. For the first time ever, we've hit $3.50 a gallon, on average, for regular unleaded. That's according to AAA. You can see the cost has risen almost 25 cents in a month, 64 cents in a year.
Let's get you now to Ali Velshi with the CNN Election Express in Philadelphia. He is our senior business correspondent.
So what do you think, Ali? I mean, could this be the tipping point?
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I think it's weird that you're down there. I mean, we missed you in New York. I don't think I'm talking out of school, Veronica, when I tell people that every morning you and I sit right next to each other all morning.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, we do.
VELSHI: During "AMERICAN MORNING." So...
DE LA CRUZ: Oh, yes, we do.
VELSHI: You were gone, so I decided I'd leave, too. And I had to fill up my tank yesterday for two dollars and -- $3.78 a gallon.
Now here's how it goes. This is the national average, right? So nobody necessarily pays $3.50. In New Jersey, they're paying $3.25. In California, they're paying a lot more. So it averages out to $3.50.
But there are a number of economists who say that that might be an inflection point. It might be a tipping point. It might be a point at which people start to make decisions about how they drive, how far they live from work, what kind of commute they're going to have, how often they go to the mall, whether they swap cars.
Now, remember, we hit $3, above $3 for the first time back in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina. So psychologically, we've gotten past the $3 mark, and we've either changed our habits or we haven't. A number of people said we'd hit $3.50 by Memorial Day. Guess what? We're here already.
So what happens by Memorial Day? Because prices go up between now and then, typically. Three seventy-five, $4? We know at $4 some people are going to make changes.
So it's just one of those times when it's worth reflecting on whether or not you're going to change your habits, because the trend in oil is up. The trend in gasoline has been nothing but up: $3.50 now. That's a quarter more it was a month ago. Two eight-six, I think, it was a year ago.
So Veronica, it's just -- it's one of those times where we can all probably just pause and reflect and say, all right. We know this is happening.
The other thing, Veronica, while polling continues to show that gas prices are very important to people, if you don't drive a diesel vehicle you probably don't think about diesel very much. But all of the trucks that transport everything we buy in this country are diesel. All of the farm equipment that processes -- processes the food we eat are run on diesel.
So diesel prices, while they may not concern you, are probably a bigger influence on the prices of food that you pay at the grocery store. When we talk about eggs and milk and wheat and all that kind of stuff, some of it is the core cost of that food. Some of it is the cost of processing it.
So Veronica, just probably $3.50 is a nice round number for us all to sit and reflect on what we're doing about the price of gas, Veronica.
And come back to New York soon.
DE LA CRUZ: Nevertheless, it is painful. All right, Ali, I'll see you back in New York.
LEMON: Well, it's one for the record books. That's what a watchdog group calls the gas price phenomenon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK COOPER, CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA: Make no mistake about it, we are in the midst of the greatest gasoline price run-up in the history of the nation.
Now, it's unfolding over a number of years, unlike those sudden shocks of '73 and '79. But the increase since 2002 is larger than the increase on a percentage basis or a dollar basis than the price increase was during -- or after the Iranian revolution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Basically saying it's not good.
What are you paying to fill your tank? And when has a trip to the gas pump ever been quite so dismal? CNN's Rusty Dornin is parked at a station in Doraville, Georgia, to get a feel for motorists' pain.
Rusty, what are they saying? I'm sure they're not happy about it?
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, of course not, Don. But when you're talking about $3.50 average, if you can pay below that, that of course, makes you feel a little better. And gas is -- for regular gas, $3.44 a gallon here at the Shell station in Doraville.
When you take a look at the nationwide averages, of course, you look at San Francisco: about $3.79 a gallon. I was in San Diego yesterday. They were paying about $3.90 a gallon.
But as Ali was saying, I mean, it's scattered all over the board, above and below that average. Now, of course, consumer report coming out now, saying that 73 percent of people are very concerned about gas prices right now. Sixty percent consider it some kind of hardship.
I spoke to a guy this morning that said he doesn't go to Starbucks anymore.
So we're here to talk to someone who's filling up right now and who's been feeling some of that pain, some of that hardship, just like the rest of us, Janice Herbert.
Janice, what does it usually take now to fill up your car?
JANICE HERBERT, GAS CUSTOMER: About $50.
DORNIN: Are you doing anything different in your life? Are you driving less? Are you doing anything different?
HERBERT: I combine my errands. Fortunately, I work out of my house, so I don't have to drive to an office. My husband bought a hybrid car this past summer, and on the weekends we use his car almost exclusively to save money.
DORNIN: Anything else? Are you filling up? Do you stop at a certain point?
HERBERT: I will -- if I need gasoline and I have to go to a gas station that's close by that's more expensive, I'll just put a couple of gallons in and then wait and then find a service station that has cheaper gas.
DORNIN: So psychologically, you sort of feel like you're doing things to make yourself feel better.
HERBERT: Right. Right.
DORNIN: but you're still paying the same amount of money?
HERBERT: Yes or just a few cents less.
DORNIN: Are you driving any less?
HERBERT: I think I'm not really. I'm starting to. I'm starting to really hit. I also have a son who drives. And it's costing a lot for him to fill his car. And so, yes, we're starting to combine things or not go places.
DORNIN: OK, great.
Well, you can see her gas already up to about $53, $54 a gallon. She said usually it's about $50. So the pain at the pump continues, Don, and it doesn't look like there's going to be any letup, certainly, in the near future.
LEMON: And Rusty, I'm sure you're closing your eyes, as well, as you're pumping gas. And we're all feeling it here. Everyone's feeling it.
OK, Rusty Dornin, thanks.
We'll be checking back with Rusty throughout the day.
As we've been saying, gas prices are up. Food prices up, as well. Our pocketbooks are certainly feeling the pinch. We'd like to know what you're doing to save money. You can send your ideas to cnnnewsroom@cnn.com, and we'll pass them along just a little bit later.
DE LA CRUZ: Fifty dollars a day. Wow. Imagine that.
Well, China says deadly problems with the drug heparin may have their roots in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration says at least 62 deaths are died to allergic reactions to contaminated batches of the blood thinner.
The FDA says it traced the problem to China, but Chinese officials say the factory that shipped raw heparin was managed and overseen by an American company. They plan to visit a New Jersey plant where the final product was made.
LEMON: President Bush is meting today and tomorrow with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. Mr. Bush arrived a short time ago in New Orleans, site of his fourth and final summit of North American leaders. We'll have live coverage of the president's remarks later on this hour.
Trade is expected to be the focus there. The three nations make up -- the three nations make up the world's biggest trading bloc. Yet, NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, is widely blamed in the U.S. for stealing American jobs.
As the talks begin, more than two dozen groups are holding a so- called people's summit. They say close ties with Mexico and Canada threaten American's sovereignty.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, rising food prices are a worry for millions of Americans. But in many countries, millions of people are going hungry as food prices soar and supplies drop. We're going to take a closer look at the crisis verging on disaster.
LEMON: And just weeks ago the prognosis wasn't good for a Grammy-winning star injured in a bus crash. Now, he appears to be out of a danger zone. We'll tell -- we'll talk to one of his doctors and also his brothers a little bit later on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: Aftershock, drenching rains and snow, a bit of everything for you on this spring day. Chad Myers joins us now from the CNN weather center.
And then on top of all of that, Chad, I understand there was also the threat of wildfires. (WEATHER REPORT)
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Veronica, do you know what Don did this weekend?
DE LA CRUZ: What did Don do this weekend?
MYERS: He hung a hammock, and he has pictures.
LEMON: No, wait a minute, Chad.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Yes, we have to see them.
LEMON: You're not putting it on, are you? I showed you.
MYERS: I'll let you do that.
DE LA CRUZ: Don.
LEMON: What did you do? What did you do?
MYERS: You know, I put in drip irrigation so I could actually grow a garden this year.
LEMON: OK. And you didn't take a picture of that?
MYERS: No.
LEMON: I was actually in the hammock and my neighbor took a picture, because I was sleeping in the hammock that I put up this weekend.
DE LA CRUZ: We have Don's I-Report? Where is it? Where is that thing?
LEMON: Not saying.
MYERS: We'll show you later.
LEMON: We'll get it for the viewers for later.
DE LA CRUZ: All right.
LEMON: All right. And thank you, Chad. We'll check back in a little bit. Seventy-seven here. All week in the 70s.
DE LA CRUZ: I know. I think I'm going to stay here.
LEMON: It's going to be very nice. Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: In the 80s, too.
LEMON: Stay here.
All right. Serious story to talk about happening in Chicago. Of course, Chicago up in arms over the weekend's barrage of gun violence. You won't believe the number of people who were shot and killed this weekend. Police seek to put an end to this trend. We're going to talk about that a little bit later on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: On Wall Street, another -- another big bank is getting a lifeline. Earlier this month, it was Washington Mutual and Wachovia. Now, National City says it needs help, as well.
Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with a look at just how much we're talking about here, Susan. All right. So we have these banks that are getting bailed out but average, everyday people are not getting bailed out.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a big problem, and believe me, it's something that we hear on a daily basis, Don.
You know, this is really troubling, when you see these banks. This particular bank, National City, is the tenth largest bank in the country. And just like Wachovia and just like Washington Mutual, it shows how troubled it is that they're going to outside investors to try to shore up their balance sheets. In each case, it just so turns out, it was $7 billion that they're trying to raise.
National City, today, saying that it's also going to slash its dividend, this after it reported an unexpected quarterly loss. Just a couple of months ago, Don, the CEO of National City said the balance sheet was fundamentally strong.
But this bank had a big exposure to the mortgage market and in some of the hardest-hit regions, the Midwest and Florida. And you know what has happened to those particularly distressed areas.
National City shares, by the way, are down nearly 28 percent. And the whole banking sector is getting hit hard, as well. It's just -- it's been an area of big concern, obviously.
LEMON: All right. You're talking about the banking sector. We keep hearing about all these big banks that are in trouble. Why do they have such an impact, just in genera, on the stock market?
LISOVICZ: Right. Well, we saw, basically, with the very start of Bear Stearns and why the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, had to defend the lifeline, the emergency lifeline, that went out to Bear Stearns. Basically, that the whole infrastructure is troubled. And one bank of that size, one big financial company like that, you really see the whole financial infrastructure threatened. And you just don't want to see that.
And we've had a lot of problems in that area. And it's, you know -- we all need credit, obviously. And you want to have these banks functioning.
Well, what you've seen here on Wall Street today is Dow Industrials after a terrific week last week, blue chips under a little bit of pressure. The Dow is down 41 points. The NASDAQ has turned positive. It's up two.
And what's down, as well, after hitting a record high -- I know you've been talking about it earlier this program -- oil prices. A little bit lower but trading at $116.32 a barrel right now, Don.
LEMON: All right. Susan Lisovicz, we'll check back. Thank you.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
DE LA CRUZ: Their DNA holds the key. More than 400 children from a polygamy sect get tested to determine who their parents are, coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: And another reminder for you. Our e-mail question of the day: what are you doing to save money? Send us your tips. The address is cnnnewsroom@cnn.com.
But first -- but first, "Fortune" magazine is releasing its list of the top 500 companies this week. And we're highlighting some of the names behind the numbers. But before we tell you who they are, we'll give you a chance to guess.
This Fortune 500 leader is an immigrant who put his Ph.D. studies on hold to become the youngest CEO on the list. Who's this force in the dot com world? Find out after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is the young Internet mogul who put his education on hold? Thirty-nine-year-old Jerry Yang was studying electrical engineering helped at Stanford when he helped start Yahoo!
Yang was born in Taiwan and moved to the U.S. when he was 10 years old. And although his mother was an English teacher, he only knew one English word: shoe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live in the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
DE LA CRUZ: And I'm Veronica De La Cruz, in today for Kyra Phillips. Nice to be here.
LEMON: Nice to have you here. Welcome. You brought the good weather. We -- well...
(CROSSTALK)
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. I didn't get enough sleep today.
You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: We're working on several developing stories for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM today, including this one. An 18-year-old accused of plotting a Columbine-style attack on a South Carolina high school appeared in court today. Ryan Shallenberger was assigned a lawyer during the brief appearance. The teen's parent had called police because he ordered ten pounds of ammonium nitrate which can be used in bombs.
A grim search going on now in open waters near the Bahamas. Now get this, searchers have found 20 bodies. They are looking for more, after a boat carrying migrants apparently capsized. Three people have been rescued. The victims are mostly Haitian.
The Supreme Court is again setting the stage for executions to resume nationwide, they've denied appeals of more death row inmates today following a ruling last week that Kentucky's lethal injection procedures do not amount to cruel and unusual punishment.
DE LA CRUZ: A strange twist in the child abuse allegations at a polygamist ranch in Texas. Was the phone call that set off the dramatic raid a hoax? The hundreds of children removed from the ranch are set to undergo DNA testing to figure out who belongs to whom.
CNN's Susan Roesgen live right now in front of the coliseum where most of the children are in San Angelo.
Susan, how is the testing going?
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Veronica, we really don't know how it's going because they won't let cameras inside. To protect the privacy of the children, of course, we're not going to be allowed to see any of the DNA testing. But we know that it's taking place in the coliseum behind me, which is usually used for hockey games and rodeos.
But this is where some 400 children have been camped out on cots for basically the last three weeks. This is where the state of Texas took them for temporary custody. Now it's a private lab that's going to come in and do the testing, because basically people have not been able to figure out who belongs to whom.
The child abuse investigators, Veronica, went in, when they talked to kids first on the ranch, and said they did not believe the children were entirely truthful. Also, there's this question of the last names. there are only a handful of last names, most of the people are named Jessup or Jeffs or Barlow.
And so, it's been very difficult even for the 350 lawyers who are representing those 400 children to know which child goes with which parent. So, on Friday night when the judge ruled that the state will continue to hold temporary custody of these children for at least the next couple of months, she also ruled we must get those maternity and paternity tests to find out who belongs to whom.
And also it will determine, Veronica, whether or not some of these young women did indeed get forced into underage marriages and motherhood. And that's the real key to the case here.
DE LA CRUZ: And, Susan, in the meantime we're talking about this phone call being a hoax. Do we know who is behind it?
ROESGEN: Well, we don't know for sure. But what we know is that the Texas Rangers have identified a woman as a person of interest. She's a 33-year-old woman who doesn't even live in Texas, she lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her name is Rosita Swinton. The authorities believe that she made hoax phone calls, pretending to be an underaged mother at both the ranch here in Texas, and at another Warren Jeffs compound in Arizona.
So they really want to find out why this woman would have done it -- in any case, Veronica, even if it was a hoax, child abuse investigators say they have plenty of evidence to go forward with the case, because they say they got the evidence once they got on to the ranch compound itself.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Susan Roesgen live for us there in San Angelo. Susan, thank you.
LEMON: We all know about crime in big cities. Sadly, that's no surprise. But, what if I told you 30 people in a day or so shot in one city? Well, here's what police are saying, it's guns and gangs. They say they were at the root of a violent weekend in Chicago. At least six people were killed, two dozen hurt in a blur of drive-by shootings and other attacks.
And we get more from Reporter Michelle Gallardo of our affiliate WLS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE GALLARDO, WLS REPORTER: The victims of the weekend's gun violence range in age from 12 to 65. Police say they include gang members and innocents alike. Of the more 26 injured since midnight Thursday, six have died including a 34-year-old Marcus Hendricks, and 65-year-old Ricardo Shanchez.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very alarming, I just got back from out of town. To hear that number over a weekend, and we're not even -- summer has not hit yet. So, we can imagine what the summer's going to look like.
GALLARDO: Police Superintendent Jody Weis responded to numbers and put them into context, compared to the same weekend for the previous two years. They are, in fact, similar.
JODY WEIS, SUPERINTENDENT, CHICAGO POLICE: In 2007, during the same weekend period, there were 19 shootings, four of them resulted in homicides. In 2006, during the same weekend period, in April, there were 21 shootings.
GALLARDO: To get an even better perspective on the gun violence in Chicago, we've taken a look at the number of homicides city wide, most of which are gun related. Put into context, it is true that the number of murders has declined significantly over the last ten years. From a total of 761 in 1997, to 443 last year. However, compared to the nation's two largest cities, Chicago doesn't fare too well. New York has 496 murders in 2007, L.A., 349. Both New York and L.A. have significantly larger populations, so that proportionally speaking, Chicago has a homicide rate three times higher than New York. And nearly 70 percent higher than L.A.
WEIS: You just have too many guns, and too many gangs, and too much drugs on the street. I don't really like to compare that many different cities, because we can find different ones that will have a greater murder rate per capita than Chicago has. I think we need to just focus on Chicago and do whatever we can to take weapons off the streets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: At least 30 shootings, six homicides reported in Chicago over the weekend. That was, by the way, our affiliate Reporter Michelle Gallardo with that story.
Black Entertainment Television Founder, Bob Johnson, think you know where he stands on the Democratic presidential race? Think again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB JOHNSON, BET, FOUNDER: What he should be asking is, can he win in November, or do we care whether he can win in November? We just want to see him nominated for the President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He is outspoken, he is passionate and he is talking to CNN, all part of our Conversations with Black America.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: Well, new poll numbers top our political ticker today. A CNN poll of polls shows the Democratic race still tight in Pennsylvania. Among likely Democratic primary voters, Hillary Clinton leads Barack Obama 50 to 43 percent, that's a seven-point lead. Seven percent say that they are still undecided.
Perhaps the most crucial campaign stretch for Hillary Clinton, she has run into debt. Financial reports show the campaign owed more than $10 million at the start of the month, and only about $9 million on hand for the remaining primaries. Her rival's war chest looks more like a jackpot. Barack Obama reports having $42 million available to spend on the primaries.
In Selma, Alabama today presumptive GOP nominee John McCain praised the Civil Rights marchers who were brutally beaten while crossing a bridge in 1965. He spoke to a mostly white crowd in a mostly black community, but said he would be the president of all of the people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My concern about America is not got to do with party identification. My concern about America today is that America -- Americans are hurting. Americans today are sitting around the kitchen table and saying, how can I keep my home? How can we make next month's mortgage payment? How are we going to keep our job? How are we going to give our kids an education? That's the challenge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That's the top of all of the candidates' minds. And, what do you think of these words when it comes to the election? If Obama were a white man, he would not be in the position, and if he were a woman, he would not be in this position, he happens to be lucky to be who he is.
Well, those words were spoken by former Vice Presidential Candidate Geraldine Ferraro, and they sparked a racially charged controversy this year. Now, one of the wealthiest and most prominent African-Americans in the country says Ferraro is right. I talked with Black Entertainment Television Founder, Bob Johnson about that, and also about what he calls overwhelming black racial pride over Barack Obama's candidacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: But more passionate this time, it appears African- Americans are, now that there's a black candidate in the race.
JOHNSON: Oh, that's just natural that African-Americans see a chance for a black person to have the most important job in the world, there's no doubt they would be proud and passionate. I think where they go overboard when they close their mind to responsible criticism. And what they should be asking is -- can he win in November, or do we care whether he can win in November? We just want to see him nominated for the president.
LEMON: And you don't think he can win in November?
JOHNSON: I don't think Barack Obama can beat John McCain in November, no.
LEMON: So, Geraldine Ferraro -- you said what she said you believed to be accurate?
JOHNSON: She was talking about the numerical fact of the demographics of the core Democratic Party, not that he wouldn't get it -- not that he didn't deserve it.
LEMON: So why didn't it come out that way? Why were people offended by that?
JOHNSON: Because Geraldine Ferraro is white. This is a hair- trigger kind of election, and some black folks do get mad at that. I think it's just because they are so proud of Barack Obama that they lose sight of the fact that this is an election and a free democracy where people are entitled to their opinion.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Bob Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television. He also compares Ferraro's comments to remarks made by Hillary Clinton earlier this year when she suggested Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. needed a president's help to reach his civil rights goals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNSON: That's the same thing that happened when people said Hillary said, yes, Martin Luther King -- Lyndon Johnson signed into law what Martin Luther King -- all of a sudden --
LEMON: You need a president to get --
JOHNSON: You need a president. And that was seen as a put-down of Martin Luther King. That's hair-trigger, racial tensions brought about by the fact that this -- no one's ever seen a situation where you have a black man and a woman running, two groups that have been out of the power structure in this society since its inception.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And we'll have much, much more on this history-making race straight ahead. We'll talk to first-time voters, Catholic voters and our political roundtable just a little bit later on.
DE LA CRUZ: Well a month ago, doctors weren't sure he was going to make it. But today, the Tejano music star known simply as Emilio is said to be out of danger. The medical breakthroughs that have helped him coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: What's happened to Emilio Navaira is nothing short of astounding after he was critically hurt in a bus crash in Houston. It was pretty touch and go. For weeks, a rare lung problem complicated matters. And today, Navaira's family, his doctor, even the Tejano singing star himself are talking about when he can go home.
Joining us now live from Houston, one of the men behind his remarkable turnaround, Dr. Alex Valadka. He is Director of Neurotrauma Services at Memorial Herman Hospital.
And then from San Antonio, we're joined by the singer's younger brother, Raul.
Gentleman, thank you so much for being with us today.
We're going to go ahead and start with you, Dr. Valadka. We were just talking about this remarkable progress that he's been making. I understand that he's actually eating; he's been speaking to his family; he's even been standing.
Are you surprised by this? DR. ALEX VALADKA, DIR., NEUROTRAUMA SERVICES: We are certainly very impressed with how quickly he's come around. As you know, he left the ICU at the end of last week. He's in a private room where his family can spend more time with him. It's obvious, he and his family are very close.
He's awake, he talks, he eats. He never fails to shake my hand when I walk into his room. He still has a long way to go. But considering his accident, which was really just about a month ago, he's come a long way.
DE LA CRUZ: And Raul, tell us a little bit about what exactly happened here? How did you receive the news? What has Emilio been like through this process? What kind of person is he?
RAUL NAVAIRA, BROTHER OF TEJANO STAR, EMILIO: Well, you know, we've been -- I've been in contact with my mom and my sister-in-law and my sister who are over there in Houston with him. I'm in San Antonio. I have to come back and take care of business for the family. But I go and see him on the weekends. I just got back yesterday.
We're just very, very fortunate to have so many people praying for him and I think God sent us Dr. Valadka also because he once of my new best friends now. He's -- they've all been great, all of the staff at Memorial Herman have been fantastic. And again, all of the fans and family and friends just keep -- the power of prayer, I think that's one of the main remedies that my brother has going for him that we have so many people, not just here in the states, but in Mexico and all over the world that have sent us their prayers and their good wishes.
Man, God bless all of you. When I say thank you, it just doesn't seem enough. I hope God returns the favor a million trillion times over. Thank you so much.
DE LA CRUZ: Raul, tell us a little bit about your brother and what he's like as a person. What has he been like through this process?
NAVAIRA: Well, you know, my brother's always, you know, we have a nickname for him, we call him hyper, because he's always been hyper. He can't sit still, you know? So I think that's why he, you know, sometimes when you see him, he's kind of down, but because he's not used to just being in bed, you know. I think that's what's also helped him a lot because of the way he is -- he's active.
He would run at least two, three miles a day so he was in good shape. And I think that helped him a lot. I think now once he gets better I'm going to have to start running with him, man.
But he's -- he's just a very active person. You can see it. I think that's why he's recovering as fast as he is.
DE LA CRUZ: That's great. It's good to here. Dr. Valadka, will you do us a favor here and tell our views a little bit the medicine behind all of this. Because I understand as soon as the accident happened, Emilio was put into a sort of cooling program that's also been credited for saving the life of a football player, Kevin Everett.
Tell us more about this program and maybe the risks involved.
VALADKA: Well, there is a lot of preliminary evidence that suggests that patients like Emilio, who have had a severe head injury, may do better if they're cooled quickly. A larger study, however, didn't show any benefit, so the current study is focused on getting them cool as soon as possible.
If this treatment is going to help, it seems like we have to get patients cooled within a couple of hours of injury, at most. Certainly, we're able to do that in Emilio's case. The whole question of course is, is this responsible for his recovery or not?
When my kids were very young I would take them to see the latest animated movie out there. And at one point my young son said he didn't want to go see any more movies. And I said why? He said because every time we go see a movie, it gets dark outside, he has to go to bed.
Now, of course, adults realize it was just a coincidence that we happen to go to movies at nighttime. But, taking care of these very sick patients is a very complicated thing. And sometimes you notice a few things happen, and then patients do well. And you're tying to sort out -- is that just a coincidence, or is there really some connection there? That's exactly what we're trying to study in a more scientifically-control matter.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, the good news is that it sounds like he's making some pretty remarkable progress.
Dr. Alex Valadka and Raul Navaira, thank you so much for your time today.
Of course our thoughts and prayers are with you, Raul, and your family.
NAVAIRA: Thank you and God bless you.
God bless you, doc.
VALADKA: Thanks, Raul.
DE LA CRUZ: Thank you -- Don.
LEMON: Very nice, very nice interview.
From our own grocery store -- your own grocery store -- to the some of world's tiniest towns and villages, the price of food, well, we don't need to tell you, it's soaring. But why? Some answers, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Today we are taking another look at the world food crisis. Speaking at a conference in Ghana, U.N. Secretary, General Ban-Ki Moon sounded a note of hope, he said the right kind of aid to developing nations can calm the spiralling prices of staples.
Now speaking this morning on CNN, Ban's special adviser, economist Jeffrey Sachs, said the road map is as simple as the crisis is dire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY SACHS, SPECIAL U.N. ADVISER: This is life and death. This is hunger. It's right to the core of the challenge. They have to step up, not food aid, it's not shipping expensive food. It's helping small holder farmers grow the food to help them earn an income and to stay alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: In a number of countries, the crisis is verging on disaster. And we get the latest from CNN State Department correspondent, Zain Verjee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Higher food prices spell disaster for the world's poorest. Millions living under a dollar a day at risk.
CONDOLEZZA RICE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: No one should have to spend all of their daily wages just to buy their daily bread.
VERJEE: But in just one year, the price of corn has gone up 31 percent on global markets; rice, 74 percent; soya, 87 percent; wheat, 130 percent.
(on-camera): Walk down any aisle at a supermarket, and you can see food prices are going up. In much of the Western world, consumers are able to absorb the impact. But for many in the developing world, food prices are a matter of life and death.
(voice-over): The World Food Programme's map of hardest hit regions stretches from the Caribbean to Africa and Asia. It's a perfect storm of sudden changes. Record-high oil prices, fast-rising transportation and fertilizer costs, bad weather destroying crops, plus rising demand in India and China, and increased production of ethanol converting food crops into fuel.
SACHS: Add it altogether, demand is soaring, supply has been cut back, food has been diverted into the gas tank. It's added up to a price explosion.
RICE: We clearly have twin problems. We have an energy problem and we have a food problem. There are some relationships between them.
VERJEE: Half of the world's food aid come from the U.S., $1.5 billion a year. But the money's not going far.
HENRIETTA FORE, U.S. AGENCY FOR INTL., DEVELOPMENT: It means that less food is going to almost every recipient because the prices are so much higher. So our U.S. dollar purchasing power cannot stretch as far.
VERJEE: The U.N. World Food Programme feeds one cup of porridge to 20 million schoolchildren. And the director says, it's the only food most of them see all day.
JOSETTE SHEERAN, U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: Today, I can fill this 40 percent less than I could last June. So it has a direct affect on us.
VERJEE: The World Bank is calling for $500 million in emergency donations.
ROBERT ZOELLICK, PRESIDENT, WORLD BANK: We can't afford to wait. We have to put our money where our mouth is now, so that we can put food into hungry mouths.
VERJEE: More cash may be a fast fix, only in the short term, still leaving hungry to fight for what little food there is, and security forces being drafted in to guard not banks, but warehouses of food.
Zain Verjee, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And in just a few minutes, we'll hear more about the frightening prospect that Zain just alluded to -- a global food crisis becoming a global security crisis. CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is on that story for us -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: A former president on a mission of peace. But why are his talks, which are aimed at ending bloodshed, making people angry?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: Here's what's hot at CNN.com right now.
Nothing like a moonlit walk on the beach when the fish are out sunning.
How do you like that, Don?
Some nighttime strollers shot this video of this rather strange sight. But it definitely makes for some interesting pictures, don't you think.
LEMON: Sure, yes. DE LA CRUZ: Take a look for yourself. You can definitely log on to CNN.com right now and find out, right?
LEMON: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: Also popular, Britain's Prince William has stirred up a fuss by making personal use of a military transport helicopter. He used it take his brother to a party. He later touched down in his significant other's backyard. Some are suggesting the chopper might work equally well in Afghanistan rather.
I guess it's the thought that counts.
Also of interest today, a woman who lost nearly 250 pounds. Dr Sanjay Gupta has the story of the surgery that may have saved her life.
You can check out these stories and much more, plus lots of popular video at CNN.com
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
