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Pennsylvania Showdown for Dems; Indianapolis Bank Robbery; Chicago Gun Violence

Aired April 22, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: The upside of the U.S. economy, what's on the rise. Gas and oil both hitting new record highs. And then the downside -- stocks, home sales, and the downtrodden dollar.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: But for voters, it all adds up to issue #1. At long last, Pennsylvanians choose between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And our Candy Crowley sorts out the political ups and downs.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: All right. Dozens of delegates, millions of votes, and maybe the fate of the Democratic presidential battle all at stake in Pennsylvania, where we're now more than halfway through one of the most crucial contests of the campaign season.

Hillary Clinton needs a big win. Barack Obama, well, he just wants to keep things close.

Let's go straight to Philadelphia and CNN's Jim Acosta, who's right in the middle of it all.

Hello again to you, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.

And election officials here in Pennsylvania are bracing for what could be a record turnout at the polls here in the Keystone State, 200,000-plus newly registered voters in Pennsylvania. That is a wildcard, according to one election observer watching people flood into polls across this state of Pennsylvania.

And Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are crisscrossing the state in this final day of campaigning, trying to convince those last-minute undecided voters. And at various events over the last 24 hours they have clashed over a Hillary Clinton last-minute campaign ad which uses an image of Osama bin Laden to hammer home the point that experience is what is needed in the White House. Barack Obama has responded, calling that the politics of fear.

We have talked to a number of voters here at this polling place in Center City, Philadelphia, and those voters, by and large, are gravitating towards Barack Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I voted for Barack Obama. And why? I just feel like his policies, his attitude, his energy is what we need for this country at this time.

I just feel like he's got a lot of positive things up his sleeve, and he's got a lot of support from a lot of different sides -- you know, a lot of different aspects of age groups and ethnicities. So I feel like he's the stronger candidate for our country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm probably going to end up vote are for Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just feel like it's time for something new, time for a change, someone who inspires young people. Not that either one of them wouldn't do a good job, but I still don't like the idea of the last 20 years being split with between two political families. It has a little bit too much of a dynastic tinge to it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Senator Clinton has a very fine record. I came here from New York this year. I certainly know her as a state senator. She's had four years in the White House. Though not as president, she certainly is familiar with the politics and the way things are done, and I think she's honest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And that voter there referring to Hillary Clinton's four years in the White House. Obviously, she was First Lady for eight years during the Clinton administration.

Barack Obama is counting on support here in the east, Hillary Clinton is counting on support out West. But we should also note it's not just those two candidates looking for voters in this state.

We saw some out of state residents coming into this area of Philadelphia earlier this morning. We want to show you the video of this, because it's not something you see every day.

Somebody pulled up in front of this polling station here in Center City, Philadelphia, if what he described as the Obama Mobile. And if you look in the back of this pickup truck, there is a boxing ring blaring the theme music from "Rocky," two boxers, going mano a mano. One dressed up as Barack Obama, the other as Hillary.

On their boxing gloves, to messages. On Hillary's gloves, "Promises" is what's written on her globes. And on Barack Obama's gloves, the message of change. And that particular voter there who is from Alabama, he was definitely a supporter of Barack Obama there -- Don.

LEMON: All the way from Alabama to Philadelphia. Very interesting.

ACOSTA: He's committed. Yes, absolutely. And sometimes politics is just as strange as that. No question about it.

LEMON: Jim Acosta in Philly. Thank you, sir.

KEILAR: Here is the big question -- just how far will this Democratic race go? To the end of the primary season in June, to the Democratic convention in August? Democratic chairman Howard Dean tells us it doesn't have to go that far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: There is no point in going -- having a nasty divided convention if we can -- if the voters can say who they're for. All the regular voters will have said who they're for by June 3rd. Florida and Michigan will be resolved certainly by the end of June, and I think the unpledged delegates, the remainder of them, ought to say who they're for by the end of June, then we'll know who the nominee is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Well, we can look ahead all we want, but right now the story is Pennsylvania, whose voters have more of a say in the presidential race than ever before.

CNN's Rick Sanchez talked to one of the most mobilized and biggest voting blocs in the state.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It may be a last stand thing, we don't know. But we certainly have noticed that here in Philadelphia, maybe you've noticed yourself, in many places where you see television cameras on all the major networks, there are huge groups of women supporters for Hillary Clinton with signs and chanting that they're excited.

And we've talked to many of them, and they represent energized, pumped-up women and supporters from all over the country for Hillary Clinton who come here to Philadelphia to get their message out. We talked to many of them from as far away from Mississippi and Florida, and parts of Georgia and Tennessee.

Just like the women that we ran across in Scranton, P.A.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been a Republican since I'm 18-years- old, and two months ago I changed to Democratic, and I can't believe I did it.

SANCHEZ: You've always been a Republican.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.

SANCHEZ: And you're going to go Democrat this time. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Mostly because I got really upset about the lack of ethical behavior in the current administration.

SANCHEZ: As a woman, would you feel more empowered if Hillary were to become president?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a great plus, but it's not the reason that's driving me to her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's gutsy, she gets up and she keeps rolling. That's the kind of president I want.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to see a woman in the presidency before I die.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If something doesn't go her way, she kind of goes off the deep end and does some crazy thing, whereas he always stays even keeled and steady.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack Obama offers us a better choice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he's a brilliant speaker. But that does not necessarily make a good president. He may some day make a good president, but right now, it's her turn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's just very intensely educated, intelligently focused.

SANCHEZ: You think Barack Obama has it easier than Hillary Clinton?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at how the press treats him. Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Why not McCain?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The war.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The war.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The war.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can't afford to be in a war in Iraq. If we could put it on early childhood education or on better health care...

SANCHEZ: What makes you think that Hillary or Barack Obama will be any better?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They will.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had eight years of Bill Clinton. It's true, he had some problems. But the country prospered. We were well- loved in the world. SANCHEZ: When she talks about health care, Republicans call her a socialist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it isn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what is right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The uninsured or the working poor, I think Hillary gets it. All the baby boomers are now becoming patients and so are your nurses, and she's supporting tuition reimbursements, and many funds, grants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need someone to go out there and reach out to the people.

SANCHEZ: What I sense from you guys though is that you're passionate about this time around. But you're energized this time around.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're passionate chicks.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Each one of us wants to win this because it means a lot to each of us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

SANCHEZ: What we hope to do with League of First Time Voters is bring you the news, but really from the bottom up. Instead of the traditional thing you see on most newscasts, which is we reach out to experts and we reach out to pundits and we reach out to politicians, these are just average people with something to say, who have been reaching out to us and saying, we want our message heard as well.

We want to be able to provide that vehicle for these people to be able to get their message out. And here's the way you find out more, or you join the League of First Time Voters.

There's the Web site. You're looking at it now. And you can see across the top that you can either, A, join, B, get more information, or, C, reach us so that we can find out where your particular group is.

Make a pitch as to whether you think your organization has a message, is unique enough, is newly energized, hasn't voted in a long time, or is voting for the very first time, period. And we'll come out and pay you a visit.

From Philadelphia, P.A., for CNN, I'm Rick Sanchez.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: You can tune in tonight for our coverage when the polls close there in Philly and all over Pennsylvania. Until then, if you're a political junkie, you need your fix, go to cnnpolitics.com. That is the place for you.

You can check out our new interactive delegate counter game, where you can play real-time what-if scenarios with delegates and superdelegates. That and more at cnnpolitics.com.

LEMON: Those ladies were good, not to mention, right?

KEILAR: Very enthusiastic, just like Rick Sanchez is very enthusiastic.

LEMON: Yes. Very interesting to watch them. And they had some good ideas there.

All right. We want to talk now about a developing story that we've been following here in the CNN NEWSROOM out of Indianapolis, Indiana. It involves a bank robbery and a pregnant woman with twins.

Steve Jefferson, from our affiliate WTHR, joins us now with the very latest.

We understand that several people have been taken into custody. What's the latest, Steve?

STEVE JEFFERSON, WTHR REPORTER: That's right, Don.

About 9:30 this morning, men wearing a mask and carrying a high- powered weapon entered the Huntington Bank you see behind me here on the east side of Indianapolis, firing several shots. He struck a 30- year-old teller pregnant with twins.

Right now, she is in serious condition. Doctors have managed to stabilize the twins.

After an intense two-hour man search, investigators ended up at a nearby high school. That's where they're questioning two students about the bank robbery shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL SPEARS, INDIANAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF: These young men, these two men, were seen trying to enter the school during a time when students shouldn't be coming or going from the school. We're very curious about that, and we want to talk to them in detail about their activities.

JEFFERSON: Inside the bank or from an exterior camera at a business near the bank.

Reporting live in Indianapolis, Steve Jefferson. Back to you.

LEMON: Hey, Steven, this isn't really clear to me. Do we know for sure if the people who were taken into custody for questioning, if they are indeed students, or were they just trying to enter the school? JEFFERSON: No, they're students. They were seen returning to the school at a time when students should have not been outside the school, and that's what alerted police. Police are actually checking surveillance cameras from the school to see if what they were wearing upon returning to school matches the video, the suspects' clothing that's caught on the tape here at the bank.

LEMON: That's what made them suspicious, going in when they shouldn't have been going in.

JEFFERSON: Absolutely.

LEMON: OK. Steve Jefferson from our affiliate WTHR in Indianapolis. Thank you.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. Along with allergies, well, police say the spring weather has brought out some itchy trigger fingers. Several cities saw significant gun violence over the weekend. At least seven people were killed in Philadelphia. Among them, a 62-year-old man and a young guy on a playground.

And on Friday, in New Orleans, well, we're citing a drop -- they were citing a drop in murders. But by Sunday, they were investigating six more shooting deaths.

Chicago's shooting spree came just as police announced positive news about that city's murder rate. News that means little now to families of the nine people killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He shouldn't have to go through that. You know? He shouldn't. He's only 12. And for somebody to try to hurt him, he's sweet as gold. All he wanted to do was dance all his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Chicago police are certainly feeling the heat here, and joining us live now from Chicago, Police Superintendent Jody Weis.

Thank you for joining us, Superintendent Weis.

What do you say to that mother who's crying about her son who was taken far too soon?

SUPT. JODY WEIS, CHICAGO POLICE CHIEF: Well, it's horrible, and my heart goes out to her. Parents should not be burying their children. It's horrible and we have to work together as a community, as a city to stop this from happening.

LEMON: OK. With the number of shootings you had this weekend -- I believe it was somewhere in the 30s -- 2007, 19 shootings; 2006 -- on this same weekend -- 2006, 21 shootings. You say that number is not that far off.

WEIS: Well, I don't have the stats right in front of me. I'll go with what you said. But if you look back at the shootings we've suffered over the past several years, it's not uncommon for a weekend for the shootings to be in the mid to upper 20s. It fluctuates back and forth a little bit. But unfortunately, although we did have a spike this past weekend, it's not uncommon for the number of shootings to be in that range on a given weekend, especially as the months get a little bit warmer and people are more prone to be outdoors.

LEMON: Well, that's what some of the people in the stories that we have been seeing coming out of Chicago -- and we know crime increases, especially gun violence and homicides and those sorts of things, as it gets warmer outside. And I just want to make sure that we get these numbers correct.

1997, you had 761 murders; 2007, you had 443 murders. So that is a drop in crime. But comparatively to New York City, which had 496 last year, and then Los Angeles, which had 349 last year, you had 443. Comparatively, statistically, you had more murders, and compared to Los Angeles, 70 percent more murders.

WEIS: Well, Don, one murder is one too many. But it's hard to compare, you know, cities to cities. L.A. has a lot -- L.A. is a much broader area, much more geographic. New York has almost three times the number of police officers.

You know, it's difficult to compare cities. Other smaller cities have a higher murder per capita than Chicago. So as I mentioned earlier, I'd like to keep focused on Chicago.

LEMON: OK. And I have to say, just inside there, talking to people who live in Chicago, and sources, they're telling me within the last couple of months -- because you just started -- you just became the police superintendent back in February -- that you have made significant changes in commanders, and some nearly two dozen commanders have been changed and moved around in certain key areas in your city in a very short time.

Do you think this is contributing to the spark in violence? Do you find that your officers are responding to you or responding to these commanders that you've changed?

WEIS: Oh, I don't think that's an issue at all. The commanders we put in place, they probably average between 20 and 25 years of experience. The people we put in place have a demonstrated success in some of the toughest districts in the city.

So I would -- I certainly would not attribute this spike in shootings over this past weekend to the commanders that we have in place. They're all seasoned and they're all proven successful leaders within the community and within the Chicago Police Department.

LEMON: OK. And I'll ask you a similar question, but differently, because Chicago is an insider town, and I know that. Do you think that Phil Cline and the other police superintendents were sort of rank and file superintendents, came up through the ranks, and maybe had more of a connection with the rank and file officers? Again, do you think that these officers and commanders are responding to you?

You are not a rank and file officer. Do you think that makes a difference in the way that Chicago is being policed and the way that police are responding to you and their supervisors?

WEIS: You know, it's hard for me to speak for 13,500 officers. You know, I don't have the daily interaction with the police officers on the street.

What I've tried to do is pick commanders and leaders who have been proven leaders in this organization, and I expect them to implement the decisions and the policies of this department. So I would like to think that the fact that I came from the outside is not going to have our police officers quit policing.

LEMON: OK.

WEIS: We need police officers to be aggressive, and we will do whatever we can to make sure we support them, make sure we back them, and make sure we have the leadership in place to quell this violence.

LEMON: You have publicly said that you believe that this is all because of assault weapons and because of gang violence, because of the increase in gangs on the street. You have called for an assault weapons ban. How do you feel about that? Do you think that that would help you, especially is this -- with an election year, and we're getting -- we're considering who the president is going to be and what -- that may be an issue in this election year?

WEIS: Well, I certainly hope we recognize that assault weapons have no place on the streets of America. They only have one purpose, and that's to kill human beings. And I don't want to have police officers having to face criminals armed with AK-47s and M-16s. That's a very unenviable position, and I think we should do whatever we can to enact common sense gun legislation.

You know, I know we have the Second Amendment, but I still firmly believe that assault weapons have no place on the streets of Chicago or any other major city in the United States.

LEMON: Jody Weis, the superintendent of the Chicago police. Thank you very much, and we wish you luck.

WEIS: Don, it's my pleasure. Thank you.

KEILAR: How much green does it take to be green? Touring an eco-chic mansion -- minutes away.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live here 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're following several developing stories for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, including this one. Indianapolis police are questioning two teens after a brutal bank robbery. News reports say a teller pregnant with twins was shot in the lower stomach. She's out of surgery now, but there's no word on the condition of the twins. The teens were taken into custody while trying to enter a high school near the bank.

A bail hearing is scheduled next hour for a South Carolina high schooler accused of plotting a Columbine-style attack. Prosecutors are expected to ask for a mental health exam for Ryan Schallenberger. Meantime, the "A.P." reports federal authorities are joining that investigation.

A new call for President Bush to keep the North American Free Trade Agreement the way it is. Mr. Bush spoke at a joint news conference with the leaders of Canada and Mexico. He also review -- or renewed, I should say, a call for Congress to pass a free trade agreement with Colombia.

Pennsylvania could be pivotal in the Democratic presidential race, voters there are finally passing judgment after more attention from the candidates, and the nation, than they've ever had before. They're expected to hand the victory to Hillary Clinton, but she needs to win big. Barack Obama, the overall delegate and popular vote leader, is looking to keep things close.

And CNN's Candy Crowley is part of the best political team on television. Joining us now from Philadelphia.

Candy, just break it down for us. What is at stake here?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is yet another in a long line of do-or-die states for Hillary Clinton. It looks like she's going to do.

She does have to win it. They're saying, look, a win is a win. We don't have to win substantially. But if she wins substantially, it bolsters her superdelegate argument, and both these campaigns believe it's going to come down to those superdelegates, those elected officials, party officials, who in the end will have to cast their vote for one or the other of these candidates, because both of them believe by the end of this process in June neither one will have the number of pledged delegates you need to actually win the nomination.

So if she comes out of here with a win in Pennsylvania, their argument will be, listen, I have won all these big states, the big states, and the working class voters, which are the bulwark of the Democratic Party. So she will have more ammunition for that argument. His argument is that he leaves Pennsylvania still ahead in pledged delegates and still ahead in the popular vote.

So what it does, certainly, is propel Clinton, if she wins, into Indiana, into North Carolina, and it puts him a little bit on the defensive. Because those become then, particularly Indiana, very important states for him.

KEILAR: And Candy, really sharp rhetoric we've been hearing from Obama and Clinton. How might that affect the vote today?

CROWLEY: I don't think it affects the vote today and here's why. Pennsylvania, as you said in the opening, has not had this much electoral attention in quite some time during the primary process. So they do expect record turnout here.

Honestly, a lot of that negative advertising came over the weekends, and I judge that most Pennsylvanians were out enjoying the weather. It has had an effect though, I think, on what we're seeing in the polling when you put one of these candidates up against John McCain.

I think the sight of both these candidates going at each other has turned off some of those Independents who were sort of giving John McCain a look. So while I think it's had -- the negativity has had an effect on the polling, I don't think it will have an effect on the voting today in Pennsylvania.

KEILAR: Perhaps repercussions in the general election then, Candy?

CROWLEY: Right.

KEILAR: All right. Candy Crowley there ...

CROWLEY: Well ...

KEILAR: I'm sorry, go on, Candy.

CROWLEY: No, I was just going to say, we're a long time until the general election. The Democrats say, and I think at this point they're right, that they can get back together. People take a whole fresh look come September. So I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in those national polls, with McCain up against one of these. But it does tell you how people are viewing the negative campaign.

KEILAR: Very interesting.

Candy Crowley for us in Philadelphia. A lot of action there behind her there, as well. Thanks, Candy.

And you can check out all of the latest campaign news right at your fingertips -- it's at CNNPolitics.com. We've got analysis from the best political team on television right there at CNNPolitics.com.

LEMON: It's not only primary day, it is Earth Day, 2008. A chance to focus on how we can help protect our environment, and help protect our planet as well. Our chief technology and environmental correspondent, Miles O'Brien is at a new eco ...

Miles, is it eco-friendly, I guess it's potatoes, potatoes. It's a subdivision in Stamford, Connecticut ...

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CHIEF TECHNOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT: You can go either way on that.

LEMON: Yes. But you're telling us how these homes are eco- friendly; they're giant homes behind you, they're humongous.

O'BRIEN: Well yes, that's kind of the rub (ph) isn't it, Don.

Look at this house behind me. That's 8,000 square feet of conditioned space. It's a big place. And despite the fact they have all kinds of environmental considerations designed into it, it's still huge. And a lot of people say it's kind of the real estate equivalent of a hybrid hummer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): It's not easy being green, especially when you're a giant.

MARK HALLET ROBBINS, WINDERMERE ON THE LAKE: It's particularly hard to deliver a very sustainable environmentally-conscience and economical to operate home at this scale.

O'BRIEN: But the developers of Windermere in Stamford, Connecticut say it can be done. There's geothermal heating and cooling, ever so efficient insulation, sustainably harvested lumber, lots of L.E.D. and lots of light. And the homes are built in clusters to preserve the woods.

ROBBINS: I think we've pushed the envelope of green pretty far.

O'BRIEN: But can a jumbo size the envelope like this really lay claim to being green?

(on-camera): People who live in and own green mansions, are they hypocrites?

SOPHIE PIESSE, ARCHITECT: A little, yes.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Architect Sophie Piesse designed this exquisite 2,00 square foot home near Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

PIESSE: People spend a lot of time on square footage and don't spend anything on the quality of the space.

O'BRIEN: The owners, Jan and David Markiewicz, moved from a mcmansion twice as big.

JAN MARKIEWICZ, HOME OWNER: There were rooms we never even walked into. DAVID MARKIEWICZ, HOME OWNER: It never really felt comfortable, in terms of the way in which we really like to live.

O'BRIEN: Their new house fits them like a well-tailored suit. The cozy living room next to the kitchen with a banquet instead of a formal dining room.

SARAH SUSANKA, ARCHITECT: You can look at any part of our society and you can see excess.

O'BRIEN: Architect Sarah Susanka is author of the "Not So Big House" series.

SUSANKA: We're trying to balance our foot print on the planet. We each can make incredible shifts in how we're living to affect that shift. And gradually, I hope personally that we gravitate to the smaller houses, because I don't believe we all need that much square footage.

O'BRIEN: But at Windermere, they say the owners of these huge eco-mansions will not owe us or the planet any apologies.

(on-camera): But wouldn't smaller be greener?

ROBBINS: No. It's actually not. It's how you build it, it's where the houses are cited and how they operate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Now, the U.S. Green Building Council which rates buildings and homes as to how environmental they are has given that home over there top billing.

It's one of the few -- Don, I want you to see one of the things they're pointing out is they caulk every last seam between the studs there. There's that foam insulation. It's a very tight home.

But take a look at this. This is the kitchen. It's huge. And over the years, as a matter of fact, in the United States, in the past couple of generations, the average size of the American home has more than doubled. We like things big.

Now, it may be green, but on this Earth Day it's worth considering -- just how much room do you really need?

LEMON: True. Very true, Miles.

And that kitchen you're in, that's like a four bedroom apartment in Manhattan, don't you agree?

O'BRIEN: Well, I have learned how to live with less space, by going from about 3,000 -- almost 4,000 square feet in Atlanta to under 2,000. We've learned some big lessons on what you need and don't need, that's for sure.

LEMON: Yes. Absolutely. I think we're all learning those lessons, and how much you need to drive and what have you with what's going on with the economy.

Miles O'Brien, much appreciated. Thank you, sir. Always good to see you.

KEILAR: We all want safe, clean water, but what about taste? Well, one group is out to prove tap is better than bottled. The National Rural Water Association has been testing water from all across the country, and today the five finalists were judged on clarity, bouquet (ph) as well as taste.

Sounds like wine, doesn't it, Don?

Well, you want to know the winner, of course. It is South Hampton, Massachusetts.

LEMON: If did you the same thing as wine, I think more people would probably drink it.

KEILAR: Sure. And almost free.

LEMON: More and more Egyptians are forced to line up for their daily bread, but many are leaving with empty hands and stomachs. We've got a local look at the global food crisis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. We have some information just into the CNN NEWSROOM. It involves Ryan Schallenberger, the student in South Carolina, that planned on -- he's accused of trying to carry out a Columbine-style shooting or killing in his high school.

We're just being told that he will receive a very serious charge. This charge is called -- it's a federal weapons of mass destruction charge, and the charge carries a possible life sentence.

Now, remember, Ryan Schallenberger is only 18-years-old. But again, authorities say he was going to carry out a Columbine-style shooting. His parents actually alerted authorities when all of this material arrived in their home, 10 pounds of bomb-making material arrived to their home that he had allegedly ordered online.

He had a hearing today to see exactly what charges he would face, a bail hearing, at which time a prosecutor was expected to ask for a mental health exam. But the big news coming out of that, out of Chesterfield, South Carolina, the acting U.S. attorney there for South Carolina says the teenager accused of planning to bomb his high school will face a federal charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. The charge carries a possible life sentence.

As soon as we get more information on that, we'll bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Meantime, comparing the global food crisis to a silent tsunami. The head of the World Food Programme offered a pessimistic, urgent call to action today. Rising costs are fueling both hunger and anger around the world. And as part of our continuing look at the crisis, we go food shopping in Cairo with Aneesh Raman and in Moscow with Matthew Chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): I'm Aneesh Raman in Cairo. We're a main food market downtown. I'm joined by Adil (ph), who has four kids, along with his wife, and he's out shopping for food.

Tell me about the high cost in food right now. How is it affecting your life?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Food prices have increased for me by 40 percent just from the start of the year. And so in order to deal with the prices, we are cutting back on some food to deal with the rising daily expenses of our household.

RAMAN: You said there's certain things you can't buy anymore now. What can't you buy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If it's from America, for example, pears, as well, along with other things.

RAMAN: And what happens if this keeps going on? Can you take this much longer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This food price problem is something happening all around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Matthew Chance in Moscow, already one of the world's most expensive cities. With rising food prices it's becoming increasingly difficult, even for families on an average income, to make ends meet.

Joining me is this Pericot (ph) family, Alexei, Julia (ph) and their son, Timothy.

Alexei, let me ask you -- have you noticed that prices in Moscow of food have been rising?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes. When we go over our account at the end of the month, as of January, we noticed that we began spending more on food. But it's not only food. Everything is getting more and more expensive.

CHANCE: The Russian government has put price freezes on certain basic products like eggs, milk, bread and cooking oil in a bid to curb inflation. But for many ordinary Russians, things are getting tougher.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: All right. Matthew Chance and Aneesh Raman, thanks to both of you.

Next hour, we'll go local in Pakistan, South Korea and South Africa where the global food crisis is also being felt.

KEILAR: Gas prices on your mind? Well, I hate to tell you, but they've hit another record high. AAA saying the national average for regular unleaded, $3.51. That is up 25 cents from a month ago.

And truckers are really feeling the pinch, because diesel prices hit a record $4.20 a gallon. All of this is being fueled, of course, by oil prices. They have topped $119 a barrel for the first time.

LEMON: All right. So you're doing all kinds of things to save money. Many of you are e-mailing us your ideas.

KEILAR: Baker in Georgia has taken a rather drastic step. He writes: "I have moved from my apartment to share a home with a friend and I'm saving a lot of money. I was paying $1,050 for rent and another $300 in utilities. Now I only pay $500 per month for everything."

LEMON: OK. Very interesting.

Marguerite from Pennsylvania is increasing her gas mileage. She writes: "I do as much coasting as I can while driving. I do not accelerate to a red or yellow light. This may irritate the people behind me, but I am decreasing their fuel consumption as well." -- Probably raising their blood pressure. -- "And you bet I will be coasting downhill to my polling place."

KEILAR: And here is a practical tip from Janne in California, or Janne, I hope I'm saying that correctly, "If you have an electric hot water heater, you can turn it off half the time when you don't need it. We're saving $30-plus per month in utility costs."

Thanks of course to all of you guys for sending us your ideas. We're going to be sharing a whole lot more of those in the days ahead.

LEMON: Yes, and make sure you check with your utility company before you turn your hot water heater and all of that on and off. I don't know if that's ...

KEILAR: I'm not sure either. Safety first.

LEMON: Safety first. That's right.

OK. A Florida woman calls for some gator-aid, and we're not talking thirst quencher. How would you like to stumble into the kitchen for a midnight snack, and find that. Oh my gosh.

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KEILAR: Leading our political ticker, Nixon for Obama? Yes. Records showing that Julie Nixon Eishenhower, Richard Nixon's daughter, has given $2,300 to Barack Obama's campaign. That is the maximum allowed during primary season. Eisenhower's husband is David Eisenhower, grandson of another Republican president.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go. Look at this! Hillary with the takedown. She's all over Barack Obama.

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KEILAR: Yes, why not, right?

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama fighting to the finish. All right. You know this is not really the candidates, this is just a mock match on WWE's "Monday Night Raw." The real Clinton and Obama -- what is that move called? That's a crazy move.

The candidates, Clinton and Obama, did tape messages for the popular show, as did Republican John McCain. "Raw," of course, one of the top rated shows on cable. Wow.

Well, elsewhere on cable, Obama, the real Obama this time. Except no imitations. He appeared last night on Comedy Central's "Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.

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JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Do you have a concern that you could win the nomination at the convention and defeat John McCain in the general, and go to your inauguration and Hillary would still be running? Do you feel -- do you have any concern that Senator Clinton would continue the campaign?

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, she -- she is a formidable candidate.

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KEILAR: Obama's appearance came during a break from the campaign trail in Pennsylvania. He and Hillary Clinton have practically lived in that state over the past few weeks

LEMON: Well, remember this guy from this guy -- this guy, not him.

That guy ...

KEILAR: That's him.

LEMON: ...from the Bush administration? That's probably what he's best known for. Former White House press secretary, Tony Snow. But also, we followed him with his bout with cancer. He was also -- no secret -- was a Fox News commentator and also is on the radio. And now we can call him one of our own, Snow is joining CNN as a political contributor.

The announcement came on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" last night.

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LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Tony Snow, who served as White House press secretary for President George W. Bush, and who we're happy to announce tonight, on this program, has just joined CNN as a political contributor.

Welcome aboard, Tony.

TONY SNOW, NEW CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you, Larry. Good to be here.

KING: You were once with us, right?

SNOW: Well, yes, I did a lot of stuff with CNN. People forget in the pre-Fox days, I did a lot of TV with CNN and really cut my teeth in broadcasting years ago. So I'm coming back to work with a lot of old friends.

KING: Well, you're in great company. We're proud to have you with us.

SNOW: Well, thanks. It's good to be here, like I said.

KING: Tony Snow, now in the CNN family. Officially announced today and we break the news on "LARRY KING LIVE."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: President Bush, I think he kind of got roped into this one. The commander-in-chief here tapping his toes in the Big Easy. Yes. That is President Bush taking a break from the North American Leaders Summit in New Orleans to pump up the crowd there. He's showing off his moves, dancing a brief second line with that brass band there.

LEMON: It's called second lining, and he was -- I don't know what that was.

KEILAR: He was trying very hard.

LEMON: That was a one-liner. I don't know.

How many soda cans do you think the average American uses in at lifetime? One thousand, 10,000. Sit back and pop a top as we measure how much trash you leave behind.

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LEMON: It is a red-letter day in politics after six weeks of black and blue campaigning. Hillary Clinton is hoping for a big win in the Pennsylvania primary to keep her campaign afloat.

KEILAR: But Barack Obama says not so fast. He says he'll do better than some people expect when the votes start coming in tonight. Hi there, I'm Brianna Keilar at CNN Center in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

Hello.

KEILAR: Good to be with you.

LEMON: It's good to be with you.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.