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Democrats Look Ahead to Indiana; Presidential Candidates Seek Ways to Combat Rising Gas Prices; Children of Texas Polygamist Sect Sent to Group Homes; Gen. David Petraeus to be Named New Commander of U.S. CENTCOM

Aired April 23, 2008 - 10:00   ET

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

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
ERIK COLLINS, XETV REPORTER (voice-over): If demand declines, so should prices, in theory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not seeing that right now.

COLLINS: Charles Langley blames oil speculators for creating more pain at the pump.

VOICE OF CHARLES LANGLEY, UTILITY CONSUMERS' ACTION NETWORK: These traders are driving the prices higher and higher. And until some type of sanity comes -- returns to the market, we're going to see high gas prices for quite some time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, and that is an issue, issue No.1. Obviously, it all rolls under that banner of "ISSUE #1." We will be talking to Ali Velshi in just a couple of moments as we roll into the second hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And hello, everyone. Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.

Hillary Clinton polishes off Pennsylvania. Now, she needs big bucks to win Indiana. Can she cash in on her victory?

WHITFIELD: And children of Texas, polygamists on the move to group homes, some taken hundreds of miles from their parents.

HARRIS: Record-high pump prices got you shopping for gas sipper tips before you buy that hybrid today, Wednesday, April 23.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: Our top story this morning, Hillary Clinton's campaign stays alive. And the Democrats' long battle for the White House heads on down the road.

CNN's Jessica Yellin is in Philadelphia. I don't think you've gotten any rest, Jessica.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm not the only one. This has been quite an -- a long race for everybody, hasn't it?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

YELLIN: Senator Clinton, I got to tell you, really pulled it off, Fredricka. She needed to win by a hefty margin. You know, all the pundits, the experts, they're saying oh, 10 points or more. Guess what? She got 10 points.

So what changed overnight is that we now know that Senator Clinton has the momentum to keep on going and the rationale to justify this argument she's been making that she can win what she's calling the "big states" and certain demographics: white, low-income voters in general. No college voters that she has been able to lock up successfully in one primary after another.

Barack Obama's campaign, of course, is pushing back with their explanation: he's won more states, more delegates, more of the popular vote. And a few victories on her part doesn't make her the nominee either by the rules of the game or even in just a common sense. And that he is -- this is his race to lose.

Let's listen to what they had to say last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe with all of my heart that together, we will turn promises into action. Words will become solutions, hope will become reality. So, my answer to any who doubt is yes, we will! Thank you and God bless you.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Still (ph), change has never been easy and it won't be easy this time either. The status quo in Washington will fight. They will fight harder than ever to divide us and distract us with ads and attacks from now until November. But don't ever forget that you have the power to change this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: And Barack Obama also has money on his side. While he has a huge pool of cash to dip into to continue his campaign and continue his -- the ads, the ad war we've seen going on the air waves, Senator Clinton is in dire straights and in need of cash. She even made a fundraising pitch during her event last night. Her campaign says she's been able to raise a significant amount of money, several million dollars last night alone.

But this really is an uphill fight for Senator Clinton, Fredricka. She is still significantly behind in the delegate count. And she still has to find a way to convince superdelegates that she should be the candidate even if Barack Obama goes to the convention with more of the popular vote, more states and more delegates.

So what we need to see next is the next series of primaries, May 6, Indiana and North Carolina. Both of these candidates are going to be fighting for huge margins there. And it is going to be a fierce battle, particularly in Indiana -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Jessica, I wonder if there's been any fallout from something you reported on last night. There was a bit of voter disenfranchisement, there were some voters who said they were turned away in some circumstances and in others, the lines were just simply too long. They couldn't participate.

YELLIN: You know, I have been, in fact in touch with some of these folks this morning who were monitoring the elections. What we've got right now is a disagreement. The state election officials say it was a smooth election with a few glitches which is to be expected.

Folks who have monitored elections, for example, the head of the League of Women Voters here in Philadelphia who says she's monitored 10 elections in her lifetime, said she saw more problems in this election than ever before. And they will continue to press on with a lawsuit demanding changes, at least for the November general election. So, I'm sure we'll hear more about this in the days to come.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jessica Yellin, thank you so much, from Philadelphia.

And so, now let's take a look at exactly where the race stands right now. Up for grabs in Pennsylvania, 158 delegates. And Hillary Clinton has won a majority of them. Her net gain not yet final. We do know that she's narrowing Barack Obama's lead. CNN's latest tally shows Clinton with a total of 1,584 delegates. Obama according to our account has 1,714. Clinton says her strong finish in Pennsylvania shows the tide is turning. You've heard her say that top (ph).

Well, the next stop for the Democrats, the May 6 presidential primaries in North Carolina. Obama is favored in Indiana. It is too close to call.

HARRIS: Well, no doubt about it, the economy issue No. 1 for Pennsylvania voters. A closer look with CNN's senior business correspondent Ali Velshi.

And Ali, here's the promo part for your big show at noon. You, Gerri Willis and the rest of CNN money team have done a tremendous job of getting "ISSUE #1," the economy on the air and making it a compelling show to watch. I'm just curious, was the wisdom of that decision to get that show on the air confirmed by the exit polling of Pennsylvania voters yesterday?

ALI VELSHI, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: All right, don't we breathe a sigh of relief when find out that "ISSUE #1" really is issue No. 1, Tony. HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: So, that, that actually -- I mean, I must say, thank you for the compliment. But it's really -- it's American viewers that told us that the biggest concern this election is the economy.

Now, I don't like to dwell too much on whether it's a recession or not because, frankly, if you're facing inflation and a mortgage crisis and debt and all that kind of stuff, the technicality doesn't matter.

But President Bush was asked about it yesterday and here's what he said about whether or not we're in a recession.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're not in a recession. We're in a slowdown. We grew in the fourth quarter last year. We haven't had first-quarter growth statistics yet. But there is no question we're in a slowdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: OK, so he's right when you look at it from a technical point. We grew in the last quarter, that's the last three months of 2007. Sometime next week, we'll get -- we'll find out what happened in the first three months of 2008.

But we asked people coming out of the polls yesterday, Democratic voters yesterday in Pennsylvania, what they think. Is the national economy in a recession? Look at that -- 88 to 11 . Republican voters tend to skew a little less strongly about the recession.

But as you said, Tony, we also asked people what the most important issue is to them. What is issue No. 1? Guess what, the economy. Fifty-five percent versus Iraq at 27. And Health care 14, but health care, in many cases an economic issue for most people. If you have lots of money, it's not the quality of health care that tends to be a problem. It's access to health care and coverage.

So, when you put those together, you've got more than two-thirds of Americans worried about the economy or money matters in this election, Tony.

HARRIS: And just to drill down a bit, when the president talks about growth in the fourth quarter of last year, that was at less than one percent, as I recall.

VELSHI: 0.6 percent.

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: And we're expecting to find out that the fourth quarter, there may be (ph) consensus among its economists is it's less, 0.4 percent. That's still positive. That's still not recession.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

VELSHI: But, again, as we've discussed many times, Tony, it's your price of your food, your wheat ...

HARRIS: Absolutely.

VELSHI: ...your gas, all that kind of stuff.

HARRIS: Yes, Ali Velshi in New York for us this morning. Ali, great to talk to you. Thank you.

Find more on your candidates at CNNPolitics.com. CNNPolitics.com is your source for everything political.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's going to cost you more to fill your gas tank today than it did just yesterday. AAA says the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded hit $3.53 a gallon today. Yet another record high. A year ago, the average price was about $2.86 a gallon. Diesel fuel prices hit $4.21 a gallon today. Also, a new record. Diesel is used to transport most food and commercial goods. Tend to see increases there, too. A price a year ago, $2.92 a gallon.

So, what's behind the high gas prices? The soaring cost of crude oil is one of the biggest factors. The speculation by investors, subsidies for ethanol and the weak dollar are also helping to drive prices higher.

HARRIS: Children of the sect, some of them waking up this morning in group homes hundreds of miles from their parents.

CNN's Susan Roesgen is in San Angelo, Texas.

And Susan, good morning. You know, I have to say to you at this point it's beginning to be unclear to me what is going on with these children and what is in their best interest even at this point?

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Tony, I think a lot of people are questioning that today. Certainly the lawyers who've been appointed for the children, the volunteer lawyers, and a lot of the mothers. We know that the state now has taken DNA samples from all of the children in the coliseum, the San Angelo Coliseum behind me, which means we could see even more buses leaving today with more children to more group homes across the state.

The first wave went out yesterday. One hundred children on buses sent to group homes everywhere from Amarillo to Houston, which is some 500 miles away. They were taken to these different group homes because the state of Texas has temporary custody of them while this case is sorted out.

Child Protective Services agencies believe that the children are not safe, that they are in -- they were in an abusive situation, a situation that demonstrated a pattern of child abuse, and so state protective services decided to take all the children away from that situation. And, again, now that the DNA samples have been collected, the children will be taken to group homes. Now, a spokesman for the Yearning for Zion Ranch says that, basically, the state of Texas has snatched the children away without giving their parents a chance to keep them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROD PARKER, SECT ATTORNEY: The Child Protective Services Department of Texas is afraid of due process. They would lose in a fair fight in this case. And that's why you are seeing them move so quickly and that's why you are seeing them move unilaterally. Because they do not want to have a fair fight with these parents on a level playing field.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: Now there might be a change, Tony. The lawyers, some of the lawyers for the very young children, for the children who have nursing mothers, have filed a temporary restraining order with the court, trying to get the judge to allow those mothers to accompany the very young children. But right now that's not the case.

The only mothers who are allowed to be with their children are mothers who are juveniles themselves. They can stay with their children -- or juveniles that are pregnant can stay with other children that they already have. There should be a handful of those.

But, again, the thought here from the state is that some of those mothers might have been coaching their children, might be telling the children to lie to investigators, and so the state of Texas wanted to split the mothers from the children, keep the children in the same sort of situation that any child in any potentially abusive situation would be in, which is away from the family and away from very close relatives. That's why they are going to those group homes, Tony.

HARRIS: It is time for some of these allegations to be tested in court. At least it feels that way to me.

Susan Roesgen for us in San Angelo, Texas.

Susan, great to see you. Thanks.

Time now to get another check of weather. There he is -- Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center for us this morning.

Good to see you, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys.

You saw up there on our little ticker there, critical fire danger in spots -- that's the other weather headline we want to discuss today. Not only out west, but also in parts of Florida. Check this video out. Coming out of central Florida yesterday.

Couple of brush fires burning parts of that state up, some of which were near Titusville, west of the I-95 corridor. There it is. Smoke billowing into what typically is a blue, blue sky this time of year. But it's also one of the drier times of year across central Florida. Two brush fires in Broward County yesterday afternoon. Again, one near Port St. John. And trying to cut some fire lines and get ahold of that sucker. But more dry air is in the forecast today.

It's all from this little storm that has been sitting off the Carolina coastline, bringing heavy rain to North Carolina and Virginia. The backside of this has really been bringing some dry air down. So, actually some areas of north Georgia and Tennessee which have been somewhat making a dent in the drought issue. A real dry air overhead kind of sucking any moisture out of the ground.

So we are back to square one here.

Texas, some thunderstorms popping up across northwest central Texas, and also southwest parts of Oklahoma. A couple of these have been severe. But I think they are all just a precursor of what is to come.

This is Kansas. This storm just south of Dodge City has been deemed severe. This cluster just north of Wichita also severe thunderstorm. Again, as we begin to agitate the atmosphere later on today, all from energy coming out of the west, moisture that's coming out of the south, this dry line that brings in the dry air, will get things to pop even more so.

So damaging winds, some large hail and tornadoes a possibility.

Quick shot of Oklahoma City. Here you go. OK. See there's -- there is a brick yard -- brick town. Thank you Brandon Miller (ph) who used to live there.

What's the name of the team? The AAA team?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Red Hawks.

MARCIANO: Red Hawks -- Oklahoma City Red Hawks.

WHITFIELD: Looks pretty foggy there.

MARCIANO: This is old school, not even through the years. Shouting across the newsroom.

HARRIS: That is so old school. That's perfect.

Oh, boy. All right. Rob, appreciate it. Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, pressing for peace. President Bush is met at the White House this morning with Jordan's King Abdullah. Tomorrow the president will host Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting happening as President Bush gets ready for a return to the Middle East next month. He's trying to get the Palestinians and Israelis to reach some sort of peace deal before his term ends.

HARRIS: Plans to combat rising gas prices. The president candidates have a little fuel for thought. A closer look in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hillary Clinton -- a Pennsylvania triumph. Now she needs cash to get to Indiana. Will donors pony up?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Tackling record gas prices. The presidential candidates have a plan.

CNN's Brian Todd takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ratcheting up along with those prices at the pump, the pressure on the White House hopefuls to take action.

John McCain has got an idea to relieve you from that looming $4 a gallon mark, and he's drafted a bill to make it happen.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I propose that the federal government suspend all taxes on gasoline now paid by the American people from Memorial Day to Labor Day of this year.

TODD: A so-called gas tax holiday. That means for three months, 18.5 cents per gallon in federal tax would be taken off your bill at the pump.

Hillary Clinton says she will consider the idea. That tilts her more towards McCain's side on gas prices, and is one of those rare instances where she splits from Barack Obama on policy.

OBAMA: I think John McCain's proposal for a three-month tax holiday is a bad idea. You've got 18 cents -- we are talking about five percent of your total cost of gas -- that you suspend for three months, which might save you a few hundred bucks, that then will spike right up.

TODD: Analysts say it may not even save you that much.

ROGER DIWAN, PFC ENERGY: For a family with two cars, if they fill ten times a month, that will make probably something like $30 difference. So it's not huge.

TODD: Still, McCain says a timely drop in gas prices could also reduce costs for food, packaging, other transportation related services. And the economy would get an overall boost.

But most of the tax revenue goes into something called the Highway Trust Fund, used to maintain bridges and roads. Some, including Obama, argue that if there is no gas tax for three months, billions of dollars would be lost from that fund. But some experts say the real impact on the country's infrastructure would be marginal.

Obama's plan for tax prices does not focus on the immediate, but rather on long-term ideas like moving the country towards more fuel efficient vehicles, less dependence on foreign oil. The McCain and Clinton campaigns also favor that approach.

(on-camera): Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama agree that oil companies should be hit with a windfall profits tax, which John McCain opposes. An oil analyst tells that would recover some revenue, but he says the oil companies would turn that around and hit the consumer with higher prices.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And very quickly, literally, Fred, sort of hot off the press. We've just learned from CNN contributor, Roland Martin, that he is hosting a special program on CNN radio today at noon Eastern time. During that program, he will actually interview Illinois senator, Barack Obama. He has secured that interview.

So certainly some reaction from Barack Obama to his loss last night in Pennsylvania. And certainly we will be simulcasting that portion of the program on CNN radio in our program, "ISSUE #1," the economy, at noon Eastern time. So don't miss that.

WHITFIELD: Also, record high gas. Is it time to buy a car that does not drink so much.

Tips now from Gerri Willis in the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We are watching the markets for you. And right now, there is the Dow, up 18 points. NASDAQ, up about 17 points so far in the positive range. We like that. The day is young, maybe we will see a larger climb by the day's end.

HARRIS: Yes.

Seems like gas hits a new record high every day, Fred. Melissa Roberts (ph) here at CNN sends out that note to us every day. Talk about the bearer of bad news. But we don't take out the messenger. It is just the news.

If that has you thinking of maybe purchasing a more fuel efficient vehicle, CNN personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, is here with some helpful advice.

Gerri, great to see you.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: I'm so glad you are not taking out the messenger today. HARRIS: No we don't do that around here.

Rob would be gone -- well he would have been gone already.

WILLIS: That's true.

HARRIS: Gerri, good to see you.

WILLIS: Good to see you.

HARRIS: What's the first step here?

WILLIS: Well first off, you need to understand how many miles you get to a gallon of gas for different kinds of cars. So, you go to fueleconomy.gov where you can see the mileage, emissions ratings of all cars that are for sale. Keep in mind though, they are changing the rules. The EPA recently revamped the way it measures fuel economy, beginning with those '08 models.

That means the miles per gallon rating is more accurate and it may be lower. For example, a Honda Civic LX had an '07 rating of 38 on the highway. Now, just 34. Keep in mind, though, that cars on the market today are '07 models, and we'll see those '08 numbers come out later this fall.

HARRIS: You know, Gerri, we talk about this a lot. And I can't seem to retain the information. It is great information that you give us on hybrid vehicles.

What about hybrid cars?

WILLIS: Well -- let's just go over that. We are in the grip of hybrid fever. Registrations for new hybrid cars rose almost 40 percent last year.

But before you invest in one of these things, you have got to know some stuff. First, hybrid cars cost more, about $2,500 to $3,000 more than comparable gas fired vehicles. And some federal and state tax benefits -- they have phased out. So you might want to think instead, if you are cost sensitive, and I think most of us are, think instead about a used hybrid.

They are more reliable over the long haul, and all you may worry about -- the battery running out. In the Prius for example, you won't have to replace the whole batter pack, which can costs thousands. You can simply replace the individual cells, which is a lot cheaper.

The price for an '08 Toyota Prius today, $23,000. Back in 2003 the price was just $20,500.

You may want to investigate fuel sipping (ph) sub-compact cars.

Have you heard of the Honda Fit and the Mini Cooper?

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

WILLIS: They are cheaper and they get great gas mileage.

HARRIS: That's great. Got to look at it. At least consider it.

What's the best way -- is there a best way to sort of shop for a more fuel efficient vehicle?

WILLIS: If you are in the hybrid market, there's so much competition out there. There will be more than a dozen new gasoline electric hybrid vehicles on the market in the next three years. The sooner you know when a hybrid is released, the better chance you have on getting on the list to get one.

Go to "Consumer Reports." They have a timeline of future hybrid releases. Their Web site, which is great, consumerreports.com. If you hear of a hybrid car that will be introduced soon, or your car through the dealership -- you know, Tony, though you have to keep in mind this is sort of regional.

Because in L.A., for example, where people drive a ton, you may find that the hybrids go like that.

HARRIS: That's right.

WILLIS: In a place like Louisville, maybe not so much. There might be a lot of hybrids sitting around.

HARRIS: And a bottom line on this, Gerri -- what are some of the most fuel efficient cars out there? Just to sort of -- baseline this for us.

WILLIS: Luckily, we have a list. And this is from "Consumer Reports." First off is the Toyota Prius. We talked about that. It's getting 50 miles per gallon, which is awesome.

Next is the --

HARRIS: How neat is that?

WILLIS: I know. Isn't that awesome?

Honda Civic hybrid, Toyota Camry hybrid, coming in at 41. And of course the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit, they kind of round out those top picks. Great gas mileage as well.

If you have any questions you should send them to us at Top Tips. We answer them right here every Friday, and we love to hear from you.

HARRIS: Hey, Gerri, if you would, give us a look ahead to noon Eastern time and "ISSUE #1."

WILLIS: "ISSUE #1," today at noon. We are looking at one state that has foreclosures up 300 percent over last year. We will tell you which one.

And you may just want to think about where your shrimp is coming from. We will have all the details -- HARRIS: That's a tease.

WILLIS: at noon.

HARRIS: That's a tease.

All right, Gerri. Great to see you. Thanks.

WILLIS: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Sure is. I love my shellfish.

All right. The next fight in a bitter battle. Hillary Clinton wins Pennsylvania. Barack Obama tells Indiana: it is up to you. A look ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Just -- I'm messing with Fred this morning.

Just past the half-hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: It happens all the time.

HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Heidi Collins.

All right. Fight to the finish. A Clinton victory in Pennsylvania means it's on to Indiana and North Carolina.

CNN's John Roberts reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLINTON: It's a long road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And it runs right through the heart of Pennsylvania.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hillary Clinton survives again to fight another day.

CLINTON: Some people counted me out and said to drop out. But the American people ...

(CHEERING)

CLINTON: ...well, the American people don't quit and they deserve a president who doesn't quit either.

ROBERTS: The senator from New York scores a crucial victory in Pennsylvania, following a month and a half of tough campaigning.

CLINTON: For six weeks, Senator Obama and I have crisscrossed this state, meeting people up close, being judged, side by side, making our best case. You listened and today you chose. (CHEERING)

ROBERTS: Exit polls suggest Clinton won Pennsylvania by winning big among her core voters: women, senior citizens, blue collar workers, and Catholics. And late deciders also swung towards her. The victory allows Clinton to make a small dent in Barack Obama's lead in pledge delegates and the popular vote in the primaries so far this year. But for Clinton, a plea for more help.

CLINTON: Tonight more than ever, I need your help to continue this journey. We can only keep winning if we can keep competing with an opponent who outspends us so massively.

ROBERTS: Obama's also moving on.

OBAMA: Now, it's up to you, Indiana.

ROBERTS: He spent primary night in Indiana, which along with North Carolina, votes in two weeks time. The senator from neighboring Illinois gave Clinton credit for her win.

OBAMA: And I want to start tonight by congratulating Senator Clinton on her victory.

NARRATOR: It's the toughest job in the world.

ROBERTS: But he railed against a new ad of hers that uses a visual of Osama bin Laden.

OBAMA: We can use fear as a tactic, a threat of terrorism to scare up votes.

ROBERTS: And it wasn't just Hillary Clinton on Barack Obama's mind. He spent part of his speech talking about the man he hopes to face off with in the fall.

OBAMA: John McCain has offered this country a lifetime of service and we respect that. But what he's not offering is any meaningful change from the policies of George W. Bush.

(CHEERING)

ROBERTS: John Roberts, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And let's take a look at where the race stands right now. Up for grabs in Pennsylvania, 158 delegates and Hillary Clinton has won a majority of them. Her net gain not yet final. We do know she is narrowing Barack Obama's lead. CNN's latest tally shows Clinton with a total of 1,584 delegates, Obama, according to our count has 1,714. Clinton says her strong finish in Pennsylvania shows the tide is turning. The next stop for the Democrats, the May 6 presidential primaries in North Carolina. Obama is favored in Indiana. It is too close to call. Just another programming note here, just another reminder for you. CNN contributor Roland Martin has secured an interview, exclusive interview I guess we can call it that, with Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Roland is hosting a special program on CNN Radio at noon Eastern time today.

Now, "ISSUE #1," the economy, will simulcast that interview. And I believe we're also asking you at home if you have some questions, just go to CNN.com and you can submit those questions.

So once again, this is at noon Eastern time in our program "ISSUE #1," an exclusive interview, Roland Martin with Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

WHITFIELD: Also, something you don't want to miss. In less than 30 minutes from now, we understand that Defense Secretary Gates has a significant announcement to make from the Pentagon. We'll be covering that live as it happens, 11:00 a.m. Less than 30 minutes from now, top of the hour. You don't want to miss that.

HARRIS: Drastic steps to save money on gas. The owner of an Arizona trucking company sending a 500 gallon mobile fuel tank to Mexico. It can fill up with diesel for two bucks a gallon. That's half of what it costs in the United States. The owner says she was stopped by border patrol when she tried to bring that much gas into the states. But she'll keep trying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARON ROMANO, TRUCKING COMPANY OWNER: We were denied yesterday. But we're going to go back down again. We're going to keep doing it until we are able to grab some fuel down there. I'm upset with the government, I'm upset with Bush because he needs to understand what predictment he's putting us in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So, the owner says her company could be facing bankruptcy because of the soaring prices. Her drivers have already taken pay cuts.

Keep watching CNN. Our money team has you covered, whether it's jobs, debt, housing, savings. Join us for a special report. It is called "ISSUE #1," the economy all this week, noon Eastern only on CNN.

WHITFIELD: The biofuel debate, the environmentally-friendly alternative creates a problem.

Here's CNN's Frederik Pleitgen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN BERLIN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All right, here's the problem. I have to drive my car a lot, but I want to hurt the environment as little as possible. (on-camera): Many thought biofuels could be the solution and already, five percent of the mix you get at the pump here in Germany is bioethanol. That's good for the environment. But right now, I'm taking food off someone's plate.

(voice-over): Experts say producing fuel from food contributes to rising food prices and that has a major impact on the world's poorest. German drivers we talked with say they are aware of the issue.

"We're taking other people's food away," this man says. And he goes on, he believes it's totally unfair to those in the developing world and no solution to climate change.

"This whole debate about cutting down rain forests and taking people's food away, that's something politicians will have to discuss," this man says.

But don't ask this nation of car lovers to drive less.

(on-camera): There has to be a better way.

(voice-over): Well, maybe there is. This is said to be the world's first commercial plant for synthetic biofuel in Eastern Germany. They say they make fuel from stuff people don't eat, like wood chips. The technology is so secret, they didn't even let us go inside. This video was provided by the company.

(on-camera): Well, that sounds pretty good.

Oh, no, I've heard some terrible news.

(voice-over): Another problem with biofuels. So, get this: Germany has just scrapped plants to increase bioethanol blending levels in gasoline. That's because bioethanol can damage some cars, says Germany's Automobile Club. They claim about three million cars could suffer damage in Germany alone because the vehicles aren't ready for the new fuel.

CARSTEN ZORGER, GERMAN AUTOMOBILE CLUB ADAC: We have plastic pipes up here and these plastic pipes will corrode over time. That means sort of the ethanol eats away the plastic, which, of course, makes the pipe break or leak at least.

PLEITGEN: But Germany says it's not the end of the country's biofuel's blending and that there are environmental benefits. That means it's also not the end of the debate. When it comes to biofuels, there may not be any easy solutions.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, on the road in Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And breaking news into CNN. Fredricka told you just a moment ago that the Defense Secretary Robert Gates as planning a newsworthy announcement at the top of the hour. The "Associated Press" is now reporting that General David Petraeus has been tapped to become the next commander of U.S. Central Command, replacing Admiral Fallon. OK.

And we understand that Jamie McIntyre, our senior Pentagon correspondent, is close to being ready give us additional details on this.

But once again, the "Associated Press" is reporting that General David Petraeus, the leader of military operations in Iraq, has been tapped. Let me stop right where I am for a moment and get you to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

And, Jamie, a big promotion for General David Petraeus.

OK, no Jamie McIntyre just yet. All right, let's try it again. Jamie McIntyre is with us now.

And, Jamie, a big promotion, I was saying just a moment ago, for General David Petraeus.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the big responsibility that he's going to have to take over as well. This was not unexpected. He was the obvious choice to be the new central commander, who would have overall responsibility not just for Iraq, but for Afghanistan as well. Based on his performance as the top commander in Iraq. We're also hearing, by the way, some speculation that it looks like General Odierno, who was General Petraeus' deputy, would probably take over for him as the top Iraq commander.

Again, reporting that General David Petraeus. In a way it is one of those rewards for a job well done. He's being -- again, it's technically a promotion but, again, it's just another four-star assignment with a lot of responsibility. He'll be still responsible for, you know, managing the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and both of those are very tenuous situations that could easily turn the other way.

HARRIS: Jamie, just a quick question about Afghanistan. I'm trying to recall in my own mind whether or not I heard General Petraeus articulate his views on where things stand in Afghanistan -- have you?

MCINTYRE: No. Well, you know, it's interesting because this came up in some of the confirmation -- or the hearings that he had recently when he was testifying about the state of affairs in Iraq, in which he said basically that he is focused so intensely on Iraq that he really doesn't have at this point much of an idea of what is going on in Afghanistan.

In fact, he was specifically told don't worry about Afghanistan, don't worry about the strain on the U.S. military, the bigger picture; just worry about getting things right in Iraq. That was his instructions from Secretary Gates and president of the United States.

So he's going to have to take back -- sit back and apply the lessons he learned in Iraq to the bigger responsibilities. He's now going to be responsible for managing those forces.

But, again, one of the reasons that he was selected is because he is a very thoughtful, progressive military thinker, as I'm sure you mentioned. He's -- was a big contributor to the actual field manual on counterinsurgency. And because of his thinking, evolving approach, that's why he's being tapped for this top position.

HARRIS: And General Odierno, is he in lock step in terms of agreeing with the surge strategy?

MCINTYRE: I believe so. I mean, he was the one carrying it out as Petraeus' deputy on the ground. And again, I think the jury is still out on the whole surge strategy and to what extent it's responsible for the downturn in violence, and to what extent violence might be coming back, because there are so many factors in play in Iraq in terms of what produced that sort of brief downturn and improvement in things.

We're seeing a lot of trends going the other way again in Iraq. It is really, I think, too soon to say whether the surge strategy, the awakening, Muqtada al Sadr, all the other things that have gone into what's happening in Iraq at the moment.

HARRIS: And Jamie, we hear from the defense secretary, Robert Gates, at 11:00 a.m. Is that schedule?

MCINTYRE: That's right. He's going to come out, and they didn't announce this ahead of time; they said he was going to make an announcement at 11:00, but it does appear that announcement will be the replacement for Admiral Fallon as CENTCOM commander, General David Petraeus.

HARRIS: And we'll look for your further guidance on this. Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.

Jamie, appreciate it. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: More on presidential politics straight ahead. No leftovers in campaign 2008. Only new ways to cash in. A candidate waffles. We'll explain, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Less than 15 minutes from now we're going to take to you the Pentagon to hear from Secretary Gates. Officially, we heard from our own Jamie McIntyre that the official announcement that will be made, General David Petraeus, who has been leading military operations in Iraq, will now become head of U.S. CENTCOM, Central Command, replacing Admiral Fallon who stepped down. And this taking place with General Petraeus just barely 15 months that he has been leading military operations in Iraq. Now this huge change, a huge promotion for him.

Secretary Gates will be elaborating further at the top of the hour. Now just about 12 minutes away from the Pentagon. We'll carry that live. HARRIS: And "ISSUE #1," the economy at noon Eastern Time, will feature a simulcast, an interview with Barack Obama, Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

Roland Martin, our CNN contributor, has secured that call-in interview with Barack Obama for a program that he is hosting on CNN Radio.

OK. So a special program hosted by Roland Martin on CNN Radio in which we will simulcast, at least a portion of it, the portion of that program where Roland is talking to Barack Obama. That is noon Eastern Time. A part of "ISSUE #1," the economy, with Ali Velshi and Gerri Willis right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: At the top of the hour, Defense Secretary Robert Gates making the announcement that General David Petraeus has been tapped to become the next commander of U.S. Central Command. David Petraeus, the leader of military operations, in Iraq. That announcement at the top of the hour. Live coverage in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: It could happen to you. At least 47 million Americans don't have health insurance. And many who do find it's not enough when they need it most.

As part of CNN's "Broken Government Health Care Critical Condition" special, our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at one family's ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm OK. Are you OK?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dawn and William Zigler (ph) were living the quintessential American Dream as real estate brokers Las Vegas -- plenty of money, nice houses, fancy cars. And then Dawn got pregnant with twin girls.

I was excited. I was excited when we found out it was twins. And then I was nervous.

GUPTA: But Brooke and Alexa (ph) arrived early, too early, and little baby Brooke was in serious trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When she came out she was blue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they had to resuscitate her. We didn't know that we'd have to have surgery within 10 hours.

GUPTA: And then another surgery. And then another. Over the next 18 months, she had nine operations, including two open-heart surgeries. She was airlifted to hospitals in California and then Indiana. The Zieglers never thought about the cost because they had insurance, excellent health insurance.

(on-camera): Did you worry about it at all?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not at all.

GUPTA (voice-over): And yet today, this well-to-do couple is now broke, filing for bankruptcy. Insurance paid, for a while. There was a lifetime limit of $2 million for Brooke's expenses. That may sound like a lot, but it was nowhere near enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Especially when some days it was $30,000 to $40,000 a day to keep her in the ICU. The days of the operations, they were $100,000 days.

GUPTA: But that wasn't the worst of it. After months in intensive care, Brooke's heart finally gave out. Brooke Ziegler was just 18 months old when she died. A year later, a bill arrived, in the form of a legal judgment.

(on-camera): You owe Riley (ph) Hospital $700,000?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $708,000 they just sued us for and won for unpaid medical expenses.

GUPTA (voice-over): Consider this. In 2006, almost a million people filed for bankruptcy. And almost half, according to a Harvard Study, were sunk, in large part, by medical expenses.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And for more on the nation's health care crisis don't miss our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. In the latest CNN Broken Government series "Health Care, Critical Condition." That is Saturday Saturday, 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

WHITFIELD: And just minutes from now, a big job promotion to be announced by Secretary Gates coming from the Pentagon. You can see them getting into place right there. We'll be carrying that live three minutes from now.

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