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American Morning
Senator Clinton Getting Much-Needed Boost in North Carolina; Marines Pushing into Town of Garmser in Southern Afghanistan; GM Plans to Layoff Workers Starting in July
Aired April 29, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Some houses disappeared. Others across the street were spared. Amazingly, no storm-related deaths have been reported yet.
Our Rob Marciano live in the scene for us in Suffolk, Virginia, one of the hardest hit areas.
Rob, you take a look at that scene and you wonder where the heck do they start today.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're right about that. It's a little bit overwhelming. But they are certainly counting their blessings this morning, John. As you mentioned, it is miraculous, nothing short of that.
As of this point, there have been no confirmed reports of fatalities. I am standing in the parking lot that straddles a shopping mall and a hospital. And this is a familiar scene. Look at this car. Just completely demolished. This windshield blown in. This parked in a spot somewhere around here. It's been thrown.
As of many of these cars, in this parking lot, to what was once a brand new strip mall. And look at it. I mean, it is completely gutted from the tornado that ripped through here and the cars that were parked in this lot flipped over or in some cases tossed completely inside some of the stores in the strip mall. But tornado came from that direction, through those woods, started at that end of the strip mall and just like a drill bit gutted the whole thing.
Look at this car, flipped on its side with a piece of wall leaning up against it. But look at the contrast between that and that building right there. Virtually untouched. You've mentioned the randomness, there it is. You know, probably a little bit more sturdy building, also new in construction but seemingly not getting much of any damage at all.
We are told that 140 homes have been damaged or completely destroyed, deemed unlivable or uninhabitable this morning. So the damage here very, very much widespread.
And three tornadoes touching down just a little over 12 hours ago. Now, the sun is up and they are able to assess the damage in a more tranquil weather environment. But this is certainly something that folks who have lived here their whole life have never ever seen.
John, back up to you.
ROBERTS: Tranquil weather or not, quite a scene behind you there. Rob Marciano for us this morning in Suffolk.
Rob, thanks.
Wildfires, meanwhile, rage for a third day in the mountains of Southern California fanned by high winds. 538 acres of brush have burned so far. Firefighters say homes in Sierra Madre, that's 15 miles northeast of Los Angeles, are no longer in danger. 300 people are now allowed to come back home. 700 are still under evacuation orders.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The "Most Politics in the Morning." One week until the primaries in North Carolina and Indiana within the half hour. Senator Hillary Clinton will pick up an endorsement from North Carolina's two-term Democratic governor and superdelegate Mike Easley.
We'll carry that announcement around 8:30 Eastern when it happens. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux following the Democrats today. She joins us now live from Indianapolis.
Suzanne, will the endorsement really boost Clinton's numbers.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it really depends on what Easley ends up doing. Obviously, this is a good thing for her. It's a big catch because Barack Obama, he really has the kind of demographics in that state that favor him. A large black population. A lot of white liberals.
But if Easley can tap into the Democratic -- kind of political machine of the state, it will help. And we have seen that Clinton really benefited from the endorsements of former governors, not former governors but present governors from Ohio and Pennsylvania, particularly Ed Rendell.
He was one of those people that was able to generate big crowds, had a lot of resources. So that is the thing that we're looking at. One of the other things as well is that even if he's going to basically step down next year because of term limits, he is a superdelegate. One of those prized superdelegates and that is something that Senator Clinton needs. So that does work in her favor.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, we'll be tracking of course the rallies and the endorsements in the next -- throughout the day actually. And John McCain lays out his health care coverage plan. That happens about two hours from now in Tampa, Florida.
He says that families are able to choose the plan that's best for them. Well, it will create a competitive marketplace and drive down costs. Now, McCain is opposed of federally mandated universal coverage something both Democrats support. He wants to expand health savings accounts and offer a tax credit to low income families so they can buy their own coverage.
ROBERTS: New this morning. Afghanistan's intelligence chief says that President Hamid Karzai was warned about an assassination plot before a gunman opened fire on a ceremony on Kabul on Sunday. Karzai was not hurt. The Taliban claiming responsibility for that attack.
And this morning, the U.S. Marines are launching what's being called the most significant ground and air assault in a Taliban stronghold in Southern Afghanistan in years.
Marines are pushing into the town of Garmser, in one of the most violent provinces in Southern Afghanistan. CNN's Jamie McIntyre joins us now from the Pentagon.
This territory, Jamie, has mostly been the purview of NATO. Why are U.S. Marines moving in there?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, no doubt. You recall back in January when the Pentagon reluctantly approved the dispatch of some 3,000 marines essentially because NATO failed to come up with needed reinforcements.
So 2400 of those marines are now on the front lines in Southern Afghanistan taking the fight to the Taliban. Parts of Southern Afghanistan have essentially become a lawless sanctuary for the Taliban because British and Canadian units down there are undermanned. And that's what we've been seeing in the past.
We saw that the Taliban was able to launch attacks and then take sanctuary across the border in Pakistan. This year, they're actually holding territory in the south. So, this marine offensive is part of a new strategy to put U.S. troops out in front and take the fight to the Taliban. They are trying to clear this area as you said called Garmser, where they are securing routes into the area and in the district center.
So far, they're encountering only light resistance. You know, the marines are supposed to be there for just seven months. A one- time deployment. But John, you're already hearing talk in the Pentagon that they may have to be extended as the U.S. plans for even bigger troop increases in Afghanistan next year to rescue this NATO mission.
ROBERTS: So you know, Jamie, we hear all the time about the amount of pressure that fighting the war on two fronts, in Afghanistan and in Iraq is putting on the U.S. military. Are they going to be able to keep it up? Keep up this pace of deployment?
MCINTYRE: Well, as I said, it looks like there's going to be pressure to extend this unit. So it will stay in the next year until they can get more troops there. And of course, those additional U.S. troops are contingent on troop reductions in Iraq.
So it's a delicate balance. But right now, the Pentagon sees that they've really got to put much more of an effort in Afghanistan if they are going to keep this from back sliding into a situation where the Taliban has much more control.
ROBERTS: All right. Jamie McIntyre for us at the Pentagon, Jamie, thanks.
Two airlines are raising fares, some others may follow suit. Will travelers keep on paying the price?
PHILLIPS: And more news from the housing front. Home foreclosures nationwide spiked more than 100 percent in one year. Find out where the most hit areas are. Straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, new fallout today from the high price of oil. It's not funny. I'm laughing at something else actually. GM is cutting production of gas guzzling pick-up trucks and SUVs. It plans to lay off about 3500 workers starting in July. And that is no laughing matter.
Both United and Delta Airlines are upping their fuel surcharges by at least $10 per ticket. Some round trip fares will go up by more than $100. Northwest and U.S. Airways say, hey, they are looking for the fare hike. Jet fuel is up 70 percent in the last year. And analysts say big companies may look for ways to cut costs on business travel.
ROBERTS: When it comes to the economy, it's like laughing at a funeral because if you don't laugh, you would be just sobbing.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You just cry. Yes, exactly.
PHILLIPS: Unless you are at an Irish wake, then it's OK to laugh.
VELSHI: Then you can sing and laugh.
PHILLIPS: That's darn right.
ROBERTS: Yes. And we've got more to laugh about this morning unfortunately when it comes to foreclosures.
VELSHI: Yes. I mean, these numbers are really something. We were surprised that they were as serious as they are. We expected -- maybe we would see a downturn. But the new housing foreclosures are in. This is the quarterly measure. Every three months they come out with a measure from RealtyTrac.
Take a look at some of these numbers. 650,000 new foreclosures filings in 2008. That is at every stage of the foreclosure process. It doesn't mean that repossession, but it means that some people are -- that means, you're more than 90 days overdue on your mortgage. That's 112 percent increase from last year. One in 194 households are in foreclosure nationwide. That's about 156,000 homes repossessed this year. And 46 states had increases in the number of homes in foreclosure. The highest foreclosure rates are in the places that they have been for many, many months. Nevada, one in 54, California one in 78, Arizona one in 95 and Florida one in 97.
But look at the other side -- the lowest foreclosure rates, really quite exceptional. In Vermont, one in 103,000. I went back and just triple checked that number to make sure and that's actually what it is. However, that is really an outlier. North Dakota, one in 6,000. West Virginia, one in 6,000, South Dakota, one in 5500.
When you compare South Dakota or something like that with Nevada, the difference is really quite staggering. So, in those states where there was a lot of speculation on home buying, you've seen a bigger drop in home prices.
ROBERTS: You just have to go to Las Vegas and see how much...
VELSHI: Well, that's a perfect example but -- and how much isn't being built now. Where all of those outlying areas really alter the southwest. What were thought of as great places to retire became great places where you just get a big piece of land that would appreciate in value.
ROBERTS: Except that in downtown Vegas they're still trying to finish that 6,000, I think, hotel room or is it bigger than that?
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: It's a massive, massive place. But they ran into some financing problems on that project. But still, in Vegas there's still a lot of growing going on. It's in the outlying areas -- the suburbs just outside the city, which they are having problems in.
PHILLIPS: All right. Ali Velshi, thank you so much.
Well, if you're a homeowner, you keep an eye out mortgage fraud on the rise. We're going to tell you what to look out for so you don't become someone's next victim.
ROBERTS: Meantime in nearly 12 minutes after the hour, Rob Marciano in Suffolk, Virginia this morning getting a first-hand look at all the damage from the strong storm that tore through the state yesterday.
And Rob, it's just an incredible scene that you got behind you there. What are we looking at?
MARCIANO: It certainly is. We are looking at a complete demolition of what was a brand new shopping mall. Some coming up now. It's a tranquil sky but now they're beginning to assess the damage here at a tornado that ripped a path 25 miles long across Southeast Virginia yesterday afternoon.
We're live in the tornado zone. Complete forecast coming up when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Rob Marciano live in Suffolk, Virginia, where just a little over 12 hours ago one of three tornadoes tore a path 25 miles long right through this neighborhood.
Behind me is a -- what was a shopping center. A strip mall that was completely gutted by this tornado that ripped through at about 45 miles an hour. Walls and roofs and debris all over the place here.
And, obviously, what's striking also these cars that are flipped and twisted around like toys. Their windows and windshields completely blown out. In some cases, thrown into the stores themselves. Walls and signs right here. This car completely flipped on its side with a wall leaning against it.
Now, beyond that, this is what's the most startling change is that this building behind it, virtually untouched. I mean, there's some damage but it's certainly not destroyed like this is. And that's the way tornadoes go, I suppose.
National Weather Service will be out to assess the damage. Trying to figure out exactly how strong this storm was. At least an F-2, likely an F-3, with winds 130, 140 miles an hour, potentially. 200 people injured. But miraculously this morning, nobody confirmed dead. Search and rescue crews will be out to search for victims and potentially survivors today. And we certainly hope that number remains low if to zero.
This is a zone, Virginia, that is a hurricane zone. They're not used to getting tornadoes. And you talk to any local that has lived here their whole life, they've all said the same thing this morning. This is like nothing they've ever seen in their entire life.
John and Kyra, back up to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. Rob Marciano, thank so much.
Well, the military is promising to do something about horrible conditions at Fort Bragg. The sewage backups and other problems were exposed in a video posted on YouTube by Edward Frawley after he saw the condition that his son and his unit came back to after serving 15 months in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDWARD FRAWLEY, POSTED FORT BRAGG VIDEO ON YOUTUBE: They actually came home on April 13th. And I was at Fort Bragg that evening. And I had been in those barracks three times in the last four years and I saw the condition and chose to ignore it.
But two weeks ago, I couldn't. And when I went back the morning after he arrived, I took these pictures that are in this video. And I knew I couldn't walk away from it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Frawley says that the soldiers never complained and mostly laughed at these problems, which told him he had to do something about it or it would never get fixed.
ROBERTS: You're watching the most news in the morning. Dramatic first-hand video as firefighters head into a towering inferno to search for victims after a deadly plant explosion. We've got it for you.
PHILLIPS: Believer on board. The fight over religious symbol on a license plate. Should the cross stay or go? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 19 minutes after the hour. We told you about the disturbing new numbers in the mortgage meltdown. Foreclosed homes up 112 percent this quarter from a year ago. And with that comes a chance to be taken. Letters -- some with the phrase second notice on them. Others that look like IRS documents are being sent out to homeowners.
But they're really new advertisements from lenders and they're offering false promises. Our Gerri Willis knows a little bit about this because she recently got some in the mail and joins us now.
You brought them in with you?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Yes. I'm bringing in my mail to show you. This is crazy stuff. Now it's not illegal but it certainly leads you down the garden path.
I want to show you a couple of letters I got in the mail, starting with one that was on a letterhead with something called the Community Reinvestment Program. At the top, you see the words second notice. I thought, oh my goodness, I'm late with the bill. I have no idea what's going on.
And then the language in the letter, I've been targeted for a program. Are you the legal owner of your house? It cites the names of two very big mortgage companies -- Penny May (ph), Freddie Mac, very important companies in D.C. I was very worried about that. I didn't know what to make of it.
And fast on its heels came another letter, very similar in tone but with a completely different look. This looked like an IRS document. It looks like a tax document. And I thought, oh my God, I've forgotten to file something.
ROBERTS: Did these come from the same place?
WILLIS: No. They came from two separate places. If you read the fine print in these, you find that they are pitches from mortgage lenders. In the tiny little print at the bottom, you find the names of these companies and their phone numbers. So it's hard to discern what they are.
ROBERTS: Is there any way on the surface to know immediately that these are fake?
WILLIS: If you read the fine print. If you go to the bottom of the letter, it's difficult to understand what they're pitching you. They are trying to get your attention by making it look like a bill, by trying to make it look like a tax document. You finally begin to understand that what they are selling you is a new mortgage.
And you know, I was just very surprised, when I called Freddie Mac to check some of those stuff out. One of the public relations experts there told me, you know, I got one of those, too, Gerri.
ROBERTS: I haven't seen it, but I'm pretty good at identifying junk mail because I get so much of it, you know.
WILLIS: And homeowners get a lot.
ROBERTS: Yes. If somebody gets a letter like this, though, and as you said, it's second notice on the top. Boom, you instantly take notice. What should they do?
WILLIS: I say you throw these away, because I had a mortgage broker look at these. And the implied fees on some of these loans are high, high, high. You don't want to deal with this.
ROBERTS: So you're saying, don't even consider it?
WILLIS: Don't even consider it, yes. Throw these things away and the good news here is that in the stimulus bill and that's what these letters are about.
There is a program for people who have jumbo mortgages, mortgages over $417,000 that will allow them to get new loans at lower rates. This is part of the mortgage meltdown stimulus bill. The idea that we're going to try to get people to have better loans out there.
You can take advantage of this yourself by calling your own lender. If there's a mortgage broker you trust out there, they can guide you to these programs. People who are in certain census tracks, certain neighborhoods are eligible for this. You can get a better loan.
ROBERTS: The lesson to be learned this morning is that even, you know, this subprime crisis is working its way out, there are no shortage of people out there wanting to take advantage of people?
WILLIS: Absolutely right, John.
ROBERTS: All right. Gerri Willis for us this morning. Gerri, thanks. Keep it right here to learn more about the no. 1 issue to voters, the economy. Gerri, Ali, and the CNN money team will be back at noon, today, Eastern. And on cnnmoney.com for "ISSUE #1."
Kyra? PHILLIPS: You're watching the Most News in the Morning. Senator Clinton getting a much-needed boost in North Carolina. Find out the latest superdelegate to throw their support behind Clinton.
With high gas prices threatening American's wallets, is it time for the federal government to step in? We're going to talk with Representative James Clyburn who is calling for an investigation of big oil. That interview, those stories and today's headline when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Alina Cho with a number of stories making news this morning.
Hello.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, guys. Good morning, again. And good morning, everybody. We are watching breaking news right now.
A state of emergency is in effect this morning after three tornadoes tore through Southeastern Virginia. More than 200 people were hurt after the storms tore through yesterday afternoon. The path of destruction stretches for more than 25 miles. But amazingly, there are no reports of storm-related deaths.
Senator Hillary Clinton as we have been reporting is getting a major endorsement ahead of next week's North Carolina primary. That's exactly one week away. That state's governor Democrat Mike Easley will announce this morning that he will endorse Clinton. That is expected at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time, about 35 minutes from now. Clinton certainly will need the help. Polls show Obama is favored to win North Carolina's primary.
Over on the Republican side, Senator John McCain is focusing on his plans for health care reform. He's campaigning in Florida today. McCain wants to offer families a $5,000 tax credit if they buy private coverage. He says his plan would force companies to respond with better service at a lower cost. Democrats say the McCain plan would not help average Americans.
Incredible images from inside a burning Georgia refinery just minutes after it exploded. Take a look. The blast happened, you'll recall back in February.
A camera mounted on a helmet of a firefighter actually captured the images you are seeing here. It shows the men making their way through smoldering metal and fractured concrete. They were trying their best to stay together while looking for survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: Look out fellas!
UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: Just keep a visual of each other, alright? You all go that way, we'll go this way. Just keep a visual of each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: You can imagine the chaos inside. 13 workers were killed in the blast. Six men incredibly are still in the hospital with severe burns.
Listen to this story. A fight over separation of church and state over a license plate. Take a look. It's one of more than 100 specialty plates now under consideration in Florida.
You can see there on the left a cross and a stained glass window and an "I believe" under the plate's numbers. The plate sponsor says it's no different than believing in your college or your favorite sports team. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida says by doing this Florida is showing religious preference.
And if you've seen the movie "Sleepless in Seattle," then you probably remember the houseboat that Tom Hank's character called home. Kyra, you remember it?
Now for a handsome prize, you can own it. The two-story, 2100 square foot house boat on Lake Union can be yours for the bargain price of $2.5 million. Went on the market last week. The house boat was built in 1978. Has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and views of downtown Seattle.
Do I sound like a broker?
PHILLIPS: That's one of the best movies ever out there. And does it come furnished?
CHO: I don't think it comes furnished, but it comes with a DVD.
PHILLIPS: You get a free copy of the movie. Outstanding. That's priceless actually.
CHO: That's right.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
PHILLIPS: Well, we're talking gas prices and the race for president this morning. Gas prices hit a record $3.61 a gallon overnight up from $3.29 a month ago and $2.95 a year ago. Lawmakers are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether oil prices are manipulating prices.
South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn is the third ranking Democrat in the House. He's one of those lawmakers calling for an investigation. He's also a superdelegate who's been speaking out on the race for president.
Congressman Clyburn, good to see you this morning.
REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: Thank you so much for having me.
PHILLIPS: Well, let's get right down to this investigation that you are calling for with regard to big oil companies and if indeed they are manipulating gas prices. Look, the FTC has done these investigations before. Nothing has ever turned up. Why do it this time? What makes this so different?
CLYBURN: Well, there is something interesting going on. And we don't know exactly what it is. And I think that the FTC ought to step in and take a look at all of this.
But in addition to that, I think it's very, very important for the president to take some immediate action. We could do something right away by just stop filling the strategic reserve. It's at 97 percent already. I understand that we could save up to 24 cents per gallon if we were to stop filling the reserve. So, these two things ought to be happening simultaneously.
PHILLIPS: I had a chance to talk with Rayola Dougher, the senior economic adviser with the American Petroleum Institute yesterday about these investigations. Take a listen to what she told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAYOLA DOUGHER, AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE: The FTC has investigated oil companies repeatedly. They've done actually over 100 investigations and they continued to find the market at fault, supply and demand. And I have no doubt that that's what they are going to find again this time around. I think if Congress really wants to do something, they need to take a look at supply in the United States and how we can get more supply into the market.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Do you agree with that? Looking at how to get more supply into the market. Since the FTC has done these investigations before, nothing has turned up, let's stop wasting taxpayer money and look at this other options and in addition, you said, push the president to do more?
CLYBURN: That's exactly right. That would put supply into the market right away. And I don't think it would jeopardize at all our national security since we are at a 97 percent level already. So I will agree with that. But I also think that the members here in Congress, we've passed in the House legislation to do something about this. We just can't seem to get enough Republicans to go along with us to deliver a veto-proof bill. We've passed three different bills. I think Bart Stupak had, of Michigan had the price gouging bill. We've passed that. We just can't get enough of Republicans to join us so that we can override a veto.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it sounds like to me that this is more of working on various policy issues versus wasting more taxpayer money on investigations that will probably go nowhere.
CLYBURN: You may be right about that. And that's why we are passing these things. Unfortunately, it takes 218 votes to pass a bill. It takes 290 votes to override a veto. So, we've got enough Democrats to pass legislation. We now need enough Republicans to join us to make a veto-proof and we can't seem to get them to do that.
PHILLIPS: As you know, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor, continues to make news. I'm going to switch gears here for a moment.
CLYBURN: Sure.
PHILLIPS: If you don't mind because I know you have plenty of opinions with regard to politics. And he talked to the press club and also to the NAACP. Let's take a little listen from one of his speeches yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT, FMR. PASTOR, TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: It is an attack on the black church launched by people who know nothing about the African-American religious tradition. And why am I speaking on now? In our community we have something called playing the dozens. If you think I'm going to let you talk about my mama and her religious tradition and my daddy and his religious tradition, and my grandpa, you got another thing coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: A lot of superdelegates haven't made up their minds. You've got the reverend still in there, making news. Obama keeps coming to the camera saying look he doesn't talk to me about politics. I don't agree with what he's saying. Is this going to continue to hurt him?
CLYBURN: Yes. It is so unfortunate. I happen to respectfully disagree with the Reverend Wright. This is no attack on the black church. In fact, I'm not too sure what people mean by the black church. My father was a fundamentalist minister. I have a very activist minister Joe Darby. I'm an African-Methodist Episcopal and we believe in activism. We have created educational facilities. We were very, very involved in creating the so-called civil rights movement. But I can't imagine Joe Darby ever going - taking the steps that Reverend Wright recently took. And I do not see that.
PHILLIPS: What do you think his motives are? What do you think Reverend Wright's motives are? We never heard from him until all of this. And he doesn't seem to want to slow down at all and throttle back.
CLYBURN: Well, you know in a couple of months I'm going to be 68 years old. One thing that I've learned that a lot of the people in my era seem not to want to turn on loose, not to want to pass the baton to the next generation. I revel in passing the baton to my daughter who is around the same age of Senator Obama. And I think that they will take things to the next level. We are unequipped to do in the future what we did in the past. And I think that Reverend Wright seemed to not want to turn this thing loose, let the next generation move, step back in a supportive role and I would -- it's very fortunate. You know, I was thinking just this morning, with supportive uncles like Reverend Wright, Senator Obama's opponents don't need any 527s.
PHILLIPS: Congressman James Clyburn, appreciate your time. And Happy 68th birthday.
CLYBURN: Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: All right, John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Happy birthday to him, yes.
One week until the Indiana and North Carolina primaries. And there has been considerable mudslinging between the candidates. I sat down with former President Jimmy Carter to talk about the Mideast, his new book which is a tribute to his mother Lillian and politics, of course. I asked him about what he thought about the tone of the primary campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, it's quite different from what it was 25 or 30 years ago when I ran. We never dreamed of a negative TV ad. I only referred to my opponents as my distinguished opponent and Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan referred to me the same way. But with the advent of gobs of money, an attempt to tear down the reputation of your opponent has become an elemental factor in winning an election.
ROBERTS: Do you think this is harming the Democratic party?
CARTER: I think it has temporarily. But I believe after June 3rd, I believe when the last primary is held, now whoever wins I believe that the other candidate and the other candidate's supporters overwhelmingly will support whoever wins.
ROBERTS: Do you can think they can mend the fences?
CARTER: There's no doubt in my mind.
ROBERTS: Well, on that front, what do you think of this idea of a dream ticket, regardless of who becomes the nominee he or she takes on the other person as a running mate? Now, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she thinks that is a bad idea. What do you think of the so-called dream ticket?
CARTER: I think it is extremely unlikely because I don't really believe that if Obama wins or if Hillary wins, they are adding the other one to the ticket will attract any additional voters. I would personally like to see Sam Nunn from Georgia, our distinguished former senator, very experienced in foreign affairs and defense matters or someone like him to be the additional to the ticket to kind of round it out. But I think for them to choose each other is almost impossible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: No shortage of opinions there from the former president.
The Bush administration is distancing itself from former President Carter's latest attempts to bring peace to the Middle East. Mr. Carter traveled to the region recently and met with leaders of Hamas. He believes communication with the group is necessary. But both the U.S. and Israel consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization and both were highly critical of his visit with them. We have been asking you this morning of what you think of this whole thing. Should former President Carter have met with Hamas? And look at this, 74 percent of you say yes, he was right to meet with them. 26 percent say no. Cast your vote at cnn.com/am. We will tally your votes throughout the morning. We're also asking for your e-mails today. Was the trip a good idea? Was it harmful to U.S. policy? Tell us what you think. Send us an e-mail at cnn.com/am
We're getting some great responses this morning and we'll be reading some of those in just a little bit.
PHILLIPS: Well, it helped President Bush win the White House twice. Now, Carl Rove is giving some free advice to Barack Obama. Find out what he says to Obama or what he's saying to Obama as to how he can win back some of the voters.
ROBERTS: And it's a key voting block this election year. First time voters. Our Rick Sanchez talks with one group in Illinois. What issues are drawing them to the polls. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The man behind President Bush's 2000 and 2004 election wins is giving some free pointers to Barack Obama. In his weekly "Newsweek" column, Carl Rove says he thinks Obama's candidacy has become weaker, Rove says that Obama needs to offer more concrete security proposal, change his stump speech and needs to speak out more forcefully against the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Rove says by not doing so Obama "reinforces the growing sense that you don't share middle America's values.
ROBERTS: CNN's Rick Sanchez has been traveling across the country to hear diverse and political religious group. It's for our on-going initiative called "The League of First Time Voters." Today, we go to Northwestern University in Illinois where the conversation was with a group of young Jewish Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is there something about this particular election that you think makes it different from elections done in the past?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you look at U.S. foreign policy we see a stark decision in this election between the competing camps and how we want to take U.S. foreign policy forward the next 50 years.
SANCHEZ: You think the Iraq war has set back the cause of freedom between Palestinians and Israelis?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The issue is not the Iraq war and not that aspect of our foreign policy. I think the issue comes in the fact that to negotiate you need to have a partner with whom to negotiate. And negotiating with Hamas is something that is not only not in the best interest of Israel but I do not think it's in the best interest of this country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE; I think one of the biggest disappointments with the Israeli-Palestinian situation is that we are aware of the fact that Palestinian people have a lower quality of life than people living in Israel. And that is not because of Jewish people or because of Americans. It's partially because of the Palestinian leadership. But that doesn't mean that there isn't things that Israel and the United States could be doing to improve their situation.
SANCHEZ: We're now thinking that the Iraq war will cost $3 trillion. Has it been worth it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Particularly depends on, I guess, your view of the war in Iraq and if you think that it was worthwhile to go in and de-Democratize the country that maybe wasn't ready for it, isn't going to work for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So far the political conditions in Iraq hasn't been good enough based on our military presence there and in Afghanistan and in western Pakistan our forces are needed more.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a bad situation there now but it's the kind of bad situation where it's long term. I mean, you really have you to wait until years after Bush's presidency to see the effects of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The biggest problem in the Middle East right now is the threat from the Iranian nuclear program. The threat we've seen from radical Islam is a willingness to die to kill your enemy. So I think that the threat that we need to be concerned about, coming from Iran is the development of a nuclear weapon which poses an extra central threat to Israel and a massive security threat to the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: You can join our growing community, the league of first time voters. Express yourself and connect with others. Head to CNN.com/league and become a member.
PHILLIPS: Rob Marciano in southeastern Virginia getting a first- hand look at the incredible tornado damage. Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Kyra. The sun continues to come up. And people continue to filter in, if not to pick up the pieces at least to take a look at what this incredible damage behind me. And it is not the only spot in southeast Virginia. Three tornadoes tearing across here yesterday afternoon. And we are live this morning with weather coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Rob Marciano live in Suffolk, Virginia, where a tornado came through yesterday afternoon and tore a path 25 miles long. And cars like the one behind me just completely torn and twisted and tossed like toys. Tens of them if not hundreds of them across this part of the state. Windows and windshields demolished. We've got emergency vehicles on the scene here. Another van tossed and twisted up on a sidewalk. Then look at this strip mall. This is the parking lot of the strip mall where all the cars are tossed like toys. And tat strip mall used to be new. It has been completely drilled out by this core of this tornado that came through yesterday afternoon, moving at about 45 miles an hour.
Actually started off down that way in those woods and hit that corner of the building and then ripped through just gutting this entire building. We've got people now who are starting to come up. Just, you know, if not to check out, maybe they have some belongings here but just to look. The sight is just awe-inspiring. And this building right here virtually untouched. It is just amazing to see the differences and the randomness of tornadoes as they come through on what should be a hurricane zone here. All right, this storm now is moving out. It's going to create some heavy rain across parts of New England.
Sun coming up here, that is the good news. But rain, some of which will be heavy at times across parts of the northeast. And then cold air behind this system. We've got frost and freeze warnings down across as far south as Missouri. Pretty strong system pulling in a lot of cold air. For the folks who live here southeast Virginia at least they will have some dry weather as they start to assess the damage and pick up the pieces.
200 reports of injuries. As of right now, zero reports of confirmed fatalities. And the mayor saying this morning they are absolutely blessed having nobody died in this storm. Everybody who has lived here saying they've never ever seen anything like them. This is hurricane country. They are used to storms that is for sure but not used to this kind of tornado. Kyra, John, back up to you.
ROBERTS: All right. Rob, thanks very much.
PHILLIPS: All right. Moment, video shot of the day.
ROBERTS: Incredible stuff.
PHILLIPS: Check this out. French driver, Stephan Ortelli - well, his car started to spin and boom, went airborne cart wheeling across the track. In slow mo now.
ROBERTS: Look at that, almost hit the...
PHILLIPS: Narrowly misses hitting another car. Amazingly, Ortelli suffered only a broken ankle.
ROBERTS: Look at that, just goes right beyond the other guy.
PHILLIPS: But otherwise he was OK. Hence why they wear -- what's it called that is around their neck?
ROBERTS: Oh, the restraint system.
PHILLIPS: Restraints, yes.
ROBERTS: I don't know if that is in the GT circuit or not that special head restraint.
PHILLIPS: They are locked into something though, right? They've got to be.
ROBERTS: And not only that.
PHILLIPS: Otherwise, he would have been flying right out of there as well.
ROBERTS: The roll cage around all of those racing cars whether it be GT, Indy or Nascar is, you know, very much more protective than it used to be in the past. That would have killed a driver back in the '70s or '80s. CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away now and Betty Nguyen at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead. Good morning, Betty.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN, ANCHOR: Hey there, John. A big endorsement for Hillary Clinton on the NEWSROOM rundown for you today. North Carolina's Governor backing the senator a week before the state's presidential primary.
Also, General Motors cutting thousands of jobs. High gas prices slowing truck and SUV sales.
And we'll update tornado damage in southeastern Virginia all morning. Dozens of homes, look at it just left in splinters.
Also there's a slow progress against a California wildfire.
And "Grand theft auto four" drives gamers to stores. All these stories in the NEWSROOM at the top of the hour. I know you are a gamer, John.
ROBERTS: You do? Where did you ever get that from?
NGUYEN: I'm just trying to start a rumor here.
ROBERTS: You, stirring up trouble.
NGUYEN: You got to watch me.
ROBERTS: Betty, we'll see you soon. Thanks.
PHILLIPS: And news that could keep your child cancer free. We are paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta about a new study on leukemia. Hey, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey. There's some evidence now that your child being in day care could be protected against things later on in life, some infections and possibly cancer. All the details coming up. in AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A new study about childhood leukemia and how day care might protect your child. The study says that kids exposed to germs are actually 30 percent less likely to develop childhood leukemia. Paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us once again this morning. It sounds pretty amazing. So, explain to me where this information comes from.
GUPTA: Yes, well, you know, we've known for some time that day care can be beneficial for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is peace of mind for the parents. But it can protect against diabetes later on in life, asthma later on in life. The theory is something that you might guess and that is simply exposing your kids to other kids who are often little germ factories themselves. And getting your kid's immune systems started to ramp up at an early age, can help fight off some of those diseases later on in life. They hadn't made the leap really to fighting off things like cancer in previous studies. So, this in interesting from that standpoint. But the likelihood that somebody will develop a cancer like leukemia is based in part on your genetics but also in part on this idea that if your immune system slowly fights off infections it's never going to be ramped up so fast that the cells start dividing so quickly that they could possibly become cancers. That is the theory.
They are not 100 percent sure that is why exactly kids in day care centers have lower rates of leukemia. But it really seems like they do based on a bunch of studies that are now coming out.
PHILLIPS: Are there other diseases where this type of exposure to germs could make a difference in our kids?
GUPTA: Yes, you know, it's interesting. Historically, if you look, for example, at upper and upper middle class people back in turn of the century, they had higher rates of polio. And the theory there was something known as the hygiene hypothesis. They kept cleaner, they have less exposure to infections. Kids on the other hand who were in the lower classes, who are outside playing in mud puddles and things like that, ultimately had lower rates of polio because they had a gradual introduction to the polio virus and their body was better able to tolerate it, recognize it, and fight it off. So, there have been examples of sort of how this hygiene hypothesis if you will works against us especially with little kids in terms of developing diseases later on in life.
PHILLIPS: Dr. Sanjay Gupta good news, appreciate it. Father of two, by the way.
GUPTA: That's right.
PHILLIPS: And I know he wants a larger posse, we will track that as well.
GUPTA: Yes. I'll let my wife know you said that.
PHILLIPS: She will be very happy. Now it's public.
ROBERTS: Eight minutes till the top of the hour. Want to tell you about a live event to be watching for here on CNN. At 10:30, the President is going to be in the Rose Garden for a press conference. He has also got some things to say about pocketbook issues. He's going to be talking to the Congress asking to give him some serviceable bills on energy prices, rising food prices, mortgage payments and student loans and then taking questions from the gathered press corps. So, today, this morning, 10:30 here on CNN, live event, President Bush press conference in the Rose garden. Right now, a quick look at what CNN NEWSROOM is working on at the top of the hour.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM. Virginia's governor getting a look at tornado damage today.
A week before the primary, North Carolina's governor endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.
A survey finds gas prices now the biggest economic worry for American families.
GM cutting thousands of jobs on sluggish truck and SUV sales.
And gamers line up to buy "Grand Theft Auto IV." NEWSROOM just minutes away at the top of the hour on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 55 minutes after the hour. The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is suddenly everywhere with nationally televised speeches, press conferences and interviews.
PHILLIPS: Controversy, of course. His messages can be very controversial. But there's no denying that Reverend Wright can be pretty entertaining. Jeanne Moos takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is a man in motion from his fingers to his shoulders.
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT: We need never heard me speak.
MOOS: And speak isn't all he does.
WRIGHT: Lovers of European cantatas -- I love the Lord.
MOOS: He even did hip hop.
No matter how you feel about Reverend Wright it's right to call him a showman.
WRIGHT: If you've got some white friend, they'll be clapping like this you.
MOOS: He's not making fun of white folks, he is just showing how black and white musical cultures develop differently. Over the last few days, we've heard him imitate different voices from LBJ...
WRIGHT: My Fellow Americans.
MOOS: To JFK.
WRIGHT: It is not what your country can do for you, it is rather what you can do for your country.
MOOS: He even imitated his own critics. He has hate speech. Listen to how bombastic he is. Playing with the theme different does not mean deficient. He supplied his own band to illustrate the differences between black and white band music.
WRIGHT: Now go to a Florida A & M and Grambling band.
MOOS: The showmanship factor showed up in the reviews.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With a rousing speech.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Extremely entertaining.
MOOS: His National Press Club performance got mixed reviews defending his patriotism, noting he served six years in the marines.
WRIGHT: How many years did Cheney serve?
MOOS: The moderator had to bang her gavel while Reverend Wright ended hand it up behind her back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS: But all that flamboyant body language, all that flamboyant language period didn't go over big with everybody.
ERROL LOUIS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: There were moments I thought he was too flippant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was brilliant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was phenomenal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is time for him to get off the stage.
MOOS: Get off the stage?
WRIGHT: Do, re, mi, fa, so, la... Somebody knows the trouble I've seen.
MOOS: Yes, this somebody, the Reverend sure is stirring the pot. A Web site called pop photo has come up with images of what each presidential candidate could look like after a term in office under all that stress ages a person. If this Reverend Wright stuff keeps up -- senator Obama could look like this in four months, not four years. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Love her take on all of these stuffy.
PHILLIPS: Nobody can argue that he is a character.
ROBERTS: Absolutely.
Final check of our "quick vote" now. We have been talking this morning about the former President Jimmy Carter's recent trip to the Middle East. Should he met with Hamas, which the U.S. considers to be a terrorist. Should he admit with Hamas which the U.S. considers to be a terrorist group.
Look at these, here's the results. 76 percent of you agree with him meeting with Hamas, and 24 percent say no, he shouldn't have done it. And here's some of the e-mails that we've been getting this morning. Norman from Palm Beach Gardens writes "what is constantly overlooked is the fact that Hamas is launching destructive bombs and missiles at Israeli cities, unprovoked on a daily basis. It preaches hatred of Israel and its elementary schools. How can we have peace under these circumstances?"
PHILLIPS: And Joe from Boston sends this " I wish Mr. Carter's approach had long been adopted by the U.S. government in order to be an effective mediator, it's imperative for the U.S. to start listening to everybody's concern and stand at an equal distance from the parties in conflict."
ROBERTS: Darryl in Howell, Michigan writes "I do not agree with the current U.S. foreign policy. However, I believe Jimmy Carter's visit to other countries is sending a confusing message to the world. We need one voice speaking for us."
PHILLIPS: And from Saed in Jacksonville, Florida, "in a free Democratic election, there is no re-do. If the world has to deal with the current Bush administration, then Israel should have to deal with Hamas. "Baby Mama," now life imitates art. Amy Poehler is expecting her first child with husband Will Arnett. The baby is due sometime this fall.
ROBERTS: It's just something that we thought we would leave you with this morning. Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. We'll see you again tomorrow.
PHILLIPS: That's right. Tony Harris and Betty Nguyen are up right now at CNN NEWSROOM.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN, ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Heidi is using her maternity leave.
HARRIS: You will see events coming to the NEWSROOM live on this Tuesday, April 29th. Here is what's on the rundown.
NGUYEN: Disaster zone, parts of the southeastern Virginia shredded by tornadoes. Hundreds are hurt.
