Return to Transcripts main page

Ballot Bowl 2008

John McCain's Speech on Health Care Reform; Severe Weather in the Mid South; Clinton, Obama Run Neck and Neck Prior to Critical Primaries in Indiana, North Carolina

Aired May 03, 2008 - 17:00   ET

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

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome back to another round of BALLOT BOWL '08. I'm Jim Acosta in Mooresville, North Carolina. We are now at an event, we are coming to you live from an event with Hillary Clinton at the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. We're going to speed pass our usual introduction here and go right to the candidate. Here is Hillary Clinton talking to supporters here in Mooresville, North Carolina.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll tell you, I believe that I can on day one ask my secretary of defense, the joint chiefs of staff and my security advisers to give me a plan that will enable me to start withdrawing our troops within 60 days.

I know this is going to be difficult. I'm well aware that every decision has all kinds of consequences, but our young men and women, many of them from right here in North Carolina, they have done everything they were asked to do, haven't they?

They were asked to get rid of Saddam Hussein and they did that. They were asked to give the Iraqis free and fair elections and they did that. And then they were asked to give the Iraqi government the space and time to make the decisions that the Iraqis have to make for themselves, and they did that as well. They have performed their military mission.

But the Iraqis have failed to take responsibility for their own future and our administration has not pursued the kind of political and diplomatic pressure on the Iraqis to make them step up and assume those responsibilities. They basically have given the Iraqis a blank check. Well as we begin to withdrawal our troops, it will become absolutely clear to the Iraqis the days of the blank check are over. They have to start making these decisions for themselves.

Now, people ask me all the time, aren't you worried about what will help when you start withdrawing troops? Of course I'm worried. My goodness, worrying is part of the occupational hazard of being the president. If you are not worried, you are not paying attention. It would be foolish to say we aren't worried about what might happen.

But we know for a fact that our continued presence in Iraq depletes our military. It renders us unable to deal with our other challenges, like what's happening in Afghanistan. It undermines the readiness of our military to respond somewhere else in the world and I think that the people we should listen to are those who have given their life to service. That's why I was so honored last week to be endorsed by your native North Carolinian, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, retired general Hugh Shelton, the only green beret ever to become a chairman of the joint chiefs. General Shelton traveled with me from Fayetteville to Asheville to Jacksonville. In each of the audiences we had certainly in Fayetteville, we had soldiers from Ft. Bragg and in Asheville, we had a lot of veterans. In Jacksonville, we had marines from Camp Lejeune.

And General Shelton said that he was endorsing me because he trusted me to be the commander in chief to end the war in Iraq with honor and that is what I will do.

And when we bring our troops home, we must take care of them. We have been neglecting them. I think it is -- it's a disgrace that the 82nd airborne came back to barracks at Ft. Bragg that were filled with sewage and mildew and unsanitary conditions. No American soldier should have to come back to that. They have given their all in the sands of Iraq and in the mountains of Afghanistan. They deserve a commander in chief who is going to take care of them and their families and give them the resources that they deserve to have.

And too many of our injured and wounded have to wait months to have an appointment to be seen. They don't get the care that they need on an ongoing basis. They have to travel hours in order to see the kind of medical help that they deserve to have. Yes. I agree with that. You know, when I was at Jacksonville with General Shelton some of you may know that shortly after he retired from the army, he was doing some work on his house up on the roof and he fell. He had a very serious injury and he was in the hospital. He was at Walter Reed and he was operated on and they told him they didn't think he would ever walk again. So General Shelton said unless your first name is God, we'll just see. And less than three months later, he walked out unassisted.

And when we were in Jacksonville, we met with some young marines, their families and those who are advocating for them. There was a young marine there who was wounded in Baghdad about two years ago. Leg was shattered. His sight was impaired. The thing he was most upset about is he had what's called traumatic brain injury. And I have led the charge in the Senate for us to get the services to take care of those with traumatic brain injury. And as I was talking to this young marine, his wife was there and some folks from Camp Lejeune were there and they were saying, there are no facilities on Camp Lejeune, because this young man doesn't want to leave the Marines yet.

He hopes he can recover well enough to go back and be with his comrades. That's the kind of warrior spirit he has. But there are no facilities at Camp Lejeune. He has to drive hours to be taken care of. And what we've got to recognize is that this is a different kind of warfare. We have to do everything we can to take care of those who signed up to take care of us. And as their commander in chief, I will look out for our veterans. I will provide the health care, the compensation that they deserve to have. So I believe that --

ACOSTA: There you have it. Hillary Clinton touching on military issues here in North Carolina. Military issues can certainly dominate the conversation here in North Carolina. So that's why you're hearing Hillary Clinton not only talking about ending the war in Iraq but improving benefits and services for soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan and also veterans here in North Carolina.

We are here at the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. So much of the conversation today here at this event has been about car racing. Hillary Clinton not only campaigning with the governor of this state, Mike Easley, but also with Junior Johnson, a legend from the world of NASCAR. So Hillary Clinton certainly pushing as many buttons as she can here in North Carolina.

Speaking of auto racing and the horse races that were here in the political campaign, there were no pit stops for either one of these candidate in Guam. But I want to bring in my CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider, my colleague Bill Schneider, who is live from the CNN Election Express in Indianapolis.

Bill, even though you are supposed to shout when you are broadcasting from an auto race, I'm going to be sounding more like I'm broadcasting from the Masters. I hope you'll pardon that. But Bill, results are coming in from Guam. And I suppose, I don't know the expectations game in Guam, we haven't really talked about that all that much, but this is a tighter race than perhaps maybe some people expected. Is that fair to say?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, a lot of people thought Barack Obama would win an easy victory simply because he did win an easy victory in Hawaii when they had their caucuses a couple of months ago. He grew up in Hawaii, went to school there. I was there a couple of months ago. You saw his picture in coffee shops and stores all over Honolulu and people remembered him when he was a high school student there.

Guam is not really that close to Hawaii. It is a few thousand miles away. When the Guam delegates vote at the convention, here is what they are going say. They are going to stand up and say we're from Guam where America's day begins. That is where the sun first shines on American soil, it's thousands of miles from Hawaii. He did have some operatives there organizing for him. Neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama actually went to Guam to campaign. He was expected to do well there. Right now is running ahead, but there is still a big precinct that has not yet reported in Guam. So we are waiting for those final results.

ACOSTA: Bill, because of proportional allegation, it's likely that they will likely split those four delegates with the results that we're seeing now?

SCHNEIDER: Yeah, they're likely to split it, but it might not be two and two or three and one because there are actually eight delegates attending the convention. Each one with one half of a vote. Guam has four pledged delegates being elected in today's caucuses. They divide it by half votes. So you could have something like three and a half votes for one candidate, four and a half for another. But it's still going to be close because the Democratic rules provide for, require in fact, proportional representation which means even if you win a pretty sizable victory, you don't get that big an edge in delegates. It is mostly bragging rights and momentum.

ACOSTA: Just when we thought THAT the delegate count won't get into fractions, Bill, you have introduced that possibility. Bill Schneider thanks very much, coming from Indianapolis, we appreciate it.

And Bill is in Indiana, where Barack Obama is campaigning right now. He is in Noblesville, Indiana, right now. He was at an event, a family picnic there in Noblesville, Indiana. Noblesville by the way, we should mention, is where Barack Obama's family, his mother's side of the family from Kansas owned property there in Indiana before that side of the family moved on to Kansas. So Barack Obama talking about his biography a little bit, trying to reintroduce himself a little bit to voters there in Indiana. So without further adieu, let's get to Barack Obama now talking about economic issues. We'll hear him talking about the gas tax holiday which is a big issue that has come up on the campaign trail. Barack Obama coming out earlier this week against the gas tax holiday. Here is Barack Obama.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Everybody is being burdened by gas prices. I have met guys who can't -- there are folks I meet who can't go on job searches even though they just lost their job because they can't fill up the gas tank to go to appointments.

I know low-wage workers who have to drive in an old car that gets bad mileage and it is eating into 10, 15 percent of their paycheck, these increases in gas prices. There are a lot of people and there are people right in this audience who are having to make some tough choices as a consequence of these rising gas prices.

I understand what a burden this is but when I hear John McCain and Hillary Clinton propose a gas tax holiday as the solution, which would last for three months and give you an average of 30 cents a day for a grand total of $28 in relief and that's only if the oil companies chose to not raise their prices the same amount that the tax was, which is what happened in Illinois when we tried this several years ago.

So they actually made more profits and we lost money that could have been going into rebuilding our infrastructure and that could have been used to put people here in Indiana back to work. Then I think to myself, that's just a gimmick. That's not a serious solution. It turns out that some of Senator Clinton's own staff admitted to the "Washington Post" they didn't think it was rally going to work but they thought it would be good politics.

She can't even get some of her own supporters to speak out to it. There's no economist or expert out there who is saying it is a good idea. So the other day she had as a surrogate one of her supporters who is, guess what, a lobbyist for Shell oil, saying what a good idea this was. Well, that's just a Shell game. That is -- that's not a real solution.

And that's why I've said, you know what, I'm going to provide a real, permanent middle class tax cut, $1,000 per family per year to handle not only increased gas costs but also increased food costs and increased prescription drug costs. But the real way that we're going to reduce gas prices over the long term, there is no short-term solutions, is to invest in alternative fuels and to increase fuel efficiency standards on cars, invest in green technologies that can create jobs all across America.

It's not to suspend the gas tax for three months and pretend like you were doing something. So that is an example of the choice that you've got. We can go ahead and do what is typically done in order to get through the next election or decide not this time, not now. Things are too important. Those kids at the playground right now, we don't want them 20 years from now or 30 years from now to be looking back saying, why is it our parents or grandparents didn't deal with this problem? Why is it we ran out of oil? Why is it that our economy is not working? Why is it that our planet is polluted?

We don't want them to be looking back and saying we failed to make the tough decisions right here and right now. That is why I'm running for president of the United States. That is the choice that we're making right now.

But there's -- there's one more thing -- there's one more choice that has to be made in this election and that is do we want to continue to have a politics that divides us instead of brings us together? You know, I got my start in public service as a community organizer, working in the shadow of steel plants in the southeast side of Chicago. And there were three different communities that were affected. There was a predominantly African-American community on the south side. There was a predominantly white community called Hegewisch. There was a Latin American community, mostly Mexican American in southeast Chicago.

They all were members of different Catholic parishes or different churches. But you know what those churches realized? Was is that individually these communities couldn't bring about change. But if everybody was working together, then we might not be able to bring back all those jobs, but at least we could start creating job training programs for the unemployed and bring back economic development strategist and reinvest in infrastructure.

So we created this organization, I worked for three years and it was hard work but it was the best education I have had because it taught me when ordinary people come together, they can do extraordinary things. Change doesn't happen from the top down. It happens from the bottom up. And that is what this election is about. There are going to be all sorts of efforts in the next four days and in the next eight months to divide us.

ACOSTA: Barack Obama there campaigning in Noblesville, Indiana. A sharp attack there on Hillary Clinton's proposal for a holiday on the federal gas tax and we have gotten a response from the Clinton campaign. I will read it to you. From Doug Hattaway who has been barraging reporters here with e-mailed responses to this attack from Barack Obama today on the gas tax holiday. Doug Hattaway saying "the Obama campaign must be bitter about sliding in the polls and is clinging to these gas tax attacks out of frustration." That from Doug Hattaway with the Clinton campaign.

Coming up after a break here on BALLOT BOWL on CNN, we'll get to our senior political analyst Bill Schneider again. He's got his take on the issues out there before the voters in Indiana and North Carolina with the big primaries coming up in just a few days, May 6. We are counting down to both of those primaries. Coming up, that is coming up after a break. This is BALLOT BOWL on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Welcome back to BALLOT BOWL on CNN. I'm Jim Acosta in Mooresville, North Carolina. This is a chance for you, the viewer, to hear the candidates in their own word. And we're coming to you live from a Hillary Clinton campaign event that just wrapped up here at the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

This event was steeped in NASCAR mystique. Junior Johnson of NASCAR fame was on stage with Hillary Clinton. And we heard quite a few car racing references thrown out by the senator from New York. Talked about how Junior Johnson has spent some time out on the campaign trail with Bill Clinton hitting just about every barbecue joint that they can here in the Tarheel State. So lots of color here coming from this event here in Mooresville, North Carolina.

And speaking of all of that, let me bring in my colleague CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider. And Bill, all of the references here are clear appeals to the blue-collar base of Hillary Clinton's campaign. But so is the issue of this gas tax holiday. She is pressing hard. She is not backing down, not throwing it in reverse Bill when it comes to the gas tax holiday.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. It is a big issue. I can tell you why that it is such a big issue right now. We asked voters in our poll taken last week what is the top concern in the upcoming presidential election you are going to vote on?

The No. 1 concern by far was the economy. Nearly a majority of voters now say the economy is the big issue followed by Iraq and health care but it far overshadows both of those issues and it's been growing steadily in importance all year as the economy has gotten worse and worse.

Then we looked inside the economic issue and we asked people, in the economy, what do you think is the biggest economic problem that concerns you? The answer is surprisingly not the housing crisis or unemployment or taxes, the answer is inflation, rising prices.

So then we looked inside that and said what prices in particular do you find most disturbing? Their top concern, again, by far, two-thirds said gas prices. They have to pay those at least once or twice a week. They see the gas prices going up on the signs by the highway day after day.

That is a number one concern to voters. That is precisely why John McCain, Hillary Clinton have proposed the gas tax holiday and Barack Obama is saying that's not a big enough solution. He wants to do more to solve the problem.

ACOSTA: Bill, behind me right now Hillary Clinton is climbing into one of these stock cars here at the Auto Racing Hall of Fame. She has certainly pressed that gas tax holiday issue time and again this past week. We expect her to do so. Is it that issue of inflation that is weighing on the minds on voters in terms of the gloominess that we are seeing in the polls from voters? It seems that there is a sense of dread out there with voters.

SCHNEIDER: There is. There certainly is. When we ask people how do you think things are going in the country, 70 percent said things are bad. These are bad times. That's a near record figure, rarely reaches 70 percent.

Americans are in a very bad mood. That is actually a worst mood than they were in 1992. Remember when Bill Clinton got elected the first time, his theme was the economy, stupid. Then 65 percent said things were bad.

And some of our older viewers may remember way back in 1980 when the country was in a malaise crises and Ronald Reagan got elected the first time to rescue the country from malaise. Then 68 percent said things were bad. Now it is 70. What does that mean? People think things are worse now than they did in 1980 or in 1992.

But one important difference -- in 1980 Jimmy Carter was running for re-election. He lost. In 1992, the first President Bush was running for re-election. He lost. This President Bush can't run for re- election and his vice president isn't running to succeed him. So there is no incumbent on the ballot.

The result is it looks like it is going to be a very close race even though President Bush is in very serious trouble and the economy is terrible and the voters are in a very bad mood because the voters aren't clear at this point that John McCain represents the status quo. The Democrats are going to do everything they can to tie John McCain to George Bush and the bad economy. But so far, it really looks like it could be a very tight race.

ACOSTA: As we know, Americans vote with their pocketbooks. Bill Schneider, thanks very much, coming to us live from Indianapolis in front of the CNN Election Express.

As we go into this next segment, I just want to warn our viewers out there that the traveling press corps with the Clinton campaign is leaving and we should just go ahead and let them on through because otherwise they will throw me under one of these NASCAR stock cars here in the Auto Racing Hall of Fame. But go ahead.

Let's go into this next segment here about the gas tax holiday. As Bill mention, inflation was one of the top concerns in that poll of economic issues that people spoke about as being one of their top concerns here in this economy. Hillary Clinton joined John McCain on the campaign trail earlier this past week on the subject of the gas tax holiday. John McCain was the first to come out with this proposal for a suspension, a temporary suspension of the gas tax, which is roughly 18 cents a gallon.

That would simply occur this summer if Congress were to act on it. We should let our viewers know that just because these candidates say there is going to be a gas tax holiday doesn't necessarily mean that's going to be the case. Hillary Clinton jumped on the gas tax holiday bandwagon. But Barack Obama has held firm saying he is firmly against it. Here are the candidates on the issue of the gas tax holiday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just want to talk to you about a modest proposal that I had a couple of weeks ago which seems to have created a firestorm particularly among the special interests that ride around in chauffeured limousines inside the Beltway in Washington. And that is, and that is a suspension, a holiday between Memorial Day and Labor Day for Americans to not have to pay the 18.5 cents a gallon gas tax the next time they go to the gasoline station, to get their tank filled up. And in the case of diesel 24 cents per gallon. My friends, the price of a gallon of gas continues up. Why don't we give American working men and women a little break for the summer? Just a little break for the summer? I mean, it's not the end of western civilization as we know it.

CLINTON: You've probably heard the debate about the gas tax because my opponent is attacking my plan to drive to give you some kind of break this summer. Now, it's important to me that we come up with solutions and in a campaign sometimes that's hard because of the back and forth in a campaign. But it is important, too, for you to see clearly what it is I propose and what I would do. There is no contradiction between trying to provide immediate relief and having a long-term vision and a plan for what we must do to lessen our dependence on foreign oil and to be moving toward more homegrown fuels. So here is what I propose. I want the oil companies to pay the federal gas tax this summer.

OBAMA: Some of might have seen that Senator Clinton is spending a lot of money on a television ad that attacks me for not supporting her and John McCain's idea of a gas tax holiday for the summer. Mike mentioned this in his introduction. Now, keep in mind, this is an idea that will save you altogether half a tank of gas, 30 cents a day, for three months. That's if the oil companies don't simply jack up their price to fill the gap as they've done when this was tried before. Does anyone here really trust the oil companies to give you the savings when they could just pocket the money themselves?

CROWD: No!

OBAMA: There is not an expert out there who believes this is going to work. There is not an editorial out there that has said this is actually the answer to high gas prices. In fact, my understanding is today Senator Clinton had to send out a surrogate to speak on behalf of this plan and all she could find was, get this a lobbyist for Shell oil to explain how this was going to be good for consumers. It's a Shell game, literally.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ACOSTA: There you have it. The candidates getting a little testy there on the issue of the gas tax holiday. As they say in NASCAR rubbing is racing. Politics can also be a contact sport. Coming up after a break here on BALLOT BOWL on CNN, we will hear from John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee. We is still out there on the campaign trail. We'll hear him talking about the subject of health care. That's coming up after a break. This is BALLOT BOWL on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Welcome back to "BALLOT BOWL." I'm Jim Acosta in Mooresville, North Carolina where Hillary Clinton has just wrapped up a campaign event here. She is moving on and heading back to Indiana for her next campaign stop.

We want to switch gears to the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. He is still out there on the campaign trail and he is fighting hard to basically gather some attention to his campaign as we are seeing so much attention paid to the slugfest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

John McCain hitting some battleground states these days, visiting places like Pennsylvania, Iowa. He also made a pit stop in Ohio where he talked about the issue of health care. The Senator from Arizona essentially coming out against, very strongly, any kind of government- run, government-managed universal health care system.

Here is John McCain on the issue of health care in Cleveland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN MCCAIN, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are those who are convinced the solution is to move to a nationalized health care system. They urge universal coverage with all the tax increases, new mandates and government regulation that come along with that idea.

But in the end this will accomplish only one thing. We will replace the inefficiency, irrationality and uncontrolled costs of the current system with inefficiency, irrationality and uncontrolled costs of a government controlled system. That's what we will do.

By the way, the next time you think the government should take over the health care system of America, go to our airport and go through security.

Anyway, we have all the problems and more of private health care. Rigid rules, long waits and lack of choices and great strengths and advantages including innovation and life-saving technology that makes American medicine the most advanced in the world.

I have a different vision. The key to real reform is to restore control over our health care system and restore it to the patients themselves, which is what you are doing here at Cleveland Clinic.

Right now, even those with access to health care have no assurance it is the appropriate care. Too much of the system is built on getting paid just for providing services regardless of whether those services are necessary or produce quality care and outcomes. American families should only pay for getting the right care, care that is intended to improve and safeguard their health.

When families are informed about medical choices they're more capable of making their own decisions, less likely to choose the most expensive and often unnecessary options and are more satisfied with their choices.

But for every American who wanted it, another option would be available. Every year they would receive a $5,000 tax credit, directly, with the same cash value of the credits for employees in big companies, and small business or self-employed. You simply choose the insurance provider that suits you best, by mail or online. You inform the government of your selection and the money to help pay for your health care would be sent straight to that insurance provider.

The health care plan you choose would be as good as any that an employer could choose for you. It would be your choice. It would be yours and your family's health care plan and yours to keep.

I also have pledged to meet with the governors to solicit their ideas for those denied coverage under current practices. I will build a Guaranteed Access Plan, or GAP, that would reflect the best experiences of the states. I will work with Congress, with the governors and industry to make sure it is funded adequately and has the right sunsets to reduce costs such as disease management, individual case management and health and wellness programs. My reform will change the practice of medicine in America.

We know from experience that coordinated care, providers collaborating to produce the best outcome offers better quality and certainly costs less. We should pay a single bill, a single bill for high-quality disease care, not an endless series of bills for pre- surgical tests and visits, hospitalization and surgery and drugs and follow-up office visits. Paying for coordinated care means that every single provider is now united in being responsive to a single person, the patient.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: There you have it, John McCain on the issue of health care in Cleveland, Ohio.

Coming up after the break here on "BALLOT BOWL" on CNN, we'll have more from the campaign trail. But up next, a check of the headlines from our Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. She will take a look at the storms wreaking havoc in the southeast.

Stick with us. This is "BALLOT BOWL" on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez here at the world headquarters of CNN in Atlanta. We are going to get back to "BALLOT BOWL" in just a little bit so you can see what the candidates are saying for yourself.

But first, one of the big stories we are following today is an eerie quiet after some deadly storms have marched through the Mid South. Seven people are now confirmed dead in Arkansas alone. Survivors are cleaning up the mess left behind from possible tornadoes. The governor has asked President Bush for federal disaster help.

The same storm rolled through west and middle Tennessee tossing vehicles and mobile homes. No major damage or injuries reported in that case though. The storm is a bit of a rainmaker. It continues to move in an easterly direction.

Our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, has been following it.

What's going on with this thing? Can it re-create itself and cause this kind of damage again, Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. No, I don't think so. The dynamics have really changed with this storm. The energy is splitting off. We had some nasty storms early this morning in southeastern Louisiana. Look at this cluster of showers and thunderstorms. It is weakened. It is pulled off shore. It is out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. You don't need to worry about that.

We're our eye on a couple of stronger storms that are moving along the I-10 corridor toward Tallahassee and also into the southwestern parts of Georgia. These could produce some small hail and lightening and maybe some stronger wind gusts, 30 to 40 miles per hour.

But you can see, further north that you had, just looking at some widely scattered rain showers. We are seeing light rain into New England and one little line across central parts of Pennsylvania producing some lightning and heavy downpours as well. We're not really anticipating any severe weather for tonight.

One big problem we are going to be dealing with this system, as it continues to slowly push off the eastern seaboard it's bringing in the rain and low clouds. Travel will be difficult by the air and on the roadways -- Rick. SANCHEZ: Just what my kids need, Jacqui, a new video game system. Not!

Move over Wii, we've got something to show you. It's a new device that used motion and hand gestures to create video games with no controllers. How about that? It's a three-dimensional web camera that lets you really get into the game.

Veronica Del La Cruz details on this "Tech Effect" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DEL LA CRUZ, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the 2002 movie "Minority Report," Tom Cruise's character used hand motions to control images on a screen. Today, a device called Z-CAM promises to bring that future closer to reality.

SVIKA KLIER: We think this will create a new experience to interaction with machines.

DEL LA CRUZ: Z-CAM looks like a regular webcam but is a three- dimensional webcam that uses infrared lasers to measure depth and movement. So with gaming applications and without a remote control you can use your hand a body gestures to play a boxing game like a heavyweight champ or fly an airplane like a fighter pilot.

KLIER: We can understand the way a person moving so we are actually creating a new type of man-machine interface for multiple (inaudible), video gaming being one of them.

DEL LA CRUZ: Other applications include browsing your PC with specific finger motions, but Klier says Z-CAM could also help save lives.

KLIER: There are applications related to automotive safety were we can supply the means or the sensors to understand the size of a person, the head location, et cetera, the second before an accident to operate airbags more safely.

DEL LA CRUZ: Z-CAM will be released later this year. But developers are already experimenting with the technology for applications like controlling second life avatars, making it easier for players to get in the game.

Veronica Del La Cruz, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: I want to bring in a "CNN Hero" nominated by a viewer just like you. He gave up his dream of living in America to fulfill the dreams of children in Ethiopia. I'm going to get his name right too. Meet Johannea Gebrogorkes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: He was popular. (Inaudible). Little boy and girl could want.

JOHANNEA GEBROGORKES, CNN HERO: I was born in a small town in the southern part of Ethiopia. When I was 19 I found a book. This book was the first book I read outside of school. This book changed my whole life.

My name is Johannae Gebrogorkes. I'm bringing literacy to the children of Ethiopia. Most children have just access to textbooks. Books that are read out of school, those are the spices of their education.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: There were toy trucks, airplanes and buses. But that was not all. GEBROGORKES: I came to the U.S. as a political refugee. I wanted to come back to Ethiopia and help children have a future, have hope.

Children could imagine everything from books, connections to other cultures, to other people, to other children and to the universe of love.

The reward is seeing children reading every day, eager children who have never had books in their hands coming and sitting and reading quietly. With literate children there is no limit as to how much we can do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Here is some information for you. If you know someone who deserves to be a "CNN Hero," tell us about them at cnn.com/heroes. You never know. You could see your hero right here as the next one highlighted on CNN.

The candidates unfiltered, back to "BALLOT BOWL." I'm Rick Sanchez. You'll see that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Welcome back to "BALLOT BOWL" on CNN. I'm Jim Acosta. We are almost finished with our final hour of political coverage of "BALLOT BOWL" on CNN this Saturday. Thanks very much for joining us.

Hillary Clinton wrapped up this event just a while ago. She is heading to Indiana where Barack Obama is now. He just wrapped up a brief event in Tipton, Indiana. He is now moving forward with plans, according to his campaign, to take his daughters roller skating. It's something we haven't seen on the campaign trail, his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, something we haven't seen since the Iowa caucus. So it's been some time since the Obama daughters have joined the Obamas out on the campaign trail.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are running neck and neck in the Hoosier state as they head towards the very critical, important primaries on Tuesday there in Indiana and North Carolina.

But in the meantime, with the few moments we have remaining we want to check in on Guam. The results are coming in there. We have 95 percent of the returns coming in from that territory. As it stands now, Barack Obama is leading Hillary Clinton, 53 percent to 47 percent. A bit of a surprise there. The conventional wisdom, which has taken its hits in this campaign, figured Barack Obama might do a little bit better being he is a fellow Pacific Islander having grown up in Hawaii.

We also want to let you know that "BALLOT BOWL" will be coming back tomorrow at 4:00 eastern. So you want to stay tuned for that. More coverage of the candidates in their own words, unfiltered.

Also coming up Tuesday night, right here on CNN, live political coverage of the returns of the primaries here in North Carolina and in Indiana. Two very important contests as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama try to reach that checkered flag, if you'll pardon one more NASCAR reference, coming to you from the North Carolina Hall of Fame, Auto Racing Hall of Fame here in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Thanks again for watching "BALLOT BOWL." We'll see you next time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)