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Philadelphia Police Officer Killed; Tornadoes Hit South Central States
Aired May 03, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Twenty five suspected tornadoes hit the Midwest. Next in line, the southeast.
Then the up side of a sagging economy, unemployment is down, profits are up, we'll take you to this modern day boom town.
And then, stigma and the side effects of treatment. Why some American troops are choosing not to get help for mental problems stemming from their experiences in combat.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM where the news unfolds live this Saturday the third of May.. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
This story we continue to follow out of Philadelphia. We understand that a bank robbery took place inside a grocery store, one of those banks that is inside the Shop Rite grocery store in Philadelphia. We understand and confirm now that the three suspects who were involved in the bank robbery shortly thereafter, a police officer trying to make an arrest of at least one of the suspects, well, somehow there was an exchange of gunfire.
The police officer was killed in this exchange, according to sources telling CNN. The one suspect who was injured in that apparent gunfight was taken to a hospital, but two other suspects in this alleged bank robbery taking place inside a Shop-Rite grocery store are still at large, two still at large. Again, one Philadelphia police officer now dead from this bank robbery gone bad there in Philadelphia. We're continuing to follow developments. You're looking at the latest video that we're getting in from our affiliate WPVI. When we get more information, we'll bring it to you right away.
Meantime, let's talk about bad weather and seven now dead and the destruction that has occurred across four states as a result of violent weather which is certainly taking its toll this weekend. Well, take a look at this. Just one of many funnel clouds reported in Arkansas yesterday. It is part of the turbulent weather striking the nation's midsection as well as the south. Oklahoma, Arkansas, eastern Kansas and western Missouri, all hit hard by storms. Two dozen people were injured, 350 homes damaged or destroyed. And forecasters are telling us that more than 25 tornadoes may have touched down in the last two days alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said, get out, there's a tornado heading towards there. Get out right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so glad you're alive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not real. When you watch it on TV, it's not real.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until it happens to you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, we've been keeping close tabs on these storms as they move into the southeast. Our Sean Callebs is in Damascus, Arkansas. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Central Arkansas hit hard by the violent weather. Witnesses tell us that there were two, two tornados that came rolling in over the horizon, simply devastating homes in this area, splintering trees, changing the landscape dramatically, now just strewn with debris and wreckage and from where we're standing less than a quarter mile, a direct hit on a home claimed three lives, among eight lives that were claimed in Arkansas on Friday. I want to introduce you to Doyce Stevenson. Doyce is one of the people who has an amazing story of survival during yesterday's tornadoes. Doyce, thanks very much for joining us. This is your storm cellar. You just built. You've been here 20 years but you just built it one year ago. What was it like yesterday?
DOYCE STEVENSON, TORNADO SURVIVOR: Hard. You don't want to go through it. It's not fun (INAUDIBLE) so dark you couldn't see.
CALLEBS: Can you open it up and give us a look. What happened? The storm was coming through.
STEVENSON: I run in here and I held that door so it wouldn't pull back out.
CALLEBS: You grabbed this.
STEVENSON: I was holding this behind that wall.
CALLEBS: About how long?
STEVENSON: Ten minutes, at least.
CALLEBS: What was it like beforehand and once you were in it, what did it sound like? What did it feel like?
STEVENSON: It sounded like a darn train coming through; it was rough.
CALLEBS: Are you holding up OK, sir?
STEVENSON: Yeah.
CALLEBS: I know it's got to be tough. You lost some friends yesterday, your daughter, they lost their home. You got a lot of friends here helping you today?
STEVENSON: Oh, yeah.
CALLEBS: Tell me a bit, what the conditions were like. You say it was so dark just before the tornadoes came over the horizon. Will you ever forget seeing those two tornadoes?
STEVENSON: No, I'll never forget it. I hope this hold up as well as it did this time.
CALLEBS: 69 years old, but I imagine you've never had 10 more terrifying minutes in your life.
STEVENSON: No, never have. Don't think it's going to happen again.
CALLEBS: Take care of yourself. You take care of family. I know you've got a lot of rebuilding, but there's a lot of strong people in this area. Thanks very much.
Today, we've seen so many volunteers come in from throughout the area, doing what they can to remove debris and trying to get people back on their feet again. Today, what a dramatic change in conditions, blue sky, fluffy clouds, just perhaps a sign that this is an area that is going to be able to bounce back. Sean Callebs, CNN, Damascus, Arkansas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And since Sean filed that report, Arkansas officials have revised down the death toll from eight to seven. Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras in the weather center, pretty nasty weather and it's just remarkable. Was this one huge system or are we talking about two few different systems kind of dotted across the map?
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Let's watch that presidential race, you can see right there at the bottom of your screen, some of the results that are trickling in from the caucuses in Guam. When Guam thought it didn't matter, well not it certainly does, especially three days before Tuesday's primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. CNN's Jim Acosta is keeping a close watch on the moving parts involving those Democratic candidate candidates in particular. Joining us, however, from Mooresville, North Carolina, where Hillary Clinton has been crisscrossing the state today. Jim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredericka, that's right. Just a couple of hours from now, she'll be talking to a big crowd here at the North Carolina auto racing hall of fame. If you have heard there's a demographic that both of these candidates are vying for, it's called the Nascar dad. So Hillary Clinton making some inroads there with that particular part of the constituency here in North Carolina this afternoon. With both of these candidates, both still racing for that checkered flag, neither one of them has locked up this nomination yet, so both of them fighting hard not just in North Carolina but in Indiana.
If you look at the CNN poll of polls, the latest one that just came out in the state of North Carolina, a state that had been safely in the Barack Obama column is getting slightly more competitive. If you look at it, Hillary Clinton is gaining on Barack Obama. Barack Obama with a 52-41 advantage here in this state with a 9 percentage point undecided factor there. Hillary Clinton, she was campaigning in Wake Forest, North Carolina, earlier this morning where she again described herself as a champion for working class voters and went back again to that proposal for a gas tax holiday, standing firm that she feels it is the right solution for easing the economic burden on voters out there this summer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You probably heard the debate about the gas tax. Because my opponent is running ad ads and holding press conferences attacking my plan to try 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 the campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: As for Barack Obama, he is reintroducing himself to voters in Indiana after taking so many hits on the Reverend Jeremiah Wright controversy. He is campaigning today with two members of his family we don't see very much, his young daughters. There you see Barack Obama exiting a plane in Indianapolis earlier today. He spoke to a big crowd there, gave a major policy speech trying to emphasize his humble upbringings, talked about the fact that he was raised by a single mother, but he also took time to take aim at Hillary Clinton's gas tax proposal, basically describing it as a gimmick
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's not an expert out there who believes that this is going to work. There's 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 VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Barack Obama there referring to Clinton's surrogate and lobbyist Steven Elmendore (ph). As for Barack Obama and his two young daughters, Fredricka, we will see them later today doing some roller skating in the state of Indiana, going after that roller skating vote. Folks who perhaps like to see the sight of a disco ball as they campaign there in Indiana. Something we don't see on the campaign trail very often.
WHITFIELD: Not at all and I was earlier envisioning ice skating. So it's roller skating. That's a whole other league, a whole other culture. I remember doing both of them.
ACOSTA: Exactly, wrist bands and so forth.
WHITFIELD: But I like the disco ball kind of imagery that you set for us there, Jim. Thanks so much.
ACOSTA: We'll see how it works.
WHITFIELD: We'll be watching. Much more on the presidential campaign coming your way here on CNN in less than an hour. Join the best political team in television for the ballot bowl, 3:00 p.m. Eastern, 12:00 noon Pacific and of course, just a reminder there of what's taking place. The tallies there in Guam with 79 percent of the precincts reporting, you see that Barack Obama is narrowly leading the race with Hillary Clinton there. We'll continue to watch it throughout the day, 53 percent to 47 percent.
President Bush says those rebate checks coming your way will help jump start the economy. Some of those payments have already arrived in direct deposit accounts and paper checks will start going out next Friday. The president discussed the stimulus plan during his weekly radio address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This package will help American families increase their purchasing power and help offset the high prices that we're seeing at the gas pump and THE grocery store. We'll also provide tax incentives for American businesses to invest in their companies which will help create jobs. Most economic experts predict that the stimulus will have a positive effect on the economy in this quarter and even a greater impact in the next. And Americans should have confidence in the long-term outlook for our economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Home building down, jobs gone. Gas prices up. California is feeling the weight of a sagging economy. But one state's pain is another's profit. We have two reports now, one from Ed Lavandera in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the other from Los Angeles and that's where we begin with CNN's Chris Lawrence in LA.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): California once lured Americans to a land of opportunity, but the golden state has lost some of its glow.
BETTY LARKIN, HOME FORECLOSED: It's just awful.
LAWRENCE: Betty Larkin is just one of the more than 100,000 home owners foreclosed on in the last few months alone.
LARKIN: People are saying something about recession might come. To me, we in one.
LAWRENCE: The mortgage collapse has eliminated 10 percent of California's construction jobs. We just saw the worst March for home building here in California since the 1970s.
STEPHEN LEVY, ECONOMIST: That is the primary story here. Housing prices down 25 percent. Building activity essentially wiped out. That flows through to consumer confidence and taxes.
LAWRENCE: Lower property taxes have contributed to a projected $20 billion budget deficit forcing the state to send pink slips to tens of thousands of teachers.
GINNY ZEPPA, TEACHER: It's really sad because it's not like I'll be able to find a job anywhere else either. California, cuts are everywhere.
LAWRENCE: And the open road offers no escape with gas prices soaring past every other state in the country.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Lavandera in which Cheyenne, Wyoming, where a state that's used to a yo yo economy is enjoying an upswing.
JOE MEYER, WYOMING STATE TREASURER: Once every 10 years we get rich. The next 10 years we're broke.
LAVANDERA: The state is profiting from the taxes on high energy prices. Coal mining and natural gas are the state's economic backbone. Unemployment is below the national averages and companies can't find enough workers.
MARION LOOMIS, WYOMING MINING ASSOCIATION: We've been going all over the country looking for qualified people to work in the mines. Mechanics, electricians, welders are in huge demand.
LAVANDERA: But to minimize the yo yo effect, Wyoming now invests some energy tax revenue in stocks and fixed income funds. The interest from that money now pays for about 25 percent of the state's budget. The Wyoming state budget is $163 million ahead of where state officials expected it to be by this time of year. So while state lawmakers across the country are slashing budgets, here in Cheyenne, they're writing checks. Schools are being built and remodeled. Highways are being upgraded. State Treasurer Joe Meyer is smiling.
MEYER: Right now, it's kind of fun to be here. You can go hunt and fish, too.
LAVANDERA: Just don't let these guys hear you say that. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Cheyenne, Wyoming
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: We want to update you on this breaking story out of Philadelphia. Because the search is on for at least one suspect involved in a bank robbery that went very bad there in Philadelphia. We understand that shortly after a bank robbery took place inside a bank kiosk that was operating out of a Shop Rite grocery store there in Philadelphia, a police officer tried to make an arrest and during this attempted arrest, that police officer was shot three times. He died at a hospital later on. In that exchange of gunfire, apparent exchange of gunfire, one of the bank robbery suspects was also hit and hospitalized. He, we have learned, has just died, so one suspect who is dead. One police officer who is dead and at least one suspect involved in this bank robbery taking place at Shop Rite there in Philadelphia is on loose. The manhunt continues there. We'll continue to monitor this story and many others here in the NEWSROOM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, many of you are looking for ways to conserve gas and save money. Who isn't? CNN's Kathleen Koch has some tips from a service station in the nation's capital. Help us stretch that dollar, Kathleen
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredericka, we've got a lot of good news for you from the gas station and I know that's hard to believe, but first of all, let's do point out that for the second day in a row, gas prices have come down ever so slightly. The nationwide average right now is $3.61 a gallon. So that's just a wee bit of good news and drivers here though are still frustrated. They are coping with some of the highest prices we've ever paid before as a nation and we talked to them about some of the strategies they're using.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm actually inflating the tires. I'm going to drive at 55 or 60. I'm really just trying to make the most efficient use of the gas that I have to buy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it gets up to that level, $4 or $5 a gallon, then at that point, I might just forget driving at all and just rely completely on the metro public transportation and maybe walking more often.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: The other good news is that there are some things individual drivers can do to really stretch the gasoline that they put in their tanks. First of all, check your air filter. By putting in a clean air filter, you can boost your gas mileage by 10 percent. That will save you about 35 cents a gallon. Also check your alignment, if your alignment, if you get that straightened out, you can save another 35 cents a gallon. That's because tired that are poorly aligned not only wear out more quickly, but they also put a strain on the engine and they stop it from being as fuel efficient as it might be. Get a tune up, a properly tuned vehicle will have 4 percent greater mileage. That will save you about 14 cents a gallon. Also having properly inflated tires makes a huge difference. That can save you about 10 cents a gallon, though I must point out that about 25 percent of the cars on the road today are driving around with tires that aren't inflated to the proper tire pressure.
Another great idea according to the experts and that's get rid of all that junk in your trunk. Whether it's kitty litter from the wintertime to help increase your traction on the ice or those golf clubs, if you can eliminate 100 pounds of weight from your vehicle, you'll save 4 cents a gallon. Another very important tip is not to speed, not to drive aggressively because every five miles an hour that you slow down, you cut your fuel consumption by 7 percent. So in other words, if you're driving down the highway, 75 miles an hour or 70 miles an hour and you take it down to just 65, that will save you 25 cents a gallon. So it makes a big difference.
And then finally, if you're just sitting, if you're idling, shut the car off if you're idling for more than 30 seconds. If you're on a side road or waiting for someone not on a major highway would you do this even if you're stuck in traffic. But the experts say that for every two minutes that you don't idle, you'll save the equivalent of 1 cent a gallon. And Fredricka, after a while, the 1 cent here and there, 15 cents, 35 cents it does really add up.
WHITFIELD: It really does accumulate. I like all those tips except that last one, given that I know and a lot of folks out there still are driving old cars. If I turn my car off, I'm afraid it may not crank back up and whole lot of folks behind me...
KOCH: Don't do that on a highway.
WHITFIELD: Right, right, we're not going to take any chances like that. All right, thanks for the tip, love it. Kathleen Koch.
KOCH: You bet.
WHITFIELD: How about you? Are you driving less because of the gas prices? We'll get a reality check from CNN's Josh Levs later on this hour, why so many are and why many are still not.
Cash is tight for most of America. Is any of this having an impact on the money place of Las Vegas?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Hello again. An update now on a breaking story we're following out of Philadelphia. CNN has confirmed that a police officer has been shot and killed while trying to make an arrest involving a bank robbery suspect. And our affiliates are reporting that one of the suspects was actually shot and killed as well, following this alleged bank robbery, a bank robbery allegedly taking place inside a Shop Rite grocery store. You know how a lot of grocery stores will have a bank presence inside them. This is what is suspected to have happened there in Philadelphia, just maybe about two or three hours ago. And apparently a manhunt continues for any other suspects that may have been involved in this alleged bank robbery. More information as we get it.
Meantime onto Las Vegas, the city of lights has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. But that's not stopping millions of people from rolling the dice on the strip. Here now is CNN's Don Lemon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Are we in a recession or not a recession?
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are sliding into a recession.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're moving into recession.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Everyone has an opinion.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're not in a recession. We're in a slowdown.
LEMON: Whatever it is, it hasn't stopped millions of gamblers from betting on Las Vegas. You're gambling, you're shopping
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sun, tanning, everything.
LEMON: You're spending money
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
LEMON: And according to the Las Vegas convention and visitors authority, a lot of other people are spending money, too. With this economy, who can afford to shop and gamble?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can.
LEMON: At least 3.1 million people visited Vegas in February, up slightly from a year ago. But with gas and food prices at an all-time high, foreclosure rates hitting a peak, can Vegas die-hards continue to afford to spend as much? Don Soendker is with a group from Kansas
DON SOENDKER, LAS VEGAS TOURIST: We're just the average American. We don't make a lot of money. It's the rich people that do all the gaming.
LEMON: So why are you in Las Vegas?
TRUDY SMITH, LAS VEGAS TOURIST: Tickets were bought a long time ago for a softball tournament.
LEMON: Had they not been, would you have come, do you think?
SMITH: Probably not.
LEMON: According to this group, it's simple. The basics like gas tanks always win out.
SMITH: I have a 15 passenger van and it costs over $100 to fill it.
LEMON: So you think Vegas will be fine even with the economy?
SOENDKER: Yep. They'll still survive. People will come to Vegas no matter what.
LEMON: Millions still rolling the dice, still counting on lady luck in the midst of a fickle economy. Big win, Don Lemon, CNN, Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, keep watching CNN, our money team has you covered whether it's job, debt, housing or savings, issue number one, the economy all week long, noon Eastern.
Here's an update on what's happening right now. Barack Obama is still leading Hillary Clinton as the count comes in from today's Guam presidential caucuses. Four seats at the Democratic national convention are at stake. The Democratic race is very close so every delegate counts. There are cleaning up.
Meantime in Arkansas as the tornadoes and severe storms that killed at least seven people, Governor Mike Beebe (ph) is touring the state today. Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras where this monster of a system just doesn't seem to let up.
(WEATHER REPORT)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, all of that and, guess what: there are indeed signs of recovery in of all places, New Orleans. That looks like a party. Play it and they will come. With their wallets. New Orleans rising. The story minutes away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Jazzfest closes out tomorrow in New Orleans. This year, more tourists add up to more dollars for a city still struggling under Katrina's shadow. Here now is CNN's Sean Callebs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a city still suffering from a glacially slow pace of rebuilding, the unbridled enthusiast from some of the hundreds of thousands of people pouring into New Orleans for jazzfest, is a well needed emotional and financial shot in the arm. A sign that, yes, in many ways, New Orleans is rebounding.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: i definitely see more people, you know, here. But i mean it's just the vibe, i think, when you arrive, it's awesome. CALLEBS: Curiosity brought Aemon Boylin and his family from Dublin to New Orleans. He says he had no idea the city was so vibrant.
AEMON BOYLIN, TOURIST: You know, I wasn't sure what to expect. But there is also the reports we get in Europe is that the city wasn't well treated.
CALLEBS: The city is very special for the front man of the jam band Widespread Panic, John Bell. Not just the fact the band has been performing here off and on for more than 20 years, Bell met his wife in New Orleans and this is where they honeymooned.
JOHN BELL, WIDESPREAD PANIC: It has such a personality that folks really want to make sure that it does come back and thrive.
CALLEBS: Many New Orleaneans believe that government at every level failed them after the levees were breached. And adding insult to injury, they say city, state and federal leaders are still doing little to spark rebirth. But the volunteer spirit has buoyed the city, Widespread Panic is among those working to rebuild the lower ninth ward.
BELL: We're really happy to get tied in with the make it right ninth ward thing.
CALLEBS: The band is donating money to Brad Pitt's organization to fund construction of homes in the area hit hardest by Katrina. Economic rebirth is moving forward. Jazzfest has been good to the pelican club restaurant. In fact, there are 100 more restaurants in New Orleans now than there were before Katrina. Sales are great at this gift shop in the heart of the French quarter. A cruel irony for Alice Barbe.
ALICE BARBE, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: The city seems to be doing pretty well, but the surrounding areas, like St. Bernard Parish where I'm from, it's only 10 miles away from here, it's a totally different story.
CALLEBS: A broken heart has kept her from returning to her home here where the community was inundated by a dozen feet of water. But even Barbe has found a silver lining.
BARBE: The tourists are great, they'll even ask, what can we do to help? Just come in and go out to eat and spend time in the city.
CALLEBS: And that simple investment of time yields great rewards for a city that has suffered so much. Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Great signs of recovery.
In the meantime, recovery not always that easy when it concerns U.S. military service men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Well, over a million and a half Americans have done so. And thousands come home with horrific visible wounds. But just as many have injuries you can't see such as trauma to mental health that takes a costly toll on troops and their families. Worsening the situation, a survey by the American Psychiatric Association showed three of five military members fear consequences for getting mental health treatment. More specifically, they fear it will set back their military careers or simply be embarrassing. Sergeant Nicholas Firth served with the North Carolina national guard, he suffered a head injury and amputation of his leg following a road side bomb almost two years ago. Sergeant Firth is being treated for post traumatic stress disorder at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Good to see you, he and his wife Crystal join us from Washington. Even though it appears that you all are in different cities because we had some technical issues. So that's why we had to separate you this way. Good to see both of you.
SGT. NICHOLAS FIRTH, U.S. ARMY: Thank you for having us.
WHITFIELD: Sergeant Firth, I have to commend you for being so forthright and going public with the struggles that you are currently enduring and have had to endure because as we said it's a topic that a lot of soldiers don't want to broach. So for you, how did you know that you were in uncharted territory that I'm not only dealing with the physical injuries but the mental ones, too.
FIRTH: It's strange to describe it. I mean you go through your life knowing who it is you are and then it seems like a piece of you just changes and it's really hard to understand.
WHITFIELD: So there was a moment that you said, wait a minute, this is too big for me to take on by myself, I suppose, because you did get that kind of and you are getting that mental health treatment at Walter Reed?
FIRTH: Yes ma'am.
WHITFIELD: All right, how did you proceed? Did you grapple with, I don't know if I want to tell anybody because it may mean it will be difficult for my military career or I don't want to deal with the stigma of uh-oh, people will have their own preconceived notions about where I am mentally?
FIRTH: At first, I was apprehensive, but I don't know, after getting back in touch with my wife and everything, I realized that you know if I didn't get the help I needed, my marriage would fail.
WHITFIELD: So Crystal, did you know that something was wrong? Did you sense it or did you need him to tell you that this is what I'm dealing with?
CRYSTAL FIRTH, WIFE: You could definitely tell. I've known Nicholas for a very long time. We were really good friends before we were ever even together married. He changed a lot. He had a lot of anger I guess and you know the nightmares are the worst. I mean there are nights that he can be in a fetal position and almost bawling because he sees it all again. And it's just, it's been a struggle. It really has. WHITFIELD: So sergeant, this was something you were dealing with. Did you also hear from other fellow troop members who were dealing with the same kind of thing? Did you guys ever talk about it, what to do, what's next, when will it all end?
FIRTH: I have a few close friends that we've pretty much formed a support group for ourselves. We've dealt with a lot of issues like that as well as seeing about the psychiatrist and psychologist.
WHITFIELD: You did reach out to the psychologist and psychiatrists there at Walter Reed. So many people do not. Earlier today, on CNN, in the morning NEWSROOM, we did speak with a colonel, the chief of psychiatry at Walter Reed and he says a concerted effort is made to try to identify soldiers, their mental fitness to be redeployed or even simply to be deployed in the first place. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. JOHN BRADLEY, CHIEF OF PSYCHIATRY, WALTER REED: The military really takes very aggressively this question of is a soldier fit to deploy to combat? And we screen soldiers on the, as they're preparing for deployment really to make sure that they are not suffering a mental illness that's going to either be effected negatively by the deployment or be a cause for concern.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So sergeant, your response, is that mental fitness test adequate?
FIRTH: Yes, ma'am. I would say it is.
WHITFIELD: Really? Is anything, I guess is there an area that needs some work upon? How do you reach these three out of five soldiers who say I don't want to come forward because I'm afraid of this stigma. What more can be done so that everyone feels comfortable about getting mental health?
FIRTH: Honestly, I don't know how to answer that question.
WHITFIELD: Really?
FIRTH: For me, it was my personal convictions. I don't know. I'm a sergeant, yes, but I'm still pretty low on the totem pole, and I'm hoping that other soldiers that are going to see this that regardless of rank, they'll see that hey, just because you have it doesn't mean that you might not be able to get a job or that you're going to be treated a certain way by people. The fact of the matter is that you need help. I realized it and I went for it.
WHITFIELD: You feel confident about the help that is available and so it sounds like you really are trying to encourage other soldiers, men and women, if you feel like something's wrong, there is some help there available to you, take advantage of it.
FIRTH: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: All right. Sergeant Nick Firth and Crystal Firth, we appreciate your time. Thanks so much. And all the best in your continued journey.
FIRTH: Thanks for having us.
C. FIRTH: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: As more of your paychecks applies to just about everyone out there, as it goes toward the gas tank, are we driving less?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: You may already have an HD-TV, but odds are you haven't heard about HD radio yet. Listen in as CNN's Jacqui Jeras gets the lowdown in our techno file report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACQUI JERAS: The song says video killed the radio star. But in reality, radio is not dead. There are new innovations out there and we're not talking about Sirius and XM. Brian Cooley with CNET.com is here to give us an earful.
BRIAN COOLEY, EDITOR AT LARGE, CNET.COM: Yeah Jacqui, HD-radio is new and a lot of folks still don't know about it. It's the digital higher fidelity version of your favorite broadcast stations, and it's rolling out on thousands of stations right now. You will need another radio, a new radio to tune HD radio. This is one, this one from Polk is an example, but it does sound a lot better.
JERAS: Sounds better. Do I have more options?
COOLEY: You do. Notice on the display here we have a dash 1 or a dash 2 or a dash 3 after the frequency. That means additional versions of the base radio station. They can do that with HD. They couldn't do it with analog in the past. Notice the iPod here and the tag button. If I press tag it sends a reminder to my iPod that I want to buy that song. The next time I dock my iPod it reminds me to buy it and let's me do so.
JERAS: Convenient, absolutely. Besides HD, what else?
COOLEY: Something called conditional access is just being tested right now. It basically lets a radio access special content if you have a code. You'll punch it on the screen or on the remote of the radio and a station can offer that either for a fee or as part of a promotion. But it kind of makes radio interactive.
JERAS: Ok, we'll stay tuned for more. Brian Cooley with CNET.com, thanks.
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WHITFIELD: Another busy weekend in the seemingly never ending democratic presidential race. North Carolina and Indiana will hold their primaries on Tuesday. So what should we be looking for? Here's CNN's Tom Foreman.
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you are an Obama supporter, if you like the senator from Chicago, then keep a close eye on the northwest part of Indiana. This area is heavily influenced by Chicago TV. Particularly Gary, which is only about 25 miles from downtown Chicago. These folks have known about Obama for years, and he's built a lot of support here. But if you are a fan of Senator Clinton, you will find much of the rest of Indiana tilted demographically in her favor. Indiana is 89 percent white. That's above the national average. Just a bit more than half the state is female, 52 percent. That's another tiny edge that she might able to exploit. This could hurt him. 42 percent of the voters consider themselves conservative democrats. So they may not buy his message of change. They may prefer Clinton's message of experience. When we fly over to North Carolina, the other primary state on Tuesday, however, the tables and the demographics turn. The African-American population rises to 26 percent. More than twice the national average. North Carolina voters overall are slightly younger. That matters because the age gap has been profound in this race. Simply put people under 45 more often vote for him. Above 45 they go for her. North Carolina is a little bit better educated in average in large part because of the presence of some top universities. And more educated voters tend to back Obama. But even if Clinton does not win there, she needs to do pretty well. Because North Carolina is by population, one of the 10 biggest states in the country. And her sales pitch for weeks has been, I can win the big states and he can't.
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WHITFIELD: All right, watch the bottom of your screen there. You can see so far with 79 percent of the precincts reporting out of Guam, the caucuses there, Barack Obama leading 53 to Hillary Clinton's 47. We'll continue to watch the results there in Guam.
Well, join the best political team on television as results come in from Indiana and North Carolina primaries, that's Tuesday night, May 6th starting at 7:00 eastern only on CNN, your home for politics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Ok, so it's not much, but gas prices are inching down a bit. This morning, AAA indicates the national average for a gallon of unleaded is $3.61. That's actually down a penny for those of you who are keeping track. But get this, it is up 60 cents compared to this time last year. So it does make a difference.
So are Americans actually driving less because of high gas prices? The answer just might surprise you. Josh Levs is here with a reality check on gas prices, driving habits. I don't know, am I driving less? I don't know if I am. Maybe I am because I'm kind of consolidating some of my errands
JOSH LEVS: That's what Betty said. Yeah, a lot of people said they're consolidating.
WHITFIELD: Is she doing that too?
LEVS: Yes, she said she's doing that. I'm not. Well I don't live far from work and try not to go anywhere during traffic. But here's the thing. If you're doing that then you're really in the minority because the fact is, right now, that is not happening much.
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BUSH: High gasoline prices.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: These increasing fuel prices.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Gas prices.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our dependence on foreign oil.
LEVS (voice-over): While the president and those vying for his job debate what to do about the soaring gas prices, there's something individual Americans can do.
PETER BEUTEL, OIL INDUSTRY ANALYST: At this point really our only way of getting prices down is for us to voluntarily cut demand.
LEVS: Is that happening? Not really. The energy information administration reports that demand in the second and third weeks of April was higher than for the same time last year. In the final week of April, it was slightly below last year but still about the same amount. Nearly 400 million gallons a day. So does this mean Americans by and large are not responding to these sky-high gas prices in a tangible way? Actually, no. There is a way Americans are responding with their pocketbooks. They're buying smaller cars that require less fuel. GM is reporting a 27 percent drop in its truck and SUV sales in April compared to the same month last year. Ford said its SUV sales are down 36 percent. Toyota said it's SUV sales fell 8 percent while sales of its hybrid Prius were up 67 percent.
These changes have not yet translated into major changes in gasoline demand but they show Americans taking action. One expert says if Americans don't decrease demand for gasoline, the only other possibility may be --
BEUTEL: For a recession to cut demand without, really, our permission.
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LEVS: Now we might see a clear decrease in overall gas use this summer. That's when a lot of families start to take those road trips and may decide not to do that. And Fred, one thing to watch out for is the possibility that gas approaches $4 a gallon. In a case like that we can really expect a pullback.
WHITFIELD: And of course it is if you use diesel. I almost slammed on my brakes when I saw that the other day I was driving and passed by, I'm like $4 something for diesel.
LEVS: It keeps going up as we've seen so rough. Down a penny now but obviously that relatively speaking it's way up from where it was.
WHITFIELD: I know. Thanks so much Josh.
LEVS: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, you've heard about the big race in Kentucky this week, right? We're not even talking about the Kentucky Derby. We're talking about this. Come along for a ride.
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