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The Morning After: Obama Builds Lead Over Clinton; Chile Volcano Erupts

Aired May 07, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Money and presidential politics. We have a lot of news to cover this hour.
First off, Hillary Clinton has loaned her campaign million of dollars in the last month. What does it all mean?

CNN's Jessica Yellin is in Indiana, where Clinton scored a primary win. Susan Roesgen looks at questions over the counting. And we will go live to the next battleground state where Hillary Clinton delivers a speech this hour.

Let's begin with Jessica in Indianapolis.

And Jessica, Hillary Clinton taking financial steps to keep her campaign alive. What can you tell us?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, in all, Senator Clinton has donated to her campaign more than $11 million. The most recent donation was a total of $6.4 million since April 11th. And her campaign senior advisers say this is because she is committed to the campaign, because she wants to show her supporters how determined she is. And because, frankly, it is very difficult to compete with the money advantage Barack Obama has. They continually point out he outspent her mostly two to one in many primary states on media, on crucial ads before these primaries.

Now, the Clinton campaign says that she is determined to go on. They say they want to let the process play out. And even though the general spin this morning is that she barely eked out a win here in Indiana, her top aides say you have to remember, for her, they see this as a come-from-behind victory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN (voice over): With his decisive victory in North Carolina, Barack Obama all but declared himself the Democratic nominee.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, there are those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game changer in this election. But today what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, D.C.

YELLIN: Promising to unite the party and champion American values, he turned his sights on John McCain.

OBAMA: And while I honor John McCain's service to his country, his ideas for America are out of touch with these core values.

YELLIN: And declared himself ready to take on any Republican attacks.

OBAMA: Yes, we know what's coming. I'm not naive. We have already seen it, the same names and labels they always pin on everyone who doesn't agree with all their ideas.

YELLIN: Translation -- he is electable.

Despite dwindling opportunities, Senator Clinton conceded nothing.

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And Indiana would be the tie-breaker. Well, tonight we've come from behind. We have broken the tie. And thanks to you, it's full speed on to the White House!

YELLIN: With her supporters behind her...

AUDIENCE: Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will!

YELLIN: ... she made another appeal for cash to fuel this race...

CLINTON: So I hope you will go to hillaryclinton.com and support our campaign.

YELLIN: ... and to count her winning votes in Florida and Michigan.

CLINTON: It would be a little strange to have a nominee chosen by 48 states.

YELLIN: But Chelsea and Bill's faces seemed to portray something different. Perhaps a sense that victory is remote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN: And Tony, today Senator Clinton is setting her sights on another race, the one to win over superdelegates. She plans to meet with some superdelegates in Washington, D.C., to try to persuade them to announce for her. But Barack Obama will be doing the same thing in Washington tomorrow, and he has a much stronger argument at this point. For Barack Obama, it's a much easier fight from here on out -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes.

Jessica Yellin for us in Indianapolis.

Jessica, good to see you.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Clinton's victory in Indiana didn't become clear until well after midnight. The reason, a painfully slow count in a county near Chicago. CNN's Susan Roesgen joins us now from the Lake County town of Crown Point.

Susan, why in the world did it take so long?

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, that's what everybody wanted to know. And that's what we are finding out today, Fredricka.

You know, if you haven't heard much of Lake County, Indiana, before yesterday, you are going to hear a lot about it today. This is the county that is just below Chicago, Illinois, just below Lake Michigan there. And it is the second largest county in the state of Indiana in terms of population.

This one county held up the election results for the entire state for several hours last night. And we're finding out today it's because of what happened in this building here beside me, the Election Commissioner's Office.

They started counting the absentee ballots, 11,000-plus absentee ballots, four times as many as they ever had in this state, a record number of absentee ballots. They started counting them at 5:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, and we were here when they walked out this morning at 5:30 this morning, 24 hours of counting the absentee ballots. It's not as simple as you might think.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE FAJMAN, ELECTION SUPV., LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA: They verify signatures from the application to the ballot. Then they separate those, then they open up the ballot envelope, then they look for two sets of initials on there to make sure it has been validated. Then they separate those out.

They co-mingle them, then they come over to a scanning team. We match them up to the report, make sure that our numbers match. If you have 25 ballots, you have 25 returns and so forth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: And so forth and so forth and so forth and so forth. All that was done before those absentee ballots were actually run through an optical scanner so that they could get the results. The election commissioners told me that what they did last night was, when they got wind of what a major stink this was causing, that national newscasts, including our own, especially here on CNN, were talking about what is the big hold-up in this big county, they immediately stopped counting the absentee ballots and started just plugging in the results from the precincts.

They can get those results within 30 seconds, Fredricka. All they take is a card from each precinct and they can get thousands of votes in 30 seconds, while it can take five minutes or longer, five minutes or longer, per each individual absentee ballot.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

ROESGEN: So they knew there was criticism and then they hustled to get it out.

WHITFIELD: Well, I wonder, Susan, if some of these workers feel like, gosh, this is a thankless job, especially after hearing the state -- secretary of state launch criticisms about the process.

ROESGEN: You know, they had not heard what the secretary of state had said. He put out this statement, Fredricka, this statement very critical of what happened last night in Lake County.

The workers told me today they were tired, they were ready to go home. And when I read them the statement, just part of it talks about how last night here, "The Lake County Election Board is reminded" -- according to the secretary of state of Indiana -- "that no matter how long the process was drawn out, the public and the media had a right to monitor the proceedings."

Basically, you could have at least given some results more quickly. And why did they insist in this particular county of having all the results, all the absentee results, come here instead of being counted in the individual precincts? I asked the election supervisor about that and she told me, hey, we are not the only county to do it, but we are the second biggest.

She believes that by keeping everything here centrally located, they have a better shot of making sure that there is no funny business with the county. They used election folks that they have used for years, and this is the way they have always done it. They've always been one of the last counties to report in Indiana, but last night was not the right time to be the last coming up to the plate -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Right. It's sectional, I guess.

Susan Roesgen, thank you very much.

HARRIS: And here is a look at where things stand in the delegate race.

Barack Obama now has 1,836 delegates. Hillary Clinton, 1,681. That's based on CNN estimates. Obama is within 189 delegates of the 2,025 needed to win the nomination.

Ahead, the West Virginia primary, it is coming up on Tuesday, May 13th. Twenty-eight Democratic delegates are up for grabs.

WHITFIELD: And in desperate need, international aid finally starting to arrive in southern Myanmar, but in very small amounts. It's just in time for the many cyclone survivors, however. The United Nations is estimating as many as a million people were left homeless by this tremendous storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD HORSEY, U.N. OFFICE ON HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Right now food is not the emergency priority. Right now water is much more important, and shelter. But we will have to assess in the coming days and weeks what has been the impact on the food situation, and make sure that the food resources are sufficient.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Still, more aid is needed. But right now some aid agencies are being kept at arm's length. They can't get visas from Myanmar's military government. The White House is pledging more than $3 million in aid, but saying U.S. disaster teams must be allowed in the country.

State radio reporting 22,000 dead, more than 40,000 people still missing.

HARRIS: An area of Chile known for adventure tourism, now a volcano gives residents an adventure they didn't want.

Amaro Gomez-Pablo has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMARO GOMEZ-PABLO, REPORTER (voice over): The postcard landscape in southern Chile is now quite literally a giant ashtray. Huge columns of debris have been spewing out of the Chaiten volcano nonstop the last four days, covering a wide area with ash.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is very bad. The animals, we don't know what's going to happen to them.

GOMEZ-PABLO: The government ordered more than 4,000 people evacuated because of a growing fear of toxic gases and falling debris. This small city of Chaiten is now a ghost town. A government spokesman told CNN en Espanol boats and helicopters helped get some of the people out.

The eruption happened with little warning. First, tremors. Then the volcano began erupting Friday. Scientists say the first time it has come to life in 9,000 years.

Satellite images show clouds of smoke spreading east as far as the Atlantic Ocean. Chile is one of the most active volcano countries on earth. But this is the worst eruption in 75 years.

JERSY MARINO, PERUVIAN MINING & GEOLOGICAL INST. (through translator): Well, we are already monitoring, but now it will be more intense. It has already giving us plenty of ideas of what's going on and what can happen.

GOMEZ-PABLO: Chile's president, Michelle Bachelet, assessed the damage on the ground.

PRES. MICHELLE BACHELET, CHILE (through translator): We are going to work very hard to meet the needs of the people. We understand that under these conditions, it's very hard to work and be productive. GOMEZ-PABLO: This part of Chile is one of the most coveted international destinations in the world for adventure tourism. Right now, the people here, whose livelihoods turned to ashes, are left to wonder when they can return.

Amaro Gomez-Pablo, for CNN, Santiago, Chile.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Let's take a look at the markets right now. The Dow down 45 points. Hopefully it will inch its way back into the green zone, but that's a look at it right now at 12,976. We are watching your money on Wall Street.

HARRIS: If a terror attack hit one of America's big cities, would hospitals be ready? A sobering new report to tell you about this morning.

Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here.

Elizabeth, nearly seven years since 9/11. What's the story here?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. You would think this problem would be less, right? But this congressional report is very sobering.

What they did is they said, could hospitals in this country handle an attack the size of Madrid? You remember that one from three years ago?

HARRIS: That's right. That's right, yes.

COHEN: So we're talking about thousands of people who were injured. One hospital might receive hundreds of patients in a couple of hours' time.

And what they found is that hospitals are not ready for it at all. They surveyed a number of hospitals, and here's specifically what they found out.

Then found that more than half of the hospitals that they surveyed were already above capacity without any special terror or natural disaster. And that on average, there were only five available beds in ICU at the hospitals that they surveyed. So there were only five empty spaces for critically injured patients. And they found that the situation was particularly bad in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

So these hospitals in the seven cities that they looked at, they found that none of them were even close to ready to handle a Madrid- size disaster.

HARRIS: You know, I'm thinking about Minneapolis, I'm thinking about Denver, the sites of the conventions, the political conventions coming up later this year, and I'm wondering if those cities are even ready in the event -- well, you don't want to think about it.

COHEN: Right. Right.

HARRIS: Right.

COHEN: God forbid, if something were to happen, were they ready? Well, they did look at those two cities, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Denver. Not ready. That's what this report found.

So, again, let's look at the specifics.

In Denver, they found that one in three level one trauma center ERs are already under capacity on just a normal day. In Minneapolis, they found that the level one ER in that city is already at 91 percent capacity. So the numbers kind of speak for themselves, yes.

HARRIS: Well, so then more capacity, you need more capacity. What is the solution here?

COHEN: Well, the solution they have been discussing at the congressional hearings this week is that you need more capacity really within the hospital itself, because what's happening at these ERs is they can't admit patients because there's no beds in the hospital. So it's actually a pretty complicated problem.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: And there has been lots and lots of finger-pointing at these hearings. The members of Congress are saying the federal government is cutting Medicare and Medicaid. That hurts the hospitals' abilities to handle big disasters.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: And then federal officials today saying, well, Medicare and Medicaid weren't met to help ER surgeons.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: So lots of different finger-pointing.

HARRIS: Is it -- are we talking about building? Is it more infrastructure, more actual physical capability? Expansions and things of this sort?

COHEN: That's part of it.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: And some people will say that another part of it is that we are looking at the wrong problem, that there has been a lot of money spent since 9/11 on preparing for chemical attacks.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: Or a biological weapons attack. They say, yes, that could happen. But what's probably more likely is a huge natural disaster, or a conventional terrorist attack.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: And that we are not preparing for that. Instead, we are preparing for the...

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: So, at least respond to what is most likely to occur.

COHEN: Right.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: That's what a lot of people are saying right now.

HARRIS: OK.

Elizabeth Cohen with us this morning.

COHEN: Thanks.

HARRIS: Great to see you. Thank you.

And to get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. There you will find the latest medical news, a health library, information on diet and fitness. The address, once again, CNN.com/health.

WHITFIELD: Children suffering and in great need. They're at the center of the disaster in Myanmar. We'll talk live to the head of one aid agency's operations in the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Helpless victims in Myanmar. The agency Save the Children says 40 percent of the victims of the cyclone are children.

Joining us on the phone is Save the Children's Andrew Kirkwood. He is the director of the international aid agency's operations in Myanmar.

Andrew, great to talk to you.

If you would, from your vantage point, will you please take a moment and describe the scene you have witnessed over -- I don't know how long you have been in country, but over the last five days we have borne witness to these amazing pictures. Describe the scene as you see it.

ANDREW KIRKWOOD, COUNTRY DIR., SAVE THE CHILDREN: Yes, I was here. I have been here for -- you know, over the last week.

The situation is -- I mean, in Yangon, I mean, the devastation -- a huge numbers of trees down and many homes destroyed. And many of the areas where we have been distributing food and other supplies over the last couple of days, 50 percent of the homes were destroyed. The situation, however, is much worse in the worst-affected parts of the delta, southwest of here, where seven townships have reportedly lost 95 percent of all of the homes.

HARRIS: Oh boy. And Andrew, if you would, can you explain to me -- try to help us understand what you need right now.

We keep hearing food and water. Talk to us about the supplies that you have available to you and what you need more of right now and the efforts to get more of that to you.

KIRKWOOD: Yes. I mean, it depends on -- I mean, the needs, obviously, vary depending on where one goes.

In the outlying -- in these badly-affected townships of Yangon, we have been distributing some food. But lots of shelter materials, medicines, water purification materials, cooking utensils, things that people lost in the cyclone.

In the delta region, where we have got physicians now in the capital -- in the main city in the delta, we've got rice, salt, sugar. And salt and sugar to make oral rehydration salts. There are many people in the delta who are living in areas that are still flooded with saltwater. And we are really, really worried about their -- about getting fresh water to them.

HARRIS: Sure. Andrew, I don't -- I clearly understand that you have a good working relationship in your organization with the government, the junta there in Myanmar. But can you explain to us the difficulty in getting the government to provide the visas to other aid organizations, certainly to provide clear passage to the United States and the United States military to bring in advanced assets to help the people who are so impacted right now?

KIRKWOOD: Yes, it's very difficult for me to comment on the difficulties that other agencies are facing. As I have said to colleagues of yours before, I mean, we have 500 staff in the country already. We had them in here last week. And so we haven't had to bring large numbers of staff in. So visa issues haven't really affected us.

HARRIS: But I suppose you could really use that coordinated effort not only from the U.S. military and the cargo that it would bring, but also working with other organizations. Maybe the World Food Program, World Vision. It seems to me if we can bring all of these resources together it would be more effective in helping the people.

Does that make sense?

KIRKWOOD: It makes perfect sense. The agencies -- and there are about 50 of us here -- are actually coordinating well with each other. We have had a number of meetings every day this week ensuring that we are not duplicating into anybody's efforts, and that to our best extent possible, all of the areas that have been affected are covered. I think that certainly extra logistics capacity would help everyone enormously. There is a huge shortage of boats. I mean, of course, aircraft would help enormously, particularly helicopters. Trucks, fuel, all of these things. That's really what is, I think, the bottleneck in the operation right now.

Most of the delta area, most of the affected areas, are accessible by boat only in the best of times. And 80 percent of the boats were destroyed in the cyclone. So things are conspiring against us. And it's a very difficult situation.

HARRIS: Yes.

Well, Andrew, best of luck and great success to you. It's a wonderful effort that your organization leads, and we are so happy that you are on the ground.

Andrew Kirkwood is the director of the international aid agency Save the Children.

And we know you may want to help. At CNN.com, we have a special page on the devastation in Myanmar, complete with links to aid agencies that are organizing help for the region. It is a chance for you to impact your world. Let us be your guide.

Bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

This story we are continuing to follow now out of San Diego, we understand that a school is on lockdown as a result of a bomb detonated there at the Wagenheim Middle School -- I hope I'm saying that right -- in San Diego.

About 800 students are inside that school. And no reports of injuries thus far, but again, that school on lockdown now for any parents who may be watching and wondering what's going on at their kid's school. Wagenheim Middle School.

A bomb was detonated there. More information as we get it.

HARRIS: The morning after, the road ahead. What happens now when the Democrats race for the White House? Let the bickering begin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And this just in to CNN, former Senator George McGovern, former Democratic presidential nominee in 1972, George McGovern is urging Hillary Clinton to drop out of the Democratic presidential race. This just in to CNN. McGovern telling the Associated Press that he has decided to endorse Barack Obama. McGovern says he is calling former President Clinton to tell him of his decision, and adds that he remains close friends with the Clintons. But former senator and former Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern now urging Hillary Clinton to drop out of the Democratic presidential race. Just in to CNN.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, despite that, Hillary Clinton is looking ahead to the next primary. She campaigns in West Virginia at this hour. It's as a last-minute stop added to her very busy schedule. Live to Charleston, West Virginia and CNN's Jim Acosta.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

That's right. Hillary Clinton is heading to Shepherdstown, West Virginia to go campaigning on the economy, and it's no mystery why she's headed to this state. There's delegate gold -- 28 delegates to be specific -- in these hills.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice over): Coal is king in West Virginia, but another fuel, gasoline, is running a close second these days, and that hurts in a state where workers have one of the longest commute times in the country.

GOV. JOE MANCHIN (D), WEST VIRGINIA: I've never felt more helpless as being governor of my great state of West Virginia that I just want to jump in and do something. It's wrong.

ACOSTA: Which is why West Virginia governor Joe Manchin is open to Hillary Clinton's plan for a gas tax holiday. But that doesn't mean this superdelegate is ready to make an endorsement. He did take note, however, when Barack Obama infamously referred to bitter, small- town Pennsylvania voters who cling to their guns.

GOV. JOE MANCHIN (D), WEST VIRGINIA: I'm going to given every candidate the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes things slip out.

ACOSTA (on camera): Well, you must have heard something, governor...

MANCHIN: Sure. Well, here, first of all, I can assure you we're a state that really, really clings to the Second Amendment.

ACOSTA (voice-over): West Virginia plays to nearly all of Clinton's demographic strength. It's older, whiter, and more rural than the rest of America. But that doesn't mean voters here are resistant to change.

DAVID LOVEJOY, RETIRED COAL MINER: I think it's time, either a woman or a black person or an African-American. I think it's time.

ACOSTA: This is, after all, the state that made Democratic primary history a half-century ago.

(on camera): Can people in West Virginia vote for a guy named Barack Obama?

ROBERT RUPP, WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIV.: Forty-eight years ago, they asked if they could vote for a Boston Irish millionaire who was a Catholic, and they did in a landslide vote. (END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And that professor has referred to the upcoming contest in the state as the Appalachian primary, and for that reason Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be campaigning hard for the West Virginia coal mine vote. But so far the coal miners union here in West Virginia is staying neutral. It had endorsed John Edwards. But of course he's not in the race anymore.

WHITFIELD: Yes, all right. Wel,l meantime, speaking of West Virginia, there are other states all up for grabs with kind of similar demographics. Tell me a little bit more about them.

ACOSTA: That's right. That's right. Kentucky also bodes well for Hillary Clinton. But keep in mind the delegate load from this point forward is not what we have seen in the past states. North Carolina and Indiana combined offered more delegates than Pennsylvania. But here on out, the delegate loads are just not going to give Hillary Clinton the chance to really catch up in the delegate math, unless she can really run the table, which is unlikely, which is why a lot of Democratic party insiders are looking to the superdelegates to make the difference at this point, Fredricka.

All right, Jim Acosta in Charleston, West Virginia, thank you -- Tony.

HARRIS: He is the new president of Russia. But do you know his name or about his ties to the old president?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Russia has a new leader. While you slept Dmitry Medvedev took the oath as president. Today's extravagant Kremlin ceremony comes two months after his election. The 42-year-old is described as a soft-spoken sidekick of his predecessor, Vladimir Putin. Putin, essentially, handpicked Medvedev for the job, and Russia's News Agency reports, shortly after becoming president, Medvedev named Putin prime minister. Medvedev is Russia's third president since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

WHITFIELD: All right, well you do expect to find horses under the hood. Horsepower, get it? Not a dog.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Opened the door. Popped the hood -- hi!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And a real dog -- that one right there -- pit bull, making a pit stop, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Reaching out to the cyclone survivors. Aid agencies moving quickly to help the victims, but that response has been slowed by Myanmar's military government.

Joining me now Rigo Giron. He is the director of CARE's Emergency and Humanitarian Assistance Unit. Good to see you, Rigo.

However, the big challenge for you all, your CARE workers on the ground there, is not necessarily getting in country, which a lot of other aid agencies are having. You have folks who are in country. The problem is getting assistance to the people in greatest need. Why?

RIGOBERTO GIRON, CARE: That is correct. Well, roads have been damaged, bridges have been washed away, communication lines are not up still. We have 500 staff on the ground, we've been in Myanmar for 14 years, so we have the capacity to get out there. But logistical challenges are hindering that.

WHITFIELD: Right, and you know that there are already people who are living in remote villages. Already they don't have the modern accoutrements of electricity or running water, et cetera, and they wouldn't be able to, you know, send the red flag or wave a white flag to say, hey, we need help. You have to actually just go and find them. How do you do that?

GIRON: Yes, we have coordination mechanisms in place, and we are conducting assessments so that we can identify those that are more formidable in the most remote places generally. So we are using boats. We are using small trucks. Whatever means we have at the moment to actually get to the people that are in need and identify what their immediate basic life-savings necessities are.

WHITFIELD: But there are even barriers for the boats, you know, you all in boats. I mean, you've got debris that's been pushed into the waterways, et cetera. Tell me about those obstacles.

GIRON: Well, the obstacles are huge, especially if you consider that 24 million people have been affected in that area. That's half of the population in the country. With a million severely affected. So the challenges to get to those in need are great. It is not something that we can do alone. We do require international assistance. We do require coordination with the government. We do require coordination with other agencies in order for us to reach those that are in need.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk a little bit more about that coordination with other agencies. You know, there is a lot of sharing, I guess, between agencies of the supplies. And at the same time, you're going run out given -- you know, you're talking about hundreds of thousands of people in need. Are you able to get new shipments, whether it be from stateside or nearby countries into Myanmar, no problems given, the junta government is putting up huge barriers for, say, U.N. aide workers?

GIRON: Well, at the moment I think that the main concern is the logistical challenge. The infrastructure is down. Ports are not up and running. Airports are not up and running. Roads are blocked. So our concern is the logistical obstacles that we're facing. We're staging replies in Thailand at the moment, where other agencies. We have repositioned supplies in other places around the world that we can mobilize quickly. But it's a matter of access at the moment.

WHITFIELD: And you mentioned Thailand. That kind of piqued some interest for me, because I spoke earlier with Admiral Keating of U.S. Southern Pacific there, and he talked about how U.S. aid has made it in that region, and the U.S. government is talking with Thailand now to see if there's some way to kind of hand over materials in order to get into Myanmar, since Myanmar is saying no to U.S. presence. So if your folks are there in Thailand, would CARE be able to help facilitate getting some of this U.S. aid perhaps into the country of Myanmar, to help it be distributed?

GIRON: Yes, it pretty much depends on the type of supplies that are being provided, because we do take into consideration what the communities need. So that's first and foremost. We coordinate with other agencies. We coordinate with the military. And yes, we will be available to consider whatever is needed to bring supplies to those in need.

WHITFIELD: How about airborne, as well as water borne illnesses, diseases. We know that becomes rampant in situations like that. We saw that earlier, you know, with the typhoon. How's that here? How Do you prepare for that? How much of a worry is it to you?

GIRON: It is a big concern. Right now we are taking food, basic necessities like for cooking and for hygiene, and also water, water- purification tablets. That's our main concern. Those are lifesaving interventions that we prioritize at the early stage of a response, and that's what we're doing. We're currently targeting 50,000 people in the areas that CARE can operate in. And therefore, it is a big concern, and we want to address as much as possible.

WHITFIELD: All right. I said typhoon. I meant to say tsunami. But in that general region a few years ago when we remember witnessing that. Rigo Giron, thanks so much, with CARE. All the best. Continued success as you try to get this aid to the people in greatest need there.

GIRON: Thank you. Thank you very much for having us here.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely. Thank you.

HARRIS: And right now let's take you to Shepherdstown, West Virginia. We are just moments away from a Hillary Clinton event. So much news surrounding the Hillary Clinton campaign this day, the day after the primaries in North Carolina and Indiana. Hillary Clinton narrowly winning in Indiana. That event scheduled to happen any moment now. When it does, we will bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The House today debating a rescue plan for families facing foreclosure. It could save homes, but at what cost to taxpayers?

CNN's Kate Bolduan has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She's lived in her home for almost 20 years. A comfortable middle class neighborhood in suburban Maryland.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is where we thought we'd live and die.

BOLDUAN: She says she's never missed a mortgage payment, but now she is facing foreclosure and she doesn't want her face shown because she doesn't want friends and neighbors to know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what will happen in August. You know, I mean, it will be pay your house payment and have nothing. So what would that be?

BOLDUAN (on camera): That's really -- that's an impossible decision.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

BOLDUAN (voice over): Two years ago she refinanced to lower her monthly payment. She admits she didn't read the fine print, and now her payments are about to nearly double to more than $3,000 a month.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just a difficult situation to get yourself in.

BOLDUAN: But it's a situation millions of homeowners are in.

Congressman Barney Frank says despite their mistakes, helping them is key to solving the housing crisis.

REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), CHAIRMAN, FINANCE COMMITTEE: There were some people who were wrong to take the loans out, some people were wrong to make the loans. If nothing happens and all those loans go into foreclosure, the economy suffers.

BOLDUAN: Frank's plan calls for the government to guarantee $300 billion in new loans, but only pay for those that default. He says probably no more than $6 billion.

Homeowners having trouble paying mortgages they took out before January could get the new, more affordable loans. Borrowers would have to prove they need financial help, that at least 35 percent of their income goes to making mortgage payments.

Lenders could unload existing risky loans, but they'd have to take a loss. They'd have to agree to sell the mortgage to another lender for no more than 85 percent of the home's current value regardless of how much they're owed.

STEVE O'CONNOR, MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOC.: It's going to be better than a foreclosure. There will be a greater loss to a lender if a home goes to foreclosure.

BOLDUAN: Frank thinks his plan could help up to 1.5 million homeowners.

FRANK: Let's get this to a point where you can pay, because something is better than nothing.

BOLDUAN: But opponents say it's a massive bailout.

REP. JEB HENSARLING (R), TEXAS: To finance people who couldn't really afford to be in these homes in the first place I don't believe helps them. I don't think it helps the taxpayer. I don't think it helps the economy.

BOLDUAN: The Bush administration calls Frank's bill too risky, but this homeowner says it could be her last chance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What makes this so hard is because we always had an answer. Some way or another there was an answer.

BOLDUAN (on camera): And this time not so much?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not so much.

BOLDUAN (voice over): Kate Bolduan, CNN, Clinton, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, this engine is not purring -- it's growling. Dog gets stuck; truck owner gets shocked.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, pop the hood, check those belts and hoses and don't forget to watch out for the pit bull.

Letitia Orgaz (ph) of affiliate KCRA reports, A truck owner got the shock of a lifetime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Opened the door, popped the hood -- hi! -- there it was.

LETITIA ORGAZ (ph), KCRA REPORTER (voice-over): Walt Witthoeft still can't believe what he found in his engine of his work truck when he popped the hood before his morning commute to the Bay Area.

WALTER WITTHOEFT, FOUND DOG IN ENGINE: When I opened it up, there was a pair of eyes staring at me and this growl. It was like -- it blew me away. I didn't know what to do.

ORGAZ: Those around him took pictures of this 60-pound pit bull wedged in the engine for several hours. The dog kept himself entertained.

WITTHOEFT: The dog couldn't back out, so it ate up everything on the engine.

ORGAZ: Reporter: With the dog still stuck, Witthoeft needed help, so he called Vacaville (ph) Police, animal control and his daughters.

MARIANNA PALMER, DAUGHTER: Sure enough, there's a dog staring at me. And I guess through all our excitement she just wriggled her way out, and we saw all the wires and everything cut. Full of grease and scared, Solano (ph) County Animal Control took the 3-year-old pit bull to this shelter. With no tags they're hoping someone will recognize her and come forward.

WITTHOEFT: I kind of call it a pit stop -- you know, this pit got stuck in my engine, and it's a fine place to stop. But I just got the truck out of repair last week.

PALMER: It's something that we're just going to laugh at, you know, 10 years down the road.

WITTHOEFT: And I'm never going to forget it, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Wow. You're not going to forget that, come on.

WHITFIELD: I know. You know what, that is some fierce little dog.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, made it through, huh.

WHITFIELD: Yes, was having a hard time figuring out whether it was a full grown or a small one. But anyway, the truck owner will have to pay more than $1,000 to repair what the dog chewed up. So he's not happy. That's what they meant about, we'll laugh about it later, because I think it's funny now, but you know, nobody was hurt.

All right, well, CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.

HARRIS: And it's not my car.

"ISSUE #1" is next with Gerri Willis and Ali Velshi.