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American Morning
Clinton Vows to Stay in the Race; U.S Relief Aid Waiting for Myanmar to Grant Entry; Another Superdelegate Defects to Obama Camp
Aired May 09, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jenna Bush did offer a glimpse into her relationship with her father during a phone call while appearing on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" last December.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW")
JENNA BUSH, PRESIDENT BUSH'S DAUGHTER: Dad?
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, baby.
J. BUSH: Are you mad?
BUSH: No, not at all. I do want to say Merry Christmas to your audience. I want to tell my little girl I love her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, as he prepares to give her away at her wedding, George W. Bush, the father, is learning to let go.
BUSH: It's been a blessing to see them grow up, and I'm real proud of them.
QUIJANO (on camera): The president will be leaving office in eight months and has said privately he would like grandchildren sooner rather than later. A point he's already made to daughter Jenna, as he considers life beyond the White House. Elaine Quijano, CNN, Crawford, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're just crossing the top of the hour. Good morning, everybody.
But now, to the "Most Politics in the Morning." With four days to go to the West Virginia primary, both candidates are looking beyond that to the primaries in Oregon and Kentucky.
Barack Obama campaigns in Oregon all day today. Voters there go to the polls two weeks from Tuesday. Obama sat down with our own Wolf Blitzer and said despite being close to the nomination, his campaign still has a lot left to do, downplaying a new "Time" magazine" cover calling him the winner. He says he doesn't want it to be a jinx. Meantime, Hillary Clinton campaigned late into the night in Oregon. She said don't count her out yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And people say to me all the time, well, are you going to keep going? Well, yes, of course, I'm going to keep going. And why am I going to keep going? I'm going to keep going because you keep going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Clinton appears at a round table discussion in Portland today, then she's off to Louisville, Kentucky, for a dinner tonight.
So Clinton says she's not out yet, but it seems like late night host David Letterman disagrees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN")
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": So here's what happened on Tuesday. Hillary Clinton barely won my home state of Indiana, and she lost in the state of North Carolina. But here is the good news. She has a substantial lead in the state of denial.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: And we have new delegate numbers this morning. Barack Obama picked up two more superdelegates cutting Hillary Clinton's lead to seven. Now, Obama still has the overall lead with 1,848 delegates. Clinton has 1,685, as you see there; 2,025, the magic number needed to win the nomination.
And a new development on Florida's delegates this morning. The "Miami Herald" is reporting that Barack Obama has promised the state's delegation it will be seated at the convention in Denver. But it's Senator Clinton who needs Florida and Michigan's votes now more than ever. Jessica Yellin shows us why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don't tell her it's over. Clinton in West Virginia --
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a little bit like deja vu all over again. Some in Washington wanted us to end our campaign and then I won New Hampshire.
YELLIN: She says of Tuesday's primary --
CLINTON: It's a test for me and it's a test for Senator Obama, because for too long we have let places like West Virginia slip out of the Democratic column.
YELLIN: But it was her only mention of her opponent. No more direct attacks. Meanwhile, Barack Obama made what appeared to be a victory lap around the Capitol, adoring fans and all.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's why I'm running for president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you'll win it, too.
YELLIN: He conceded the next primaries to Clinton.
OBAMA: She is very likely to win West Virginia and Kentucky. I mean, those are two states where she's got insurmountable leads.
YELLIN: But he never pressured her to get out of the race. Clinton's strongest supporter insists she can beat the odds.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She can still win this thing if you vote for her big enough. They're going to have to resolve Michigan and Florida, and when they do, she can win the popular vote.
YELLIN: And her campaign sent Obama this letter calling on him to work with Michigan and Florida and honor their votes which Clinton won. But with talk of heavy campaign debt and diminishing odds, there's a sense among Clinton's top supporters that it's just a matter of time and about doing this right, making history for women.
H. CLINTON: I believe that I would be the best president and that I am a stronger candidate against John McCain. Do you know how difficult it is for women to stand up and say we are the best at anything?
YELLIN (on camera): There are all sorts of scenarios flying among Clinton's top supporters right now. One scenario, she could get out after a big win in West Virginia so she'd go out on top. Another is, she'd want to stay in to see what happens with the votes in Michigan and Florida. Then others say it's really all about how much money she has to continue and her mindset, and she is sharing her personal thoughts with very few people these days. Jessica Yellin, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: And we'll hear much more from Barack Obama in just a couple of minutes. Wolf Blitzer's interview with him coming up in about 20 minutes' time -- T.J.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Alina, we now want to turn and get the latest from the disaster zone in Myanmar. The United Nations this morning says 1.5 million people have been affected, but aid is only getting to about 10 percent of them. Myanmar's reclusive government has so far not granted visas to aide workers. The U.N. says that is unprecedented in the history of humanitarian work. The United States is trying to bring aid to the region, but so far Myanmar has not allowed it. The U.S. has made its first contact, however, with the Myanmar government.
I want to head now to Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara, the United States, so many other countries, want to help, trying to help, but the Myanmar government is not making this easy.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely right, T.J. A senior U.S. military official at least now has himself made contact with members of the Myanmar regime. No approval yet from that government. It seems really beyond belief. But the U.S. military is on the move laying in plans, getting ready in hopes that the junta will say yes.
What is going on? They are presenting the Myanmar government with two phases of a U.S. military aid operation. First, U.S. C-130 aircraft would fly U.N. relief supplies into the capital of Myanmar, off load them there, turn around and leave, try and keep that air bridge going but keep their own U.S. military footprint very small. If they can build confidence with the junta that this can work, then they will engage in an approval for a second phase.
That would be U.S. military helicopters then flying out across the country of Myanmar into the affected areas, flying low and air dropping supplies into some of the most devastated region where there are no air fields, where those fixed wing cargo planes could land.
What a senior U.S. military official tells CNN after laying out this whole plan to us, he says they have got to build confidence with that government. They believe the government in Myanmar worries that the U.S. military has perhaps other intentions than just helping. They do not, they are assuring that government -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Barbara Starr for us from the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you this morning.
And we want to take a look at just how Myanmar got so isolated from the rest of the world. He's your AMERICAN MORNING extra.
Myanmar, formerly called Burma, was once part of the British empire. The military overthrew its civilian government in 1962. It led with an iron hand ever since. In 1988, the military cracked down on student demonstrators killing thousands.
And in 1990, opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in elections, but the military refused to honor the results and has kept her under house arrest on and off ever since. Last September, you will recall the dramatic images of the military in Myanmar cracking down on monks who were leading pro-democracy demonstrations -- Alina.
CHO: Western Beirut is out of government hands and under Hezbollah control this morning. At least one prominent leader is calling it a coup saying the pro-western government could be offering conditions for surrender soon. At least 11 people have been killed in three straight days of street battles.
Calls for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign this morning after details of an ongoing bribe investigation against him were made public. Olmert says he never took any illegal money from a Long Island businessman back when he served as mayor of Jerusalem or when he was government minister. And he said he'll resign if he's indicted. This is the fifth time Olmert has been investigated since becoming prime minister -- T.J.
HOLMES: Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey and his estranged wife have settled the custody phase of their divorce battle. A court official says the deal regarding their 6-year-old daughter came during closed door negotiations with a judge. The couple will be back in court Monday to hash out the remaining issues which include alimony, child support, and his former's wife claim of marriage fraud. The couple split in 2004 after McGreevey revealed he was gay.
Well, he was linked to a prostitution ring, but he is not going to face ethics charges in the Senate. We're talking about Louisiana Senator David Vitter here. The Ethics Committee dismissing a complaint against Vitter who was linked to that Washington prostitution ring that was run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey.
Palfrey committed suicide last week. The committee says the conduct occurred before Vitter became a senator and did not result in criminal charges or involve the improper use of his public office or his status.
CHO: There are new safeguards for the social networking site Facebook to tell you about. Attorneys general from several states say Facebook will add more than 40 new safeguards to its site including technology that verifies ages and identities of people using social networking Web sites, severing links to pornographic Web sites and booting users link to incest, pedophilia, or cyber bullying. The Child Protection Pack is similar to the one MySpace agreed to back in January.
Well, coming up, they were a hit with their Michael Jackson "Thriller" dance. Now, the famous prisoners from the Philippines are back, this time with a pair of new dance numbers. You have to see it to believe it. We'll show you coming up.
HOLMES: Yes, folks, that's the "Soldier Boy."
Also, this is not breaking news anymore, is it? Oil hitting another record price this morning surpassing $125 a barrel. How that's going to hit you at the gas pumps. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Good morning, everybody. We have breaking news to report. Another supporter of Hillary Clinton is now abandoning her and throwing his support to Senator Barack Obama. This is according to an Obama campaign aide who tells CNN that Representative Donald Payne, a New Jersey Democrat and an early Clinton supporter, is now throwing his support behind Barack Obama. We'll have more on this as we get more details on it -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. That's a breaking story. This not anymore really. You and Ali, the script is the same every morning. Just plug in a new number, don't you, Stephanie Elam?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Something like that, and it's actually risen since the hour that I was here ago.
HOLMES: Wow.
ELAM: Yes. So, now we're looking at oil this morning trading in electronic trading at $125.12. That's the high that was hit this morning. It's actually did back down some since then. But oil continuing to climb, gives us an idea of what's going to happen here in New York today.
Taking a look at where we closed in New York trading yesterday for oil $123.69, up 16 cents. So, this is all an issue. We have some weak dollar issues, which really is the strength of the euro which is affecting that. And that in a sense, oil does trade in dollars here. That's part of the reason why we're seeing that.
Demand obviously an issue worldwide, and the summer is coming up and we all know we use more oil during the summer for gas and things and our big SUVs. Some of us here on this panel know what I'm talking about.
HOLMES: Yes, Alina has a huge vehicle.
ELAM: A huge vehicle, right?
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: I don't have a car.
HOLMES: For such a small woman.
ELAM: So anyway -- yes, because we both live here, Alina, we know we're not talking about me. Anyway, gas prices, AAA is now saying the record for the national average for a regular gas, $3.67 a gallon, just above that actually. So it's up two-tenths of a cent from yesterday.
For the year, the national average for regular gas is up about 20 percent and most of that coming within the last month. So gas prices continuing to climb. Good thing we live in Manhattan, Alina, we don't have to worry about these things.
HOLMES: Do you want me to sell the SUV? You keep getting on to me about it.
ELAM: I just like it when you're here. I never get to see you so vigilant.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Tricked out. Why do we -- it's a Tahoe, Alina.
ELAM: It's not really tricked out.
HOLMES: It's not. All right. Thank you.
ELAM: You're welcome.
CHO: We are watching breaking news. Another defection in the superdelegate realm. An early Clinton supporter now supporting Barack Obama. We'll have more on that.
And the Democratic dream ticket. Will Barack Obama pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate? Find out how he answers these questions. Wolf Blitzer interviews Obama. That's straight ahead.
And also there's Rob. Hey, Rob, good morning.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Alina. We're tracking severe weather. Twenty-one reports of tornadoes yesterday across half a dozen states, and there's more to come today and more to come this weekend. Complete weather coming up when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Video coming into us right now from North Carolina. Hit hard overnight by apparent tornadoes rolling through that area. Definitely tornadoes, just a matter of how strong they were.
Cars tossed around. Certainly a lot of building damage, and it's all coming in the middle of the night which is always a scary proposition.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Rob Marciano in the severe weather center. We tracked that storm. We also tracked a series of storms that rolled through Mississippi and Alabama. Twenty-one reports of tornadoes across six states. Here is a look at the map where all those reports came in, and then we'll also show you some video that came in from Mississippi. So, here we go.
A bunch in Mississippi, Alabama, and North Carolina as well. We'll zoom into the Tupelo one which did the worst damage. Reports now it was an EF-3, meaning reports of 140-mile-an-hour winds. It touched down just south of this furniture mart. And this is the airport here, and then it tracked to the north and east and then next report was just north of Highway 78. By this time, it was an EF-2 with winds lesser than that.
It was nine miles long, 200 yards wide. As mentioned, winds in excess of 140 miles an hour. There's a couple of other tornadoes that touched down in Mississippi as well.
All right, let's go over the threat for today. We do have thunderstorm watch or tornado watch that's in effect until 9:00 a.m. This is for eastern Virginia and parts of the Delmarva, eastern North Carolina as well. At the moment no tornado warnings, but another cluster of storms about to drop into this area with cold pool of air aloft and some winds coming in from the south. And the same areas, including tupelo, including northern Alabama that were hit yesterday will be hit this afternoon and probably again tomorrow as well.
So the threat is going to continue this weekend for the folks who got hit hard already yesterday and today. That's the latest from the weather department. Alina and T.J. back up to you.
CHO: All right, Rob, thank you.
We have breaking news this morning. Another defection among the superdelegate ranks. An early Clinton supporter now backing Barack Obama. We'll have details ahead.
HOLMES: Also, anger this morning on both sides of the presidential race. Barack Obama getting some heat from the McCain camp this morning for something he said here on CNN. We'll tell what you that was.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Breaking news to report. Another defection in the superdelegate ranks. An early Clinton supporter now backing Barack Obama. We want to go straight to our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley who joins us now by phone from Washington. Candy, they're dropping like flies. How significant is this?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, you don't want the picture if you're Hillary Clinton of people abandoning you. As you know, she is out there saying this is still winnable, as is her husband, the former president. But now, Donald Payne, who's a New Jersey Democrat who has been a Clinton supporter, as you mentioned, becomes the third person to leave Clinton for Obama in the past 72 hours. So you don't want this kind of trickle if you're Hillary Clinton.
In the meantime, Senator Obama also picked up the superdelegate support of Congressman Peter DeFazio who is an Oregon congressman, as you know, the Oregon primary is coming up. So there is this momentum sense and as you know in politics, perception has an awful lot to do with how people look at things.
So you don't, if you're Hillary Clinton, want this kind of news. If you're Barack Obama, well, you're thrilled to death. They're now by our count six superdelegates behind in the Obama camp behind Clinton. She has always held that edge from the very beginning, had that support from party officials, elected officials.
Now he is closing in on that, and it would leave really the last metric in which she was ahead, although obviously in the Clinton camp they still argue that if you add Michigan and Florida, she's ahead in the popular vote. But it is not good news for the Clinton campaign that's been struggling.
CHO: It most certainly isn't. And I know, Candy, that you know that privately the Clinton camp, at least some people around her, are talking about a potential exit strategy. So lay out the possible scenarios for us.
CROWLEY: They're certainly endless, and I have to tell you that she is not talking at this point to an awful lot of people about what's in her head. So we take from what she's saying that she is moving on.
She was in South Dakota yesterday. South Dakota is the -- literally holds its primary on the last day of the primary season. So she talked about being there.
Exit strategies, most people say, and again this is from the outside, perhaps she should go at some point when she wins something so she could go out on an up note. Others say why not? It's three more weeks. Why not let her play it out?
You know, she has pledged for weeks and weeks that she wanted to wait until the last person has voted. She wants to give everyone a chance to vote. So there are a number of superdelegates that I talked to who are going to eventually support Obama who say, you know, what is the point right now of saying, you know, pushing her to get out?
And it's not just about Hillary Clinton, and there is a huge reservoir of respect for the senator up on Capitol Hill, even among those that have some qualms about how she's conducted part of her campaign. So that respect is there, but it's also about Clinton supporters.
There are millions of women that the Democrats need to have support them, so they don't really want to look as though people are trying to muscle her out of the race. So she could go all the way to the end. She could end it after West Virginia. She shows no signs of doing anything other than going through June 3rd.
CHO: And Candy, as you well know, there has been a lot of buzz lately about a potential dream ticket, meaning an Obama at the top, Clinton at the bottom. Obviously she's not saying anything about that publicly, nor is he.
But what are you hearing? There are some people who have said if he asks nicely, she might say yes.
CROWLEY: Well, you know, without the two principals commenting, and believe me neither is anyone around them inside their campaigns, there has always been a huge amount of speculation, and honestly hope and desire on the part of many Democrats to put the two of them on the same ticket, particularly as it has become a more bitter struggle.
But part of this -- early on, as you know, there was a lot of discussion about this so-called dream ticket, and it was about people who didn't want to see the party so divided. Now, the dream ticket comes back up again as a way to how can we give a graceful exit to Hillary Clinton. So I don't get the sense that at this moment this is coming from either one of these campaigns.
This is sort of outside people saying, here is how we could solve this. There are many, many people that we've talked to privately and, in fact, some people publicly, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who have said this is just not going to happen.
CHO: Interesting. Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley. Candy, thank you. We'll check back with you later.
CROWLEY: OK.
CHO: So Clinton says she's not out yet, as you just heard from Candy, but it seems like late night host David Letterman disagrees with her. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": So here is what happened on Tuesday. Hillary Clinton barely won my home state of Indiana, and she lost in the state of North Carolina. But here is the good news. She has a substantial lead in the state of denial.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes, it's funny there, but a lot of serious talk about her getting out, and she is not looking at the numbers that a lot of people --
CHO: It's still funny.
HOLMES: It is funny. But, of course, everybody is maybe encouraging her to maybe possibly get some kind of exit strategy because Barack Obama is pulling ahead in the delegate count as we've been hearing this morning.
He's actually taking delegates away from her in some instances. There is that buzz, remember Candy Crowley talked about, whether he'd consider picking Hillary Clinton as a running mate. Both the Clinton and Obama camps say that's a bit premature to talk about vice presidents right now because both are still focused on winning the nomination.
However, you all are pretty sure she should not be on that ticket. If Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, should he select Hillary Clinton as a running mate? Well, right now, 23 percent of you say yes, but 77 percent say no, don't do it.
You can head to CNN.com. Keep those votes coming into us. And if not Hillary Clinton, who? Send us an e-mail and let us know who would be on your dream ticket. CNN.com/am. We'll be reading some of those e-mails a little later in this show.
CHO: We have more on that breaking news this morning in the race for the White House. Just a couple of minutes ago, CNN learned that a superdelegate pledged to Hillary Clinton has switched to Barack Obama. His name is New Jersey representative, Donald Payne, and he is the third person to leave Clinton for Obama in just the past 72 hours. He now trails her by just six superdelegates but still leads overall with 341.
Meantime, Senator Obama is giving his first interview since Tuesday's primaries in North Carolina and Indiana. He sat down with our Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" for an extensive one-on-one. Wolf also threw in a few questions from our viewers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE, CNN "THE SITUATION ROOM")
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We asked our viewers to send us in some questions, and we got thousands of responses, as you can only imagine. I got a couple. I just want you to watch one of those, and get your reaction. A lot of people ask this basic question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It appears that you do not have enough support among blue collar workers as Senator Clinton did. Would you consider just on that basis alone consider her on a joint ticket as vice president?
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, you know, as I said before, "Time" magazine notwithstanding, we haven't wrapped this thing up yet. At the point where I'm the nominee, I'll start going through the process of figuring out what, you know, my running mate -- who my running mate might be.
Senator Clinton has shown herself to be an extraordinary candidate, and she's tireless, she's smart, she's capable. And so, obviously, she'd be on anybody's short list to be a potential vice- presidential candidate, but it would be presumptuous of me at this point when she is still actively running, when she's highly favored to win the next -- two of the next three contests for me to somehow suggest that she should be my running mate. At this point, I think we have to just resolve this process and then we can figure it out.
BLITZER: There will be plenty of time down the road for that.
OBAMA: There will be.
BLITZER: All right. Here's another question. Listen to this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I strongly believe that us human beings are defined by what we've done in our lifetime. What is the one thing that President Barack Obama wants to be remembered for achieving during his presidency or during his lifetime?
OBAMA: Well, we've got a lot of jobs before us, but the most important thing I think I could achieve, you know, if I'm looking back eight years from now and I'm fortunate enough to have been the president, is that we were able to navigate our way through this situation in Iraq and the threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan in a way that makes us more secure, stronger, but also enhances our influence around the world, which I think has been diminishing.
I think the way we have run this war in Iraq has lessened our ability to move our allies. It has led us to ignore the critical needs for us to focus on a sound energy policy in this country. It has left us unable to lead on critical global issues like global warming, and it's led us to neglect what ultimately is the most important thing to keeping America safe, and that is having an economy that is the envy of the world and that gives us the resources and the power to project ourselves around the world.
If China ends up becoming the economic powerhouse of this century, then their military will ultimately match up with that economic power.
So part of resetting our foreign policy has to include understanding that there are Americans out there who are struggling. They want to succeed. They want to get a college education. They want to be scientists. They want to be, you know, on the cutting edge of clean energy, and they want to be on the cutting edge of biotech, but we're going to have to make some investments and ensure that the dynamism and the innovation of the American people is released. It's very hard to do that when we're spending $200 billion a year rebuilding other countries instead of focusing on ours.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We're out of time but a quick question on this mother's day weekend. Your mother raised you. She was on food stamps at one point, a single mother. If she were alive today and she saw where you have reached, the point that you have reached right now, what would she say to you?
OBAMA: She'd say don't let it get to your head. Just keep on working hard, but I think she'd be pretty proud. Everything that I am I owe to her. She was the kindest, most generous person I ever met, and her values and her integrity still guide me. She's somebody who when I'm confronted with difficult choices I have to ask myself what would she expect of me? And I think that's usually a good guidepost.
Now I have to say that the mother that counts most in my life at the moment is Michelle, who through a very difficult process continues to raise two of the best daughters that anybody would ever want, and she's out on the campaign trail at the same time and keeping me straight, so happy mother's day to her as well.
BLITZER: And a happy mother's day to all the mothers out there.
OBAMA: Absolutely.
BLITZER: Senator, thanks very much for coming in.
OBAMA: Thank you, Wolf. I enjoyed it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: And we have some more breaking news reporting. Authorities apparently in Myanmar have seized U.N. aid intended for the victims, up to 100,000 people dead reportedly from outside sources following that weekend cyclone. Up to 1 million people homeless.
Veronica De La Cruz here with more on that.
Veronica, good morning.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Alina. It's nice to see you, nice to see you, too, T.J.
The U.N. blasting Myanmar's government this morning for its decision to reviews visas for aid workers. In the meantime, we have been getting an inside look at the damage from last week's cyclone. We're going to take a look at some of the pictures. We have had our Dan Rivers on the ground there and here is some of the devastation we're looking at now. You can see the extent of the destruction there. The United Nations at this point saying 1.5 million people may have been affected by this disaster. Aid right now only getting to about 10% of them. We're going to keep a close eye on that story and bring you the latest developments.
Also happening this morning, former chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell urging congress to extend the G.I. bill. He says veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan deserve the same opportunities as vets of other wars. However, President Bush and presidential candidate Senator John McCain oppose the expansion saying it's too expensive. White House officials are also worried that a new bill would cause a drop in military numbers as members leave to get an education.
Well, you know, this Sunday is mother's day and if you're thinking about paying back mom for all that she has ever done for you, a new study from salary.com says a mother's work, take a listen, is worth $117,000 a year. The site calculates pay levels for ten different job titles, including housekeeper, daycare teacher, van driver, psychologist, and CEO. Now, the study was pretty kind to mom. It even includes a healthy amount of overtime. So mom, just in case you're out there and watching today, I want you to know that your work has been priceless.
CHO: That's right.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, that's so sweet.
DE LA CRUZ: Happy mother's day.
CHO: $117,000, I don't think so.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That means you don't have to pay her back.
DE LA CRUZ: That's what I was aiming for, Stephanie. Thank you very much.
HOLMES: Thank you. Stephanie is back, and for not good reasons really.
ELAM: Exactly because oil has just taken off and taken trips and now almost $126 a barrel. We're looking at $125.98. That's what has been hit here. We did confirm that. That's up $2.29 from yesterday. This is an electronic trading this morning. Just so you know, the close yesterday was $123.69. When it opens here, we'll be taking a look at what's going on here. But again, the weak dollar having an issue, demand, it's all the same reasons we keep hearing. I want to give you something different than what Ali tells you every single day but it's not really different. It's the same thing. We're going to keep our eyes on it to see how oil continues today and how that rolls into effecting us as we get closer to the summer months.
HOLMES: We know you want to tell us something different, but you're at least doing it with hair so we appreciate it.
ELAM: Thank you. I brought my hair today. I left the barrel to the side.
HOLMES: All right. Stephanie Elam, thank you. We want to be seeing you shortly when it spikes up in a few moments. All right. Thank you.
Well, also something that's been going on for years, U.S. couples adopting children from Vietnam, but the practice could be coming to an end.
Our Zain Verjee with the story.
Well, good morning to you there, Zain. Looks like we were all expecting something a little different, but it's good to see your smiling face this morning. Good morning to you.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, T.J.
The U.S. adopts more children from overseas than all of the rest of the world combined, but families in the U.S. who are trying to adopt from Vietnam are facing a major roadblock.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA TERESINSKI, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: This is the nursery we set up for the baby that we hoped to adopt.
VERJEE: The perfect nursery, but a baby for Laura may never arrive from Vietnam. That's because an adoption agreement between Washington and Hanoi is falling apart.
How did you feel when you learned about what was happening?
TERESINSKI: We were -- my husband and I were absolutely devastated.
VERJEE: A State Department report warns of serious adoption irregularities in Vietnam. Forged documentation, mothers paid, coerced, or tricked into giving up their children.
MICHELLE BOND, DEP. ASSNT. SECRETARY OF STATE: One child stolen from his mother is one too many.
VERJEE: The Vietnamese government denies the U.S. accusations and has slammed the door on adoptions September 1st. Last year more than 800 children from Vietnam were adopted by parents like Laura here in the U.S.
LINDA BROWNLEE, ADOPTION CENTER OF WASHINGTON: It's hard, hard to let it go. Because we know we can advocate for these children and we could make a real difference.
VERJEE: Private adoption agencies insist 99 percent of Vietnam adoptions are problem-free and want the agreement to stay.
BROWNLEE: Without it, I think children are going to be harmed, they're going to die needlessly, and there is going to be trafficking.
VERJEE: Similar fraud and corruption problems exist in Guatemala where adoptions have also been suspended. The State Department says it sympathizes with families but --
BOND: No American family wants to adopt a child that was never truly an orphan and that has a family in Vietnam wondering what happened to him or her.
VERJEE: Laura understands, but she's still angry at them.
TERESINSKI: Adoptive parents have put a lot of emotional energy and a lot of financial resources into the process.
VERJEE: Including writing a personal letter to the Vietnamese government.
TERESINSKI: We'll make sure our children receive the best education, that they grow up with a strong sense of pride in their Vietnamese heritage.
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VERJEE: The State Department says the current agreements with Vietnam cannot be extended because, T.J., it simply hasn't worked. They say that the U.S. though will work with Vietnam just to see how the two countries can move forward from this.
HOLMES: Zain, you mentioned Guatemala. Of course, some families, U.S. families, trying to adopt children from there. What do they do now? Are they just left in limbo?
VERJEE: Well, some of them are. Basically there can't be any new adoptions until Guatemala reforms its system to meet international standards on adoption. There are a lot of American families caught in that kind of limbo. There are actually about 2,000. They have already applied to adopt. What's happening with them is that because their cases are pending, the State Department is saying they do expect them -- those cases to eventually work their way through the system and they'll eventually get a child.
HOLMES: All right. Our Zain Verjee this morning. Good to see you. Thank you so much. CHO: She's covered stories all over the world, but North Korea has always been off limits until now. CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour gives us a preview of her documentary this weekend "Notes from North Korea."
And marijuana and your mental health. Find out why it could damage your brain in more ways than one. New research ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHO: Welcome back. It was a concert that made history.
Back in February, the New York philharmonic performed in North Korea, the first time an American orchestra was allowed to play in the communist country. I was lucky enough to be part of the press delegation telling my family's story and seeing a country once united now divided into north and south.
Of course, I was there with my colleague, esteemed colleague, Christiane Amanpour, our chief international correspondent who just finished her one-hour documentary "Notes from North Korea." It will air this Saturday and Sunday both at 8:00 p.m. and 11 p.m. eastern. Christiane joins us now.
You know Christiane, I felt so lucky to be there with you. I remember very distinctly when we landed there that you said I've been all over the world, but this is one place I haven't been.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it really was like going to the moon. It is such an incredibly isolated place. So little is known about it. So few journalists are able to actually go there and do any kind of meaningful work. It's true we didn't have the run of the place. It's true that it's a dictatorship and we were closely controlled, but for those few days that we were there, I thought we got an exceptionally good look, a very rare window into the people and into the situation there, and as journalists, as you will see in this clip now, it was quite a different experience.
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AMANPOUR: Two of us going to Pyongyang.
Thank you, ladies.
Bye.
I can tell you it's taken me at least nine years to get this visa. I have been wanting to go to Pyongyang for a long, long, long time.
Our trip begins in Beijing, China. This North Korean plane is a bit of a relic, built by the former Soviet Union in the 1970s. From the moment you sit down, you get the message about North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-Il. Two hours later, touchdown in Pyongyang. Nice to meet you.
We are greeted by our official minder, Mr. Song, who never leaves our side.
We're looking forward to seeing it. It's my first time.
Mr. Song gathered up our cell phones and blackberries to be held until we leave the country. Visitors, like North Koreans themselves, are cut off from the outside. When we left the airport, another twist; an arm band. On it says reporter. A little unusual, but here we are.
Another minder, Mr. Jang, tells us what we can and what we can't film.
JANG: We cannot take pictures behind.
AMANPOUR: Behind.
Just in front.
JANG: Just in front.
AMANPOUR: And why is that?
JANG: Why is that?
AMANPOUR: Yeah.
JANG: I'm not sure but -
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AMANPOUR: So not sure why we couldn't shoot behind the statue but principle is principle. For those of you who thinks it's just a travel log, it's not. This is a very serious piece of journalism about people-to-people diplomacy, which is vital particularly between countries and nations and cultures that are stuck and frozen in time, and I think we've done something quite brave because it's often not popular to break the stereotype and to try to go beyond the stereotype, and what we've done is tried to show the human side of a nation which is locked in a deep political confrontation with the United States and what you're going to see is that ice that was broken by the concert and you're going to see the progress also in the political nuclear negotiations.
CHO: You and I were sitting next to each other in the concert hall and just so extraordinary to be there. I think people forget too, as you point out, that so many families were torn apart by the Korean War as well. I know you were the only western journalist to speak with the top nuclear negotiator. What is the status of talks?
AMANPOUR: I was called in to talk to him and this was important because otherwise we had no access to North Korean officials. He basically told me number one, the concert he thought was excellent as a musical venue, but also as a political breakthrough. He said playing the in accordance anthems, including the Star Spangled Banner was a courageous act by both sides because the two countries are still in a state of war, as you know.
In terms of the nuclear progress, many critics scoffed at this concert. Many critics said it shouldn't happen, that it was just pandering to a dictator. However, in real terms, the negotiations have moved forward. Just in this last few days the North Koreans have handed over to the United States a long sort important cache of nuclear related documents. They also say in a very dramatic gesture, they're going to blow up the cooling tower. We had access into that nuclear plant and we saw it being dismantled. They're going to blow it up once the U.S. takes them off its list of states that sponsor terrorism.
In sum, there's a very serious nuclear negotiation going on between the U.S. and North Korea. Many people believe, people who have been involved believe, that it takes more than just officials and governments. It takes a break in the wall of the human-to-human contact.
CHO: That's where the music might have helped.
AMANPOUR: That's right.
CHO: People say if they don't like our words, maybe they will like our music.
AMANPOUR: Exactly.
CHO: Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much for coming in early for us and Christiane's documentary "Notes from North Korea" debuts this weekend, as I mentioned, both Saturday and Sunday 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
T.J.?
HOLMES: All right, Alina.
We have some breaking news from the cyclone-devastated country of Myanmar. The government now seized desperately needed aid for the people there who have suffered so greatly after that cyclone. We will take you live for a report. Stay here.
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HOLMES: We have been talking this morning the past several days about the government of Myanmar and how tough they have been making it on foreign countries and foreign aid to get to the people there who have been hurt so badly by the cyclone that hit. Now word that some supplies that are actually getting into the country to help people, that aid being seized by the Myanmar government.
Our Hugh Rimington live for us now.
Hugh, this just sounds unconscionable. HUGH RIMINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. This breaks the rules. It totally changes the circumstances here at the moment.
Here is what's happened. The U.N. has managed to fly in to its World Food Program today, Friday here in this part of the world, 38 tons of food predominantly plus some other aid, equipment, and some medical kits. It came in the form of two flights. Now, they offloaded these flights. That material has to under U.N. rules be distributed by the U.N.'s own networks. Instead, it has been seized. Now, the head of the U.N. World Food Program, Tony Banbury, we were just speaking with him a few minutes ago, he says, quote, I'm furious, this is unacceptable, it utterly changes the rules.
Now, all future U.N. aid flights into Myanmar, a country that desperately needs everything the world can bring to it, all of those U.N. flights are now suspended until the U.N. can receive guarantees from the Myanmar government that the food can be distributed properly according to the way that they do it. This totally and utterly changes the whole equation on the ground here.
HOLMES: So, Hugh, will supplies and aid just stop? It needs to come in. People need it there desperately, but if the U.N. and other countries have no faith it's going to get to the people who need it, the aid is not going to come at all?
RIMINGTON: Right now this is a total stalemate, and while it remains unresolved, there's no question, everybody knows what's going on. People are dying because there's not the necessary stuff, not just food, but clean drinking water, medical equipment to try to help the people who are injured. All that stuff, it is being held up now because of this impasse.
It's all about control. The Myanmar government wants food, it wants the aid in there, but it wants to run the show. It doesn't want foreigners. It doesn't want any other agencies going off doing heroic work, getting into these places, encouraging people in some ways that there is an outside world that's paying attention to them. It wants control.
The U.N. says under its rules they have to have control. While this remains unresolved, it's just a further terrible event for the people who are suffering so much in the country of Myanmar at the moment.
HOLMES: Hugh, that's just embarrassing. That's a shame and just sad. Those people need so much help right now. Our Hugh Rimington on this story right now. We appreciate you.
CHO: Coyote attacks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was like stalking us.
CHO: Three toddlers in just the past week. Why the dangerous encounters?
Plus, stars and super heroes. GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: I have actually been Batman.
CHO: A super power walk on the red carpet.
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CHO: Welcome back. 56 minutes after the hour. We are tracking two breaking news stories for you this morning. First, another superdelegate defection. An early Clinton supporter now backing Barack Obama. What does this all mean? We're following that story.
Also, some disturbing news coming out of Myanmar this morning in the wake of that devastating cyclone. We are now getting word that authorities there are seizing the very U.N. aid that is supposed to go to the victims. We're watching that story, too.
T.J.?
HOLMES: Well Alina, three coyote attacks in a week. Three toddlers caught in the jaws of wild animals? Dan Simon takes a look at what is causing these attacks.
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DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coyotes typically feed on rabbits and rodents. But in southern California the animals have been preying on humans. Three toddlers targeted in less than a week. The worst attack happened in the front yard of this house. The coyote dragging a 2-year-old down the driveway by her head until her mother was able to fend the animal off. Luckily the girl is expected to recover. Neighbors say it's not the first time in recent weeks they have seen a coyote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was like stalking us. He was just around here and you couldn't chase him off.
SIMON: The latest attack comes less than a week after a coyote latched onto this little girl's diaper on a playground east of Los Angeles. Her mother has her nanny to thank for pulling the girl free.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She could have froze and been scared herself but she reacted just in time.
SIMON: The next day in the same park a father managed to fend off a coyote that tried to attack his child. Coyotes can turn up just about anywhere. Last year in downtown Chicago, one found its way into a Quizno's sandwich shop. A few months later also in Chicago another coyote was seen running through a park. Wildlife experts say attacks are usually preventable.
CHRIS POWELL, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: People have lost the wisdom in how to learn to live with this wildlife, and so when they do see wildlife, they stop, they want to pose their family with them, they give them food as handouts, and those are the type of behavior that is really gets us in trouble with wildlife. SIMON: In California trappers with fish and game have been trying to track down coyotes in populated areas. So far they have killed at least five of the critters.
Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.
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CHO: And to talk more about the attacks joining us now from Cincinnati live is the host of Jack Hanna's Into The Wild and famed wildlife expert Jack Hanna.
Jack, great to see you. Three toddlers attacked in five days. What's going on here?
JACK HANNA, HOST, "JACK HANNA'S INTO THE WILD": Well, what's happened basically the balance has been messed up. The coyote predator, the grizzly bear, the wolf, the cougar, even man, those three top predators of the coyote are basically all gone from that areas right now. That is one problem.
The second problem is this is one of the greatest migrations in the history of our country. If you look at this map, you will see the green, this is North Carolina, you see the green that is 1850. 1850. Look what's happened in 140 or so years, 150 years. This animal has taken over the entire North American continent. It's considered one of the greatest migrations in history. This animal moved from the west coast out to the east coast because they adapt to anything. Their hearing is still the best of any animal in the world. They hear their predators, they are where their food is. They eat anything they can have.
CHO: Isn't it true that as coyotes move closer to people they are feeling more comfortable with humans, and that is not such a good thing, is it?
HANNA: That is a terrible thing. That hasn't happened over the last few weeks, it's happened over the last few generations learning that people aren't going to bother them. People have garbage out, doing and cat food out, bird food out. The coyotes can sit on a hill and watch what's happening and approach that area.
