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American Morning
A Dropout Date for Hillary Clinton?; Myanmar Aid Suspended; Two More Superdelegates in Barack Obama's Camp
Aired May 09, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Isn't it true, too, that as coyotes move closer to people, they're feeling more comfortable with humans and that's not such a good thing, is it?
JACK HANNA, HOST, "JACK HANNA'S INTO THE WILD": No, it's a terrible thing. That's habituation what you calls that. And that hasn't happened just over the last few weeks. It's happened over the last few generations of coyotes learning that people aren't going to really bother them.
Plus people now have garbage out, they have dog and cat food out, they have bird food out. The coyotes are very smart. They can sit up on a hill and watch what's happening and approach that area. It's what they have done. And also I wouldn't be surprised if were the coyotes (INAUDIBLE) if it was the same coyote in two of these incidents.
CHO: I want to get to some news you can use. What can people do to prevent an attack, if anything? And what do you do if you are face with that situation where you are attacked or your child is attacked. What can you do?
HANNA: All right. If you notice every time that the larger person the coyotes run off. The coyote is the size of a mid-sized collie, number one. Especially there was who live down more on the dessert. The higher coyotes -- or much bigger about 50 pounds, either about 20 or 30 pounds.
So they are going to run from a human being this large. Just say a teenager or up. It may be even bigger than that. They will go there and look big and scare the animal away, it will run every time. However, take out your food in from the outside, number one.
Number two, if you have to do this, you may have to get permission. They can go 40 miles an hour run and they can jump an eight foot high fence. So if you have to and you go live in this area where the animals are, you may have to just put up a fence to feel safe. I'm sorry to say that but it may come that.
You don't want to poison. The game officials, commissioners in California do a tremendous job. They don't want to kill the animal anymore than we want to kill the animal. So they are trying to locate these problem animals and get rid of them. If they are habituated, people must understand they cannot do this. Like the alligators in Florida. You cannot feed them. They will cause problem after problem because they associate food with human beings. CHO: Wild life expert, Jack Hanna, host of "Jack Hanna's Into The wild," always great to see you with your insight. Jack, thank you -- T.J.?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Alina. We are following a breaking story in the race for the presidency this morning. Two more superdelegates are in Barack Obama's camp. They are Congressman Peter Defazio of Oregon. But the breaking part of this story is that Congressman Donald Payne of New Jersey also in Obama's campaign because Payne has switched his allegiance from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. Obama is rapidly closing in on Clinton's superdelegate lead.
We want to head now to senior political correspondent Candy Crowley who is with us in Washington. We always talk about this momentum. It's one thing to be picking up superdelegates. It's another thing to be taking them away from Hillary Clinton.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It absolutely is. And here's what's happening. I think that these superdelegates are moving for a couple of different reasons. Certainly when we listen to Congressman Payne or saw his quotes he sort of framed it as I think it's now time for the party to come together. He's the switcher.
He said I think Barack Obama is best able to bring the country together and I think right now it's time for the party to move ahead. And so there is a feeling among superdelegates and some party officials that it's time for this to end.
I think on the other coast with Congressman Defazio, this has been something that they have been weighing for some time. Oregon is expected to go for Barack Obama. So I think you see people either reading the tea leaves in their state or in general.
And it isn't great when you are losing them and the other fellow is gaining them. I will tell you that the Clinton campaign point out that they did pick up -- have picked up a superdelegate in the last 24 hours. So it is not as though she is not picking up any. Nonetheless, we see where that momentum is going. And it's very hard to fight that sort of thing. But they are determined to do so, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. And you talked about some of those Democratic leaders and superdelegates reading the tea leaves. Hillary Clinton appears to be reading from a different set of leaves.
Let's take a listen to what she had to say.
(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.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Yes, I'm going to keep going. But is that argument enough really to stop these defections? What does this mean for her? Here we are talking about this breaking story that she has lost one. I mean, is this, again, all of that momentum, everything is moving towards her getting out of the race?
CROWLEY: Listen, she is determined at this point and from everyone I've talked to in and around the Clinton campaign, she is determined to see this through until June 3rd. And I think in some sense because I've talked to some delegates who say fine, you know, play it out. What is the harm in letting this go for three more weeks? And there are some superdelegates whose either are uncommitted or are with her who say, you know, there is no sense in trying to push her out at this point.
What they are worried about to a certain extent and I've heard this from some top party officials as well as around the Obama campaign, they don't want to be seen as muscling her out. She has a very loyal following. Millions of women in particular. Women that they are going to need. The Democratic Party in the fall to put them over the top.
So, if they are to win, they know this is a constituency they need. So they don't want to offend her or that constituency and make it look as though, you know, the big guys are pushing her out. So there are many that are willing and saying, you know, let it play out. What's the big deal?
HOLMES: What's the big deal? Well, we got a big deal next week, West Virginia. We'll see what happens there. And this thing that appears to be rolling on. Candy Crowley, we are glad we have you. Thank you so much this morning.
CROWLEY: Thanks.
CHO: We have some disturbing news coming out of Myanmar following that devastating cyclone there. We are getting word now that authorities there are seizing the U.N. aid that is supposed to go to the victims of that weekend cyclone. Now a week later.
There you see some of the aid as it is being loaded off. We should mention that U.S. planes packed with relief supplies are standing by in nearby Thailand waiting on the military junta's permission to get in. So far, aid workers have been denied visas and getting reports from inside the country has been challenging at best.
Our own Dan Rivers was inside the country. He is now in Bangkok, Thailand. We hope to hear from him a bit later and Hugh Riminton as well. Up to 100,000 people may have died in that cyclone. Tens of thousands more are missing and up to a million people are homeless. These early days are very critical. So certainly lots of hope there that the aid will get to the victims very soon.
Also new this morning, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell is urging Congress to expand the GI bill. President Bush opposes the expansion saying it's too expensive. But speaking at his alma mater, City College of New York, Powell says it's only fair that veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan get the same chances as America's other returning heroes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, FORMER CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: America has been blessed to have greatness in every single generation. And there is no generation that is any greater and any more deserving than the current generation of wonderful young men and women we have serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
So doesn't it make sense that the kind of benefits we have given to earlier generations to include World War II generation is the same kind of benefit that we should give to the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan? Now the answer to that is clearly yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Presidential Candidate John McCain is also opposed to the bill. White House officials are also worried that an expansion would cause a drop in military numbers as members leave to get an education -- T.J.?
HOLMES: Well, Alina, we will talk about the so-called Democratic team ticket. Will Barack Obama pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate? Find out how he answers that question. Wolf Blitzer sitting down with Obama, that is straight ahead.
Also, oil prices breaking more records. Surprise, surprise. Almost hitting a whopping $126 a barrel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Hello, Stephanie Elam.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, how are you?
CHO: Happy Friday.
ELAM: Happy Friday to you.
HOLMES: Gee, what do you have to talk about?
ELAM: Actually, we've gone down a little bit.
HOLMES: Really?
ELAM: Yes.
HOLMES: All right. You should bring champagne out or something.
ELAM: I should have. I should have brought breakfast food or something. I think we need breakfast food right now. We need a little energy.
Well, let me tell you what's going on with oil here. We've been watching it all morning and it was inching up in electronic trading this morning, hitting a high of $125.98 a barrel. And now it's retreated some, but still that's up a lot from yesterday. Yesterday's close was 123.69.
So if you take a look at where we've gone, it's up about $2.29 from yesterday's close. So we will be keeping our eyes on it here. Worldwide demand is up. Summer month is coming up. That is also going to play into it. But this also has a lot of people wondering what this means for gas.
And I can tell you that gas also hit a new record as well. This according to AAA. New record for the national average just above $3.67 a gallon. Of course that means some people across the country are paying $4 in the Bay area like where I'm from. That -- you know, it's rough on the people out there. Very rough.
So, that's up two-tenths of a cent from yesterday and that's factoring in. For the year, the national average for regular gas is up about 20 percent. And most of the rise in the last month.
So, as we head into those summer months, where, you know, where everyone's filling up the car.
CHO: Yes, we're just (INAUDIBLE) from Memorial Day.
ELAM: It's not far away not.
CHO: Not the kind of news anybody wants to hear.
ELAM: Not really. And unfortunately, somebody has got to do it, right?
CHO: Luckily, you're a ray of sunshine.
ELAM: I'm smiling.
CHO: That's right.
ELAM: So I tell you.
CHO: Stephanie, thank you.
HOLMES: Gee, that helps. Thank you, Stephanie.
We've got a superdelegate vote to tell you about. We've been talking a lot about the superdelegates. And that gentleman right there. He has a vote and he wants to sell it. This is Steven Ibarra. He is a superdelegate from Sacramento. He says his vote is for sale for $20 million.
Hillary Clinton just had to loan her campaign some money. So, she probably can't afford his vote right now. He says he would use that money to help register Mexican-American voters -- something he claims the DNC is not spending enough money on. And he thinks that group is the key to winning the White House in November.
CHO: All right. So, he doesn't want to buy a Lamborghini. He wants to put the money to good use.
HOLMES: To good use, it is.
CHO: But he isn't getting the $20 million and I can tell you that much.
ELAM: Good luck.
CHO: Yes, good luck.
ELAM: He can buy a lot of gas, though, in California. He's in Sacramento, I think I can help out.
HOLMES: Or maybe not that much.
CHO: Maybe a couple of gallons. That's right.
We also have some breaking political news this morning. A Hillary Clinton superdelegate has just defected to the Obama camp, bringing him one step closer to the nomination.
Also, Rob Marciano at the CNN Weather Center tracking all of the extreme weather for us.
Hey, Rob, good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: Hey, Rob, stay here for a moment because this story you won't want to miss.
HOLMES: You do not. Rob, they are back. I know this is -- everybody has been a fan of this video for quite some time. The Philippine prisoners -- they were famous for dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." They got a new one for you now -- Bonnie Tyler's '80s classic "I Need a Hero."
How long before "Dancing with the Stars" recruits one of those prisoners to do the show?
The prisoners say this is a tribute to world heroes like Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, Princess Diana. I know you're not buying that, really. Not too bad here. But they've got something else that might even top this for you.
Soulja Boy and MC Hammer together. I'm embarrassed to be reading it.
CHO: Just like Michael say, that is so wrong. It's r-o-n-g, wrong.
HOLMES: What do we got? I guess they're going to be doing the (INAUDIBLE) and maybe they will walk it out.
CHO: Hey, listen. It's one way to rehabilitate these prisoners, keep them in shape. HOLMES: Whatever works, whatever works.
CHO: Can't you just watch it all day?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, it's better than fighting and lifting weights in the courtyard.
HOLMES: Good point.
MARCIANO: You couldn't pay -- there's not enough money in the world to pay professional dancers to do this. And these guys are doing it, you know, allegedly for free. Maybe they are getting out on good behavior.
CHO: What choice do they have, really?
MARCIANO: I'm sure it builds camaraderie and goodwill throughout the ...
HOLMES: Goodwill? What a way to look on the bright side there, Rob.
CHO: All right, Rob, thank you.
Coming up, Barack Obama sits down with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. We have that interview coming up. Barack Obama is taking your questions, too. So, stay with us.
Also, China's human rights policies has some celebrities calling for a boycott of the opening ceremonies at this summer's Beijing Olympics. But one star has a different idea. We'll have that story in today's headlines when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Many celebrities are calling on the U.S. to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics to protest China's human rights record and on its crackdown in Tibet.
But our Kareen Wynter talks to one celebrity who has a different plan to change China.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He led an all-star cast of artists who back the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
OBAMA: Yes, we can.
WYNTER: Now Will I AM of the Black Eyed Peas is dabbling in the political arena again. He says calls to boycott the Olympic Games in China because of its human rights records are a mistake.
WILL I AM, BLACK EYED PEAS: America is talking out of both sides of its mouth. I know that everything I buy in America says made in China on it. So for me to be like, yes, that's right boycott China -- you are talking out of both sides of your mouth.
WYNTER: Will I AM believes politics has no place in the Olympics. Not only does he reject calls to sit out the Olympics, he's group plans to perform in China next month.
WILL I AM: I feel the same passion on the injustice that is happening in Tibet. And one had to take a stand. But then at the same time traveling, you can stay home and hold picket signs or you could go there and influence them.
WYNTER: Some celebrities including long-time human rights activist Mia Farrow have a different take. Farrow says boycotting the opening ceremonies sends a very loud and clear message to China's leaders.
MIA FARROW, ACTRESS: No one wants to hurt the athletes blah, blah, blah. But to boycott the opening ceremonies, yes. It's up to us as human beings to make it clear what the right thing is.
WYNTER: Will I AM disagrees and says staying home only hurts the Chinese community. People who have no control over the behavior of their leaders and who are just proud to have this historic event in their own backyard.
Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, several world leaders including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have publicly supported the idea of boycotting the opening ceremonies. But President Bush so far has not committed either way
CHO: And with Barack Obama pulling ahead in the delegate count there's new buzz about who he may choose as a potential VP. So we want to hear from you.
If Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, should he select Hillary Clinton to be his running mate? That's our "Quick Vote" question of the day. Right now, 22 percent of you say yes, 78 percent say no. There's still time to vote. So get in there.
So if not Hillary Clinton, then who? Send us an e-mail about it. Let us know who would be on your dream ticket. We are getting some interesting responses. Cnn.com/am that's the address. We're going to read some of the e-mails later on in the show.
HOLMES: And we are following breaking political news this morning. Barack Obama gets closer this morning to locking up the Democratic nomination because of a superdelegate defection.
Also we're following a breaking story out of Myanmar. Find out why medical supplies and food for the people that are suffering there now in the hands of Myanmar's military government. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": I was thinking about this and I'm no political genius. I'm no pundit. But it occurred to me that Hillary Clinton has one thing in common with President Bush, neither of them has an exit strategy. There you go. Ouch!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Late night thoughts there from funny man David Letterman. Always had a joke up his sleeve.
Welcome back, everybody, to AMERICAN MORNING. Twenty-five minutes after the hour.
We are following some breaking news in the race for president this morning. Two more superdelegates are in Barack Obama's camp this morning. They are Congressman Peter Defazio of the State of Oregon and now Congressman Donald Payne of New Jersey.
Payne has just switched from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. Let's get right to senior political correspondent Candy Crowley. She is live in Washington for us.
So Candy, by CNN's count, it looks like Obama is now five shy of taking the superdelegate lead. How significant is this news today?
CROWLEY: Well, I -- always defection from one camp to another particularly at what is a very critical time for Hillary Clinton as she tries to move forward in this to keep superdelegates in line, to hold off the uncommitted and saying, you know, let this play out. Let me see what's going to happen here in the coming states because some of them are very, very favorable to her.
I will also tell you that Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Carney has in fact declared for Hillary Clinton saying his district went for Hillary Clinton, so he will abide by their wishes. So this is a moving target. But one of the significant things that's happening here is that she always has maintained a pretty significant lead among superdelegates.
Those are the official party people elected officials. But he is really as you noticed coming in on that, within five or six. It's a little hard to keep track of it sometimes because it's happening so fast.
CHO: Well they're -- certainly is closing the gap, and that is significant. You know, Hillary Clinton as you know, is expected to win the West Virginia primary. That's less than a week away. And she was campaigning in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and gave another pitch to voters. Let's listen. We'll talk on the other side, Candy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) H. CLINTON: You know, they wanted to stop voting, my goodness, before Super Tuesday. They wanted to stop voting before Pennsylvania. They wanted to stop voting before Indiana. I think that the more democracy we have, the better to get people involved.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: All right. So you heard it. She says count all the votes. Let's seat the delegates in Michigan and Florida. Does she make a good case?
CROWLEY: Well, certainly it's her case and you know, there are some in the party that say we really need to get this over with. The handwriting is on the wall. Now is the time for the party to unite. In fact, that is one of the super delegates -- the reason that Payne is switching. He said it's time to come and bring us together.
On the other hand, Hillary Clinton has always said from the get- go almost let's let all of these votes count. When it was clear what sort of race this was going to be, she started talking like that. It is almost impossible for her now to back away from that.
There are within her campaign, outside her campaign -- there are plenty of people who say look this is going to go to June 3rd. It's three more weeks, June 3rd is the last day. South Dakota being one of the primaries on that last day.
So let's let it play out. And June will be the time that the party comes together. So she is insistent. Her campaign is insistent that it's not over yet. And they are going to play until June 3rd and a little beyond, I suspect.
CHO: Well, Candy, you've been sleep deprived this long. What's another three more weeks?
CROWLEY: Absolutely. Absolutely. You got it.
CHO: Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley, always great to see you and great to have your insight. Candy, thanks. Have a good weekend -- T.J.?
HOLMES: All right and she looks great for that lack of sleep.
Well, Barack Obama giving his first interview since Tuesday's primaries. He sat down with Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" for an extensive one-on-one. Wolf started by asking if he was ready for what could be the next and tougher phase of the race.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's been intense in the primaries. But you realize it's going to be much more intense in the next chapter, in the next phase, given the differences between you and John McCain. Are you ready for this next phase? SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm actually looking forward to it, if we're successful. I don't want to get ahead of myself here. Senator Clinton is a very formidable candidate. She is very heavily favored to win West Virginia. She will win that by a big margin. She's favored in Kentucky. We'll probably split the remaining contests. And, so, she's -- she's going to be actively campaigning.
If I'm fortunate enough to be the nominee, then I am looking forward to the general election precisely because there is such a big, stark contrast ...
BLITZER: There are major differences between you and John McCain...
OBAMA: Exactly.
BLITZER: ...on a whole host of domestic issues...
OBAMA: Exactly.
BLITZER: ...and foreign policy issues. And I want to go through those right now.
OBAMA: Sure.
BLITZER: Right now, already, some of his surrogates, some of his supporters, are suggesting you're not ready to be commander-in-chief, president of the United States.
Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, said this. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, FORMER GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS: He has not accomplished anything during his life in terms of legislation or leading and enterprise or making a business work or a city work or a state work. He really has very little experience. And you know the presidency of the United States is not an internship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Wow. That's a strong statement.
OBAMA: Yes. Well, the contest didn't work out so well for Romney. I think he was making those same arguments against John McCain suggesting that John McCain as a senator hadn't done what Mitt Romney had done. Yet here we are and there Mitt Romney is.
Look -- when it comes to national security, I think that what people are looking for is good judgment. They are looking for somebody who is going to be able to assess the very real risks that are out there. And deploy our forces, not just military, but diplomatic, political, economic, cultural, in a way that makes the American people safe. And whether it's my judgment on Iraq and recognizing that that was going to be a strategic blunder, to my insistence that we need to talk not just to countries we like but countries we don't, to my assessment in terms of how we had over-invested in the Musharraf government in Pakistan and that was going to be setting us up for failure later on, I think I've consistently displayed the kind of judgment that the American people are looking for in the next presidency.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Obama was also asked if he would consider Senator Clinton as a running mate. He said it was too early to think about that but called her an extraordinary candidate that would on anybody's short list.
Some say Hillary Clinton is already circling a date on the calendar as a possible date to leave the race.
Lawrence O'Donnell is a contributor to the "Huffington Post." He has been talking with people inside the Clinton camp. He joins us now from Philadelphia.
And Lawrence O'Donnell, this is not just little birdie that told you. This is a close Clinton confidence you say, and a Clinton official saying that June 15th is the day we will have the nominee. But are they saying who that nominee will be?
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, CONTRIBUTOR, HUFFINGTON POST: In effect, they are saying that Hillary will be out of the race by June 15th, T.J. To go back to the David Letterman joke that opened the segment about her not having an exit strategy, I'm here to tell the nation David Letterman is wrong.
Hillary Clinton does have an exit strategy that target date, the final date, June 15th. What the senior campaign official has told me is that they will go through the final votes on June 3rd. And remember, Hillary is going to win maybe three of these elections and Obama is going to win maybe three of these elections coming out of it.
It's not going to look like some crazy, hopeless campaign for Hillary Clinton as she is winning elections. But they will take no more than a week to make their case to the superdelegates.
As you know the superdelegates have no chance of moving over to Hillary Clinton in a week. So for the Clinton campaign to say we will only make the case for a week, and then by June 15th, we will have a nominee, that is to say she will drop out.
HOLMES: All right, well, you say that that's what they are saying behind closed doors and in private. However, this is what Hillary Clinton is saying to voters still.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) H. CLINTON: Now, there are some folks who have said, well, we needed to end this before we got to West Virginia. Well, I don't think so. I think we want to keep this going so that the people of West Virginia's voices are heard and their votes are counted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Much different from what you are saying you are hearing in private. So, what's the point then? Why stay in? Why not just get out if you know you are getting out in a little while anyway?
O'DONNELL: You know, I don't think it's a really different note, T.J. You'll notice that as of Wednesday, after Tuesday election, it's been a different tone to the Clinton campaign, 100 percent positive, she says nothing negative about Barack Obama. The point is to ramp down her own supporters. To let them spend a couple of weeks coming to grips with the reality that this campaign is over.
Her supporters are very intense. Some of them would be very bitter about her dropping out right now. She's actually doing a huge favor to Obama as the eventual nominee to very gradually let her supporters know how this is going to end.
HOLMES: So she is kind of saving face on her own and she's also helping out the Democratic Party, which has many leaders still worried that this Party is going to be so hurt by this whole back and forth?
O'DONNELL: You know it isn't a matter of saving face at this point. It really is now effectively helping Obama ease into being the nominee and helping her supporters find their way to Obama over a gradual period of time.
I think it would have been very shocking and a bitter experience for Clinton supporters to wake up Wednesday of this week and discover they had no candidate anymore. She's going -- she's on track now for a very professional, very graceful exit to this campaign which will be helpful to the party.
HOLMES: And I'm sure party leaders and many are glad to hear she is doing that. Many thought that she might be trying to hurt him as much as she could, coming up and have him lose, and then she could run again down the road. But it sounds like maybe -- like you say, she might bow out gracefully.
Lawrence O'Donnell for us, contributor with the "Huffington Post." So good to see you this morning. We appreciate.
O'DONNELL: Thank, T.J.
HOLMES: Alina?
CHO: We're following breaking news out of Myanmar this morning. The military there seizing shipments of aid for cyclone victims. They so badly need it and now there is word that future aid flights are being shut down. We will have a live report from the region after the break.
And on the campaign trail, it appears everyone is a winner. Our Jeannie Moos introduces us to the next president of the United States, all three of them. Ahead on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Thirty-eight minutes after the hour. We are following breaking news on the cyclone devastation in Myanmar. The U.N. is shutting down future aid flights because Myanmar's military government apparently seized the very aid that was intended for the victims.
CNN'S Hugh Riminton is live from Bangkok, Thailand. Hugh, I'm just getting word that you've spoken exclusively to the World Food Program about this. What did they say?
HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is an entire change of the rules on the ground. It's an extraordinarily important development. The U.N. has suspended all aid flights into Myanmar.
And this is because they landed two planes Friday with 38 tons of food. It would have fed 95,000 people. The rule for U.N. to work under is that the U.N. itself must distribute through its networks on the ground so that hundreds of people already in Myanmar. It must distribute that food.
The Myanmar government had said no, we are keeping the food to do with as we wish. This was the reaction from the Asia regional director of the World Food Program moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm furious. It is unacceptable. For a relief worker, for a World Food Program staff member, the worst thing in the world that can happen is for a disaster like this to strike. The second worst thing in the world to happen is not to be able to do anything about it and that is what's happening now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIMINTON: Now, they have spent most of the last week, not just the U.N., but the U.S. obviously and many other agencies and countries trying to get aid in. Right now, all of that is in jeopardy.
The U.N. had three more flights they were going to try to get in tomorrow. Those have been suspended. And one can presume that if Myanmar is going to play this game with the U.N., where does that leave the United States in its efforts to get food into Myanmar at the moment. Food and other aid in there would seem to be up in the air as well?
CHO: Unprecedented in the history of humanitarian aid. And certainly this is such a critical time, these first couple of days. Hugh Riminton live in Bangkok, Thailand for us. Hugh thank you -- T.J.
HOLMES: Well, Alina, we have been talking a lot about superdelegates.
Last night though in New York, all about superheroes. Our Lola Ogunnaike hit the red carpet with Hollywood heavy weights like Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, all for a new superheroes fashion exhibit. A look when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello again, everyone. Good morning to you.
We're following a couple of breaking news stories here on "AMERICAN MORNING." The first having to do with Senator Barack Obama getting closer and closer to clinching the Democratic nomination; getting closer to that all-important delegate count.
He has picked up a couple more superdelegates. One of those has gone to his camp, but another one had actually defected from Hillary Clinton's camp.
There he is there on the left, that is Representative Donald Payne who has now switched his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. He was an early supporter of Senator Clinton but has now made a switch. And also Representative Defazio you are seeing there; he has just now come out and declared he is an Obama supporter. So that breaking story.
Also, the story we are watching this morning out of Myanmar where we have gotten word that the government there -- the Myanmar government has seized aid that the U.N. had sent in for the people there who have suffered because of that terrible, terrible cyclone that some estimates say up to 100,000 people could be dead in this thing.
The United Nations says it has shut down all future aid flights to Myanmar. This comes again after the military government has seized U.N. aid to its people.
We are following both of those stories this morning. That second one really a disturbing and upsetting story that the people there who desperately need that help are not yet getting it.
We are on top of those stories.
Now, I want to hand it over to Alina to talk superheroes.
CHO: All right, T.J. Thank you.
You know we have been talking a lot about superdelegates today. But what about those super heroes? Our Lola Ogunnaike was on hand for the opening of the brand new exhibit in New York. We call it the party of the year here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA ROBERTS, ACTRESS: Well, I said Wonder Woman already, so I should stick with that. She's got the hot boots and the jets. JENNIFER LOPEZ, SINGER: Wonder woman, absolutely.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The superstars had one thing on their mind ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want to be any lady. I want to be superman with a full cape so that I can fly.
GEORGE CLOONEY: Remember, you know, I have actually been Batman.
OGUNNAIKE: Superheroes. Some even tried to look like their favorite caped crusader all to honor superheroes and their influence on fashion at a new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
It features over the top couture creations by famous designers, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana; lots of capes and masks. Some recognizable from current and classic films. Robert Downey Jr.'s Ironman armor. Toby McGuire's spidey webware. Michelle Pfeiffer's sexy rubber cat suit.
ANDREW BOLTON, CURATOR, COSTUME INSTITUTE: Michelle has such a small frame, that we actually got the designer (INAUDIBLE) have the original costume to be made on the mannequin. So it's custom made for the exhibition.
OGUNNAIKE: We even got a sneak peek at the new Batman costume from the highly anticipated "Dark Knight."
No phone booths in sight but Clark Kent but still manages to morph into Superman. Christopher Reeves wore this very "S" on his chest in 1978.
C3PO would approve of these metal Balenciaga pants. They even work for Beyonce too. Linda Carter tried to fill in this original Wonder Woman getup. She made the character famous in the 70's. But this heroine has actually been around since the early 40's.
BOLTON: What I think about this particular character was it was actually invented by the man who invented the lie detector. (INAUDIBLE) the lasso was really based on the lie detector.
OGUNNAIKE: I asked the stars to tell me the truth. Who would they rather be?
Would you rather be a superhero or a superdelegate?
CLOONEY: Right about now, superdelegates are a little more valuable, aren't they?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: And Lola Ogunnaike joins us live now. To be that close to George Clooney, oh, man.
OGUNNAIKE: My job is so hard. My job is so hard. CHO: I want to talk about "Ironman" being number one at the box office. You know, it made like $100 million or something like that. But there's so many superhero movies coming out.
OGUNNAIKE: "Ironman" is just the beginning. You've got "The Hulk" coming out June 13th. You've got Hancock (ph) starring Will Smith, that's coming out July 4th weekend. And you've "Dark Knight" starring Christian Bale. It's unfortunately Heath Ledger's last film and that is coming out July 18th. It's going to be a huge summer for superheroes.
CHO: Action packed summer. Our Lola Ogunnaike. Lola, thanks.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
CHO: T.J.?
HOLMES: All right. On the issue of superheroes, every week we here at CNN introduce you to ordinary people making extraordinary impact in the lives of others.
Liz McCartney is today's CNN hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Katrina destroyed families, homes. We were a normal red-blooded American family and one day it took to wipe us out. I was so beaten down. I was going to blow myself away.
LIZ MCCARTNEY: When Katrina hit I was living in Washington, D.C. I couldn't believe the pictures that I was looking at. I wanted to come to New Orleans and volunteer.
I naively thought that six months later you would see all kinds of progress. But St. Bernard parish looked like the storm had just rolled through. We realized very quickly that we were going to move to New Orleans. It was something we felt like we had to do.
I'm Liz McCartney and I'm helping families rebuild in St. Bernard parish. 100 percent of all homes in St. Bernard parish were deemed uninhabitable after the storm.
The red x on the house means it's going to be demolished. The problems in this community are widespread but the solutions are really simple.
The St. Bernard project can take a house that was gutted down to the studs, hang the sheetrock, put in new floors, we do all of that work in about 12 weeks for about $12,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These volunteers have come and spent the week at my house working hard for nothing. St. Bernard Project, Liz and her group, they saved my life.
MCCARTNEY: Once you get one family back, other families are more confident and they are willing to come back as well. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Little by little, one house at a time will be back. I feel it, I know it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Coming up, losing weight gets harder as we get older. That is for sure. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story of a woman who lost a pound for every year she's been alive and then some.
And Clinton, Obama, or McCain, who is the next president of the United States? According to Jeannie Moos, it's all of the above. How is that possible? She will tell you ahead on "AMERICAN MORNING."
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CHO: Fifty-one minutes after the hour. Welcome back, everybody.
We're following breaking news coming to us out of Baghdad. According to the Associated Press, the British Broadcasting Corporation, otherwise known as the BBC says a rocket has hit the building housing its Baghdad bureau. Apparently there was a lot of damage including a hole that was three feet by five feet large.
But thankfully there are no injuries to report. Again breaking news, a rocket hitting the building housing the Baghdad bureau of the BBC -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, we will turn to some medical news now. And losing weight is difficult for just about everybody. The older you get, the harder it is.
But for Barbara Aldrich turning 50 was the push she needed to drop the pounds. Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how she did it in today's "Fit Nation" report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Barbara Aldrich had always been overweight, But as the years flew by, the pounds added up. As she edged toward 50 years old, her doctor made it clear it was time for a change.
BARBARA ALDRICH, LOST 50 POUNDS: I got to the point to where my doctor told me I was border line diabetic. When it gets to be bad for your health, you've got to make the right decisions.
GUPTA: Determined not to be a burden on her family, Barbara took action right away.
ALDRICH: I just made the decision that I'm going to find a program that worked for me.
GUPTA: A balanced diet, daily exercise and a multivitamin. The pounds came falling off.
ALDRICH: It just seemed to come off, just eating right and I mean I wasn't hungry, I wasn't starving myself. It was all store- bought food. For me, I would lose sometimes four to five pounds every week. So, it was like 20 pounds a month.
GUPTA: Now looking back on her experience, Barbara says she looks better, feels better and she's proud that even at age 50 she could reach her goal weight.
ALDRICH: It's just a good feeling to know that I accomplished this. I did it on my own. Yes, I had to wait until it was medically necessary, but that's the way life is. My name is Barbara, I have lost 75 pounds.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: You can catch Dr. Sanjay Gupta on his own show "House Call" Saturday and Sunday mornings, 8:30 eastern right after CNN Saturday and Sunday morning with T.J. Holmes and Betty Nguyen on Saturday and Sunday morning.
CHO: Poor thing, you've got to head out on a flight right after we sign off.
Coming up, meet the next president of the United States. Only one problem. Which one? That is ahead in the most news in the morning. Stay with us.
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CHO: Welcome back. Where else but the presidential campaign can you call yourself the winner before you cross the finish line?
HOLMES: Yes, it's the Moos news in the morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those aren't white flags of surrender. Clinton supporters are trying not to believe that time's up for Hillary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is the Democratic nominee going to be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The "New York Post - Over the Hill."
MOOS: Over the hill? Maybe but supporters can't get over introducing her as --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the next president of the United States, Hillary Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the next president of the United States, Senator Hillary Clinton.
CHELSEA CLINTON, HILLARY CLINTON'S DAUGHTER: Our next president and my mom, Hillary Clinton.
MOOS: Tell that to the others.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next president of the United States, John McCain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next president of the United States, Barack Obama.
MOOS: Now, obviously this next president of the United States stuff doesn't always work out. Remember, Mike Huckabee?
CHUCK NORRIS, ACTOR: I want to introduce you to the next president of the United States, Governor Mike Huckabee.
MOOS: And now.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm Senator John McCain, the next president of the United States.
MOOS: Sometimes the line is delivered with such gusto.
MICHELLE OBAMA, SEN. BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: The next president of the United States, Barack Obama.
MOOS: You would think they were introducing wrestlers on the WWE.
Now that pundits say Hillary is cooked, you might think it was an omen when Chelsea's microphone failed.
C. CLINTON: Please join me in welcoming one more time ...
MOOS: When you're a Clinton, you never give up. Chelsea cupped her hands and did the Hillary holler.
C. CLINTON: Please join me in welcoming my mom, our next president, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
MOOS: Lately, there's been renewed talk that Clinton insiders are showing interest in Hillary taking the second spot. In which case, you might start hearing the next vice president of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton.
MOOS: If the traditional intro strikes you as cocky, consider how the person saying it feels.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am absolutely amazed that I am about to say this. It is my honor and privilege and probably -- I'm sorry, honey, but this might be more exciting than my wedding day ...
MOOS: Even the microphone couldn't handle this much enthusiasm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to introduce you to the next president of the United States of America, Senator Barack Obama.
MOOS: Forget wedding bells, we are talking decibels.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Her poor husband. I guess you can't blame her. You know, that must be pretty exciting.
HOLMES: No, poor man, your wife to stand up and do that. I don't care what, he was upset.
CHO: Spoken like a true Southern boy.
HOLMES: Yes. He was upset.
CHO: Big shout out to John Roberts, by the way, who is out in Colorado for his son's graduation. John, hey, good morning. He will be back on Monday.
But T.J., have a great weekend. Great to have you here.
HOLMES: Thank you for having me here.
I need to toss it down to a couple of my Atlanta comrades -- CNN "NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Fredricka Whitfield beginning right now. Take it away, guys.
