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Barack Obama's Record Rally; Chicago-Based Company Recalling Ground Beef; Backyard Oil Baron; Buzz Cuts for a Cause; Indiana Jones is Back
Aired May 19, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: You will see events come in to the NEWSROOM live on this Monday morning, May 19.
Here's what's on the rundown.
NGUYEN: Oregon turns out big, and I mean really big.
HARRIS: Look at that.
NGUYEN: Look at that for Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton keeps on going in Kentucky. We have a preview of tomorrow's primaries.
HARRIS: And China remembers quake victims one week after the catastrophe. The death toll climbs, rescues dwindle.
NGUYEN: Also Senator Kennedy's seizure -- what caused it? Well, doctors may get test results and we are going to watch for developments in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Our top story this morning, primary season, the end is near. Two more states choose tomorrow, Kentucky and Oregon. Hillary Clinton is in Kentucky today, but Barack Obama is moving on.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux with the CNN Election Express in Frankfurt, Kentucky.
Suzanne, great to see you. Senator Clinton is focusing on Kentucky, expecting and needing a big win there tomorrow.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you too, Tony. What is happening here is that Senator Clinton really is trying to show that West Virginia, the big win there, was not a fluke, while Barack Obama is trying to show that he is getting beyond the primary race. He really wants to focus on the general election over the weekend.
He announced that his victory rally on Tuesday is not going to be in Oregon but rather it is going to be in Iowa. That is where he became the Democratic frontrunner to beat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): While Hillary Clinton tried to appear unfazed about Barack Obama all but ignoring her.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am proud to be campaigning in Kentucky. Now my opponent says the other day he wasn't coming back, so I've got the whole state to myself. What a treat.
MALVEAUX: The battle for the Democratic nomination soldiers on. Clinton in Kentucky, another state she's favored to win. Obama in Oregon where he is favored.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you all folks.
MALVEAUX: Over the weekend, Obama got closer to the nomination, continuing to pick up more delegates. While Clinton insists she's staying in the race until the very last contest, her use of the past tense raised eyebrows. Instead of saying, "When I am president," as she's asserted in the past, she said...
CLINTON: And if I were president, that's exactly what I would do.
MALVEAUX: Between ice cream stops and a visit to a senior center, Obama bypassed Clinton addressing voters' issues concerning health care, jobs and energy. He also defended his willingness to talk to adversarial leaders without preconditions.
OBAMA: Because George Bush and John McCain have suggested that me being willing to sit down with our adversaries is a sign of weakness. It's a sign of appeasement.
Understand that George Bush had a policy of not talking to North Korea and not talking to Iran, and over the last eight years they are stronger as a consequence of George Bush's foreign policy.
All right? So their way has not worked.
MALVEAUX: For his part, John McCain took a break from campaigning, instead poking fun at himself and his age on "Saturday Night Live."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Controlling government spending isn't just about Republicans or Democrats. It's about being able to look your children in the eye, or in my case, my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great, great grandchildren, and great, great, great grandchildren. The youngest of whom are nearing retirement.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Well, Tony, a little humor there. It is not over until it's over, however. This thing still continues -- the contests still continue. But there is a sense of inevitability, if you will, listening to Senator Clinton, some of her language, as well as Barack Obama.
The last stop that he made yesterday telling the crowd who would think, in his words, he said a black guy with a name of Barack Obama would become the Democratic nominee.
So really quite definitive, quite confident in that suggestion, looking at the math and realizing that it is certainly working in his favor -- Tony?
HARRIS: Well, Suzanne, will you dispel this rumor that's running around the country that there was a Barack Obama event over the weekend with about 75,000 people in attendance? I keep hearing this story. Will you please dispel that? There is no way there was such an event.
MALVEAUX: Way, way, there's a way. There was a way. 75,000 people. It is not a rumor. It was really quite incredible to see.
HARRIS: Boy.
MALVEAUX: It was the largest crowd ever. A lot of people there, even people in boats who were waiting watching this event unfold. There really does seem to be quite a bit of enthusiasm, a sense of where this race is going next. And as I said from both sides, a sense of inevitability here, but certainly Clinton folks saying that they are not giving up on this.
But you can see just by the crowd numbers, by some of the language, the statements that are being made, these are folks, two camps that are really trying to come together at this time -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, if you tell me it happened, then it happened.
Suzanne Malveaux for us this morning.
Suzanne, great to see you.
Here's what's at stake for the Democrats in tomorrow's primaries. Kentucky has 51 pledged delegates to give. There are more than 1.6 million registered Democrats eligible to vote.
In Oregon there are 52 Democratic delegates up for grabs. The state has a unique mail-in primary system. More than 2 million ballots were sent out May 2 giving voters just over two weeks to make their choice and return those ballots.
NGUYEN: All right. Ready for it? Gas prices pumped up yet again. It is issue No. 1 and this morning you are paying an average $3.79 plus for a gallon of regular. Premium is at $4.17. AAA posting its 13th straight increase and 12th straight record high.
Regular gas is already more than four bucks a gallon in some parts of the country including Chicago and New York's Long Island, and with Memorial Day weekend kicking off the summer travel season, well, analysts don't expect prices to fall.
HARRIS: China begins three days of mourning for the victims of last Monday's devastating earthquake.
Three minutes of silence gave way to an outpouring of tears, anguished shouts and wails of grief in Chengdu, earthquake's epicenter. The death toll now more than 34,000. Almost 250,000 people hurt. Adding to the misery, the Chinese government announced 200 rescue workers were buried in mud slides this weekend. Man.
In sympathy, the Olympic torch relay is suspended during the mourning period.
NGUYEN: Well, in the wake of that devastating Chinese earthquake, questions about shoddy construction of school buildings have risen.
Here's CNN's John Vause.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first thing you noticed about this small town of Wufu is that every building is still standing except one -- the primary school. As many as 200 children were killed here, crushed to death when three stories of cement came crashing down.
At the school gates, some parents have left their children's ID cards, others still cling to them, like Dee Kai Wei(ph). When the earthquake struck he came rushing from the nearby factory where he worked and started digging with his bare hands.
"We tried to save as many children as we could," he says. "But these concrete slabs were too heavy, we couldn't move them."
Five hours later he found his little girl Hu Wei Shing(ph) near the building's only exit.
"They were so innocent," he says.
"The scene was like a slaughter house," says his wife. "The children were in piles, they were all bodies."
Dee and his wife and all the parents here believe their children weren't killed by the earthquake but rather by a building which was a death trap made of cheap, shoddy material and unsafe construction.
"If this was a decent building my daughter wouldn't have died," this woman says.
(on-camera): This is all that's left of part of the cement ceiling above one of the classrooms. And this is the steel rod holding it together. It's incredibly thin almost like wire. You can bend it with your bare hands. And the general rule is the less steel there is in a building, the less strength it has. So when it shakes, it breaks.
(voice-over): According to state media, almost 7,000 school buildings collapsed during the earthquake and government officials have promised to find out why that number is so high. And they say the guilty will be severely punished.
Perhaps when the schools are rebuilt, they'll meet the same construction standard as this government building, just a few miles away from Wufu's primary school and virtually untouched by the quake.
John Vause, CNN, Wufu, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Goodness. Well, we know that you may want to help. And at CNN.com we have a special page on the devastation in China. It's complete with links to aid agencies that are organizing help for that region. It's a chance for you to "Impact Your World" so let us be your guide.
HARRIS: Clouds of smoke are still rising over parts of Florida this morning. Firefighters are battling around 101 wildfires. The worst is in the Everglades National Forest. More than 200 firefighters are trying to contain the 36,000 acre fire. A smoke advisory has been issued in that area of south Florida.
Last week's damage of wildfires up the coast in central Florida, now about 75 percent contained -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, we're talking about the fires, especially, of course...
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: ... here in Florida. Any relief today, Jackie Jeras?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Good. Good. All right. Jacqui, thank you.
Hundreds of children taken from that Texas polygamous ranch. Will they ever get to go home? Parents begin learning their faith this morning. We are on the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, good morning and welcome back, everybody, o this Monday. I'm Betty Nguyen and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Black gold, yes, a cash cow for one farmer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know anything about oil until I got involved with this. So now it's -- now I got the bug. So it's exciting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yes, it is. Three barrels a day. The backyard oil baron in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, again, in Louisiana, about 3,000 residents of Lafayette are back in their houses this morning. They were evacuated Saturday after six cars of a train derailed. Hydro caloric acid spilled from two cars spreading a toxic cloud -- as you can imagine -- over the area. State police say about half of the 10,000 gallons of acid have been cleaned up.
Five people reported minor injuries while residents have returned. Police still have 1,000 foot evacuations zones around that particular site. Some businesses in the area still off limits.
NGUYEN: Well, the start of the summer driving season is less than a week away. And oil and gas prices -- they are showing no signs of retreat from record levels.
Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business."
OK, Ali, break it down for us. What is causing all of this to spike this morning?
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the same thing that caused it to spike on Friday which actually is something that's a little interesting. President Bush was in Saudi Arabia. He asked the Saudi rulers to see if they would release a little bit more oil. They said no.
And what ended up happening is the Department of Energy did something that Congress asked them to do, that is to stop putting oil into the Strategic Petroleum Reserves here in the United States to try and get more oil available.
So the Department of Energy ordered that. Had no particular effect on the price of oil. Gas is up on another record. But the Strategic Petroleum Reserve -- let me tell you a little about that. It is the world's largest supply of emergency oil. It's -- four locations in Texas and Louisiana. They can hold 727 million barrels. About 96 percent full right now. But the government had been refilling 76,000 barrel as day. That is now going to stop.
Now at 76,000 barrels a day it would still going to take us another year, by the way, just to fill it up to the 727 million barrels. It is -- the strategic petroleum reserves was used during Desert Storm for emergency oil. It was used during Hurricane Katrina. After 9/11 the president ordered it refilled. And it's been -- they have been filling it up and filling it up, and for the first time in 2008 it actually got more than 700 million barrels in it, which these days it's about 58 days worth of emergency oil, if, for instance, there was no more oil coming into the United States.
So that's the strategic petroleum reserves. They're building one more of them in Mississippi. So there'll be five tanks all together, up to a billion barrels of oil will be stored.
NGUYEN: You know, I think I'm starting to believe your title, the guru of doom or something along those lines.
VELSHI: What is it? A hairless prophet of doom.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Is that what it is?
Ali, OK, so how does the U.S. dollar weigh into this, especially with it being so low?
VELSHI: Well, you know, whatever commodity you're dealing with in the world, they are usually priced in dollars. So let's say you are from Saudi Arabia and you've got oil. At $100 a barrel you've been getting dollars for it but those dollars aren't worth as much to you -- you know, around the world. So you want more money for your product.
And that's -- basically if you look at a chart -- I wish I'd brought one, but I will bring one for you at one point -- you can see as the dollar goes down oil prices go up. So the Saudis are making the argument that it's not demand that's causing the price of oil to go up, it's the fact that the United States dollar continues to be weaker.
If they are accurate in the fact that that's true, but it is actually demand that is largely responsible for the price of oil.
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE) All right. Ali Velshi, next time, can you bring some good news?
VELSHI: Yes.
NGUYEN: All right. Work on that for us if you would, please. See you.
VELSHI: See you, Betty.
HARRIS: Demand and speculation. Can't forget speculation. Oh, hi.
The senator's health scare. Doctors look for clues to Ted Kennedy's seizure.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Senator Ted Kennedy undergoing tests to find out what caused the seizure. Doctors may have results today.
CNN's Dan Lothian is at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Dan, good morning. How is the senator doing?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are not getting a whole lot of information in terms of how he's doing this morning other than the original information that we got late last night, that he was resting comfortably, that doctors continue to perform tests here at the hospital.
But they have not been giving us any additional information beyond the initial statement of the doctor late Saturday evening when he said that -- he confirmed that he did not have a stroke, that Senator Kennedy did not have a stroke but, in fact, suffered a seizure, that he was in no immediate danger, and that they were really trying to find out what caused that seizure and then figure out a course of action.
Those tests, as you mentioned just a few seconds ago, continue today. It's unclear, though, whether -- we'll find out the results of those tests today or perhaps even sometime tomorrow -- Tony.
HARRIS: Boy, Dan, I have to tell you that's not a good picture of the senator on that gurney about to be placed on a helicopter or being taken off that helicopter. I'm just wondering who is reaching out to Senator Kennedy today. I'm sure -- I remember Barack Obama has. I'm wondering who else has.
LOTHIAN: That's right. You know, when everyone saw that picture, there was certainly a lot of...
HARRIS: Yes.
LOTHIAN: ... concerns. But then we got a little bit of good news. You know, everyone was pretty much optimistic that this was not as bad as initially thought. He was described as sitting up and watching television yesterday. He was watching his favorite sports teams on television. He's been surrounded by his family members and friends.
And you pointed out, he did hear from his colleagues -- some of his colleagues up on Capitol Hill -- Chris Dodd had a phone conversation with him yesterday, also Senator Barack Obama. Obama was campaigning out in Oregon when he made that telephone call. And Obama, who is being endorsed by Senator Kennedy, refers to him as one of his closest friend.
Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The main thing I wanted to just say was that I talked to Ted Kennedy this morning. He sounded great. He sounded like his usual self. So my sense is that everybody is optimistic about the prognosis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: In terms of how long he will be here in the hospital, I did hear from a family spokesperson who told us that he is expected to be here for at least the next couple of days. So, we continue to wait to see if doctors will give us any information at all, perhaps they have some information and have not released it yet, or they are still trying to figure out exactly what the results of those tests are -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, Dan, I hope he wasn't watching that Celtics game yesterday. That was a nail biter. That was tough for the healthy.
LOTHIAN: He was -- listen.
HARRIS: He was?
LOTHIAN: Tony, he really -- he was. He was watching the Red Sox yesterday.
HARRIS: Yes.
LOTHIAN: He was also watching the Celtics. And a spokesperson for the family told us that he was very pleased with the outcome of that game.
HARRIS: I bet. All right. Dan Lothian for us this morning.
Dan, thanks.
LOTHIAN: OK, Tony.
NGUYEN: Well, there is movement today in the Myanmar aid crisis. That country, also known as Burma, is agreeing this morning to let foreign medical personnel and assessment teams into the cyclone ravaged areas. It's a turnaround for Myanmar which has been refusing most international help for the last two weeks.
The foreign aid workers are expected to arrive Wednesday from neighboring countries in Asia. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will also visit the area then. Now the devastation in Myanmar still growing. The U.N. now estimating more than 100,000 people killed, 2.5 million people affected. But Myanmar's military government puts the official death toll much lower.
HARRIS: In Myanmar, desperate fight to stay alive. Residents hit hardest by the killer cyclone now fleeing their villages in search for food and help. More from our correspondent on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the crack of dawn. But we've been hiding in this boat for hours, riding with one of the few captains willing to take a steep into the Irrawaddy river delta. Myanmar's repressive military rulers have banned practically all foreigners from going to the areas most devastated by cyclone Nargis.
And this is why.
More than two weeks after the storm, the shores are still lined with corpses and many of those who survived the cyclone now have to flee their homes. These people have packed a few belongings into their boat. They say they've received no help at all from their government.
"We simply couldn't survive in our village any longer," this woman says. "We would starve if we stayed there."
We give them some of our food, the first supplies they've received in more than two weeks. And as we meet more and more people in despair, Myanmar's government television network is showing picture of the country's military dictator, Than Shwe, visiting a government- run refugee camp.
The junta is trying to convince the world that a huge relief effort is reaching those most in need of aid. But Myanmar state TV isn't showing villages like this one. That's because there is no relief effort here.
"I've been trying to contact our government representative for more than two weeks," the village chief tells me, "but so far, I've received no reply."
A quarter of the village's population was killed by the cyclone. This man can't hold back his tears. He lost his two daughters, he says, and now he's alone. Another villager shows named Ko Hu(ph) shows us where his house used to stand. He also shows us the place he found the body of his 3-year-old daughter.
"I dug her out of the mud and buried her on the other side of the river," he says.
Many in the village clearly remain traumatized by what they've witnessed. And they say, if they don't get more help soon, their future will be a fight for survival.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Time is of the essence.
Well, back here in the U.S., on the eve of the Kentucky primary, Reagan Democrats, they look ready to return to their roots.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Monday morning.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Heidi.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Oh in for Heidi.
NGUYEN: Yes. HARRIS: Heidi is back soon.
NGUYEN: Coming back next week.
HARRIS: Heidi Collins and pictures of the baby to boot.
NGUYEN: He's cute.
HARRIS: He is cute. Boy, is he cute?
Let's get to the New York Stock Exchange right now. The opening bell. Is this live or just moments ago? OK, I guess just moments ago. Let's get the business day started. The DOW starts the day at 12986 after -- let's call it what it is -- a flat day on Friday. Betty, I'm a little confused here. Didn't Microsoft walk away from the proposed merger with Yahoo?
NGUYEN: They did, but I think they are back.
HARRIS: That was a new approach over the weekend. I think it was announced yesterday. So let's see what happens with the stock price of both of those companies today. We are checking the markets throughout the morning with Susan Lisovicz right here in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Well, among our top stories this morning. A pair of primaries on top tomorrow in Oregon and Kentucky. I want you to take a look at the crowd. Look at this. The crowd that Barack Obama drew in Portland.
HARRIS: Oh, come on.
NGUYEN: Tens of thousands. How many, in fact? What? 75,000?
HARRIS: That is computer generated. Are you kidding me? 75,000?
NGUYEN: Well, I don't know. The pictures don't lie. Do they?
HARRIS: Well, you're right.
NGUYEN: They are all on hand. At least tens of thousands, we'll put it that way, on hand for the outdoor event. He is expected to win in Oregon and he is campaigning in Montana today. Well, Hillary Clinton is in Kentucky again today. That's where she spent the weekend. And she is expected to carry that state tomorrow.
Let's take you to the Republican side. Mike Huckabee is putting himself back in the picture talking about his desire to be John McCain's running mate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's no one I would rather on a ticket with than John McCain. Whether or not I do the best for him. That's something that only he can decide. I'm going to support him because I think he's the right person for America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right. But McCain may not have heard those comments because he was up rather late poking fun at himself on "Saturday Night Live."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: I ask you, what should we be looking for in our next president? Certainly, someone who is very, very, very old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: McCain gets back on the campaign trail today with a scheduled speech this morning in Chicago.
Back in the fold, so-called Reagan Democrats in Kentucky letting the issues do the talking.
CNN's Dan Lothian takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (voice-over): Restaurant owner Nita Etebar considers herself a Reagan Democrat, who after years of voting for Republican presidential candidates is finally coming home.
NITA ETEBAR, KENTUCKY VOTER: I will definitely being voting Democrat.
LOTHIAN: She's concerned about the bad economy, but it was the war in Iraq that tipped the scales.
ETEBAR: There's more wars going on and fighting going on and talk about how everybody is a terrorist.
LOTHIAN: Builder Marty May is a Democrat who voted for Reagan and the first President Bush because he says they made him feel secure. Concerns over Iraq and national security have convinced him that he should be supporting his Democratic Party and Barack Obama.
MARTY MAY, KENTUCKY VOTER: Yes, we're in trouble, but, you know what, he makes us feel like he has a plan.
LOTHIAN: Jeremy Horton, executive director of Kentucky's Democratic Party says there's a shift under way because the economy and the war have left many voters frustrated.
JEREMY HORTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KENTUCKY DEMOCRATIC PARTY: I think that you're seeing in Democrats in Kentucky a real quiet resolve to make sure that this vote that they have makes a difference.
LOTHIAN: In a state that twice voted for Bill Clinton and President Bush, John McCain would love nothing more than to hang onto those Reagan Democrats. Working-class voters weary of supporting a social liberal, or those like Jane Semones, who doesn't think Democrats have the political muscle to deal with Iraq and support the troops.
JANE SEMONES, KENTUCKY VOTER: There have been times when I kind of thought maybe they weren't even going to have the funds to back them up because of the way the Democrats have acted.
LOTHIAN: She's a Democrat voting for McCain. Horton says Democratic candidates can keep people like her from straying by delivering on campaign promises.
HORTON: You have to make governing less about politics and more about solutions.
LOTHIAN: Dan Lothian, CNN, Frankfort, Kentucky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Let's take you to Texas now because individual custody hearings are getting started today for more than 400 children taken from polygamous parents. Our Ed Lavandera is outside the Texas courthouse in San Angelo.
And Ed, these proceedings are underway. So what is exactly to be decided today?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, exactly what's going to happen is it is going to be a slow process here essentially, Betty. What is going on is five different courtrooms, five different judges, all of these cases being heard simultaneously throughout this case. This is a process that will take about three weeks. More than 460 children removed. This is essentially the first time there are individual cases and the details of those cases are being heard.
So this is going to be a long, slow, drawn out process, but essentially what many of these families will be told here in the coming days is that they will be presented with what the state is calling a service plan. And essentially that is a long list of requirements and things that the state is expecting these families to comply with and deal with to prove to them that they should be able to get their kids back.
So, this is a process that will take a considerable amount of time. And of course, it comes with a great deal of controversy. Many people, especially within the polygamous sect, feel that the state has essentially taken their children away without any evidence, without any -- providing any evidence of what is exactly going on.
The state is saying that this is really their first time where they will be able to lay out those details in all of these individual cases so that they can continue holding these children in foster care. And right now these children are scattered in foster care homes across the State of Texas -- Betty?
NGUYEN: And as you talk about the details, in Texas, is it true that Child Protective Services has also come up with a plan for each child?
LAVANDERA: Exactly. The service plan as they are calling it is essentially being presented to each of these families. So there's a -- it's a -- this document is several pages long. It basically outlines what each of these family members on each of these families must do to prove to the state that they are able to care for children in a non-abusive environment.
So they have to -- the things include, you know, providing a living environment where abuse doesn't happen, going to counseling, meeting with these child abuse investigators. It is a long, long list.
NGUYEN: And on top of that, a lot of them are still waiting to hear about those DNA tests. Any results from that?
LAVANDERA: We haven't heard any results back from the DNA tests. That could possibly take another week, maybe a couple weeks more to get that back. And the state is saying that that is essential so that they can begin getting the details of the family structure.
They say they've had a really hard time figuring out just which children belong to which parents. They say that DNA tests will go a long way in helping them create these family structures and these family trees that they need to move on in their investigation.
NGUYEN: A lot more to come. All right.
Ed Lavandera, joining us, live. Thank you, Ed.
HARRIS: A Chicago-based company is recalling ground beef. It maybe tainted with E. coli. The meat was distributed in 11 states in the East and Midwest. The beef under the name Morreale Meat, was produced by JSM Meat Holdings. Federal officials say no illnesses had been reported.
NGUYEN: Let's get a look at the weather on this Monday morning. That fire danger in Florida still something that we are talking about, Jacqui Jeras.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Tony Harris, your colleague right next to you right there.
HARRIS: Yes, how about, Betty?
JERAS: Yes, question, what does Betty Nguyen and Matthew McConaughey have in common?
NGUYEN: Now we are going to this?
HARRIS: They're just superstars from Texas. Absolutely, superstars from Texas and boy, stay with me here, Jacqui, because Betty and I both have pretty big weekends. Betty in Texas where she was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by her alma mater there at Texas.
JERAS: Look at that pretty dress. Long horn colors right there for you.
HARRIS: And there she is. Do we have the red carpet walk in this show stopping ensemble? Betty looking fabulous as always there.
JERAS: On stage with the president of the university.
HARRIS: So she was given this Distinguished Alumni Award. She was given a generous parcel of land there.
NGUYEN: I was not. Actually, I'm sure I owe somebody some cash for nominating me for that lovely award.
HARRIS: Jacqui, it doesn't end there. She took the stage and I think she was drafted to run against Governor Perry in the next gubernatorial election.
NGUYEN: You need to be my agent.
HARRIS: Congratulations.
NGUYEN: I need to start paying you.
HARRIS: Does anyone care about what I --
NGUYEN: It was a great honor, actually.
HARRIS: I'm sure it was.
NGUYEN: You were speaking in Virginia Beach, right?
HARRIS: Virginia Beach, 300 plus young African-American men graduating from Hampton Roads High School, Jackie, with a 3.0 or better GPA. 200 plus men incorporated putting on the event. They should be congratulated and congratulations to the young men.
JERAS: And they are looking to you for inspiration.
HARRIS: How about that.
NGUYEN: And she laughs.
HARRIS: All in their, Sean John and Steve Harvey suits. They were looking fabulous by the way.
NGUYEN: Tony, you had you to go there, didn't you?
HARRIS: I had to go there. But it was a terrific weekend. Congratulations, Betty.
NGUYEN: Thank you.
HARRIS: Jacqui, thank you for the help on that.
JERAS: Absolutely. Yes, I'm going to get to you, Jacqui.
HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning. Backyard oil baron.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know anything about oil until I got involved with this. So, now I got the bug. So, it's exciting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Turning a profit in Indiana. And all it takes is a few barrels a day.
NGUYEN: Keeping financial secrets from your spouse or partner? Are you really doing it? Well, financial infidelity can threaten your checkbook and your relationship.
Christine Romans has tips that are "Right on Your Money."
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A quarter of both men and women are shopping online mostly at work to hide purchases from their partners.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Internet makes it easy to cheat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's especially a problem if it gets in the way of paying off debts or your finances or you get into credit card bill problems.
ROMANS: Don't ignore signs you or your partner has a problem. By just keeping a secret bank account, stashing money or hiding purchasing and bills?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to be upset, you're going to be angry. Use it as an opportunity to figure out why this is happening. What may have triggered it and how to prevent it.
ROMANS: Agreeing on a plan is the best way to stay financially faithful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whether it is an annual vacation or saving for your child's college education. If you keep those in mind, you feel that you're going towards a goal with your partner. You are more personally responsible for your money and for how it spent.
ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
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NGUYEN: Texas is known for its oil, but striking oil in Indiana? Yes, mom and pop operations making money, a couple barrels at a time. This story from David Barras of affiliate WISH in Selma, Indiana.
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DAVID BARRAS, WISH REPORTER: The ten-acre Losh Family home in Selma, Indiana, just east of Muncie doesn't look out of the ordinary until you see the big green backyard ornament.
GREG LOSH, BACKYARD OIL BARON: I didn't know anything about oil until I got involved with this. So now I got the bug. So, it's exciting.
BARRAS: 12,085 feet below this spot in the Losh backyard there is oil.
LOSH: It's a money-maker. So, I don't want to say too much on it, but it is a money-maker, you know.
BARRAS: A money-maker with big risk.
LOSH: The oil is right around $100,000 give or take. If you hit oil, then it's a good investment.
BARRAS: A good investment because of the high price of a barrel of oil. So good the oil fields of Delaware County, Indiana which in the late 1800s were among the largest in the nation are coming back to life.
LOSH: We just store it in a tank and we have a company come to haul and they haul it over to Ohio. They sell it over there.
BARRAS: The Losh's get about three barrels a day from the well. Not a lot but at current prices enough to make a profit.
LOSH: You hope to get a return in a year to two years return out of your money.
BARRAS: Because once you hit oil, it keeps flowing 365 days a year. The family expects to drill four more wells soon. Black gold is turning into a cash crop in parts of Indiana. David Barras, 24- Hour News 8.
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HARRIS: A close shave for some U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it feels great. It feels great. It's already cooler.
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HARRIS: Showing support for cancer kids half a world away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Buzz cuts for a cause. U.S. soldiers in Iraq take a lot off the top and the sides to show support for brave kids back home.
Here's CNN's Jill Dougherty.
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JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The soldiers at Baghdad's Camp Liberty don't have a lot of hair to begin with, but it's about to get a lot shorter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks everybody for coming to the official St. Baldrick's Day event here in Iraq.
DOUGHERTY: He's a pediatric oncologist treating kids with cancer at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. Beneath that shiny head is Major Stephen Roberts.
MAJ. STEPHEN ROBERTS, U.S. ARMY: Oh, it feels great. It feels great. It's already cooler.
DOUGHERTY: St. Baldrick's Foundation raises money for childhood cancer research by having supporters shave their heads in solidarity with the kids. Dr. Roberts was going to participate back home, but he deployed to Iraq. So he organized the event here on the base.
ROBERTS: They are just amazing inspiring kids. They are going through something more difficult than most of us can imagine. And they do it with a level of grace and strength that I don't think I could match.
DOUGHERTY: Can I see this side of your head, please? What do you have here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a bad haircut to begin with.
SGT. SEAN BONNEY, U.S. ARMY: They are in the fight for their lives and, you know, just to encourage them to hang in there and to fight on.
DOUGHERTY: Sergeant Sean Bonney's cousin had childhood cancer and survived. He says he is thinking of her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we go.
DOUGHERTY: At an Irish bar in suburban Maryland, the other half of Dr. Roberts' fundraiser takes place. With volunteers and some young cancer patients like five-year-old, Justice Axmen (ph).
How many heads did you shave today?
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I think three.
DOUGHERTY: Three.
Six-year-old Brianna Mannies (ph) went through treatment last year. She loves growing her hair back, but the guys getting their heads shaved.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: They act funny.
DOUGHERTY: In Maryland even the girls pitch in.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I'm getting (INAUDIBLE).
DOUGHERTY: But not in Iraq.
(on-camera): Some female soldiers wanted to get their heads shaved too but they weren't allowed. Turns out bald heads for women are strictly against military regulations. Dr. Steve Roberts sent a message home to his patients.
ROBERTS: I just want to say, you know, that when you guys lose your hair, we are there with you.
DOUGHERTY: Troy Terawaki (ph) hears it loud and clear. He just finished his last dose of chemotherapy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Events like this bring us together and it's like we are all family here.
DOUGHERTY: Jill Dougherty, CNN, Camp Liberty, Iraq.
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NGUYEN: Great program there. Well, even the candidates seemed a little astonished. Take a look.
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OBAMA: Wow! Wow!
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NGUYEN: What else can you say to that kind of crowd? Barack Obama's record rally. Look at all those people. Oregon turns out in the NEWSROOM.
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NGUYEN: All right, movie fans. "Indiana Jones" is back debuting at the Cannes Film Festival. But apparently not everybody is a big fan. CNN entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson takes a look.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was really good. It's enjoyable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Extraordinary. We were really so -- it's so amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fantastic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well done. BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The new "Indiana Jones" charmed many at its Cannes Film Festival premier.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think people will have some very interesting expectations and I think they will be pleasantly surprised.
ANDERSON: Some though weren't quite as impressed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the old one was much better and this one is kind of too much action in my opinion. I think the old ones are more -- they are much more fun.
ANDERSON: Indy takes a drumming in the film from Russian battings. But most critics took it relatively easy on the adventurer.
LEAH ROZEN, PEOPLE MAGAZINE FILM CRITIC: You wanted to love it and I think most of us liked it. It's fine you feel kind towards it, but there are stretches where you are just going why isn't this more fun? Why isn't this really popping?
ANDERSON: "USA Today" says there is considerable fun and it's good to see the Indy, though slightly weary, still has the goods.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This ain't going to be easy.
HARRISON FORD, "INDIANA JONES": Not as easy as it is to be.
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ANDERSON: Other critics weren't so kind. "The Chicago Tribune" called it a "cockamamie story." And the "Hollywood Reporter" says Indy got "swamped in a sea of stunts."
But the film star, Harrison Ford, says he is prepared for and not afraid of inevitable criticism.
FORD: I'm not afraid at all. You know, I expect to have the whip turned on me. I'm not really worried about it. I work for the people who pay to get in. They are my customers.
ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Cannes.
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NGUYEN: Well, good morning, everybody, on this Monday. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Heidi.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the run down.
Five primaries to go and two come tomorrow. Barack Obama draws a humongous crowd in Oregon. Hillary Clinton pins her hopes on Kentucky.
NGUYEN: More than 400 children, five Texas courtrooms, polygamist parents, they begin their fight for custody this morning.
HARRIS: Home from Iraq ready to get on with his career as a chef. We begin a series on the war's burn victims today. Monday, May 19. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
