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Hillary Clinton Fights On; Children Left Behind on Texas Polygamist Ranch?; McCain and Obama Trade Criticism
Aired May 21, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Everybody thought all of the children were out of the YFZ polygamist ranch, but were some of them left behind? Texas child welfare workers went back to the ranch today looking for more kids.
And it's not over until it's over. One day after the Oregon and Kentucky primaries, Hillary Clinton sticks to her guns. Is the Democratic presidential race ever going to end?
Hi there. I'm Brianna Keilar at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
All right. Right here off the top, we want to tell you we're monitoring a developing story for you at that polygamist compound in Eldorado, Texas. Child welfare agents checking out reports of more kids living on the property were apparently denied entry into the YFZ, or Yearning For Zion, ranch.
According to our correspondent David Mattingly -- he's in Eldorado -- an attorney for the FLDS, or the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, says that two child welfare officials with a deputy escort arrived at the ranch entrance this morning and were turned away. According to FLDS attorney Rod Parker, the child welfare folks did not have a warrant to gain entry to the sprawling retreat.
Now, this is what Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the Texas Child Protective Services, told CNN just awhile ago. She said -- quote -- "We have received new information about children who may be living at the YFZ ranch. CPS had believed all children had been removed as authorized by the state district judge. This morning, along with law enforcement, we went to the ranch to make some initial inquiries, and we are now conferring with law enforcement" -- unquote.
We will keep you posted on the latest from Eldorado.
KEILAR: Now, we also have a developing story, this one out of Bolingbrook, Illinois. This has to do with former police Sergeant Drew Peterson, former police sergeant, I should say. CNN confirming that the former police officer has just turned himself into authorities on a weapons charge. This apparently stemming from an investigation into the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, who has been missing since last October. Police found a gun in a seizure having to do with that case that allegedly does not comply with state law. We're going to more on this story as details come in. But again, former police officer Drew Peterson, considered a person of interest in the death of one wife and the disappearance of another, he has just surrendered to police on a weapons charge.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
KEILAR: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are both campaigning in Florida today. Obama is looking toward November, trying to build on his big win in yesterday's Oregon primary that moved him closer to clinching the Democratic nomination. And then Clinton is holding on to hope. She is celebrating her huge win yesterday in Kentucky.
She's also pushing to have the Florida delegates she won in that state's February primary seated at the Democratic Convention.
And our Jim Acosta is tracking the Democratic race for us from Lexington, Kentucky.
Hi, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna.
That's right. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are saddled up -- yes, we're going to use one more horse-racing reference today -- in these last three remaining contests in the Democratic national nomination fight. And Hillary Clinton is, you're right, coming off a big win here in Kentucky, 35-point drubbing of Barack Obama.
She just held a Solutions for America rally, one of her rallies, down there in Boca Raton, Florida. And she is, as you mentioned, still trying to go after those disputed delegates down in Florida and in Michigan as they are basically the last path left to the nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You refused to stay home then, and you refuse to stay silent now, because you want to change America's future. And you have faith that your party, the Democratic Party, will give you that chance.
I'm here today because I believe we should keep that faith, listen to your voices, and count every single one of your votes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: As for Senator Obama, he was campaigning in Tampa earlier today in that very critical central part of the Sunshine State, a state that will be looming large in the upcoming general election fight. And Senator Obama was striking a much more conciliatory tone, leaving the door open for a graceful exit for Senator Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are at the threshold of being able to attain this nomination.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: But I know that this has been a long contest, and so there are people who are concerned that, golly, the Clinton people might not vote for the Obama people. The Obama people are mad at the Clinton people, and maybe they're going to be divided. The party's going to be divided.
Let me tell you something. First of all, Senator Clinton has run an outstanding campaign.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: And she deserves our admiration and our respect, because she has set the standard. She has broken through barriers and will open up opportunity for a lot of people, including my two young daughters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And consider the numbers. Barack Obama is just 64 delegates away from clinching the nomination. There are 86 delegates left in the contests coming up in Puerto Rico, South Dakota and Montana.
There are some 212 superdelegates out there, more than enough for Senator Obama to lock this thing up before those final contests on June the 3rd -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Thanks, Jim, putting reins on all of that information for us.
You get it?
ACOSTA: That's right.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Reins? I couldn't resist.
ACOSTA: Yes. I'm about to ride into the sunset, I hope.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Oh.
KEILAR: OK. You got the last word. You sure did.
Jim Acosta, in Lexington, Kentucky, thanks so much.
And a reminder as well that Barack Obama sat down for an extended interview with our Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM." We will be bringing that do you later in the show, including Obama's response to some tough criticism by Republican John McCain.
And while the Democrats hopefuls crisscross across the state of Florida, Republican John McCain actually headed West. He's keeping a low profile in California today with a private campaign fund-raiser. That's the only item on his agenda today.
LEMON: Well, saying he is feeling better, doctors let Senator Edward Kennedy leave the hospital today. CNN Boston Bureau Chief, Dan Lothian, was on hand as the 76-year-old senator walked out of the Massachusetts General Hospital after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
It looked like it was quite an emotional scene there, Dan, especially with the dogs, when you saw him petting the dogs as he was leaving.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: That's right. It was quite emotional. You saw him bend down and pet his two dogs. Those were the same dogs that he had taken for a walk on Saturday morning, returned home and then had a seizure.
As we walked out, dozens of well-wishers were here at the hospital door. They were applauding. And he spent a few minutes. He could have gotten into the car and taken off, but he did spend a few minutes to shake some hands. He raise his thumb into the air to kind of signal that he was feeling well, that he was doing well, that he is upbeat, and then he got into the vehicle and drove off, headed down to the cape.
But before he left, he turned around and you saw a patch on the back of his head. And that is where doctors conducted that biopsy, which then turned out to be that malignant tumor.
As he was driving down the highway, cars were coming up next to his vehicle. We could see his arms reach out and wave to the folks as they were driving by. Also, some people had signs, well-wishes for the senator. It was about a 70-mile ride down to Cape Cod to the Kennedy compound.
Once he got there, he told reporters that it was -- quote -- "good to be back home." And then he went for a walk on the beach with his wife, Vicki, certainly trying to at least publicly show a very positive face on what is no doubt a very difficult situation for the Kennedy family as they continue to figure out what the best course of treatment will be to deal with this tumor -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Dan Lothian -- Dan, thank you very much.
And, of course, yesterday, we had the extensive coverage on Senator Ted Kennedy when we found out that he had a malignant brain tumor.
We also want to show you this video that we're going to show you now. This is from May 8. This is Lance Armstrong when he was testifying there before Congress. And you see the head of the person, the white-haired gentleman there, that's Ted Kennedy. There he is up front. So that was Lance Armstrong.
And I just remember yesterday Lance Armstrong also released a statement. Of course, we know Lance Armstrong suffered with cancer, survived it as well, and now has become an advocate. He released a statement yesterday about Ted Kennedy, saying that he was a champion for people's rights and that he wished Ted Kennedy the best.
The president, just a short time ago, we want to remind you, signed a bill today forbidding employers and insurance companies from using genetic tests showing people are at risk of developing cancer, heart disease, and other ailments and promotions of health coverage care and what have you, so a lot having to do with cancer and bringing cancer to light here, Lance Armstrong, Ted Kennedy, and the president as well today -- Brianna.
KEILAR: And as I mentioned just a few moments ago, Barack Obama sat down for an extended interview with our Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
He responded to some tough criticism from Republican John McCain. That interview in its entirety ahead.
LEMON: The faces of pure panic, pictures and video taken by some American exchange students near the epicenter of China's killer earthquake -- their story straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, millions of Chinese people, maybe five million in all, left homeless. They have nowhere to sleep, and nothing to return to in the wake of last week's earthquake that killed more than 41,000 people.
Now, this is Chengdu, the biggest city in the earthquake zone. Entire families are living on sidewalks, inside cars and vans and inside sprawling tent cities, where at least food and medical care are available. According to the Chinese military report, all quake- damaged villages, more than 1,000 in all, have now been reached by emergency rescue and recovery teams. The earthquake on May 12 blocked roads, mountain passes and other transportation arteries.
KEILAR: Now, with all of that death and destruction, three American college students traveling near the epicenter when the quake struck, they are alive.
Here's CNN's Kyung Lah with their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was to be a grand adventure through China, three American college students on a backpack trip through the national parks when suddenly Tracy Hine, Fernando Campos, and Lisa Takahashi were trapped in a disaster.
LISA TAKAHASHI, AMERICAN EXCHANGE STUDENT: The bus, like, pulled to a really sudden halt. And when we stood up to look ahead to see what was going on, there was a big cloud of dust and rocks falling. Rocks were hitting the bus and everything. And we weren't sure that it was an earthquake.
FERNANDO CAMPOS, AMERICAN EXCHANGE STUDENT: Extremely nervous, confused definitely, just not knowing what was going on.
LAH: They made it off the bus unaware it was an earthquake or that they were just a few dozen miles from the epicenter. For these three California natives, the terror had just begun.
CAMPOS: It was very alarming just to keep hearing or keep feeling the aftershock.
TRACY HINE, AMERICAN EXCHANGE STUDENT: We didn't have anything to cover our heads from rocks. After we got out of the bus, we were just kind of clamoring to find any kind of protection that we could.
LAH: The friends eventually walked to a village just down the road. The villagers had very little. But they gave the students and dozens of other tourists shelter and food. But after three days, with no rescue in sight, they decided they had to hike out.
TAKAHASHI: We weren't sure if it was 10 kilometers away or 20 or how long it would take. And the weather conditions were really unpredictable.
CAMPOS: We must have missed like a small rock shower by like 15 seconds. We had just walked by the area and then it started falling while the end of our group was crossing through. I felt like a lot of the decisions we were making were really life and death and then sometimes you decided not to take the safest -- maybe it was safer to stay in the village, but we knew that it would probably be better maybe the long run to leave.
HINE: As you could see the city kind of getting a little bit -- inching, inching closer and closer, we got really exciting, like, look, it's (INAUDIBLE)
LAH: And in that town, emergency crews, food for survivors and even a satellite phone to call their parents. The first rescued and flown out, the injured and the elderly, then finally:
HINE: It was really hard to know that we three were able to get out and there were so many other people that were still left behind that had so much less than we did.
CAMPOS: It was just -- it really kind of grounds you. It really shows us, at least me, that -- like how fortunate we really are.
LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Barack Obama sat down for an extended interview with our Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM." He responded to some tough criticism from Republican John McCain. That interview in its entirety ahead here in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Brianna, speaking of tough, tough day on Wall Street. Look at this, the Dow down almost 200 points. What in the world is going on? We will talk with Susan Lisovicz at New York Stock Exchange in just a bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
KEILAR: Barack Obama sat down for an extended interview with our Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM." He responded there to some tough criticism from Republican John McCain. That interview in its entirety ahead here in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Little magnets, big problems. A popular toy recalled over safety concerns is back. And it attracts the attention of our Special Investigations Unit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Hi there. I'm Brianna Keilar live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
All right. We're working on several developing stories for you today here in the CNN NEWSROOM, including this one. Senator Edward Kennedy has been released from the hospital a day after doctors announced that he has a malignant brain tumor. Doctors have not outlined a course of treatment for Kennedy, but his options could include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
A new record for oil prices. The cost of a barrel hit $133 today, after the government reported that supplies of gas and oil fell unexpectedly last week. Now, that pushed the price of gas to a new high as well. We're up to $3.80 a gallon. That is the average.
And President Bush is relaxing U.S. policy to allow Americans to send cell phones to their relatives in Cuba. The Cuban government recently loosened its restriction on the use of cell phones.
KEILAR: Topping our Political Ticker this hour: a win for Obama, a win for Clinton. But the big picture doesn't really change here. Barack Obama picked up a victory in Oregon yesterday. Hillary Clinton scored big in Kentucky. And while Clinton won the most delegates overall yesterday, Obama can now claim a majority of pledged delegates.
By our count, he has 1,962 delegates, still 64 short of the 2,026 needed to clinch the nomination. And Clinton has 1,777.
LEMON: Former Democratic President Jimmy Carter says he thinks Clinton would accept an offer to become Barack Obama's running made. But he says he doesn't think Obama will ask her to join the ticket.
Carter, who has praised Obama, but hasn't endorsed him, told a Houston audience he thinks Obama would be helped by choosing someone like former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn.
KEILAR: Republican Senator Chuck Hagel is offering some criticism of his longtime friend John McCain. HuffingtonPost.com reports that Hagel is upset with some of McCain's statements on the campaign trail, including his criticism of Barack Obama over foreign policy.
Hagel says he thinks McCain is, in his words, smarter than some of the things he's been saying. Hagel took issue with McCain's criticism of Obama's willingness to hold talks with leaders of Iran.
LEMON: Well, they haven't received their respective party nominations, at least not yet, but Barack Obama and John McCain are already going back and forth. For starters, McCain continues to hammer Obama over his stated willingness to meet with leaders of rogue states.
Yesterday, in Miami, McCain ripped Obama for his policies toward Cuba.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just a few years ago, Senator Obama had a very clear view on Cuba. When he was asked in a questionnaire about his policy toward Cuba, he answered -- and I quote -- "I believe that normalization of relations with Cuba would help the oppressed and poverty-stricken Cuban people, while setting the stage for a more democratic government once Castro inevitably leaves the scene."
An interesting perspective on Cuba.
Now Senator Obama has shifted positions and says he only favors easing the embargo, not lifting it. He also wants to sit down unconditionally for a presidential meeting with Raul Castro -- an unconditional meeting with Raul Castro.
(BOOS)
MCCAIN: These steps would send the worst possible signal to Cuba's dictators -- there is no need to undertake fundamental reforms. They can simply wait for a unilateral change in U.S. policy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, a short time later, Barack Obama joined our Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM." And Wolf started by asking Obama about John McCain's remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Senator McCain has leveled some very serious charges against your strategy in dealing with Cuba on this day. Let's go through a couple of them. We heard what he just said.
Are you ready to normalize relations with Raul Castro's regime?
OBAMA: No. And so I have to say, first of all, Wolf, his charges aren't serious. And that's the problem. I have never said that I was prepared to immediately normalize relations with Cuba. The only person who's flip-flopped on this issue is John McCain, who in 2000 said that he would be prepared to start normalizing relations even if a whole host of steps had not yet been taken. That's a reversal from the position he's taking now.
What I have said is that we should loosen up the ability of Cuban-Americans to provide remittances to their family members to travel to the Cuban -- to Cuba to visit family members as a show of good faith. And that if we could see progress on a whole host of issues, then we should move in the direction of normalization because what we've done over the last 50 years obviously hasn't worked for what is the primary criteria of U.S./Cuban policy, which is making sure that the Cuban people have freedom. And what I've also said is that I would be willing to engage in direct talks with Cuba.
Now, I know that John McCain likes to characterize this as me immediately having Raul Castro over for tea. What I've said is, is that we would set a series of meetings with low level diplomats, set up some preparation, but that over time I would be willing to meet and talk very directly about what we expect from the Cuban regime. And so John McCain...
BLITZER: All right, because he says...
OBAMA: John McCain John McCain keeps on making these statements that simply aren't based on anything I've said.
BLITZER: He says that you would be ready, in his words, to sit down unconditionally for a presidential meeting with Raul Castro. Those were his words.
OBAMA: And what I've said is I would be willing to meet without preconditions, but with a lot of preparation. And this is -- this is the same argument that we've been having with respect to Iran. This is the same argument that we're going to be having throughout the next several months should I end up being the Democratic nominee.
John McCain essentially wants to continue George Bush's policies of not talking to leaders we don't like and not talking to countries we don't like. It has been a failed policy. Iran is stronger now than when George Bush took office, partly because he engaged in a war in Iraq that John McCain facilitated that has strengthened Iran.
The fact that we haven't talked to them has not had them stand down on nuclear weapons -- it hasn't led them to stop funding Hamas and Hezbollah. It hasn't stopped them from threatening Israel. And so what I've said is we should open up direct talks. By the way, George Bush's own secretary of defense, Robert Gates, has indicated the same thing. I believe the same thing...
BLITZER: Well, look...
OBAMA: I believe that the same thing is true when it comes to Cuba. And I believe, by the way, that the same thing is true with North Korea. That's one of the few areas where we've seen some progress, primarily because the Bush administration reversed its policy of not having direct talks with these rogue nations and we've actually started seeing some progress. Prior to that, North Korea had developed a series of nuclear weapons.
BLITZER: There seems to be some confusion whether you would be willing personally, as president, to sit down without preconditions with Ahmadinejad of Iran or other Iranian leaders.
Is your openness to a meeting with Iranian leaders include inclusive of Ahmadinejad?
OBAMA: You know, I think this obsession with Ahmadinejad is an example of us losing track of what's important. I would be willing to meet with Iranian leaders if we had done sufficient preparation for that meeting. Whether Ahmadinejad is the right person to meet with right now, we don't even know what's going to -- how much power he's going to have a year from now. He is not the most powerful person in Iran. And my expectation, obviously, would be to meet with those people who can actually make decisions, in terms of having them stand down on nuclear weapons or stopping funding Hamas or Hezbollah or meddling in the affairs of Iraq.
But the bottom line here, Wolf, is that John McCain wants to pursue policies that George Bush has pursued for the last eight years with no success.
When it comes to Cuba, what he's now saying is essentially the policy we've pursued for 50 years. And the Cuban people are not more free. And the notion that we would keep on doing the same thing over and over and over again when it doesn't work, and that that somehow is a sign of toughness, is extraordinarily naive. I think does a disservice to the Cuban people. That's the kind of break from the Bush administration that I want to initiate when I'm president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Well, remember, you can watch Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" every weekday at 4:00 Eastern right here at CNN.
KEILAR: We've got some new pictures into the CNN NEWSROOM. These are courtesy of KXAN, our affiliate out of Austin. This, though, is a picture of Eldorado, Texas -- the polygamist ranch where last month, 460 kids were taken out by state officials there. And some new develops today. Representatives from Texas Child Welfare saying that they were turned back -- or they were turned back. This according to a spokesperson for the sect there. They were turned back from the ranch when they tried to investigate reports that more children remained at the compound.
Now, a spokesperson and lawyer for the sect, the FLDS Church, said that two employees from Child Protective Services arrived at the ranch this morning and then the workers were accompanied by at least one sheriff's deputy. But they didn't have a warrant, so they were denied access.
CPS, for their part, saying they had believed that all children had been removed, as authorized by a state district judge. "But this morning, along with law enforcement, we went to the ranch to make some initial inquiries and are now conferring with law enforcement." And that spokesperson and lawyer for the sect, for this religious group, said they believed that authorities were trying to get a warrant so that they could come back and check this out.
No doubt this story is developing. We will bring you the details as they come into the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Pakistan's top army leaders say there are now in control of what was the Taliban's playground. The U.S. military and the CIA are not convinced, though.
When Pakistan invited the international media to have a look for themselves, CNN's Reza Sayah jumped at the chance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's only a child. But in this Taliban video, he points his handgun at a blindfolded man with remarkable cool. Moments later, he pulls the trigger, killing his target. They're barely teenagers, but in this Taliban video confiscated by the Pakistani Army, they sit in a classroom as their masked teacher drills them on how to kill.
These horrifying scenes are evidence, says the Pakistani Army, that the Taliban ran terrorist camps in this village in Pakistan's lawless tribal region. But in a carefully orchestrated media tour, the Pakistani Army choppered in 20 journalists to show the Taliban is gone.
GEN. ATHAR ABBAS, PAKISTANI ARMY'S TOP SPOKESMAN: We were able to completely choke the area.
SAYAH: General Athar Abbas, the army's top spokesman, says today it's Pakistani troops in control.
ABBAS: We have been able to successfully smashed all those training centers which were in this area.
SAYAH: The Pakistani Army rarely takes reporters into Pakistan's tribal region. But army officials say that it is time to respond to accusations that troops are not doing enough, going soft on the militants and even abandoning the region on their own.
MAJ. GEN. TARIQ KHAN, PAKISTANI ARMY: I would disagree with going soft on the militants. It is an intense battle which has a lot of casualties.
SAYAH: Perhaps the toughest critics have been the U.S. military and the CIA. High-ranking officials are convinced Al-Qaeda and the Taliban still use bases in the tribal region to attack U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.
(on-camera): What do you say to that?
ABBAS: That's incorrect, I rule that out. It is not like that.
TODD (voice-over): The army clearly used this video tour to try and convince reporters the army is winning in the tribal region. Army officials say these were some of the buildings where the Taliban made suicide jackets and trained their young killers. Today those buildings are piles of rubble.
ABBAS: I think it is a good progress as far as the army operations are concerned.
TODD (on-camera): It's important to remember the Pakistani Army only showed us a small portion of the tribal region. So it's impossible to verify if they're in control in all parts. But one thing is for certain -- by taking journalists out for the first time in these battlegrounds, the Pakistani Army is getting to be more media savvy, responding to criticism that they're not doing enough here by trying to show reporters they are.
Reza Sayah, CNN, in Pakistan's tribal region.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Little magnets causing big problems. A popular toy recalled over safety concerns is back and it attracts the attention of our Special Investigations Unit.
LEMON: An act of heroism caught on camera. Stay with us for the story behind this dramatic video.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Some breaking news into the CNN NEWSROOM.
As you can see there -- well, not from this shot. But this is Florida. And we are talking about some brush fires here. Florida has been dealing with fires -- wildfires and brush fires lately. This one had to have some homes in a subdivision evacuated. It is out of control. It is burning near Paisley, which is in Lake County. And firefighters say high winds are fuelling this. Homes in Deer Haven Subdivision were being evacuated. This is -- again, is according to our affiliate WFTV -- WFTV. The blaze has burned some 50 acres as of 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
About 15 minutes ago was the last update on this. We'll continue to update you on this situation as we see the planes here and firefighters fighting this brush fire in Florida.
Meantime, we want to get you over to the Severe Weather Center.
If you were in the Georgia area last night, you know we had some severe weather roll through. Chad Myers has an update now.
Chad, what do you have?
(WEATHER REPORT)
KEILAR: An 8-year-old Indiana girl is in the hospital recovering from emergency surgery. Doctors say that she swallowed the pieces of a popular magnetic toy. It is actually the same kind of toy that was the subject of a massive recall last year.
And CNN's special investigations unit correspondent, Abbi Boudreau, joining us now with more on this.
It's sort of deja vu in a way.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes. And when you think about it, of course, everyone knows children love putting things in their mouths. But this magnetic toy, if ingested, doctors say, can be life-threatening. And that's exactly what happened in Haley Lent's case. And she learned it the hard way.
She was playing with this popular toy, Magnetix, when she swallowed several pieces. She said the smooth, shiny parts looked like candy. Her parents rushed her to the hospital, where doctors were able to save her life. The reason, we're told, that this toy can cause so much damage is because of how powerful the magnets are.
If they're ingested, they can rip through the intestines and cause a lot of internal damage. CNN is aware of one case where a young child died after swallowing the magnets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON LENTS, HALEY'S FATHER: Because right now, there are a lot of kids in this country that have no idea -- and a lot of parents that don't know that they've got a time bomb in their toy box that's going to either severely injure another child or kill another child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOUDREAU: Tomorrow on "AMERICAN MORNING," we'll have the whole story and what the company says it's doing to improve the safety of its products. The company also points out that as a result of the recall last year, it made the plastic casing around the magnets stronger so they would not fall out like they had in the past. This is kind of what we're talking about. These are the magnets. And before the magnets were able to easily just pop off and now there's a plastic casing around it.
KEILAR: OK. Yes, you can you see there's little magnets on either side. You could really see in the video there, too, where you could see the magnets and the x-ray of how they cluster together. And they really want to move together into the same spot.
But I mean I imagine there's a warning label, right, on these kind of toys? BOUDREAU: Absolutely. There is a warning label and the company says the warning labels are very clear. The labels even state what could happen if the magnets are swallowed. The company also says it's up to parents to keep an eye on their children when they play with any toy, not just this toy.
KEILAR: All right.
Abbie Boudreau with CNN's Special Investigations Unit.
We'll be watching tomorrow on "AMERICAN MORNING" to see your entire report.
Thanks.
BOUDREAU: Thank you.
LEMON: All right, take a look at this -- An act of heroism Caught on Camera. Stay with us for the story behind this dramatic video.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, a Michigan police officer is being hailed as a hero. He pushed three people out of the way of an oncoming car, but was hit by the car himself. Here it is from the dashboard camera of Officer Jason Sakowski's police car. Sakowski was conducting an accident scene investigation when an oncoming car -- wow! -- suddenly swerved onto the shoulder of Interstate 94. He managed to shove three witnesses out of the way before he was hit. Sakowski was treated for minor injuries at a Detroit hospital. Man, oh man.
KEILAR: I just don't under -- I don't understand how a car does that. But, I don't know.
LEMON: Glad he's OK.
KEILAR: Yes. Definitely.
LEMON: And he pushed everyone out of the way. He is a hero.
KEILAR: Definitely.
LEMON: OK. Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
KEILAR: He is standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Brianna and Don, thanks very much.
Eye on the prize -- Barack Obama inching closer to the Democratic nomination and he's campaigning today in Florida to try to make up for lost time. But Hillary Clinton is also there, reminding voters she won't stop until their votes are counted.
Also, is Obama tough enough to face Republican attacks in a general election?
I'll ask a man who speaks with some experience on that issue, the former Democratic presidential nominee, Michael Dukakis. He'll be here in "THE SITUATION ROOM".
And just months ago, Israel attacked an alleged nuclear site in Syria. Now the two long time foes are actually talking peace. This is a chance at history.
So why isn't the White House directly involved?
All that and more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM".
LEMON: All right, Wolf.
We'll be watching. Thank you.
KEILAR: We begin our Caught on Camera segment with a record- breaking...
LEMON: This isn't real. Come on.
KEILAR: This is real.
LEMON: Oh, come on.
KEILAR: That is a flying fish.
LEMON: Computer animation.
KEILAR: No. For real here.
LEMON: All right, Bri.
KEILAR: And this is believed to be the longest fish flight ever photographed. A Japanese television crew caught this frequent flyer gliding across the water for an entire 45 seconds. That is so long, we don't even have time to show you the entire flight. You're going to have to take our word for it.
LEMON: Oh, I don't believe it. All right. I guess it's true. We have it on here.
All right. A mountain lion -- a hunt in Boulder Colorado. Oh, imagine that in your yard. Well, this 2-year-old cat was spotted near an elementary school. Wildlife officers stalked it, shot it with a tranquilizer gun and then released it out of town, of course. This is the second time in two weeks that this mountain lion has been captured in this neighborhood. Everyone hopes it's gone for good this time.
It's the second time. That's a little weird.
KEILAR: The second time.
LEMON: Something is drawing it there, so.
KEILAR: Or is it its natural habitat?
Maybe it returned. You never know.
LEMON: He was probably there -- or his family was there before the homes were there.
KEILAR: Well, at one time or another, nearly every has at least daydreamed about this. Oh, yes -- getting ready, throwing the pie at the boss. Yes. Workers at a Food Lion supermarket -- this is in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. They won a company contest and the prize was they got to fling pies at the floor manager and his assistant. Everyone seemed to have a good time. But, you know, on the down side, it may take a while to restock the pie department.
LEMON: Weren't you -- weren't you telling me during the break that you'd like to do this to our boss?
Didn't you say that?
KEILAR: I did not say that, Don Lemon.
LEMON: You did say that.
KEILAR: You are getting me in big trouble. I did not say that.
LEMON: All right, I have the note. You wrote it on a piece of paper right there.
KEILAR: I did not say that.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: All right, serious...
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: You did see say it.
KEILAR: No, I didn't.
LEMON: That's the note.
KEILAR: Moving on...
LEMON: I would like to do the boss...
KEILAR: Let's talk about the Dow.
LEMON: ...in the face with a big pie.
The Dow is down more than 200 points. Serious news here. The closing bell and a wrap of all the action on Wall Street straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.
LEMON: Susan Lisovicz, OK, it looks like sort of smooth sailing and then all of a sudden, nope.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
KEILAR: And let's head now to "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer.
