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CNN Saturday Morning News

Several Tornadoes Hit the Midwest; Turmoil Over Clinton's Comments About Bobby Kennedy; Memorial Day Weekend and the Price of Gas

Aired May 24, 2008 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN, ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm T.J. Holmes. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Veronica de la Cruz in this morning for Betty Nguyen. It's nice to see you. Thank you so much for starting your day with us.

You know, big story that we are following today is the weather in the Midwest. We have gripping video of tornadoes after they ripped through Oklahoma and Kansas. Take a look at this picture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You know, I just -- I don't understand it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: A lot of people don't understand what in the world the 1968 assassination of Bobby Kennedy has to with the Democratic presidential nomination. We will get into the turmoil over Hillary Clinton's comments.

DE LA CRUZ: That's right. Also, another new record for gas prices. Just in time for your Memorial Day weekend travel plans.

HOLMES: We'll start with severe weather. Kansas still cleaning up from Thursday's round of tornadoes when they got hit again. There are reports of more damage in western Kansas that has made it pretty hard for us to get pictures out of that area. A lot of remote areas, rural areas, but as soon as we get those pictures in, we'll bring those to you.

Also, in Fort Supply, Oklahoma was also in the path of the severe weather. Take a look at this. Some damage, no reports of injuries, thanks goodness, after this tornado. And this is what the storm left behind. There is at least one home, this one destroyed. Northern Oklahoma was already cleaning up from Thursday's storms. Well, in those storms, one teenager was killed when the car he was in dropped some 40 feet through a washed out roadway.

DE LA CRUZ: Our Reynolds Wolf is checking out situations in that area right now. We're going to check in with him at the CNN weather center. Good morning to you, Reynolds. REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.

We do have some good news. The best news we have for you is that all the rough weather we had yesterday. Thankfully is now moving out. Today, it's going to be clean up time.

In fact, right behind me you will see areas that were just hammered by some strong storms especially places like Hutchinson, Kansas, back towards Wichita even as we mentioned Greensburg, Kansas, which you'll remember just about a year ago was completely flattened by a huge storm. It was a tornado that was actually formed very close to the city. Thankfully, it did not cause a widespread damage. But just the idea that there was that possibility was just unbelievable.

Now, I do -- I believe we have video of some of some of the storm damage. Take a look at this cloud-to-cloud video. We're going to stay with this for just a little bit. Cloud-to-cloud lightning, something that is just spectacular to see. But at the same time, absolutely terrifying.

Now, what we're going to be seeing is -- this is from Ness City in Kansas. Ness City, Kansas, what a just unbelievable event they had last night where they had reports not only of that large -- quite a bit of thunder and lightning but also large hail. They also had damaging winds, just a very, very scary situation there.

But as I mentioned, we are looking at a much better forecast for today. We are going to be talking about that coming up. Plus, when there's many Americans, millions of Americans, despite the high fuel costs, are still going to be getting out and travel. We're going to give you the very latest on what to expect, not only on the roads, but also in the airports. That's moments away.

HOLMES: We do appreciate as that information a lot of folks can use this morning. Thank you, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

DE LA CRUZ: All right. Thanks, Reynolds.

A Colorado community ripped apart by a tornado. Hundreds of residents still not allowed back in their homes this morning. We got more now from Shawn Patrick of affiliate KUSA in Windsor, Colorado.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHAWN PATRICK, KUSA REPORTER: Here in Windsor, Colorado, just off Main Street, where residents continue to wait to find out if they can return to their homes. They have a one-square mile radius blocked off because of safety concerns. Police have been patrolling throughout the area throughout the night for that reason. The latest numbers now coming from emergency personnel that 596 homes damaged. More than 100 of those deemed unsafe.

They'll have a meeting here in just over two hours, just over two hours. An informational meeting to brief the residents on that because of the gas main leak concerns and also stability and asbestos in some of those homes and brief these residents on who can go back in there and find out what they can get into.

After talking with the mayor, this morning, of Windsor this morning, they've been able to get help from the National Guard here who have been going door to door. Now, we're told that at least three searches that they have conducted through these homes, home by home, to find out and make sure everyone is accounted for. They have been using search dogs to do that. Only one fatality in all of this. A number of injuries, though, people with cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

But out of all of that, a lot of emergency personnel considering themselves very lucky. Still the threat of severe weather hanging over their heads. They had it here late Friday afternoon and the watch for it again Saturday as some people are able to and are lucky enough to get back into their neighborhoods. We'll have more throughout the morning here.

Shawn Patrick reporting from Windsor, Colorado.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. Let's turn to politics now. And an apology from Senator Hillary Clinton.

CNN's Joe Johns explains now why she is saying sorry for a comment she made about a Kennedy assassination.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The general rule for politicians heading into holiday weekend, no news is good news. Oops! When asked whether her candidacy was jeopardizing party unity, Hillary Clinton said this to the editorial board of a Sioux Falls, South Dakota newspaper.

CLINTON: My husband didn't wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June. Right, we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You know, I just -- I don't understand it.

JOHNS (voice-over): She actually said something like this before. This past March to "Time" magazine managing editor Richard Stengel (ph). "Primary contest used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A.. My husband didn't wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual."

Then it went largely unnoticed, but this time it stuck, or sort of hung in the air, like an unpleasant odor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She sounds like she's exhausted. I think she woke up today saying let me go ahead and draw a parallel between '68 and 2008, but to evoke the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, I think, it gives the people who have been looking for a reason to say, enough with her and to push her out of the race. It gives them a reason to do that.

JOHNS: Friday night is suddenly damage control night for the campaign. Quickly invoking the innocent explanation for the remark. All she was saying that historically Democratic presidential nominating races have gone into the summer and at an event the senator clarifies and apologizes.

CLINTON: I, you know, digress, if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation, in particular, for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. Certainly had no intentions of that or whatsoever.

JOHNS: It was an awkward time to mention the Kennedy name this way, especially with the family's patriarch, the surviving brother of the three now battling brain cancer.

But Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Clinton supporter, defended the senator's remarks telling the "New York Times," "it sounds like she was invoking a familiar historical circumstance in support of her argument for continuing her campaign."

The Obama people decided not to pile on saying only that Senator Clinton's statement was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And with all the debate over that comment, Senator Clinton and her Democratic rival Senator Barack Obama are looking ahead this weekend for the upcoming primary in Puerto Rico. Republican John McCain, meanwhile, hosting guests in Arizona and facing questions of a more personal level. And our senior political producer Sasha Johnson keeping an eye on all things political this morning. She joins us now from Washington.

Hello, again, to you. These comments -- why did they stick, I guess, this time around? The R.F.K. reference from Hillary Clinton? I guess who made it stick and who is kind of keeping it out there now? The press or her critics are trying to keep his thing going?

SASHA JOHNSON, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's the press. I mean, it's on the front of several newspapers this morning. So, I think that you know, it will be here today, I don't know if it will be here tomorrow. And why did it stick this time? I mean, it was sort of a bizarre and inartful thing to say.

And up until this point, we really haven't seen any back and forth between the Obama and Clinton campaigns in the last couple of weeks. The Obama campaign has largely ignored Senator Clinton except to say she's run a wonderful campaign, she is a, you know, tough opponent, and she's run a good campaign, and we continue to go forward. But yesterday we saw the Obama campaign come out and say, as Joe mentioned in this piece, this was a really ridiculous thing to say and it was unfortunate and has no place in politics. And then Hillary Clinton was forced to apologize. So, I think that's probably why it had legs, because the campaigns are actually interacting with each other.

HOLMES: And they still did in the Obama campaign -- that response they had was pretty short and sweet, if you will. It's pretty brief. So, it's still not too much, but yes they engaged each other for the first time in a long time.

JOHNSON: Yes, exactly.

HOLMES: We will turn to what they're doing in Puerto Rico. Are the campaigns exactly engaging each other in Puerto Rico? I guess what are the messages they are taking there with that primary coming up? And it sounds small and a little territory of Puerto Rico, but we are talking about 55 delegates here.

JOHNSON: Yes. No, it has a significant number of delegates. And historically, it's a place where a lot of people turn out to vote. So, Hillary Clinton is down there continuing to push her message that you know Florida and Michigan should count. Nobody should count her out. That she leads in the popular vote, which she'll continue to say today.

And that's part of the reason she's down there. She really wants a big win down there. And even though they apportion the delegates in such a way that she may not pick up many. If she wins, and wins by a large margin, she will get more votes to add to her popular vote total, which is something that she is taking to the superdelegates, saying hey look how many people voted for me.

Obama may have more delegates but look how many popular votes I've racked up. And all of this is in advance of next Saturday's meeting with the DNC where they are finally going to sit down and decide what to do with Florida and Michigan.

HOLMES: Very curious to know how that is going to work out.

JOHNSON: Absolutely.

HOLMES: That DNC meeting. A big moment there. We will turn now. Let's turn now to Republicans and let's just turn to John McCain. He's the only Republican in there now. He's not battling it out with anybody right now. We finally got his health report. A big health report. A lot of stuff in there. But is anything jumping out of that report? We certainly had our Dr. Sanjay Gupta go through that thing, but does anything jump out to be of concern to the voters down the road.

JOHNSON: Not much. I mean, they released almost 1,200 pages of records which is pretty extraordinary. And it detailed all of his bouts with the cancer surgery several years ago and you know, they came out and said it appears that he's cancer free. The doctors came out to say there's absolutely no reason he couldn't serve as president. That's really the point of the release. I mean obviously, his age has been and will be an issue in this campaign.

And so, the McCain campaign wanted to come out and say look here are doctors, here are 1200 pages of records. This guy is healthy. He is not battling any other ailments that some Americans aren't like, you know, kind of high cholesterol and things like that. There's absolutely no reason why he can't be president. And so his age and his health shouldn't be a factor.

HOLMES: You know what, if you can make it through a presidential primary season, then that should qualify you health wise probably.

JOHNSON: Yes, probably.

HOLMES: For doing the job. We're going to talk to you again next hour. We'll get into McCain's wife has released her tax returns. A lot of people waiting for her to release and certainly, it appears that it pays to be married to Cindy McCain. She's doing all right.

JOHNSON: She's doing OK.

HOLMES: We'll see you again here soon, Sasha. The hunt for the vice presidential candidate will also be something. We'll talk with Sasha later. Both Barack Obama and John McCain actively seeking a number two for their ticket. So, stick around for that.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Cindy McCain -- she is doing all right. She's doing OK.

HOLMES: She's doing well. She's not having a staycation.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes, she's not having a staycation but on that note, you have been waiting for it, and so have got it. Look at that. Paradise. A list of the nation's best beaches is out. T.J., could there be a few surprises?

HOLMES: Yes. because -- what, after you pay for gas to get to a beach, will you even have any money leftover to buy yourself a drink with an umbrella in it? Stay here.

DE LA CRUZ: I bet you Cindy McCain would.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Staff Sgt. Roger Staats, he was part of this family. He was a family man that served in Vietnam. He had a hero sendoff. We said good-bye. We know that you are our hero, too. We have an angel on each shoulder. He was by best friend. I love you, Daddy, and I'll miss you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DE LA CRUZ: All weekend long, we'll be remembering the nation's fallen heroes.

Well, the number of death from that earthquake in China just keeps growing. The government now says more than 60,000 people were killed. Hundreds of thousands are injured and mourning the loss of relatives. On the phone with me now is Dr. Matt Marko. He is an American doctor in China.

Hello, Dr. Marko, are you with us?

VOICE OF DR. MATT MARKO, PROVIDING CARE TO VICTIMS: Yes, I am.

DE LA CRUZ: So, you're an American doctor. You're there in China. And you've been there for six years as I understand it. Just so that we have a better understanding of the geography, tell us exactly where you are and how far you are from the quake's epicenter.

MARKO: Currently, I'm in Wuxi, China. This is about two and a half hours flight from the main earthquake area.

DE LA CRUZ: All right. So, you're about two and half hours away from the quake's epicenter, by plan you're saying. You're there. You're a doctor. What types of injuries are you seeing? We are about 12 days away from when the quake struck on May 12. What are you seeing right now?

MARKO: We are still seeing some of the same injuries, but they are becoming less severe. Initially, when I was there, I was in an area called Sheba (ph) and this is right outside the very center of the epicenter, the base of the mountain area.

And initially, we saw people being walked in and being carried out from the mountains over a period of multiple days. We saw many fractures and you know, tremendous bruises, lacerations, the lacerations had very much become infected for most of the people. You know, some cases of pneumonia and a few other things.

DE LA CRUZ: You know, at the same time, there was the devastating cyclone in Myanmar. Do you believe that enough aid is getting into the area? We know that a lot of these international aid organizations definitely have their hands full. They've been saying that people who donate have been suffering from disaster fatigue. Do you believe that enough aid is getting to the area that you are in?

MARKO: They are getting the aid in there. It is slower for some areas, due to the fact that it is a very mountainous region and because of the massive landslides that have occurred. There's almost no direction you can look at in any part of the mountains that this hasn't happened. Logistically, they are facing some very extreme difficulties with being able to get in and out of many areas.

DE LA CRUZ: And I just want to ask you, we are looking at the pictures of the damage, the devastation, from your best estimates, how long do you think it will take for people to start living a normal life once again?

MARKO: It's going to take really a tremendous amount of time because once it they get past the initial place to live and stay. And it's about getting back to some kind of normalcy of routine in daily life. That will take some effort because everything is going to be different and changed.

Then, it is about the fact that everyone is going to be suffering from some type of loss or the exposure to such a devastating event with very catastrophic consequences. So, it's going to take many months for the people to really get back to a normal state.

DE LA CRUZ: Dr. Matt Marko, you are there in Wuxi, China. We do appreciate your time today. Thank you so much for bringing us up to date on the situation there.

MARKO: You're quite welcome. Thank you.

HOLMES: Well, there is another new record for gas prices. And wait until you see how much prices have gone up just overnight.

Also, some critical information for college students who's on the hunt for that first job after graduation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE LEMON: My name is Dave Lemon. I'm here for a reunion of the 55th Strategic Recognizance Wing. And I would like to pay tribute to Larry Haines, who is the brother of my best friend. He served as a marine and was killed there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DE LA CRUZ: All right. It is "issue number one" on the minds of many people. The rising price of gas and shocking, it's up again.

HOLMES: Really.

DE LA CRUZ: It is up again.

HOLMES: Yes. Sorry. $3.91 is where we are at now. We're almost getting to an average of $4, folks.

DE LA CRUZ: Nine cents away. It's unbelievable.

HOLMES: Nine cents away but it's the average that we're talking about. So, of course, that means many places are already looking at $4 gas. With the record prices, they are causing some people to put the brakes on their holiday travel plans.

AAA saying more than 31 million Americans are expected to be on the road this Memorial Day weekend. However, that is down slightly from a year ago. The gas prices making it more expensive, as you can imagine to fly as well. The airlines raising fares $30 to $60 for a round-trip ticket. We'll have a live reports on the going and gone.

DE LA CRUZ: You can't drive or fly. HOLMES: Not cheaply.

DE LA CRUZ: And it is expensive to have a cookout.

HOLMES: Yes. Food prices are going up, Everything is going up. Staycation is the word.

DE LA CRUZ: Staycation.

HOLMES: Stay at home and you don't do a thing. Save the money.

DE LA CRUZ: There you go.

HOLMES: Some new college grads out there, you are going to be hitting the streets soon looking for a job in all these economic news probably doesn't sit too well with you right now, but our Gerri Willis here now with tips to help you catch your big break.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hi there, T.J.

Searching for a job after graduation can be scary for students and parents alike, especially in today's economy, but there are a few steps you can take to make sure you are ahead of your peers.

First off, contact your school's career center to see if there are alumni working for your target employers. Now, many career centers will allow you to take advantage of their services well after graduation.

The next step? Make contact. While your contacts may not be able to offer you a job, they might be able to give you a referral or offer pointers on your resume.

And stay organized. Appropriate research before an interview is key. Check out Yahoo! Finance or vault.com for information on specific companies and a follow-up thank you note is always appreciated.

Coming up on "OPEN HOUSE," we'll separate facts from fiction when it comes to saving gas. Looking for a great summer vacation, well, you might not have to look too far from home and decorating your home for less. That's "OPEN HOUSE" 9:30 a.m. Eastern -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. We appreciate it, Gerri. We'll see her shortly at the bottom of the hour.

DE LA CRUZ: And it's time now to check out what's going on with Josh Levs. Because I hear that he has a little vacation planned for us. Right?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, men.

DE LA CRUZ: No staycation?

LEVS: Well, vicariously for about 30 seconds. Yes. You can do it looking at some really beautiful pictures. Here's what I got. The best beaches in America. Brand new list is out. Did yours make the cut? We're going to have that coming up right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a sergeant with the United States marine corps. He was so funny. He made all of us laugh. He had the greatest sense of humor. He loves America, his family and his marines more than anything else in the world. He was killed in an accident in Fallujah on November 13, 2004, during a rescue mission to help save the lives of seven wounded marines trapped in a house. Byron, I love you and I miss you every moment of every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DE LA CRUZ: You are listening to these i-reports is actually something that we will be doing all weekend long because it's so important to put a face and a name behind all those numbers that we're constantly reporting on.

HOLMES: Absolutely. So, we're hearing a lot happening this morning and some of them tough to hear. Certainly, to hear the voices cracking as they're describing their loved ones, many of whom have been killed in action. It is important to get those in. We'll see them all morning right here.

Also, we are talking about the holiday weekend, talking about the high gas prices. And how it's tough for a lot of people to get around and take vacations right now. We showed you how some people are taking what is being called a staycation ...

DE LA CRUZ: Staycation.

HOLMES: This Memorial Day weekend.

DE LA CRUZ: Learn the word.

HOLMES: They are staying close to home to cut down on the cost of driving.

DE LA CRUZ: That's right but you know forget the staycation because you got to get to the beach at least one time this summer, right? And our Josh Levs have packed the sunscreen. He's going to tell us where to go. Because here in Atlanta, Josh, we are a little landlocked. Where do we go?

LEVS: I know. My wife, she grew up near the beaches. And that's the one thing she hates about but I tell you we have some exciting -- hey, do you guys have favorite beaches in America?

DE LA CRUZ: I do.

LEVS: Do you? What?

DE LA CRUZ: I would have to say maybe South Beach, Miami.

LEVS: Me, too. Who can be in South Beach? But you know what, we're going to be disappointed. It didn't make the top 10 this year.

DE LA CRUZ: Really.

LEVS: Take a look at this. I'm going to start off with the first one right here. This is the number one beach in America, according to a brand new list that just came out. We're looking at a shot here of Caledesi Island State Park in Clearwater, Florida. And I'll give you the description for Wyatt One (ph). It's powder white sand, warm crystal clear water and beautiful nature. I'll make it the number one beach to enjoy and decompress.

Now, this list comes from a guy called Dr. Beach. He was able to claim that title. He's the director of Florida and National University's laboratory for coastal research. He's become pretty influential. He puts out the annual list and you can actually see in response to travel. Number two is Hanalei beach. Number three is Siesta beach.

So, let's take a look at Hanalei Beach because this is the prettiest down. And look at that. I mean, I want to dive in right now. I do have my sunscreen with me and I would hop on a flight right now if I could. That's in Kawai, Hawaii.

Look over here, we got Maine beach. Something a little more accessible to a lot of people. That's in East Hampton, New York. Also over here, Cape Hatteris (ph), that is not too far from us. We could drive to that one.

And finally, I want to show you this one. Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne. Actually, let's go to this one -- there you go, that's a little better. Kiyowa (ph) Island, South Carolina. Again, not too far from here.

Beach Walker Park -- but I'm going to go back to that first shot, guys, because it's pretty astounding. This is Calladaisy (ph), which one (ph). This is Hanalei Bay. It's too good. It does make me feel landlocked right now. What do you think? Can we make it there on time?

HOLMES: No.

LEVS: No?

DE LA CRUZ: I've got my sunscreen. I've got my beach bag right here.

HOLMES: I don't know why you two carry sunscreen.

DE LA CRUZ: I am ready to go.

LEVS: The picture is mesmerizing -- look at this thing.

All right, we got to go. Thanks, guys. HOLMES: All right, we appreciate you, Josh.

DE LA CRUZ: Thanks, Josh.

HOLMES: But a lot more on vacation spots, a lot more on the tornado ravage Midwest, as we've been saying all morning. We'll take you there live top of the hour.

DE LA CRUZ: But first, "OPEN HOUSE" with Gerri Willis starts right now.