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Hillary Clinton Banking on Florida's Disqualified Delegates; Bush Loyalist's Blistering New Book Brewing Morning Buzz
Aired May 28, 2008 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Robert Madden oversees the syndication of Winfrey's talk show. He tells CNN, "it has been the number one talk show 471 consecutive weeks... obviously, if you're number one, you're not in trouble."
And remember, this media titan has more than a billion in the bank and popularity to spare. Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed, all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown. Did the White House toy with the truth about the Iraq war?
A Bush loyalist's blistering new book brewing a morning buzz.
COLLINS: 21 days in a row, a new record high for gas. Angry about it? We've got some tips to help stop your fuming.
HARRIS: Hillary Clinton banking on Florida's disqualified delegates. Political activists in court to get them counted today, Wednesday, May 28th. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Our top story this morning, he served as the public voice of the Bush White House, today, Scott McClellan is speaking out. And some say selling out the Bush White House. A bombshell memoir and allegations of deception and propaganda. The response, swift. CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House for us. Good morning to you, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi. Well, a look at the full title of Scott McClellan's new book due out officially Monday gives you a sense of why it is so explosive here in Washington. Here it is, the full title "What Happened inside the Bush White House and Washington's culture of deception."
Now, in it former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan blasts the Bush administration on a number of topics including Iraq. On that point, McClellan e writes of the president "he and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war. In this regard, he was terribly ill-served by his top advisers, especially those involved directly in national security."
So far there has not been official comment yet from the White House, but last night, former Homeland Security adviser Fran Townsend fired back on "AC 360."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCES FRAGOD TOWNSEND, FMR. BUSH HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: I think people need to understand I or Scott have an obligation, responsibility to voice concerns on policy issues. Scott never did that on any of these issues as best I can remember and as best I know from my White House colleagues.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Never spoke out.
TOWNSEND: No, and so for him to do this now, frankly, strikes me as self-serving, disingenuous and unprofessional.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, we should mention that McClellan spoke briefly to my colleague Ed Henry last night and said that he stands behind the accuracy of this book. McClellan is due to give some television interviews later this week. We are still, again, Heidi, waiting for official White House comment on the book. Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. I'm wondering how surprised if at all the White House may be about this book. Was there any indication as far as you know that when he left the White House he might write something like this?
QUIJANO: No, absolutely not. And in fact, when you look back two years ago when Scott McClellan announced his resignation back in April of 2006. There were some warm words that were exchanged here at the White House the day that Scott announced that he was leaving, that McClellan announced he was leaving, warm words on McClellan's parts and also warm words on the president's part. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: One of these days he and I are going to be rocking on chairs in Texas talking about the good old days of his time as the press secretary. And I can assure you I will feel the same way then that I feel now, that I can say to Scott, job well done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: So the bottom line here, the reason why this story is sending such shock waves throughout Washington, Heidi, the fact not only that these are some very harsh criticisms coming now at a point really that is very critical coming up against the presidential elections here in November, certainly this is going to provide more fodder for the Iraq war debate. At the same time, though, who has written these criticisms? That is what is such a surprise to many here in Washington, Scott McClellan, of course, a formerly staunch Bush loyalist who goes back a long way with the president. Back to 1999, he started working for then Governor George W. Bush of Texas. Really, a lot of people here in Washington saying they simply did not see this coming from him.
COLLINS: Right. Maybe he have to forget about those rocking chairs on the porch in Texas with the president. All right, Elaine Quijano, standing out front of the White House for us this morning. Thanks, Elaine.
QUIJANO: Sure.
HARRIS: So who is Scott McClellan? He served as spokesman for George W. Bush when he was governor of Texas as Elaine just mentioned. In 2003, McClellan replaced Ari Fleischer as White House Press Secretary. In April of 2006, McClellan announced he was resigning. At the time, President Bush praised him for "a job well done."
COLLINS: Other political headlines this morning, three presidential candidates campaigning in western states today. Presumptive GOP nominee John McCain holding a town hall meeting in Reno, Nevada. He met up with President Bush for a private fund-raiser in Arizona yesterday. The close door event raising an estimated $3 million. On the democratic side Barack Obama rallied supporters this afternoon at a town hall meeting in Thornton, Colorado. Hillary Clinton shifts from Montana to South Dakota holding rallies there this afternoon and evening.
As you heard, President Bush, was in Arizona raising millions for John McCain. Still the president and the presumptive nominee are keeping their distance. CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two months ago it was President Bush dancing as he waited for John McCain to arrive at the White House. Now it's McCain who's tap dancing using the president to rake in big money in Arizona but limiting pictures of them together to this brief shot at the airport long after the nightly newscasts.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No cameras, no reporters, and we all know why, Senator McCain doesn't want to be seen hat in hand with the president whose failed policies he promises to continue for another four years.
HENRY: While democrats charge a McCain victory will be a third bush term, the reality is not that simple.
ALEX CASTELLANOS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: McCain has established himself as his own brand. He's the maverick brand. He's kicked over tables in Washington whether they're democrat tables or republican tables.
HENRY: Speaking about nuclear security Tuesday, McCain suggested he would take a tougher line with North Korea than the president has but on Iraq, McCain is largely in lockstep with the president as he made clear when he fired back at war protesters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: End this war. End this war.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will never surrender in Iraq, my friends. I will never surrender in Iraq.
HENRY: On the economy, McCain largely backs the president. After voting against the Bush tax cuts in 2001, he's now trying to woo conservatives by promising to make those very same tax cuts permanent. But on the environment, McCain has broken dramatically with the president calling for caps on carbon emissions and suggesting Mr. Bush has not shown leadership on global warming.
MCCAIN: I will not permit eight long years to pass without serious action on serious challenges.
HENRY (on-camera): The president's fund-raising for McCain continues today in Utah but minus McCain. Mr. Bush will be appearing with Mitt Romney instead. Ed Henry, CNN, Scottsdale, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And, of course, Florida matters. Activists are taking that message to court. The legal battle for Florida democratic delegates still ahead in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: New fallout from a corruption scandal in Israel. The country's defense minister Ehud Barak is demanding Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to step down. Mr. Olmert is being investigated for allegedly receiving illegal funds and bribes. And it's the fifth investigation the Prime Minister has faced since taking office two years ago. He insists the money he received was for legitimate campaign purposes.
A sense of urgency in China this morning. There is a growing danger from more than two dozen quake lakes. Lakes that are created by landslides after that earthquake two weeks ago. Right now crews are using heavy earth-moving equipment to build spillways to relieve the pressure. The Chinese government is calling the quake lakes problem the most urgent task it is dealing with. So far, about 158,000 people in downstream communities have been evacuated. But that number could rise to around 1.3 million. The death toll from the quake has risen to more than 68,000 and more than 19,000 people are still missing.
HARRIS: And we wanted to give you a better view of the growing quake lake problem in China. This is a river in Sichuan province two years before the quake. As you can see, there are villages along the edges. Now, here's what it looked like five days after the quake. Those villages now underwater. How dramatic is that? What's more, it's estimated the quake lakes are rising about six feet a day. That's the rate. And remember this image was taken just nine days ago. Left without their one child, the earthquake in China tearing apart a generation. Parents not ready to move on. COLLINS: Progress and problems in cyclone ravaged Myanmar. Military leaders in the country known as Burma now letting more foreign aid workers into the area hit hardest by a powerful storm early this month. The U.N. estimates almost 2.5 million people are in desperate need of food, shelter and medical care. But the military generals are not opening up for world famous democracy activist, Aung San Suu Kyi. Her opposition party is vowing to appeal the extension of her house arrest. Military rulers have detained the Nobel Peace laureate for more than 12 years.
At cnn.com we have a special page on the devastation in China and Myanmar complete with links to aid agencies that are organizing help for the region. It's a chance for you to "Impact your World."
HARRIS: We want to get you to Jacqui Jeras now with at the severe weather center. And Jacqui, can we revisit Parkersburg, Iowa for a moment here. Did you mention last hour that that tornado that tore apart that community, an EF-5. is that about as big and bad and brassy a storm as you can get?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. That's as bad as it can get. And the damage is just unbelievable. We've been seeing the pictures for days and days now. The National Weather Service has finally confirmed that those winds were over 200 miles per hour. This is the EF scale, by the way. And it's EF now, not just F, it's the enhanced Fujita scale. So, now we start to take things into account like how well these structures were built.
So, and EF-5, over 200 miles per hour causes an incredible amount of damage. And it's really a rare thing? To put it into perspective since 1950, there have only been 52 tornadoes that were assessed at this level. That's compared to over 50,000 total. So that's a really, really small percentage well less than 1 percent. And unfortunately, more tornadoes are going to be possible here tomorrow. A slight risk has been issued here for this area by the storm prediction center including much of Nebraska, South Dakota, southern Minnesota where the Hugo tornado touched down, as well. That one was an EF-3. And there you can see Iowa will also be under that threat.
Today we're just looking at mostly some general showers and thunderstorms. Some heavy rain, certainly needed across the southeast. We're still dealing with an incredible drought situation, could get over an inch with some of these isolated thunderstorms. Our other big weather story today is the cold. It has been very chilly across much of the upper Midwest. Frost and freeze advisories in effect here this morning.
Check out this picture from WLUK-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That's Lambeau Field. It was certainly feeling a lot more like football season than baseball season there. 34 degrees this morning. Shooting for a high around 65, the average high is about 72 degrees so temperatures across the upper Midwest through the Great Lakes and even into the Ohio Valley are going to be about 10 to 20 degrees below average and, right, you know, unofficial start of summer was last weekend.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: Feeling springish at best.
HARRIS: We're talking about Chicago pretty cold last night. Right?
JERAS: Absolutely. Wind chills in the 30s. Those Cubs fans were shivering.
COLLINS: Well, it gets to keep the mosquitoes away for a little bit longer.
JERAS: It does help. Absolutely. Really nice looking at the silver lining, Heidi.
COLLINS: That's right. That's me, Jacqui. You got it.
HARRIS: OK.
COLLINS: Jacqui, we'll check back with you later. Thank you.
HARRIS: He hid under his stairs, but the tornado found him anyway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The stairs I was under are across the street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their house got hit. It just -- booosh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a weird feeling to have no possessions for the moment.
HARRIS: Riding out the storm, they lived to tell. In the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Mixed reviews in Russia. Some taking aim at the new "Indiana Jones" movie unhappy with their cold war portrayal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, a court hearing getting under way this hour in Tampa, Florida. Part of a battle to seek Florida's democratic delegates. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti in Tampa.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Democratic activist Victor Dimaio is back in federal court, pounding away at the Democratic National Committee in a lawsuit that he filed last August. He's using a few different arguments, number one that the DNC violated the equal protection clause of the constitution by saying that Florida's primary didn't count because the state staged its primary too early. But he's also claiming that the party used ethnic origin and race in part to allow Nevada and South Carolina to stage its primary and caucus early because of those states' large Hispanic and black populations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not that we're against African-Americans or Hispanics or affirmative action. What the Supreme Court - this very conservative Supreme Court has said in many, many rulings here in the last several years, Justice Thomas, Justice Scalia, Justice Roberts, they're all very conservative and they've proven case after case that you cannot use race as a.
CANDIOTTI: Democratic National Committee says it has a constitutional right to make its own party rules without interference by the court. Now, Dimaio says if he loses he's going to go all the way to the Supreme Court. And all this is happening just days away from a meeting on Saturday in Washington when the Democratic National Committee is going to try to settle on its own the Florida and Michigan primary fiascos. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Tampa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Another day, another record for gas prices. Is there any relief in sight? CNN's Gerri Willis takes a closer look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: New York Stock Exchange right now and the big four about hour into the trading day. And not a whole lot going on here. We haven't fallen off a cliff thankfully but we're not going in the right direction either. The Dow down nine points. Nasdaq, oh, Sarah, what did you tell me, down six? Nasdaq down six or so. So essentially a flat start to the business day. We're checking the markets with Susan Lisovicz in minutes in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Today we're starting a new daily feature called "The Energy Fix." It's part of our "issue number one" coverage of the economy with the a focus on, yes, the energy mess we're in and what we can do about it. CNN's money.com Poppy Harlow is at the energy desk in New York for us this morning. Good morning to you, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning there, Heidi. Well, I'm so glad that we're starting this segment today. I hope it's really going to help all of you out there. Let's talk about gas prices. We know soaring gas prices have led really to a head-on collision for car sales. For the industry as a whole, car sales are down 7.6 percent during just the first four months of this year when you compare those to last year but industry tracker Power Information Networks says its small energy efficient cars are really bucking the trend in a big way. Sales of the smallest compact cars, vehicles like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. They're up 37 percent this year and sales of slightly larger compact models like the Ford Focus and the Toyota Corolla are up, as well. There's also fairly strong sales in a new segment, the compact crossover SUV.
So here's a look at some of the models that are showing the best year over year sales gains. Cars that you may want to check out if you're thinking about trading in for something that sips gas instead of guzzling gas. Our car experts here at CNN money.com went out to do the research. Here's what they found. Topping the list is the Kia Rondo. Now, its sales nearly tripled since last year with more than 12,000 sold so far just this year. Now, no one's going to compute this with the Jaguar or another luxury model but it's a small car. It does have a fair amount of space for being such a small car.
Next on the list is the Honda Fit. Now, that offers a hatchback and lots of versatility. Our car experts here say it's most importantly, it is also fun to drive. Also on the list is the Mazda 5 which is kind of like a minivan. It has a set of third row seats and some little sliding doors. Now, the only American brand on the top ten list is the Ford Focus and Power tells us buyers love the high- tech accessories. You got a synced blue tooth system allows drivers to easily talk on their cell phones, play music, et cetera, while they are driving. So some pretty cool stuff on that model as well. You can check out all the rest of the cars on the list on our Web site. That of course is cnnmoney.com. Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, you know, Poppy, it's true, hybrids seem to be all the rage these days. You see a lot of commercials for them done too. But how do you make the economic decision about whether or not to buy one? Or whether you should stick with just the traditional gasoline powered car.
HARLOW: Yes, you don't want to lose money in the deal. You can't really compare apples to apples. But there are three things that you want to look at. First, do you drive a lot? You have to drive quite a bit to make this worthwhile to trade in for a more fuel efficient model rather. Also, you need to double the fuel mileage from the car that you're trading in to the one you're getting and finally, it doesn't make sense to do this if you owe any money on the car that you currently have. So, if you paid it off, if your lease is up, go ahead and trade it in. But if not, you might want to hang on to it. Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Interesting. We like the "Energy Fix" desk. Thanks for being here.
HARLOW: Of course.
COLLINS: All right, Poppy.
HARRIS: What do you say we get to Gerri Willis for some tips today? So, here's the question, I guess we could piggyback off what Poppy was talking about there, Are high gas prices here stay? Personal finance editor Gerri Willis is here with some answers. Gerri, good to see you. Good morning, lady.
GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good morning. How are you? Good to see you.
HARRIS: Great to be seen, as always. Hey, Gerri, let me ask you, what are your thoughts on this? Are these high gas prices, they feel like they're here to stay. What do you think?
WILLIS: Well, you know, look, I think people out there, they see them go up, up, up. The question is, does it go on forever? You know what, trees don't grow to the sky. Here's what we're looking at this summer. Prices could hit $4.50 a gallon. Look, if there is a severe hurricane season or heat wave in the gulf, that's according to the experts we talked to. Now, where oil prices are going for the long haul, that is still up for debate. On the one hand, Golden Sachs and CIBC world markets recently noted that oil could go to $200 a barrel in the not too distant future. Other economists say the run-up in prices won't continue indefinitely. In fact, some see a decline back below a 100 bucks a gallon but it could take time.
What you need to know is generally for every dollar increase in oil prices, gas prices rise by 2.4 cents. So look, if oil goes to 150 bucks a barrel, we'll be paying 4.32 to 4.37. And you see that estimate, $200 a barrel. We'd be paying 5.63. Think about that.
HARRIS: Yes.
WILLIS: Not pretty, but not everybody agrees that's where prices are going to.
HARRIS: Well, let's assume for a moment that no international strife, no happenings in Nigeria, nothing impacting oil there and nothing in the gulf here.
WILLIS: Yes, from your (list to god's ear).
HARRIS: Yes, exactly. I'm wondering, given that hypothetical, is there anything out there that could actually bring the price of gas down?
WILLIS: We're already changing our habits. Look, we're driving 11 billion miles less in March of this year than we did the same month a year ago. That's according to the Department of Transportation and this is the sharpest annual drop for any month, plus, in a lot of cities folks are, you know, getting on the train like San Francisco, Denver, Los Angeles. They're all reporting increases in the number of people using mass transit. Look, the single best way to save gas ultimately is to change your driving habits.
HARRIS: I think you're right about that.
WILLIS: You can improve fuel economy up to 37 percent right away if you follow the speed limit. Don't drive like a maniac. Limit your acceleration. Use cruise control. Try not to get stuck in traffic jams where you're idle, you sit there, your car just burns up gas and you get nowhere.
HARRIS: Yes. Let's flip this a bit. Is there a way to benefit from these higher gas prices?
WILLIS: You know, a lot of companies out there who are dependent on consumer dollars. They are out there trying to help. Some of them are trying gas promotions to get you to spend money. Some auto manufacturers, you've heard of this, like Chrysler, are offering new car buyers three years of gas at 2.99 a gallon. Callaway Golf is offering 100 bucks, $100 American Express Gas card if you buy certain products and bed and breakfasts, across the country, lots of gas promotions. If you want to know about those, if you're traveling this summer, bedandbreakfast.com plus hotels like Marriott and Hilton, really big chains are offering gas cards if you book with them. And of course, if you have any questions, send them to us at toptips@cnn.com. We love to hear from you.
HARRIS: Terrific, terrific. Gerri, give us a bit of a preview of "Issue number 1" at noon Eastern time.
WILIS: Well, today at noon on "Issue number 1," we'll have more on gas and oil prices. Plus, how some folks are saving some big bucks on their grocery bills. We have some surprising ways to save money when you're buying food. As we know, those bills are going nowhere but up right now.
HARRIS: There she is leading our money team. Gerri Willis, Gerri, great to see you. Thank you.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
COLLINS: A former White House Press Secretary goes public. He accuses the president of muddying the truth on Iraq. The new book that has Washington buzzing coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Welcome back on this Wednesday, right?
HARRIS: It is. All day.
COLLINS: I've lost track already. Been back two days an I don't know where we are.
Hi, again, I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And good morning, everyone, I'm Tony Harris.
Among our top stories this morning, Scott McClellan, he served as a spokesman for the Bush White House. Now taking aim at his former bosses in a tell-all memoir, causing a fuss.
McClellan, you may recall, was the spokesman who defended President Bush's policies through hurricane Katrina and the early years of the war in Iraq. In the book due to be released on Monday, McClellan says the Bush administration became mired in propaganda and political spin and he says the White House sometimes played loose with the truth. McClellan says President Bush, quote, "was terribly ill- served by his top advisers." And he says Katrina and the botched federal response to it would largely come to define Bush's second term.
McClellan's charges have drawn a swift response as we heard from White House correspondent Ed Henry, on "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The initial comments from Republicans close to the White House, the White House not officially commenting as you noted. But Republicans close to the White House going after Scott McClellan, and saying that basically this is a new take from Scott McClellan, they're surprise to hear this. He never raised these objections whether it was about Iraq or Katrina or other issues behind closed doors according to their account. And so basically suggesting that if he had these concerns about the war in Iraq, for example, he should have aired them a long time ago and they're raising doubts about the accuracy.
MIKE ALLEN, POLITICO.COM: Scott McClellan says he still likes and respects the president, but what surprised me was how blunt and unvarnished this was, by far the most scathing memoir to come out this administration.
And what's fascinating about those two excerpts you just read, Anderson, is that Scott is adopting both the substance and rhetoric of some of the president's liberal critics. The permanent campaign, he even talks in his book, Anderson, about how the media were too complicit with the White House, too easy on the administration in the run-up to the war.
FRANCES FRAGOD TOWNSEND, FRM. BUSH HOMELAND SEC. ADVISER: It's fair for him to write about his experience. But I think, Anderson, as people are looking at his factual allegations in this book, I hope that people will ask him about was he at the meetings in the Oval Office with the president and the secretary of defense when they discussed sensitive Iraq policy issues? Was he at the most sensitive NSC, National Security Council policy meetings?
You know, the press secretary has a very distinct role and it doesn't include being in some of the most highly classified sensitive policy discussions. And so I think his view is limited and there -- some of this may be misunderstanding on his part of what he saw and heard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, McClellan says he never knowingly misled the public in his role as White House spokesman. He says he repeated what he was told and only learned later that it was not always accurate.
COLLINS: John McCain and Barack Obama, both out west taking aim at one another.
CNN's senior political analyst, Candy Crowley, reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The seasoned lawyer and young turk go at it almost daily, circling each other looking for territorial advantage. McCain wants the election to be about national security, about his senior statesman credentials and his opponent's naivete.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Many believe all we need to do to end the nuclear program of hostile governments is to have our presidents sit down in Pyongyang and Tehran, as if we haven't tried talking to these governments repeatedly over the past two decades.
CROWLEY: The operating theory in camp McCain is that national security trumps everything. That gas prices and bank foreclosures pale if the country does not feel protected. So McCain and company spent the weekend ripping apart the Obama resume. McCain telling "The Associated Press," "he really has no experience or knowledge or judgment about the issue of Iraq and he has wanted to surrender for a long time."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Endless war. Endless war.
CROWLEY: Heckled about the war during a Denver speech on nuclear proliferation, McCain took the opening.
MCCAIN: And, by the way, I will never surrender in Iraq, my friends. I will never surrender in Iraq.
CROWLEY: And with more than a hint of condescension, McCain confidant, Senator Lindsey Graham, suggested on CBS's "Face the Nation," that Obama should go to Iraq with McCain.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: And Senator Obama keeps talking about an immediate withdrawal as soon as he gets to be president. The last time I understand he was in Iraq was in 2006. I would recommend that he go back. So much has happened since 2006 on the ground, it's been extraordinary.
CROWLEY: An Obama spokesman called the suggestion of a joint trip a publicity stunt, while Obama stayed the course. He is convinced that voters want out of Iraq and are increasingly frightened about an economy in freefall. Obama wants the territory to be the economy.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've have enough of the can't do, won't do and won't even try approach from George Bush and John McCain. We can't afford another president who can't be bothered to stand up for working people.
CROWLEY: The young turk versus the old guard.
OBAMA: And Senator McCain is so out of touch with the struggles of working people that he gave out a speech laying out his economic agenda last week, and he couldn't even be bothered to talk about the foreclosure crisis.
CROWLEY: Beneath the general election positioning, the Democratic primary continues. It is the tale of two campaigns, a story told in the geography.
Looking for a final resurrection in a campaign that has survived on them, Hillary Clinton, was in Montana in advance of the primary next Tuesday. Obama campaigned in Nevada. The primary there was last January. It is part of a tri-state tour also including New Mexico and Colorado. Republican states Obama thinks he can pull into the Democratic column this fall. 48 delegates shy of the nomination, Obama never mentions her, he has turned the page.
Candy Crowley, CNN, North Las Vegas, Nevada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: The grim reality of the China earthquake. Parents grieving for an only child. Many not ready to start over.
CNN's Kyung Lah, has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here in the town of Wufu, and everywhere else in China, this is a typical Chinese family. One child only, it's the law.
These parents would give anything to have their one child back. I couldn't believe she was gone, says Liu Xiaoying. I thought she was taking a nap. I kept calling her to wake up. It's been a little more than two weeks since 12-year old Bi Yuoxiang (ph) died. Her father found her body broken in the rubble of her school. This is now as close as they can get to the child who they called their treasure. We only had a daughter says Bi, because we followed the national policy of One Couple, One Child.
In this tent community, parent after parent shares this grief and thousands more across earthquake-shattered China have lost their only children, products of the rigid family planning law. Since 1979, China has mandated the one child per family policy. China's population minister praised the rule saying it prevented a population now at 1.3 billion from getting to 1.7 billion. Now it is the only children, the one and only children of countless families that these parents mourn.
The longer it has been the farther away she seems to be from us. I want to control my feelings but I can't.
(on camera): The Chinese government reiterated its One Child Policy, saying that parents who lost their only child in the earthquake can file to have another. But these parents say, it's unfathomable to think of that next step.
Even if we had a second child, how could we not be grieving this much? It wouldn't make any difference. Life is slowly moving on around them. Construction crews are clearing away the rubble. The government hopes these parents will start anew. But that future seems so distant.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Wufu, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: At CNN.com, we have a special page on the devastation in China and Myanmar. Plus links to aid agencies working now organizing help in that region. It is a chance for you to impact your world.
COLLINS: Did Blackwater security guards go too far in a shooting that killed 17 civilians in Baghdad last fall? A federal grand jury in Washington, hears from three Iraqi men. One, the father of a 9- year-old boy killed in the shooting. Grand jury testimony is private so, of course, we don't know what he said. Investigators are looking at whether the guards illegally fired into a crowded square. The contractor says the guards had been ambushed touching off a firefight.
HARRIS: Holding on for dear sweet life when a tornado hits.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never thought in a million years that wall would save me from, you know, certain impending death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no possible way he should be around. And he knows it too.
HARRIS: Tornado victim defying the odds.
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COLLINS: We are just getting in a statement from the current White House press secretary, Dana Perino, on Scott McClellan's new book. The book is called "What Happened." As I'm sure you remember, he was the former press secretary.
Let's go ahead and just read this to you so you can hear what her reaction is. She says, "Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House. For those of us who fully supported him before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad. This is not the Scott we knew. The book as reported by the press has been described to the president. I do not expect a comment from him on it. He has more pressing matters than to spend time commenting on books by former staffers."
Again, that statement coming to us from the current White House Press Secretary Dana Perino on one of the former press secretaries, Scott McClellan's new book, called "What Happened."
COLLINS: Two Minnesota men dodged death when a terrifying tornado roars across their neighborhood. Here's reporter Scott Suroko (ph) from our affiliate KARE.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a miracle we all survived.
SCOTT SUROKO (ph), KARE REPORTER (voice-over): Hard to believe anyone would describe this as a miracle. 159th Circle is down but not out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was right over there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just like whoosh.
SUROKO: Two men, both outside when they spotted the twister two blocks away. Dan McKay barely made it underneath the staircase inside his house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, like somebody just picked it up and then just threw it up into the sky. The stairs I was under are across the street, and which just I can't believe that we didn't get sucked up in the, you know, the funnel or whatever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their house got hit. It just whoosh.
SUROKO: The thing is John Veranas (ph) never made it inside his home. He couldn't get into his garage or his front door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I ran up to this and went like this.
SUROKO: And the tornado went through -- it went through Veranas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt like I was getting yanked backyards, kind of like this.
SUROKO: It went through his home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It ran right through here. As you can see, it took my garage, and it took my great (ph) room and it took all upstairs.
SUROKO: But it didn't take this corner, and it didn't twist John away from his home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never thought in a million years that wall would save me from certain impending death.
SUROKO: He got plunked in the calf with a 2x4, but he survived.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no possible way that he should be around, and he knows it too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A day later. You know, we get what we can out of the yard.
SUROKO: Veranas grabs what he can. He did recover a scene much different than what he's faced with today.
Across the street...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wallet.
SUROKO: Dan McKay continues it look for pieces of his life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a weird feeling to have no possessions for the moment. SUROKO: But the survivors of 159th Circle are proud and resilient and will be ready to rebuild at some point. Most of all, they're lucky, if you can believe that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know what else you do. Just keep living. Maybe that's too simple.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The Minnesota twister that hit the city of Hugo killed a toddler. Seventeen other people were injured.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
COLLINS: All right, here's one for you. Houston, we have a problem. The space station astronauts have no place to go.
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HARRIS: Hey, got to tell you we are podcasting a little bit later today and will make that available to you at CNN.com.
What we do is we just grab some of the most breaking stories, some of which just frankly can't make it into the three-hour thrill ride that is CNN NEWSROOM. And we grab some of those popular videos at CNN.com and incorporate all of that into the podcast for you. All you need to do is just go to CNN.com and click on and download the CNN NEWSROOM daily podcast.
It is available to you 24/7. Do it today. Download it onto your iPod.
COLLINS: Indiana Jones thwarting communist bad guys in the nation's No. 1 movie. But some Russians aren't too happy with the story line.
CNN's Matthew Chance, reports.
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MATTHEW CHASE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's the daring archaeologist who's dodged nances, Arab swordsmen and poisonous snakes.
But this time it's the Soviet communists who are the bad guys. Set during the Cold War, Harrison Ford's character battles a sinister KGB agent, played by Cate Blanchett, in an epic struggle for a skull endowed with mystical powers.
But the story line is drawing criticism in Russia. The country's communists call it little more than crude anti-Soviet propaganda.
SERGEI MALINKOVICH, ST. PETERSBURG COMMUNIST LEADER (through translator): Look, they're slapping a Soviet soldier in the face. These films just propagate idolization of the west. Because all of our guys are dying at the end which can't be possibly true, because back then we were much better prepared.
CHASE: The film has clearly touched a nerve in a country rediscovering its Soviet past. Only a few weeks ago, tanks and missiles were paraded through Red Square in a show of military might, not seen since the soviet collapse. The new film comes at a time of renewed national pride and communists say it could give Russian youth a distorted view of their history.
(on camera): While the controversy doesn't seem to have had a negative impact on ticket sales, in fact, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" has opened to more than 800 theaters across Russia. More than any other Hollywood blockbuster. It seems the concerns of the Communist Party once all powerful here, are no longer shared by most Russians.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, we don't accept our past as something mysterious and that's something puts influences us that way. No, we don't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is nothing insulting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We even enjoyed sometimes noticing words in Russian.
CHASE: The Communist Party say that the film should be banned.
Do you think it should be banned?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No, by no means. They have no right to demand that. Communists belong to the past. It's a new era now.
CHASE (voice-over): And in this new era, most Russians appear glad to have Indiana Jones swashbuckling across their screens once again. Even if he is thwarting the communists of Russia's past.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So in space no one can hear you scream, even if you're calling for a plumber. That's the problem on the International Space Station.
All right. Keep it together, Tony.
It seems the station's only toilet is broken. The astronauts have fashioned a bit of a temporary fix. They may not have to cross their legs much longer.
Keep it together.
The space shuttle Discovery is on the pad scheduled for a Saturday launch and you can watch it live here on CNN, weather permitting, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, Saturday.
COLLINS: Yes and you can get a kidney infection from holding it too long.
HARRIS: Well...
COLLINS: Off the job and on the campaign trail, will the voters care if the candidates skip their day job?
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HARRIS: Presidential hopefuls on the campaign trail and off the job.
CNN's Carol Costello, checks their records.
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SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Encouraging people to choose to not become noncommissioned officers would hurt the military and our country very badly.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's John McCain, speaking out about a bill he's dead set against, which he says would encourage many in the military to leave after just one enlistment. But the Republican senator from Arizona missed his chance to vote against the bill because he was working his other job -- presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
His Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton did make it back for the vote but McCain is not alone.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I wasn't campaigning, I was saying hello.
COSTELLO: Senator Obama, back on Capitol Hill earlier this month meeting with colleagues, but missing votes in the Senate that day. And what about Hillary Clinton? We asked Ben Pershing, who keeps a close eye on Congress for "The Washington Post."
BEN PERSHING, WASHINGTONPOST.COM: She's got the best voting record of the three of them but that's not saying much.
COSTELLO: And she missed a vote earlier this year on an important bill to keep kids' toys safe. In fact all three candidates have been mostly missing in action from their day jobs since this long campaign began early last year. But do voters care?
PERSHING: I don't think they care that much on the whole. I think a broad attack for missing votes might not necessarily work.
