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American Morning
Speaker Pelosi Wants Nomination Sealed Before the Convention; Presidential Candidates Set Sights on Puerto Rico; Obama Deals with Another Preacher Problem; Crude Markets Under Investigation for Possible Price Rigging
Aired May 30, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're talking about a tornado warning in effect right now for parts of Iowa. Let's get right to it.
Reynolds Wolf in the weather center. Good morning, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kyra. We're going to take you right south of Des Moines at this time where we do have a tornado warning that's in effect. Let's take the radar immediately and as we do, so you're going to see south of Des Moines.
We're going to zoom in to this location. You see in the southeast corner of the state we've got a tornado watch, but a tornado warning, as I mentioned, south of Des Moines. Let's zoom in the air if we can, putting this into motion. Here we go.
And south of I-35 is where we're seeing a lot of development and we have that tornado warning in effect now just the southeast of Indianola at this point. It does appear the storm is beginning to weaken a little bit, but we want you to have your heads up because we could see this activity occur again and again through a good part of the day as the storm system ventures its way eastward.
Anyone tuning in to the communities of Williamson, Charlton, this is actually an area where you have a population around 18,000 people. This is the titan impact you see there on the upper left hand corner of the screen of two. So we're looking at the potential of seeing some damaging winds, some large hail, and, of course, that possibility of tornadic activity.
This is the latest we've got for you. We'll have more coming up in just a few moments. Back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll track it. Reynolds, thanks.
WOLF: You bet.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to the "Most Politics in the Morning."
Hold on because we are quickly heading into the homestretch in this wild race for the Democratic nomination, in what could be a rough and tumble showdown and a day that decides the nomination. Tomorrow the Democratic Party's Rules Committee meets to consider what to do about Michigan and Florida. The two states were stripped of their convention delegates when they broke party rules and held their primaries before the 5th of February. Neither candidate campaigned in those states, and Obama even went so far as to take his name off of the ballot in Michigan.
Hillary Clinton wants all of the delegates seated from Florida and Michigan. Barack Obama says he is willing to compromise. Despite Obama's strong numbers, Senator Clinton says she's feeling confident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I feel really good about going through the weekend, see what the Rules and Bylaws Committee does in Michigan and Florida. We'll see what happens in Puerto Rico, Montana, and South Dakota, and then we'll see where we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And the next stop on the contest calendar, Puerto Rico; 55 delegates are up for grabs on Sunday. The island territory has got more delegates at stake than over half of the states that held contests this primary season. And because Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory, it has a say in the primary process but can't vote in the general election.
And a new poll out today shows Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama in Puerto Rico. The survey taken May 8th through the 20th shows Clinton with 51 percent support. Obama with 38 percent.
The island territory's primary could be Hillary Clinton's last chance to boost her popular vote total, and the Clintons have been making an all-out push there.
Here is Jessica Yellin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The eyes of the world will be on Puerto Rico in the next week.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And Hillary Clinton's got her eyes on Puerto Rico.
CLINTON: Thank you. That means a lot to me.
YELLIN: She's spending her second straight weekend campaigning on the island in advance of Sunday's primary. For Clinton, it's a family matter with both Bill and Chelsea making the rounds.
CHELSEA CLINTON, FORMER FIRST DAUGHTER: I am so proud that this is my third trip to Puerto Rico.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Chelsea and I and Hillary have now been to 42 of Puerto Rico's municipalities, campaigning for the votes of the people of Puerto Rico. YELLIN: She's counting on a strong showing on Sunday with 55 delegates up for grabs. It's the last big prize before the primaries end Tuesday. She leads Barack Obama by double digits in the most recent poll here.
Obama campaigned briefly in Puerto Rico last weekend. He's ahead in the overall delegate count, and while he's not overlooking this contest, there's more on the line for Clinton.
YELLIN (on camera): Puerto Rico gets to vote this weekend, but not in November. That's because the Democratic and Republican parties run the primaries and caucuses, and they allow territories like Puerto Rico to take part. But according to the constitution, only the 50 states and the District of Columbia get to vote in the general election.
Jessica Yellin, CNN, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, the two highest ranking Democrats in Washington making a major push to end the nomination fight before the convention in August. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatening to "step in" and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging uncommitted superdelegates to make a decision by next week. Kate Bolduan has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A blunt warning from Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, telling the "San Francisco Chronicle" that the Democratic nomination fight must be resolved soon or else.
NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE SPEAKER: I will step in because we cannot take this fight to the convention. It must be over before then. I believe it will be over in two weeks.
BOLDUAN: A senior Democratic aide tells CNN Pelosi has already begun pressuring undeclared superdelegates to publicly endorse either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid is also getting involved. He told KGO Radio he's spoken to both Pelosi and Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: We all are going to urge our folks next week to make a decision very quickly.
BOLDUAN: Decisions by superdelegates are key because it's unlikely either candidate will clinch the nomination after next week's final primaries.
Right now, excluding Florida and Michigan, whose delegations are being contested, there are 271 superdelegates in Congress; 92 of them support Clinton, 115 support Obama. That leaves 64 lawmakers still undeclared. One of those is Congressman Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania. REP. JASON ALTMIRE (D), PENNSYLVANIA: We allow this to fester, to drag out over the next three months into the national convention, which is at the end of August, then we may not have time to put the pieces back together.
BOLDUAN: Well, Speaker Pelosi is pushing superdelegates to declare their picks. She insists she'll remain neutral because of her role chairing the Democratic Convention in August. In the past, Pelosi said superdelegates should follow one guiding principle.
PELOSI: It will do great harm to the Democratic Party if it is perceived that the superdelegates overturn the will of the people.
BOLDUAN (on camera): Democratic leadership aides do say that they expect these remaining Congressional superdelegates to announce their endorsements soon after the last primaries coming up June 3rd. Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Six minutes after the hour. With the final three Democratic primaries just days away now, the Obama campaign may have a new preacher problem on its hands. Father Michael Pfleger, an outspoken Catholic priest and Obama supporter, is under fire for a sermon that he gave at Obama's Chicago church this past Sunday.
Pfleger mocked Senator Hillary Clinton for getting choked up on camera before the New Hampshire primary. The video making the rounds on YouTube. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. MICHAEL PFLEGER, AT TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: When Hillary was crying and people said that was put on, I really don't believe it was put on. I really believe that she just always felt this is mine. I'm Bill's wife, I'm white, and this is mine.
I just got to get up and step into the plate, and then out of nowhere came, hey, I'm Barack Obama. And she said, oh, damn, where did you come from? I'm white! I'm entitled! There's a black man stealing my show!
She wasn't the only one crying. There was a whole lot of white people crying!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: In a statement released today, Senator Obama said, "I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric which does not reflect the country that I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause."
A short time later, Father Pfleger issued an apology saying, "I regret the words I chose on Sunday. These words are inconsistent with Senator Obama's life and message, and I'm deeply sorry if they offended Senator Clinton or anyone else who saw them." PHILLIPS: And this morning, members of a polygamist sect in Texas are waiting to be reunited with their children. The Texas Supreme Court ruled that child welfare officials had no right to remove more than 440 children from the FLDS compound last month, saying that the state failed to present enough evidence the children were being abused. Attorneys for the families say that they hope the state will act quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID HALL, EXEC. DIR., TEXAS RIO GRANDE LEGAL AID: We're unsure of when these children will be returned to their parents. The TRLA remains committed representing these mothers as the legal process continues, and we're determined to work with the courts and Child Protective Services to do what is in the best interests of the children. In this case, this means reuniting these families as quickly as possible.
ROD PARKER, ATTY., FUNDAMENTALIST LATTER DAY SAINTS: I would like to call upon the state of Texas and CPS to end this nightmare and end this torture that they're putting these families through. These children have suffered enough at the hands of the state of Texas. It is time for the children to come home. It's time for the state of Texas to lay down arms here and solve this problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Texas child welfare officials say that they're disappointed with the decision but will take immediate steps to comply.
Happening right now, firefighters battling a major fire in downtown Boston. It's a seven-alarm blaze. We're told it's been or has completely destroyed a retail seafood business. It appears that most of the fire is out right now. There's no reports of injuries. No word yet on how it got started.
Apparently that building was home to James Hook & Company, and the building extends out over Boston harbor. We're going to continue to watch it this morning and bring you the latest as we get it.
ROBERTS: A mystery phone call, a secret witness, and a mole. Those are just some of the strange things going on in the child pornography trial of R&B singer R. Kelly. Our legal analyst Sunny Hostin explains it all coming up.
PHILLIPS: Sky high oil prices fueled by high demand, or are they? The government investigates possible manipulation in crude markets. Could this be a case of oil price rigging?
Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" straight ahead.
ROBERTS: President Bush has compared the Iraq conflict to World War II, and conservative commentator Pat Buchanan says both involve colossal blunders by world leaders. He's going to be here to talk about his controversial new book. PHILLIPS: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Seeing across the Atlantic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a time capsule.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: A high-tech gadget that links London to Brooklyn. Taking a look inside the cross-continent telescope, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello. Gallon of gas closing in on $4 this morning according to --
You know, I just lost my breath reading this story. The national average for regular is just over $3.96, a record high for this 23rd straight day.
ROBERTS: But the flip side of that, oil prices take a sudden tumble. What's behind it? Our Ali Velshi is here with more on that. Good morning.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's quite interesting. The oil price, look at this. $124.67. Rush out and get some. It's a sale.
That is more than $10 below the high. We were almost up at $137. A lot of that has come in the last couple days. Big drop.
Listen, there's a story that's developed that's really interesting. The agency, the government agency that theoretically oversees oil trading, came out yesterday and said, very late yesterday and said, that they are investigating possible speculation in the oil industry in trading.
Now, this is kind of interesting because a lot of people have been talking about this for a long time, and they have been denying it. This is a group called the CFTC. They issued no comment to us, but we caught up with a former commissioner of the CFTC and we asked him what's going on. Here's what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL GORHAM, FMR. CFTC COMMISSIONER: The single scariest thing to the CFTC is manipulation. In fact, it's one of its major -- it is its probably major mission, manipulation in any market. And so, because energy prices have been so high and so volatile and they're driving everybody crazy, the CFTC has taken several steps to try and deal more forcefully with this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: We've heard Hillary Clinton talking about the fact there might be excessive speculation or manipulation in the energy market. We've heard others talking about why is the government not investigating. And apparently, this agency, the CFTC, which we're not all that familiar with, has been under a lot of pressure to do something about it.
Now, they've announced that they have been investigating the oil industry since December. Six months ago they started investigating when oil was $96 a barrel, and they said they only came out and announced it because of the way the market is going with oil because of these prices. So we're yet to find out who they're investigating, what they think has gone wrong.
ROBERTS: How many times has this industry been investigated, and how many times have they found nothing?
VELSHI: Well, the CFTC says, yes, they look at this industry all the time. They investigated about two years ago the last time and they found nothing.
Later on this morning, we're going to speak to the former director of trading and markets at the CFTC. He says, you know, there might be some fire here where there's smoke.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, we'll see. Ali, thanks for that update.
PHILLIPS: So what does Ali Velshi, the Bunny Ranch, and our economy all have in common?
VELSHI: That's a good question.
PHILLIPS: Manipulation, speculation, I don't know, you decide.
ROBERTS: Where is this going?
PHILLIPS: Starting June 15th...
VELSHI: Nowhere good.
PHILLIPS: ... American Airlines, remember we told you about they're going to start charging passengers $15 to check in a piece of luggage? Well, the Moonlite Bunny Ranch Brothel now says in Nevada, it's going to reimburse its customers for that $15 fee. The Bunny Ranch says, hey, it's trying to help customers who are getting screwed by the airlines. It has been featured in the HBO series "Cat House," by the way, in case you haven't caught it.
I just thought that might be of interest to you assuming that --
VELSHI: It's a business story.
PHILLIPS: It's a business story.
VELSHI: Really. And some -- what they take us away on one end with that baggage fee, the Bunny Ranch gives you back. Totally good business story. Next.
ROBERTS: I think we should send you out to Nevada to investigate personally.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROBERTS: What do you think?
PHILLIPS: Inside story. Thank you so much, Ali.
VELSHI: Yes, thank you.
ROBERTS: Very good.
It's now 16 minutes after the hour. China preparing for a catastrophe, evacuating a mass amount of people in case a dam formed by the earthquake gives way. A live report from the danger zone. That's coming up.
PHILLIPS: And extreme weather moving through the Midwest this morning. Reynolds Wolf watching it from the CNN Weather Center for us. Hi, Reynolds.
WOLF: Hi, Kyra. You know, we already have some tornado watches that are in effect and it really is just the beginning of what should prove to be another stormy day. We're going to talk about that coming up in a few moments. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. We're watching a tornado warning just southeast of Des Moines, Iowa, at this hour. Let's go right to radar and show you exactly who is being affected.
You see it right there. That's the tornado watch that's in effect, that red box with that purple box you see right there near Oskaloosa. That is where the tornado warning is now currently in effect.
You see Des Moines right there in part of the screen, center of the screen. Right now, we've got the tornado warning that will expire at 6:00 a.m. local time for Mahaska and Marian County.
Now, just to give you an idea of how many people are affected, people in this storm path, roughly about 20,000 people for these counties I mentioned. The storm moving towards the community of Oskaloosa. We have been tuning in say from Newton or back towards Indianola.
Conditions are a little bit better for you but as we pull away a little bit, one thing you'll notice is that the storm system is going to be pushing its way more to the east, affecting larger population areas like say, Davenport, perhaps even Rockford, and even Chicago could be in the mix as we make a way through the midday hours.
Now here is the reason why all of this is happening. We've got a lot of moisture that's coming in from the south. That moisture is interacting with this frontal boundary in this area of low pressure in the western half of the Great Lakes.
It's going to be that combination combined with the daytime heating that's going to provide a very unstable atmosphere. That could give us a chance of some damaging winds, large hail, and even tornadoes already this morning as we've mentioned.
Even before the top of the show we had a couple of reports of those tornadoes. So this is going to be just the beginning of what has been really just a crazy stretch of rough weather over the last five or six days or so.
And it looks like today the setup is going to be pretty similar. So something we're going to watch very carefully. And, of course, as we get more information we're going to pass it on back to you. Let's send it back to New York.
PHILLIPS: Sounds good. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet, guys.
PHILLIPS: Also key developments in the R. Kelly child pornography trial. We're going to tell you what happened and what it means for the R&B star coming up.
ROBERTS: At high risk on the high seas for the second time this week. Ship hijackings off of the coast of Somalia. We'll have a live report on what's driving the alarming rise in piracy. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Bombshell testimony in the child pornography trial of R&B singer R. Kelly. Two expert witnesses testified about the authenticity of the sex tape, and that testimony could be a major blow to the defense.
Our legal analyst Sunny Hostin here to give us the latest details. And you are going to give us the latest details, but just put it in perspective for our viewers that may say, OK, who's R. Kelly? I mean, he's a pop culture icon, Grammy Award winner...
SUNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: And he's getting by with things that parents are thinking, my kid is listening to this guy and -- HOSTIN: He is accused here. He's just the accused, but he's accused of child pornography. He's accused of having sex and videotaping himself with an underage kid. And this case, Kyra, is really, really about timing.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: And it talked about that kid. He has been entwined in this type of controversy.
HOSTIN: That is true, that is true. A long time ago he apparently married Aaliyah when she was 15 and lied about it. So there is a history here. That time of evidence I don't think is going to come in. But what this case is about in particular is about the tape.
And his defense all along is the wasn't me defense, and that is not unusual. A lot of defendants do do that. That wasn't me.
In this case what is unusual is that the victim is also saying it wasn't me. So the prosecution has to prove two things, it was R. Kelly, it was the alleged victim, and this tape has not been doctored.
PHILLIPS: What have witnesses said? What have witnesses -- yes, what have they said so far?
HOSTIN: Well, the prosecution again has to prove these are the people on this tape and that the tape is authentic. So witnesses have been paraded in front of the jury, witnesses that know this young girl who is not so young anymore, it's 10 years later, but they're saying this is absolutely the 13-year-old at that time.
Other witnesses that I think that were just really compelling, bombshell witnesses yesterday, was a computer forensics -- a video forensics expert. That guy said, you know what, there is a mole on R. Kelly's back. Not an ordinary mole, a fingernail-sized mole, about that large.
He stilled the tape on the video and said look at the tape. There's a mole. Look at his arrest photo. There's a mole. This is R. Kelly.
That was a bombshell, bombshell piece of evidence for the prosecution.
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll follow it. Keep us updated. Thanks, Sunny.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right -- John.
ROBERTS: It's 25 minutes after the hour.
Barack Obama believes the general election campaign will be off and running next week. One prominent conservative predicts that Republican John McCain will lose in November. Another conservative voice, Pat Buchanan, gives us his take on a McCain-Obama matchup, just ahead.
And Democrats meeting this weekend to sort out Florida and Michigan. Could their decision give Hillary Clinton the numbers that she needs to cross the finish line ahead of Barack Obama? We're crunching the numbers.
PHILLIPS: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, fact checking gas Web sites.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Automotive.com says the price here is $4.19 a gallon. But the actual price is $4.29.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Our Allan Chernoff searched the Web, hits the streets, and then tells us who we can trust.
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ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When was the last time you were charging $4.19 here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it was two weeks ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Gauging the accuracy of online gas sites, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Coming up, the waters off the coast of Somalia are a dangerous place. This morning two more ships are in the control of pirates. So what's being done and why the sudden rise in attacks?
ROBERTS: It's coming up on 29 minutes after the hour.
Faced with a sluggish economy and unpopular war and voters who seem to want change, how can Republicans hang onto the White House in November?
Joining us now is conservative commentator pat Buchanan. He's written a provocative new book entitled, "Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War."
Pat, good to see you this morning. Thanks for coming in.
PAT BUCHANAN, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Great to see you, John.
ROBERTS: You argue in this book that World War II was preventable, and therefore the holocaust was preventable. What are you saying on that front? BUCHANAN: Well, if there had been no war, there would have been no Holocaust. And I believe if the British had not given this war guarantee to Poland, in other words, put the British Empire on the line and let the Poles decide whether a war was going to happen, there would have been no war. The British Empire would not have been in it.
Hitler would never have come west and attacked the democracies, and there would have been no holocausts. Even I think if Hitler had attacked Poland and then attacked Russia, and left the west alone, John, all of the Jewish population of Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, including Anne Frank, France, Italy, Yugoslavia and Greece, would have survived the war.
It was the British guarantee to Poland that drew Britain into a war it could not win.
ROBERTS: So --
BUCHANAN: Go ahead.
ROBERTS: So this is predicated on the idea that had Britain not had this compact with Poland and if attacked it would aid Poland -- that Hitler would have stopped in Poland.
BUCHANAN: Listen, exactly what Hitler didn't even want war with Poland. He wanted Danzig back. He wanted Poland as an ally in his anti-common term pact.
ROBERTS: "New York Times" columnist and book critic Richard Bernstein in response to that writes -- quote -- "The Hitlerites surely would have conquered all of Europe. There would have been more mass murder of inferior people. Churchill and Roosevelt faced the very imminent prospect of a Europe conquered by a genocidal evil genius."
To the issue of the holocaust, there was the once he conference of 1942 in which it was decided to --
BUCHANAN: What year did you say?
ROBERTS: 1942. However --
BUCHANAN: But it's almost three years into the war.
ROBERTS: But there is evidence that as far back as 1922 according to an interview with Joseph Hell, who was a journalist at that time...
BUCHANAN: Right.
ROBERTS: ...That Hitler was saying his first and foremost task upon assuming power would be the annihilation of the Jews. He wanted to put up gallows in Munich according to Hell and hang the Jews one after the other.
BUCHANAN: Nonsense. There's no doubt that Hitler's war went genocidal at the date you pointed out -- 1942. What happened in early 1942? He had declared war on the United States. He had invaded Russia. He knew he was about to lose the war. That's why Gerbles (ph) wrote in 1942, now we can do things in war we couldn't have done before.
Take Hitler's anti-Semitic years in power, 1933 to 1939 before the war. What was his policy? Basically, make life so miserable for the Jewish population of Germany they left. By the time the war began, three-fourth of the Jewish population of Germany had gone. I'm not defending in any way.
ROBERTS: So you don't believe he had any designs on the annihilation of the Jews -- any designs on genocide prior to that conference?
BUCHANAN: I think the -- let me say this -- the holocaust was a crime against humanity, but it was a war crime. Had there been no war, there would have been no genocide.
ROBERTS: Let me take this forward --
BUCHANAN: Sure.
ROBERTS: And apply this idea of an unnecessary war to where the United States is today. You believe that Iraq was an unnecessary war.
BUCHANAN: I believe with Scott McClellan that it was an unnecessary war. Scott McClellan has apparently come to the view very late. Of course, it was. Saddam Hussein did not attack us, did not threaten us, did not want war with us, and we invaded his country to deprive him of weapons he did not have.
It was a war of choice, not a war of necessity. I think McClellan -- I disagree with what he did as a White House aide -- but I do believe this when he says that the primary motive for this war was not weapons of mass destruction, although Bush may have believed they had them. It was to advance this concept of global democracy.
That America cannot be secure and America cannot be safe until the whole world is democratic and we have a moral obligation and a providential duty to make the world democratic.
ROBERTS: So you believe Iraq was an unnecessary war. Scott McClellan has now put in print that it was an unnecessary war. Robert Wechsler wants to haul him to the Hill before the House Judiciary Committee to testify about that. John McCain is a staunch supporter of the war.
BUCHANAN: Exactly.
ROBERTS: Does this create big problems for him?
BUCHANAN: No. I don't think it creates great problems for McCain except in the sense that a lot of people are saying about the Bush administration. Enough! Move the Republicans out of there. We've seen enough of them in that sense. But look, John McCain believes it was a necessary war and a wise war and it ought to be fought to victory and he's been thoroughly consistent.
I was opposed to the war before the war, and I still believe it was an unnecessary war and, frankly, you know, this is what the book is about. It is an unnecessary wars are the death of Republics. I mean, the Boer War. That's where I begin my book. The British didn't have to fight the Boers. It was an imperial war. They made up. We are going to take care of our Brits there who are being mistreated and the rest of it.
ROBERTS: Rupert Murdoch, News Corporation share, believes that John McCain is going to lose in a landslide in November.
What do you think?
BUCHANAN: I don't think that's foreordained. I have great respect for Rupert Murdoch, who was a -- I consider a friend. But I disagree with that. I don't think it's foreordained. I think the real question is this, John. Can John McCain move decisively to capture the Reagan Democrats who are now the Hillary Democrats?
They're the ones that won Pennsylvania for Hillary. They're the ones that won West Virginia by 41 points. They won Kentucky for Hillary by 35 points. If McCain can move in sort of a social conservative, populist conservative direction and regain those Democrats, he can win the election.
I'll tell you what -- we'll help him. It's that nut ball this morning that you had on air from Reverend Wright's church. I mean, anymore of those guys showing up -- I mean, when the American people look at that -- they say, what in the name of God is going on in Obama's church that he's been attending 20 years when these people like this are up at the pulpit.
ROBERTS: Do you think this is a big problem for him?
BUCHANAN: Well, it is. I mean, I didn't know it from just the Daily News headline but from your tape this morning. I mean, show that, the American people look at that. They said this is supposed to be a church. And here is this -- this could be a Roman Catholic priest, this clown up there engaging in this afro-racism, if you will, against white folks.
Now, these are the people that really voted against Obama in Pennsylvania because of that comment he made --
ROBERTS: So what about Hagee?
BUCHANAN: Well, here is the thing. If John McCain had been going to Hagee's church and sitting there for 20 years, I'd say, John, do you buy into all of this --
ROBERTS: This guy came to Obama's church. He's not the pastor there. He's a guest.
BUCHANAN: No, but he's a welcome guy right there. McCain -- I mean, there's no doubt that McCain -- ROBERTS: McCain sought Hagee's --
BUCHANAN: Endorsement. Look, a lot of us seek a lot of endorsements. And you find out later --
ROBERTS: He needs him. Now he didn't want him.
BUCHANAN: Well, there's one other, too, he got rid of, threw over the side. But look, it's very different from going -- I mean, if Obama had simply gotten an endorsement from some character who turned out and Obama says -- well, I've got to cut him loose. This is a church he and wife -- the guy baptized his kids. He's been going there for 20 years, sitting there, and this is what he's listening to, John? That's not the Catholic Church I go to.
ROBERTS: Pat Buchanan, thanks for being with us this morning.
BUCHANAN: Thank you.
ROBERTS: The book is called "Churchill, Hitler, & The Unnecessary War." It's good to see you. Thanks for coming in.
BUCHANAN: Good to see you.
ROBERTS: Kyra?
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Also, new this morning. Mass evacuations in China's earthquake zone. It's the latest emergency response to the threat of a dam bursting. CNN's Kyung Lah has the details.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what we've been told is that this area that I'm standing in right now, this is an area that is threatened by a wall that has been created after the earthquake that is in danger of rupturing and a wall of water may flood this area. So as a precautionary measure, all these people have been told to pull up stakes and get out of here.
You can see that there are just sticks that are left behind in some of these tents. This is the place where some of the evacuees had called home. People who had already lost their homes during the earthquake. And just a few hours ago, we saw this entire area packed with people.
If you walk over here, where you see this empty spot right here, this was a place that we saw people living. And then if you look down this way, all of these tents are beginning to look empty. The clock is ticking. All of these residents who have called these sidewalks home have been told to leave. That this is an area that is in danger of flooding.
So, the reason that they are being told to clear out is because after the earthquake there was a landslide, a river was blocked, and something called a quake lake was formed. The government now is fearing that there will be a rupture that will cause some sort of flooding in this area, so they believe that it may be imminent and so as a precautionary measure they want all these folks here to get out.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Understandable. The question is where do they go? Kyung Lah will continue to follow up with you on that story happening and the changes happening throughout the morning. Thanks.
ROBERTS: It is an ultra powerful device that lets you see London from New York City. Well, I've got another bridge to sell you as well. We head to Brooklyn to find out if the telectroscope fact or fiction. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now, chemical, hike in prices on its products and that means you could pay more for just about everything.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Everything. You know, if you look through your products in your house, some of them will say Dow chemicals on them. Others will say Dupont, or Procter & Gamble, or Unilever, or you know, one of those names.
Dow chemical is one of those companies that provide the basic material that goes into so many of the things we use. And so many of those basic materials come from things that are made from petroleum. So Dow chemical is now saying that its prices -- it is hiking its prices 20 percent starting Sunday -- starting June 1st. A 20 percent hike. They gave their customers four days notice of this.
They said they cannot keep up with the increase in the price of fuel. Dow chemical said that in 2000 -- 2002, the cost of energy and feed stock for the products that they make and send over to these other places was $8 billion. They are estimating this year that it's going to be $32 billion. That's the increase in the price of energy and the feed stock that goes into the things that they do.
How does the Dow price affect you? Well, it's pretty obvious because you're going to see a rise in household goods. Here are just a very few examples of things that are directly related to petroleum. Car wax, paint, dry cleaning, stockings, paper and packaging. Obviously, that takes a lot of fuel to make.
So these are things that are just more expensive largely because of inflation and the price of fuel. We're also hearing now reports, we're still waiting to confirm that, that Dupont chemical, another major chemical maker that supplies goods to these companies that make basic goods is also looking at a sharp and sudden increase. So that is going to get right to your bottom line at your house.
ROBERTS: But with the price of a barrel of oil starting to turn around, might that mitigate this price rises?
VELSHI: Do not touch the barrel today.
ROBERTS: I won't, promise.
VELSHI: Because every time we talk about it turning around --
PHILLIPS: Does that have anything to do with the investigation?
VELSHI: Look, we don't know. Is this $10 drop serious and does it stay? It's still $125 a barrel, but, sure, if we start to see oil trending down at some point, maybe --
PHILLIPS: We're going to talk to your favorite professor coming up, too.
VELSHI: We are going to talk about oil and whether it's speculation or manipulation or supply and demand. We've been asking that question for a long time.
ROBERTS: Like to get some answers to that. Ali, thanks. Looking forward to it.
It's coming up on 43 minutes after the hour. Everybody is looking for cheaper ways to fill up their tanks, but are those Web sites that claim to track the cheapest gas stations near you really accurate? We'll investigate, coming up.
PHILLIPS: And Reynolds Wolf also watching some strong storms in the heartland this morning.
Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're right about that. We've got tornado watches and warnings that are currently in effect for much of Iowa. And it's only the beginning of what could be a very busy weather day. That and more coming up on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: All right, Reynolds, thanks so much. Take in the solar power plunge. It isn't cheap, but it can pay big green dividends in the long run. See how much you could save in a live report coming up.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Seeing across the Atlantic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amazing. (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: A high-tech gadget that links London to Brooklyn. Taking a look inside the cross-continent telescope, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We've got transatlantic flight. How about transatlantic sight? Well, now, New Yorkers can check out what people are actually doing all the way over in London, and it's through a giant telescope.
We sent Richard Roth to the Brooklyn Bridge, actually, to see if it's for real.
All right, Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, yes. On a clear day, you can see Manhattan, yes, but also now through the inspiration of a London artist these two great cities, New York and London, are now connected.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH (voice-over): Dying to see London this summer and can't afford it? Just come to the base of the Brooklyn Bridge and I'm not trying to sell you something. Behold the amazing 37 foot long telectroscope and through this tube you can actually see London.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's cold. It is cold (ph).
ROTH: Or at least whoever happens to be lining up in London looking back at us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, London.
ROTH: Project supporters like to tell people it's possible courtesy of a transatlantic tunnel.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son told me not to lean in too far, I might end up in England.
ROTH: It's really a camouflaged camera using fiber optic connections. The artist says it's much more.
PAUL ST. GEORGE, ARTIST: It's the people that really complete the project. So this project is part art, part performance, part theater.
ROTH: That's because there is no audio connection so people wave, kiss, or even dance. The preferred method is message writing to strangers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, London. Best wishes from us Brooklynites. I should have said hello Londoners. But I didn't think of it as I was writing it.
ROTH: Other messages included how do we know you're British and has anyone seen "Sex and the City."
PETER KOHLMANN, NEW YORK EXHIBIT PRODUCER: The social experience in itself is something I didn't even think would happen. That people come here and look at these other people as a group and see things.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.
ROTH: These British visitors in New York made an appointment to see a friend in London, but there's a much longer line over there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's (INAUDIBLE) I came here. There's a half hour away.
ROTH: What is she pointing at?
I was getting lonely so CNN asked anchorwoman Becky Anderson to go to Tower Bridge so I can send a message.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN LONDON: Oh, now I can see. Why is it raining? Because we're in England, Richard, you know that. Don't wind us up.
ROTH: I appealed for more on airtime.
ANDERSON: Put me on the air more. Tell him he needs to do some decent packages, then we will.
ROTH (on camera): I know you are not used to talking to me without a teleprompter so this must be difficult for you through this tube.
(voice-over): Maybe it is better there is no audio. Leave your passport at home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: Now, there is no charge to see this tube in New York, but for some reason in London it costs a pound and there are lines. Let's take a brief look who is in London right now this morning. Someone is holding up a sign, hello from Joe, I think. But that's what it's like, Kyra.
There is -- say hello to London, the Tower Bridge. Five hours ahead and with a two second delay when you're looking through.
PHILLIPS: You can't let Becky Anderson give you such a hard time there. But I'm curious, how creative -- you talk about the notes and the waves and the phone calls. Any sort of unusual things that have happened that have sort of stood out to you as you have been following this?
ROTH: Well, we've heard reports, people have been using international sign language to communicate. There have been wedding proposals, things like that. Maybe it's the sea air here along the east river. People seem to get affected and perform for their fellow New Yorkers on this end. PHILLIPS: Let's hope they watch those performances carefully. Richard Roth, appreciate it.
ROBERTS: All or nothing or half.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's make sure your delegates are seated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: We'll hear from both campaigns before the DNC decides on Michigan and Florida.
Plus, the rematch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So long, suckers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Does car pooling save you time and money? Tom, Zain, and Jamie find out the hard way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Do you know what our speed is right now? Zero miles per hour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: It's the great commuter race, part two, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Gas prices more than $3.96 a gallon this morning and drivers are looking to save a little money at the pump, hoping to, but are those Web sites -- you know, the ones that claimed to tell you where the cheapest gas is, are they actually accurate?
Well, Allan Chernoff hit the road to investigate.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: John, Kyra, it should be easy to find the cheapest gas prices online, but what's promoted online is often not what you'll find at the pump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (voice-over): Driving into Brooklyn with a tank near empty hoping to use the Internet to save a few bucks on a fill-up.
(on camera): The zip code here is 11217. Let's punch that in and find some cheap gas. (voice-over): Automotive.com promoted itself to CNN, so we're checking it first. But the repeated response on the Web site, data is not available. So we begin with a printout from automotive.com, just a half hour old.
(on camera): Automotive.com says the price here is $4.19 a gallon. But the actual price, it's $4.29. When was the last time you were charging $4.19 here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it was two weeks ago.
CHERNOFF: Two weeks ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CHERNOFF: Now the Web site is providing prices online. Automotive.com directs us to a Mobil station on Third Avenue. Turns out though there's no Mobil station here. It's a Citgo.
(on camera): It says you're a Mobil station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not Mobil.
CHERNOFF: Have you ever been Mobil?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
CHERNOFF: For premium, what are you charging?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For premium, I charged $4.42.
CHERNOFF: Wow. It says $4.32.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $4.42.
CHERNOFF: Only one of the five stations we checked on automotive.com was entirely accurate. The Web site says the prices come from credit card transactions, but concedes its data provider, which it would not name is not always timely.
JAMES BELL, AUTOMOTIVE.COM: There may be four or five to seven days before a dealer -- sorry, a gas station can upload us with the new information. It then goes into that vendor and then is supplied to automotive.com.
CHERNOFF: There are at least a half dozen Web sites claiming to find cheap gas. Map quest gas prices shows stations in New Jersey when we plug in our Brooklyn zip code. Gasbuddy.com, which relies on spotters who report prices did a better job. This price was accurate. But at this Sunoco the price quoted online was six hours old.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Because gas stations are changing their prices so frequently, sometimes several times within the day, it's almost impossible for the cheap gas Web sites to keep up, even when they are getting accurate price quotes. So what are we going to do? Fill it up and keep on paying.
John, Kyra?
ROBERTS: All right.
PHILLIPS: Did you notice he's driving an SUV. Already, he's doing the wrong thing.
All right. Record gas prices are affecting everything from the cost of your daily commute to the sandwich that you order at your local deli. But you aren't completely powerless. Here are some tips that you can actually use in this morning's "A.M. Extra."
Before you hop in your car, empty it out. Lightening the load can save up to 7 cents a gallon. And then when you hit the road, you can aim for a steady 55 miles per hour -- OK, that's never going to happen -- but as a general rule every 5 miles per hour over 60 is like paying another 20 cents for a galloon on gas. So basically, you'll always be late. But that means that driving 80 miles per hour is like paying another 80 cents.
Here you go.
ROBERTS: Just crossing the top of the hour. And turning to politics. It's all come down to this. Three contests and a colossal showdown tomorrow that may determine the nomination. The Democratic Party's rules committee is going to meet in Washington to decide what to do with Florida and Michigan's delegates. They have been a problem for the party ever since those states jumped the line with their primaries.
Hillary Clinton wants to seat all of their delegates. Barack Obama says he is willing to compromise.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is live in Washington.
And Suzanne, here's the $60,000 question -- how are they going to figure this out?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's going to be a complicated mess, John. But they're going to try to figure it out in some way. This is not going to be an ordinary meeting.
