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Senator Barack Obama Clinches Democratic Party Nomination
Aired June 04, 2008 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: CNN NEWSROOM with Don Lemon and Brianna Keilar starts right now.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: That was the moment clinching the nomination and making history. Barack Obama goes over the top and secures the Democratic nomination. The long march to November is under way.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CO-HOST: And what is next for Hillary Clinton? She still isn't conceding defeat, but it's the numbers that matter. And they all add up for Obama.
LEMON: And what about John McCain? He wants to debate Barack Obama ten times. And how's this for unity? He even suggested flying on the same airplane. Very interesting stuff.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: All right. Well, just a year ago, few would have predicted it. Who could have known that the Democratic presidential race would last so long or that Hillary Clinton, the well-funded frontrunner, would falter?
Instead, the party's nominee will be a man, an African-American man whose campaign was widely viewed as idealistic, even inspiring but unlikely to achieve victory. How did Barack Obama do it, like no one else before him?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: The next Senator from the state of Illinois, Barack Obama.
LEMON (voice-over): It all started at the last Democratic convention four years ago. He was a U.S. Senate candidate from Illinois with an unusual name. Most Americans had never heard of them. But his speech got everybody talking.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My presence on this stage is pretty unlikely.
LEMON: Fast forward to 2007: Obama announced he would run for president. Doubters became believers when he won the Iowa caucuses.
But Clinton made her comeback in New Hampshire, and the race was on. South Carolina proved pivotal. He beat Clinton by a 2-to-1 margin. From there, it was a back and forth battle for delegates. Obama's string of victories put him ahead, and Clinton was never able to catch up.
Not to mention Obama also picked up some big-time endorsements, from Oprah to members of the Kennedy family, and the money came pouring in. His war chest almost doubled hers.
Obama did hit some bumps along the way. Most notably, his former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Controversial sermons hit YouTube and rocked the Obama camp.
OBAMA: I am outraged by the comments that were made.
LEMON: He ultimately broke with Wright and later the entire church, but he survived and moved on.
Obama drew huge crowds from the start. The biggest: just two weeks ago in Oregon, where 75,000 people showed up to hear him speak.
And last night, another big crowd at the finish line. Barack Obama clinches the delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: It has been a very interesting run, to say the least. And we're getting reaction from all over the world. We want to hear what you think about this historic milestone in American politics. Put your thoughts on video and tell us what you think Barack Obama's victory means for the country and for the political process.
Just log on to iReport.com. We'll air some of your comments right here in the NEWSROOM.
KEILAR: Democratic leaders have a message for those super delegates who still haven't chosen sides, and it's this: get off the fence. Because in a statement, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as Democratic Governors' Association Chairman Joe Manchin say it is time to focus on the general election. They want the more than 100 undecided super delegates to make up their minds by Friday.
LEMON: And billionaire Bob Johnson, wild (ph) businessman, he is on a mission to secure a spot on the Democratic ticket for Hillary Clinton. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, is a close friend and adviser to Clinton.
In a letter to House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, he's lobbying the Congressional Black Caucus to endorse Clinton as Barack Obama's running mate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB JOHNSON, FOUNDER, BET: I believe Barack Obama can beat John McCain by -- with another vice president. But I think if you want a unified Democratic Party and the absolute certainty that these two dynamic leaders bring to the Democratic Party, we have the best chance of winning with Senator Obama at the top of the ticket, Senator Clinton as his vice president.
My letter was not a pressure letter. My letter was an urge and an encouragement. As I said before, Senator Obama will make the decision based on what he thinks is in the best interests of the person who can help him win the election. And most important, the person who can help him best govern when he is elected president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, Johnson says Clinton is aware of his effort, but she did not push him to do it.
KEILAR: With the Democratic race decided, John McCain, he is wasting no time throwing down the gauntlet. The presumptive Republican nominee is campaigning today in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And in a speech that was seen live here on CNN, McCain challenged his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, to a series of town-hall meetings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I'd like to do is have ten town-hall meetings, one a week between now and the Democrat convention, maybe have 200 to 400 people chosen by an objective organization, have them show up and come to these town-hall meetings all over America.
The first one I would suggest to take place on June the 12th. And that would be in New York City, in Federal Hall, a place where the beginnings of our government took place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Now, this event, no doubt, would provide McCain with a lot of free media coverage. Right now, you may remember, he's at a huge financial disadvantage compared to Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, Louisiana's Republican governor, Bobby Jindal, has been mentioned as a possible running mate for McCain. And he had this to say about the McCain-Obama match-up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: I think it's a good contrast. Senator Obama clearly is a great speaker. I think we're entering the phase of the election where the voters are going to ask, "Where's the beef? What's the substance? Let's get beyond the speeches; let's look at the details."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Jindal is America's first governor of Indian descent.
LEMON: All right. Time now to take a look at the political ticker. President Bush is among those congratulating Barack Obama today. White House press secretary Dana Perino relayed the president's comments, saying Obama's successful run for the Democratic nomination shows how far America has come.
She said President Bush does not plan to call Obama personally, noting that President Clinton did not call Mr. Bush when he won the GOP nomination back in 2000.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also congratulating Senator Obama. Rice, of course, is the first African-American woman to serve as secretary of state. She says Obama's achievement means that, quote, "'We, the people' is beginning to mean all of us."
She also congratulated John McCain and Hillary Clinton on their campaigns, as well.
The Catholic priest who mocked Hillary Clinton from the pulpit of Barack Obama's former church is getting some time off. Cardinal Francis George, the archbishop of Chicago, placed the Reverend Michael Pfleger on leave for two weeks to give him time, quote, "to reflect on his recent statements."
Obama has condemned Pfleger's comments and has since resigned from the church. Pfleger has apologized.
KEILAR: A Massachusetts state senator has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges. They include assault and battery as well as resisting arrest.
Democrat James Marzilli was arrested yesterday after a woman accused him of trying to sexually touch her in the park. Now police say when officers approached, Marzilli gave them another state lawmaker's name, and then he took off.
Well, they caught him after a short chase. And this morning another woman told police Marzilli made lewd comments to her in that same park area. Also, a few weeks ago prosecutors declined to bring charges in a different woman's assault claim against the lawmaker.
LEMON: Almost all the children removed from a polygamous ranch in Texas are back with their families two months after state officials separated them amid suspicions of sex -- sexual abuse.
But it's not known when many of the families will return to the ranch. A spokesman says fear and bad memories of the state raid are keeping some away.
And one teenager won't be returning anytime soon. A judge has ruled she can be released into the care of a guardian, but she must stay away from the ranch, her father, sect leader Warren Jeffs, and a 38-year-old man who allegedly abused her.
KEILAR: Well, this is Moscow, Indiana. It is between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, where there is little left besides foundations of houses, flipped cars and rubble. This is what daylight showed us today after a wild night of storms and tornadoes there.
At least ten people were hurt, one of them critically, when a twister ripped apart several homes and a school and destroyed an historic covered bridge.
Heavy rain is pouring down there now. And we're hearing reports of some flash flooding.
Storms also in the forecast on the radar. Chad Myers keeping his eye on those in our severe weather center.
What are we seeing, Chad?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, so far we're seeing some storms that have rolled through Indiana. Now move into Ohio, West Virginia. And now a new tornado watch even for Washington, D.C., proper.
Farther to the west, though, this is where the weather came from. It is still moving this way. And there will be another redevelopment of severe weather to the west, west of Cincinnati, west into Missouri. Also even into places like Nebraska, Kansas and possibly Colorado.
The story right now, though, is that the watch boxes are posted all the way from just about York and that's about Lancaster, Pennsylvania, right on down through Alexandria. There's D.C. and into Richmond. This is the newest tornado watch box.
There was one tornado warning, and that expires at about 8 p.m. tonight. There was one tornado warning earlier. I'm very unimpressed with this storm. A small bit of rotation with it, and I'm not really worried about it right now. But we will see, as this cell continues to move, does it get bigger, does it get stronger? And you can see it's just -- it's basically falling apart here as we speak. In the past hour, about 450 lightning strikes, though, with that cell.
We do expect severe weather to pop up all the way through the Midwest, in a red zone of severe weather from Colorado, right back even into New York state.
Remember yesterday. I showed you video from -- from Iowa. From Parkersburg, Iowa, downtown in the bank. Well, we have some other video today that was sent in from an ATM in the same town. Can't quite figure out how this is -- this is working and the way the wind's coming in here. I think we are looking from west to east. And the tornado is coming over our shoulder, right over the top left shoulder as this building, this house, someone's home gets completely shredded by that EF-5 tornado. And that camera doesn't come back.
Back to you guys.
KEILAR: Which was amazing yesterday, because the one inside of that bank, it did survive. Really just amazing pictures there out of Parkersburg. Thanks for sharing that, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome. LEMON: All right. If you eat tomatoes or anything with tomatoes in it, listen up. A salmonella outbreak linked to one of the summer's most popular foods is under investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Raw large tomatoes are thought to be the common factor in 40 salmonella cases in Texas and New Mexico. Another 30 people in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Utah have been sickened by the same strain of that bacteria. It's not yet clear if tomatoes were the culprit in those cases, too. As they work to find the source, CDC doctors are reminding people to thoroughly wash raw tomatoes.
KEILAR: Tenacity, that is certainly one of Hillary Clinton's traits. She is still not conceding to her Democratic rival, Barack Obama, despite his victory, reaching that magic number of delegates yesterday. We're going to find out what our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, has to say about that.
LEMON: And a bold robbery in broad daylight. Thieves used the smash-and-grab technique to wipe out a Georgia jewelry store.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC SMITH, VOTER: I am very overjoyed that Barack Obama is our presumed nominee. What I'm not so happy about is the way Hillary Clinton conceded to Barack Obama. It took a lot of the shine and luster away from this big historical night. It's sad. It shows the nature of her campaign and her intent -- intent. She does not deserve to be on the same ticket as Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. You heard Eric Smith there from Atlanta. A lot of people have that same sentiment. We're going to talk about that in just a little bit with our Bill Schneider in just a moment.
But first we want to get to some developing news, big news, as a matter of fact. Less than 24 hours after clinching enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama is back in Washington and at work, and our Kathleen Koch caught up with him just this morning.
He is making news, as well, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is, and he came back to town, Don, before a speech before the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, but also to come up here to the U.S. Senate to do his job, part of which involved casting a very important budget vote this morning.
Now needless to say, everyone wanted to ask him a lot of questions about what he thought about what happened last night, what Hillary Clinton did not do, which she did not concede. Now, we were able to catch up with him, I and a number of other reporters, my Senate producer, Ted Barrett. We caught up with him outside under a portico. No cameras were allowed there. But we did have an audio cassette and posed him some questions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were all disappointed about the tone of Senator Clinton's speech last night.
OBAMA: You know, the -- I'm not -- Senator Clinton, you know, after a long-fought campaign, was you know, understandably focused on her supporters that she had flown in from New York.
I just spoke with her today. And we're going to be having a conversation in the coming weeks. I'm very confident about how unified the Democratic Party is going to be to win in November.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she give any indication that she would concede today?
OBAMA: You know, it wasn't a detailed conversation. As I said, I'm very confident about how we're going to be able to bring this party together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, you haven't really talked about how this feels to be the first African-American nominee of a major party.
OBAMA: Well, obviously, it's an enormous honor. It's very humbling. You think about the -- all the people who had to knock down barriers for me to walk through this door and the challenges they went through that were so much more difficult and so much more severe. And the risks they took were so much greater. That I will say last night standing in that auditorium, it struck me it was a testimony to that.
And so, you know -- and the other thing it has done, I've heard from people already that -- both black and whit -- that their kids, 7, 8, 9 years old, take for granted now that, of course, a black can run for president. Of course a woman can run for president. There's -- there's a matter-of-factness to it that I think bodes well for the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: And then just as the president -- as the senator was wrapping up, I asked him if he was -- I shouted a question, asking if he would ask Hillary Clinton to join him on the ticket as his vice- presidential running mate. He didn't answer, turned and got in his vehicle -- Don.
LEMON: And it's very interesting. You heard, Kathleen, from our iReporter, talking about Hillary Clinton's speech last night; didn't appear to be conceding. And that's the sentiment of a lot of people. And it's interesting, I find, that people are asking him first about Senator Clinton and -- rather than about him sort of clinching enough delegates. So I'm wondering if there is sort of this sentiment that maybe Hillary Clinton is sort of stealing his thunder in all of this?
KOCH: Well, certainly, the senator, Senator Obama did not reflect that in his answer, but it's very much the talk of Capitol Hill right now, what should Senator Clinton do at this point. And should she be on the ticket?
A number of lawmakers we talked to about that today said it's really up to Senator Obama to decide. It's up to the nominee. Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that.
However, when asked what should happen next, she said, quote, "The message was clear. The people have spoken. The elections are over. Barack Obama is the nominee for the Democratic Party. It's time to rally around the nominee."
So clearly, the writing is on the wall. But Don, they really want to give Senator Clinton some time, some breathing room, some respect to let this wrap up in a dignified manner.
LEMON: Kathleen Koch, very interesting interview. We appreciate it, Kathleen. Thank you.
KOCH: You bet.
KEILAR: There are no primaries left. And the numbers, they all add up for Barack Obama. But Hillary, of course, Hillary Clinton has not conceded defeat. Maybe some people out there, you may be wondering if there is a strategy there in play. And how will her decision affect Barack Obama's next move?
Well, let's ask our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider.
So Bill, she didn't concede last night. She, I guess, congratulated Barack Obama on passing this threshold. But what kind of effect does Hillary -- do Hillary Clinton's actions now have on Barack Obama's?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It puts Barack Obama on the spot. Puts him in the very awkward situation because she's not conceding. And people are wondering why not? What does she want?
She even raised that question herself, and the answer wasn't really clear. Is she fighting for some issue to be included in the party platform? Does she feel that she was cheated out of the nomination, that he didn't gain it legitimately?
You know, now that she has she'd be available to go on the ticket, if he doesn't ask her to go on the ticket, some of her supporters, some Democrats will say, well, he's not really trying to unify the party, because the way to do that is to put her on the ticket.
The danger here is that her supporters will feel a sense of grievance, that somehow the process was unfair, that there's still some hope left that it can be overturned. And the only way she can put a stop to that is to say, you know, "He won fair and square, and I concede."
KEILAR: Is it a good idea for there to be a Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton ticket? We've heard people -- some people say it's a dream ticket, but we've also heard some very big Democratic names say that would not be a good idea. What is the support behind now?
SCHNEIDER: There are up sides and down sides. Clearly, it would unify the party. There would be a great sense of excitement among her supporters, among all Democrats, I think, or most Democrats right now. Maybe not some of his supporters. But there'd be some sense that the party is pulling together, because they really represent different halves of the Democratic coalition. And he desperately needs to bring them together.
The risk, of course, is that his is a message of change. He says he wants a new style of politics. He wants to change Washington. And he often talks about changing from -- from the patterns of bitter partisanship that have characterized, in his words, the last 20 years. That would include the 1990s. That would include the Clinton years.
And for him to have Hillary Clinton on the ticket, with her husband playing some role, would raise questions about, well, is the change he's looking to going to take us back to the Clinton years? I think he needs, or he wants to make a fresh break with the past.
KEILAR: Back in 1980, Ted Kennedy waited until the convention. What are the possibilities for Hillary Clinton doing that now? The down sides, the up sides? Are there any up sides?
SCHNEIDER: Well, if she were fighting for an issue position the way Ted Kennedy did, then she could take that to the convention as a vindication for her campaign.
Ted Kennedy was fighting for an antirecession jobs program. It didn't ultimately pass. But it was a cause that he was fighting for, that he addressed very eloquently at the convention.
Ronald Reagan did the same thing when he ran against Gerald Ford in 1976. He wanted a platform position that refuted the Republican Party's position of detente. And he won that argument.
The closest I heard that Hillary Clinton could take this fight to the convention is when she said in Portland, Oregon, last month, how can anyone run for the Democratic nomination for president and not have a universal health care plan? This is a huge, huge difference, she said. And one I feel passionately about. It's one of the key differences between herself and Obama.
It would be interesting, I think, for her to take the fight to the convention floor to amend or add a plank in the party platform, firmly committing the party to universal health care, something she feels that Barack Obama has not done.
KEILAR: That would certainly be interesting to prolong this, definitely. All right. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, thanks.
LEMON: More news to get to besides politics. Fewer options in the air. Why your next flight to Vegas or Honolulu may soon fly away.
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(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
KEILAR: Barack Obama supporters in the United States, well, they are not the only ones giddy with excitement. His father's homeland also feeling a lot of pride today. We're going to be live in Nairobi, Kenya.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
KEILAR: He's American, but feeling the love in Kenya. Barack Obama is being treated as a native son at his father's homeland his victory in the Democratic presidential race. And CNN's David McKenzie joining now us on the phone from Nairobi.
David, what has the response been there?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the response has been awesome here, Brianna. All night they were partying because of Barack Obama. They consider him one of their own in Kenya, this candidate who is both Kenyan and American.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE (voice-over): There was a lot of drinking and much cheering in this bar in Kusumu (ph) western Kenya. It could easily have been the heart of Chicago, but this is homeland of Obama's late father. No surprise then who their favorite candidate is to win the U.S. elections.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If God willing, I'd love for Obama to be the first black African to be president of the United States of America.
MCKENZIE: Kenyans have been glued to their television screens for months, rooting for a man who has inspired so many here, far away from the primaries and caucuses in America.
(on camera): In towns and slums across Kenya people woke up this morning with a bit of a hangover because American politics in Kenya is Obama politics. And they consider him one of their favorite sons.
(voice-over): In fact, with Obama's grandmother still living in the country, many Kenyans feel he is practically family.
(on camera): Why are people excited about Obama here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm excited about Obama because he is African. We like Obama because he is like our brother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We admire him, because we know he's like -- he's one of our best guys, and he's like our relative.
MCKENZIE: Obama received a hero's welcome in 2006 when he visited Kenya. He was met by crowds pretty much everywhere he went, lauded for taking a public HIV test, encouraging residents to overcome the deep social stigma. He was seen as someone who cared. Today many say Obama is a source of pride.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm excited because of Obama because he is Kenyan; he's a half Kenyan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want a black man to rule America so bad you can see the changes (INAUDIBLE) Obama from their people. We see the change.
MCKENZIE: So now in Kenya they're toasting the man they call their cousin in a truly African fashion, downing the local Senator beer, which has since being renamed "Obama." The hope here is that Obama will one day be president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Well, Brianna, I've tried that Obama beer. It's pretty tasty. It's very strong and quite cheap. But it's being drunk and toasted across Kenya. And I have to say, I couldn't find one today; We were too busy. But I'm sure I'll have an Obama beer because it's a tough primary season, and it's almost over for Kenyans, but they're looking forward to November.
KEILAR: I was going to say, David, maybe you couldn't find a beer because they ran out of it, very much the same way I think Americans celebrate.
David McKenzie for us in Nairobi, thank you so much.
And you, our viewers are weighing in on Barack Obama's historic political victory as well.
Alice Forth e-mailed us to say, "Last night my entire family watched history being made. My mother called me from Philadelphia, and she was so happy. I always knew my generation would see this moment happen, but I didn't think my mother would see this day come to pass."
LEMON: Shirley from Cleveland, Ohio wrote to us to say -- here's what she said: "I was so moved by the expectation of Barack Obama's speech that I called both my sons and granddaughter and demanded that they watched his speech. It was an historical moment, and it was mandatory that they see history being made.
And Jason Jones from Livonia, Michigan logged on to our Web site at ireport.com, and here is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON JONES, LIVONIA MICHIGAN: I wanted to respond to Barack Obama's fantastic win, finally clinching the Democratic nomination. I mean, all I've got to say is wow, wow, wow. I watched the entire campaign tirelessly every night on CNN. And you know, every time I was watching rally, you would see the massive number of people supporting this black man, I really, I didn't -- I couldn't believe it. I was awe struck every time. And month after month, day after day when I would watch, I always had this ounce of skepticism of, can this really happen? Is this country truly ready to look at what someone can actually bring to the table, and forget the fact or ignore the fact that he's an African-American and really elect someone based on their merits? And I was hopeful and very skeptical at the same time. And as I put my daughter to bed last night, I was just moved thinking that as my 17-month-old daughter becomes an adult and is of voting age, that she will never have to question whether or not something like this is a possibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Some of our viewers there, weighing in on Barack Obama's historic political victory.
LEMON: Zimbabwe's highly charged presidential run-off takes another dramatic turn. Opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is picked up by the police while campaigning. Now his spokesman tells CNN, no charges have been filed against Tsvangirai and other party leaders traveling with him. Tsvangirai claims he won the March 29th election outright and charges that President Robert Mugabe, is trying to steal the run-off through fear and intimidation.
KEILAR: More than a month now has gone by and still there are hundreds of thousands of people in dire need in Myanmar. Cyclone Nargis killed at least 77,000 people. It wiped out entire villages. And when it -- that happened when it plowed across the country. But Myanmar's military rulers have resisted efforts by various countries to help. That includes the United States. After three weeks anchored offshore, Washington has ordered its ships, still loaded with supplies, to sail away tomorrow.
LEMON: And Brianna, nerves are on edge in southwestern China. The water is inching ever closer to the top of a dam created by last month's earthquake. Engineers are hoping, hoping some of it will continue to drain through a spillway they built to ease pressure on the dam. Well, with all the rain and aftershocks, there's a growing fear the so-called quake lake, will overflow. About 200,000 people who live down stream have already left. More than a million more could follow.
KEILAR: It was 19 years ago today, when the world's attention was focused on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Huge protests were under way denounced by China's communist government, but hailed by others as a brave call for democracy. A lone man, you see him here, challenging this Chinese tank, became a universal symbol of that bravery. And his fate remains unknown. Well, the true horror of those events. It was broadcast around the world when the Chinese military attacked the thousands of student-led democracy protesters. Human rights activists say hundreds, perhaps thousands even, of demonstrators were killed.
Today there were no public commemorations of the protest. Instead the square is adorned with symbols of the upcoming summer Olympics. But the U.S. State Department and activists urged China to make a full accounting of the number killed, detained or missing. One American activist says as many as 100 protesters may still be in jail. In Hong Kong today, tens of thousands of mourners holding candles. They gathered in a park calling for democracy and the release of political prisoners.
LEMON: Preventing disease before it ever happens. It's easy enough to find out if you're at risk for a particular illness. But do you really want to know?
KEILAR: A bold robbery during the day. Four robbers clean out a jewelry store, commando style.
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KEILAR: Well, if your boss or insurance company say they need to check your DNA you can tell them to forget about it. Because a law recently signed by President Bush, makes your DNA, your business. And no one can require you to undergo genetic testing, much less use those results against you. Now of course, you may want to be tested for your own piece of mind.
That is what our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, did.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Alzheimer's, heart attack, cancer. If any of those are part of your genetic destiny, would you really want to know?
(on camera): So I decided to get my own DNA test. With a simple swab of the cheek, services like these, so they can tell you your risks for dozens of diseases. They can also give you other information like your ancestors, your race, even whether or not you get your eye color from your mom or your dad.
(voice-over): More than 30 companies offer personal DNA mapping. It costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. I sent a sample to four of them. Generally, the results are available within two to four weeks.
(on camera): Now most people can get their results confidently online. But I've decided to come here to the store front and talk to a genetic counselor. I got to tell you, I don't know my results yet and it's a little bit nerve racking. Let's go take a look.
(voice-over): It's all laid out on screen. Orange boxes indicate increased risk. Gray boxes mean average, or even lower than average risk.
ELISSA LEVIN, GENETIC COUNSELOR: This is not a diagnosis. This is not destiny. It is really giving you some information so that you can focus your health care. You can focus your preventive strategies. GUPTA (on camera): It's really remarkable to get this sort of information. Your life laid out in orange boxes and gray boxes. What surprised me: Colon cancer, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, elevated risk. I'm also at elevated risk for heart disease and diabetes. That wasn't very surprising at all.
(voice-over): Other findings? I'm more likely to be lactose intolerant or have wet ear wax rather than dry ear wax. That was surprising. And have an increased sensitivity to pain. So say the results from 23 and Me. While different companies came up with similar genetic profiles, one company put me at lower risk for Crohn's disease, not higher. Maybe the science hasn't quite caught up to the promise of deciphering your own DNA.
GEORGE CHURCH, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: It may never be the strongest part of your medical history. But there will be a tipping point where everybody wants it to be part of their medical history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: You can catch more medical updates this weekend when Dr. Gupta goes on HOUSE CALL. That is Saturday and Sunday mornings at 8:30 Eastern.
LEMON: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, is meeting with the president right now. As a matter of fact, moments ago, new video just into CNN. Shows this motorcade arriving at the White House. He's meeting with the president, today. Early this afternoon, right now as a matter of fact. And according to Israeli media, he will talk to the president about adopting Israel's more dire intelligence estimate on Iran and also to update the president on the progress of talks with Syria. Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, arriving at the White House just moments ago. No more than a minute ago.
Details to come right here, in the CNN NEWSROOM.
KEILAR: Did you know that grass could get you arrested? And no, I'm not talking about that kind of grass. I'm talking about your lawn. An Ohio City council has had enough of neglected yards with high grass and wow, are they are getting tough.
And one of these things just doesn't belong here. A visitor from the mountains got a less than warm welcome in this neighborhood. Nice, kitty, right?
LEMON: Yes, that's a big city.
KEILAR: Yes, well we're going to tell you how it all worked out, in just a minute.
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KEILAR: A Georgia jewelry store cleaned out in a violent smash- and-grab. It was all caught on tape, really amazing video.
Here's is Kevin Rowson, of affiliate WXIA. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN ROWSON, WXIA REPORTER (voice-over): Four suspects wearing military-style fatigues with their faces covered, enter the Crown jewelry store like it was a commando raid. One suspect leaps over counters. Another carries a long-barrelled gun and points it at the store owner. Another climbs over the counter and grabs the store owner by the neck, pointing a hand gun into his face. Then it's a smash-and-grab.
Display cases shattered using fists and weapons. And within minutes, those cases are cleaned out of the first things they can grab. The video shows a few seconds from different camera angles. Cobb County police say, the four suspects were in the store for less than a couple of minutes. They ran out through the mall with their loot and into the parking lot at the north end of the mall. A getaway vehicle was standing at the curb, motor running, a fifth suspect in the driver's seat. Police are still trying to locate that white, 2003 to 2005 four-door Pontiac Bonneville. The video is very telling, telling police they need to get these guys off the street as soon as possible.
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KEILAR: Police are still trying to figure out exactly what was stolen and how much all of that jewelry was worth.
LEMON: Well you know what? Neglect your lawn. We're going to take to you Canton, Ohio, now. There's the video. If you neglect your lawn there and you take a big chance on this. Probably arrests. So here's what's going to happen. If you don't, they're going to send you to jail. The homeowners who ignore orders to cut their grass, supporters of the ordinance say it's not just aesthetics.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: High-reaching grass has ticks, fleas, mice. It can even harbor rats. This is a serious health problem for our city also. We're there to protect and serve our people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they should be made to keep their yards up.
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LEMON: All right, so you can go to jail, also get a steep fine. The new law makes lawn neglect a fourth degree misdemeanor in Canton, Ohio.
KEILAR: Well, this is why the dogs were barking in West Jordan, Utah, yesterday. Residents of this Salt Lake City suburb, they called 911 when an adult female mountain lion that you see right there, wandered into their neighborhood. Then it took some searching. But wildlife rangers, as you see here, they found her, they sedated her and they managed to deliver her back to the nearby mountains. Cougar is still very much a common sight in the Salt Lake City area, but understandably, they tend to make people a little nervous when they appear in backyards.
LEMON: Oh, absolutely.
Barack Obama's astonishing climb up the political ladder. We'll talk about that with two journalists who are covering the campaign.
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KEILAR: Let's check out some of the videos that you're into on CNN.com today. The founder of Black Entertainment Television, has launched a campaign for Barack Obama, to make Hillary Clinton his running mate. Bob Johnson is a Clinton friend and adviser and he says, she knows about his effort but didn't direct him to do it.
And Senator Clinton addressed a pro-Israel lobbying group this morning. She was talking up her commitment to Israel and Senator Obama. She told this crowd, this group called AIPAC, that the United States stands with Israel, now and forever.
And a California high school senior will not be allowed to walk at graduation because she fell behind on her classes due to cancer treatment.
You can find more on all of these stores at CNN.com.
The next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right now.
LEMON: From first time senator to presumptive presidential nominee, Barack Obama breaks through and breaks barriers.
KEILAR: Graduation then deportation. He's got a perfect 4.0 GPA, but immigration officials won't give him a pass.
LEMON: And also this. He took the bait, he took the car, he took a life.
