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Saving Paradise: Priority One for Firefighters; Brian Nichols Trial: Jury Selection Under Way; Jesse Jackson's Comments: Reactions from Black America & the Obama Campaign
Aired July 10, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Three years and four months after his rampage, Atlanta's so-called "courthouse killer" tells a judge he was out of his mind. It's day one of a trial some thought they'd never live to see.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And we heard last hour, live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, from Jesse Jackson. But we want to know what you think about what Jackson thinks about Barack Obama and what Jackson said when he thought his microphone was off.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips, live in New York.
You're in the CNN newsroom.
Three hundred and twenty-two fires still out of control in California, and thousands of residents on the run. That includes the monks who were holed up at their Zen monastery near Big Sur. They got out when the flames got to within a mile and a half.
Now, calmer winds have helped firefighters outside the city of Goleta. That huge fire is 55 percent contained now. And the state's top priority? The Sierra Nevada Foothills.
Firefighters are making a second stand to save the city of Paradise. Now more crews are headed that way.
Our own Reynolds Wolf is right there on the front lines in Butte County -- Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Kyra. We're high up in the Sierra Nevada. We've got crews behind me, different command vehicles that have been telling different crews in the field what direction they should go, what points they should pinpoint for this particular fire.
And right now this is part of Highway 70. We've got to be careful here because we've had some traffic rip through.
You'll notice down here we've got a couple of engines, four out of nearly 300 that have been taking part in this particular county, in Butte County. Already, gosh, 49,000 acres that have been scorched. Something else I want to show you, Kyra. This roadway, Highway 70, kind of a point that they're trying to separate from the fire on the other side of this ridge. And of course, some areas that are unburned over on the other side.
See, what's going on is you've got some -- a little bit of flare- ups over here. We've had some helicopters that have been flying overhead, taking a look at the hotspots, so to speak. They're trying to pinpoint places that need to be extinguished in terms of fire retardant.
You know, I'm hearing the helicopter again. Let's see if we can show -- here you go, right over here to my left.
Kyra, I want you to think of a military operation where you have a forward artillery observer. They go up in the sky and they look for points in the battlefield where they need to bring in some shells.
Well, in this situation, this helicopter is looking for places that really need some action, where they need to bring in additional crews, where they need to bring in some fire retardant. But at the same time, he's also testing sky conditions, wind conditions, flight conditions, where you have winds crossing over this ridge in excess of 40 and 50 miles an hour, some 200, 300 feet off the ground.
It's very difficult for them to try to maintain just a steady hover. So that's what he's doing right now, testing and looking around.
It's a busy situation. They're trying to prevent the flames from crossing over this ridge and back over to Paradise, California, where already we have had many people evacuate.
Kind of a fluid situation here, but I'll tell you, the firefighters have been just magnificent. Certainly up to the task. It's going to be a battle, but they're up to it.
Back to you.
PHILLIPS: Reynolds Wolf, great job there, live in Butte County. Thank you so much.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Missile tests or smokescreen? A high-ranking U.S. official source tells CNN Iran appears to be hyping what it claims is a second straight day of missile launches.
Iranian media say the country's Revolutionary Guards carried out a repeat of yesterday's launches, which included the Shahab-3, supposedly able to carry a one-ton payload more than 1,200 miles. Now, that would put Israel and Iran's many other neighbors in striking range.
While Israel and the U.S. are openly concerned, few are willing to take Iran's word for anything. For instance, our senior American source says it appears Iran merely test-fired a missile today that had misfired yesterday.
Earlier today, my colleague, Tony Harris, gauged the impact of Iran, Israel, the U.S. saber rattling, with Fareed Zakaria, CNN world affairs analyst and host of "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" on CNN and CNN International.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Why should we in Atlanta, in Iowa, in Washington, D.C., why should we care?
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: Because if this continues, oil will probably be at $8 a gallon. In other words, the Straits of Hormuz, which is the key choke point in the Persian Gulf, probably controls about 40 percent of the supply of oil throughout the world. If Israel and Iran go to war or have military exchanges, Iran has threatened in various ways to choke off that supply.
If that happens, we really could see $200-a-barrel oil, $250-a- barrel oil. Probably temporarily, but long enough to send our economy into a real tailspin.
HARRIS: All right, Fareed. Let's take a big step back here with this one.
Other nations test missiles all the time. Why is Iran being held seemingly to a different standard here?
ZAKARIA: Well, it's largely because of the fear that Iran is developing a nuclear capacity. Because -- so these are missiles that they could fire now and they wouldn't have that much effect.
But imagine five years from now, that's what people are thinking, when Iran has a nuclear capacity. It means that it can use nuclear missiles and hit Israel, hit American bases. So that's the fear.
I think it's important to point out that Iran was doing this, by its argument, in retaliation for Israeli military maneuvers. So there is a tit-for-tat aspect to what's going on here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We'll dig deeper into the oil angle next hour in the NEWSROOM. And Wolf Blitzer will sort out the conflicting claims and warnings in "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.
PHILLIPS: To the White House now, where President Bush may not have many legislative victories left. But today he's savoring a big one.
As you saw here live last hour, Mr. Bush signed a long-awaited rewrite of the rules for government eavesdropping on terrorist suspects. You'll remember the uproar when "The New York Times" revealed in 2005 that Mr. Bush had secretly authorized warrantless wiretaps after 9/11. The final sticking point was legal protection for phone companies that went along with the government's requests. Most Democrats opposed lawsuit immunity, but the Senate vote yesterday wasn't even close -- 69-28. The president calls the measure long overdue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The bill will allow our intelligence professionals to quickly and effectively monitor the communications of terrorists abroad, while respecting the liberties of Americans here at home. The bill I signed today will help us meet our most solemn responsibility: to stop new attacks and to protect our people.
Members of my administration have made a vigorous case for this important law. I want to thank them, and I also want to thank the members of the House and the Senate who worked incredibly hard to get this legislation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the back story goes back 30 years. In 1978, Congress passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, better known as FISA. It set up a secret federal court to hear government requests to eavesdrop on international communications involving people inside the U.S.
Well, the court has turned down very few of those requests over the years. But after 9/11, the government claimed that it didn't have time to ask a judge every time it wanted to intercept suspicious phone calls or e-mail.
LEMON: We're following a developing story. It's a follow-up now to a story we first told you about yesterday, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson now apologizing for some remarks he made about Barack Obama. The comments came after an interview with Fox News, and Jackson says he didn't realize the microphone was still on.
Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REVEREND JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: See, Barack has been talking down to black people on this faith-based. I want to cut his (EXPLETIVE DELETED) off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, just a short time ago, Jackson joined us here in the CNN NEWSROOM to talk about his comments and his apology.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JACKSON: We endorsed Barack before he announced, and without solicitation, and without setting forth any high standards, because I knew he had the stuff. We never he could make all these hurdles and get to where he is now, but it was the right idea, the right man, the right time, the right message, enough money.
And some people, the more know them, the less they like them. In this case, the more people know him, the more they like him. So he just kind of grew on people. And now he stands now as a world- transforming redemptive figure. And that's good news for all of us.
LEMON: Reverend Jesse Jackson. And you know -- so, OK, you know I've got to ask you this. And we have to go, but -- so then why do you want to do what you said then if you believe that?
JACKSON: Trash talk, garbage. And that's why I want to be careful about trash talk, because what's private sometimes becomes public. And sometimes we use words we shouldn't use and language we shouldn't use. And then it becomes embarrassing.
We should never be so arrogant as to be embarrassed proof. So when we're embarrassed, we're contrite, we seek forgiveness, redemption, grace, mercy. And then we move on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: In a statement, Obama's campaign spokesman Bill Burton says the Illinois senator, "of course accepts Reverend Jackson 'apology."
A little bit later on this hour, we'll talk about Jesse Jackson's comments with radio talk show hosts Warren Ballentine and Joe Hicks. We'll go inside the story more -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Three years after a deadly shooting spree in Atlanta, the man charged with the crime, Brian Nichols, heads to trial. We'll fill you in on what's happening.
And Colorado prosecutors apologize to JonBenet Ramsey's family after DNA tests clear them of the child's death. We've got the latest.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It was a notorious shooting spree that turned a seat of justice into a crime scene. Jury selection under way in Atlanta today in the murder trial of Brian Nichols.
Just a few hours ago, Nichols entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. It was more than three years ago when prosecutors said that Nichols made a deadly bid for freedom, overpowering a guard and opening fire inside the Fulton County Courthouse.
Three people were killed in that rampage, another person was killed after his escape. Experts say finding 12 impartial jurors could be tricky since the case was so widely publicized.
Now, prosecutors say that Nichols has confessed to those killings, but his defense team says Nichols was insane and couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
Here's how it all went down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS (voice over): It should have been a day like any other at the Fulton County Courthouse. Business as usual. It would be anything but.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police are everywhere here. Sheriff's deputies flying around.
What we know is two people have been shot. One is a deputy. The other, we believe, may be a judge. This is just a chaotic scene with emergency vehicles flying everywhere.
PHILLIPS: March 11, 2005, 33-year-old Brian Nichols is transported from jail to the basement of the county courthouse. Nichols is on trial for a second time in as many weeks on charges of rape, burglary, false imprisonment.
ASH JOSHI, FMR. PROSECUTOR: I was quite confident Brian Nichols knew the trial was not going well. It was the fourth quarter and we were up by a few touchdowns, and I think he was concerned.
PHILLIPS: Faced with the very real prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison, police says Nichols takes matters into his own hands.
At 8:49 a.m., he is escorted to the holding cells on the eighth floor of the new courthouse. There, he assaults and overpowers deputy Cynthia Hall.
RICHARD MECCUM, U.S. MARSHAL: He knocked her out. She had a key on her that unlocked the gun box. And so he unlocked the gun box, which is in the holding cell, and took her gun out. Also got her radio.
PHILLIPS: As Nichols makes his break, Judge Rowland Barnes is presiding over a civil matter on the eighth floor of the old courthouse. Court reporter Julie Brandau is next to him.
(on camera): By now, Brian Nichols, armed with Cynthia Hall's handgun, is calmly walking away from the holding cells. But instead of easily escaping, he's making his way across this sky bridge to the old courthouse.
MECCUM: The judge was already on the bench with the court reporter. And when Brian Nichols came through that door, he then shot the judge and the court reporter.
PHILLIPS: Judge Barnes and Julie Brandau are killed instantly. Nichols then turns his attention to the prosecution table. But there were no prosecutors. Instead, he locks his eyes and his gun on attorney Richard Robbins.
RICHARD ROBBINS, ATTORNEY: A lot of thoughts went through my mind. He just killed the judge. Now he's going to kill the prosecutor, then he's going to kill everybody else.
And I'm sitting at the prosecutor's table. So I decided at that point that I needed to get out of that courtroom. And I wasn't going to let him shoot me straight in the chest.
PHILLIPS: Judge Barnes' wife Claudia also works at the courthouse and remembers all too vividly the chaos that followed the shootings.
CLAUDIA BARNES, WIFE OF JUDGE ROWLAND BARNES: One of my good friends came and got me. And at that point, I knew something was wrong with Rowland. So we went to his courtroom and they had already taped it off.
PHILLIPS (on camera): They wouldn't even let you into the courtroom?
BARNES: Oh, no.
PHILLIPS (voice over): In a matter of 12 short minutes, so many lives are changed forever at the Fulton County Courthouse. And it's about to get worse. Brian Nichols is on the loose.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And after that, Sheriff Deputy Hoyt Teasley, Federal Agent David Wilhelm were the two other victims in that shooting spree.
Nichols surrendered to police some 24 hours later after allegedly holding a Georgia woman, Ashley Smith, hostage in her suburban Atlanta home overnight.
Now, just getting his trial to begin has been quite an undertaking. It's been plagued by delays.
To talk about that some more, let's bring in former prosecutor, now defense attorney, B.J. Bernstein.
B.J., great to see you.
B.J. BERNSTEIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good to see you. And it's kind of strange to be here back on this, because that very day, on March 11th, over two and a half years ago, I was here talking to you then about being in shock about what happened here in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: I mean, we couldn't believe that it was happening outside of our building. And then there he was on CNN surveillance tape in our parking lot. And we were getting into our cars and going home.
Now, B.J., all these years later, what has taken so long? What has -- why has there been such a holdup with regard to this case?
BERNSTEIN: This case has been snake bitten from the start in terms of, you know, first of all, you had a crime that occurred at the courthouse here in Atlanta. So, the question is, could you have the trial at the very location where the crime occurred?
Then you had issues with, who was going to be his lawyer? Because he had to have a public defender. And all of us who practice here in Atlanta knew and loved Judge Barnes. So they had to get somebody from out of state.
And then, of course, with the death penalty, it slowed the case down. And then, finally, we had the removal of the judge who was appointed to hear the case because he felt uncomfortable with some conversations he had with CNN's Jeffrey Toobin.
So we've had everything that could happen in this case, plus the state public defender's system financing for this case has become very expensive.
PHILLIPS: That's what I was going to say. His defense up to this point already costing $2 million. It's pretty much wiped out the state defender's public office capabilities. So how is this going to affect other cases? I mean, this is finally getting under way, but what about other trials that need to go forward?
BERNSTEIN: You know, that's been a dispute here in Georgia. And still, there's a dispute going on in terms of state funding for the public defender system in general.
And what happens when -- this can happen in any state where there is a catastrophic crime that takes a lot more effort, and it bankrupts the system. So that's still to be determined, how it's going to affect everybody else.
PHILLIPS: Now, his lawyers are going for insanity to save him from the death penalty. Is that going to work?
BERNSTEIN: Well, it's delusional compulsion, which is interesting, because it's not just your typical insanity, you don't know right from wrong. It actually means that he suffers from a mental illness such that it kind of took him over and he couldn't control his actions.
That is probably the most difficult type of insanity to show. And it's going to be very curious to see what -- because, remember, this went on for hours. It's not like he just ran into the courtroom.
He ran into the courtroom, he committed carjackings, he shot the deputy in the street. He ran by here at CNN. He ended up killing David Wilhelm, the federal agent at his home many miles away, and then ended up in the suburbs of Atlanta holding hostage Ashley.
So, you know, it's hard to show that that went on for that many days. So it will be interesting to hear as the case unfolds. PHILLIPS: And that's an interesting point to wrap with. We're going to actually hear from Ashley Smith coming up in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM, B.J.
I mean, she was the one that was held captive in her own apartment from Brian Nichols. And she says she started preaching to him, reading "The Purpose Driven Life," and he bought it, and he humbled himself and was able to turn himself in. I mean, that would fit with this type of insanity plea that your explaining.
BERNSTEIN: Well, that's what the defense is certainly going to say. And that's another reason why this trial is going to go on so long, because, you know, everybody here in Atlanta goes, well, we know he did it. You know, everybody saw it unfold. But they're going to go through each piece of evidence, bit by bit, with the defense trying to say, and that shows why he's insane.
PHILLIPS: B.J. Bernstein, great to see you.
BERNSTEIN: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right.
LEMON: Buying tomorrow's gas at today's prices? A great idea, but not without a roadblock. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is campaigning today in Virginia, a state he hopes to flip from the Republican to Democrat. Now, just a short time ago, he talked about economic issues at a town hall in Fairfax. Much of his focus, America's working women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator McCain is an honorable man. He has rendered extraordinary service to this nation. And we deeply respect that service.
But when you look at our records and you look at our plans on the economic issues that matter most to women, it becomes very clear that he will not bring change. And I will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Republican presidential candidate John McCain is campaigning today in Michigan, a state hit hard by the country's economic downturn. And just a short time ago, the Arizona senator talked about economic issues, including taxes, at a town hall in Belleville.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The last thing we need in an economic downturn, my friends, is increasing your taxes. Senator Obama wants to raise capital gains tax. He wants to raise small business taxes. He wants to raise estate taxes. He wants to raise a broad variety of taxes.
And my friends, I just want to establish one fundamental fact with you. If you want a candidate, if you want a president of the United States that's going to raise your taxes, I'm not your candidate. I'm not your candidate. Senator Obama is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Before his town hall, McCain shook hands, signed autographs and met with voters at a diner in Livonia.
PHILLIPS: Leading our Political Ticker, an Obama "oops." The Democratic presidential candidate was helping raise money last night in New York for his campaign, and to help Hillary Clinton pay off her campaign debt. The problem was he forgot the second part. After he finished his appearance at the fund-raiser, Obama returned to the stage minutes later to a laughing audience, then he asked donors to help out his former rival.
A new survey suggests that John McCain may be hindered by his age than Barack Obama will be by his race, as the two men vie for the White House. A "USA Today"/Gallup poll says that 23 percent of Americans say McCain's age is likely to make him as a less effective president if he wins the White House.
McCain turns 72 next month. Now, that compares to only 8 percent who say Obama's race would make him a less effective president.
Check out our Political Ticker for all the latest campaign news. Just log on to CNNPolitics.com, your source for all things political.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
LEMON: All right, Susan. We'll check back. Thank you very much.
The economy, of course, issue No. 1. We'll bring you all the latest financial news, weekdays at noon Eastern. It's information you need on the mortgage meltdown, the credit crunch and more.
"ISSUE #1," noon Eastern.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips in New York.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
It's 2:30 Eastern time. Here are some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Iran says it conducted more long-range missile tests today, but the Pentagon says that's an exaggeration. A Pentagon source tells CNN that Iran apparently just fired one missile that failed to launch during yesterday's test.
Despite high temperatures and fears of higher wind, they're making progress fighting a huge wildfire near Paradise, California. The Butte County fire is about 50 percent contained.
And three days after a deadly blast in Karachi, police say they have arrested a deputy to the top Taliban commander in Pakistan.
A medical mystery in Texas. Did a blood thinner overdose kill two twin infants? We'll investigate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We have some developing news, this just into the CNN NEWSROOM. The reason you're looking at General David Petraeus there is because he has just been confirmed by the Senate as new Chief of U.S. Central Command, placing him in charge of American forces in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Just to give you a little bit of background here, Petraeus has served as a top U.S. commander in Iraq since January 2007 and has led the 15-month so-called surge effort to pacify Baghdad and its surrounding provinces. His new post will give him the additional responsibility of leading American forces in the tense Persian Gulf region and managing the war in Afghanistan where U.S. and allied troops are battling a resurgent Taliban and, of course, its al Qaeda allies.
But again, General David Petraeus being confirmed now as the Chief of U.S. Central Command.
Our Kyra Phillips -- I believe Kyra had an interview with him not too long ago, and she's going to join us in a little bit to give us some more perspective on this.
PHILLIPS: Despite a presidential veto threat, the Senate is expected to pass a mortgage rescue plan today. Among other things, the plan would provide up to $300 billion in loans to homeowners battling foreclosure. A new report out today says that 1 in every 500 U.S. households received a foreclosure notice in June. That works out to 252,000 homes, a 3 percent drop from May, but a 53 percent increase over June of 2007.
The highest foreclosure rates were in Nevada, California, Arizona, Florida and Michigan.
So who's to blame for the sky high fuel prices that have rocked the nation's economy? According to American Airline company, it's oil speculators. A dozen airline CEOs are now on the record after firing off a letter to lawmakers requesting action against poorly regulated oil speculation. They are asking you to lobby your representative to demand more market oversight.
Here is part of that letter from American Airlines: "We are urging our customers and employees to ask Congress to act quickly to curb speculation in the commodities markets. Some experts estimate that this speculation adds $20 to $60 to the price of a barrel of oil, and it is consumers and companies like American Airlines who actually use the oil for a productive purpose who pick up the tab."
Now, more reason for you to carry a book the next time you fly U.S. Airways. The carrier says it will stop showing movies on domestic flights starting in November. Officials say that will save some $10 million annually in fuel and other costs. The movie systems weigh about 500 pounds each. Movies will still be shown on international flights, as well as trips to Hawaii.
Now, pre-purchasing tomorrow's gas at today's price sounds great, in theory. But making it happen is another matter. The owner of mygallons.com is playing defense after a flurry of complaints from fuel thirsty members who say they have been left high and dry. Debit cards members used to access pre-paid gas is not working as planned or advertised. That's earned mygallons an "F" from the Better Business Bureau apparently. The owner says that they're doing all that they can to work out those bugs.
LEMON: Time for our daily Energy Fix. CNN's Poppy Harlow is in New York putting some so-called gas-saving gadgets to the test. The three word magic question, Poppy, is: Do they work?
But that music is so like -- dum, dum, dum, dum (ph).
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Get ready.
LEMON: Get ready. Here comes Poppy Harlow.
But really, do they work?
HARLOW: Most of them don't work. Some of them do work.
But the reason people are looking for this fix, these record high gas prices. I want to mention oil right now. It is up about $5 today, right now topping $141 a barrel. And you can bet that spike will trickle down to what you pay at the gas station.
So let's talk about what doesn't work and what you should avoid. "Popular Mechanics" magazine had tested these items and says they simply do not work. Check out this one. It's a simple magnet, it goes around your gas line. The problem is gas is not magnetic. It claims to break up clumps in gasoline. Doesn't work at all.
This is a fan, meant to cool down the engine a little bit. Again, you can get it on the Internet. But it doesn't work. So try to avoid that.
And finally, this very expensive item. It's a water-injector system. It was actually used in World War II planes. But Mike Allen from "Popular Mechanics" says it's a waste of money for today's vehicles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE ALLEN, SR. EDITOR, "POPULAR MECHANICS": It's a fairly expensive device. It actually injects water into your intake manifold so you can burn water in your car. It was over $400. It actually increased fuel consumption when I tested it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: You heard that right. This actually made his fuel efficiency worse. And you know what? The Better Business Bureau is also warning some of these devices could void your warranties. So be cautious, stay away from them.
Mike Allen says be wary of simple solutions because the automakers have already thought of all of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: There are no simple devices to hang on your car that will increase your fuel economy. If it was that simple, they would already be there. The best way to change your fuel economy is to change your driving habits.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: That's exactly right.
And that brings us to some gadgets that do work, like this. It's about $150. It's called a scan gauge. And what it does is it allows you to see how many miles per gallon you're getting every moment that you're driving. Allen says he was getting about 20 miles per gallon, and then he tried out this gadget.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: I installed this scan gauge and then started driving by paying attention to the miles per gallon readout monitor. Fuel economy jumped to 28 miles per gallon.
HARLOW: Wow.
ALLEN: Same car, same gasoline, same commute. The only difference was my right foot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Pretty impressive results, and he is an expert when it comes to this.
So think about it. He spent about $100 a week on gas. And you can up your efficiency by 40 percent, like Allen did. That's a $40 savings. You're going to make up the cost of gadget pretty quickly.
There's a fancier version of this. It's right here. It's called the Kiwi. Pretty nifty. It's coming out in the next week or so. It goes for $300.
Can you see it here? It actually has a tutorial that teaches you how to drive more efficiently. And you know what, Don? Some hybrid vehicles already have a lot of this technology. So maybe, with your new car, you might eventually get some of these built in.
But for now, stay away from what doesn't work and try out some of the ones that do if you like -- Don.
LEMON: I have a great gadget that works every time. Saves lots of energy. It's an energy fix. It's good old shoe leather.
HARLOW: I know. Walking to work if you can.
LEMON: Walk, ride a bike, don't drive so much.
HARLOW: It's true.
Or slow down when you drive. That's what these devices really just teach you how to slow down and coast.
LEMON: Thank you, Poppy Harlow.
HARLOW: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Well, it has created a buzz on talk show radio across America. We're going to talk about Jesse Jackson's comments about Barack Obama with two of the country's most popular radio show hosts -- Warren Ballentine and Joe Hicks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. A follow-up now to a story we first broke yesterday, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. The Reverend Jesse Jackson is apologizing for some remarks he made about Barack Obama. The comments came after an interview with another news network. And Jackson says he didn't realize the microphone was still on.
Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: See, Barack has been, um, talking down to black people on this faith based. I want to cut his (EXPLETIVE DELETED) offs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Just a short time ago, Jackson joined us right here in the CNN NEWSROOM to talk about it -- his comments, and also his apology.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACKSON: We endorsed Barack before he announced and without solicitation and without setting forth any high standard (ph) because I knew he had the stuff. We never knew he could make all these hurdles and get to where he is now. But it was the right idea, the right man, the right time, the right message, enough money.
And some people -- the more people know them, the less they like them. In his case, the more people know him, the more they like him. And so he just kind of grew on people and now he stands now as a world-transforming, redemptive figure. That's good news for all of us.
LEMON: The Reverend Jesse Jackson -- OK, you know I've got to ask you this. We have to go, but -- so then why do you want to do what you said then, if you believe that?
JACKSON: Trash talk, nothing but garbage. That's why I want to be careful about trash talk because what's private sometimes becomes public. And some of the -- words we shouldn't use, language we shouldn't use. And then when it becomes public it becomes embarrassing. We should never be so arrogant as to be embarrass- proof.
So when we're embarrassed, we're contrite, we seek forgiveness, redemption, grace, mercy and then we move on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. In the statement, the Obama campaign spokesman, Bill Burton, says, the Illinois senator, "... of course, accepts Reverend Jackson's apology."
Joining me now to talk about the Jackson comments radio talk show host Warren Ballentine. He is in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Joe Hicks is in L.A. We separated them because we did not want a fight.
JOE HICKS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Not going to fight.
LEMON: All right. Thank you both.
So you heard it. And this has been a serious topic. I know your listeners definitely talking about this. Is Barack Obama talking down to black people?
WARREN BALLENTINE, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I don't think --
HICKS: No, he's not. No, he's not talking to black people.
LEMON: You go ahead, Joe. Warren, let him go.
HICKS: Yes, Warren you may -- I don't know what your thought on this is. I don't think he's talking down to black people. I think in his comments in that black church on Father's Day were well received by the crowd. This is a theme that Bill Cosby has been talking about for sometime. He's been getting standing room crowds wherever he goes.
It's black elites, frankly, like Jesse Jackson that somehow find a way to be somehow irritated by the comments he makes. LEMON: But Joe, I've got to tell you this. I said this to a number of people because obviously after we broke it yesterday, people called me and said, you know what -- Jesse Jackson has been talking about the same issues that Bill Cosby's been talking about for decades before Bill Cosby.
So why this -- why say that about Jesse Jackson?
HICKS: It's been a minor subtheme to his public comments. He's often talked about the theme of, "babies making babies." But in the larger scheme of the way Jackson sees the world, this is blaming the victim, quote, unquote. So here, Barack Obama says, wait a minute, we have to look at some of the problems in urban America in some fresh and new ways. And maybe we need to be looking in the mirror.
And Jesse Jackson clearly indicates by his hot mike comment, that he took offense to that. But frankly, black folks in urban America aren't taking offense at it.
LEMON: What do you say, Warren? Are they taking offense at it?
BALLENTINE: I don't think so. And I don't think Barack Obama is talking down to America. I think he's talking about accountability and responsibility here. And quite frankly, I think he has every right to talk about the things that he's talking about because he grew up in a fatherless home. Who better to talk about that issue than Barack Obama, because he experienced it.
I think this is -- really to the point now where Reverend Jackson -- he will always be in the hierarchy of the civil rights leadership in this country, but right now, Reverend Jackson is not the prominent civil rights leader that he once was. Right now, I would say that would be Reverend Sharpton.
LEMON: OK, Warren what about people who say Barack Obama is playing to a larger voting audience and he doesn't want to alienate those people so he's not speaking specifically to issues that are of concern to black people?
BALLENTINE: I disagree with that as well. Barack Obama -- his mother is white and his father is African. He can make the argument on both sides of the street.
In fact, we must remember as black people in this country, he's running for the presidency of the United States, not the presidency of black America, and we have to realize that.
LEMON: All right. What about new leaders? We're talking about new guard versus old guard here, Joe. Some people are saying, you know what? Jesse Jackson, part of an old guard. Jesse Jackson is saying all of this that's happening to Barack Obama now is because -- was built on the backs of black civil rights leaders and he should pay homage to them.
HICKS: Well, you know, who's not paying homage to the civil rights movement? You know, I came through that, you know. I cut my eye teeth on the movement. So, nobody's saying that. But it's clear that Jackson and Sharpton and Maxine Waters and all these folks are an old guard.
BALLENTINE: I disagree with that, Joe. I disagree with that.
HICKS: And a lot of people hear the kind of comments Jesse Jackson, young black people in particular. And they see it as an old black and white movie. The NAACP is not drawing youth to its membership. The SCOC is struggling to just to exist. This is the old guard. And Barack Obama...
LEMON: Jump in, if you want to Joe.
HICKS: ... no matter how you feel about his politics, he represents a new race transcendence face of it.
BALLENTINE: I disagree with that wholeheartedly. Because I'm part of that new movement, that young generation. I'm 35-years-old.
And honestly, people like Reverend Sharpton, Charles Steel and others are doing great strides to reach out to the younger generation. A lot of people in my circle, who are young professionals, who are attorneys like myself, doctors and other professionals, are part of these organizations. We are doing movements. And I'm going to tell you something. Honestly, if you look at the National Action Network right now, what Reverend Sharpton has put together with the younger generation, he's energized the civil rights era again for the next generation.
HICKS: I disagree with that. I think Obama played a part of that.
I think Obama played a huge part in that.
(CROSSTALK)
HICKS: Why then are young people are not being drawn to that movement?
The in fact is we do have a generational issue here. And I think Barack Obama, you know, represents some new kind of views on things. Jesse Jackson always characterized things in racial victimization kinds of terms. And you know, Barack Obama does not. And I think the reason why the NAACP and even Sharpton's movement are not attracting young, fresh faces to its movement, is that it speaks from another era. We are living in a post-racial, if you will and a post-civil rights era, here. And that's what Jackson I think, is frustrated with.
(CROSSTALK)
BALLENTINE: I think you're wrong about one thing, Joe.
LEMON: That's got to be the last --
BALLENTINE: Sharpton's issue is about injustices, not race. LEMON: Warren, we got to go. Joe, we have to go. Thank you both very much. Enjoy your evening.
PHILLIPS: Tired of paying sky high utility bills? Well, one Rhode Island family was so they decided to harness the wind.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It's a story that has grabbed the world's attention and refuses to let go. The agonizing accounts of the hostages freed last week from the grip of Colombian rebels. Three of the former hostages are Americans. Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell were the U.S. defense contractors captured back in 2003, when their plane crashed in the jungle.
Now free, all three are talking exclusively with CNN's Robin Meade. For the full interview, tune into "Morning Express" with Robin Meade from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on our sister network, "HEADLINE NEWS."
But here's some of what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH STANSELL, FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE: I have two little boys, 5-year-old twins. I'm sorry. No, it's a happy. This is happy. It's a good thing for me.
THOMAS HOWES, FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE: The camp boss told us about the fact they just thought he had one little boy.
MARC GONSALVES, FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE: They thought one had died.
HOWES: He didn't think about getting the photo. He said he saw the photo.
STANSELL: I've got two boys I've never seen. You know, these two guys helped me through it. I knew the mother of my children was pregnant with twins. And then he said, well I just saw, you just have one baby. You know, this sort of thing, we're in a cage. But this is a just a deep breath of happiness, I'll tell you here.
I hear these two little guys on the radio sending me messages. You know, on the AM radio station on Sunday nights and we'd get to know it. Mark and I chained together, literally, like you listen to your families and you are a family.
And I walked in here and the first time was limited, just about 40 minutes. I walked in here with the general. Here you've got you know, big general, ex-special forces guy. He was more nervous than I was because he was just worried how this is going to go with the kids. I opened the door. Now, imagine, you got these two children, to me, which is -- and they just, I hear, Papa, Papa, Papa. And it just hit me. It was like I had never been gone. And that's for credit for their mother. It's -- there's an intensity level to it. When they first tell us, like we were talking, hey, you're only going to see your family for 40 minutes. There was a reason for it. 40 minutes is overload. And so I did the 40 minutes, they took me out. A few hours later, you come back. These people here know how to manage this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Wow. Get the entire story by watching the full exclusive interview. And it's real easy. Join Robin Meade and the "Morning Express" crew from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN "HEADLINE NEWS."
LEMON: Wow. An amazing interview there. Quality or quantity? In the field of ballistic missiles, both matter. But, when it comes to Iran missiles -- Iranian missiles, both are in dispute. We'll sort out the claims and the talk about war with Iran. How it could affect your gas tank. Straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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