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The Voters vs. Washington; Suicide Car Bombing in Kabul; Plug Coming for Gulf Oil Gusher; The Voters Vs. Washington; A Soldier's Story; FDA Expands Kids' Meds Probe

Aired May 18, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes sitting in today for Kyra Phillips. Here's what we are working on.

We've got a test going on today of the nation's anti-incumbent fervor. We are watching Senate primaries in three states.

Also the FDA looking more closely into how Johnson & Johnson is making its drugs. The move follows a recall of medicine for children.

Also the bias of children. A CNN investigation finds what kids think as they get older about racial stereotyping. You'll want to see it.

Meanwhile, big story today. Voting is under way in only a handful of states this morning, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Arkansas. So if you don't live in one of those states, you might not think this is going to affect you. But it is a big deal for the country and it could change the balance of power down the road.

The primaries we're talking about today are going to measure something much larger. A nationwide uprising of anger and disgust with Washington. That could mean more bad news for long-time incumbents who are trying to hold on to their job.

We're going to begin with two of the most contentious races today.

Our CNN senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash is in my old stomping ground of Little Rock, Arkansas. We'll check in with her in just a moment. And also our chief political correspondent Candy Crowley is in Philadelphia for us.

Candy, good morning. I want to start with you. I tried to put it in some context there at very top here. But you do it for me like only you can. Help people understand who aren't in some of these states where we're seeing these contentious primaries. Help them understand why today matters to this whole country.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Today will give us a very good glimpse of what the table setting is going to look like this fall. Understand that this fall, the entire House and a third of the Senate, not to mention governorships and state legislatures, are up for grabs. There will be -- and these are very important elections in Washington, simply because we've seen how much trouble the president has had thus far in getting some of the things he wants through Capitol Hill.

Imagine if he has fewer Democrats on his side. And that's what's at stake here, really, is not just this job or that job but an agenda. And if the American people are in a mood to toss out incumbents, those who have already been in office for some time, then this does not particularly bode well for Democrats, since there are more Democrats on Capitol Hill that are incumbents than there are Republicans.

So it begins to set the table. If, for instance, here in Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter. He has been in the Senate for 30 years. That is a lot of power, that's a lot of seniority, that's a lot of sway. But if he is thrown out by a man by the name of Joe Sestak, who is a four-year member of the House of Representatives, it will tell us a lot about the mood of the country and what the fate of some other incumbents might be.

And then in Kentucky, you have a very interesting race. A Republican race where Rand Paul, the son of Ron Paul, the former presidential candidate, may well beat the establishment candidate, the secretary of state in Kentucky, Trey Grayson.

If Grayson goes down, he's had the backing of the establishment. If Rand Paul wins, we are going to learn a lot about the strength of the tea party. Rand Paul is a tea party candidate. He has strong backing from that group. And it would be their first statewide victory.

So it will tell us a lot about how they may help sway certainly the Republican side of this equation.

So lots of things here that we're going to look into the crystal ball tomorrow with a much clearer vision of which way the country is leaning.

HOLMES: Candy, one more point on the race where you are. Arlen Specter, the whole point of him going from Republican to Democrat was it was supposed to make it easier for him to get reelected.

So what has been his bigger problem there in this election? Why is it so tight? Is it that he's been in Washington for 30 years or that he pulled a switcharoo?

CROWLEY: Yes, the switcharoo has been a real problem for him. And I have to tell you, his opponent, Sestak, put out a devastating ad about the party switch. And remember that the people who vote in midterm elections tend to be the --

HOLMES: We lost our Candy Crowley there. We appreciate her checking in with us there again from Pennsylvania where Arlen Specter is trying to hold on to his job. And the point she was making there, that he was having more of a problem, in fact, with the fact that he moved from Republican to Democrat. I'm told we got Candy back up.

Candy, we lost you there for just a second. If you can, go ahead. Pick up on that point. You were talking about the devastating ad that Sestak put out about --

CROWLEY: Yes.

HOLMES: About -- yes, go ahead.

CROWLEY: Exactly, which basically said two things. First of all, you really can't trust Arlen -- let's not put this precisely, but the mood of the ad was, you can't really trust Arlen Specter because George Bush used to love him and there was a clip of George Bush endorsing Arlen Specter.

And the second thing was, isn't this so typical of Washington? They'll say anything to get reelected. And Arlen Specter switched just so he could get elected in the Democratic Party because he was facing a real challenge in the Republican Party.

Obviously, this makes people say, look, this is totally distorted. But nonetheless, it's been devastating and remember again that the true blue Democrats and the true blue Republicans are the ones who tend to vote in primaries. This is -- casual voters don't. They generally stay home.

And so if you're a true blue Democrat, and you're wondering whether Arlen Specter really is a Democrat, you may be are going for something new and then you layer over that. This anti-incumbent mood. And you really have stiff headwinds for Arlen Specter.

One more thing I should add is that there is a lot of undecided vote that we've seen. Right now we see Specter and Sestak about even, which is pretty amazing. And 16 percent of those surveyed in the latest Quinnipiac poll said they weren't really sure. That's a lot.

And that generally goes to the person who is least well known, the theory being if you haven't made up your mind about Arlen Specter in 30 years, you probably aren't going to vote for him.

So there are a lot of things kind of running against him, though I will say this one last thing, T.J., and that is that Specter does have the -- one of the advantages of incumbency. And that is that he does have the ability to pull in a machine to help him pull out the votes.

He also has the backing of Governor Rendell who does have a voting machine he can use and some unions. He's had the backing of the president but we haven't seen the president here in Pennsylvania recently. A lot of people say that tells you a lot about what the White House actually thinks about Specter's chances today.

HOLMES: All right. Candy Crowley, always great to talk to you. We are going to be seeing you plenty throughout the day. Thanks so much. We'll see you again. Another incumbent facing a strong Senate challenge is Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. She has the backing of President Obama and former President Bill Clinton, but apparently that's not enough.

Liberal members of her own party have actually turned against her. They say she's too conservative, too cozy as well with some of those conservatives.

Our CNN senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash is in Little Rock.

Dana, hello to you. And certainly no offense to the people of my home state of Arkansas, but normally, we would not be sending our big- time congressional correspondent there to cover a Democratic primary but you are there now. Why?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Because this is really one of the test cases, as you laid out so well, of the sentiment that is going on nationwide.

What you see behind me is -- people have been going in and out here to vote. Voting started a little more than half an hour ago. And it's -- you know, we are in a residential area. I'm sure you know this area pretty well, T.J. It is where Blanche Lincoln is going to come vote later.

And this is a place where really we can potentially see on the Democratic side whether or not the sentiment is there that Candy was talking about earlier on the Republican side. And that is actually that tea party sentiment.

Obviously, tea partiers tend to be pushing Republican-like candidates. But what we are seeing here in Arkansas is that the test for Blanche Lincoln is the same kind of sentiment we're seeing on the tea party on the right. Meaning, anger at her about deficits. Anger directed towards her because she is the incumbent about the bailout.

Her opponent is calling her "Bailout Blanche." And things like that. So it is going to be a test to see if that sentiment is maybe as strong and on the populous left as perhaps we are seeing it on the right.

What is her response to that? She insists, yes, she is an incumbent. Yes, she is a senator. But she guessed -- she's trying to change things. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BLANCHE LINCOLN (D), ARKANSAS: I think anger is directed at not getting results and standing in the way of moving our country forward. And I don't see myself as doing that. I see myself as a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now while she tries to tout her credentials and her seniority as an incumbent, trying to convince voters that that is helpful to Arkansans, particularly her role -- she is chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee -- she is facing -- again, this is a Democratic primary, a pretty intense opposition from some of the forces that are powerful. And actually up in Pennsylvania, supporting the incumbent there.

Big labor there here in droves. And they are trying to get rid of Blanche Lincoln because they feel that she has not been a good enough for them on their issues, on issues that matter to labor.

And also many of the big liberal groups, MoveOn.org, for example, they are trying to defeat Blanche Lincoln here.

But when it comes her actually challenger, and that is the Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, he is not necessarily pushing from the left.

T.J., you know Arkansas and that it's a conservative state. That wouldn't really work. So he is very much trying to seize on that anti-Washington message and trying to push from the outside.

Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. BILL HALTER (D), CANDIDATE FOR SENATE: The fact is Senator Lincoln has been in the United States Senate for 11 years. I have been running for this job for 11 weeks. I think three weeks is a big addition to the amount of time that we have compared to 11 years.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And touting the fact that he just jumped into this race officially 11 weeks ago. When he's talking about the three weeks, here's what he's talking about, and here's what we have to look for today.

And that is that if Blanche Lincoln does not get above that 50 percent threshold in today's primary, there will be a runoff likely with a Bill Halter three weeks from now. Unclear what will happen if that is the case.

Blanche Lincoln and her campaign will feel confident that if they don't break that 50 percent today that they will be able to succeed ultimately in the Democratic primary. But this is really just the beginning.

She is squeezed from both sides. She is still, no matter what, if she wins, going to face a very, very big challenge in November from whomever her Republican challenger will be -- T.J.

HOLMES: Yes, and you make a good point there. We're talking about all this and maybe a bruising primary she has to go through, but many there in the state believe she can't win even if she does make it to the general against whatever Republican comes out. So it might be all for naught anyway. Dana, good to see you. And Little Rock, Arkansas. We're going to be checking in with you. Going to be a busy day for you as well throughout the day. Thanks so much.

We're going to turn now to a Senate race in Connecticut and where it's not really contentious back and forth talking about an incumbent or anything like that in measuring the mood of the country, this has taken a turn for a different reason.

Because "The New York Times" is reporting that Connecticut Democrat, Richard Blumenthal, lied about serving in Vietnam. The paper says he received five military deferments to avoid going to Vietnam between 1965 and 1970.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: There is no good or ethical reason that he could have possibly done that, Anderson. The guy ought to have a chance to respond. I saw the "Times" story as well. He didn't really have much a response in there.

He pointed out and our viewers should know he did serve with real distinction in the Marine Corps Reserves but never served in Vietnam. And you read those four words. "I served in Vietnam."

That appears to be factually false. It's indefensible. It's a catastrophic mistake because it's not the sort of mistake people tended to make. You know, when I was landing on Omaha beach and fighting my way up those cliffs on D-Day, that was not the kind of politician I was fighting for back then.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Blumenthal's campaign calling the story in the "New York Times" an outrageous distortion, says the former Marine Reservist only claimed to have been a Vietnam era veteran.

The newspaper says Blumenthal repeatedly claimed to have served the Vietnam and never corrected media claims that he did.

Well, CNN, of course, your place to be for the insightful political coverage all day long that you've come to expect from us. Our reporters and analysts covering the races, and the trends, and the results, just what you should expect from the best political team you'll find on television.

If you can't find them on television, however, if you happen to be away from the TV, CNN's vast resources as close as your computer, you can watch all of our coverage. You can catch it all at CNN.com/politics.

Well, we're going to turn to Afghanistan here in a moment. Well, we have seen one of the deadliest car bombings in Kabul than we have seen in sometime and U.S. troops are among the victims. We will get the latest developments live from the Pentagon in just a moment. JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. Showers in the northeast impacting your travel today. Plus, another severe weather outbreak in the forecast. Find out when to expect the worst of the weather coming up in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We're just getting word this morning that five U.S. service members were killed -- who were among the 18 killed this morning in one of the deadliest suicide car bombings we've seen in Kabul in months.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence live with us in Washington. Chris has also spent quite a bit of time covering stories there in Kabul as well.

Chris, good morning to you and tell us what happened.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., you know, from all accounts, this blast was so powerful that it literally blew bodies hundreds of yards away. You know six of those victims were NATO troops. Five of them were American troops.

This attack happened at about 8:00 in the morning on a very busy, main thoroughfare there in Afghanistan's capital. It -- what are most of us doing at 8:00 in the morning? We're going to work. We are taking our kids to school.

It's the same thing in Kabul. Twelve Afghan civilians were killed in this blast. Probably three to four times as many were injured. A lot of them were on a public bus that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when this man drove his car up, packed with explosives and blew the car up apparently targeting this convoy of military people going through the area on that road.

Just to put this in some sort of a larger context. This now becomes the deadliest attack on coalition troops in Afghanistan's capital this year. And it comes after months of Afghan forces really trying to crack down on militants in the capital and as President Hamid Karzai plans this meeting, this peace meeting later in the month to try to work out some sort of negotiation or truce with militants who are willing to give up their guns.

HOLMES: And --

LAWRENCE: T.J.?

HOLMES: Chris, give us perspective as well of what we have been seeing lately in terms of the types of attacks and the number of attacks in Kabul?

LAWRENCE: I think, you know, this was the first major attack in several months. But if you look around the country, even outside of Kabul, we don't report it much because the desert coming in in very small numbers, making one at a time, two at a time. But I think what you're seeing is, you know, a steady flow of coalition -- attacks on coalition forces and a rising number of coalition deaths over the past couple of months.

HOLMES: All right, Chris Lawrence, Pentagon correspondent, live for us from Washington today.

Chris, we appreciate you as always.

I want to turn now to our Jacqui Jeras, keeping an eye on -- you know, it's always just to check out the map. Where are we going today?

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: Yes, it is that season.

JERAS: It is. It's May. It's the busiest month for tornadoes. And actually, number-wise, we have been a little bit on the down side.

HOLMES: Yes.

JERAS: So that's good.

HOLMES: Well, we hope we don't catch up.

JERAS: Yes.

HOLMES: All right. Thank you. Thank you, Jacqui. Thanks so much.

Well, months after her arrest, U.S. missionary Laura Silsby has been freed from a Haitian jail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Take a look at now some of the top stories we're keeping an eye on.

Of course, three Senate primaries going on today. Major primaries going to help us understand just what type of mood voters are in this year. The incumbents challenged in Pennsylvania and Arkansas. Those are two major tests we're keeping an eye on. But also a tea party favorite is ahead in the polls against an establishment pick in Kentucky.

Also they're going to be on Capitol Hill today. Three separate hearings on the Gulf of Mexico, that oil spill. Meanwhile, something to report, some good news at least. BP saying that they are able to collect about 42,000 gallons of oil a day that's spilling. However, more than 200,000 gallons has been pouring out daily.

Finally here. Laura Silsby, you remember that name? She's expected back home, back in Idaho today. A Haitian court ordered her released from jail. She is one of the missionaries and part of a group accused of trying to take 33 Haitian children out of the country after the quake.

Quick break, be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We had a new (INAUDIBLE) for the International Space Station, being installed right now. They are using the shuttle's robotic arm to put a docking bay in place. This comes a day after two space shuttle astronauts successfully installed a new antenna on the station that will allow them to get ESPN. This happened during their first space walk mission. Two more walks are scheduled.

Also this morning, "Macho Man" by the Village People is NASA's choice of wakeup music in the morning. That will wake you up. It'll make you jump out of bed and run out screaming, quite frankly.

We'll turn now to possibly three times being the charm for the president. He possibly now has a head of the TSA. Late Monday, President Obama said he plans on nominating John Pistols as the new chief of the Transportation Security Administration.

Pistole is a 27-year veteran of the FBI. He is the president's third choice to head the agency. The first two nominees withdrew when questions were raised about their past.

We're talking about the politics of anger today. Several states holding primary elections. But even before the first vote is counted, the message is being heard loud and clear in Washington, D.C.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, it's been a bit of rocky ride on Wall Street. At one point yesterday, the Dow was down as much as 184 points but managed to end the day slightly higher.

Felicia Taylor is at the New York Stock Exchange with a preview of today's action and getting over that sea sickness from that up and down.

What in the world is going on?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: T.J., basically, it has all to do with the European currency. That's we've been driving trading lately, and yesterday, it hit a four-year low. People are even talking about now whether or not we can see parity with the dollar. Today, the currency is gaining some ground, though. And here in the United States, we got upbeat retail reports to talk about. Wal-Mart's first quarter profit rose 10 percent, sales top $99 billion, and because of Wal-Mart's massive size, it is considered a very good gauge of consumer spending and that is the main engine of economic growth.

But, not just Wal-Mart, luxury retailer, Sax, returned to profitability last quarter. Home Depot jumped 41 percent and also raised its outlook for the year. So, retailers are doing pretty well. Also, we got some good news about housing. New home construction jumped nearly 6 percent last month and also hit the highest level in a year and a half. However, the rebound could be short-lived. Building permits for future construction did plunge 11.5 percent. So, let's take a look at how the opening bell has turned out things are to the upside.

The Dow Industrial is up about a half a point. The Nasdaq, though, getting almost a full percent. The S&P is also up about just a bit more than half a percent. Finally, T.J., Sears and K-Mart are jumping on the bandwagon for gold. The retailers jewelry department have envelopes that customers can use to send in their gold and silver in exchange for money. If you don't like the price offered, then they'll basically send the jewelry back to you. So, it's kind of a good deal.

HOLMES: Tell me that deal again. K-Mart? I was trying to comprehend that. Now, wait a minute, they are jumping on the gold bandwagon, but tell me how the deal works again?

TAYLOR: OK. So, they have these envelopes that you can put like your gold and silver pieces in, like jewelries or items of jewelry, I wouldn't be sending, you know, gold bars or anything. They will send you cash in exchange for those gold and silver pieces. And if you don't like the price that they offer you, then they will send you the jewelry back. Right now, gold is trading at about $1200 an ounce. So, you can gauge that as about where, you know, depending on the weight of what your item is about what you should be getting, but of course, they'll be giving you some sort of a discount. So, caution, caution.

HOLMES: You can see why I followed up and I was curious. I apparently have a stash of gold around the house that I need to do something with.

TAYLOR: Good for you, T.J.

HOLMES: Felicia Taylor, good to see you as always. We'll check in with you again.

We will turn to President Obama now. He's establishing a presidential commission to investigate the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. BP is preparing to plug up the broken pipe with a mud mixture now. This is known as the top kill and should be in place by the weekend. A tube inserted the larger pipe is siphoning off 20 percent of the oil pouring into the Gulf right now. That's not great but that's something and the Senate also looking into the incident today. Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar testified in two hearings, one at 11 a.m. at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and later in the Senate Environment Committee.

Coast guard commandant Admiral Thad Allen, he's also on Capitol Hill to testify about the federal response. He's appearing in the Senate Commerce Committee along with oil executives from the companies who are involved.

Also, right now, primary elections are being held in just a handful of states, but the message is rippling across the country. Voters are expected to voice their anger against all things Washington, long-time incumbents, big governments and maybe even the major parties themselves. Our next guest has a pretty good role in giving a voice to voter disgust. He's been 18 years in Congress served as the Republican House Majority Leader, and today, he serves as chairman of the group, FreedomWorks, Dick Armey. Good to see you, kind sir. Some would call you a leader of the tea party. Would you call yourself one of the leaders, at least, of the tea party?

DICK ARMEY, FREEDOMWORKS CHAIRMAN: The thing that makes the tea party movement, this big grassroots movement so authentic is that there's really no leader. I do think they have folks that they pay attention to whose service and activities they regard. I'd like to believe I'm one of those people. Certainly, FreedomWorks, our organization, has been active on the grassroots front for small government, conservatism, especially on fiscal issues since 1984.

We have a good track record. I think grassroots activists across the country have recognized our organization and have sought the opportunity to work together, and we do work together, but for anybody to stand up and say, I am in charge of the tea party movement, would be the most pretentious kind of pretentiousness.

HOLMES: Tell me then what we're seeing in the race in Kentucky. How big of a test? Is that the biggest test so far we've seen of tea party power and whatever result comes out of this.

ARMEY: I really think it's a test of ideas, and basically, what we are struggling with is the idea that in office, you ought to serve the constituency of the country, your state or whatever and the ideas of personal liberties, small government. a restraint of spending that made the country great as opposed to what I would say, what grassroots America perceives to be the political short sighted self-served political hackery that dominates both political parties.

So, that person who says, look, don't think of me as an orthodox member of either party. My purpose in life is to serve good principles, the principles of freedom, our republic, the constitution, restraint on spending, common sense, and respect for the voter constituency taxpayer, that person is going to win the election.

HOLMES: Now, how many of those persons are out there, would you say, because there seems to be this anti-incumbent mood, as people keep calling it? But would you say there are any people up in Washington right now or what percentage represents what you've just described?

ARMEY: There are certain number of conservatives that hold office in Washington. Conservatives generally founded in Republican Party that are safe with the voting constituency, because they're respected for the work they do, and there are certain number of liberals primarily in the Democratic Party that are safe, but wherever the swing voter has room to make their mark in the elections, Pennsylvania, Florida, in the Senate race. Certainly, we saw it in New Jersey. We saw it in Virginia. We will see it in Kentucky. We saw it in Utah.

Wherever there is latitude for the swing voter to make their mark and make their voice heard, that person who presents themselves to the voter as I am here on behalf of restraint to big government, protection of personal liberty and common sense understanding and appreciation for the wonders and the achievement of private enterprise, that person is going to win the election.

HOLMES: Last thing, Mr. Armey, will we see -- of course, so many people align the tea party with the GOP, a conservative movement and align often ties (ph) with the GOP, but will we see throughout election season, the tea party also come out and support democratic candidates as well?

ARMEY: If you can find a democratic candidate that will stand up and say, look, I'm for restraint against the growth of big government, I'm for protection of personal liberty, I'm for reduced taxes and reduced spending. If you can find a Democrat that will take those positions and not get kicked out of his own party by his own party, I am willing to work with such a person.

HOLMES: So, it sounds like you're saying that Democrat is going to be hard to find and we might not see too many tea party folks supporting Democrats because it sounds like you're saying those type of Democrats are hard to come by?

ARMEY: Yes. It's very difficult. You talk to people in the Democratic Party seeking office, and they will find that party is quite intolerant of those values and that point of view. There's without much room for them in that party. And you know, it's very difficult. It used to be particularly in the south we had conservative Democrats. When I first came to the south in 1967, I found most Democrats were more conservative than most Republicans I'd known in the north, but the Democrat party in the south has merged the traditional yellow dog conservative Democrat from the party.

And that is common place knowledge here in the south. So, the tea party activists stand for a set of principles. They don't like either political party, and they will work with any candidate that will commit to those principles, and they'll expect compliance in office.

HOLMES: We're looking forward to seeing what happens today and somebody's keep primary race certainly that one in Kentucky as well. Dick Armey, good to talk to you as always, sir. We will see you later for sure.

CNN, of course, the place to be for the best political coverage on TV all day long. Our reporters as you see going to be fanned out all over the place. What you expect from the best political team on television. The best political coverage. If you happen to be away from the TV, you can still tune in. Our vast resources are as close as that computer of yours. Catch it all at CNN.com/politics.

And the FDA also expanding an investigation of Johnson & Johnson and some of their manufacturing practices. The fed wants to know if there are other problems besides the company's recall of children's medicine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Taking a look at some of stories making headlines, a trio of important primaries happening today could set the tone for the upcoming mid-term elections. Voters give their say in Senate races in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Also, a special election in Pennsylvania to fill the seat of late Congressman John Mertha. Stay here with us on CNN and also CNN.com all day for complete coverage of those primaries.

Meanwhile, the White House is calling for a presidential commission into the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. Meanwhile, Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar is on Capitol Hill today for a pair of hearings looking into the federal government's response. We'll take you there live for the first one coming up at 11:00 eastern.

About that gulf oil spill, it seemed like it's nothing but bad news for BP, but that's not how the late night comics see it. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: British petroleum, they're starting to get a little defensive. Have you heard their new slogan? Yes, like you never spilled anything before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is still talking about this oil disaster. And the new interview, BP CEO, Tony Hayward said that the Gulf coast oil spill is relatively tiny compared to the very big ocean. Seriously. That's like telling someone who has just been shot not to worry about the bullet because they're really, really fat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right. Coming up next, we got our latest installment in the soldier's story. This time, we'll tell you about a woman, is married, she's a mom, is in the military, but her husband is not too crazy about the idea of adjusting to her new army life. Again, our latest installment of a soldier's story. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: On the day, we are talking about some primaries and possibility of seats switching hands. We're getting word now of a Republican congressman who's possibly deciding to call it quits. It's the Republican congressman. His name is Mark Souder. He's scheduled to make an announcement about his political future at the top of the hour.

There are several media reports out there saying that this eight- term Representative from Indiana is actually resigning. Salazar won his primary challenge earlier this month. So he was expecting to still be in the game at least if you go by historically and what just happened not too long ago that in fact he won his primary. So he's expected to kind of hold on to his seat.

But now, word and some reports out that he is possibly going to resign. We will bring you more on that announcement as soon as we get it.

But another developing story here on what is going to be an important primary day.

Well, to "A Soldier's Story" now, Private Latricia Rose begins her journey in the Army. But trouble at home may cut it short.

CNN's Jason Carroll explains in his latest installment of "A Soldier's Story".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get up privates. Get up and get your clothes on, privates, let's go.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Latricia Rose is waking up to a whole new way of life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey you, you need a six death mask.

CARROLL: In the hours since joining the Army, the 20-year-old left her husband and 2-year-old daughter back home in Georgia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I, state your full name.

CARROLL: She was officially sworn in.

ROSE: So help me God.

CARROLL: And was given last words of advice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of you guys are going to find it challenging. The challenges are good and they show you who you are deep down inside.

CARROLL: Adjustments to Army life -- happens over night.

For Latricia, that means hair goes up in an Army regulation bun, no hair touching shoulders. Dressing, making the bunk and filling her canteen, all in under 15 minutes.

ROSE: I was expecting the yelling and the discipline but I was just hoping -- hoping otherwise.

CARROLL: The separation from her husband, Brandon, and daughter, Ianna, now a reality.

ROSE: I thought I was going to cry but I didn't. So I stay strong because I know that she is taken care of. And I know that they're going to be fine. They're strong. He can take care of her. So I don't think I have much to worry about.

CARROLL: It turns out Latricia had a lot to worry about. Just two days after this interview she learned her husband was already folding under the pressure taking Ianna to Latricia's mother for help. Unable to speak to us in person, Latricia called us. ROSE: My husband is kind of like wanting me to come home and get it, get it together.

CARROLL (on camera): Isn't there any way that Brandon can take care of this without you?

ROSE: Yes and no. I think he's just more -- like, me and my mom talked about it. I think Brandon is just more overwhelmed.

YARONDA NEEL, MOTHER: Come sit over here so you can eat.

CARROLL (voice-over): Latricia's mother says she's only a temporary solution and growing impatient.

(on camera): Does part of you say, darn it Brandon, just suck it up and just do it?

NEEL: The first day I think I did. And after keeping Ianna and just seeing, because you know I have my other kids but it's been a while since I had a 2-year-old. It requires a lot.

CARROLL (voice-over): A big problem that isn't isolated to just at home. No permanent child care means Latricia is no longer qualified to be in the Army. Recruits who are parents must prove someone can stay at home to take care of their children.

CAPT. LAURIE NIELSEN, CO. COMMANDER, U.S. ARMY: When we bring soldiers into the military, we put a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility on their shoulders in order to know that when we go forward deployed or rely on them for a job that they don't have concerns in the back of their head keeping them from focusing on their work.

CARROLL: The Army has already begun their process of discharging Latricia. Unless she finds a permanent solution soon, her dream to serve her country may just fall apart.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And T.J., this is something the Army takes very seriously. As you heard there in the piece, they don't want a new recruit coming in especially during a time of war, and that recruit not being able to focus on training because of child care issues.

Clearly, this is a major setback for Latricia and Brandon -- T.J.

HOLMES: You know, Jason, I really appreciate that series you've been doing. It gives people a little insight as to exactly, or a little more about what happens and just how tough military life can be even before you ever hit a battlefield. Jason, so it's great to see those as always, good to see you. Thanks so much.

Well, a school scammer is now in police custody. Maybe kids every now and again, fudge a few things trying to get into college. But Harvard don't play that. And he's facing some serious charges now for lying his way into Harvard. Yes, but it was his desire for an even bigger honor that actually got him caught. Also, Mount St. Helens is erupting on this day 30 years ago. An explosion blowing off the south of the mountain and leaving behind a massive, steaming crater before its flattening trees for hundreds of mile around the mountain and sending ash and raining down several feet deep. Fifty-seven people died and today there is a crater left where the mountaintop used to be. Still, volcanic activity there has been continuous since the 1980 eruption.

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HOLMES: A student, who lied his way into Harvard, is being arraigned today on charges of fraud and identity theft. That's Adam Wheeler there. He was kicked out of school in October when he was caught lying and plagiarizing work in applications for the prestigious Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships. Harvard officials found that Wheeler's admission onto the school was based on false transcripts and letters of recommendation. Police say he also lied to get $46,000 in academic awards and grants.

As we've been reporting, it is, of course, primary day for the 2010 midterm elections and our team -- look at that squad there -- they are out there doing our coverage for us. We're going to begin with CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash who's live in Little Rock, Arkansas. Hello there, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Well, you see that man, he is walking in to vote. Voting has been going on here in Little Rock for about an hour and a half, and all of Arkansas, of course. And what voters are going to be deciding is whether or not -- what is most interesting is whether or not the incumbent senator, Democrat Blanche Lincoln, should be sent back to Washington or whether or not it is time for a change. That's what we're going to have more on at the top of the hour.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry at the White House where the President is about to issue an executive order in the next few days to create a commission to investigate the oil spill. This, coming as one top government official is taking an early retirement. Other heads may be rolling. I'll have that story at the top of the hour.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. The Storm Prediction Center has just upgraded the risk of severe weather today. A forecast on where the worst of the storms will be, that's coming up in your forecast.

HOLMES: All right. Ed, Dana, Jacqui, we appreciate you all. And we'll be checking with you all here shortly.

Coming up though, something you are going to want to see. We're talking about who's smart, who's ugly, who's racist; actually exploring racial bias with children and how they see the world. That's coming up in our next hour of the NEWSROOM.

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