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American Morning
Bangkok in Chaos; Primary Day: Will the Incumbents Survive?; Primary Day; Army Helmets Recalled
Aired May 18, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: They're ready for talks with the government to end the deadly riots there. The UN is calling on both sides to work something out before things spire a lot of control, but has it stopped the violence? We are live in Bangkok with the latest.
And the AMFix blog is up and running. Join the conversation right now. It's live. Just go to CNN.com/AMFix -- Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And we want to give people a closer look at these primary races and why they're getting so much attention this morning. Let's start in Pennsylvania where polls show Arlen Specter, the senator there, is in a dead heat with Congressman Joe Sestak. Now, Specter has been in the Senate since 1981. However, most of that time, he's been a Republican that is until last April when he switched party. Now, he's got the support of President Obama, the labor unions, but he has been losing ground to Sestak who is a retired navy admiral.
Sestak has been in Congress since 2007, so not exactly an outsider, but polls have shown about 15 percent of voters still undecided. That accounted for a lot of the last-minute campaigning we saw in the state over the weekend. But it is not a good sign for Specter on decided usually break for the less or known candidate.
Let's take you now to Kentucky where the Senate race there is heating up as well. It's a familiar name but in a different place, Rand Paul is the son of Texas congressman, Ron Paul. He's an eye surgeon and a political newcomer, but he got strong support from the tea party movement and has been endorsed by former Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, among others. He's also leading Trey Grayson who's seen as the establishment candidate. Grayson is Kentucky's Secretary of State, and he also has some powerful Republicans behind him, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as well as former Vice President Dick Cheney.
And now, let's head to Arkansas where Senator Blanche Lincoln has been in a bruising fight with Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. She is ahead, but she might not make it to the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff. President Obama as well as former President Bill Clinton have been out there supporting her, but she's been attacked for not being liberal enough. Some have said she's a flip-flopper on the quote, "public option and the health care plan." Halter is a late entry to the race. He did not get into the race until March. He does, though, have the support of labor unions as well as the organization moveon.org. So, there's a quick look at just how things are shaping up right now. Coming up at 6:40 eastern, we're going to find out what these hard-fought races may tell us about November's mid-term elections. We're going to be speaking with CNN contributor John Avalon and Jonathan Martin, senior political reporter at Politico.
Also, coming up in the next hour, we got the best political team on television live in these battleground states. Our Candy Crowley in Philadelphia. Dana Bash will also be joining us. She is in Littlerock, Arkansas this morning -- Jim.
ACOSTA: There has been an unsettling discovery on a Key West Florida beach, tar balls. Nearly, two dozen of them, some the size of softballs found last night at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. We will take a look at the loop current and the Gulf right now. That huge oil spill an absolute menace looming just off the Florida coast. They're testing those tar balls in Key West to confirm whether they actually came from the BP spill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAR ADM. PETER NEFFENGER, U.S. COAST GUARD: It's likely that the kind of oil that were get picked up in that loop current will be heavily weathered oil, you know, likely to see things like tar balls forming on the beaches. They were easier (ph) to manage as they come ashore, they come ashore in ways in which it's a relatively easy to clean up. It is not saying it is a good thing, it's just that I think that it will be a more manageable piece that we'll deal with there than what we're currently looking out at in the Gulf, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: President Obama plans to sign an executive order that would create a special presidential commission to investigate the oil spill in the Gulf. And eight U.S. senators are demanding an independent federal investigation to see if oil giant BP is guilty of any crimes. Our Ed Henry is live at the White House this morning. Ed, do we know when the president plans to sign this executive order and who gets to seat on the commission?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Jim, officials are not being specific about exactly when the president will do it. We expect him to do it in coming days, though, because this has obviously become a PR disaster, not just for the industry but for the government as well. And that's why officials are telling us that this panel will be made up of former government officials not current government officials because the key point they're going to try to get at is just how cozy has this relationship been between private industry and government at the local, state and federal levels, have they been asleep at the switch in terms of regulating all of these?
Have also, noteworthy that officials here are saying that this panel, blue ribbon panel, outside commission will be modeled after the panels that looked into the disaster at Three Mile Island in 1979, the challenger disaster, the space shuttle disaster in 1986, gives you an idea of the magnitude of what started out as a relatively small story that just grown and grown just how big it is. And this is something that's going to maybe help prevent another situation like this. It really does very little in the short term to deal with this disaster, Jim.
ACOSTA: And Ed, we're already seeing some political fallout from the spill. An interior department official is announcing he's speeding up his retirement. This is from the infamous MMS, the Minerals Management Service.
HENRY: Right. Chris Oynes, he's out, probably didn't help that a photo has now surfaced of Mr. Oynes appearing with Transocean, one of the companies involved here, giving them a safety award. Again, gets at that a question about whether the regulators have been asleep at the switch. Also note for you, this comes after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has already announced that he wants to split that agency into pieces, a sign this may just be one of the many heads to roll once all of these investigations are finished, Jim.
ACOSTA: It will be interesting to see if the commission of the president is putting together. We'll look into how that official handled his position there at the MMS.
HENRY: Absolutely.
ACOSTA: Ed Henry live at the White House. Thanks, Ed.
CHETRY: Europe's busiest airports facing major delays yet again this morning. They're trying to clear the backlog of flights after the ash cloud from the volcano in Iceland forced airports to shut down yesterday morning. Right now, the only airports that remain closed are in the remote islands north of Scotland, but again, still a big backlog as they try to move through some of the delays that happened yesterday because of that stoppage.
It was 30 years ago today, May 18, 1980 that Mount St Helens erupted. The mountain awoke with a force equal to 27,000 atomic bombs, imagine that. In a matter of minutes, 230 square miles of forest land reduced to ash. In all, 57 people were killed. This was the most destructive volcano eruption in U.S. history causing $3 billion in damages.
ACOSTA: Another story this morning, a big welcome home celebration as planned in Boise, Idaho today for Laura Silsby. She's last (ph) 10 American missionaries who were jailed in Haiti for trying to take 33 children out of the country after the earthquake in January. A Haitian court freed Silsby after convicting her of arranging illegal travel and sentencing her to time served. That was a big deal when that was going on.
CHETRY: Yes. And it may not be over yet.
ACOSTA: Right.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, Connecticut Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate, Richard Blumenthal, is now blasting in "New York's Times" report that says he misstated his Vietnam war record. The Time story says that Blumenthal was claimed numerous times that he served in Vietnam even though he received at least five military deferments and never went to war. Now, Blumenthal calls the report an outrageous distortion of his record. He's running for the seat to replace Senator Chris Dodd.
ACOSTA: And get this, a former Harvard undergrad will be arraigned this morning on charges he conned his way into the Ivy League School. Yes. Authorities say 23-year-old Adam Wheeler faked his prestigious academic record. He was exposed after seeking Harvard's endorsement for a roads and full right (ph) scholarships last year. He's charged with 20 criminal counts including identity theft and larceny and for allegedly stealing $45,000 in grants and financial aid.
CHETRY: There you go. I mean, he lied to get in, but once he was there --
ACOSTA: Apparently, he did well.
CHETRY: He could keep up.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: That's not going to help him probably, though.
ACOSTA: Yes. I'm not sure that's a good defense.
CHETRY: Like mother, like daughter. Bristol Palin hitting the speaker circuit. She'll reportedly command between $15,000 and $30,000 per each appearance. Sarah Palin's daughter was thrust into the national spotlight when it was revealed that she was pregnant during the 2008 presidential campaign. Bristol was just featured in a public service announcement telling teens, pregnancy can wait.
ACOSTA: That's more money than I get. The Midwest --
CHETRY: You're not pregnant.
ACOSTA: That served the point. The Midwest is waking up to more flooding this morning. It's been raining for a week now and several states causing some rivers to crest. They're worried about this. Fields and roads underwater, at least two people have drowned. And let's check in with our Jacqui Jeras in the Extreme Weather Center. We do not need more flooding in the middle of the country, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We don't. You know, most of this is agricultural flooding is what we're dealing with still today, the smaller rivers and creeks out of their banks, but even the Mississippi river has some flood warnings and expecting minor to moderate flooding there. And farmers have been concerned because they haven't been able to get into their field and plant the corn and those soy beans. The good news is that that weather today much drier across the nation's midsection, but that's only going to last about a day for you before that system that you see there in the southwest catches up with you. Severe thunderstorms in the western high plains and southern plain states today with that storm and the northeast nothing severe really expected here, but you will see some heavy rainfall on occasion, wet weather, low clouds and that certainly will be impacting your travel across the megalopolis for today. Jim and Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Thanks, Jacqui.
ACOSTA: Thank you, Jacqui. And still to come on the Most News in the Morning, the mothers of three American hikers held in Iran get ready to leave today to hopefully see their children. That is coming up. Their emotional story coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: All right. It is 6:12. A quick check of other stories new this morning.
Detroit's police department under fire after the death of a 7- year-old girl. The family's attorney says a camera crew was filming Sunday's raid for a TV show. This is the video shows the officers did not intentionally shoot the girl during the incident, but that their operation was flawed. Our Deb Feyerick is heading to Detroit and we'll have more on this story later today.
CHETRY: Awful.
ACOSTA: That's terrible.
CHETRY: President Obama is hoping that the third time is a charm. He plans to nominate FBI Deputy Director John Pistole to take over the Transportation and Security Administration. The top TSA job has been open now since the president took office in January of last year. Two previous nominees had to withdraw their names because of potential confirmation problems. Pistole has been in the number two slot at the FBI since November of 2004.
ACOSTA: And they were hopefully get to see their children soon. The mom of three jailed American hikers are leaving for Tehran today. The women say they're grateful to Iran for granting them visas calling and encouraging development. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal had been held in Iran's prison since last July. They say they accidentally crossed into Iran while hiking.
CHETRY: And 44,000 army helmets being worn by our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have been recalled because they failed ballistic testing. The justice department is investigating the company that made them, Ohio based armor source. Army officials allege that the firm used defective materials and unauthorized manufacturing practices that made the helmets unsafe.
ACOSTA: We've been talking about this a lot. Cyber bullying has become a dangerous and even deadly problem. Lots of (ph) parents are shocked at a new website that allows tweens to post anonymous threats. It's called formspring.me. And you can link it to your Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter account. A mom an Illinois found a death threat on the site directed at her 13-year-old daughter. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIE KRAVOCHUCK, DAUGHTER TARGET OF CYBER BULLYING: I will murder her. I immediately called the police for them to be aware. I was afraid for her safety.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Unbelievable. She hopes the site will trace that post and help her find the bully.
CHETRY: You know, this means that people our age don't realize how popular this formspring has become. I mean, what it is it's -
ACOSTA: I didn't know about it.
CHETRY: It's basically almost like a bathroom wall, if you will. You can ask a question and get it answered by many people. It's linked to your Facebook and - and Twitter accounts, as you said, and there's this option where you don't accept people who will post anonymously, but almost no teenagers don't do that.
They all accept anonymous posting, and so it's turning to quite a vicious situation in many cases. But a lot of the guidance counselors in middle schools say if you ask the kids, all of them are - are either on this or post on it.
ACOSTA: Unbelievable. They've got to get a handle on that problem. Unbelievable.
CHETRY: Yes. It's - it's tough, though. Times have certainly changed.
Well, coming up next on the Most News in the Morning, a new push to keep track of your credit score. Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business". She's here with a preview this morning. Hey, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Boy, this number is more important in some cases than your social security number - it's more - remember it used to be your - your weight on your driver's license was the number - the number, whatever it was. This is the number.
Your credit score, it determines how easy it's going to be for you to borrow money, to get a house, to even get a job. Now, the Senate, as part of financial reform, wants to make sure that you can easily get that number every year. We'll tell you about it after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Nineteen minutes past the hour. That means it's time for "Minding Your Business". Lighter on the back and cheaper on mom and dad. A lot of college bookstores already worrying about next year and a possible future without books. Imagine this, my biggest - I always lost textbooks. I still have dreams that I lost my textbook -
ACOSTA: That was your excuse?
CHETRY: No. I - I had dreams that I - that I misplaced the textbook and the - and the quiz is - and the test is coming up.
But nowadays this isn't going to be a problem for kids. As long as you don't lose your iPad, right? Several publishers have already said that they'll be offering e-textbooks you can get on the iPad tablet. But that could eat into the $10 billion spent at college bookstores every year, so -
ACOSTA: And my college town had a bar called The Library, so we could legally say to our parents we're at The Library. Anyway that's -
CHETRY: Love it. Love it.
ACOSTA: That's a whole different story altogether. It's not breaking the glass ceiling, more like the plastic ceiling. Some plastic surgeons are saying the growing trend in - is women coming in to have cosmetic surgery to keep their jobs, if you can believe that.
From nurses to even janitors, they say it's a shallow reality of the recession with many women in their 40s and 50s afraid someone younger will take their spots.
CHETRY: That's terrible. I hate -
ACOSTA: That's terrible. Yes.
CHETRY: Twenty minutes past the hour right now. Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business" and we're talking a little bit about the - the credit score. If it's good, you don't have anything to worry about. If it's bad, it's trouble.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: And so what do you do about making sure that you're doing the best job you can keeping your credit score high?
ROMANS: Well, you pay your bills on time and you don't run up to the max on your credit cards. And if you pay your bills on time every month and you don't run huge balances on your credit cards, even if you pay them off, even when you pay off a big balance every month, it's still going to knock your credit card. Did you know that?
ACOSTA: I did not know that.
ROMANS: Actually, your credit score, because to the - to the wizards who watch the credit stuff, they see that as maxed out, and maxed out - ACOSTA: Oh, they're wizards all right.
ROMANS: -- and living on the edge.
OK, so let's talk about this. The Senate, as part of the financial reform plan, has just dropped a little provision in there that would allow you to get your credit score for free once a year. No charge - no charge at all if that score is something that hurts your loan terms or if you are denied a job because of your credit score.
Now, free credit reports are already available once a year. Now, let me explain, they're - they're two different things. You can go to annualcreditreport.com. I want everyone to write this down. If you haven't done this, you have to go here, annualcreditreport.com.
Don't click on anything that says you need to give a credit card number. Don't click on anything that says you need to pay any money. It is free. You can see your credit history.
Your credit history is years and years of how you have managed every financial relationship you can think of. Usually there's something like 13 different things on there, from student loans to credit cards to car loans to all this other stuff. You can't see the credit score, which is the number. It's usually - if you're lucky, it's something like 750. If you're not so lucky, it's 650 or below.
That number is something that - that people want to see. They want to know what it is, and the Senate wants to - wants to put it in there. And you might not have known that if you are going for a job, 60 percent of employers actually look at your credit history -
ACOSTA: Yes.
ROMANS: -- before - before they decide whether to hire you or after they decide whether to hire you.
ACOSTA: And speaking of numbers, "Romans' Numeral"?
ROMANS: I do, 65 percent. And this is to give you an idea of the vast majority of people who have no idea about this very important number.
CHETRY: Sixty-five percent of people have never seen their credit score?
ROMANS: They don't check this free annual report. I mean, it's free. Congress did this is 2003, so you can see your annual report.
Now Congress is trying -
ACOSTA: You made that too easy, by the way.
ROMANS: I know. Well, you know, it's - it's early. It's only Tuesday.
Sixty-five percent don't even check their credit report.
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE).
ROMANS: You go to annualcredit - yes. Annualcreditreport.com, and that's where you can get this free report already.
But what Congress wants to do now, Senate is picking it up (ph), putting the number in there, that actual number.
ACOSTA: Good idea.
CHETRY: There's no strings attached to annualcreditreport.com?
ROMANS: No.
CHETRY: You don't sign up for anything else?
ROMANS: No. It's the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission. You have to - they make the credit agencies give you this.
And most people can raise their credit score immediately by going there and finding the mistakes. I mean, one woman called me and she said I have $35,000 in a credit line that doesn't exist on this - on this. I need to clear that up. You've got to clear that up immediately, especially if you're getting close to buying a house or a car.
CHETRY: Very smart. Christine, thank you.
ROMANS: All right. Sure.
ACOSTA: I wrote it down, by the way.
CHETRY: He did.
ROMANS: We'll do it in the break. I can't wait to see what your 13 years of credit history (oh) looks like.
ACOSTA: Oh, yes. Let's not go there.
CHETRY: Well, still to come on the Most News in the Morning, a young candidate for Congress in Arkansas with some high profile support. While - why Princella Smith has people talking.
Jason Carroll reports, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: We're just chatting here.
CHETRY: Yes. It's great to just chat.
ACOSTA: Why not? It's a good thing.
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE) Jason Caroll here.
ACOSTA: Jason's here.
Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Time for an "A.M. Original", something you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING".
It's primary day in three states, a Super Tuesday of sorts, and Democrats, as we know, have had traditionally a lock on the African- American vote.
CHETRY: Right. And while that probably isn't changing anytime soon, there has been a surge this year of black Republican candidates for Congress, one of them looking to shake things up in Arkansas, and our Jason Carroll spent some time with her. He joins us right now. Good morning.
JASON CAROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Spent a whole say with her, Princella Smith, and she is a pistol.
ACOSTA: Wow.
CARROLL: Yes, got to tell you.
You know, no African-American has ever represented the State of Arkansas in Congress. Well, one young woman, who is getting a lot of attention, says she's ready to make a little bit of history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nice to meet you.
CAROLL (voice-over): She hasn't held an elected office, and already has friends in high GOP places, fundraisers like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: We have a friend of ours, Princella Smith, running in the primary in Arkansas, and we certainly hope she wins.
CARROLL: Mentors like former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Conservative Strategist Mary Matalin.
MARY MATALIN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: She is really an amazing - an amazing young woman.
CARROLL: She is Princella Smith, 26 years old with the goal of becoming the first African-American elected to Congress in the State of Arkansas, and the first Republican in her district in more than a century. She's trying one handshake at a time.
PRINCELLA SMITH (R), ARKANSAS CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: My name is Princella Smith. I'm going to cast my first vote in Congress against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House, and I want you to vote for me.
You'd be surprised how many votes that's gotten me.
CARROLL: Before being dubbed a rising star among some Conservatives -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Princella Smith of Wynne, Arkansas.
CARROLL: -- Smith gained attention in 2004, winning an MTV essay competition, winning her a speaking role at the Republican National Convention.
P. SMITH: Become generation example. Thank you.
CARROLL: Smith stands by many Conservative ideals, traditional marriage, anti-abortion, small government, viewpoints appealing to many whites and blacks in rural Arkansas's first district. Even so, African-Americans traditionally vote Democrat, that includes Smith's parents.
SANDRA SMITH, PRINCELLA SMITH'S MOTHER: I was myself early on puzzled as to why she decided to go that route, but when she -
CAROLL (on camera): The Republican route?
S. SMITH: Yes, but when she explained it to me, it made sense, and, at this point, I'm very proud of her.
CARROLL: Has she converted both of you to the Republican Party?
S. SMITH: What she has done is cause us to take a closer look at what the Republican Party has to offer.
CAROLL (voice-over): Convincing others, not always easy.
P. SMITH: And they say, oh, you're such a nice person. Why are you a Republican? And it's - I mean, it's kind of funny, but it's sad when I get asked that question.
CARROLL: Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele was asked a similar question, telling a group of students they, quote, "don't have a reason to vote for Republicans, saying we haven't done a very good job of giving you one."
P. SMITH: I'm go to disagree with - with saying we haven't given them a reason. We definitely - we are the party of opportunity, innovation -
CAROLL (on camera): But what reason, if - what real reason has - has the Republican Party given -
P. SMITH: No, I'm saying - I'm saying that is the reason, but we still need to do a better job of reaching out.
CAROLL (voice-over): Smith is banking on her power of persuasion.
P. SMITH: Will you please tell him that he has to eat catfish?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
CARROLL: Evident even at the table. But can she convince voters?
ROBY BROCK: Princella Smith to me is - you know, got a bright future in Arkansas, but I - I don't think this is going to be her election.
P. SMITH: My heart is in this.
MATALIN: She's going to rock it. She's a committee Conservative, she's brainy, she's got - she's just the total package.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Well, Smith's Republican opponent, Rick Crawford, is more seasoned, has been in the race much longer, and has outspent Smith but 3 to 1. The district again is rural and mostly white.
Many local political analysts predict Smith has an uphill battle, but, Smith, as you can imagine, does not put very much stock in those types of predictions.
CHETRY: And what did you say about that - I mean, she's talked about it. She didn't quite have her parents sold.
CARROLL: You saw that, right?
CHETRY: They said, well, she's given us time to take another look. But, I mean, especially when there's the first African-American president elected and he's not a Republican.
CARROLL: And look at the larger picture here, what Princella is basically trying to say, if she can convince her parents, which she obviously did not, but if she can at least try to get some other African-Americans who traditionally vote Democrat, to come over to the Republican Party, you know, maybe we'll see a different base to the Republican Party.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Did she convince you to eat the catfish?
CARROLL: She sure did.
CHETRY: You're such a New Yorker, you're like --
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Holding it like you've never seen it before.
(CROSSTALK)
CARROLL: She said you can't come down here to Arkansas without trying some of this catfish. She got me to do it. It was not bad.
CHETRY: I asked him to bring me McDonald's once. And he said, where is it located?
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Two blocks down the road. Great feature.
ACOSTA: You can take a guy out of New York but --
CHETRY: Exactly.
CARROLL: You know, I'm from L.A., though.
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: Good point.
CHETRY: Well, we're crossing the half hour right now, time to look at the top stories.
A "Super Tuesday" of sorts as we've been talking about this morning. Voters in several states will cast ballots in a number of closely watched primary races and this contest could give us some real insight into what voters want to see happen in November. And one of the big contest we have on you're on is in Pennsylvania this morning where polls show the race is too close to call between Arlen Specter, former member of the GOP, and his challenger, Congressman Joe Sestak.
In the next hour, we're going to be live with Candy Crowley to break it down. She is in Philadelphia this morning.
ACOSTA: And President Obama wants to set up a special presidential commission to investigate the oil spill in the Gulf, and eight U.S. senators are calling for an independent federal probe to find out if B.P. is guilty of criminal or civil violations. Meanwhile, tar balls, 20 of them, have been discovered on a Key West, Florida beach. They are being tested to see if they actually came from the B.P. spill.
CHETRY: And a suspected Somali pirate is scheduled to appear in a courtroom in New York later today. Abdul Wali Muse is accused of trying to hijack the Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean back in April of 2009. Navy SEALs shot and killed three of his alleged accomplices.
ACOSTA: Meanwhile, the U.N. is calling for an end of the bloody riots in Bangkok, Thailand. And leaders for the anti- government opposition are signaling that they are ready to come to the negotiating table. At least 36 people have died since Thursday.
CHETRY: That brings the total number killed since this protest started in March to 65.
Our Sara Sidner is live in the Thai capital this morning with more on what's going on there.
Hi, Sara.
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning, Jim and Kiran.
Basically what's happened is the negotiations have fallen through. The government has come out, the group of senator that were going to try and hold these negotiations between the protesters and the government. That is falling through because the government says, as long as there are protesters out there who are armed and shooting at the Thai military, for example, no negotiations can continue forward. They also mentioned that there was a, quote, "mastermind" behind all of this, alluding to the former prime minister who was ousted in 2006.
But for much of the day, the good news here is that it has been quiet for the most part in the streets that have been battle zones for the past four days. We haven't been hearing as many gunshots and loud booms from protesters throwing firecrackers into the air. And so, that has been good for the residents there.
But, right now, the negotiations have fallen through and we have in just the last few seconds heard a couple of loud blasts from the protest area -- Jim and Kiran.
ACOSTA: And, Sara, you know, watching this the last several days. I'm just wondering, what do everyday people think about this? You know, this is happening in a residential and business area. How are folks who are just not really, you know, invested in this conflict? What do they think about this?
SIDNER: It's a really upscale neighborhood where a lot of this is happening, a commercial district of Bangkok. They are frustrated -- is the best way to put it. They're frustrated. Some are scared. A lot of people have left these areas.
We spoke with the family today who basically said, look, we haven't had power since Friday. It is terribly hot and humid here -- very difficult to live under these conditions, especially when you have children. They have packed up their stuff and they were moving out of the area having to rent somewhere else, very frustrated having to spend money.
Of course, the businesses in the area, we've noticed one building has been burned. Business owners frustrated they're not being able to make any money.
And tourism, about 6.5 percent to 7 percent of the entire Thai economy relies on tourism. That, obviously, is going to be down because people looking at these pictures from abroad don't necessarily want to come to a place that looks to violent at this point in time -- Jim and Kiran.
ACOSTA: That's right. So many Westerners and Americans, they go to Thailand. I mean, this is a very sought after destination. And this is not helping, things in that department.
Sara Sidner, live in Thailand for us -- thank you, Sara.
CHETRY: Sara, thanks.
Meanwhile, coming up next on the Most News in the Morning -- we're following three key primary elections that are going to be taking place today. And the result could be a sign of what could happen in the midterm elections. We're going to take a closer look at each election next with part of the best political panel on television.
Thirty-five minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Thirty-eight minutes past the hour.
And our top story this morning: primary day in several states. We're watching tree big races today. Many say what happens at the polls could be a big indicator of what will happen come November in the midterm elections that could change the balance of power in the Congress.
Joining us now: CNN contributor, John Avlon. And also in Washington, Jonathan Martin, senior political reporter of "Politico."
Great to talk to both of you this morning.
So, let's start out with the fascinating situation taking shape in Pennsylvania. This is the Democratic primary. We'll start with Pennsylvania, the Democratic primary. Arlen Specter, he served as the GOP senator for, what, nearly 30 years. He's running as a Democrat this time of around. And his competitor, Joe Sestak, he's a congressman, is sort of trying to paint it as he'll do anything to keep his job, this anti-incumbent fervor.
What's your take and what do we watch for? Let me start with you, John Avlon.
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I'll tell you -- I mean, this race really is too close to call right now. It's been within one point. Sestak has had a huge surge.
What's interesting here is that we've seen a lot of rhino hunting and dino hunting this year -- party sort of purification purges. Well, it's just showing is that in case, Arlen Specter actually fits that label. He is -- could be arguably called a Democrat in name only. And Joe Sestak is a current congressman from a swing district outside Philadelphia and former admiral. He's made a huge surge in recent months and really, now, it's too close to call.
You got a high percentage of undecideds, low double digits -- usually, that swings to the opponent. So, this is going to be a photo finish tonight.
CHETRY: And, Jonathan, it is interesting. I mean, you have an incumbent who's had time to make a stamp, you know, on the state and to his constituents and to say, listen, you know, I've brought you money.
JONATHAN MARTIN, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, POLITICO: Yes.
CHETRY: He's tried to make the argument, "The reason I voted with President Obama is because I knew that the stimulus package would bring jobs to you." Yet, at the same time, you got 15 percent undecided, which doesn't necessarily bode well for the incumbent. What do you think?
MARTIN: It's the most traditional of appeals that has served in the polls for generations. I bet it's I bring home the bacon.
I was actually in Pennsylvania last week and I saw Senator Specter on the stump. And his message is very traditional. It's, you know, I've delivered for this state for 30 years, taking off the projects.
The problem he has right now is those appeals don't seem to be working this cycle because people are really unhappy with Washington, unhappy with the broader political establishment and reminding the voters that you're a card-carrying member of that establishment is a risk right now. But for Specter, he really has no alternative. That is really his only shot here in this thing given the anti-incumbent fervor that we're seeing out there.
CHETRY: And when we talk about why he has switched after 30 years as a member of the GOP. Explain that, John Avlon, about what happened with the Republican primary.
AVLON: Well, a couple of things. Pat Toomey, a former congressman, head of Club for Growth, challenging him again to a rematch of a race six years ago, doing very well in the close Republican primary. So, Arlen Specter, taking heat for his vote in favor of the stimulus package with the Obama administration, decided, hey, I got a better shot in the general election. Do you know it? He probably does. But he didn't expect a tough primary challenge on the Democratic side and that's what he's got today.
CHETRY: Let's talk about another race that's going on right now, Jonathan, in Pennsylvania. And this is the -- to replace the seat of deceased congressman, John Murtha. This is a very interesting district when you take a look at it, because it is socially conservative yet a Democratic district, but it was the only one in 2008 that flipped from Democrat to Republican in the presidential election.
MARTIN: Yes.
CHETRY: So, here you have Democrat Mark Critz running against Republican Tim Burns for the special election. What are you looking for here?
MARTIN: This is one of those great Bellwether special elections that could offer proof as to where the electorate is for this fall. This is a traditionally Democratic district but it's very blue collar, heavily labor sort of district -- the kind of place where President Obama's numbers are not very strong right now.
And what's fascinating is that President Obama has not been there. He's only been seen in the GOP campaign ads against the Democratic candidate. What's interesting though is that the Democratic candidate there who's running against Republican, who is a former CEO, ran a very aggressive campaign against the Republican.
If the Democrats win there -- I think it's going to be a model for Democrats. That is -- don't let this election be a referendum on Democrats. Make sure it's a choice. That is to say, if you have a Republican opponent with some vulnerabilities, this is the cycle early to go after him to really define your opponent.
CHETRY: This is one that certainly people -- that members of the tea party nationally want to see won by the GOP as well. So, it will be interesting to see what happens here.
But I want to ask about the Kentucky GOP primary. Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul, libertarian, long time congressman, versus Trey Grayson. And he's somebody who's actually had the support of the establishment GOP, I guess you could call it, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and others. Yet you have Sarah Palin and others in the tea party supporting Rand Paul who a year ago looked like he had no shot.
What's going on in Kentucky?
AVLON: Yes. Now, a double-digit lead for Rand Paul. And this is really fascinating. I mean, Rand Paul saying he's going to ride a tidal wave of the tea party -- that's what he's calling it -- into the race.
And you have -- as you said, you've got Mitch McConnell and Dick Cheney backing Trey Grayson, secretary of state, establishment candidate. But then you've got, you know, folks like Sarah Palin and James Dobson backing Rand Paul.
It looks like Rand Paul has a lead right now. It is a major upset. It is an indicator of the anti-incumbent mood, and the Republican establishment is going to be taking those tonight.
CHETRY: And, quickly, Jonathan, will this be a sign, however this turns out, and if indeed Rand Paul wins, on as he's credited tea party support -- will this help the GOP merge these two seeming mainstream and tea party elements together in a more cohesive fashion come November?
MARTIN: Well, we'll see here in the weeks and months ahead how the two sides come back together. Look, I think in Kentucky, it's a conservative state. So, Paul could have more vulnerabilities in the general election. But given where that electorate is, Paul probably still has a slight advantage that perhaps not as much as Grayson would have had given some of Paul's stances on the issues.
But there's no question about it that, you know, this is a state where the base right now of Republican Party is really feeling a sort of anti-Washington fervor and Paul has very much tapped into that in a way that Grayson has failed to.
CHETRY: All right. Fascinating stuff. We'll see how all of these races play out.
Jonathan Martin with "Politico," senior reporter there, and John Avlon, CNN contributor -- great to see you both this morning. Thanks -- Jim.
ACOSTA: All right. Good stuff.
It's 6:44. Jacqui Jeras will have this morning's travel forecast right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: And welcome back. Time now for your "AM House Call" and a diet tip for the kid in you. Man tells us low-fat chocolate milk, did you know, along with a healthy diet. I sound like a public --
CHETRY: I thought you brought us local water.
ACOSTA: Yes. It's safe to drink, please. Actually, they were saying chocolate milk is loaded with calcium which helps prevent your body from absorbing fat and protein which helps keep you burning calories all day long. This is the public service announcement, I sound like one. They recommend three 8 ounce glasses a day, but here's the catch, you have to drink one before and after you workout.
CHETRY: This also has 60 grams of sugar --
ACOSTA: That's true.
CHETRY: That can't be great for a diet.
ACOSTA: It reminds me of the old John Belushi skit, little chocolate doughnuts have been on my breakfast since I was a kid. The breakfast that --
CHETRY: There you go to drink up. Cheers
ACOSTA: Cheers. Here were go. Down the hatch. You don't need to do that.
CHETRY: Forty-eight minutes past the hour. Let's get a quick check in this morning's weather headlines. I love it, Jacqui, you know the cookie diet, the chocolate milk diet, whatever.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I know.
CHETRY: The bottom line is junk food is junk food.
JERAS: Junk food is junk food, but you get the extra sugar and then you've got all the energy to exercise, right?
CHETRY: That's true.
ACOSTA: Or get through the show.
CHETRY: Then you can lap Central Park one more time and have another chocolate milk. Sounds great. JERAS: Though, I wonder if you take the chocolate out and you have the same effect. I don't know. We're going to have to talk to Sanjay about that one.
You might want to warm it up and have like a hot chocolate milk, maybe, this morning because it's kind of chilly out there. It's another one of those rainy days. Man, it's been a wet spring for you across the northeast, hasn't it? Expect more showery weather throughout the day today across the Great Lakes and the northeastern quarter. The rain, at times, is heavy right now from the Delmarva stretching on up through Jersey and the Long Island. The big cities, from the most part, doing okay, but you're certainly going to want the umbrella as we're expecting this on and off throughout the day today.
If you're trying to travel, it's going to be a big headache for you. Expecting delays over an hour for New York City metros as well as Philadelphia. Delays in D.C., Miami and Ft. Lauderdale should be pretty minor for you due to some thunderstorms as well as Dallas and San Francisco. There are low clouds holding you up probably 30 to 60 minutes. Now, today, the big picture will show you that we're looking at a chance of showers and thunderstorms that could reach severe levels across the western high plains and the southern plains today.
This won't kick in until late this afternoon and to the early evening hours. And there's the high pressure lulling all that cool air to filter into the nation's midsection, and we're looking at some stronger thunderstorms across South Texas this morning but nothing too severe. Back to you, guys. I'm going to have my coffee mocha, do you think that counts?
CHETRY: Yes, it does.
JERAS: Yes?
ACOSTA: Absolutely.
CHETRY: It's good for you. It builds some muscles just in time for the summer. Thanks, Jacqui.
This morning's top stories just couple of minutes away, including Super Tuesday 2010
ACOSTA: Super Tuesday.
CHETRY: At least this one.
ACOSTA: If you're a political junkie, I think that's safe to say.
CHETRY: Actually, a lot of exciting races across the country. Many leaders with once comfy Senate seats are sweating it this morning. We're going to go through the all key races and places where it could be out with the old and in with the new.
ACOSTA: And at 15 after, smack in the middle of allergy season and who knows what's safe for your kids. Forty children's medicines taken off the shelves including Benadryl, Motrin, and Tylenol. Now, the FDA has even bigger concerns. Those stories and more at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back. 6:54. If Taco Bell gave you $2,000 instead of your Cheesy Gordita Crunch, would you make a run for the border?
CHETRY: One woman was faced with that moral dilemma and hit the gas. Jeanne Moos is at the drive thru to find out what you would do.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine you ordered burritos in a Taco Bell drive thru --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
MOOS: Stuck your hand inside the bag and found not burritos but $2,000? That's what happened to the young woman driving this SUV through the drive thru at a Dayton, Ohio Taco Bell, and she kept driving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's nice. I think I would put -- I would give it back.
MOOS: An employee working the window mistakenly gave her the bag of cash. Normally, the manager comes through drive thru to pick up the morning's deposit which is put in the Taco Bell bag to take to the bank.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me, myself, I'd bring it back. I tell them how stupid they were.
MOOS: It's enough to make you check your order twice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five layer burrito.
MOOS: No, man. Five layers and no cash.
Drive thru windows provide a window to a lot of weirdness. Remember that craze a while back, idiots would order a drink --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make it a medium lemonade.
MOOS: And then throw it at the window employee yelling --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire in the hole!
MOOS: And post it on YouTube.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire in the hole!
MOOS: But the last laugh went to the worker who fired back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire in the hole! Oh, my god.
MOOS: And there were a bunch of videos posted of synchronized snatchings put to music. Kick out order, swipe. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention all the takeout orders rap
Now, Taco Bell is feeling sour as dating (ph) police scour the area for the silver SUV that took off with $2,000.
Hi, there. Could I have $2,000 in fresh twenties and a side of nachos, please
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you repeat that again?
MOOS: On a second thought, make it a crunchy taco supreme.
Taco Bell told CNN its franchise, they appreciate any information that leads to the money being returned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No quiero Taco Bell.
MOOS: No quiero that bank department
Jeanne Moos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want that nacho supreme in my tummy --
MOOS: CNN --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And don't worry about my order because you know I got the money.
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: That's a make proof (ph).
ACOSTA: Yes. Proof once again Jeanne has one of the best jobs in television.
CHETRY: Yes, she does. Taco Bell all the time.
ACOSTA: Exactly.
CHETRY: All right. We're going to take a quick break. Three minutes until the top of the hour and your top stories in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
