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American Morning
Primary Challengers Present Electoral Problems; Unemployed Man Cashes in Frequent Flyer Miles; New Mexico's Blockbuster Boom
Aired May 18, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It is just about 8:00 right now. Time to take a look at all of the stories that are coming at us right now, a lot of stuff happening.
Washington is a step closer to saving people some money and maybe a lot of embarrassment. There's a business news coming up later on and -
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. We're going to talk about this credit --
ACOSTA: (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: Yes. We're going to be talking about this whole credit scoring, whether or not it's fair that there are so many other companies that can see your credit rating and know where you stand -
ACOSTA: That's right.
CHETRY: -- yet you can't. There were steps taken in the Senate to change that, and Christine Romans is going to talk to us a little bit more about that.
But, meantime, here are some of the big stories we're telling you about in the next 15 minutes.
Decision day, voters, many are fed up with Washington. They're heading to the polls and the results of these races could shake up this November's mid-term election. We're going to break it all down with the best political team on television.
ACOSTA: About 20 tar balls, some the size of softballs, have washed up on a Key West, Florida beach. They're now being analyzed in a lab to determine whether they came from the BP spill off the Louisiana coast.
Scientists are concerned ocean currents in the gulf are carrying the crude toward South Florida.
And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation right now. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, a healthy dose of voter anger out there, as people head to the polls in a handful of primaries across the nation today. In today's must-watch contest could actually wipe out some incumbents who are desperately trying to hang on to their jobs. In one -- in the state of Arkansas, Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln is locked in a tough battle against Lieutenant Governor Jim Halter.
ACOSTA: Over in Kentucky, tea party favorite, Rand Paul, son of Congressman Ron Paul, is hoping to topple Secretary of State Trey Grayson, even though Grayson has the backing of the GOP establishment.
CHETRY: And then there's Pennsylvania's Democratic primary where Congressman Joe Sestak is going after Senator Arlen Specter, who up until last year was a Republican.
ACOSTA: And we don't want to forget about that race in western Pennsylvania. We're watching that as well this morning. We got the best political team on television on the ground.
Let's bring in our chief political correspondent, Candy Crowley. She is live in Philadelphia this morning.
Candy, we will see today just how strong this anti-incumbency fever is. Are folks catching it? I guess that's the question.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to the polls, they may well be. Although this is a more complicated race here in Pennsylvania between Senator Specter, who has been in the U.S. Senate for 30 years, 29 of them as a Republican, and Joe Sestak, who has been a congressman for four years. It is the party switch that really has given Democrats here pause.
Recall, of course, that in primaries, it generally is the most faithful of Democrats and the most faithful of Republicans who vote in these primaries. There's much lower voter turnout, much less excitement. So, it is the hard-core Republicans and Democrats that go out to vote to vote. And it's those Democrats who were having the most problem with Senator Specter's party switch.
So, there is that and also, Joe Sestak has made great use of the fact that he believes the party switch is what's telling people that Arlen Specter is the same old thing. At one point, Sestak called Specter the poster boy for what's wrong with Washington. So, Sestak has used the party switch as part of the whole anti-incumbency move and saying, you know, it's time for something different. It's time for something new. Add to that the fact that Sestak is more to the left than Specter has been and certainly he's played.
And again, faithful Democrats who will go to the polls today tend to be a little more liberal than those who might vote in a little more that those who might vote in a more general election.
ACOSTA: And then, there's that race in western Pennsylvania to replace John Murtha. That is also going to be definitely watched across Washington and throughout the country. What do you think about that race?
CROWLEY: Yes, because -- well, it is going to be interesting because Murtha's district is pretty conservative. It is largely white, and it is largely blue collar. These are the kinds of voters that Republicans think they can win back. Well, here's their chance.
This is a Republican versus a Democrat race today. I think the only one. It's a special election as opposed to a primary. So, here, Republicans and Democrats will go head to head.
And I can assure you, if a Republican -- a Republican businessman, if he loses, the Democrats will say, you see, the Republicans are not as strong as they think they are. Fall is not going to be this big disaster for Democrats. And, of course, vice versa -- if a Republican businessman wins over a former staffer of Murtha's and the Republican wins, you can be sure that the Republicans will say, here's the harbinger of things to come, we took over a Democratic district.
CHETRY: It's also interesting when you take a look at the polling. And, of course, no one knows for sure until the ballots are counted. But when you see a large amount of undecideds, like we see in the race with Arlen Specter and Sestak right now, what does that usually bode for the outcome -- especially with someone like Arlen Specter who is, you know, a major incumbent?
CROWLEY: It usually bodes -- right, exactly. And he is well- known and if you haven't made up your mind about Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania over the last 30 years, you're probably not going to vote for him. And that's why the undecideds should be worrisome to the Specter campaign. Sixteen percent is pretty hefty.
Now, sometimes, undecided simply is translated into not going to vote. But there are those who will vote, and generally, the rule is that those votes go to the outsider, in this case, that would largely be Sestak.
But we have to also note that Specter has some pretty powerful support behind him, including Governor Rendell. And Governor Rendell has a very good turnout to vote machine.
Specter also has some pretty big unions behind him. They too can put people on the ground and knock on the door and say, come to the polls.
So, you don't want to ever underestimate that turnout at the voting machine on election day.
ACOSTA: Yes, a big test for the Philadelphia political machine there where Candy is standing by live this morning.
CROWLEY: Yes.
ACOSTA: Candy Crowley, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
And stay with CNN and CNN.com. The best political team on television will be here all day long to break down today's primaries and the results.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news. CHETRY: We are some following breaking news out of Afghanistan this morning: A suicide car bomber targeting a military convoy in Kabul. The Pentagon says at least 18 people were killed, five of them American troops. Officials tell us that women and children were among the casualties. A NATO spokesman says the blast was so powerful that it destroyed five U.S. military vehicles and 13 civilian vehicles. The Taliban is claiming responsibility for that attack.
ACOSTA: And, now, Kiran, we've been talking about this all morning. There's been a troubling discovery on a Key West, Florida beach. And it has everyone holding their breath. Tar balls, 20 of them, some as big as softballs, are found just before sunset last night on the shores of a Florida state park. A lab is testing them right now.
So far, the coast guard is not confirming whether they came from the BP oil spill off the Louisiana coast. But that is bad news if that oil is starting to make that turn.
CHETRY: Right. The only thing possibly in their favor is that they said that they found 20 and then they didn't find anymore. It wasn't a continuous, you know, washing up of these tar balls.
ACOSTA: That's true.
CHETRY: They still have to analyze it and see what the case is. But huge implications, not only environmentally but for the tourism in Key West.
ACOSTA: Absolutely.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, the president is planning to sign an executive order to set up a special commission to investigate the oil spill in the Gulf.
Ed Henry live at the White House for us this morning.
And, so, how are they putting this together? And who gets to sit on this commission?
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, that's a big question. We are told by White House aides the president in coming days will be issuing an executive order to create this new outside presidential commission.
We are also told that there will not be a current government official sitting on this panel. It will be made up likely of former government officials. A big reason there is that one of the key things to investigate here, of course, is the alleged coziness between private industry, companies like BP, and the officials in the federal, state, and local governments, that are supposed to be regulating them, whether that has been way too soft in terms of regulation because of these cozy ties.
Also interesting that we are told by White House aides, the president wants to model this commission on the commission that investigated the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear disaster and the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster. It really gives you a sense of the magnitude of this tragedy that now is being compared to some of those other major disasters -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Was it operator error?
ACOSTA: And, Ed, we are already beginning to see some political fallout. An Interior Department official is planning to move up his retirement date, this is from the infamous Minerals Management Service, the MMS. And what do we know about that?
HENRY: Well, his name is Chris Oynes. And you're right. He will be leaving -- retiring early in the next few weeks. Significant because, you know, this photo has just surfaced where he was meeting with the Transocean officials, one of the companies involved here, giving them a major safety award. That is embarrassing now in light of what's happened, of course.
And is another example of what I was talking about with this presidential commission -- having to look at what went wrong here and what has been going wrong potentially for years in terms of a lack of government oversight.
We're also -- we should be reminded that this comes -- this early retirement -- a short time after the interior secretary, Ken Salazar, he said that he's going to break this agency up. And the suggestion from government officers, we're told basically, that this is just one of many heads likely to roll once these investigations move forward. And the Obama administration figures out exactly what went wrong, Jim.
ACOSTA: And, Ed, this is the agency that Ken Salazar vowed to clean up almost immediately after becoming the secretary of that department. And folks say, well, maybe we need more regulations on oil drilling out in the Gulf. Here are regulations that were in place and this agency wasn't doing this job. I mean, that's essentially what may have happened in this case.
HENRY: Yes. There were allegations of kickbacks and bribes --
ACOSTA: Right.
HENRY: -- and, you know, all kinds of illicit activity years ago even before the Obama administration. And you're right -- Secretary Salazar said he was going to clean it up. You bet there's even more scrutiny now to make sure that's actually done, Jim.
ACOSTA: Ed Henry, live at the White House. Thanks, Ed.
And President Obama plans to nominate FBI Deputy Director John Pistole to head up the Transportation Security Administration. Pistole has held the number two position at the bureau since the fall of 2004. The head of the TSA job has been vacant since the president took office in January of last year. Two previous nominees, as we know, have backed out.
CHETRY: Yes. And, right now, we're dealing with some heavy rain in parts of the Midwest, especially in Missouri and Illinois. Jacqui Jeras is tracking more storms for us today. She joins us from the extreme weather center this morning.
Hey, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, guys.
Yes, there's a lot of standing water still out there along roadways and also in farm fields. Take a look at these pictures out of Missouri from yesterday. And it will show you all that gushing water and soaking those fields. Farmers haven't been able to get in and plant. And that has certainly been a concern. At least two people have died in the floodwaters now.
The rain has stopped at least for today. But it's been about a week since you've had heavy rainfall. And we are expecting more showers and thundershowers back in the forecast, unfortunately, for the plains states. That storm system is going to bring the rain there. Today, it's bringing in severe thunderstorms late this afternoon and tonight, from Colorado, stretching down through parts of western Texas and Oklahoma.
In the meantime, today, we are dealing with some wet weather across the northeastern part of the country, nothing terribly severe here. but heavy downpours at times, wet roadways for your morning commute. And we are expecting quite a few airport delays later on today.
Cool-ish conditions across the northern tier.
We'll have more coming up in your forecast and some fun video, guys, you won't want to miss in the next weather ahead. We will see you guys.
CHETRY: All right. We look forward to it. Jacqui, thanks.
Well, it was lights out during the first three -- first of the three space walks for the Atlantic crew. It was a partial power outage that actually hit the International Space Station yesterday, knocking out cameras tracking the astronauts who were putting a spare antenna on the space lab.
ACOSTA: Thank goodness, everything was back to normal about 15 minutes. And NASA says the two astronauts working in space were never in any danger. The next space walk is slated for tomorrow.
CHETRY: They manage to -- no matter what goes wrong, and, of course, things go wrong all the time --
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: -- no matter how much you planned, they still manage to always find a way to get things done up there.
ACOSTA: They do. I'm going to miss the (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: That's why they are aeronautical engineers, right?
ACOSTA: That's why they are astronauts. They know their stuff.
Hey. And coming up next, you're going to want to watch this. This is a story that everybody else is not following in today's primaries. Meet Princella Smith, young candidate for Congress in Arkansas. 2010, the year of the black Republican? She thinks so. That story is coming up right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fifteen minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
It is a big homecoming celebration on tap today in Boise, Idaho, for Laura Silsby. You may remember her. She was the last of the 10 Americans missionaries jailed in Haiti for trying to take children out of the country into the Dominican after the earthquake in January. Silsby was released yesterday. A Haitian judge did find her guilty, but sentenced her to time already served.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: And the moms of the three jailed American hikers are on their way to Tehran. Within the last hour, they left their hotel here in New York City and are heading to JFK airport. The women say they are grateful to Iran for granting them the visas. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal had been held in Iran since last July.
CHETRY: Pressure on Pakistan. National security adviser, Jim Jones and CIA Chief Leon Panetta are meeting top officials there. They're going to be talking about the Times Square bombing investigation, and also more aggressive military action in terror safe havens.
ACOSTA: And back to our big story today. Today's primary vote. It could offer the first real clues about whether Democrats will be in trouble come the November mid-term elections.
CHETRY: Yes. The party has traditionally had a lock on the African-American vote. This year, though, there has been a surge of black Republicans running for Congress. And Jason Carroll spent time with one of them. She's in a primary battle in Arkansas today, and he joins us now.
Good morning, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. She's impressive. The question is, can she win? I don't know.
No African-American has ever represented the state of Arkansas in Congress. One young woman who is gaining a lot of attention says she is ready to make a little bit of history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nice to meet you. CARROLL (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.
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 -
CARROLL (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.
CARROLL (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 going to disagree with -- with saying we haven't given them a reason. We definitely -- we are the party of opportunity, innovation -
CARROLL (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.
CARROLL (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 by 3-1. The district is rural and mostly white. Many political analysts predict Smith has an uphill battle, but Smith does not put much stock in those types of predictions. She says she can do it.
ACOSTA: And a warning to reporters out there. If you come to interview her, she is going to make you eat some catfish.
CARROLL: You'll never let it down, are you? You'll just not going to let it go.
CHETRY: It's marveling. It's foreign to you. You're just looking at it. You're holding up a little piece. It looked delicious. CARROLL: You have seen what a catfish looks like before it is cooked.
CHETRY: Yes, I have caught a catfish before.
CARROLL: OK.
CHETRY: You cannot worry about those whiskers. Just, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
CARROLL: Are you done with the catfish?
ACOSTA: I'm sorry.
CARROLL: Nice. Nice.
CHETRY: Listen, you know, although we do that, she is really a dynamic candidate. As you said, she is up against it because, I mean, she does an uphill battle.
CARROLL: Look, even those who say she may not do it this time, even her opponent told me, look, I do not think she is going to do it this time because I'm going to win, but I do think she has a bright future.
CHETRY: Good for her.
ACOSTA: Impressive lady.
CHETRY: Jason, thanks.
Well, you know, free credit scores for everyone.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: They are free. I mean, I know that it seems that they are difficult sometimes to get your hands on your own credit score, how you are viewed as you try to get home loans, maybe a car loan. Well, we are going to talk more about some changes in Washington that could help make it easier for you to know exactly where you stand.
ACOSTA: And President Obama's financial disclosure forms are out. Guess what? His dog, worth a lot of money. That story coming up.
Not because it does that, but for other reasons.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: This is Jim's favorite song.
ACOSTA: It's a little strange, I know. Sorry.
CHETRY: No, it can't be Led Zeppelin. It can't even be, you know, Miley Cyrus. That was Owl City.
ACOSTA: My favorite of all time.
Did you know this kid made this song on his computer, in his parent's basement, and now it's drawn viral. My daughter likes that song.
CHETRY: That's cute.
ACOSTA: Isn't it cute?
CHETRY: Fireflies.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: Very cute.
All right. Well, 23 minutes past the hour right now. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
ACOSTA: It is 8:23. We are going to move on now. Time for "Minding Your Business."
CHETRY: But hold on, wait. Twenty four minutes past the hour. Now, go ahead.
ACOSTA: OK. Washington is a step closer to saving people some money and maybe a lot of embarrassment, more than the one we're having right now.
Late last night, the Senate approved an amendment to the huge Wall Street reform bill that will give people free access to their credit scores if they are denied a mortgage, a credit card or even a job.
CHETRY: That's right. And it could be the most important number in your life as Christine told us before. Recent survey found that about two-thirds of adults actually hadn't checked their credit sores in the past year. And a third had no idea what it is.
And one of the reasons why it is important -- I mean, obviously, you are checking your credit score if you are trying to get a home loan, if you're trying to get a car loan, but there could be mistakes that you don't even realize.
ACOSTA: And importers may discriminate against you, because of the scores --
CHETRY: Employers check your credit report.
ACOSTA: Ouch.
CHETRY: Or at least two-thirds. It's pretty amazing.
ACOSTA: That is amazing. CHETRY: Well, also new this morning, teen mom, Bristol Palin, hitting the lecture circuit and will reportedly command as much as in some cases $30,000 for each appearance.
ACOSTA: What?
CHETRY: Yes. The message to her fellow teens would include abstinence and the challenges of life as a young, single mom.
ACOSTA: And what is President Obama worth? The president is releasing his 2009 financial disclosure forms. And most of his money, $5.7 million, came from the sale of his books "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope."
No surprise there.
His $1.4 million award for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. This has been confirmed was donated to charity as he said.
And the price tag for the first family's pet dog, Bo. The pooch was a gift from the late senator, Ted Kennedy. But it has to be assigned a net value, anyway. It is worth $1,600.
CHETRY: Poor Bo. A Portuguese water dog, right?
ACOSTA: That's right.
CHETRY: They are very -- they are pure breed, and they are expensive. Pure breed dogs are expensive. They said they wanted to get a mutt, but they couldn't because of their daughter's allergies.
ACOSTA: Yes. Beautiful dog.
CHETRY: Very cute.
ACOSTA: Very cute.
Well, a homeless man lives off his frequent flyer points. I think I could do this. I don't have that many, but I could do it for a little while. Free nights at hotels keeps Jim Kennedy off the streets.
We're going to have that coming up.
CHETRY: That's right. We're going to find out if his luck has turned around after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: We have breaking news coming out of Afghanistan this morning. A suicide car bomber are targeting a military convoy in Kabul. The Pentagon says at least 18 people were killed, five of them American troops. The blast were so powerful, nearly 20 vehicles were destroyed. The Taliban is claiming responsibility for the attack.
CHETRY: 44,000 combat helmets being worn by our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have been recalled, because they failed military ballistics' test. Justice Department investigated the company that made them. Ohio based armor source. Army officials alleged that the firm use defective material and unauthorized manufacturing practices that made the helmets unsafe. The company is denying it, but as we heard from Chris Lawrence they are making sure that they get the word out to all troops in combat to make sure that they get replacement helmets as soon as possible.
ACOSTA: And stunning new allegation could torpedo Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal's bid for the U.S. Senate. "The New York Times" says Blumenthal lied about his military service and went out of his way to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.
Blumenthal admits he may have misspoken about serving in Vietnam, but a campaign spokesperson says, quote, "The New York Times" story is an outrageous distortion of Dick Blumenthal's record of service. Unlike many of his peers, he voluntary joined the Marine Corps reserves in 1970 and served for six months on Paris island and six years in the reserves. He received no special treatment," that spokeswoman says, "from anyone."
CHETRY: And the big story this morning, a Super Tuesday of sorts, voters taking to the polls in a handful of critical races. With an increasingly angry electorate, the incumbents are being put to the tests today.
ACOSTA: Here to help us break down the races and their impact, Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash. She is live in Little Rock, Arkansas this morning.
Dana, according to the polls, and we don't want to put too much stock into polls, but Blanche Lincoln, the sitting senator, doesn't appear to be in too much danger. If she doesn't get 50 percent, she is in a runoff is that right? So it is not over yet for her?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, not over yet. She is a classic case, Jim, of this anti-incumbent here getting it from all sides. I should tell you what you see behind me is people going in to vote. Polls are opening as we speak here in Arkansas.
What Blanche Lincoln has been telling voters to try to battle that is that they can't afford to vote her out because of her seniority. That is another classic incumbent campaign hit. She says she is chairman of the agriculture committee and that is something that helps Arkansans. She is delivering that message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BLANCHE LINCOLN, (D) ARKANSAS: When women wear a hat, it means business. Other people can tell you about what they are going to promise. I can tell you what I've done. I've worked hard and I've produced.
BASH: Why do you think this is such a tough primary for you? LINCOLN: Multiple reasons. I have run midterm with the administrations before back in 1994 when it was our own President Clinton. It was a tough and challenging year. People's expectations have been elevated and you are the first thing that comes between them and the expectations that haven't quite been met.
BASH: Those unmet expectations seem to be feeding into the anti- incumbent mood that Senator Lincoln is battling. Voters are fed up.
PATRICK BLOCK, VOTER: No knock against Miss Blanche Lincoln at this point in time, but I think sometimes it's out with the old and in with the new.
BASH: You think it is time for new?
BLOCK: Yes, I believe so.
BASH: Do you think that what's happening on the Democratic side in some ways mirrors the tea party on the right and what's happening to you mirrors that, that it's just a wave of anger at Washington and you are bearing the brunt of it?
LINCOLN: I think people are concerned. People are disappointed in Washington and I join them in that. And I'm disappointed too. I do believe in fiscal responsibility. I am a true moderate.
BASH: Lincoln is a moderate Democrat. Her positions against the public option for health care and against key union priorities have angered liberal and labor groups who have come here from out of state to try to defeat her. But talk to her Democratic opponent, Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter, and his message is pure populism.
BASH: When you think of a Democratic incumbent being challenged in a primary you think of somebody from the left, but you are running from the outside.
BILL HALTER, (D) CANDIDATE FOR SENATE: I am running from the outside, that's precisely right. And this is a time when people want you to stand up for them. Look what's happened just in the last two years -- $700 billion of taxpayer money going to bailout ball Wall Street banks.
People want change. They know if you send the same people back to you go Washington, you are guaranteed to get the same result.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And in talking to a voter that just walked in here to vote at this church where we are in Little Rock, I said, how are you going to vote? He said, "I'm going to vote for Bill Halter." I said "Why?" He said, "Because it is time for change."
The big question today, Jim and Kiran, for Blanche Lincoln is whether or not she can get above a 50 percent threshold in today's Democratic primary. If she doesn't, there will be a runoff on June 8th. If she is victorious in the Democratic primary, she still has a huge battle to fend off a Republican challenger and keep her seat in November.
ACOSTA: OK, Dana Bash joining us live from the great city of Little Rock, Arkansas. Have fun down there. We know you will, Dana, thanks.
CHETRY: It is much harder to get reelected this time around. It is really the intensity issue as well. Who is going to come out, the people that are angry and sick of Washington or people that want to keep things technically, I guess you could say the same?
ACOSTA: A lot has been made of the tea party activists on the right and their energy in the Republican Party. There is some energy on the left among progressives. They want some of these Democrats to swing their way on a lot of these issues, and Blanche Lincoln has defied them on more than one occasion. They want to make her pay.
They may not make that happen this time, we'll have to watch. But stay with CNN and CNN.com, the best political team on television. We will be here all day long and all night long to break down today's primaries and the results.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, still ahead, we are going to be joined by a special guest. He was homeless after being a CEO and ended up living off of his frequent flyer miles as he searching for a job. Did things turn around for Jim Kennedy? We're going to talk to him coming up.
It's 35 minutes past the hour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Our guest right now lost his high-powered job and then his home. It sounds like a familiar story in this recession. But what he had was over one million frequent flyer miles.
CHETRY: You might think, what good is that going to do him? He doesn't have a house or a job. What he did was he was able to stay afloat and keep a roof over his head the whole time because he used those reward points. James Kennedy joins us from Ventura, California. It's great to talk to you this morning, Jim. Thanks for being with us.
ACOSTA: He is so innovative. He is coming to us via a video Internet connection.
CHETRY: That's right. And tell us more about how you story started. You were laid off from a software company about 18 months ago. You filed for bankruptcy, and unfortunately you lost your home. And how did your reward points come into play and help you stay from hotel to hotel until you got a break?
JAMES KENNEDY, LIVING OFF FREQUENT FLYER MILES: Yes. I used those to keep a roof over my head. I had accumulated them while traveling on business over the years and thought that I would be able to use them for travel or to go overseas to see golf tournaments or watch car races. But in the end, I needed to use them to put a roof over my head. ACOSTA: Jim, you sort of remind me of the MacGyver or "MacGruber" of this recession. Modern technology helped you in terms of staying afloat using your frequent flyer miles and so forth, but it wasn't always an advantage is what you were up against. Is that right?
KENNEDY: Well, yes. I was doing whatever I can to keep a roof over my head by using the miles and the technology and doing as much as I can to find a new job through Internet jobs boards and recruiters and networking and using Linked In and Twitter for all the various social networking technologies.
CHETRY: And so how did you eventually land a job? The good news is that you finally got a break. You started a job last Monday, in fact.
KENNEDY: Yes, I did. The venture capital company that runs a firm called Net Word out here in Ventura, an online advertising firm, saw my story and decided this is the person they needed to jumpstart their online advertising venture and talked to me about coming onboard.
ACOSTA: And there are so many people out there looking for jobs, right now, especially out in California. The unemployment rate there is higher than the national average, like 12.6 percent. What piece of advice would you give to all of those folks out there who were or are in that same boat that you were in?
KENNEDY: You just have to keep plugging along and trying new ways to market yourself. As you said, it is a very difficult market out there right now. And you have to find a way to stand out above everybody else.
CHETRY: And the other question too is, you know, you are taking a look at what it's been like for you. How do you get back on your feet? Eighteen months is a long time to be living on fumes, so to speak. You had lost so much.
How do you eventually chip away at this and get yourself back to the American dream -- comfort, having a little bit of a nest egg?
KENNEDY: Well, it will take time and a lot longer than the 18 months I was out of work. It will take me probably until I retire in my mid-60s to dig it all back and to put it back together, unless I win the lottery or some sort of outstanding thing happens between now and then.
ACOSTA: So no points left to take a little vacation after you have had this job under your belt for six months or so?
KENNEDY: I've got a little bit left, a few nights here and there at Hilton and Star Woods. I was actually very nice to be given a block of miles a couple months ago after my story ran on CNN the second time from Wyndham Hotels.
ACOSTA: That's great. I know how critical those miles are, by the way. I collect them, myself, Jim. They are a big benefit. And to think you were able to stay afloat like this throughout this ordeal.
CHETRY: It was more than upgrading you from coach to first class. He kept a roof over his head.
One quick question, what advice do you have for others? You are somebody that lived it. Last week we talked about the guy who actually just wore his resume on the sandwich board via a kickback to the depression era. He eventually got a job as well.
But what do you do when you have given up hope and you are trying to get yourself out there in the workforce but you are starting to feel like this may never happen for me?
KENNEDY: You have to keep trying because all you really are is one phone call away from success. All you need is one firm to believe in you and believe you have the skills to help them, and they'll pick you up. Then you are back to work. Then you are moving forward from there.
CHETRY: Congratulations to you. I'm glad things turned around for you. Good luck in your new gig. I hope everything works out for you.
KENNEDY: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
CHETRY: Jim Kennedy this morning from Ventura, California.
ACOSTA: Good luck to him. And it is a great story to see and everything that's happening right now. That's terrific.
Stick with us. Jacqui Jeras has weather next. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 47 minutes past the hour right now. As we show you a pretty shot this morning of Chicago, where right now it's looking a little nice --
ACOSTA: Looking nice.
CHETRY: -- and bright. It says cloudy. But I think that's cool enough, 55 degrees. And a little bit later, a high of 61. Not too shabby compared to what other parts of the country are going to be dealing with today.
ACOSTA: I know. I think just about all the other weather cams this morning, Jacqui Jeras, we've checked have been kind of rainy. So you know, we'll take a sunny sky cam, tower cam every now and then, right?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. But it's chilly in Chicago though, really only getting up to around 60 degrees, just like ten degrees below where you should be for this time of the year. So even a little cool for their standards.
But yes, better to see some sun. Although I think they'll get some clouds later on today.
Wet, wet, wet. That's going to be the rule of the day across the northeast. And even if it is not raining, it's going to be on the cloudy side. So that's not going to be a whole lot of fun for you. This is also going to help keep your temperatures down too.
The heaviest of rain has been from the Delmarva across the Jersey shore heading up towards Long Island. We'll watch that move into the northeast as we head throughout the day today. It's just going to be on and off showers, nothing too severe. But it's going to be enough to cause a lot of delays at the airport. We do expect over an hour at New York City metro as well as Philadelphia, D.C. getting in on the delays.
A few thunderstorms for Miami and Ft. Lauderdale as well as Dallas, storms to your West we think is going to cause some problems. San Francisco already looking at delays, this morning confirmed that the arrival around the range of 30 minutes or so.
All right, extreme weather today, the biggest concerns will be the plain states in the western high plains, even Denver could have a slight risk of severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. We'll be watching this system because we think it's going to intensify and move eastward by tomorrow and a much greater risk for tomorrow afternoon in the severe thunderstorms here from Oklahoma down towards Texas. And yes, we expect to see some of those tornadoes.
All right, this is the -- the video that makes me giggle today, guys. Take a look at this. This is a dog, yes -- riding a turtle. I have no idea why. I think there's a lot to (INAUDIBLE), we don't know where this is or why the dog is doing what it's doing but apparently this is random -- that's turtle and the tot dog --
CHETRY: You know what, that's how we used to get around at University of Maryland, I just want to let you know, since our mascot was a Terrapin, you know, you are late to class -- hop on --
ACOSTA: There you go.
CHETRY: -- You have to get there by next semester.
ACOSTA: I think at some point, I think at some we're going to run out of adorable videos of animals. I just -- at some I think we're going to hit our wall --
JERAS: I don't know, Jim. I think it's never going to happen.
CHETRY: I think that's tortoise abuse, I don't like it.
JERAS: Animals and children -- can't go wrong.
CHETRY: Hop off and walk.
ACOSTA: What?
CHETRY: Thank you, Jacqui. Actually that did cheer us up.
ACOSTA: Thank you Jacqui.
CHETRY: I appreciate it.
ACOSTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: And this could cheer you up too.
If you don't want to take Viagra but you want to get some of the benefits, try celery. I'm not kidding. We'll have more on this in a moment. Its 49 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHETRY: Yes, a little Beastie Boy action this morning -- Beastie Boys' action this morning. It's 53 minutes past the hour.
Time for your "A.M. House Call": stories about your health. You know the next time you order wings at a bar, make sure you eat the celery that comes with them because --
ACOSTA: Oh, ok.
CHETRY: You have to like to turn around.
ACOSTA: No, it is fine.
CHETRY: No, there is a new book out and it's talking about staying young, right? "Ten Proven Steps to Ultimate Health" is the book and the doctors in this book say that celery actually acts as a natural -- they call it a veggie Viagra of sorts. The reason why is because apparently it helps guys boost their pheromone levels in their sweat which then helps them attract the opposite sex.
ACOSTA: Ok.
CHETRY: So eat celery.
ACOSTA: I'm not buying it.
CHETRY: If that's what you want to do.
ACOSTA: I am not buying it.
CHETRY: Well.
ACOSTA: I need, I think more studies are coming out before we get to the bottom of that one.
CHETRY: There you go. ACOSTA: Listen to these statistics: more than 120 million Americans over the age of 20 are now obese or overweight. And for men between the ages of 18 and 39, obesity rates have more than doubled in the past ten years.
Like it or not, America, you're going on a diet. Over 80 food companies like General Mills, Kraft and Hershey getting on board with First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign; agreeing to remove 1.5 trillion calories from their products by 2015. That's 12.4 calories -- 12.5 calories, excuse me, per day per person. Which is -- that's a lot.
CHETRY: You can just walk up a flight of stairs every now and then. I mean, come on --
ACOSTA: That's true, but it is --
CHETRY: -- 12 calories.
ACOSTA: That's good, hey, every little bit helps.
CHETRY: Right.
ACOSTA: I'll take it. Absolutely. All right --
CHETRY: That's why you need to eat celery, because it's you know it's a non-caloric food.
ACOSTA: That's true. Low in calories --
CHETRY: You can kill two birds in one stone.
ACOSTA: And apparently some side effects.
CHETRY: There you go.
ACOSTA: Anyway, Forget Hollywood. New Mexico is a film industry hot spot. Tom Foreman -- I thought I was going to get through the show without getting in trouble -- on the CNN Express, "Building up America". That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Some of the biggest blockbusters in art house films the past several years have one thing in common. Hollywood went to New Mexico to make them.
ACOSTA: Yes. The movie industry has been giving a big boost to the state during the recession. Our Tom Foreman is on the CNN Express in Albuquerque with this morning's "Building up America" Report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: What do "Transformers", "Indiana Jones", and "No Country for Old Men" have in common?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, this is just a deal gone wrong, isn't it?
FOREMAN: They were all made in New Mexico. The film industry here is just going gang busters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really is.
FOREMAN: In the capital, the governor's man in charge of film, Eric Whitt, is delighted.
ERIC WHITT, NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR'S OFFICE: It has helped a lot of people in our local economy. Not just film but all the related industries.
FOREMAN: And what is this place right here?
WHITT: This is an establishment called the Bangelos (ph), one of the more famous bars here in Santa Fe. It's been here for about 40 years. In this bar, they shot "Crazy Heart".
FOREMAN: New Mexico has built this love affair with film through an aggressive campaign that started seven years ago. That's when the state began offering big rebates to filmmakers who would come and hire local workers, buy local products and use local facilities, like the sprawling new sound stages just outside of Albuquerque
In addition the state can help cover salaries for local folks being trained for film jobs. As a result, the number of skilled film workers here has gone from 100 to 3,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's a very high-paying jobs, great benefits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Construction has really slowed down. This has really been a good way to fill that economic void for jobs.
FOREMAN: This is not an utterly new idea. Thomas Edison's picture company made the first film here more than a century ago. In the 20s and 30s, cowboy films rode all over the New Mexico range.
But what is happening now is much bigger than what was happening back then. Even bigger than what was happening 13 years ago when they had five film and video projects in this state. Last year, they had more than 40 and the number keeps growing.
The state estimates 10,000 jobs have been created on the sets and by the dozens of local businesses providing everything from catering to computer animation to big spending film making.
Do you have any idea how much they are spending each year here?
WHITT: They are spending about $300 million a year here right now in hard cash generating about $1 billion a year in economic activity as the money circulates through the local economy.
FOREMAN: And that ride, by almost all accounts, is just beginning. (END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: And because they have insisted on these filmmakers not just coming and getting a rebate and leaving but training local folks and getting them involved and really building the industry here. They now have in the state -- by their estimate in the state offices more trained film technicians than anywhere in the country accept for New York and Los Angeles. That's quite a claim considering how many states have tried this trick before and haven't succeeded quite in this way.
CHETRY: That's pretty amazing.
ACOSTA: Wow, great stuff.
You remember that push. I think it was Michael Moore and a few others who were trying to push people to do it in Michigan. Many other places have also tried to make that happen. So good for New Mexico; good for Albuquerque, that's pretty crazy.
Thanks Tom.
ACOSTA: Thanks you Tom.
FOREMAN: We're having a good time. Good seeing you all.
CHETRY: You too.
And that's going to do it for us today. We will see you back here tomorrow though. Meanwhile continue the conversation on today's stories by going to our blog, CNN.com/amFIX.
ACOSTA: And "CNN NEWSROOM" with T.J. Holmes starts right now.
