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Critics Target Imus' Radio Show; Suicide Bomber Kills Eight in Attack on Iraqi Parliament

Aired April 12, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Target achieved -- a suicide attacker gets past multiple checkpoints to the heart of the Green Zone.

LEMON: And he's lost his TV gig, and plenty of people are gunning for his radio job, too. We will have the latest on the Don Imus fallout.

WHITFIELD: And passenger planes put on hold when flight controllers can't hold it any longer.

Please return your tray table to its upright and locked position. You are in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: It is the top of the hour. And we start with a developing story in Baghdad.

A bomber struck the heart of the already troubled Iraqi government today. There it is, caught on videotape, a massive explosion within the walls of one of the most secure buildings in the country. A suicide attacker carried out a bomb blast -- a bomb past, I should say, layers of security into the Iraqi parliament building. Eight people are dead, at least two of them elected members of parliament.

To Baghdad now and CNN's Arwa Damon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The panic and chaos painfully evident in these images, as the cameraman tries to make his way through the thick smoke and debris, a suicide bomb attack as formidable in its audacity as it was in effectiveness, striking at the very pillar of Iraq's fledgling democracy, its parliament, penetrating the often-dubbed Fortress Baghdad, the heavily fortified Green Zone.

The bomber would have had to sneak past U.S. checkpoints, Iraqi security forces and private Western security companies, and avoid detection by bomb-sniffing dogs and X-ray machines. The attack took place at the cafeteria right after the day's session came to an end, where members were convening for lunch. The U.S. military points the finger at al Qaeda, known for its sophistication and ability to constantly defy heavy security.

MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. ARMY SPOKESMAN, COALITION FORCES IN IRAQ: It is very, very challenging to stop somebody who is willing to give their life to try to take somebody else's life. And, you know, there are stringent security requirements out there.

Obviously, we're going to go back and we will redouble our efforts and re-look at how that is being done.

DAMON: The insurgency's message is clear: It can infiltrate and strike anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The news we heard today, in fact, it does not shake us or the people in the street, but it makes us laugh. The attack is now in the most critical places, the parliament, which represents the people. It is a violated place.

DAMON: In fact, the second to be violated on Thursday -- earlier, strategically placed explosives collapsed one of northern Baghdad's major bridges, sending vehicles toppling into the Tigris River. Divers searched the water for survivors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Arwa Damon joins us now from Baghdad.

So, Arwa, what happens next with security there?

DAMON: Well, Don, the U.S. military has, as we just heard in that story, said that they will be reassessing the security precautions that were being put into place around that area, although I can tell you that, in the last few months, security measures have, in fact, been increased, because of an increase of the possibility of an attack, as such.

And, despite those heightened security measures, we saw today's attack take place. In terms of what the Iraqi parliament is going to do, we have been hearing from some people reports that they will be holding an emergency session tomorrow. This is incredibly unusual, because tomorrow is Friday, which is the Muslim holy day, and parliament normally does not convene on Fridays.

However, we did speak with an official, with Iraq's parliamentary speaker. And he said that a number of members of the parliament had come up to him and expressed their willingness to want to hold this emergency session tomorrow. They said that it was in part to defy the terrorists, but also in part to honor those that were killed and wounded in today's attack.

However, he did say that, even he himself, even though he is a member of the Iraqi government, he was still not sure specifically what sort of security measures were being put into place or even if they would be allowed access to that location -- Don.

LEMON: Arwa Damon, thank you so much.

And, just to watch all those pictures coming in, the aftermath of that bombing, It's just amazing.

Arwa Damon, in Baghdad, thanks again.

WHITFIELD: Don, Paul Wolfowitz apologizes. The president of the World Bank today says he is sorry for self-described mistakes he made promoting an ex-colleague with whom he is also romantically involved.

Shaha Riza, seen here, has been linked with Wolfowitz for the past six years. In 2005, she was reassigned to the State Department due to an internal conflict-of-interest policy. Yet, Riza remained on the World Bank payroll, drawing an annual tax-free salary of $193,000.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL WOLFOWITZ, WORLD BANK PRESIDENT: Took the issue to the ethics committee of the board. And, after extensive discussions with the chairman, the committee's advice was to promote and relocate Ms. Shaha Riza.

I made a good-faith effort to implement my understanding of that advice. And I did so in order to take responsibility for settling an issue that I believed had the potential to harm this institution.

In hindsight, I wish I had trusted my original instincts and kept myself out of the negotiations. I made a mistake, for which I am sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Asked whether he will step down as bank president, Wolfowitz replied, he is prepared to do whatever the board asks. And the board is now debating the matter.

LEMON: Some tough talk from the Senate floor today directed at the Bush administration. It has to do with potential evidence related to the case of eight fired federal prosecutors. Published reports say the White House acknowledges that some staffers and officials, including Karl Rove, sometimes used Republican Party e-mail accounts, and they could have discussed the prosecutor firings using those accounts.

Now those e-mails may be gone. Now, the law requires that all official White House business be done by government computers. And government computer e-mails have to be saved.

Now, one Democratic senator says he's not buying the White House version of events.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Now we're learning that off-book communications are being used by these people in the White House by using Republican political e-mail addresses.

And they say they have not been preserved. I don't believe that. I don't believe that. You can't erase e-mails, not today. They have gone through too many servers. They can't say they have been lost. That's like saying the dog ate my homework.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the White House says that staff members sometimes use Republican Party e-mail accounts, because federal law bans the use of government resources for political activity.

WHITFIELD: A minister's wife, a mother of three, on trial today for killing her husband. Mary Winkler has admitted to shooting him, but why? Lawyers for both sides give us a hint.

Here's CNN's Thomas Roberts. He's in Selmer, Tennessee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mary Winkler's first-degree murder trial is now under way in Selmer, Tennessee. She's the woman accused of killing her preacher husband on March 22, 2006 with a single shotgun blast to the back.

Now, the prosecution and the defense have very different strategies, at least what they are trying to prove to the jury. Now, the prosecution claims that there were some problems in this marriage that had to deal with finances, and that Mary Winkler was in charge of all the finances, and that Matthew Winkler was unaware that their family was in such turmoil.

And that's what they say was her motive was killing him.

WALT FREELAND, ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The state's proof will be that it informed her mind and formed the intent she had after her sleepless night on March the 21st, knowing that, that next day, Matthew and she had to go to the bank and get her problems straightened out.

ROBERTS: The defense has a completely different story. They say that Mary Winkler was actually an abused spouse and that Matthew Winkler was all about control, and that he purposely put Mary Winkler in charge of the finances solely so she could fail.

STEVE FARESE, ATTORNEY FOR MARY WINKLER: We will show you proof that he would destroy objects that she loved; he would isolate her from her family; and he would abuse her.

ROBERTS: The first witness to take the stand was Matthew Winkler's father, a minister himself. He talked about the first day that he learned of this. He was coming back from the mountains with his wife. March 22, the day that Matthew Winkler died, was actually his birthday.

Thomas Roberts, CNN, Selmer, Tennessee.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: Don Imus has one more radio show until he begins a two- week suspension. But, as of this morning, his TV career is officially canceled. Last night, MSNBC dropped the Imus simulcast, and critics say he should lose the radio show, too.

Our Allan Chernoff has the very latest for us from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: More than half-a-dozen African-American leaders met with the president and chief executive officer of CBS, Les Moonves, demanding that he fire Don Imus, the radio host.

Mr. Moonves did not make that commitment, but Jesse Jackson did say after the meeting that he believes Moonves is close to making a decision on that issue.

The conversation then broadened -- the African-American leaders demanding that CBS prevent bigoted comments from appearing on the air at all. They don't want this kind of incident to occur in the future. The Reverend Al Sharpton left the meeting early, saying that there's nothing to discuss beyond the firing of Don Imus, even though, going into the meeting, Mr. Sharpton said that this is not just about Don Imus.

AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: It's not about taking Imus down. It's about lifting decency up.

CHERNOFF: There is now tremendous pressure on CBS to follow NBC in dropping Don Imus from their programming.

Imus is going to be suspended without pay beginning on Monday for two weeks. And CBS is not saying that Imus will return to the air after that two-week suspension, only saying that he's going to be monitored very closely.

And at least one member of the board here at CBS is also calling for Don Imus to be fired.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And Don Imus says he's apologized enough. What do you think? That's the question we're asking on our CNN.com "Quick Vote." So far, 83 percent of you say he has. Click on to CNN.com and vote.

WHITFIELD: Dishing on what's in the dish -- straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, will the feds snap a short leash on the pet food industry? We're bringing you the latest from today's Senate hearings.

LEMON: Several planes told to wait while the air traffic controller takes a bathroom break -- I guess, when you got to go, you got to go. But who is watching the radar? That's a question we want answered right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Fourteen minutes after the hour, here are some of the stories we're working on in the NEWSROOM.

Opening statements at the trial of a Tennessee preacher's wife accused of gunning down her husband -- the defense's lawyer says Mary Winkler was an abused wife.

Insurgents strike deep in the heart of Iraq's heavily fortified Green Zone. A suicide bomber kills eight people in the Iraqi parliament building.

And a grand jury indicts an Ohio man on terror charges. Christopher Paul is accused of joining al Qaeda and conspiring to bomb U.S. facilities overseas.

LEMON: Well, with millions of Americans worried about their pets, Congress is holding a hearing this afternoon. A Senate subcommittee is discussing the recent massive pet recall. You are looking at live pictures right there.

CNN's Chris Lawrence says, weeks after reports of sick pets began coming in, many questions still remain unanswered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With so much tainted food taken off the shelves, the Nevada Animal Disease and Food Safety Lab says the worst is over for thousands of pet owners.

DR. ANETTE RINK, NEVADA ANIMAL DISEASE AND FOOD SAFETY LAB: If they're not sick yet, they probably won't get sick.

LAWRENCE: But just this week the FDA added 12 new brands of cat food to the recall and pets like Misha are still wasting away.

BERNI HUBER, CAT OWNER: She has less than two weeks to live.

LAWRENCE: Berni Huber says his cat dropped a third of her body weight and barely moves.

HUBER: Before she ate this nasty stuff, no, she was a playful cat.

LAWRENCE: Huber says the vet discovered damage to her kidneys and liver.

(on camera): Ultimately, who do you hold responsible? Where does the buck stop?

HUBER: My biggest blame right now is two-fold, one with the FDA, and Nutra.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): The FDA discovered the chemical melamine in wheat gluten used to make the pet food. Huber believes they should have caught it sooner. Menu foods bought the wheat gluten from ChemNutra, which imported it from China. So we tried to get answers at the supplier's headquarters in Las Vegas.

(on camera): My name is Chris Lawrence from CNN. I was hoping to speak to someone from ChemNutra.

(voice-over): A spokesman told me ChemNutra immediately stopped shipping the wheat gluten when the problem was discovered. They are cooperating with the FDA in conducting their own internal tests. But Doctor Anette Rink doubts melamine is the answer everyone is looking for.

RINK: We don't really know what the toxic component is in any of the recalled pet foods.

LAWRENCE: She says some owners may be attributing natural death to the pet food scare. Berni Huber looks at his once healthy cat and can't help but disagree.

HUBER: It's OK. It's OK.

LAWRENCE: Chris Lawrence, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A top executive at Menu Foods says it's not what you think. The chief financial officer at Menu Foods sold about half of his shares in the pet food company on February 26 and 27. That was about the same time the company began getting calls about sick pets and three weeks before it announced a massive product recall.

The CFO says the timing of his stock sale was just a coincidence, and he did not know about the sick pets when he sold the shares.

WHITFIELD: Going green to save green -- we will tell you how you can do that right at your home -- straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Several planes had to wait while the air traffic controller took a potty break. But who is watching the radar when you have to do that?

Straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So, when you think of greenhouses, plants and flowers in a glass room may come to mind. But green is increasingly becoming a way of life and a way to save money.

CNN's Greg Hunter reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREG HUNTER, CNN CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Les Bluestone builds homes that are environmentally friendly, like this new townhouse in the Bronx. But this house isn't just green, it saves you green, too.

(on camera): Les, this is a toilet with two buttons. Why?

LES BLUESTONE, DEVELOPER: Greg, these are dual flush toilets. It's a new technology. This button here on the right is for a liquid flush and this button here is on a solid flush.

HUNTER (voice-over): Saving water and money.

Replacing aerators which control the flow of water on faucets and shower heads will, too, from $300 to $500 a year. This energy efficient boiler heats water for all three floors of this building, saving another $300 a year. But you don't have to be in a new house to save money. An easy way to be green is to change your old light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.

JENNIFER BOGO, SCIENCE EDITOR, "POPULAR MECHANICS": If you replace every one of those bulbs with a compact fluorescent, you would save about $180 on your energy bill every year.

HUNTER: And for under $100, a programmable thermostat that will automatically lower the temperature in your home when you're sleeping or at work.

One of the more unusual green and money saving devices, this green roof atop architect Richard Cook's Manhattan office building. The soil and vegetation act like insulation, but there are other benefits.

RICHARD COOK, ARCHITECT: To look out over this prospect of Manhattan and in the foreground see our green roof is basically something that we think is beautiful and makes us feel good, makes a healthier, more productive workplace.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right.

Well, postage stamps go all over the world. But postage prices go in only one direction. Now there is a way around the increases.

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us about the debut of the forever stamp, Susan?

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: And you are going to need -- you were telling us about those -- all those rich guys earlier. You are going to need that much money to get a postage stamp pretty soon.

(LAUGHTER)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know it.

You know, they keep going -- I have all these 37 cent stamps, still. And I have all these penny stamps that have to go with it. Anyway, the forever stamp is supposed to last forever. We have talked about it before. It is now on sale. The new stamp, which features the Liberty Bell, had its opening day ceremony at the real Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The forever stamp costs 41 cents and can be used for first-class postage, even if stamp prices go up, Don.

Good hedge against inflation.

LEMON: All right. So, even if they -- let's just say in 10 years they go up to a buck. You can still use the 41 cent ones? That's...

LISOVICZ: That -- that's right.

LEMON: Yes? OK. So...

(CROSSTALK)

LISOVICZ: That's right.

LEMON: ... I want to know, though now, at 39 cents -- I think stamps are 39 cents. So, why 41 cents? Is that to, like, make up some money in there?

LISOVICZ: Because, as Fred and I were talking about in the last hour...

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Yes, you all confused me. I knew that it was 39 cents now. OK.

LISOVICZ: That's right.

WHITFIELD: I'm with you now.

LISOVICZ: Yes. We just got used to...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: I felt like I was in a time warp for a minute.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Where have I been?

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: We just got used to 39 cents. And now they are going up to 41 cents. So, send out all your postage, Fredricka, in the next month.

WHITFIELD: You had me worried, girlfriend.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: I was like, where have I been?

(CROSSTALK)

LISOVICZ: Cool her down.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: ... out from under the rock.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: OK. Sorry. Go ahead.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: I'm sorry.

LISOVICZ: No worries. No worries.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: I know. I am as confused as everyone else on -- when it comes to postage.

The price of the forever stamp reflects that change, 41 cents next month. But, if stamps increase to 45 cents or go even higher in the future, you can still use your forever stamps, which cost you 41 cents today.

As always, there is a catch. The forever stamp won't stay at 41 cents forever. If postal prices go up, the new forever stamps you buy will reflect that. But the old ones will still be valid, whatever the price of a first-class letter.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: Does everybody get that?

LEMON: Yes. We got it.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: We got it now.

WHITFIELD: Always a quick Too good to be true? It means it is.

LEMON: Yes. So, if it goes up like 45 cents, then you pay that price and then you keep that stamp forever, yes.

LISOVICZ: For the new forever stamps.

LEMON: Yes.

LISOVICZ: But, if you buy your forever stamps now... (CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Got it.

WHITFIELD: You buy them in bulk.

LISOVICZ: That's right.

WHITFIELD: I will be out there like this with my forever stamp.

LISOVICZ: You can stock up. There are no limits on how many you can buy.

Speaking of stocks, prices are going higher there, too, despite a jump in oil prices. Oil jumped nearly $2 today. And we got some retail sales warnings. But the major averages are green, just what Greg Hunter was talking about a couple minutes ago.

The Dow industrials are 59 points higher, or half-a-percent. The Nasdaq is two-thirds-of-a-percent higher.

We have got merger news, too. The famous Gerber baby is getting a new parent. One Swiss company is buying it from another -- Nestle, the world's biggest food and drink company, paying $5.5 billion for that cute little baby that's the icon of Gerber. Gerber holds a nearly 80 percent share of the U.S. baby food market. A lot of us know it first-hand, although it was a while ago.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: I will be back -- if things get really desperate with those postage stamps, you know...

WHITFIELD: I know.

Well, it's a good thing you had changed the subject, but now we're back to stamps, because I do have beefs about the whole postage stamp thing. Doesn't it seem like, like, within the last 10 years, it's gone up...

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: I know. Just sit back.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: I will get off my soapbox. But, in the past 10 years, it seems like, every two years, it goes up. What's going on?

LISOVICZ: I think we need -- we need stamp therapy.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I know. Sign me up. LEMON: I think what it is, it's inflation. Plus, people are sending less...

LISOVICZ: It's a commodity.

LEMON: Yes. And people are sending less letters because of e- mail.

LISOVICZ: That's true, too.

LEMON: So, they are trying to find a way to make up the difference.

LISOVICZ: Exactly.

LEMON: Thank you, Susan Lisovicz.

LISOVICZ: All right. I will see you...

LEMON: We will see you in a little bit, yes.

LISOVICZ: ... at the close.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Susan is like, thank goodness that segment is over. Fred, be quiet.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right.

Well, moving on, parents, check your bathroom cabinets -- this warning: Johnson & Johnson is recalling four million bottles of its new Listerine Agent CoolBlue Plaque-Detecting Rinse. It works by turning plaque blue in your mouth.

It's mostly used by kids. But now the recall affects the glacier mint and the bubble blast flavors. The company says tests showed bacteria contamination. So, if you have it in your cupboard, you need to throw it away.

LEMON: Iraq's struggling democracy is struck in the heart. How will it respond, after today's fatal parliament attack?

That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello everyone I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. When your plane is about to land, you're not allowed to get up to go to the potty, right? Well, your flight controller is. After someone leaked this story, we just had to run with it. You're in the NEWSROOM.

Explosions rattled Baghdad today. That's not unusual, a quiet day in the capital is rare, but the targets were, to say the least, ambitious.

One suicide bomber managed to breach tight green zone security and detonated inside the Iraqi parliament building. At least eight people are dead, a Sunni and a Shiite lawmaker among them. Just hours earlier a bomber in a truck blew himself up on a major bridge that spans the Tigris River. The blast sent cars flying into the river, killing at least 10 people there and collapsing two large sections of the iron bridge, one of the cities oldest.

Just moments ago, I spoke with the Iraqi ambassador to the U.S. I asked him if people living in Baghdad would ever be safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMIR SUMAIDAIE, IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: It's impossible to achieve 100 percent security in any area, but the point here is that the terrorists' ability to terrorize neighborhoods is diminishing. So they are resorting to spectacular operations like this one today in Baghdad in parliament and the one which demolished this historic bridge in Baghdad. I think we can expect some more -- some more attacks which are aimed to get maximum media exposure. Their control over neighborhoods, as I said, is weakening.

WHITFIELD: Really, so you said terrorizing these neighborhoods by these terrorists is diminishing, which seems hard to believe when you see a string of attacks taking place, even the bridge attack today, where 10 people were killed. That certainly is in a neighborhood where people live and they're trying to go about their business. It seems as though every week we are talking about large numbers of Iraqi citizens, Sunni or Shia who are being killed by the dozens in their neighborhoods, in the places that are supposed to be their comfort zones, their places of residence.

SUMAIDAIE: Yes, that's -- when you look at it like that, yes. But, in fact, six months ago, we had armed gangs running around the streets in cars with their weapons visible, arresting people or abducting people and murdering them in the streets. We don't have that now. We have -- we have much better control over armed gangs anywhere in Baghdad and this is improving all the time. But as I said, the terrorists have -- have concentrated on car bombs and suicide bombers. Suicide bombers are extremely hard to stop. By the time they get where they get -- and today, the situation in parliament is rather exceptional. But usually, they go into market areas where there are crowds and explode themselves. And the same with booby trapped cars. Cars laden with explosives are parked. That could be anywhere. And that's harder to stop.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Iraqi ambassador to the United States, Samir Sumaidaie.

And now take a look at these pictures. Pictures that everyone loves to see, U.S. troops returning home safely to their overjoyed wives, husbands, children, family members in general. This is Honolulu where marines and sailors of the 2nd battalion, 3rd marine regiment put a year of combat duty in Iraq behind them.

LEMON: Those are very sweet images, don't you think?

Officially, he's still just thinking about running for president. But Fred Thompson is getting a lot of encouragement in a new nationwide poll of Republican voters. Thompson is the actor and former Tennessee senator who said recently that he might, might enter the presidential race. And just yesterday, he revealed that he was treated for a type of cancer more than two years ago. Well, today Thompson is running second only to Rudy Giuliani in a new "L.A. Times" Bloomberg poll of probable Republican primary voters. Giuliani has 29 percent to Thompson's 15 percent. John McCain is third with 12 percent. Mitt Romney was next with 8 percent. And potential candidate Newt Gingrich finished with 7 percent.

It is a question White House wannabes face sooner or later. Should the confederate flag fly over state houses in the South? Now New Yorker Rudy Giuliani is being put to the test. CNN's Mary Snow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rudy Giuliani is facing a hot button issue on the campaign trail in the south that can carry a powerful punch for Republican candidates. That question, should state capitals be allowed to fly the confederate flag? It came up in Alabama Tuesday and Wednesday in Atlanta. He told CNN.

RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not a question that I'm going to decide. I don't think it's a question that I should decide. I think that it's something that states should decide.

SNOW: A national issue on the front burner, no.

DAN T. CARTER, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA: But it does have to do with the feelings and the emotions of voters. And if it's not a third rail, it's certainly a delicate issue.

SNOW: Republican presidential hopeful John McCain found out just how delicate the issue is when he ran for president in 2000. It still haunts him seven years later. Listen to McCain from CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday being critical of himself about waffling on the confederate flag issue back then.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Worse than waffle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you mean? MCCAIN: Well I said that it was strictly a state issue clearly knowing that it wasn't.

SNOW: After initially saying in 2000 that the flag was a symbol of heritage, he changed his position to say the confederate flag should be removed from the state capitol.

MCCAIN: I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles.

SNOW: While the confederate flag has become a symbol of slavery and oppression, political observers say there is a group of white southern voters that Republicans are attempting to win over.

CARTER: They want a candidate who's going to say that the confederate flag is a symbol of nobility and courage and bravery and has nothing to do with racism.

SNOW (on camera): So the question is how far will a candidate go to win the support of Republican primary voters in states like South Carolina and risk alienating voters in the general election. Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And just when you think you've heard every possible excuse for a flight delay, how about this one? Four flights held up, including one carrying transplant organs. The reason for the delay, the air traffic controller went to the restroom at New Hampshire's largest airport. Details from reporter Frank Malacote of CNN affiliate WMUR.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the most difficult decision I've had to make in my 16 years as an air traffic controller.

FRANK MALACOTE, WMUR: That decision was made at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 6th. Controller Regan Mack had handled 60 flights safely during a three-hour stretch and needed a bathroom break. He left the tower for 12 minutes, leaving a trainee behind who was not certified to land planes. Two Southwest flights were forced to circle the airport for nearly 20 minutes while two other planes were denied takeoff. One of those flights was carrying transplant organs, which raises the question, was safety breached?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would do nothing in my power to ever endanger the safety of the flying public. That is my sacred responsibility in doing this job.

MALACOTE: The FAA agreed. Mack followed procedures to the tee. He even tipped off his superiors hours before that he may need a break.

JIM PETERS, FAA: He contacted the right facility to ensure that the airborne aircraft would be safely handled by another FAA facility. He also did it at a time when there was very low traffic in the air, as well as on the ground.

MALACOTE: That's comforting, but some passengers are still shaking their heads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well it's unsettling, yes it is. I have relatives in the air right now that are coming in here. That's why I'm here. That's very bothersome.

MALACOTE: Usually, there are two certified controllers in the tower from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. But on a few occasions, there's only one. Staffing is just part of the problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very obvious to me that this story has come to light because of the contentious relationship that exists between the union and the FAA.

MALACOTE: Well maybe this is all a ploy, a bit of a power play so you guys can get your word across that you need a little help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we do need help, but it's not a ploy.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was Frank Malacote from CNN affiliate WMUR.

Saving the president's life, get plugged in to the joke that was blown way out of proportion straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, happening now. Just into the CNN NEWSROOM, this is an accident on I-95, it's in Florida. Take a look at this. It's a northbound I-95, an 18-wheeler on its side there and on fire. There's possibly, we're told, one person inside. Look at this. These are live pictures coming in. That is a traffic mess right there. Again, happening I-95 northbound in Pompano Beach, Florida, an 18- wheeler on its side, possibly one person trapped. There was video earlier we saw of another car that was off the road, not sure if it's connected to this. Again, rescue crews on the scene. This is causing a major traffic jam in Florida. I-95 northbound shut down, fully involved 18-wheeler there. Just in time for rush hour, bad situation. We'll keep you updated.

WHITFIELD: Well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Look at this. A powerful storm that hit central Ohio toppled part of a five-story grain elevator. The debris damaged some nearby buildings and a man who lives next door says it sounded like a bomb went off. As bad as it might look, no one was hurt.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Saving the president's life? Well, get plugged into the joke that was way, way overblown, we're told. Straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Just joking, maybe. Ford's CEO didn't really save President Bush from being blown up, but don't tell the bloggers that. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Did you hear the one about the president and the hybrid vehicle?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to pay for that.

MOOS: The CEO of Ford never thought his joke would get this much mileage. Going all the way to the White House briefing room, zipping around the blogosphere resulting in headlines like, "George W. Bush Makes His Own Car Bomb" and "Bush Almost Blows Himself Up." It all started when Ford's CEO Alan Mulally told a story about his recent visit to the White House, where he and other auto execs gave President Bush a demo of alternative fuel vehicles. The hydrogen port is in the back. The electric plug goes in the front. Ford's CEO was labeled a superhero for preventing the president from sticking the electric plug into the hydrogen port. Or so the CEO told a roomful of reporters at the New York Auto Show.

ALAN MULALLY, CEO, FORD MOTOR CO.: So I started walking faster and the president walked faster. He got to the core before I did and then I violated all the protocol and I touched the president. I grabbed his arm and I moved him up to the front. I wanted the president to make sure that he plugged into the electricity, not into the hydrogen. This is all off the record, right?

MOOS: Off the record and straight onto the blogs. The author of this gem, "Bush Nearly Turned a Hydrogen Car into the Hindenburg" noted, hey, hey, I was pretty proud of that headline, even after finding out it was all based on a joke that blew up. Ford now says its CEO was inspired to joke around by a parody bit he saw on "Jimmy Kimmel." Kimmel took news footage of the White House event and did some dramatic doctoring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It marked the second time in five months that top executives came to the White House.

MOOS: In real life, when the president put in the plug, all that went off were tons of clicking cameras. When the "Detroit News" printed the CEO's joke without mentioning it was a joke, the story really spread, though the White House didn't seem too worried about the misunderstanding.

DANA PERINO, DEP. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If I was concerned about all the things that were on the blogs every day, I wouldn't do anything else.

MOOS: Finally, CEO Mulally apologized saying, "I tried to tell a joke about it and proved I am no Jimmy Kimmel."

(on camera): So in the end, the president was just fine. It was the CEO of Ford and the blogs who ended up getting burnt. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And this just in out of North Carolina. You very well know that the attorney general yesterday of North Carolina cleared these three Duke Lacrosse players of all criminal charges involving the alleged sexual assault and kidnapping of a young lady more than a year ago. Well, now today, the district attorney Mike NiFong who had pursued this case for almost a year now has apologized, according to the "Associated Press." Apologized to these three, David Evans, Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann, for all that they have been through over the past 13 months.

LEMON: And let's see. There is a quote. It says here, I'm reading it straight, it's just coming off the wire Fredricka. It says, "To the extent that I made judgments that ultimately proved to be incorrect, I apologize to the three students that were wrongly accused." And that says Durham County District Attorney Mike NiFong said in a statement. That's according to the "Associated Press" and that is just coming across the wires there. So Mike NiFong apologizing to those three, as you just reported as well and that was a quote of what he said.

The closing bell and a wrap of all the action on Wall Street, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Quick update for you on that cruise ship. Lewis Cruise Lines is blaming human error a week after one of its ships struck a volcanic reef and sank off the Greek island of Santorini. The captain and five others have been charged with negligence. They blame a sudden change in sea currents. Meantime, the search continues for two missing passengers believe drowned. An unmanned submarine is being used to get a better view of the sunken "Sea Diamond" which is also leaking oil, more than 100 tons of fuel already have spilled. Environmentalists have rushed to Santorini to help coral it. Tough stuff.

Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey guys, thanks very much. Coming up at the top of the hour -- with constant threats abroad and battling Iraq's cauldron of violence, he says what the U.S. should really do is bring back the draft. Congressman Charlie Rangel. I'll ask the New York Democrat about that very controversial proposition and Congress' war over the war with the Bush administration.

Also, the road to the White House often winds through Florida. That's what the state's Republican governor is suggesting. Governor Charlie Crist, he'll be here to talk about Florida's all-important role in the '08 race. And I'll ask him how prepared Florida is for another hurricane season.

And guess who's got the best Iraq plan according to moveon.org. The over 3 million-strong online organization asked Democratic presidential candidates, "What's the best and fastest way to end the war?" You might be surprised who Moveon voters picked. All that coming up right at the top of the hour. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, we look forward to all that. Thanks a lot Wolf.

All right, let's check in with Susan Lisovicz again.

LEMON: Standing by with a final look at the trading day. Hi Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ: Hi Fred, hi Don. You know we're in the bottom of the ninth here on Wall Street and certainly the man who is on the closing bell platform would know that metaphor because he is Mel Stotlemyre, a former major league pitcher for the New York Yankees. And he has just written -- he's just written a book called -- it's called "Pride and Pinstripes: The Yankees, Mets and Surviving Life's Challenges." He is a cancer survivor.

WHITFIELD: I like that.

LISOVICZ: And that is something that we can all applaud. And we can also applaud the fact that as a Yankees coach, he helped the Yankees win four World Series.

WHITFIELD: That is a home run story.

LISOVICZ: Yes. He is a sinker ball specialist. You guys know what that is?

LEMON: A sinker ball?

WHITFIELD: No, I don't.

LEMON: I do, but I can't recall.

LISOVICZ: It's a fast ball that sinks at the plate. It's sunk a lot of batters apparently.

LEMON: I didn't know, I was making it up. I had no idea.

WHITFIELD: OK, well now we know. I like that little baseball trivia.

LISOVICZ: I just found out myself. So you know I am -- let me just tell you that. Here on Wall Street, you know its bulls versus the bears and we had a very nice rally by the bulls. It gained speed as the session neared the end, despite the fact that oil rose nearly two bucks today. And we got some retail warnings from folks like Wal- Mart. (INAUDIBLE) Wal-Mart says it's going to be tough. Anyway, a nice closing bell. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Mel Stottlemyre ringing the closing bell and we got a nice rally for the three major averages. Now it's time for "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer.

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