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NIU Shooter Information; Huge Meat Recall; Wooing the Hispanic Vote; Post-Bhutto Pakistan

Aired February 17, 2008 - 22:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, HOST (voice over): He went on a murder, a shooting spree at Northern Illinois University and she was his girlfriend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA BATY, GUNMAN'S GIRLFRIEND: The person that knew was not the one that walked in to Cole Hall and did that. I mean, that wasn't the Steve I knew. He was anything but a monster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: What insight can she give us into the mind of a killer?

He is the most sought after endorsement going into the Democratic presidential race. Today, a sit-down between Barack Obama and John Edwards, we'll tell you if anything came of it.

He is an American citizen but he was treated like an outsider.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That I was born here and treated me as -- like a criminal, like I murdered somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Citizens being treated like illegal immigrants, the unique case of Hispanic harassment.

And it's the nation's largest ever beef recall. We'll tell you what you need to know to keep the bad meat off your table. You're on the CNN NEWSROOM.

(on camera): And good evening, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. We have a lot to get to this hour.

But first: This just in to CNN. Nancy Reagan is in a California hospital tonight. The Reagan Foundation said that the 86-year-old former first lady fell in her Bel Air home. She did not, did not break her hip, as was feared. But will stay overnight at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica as a precaution. Her spokeswoman says, Reagan is doing well and is even joking in her hospital room. We will keep you updated on this story.

Food recall: Check your fridge. Check your freezer. It is beef and lots of it -- 140 million plus tons of it, declared unfit for human consumption and being pulled from store shelves as we speak. Nobody's gotten sick and it's a totally voluntary recall on the part of the slaughter house that sent the meat into the food supplier (ph). It's a story not only with health implications but we have to tell you, there are some images of animal treatment here that are pretty painful to watch. We need details and CNN's Judy Echavez is in Chino, California tonight. Judy?

JUDY ECHAVEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CHINO, CALIF: Tony, earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered this meat packing plant to shut its doors after a video surfaced of sick cattle and now the California facility is facing the largest beef recall in U.S. history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ECHAVEZ (voice over): This disturbing video shot by an undercover Humane Society investigator tells a frightening story. The Humane Society says that shows workers at this Chino, California meat packing plant of using what are called downer cows, cattle no longer able to stand. Cows not supposed to be slaughtered for their meat.

MICHAIL MARKARIAN, EXEC. V.P., U.S. HUMANE SOCIETY: The slaughter plant workers would kick them, jab them in the eye, brim (ph) them with the blades of a forklift and do anything they could to try to get these poor creatures to stand up so they could put them into the kill box.

ECHAVEZ: The Agricultural Department says, the cattle were being processed for human consumption, a huge concern for USDA food safety inspectors. Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing is pulling 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef. The company supplied beef to some fast food chains and the federal school lunch program in some states. The Secretary of Agriculture issued a statement saying, "I am dismayed at the inhuman handling of cattle that has resulted in the violation of food safety regulations at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company. This action is necessary because plant procedures violated USDA regulations.

MARKARIAN: Because these downer cattle are more likely to carry mad cow disease, salmonella, E. coli, there's a food safety risks as well an inhumane handling issue.

ECHAVEZ: The USDA says, it has found no cases of illness related to the meat and stress -- the risk to people is, quote, "Remote". Hallmark/Westland did not return CNN phone calls but on their Web site the company posted a statement: "I want to reassure our customers and consumers that are company has met the highest standards for harvesting and processing meat under the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ECHAVEZ: And the recall affects beef products dating back two years. Now, two former employees were charged with animal cruelty. This company has not been charged formerly with any crimes. The USDA is continuing to investigate. We're live from Chino. Tony, back to you. HARRIS: Boy, just some horrible pictures there, Judy Echavez for us in Chino, California. Judy, thank you.

So, exactly how concerned should we be about the recall? I spoke with a top USDA official. He says there's no need for alarm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. RICHARD RAYMOND, USDA UNDER SECRETARY (on the phone): Not to be alarmed. This is a class two recall as opposed to most recalls you read about are class one, which means there's a significant risk to health if that product is consumed. With a class two, based on everything we know about this product, we can say it is very remotely likely that there could be any illness from consuming this product.

HARRIS: So, this is not a case where we should just go through our freezer and start discarding beef?

RAYMOND: No, it is not. Not at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Last time, there was a meat recall even close to this large was nine years ago. But that was a more serious class one recall involving a known risk to humans.

Now to a still shock Northern Illinois where we learned a lot today about a man who committed a horrific act of violence on a college campus. Jessica Baty shown here in happier times was a live- in girlfriend of NIU shooter, Steven Kazmierczak, on the left of this photo. Today, Jessica spoke exclusively to CNN and shared with us her memories and her pain. Here's CNN's Special Investigation Unit correspondent, Abbie Boudreau.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA BATY, STEVEN KAZMIERCZAK'S GIRLFRIEND: You are the best Jessica. You've done so much for me, and I truly do love you. You will make an excellent psychologist or social worker someday. Don't forget about me. Love, Steven.

ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SIU CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Jessica Baty is reading the last words her boyfriend of two years wrote to her, a note that she got on Valentine's Day, the same day that Steven Kazmierczak killed five students and himself at Northern Illinois University. In a two-hour interview, Baty describes the man she thought she knew.

(on camera): Looking back, are there any warning signs?

BATY: The person that I knew was not the one that walked in to Cole Hall and did that. I mean, that wasn't the Steve I knew. He was anything but a monster. He was probably the nicest and most caring person ever.

BOUDREAU (voice over): She says he had a troubled childhood and spent time in a group home as a teenager, battling depression.

BATY: He did cut himself and, you know, he showed me those scars on his arms, I made him promise never to do that. And that if he was feeling bad, you know, that he needed to talk to me and we would, you know, get through it.

BOUDREAU: She says NIU officials were wrong when they said Kazmierczak was acting erratically after he stopped taking his medication.

BATY: It was Prozac.

BOUDREAU: That she says he used to battle anxiety and obsessive compulsive tendencies.

BATY: He was on medication and he did stopped taking it and he stopped taking it because he said it made him feel like a zombie and that he would just, you know, feels lazy. And that's why he stopped taking it. He didn't behave erratically.

BOUDREAU: They lived together for the past year and she says she knew he had guns in the home.

BATY: I knew about the shotgun and I knew about one of the handguns. I think I knew about the high point. But the other two he bought on a day while I was at work. So, I had no idea until I heard about it. And I was like, oh, my God, he did this while I was at work.

BOUDREAU: She describes the last time she talked to him, the night before the shooting. She thought he was visiting his godfather who was sick. She had no idea he was in Dekalb near the school campus.

BATY: I talked to him on Wednesday night, early Thursday morning, in about midnight. He called me before he was going to go to bed. And he said that, you know, he told me not to forget about him and he told me that he would see me tomorrow and then, when he got off the phone, he said, goodbye, Jessica, and he never said goodbye, Jessica. He always said, you know, see you later Jessie, it was never goodbye Jessica. I just thought that was strange.

BOUDREAU: I the days after the shooting, she says, police told her, they confiscated packages that Kazmierczak had sent to her. One contained these textbooks she wanted for school and a new cell phone. He also sent her "The Anti-Christ" by Nietzsche. Then she revealed what another package contained.

BATY: I think that there was a package with some ammunition and like a gun holster in it.

BOUDREAU: After all of this, she says she's not angry. She's just hurt and confused.

BATY: I can't believe he's gone. I can't believe he took other people with him. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Boy, Abbie Boudreau joins us now live and Abbie, I'm wondering, did Jessica say if Kazmierczak was getting any help for his problems?

BOUDREAU: Yes, she did say that he was seeing a psychiatrist on a regular basis. She says that she hopes that one day she'll be able to make sense out of all of this. But for right now, she feels completely lost. And you can see a lot more of this on CNN.com. Tony?

HARRIS: OK, Abbie. Appreciate it, thank you.

To politics now: Tuesday's presidential contest in Wisconsin, Washington State and Hawaii will be an intense battle for superdelegates on the Democratic side. Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama's nomination may depend on those delegates. They are high- ranking party officials who are not required to pledge to either candidate. Both are in Wisconsin, drawing (ph) up support. Obama leads in the overall delegate count but Clinton apparently has more superdelegates supporting her. Barack Obama hopes that his former rival will support him. John Edwards met with Obama today in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in hopes of earning his endorsement. CNN's Jessica Yellin is monitoring it all from Milwaukee ahead of Tuesday's primary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Barack Obama took a quiet Sunday to sit down with John and Elizabeth Edwards at their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. According to Obama campaign spokesman, Bill Burton, they talked about the state of the race and also the pressing issues facing American families.

But the subtext of this meeting is Obama's effort to get John Edwards' endorsement. Senator Hillary Clinton is also seeking Edwards' endorsement. She sat down with him earlier this month. And supporters of both Obama and Clinton we're told, have been on the phone with Edwards and his advisers urging him to go with one direction or the other. And John Edwards support would not simply sent his 26 delegates to one campaign or the other. It could also propel his key supporters, those blue collar voters who are so concerned about the economy to support one of these two remaining candidates and those blue color voters are a crucial voting bloc in some of the contests coming up in the next state.

All of this comes as Senator Obama and Clinton were forced to cancel events in Wisconsin, the next state to vote because of the wintry mix, the weather that has grounded planes and kept cars off the road. But they do plan to campaign vigorously in Wisconsin on Monday ahead of Tuesday's primary.

Jessica Yellin, CNN, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Boy, tornadoes ripped across the south tonight, damaging hundreds of homes and impacting even more lives. The residents of Prattville, Alabama are still numb this hour. That town just outside of Montgomery, especially hard hit by at least one twister. Take a look at these pictures. The crews have been searching through the tops of businesses and homes and debris for the injured.

At last count, at least 30 people hurt. Areas of Florida weren't spared either. Look at this. Many homes in Escambia County were damaged. Severe weather pummeled much of the nation's eastern half today and in the Midwest. Freezing rain, snow, flooding, a lot of severe weather to talk about, let's get you to the Severe Weather Center now and our Jacqui Jeras. Jacqui, good evening.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good evening, Tony. Yes, this is an incredibly busy late afternoon and evening. It's quieted (ph) down a little bit but the threat is still not over yet. We've had at least 30 reports of tornadoes touching down in three states and you can really see how these are lined up here and how the storms were traveling up to the north and to the east. Almost every one of these produced some type of damage and you mentioned, those injuries. So, it's been a very serious situation.

Now, the threat of tornadoes is still ongoing across parts of Georgia, and into the Big Bend area of Florida and we're concerned about some of these stronger cells here coming through the area that could cause some rotation. Now, there are no tornado warnings in effect as we speak, but look at some of these lines moving in across Georgia. Columbus has been getting some very heavy downpours. So, large hail and damaging winds are going to be a possibility.

And look at these storms in to the Gulf of Mexico moving towards the Panama City area also. Now, the northern tier of this system is really starting to wind down quite a bit and looks a lot better than it did earlier today. Check out these pictures from Des Moines, Iowa, you had record snowfall there today, a 5 1/2 inches. But the winds have been gusting between 20 and 40 miles per hour.

So, near zero visibility at times and that was really the story from central Iowa all the way through southwestern parts of Wisconsin where travel was just extremely hazardous. And Tony, even though the snow has stopped, the wind is still blowing. So, you may have some ground blizzard conditions even at times tonight.

HARRIS: Probably some delays tomorrow? What do you think?

JERAS: Probably.

HARRIS: Yes, about that much?

JERAS: Yes, quite a few. Stick around for flight tracker coming up later.

HARRIS: Absolutely. Thank you, Jacqui.

Polls open in Pakistan against the looming backdrop of violence. We will take you to a country in crisis.

Plus: Tough on illegal immigration but trying to court the Hispanic vote. That's the dilemma of the Republicans in this election season and for Democrats, your vote matters unless they ain't getting in a tie, then, it's up to the superdelegates. But just who are they and why are they super? We explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. It is already Monday morning in Pakistan. An important day, Election Day, important in that Pakistan's voters could dramatically alter the political current in one of America's major anti-terror allies. Sunday was prep day across Pakistan. Poll workers are preparing for long lines. And, unfortunately, bracing for more of what has marred the election season already. CNN's Reza Sayah joins us a short time ago out side one polling place.

And I apologize for the audio. We will fix it and get you back to Reza's report in just a couple of moments.

Don't forget, whoever is running Pakistan after this election has the Osama Bin Laden factor to deal with, the al Qaeda leaders and his followers are widely believed to be operating there somewhere, but for how much longer? Here's CNN's terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: This is al Qaeda country, the vast, remote and lawless west of Pakistan. It's near the birth place of al Qaeda and its most reliable safe haven. Safe from U.S. forces who can't operate freely here. Safe from the Pakistani military who's halting (ph) efforts to impose control have met with violent resistance. U.S. officials say, the leadership of both al Qaeda and its allies and the Taliban are based here, training terrorists to attack the west. The 2005 London bombers are trained in Pakistan. The plot to attack a U.S. base in Germany in 2007 hatched in Pakistan. Last year in Kabul, I met a man who was trained in Pakistan to kill westerners.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (interpreter): I wanted to attack the British and foreigners and Americans.

BERGEN (on camera): Do you regret not having succeeded?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I regret that Almighty God does not allow me to sacrifice myself.

BERGEN (voice over): But now the militants have turned their sights on Pakistan itself.

In 2006, there were a handful of suicide attacks inside Pakistan. In 2007, there were 60 against Pakistani policemen, military targets, government officials. The most dramatic attack, the assassination of Pakistan's most popular politician: Benazir Bhutto.

DANIEL MARKEY, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: This has been an unprecedented year of political violence within Pakistan. The country has never really seen anything like this. In previous years you would see sectarian violence, you would see threats to individual leaders, assassinations and so on. But suicide bombings like this, that's just something that's never been seen before.

BERGEN: Because of all that, al Qaeda may finally be wearing out its welcome.

KEN BALEN, POLLSTER: I was surprised by the dramatic drop. I mean, this is a big drop, to drop by half.

BERGEN: Ken Balen polls regularly on the Muslim world. His latest report on Pakistan is released this week.

BALEN: The last time we asked favorable ratings of Bin Laden in the northwest frontier province, he got 70 percent. Huge. It's 4 percent now, just 4 percent.

BERGEN: And that's where he's supposed to be living?

BALEN: That's, of course, where he's supposed to be hiding.

BERGEN: Balen says, if al Qaeda were on the ballot on the election on Monday, it would get just 1 percent of the vote, only 3 percent would vote for the Taliban. This sharp loss of public support together with the attacks on Pakistani authorities could give Pakistan's next government the mandate to finally put Pakistan's militants out of business. Peter Bergen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: So, once again, Monday morning in Pakistan. Certainly an important day it is: Election Day. CNN's Reza Sayah from a polling place just a short time ago.

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: Election day in Pakistan is finally here and much of the world is watching because this is going to be one of the most important election days in the history of Pakistan. The polls open at 8:00 a.m. local time here. We're at one of the polling stations of the federal capital of Islamabad -

HARRIS: All right. Let's get to a break and we'll get it together in a moment. My apologies.

And: They are here legally in the United States but are they being treated like second-class citizens?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That I was born here and treated me as -- like a criminal, like I murdered somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Is there a growing Hispanic harassment problem? We're uncovering America.

But next: They could override the will of Democratic voters across the country. What exactly are superdelegates? We take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. Superdelegates: They are governors and senators, congressmen and party leaders. Some famous, some not. All of them it seems are important especially to the Democrats and especially since neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton might get enough pledged delegates to win the nomination. Here's CNN's Frank Sesno.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK SESNO, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What if you were the kid who, like Willy Wonka, suddenly had all of the candy. You probably have a lot of new friends, kids who ignored you before but think you're cool now? What if the Democratic convention is like that, where the superdelegates are the cool kids, the ones with the candies, the votes that will decide the nominee? To get started, superdelegates are suddenly very popular, lots of attention, and e- mails, and phone calls. Madeleine Albright has been dialing for Hillary. Tom Dazz (ph) has been working the phones for Obama. Chelsea and Bill have been on the line.

NANCY LARSON, SUPERDELEGATE: They're all trying to say why they are electable and which would be a better president.

SESNO: What if you were going to the convention as a superdelegate? You might already be losing sleep over it.

SAM SPENCER, SUPERDELEGATE: I just feel uncomfortable with the idea that superdelegates could play a decisive role in the election.

SESNO: But if the primaries don't produce a clear winner, you'll have to decide. Will you go with your personal favorite, the candidate you think can win the White House or the person your district or state supports? And what if you're accused of overturning the will of the pledged delegates? You may be accused of tearing the party in two, maybe along racial or gender lines?

LARSON: They never anticipated that we would have two superstars locked in a dead heat. I'm home hoping did the decision gets made before we have to step in.

SESNO: You may already have had visions of the divisive '84 convention when superdelegates helped Mondale beat Hart. And Democrats know what happened after that. Remember, Willy Wonka, sometimes having the candy is no fun at all. Frank Sesno, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: A wheelchair, you would think they are in necessity but in Iraq they are a luxury. We look at a group trying to change that in our Impact Your World series. And the GOP is tough on illegal immigration. But that's not popular with the key constituent group. So, what is John McCain doing to woo the Hispanic vote?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: That was so staged. That was terrible.

All right. Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

Latino voters pulling away from the Republican Party and it's not just over the issue of immigration. It's not about Senator John McCain either. The GOP hopes he will be able to lure the Hispanic vote. So what is causing the rift? The answer is pretty complicated.

Here is CNN's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Senator John McCain's moderate views on immigration reform don't sit well with everyone in the Republican Party.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: On the issue of illegal immigration, a position which...

ZARRELLA: On the other hand, his party's hard line does not sit well with many Hispanics. It is not McCain they dislike, it's the party. Therein lies the dilemma says the Reverend Samuel Rodriguez.

REV. SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ, NATL. HISPANIC CHRISTIAN LEADER COALITION: Will Latinos be able to look at John McCain and say we're going to support the party because of you? And in spite of your party? That's the question that will be answered November 4th.

ZARRELLA: Rodriguez, a conservative as president of the National Hispanic Christian leadership conference.

RODRIGUEZ: Blessings. Take care. (Speaking in foreign language)

ZARRELLA: As president, Rodriguez, of Puerto Rican descent, has ties to 18,000 Latino evangelical churches. He is young and powerful and he is not happy. He calls immigration reform a debacle.

RODRIGUEZ: Who's responsible? The Republican National Party. Who will pay in the 2008 elections? The Republican National Party.

ZARRELLA: The party's tone has turned off many Hispanics, admits Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. But the Republican Cuban American from Miami believes McCain can bring them back.

REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R), FLORIDA: In John McCain, we have someone who can expand our base. President Bush, the father, President Bush the son did it. They got a good chunk. Ronald Reagan did as well, a good chunk of the Hispanic vote. But we've lost that now because of that nasty rhetoric.

ZARRELLA: But Hispanics need persuading on a whole range of issues and immigration is not always number one.

MARYTZA SANZ, LATINO LEADERSHIP: When you talk about issues about the health, the jobs, the issues that I have is the same issues that you have.

ZARRELLA: Puerto Rican born Marytza Sanz is a Democrat. She's founder of Latino Leadership in Orlando, which registers Hispanics to vote.

SANZ: I think that it's more than the immigration situation. Right now our community is desperate with the economy.

ZARRELLA: And that may not help McCain.

Connie Morales is from Columbia. She was raised in New York. Orlando is home now. Morales has always voted Republican. Not this time. The economy, not immigration, turned her away. In fact, she doesn't have much sympathy for illegal immigrants.

CONNIE MORALES, SWITCHING PARTIES: We don't do much because we, we have a hard time trying to get here. We have to get in line. We have to get the papers. We have to get visas.

ZARRELLA: The message from Hispanics to John McCain, we are like other Americans. One size does not fit all.

John Zarrella, CNN, Orlando, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: OK. Here's another part of the equation. John McCain is a senator from Arizona. Plenty of Latino voters there. He's represented them for years, yet what are the chances the GOP can lure the Latino vote in this election when Democrats are fighting tooth and nail for it.

Bring in the political bloggers now. On to the left, Marisa Trevino from Latina Lista Blog and, on the right, Amanda Carpenter from Townhall.com.

And ladies, we have got a lot of ground -- good evening, ladies.

AMANDA CARPENTER, TOWNHALL.COM: Good evening.

MARISA TREVINO, LATINA LISTA BLOG: Good evening.

HARRIS: Well, Amanda, let me start with you. Can John McCain -- look, can he win Hispanic votes in November?

CARPENTER: Sure. He already has. I mean look at the constituencies that he's won in Florida. There's a lot of people in the Hispanic community that respect the stand that he took on immigration. I mean the way that John McCain has been winning Republican voters has been moderate independents, not the hard-line conservatives that, you know, were offended on his work on immigration bills. So you know, why not? I think a lot of the Hispanic communities, their national constituents in Republican Party, they are family oriented, Catholic, hardworking. They're, you know, (INAUDIBLE) probably Republican.

HARRIS: Marisa, what do you think of this? Do you buy that?

TREVINO: No. The ones that he's already...

HARRIS: You don't?

TREVINO: I don't buy it, because the ones he's already won are the ones that have been Republican all along. You're going into Texas and Ohio and even with Nevada and Arizona, Mexican-Americans and Latinos in general are going Democrat. And for a lot of the people that I talk to, that the Republicans are in this race is a formality. You know?

HARRIS: Yes.

TREVINO: We -- the race is between Obama and Clinton for us.

HARRIS: Yes. I've got to ask you, Amanda, how tough has it been? How much damage has been done from the Republican Party rhetoric on illegal immigration?

CARPENTER: Well, you know, I think there's kind of this myth that, you know, the Republican Party is somehow not sympathetic to Hispanic needs or something like that, because we don't play certain kind of music or wear certain kind of shirts, had the right campaign rally.

HARRIS: OK.

CARPENTER: I mean the message of the Republican Party is you come here, you work hard, you live the American dream, and if you play by the rules, you get ahead. I think there's a lot of Hispanics and even in the illegal community that, you know, believe in the American dream, that, you know, do want to make this kind of stuff happen and will come around to the party.

But right now there's, you know, a lot of momentum on the Democratic side that it's hard to beat.

HARRIS: Yes.

CARPENTER: You know, it has to do with the war, the economy. It's just a tough climate for Republicans. I don't think it's because of, you know, identity politics.

HARRIS: Yes. Marisa, let's talk about the Democrats for a moment. Is Barack Obama the man for -- well, you know, we say Hispanic vote says -- Hispanics' vote as a monolith, but what do you think of what is happening now in momentum seemingly with Hispanics for Obama? TREVINO: The polls that I saw today show that Clinton is edging out Obama, not by a wide margin. But she is winning. But...

HARRIS: But it used to be wide margin, didn't it? There was a margin there.

TREVINO: There was. There used to be. But he has gained momentum. He's gained momentum with the Latino youth. And that speaks volumes. We are a very young demographic. And when he can reach out to our youth and inspire them and touch them the way he has, then the elections up for grabs between the nomination between the two of them that...

HARRIS: Hey, Amanda, I've got to ask you -- let me jump to Amanda on this one, because, Amanda, boy, from the writing, you're taking a look at the dynamics here on the left. And what do you think of the last few weeks, the run that Obama has been on and if you're taking about the Hispanic vote, the Latino vote, certainly what happened in the Potomac primaries.

CARPENTER: Sure. Well, I think of the gains that Obama has made in the Hispanic community has a lot to do with the labor endorsements that he's locked up. You know, the last segment, you talked about a lot of the Latinos that were coming over to Democrats for economic reasons and I think the labor unions are, you know, a big part of that. They're the ones who watch as, you know, kind of power centers even for the super delegates this election.

Obama got the culinary workers in Nevada, even though Clinton took the state. He just got the SCIU down in Texas. It's going to help him. And, you know, on your network next week, you're going to have that big debate...

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

CARPENTER: ...coming on Univision that I think, you know, if Obama has a good performance there, that could really help him take...

HARRIS: Well, Amanda, thank you for the plug. We always appreciate that. I'm curious, Amanda, endorsements. You know, we've gone back and forth on this one. Endorsements could mean a lot, maybe they don't mean as much as we think. Daddy Bush tomorrow, Bush, 41, HW Bush in Texas tomorrow for John McCain. What do you make of it? Is this one a big deal?

CARPENTER: Well, you know, it's kind of to be expected at one time or another. But you know, right now the polling says that John McCain only has 47 percent over Huckabee's 41 percent. So he needed some kind of big Texas help from the former President Bush. So maybe he'll help him in Texas, but I do think in a bigger picture it could tie into part of the old and, you know, he's just not going to represent change. So hopefully it will have a short-term impact and people will forget it later.

HARRIS: And Marisa, how are you looking at -- boy, March 4th, we're looking at Texas and Ohio. Is Hillary Clinton still very much in this, in your mind?

TREVINO: Yes. Yes. She's still very much in it. Whether or not she'll win the nomination, we don't know. It's very, very close.

HARRIS: Wait, wait, wait, wait. On this program, we asked for your thoughts and opinions. What do you think? I got to tell you something. It seems to me that the pundit class is so negative against Hillary Clinton at this point, all you needed to do was watch "Meet the Press" this morning. But are your thoughts? What will she do on March 4th with respect to Texas and Ohio?

TREVINO: I think she may possibly win Texas. Today there was a split in the Mexican-American Democrats endorsement. Mexican-American -- Tejanos, Mexican-American, I think, or something like that, I can't remember exactly, the Tejanos, they've endorsed Clinton and Mexican- Americans have endorsed Obama.

But, I mean, I wish I could say yes, definitively that she's going to win by a wide margin.

HARRIS: Yes.

TREVINO: But it's going to be extremely close to the point where people are talking about it. They don't know if it's going to make that much of a difference with the super delegates.

HARRIS: Yes, and Amanda, let me give you -- I should wrap it. But let me give you the last thought on this. What do you think about my comment about the pundit class and being so negative?

CARPENTER: Well, it's always fun to have, you know, somebody to root against and someone to root for us.

HARRIS: OK.

CARPENTER: That you'll always going to have that division. But I do really think that debate next weekend is going to have a lot of impact. Like I said before, you know it's going to be replayed on Univision. That's debate is going to be on the 27th. The primary is on the 4th. That's a whole span of four days for us...

HARRIS: Yes.

CARPENTER: ...to talk about Obama versus Hillary.

HARRIS: That's...

CARPENTER: If she goes negative on him, it could really backfire.

HARRIS: Well, Amanda, what do you think? Marisa's first time? She did all right, huh?

CARPENTER: I think she did great.

HARRIS: She did OK. All right. We'll have her back. Good to see you both. Thanks for your time this evening.

CARPENTER: Thank you.

TREVINO: Thank you.

HARRIS: And still to come tonight, Hispanic Americans made to feel like outsiders in their own country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISRAEL CORREA, U.S. CITIZEN: I was like banging on the windows and there was this tensed officer coming, I say, "Ma'am, I'm a U.S citizen." And she goes, "Whatever." And shut the door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Hispanic harassment in the United States. Many say it's a growing problem. We'll take a closer look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: CNN is uncovering America, revealing the underreported stories of people in our changing nation in the crackdown on the illegal immigrants. We're looking tonight at whether innocent people are getting caught in the middle, namely, Hispanic Americans.

CNN's Chris Lawrence reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT ((voice over): This man says he discovered a blurry line between legal status and being Latino after he was handcuffed, tossed in jail, and detained for 13 hours.

CORREA: I was like banging on the windows and there was this officer coming I said, "Ma'am, I'm a U.S. citizen." And she goes, "Whatever." And shut the door.

LAWRENCE: Israel Correa can't believe it can happen in America to an American.

CORREA: Sad that I was born here and they treated me as like a criminal, like I murdered somebody.

LAWRENCE: Mexican president Felipe Calderon accuses some Americans of hostility towards Mexicans. While visiting the U.S. this week, Calderon told Mexican-Americans, quote, "We are here with you."

PRES. FELIPE CALDERON, MEXICO (through translator): Particularly during the difficult times you are facing of misunderstanding, harassment and over discrimination.

LAWRENCE: U.S. authorities have cracked down on illegal immigration, deporting nearly 200,000 illegal immigrants last year. At the same time, hostility towards Latinos has increased. The FBI says 63 percent of racially-motivated hate crimes are committed against Hispanics more than any other group.

Correa was pulled over last month in Phoenix for driving without headlights. The sheriff's department says it arrested and questioned him because Correa initially failed to produce a driver's license and registration.

CORREA: Where were you born at? And I said I was born here in the U.S. Why? Well, why do you have an accent? An accent? I said this is the way I speak.

LAWRENCE: Correa was held for an immigration check even after he handed over his license and told police his Social Security number. Authorities say they needed time to verify his identity.

CORREA: He goes, you have INS Hold on you, and I said, but I told you guys I was a U.S. citizen. He goes, yes, yes, that's what everyone says, and they put me with all the immigrants waiting for ICE to come and get them.

LAWRENCE: Correa says he and some other Latinos now carry birth certificates and passports with them out of fear.

(On camera): So you were born right here in Phoenix.

CORREA: I was -- right here, born in Phoenix.

LAWRENCE: Not only that, I mean, according to this, your mom was born in Texas.

CORREA: In Texas. Yes.

LAWRENCE (voice over): A second generation American jailed less than five miles from the hospital where he was born.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Phoenix.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Disabled children in Iraq without wheelchairs. Now one group is trying to change that. We'll tell you how they are impacting your world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A chance for a better life for many disabled Iraqi children. A chance to be more independent. A chance to move around their -- on their own, all thanks to a campaign started by one man.

Here's CNN's Arwa Damon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): All these parents know is hardship. None of their children can walk. They've been carried their entire lives. But that is about to change. Largely thanks to the efforts of this man, Brad Blauser, founder of Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids.

BRAD BLAUSER, WHEELCHAIRS FOR IRAQI KIDS: The wheelchairs keep the children off of the ground and in a city like Baghdad, it's a very important thing concerning health, health matters. It will actually help extend the life of the child because the child is in a more comfortable environment.

DAMON: These disabled Iraqi kids get a shot at a better life, thanks to Blauser, with help from the U.S. military and a group started by Samira Al-Ali, which finds the children, children like 5- year-old (INAUDIBLE).

"Whenever she tries to walks, she just falls," her father Ayed(ph) says. "the other kids would laugh at her." He's not sure what's wrong with her. Doctors in Iraq simply said they couldn't help. But hopefully this will. A chair that adjusts to grow with her.

Khaled can barely talk when we ask about his kids. Doctors told him all three kids have varying degrees of polio. Seven-year-old Mariam can barely move.

They simply don't know what to do other than love their children.

"There are no programs here to teach the families how to deal with their children's disabilities," Samira explains. "There's no support system." Blauser started Wheelchairs for Kids in 2005. He's a civilian contractor here and was in Mosul and asked a combat medic friend what he more could do.

BLAUSER: He surprised me with his answer. He said we're looking for pediatric for wheelchairs. We have so many children out in the city disabled. For one who can get around, they're following their friends, dragging themselves on the ground. It's just heartbreaking to see.

DAMON: Blauser took up the challenge, partnering with the group Reach Out and Care and using donations to buy the chairs for about $300 each, delivering nearly 250 so far. He shows us one of his favorite photos taken during a delivery in northern Iraq.

BLAUSER: Watched him come toward us. And people ran forward to take the boy from the man's arms. And then pulled back and told him no. He's been carrying this child all his life. I can carry him the last 100 meters so he can receive his wheelchair.

DAMON: Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And you can help make a difference in someone's life, too. Just log on to "Impact Your World" at CNN.com and find out how you can help. You can also see more of our "Impact Your World" stories.

You know, politics is serious business most of the time. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (Singing): People, people who need people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Really? Look, I'm not sure he can carry a tune but he does at least have a sense of humor. Let's lighten it up next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Boy, let's talk about heavy rain and high winds, not a good combination when it comes to your flight taking off on time. You see the camera moving in. You know what that means. Jacqui Jeras is here with the latest flight tracker info.

Hey, Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: The cool factor. The presidential candidates are chasing it and as you're about to see, it's a real song and dance.

Here's CNN's Josh Levs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You think you know the candidates? You may be surprised.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary takes the stage and the crowd goes nuts.

LEVS: Maybe some things are better not known.

Sure the candidates battle it out over Iraq and the economy, but they are also vying for the cool factor, even if no one can match the Hollywood power of Obama fans' "Yes We Can" video.

The Clinton camp takes a self-deprecating humor track.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dude, Hillary just quit the band.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was like, why? He goes, Hillary is running for president.

LEVS: Translation: she may not be a rock star on stage but her platform is presidential. Not to be outdone on reaching folks with the issues, Obama is putting his money where your mouth is.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hi, everybody. This is Barack Obama. We can have universal health care in this country. We can do that.

LEVS: Every time your phone rings? All right.

Mike Huckabee, meanwhile, is reminding you the mechanics of the nominating process aren't always as they appear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But until the race has run its course, who can say there won't be one last twist? (INAUDIBLE).

LEVS: The message, Huckabee keeps on rolling, though John McCain says...

MCCAIN (Singing): Nobody but nobody is going to rain on my parade.

LEVS: McCain's campaign Web sit post his 2002 appearance singing on "Saturday Night Live" bashing a liberal icon who just happens to be endorsing Clinton this year.

MCCAIN (Singing): Memories, like the corners of my mind...

LEVS: Hey, right now they all want your votes, meaning all four of them are...

MCCAIN (Singing): People, people who need people.

LEVS: Josh Levs, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. The "CNN's SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT: CRIMINALLY INSANE" is next.

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