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Independent Truck Drivers Could Strike; On the Road: Obama and Clinton in Pennsylvania; John McCain Speaks at His High School Alma Mater

Aired April 01, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on this Tuesday, April 1st. Here is what's on the rundown.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, a gunman opens fire at an office in North Carolina, and there are fatalities.

HARRIS: Three weeks from today the Pennsylvania primary. Obama and Clinton stumping there this hour and speaking live in the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Autistic children eventually become autistic adults. We are going to show you one man's journey -- in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And at the top this hour we are following a triple shooting at a North Carolina workplace. Police tell affiliate WRAL a man shot two women at a temporary staffing agency this morning, killing one of them. He then shot and killed himself.

It happened in Louisburg, about an hour north of Raleigh. No word yet on a motive.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, the nation's economy under the microscope and in the headlines today, and it's fueling new concerns.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are set to grill top executives of the oil industry. Specifically, why are they entitled to massive tax breaks when they are raking in record profits?

And driving home the cost of those sky-high fuel prices, a possible strike by independent truckers. They could park their rigs and then choke off deliveries to your neighborhood stores.

So we're going to go on the road to find out more about that.

And also we want to tell you about this, because there are mixed signals this morning on the health of the economy. Last hour, we learned that construction spending is down as homebuilding in the U.S. falls for the 24th straight month.

Now, on the other hand, manufacturing actually rose, and analysts had expected a decline in that area.

HARRIS: So, off the road and on message, the nation's half- million independent truckers.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has been talking to drivers.

You know what, Ed? I'm sort of curious, how has this protest actually been organized here?

DD LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's kind of interesting. It's really been basically word of mouth. And a gentleman out of Missouri started up on an Internet page, and it's kind of spread out since then.

There is really no kind of organizing push behind all of this. You know, clearly, any time you talk to a truck driver, no matter where we have been, they say it's not a happy time to be a truck driver. And they are hoping that what some of these truck drivers might be doing this week will help bring the message and bring a -- put the spotlight on the troubles they are facing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice over): Word of an independent truck strike is rumbling across the country's highways.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I turn the key off, we're done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to show some solidarity.

LAVANDERA: There are about 500,000 independent drivers nationwide, but it's hard to say how many drivers will actually join in this loosely-organized shutdown and turn off their engines for a whole week.

RON JONES, TRUCK DRIVER: If we shut down for five days, six days, we are making a statement that we are not going to put up with the prices like that unless our pay starts to increase.

LAVANDERA: Filling the gas tanks of a big rig can cost as much $1,000, about $300 more than it cost last year. That's having a devastating impact on the independent drivers like Ted Gennick. Most drivers aren't reimbursed for their rising fuel bills, so they eat the extra cost.

(on camera): Is it harder for the independent guys to kind of stay afloat?

TED GENNICK, INDEPENDENT TRUCK DRIVER: It is because we don't have the purchasing power. So we're not able to get the discounts that the large carriers get from both fuel resellers, maintenance and repairs, tires. We are paying premium dollar for those.

LAVANDERA (voice over): And at gas stations where the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel has passed $4, the owner of this popular trucker pit stop in Dallas says he has seen grown men brought to tears.

JOHN BENDA, GAS STATION OWNER: We're in for hard time in the next few months. It really is now affecting people and changing their lives and their lifestyles. And we'll see it over the next few months. .

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: Hey, Tony, check out this graphic here. It shows you just how intense the pressure has been on these truck drivers. The average price of a gallon of diesel fuel right now, according to AAA, is about $4.02 a gallon nationwide. Last month it was $3.67. And if you go back this time last year, it was $2.83.

So it has been shooting upwards rapidly, too rapidly for many of these truck drivers, they say.

HARRIS: And Ed, what's the idea here? You can either stay at home, park your rig, or maybe just do a slow crawl on the highway. Is that part of the plan here?

LAVANDERA: Well, we have heard some reports that some of these big convoys were expected to do that.

HARRIS: Yes.

LAVANDERA: Actually, in Georgia later on this week.

HARRIS: That's right. That's right.

LAVANDERA: So there's a different kind of approaches that some people are taking. But you know, the biggest associations that represent a lot of these independent truck drivers -- because the trucking companies aren't participating in this, so it falls on the shoulders of the independent guys.

HARRIS: Yes.

LAVANDERA: Whether or not they do this is up to them. But you know, they are the ones that pay the heaviest price, because if they're not driving they're not making money.

HARRIS: Good point.

All right. Ed Lavandera for us this morning.

Ed, appreciate it. Thank you.

And you know we're keeping a close eye on the oil markets this hour. Prices are down again after yesterday's big drop of $4 a barrel. Today's futures even dipping below $100.

Let's take a live look now at trading. It shows the price for a barrel right now standing at $100 a barrel.

All right. It is worth noting experts can't agree on where prices are actually heading next.

And this reminder -- is that the New York Mercantile Exchange that we're looking at now? Ah, beautiful. All right. Get a shot here.

Oil company execs will be on Capitol Hill next hour to face a grilling from lawmakers. One contentious issue, whether they deserve to keep -- and Betty mentioned this just a moment ago -- whether they deserve to keep massive tax breaks while raking in record profits.

NGUYEN: In politics, Obama and Clinton, they are crossing paths today as they crisscross Pennsylvania.

CNN's Dan Lothian is with the Election Express in Philadelphia.

So, Dan, what are the candidates talking about today?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, again, Betty, it will be the economy, focusing on the economy, and certainly in this state, where some people have been hard hit by the economic downturn. Senator Clinton and Barack Obama really reaching out to those working class voters here.

Now, one thing that's been interesting over the last couple of days is that we have seen Senator Obama and Senator Clinton not spending so much time really going after each other, but rather focusing on going after the Bush administration and Senator John McCain, talking about how the Bush administration did not do enough to head off this economic crisis, and then focus directly on Senator John McCain. In her speech today to the AFL-CIO here in Philadelphia, she will talk about how Senator John McCain's economic plan does not do enough to help hurting American families. And then she will contrast that with her experience and talk about how when that phone call comes in the middle of the night with an economic crisis, that she is best suited to handle that call -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes. And she's also talking about these other calls, as we've heard, for her to quit. How is that being I guess talked about by Senator Clinton? How is she responding to that?

LOTHIAN: Well, I guess in one word, no. She's saying that she will not quit this race. In fact, she's almost flipping it and using it to her advantage, sending out a fund-raising letter, essentially equating these calls for her to get out of the race with, you know, "If they're calling for me to get out of the race, they're saying that your vote doesn't count." Essentially, they're suppressing your vote. So she's using this as a way to energize voters to support her.

And in her speech today here in Philadelphia, what she'll talk about is -- I'm standing in front of the art museum, by the way, made famous by "Rocky" and the "Rocky" movies. She'll compare herself to Rocky in that speech and say, "Rocky and I have a lot in common. He didn't give up," and she says, "Neither will I."

NGUYEN: So does that mean she's going to be running up those steps that we see behind you?

LOTHIAN: That will be interesting. That would be good.

NGUYEN: Cue the music. LOTHIAN: That would go along with her story, certainly.

NGUYEN: All right, Dan.

LOTHIAN: Taking advantage of "Rocky."

NGUYEN: All right. Well, maybe you can run up those steps in the interim. Get a little exercise while you're in town. You know? It's historic.

Thanks, Dan.

LOTHIAN: Right.

HARRIS: And Republican John McCain -- Senator McCain, the party's presumptive nominee for president, is in Alexandria, Virginia, today, giving a talk to his high school as part of his cross-country tour to reintroduce himself to America.

Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Every child in America should be blessed with a teacher like I had, and to learn at institutions with high academic standards and codes of conduct that reinforce the values their parents tried to impart to them. Many students, including here, do have that opportunity, but sadly, many do not. Too many. And government should be concerned with their faith.

I supported the No Child Left Behind Act because it recognizes that we can no longer accept high standards for some students and low standards for others. With honest reporting of student progress, we begin to see what is happening to students who were previously invisible to us. That is progress on its own, but we can and we must do better.

If a failing school won't change, it shouldn't be beyond the reach of students to change their schools. Parents should be able to send their children to the school that best suits their needs just as Cindy and I have been able to do, whether it's a public, private or parochial school. The result will not be the demise of the public school system in America, but competition, competition that will help make public schools accountable and as successful as they should be in a country as great and prosperous as ours.

Teaching is among the most honorable professions any American can join. After our parents, very few people influence our early life as profoundly as our teachers. Theirs is an underpaid profession dedicated to the service of others which offers little in the way of rewards that much of popular culture encourages us to crave -- wealth and celebrity. But though it might lack much in the way of creature comforts and renown, teaching offers a reward far more valuable -- the profound satisfaction that comes from knowing you have made a difference for the better in someone else's life. Good teachers occupy a place in our memory that accords them a reverence that we give to few others. We should be wise enough. We should be wise enough to understand that those who work diligently and lovingly to educate the children we entrust in their care deserve the gratitude and support many of us wish we had given those of our own teachers who once made such a difference in our own lives. We should reward the best of them with merit pay and encourage teachers who have lost their focus on the children they teach to find another line of work.

Schools should compete to be innovative, flexible, and student- centered institutions. Not safe havens for the uninspired and the unaccountable.

They should be able to compete for dedicated, effective, character-building teachers. Hire them and reward them. I believe that we should encourage military veterans to enter the teaching profession, and I've advocated the Troops to Teachers Act. The sense of heightened responsibility and duty to a cause greater than themselves that veterans were taught in the discipline and the code of conduct of the armed forces make many of them excellent candidates to impart those virtues to our children and help them see the value of learning as a means to self-improvement and much nobler ends.

There is no reason on earth that this great country should not possess the best education system in the world. We have let fear of uncertainty and a view that education's primary purpose is to protect jobs for teachers and administrators to grade our sense of the possible in America. There is no excuse for it.

In the global economy, what you learn is what you earn. But today's studies show -- studies show that half of Hispanics and half of African-Americans entering high school do not graduate with their class. By the 12th grade, U.S. students in math and science score near the bottom of hall industrialized nations.

That is unacceptable. We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice, remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward superior teachers, and have a fair but sure process to weed out incompetence.

Speaking personally, I doubt I will ever meet another person who had the impact on my life that my teacher at Episcopal High School did. But I know there are many Americans, many Americans who should teach and could influence children as beneficially as he did me.

All children should have a teacher like I had, who they remember when they have children and grandchildren as one of the most fortunate relationships of their lives. I have never forgotten the confidence of Mr. Abnel's (ph) praise and trust he gave me, nor have I forgotten the man who praised me many years later when I came home from Vietnam. Mr. Abnel (ph) was the only person outside of my family who I wanted to see urgently.

I felt he was someone to whom I could explain what had happened to me, and who would understand. That is high tribute to Mr. Abnel (ph), for I have never known a prisoner of war who felt he could fully explain the experience to anyone who had not shared it.

I regret I was never able to pay him that tribute. He had died of a heart attack two years before I came home.

He lived for only 53 years. But in that time, he had made a life for himself and so many others that was so much greater than the brief moment of life he was allowed.

His death was a great loss to his family, friends, Episcopal, to the students he had taught with such devotion, and to everyone who had been blessed with his company. A loss I still find difficult to accept. But because he helped teach me to be a man and to believe in the possibility that we are not captive to the worst parts of our nature, I will always believe that there's a Mr. Abnel (ph) somewhere for every child who needs him.

Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: And there you have it. Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, at his old high school there, Episcopal High School. That's in Alexandria, Virginia -- talking about education. And what is described as a town hall meeting, that portion of the program will get started any moment now.

Democratic Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are speaking to voters in Pennsylvania throughout the day. Both have events scheduled. In this hour we hope to bring a portion of both of those events to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Just another reminder. If you would like to continue to watch the McCain event, let us push you gently to CNN.com and you can see it live, in real time.

The Pennsylvania primary is in three weeks. That's three weeks from today.

NGUYEN: Butting heads with Russia. President Bush in Europe this morning, pushing for a bigger NATO.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Arriving just moments ago in Romania -- hey there, Tony.

HARRIS: Hi.

NGUYEN: ... ahead of Thursday's NATO summit, now the commitment of member nations in Afghanistan is sure to be a focus.

CNN's Robin Oakley has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR (voice over): NATO's role in leading the international security assistance force in Afghanistan, where its 26 nations have over 42,000 troops, has sharply divided the alliance. Defense experts acknowledge that lawmakers and voters in some nations wonder whether NATO, founded as a Europe-based defensive force, should be roving the world as a counterterrorist policeman.

MICHAEL WILLIAMS, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INST.: The political situation surrounding NATO's involvement in 2003 was never resolved. It was a bit of, let's go to Afghanistan because the Americans are angry about Iraq, and they didn't really address the hard questions.

OAKLEY: Politicians agree the role has changed.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a different fight than NATO was structured to do.

OAKLEY: Now, with the going getting harder, and with NATO chiefs begging for more soldiers, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates complains of a two-tier alliance. Those who've made big contributions complain about those who do less.

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We have 15 percent of the troops in Afghanistan. Other countries, including Spain and France, have made announcements to add to the troops in Afghanistan. But we need a proper burden-sharing.

OAKLEY: The growing (INAUDIBLE) aren't just about who provides the troops or pays the bill. They are about risk sharing, too. Some countries have insisted on so-called caveats, keeping their troops out of the tough fighting in southern Afghanistan, to the dismay of NATO commanders on the ground.

VICE MARSHAL JOCK STIRRUP, CHIEF OF BRITAIN'S DEFENSE STAFF: These are all sovereign nations, so they can all choose what they do and they don't do. What I would say is that it's extremely unhelpful. Militarily, it hinders the commander's ability, it hinders the commander's flexibility, and flexibility is a key requirement in any military operation, most particularly this kind of complex counterinsurgency.

OAKLEY: The Canadians, in fact, are so concerned, they've warned they will pull out from dangerous southern Afghanistan unless others are prepared to put more troops there.

So, not only does the Bucharest Summit have to forge agreement on what NATO's 21st century role should be, it needs all 26 members stepping up to the plate in support.

LINDA GILROY, U.K. PARLIAMENT DEFENSE COMMITTEE: If that doesn't happen, then, yes, I think there is a danger that the United States will increasingly look to simple coalitions of the willing rather than to developing NATO.

OAKLEY: The alliance meeting in Bucharest is one with its future on the line.

(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: And CNN European political editor Robin Oakley is live in Bucharest, Romania, this morning. He joins us now.

This is the site of this week's NATO summit. And Robin, President Bush said in Kiev that he will be pressing for Ukraine and Georgia to start on this road to NATO membership.

Does it look like he might get that wish?

OAKLEY: Well, I don't think he's going to get it here in Bucharest, Betty, because all 26 nations in NATO have to agree to a policy. And not only is Russia vigorously fighting any idea of its former Soviet -- the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Georgia being allowed into NATO, there are a number of other NATO members who feel that it would be wrong for the state of power play across the whole of Europe if that were to happen.

Francois Fillon, the French prime minister, has today said France is against the idea. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has said she opposes Ukraine and Georgia coming in to NATO.

So, I don't think President Bush is going to get his way here, but he said he's going to continue that argument. And what those on his side of the argument are saying is that Russia must not be allowed a veto over who becomes a member of NATO -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Very interesting. All right. Robin Oakley joining us live today from Romania.

Thank you, Robin.

HARRIS: And still to come, hurricane victims given toxic trailers to live in. Did health officials know? The whistleblowers speaking now on Capitol Hill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(INSERT 11:30)

CLINTON: Rocky and I have a lot in common -- I never quit, I never give up, and I know that we are going to make it together, not just up those stairs, but we are going to climb that mountain to a better day for America. We have so much work to do. And we won't get there if we quit, or we walk away. We'll get there by staying and fighting and standing up for when we believe in. But I don't need to tell any of you this. No one knows better than organized labor how important it is to have a fighter on your side. When you send someone to the bargaining table you need the strongest, toughest, most determined person you've got. Not someone that is just going to talk about problems, but someone who will roll up her sleeves and get the job done for you.

(APPLAUSE)

A president who gets up every day and asks, what am I going to do for the American people today/ What am going to do to make sure you've got good jobs that can be outsourced? What am I going to do to make sure we have trade agreements that are pro-American and pro- workers, and make sure that we can compete with anybody, anywhere, any time?

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Hillary Clinton right now in Philadelphia, reminding everyone of the film "Rocky," reminding the audience that Rocky never gave up and neither will she. Even amid from some of Barack Obama's supporters that maybe it is time to end the race. Hillary Clinton talking about tax breaks to big corporations and asking for some relief for working America.

If you'd like to see more of the speech, you can go to CNN.com right now. CNN.com is streaming this speech live for you. Just head on over to CNN.com and you can watch more of this event in Philadelphia with Hillary Clinton.

We are standing by for an event from Barack Obama. Illinois Senator Barack Obama is speaking in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. When that event gets under way we will bring a portion of that event to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: Our money team has you covered, whether it is jobs, debt, housing or savings. Join us for a special report. How good has this been over the last couple of weeks? It is called "ISSUE #1," the economy, and it comes your way at the top of the hour.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: "Autism, Unraveling the Mystery." The disorder, our focus this week. You know, one of the hardest things for a parent is imagining the adult life of an autistic child.

We can't provide a crystal ball, but our Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us one autistic adult who is doing pretty well on his own.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forty-two-year-old Bob Esposito is on his way to work.

BOB ESPOSITO, ADULT WITH AUTISM: Hi, how are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fine, how are you?

ESPOSITO: I'm doing good.

GUPTA: Bob works at the College of New Jersey. His day starts off with instructions from a supervisor.

TOM HASTY, BOB'S SUPERVISOR: What I want you to do is, since it's cold out this morning, I want you to go to Forseno (ph).

ESPOSITO: Sounds good.

HASTY: OK? Then after lunch, I want you to go out and pick up, OK?

ESPOSITO: Sounds good.

GUPTA: Bob's held this job for more than 15 years. Bob has autism, a developmental disorder that causes substantial difficulties with social interaction and communication and an unusual, repetitive behavior in young children. Autism doesn't go away. But with early and intensive therapy, children with autism can learn skills that will allow them to succeed as they grow older.

Bob began receiving intensive behavioral therapy at the New Jersey's Princeton Child Development Institute when he was eight- years-old. The institute has students as young as three and as old as 43. It's executive director, Greg MacDuff, has been working with Bob since 1977 when Bob moved in to their first group home.

GREGORY MACDUFF, PRINCETON CHILD DEVELOPMENT INST.: No, not everyone will get to Bob's level where they can choose whether they're going to go out for dinner or go to a movie. But many of these students are choosing what kind of work task they're going to do. Some of them are choosing the order of the work. They're choosing what kind of rewards they purchase.

GUPTA: Bob still gets help from therapists who teach him new skills, like paying bills on his computer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's excellent, Bob. That's clicking the selected checks. Good for you.

ESPOSITO: Thanks.

GUPTA: Bob lives a fairly independent life. For the past two years, he has shared an apartment with another person with autism. He makes his own schedule, shops, cleans, does his own laundry and he loves to cook.

ESPOSITO: I like to cook spaghetti and meatballs. MACDUFF: I think he enjoys the fact that he pretty much controls his life at this point. He makes the decisions about what he eats, where he goes, how he spends his money.

ESPOSITO: It's great. You know, I'm just enjoying life and everything. So, it's pretty cool. It's a pretty cool thing.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: All right, and we want to let you know live now right in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, town hall meeting right there. Barack Obama is speaking live at this hour. Of course, we will continue to follow this and monitor it for you because there's so much more to come right here on CNN, including "ISSUE #1."

HARRIS: With Gerri Willis and Ali Velshi.

I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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