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Hillary Clinton Sticking to the Campaign; U.N. Plans to Appeal to NGOs; U.S. Families Looking to Adopt from Vietnam Facing a Roadblock; Relative Bargain at Gas Pump
Aired May 09, 2008 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In California, trappers with fish and game have been trying track down coyotes in populated areas. So far they killed at least five of the critters. Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Man, that will make you take pause. All right. Good morning again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the run-down. New tornado warnings go up for coastal North Carolina last hour. Daylight reveals considerable destruction from a possible twister.
WHITFIELD: The U.N. pulls the plug on aid operations for Myanmar. Food meant for cyclone survivors seized by the military government.
HARRIS: Superdelegate switch. Barack Obama wins over another one from Hillary Clinton today. Friday, May 9th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Shocked in the southeast. More than 20 reported tornadoes touching down in six states. Many of them hitting last night in the dark. Take a look at this latest video from Greensboro, North Carolina. Homes and businesses there damaged. Cars were tossed around and trees and power lines toppled. Officials say at least one person was killed when his truck flipped over in a storm. At least three other people were hurt.
Four confirmed tornado touchdowns in Mississippi. One was extremely fierce. Slamming in the city of Tupelo with 140-mile-an- hour winds. A shopping area was destroyed as well. Several homes damaged. And hundreds of trees also came down. There are also damage reports coming out of Tennessee, Virginia, and Alabama. Very widespread.
HARRIS: Rob Marciano and his severe weather team working a little overtime for us yesterday and today. Rob with the latest on any new tornado warnings. Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys. Yes, those tornado warnings, two of them, were in effect a little while ago. They have been allowed to expire. But we still have a tornado watch not depicted on this map. Because such a special situation that, you know, that the conditions were right where the tornado watch was in effect until 9:00. It was allowed to expire but there still was some mixed instability. There was still some juice in the atmosphere for the local office to say you know what, we're going to have one of our own. And that would include places like Dare Counties and Tyrrell Counties and eastern parts of North Carolina. But just another hour and we're going to be done.
This stuff is all heading to the outer banks. And it will be rolling eastward fairly rapidly. As far as what's going to happen later on today, we got some action that is moving across the northeast. Flooding is definitely an issue. And there are flood watches and warnings posted. Now for southern Connecticut and parts of Long Island, this is the cell that rolled through just north of Elizabeth City, causing some problems earlier. This one had some hail with that marker. But that's weakening as it heads across Pimlico Sound. And here is where the rain is now, across parts of New York, into Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven. The threat for today, still across eastern North Carolina just for the next hour or so.
Then we recharge the atmosphere here in parts of Memphis, Tennessee, Nashville. You get into Tupelo. We saw that rough weather yesterday. They could see more weather like that today. And then interesting things happen overnight tonight. A couple of jet streams. They come together over the plains. We get a little something going. We tap some moisture from the gulf. And if everything times out, we got some cold air coming in aloft. I think tomorrow could be a big for more severe weather. The storm prediction center has put out a moderate risk. That's a higher level than what we've seen today and yesterday. We are seeing tornadoes. Little Rock, east towards, again, Memphis, Tupelo, and through parts of Huntsville, Alabama. Those are going to be the areas to watch. We could see several tornadoes, I think, dropping if not this -- later on this afternoon, then tomorrow afternoon, an even better shot this time of year. So, it's the time of year, guys, you know, you just got to get through it and hope for the best here.
HARRIS: Yes, that says it. All right. Rob, appreciate it. Thank you.
MARCIANO: Thank you.
HARRIS: Homes and lives in shambles in the southeast this morning. The morning after. Tornadoes tearing through the region. One state taking a deadly hit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS (voice-over): Nature's fury on the March. Overnight in North Carolina, an apparent tornado killed at least one person near the airport in Greensboro. And injured three more. The storms cause havoc on the roads. Flipping cars and tractor trailers. Interstate 40 had to be closed for a while. People working nearby ran for cover.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard the ceiling coming off. Water started coming from the roof. We heard a big boom. That's when it all took place. The lights went out. So, we just went for better safety. We went into the main building there. I see all of this stuff was out here in the parking lot. It was crazy, man.
HARRIS: The craziness started earlier on Thursday in Mississippi. Severe storms in an apparent tornado, damaging buildings, splintering homes, and fraying nerves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ran. I just -- we ran to try to get to safety.
HARRIS: From Mississippi to Alabama. There too, trees toppled, homes turned inside out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said it's here. She screamed. She said there is a tree in the house.
HARRIS: Marching on, through Georgia, the Carolinas. Into Virginia and Maryland. Weather not fit for man or beast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: The things we end up say when severe weather rolls through your neighborhood. Honey, there's a tree in the house.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that's remarkable.
HARRIS: There's a car in the tree. We get those i-reports.
WHITFIELD: It's real, very real.
HARRIS: Which is -- a point to remind you here. When severe weather becomes the news, we need your help in telling that story. Send us your i-report. Just go to cnn.com and click on ireport.com or you can type ireport@CNN.com into your cell phone. Send us those pictures and a description of what you are seeing. But it's always to remind to stay safe.
WHITFIELD: Another superdelegates. Defection from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. An Obama campaign aide confirms the switch. Congressman Donald Payne of New Jersey is the third person to leave Clinton for Obama for the past 72 hours. Obama is campaigning in Oregon today ahead of the May 20th primary there. And Clinton has campaign stops in Oregon and Kentucky today. She is urging supporters to ignore the calls for her to quit. She promises to keep going. Clinton is counting on a win in Tuesday's West Virginia primary.
And on the Republican side, yes, that's John McCain making pizza deliveries. Well, today he's going to be holding a press conference in New Jersey. Yesterday, that was him in New York making that delivery to a fire station. He heads to South Carolina. Then later on today.
HARRIS: She vows to fight on but even some of Hillary Clinton's staunchest supporters are talking about how and when her presidential bid may end. On CNN's AMERICAN MORNING, a contributor to the "Huffington Post" told us what he has heard about Clinton's plans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, CONTRIBUTOR, "HUFFINGTON POST": Hillary Clinton does have an exit strategy, the target date, the final date, June 15th. What the senior campaign official has told me is that they will go through the final votes on June 3rd. And remember, Hillary is going to win maybe three of these elections. And Obama is going to win maybe three of these elections coming out of it. So, it's not going to look like some crazy, hopeless campaign for Hillary Clinton as she is winning elections. But they will take no more than a week to make their case to the superdelegates. And as you know, the superdelegates have absolutely no chance of moving over to Hillary Clinton in a week. And so for the Clinton's campaign to say we will only make the case for a week and then by June 15th, we will have a nominee. That is to say she will drop out.
As of Wednesday, after Tuesday night's election, it's been a completely different tone to the Clinton campaign. 100 percent positive. She says nothing negative about Barack Obama. The point is to ramp down her own supporters. To let them spend a couple of weeks coming to grips with the reality that this campaign is over. Her supporters are very intense. Some of them would be very bitter about her dropping out right now. She's actually doing a huge favor to Obama as the eventual nominee, to very gradually let her supporters now how this is going to end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe has said the race will be soon after the last Democratic primary on June 3rd. For more on the candidates, just go to cnnpolitics.com. Cnnpolitics.com is your source for everything political.
WHITFIELD: Dramatic developments in Lebanon. Hezbollah militants seize control of western Beirut after a bloody battle. Our own Cal Perry, well, he was reporting live for us yesterday from the center of that street fight. He joins us again live now. A lot quieter. So, what has the past 24 hours been like?
CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, I mentioned just about an hour ago, Future Television, which is owned privately by the Hariri family, it is a pro-government television station. Let me get out of the way to show you what happened to this TV station. It has been burned down. It was burned down just a few hours ago by Hezbollah militants. We're here really in the center of west Beirut which is what we have been talking about all day. Hezbollah came over this morning and really took over this area. You can see on the walls, there's a portrait of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister. Of course, he was assassinated. You could argue the fact that this country has been in political crisis since then. I want to bring in here young Hassam. He lives in this neighborhood. He is 12 years old and he witnessed what happened here. I want to ask him, Hassam, what did you see today when this building was burned down?
HASSAM: I saw people holding guns and jeeps full of weapons. We are not allowed to take pictures. And we are not allowed to pass, come here, because there were people standing and they didn't allow us - until we told them that we live here and then they allowed us.
PERRY: And you were telling me Hezbollah arrived here at the building and they made everybody leave and then they set it on fire. Is that right?
HASSAM: Yes. Here and then (inaudible) in the glass. They also at 4:00 came here and told them to go - to get out of the building and then they gave it to the Army.
PERRY: What do you think about what's happening here? How has life changed for you? And what do you think will happen?
HASSAM: I think that this is the beginning of a civil war. The parliament. It started between the Parliament people. They started fighting (inaudible) then came to the streets, with weapons and now this what you see.
PERRY: Has it been difficult traveling? It took us forever with the checkpoints. Have you had the same problem?
HASSAM: Somehow.
PERRY: So, Fredricka, I mean, you can really feel it here on the streets when you talk about whether or not there will be a compromise. Optimism is not running high when they're still burning down buildings.
WHITFIELD: And to hear from a 12-year-old, you know, that he see this as a start of a civil war, that really is very telling.
PERRY: Absolutely. And you hear that up and down this street. People think it could get worse. It will get worse. As Hassam just said it started as a war of words and now there are guns involved. Even a 12-year-old can draw those differences, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Right. It is so sad. All right. Cal Perry, thank you so much. From Beirut.
HARRIS: And this story. Outrage, desperation and a shocking development in Myanmar. The United Nations suspending aid shipments to the cyclone ravaged country. The reason, it says the military government has seized desperately needed relief supplies. The U.N. says that aid could have fed 95,000 people for one day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BANBURY, U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: I am furious. It is unacceptable. You know, for a relief worker, for a World Food Program staff member, the worst thing in the world that can happen is for disaster like this to strike. The second worst thing in the world to happen is not to be able do anything about it. And that's what's happening now.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: The needs are staggering. The death toll could top 100,000. Safe food and water are scarce. And as many as a million people are homeless. Exact numbers are impossible because Myanmar's regime has blocked international aid workers and journalists. Aid suspended. Fred's exclusive interview with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon about the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. That's ahead.
WHITFIELD: A bumpy night whipped up by a possible tornado.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It actually came out of nowhere. All of a sudden, we've seen the lightning and we just thought it was a regular storm. And it just hit at one time out of nowhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Dangerous southern storms forecast again for today. Be alert. Stay informed in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Hello again, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hundreds of millions of campaign cash, where does this money coming from? And where does it go?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Gas prices spike again. Up almost three cents a gallon this morning. Seven cents since Monday, Fred. 33 cents in the past month. AAA says you are now paying an average of $3. 67 for a gallon of regular. Are you kidding? Premium, almost $4.04. Diesel, off the charts. $4.27 a gallon.
Skyrocketing oil prices could send those numbers even higher. Oil, this morning, setting a new record. Topping $126 a barrel. Cheap thrills. A break at the pump sends drivers into an all-out frenzy.
WHITFIELD: Online donations, fund-raising dinners, rock star concerts, the presidential candidates are pulling out all the stops to rake in campaign cash. So, where is all the money actually coming from? And how is it being spent? Jordan Lieberman, publisher of "Campaigns and Elections" magazine is with us from Washington. Good to see you, George.
JORDAN LIEBERMAN, PUBLISHER OF "CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS": Good to be with you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, based order your research, 2008, we are looking at a record-breaking $7 billion campaign cycle. That compared to 2004, $3.9 billion. And to hear that, again, like Hillary Clinton is out of money, having to borrow from herself in order to keep the campaign afloat. These are astounding figures. So, it really does beg the question why did it take so much money to run for the presidency? LIEBERMAN: Well, there's Costco all over the place. First of all, buying TV time as you know can be very expensive and about half of all the campaign funds in America go towards buying TV time, mostly broadcast networks but also cable. Beyond that, direct mail, accounts for another quarter of spending. Postage, frankly, is about half of all direct mail spending.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. So, advertisements, getting the word out. And then you've got staff members. And Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, both have a lot of big-named staffers. So, perhaps they have to pay them big money, too?
LIEBERMAN: Well, some of the high profile staffers can make upwards of a couple of hundred thousand dollars in one cycle. And that's not counting the commissions they make on media buys.
However, the great majority of the campaign -
WHITFIELD: What do we mean when we say cycle? We're not talking annually. This cycle is measured on - in what way?
LIEBERMAN: Right. It's a two-year cycle. Although, obviously, much of the money comes right as the spending begins, right before the actual election itself. So, we count usually -- in campaign terms, we talk in campaign cycles. But the great majority of campaign staffers make very little money, even no money in many cases. We are talking sometimes a thousand dollars, $1,500 per month. Even presidential staffers here run a statewide race, can make somewhere in the neighborhood of $90,000 per year.
WHITFIELD: Wow. OK, so, that's how some of the money is spent. Now, how is some of the money, I guess, received? We know there can be events. Those are the big fund-raising, I guess, ways in which to get money. But now we got the influence of online. Online is representing or constitutes about what percentage of the money that is being received for these campaign?
LIEBERMAN: Well, it depends on the campaign. Obviously, Barack Obama is raising more money online than anyone else really ever has in presidential history. Howard Dean had done a lion's share before that. John McCain actually in the 2000 primary New Hampshire race, at that point record sums. But we are talking really -- each campaign is different. You know, sometimes it can be upwards of half of all campaign funds raised online. What's fascinating, though is that the best part about campaign fund-raising isn't that - online fundraising is that the money is available basically immediately. In the olden days, we had to deposit a check. Wait for the check to clear and then write another check. And this helps campaigns to the very last minute.
WHITFIELD: OK. So, the Democrats are spending some stupid money. I mean, just to be frank with you here. I mean, it's an enormous amount of money. And you got the Republican, John McCain, who - I don't really have a whole lot of money. Yet, his machine is still going. So, you know, I guess the argument is do you really need all this money? Do you really have to spend this much money in order to be in the race?
LIEBERMAN: You do need a certain minimum amount to be credible. Barack Obama at the end of the day will probably spend half a billion dollars. Just look at his campaign fund, not counting the other committees. However, John McCain will spend, you know, hundreds of millions, perhaps 400 million when it's all over. We just don't know at this point. You need a certain minimum amount. Yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. So, Jordan, does it astound you? You did a lot of the research. You know, did it set you back a few times to say wow, it is extraordinary that this is what it takes now to run for office.
LIEBERMAN: You know, I have been doing this for a long time. And you know, I have been on the other side of managing races and consulting before I came to "Campaigns, Elections, Politics" magazine No, it's not really astounding. Especially when you compare it to junk food or anything else. It is not that much money. It is not that much money.
WHITFIELD: So, it's not bad too?
LIEBERMAN: No, no. It's good for democracy when all these donations are coming from small donors. If you look at Barack Obama, the average donation is, you know, somewhere around the $100. that means that there's a lot of people giving a little bit which is really good for our democracy that they're all participating.
WHITFIELD: Yes, those $5 donations and how it accumulate. That's pretty extraordinary.
LIEBERMAN: All right.
WHITFIELD: Jordan Lieberman, published of "Campaigns and Elections" Magazines. Thanks so much.
LIEBERMAN: Yes, thank you.
HARRIS: If you say it often enough, maybe it will actually happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next president of the United States, Hillary Clinton!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next president of the United States, John McCain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next president of the United States, Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The next president of the United States.
WHITFIELD: Times three.
HARRIS: In the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We are off to a difficult start with the markets. And again, folks at cnnmoney.com predicted this. They have been watching the futures markets. The NASDAQ futures, S&P futures throughout the morning and the signs were all pointing south and such is the case inside the first hour of the trading day, the Dow down 105 points. The NASDAQ down 11 points. At least the number on the Dow is off the session lows by just a couple of points. We were down 111 right you on of the chute. Susan Lisovicz coming up in a just a couple of minutes with a market check for us right here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Perfect.
Well, it had a huge appetite. Now this giant Texas sinkhole may be going on a diet after growing from a 20-foot hole to a - a size of three football fields wide. No kidding. 260 feet deep. Officials believe the sinkhole has now slowed. The sinkhole has swallowed oil tanks, barrels, tires, telephone poles, you name it. Several vehicles even. A geologist said it could be at least three months before anyone knows if the ground has actually stabilized.
HARRIS: Well, it's time now to take a look at some of the most clicked on videos at CNN.com. Panic on the practice field. High schoolers in Massachusetts are running for their lives when a car raced across the field, dip some donuts and even went airborne at one point. Man, no one injured. The 17-year-old driver facing nearly a dozen charges.
She is not your typical politician. 26 years old. The reigning Miss Great Britain. Take a look. Now she is also the leader of one of the new political parties. Beauties for Britain. Hey now, and she is running for Parliament. Check her out and her, OK. We said it that way and her platform at CNN.com/video.
WHITFIELD: Yes, you did. Like three times.
HARRIS: Video.
WHITFIELD: Check her out.
HARRIS: Ouch, and a small self-inflicted wound here. A small town with wedding jitters, Crawford, Texas, preparing for a first family wedding. As Jenna Bush ties the knot this weekend at the family ranch. Get your souvenir coffee cups. Key chains, magnets. Even a mouse pad with the happy couple's pics.
WHITFIELD: And she said she wanted to be low key.
HARRIS: Yes. For more of your favorites -- so much for low key. By the time you're faces are in the coffee cup.
WHITFIELD: Others made that decision.
HARRIS: Yes. Go to CNN.com to click on more of your favorite videos. Just click on most popular. And don't forget, you can take us with you anywhere. On your iPod, with the CNN daily podcast. See some of the stories that will have you talking. The CNN NEWSROOM podcast available 24/7, right there on your iPod.
WHITFIELD: Desperate days in Myanmar. Food meant for people just like these folks right here. Seized by the military government. Our cyclone survivors on their own.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
HARRIS: Talking politics. Hillary Clinton sticking to the campaign, but toning it down. Here's CNN's Jessica Yellin. Part of the Best Political Team on Television.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don't tell her it is over. Clinton in West Virginia.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, this is a little bit like Deja vu all over again. Some in Washington wanted us to end our campaign. Then I won New Hampshire.
YELLIN: She says of Tuesday's primary --
CLINTON: It is a test for me and it's a test for Senator Obama. Because for too long, we have let places like West Virginia slip out of the Democratic column.
YELLIN: But it was her only mention of her opponent. No more direct attacks. Meanwhile, Barack Obama made what appeared to be a victory lap around the capitol, adoring fans and all.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's why I'm running for president, sweetie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you win it, too.
YELLIN: He conceded the next primaries to Clinton.
OBAMA: She is very likely to win West Virginia and Kentucky. I mean, those are two states where she has got insurmountable leads.
YELLIN: But he never pressured her to get out of the race. Clinton's strongest supporter insists she can beat the odds.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She can still win this thing if you vote for her big enough. We're going to have to resolve Michigan and Florida. And when they do, she can win the popular vote.
YELLIN: And her campaign sent Obama this letter, calling on him to work with Michigan and Florida and honor their votes which Clinton won. But with talk of heavy campaign debt and diminishing odds, there is a sense among Clinton's top supporters that it is just a matter of time and about doing this right making history for women.
CLINTON: I believe that I would be the best president and that I'm a stronger candidate against John McCain.
Do you know how difficult it is for a woman to stand up and say we are the best at anything?
YELLIN (on camera): There are all sorts of scenarios flying among Clinton's top supporters right now. One scenario she could get out after a big win in West Virginia so she would go out on top. Another is she want to stay in to see what happens with the votes in Michigan and Florida. Then others say it is really all about how much money she has to continue and her mindset. And she is sharing her personal thoughts with very few people these days. Jessica Yellin, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The U.N. had plans today to appeal to Non-Government Organizations to send money for humanitarian efforts in Myanmar. But now, even that is on hold. Moments ago the United Nations Secretary General's office told me that funds which poured in earlier in the week from the International Community will have to suffice for now.
I asked Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon yesterday about trying to reach the Myanmar leadership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: If the talking doesn't work, because thus far it hasn't, is there a way in which the U.N. can be empowered to just make the deliveries outside of junta saying we opened our doors to you?
BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: I think we can manage this situation. I'm continuing to press Myanmar authorities. They should think about all this humanitarian situations, all International Communities are ready to provide --
WHITFIELD: So what's the bargaining tool? How do you negotiate? How do you convince the junta officials to acquiesce?
KI-MOON: I'm now urging again in a strong way and I'm trying to talk over the telephone to General Than Shwe as soon as possible. But I have not been able to set the time. I'm trying my best efforts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And what the Secretary General means by that, he has made his best effort. They are trying to make a simple telephone call but the phone lines are down in Myanmar. HARRIS: That's right. That's right.
WHITFIELD: You know, and people forget that. It is not as easy as, you know, calling a cell phone, et cetera. So the connection is not being made. But I spoke with his office earlier this morning before we went on the air.
And as early as this morning, Secretary General actually thought that they had successfully made a phone connection. But then the phone line went dead. So he continues the try to have this dialogue directly with Myanmar's general. But so far, that's just isn't working. And that's in part the problem.
HARRIS: Let's talk about the work of the NGOs, the non- governmental organizations.
WHITFIELD: Yes, very vital.
HARRIS: Yes. With the air shipment suspended for now with the U.N. effort through the World Food Programme, I'm wondering about organizations like World Vision which has been on the ground in that area for years. Save the children. Over 30 years in Myanmar. Is it up to those organizations now to do whatever they can to provide some assistance to these people who desperately need it right now?
WHITFIELD: It is. And sadly, they don't even have all the supplies needed to help feed up to a million people who might need it, survivors. But the Secretary General made it very clear that he, too, is appealing to various NGOs to say whatever you can do, however we can help facilitate, you know, some assistance, let's do that.
And that's in part how why some of the funds that have been collected will help out these NGOs, because the U.N. itself -- the World Food Programme and it falls under the umbrella of U.N. they just can't get in there. They can't get this energy biscuits, for example, in there.
HARRIS: That's right. That's right.
WHITFIELD: Oftentimes, the food packages might include rice, particularly to regions like this. But there is no electricity. There is no way in which to cook the rice. So these energy biscuits are so important. It can help sustain these families, these individuals, these survivors for days.
HARRIS: We know that the government is letting very few people in. If anyone at this point, we are just wondering are there other countries that have good relations with Myanmar that might be in a position to help in. And I know you asked the Secretary General that question.
WHITFIELD: Excellent question. In fact, I asked Secretary General Ban that very question. In the next hour, you will hear his reply about his efforts to try and get other countries to cooperate, particularly the neighboring Asian country.
HARRIS: Yes. All right, I can't wait. Great stuff. Thanks, Fred.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, kicking off Mother's Day weekend. We are connecting a soldier mom in Iraq to her family in Philly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, oil prices have settled at record highs every day this week. And once again, crude hit an all-time high today. That sending stocks in the opposite direction.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with more details on that.
Susan?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, oil prices topped $126 a barrel about an hour ago. Wondering about $125 a barrel. You may have missed it because oil blew past that level overnight while you were sleeping. The weak U.S. dollar is certainly once again a culprit.
As Europe has indicated, it is going to hold interest rates at high levels, which means that there's more pressure on the dollar and more money going into oil. Also there is a report from "The Wall Street Journal" that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is establishing closer ties to Columbia rebels. That could heighten the chance of the U.S. with imposed sanctions on one of its biggest oil suppliers.
And then there's your basic supply and demand issues. The majority of economists surveyed by the journal blamed rising demand in China and India, not speculative buying, supply disruptions are also cited as a factor. Are there enough culprits in there for you?
Fred and Tony?
WHITFIELD: Yes. I guess this means no pull back in price.
LISOVICZ: Not necessarily. I mean, these same economists, Fred, say prices will fall to $93 by the end of the year. That's still a lot higher than we saw at the beginning of last year. Oil executives agree in a separate KPMG survey.
More than half of them say oil prices will fall below $100 by years' end. We all know that while oil prices surge, stocks are affected as well. And they usually go in the opposite direction. We also have a double whammy, because the largest insurer in nation, AIG reported a quarterly loss of nearly $8 billion. It says it will raise $12.5 billion in capital to try to shore up its balance sheets.
Its stock is pressuring the DOW 30. Its shares are falling more than six percent. Right now, the DOW off the session lows, down 80 points. NASDAQ composite, meanwhile, is down four points. Here's the takeaway. It is Friday.
HARRIS: Yes.
LISOVICZ: It is Friday. And it is Mother's Day on Sunday, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that's right.
LISOVICZ: And you, you are going to be celebrated as (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: That's true. I will, indeed. All right, hanks, Susan.
LISOVICZ: See you in the next hour.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. All right, well, patience at the pump for a bargain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been waiting for about 45 minutes in line here for the price of $3.55 which I can't believe actually makes me happy right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: I know. I can't either. But $3.55, yes, that is considered cheap these days, isn't it. Sign of the times in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A dream denied. U.S. families looking to adopt from Vietnam are facing a roadblock. CNN's Zain Verjee has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA TERESINSKI, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: This is the nursery that we set up for the baby that we hope to adopt.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The perfect nursery. But a baby for Laura may never arrive from Vietnam. That's because an adoption agreement between Washington and Hanoi is falling apart.
(on camera): How did you feel when you learned about what was happening?
TERESINSKI: We were -- my husband and I were absolutely devastated.
VERJEE (voice-over): A State Department warns of serious adoption irregularities in Vietnam, forged documentation, mothers paid, coerced or tricked into giving up their children.
MICHELLE BOND, DEP. ASST. SECRETARY OF STATE: One child stolen from his mother is one too many.
VERJEE: The Vietnamese government denies the U.S. accusations and has slammed the door on adoptions September 1st. Last year, more than 800 children from Vietnam were adopted by parents like Laura here in the U.S. LINDA BROWNLEE, ADOPTION CENTER OF WASHINGTON: It's hard. It's hard to let go. Because we know we can advocate to these children and we can make a real difference.
VERJEE: Private adoption agencies insist that 99 percent of Vietnam adoptions are problem-free and want the agreement to stay.
BROWNLEE: Without it, I think children are going to be harmed. They are going to die needlessly and there is going to be trafficking.
VERJEE: Similar fraud and corruption problems exist in Guatemala where adoptions have also been suspended. The State Department says it sympathizes with families but --
BOND: No American family wants to adopt a child that was never truly an orphan. And that has a family in Vietnam wondering what happened to him or her.
VERJEE: Laura understands but she is still angry at them.
TERESINSKI: Adoptive parents have put a lot of emotional energy and a lot of financial resources into the process.
VERJEE: Including writing a personal letter to the Vietnamese government.
TERESINSKI: We will make sure that our children receive the best education that they grew up with a strong sense of pride in their Vietnamese heritage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: The State Department says the current agreement with Vietnam can't be extended because it simply hasn't worked. They say the U.S. will work with Vietnam to see how the two countries can move forward.
WHITFIELD: Slamming the southeast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They actually came out of nowhere. It's just -- all of a sudden we've seen the lightning and then we just thought it was a regular storm. And it just hit at one time and just out of nowhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow, tornadoes just reaping through several states and with deadly results.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK, you know to catch us weekday mornings right here from 9:00 until noon in the CNN NEWSROOM. But you can also take us with you anywhere on your iPod. The team working now to put together the podcast for you with CNN daily NEWSROOM podcast, available 24/7 for you right on your iPod.
WHITFIELD: In Indianapolis, a relative bargain at the gas pump. It sets off a buying frenzy and hair trigger tempers as well. Erika Flye with affiliate WRTV reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIKA FLYE, WRTV REPORTER (voice-over): At this Swifty Station --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cash?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cash, girl.
FLYE: The line stretch down the street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The car run real quick so I can get in here to get gas.
FLYE: To get a so-called bargain, $3.55 a gallon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been waiting for about 45 minutes in line here for the price of $3.55 which I can't believe actually makes me happy right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Someone at work shared the news that her daughter was watching TV and everybody better get gas when they leave work because it's going up near $4 so I went straight to it.
FLYE: Discount price has employee Debbie Stout pumping gas like crazy.
DEBBIE STOUT, GAS STATION EMPLOYEE: I'm like, you know, get a right hand.
FLYE: $3.55 will stand until her boss tells her to raise it.
STOUT: When he calls me and tells me to change, I will.
FLYE: With local gas prices at record levels, tempers are already high. As drivers try to jockey for position here, there were shouting matches and threats. Back when I was interviewing this man, there was a jolting scream. But as scary as it sounded, it was minor. A car had bumped into another at the pump.
(on camera): And as this people were sitting in their car, waiting to pay $3.55 for gas, the price jumped 30 cents to $3.85.
(voice-over): Many have simply had it with high gas prices.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They suck. When you decide whether you want to buy a gallon of milk for your kids or a gallon of gas so you can get to work to feed your kids, it is not right.
FLYE: But for those waiting in line here when the price suddenly went up, they got a break. The lower price. And for that, Debbie got a hug.
STOUT: Whoever is in line.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God bless you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Oh, that is the bite, the sound bite. When you got to make that decision.
WHITFIELD: Between milk or gas.
HARRIS: Milk for the kids and gas to go to work to feed the kids. That's issue no.1 right there.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM. The border fence. Big questions. Big cats. We will tell you how jaguars are figuring in to the latest debate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: That controversial border fence separating Mexico and the United States. Well, the government's plan wants to keep out illegal immigrants. But wildlife expert say another border resident is also being blocked.
CNN's Rusty Dornin with some remarkable pictures.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Arizona rancher Warner Glenn saddled up his mules on that spring day 12 years ago, he was tracking mountain lions. He's hunted the big cats since 1948, but what he saw that day stunned him.
WARNER GLENN, RANCHER: In 1996, I took the picture of that first jaguar out on the far ledge over there.
DORNIN: Perched high atop a rock, Glenn took what is believed to be the first photo of a live jaguar in the United States. Then in 2006, he saw another one. Jaguars have a small breeding population in Northern Mexico but are classified as an endangered species. Scientists say there are no more than 120 left in that area.
GLENN: In the wildlife border here right on this mountainside, that's directly south going to the New Mexico.
DORNIN: Wildlife corridors for Jaguar and other animal. But this, say conservationists, could stop the creatures in their tracks. The border fence. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security waived 30 environmental laws to finish 470 miles of fence by the end of the year.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I feel an urgency to get this attack of infrastructure in. And although we're going to be respectful of the environment, we're going to be expeditious. DORNIN (on camera): Critics of the Department of Homeland Security say the fence is not keeping people out. These items were discovered right along the fence by a border landowner. But they say it is stopping wildlife from crossing back and forth across the border.
(voice-over): Two environmental groups have filed appeals with the Supreme Court to stop the environmental waivers. They say national security and environment don't have to be at odds.
MATT CLARK, DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE: What we are looking at here is the federal government ramming the project through that's infective and is going to harm our public lands and our wildlife and it is going to be, you know, irreparable.
DORNIN: That worries mountain lion tracker Jack Childs. He captured video of this jaguar a few months after Glenn. Now he spearheads the Border Land Jaguar Detection Project.
JACK CHILDS, BORDER LAND JAGUAR DETECTION PROJECT: I have no idea what the end result of all this border infrastructure is going to be. I know what's happening now is bad for wildlife especially our jaguar.
DORNIN: We followed Childs and biologist, Emil McCain up into the mountains to one of 50 remote cameras they planted to track jaguars as they roam across the border.
EMIL MCCAIN, BIOLOGIST: We are going to check the camera to see what has been here in the last few weeks. There's a coyote. There's a mountain lion. Cotton tail rabbit.
DORNIN: No jaguars this time, but they photographed three different cats on numerous occasions since 2001. For Glenn, protection of the jaguar is about much more than just the border fence. It is about what is left in the wild.
GLENN: It's just an animal. It is a beautiful and magnificent cat. And they are having a little bit of trouble surviving. But they are doing it. And I would hate to see us do anything that would cause that -- the survival of that cat to go backwards.
They are part of the American West. The American wild as much as the bald eagle or the grizzly bear.
DORNIN: Rusty Dornin, CNN, Douglas, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: They are the words every presidential hopeful longs to hear and every time they are introduce on the campaign trail, they do. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look at the next president of the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Those aren't white flags of surrender. Clinton supporters are trying not to believe that time's up for Hillary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's the Democratic nominee going to be?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The New York Post, over the hill.
MOOS: Over the hill? Maybe, but supporters can't get over introducing her as --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the next president of the United States, Hillary Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the next president of the United States, Senator Hillary Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our next president and my mom, Hillary Clinton.
MOOS: Tell that to the others.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next president of United States, John McCain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next president of the United States, Barack Obama.
MOOS (on camera): Now obviously this "next president of the United States" stuff doesn't always work out. Remember Mike Huckabee?
CHUCK NORRIS, ACTOR, MIKE HUCKABEE SUPPORTER: I want to introduce you to the next president of the United States, Governor Mike Huckabee!
MOOS (voice-over): And now --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator John McCain, the next President of the United States.
MOOS: Sometimes the line is delivered with such gusto --
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: The next president of the United states, Barack Obama!
MOOS: You'd think they were introducing wrestlers on the WWE.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you smell what Barack is cooking --
MOOS: Now that pundits say Hillary is cooked, you might think it was an omen when Chelsea's microphone failed.
CHELSEA CLINTON, HILLARY CLINTON'S DAUGHTER: Please join me in welcoming one more time -- MOOS: But when you're a Clinton, you never give up. Chelsea cupped her hands and did the Hillary holler.
C. CLINTON: Please join me in welcoming my mom, our next president, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
MOOS: Lately there's been renewed talk that Clinton insiders are showing interest in Hillary taking the second spot.
(on camera): In which case you might start hearing the next vice president of the United States --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton!
MOOS (voice-over): If the traditional intro strikes you as cocky, consider how the person saying it feels.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am absolutely amazed I'm about to say this, it is my honor and privilege and probably -- I'm sorry honey, but this might be more exciting than my wedding day.
MOOS: Even the microphone couldn't handle this much enthusiasm --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to introduce you to the next president of the United States of America, Senator Barack Obama!
