Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Baltimore Plant Becomes Employee Owned; Edwards Vows To Continue On After Super Tuesday; Police Turn To Rural Area In Search Of Hargon Family
Aired February 28, 2004 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SATURDAY: I'm Carol Lin at the CNN Center. CNN SATURDAY is just ahead after the check of the headlines.
Rebels say they are closing in on Haiti's capitol. But Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide is vowing to stay put. Aristide predicts the chaos in Haiti will end by Monday.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly is on his way home after a six-country summit in Beijing. There were no major breakthroughs on shutting down North Korea's nuclear program but the countries did agree to talk again.
And wrapped in chains and duct tape, dozens of Turkmens staged a protest in Baghdad today. They are seeking official recognition as a national minority in Iraq's interim constitution. Final work on that constitution is taking place this weekend.
I'm Carol Lin and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. They're rivals now. We're going to get to political news, but first, we want to talk about what is going on in Haiti.
Violence and looting in Haiti. And we're going to get reaction now out of the White House. In fact, there are 20,000 Americans in Haiti. And concern about their safety is growing. The White House is considering sending more U.S. Marines to the region.
CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has more on this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): While the U.S. is not calling for a full evacuation of Americans in Haiti a senior State Department official says the situation is getting worse.
Americans are being advised to stay put because it is too dangerous to get to the airport. And regular commercial flights out of the embattled country have been cancelled. As one official put it, the best place for people to be is at home.
Saturday Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke with both U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his French counterpart Dominique de Villepin to strategize how best to bring peace to the troubled nation.
The Bush administration is taking a two-pronged.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're interested in achieving a political settlement.
MALVEAUX: Publicly, President Bush and his top advisors are endorsing a plan, which would allow Aristide to share power with his opponents, remain in office until the end of his term, and would be backed by a multinational peacekeeping force.
But privately, senior State Department officials say the U.S. and others are hinting Aristide should step down. One high-level State Department source said, "Our message is out...the international community is putting pressure on Aristide to live up to his responsibilities and to think hard about his future."
TIMOTHY CARNEY, FRMR. AMB. TO HAITI: For the purposes of Haiti, it's people, for the purposes of the hemisphere, for the purposes of the United States it's a political transition, would be what we all want.
MALVEAUX: In the meantime, the U.S. is considering a contingency plan to dispatch a three-ship task force with 22,000 Marines to sit off the coast of Haiti to prepare for the worst. But a White House spokesman says the president hasn't yet decided if that's necessary.
But the Bush administration is facing increasing pressure to intervene immediately.
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Get rid of the thugs that came in, that's holding those cities hostage, we can stabilize Haiti and we can be in and out in a short period of time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now the nightmare scenario for the Bush administration is if Aristide's opponents either successfully capture or kill the Haitian leader. This, of course, could mean the end of a peaceful settlement, but also a power vacuum in one of the poorest countries in the world. A country that is just a little over 700 miles from the United States.
Carol?
LIN: Suzanne, so why doesn't the president, then, send in a full contingent of Marines right away?
MALVEAUX: There is already Coast Guard that are there. There are about 50 Marines that are also in position and placed to actually move forward. But the bottom line here is that the administration does not want to get involved in another extensive mission. Already the Pentagon feels that it is stretched with Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places in the Middle East, around the world. They certainly hope they can come up with a political solution and one that will involve the international community.
LIN: All right, we'll see what happens. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House.
Now we want to bring you the latest on the situation on the ground in Haiti. Rebels are now just 30 miles away from the capitol. But the man they want to oust says he is staying put. CNN's Lucia Newman is in Port-au-Prince and she joins us right now by videophone.
Lucia?
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANNA BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Carol.
For the second day running armed gangs and poor slum dwellers have looted Haiti's main port. The bodies of people killed, some of them execution style, just like yesterday, lay on the street of this city.
Armed militias loyal to the president continue to roam the streets. France sent a military plane, military reinforcements today, just hours after the residence of the French ambassador was machine- gunned. No one was injured fortunately. Their first job, in fact, was to rescue two French nuns and priest, whose orphanage had been attacked overnight by these assailants.
Now, the president, as you have well mentioned, is refusing to step down. He repeated his vow this morning in Haitian television, that he would stay in power. But he also sent a message to his followers to remain on the look out, he said, for the enemy. Adding that there is no reason to believe that they are not already in the capitol.
He was referring, Carol, to claims made already by the rebels that they sent in sleeper cells here to Port-au-Prince just to pick up information waiting for just the right moment to attack, an attack which the rebel commander says could come as soon as tomorrow, to mark his birthday.
Carol.
LIN: Lucia, from your vantage point, right now, what are the possible scenarios, is it inevitable that Port-au-Prince is going to fall then?
NEWMAN: Unless the president resigns, or unless the opposition agrees to some power sharing arrangement with him, which is almost out of the question at this stage, it seems to be inevitable that there will be a bloody confrontation, either with the rebels or just the way things are now.
You know, before the rebels have arrived in the city there is total anarchy. There is no one in charge at this moment, Carol, in this country. The police have fled. They're not doing anything or can do nothing to stop the looting and the killing. So, if the rebels arrive, it's expected that they will clash immediately with Aristide supporters and there will be a lot of people killed.
LIN: Does it seem, from your vantage point, is it seen as President Bush is trying to work with the international community, trying to come up with a political solution. I mean, it almost sounds ridiculous, given the situation on the ground. If Port-au-Prince falls, what are the options for the international community?
NEWMAN: Well the international community started off by trying to barter a peacekeeping deal, a negotiated settlement between the peaceful forces, as it were, the government and the peaceful opposition. At his point it is a mute point.
Now it is just a matter of whether President Aristide will resign or whether there will be a rebel attack on this city. And let the stones, or whatever, lie where they may, because there is no way to avoid an attack, but the international community does not want to get involved in that.
They're still trying to push from behind the scenes, to force President Aristide to resign, to name the supreme court president, who in turn would put together an interim government, a transition government, and hold elections in the future. That would be their ideal scenario Carol.
LIN: All right. Obviously, the next 24 hours is going to tell us a lot and shape the future of Haiti.
Thank you, very much, Lucia Newman, reporting by telephone from Port-au-Prince.
Turning now, to election politics.
Super Tuesday is less than 72 hours away and that means a busy weekend for the two leading Democratic candidates. CNN's National Correspondent Kelly Wallace reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Everywhere he goes now, John Edwards is asked what will happen if he doesn't do well on Super Tuesday? His answer continues to be, regardless of how he does, he is not getting out of the race.
JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is a race for the long haul, absolutely. Yes, what I need to do is continue to win delegates.
WALLACE: Edwards is spending a lot of time here in Georgia, believing this state, the only Southern contest in this next round of primaries is his best chance to defeat John Kerry.
Earlier in the day he was in Augusta talking to African-American lawmakers, before coming here to Atlanta where he was introduced by former NBA star Charles Barkley.
It is an uphill battle though because the most recent state polls shows Edwards trailing John Kerry by 26 points. Part of the North Carolina senator's strategy now is reaching out to organizers for former presidential candidate Howard Dean, his campaign holding a conference called Saturday Afternoon, with Dean supporters in 12 states, even as the former Vermont governor himself is unlikely to publicly come out and endorse Edwards or any other candidate.
Meantime, on the West Coast, it was a seemingly relaxed John Kerry getting some exercise before the cameras before heading to Brooklyn where he will have a rally Saturday night.
And the big names keep joining the Kerry bandwagon, the latest former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, and his son, Andrew, the former Housing secretary, are now endorsing the Massachusetts senator.
Kerry, Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton will square off tomorrow morning in New York City. The final debate before Super Tuesday. The pressure perhaps greatest on John Edwards with many observers saying this could be one of his last chances to try and change the dynamics of this race.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, reporting from Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, the other two remaining Democratic presidential candidates are also busy stumping for votes. Al Sharpton was in August, Georgia today. He spoke before the states Association of Black Election Officials.
Dennis Kucinich focused his energies on California. He attended events in Gardenia, Long Beach, Los Angeles.
Both men are scheduled to take part in tomorrow's debate in New York.
And here is why Super Tuesday is so crucial. Voters in 10 states will have their say, 1,151 delegates are at stake. That's more than half needed for the nomination. John Kerry has garnered the most delegates so far. John Edwards is a distant second.
CNN is live coast-to-coast, all day on Super Tuesday starting at 5 a.m. and counting on CNN, you can, of course, to bring you the winners and live campaign updates as the results begin to roll in at 7 pm Eastern.
Which candidate has not spent enough time in California, or perhaps too much time in New York. Ron Brownstein with lots of opinions on how Super Tuesday is shaping up, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Top stories this hour, striking grocery workers in California are voting on a new contract. An Israeli missile strike kills an Islamic militant and three other people in the Gaza Strip. And Iraq's governing council hits a snag as it works toward a new constitution.
And we are focusing, again, on politics. There is super anticipation for Super Tuesday. Joining us now, CNN political contributor, Ron Brownstein. He's also a political writer for "The Los Angeles Times". Hey, there Ron, great job on the debate.
RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Hi, Carol. Thank you, thank you, it was a lot of fun.
LIN: It was a lot of fun.
BROWNSTEIN: It was.
LIN: Obviously, huge prize here. We're talking about 10 states, more than 1100 delegates. A lot at stake here.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
LIN: Give me the big picture scenario, what do you see happening?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, we have states in all regions of the country voting and it really provides, I think, a clear last test for John Edwards.
I mean, John Edwards is saying that he wants to go on no matter what happens on Tuesday. But it is not really clear what the point will be of going on if he can't break through in some of these states.
A place like Georgia, for instance, which is in the South, which also allows Independents to vote. And John Edwards is generally done better in states that do allow Independents to vote. Ohio, in the Midwest, a place that should be very receptive to his "tough on trade" message which has been the center piece of his campaign in the last few weeks.
If John Edwards can't break through in places like that, Carol, he can go on, obviously, it is his decision, but it is not really clear what would be the point. I think if he can't win in places like that I think it would pretty much make the point very clear that the dynamic that has propelled John Kerry to this point shows no sign of relenting.
LIN: You know, let me share a moment from the debate, because maybe there is a bit of strategy here? I want to get your opinion on it, but first let's show John Edwards and John Kerry as they talk about the future, maybe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think and Edwards/Kerry ticket would be powerful. And that's the ticket I think we should have.
(APPLAUSE, LAUGHTER)
LARRY KING, DEBATE MODERATOR: Wait a minute, Senator Kerry, are you -- hold it -- are you saying now that if you get this nomination you will ask him to join you?
EDWARDS: He certainly should be considered. He's a very, very, very good choice.
KING: And? And where does Edwards stand, in your thinking? You have to be thinking about it. If you say you're not thinking about it, you're kidding me.
JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to thank him for the consideration. I appreciate it.
(APPLAUSE, LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: (LAUGHTER) What did you make of that moment? I mean, were they serious?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, it was interesting that John Edwards said he'd run with John Kerry, but John Kerry didn't say he would ask John Edwards.
Look, there's going be a lot of interest in John Edwards being the vice president in a Democratic Party if he doesn't over come Senator Kerry. He's been a great campaigner. People like him. And I think he would send a very positive symbol to a lot of Democrats that see him as young, energetic, and some one who would connect with voters.
The problem that he has, Carol, is really John Kerry. Even with John Edwards on the ticket, it is going to be hard for a senator from Massachusetts to really compete in any Southern state. And so, John Kerry if he is the nominee may want to look at someone who can help him in a more specific place.
But having said that, I think there will be a lot of demand and enthusiasm in the party for looking at John Edwards if it come to that.
LIN: Have you had a chance, by the way, to see the new Bush campaign ads out of the White House? It seems the Bush campaign is cranking up and maybe the president and his men might be a little worried?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, obviously, this situation is very different than what they thought it was a few weeks ago. President Bush's approval rating really the most important number to watch in this election year, is the approval rating of the incumbent president. And it has fallen to 50 percent or below, not only nationally but in key swing states like Ohio, which we were just discussing. He's fallen below 50 percent for the first time.
So we are seeing a more aggressive effort by the Republican National Committee and the Bush campaign to try to define Senator Kerry. They have press releases out almost everyday criticizing him on something. The president gave a speech at the beginning of the week in which he tried to draw clear differences on taxes and national security. And of course, he endorsed the amendment on the -- constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, which was a major statement for the general election.
LIN: Yes, but is it going to be a major issue in the general election? Or, is John Kerry or John Edwards, or whoever ends up getting the nomination, going to be able to capitalize on the message of more jobs and keeping jobs in America?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I say two things. I think that values and social issues will be important in this election, as they have been increasingly in every election over the last 20 years. You look back at American politics, really for the last generation, voters are increasingly dividing along lines of values rather than interests.
Now, it doesn't mean that gay marriage by itself will necessarily be a decisive issue for a lot of people. What you've got is a constellation of issues, whether it is crime or the death penalty, abortion, gay rights. People tend to sort out on one side or the other and that will matter.
Will they be decisive over jobs and foreign policy. I don't think you can say that, but I do think that if you look back at the last few elections, people have divided more on their sort of cultural views than their economic interest and that really has been a clear dividing line in the electorate.
LIN: Well, and you know what, we did get to see Rosie O'Donnell kiss her partner on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco. What is next in this campaign?
Thank you very much, Ron Brownstein, good to see you.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, Carol.
LIN: Well, what's the best way to hold an election free of errors, delays, and hanging chads? Probably any way but this: Every year engineering fraternity at Indiana's Purdue University holds a Rube Goldberg competition.
College students design the most complicated machines to do the simplest tasks. Today was the contest day. And the task was to select a ballot, vote and file the ballot. Who knows if this went into use maybe more people would vote just to see it work.
What is that blue stuff?
All right, again, don't forget CNN is live coast-to-coast, all day on Super Tuesday, starting at 5 a.m. And CNN will bring you live campaign updates as the results begin to roll in at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Clear case of thinking outside the box. When we come back, Baltimore factory workers about to loose their jobs come up with a plan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: Checking news across America. Investigators in Mississippi say they are hopeful of learning what happened to a family of three who vanished from their home two weeks ago. Detectives have questioned several people and detained a relative of the Hargon family. Well, today they searched five buildings and 160 acres.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN STRAIN, DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: As you know, we have to go through a process of elimination. And it is a process of developing leads and during the course of this very intensive and very exhaustive investigation new information came to light yesterday. And as we processed through that it brought us here to Smith County today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: San Francisco can continue licensing same-sex marriages for now. The California supreme court has agree to hear a court challenge from conservatives opposed to the licenses. But the high court is letting the city keep issuing them in the meantime.
And rather than let their jobs be sent overseas workers at a Maryland plastics plant had an idea. They'd become their own bosses. With the help of a little known program. Our Elaine Quijano explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It sounded like the start of an all-too-familiar American story. When the Belgian owners of the Hedwin Corporation decided to sell the company.
DAVID RUBLEY, PRES. & CEO, HEDWIN CORP.: We were no longer a strategic in their business plan. And they had put us up for sale.
QUIJANO: The 380 workers at their Baltimore manufacturing plant faced an uncertain future, until employees at the plastics packaging company agreed to take drastic action.
RUBLEY: We decided that rather than have someone buy the company we would like to own it ourselves and control our own destiny.
QUIJANO: But where to find more than $10 million to buy the corporation? They discovered a government program called and ESOP.
RUBLEY: ESOP is Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and we found out more information about it, originally through the Internet.
QUIJANO: The employees, under Rubley's leadership, hired a consultant to help wade through the details. They worked with the Belgian owners who Rubley says were cooperative and eventually secured loans. Allowing them to close the deal on January 30th.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love it. I enjoy it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I'm working for myself now. I enjoy working for myself.
QUIJANO: The workers earn between $24,000 and $32,000 a year. Under the plan, on top of their regular pay they'll receive half their salary in stock at the end of the first year. With the business generating $50 million annually, employees have their eye on the future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a positive move.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I think it is a good thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I own more than a house now.
(LAUGHTER)
QUIJANO: The new arrangements also means knocking down the traditional wall between labor and management.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a saying here, it's a management problem, OK? Well, now we're part of management.
(LAUGHTER)
So, it's our problem, too.
QUIJANO: A way of doing business that motivates producers to produce more and managers to manage better. Where the company's bottom line and financial future are linked directly to their own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we don't work together, if we don't stand together, then it won't work. But if we do, we can be successful.
Elaine Quijano, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, the city of Boston takes steps to ease its race relations problems. Are those steps working? And, could you be in danger of going blind. We're going to talk to a doctor, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Continue On After Super Tuesday; Police Turn To Rural Area In Search Of Hargon Family>
Aired February 28, 2004 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SATURDAY: I'm Carol Lin at the CNN Center. CNN SATURDAY is just ahead after the check of the headlines.
Rebels say they are closing in on Haiti's capitol. But Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide is vowing to stay put. Aristide predicts the chaos in Haiti will end by Monday.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly is on his way home after a six-country summit in Beijing. There were no major breakthroughs on shutting down North Korea's nuclear program but the countries did agree to talk again.
And wrapped in chains and duct tape, dozens of Turkmens staged a protest in Baghdad today. They are seeking official recognition as a national minority in Iraq's interim constitution. Final work on that constitution is taking place this weekend.
I'm Carol Lin and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. They're rivals now. We're going to get to political news, but first, we want to talk about what is going on in Haiti.
Violence and looting in Haiti. And we're going to get reaction now out of the White House. In fact, there are 20,000 Americans in Haiti. And concern about their safety is growing. The White House is considering sending more U.S. Marines to the region.
CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has more on this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): While the U.S. is not calling for a full evacuation of Americans in Haiti a senior State Department official says the situation is getting worse.
Americans are being advised to stay put because it is too dangerous to get to the airport. And regular commercial flights out of the embattled country have been cancelled. As one official put it, the best place for people to be is at home.
Saturday Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke with both U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his French counterpart Dominique de Villepin to strategize how best to bring peace to the troubled nation.
The Bush administration is taking a two-pronged.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're interested in achieving a political settlement.
MALVEAUX: Publicly, President Bush and his top advisors are endorsing a plan, which would allow Aristide to share power with his opponents, remain in office until the end of his term, and would be backed by a multinational peacekeeping force.
But privately, senior State Department officials say the U.S. and others are hinting Aristide should step down. One high-level State Department source said, "Our message is out...the international community is putting pressure on Aristide to live up to his responsibilities and to think hard about his future."
TIMOTHY CARNEY, FRMR. AMB. TO HAITI: For the purposes of Haiti, it's people, for the purposes of the hemisphere, for the purposes of the United States it's a political transition, would be what we all want.
MALVEAUX: In the meantime, the U.S. is considering a contingency plan to dispatch a three-ship task force with 22,000 Marines to sit off the coast of Haiti to prepare for the worst. But a White House spokesman says the president hasn't yet decided if that's necessary.
But the Bush administration is facing increasing pressure to intervene immediately.
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Get rid of the thugs that came in, that's holding those cities hostage, we can stabilize Haiti and we can be in and out in a short period of time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now the nightmare scenario for the Bush administration is if Aristide's opponents either successfully capture or kill the Haitian leader. This, of course, could mean the end of a peaceful settlement, but also a power vacuum in one of the poorest countries in the world. A country that is just a little over 700 miles from the United States.
Carol?
LIN: Suzanne, so why doesn't the president, then, send in a full contingent of Marines right away?
MALVEAUX: There is already Coast Guard that are there. There are about 50 Marines that are also in position and placed to actually move forward. But the bottom line here is that the administration does not want to get involved in another extensive mission. Already the Pentagon feels that it is stretched with Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places in the Middle East, around the world. They certainly hope they can come up with a political solution and one that will involve the international community.
LIN: All right, we'll see what happens. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House.
Now we want to bring you the latest on the situation on the ground in Haiti. Rebels are now just 30 miles away from the capitol. But the man they want to oust says he is staying put. CNN's Lucia Newman is in Port-au-Prince and she joins us right now by videophone.
Lucia?
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANNA BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Carol.
For the second day running armed gangs and poor slum dwellers have looted Haiti's main port. The bodies of people killed, some of them execution style, just like yesterday, lay on the street of this city.
Armed militias loyal to the president continue to roam the streets. France sent a military plane, military reinforcements today, just hours after the residence of the French ambassador was machine- gunned. No one was injured fortunately. Their first job, in fact, was to rescue two French nuns and priest, whose orphanage had been attacked overnight by these assailants.
Now, the president, as you have well mentioned, is refusing to step down. He repeated his vow this morning in Haitian television, that he would stay in power. But he also sent a message to his followers to remain on the look out, he said, for the enemy. Adding that there is no reason to believe that they are not already in the capitol.
He was referring, Carol, to claims made already by the rebels that they sent in sleeper cells here to Port-au-Prince just to pick up information waiting for just the right moment to attack, an attack which the rebel commander says could come as soon as tomorrow, to mark his birthday.
Carol.
LIN: Lucia, from your vantage point, right now, what are the possible scenarios, is it inevitable that Port-au-Prince is going to fall then?
NEWMAN: Unless the president resigns, or unless the opposition agrees to some power sharing arrangement with him, which is almost out of the question at this stage, it seems to be inevitable that there will be a bloody confrontation, either with the rebels or just the way things are now.
You know, before the rebels have arrived in the city there is total anarchy. There is no one in charge at this moment, Carol, in this country. The police have fled. They're not doing anything or can do nothing to stop the looting and the killing. So, if the rebels arrive, it's expected that they will clash immediately with Aristide supporters and there will be a lot of people killed.
LIN: Does it seem, from your vantage point, is it seen as President Bush is trying to work with the international community, trying to come up with a political solution. I mean, it almost sounds ridiculous, given the situation on the ground. If Port-au-Prince falls, what are the options for the international community?
NEWMAN: Well the international community started off by trying to barter a peacekeeping deal, a negotiated settlement between the peaceful forces, as it were, the government and the peaceful opposition. At his point it is a mute point.
Now it is just a matter of whether President Aristide will resign or whether there will be a rebel attack on this city. And let the stones, or whatever, lie where they may, because there is no way to avoid an attack, but the international community does not want to get involved in that.
They're still trying to push from behind the scenes, to force President Aristide to resign, to name the supreme court president, who in turn would put together an interim government, a transition government, and hold elections in the future. That would be their ideal scenario Carol.
LIN: All right. Obviously, the next 24 hours is going to tell us a lot and shape the future of Haiti.
Thank you, very much, Lucia Newman, reporting by telephone from Port-au-Prince.
Turning now, to election politics.
Super Tuesday is less than 72 hours away and that means a busy weekend for the two leading Democratic candidates. CNN's National Correspondent Kelly Wallace reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Everywhere he goes now, John Edwards is asked what will happen if he doesn't do well on Super Tuesday? His answer continues to be, regardless of how he does, he is not getting out of the race.
JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is a race for the long haul, absolutely. Yes, what I need to do is continue to win delegates.
WALLACE: Edwards is spending a lot of time here in Georgia, believing this state, the only Southern contest in this next round of primaries is his best chance to defeat John Kerry.
Earlier in the day he was in Augusta talking to African-American lawmakers, before coming here to Atlanta where he was introduced by former NBA star Charles Barkley.
It is an uphill battle though because the most recent state polls shows Edwards trailing John Kerry by 26 points. Part of the North Carolina senator's strategy now is reaching out to organizers for former presidential candidate Howard Dean, his campaign holding a conference called Saturday Afternoon, with Dean supporters in 12 states, even as the former Vermont governor himself is unlikely to publicly come out and endorse Edwards or any other candidate.
Meantime, on the West Coast, it was a seemingly relaxed John Kerry getting some exercise before the cameras before heading to Brooklyn where he will have a rally Saturday night.
And the big names keep joining the Kerry bandwagon, the latest former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, and his son, Andrew, the former Housing secretary, are now endorsing the Massachusetts senator.
Kerry, Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton will square off tomorrow morning in New York City. The final debate before Super Tuesday. The pressure perhaps greatest on John Edwards with many observers saying this could be one of his last chances to try and change the dynamics of this race.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, reporting from Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, the other two remaining Democratic presidential candidates are also busy stumping for votes. Al Sharpton was in August, Georgia today. He spoke before the states Association of Black Election Officials.
Dennis Kucinich focused his energies on California. He attended events in Gardenia, Long Beach, Los Angeles.
Both men are scheduled to take part in tomorrow's debate in New York.
And here is why Super Tuesday is so crucial. Voters in 10 states will have their say, 1,151 delegates are at stake. That's more than half needed for the nomination. John Kerry has garnered the most delegates so far. John Edwards is a distant second.
CNN is live coast-to-coast, all day on Super Tuesday starting at 5 a.m. and counting on CNN, you can, of course, to bring you the winners and live campaign updates as the results begin to roll in at 7 pm Eastern.
Which candidate has not spent enough time in California, or perhaps too much time in New York. Ron Brownstein with lots of opinions on how Super Tuesday is shaping up, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Top stories this hour, striking grocery workers in California are voting on a new contract. An Israeli missile strike kills an Islamic militant and three other people in the Gaza Strip. And Iraq's governing council hits a snag as it works toward a new constitution.
And we are focusing, again, on politics. There is super anticipation for Super Tuesday. Joining us now, CNN political contributor, Ron Brownstein. He's also a political writer for "The Los Angeles Times". Hey, there Ron, great job on the debate.
RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Hi, Carol. Thank you, thank you, it was a lot of fun.
LIN: It was a lot of fun.
BROWNSTEIN: It was.
LIN: Obviously, huge prize here. We're talking about 10 states, more than 1100 delegates. A lot at stake here.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
LIN: Give me the big picture scenario, what do you see happening?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, we have states in all regions of the country voting and it really provides, I think, a clear last test for John Edwards.
I mean, John Edwards is saying that he wants to go on no matter what happens on Tuesday. But it is not really clear what the point will be of going on if he can't break through in some of these states.
A place like Georgia, for instance, which is in the South, which also allows Independents to vote. And John Edwards is generally done better in states that do allow Independents to vote. Ohio, in the Midwest, a place that should be very receptive to his "tough on trade" message which has been the center piece of his campaign in the last few weeks.
If John Edwards can't break through in places like that, Carol, he can go on, obviously, it is his decision, but it is not really clear what would be the point. I think if he can't win in places like that I think it would pretty much make the point very clear that the dynamic that has propelled John Kerry to this point shows no sign of relenting.
LIN: You know, let me share a moment from the debate, because maybe there is a bit of strategy here? I want to get your opinion on it, but first let's show John Edwards and John Kerry as they talk about the future, maybe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think and Edwards/Kerry ticket would be powerful. And that's the ticket I think we should have.
(APPLAUSE, LAUGHTER)
LARRY KING, DEBATE MODERATOR: Wait a minute, Senator Kerry, are you -- hold it -- are you saying now that if you get this nomination you will ask him to join you?
EDWARDS: He certainly should be considered. He's a very, very, very good choice.
KING: And? And where does Edwards stand, in your thinking? You have to be thinking about it. If you say you're not thinking about it, you're kidding me.
JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to thank him for the consideration. I appreciate it.
(APPLAUSE, LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: (LAUGHTER) What did you make of that moment? I mean, were they serious?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, it was interesting that John Edwards said he'd run with John Kerry, but John Kerry didn't say he would ask John Edwards.
Look, there's going be a lot of interest in John Edwards being the vice president in a Democratic Party if he doesn't over come Senator Kerry. He's been a great campaigner. People like him. And I think he would send a very positive symbol to a lot of Democrats that see him as young, energetic, and some one who would connect with voters.
The problem that he has, Carol, is really John Kerry. Even with John Edwards on the ticket, it is going to be hard for a senator from Massachusetts to really compete in any Southern state. And so, John Kerry if he is the nominee may want to look at someone who can help him in a more specific place.
But having said that, I think there will be a lot of demand and enthusiasm in the party for looking at John Edwards if it come to that.
LIN: Have you had a chance, by the way, to see the new Bush campaign ads out of the White House? It seems the Bush campaign is cranking up and maybe the president and his men might be a little worried?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, obviously, this situation is very different than what they thought it was a few weeks ago. President Bush's approval rating really the most important number to watch in this election year, is the approval rating of the incumbent president. And it has fallen to 50 percent or below, not only nationally but in key swing states like Ohio, which we were just discussing. He's fallen below 50 percent for the first time.
So we are seeing a more aggressive effort by the Republican National Committee and the Bush campaign to try to define Senator Kerry. They have press releases out almost everyday criticizing him on something. The president gave a speech at the beginning of the week in which he tried to draw clear differences on taxes and national security. And of course, he endorsed the amendment on the -- constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, which was a major statement for the general election.
LIN: Yes, but is it going to be a major issue in the general election? Or, is John Kerry or John Edwards, or whoever ends up getting the nomination, going to be able to capitalize on the message of more jobs and keeping jobs in America?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I say two things. I think that values and social issues will be important in this election, as they have been increasingly in every election over the last 20 years. You look back at American politics, really for the last generation, voters are increasingly dividing along lines of values rather than interests.
Now, it doesn't mean that gay marriage by itself will necessarily be a decisive issue for a lot of people. What you've got is a constellation of issues, whether it is crime or the death penalty, abortion, gay rights. People tend to sort out on one side or the other and that will matter.
Will they be decisive over jobs and foreign policy. I don't think you can say that, but I do think that if you look back at the last few elections, people have divided more on their sort of cultural views than their economic interest and that really has been a clear dividing line in the electorate.
LIN: Well, and you know what, we did get to see Rosie O'Donnell kiss her partner on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco. What is next in this campaign?
Thank you very much, Ron Brownstein, good to see you.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, Carol.
LIN: Well, what's the best way to hold an election free of errors, delays, and hanging chads? Probably any way but this: Every year engineering fraternity at Indiana's Purdue University holds a Rube Goldberg competition.
College students design the most complicated machines to do the simplest tasks. Today was the contest day. And the task was to select a ballot, vote and file the ballot. Who knows if this went into use maybe more people would vote just to see it work.
What is that blue stuff?
All right, again, don't forget CNN is live coast-to-coast, all day on Super Tuesday, starting at 5 a.m. And CNN will bring you live campaign updates as the results begin to roll in at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Clear case of thinking outside the box. When we come back, Baltimore factory workers about to loose their jobs come up with a plan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: Checking news across America. Investigators in Mississippi say they are hopeful of learning what happened to a family of three who vanished from their home two weeks ago. Detectives have questioned several people and detained a relative of the Hargon family. Well, today they searched five buildings and 160 acres.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN STRAIN, DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: As you know, we have to go through a process of elimination. And it is a process of developing leads and during the course of this very intensive and very exhaustive investigation new information came to light yesterday. And as we processed through that it brought us here to Smith County today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: San Francisco can continue licensing same-sex marriages for now. The California supreme court has agree to hear a court challenge from conservatives opposed to the licenses. But the high court is letting the city keep issuing them in the meantime.
And rather than let their jobs be sent overseas workers at a Maryland plastics plant had an idea. They'd become their own bosses. With the help of a little known program. Our Elaine Quijano explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It sounded like the start of an all-too-familiar American story. When the Belgian owners of the Hedwin Corporation decided to sell the company.
DAVID RUBLEY, PRES. & CEO, HEDWIN CORP.: We were no longer a strategic in their business plan. And they had put us up for sale.
QUIJANO: The 380 workers at their Baltimore manufacturing plant faced an uncertain future, until employees at the plastics packaging company agreed to take drastic action.
RUBLEY: We decided that rather than have someone buy the company we would like to own it ourselves and control our own destiny.
QUIJANO: But where to find more than $10 million to buy the corporation? They discovered a government program called and ESOP.
RUBLEY: ESOP is Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and we found out more information about it, originally through the Internet.
QUIJANO: The employees, under Rubley's leadership, hired a consultant to help wade through the details. They worked with the Belgian owners who Rubley says were cooperative and eventually secured loans. Allowing them to close the deal on January 30th.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love it. I enjoy it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I'm working for myself now. I enjoy working for myself.
QUIJANO: The workers earn between $24,000 and $32,000 a year. Under the plan, on top of their regular pay they'll receive half their salary in stock at the end of the first year. With the business generating $50 million annually, employees have their eye on the future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a positive move.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I think it is a good thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I own more than a house now.
(LAUGHTER)
QUIJANO: The new arrangements also means knocking down the traditional wall between labor and management.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a saying here, it's a management problem, OK? Well, now we're part of management.
(LAUGHTER)
So, it's our problem, too.
QUIJANO: A way of doing business that motivates producers to produce more and managers to manage better. Where the company's bottom line and financial future are linked directly to their own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we don't work together, if we don't stand together, then it won't work. But if we do, we can be successful.
Elaine Quijano, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, the city of Boston takes steps to ease its race relations problems. Are those steps working? And, could you be in danger of going blind. We're going to talk to a doctor, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Continue On After Super Tuesday; Police Turn To Rural Area In Search Of Hargon Family>
