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CNN Live Saturday

Violent Weather Threatens the Midwest; Brutal Killing of a Child in Oklahoma; Man Dies in Congressman Dennis Kucinich's Arms

Aired April 15, 2006 - 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: Potentially violent weather in parts of the Midwest and the plains states. We are going to have a full report in just a moment.
At the Vatican today, the pope led a vigil to usher in Easter celebrations. The most hallowed day for Christians comes tomorrow. It is the first Easter as Pope Benedict XVI presides over.

And wildfires threatening homes around Amarillo, Texas, right now. Officials there are recommending that people evacuate part of the city's south side.

And the White House says all families are welcome at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Gay and lesbian parents were among those picking up passes today to the event scheduled for Monday.

More now on the menacing weather in the Midwest. Just two days after tornadoes hit Iowa and a day after Indiana got slammed by a huge hailstorm, another major threat is headed for the region. A severe storm system that could bring tornadoes, hail and heavy rain. Only CNN has reporters and affiliate TV stations across the Midwest covering the storms from all angles. We're going to bring it you to anytime from anywhere. We are going to keep you updated on conditions in the hard-hit states and the storm's aftermath.

And, of course, our own meteorologists are tracking the storm round- the-clock. In fact, Bonnie Schneider, for the last hour, has been telling us about a particular area that may be hit shortly.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, it's Gage County in southeast Nebraska. This just in. We have reports from trained weather spotters that a tornado has been spotted southwest of Adams or five miles to the north -- five miles to the northeast of Beatrice. You can actually see that on our map. Moving to the northeast at 45. This will impact communities like Adams, and this storm does have a history of producing very strong winds, and it has been spotted by trained weather spotters as a tornadic storm. So if you're watching us from southeast Nebraska, just be -- keep an eye to the sky and take cover, because a tornado has been spotted in your area.

Now, as we take a look at the radar picture, this is not the only place where we're watching for severe weather. What we have now is a tornado watch that goes until 10:00 p.m. tonight. It does include the city of Omaha, Nebraska. That's 10:00 p.m., Central Daylight Time. Also stretching into northeast Kansas. This is the area we're watching for more tornadic storms to break out. And taking a closer look at the storms as we get a look at them in motion, what you'll see is this line, this squall line, of severe weather working its way towards the Omaha area. We've had reports of hail at one inch of diameter, damaging winds as this storm whipped through sections of Kansas into the more far western sections of Nebraska. So this is a powerful storm and it's headed towards the Omaha area.

Right now the tornado watch includes the Omaha area, but to the south in Gage County we do have a tornado warning that goes until 5:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time.

Now as we look at the map we're talking about warm temperatures across Oklahoma and into Kansas. This is the area we're focusing on this evening, it's likely that we'll get more outbreaks of severe weather because we have this low-pressure system working its way to the east coming right over Kansas and Nebraska. It's tapping into that warm, moist air. And Carol, with that cool air that I mentioned in the upper levels of the atmosphere, what that does is it triggers what we call instability, more strong thunderstorms and when you have a situation like, this the thunderstorms could produce tornadoes and that's exactly what we're seeing right now in Gage County in southeast Nebraska.

Fair warning. Thanks, Bonnie.

SCHENIDER: Sure.

LIN: Now, Bonnie has been giving us amazing numbers, like nearly 500 tornadoes in the Midwest this year alone. That's 300 more than last year. So, what's going on? In 30 minutes you're going to see a great story about that.

Right now, we want to tell you the latest out of Milwaukee. Police are confirming that two bodies found in park lagoon are those of Quadrevion Henning and Purvis Parker. They were only 12 and 11 years old. The boys vanished a month ago, March 19th, and authorities now say they drowned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JEFFREY JENTZEN, MILWAUKEE MEDICAL EXAMINER: The autopsies performed this morning demonstrated findings consistent with drowning. There was no evidence of any injury or any foul play that would lead to us suspect there was any criminal activity. The bodies appeared to be in conditions that would have been consistent with having been submerged for the time since they been reported missing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: The first body was found around dusk last night by two people just walking by. Police divers found the second body several hours later.

Boy, a brutal crime in Oklahoma. And an innocent child lost. Now, an Oklahoma prosecutor says the man accused of killing 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin acted alone. And he allegedly planned the crime in advance. The D.A. plans to seek the death penalty. Our John Lawrence has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM KUYKENDALL, MCCLAIN COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This is one of the most, if not the most, heinous, atrocious, and cruel case that I've been involved with in my 24 years as a district attorney.

JOHN LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The district attorney of McClain County, Oklahoma, gave few further clues as to how 10-year- old Jamie Rose Bolin died. Her body was discovered in an apartment in the same complex where her family lives. Bolin was the subject of an Amber Alert after going missing near her Purcell apartment on Wednesday.

On Friday, police say her remains were found inside the unit of a neighbor, 26-year-old Kevin Ray Underwood. Family members are expressing shock at living so close to someone accused of something so horrendous.

LINDA CHILES, VICTIM'S AUNT: To know that we were that close to him, it makes you feel dirty.

LAWRENCE: Police were originally following a number of leads after Bolin didn't return home from the library on Wednesday. They were looking for a dark blue Chevy Tahoe and possibly someone Bolin had met online. Authorities say they are still investigating Bolin's last moments before she disappeared, but they no longer believe the vehicle is involved. It's not clear whether Underwood has an attorney yet. Prosecutors say they'll seek the death penalty.

John Lawrence, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: This story is still evolving. In fact in less than an hour, we're going to hear from McClain County district attorney. He is going to be my guest at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, but there is a news conference happening in less than an hour.

Now, in Iraq today, a car bomb exploded in Baghdad. It killed at least four people and wounded 18. The blast occurred around lunchtime outside a restaurant police often frequent. Three police were among those injured and all the dead were civilians.

Also today, the military announced the death of a U.S. marine from a vehicle accident Friday.

Now, President Bush's income shrank last year, according to his tax return released by the White House. The return shows that Mr. Bush and his wife paid federal taxes on $735,000, about $50,000 less than the previous tax year. The earnings include investment yields, plus the president's $400,000 salary. In all, the Bushes paid the government nearly $190,000 in taxes. Now, if you've put off doing your taxes until the last minute, there is still some time left. April 15th is the traditional tax-filing deadline, but because it fell on a Saturday this year, most procrastinators are getting an extra two days to get their returns done.

Now, in some northeastern states, taxpayers are getting even more time. Their filing deadline is April 18th. That's because New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Washington, DC, will be observing Patriots' Day.

Well, at first glance, they appear to be the real thing. Official- looking emails from the IRS saying you have a tax refund coming your way. Well, there's a link to a site asking for personal information, and before you know it, you've been hooked! It's called phishing. With a p-h. CNN's technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's tax time, and that means deadlines, refunds, and scams. And you may have already fallen victim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About a month ago, I was checking my email at my desk, my government office, and I saw an email from an outfit called taxrefunds@irs.gov.

SIEBERG: This is an example of the message Andrew Aristoff (ph) received, complete with the logos and language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I needed to do was give them my credit card information and my Social Security number so they could verify my identity and I could get my refund.

SIEBERG: Fortunately, Andrew knew enough not to click on it. That because ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Here they are targeting a tax administrator with a tax-refund scam. Unbelievable.

SIEBERG: By now, you may have heard about phishing. It's an online scam that starts with a cybercriminal sending bulk emails, some promising money and some demanding a response. They emails appear to be from places like the IRS, PayPal, and eBay. They often contain a link to a site that also looks real, requesting personal information. At this time of year, those claiming to be from the IRS are in full swing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This phishing scheme, if you will, this is exploding. All I can say is that we do not reach out and communicate with taxpayers by e-mail.

SIEBERG: More than 17,000 unique phishing attacks were reported to anti-phishing working group in February of this year, so perhaps you think your scam radar can filter out the bad stuff. Well, professors at Harvard and UC-Berkeley recently conducted a study of why phishing scams work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of our most educated user and most cautious users were also very surprised at their inability to detect a legitimate versus phishing Web site.

SIEBERG: The 22 participants were wrong 40 percent of the time. This phishing site fooled 90 percent of its participants. Nearly identical to the actual Bank of the West site, but for one small detail.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It used bankofthevvest.com in the URL, so the "w" was replaced by two "v"s, and that's really hard for users to spot. It's very trivial for phishers to create Web sites. For example, the Web site that fooled most of our users took about ten minutes to make.

SIEBERG (on camera): The bottom line is don't even click on the links within an e-mail message. Start from scratch if you are concerned about the authenticity and type it in your browser window. Otherwise, you risk getting hooked by a phisher. Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are everywhere. They can look at you. You got to stay alert, 24/7. All the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: On the front lines in Iraq. Up next, on patrol with U.S. forces in Falluja, when they come under attack.

And later, everyone's hot for hybrids and fuel-efficient cars, but we're going to take you live to the New York Auto Shows for really hot wheels on display. You're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The story is sad and stranger than fiction. A congressman runs out to try to save the life of a victim of a hit-and-run. And the man dies in the congressman's arms. And now, that congressman is leading the investigation into trying to track the killer down. That story, from Bill Safos of CNN affiliate, WKYC.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH, (D) OH: I was working in my office, and I looked up from the desk, and I saw Mr. Tvrdik lying in the street. I rushed over to his side.

BILL SAFOS, WKYC-TV CORRESPONDENT: After seeing his head injuries, Congressman Dennis Kucinich feared that 68-year-old David Tvrdik didn't have much of a chance. The congressman said a prayer.

KUCINICH: I just talked to him and told him, help was coming and just hang in there. SAFOS: Tvrdik, who was enjoying his retirement, was visiting the friend, who runs the vacuum shop on this corner. He was just heading back out to his van, when he was hit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was across the street. When it happened.

SAFOS: Today friends and neighbors of Mary Jane Conn, Tvrdik's widow, came by the house to offer help and pay their respects.

MARY JANE CONN, VICTIM'S WIDOW: A sad Good Friday, that's for sure.

SAFOS: It happened just after 3:00 in the afternoon, and there were plenty of witnesses who talked to police. And some saw the driver's expression and described a female driver to Mary Jane.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He went like that and kept on going.

SAFOS: In the meantime, Cleveland police are on the case, although investigators haven't been able to pinpoint who the bus belongs to, witnesses say it was a Cleveland school bus. The district says they "are working with police and providing them with all the information they've requested."

CONN: I got through last night, this morning was bad. I just -- every time we talk on the phone, they start crying.

KUCINICH: If someone was out there driving the school bus yesterday afternoon on the west site by 117th, contact the Cleveland police or call me. Because we need to -- we need to resolve this. I mean, a man -- a man was -- lost his life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: We want to thank Bill Safos of CNN affiliate WKYC in Cleveland, Ohio for that story. Let's hope they find that driver.

All right, let's show you what's happening around the world, and we're going to start with harsh words for the Iranian president from former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. In a radio address, Peres says Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will end up the same way as Saddam Hussein. Peres has previously urged the international community to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

And in Afghanistan, the governor of Kandahar said 41 Taliban insurgents have been killed. He said Afghan forces backed by U.S.-led coalition troops engaged the Taliban fighters in some of the fiercest fighting in months. Six Afghan policemen died in the raids which targeted suspected Taliban hideouts.

Another day in the life of a U.S. combat unit in Iraq. Troops on the streets getting to know the people who live there. But the city is Falluja, and danger is always nearby. CNN's Arwa Damon is embedded with the marine reservists and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The company hits the streets of Falluja, a city with a tough reputation.

MAJ. VAUGHN WARD, U.S. MARINE CORPS: And to have the marines get to know the A.O. (ph) better, they are new here. And try to get the local populace, try to find people, see what their attitudes are, what's been going on have they seen insurgent activity in the area. We've been getting shot at quite a bit over here to the west.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make sure you are watching the buildings.

DAMON: For this marine reserve unit on it is a mission like any other day. Except it's Friday, a Muslim holy day, and often picked for insurgent attacks.

WARD: Our foot patrols have been engaged a lot more than the mobile convoys have. It's an easier target to go after.

DAMON: And this unit has seen increased violence in the last week, included a heightened threat from snipers. Since the massive operation to back Falluja from insurgents in 2004, most residents have returned to their devastated city and with them the insurgents. Not in large numbers, but enough to cause trouble.

This Friday residents are out. Children are happy to see the marines, always easier to win over than the wary adults. So far, things are going well. But things going well in Iraq can be deceiving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: South of (inaudible), north of (inaudible), we have one hit.

DAMON: A shot rang out that seemed to come out of no where that wounded one marine, the streets that for the last hour had appeared calm and friendly, within seconds turning hostile. The Medevac team arrived within minutes. The mission has changed. Find the shooter.

Everyone wearing khaki pants and black shoes is searched. A marine saw a man fitting that description running away. Warning shots are fired to stop a fleeing taxi. The insurgents' favorite getaway car. More men are searched.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell him to be quiet, please.

DAMON: One is tested for gunshot residue. The results are negative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This whole block right here?

WARD: We're going to go this way. We're going to go south.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This whole block right here?

WARD: Yep.

DAMON: And it's becoming frustratingly more apparent that the attacker has fled.

WARD: Keep your eyes open. Go! DAMON: Good news. Word comes that the wounded marine's injury is non-life threatening. The men begin to relax. But out here is no place to let down your guard.

SGT. JULIO FELICIANO, U.S. MARINE CORPS: It's hard. They focus, just to let you know, when something happened like that, you just -- hey, it's for real. They are everywhere. They can look at you, you got to stay alert 24/7. All the time.

DAMON: One marine says jokingly, "Are you ready for the death run," as they dash across the main road to their base. Arwa Damon, CNN, Falluha, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Imagine your retirement is slashed, but your boss is set for life. It happens more often than you think.

Also, can race determine how much you snore? A new study says yes. I'm going to talk about that with a doctor, straight ahead in our "Health Watch." you're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right, we've been watching dangerous weather in the Midwest, and Bonnie Schneider has another warning for us. Bonnie?

SCHNEIDER: That's right, Carol, actually two warnings just came out. Associated with the same tornado that was spotted northeast of Beatrice in Gage County, that's in southeast, Nebraska. But now we have warnings until 5:45 p.m. Central Time. That is for Otoe and Johnson County, right here in southeast Nebraska. Since we've had trained weather spotters report a tornado, that's why it's so serious, because the storm is moving to the northeast at about 40 miles per hour. And it is headed in the direction of these two counties here, Otoe and Johnson County. We're tracking this severe weather. We're also tracking wildfires to the south in the southern plains. I'll have more on that coming up. Carol?

LIN: All right, Bonnie, thanks so much. Bonnie is going to be with us throughout the night, tracking this dangerous weather.

In the meantime, how would you like it if your boss got a huge pension payout and your pension's getting slashed? ExxonMobil's former retired chief, Lee Raymond, he is going to get an estimated $98 million in payout. So we asked our Cheung Las to look into this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): IBM workers were told their expensive pension plan is being axed so IBM can stay competitive. But when the CEO Samuel Palmisano retires, he'll walk away with a guaranteed $4 million a year just in pension income. Do the math, that's about $100,000 a week.

JEREMY NORRIS, WASHINGTON, DC: I, myself, didn't ask, you know, employees of mine, you know, just give up everything, and I'm not willing to get -- sacrifice anything.

Jeremy Norris' dad is an IBM retiree and lost part of his pension in company cutbacks. Hardly fair, he says.

NORRIS: Especially for the workers that started in knowing that they are going to have a pension, and now that they are going to have it, it's like the rug being snatched from under them. It's just crazy.

LAH: Big business, big pensions. Drug giant Pfizer's CEO will get a $6.5 million pension. ExxonMobil's now retired CEO, more than $6.5 million, and at&t and United Health Group, $5 million a year, IBM and Home Depot CEOs, right around $4 million a year.

Home Depot offers its employees a 401(k) but has a guaranteed pension for its CEO.

NELL MINOW, THE CORPORATE LIBRARY: These people are so piggy, they are so greedy that they are taking all the marbles away and how can they claim that they have any kind of leadership when they are behaving in a way that's so hypocritical?

LAH: Every company that responded to CNN insists that CEO retirement pay is tied to performance. The Chamber of Commerce agrees.

DAVID CHAVREN, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Now, they want that -- that leader who is going to bring success in this complicated, extremely competitive fast-moving global economic environment. And you know what, there aren't a whole lot of those people.

LAH: (on camera): The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering a proposed rule change for CEO pay disclosure. This would require that companies spell out the dollars and cents in plain English.

DAMON SILVERS, AFL-CIO: The pension plans are hard to figure out, hard to read, hard to parse. All right, and so there's a huge value in letting investors, the public employees what they really are.

LAH: (voice-over): Relying on personal savings is the wave of the future. Americans are learning even in retirement, it's just business. Kyung Lah, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: If the forecast on gas prices has you looking for a new car, we are going to point you in the right direction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we come back, we'll have high fuel efficiency low-cost cars that aren't hybrids.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not so much looking for a charismatic movie star, I think they are looking for someone who is competent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Putting their lives on the line. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Also, targeting the Terminator in California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is slipping in the polls. So which Democrats think they can take them down on Election Day? You're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Police are calling the deaths of two missing Milwaukee boys a tragic accident. The bodies of Quadrevion Henning and Purvis Parker were pulled from a park lagoon yesterday. Autopsies showed that they drowned.

An Oklahoma prosecutor says that the man accused of killing 10-year- old Jamie Rose Bolin acted alone and allegedly planned his moves several months in advance. Her body was found in a neighbor's apartment yesterday.

Work crews armed with 400 pounds of explosives removed a landmark from San Diego's skyline today. The San Diego Landmark Hotel. After the dust settles, and the debris is cleared away, a new 22-story federal courthouse will call the spot home.

Procrastinators, you have some time left to file your tax returns. Today is April 15th, but most of the country has until Monday to file. Unless you live in new England, Maryland, or d.c., where Monday is a holiday. And then you have until Tuesday.

Hurricane Katrina victims don't have to file until August 28th.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Tornadoes, heavy rains, and wildfires, you are seeing it all this spring. It has been such a treacherous season weatherwise. We asked CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano to answer some of these questions in this report. Why is this all happening. He did this first for "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Tornado Alley has been busy this spring. Nearly 500 tornadoes have struck, 300 more than last year. A very warm winter in the plains has gotten things popping early.

That same early warm weather sparked New Mexico wildfires this week, far ahead of the spring fire season. And a new outlook predicts more fires across the South and West in the coming weeks.

On the West Coast, it has been wet, wet and wet. More than two weeks of steady rain and mudslides killed a man in California Wednesday. And nine counties have been declared disaster areas. More rain is predicted for Easter Sunday.

And for the East and Gulf Coasts, hurricane season begins June 1. Forecasters were gearing up for it Friday in Orlando.

PHILIP KLOTZBACH, FORECASTER, COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY: Unfortunately, it looks like another pretty active year this year. We're calling for a total of 17 named storms, nine hurricanes, and five major hurricanes, which are the Category 3, 4 and 5 storms.

MARCIANO: It may be hard to imagine a hurricane season worse than last year, but, after last year, anything seems possible.

Rob Marciano, CNN, Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: You can keep track of up to the minute weather in your part of the country on our Web site, just log on to CNN.com/weather.

Other news now across America. A ban on smoking in public places is now in effect in New Jersey. The law prohibits smoking in restaurants, bars, private office buildings and other indoor places and fines can run from $250 to $1,000 for people who light up, and for businesses that let them.

Rangers in Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee are trying to desperately catch a black bear that mauled a family. A six year old girl was killed in Thursday's attack. Her mother and two year old brother were injured. Officials say normally black bears are shy and rarely attack humans.

A volunteer group that monitors the border with Mexico says there is a big rise in the number of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. The Minutemen say so far this month, they've seen nearly as many crossings as during the entire month of October.

A Washington restaurant that serves dinners to wounded vets is being forced to close. For more than two years, the O'Brien Steakhouse has made meals for soldiers treated at Walter Reed Army Hospital. The hotel that houses the restaurant says the decision to close is purely financial.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is known as The Terminator, and his re-election bid is already under way. But unlike the movies, Democrats believe there's a good shot Terminator II won't be playing in Sacramento. Here's our Kareen Wynter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our dad, Phil Angelides, is running for governor.

STEVE WESTLY, CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: As governor, fully fund education.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The gubernatorial race against Republican incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger is heating up. Democratic challenger state comptroller Steve Westly and state treasurer Phil Angelides are trying to seize on Schwarzenegger's slumping job approval ratings. While 71 percent of voters say they like Schwarzenegger personally, 53 percent say they don't like his policies.

WESTLY: People are not so much looking for a charismatic movie star. I think they're looking for someone who is competent...

WYNTER: Westly, a former Stanford University instructor and eBay executive, is taking on education, the environment and health care in his political platform. Westly's Democratic opponent, Phil Angelides, says the governor has made a series of political missteps. Schwarzenegger was defeated in a special election he called over his own initiatives last November.

PHIL ANGELIDES (D), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: The governor wasted a whole year on a special election that the voters roundly rejected. He just hasn't proven to have the skills to do the job.

WYNTER: But the governor is still ahead of his two opponents in a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, with an 8- point lead over Westly and a 12-point lead over Angelides, with about 30 percent of likely voters saying they are still undecided.

Schwarzenegger's ad campaign highlights a cut in the state deficit and car tax and the creation of 500,000 new jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Schwarzenegger's leadership is making California work again.

WYNTER: Still, some political analysts believe the Hollywood heavyweight is in for a real fight this time around.

ARNOLD STEINBERG, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL STRATEGIST: I think the governor is hurt for a couple of reasons. One is he's forever lost his bulk (ph) at political virginity. So we don't have that anymore. He's just a politician like everybody else.

And secondly, I think Republican turnout has to be a real important consideration for him. The base is no longer that energized by him.

WYNTER (on camera): That said, political observers feel the governor's charisma and star power remains a strong selling point and an unmistakable advantage he has over his opponents.

Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: An outspoken African-American activist has died from gunshot wounds in Ohio. Kabaka Oba was shot three days ago outside City Hall in Cincinnati. A man, who turned himself in to police after the shooting, has been charged with attempted murder. But that charge now, likely to be upgraded to murder.

Time now to take a look at other top stories in the world of health. The maker of a popular contact lens solution tells retailers to pull it from the shelves. That's because it could be linked to a potentially blinding infection. We're welcoming back Dr. Ian Smith, he is the author of "The Fat Smash Diet."

Good to have you. Lucky to have you at the world headquarters. Let's talk about the condition. Is at an infection that's caused by this lens cleaner.

DR. IAN SMITH: It's a fungal infection, and it's very rare. It's typically found in plant material or soil in the subtropics or the tropics. The issue here is they are not sure if the lens solution is causing it, or the lens solution is hastening the infection. It's very important here.

The FDA and the company are investigating to see if there is a causal relationship, but because they've 109 cases of something very rare in 17 states, as a precautionary method, the company on its own said, "We are not going to ship anymore." Now the retailers decided to actually just pull it off the shelves.

So we don't want to alarm people too much and say this is definitely causing these infections, but there should be a concern, and there are so many other brands you could always switch to something else.

LIN: What are the are symptoms?

SMITH: You have pain and redness in your eye. You can have excessive discharge and sensitivity to light. Those are some of the symptoms that you are having problems with the contact lens affecting your cornea.

LIN: Because it damages the cornea itself, some people have had to have their corneas removed.

SMITH: Treatment is two to three months of eye drops, which is a lot. But if it's not treated properly, the cornea will end up getting scarred and that in turn can lead to blindness.

LIN: Any of those symptoms, make sure to check with the doctor, and there is treatment.

SMITH: There is treatment, but hygiene is most important. Wash your hands and remove your contact lenses regularly and change the solution.

LIN: All right, that solution is Renu with moisture lock lens care. That's what it's called.

Did you take a look at the new snoring study?

Interesting. Some of the conclusions that parents who snore are more likely to have kids that snore as well, and that's an indication of potentially ADHD down the road.

SMITH: They looked at one year olds, so it's not obesity. Typically we talk about snoring and obesity, but they looked at over 700 one year olds and they found that children of at least one parent who snored were three times more likely to snore. They found that African-American children were three times more likely, and children with allergies were three times more likely. You have to figure out what is happening because these children could develop behavioral problems, cognitive deficits and potentially heart disease in the future.

LIN: What does snoring have to do with the other issues?

SMITH: They don't know the exact mechanism, but what they find is that snoring and the blockage of the airways, it causes this kind of pattern of lack of sleep. And they believe that over a series of events will lead to these other problems, such as ADHD, the behavioral problems and heart disease. They found that people that have obstructive sleep apnea, where part of the airway is blocked, studies have found those people are at risk for heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.

LIN: When a baby is born, their sinus cavity is not completely formed. You hear the newborns, they make the weird snorting sound, kind of cute. Is that likely to applied to one-year-olds.

SMITH: Here's one of the problems. There are also structural reasons. We talk about obesity and alcohol and smoking as predisposing factors for people who snore. There are also structural things, the length and size of your jaw, and your soft palette inside of your mouth, there are things structurally that could be a problem.

They have to figure out is it genetic issue that's inherited or is it structural.

LIN: Interesting. It might explaining why your spouse my whack you on the backside to stop you from snoring.

SMITH: Forty-five percent of people in America snore. I hope my wife doesn't do that to me, but who knows.

LIN: Thank you very much. Great to have up.

SMITH: Good to be here.

LIN: In the meantime we're talking about prices at the pump. Have you seen the prices lately? Well, stick around, we'll tell you how you can beat the prices with the right purchase of a car, and some hot cars at that auto show in New York.

Now, the quest also for the ultimate travel shirt. We are going to check out a new fashion item, free from staining.

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LIN: A lovely day in New York City, but you're not doing a lot of driving there. But around the country, hey, if you want to buy a new car, one that gets good gas mileage, and one that's easy on the environment, but you don't have an arm and a leg to spend on one of those expensive hybrids, we sent expert Lauren Fix to the New York auto show. So, Lauren, how much are these hybrids going for now?

LAUREN FIX, HOST, "TALK 2 DIY-AUTOMOTIVE": Well, hybrids can start as low as $20,000 and work their way up to the $50,000 mark, so we went looking for high-efficiency, low-cost cars that weren't hybrids.

LIN: What did you find?

FIX: The first one we found was a Toyota Yaris.

It's actually a really fun car to drive. It got 34 miles in the city and 40 on the highway, and it starts at $11,000.

LIN: $11,000, what's it made out of tinfoil?

FIX: No, actually it's a world-class car, it's a very high fuel efficient, quality vehicle. If you haven't driven one, go down to the dealer and check it out.

We also found the Kia Rio that starts at $10,000 and I have test driven that one and spent a couple of days with it. It's a great vehicle, and really good crash test ratings and the resale numbers are up on Kia, and that's 32 miles to the gallon in the city and 35 on the highway. So it's another excellent choice.

And then, Caron, not everyone needs a car, we want minivans and sedans, so I found a great crossover vehicle that is a combination, the new Suzuki, Xl 7, they just launched that two days ago. The SUV starts at 18 miles a gallon, 24 in the city, and that's starting at $23,000, and you are getting a lot more vehicle in an SUV or a crossover than you would in a sedan obviously.

LIN: Do any of these meet the cool factor? Which one is the coolest one? Which one would you want to be zipping down the highway and saying, you know, I don't have a lot of money, but I sure look good?

FIX: The Scion XA was quite a cool vehicle, that one is 32 miles to the gallon in the city, 37 on the highway, and it's only 12,000 miles and is a very cool car.

LIN: Excellent. You are going to join us on your prime time show at 10:00 tonight. We're going to be talking about sexy cars, right?

FIX: Cars of your youth, all those Jaguars and Camaros and Shelbies that we all dreamed about. You're going to be able to buy those very soon.

LIN: Excellent. And by the way, we are still in our youth, Lauren.

FIX: I am. I'm still 29.

LIN: Excellent. And a great age to be at.

FIX: Yes, exactly.

LIN: We'll see you at 10:00.

Fashion fit for travel, Richard Quest shows us a shirt you might want to stick in your suitcase.

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LIN: From stain-resistant tops to wrinkle-resistant bottoms, clothing, especially designed with the busy traveler in mind is big business. But how does it stand up? Here's our Richard quest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm in Santa Monica, California, now, and this is the Thomas Pink (PH) traveler shirt. They say it's just the thing for people living life on the road. It's got one or two interesting extra features. Come and have a look.

It's got two breast pockets, one on the inside, which they say is perfect for keeping your passport in. And then in the cuff, just there, is place to put the spare credit card. It's not the sort of thing that you can easily get to, to make that impulse purchase, but if you are on the road, and you need to hide something, well, this might be the answer. Just all seems a little fiddly for everyday use.

I decided to make the test a little more challenging. I'm going home via Frankfurt, and what this means is from getting up this morning here in Los Angeles to arriving in London Heathrow, well, I'll have been wearing these clothes for the best part of 24 hours. Now, that's a test.

(voice-over): Suit crumpled, I feel satisfied. There's no way it can emerge unscathed from that journey. Now, about those stains.

OK, beat this. Oily curry sauce.

I've left the most grueling test for last. Ketchup. It works. OK. I'll hand to it the shirt, very impressive indeed. Now, let's see how the rest of my goodies fare.

(on camera): So 22 hours after these clothes were first put on in Los Angeles, you be the judge on how well they've stood the test of travel. The jacket, being scrunched in the overhead compartment for ten hours, it still looks relatively pressed. The shoes have expanded very nicely to accommodate my growing feet. And the shirt. Salad oil, ketchup, red wine. I could still probably get away with a meeting wearing it. All in all, not a bad day's journey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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LIN: Lots more ahead on CNN tonight. Up next, at 7:00 eastern, a two-hour CNN special, The Last Days of Pope John Paul II. It's a rare look inside the secret world of the Vatican. And at 9:00, Larry King, it's a special on polygamy and some of the people who escaped that lifestyle.

And I'll be back at 10:00 eastern, tonight with the latest breaking developments in your backyard and around the world. A check of the hour's headlines next. And then "ON THE STORY." No, actually, the Pope special

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