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American Morning
Mitt Romney Now Backing John McCain; SEIU is Poised to Endorse Barack Obama Today
Aired February 15, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: In that room, there are about 100 students and they were getting ready to wrap up a geology class when witnesses say this gunman came in, stood on the stage, and just started firing randomly. We're now learning more about that shooter.
According to the "Chicago Tribune," the university once honored him for sociology work. He enrolled there last spring and also reportedly co-wrote a paper on self injury in prison. We have a team of correspondents getting new details right now. Don Lemon live on the campus of Northern Illinois University this morning.
And Don, you also did speak with the university president who didn't give a lot of details but did confirmed, I believe they know who this person is? I think that perhaps they're not giving as much detail out right now as they wait to gather more information?
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, you were spot on about that. I didn't want to put him on the spot on the air, because I know there are some privacy issues when it concerns students in all of this. So I asked him after the interview. He confirmed the name of this gunman and he would not confirm the name for us. But again, he would confirm that everything that's been reported about this gunman, to his knowledge, he believes is true.
I sort of want to show you here, if I can step out a little bit. The sun is starting to come up here at Northern Illinois University and we're looking at (INAUDIBLE) here, which is where they have housed the media and there are some of the people who have come, the family members, and people coming to talk to the media. And as you can see, the reporters are all here. You can imagine, on big scenes like this, reporters from all over here doing stories.
Not a student to be seen, of course, because classes are canceled here. All the students were coming to our locations -- are coming because they're coming to be interviewed by the media and to talk and to sort of get it out. The grief counselors who are here on campus say it helps to get it out. One of those students who was in the classroom when this horrific incident happened, her name is Stefanie Miller. She was sort of in the middle, as far as seating, middle rows, but very close to where the actual gunman was and she saw two of her friends die.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEFANIE MILLER, BEST FRIEND KILLED IN SHOOTING: She didn't deserve it. Nobody does. Nobody. This is something that never should have happened here. It's a quiet community. It's a local college. A lot of your, you know, DeKalb High School, local schools who are on the town come here. It's something that doesn't happen here. Nobody deserved anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And also talking about that gunman, when I spoke to the university president, he also confirmed that they still want to do more testing on the body of that gunman. Obviously, he took his own life, and here's what -- can you imagine this, Kiran? Here's what they say he brought into the classroom.
Most of the students saw him shooting with a rifle, but he also had a Glock, and then another small caliber handgun. They may have found that small caliber handgun at this point, but at the last conference they hadn't found that. They had found the Glock and they had found the shotgun that he shot those students with. So again, he shot six students, but a total of seven, because he took his own life. We're expecting a press conference here at the school in a couple of hours to update us on the situation, Kiran.
CHETRY: So I think a little bit later in the morning as well, we'll get an update. Apparently, six other students still considered in critical condition. Don, you know, the question is I know the campus is closed right now, they're going to eventually reopen. What assurances, if any, can they give students that this, you know, won't happen again? It's an open campus, as most of them are, and people can come and go freely.
LEMON: I think the assurance and if you heard the interview for the viewers who were here just a couple of minutes ago when we interviewed the president, the assurance is that that they got new responses, put some new responses in place, some new criteria in place after the Virginia Tech shooting.
But really, when you have an open environment like this, which a university is all about, there's not much that you can offer except for beefed up security. You can't have metal detectors on every single door and on every single entrance and exit to the campus. So I think they're going to make sure that they have every situation, everything covered as far as they can. But they really can't cover it all, because again it's an open environment. That's what you expect at a school like this.
CHETRY: One of the students saying, I know what happened, but I don't want to believe it. And I'm sure a lot of people still feel that way this morning. Don Lemon, thank you.
LEMON: You got it.
CHETRY: This, by the way, is the fourth school shooting in just a week here in the U.S. This massacre follows school shootings in Ohio, as well as Louisiana, another one in Texas and California. Two of those were high schools and middle schools. One of them was a technical institute. Five people total killed in those shootings as well. We're going to be getting more from Illinois coming up in our next half hour.
We turn now to politics. And who gets Mitt Romney's delegates? Well, Romney announced yesterday he was going to back his once rival John McCain, just a week after he suspended his own campaign from the GOP nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am honored today to give my full support to Senator McCain's candidacy for the presidency of the United States. I'm officially endorsing his candidacy and today I'm asking my delegates to vote for Senator McCain at the convention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: McCain says Romney's endorsement is a pleasant surprise. He told Larry King last night it's a positive sign for the Republican Party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He could have waited until, like March 4th, as you well know, after the Texas and Ohio primaries. So I was a little surprised, but I'm very appreciative, because he came out very quickly, and this is an important time, as you know, to keep the momentum going in the race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So where does that leave Mike Huckabee? Well, he says he is still not ready to be part of John McCain's, quote, "coronation" just yet. He said he's going to Cayman Islands this weekend for a speech and then he's going to be heading back to the campaign trail. So let's take a look at the delegate count right now.
John McCain has 827. Mitt Romney releasing his 286 delegates to McCain. It doesn't necessarily mean all of them will go to him, though. But if you were to let say add all of Romney's delegate, McCain would be just 78 delegates short of what he would need to clinch the nomination.
On the Democratic side, endorsement talks this morning. CNN has learned that one of the nation's most powerful unions could endorse Senator Barack Obama as early as today. And for her part, Senator Clinton is toughening up the message. CNN's Jessica Yellin is live for us in Columbus, Ohio. First, talk a little bit more about this endorsement and just how big of a deal it is.
Hey, Jessica.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. Yes, that's right. CNN's John King has confirmed that the SEIU is poised to endorse Barack Obama today. It's about a 2 million person union and it adds some organizational heft to Obama's efforts to win in this big upcoming contest in Ohio and in Texas. It's also a nod taking his chances and the fact that this union thinks that he's going to represent the working folks. That's a good sign for Obama and it's a big disappointment for Senator Clinton who has adopted a much more populous tone here in Ohio. She's taken on a lot of the language and rhetoric we usually heard Senator John Edwards using on the campaign trail.
Talking about fighting a special interest, doing more to help the little guy and helping working Americans make ends meet better. It's a big issue here in the state of Ohio where there are a lot of hard- hit blue collar workers who really respond to that message.
Senator Clinton has also taken an even tougher tone on Senator Barack Obama, insisting that while he's giving great speeches, she's the one who has the policy know-how to implement positive changes for Americans. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a big difference between us. Speeches versus solutions. Talk versus action. You know, some people may think words are change, but you and I know better. Words are cheap. I know it takes work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: For Senator Clinton to remain competitive through the Democratic convention, she has to win in both Ohio and Texas by a big margin. Her husband is in Texas today and she spends another day in Ohio ahead.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Jessica Yellin for us in Columbus, Ohio this morning. Thank you.
And a reminder, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are going to be back at it again, debating one another next Thursday night at the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. This is at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN.
Well, thousands of people in Missouri are waking up again today with no power. It's now a third day in the dark after a heavy ice storm earlier this week. They've got National Guard troops going door-to-door checking in on people, making sure they're OK.
Down south, though, things are heating up in Daytona. That's where Rob Marciano was track side for us from the Daytona 500. You know, the problem I was reading about in Missouri, it may warm up today, which could melt some of the ice and the problem was that the wind could end up blowing around these power lines and causing more problems. Again, they can't get a break.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: All right. Well, thanks, Rob. Still ahead, a health alert. Actually, it's right now. We know that obesity is linked to an increase risk of heart disease. Now, there's a new study that links obesity to many more types of cancer than previously thought.
CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at our medical update desk in Atlanta.
You know, we know that having extra pounds really does lead to many other health problems. But how significant is this new study as it relates to cancer, Sanjay?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, it's interesting, Kiran, because people think about obesity and obviously know it's not good for your health. There's been a lot of studies over the years linking it to heart disease, linking it to diabetes even stroke. But there's a mounting evidence, actually, linking it to cancers as well.
Previously, the one that you referred to the Lancet study, talked about the fact that obesity was related to pancreatic cancer. It was related to esophageal cancer and colon cancer. But now, new studies are saying, what other cancers could obesity possibly be fueling? It was interesting. I think the list will surprise a lot of people.
If you take a look, overall, men and women, leukemia and non- Hodgkin's lymphoma seem to be actually increased in people who are overweight or obese. In men, more specifically, rectal cancer, malignant melanoma -- remember this is skin cancer, but also seems to be fueled in some way by obesity. Women, gallbladder, endometrial and breast cancer.
What exactly is going on? It's unclear, exactly, what the link is. But I think, Kiran, this idea that fat cells in the body somehow release these hormones, which serve as a fuel for cancer. So, the cancer cell that otherwise may not have grown as much or as quickly suddenly has this burst of fuel from the fat cell hormones. That seems to be sort of the prevailing theory on this. No one's quite sure. But there's no doubt a link as we're seeing from all these studies.
CHETRY: Yes. The interesting thing is when people say to themselves, is it too late or can I really do something about my health by losing weight? If you actually lose weight and drop those pounds, are you then less likely to get cancer?
GUPTA: Well, you know, a couple things there. First of all, you know, there's a lot of people who are overweight or obese, who are sort of looking at the study, saying -- well, gosh, am I going to develop cancer tomorrow? And the answer is obviously not. The numbers are still small. It doesn't mean you're going to develop cancer if you're overweight or obese. It does mean you're at higher risk.
It also makes sense, I guess, Kiran, to answer your question, that if you drop those pounds, you're going to drop the fuel source for that cancer and reduce your risks. But that hasn't been proven yet. Some will say, look, once the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, and the cancer has started, it doesn't matter if you lose the weight. That's obviously a message that people want to be sure they're clear on. It is important to lose weight, but it's important to not have gained the weight in the first place.
Kiran?
CHETRY: I got you. Sanjay, good to see you as always. Thank you.
GUPTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: FEMA is in a rush to move hurricane evacuees out of toxic mobile homes and trailers. Formaldehyde in these things causing a lot of problems. So, what happens to the families still living in them? We're going to talk to one, coming up.
Also an update this morning on the housing crisis. Would you believe that some areas are actually starting to make a comeback? Our Gerri Willis joins us with more on where. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Health officials are urging Gulf Coast hurricane victims to move out of FEMA trailers and mobile homes as soon as possible. They may be exposed to high levels of formaldehyde.
Now, it's the story for one couple living in a home -- a mobile home in Kiln, Mississippi. It's north of Bay Saint Louis, an area just devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Lindsay and Steve Huckabee are still living in this mobile home that their family received after Katrina and they say it's caused them some serious health problems. They join us now from that home in Kiln, Mississippi.
Thanks for being with us, Lindsay and Steve.
LINDSAY HUCKABEE, LIVES IN FEMA MOBILE HOME: Good morning.
STEVE HUCKABEE, LIVES IN FEMA MOBILE HOME: Good morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: Lindsay, first tell us a little about, I mean, this warning goes out now in the strongest terms possible, saying that -- you know, if you're living in one of these, you really should try to get out. Is that an option for you guys?
L. HUCKABEE: It's not as quick and easy as they make it sound. There's very limited affordable housing down here. The price of houses for sale and for rent had gone through the roof since the hurricane. It's not as easy as they make it sound as far as just, you know, hey, move on.
CHETRY: And you guys have certainly been feeling the health problems. Steve, tell us a little bit about what you've been going through.
S. HUCKABEE: I personally haven't had a lot of issues. You know, some sinus congestion here and there. Most of the medical issues that we had have been with our children.
CHETRY: Didn't you also say that you had some sort of growth in your mouth that you believe may have been relating to breathing in this formaldehyde?
S. HUCKABEE: I did have a tumor removed from the top of my mouth. The doctor said that he couldn't guarantee that it was caused by formaldehyde but he felt that it could very well have contributed to it.
CHETRY: And what about your children, Lindsay? You have five children. What are some of the things that they've been going through?
L. HUCKABEE: Yes, ma'am. We have five kids ranging from 2 to 13. When we first moved in, they had nose bleeds, sinus infections, upper and lower respiratory infections and things as serious as, you know, asthma attacks and asthmatic bronchitis up to pneumonia. We just had an array of things with sinuses and everything related to the respiratory system.
CHETRY: So, and this is -- you have brought this to the attention of FEMA in the past, because they did move you out of one mobile home that possibly had even higher levels of formaldehyde. Do you feel that they're helping you try to remedy this situation so that you and your family can live safely?
L. HUCKABEE: I don't feel like FEMA has done nearly as much as they should. What irritates me is that they, you know, whenever the hearing took place in July, we found out that FEMA had actually known that the formaldehyde was a problem far sooner than we had realized it. They did replace our first trailer with this one and told us that it would be formaldehyde-free.
We did a test only to find that it had levels not quite as high but still well above the new limit that people should be exposed to. Whenever we told them about this, they said, oh, well, it's better than the first one. So you're good, right?
So, I don't feel that they've done nearly as much as they could or should to resolve the problem.
CHETRY: Let's actually listen to what FEMA chief, David Paulison, said yesterday about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
R. DAVID PAULISON, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: As a result of these preliminary findings, FEMA is going to continue our aggressive actions to provide for the safety and well-being of the residents of these travel trailers by finding an alternative housing. We're not going to wait for the final results, but we're going to work to continue or expand our actions with the residents who need to be relocated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And you actually spoke to him yourself, Lindsay. Did he seem receptive to helping your family?
L. HUCKABEE: Actually, after the hearing in Congress, he came up to me, he shook my hands, said he'd be personally looking into my case and looking to resolve it and I didn't hear anything from FEMA after the hearing.
CHETRY: And so where does that leave you and your family? What is your long-term plan? Are you hoping to be able to eventually move yourselves out of that and get to somewhere else that's healthier for you and your kids?
L. HUCKABEE: Yes, definitely. We've spent the last year paying on some property that hopefully we'll be able to move on to in the next three months or so.
CHETRY: Yes. It's a very disturbing situation. You're not alone. We have 10,000 of these in Mississippi and another 25,000 in Louisiana. And again, these levels of formaldehyde testing at five times the average home. Very disturbing to say the least. We wish you and your family a lot of luck and we hope that you are able to get that situation taken care of as soon as possible.
Lindsay and Steve Huckabee, thanks for joining us.
L. HUCKABEE: Thank you.
S. HUCKABEE: Thank you.
CHETRY: We also have some news about "Your Money" this morning. And it could possibly be a bright spot in the midst of all this dismal news we've been hearing about housing. Our Gerri Willis joins us to break it down for us after the break.
Also, what a difference a week makes. Mitt Romney now backing John McCain. Are conservatives ready to start embracing the front- runner? We're going to be talking with "HEADLINE NEWS" Glenn Beck, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, there's bad news and then there's good news in the housing crisis. First was a new report just out from the National Association of Realtors and it unfortunately shows the steepest ever drop in median home sale prices for the quarter. Unfortunate if you're trying to sell a home. If you're trying to get a bargain. The latest drop though since they started keeping track nearly 30 years ago.
The good news, though, is that some markets are already moving towards recovery. CNN personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, joins us more now in our "Financial Security Watch." If this is the case, some of these markets are recovering it happened or is it happening a lot faster than some of them thought?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, don't get too excited here. First of all, let's look at the numbers for the whole nation. OK, the national median is down 5.8 percent at $219,300. That is a scary number. But there are places where the market has been doing well. Let's look at Yakima, Washington. I know that tops on your list to know to.
CHETRY: That's OK.
WILLIS: Is it really?
CHETRY: Is it Yakima, because I know they're going to call in.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's Yakima. That's OK. That's all right.
CHETRY: Nobody written it to you.
WILLIS: I'm glad you corrected me on that.
CHO: Easy to make.
WILLIS: OK. So let's take a look at that. Isn't this gorgeous?
CHETRY: I think it's beautiful.
CHO: Check that out.
CHETRY: Let's move there, Gerri.
WILLIS: I think so. Well, you're going to get a really good deal on a house. They're doing very, very well there and, you know, the local economy out west is doing good. You know, if you look at all those states out there Utah, Wyoming, all of these states are benefiting in part, because California prices median have gone so high, the people are looking for somewhere else to go.
CHO: They're going north.
WILLIS: They're going north and I love it.
CHETRY: And we saw yesterday that stocks in California has one of the highest foreclosure rates right now. So there are still problems in the water. But you're saying that -- really, there are some places where they've seen a slight resurgence.
WILLIS: Yes, a slight resurgence. Well, let's look at Dallas for just a second. Here's a market, too, where people expected to improve and here's why. Employment has been growing there. And that's a key to having a strong real estate market or more jobs, and that's one of the reasons we're so worried about the national picture, because the economy generally is doing so poorly. And one other market you might want to take a look at here, I know I would, Maui, Hawaii.
CHETRY: How about it? Just in time for the caucuses there in Hawaii. They set up job.
WILLIS: Yes, that's why we're doing it. Exactly. Prices there expected to rebound this year. They had some trouble during the mortgage meltdown. You could see, just gorgeous there. You've got to love that, but the median price there, a little more expensive. It's a little over $640,000.
CHETRY: Yikes.
WILLIS: All right, OK.
CHETRY: Let's just say you're not willing -- you're not a person who is willing to pick up and move but you want to keep track of trends in your own areas. What should you be looking out for?
WILLIS: Start on the web. The great place to go is websites of local real estate agents in your area and look at prices for homes that are similar to what you have or what you're looking for to buy. Try to get a price per square foot that's going to allow you to make apples to apples comparisons. Then get your arms around what kind of loan you can get.
These days you need a very high credit score to get a great loan. And then, if you can find a real estate agent in that neighborhood that you want to buy in, hey, that's a great thing, because they usually have great information about the detail in that market.
And one other very cool tool I want to tell you guys about. You're going to love this. This is on the web, hpci.caldwellbanker.com. You will find a tool, where you'll put in the amount, the value of your house in your neighborhood and then look at similar houses. What that house would cost in three other markets.
So, let say you want a house here in New York City. You're thinking, hmm, I'd like to move to California or Maui or wherever. You can plug that in and get an idea of how much that price tag would buy you in those markets. Let me tell you, it can be fairly depressing if you're trying to go to a bigger city.
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: Yakima, Washington to New York City. (INAUDIBLE)
WILLIS: I want to say that one more time. Yakima.
CHETRY: That's for all the fans in Washington State. I'm sure there's a lot.
CHO: I'm sure there are many.
WILLIS: Yes. My brother's there.
CHO: My parents too.
CHETRY: 527 out there or yes, I think so. Gerri, thanks so much for being with us. By the way, Gerri can be seen on "OPEN HOUSE" this weekend. She's got a lot coming up. She's going to be talking about some of the recovering markets as well and also weighing in on the economic stimulus plan. How much sense does that make? 9:30 Eastern Time Saturday and it repeats on Sunday 3:00 p.m. and Saturday right here on CNN. Thanks, Gerri.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
CHETRY: Time now to check in with Betty Nguyen and T.J. Holmes. They have a look at what's coming up CNN's "SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNING."
Hey, guys.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, good morning. You know, we've seen lakes around Atlanta, just turn into dried up fields. Well, now some say Lake Meade, the west's largest supplier of drinking water could suffer the same fate. And it was a disaster for big cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix. We're going to take a closer look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down! Sit down. I'm not a dude!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, yes, you've heard about vigilante justice, but what about YouTube justice. Lots of videos like this showing up on line and exposing rough cops. Is it the new way for people to take on the police?
NGUYEN: Plus, exposing the dirty trick used by credit card companies to get more of your money. What you really need to know before you say, charge it.
HOLMES: Also, musician, Branford Marsalis, joins us live on his work though his hometown of New Orleans. A lot of serious issues and big topics to talk about this weekend. "CNN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNING" beginning tomorrow, of course, at 7:00 Eastern.
CHETRY: That's our time slot. We love it and we'll be watching. All right, thanks, guys.
Well, you're watching the "Most News in the Morning." So was the endorsement from Mitt Romney just what John McCain needed to get conservatives to rally around them? Or maybe at least tone down the criticism? Well, we're going to ask Glenn Beck. He's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. We have some new information coming in now on the shooting rampage that took place yesterday at Northern Illinois University. As we were on the air, we learned that a sixth innocent victim died succumbing to wounds in the hospital. The gunman also killed himself and brings the total of those killed to seven. The gunman opened fire yesterday just after 3:00 p.m. local time. It was in a lecture hall in the university's Dekalb campus, about 65 miles west of downtown Chicago. And as you can see, there's some dramatic i-report video. This came to us from Eddie Brewer. As you see, the police and the emergency crews frantically trying to get people to the hospital as quickly as possible.
Our Don Lemon is live on the campus this morning with the very latest. Any new details from campus officials about what they know about this gunman?
DON LEMON, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: The new details we're learning, Kiran, we've learned a short while ago from the university president John Peters. We spoke to him just a short time ago. But I just sort of want to show you the campus here. This is obviously, just what every campus looks like here in the U.S., a beautiful building, stately buildings, and of course, this serene environment yesterday shattered by this gunman who opened fire in this classroom. Imagine this, 100 people inside of a lecture hall, and you're getting your normal lecture, and all of a sudden you see the door opened and then you see someone way with a shotgun come in.
I spoke to one student just moments ago who said he saw the door open and then all of a sudden he heard the gunman clicking and then, boom, boom, boom, the sound echoing in that auditorium of that shotgun and then right away he said people started running for their lives, and several people he said, everybody in the classroom ducked and then they ran. Some of them bear crawled to the door. One student was in the class, her name is Stefanie Miller, said she knew about 40 people in the class. She was senior. So she knew a lot of folks here, and she said one of her best friends was in the class and then another friend who was a good friend as well, and she said she saw both of them get killed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEFANIE MILLER, WITNESSED CAMPUS SHOOTING: I knew two of the people that are deceased. I knew at least 40 people that were in the class. Just - I'm in shock right now. I - I'm at that stage where I've gotten the phone calls. I know what's happened, but I don't want to believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So the sun coming up here at Northern Illinois University. We're expecting a news conference any moment now to update us on the situation and hopefully, Kiran, will get some new information then.
CHETRY: Don Lemon for us in Illinois this morning. Thanks so much. And we've been getting a lot of information simply from people who were there, who witnessed this, who are giving their first hand accounts, the online community flooding the web about personal stories about the shooting. And our Veronica de la Cruz is monitoring the Internet with the latest information now with more on how some of the students are reacting. Good morning, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you. Not just the students. It's so interesting to see, people from around the world have flooded the web. I mean, we're going to look at a Facebook page I want to show you. And this group has grown exponentially. I mean, yesterday, around 6:00, there were only 3,000 members to this group and now there are about 6,000. And this group is called Pray for Northern Illinois University's students and families. We're looking at it right here and there you will find news updates, also hot lines, hotline numbers. There are also messages that have been posted to the wall. And that is the area on Facebook where you can post messages, lots of condolences there still being posted as we speak, Kiran.
CHETRY: And you found a special message actually from someone who was at Virginia Tech, where just ten months they also experienced a similar tragedy?
DE LA CRUZ: It is. It was quite a poignant message. It's from Mick Ainger and he says this -- "we know this gut-wrenching feeling you have at the pit of your stomach and the hole in your heart that will never seem to be filled." And that is just a small portion of what that message had to say, but he was posting on behalf of not only the students and faculty, like you said, like ten months ago to the day. So this is really still fresh in their minds.
CHETRY: Veronica, thank you.
Well, it's the endorsement that seemed quite unlikely just a week ago. Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney now publicly backing front-runner John McCain, despite a bitter primary battle between the two.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am honored today to give my full support to Senator McCain's candidacy for the presidency of the United Sates. I'm officially endorsing his candidacy, and today I'm asking my delegates to vote for Senator McCain at the convention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Senators Clinton and Barack Obama still fighting for every last delegate. Joining us now, radio talk show host and "CNN Headline News" personality Glenn Beck. Glenn, good to see you this morning. I see you have the same smirk on your face that John McCain had.
GLENN BECK, CNN, ANCHOR: Yes. Maybe I'm just as confused as John McCain was. I mean if I was standing behind Mitt Romney I'd be like -- really? You want them to vote for me now?
CHETRY: Right, so what brought him around?
BECK: I don't know. Speculation. I haven't talked to Governor Romney. I hope to have him on the radio program today, but I think what possibly, possibly what brought him around is he wants to be president in the next turn. You know, what? 2012. Look at me. I can be a good little elephant. I'm paying my dues. I'm paying my respect. Republicans unfortunately stand in line for the presidency, and I don't like it. The other option is he actually believes it, which I don't buy into. I mean, really? And the third option is, maybe he just understands how bad the economy really truly is, no matter what anybody will tell you, how much trouble we are in, in the next four years and he knows that anyone who is spending, all the way to Huckabee wants to spend $54 billion additional, is going to cause real trouble. John McCain, he's priced to move at only $7 billion in spending packages.
CHETRY: No earmarks, though. Has Mitt Romney's endorsement, has the inevitability, it seems, of John McCain's candidacy, done anything to bring around some of the conservatives you included who say, look, this is not the guy we would have gone with. Are you still feeling that, you know, it's going to be somebody that you cannot support?
BECK: You know, here's the thing. I'm - I'm not a Republican, definitely not a Republican. I'm an independent, but I'm an American over a conservative even. I'm concerned about our country, and I don't care about the parties. I don't care about the politics. I just want the right person in there. And neither side of the aisle is giving me an option. Neither side is giving me something I can say, yes, I'm excited about. I could be excited about the JFK qualities of Barack Obama, but the FDR new deal qualities of Barack Obama scare the living daylights out of me.
CHETRY: And what is it that scares the living daylights out of you regarding John McCain?
BECK: That he's just - he is somebody who is always reaching across the aisle. I mean his whole...
CHETRY: But if you're independent, wouldn't you like that?
BECK: Hang on. Let me finish? He's always reaching across the aisle, which I do like. Good. Let's get things done. However, can anyone name a time where he's grabbed Ted Kennedy and said, OK. Now, I've done your liberal bidding. Now I want to you come over here and help me with this conservative principle? I can't find anyone that can name one time that he has cosponsored a bill where he's brought that liberal over to the other side. It is about give and take. Unfortunately with John McCain, it's all about give, give, give.
CHETRY: What about the gang of 12 and the situation that was worked out with the Supreme Court nomination?
BECK: Yes. Well, we - I guess we could spend some time on that. I don't really buy into John McCain or the gang of 12. For me, is the idea of him being great and strong on defense is dismantled by so many other things that he does. He also wants to get rid of torture, you know, with waterboarding, which I don't buy into as torture and gizmo -- the idea of getting rid of earmarks is offset by taxes. Everything that John McCain does is offset by something else that is, that is weak.
CHETRY: I got you. All right. We ran out of time to talk about Huckabee, and he still says he's not going anywhere until statistically it's over. So we'll have to continue --
BECK: It's over, Mike! It's over!
CHETRY: All right. When it's officially over we'll bring you back and hear a little bit more from you, Glenn. Always great to talk to you.
BECK: Thank you.
CHETRY: Have a great morning.
BECK: You bet. Bye-bye.
CHETRY: "House Call" to the White House. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to the doctor that has quite a big job, keeping up with the president of the United States next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: You may not realize it but a doctor is just a few matter beats away from the president. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now with an inside look at White House medicine. You talk about pressure. How about a doctor who's always on call.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are. And there's a medical unit inside the White House with doctors, nurses, physician's assistants, but they also travel with the president. So when the president needs health care any time, anywhere in the world, there's someone very close by.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. CONNIE MARIANO, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN: You're on his plane, you're on his helicopter, you're on his motorcade. The doctor is always within a few feet away. So, you essentially shadow the president.
GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Connie Mariano ran the White House medical unit under President Clinton. Five military doctors, five nurses, five physician assistants, three corpsmen or medics and three administrators. The mission, executive medicine. Keep the president healthy day to day. And protective medicine. Treat the commander in chief in a worst-case scenario, like an assassination attempt. The nerve center for White House medical care since President Hoover is an office next to the map room paper across from the elevator, the president takes to get to the west wing from his residence upstairs.
MARIANO: It's beautifully situated because it's right off of the elevators where the president and first family can just walk across.
GUPTA: And how would you rate the medical facility at the White House? MARIANO: At the White House itself, it's very much your typical doctor's office. It's got a private exam room on the ground floor, which has a crash cart.
GUPTA: A crash cart is used for emergency resuscitation. The goal, stabilize the president and get him to a hospital. Air Force One also comes equipped with tremendous medical capabilities, including a pharmacy, a burn kit, even an operating room table.
MARIANO: This is the patient like no other. Their decisions impact millions of lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Whenever the president travels to a country that doesn't have a trauma center close by, they actually fly in these separate planes complete with a sort of field hospital and they park that plane in an airplane hangar close by complete with four of the units of the president's type of blood. So, that's something they do when the president's traveling to foreign countries.
CHETRY: You know that is fascinating. In this field hospital, they have a pharmacy, a burn kit and even an operating room table. Have they ever had to use that?
GUPTA: You know, on Air Force One, I don't they have used it for anything major. They have had to use it for smaller things in the past, though, when we asked then.
CHETRY: Well, that is a very fascinating. Would it ever be something you would want to do?
GUPTA: Good question. I had a lot of fun talking to the White House doctor. I'm pretty happy where I am but they do have a fascinating job. Most of those doctors actually come from the naval center. Military doctors, well trained. Some spend of them, you know, they spend a decade or so in the White House doing exactly what they do.
CHETRY: Well, we're not letting you go, anyway. So good thing. Hope you like it here.
GUPTA: I do.
CHETRY: Sanjay, thanks.
GUPTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: Join Sanjay, by the way for his in depth look at the president's health not just for the president but the people who want to be president. "The First Patient," that airs Saturday and Sunday at CNN, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
And CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Tony Harris at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead. Good morning to you, Tony. TONY HARRIS, CNN, ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Kiran. Campus rampage obviously on the NEWSROOM rundown for you this morning. We are gathering new information about the man who opened fire at Northern Illinois University. Two key questions this morning -- who was he and why? Why? We'll also tell you about the students who were shot inside Cole Hall. Six killed. 15 other people wounded, and we return to the campus of Virginia Tech this morning. Ten months after the massacre in Blacksburg. Did that tragedy help save lives in Illinois? You will be up to the minute, up to the date all morning long right here on the NEWSROOM, top of the hour here on CNN. Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Thanks so much, Tony.
And revved up for another exciting Daytona 500 this Sunday. And Rob Marciano is track side for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Speed in the pit doesn't always equal speed on the track. Weather play a huge role. Qualifying day at Daytona. We've got your weather report at extreme speeds coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, this morning we begin introducing you the CNN "Heroes for 2008." They're ordinary people who've done extraordinary things for the lives of others. And our first hero has a day job as a nanny but she cares for thousands more in her native country. Marie Da Silva is today's "CNN Hero."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARIE DA SILVA, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN: Come on. This way.
Children has just been a joy to me. That's why I'm a nanny. They need to be surrounded by love. They need education. They need attention. And I can make that happen in Los Angeles. Why can't I do it for children elsewhere.
I was born and bred in Malawi, where we have hundreds and thousands of orphans. And most of them, of course, orphaned by AIDS. They live in very bad conditions. It's literally poverty. I'm Marie Da Silva and my mission is to educate AIDS orphans in Malawi.
AIDS is like a plague in Malawi. I have 14 members of my family who have died of AIDS. When I visit Malawi, I visit my family at the graveyard. When I heard that the AIDS orphans would have no school, it touched me to think that I need to help. The Jacaranda School is in the house that I grew up in. They study in my bedroom. They study in the pantry. They study in the garage. We have a lot of, just about everything, but we give them courage and they are doing amazingly well. This is their sanctuary. Every month I sent in $1,000, about 30 percent of my monthly wages. I reach out to my nanny friends. And today, there are nannies that give me $10 a month. I do this because I know that the children there need it. When my father was dying, there was this huge Jacaranda tree outside that brought in light. For me, the Jacaranda tree symbolizes hope, and that's what I want to give the children of the Jacaranda School.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentlemen, start your engines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Nicolas Cage, by the way, big NASCAR fan delivering the famous line at last year's Daytona 500. And they're getting set to get it rev up again this Sunday. This year 25 past winners will be serving as grand marshals. And our Rob Marciano found a way to win a free trip to Daytona. He is showing us how the weather will affect Sunday's race.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: How cars handle at speeds of 200 miles an hour on the track depends how teams fine tune them in here, and what mother nature throws their way.
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF FOR DRIVER CASEY MEARS: The weather will definitely adjust how a car handles.
MARCIANO: That includes air pressure, humidity and the wind. Even a 10 mile-an-hour head wind can slow a race car down and force crew chiefs like Alan Gustafson to literally switch gears.
And, of course, they're always on the lookout for rain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have that, live, during race days.
MARCIANO: Even sunshine can present problems.
GUSTAFSON: It's not the real big factor, all the blackout, the sun will soak in there and the tires will have a hard time gripping the hot track.
MARCIANO: And when you're this close to the wall, your life can depend on your tires gripping the track. Especially on steep turns.
Let me angle this bank. They say 31 degrees. But you don't realize it until you're standing on it. You got to be a roofer to navigate this, cars going 180. This is tense! Yes, ten, unless the wind is blowing you sideways. We took a few laps from the pace car, we could easily feel the force of the wind.
CASEY MEARS, NASCAR DRIVER: As you start to turn and pick up that head wind. The wind's hitting the side of the car and tends to make you a little bit tight off the corners. So, you tend to watch the flags right a lot around the track to get a good idea of where the wind's at and the crew chief, they keep you informed.
MARCIANO: Of course, it never hurts when Tony the tiger got your back. We had a blast yesterday and the last couple of days, talking about the weather, and this weather's warming up. So tires may be a little slick on the track come Sunday. Just think, this whole area is going to be filled with over 200,000 people, becoming the fourth largest city in Florida itself. Pit row here, the start and finish line down there, for the 50th running of the Daytona 500. There's a slight chance of rain. Of course nobody's hoping for that. Kiran?
CHETRY: No, I didn't notice this personally. I'm happily married. But there's a big chorus of women around here who think you look fantastic in your NASCAR suit. You may want to bring it back with you.
MARCIANO: Appreciate it. You know, they're going to have to drag this off me, but it feels pretty good. I got to tell you. Number 5 team wants to thank Casey Mears and the gang. We really enjoyed our time.
CHETRY: And you know what else is interesting, you guys have a little bit of history on your side. You guys, with Chevrolet, that's the car that they're driving? Well, that one's won the most Daytona 500s, that model and make?
MARCIANO: Yes. The Chevrolets definitely treat them well. As is our Sony beta cam here, the CNN Time-Warner team treating us well this morning as well. Got to give your sponsors hits.
CHETRY: That's right. And don't forget, when you're really looking for a pick me up in one of the final laps, Cheez-It. The best thing, Cheez-Its will get you going.
MARCIANO: Nice work. I'll try to make Cheez-its.
CHETRY: All right, Rob. Take it easy, have fun. Enjoy the race on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a final check of this morning's "Quick Vote" coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Before we leave you this morning, we want to take a final check of our "Quick Vote" this morning and we asked whether or not Chelsea Clinton who is campaigning for her mom, but not doing interviews with the press, should she be protected from the press? 42 percent of you said yes, 58 percent said no. And to all of you that voted this morning, thanks so much and thanks for joining us this morning on AMERICAN MORNING. I want to say thanks to Alina as well for being with us this morning.
ALINA CHO, CNN, ANCHOR: Anything for a pregnant woman and a friend. CHETRY: Thank you so much. By the way, we have to get Rob to wear that to our Halloween Party.
CHO: That's a good idea.
CHETRY: The NASCAR outfit fits him to a T.
CHO: He look goods.
CHETRY: He does look good. Out there at the Daytona 500 because of weather concerns.
CHO: I'd call it a boondoggle, my friend.
CHETRY: And thanks so much for joining us on AMERICAN MORNING. CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Betty Nguyen starts right now.
TONY HARRIS, CNN, ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN, ANCHOR: Yes, good morning on this Friday.
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