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American Morning
Earthquake Hits China; Clinton Hangs On; Commuters Switch to Trains to Save on Gas; How Safe is the Syringe in Your Clinic; Clinton and Obama Duel for Delegates
Aired May 12, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ADAM PARKHOMENKO, FOUNDER, VOTEBOTH.COM: If you have one of them on the ticket with the other, I think that will be enough to send both of them into the White House. Both supporters will be happy.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Adam Parkhomenko for us this morning. He is the creator of voteboth.com, promoting the dream ticket. Adam, thanks very much.
PARKHOMENKO: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Maybe we'll check back with you a little bit later on in this primary process to see how things are going.
PARKHOMENKO: That sounds great. Thank you so much for your time.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks for coming on -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're continuing to follow that breaking news out of China. That 7.8 earthquake that struck overnight. The Chinese news agency says now, 900 students buried under rubble. That quake so strong, it could be felt as far away as Thailand and Pakistan.
Now, a smaller one has jolted Beijing just within minutes. We're told tremors also reported in many other parts of China. Let's get straight to CNN's John Vause. He's live there in Beijing. John, what can you tell us?
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, not a lot out apart from what we're hearing from Xinhua, the official state news agency here. But that terrifying number, 900 students buried beneath that rubble, it's unknown if they're alive or if they're dead. But what we have been told is that a massive rescue operation is now underway.
As many as 3,000 troops and helicopters as well as the country's prime minister heading to that region, the prime minister, Wen Jiabao, to personally direct this rescue operation. So far, we know the official death toll stands at five, including four children who were killed when their school building collapsed. That was in Chongqing (ph), which is about 200 miles away from the epicenter.
This latest news involves 900 school children in the Sichuan province in southwest China. That is obviously -- the death toll now will obviously rise after that news coming from the Xinhua news agency, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Now, we're getting reports of tremors in other parts as well. I mean, is this having a domino effect? Could we see something even worse than what we have already seen with this 900 students apparently being buried in the rubble?
VAUSE: Well, what we've heard from the U.S. Geological Survey over the last couple of hours is that there's been as many as 10 tremors in the last few hours. The big one which measured a magnitude 7.8 which happened about five hours here, almost five hours ago now, and various magnitude quakes, over five in the last couple of hours. And they have been felt from Shanghai to Beijing, all the way, as you mentioned, to Thailand and to Taipei and Taiwan, Hong Kong, everywhere.
So, yes, these tremors do appear to be continuing. There was a warning earlier that these aftershocks, these tremors, would continue for many hours to come -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And, John, real quickly. Is it affecting life there? I mean, the traffic, the business, the water, the power? Can you give us a feel for how it's affecting everybody by the moment?
VAUSE: Well, here in Beijing everything is fine. We had that rolling tremor which lasted for about two minutes. Thousands of people came out of their buildings. That went away. It seems to be relatively fine here now.
The big situation though is in Chengdu where -- which is about 60 miles away from the epicenter. There are reports of damages, injuries there, and many people are still panicked obviously after this very powerful earthquake a couple of hours ago.
PHILLIPS: And we'll follow it. John Vause there live in Beijing. Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Two minutes after the hour, almost three minutes after now.
Turning to the "Most Politics in the Morning." Hillary Clinton campaigning hard in West Virginia ahead of tomorrow's primary there. She is favored to win the state by a larger margin, but it won't make much of a dent on Barack Obama's lead. There are only 28 delegates up for grabs in tomorrow's contest.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton all tied up now in the race for superdelegates with 273 apiece. At one point, Clinton had a substantial lead. 28-year-old Crystal Strait of California threw her support to Obama to tie up the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRYSTAL STRAIT, SUPERDELEGATE FOR OBAMA: In 2004, young people voted and in 2006, young people voted again. And so, we know that this 2000 election is crucial to actually creating a block of young voters for the Democratic Party. A lot of the members, the young Democrats of America, a lot of the young people from around the country have come out in numbers, in overwhelming numbers to support Senator Obama, and I thought that it was important that, you know, I represent them by pledging my vote for Senator Obama today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Looks like Barack Obama is already setting his sights well beyond tomorrow's primary while Hillary Clinton seems intent to hang on. Our Jessica Yellin has got that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barack Obama, primed for the big game, seems inconvenienced by one remaining hurdle.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you all so much.
YELLIN: By most measures, Obama has already blown past Clinton. Now, he's practicing his skills against the opponent he expects to face in the fall.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It appears that the Republicans are intent on making this campaign about me, about whether I wear a flag pin.
YELLIN: Saying he'd consider debating John McCain in town halls across the country.
OBAMA: I think it's a great idea.
YELLIN: But first, he does have to win this race. And Clinton's not giving up. Telling a West Virginia crowd on Mother's Day --
CLINTON: I guess my favorite message was from a woman named Angela. Keep strong, she said, it's not over until the lady in the pantsuit says it is.
YELLIN: She is expected to trounce Obama in West Virginia, but many of her top supporters see that as little more than a last hurrah. Now, even "Saturday Night Live" whose political satire once put wind in Clinton's sales is ridiculing her beleaguered campaign with this standup of Clinton's case for becoming the Democratic nominee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, NBC "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")
AMY POEHLER, COMEDIAN, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": I am a sore loser. My supporters are racist. I have no ethical standards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN (on camera): Senator Clinton has given every indication she plans to stay in this race through the last primaries on June 3rd. But privately, some of her top supporters have been talking about the best way to approach her and encourage her to bow out. Some believe the best time would be after the West Virginia primary at her party tomorrow night.
Jessica Yellin, CNN, Charleston, West Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And coming up at about 20 minutes time, we're going to be speaking with the governor of West Virginia, Joe Manchin. He is an uncommitted superdelegate. We'll ask him how and when he is going to make up his mind.
PHILLIPS: But the Clinton campaign goes on. Her chief strategist Howard Wolfson rejecting the idea the campaign is over. He told "FOX News Sunday" that Clinton will win tomorrow in West Virginia, and insists that the ultimate winner will need 2,209 delegates to cinch the Democratic nomination, a tally that includes Florida and Michigan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR, "FOX NEWS SUNDAY": What is Senator Clinton's view of when this race is over?
HOWARD WOLFSON, CLINTON POLITICAL ADVISER: When one candidate gets to 2,209, which is the number of delegates needed with Florida and Michigan. We believe Florida and Michigan ought to be counted; 2.5 million people voted in those states, record turnout. We want those votes counted in the way that they were cast on primary day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And the number two Republican, Congressman Roy Blunt, says that John McCain is not equivalent to a Bush third term. Appearing on "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER," Blunt says that while McCain supports some of President Bush's domestic economic issues, he has a proven track record of being an agent for change in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CNN'S "LATE EDITION")
REP. ROY BLUNT (R), MISSOURI: I think what Americans are tired of is business as usual in Washington. They see John McCain as somebody who wants to change that. He's shown that as a member of the Senate. He's shown that as a leader of the country, and he'll be a positive force for change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The Democrats say that when it comes to the economy and the war in Iraq, McCain wants to continue the Bush policy.
ROBERTS: President Bush is calling the wedding of his daughter Jenna "spectacular" saying it's all we could have hoped for. The White House released 11 photos of the lakeside nuptials at the president's ranch in Crawford on Saturday.
Jenna married 30-year-old Henry Hager. This morning's "Washington Post" says Jenna is taking Henry's name. They enjoyed Tres Leches wedding cake, which is a Tex-Mex favorite. The family friend who performed the ceremony says the father of the bride was emotional. The couple reportedly will honeymoon in Europe, and they're going to live in Baltimore.
And here's your AM extra on White House weddings. Twenty-two children of presidents have married while their father was in office. Just nine had a ceremony actually at the White House. The last time was 1971 when Tricia Nixon married Edward Finch Cox in the Rose Garden. The wedding was broadcast live on television. The only president to marry in the White House, Grover Cleveland, who tied the knot back in 1886.
PHILLIPS: And a CNN exclusive. U.S. aid arrives in cyclone- devastated Myanmar. We're going to talk to the man in charge of the operation, Admiral Timothy Keating, joining us live.
ROBERTS: And record oil and gas prices hurting the economy. How rapidly rising fuel charges cost you. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business." That's straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And that price increase is nothing compared to what's going on with gas, a new record this morning. The national average for a gallon of gas, $3.72, with gasoline so expensive that many Americans are changing how they get to work. CNN's Allan Chernoff joining us now live from the commuter train station in Short Hills, New Jersey. Allan, good morning.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Kyra. And with gas prices where they are, more and more people are leaving their cars here in the parking lot and waiting for a ride to work -- on the train.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (voice-over): The 9:00 train to Trenton, New Jersey, after 17 years of driving to work, Eric Scott is now a daily rider, a change that's saving him $300 a month.
ERIC SCOTT, COMMUTER: In today's economy, you know, every penny counts so I'm just glad I made that switch.
CHERNOFF: Joanne Ralston became a train commuter in February to avoid a 60-mile drive.
JOANNE RALSTON, COMMUTER: It's huge savings for me. It's easily $200 a month for me.
CHERNOFF (on camera): As gas prices have soared, a growing number of commuters are getting on board and leaving the car in the garage. Rail lines across the country are reporting record ridership.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): Up 15 percent in the suburbs of Seattle, 13 percent in Miami, and better than five percent in the New Jersey community surrounding New York during the first quarter. RICHARD SARLES, EXEC. DIR., NJ TRANSIT: The buzz is, you know, get ready for more passengers. They're coming and you got to prepare for it.
CHERNOFF: Urban rail transit is gaining as well in car loving Los Angeles, Dallas and Minneapolis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's so busy there's no seat for you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can live with that compared to gas rise. I definitely can live with that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: As gas prices jumped last year, Americans took an estimated 10 billion rides on mass transit, the most in 50 years. Now with gas prices approaching $4 a gallon and in some areas even higher, more and more Americans are listening to the conductor when he says, all aboard -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And I know you're one of them. Allan Chernoff, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: So, you know, can gas prices be an indicator of what's going on with the economy or can sort of, you know, results of gas prices be an indicator of what's going on? Ali Velshi here to tell us.
(CROSSTALK)
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and that -- one example is -- one example is people getting on trains in getting to work. But if you're a package, you can't take a train to where you have to get. And FedEx and UPS are very good indicators of exactly how things are going on in the economy.
When things are going well, people are buying more and they're delivering more. But on Friday, FedEx came out and said, it's got some problems. There are two issues facing FedEx.
One of them is that with the tough economy, there's a little bit of a lag in people shipping things but more importantly, the price of gas. These companies have to budget out for what they do.
Let me just remind you, we know gas was $3.72 a gallon. That's the fifth record in a row. Take a look at oil prices. That's where we get that high price of gas, closing at $125.96 on Friday, but every single day last week was a record.
We started below $120 a barrel, ending the week close to $127 actually got up almost that high. Now, FedEx shipped 7.5 million packages a day. It operates 671 aircraft which makes it the biggest airline fleet in the world and 75,000 motorized vehicles. So when they last estimated what their earnings would be for the year, they based it on about $100 a barrel for gasoline. And since then, we're up at $127. So that's $126. That's a big problem for places like FedEx and, you know, for you because if you ship anything or order things that makes your shipping cost more expensive.
ROBERTS: Yes, and we're seeing it across the country, too. The affects, they're slowing down aircraft?
VELSHI: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: I was in a plane yesterday --
VELSHI: Just to save fuel.
ROBERTS: The only time --
PHILLIPS: It's only a couple of minutes, though, right? But that's like millions of dollars for a couple of minutes.
ROBERTS: And they're also making sure that the planes are absolutely packed to the rafters as well.
VELSHI: And one of the things that the FedEx pilots do, by the way, because humans don't like sitting around on the tarmac for the next available slot, the FedEx pilots get there. They're always ready to take the next slot because they can wait with the boxes. The boxes don't like it.
ROBERTS: All right. Ali, thanks.
VELSHI: All right.
ROBERTS: CNN exclusive coming up. The first American plane packed with aid lands in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar. We're going to talk with the man in charge of the operations. It's an interview that you'll only see here. And after a weekend of wild weather, what's in store for us today? Rob Marciano tracking that. Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we'll talk news out of Beijing again in the way of earthquakes this morning. We'll break it down.
Aftershocks are ongoing. Plus, the tornadoes this weekend and that storm is changing its form, and the northeast is getting hit hard. Weather is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. The aftershocks continue to roll in off the USGS Web site in China, Central China, where that 7.8 quake rocked that area early this morning or late last night. Here it is on Google Earth, and we'll show you where these plates line up.
You've got the Himalayas that are over here. But basically where we are, this is part of the Eurasian plate which is a huge, huge plate. It kind of splits in two in China. You've got a north China block up here, a south China block down here. And right along this area where these quakes happen is called the Qinling (ph) zone, and it is -- it can be quite active when it does pop and we're seeing that now.
Zooming in on where these after shocks and where the main quake happened will pop-up the specifics of this 7.8 magnitude quake, 10 kilometers deep or about six miles deep. That is a shallow quake. That is one that has obviously done a lot of damage.
Generally speaking, you get over seven, you get it shallow and you certainly have some big-time problems. Last aftershock of any sort of magnitude was a 5.1. Meanwhile, across the northeast, we're looking at rain with wind. Winds gusting 30,40 miles in Dover, Delaware this morning, and you'll get some of that up in New York City. John, Kyra, back up to you.
ROBERTS: Yes. Rob, it is blustery and rainy outside right now, so not a very nice day up here. But thanks, we'll get back to you.
West Virginia voters hit the polls tomorrow. Will Hillary Clinton win the state even if it looks like she'll lose the nomination and might not have any effect on the overall race? I'll ask the governor who's an undecided superdelegate. He's standing by for us this morning.
PHILLIPS: Plus, new details about the consequences of clinics reusing syringes. Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is following that story. Hey, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Kyra, how do you know when you go to the doctor's office if that syringe has been used before? We'll tell you when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's nineteen minutes after the hour. A new health warning this morning, even more cases now of Hepatitis C may be linked to a clinic in Nevada that reused syringes.
CNN's Elizabeth Cohen is live in Atlanta with the latest on this. I think it's stunning to a lot of people, Elizabeth, that -- she's not there. Maybe she's somewhere else.
I think it's stunning, Elizabeth, to a lot of people that the syringes are being reused these days when we know so much about the diseases that can be caused by it.
COHEN: That's right, John, absolutely. People assume that if you're getting a syringe at a doctor's office that it's brand new but not always. In fact, in Nevada, 77 potential new cases of Hepatitis C because of a clinic that reused syringes over and over again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN (voice-over): Roy Insco is googling how long he has to live. He has Hepatitis C. He's one of thousands of people who got a colonoscopy at a Las Vegas clinic in this medical building. Nevada officials closed it down when they found that syringes at the clinic were being used over and over again, infecting people with Hepatitis C. Repeated calls and e-mails to the attorneys for the clinic's owner were not returned.
ROY INSCO, DIAGNOSED WITH HEPATITIS C: I do this about six times a day.
COHEN: Now, Insco suffers from stomach problems. He's lost weight and may eventually need a liver transplant.
INSCO: And the more I read, of course, the more shocked and dismayed I became because it doesn't seem that there's any cure whatsoever.
COHEN: Insco was even more surprised to find out that he's not alone. In the United States, there have been 14 documented outbreaks of Hepatitis C since 1999 involving dozens of patients. Among them, 42 patients in one New York City outbreak, 102 cases in Oklahoma, 99 in Nebraska.
COHEN (on camera): It all comes down to this, the syringe. Let's say you're at the doctor's office and the patient before you has Hepatitis. When they give that patient a shot, microscopic amounts of tainted blood can seep back into the syringe. Then if they go and use it on you, you could get Hepatitis, even if they snap off this needle and put on a new one.
INSCO: There's not a law against that? That's shocking to me.
COHEN (voice-over): It's a story Evelyn McKnight knows all too well.
EVELYN MCKNIGHT, HONOREFORM: We really need to start learning these lessons.
COHEN: McKnight was treated at a Nebraska clinic for breast cancer eight years ago. Health officials shut the clinic down after determining syringes were used over and over again. While McKnight's cancer is in remission, she now has Hepatitis C.
MCKNIGHT: It's like having the flu all day every day, every day of your life.
COHEN: McKnight is petitioning Congress for stricter regulations -- one patient, one needle, one syringe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: McKnight and others in Nebraska sued the insurance company when the clinic denied liability but did settle out of court -- John.
ROBERTS: Amazing story. Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning from Atlanta. Elizabeth, thanks -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: More information now coming in to us from that earthquake that hit central China, that 7.8 magnitude earthquake. We're now getting reports, 107 people reported dead. That number continuing to climb. Also, in the Sichuan province, we were telling you about the 900 students buried beneath the rubble. Not quite sure if there are any survivors there, but we're on it. John Vause out of Beijing, working all the details for us. We'll keep you updated.
Also, today's "Quick Vote" question. Does Hillary Clinton deserve to be the nominee if she wins the overall popular vote? Right now, 45 percent of you say yes. Fifty-five percent of you say no.
Just head to CNN.com/am. Keep those votes coming. We're going to tally your thoughts rather throughout the morning. Also, you can send us an e-mail. Let us know your thoughts. Again, CNN.com/am.
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning." Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama all tied up in the battle for the superdelegates. Coming up, we're going to ask the superdelegate governor of West Virginia if he is willing to break the deadlock and his state votes tomorrow.
Also, exclusive video. The first American plane loaded with aid for cyclone victims touches down overnight in Myanmar. The head of the U.S. Pacific Command joins us live when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes after the hour now. In less than 24 hours, voters will be going to the polls in West Virginia to have their say in who the Democratic nominee should be. Twenty-eight delegates are at stake in West Virginia. Right now, Barack Obama has 167 delegate lead over Hillary Clinton, and the superdelegate race tied at 273 apiece.
Our next guest is a superdelegate. He's also the governor of the state holding the next contest. Governor Joe Manchin joins me now live from Charleston, West Virginia. Governor Manchin, thanks for being with us this morning. Appreciate you coming in.
GOV. JOE MANCHIN (D), WEST VIRGINIA: Thanks for having me, John. How are you?
ROBERTS: Very good. Let me ask you right of the top here. Do you believe Barack Obama is the presumed Democratic nominee at this point?
MANCHIN: Well, you know, we're excited in West Virginia right now, especially it's an exciting time to be a Democrat and everyone is really hyped up about this election tomorrow. So, with that being said, I see the numbers the same as you see them. And it looks like he has done quite well, but it's not over until it's over, I guess. And we're going to enjoy this primary tomorrow, and I'm sure the other states will enjoy theirs and then we'll see what happens.
ROBERTS: As we mentioned like every other governor in this state, Democratic governor -- Democratic governor in this country, you are a superdelegate. When are you going to commit, and what will help you make up your mind?
MANCHIN: Well, John, first of all, I'm in the primary myself so I'm running tomorrow also for re-election. So I'm concerned about that and I'm working hard for that.
Next of all, I'm also chairman of the Democratic Governor's Association. There are 28 of us around the country. Twenty-two have already committed. Six are still uncommitted. I'm one of them.
I will meet with all of them after my primary and start talking to them and see what direction and how we best start healing this state, and healing the country and the Democratic Party.
ROBERTS: So what will help you commit though to one candidate or the other? If we take a look at the way that the polls are going in West Virginia, the latest American Research Group poll shows Hillary Clinton is likely going to crush Barack Obama there, 66 percent to 23 percent right now. She is leading. Is that going to play into your decision?
MANCHIN: Well, that will play into my decision, absolutely. But also, you know, they're very comfortable with the Clintons. President Bill Clinton, very, very popular and he has campaigned hard. Hillary has been here quite a bit and then also coming from Arkansas, they pretty much know the demographics of West Virginians.
ROBERTS: Right.
MANCHIN: And that's connected well for them. We're going to look at basically, I think it's critical about the popular vote. How does that popular vote come out?
ROBERTS: You know, we had this e-mail from Terry McAuliffe that went out last night speaking of popular vote, and it seems that the Clinton campaign is trying to make a case that if they get her over the top with the popular vote nationwide, that they can make a case that she should be the nominee. Here's what he wrote, "Hillary is within striking distance of winning the popular vote nationwide, a key part of our plan to win the nomination. That means we need every last vote we can get in West Virginia on Tuesday and in the races that follow."
If she does win, the overall popular vote, even if she still trails in pledged delegates, do you think she's got a case to say I should be the nominee?
MANCHIN: Popular vote I know in West Virginia, West Virginians believe on the plurality and believe on popular vote. And if the people believe that it was over, they wouldn't be voting maybe in the way they might vote tomorrow or in the next few campaigns as far as --
ROBERTS: But should the nomination be --
MANCHIN: We're anxious to see that.
ROBERTS: But should the nomination, Governor Manchin, be based on who has the most pledged delegates at the end of this contest? Or could you say, well, wait a second, this candidate has won the most number of popular votes therefore they should be the candidate?
MANCHIN: Well, I think we see what happened in 2004 when Al Gore won the popular vote and where the country has gone and their feelings toward government since then. So, I put an awful lot of stock in that. But I think it does make a case for them but also it will give those of us who are undecided a chance to really look at it and make the decisions that we need to make on what's really best for the Democratic Party, how do we move the nation forward, how do we restore our place in the world.
ROBERTS: Now, in terms of how superdelegates vote, we've heard from some that this idea of electability, and even some voters out there are saying I'd like to know who's the most electable candidate before I cast my ballot. Howard Wilson who is the communications director of the Clinton campaign said this yesterday "what is the basis for the so-called presumptive nominee," talking about Barack Obama, "not competing in a key swing state," talking about West Virginia. Obama has essentially conceded this state. Bill Clinton won West Virginia in 1992 and 1996. George Bush won it in 2000 and 2004. It's obviously a swing state, and an important one. All swing states are important in the upcoming election. Do you believe Barack Obama can win West Virginia in the general election?
MANCHIN: Well, let's just say he has a well organized ground force here in West Virginia and they're working very hard. He hasn't spent as much time personally. I spoke to both Barack Obama and to Hillary Clinton about this campaign. I have welcomed them both to our state. We're excited. It's been 48 years since West Virginia has been in play if you will. So it's an exciting time for us. I want all West Virginians to truly enjoy this, unencumbered making their decision. And I told Barack if he will be the nominee, we will work door to do to make sure that people know that it's time for a change for this nation.
ROBERTS: Do you think he could win the state in November, if he becomes the nominee?
MANCHIN: I believe there's an awful lot of hard work, but I believe he can. I believe people understand the nation is not going in the right direction, it needs to change, the health care, the welfare, the security of this nation, the job security, the opportunities in education, all these are so important. But what will happen, Republicans will put a twist on the whole personal agenda. And we're going to make sure, they have done that twice in a row and it didn't work so let's do the right thing this time.
ROBERTS: Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Thanks for being with us this morning. Good luck in the primary tomorrow.
MANCHIN: Thank you so much, John. Appreciate it.
ROBERTS: All right. Take care. We'll check back with you. Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We'll continue to talk about politics of course.
But also a breaking news story out of China this morning, Alina Cho following that and other headlines for us.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kyra. Good morning. And yes, we have this breaking right now. China's state run media is now reporting that at least 107 people are dead following a powerful earthquake there. Reports now say that more than 900 students may be buried. No one is sure yet how many if any survived. The 7.8 quake was centered near Chengdo. That's a city of more than 10 million people. It was strong enough to be felt as far away as Thailand and Pakistan. Earlier reports from state media said at least five people were killed and hundreds more injured. Of course, that has been revised drastically upward now. Right now, a number of tremors are being felt across the country and officials say phone lines in the area are down.
The first American aid is finally on the ground in Myanmar. 28,000 pounds of food, water and other supplies arrived this morning. It comes more than a week after a cyclone killed as many as 100,000 people across the country. Tens of thousands of people are reported missing, more than a million are homeless. One international aid agency says more than a million people could be without food, shelter and clean water. The United States is hoping to send in two more planes tomorrow.
New calls this morning to help fight three wildfires that are burning out of control in Florida. The heavy smoke had forced officials to close parts of interstate 95. It has since reopened. In Volusia county, officials had ordered hundreds of people to evacuate the area. Right now fire crews are only expecting things to get worse in the weather department. They say high winds, heat and dry conditions are expected to fan the flames. So far 2,000 acres have burned. They're assessing the damage this morning after a deadly string of tornadoes struck at least three states over the weekend. The combined death toll in Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia now stands at 22. And the line of destruction stretches across several states. President Bush has promised to provide federal support.
And dig out your pennies if you're heading to the post office today. A first class stamp will now cost you 42 cents. That's up a penny. The U.S. postal service says there's a reason for the increase. It says it lost $700 million in the second quarter. High fuel costs are partly to blame. Stamps never go down, do they? They always just go up.
PHILLIPS: I saw stamps from the time before because I ran out of penny stamps. Now, I'm going to have buy more penny stamps.
CHO: You got to buy those forever stamps, right?
ALI VELSHI, CNN, SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: If you can lock in.
CHO: That's right.
PHILLIPS: All right.
ROBERTS: Speaking of hedging, in men, job losses these days sometimes are gender dependent?
VELSHI: Very interesting. All we talked about for the last few months when it comes to jobs is how we have lost jobs. We lost a quarter million just since the beginning of the year. But you're going to be surprised to hear this. Women have actually gained jobs while men have been losing them. Stay with us. I'll explain to you how all that breaks down when AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A CNN exclusive, U.S. aid arriving in cyclone devastated Myanmar. We're going to talk to the man in charge of that operation, Admiral Timothy Keating, on the ground getting those supplies in to victims that need it. He's going to join us live soon from the area. Meanwhile.
ROBERTS: It's 37 minutes after the hour. In the meantime, Ali Velshi here with good news and bad news for women in the workforce.
VELSHI: You know, here's some interesting thing when we talk about the stock market, as we know, it's not one stock market. There's always some stocks that go up and some that go down. Same thing with the job market. We've talked about how we'd lost a quarter-million jobs since the beginning of this year. But it's not as clear cut as it looks, take a look at how it breaks down.
I've gone back to November. This is our friends at "Businessweek" have worked this out. From November to April, men lost 700,000 jobs in the United States. Women actually gained 300,000 jobs. Very interesting. So while it looks like we have lost, women have had a disproportionate gain, now why you ask?
ROBERTS: Why?
PHILLIPS: Why?
VELSHI: It's because of the type of jobs men are in and the type of jobs that women are in. We know that construction and manufacturing jobs have really disappeared in the United States. Well, those are male dominated professions. We know that we've had gains in education and health services and the government. And those are female dominated jobs. And by the way, we've had gains in retail. We have gains in -- we talk about nursing all the time. Do, you know this interesting fact that a number of people who were retired nurses women have gone back into nursing because only 10 percent of nurses are men. Men don't gravitate to that job even though it's growing so women are in high growth jobs, men tend to dominate jobs that are not growing as quickly.
PHILLIPS: What about the pay gap?
VELSHI: Pay gap has not decreasing. This is interesting. In fact, over the last year, according to at least one study, it's increased a little bit. Both men and women made a little bit more but men, the percentage was higher. So women still make less than 8 cents on a dollar compared to men. But women's education levels have been increasing in the last couple of decades, so it's definitely the trend is in favor of women. But that pay gap is much larger than most people think it should be. I mean, it shouldn't be anything. So to have more than a 20 percent gap between men and women for the same job is really quite remarkable.
ROBERTS: It is.
PHILLIPS: And what's the story about construction jobs? Is it because of the economy and people can't afford to build.
VELSHI: Construction jobs go up and down. Manufacturing jobs have only gone down in the United States. That's a long-term decline as we know from the (russ belt)ph. But construction jobs come back when times are better. And by the way, there's a slightly larger proportion of women getting into construction jobs which is interesting.
ROBERTS: Ali, thanks.
A move not just to ban smoking but to ban cigarettes all together in a major American city. If it passes, it will be harder to find cigarettes and other tobacco products in your local pharmacy. It is a healthy move or is it a boost for big change stores.
PHILLIPS: And breaking news, a 7.8 earthquake rocks China this morning. Hundreds of students trapped in the rubble. We're getting the first reports in from the region. Stay with us, we'll update you.
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PHILLIPS: So should pharmacies be allowed to sell cigarettes? Well, they're debating it in San Francisco and some small independent pharmacies want San Francisco's mayor to butt out. CNN's Dan Simon reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): San Francisco is known for its cable cars, Walgreens for pharmacies, now the city and it's pharmacy chains are set to collide. The mayor here wants an ordinance banning them from selling cigarettes. His public health director urged him to push the measure.
DR. MITCH KATZ, SAN FRANCISCO HEALTH DIRECTOR: We go to pharmacies to get medicines to make your better. Therefore, it's the wrong message to sell tobacco.
SIMON: Most independent pharmacists agreed tobacco has no place on their shelves.
ELAIN CHAN, PHARMACY OWNER: Where does that promote good health? Where is that being a positive attitude towards good health?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: But cigarettes are legal and stores like Walgreens and Rite-Aid see themselves as a one-stop shop for customers. Walgreens says cigarettes make up an insignificant portion of it's overall sales. What concerns them is how a ban would impact other sales. Because of course, people who buy cigarettes will often times pick up other products as well.
Rite aid has the same concern. Smokers like Jan Kanabi may pose a problem to the health of their sales.
JAN KANABI, SMOKER: If them limit what I can get there, I may not shop there anymore.
SIMON: But it's the small number of independent pharmacies that sell tobacco that would feel the greatest pain.
RICK SHOMAN, PHARMACY OWNER: It's a small corner store, taking cigarettes out of here would make it hard to be here in another 20.
SIMON: if the city passes the ban, grocery stores in big box chain like Costco with pharmacies would be exempt. Walgreens says that's not fair. Some critics also see a contradiction by not pointing the finger at other health hazards like sugary foods and liquor. Supporters are ready for the debate.
KATZ: I think the big difference is that there is no safe amount of smoking. There's no safe amount of tobacco.
SIMON: Smokers these days have never had it so tough. San Francisco might make it tougher. Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The ban is expected to pass either this month or next, if it does, it will go into effect on October 1st.
Republican John McCain working on a plan to take the Democrats in the fall. A closer look at the strategy. One of his key supporters Joe Lieberman is going to join us live.
ROBERTS: Plus breaking news that we have been tracking all morning, a huge earthquake in China. Hundreds of children trapped in the rubble. We have got the very latest for you. Straight ahead, stay with us.
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ROBERTS: 47 minutes after the hour. Breaking news that we've telling you about all day today, an earthquake measuring 7.8 rocked central China. More than 107 people known dead at this point. The death toll still rising this morning because we have learned that 900 students are trapped in rubble when their school collapsed. We're going to take you live to Beijing shortly for the very latest on that. But meantime we got some problems of our own here this morning in the mid-Atlantic region. Rob Marciano there in Atlanta at the weather center tracking the extreme weather this morning. Hey Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, John. We have had over 60 reports of tornadoes some of which were deadly over the weekend. That same storm is now causing problems of a different sort across the northeast, across the southeast as well. Big winds across Florida, we have brush fires here, some of which are still out of control. We expect the winds to be quite gusty, they are already this morning. Extreme fire danger as categorized by the storm's prediction center. That is not good news dealing with that.
Up to the northeast we go. Winds gusting here, 30, 40 miles an hour. Near Dover, Delaware. This is almost becoming like a tropical system. It certainly is strengthening off the shores of the Delmarva. Some rain across parts of Maryland and Delaware and in some spots in Delaware. We're looking at some evacuations. Press video coming in to CNN this morning. Check it out. There it is, heavy rains, pounding on the roadways and certainly the sewers are having a hard time keeping up there. The coastal area is where they are hardest hit.
That's where the strongest winds are and during the high tide, they will see coastal flooding, no doubt about that. Check out some winds on top of that rainfall. Either winds just this morning, Breakwater Harbor, Delaware, 65-mile-per-hour wind gusts. In Cape May, New Jersey, 58 miles an hour wind gusts. These are well over tropical storm strength and they're getting blown away there, the tables there in Atlantic City, New Jersey at 53 miles an hour.
Looking ahead towards tomorrow, another chance of seeing severe weather and storms possible here with a - possibility of seeing tornadoes from northern Texas and through parts of southwest Missouri, eastern parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, the same spots that got torn up on Saturday. We'll keep you posted on that. John, back up to you.
ROBERTS: Rob, thanks very much.
MARCIANO: You got it.
PHILLIPS: All right. Today's "quick vote: question, does Hillary Clinton deserve to be the nominee if she wins the popular vote? Right now 47 percent of you say yes, 53 percent of you say no. Head to cnn.com/am. And keep those votes coming in. We're going to continue to tally your votes obviously throughout the morning.
ROBERTS: Yes, pretty close in terms there of how the voting's been going. We've also been getting lots of e-mails on this morning. Daisy from Winchester, Illinois writes to us and says, "no she should not get the nomination. The rules says the candidate with the most delegates wins. You can't change the rules in the middle of the game, no matter who you are. She needs to bow out before everyone loses respect for her."
PHILLIPS: And Jeremy in Abilene, Kansas, "this nation was made so that the people will have a voice. I'm not for either of the senators, but I believe it's fair to say that whoever gets the majority of the popular vote should have the nomination of the Democratic Party."
ROBERTS: Lonnie in Jackson, Minnesota simply states "on the subject of Hillary and the popular vote, do we switch the rules in the ninth inning? I don't think so."
PHILLIP: This one from Guia, in Pleasant Valley, New York, "the popular vote should be what counts, if we are told that our vote counts then it really should. In this day, an information age we can have information in an instant and there's no need for the electoral college, it should be abolished." There's a whole other debate. That will be - OK, you just stepped on a land mine there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): Total destruction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This place doesn't deserve all of what they have been through.
ROBERTS: Deadly tornadoes in a wild weekend through the south, tearing down homes, tossing cars.
Red alert. Wildfires block a major interstate. New warnings this morning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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PHILLIPS: Well, this morning a lot of talks from senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton about party unity. Both saying when the contest is resolved they're committed to making sure that Democrats come together so they can win in November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Whatever differences exist between myself and Senator Clinton, they pale in comparison to the other side.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will have a nominee and we will have a unified Democratic Party and we will stand together and we will defeat John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And even though the Democratic race is not over, Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain have their sights set on each other. Joining me to talk about the race for the White House, Senator Joe Lieberman, former Democratic vice presidential nominee. He's now an independent supporting McCain. Good to see you, Senator.
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: Good to see you. Thank you, Kyra. Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: Right there we talked about party unity. What do you think? Doe s Hillary Clinton need to pull out for the sake of saving the unity within the party?
LIEBERMAN: Obviously, that's her decision and I'm probably ill placed by the time to give advice. But just as somebody in public life, I would say she has no need to do that, she has a right to continue to run until Senator Obama actually secures the nomination.
PHILLIPS: But who would you rather see John McCain up against, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton?
LIEBERMAN: I don't have a choice. I think John has an affirmative case to make for himself, that he's ready to be commander- in-chief in a tough time to protect all of us and that he'll break across party lines because he's done it to get the government to do things for the American people.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk about this major speech that he's going to be making on climate change today. Real quickly, let's just take a look at this clip that will be coming out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Climate change wreaks havoc with deadly weather, one extreme thinks high taxes and crippling regulation is the solution. Another denies the problem even it exists. There is a better way.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that climate change is real. It's not just a greenhouse gas issue, it's a national security issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: OK. The environment, reality check here. I want to just throw two polls at you quickly. "L.A. Times-Bloomberg" poll say 4 percent of the people say that the environment is a top concern. Very small percentage. Then just today, another poll comes out a Gallup poll finds 38 percent of likely voters saying McCain's association with Bush makes them less likely to vote for McCain. Why is he talking about the environment? Is this more about disassociating himself with the Bush administration?
LIEBERMAN: Well, I think he is talking about the environment and particularly climate change because he cares about it. And he -- if you ask John McCain what are some of the things he most wants to accomplish as president, one is to get America back into global leadership in doing something about global warming because, as he said right there, he believes this problem is real and it has catastrophic potential consequences for the planet and for all of us who are blessed to live on it.
Incidentally, John McCain's willingness to step out early, five or six years ago when he and I introduced the first really significant anti-global warming bill in the senate I think is not only one of the reasons that I crossed party lines to support him, but one of the reasons why I think a lot of Democrats and independents are going to do the same and it certainly puts the lie to this argument that John McCain is just George Bush over again. President Bush with all respect has pulled out - pulled America out of a global war against global warming. John McCain will put us back into the leadership of it and that's where we must be.
PHILLIPS: But is this a subject matter that he should be concentrating on right now, at this point, it's such a tight race, he and Barack Obama laying out their battle plans here. I mean, it's getting heated. We have 4 percent of the population, according to this latest poll saying, not really important to me.
LIEBERMAN: Well, I mean this is one of the things I admire about John. He has reached the conclusion, no matter what the polls say, that climate change is important to us and to our children and grand children and succeeding generations on earth and if we don't do something about it, they're not going to live as well as we do. So, he has had the guts to step out early on it. He's going to speak favorably about it again. We got a bill coming up in the senate in June to be debated on the floor. I know he'll be actively involved in that and basically this is a guy and this is why I'm supporting him, who will do what he thinks is best for our country, in fact for the world, and not be controlled by polls or by even his political party. If he thinks that they're not right.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's step aside from the polls and talk subject matter. Obviously the Iraq war, he continues to embrace that. This is high on the agenda of the American people. I just returned from Baghdad and what was interesting to me, I sat down with dozens of Iraqi soldiers and dozens of students at Baghdad University and senator, they said to me, we don't want to see a Republican president. As a matter of fact, out of every single one that I talked, one person said they supported John McCain. They said we're living a Republican war. Look at this. it's a disaster, we want to see a Democrat for president. What does John McCain say to the future of Iraq and we're talking about Iraqi soldiers and Baghdad university students? They're the ones living this.
LIEBERMAN: Well, I'm real surprised to hear that.
PHILLIPS: I was too, it was very interesting. They were very blunt and very straight forward.
LIEBERMAN: Yes, not that I expect the Iraqis to vote in our election, but I will tell you that in all of the visits i have made there and it's eight, the Iraqi people on the street, the Iraqi military, the Iraqi government that I've talked to don't want us to just pick up and leave because -- which is what Senator Obama, Senator Clinton have been advocating. They want us obviously not to stay there forever, Senator McCain wants the war to stop and to have us pull back into bases and be on a path, a reasonable path of withdrawal. But I think the Iraqi people more than anybody know, they made tremendous progress in the last year and a half towards security, towards economic rebirth, some kind of political, national reconciliation.
And the last thing they want us to do in '09 is just to pick up what we begin to retreat because they'll be the victims. They'll be genocide, there'll be genocide, there will be bloodshed they have made tremendous progress in the last year and a half, thwart security, toward economic rebirth, toward some kind of political national reconciliation reconciliation. The last thing they want us to do in '09 is to begin to retreat because they will be the victims, there will be genocide, bloodshed. Iran and Al Qaeda will win and we will lose. And I'm surprised at what your unscientific poll found. I honestly don't think it reflects the feeling of most Iraqis, certainly not the ones that I've met when I've been there.
PHILLIPS: Final question. It's in the news. Myanmar.
LIEBERMAN: Sure.
PHILLIPS: McCain has been VERY vocal about human rights abuses there. And I'm sure you are well aware of over the weekend Doug Goodyear, the PR exec that was hired to run the RNC this summer resigned because his company had lobbied for the military junta.
LIEBERMAN: Right.
PHILLIPS: How did that slip through the cracks and do you think that John McCain should even be employing lobbyists of former lobbyist in this campaign?
LIEBERMAN: I don't know, how that slip through the cracks but I can tell you that John McCain has been more clear and more vigorous than anybody else in American Politics ...
