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American Morning
Sen. Lieberman Shows McCain Support; Deadly Earthquake Rocks China; American Aid Finally Reaches Myanmar; West Virginians Set to Vote
Aired May 12, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I don't know how that slipped through the cracks, but I can tell you, John McCain has been more clear and more vigorous than anybody else in American politics in speaking out against the military dictatorship in Burma, Myanmar, and on behalf of Aung San Su Kyi, the heroic Noble-prize winning reformer there.
I happen to know that she takes enormous encouragement from Senator McCain's support. And that's the way he is. There are human rights fighters all around the world who John has met with, when it's been tough. And they look to for -- look to him for encouragement. I think, you know, that's the kind of president he'll be. He's not going to have any truck with dictators and thugs around the world.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: So are you going to vote for him? Tell me right now. Are you going to vote for him?
LIEBERMAN: At least once.
PHILLIPS: All right. Are you going to -- why not switch sides? You're rallying for the Republicans, you're supporting John McCain.
LIEBERMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Why not go in caucus with the Republicans?
LIEBERMAN: Well, I'm a Democrat. And though, the Democratic Party has gone far from the party I joined and ran as a vice presidential candidate for just eight years ago, particularly on matters of foreign and defense policy. I feel like I want to stay and fight for the beliefs that led me to commit to the Democratic Party in the time of President Kennedy.
But in this case, you got to put the future of the country, I believe, over the party interest. And that's why I'm supporting the candidate John McCain who I believe...
PHILLIPS: But you still don't say if you're going to vote for him, Senator Joseph...
LIEBERMAN: Oh, no, of course, I'm going to vote for him.
PHILLIPS: There it is. OK.
LIEBERMAN: No, no. PHILLIPS: Senator Joe Lieberman voting for John McCain on the record.
LIEBERMAN: For sure.
PHILLIPS: Appreciate the good time. All right.
LIEBERMAN: Take care. Have a good time.
PHILLIPS: Thanks again. Thanks, Senator -- John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: It's coming up on two minutes after the hour. Breaking news out of China this morning. A 7.8 earthquake struck overnight. Reports coming in now more than 100 people dead and 900 students buried in southwestern China.
The epicenter was in the mountains of central China, but heavily populated areas are nearby. It can be felt as far away as Thailand and Pakistan.
Our John Vause is en route to Sichuan Province, the scene of the greatest devastation, covering the latest for us this morning, is CNN's Kyung Lah. She's live for us in Hong Kong.
Good morning, Kyung.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
As you said, the death toll is right a hundred, 107 to be exact. But that number could go up exponentially. We are watching the report of some 900 students who are feared buried inside their high school. China's official news agency is reporting that those 900 children are feared buried.
The state of whether or not they are alive at this point, how bad their injuries are, we're not getting very good reporting out of that area. We are starting to get some pictures filtering in through that region, near that area, starting to see pictures of students hiding under their desks. People being brought out of their houses. We are starting to get some initial reports, one driver said he saw entire rows of house that is simply collapsed.
This is a very powerful earthquake. It was very strong. You mentioned the proximity to high population areas. China's president is calling for an all-out effort. Some 3,000 personnel heading to that region to try to rescue some of those people. But again, John, we are carefully monitoring that report of those 900 high school students who are feared buried in that high school -- John?
ROBERTS: It's -- even though it's in the central part of China there away from the major cities, Shanghai and Beijing, there's still as quite an enormous population there, is there not, Kyung?
KYUNG: There is a very enormous population out there. And what is -- what's something to really point out is that structurally a lot of those buildings are not very well made. So that is why we're looking at those reports coming in, injuries and deaths perhaps may go up throughout the day, John.
ROBERTS: All right. Kyung Lah for us this morning monitoring the developments there from Hong Kong. And we hope to hear from John Voss a little bit later on today -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: And more breaking news. The first American aid finally on the ground in Myanmar. A U.S. transport plane arrived with 28,000 pounds of food, water, other supplies this morning. Two more flights are planned for tomorrow. The U.N. estimates somewhere between 63,000 and 100,000 people dead due to the cyclone.
Let's get an exclusive report now from our correspondent there in Myanmar who we are not naming for safety reasons. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra, yes, and you know, in the international aid that's arrived today is really badly needed in that region. Let me just give you a little update on what's been going on here. We have seen some torrential rain here in the area of southern Myanmar.
And of course, that's terrible for those people who have had the shelter above their heads destroyed by the cyclone anyway and now they have those torrential rain coming in. And that's obviously not making the situation any better.
And as you mentioned on that American aid flight coming in here earlier today, there was a lot of medication and also mosquito nets and water, and those are really the things from what I see that the people there need the most. From when we were down there, we saw that most of the people still have at least some rice left from their stockpiles.
But what they don't have is clear -- is clean, drinking water, medication and also things like mosquito nets. Those are the things that the people need the most. And those are the things that many people are not getting at this point.
We visited a village that was completely destroyed yesterday. And they have not seen any government aid to speak of. And certainly, people there are waiting to get some sort of help, as I said, mostly in the -- in the way of water and medications. Those are the most important things on the ground there from what we've seen.
Otherwise the situation there still very dire. We saw many dead bodies as we went down the Irrawaddy River delta. Of course, that region, hardest hit by the cyclone -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And we've talked about those who have been killed, talking about the dead bodies, as you mentioned, up on the river banks, floating down the water. But the threat also of starvation is tremendous, correct? And the disease of cholera, typhoid. What can you tell us about that?
UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right. You know, one village that we went to was completely deserted. They used to have 200 homes in that village before the cyclone. Now only four structures remain standing. So those people are basically living out in the open.
A lot of their stockpiles have also been destroyed. Their rice fields have been destroyed. There are oxen that they did have water buffalos, all drowned in the subsequent flooding. And as we went into that area, we saw them sort of take all of their rice supplies that they still did have and divide it amongst the people that actually left -- living in that village.
And they say that their food resources are depleting rapidly. And they say the situation as far as drinking water is concerned is even worse. They have no drinking water whatsoever. And of course, with those dead bodies lying around, dead disease could spread very quickly.
And then when you don't have drinking water and you're forced to drink out of puddles and out of drinking water reservoir that are contaminated with dead bodies, of course, that's a very dire situation in those villages. And they really need help very badly from what we could see -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And we'll continue to follow the conditions there. Our correspondent there for us live on the ground of Myanmar. Thank you.
Also oil prices reached record highs. Prices at the pump keep climbing. How rapidly rising fuel costs hurt you and hurt the economy. We'll talk about that.
ROBERTS: And turning the tables. Set to jail and exonerated by DNA, now former convicts want to put their prosecutors behind bars. Some say it will bring the criminal justice system to a grinding halt, those stories ahead on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")
AMY POEHLER, COMEDIAN: The price of stamps is going up next week from 41 cents to 42 cents. Oh, that's cute, said oil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Yes, indeed.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
ROBERTS: And you know we got record high prices for oil again and gasoline now up at what?
VELSHI: Three dollars and seventy-two cents. I think we've got a little thing. I'm probably too -- here we go. Hold on. Here we go. Ding -- $3.72 for a gallon of gasoline. That is the fifth straight record, the sixth straight increase.
ROBERTS: Fine. I'm buying a skateboard. That's it. VELSHI: It makes a lot of sense. This is -- I actually interviewed a fellow last week, an economist who said the one good thing about this is people do come up with extreme suggestions like that.
ROBERTS: I figure even if I break my leg the medical bills will be less than the cost to fill the car.
VELSHI: Yes, it's -- that's exactly right. Well, the bottom line is gas is up because oil is up. Oil settling on Friday at $125.96. But take a look at how it gained. I mean this is kind of dramatic when you see those kind of gains more than a dollar a day almost all of last week. We'll have to see where that goes.
But oil and gas prices are, you know, causing all sorts of problems when it becomes more expensive to ship and deliver things, people start to order less or companies start to add on shipping charges. And FedEx, which moves a lot of stuff around this country, says that they are feeling that.
They actually came out and said that between gas prices, oil prices and the fact that things are getting more expensive to ship, they are taking a hit on this.
FedEx, by the way, operates -- they move 7.5 million shipments a day. They operate 671 aircraft which makes FedEx the largest aircraft fleet in the world, bigger than any airline. And operate 75,000 of those motorized vehicles.
So they feel it, FedEx, UPS companies, they get really feel it. The trucking companies are a really good sense of how things are going because they move goods, which we buy and they pay for gas. So that's...
ROBERTS: It's not like you can run an aircraft in any kind of an alternative fuel, at least at this point.
VELSHI: None at this point, yes. But that certainly if you're -- you have aircraft, you're thinking about every opportunity and one of them is that coal to gasoline making gasoline for planes out of coal. That is something that's on the horizon.
ROBERTS: I was in Colorado over the weekend where gas is cheap by comparison.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROBERTS: I paid $3.55. They also sell biodiesel there, and it was six bucks a gallon.
VELSHI: Yes. Well, a lot of these alternatives are not cheaper. They simply don't use crude oil.
ROBERTS: Yes.
VELSHI: That's something to think about, unless more people start using biodiesel and these other options, they'll remain more expensive which is why people don't tend to do them.
ROBERTS: All right. Ali, thank you.
Don't forget that the economy is issue No. 1 for Americans. Join Ali, Gerri Willis and the CNN money team for "ISSUE #1" today and all this week at noon Eastern here on CNN, and also online at CNNMoney.com.
Breaking news, a story that we've been following all morning. A huge earthquake hits China. Students trapped in a collapsed school there. The prime minister calling it a disaster. We'll have the very latest for you.
PHILLIPS: Plus fire and rain. Wildfires right now in central Florida. Heavy rain tracking into the northeast. Rob Marciano, watching all that extreme weather.
Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Kyra.
This is all from the storm that will probably go down as the Mother's Day tornado outbreak. Headaches now for the East Coast. Details coming up when weather comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Brush fires breaking out in Florida over the weekend. Three big ones. And they're asking for help. Heavy smoke at one point forced the closing of Interstate-95, that since reopened. But a number of smaller roadways have closed in Volusia County. Hundreds of people actually been forced to evacuate.
And Brevard Country also having there -- issue there is with 2,000 acres burned in that particular fire.
Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING, everybody. I'm Rob Marciano.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Rob, thanks very much.
We continue to follow that devastating breaking news out of China today. An earthquake measuring 7.8 struck overnight. There are reports that more than 900 students have been buried in the collapsed rubble of their school. The epicenter in the mountains of central China.
But there are heavily populated areas nearby. One of them is the city nearby Chengdu. It is home to about 10 million people.
National Public Radio's Melissa Block is on Chengdu this morning. She joins us live on the telephone.
Melissa, can you tell us your -- from your vantage point there on the ground in Chengdu, are you seeing any of the results of the earthquake there? Did you feel it when it hit this morning?
MELISSA BLOCK, REPORTER, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: John, I'm having a terrible time hearing you. But I am in Chengdu, which is the capital of Sichuan Province. It's a huge city, about four million people in downtown Chengdu, 11 million people to include the surrounding areas.
And this earthquake hit about 2:30 this afternoon. It was extremely dramatic and lasted for several minutes, about three minutes total. I was in a building and everybody raced outside when they felt it. Then something started to shake. There was a huge rumble and everybody ran at (INAUDIBLE) Chengdu and I'm driving through Chengdu as we speak.
There are still many, many people out in the streets. They do not want to go back into the buildings because there are rumors of aftershocks and possible secondary quakes throughout the evening. It was really dramatic. Other words, bricks and tiles falling...
ROBERTS: Apparently, we've lost Melissa there. As you can probably understand particularly after an earthquake like that, communication to the area very difficult. We will try to get her back on the phone.
We've also got our own John Vause who is on the way to Sichuan Province to try to get a little bit closer to the epicenter which was in the mountains just as that plane -- the Sichuan plane turns into the -- the Sichuan basin area turns into the high Tibetan plateau. Not an area where there have been a lot of earthquakes. And this one today, a big one.
And again, those reports of a school collapsing trapping some 900 children because, as Melissa was saying, it hit about 2:30 in the afternoon.
So more on the quake coming up for you.
Her father inspired a generation to dream. What does Caroline Kennedy think about a dream ticket for the Democratic Party? She's going to join us from the Kennedy library coming up in just a couple of minutes.
PHILLIPS: And now that DNA evidence is available to get wrongly convicted people out of jail, can they turn around and sue the prosecutors who put them there? Well, that story also straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: (INAUDIBLE) is going after his fellow prosecutors. He says prosecutors who wrongly convicted others should pay.
Ed Lavandera reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I help you?
JAMES WOODARD, DNA EXONEREE: Yes, I need to get a job application.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): James Woodard has spent half his life in prison for a rape and murder he did not commit. Released two weeks ago, today the 55-year-old struggles to get a new driver's license. The only ID in his wallet is prison issued.
WOODARD: I mean I wouldn't dream it would be this hard to get an ID.
LAVANDERA: Struggling with ordinary chores is reality for Woodard and other wrongly convicted men who have been exonerated by DNA evidence in Dallas County. Cases dating back to the 1980s.
WOODARD: I feel like I'm waking up from a dream, you know, you wake up and you're kind of groggy and as time passes you wake up and get more coherent.
LAVANDERA (on-camera): Dallas leads the nation in the number of DNA exonerations, 17 in the last seven years. But right now the only recourse that the wrongly imprisoned have is to file a civil lawsuit against the prosecutor who put them away.
(voice-over): Many of the prosecutors who work to send innocent people like Woodard to prison now enjoy lucrative careers in private practice. The current Dallas district attorney, Craig Watkins, says prosecutors who knowingly sent innocent people to prison should be punished criminally.
In Woodard's case, Watkins says the prosecutor hid evidence that the murder victim was last seen with two other men.
CRAIG WATKINS, DALLAS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: When we see acts where individuals intend to cause a person to be convicted for a crime that they didn't commit, then it's just an embarrassment for our profession.
LAVANDERA: But some former prosecutors like Robert Rogers say the idea of making prosecutors criminally responsible will have a chilling effect on the justice system.
ROBERT ROGERS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Who would want to be a prosecutor knowing that if they made a mistake then people are going to be clamoring for them to go to jail?
LAVANDERA: In Woodard's case, it wasn't a mistake that put him behind bars, but a prosecutor willing to cut corners to get a conviction.
WOODARD: He took my life away from me. I mean, what's the difference? Buy a gun or buy words? Or by lies? You know, it's gone is gone.
LAVANDERA: And James Woodard is left trying to put his life back together.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And now to today's "Quick Vote" question, we're asking this morning: Does Hillary Clinton deserved to be the nominee if she wins the popular vote?
Right now 48 percent of you say yes, 52 percent say no. Head to CNN.com/AM to keep those votes coming.
We're asking this morning because the Clinton campaign seems to be pursuing the strategy of trying to get as many votes as possible between now and June 3 and make the case that if she can surpass Barack Obama in the popular vote, well, maybe she deserves to be the nominee.
Let us know your thoughts as well. Send us an e-mail, CNN.com/AM, follow the links that say "Contact Us."
She is supporting Barack Obama. Does Carolina Kennedy still think that Senator Clinton has a shot? The former president's daughter joins us live coming up next.
PHILLIPS: The president, a proud papa this morning as he sees his daughter wed. First daughter Jenna Bush marries at the family ranch. We're going to show more of the lakeside ceremony straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes after the hour. Welcome back to the most politics in the morning.
The race for those key superdelegates is now all tied up. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton each have 273. This comes after a 28-year- old superdelegate Crystal Strait of California threw her support to Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRYSTAL STRAIT, SUPERDELEGATE FOR OBAMA: In 2004, young people voted and then in 2006 young people voted again. And so we know that this 2008 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 young people from around the country have come out in numbers, in overwhelming numbers to support Senator Obama. And I thought it was important that, you know, I represent them by pledging my vote for Senator Obama today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Clinton says that she may be down but she certainly is not out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Clinton is campaigning hard in West Virginia today. That's a state that she is expected to win by a wide margin.
Former Democratic vice presidential nominee turned independent, Senator Joseph Lieberman, weighing in on the Democratic contest. He said Clinton has every right to run until Senator Obama secures the nomination.
And earlier Kyra spoke with Senator Lieberman who's now backing McCain about why he thinks Democrats will cross party lines and vote for McCain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMAN: 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 to government to do things for the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And while Lieberman says he still remains a Democrat at heart, he will vote for McCain.
PHILLIPS: And former Congressman Bob Barr joining the presidential race. Later this morning, he's officially announcing he'll run as libertarian. Barr began exploring the idea last month. And since then, he says that many Republicans have tried to talk him out of it for fear that he'll take votes away from John McCain.
And West Virginia holds its primary tomorrow. Senator Hillary Clinton is in the lead. But only 28 delegates are up for grabs.
ROBERTS: Twenty-eight minutes after the hour now. The Annual John F. Kennedy Profile and Courage awards will be handed out in Boston later today. The award is named after the late president's 1957 Pulitzer-prize winning book and honors elected officials who have demonstrated political bravery.
Joining us now is Caroline Kennedy, president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, along with this year's award recipients, former Mississippi Governor William Winter, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, and California Secretary of State Deborah Bowen.
Miss Kennedy, it's great to see you this morning. I'll talk about the Profile and Courage in a second if I could, but there's no secret that you're out there supporting Barack Obama on the campaign trail.
Do you believe at this point he is the presumptive nominee?
CAROLINE KENNEDY, PRESIDENT, JFK LIBRARY FOUNDATION: Well, I think it looks that way. But I think what we're really doing here today is talking about voting and I think the new -- the numbers of young people who have come into this race and older people, too, and to vote, and that's actually what the subject of this year's award is. So it's really a celebration of the Democratic process.
And the secretaries of state here each stood up for the right to vote and restored integrity in their state. So maybe they can tell us a little bit about how they've gone about doing that.
ROBERTS: Certainly, and let me get to that in just a second if I could. But on that idea of the popular vote, Hillary Clinton's campaign now seems to be making the case that if they could win in the popular vote, they've got a pretty good case to declare her the nominee. Do you think that would be a divisive strategy?
KENNEDY: Well, actually, I do support Barack Obama and I've been out campaigning. But I think Hillary Clinton is a tremendous politician, leader and an inspirational figure to so many people. So, I haven't really been focusing on the tactics and the numbers, but much more about the process and encouraging everyone to participate.
ROBERTS: All right.
Let's talk about these profiles and courage awards there. You've got two secretaries of state from Ohio and California, both of whom were heavily involved in this idea of making sure that electronic voting machines were in fact machines that could be relied upon. Miss Kennedy, maybe if you can tell us why they were chosen for these awards.
KENNEDY: Well, I think both of them realize that there were problems in an area that is so fundamental to our democracy. So each of the circumstances were a little bit different. But each of them stepped forward to correct anything so that all Americans in their states particularly could have confidence that their elections were free, fair, reliable and that their votes would count and that we can all have confidence in the process. So as I said, maybe one of them could tell us about their circumstance specifically.
ROBERTS: Well, let me ask Deborah Bowen then.
Miss Bowen, what was the problem with the electronic voting in your state. And how does that bode for the future in terms of, you know, we always want to try to make sure that the results of the vote are as accurate as possible, get the results quickly as well because people are waiting for those? Can we rely on these electronic voting machines?
DEBORAH BOWEN, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, in California, we are not relying on electronic voting machines. We are using optical scan ballots that are counted very quickly by a computer. But they are completely transparent. Any citizen could look at the original records and verify that the count is correct and restoring that transparency was key to having people be confident that we got the results correct. We weren't any slower in our February primary with results than we had been when we were using electronic voting machines.
ROBERTS: And Jennifer Brunner, you insisted on alternate ballots as well for people who didn't trust the system. Tell us a little bit on what you did there in the state of Ohio.
JENNIFER BRUNNER, OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you, John.
Our study of voting machine integrity came out in December of last year. We were facing a March 4 primary knowing we didn't have time to make wholesale changes. We worked with backup paper ballots in the 53 of the 88 counties in Ohio where we used the direct recording electronic or touch screen machines. It was an introduction. And we plan to use it further in November for counties that are unable to make the change in time.
And it allows us to accomplish three things, provide voters with an alternative, give us an alternative in the case of very long lines, and if machines fail, then we have backup ballots. And they did prove to be very useful and save the day in the primary election.
ROBERTS: And Caroline Kennedy, can you tell us why the former Mississippi governor there was chosen for a lifetime achievement award?
KENNEDY: Well, Governor Winter was a leader in his state in bringing people together, black and white and in fighting for education for the youngest and poorest of his citizens. And his is really a lifetime commitment to courageous political leadership, education and civil rights.
ROBERTS: Just before we go, Miss Kennedy, I want to ask you a question about the book, "Profiles and Courage." Ted Sorensen was an aide to your father back in the 1950s. There was some controversy when that book first came out and won the Pulitzer Prize, that it was actually ghost written by Mr. Sorensen. Both he and your father at the time denied that.
But Mr. Sorensen has a book and we're going to be talking to him coming up on the 19th of this month. It would now seems to point to a greater role in that book than in the past. He said "I did a first draft of most chapters which he revised - talk about your father, both with the pen and thorough dictation and then he goes on to say too about this agreement that your father had with him to share 50 percent of royalties or articles that the two of them authored together regarding this book, "because of our agreement concerning my work and pay for such publications. I am unwilling to push this point concerning recognition of my participation.
He still gives your father ultimate credit but he does seem to indicate that he did in fact write much of his book. What do you say? KENNEDY: Well, obviously, you know, the Pulitzer Prize was the year I was born. So, but I know my mother worked hard on it. My father was recovering from surgery that winter when he was working on the book on its back in Florida. So, Ted Sorensen, as we all know, is just an incredible aide to my father. And I think the book really bears president Kennedy's, you know, inspirational writing, thought, all of that. So, you know, I think Ted has always been a great friend and you know, it's interesting to hear all of this now.
But, it's a great book. And I think the important thing is that the book itself has inspired, you know, generations and is still used in high schools across this country. And hopefully it will encourage more citizens and students to read about history and value political courage as we are doing today.
ROBERTS: If, in fact, Mr. Sorensen did play a greater role in writing the book, do you believe it matters at this point?
KENNEDY: I don't know. I really don't spend as much time thinking about it as you. But --
ROBERTS: Actually, I haven't spent that much time thinking about it.
KENNEDY: OK. Well, the book is great. I think President Kennedy, you know, we have all of the documents here. People can come and look. As I said my mother worked very hard on it, read lots of biographies of Sam Houston and others. Obviously, you know, lots of people helped. But I think the book is President Kennedy's.
ROBERTS: All right.
Caroline Kennedy this morning for us with the three recipients of Profile and Courage Award.
Thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.
KENNEDY: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, new this morning, another record for the price of gas. The sixth straight increase according to AAA. Checking our AMERICAN MORNING gas gauge, the new national average for a gallon of self-serve is $3.72, that's up 35 cents in the past month and up $3.06 from last year. Now, the staple of summer for many Americans, pile into the RV, take the family camping. But with the rising cost of gasoline, driving a gas guzzling camper is hitting the wall, it's hard.
So, for some families though, leaving it in the driveway isn't an option for some. CNN's John Zarrella joins us now from Sunrise, Florida where there's a lot of campers out in that state.
Good morning, John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Kyra, you know you're absolutely right.
Every time we get another, some more news on the price of gasoline and diesel because a lot of these RVs run on diesel and the price of diesel is even higher, the folks are telling us it's costing them double what it cost them a year ago to take these campers and their RVs on vacation. So, a lot of them are telling us that this summer, the price of diesel, the price of gasoline is going to put the brakes on some of their summer vacation plans. For many Americans, it wouldn't be a vacation without the camper or RV.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
And it's not something they will give up even at eight miles to the gallon. C.C. Bitner is thinking of selling some of his other toys for extra cash so he and his wife can stay on the road.
C.C. BITNER, FUEL PRICES CHANGED TRAVEL PLANS: We are thinking about downsizing all of that and so we can realize our dream.
ZARRELLA: Last year, it cost Bitner $600 to drive round trip between Florida and Ohio. This year $800 just to get here.
BITNER: We are packed for next year already.
ZARRELLA: For 35 years, Dick Whalen has owned this RV park on Florida's west coast. He is optimistic.
DICK WHALEN, RV PARK OWNER: If you've got $300,000 to 400,000 invested in an RV, you're going to use it.
ZARRELLA: Even with high gas prices, Whalen says it's still an inexpensive vacation. A space in the RV Park costs as little as $44 a day or $600 for the month. That is Bill Jesse's feeling.
BILL JESSE, RV OWNER: We'll keep going on vacation. Tomorrow may never be here.
ZARRELLA: But Jesse and his brother-in-law who have been bringing their RVs to Florida for 20 years say they've never seen so many empty spaces.
Yes, not this bad, not this bad.
ZARRELLA: Many camper and RV owners say they are not giving deposits to reserve spaces for next year, but the price of gas and diesel they figure there will be plenty available.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now some campers and RV owners have told us that they'd sell them if they could. The problem is there aren't very many buyers right now -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes, understandable. John Zarrella, thanks so much.
And with gas prices on the rise, more people are looking to public transportation. Here's your AM extra look at just how many people are riding the rails. In L.A., the ridership is up 4 percent over last year. Cal train which runs from San Francisco to San Jose, ridership jumped 9 percent. Dallas was up 14 percent. Minneapolis 16 percent. And Trirail which runs from west Palm Beach to Miami saw ridership explode up 28 percent.
ROBERTS: Breaking news out of China this morning. A major earthquake has left at least 107 people dead. But there's word that 900 students have been buried in the rubble. We've got new details of that just ahead.
PHILLIPS: And just a short time ago, the first American plane landed in Myanmar delivering tens of thousands of pounds of aid to the victims. The question now is will the military junta give the desperately needed supplies to its people?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: We're following breaking news out of China this morning. A 7.8 earthquake struck overnight. Reports coming in now, more than 100 people dead. And this very worrisome of school collapsed in Sichuan Province apparently burying 900 students. That's according to the official Sichuan news agency. Four students, we know for sure, were killed when their school collapsed. There are reports of houses coming down, buildings swaying in many parts of the country.
The epicenter is in the mountains of central China, about 55 miles west of Chengdu, a heavily populated area. It's like the city though with four million in the city center, 11 million all together if you include the surrounding areas. Not far away. And we heard reports from Melissa Block of National Public radio who is there in Chengdu a little while ago that the buildings were swaying quite dramatically but few rush out.
They're still in the streets afraid to go back in those buildings because of after shocks. We'll continue to keep you updated on this breaking news all day today here on CNN.
PHILLIPS: Also, breaking this hour, the Myanmar cyclone devastation. American cargo plane we are told has arrived now in the country, packed with 28,000 pounds of aid, two more U.S. planes scheduled to arrive tomorrow, after long negotiations with the country's strict military junta.
And a grim estimate now from the United Nations, it says the death toll from cyclone Nargis could be at least 63,000 and as high as 100,000. That is well above Myanmar's estimate of 22,000. And if you would like to help the people of Myanmar and "Impact Your World," just head to CNN.com/impact to find the aid agencies that are helping out.
ROBERTS: Alina Cho here with other stories new this morning.
Good morning to you.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. Good morning, guys. And good morning, everybody. We have more breaking news. Word that Turkish fighter planes have bombed Kurdish rebel bases inside Iraq. It happened in the northern part of the country we're told, near the Turkish border. This is the third night of air strikes. Turkish troops have been attacking rebel bases following a deadly raid by those rebels inside turkey last week. The rebels have been fighting since 1984 for self rule.
San Francisco's maverick mayor Gavine Newsom is out with a plan to ban cigarette and tobacco sales at drug stores all throughout the city. Now, if it wins approval, the ban would take effect on October 1 and violators could be fined as much as $1,000. The ban would not affect so-called big box businesses like Costco or grocery stores.
And it's long been rumored now it's officials. Late nights with Jimmy Fallon. The former cast member of "Saturday Night Live" is returning to the late shift but solo this time to replace Conan O'Brien when Conan takes over for Jay Leno. That's according to a source close to the talks with NBC. Conan will take the top late night spot as "Tonight Show" host next year. But Jay Leno will be leaving kicking and screaming as you all know.
PHILLIPS: I miss Johnny Carson. I'm old school.
CHO: You're going way back there.
ROBERTS: Is he going to leave?
CHO: Well, that is the big question? Yes, I mean, listen --
ROBERTS: They may have to drag him out of there with wild horses.
CHO: I know.
ROBERTS: And if he does, if he do, he'll go somewhere else.
CHO: Well, the there's the other question of whether Conan O'Brien actually moved to Los Angeles. You know, he says he's a New Yorker through-and-through, he doesn't want to move to L.A.. So, lots of hurdles about that.
PHILLIPS: Did you know he drives a Taurus?
CHO: I did not know that.
PHILLIPS: You're looking at me like I'm crazy. That's one thing I remember about Conan O'Brien, the interview with him. No, Jay Leno --
CHO: No, Jay Leno has like 100,000 cars.
ROBERTS: Well, he's got this incredible collection of motorcycles. Close to my heart.
CHO: Yes, got you. PHILLIPS: Little tidbits that everybody wanted to know.
ROBERTS: He's got a motorcycle with a helicopter engine in it. Seriously.
PHILLIPS: See, this is the techno side of John.
Well, it was the Secret Service, the President called it spectacular. The stunning photos of the first daughter's wedding and some details you will only hear right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Spectacular, that is how President Bush described his daughter's wedding ceremony. I would sure hope he would describe it as spectacular.
ROBERTS: I think that any father would have. Absolutely. The pictures that we're seeing this morning. Back up that claim, White House correspondent Elaine Quijano has a look for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Against a backdrop of a stunning Texas sunset near a lake on the Bush family's 1600 acre Crawford Ranch, President bush walked his daughter, Jenna, down the aisle to her groom Henry Hager.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our little girl, Jenna, married a really good guy, Henry Hager. The wedding was spectacular. It's all we could have hoped for.
QUIJANO: The wedding party known in Texas as the house party wore colors that reflected the native Texas wild flowers. The 14 women in chiffon dresses by Dallas designer Lela Rose while the 14 men wore suits and light blue ties. The bride in a white silk organza Oscar de la Renta gown and groom stood before a cross and altar made of Texas limestone. Bush family friend, Reverend Kirby Johnson Caldwell of Houston officiated as the couple exchanged vows in front of some 200 family members and friends bussed in for the event.
Afterwards, under a tent nestled just beyond a thick cluster of trees, dinner and dancing to the music of the band, the Tyrone Smith review. Before departing for Washington, the first couple reflected on the moment.
BUSH: Just the vows were exchanged, the sunset over our lake, and just a special day and a wonderful day. We're mighty blessed.
QUIJANO: The president will be leaving office in eight months and has said privately he would like grandchildren sooner rather than later. A point he's already made to daughter Jenna as he considered life beyond the White House.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, Crawford, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Well, how much do you know about presidential or the history of presidential children marrying while their father has been in office?
PHILLIPS: Veronica de la Cruz joins us now with some trivia from CNN politics.com. I'm still looking up Tyrone Smith.
ROBERTS: That's true.
PHILLIPS: I'm going to tell you right now what kind of music. Take it away.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well good morning to both of you. And you're right, CNNPolitics.com is the place just in case you want to play along at home. All right.
But you guys put your thinking caps on. Here's the first question. The first one is true or false. Only the daughters of presidents have been wed while their fathers have been in office -- only daughters. True or false -- John?
ROBERTS: This is a guess. I'd say false.
DE LA CRUZ: Kyra?
PHILLIPS: I was looking at Tyrone Smith music to figure out what kind of music was playing at Jenna's wedding.
ROBERTS: There's the answer, right there.
DE LA CRUZ: All right.
ROBERTS: A little too easy.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, OK. Too easy. A little too easy. But you are right, John, false. FDR's son Elliott was married twice as well as Andrew Jackson Jr. Andrew Jackson Jr. also married at the White House.
So the second question, Jenna Bush, the 22nd child to be wed while her father was in office, true or false, don't give it away. Is she the 22nd child to be wed while her father was in office?
ROBERTS: I'll say true.
DE LA CRUZ: You are right. Kyra, we are not going to give you a guess.
ROBERTS: You should go on eBay for a little while.
PHILLIPS: I will tell you about Tyrone Smith Review in just a second. Go ahead.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. She was the 22nd child, 23rd wedding though because Elliott, FDR's son was married twice. ROBERTS: Married twice.
DE LA CRUZ: You're right, John. So again, you can find all these on-line at CNNPolitics.com.
All right, you can get back to eBay, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Weren't you kind of curious to know Tyrone Smith Review, what kind of music was playing at the Jenna's wedding?
ROBERTS: I would think it's probably R&B.
DE LA CRUZ: One more question for you, Kyra because you really didn't get to play.
PHILLIPS: All right.
DE LA CRUZ: Jenna Bush's engagement ring, true or false, was a Hager family heirloom?
PHILLIPS: Oh, I would think so.
DE LA CRUZ: So, true or false?
PHILLIPS: I would say true.
DE LA CRUZ: And you are right.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: So, the diamond was the heirloom and it was set with some sapphires.
PHILLIPS: Lovely.
ROBERTS: Here's a trivia question, where did the groom ask the father of the bride if he can take his daughter's hand in marriage?
PHILLIPS: Did it happen at a baseball game or sporting event of some sort?
ROBERTS: Camp David.
DE LA CRUZ: Very nice. You want these?
ROBERTS: He told us about that. He said, the poor guy was shaking like a leaf.
PHILLIPS: Did he have to sign any kind of accord or papers there?
ROBERTS: The President said he was very cool about the whole thing. Come on, get it out, get it out.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, taking your parents on a job interview may not be the best way to impress your employer, but some companies are inviting the parents. We're going to tell you about this new trend. Straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Our breaking news this morning. Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency now saying that 3,000 to 5,000 people, these are initial estimates. 3,000 to 5,000 people dead in that 7.8 earthquake that happened about 2:30 in the afternoon in China. There you can see some pictures of people outside of skyscrapers. These are pictures from Chengdu, which is the major city closest to the epicenter of the quake. It is about 55 to 60 miles away. It is home to some 11 million people.
In all Sichuan Province in 2004 census figures, 82 million people. So there are a tremendous number of people in the danger zone there. So, far 3,000 to 5,000 people dead, according to Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency. We will keep you updated in the story throughout the morning. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, you've heard of take your daughter to work day and now there's a take your parent to work day. Believe it or not, last week Merrill Lynch brought the parents of its college interns to New York as part of their Gen Y recruiting pitch. It isn't only companies reaching out to helicopter parents. Polly Labarre has the story for us now. Interesting, why Merrill Lynch.
Why did they decide to do this? What's the theory?
POLLY LABARRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I was pretty incredulous when I heard about this program. When I was 21, the last place I would want my parents, no offense, mom, was at my workplace when I was walking in the door. What's happened for the last five years, is you've been getting -- these big employers have been getting phone calls from parents saying my son is too busy, can I fill out his job application, or my daughter has four offers, can we negotiate salary and vacation policy. Suffice to say, this generation of parents is really, really involved in their kids' careers.
So, Merrill said instead of fighting this let's embrace it and they created this take your parent to work day program, which is actually a great program. It is packed with Wall Street 101, meet the executives, parent rap session when you can ask all the embarrassing questions that you don't want your kids here. And what I saw really was quite interesting, not a bunch of over coddled, spoiled Gen Y kids but really sophisticated and impressive recruits.
And the difference is they figure out their career not in isolation, but with a whole range of influences, their parents, their coach, their Facebook network and employers have to figure out how do I attract those people. So I spoke to this woman who had been in the analyst program who went to take your parent to work, and her parents really became a factor in her decision when she had four big job offers. Let's hear what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ENIOLA MAFE, MERRILL LYNCH & CO.: My mom and my dad can see certain intangibles, the kind of, you know, turn them on or turn them off and they may see things that I may not even have looked at in terms of making my final decision. And so it was great to have instead of just one head, three heads, which is definitely better than one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Pretty smart.
LABARRE: Very impressive young girl. And again, she had four major offers from big banks. And her mom said you know the culture, you have mentors there, why not go with Merrill Lynch. So, all of a sudden, parents can be a real advocate for a firm.
PHILLIPS: Well, these companies are smart. They wanting to invest and know what they are investing in this next generation.
LABARRE: Sure.
Recruiting is not a cyclical thing. You are always going to have to pouring inventiveness and creative ideas and a lot of resources into hiring the next generation. And this just happens to be what this generation expects. They want work/life balance, they want people to be involved. They want their employers to be good corporate citizens. And so, employers have to respond to that as they want the best of the best.
PHILLIPS: Well, I don't know about you but I brought my parents to work. And my dad is a bigger hit than I am. He is coming up with story ideas in the meeting and they sort of turned to him.
At this point, now I would love my parents to come to work. At 21, not so much.
Polly Labarre, thank you.
All right, John.
ROBERTS: Kyra, thanks.
Final check of today's "Quick Vote" question. Does Hillary Clinton deserve to be the nominee if she wins the popular vote?
Right now, let's take a look -- 49 percent of you say yes, 51 percent say no. head to CNN.com/am and keep the votes coming.
We have been also bee asking for your e-mails on this this morning. Let's take a look at some of those.
From Brenda in Austin: "If Hillary wins the popular vote and is not nominated and what is the purpose of voting in this country. I feel like as if I'm having deja vu. Gore winning the popular vote, yet we got stuck with Bush as president. Does anyone realize what a bad decision that was then."
PHILLIPS: And Cynthia in Stratford, Connecticut writes: "The Clintons have really got to be honest with themselves. How long are they going to try to beat the system for the Democratic nomination? This is a process they need to accept that and go on.
ROBERTS: Glenna in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma sent this is in: "What is the rush to declare a nominee before the primaries are over? Every citizen should have their vote count? The superdelegate should remain silent until the primaries are completed."
PHILLIPS: And this one from Elizabeth in Michigan: "if Hillary tries to say that she has won the popular vote so she should with it would be ridiculous. Just because a football team gets more total yard, it doesn't mean anything if they don't have more touchdowns.
ROBERTS: Thanks very much for mailing in to us today. We will do it all again tomorrow.
Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. And we will see you again tomorrow.
PHILLIPS: That's right. CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Betty Nguyen starts right now.
