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CNN Sunday Morning
Obama Posts Landslide Victory in South Carolina
Aired January 27, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: All right. You can call it a landslide, call it a romp, you can call it a butt-whooping if you want to -- A huge win for Barack Obama. It's a huge win in South Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This country relies on a workforce that is not necessarily from this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Well, the immigration issue is certainly a hot topic this election year, especially in produce states like Florida. Farmers speak out, but are presidential candidates listening?
HOLMES: And look at this here. Look at that lady. That's CNN's headline news robin Meade. No, she did not compete in the pageant last night.
NGUYEN: Although it looks like she could, right.
HOLMES: She probably could win that thing, I believe.
NGUYEN: Exactly. Miss Ohio.
HOLMES: Yeah and she was miss Ohio back in -- well, she wouldn't want me to say, probably, but not that long ago. But, that's her with Miss America, actually, last night. She's taking us behind the scene of the pageant, all the glitz, the glamour ahead on this CNN Sunday morning from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Good morning, everybody I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for joining us. It is January 27. Let's get you informed right now. And we want to start with South Carolina where Democratic voters finally had their say, record turnout there for the primary; more than a half million voters putting the exclamation point on a contentious week of campaigning.
Here are you: Obama took 55 percent of the vote, Hillary Clinton managed just 27 percent of the vote, as expected John Edwards finished third. He had 18 percent. Obama's margin of victory was the biggest in any of the contestant primaries and caucuses so far. His win in the first southern test for the Democrats could also give him much- needed momentum heading into February 5, Super Tuesday. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The choice in this election is not between regions or religions, or genders, it's not about rich verses poor, young verses old, and it is not about black versus white.
(APPLAUSE)
This election is about the past versus the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, yes, after the primaries the candidates are moving out and moving on, but hey, CNN's Jessica Yellin still in South Carolina for us keeping an eye on the day after.
Good morning to you, there.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J. You heard it right there, Barack Obama has framed his campaign as a promise of a new kind of politics, a politics of unity and that is a message, a promise that delivered him a resounding victory here in South Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): For Barack Obama, not just a victory, a route.
OBAMA: Thank you, South Carolina.
YELLIN: He won more than half the votes, according to his campaign, proof that Iowa was no fluke. And his message of a new kind of politics is breaking through.
OBAMA: We have the most votes, the most delegates, and we have the most diverse coalition of Americans that we've seen in a long, long time.
YELLIN: Hillary Clinton made a show of moving on. Jetting to Nashville to declare...
SEN HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now the eyes of the country turn to Tennessee and the other states that will be voting on February 5...
YELLIN: And despite finishing third, yet again, John Edwards insists he's staying in the completion.
JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're giving voice to all those Americans whose voices are not being heard. And their voices were heard today.
YELLIN: The Democratic contest took a bruising turn in South Carolina. OBAMA: While I was working on those streets watching those folks see their jobs shipped overseas, you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board of Wal-Mart.
CLINTON: I was fighting against those ideas when you were practicing laws and representing your contributor, Rezko, in his slum landlord business in inner-city Chicago.
YELLIN: First Clinton then Obama pulled down ads the other campaign called misleading, then there was the Bill Clinton effect.
BILL CLINTON (D), FMR U.S. PRESIDENT: They both said that Hillary was right and the people who attacked her were wrong and that she did not play the race card, but they did. So I don't have to defend myself...
YELLIN: It heightened interest in the role Barack Obama's race would play in South Carolina. In the end, exit polls show Obama won 80 percent of the African-American vote, and about a quarter of the white vote.
The crowd at his victory party offered an unusual chant. "Race does not matter," they say. Already the Clinton campaign is looking ahead to states in which Latino voters will weigh in, it's a constituency that has been good to the Clintons.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And to that end, Senator Clinton has moved on already. Expect her to focus this next week, significantly in the West and in New York and New Jersey where there is a significant Latino population. Look for Barack Obama to compete aggressively in the Midwest and the South. And as for John Edwards, well, he'll take a win just about anywhere -- T.j.
HOLMES: He'll take it anywhere he can get it. Well, it sounds like they're going to be on the road, which means you're probably going to be traveling a bit, as well.
YELLIN: You got it.
HOLMES: Pack your bags, there. We'll see you. Jessica Yellin for us this morning in South Carolina. Thanks so much.
NGUYEN: Well, the primary wasn't the only good news for Barack Obama. He also received high praise and an endorsement from President John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline. Here's what she said in an editorial in this morning's "New York Times," "I have never had a president that inspired me the way people told me that my father inspired them. But, for the first time I believe I have found the man who could be that president, not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."
Well, Arizona senator, John McCain, picks up an important endorsement in the fight for Florida. That state's governor gives McCain the nod. Florida voters head to the polls Tuesday for the Republican primary. All the GOP candidates were hoping for the governor's endorsement. And at a dinner last night in Saint Petersburg, Governor Charlie Christ called McCain a "true American hero" before throwing his support behind him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV CHARLIE CHRIST (R), ST PETERSBURG, FL: I have been thinking about it a lot. And I have to tell you that after thinking about it as much as I have, I don't think anybody would do better than the man who stands next to me, Senator John McCain.
(APPLAUSE)
CHRIST: That's an endorsement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I'd say so.
Well, it is a growing concern in Florida and it's helping shape this presidential race. How will immigration reform affect farmers?
HOLMES: And at the center, here, who picks the fruits and vegetables we all eat? CNN's John Zarrella explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Since 1933, they've been picking oranges off the trees at Smoak Groves in Lake Placid, Florida.
MASON SMOAK, FARMER: Tommy's or Valencias, they will be ready to harvest in two to three months.
ZARRELLA: But these days Mason Smoak is worried, afraid immigration reform could destroy the industry, and there may not be anyone to pick next year's crop.
SMOAK: This country relies on a work force that is not necessarily from this country.
ZARRELLA: According to the Department of Labor, 65 percent of farm workers nationwide are illegal. With the Florida primary just days away, Smoak and strawberry grower, John Stickles are paying as much attention to where the candidates stand on immigration as they do their groves and field. The next president must, they believe, support a guest worker program.
JOHN STICKLES, FARMER: So I want to hear from a president is them saying that I'm going to secure the border, but at the same time, I'm going to institute a friendly guest worker program.
SMOAK: It's more than closing the borders and sending everybody home. We will be crippled as an industry and a nation if everybody was sent home and we did not have a guest worker program. ZARRELLA: Agriculture is the second biggest industry in Florida behind tourism. Citrus alone brings in $9 billion. A lot of votes in Florida are tied to agriculture. But, based on what they've heard so far, neither man is sure who he is voting for. All the candidates want tighter security, but while some support a guest worker program, none has talked enough so far to satisfy Smoak or Stickles.
STICKLES: Looking for somebody that is open minded, realizing that they're going to shut down agriculture by removing these people.
ZARRELLA: If that happens these growers fear workers won't be coming from other countries in the future, but much of your fruits and vegetables will.
John Zarrella, CNN, Dover, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And we're going to be focusing on Florida, as well for the Super Tuesday strategy for all the presidential candidates when the "Hotline" editor-in-chief, Amy Walter is going to be joining us at the half hour.
And of course, Super Tuesday, nine days away, millions of voters, 24 states, going to be casting ballots. Before you go to the polls, though, you need to see the candidates again, both Republican and Democrats, both going to be debating live from California at the CNN debates this Wednesday and Thursday night 8:00 Eastern. CNN is your home for politics.
NGUYEN: All right, I want you to picture this. It's reality, keep that in mind. An American spy satellite out of control and it may be coming back to Earth sometime in the next two weeks. This is what it looked like when Skylab reentered the atmosphere back in 1979. The 80 (ph) hunk of metal broke into many pieces. Now, the National Reconnaissance Office has lost the ability to guide its spy satellite. But the exact details are classified. Earlier we spoke with CNN's space correspondent, Miles O'Brien who put the prospect of falling debris into perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Sixty-thousand tons of debris, either manmade or nature's meteorites rain down on us every year and there is not a single documented case of a human being clonked on the head by one of these things.
The good news is, most of the earth is either ocean or vacant. So, we'll watch it closely and hopefully as time goes on, the National Reconnaissance Office will keep us posted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right, so don't duck and cover just yet. You might be in the clear.
HOLMES: I don't know, it makes you nervous, though.
NGUYEN: It does.
HOLMES: We don't know where it's coming.
NGUYEN: And, but there's a lot of ocean, there's a lot of empty land out there.
HOLMES: Yeah, but I've had bad luck lately, Betty.
NGUYEN: Don't be at T.J.'s house when it reenters, OK?
All right, well, it is enough to strike fear in even the bravest souls.
HOLMES: Yeah, what is it? Black ice, treacherous, nearly invisible, coating roadways in Oregon. The ice shut down several roads around Portland, at least two people killed in accidents blamed on the hazardous conditions.
NGUYEN: Let's get the latest on the weather. CNN meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf, he has been watching it all weekend long.
What do you know so far, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I know it's only part of the story. I mean, we've been talking about the issues with black ice and what a problem that can be, but take that look at the problems we've been having with flooding in parts of the San Joaquin Valley. We've got video for you and that's going to pop up in mere seconds. Spellbinding video showing you just the heavy rain and the effects of it, there in the San Joaquin Valley. Normally, on any other situation, you'd be happy to get some rain, but sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing, and that is the situation in Woodland, California, just yesterday. This video complements of KCRA. And still the rain continues to fall.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Let's send it back to you.
NGUYEN: OK, thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
NGUYEN: Well, you've seen her grow up on television, now one actress wants to recruit you. Hayden Panettiere, the "Heroes" star, wants you to declare yourself. She's going to tell us all about it when she joins us live, next.
HOLMES: This bud's for you, Betty. Well, oh, OK, not the kind of bud I was thinking you were about to show, a different kind of bud. Why some people will be able to get more than a sugar rush at vending machines in California.
NGUYEN: What is that? Huh. All right, looking forward to that story. Plus, look at this guy. He may appear unhappy, but his future is certainly promising. Our Ben Wedeman brings you the story from the Middle East.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 15 minutes past the hour on this Sunday morning. Quick look at some stories making headlines. A Michigan woman accused of seeking a hitman. Where? On Craigslist. Police say she posted the online want ad in northern California. They say she wanted to actually knock off the wife of her lover.
NGUYEN: Goodness. Well, Chicago police say the body of a woman found Friday is not that of Stacy Peterson. The remains were found in a suburban industrial area and triggered immediate speculation it was Peterson. Well, the medical examiner was unable to identify the woman's age or race. We'll stay on top of the story for you.
HOLMES: And the war on terror and the battle of surveillance powers, President Bush, demanding that Congress pass a permanent law to allow warrantless wiretap. The current law expires next week. The president says intelligence workers need long-term authority and that he'll veto any temporary extensions.
NGUYEN: She is known to TV fans as simply "the cheerleader," and on the hit show "Heroes," her mission is very clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You came for me, is that why you asked me if I was the one?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I knew I had to save you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To save the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Hayden Panettiere's new mission, to save the whales. It's a passion that brought her to Washington where she joins us live. Good morning, thanks for being with us today.
HAYDEN PANETTIERE, ACTRESS: Thanks for having me.
NGUYEN: All right, so from saving the world to saving the whales. Tell me why you're so passionate about this.
PANETTIERE: Jeff Pantukhoff is the creator of the Whaleman Foundation got me involved with it a few years ago and he showed me all the footage and I've been well-educated on it for the past few years and seen it with my own eyes and it's such a horrible thing going on and it's affecting not only these beautiful creatures, but people and I think they have the right to know what's going on.
NGUYEN: You know, in full does closure, though, we've reached out the International Whaling Commission for a statement, have not received that. But, I do understand that you are meeting with ambassadors from major whaling countries, one of which is Japan.
And we want to talk about Japan, because just recently you were over there in the waters off the coast of Japan trying to save some dolphins and that got you in a little bit of hot water, including a warrant for your arrest. So, what's the status of that? And what do you hope to speak to the ambassador about, today?
PANETTIERE: Well, we are lucky enough to have gotten meetings with the ambassadors, Japan, Norway, and Iceland are the three embassies we're going to, discussing with them the problems, our views on it, and hopefully, it's more about getting them on our side and we've realized instead of, you know, going at them with force, sometimes, going at them with reason has gotten much farther.
To my knowledge, I think, the arrest warrant still stands and technically going into the embassy of Japan, it's Japan and they can arrest me.
NGUYEN: I was going to ask you about that. Are you a little nervous?
PANETTIERE: No. If they do, I am fully prepared. And it would probably get us more publicity and it would probably be worse for them and great for us.
NGUYEN: You'll have people out there with signs "save Hayden," just to make sure you make it out of there OK. But, you know, it'll be interesting to see that conversation.
You are involved in a whole host of causes. Another one we want to talk about is Declare Yourself, which is really getting young people involved in this presidential election. Talk to me about that.
PANETTIERE: Norman Lear asked me to be involved with it and he's wonderful. And, you know, being involved with things like saving the whales and the dolphins, you know, it's a huge thing to me and a huge part of it has to do with the voting and picking the person who is going to run your country. You know, and over the past over 20 years, the -- we're not only just pointing fingers at Japan, Norway, and Iceland, we're pointing fingers at our country, as well, because they used to be the biggest supporters of the ocean and of whales and dolphins and they're the ones that put the a moratorium in place in 1986 and now, you know, we're the only people not supporting it. So, I'm asking the candidates, you know, right now, what they're -- very interested in hearing their views on the oceans and the whaling situation.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, in order to have a voice, you have to vote and that's probably what Declare Yourself is about. In fact, it is what Declare Yourself is about. You turned what, 18 last year, did you go and immediately register to vote?
PANETTIERE: Immediately, the day of my birthday I woke up and I went straight to meet Norman. And you know, it was the easiest process in the world. You know, I sat down and registered online. It took less than 10 minutes, depending how fast you can type. And, you know, it's just -- it's such an important thing. And I don't think youth understands how much power they have in this world. And the fact that all the problems that are occurring now and what our government's doing is going to be left to us to either clean up or, you know, make better at the end of the day. So, it's just, you know, their opinion counts and someone needs to tell them that.
NGUYEN: If you don't speak now, you could be faced with problems in the future. All right, Hayden, well thanks so much for your time today and good luck in getting young people out there voting. They are an important block in this election and the key is trying to get them to the polls, but first they've got to declare themselves and get registered. Thank you, take care.
PANETTIERE: Thank you, you too.
NGUYEN: And we do want to remind you of a key political event. President Bush delivers his final state of the union address tomorrow night. CNN will have live coverage beginning at 8:00 Eastern.
Well, it's one of those videos that you can't see enough of because it brings you the news with a bit of a shock.
HOLMES: Yes, that's one way to put it. CNN's Ben Wedeman getting pushed and just about punched. He's still on Egypt border with Gaza, this morning, brings us new pictures of how the Palestinians are wheeling and dealing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Of course, many young voters use FaceBook. It's become a Web phenomenon, really, connecting millions of people around the world. So, let's now go to the top to meet the 23-year-old who's behind it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK ZUCKERBERG, FOUNDER & CEO, FACEBOOK: Hi, I'm Mark Zuckerberg, and I'm the founder of FaceBook. When I was in college, my school didn't have an online directory or FaceBook that you could just type in someone's name and find out some information about them to see who a person was in their class.
HOLMES: So in 2004, Zuckerberg and his Harvard roommates created a way to do just that. Now FaceBook users can do anything from uploading photo albums to posting messages and playing online games with friends.
ZUCKERBERG: FaceBook started off as a little project and it spiraled out of control.
HOLMES: According to the Web site, there are more than 60 million users worldwide and more than half of them log on at least once a day. ZUCKERBERG: It's really cool to read how it is affecting people's lives in a real way. People like reconnect with friends all the time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, Indonesia declares a national week of mourning after the death of the former dictator Suharto.
Suharto died today after suffering from liver heart, and lung disease. He was 86 years old. Suharto led a brutal regime in Indonesia for more than 30 years. He crushed the country's communist movement. Human rights groups say hundreds of thousands of political opponents died in purges, but Suharto is credited with boosting the economy.
HOLMES: On to Gaza now and residents there continue to pour into Egypt through that hole in the border wall. They're buying food, cell phones, cigarettes, things they can't get in Gaza and there's money to be made.
NGUYEN: Yeah, there is. CNN's Ben Wedeman is on the border with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a hawker's paradise. A raw, unadorned chaotic capitalist free-for-all where everyone's selling goods and services with gusto.
Overnight, a bustling open-air market sprang up in no man's land between Gaza and Egypt. Wherever, however there's money to be made, they're making it.
Eleven-year-old Matez (ph) tells me he had already made 200 Israeli shekels, more than $50 in just a few hours, charging one shekel, just over 25 cents, to use his ladder to climb over to the wall to Egypt.
Ala is finally back at work selling tea, coffee, and cigarettes.
"Things here were really bad," he says, "now, thank God, it's great. We're making a living. Before I didn't have a shekel in my pocket."
Gaza's once withering economy has suddenly bloomed into an orgy of buying and selling. Everything that can be lugged, pushed, and shoved is entering Gaza.
At Niem's (ph) sandwich stall, the devil will find no idle hand. it's all hustle, bustle, and badly-need cash.
"Let them open the border," he says, "open the world and let us live again."
It's not exactly happiness all around, but even this camel, brought in this Sinai (ph), may soon find something to smile about. He's not headed to the slaughterhouse, but rather will be sent out to stud. Seems everyone's a winner here.
(on camera): But, so many people, busy on the border, ordinary life in Gaza is on hold. Less people are attending mosques, there hasn't been the usual noisy demonstrations, and rocket fire from Gaza in to Israel is way down.
(voice over): As long as it lasts, the people of Gaza seem eager not to go back for what passed for ordinary life.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, in no man's land between Gaza and Egypt.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, stores, travel agencies, banks say once you spend money, especially if the government sends out rebate checks. So, what will you buy? And more importantly, who will it help, the United States or other nations?
HOLMES: Also, there's a new young woman wearing the Miss America crown. But, what people don't know is that this young lady has a very special connection to one of us, to one of us here in this CNN NEWSROOM. We'll tell you about the young lady who won. We'll take you behind the scenes and get some insight from someone who knows her well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: In nine short days, nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business as usual in Washington. We are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: What he's really trying to say is, I won. And he won big. A decisive victory in South Carolina's Democratic primary, Barack Obama. Obama gets 55 percent of the votes.
Hey there, welcome back, everybody on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING, I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: And good morning, everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen.
This is one of Obama's oldest supporters in South Carolina. She is 104 years old, the daughter of a sharecropper, the granddaughter of a slave. Annie May Roseman (ph), casting her ballot for the man she calls the best leader.
Well, of the 45 delegates at stake in South Carolina's primary, Barack Obama snatched 25 of those. Hillary Clinton won 12, John Edwards got eight. Our Tony Harris has more on how the delegates of both parties are awarded in this CNN "Fact Check." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Democrat or Republican, All the presidential candidates are eying a specific target, a magic number, the number of delegates needed to win the party's nomination. For the Democrats, that number is 2,025. For the Republicans, it's 1191.
Delegates have a specific role in each party's national convention. They choose the president and vice president nominees. Many state primaries and caucuses award delegates proportionately, based on how much of the popular vote the candidate wins. Some state are winner take all. In Florida, Georgia, and Missouri to name a few, the Republican winner takes all of that state's delegates. The Democrats don't have winner take all primaries or caucuses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And if you want more info of delegates, super delegates, be sure to click over to cnn.com/politics.
I want to talk more about South Carolina, not. Commanding win for Barack Obama, but is that enough, really, to carry over to Super Tuesday? Any Walter is editor-in-chief of the "Hotline," also a CNN political contributor. She joins us live from Washington.
Amy, good morning.
AMY WALTER, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
HOLMES: I hate to say that South Carolina doesn't matter because, of course, it does, but in terms of February 5 and Super Tuesday, haven't we seen, in this primary season that nobody really gets momentum even if he has this resounding victory in South Carolina, is that at all going to translate into anything really on February 5, or we got a whole new ballgame, here?
WALTER: I know, you make a great point, which there has been nothing consistent about this season. Every time we think we've figured this election out, something happens to make us recalculate. But, I think it's pretty clear, now, as it has been even when we didn't know what the outcome of South Carolina was going to be is that February 5 becomes much more important in the calculations for the Democratic Party, certainly. And that we're going to be still going, as we have this entire election, thus far -- state by state, delegate by delegate, maybe even past February 5. There are a lot of these states that are thinking, yeah, maybe we are going to be able to play, here.
HOLMES: You say it's important, but there is nobody, now that I'm hearing this, thinking that February 5 for the Democrats is going to be decisive.
WALTER: I mean, you know, you look at the polls right now, they're not going to capture it. There is -- it's too short of a window right now between today and February 5 to really figure out where these voters are going, so the candidates, people like us, we can't figure out who is up and who is down in what state. But, if you're Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., where your primaries or caucuses are the next week, maybe you become a king or queen maker.
HOLMES: King or queen maker. What does this tell us, as well, there was so much about race in South Carolina, it became divisive. What can we gleam from this now? Eighty percent of the black vote went to Barack Obama. Now, people want to say all day long it's not a matter of race and I'm not going to vote for somebody because of the color of their skin and they look like me, and so on and so forth, this has to tell us something -- Amy.
WALTER: Well, absolutely. I mean look, we're going to be looking at a race where we've again, said this all along too, but we're going to have two firsts. In the same way we looked at the New Hampshire primary and said almost 60 percent of the voters there were women and Hillary Clinton won them decisively. Of course, it's not supposed to be about gender and it's not supposed to be about race, but nobody can deny it and it's playing a very important role.
African-Americans turned out at a higher percentage this election than they did four years ago, not surprising either. They made up about 55 percent of the total electorate. So, if they make up 55 percent of the electorate, he wins 80 percent of those, he's going to have a big win.
There are a couple of other states that have as high of an African-American population as South Carolina. But so many others have a big Hispanic population, like Arizona, New Mexico, so this thing's all over the map.
HOLMES: All right, let's talk Republicans, right quick. After next week, after Tuesday in the Florida primary, if Giuliani wins that thing, we will all be showing up the next day saying he's a genius. But, if he loses it and everything's he's back banking on Florida and he needs to win it. He can't just come in second or third, he's put everything in Florida. Is this strategy, if he does not win that thing and he's pulling in third, is he done?
WALTER: Well, I mean, I think the great irony all along here is that this thought that Giuliani created this Florida strategy. The reality was, we knew going into this that his social positions were going to be a problem for him in places like Iowa or South Carolina. But, the fact that he did so poorly in New Hampshire, the kind of state where he should have done well. These are moderate secular, northeastern voters, he tried to play there, he didn't get any traction, so he had no choice but to go to Florida.
Look, I think in the end he was hoping that the Republicans would be more bruised and battered than they were, that McCain would have gotten attacked or that by now Mitt Romney would have been beaten up. Nobody's been throwing tough punches, certainly looks nothing like the Democratic primary. So now he's left with really, he's the guy who's the odd man out. And the race in Florida really is between Romney and McCain, right now. HOLMES: Oh, well I say, who knows, we'll call him a genius if he pulls it off. If not, next day they'll be calling him bonehead from trying this strategy. Amy Walter from the "Hotline" for us, this morning. Amy, so good to see you. Thank you so much, this morning.
WALTER: Thank you, T.J.
HOLMES: And of course, folks, CNN equals politics. We're giving you a chance to hear from the candidates talking about the issues in their own words. We call it the BALLOT BOWL. Tune in today, 1:00 p.m. Eastern, only right here on CNN.
And then a little later, a closer look at the ruthless world of campaign commercials. Join our Campbell Brown for a CNN special, "Broken Government: Campaign Killers," that comes your way tonight at 11:00 Eastern.
NGUYEN: And speaking of tonight, the red carpet returns, at least for tonight. The Screen Actors Guild Awards will be handed out in a glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles. It is the only show so far to work out a deal with the Writers Guild of America to let striking writers to their thing and write the show. Well, the strike drastically downsized the Golden Globes, a little bit earlier this month, as you recall, and the fate of the Academy Awards ceremony, that's still up in the air.
HOLMES: All right. Well, sure, folks, you know the soap operas, but you ain't seen nothing quite like this. All the usual plot twists, yeah. But this is happening in the airline industry. Don't forget, throw in a few cat fights it is. Yeah, we're talk about this.
Also folks, plus, what will you do if President Bush's stimulus plan goes through and you get that rebate check? What are you going to? Buy toys for the kids? Take a trip? Whose economy will you really be stimulating?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK, take a good look because this is going to give new meaning to something we call "Quick Hits." Marijuana, the nickel bag, that's gone, instead a vending machine option is here. Can you believe it? Beginning tomorrow, patients will be able to buy their medical marijuana from a vending machine in Los Angeles. The state approved two machines for now. And officials say there will be several layers of security to prevent just anyone from buying the pot. You may want to put an armed guard in front of that thing, folks may want to take off with the entire vending machine.
HOLMES: Some people would prefer that over stealing the ATM, like we see sometimes.
NGUYEN: Oh, yeah.
HOLMES: And students, no, they're not going to be placed on college campuses around the country.
NGUYEN: Not any time soon.
HOLMES: It ain't happening.
All right, folks, well, let's talk about these rebate checks, putting more money in your pocket so you'll go out and spend it. That is the idea behind plans to pump up the economy with those rebate checks.
NGUYEN: Yeah, that's the idea. Not all the money you spend will actually boost the U.S. economy, though. Our senior correspondent, Allan Chernoff.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Judy Ruggiero is already thinking of where she'd spend the extra few hundred dollars from a tax rebate.
(on camera): What do you think you'd buy?
JUDY RUGGIERO, SHOPPER: Well, I have three grandchildren, I might spend it on them.
CHERNOFF: Toys?
RUGGIERO: Yeah, toys, clothes.
CHERNOFF (voice over): Marie Gartshore plans to buy more toys for her grandson, like the pet giraffe she just purchased.
CHERNOFF (on camera): Where do you think it's made?
MARIE GARTSHORE, SHOPPER: I don't know, I didn't even look. In China. They're all made in China, especially if they're inexpensive.
CHERNOFF (voice over): Discount retailers that offer great value, like Wal-Mart, Target, and Dollar General, stand to be big winners from the program because the tax rebates are aimed at their customers, middle and lower income consumers. But, the manufacturers who are likely to benefit most are generally not American.
CHERNOFF (on camera): Walk into almost any store that sells toys or apparel and you know where the products are made: Thailand, Cambodia, China. It's almost imported.
CHERNOFF (voice over): Nearly one-third of what U.S. consumers spend on manufactured products comes from aboard according to the National Association of Manufacturers. That doesn't even include imported crude oil used for gasoline. And drivers will spend some of the rebate money at the pump.
SONIA TUBAR, DRIVER: I'll have my tank filled up and be able to go places and I won't think about it twice.
RAE HEDERMAN, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: People who go out and, for example, spend money on gasoline, fill the car out, that money will go to our trading partners you know, people who provide us with oil, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Norway, Nigeria, for example, and that'll actually help stimulate their economies...
CHERNOFF: Tax rebates should help the U.S. economy, but they won't provide the spark they would have generated decades ago when the country wasn't nearly as dependent on cheap foreign imports.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, Pearl River, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And to learn more about how this proposed stimulus package would affect your wallet, go to cnnmoney.com.
So, in case you missed it, there is a new Miss America, this morning.
HOLMES: Yes, we'll tell you who she is and we'll take you behind the scenes. That is not her even though she could have won the title, I think, if she was in it. That's our own Robin Meade, gives us the personal tour, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the winner of Miss America 2008 is Miss Michigan, Kirsten Haglund.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And the crowd goes wild, including T.J. There she is, snagging the crown, 19-year-old Kirsten Haglund from Michigan, the new Miss America. Haglund's version of "Over the Rainbow" wowed the crowd and helped her clinch that title. First runner up is Miss Indiana, Nicole Elizabeth Rash. Miss Washington got second runner up.
HOLMES: But the winner, we know her well around here.
NGUYEN: Oh, yeah.
HOLMES: We know her real well.
NGUYEN: Some of us do.
HOLMES: We're tight. Our Reynolds Wolf, very good friends with Miss America.
NGUYEN: Known her for years.
Known her for years.
NGUYEN: In fact, she attended his wedding -- Reynolds.
WOLF: I'm nowhere close to a camera, but yeah, I can definitely attest, that absolutely wonderful person.
NGUYEN: So, you kept this secret from us this morning, Reynolds.
WOLF: Well, you know, I didn't want to -- you know, why should I jump in the middle of someone else's glory. That's pretty much the way I feel about things...
NGUYEN: You didn't want to be a name dropper? Was that it?
WOLF: Absolutely not. Yeah, that's kind of not cool, but what a great accomplishment. You know, what's amazing is she's 19 years old, that's pretty young for Miss America and what an incredible accomplishment. Very nice lady, very nice family, wonderful people and hats off to her, or crowns off to her, so to speak.
HOLMES: OK, well, we'll come back to get the dirt her, here in a little while.
NGUYEN: Yeah, absolutely.
WOLF: Guys.
NGUYEN: No doubt.
In the meantime though, we're going to get this kind of dirt. What's it like? I mean, have you ever wondered, behind the scenes of the Miss America pageant. I mean, it's hair flying, you know, it's tensions high?
HOLMES: I dream about it often, Betty.
NGUYEN: Double-sided tape everywhere, you know?
HOLMES: All the stuff, the butt glue or something they were talking about?
NGUYEN: There's that, too.
HOLMES: Well, CNN HEADLINE NEWS' Robin Meade, no butt glue necessary. The host of MORNING EXPRESS, she was a judge last night at the competition. She scored the backstage passes, well to see the beauty and the mayhem, also got a one-on-one with the new Miss America.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN MEADE, HOST, MORNING EXPRESS: All right, well, Miss America just ended, the telecast. So, now you can see behind me, here at planet Hollywood in Vegas, guys, that the audience is clearing out and everyone's kind of digesting the decision that we the judges made. We made the decision that Miss Michigan is the new Miss America. And I spoke to her directly afterwards and said what were you thinking about when they announced you as a winner? Here's what she said:
KRISTEN HAGLUND, MISS AMERICA WINNER: My grandma, absolutely. My grandmother was Miss Michigan in 1944, she went to Miss America. Venus Ramey, Miss D.C. was crowned, and D.C. was my roommate this year. But, she was here in the audience and I'm so glad that she could be here, all of my friends and family, but she was the first one. This is for her.
MEADE: So backstage, now, after we just watched her to get into the car and go to her first press conference as Miss America. We talked to her beforehand, she says she's going to promote her platform about eating disorders, that's something that she's going to talk about all year and that's what Miss America's do during their year, service. But I asked her, what are you the most nervous about in this year? And here's what she said:
HAGLUND: I just want to be the very best Miss America that I can be and uphold the -- justice -- what this organization represents, which is class, which is dignity, and character, and it has been around for 86-87 years, but we're bringing that modern twist in with it this year, so I want to keep the class of the organization.
MEADE: You know, I thought I would give you a taste of the traditional press conference, her first press conference as Miss America. Not traditional was the format of the broadcast. Maybe if you watched it, you noticed that it was more of a reality show format with the eliminated contestants remaining on stage, all an effort to give off a hip new image.
I hope that she is hip to traveling, because she starts a year of traveling tomorrow. And if you're wondering why the heck is Robin Meade in a gown? It's because I judged Miss America pageant this year. I hope you're happy with our choice.
I'm Robin Meade for CNN in Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Certainly happy with her choice of gown.
NGUYEN: T.J. was happy with her choice.
HOLMES: It's a good gown.
NGUYEN: Don't expect me to come wearing an evening gown to do this job, OK?
HOLMES: I'm saying, it would help around here. No. OK, folks.
Well, the new Miss America won $50,000 in scholarships that will go towards with her education at the University of Cincinnati. And for more on the Miss America pageant and the inside scoop from Robin, there, you can watch MORNING EXPRESS with Robin Meade on CNN HEADLINE NEWS, tomorrow starting at 6:00 a.m. Eastern. You can also check out her Web site, cnn.com/morningexpress.
NGUYEN: And, it's a soap opera that is getting plenty of viewers and a lot of criticism.
HOLMES: Oh, let's see. I wonder why. A mile-high smack down. Look at this stuff, folks. Its not so lady-like behavior, has one government considering a crackdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Cat fights, sex scenes, skirt lengths. Of course, that's something government should be talking about, right? The Thai government, in particular.
NGUYEN: Well -- and, here's the question. Is the new Thai soap opera just too much? CNN's Dan Rivers has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They call it "Battle of the Angels," a soap about airline hostesses who serve up more than just a mid-flight snack. It's full of guys slapping girls, girls slapping girls, guys slapping guys. Cat fights are a major part of this high-octane high altitude drama. From fights on flights, to sex during stopovers, the primetime show is packed with lust, lunging, and luggage four nights a week. And it's infuriating some of Thailand's real flight attendants.
PICHITRA TAVEERAT, FLIGHT ATTENDANT, THAI AIRWAYS: I think it's far too unrealistic in terms of my carrier. No, we don't really ending up fighting. And I'm worried about that, too, the image been tarnished, you know.
RIVERS: The Flight Attendant Union has already convinced the government to change the rating of the soap from PG13 to PG18 and they've successfully lobbied for an end to all those skimpy uniforms. Producers have agreed to lengthen the skirts, but can't understand all the fuss.
TAKONKIET VEERAVAN, PRODUCER, BATTLE OF THE ANGELS: Tell you the truth, this drama is not any stronger than any other dramas on Thai television, these days.
RIVERS: The producers say it's supposed to be entertaining and they've been contacted by some cabin crews who are big fans, despite complaints from the unions.
(on camera): The Thai government is now going to mediate in the dispute over this controversial soap. Catfights, sex scenes, and skirt lengths will be on the agenda as both sides argue about what is suitable to put ton Thai television.
(voice over): The star of the show is dismissive of suggestions it demeans flight attendants.
"Maybe they think a little too much about it," she says.
The "Battle of the Angels" stills has more than 20 episodes to run, providing, of course, the government doesn't ground them for giving Thailand's cabin crew a bad name.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Bangkok.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: "Now in the News," folks, Barack Obama, big winner in South Carolina's Democratic primary, rolled up 55 percent of the vote yesterday in a three-way race. Hillary Clinton got 27 percent of the vote, John Edwards 18 percent. Obama and Clinton have now split the first four major contests.
Up next, the Super-Duper Tuesday, over 20 states going to be voting on that day.
Also, the border between Gaza and Egypt remains open for a fifth day. Egyptian forces are keeping Palestinians inside a small zone around a border town. Arab foreign ministers will meet in Cairo today to discuss the border issue. Palestinian militants torn down huge sections of the border barrier, last week.
Well, Chicago police say the body of a woman found Friday is not that of Stacy Peterson. The body was found in a suburban industrial area, triggered speculation it was the missing woman. Police have said Peterson's former husband is a suspect in the case.
We're going to have more top stories for you coming your way in 30 minutes, but now we want to get you to RELIABLE SOURCES.
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