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CNN Sunday Morning
Hostage Situation on Streets of Miami; Should Hillary Clinton Drop Out of the Presidential Race?
Aired March 30, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: A hostage situation plays out on a Miami street. Shots are fired, as you heard. There is a struggle and then a chase.
T.J. HOLMES, CO-HOST: Also, to politics this morning, calls for Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race. She, of course, says she is not quitting and now Barack Obama is weighing in. Find out what advice he's giving her this morning.
NGUYEN: America's civil war battlefield is under siege, actually disappearing. Now, one celebrity is trying to rescue our nation's heritage. His efforts ahead on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center right here in Atlanta, it is Sunday, March 30th, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes. We're so glad you can start your Sunday here with us.
Let's turn to that hostage situation you saw in that dramatic video, you can hear gun shots in there, with the hostage taker is in the hospital this morning, and we have a lot of new developments in that drama that ended in that hail of gunfire.
NGUYEN: Yes. And the dramatic escape as well. All of this caught on tape. CNN's Susan Candiotti has the latest for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At gun point, the store manager is forced outside by a masked man, cops start yelling at the suspect.
WPLGT-TV's Fabrissio Lopez is the lone photographer has zeroed in on the action.
FABRISSIO LOPEZ, WPLG-TV PHOTOGRAPHER: (INAUDIBLE) grabbing right here and with the gun in the head.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): And you're thinking -
LOPEZ: And I'm thinking, wow, and in that moment I say, am I rolling?
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): He was. The suspect yells at police who have them in their sights.
LOPEZ: (INAUDIBLE) for him but you see, the guy is crazy, he got a weapon.
CANDIOTTI: The manager won't give in.
LT. ROBERT WILLIAMS, MIAMI-DADE POLICE: Pushed him, the subject pushed him. There's a little tussle going on.
LOPEZ: The guy started screaming, help, help, help.
WILLIAMS: I guess, when your adrenalin is flowing in a way it was flowing, you have somebody that's there that's armed. This manager did not want to go, you know, with that subject like that.
CANDIOTTI: Incredibly, the shaken hostage escapes barely injured. And within seconds, bullets start flying.
WPLG-TV estimates at least 18 shots are fired. The suspect takes off in the same car. About three hours later, he's caught, shot more than once and survives.
Back at the drug store, police count bullet casings, interview store employees, and confiscate every police gun fired. As for the store manager's heroic escape, cops say fighting back was risky but give him credit for guts.
WILLIAMS: He didn't know what mindset this guy was in and he just wanted to get away and he did. And I'm very happy that he's safe and sound.
CANDIOTTI: Lucky man?
WILLIAMS: I wasn't surprise that God is looking out for him, yes.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): The robber got away without any loot. The store manager got away with his life.
Suzanne Candiotti, CNN, Miami Shores.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, here's some presidential politics now. And the Republican Party chief is crying foul over some comments about John McCain and he's calling on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to denounce those statements. Those statements came from the Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.
In a news release, Dean calls McCain, a, quote, "blatant opportunist who doesn't understand the economy and is promising to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years." He was responding to a campaign commercial that's touting McCain's record and military service.
Now, in his own news release, the Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan accuses Dean of making, quote, "reckless statements attacking John McCain's character and integrity."
NGUYEN: All right. In other political news today, she says she's staying in the race. Well, now, he says, that's just fine with him. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are battling towards the next big primary, that of course, Pennsylvania.
HOLMES: And that of course, is where Jim Acosta is again this morning.
You might as well register to vote there. You've been there so long. Set up residence.
Good morning to you, Jim. Well, I guess everything is all right since Hillary Clinton has gotten the OK from Barack Obama to stay in the race.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting, T.J., and that is the big story out on the campaign trail this weekend, these calls for Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race which came, by the way, from Barack Obama supporters.
But Obama was in the middle and western part of the state yesterday, and he will be in the middle part of the state today. He was in Johnstown, Pennsylvania yesterday. And he was asked about these calls for Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race.
And he suggested that perhaps, you know, Hillary Clinton should stay in there. He said that, you know, she is on the ballot and that he sees no reason at this point for her to drop out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My attitude is that Senator Clinton can run as long as she wants. Her name is on the ballot. And she is a fierce and formidable competitor and she, obviously, believes that she would make the best nominee and the best president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now, as for Hillary Clinton, she was campaigning in Indiana and Kentucky yesterday, and she asked by the "Washington Post" about these calls for her to drop out of the race. And she told the "Washington Post" that she is prepared to fight this nomination battle all the way to the convention in Denver in late August. She told the "Washington Post" that until the Democratic Party and these two campaigns resolve what is happening in Michigan and Florida where she feels voters have been disenfranchised, she is saying she is staying in this race.
Now, as for Barack Obama, we mentioned yesterday, we mentioned again today that he is in the middle of a six-day bus tour of the state. He picked up the endorsement of Senator Bob Casey along the way, and they took some time yesterday on the lighter side of the campaign trail, to take in some bowling and I won't steal this line. It came from the" New York Times," they called it Barack bowl. It sounds a little bit like BALLOT BOWL, T.J. and Betty.
And at the end -- just to let you know how Obama did bowling, I'll mention that the "New York Times" put it that Obama likes to say, yes, we can. Well, when it comes to bowling, the "New York Times" says, no, he can't.
NGUYEN: And we have the video to prove it.
HOLMES: Yes, we're looking at some of the video here. We've seen gutter ball after gutter ball. So, he's a good basketball player, so we give him that at least, or we hear he's a good basketball player.
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE) see you there.
HOLMES: He hit. OK.
ACOSTA: And he kept the tie on. I'm not sure that's going to go over well in blue collar Pennsylvania.
HOLMES: Well, before we let you go here, we're talking about Clinton and Obama, of course, because they got the fierce battle there but McCain is still struggling to keep his name out there and get his name out there. He's on a tour of his own.
It's weird again. What we're talking about yesterday that this man has been in the public eye so long, he's trying to introduce himself still to the American public.
ACOSTA: Well, he's very satisfied to stay to the side lines and watch Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton go at each other. But today, he is going to be campaigning in Meridian, Mississippi today.
He is obviously going to be asked about how things are going with the rebuilding process down on the gulf coast in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina which, obviously, was a problem for the Bush administration and John McCain, you know, as he has been campaigning out there, he has been adopting much of the Bush administration's policy on foreign policy and economic policies.
I would look for John McCain down in Meridian, Mississippi to take a different approach when it comes to rebuilding the gulf coast down there. And so, you know, It's almost certain that he will be asked about the rebuilding process down there today.
HOLMES: All right. Jim Acosta for us there in Pennsylvania. Jim, we appreciate you this morning.
NGUYEN: Well, Chelsea Clinton keeping it real on the campaign trail. We want to check out her answer to a question in North Carolina yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHELSEA CLINTON, DAUGHTER OF SENATOR CLINTON: Sometimes people ask me if I'm looking forward to moving back into the White House. And I say, I don't take anything for granted. I hope that my mother is my president. But as I've already confessed, I'm 28.
If that seems really old to you, it really seems old to me. And I would be pretty distraught if I had to move back in with my parents at this point in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I don't know. It's the White House.
HOLMES: It's a little different. It's not like moving back, yes, to the old neighborhood.
NGUYEN: Exactly. It's the White House, free room and board and free food.
HOLMES: Yes, I hear.
NGUYEN: Hey, I'll move in. If you get the chance, we're there.
Well, we'll move on to this because the question today is: How is the presidential race shaping up? BALLOT BOWL let you make that call and it's your chance to hear from the contenders themselves. BALLOT BOWL today, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
HOLMES: And you know what else we got here, the presidential race is going to be the focus of a special prime time edition of the SITUATION ROOM with Wolf Blitzer. Give that man a day off. At some point, please.
NGUYEN: Hardest working man in television.
HOLMES: He absolutely is. Well, that's coming up tonight at 8:00 o'clock Eastern. Again, a special edition with Wolf Blitzer there, in the SITUATION ROOM.
NGUYEN: We want to turn to Iraq now because Baghdad is under curfew this Sunday morning. With some streets in the capital nearly deserted, that as fighting between government security forces and Shiite militants continues in parts of Baghdad and in Basra. Nearly 300 people have been killed in six days of fighting.
Clashes were touched off by a government offensive against militias in Basra and Iraq's prime minister admits, he may have miscalculated the backlash the offensive is causing among Shiites militias. The U.S. and Britain are providing air support to the Iraqi Army and some American troops also are working with the Iraqi units.
Now to Zimbabwe: The opposition party is claiming victory in the general election even before the first results are announced. The Movement for Democratic Change as it's called, says it will not accept any other outcome.
Meanwhile, President Robert Mugabe is seeking a sixth term and his government is warning the opposition party not to go too far. The government says it will treat any announcement by the MDC that its leader is a rightful president as an attempt to take over the government.
So, obviously, we will stay on top of this story for you.
HOLMES: Yes, it was lights out across the world last night. Hundreds of cities voluntarily turned off the lights for an hour as part of an international campaign to raise awareness about climate change.
NGUYEN: And you definitely want to check out the scene right here in Atlanta, we watched the lights go out, 8:00 local time. See the sky lines dimmed and city's tallest buildings just went dark.
And in Chicago, the only lights you could see were the street lamps. The giant antennas on top of the Sears Tower those flickered off and at Wrigley Field, officials turned off the marquee.
HOLMES: Also, in downtown Phoenix, workers knocked out the lights at all the city owned buildings. Also in San Francisco, lights out on the Golden Gate Bridge, also, the Bay Bridge, lights were out there as well. Some restaurant-goers actually dined by candlelight as well.
NGUYEN: That's not too bad. That kind of set the nice mood. Didn't the World Wildlife Fund -- the president or one of the officials with them, not only that but he said that the Coca-Cola marquee in Times Square went down as well?
HOLMES: We don't have video of that but - yes.
NGUYEN: All around the world.
HOLMES: So, it were coming to them. They did it once last year. Sydney was the only city and then, after that, cities just came in and they didn't have to seek cities out. Cities were coming to them, want to do it.
NGUYEN: I would really like to figure out how much that really saves in energy. I know it's kind of hard to tally up. But obviously, it made a difference.
In the meantime though, we're going to tell you about this story. Listen to this: Police track down an accused baby snatcher.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: That's a newborn you have back there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The arrest caught on dash cam.
HOLMES: Also, talking about the vaccine debate. Is there a link between childhood shots and autism? Dr. Sanjay Gupta is taking a look at this.
NGUYEN: Plus: Open skies and more flights to Europe. Will it also mean cheaper air fares? Are you listening now, aren't you?
We have those details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get you a quick check on the stories that we're following for you this morning.
Protest in Nepal turned ugly. Police were forced to beat back Tibetan exiles in front of the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu.
HOLMES: And more than 110 people were arrested in the scuffles, just yesterday, 84 people are arrested during protests there.
Also, the owner of a wildlife rescue center is recovering this morning after being attacked by two cheetahs that were under her care. She was actually in their cage and one of the animals got a bit agitated by a park visitor who was bouncing a ball. Authorities say the woman was knocked down and mauled. She had 40 puncture wounds. Bystanders had to come to rescue to there, they actually pulled her out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER: What's going on?
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Well, I just explained it to you. That's a newborn you have back there. Did you give birth to that newborn? You did. You gave birth today?
JENNIFER LATHAM, ABDUCTOR: No.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Yesterday?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That's police video of a Florida woman who was arrested after she allegedly abducted a one-day-old infant from a hospital. The judge later put 39-year-old Jennifer Latham under house arrest. Police say before that incident, Latham duped friends into believing that she was pregnant.
That baby though is back with his parents and he is just fine. And we were learning yesterday, that when you saw that first still picture, that we get it up again, that she actually carried the baby outs of the hospital in a tote bag.
HOLMES: Strange conversation between her and the officer. Is that your baby? Did you give birth to that baby?
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: Kind of (INAUDIBLE) conservation that happened there.
NGUYEN: Well, if it's just a-day-old, I don't know if you would be on the road driving home, right? HOLMES: Do they let you do that?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, you can after 24 hours I think as long as everything goes well. But, you know, I wasn't driving.
NGUYEN: Exactly. That's the last thing you want to do.
JERAS: Speaking of babies -
NGUYEN: Yes, Reynolds Wolf, he -
JERAS: Nothing (ph) to say.
NGUYEN: Not yet. The actual, you know, reveal that the baby has arrived but we know that she is a little girl and we're waiting to see her.
JERAS: I'm sure he's watching CNN this morning while he's waiting. We say good luck Reynolds, right?
NGUYEN: He may be going, push.
HOLMES: So, that's why we have you. Good to have you with us this weekend.
JERAS: I know. It's great to be here. I love mornings, mornings are so much fun. Good morning.
NGUYEN: We're glad you like it.
JERAS: I know. You know, it's one of those mornings, not so great to get up. Yes, but this picture might cheer you up. Take a look at some of this video that we have from the Cherry Blossom Festival. There's a sign of spring for you for sure, right?
On the nation's capital there in Washington, D.C., they had a big kite flying expo there yesterday, in conjunction with the cherry blossoms. Fifty-three degrees with the high temperature there yesterday afternoon, today -- not looking quite as nice unfortunately.
We're looking at cloudy conditions today and high temperature of only about 46 degrees and some rain showers are going to be moving into D.C. but probably not until late tonight. So, you should still be able to get out and enjoy this. This is going to be a little bit overcast.
And that's really going to be the rule across the nation's midsection and all across the southeast. We got some very heavy showers and thunder showers all over the place. Take a look at this across parts of Arkansas into Southern Missouri. Unfortunately, this is in some of those areas that have already been flooded out.
And yes, this is enough rain we're talking, that it could be aggravating the flooding situation. So, a lot of watches and warnings have been reissued here across the nation's midsection, we've got that across the southeast, too.
We'll talk more about a severe weather threat coming up with the storm system later on today coming up in about half an hour. T.J. and Betty.
HOLMES: Severe weather threat. That's no good.
JERAS: I know, they are not looking great.
NGUYEN: All right, Jacqui. Yes, stay on top of it. We'll be checking in with you shortly. Thank you.
HOLMES: Well, it's always a good day to get away. How about a trip to Europe? That's where we find our Richard Quest this morning. Check him out. Good morning, sir.
NGUYEN: Are you on the tarmac?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I am indeed. Let me tell you guys, the American carriers, Northwest, Continental, Delta, U.S. Airways, for the first time here at Heathrow, they came, they saw, and then, they headed back.
When we come back, I'll explain why 50 years of regulation went woosh into the sky here at Heathrow.
NGUYEN: Well, apparently the regulation is a little lax because Richard is on the tarmac. Hopefully, you're not waving in planes and parking them because there may be a bit of a backup. We'll be talking with you shortly.
In the meantime though, a bit of an olive branch in a call for cooperation in a time of crisis. Is there a new era of religious tolerance? We'll be looking to that in today's Faces of Faith.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Let's talk about some travel now. Skies are open for trips across the Atlantic.
NGUYEN: A new treaty between the U.S. and European Union is going into effect today. Now, this was the scene when one of first flights arrived in London, that American flag.
CNN's Richard Quest was on the plane. He joins us now live from Heathrow Airport, in fact, from the tarmac. Hello, Richard.
QUEST: Betty, yes, indeed, supervise, and wearing satisfactory safety gear. Welcome to the tarmac at Heathrow Airport.
For 50 years, only two U.S. airlines have been allowed to fly into London Heathrow. The current two designated carriers were American Airlines and United. Their planes over there are nothing new.
But this morning, under Open Skies, new airlines, Continental, Northwest, U.S. Airways and Delta, all gain permission to fly into London Heathrow. They paid tens of millions of dollars for their slots here at the airport. Continental paid $203 million for four slots.
So, I asked Continental's President Jeff Smisek, was it worth it? Why Heathrow?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF SMISEK, PRES., CONTINENTAL AIRLINES: The business traveler wants to come to Heathrow. We've been locked out at Heathrow for decades, and it's the most important business market in the world, between New York and London, Heathrow, and we're the largest carrier in New York and we couldn't get in Heathrow. So, we're delighted to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, it's an interesting indication of how important Heathrow, London, New York actually is. On the very first day, the very first day four U.S. carriers make the trek into this airport. So, T.J. and Betty, it's a day when regulations have been set aside, and ultimately, I think, more choice for the consumer.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. And with, you know, this new treaty in effect, I think, it would be good for people to understand exactly why these planes and these airlines were locked out in the first place and only two American carriers were allowed to fly into Heathrow.
QUEST: Protectionism on both sides of the Atlantic. Neither government wanted to give up the -- the British wouldn't give up this: The jewel in the aviation crown. The Americans wanted to round in the airlines as fast and as hard as they could. Put all that together and that's why it took the best part of two decades to get Open Skies.
NGUYEN: Two decades and a whole lot of money in between. Richard Quest joining us live. Hey, you stay safe out there. I'm a little worried about you on the tarmac.
QUEST: Oh, I'm quite safe. Don't worry. There isn't a plane for anywhere to see. I'm quite safe. Don't worry.
NGUYEN: All right. We'll check in with you later. Thank you, Richard.
HOLMES: I'm not worried about him, I'm worried about other folks.
NGUYEN: This is true. I don't know, I'm always worried about Richard. He could get himself into some messes. Well, it can be this.
Listen to this: A parent's worst fears realized.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think you're dealing with something that is going to come and go and then you get your child back and you don't. You have a very sick child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Coming up: A look at autism. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta examines suspected links between the vaccine and the developmental disorder.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right, here's the question. I know you have an answer but here it goes: Is the primary process a mess?
Democrats, they're fighting over that notion and we ask you to weigh in. And, well, hundreds of you have. Your e-mails are ahead on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Welcome back, everybody. Good morning to you. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And, hello to you. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: All right. So, unraveling the mysteries of autism. CNN is taking a closer look at autism and the challenges for both parents and children.
HOLMES: And one of the issues we're dealing with is that vaccine debate. Is there a link? Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's no question vaccines are a controversial topic. Consider this. Most children are going to get about 16 shots by the time that child is six months old. A lot of parents are worried. It's sobering for sure but could it be doing more? Could it in fact be hurting the child?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I see you!
GUPTA: Watching old videos Theresa Cedillo the child her daughter Michelle could have been, happy, engaged, playful. Michelle's childhood has turned out differently. She's autistic. Now 13, she can't walk without help. She gets her nourishment from a feeding tube and she needs constant monitoring procedures.
THERESA CEDILLO, MOTHER OF AUTISTIC GIRL: You think you're dealing with something that is going to come and go and then you get your child back. And you don't, you just have a very sick child.
GUPTA: Theresa and Mike Cedillo blame vaccines for causing their daughter's autism and they sued the federal government through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The Cedillo's case is one of more than 4900 claiming a vaccine-autism link. They are being considered together in a so-called vaccine court, part of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Last year, Michelle Cedillo's claim was chosen as the first of nine test cases to determine whether the vaccines could possibly trigger autism. More testimony is scheduled this year.
THERESA CEDILLO: She was a normal and healthy developing child.
GUPTA: The Cedillos say their daughter was sickened by a combination of the measles, mumps and rubella or MMR vaccine and the mercury containing preservative thimerosal which was in childhood vaccines at the time. As a precaution, thimerosal has been removed from all childhood vaccines and only remains in some flu shots. While the court considers the vaccine-autism case, the medical establishment has already passed judgment. More than a dozen large studies finding no vaccine-autism link.
DR. PAUL OFFIT, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: It's been asked and answered. Vaccines don't cause autism. I mean, about 20% of children with autism will regress between often the first and second birthday. So, statistically it has to happen when some children get the vaccine, they are not fine, they get the vaccine and then they're not fine any more.
GUPTA: Theresa and Mike Cedillo hope the vaccine court will decide vaccines can cause autism and award them enough money so Michelle can be well taken care of when they are gone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: One of those 4,900 cases is the case of 9-year-old Hannah Polling. You may remember this 9-year-old girl and in this case, the government conceded that vaccines contributed to her autism-like symptoms. What is going on here? I had a chance to sit down and talk to the head of the Center for Disease Control, Dr. Julie Gerberding and asked her specifically about these claims that the government may be covering something up here. You'll be interested to hear what she has to say.
We're talking about that on "House Call" at 8:30. We're also going to give you a lot of information on what you at home should look for if you're concerned if your child may have autism. "House Call," 8:30. Back to you for now.
HOLMES: All right. Be sure to tune in on CNN on World Autism Day. That's Wednesday, April 2nd. We got in depth on the myths, facts and the reason for hope, unraveling the mystery a CNN worldwide investigation all day this coming Wednesday. But you don't have to wait, you can check out our special section at cnn.com where you can learn more about autism and how you can impact your world.
NGUYEN: Texas democrats are still trying to sort out votes from the March 4th caucuses, almost a month ago. And when the counting was suspended last night the tally by the Associated Press shows Barack Obama was leading Hillary Clinton 59% to 41%. Clinton won the Texas primary, which was also held on March 4th. But the caucuses turned into chaos because of heavy turnout. Democrats meant in conventions across the state yesterday to try to divvy up the caucus delegates.
HOLMES: What?
NGUYEN: Yes, it is a mess. I mean, that has been the question and if that doesn't tell you anything, I don't know what does.
HOLMES: A lot of people, of course, you may be one of them, who have been complaining about the primary system, saying it is just too messy to even be effective and the democratic party leaders are kind of divided on that themselves.
NGUYEN: Well, we asked you what think and the emails, of course, have poured in. Josh Levs, poor guy, has been reading through them all night long. Do you ever get any sleep?
JOSH LEVS, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Not when we ask these questions. As you know, we want to be fair. It's ridiculous to read all this. But it was a perfect lead-in. I mean, what's going on in your home state there?
NGUYEN: But don't blame me. OK.
LEVS: But so, yesterday we asked about this, because what we have is Bill Nelson saying, Senator Nelson saying it's a mess and then we had Howard Dean saying, actually, it's not a mess.
NGUYEN: Not. Right.
LEVS: So we posed this question to you, this democratic presidential process of choosing the nominee, is it a mess? We're going to show you now some of the responses. Let's start off with this one here from Jackie in Florida.
"It is a mess, caucuses skew the results. It's a vehicle for activists, which is why Obama is winning. Primaries for all would be more democratic." Now to Claudia from Wisconsin. "The solution is simple. Require that all primaries take place within a 30-day period. Then the early primary states would not choose the nominee while the later states are disenfranchised."
But a positive view now from Peter Gergely here. "I have never in my adult life been so riveted to the primary process. Many of us voters feel excited and involved and satisfied with what has been a very inclusive process." A different view there.
And another one who kinds of supports this process. Is it a mess? "No! There are discrepancies but for the first time in my life, my vote actually counts. That is a success." She's in California. But a lot more people are saying they don't like it. "I'm a Floridian, Democrat, who has voted for 42 years. We're aghast at the idea of being disenfranchised again. Senator Nelson's concept would be fair, and a lot more reasonable than what we have now." And that's a reference to his idea of having fixed inter-regional primaries instead of this different system in each state.
Let's move on now. "Yes. In a democracy, all votes are supposed to be equal. Not in the democracy of the Democratic Party! That's Danilo Lopez. Just two more here. "Howard Dean said it wasn't a mess and then mentioned Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. That seems crazy to me because Texas and Ohio voted for Hillary whom everyone now is saying should drop out." That's Claire Miller in Michigan.
And finally this broader view, from Tony Alexis. "Democracy is messy, but it allows a voice for all who participate and it beats the alternatives" - including what Tony is arguing it's the coronation process on the republican side. And I will tell you that, even some of the analysts that we have on the air say traditionally republicans have operated in the more monarchal system that way, lining up behind one person early on. But to be fair, republicans vote too and we're seeing the messiness on the democratic side because that's where the tight race is.
Like the 2000 general election, where we discovered hanging (Chad)and stuff because it was tight and no one had to worry about it before.
NGUYEN: But I think it's true though, when you have, you know, such a system like this and you have two contenders that are really neck and neck, people do get excited about it. You know, it brings back that sense of we can make a difference in this. But we're going to see if that truly plays out because you got the superdelegates in it, you got all, I mean, just add it all in.
LEVS: Massive numbers all over the place. It is a matrix. It's just a huge amount of numbers everywhere.
HOLMES: Josh, we appreciate you.
NGUYEN: It's going to be a long time before November it seems. OK. So how was the presidential race shaping up? "Ballot Bowl" let's you make the call. It's your chance to hear from the contenders themselves. "Ballot Bowl" today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN, your home for politics.
HOLMES: And a little later this morning, we'll be discussing the hot topics in the presidential race with our political producer Sasha Johnson. That's coming up, about two hours from now at 9:30 Eastern, 6:30 Pacific time.
NGUYEN: And just ahead after the break, the king of Saudi Arabia offers an olive branch to non-Muslims. CNN senior editor for Arab Affairs, Octavia Nasser, will join us for analysis.
HOLMES: Also, a much different note here, a record for baseball. Taking swings at the L.A. Coliseum. Stay here, we're talking baseball and also talking the final four.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A very powerful Muslim figure in the Middle East has taken many people by surprise by calling for religious dialogue with Christians and Jews. Our Octavia Nasser, CNN's senior editor for Arab affairs here to explain why this particular proposal is resonating across the region. Fascinating stuff here, good morning to you.
OCTAVIA NASR, SR. EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: Good morning, T.J.. Well, it is the king of Saudi Arabia. He is the custodian of the two holy mosque. So, basically he is in charge of Islam. It's in the eyes of many. Well, he did something very special this week. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING ABDULLAH, SAUDI ARABIA (through translator): I'm addressing the followers of the Torah, the Bible, and the Koran, inviting them for an inter-faith dialogue.
NASR (voice-over): With these words, the custodian of Islam's holiest shrines made history, reaching out to Jews, and Christians to join what he called, "an honest dialogue as all of humanity is going through crisis." His call found a welcome in the Jewish community.
RABBI DAVID ROSEN, AMER.-JEWISH CMTE. FRO INTER-RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS: Any hand that is outstretched from Saudi Arabia to the Jewish world as well as to the Christian world should not be spared.
NASR: Leading rabbis in Israel also welcomed the king's initiative which was carried prominently on Saudi television. King Abdullah made the comments as he addressed the seminar on culture and the respective religion. He said the idea had been on his mind for two years and that he secured the support of Saudi Islamic scholars before announcing it. Last year, King Abdullah discussed his ideas with Pope Benedict XVI during the first ever visit to the Vatican by a Saudi monarch.
KING ABDULLAH (through translator): The Pope welcomed me warmly. It was a meeting of a human to a human, which I will never forget. I told him about my idea, that is to seek the consent of Allah, according to what he ordered in the religious books, the Torah, Bible and Koran.
NASR: The Vatican news agency says after that visit, negotiations began to open the first Catholic church in Saudi Arabia. Described by Papal Envoy to the Gulf region as "an important sign of reciprocity between the two faiths." In 1995, a large mosque was opened in Rome on land donated by the Italian government to encourage dialogue among the three monotheistic faiths. But not everyone is impressed by King Abdullah's olive branch.
AMERICAN MORNING HAMZAWY, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INT'L PEACE: It's not as if it will solve domestic problems in Saudi Arabia and which will not lead us to, close our eyes with regard to freedom of religion and freedom of expression.
NASR: And the King's address angered some Muslims with blogs accusing him of selling out Islam. On this side, a disgruntled Muslim writes, "it would have been more dutiful of you as the custodian of the holy shrine to convert them to Islam instead of inviting them to dialogue." The King's initiative under lines his credentials as a reformer but the fact that it's taken two years to emerge is also a reminder of how sensitive such a proposal is in a country that is the cradle of Islam.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NASR: And now that the rhetoric is out of the way, of course people are watching to see if implementation will take effect.
HOLMES: OK. This is fascinating stuff. Because you called this supremely historic but he was very low key about it in his announcement but he was quite deliberate in the way he wanted to do it. Why did he want to do it this way and also, two years - he'd been thinking about it two years, why think about it two years and what's the significance of coming out with it right now?
NASR: You know, the religion in Saudi Arabia, is the Wahhabi of religion. This is the most extreme form of Islam. So, it is not easy to change things around there. So this king is obviously someone who wants reform. He's driving reform but he's doing it in a very cautious way. So, he's taking his time, basically getting support behind this idea, number one. And number two, he did it low key. Experts are telling me that he did it this way so that he introduces the idea, get some reaction to it, instead of going with the big bang and saying, OK, we're opening up and we're going to be discussing issues, not just with Christians but here I think, the history is that he is calling on Jews to come in for dialogue.
HOLMES: Amazing. Like you said, you got to tread lightly there. Nothing happens quickly. The king, you said, as powerful as he is, he still has to tread lightly.
NASR: He has to be very careful.
HOLMES: All right. Octavia Nasr, thank you so much for bringing that to us in our "Faces of Faith" this morning. Thank you.
NASR: Thank you.
NGUYEN: That was good information. Let's talk about this now, the fight to preserve America's civil war battle fields. Look at what's being done to hang on to some key reminders of the country's heritage.
Also, setting the final four. Two are in and we'll get two more today. Hopefully, Longhorn will be one of them. Sports business analyst Rick Horrow on next for some March madness.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We're breaking down the elite eight into the final four. Two are in. Two more will get their tickets today but also March madness coming face to face to baseball's opening day. Our sports business analyst Rick Horrow. Pretty Ricky what they call him and we could see why. Look at that face. Look at that face. From Miami this morning, pretty Ricky. Good to see you. How are you doing? How's your bracket?
RICK HORROW, SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: I'm doing well. My bracket is - well, first of all, you're disqualified because your (inaudible) didn't fill out but the most important thing is my bracket is better than Betty's. So, I don't care of anybody else's. I just want to, you know.
NGUYEN: I don't know how that happened, Ricky.
HORROW: I know how it happened.
NGUYEN: Here's the bottom line, my horns still going to the finals.
HORROW: What are you doing at 2:20 today? I assume you're...
NGUYEN: I'm watching the game.
HOLMES: There you go. We all will be. But yes, we got two in. We got North Carolina is in. We got UCLA in. No surprise there. Two number one seeds. It is good? Would it be a good thing for the NCAA if the two number one seeds got into the final four as well? It has never happened before.
HORROW: Here's the sweet spot upset index, it's a good thing for the NCAA to have it unfold the way it is doing right now, which is if you have four upsets or less during a tournament, boring everybody is in. 13 or more, all of the big names are out. This year, we're right at 11, which is pretty good, because what's happening is all the number one and number two, number three, except for Duke and a couple others, they all got in the next round. And what's happening is you have the teams that are the big time teams, the top teams, the Kansas, UCLA, Texas, North Carolina. They're the top 25 in revenue and in fan favorite. So, you got the big guys coming in and everybody is following them. It's a good thing.
HOLMES: Now, is this -- it has to be the feel good story of this tournament. Stefan Curry and Little bitty Davidson, a tenth seed taking on the Goliaths of Kansas today. That's a great story to see, what he has been able to do. But also, it was a nice little twist that the school actually paid for the student to get tickets to the game and give them bus rides to this game. It feels good all around. What's going on at Davidson?
HORROW: Well, you can tell they have been in these tournaments a lot before because they are making the right decisions. I'm actually kidding. Do you remember George Mason a couple of years ago?
HOLMES: Yes.
HORROW: And how excited people were with their trip to the final four. Everybody is holding on to see if Davidson can play well against Kansas. But the bottom line is small North Carolina school, and they are going to the biggest dance, maybe not the total, but we'll see what happens in San Antonio when they get there. Bottom line is every tournament needs some excitement like this. TV ratings down and obviously Internet ratings are up. People are watching the games on these. They used to be just watching it on television but there is a lot of excitement in the final four. HOLMES: Is that it right there? Do you think that's it, that the only reason it is down on TV, it has everything to do with the technology, the Internet or the people not really into the tournament this year?
HORROW: Well, here's a number that's interesting. 50% according to all the tech magazines that I've seen have DVD or have mobile devices and they're following the games on their mobile devices. It's a lot easier to do it that way. Plus, your employers are looking around and you can sneak it around when people aren't looking.
HOLMES: Yes. And they have that boss button actually when you're watching it on the Internet. If you're at work you can hit the boss button and it will put up just some generic numbers to look like you're looking at spreadsheets.
NGUYEN: Are you serious?
HORROW: Yes.
HOLMES: Yes.
HORROW: I thought you got turned off by the tournament after your Razorbacks got blown out.
HOLMES: Oh, no man. I love the tournament. No matter what. If the Razorbacks. It doesn't matter.
NGUYEN: So, who are you rooting for now?
HOLMES: Memphis. I'm from the Memphis area so I'm with the Tigers.
NGUYEN: We're play Memphis today.
HOLMES: Yes, I know.
NGUYEN: So you're wanting my team to lose?
HOLMES: I'm wanting Memphis to win. I don't care who they're playing.
NGUYEN: Oh.
HOLMES: You're wearing the arrange today and everything.
NGUYEN: Exactly.
HORROW: Excuse me. You guys banter at your own time, OK. I'm here.
HOLMES: This is your time? Well, give me 15 seconds on the coliseum. What happened now to L.A. with baseball out there.
HORROW: Here's the 15 seconds. 115,000 people, exhibition game, didn't count. Red Sox, Dodgers, the Dodger celebration 50 years in L.A.. They decided to make history and they did. Baseball, $6 billion business starting tonight again. First pitch at the new National Ballpark. It's never been a better time for major league baseball.
HOLMES: Well, all right. Maybe with all the steroids stuff, maybe we're past that. Never been a better time financially at least for baseball. Pretty Ricky, it's always great to see you. We can't to talk to you next weekend about what happened with this last weekend with the final four.
HORROW: Next week live in the studio, man, and we'll talk about the picks.
HOLMES: All right then. See you then, Rick.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Rick.
America's civil war battlefields. They are under siege.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRACE ADKINS, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: It's just consuming everything in its path and if permitted to continue unchecked it will just erase all the truly hallowed historic places that we have in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: So, can the past be saved? While still making room for the future?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Take a look, live pictures right now, we are going to be showing you momentarily the Olympic torch. These pictures of the flames leave Greece, and is headed to Beijing where it will be handed over to the organizers of this year's Olympics.
Well, some major civil war battlefields here in America such as, you know, Gettysburg. They have been preserved but many lesser known sites are under steady attack from developers.
HOLMES: And right now, a skirmish between the past and the future is taking place at several historic battlefields. Here now is CNN's Kate Bolduan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN, CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're footprints of our nation's past, land hundreds of thousands died to protect. Battles reenacted time and again to keep the stories alive. Now, almost 150 years old, preservationists say the country's civil war battlefields are under siege once again.
TRACE ADKINS, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: The main threat to battlefields these days is urban sprawl. BOLDUAN: One of the people leading the effort is Trace Adkins. Better known as the country music star and a contestant on NBC's celebrity apprentice. Adkins says he's also the great great grandson of a confederate soldier and he wants to make sure his as well as the nation's heritage isn't bulldozed by urban development.
ADKINS: It's just consuming everything in its path. And if permitted to continue unchecked it will just erase all that the truly hallowed historic places that we have in this country.
BOLDUAN: The Civil War preservation trust, a non-profit organization says it spent $120 million saving 25,000 acres of battleground across the country. Recently, the group added 10 more sites stretching from Arkansas to Pennsylvania to its endangered list.
BOLDUAN: This, the Monocacy battlefield in Maryland is one of the endangered. It's known as the battle that defended Washington from the south. But preservationists say it is now this land that needs to be defended from a proposed waste energy plant right next door.
JIM LIGHTHIZER, CIVIL WAR PRESERVATION TRUST: If we don't do something fast, if we don't do something now, that endangered land will in fact become lost.
BOLDUAN: But Frederick county officials say there is much more to be gained than lost from the proposed development. In a statement, the director of utility says the county has a well- documented history of working closely with the National Park Service. "I expect that similar cooperative efforts will occur between the county and the National Park Service to ensure that our structure doesn't have an unreasonable impact on the parks' operations.
But Trace Adkins and other preservationists say they'll continue their fight to honor the nations' fading history.
ADKINS: It's an old cliche, I know, but it's true, you know. How can you know where you're going if you don't know where you've been?
BOLDUAN: Kate Bolduan, CNN, Monocacy, Maryland.
HOLMES: Well, hey there, everybody, from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It's Sunday, March 30th here and probably where you are too. It's not exclusive to Atlanta, right? It's March 30th everywhere?
NGUYEN: Why is there a mistake but I think we're all in the same page.
HOLMES: T.J. Holmes, folks. Stay where you are.
NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. We do want to thank you for joining us today.
First up, a political scare down, if you will, and neither side is blinking.
HOLMES: Yes. Hillary Clinton vowing to stay in the race for the democratic presidential nomination. And now, Barack Obama is weighing in on calls for her to quit. Our Jim Acosta, begins our political coverage. He is with the CNN "Election Express" in Philadelphia.
Well, Obama is weighing in. Is he telling her to get out?
ACOSTA: Well, actually, T.J., Barack Obama is saying that Hillary Clinton can stay in this race as long as he wants. He is going to be in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania today, continuing that six-day bus tour across the Keystone State in advance of that big primary in the state coming up on April 22nd.
Hillary Clinton by the way made some news yesterday. She was campaigning in Indiana and Kentucky yesterday. She told the "Washington Post" that she is staying in this race, if necessary, all the way to the Democratic convention in late August in Denver.
If the Democratic Party does not deal with the situation in Florida and Michigan, she wants those delegates counted, she wants those votes counted in that state, because she knows that that will help her secure this nomination and she told a crowd in Indianapolis yesterday, despite these calls coming from Obama surrogates that she should drop out of race, she's not going anywhere.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are some folks saying, well, we ought to stop these elections. I didn't think we believed that in America. I thought we, of all people, knew how important it was to give everyone a chance to have their voices heard and their votes counted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now, as for Barack Obama is he campaigning in Central Pennsylvania today. He told a crowd yesterday, actually told a press conference yesterday in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that Hillary Clinton can stay in this race as long as he wants. He was asked about his surrogates calling for her to drop out of race, and he basically said, hey, her name is on the ballot, she doesn't have to go anywhere.
On a lighter note, we should mention that Barack Obama as he is campaigning hard for those blue collar workers along with Bob Casey, the senator in this state. Obama made a pit stop at a bowling alley, and, you know, it's already been dubbed "Barack bowl." It sounds a little like BALLOT BOWL, T.J. and Betty.
And from all accounts at that bowling alley, things did not go too well for the senator from Illinois. Apparently, there have been some gutter balls involved. And the "New York Times" this morning had a take on Mr. Obama's bowling performance. A little rift on his phrase, "yes, we can," the "New York Times" saying actually in the case of bowling, "no, he can't."
Betty and T.J.?
HOLMES: Yes, that would be accurate. We're looking at the video here and gutter ball after gutter ball.
ACOSTA: Then again, neither can i, so -
HOLMES: Yes. But, you know, but we don't have video of you, though. We got video of him rolling the gutter balls.
ACOSTA: That's right. Thank goodness.
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE) shot. You didn't see it all the way down. That could have been somebody else's fault.
ACOSTA: Yes, it must have been the tie getting in the way there. Not sure.
HOLMES: Right. Mr. Obama, right, that's all right.
Well, let's talk about Senator McCain. He's not bowling, but he is on a tour. Everybody is on a tour these days. What's he up to?
ACOSTA: Well, he'll be in Mississippi later today, and he launched that -- as we know this big general election ad on Friday, which is already causing some controversy over at the Democratic National Committee. Howard Dean, he released a statement calling John McCain a blatant opportunist, referring to that TV spot.
It's not exactly clear what the chairman of the party has to say about this ad and what it is in particular he has differences with, but the RNC, the Republican National Committee, they'd fired off their own statement calling on Obama and Clinton to ask Howard Dean to retract those statements. So far, that has not happened as of yet, as to be expected.
HOLMES: Yes, as expected. All right. Jim Acosta there for us in Pennsylvania, work on your bowling game. We'll get back to you, kind sir. We'll see you.
And the presidential race, how is it shaping up in your eyes? We've got our BALLOT BOWL. It's your chance to hear from the contenders themselves. That's today at 2:00 o'clock Eastern, only right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Well, Clinton and Obama on the record. You want to tune in for a special edition of SITUATION ROOM prime time tonight anchored by Wolf Blitzer. That's coming up at 8:00 Eastern on CNN, which is your home for politics.
Speaking of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright briefly stepped back into the spotlight in Chicago this weekend, Senator Barack Obama's former pastor made a surprise appearance at Saint Sabina Church, Friday night to hear famed poet Maya Angelou. Wright has stayed out of the public eye since some his controversial remarks surfaced about three weeks ago. He received a thunderous welcome at Saint Sabina. Wright was invited by the church's pastor. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FATHER MICHAEL PFLEGER, SAINT SABINA'S PASTOR: It's rough, I mean, when all of a sudden the world is viewing 30 seconds of you and making judgment on your whole life. All of his of ministry, all the people he's loved and served, brought to Christ, all of the people he reached out to help and then, to be turned to like that in his retirement, it's shameful.
But you know what? He's a strong brother. And I thank God for him. I love him with all my heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The occasion marked the 82nd birthday for Maya Angelou. And in his remarks, Wright did not mention Senator Barack Obama or the tapes of his controversial sermons.
HOLMES: Well, Wright was absent at summit at Paul Quinn (ph), Dallas, Texas to discuss the state of the black church. Ministers and scholars there however, they spoke at the conference, came to his defense. The host of the summit, the Reverend Frederick Haynes said, if Martin Luther King, Jr. were pastoring a church today, it would look very much like Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
NGUYEN: Let's take you to Iraq now because Baghdad is under curfew this Sunday morning with some streets in the capital nearly deserted. That as fighting between government security forces and Shiite militants continues in parts of Baghdad and in Basra. Nearly 300 people have been killed in six days of fighting.
The clashes were touched off by a government offensive against militias in Basra, and Iraq's prime minister admits he may have miscalculated the backlash the offensive is causing among Shiite militias. The U.S. and Britain are providing air support to the Iraqi army and some American troops also are working with the Iraqi units.
HOLMES: And violence is breaking out in Nepal this morning. Take a look at this.
The police there are cracking down on Tibetan exiles, the Tibetans are protesting against Chinese rules, swarming around the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu. This is the second straight day that police have made arrests. Tibetan activists tell CNN that four people were injured in some of these scuffles. Two hundred people have been arrested this weekend.
NGUYEN: In Zimbabwe, the opposition party is claiming victory in the general election, even before the first results are announced. The Movement for Democratic Change what it's called, says it will not accept any other outcome.
President Robert Mugabe is seeking a sixth term and he's government is warning the opposition party not to go too far. The government says it will treat any announcement by the MDC that it's leader is a rightful president as an attempt to take over the government.
HOLMES: Well, an end to some airline regulations in England now opening things up for travelers planning to go overseas.
NGUYEN: Yes. So, you better grab your passport because the first of the new flights landed just a short time ago in London and our Richard Quest was on board.
HOLMES: And he's now on the ground there live from Heathrow Airport. Hello, again, to you, sir.
QUEST: Oh, yes, yes. I've got a question for you. And this will tell me whether you were paying attention earlier. How much do you think, guys, T.J. and Betty, how much do you think a pair of takeoff and landing slots cost here at Heathrow?
Go ahead, have a guess.
NGUYEN: A couple hundred million dollars. We were paying attention.
QUEST: You are indeed. That $200 million, that is how much Continental Airlines paid for four pairs of slots: Two for Houston and two for Newark. They are the first airline to have arrived here.
But over on the far side of the field, I can see U.S. Airways. On the other side of this plane is Northwest. Somewhere beyond yonder is Delta, and for the first time in more than 50 years, new U.S. carriers are being allowed in the world's single most important airport. The president of Continental Airlines Jeff Smisek explains why it was so crucial to be at Heathrow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF SMISEK, PRES., CONTINENTAL AIRLINES: The business traveler wants to come to Heathrow. We've been locked out of Heathrow for decades, and it's the most important business market in the world, between New York and London, Heathrow. And we're the largest carrier in New York and we couldn't get in to Heathrow. So, we're delighted to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: And if you want one more example of the changes taking place, look at this plane: British Airways GZZZ66E (ph). That is about to depart for Atlanta, Georgia. And when it goes to Atlanta, it will be the first time that B.A. has flown from Heathrow. Until today, that plane always went from London Gatwick. So you can see left, right, and center, here at Heathrow, there's a change afoot.
NGUYEN: Yes, there is. And I think, did he say, Atlanta, Georgia. Is that your attempt at a southern accent, Richard?
QUEST: I'll tell you -- I certainly didn't to say (INAUDIBLE), unfortunately, the noise here is so bad around me that I can barely hear myself think, certainly not after just coming across the Atlantic last night.
NGUYEN: That's true, don't they usually have those little ear phones. You better have your hearing checked. But let me -- if you can hear this, let me ask you this. With more options there, does that equate to lower prices for travelers?
QUEST: I think, in theory there should be lower prices. More competition, more competition means lower prices. The reality is, I don't think there will be in the short term. As long as you've got airlines paying those stratospheric numbers for their slots, $200 million for four slots, then, I don't think there's any incentive on any of the carriers.
They have looked upon getting into Heathrow as a way of ramping up their profits because of high oil prices, domestic demand and a weak U.S. economy. They are not about to cut the prices if they can help it.
NGUYEN: It always gets passed on to somebody. All right. Well, you be safe out there don't get run over by a plane because we want to talk to you later today.
QUEST: Oh, no.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Richard.
QUEST: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Well, the night that the lights went out.
HOLMES: That night was last night across the world, the green benefits of going black.
NGUYEN: Also, the vaccine debate. Is there a link between childhood shots and autism? Our Doctor Sanjay Gupta takes a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Let's get you updated on some of the other headlines right now.
It just a horrific gun battle in Miami between an alleged hostage taker and police. Now, the suspect was hit at least once before he briefly escaped. Police finally caught him a few hours later. And he did undergo surgery for his wounds. A drugstore manager though had been taken hostage but got away without serious injury.
And the owner of a Florida wild life rescue center is recovering this morning, attacked by two cheetahs under her care. She was in the cage when one of the animals became agitated by a park visitor bouncing a ball. Authorities say the woman was knocked down and mauled. Listen to this. She suffered 40 puncture wounds. Bystander had to pull her out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER: What's going on?
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Well, I just explained it to you. That's a newborn you have back there. Did you give birth to that newborn? You did. You gave birth today?
JENNIFER LATHAM, ABDUCTOR: No.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Yesterday?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes. That was police video you are seeing, of a Florida woman who was arrested after she allegedly abducted a one-day-old infant from a hospital. A judge later put 39-year-old Jennifer Latham under house arrest. Police say, before the incident, Latham had duped friends into believing that she was pregnant. The baby now is back with parents and doing just fine.
NGUYEN: So, are vaccines linked to autism? A lot of the parents are asking that these days. And scientists though say, there's no research to prove it. But today, more and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their kids for a number of reasons.
And CNN is taking a closer look at autism and the challenges for both parents and children. Here's our chief medical correspondent Doctor Sanjay Gupta.
GUPTA: I want to be fair. There's a real conflict here. I mean, there's a lot of parent who are obviously scared of vaccinating for a lot of reasons. But if you ask doctors, you ask scientists, vaccines are one of the greatest public health boons of this past century. I mean, it saves so many lives.
Here is something that you didn't know. A lot of parents can exempt out of vaccines for example for medical reasons just about every state will let you exempt out of vaccines, and also religious reasons. There's also something that was personal belief reasons.
About 20 states allow people to actually exempt out of vaccines for personal beliefs. Those numbers have gone up. It's about 1 percent in the early 90s, up to 3 percent. So, you got more and more children not getting the vaccines. A lot of people are concerned.
I had a candid conversation with Doctor Julie Gerberding. She's the head of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a heated issue. She's very concerned about it. I asked her a lot of questions. Including one about why the government isn't doing more to reassure parents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, CDC DIRECTOR: I think in this case, the government could have been doing a much better job for a long period of time of bringing parents in and really enveloping their concerns and getting them out on the table and not sticking to sort of science, science, science. One of the things that concerns me is, well, the attention is focused on vaccines. In a sense, it means people are not looking for other causes. And we've got to keep reminding ourselves that the vaccine story has been one that's been debated for many, many years now. We keep looking, and looking, and looking, and we really cannot turn up any information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: I also talked to Doctor Gerberding her a lot about exactly where we are in this whole autism debate and what she knows for sure about autism as things stand today. We're also going to give you a lot of information at home about signs to look for, early signs of autism, so you can empower yourself. We're dedicating the entire show to it. It's important one.
It's HOUSE CALL at 8:30.
NGUYEN: It is important because a lot of parents are fearful about getting those vaccines. You have a healthy child and some, you know, will tell you, hands down, that's what caused the autism in my child. But, you know, researchers say that's not the case. So - yes.
HOLMES: It's not it. But the jury is still out in a lot of people's eyes. We're seeing lawsuits in cases and whatnot. But the debate goes on. We'll try to get some of those answers.
NGUYEN: Hopefully, we will for you.
HOLMES: Also, downtown buildings going dark. You may have noticed in your city last night.
NGUYEN: Well, why hundreds of cities turned out the lights.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hey, lights out across the world. Look at this. In San Francisco, the lights on the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge flickered off. There you go. We're going to see it flickered off right there and some restaurant-goers dined by candle light. Hey, that's not bad on a Saturday night.
Well, this was the scene here in Atlanta last night. At 8:00 local time, some of the city's tallest buildings went dark. That's not really a tall building right there. But you see what we mean. There you go.
And it was pitch black in Canada, too. Don't worry, there wasn't massive power outage. These are just some of the major cities that voluntarily turned out the lights for an hour last night as part of a campaign by the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness about climate change and environmental protection.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTAS CHRIST, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE: We've got to get it right and make it an opportunity, where ultimately tourism will be devastating for the very places we enjoy going to. If we are taking people out to dive and fish and snorkel on reefs, for example, why shouldn't the local people be part of the managers of that marine reserve?
Why shouldn't the gate fees that tourists pay to go dive there, not go to somebody whose offices in the capital city in London, but go in the pockets of those local villagers? You're getting to the heart of ecotourism when you address these issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, organizers say about 400 cities took part in last night's earth hour. You did it, too, you took part, didn't you, T.J.?
HOLMES: I was there, it was -- here in Atlanta. It was nice, big switch. Mayor hit it, and you could really -- it wasn't so obvious. But, still, you get the idea.
NGUYEN: No, exactly. But it was kind of neat to see that the major buildings, the skyline if you will, in these cities did go dark. And because a lot of people were out and about, watching those different events, they weren't at home with their lights on. That saved little electricity, too.
HOLMES: And our Jacqui Jeras is here with us now. And Jacqui, this was really tough to get up, it's rainy, it's cold, I was out a little later than I should have been with the whole earth hour. But it was a good day to sleep in.
JERAS: It was a good day to sleep in. Maybe a lot of people are still doing that. You know, there a lot of light on there, though, guys.
HOLMES: Yes, you're right.
JERAS: I don't like that. It needed to be greater impact.
NGUYEN: Completely, you think?
JERAS: I know. Come on.
NGUYEN: You've got to keep the street lights on. I mean -
JERAS: Somebody told me when NCAA tournaments are going on, they're not -
NGUYEN: Can't keep people from the big games.
JERAS: Anyway. All right. Well you, it is that dreary morning here across parts of Atlanta. Take a look at that picture from WXIA- TV. The rains had started to pull out of Atlanta. We've got a big marathon going on here this morning. So, at least it won't be hot with the sun beating down on you, right? You have that going on for you. By the way, some of the venues and some of events for that ING (ph) marathon have been canceled or just rearranged, put in different spots due to the tornado and all of the damage from the 14th.
Now, there you can see Atlanta, there you can see the rainshowers here pushing eastward and South Carolina, rain may develop later on this afternoon. Now, the rain where we don't need it here across the nation's midsection, really heavy at times. Showers and thundershowers are moving in toward the Memphis area right now.
We've got a live picture to show you out of Memphis where there is a ground stop in effect at the airport because of those thunderstorms, looking for heavy rain on and off throughout the day today. And yes, aggravating the flooding situation, unfortunately, across the Mississippi Valley with one to two inches possible.
St. Louis very wet. Heavy rain down to the south. It's going to be a tough day for travel, guys. That plane Richard Quest was talking about arriving in Atlanta, you could have some delays because of low overcast conditions.
NGUYEN: That's Atlanta, Georgia, according to Richard.
JERAS: He's got to work on that.
NGUYEN: Yes, a little bit, don't you think. Thank you, Jacqui.
HOLMES: All right. We're going from covering politics to fashion for somebody. What is this?
NGUYEN: Well, Josh Levs has the latest on this. What's up, Josh?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, coming up, we're going to take a look back a little bit to some of the early predictions about what we would be wearing at the turn of millennium.
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ANNOUNCER: The likely clad women of tomorrow, oh, swish. We're moving at an atmosphere that scientifically -
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LEVS: You, guys, are going to love this. Join us in just a few as we go back to the future.
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HOLMES: All right. Folks are always trying to predict the future. They're usually wrong and they're certainly wrong when it comes to fashion usually.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. You know, our Josh Levs has really been looking at this viral video that's making the rounds, and, oh, swoosh. What is that? LEVS: I love this prediction of future and stuff. It's so funny. OK. So, this is originally from a British Reel (ph) in the 1930s, but some clever person stuck it out there on the Internet. Let's take a look. The fashion experts of the day are predicting what we'd be wearing at the turn of the millennium.
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ANNOUNCER: According to another artist, one dress of the future will consist of French (INAUDIBLE) net. The net, probably, to catch the males. Apparently in A.D. 2000, we shall be having a hair-raising time.
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LEVS: Betty, what do you think? You like the hair?
NGUYEN: No, but I do like the net. I mean, there are a lot of dresses that you searched.
LEVS: No, that belt is supposed to be magnetized to help reflect the weather or something. It regulates the weather around you. Yes, they were predicting you had a belt that could regulate the weather. And of course, accessories are big deal for women, right?
So, take a look at this next video here. They had a very clever idea for an accessory.
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ANNOUNCER: Change it for afternoon or evening, an electric headlight to help you to find an honest man.
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LEVS: A headlight in your hair to help you find an honest man. Maybe he's hiding in the dark somewhere.
HOLMES: Yes, that's all you need.
LEVS: We don't want to leave out the guys though. So, take a look at what the guys are supposed to be wearing.
NGUYEN: Well, T.J. wears that on his day off.
LEVS: And he has special pockets where is he can hold coins, keys, and candy for cuties
HOLMES: Well -
NGUYEN: I don't even want to touch that one.
LEVS: Well, it's time (inaudible) about to go. He just like, oh, yes. None of us are going there. But we have few seconds left before we go, we have an opportunity to show you the shoes in there and how they kind of got that right. And how we know they got that right because, look at Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. They were talking about the wedge, and so, that's what I'm wearing today.
LEVS: Right. There you go.
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