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CNN Sunday Morning
Clinton Attacks Obama Comment; Inside Polygamist Sect
Aired April 13, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: OK, take a look. We are getting our first look inside that controversial Texas religious compound. The sect members say it is eerily quiet without their children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bitter.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bitter.
OBAMA: Bitter.
CLINTON: Bitter.
OBAMA: Bitter.
CLINTON: Bitter.
OBAMA: Bitter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Bitter -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Can we say it again just one more time.
HOLMES: Bitter. It's a bitter campaign right about now. That word is a big deal. We'll see if these candidates, though, can let go of being bitter just long enough for tonight's "Compassion Forum."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many people don't believe you can be happy if you're not having sex.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, that's a wake-up call. How the sexual revolution is keeping Catholics from entering the priesthood and we are gearing up for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the U.S.
From the CNN center right here in Atlanta, bringing you the news from around the world, hello everybody on this Sunday, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hey there, I'm T.J. Holmes, Sunday April 13. Let's get started this morning. We are going to start with politics and how many more times we can say "bitter" this morning. Just nine days now until the Pennsylvania primary. The Democratic candidates are back in that state today, both campaigns still talking about Barak Obama's choice of words. Our Jim Acosta takes a look for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For Hillary Clinton, it was a Hoosier country slam-dunk. From Indianapolis...
CLINTON: I was kind of taken aback by the remarks that Senator Obama made the other day, because they don't reflect my experience. You know, they seem kind of elitist and out of touch.
ACOSTA: To Valparaiso.
CLINTON: I don't think that Americans need a president who looks down on them, we need a president who stands up and fights for the American people again.
ACOSTA: Clinton was out to make Barak Obama pay for his remarks at a closed door California fund-raiser where he referred to blue collar voters in Pennsylvania as "bitter." In Indiana, Obama labored to explain away those comments.
OBAMA: Lately there's been a little typical sort of political flare-up because I said something that everybody knows is true, which is that there are a whole bunch of folks in small towns in Pennsylvania, in towns right here in Indiana, in my hometown in Illinois, who are bitter. They are angry.
ACOSTA: But by the end of the day Obama was ready to go further telling a North Carolina newspaper: "If I worded things in a way that made people offended, I deeply regret that."
SENATOR EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: Right here in our state in the heartland of America...
ACOSTA: But the piling on had already begun. In Indiana, Clinton surrogate, Senator Evan Bayh argued undecided superdelegates should consider Obama's remarks before making up their minds. And down in North Carolina a former Democratic Party leader and Clinton supporter all but called Obama a limousine liberal.
TOM HENDERICKSON, FMR NC DEM PARTY CHMN: So, Senator Obama, don't pity us and think that we are bitter and frustrated. We are hard working family folks who are smart and we get it.
ACOSTA (on camera): The Clinton campaign is clearly hoping this controversy will spill over into Indiana and North Carolina which both hold their contests two weeks after the Pennsylvania primary. By all appearances, Clinton is prepared to take Obama's comments all the way to the bitter end of this campaign.
Jim Acosta, Valparaiso, Indiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: Well, Chelsea Clinton up front and center for her mother and she was put on the spot at a campaign event in Eugene, Oregon. Listen to what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: If your mom were asked by Senator Obama to serve as vice president and she then asked you for your advice, how would you like to advise her?
CHELSEA CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DAUGHTER: Well, sir, you make a lot of assumptions in that question.
(LAUGHTER)
I -- but to be fair, when people ask me, you know, who my mom would pick as a running mate I say the same thing. I mean, I don't take anything for granted. You know, I'm going to talk to as many people as I can here in Oregon, today, and when I come back, talk to as many people as I can when I go back to Pennsylvania and then all the states who get to vote. I passionately believe in my mom. I believe there are a lot of people who still want to cast their votes and have their voices heard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: No assuming here, that was a diplomatic answer from the former first daughter. The question came from an admitted Barak Obama supporter and that supporter later said he thought Chelsea could have a future as a politician. I guess you could say it's in her genes.
HOLMES: Yeah. The candidates, themselves, including Chelsea's mom, will be facing some tough questions tonight. They're both taking part in a CNN special event, it's the "Compassion Forum" where the focus is going to be on faith and politics. CNN deputy political editor Paul Steinhauser joins us now from Grantham, Pennsylvania, and that's where the forum is happening tonight.
It is called a "Compassion Forum," but all has been about bitter lately. They going to be able to be compassionate this evening?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR: Reporter: yeah, I think. I think for a couple of hours they're going to try to do that. And I think tonight we're going to hear about issues we normally don't hear about on the campaign trail, like faith and values, about religion and faith and how that plays a role in these candidates' lives and how it could play a role if they're elected president in their presidency.
You will also hear some of the hot social issues, right now, the controversial ones, I think, like abortion and gay marriage could come up tonight, and some of the pressing moral issues like AIDS, like poverty, global warming and human rights. These are issues you normally don't hear a lot about on the campaign trail or on TV or online and I think tonight, you're going to have a good chance to hear about that from Barak Obama and from Hillary Clinton. Each candidate will be on the stage separately, and they'll spend an 40 minutes of time getting questioned by Campbell Brown and Jon Meacham of "Newsweek" and also some of the people in the audience.
And also, T.J., this is the first time that Barak Obama will be back here in Pennsylvania since that whole controversy over the bitter comments came up.
HOLMES: And like we've been talking about the past couple of days, those bitter comments, he was talking about Pennsylvania voters and said that some people turn -- they're bitter and they sometimes lean on religion. So, religion and politics certainly a part of his statement, so we certainly expect to hear about that. Paul Steinhauser for us there in Grantham where that forum is taking place. Paul, we appreciate you this morning, as always, keeping us updated on the politics of the day. Thank you so much.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you, T.J.
HOLMES: All right, and the high gas prices, mortgage woes, both issue No. 1 for voters, so how are the candidates responding to that? That's going to be ahead in about 13 minutes. Also you can hear the candidates unfiltered this afternoon, CNN BALLOT BOWL giving you a chance to hear more than those quick sound bites. BALLOT BOWL, coming your way at 2:00 Eastern. And another reminder to tune tonight for that special event we've been talking about, Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama facing the hard questions on faith and politics. You can join that lady there, Campbell Brown, hosting that, "The Compassion Forum," live from Pennsylvania, tonight 8:00 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Well, economic issues could also steer the outcome of Italy's election. Voting is underway there right now and will continue until tomorrow night. Italy's election is actually coming three years early because of the failures of the current government. The prospect of an economic recession is leading to the possible return of a familiar face, two-time Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi is among the election's front-runners. We'll stay on top of that for you.
Also, new this morning, we're going inside the polygamist compound in Eldorado, Texas. We have new pictures taken by "Deseret News." Now, the paper says it's the first time journalists have been allowed inside the community.
And we're also going to have much more on those pictures plus new video from inside the compound. But first, let's go to CNN's Sean Callebs in San Angelo for the latest on the development, there. And a lot of those dealing with what to do with the 416 children that have been taken out of that compound.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly right, this as we've move toward a hearing scheduled on Thursday in connection with the raid on that compound. A lot of attention being focused in an area far from here, along the Utah/Arizona border, that is where Dale Barlow lives. He is the person at the center of the search warrant that lead to the raid on that. We spoke with his attorney yesterday and he says, you know what, they have the wrong man, that he hasn't been to Texas since 1977.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): The 50-year-old member of a polygamist religious sect says Texas officials are after the wrong man. The attorney representing Dale Barlow says his client lives in Colorado City, Arizona, that Barlow hasn't been to Texas in more than 30 years, and that he did not father children with a child bride at the fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound in Eldorado, Texas.
BRUCE GRIFFEN, BARLOW'S ATTORNEY: We have not been to Texas, we are not the person that they are look for, we've committed to misconduct to Texas, that they need some evidence, they don't have any evidence.
CALLEBS: Barlow left a meeting with Texas rangers near his home without being arrested and remains free. Authorities say the raid on the west Texas compound was triggered by a call from a 16-year-old girl who claimed Barlow fathered one child with her and that she might possibly be pregnant again. Barlow was named in the search warrant.
GRIFFEN: We made it very clear to them that their accusations are not accurate.
CALLEBS: During the raid, Texas law enforcement officers removed 416 children from the compound. However, they have yet to identify the girl known as "Sarah."
Dr. Bruce Perry is among the mental health specialists working with the kids. Perry says the children have learned a strong work ethic, loyalty to family and something much more sinister.
DR BRUCE PERRY, MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST: They also had a belief system that groomed young girls into being the sexual property of older men and that's abusive.
CALLEBS: Texas Child Protective services has the 416 children in two shelters in San Angelo. The state has 88 pages detailing evidence seized in the raid. But, what authorities don't have is the man they've targeted as a chief suspect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now, Texas rangers are not ruling out talking to Barlow once again, but at this point he remains free. And Betty, just a little about the mental health specialist we had in that story. This is someone who has a great deal of experience talking to kids who have gone through experiences like the ones in Eldorado. He dealt with the children from the Branch Davidians that, of course was run by David Koresh. He also travelled to South Africa with Oprah Winfrey to talk to children who had been abused over the years -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Sean Callebs joining us live from San Angelo, thank you, Sean.
And coming up, we're going to take you inside that Texas compound. As we said, the journalists from the "Deseret News" were allowed in and you've seen some of the new pictures. Our Josh Levs will be showing us some of the new video, as well, that's coming up in about 20 minutes.
HOLMES: Former president Jimmy Carter plans to push the boundaries a bit. A meeting with a group that some people in Washington say is a terrorist organization.
NGUYEN: And the "Dr. Phil Show" under fire this morning. Staffers post bail for a teen accused of beating up another girl and hosting that video on YouTube.
HOLMES: Also, the Catholic church in crises. What's to blame for the shortage of priests?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're going to get a quick look here now at some of the stories making headlines. More violence in Haiti and this is all over high food prices. The U.N. now says that one of its police officers was pulled from his car and shot. And also yesterday Haiti's lawmakers voted to dismiss the country's prime minister. Haiti has been especially hard hit by rising food prices because it relies almost entirely on imports.
Well, American airlines back on schedule this morning for the first time in six days. The airline has clearance to fly all of its MD-80 jets. More than 3,000 American Airlines flights were canceled in the last week or so after engineers needed to inspect the wiring in the wheel wells. That disrupted travel plans for more than a quarter million passengers.
NGUYEN: Well, there are plans for a meeting between former president Jimmy Carter and the leader of Hamas, but that's causing some concern at the State Department and the presidential candidates, well, they think it is a bad idea, but Carter's position on the Mideast could mean problems for one candidate in particular, that being Barak Obama. CNN's Brian Todd explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Again, he's pushing the boundaries of convention in the Middle East, and again, he's taking heat for it. Former President Jimmy Carter plans to meet soon in Syria with Khaled Meshaal, leader of the Palestinian militant group, Hamas. That's according to a Hamas representative in Lebanon.
A spokeswoman for the former president would not confirm the meeting. But in a statement, Mr. Carter said his purpose in going to the Middle East is not to negotiate, but to spur momentum for peace. Still, the State Department has called Carter and made its position clear.
SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPT SPOKESMAN: It was worth repeating in this particular case where we stand and the fact that we counseled against it. TODD: Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. It's called for Israel's destruction. And for decades, Hamas and the Israelis have waged lethal campaigns against each other. Hamas did win Palestinian parliamentary elections two years ago and controls Gaza. But in the United States, those who want Jimmy Carter's old job are not willing to follow his path.
John McCain's campaign calls Carter's plan "a dangerous mistake." Hillary Clinton disagrees with Carter, as does Barack Obama, even though he's willing to meet with governments like Iran, accused by the U.S. of supporting terrorism.
SUSAN RICE, OBAMA FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER: There's a great difference between a terrorist organization and a nation state. Hamas is a terrorist organization that is, as we speak, attacking Israel and its population on a daily basis.
TODD: But despite Obama's stated support of Israel, he could find himself in a political squeeze, here. President Carter has hinted strongly he supports Obama's candidacy and Carter has a contentious relationship with the Jewish community because of his book comparing Israel's policies to apartheid.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ADVISER: There's a cocktail here of Carter having antagonistic relations with the Jews right now, being close to Obama, Obama trying to win in Pennsylvania and win in a party where American Jewish votes and voices are very important. That makes this a very volatile mix for Barack Obama.
TODD (on camera): But it's not like Jimmy Carter is all alone on an island. This letter to President Bush sent last fall says it's better to talk to Hamas than to isolate it that if Hamas is ostracized, violence could escalate and any gains toward peace could be wiped out. The letter was sent by, among others, former National Security Advisers Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Thomas Pickering, and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, a member of the Iraq Study Group and 9/11 Commission.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right, I mean, we have fairly important jobs here, but compared to somebody running for president, this is not that serious.
NGUYEN: Well, we do inform people each and every day, right?
HOLMES: We do. But, if you're running for president, that's a big deal. How does the guy running for president get a weekend off, we can't even do that?
NGUYEN: That is true, it's a good question, but you know, that's exactly what John McCain has been doing. Seems like a lot of weekends he's been off. Is taking too much time off? We're going to look at that ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK, here's a talker. Did Dr. Phil bail out a possible guest on his show? Well, this weekend staffers from the show bailed out one of the teen girls seen in this video, right here.
HOLMES: Yeah, a lot of people have seen this. It's been getting a lot of play in the past several days. A group of teenagers brutally beating another teenage girl, this was happening in central Florida. The video then posted on YouTube. And Nadia Ramdass is with affiliate WFTS, she was there as Mercedes Nichols bonded out of jail.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADIA RAMDASS, WFTS REPORTER (voice over): It was a media circus Friday tonight as reporters identify descended upon a man who identified himself as a producer on the "Dr. Phil Show," after word came out that the nationally syndicated talk show may have paid bond for Mercedes Nichols, the alleged ringleader of the now infamous videotape beating of a 16-year-old Lakeland girl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had exclusivity, we had sign forms.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No you don't. There's no such thing as exclusivity in this case. Do you understand me? They can talk to anybody that they want to talk to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are not talking to you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to speak to me in English, ma'am.
RAMDASS: Nichols along with seven other teenagers are accused of beating another student and then posted on YouTube. All eight teens made their first appearance in Polk County court Friday and were given bonds between 30 to $37,000. Most of them bonded out Friday night.
QUESTION: Hey, Mercedes, do you have anything to say to the girl you did this to? Anything to say to this girl? Anything to say to Victoria?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say nothing.
QUESTION: How about an apology for Victoria Lindsay?
RAMDASS: But who exactly posted bond for 17-year-old Nichols is still in question. To answer that question we went to the person who bonded her out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't disclose information on who posted bond. Only thing I can tell you is we did do the bond for Mercedes, but as far as information on who did it or anything like that, that's not something we can disclose.
RAMDASS: Stephen Williams, owner of Heartland Bail Bonds, bonded the teen for $33,000 Friday night. And now the question remains, did the popular TV shrink pay to get ownership of this high profile case? QUESTION: Did dr. Phil pay for the bond?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No comment.
QUESTION: But, that's not a no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No comment.
QUESTION: It's not a not a no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not a yes.
QUESTION: Do you think the "Dr. Phil Show" crossed an ethical bound? Do you think that's ethical to be paying for people to go on TV for you guys?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, a spokeswoman for Dr. Phil issued a statement saying: "These staff members have been spoken to and our policies reiterated. In addition, we have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised?"
NGUYEN: Well, there is plenty more ahead on this Sunday morning. Just minutes away, new photos and video from inside that secretive sect in Texas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hey there again, everybody, and welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING, I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: And good morning everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen.
Just Nine days and counting to the Pennsylvania primary. Both senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are locked in a primary frenzy. They are scrambling to lock in those undecided voters. And tonight at the "Compassion Forum," they answer questions about faith and politics and you can see it right here at CNN at 8:00.
HOLMES: and in that Texas polygamist case authorities are looking for volunteer attorneys to represent the 416 children taken from the ranch. Already 350 lawyers have stepped up to help out.
NGUYEN: So, let's get to these new images that we're receiving from inside the ranch belonging to the fundamentalist Latter Day Saints' group.
HOLMES: Now, Josh Levs of the dot com desk, now checking out things online for us. He has that part of the story. Good morning to you again, sir.
JOSH LEVS, CNN.COM DESK: Good morning to you guys. Yeah, it's a big deal. They're saying these are the first images from the inside. And as the "Deseret Morning News," not a paper I was familiar with before. It's affiliated with the Mormon church. And I'll tell you a little bit about what we've got going right now.
If we can show you an image of the article itself, you'll see -- there you go, that's it, right there, "Deseret News." You're going to see, if you take a look at that article, they are saying, I think this is important, before we tell you too much more -- that they conducted interviews with ranch residents, but the officials there insisted they could only talk about the "children's plight." They would not discuss any other topics including allegations of physical and sexual abuse. They also say those who spoke asked that only their first names be used.
So, we're not getting, you know, a huge sense of their identities, but we can take a look at these photos, now, and let's take a look at them because I'll tell you a little bit about what we are seeing from inside there. That is a woman who went by the name "Monica," and this is what we got from that paper and from "AP." They are saying that inside this ranch, she is one of the people there, she has five kids, age three to 11. We also have the next picture here, which is a man named "Richard," he's also in a similar situation, and he talks about how he misses his children, his family would general gather. That's the kitchen that they live in, there.
Now, this paper also has some video up on their Web site. And we can take a look at that. Basically you see some of the same people talking about how difficult the situation is, right now. Again, we don't know their full identities. You see there, it says "Shannon," we just know a first name and they all talk about how difficult it is to be separated from their children, who the children are wonderfully cared for. They do say that there's no abuse that takes place there. And we just see the little images from the inside. But this is the first glimpse anyone at all has gotten since this compound first getting attention. Remember, in the first place, incredibly secretive, in credibly private, then all of a sudden they are thrust into the middle of a major news story. And these are the first images that we're seeing of what it could potentially be like in there.
But, like I said, I have to emphasize, they're not answering certain questions about the legal stuff or questions of abuse allegations of abuse. They're just giving a little taste of what it's like inside and saying they're very sad and miss their children.
NGUYEN: And showing you some areas inside that compound. Because, until now we've just seen the outside of it. Interesting there. OK, thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: All right, we will turn back to politics, now. And Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama locked in that bitter battle we've been talking about with just nine days to go to the Pennsylvania primary. CNN political producer, Sasha Johnson, joins us now from Washington.
Good morning to you.
SASHA JOHNSON, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Good morning. HOLMES: Ma'am, let's not have a bitter conversation, but it has to be because that has been the word of these comments that Barak Obama made. Has he done what he needs to do to kind of ease the blow- back from these statements that he made? Has he explained them enough? And in a way he hasn't backed away from them.
JOHNSON: No, he hasn't, I mean, I think we don't know whether he's done enough because I think we truly don't know how the story is going to play out. It broke on Friday, it's been percolating over the weekend. Obviously, Hillary Clinton is going to keep talking about it. This week in Pennsylvania, the Obama campaign says they're going to continue explaining and pushing back on this idea that he demeans working class voters and that he was an elitist. But, you know, I -- it's sort of unclear how much it's going to hurt him, if it's going to hurt him at all, how much voters are really paying attention. But, as I mentioned to you in the break, you know, I spent a day in Cobell (ph), Pennsylvania recently, a working class down, and people are angry and I talked to them obviously before Barak Obama made these statements, but the sentiment of what he was talking about does exist in rural Pennsylvania. People are upset about the economy.
HOLMES: So, I'm hearing that right, from your experience being there on the ground talking to those folks that he called bitter, they say yeah, we are bitter.
JOHNSON: Well, I don't know if they'd use the word "bitter." I mean, I think that that, probably when people first hear that word it carries connotations -- rather negative connotations. But look, they are upset about rising health care costs, they are upset about populations moving out of their towns, churches possibly closing. They feel like their way of life is sort of being taken away from them and they want a president that's going to help them in daily lives and bring some change. But they're angry about their current situation, so if you look at the totality of what Barak Obama said, you know, he is probably describing the sentiment of a lot of people in Pennsylvania and he's going to continue to do that.
HOLMES: And what are they going to continue to do for the next, I guess, nine days now? This is the home stretch. What are we going to see happening in Pennsylvania? Is Barak Obama certainly going to be throwing a lot of that cash that he pulled in the past couple of months into advertising there? We had somebody else on, one of your colleagues I believe, saying you turn on the TV there in Pennsylvania you see Barak Obama's ads all over the place.
JOHNSON: Oh, sure. And you know, I have relatives in Pennsylvania who say god, I can't stand these ads. But, I mean, both are going to continue to be on the air, they're going to continue to be in the state. You mentioned "The Compassion Forum" tonight, there's a debate in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Both Clinton and Obama are going to be attending several labor events over the next couple of days, talking about the economy, they're sending high-profile surrogates into the state. You know, James Hoffa, of the teamsters, was campaigning for Obama there over the last couple days. So, they're not going to see (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: All right and poor John McCain sometimes he just can't get any play right now because of what is going on the other side.
JOHNSON: It's tough, right.
HOLMES: Of course, he doesn't have a competition right now, he's taking the weekend off. But, he's going to come back and address an issue that I guess some people may have the perception is not his strong suit. We know this guy is a war hero, maybe not so strong on the economy. He's still trying to change that perception of him.
JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, he, himself, said in an interview, at one point, in an off-handed way that perhaps he needs to learn more about the economy and I can tell you having driven around Pennsylvania, that remark does resonate with people, both Democrats and Republicans. So, we are going to see him his Tuesday in Pennsylvania unveiling a more compressive economic plan. We saw him in New York last week talking about the economy. He's talking about the mortgage crisis. He is really trying to drive home the fact that he cares about people, that he knows about the economy, that he understands people are really in a tight spot. I mean, this is the No. 1 issue now, it's trumped the Iraq war. So, you know he's got his war creds down, and he needs to work on the economy.
HOLMES: All right, our Sasha Johnson. Sasha, do we have any word if Hillary Clinton has a hangover? You know, we saw that video of her taking a shot of Crown Royal and having a beer.
JOHNSON: Yeah, you know, I was actually surprised to see the shot. You know, I've seen her drink beer before, but that was a bold movement anything to campaign, I guess, at this point.
HOLMES: You all run the streets together drinking beer and whatnot?
JOHNSON: Yeah, this shows that it's too long of a campaign if we've got -- showing video of politicians doing shots, that might be a little too much.
HOLMES: All right, Sasha Johnson, our political producer, thank you very much, always good to see you. We'll see you again soon.
JOHNSON: Good to see you too. OK.
HOLMES: And tonight, folks as Sasha just mentioned, senators Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama face hard questions on faith and politics. Campbell Brown leading this CNN special event, "The Compassion Forum," that's tonight, 8:00 Eastern only right here on CNN. And then following that "Compassion Forum," you can join CNN chief national correspondent John King "Route 2008" this live CNN election special from Pennsylvania. John will touch on all the issues that affect you tonight, 10:00 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Well, the Olympic torch is running its way through Tanzania right now, wrapping up this hour, in fact. The east African nation is the latest stop in the torch relay. A Chinese Olympic official handed the flame to the mayor of Dar es Salaam for the run through Tanzania. And demonstrations against China, well, they have followed the torch relay, but officials say they were no disruptions during this stop, about 1,000 people turned out for the relay in Tanzania.
HOLMES: Meanwhile, a sign that the Bush administration will not be skipping the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. President Bush's national security adviser, Steven Hadley, says it would be a "copout" for countries to boycott the formal start of the games. Hadley says quiet diplomacy would be a better way to protest China's crackdown in Tibet. In San Francisco, protesters dogged the running of the torch on its only North American stop. Several protesters said they want world leaders to boycott the opening ceremonies.
NGUYEN: Celebrities, activists and survivors, they are hoping to draw attention to the crisis in Darfur, today. There are pictures from a London event, and look at this, Global Darfur Day marks five years since the start of the bloody warfare in Sudan and organizers say they wanted to create awareness about the fate of more than one million children caught up in this conflict. Hundreds of thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced.
HOLMES: Two more days until tax day and you may be questioning some of your recent financial decisions. Don't panic, though. Easy for me to say. But don't panic. Even personal finance expert Suze Orman had money problems at one time. Here now a look at how Orman got it all together and made it "To the Top."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZE ORMAN, FINANCIAL EXPERT: Money is the currency of life.
HOLMES (voice over): Suze Orman preaches a philosophy of money management around the world.
ORMAN: If you don't respect who you are, there's no way you can respect your money and that's when money will come, but will also go.
HOLMES: But before she was a financial expert Orman was a waitress looking to start her own restaurant. Her customers gave her money and she not so wisely invested it.
ORMAN: I didn't have an honest broker and I didn't know any better, within three months all $50,000 had been lost.
HOLMES: The experience inspired Orman to go to Merrill Lynch to go for a job, the same company that lost her money. Orman eventually got her $50,000 back and worked her way to the top. She's still motivated by those who do the same.
ORMAN: People who have turned nothing into something inspire me more than life itself.
HOLMES: Orman has two Emmys, six best selling books and is still a certified financial planner.
ORMAN: To be truly successful you have to be a financial octopus, you have to have your hands, your arms in all kinds of pots.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And our money team, of course, has you covered, whether it is jobs, debt, housing, savings, join us for a special report "Issue No., the Economy" all this week at noon Eastern only on CNN.
NGUYEN: Well you know, the pope is coming to the U.S. so it's time to get not only ready for that, but be prepared for the pope souvenirs. You know they are coming, as well.
HOLMES: We're going to have statues, key chains, picture frames, mugs, pope on a rope. Don't they have that stuff, too?
NGUYEN: I think they've had that once before, yeah.
HOLMES: All of that stuff for sale at the gift shop.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Checking other stories making headlines today. In Compton, California, a Saturday afternoon plane crash sends five people to the hospital. Look at this. The two people aboard the plane were critically injured as was a woman inside the house. It's not clear what caused that crash.
HOLMES: And investigation also underway at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. Authorities want to know how an artillery shell fragment crashed through the roof of a home two miles away in neighboring Jefferson Township. Until they have a better idea of exactly what happened here, there is a ban on outdoor weapons testing.
NGUYEN: Well, the Dalai Lama on message and in the United States. More than 50,000 gathered in Seattle to hear the spiritual leader of Tibet and he called for world disarmament and stressed the value of nonviolent protest. Today, he is expected to discuss the rallies against China in his native Tibet.
HOLMES: Pope Benedict XVI arrived in U.S. Tuesday on his first visit as pontiff, but today he asked the faithful to pray that his visit will be a time of spiritual renewal for all Americans.
NGUYEN: The pope is scheduled to spend five days in Washington and New York and he gives a speech to the United Nations. The Chicago archbishop talks about some of the issues facing the faithful in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCIS CARDINAL GEORGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CHICAGO: The celibacy is a big one. We live in a post Freudian culture where many people don't believe you can be happy if you are not having sex, and -- or you're not adult if you're not having sex. Doesn't matter whether you're married or not. but you have to be sexually engaged. Well, that kind of ethos, which is only the last 40 years, 50 years in this country, when sexual freedom in the '60s became part of American freedom, that is not a context where people will hear a call very easily to a celibate life. The basic individualism of our culture makes it difficult to say I give myself, selflessly, giving up my own ambitions, giving up money, and projects, giving up the family in order to serve the family of God. That's generous and it's beautiful in its own right, but it doesn't seem beautiful to people at times who are immersed in a lot of other worthy projects or sometimes distraction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, there are around 70 million Catholics in the U.S., that number is growing.
NGUYEN: An historic visit by the pope and lots of people want souvenirs to remember the occasion. Brianne Carter of affiliate news Channel-8, looks at some of the memorabilia that's for sale.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNE CARTER, CHANNEL-9 REPORTER (voice over): T-shirts, cups, hats, items you usually see for sale at a pop star's concert, but this merchandise is for a different celebrity, Pope Benedict XVI. With his arrival fast approaching, everyone is looking for a way to commemorate this historic visit. These items are already on sale at the gift shop at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
DENNIS ZIEGLER, STORE MANAGER: I think customers are pleased with the selection we have and want a little memento of the pope's visit to Washington and in particular the pope's visit to the National Shrine.
CARTER: But the fanfare doesn't stop inside the gift shop or even with the parishioners. Catholic leaders are also finding a way to honor Benedict. Arlington priest, Father Jerome McGott (ph) is driving home the word of God, literally, on his license plate.
FATHER JEROME MCGOTT, ARLINGTON PRIEST: And I just put B-E-N-X- V-I, just to see if it worked and it did. So, I thought that would have been taken seconds after he was elected, but four months after the fact it was still there, so I decided why not, free advertising for the pope.
CARTER: Father McGott says there are a lot of Catholics that aren't currently practicing the faith and without having to say a word, he's exposing people to the word of God and perhaps sparking new interest in religion.
MCGOTT: A pedestrian (INAUDIBLE) will walk by my car and look at my license plate and smile and look up and see a priest behind the wheel, and they go, Oh, I definitely know what that license plate means.
CARTER: Well, few Catholics go as far to order a new license plates, vendors are no doubt hoping that parishioners will want to remember Pope Benedict's visit and buy up any memorabilia they can. MCGOTT: I think people are excited for the event. I think there are entrepreneurs out there who are taking advantage of the opportunity. But I don't think -- I think if you ask the pope, I can't speak of him, of course, if you asked the pope if he would be OK with that, sure.
CARTER: Brianne Carter, News Channel-8.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: CNN will bring you in-depth coverage of the pope's first visit to the United States, beginning Tuesday morning. T.J. and I will be with you from New York next weekend as we cover the pope's visit. The event next weekend include visit to Ground Zero and a mass at Yankee Stadium. It's going to be a jammed packed weekend.
HOLMES: Looking forward to that, though. We're going to be busy this week.
NGUYEN: Very busy, so will the pope.
HOLMES: We don't have this schedule, do we?
NGUYEN: No -- the pope mobile.
HOLMES: Oh, yes.
NGUYEN: We'll be talking about that a lot, as well.
HOLMES: All right, we are talking about -- what else do we need to say? It's the Masters.
NGUYEN: This year's field being paced by a surprise leader. Maybe he's surprised, too. But Tiger Woods is still within striking distance and we are live in Augusta when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Now to time to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES.
Hello, Howard.
HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: Good morning, Betty. Coming up, Katie Couric, once the queen of morning TV, is close to calling it quits as an evening news anchor. What went wrong at CBS for the first woman to hold that coveted chair?
A blogger kicks up a storm by surreptitiously taping Barak Obama at a closed fund-raiser where he talked of the bitterness of some small-town voters. Was that dirty pool?
MTV goes back to high school. We'll talk to one of the students on a networks' new reality show about life on the school paper. That plus a talk with Julia Allison, a self-created, self-promoting tabloid star, ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES. NGUYEN: Good stuff, Howard, looking forward to it. Thank you.
KURTZ: Thanks, Betty.
HOLMES: And it's time for us to tee up for the Masters, the start of the final round is less than an hour away.
NGUYEN: But, the leaders still several hours away from gripping it and ripping it as they say and that includes a hard-charging Tiger Woods.
HOLMES: Yeah, CNN SPORTS, Larry Smith, he's got the assignment. Tough assignment this morning.
Looks like it's a pretty nice day, there. That is good. The weather looks like it's cooperating. But, of course, we always have to start, people want to know, where is Tiger?
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS: Yeah, well, Tiger, right now, you mentioned is going to tee off at about 2:05 Eastern Time, today. The weather is much colder. It's a chilly day today, here in Augusta, but it will warm up this afternoon, but the thing to keep in mind is the winds will be about 30 miles-per-hour.
Now, the top four on the leader board, none have won a major, but lurking right behind them is your man Tiger Woods. He shot a 68 on Saturday, tied for the best round of the day, but it could have been better than that. Woods barely missed three putts on the back nine that would have put him closer to a fifth masters green jacket.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: I put myself at least in position to win the tournament and we'll see what happens come tomorrow. I mean if the conditions are what they're supposed to be, you have to go low (ph) tomorrow.
PAUL CASEY, GOLFER: Are we scared of him? I don't know if we are scared of him, he's just so good. He doesn't make mistakes and you know, he is the one to be very weary of.
BRANDT SNEDEKER, GOLFER: His name is going to be on the leaderboard tomorrow, it's going to be there on the back nine. But, you know, you got to realize that Trevor and all of us in front of him, if we play a good round of golf he's going to have to play an extremely great round of golf to beat us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: And that's the mindset of the leader. Woods must put up a good number and then hope that Trevor Immelman and the rest comes back to him. Immelman, the South African finished strong yesterday with three birdies in the final six holes, as he is at 11 under par, six shots ahead of Tiger Woods. But, watch if Woods comes out at 2:00 this afternoon and begins to kind of put up some good numbers, see if the other guys kind of wilt. We've seen it happen before, although again, Tiger has never come from behind to win a major.
As for Immelman, not since Seve Ballesteros back in 1980, has a golfer never relinquished the lead all the way through until he won the green jacket, and as you mentioned, a play begins in less than an hour here at Augusta National. Let's go back to you.
HOLMES: And Larry, real quick, how do people take it out there at least? Some of the advertisers might not like it so much, ratings- wise when Tiger is not, of course, at the top of the leaderboard. But, you know, what's the buzz kind of out there on the golf course with people, you're seeing unknowns, really, having a shot to win this thing?
SMITH: Well, I think that a lot of the people here are golf fans, so they're rooting for Immelman. They love the youthfulness and exuberance of a Brandt Snedeker, the (INAUDIBLE) grad at 27 years old who is -- will be in the final pairing. But certainly, everyone is still watching Tiger Woods and the fact that he made the big run on Saturday will make for compelling TV and higher ratings, as well, this afternoon if he can stay in the hunt.
HOLMES: All right, we will see. Larry, congratulations again on the good assignment. It was the final four last weekend. He's at the Masters this time around.
NGUYEN: He has it good, but as you can hear in his voice, the allergies are really kicking in, aren't they, Larry?
SMITH: Yeah, it's really a strong wind right in my face, here, so we're trying to get through it -- get through the wind.
NGUYEN: Oh yeah, we're crying a tear for you.
HOLMES: Boo-hoo.
NGUYEN: Yeah, exactly. You are at the masters, buddy. Talk to you later.
HOLMES: All right, we'll see you. Take care, man.
NGUYEN: But you know, it is a bit chilly there. Not only at the Masters in Augusta, but in Georgia, period, this morning it's a lot colder than it was.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're absolutely right. Betty we dropped down some 20 degrees from yesterday morning, right now 46 degrees currently. In Atlanta where Larry is in Augusta, it is about 41 degrees. You notice the sweater that he was wearing. Well, Later on today he's still going to be wearing it, so will many of the golfers. It's going to be a breezy time out there. If you have issues with pollen, a lot of the pollen moving from the azaleas and all the dogwoods, that may give you some issues. But still, what a beautiful sight to behold.
Other sites to behold, cool conditions up in Nashville with 40 degrees. Even farther to the north, you don't see it on the map, but Louisville, wow, they had some cold conditions last night literally and figuratively. Take a look at this view, this is from the Thunder Over Louisville. Nearly 500,000 people, half a million people showed up for this great event, it kicks off about two weeks before the running of the Kentucky Derby. It is a wonderful time, no question about it. And beautiful sights be hold and it's about 28 minutes of fireworks extravaganza, something that is just spectacular to watch. And even better day after. I mean, I know on that the show we often show implosions, we show so many other cool things, but we need to throw more fireworks display in there. What do you think guys?
NGUYEN: Oh, those are beautiful. Really nice to see.
WOLF: Yeah, things going up, not going down, like the implosion that we usually...
NGUYEN: Look at that though. You're in the way Reynolds. Move. Look at that.
WOLF: Oh, it's kind of hot. Watch out. Burning my suit, there. Beautiful thing. Yeah, that's the Ohio River. We have Cincinnati farther off in the distance and there you have Louisville, right there. Looks pretty good, doesn't it?
NGUYEN: Yeah, it is gorgeous. All right, thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: Enjoy.
NGUYEN: OK, so the good old Rubik's Cube.
HOLMES: Were you ever good at this thing?
NGUYEN: I was never great at it. I could solve a few, but I wasn't one of the champs.
HOLMES: See, this is -- I could spend a road trip trying to figure these things out and these kids do it in seconds. Really, how fast do you do it? We're going to a Cube-Off on this Sunday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK, so the eight track player, gone.
HOLMES: Of course.
NGUYEN: Disco, dead.
HOLMES: Is it really?
NGUYEN: Yeah.
HOLMES: Disco is not around anymore?
NGUYEN: No.
HOLMES: All right, but still, three decades after its peak popularity the Rubik's Cube still manages to entertain. Kids, you gamers, if you're not familiar, yes, that thing right there used to actually entertain people for hours on end.
NGUYEN: Yeah, these are, you know, the prehistoric days, right, before XBox and in Denver this weekend dozens of fans got together to twist and maybe turn back the clock a little bit. Got one of them right here and you know what, we just simply don't have enough time for me to try and solve this. I'm definitely not a champion.
HOLMES: We should have started at 9:00.
NGUYEN: Even if we would have started when we got here at what, I don't know, 5:00 this morning, it wouldn't have been all together. It's just not going to happen.
HOLMES: OK, I'll give it shot.
NGUYEN: Good luck to you. You've got to do it blindfolded, too.
HOLMES: Well, let me handle this part first.
NGUYEN: You can't even do it being able to see it. All right we're going to move on to this while he works on that. Will she stay or will she go? Media reports indicate CBS anchor, Katie Couric, could leave the network before her contract is up. Howard Kurtz checks the details on RELIABLE SOURCES.
And then on LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer, the Petraeus-Crocker hearings, just what did we learn about U.S. troops in Iraq, when they may come home? Wolf talks to senators Richard Lugar and Joe Biden, both are on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but first let's give you a check of this morning's top developments.
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