Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Price of Oil Soaring; Hillary Clinton Accepts Defeat to Unify Democratic Party; Racing for the Triple Crown
Aired June 07, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Sucked tank, that is, as the price of oil -- it is soaring. How soon will this latest spike impact prices at your local gas station?
DAN SIMON, CNN ANCHOR: Accepting defeat in order to unify the Democratic Party after a 17-month fight. Hillary Clinton officially exits the presidential race today. We've got live coverage all morning long with the best political team on television.
NGUYEN: And it could be a historic day at the Belmont. I know you're going to be watching because there's a lot of buzz over Big Brown, racing for the Triple Crown. Can he do it?
Good morning, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, it is Saturday, June 7th, a big day politically. I'm Betty Nguyen.
SIMON: And I'm Dan Simon in for T.J. Holmes. Thanks for starting your day with us.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get to gas prices. Are they high enough for you? Well, soon, $4 a gallon might be a bargain, believe it or not, that's because the price of crude oil shot up like a geyser yesterday. It's now close to $139 a barrel. Nobody's ever seen anything like this ever.
CNN business correspondent, Stephanie Elam, joins us now from New York.
Stephanie, what in the world is going on?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I know. Yesterday was kind of one of those crazy days here at the job because we had sort of a one-two punch happening. There was two things going on. We had some really weak economic data and then we had that run-up in oil prices. And that's just sort of freaked the markets out.
So, if you take a look at the economic data -- we found out that in May, employers slashed 50,000 jobs. That's a big fall there, obviously. And it also marks the fifth month in a row that we've seen the markets go down -- or I should say, that we've seen the jobs go down there. So that played a part.
And also, the unemployment rate, it jumped 5.5 percent. That's a jump of 0.5 percent in one month. So, that's huge. We haven't seen something like that since 1986. So, that's a long time ago. Then you factor in the huge run-up in oil, and it just tanked the markets. NGUYEN: All right. So, let's get down to the price at the pump because that's where a lot of people are looking at. How long before we see the oil price spike translate into those higher prices at the pump?
ELAM: Well, you know, yesterday oil was about $11. We've never seen it run-up in just one day that much. And keep in mind that on Thursday, oil was up about $5. So, this was just huge.
Let me give some perspective on this. On Wednesday, we were trading $16 lower than where we were yesterday. So, that's a huge jump in just a couple of days. Now, I know a lot of people are thinking -- well, if oil ran up like this, on Monday I'm going to see my gas prices all the way up, it doesn't work that quickly. They don't roll exactly in tandem.
NGUYEN: You don't need to run out and go fill up your tank right now.
ELAM: No, it's not. But keep in mind, you know, we've been talking about this one, Betty. Now, over the last few days, we've seen -- over the last month -- that oil has been creeping up and then therefore, that is feeding into gas on a bit of a lag. So, that same lag will happen here. But it's not exactly the same.
We can't say like if this happened on Friday, on Monday gas prices will be up. It doesn't work that way.
NGUYEN: And so, when we look at the markets and other stocks, you know, it's affecting everything really. When Monday rolls around, we've got a lot of bargains out there. I mean, how is this affecting the other stocks?
ELAM: Yes, sure. You definitely could, I mean, if you are in a position to do it, this could be a good time to go and do that. I wouldn't say to the average investor to go out and do this if you're not used to looking at markets this way, but the other thing we're going to have to see is how Friday's markets affect the overseas markets come Monday morning for them.
So, we'll be watching to get our cues from how markets will be on Monday from them.
NGUYEN: All right. Stephanie Elam is joining us live. As always, we do appreciate it. Thank you, Stephanie.
ELAM: Thanks, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. So, do you have a question about where the economy is heading? I'm sure you do. E-mail it to us. It's issue1@cnn.com.
And then you can tune in on Monday, as CNN takes a day long solutions-oriented look at "ISSUE #1." Gerri Willis, Ali Velshi, and the "ISSUE #1" Team will have special reports all day for you. So, that's really good because you can actually get some answers to those probing questions and how all of this is affecting you.
SIMON: And, of course, Betty, the outcome of the presidential race could very well turn on which candidate can calm voters' fears over rising fuel prices.
NGUYEN: Listen to John McCain and Barack Obama, as they staked out their positions earlier this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESUMPTIVE PRES. NOMINEE: Maybe if John McCain went to Pennsylvania and he met the man who lost his job but can't even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he'd understand that we can't afford four more years of our addiction to oil from dictators.
That man needs to us to pass an energy policy that works with automakers to raise fuel standards and makes corporations pay for their pollution and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future -- an energy policy that will create millions of new jobs, that pay well, and can't be outsourced.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESUMPTIVE PRES. NOMINEE: We must -- we must unleash the creativity and genius of Americans and encourage industries to pursue and produce alternative, non-polluting, renewable energy sources where demand will never exceed supply.
Senator Obama voted for the same policies that created the problem. In fact, he voted for the energy bill promoted by the president and Vice President Cheney, which gave even more breaks to the oil industry. I opposed it because I know we won't achieve energy independence by repeating the mistakes of the last half century.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, you can be certain both men will have much more to say on this vital issue in the weeks and months ahead. And we will do our part to keep them honest for you.
SIMON: Hillary Clinton, she seems ready to move on. She's holding a big going away rally for herself a few hours from now in Washington. It's a chance to say goodbye to her campaign and hello to what comes next.
CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, is live for us in Washington.
Paul, it's really not what she says but how she says it because, of course, we know she's going to be suspending her campaign and endorsing Barack Obama.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Exactly. It's all going to be -- it's exactly how she presents herself today rather than what she says because we really have a good idea of what she will say, at least the highlights. It's all going to happen right here behind me at the National Building Museum here in Washington, D.C.
After a year and a half, Hillary Clinton's campaign is going to come to a close. And, I think, one of the themes you're going to hear today from her is party unity.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERRY MCAULIFFE, CLINTON CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: She will do anything she can to help Barack Obama.
STEINHAUSER (voice-over): That's Terry McAuliffe, chairman of Hillary Clinton's campaign.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to start tonight by congratulating Senator Obama and his supporters on the extraordinary race that they have run.
STEINHAUSER: That's as far as Clinton went on Tuesday night as the primaries ended and Barack Obama claimed the Democratic presidential nomination.
Today, the senator from New York is expected to suspend her bid for the White House, concede defeat, and pledge to do anything she can to help Barack Obama beat John McCain in the presidential election. Thursday night, the two spent an hour together at a secret meeting here in Washington.
ROBERT GIBBS, OBAMA CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATIONS DIR.: They'd talked about how to come together and how to unify this party and move forward because what we have at stake in November is so important and what unites us as a party far exceeds what might divide either of these two candidates.
STEINHAUSER: But those familiar with the discussion said there was no talk about Clinton joining the ticket as Obama's running mate. Those close to Clinton say she would take the job if offered and it seems that's what Democrats want. Fifty-four percent of them questioned this week in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll say, they think Obama should name Clinton as his running mate. But there's a gender gap. Sixty percent of women want Clinton as V.P. but only 46 percent of male Democrats agree.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STEINHAUSER: And those numbers are very telling. Barack Obama needs Hillary Clinton, and more importantly, Hillary Clinton's large number of women supporters behind him if he wants to take the White House back in November -- Dan.
SIMON: And, Paul, I know she's going to be making that speech, again, at noon Eastern Time there in Washington. But what can you tell us about the venue, the National Building Museum, where she's going to be making the speech? STEINHAUSER: Dan, this is a beautiful, beautiful building here in Washington that most of us really don't know about. Everybody knows about the Capitol, the White House and all the monuments but we're just a few blocks off the mall right now here in downtown Washington, D.C. This building was built in the 1800s. It's a gorgeous structure and especially inside, it's a museum but it's also used for large functions like today, Dan.
SIMON: All right, Paul. Thanks very much.
Meanwhile, down in Texas, Democrats -- they are holding their own rally. It's the state Democratic convention of the March 4th primaries and caucuses. They were split between Clinton and Obama. Clinton won the primary and, of course, Obama won the caucuses. Now, the party is looking for unity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHELSEA CLINTON, SEN. CLINTON'S DAUGHTER: My mother wanted to be very clear that we're all going to unit our party and take back the White House in November.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: Chelsea Clinton -- she was sent there to speak for her mother, but she's expected to be back in Washington for today's rally.
And be sure to watch all of our coverage. It's going to be starting at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Please join Wolf Blitzer and the rest of the best political team on television. And if you cannot watch it on TV, of course, you can check it out on CNN.com.
NGUYEN: In the meantime though, we do have a health alert for you this morning. A salmonella outbreak linked to eating raw tomatoes.
Well, coming up, we're going to show you what you need to know.
SIMON: Plus, our Reynolds Wolf is in the weather center.
How is it going, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it looks like we've got another stormy time in parts of the Midwest and into the Ohio Valley. Strong storms especially in parts of Indianapolis and back over to Springfield.
I'll let you know how long these will last coming up in a few moments, plus, our first major heat wave of the season. There's a lot to talk about this morning just moments away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't need to beat anybody. I'm too superior.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: Well, move over young gamers, the senior set is getting into the Wii videogame craze. Having fun and helping you stay fit at the same time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIMON: Well, time now for a quick check of some of the other stories making headlines.
NGUYEN: Yes.
Federal health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak in these 12 states. Take a look, see if you live there. The FDA has linked illnesses in New Mexico and Texas to people eating a certain type of raw tomato. Now, it's investigating whether reports of salmonella poisoning in other states are also tied to uncooked tomatoes. Dozens of people have gotten sick but no deaths have been reported.
You may remember this story -- police in Colorado say they have caught two men who robbed this convenience store last month wearing -- you see it right there -- skimpy women's lingerie. Take a good look. Yes, those are thongs on their head. What were they thinking? They sure didn't hide much of their faces -- that's one thing. Police say the men turned themselves in after this video surveillance tape was released.
SIMON: Southern California wildfire that had threatened about 50 homes and forced evacuations is mostly contained this morning. Firefighters are getting help from calmer winds and higher humidity. About 500 acres along I-5 north of Los Angeles have been scorched but the fire has not damaged any of those homes. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
NGUYEN: Well, people in northwestern Minnesota, they're cleaning up this morning after getting slammed by a tornado. Take a look. The twister snapped trees and downed power lines in Hubbard County, Minnesota. Homes were damaged. Cars, they were blown into ditches in some places. The Hubbard County Sheriff's Department says volunteers may need to help clean up today. The sheriff says no one was seriously injured in those storms.
And in Andrew County, Missouri, the problem -- well, it's flooding. The latest wave of storms dumped heavy rain across Missouri on Friday. Several counties reported flash flooding. And in some areas, streets turned into rushing rivers. Officials say deep water in the roadway caused gridlock on Interstate 44 near Fenton, Missouri.
SIMON: And the question -- will there be more storms in the Midwest? They had a really tough week.
Reynolds, in the weather center, how is it looking?
WOLF: Well, it's getting a little bit better for parts of the Midwest. However, we're seeing strong storms develop in parts of the Ohio Valley. Nothing severe this morning, but give it some time, we might see a couple of watches and warnings get popped up. We had, certainly, that situation along parts of the central plains yesterday.
Take a look at this video that we have from Altus, Oklahoma. That video shows some tornado damage right here near this base. You can see a lot of the trees just ripped apart. It's kind of typical this time of year when you have these storms. And my goodness, in terms of tornadoes, we certainly have had our share of them this year.
This morning, as I mentioned, no tornadoes in parts of, say -- Indiana and Illinois, but, certainly, some heavy rainfall. This morning in Springfield, if you're going out to walk the dog, give it a break just a little bit longer. (INAUDIBLE). Right now, we don't have much of a choice but if you give it about 10 minutes, you're going to see most of the rain begin to drive off towards the east, but still some fairly heavy showers, some small hail, certainly, a possibility.
But the big issue we're going to be dealing with from places like Indianapolis and points back to the west is a lot of this rain is forming over the same territory. Say, the rain falls, it gets into the ground, it gets all saturated. Then the additional rain causes runoff. You runoff -- boom -- that's that causes that flooding. That is certainly going to be a big concern for many people.
Another big concern -- it's going to be the heat. Check out the eastern third of the country. As you get over to Nashville, and then back to New York, and even into Boston, temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Washington, D.C. is going up to 98 degrees and it's only going to get warmer as we make our way through the rest of the weekend and into Monday. Monday for Washington, D.C., high temperature around 101 degrees, with the high humidity, it's going to feel even warmer.
In Los Angeles this morning, of course, as we mentioned, they're fighting those fires. The conditions there are fairly nice today, and all things considered, temperature is going up to 74. Good morning, L.A. Good morning, America.
Let's send it back to you guys, back at the desk.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you.
You know, begging for change, you see it in cities around America. Many people say -- well, they are just sick of it.
SIMON: And now, the city of San Francisco, where I live, they're doing something to get rid of panhandling. We'll tell you just what that is, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIMON: OK. So, if a homeless person asks you for money and you give it, are you really doing any good or are you simply encouraging more panhandling? Well, San Francisco believes it has found a better way for you to donate your spare change without someone having to beg for it. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON (voice over): San Franciscans list panhandling as their top complaint, more so than violent crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are very disturbing and sometimes I try to ignore them.
SIMON: It's new solution -- parking meters. Instead of giving your change to a beggar, the city wants you to put it in a so-called homeless meter. Ten of them will soon be spread out.
DARIUSH KAYHAN, S.F. HOMELESS POLICY DIRECTOR: We're convinced giving the panhandlers on the street, while seemingly helpful and it feels good, is not helping.
SIMON: Not helping because the city claims most of the money goes towards booze and drugs.
(on camera): The change collected from the meters would go to charities to help the homeless. The project is expected to bring in just a few thousand dollars a year. The city says it's not about money, but to educate the public about the problems of giving money directly to the homeless.
(voice-over): The goal, of course, is to reduce the number of panhandlers. And the theory goes, the less money people give, the fewer panhandlers will be on the streets.
KAYHAN: We'll put these out there and we'll take a look to see if panhandling is decreasing. If it is, we'll keep them up and possibly expand the program. If it's not working, we have no problem pulling them down.
SIMON: Baltimore and Portland are some of the cities that have homeless meters. Denver says panhandling there has plummeted by more than 90 percent. But many in San Francisco remain skeptical, including this homeless man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think some panhandler is going to be dissuaded by an old parking meter? I don't think so.
SIMON: And some homeless advocates even find the program offensive.
SISTER BERNIE GALVIN, ADVOCATE FOR THE HOMELESS: The biggest problem is to insult the dignity of poor people by saying -- all of you out there will misuse this money.
SIMON: The meters will be in place this summer. The city's come up with a slogan, "Be part of change, don't give change."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: And you know, you can sort of understand why it's controversial, but -- you know, I think it's somewhat reasonable with San Francisco saying they're saying they're going to give it a shot and if it doesn't work, they won't do it anymore.
In Denver, you know, one of the reasons why they put it in Denver is because the Democratic National Convention is going to be there this summer and there are so many panhandlers. Or at least, the word downtown (ph), they say, it's been, you know, a huge success there.
NGUYEN: But it's not expected to earn a whole lot of money for these homeless shelters, right?
SIMON: No. It's really not about making money but about educating people that, you know, here's a better way to give money to the homeless. If you put it in these meters, you're supporting various homeless organizations.
NGUYEN: So, if I hadn't seen the story, I'm walking down the streets in San Francisco, and I see this meter, do I really know what it does? I mean, is it on there in full view?
SIMON: There's going to be some actual information on the meter. And they're going to put these in front of, you know, 7-Elevens, you know, places where homeless people or panhandlers typically hang out for change. But on the meters themselves, there's going to be information saying, you know, if you donate to -- if you put money in here, the money is going to go towards, you know, A,B,C different homeless organizations.
NGUYEN: Yes. It's going to be interesting to see as thing plays out, whether indeed panhandlers will move out of the city because of, I mean, you've got to think, they've got to go somewhere, so, you know, where will they go? All right, Dan, good report there.
Hey, coming up, exit stage left. Hillary Clinton ends her campaign today and we are going to take a look at what she's going to tell voters. That's ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: So, are you in the market for a new cell phone, maybe a GPS, navigational device? You know, lots of folks have that. Well, we've got some ways to kill two birds with one gadget. Love the sound of that.
SIMON: And CNN's Jacqui Jeras, she talks with Brian Cooley with the tech Web site: Cnet.com.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACQUI JERAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How much stuff can you cram under one cell phone so much you probably forget you can even make a call with it? Well, Brian Cooley with Cnet.com is here to tell us the latest and greatest GPS on your cell phone.
BRIAN COOLEY, CNET.COM: Yes, Jacqui. All these phones have GPS. They're regular cell phones but they'll do your mapping just like a portable device will do. Here's the AT&T Tilt, it runs on Windows, has mapping in it, has a QWERTY or real keyboard, makes it easy to enter those long addresses better than a cell phone keyboard.
Now, this Motorola Q, similar idea -- a good size screen, mapping, good keyboard.
Here's a simple phone, the Blackberry pearl not very expensive, very basic, but it also has GPS mapping as a Web service, they've called it.
And then here's the Nokia N95, which has a five-megapixel camera, plus GPS mapping, and, of course, a media player all in to one.
And soon, Garmin, the GPS maker, is going to offer a phone.
JERAS: Now, are these as good as the portable ones that they've already have?
COOLEY: There are givebacks -- smaller screen, not quite as accurate in some cases, missing a few of the nicer features but for basic navigation they all get the job done. They have a graphical screen, and they give you voice prompts.
JERAS: OK, what about servicing, am I paying monthly, am I paying per use?
COOLEY: Depends on the phone and how it works. Some of these are going to have a data plan attached to the GPS, like this Verizon pearl, it's $3 a day or $10 a month to do navigation. Others typically use a program that has no additional cost.
JERAS: All right. So, it might be good for the casual user as opposed to the regular everyday. All right, Brian Cooley with Cnet.com -- thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Cool stuff there.
SIMON: Well, trying to make a graceful exit, Hillary Clinton is bowing out today, but what's next for her? That's coming up on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody, on a Saturday morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
SIMON: And I'm Dan Simon. Thank you very much for starting your day with us.
Well, the end is here. Hillary Clinton is holding a rally today to thank her supporters.
NGUYEN: But she's also using it to turn the page and throw her support behind Barack Obama.
CNN political editor, Mark Preston, joins us now live from Washington this morning where it's all going to happen.
OK, Mark. We kind of know what she's going to say today but give me the rundown here and what you think she might not say as well.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, I'll tell you what -- what we're probably going to hear today, Betty, is unity. There is going to be a lot of talk about unity from Hillary Clinton. She's probably also going to talk about her differences with John McCain. The McCain campaign is really trying to draw on Hillary Clinton supporters. So, I think she's going to make a distinction that Barack Obama, for her, is a much better candidate heading into November.
What we probably won't hear from her today is talk about becoming the vice presidential nominee. She's going to leave that up to Barack Obama, let him make the decision. It's probably something that was brought up during their private discussion earlier this week, where they met for an hour at a fellow colleague's house here in Washington, D.C. So, there'll be a lot of talk of unity.
NGUYEN: So, what's the realistic possibility of that? I know she's not going to mention it today, but the possibility of her being on the ticket as vice president?
PRESTON: You know, I think there is a possibility. I don't know how strong it is, though.
You know, Barack Obama really has to make some calculations now, Betty, what is going to be best for him to win in November. If he believes that Hillary Clinton is needed for him to defeat John McCain, then that's going to happen and he'll put her on the ticket. But he might decide he doesn't need her.
So, you know, that's something that his search committee is going to be thinking about over the next month or so, really making a decision, you know, do they need Hillary Clinton out there, and really, how much will Hillary Clinton campaign on behalf of Barack Obama even if she's not on the ticket. So, these are all these calculations that are going through Barack Obama's mind as we speak.
NGUYEN: Well, what other roles could she play, not only in this campaign, but, say, gets elected. I mean, there's been talk maybe secretary of state, maybe Supreme Court justice. What are you hearing?
PRESTON: Well, I'll tell you, you know, she could stay in the Senate and actually, you know, follow a path that was blazed by Ted Kennedy. She could go on, perhaps, to become Senate majority leader, she could become, you know, the most powerful Democrat in Congress without even holding a leadership position.
So, you know, the end today for Hillary Clinton is for the fight for this nomination, but the end is not for her political life. She still has many years ahead of her. She's got a wide open path. And look, even if Barack Obama were not to win the nomination, Hillary Clinton would be at the top of the list in four years from now.
As far as what position she'd take in a cabinet, you know, there really hasn't been that much speculation and I'm not sure she would do so. So, I think, she probably still has her eyes on the White House in four years, if not in eight years.
NGUYEN: No doubt she's not off the political scene by any means, in fact, isn't there an effort under way to try to wipe away some of this debt?
PRESTON: Yes. Well, you know, that will be interesting to see how involved Barack Obama is, Betty, in helping Hillary Clinton erase the debt that she's in right now. We know that she's, at least, in now personally $11 million -- more than $11 million personally she's put into the campaign. It's probably more than that. We don't know specifically.
And, you know, that could have been part of the discussions the other night, when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton met for an hour, you know, where she said to him, look, can you help me erase some of this debt? She has a very short window, she has to erase this debt before he's nominated under the federal guidelines.
So, I suspect you'll see a fundraising appeal sent out by Barack Obama on behalf of Hillary Clinton to help get her out from underneath that rock.
NGUYEN: All right. CNN Political Editor Mark Preston -- as always, we do appreciate it. And, of course, you are there in Washington where all of this is going to take place with Hillary Clinton just a little bit later this morning. Thank you, Mark.
And here are some facts about the National Building Museum where today's rally is going to be held. It was built between 1882 and 1887 and originally housed the U.S. Pension Bureau. Under threat of demolition, the building was designated a historical building in 1969 and as a national treasure in 1978.
Now in 1980, Congress decided it would house a museum and then later named the National Building Museum and now houses architectural drawings, blueprints and photographs. There's also a major toy collection -- did you know that -- with things like Legos, Lincoln Logs and Tinkertoys.
Something you probably remember, Dan.
SIMON: Just a little bit.
Well, looking ahead to November now and the first glance at the new polls for the McCain/Obama match-up. We're going to get the numbers now from CNN senior political analyst, Bill Schneider. He is part of the best political team on television.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): If you like 2000, you may love 2008, because the race between Barack Obama and John McCain looks like a close one. Right now, Obama's leading McCain by three points. That's within the margin of error.
Here's the big puzzle in this election -- President Bush's job rating is 32 percent. McCain is getting 46 percent. Shouldn't a Republican president be dragging the Republican candidate down with him? Obama thinks so.
OBAMA: He is running for George Bush's third term.
SCHNEIDER: McCain does not think so.
MCCAIN: Why does Senator Obama believe it's so important to repeat that idea over and over again? Because he knows it's very difficult to get Americans to believe something that they know is false.
SCHNEIDER: Right now, 16 percent of all voters disapprove of President Bush but are still voting for McCain. Obama's going after them.
OBAMA: There are many words to describe John McCain's attempt to pass off his embrace of George Bush's policies as bipartisan and new. But change is not one of them.
SCHNEIDER: Does Obama have a problem with white voters? Most whites are not voting for Obama but white voters have not voted for a Democrat for president since Lyndon Johnson. Obama is getting 42 percent of the white rote. John Kerry got 43 percent, Al Gore got 42 percent, Bill Clinton got 43 percent, Michael Dukakis got 40. Obama is not doing any worse with white voters than other Democrats.
Are Democrats happy with Obama as their nominee? Nearly 60 percent say yes; 35 percent would prefer Hillary Clinton. Are Republicans happy with McCain? Only 55 percent say yes; 44 percent of Republicans say they would prefer somebody else.
McCain clinched his party's nomination three months ago but Obama's actually done a better job solidifying his base.
Do Democrats want Obama to pick Clinton as his running mate? Fifty-four percent say they do. It's a dream ticket for a lot of Democratic women, 60 percent say they want Obama to pick Clinton. Men, not so much, 46 percent of Democratic men want Obama to pick Clinton.
(on camera): Fifty-one percent of men say, nah (ph).
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: And be sure to stay right here for special coverage of Hillary Clinton's exit speech. Join Wolf Blitzer and the rest of the best political team on television starting at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. And if you cannot watch it on TV, you can see it all live at CNN.com. NGUYEN: Well, it seems like every weekend we talk about severe weather, and happening again. Heavy downpours turn roads into rivers.
SIMON: Another round of severe storms causes flash flooding in the Midwest. They can't get a break there. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is watching the weather and the temperatures.
Hey, Reynolds.
WOLF: (AUDIO BREAK) heavy temps that we can expect today, heavy heat in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIMON: A mother turns her anguish into activism. After a devastating personal loss, she is working to share her message. A defibrillator can really mean the difference between life or death.
Today, CNN's hero Jill Levine. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL LEVINE, CNN HERO (voice-over): Robbie was a great kid. He was fun, he was energetic, and he was very athletic. He loved all sports, but baseball was really his passion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was standing at first base. Robbie ran past me. I remember thinking about how I'd never seen him run so fast before. Then a few seconds later he was lying on home plate. I started to try to do CPR.
LEVINE: Someone came banging on my door -- you have to come to the hospital right for now, something happened to Robbie. We'd got there and they walked in and say, he died. I started screaming. This is a healthy 9-year-old kid. How in the world could his heart just stop?
Robbie really could have had a chance if there was a defibrillator. And I'd just knew that we needed to do something.
My name is Jill Levine and I help coaches save lives.
My goal is to make defibrillators mandatory in any sports, in the same way that you have to wear a batting helmet.
My first priority is to raise awareness about the need.
(on camera): We've been talking about this for a while. You definitely won't regret it.
(voice-over): We have donated dozens of AEDs. They're very simple to use but you still need to be trained.
VOICE PROMPT: Shock advised. Shock delivered.
LEVINE: If coaches are prepared, lives can be saved. In some way, I'm still parenting Robbie, I'm still his mom. I feel like I'm helping people because of him and that helps me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: Well, it was a horrifying hit and run. An elderly man left lying in the street. Coming up in our next hour, we're going to have more on this dramatic video and the 911 calls.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, it's a full-on fire fight. A massive fire and a North Carolina wildlife refuge is expected to spread eastward today. The governor has declared a state of emergency in three counties. And so far, though, no one has been injured and no homes have burned, but the fire has scorched almost 30,000 acres and it's only about 30 percent contained.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I was going to go out and say, OK, how long do we have before we contain this fire? I'd like to think that we can probably have this fire contained potentially in the next week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That is a whole week. Well, crews are hoping calmer winds will help them get this fire under control.
SIMON: And we are talking heat in the northeast.
How hot is going to get, Reynolds?
WOLF: That's a great question. It looks like we're going to be headed for high temperatures going up into the 90s in many places, like -- well, Washington, D.C. going up to 98 degrees, Nashville in the mid-90s, same story for Atlanta.
Well, you see, that's only part of the story. They need to bring in all the humidity and with the humidity it's going to feel, well much warmer than the 100s. So, that's going to be certainly a brutal time.
And now the question is, why is this happening? The answer is actually quite easy. We have an area of high pressure that has settled right off the Atlantic seaboard and as it sits there, we're going to get some wind coming in out of the south and southwest like a freezing (ph) effect, it's going to limit the opportunity for rainfall. Expect from say, Saturday through Monday, temperature will range anywhere from 94 degrees to 100 degrees but with that heat index, the range could be anywhere from 100 to 115 for Raleigh, for Richmond, for Philadelphia and for Washington, D.C.
Now, what we can also anticipate is that temperatures in Washington, D.C. to rise up to that 101 by late Monday, but then cooler conditions into Tuesday and Wednesday, but for any plans you have in our nation's capital, it's going just to be brutal.
Meanwhile, what we're seeing is a little bit of cool down and some scattered showers in parts of the Ohio Valley. In fact, as make our way from, say, Springfield back over to Indianapolis, we've seen some heavy rainfall, right now, some moving right through Champaign. So, this morning, it's going to be a damp time for you.
But back in Indianapolis, we see most of the rain now moving just to the south and the southeast but still, this live image from Indianapolis shows that we've got the clouds, we've got the rain drops, a little boom of thunder here and there and the wind gusts -- not so strong but there have been reports of pea-sized hail.
That is a look at your forecast across the nation. Of course, we've got the fires that we've dealing with that to the west, we've got the heat that's growing up in parts of the east, and of course, we've got those scattered showers.
That's a look at your forecast across the nation. We'll have more coming up in a few minutes, back to you at the news desk.
NGUYEN: I don't know if we can take anymore. It looks like you have just got everything there.
WOLF: It's an active day.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you.
SIMON: Northeastern Minnesota is hoping to dry out today after heavy rains caused flooding there. Storms overnight on Thursday dumped nearly five inches of rain on the region. Flash flooding prompted officials to briefly closed parts of State Highway 61 and that caused problems for a lot of drivers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) in different places so (INAUDIBLE) get over where all the stumps and ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And even where there aren't close (ph), you can see where brush and logs and dirt are washed out into one lane. You've to go over the other lane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: Street flooding was also reported in various parts of Minnesota, on the shore of Lake Superior.
NGUYEN: Are you a horseracing fan?
SIMON: Yes. Who isn't?
NGUYEN: Exactly. Well, you know, they are galloping towards history today, talking about Big Brown of course, back on the track. We're going to see how he does.
SIMON: Trying to win the Triple Crown and $1 million.
NGUYEN: Not bad. Our buddy, Rick Horrow is just ahead.
You're not there, Rick. We're going to talk about that with his take on the big money in Belmont. Comb your hair, we'll be back, Rick.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Barry Bonds -- well, pleads not guilty. The all-time home run champ is accused of lying to a grand jury about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. He faces 15 felony charges. Bond didn't speak during the court appearance on Friday but his trial is set to start next March.
SIMON: Well, it's been 30 years since we've seen a Triple Crown winner, but now, it is just down to a mile and a half. Big Brown is the hoofs down favorite to win the Belmont stakes today.
Sports business analyst, Rick Horrow, joins us live from New York.
And, Rick, you know, first of all, you know, you talk about buzz, I mean, Belmont, they couldn't have asked for anything better. ABC, which is broadcasting the Belmont, they have to be very psyched about this. Talk for a moment about the history that can be made here.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, first of all, the hoofs down favorite line, whoever wrote that should be chastised but that's for another matter.
Yes, good morning. I'm heading out to the Belmont, too, and it is a lot of buzz. $150 million or so in handle, 125,000 people out there, six minutes of racing in a five-week period may yield the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.
Now, what I'm going to do, by the way, here's some advice -- 10 horses, bet 10 horses to show -- that's a sissy bet, I understand -- but I either have the souvenir of history or I've got the souvenir of one of the nine horses that beat him.
SIMON: Well, there's so much money that could be made here. It's really ridiculous. Talk about the figures, you know, both for Belmont, economic impact, all of that.
HORROW: Well, the Belmont economic impact is about $50 million or $60 million. But the other figure is clearly about Big Brown's ownership group. Now, they bought Big Brown for about $3.5 million on a pro rata basis and then, flipped his breeding rights around the Preakness for $50 million. That's $150,000 a mating, as they call it, in the trade. It's really good work, if you can get it.
SIMON: Hey, Rick, what's the name of the other horse from Japan, they say that horse may have a shot?
HORROW: Well, Casino Drive, I think, is his name. But it's interesting. The owner and trainer of Big Brown said, "If you come over here, Godzilla is alive and he's waiting for the Japanese at this track. So, it's trash-talking equine style which is a very interesting comment.
SIMON: Well, everybody says it's a foregone conclusion that Big Brown is going to win this thing. Are we going to have this race or not? I mean, everybody says he's going to win. Talk about what makes this horse so special, especially for people who don't know anything about horse racing.
HORROW: His charisma, he's smart, I have the ability to communicate directly with him. He says...
NGUYEN: You're the horse whisperer, (INAUDIBLE) to tell you?
HORROW: Yes, I'm the horse whisperer. You know, I've been called a lot of things by you, but that's, I think, fairly flattering, OK? So, the bottom line, he says his toenail hurts a little bit but he's going to be OK.
By the way, he has a decision to make, right? Because, does he go out to stud, which, again, is good work if he can get it, or like citation, affirm -- the big-time horses, they win 20 or 30 wins after the Triple Crown and he did a marketing deal, a licenses deal like secretariat. So, look for him in those mustached milk ads if he wins.
SIMON: Yes, really. Not a bad idea. And you know, look, let's be honest, the horseracing industry could use some good PR especially after the Kentucky Derby and the filly who came in second there, had to be euthanized. So, this is really great for the sport. Talk about what happens to Big Brown should he win? I mean, is he going to keep racing or what happens?
HORROW: Well, like I said, he certainly has that decision to make. It will be so economically advantageous for the ownership group to have the stud priced and send him out to pasture, so to speak, that it may be difficult for him in this day and age to actually continue to race. You know, nobody talks to him, maybe I can offer some opinions as the horse whisperer. I would suspect that he will be a marketing guru for all time, especially as the first Triple Crown winner for 30 years.
But, again, I am not crisping (ph), I do not pick these races, nor stocks, nor real estate, nor weather. This is that case, although it's hard to imagine the horse losing. As I said, he tells me that he's doing pretty well and he's excited this morning.
SIMON: All right. Rick, before we go, this is a really good sports weekend. You have the Belmont, you have the Celtics/Lakers, and you also have the French Open. Number one and number two, three years in a row, Federer and Nadal, can Federer do it this time?
HORROW: Well, you know, it's hard for him to do it on clay, as you know. I know you're a tennis guy and I just came back from Europe. There's a lot more buzz, I can guarantee you, about the French Open over in Scotland and Europe than there is here. We need as the USTA to put more money into the programs so we have the American kids on both sides -- men's and women, to make people interested because it's Federer and Nadal, they will be interested in that.
But, of course, U.S. Open. Next week, we're going to talk a little bit about golf. I'm not supposed to talk about the hole in one I had in Scotland last -- yesterday. So, I'm not, I won't. So --
NGUYEN: But we have a picture. Not the hole in one but it's something that is much more comical.
HORROW: Well, you'll have the hole in one, too, but you have those pictures next week.
But it's a big weekend. The Lakers, as we said, the NBA finals, this is a sportsperson's dream. And I'm going out to the Belmont to buy those 10 tickets.
NGUYEN: I was about to say, why aren't you there right now?
HORROW: Well, it's like eight hours from the race. I've got a golf game to play first.
NGUYEN: Oh, goodness. You know, speaking of golf, we do have those pictures next week, very special pictures of Rick. Rick, thank you.
And we're going to tell the viewers a little bit about them. They're new pictures that he'd probably hoped no one would ever see again in life. Well, here's why. The man's got some really knobby knees and we're going to show it to you next week. So, stay tuned for that.
SIMON: And I hear T.J. is coming back just to see that?
NGUYEN: And coming all the way back from his humanitarian trip to Africa just to see the pictures. So, you can't miss it. Set your alarm clock, folks.
Also, they have got some game. Take a look at this. Senior citizens caught up in the Wii craze.
SIMON: And it's not just fun and games. How Wii, get it, Wii --
NGUYEN: Got it.
SIMON: -- could play a role in rehabilitation. That story is straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Let's get you a quick look now at some of the other headlines that we're following today.
SIMON: The opposition leader in Zimbabwe's presidential election is free this morning. The authorities released Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday after he detained for the second time in a week. Also in Zimbabwe, the U.N. says a government directive suspending humanitarian aid could put millions at greater risk of starvation and disease.
NGUYEN: Well, the threat of flooding from that so-called "quake lake" in China maybe easing a little. Water from the lake began flowing into a spillway today. And engineers are worried that water pressure and aftershocks could cause a collapse and then flood areas downstream. The lake formed when landslides from the earthquake last month blocked a river.
SIMON: The five European divers who disappeared off the coast of Indonesia three days ago have been found alive. Crews rescued the group from an island near Komodo National Park this morning. The divers were separated from the rest of their group during a trip on Thursday. Officials suspect they were swept away in the strong tide.
NGUYEN: Well, having fun and staying fit at the same time, can you believe it? Does it really happen? Well, it's the idea behind the Wii videogame.
SIMON: Do you have a Wii?
NGUYEN: I don't have a Wii. I am so not cool. I don't have any of that cool stuff.
SIMON: Well, I have one.
NGUYEN: Do you?
SIMON: Yes.
NGUYEN: You're pretty fit.
SIMON: Well, you know, it's fun to do the bowling and the tennis.
NGUYEN: I think there's baseball, too.
SIMON: That's right. And here's the thing, it's not just for young gamers. Seniors, they're getting into the act, and physical therapists are taking notice.
This story now from CNN's Kate Bolduan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With 86-year-old Nathan Love's (ph) swing of the racket, the Wii videogame system is scoring with all age groups. It's not just kid's play. Wii tournaments for senior citizens are popping up across the country. Like this one in Maryland.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't need to beat anybody. I'm too superior.
BOLDUAN: Fitness experts say the newest craze marketed as much more than the average videogame is more than just a game. Experts say interactive systems like the Nintendo Wii are healthy as well.
ROBERT DOTHARD, FITNESS EXPERT: Let's face it, it's the movement of the body that activates the cardiovascular system that does all the other (ph) stuff that trainers and fitness professionals preach about.
BOLDUAN: Personal trainer Robert Dothard says the benefits are especially promising for seniors.
DOTHARD: It's helping seniors maintain their independence, strength (ph), and their balance so that they don't get injured and to keep that independent lifestyle that so many of them crave.
BOLDUAN (on camera): Like any exercises, what you get out of it depends on what you put into it. But now, some physical therapists are taking all of these one step further into a clinical study.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The idea of the Wii is a little bit controversial in physical therapy and...
BOLDUAN: Stacy Frits (ph) is a researcher at the University of South Carolina. Just last week, her team was awarded a two-year grant to study if the Wii can help in stroke victim's rehab in recovering motor skills.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll bring them into the clinic and we're going to take a look at by playing the game, do they improve their balance? Can they decrease their fear of falling and just by playing a game, can we see a change?
BOLDUAN: As research begins, the competition in Maryland wraps up. Nathan Lowe takes second place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In other words, you are just enjoying yourself.
BOLDUAN: And that enjoyment at home or in rehab may be the greatest benefit the wii has to offer.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Hillary Clinton officially ends her presidential campaign today and throws her support to Barack Obama. We have live coverage all morning long with the best political team on television.
Good morning, everybody. It's going to be a big day. Thank you for joining us here at the CNN center in Atlanta on Saturday, June 7th. I'm Betty Nguyen.
SIMON: And I'm Dan Simon in today for T.J. Holmes. Thank you for starting your day with us.
NGUYEN: Up first though, crude oil prices, they shot up more than 13 percent over the past two days alone. Now if gasoline follows suit, that could mean paying another 50 cents a gallon. SIMON: And CNN business correspondent Stephanie Elam is in New York where analysts, they are still in shock over the sudden spike in oil prices.
Stephanie, what happened here?
ELAM: I know, Dan, it is kind of like overwhelming if you look at what happened. Yesterday the markets really tank. It was the biggest loss we saw all year so far for the Dow, in particular and part of the reason was there were two things, A, that oil spike.
But then also we had this economic report about the jobs; 50,000 jobs were lost in May. That's a big drop there. It is proof that the housing credit and all of those financial sectors still continue to struggle and this also shows that that this is the fifth month in a row where we've seen the markets fall here.
So this is the biggest jump, that 1/2 percent jump on the unemployment rate to 5.5 percent that we have seen since 1986. With those 50,000 jobs lost, that means now 8.5 million people are currently jobless at this time, Dan.
SIMON: Many people, of course, are taking their summer vacations or about to take their vacations and are worried about the price of gas. It seems like any time you have this huge spike in oil prices, that you see a correlation at the pump. What can consumers really expect?
ELAM: This is something you know, you live in San Francisco, I believe, Dan, you were saying and I grew up out there, so you guys always get hit first with the gas prices there. So parts of the country do feel it more than others, but oil and gas don't actually run one for one here. So keep in mind over the last month, we've been seeing gas prices go up, they've been inching up practically every day for almost a month.
That's been running up since we have seen the price of oil creep up to close to -- it went over $139 in intra-day trading yesterday closing at $138.54. And yesterday, oil spiked $11. The day before that it was up $5, so from Wednesday, there's been $16 added on. That normally does not happen, but it's going to take some time for that to go through the system and actually hit you at the pump.
SIMON: As our friend Jeff Cafferty likes to say, it is getting ugly out there and it was ugly in the stock market. How come you had such a big drop in the market yesterday?
ELAM: It was that combination of oil, where we had this unprecedented $11 rise in oil and then the economic data. Think about the overall economy. A lot of how we gauge the health of the economy is based on jobs. If we are losing the jobs, that shows that the economy may be actually slowing down as so many people out there say. We don't know for sure if we are in a recession, but a lot of people think that that may be the case.
So all of that factoring in. The jobs report is a big chunk of what we look at here to see how the health of the market is, the health of the economy and so that was a big deal. And then you add in oil which has some issues that causes some tensions between Iran and that also added into what could happen. Because if they cut back on the production, then it could get even tighter, Dan.
SIMON: Well thanks, Stephie. It's going to be an interesting day on Monday.
ELAM: It will be. We'll have to see how the overseas markets react to it first.
SIMON: Thanks a lot.
ELAM: Sure.
SIMON: And of course as Stephanie just mentioned, the economic news was already bleak when the oil market went absolutely nuts. President Bush on Friday acknowledged the sharp rise in unemployment, but he said there are encouraging signs the stimulus checks that started going out last month are beginning to help and it appears many Americans are using plastic less. The Federal Reserve says credit card debt in April rose at the slowest rate in three years.
NGUYEN: They are rallying around Hillary Clinton, set to suspend her campaign today conceding the Democratic race after a long and sometimes bitter battle against Barack Obama.
CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is live in Washington for us this morning where it's all going to take place. So as she takes to the microphone today, what can we expect to hear?
STEINHAUSER: Well Betty, we expect three things of Hillary Clinton today, right here in the building museum behind me. Number one, she is going to suspend her campaign after a year and a half of running for the White House, she suspends her campaign, but she doesn't quit altogether. Suspending the campaign means she gets to keep the delegates and she has a lot of delegates, almost 2,000 delegates.
Number two, she is going to concede defeat. We did not hear that Tuesday night. She congratulated Barack Obama when he clinched the nomination, but she did not concede defeat and we will hear her do that today we expect. And finally, she will pledge, we believe, she will say she will do anything she can in her power to help Barack Obama beat John McCain in the November election.
That's the key here. After a long and bitter primary Democratic battle, the Democratic Party wants unity right now and that's what you're going to hear a lot about today I believe.
NGUYEN: And Paul for those watching and trying to understand this, by suspending your campaign and keeping your delegates, what does that mean for Hillary Clinton?
STEINHAUSER: It gives her a little leeway here as she gets to keep her delegates and maybe that could be at the convention. She will have some dramatic gesture and give her delegates to Barack Obama and also, on the financial side, it is easier for her to continue to raise money. Remember, her campaign is in the red by a lot of money and this will help her raise money and pay off that debt a little easier by suspending rather than ending the campaign formally.
NGUYEN: And you know there's a lot of talk about who is going to be the name there as vice president on the Democratic ticket. So what are the polls saying about that?
STEINHAUSER: We're hearing a lot about that from Hillary Clinton supporters, urging Barack Obama to name Clinton as his running mate. So we went out on in field on Wednesday and Thursday after it all ended and the primaries ended and we asked Democrats that very question, should Barack Obama name Hillary Clinton as his running mate? Interesting results, 54 percent, a majority of Democrats, 54 percent say yes, Barack Obama should name Hillary Clinton as his running mate.
But here's the real key thing. There's a gender gap. Take a look at this. We broke it down among Democratic men and women. Democratic women, 60 percent want Obama (INAUDIBLE) running mate, not the same case at all as you can see with men, a majority do not want Obama to name Clinton as his running mate.
And then finally, one other question we asked and this is the important one everybody wanted to know, Barack Obama versus John McCain in November. Who would you go for? Right now pretty close as you can, just three points for Obama, basically a statistical dead heat Betty.
NGUYEN: No doubt. This whole thing has been so tight on so many sides of it and we're going to be hearing from Hillary Clinton a little bit later today. About the venue, the one behind you, it is really historic in nature, isn't it?
STEINHAUSER: It is a beautiful building that most tourists (INAUDIBLE) when they come to Washington, they don't know about it. They go to all the obvious places like the White House. They go to the mall, the capitol. This is the building museum behind me, the National Building Museum. It was built or completed in 1887 I believe. It was the pension bureau at one time. Now it is the museum, an active museum and it is also a site for large venues, very much like today -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And it's going to be the site as we've been talking about where Hillary Clinton is going to concede the Democratic race today. So we'll be watching for that live coverage with Wolf Blitzer at 11:00 Eastern today. Paul, as always, we do appreciate it. We'll talk to you shortly. And gain, join the best local team on television. 11:00 Eastern, you don't want to miss it. If you can't watch it on TV, of course you can see all of it live at cnn.com.
SIMON: Federal health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak in these 12 states. Take a look, the FDA has linked illnesses in New Mexico and Texas to people eating a certain type of raw tomatoes. It is investigating whether reports of salmonella poisoning in the other states are also tied to uncooked tomatoes. Dozens of people have gotten sick, but no deaths have been reported.
NGUYEN: A 78-year-old Connecticut man run over by a car, left alone in the street as eye witnesses stand there in shock. Can you imagine?
SIMON: It is unbelievable. Contrary to initial indications, police now say some people who -- it was a tragic accident and they are looking to see what caused it. We have the dramatic 911 --
NGUYEN: Some people actually did call police. Katy Zachry of our affiliate WFSB has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATY ZACHRY, WFSB CORRESPONDENT: The surveillance video of 78 year-old Angelo Torres getting run down by a speeding car is almost too much to watch. Now imagine being one of the bystanders who saw it and made a frantic call to 911.
CALLER: Send an ambulance quick. He's hit hard.
911 OPERATOR: Is the car still there?
CALLER: No, it's gone.
911 OPERATOR: Did you get the license plate of the car?
CALLER: Nope. Nope. Send an ambulance, quick, quick, quick. He's bleeding hard.
ZACHRY: Hartford city camera near Park and Main Street records in real time the slow reaction of the sidewalk crowd. We now know at least a man and a woman in that group called 911.
911 OPERATOR: Is there anyone there that did see it?
CALLER: Probably, yeah, but send an ambulance now, he's an old guy.
ZACHRY: The second of the speeding cars hit Torres. They were in the wrong lane chasing each other police say. Bystanders got a look at the cars, but it is a description of the drivers that police need. It's been a week and still no one has come forward.
911 OPERATOR: The police are there?
CALLER: This guy, oh my God, he's bleeding so bad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: Doctors say the elderly man is paralyzed.
NGUYEN: Connecticut is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the drivers in that accident. Hopefully someone will come forward with some good information. The nation's midsection unlikely to dry out today, after days and days of heavy rain and powerful storms. In Andrew County, Missouri, flooding is a problem there. A wave of storms dumped heavy rain across Missouri on Friday. Several counties, they reported flash flooding.
SIMON: In northwestern Minnesota people are cleaning up after getting slammed by a tornado. The twister snapped trees, downed power lines and damaged homes in Hubbard County. The sheriff's department say nobody was seriously hurt.
NGUYEN: Let's get a look at the weather today. In the Midwest, is it going to be clear? They could definitely use some clear skies today. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is in Washington from the severe weather center. So what are you seeing Reynolds?
(WEATHER REPORT)
SIMON: They have this world summit, world hunter's summit this week, you ever wonder what they eat at that event?
NGUYEN: That's a good question. What do they eat?
SIMON: Let's just say a lot of people who are starving in the world would love to have a seat at the table. We're going to show you everything that is on that menu coming up.
NGUYEN: Also ahead, bikes, buses, carpools, the high price of gasoline is fueling changes in the way that we get to work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIMON: Soaring prices at the gas pump. They are changing the way that we are getting around.
NGUYEN: Yeah, they are, because people are deciding, you know what? I have got to do a carpool. I've got to take a bus, even a bicycle, because my commute to work is costing me too much money.
We get the story now from our own T.J. Holmes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): While many commuters are facing the morning gridlock, this is how Rebecca Serna begins her ride to work.
REBECCA SERNA, ATLANTA BIKE CAMPAIGN: I get to work in the morning and I feel alert and ready to go. I don't need as much coffee to get me started in the morning.
HOLMES: A love of biking and wanting to assist other cyclists led Rebecca to a position with the Atlanta bicycle campaign.
SERNA: There has been an increased interest definitely in biking to work since the gas prices started to go crazy. Another thing that we do to try and increase safety is our share the road campaign and that works to educate both drivers and cyclists.
HOLMES: The clean air campaign and BP have teamed up for the cash for commuters program that pays motorists not to drive.
BRIAN CARR, CLEAN AIR CAMPAIGN: We incentivize motorists on their daily commute paying up to $3 a day for up to $180 over a 90-day period to get them to try something different.
SARA BROOKS, BICYCLE COMMUTER: I started riding my bike to work. It is so much nicer than driving my car because I get to say hello to the pedestrians and it is much less stressful than sitting in your car and getting in a traffic jam.
LYNN LOPES, CARPOOL COMMUTER: The carpool is a great situation for us. It is small. It's intimate. It is very easy to live close by. It is just a great fit.
HOLMES: Some companies are offering other incentives like paying fares for mass transit.
PHIL WEINMEISTER, MASS TRANSIT COMMUTER: I've been driving to work for a couple years now, but Atlanta traffic can be a little bit crazy. Also I live about 30 miles away, so 60 miles a day is quite a bit of driving.
HOLMES: Phil, a computer analyst with Earthlink decided to take advantage of his company's commuter benefit program which reimburses 100 percent of his expenses when he uses mass transit. He could save between $1500 and $2000 a year. He and his wife Amy see this saving as a big help to offset the cost of adopting a baby.
WEINMEISTER: Actually having the transit paid for and we really started looking at that pretty seriously.
HOLMES: Both Rebecca and Phil can see the savings at the pump. But changing their commute has also come with an added benefits.
WEINMEISTER: You have the down time, time to yourself and it is not just that you can read or even take a nap, which I do sometimes, but you don't have to think about driving.
SERNA: I knew about the health benefits, the environmental aspect, the gas savings, but I didn't realize I was going to feel so much more of a part of my neighborhood.
HOLMES: T.J. Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Do you have a question about where the economy is heading, trouble with your credit? E-mail it to "ISSUE #1" at cnn.com and then tune in on Monday as CNN takes a day long look at issue number one, focusing on the solution, meaning you are going to get some answers. Gerri Willis, Ali Velshi and the "ISSUE #1" team will have a special report all day long on Monday.
So how about this idea? We've heard of buy one shoe and get another free. But buy a house and get one free? Really.
SIMON: Not a bad deal.
NGUYEN: A special coupon offer for San Diego's housing market. But is it too good to be true? .
SIMON: We're going to have that coming up, but first Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a preview of what's coming up next on "HOUSE CALL."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks guys.
We got several cancer developments to tell you about. First up, brain cancer, who's most at risk? And also a new vaccine that could offer home hope.
Plus the rare and aggressive breast cancer that has researchers stumped. And are your kids at risk of developing cancer? A new report says it depends on where you live.
We got all the details coming up on "HOUSE CALL" at 8:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIMON: It is another indication of a trouble economy, more than one million homes now in foreclosure. The Mortgage Bankers Association says about 1.1 million homes were in foreclosure in the first quarter of this year. That's up from about 938,000 at the end of last year. The report marks the sixth straight quarter that a record percentage of loans went into foreclosure.
NGUYEN: Here's the deal for you. Buy a house, get one free. Really? Home builders taking a bit out of the fast food industry's coupon book.
Here's XETV's John Mattes in San Diego.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN MATTES. XETV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We see the burger discount offers all over now. Combo value meals, free cokes, free fries, now builders are doing it, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You buy one and you get one free.
MATTES: You heard the man from Michael Crews (ph) developers, buy a mega-mansion for $1.6 million and get another smaller home free.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the big mac; the other home is the fries.
MATTES: The first home is big, really big, three bedrooms, a big kitchen and a huge garage. Pull in a view all for $1.6 million. Then the second home in downtown Escondido is yours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give them a brand new row home for free.
MATTES: They say the value on that is $400,000. The reason for the give away?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to reduce our inventory.
MATTES: It's all part of a coupon offer on the web, but then again --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No coupons are necessary.
MATTES: But hold on, is it all too good to be true? Just like any combo fast food deal where you get the free fries but you question the deal, you need to question this deal, too.
BRIAN YUI, CEO, HOUSEREBATE.COM: I think it is a great marketing ploy by the developer.
MATTES: Real estate expert Brian Yui took a look for us.
YUI: There's a comparable home down the street, the same model pretty much is selling for $300,000 less.
MATTES: That's right, $1.9 million, built by the same builder. So Brian says, unless you want a second row house on a busy street, be smart. Just demand a mega discount on that mega mansion.
YUI: Everything is negotiable in this marketplace.
MATTES: And they might even throw in a free milkshake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can include that. It's just whether you want chocolate, strawberry or vanilla. We'll put that in there, real ice cream.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Everyone's trying to make a deal. If you want the big house, just pay for the big house, maybe get a better deal instead of adding this extra on, but some people say, two for one, I'll take it.
SIMON: What are you going to do with that second house?
NGUYEN: Sell it.
SIMON: Sell it.
NGUYEN: Good luck with that these days.
It's out of the future and could save you a whole lot of cash if it makes it into mass production.
SIMON: Check out this really sweet ride. Its makers say it gets 200 miles to a gallon of gasoline? Would that be right?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Take a look at this car right here. Is this the ride of the future or what? At better than 200 miles per gallon, it sure could be. It's called the Aptera (ph). It's the brainchild of a group of engineers and entrepreneurs in Carlsbad, California.
SIMON: Can you imagine the looks you'll get at the red light when you pull up?
NGUYEN: What is that? Is that a space ship?
SIMON: Production is set to begin later this year, not too expensive only about $30,000 for that car. There is also an electric version and the three-wheel design you see right there, it means it will be classified as a motorcycle, actually, in some states.
NGUYEN: I was kind of wondering how fast it goes at 200 miles per gallon. That's not bad, a two-seater, though, so it's not a family vehicle. You won't be able to put your little boy in the backseat there, Dan.
Listen to this. The U.N. held its annual summit on global hunger this week in Rome. Many people couldn't help but notice the gourmet menu.
SIMON: It was held over three days and we're going to show you what they feasted on. The participants dined on you can see right there, pastry puffs with corn and mozzarella, veal ragout, parmesan risotto, pasta with pumpkin and shrimp sauce and some veal rolls. What do you think?
NGUYEN: Boy, I'm hungry.
The menu is actually considered low key -- can you believe it? Low key? What's low key about veal there? I mean, seriously.
SIMON: Well, in all fairness, what should they be eating?
NGUYEN: Sandwiches, maybe, you know?
SIMON: PB&J?
NGUYEN: But here's what I wanted to tell you. They say it was pretty much low key, well, a spokesman there said that the event pretty standard stuff.
I don't see that as standard. We definitely don't serve that at my house.
SIMON: That's really -- maybe a little over the top.
NGUYEN: Sandwiches and be happy about it, all right.
SIMON: All right, well, it is Hillary Clinton's swan song. She's going to ending her campaign, of course. And stay with CNN all this morning. At the top of the hour, we're going to have more on her big, big finale. NGUYEN: But first, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
