Morning folks…

A little politics and a little polygamy tonight on AC360. It is only four days until the next primaries: Oregon and Kentucky. As it stands now, Barack Obama appears to be way ahead in the polls in Oregon and Hillary Clinton is holding a significant lead in Kentucky…IF they split the votes and the delegates, then what? I guess we will have to wait and see…Jim Acosta is out on the campaign trail in Oregon and will give us the latest on BOTH candidates…

In other political headlines…what maybe a preview of the political onslaught Michelle Obama may face in the fall, the Tennessee Republican Party unveiled a Web video highlighting her comment that she was proud of America “for the first time in my adult life.” The GOP last effort to associate democratic candidates with Obama and Reverend Wright failed, so will this work? We will see..

AND at least six of John Edwards’ pledged delegates in South Carolina will throw their support to Barack Obama following Edwards’ endorsement of the Democratic front runner, bringing the total number of delegates switching to Obama on Thursday to eight. So Obama NOW leads in pledged delegates, the popular vote and superdelegates…so, what is Hillary Clinton’s strategy now? USA TODAY asks if Obama is leading pledged delegate counts and the seating of Michigan and Florida delegates are the determining events for the nomination, what are the last few contests for? Bragging rights, momentum and symbolism. what?

ALSO on AC360 tonight we will finally air Gary Tuchman’s piece “Is McCain-Too Old?” Barack Obama says that John McCain “lost his bearings.” Obama denies that is a reference about age. But many other public figures are blunt about their belief that John McCain may be too old for the White House. Is it a valid issue? Or is such discussion out of bounds? Is John McCain wins, he would be the oldest person elected to a first term in the White House in the nation’s history.

David Mattingly will give us a preview of Monday’s custody hearings in Texas…remember the 400 plus children taken from the YFZ compound in ELDORADO, Texas? FLDS members are fighting to get their kids back, as CPS justifies to the court their reasons for taking the kids.. Fathers want their kids back, BUT CPS says this is a place where child abuse was rampant, where boys were groomed to be child molestors and underage girls were raped…so will the kids stay in CPS custody or be released back to the compound? All eyes will be on Texas….

AND For the first time since the raid on his followers in Texas, FLDS leader Warren Jeffs is in court. Its a status hearing for his upcoming Arizona trial on charges of presiding over marriages of girls to men, but it will be the first time we have seen him in public since more than 460 FLDSchildren were taken from their families. It is also the first time we’ve seen him since this man who is now said to be emaciated was placed on suicide watch, Gary Tuchman will be LIVE from Kingman, Arizona…

We will also bring you the latest from China…where the Associate Press reports the Sichuan government says the official death toll from this week’s powerful earthquake in the Chinese province has risen to 21,500 people….AND just after the ban on same-sex marriage was overturned in California yesterday…Ellen DeGeneres announced, she and long time partner Portia de Rossi plan to wed…

That is ALL for now…TGIF!!!!

Morning folks…

After Hillary Clinton’s HUGE victory in West Virginia, she suffered a major blow to her campaign…Former Presidential candidate John Edwards came out last night and endorsed Barack Obama…”The reason I’m here tonight is because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I,” he told a crowd in Michigan. “There is one man who knows and understands that this is a time for bold leadership. There is one man that knows how to create the change, the lasting change, that you have to build from the ground up,” Edwards said. “There is one man who knows in his heart there is time to create one America, not two … and that man is Barack Obama.” Edwards did have kind words for Clinton. “What she has shown … is strength and character, and what drives her is something that every single one of us can and should appreciate,” Edwards said. “She is a woman who, in my judgment, is made of steel, and she’s a leader in this country not because of her husband but because of what she has done.”

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Morning….

She’s still here!!! YES,folks..Hillary Clinton crushed Barack Obama last night in the West Virginia primary! So she is not going anywhere anytime soon…NOT only did she win the blue collar white vote, but she won men, women and more importantly, young people. She used her big win in West Virginia to make her case that she has a better chance of beating the Republicans in the general election. “I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign…I am in this race because I believe I am the strongest candidate. … I can lead this party to victory in the general election if you lead me to victory now.” Today, with her campaign in 20 million dollars in debt…she spends the day in Washington DC trying to convince fundraisers that she is still a viable contender. Candy Crowley  will bring us up to speed on her future. Then Hillary sits down with Wolf Blitzer, we will have a lot of that interview on AC360 tonight, too. Barack Obama spends the day in Michigan, the so-called birthplace of the “Reagan Democrats,” that same voting block that launched Clinton to victory in West Virginia…interesting!! Suzanne Malveaux will be with Obama today where many say he is kicking off his campaign against John McCain…

There was lots of chatter last night from Clinton and her communications director, Howard Wolfsen, about “every vote must count.” Yes, the Florida and Michigan discussion is baaaaack… Tom Foreman will tackle the efforts by both campaigns to get those votes counted…AND John King will be at his way cool smart board looking at how Clinton pulled off this landslide, but more importantly what the next two primaries in Oregon and Kentucky mean….

AND let’s not forget John McCain…Gary Tuchman has been out hiking with the presumptive Republican nominee… BUT is McCain too old? Barack Obama says that John McCain “lost his bearings.” Obama denies that is a reference about age. But many other public figures are blunt about their belief that John McCain may be too old for the White House. Is it a valid issue? Or is such discussion out of bounds? Is John McCain wins, he would be the oldest person elected to a first term in the White House in the nation’s history….

AND I am sure we will bring you all the latest in China…where the official death toll reported by state-run media stands at just over 14,866….but an unofficial tally of individual communities provided by news services added up to 19,565…so sad…

Morning folks…

It’s PRIMARY DAY…the people of West Virginia head to the polls today to vote for the democratic nominee. Most believe it is a slam dunk for Hilllary Clinton, the latest CNN political polls show her with almost a 40 point lead….but can a win convince the party and superdelegates that she is indeed the better candidate? She claims “you cannot win the general election without West Virginia.” West Virginia is another state, like Pennsylvania and Ohio, that is filled with the white working class vote…a major voting block across the country that Clinton claims Obama cannot win.

BUT while Obama NOW leads in superdelegates, the outcome of West Virginia’s primary Tuesday may best be foretold by where Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama plan to spend the day. Clinton is expected to be in Charleston, West Virginia, to celebrate what should be her large victory. Obama has no plans Tuesday night, but he is spending the late afternoon at a campaign event in Missouri. Missouri has already voted this primary season but is considered a swing state that Democrats and Republicans have in their sights this November…So Obama is already thinking about November and a match up with John McCain….

Soooo tune in tonight at 7 pm and CNN will have all the results and all the analysis. AC360 takes over at 10 pm with John King, Bill Schneider, Soledad O’Brien, Wolf Blitzer, Suzanne Malveaux and the best political team on TV…

Good morning folks…TGIF!!!

In politics this morning….Barack Obama won two more superdelegate endorsements late Thursday, narrowing his superdelegate deficit with Hillary Clinton to seven. NorthCarolina Rep. Brad Miller and Washington Rep. Rick Larsen both announced they will cast their superdelegate votes for the Illinois senator …BUT it appears several superdelegates from Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio are bucking the will of the people by withholding endorsements from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton….not publicly endorsing her even though she overwhelmingly won their districts. BUT this hasn’t stopped Hillary Clinton…she hopscotched across the country yesterday…speaking to packed crowds in three states, raspy voice and all, yet determined to continue the fight… She urged her supporters Thursday to ignore the political pundits who have declared her toast…. BOTH Clinton and Obama spend most of the day in Oregon…Candy Crowley will have the latest….

We will also look ahead to West Virginia…the next stop along this democratic campaign train…. Joe Johns looks at the coal vote…a big issue in several states, but perhaps no where is it more so than in WV where the candidates are working hard to woo the coal vote. WV exports more coal than anywhere else in the US. Coal permeates every aspect of life in WV, from politics to the economy. The industry employs 18,000 people in some of the highest paying jobs in the state, far less than the peak its peak in 1940 of 130,000, but many remember those days and have watched their children leave because there were no jobs to keep them there….

In other news we are looking at tornadoes in North Carolina….after a reported tornado killed one person and injured three others in central part of the state on Thursday night. Strong winds overturned tractor-trailers and cars on Interstate 40, collapsed parts of several commercial buildings and damaged numerous single-family homes on the western edge of Greensboro…this after ripping across several other southern states…

PLUS Myanmar is still making headlines…The United Nations blasted Myanmar’smilitary junta on Friday, calling its refusal to let in foreign aid workers “unprecedented” as survivors of a devastating cyclone waited for food, shelter and medicine. The junta said in a statement Friday it was grateful to the international community for its assistance — which has included 11 chartered planes loaded with aid supplies — but the best way to help was just to send in material rather than personnel….Anderson continues to try and secure a visa, so we can figure out what is really going on on the ground there…

ALSO tonight… an EXCLUSIVE we bumped from last night’s show…In the wake of the polygamist ranch raid in Texas, some FLDS members have gone on camera despite previous orders to not ever talk to reporters. But now, for the first time, Gary Tuchman introduces us to a family of Warren Jeffs’ devotees that allow us into their home, and into their lives. Chris Wylermarried his wife when they were both16. They now have six children with a seventh on the way. Both husband and wife hope to someday welcome another wife or two in their home. They say the FLDS church and Warren Jeffs are misunderstood and discriminated against.

AND if we have time tonight…Sanjay Gupta will introduce us to Brad Williams…March 30th, 1978, July 18th, 1987, October 21st 1999. Ask Brad Williams a date and he can recall not only what happened on that day in history but what he did that day. Williams is one of only three documented cases of hyperthymestic syndrome, a condition of near-perfect autobiographical memory that scientists say may totally rewrite what we know about how memories are stored. We follow Williams as he gets an MRI and visit him in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where the radio newsman has a weekly call-in show called related to his memory. Dr. SanjayGupta sits down with Williams, who had no idea his abilities were off the charts until he read about a woman who possessed the same type of recall….

That is ALL for now….we will see what other news the day brings….

Morning folks…

The calls for Hillary to step down continue…five more undecided superdelegates declared their support for Obama….It appears now that Hillary Clinton is facing insurmountable odds….AND now pouring more salt in the wound is Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio talk show host. After once encouraging Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton to show their DISDAIN for John McCain, he NOW really wants Obama to be the party nominee…”I now believe he would be the weakest of the Democrat nominees,” Limbaugh said “I now urge the Democrat superdelegates to make your mind up and publicly go for Obama….” BUT despite an overwhelming defeat in North Carolina and a narrow victory in Indiana, Sen. Hillary Clinton vowed to stay in the race yesterday until her party has a nominee. “I, obviously, am going to work as hard as I can to become that nominee. That is what I’ve done; that’s what I’m continuing to do,” she said Wednesday in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. TODAY she is hopscotching across the country, with stops in West Virginia, South Dakota and then Oregon….while Obama stays in Washington DC to raise money and woo superdelegates. Our Candy Crowley will have all the drama from the campaign trail…

Also tonight…we dip back into Polygamy…Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard and his counterpart in Utah, Mark Shurtleff, will host a town hall-style meeting in an effort to build trust with members of polygamous communities. CNN affiliate reporter Mike Watkiss will give us the details… Read the rest of this entry »

Morning…

WOW…a nail bitter in Indiana, BUT Hillary Clinton squeaked out a win. The counting went on into the wee hours of the morning, but she hung on to win the state by approximately 20,000 votes. Barack Obama won North Carolina and won it big!!! So now what? The Washington Post sums it up best this morning “The Democrats are putting the ’stale’ in stalemate. Barack Obama needed to ‘close the deal’ by beating Hillary Clinton in Indiana and North Carolina. Clinton needed a ‘game-changer’ so that she could have a viable path to the presidential nomination. But no deal closed and no game changed Tuesday night.” SO, while Obama takes the day off, there is no rest for the weary, Hillary will be in West Virginia this morning talking about the economy…It is ”FULL speed ahead,” says Hillary Clinton.

On AC360 tonight, Candy Crowley  will have ALL the campaign happenings from the trail today and some analysis from last night’s victory speeches….. John King will be at his magic map gaming out the remaining primaries and what it will take for each candidate to reach the finish line and secure the nomination… Barack is now ONLY 189 delegates away from the nomination…

BUT will the focus in the next few days be on the five remaining primary states and Puerto Rico? OR on the uncommitted superdelegates? Read the rest of this entry »

Morning folks…

IT IS DECISION DAY in Indiana and North Carolina…The polls have been open for 30 minutes already in Indiana and JUST opened in North Carolina. VOTER turnout is expected to be HUGE today…A LOT on the line today for both candidates. Analysts say Hillary MUST win one of the two states to justify staying in the race…but will or can Obama finally seal the deal and win BOTH states? It is just TOO CLOSE to call…ALL eyes BETTER be on CNN tonight…Anderson and the “best political team on TV” will take to the air at 7pm to and will have all the analysis and all the votes…

A quick look at the morning papers…It is ALL politics…take a look…

CNN: Indiana & North Carolina –The Final Round…In all, 187 delegates are at stake in Indiana and North Carolina. Clinton, the junior senator from New York, knows that the results in these two states could shake up the race.

WASHINGTON POST: Two Candidates, Two States and One Big Day…On a final, fevered day of campaigning, Sen. Barack Obama looked to voters in Indiana and North Carolina to reverse a string of defeats in key states, while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton fought to keep her improbable comeback hopes alive with a pair of strong showings.

POLITICO: Clinton Fate Hangs In The Balance…If Hillary Clinton wins in either Indiana or North Carolina Tuesday, the primary election terrain suddenly begins to look more favorable to her than at any other point since Super Tuesday Feb. 5.

CNN: Clinton Goes Negative in Last Minute Ad…Hoping the proposal to suspend the gas tax will resonate with working class voters in Indiana and North Carolina, the Clinton campaign launched a last-minute ad in those states Monday that sharply attacks rival Barack Obama for not supporting the measure.

LATIMES: Indiana May Feel Coattail Effect in the Fall… Read the rest of this entry »

Morning folks…Happy Monday!!!

HUGE day out on the campaign trail today. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have less than 24 hour to convince the voters of North Carolina and Indiana that THEY should be the Democratic Presidential nominee….BOTH contests are CRITICAL for each candidate. Sooo can Obama seal the deal? OR will Hillary Clinton capture enough votes to continue to hang on? AC360 will be ALL politics tonight and have ALL the pre-primary analysis with Candy Crowley, Suzanne Malveaux, John King, and TIME magazine’s Joe Klein and Mark Halperin….so make sure you tune in at 10 pm…

Looking at the headlines today…POLITICS seems to be dominating the papers, today…take a look:

INDIANAPOLIS STAR: Primary Party Switches Could Aid Incumbents…Voting Republican in Indiana used to be so easy. Grab a ballot, skip the presidential nominees — those races were usually over by now, at least for the past 40 years — and focus on local and state primary races. But this year, Hoosiers have that rare chance to help determine a presidential nominee. Of course, to do so means you have to vote like a Democrat.

NY TIMES: Seeing Grit and Ruthlessness in Clinton’s Love of the Fight….The kind of language and pugilistic imagery Sen. Hillary Clinton uses on the campaign trail evokes the baggage that makes Clinton such a provocative political figure. For as much as a willingness to “do what it takes” and “die hard” are marketable commodities in politics, they can also yield to less flattering qualities, plenty of which have been ascribed to her over the years. Just as supporters praise her “toughness” and “tenacity,” critics also describe her as “divisive,” “a dirty fighter” or “willing to do anything to win.”

WASHINGTON POST: Dueling Appeals On Taxes From Obama, Clinton…Two days before critical primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) scolded both Sen. Barack Obama (D) and “elite opinion” Sunday for opposing her proposals to fix the ailing economy, while the senator from Illinois accused her of political pandering.

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Morning folks…..It is Friday!!!

There doesn’t seem to be a ton of news out there today…so with the North Carolina Primary and the Indiana Primary ONLY FOUR days away, we will do a lot of politics tonight. Candy Crowley will cover the democrats for us from Indiana today. Hillary spends the day in North Carolina, BUT Obama splits his time between Indiana and North Carolina…the race has tightened up in the tar heel state…

Here are few of this morning’s political headlines for you to chew over…

USA TODAY: Obama Narrows Superdelegate Gap…The Democratic nomination race is murkier than ever. Hillary Rodham Clinton is rising in the polls while Barack Obama is gaining ground among superdelegates who will decide the winner.

WASHINGTON POST: Clinton Defends Gas Tax…With polls showing signs of erosion in his candidacy, Sen. Barack Obama sought Thursday to shift the focus of the Democratic campaign away from the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. and back to the economy and his dispute with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton over her proposal to suspend the federal tax on gasoline.

WASHINGTON TIMES: Mccain Sets Sights on Moderates…Faced with a crumbling Republican Party image, Sen. John McCain is gambling on a general-election strategy that relies on winning over conservative Democrats and independents, breaking with President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 game plan of focusing on the party’s core voters.

NYTIMES: Clinton May Be Hopeful, But Barack Rolls On…Have Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s chances of winning the Democratic presidential nomination improved as Senator Barack Obama has struggled through his toughest month of this campaign?

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