[Kyra Phillips, Cnn Anchor:] We're also talking a lot about the breaking news and the dramatic new numbers in China right now. At least 12,000 people are dead. Ten thousand are still missing from the most powerful earthquake there in decades. The scope of that devastation is making any rescue and relief effort extremely difficult.
[John Roberts, Cnn Anchor:] Turning now to the "Most Politics in the Morning," as we said, it's primary day in West Virginia. Polls open now less than a half an hour from now. Hillary Clinton favored to win big, but it still may not be enough for her. Twenty-eight delegates at stake today. Only 189 pledged delegates remain after tonight. Right now, Senator Barack Obama leads Senator Clinton by 166. As Clinton stays focused on an improbable comeback, Obama is looking ahead.
[Sen. Hillary Clinton , Presidential Candidate:] And there were some folks who didn't want us to keep going until we got to West Virginia. They wanted to say West Virginia doesn't matter. I don't think they understand West Virginia or politics because West Virginia really matters when it comes to making the decisions affecting our country.
[Sen. Barack Obama , Presidential Candidate:] We need some truth telling out of Washington. Now, John McCain, John McCain, remember he liked to say he's part of the straight talk express, but let me tell you something. That straight talk express lost a couple wheels on the way to the Republican nomination because he hasn't been straight with the American people.
[Roberts:] CNN's Sean Callebs is live from a polling site in Kanawha City, West Virginia this morning. And Sean, it doesn't seem to be any question that Hillary Clinton is going to win this one by a landslide. How are folks there this morning feeling?
[Sean Callebs, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, I think that a lot of people in the state expect that she's going to do extremely well. If you look at the expectations game here, we expect a big turnout. If you look at what's going on so far, a record 76,000 people have voted early and, of course, a big turnout is going to favor Hillary Clinton. The polls show that she could win by as much as 30 percentage points. But the big question is what happens after today?
[Sen. Barack Obama , Presidential Candidate:] Thank you, West Virginia. Thank you. Thank you. Love you back.
[Callebs:] It came as no surprise but taking over the lead in the battle for superdelegates added a little more swagger to Barack Obama's campaign. And it happened as Hillary Clinton continues to enthuse crowds trying to get a maximum turnout in West Virginia.
[Sen. Hillary Clinton , Presidential Candidate:] It's a big day for West Virginia and it's a big day for America.
[Callebs:] The last time West Virginia had such an impact on the nation's political landscape was nearly 50 years ago when JFK was running for president. Senator Clinton is currently far ahead of Obama in the polls here.
[Unidentified Female:] I'm supporting her because she wants to cut some gasoline taxes. I'm supporting her because of her stand on people losing their homes, trying to do something in that arena. I'm for her wanting more jobs.
[Callebs:] The economy is the overriding issue in this state. But health care, benefits for retirees, education, and the ongoing war also rate pretty highly on voters' minds.
[Red Dawson, West Virginia Voter:] It's a scary issue, especially at some of our ages, you know.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Dawson:] We're going to be affected by it. I'm supposed to get Social Security in October. I still want it.
[Callebs:] One more twist the Republican Party in West Virginia says some party members are switching to independent or Democrat just to vote against Senator Clinton.
[Melody Potter, West Virginia Gop:] I think it's a strategy to maybe knock another candidate out of the nomination, and people do things for various reasons.
[Callebs:] Barack Obama didn't spend a great deal of time campaigning in the state. However, John, if you look at the amount of money that the candidates sunk into this state, he outspent Hillary Clinton by about a two to one margin.
[Roberts:] Sean Callebs for us this morning in Kanawha City, West Virginia. Sean, thanks. We'll check back with you a little bit later on. And after today, there are just five contests left in this primary season. Next Tuesday, it's Kentucky and Oregon with a total of 103 delegates. Oregon, a mail-in vote, by the way, which is already under way. On June the 1st, it's Puerto Rico with 55 delegates. Then on June the 3rd, the final two primaries, Montana and South Dakota, with just 31 delegates between them Kyra.
[Phillips:] Well, new this morning. The Pentagon dropping murder charges against a suspected terrorist held at Guantanamo Bay for his alleged role in the September 11 attacks. Investigators say that Saudi national Mohammed al- Katani missed a chance to be involved in the attacks because he was denied entry to the U.S. by an immigration agent. Charges were filed in February, but the convening authority for military commissions dropped them on Friday. Military lawyers would not give a reason why but have previously said that al-Katani was subjected to harsh interrogation methods authorized by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The price of gas reached a new high for the seventh straight day, now at $3.73 a gallon. According to AAA, up more than a penny in the last day. Today Washington is making plans to do something about it. Also, Democrats in the House and Senate want a windfall tax on oil companies. Republicans want to increase drilling in Alaska. Well, both sides want to temporarily stop adding to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until prices fall. And President Bush will be discussing the impact of high oil prices on the U.S. and world economies when he meets with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah later this week. The president is expected to say that demand for oil is just too high compared to the supply. The two leaders last talked about high oil prices in January.
[Roberts:] It's coming up on seven minutes after the hour. Breaking news, fire raging in south Florida. Here's some live pictures from Palm Bay, Florida, and you can see these have been burning all night long and burning dangerously close to homes and schools. Our Rob Marciano has got a live report from the fire lines just ahead for us. New video this morning of the earthquake in China sent in by you, our I-reporters. Images at the moment that disaster strikes. Take a look at this. This is 500 miles away. Your video coming up on AMERICAN MORNING. And in tough economic times, many consumers tighten their belts. But we'll visit one pizza chain that's certainly making dough, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.