[Brianna Keilar, Cnn Anchor:] Nobody wants to fly on an unsafe plane, but everybody wants to fly. And that means thousands of ticked-off passengers from hundreds of canceled flights. Our Miles O'Brien is watching day two of snap inspections.
[Don Lemon, Cnn Anchor:] Banks feel the pinch when times get hard, but you don't know hard times until you run or need a food bank. We'll visit a busy one in southern California. Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta here.
[Keilar:] And I'm Brianna Keilar in today for Kyra Phillips. You're in the
[Cnn Newsroom. Lemon:] It is 2:01 here in the East and if you're flying American or if you're flying Delta today, you might want to check on your flight. Both airlines are still inspecting some of their older planes. In Delta's case, it is a re-inspection but it still means canceled flights and stranded passengers.
[David Lowry, Delta Passenger:] I was getting ready to board the flight and they said it was canceled. So, you know, we go up to the crown room and stand in line there for about an hour and they tell us it's not canceled. Go back down to the gate. We go back down to the gate. We get there. They tell us it's canceled again.
[Lemon:] A Delta spokeswoman tells CNN these long lines should be a lot shorter come morning when the airlines should be back on schedule. We hope that's true. We're going to turn now to our chief technology correspondent, Mr. Miles O'Brien and he's going to tell us what the focus of these inspections are. What are they, Miles?
[Miles O'brien, Cnn Chief Technology And Environment Correspondent:] Well Don, it boils down to wiring which is an Achilles' heel for all modern airliners. The wiring which supports and powers the auxiliary hydraulic power unit, wiring that looks like this, bundled together, it's sheathed and it has the potential over time and these are 20-year-old aircrafts, plus, becoming frayed or damaged in some way. That can lead to a short-circuit. That can lead to arcing. Arcing in proximity to fuel vapors obviously a potentially deadly mix. We saw it is happen back in July of 1996. TWA flight 800, a 747, exposed wires in the center fuel tank. Fuel vapors there, an explosion in midair. Everyone on board died. So the FAA is very concerned that the airlines stay focused on wiring and inspections of those wires. They issued this air worthiness directive, Don, which is kind of like tablets from the mountain back in September of '06, said to the airlines, go to your MD-80 series aircraft. Take a look at this wiring bundle. Make sure it's not damaged. Make sure it's sheathed properly and make sure it's fastened just right. Well, the wording was a little bit ambiguous and the fastening wasn't done just right according to American Airlines and that's why they are going back to the second go-round to insure that these wires are just in place and that's why Delta is re-inspecting as well, all of this on the heels of that Southwest Airlines incident, where inspections of the fuselage were apparently not done and the FAA apparently knew about it and allowed to it happen. So there are some concerns out there among the traveling public as you can imagine.
[Lemon:] I think you said the wiring has been the Achilles' heel for the airline industry and it's been the cause of a lot of accidents. So this is a big deal.
[O'brien:] It is a big deal. Wiring is something you want to focus on, but in the specific case of this wiring and the way it's attached, whether it's an inch apart or a little bit more than an inch apart, you might say that doesn't sound like a big deal. But the bottom line is it's very important that these air worthiness directives are followed to the letter and that they are written in such a way that the airlines and the mechanics for the airlines understand them clearly and comply with them properly. So it's a good thing that all of this is coming after an audit by the FAA and not some horrible accident. We should keep this in mind. There hasn't been a big airline that has crashed in the U.S. since November of 2001. It's a pretty impressive safety record they've got going on right now. Having said that, these airlines are economically up against the wall, Don, and a lot of people are concerned that they might be tempted to cut corners on safety.
[Lemon:] Chief technology correspondent Miles O'Brien. Miles, thank you.
[O'brien:] You're welcome.
[Keilar:] Now, the latest on a developing story from Louisville, Kentucky, where two children have been found dead. The story began unfolding this morning when police at the University of Louisville disarmed a woman. The woman identified as a student was taken to a psychiatric ward and university police then asked city officers to check on the well-being of two children inside this house that you see here. When city police did that, they found those children fatally wounded. Neighbors in the area saying they are shocked.
[Unidentified Female:] She was a single mother, raising two children, on her own and I thought doing a very good job. We babysat her dog and her cat when she was gone. I don't get it. I don't get it.
[Keilar:] Shock obviously to that Louisville community. We're going to continue to follow this story. We will be filling in the blanks as quickly as we can.
[Lemon:] OK, everyone needs to pay close attention to this. Especially if you're driving on I-20, on I-46, I should say, 64 near Charlottesville. Let me tell you why. Police are warning drivers to be careful today along that stretch of interstate near Charlottesville, Virginia. A 20-mile stretch was closed overnight, get this, after bullets hit two cars, a van, a truck and a state government vehicle. Two people were treated for injuries. So far, there are no suspects in custody.
[Col. Steve Flaherty, Supt., Virginia State Police:] We believe it's more the one suspect. Now, that doesn't mean that they were firing simultaneously at these sites. We believe that one of the sites based on some witness information that it was more than one individual there.
[Lemon:] Police are not referring to the suspects as snipers. They say it appears to be a case of random shooting.
[Keilar:] Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad showing the scars of battle. For three straight days, Iraqi forces have fought with armed militias who claim that they are being unfairly targeted and pressured by the government. More than 100 people have been killed in street clashes, not just in Baghdad, but in Shiite populated areas such as Basra, Kut and Karbala.
[Lemon:] President Bush said today that an American withdrawal from Iraq at this point would undo any progress made so far.
[George W. Bush, President Of The United States:] It would be a propaganda victory of colossal proportions for the global terrorists' movement which would gain new funds and find new recruits and conclude that the way to defeat America is to bleed us into submission.
[Lemon:] Well, speaking at the Air Force national museum in Dayton, Ohio, President Bush also praised Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki. He called the current crackdown on Shiite militias a bold decision.
[Keilar:] Let me take you back a few years now to shortly before the war and a high-level trip to Iraq by three U.S. congressmen. They didn't know it at the time, but their bills were directly footed by Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency. That is according to a Federal indictment unsealed yesterday in Detroit in the case of an Iraqi-born businessman. It claims the trip was funded by a charity backed by the Iraqi government which allegedly arranged for trips by delegations sympathetic to lifting sanctions. This indictment doesn't name the lawmakers but Congressman David Bonior, Jim McDermott and Mike Thompson made a trip to Iraq at that time.
[Lemon:] The economy is issue number one for the Democratic presidential hopefuls today. On the campaign trail in New York, Barack Obama says the government can do more to help struggling Americans especially, especially, since the Federal Reserve has already backed a bailout for the investment bank Bear Stearns.
[Sen. Barack Obama , Presidential Candidate:] If we can extend a hand to banks on Wall Street when they get into trouble, we can extend a hand to Americans who are struggling often through no fault of their own.
[Lemon:] Senator Obama also called for new rules and regulations to keep the markets, quote, competitive and fair.
[Keilar:] Obama's party rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, is also weighing in on the nation's economic health. At a campaign stop in North Carolina, she aimed her toughest comments at the current occupant of the White House.
[Sen. Hillary Clinton  Presidential Candidate:] You know, the Bush economy is like a trapdoor. Too many people are one pink slip away, one missed mortgage payment away, one medical diagnosis away from falling through and losing everything. The oil companies, predatory student loan companies, the insurance companies and the drug companies have had seven years of a president who stands up for them. I will be a president who stands up for all of you.
[Keilar:] Senator Clinton also pledged to make changes to the NAFTA trade deal with Mexico and Canada and she promised what she calls a time-out on new trade agreements.
[Lemon:] All right, so no matter who wins the Democratic nomination, a lot of Democrats will be unhappy, of course, but how unhappy? Quite a few are threatening to vote Republican if their choice for nominee loses out. Our Dan Lothian has more on this nightmare scenario for the party. That's lightly said, nightmare scenario. He joins us now from Philadelphia with that. How about it, Dan?
[Dan Lothian, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey, Don. Well, you know, this is not the kind of news that the Democratic candidates would like to hear. As you pointed out, they are saying if they don't get what they want, if they don't get their candidate, they're willing to jump to the Republican, Senator John McCain. Take a look at the most recent polling. It's a tracking poll. And it shows that Gallup tracking polls showing that if 28 percent of supporters, Hillary Clinton supporters, if she does not get the nomination, they would instead vote for Senator John McCain. On the Obama side, 19 percent of Obama supporters saying that if he does not get the nomination, then in the general election they would vote for Senator John McCain as well. Certainly those high numbers of 28 percent with Senator Hillary Clinton perhaps showing that they her supporters strongly oppose Senator Obama or are so loyal to her that they would rather vote for a Republican rather than vote for a Democrat. Now, let's take a look also at this contentious Democratic race. You know, obviously we've seen a lot of sharp attacks and some might call it very negative. And so the question then is, how is that impacting how voters feel about the Democratic candidates? And take a look at the latest numbers from NBC and also "The Wall Street Journal." In the poll, 700 registered voters were asked how they view the candidates. For Senator Clinton, 48 percent have a negative view of Senator Clinton, 37 percent have a positive view for Senator Obama, 49 percent have a positive view, 32 percent have a negative view. And, then, finally, who would the voters feel would be best to unite the country? For that number, Senator Obama wins. With 60 percent saying that Senator Obama would be best to unite the country, Senator John McCain at 58 percent and then Senator Clinton at 46 percent. So, certainly some strong feelings feelings among voters. Certainly among the Democrats and perhaps harsher among the Democrats because it is such a tight race and they still don't have a nominee this far along. Don?
[Lemon:] All right, Dan Lothian in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Thank you, Dan.
[Keilar:] The college student who asked Chelsea Clinton about the Monica Lewinsky scandal is defending his question. Butler University student Evan Strange asked Chelsea Clinton Tuesday about criticism of the way that her mother handled the Lewinsky scandal and if it, quote, might be a sign of weakness. Now, Chelsea Clinton gave him a rather icy response.
[Chelsea Clinton, Sen. Clinton's Daughter:] Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question. In the, I don't know, maybe 70 college campuses that I've now been to. And I do not think that's any of your business.
[Keilar:] Evan Strange appeared on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING earlier today. He still insists that his question was legit.
[Evan Strange, Butler University Student:] Number one, she's campaigning for her mom, so I think, you know, any question is is valid. And especially when there's a $3 trillion budget at hand, it's a question that needs to be answered especially when many voters want to know.
[Keilar:] So what do you think? Was it OK to ask Chelsea Clinton about her mother's handling of the Monica Lewinsky scandal? We do want to know what you think, so you can just send us an e-mail at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com and we'll show you those results a little later in the show.
[Lemon:] OK, a lot of people have been trying to answer this question. But just how bad is the economy? Wait until you hear the story of a family that showed up at the food bank. How far and how quickly they fell from grace.
[Keilar:] And we've heard a lot about Iraq over the last few days. But what about Afghanistan? We're going to go out with the troops there for a firsthand look.