[Tony Harris, Cnn Anchor:] And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
[Heidi Collins, Cnn Anchor:] Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. See events come into the NEWSROOM live this Wednesday, June 4th. Here's what's on the rundown. He's over the top. Barack Obama clinches the Democratic presidential nomination. The history-making candidate speaking live this hour.
[Harris:] She's still on stage. Hillary Clinton doesn't quit the race. Is she shopping for the VP slot? We hear from Clinton live, too.
[Collins:] United Airlines parking dozens of fuel-guzzling planes, cutting hundreds of jobs. The oil surge bites, in the NEWSROOM. A grueling presidential primary season ends. One candidate making history, another making decisions. We are watching all the players in the presidential race this morning, of course. Barack Obama speaking in just a few minutes to an Israel lobbying group in Washington. Obama claimed the Democratic nomination last night, as I'm sure you've heard, after winning more than the required number of delegates. He's set to become the first African-American candidate to lead a major party ticket. Hillary Clinton still not conceding. She said she'll huddle with her advisers to decide her next move. Many top Clinton supporters are pushing for her to be Obama's running mate. Republican John McCain taking aim at Obama in a speech last night. McCain said Obama represents the wrong kind of change.
[Harris:] Barack Obama basking in the glow of his big moment in history. Jason Carroll looks at what Obama's achievement means and the challenges he still faces.
[Jason Carroll, Cnn Correspondent:] In a place like Harlem, the names and faces of those who've earned their place in history make for street signs and hot-selling TV shirts. Now another face of another man who's made his mark.
[Unidentified Male:] I see it as history being made, of course.
[Carroll:] This man says he never thought he'd see someone like Senator Obama get this far in his lifetime, neither did Edgar and Linda Ridley.
[Edgar Ridley, Obama Supporter:] I was hoping but I never really thought I would see it.
[Linda Ridley, Obama Supporter:] Even up until now, many of us have had our hears in our mouths hoping things would turn out OK. So we're very excited about it.
[Carroll:] These high school girls say they've always believed the United States is ready to accept a man of color in the White House.
[Unidentified Student:] He has the education, and he's speaking he's saying good things. He's promoting good things in his campaign, so why couldn't he get this far? I feel like the country is stepping up a lot.
[Carroll:] The Ridleys understand the optimism of the younger generation but still question the willingness of some to get behind Obama in a general election.
[Jon Rieder, Sociologist And Author:] You think about the nastiness of the last couple months in the Democratic primary. We've had the resurgence of this image of a nation divided, so wounded women against wounded African-Americans. So we've got this incredible spectacle of kind of wounded identities and warring groups.
[Carroll:] One key group the senator will need, white women. On New York's upper west side, those we spoke to say they were hoping Senator Clinton would be the one making history. But most say they'll now support Obama.
[Unidentified Female:] I think it would have been just as historic if we had a first woman president. However, I think it will be terrific.
[Carroll:] The next question once the glow of this historic moment wears off and reality sets in, how will Senator Obama fare in the match-up against Senator John McCain? Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
[Collins:] Well, many Democrats consider it a dream ticket Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Some Clinton supporters are actively lobbying now for her to be Obama's vice presidential pick. Among them, billionaire businessman and Clinton adviser Bob Johnson. He's written a letter urging the congressional black caucus to endorse Clinton for the number two spot.
[Bob Johnson, Founder, Bet:] I believe Barack Obama can beat John McCain by with another vice president. But I think if he wants a unified Democratic Party and this absolute certainty that these two dynamic leaders bring to the Democratic Party, we have the best chance of winning with Senator Obama at the top of the ticket, Senator Clinton as his vice president. My letter was not a pressure letter. My letter was an urge and an encouragement. As I said before, Senator Obama will make the decision based on what he thinks is in the best interests of the person who can help him win the election and most important the person who can help him best govern when he is elected president.
[Collins:] Johnson says Clinton knows about his campaign, but didn't direct him to do it.
[Harris:] Barack Obama is still not officially the Democratic nominee. Some details now on Obama's status. He is considered the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party. Obama has won more than 2,118 delegates needed to secure the nomination. He will be officially nominated at the party's national convention. That's in August. Republican John McCain taking aim at Barack Obama's theme of change. McCain speaks later this morning, and we will bring that to you live. In a speech last night, he said the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, which he says Obama represents.
[Sen. John Mccain , Presidential Candidate:] Americans have seen me put aside partisan and personal interest to move this country forward. They haven't seen Senator Obama do the same. For all his fine words and all his promise, he has never taken the hard but right course of risking his own interests for yours, of standing up against the partisan rancor on his side to stand up for our country.
[Mccain:] He's an impressive man who makes a great first impression. But he but he hasn't been willing to make the tough calls, to challenge his party, to risk criticism from his supporters, to bring real change to Washington. I have.
[Harris:] McCain also says Obama lacks the experience to be a wartime commander in chief.
[Collins:] Some pretty big news coming out of United Airlines, talking about cutting jobs and changing their fleet plan. Quite a few planes going to be retired, apparently. Want to get over to CNN.com's money. And Poppy Harlow is standing by to give us the very latest on here. Boy, what are we talking about here, Poppy?
[Poppy Harlow, Cnnmoney.com:] Hi, Heidi. Well, with gas approaching $4 a gallon, the airlines are doing anything. United that's the second largest carrier in the world right behind American making a major move announcing just in the last few minutes they're going to cut their fleet by 100 planes by 2009. They're going to cut between 1,400 and 1,600 jobs. This is all in an effort to sort of stave off the mass of losses, hundreds of millions of dollars in losses over the past year. So but keep in mind with those job cuts, Heidi, 500 of those have already been announced. Now what's really key here is the kind of planes that United is cutting. They're cutting 94 Boeing 737s and six Boeing 747s. Those are as everyone knows out there, that they're huge planes. So we could likely be dealing with international routes being cut down, long talk about L.A. to New York, some big, big routes, not just small, local airports. The fleet the airlines said that these jets are, quote, "the oldest and least fuel efficient." That's why they're cutting them out of their fleet. They also have a deal with who they're leasing these planes from. But this is what they're planning at this time. They're going to cut their domestic capacity in the fourth quarter by 14 percent year over year. That means during the 2008-2009 period capacity will be reduced by 17 or 18 percent. That's what united said this morning Heidi?
[Collins:] Yes, well, you know, to me, Poppy, that seems to be the big news other than the job cuts when we're talking about people, of course, losing their jobs. Ninety-four 737s, I mean, that's a whole lot of planes versus these six 747s that they...
[Harlow:] Right.
[Collins:] ... seem to you know, usually ground when they have a crises like this. But boy, that's an awful lot.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Collins:] They're not making money domestically.
[Harlow:] No. It's not I mean they're not making money, period, but what they're trying to do is put those planes on the ground where they are just bleeding money. You know, there's new planes coming out of Airbus, Boeing, that are reportedly much more fuel efficient. So we'll see if they add those to their fleet. But, Heidi, you know, a lot of people out there are probably wondering what does this need for them.
[Collins:] Right.
[Harlow:] We'll certainly expect fuller planes. You know, if you're already getting bumped off your flight, expect that to happen some more. Also cutting the routes. So let's say you had 10 options in a day from L.A. to New York. That could mean seven or six options so people really are going to have to be careful. Of course, that's also going to mean higher fuel prices. Gas gets more expensive in the summer, higher ticket prices. So a lot of things out there that could happen from this, but this is the latest word where 100 less plane soon for United and some job cuts there as well.
[Collins:] Yes, it always seems to happen in the summertime. So much for that wonderful summertime travel, I guess.
[Harlow:] I know.
[Collins:] All right.
[Harlow:] Stay home.
[Collins:] Yes. CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow for us this morning. Thank you, Poppy. Battered, bruised, and bracing for more. The Midwest gearing up for another round of wicked weather. Winds, hail, and heavy rains leave destruction from Kansas to Ohio. Streets flooded and thousands of customers lost power. Funnel clouds also reported all over. At least three tornadoes hit Indiana. Six people were hurt. And another casualty a 122-year-old covered bridge in southwest, Indiana it was listed on the national register of historic places.
[Harris:] And we want to show you another view of the tornado that caused so much destruction in Parkersburg, Iowa, last month. Surveillance video taken from the ATM machine of a bank across the street from this house. Pretty incredible stuff you're about to see here. The storm closes in, and in seconds, boy, it is slamming the house with debris, ripping the roof right off, trying to tell the story and watch the pictures at the same time. The city is now looking to rebuild after that storm flattened about half of the town. It left seven people dead.
[Collins:] Yes, unbelievable video. We saw some of that yesterday...
[Harris:] Yes.
[Collins:] ... coming from the bank, as well, inside the bank. It was unbelievable. Jacqui Jeras actually on the air when that tornado hit.
[Jacqui Jeras, Cnn Meteorologist:] Yes.
[Collins:] And Jacqui, when you see that video, it really does help to sort of explain what people are seeing and feeling when they're right there, isn't it? And you're right. They could sit down and watch
[Cnn. Jeras:] Absolutely.
[Collins:] I think that's a really good idea.
[Jeras:] Who would not want to watch Heidi Collins and Tony Harris?
[Collins:] Oh. And Jacqui Jeras. All you.
[Harris:] Wow. All right, Jacqui, thank you.
[Collins:] We'll be back. And Jacqui, thanks so much. We'll check in with you a little bit later on. Also want to let you know something that we're watching for today. Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party, will be speaking live at the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee. They always hold their annual policy conference, so he will be speaking there shortly. We're going to keep our eye on that for you. And the delegate map does add up now for Barack Obama.
[Sen. Barack Obama , Presidential Candidate:] Tonight, I can stand here and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for the president of the United States of America.
[Collins:] The epic duel over? What happens to his rival? Talk about here in the CNN NEWSROOM.