Today's Election Coverage by TBPTOT

For CNN’s Election Night in America, Wolf Blitzer will be in Washington providing live coverage of the returns as soon as polls begin to close, while Campbell Brown, Anderson Cooper and Larry King will center their programs on the elections. Additional members of the Best Political Team on Television, including senior political analyst Gloria Borger,senior political correspondent Candy Crowley, chief national correspondent John King, will appear throughout primetime programming to discuss the night’s election results and the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s election. CNN also will have correspondents, including national political correspondent Jessica Yellin,covering races throughout the country where close results are expected. In addition to regular primetime programming, there will be a special edition of Larry King Live at midnight with a variety of guests, including Mayor Cory Booker, David Gergen, BET host Jeff Johnson and Ben Stein. Other guest throughout the night include James Carville, Ari Fleischer, Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Roland Martin, Mary Matalin, RNC chairman Michael Steele and former Gov. Jesse Ventura.

Throughout the evening, the new CNN.com will provide up-to-the-minute results of America Votes 2009, as well as commentary and analysis on specific races, initiatives and the bigger political picture. The CNN Political Ticker (www.CNN.com/Ticker) will have posts about political news of the day and iReporters will share their thoughts from the polls and from other places around the country. Twitter followers of @cnnbrk also will receive alerts throughout the evening with incoming results.


HLN will offer a full line-up of complementary programming to CNN's extensive election coverage, featuring its trademark News + Views with Nancy Grace, The Joy Behar Show, and Showbiz tonight.
Also -- tune in to The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET for part 2 his exclusive behind-the-scenes interview with senior adviser David Axelrod, communications director Anita Dunn and press secretary Robert Gibbs. These three members of the President’s inner circle reflect on the past year and present an intimate look at life inside President Obama’s White House.

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CNN’s Coverage of the Inauguration of Barack Obama

Building upon the network’s record-breaking coverage of the presidential campaign and election, CNN will provide a front row seat for viewers worldwide with live coverage leading up to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday, Jan. 20, including the swearing-in ceremony and the inauguration parade.

As part of live and in-depth coverage for The Inauguration of Barack Obama, members of the Best Political Team on Television will fan out across the nation’s capital on Inauguration Day to cover every angle of Obama’s official first day in office. CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper guide coverage of the events from the rooftop of the Newseum, a key vantage point along the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route.

“This is one of the most historic events of our time, and CNN will utilize all of our resources to capture the magnitude of the moment,” said Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. “Throughout Inauguration Day and beyond, CNN’s winning political team will continue to offer its trademark independent coverage which has been drawing a record number of viewers throughout this election season.”

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, The Inauguration of Barack Obama kicks off with CNN’s John Roberts and Kiran Chetry anchoring a special edition of American Morning live on Capitol Hill from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Beginning at 10 a.m., CNN’s coverage location moves to the Newseum, where Blitzer and Cooper, along with senior political analysts Gloria Borger and David Gergen, will anchor the special programming. Chief national correspondent John King will transport the network’s Magic Wall to a balcony inside the Newseum in order to illustrate traffic and hotspots around Washington. Also reporting from the Newseum, Campbell Brown will cover the day’s events and will moderate a panel with members of CNN’s Best Political Team on Television, including political contributors Paul Begala, Bill Bennett, Donna Brazile,James Carville, Alex Castellanos, Amy Holmes, Roland Martin, Hilary Rosen and Tara Wall.

In the days leading up to and including Inauguration Day, CNN’s Election Express will be stationed on the National Mall to serve as the center of operations for other members of the Best Political Team on Television reporting from across the nation’s capital. On Jan. 20, anchor Soledad O’Brien and senior political analyst Jeffrey Toobin will report from Lafayette Park, the location of the presidential viewing stands and a central spot from which to narrate the parade. Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley will provide viewers with an up-close view of the parade as she reports from within the parade itself and from key locations around the capital. Senior White House correspondent Ed Henry plans to speak with politicians and dignitaries watching from the inauguration ceremony platform. White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux will be live at the White House reporting on a variety of events, including Obama’s final visit with President George W. Bush.

Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash will cover her beat from the Capitol Rotunda. National political correspondent Jessica Yellin and correspondent Jim Acosta will bring viewers into the crowds who flocked to Washington to watch the inauguration. Correspondent Joe Johns will do the same from the Washington Mall. Anchor John Roberts also will be live on Capitol Hill.

Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve will report on the intense security measures in place for the inaugural events. White House correspondent Dan Lothian will head to Andrews Air Force Base to be on hand for Bush’s official departure from Washington. Other correspondents covering the inauguration include congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar, general assignment correspondents Kate Bolduan and Elaine Quijano, foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty, Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, correspondent Brian Todd and news anchors Don Lemon and Zain Verjee.

The Inauguration of Barack Obama will continue with a special edition of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., which will include live coverage of the parade, as well as a recap of the day’s happenings. From 7 p.m. to midnight, Campbell Brown and Anderson Cooper will lead CNN’s prime-time coverage, live from Washington D.C., with special editions of Campbell Brown: No Bias. No Bull and Anderson Cooper 360º which will include live reporting from the 10 official inaugural balls. Larry King hosts a special edition of Larry King Live from the Washington, D.C. bureau from midnight to 1 a.m.

CNN.com will provide special live coverage of the presidential inauguration and all related events in their entirety. Throughout the day, the site’s coverage will showcase the sights and sounds from the events captured by CNN.com reporters and photographers, as well as inauguration attendees. To provide additional perspective on the historic events taking place, the site also will feature reactions, analysis and commentary from CNN.com users and newsmakers alike.

CNN.com and Facebook are working together to enable users to connect and engage with each other while watching live all the events of Inauguration Day on CNN.com Live, the Internet’s only multi-stream live video news service. On Tuesday, Jan. 20, CNN.com Live users will be able to update their Facebook status directly from the CNN.com Live player and also see status updates from their friends and other Facebook users on CNN.com Live. On Facebook, the status updates for those using CNN.com Live will be published in their News Feed with hyperlinked tags that read “via CNN.com Live,” so users’ friends on Facebook can click the tag and join the CNN.com Live/Facebook experience.

Throughout the day, CNN.com Live will offer users up to four simultaneous live streams of inauguration coverage, including the parade and other related events happening in the nation’s capital, as well as Obama’s inaugural address. CNN.com Live anchor Melissa Long will anchor live from Washington and interview various guests and contributors as the day’s events unfold.
In addition to live streaming video, audio slideshows, photo galleries and interactives, other special inauguration coverage elements on CNN.com include:
· “Your View of History” – a customized map, built using Google Maps technology, of the inauguration parade route featuring video and still images to provide a comprehensive visual experience of the day’s events and the parade. Images will be placed on the map from the exact locations where they are taken, so that users can zoom in to get street-level views all along the route, giving users a closer glimpse of what it’s like to be there;
· Inaugural Address Report Card – ratings and comments on Obama’s speech from CNN political analysts and CNN.com users; and

· The Political Ticker – a special inaugural edition of the blog complete with live rolling updates, analysis and commentary from members of the Best Political Team.
iReport.com, the network’s user-generated online news community, will invite contributors to share their thoughts on the historic moment, as well as submit share their videos and photos, whether from the events or their own backyards.

HLN will feature special inaugural coverage anchored by anchor Robin Meade of Morning Express with Robin Meade. In keeping with the network’s “News and Views” format, HLN will air full live coverage of Obama’s swearing-in ceremony and inaugural address as well as other news updates but will also offer commentary and a variety of perspectives from CNN and HLN correspondents and other special guests.

CNN International will simulcast domestic programming from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Blogger personal note: YEA!!!! I will be in the UK on the 20th so I am glad to see I will be getting the coverage I would be getting back home)

CNN en Españolplans to offerextensive live coverage of Inauguration Day, with senior anchor Patricia Janiot and correspondents Juan Carlos López and Ione Molinares, reporting live from Washington. Special coverage will wrap up with a prime-time special at 9 p.m. with a focus on the events of the day.

CNN Radio’s Bob Costantini, Lisa Desjardins and Dick Uliano and will anchor coverage from the capital starting at 11:06 a.m. and continuing until 1 p.m. or through the end of the inaugural address. Coverage will be provided to affiliates, as well as streamed live on CNN.com.

CNN Newsource will provide its affiliates access to custom reports from correspondent Sandra Endo and RunningMate correspondent Samantha Hayes from one of the best rooftop shots in the nation’s capitol.

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CNN Election Night Coverage Plans

Blitzer, Team of Anchors, Analysts to Lead CNN’s ‘Election Night in America’
After more than a year and a half of debates, primaries and political rallies, the U.S. presidential election will culminate on Tuesday, Nov. 4, with live, comprehensive programming and in-depth analysis across the powerful resources of CNN Worldwide platforms.

CNN’s “Election Night in America” coverage begins at 6 p.m. (ET) – one hour before the first polls close – with Wolf Blitzer leading the Best Political Team on Television along with Campbell Brown and Anderson Cooper from the Election Center headquarters in New York.
As he has throughout most of this presidential election cycle, chief national correspondent John King will use the latest technology as well as his reporting from every battleground state of this campaign to zero in on hotly contested states and provide analysis – down to a county-by-county level – to explain CNN’s projections in each state. Using CNN’s “Magic Wall” and a 3-D, 6-foot-long virtual U.S. Capitol, King will break down data about the presidential race and report on updates to the House and Senate balance of power.

In addition, Soledad O’Brien and Bill Schneider will, for the first time, showcase exit-polling data simultaneously from all 50 states with demographic comparisons. By using two 103-inch interactive plasma screens, the team will display a state-by-state breakdown of polling data according to any number of demographic and political groups. The new way of presenting polling information will allow viewers to compare how others in their state voted compared to those in different states.

Throughout the evening, senior analysts Gloria Borger, David Gergen and Jeffrey Toobin and political contributors Paul Begala, Bill Bennett, Donna Brazile, James Carville, Alex Castellanos, Amy Holmes, Roland Martin, Ed Rollins, Hilary Rosen, Leslie Sanchez and Tara Wall will provide analysis and commentary. CNN political correspondents Candy Crowley, Suzanne Malveaux and Jessica Yellin will report live throughout the evening from Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign headquarters in Chicago, while correspondents Dana Bash and Ed Henry will be on the ground at Sen. John McCain’s headquarters in Phoenix. In addition, CNN correspondents will be on the ground reporting from key battleground states.

Adding to what promises to be one of the most technologically advanced events in CNN’s 28-year history, CNN will enhance interviews with remote correspondents and guests using hologram projection. The network has built sets powered by hologram technology at both campaign headquarters making it possible to project three-dimensional images into the Election Center. From the New York set, anchors will exhibit more natural conversations with newsmakers and CNN correspondents in the field by interacting in real time with their 3-D virtual images.

CNN Programming Pre- and Post-Election Day
Amid CNN's multi-platform coverage, anchor Lou Dobbs will provide his independent perspective on this pivotal election. Special editions of Lou Dobbs Tonight will air live on Headline News on Monday, Nov. 3, and Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 9 p.m. (ET).
CNN’s live pre-Election Day coverage begins on Monday, Nov. 3, at 6 a.m. and will continue through Thursday, Nov. 6. On Monday evening, CNN’s prime-time coverage kicks off with Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull and includes two live hours of Anderson Cooper 360° followed by a live midnight airing of Larry King Live. CNN/U.S. will remain live from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., at which time American Morning with anchors Kiran Chetry and John Roberts will begin its Election Day coverage. On Wednesday, Nov. 5, American Morning will follow-up on the election news of the day before beginning at 3 a.m. (ET)

CNN Coverage of Voter Irregularities:
On Election Day, CNN will assemble “go teams” of correspondents and producers who will report on breaking election news and voting irregularities. Throughout the day, CNN’s Ali Velshi will anchor reports on voting irregularities from the “go teams,” and legal experts will track and analyze such issues across the country.
As announced earlier in the month, CNN launched the Voter Hotline at 1.877.GOCNN08 (877.462.6608) to assist voters in reporting any problems or irregularities noticed at the polls. To date, the hotline has received more than 15,000 calls with the expectation to handle hundreds of thousands of calls by Election Night.

CNN.com Election Coverage:
As the premier online destination for Election Day coverage, CNN.com will showcase real-time election coverage and live results for national and state races, detailed exit-polling data, video and audio feeds, photo galleries and games. Users can customize their online experience by selecting the races they most care about and viewing results by state and county, as well as scorecards, maps and live streams of speeches.
CNNPolitics.com, the site’s political news gateway, will feature complete coverage and analysis as the results are tallied. Members of the Best Political Team will share their insights on the Political Ticker, the Internet’s No. 1 political news blog according to Nielsen Online. Also, through The Forum, CNN.com’s destination for social and political self-expression, users are empowered to engage in real-time discussions with other registered members and invite their Facebook friends to join in the conversation through the recently launched Facebook Connect.
CNN.com Live will stream “Election Night in America” in its entirety, plus provide real-time election results and commentary from CNN analysts, contributors and correspondents. Throughout the day, CNN.com Live anchor Melissa Long will co-anchor a live Election Special from the CNN Election Center in New York with various guests, contributors and members of the Best Political Team on Television. As results start coming in, CNN.com Live will have special Election Night coverage with Long from New York and Reggie Aqui, Naamua Delaney and Nicole Lapin from CNN Headquarters in Atlanta. CNN.com will also offer users the ability to watch past candidate speeches online through video on-demand, CNN.com Live and full text transcripts.

CNN Grill/Times Square Viewing Party:
Building upon the success of the CNN Grills at both conventions as well as 2006’s “CNN Election Nite Blog Party,” the network will open a CNN Grill inside the Time Warner Center Park Café from 6 p.m. to midnight (ET). Internet reporter Abbi Tatton will report live for CNN.com Live from the Grill throughout the night. Comments from bloggers in the Grill will post at CNN.com.

Also on Election Day from noon to midnight, CNN will hold a viewing party in Times Square in conjunction with the Times Square Alliance. The public, on a first-come, first-served basis, will be able to view CNN’s election coverage on Spectacolor HD, ClearChannel Spectacolor’s digital display, located at the corner of 47th Street and Broadway. Similar viewing events for Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama’s nomination acceptance speeches attracted more than a thousand spectators to the heart of Times Square.

CNN’s International Coverage:
Viewers from around the world also will also have the opportunity to follow the U.S. presidential election as CNN International simulcasts many hours of CNN’s non-stop coverage. The network has teams in place in more than 32 countries with correspondents in Obama’s ancestral home town in Kenya as well as in Iraq, Israel and key capitals of Europe, Asia and Latin America. CNN Español also will provide rolling coverage of America Votes 2008. In addition, CNN-branded global networks and digital services such as CNN IBN in India, CNN Turk in Turkey, CNN+ in Spain and CNNArabic.com, CNN’s Arabic language Web site will provide on-going coverage of “Election Night in America.”

CNN Radio/CNN Newsource/CNN Student News:
CNN Radio will have continuous anchored Election Night coverage by CNN Radio Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins and CNN anchor Kyra Phillips. It will be available to CNN Radio affiliates worldwide and streamed online at CNN.com beginning at 7 p.m. (ET). CNN Radio correspondent Jim Roope will report live from McCain campaign headquarters and CNN Radio correspondent Amanda Moyer from Obama campaign headquarters. Also contributing will be CNN Radio correspondents Steve Kastenbaum, Ed McCarthy and Dick Uliano along with members of CNN’s Best Political Team on Television. CNN Newsource will provide its affiliates access to custom reports from correspondents Kate Bolduan and Sandra Endo and RunningMate correspondent Samantha Hayes.

The day after voters head to the polls, CNN Student News will focus on the last-minute campaigns and voter turnout and present the results of the presidential and congressional elections at its regularly scheduled programming time. Teachers, parents and students can visit CNN Student News for election activities and discussion questions about the elections. The “Talking Democracy” link provides additional free content that focuses on election-related concepts, such as the right to vote, campaign finance and debates. CNN Student News is a 10-minute commercial-free program on Headline News at 4 a.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, streamed online at http://www.cnnstudentnews.com/ or as a free iTunes podcast.

This is my last post on ATC before the election. I want to end with a clip of some children who were on CNN NewsRoom with Kyra Phillips. They are a smart group of kids and I want you to remember them when you go to vote on Tuesday. Vote for them and their futures as well as your own.

Until next week ~ Sapphire

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Are You Ready For A (Democratic) Convention???

CNN has pulled out all the stops in preparation for the conventions and the November elections. Chris Daughtry has rerecorded "Feels Like the First Time" as the theme song for CNN's The League of First Time Voters initiative. The single will appear on Daughtry Deluxe, the band's upcoming deluxe version of its debut album, due out Tuesday, Sept. 9. Here's the video:

Can you believe we have actually made it to the first of the two presidential conventions? It has been a long 19 months but CNN has been covering the story from all the angles since the beginning.

CNN is getting ready for the Democratic National Convention next week from Denver, Colorado.

Convention kickoff on CNN Domestic – Saturday and Sunday at 8:00PM EST

Democratic National Convention programming for the week of Aug. 25:
* A special convention edition of American Morning with John Roberts and Kiran Chetry will air Monday, Aug. 25 through Friday, Aug. 29 from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
* A special edition of CNN Newsroom from 9 a.m. to noon will feature anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien and extended segments and frequent live shots from the convention site.
* For the noon hour, CNN will feature Soledad O’Brien and anchors Gerri Willis and Ali Velshi live from New York’s Election Center with guests and panel discussions live from CNN’s Grill. The hour will have a convention-focused theme with the role of the economy and other pocketbook issues in the election.
* CNN Newsroom will return from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with Soledad O’Brien leading CNN’s special convention coverage.
* Beginning at 4 p.m., lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer will anchor The Situation Room from the convention floor. Each day, the convention will gavel to order while The Situation Room is in progress and offering the first look at that day’s activities.
* CNN will move into its primetime convention coverage beginning at approximately 6 p.m. Anchor Anderson Cooper, senior political analyst Gloria Borger, and chief national correspondent John King, along with the “magic wall,” will join Blitzer on CNN’s floor set in the Pepsi Center. The coverage will extend late into the night and lead into a special midnight edition of Larry King Live.
* On the final evening, CNN will relocate its political team and resources to Invesco Field at Mile High, where Sen. Obama is expected to accept his party’s nomination.
* Throughout the day and evening, CNN’s political team will offer the latest news and thoughtful analysis. Correspondents include Dana Bash, Candy Crowley, Joe Johns, Suzanne Malveaux, Bill Schneider and Jessica Yellin.

CNN Grills
CNN Worldwide returns to the convention scene in 2008 with the “CNN Grill,” providing both Democrats and Republicans with a distinct venue to mix good food and lively political debate. The CNN Grills take a cue from the immensely successful “CNN Diner” at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.

The CNN Grill will be open for the duration of both the Democratic National Convention in Denver from Monday, Aug. 25, through Thursday, Aug. 28, In Denver, the CNN Grill will take over Brooklyn’s restaurant located adjacent to the Pepsi Center; Situated immediately adjacent to the delegate entrances at both conventions, the CNN Grills will serve as additional broadcast centers that bring newsmakers and the media together to participate in CNN live broadcasts both on-air and online at CNN.com and mingle with CNN guests. The Grills will be open each convention day for CNN hospitality and invited guests starting at 3 p.m. (MT) in Denver.

“All across the country, places where people gather for good food and lively conversation are top destinations for campaigners, so we wanted to bring that experience directly to both conventions,” said Scot Safon, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for CNN Worldwide. “Between the live CNN political team coverage and the great food, we expect the CNN Grills – as the CNN Diner was four years ago in New York City – to be must-visit destinations for convention-goers.”

The brick exterior of the CNN Grill in Denver will display an array of painted quotes about politics. Editors at CNNPolitics.com asked users to submit – in 10 words or less – what “politics” means to them. The political expressions that will appear on the Grill wall were selected from hundreds of submissions from across the country.

CNN pioneered the concept behind the CNN Grills in 2004 with the CNN Diner, which was located at the Tick Tock Diner. The campaign was honored in 2005 with PROMO magazine’s PRO Award in the “Best Use of Event Marketing” category

So if you are in the Denver area and get the opportunity to attend any of the events, let us know your firsthand accounts. Oh and if you see Bill Schneider, tell him Ms. Sapphire loves his hat!




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Free Falling

Well it has finally arrived. The final four days of the 2008 Presidential Primary season are now upon us and CNN and the best political team on television are pulling out all the stops. In what has been a primary season like no other, the kind that makes you feel like your free falling CNN released the following press release in regards to CNN’s upcoming coverage.

CNN’s political team will report live from the CNN Election Center and across Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota for the network’s extensive coverage of the final Democratic primaries on Sunday, June 1, and Tuesday, June 3. As voters in the final three contests make their voices heard, CNN will offer live and in-depth coverage stretching across four days of programming.

On Saturday, May 31, as the rules committee for the Democratic National Committee meets to decide the Florida and Michigan delegate issue, CNN will broadcast Decision Day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The special will be anchored by lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer, who will be joined by the Best Political Team on Television. The CNN Election Express will be on-site in Washington, D.C. where the rules committee will meet throughout the day Saturday. CNN correspondents will track how decisions made at the meeting may affect the race for the Democratic nomination. CNN.com Live, the network’s multi-stream video news service, also will have a camera inside and will begin live streaming the entire meeting at 9:30 a.m. Following Decision Day, a special live edition of This Week in Politics will air from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Then at 7 p.m., the in-depth political coverage continues with a one-hour special Election Center.

On Sunday, June 1, voters in Puerto Rico will head to the polls, and CNN will be the only news organization with exit poll results to report. A special edition of Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer will broadcast live from the CNN Election Center in New York from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with top analysts and guests offering insights. At 1 p.m., CNN will premiere Fareed Zakaria: GPS, a new weekly international news and discussion program.

For a special primary edition of Election Center on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 7p.m., CNN’s political team will offer the most up-to-the-minute information and analyze incoming exit poll data. The special will also use the latest CNN technology such as the results board and the CNN “multi-touch” board, which throughout the election season has made complex demographic and all-important delegate data understandable and accessible. A special CNN Newsroom with Rick Sanchez will then follow at 7 p.m.

On Monday, June 2, CNN programs, including The Situation Room which will be live from the Election Center from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., will explore the results from Puerto Rico and look ahead to Tuesday’s primaries and the general election.

For the final primaries in Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday, June 3, CNN’s special prime-time Election Center programming will begin at 8 p.m., following wall-to-wall politics on The Situation Room from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and a special edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight at 7 p.m. Tuesday’s coverage will run late into the night and lead into a special edition of Larry King Live at midnight hosted by Larry King. American Morning with John Roberts and Kyra Phillips will be live the following morning at a special time from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Leading the special coverage during the final Democratic primaries will be Wolf Blitzer along with Campbell Brown, Anderson Cooper and Lou Dobbs. Anchor and special correspondent Soledad O'Brien and senior political analyst Bill Schneider will again report the exit poll data.

Gloria Borger, senior political analyst; David Gergen, senior political analyst; Suzanne Malveaux, White House correspondent; Roland Martin, political analyst; and Jeff Toobin, senior analyst, will be on-hand with their insights. CNN contributors Paul Begala, Bill Bennett and Donna Brazile and political strategists Alex Castellanos, Leslie Sanchez and Jamal Simmons will also provide commentary.

CNN’s correspondents are traveling across Puerto Rico , Montana and South Dakota to cover the race. CNN correspondent Jessica Yellin and CNN en Español correspondent Juan Carlo Lopez will be on the ground in Puerto Rico to report on developments while senior political correspondent Candy Crowley and correspondent Mary Snow will also be traveling with the campaigns.

CNN will offer up-to-the minute reporting and analysis at CNNPolitics.com and on the CNN Political Ticker at www.CNN.com/ticker. CNN.com Live will have special coverage of the Montana and South Dakota primaries on June 3 with Melissa Long anchoring from the CNN election center in New York and Reggie Aqui anchoring from Atlanta starting at 7 p.m.
CNN Radio will offer special reports for affiliates for the June 3 Montana and South Dakota primaries. CNN Newsource will provide its affiliates access to on-site reports from RunningMate correspondent Samantha Hayes.

CNN is adding to the group investigating a “Planet in Peril.” Lisa Ling is joining the group. Here is the CNN press release.

CNN’s award-winning Planet in Peril documentary series returns later this year with an examination of the conflict between growing populations and natural resources.
For Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and The Oprah Winfrey Show correspondent and National Geographic host Lisa Ling travel to the front lines of these environmental conflicts where countries, communities and individuals are fighting over oil, land, water and food. The documentary, to be taped in high definition, will air in late 2008.

“We want to bring viewers to the front lines of these growing conflicts,” Cooper said. “The battle over natural resources is leading to environmental devastation, destruction of wildlife and the spread of dangerous viruses, not to mention the loss of human life. We want to take viewers on this journey with us and show them the reality of what’s occurring.”

The first Planet in Peril, a four-hour investigation that aired in October 2007, traveled to 13 countries to explore four factors that impact the environment – overpopulation, deforestation, species loss and climate change. For the second Planet in Peril, CNN will be traveling across the globe to some of the most remote regions of the planet.

Ling, an award-winning journalist, joins Planet in Peril for its second installment. As a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, Ling reported about gang rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bride burning in India, polygamy, the Virginia Tech massacre and Hurricane Katrina, among others stories. Previously, she served as co-host for The View and as a correspondent for Channel One. For National Geographic, she explored the phenomenon of female suicide bombers and investigated Colombia ’s drug war.

For Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, CNN crews will visit the North Pole, where melting ice has touched off an international conflict over ownership of the arctic waters and energy resources that lie below; Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where dwindling food supplies push people into the jungle, exposing them to mysterious and deadly diseases that scientists think could result in the next pandemic; and Indonesia, a center of shark-finning operations that have helped deplete the oceans of more than 90 percent of shark species.

Anyone who has ever worked or watched live TV knows it can be a little bit like free falling. On Monday's American Morning, John Roberts shared with the viewers a little mishap that can happen with live television.

Tonight I end with a clip of Rob Marciano’s sky diving experience. Looks so amazing but I don’t think I could ever do it. Good for Rob trying something extreme.

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