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Democrats Fail to Overturn War Funding Veto; Secretary Rice Visits Egypt For Iraq Summit; Pain at the Pump; James Brown: The Real Story; Mood at Virginia Tech; Train Derailment in Alabama has NASA Worried.

Aired May 02, 2007 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Susan Roesgen, filling in for Kyra Phillips.

Where do your groceries come from before they get to the store? The Food and Drug Administration says it's time to start paying much closer attention.

LEMON: And it's the last day of class at Virginia Tech and the end of a spring semester that no student will surely ever forget. We will talk with the editor of the student newspaper.

ROESGEN: And we are live at the White House, getting reaction on today's failed override veto of the war funding bill and what is next in funding this war.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: The president meeting with congressional leaders right now.

In fact, let's take a listen in on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I thank the -- I they the leaders and -- from Congress for coming down to discuss the Iraq funding issue. Yesterday was a day that highlighted differences. Today is a day where we can work together to find common ground.

I -- I will inform the speaker and -- and the leader that -- of our serious intent. And, to that end, I will name our chief of staff, Josh Bolten, along with Steve Hadley and Rob Portman, to work with members of both parties to fund our troops.

I think it's very important we do this as quickly as we possibly can. I'm confident that we can reach agreement. But I know that it's going require goodwill, but we all care deeply about our country and care about this issue.

And, so, I -- I want to thank the members for coming down again. I'm looking forward to our discussions and looking forward to what will be a constructive set of discussions and negotiations.

Thank you all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, the president meeting with congressional leaders there -- if anything comes out of that, we will bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

But we want to get now to our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash. She's standing by for us on Capitol Hill.

And I said -- what I picked up from this, Dan, is, it is going to require some goodwill on both sides, and they want to do it quickly.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They do want to do it quickly. In fact, they have to do it quickly, because this, of course, this fight, is over funding, which all sides agree that they have got to get to the president's desk probably by the beginning of June.

What was also interesting about that, Don, is the president making clear that he's going to set aside three of his top lieutenants to negotiate with Democrats and Republicans here on Capitol Hill over the next couple of weeks to try to find that compromise.

Now, that particular meeting, which is still going on as we speak at the White House, came minutes after the House voted to try to override the president's veto, which he issued yesterday.

Now, this is something that we have not seen in the six-and-a- half years or so that President Bush has been in office, a vote by anybody, either body here in Congress, to try to override a veto, because he's only given two now. So, that was sort of noteworthy and perhaps historic when it comes to the Bush presidency -- not a surprise that the vote did not get a sufficient number of votes to override the veto.

Democrats never thought they had the votes there. But they wanted to have this to try to push forward one last stand to show the president how they feel about this war and about, from their perspective, the need for troops to start coming home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The war in Iraq has made matters worse in the war on terrorism. What we have to do is work together, Democrats and Republicans, with the president of the United States to bring stability to that region. Now into the fifth year of a failed policy, this administration should get a clue. It's not working.

REP. JERRY LEWIS (R), CALIFORNIA: You have made your point. You had your dog-and-pony show. You have posed for political holy pictures on TV. Now what is your plan to support the troops? It is time to put the posturing and political stunts aside, and do what is the best -- in the best interests of our troops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now Democrats, of course, the new Democratic majority here in Congress, may have picked the Iraq funding fight with the president.

But, Don, it's going to be interesting to watch, because Republicans actually may be the ones here in Congress to hold the -- key to compromise, rather, because what they are telling us, many of them are saying, is, look, they stand with the White House in opposing any timeline for withdrawing troops, at least through legislation.

But they do think it's important, many Republicans, to hold the Iraqi government accountable, and perhaps to put forward some benchmarks that Iraqis must meet, and tie that to economic aid for Iraqis. That would be a way, from their perspective, again, to hold the Iraqis accountable, which they say is crucial for this mission to succeed.

In terms of the Democrats, it's also interesting to note, Don, from the Democrats we're talking to, they know full well, at the end of the day, they cannot pass anything with a timeline to withdraw troops that the president will sign. They know that.

They are also telling us that, at the end of the day, they also understand that what they pass will likely get a large number of Republican votes, and they may lose a large number of Democratic votes in the end on this particular measure.

LEMON: Congressional correspondent Dana Bash, thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

ROESGEN: And one of the big questions right now in Iraq is: Is he dead or alive? Still no definitive answer on the fate of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.

U.S. and Iraqi officials are trying to confirm reports that he was killed by rivals in fighting near Baghdad earlier this week. A front organization for al Qaeda denies the reports and says he's still alive. The U.S. says his death would be significant, but would not stop the fighting in Iraq.

So, what are they saying in Iraq now? What would al-Masri's death mean for the insurgency?

CNN's Hugh Riminton has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an ex-con from Jordan, who established al Qaeda in Iraq. His masterstroke was to take his exceptionally violent insurgent group in 2004 and seek and receive the blessing and the al Qaeda brand name from Osama bin Laden.

Zarqawi's death was announced several times before it actually happened in a U.S. airstrike in Diyala Province last June. Zarqawi's replacement was named within a week, an Egyptian, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, a master bomb maker and longtime follower of bin Laden's number two, Ayman Al-Zawahri.

Soon, with a $5 million bounty on his head, rumors of his demise were also circulating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My message to the terrorist Abu Ayyub al-Masri, we are very close to you, closer than you think and imagine.

RIMINTON: Iraqi security analysts say al-Masri lacked Zarqawi's personal charisma. But that has not stopped the organization developing politically, while engineering a near constant barrage of atrocities.

(on camera): Late last year, under al-Masri, al Qaeda formed up the Islamic State of Iraq, naming its own cabinet. This was a political apparatus in pursuit of its long-term strategic goal, the establishment of an extreme Muslim state in Iraq. Al-Masri named himself minister of war.

(voice-over): It was his predecessor, Zarqawi, who had openly pushed sectarian war in Iraq, so that al Qaeda rapidly made Shias their enemy, as much as the U.S.-led occupation. Al-Masri has maintained that course.

But, under al-Masri, al Qaeda has also fought hard against new pressure brought by a changed U.S. tactical plan, devising more sophisticated roadside bombs to beat the new-generation American anti- bomb techniques.

Last month, al Qaeda also claimed responsibility for two suicide truck bombs used to kill nine U.S. soldiers and wound 20 more at a patrol base in Diyala Province. The U.S. was quick to acknowledge Tuesday that, even if al-Masri has been killed, as reported, that would not end al Qaeda violence.

Hugh Riminton, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: And a global summit on Iraq officially kicks off tomorrow. But many of the main players are already in Egypt for this two-day conference geared toward just one goal: more global, economic and diplomatic support for Iraq.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is there in Egypt. And so is CNN's Aneesh Raman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Big expectations at least exist among some of the states that are here to see whether or not some momentum can be achieved with Iraq's neighboring countries to change the situation on the ground and to make this conference different than the ones that have come before that haven't changed much.

As you mentioned, Secretary Rice arriving a short time ago, soon after meeting with the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, consulting before the conference officially kicks off tomorrow.

Now, at the very least, we expect, by Friday, some announcement of debt -- of either aid to Iraq or debt relief. Iraq still owes about $56 billion in external debt.

At best, though, there will be some momentum among these countries. What will determine where things stand in the end is Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, himself. The reason is that he has faced increased criticism from within Iraq for being an ineffective leader. And from Sunni countries, like Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, that are here in attendance, he has faced criticism for not getting Sunni participation higher in the Iraqi government.

So, he's going to have to try and navigate these questions from these member states and make his conference something more than a photo-op.

For her part, Secretary Rice, in terms of her goal, said on the way in -- quote -- "The most important message that I will be delivering is that a stable, unified and democratic Iraq is an Iraq that will be a pillar of stability in the Middle East."

Now, we have heard that before. We will likely hear that again. What will make those words mean something is if they can rally action here at this conference, both the U.S. and especially the Iraqi government. It's a tall order. Expectations are low. But, again, the very fact that they are meeting, there's some hope that will cause something to change on the ground.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: Well, Secretary of State Rice also said that the entire Middle East loses if Iraq fails. And she reminded Iraq's neighbor states that troubles in that region existed long before the American invasion.

LEMON: And, Susan, we have a developing story here into the CNN NEWSROOM.

It's out of western Alabama. It is a railroad bridge. It collapsed, and just as a train was about to go across it. The train derailed. Six people are hurt in that -- and, on board, material from NASA.

We're going to check in now with CNN's Miles O'Brien. And he's going to explain what is happening, and the dangers of all this, and what is on board. MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: What is on board is a full flight set, that is to say, the segments, eight segments in all, of solid rocket boosters. Imagine a shuttle on the launchpad.

LEMON: Right.

O'BRIEN: Those thin sort of cigarette type...

LEMON: Down the side.

O'BRIEN: ... down the side attached to the orange external fuel tank, which, by the way, do about 80 percent of the work of getting the space shuttle to orbit.

Our, actually -- there you go. You see that there's one solid rocket booster, and there's the other.

LEMON: Mm-hmm.

O'BRIEN: And it does about 80 percent of the work of getting the shuttle to orbit. They are manufactured in Utah. And not many people know it, but the space shuttle program runs its own railroad.

Well, today it was a very unlucky train. Take a look at these pictures. This is one of the casings right there which holds one of the solid rocket booster segments, eight segments in all. There are four segments in each solid rocket booster. And it derailed as it passed over a bridge over the Tenn-Tombigbee River, between Pennington -- just outside of Pennington, Alabama.

You can it's swampy area there. The bridge gave way. The locomotives went off. And at least one of those cases containing that segment of a solid rocket booster went off the tracks and is on the ground there.

Let me show you the route, first of all, and then we're going to talk about what this material can and cannot do. But take a look. It begins in Utah, where these sections are built. It's a combination of things that go into it. The route, the big-picture route, is basically like that.

Let's zoom in. We will take you down to Utah. This is where it was made. It was -- this facility has been there since before the space shuttle program, making this solid rocket fuel. It consists of aluminum powder, ammonium perchlorate, and rubber, which is -- gives it, basically, the consistency of an eraser.

Let's go take -- take you down the route here, and we will go -- just the other day, as this train was making its way through Kansas, there was another derailment, lost a few wheels. They fixed that, no problem.

Then, today, 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, 9:00 a.m. local time, Central time in Alabama, reached this swampy area in Alabama, and went off the track. Now, we're told there were perhaps as many as five injuries. The people who were injured, they had to be choppered to Mobile, because that's really an area that is not densely populated at all. The area has been cordoned off, as a precaution. And a special team from ATK, the manufacturer, is on its way in a chartered jet to handle it.

But when I say eraser, I have seen this stuff. It's just like this, this pencil eraser material. That's all it is. And, as a result, it is extremely stable. That's the good news.

LEMON: That's what I was going to ask you. How dangerous is that?

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Extremely stable stuff. It needs to have quite a detonation...

LEMON: Right.

O'BRIEN: ... for it to begin. Once it gets started going, there's no stopping it. And it creates a lot of thrust.

But, in the form that it is, it's very stable.

LEMON: So, you mentioned, a couple of days ago, the same train had a wheel problems. And, then, this is a bad-luck train.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: It's a bad-luck train. They tell me it's a coincidence.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Yes.

Now, listen, all of these things -- you said it's the booster rockets, right?

O'BRIEN: Right.

LEMON: A problem with that? Or do we -- is it too early to know if they are going to -- if they are damaged, or...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Well, they are going to take them back to the manufacturer and double-check it, before they send it back.

I asked if this is going to have some impact on future shuttle launches. They tell me no. They have two complete sets of solid rocket boosters at the cape. They should be able to, even with this delay, have enough there to keep the shuttles flying. This one was -- these were supposed to fly in October.

LEMON: All right. All is well. And we hope the injured the best as well.

O'BRIEN: Yes. I am told they are not serious injuries.

LEMON: All right. All right.

Miles O'Brien, thank you so much, sir. Always good to see you.

O'BRIEN: All right.

ROESGEN: Coming up: As another semester ends, most college students welcome the start of the summer break, but what is happening now at Virginia Tech after a spring there that was unlike any other? The story is ahead in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And first pets, then hogs, now chicken. Melamine turns up at dozens of farms. And the FDA says it's time to get serious on food safety.

Next in the NEWSROOM: What is in your dinner?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Eighteen past the hour. Here are three of the stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

House Democrats have failed to override President Bush's veto of the Iraq war funding bill. Congressional leaders are meeting with the president this afternoon to talk about a compromise.

A new call for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign -- this time, it's his own foreign minister who is breaking ranks. A government report Monday blamed Olmert for severe failures in last year's campaign against Hezbollah.

And the FDA wants new labeling on antidepressants. The labels warn of an increased suicide risk to adults ages 18 to 24. The drugs already carry warnings for children and adolescents.

We need to get you to Washington -- Republicans walking up to the mike right now, after the president's meeting.

Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: ... to begin to look for common ground to try to make sure that our troops get the funding that they need.

I have made it clear that -- that we need a clean bill. We need a bill that allows our troops to be funded, allows them to do their work, and allows them to continue to try to achieve victory in Iraq.

And, on top of that, I don't -- still don't think that we need all of the excess spending that's in this bill. But, having said that, I think there's a way for us to work together to try to find common ground. That's what the American people expect of us. And I think that's the commitment we made to each other today.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Senator Reid and I have an agreement on the Senate side as to how we're going to proceed.

He and I will be meeting tomorrow with Josh Bolten, who is the president's designated negotiator up on the Senate, to see if we can begin to work out the way forward.

I also agree with Leader Boehner. I think the spirit in the room was good. I think there's a widespread recognition, a probably unanimous recognition, that we need to get this job done. It also needs to be done by Memorial Day, rather than just continuously dragging out.

So, in the Senate, we will begin tomorrow with a meeting with Josh Bolten, the majority leader, and myself, and get down to the details, and see if we can't work something out that is mutually agreement -- agreeable among the three of us.

BOEHNER: Questions?

QUESTION: Was there any breakthrough -- breakthrough on any issues or any that you saw a compromise that might be possible?

MCCONNELL: No, we really didn't discuss the deal. We did talk a good deal about the way forward., you know, the procedure to get going. And I have just outlined you -- for you exactly how we're going to do it on the Senate side.

QUESTION: Was there any talk about, you know, timelines? Did you get any sense whether the Democrats were willing to give on that, or whether the president was willing to give on that?

BOEHNER: We did not discuss it, yes.

LEMON: All right. That's Republican leaders, saying that there was -- they are trying to reach some common ground in all of this; everyone at that meeting, Republican and Democrats, realize that this should be the speediest solution possible. They said they want to get this done by Memorial Day.

We shall see. The Democrats, if they come out, their leaders, we will bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Meantime, let's throw it over to Susan -- Susan.

ROESGEN: OK, Don.

You know, we have had some serious health scares involving food in this country: salmonella in peanut butter, E. coli-contaminated spinach, and now word that a food additive that caused a massive pet food recall was also fed to chickens in the human food supply.

The Food and Drug Administration says our food is safe. But how do we really know? CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to give us some insight -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it definitely appears certain that humans really did eat food that was contaminated with this chemical called melamine. So, this is really new ground. This really hasn't happened before in this way.

Let's take a look at what the Food and Drug Administration said has happened. They said that two to five to three million chickens ate this feed that's tainted with melamine. They said these chickens were slaughtered back in March.

So, they said they are definitely in the food system, went to supermarkets, probably have been eaten. But the FDA says they are not issuing any kind of a recall. And the USDA says this as well. They're not issuing any kind of a recall. They say that this is not a threat to human health.

ROESGEN: Yes. How can it not be a threat to human health, though, if it killed all those pets?

COHEN: Right, 16 cats and dogs died, not just got sick, but died. How could it not be a threat?

Well, we asked the USDA and the FDA. And they said, look, when pets eat food, they eat the same food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They're eating one thing over and over again. Sure, people eat chicken. But you're not eating chicken, and probably not the same batch of chicken, over and over and over again, three meals a day. So, you're just not getting as high a dose.

Also, the pets directly ate that contaminated feed. The chicken ate the contaminated feed, and then people ate the chicken. So, there's a serious dilution factor going on there.

ROESGEN: OK. There's also, I understand, some concern about this same protein being in wheat gluten, which means it would be in the bread that we eat. Are there worries about that, too?

COHEN: Yes.

The Food and Drug Administration has been very concerned about that. And, last week, they said, we're going to look at gluten products. This chemical, melamine, was put into gluten that made it into pet food. Maybe it made it also into animal food. It could have made it into bread. It could have possibly made it into pasta, power bars. The list is almost endless.

Well, yesterday, in a conference call, the FDA told reporters, we are no longer worried about -- we don't think that that is an issue any longer.

ROESGEN: OK. Thanks, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Thanks. LEMON: Thank you so much.

We want to get back to the White House. Sorry about that.

Democratic leaders are coming out, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid leading the charge there. They are going to walk up to the microphone and talk about their meeting.

PELOSI: Good afternoon.

We just -- the legislative -- congressional leadership just had a very positive meeting with President Bush, where he expressed his willingness to work together in good faith, in the right approach, to coming together to find our common ground.

Yesterday, the Congress sent a bill to the president which we believed honored the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. It supported our troops. It honors the sacrifice of our veterans. And it held the Iraqis accountable.

The president chose to veto the bill. We made our position clear. He made his position clear. Now it is time for us to try to work together to come together.

But make no mistake. Democrats are committed to ending this war. And we hope to do so in unison with the president of the United States.

Mr. Leader?

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The tone of this meeting was positive.

I think it was also clear that the president understands that there's a separate unit of government that he has to deal with called the Congress. The bill that we sent him was a bill that was representative of the wishes of the American people. And we're going to keep that in mind as we go through these negotiations.

It's not going to be easy, but it's important. And I said to the president that it's very clear that the number-one issue is Iraq. Don't talk about the other things in this emergency spending bill. Iraq is the issue we must be concerned about.

And that issue is certainly one that we want to make sure we do everything in this supplemental bill that we will send to the president again that takes care of the troops, that has language in it that has the Iraqis take care of their own country, and, third, transitions the mission that is now ongoing, and, finally, shows a reasonable way to end this war.

That's our message to the president. We want to work with him and his people. And we will do that, to the best of our ability, keeping in mind the responsibilities we have to do everything we can to end this war. QUESTION: Senator, in the veto letter, the last line, the president says, what the Congress did was unconstitutional and infringed upon his authority.

How do you negotiate with someone who thinks you have no constitutional role in the process?

REID: We are not going to be submitting our legislation to somebody, one of the law schools, that look for its constitutionality.

We have an obligation, under the terms of the Constitution, to legislate. That's our job. The president has an obligation to either veto or sign it.

But, for any talk about something being unconstitutional, that's a little unusual. And I don't want to get into the other things that have been done with this administration that have clearly been unconstitutional.

QUESTION: Senator, you said you're going to insist on a...

LEMON: And Democratic leaders responding. We heard from Republican leaders earlier.

Just want to point out that both Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, and Republican leaders said the same thing: common ground, common ground. They want to get out of this war as soon as possible, both sides. But they want to make sure the troops are taken care of and make sure everything on the ground is taken care of over there as well.

We're going to continue to follow this for you, and bring you any updates for you right here on CNN.

In the meantime, as another semester ends, most college newspapers pause to reflect. But what does that mean at Virginia Tech, after a spring unlike any other?

That story is straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

ROESGEN: And I'm Susan Roesgen, filling in for Kyra Phillips.

You know, classes are over. The dorms are clearing out. It's great to go home for most college students. But how many of these students will return to Virginia Tech next fall? We'll talk to a junior who says she will come back and why.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: But first, if you fly or you're planning on flying and you know someone who is, there's a warning for you. We're going to check in with Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange, who has some important information about an investigation at one big airline.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

ROESGEN: You know, we were talking about the gas prices that Susan mentioned, and certainly if you filled up your car this week you felt the pain at the pump. And it's probably going to get worse.

The cost of regular unleaded gasoline costs 10 cents more than it did just a week ago, with a gallon of gas averaging $2.97. And now experts do expect those prices to go even higher.

CNN's Brian Todd has his own explanation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At a May Day rally, America's biggest antagonist in the hemisphere tells the world he's taking his oil fields back.

PRES. HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELA: (SPEAKING SPANISH)

TODD: Hugo Chavez is snatching much of Venezuela's oil-rich Orinoco region for his government to run, taking most of its control from several U.S. and European oil companies.

ROGER NORIEGA, FMR. ASST. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: That's the sort of long-range vision that he has, is putting these resources at the disposal of a revolutionary state that will turn around and use those resources to promote leftist, indeed, anti-American causes in Latin America.

TODD: Just how big are the Orinoco reserves?

GUSTAVO CORONEL, FMR. VENEZUELAN OIL OFFICIAL: The reserves there are similar to the total reserves of Saudi Arabia. So, geopolitically, it's a very important area for Venezuela and for Latin America, and for the United States as a major consumer.

TODD: But analysts say it's a huge risk for Chavez. They say he's already run Venezuela's national oil company into the ground. He needs the expertise from the major oil companies to get this heavy crude pumped out, shipped out, refined. Expertise he may not get now that he's forced them to give up their shares.

It all means bad news for drivers in North America.

PHIL FLYNN, ALARON TRADING CORP.: It means that gasoline prices are going to be higher. It's as simple as that. And they've already gone higher because of Mr. Chavez and his nationalization plans.

TODD (on camera): Analysts say future gas prices will depend on how much refined oil Venezuela can produce now that Chavez is running those reserves. And they say the track record is not good. Venezuelan production has fallen dramatically, they say, since Chavez took office.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: As another semester ends, most college newspapers pause to reflect. But what does that mean at Virginia Tech after a spring that is surely unlike any other?

That story is ahead right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: All this week CNN is celebrating Larry King's 50 years in broadcasting. Oprah Winfrey was the guest last night. She and Larry talked about politics, including her support for presidential hopeful Barack Obama, and about her own plans for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": On this program you endorsed Barack Obama for the President. That still sticks, right?

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Yes, of course.

KING: Can a black man be elected President of the United States?

WINFREY: I believe he can. I believe a black man can, and I believe he can.

KING: You think he's going to win the nomination?

WINFREY: I'm not here to say whether he will win or not, but I believe you asked me do I believe that he can. I believe that he can.

Is it possible? Yes, I do believe that it's possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINFREY: This is my senator. My favorite senator.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Have you endorsed a candidate before?

WINFREY: Never.

KING: What made you do so now?

WINFREY: Because I know him personally. I think that what he stands for, what he has proven that he can stand for, what he has shown was worth me going out on a limb for and I haven't done it in the past because I haven't felt that anybody -- I didn't know anybody well enough to be able to say, I believe in this person.

KING: Is there a side of you, the woman side, that would lead toward a Hillary? WINFREY: Well, I have great respect for Hillary Clinton. I -- I think I've said this before and it's true. Because I am for Barack does not mean I am against Hillary or anybody else.

So the fact that I would endorse Barack Obama and the fact that I would support Barack Obama, I have not one negative thing to say about Hillary Clinton.

KING: Just you like Barack Obama?

WINFREY: I like Barack Obama.

KING: Have you contributed to him?

WINFREY: I haven't contributed.

KING: Would you?

WINFREY: Well, the truth of the matter is, whether I contribute or not contribute, you are limited to how much you contribute so my money isn't going to make any difference to him.

I think that my value to him, my support of him, is probably worth more than any check ...

KING: Dollars.

WINFREY: ... that I could write. Yeah.

KING: Run for office yourself?

WINFREY: You know that is not going to ever happen.

KING: Because? Why?

WINFREY: Because we just said I'm going to become a political activist and I feel that ...

KING: The next step could be...

WINFREY: But no. I feel that the platform that I hold, the chair in which I get to sit in every day and speak to the world, is of far more value to me than any political office could be. Value in that I get to speak to people's hearts and get to connect with people all over the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: On Larry King you'll want to tune in, because Katie Couric will turn the tables and interview Larry. As always, that's at 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

LEMON: It's nice to see Larry on the hot seat, huh?

Grill him. Grill him, Katie.

ROESGEN: He's good, though.

LEMON: No, it's all good.

ROESGEN: You know, he doesn't sugarcoat it. He asks exactly what you would ask if you were there. That's what I like about him.

LEMON: He is a fantastic interviewer. And I'm just, you know, joking around. Amazing.

Congratulations.

I look forward to that tonight. I'll be watching.

ROESGEN: Yes.

LEMON: Let's talk about a show business legend. Larry King is one. This guy is one as well. He hit plenty of potholes along the road to fame, though.

Ahead in the NEWSROOM, James Brown -- you don't want to miss this -- his early years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Oh, yes. It's time now to get on the good foot. The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, a cultural icon known around the world for his unique brand of soul. But just how well did the world know what was going on backstage with the hardest working man in show business?

Now, I've been working with the CNN Special Investigations Unit, uncovering the story behind the success and the dark side of the musical legend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He joined my group the Gospel Starlighters. Then it was nothing but gospel, until one time we went to see a rock 'n' roll show. After then, that was it. No more gospel music.

LEMON (voice over): And so the Gospel Starlighters became The Famous Flames. Soon, they were tearing up the Chitlin Circuit, a series of juke joints featuring black artists, because they couldn't play anywhere else.

REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: He would talk about how the Chitlin Circuit was humiliating in the sense that you worked every night, but you couldn't stay downtown. It was usually a boarding house on the black side of town.

LITTLE RICHARD, SINGER: Well, you know, racism was very heavy back in those days. We would go to places to play, and you couldn't dress in the dressing room.

LEMON: So they changed out back. To keep the boss warm, Brown's valet Danny Ray (ph) draped him in a Turkish towel. On stage, Brown would fling it off his shoulders. The audience loved it. And the cape routine became legend.

But this was the Deep South in the 1950s. Segregation was a way of life. Local sheriffs were suspicion of a car full of black men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This (ph) is not black folk in a station wagon. And they stop you, call you "Boy," make you get out in the rain and dance and sing. And tell you, "You better not come back this way."

LEMON: It was dehumanizing, and James Brown hated it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And that is just a very small portion of the very interesting documentary about James Brown.

You can watch "James Brown: Say it Proud," this Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. You'll find out why taking something President Nixon said to heart got the Godfather of Soul in a heck of a lot of trouble.

ROESGEN: Something President Nixon said?

LEMON: Something President Nixon said. He is the most fascinating person that I have ever researched or come across.

ROESGEN: It's going to be great.

LEMON: It is amazing how multifaceted, multitalented, and just how controversial his life was. And it still is even in death.

ROESGEN: Yes. And making it, as you point out, in a time that was, you know, so horrible.

LEMON: Very tumultuous for African-Americans in this country. And he made it.

ROESGEN: It will be great. Can't wait, Saturday night.

Well, also coming up here right now in the NEWSROOM, it's the last day of college at Virginia Tech. How are the students coping? And what's next for them?

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: You know the last day of the spring semester on a college campus is usually a joyous time for the students. They can't wait to get home. But at Virginia Tech, the memories are just too fresh of the shootings last month. Thirty-two students and professors gunned down.

Amy Steele is a junior there at Virginia Tech, and also editor of the student newspaper. Amy, what's the mood there like on this last day of classes?

AMY STEELE, EDITOR, "THE COLLEGIATE TIMES": I'd say the campus sort of has a sense of relief right now that classes are starting to end and we're starting to gear up towards finals, which will keep students busy for a couple of days so they're not really thinking about what happened. But it's sort of a sense of relief that soon it's going to be summer and we're going to get a chance to sort of get away from what is going on here on campus.

ROESGEN: How many people do you think might decide not to come back next fall? Have you gotten a sense of people who just won't come back to that college?

STEELE: I'm not really sure about a sure number or anything like that. I know that a lot of freshmen and sophomores aren't planning on coming back. I know freshmen -- this is, you know, their first year of college. They really haven't experienced this. They don't understand that this really isn't a typical year in a college student's life at all.

A lot of the upper classmen are planning on coming back. But I've heard that a lot of the freshmen, especially the ones -- the ones that live on campus, are not planning on coming back.

ROESGEN: But you are. You've told us that you are planning to come back. Was there ever any doubt on that?

STEELE: There was never a doubt. I was always planning on coming back.

I love Virginia Tech too much, and especially after this entire situation. It just made me love the school even more to see how the students come together and rally behind one cause and sort of be there for each other to comfort each other. It made me want to be here even more.

I can understand freshmen who haven't really experienced life here as many years as upper classmen have. And they want to sort of go home and spend time with their families, as they were closer to this tragedy than maybe upper classmen were, because the majority of the students who were killed were either freshmen or graduate students.

ROESGEN: And most of those deaths were in Norris Hall. What's going to happen to Norris Hall? Are they going to tear it down or make some kind of a memorial there?

STEELE: That's what is sort of the conflict on campus right now. I know there are a lot of rumors going around as far as what's going to happen.

As far as we know, the university has not confirmed any plans for it at all. They're sort of focusing on commencement right now, which is coming up in about a week or so. As far as the student body, I think that they are split. I know a lot of students want the building completely torn down and have like a memorial or a garden or something like that built there. Some other students have asked just the second and third floors being taken off and just keep Norris as an academic building but only with the first floor. And then other students have requested that the building get gutted and everything from inside be completely taken out, and have a memorial in there, but also build classrooms, so to keep it as academic use, as it has been.

ROESGEN: OK. Amy Steele, the editor of the college newspaper there at Virginia Tech who wound up covering the biggest story in the country that day.

Thanks, Amy. And good luck to you.

STEELE: Thank you.

LEMON: The closing bell and a wrap of all the action on Wall Street straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Britain's Queen Elizabeth arrives in the U.S. tomorrow for her first official visit in 16 years. And just in case you need help spotting here on the street, here's a snapshot.

OK. OK. So it's more than a snapshot. I think it's beautiful. This is a new portrait released to mark the queen's visit taken by American photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Reviews are mixed on this one. One critic says it shows all the personality of a marble bust, while another says it looks like a publicity shot for a movie. On the other hand, many Britons are relieved that Leibovitz, known for her photos of naked celebrities, has chosen a more traditional approach for the queen.

One British journalist says the pose is almost Victorian, which he assures us is just what Americans want.

ROESGEN: Yes, we want to think our royalty with scones and tea. That's the only way we can do it.

LEMON: It's tea time. Tea time is 4:00, isn't it?

ROESGEN: Yes. It's about that time.

LEMON: It's getting pretty close.

Yes.

LEMON: Also getting pretty close to the time for the closing bell, right?

ROESGEN: Yes, just about. Susan Lisovicz is there.

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