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Scooter Libby Sentenced; Republican Presidential Candidates Prepare For Debate; New Cold War?; CNN Heroes; Library on the Line; Update on Tuberculosis Patient's Condition
Aired June 05, 2007 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm T.J. Holmes, in today for Don Lemon, who is on assignment in India.
Beg pardon, that's one possibility, as Dick Cheney's former top aide faces two-and-a-half years in prison. What you say can be used against you.
PHILLIPS: Could this man bring down the JFK Airport? He's one of the four men accused of trying. And he's not the only one on the run any longer.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
If his appeal falls flat, and a pardon doesn't come to pass, a onetime White House insider is headed to prison for at least two years. In the words of one legal analyst, the judge threw the book at Lewis Scooter Libby, once the vice president's top aide.
CNN's Brianna Keilar joins us now from the federal courthouse in Washington -- Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra.
That's right, Judge Reggie Walton, sentence for Scooter Libby 30 months in prison, $250,000 fine, and two years probation.
Now, Judge Walton agreed with the prosecution's argument that, by obstructing judge -- obstructing judges -- justice, rather, by lying to investigators who were looking into how the covert identity of Valerie Plame, CIA operative, was leaked, that he may have hurt their investigation in ways that cannot even be known. And, because of that, he came down with a heavy hand and a 30-month sentence.
Libby showed very little emotion as that sentence was read. And what we're waiting for now is that, a week from today, there will be a hearing. Judge Walton will announce whether or not he will allow Libby to post bail. Now, this is important, because Libby's lawyers have said they are going to go through the appeals process.
And, if he's not allowed to post bail, it's our understanding that, within weeks, he would have to report to jail. But, if he is allowed to post bail, some legal experts have said this appeals process could really go on for some time, a year or more, and that, at that point, it could go through the time that President Bush leaves office.
And, if Libby were to get a pardon from Bush President Bush, it's possible he would never serve any jail time -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Brianna Keilar in front of the courthouse there in D.C., appreciate it.
HOLMES: The hunt is over for the fourth suspect in the alleged plot targeting JFK Airport. Abdel Nur turned himself in at a police station outside Trinidad's capital.
In the last hour, he appeared in court. Sources tell CNN international the Guyanese national was expected to ask for bail, and wasn't expected to get it. Nur and three other men are accused of plotting to ignite JFK's fuel tanks at the extensive pipeline that feeds them.
PHILLIPS: Well, he's giving up a committee seat for now, but he could be giving up a lot more in the future, namely his freedom.
We're learning that Congressman William Jefferson has stepped down temporarily from the House Small Business Committee. A sweeping 16-count indictment accuses the Louisiana Democrat from taking more than a half-million dollars in bribes and seeking millions more.
Jefferson's homes in New Orleans and Washington were raided in 2005, along with his Capitol Hill office the following year. Feds say they found $90,000 in the freezer of his D.C. home, allegedly part of a payment delivered by an informant.
Jefferson's lawyer says, prosecutors are paying -- playing politics, but they say it's about the law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT TROUT, ATTORNEY FOR CONGRESSMAN WILLIAM JEFFERSON: I think that, when certain facts came to the attention of the FBI, they decided that it was an opportunity on their part to bring down a congressman. They get excited about that. In this particular case, they picked the wrong congressman, and they picked the wrong facts.
CHUCK ROSENBERG, U.S. ATTORNEY: Frankly, we don't give a damn about politics. I don't care if he's a Republican. I don't care if he's a Democrat. I don't care if he's a senator. I don't care if he's a member of the House. I don't care if he's a state official. And I don't care if he's a local official.
We believe he broke the law. That's why we brought the charges, period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Jefferson says his decision to leave his committee seat is not an admission of guilt.
HOLMES: The big issues, the tough questions, the unscripted moments all just hours away, as we prepare to bring you another night of political must-see TV.
The Democratic presidential political hopefuls went head to head Sunday night. And, tonight, it's the Republicans' turn to debate in New Hampshire.
And our Mary Snow joins us now live from Manchester with a preview.
Hello there.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, T.J.
And there could be some sparks tonight -- the 10 Republican candidates here in Manchester, some of them arriving this afternoon, as they square off for their debate.
In talking to voters here in New Hampshire about what they want to hear, certainly, the war in Iraq is one of the big topics. But, also, what people are saying is that what the war in Iraq was to Democrats the other night, they expect immigration reform to be as contentious among Republicans, with Senator John McCain at the center of the storm.
He has been backing the immigration reform bill also supported by President Bush. And Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has been ratcheting up his criticism of McCain. And he has been saying for several weeks -- weeks now that he's taken issue with this bill.
Here's some of what he's been saying in -- about the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My fear is that McCain- Kennedy would do to immigration what McCain-Feingold has done to campaign finance and money in politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: You see there Mitt Romney also reminding voters that John McCain worked on this bill with Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy, not a name that really resonates well in Republican circumstances.
Now, John McCain has been firing back. He attended a town-hall meeting this morning in New Hampshire. And he answered his critics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, I say to others who are running for president of the United States, what's your proposal? What is your idea? I will be glad to examine it. I will be glad to adopt it, if you can get a majority of the Congress, a majority of -- and the president of the United States to support it. And I would, by the way, tell you again, the president of the United States understands this issue. He was governor of the state of Texas for eight years. He understands it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Now, and as for the other Republican top-running contender, Rudy Giuliani, it's expected that he will once again bring up terrorism and national security -- this, of course, also in the wake of that thwarted terror plot at JFK Airport in New York over the weekend. So, those are some of the big topics that are expected to come up tonight among these 10 candidates.
And, of course, over all of this is the shadow of Fred Thompson, who is not going to be here tonight, but, certainly, some of the voters we talked to said, you know, they are so methodical here in New Hampshire, but they are in no rush to pick a candidate just yet, and they are interested to hear what Fred Thompson will have to contribute when he really gets started on his campaigning -- T.And.
HOLMES: Well, we are waiting for him to get started.
Mary Snow for us in Manchester this evening, thank you so much.
And, of course, the Republican presidential hopefuls, they are debating tonight right here on CNN. You can join the best political team on TV at 6:00 Eastern for a pregame lineup of the players. We will talk about some of their weaknesses, talk about who really needs to shine this evening.
Then, at 7:00, our Wolf Blitzer moderates the debate. Going to be telling some folks to raise their hands, I'm sure. Then we are going to talking about who scored and who didn't do so well.
You can join Wolf, Larry King, Anderson Cooper, and John Roberts live for "Raw Politics," a post-debate breakdown on the winners and the losers.
PHILLIPS: The results are in on Andrew Speaker's sputum test. Like the first two, it's negative, confirming the world's best-known tuberculosis patient is not very contagious.
Speaker's wedding trip to Europe sparked an international health scare. He's now in Denver being treated for a highly drug-resistant form of tuberculosis. Doctors say, with three negative smear tests, Speaker may be allowed outside his hospital room after two weeks of drug therapy.
Now, tomorrow night, Andrew Speaker, his wife and family join "LARRY KING LIVE." That's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
HOLMES: A lifesaving mission turns deadly over Lake Michigan. A small plane crashed there yesterday carrying six members of the University of Michigan organ transplant team, who were carrying organs for a patient in critical condition. The pilot signaled an emergency just minutes after takeoff. The plane went down shortly afterwards. The Coast Guard says no one could have survived. The news has left the University of Michigan in mourning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROBERT KELCH, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR MEDICAL AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Despite valiant, tireless efforts on the part of the U.S. Coast Guard and many other emergency and rescue agencies, for which we are extraordinarily grateful, we now know that our team is lost.
This is a tremendous blow to the institution, and one from which we won't quickly or easily recover.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The transplant team included two surgeons, two donor specialists, and two pilots.
PHILLIPS: A frantic search in Kansas for this teen -- Kelsey Smith was kidnapped from a store parking in Overland Park Saturday. Surveillance video showed her being forced into her car. Police say Smith had stopped to buy a gift at Target.
This is the tape of her entering and leaving the store. Now police are looking for this man -- you will see him in a minute -- right there in a white T-shirt. He's described as a person of interest. A $10,000 reward is offered to anyone who helps find Smith. If you have seen or heard anything or have any information, you can call the tips hot line, 816-474-TIPS. That's 816-474-8477.
HOLMES: Well, the talk about missiles comes up. The temperature between the U.S. and Russia goes down. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, could the Cold War make a comeback?
PHILLIPS: Zero tolerance for applause -- ahead in the NEWSROOM, members of the class of '07 pay a stiff price for a rowdy crowd. Guess who the rowdy crowd is? We will tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: It's about 12 minutes after 3:00, and here are three of the stories we're working on here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Vice President Cheney's onetime chief of staff now facing prison time -- a federal judge has sentenced Lewis Scooter Libby to two-and- a-half years in prison for lying in the CIA leak investigation. The judge will decide next week whether to let Libby stay free while his lawyers appeal.
A third test on an Atlanta man infected with a dangerous form of tuberculosis has come back negative. That usually means a patient has little chance of infecting others. Andrew Speaker has been in isolation after flying abroad twice last month. Also, all six people on a small plane that crashed into Lake Michigan are believed dead. The group included two crew and four members of the University of Michigan organ transplant team. Recovery teams have found human remains and parts of the plane.
PHILLIPS: It took four years to earn it and five seconds to lose it. An Illinois girl lost her high school diploma over her family's cheers at graduation.
Report Jessica Wheeler of CNN affiliate WHOI has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA WHEELER, WHOI REPORTER (voice-over): For most high schoolers, graduation day is a culmination of four years of hard work and dedication.
CAISHA GAYLES, DENIED DIPLOMA: It was exciting to walk across the stage.
WHEELER: But, for honor student Caisha Gayles, what began as a happy occasion became anything but.
CAISHA GAYLES: There was a little cheering. Like, they said my name. There was some cheering for, like, five seconds. And then that was it. I hadn't even went over to shake Mr. Chiles' hand or get my diploma at all before it was done.
WHEELER: But high school officials say those five seconds of cheering were enough to withhold her diploma.
JOEL ESTES, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT: It was disrespectful, I think, to our community.
WHEELER: After a very rowdy graduation two years ago, Assistant Superintendent Joel Estes explains, the school district adopted a zero-tolerance approach to the graduation ceremony, making graduates and their families sign a behavior contract.
ESTES: That said they would refrain from these kinds of outbursts and celebrations, that we were going to be in order, and it was going to be honorable and -- and dignified, so that everybody could hear their name.
WHEELER: But, for Caisha and her mother, that explanation is not enough.
CAROLYN GAYLES, MOTHER OF CAISHA GAYLES: That's why I don't understand why this is a big issue. You know, it wasn't even disrupting the ceremony.
CAISHA GAYLES: I'm not angry at my family at all. I'm glad they cheered for me, because it's my day. You know, I graduated. You know, they are proud of me. And I'm glad that they showed that they are proud of me. WHEELER: Now, all that's left of what Caisha says should have been the happiest day of her high school career are these withering balloons, a sad reminder of what she's missing.
CAISHA GAYLES: All I want is a little piece of paper. I want to frame it and put on it my wall.
WHEELER: In Galesburg, Jessica Wheeler, HOI-19 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I'm glad that wasn't my momma. She would have beat somebody down over that diploma.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Well, we have got details on a cyclone affecting U.S. warships.
Stay here. You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So, how can you win more than $180 million without playing the lottery? Get a divorce from Michael Polsky.
Don't turn your head.
HOLMES: I can't do that.
PHILLIPS: You can't do that.
HOLMES: No, I can't.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: A judge in Chicago says Polsky's soon-to-be-ex-wife, Maya, deserves half of the fortune that he made in the energy business.
Thirty years ago, the couple came to America from the Soviet Union with about $500 to their name. He went to work. She raised their two sons. The judge ruled both contributed to the family income in their own way.
What a class act. What a nice guy to get divorced from.
HOLMES: Kyra?
PHILLIPS: That's a generous man.
HOLMES: OK. Sounds great. Wonderful -- $180 million? Really? Was that $180 million? Did I see that right, $180 million?
Hey, we have got a major insurance company that's betting that there's a big market for a program to make parents virtual backseat drivers, even when their teenagers are off driving on their own.
Susan Lisovicz, still trying to get over this $180 million. It's just -- it's wearing me out right now.
(CROSSTALK)
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maya Polsky had a big smile on her face in that picture.
HOLMES: Hey...
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: The divorce was better than the marriage.
HOLMES: See? That's not funny. It...
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: All right. Sorry.
HOLMES: OK.
Susan, please.
LISOVICZ: Well, this is -- this is a story...
T.J., I will save you.
HOLMES: All right. Thank you.
LISOVICZ: .. you know, that's going to make parents smile.
It's called Teensurance. And it uses a GPS-type device to notify parents when their young driver speeds, drives where he or she is not supposed to, or even stays out past curfew.
The insurance company Safeco says parents can even use the Web to track where their car is. The program will be offered in all 44 states where Safeco operates beginning June 27. It will cost an extra $25 a month on top of your insurance premiums, of course.
Teensurance could be a worthwhile step toward reducing teen deaths. According to federal data, 19 teens die every day in crashes. And safety researchers say the most dangerous time is the first few months behind the wheel. So, it's something that parents really might gravitate to -- T.J.
HOLMES: OK. But is the program giving up too much information, since the companies do determine the rates based on what kind of driver you are? I mean, is it giving up too much?
LISOVICZ: Well, it's interesting.
There is going to be a third party here there, T.J. Safeco says it won't see any information about individual drivers, because it will be collected by an independent firm. But the company says it will take a look at the broader picture to see if teens in this program end up having fewer crashes.
And it says that could potentially lead to lower rates for Teensurance drivers. Everybody wants that.
Well, we have been talking about high insurance rates. And now we can take a look at the lower stock market -- after several record highs over the past weeks, stocks taking a big step back, hurt by concerns about the outlook for interest rates, investors getting a stronger-than-expected report on the services sector of the economy, which is the broadest part of the economy, also reacting to comments from the nation's top banker -- Fed Chief Ben Bernanke repeating his recent warnings about inflation, said economic growth will likely be slugging in the coming months.
The market hasn't been sluggish. We have had a sell-off that has accelerated in the afternoon -- Dow off its lows, down 95 points. The Nasdaq is down 12, or half-a-percent.
And we will keep monitoring the red hours on Wall Street. I will return in about 30 minutes for the closing bell -- for now, Kyra and T.J., back to you.
HOLMES: We will see you then, Susan. Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: Getting word now of a live news conference we're -- expected out of Denver, Colorado, Andrew Speaker's doctor going to be talking about the latest tests and treatment on the most famous T.B. patient this day. We are going to hear from Dr. Charles Daley about 3:45 Eastern time.
HOLMES: Well, the talk of missiles comes up. The temperature between the U.S. and Russia goes down. Ahead in the NEWSROOM: Could the Cold War be making a comeback?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes, sitting in today for Don Lemon.
Well, if you thought eight was enough, what do you think about 10? Yes, count them, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 -- 10 -- GOP candidates sharing the same stage.
PHILLIPS: Wolf Blitzer joins us later with a preview of tonight's Republican national debate.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: Well, next stop, Heiligendamm, and the G8 Summit. President Bush landed in the nearby German city of Rostock today from Prague, and promptly boarded a helicopter for the summit site. Well, a smattering of protesters showed up, but, so far, it's pretty much been peaceful. Climate change, poverty and AIDS in Africa are on the G8 agenda.
PHILLIPS: Mr. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on the sidelines of the summit, amid a chill that some fear could usher in a new Cold War.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush to Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin:
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Cold War is over. It ended.
MALVEAUX: The message for Putin: Back off. Take it easy.
BUSH: As I have told President Putin, Russia is not our enemy.
MALVEAUX: President Bush's comments come after days of heated rhetoric between U.S. and Russian officials -- the culmination, Putin's threat to aim Russia's missiles at U.S. military installations and European allies.
The fight is over President Bush's plan to build a missile defense system in Russia's backyard, Eastern Europe. Putin considers it a threat. But Mr. Bush is trying to convince him otherwise.
BUSH: It's a purely defensive measure, aimed not at Russia, but at true threats.
My message will be, you know, Vladimir -- I call him Vladimir -- that, you don't -- you shouldn't fear a missile defense system.
MALVEAUX: And the president offered the Russians a front-row seat.
BUSH: Please send your generals over to see how such a system would work. Send your scientists. Let us have the ability to discuss this issue in an open forum. We will be completely transparent.
MALVEAUX: To get the system up and running, Mr. Bush needs Russia's neighbors to cooperate. One of them is the Czech Republic, where the president wants to set up a radar, a key component of his missile defense system. That drew praise from the Czech president, but protests on the streets.
Poland will be another stop for Mr. Bush, where he hopes to station the system's missile interceptors. President Bush argues, it's all about fighting the war on terror. On the eve of the summit, he tried to make that case again, promoting what he calls his freedom agenda.
He also criticized Putin for backsliding on Democratic reforms.
BUSH: In Russia, reforms that were once promised to empower citizens have been derailed, with troubling implications for democratic development.
MALVEAUX (on camera): President Bush and Putin's standing among world leaders will be tested at the G8, as both vie for support over apparently competing agendas. Thursday, the two leaders will meet to confront that.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Prague, Czech Republic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, how many troops will it take to retake Baghdad?
Three months into the U.S. troop buildup, U.S. and Iraqi forces are said to control less than one-third of Baghdad's neighborhoods. A report to "The New York Times" quotes U.S. commanders and an internal military review. "The Times" says, in the unsecured neighborhoods, troops are facing resistance from insurgents or haven't even started rooting them out.
One commander blames Iraqi forces for performing poorly or not showing up at all.
PHILLIPS: U.S. troops not giving up on two of their own in Iraq -- the search goes on for two missing soldiers since a May 12 ambush just south of Baghdad.
That's despite an insurgent group's claim that Specialist Alex Jimenez and Private Byron Fouty are dead. The claim was made in a video that purportedly shows the two soldiers' I.D. cards.
The military told Private Fouty's stepfather about the video this weekend.
Gordon Dibler talked with us by phone from Michigan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON DIBLER, STEPFATHER OF PRIVATE BYRON FOUTY: I was very proud of him for the decisions he made. And he made this decision to go into the service during wartime. So, I respect that. And I think he was going in with his eyes wide open, and I -- I love him for every decision he's made.
PHILLIPS: When was the last time you had a chance to talk to him, Gordon?
DIBLER: I talked to him on April 17, his 19th birthday.
PHILLIPS: So, it wasn't that long ago.
DIBLER: No, no.
PHILLIPS: And what did he tell you about what he was doing and how he felt about the war?
DIBLER: The only thing -- he never really spoke to the whole war, except for his part that he was doing.
And what he did speak of, I mentioned before, he did say that he -- that they're doing good things, and that he's glad that they're there. And he did say that he wanted to be -- he was considering being a medic, requesting that. And I take that as wanting to be a healer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The insurgent video does not show any bodies. Dibler says that he hopes that that means both soldiers are still alive.
A female suicide bomber shot in Baghdad's Sadr neighborhood -- Sadr City neighborhood, rather, today. The gunfire apparently set off the woman's explosives, killing her and wounded three police officers. Officials say the woman was trying to attack a police recruitment center.
HOLMES: Two more arrests in the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl. Police in Pakistan say they arrested two Islamist militants in the remote town of Kashmor. Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Karachi in 2002 and later found beheaded. A British-Islamist militant has been sentenced to death for his murder.
A powerful cyclone is taking aim at Oman, near the mouth of the Persian Gulf. U.S. warships are steering clear. Residents are advised to stay indoors, and people who live near the coast are being told to head inland. At last word, the cyclone's winds topped 120 miles per hour.
So when is the storm expected to hit and what else is its path?
Rob Marciano covering all things weather for us today.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: The man known as "Dr. Death" is a free man. And he's talking to CNN's Larry King. Dr. Jack Kevorkian has been in prison for eight years for assisting the suicide of a man with Lou Gehrig's disease.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK KEVORKIAN, ASSISTED SUICIDE ADVOCATE: It's not to help them die. You see, everyone's got this backwards.
It's to relieve them of their intolerable and unending suffering. The patient's wish. See, that's not my wish. And that's what Hippocrates said. He says you are the servant of the patient, the servant. But doctors today consider themselves, you know, the overlord of the patient.
They've got that twisted backwards. So I've got to do what the patient requires. So, I always felt that their wish comes first, no matter what.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE" What's it like to be out?
KEVORKIAN: It's nice to be able to walk around and -- although, you're in a virtual -- you're in a virtual prison, yet, in two ways.
One way, because the stipulations of your parole limits you in some things. I can speak only of certain things. I can't be associated with any felons, anybody with a record, or anybody who's got a weapon in the home. You can't visit that home. Not even a weapon, a part of a weapon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, tomorrow night, Larry interviews the tuberculosis patient who created an international uproar. We're talking about Andrew Speaker. He and his family joining Larry 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
HOLMES: Well, in just a few minutes, we are expecting a news conference from the doctors out in Denver who have been treating Andrew Speaker. Expecting that around 3:45. An update on his condition.
We did get the word earlier that a third test came back negative, testing to see if he was contagious. So still thought to be relatively non-contagious, as they say. But that news conference expected at 3:45. We'll bring it to you when it happens.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All year long CNN is shining the spotlight on some very special people. Each an example of how a single individual can turn their personal vision for a better world into action. We call them "CNN Heroes," and today we introduce you to a New York dentist who is not afraid to leave Madison Avenue behind to make a difference.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to introduce yourself.
DR. TREY WILSON: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First...
WILSON: Every single one of us has that capacity to be of service to others, and I just did something about it.
I'm Trey Wilson. I live in New York City. And I provide free dental care and dental education to Kenyans.
Dental care in Kenya is virtually nonexistent.
When I arrived in Kenya, routinely I saw in my clinic 4-year-olds with 20 teeth that needed to be extracted. I bring a team of dentists and volunteers who provide dental care in two clinics that we've established in Katali (ph), which is the fifth largest city in Kenya.
When we arrive in the morning, there are already 400 or 500 people assembled, ready to be seen.
My organization gives patients the opportunity to have their teeth fixed. We provide dental education and we hand out toothbrushes to people.
There was a woman who waited seven hours to see me because she said, "I like my smile, and I won't have anything to smile about if they pull my front tooth."
I think that it would be a good idea to try to save that tooth.
She was so happy that her beauty -- I mean, her beauty really came out.
Give me a hug. All right.
Dr. Trey Wilson.
My life would have been a Monday through Friday Madison Avenue dentist, getting in my car and driving out to the country and gardening all weekend. But I had a revelation that with just a little bit of effort, I could make a huge impact.
All of us are far more resourceful than we ever think we are. And we have much more to give than we think that we have.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And there is a whole lot more about Dr. Trey Wilson and his organization on our Web site, where you can also nominate your hero for special recognition later this year. All the details are at CNN.com/heroes.
PHILLIPS: And we're still standing by for that news conference out of Denver, Colorado. We are waiting to hear from Andrew Speaker's doctor 3:45 Eastern Time. We'll take it live as soon as it happens, find out the update on the tuberculosis patient.
And a new flash point for the immigration battle. A border town library where a line separates the U.S. and Canada.
Details straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a path to compromise getting slower and rougher in the Senate. You're seeing a live picture now from Capitol Hill, where right now the Senate is debating a sweeping bipartisan immigration bill. Both sides have been offering up all kinds of amendments. Some Democrats want to make the bill even broader by allowing more family-based immigration. Some Republicans, well, they want to make it tougher for illegal immigrants to get green cards.
Crossing the border to check out a book? That's what you have to do at a small library in northern Vermont and southern Canada.
Our Alina Cho paid a visit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): People often joke the Haskell Free Library and Opera House is the only library in America with no books. The books are in Canada. The library literally straddles the border, built more than a century ago so that both Americans and Canadians would have access.
Today, tourists come to marvel at the black line that cuts the library in half.
(on camera): Here in the reading room right now I'm on the U.S. side. But cross the line here and I've arrived in Canada.
If I want to check out a book, I can only do so here on the Canadian side. Upstairs in the opera house, the stage is in Canada. But here in the audience, many of the seats are in the United States.
(voice-over): The only entrance to the building is in Derby Line, Vermont. Canadians like Don Corman simply park their cars in Canada, walk over the border and enter in the U.S., without showing ID. But U.S. and Canadian border agents say there has been an increase in the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border, so they're considering closing three unmanned side streets. If it happens, Canadians who want to check out books would have to detour through a port of entry.
A good thing?
DON CORMAN, CANADIAN: Well, not for me. I mean, it depends on your point of view. I mean good thing in terms of security, sure.
CHO: People around here say the more than 100-year-old gentleman's agreement allowing people to cross the border freely, at least to get to the library, should not be changed.
KEITH BEADLE, HASKELL LIBRARY BOARD PRES.: It's going to make things more inconvenient for people that want to enter the country illegally but it's not going to stop them.
CHO: Others say sealing the streets runs counter to the bilateral, bilingual spirit of the library.
CORMAN: The original purpose of this library is draw a line down the middle and have a free flow between the two countries. So that would probably stop, or at least the spirit of it would stop.
CHO (on camera): No decisions yet on what to do with these three streets in question. But all parties involved, including residents of both communities, will be meeting here later this month to talk about options, like setting up barriers or doing nothing at all. Overwhelmingly, people around here favor the status quo.
Alina Cho, CNN, on the U.S.-Canadian border.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: He's giving up a committee seat, for now, but he could be giving up a whole lot more in the future. His freedom, specifically.
We're learning Congressman William Jefferson has stepped down temporarily from the House Small Business Committee. A sweeping 16- count indictment accuses the Louisiana Democrat of taking more than $500,000 in bribes and seeking millions more.
Jefferson's homes in New Orleans and Washington were raided in 2005, along with his Capitol Hill office the next year. The feds say they found $90,000 in the freezer of his D.C. home, allegedly part of a payment delivered by an informant. Jefferson's lawyers say prosecutors are playing politics, but they say it's about the law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT TROUT, JEFFERSON'S LAWYER: I think that when certain facts came to the attention of the FBI, they decided that it was an opportunity on their part to bring down a congressman. They get excited about that. In this particular case, they picked the wrong congressman and they picked the wrong facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK ROSENBERG, U.S. ATTORNEY: Frankly, we don't give a damn about politics. I don't care if he's a Republican. I don't care if he's a Democrat. I don't care if he's a senator. I don't care if he's a member of the House. I don't care if he's a state official, and I don't care if he's a local official.
We believe he broke the law. That's why we brought the charges. Period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Jefferson says his decision to leave his committee seat is not an admission of guilt.
Well, Jefferson joins a long line of lawmakers who have been charged with crimes, at least 13 since 1980. Here's some of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Republican Bob Ney of Ohio was the first member of Congress to plead guilty in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. He initially refused to resign, insisting he wanted to serve out his term. House rules don't require members convicted of a crime to pack up and leave immediately.
Facing a House threat to expel him, Ney finally stepped down. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Another lawmaker caught up in scandal, Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California. He resigned in 2005 after confessing to evading taxes, pocketing more than $2 million in bribes and other payoffs, including a Rolls-Royce and a yacht. He was sentenced to over eight years in prison.
In 2001, House Democrat James Traficant of Ohio was charged with tax evasion, bribery and racketeering. He was expelled from Congress and sentenced to eight years in prison.
The once-powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Democrat Dan Rostenkowski, was charged in 1994 with using taxpayer money to buy gifts and exchanging for cash at the House post office stamps paid for by taxpayers. He served 15 months in prison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: A missing teen, a terrified family, and a mystery man caught on tape. Kansas police say they are looking for this man in connection with the disappearance of a new high school grad, Kelsey Smith. Authorities describe him as a person of interest who they'd like to talk to. Parking lot video showed Smith apparently being abducted outside a shopping center over the weekend.
The story now from KMBC's Peggy Breit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVIE HOCKERSMITH, SISTER: She's just a great person. Full of life. She never would hurt anyone. She's the sweetest girl you'd meet.
PEGGY BREIT, REPORTER, KMBC (voice over): It's almost more than Kelsey's sister can bear.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Sorry about that. We want to break away to Denver. Andrew Speaker's doctor giving an update now on his condition.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
DR. CHARLES DALEY, SPEAKER'S ATTENDING PHYSICIAN: And I know that many of you have heard that he had his third sputum specimen come back yesterday, late yesterday evening, or early in the evening yesterday. That was negative. So we now have three negative smears.
This is in concert with what has been happening for the past few months. All of his smears are negative. So, we weren't really expecting this to be different, but it's good news that they remain negative. We've had a lot of questions about what that means, and so I'd like to kind of speak a little bit as to what does it mean to have three negative smears. And the way I think I need to first address that is to review with you what a smear is.
There's been a lot of confusion about the smear, which is one test that we do, and the culture, which is another test. These are -- these are distinctly different tests, and they tell us different things.
So, a smear is when we first get the respiratory specimen. It is taken to the laboratory and it is stained. And the staining is trying to identify the organisms.
If we see the organisms, we refer to that as smear positive. If we do not see the organisms, it's referred to as smear negative.
Now, those results come back usually in about 24 hours. And what they're telling us is a little bit about the bacillary load, how many different bacilli is this person coughing out or expelling into the environment.
And in a very simple way -- a very simple way to think about this is that if you're smear positive, we can see the bacilli in your specimen, it means you have more bacilli in your lung. And therefore, you are more infectious.
If you are smear negative, you have fewer bacilli in your lung. It means you're less infectious than someone who is smear positive.
But I had a very important word there -- less infectious. It's not that they're not infectious. It's that they're less infectious.
And I really like to think of infectivity as a continuum, from extremely infectious at one end, to not infectious at the other. And all patients somewhere, they fall on that line.
And so people ask me, well, with multiple negative smears, where would I place Mr. Speaker? And I would place him down at the not very infectious end. But as I said almost every day, that does not mean zero. That just means at the lower end of infectivity.
And the three results that just came back that were smear negative continue to display that, in fact, he is at that end. That low infectivity scale.
But the other tests that we are now waiting for are the cultures. Now, the cultures are telling us whether we can actually grow the organism from his respiratory specimen. And unlike the smear, which takes about 24 hours to get the result, the cultures can take weeks.
So, how do we determine whether someone with multi drug-resistant TB or XDR is noninfectious? We do it by the culture. So, for us to be able to say...
PHILLIPS: This is why I'm a journalist and not a doctor. I'm not even going to attempt to explain all the medical terms, but the bottom line is Andrew Speaker testing negative, has very low contagion, and could possibly be able to leave his hospital room within a couple of days. Doctors feeling good right now about his treatment.
We'll continue to follow it.
HOLMES: It's the continuum of infectivity that talks about the contiguousness with such a...
PHILLIPS: With the smears and the cultures and the...
HOLMES: Yes. The sputum -- yes.
HOLMES: Exactly.
HOLMES: All right. Well, we've got to check in with Wolf Blitzer. He's in New Hampshire getting ready to host tonight's Republican presidential debate.
(NEWSBREAK)
PHILLIPS: The closing bell.
HOLMES: And we're taking a break. We're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, the closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.
HOLMES: And Susan Lisovicz with a look at the trading day. A final look for us.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
HOLMES: Now time to go to THE SITUATION ROOM and Wolf Blitzer.
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