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Judge Rules Scooter Libby Must Serve Prison Sentence During Appeal; L.A. Hospital Under Fire After Ignoring E.R. Patient; Marines, Families Exposed to Toxins at Camp Lejeune
Aired June 14, 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: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez, in today for Don Lemon.
No slack for Scooter Libby -- the judge who sentenced Dick Cheney's former right-hand man to prison refuses now to let him fight his conviction from home.
PHILLIPS: A new lead in the six-week search for a 4-year-old British girl in Portugal, but no one hopes this one pans out.
SANCHEZ: And we have all heard hospital horror stories, but this one's really unbelievable: a dying woman, a dysfunctional hospital, disbelief from 911, failure to act. A newspaper reporter who's been on this story for weeks now joins us right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The upshot of this story is, request denied. A federal judge ruled today that Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, has to begin his prison sentence even while he appeals his perjury conviction.
The Bush administration, as you might expect, is watching events carefully.
Our Kathleen Koch is standing by now at the White House to bring us the very latest on that, because the question -- really, the ball is now on, I suppose, the White House lawn as to whether or not the president will pardon Scooter Libby before he goes to prison.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is certainly, Rick, a lot of talk about that outside the gates of the White House, but they're not talking about it inside the White House at this point.
And I will read you a statement that came out very soon after the judge's ruling, this from spokesperson Dana Perino -- quote -- "Scooter Libby still has the right of -- the right to appeal. And, therefore, the president will continue not to intervene in the judicial process. The president feels terribly for Scooter, his wife, and their young children, and all that they're going through."
And CNN, also, of course, contacted Vice President Dick Cheney. His office is not releasing any statement, simply, though, referring everyone to a statement that he and Lynne Cheney put out on June 5, the date of Libby's sentencing.
And I will read from that. It says -- quote -- "Scooter is also a friend. And, on a personal level, Lynne and I remain deeply saddened by the tragedy and its effect on his wife, Harriet, and their young children. Speaking as friends, we hope that our system will return a final result consistent with what we know of this fine man."
And, so, right now, the White House, again, very carefully, avoiding this talk of a pardon, though certainly the president is getting pressure from various quarters and many conservatives wanting him to pardon Libby. But, like his father before him, President Bush has been very stingy about granting pardons, issuing just 113 since he took office. That's the second fewest of any president since the days of Harry Truman, since back in 1945.
Only his father, George Herbert Walker Bush, issued fewer, and that was 74. As to who the president can or can't pardon, it's entirely the president's prerogative, Rick. The only limitation is that he or she can only pardon people who are guilty of a federal offense, and not a state offense.
SANCHEZ: Yes. And we should probably mention, as well, that Scooter Libby is not going directly to jail, because there's now another appeal process that seems to have kicked in, when his lawyers today mentioned that they would be doing just that, appealing the appeal, so to speak.
KOCH: Certainly, that apparently is the case -- but, again, this White House watching these proceedings very carefully -- Scooter Libby certainly someone who is regarded very, very highly here, as you said, the president -- vice president's former chief of staff, a very well- respected man, a father of two young children, a son in middle school, a daughter in elementary school.
So, they're watching this, but, again, following the precedent that was set out by President Bush's father to really respect the judicial process and not to intervene at this point.
SANCHEZ: And the judge seems to be saying, the law is the law.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Thanks so much, Kathleen Koch, bringing us up to date there from the White House -- Kyra, over to you.
PHILLIPS: The day after bombs further damaged an already bombed- out Shiite mosque in Iraq, we have reports from all over the country of revenge killings and public protests. At least four people are dead in Basra in fighting between Sunnis and Shiites. Attackers fired rockets into several Sunni mosques there. Curfews and police are helping keep most protests peaceful.
SANCHEZ: Police getting anonymous tips all the time -- why, then, does a mysterious letter have authorities in Portugal ready to launch a new search for Madeleine McCann? The 4-year-old British girl disappeared from a Portuguese resort. That was May 3. There's a new tip supposedly telling police just where to find her, but it's not hopeful news at this point.
Here's CNN's Phil Black with this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Could Madeleine McCann's body be buried somewhere here, in this rugged, lonely terrain? It's the latest twist in an investigation that started more than 40 days ago, when the 4-year-old vanished.
This is an area around 10 miles from Praia da Luz, the resort town where Madeleine was taken from her home. According to a letter sent anonymously to a Dutch newspaper, she lies somewhere in this region, beneath branches or stones.
This investigation has not been short of tips. Police have received hundreds, many from people claiming to have psychic powers, all of them so far worthless.
But this one may be different. The Dutch newspaper says the letter is very similar to one it got last year that accurately pointed out the location of the bodies of two missing Belgian girls aged 7 and 10. The letter's writer was never identified. Like the first one, the letter referring to Madeleine includes a map marked with an X.
GERARD VROOLAND, AMSTERDAM POLICE (through translator): Of course they're taking it seriously. It's a very, very serious case. Every tip that could lead to the return of this girl has to be taken seriously.
BLACK: But Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, are upset the newspaper published the letter before telling police. In his online diary, Gerry wrote: "We feel very strongly that this was an irresponsible piece of journalism, and, even if it were true, is insensitive and cruel. One can imagine how upsetting it is for Kate and I to hear of such claims through the media."
Madeleine's parents have just returned from a tour of countries in Europe and North Africa. It included an audience with the pope. They were planning to rest and scale back the intense publicity campaign they desperately hope will result in their daughter's return. Now they must also deal with speculation her body could be hidden in these hills.
Phil Black, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Powering back up on the International Space Station -- computers that control navigation and oxygen and water supplies went on the fritz overnight.
The crew, with help from the visiting shuttle astronauts and scientists on Earth, have rebooted a couple of them. But NASA administrators say they're still in the middle of troubleshooting and are still trying to figure out what caused the glitches, which began shortly after a newly installed solar panel began producing power.
Tomorrow, two spacewalking astronauts will finish folding up one of those old panels and repair a corner of the shuttle's thermal blanket that came loose during liftoff. They plan to staple it right in place.
CNN's Miles O'Brien on the phone with the latest.
I don't know, Miles. I wouldn't want to be all these millions of miles up in space, and the computers go on the fritz.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a long way to the computer store, isn't it?
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: It's a real problem.
You know, one of the things -- I was talking -- on the phone, talking to a lot of the engineers and a lot of the people involved in all of this. And one of -- one of their initial worries, Kyra, was that that new solar array, for whatever reason, as it surged more power into the grid up there in the space station, might have fried those Russian computers.
Fortunately, the fact that they were able to get a pair of those computers up and running this morning tends to discount that possibility. That would be a real problem. If you had a hardware failure of that magnitude, the space station would be in a situation where they would have to start thinking about possibly having to de- man it, take -- take the people off, and then maybe, at some later date, bring up new some hardware to get the thing back in -- in operation.
We're talking about the computers that control everything about the Russian complex, the core of the International Space Station, the -- the attitude, its orientation toward the sun as it travels through space, carbon-dioxide-scrubbing the atmosphere.
And these computers, all six of them, three of them in pairs, failed right after that new solar array was deployed earlier this week. And, so, now what they're trying to figure out is, what was it? Was there some kind of electromagnetic interference? Is the power that has been introduced to the grid so-called dirty power, something which is causing these computers to go on the fritz?
And what complicates matters is, the Russians do not have the ability to communicate with these computers during the entire orbit. You know, one orbit of the planet is 90 minutes. They can only do it when the space station is actually overhead of the Russian landmass.
So, that gives them, like, 10-minute windows, and only a certain number of them every day. So, you can imagine how furiously they have to work in these 10- or 15-minute intervals to try and get things going. So, the computers are going up. They're going down.
The situation is stable, but it is by no means solved at this juncture. And, so, what NASA is doing is, they're looking at ways to preserve as many of the -- as much fuel as it can on the shuttle, in case it needs to stay there for an extra day, because, right now, it's doing the lion's share of the work keeping the space station in its proper orientation toward the sun.
Could the -- could the shuttle leave tomorrow, if it had to? It could. But, eventually, they are going to have to get this computer situation rectified, or the three-person crew of the space station would ultimately have to get on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and come home, leaving it unmanned.
PHILLIPS: So, that -- that is a -- does it put any of the astronauts in danger, though? Or is this just an issue of making the decision to get out of there until they're able to -- to power up again, Miles?
O'BRIEN: Yes. I was talking to an astronaut years ago who said, you know, most of the problems that you run into in orbit are slow- motion problems.
And this is a slow-motion problem. Right now, it's stable, perhaps on the downside. It doesn't seem to be getting worse. But, as it stands right now, it's not good. There's a lot of time right now to work through the problem, identify the source. They are going to try to isolate this solar panel from the power grid up there, see if that helps, see if there may be some sort of grounding issue.
There's any number. This gets deep into electrical-engineering- type stuff. They are going to put oscilloscopes and all the cables to see if there's some kind of strange frequency that's being fed into the system.
And, over -- as long as the shuttle is there -- and it's due not to leave until Monday -- there's really no concern at all. After that time, then the clock begins to tick on how long the Russian propellant can keep the space station in its proper orientation to the sun.
And, over time, if they still can't get those computers going, then -- then we get into that absolute last-case scenario, which is abandoning ship.
PHILLIPS: All right. So, do you know what an oscilloscope is, Rick?
SANCHEZ: Don't.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Miles, can you help us out just there for a second?
O'BRIEN: It's in -- every live truck that Rick Sanchez has ever been in has an oscilloscope. It's this little green box. And they put it on the cable. And it gives them -- they are able to actually analyze the frequency of the radio waves and the power and determine if there's some interference there.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
PHILLIPS: Now you're talking our speak.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: And let me tell you something, I have been in a lot of live trucks, my friend.
PHILLIPS: A lot of oscilloscopes.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: And you know a lot about silly-scopes. That's for sure.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: More than I would care to remember.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Miles O'Brien, we will keep checking in. Thanks, Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. You're welcome.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Imagine this scenario.
We have been talking about this here in the NEWSROOM throughout the morning. Somebody that you love is desperately ill. So, you get in the car. You take them to the emergency room to see if somebody there can help them. They don't. They just sit there, waiting, and they die.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The emergency room. My wife is dying. And the nurses don't want to help her out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: A Los Angeles E.R. comes under fire, after a woman just dies on the waiting room floor. Everybody else is screaming for help, but no nurses, no doctors, no nothing. We will be back.
PHILLIPS: And then listen to this. Putting lives on the line, well, Marines do it willingly, right? But should their families face deadly risks for living on base? Straight ahead from the NEWSROOM: Camp Lejeune under fire for claims of toxic water that's causing cancer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It is 3:16 Eastern time. Here are three of the stories that we're working on for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Virginia Tech allowing the media inside Norris Hall. You will remember that's where that student gunman killed 30 people and then himself back in April.
In Illinois, three children and a woman were found shot to death this morning inside a SUV. A wounded man was taken in custody.
And a federal judge has ruled that Lewis Scooter Libby can't remain free while he appeals his conviction in the CIA leak case. The ruling means Libby could be headed to prison in weeks.
SANCHEZ: This is one of those stories that's almost impossible to believe. This is the one I was talking about just a moment ago with Kyra.
A woman dies on the floor of a hospital emergency room because no one would treat her. That's the place you would think one would go for treatment. But there was no treatment, these -- even after people who were watching this unfold called 911, and said, get her out of here, take her to a place that would help her.
It's an amazing story, as told by CNN's Ted Rowlands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The emergency room. My wife is dying, and the nurses don't want to help her out.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Edith Rodriguez was on the ground, according to witnesses, throwing up blood at Martin Luther King Jr. Harbor Hospital in Los Angeles. Her boyfriend, through an interpreter, was so desperate to get help, he called 911, even though he was already at a hospital.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 DISPATCHER: OK, what do you mean she's dying?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's vomiting blood.
911 DISPATCHER: OK, what do you mean she's dying...what's wrong with her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's vomiting blood. 911 DISPATCHER: OK, and why aren't they helping her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're watching her. They're watching her there, and they're not just doing anything, OK. They're just watching her.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Eight minutes later, another call comes in to the same 911 center from someone else at the hospital.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 DISPATCHER: Well, you know, they're -- they're the medical professionals, OK? You're already at the hospital. This line is for emergency purposes only -- 911 is used for emergency purposes only.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an emergency.
911 DISPATCHER: It's not an emergency. It is not an emergency, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is.
911 DISPATCHER: It is not an emergency.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not here to see how they're treating her.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. Well, that's not a criminal thing. You understand what I'm saying? We handle...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me. If this woman (INAUDIBLE) and die, what do you mean that ain't a criminal thing?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Less than a half-hour later, Edith Rodriguez was dead.
(on camera): According to the coroner, Edith Rodriguez died of a perforated bowel. There was a surveillance camera here at the hospital which recorded the last 45 minutes or so of her life.
And, according to witnesses, she spent it on the floor vomiting blood. More than a month after this took place, it is still unclear why nobody was there to help her.
(voice-over): L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has seen the tape, which, because of ongoing sheriff's investigation, hasn't been released.
ZEV YAROSLAVSKY, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERVISOR: Even the janitors who were cleaning up the vomit from around the -- the woman, who was on the floor, did a very elegant job of cleaning up the vomit, but didn't do a thing to help her. It was just indescribable. While no one from the hospital would talk to us about this case, a letter sent yesterday to the county board said, in part -- quote -- "We have served thousands of patients well and a few very poorly" -- hopefully, none as poorly as they seem to have treated Edith Rodriguez.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Charles Ornstein is joining us now. He's been covering this story for "The Los Angeles Times."
Let's start this question. He mentioned just a little while ago -- I think you may have heard him say that there was a tape that recorded this, a videotape. Do we know when that's going to be out?
CHARLES ORNSTEIN, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES": Well, we have been trying to get it. I know a number of other people have been trying to as well.
They are keeping it under lock and key right now. The sheriff's department is still looking into this matter. The district attorney's office is expected to look into this matter as well. And...
SANCHEZ: Well, that -- you know, the reason that's interesting is because that might answer my next question -- and I suppose -- you have been following the story -- you might be able to at least give us a clue as to...
ORNSTEIN: Sure.
SANCHEZ: ... why no one other than the people who were there around her, the other patients, I presume, recognized that she was really in severe straits.
ORNSTEIN: Well, this woman had come into the hospital three times in the three days before her death, because she was having terrible stomach pain.
And, each time, they gave her prescription drugs and discharged her. And, so, finally, the third day, she -- she was in so much pain, she decided not to leave. She waited on the benches in front of the hospital, where police took her to the emergency room.
And the emergency room triage nurse said: Thanks a lot, officers.
She was really angry about having to see this woman again. And she told the woman, essentially: There's nothing we can do for you. And you just sit down.
And...
SANCHEZ: So -- so, it sounds like they are treating her like she's some kind of a Baker act, like somebody who is just a royal pain to them, and they didn't believe her claims about being very sick.
ORNSTEIN: Well, they -- they did view her as a complainer. That's exactly right. And, in fact, in the police report, which we viewed, it said that the woman who -- the triage nurse really wasn't caring.
And it seemed that the other people who worked at the hospital as well, medical professionals who saw this happening, a janitor who sweeped -- who swept around her, no one really raised an alarm about this.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: But they say she was -- she was throwing up blood.
ORNSTEIN: Right.
In fact, her boyfriend told us that -- the police officers -- that he said, she's throwing up blood. They said, no, that's just chocolate, and laughed at him.
SANCHEZ: Just chocolate.
ORNSTEIN: Yes. Yes.
SANCHEZ: There's something else that makes people's blood boil. And it's the conversation with the 911 guy. You know what? Let's let's play that again...
ORNSTEIN: Sure.
SANCHEZ: ... because I want the viewers and you to listen to this.
ORNSTEIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Then let's talk on the backside.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 DISPATCHER: What's your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a lady on the -- on the ground here in the emergency room at Martin Luther King.
911 DISPATCHER: What would you want me to do for you, ma'am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Send an ambulance out here to take her somewhere where she can get medical help.
911 DISPATCHER: OK, you're at the -- you're at the hospital, ma'am. You have to contact them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have -- they have a problem. They won't help her. 911 DISPATCHER: Well, they're -- you know, they're -- they're the medical professionals. OK? You're already at a hospital. This line is for emergency purposes only. This -- 911 is used for emergency purposes only.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an emergency.
(CROSSTALK)
911 DISPATCHER: It's not an emergency. It is not an emergency, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is.
911 DISPATCHER: It is not an emergency.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not here to see how they're treating her.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. Well, that's not a criminal thing. You understand what I'm saying? We handle...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me. If this woman (INAUDIBLE) and die, what do you mean that ain't a criminal thing?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That caller was prophetic, weren't they? I mean, can you imagine, someone is saying, I have an emergency in front of me, because I see somebody dying, and you have somebody on the other end of the phone telling you, that's not an emergency. That's not an emergency.
ORNSTEIN: Well, you didn't even catch the end of the call, where -- where the female caller says, may God strike you down for the way you have acted.
SANCHEZ: Are you serious?
ORNSTEIN: Yes, that's how -- that's what she says, because she's so frustrated. She's so aggravated.
Here she is. She's -- she knows what she sees in front of her. But you have to realize that, from the dispatcher's perspective, it's very, very rare to be getting a call from an emergency room...
SANCHEZ: Yes.
ORNSTEIN: ... where you would think people would be getting emergency care, saying that they are not getting care. So...
SANCHEZ: But, still, you know, I have got to tell you, I mean, just on its face, it seemed like he was a bit rude to her. He should have at least heard her out. Is this guy going to be disciplined? Is somebody looking into that? ORNSTEIN: The sheriff's department said that he received written counseling. They say he was rude, that he was not courteous, but that his overall message, which was that the sheriff's department can't send paramedics to take you to a hospital, because you're already at a hospital, that that message is -- is the correct message.
SANCHEZ: Well, I hope that's not the signal that is sent in emergency rooms all over the country. But it certainly is a story that is startling to anyone who views it.
And we thank you so much for doing some great journalism on this story.
ORNSTEIN: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Appreciate it.
All right -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Putting lives on the line, Marines do it willingly, but should their families face deadly risks for living on base? Straight ahead from the NEWSROOM: Camp Lejeune under fire for toxic tap water claims, claims that it's causing cancer.
We will have more right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It may not be as important as the discovery of penicillin, but a new technology from Kodak could be priceless to shutterbugs who see red when it comes to flash photography.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with the bigger picture.
Hey, Susan.
(LAUGHTER)
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.
Eastman Kodak says it's developed a digital camera technology that virtually eliminates the need for flash photography. It's color filter doubles a camera's sensitivity to light, which produces better pictures, even in poor lighting, and eliminates the problem of red eye, in which we all Photoshop it out.
Kodak is expected to give camera-makers a first look at the technology next year. If it's a hit, it could be incorporated into digital cameras and cell phone cameras shortly thereafter, and Eastman Kodak could make a lot of money -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, Kodak has always been a pioneer in photography, but it's had a tough time in the digital age, right?
LISOVICZ: Yes, Kyra. I mean, this story kind of reminds me of what we're seeing in Detroit.
This is a great, iconic American company that's really fallen on hard times. The very name Kodak is synonymous with film. Kodak invented the Brownie camera in 1900, but it's been late to the digital scene. And it has paid for it dearly.
In 2005, digital sales surpassed film sales for the first time in the company's history. Its stock suffered accordingly, so much so that, in 2004, just three years ago, it was kicked out of the Dow Jones industrial average. It had been a member of that elite group since the Great Depression.
Kodak was forced to slash its dividend by 70 percent and lay off 30,000 workers to get back on track. But shares have been on a tear recently. They're up 18 percent over the past year. Investors aren't seeing red either with this no-flash idea. Kodak shares up are up 7.5 percent today, and are trading at a 52-week high.
Stocks overall rallying, as well, thanks to a tame read this morning on inflation -- the Dow right now up 89 points, or two-thirds- of-a-percent. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, is up three-quarters-of-a- percent.
Bond rates have steadied, but they have surged in the last week or so. And, since most consumer mortgages are tied to bond yields, mortgage rates logged their biggest spike in four years last week.
Lending giant Freddie Mac puts a 30-year fixed at 6.74 percent, its highest level in nearly a year -- rates on adjustable-rate loans also higher.
We will find out, meanwhile, if Wall Street can rack up back-to- back gains when I return in about 30 minutes for the closing bell -- in the meantime, Kyra, always a pretty picture when it goes back to you.
PHILLIPS: Oh.
LISOVICZ: And Rick.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Susan Lisovicz...
LISOVICZ: Back to you.
PHILLIPS: Hey, we were just talking about...
SANCHEZ: Yes, but who is prettier?
PHILLIPS: Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: We were just talking how beautiful Susan Lisovicz looked with her little... SANCHEZ: Doesn't she look good?
PHILLIPS: The necklace.
LISOVICZ: Someone asked -- someone asked me the other day if Kyra and I were sisters.
PHILLIPS: Oh, is that a compliment. Yes, indeed.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: To whom?
PHILLIPS: Susan...
SANCHEZ: To whom?
PHILLIPS: Susan is the younger one...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: ... I just want you to know.
(LAUGHTER)
LISOVICZ: I don't think so. I don't think so.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Oh, that's great.
PHILLIPS: Hey, we will see you in a little bit, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You got it.
PHILLIPS: All right.
SANCHEZ: All right. We have got some information on a story that we have all been following now for quite some time.
Remember Andrew Speaker?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes.
SANCHEZ: This is the case of the -- the famous TB case, goes all the way to Europe, comes back. Now he's in a hospital in Denver.
And the question all throughout was whether Andrew Speaker should be treated with extremely strong medication to try and somehow get rid of this strain-resistant (sic) -- or resistant TB, or whether he should actually have part of his lung where it is removed.
We've just gotten this piece of information from The Associated Press. It says that he will indeed and has decided with doctors to have some of that -- part of the lung or that tissue actually removed.
So he's going to have the surgery that many of our health professionals or health analysts here at CNN have been talking about for quite some time. The infected tissue from his lungs will be removed, and he has decided that he will go ahead and have that procedure, have that operation.
Again, that's brand new information coming in now, as according to The Associated Press. If we get any more, we will share it with you.
Also this. A kid's fishing spot fills up with floodwaters. But what happened next?
That's in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez, in today for Don Lemon.
The loving daughter whose life ended far too soon.
PHILLIPS: Her father blames the Marine base where she was born. Did Camp Lejeune's water cause Janie's fatal leukemia?
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Poisoned patriots, that's what a congressional committee is calling Marines and their families who drank the water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. A study out this week shows that for 30 years, Camp Lejeune's water contained toxins at 40 times higher than today's limits.
Earlier in the NEWSROOM I spoke with a congressman investigating the case and a Marine father whose daughter died of leukemia, which he blames on contaminated water.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY ENSMINGER, MARINE CORPS VETERAN: She went through hell. That child got poked and prodded so much. She went through so much chemotherapy.
Her veins became so rotten that they couldn't even find a vein in her. They stuck her 28 times the last time she had an IV put in, and that was so that they could surgically implant what is known as a Broviac catheter. She -- she really suffered.
PHILLIPS: And as I read your testimony, I mean, you held her, she looked you in the eyes, you looked her in the eyes. You were her source of strength from what I've seen.
ENSMINGER: Yes. PHILLIPS: What was her last thing she said to you? Do you remember?
ENSMINGER: She told me to stop it. I started crying.
And I had never cried in front of her before. When I had to cry, I left the room, because like you said, she drew her strength from me.
And I couldn't -- I couldn't look weak. I -- you know -- and that day, I started crying. And she said, "Stop it."
And I said, "Stop what?" And she said, "Daddy, stop crying." She said, "I love you."
And I said, "I know, honey. I love you, too." And she said, "I know."
That was the last words Janie said. Thirty-five minutes later, she was dead.
PHILLIPS: Congressman, wasn't there funding allotted to clean up this water? And if so, where did that money go?
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: Well, there's been funding allotted to start the cleanup. You have 39 wells that have to be cleaned up at Camp Lejeune. And in 1998, 1999, and 2000, they refused to even request funding for Camp Lejeune.
And they've spent very little money on cleanup, Camp Lejeune. They've drilled some new wells to say the water is safe, but it's a toxic site that has to be cleaned up.
PHILLIPS: What about the EPA?
STUPAK: Well, the EPA, we have a lot of questions there. Their criminal investigator was there, and he said that -- while he made some recommendations, there was definitely obstruction of justice. Because even the Marine Corps statement they put out today saying that they followed all standards is not true.
In 1972, the standards were three parts per billion. That was the Navy's own regulations and they violated that.
But the criminal investigation by EPA CID is very questionable. We have more questions.
We're going to look closer at this investigation because we do believe there was obstruction of justice for Jerry and all rest of the people who lived on Camp Lejeune.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, we contacted the Marines, and we were told that they've shut down the contaminated wells and that the water at the base has been safe to drink since 1987.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
Summer fun leading to a dramatic rescue. Five kids were fishing in a Dallas creek bed yesterday, when it suddenly started raining real bad. The water rose so quickly they couldn't get out. Rescuers had to use ropes and harnesses to finally lift the kids to safety.
How much more is Oklahoma going to get? How much can they take? Every day it seems there's one more storm, one after another.
In fact, last night at least four small tornadoes were spotted in the northwestern part of the state. Hundreds of people lost power. Roads were closed because of all the rain they've been getting.
Another stormy day.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Well she doesn't strike us as the kind of woman who would let people walk all over her, but who could resist this kind of lure? Check out Barbara Walters' shoes.
Details from Tinseltown next on the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, today is World Blood Donor Day, and we introduce you to a man who is quietly saving lives. He could have helped you and you wouldn't even know it.
Wilbur Armstrong is today's CNN Hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, Wilbur.
WILBUR ARMSTRONG, CNN HERO: My name is Wilbur Armstrong. I've been donating blood for 33 years.
(BEGIN GRAPHIC)
Half of all Americans are eligible to donate blood ... but only five percent ever do.
Source: The Mayo Clinic
(END GRAPHIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wilbur is a very good donor. He never flinches and he never complains.
ARMSTRONG: You know, so many people afraid of needles, but it doesn't hurt at all.
Every other day I go to donate blood. When I became legally blind, I couldn't drive anymore.
Hi there. Thank you.
I can travel around the public by myself. I take three buses. Roughly an hour and a half each way.
HARVEY SCHAFFLER, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & DONOR RECRUITMENT: Wilbur is exceptional. Today he makes his 216th platelets donation. Patients with cancer, undergoing chemotherapy require platelet treatment. So it's really urgent that people donate.
ARMSTRONG: They told me I had a high platelet count and I was what they call a splitter. A split is a double donation. Whole blood takes about 10 minutes, a split for platelets will take you an hour and a half, but you'd be helping out two people instead of one.
RICHARD PRENDERGAST, RECRUITER: For all the platelets he's donated, he's bound to run into people that have his platelets running through their blood and that they are alive because of him.
ARMSTRONG: I don't know who these people are that I'm helping, but if I'm helping somebody. And if helping to keep them alive, it makes me feel good.
(BEGIN GRAPHIC)
Wilbur's blood platelets have helped an estimated 600 patients.
Source: New York Blood Center
(END GRAPHIC)
ARMSTRONG: I lost three kids in my neighborhood to cancer. That shakes you up. These kids, they were just beginning to live and they were gone already. So I said if I can prevent somebody else from dying like that, let me do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: If you'd like to make your own life-giving contribution like Wilbur Armstrong, you'll find links to organizations he supports on our Web site at CNN.com/heroes.
SANCHEZ: Something about Barbara Walters' shoes. Barbara Walters is taking a place along Hollywood royalty. The legendary TV host got her very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today.
Entertainment Correspondent Brooke Anderson was on hand for the big event and is joining us now live.
Whoa, what a day out there, huh. Lots of happenings.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: A lot is happening, but it didn't take long for everyone to leave, Rick. I'm out here by myself now.
But yes, a big day for Barbara Walters. She was honored with the 2,340th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, right in front of the Kodak Theater here on Hollywood Boulevard, which is really the most prestigious place. They call it the hot spot for the stars.
Her star is close to Destiny's Child. So she's in pretty good company.
Barbara, of course, has been in the media industry and the business for more than 40 years. She had a great crowd on hand today to support her, including her "View" co-hosts, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Rosie O'Donnell was not on hand today, but Paris Hilton's mother, Kathy Hilton, and Paris' sister Nicky were here to encourage and to support Barbara. Barbara, of course, friends with the Hilton family.
I spoke to Barbara after the unveiling, and she talked about receiving this star, receiving this accolade, and also her recent phone chat with Paris, and a replacement for Rosie O'Donnell.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, I was surprised you hadn't gotten one before now.
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": Well, it never occurred to me that I would get one. I sort of think of it as Hollywood and movie stars. And somebody said, "Why didn't you get one?" And I thought, well, I've been busy. I've been kind of busy.
ANDERSON: You have been kind of busy. The ever-modest Barbara Walters.
Well, congratulations. And like a lot of people have been talking about, you're the only journalist who has interviewed the jailed Paris Hilton.
Do you think she's being treated unfairly?
WALTERS: I have no idea whether she's been treated unfairly. There's been a lot of conversation back and forth. She's serving out her sentence. I...
ANDERSON: Do you have any personal opinions on it?
WALTERS: But, you know, one of the reasons that you are an acceptable journalist is that you keep your personal opinions to yourself.
I was very pleased when Paris called me. She called collect, which is what prisoners have to do.
She talked about being a changed person. I'm sure what she's going through has changed her.
She seemed very mature. And I was happy to talk with her. I have no plans to visit her in jail while I'm out here. And I think that she will get through this ordeal. And as she hopes, come out the better and the stronger for it.
ANDERSON: Last question. How has "The View" been different without Rosie?
WALTERS: Well, "The View" was wonderful with Rosie. But, you know, "The View" has been on for 10 years. We're going into our 11th year. And "The View" is a combination of wonderful women discussing all kinds of things. And we will continue.
I have great affection and admiration for Rosie. But "The View" will go on.
ANDERSON: When will we see a replacement?
WALTERS: We will probably announce a replacement in July. You will see the replacement when we go back on the air in September.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barbara, are we going to see Paris as a guest host?
WALTERS: Will we see Paris as a guest host? I think she has other things on her mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: She does have a lot to think about right now. And we spoke to Kathy Hilton, Paris' mother. She told us she wasn't doing any on-camera interviews. Said had to get to the luncheon for Barbara. But she said her visit to the jail on Tuesday to visit Paris, it went well.
She said Paris is doing fine and that everything has been blown out of proportion -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Well, it may sound like a ridiculous question, but I'll ask it anyway, because the viewers heard the question asked, but they didn't hear the answer from Barbara Walters. So let me just go ahead and say -- the possibility that Paris could fill in for Rosie, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda, is it true?
ANDERSON: Right. Well, Barbara -- Barbara has addressed that and said, you know, she would -- she would welcome Paris on the show, but her co-executive producer, Bill Geddie, said, no, that's probably not going to happen. So a difference of opinions there.
I don't know about -- that she would be a permanent replacement for Rosie, but possibility a guest co-host. Anything's possible.
SANCHEZ: There you have it. Ask, answer, the whole nine yards.
Brooke Anderson, you're good. Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: I'm with Bill Geddie. Now, that's a producer. I'm with him, 100 percent.
Way to go, Bill.
Well, if the goal was an ice cream float, we're missing a few intermediate steps here.
Whoa. Stay out of the deep end.
SANCHEZ: Here, cow.
PHILLIPS: Marco...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: About a half an hour ago we got word that Andrew Speaker, of course that patient with TB flying across the country, is now going to actually go for surgery.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, they had said that that was a strong possibility. And now the doctors at National Jewish Medical Center in Denver say they think it is going to happen in July.
They're going to take a tennis-ball-size chunk out of his right lung. They said that will make it easier to clean up the rest of the TB with antibiotics. The chunks that they're going to take out is the most infected part of his lung.
PHILLIPS: When does he get to go home?
COHEN: That's not entirely known right now, but they think that it could be just a month after surgery. It would have been a lot longer if he hadn't had -- if he hadn't had the surgery.
Now, of course, they will make sure that he is not contagious before letting him out of the hospital.
PHILLIPS: Right. I mean, I was saying to you, thank goodness we both -- you know, we all have two lungs, but you're saying the doctors say even a tennis ball size, taking that out is not very big.
COHEN: They call that a relatively small chunk to be taking out.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
COHEN: Apparently other patients are sicker and get even bigger chunks taken out.
PHILLIPS: Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, appreciate it.
COHEN: OK.
SANCHEZ: The closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street, that is coming up straight ahead.
Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
SANCHEZ: Let's go to "THE SITUATION ROOM".
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