Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Washington Redskins Player Shot; Identity of Baby Grace Revealed

Aired November 26, 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: And another story we're following here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor is in a Miami hospital, reportedly in critical condition. He was shot in his own home early this morning. The Redskins owner and some of Taylor's teammates are headed to South Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SNYDER, OWNER, WASHINGTON REDSKINS: Our hearts and prayers go out to Sean and his family.

Myself and a group of Redskins are on our way to Miami. We really don't have any details, other than what everyone else has been reading and reporting. We have as well. But we appreciate very, very much the outcry of support, and we're just -- hearts and prayers with Sean and his family.

Thanks so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: (AUDIO GAP) on this case.

What's new, John?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Don, a lot of new information coming out now.

Just a few moments ago, I got off the phone with Richard Sharpstein. He is a Miami defense attorney. Sharpstein represented Taylor in 2005 in a case where Taylor ended of pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery charges in an altercation with some people over an ATV.

Now, he's very close with Taylor and Taylor's family. He was at the hospital, at Jackson Memorial Hospital Ryder Trauma Center, where Taylor was taken after he was shot here this morning at about 1:45 a.m.

He says -- this is what Sharpstein is telling me. He says this was definitely a break-in, that what happened was that Taylor and his girlfriend and their baby were in the bedroom when they heard noises. Taylor got out of bed, grabbed a machete that he has. He went out into the living room. At that point, shots were fired. One shot missed Taylor, according to Sharpstein. The second shot severed Taylor's femoral artery. He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital. He underwent about two hours of surgery. Sharpstein told me that Taylor is in very, very bad shape -- that's a quote -- that he suffered extensive brain loss and that, according to Sharpstein, doctors are still worried about his potential for loss of life and the potential for brain damage because of the severity of the injury and the amount of blood that was lost.

Now, Sharpstein also said that a week ago there was a break-in here at the house. Nobody was home at the time and nothing was taken. But again Sharpstein is saying this was definitely a break-in and more importantly that Sean Taylor remains in very critical condition after about two hours of surgery from a gunshot wound that, according to Sharpstein, severed his femoral artery -- Don.

LEMON: CNN's John Zarrella in Miami -- John, thank you so much for that.

PHILLIPS: Senate bigwig Trent Lott makes a big announcement -- the lowdown on why he's joining the Republican rush from Capitol Hill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: T.J. Holmes, what are you working for us in the NEWSROOM there?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are still trying to button up this story about the shooting that happened in Douglasville, Georgia, at a mall, Arbor Place Mall, Douglasville just west of Atlanta, 20-plus miles.

But there you are seeing the Brink's truck that was the subject of this attempted robbery. We understand that the Brink's employee, the security guard, as well as the suspect in this case, were both shot, after the suspect, according to police, walked up to the security guard who was there to make his rounds, and put a gun to that security guard's head.

At that point, a scuffle followed and shots were fired. Both men ended up being hit. According to police, the suspect has the most severe injuries of the two, but neither were exactly considered life- threatening injuries.

And the guard was apparently shot in the leg. But, again, this happened at around noontime, around lunchtime there, at the Arbor Place Mall, where certainly folks were there to eat lunch and shots being fired and people had to scramble, ducking for cover.

There was word earlier possibly of another suspect on the loose, but we talked to the police chief there in Douglasville a little while ago, who said they don't have any reason to believe that there is another suspect on the loose, but at the same time he said that they did not rule that out exactly, but did not put people on alert to be looking out for anyone else. But just wanted to wrap that story up. We finally got more details, both in the hospital. And also one other note here is that the money, all the money was recovered, according to police.

PHILLIPS: OK. T.J., appreciate it.

HOLMES: All right.

PHILLIPS: Thanks.

LEMON: A prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway back in 2005 meets with the judge. The judge arrived at the jail in the past hour. At issue is whether Joran van der Sloot should stay locked up for eight more days.

Our Susan Candiotti is in San Nicolas, Aruba. She joins us with more on today's hearings.

What do you have there, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.

Well, we're outside the chief prosecutor's office, which is a good distance away from that prison. But it is presumed that at this hour that that hearing is under way, a hearing that could determine whether Joran van der Sloot, one of the three suspects in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, whether he can be detained for another several days.

The prosecutors announced last week that they have new what they describe as incriminating evidence not only against van der Sloot, but against two other people, the Kalpoe brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe.

And ultimately, prosecutors say this new evidence could lead to manslaughter charges. They don't believe that Natalee Holloway died through premeditation, but that her death was accidental. Those men are not yet charged as yet.

Now, this hearing that's going on is not public at the prison. The judge went to Mr. van der Sloot, and that's where he will make a decision whether this evidence is good enough, is strong enough to continue to detain him.

Now, the Kalpoe brothers, there's already been a decision in that case, you might recall. They can be held until the end of this week, when the prosecutors would have to go before the court ask for another eight days or so to see whether they can be held any longer, if the judge allows that to happen.

In the meantime this afternoon, for the very first time, the defense attorneys representing the Kalpoe brothers spokes to the news media, held a new conference. They instead maintain that this is an act of desperation, as they call it, on the part of the prosecutors to wind up this case and show that they are trying to solve it as best they can, when in essence there's nothing there. And here's how one of the defense attorneys summed it up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD WIX, ATTORNEY FOR KALPOE FAMILY: There are no new tapes. These are just tapes that were made back in 2005, when these kids were being interrogated. Just like in the states, the interrogation goes on with tapes. They did that back in 2005.

And now what they did is, they have a so-called video expert who says, well, I'm listening to this tape and I'm hearing things that those investigators didn't hear back then, which is (INAUDIBLE) just an excuse to say we have new evidence to be discussed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: So, as you heard, the defense attorney maintains that the bulk of the information that has been presented to the judge amounts to videotaped interrogations made in 2005 of the three suspects, and, in addition to that, cell phone conversations that were also taped.

But the defense attorneys maintain there's nothing new in that. There's nothing new in that. Now, I talked with the prosecution -- the chief prosecutor's office -- just a little while ago. And they maintain the defense attorneys are wrong, they don't know what they're talking about, and, in their view, they must have a very low opinion of the judge if they don't think that there's enough evidence there.

They say the judge wouldn't have decided or allowed these men to be held and re-arrested once again.

We will let you know what the judge's decision is as soon as we get it -- back to you, Don.

LEMON: All right, Susan, thank you.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

LEMON: The White House does it every year, honors America's Nobel Prize winners. And that means Al Gore is going to be in the Oval Office as President Bush's guest.

Can you imagine that? How is that for awkward?

PHILLIPS: Awkward.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the White House.

White House correspondent Ed Henry with some breaking news with regard to the health of the vice president -- Ed, what's going on?

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra.

CNN has learned that the vice president will be undergoing a medical procedure this afternoon at George Washington University Hospital. He will have delivery of what his office is calling an electric impulse to his heart. That is because we're told that this morning the vice president went to George Washington University Hospital and met with his doctors because he had a lingering cough from a cold. As you know, he's had a lot of problems with his heart. And during this examination dealing with his cough, they found that he had an irregular heartbeat.

Upon further testing we're told by the vice president's office, it was determined that it was an atrial fibrillation, which is basically an abnormal rhythm involving the upper chambers of his heart.

So the vice president now is going to be heading to George Washington University Hospital this afternoon. This is an outpatient procedure, but it will be taking place at George Washington University Hospital this afternoon.

He is expecting -- according to his office, he is expected to return to his residence on Monday night. But, obviously, anything dealing with the vice president's health -- given all of the health problems he's had, especially dealing with his heart -- this is some important news -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And, Ed, two quick questions for you.

First, when did this happen, because he was meeting with the president and, also, the Israeli prime minister earlier today, at the beginning of that Middle East peace summit, right?

HENRY: You're absolutely right. In fact, I saw the vice president in the tape that we had from the Oval Office meeting between President Bush and President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. Vice President Cheney was there at that meeting.

My understanding of the timing is that this morning, before that meeting on Mideast peace, Vice President Cheney went to talk to his doctors to deal with the fact that he had this lingering cough from his cold. During that, they found the regular heartbeat. But then he apparently came back to work here at the White House.

As you noted, he was attending some of these meetings with President Bush on the Mideast peace process.

But now, we understand, Vice President Cheney will be going to be going back this afternoon to see his doctors -- this afternoon at George Washington University Hospital here in Washington. Obviously, a lot happening today at the White House, but this is some unexpected breaking news -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And, so at this point, Ed, when he goes in to -- in for a procedure like that, is there someone that steps into his shoes on an interim basis? HENRY: No, there's not. And, again, the vice president's office is stressing that they expect that this should be -- and I stress should be -- relatively routine, and that he should, in fact, be returning to his residence on Monday night. But they will not have anybody else stepping in since he's vice president. And they are obviously hopeful that this will be a relatively routine procedure -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Our Ed Henry always working the sources there, bringing us that news.

We're going to get back to you again in a little bit.

Thanks, Ed.

HENRY: Thank you.

LEMON: We also have some developing news when it comes to the Middle East. This just into the CNN NEWSROOM. We're getting word here from our sources -- also, from our International Desk -- that we should expect a tape from Osama bin Laden soon.

Now, here's what it says, according to Arab television here. Radical Islamist Web sites have posted a banner from Al-Sahab announcing soon -- "god willing" -- there's the banner right there -- "god willing, a new message from the lion sheikh, Osama bin Laden -- may God protect him -- to the Europeans."

There is no prediction, though, on exactly when this message will post. It could take anywhere from now within the next 72 hours.

But, again, according to radical Islamist Web sites, a new message from Osama bin Laden can be expected soon.

The CNN International Desk and all of our resources are working this story. We'll try to bring more to you just as soon as we get it.

PHILLIPS: Also coming up, you just heard from our Ed Henry right there on the lawn at the White House, the vice president of the United States has gone into the hospital with his heart condition. He's going under for a procedure. We'll follow up on that.

The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Now, in case you didn't get the news, you heard it first right here on CNN.

Our Ed Henry working his sources there at the White House with word on the vice president checking into the hospital with his heart condition -- Ed, bring us up to date again. HENRY: Well, as you noted, Kyra, this morning the vice president went to see his doctors. We're told by his office that he had a lingering cough from a cold. Obviously, a lot of people are experiencing that these days, given the weather and whatnot.

But he found out from his doctors that there was more going on, and they incidentally found out that he had an irregular heartbeat. They took some further tests, we're told by the vice president's office, and they found it was an atrial fibrillation. Now, that's an abnormal rhythm for the upper chambers of the heart.

Obviously, the vice president has had a lot of heart trouble over the years.

Later this afternoon, we're told the vice president is going over to George Washington University Hospital here in Washington for further evaluation. And if indicated, he's expected to get delivery of what his office calls an electrical impulse to the heart in order to make sure that the heartbeat -- the rhythm is going again properly.

We're told this is an outpatient procedure and that the vice president is expected to go back to his residence this evening, so that he would not be staying in the hospital overnight -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, Ed, as we know, the president has had a -- or the vice president, excuse me -- has had a number of issues with his heart. I think he's caused a lot of worry to his family. At times it may have been a little more serious, possibly, than this one.

We're actually going to talk to a doctor in just a second. I'm going to hold you with me for that interview, as well.

So I sense the previous times he's been in the hospital -- has he been told to change his lifestyle in any way?

Has he been working on -- has he had to eat differently, change his exercise and...

HENRY: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: OK.

HENRY: Certainly -- I mean I've spoken to the vice president, many have spoken to the vice president about his diet. He has said that he has made changes. He's also talked about how he has exercised more regularly as vice president than he did before. He's somebody who's suffered several heart attacks. He's had various heart problems over the years. So he's obviously been trying to pay attention, obviously, to his health. He's in a very important position and, obviously, that makes it that much more important.

But despite the various challenges he's had in recent years, obviously, he has still kept up a pretty vigorous schedule. And while he's had a lot of these examinations and various procedures, he has still kept a pretty regular schedule through it all -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Ed, stay with me.

We've got Dr. Randy Martin, a cardiologist at Emory University, on the phone with us right now.

Dr. Martin, did you actually hear the details of what Ed was saying with regard to the vice president?

DR. RANDY MARTIN, CARDIOLOGIST: Kyra, I just heard a very minute amount. It sounds like the vice president had developed a common -- a very common irregular heart rhythm, as people get older, especially if they have heart disease, called atrial fibrillation?

Is that correct?

PHILLIPS: Ed, can you confirm that?

HENRY: That's right. Yes, that's right. That's absolutely right.

MARTIN: OK. Well, that's -- that is an extremely common irregular heart rhythm. It's not the same as ventricular fibrillation. As you know, the vice president has an implantable cardiac defibrillator, which is designed to combat ventricular fibrillation or ventricular -- any kind of ventricular arrhythmia.

Atrial fibrillation is a very rapid, chaotic beating of the upper chambers of the heart, the atriums, the receiving chambers. And in and of itself, it's not life threatening, but if the heart is being paced at a very rapid rate, then fit can cause the vice president to feel light-headed and you do lose some of the efficiency of the pumping action of the heart. The vice president has already had prior heart attacks and has some decrease in the pumping action of his heart.

The real -- the real deal people like to do is to try to get the patient out of that irregular rhythm, either by medication or delivery of a small shock to get their rhythm normal.

PHILLIPS: And how do they deliver that -- that shock, doctor?

Is there anything -- is it something that they do to sort of do some type of jump-start or restart the heart in a way?

Is there something that's actually implanted...

MARTIN: Kyra, I don't -- there are many ways that they can do it. They can do it with medication sometimes or they can do it with an electrical shock that basically is delivered across the patient's chest. I do not know what kind of pace -- what kind of implantable defibrillator the vice president has in. I haven't had a chance to research that on short notice. Some of the newer defibrillators do have the capability to shock the heart properly...

PHILLIPS: Ed, do you know?

Do you know what he has?

HENRY: Well, I do recollect, it's known as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator...

MARTIN: That's -- yes, Ed, that's a generic name.

HENRY: (INAUDIBLE).

MARTIN: There are various versions, you know, there's various versions of those they have. But let's assume, Kyra, that he's got atrial fibrillation, that his heart rate was relatively rapid and his blood pressure had fallen because the heart rate was rapid. They would want to get him out of that irregular rhythm for two reasons. One is to restore rhythm so the pumping action of his heart would be restored and it would not be a stress on his heart. The second thing is, is that when you're in atrial fibrillation, you can form clots in that atrium -- the receiving chamber. Of course, that's always a concern with the possibility of a clot breaking off and causing a stroke.

So the reason that they would consider cardioverting or either electrically or by drugs -- called chemical cardioverting the vice president -- is that if his rate or rhythm was so irregular that the pumping action of his heart was impaired substantially.

PHILLIPS: Dr. Randy Martin...

MARTIN: I would think, Kyra.

That's just talking...

PHILLIPS: No, no...

MARTIN: ...talking on minimal (INAUDIBLE).

PHILLIPS: Sure. No, no. That's -- I mean we always -- we always look to you to give us more insight.

Dr. Randy Martin, cardiologist at Emory University.

Randy, thank you so much.

And, also, our Ed Henry on the lawn of the White House bringing us that information.

Ed, appreciate it.

HENRY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Keep us updated on what you find out.

HENRY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right.

LEMON: All right, we're also follow other developing news happening here. We've been talking about "Baby Grace".

Losing a child is hard enough, but for the father of Riley Ann Sawyers, it's even harder to consider his 2-year-old daughter could be "Baby Grace".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT SAWYERS, RILEY'S FATHER: She was really a very fun-loving girl. I mean there wasn't anything she couldn't make. Like she had a very big imagination. I mean for such a little girl, she could play with anything and just have fun with it. I mean like some of the pictures some of the news stations used wee her playing with the water hose and spraying the whole patio soaking wet until she was done with it.

I mean she was just very fun, very active, very hyper, but also very well behaved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: that press conference happening just a short while ago. And Jon Lieberman of "America's Most Wanted" joins us again by phone with more reaction from the Sawyers family.

John, I spoke with you just over an hour ago, just before this press conference, and you talked to me about some of the intricacies when it concerns this case.

Did you see anything in this press conference that you found interesting or that might lead to the mother and her boyfriend getting charges -- receiving charges, at least as it concerns the death of this little girl?

JON LEIBERMAN, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": I'll tell you, Don, number one, you saw the raw emotion there of the family, you know, finding out this little girl, it does appear, is "Baby Grace". Police now are definitely trying to piece this together.

What we have learned is that police believe that this little girl's mother ran off to Texas to be with a guy that she met online, Royce Zeigler, one of the men who was arrested. And from there, you know, she had the little girl with her in Texas, as well, even though the family was from Ohio. And the last time the girl was seen alive and well in Ohio was about four months ago.

Right now, we just talked to investigators. They're piecing together a time line of what could have happened when. And, clearly, they searched the couple's home and they are building a case against them as we speak.

LEMON: And it was really -- you said -- you spoke about the raw emotion in that press conference from the dad, and also from the grandmother, because it was really the grandmother fighting for this -- for the photos to go out there and be identified -- that sort of brought this case to a conclusion when it comes to the identity of this little girl.

LEIBERMAN: We always say one person can make such a difference. And, yes, this grandmother called the local police and said was a missing persons report ever filed about my granddaughter? And they said no. And she said the person I just saw on TV that they're calling "Baby Grace," I believe, is my granddaughter. The outfit matched. The blonde hair matched. The size and weight matched. And she pushed forward and she's the one who got police in Texas in touch with the authorities in Ohio. And she was the key here.

LEMON: Jon, you're an investigative reporter, and when you cover these cases a lot and stories like this, you sort of get an idea of the feel for it.

Does this, you know, we have this saying, does this stink to high heaven for you of something really weird going on here, when it comes to the mother and two of the boyfriends?

LEIBERMAN: Look, it breaks your heart.

I mean, look, number one, did the mother and the boyfriend not want the child around anymore?

I mean the first thing police are doing -- and we know they've gotten statements from the girl's mother and the boyfriend -- the first thing is they're going to look for any sort of notion that these two didn't want their child around anymore. And from there, they're going to start building the case.

I mean this little girl had three skull fractures. She died a terrible death.

LEMON: All right.

Jon Lieberman from "America's Most Wanted," we appreciate it.

Thank you.

LEIBERMAN: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Meeting a real challenge on the golf course...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. SEAN LEWIS, PROGRAM PARTICIPANT: That would be like the easiest thing in the world -- not even challenging. And I was wrong -- really, really wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: New passion for wounded vets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Wounded veterans getting back in the game -- golf, that is -- even if they've never played before. A group in Maryland is offering lessons, facilities, even drivers. The vets are bringing the drive.

CNN photojournalist Bethany Swain shows us. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LEWIS: January 21st, 2004 I lost high leg at about 9:30, 10:00 at night. Now, a .120 millimeter mortar landed three feet away from me right at the corner of the Sunni Triangle in the Diyala Province, not a very good area. And it's literally by a miracle of God that I'm still alive.

You know, I came from playing rugby and football and baseball, you know, very physical sports. I hated golf. A bunch of guys out there trying to hit a little white ball any number of times with a crooked stick. And then they pick it up out of the hole and do it again.

I thought it would be like the easiest thing in the world and not even challenging -- and I was wrong -- really, really wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm still getting used to knowing what's what.

JIM ESTES, SALUTE MILITARY GOLF ASSOCIATION: And what we're trying to do is make is to where every wounded veteran...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, well, let's try to hit a few.

ESTES: ...is able to play golf -- you know, learn the game of golf and play for free. Our mission is to provide facility access to our soldiers...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the club is going to approach the ball at a fairly steep angle.

-- ESTES: ...as well as golf lessons and golf equipment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, give it a swing.

ESTES: I think they all are in better spirits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That was good.

ESTES: They look forward to getting out of that hospital setting because it's a prolonged time.

Recovery for most injuries is lifelong.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You get to focus on something else other than the frustration of the injury.

LEWIS: Golf clears my mind a hundred percent. You know, I'm out here trying to do this on one leg. It's not really hard anymore, but it sure as heck was to begin with. If seeing me gives them the inspiration to get out, you know, and try something -- someone with a disability -- then I'm doing OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We should never complain again. Those guys are just amazing.

PHILLIPS: Just an awesome story. Bethany told us about it. She did a really great job. LEMON: Yes.

PHILLIPS: captured the moment.

LEMON: Time to check in now with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

PHILLIPS: He's standing by in the "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour.

How about those vets -- Wolf.

Wolf Blitzer is by.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": It's an amazing story, each and every one of them. And always so, so moving. These heroes important to watch.

Coming up right at the top of the hour, in over three hours, the full interview with Mitt Romney. I spent some time talking with him earlier today and he made it clear that he feels the heat -- he feels the heat from some of his Republican rivals. We spoke, among other things, about a controversial comment he made a few weeks back when he spoke about expanding -- doubling, if you will -- the Guantanamo Bay prison for Al Qaeda and other suspected terrorists. He defended that decision even in the face of some criticism of GITMO from Senator John McCain, another Republican presidential candidate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think Guantanamo is a symbol of American weakness. I think it's a symbol of American resolve -- resolve against these terrorists who would attack us and attack our friends throughout the world. We, frankly, don't want to bring terrorists onto United States soil and have them in our prison system and have them insisting on -- on lawyers. That's not the right -- the right course for these people that are engaged in fighting against us and launching attacks against us. That's why we have places outside our country for those persons to be held.

Look, when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- the supposed or so-called mastermind of 9/11 -- was captured, he said I'll see you in New York with my lawyers. And that's not what happened. He saw, instead, CIA interrogators and G.I.s in Guantanamo. And that's the way it ought to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: It's a full interview and it's going to run over the course of the next three hours here in "THE SITUATION ROOM". He takes the gloves off, guys, when it comes to Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani.

You're going to want to see that, plus a lot more, right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

PHILLIPS: We're always watching, Wolf.

LEMON: Beauty pageant sabotage -- who spiked Miss. Puerto Rico's makeup and gown with pepper spray?

PHILLIPS: Shame, shame, shame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, things got pretty ugly in Puerto Rico this weekend. The key words being pretty and ugly. Miss. Puerto Rico, contestant Ingrid Marie Rivera, well, says that someone tried to sabotage her. They doused her gown and spiked her makeup with pepper spray. Rivera broke out in hives and her face swelled. But she got the ultimate revenge -- she snagged the title and heads to the Miss. Universe competition, which we hope is a little less fierce for her.

PHILLIPS: The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.

LEMON: Susan Lisovicz is standing by with a final look at the day -- Susan, you never were that catty, were you?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. Oh, no. No. I...

LEMON: No.

PHILLIPS: She would not have used pepper spray. She would have just got right up in her face and said I have an issue with you.

LEMON: Yes, pepper spray...

LISOVICZ: That's right. That's right. That's exactly right.

LEMON: And pepper spray leaves evidence. You don't want to do that.

LISOVICZ: Yes, you have to be clever, I suppose, about it.

(LAUGHTER)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LEMON: We're going to follow the vice president's story, Dick Cheney, his heart situation, in the CNN "SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer.

Let's turn it on over to him now -- Wolf.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com