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Obama Courts Cuban Americans; Fire Erupts on U.S. Aircraft Carrier; Hagee Controversy Continues
Aired May 23, 2008 - 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: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in Gilroy, California, holding a press conference, talking about the fires that have really gone through the Santa Cruz Mountains there and also comparing them to the fires last year, saying not quite as bad and they want to keep it that way. And he is going to use every resource they can in order to do that.
Well, you know what? Yesterday at this time we were watching tornadoes, at least 10, rip right through Kansas. Others were spotted in Wyoming and Oklahoma. Northern Colorado took the brunt of it, though, a monster tornado that plowed through several communities.
Look at that video. Do you remember that from yesterday? Unbelievable. Homes, businesses, dairies and farms are little more now than piles of rubble. Amazingly, only one person was killed. And a man who tried to outrun the storm, that was the man who was killed. He tried to outrun it in his R.V.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: He was working in the fields when the sky turned black.
A farmer tells KUSA reporter Thanh Truong how he ditched his tractor and dived in a ditch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TROY MESBERGEN, DAIRY WORKER: Am I going to die? Is this my time to die?
THANH TRUONG, KUSA REPORTER: Those are the questions that ran through Troy Mesbergen's mind as the tornado moved over Brown Cow Dairy. He was feeding cows and riding in a tractor, when he noticed the wind kicking up.
MESBERGEN: All of a sudden it just got real dark. And I happened to looked up to the south down here and I saw a big wall of black cloud spinning.
TRUONG: He ditched the tractor and headed for a ditch.
MESBERGEN: Ran for a ditch, the closest ditch I could find and covered up. Just prayed for my life.
TRUONG: He thinks he got pelted by hail. These are the marks. The tornado's imprints are all over the dairy. RICK HERTZKE, DAIRY OWNER: It's something you just never think would ever happen to you. But as you can see, it's -- there's nothing left.
TRUONG (on camera): As you can see, the tornado absolutely punished the inside and outside of this house. A few of the dairy workers heard the tornado coming in, ran downstairs to the basement. They got out alive.
(voice-over): A camper staying at this park, just north of the dairy, did not survive. The tornado's power leveled the buildings at the park and pummeled this tree. Whatever shelter the camper had, was no match for the storm.
Back at the dairy after all surviving cows are moved, they'll move ahead with demolition. HERTZKE: Yes, we moved in here, built it from scratch. Two homes and this 400-cow dairy in 1977. And yes, it's over. So, kind of hard to explain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER UPDATE)
KEILAR: In neighboring Wyoming, the National Guard is there helping to clean up parts of Laramie. Rescuers say fierce weekends yesterday upended huge trucks there. They sent boats. There, you see it, skidding along highways. They damaged several buildings as well. Experts there trying to confirm a tornado.
LEMON: Well, he is 71-years-old and the presumptive Republican nominee for the hardest job in the world. So, today John McCain released years of detailed medical records. Bottom line, his doctors say there's no medical reason that he can't be president.
Among his most serious illness -- or issues, I should say, he's been treated for melanoma, skin cancer, three times, but it hasn't come back since 2000.
More on McCain's health in a few minutes, and we will also talk with a former White House physician about the demands of being president.
And a reminder for you -- you can see more of Dr. Gupta this weekend. He explores the health demands of being commander in chief and the challenges facing presidential doctors, a one-hour special report, "The First Patient: Health and the Presidency." Catch that Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.
Barack Obama is going after a South Florida voting bloc that's long been a lock for Republicans. Last hour, he told an audience of Cuban Americans he would make big changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba. And he got in a few digs at Republican John McCain as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will never, ever compromise the cause of liberty. And, unlike John McCain, I would never, ever rule out a course of action that could advance the cause of liberty.
We have heard enough empty promises from politicians. I intend to turn the page. It's time for more than tough talk that never yields result. It's time for a new strategy. There are no better ambassadors for the freedom of the Cuban American -- of the Cuban people than Cuban Americans.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: And that's why I have said that I will immediately allow unlimited family travel and remittances to the island.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: It's time to let Cuban Americans see their mothers and their fathers, their sisters, and their brothers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, can the Democrats chip away at Cuban-Americans' traditional loyalty to the GOP?
CNN's John Zarrella is in Miami.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GIANCARLO SOPO, CUBAN AMERICAN OBAMA SUPPORTER: If you limit outside influence, that's how you can...
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): You are looking at a rare individual, Giancarlo Sopo is a Cuban-American who publicly supports a Democrat for president.
SOPO: My family is on board with Barack Obama.
ZARRELLA: For decades Cuban-American have been powerful allies of the Republican Party and its candidates. Staunchly backing a no- compromise standing against Cuba. Sopo represents a growing trend, young Cuban-Americans are weary of what they say are Republican promises not delivered.
SOPO: In reality all they give to Cuban Americans are lip service and I think Cuban Americans of my generation and Cuban Americans of previous generations are tired of the lip service.
ZARRELLA: Many in this community would like what Senator Obama is promising, loosening travel restrictions on visiting relatives in Cuba and making it easier to send money to their families. But where Obama loses Cuban American voters is by proclaiming his willingness to meet with Raul Castro. In Miami, something akin to heresy.
NINOSKA PEREZ CASTELLON, CONSERVATIVE EXILE RADIO SHOW HOST: I think the fact that Obama walks in and says we can sit down and talk to Raul Castro because it hasn't worked the other way, it's absurd.
ZARRELLA: Ninoska Perez Castellon hosts a Spanish language radio program. Perez says the vast majority of Cuban-Americans will vote for John McCain and against change.
CASTELLON: The fact that he's firm on Cuba, that he is not willing to lift those sanctions is going to help him in South Florida.
ZARRELLA: Historically at least 70 percent of Cuban Americans turn out to vote. Large turnout that has given this small immigrant community plenty of influence and plenty of important visitors.
John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Butterfly ballots, hanging chad, the presidency hanging in the balance, the 2000 vote count in Florida, 30-plus days of painful indecision now boiled down to a couple of hours in a new HBO movie.
CNN's Susan Candiotti previews "Recount."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From angry demonstrations to those surreal moments with hanging Chad. Recount relives those turbulent 36 days in Florida, 2000, when the presidency was on the line.
PAULA WEINSTEIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: What I think you will come away from this feeling is my vote counts, how I vote counts.
CANDIOTTI: The HBO movies whose parent company Time Warner also owns CNN, stars Kevin Spacey. He plays Ron Klain Al Gore's chief legal adviser during the recount. Nova Southeastern University history professor Charles Zelden says if the movie is true to history, it could be a real eye opener.
CHARLES ZELDEN, PROFESSOR, NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: A recount is like a chess game. Everyone knows my move. Everyone knows your moves. It's a question of who makes the right move at the right time.
CANDIOTTI: So how accurate is the movie? Here's a political free for all over a sample ballot.
Here is the Hollywood version.
Everybody remembers Florida secretary of state Catherine Harris certifying the vote. Here's actress Laura Dern playing her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "RECOUNT")
LAURA DERN, ACTRESS: A woman of action, like Queen Esther.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: And small oval bits of paper quickly became famous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "RECOUNT")
DENIS LEARY, ACTOR: Chad.
KEVIN SPACEY, ACTOR: What?
LEARY: There's no S.
SPACEY: The plural or chad is chad?
LEARY: That's great democracy.
SPACEY: Jesus.
LEARY: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Zelden, whose own book on the recount will be published in the fall and says there could easily be another crisis come November if the election is close.
ZELDEN: We have as broken a system as we had in 2000, in some ways more broken.
CANDIOTTI: Whether Recount is more fact, fantasy or somewhere in between, no one can argue with HBO's timing.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: But the biggest question remains, who's going to play this guy in the "Recount" movie? You remember him? Well, we're going to talk about that just ahead with CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. He was actually a consultant on this film. We will also ask him whether we could see a replay in this year's elections.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. We want to get now to some political news that we have been talking about here.
Now, I'm just going over the information. You know the Reverend John Hagee. There's been quite a controversy about that and his comments regarding Jewish people.
Well, he spoke out just moments ago, and CNN was there. Let's take a listen, and then we will talk on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PASTOR JOHN HAGEE, CORNERSTONE CHURCH: My disappointment has nothing to do with the fact that I parted company with Senator John McCain. This was by far the best for both of us and best for the country. It is time for the candidates and the media to turn their attention back to the pressing issues of our day and stop focusing upon what I did or did not say decades ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. And we're going to talk a little bit about this later on, but just to tell you about the controversy, John McCain, of course, cut ties with him after John Hagee endorsed Senator John McCain.
First, he rejected John Hagee, the pastor of a Texas mega-church with a large TV audience there. so, there was some concern about the support there. One sermon, Hagee said he -- that God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land.
And then John McCain there said he rejected that statement and also rejected the endorsement. We're going to follow up on this with our political folks in just a little bit, and you can bet "THE SITUATION ROOM" will be covering this in about 45 minutes, 4:00 p.m. Eastern, here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "RECOUNT")
LEARY: So, when you take these ballots, then you put them through a tabulating system, what happens is the hanging chads get pushed back into the holes, and the machine read it as if the holes were never actually punched. So, then these are discarded as undervotes. But wait. Sometimes, hanging chads don't even hang. They're just dimples.
SPACEY: Dimples?
LEARY: Yes, OK, which means that the voter didn't align the ballot properly in the machine, or just didn't push hard enough to get the chad to go through to the other side.
SPACEY: Well, how hard is it to punch a paper ballot?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: You know, that looks like a scene out of political CSI, but that's actually a clip from the new HBO movie "Recount."
And, as Susan Candiotti reported before the break, it's a look back at long, bitter no-holds-barred fight in Florida over the 2000 presidential election. And it is partly based on a book called "Too Close to Call" by CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. We have asked him to join us today to talk about the movie, his book, and, of course, hanging chads.
Jeffrey, good to see you.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, Brianna.
KEILAR: So, we saw there that was Kevin Spacey, along with Denis Leary.
But Kevin Spacey is actually playing a man named Ron Klain. If you're a Washington insider, you probably know who this is, but a lot of people don't. So, who is this guy?
TOOBIN: He was actually the principal lawyer for Al Gore in Tallahassee during the 36 days of the recount. He had an interesting personal background with Al Gore.
Al Gore had actually fired him as his chief of staff at the White House, but Klain gradually worked his way back into the campaign and was brought on sort of by accident to go down to Florida to deal with this situation, which, as you recall at the time, people thought would be over in a day or two. Of course, it stretched to more than a month.
But the movie is presented sort of through Al -- through Ron Klain, that is Kevin Spacey's eyes.
KEILAR: And you actually state -- this is a scene where Kevin Spacey, Ron Klain, is kind of having a tense moment with his Republican counterpart. And his Republican counterpart asks him, well, how long are you going to be in Tallahassee? And he jokingly says, well, you know, until the vice president fires me again.
So, it's kind of funny there. But as we said, you were a consultant on the film. You wrote this book "Too Close to Call" which obviously is based in fact. You know the facts of the case. Did they stay true to the events of real life with "Recount"?
TOOBIN: I was impressed by how hard HBO worked to make this as accurate possible. They didn't just rely on me. They sent the script around to many of the protagonists in the story, James Baker, Ben Ginsberg, who was one of the Republican lawyers, Ron Klain on the Democratic side, and they got feedback.
Donna Brazile, our colleague here at CNN, who was Gore's campaign manager, she contributed. And they really struggled hard to make the story as accurate as possible. And, yes, it's a movie. A lot of the dialogue is invented or reconstructed. But in terms of its broad outlines, it's extremely factual, as far as I could tell. And it's also really entertaining.
KEILAR: We all remember Katherine Harris, Florida's secretary of state. She's played in "Recount" by Laura Dern, if we have got a clip of that.
And she talks about in the -- Laura Dern's character, in playing Katherine Harris, basically says that her struggle parallels a biblical struggle. Did the writers take any liberties here, do you know?
TOOBIN: Amazingly enough, that's absolutely true.
Throughout the recount period, Katherine Harris thought that she was reminiscent, to herself, of Queen Esther in the Bible, and referred to it frequently among her colleagues. And as over the top as this performance by Laura Dern sometimes seems in the movie, it's in fact accurate, because Katherine Harris was an extraordinary over- the-top character who, you know, played a very important part.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: And, Jeffrey, might we see -- we heard earlier in Susan Candiotti's piece, this could happen all over again. What is the state of ballot counting now?
TOOBIN: Well, chads are gone, at least in Florida, that -- those kind of punch card ballots are gone. But they have been replaced by technologies that in many respects have as many problems as they did.
Florida replaced the punch cards with touch-screens, like ATMs. Those had no paper trail. Those had a big problem. Now they're switching technologies again to what's called optical scan, which are, like, you know, the standardized tests with -- those are, at the moment, the most reliable technologies we have.
But the fact is, we don't pay a lot of attention. We don't pay a lot of money for our voting technology, and we get what we pay for.
KEILAR: And last, Jeffrey, really quick, let's pop up a picture, a really infamous picture from the recount. Who is going to play this guy?
Charles Rosenberg (ph), who was a judge down in Broward County. They have -- they don't focus much on Broward County, but that image is certainly indelible. And, fortunately, I wasn't -- I didn't play that guy, because...
KEILAR: Oh, good.
TOOBIN: ... who would want to look that bad?
KEILAR: OK. Jeffrey Toobin, thanks so much.
TOOBIN: OK. Have a good weekend, Brianna.
KEILAR: You, too.
LEMON: A serious fire on a U.S. aircraft carrier. One sailor suffered first-degree burns and 23 others were treated for heat stress aboard the USS George Washington.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has all the details.
It sounds very serious, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the word now coming from the Navy about this fire, a serious fire, the Navy says, on board the aircraft carrier George Washington, erupted yesterday when the ship was coming around the tip of South America into the southern Pacific Ocean. The fire is out. It lasted, however, for several hours before it could be extinguished, as you say, one sailor suffering first-degree burns, 23 suffering from heat stress.
And just a few minutes ago, the Navy e-mailed to CNN some of the first pictures off the ship yesterday as the fire was under way and some of the 5,000 crew on board moved to try and fight the fire. You can see there the crew moving through the hangars, smoke-filled, fighting the fire with hoses.
They tell us in several areas the heat level in the ship became extreme, in the words of the U.S. Navy. It was really, as they say, all hands to in trying to deal with this emergency. But the ship now, although it's having some communications troubles, is making its way to San Diego for a scheduled port call.
A very scary thing that happened, but, as they say, everyone is fine. The people who were suffering this heat stress are being treated, and the ship is now making its way to San Diego. But, Don, it is very unusual for there to be such a serious fire on board a U.S. Navy ship -- Don.
LEMON: Indeed. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr -- thank you, Barbara.
KEILAR: They toil in the fields from sunup to sundown. And finally advocates say they will reap some of the benefits of doing that. The Special Investigations Unit follows up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Want to stay up to the minute all day and all night? Well, go to CNN.com. And here are some of the most popular video reports right now.
This is not your next "American Idol," folks -- there he is -- but a very clever CNN viewer made a Barack Obama rap video that you will be humming the rest of the day. Check it out over there at CNN.com.
And John McCain's stance on same-sex marriage, he spelled it out in no uncertain terms as a guest on the "Ellen" show. See his entire interview.
And this guy really should have gone inside, but he grabbed his video camera as a Colorado tornado barrelled down on his home. Man, it is a fascinating piece of video to watch and to listen to.
All those stories and plenty more, day and night, updated all the time, and it's all free. It's at CNN.com.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
KEILAR: Nobody wants to be president for his or her health, but you do get first-class care. What it's like to be responsible for the president's health and welfare, we're going to ask a former White House doctor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone.
I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Kyra Phillips.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: OK. Much has been made lately of the comments of John Hagee, the pastor of a huge megachurch in Texas. And he's in San Antonio today, along with -- what is it -- Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg. He is delivering some statements there concerning this controversy that has erupted because of his statements about Jews and Hitler. And he endorsed John McCain.
Well, John McCain rejected his endorsement after hearing about those comments. And just moments ago in San Antonio, the Reverend John Hagee had this comment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAGEE: The past 24 hours have been extremely painful and disappointing to me. My disappointment has nothing to do with the fact that I parted company with Senator John McCain. This was, by far, the best for both of us and best for the country. It is time for the candidates and the media to turn their attention back to the pressing issues of our day and stop focusing upon what I did or did not say decades ago.
What has been most disappointing to me is to see my life's work, the great passion of my life, mischaracterized and attacked. I have dedicated my life to combating anti-Semitism and supporting the State of Israel. In taking a stand for Israel, I have received death threats from anti-Semites and neo-Nazis. I have had the windows of my car blown out beneath the windows of the rooms in which my children slept.
To hear people who know nothing about me or my life's work claim that I somehow excuse the Holocaust is simply untrue and heartbreaking.
Let me be clear. To assert that I in any way condone the Holocaust or that monster, Adolph Hitler, is the most vicious of lies. I have always condemned the horrors of the Holocaust in the strongest terms. But even more importantly, my abhorrence of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism has never stopped with mere words. I have devoted most of my adult life to ensuring that there will never be a second Holocaust. I have worked tirelessly to oppose anti-Semitism and to ensure the survival of the State of Israel.
I have traveled the country teaching Christians to love the Jewish people unconditionally and to stand with Israel. Our ministry has given over $30 million for humanitarian causes in Israel. I founded Christians United for Israel to bring together all pro-Israel Christians in a movement that can support Israel during these very challenging times.
The fact is that all people of faith have had to wrestle with the question of why a sovereign God would allow evil in the world. After Auschwitz, this question became even more urgent than ever. Many people simply could not explain has a loving God could permit such horrors. After the Holocaust, they abandoned their faith in a sovereign God who intervenes here on earth. Others, including me and many millions of Christians and Jews, have maintained our faith in a sovereign God who allows both evil and good.
We therefore search the scriptures for an explanation of that evil. We believe that the words of the Hebrew prophets, such as Jeremiah, may help us understand the mind of God. But our search for an explanation for evil must never be confused with an effort to excuse evil. Many have wondered where God was during the Holocaust. But I think the more important question is what we will do here on earth to make sure that there will never be another Holocaust. We must give meaning to the words never again through our actions.
It is to this effort -- this effort to fight anti-Semitism and to support Israel, this effort to promote the continued growth and development of Christians United for Israel, this effort to preach the gospel, this effort I now return.
God bless you and thank you for coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. You're looking at pictures of John McCain there. And just as an act of transparency, we want to tell you that we -- this is all coming from the church there in San Antonio, John Hagee Ministries Building.
He said -- this is why he said he was doing this today in a press release that he sent out to all media. He said: "To offer resolution and closure on the issue of Pastor John Hagee's endorsement of Senator John McCain and recent attacks on Pastor Hagee's life, his work and his beliefs."
So that's coming from the ministry there.
And just to tell you, again, a little bit of background on this to make it clear here. First, Pastor Hagee endorsed John McCain. And then John McCain, after hearing about the comments where he -- comments about Hitler and Jews, where he said -- in one sermon he said God sent Adolph Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land -- John McCain said to this. He rejected Hagee, the pastor of that mega church.
And he said "I have said I do not believe -- he's talking about Senator Obama and Jeremiah Wright, because people are comparing this. I share -- I do not believe that Senator Obama shares Reverend Wright's extreme views. But let me also be clear, Reverend Hagee was not and is not my pastor or spiritual adviser and I did not attend his church for 20 years. I denounced statements he made immediately upon learning of them, as I do again today." And that's John McCain's response to all of this.
So you heard John Hagee speaking moments ago and you heard John McCain's response, as well.
More about this controversy in THE SITUATION ROOM -- Brianna.
KEILAR: They toil in the fields from sunup to sundown and finally advocates say they will reap some of the benefits. The Special Investigations Unit follows up in THE NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Ever heard of exer-gaming?
Well, it's the combination of video games and daily exercise.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains it in today's Fit Nation report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jogging, lifting weights, perfecting a yoga pose -- things you'd normally do in a gym. But thanks to Nintendo's new Wii Fit platform, your gym, your trainer, even your yoga mat, are going electronic.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I just really like it.
GUPTA: The Wii Fit Balance Board has sensors that monitor your every move and keep track of your center of balance, weight and body mass index. You can do yoga, endurance and strength training and fun challenges, like a hula-hooping contest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like I'm exercising, so that's a good thing, you know?
GUPTA: Of course, Wii Fit isn't the first video game that aims to get kids -- even some adults -- moving. There's Dance, Dance Revolution, the Sony Eye Toy and Wii's other fitness games, like tennis and baseball.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's sort of weird.
GUPTA: But what do real live trainers think of their virtual competitors?
ROBERT DOTHARD, FITNESS EXPERT: I enjoyed it. You know, as a professional trainer, I'm always looking for ways to introduce fitness into people's lives. And since the Wii is such a popular game and it's in homes already, it's a great attachment to bring fitness into the home.
GUPTA: But even Nintendo trainers agree the video game should not replace workouts in the gym.
DOTHARD: This is a tool in your fitness tool kit. This is just another thing that gets you up and moving.
GUPTA: Robert is not concerned by the competition. In fact, he plans to by the $90 video game to use in his own fitness studios.
DOTHARD: You know, it's something I would use for people that are maybe skittish. So I think it would be great in a public gym setting for people that don't want to make that total plunge.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Yes. Well, the release of John McCain's medical records puts a spotlight on presidential health. Being president is one of the most powerful and most stressful jobs in the world.
Dr. Connie Mariano has a unique perspective on all this. She was White House physician for President Clinton and both President Bushes. And she joins us now from Fountain Hills, Arizona.
Thank you very much for joining us here today.
OK, so we have been looking at the medical records. And real quickly, just up front, I want to show you, these are the stats from John McCain's medical records. It has his age -- 71 years old; his height -- 5'6" tall, although we heard from Sanjay Gupta at one point it said he was 5'9"; 170 -- 163 pounds; and his B.P. would be 134 -- which is his blood pressure -- 134 over 84.
How does that seem to you?
Does that seem fairly normal for someone of his age?
DR. CONNIE MARIANO, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN: For his age, it appears appropriate.
LEMON: It appears appropriate. OK, what is it, real quick, is he 5'6" or is he 5'9?"
(AUDIO GAP)
LEMON: Can you hear me, doctor?
MARIANO: Go ahead.
LEMON: Yes. I'm saying what's with the discrepancy in height here?
Is that just something that's not a big deal?
MARIANO: You know, I don't know whether or how they recorded it and whether the different records have varied according to that. So, you know, what was the current one and depending on what it was, you know, 10, 20 years ago, he's going to lose some height. You worry about osteoporosis -- osteopenia, thinning of the bones. So there will be variations in height over time. LEMON: OK. So he may have gone from 5'9" to 5'6" depending on how his body reacted to age.
MARIANO: Yes.
LEMON: OK, we've heard...
MARIANO: My...
LEMON: Go ahead.
MARIANO: My question is whether his physician, his internist, has noted this, whether he had back pain and other things that come to mind, certain conditions that can cause sudden accelerated height loss. So that's something that unless his physician has noted at, that should be looked at.
LEMON: When we had when we spoke to our Dr. Sanjay Gupta here, as well, there were a litany of, you know, ailments that seemed minor that were listed off here. And it also talked about his cholesterol, which was 192; LDL bad cholesterol, 123; HDL, good cholesterol, 42. And then it talked about the medications, doctor, that he was on and it listed a whole, you know, thing from Zyrtec to Ambien to multi- vitamins to Hydroclorazide -- all kinds of things taken here. And all you say, or would you think, pretty normal for someone with his medical condition, right?
MARIANO: They're fairly common medications. I think they had also mentioned he does take Ambien for sleep occasionally.
My question is how often he takes that? Is it on a regular basis?
LEMON: OK. The big question here is should John McCain be elected president, should the American people be worried, from anything that you have found in these medical records?
MARIANO: I did look over the records that the Mayo Clinic has released and there wasn't anything there that worried me. The only thing I would question or ask his doctors to clarify or go on the record is the issue of any prior history of substance abuse, alcohol use, whether they're concerned about that; whether there's in question of neurological deficit, whether there are mental status changes, whether there's any evidence of mood disorder that may become a problem in the future.
LEMON: OK. Now we know about the melanoma, which many Americans suffer from. And we tell people, you know, to wear their sunscreen and what have you, to take care of your skin, to make sure you're not out in the sun a lot. That would not appear -- or would it appear to be something that is of -- that is of concern here?
MARIANO: No. He's pretty much clear. His physicians did a sentinel node biopsy at the time of his surgery. He's been followed very closely by an excellent dermatologist, Dr.
Suzanne Connolly, who I know very well, at Mayo. And he's essentially clean of recurrence of that melanoma. And he gets very, very good surveillance on that. So I don't think that's an issue.
LEMON: OK. And the other concern here that, you know, prisoner of war. He has gone through a lot.
Mental health -- in the records, what can you tell us about that and what do you know about that?
MARIANO: You know, I have not seen his prisoner of war records. I think what people need to look at is how is he at this current time. You know, I think the biggest test in terms of mental status is really the campaign in and of itself.
When they're on the road, they're doing 18-hour days. They're constantly answering questions. You members of the press are hammering them for questions, trying to catch them, whether or not they are astute enough to listen to the questions and answer it correctly. So that's a tremendous mental status test, if anything, is to survive a presidential campaign, and then ultimately to go to the convention.
How are they in terms of their speaking? Are there any lapses of memory?
And then how well do they think on their feet?
I think that's a very good test as to how they're operating mentally.
LEMON: Dr. Connie Mariano is a former White House physician.
We thank you for joining us in the CNN NEWSROOM.
MARIANO: Thank you.
LEMON: And a reminder, you can see more on this topic this weekend. Doctor Gupta explores the health demands of being commander- in-chief and the challenges facing presidential doctors. It's a one hour special report, "The First Patient: Health and The Presidency." You can catch that Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
KEILAR: Talk about the school of hard knocks, that is the teacher giving a student the smackdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A major agreement has been reached in the fight against what some people view as human slavery. This is the end of a long battle between advocates for migrant workers and a major fast food chain.
And here to tell us more about this now is CNN's Abbie Boudreau with our Special Investigations Unit.
What's going on here?
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Burger King has agreed to pay a penny more per pound for tomatoes. That may not seem like much, but advocates say it will help make a huge difference for those that work in the Florida's fields.
The Burger King increase follows similar increases by McDonald's and Yum! brands, which operates Taco Bell, KFC and other restaurants. Burger King also says it will ensure it will not buy from growers with poor working conditions.
Now, this is a story we told you about when went to Immokalee, Florida few months ago. Police told us how some workers were held as slaves living and working in deplorable conditions, making hardly enough money, if any, to survive.
Today's decision is being applauded by Senator Bernie Sanders, who announced the agreement between Burger King and the Florida-based Immokalee workers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: With poverty in America increasing, with millions of people working longer hours for low wages, with a race to the bottom taking place, it was important for some of us to find out where that bottom was. And I expect that bottom is in Immokalee, Florida.
AMY WAGNER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, BURGER KING: We, along with other industry leaders, recognize that the Florida tomato harvesters are in need of better wages, working conditions and respect for the hard work that they do every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOUDREAU: Burger King also says it will work in the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve labor conditions.
When we were in Florida, police showed us how some of the workers lived in these primitive migrant camps. We've learned at least seven investigations into slavery are underway right now.
KEILAR: Wow. And one penny a pound. I mean that's just -- it's amazing to even think about it.
CNN's Abbie Boudreau -- you're with our Special Investigations Unit.
Thanks for that.
BOUDREAU: Thank you.
KEILAR: Don.
LEMON: Well, check this out. There it is. That's a teacher and he's giving a student the smackdown. The video, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: OK. Now it's time for Caught on Camera. And this one was caught on a cell phone camera. That's a Florida middle school teacher giving a 14-year-old student the old classroom smackdown. The teacher resigned after the video came out, though. He says it was playful wrestling that went just too far. The principal calls it inappropriate. The 14-year-old's family doesn't want to prosecute. He says it just went a little bit too far.
Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
KEILAR: He is standing in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It did go a little bit too far.
KEILAR: Yes.
BLITZER: All right, guys.
Thanks very much.
Coming up, the former John McCain supporter, the pastor, John Hagee, he makes a public statement, as we just saw, about the news media, the candidate and what he wants to happen next. We're following through on this story.
And John McCain's medical records released. Our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta pored through hundreds of pages and he learned some new details about the candidate's health. We're going to have complete coverage coming up.
Also, it's a weapon and a video recorder. Some officers hope it will help sort out exactly what happens during police shootings. We're going to demonstrate exactly how this new technology works.
All that, guys, and a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
KEILAR: Thanks, Wolf.
LEMON: Thanks, Wolf.
KEILAR: And when we come back, we're going to chat with Susan Lisovicz. She's all that and a bag of chips.
But how much are those chips, anyway, in this era of rising prices?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Let's head to Wall Street now and Susan Lisovicz.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brianna.
Well, the barbecue index is something that's very upsetting.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
LISOVICZ: I'll see you guys next week. Have a great long holiday weekend.
LEMON: You enjoy, Susan. Have a fantastic time, whatever you do.
KEILAR: And let's head now to "THE SITUATION ROOM" --
LEMON: -- and Mr. Wolf Blitzer.
Take it away, Wolf.
