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Campbell Brown
No Evidence of Skin Cancer For McCain; Alaska Senator Under Federal Indictment
Aired July 29, 2008 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody.
We have two big breaking stories we're following for you tonight.
First, John McCain's biopsy results were just released within the past hour. And, as we told you last night, he had a mole removed from his face. His doctors reported good news today, saying there is no evidence of skin cancer.
The other big story, today's earthquake out in California, it was a significant one, 5.4 magnitude. We're told there were no serious injuries reported so far. We are going to have more details on that coming up in just a moment.
Also, I don't have to tell you, confidence in Congress right now at an all-time low. Well, today's news out of the Washington is not going to change that. The longest-serving Republican in the Senate, Alaska's Ted Stevens, joined the growing congressional hall of shame today. He was indicted on charges that he lied about receiving gifts worth more than a quarter of a million dollars.
And if you can't quite place Senator Stevens, well, remember the bridge to nowhere, that $398 million Alaska bridge that became a national symbol of pork barrel spending? That was one of Stevens' pet projects. Tonight, we are going to look at what prosecutors say one of the most powerful Republican senators did.
And nearly one year after a deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis, there's good reasons to believe America's bridges, tunnels and roads are even at more risk. Our series "Roads to Ruin" begins tonight, no bias, no bull.
This is the ELECTION CENTER.
We begin, though, with that breaking news, the strongest earthquake in a decade to hit Los Angeles. The quake happened at midday. There were dozens of aftershocks, and the epicenter was near Chino Hills. That's about 30 miles southeast of downtown L.A. It was felt as far away as San Diego and Las Vegas.
CNN's Ted Rowlands is in Chino Hills tonight with the very latest for us.
Ted, what do you know?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Campbell, an afternoon of telling stories here in Southern California and assessing damage. The good news, not a lot of damage. We're in an Ace Hardware stores where a lot of stuff fell off the shelves. They have cleaned that up. This was the case at stores around the Los Angeles area.
But the bottom line here, this was a reminder to Southern Californians that Mother Nature is around. It was a significant earthquake, and a lot of people were frightened, a lot of rattled nerves this afternoon and this morning, when this hit.
We're also starting to get video in from the -- the moments where this happened. We just got some video from a -- one of those judge shows, one of those daytime judicial shows. It's called "Judge Penny Brown Reynolds." They were taping the show in Los Angeles. Watch it. They were taping it and the cameras were rolling when the earthquake hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, I can still do for the children as though I planned on. He paid approximately -- he took out, I believe, $729.99.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Relax. Stay calm.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... earthquake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stay calm. It's OK. Everyone get under this desk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get under.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Obviously, a lot of people a little bit nervous there. And that played out across Southern California. We had some I- Reporters send in some terrific stuff, too.
One I-Reporter in Laguna Niguel down in Orange County, had some tape of his swimming pool as it sloshed from side to side. Basically, there was some structural damage in Southern California, some buildings. Right now, they're still assessing the highways and bridges. They're going out in a 50-mile radius, looking for any problems in Southern California.
They have checked the airports, though. They have checked the highways for the most part. And, Campbell, at this point, it looks like not a lot of damage, but a lot of nervous people here.
And one other thing, a lot of people reassessing their earthquake plans, because the phones were out for about 10 minutes after this. And a lot of people going now through what they would do if the big one actually hits. This one not a big one, but it sure did get people's attention.
BROWN: Absolutely, Ted, a smart thing to do. Ted Rowlands for us tonight from California -- Ted, as always, thanks.
Now some breaking news on John McCain's health. It's good news. The skin removed from the candidate's cheek yesterday was not cancerous.
And we have got chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta with us for the very latest, and a sigh of relief for John McCain.
Tell us what happened here.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This was a suspicious mole on the right side of his face. Something about it sort of alarmed the dermatologist enough to say let's take a look at this. So it was actually removed and examined under the microscope it sounds like today.
They looked for cancerous cells. Apparently in his case they saw nothing like that. On average, we have between 10 and 40 moles on our bodies. This one looked suspicious enough for them to actually remove it.
BROWN: Twenty-four hours getting your results back? That never happens with my test results. That doesn't have anything to do with him being a...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: No.
GUPTA: That was pretty quick. That was actually asked of them. They say they do it pretty fast at this particular clinic, but usually a few days to get results like that back.
BROWN: He's had four melanomas, right? That means, though, this is something he's got to really keep an eye on...
(CROSSTALK)
GUPTA: I think it's very fair to say that he's at higher risk for having another melanoma than the average person, the average population.
So, if he has a mole that changes at all, in any way, he's going to need to have that looked at pretty quickly. His last big one, the one that everyone pays attention to, was the one in 2000, so it was eight years ago. They said at that point he had a 66 percent likelihood of a recurrence. That hasn't happened in eight years, so it's probably unlikely for it to happen now.
BROWN: All right, Sanjay, stay with me. I know you have got another big story you're going to be bringing us a little bit later in the show.
But, first, coming up, the FBI investigation that snagged a powerful Republican in the Senate. We have got all the details tonight.
Plus, America's crumbling roads and bridges, are they a disaster waiting to happen? Our series "Roads to Ruin" begins tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Now to the very latest on Alaska Republican Senator Tom Daschle.
The indictment against him today lists seven felony counts of making false financial statements. It is just the latest chapter in a political career that's been, well, let's say colorful. Stevens was politically active in Alaska even before it became a state.
He first came to Washington in the 1950s to work in the Eisenhower administration. He's been a senator for 40 years. He's running for reelection, but, right now, his future is in doubt.
Joe Johns live in Washington with a lot more -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, in some ways, whether it's fair or not, the state of Alaska has recently become the poster child for public corruption.
And today's indictment of Senator Ted Stevens may very well send a signal that, no matter how far you are from Washington or how powerful, the feds are always watching.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS (voice-over): Brawling and combative, Ted Stevens is now the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, once lionized as -- quote -- "the Alaskan of the century," an honor for all he's done to build up his home state.
But now, with his reelection on the line, the Justice Department and a federal grand jury have called him out for the fight of his life. The case of the United States of America against Theodore Stevens charges that the senator essentially lied for years and years about gifts and services he got from an Alaskan oil services company called VECO.
We're talking about tens of thousands of dollars worth of stuff, especially labor costs when Stevens renovated his house near Anchorage eight years ago, but that's not all.
MATTHEW FRIEDRICH, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: The indictment also alleges that Senator Stevens received other gifts from VECO and its CEO, including household goods, furniture, a new Viking gas range, a tool storage cabinet, and an automobile exchange in which Senator Stevens received a new vehicle worth far more than what he provided in exchange.
JOHNS: Prosecutors say Stevens was supposed to report any gifts valued at over $260 and generally reimburse the donor. Failure to do so is pretty much against the law. Prosecutors say Stevens didn't do it.
Interestingly, the indictment also claims VECO was getting assistance on its lucrative projects in Pakistan and Russia, for example, and yet the government does not claim that Stevens took a bribe.
FRIEDRICH: At the same time that Senator Stevens was receiving these things of value, over that same time period, he was also being solicited by VECO to do certain things which he or his staff on occasion did.
JOHNS: Still, the charges stun the Senate.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: It's a sad day for him, us. But, you know, I believe in the American system of justice that he's presumed innocent.
JOHNS: Following Senate rules, Stevens said he was temporarily stepping aside from his powerful positions on Capitol Hill committees, and he said in a statement -- quote -- "The impact of these charges on my family disturbs me greatly. I am innocent of these charges, and I intend to prove that."
What's puzzling is that, after an investigation lasting months, if not years, this powerful man would wind up getting indicted for something like making false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms. But congressional watchdogs say it looks like the prosecutors were trying to take the cleanest shot possible at a Capitol Hill icon.
STEVE ELLIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS, TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: They said that, all right, you're supposed to disclose everything that you received of value. And he didn't do it year after year after year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: This corruption investigation is apparently a long way from over. And, by the way, it has been going on for years. Seven people have actually been convicted, and at least two other public figures are awaiting trial. More on that in a minute -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right, Joe Johns for us tonight -- Joe, thanks.
So, a powerful senator up for reelection. There are going to be those who ask about the timing of this indictment.
Here to connect some of these dots and explain all this for us is Jeff Toobin, who is a senior analyst here at CNN and a former assistant U.S. district attorney?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: U.S. attorney.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: U.S. attorney, OK. All right. Let's make sure I got that right.
Help us understand this, because the charges they announced actually sound pretty bland, failing to properly fill out disclosure forms, but the feds are after something much bigger here, aren't they?
TOOBIN: Well, from Al Capone to Martha Stewart, the feds have always been good at going for the cover-up, rather than the crime.
It's a lot easier to prove that Stevens simply didn't report the gifts he was given, rather than trying to prove he was given gifts in return for his actions, which is bribery. So, they're taking the easier -- making the easier case.
BROWN: But this is about bribery, really.
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: It's very much about bribery.
VECO was like a one-company crime wave in Alaska. This company paid politicians all over the place. Several have already been convicted. The head of VECO was convicted for giving bribes. But that's not the precise charge against Stevens.
BROWN: OK. So, what could happen to him? Are we talking jail time?
TOOBIN: You could, although given his age and given the nature of the charges, I would be shocked if it was anything more than a year or something like that. But, at least in theory, prison time is possible.
BROWN: So, as a former federal prosecutor, you know the Justice Department is not going to go after a sitting senator without having done their homework and spent a lot of time building a case. Are we talking about more people being brought into this, possibly?
TOOBIN: Well, his son, who is a state senator in Alaska, has been under a very similar investigation. I think it's likely to end not well for Senator Stevens, although he has one of the best lawyers in the business. Brendan Sullivan, who was Oliver North's lawyer, will be representing Stevens.
We will see what happens. It is going to be very tough to get a jury in Alaska that doesn't have strong feelings about Stevens. You know, when you land in Alaska, you land at Stevens International Airport in Anchorage. So, lots of stuff is named after him now.
BROWN: Yes, pork barrel, he was famous for it, he was, for getting Alaska what it needed.
TOOBIN: And beloved for a long time.
BROWN: All right, Jeff Toobin for us tonight -- Jeff, thanks.
There is lots more to this Stevens story. Jeff touched on some of it. Joe Johns has been to Alaska digging into it. And he's going to tell us what he found.
Also ahead, timing, timing, timing. There's now an urgency about who the candidates could pick as their running mates. We're going to update you on the veepstakes.
And our groundbreaking CNN series "Black in America" continues, shocking statistics right here in America on a health crisis. We will tell about that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Alaska Senator Ted Stevens indicted today on federal charges. He's had a lot of ups and downs in his long career.
Joe Johns is here again with more on that and the charges he now faces.
JOHNS: Campbell, it has been called the last frontier. In some ways, people have gone as far to call Alaska the wild, wild West. That seems to be exactly what caught the attention of federal prosecutors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS (voice-over): Grainy videotape of a bribe going down in a hotel in remote Juneau, Alaska. You are watching undercover video of an FBI sting on some Alaska state legislators nicknamed the Corrupt Bastards Club.
Pulling the strings here is a powerful Alaska oil man, Bill Allen. At the time, he was CEO of VECO, an oil field services company. Allen was willing to pay to get some legislation that would favor his company. In his hotel suite, powerful Alaska politicians were taking their seats one by one, often sharing a drink and promising to do what it takes to make the oil man happy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will get her done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you will do it. I'm serious about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't care. I will get her done. I will get her done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. I know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will sell my soul to the devil.
JOHNS: Seven players in Alaska business and politics have been indicted so far in the federal corruption investigation, but the biggest fish of all in the VECO case, Senator Ted Stevens, got his indictment today.
Eight years ago, in 2000, Stevens did a big renovation on this place, his home near Anchorage. It's in disrepair now, but we're told, years ago, Stevens put in a new basement, lifted the whole structure up, and added a new first floor. By some estimates, it doubled the value of the house.
Remember this guy, Bill Allen? Well, prosecutors say he's cooperating with them now. And those prosecutors say Allen's company basically paid for the labor and some nice extras. Total value? More than a quarter million dollars.
MATTHEW FRIEDRICH, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: VECO contractors and employees performed a significant potion of these renovations.
JOHNS: Stevens has long argued he did nothing wrong.
SEN. TED STEVENS (R), ALASKA: I will tell you we paid every bill that was given to us. Every bill that was presented to us has been paid personally with our own money. And that's all there is to it.
JOHNS: This is arguably the lowest point in a monumental career. Stevens is one of a handful of politicians who built Alaska, thanks in large part to billions of dollars of federal earmarks, including money for those infamous wildly expensive bridges to nowhere that launched a nationwide debate over how Congress doles out millions in pet projects.
And many believe today's indictment, whatever the outcome, could signal the end of an era.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: Bribery and corruption are often very difficult to prove in cases involving politicians. And perhaps that's one reason why a lot of people are saying the federal prosecutors went with the false statement charges -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right, Joe Johns once again for us tonight -- thanks, Joe.
Ted Stevens joining our Congressional Hall of Shame tonight, alongside ex-Representative Tom DeLay, who resigned as House majority leader in 2005, when he was indicted for money laundering, ex- Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who resigned that same year after pleading guilty to taking more than $2 million in bribed, ex- Senator Conrad Burns, who gave back $150,000 from a tainted lobbyist, but denied any wrongdoing, and Representative William Jefferson, caught with $90,000 in his freezer in 2005.
Coming up next: the politics of fighting AIDS, an eye-opening look at the toll it takes on African-Americans, as federal money goes to patients overseas. Who is outraged about it and why -- next in the ELECTION CENTER.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Pretty startling figure there, the number of AIDS deaths among African-Americans.
A new report claims, in some U.S. cities, AIDS is as big a problem for African-Americans as it is in Africa. And now critics want to know why is the U.S. sending more money overseas to fight AIDS when there appears to be a serious problem here at home.
Let's bring back our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, to give us a reality check on all this.
And, Sanjay, those are pretty staggering numbers. Break it down for us. What's really going on?
GUPTA: Some of the numbers are not new necessarily. There's about a million people living with HIV in the United States. The question really becomes, who are these people?
If you look at these graphs behind me, you start to get a sense of exactly what's happening, 19 Hispanic, 34 percent white, but 47 percent black, and therein lies a pretty staggering number in and of itself.
The African-American population in this country is only about 13 percent, so you get a sense there. And if you drill down a little bit further, take that 47 percent number and look at some specific cities now. Look at D.C. Of all the HIV infection rates, 80 percent are in African-Americans. That's about the numbers approximating Uganda.
Look at Jackson, Mississippi, 84 percent of the HIV infections there are also in African-American. It is very disparate. And I should add to that as well, Campbell, that if you're an African- American with HIV in the United States, you're two-and-a-half times more likely to die of that disease as compared to a white. The numbers are higher. The death rates are higher as well.
BROWN: Now, you mentioned Uganda, comparing it to Washington, D.C. Is that the case across, that countries internationally compare at those levels to cities here at home?
GUPTA: They do. They really do. And I think it is pretty staggering.
Overall, if you took all the blacks in America and you said, look, let's call them their own individual country, how does it compare to several of these other countries? There is a thing known as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief. They give lots of money to 15 countries. The question is, how does the United States do compared to some of those other countries?
Well, there's actually higher HIV rates in the United States as compared to seven of the countries that actually get money through this President's Emergency Plan. So, that gives you a little bit of an idea.
Now, as part of this report, Campbell, I should point out that they say $15 billion has been given over five years. No one is saying give less. And these countries need that money. The question is, what has been the focus in the United States?
BROWN: Well, you're talking about the money. And President Bush is expected to sign tomorrow a $48 billion plan again aimed at foreign countries fighting AIDS that would be doled out over the course of five years. But how do you justify that, given these numbers? How does it square? How do you go back to Congress and say, wait a minute?
GUPTA: Right.
I have traveled to a lot of these places. And can tell you, in sub-Saharan Africa, if you look at that particular area of the world overall, you have 33 million HIV cases in the entire world. About 70 percent of them are right here. So, there's still a lot of cases here. If you take that one step further, 75 percent death rates from people who have HIV as well, which are some of the highest anywhere in the world.
And keep in mind it's not just the access to medications. It's malnutrition. It's tuberculosis. It's malaria. I was in Rwanda, looked at that specifically. And it's much harder to actually survive the disease, survive the infection if you live in these particular areas.
BROWN: We want to broaden this discussion out a little bit, Sanjay. Stay with me.
I want to bring in now CNN political analyst Roland Martin, along with Phill Wilson, who is the founder and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, which put out today's report on AIDS and African-Americans. And they're both joining me tonight from Chicago.
Phill, I want to get your reaction to the statistics that Sanjay just walked us through. How did we get here?
PHILL WILSON, FOUNDER & CEO, BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE: Well, you know, we got there from the fact that we really have not been paying attention to today's epidemic in America, particularly over the last seven or eight years.
Now, we have believed that the AIDS epidemic was over in America, but yet every hour of every day, a black person somewhere in America is dying from AIDS, and two black people are being infected.
AIDS today in America is a black disease. No matter how you look at it, through the lens of gender, or sexual orientation or age or socioeconomic class or education or region of the country where you live, black folks bear the brunt of the AIDS epidemic.
BROWN: Roland, the international AIDS crisis getting a lot of attention. Sanjay just walked us through it. But do you think that we have lost focus here at home?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Of course we have.
Remember, 2004, vice presidential debate, PBS moderator Gwen Ifill, she asked -- she brought the stat up. And she specifically said, Campbell, to Vice President Dick Cheney and John Edwards: I don't want to talk about international.
You know what they did? They focused on international. Even Cheney said he hadn't even heard that particular stat.
BROWN: I remember that.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: But, Campbell, not only that; even the faith forum you hosted, when the issue of AIDS came up, guess what? They only talked about it within the context of Africa.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: So, Roland, how do you get the dollars to go to where this problem is?
MARTIN: Well, see, now, here's where you have got the politics going on. And let's just be honest, Campbell. You have many -- you have a strong structure among white gay males that have dominated how the dollars have been spent. We understand that, because that has been the focus.
The problem is many black AIDS organization or those targeting people of color, they have been in a tug of war across the country as to re-allocating those dollars. And, so, there's been a lot of grassroots battles going on, and it's been under the radar, but this report may very well bring those fights above ground.
BROWN: One thing I think we should point out, though, Sanjay, is that people with HIV here in the U.S. do live longer. They have better access to treatment, right?
GUPTA: They have better access. They are less likely to also suffer some of the sequelae, like malnutrition, tuberculosis, malaria.
So, for sure, I think if you can put a number on it, it's about 30 percent better, as compared to countries that have fewer resources. Among African-American women, it's still the biggest killer in the age group between 25 and 34, which is a number that I was reminded of today. That is really hard to imagine, 30 years almost later after this thing has started in this country.
WILSON: And, Campbell...
MARTIN: And, Campbell, black leadership must step up. They cannot be silent. They must challenge people when it comes to their sexual behavior. They must challenge them in church because this is a preventable disease. People have to be pounded into their heads.
BROWN: Right.
MARTIN: We cannot ignore it.
BROWN: And to that point, Phill, I know that you agree with that. You don't think this is merely a failure of government, but a failure of leadership and education within many black communities, right? WILSON: It's a failure of leadership around the board, but black communities are starting to step up, and that's really important. But they need an honest partner. Right now, we don't have an honest partner in the government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
WILSON: Over the last five years, Campbell, we have actually had a reduction in prevention spending in this United States if you factor in inflation. Now, we just signed a bill -- the president just signed a bill or about to sign a bill of spending $43 billion in South (ph) Africa.
BROWN: Right.
WILSON: Experts are saying that for $1.3 billion, you know, we can have an effective prevention strategy in the United States.
BROWN: All right. OK, we got to end it there, guys. But to Sanjay and to Phill, thanks very much for your time. Roland, I know you're sticking around. We're going to see you in a few minutes.
One year after the Minneapolis bridge disaster, many highways nationwide are "Roads to Ruin." We are going to look at bridge safety. The Federal Highway money trail. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: One of the biggest problems the next president will have to deal with is literally right under our feet. In every state, there are literally hundreds, in many cases, thousands of bridges that are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
One bridge out of every four in America needs to be repaired or replaced. And if we don't find a way to do it, what happened a year ago this week in Minneapolis could happen again.
Randi Kaye is live at the site of the I-35 Bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River rather. And, Randi, I know you're personally familiar with that bridge, aren't you?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am, Campbell. I worked in this city for seven years, drove across that bridge hundreds of times. So a year ago when we came here to first report on this, it was pretty scary to see it laying in the Mississippi River here behind me.
But you can also probably see behind me the new bridge under construction. It is expected to be up and running sometime in September, two months ahead of schedule. The cost, $250 million. But states just don't have that kind of money anymore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): This was the scene one year ago this week. Rush hour in Minneapolis, when suddenly the Interstate-35W Bridge over the Mighty Mississippi collapsed. CALLER: The bridge over the river fell down. There's cars all over the place.
OPERATOR: OK. Where, sir?
CALLER: I want to say, ah, 35W, over the Mississippi, down by the U. (inaudible). There's hundreds of cars. Down in the river.
KAYE: Before it was over, 13 were dead, more than 100 injured. Can this happen again? Yes, perhaps it's even likely.
The Federal Highway Administration said in 2006 that one quarter of the nation's nearly 600,000 bridges were rated structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
Ryan Toohey has studied solutions for the nation's roads and bridges.
RYAN TOOHEY, AMERICA MOVING FORWARD: When I hear that many states have closed a majority of their bridges deemed obsolete or structurally deficient, that scares me.
KAYE: A study by the American Society of Civil Engineers suggests it would take $1.6 trillion over five years to make adequate repairs. The problem is the money isn't there.
Some of that money comes from the Highway Trust Fund, and you pay for it through taxes you pay for gasoline. With people now driving less, about four percent less in May alone, the Department of Transportation predicts tax dollars will fall far short of what's needed for improvement projects. And that will leave many projects delayed, even canceled.
Toohey is with America Moving Forward, which wants more private investment in road building.
TOOHEY: Nearly every state in the country is facing a budget crisis, and if they don't have that money, they're not going to be able to solve the problems.
KAYE: The Bush administration projects that at some point in the next fiscal year after October 1st, the highway account will hit zero, down from $8 billion at the start of the fiscal year. Payment simply can't be made if the money isn't there. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said in a statement, "Without a doubt, our federal approach to transportation is broken."
One short-term solution, she says, may be for the Highway Trust Fund to borrow from Mass Transit's account. But it won't be easy getting Congress to approve that. One year after that horrific day, no money, still no solution for America's highway crisis.
For Mercedes Gordon, who nearly lost her life on the Minneapolis bridge one year ago, that's hardly peace of mind.
MERCEDES GORDON, BRIDGE COLLAPSE VICTIM: I don't understand the delay. People have died. To me that's a no-brainer. I'm not really sure where people's priorities are. I don't know where they think the money is better spent. To me it's obvious.
You lose 13 people. That tells you something. That should be an eye opener. That should be a wake-up call. And if it hasn't been yet, then I'm at a loss for words.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Now, the states are getting creative in trying to figure out how to get money. In fact, the head of the Minnesota Department of Transportation told me today that they are considering taxing people on the amount of miles that they drive. And they could get a federal lifeline soon.
Just last week, the House passed an emergency measure. The U.S. House passed an emergency measure of $8 billion to go to that Highway Trust Fund. The Senate and the president, of course, still have to approve it, Campbell.
BROWN: A drop in the bucket though given the enormity of the problem. Randi Kaye for us from Minneapolis tonight. Randi, thanks.
And we should mention Randi is in Minneapolis working on an ELECTION CENTER special, "Roads to Ruin: Why America is Falling Apart." Join me Friday at 8:00 Eastern for a "No Bias, No Bull" look at our country's aging roads, bridges, levees and the power grid. We're going to talk about that Friday night.
And in that special, I will be talking exclusively with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Get this, a new report says his state has nearly 7,000 bridges at risk -- 7,000. So tune in Friday night for us.
But right now, we are going to focus on the veepstakes. We are picking up a lot of buzz. Somebody may be close to making that big announcement. Stay right there. This is the ELECTION CENTER.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": I'm Larry King. On the show tonight, new developments in the mystery of the missing toddler, Caylee Anthony. Her mother is in jail as a person of interest, and her grandmother has made some intriguing comments about the case on tape. The tapes were the focus of a court hearing today, and grandmother will explain it all right here.
Plus, cell phones and cancer. An expert on the disease says all of us should think twice about how we use them. It's next on "LARRY KING LIVE" and Campbell Brown returns right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: If you believe the buzz and there is a lot of it right now, a big veepstakes announcement could come anytime now, perhaps as soon as this week. My political panel is standing by to chew over all the latest details. But first, we've got two members of the best political team on television.
Suzanne Malveaux is covering the Obama campaign, Dana Bash watching Team McCain. They've been working their sources on the candidates' potential running mates and when that big announcement could come.
Suzanne, let's start with you. I know Obama has been in D.C. along with the senior staff, members of his vice presidential search team. Lots of meetings. You've been talking to a lot of people. What are you hearing about timing?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Campbell, this is the second day in a row that Obama has privately met with his vice president selection committee here in Washington, several hours today and yesterday, so the process has definitely taken off.
Now the last official word from the campaign about when Obama would announce was made August, obviously to generate that buzz right before the Democratic Convention, but, Campbell it could happen a lot sooner.
BROWN: And the name that keeps popping up around D.C. was a front page of "The Washington Post" this week, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. Give us the lowdown on Kaine because he's not somebody well known to most people, only a first-time governor.
MALVEAUX: Sure. You know, the positives here, a big plus is that Tim Kaine could make Obama the first Democrat to carry Virginia in more than four decades. Virginia, we know a conservative moderate state, is going to be one of the key battleground states like Colorado. So if it goes to Obama, it's going to make it a lot harder for John McCain to get those 270 electoral college votes needed to win.
Kaine, he can't be labeled as a beltway insider, having spent much of his political career in Richmond. And he's really considered kind of a fresh face in the political world. He's a graduate of Harvard Law School.
There are some negatives, however, Campbell. He's been governor for less than three years. So it really doesn't help Obama with the voters that are concerned that he doesn't have enough experience. And he also doesn't have national security credentials that, say,...
BROWN: Right.
MALVEAUX: ... an Evan Bayh or Senator Joe Biden could provide.
BROWN: All right. Suzanne Malveaux for us tonight. Suzanne, thanks. Well, you know, timing is everything. This year's conventions are still four and five weeks away. With me again to talk about veepstakes is CNN political analyst Roland Martin. Also joining us now, CNN contributor and Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez, and here with me in New York, Michael Crowley, senior editor of "The New Republic."
Roland, short list for Obama leaking out to the media, and one name here, conspicuously absent, Hillary Clinton. Is that a mistake? Is he risking offending her supporters all over again?
MARTIN: No, it's not a mistake. I mean, I've been saying from the day he proclaimed that she was not going to be on the short list, I got it from Obama folks there, because again, you have a number of issues there in terms of high negatives on Hillary Clinton's part.
But keep in mind, Campbell, Obama got 18 million votes, Clinton got 18 millions votes. George W. Bush won in 2004 with 65 million. You got to make up 29 million votes, so putting those two together is not going to put you over the top.
BROWN: Do you agree with that, Michael?
MICHAEL CROWLEY, SR. EDITOR, "THE NEW REPUBLIC": Well, look, I think that Hillary Clinton brings so much psychodrama to the ticket that Obama just doesn't need. And, you know, there's bad blood between them.
BROWN: Psychodrama.
CROWLEY: There's the Bill Clinton factor. You know, I just don't think he wants to go back there again. I think the primaries are over. He's past it. Do you want to be looking at the old clips from debates where they are insulting each other and she talks about him and this slum lord?
BROWN: Yes.
CROWLEY: He doesn't need it.
BROWN: They're not going there.
CROWLEY: And also, she flies against this whole message of change and judgment and the war in Iraq.
MARTIN: That's right.
CROWLEY: It's just a terrible idea.
BROWN: So let's look ahead, Leslie. Suzanne reported attention focusing on Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as a possible Obama choice. You live in Virginia. Bush won the state in 2000, 2004, by eight points. Is it realistic to think that Obama could win there?
LESLIE SANCHEZ, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's very realistic. Let me tell you, any weekend you would think that the campaign was in full force in Virginia, especially northern Virginia. I think it is a very real threat. Many Republicans I talked to tonight agree that Virginia would not only be in play, but probably be a loss to the Democrats, and we would start looking and shifting our focus to other states like Pennsylvania and Ohio.
BROWN: It doesn't --
MARTIN: Campbell -- Hey, Campbell --
BROWN: Yes. Go ahead, Roland.
MARTIN: Virginia is the key. I've long believed this, Virginia is the key to an Obama victory. If you look at it, he believes if you look at Minnesota, Michigan, he can take Iowa. You look at Colorado, New Mexico, if he wins Virginia, he can win either Ohio or Pennsylvania.
Virginia is the absolute key to his strategy. That's why the governor of Virginia is so critical.
BROWN: Michael, we focused on this so much, every election cycle, but in many cases, it really doesn't end up mattering who your VP pick is. Do we overemphasize the importance of this?
CROWLEY: I think so. I mean -- you know, you look at Dan Quayle. You know, the whole Quayle role. I was a total fiasco, but, you know, it didn't really take down the Bush's ticket.
You know, it tells you things about the candidate's judgment and style, but I think it's not really a deciding factor really, which is why I think that it's important to stress who's prepared to do a good job. Because we saw Al Gore seemed to contribute a lot to the Clinton administration. Dick Cheney has contributed a lot to the Bush administration. Democrats would say in a very bad way. But I think you really want to spend time on the qualifications and not as much on, you know, what state is going to go which way.
BROWN: Go ahead, Leslie.
SANCHEZ: I have to say, Campbell, one of the interesting things that they were talking about prior to this is timing. I think one thing that we're hearing and obviously would make a lot of sense for the Democrats and Obama to announce who his VP pick is right now.
He's kind of a lull after this world international tour. You're going into the Olympics. There's a lot of time to get to know who these candidates are, think about this ticket. It also puts a little bit of pressure on John McCain.
But that being said, it's really something on the Republican side where you're watching. Is this going to be a regional choice, a gender choice or a new politics choice? And based on which direction he goes in, for example, like Tim Kaine, is going to determine where the Republicans go.
BROWN: OK, stay with me, guys. We're going to consider the Republicans next. Dana Bash joining me, coming up next, with the inside buzz from the McCain camp. And then our panel is going to tell us about it. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We are back in the ELECTION CENTER, and we're trying to make sense of all the buzz going on right now about the veepstakes, which is getting absolutely deafening when it comes to the McCain campaign.
Dana Bash has been talking to her sources all day. And, Dana, what are you hearing about where McCain is in terms of the process of choosing his running mate?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Campbell, what I'm hearing from McCain sources is actually that the vetting process of the VP prospects is pretty much done. The candidate has data. He's got a lot of data, I'm told, about potential running mates. I'm actually told he has enough information to decide tomorrow if he wants to, who he wants to put on the ticket.
BROWN: But what about the timing? Is it going to be tomorrow? Should we clear the schedule?
BASH: I don't think so. You know this, Campbell, because you've done this before. Most of the conversations that you have with sources about who the VP running mate is going to be is done in a kind of code because people really know they're under strict orders not to talk. But the vibe out of the McCain campaign right now is that the announcement is much more likely later in the summer, not before the Olympics. But I'm also cautioned and reminded John McCain is very unpredictable, so it could happen at any moment.
BROWN: Fair point, OK. Right now, there are a few potential VP candidates for McCain. Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. Also, his former opponent Mitt Romney. Any indications where those names fall on the short list? Are they the two leading contenders?
BASH: You know, this is all about reading tea leaves and the tea leaves say different things at different times depending on the day or the hour. I heard, for example, Campbell, last week from a Republican source in a small meeting with McCain, that out of the blue McCain told them, you know, you're going to really like Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
But then I'm also told at a barbecue this past weekend with donors at Senator McCain's ranch in Sedona, that the name that came up most often was Mitt Romney. One sleeper though that we should keep in mind is former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. He's a fellow Vietnam veteran.
BROWN: Right.
BASH: He served with McCain in Congress. The drawback, however, is that he's for abortion rights.
BROWN: Pro-choice. Right.
BASH: Exactly.
BROWN: OK, Dana Bash for us tonight.
We want to bring back our panel to talk about what Dana just reported. CNN political analyst, again, Roland Martin, political contributor Leslie Sanchez, and Michael Crowley of "The New Republic."
So, Leslie, I just want to follow up on the point you're making about Obama a moment ago. Talk to me about timing on the McCain side. Dana says she's hearing a few more weeks.
What do you think? Hey, what are you hearing? You're a Republican. You have your own sources, but would it be smart to do it sooner rather than later and let him try to take control of the media cycle right now?
SANCHEZ: Absolutely not. There's no motivation for Senator McCain to make a decision now. I mean, that's basically his advantage is to wait and see who Barack Obama selects. You know, these candidates don't run a clear field. They basically, it's lining that candidate up like we talked about regionally, maybe by gender, maybe by new politics and message.
I think what's interesting about Dana's piece is that sleeper candidate. A lot of people this week have been talking about Governor Romney. I'm a big fan of his as well. But you're seeing the Republican conservative base coalesce around John McCain, so Romney is not as magnetic. He's almost fading in that sense, as harsh as that seems.
Pawlenty is very strong, but it's a wonder whether or not Republicans could carry that swing state. It's important but there's a lot of upper-class liberals in the state, make it competitive. It's good to have the convention there. But definitely Governor Ridge, first director of Homeland Security, a governor, very strong candidate.
BROWN: OK. I want to get on to that in a moment, but I want to stay with timing for a second.
Michael, what do you think about the timing for McCain? Do you agree with the point Leslie made or not?
CROWLEY: Well, you know, there's a good argument for waiting to do it at the convention and kind of capturing that moment and amping it up. But at the same time -- and I also think that the conventional wisdom that you can't do it around the time of the Olympics is overblown.
I mean, since when does the Olympics completely dominate our consciousness? I think that gets overstated, but I will say McCain's campaign is really in the doldrums right now. And I think there's got to be real temptation for them to kind of reboot, start over. That trip or that week where Obama went overseas, I think, was basically a disaster for them.
And McCain just keeps on having these bad days, these bad photo ops, these bad microstories, like having a mole removed. It reminds people about his health. And they must be very eager to try to reboot the narrative. So that would be the temptation for them right now.
BROWN: Do you agree with that, Roland?
MARTIN: Campbell, Michael is right. Leslie is flat-out wrong. McCain needs the energy of the vice presidential candidate. He needs to be seen with a running mate. He needs to have two people going across the country, talking about Obama, slam it down his throat.
The bottom line is he needs the kind of momentum. He appears to be very flat when he's campaigning. He can benefit by having his VP now, not waiting.
BROWN: OK, Roland, address the other point that Leslie made also, though. She was pushing Tom Ridge, pro-choice from the state of Pennsylvania. You know, you were saying how crucial Virginia is to Obama.
MARTIN: Of course.
BROWN: But if -- but doesn't McCain sort of, you know, cancel that out if he went with Ridge and, you know, secured Pennsylvania?
MARTIN: Not necessarily because you still have a significant number of Democrats there. But, look, Mitt Romney would be kind of interesting because just like Michael said early with Hillary Clinton, the Democrats will be playing all of those sound bites of Mitt Romney slapping John McCain.
I don't necessarily think it's Mitt Romney because it seemed like McCain wanted to punch him the entire primary. But Tom Ridge could be a very interesting choice. Remember, this is the guy that left the administration because he wanted to go make some money. So being the VP --
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: All right. Quickly, bottom line.
SANCHEZ: Quickly, bottom line -- Campbell --
BROWN: Hold on, Leslie. Hold on.
CROWLEY: On abortion rights, I just think it's almost an iron (ph) law. I would be amazed if McCain picked a pro-choice candidate.
BROWN: Pick a pro-choice candidate.
Leslie, final word.
SANCHEZ: Bottom line, if Virginia comes into play, look at Pennsylvania being the counterbalance to that. Virginia's 13 electoral votes and Pennsylvania is, I believe, 21, becomes a serious case.
BROWN: Leslie, I'm going to cue up this tape, you know, at a later time, and we'll either send you a bottle of champagne or make fun of you. One or the other.
(LAUGHTER)
Roland, Michael and Leslie, thanks very much, guys. Appreciate it.
The headlines are next, including the latest biopsy from that piece of skin that was removed from John McCain's face. We'll have some details for you on that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Live from the ELECTION CENTER, here are the hour's headlines. California officials say we dodged a bullet after a magnitude 5.4 earthquake near Los Angeles caused only minor damage.
John McCain's campaign just announced a piece of skin removed from the senator's face yesterday did not show evidence of skin cancer.
And Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska denies wrongdoing after his indictment today in a corruption probe.
Once again, everybody, join me Friday night, 8:00 Eastern time, for an ELECTION CENTER special "Roads to Ruin." A look at our country's roads, bridges, levees and the power grid. How they are crumbling right now. It's part of that special.
I'll be talking exclusively with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. We'll have some of that interview for you tomorrow night. And if you want to send us feedback about anything we do here in the ELECTION CENTER, our address is campbell@CNN.com.
That's it for me in the ELECTION CENTER. "LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.
