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GM Posts $15.5 Billion Loss in Just Three Months; Tanker Overturned on I-5 at Tumwater and Tukwila; Suspect in the Deadly 2001 Anthrax Investigation Found Dead; Another Videotaped Arrest Causing Quite a Stir in New York; Presidential Candidates Stumping in Florida Today
Aired August 01, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
See events come into the NEWSROOM live on Friday, the first day of August.
Here's what's on the rundown.
The 2001 anthrax attack. Sources say the FBI was closing in on a suspect. But that man will not be arrested.
HARRIS: Minneapolis looks back the day the bridge fell down one year ago today. The city's mayor, live.
COLLINS: One week to the Olympics and China is trying to clear the air. The polite police, in the NEWSROOM.
Quickly, we want to get this breaking news out to you at the start of the show here, because we do have numbers coming in that you will be interested in. Certainly the unemployment rate, we have learned has climbed to 5.7 percent in July.
So what does that mean? Well, it's a four-year high, 51,000 jobs were lost. Many people equating this to the credit crisis and stunting business expansion, obviously.
Do also want to let you know keeping the context here that this decline for July was a little bit less severe than economists had predicted.
So we will keep our eye on this for you. Once again a four-year high for the jobless claim 5.7 percent unemployment rate.
We're going to be talking with Allan Chernoff about these numbers and what they mean for you coming up in just a moment.
HARRIS: A scientist and suspect in the deadly 2001 anthrax mailings case found dead. A source says he committed suicide as the Justice Department considered filing criminal charges against him.
Live now to CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena for us in Washington.
Kelli, good morning. What have you learned about Bruce Ivins?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Ivins. That's right.
Well, here's what we know. Bruce Ivins was a government anthrax researcher. He committed suicide this week after he was told that that the government was going to file charges against him in relation to those anthrax attacks back in 2001.
Now Ivins had worked for more than three decades at the army's biodefense research lab at Ft. Detrick in Maryland. Sources tell us that the FBI has traced the anthrax that was used in the attacks back to that lab.
We're also told by sources that Ivins was one of the scientists who was questioned early on in the process and was one of the many scientists who had done some work with the FBI as they pursued this investigation.
Investigators were pretty convinced, Tony, that whoever the anthrax killer was that that person had to have a scientific background because the anthrax was weapons grade and we're told very difficult to make.
The FBI has officially refused comment as did the Justice Department. But this is a major breakthrough in a case that many have thought had gone cold.
HARRIS: Yes.
ARENA: The government had issued 6,000 grand jury subpoenas. They conducted more than 9,000 interviews. They pursued over 50,000 leads in this investigation. But not one arrest has been made.
Now, ironically enough, Ivins worked at the same facility as Steven Hatfield. Now you may remember him.
HARRIS: Yes.
ARENA: He was named a person of interest in the anthrax investigation and recently reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the government. He sued, you know, claimed his privacy was violated.
HARRIS: That's right.
ARENA: He won, he was cleared. So, you know, this is what we know at this point. We continue to find out exactly what those charges against Ivins were supposed to be. We are expecting that, you know, now that the story is out that the Department of Justice will put out, at least -- at the very least a statement on what they know, you know, for the record.
HARRIS: Yes. And I guess it begs the question of whether or not this case is essentially closed at this point with this development. ARENA: You know, we don't know.
HARRIS: Yes.
ARENA: We don't know. And unfortunately, Ivins is dead.
HARRIS: Yes. Exactly.
ARENA: So, you know, any other information that, you know, that may have come out, you know now we will never know.
HARRIS: OK, our justice correspondent Kelli Arena for us.
Kelli, appreciate it. Thank you.
ARENA: You're welcome.
HARRIS: You know it's been almost seven years since the anthrax attacks shook the nation. Letters laced with the deadly bacteria arrived at congressional offices and news organizations just weeks after the September 11th attacks. The letters killed 5 people, including two postal workers. 17 people became seriously ill.
Now early in the investigation, officials identified researcher Steven Hatfield as a person of interest. Kelli just mentioned that. He denied involvement and sued the government. Hatfield recently settled for a one-time payment of almost $3 million plus $150,000 a year for life.
No arrests were ever made in the case.
And here's the question: does the death of suspect Bruce Ivins mean case closed in the anthrax investigation?
CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is about 20 minutes ahead with what we can expect.
COLLINS: Quickly I want to go ahead and get to Allan Chernoff now. He's been standing by to talk a little bit more about the news we gave you -- breaking news right off the top of the show about the unemployment rate.
Allan, it is high, the highest in four years.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, nasty. No question about it. 5.7 percent, rising by two-tenths of 1 percent. Certainly no shocker, though, a lot of people, everybody pretty much, knows that the employment situation is quite poor.
During the past month, we lost 51,000 jobs and the job loss is wide across the economy. Construction, manufacturing, of course, autos -- we've been talking about that. But also, in computers, information technology, telecommunications, retailing, we can go on and on and on, except for the energy business, of course.
That area certainly has been booming. No question about it. Now this loss of 51,000 per month sounds bad, but truth is, in the big picture, for a one-month period, that's not an awful loss.
So why is it that the unemployment rate did go up by two-tenths of 1 percent? Well, it wasn't only the loss of jobs, it's also the fact that many people who had not been working are returning to the workforce because of high gas prices, inflation, et cetera. They're coming back into the workforce and a lot of them are not finding jobs.
COLLINS: OK.
CHERNOFF: So that pushes up the unemployment rate. In addition, a lot of people are working part-time. They'd love to have full-time jobs. So the employment picture, in a way, is really worse than this unemployment rate indicates -- Heidi?
COLLINS: And Allan, any idea if the people who are returning to the workforce are people who had retired? Or are these just people who had chosen not to work and now are realizing, well, you know, I need to go back?
CHERNOFF: It's a combination. And it's a good number. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of people coming back into the workforce. So this is clearly a problem, you know, people need to be earning more income as prices shoot up, not only at the gas pump.
COLLINS: Yes.
CHERNOFF: And the problem is the economy not really growing much at all. It's just not creating the jobs to employ these people. That's why our unemployment rate is shooting up.
COLLINS: All right. Well, we appreciate the context.
Certainly, Allan Chernoff, coming to us from New York this morning.
Allan, thank you.
Gas and oil, two of the big pocketbook issues we are also watching for you. Want to get the latest numbers.
The national average price of gas has dropped a little more than a penny this morning, according to AAA. Today's price about $3.90 a gallon. Oil prices are retreating a bit for the second straight day now.
You may remember they shot up about $4 a barrel on Wednesday.
HARRIS: Winds could be a problem today for firefighters battling a blaze near a Montana ski resort. The fire has burned more than 9,000 acres near the town of Red Lodge, about 60 miles southwest of Billings. Officials lifted an evacuation order for 90 homes yesterday because winds had calmed down a bit.
In California, crews say the wildfire near Yosemite National Park is about 45 percent contained. Hundreds of evacuated residents have gone home. Many homes are waiting to see if -- many residents are waiting to see if their homes are still standing really. The fire has burned almost two dozen houses.
COLLINS: Rob Marciano joining us now from the Severe Weather Center. A lot to look at today, including -- we were talking about the bad news out of Red Lodge, which is very sad.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: But also Colorado. Boy, it's going to be hot in Denver.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: As you mentioned Denver under heat advisory. As of yesterday, 19 days in a row of 90-plus. They'll do it easily today.
Live shot for you -- there you go. KWGN, our affiliate -- boy, that's not a shot you see very often, do you, in Denver? A little bit of haze in the air there.
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: You usually see those cobalt blue skies with that beautifully drive mile-high air and looks more like L.A., doesn't it?
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: Could break record today with temperatures getting close to you if not over 100 degrees at altitude.
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: So that will be kind of toasty.
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: And people forget, I think, that, you know, usually the weather is up in the mountains. It doesn't usually come down to Denver. But, boy, it can get hot there.
MARCIANO: Easy.
COLLINS: All right, thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: See you, guys.
HARRIS: Boy, just a horrible story here. Students buried alive in Turkey. A frantic search under way right now for up to 10 girls believed trapped in the rubble of their collapsed dorm.
Rescue workers say they have made contact with several of them. Search teams and sniffer dogs are combing through the rubbles, as you can see here, trying to reach the youngsters. At least 15 girls were killed, 22 others injured.
A gas canister explosion is believed to have caused the three- story building to collapse.
COLLINS: One year ago, today, one of the worst infrastructure failures in U.S. history. The I-35 West Bridge collapse.
Today, a solemn observant. We'll talk with the mayor of Minneapolis in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
Going to the Olympics? The games could be a heart stopper. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is watching out for your health today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: News as it develops as only CNN can bring it to you. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A gunman on the loose in northeastern Wisconsin. Police say he fired on a group of people gathered near a river. Three are dead, another wounded.
Alison Struve is on the scene in Niagara, Wisconsin.
And Alison, if you would, give us the very latest on the investigation and the search for this gunman.
ALISON STRUVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now the search is continuing. There are more than 100 officers from up to 25 different law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin and Michigan, searching that dense area of forest around the Menominee River which forms the border between Wisconsin and Michigan.
They're actually trying to get in and recover two of the victims' body -- bodies. Three people were killed, ages 18 to 19 yesterday evening at about 5:30. There were about nine people down there going to swim.
Kids often go to that area to swim, jump off the bridge, when, at about 5:30, they say a man came out of the woods carrying a rifle. And the sheriff actually gave the description.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF JIM KANIKULA, MARINETTE COUNTY, WISCONSIN: He is a white male, possibly gray or blond hair, between the ages of 30 and 50, approximately 5'10", possibly shorter.
Please keep in mind we're getting descriptions from people that were at the scene, the victims and their friends, who were certainly traumatized by this.
If anyone -- and the subject was dressed in camouflage clothing and carrying an assault rifle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STRUVE: So they haven't seen any sign of this man. They don't know if he's still in that area. They're searching by foot. They've also had heat sensor technology in an airplane flying overhead. But they haven't figured out exactly where he is.
HARRIS: Boy.
STRUVE: They are asking people to stay away from that area. Volunteers have been asking if they can help search, but they're asking law enforcement to take care of it right now, and of course, if they see them -- see -- anyone who looks like the man...
HARRIS: Sure.
STRUVE: ... they're asking them to call 911. But they've also evacuated about 20 to 40 people in that area.
HARRIS: Yes, you know, Alison, it sounds like a totally random attack right now. But I'm curious, is a motive being discussed? A possible motive being discussed at all publicly by the authorities?
STRUVE: They're -- all they're saying right now is that it looks like it was random.
HARRIS: Yes.
STRUVE: It's just a man that came out of the woods and started shooting at these kids playing in the river.
HARRIS: OK, I know you'll update us on the story as you get additional information.
Alison Struve for us this morning -- Alison, appreciate it. Thank you.
COLLINS: A day of prayers, songs, silence, and remembering in Minneapolis. Residents are marking one year since the deadly bridge collapse there.
Joining me now is Minneapolis mayor, R.T. Rybak.
Thanks so much for being with us, Mayor. You know in days leading up to the marking of this one-year tragedy, I wonder how the people of Minneapolis and St. Paul for that matter are doing.
MAYOR R.T. RYBAK, MINNEAPOLIS: Well, the people here, I think, obviously, have mixed emotions. It was, you know, the worst tragedies in the history of Minneapolis, and it also was a time when we were deeply tested and we responded when the bridge fell. People didn't run away, they ran to it.
The response in the city was a model for how this should take place around the country. And the bridge will open about 13 months after it fell. So we clearly...
COLLINS: Which is early. I mean, if I remember correctly, that wasn't at all the projected date of getting this bridge back up and running.
RYBAK: Right. And it, I think, is similar to everything that's happened here. If you start with the fact that horrendous tragedy that changed peoples' lives began this, everything else has gone, not only according to plan and the execution of the recovery and the bridge building, but I think on a human level it's really been about people doing incredibly remarkable things.
So we have, obviously, very mixed emotions today.
COLLINS: Yes, and obviously, the best thing to do, I'm sure, as you know as a mayor, and someone who talks with people, survivors, and so forth, all you can do is look forward. But there's certainly, when this happened, was a whole lot of finger pointing going on as to how on earth this tragedy could have taken place to begin with.
What has been done by way of improving infrastructure and checking the current existing infrastructure?
Let's just stick with Minneapolis St. Paul where you are.
RYBAK: Well, I think we should be proud of the fact that this bridge has been rebuilt. There are people who -- all levels of government cooperated, all the workers did remarkable things.
That's a good thing.
But at the time that that happened, there was a great call for a review of infrastructure in the state and this country. And I think a year later, it's shameful that in this country and in this state we have not responded as we should.
What had to happen here was the state legislature steps up, pass the transportation funding bill. The governor vetoed that. The legislature finally overrode him and we were able to get some of the help that we need. But all over this country...
COLLINS: What was the argument for overriding that?
RYBAK: Well, the argument was that there were critical transportation needs in this state as well as this country for many, many years and it was time for politicians to stand up and do the right thing, take the hit they may for saying we needed new resources, but to recognize that we all share common ground. And we need to invest in that.
And I believe that we need to do that even more around this country.
COLLINS: So what were your words with the governor when that happened? RYBAK: Well, I think the governor and I and all levels of government worked very closely together to build this bridge. I was, obviously, deeply disappointed that he did not follow through on the commitment on this bridge, but -- I'm sorry, on infrastructure in this state. And I think we need to continue to do that.
But it is important to say that at a critical moment, the governor and I and people from all parties, from the president on down, worked together to do something remarkable here, which is to have this bridge up.
COLLINS: Well, you've had...
RYBAK: That is today...
COLLINS: You've had quite a bit of experience now in trying to move forward with projects like this and with several other governors across the country. I'm not sure if Governor Pawlenty is involved in it, as well.
But I do wonder what's next? I mean where on a list of priorities in giving the cities and the countries thinking of -- pardon me, say it's thinking about infrastructure? Does it fall? I mean is it the number one issue? Is it way down the list?
RYBAK: Well, I just met with Governor Schwarzenegger, Governor Rendell of Pennsylvania, Mayor Bloomberg, and part of a national coalition of mayors and governors who are trying to raise attention to this issue.
You know, it's -- it should be remembered that back in the '30s when this country was at the height of the depression, Franklin Roosevelt...
COLLINS: Right.
RYBAK: ... chose to make a massive investment in infrastructure.
COLLINS: That's right.
RYBAK: That, by the way, put people to work and got the economy going, but it also left us infrastructure we still use today. Can we really, as this generation, say back to the next generation that we have been the same kind of stewards of our common ground? I think not. And I think we need to do much more over of that.
Today I, obviously, am thinking of these big issues.
COLLINS: Sure.
RYBAK: But, frankly, my thoughts are even more with just the individuals and the families whose lives were changed here. And...
COLLINS: As well they should be.
RYBAK: Yes, and it's -- go ahead, I'm sorry. COLLINS: Well, I just want to let everybody know before we let you go. I know you have a lot of events planned for today in remembering the tragedy. We are looking at time lapse video coming in from our affiliate there in Minneapolis KARE 11 Television, that is, putting up this time lapse of the building -- rebuilding, I should say, the reconstruction...
RYBAK: Right.
COLLINS: ... of the I-35 West Bridge. So it's pretty incredible stuff.
And we certainly do appreciate your time, Mayor, and wish you the best of luck and are thinking about Minneapolis St. Paul today.
RYBAK: Thanks very much.
HARRIS: A legal arrest or illegal? The latest police arrest video that is stirring up controversy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM on CNN, the most trusted name in News.
COLLINS: China's Olympic organizers leaving nothing to chance, even good manners. They're called polite police.
We have them here at CNN.
HARRIS: We do?
COLLINS: And they make sure Beijing doesn't offend. Public smoking, a no-no. Also, no littering, nose picking and shoving. Residents are learning how to talk to visitors. They're told to avoid asking visitors about their age, income or marital status.
HARRIS: Boy, they've got work to do around here then.
All right, a week away from the Summer Olympics -- sorry, Sanjay -- and pollution levels in Beijing are a real concern for athletes, but they're not the only ones who should be worried.
There he is right here our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The polite police.
HARRIS: The polite police.
GUPTA: I'm here.
HARRIS: Hey, hey, good to see you. I've got to ask you -- this is a really -- no way?
COLLINS: No way. That's not...
HARRIS: No way he's part of the patrol?
COLLINS: No. No.
GUPTA: Come on.
COLLINS: (INAUDIBLE)
GUPTA: Come on.
HARRIS: Got to ask you, look, you've been to Beijing. How bad is the air really? We're hearing all this conversation, masks and everything else.
GUPTA: Right.
HARRIS: But, come on, you've been there.
GUPTA: Yes, you know, I think it's particularly bad for someone who's never been exposed to that kind of pollution.
HARRIS: OK, so it is bad?
GUPTA: I think it is bad.
HARRIS: OK.
GUPTA: You -- I was, you know, actually, in the middle of this. And you can see some of these images there. Some days are worse than others. But you can taste it, that's the first thing you notice.
HARRIS: You can taste it?
GUPTA: You can taste it.
HARRIS: Air you can taste?
GUPTA: The back of your lungs, it...
HARRIS: Oh boy.
GUPTA: It gives you -- it sort of burns a little bit, you can feel it, you can smell it. It's pretty bad, you know, so you really get a sense of this, especially, again, if you're someone who's not been exposed to that level of pollution.
HARRIS: Well, we're talking about endurance athletes a lot being at risk, but what about spectators? Look, folks are flying over. There's a long trip -- there's a long trip back. Folks are flying over to see the games. Are they at risk here?
GUPTA: I think there's no question that they're at risk as well. Again, as somebody who has not been exposed to that level of particulate matter, their body's not adapted.
You know let me put this in context.
HARRIS: OK. Great, great.
GUPTA: I think this is interesting.
Take a city like Chicago, for example, about 20 micrograms per cubic meter, particulate matter, Beijing 260. That's 13 times.
HARRIS: Whoa.
GUPTA: Chicago is -- you know, it's a big city. What that translates to is a 43 percent higher risk of having heart events, possibly even strokes. What is happening in the body is that particulate matter gets into the lungs.
HARRIS: Yes.
GUPTA: It causes inflammation of the lungs and ultimately causes the blood to become a little thicker, a little stickier, and that's where you start to potentially have the risk for heart attacks and strokes.
That's what's happening here. And let me add as well that...
HARRIS: Yes.
GUPTA: ... within the first four to 24 hours after that exposure, that's when you're at the highest risk. What are people typically doing at that point? Getting on planes.
HARRIS: That's right. That's right.
GUPTA: Fly home, sitting in a cabin -- air cabin.
HARRIS: So what's your advice on that one?
GUPTA: I think the best advice -- this is the easiest -- to try and get inside for maybe a full day before you get on the plane. Let your body clear some of that particulate matter.
HARRIS: OK. I just want to protect myself, OK? I've been duly warned.
GUPTA: Right.
HARRIS: The air is bad, and particulate matter, well, there's a lot of it.
GUPTA: There is a lot of it.
HARRIS: It's in my throat, it's in my lungs, and then there's an impact potentially on the blood.
All right, what do I do to protect myself while in there?
GUPTA: Well, some of it's the obvious stuff. If you can, as much as possible -- obviously, it's Olympics. So you want to be outside.
HARRIS: Yes.
GUPTA: But if you can stay inside as much as possible, that's a good idea. Also this idea that the blood becomes stickier and thicker...
HARRIS: Yes.
GUPTA: ... as the result of the pollution, you can take a baby aspirin, which is 81 milligrams, and that'll protect the -- protect the blood from getting a stick...
HARRIS: Yes.
GUPTA: ... sticky and thick. You can also do things like wear a mask if (INAUDIBLE) out there.
HARRIS: Does that help? Does -- do you think that'll help?
GUPTA: Yes, the masks are actually pretty good. In fact they recommended them for a little bit when we were out there. Take your meds. And let me tell you something from personal experience.
HARRIS: Yes.
GUPTA: Try and find a hospital that speaks your native language.
HARRIS: Hello?
GUPTA: Because I have been there...
HARRIS: Hello?
GUPTA: And they don't know what you're trying to tell them and that's not -- Beijing, luckily, is a big city so.
HARRIS: Groups at more risk than others?
GUPTA: Yes, I...
HARRIS: We're talking about young people and elderly which is usually...
GUPTA: People typically who have some sort of history of heart disease.
HARRIS: Yes.
GUPTA: Family history, lungs full...
HARRIS: Asthma?
GUPTA: Yes, you're going to know it if you have some history of this. Be particularly careful in that case.
HARRIS: Sanjay, great to you. Thank you, sir. Have a great weekend.
GUPTA: Happy weekend. You, too.
HARRIS: Yes, sure.
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins and Tony Harris.
HARRIS: You know, Sanjay added a nose clip might be helpful, as well.
Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: I'm saying nothing.
But we do have some news that we want to get to you right out of the gate here.
Susan Lisovicz is standing by at the New York Stock Exchange to talk more about this economic report that came out today. It was breaking news for us here. Remind you what it is. Unemployment rate hitting a four-year high.
Now, to be fair, it did not go to a level that some of the economists were actually predicting. But we are talking about a four- year high, 5.7 percent, up from 5.5 in June. These numbers, of course, for July.
So Susan standing by now just before the ringing of the opening bell.
Susan, what do you make of it?
SUSAN LISOVICZ CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're expecting a bounce. You know futures have improved, actually, after the government jobs report came out just about an hour ago.
Of course, it shows that the stressing trend the U.S. economy has lost jobs every month this year, 50,000 jobs in July, but Wall Street was expecting about 22,000 more. And so that can be a good thing, but remember the economy has now shed 460,000 jobs. The unemployment rate as you mention, 5.7 percent.
We're also watching shares of GM. It's lost $15.5 billion in just three months. And it's not just in American story. BMW said its quarterly earnings slid by more than 30 percent. It blamed the dropped in U.S. sales as one of the culprit.
There's the opening bell. We're seeing a little bit of a bounce after another triple digit move on yesterday, Heidi. We've had triple digits moves every day this week, to the up side and to the downside. That's what volatility is all about. We'll keep watching the numbers. We have some modest gains in the first seconds of trading.
Heidi? COLLINS: All right. And you know the definition of volatility from your post there. Thanks so much, Susan. We'll check in later on.
HARRIS: A suspect in the anthrax attacks, an arrest apparently closed. Find out why it won't happen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Quickly, we want to bring some pictures to you that we are getting in from our affiliate. There you see in Seattle, Washington from KIRO. A tanker has overturned and obviously this is the time of day where you have a whole lot of traffic. Rush hour in the morning. So, this is going to be clearly an issue if you're familiar with the interstate system. They were talking about I-5 at Tumwater and Tukwila. I am not, so forgive me if I'm pronouncing those wrong.
But once again, you can see how this is really backed up traffic. At this point as I go through the wire here, I don't see anything about potential injuries. But it is a fuel tanker, as you can probably see, by the pictures we are showing just a minute ago.
So, clearly, they will be concern about any sort of leaks or anything else that could be hazardous. And once again, those pictures coming to us out of Seattle, Washington, our affiliate there, KIRO.
HARRIS: A suspect in the deadly 2001 anthrax investigation found dead. A source says the Justice Department was seriously considering charges against him. Bruce Ivins was a former researcher at the Army's bioweapons lab in Fort Detrick, Maryland. The lab at the center of the FBI investigation. He died Tuesday.
His brother tells CNN, he was told Ivins committed suicide. "The Los Angeles Times" reports Ivins took a massive dose of a prescription painkiller. Five people were killed and 17 sickened by anthrax-laced letters mailed to congressional offices and the media.
CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin joins us by phone from New York.
Jeff, good morning to you. Got to ask you, is this case closed for the anthrax investigation?
VOICE OF JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: We're going to have to wait to hear what the FBI says. Certainly, I think most people would take a suicide as an admission of guilt. Although, it is possible that it is a reaction to an innocent man being unjustly accused. But I think most people would regard it as a confession of guilt.
But the FBI is going to have a real challenge here because the usual custom is for the FBI when a suspect dies is simply to close the case without comment. But given what a terrible crime this was, and given how much panic this series of crimes, so, I think the FBI might want to be more open about what they had found. HARRIS: That's terrific. That leads me perfectly to the next question. Do you think we will get details of what was going to be the investigation, the FBI's case against Ivins?
TOOBIN: I do think we will learn more than we usually would, because this was a massive, massive case. The United States Senate was essentially closed down.
HARRIS: That's right.
TOOBIN: Because of the letters sent to Senator Patrick Leahy. I'm familiar with the work of the U.S. Supreme Court. They also had their operations changed. Postal workers were killed. And an employee of the "National Inquirer" was killed. NBC received anthrax. This was a terrible, terrible crime.
And it still affects how mail is handled. It will also was, I think it's safe to say, a tremendous embarrassment for the FBI that they couldn't catch this person for year after year. And Mr. Hatfill, another employee of that lab was unjustly named as a suspect and the FBI had to pay him millions of dollars in an apology.
HARRIS: You say unjustly labeled this person of interest, despite the fact, Jeffrey, as I recalled, there wasn't any real evidence that he had ever possessed anthrax, is that correct?
TOOBIN: Well, there was no evidence that he committed this crime. As a member of this lab, I think it is true that Hatfill had some access to anthrax. But when Attorney General John Ashcroft named him a person of interest, he did so to the tremendous detriment of Hatfill.
I mean, he became a pariah, he became unemployable, and he was innocent. And the federal government just earlier this year paid him a total of $5.8 million in damages, which is something the government almost never does. So, I think it's just indicative of how unjust the accusations were against him.
HARRIS: There he is. Our CNN senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. Jeffrey, good to talk to you. Have a great weekend.
COLLINS: Another videotaped arrest causing quite a stir in New York. CNN's Josh Levs has seen the video. He is joining us now with more on this. And it is incredible.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've seen this one, right?
COLLINS: Yes.
LEVS: Yes. I mean, it's emotional. It's tough to see without feeling some kind of emotion. Obviously, we can't know everything that went in to it.
COLLINS: We never do.
LEVS: We never do. And that's in a way the problem with these kinds of video, you know. And what's happening right now is that this particular one is raising a lot of questions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): The event was captured on home video. The man is not yet handcuffed here. The video does not show what led to his arrest. And we can't know for certain whether he is resisting or how much.
New York City police say Michael Cephus had swung an umbrella at a police officer and hit him with his fists, causing the officer to suffer substantial pain. Police say during the arrest, Cephus kept grabbing for the officer's baton. Police have charged him with assault on a peace officer and resisting arrest.
Cephus says he did nothing wrong. He says officers approached him because they thought he was drunk and carrying alcohol. He says he wasn't.
MICHAEL CEPHUS, VIDEOTAPED DURING ARREST: Like I said, when they came at me without telling me to put my hands behind my back, they just came at me with force, hitting, swinging, swinging. And that's when the umbrella hit the floor. I never swung no umbrella.
LEVS: Cephus' attorney provided the video to the media. We don't know who shot it. The NYPD says an officer has been put on modified assignment during the investigation. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association says the video shows the use of force was necessary and appropriate and the officer involved should never have been placed on modified assignment.
It's the latest example of third-party videos raising questions about police actions. Just days ago, this video showed a New York police officer apparently slamming a bicyclist to the ground. An investigation is under way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: You know, Josh -- I mean, it's such a good point. We really only have that to look at. We don't know what preceded it or what came after. Who shot the video? You have so many questions.
LEVS: Right.
COLLINS: But you do have to wonder how big of a role the Internet actually plays in something like this.
LEVS: It does. Probably because that -- because it has no context. So, people out there who want to give it a certain meaning are able to do that. And that's why it has such a huge role.
You know, investigators are studying these videos and they catch fire on the Internet, and that helps the investigators in a way see an angle. It's empowering the people who say -- look, there was wrong doing. I can prove it now.
But as we've been saying here, these videos only show a slice of the story. And you know, sometimes, Heidi, all we're really seeing is police just doing their jobs. But it looks bad from certain angles. We really can't know. That's why we all need to investigate, and they need to investigate.
COLLINS: Yes. And the case moving forward, though, use this in court or not?
LEVS: Well, if it will show up in court, we can't be sure. But these similar videos have shown up in court and we know for a fact that investigators are studying the video. And other videos of other instance do play major roles in investigations.
COLLINS: Yes. Yes, we have seen that.
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: All right, Josh Levs, thank you.
LEVS: Thank you.
COLLINS: Shrouded in fear. We return to Myanmar almost one year after monks took to the streets.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The presidential candidates stumping in Florida today. John McCain speaks to the National Urban League in Orlando this morning. Later, he'll head to the beach with country music star John Rich for a rally -- big and rich, you know -- for a rally in Panama City.
Barack Obama talks health care, taxes, and economy at a town hall meeting in St. Petersburg. He will address the Urban League tomorrow night.
HARRIS: As part of our ongoing effort to help you make an informed choice in this election, we are playing more of what the candidates are saying "In Their Own Words."
Senator Barack Obama on the campaign trail in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, yesterday. He talked about a McCain ad that compares Obama to celebrities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Given the magnitude of our challenges when it comes to energy and health care and jobs and our foreign policy, you'd think that we'd be having a serious debate. But so far we -- all we've been hearing about is Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.
(APPLAUSE)
I mean, I do -- I do have to ask my opponent, is that the best you can come up with? Is that -- is that really what this election's about? Is that what is worthy of the American people? AUDIENCE: No!
OBAMA: Even the media has pointed out that Senator John McCain, who started off talking about running an honorable campaign, has fallen back into the predictable political attacks, the demonstrably false statements, you know.
But here's the -- here's the problem. I'm not interested in getting into a tit for tat. These negative ads, these negative attacks, spending all this time talking about me instead of talking about what he's going to do, that's not going to lower your gas prices.
AUDIENCE: No!
OBAMA: That's not going to help you stay in your home if you're falling behind on the mortgage. That's not going to help you find a job if it's been shipped overseas. It doesn't do a single thing to help the American people. It's politics as a game. But the time for game playing is over. That's why I'm running for president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
These kinds of Washington tactics distract, they divert, but they keep us from tackling the very real challenges that we face. And that starts, by the way, with energy.
For decades, Washington has failed the American people on energy, and that has led directly to the current crisis. I mean, think about it. When George Bush came in office, he put Dick Cheney in charge of energy policy. Cheney met with the renewable energy groups once, the environmental groups once, he met with the oil and gas companies 40 times.
And that's a pattern of talking about energy and talking about energy independence and talking some more, but never really doing anything about it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Barack Obama in his own words. We expect to hear from him in the next hour live from St. Petersburg, Florida.
COLLINS: John McCain not backing down. He was campaigning in Wisconsin, and defending that ad painting Obama as a celebrity candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There are differences, and we are drawing those differences. And I have said earlier, I admire his campaign. But what we are talking about here is substance and not style. And what we are talking about is who has an agenda for the future of America.
(APPLAUSE)
Campaigns are tough, but I'm proud of the campaign that we have run. I'm proud of the issues that we have been trying to address with the American people. And, again, I would hope that Senator Obama will join me, so that we could discuss this as he said he wanted to, quote, "duel over taxes." I believe it was yesterday. So, all I can say is that we are proud of that commercial. We think Americans need to know that I believe that we should base this campaign on what we can do for Americans here at home, and how we can make America safe and prosperous. And that's the theme of our campaign. I thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In kind of corresponds to that, I'm 18 and I just had to say that Obama, like, terrifies me with this stuff.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I would just like to say I think you need to call him on every shot. Don't let him get away with a single thing. We can't afford it. We need you and only you.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, don't let him get away with a thing.
MCCAIN: Thank you. Let me just say as I said before, I respect and admire Senator Obama. We just have stark differences. And those differences have to be drawn. Whether it be he wants to raise your taxes, I want to keep your taxes low. Whether it be the decisions on health care made by the government as he wants to or by the family. Whether we should have choice and competition and education of our children as we were just discussing or are we going to let the teachers' unions basically set the agenda. So, there's a lot of issues here.
And finally, one of them, that as you know was a little bit controversial the other day when I stated that Senator Obama was wrong and what I do not still understand, and his lack of understanding, is how anybody could go to Iraq and see what's happened over the last two years and to come back and say that the surge hasn't succeeded. Now, that's not an objective view. It has to be a political view. And I have always put my country first, and I will always do that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And that's some of what they are saying. Part of our commitment to help you make an informed choice on Election Day. We do expect to hear more from Senator McCain a little bit later on this morning live from Orlando.
HARRIS: Who was that masked man? Well, this block-headed robber is going to show you. Oh, yes, yes, he just did.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Next week marks the 20th anniversary of a brutal chapter in the history of Burma, also known as Myanmar. On August 8, 1988, the military there cracked down on a Democracy movement just like they suppressed the similar people's movement last fall.
The Democratic re-elected prime minister and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained there for most of the last 18 years. In her documentary "Buddha's Warriors," CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour takes a look inside Burma, and talks to the Buddhist monks leading the battle who promised to fight on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Because journalists are not welcome in Burma, we sent in an under cover team posing as tourists. We found a veil of secrecy had descended across the land. The same temples and monuments where the daily protest had begun are now shrouded in fear.
None of the monks would take in part, would talk openly to us.
UNIDENTIFIED MONK (through translator): When evening came so did the soldiers and that's when many monks were brutally attacked. We have both young and old monks here and we're afraid for their safety.
AMANPOUR: Despite the heavy hand of repression, the monks have vowed to continue their peaceful fight against the regime.
UNIDENTIFIED MONK (through translator): The traditional ties between the people and the monks compel us to continue the struggle. We will do it again.
UNIDENTIFIED MONK (through translator): Soon there will be another eruption because the monks won't let their movement die. People are afraid of informers and arrest, but they'll protest again.
AMANPOUR: The regime maintains its stage of fear by deploying these not so secret police agents. They record and photograph any unsanctioned political activities like this rally by supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi. Protesters demand her release. Instead, the junta extended her detention and continued their iron grip.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: The government of Myanmar did not respond to CNN's request for an interview. This Saturday and Sunday, CNN's Christiane Amanpour goes inside the world of Buddhism and the fight for freedom and democracy and their weapon? Peace. They are "Buddha's Warriors." That's this Saturday and Sunday night 8:00 Eastern on CNN.
COLLINS: GM racks up a lot of zeros, one of its worse quarterly losses ever. "ISSUE #1" with the CNN money team.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: OK. Something to crow about in Cuba. Yes, that's nice. Get a load of that huge egg. A little loud, wasn't it? Piercing even.
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: You know, the Cuban government claims it is the largest egg in the world. Breaking a previous record held by a chicken from the Canary Islands.
COLLINS: That's funny.
HARRIS: This egg -- where's the egg? I need to see the egg again, weighs 6.3 ounces, about a third of a pound. That's one egg. And it will make quite a nice-sized omelet. Hey now!
COLLINS: I love it. I love how the script actually says, pause for clucking. I'm not sure it's important.
HARRIS: How did I do? I'd do it OK?
COLLINS: You were great.
HARRIS: Did I follow the instructions?
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: OK.
