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One Year Anniversary of Minneapolis Bridge Collapse; Looking Into How Safe America's Bridges Are; Scientist Suspected of Anthrax Mailings Commits Suicide; Europe Sees Total Eclipse

Aired August 01, 2008 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Salt in the wounds of 9/11: anthrax in the mail on Capitol Hill, terrifying the nation. Years later, an Army scientist's suicide may close the case.
A hot summer night in Wisconsin. Teenagers meet at the river. A gunman steps out of the woods. What happened next was a tragedy. Why is a mystery.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live in New York, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

He learned he was soon to be charged in a deadly series of anthrax attacks, then killed himself. Sources tell CNN that prosecutors were close to filing charges against 62-year-old Bruce Ivins. The former military researcher was being investigated in connection with the anthrax-laced letters sent to congressional offices and news organizations in 2001 that killed five people.

CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena has the latest for us -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we do have a comment from Bruce Ivins' lawyer. The statement says that Ivins was innocent, that his legal team would have established that a trial and also says they are disappointed that they will not have the opportunity to defend his good name and reputation in a court of law.

Now the way our sources tell it, Ivins knew that he was going to be indicted. He may have known that he was likely to face the death penalty, and so he committed suicide.

CNN also learned that there was a temporary restraining order that was filed against Ivins. The document says that he threatened violence, that he was harassing and stalking an individual. It also shows that the individual told police that Ivins had spent time in a mental health facility.

Now, Ivins was a top Army microbiologist who, ironically, was developing a vaccine against anthrax. He worked at an Army lab in Fort Dietrich, Maryland, and sources tell us that the FBI traced the anthrax that was used in the attacks specifically back to that lab.

At least three sources have said that the FBI is now going to move to close the anthrax case, Kyra, but there are skeptics, including one anthrax survivor that we spoke to earlier today who thinks that the killer is still on the loose.

Now critics say the FBI was derailed for a long time, focusing on Steven Hatfill. You may remember him. He was called a person of interest. He sued the government, recently settled that case. And critics contend if the FBI got it wrong then, then maybe Ivins wasn't the guy either. Unfortunately, Kyra, we have not heard anything officially from the FBI or the Department of Justice.

PHILLIPS: So why are the FBI and Justice Department keeping quiet about this?

ARENA: Well, you know, there are grand jury secrecy laws that have to be dealt with. Documents have to be unsealed. Victims of the attacks, families of those who died, need to be briefed. Members of Congress who were targeted need to be briefed. I mean, you know, that all takes time.

We spoke to Senator Daschle, said he hadn't heard anything. We spoke to several victims today who were injured in the anthrax attacks. They hadn't heard anything. So the FBI has to get to those folks. We probably won't know the full extent of the story for at least a few days, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now you'd think they'd want to toot their horn.

ARENA: You would think that they would. And there was not a break in this case. As you know, not one arrest in seven years. A lot of people thought this case had grown cold, Kyra, but the FBI kept insisting, FBI Director Robert Mueller telling me just a couple of weeks ago that he was certain that the anthrax killer would be found, that there were agents who were actively working this case, you know. So we'll see. We'll see in the end what they had.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep tracking. Thanks so much, Kelli.

ARENA: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: It's been almost seven years since the anthrax attacks shook the nation. Someone sent letters laced with the deadly bacteria to congressional offices and news organizations just weeks after the September 11 attacks. The letters killed five people, including two postal workers, and made 17 people seriously ill.

Now early on, investigators identified researcher Steven Hatfill as a person of interest. He insisted that he was innocent, and he sued the government. Just this summer, Hatfill settled for a one-time payment of almost $3 million plus $150,000 a year for life. No arrests were ever made.

And a manhunt in the Midwest is finally over. Authorities think that they have the person who shot and killed three young people last night in Wisconsin. A fourth person was wounded.

Nine young people had gathered for a swim in a river near the town of Niagara. The gunman emerged from the woods in camouflage and just opened fire with an assault rifle. Two boys, ages 18 and 19, were killed, along with a 17-year-old girl. The suspect hasn't been identified.

Now at the half hour we're going to talk with an emergency official about the arrest, a possible motive and how those survivors are doing.

Horror aboard this bus on a Canadian highway. A passenger is accused of killing the guy next to him and cutting off his head. Well, today we know who the suspect is. It's 40-year-old Vince Lee of Edmonton. He said nothing in court today. He's charged with second- degree murder.

Witnesses say that Lee calmly stabbed the victim dozens of times, cut off his head, showed it off, then began to cut up the rest of the body. Other passengers say the victim did nothing to provoke anybody. Authorities haven't released his name yet.

And two bombings in eastern Afghanistan today. Five soldiers of the NATO-led force were killed, along with one civilian. We don't know the troops' nationalities, but most troops in those areas are American.

The bombs that went off in the Kunar and Khost provinces, on the rugged border with Afghanistan, shows the fighting between NATO and the Taliban has picked up in recent months. In both May and June, U.S. death tolls in Afghanistan were higher than in Iraq.

And it was disaster in central Turkey. A three-story dormitory at a girls' school collapsed after a mysterious explosion early this morning. At least 15 girls are dead, 20 more hurt. Rescuers are still hoping to find more survivors. And officials believe that a gas canister somewhere in that building is what blew up.

One year ago today, this was the story, and it remained so for weeks. The collapse of the Interstate 35 West bridge in Minneapolis that left 13 people dead, dozens of people hurt, and put the health of America's infrastructure in the headlines.

Several memorial services are planned today. A moment of silence is planned at 6:05 p.m. Central Time. And that will mark the exact time the bridge fell into the Mississippi River.

Time flies when you've got time lapse video. And this is the new bridge under construction for the last year. It's expected to open next month.

Coming up later this hour, CNN's Randi Kaye will look at how the bridge collapse continues to spotlight America's aging infrastructure.

The U.S. economy has lost jobs every single month this year. And today we learned that 51,000 jobs were lost in July, driving the unemployment rate to 5.7 percent, a four-year high. Industries hit hardest by the housing, credit, and mortgage meltdown saw the biggest losses. GM could lose more jobs, too, as it loses more money. General Motors lost $15.5 billion in the second quarter, due largely to plummeting truck and SUV sales. That's the third highest quarterly loss in GM history. Some of it also comes from buyout costs for almost 19,000 U.S. workers at plants that are being shut down.

GM says that another round of blue-collar buyouts and early retirement offers could be ahead.

Northwest Airlines adding fuel surcharges as high as 80 bucks on many domestic round-trip bookings. The new charges begin January 10. Northwest says it's simply matching competitors' fees.

Let's go live to the big board now on Wall Street, reacting to the jobs report. Looks like the Dow Industrials down 79 points right now. We're going to hear details a little later from our Susan Lisovicz.

Well, the Friday political spotlight is on Florida, and that's because Barack Obama and John McCain are campaigning there all day long. Obama held a town hall this morning in St. Petersburg, where he mixed it up a little with hecklers in the audience. McCain began his day in Orlando, where he addressed the National Urban League.

Florida's considered a battleground state. And a Quinnipiac poll yesterday showed Obama leading 46 percent to 44 percent.

In addition to Senator McCain, Urban League conference-goers are scheduled to hear from Senator Barack Obama tomorrow afternoon. And earlier the Urban League's president, Marc Morial, talked about the White House race on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" with John Roberts.

He says he realizes that race -- that race, rather, cannot be ignored in this campaign, but said he hopes the candidates will focus on the issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC MORIAL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: I think that, for some Americans, and I'm going to underscore, underline, and emphasize some, race will be an ever-present issue in this election.

But I believe and I hope -- and I think it's a challenge to how these candidates conduct themselves -- that the larger issues that face the country: economic issues, issues with respect to our children. You can't ignore race. It is a factor, and it is a history, but the question is, is what is the emphasis in the conversation and in the discussion? And I think that most Americans want to have a hard discussion about the challenges that face the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to hear from the candidates themselves later this hour. We'll have extended remarks from John McCain's Urban League address and Barack Obama's town-hall meeting. Straight ahead, call it the old "Sanford and Son" ploy. A defendant fakes a heart attack in court. Bad idea.

And here's another bad idea: flashing the security camera after you rob the place. I get the feeling you're going to see that face again, but this time in a mug shot.

And here's something you don't see everyday: the moon, taking over.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Fire, fully engulfing a passenger train in southern India. At least 32 people couldn't get out in time and were killed. That fire broke out in a sleeper car. Witnesses say it spread to four other coaches, which also burned. It was past midnight when it happened. Investigators say that faulty wiring may have been the cause.

Tremors in China today in the same area hammered by an enormous earthquake back in May. The aftershocks since then have been relatively light. Today's, though, registered a magnitude of 5.8. Nobody reported killed, but we are hearing about landslides and some injuries. The May quake killed about 70,000 people.

And they're calling this the Cascade Fire. It's blazing in the Beartooth Mountains on the Montana-Wyoming state line. Firefighters are hitting it from the air and trying to break it up on the ground. It's been burning now for several days. It's threatening the Red Rodge [SIC] -- Red Lodge, rather, Mountain Resort. And so far about 9,400 acres of mountain timber have burned.

Firefighters are letting some California residents back into their property near Yosemite National Park. Wildfires there devoured 21 homes and forced hundreds of families to flee. That fire is about 45 percent contained now.

Well, millions of faces turned up at the sky today from Canada across northern Europe and even Siberia.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

PHILLIPS: What was everybody looking at? Chad Myers, tell us about this. You look at the sky for a living. I know you've got some answers for us.

MYERS: Yes, but this one you had to be kind of careful of. This was a complete solar eclipse, and not only where you just get part of it gone, the entire sun was hidden for many minutes, all the way from China through Siberia all the way over to Norway.

Here are some pictures now. This is actually from Norway. This is northern Europe, basically, had this view. People were up there looking at it. And it was an entire spectacular -- there's the corona coming around the sun around the moon on the other side and then back out to the other side, eventually. If you wait another five minutes on this tape, you'll see what we call the diamond ring.

But it's easier to see on this iReport from Siberia. One of our iReporters got it. That's what's called the diamond ring, when it's just as a piece of the sun poking out once side, and then all of a sudden the moon is completely covering it up. And he said, the iReporter here, Ivan Komorov, said it was very, very dark. He was surprised at how dark it actually was. He expected just like -- it was worse than twilight he said.

So there you go.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Someone said that, famous, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I'm trying to think. Who said -- wait, I'm trying to remember it. Who said the famous line?

MYERS: I don't know.

PHILLIPS: I'm thinking do you know your way to San Jose? That's the only one I remember. All right.

MYERS: That's a different song.

PHILLIPS: We'll get back to it.

Dionne Warwick. Are you serious? One of the producers said Dionne Warwick. Is that right?

MYERS: Do you know the way to San Jose?

PHILLIPS: Oh, no, no, no. Go to San Francisco a lot (ph).

MYERS: One of those real famous guys.

PHILLIPS: OK. Now we're quoting poetry.

MYERS: We'll get lots of -- we'll get lots of e-mails.

PHILLIPS: Good.

MYERS: We'll find out in a hurry.

PHILLIPS: Let me know what happens. All right. We'll move on. I apologize.

All right. NASA no longer guessing about whether there's water on Mars. And today they say that they, well, they took a taste, actually. The Phoenix spacecraft is up there digging on the Martian surface right now, and scientists thawed out ice that they found. They tested it, and hey, it really is water. Next they're going to try and see whether it can support life. Of course, our Miles O'Brien will be all over that. And awake and talking during brain surgery while doctors are poking around in the patient's head. We're going to get a rare look at modern medicine in the O.R.

Also, they're dropping penny by penny, but do you really think the gas prices will ever be low again?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, gas prices dipped another penny overnight to an average of $3.90 a gallon according to AAA, but a slim majority of Americans don't think it'll ever get much cheaper. According to a CNN/Opinion Research poll, 48 percent say gas prices will come down, but 52 percent believe they'll always be about where they are now or higher.

Seventy-five percent say that high gas prices have caused them hardship. Twenty-five percent say that they haven't.

Let's check in with Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange and see what's happening with the numbers there right now.

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Well, there are some big numbers in the jobs report for July. And we've seen a disturbing trend. That is of the world's greatest economy has lost jobs every month this year.

In July, it was more than 50,000. Economists had actually expected worse. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, ticked higher, to 5.7 percent. That's a four-year high, and it's a full percentage point higher from a year ago.

One of the -- one of the sectors most affected by this is teen employment. They -- their employment is down 20 percent. And that's the highest level in 15 years -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, I know it's not just teenagers, right? There's other areas where there's heavy job loss. And also, any bright spots out there?

LISOVICZ: OK, well, I'll ask -- I'll answer the second part of that question...

PHILLIPS: OK.

LISOVICZ: ... first, which is we've seen this before. If you want a job, go into government, health care, education. That's where there's hiring.

But if you are worried about a job, then you might --- all of the -- all of the things tied to the credit crunch and the housing crisis. It's manufacturing. It's construction. It's retail. And, you know, the problem appears to be spreading, because it's not only those companies. In July, companies that had big cuts: Wachovia, Pfizer, Chrysler, and GM. GM, of course, announced yesterday 5,000 more job cuts.

And today, it had some big numbers of its own, a much bigger loss than expected: $15.5 billion lost in just three months. And of course, it's not selling as many vehicles.

GM is a Dow stock. Its shares are down 5 percent. Right now the Dow is off, its lows down 54 points. The NASDAQ is down 16 points, and oil is up $1 -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan, thanks so much.

And as part of our ongoing effort to help you make an informed choice in the election, well, we're playing more of what the candidates are saying in their own words.

Just a little while ago Barack Obama ran headlong into one of the perils of the town-hall meeting: hecklers. Here's part of his event today in St. Petersburg, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What we also have to remember is that some of the problems in our economy don't just have to do with the business cycle, don't just have to do with the revolution in communications. They have to do with very specific failures in Washington and on Wall Street. They're due to irresponsible decisions that were made by our leaders.

In recent years, we've learned that basic truth, that you can have a thriving Wall Street if you don't have a thriving Main Street. And we've had somebody in office who doesn't seem to care about what's going on on Main Street.

When wages are flat and prices are rising, and more Americans get mired in debt, eventually everybody suffers. When a reckless few game the system -- as we've seen in the housing crisis, predatory lenders able to come in and sell people a bill of goods -- everybody suffers.

When special interests put their thumbs on the scales and distort the free market and work their -- get tax loopholes and tax havens in the tax code, then everybody suffers.

And when our government fails -- hold on a second. What's happening now? Hold on a second. And when our -- and when our -- that's all right. That's all right. Listen. Excuse me. And when our -- hey -- hold on a second.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! OBAMA: Hold on. Hold on. Hold on, everybody. Excuse me, young man. There's going to be a question and answer session, so you can ask a question later. Let me make my statement. Why don't you all sit down? Then you can ask a question. That's why we're having a town hall meeting. Sit down. You'll have -- you'll have a chance to answer your question, but you don't want to disrupt the whole meeting.

Just be courteous, that's all. All you've got to do is be courteous, that's all. Just be courteous and you'll have a chance to make your statement. Just relax, that's all. Just relax. You'll have a chance. All right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That was Barack Obama in his own words. And later in the NEWSROOM, Barack Obama answers those hecklers' questions, by the way. And then coming up in a few minutes, we're going to hear some of what John McCain had to say in his address this morning to the National Urban League.

Straight ahead, one year has gone by since the infamous bridge failure in Minneapolis. And while we honor those who lost their lives, we also ask a question: have we learned anything from this tragedy?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: 1:30 Eastern time and here are some of the stories that we're working on for you.

Seven years after a series of anthrax attacks jolted America, a suspect in the case is dead. Bruce Ivins used to work at the Army Bioweapons Lab and sources say he committed suicide as investigators were closing in.

And today marks the first anniversary of the Minneapolis bridge collapse. 13 people died with the I-35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River. 145 more were injured.

And the U.S. unemployment rate has hit a four-year high, 5.7 percent. July marked the seventh straight month of job losses.

And it didn't take long for authorities to bring in a suspect from last night's riverbank shootings in Wisconsin. Authorities think they do have the person responsible in custody. Three teens, 17, 18, and 19 years old, were killed while on a swim outing. A fourth person was injured.

I want to talk now to Eric Burmeister. He's with the Marinette County, Wisconsin EMS.

Eric, what can you tell us right now about the suspect?

ERIC BURMEISTER, MARINETTE CO. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: The suspect is currently in custody at the Marinette County jail. The investigation is ongoing by the Marinette County sheriff's department. Officers and investigators.

PHILLIPS: What do we know about him, Eric? Is he a local from Marinette County? Did he come from the outside? Does he have a wrap sheet?

BURMEISTER: Well, what we can release now is, we've identified the subject as Scott Johnson. Aged 38, of Iron Mountain, Michigan.

PHILLIPS: Oh, he's from Iron Mountain.

And do you know if he's got a wrap sheet. Has he been in trouble with the law in the past?

BURMEISTER: That we don't know. The investigation is still ongoing at this time.

PHILLIPS: Now he apparently just came out of the woods. He was in camouflage, he started opening fire.

Do we know if he had any kind of military background? If he had been serving overseas?

BURMEISTER: What has been reported is that there was some military experience. As to what that is, it would be only speculation on our part.

PHILLIPS: Did he know the victims?

BURMEISTER: At this time, we cannot draw any correlation or a motive into this, the correlation between the victims or motive as to why this happened.

PHILLIPS: So the one survivor, Eric, has he been able to give you any information about the suspect?

BURMEISTER: That I'm unsure of. We haven't been given that information. And I haven't been in contact with the investigators. I know the investigation is ongoing.

PHILLIPS: OK. And meanwhile, the one survivor -- I believe it's one survivor right now, a fourth person that was wounded, 20 years old, we have the first name of Daniel.

Do you know his condition?

BURMEISTER: That I'm not sure of either, other than he was taken to the hospital.

PHILLIPS: All right. So Scott Johnson, 38 years old from Iron Mountain, Michigan, is the one that is in custody right now.

What happens to him from this point forward, Eric? Has he been questioned by all those that need to question him?

BURMEISTER: At this point, he's in custody at the Marinette County -- in the Marinette County jail. The investigation is continuing. The district attorney Brent DuBord, has been here at the scene. He's currently out at the scene with our chief deputy Jerry Sauve. So, the case now or the investigation now moves to his office. So, all the information henceforth will come --

PHILLIPS: We apologize. We had a cell connection there with Eric Bermeister with the Marinette County Emergency Management. Just updating us now, for the first time we're actually hearing the name of that shooter that is in custody. Scott Johnson, 38 years old from Iron Mountain, Michigan.

What I was able to get there from Eric Burmeister, is that he did have military experience. Not sure if he had been serving overseas, or not. You may remember this story, it happened on the river banks in Wisconsin. This man, Scott Johnson, came out from the woods opening fire on a number of teenagers that were taking a swim. Three of those teens were killed, a fourth one wounded. We'll continue to update you on this investigation.

Well, this is what you call work in progress. Video of the Interstate 35 West bridge replacement in Minneapolis, in time lapse. You remember that tragedy that happened one year ago today. Now, it made this work necessary.

CNN's Randi Kaye takes us back to that awful day and asks if we've learned any lessons in the past year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, we're thinking about the scene on this busy bridge a year ago. Rush hour in Minneapolis, when suddenly the Interstate 35W bridge over the mighty Mississippi, collapsed.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's hundreds of cars. They're in the river. Bring everything you've got and I'm not kidding.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, sir we're getting them started, OK?

KAYE: Before it was over, 13 were dead, more than 100 injured. We're thinking about it because we wonder, did we learn anything? Can it happen again? Yes, perhaps it's even likely.

The Federal Highway Administration reported in 2006, one quarter of the nation's nearly 600,000 bridges were at risk. Ryan Toohey is with America Moving Forward, which supports private investment in the nation's road building program.

RYAN TOOHEY, AMERICA MOVING FORWARD: When I hear that that many states have close to a majority of their bridges deemed obsolete or structurally deficient, that scares me.

KAYE: The cost to the fix them, about $1.6 trillion over five years, according to a study by the American Society for Civil Engineers. The problem is, and it's a big one, the money just isn't there. Here's why.

We fix bridges and roads and tunnels with money from the highway trust fund. The money for that, comes from the taxes you pay on the gas you buy. But people are now driving less, about 4 percent less in May alone. So there won't be enough money for needed improvements. And that will leave many projects delayed, even canceled.

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 (on camera): The Bush administration projects sometime in the next fiscal year, before October 1st, the highway account will hit zero, down from $8 billion at the start of the fiscal year. Payments simply can't be made if the money isn't there.

(voice-over): 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 to America's highway crisis.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: A year after one of the worst bridge collapses in history. Are things any better? CNN's Campbell Brown investigates the nation's crumbling highways and bridges in a special report, "Roads to Ruin." It airs tonight, 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

PHILLIPS: As part of our ongoing effort to help you make an informed choice in the November election, we're playing more of what the candidates are saying in their own words.

A little while ago, Republican John McCain addressed the National Urban League Conference in Florida. He talked about the economy, energy prices and education reform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You'll hear from my opponent, Senator Obama tomorrow. And if there's one thing he always delivers, it's a great speech. But I hope you'll listen carefully because his ideas are not always as impressive as his rhetoric. And this is especially true in the case of the Urban League's agenda of opportunity.

Your opportunity compact speaks of the urgent need to reform our public schools, create jobs and help small businesses grow. You understand that persistent problems of failing schools and economic stagnation cannot be solved with the same tired ideas and pandering to special interests that have failed us time and time again. And you know how much the challenges have changed for those who champion the cause of equal opportunity in America. Equal access to public education has been gained. But what -- tell me what is the value of access to a failing school? Equal employment opportunity is set firmly down in law. But with jobs becoming scarcer and more than 400,000 Americans thrown out of work just this year, that can amount to an equal share of diminished opportunity.

For years, business ownership by African-Americans has been growing rapidly. This is all to the good. That hopeful trend is threatened in a struggling economy. With the cost of energy, health care and just about everything else rising sharply. As in other challenges, African-Americans have overcome these problems, require clarity of purpose and they require -- they require the solidarity of groups like the Urban League.

And at times -- at times, they require a willingness to break from conventional thinking. Nowhere are the limitations of conventional thinking anymore apparent than in education policy in America today. After decades of hearing the same big promises from the public education establishment and seeing the same poor results, it's surely time to shake off old ways and demand new reforms.

That isn't just my opinion. It's the conviction of parents in poor neighborhoods across this nation who want better lives for their children. Just ask the families in New Orleans, who will soon have the chance to remove their sons and daughters from failing schools and enroll them instead, in School Choice Scholarship Program.

That program in Louisiana, was proposed by Democratic state legislators and signed into law by governor Bobby Jindal. Just three weeks after Katrina, they're bringing real hope to poor neighborhoods. And showing how much can be achieved when both parties work together for real reform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, that was John McCain earlier today at the National Urban League Conference in Florida. We're going to hear more from both Senators McCain and Obama, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

95 days until voters elect a new president. But don't wait until then to be heard. CNN is listening now.

And CNN's Kareen Wynter heard from voters in Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Kareen Wynter in Los Angeles, for Election Express Yourself.

As the race to the White House heats up between John McCain and Barack Obama, we wanted to find out from voters here, when it comes to the presidential candidates, what matters more, policy or personality?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely have to say personality.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit of both. Probably a little bit of personality and policy. But unfortunately, you just can't keep track of all the policy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Policy. Because anyone could put on a personality and sound great. You just have to have the experience and the knowledge and the foresight to actually know what you're doing and to put it out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of a mix of both. I think personality gives you the ability to enact policy better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; Policy, absolutely. I mean, personality's good, But policy, you know, our country overall, needs change. So personality gets you so far, but policy -- I like when one candidate has both.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, a patient talking to a surgeon while undergoing an operation on his brain. We're going to give you a rare look inside the OR, as doctors map the brain.

And who is that masked man? Well, this block-headed robber is going to show you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's a controversial new law no matter where you stand on the subject of abortion. And today, Oklahoma becomes the first state to require that a woman, prior to having an abortion, look at an ultrasound of the fetus. Patients must be shown the image an hour beforehand and some 16 other states have laws giving a woman the option to view an ultrasound. But, Oklahoma is the only one to mandate it.

Well, imagine being wide awake reading out loud while surgeons open your skull. Senator Ted Kennedy recently experienced a similar type of surgery.

Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta gives us a rare look at this procedure as a teenager gets a tumor removed from him brain. A little viewer caution here though, some of this video is graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His name is Conor Mather-Licht. He's 19 years old and he has a brain tumor. Although Conor has been suffering seizures for nearly three years, he didn't realize he had a problem until last spring. He was out to dinner one night with friends, when couldn't read the menu.

CONOR MATHER-LICHT, BRAIN TUMOR PATIENT: But I felt it was different. I couldn't -- I could sort of read it but I didn't just quite understand everything.

GUPTA: Located above his left ear, the growth was interfering with Conor's ability to read. Because his tumor was located in such a delicate area of the brain, his doctors recommended he undergo brain surgery, known as awake-craniotomy, with mapping.

DR. AARON COHEN, METHODIST HOSPITAL INDIANAPOLIS: Conor has that tumor located close to the area of his brain that controls reading, naming, and comprehension. To be able to (INAUDIBLE) the tumor in the best fashion, we should be able to find out where those critical functional areas are. And that's why awake mapping makes sense.

GUPTA: The patient is heavily sedated but remains conscious. So the doctors can start to actually create a map on his brain. Once the skull cap is removed, that brain is exposed.

Take a look at it. That's a functioning human brain pumping to the beat of the heart. And keep in mind, the patient is wide awake.

COHEN: You OK, Conor?

MATHER-LICHT: Yes.

GUPTA: By stimulating certain areas of the brain and talking to the patient.

COHEN: Conor, did you hear anything? Feel anything?

MATHER-LICHT: No.

COHEN: On, off.

GUPTA: The surgeon can tell which of those areas are sensitive and need to be avoided during the operation. Here they are creating the map of the brain.

In Conor's case, he remained awake through the entire procedure. Reading Kurt Vonnegut out loud while a section of his brain was completely exposed. If the doctors pressed on a sensitive area, Conor's reading would be affected, telling his surgeon that's an area to avoid.

COHEN: Well you see how I stop stimulating, he can say the name. But before that, he can't.

GUPTA: Once the brain is mapped, the surgeon starts to remove the tumor. Again, while the patient is still awake.

COHEN: Your voice is shaking.

MATHER-LICHT: It's shaking?

GUPTA: The procedure, which lasted about five hours, usually requires only a few days of recovery.

COHEN: He was cooperative, he was very patient. And although we had some difficulty with reading, which I think will be temporary, his speech and all of his movements remain intact.

GUPTA: Although Conor remains awake after his operation, he is exhausted. Because his tumor was large covering a wide area, he's still sometimes having troubles reading and speaking. But his doctors expect a full recovery.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Dramatic moment in an Ohio courtroom. A defendant suffers an apparent heart attack. Was it real? We'll have the verdict.

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