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Madrid Runway Crash; Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones in Critical Condition After Aneurysm; The Running Mates: Whom Will the Candidates Choose?

Aired August 20, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it never got off the ground. A Spanish airliner bound for the Canary Islands crashes and burns in Madrid. Dozens of people are dead. We're live at the airport.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The running mate guessing game for Barack Obama and John McCain, it is not a game, and guessing certainly won't cut it. We'll peek into the process of what could be a make-or-break decision.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Breaking news right now in the Spanish capital. That's where an airliner slid off the runway on takeoff today and caught fire on the grass. The death toll, it's awful. Ninety people, according to the government right now, but locals say it's much, much higher.

Let's get straight to Madrid and CNN's Al Goodman -- Al.

AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF: Kyra, that's right, 90, according to (INAUDIBLE). And it includes the government. But there were 152 people aboard that plane, 166 passengers, six crew members. And reports say that 26 people survived.

That's the count of people who have been moved over to hospitals and such. So that death toll could well increase.

Now, we're expecting a news conference from the airline, Spanair, shortly. And we hope that there will be a news conference from the government as well -- Kyra.

You reported earlier that it was an engine fire. Do you still believe that that is the cause? And do you still believe there could be more than 25 survivors?

PHILLIPS: All right. Do you have any -- you reported earlier that it was an engine fire. Do you still believe that that is the cause? And do you still believe there could be more than 25 survivors?

GOODMAN: The reports and the indication that it was some sort of engine fire based on officials and bases on some witnesses, that's the working theory right now, short of getting this official word at a public news conference by officials. In terms of survivors, it's just hard to tell. The numbers -- we're trying to crunch the numbers here in this day of tragedy, which happened at midday on a beautiful, sunny August day here in the newest part of the airport.

Rescue workers who walked in there, who rushed in there, were working at the airport elsewhere and they were pushed into service. They said they found many people dead outside that plane that was severely burned -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Al Goodman, continue to work that story for us, and we'll continue to update our viewers as we get new information.

This is the type of airplane that we're talking about, not the actual aircraft that crashed today in Madrid, of course. It's an American-made Boeing MD-82. It looks like this. It's part of the MD- 80 series.

Spanair is one of Spain's low-cost airlines. Partnered with Lufthansa, it's owned by SAS Scandinavian Airlines. And today's flight, as you heard Al said, had 172 people on board. It was headed for the Canary Islands. About a two-and-a-half-hour flight, we're told, from Madrid.

We'll have more on this breaking news story as it comes into us.

LEMON: All right. We're following some developing news here in the CNN NEWSROOM. It involves the health of a very popular Democratic congresswoman. Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones hospitalized after suffering an aneurysm while driving her car yesterday.

We want to get to Elizabeth Cohen now.

And I'm just getting word from the producer, Elizabeth, that according to "The Cleveland Plain Dealer" -- and my producer is telling me this -- according to the local paper, Stephanie Tubbs Jones has died from this aneurysm that she supposedly suffered yesterday. Again, CNN is working to confirm this, but according to "The Cleveland Plain Dealer," a writer there, it says Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and her son were -- this is a picture of them that was there -- but anyway, she was driving her car yesterday, according to this person, who is reporting here.

Driving her car yesterday when she was driving erratically, right? And then she was pulled over and then called for emergency help. They took her to the hospital. They say that she was unconscious and that family members and friends, according to this report, again, were preparing for the worst.

Tubbs Jones, 58 years old. Served as a congresswoman there for years. She is a five-term congresswoman, and is expected to easily win her sixth term come November.

Again, we're working to confirm this. This according to the local Cleveland paper, "The Cleveland Plain Dealer," I believe, that this information is coming from.

CNN has now confirmed that, Elizabeth. And we're working to confirm that information, and I'm hearing now from producers, we have confirmed that.

Let's talk a little bit about this as I get the latest information here about suffering an aneurysm. Do you know? Are there signs? Driving your car, obviously if you are, you don't know probably.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it's just terrible. Now, let's talk, first of all, what an aneurysm is.

An aneurysm, if you can picture an artery, and a side of it gets weak, and then you get a bulging of that side, well, a lot of people -- you can see the arteries there. A lot of people will have an aneurysm that's sort of bulging for years and not know it. But when that aneurysm busts in your brain, then you will know it. And in fact, 40 percent of people who have a burst aneurysm to the brain do not survive the first 24 hours.

Now, they have not said -- I'm doing a little assuming here. They have not said what type of aneurysm the congresswoman had. People have them near to arteries that lead to the heart, that lead to various parts of the brain -- various parts of the body, rather. It would seem that this might be an aneurysm to her heart, and death can come very, very quickly.

LEMON: I'm also getting this, Elizabeth. That at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, there will be a press conference at the hospital where she was taken after suffering that aneurysm yesterday, Tuesday, while she was driving in her home district. So we're hearing there is going to be a press conference around 2:00 p.m. Eastern, which is now. So I think they're preparing for that.

And I want to know, if we can get back to what you have been talking about here, are there people who are more prone to get these types of aneurysms? And does she fall into that group, if so?

COHEN: Absolutely. And I don't know if she falls into it, but there are absolutely people who are more prone to having aneurysms and having them burst.

People with a family history of aneurysms are more likely to get them. People with high blood pressure are also more likely to get aneurysms. And people who smoke.

Again, I don't think the congresswoman's health history. But those three categories, family history, smoking and high blood pressure, will put you in a high-risk category.

LEMON: OK. I'm hearing also, too, now -- and we're just getting this information in -- that it was, in fact, a brain aneurysm.

COHEN: OK.

LEMON: And again, CNN has confirmed that Stephanie Tubbs Jones died.

Let's see, just trying to get all the information here. So we don't know her medical history. We don't know if she was a smoker or what have you, and there would be something like that would lead to that. Or it could be something that she never knew about that was just brewing.

COHEN: Absolutely. The aneurysm itself is a weakening of one side of the wall of an artery.

You can imagine sort of one side of an artery kind of ballooning out. And millions of people have those and they live for years and years without knowing it. And a small percentage, those balloons will rupture.

And when that happens in an artery leading to the brain, 40 percent of those people die within the first 24 hours. That is obviously a very high mortality rate, and it's sadly what happened here.

LEMON: And I am listening to you.

COHEN: Oh, I know you are.

LEMON: Our local affiliate there in Ohio saying that the family will speak at this press conference at 2:00. And I believe it's 2:00 p.m. Eastern, if we can clarify that to make sure it's 2:00 p.m. Eastern, because if so, that would have happened now.

It could be Central Time, not exactly sure. But I would imagine it is Eastern Time, and they are preparing to do that now.

But again, Elizabeth Cohen joining us now with our breaking news.

COHEN: And Don, I want to add that this is one of the reasons why when people have hypertension, that doctors talk about this need to get it under control, because hypertension can lead to a burst aneurysm. So, you know, hypertension, high blood pressure, sometimes people let it go. Not a good idea.

LEMON: OK. Again, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a very popular Democratic congresswoman, has died at the hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm while driving in her home district yesterday. We were working our political sources on this as well.

We told you there was going to be a press conference. We believe it to be in the 2:00 hour now, Eastern, but if so, even if it's in the 3:00 hour, whenever it is, we'll bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Elizabeth Cohen is on top of it, as well as our political folks.

More to come here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Thank you, Elizabeth.

PHILLIPS: And we're following severe weather for you also now. Rescue missions under way in Florida, where floods from Tropical Storm Fay have damaged thousands of homes. The situation is desperate in St. Lucie County, on Florida's southeast coast.

Air boats right now being used to reach people who are trapped. As many as 8,000 homes are damaged.

Fay slashed ashore Monday, you remember, in the Florida Keys. It veered over the Gulf, and then it headed east across the state yesterday. It's been erratic and it's hard for forecasters to know exactly where it might be headed next.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Presidential politics now, and the shrinking gap in the polls between Barack Obama and John McCain. The latest CNN national Poll of Polls suggests that Obama's lead has faded. He leads McCain by a single point, according to an average of five nationwide surveys.

Now, yesterday's Poll of Polls showed Obama up by three points. He led by eight in mid-July.

LEMON: And we expect to hear Obama's choice of running mate any time now. Speculation still centers on Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and a pair of fellow senators, Evan Bayh and Joe Biden. On the Republican side, McCain's formal rival Mitt Romney gets a lot of buzz, but so does Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and even Senator Joe Lieberman, the Democrats' vice presidential nominee, he was, back in 2000. Earlier today, CNN confirmed that Lieberman will give a speech at the Republican convention.

PHILLIPS: And coming up at the bottom of the hour, a different way of looking at the running mate decision. What the presidential hopefuls should be looking for in their choices for vice president.

LEMON: All right. So we have heard all the speculation by the political experts, of course, but we wanted to hear what you have to say about the potential presidential running mates.

That's why CNN's Josh Levs is here. We put him into service, pressed him into service. And he joins us now to tell us about that.

OK. Let's start with the Democrats. What are people saying?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know what? Your show is being very good to me today. I've got to say. I'm grateful.

I know I've had a crazy week. We're going to have yet another rest of a crazy week. And yet, I got to spend the last hour and a half just playing.

This is so cool. Have you seen the veepstakes? Do you know how it works? LEMON: No. I want to see the veepstakes. Show it to us, Josh.

LEVS: All right. Well, this is how people are now weighing on CNN.com about who's going to win.

Let's go in on the screen. I want to show you this.

LEMON: Suspense.

LEVS: I want to emphasize at the top, no one is gambling real money. It's not gambling. This is like Monopoly, but it's so cool.

You sign in. You get $5,000. And then you basically invest in whoever you think is going to win.

And Kathleen Sebelius is still leading the Democratic pack. She's ahead of Joe Biden, Clinton and Evan Bayh, the people who are considered more likely. Kathleen Sebelius is on top here, just barely over Joe Biden.

So basically, here's how it works.

Right now, if you were going to buy stock because you think Kathleen Sebelius is going to win, you pay about 35 bucks per share. If in the end you're right, all your shares turn into 100 bucks per share.

And I want to show you something here. One of the all-time leaders that we have over here, look at this. Someone has been playing for a long time. Net worth, $2.4 million.

We now have 50,000 people that are playing this thing. Thousands more joining up each day.

Let's check over to the Republicans now. We'll see who's winning over there.

Right now, as of now, leading the GOP pack, Mitt Romney. He's 42 bucks a share. And he is way, way ahead. Tim Pawlenty is at half of that. Then you've got Joe Lieberman coming in third.

Now, on both sides you have a lot of players, not just the big names. And sometimes you find there are very few people who think they might actually win. But I do want to show you that they're actually in there.

Let's go back in to the screen.

For example, back in the Democrats now, Jim Webb selling only 30 cents a share, Colin Powell barely showing up here, down at 4 cents a share.

Over on the GOP side, I'll switch over to this. Bobby Jindal, who has said, "I am not going to be vice president," still, 80 cents a share.

You've got some people. Condoleezza Rice still placed in there, 22 cents a share.

Now, you might start to wonder, does this ever prove to actually be accurate? Does it ever actually work? Well, we have a couple of examples when the market was right, even if some people out there weren't predicting right.

Let's go back in one more time with this fun zoom we've got going here. And we're going to take a look at two examples of the times that they got it right.

This question was, "Which Democrat will win the Iowa caucus on January 3rd?" They got that right, Barack Obama. People had guessed really well there.

Now, this one was more surprising. The Georgia GOP -- I don't know if you remember this, but the Georgia GOP primary, a lot of people were surprised by this. Well, the market here got it right, Don. Mike Huckabee came in ahead of Mitt Romney.

So, it's not too late for anybody to play. You can get in on all sorts of questions. It's going to last through the whole political season. It's all fake money, you're not gambling anything real. But it's fun. It's like Monopoly.

And it's right there, CNN.com.

LEMON: The veepstakes. The veepstakes.

LEVS: People want to play, you know? It shouldn't just be for people in Washington.

LEMON: Thank you, Josh Levs.

LEVS: You got it. Thanks.

PHILLIPS: CNN's produced a fascinating in-depth look at the two White House hopefuls. Don't miss "Revealed: John McCain," tonight at 8:00 Eastern, and "Revealed" Barack Obama" at 9:30 You can preview clips from tonight's specials and learn even more about the candidates at CNN.com/revealed.

LEMON: All right. You can call it pulling a Dick Cheney. That's what some are suggesting for Caroline Kennedy as she searches for Barack Obama's vice president. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

LEMON: Well, the trucking industry isn't known for its environmental activism, but drivers are tickled pink about a new innovative service that also happens to be very green.

More from CNN's Jacqui Jeras in this "Solutions" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Diesel engines are one of the biggest source of particles that contribute to smog, but truckers routinely run their engines while parked to keep the AC or heat on.

Enter IdleAire.

JOHN DOTY, IDLEAIRE: These are really computers that are hanging out in a truck stop parking lot.

JERAS: The system pumps conditioned air into parked trucks via big yellow hoses, allowing drivers to shut down their engines.

DOTY: It's a state-of-the-art air handling system for bacteria, viruses, anything like that.

JERAS: IdleAire also pumps in entertainment, from movies to TV to the Internet.

RICH ESLINGER, TRUCKER: When I'm out on the road I like to check my e-mail and play video games sometimes.

JERAS: Truckers say they also like the fuel savings. It's estimated a big rig burns about a gallon of diesel for every hour of idling. More than 150,000 truckers have used IdleAire so far this year alone.

DOTY: That amounted to about 11 million gallons of diesel saved by their use in the system, and over 257 million pounds of diesel emissions that we displaced.

JERAS: IdleAire is currently available in 34 states and at 131 locations. But that's not enough for the truckers we talked to.

ESLINGER: A lot of us actually plan our trips around them.

JERAS: Jacqui Jeras, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's just like being married, right? We're talking about a president and his vice president. Or her vice president. So maybe they should get matched up like a couple -- what's important, what's not.

We're going to actually ask a relationship expert next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well we continue to follow the breaking news, the sad breaking news, developing as we speak right now. The death of Stephanie Tubbs Jones, congresswoman of Ohio. She died after suffering an aneurysm yesterday. We got word in the past hour that she has passed away -- 58-years-old -- after being rushed to the hospital. Her family has been there ever since. Also, her close friends, including Roosevelt Coats, Cleveland city councilman. He joins me on the phone now.

Councilman, I know this is a rough time for you. You've known her for about 15 years, going back to when she was a judge. I know you were there when they had -- actually, I understand we're going straight to the news conference.

Let's go ahead and listen to that at the hospital.

Councilman, please stay with me. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last night, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was driving in Cleveland Heights and collapsed when she suffered a very serious brain hemorrhage caused by aneurysm that burst in an inaccessible part of her brain. Emergency medical services in Cleveland Heights arrived and acted quickly to give support and transfer her here to Huron Hospital, where she was unstable and in critical condition throughout the night.

This morning, a team of medical doctors and neurosurgeons from Huron Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic evaluated her medical condition and determined that she has very limited brain function. She remains in critical condition at present in our intensive care unit. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this very difficult time.

Thank you very much.

JOSEPH HEWITT, TUBBS FAMILY SPOKESPERSON: Good afternoon. My name is Joseph Hewitt. I'm going to be speaking on behalf of the family.

As big Dr. K said, yesterday evening, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was admitted to Huron Hospital after suffering an aneurysm while driving her car in Cleveland Heights. At the present time, Stephanie is in critical condition. Tuesday's condition followed a full day of activity, including planning for an upcoming forum on electoral reform scheduled for September 4th, 2008, at Cleveland State University. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was scheduled to travel to Denver on August 24th to attend the Democratic National Convention as a superdelegate.

The family and the 11th Congressional District Office wishes to thank friends, constituents and colleagues for their expressions of concern and ask that the community allow the family privacy at this time. Thanks are also extended to the Cleveland Heights Police Department and the emergency medical services, Huron Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Gus Kious, president of Huron Hospital.

Please keep Congresswoman Tubbs Jones in your prayers. Any other inquiries, press inquiries, please direct them to Nicole Williams or to me, Joe Hewitt.

Thank you very much. PHILLIPS: All right. We've got conflicting reports coming in right now. We've been telling you that the congresswoman has died of that aneurysm, so this is a bit of a shock to us. You heard from the doctor, you heard from the family spokesperson, that she's in critical condition.

On the phone with me now, Cleveland City Councilman, Roosevelt Coats, who was there at the hospital when she was taken off the ventilators.

Councilman, what do you know at this point? Have you been able to confirm that she has passed?

VOICE OF ROOSEVELT COATS, CLEVELAND CITY COUNCIL: Let me make a correction here. I was at the hospital. I never really went up to her room. I chose not to because I've just seen a lot of death and I just didn't want to witness that. But I was told that she had passed away.

But this is great news. If she hasn't passed, I still have a friend living.

PHILLIPS: Well, Councilman, let me ask you -- who told you that she has passed?

COATS: Actually, the word came down from City Hall. I got a call from my staff person, who told me that someone had came in to the City Council and said she had passed away.

PHILLIPS: OK. So you actually didn't get word from anybody there at the hospital or a family member?

COATS: No, no, no.

PHILLIPS: OK. All right. So, I'll tell you what -- we are working feverishly here in the newsroom right now to try and confirm if indeed she has passed or not.

While we are trying to do that, just for a moment, could you just -- you've known her for 15 years, it goes back to her time as a judge.

COATS: Actually, I've known her for 25 years.

PHILLIPS: 25 years, all right.

COATS: I was personal with her for the last 15 to 20 years.

PHILLIPS: OK, and known her for 25.

This is an amazing woman who has truly carried on a legacy of civil rights. The first black congresswoman to represent Ohio, broken many barriers. She was an outspoken supporter of Hillary Clinton, a backer of Barack Obama. She's supposed to be at the convention in Denver.

Just tell us about what she has done politically and also with regard to diversity and civil rights.

COATS: Well, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, first of all, our prayers go out to her family still.

She is a remarkable woman. She has been the first of the first in the state of Ohio, in our county where she lives, in the city of Cleveland. And she's also been the first of a few that served on the common state court for Cuyahoga County. From there, she went to serve -- first black that ever served as the country prosecutor for Cuyahoga County, one of the largest counties in the state of Ohio. And she was appointed -- selected by a Congressman Lou Stokes to be our representative in the U.S. House of Congress.

Through that time, she has really (ph) been a friend. She has been one person that has worked for people who were disenfranchised. She was a person that stood up for women's causes, for blacks, and not only in Cuyahoga County, but across this country. She was a person that death with national elections when she felt that the election process was flawed. She has really been a friend. She has really been a supporter of Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio, and this country.

And right now we just -- I'm just --

PHILLIPS: Roosevelt Coats there, Cleveland City Councilman. We lost the line. He was talking about his relationship there with the councilwoman.

Once again we want to clarify that we have told you that Councilwoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio had died of an aneurysm. We are getting conflicting reports now. We just took a live news conference from the hospital there in Ohio. The doctor and the family representative saying she is in critical condition. So right now we are trying to confirm if indeed the congresswoman has passed after suffering an aneurysm.

We apologize for the misunderstanding, in particular to the family, if she is indeed in critical condition. So once again, we are following breaking news now and trying to confirm the condition of the Congresswoman, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, of Ohio at this point.

LEMON: All right. We have on the line now -- we want to get to someone who is on the ground in Washington and can add another perspective for us. From CNN Radio, Lisa Desajardines.

Now Lisa, what are you hearing from folks there on the ground?

LISA DESJARDINES, CNN RADIO: Right. Democratic House leadership is now trying to sort this out. I spoke to sources that say an hour ago, at least one House Democratic staffer had passed on word that they had confirmed that Stephanie Tubbs Jones had passed away. That staffer reported that up the chain and House Democratic leadership took that to be the truth.

They're now trying to determine who that staffer spoke with, who they allegedly confirmed the death with. It now appears that Stephanie Tubbs Jones, of course as the hospital says -- she is still alive. So there is a scramble right now at the Capitol to figure out exactly what happened and why House leadership, on the Democratic side themselves, thought that Stephanie Tubbs Jones had died.

LEMON: OK. Let's go through this once again, because we have a lot of information going back and forth here. So once folks started getting wind of this, Lisa, a staffer came out -- explain to us what happened.

DESJARDINES: Well we're still trying to determine who that staffer spoke with.

But there was a staffer that was -- this happens very often in a very serious situation like this, there is a point person that takes the ball, or is assigned it, to often liaison with that Congress- person's office. We don't know if that's where the staffer got the information or not. It's assumed that this person talked to Stephanie Tubbs Jones' office. But this staffer, who Democratic leadership was depending to ascertain the situation, this staffer, I'm told about an hour ago, maybe a little bit more, sent out word that they had confirmed that Ms. Tubbs Jones had passed away.

Of course, now House leadership themselves, as we were, was surprised to hear in the hospital news conference that she's actually in critical condition. Obviously, positive news. That's a relief to many. But they are still trying to sort out exactly why they got what seems to be incorrect information, at least an hour ago, maybe more.

LEMON: Absolutely. And of course it is positive news. But we're also getting information that the family -- being reported on this network, and other places, and things that were crossing -- the family was saying that they were going to speak at the hospital, at least, that was the information that was coming out from either a staffer or from the office, saying that the family would hold a press conference. And they did, but the information was conflicting once that did happen, Lisa.

DESJARDINES: A note on her family, she herself was a widow. Her husband passed away in 2003. She had one son -- she has one son, I need to say. She has one son, Merv Jr., some call him little Merv. And when asked what her biggest accomplishment was in life, and she has had many, Stephanie Tubbs Jones has said, it's her son. So obviously a very difficult time for her entire family, her extended family. But her son right now, I think, especially is facing a difficult hour.

LEMON: All right. Lisa Desjardines, from CNN Radio. We appreciate your reporting and stand by because we may need you back to help us through some of this.

But again, if you are just tuning in, moments ago a hospital in Cleveland, Huron Hospital, held a press conference about Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones saying that yesterday she was driving her car, had an aneurysm -- an aneurysm burst in her brain. That left her with very limited brain capacity. She is reported to be in critical condition at this point at the hospital. That hospital holding a press conference just moments ago. We're trying to sort out all of this information to get you the best and most accurate information as possible right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. More to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Let's talk more about the presidential race, shall we, and the rampant speculation over running mates. It may be the most important job offer that nominees will ever make. So what are the risks here? And what should John McCain and Barack Obama be looking for in a partner? Let's bring in Ori Brafman, he is the author of "Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior."

Hello, sir. This is kind of like choosing -- almost like choosing a partner in a relationship, isn't it?

ORI BRAFMAN, AUTHOR/ENTREPRENEUR: Well, that's actually the that mistake people make. A job interview and a dating interview are two different things. And it turns out that when you look at the data, people are very poor at actually being able to pick the right person for the job because of irrational forces that affect their psychology.

LEMON: (INAUDIBLE) irrational forces. It is at the end of the day, though, whether or not someone complements you in a relationship or someone complements you as a vice president, or as an assistant or what have you, So when you say there is this irrational data, or irrational sway, explain to our viewers exactly what you mean by that? I'm not sure I understand that.

BRAFMAN: Well the thing is is that people pay attention to the wrong criteria. So in a typical job interview, people look for someone who is very similar to them. And it's nice to have someone similar to you if you're maybe going on a date, or if you want to have a new friend. But if you're hiring someone for a job, the best candidate is often someone who is very different and also someone who complements you and has specific skills. And what people do is they tend to look at personality traits, as opposed to actually skills and how they would perform on the job.

LEMON: OK. And since you've been doing this, have you been paying attention to this election like most people have? I'm sure you have, right.

BRAFMAN: Who hasn't, right?

LEMON: OK. Let's start -- why don't we start -- let's start with the Republicans first. What kind of person would you say would complement John McCain?

BRAFMAN: Well for starters, someone who has heard about the Internet, right? So someone who is maybe a little younger than him, someone who also has experience on the domestic front, in terms of the economy. Mitt Romney comes a potential very good candidate for that because, again, he has the experience of actually leading a company, leading a business.

And the thing to avoid is to find someone who is too good of a friend and someone who won't stand up to McCain.

LEMON: OK. Then, let's turn now to the Democrats -- Barack Obama. What kind of person would complement him best, among the people who are supposedly on the short list?

BRAFMAN: Well ironically, for both McCain and Obama, they would each be each other's VP candidate. So, Obama's biggest pitfall is finding a mini-Obama, right? Like an Obama-lite.

LEMON: Right.

BRAFMAN: His best bet, I think, is someone like Biden, who has the experience on the foreign side of things and also has shown leadership in the Senate.

Now, the thing to do again is to avoid having someone who is too good of a friend and someone who is just going to be a yes man.

LEMON: OK. Real quickly, it's very interesting that you say they would both complement each other as each other's VP pick. Why do you say that?

BRAFMAN: Well, think about it. For example, if Obama were to pick someone like McCain, McCain is a war hero and he has the experience in the foreign policy. He's been around for longer. And vice versa for McCain, Obama is younger, has the charisma, also has a lot of the knowledge about how to bring in youth into the fold, with -- not only with the texting, but just his knowledge about technology and the Internet.

LEMON: OK. Well, Ori Brafman, we appreciate it -- the author of "Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior."

We're trying to figure it all out here, but it's going to be figured out for all of us soon enough, isn't it?

Thank you.

BRAFMAN: Thanks for having me.

PHILLIPS: Well they call him Uncle Ted, but Alaska senator Ted Stevens is in hot water right now. A view from the inside next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: When Ted Stevens goes to court next month on corruption charges, he probably won't need a jacket. That may (ph) be little consolation to the veteran Alaska senator who wanted his legal battle moved to his home state. Today a federal judge in Washington said no. The longest-serving GOP senator is accused of lying about hundreds of thousands of dollars in home renovations and gifts that he received from an oil services contractor.

Stevens' lawyers argue that the witnesses are in Alaska and being home is crucial to his re-election campaign. The trial is due to begin September 24th in Washington. The 84-year-old senator requested a speedy trial in hopes of having things settled by Election Day. First, he's got to get through the party primary next week. Polls show that despite his troubles, believe it or not, Stevens still has some really strong support.

Joe Johns looks at some reasons why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Step off the plane in Anchorage, Alaska, and instantly you know Ted Stevens is the man, and you're in his state. Stevens actually helped Alaska become a state 50 years ago and he has devoted his life to building it up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The senator from Alaska is recognized.

JOHNS: In fact, what he's been especially great at is steering an avalanche of your money, taxpayer money, to his state. How much? $3.2 billion, according to the watchdog group, Taxpayers for Common Sense. And that's just in the last four years, for a state with a population of just 700,000 people.

Multiply that by a 40-year career in Congress and it's easy to see why the criminal indictment hit so hard. His supporters say Stevens is keenly motivated by a concern for rural Alaska and that he is hardly the kind of man to risk a reputation built up over decades for a few freebies.

ART HACKNEY, STEVENS' FRIEND: But at the end of the day, in my opinion, a bunch of hooey (ph). Ted Stevens is the kind of person who always, and my understanding is in this case, always says, give me the bills, tell me what it will costs, and he writes the checks.

JOHNS: But there is another side to Ted Stevens. He can be, and these are his own words, "...a mean, miserable S.O.B." He's a big fan of the Incredible Hulk, and just like his hero, you wouldn't like him when he's angry.

SEN. TED STEVENS (R), ALASKA: I'm going to go to every one of your states, and I'm going to tell them what you've done.

JOHNS: And nothing makes him madder than when his colleagues tried to block that pork pipeline to Alaska, like when they tried to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars Stevens wanted to build those now infamous bridges to nowhere from Anchorage in Ketchikan to well, nowhere.

And when they blocked his life-long dream, opening up the Arctic arc National Wildlife Reserve to big oil, Stevens exploded.

STEVENS: I have been called a liar, I have been told that I violated the rules. Should I lose the reputation I've got for 37 years in the Senate? No one's ever questioned my integrity before this year.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: We'll definitely follow-up and see if he is convicted.

CNN's Joe Johns with that report.

LEMON: All eyes on the Olympics this week. But coming up next, we focus on different sporting traditions. One you're more likely to see at the water cooler than Beijing's water cube (ph).

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PHILLIPS: Well it was a big day for Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, and a big win for America's redeem team. Bolt broke the world record in the 200-meters to add to his 100-meter gold. And the U.S. men's basketball team routed the Aussies, advancing to the semi- finals. And after today's events, the medal board looks like this -- Team USA on top again with 82, but China is right there with 79, 45 of them gold. Third place, Russia has 45 medals total. Britain and Australia round out the top five.

LEMON: All right. It's that rare moment in history when the world's eyes are glued to the most elite competitors. Sheer athleticism, raw skill and intense training, the life-long dedication and physical sacrifice. And of course I'm talking about foosball.

It's our sport in focus.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody knows that this is the place to place foosball. So here tonight at Fat Cats, we have our Tuesday night's draw your partner tournament. Everyone signs up, puts their name on a list, everyone pays 5 bucks and then we randomly draw everyone a partner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are playing with Tyrone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gets very competitive. There's all kinds of skill levels. We have a couple of semi-pros, some amateurs, some experts, some pros.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anyone that is just beginning, don't come on Tuesday night because these guys are great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's easy to learn but hard to master. It's like playing football. There's a man in front of you, you've got to break down his defense -- and whether your shot is fast enough. You've still got to get in his head psychologically, you have to demoralize him and beat him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like a lot of hand/eye coordination. But I guess once you get to a certain point where you can't even see somebody's shots, you're basically just playing head games with everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) -- you make me look so good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The stakes? Oh, man, if I told you the real stakes the government would be after me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a great talent. It's like hitting a golf ball perfectly. It just feels right, it just sounds right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I come here, not only to play foosball, but through foosball I've met a lot of good people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really close community. So, it makes it real easy to make friends. And that's probably one of my favorite things about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love this game. Nothing like foosball.

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PHILLIPS: Filling in the blanks. We could find out any minute now, or not, whom Barack Obama wants for a running mate. All we know for sure is that only Obama knows for sure.

LEMON: And this disaster in Madrid. An airliner crashes and burns before it can get off the ground. Dozens are dead and we have a live report for you.

PHILLIPS: Did Florida underestimate Fay? It's not that big, it's not that strong, but it's not in a hurry either. That means big- time flooding.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips in the CNN Center in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.