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Miami Beach Standoff; Tony Snow's Cancer Returns; Packing Heat on the Hill; Eye on Iran

Aired March 27, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

One suspect already arrested, but are there others in a standoff between police and a gunman in Florida? We are working on the latest.

LEMON: And aggressive treatment plans in store for White House press secretary Tony Snow after surgery turns up a recurrence of his cancer.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Top of the hour, police at a scene of a bank robbery arrested a suspected robber, but get a lot more than they bargained for. It's a story happening right now in Miami Beach. And this isn't the bank people are running out of, but a building across the street from that bank. Police believe more suspects may have barricaded themselves inside.

Let's get right to it and CNN's Susan Candiotti, on the ground in Miami -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.

There is a possible promising development here, and that is this: Miami Beach police hostage negotiators, the S.W.A.T. team, has made contact with at least one of the two possible suspects that are involved in this matter. The S.W.A.T. team negotiators who had been using a bullhorn to try to make contact with the suspected bad guy got him their phone number, and the bad guy apparently called the hostage negotiator. They've been talking ever since.

We are told by police that the suspect is making several demands, including one to let the original bank robber go who was caught while holding up the Commercial Bank of Florida at about 10:30 this morning. It is not clear to authorities whether the suspected gunman is inside the medical arts building across the street, or whether in fact he may be somewhere else (AUDIO GAP) through that building, office by office, stairwell by stairwell, to try to find out where he might be.

In the meantime, that medical arts building across the street from the bank is being evacuated, people coming out, told to put their arms on top their head and walk out to make sure that they are safe, that they might not be one of the suspected bad guys. And then all of the people who are being evacuated are being taken down the street to a nearby synagogue, where authorities are debriefing them about anything they heard or saw.

That's why we think they might be nearing an end here, if they can get more information about where the suspect may be. So far, this is what police had to say when this initially went down this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. BOBBY HERNANDEZ, MIAMI BEACH POLICE: We start getting phone calls at the bank saying, "If you don't let this guy go, we're going to come out shooting." Yes, yes, right, whatever. And the next thing you know, across the street these people come rushing out saying there's two guys with guns.

So we immediately secured that building. We've called in the S.W.A.T. team. And right now the whole building is secure, as well as this elementary school which is a few blocks away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have any shots been fired?

HERNANDEZ: No shots have been fired. The only guns that have been seen is through witnesses. No officers saw any handguns.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are these people hostages?

HERNANDEZ: No. We have no information of any hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: So far, we have no information that anyone has been hurt. That's another piece of good news. And hopefully (AUDIO GAP) will end peacefully.

Back to you.

LEMON: All right. Susan Candiotti in Miami.

Thank you so much for that.

NGUYEN: Well, another situation that we are watching very closely, these tornado warnings in Texas. Let's get you straight to Rob Marciano in the CNN weather center with the latest on this.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: In other news, though, Tony Snow usually talks about the White House, but this time the White House is talking about him. We're learning today that the press secretary's cancer has returned after doctors removed a growth from his abdomen yesterday.

CNN's Elaine Quijano just got out of a White House briefing, where a lot of it discussed, of course, Tony Snow and his condition as of today -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Betty.

That's right, disappointed but resolute, that is how Deputy White House Secretary Dana Perino described Tony Snow after a brief conversation with him this morning.

Now, yesterday, as you noted, Tony Snow did have surgery to remove what he described on Friday as a small growth from his lower abdomen. It turns out that growth was cancer, is cancer, and that the cancer has spread to his liver and other areas.

Now, Snow spoke to President Bush early this morning by phone, and the president offered his support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: His attitude is one that he is not going to let this whip him, and he's upbeat. My attitude is, is that we need to pray for him and for his family.

Obviously, a lot of folks here in the White House are -- you know, worry a lot about their friend, as do Laura and I.

And so my message to Tony is, stay strong, a lot of people love you and care for you and will pray for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: And an emotional day in the West Wing, as you can imagine. It is unclear at this point what course of treatment might be undertaken, although it's thought that, of course, some form of chemotherapy might be included. Unclear at this point, though.

But Dana Perino telling reporters that Tony Snow, in characteristic fashion, certainly says he is fighting this, and at the same time saying that he even offered her some talking points, joking earlier this morning, offering some talking points about how to discuss all of this. But Perino was also asked about whether or not there might be some thinking that Snow might be able to perform his duties as he undergoes treatment. Perino said that it is her hope that he, in fact, can return to the job, a job that she says he thoroughly enjoys.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA PERINO, DEP. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I do know that Tony Snow loves this job. He says it is the best job he has had ever had in his life. He in fact has called it Communications Disneyland.

And so he loves the job. And I think his intention, of course, is to come back.

The president wants him back, as you heard today. So, as soon as we have more on that, we can let you know, but the intention is that he'll be back. And I just don't know when. (END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: So, a tough day here at the White House. Tony Snow, of course, a cancer survivor. Perino also noting that Tony had just marked two years of being cancer-free.

It was back in February of 2005 that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer, and February of 2005 as well that he had his entire colon removed, underwent six months of chemotherapy, was given the all-clear by the doctors to accept the job of White House press secretary in April of last year, and now we are learning, of course, this news, less than a year on the job, Tony Snow has a recurrence of the cancer that he was diagnosed with two years ago -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, what we do know, Elaine, is that in 2005 he came back from Stage III cancer, and he does have a really positive attitude about this. So we'll be watching.

Thank you for that report.

Elaine Quijano at the White House.

LEMON: An aide to Senator Jim Webb in court, facing charges of taking a loaded gun to Capitol Hill.

CNN's Brianna Keilar joins us on now with more on how Phillip Thompson, a former Marine and long-time friend of the senator, got into this mess.

What's the answer to that, Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, according to newly-released court documents that we've just received, Phillip Thompson told police that this was his boss's gun, that it was Senator Jim Webb's gun and ammunition that he apparently by accident tried to take on to Capitol Hill.

Now, Senator Jim Webb, a short time ago, at a news conference, says he does have a permit to carry a weapon in Virginia, which, of course, where he lives. And on Friday, before the weekend, Webb flew from Washington -- from Washington Dulles Airport, rather, which is also in Virginia, not actually in D.C., to New Orleans.

He didn't say specifically this is when the gun left his possession and eventually entered Thompson's possession, but that, of course, is what a congressional source told CNN. But he did say the process of his staff getting him to the airport could have contributed to this mix-up.

Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM WEBB (D), VIRGINIA: I have never carried a gun in the Capitol complex, and I did not give the weapon to Phillip Thompson. And that's all that I think I'd say. We had -- we had three cars on Friday that were being moved about because of my trip, and that is probably a reason that this inadvertent situation developed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So one of the reasons this is so sensitive, aside from the fact, obviously, that Phillip Thompson tried to take a gun on to Capitol Hill, is that in the entire District of Columbia, there's actually a ban on handguns. You can't have one concealed, you can't have one unconcealed.

Now, Phillip Thompson spent the night in jail. We're still waiting this point -- a slight delay, I believe, because of paperwork in his being arraigned on charges. But the charges he is facing today at the U.S. Superior Court here in D.C. include carry a pistol without a listen, carrying a firearm that wasn't registered to him, and also carrying ammunition that wasn't registered to him -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Brianna Keilar, thank you so much for that report.

We're going to get more clarification on this.

Bob Barr, who serves on the board of the NRA, is going to join us here in the NEWSROOM to explain, talk to us about the gun laws, especially in Washington, D.C., and exactly if any laws -- what laws were broken here coming up -- Betty.

NGUYEN: We want to tell you about twin explosions in Tal Afar. At least 50 people dead in grisly violence far from the U.S. and Iraqi security crackdown in Baghdad. Tal Afar's mayor tells CNN that a pair of car bombs went off just minutes apart near busy market places. And The Associated Press says they were truck bombs. One was triggered by remote control.

Well, the Navy admiral at the helm of the U.S. Central Command says the Iraq war is being driven by small factions of zealots who will stop at nothing. William Fallon is getting his sea legs in Baghdad, where our Kyra Phillips asked him to peer out at the military and the political horizon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You mentioned Americans coming home. Former Iraqi ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said democracy could take generations. Could U.S. troops be here for generations?

ADM. WILLIAM FALLON, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: We have U.S. troops that have been in places in the world for decades, but in a different construct, and -- but trying to provide stability and security. We would certainly not envision the number of troops that are here now doing this.

The idea that we're going to put a mirror image of the U.S. system in place here in a matter of months or even a couple of years is not realistic.

PHILLIPS: What do you have to see on the ground for those U.S. troops to come home?

FALLON: We clearly need more pervasive security. We clearly need the government of Iraq to continue to implement those steps towards a more inclusive society. And as they move forward in that direction, I think that will be giving a confidence that's necessary to the people that they will be more supportive of us and less afraid of the terrorists and the killers, and more likely to help the Iraqi security forces and us to make life better for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Well, Kyra and the admiral talked about all sorts of things today, including Iraq's neighbor to the east. And she joins us live.

Kyra, what did he say about Iran's role in Iraq?

PHILLIPS: Well, I had to talk to him about Iran, because Iran continues to fuel the violence here. And everybody's wondering, how deep will their influence get? Will they ever stop supporting the militias here?

So, the admiral basically said, yes, I realize that, we're not going to tolerate their behavior, and it is a high priority for me to deal with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: What are you going to do about Iran? They are helping the militias, they're involved in this country, they're contributing to this war.

ADM. WILLIAM FALLON, CENTCOM COMMANDER: The question is, what's Iran going to do about their behavior? Iran specifically has been unhelpful. We know it, and we've made it known that we know it, and not going to tolerate it. This -- we cannot have them aiding and abetting with tactical and weapons help to the killers here, injuring and maiming not only our people, but Iraqi people.

PHILLIPS: Would you consider war with Iran?

FALLON: Well, we're not interested in a war. We've got a conflict going here that we've got lots of folks tied up trying to fix. We have another conflict in Afghanistan. I'm headed over there tomorrow to take a look at that. But Iranian behavior has been not only unhelpful, but detrimental to peace and progress.

Now, Iran sits in a neighborhood of other countries. And my intention is to go around and meet the leaders of these countries in the region, and I'm going to talk to them about that.

Two things on my agenda, if you would. One is to get help from these countries for this place, for Iraq. The other one is to help us to deal with this Iranian behavior, to try to see what we can do to make these folks realize they've got -- they have aspirations to be somebody big? You've got to act like a -- like a big boy. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And that's a big reason why the admiral was appointed commander of CENTCOM. Number one, because of his negotiation skills. And number two, his understanding of Iran.

Now, he -- when he was in charge of Pacific Command, PACOM, out of Hawaii, he was involved with that second carrier battle group that moved out into the region. As you know, the USS John Stennis, the USS Dwight Eisenhower, both battle groups out there. And word has it that that second carrier battle group is to keep an eye on Iran.

They were operating today, flight operations. Just making it known that their presence is there, and they want Iran to know that.

NGUYEN: Great interview, and very good information.

Kyra Phillips joining us live from Iraq.

Kyra, we thank you.

LEMON: All that rush-hour traffic, everybody coming and going. Your plane may have had a close call and you didn't even know about it.

Air safety on the ground, ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: And it starts with a sneeze...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A stuffy head, get a headache, the runny nose, the itchy eyes, they just swell up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Oh, yes, we all know the symptoms. In fact, we're both suffering -- aren't you, Don?

LEMON: Yes.

NGUYEN: So, what can you do about spring allergies? We have those answers ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Demanding access and keeping up pressure, intense diplomacy is under way to 15 British sailors and marines detained in Iran. The group was seized Friday in the Persian Gulf when it left the HMS Cornwall to inspect a merchant ship.

CNN European political editor Robin Oakley joins me now from London with more on that -- Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, Don. Well, British authorities remain adamant that the sailors never left Iraqi waters. Iranian officials, though, continue to insist that they did stray into Iranian waters from the Iraqi waters. They say they were arrested and are being interrogated, but they insist they are being treated humanely and they are being held in safety.

Now, the British authorities are worried that they could see a similar episode to eight marines who were taken in 2004 under a similar charge, and they were actually paraded blindfolded on television before they were released.

Margaret Beckett, the British foreign secretary, said today that if the Iranians were treating the captives as well as they were saying, there should be no reason why British government officials shouldn't go and see them. And then Tony Blair, the British prime minister, stepped things up a little bit by saying that if the Iranians didn't immediate release the 14 men and one woman, then things would move into a different phase.

People were a little puzzled what he meant by that, but officials explained later he wasn't talking about anything like dramatic like expelling Iranian officials from London or, indeed, military action. It was more a question of pushing into the public domain the arguments currently being held in private with the Iranian authorities, and the British remain absolutely adamant they have got proof that that they stayed all along in Iraqi waters -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Robin Oakley, thank you so much for your report from London.

NGUYEN: Well, it is 2:20 Eastern, and here's a look at three of the stories that we are working on here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(NEWSBREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, you can lead a witness to Congress, but you cannot make her talk. Lost amid the drama over subpoenas for White House aides and the U.S. attorney controversy, the Fifth Amendment. A top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is the first potential witness to announce that she'll refuse to answer lawmakers' questions on the grounds that it might incriminate her. Her name is Monica Goodling, and a lawyer claims a very real potential for legal jeopardy should she provide truthful and accurate testimony.

CNN's Brian Todd picks up the story from there.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, what we know now is that Monica Goodling has essentially gone underground. She has not returned our phone calls. Her attorney, John Dowd, has also not returned our calls, but Mr. Dowd has sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Patrick Leahy, essentially cautioning Mr. Leahy, not to jump to any conclusions about her decision to take the Fifth Amendment, saying essentially that that Fifth Amendment is there also to protect the innocent.

We also went to Monica Goodling's residence in Virginia trying to find her, to talk to her neighbors. We did not find any traces of her. The neighbors who have lived there for some years said they never really saw her and didn't know her.

What else do we know about her? We know that she's about 33 years old, she graduated in 1995 from Messiah College, which is a Christian liberal arts school near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She later attended Regent University Law School in Virginia, and then a short time after that was brought into the Department of Justice in the press office. Worked her way up from there to the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and then was in the attorney general's office as the counsel to the attorney general and the liaison to the White House.

Pretty sharp incline in her career at that point.

Now, personally, we did speak to -- we did get information from two college classmates of hers at Messiah College who describe her as extremely driven, hard-working. She became the editor of that college's yearbook in her junior year.

But one of them described her to me as a bit of a loner. This classmate said, "I couldn't point to three friends that she might have had at that time."

Later, at Justice, she was known also very hard-working, loyal, kind of a partisan office person there. Known, although, what we did get from Justice Department sources is that she has been known for ruffling some feathers among U.S. attorneys. She did work in the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys at some point and was known for kind of an abrupt style, according to Justice Department sources, sometimes out-and-out rude behavior.

But you do get a picture, Betty, of someone who had a real laser focus and worked her way very close to the top very quickly.

NGUYEN: CNN's Brian Todd.

Thanks for giving us the info, at least what we know so far of Monica Goodling. Appreciate that -- Don.

(NEWSBREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, you can forget the fear of flying, because there may be more risks before your plane even takes off. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, safety officials take a look at danger on the runway.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

Severe weather hitting right now. We are watching a very powerful storm system.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: A developing story, we've been following in the CNN NEWSROOM. T.J. Holmes has an update for us.

What do you have?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: The update now, Don, out of Miami Beach is that in fact authorities have made some kind of contact with the alleged bank robbers. In Miami Beach, where we saw this bank robber, this has been developing in the past couple of hours. But hostage negotiators -- or negotiators, I should say, rather -- are there and have made some kind of contact with these bank robbers.

The bank robbers are believed to be held up in an office building, the Sheridan office building which is across the street from where they were robbing the bank, according to police. This was at the Commercial Bank of Florida in Miami Beach.

You see the pictures here. Let me explain, at least, that are were people being brought out of that office building where the bank robber's believe to have just ran across the street -- and was just holed up trying to find a place to hide. Police are filing people out of this office building, which I understand is a medical office building.

We see some people in scrubs. There were like nurses and things like that coming out. But they were checking people out. Just explaining the video you're seeing here, but we do know now, we believe that negotiators have made contact with the bank robbers inside, who are believed to be armed.

So, a dangerous situation that has been developing, Don, in the past couple of hours. We are continuing to keep an eye on it.

LEMON: Absolutely. And I'm getting word from producers, T.J., and I think you have it as well, Jack Valenti, long-time Hollywood lobbyist. Is there some news on him?

HOLMES: Yes, he has had a stroke. This is a face that a lot of people know, and certainly the name as well. He has been around a long time.

Jack Valenti, who was that head of the Motion Picture Association for some 38, 40 years, has had a stroke. Not exactly sure what kind of condition he is in. According to some of his spokespeople he's in a doctor's care and resting comfortably, but Jack Valenti, who has been a big-time lobbyist and a big part of that Motion Picture Association, really responsible for developing the movie rating system. The R system, and the PG, and all that. That was all his doing with the Motion Picture Association, but had suffered a stroke. And is said to be resting comfortably right now.

But certainly keeping an eye on him, and his situation. Wishing him the best, but certainly a name and face that's been around in the business for a long time, Don.

LEMON: All right, T.J., if you get more information on him, his condition and all of that, will you please let us know?

HOLMES: We certainly will, Don.

LEMON: All right, thank you very much for that.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the world's deadliest aircraft disaster. A runway collision between two jumbo jets in the Canary Islands, killed 583 people. Close calls on runways happening far too often, so the government wants more done to make runways safer. CNN's Kathleen Koch joins me live from Reagan National Airport with the latest developments on that -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, the federal government and safety officials have been wrestling with this problem for decades, so today the National Transportation Safety Board is getting together here in Washington. The absolute best minds in the business to really brainstorm, to look at among other things new technology to make the runways safer.

And the NTSB gave CNN an exclusive look at a reenactment, an animation, of one of the most recent close calls that happened just two months ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (voice over): A Frontier Airbus A319 is about to land in Denver, but as this just released National Transportation Safety Board animation of the January incident shows, it doesn't know a small plane has strayed on to the runway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Frontier 297, go around.

KOCH: The planes missed colliding by just 50 feet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, 4216, where you at again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come back, 4216, yeah, we made a wrong turn there.

KOCH: Nearly every day on the nation's runways a plane gets too close to another aircraft, building, or vehicle on the ground. One in 10 runway incursions is serious, like this one in Los Angeles in 2004 when a controller cleared two planes to use the same runway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Southwest 440 cancel take off clearance, hold in position.

KOCH: But federal safety officials are at odds over how to fix the problem. The Federal Aviation Administration Friday announced what most see as an interim step; quick approval of technology to give pilots a moving map display in the cockpit, similar to GPS used by drivers.

MARION BLAKEY, FAA ADMINISTRATION: Which run way am I on, is the basic question. Where am I going? This is very valuable information that the device would provide.

KOCH: But it has drawbacks. The unit won't show where other planes are or alert pilots if a collision is imminent. The NTSB has been pushing for that system for more than a decade.

MARK ROSENKER, NTSB CHAIRMAN: Runway incursions are serious threats to aviation safety. We believe the FAA must do something, and do something quickly.

KOCH: The FAA says such technology is years away and that any improvement is just that.

BLAKEY: Well, following the NTSB's recommendation assumes the technology exists, which it does not, at this point.

KOCH: Pilots agree the moving map system, while not perfect, will increase safety. They also say it shouldn't have taken so long.

CAPT. MITCHELL SERBER, AIR LINE PILOTS ASSN.: It's very frustrating. The fact is that the technology has existed for many years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: The systems cost roughly $20,000 apiece and they could theoretically be in aircraft by the end of the year. However, the FAA is not going to require them, so it is really going to be up to airlines to decide whether or not to make the investment -- Don.

LEMON: Kathleen Koch, thank you so much for that.

NGUYEN: We all know this well, and it starts with a sneeze.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stuffy head, you get a headache, the runny nose, the itchy eyes, they just swell up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The symptoms, they go on and on and on. What can we do about spring allergies? We have those answers ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A top aide to Senator Jim Webb pleads not guilty to weapons charges and is released on his own recognizance. Philip Thompson was arrested yesterday as he entered the Russell Senate Office Building. Police say, they found a loaded gun in his bag. That gun belonged to Senator Webb, who has a permit to carry a concealed handgun in his home state of Virginia, but the nation's capitol has much tighter gun laws.

Bob Barr is well aware of that, the former congressman and a board member of the National Rifle Association, here now to talk more about that situation with us.

License to carry in Virginia, not one in Washington, the gun laws there in D.C. much stricter, correct?

BOB BARR, NRA BOARD MEMBER: The gun laws in D.C. are much stricter, and they are very much in a state of flux, right now, because the Federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia just struck down D.C.'s gun ban, a 30-year-old gun ban. But that is still in effect while the government appeals it.

So the law right now is, regardless of what permit you might have for Virginia or, in our state of Georgia, or anywhere else, you still are not authorized -- the average citizen is not authorized to carry a firearm in D.C.

LEMON: The question would be then, why would he give it to this other person? Of course, according to them, according to somebody who works in his department, he gave the gun -- I guess he was on his way out of town, forgot he had the gun, gave it to an aide, this Philip Thompson. But then during a press conference, I think he said he didn't do that. Let's take a listen and then we'll take about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM WEBB (D-VA): I have never carried a gun in the capitol complex and I did not give the weapon to Philip Thompson. And that's all I else I think -- I'd say we had three cars on Friday that were being moved about, because of my trip, and that is probably a reason that this inadvertent situation developed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. He's saying he didn't, there was a car involved. You've been in Washington, you work in Washington, how does that happen? Is that possible? I guess it is, but how does it happen? How does the aide get a hold of that gun?

BARR: Of course, we all know in Washington there's no such thing as an inadvertent incident, or whatever he called it. You don't just lose firearms if you're a responsible adult. And certainly one would presume a senator is, at a minimum, a responsible adult.

If you have a firearm, or somebody around you, in your staff, on your staff does, you know about it. So at a minimum, what we have here is highly irresponsible actions on the part of a sitting United States senator. And one certainly hopes that he's not leaving his aide out to dry, or out to hang.

LEMON: Again, you're on the board of NRA, am I correct?

BARR: Right. LEMON: Now here's what he's saying, and obviously, you agree with this. He's saying I'm a strong supporter -- he said this in his new conference -- of the Second Amendment. I have a license to carry in Virginia. I've have had it for a long time, to defend myself, and my family, especially after 9/11. He says, it is a more dangerous time and I have the right to defend myself.

Members of the executive branch of government will have people who will -- they have security. He's in the legislative branch of government. He says he's not afforded that same opportunity, to have that. Understandable here, but does this -- what does this mean, you know? I guess, what I'm asking is: Does it matter in this case if it was a mishandling of a gun?

BARR: The fact of the matter is if there's any articulated (ph) threat to any member of Congress, whether they're in a leadership position or not, we have a mechanism, up on the Hill, through the Capitol Police to provide appropriate protection.

So if Senator Webb felt -- felt that his life were threatened, or he was in danger, all he would have to do is go to the Capitol Hill Police Force and they would provide protection if it was warranted.

In addition to that, if you have in a leadership position, in either party, the top leaders do have the protection. But there's normally no reason for a senator or a member of Congress unless they've really gotten their constituents upset with something, to worry that much about it.

Again, I have no problem with someone having a weapon as long as it's lawful, for to protect themselves or their family. But you still have to be mindful of the fact that in D.C. right now it is against the law to carry firearms.

LEMON: And real quick, because we are running out of time, this is definitely not the end of this? We'll be hearing a lot more?

BARR: I think we're going to hear a number of different stories, before it's all over.

LEMON: Bob Barr, thank you so much for joining us.

BARR: Thank you, Don.

NGUYEN: Well, thousands of autoworkers are converging on Detroit today, the start of their union's national convention. CNN's Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at what it could mean for the workers, and auto industry as a whole.

Hi there, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty, well the Big Three automakers of course are losing billions of dollars. That makes it tough for the United Autoworkers Union, which is fighting do hold on to such bedrock issues as healthcare, pensions and job protection. The timing on this meeting is critical, because the union which represents more than half a million workers, will be head been to the bargaining table this summer to negotiate new contracts with GM, Ford and Chrysler.

And given the mountain of red ink and losses over the last few years that could mean another round of concessions on the union's part -- Betty.

NGUYEN: So what is the union hoping for in this upcoming contract talks?

LISOVICZ: Well, Betty, I mean, the 72-year-old union doesn't want to give up any ground. It's preparing for a fight to defend its turf. But analysts say it's more flexible than ever to help turn around the auto industry.

Now, I'm going to go back to the NEWSROOM, Betty and Don.

NGUYEN: OK. Thank you, Susan.

I can give you a check of the markets right now. We're going to pull those up. Susan, you got to look at them where you are?

LISOVICZ: I've got a look at them and we're seeing a lot of red ink, Betty. We have the Dow down, as it has been all today, down about 80 points, now, about two thirds of a percent lower. Ditto for the Nasdaq.

One of the reasons why it's not the auto industry that Wall Street has focused on today, it's the housing industry. We got a report, a very troubling report from one of the nation's biggest home builders, Lennar, which said it lost nearly 75 percent -- its profits, rather -- eroded to nearly 75 percent from a year ago.

That just, of course, reinforces the concerns about this very large sector in the U.S. economy. So that's what's happening here. Back to you.

NGUYEN: All right.

There is much more to come on CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be back after a short break.

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NGUYEN: The White House's chief spokesman battling an old enemy. Press Secretary Tony Snow's cancer has come back and spread to his liver this time. Doctors found out yesterday when they removed a growth from Snow's abdomen and discovered that it was cancerous. President Bush spoke about his spokesman this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: His attitude is, one, that he is not going to let this whip him. He's upbeat. My attitude is that we need to pray for him, and for his family. Obviously, a lot of folks here in the White House are -- you know, worry a lot about their friend, as does Laura and I. So my message to Tony is stay strong, a lot of people love you and care for you and will pray for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The White House says Snow is talking treatment options with his doctor, including possible chemotherapy. The 51-year-old was treated for colon cancer back in 2005, and actually had his colon removed.

We want to get some more information on this with CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta, who joins us by phone.

Talk to us, Sanjay, if you would, about how serious it is when it spreads from the colon to the liver.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That puts him certainly in the category of metastatic colon cancer. Obviously, that is serious. You know he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer at the outset.

That simply meant that in addition too being in his colon it had spread somewhat into his lymph nodes at that time. If people are going to recur, and about a quarter to a third of people do have recurrences after they have the initial operation. And most times, about three quarters of the time, those recurrences do occur within a few-year time period. So, he sort of fits within that pattern, if you will. But, you know, obviously this is of great concern, whenever it has spread now to a totally different organ system, in this case the liver.

NGUYEN: When cancer comes, in fact it spreads like what we're hearing with Tony Snow, is it more difficult to treat?

GUPTA: Yeah, you know, there's some details you still like to have to know. It certainly is more difficult to treat. Sometimes if there's just one area of spread in the liver, sometimes surgery, an operation might be an option. To actually go in and remove one particular part of the liver, try and take out that cancer.

By definition now, Mr. Snow has metastatic cancer. It has spread from his colon to other places in his body. So it's hard to know where these microscopic cells might be lurking in his body. So one of the typical sort of sequence, they think about standard chemotherapy, giving chemotherapy to treat the entire body, sort of trying to kill these cells anywhere they might be lurking, but haven't sort of declared themselves yet, if you will.

NGUYEN: Besides chemotherapy, what are the other possibilities when it comes to treatment?

GUPTA: Well, you know, surgery, again could be an option. It is less of an option, the likelihood of that goes down now that this has become metastatic. If it's (AUDIO GAP) if it's in his liver, then there's really not much option surgically. If it's in one discrete location, an area where it should be removed surgically, they may attempt that.

I don't know. It sounds like what's happened so far is that a sort of biopsy was done to try to confirm that this in fact was cancer, and that it was metastatic colon cancer. Once you get out of that realm of possibilities, you're talking about chemo, sometimes radiation, but not as often.

And when I talk about chemo, Betty, there have been a lot of advances, in terms of targeted therapies. Therapies that target the specific types of cancer, if you will, over the last couple years. So those are going to be some options as well, perhaps, but it's hard to say. I'll know more as some of the details come forward.

NGUYEN: Well, quickly, I know you don't all the details of his condition, but when it comes to liver cancer what are the possibilities for survival?

GUPTA: Well, you know, there's a couple different ways of looking at that. At the onset, he was called a Stage 3 colon cancer, and there are some numbers for survival there. And people talk about the numbers being 60 to 70 percent survival at five years, typically is what they say. That is typically how people's cancer survival is measured from there on forward. So he's considered a stage 3.

But now that he has metastatic colon cancer does worsen his chances, and I think no one would probably be surprised by that. It really -- there aren't as good numbers on that. As one that initially presented with Stage 3 colon cancer, then had it spread, but the numbers do go down fairly dramatically.

NGUYEN: OK. Not what we want to hear, but obviously the facts. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Doctor Sanjay Gupta, joining us by phone with the latest on Tony Snow's condition dealing with liver cancer.

Sanjay, we thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you, Betty.

LEMON: Scrub the scrubs? Ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, a new study says some heart patients may be better off completely bypassing the OR, details just ahead.

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LEMON: It is hugely popular among kids, but one principal is now saying log off, or you are suspended. One school launches a fight against the web site myspace.com. Ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Also want a check on the Big Board as we go to break. The Dow down almost 71 points -- actually, well, now it's just changed to -- yeah, almost 71, it was near 72 just a second ago. It constantly changes, but it's been in negative territory all day long. The Nasdaq also down today.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM continues in just two minutes.

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