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Senator Ted Stevens Indicted; Energy Bill Gridlock; House Prices Plummet; African-Americans Face Staggering HIV/AIDS Statistics; Earthquake Hits Los Angeles;
Aired July 29, 2008 - 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: All right. It is the top of the hour. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM with Don Lemon and Betty Nguyen.
And you have just been listening to a press conference from the Justice Department about Republican Senator Ted Stevens, the longest- serving Republican in the Senate. He is being charged with making false statements to investigators after a wide-ranging probe into ties between an energy company and lawmakers in his home state.
They're talking about one specific company that did services, provided services at his home. Up to $250,000, one of those items and services, at least costing that. And he did not disclose that in his ethics papers, according to prosecutors, or investigators there in Washington.
We want to go now to our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, who was listening to that press conference. And she joins us now with what she got out of it.
They're saying there was no allegation here of quid pro quo. It was just that he made false statements in this, Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, it was very interesting though, because if you read the indictment, Don, it does say that at the time that Stevens was getting these things, a new deck for his house, a new first floor, a Viking gas grill -- I mean, we're talking some high-priced items here -- that there were -- that he received and accepted solicitations from multiple official actions from executives, from the company that was providing those services.
So they're sort of saying, yes, in this parallel universe, you know, they were soliciting him on behalf of the company in his position as a United States senator. But the indictment falls short of charging him with, you know, accepting bribes or, as you said, a quid pro quo.
Very interesting, they did say that this investigation does continue, that the former chief executive, Bill Allen, who pleaded guilty, by the way, you know, is cooperating with the government. So, you know, is this the end of it? We don't know. But you're absolutely right. I mean, the charges here all have to do with making false statements, not declaring, but, you know, nothing about favors.
LEMON: And Kelli, he also mentioned the former VECO workers, former lobbyists, a former Alaska representative, as well. All part of this investigation?
ARENA: Well, those are people -- there's a broad investigation into political corruption in Alaska that's been going on for some time. And there were several people who were charged and convicted as a part of that probe. And Senator Stevens got caught up in that. And this is the result of at least, you know, his involvement there. And that probe definitely continues -- Don.
LEMON: Yes. And I thought two things he said were very interesting. As he said, this is just the beginning of this investigation, as you mentioned. And he also said, when someone asked had the senator been notified, he says his attorney got a call this morning. And that's all he would say.
ARENA: And Don, don't forget, the senator's 84 years old.
LEMON: Yes.
ARENA: So -- and you did hear some questions about that and whether that would weigh at all into the equation. And many times that does. I mean, when it comes to sentencing, when it comes to some sort of a plea deal agreement, the fact that he is, you know, older may weigh in that decision making.
LEMON: Justice correspondent Kelli Arena, we appreciate your input on this. Thank you very much.
ARENA: You're welcome.
LEMON: Betty.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And CNN political editor, Mark Preston, joins us now from Washington.
As we heard, 84 years old, he is the longest running Republican senator, former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. This is a man who has -- still has at this point, as far as we know, a lot of power in Washington, although things could change.
How is this going to be looked upon right now?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, and I'll tell you what, you know, Betty, he is not a name that's very well known outside of Washington, D.C. And certainly not a name that's very well known really just among people who are not involved in politics.
But here is one thing to consider -- he was once third in line for the presidency. When Republicans had control of the Senate, Ted Stevens was just a few heartbeats away from the White House.
He's very powerful on Capitol Hill, even though Republicans are not in power right now, Betty. He has a lot of sway over money that is spent for military projects. And he has steered a lot of money to Alaska.
You know, he said that it's basically his job to take care of that state, and he -- you know, people will remember Ted Stevens by is the Bridge to Nowhere. He was a big champion of that, which really became this big symbol of wasteful spending in Washington, D.C.
So, shock waves throughout Capitol Hill, certainly throughout Washington today, with this indictment.
NGUYEN: Isn't he also up for re-election in November?
PRESTON: He is absolutely up for re-election. He's 84 years old. This would be his seventh full term.
He was appointed to the seat in 1968. He has been around for Washington for a very long time.
And in addition to being the chairman -- former chairman of the Appropriations Committee, he also very instrumental on the Commerce Committee, which oversees telecom issues, a lot of regulatory issues. So Ted Stevens had his hand in a lot of things on Capitol Hill.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, this investigation has been under way for a little while. Obviously, there has been talk, as we're learning today, of the indictment. But what kind of reaction have you been hearing from both sides of the aisle?
PRESTON: Well, I'll tell you what, what we're hearing from our producers on Capitol Hill, Ted Barrett, and what have you, people who are running into senators in the hallways, shocked. They don't really want to say a whole lot.
What's interesting about Ted Stevens is, is that he was known for having a temper on Capitol Hill, Betty. In fact, whenever he wanted to get down to business, he wore an Incredible Hulk tie. That's when you knew to stay clear of Ted Stevens, when he wore the Hulk tie.
But he's also very well respected by Democrats on Capitol Hill. And in fact, one of his closest friends is a Democrat, Daniel Inouye, the Hawaii senator. They're so close, that some people consider them brothers.
I don't think that we're going to hear a lot out of Democrats in ways of criticism. Certainly immediately, I think they're going to wait to see this play out.
NGUYEN: But so far nothing from Ted Stevens or his office at this point?
PRESTON: I have not seen anything yet.
NGUYEN: OK.
Mark Preston, as always, we do appreciate your time.
And we do want to let our viewers know that around 2:00, 2:15 Eastern, actually about maybe 10 minutes from now -- we're still waiting for this -- but we do expect to hear from senators on the Hill, both sides of the aisle. So as soon as that happens, we'll bring it straight to you.
LEMON: A stalled energy bill, a gridlocked Senate. Could we finally be in for a breakthrough? That's the question we're watching for the moment to see what happens.
Plenty of movement in the housing market though, but in the wrong direction. Home prices posting a record loss. But if those numbers are getting you down, CNN has a pick-me-up for you.
We're showing you how to get smart, get rich, and also to get motivated. Let's start with the energy bill, stalled for days in the Senate as Republicans and Democrats argue over amendments. We're waiting to see whether a surprise offer from Majority Leader Harry Reid will break the gridlock. Reid's giving Republicans a chance to vote on four of the energy measures they support, including a lifting of the ban on offshore oil drilling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: The reality is that for most Americans, we are feeling the same effects as if we were in a recession. And that the heart of this is the energy problem. So that if we could solve this energy problem in a balanced way from the electricity production, through nuclear power, through offshore and through reducing our demand, to some extent, that would have an effect on our future economic health, and obviously on every American family in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, no one's watching this debate more closely than President Bush, who has repeatedly pushed Congress to act.
Let's go straight now to the White House and CNN's Kathleen Koch.
OK. So he's repeatedly asked Congress to act. Give us the very latest, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, he's going to be repeating that message again today.
As we speak, the president right now is on board Air Force One, he's headed to Ohio. He's going to be using as a backdrop for his message today a company that makes welding equipment. Indeed, some that could be used in offshore drilling. And what the president is going to say is again, repeat that message that Congress needs to pass a comprehensive energy bill before it leaves at the end of the week for its August recess.
Now, of course the type of energy bill that the president and most Republicans would like to see would expand offshore drilling, it would also allow exploration into Alaska's ANWR, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It would also allow the development of oil shale in the Midwest, and also streamline the permitting process for oil refineries. Now, Many Democrats, however, oppose most of those measures. They prefer to look more toward curbs on oil market speculation, investment in alternative resources. And they say that focusing primarily on drilling is really backwards thinking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BYRON DORGAN (D), NORTH DAKOTA: We're going to support big, aggressive tax incentives to produce energy right here at home, and that includes wind and solar and geothermal and biomass. And we're going to do that because we're going to change the game.
In 10 years from now, America's going to have a different energy future. Instead, we got the yesterday-forever crowd that comes to the chamber and slouches around with their hands in their pockets and says, well, you know what? We like what's going on, kind of. We always like what we did, we want to do it some more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Well, so right now at this point, the way things stand, the energy bills are both stalled in the House and in the Senate. The White House press secretary, Dana Perino, this morning accused Democrats of basically "undemocratically" blocking votes on the energy bill. Senate Democrats, for their part, accused Republicans of trying to amend the bill.
So, right now very little movement. And the president admitted this past week that even he doesn't have a magic wand, nor does Congress, to immediately drop prices at the pump -- Don.
LEMON: OK. So much in there.
KOCH: Yes.
LEMON: All right. Kathleen Koch at the White House.
Thank you very much. As soon as you find out exactly what happens, please let us know so that we can bring it to our viewers.
KOCH: Will do.
LEMON: Thank you, Kathleen.
And where do John McCain and Barack Obama stand on energy issues? We'll fill you in just a little bit later on, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: But first though, we do have to talk about the battered housing market and the latest startling numbers.
So, let's take you straight to Gerri Willis.
OK. These numbers, what are they, Gerri?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hi there, Betty. Not good news on the housing industry. U.S. home prices fell in May at the fastest pace on record. That according to S&P/Case-Shiller Weiss. This is the 22nd consecutive month of declines reported by that index.
Case-Shiller has been tracking a 20-city index for 19 years. There hasn't been a housing price increase since August of 2006.
Let's take a look at the hardest-hit cities. You're seeing them now.
Las Vegas, Nevada, leading the way, a 28.4 percent drop in housing prices year over year. Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego -- you can see the sunshine states all getting hit hard. These are some of the markets where priced went up the most.
Now, one of the culprits here are the soaring numbers of foreclosures. That's helping to push down prices. Foreclosures accounting for a large and growing share of all existing homes that are sold in this market -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. We do appreciate it, Gerri, although the numbers aren't what anyone wants to hear, but the facts are the facts.
Thank you.
We want to talk about this. Speaking of money, this just in. Starbucks has announced that it is going to cut 1,000 jobs as it tries to revamp its business. The company also announced that there are going to be several management changes.
And these jobs, they are being cut in addition to the previously announced layoffs from the store closures. Starbucks has said it will shut down 600 underperforming locations.
But again, the news today, Starbucks is going to cut another 1,000 jobs as it tries to revamp its business.
So, get smart, get rich, that's our theme today here at CNN. Despite the economy, we're going to show you how to get rich.
But first, you need to get moving. So here's a list of the best places for job growth between the years 2000 and 2007. Take a look.
Topping the list, Tooele County, Utah. Growth there, more than 123 percent.
A distant number two, that's Kendall County, Illinois, at almost 64 percent growth. Flagler County, Florida, is just behind with 62 percent growth.
Number four on the list, Loudoun County, Virginia, followed by Washington County, Utah, and St. Lucie County, Florida. Rounding out the top 10, Douglas County, Colorado; Lee County, Florida; Rockwall County, Texas; and finally, Collier County, Florida. LEMON: And Betty, we have been keeping track of those devastating, out-of-control wildfires burning on the doorstep of a national treasure. For the moment though, Yosemite National Park is still open. It's still open, but some tourists are cutting their vacations short because of all the smoke that you're seeing there.
Look at these pictures we got into the CNN NEWSROOM. A photo from Robert Dorell (ph) with the "L.A. Times" says it all.
Park Ranger Scott Gediman can see it right now, and he joins us on the phone now from Yosemite.
Scott, thank you very much.
I have to ask you right off, how are you and your family doing?
SCOTT GEDIMAN, YOSEMITE PARK RANGER: We're doing well. My wife and son have left town for a few days and they're going to go in a hotel. The smoke is just too much for them, but I'm doing well, thank you.
LEMON: Your wife and your 4-year-old son, you live in the park. And you said...
GEDIMAN: We do.
LEMON: ... you haven't had power there since Saturday?
GEDIMAN: We have not.
LEMON: Talk to me about the conditions there. What are you using in order to stay cool, to keep your food? Ice chests? How are you getting by?
GEDIMAN: Basically, what we've been doing is just bringing in trucks of ice. We have ice chests with our food. We have not had power. We're hoping to get power restored this evening.
And basically, we've had no electricity. And so we've just been -- just getting by the best we can.
LEMON: So listen, you said that -- according to what I'm hearing -- that these flames, this fire, is creeping up the canyon and getting awfully close to homes and other structures in the canyons?
GEDIMAN: Yes. Right now it's about six miles west of the park entrance in El Portal. Highway 140 is one of the roads, and it's going to be restricted for today. We'll maybe get it open, but the park itself is open. Visitors can come in via Highway 120 east or west, or via Highway 41.
So, they're certainly smoky conditions, but the park is certainly open. And that's important for us to get the word out.
LEMON: And many people aren't leaving. GEDIMAN: No. And what's amazing to me is at the Ahwahnee, for example, the luxury hotel, is on generators. But the Yosemite Lodge, Curry Village, there's generators and there is power in the restaurants, but not in the rooms. But for the most part, people are taking it in stride, and it's part of the experience.
And, you know, certainly some of the beautiful views are obscured by the smoke, but the park is as beautiful as ever. And that's one of the reasons the national park was created, to see nature. And fire is a part of the natural cycle.
LEMON: You're having to truck all this stuff in. I would imagine the big question now, water and sewage. How long can you keep that going when this is happening?
GEDIMAN: Right. And we're actually doing pretty well with water and sewer. And things are looking good. And if we can get the power back on in the next couple of days, we should be in good shape.
LEMON: All right.
Scott Gediman, who is with Yosemite National Park, he is a park ranger there.
We appreciate it. Best of luck to you and your family, OK? As well as everyone out there.
GEDIMAN: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
LEMON: Yes, we appreciate it as well. Stay safe.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, the numbers, they are staggering. Half the people in America living with HIV or AIDS are African-American. And we're going to tell you what a new report says about this health crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: HIV/AIDS and African-Americans. A new report says the epidemic is as bad in parts of the U.S. as it is in parts of Africa. And the Black AIDS Institute wants our government to do more about the disease.
So our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, joins us now to break this all down for us.
I think that's shocking when a lot of people hear that it is as bad in parts of America as it is in Africa.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Actually, it's even worse.
NGUYEN: Really?
COHEN: If you look at just the African-American community in the U.S., the rates are higher in the U.S. African-American community than they are in some developing countries.
Let's take a list again.
The HIV infection rates in black America are higher than the infection rates in countries like Botswana, the Ivory Coast, Ukraine, Swaziland, Lesotho. I mean, these are countries that have terrible problems with AIDS and HIV. Or, to put it another way, in the United states, one out of every eight people is black, so one out of every eight Americans is African-American. But when you look at people living with HIV in the U.S., that is one in two. Half of all Americans with HIV in the U.S. is African-American -- I'm sorry, half of all people with HIV in the U.S. is African-American.
Now, the White House has just issued a response to this report, and they say that the CDC is heavily involved with working with leaders in the African-American community to fight AIDS in their community.
NGUYEN: All right. So what is exactly being done to fight this epidemic, as we're calling it? Because we hear about the money that's being spent in Africa and other countries. What about domestically?
COHEN: Right, you do. You hear a lot about the president's initiative to spend money in developing countries to combat AIDS. And so a lot of people are saying domestically, well, that's great that you're doing it outside the U.S., but what about here? And the administration says that they're actually spending more domestically to fight AIDS, and they say that about half of all money spent in this country, in the U.S., to fight AIDS is going specifically to the African-American community.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get to the bigger problem here, too. Why is it that have you HIV and AIDS just so abundant in the African- American community? What's behind this?
COHEN: Right. Right. There are so many different forces behind this, so let's take a look at a couple of them.
First of all, you have an issue that African-Americans do not have as good access to health care as other Americans do. So that there are higher rates of AIDS and other diseases as well in the African-American community.
Another problem is IV drug use. So that when there is, unfortunately, a substance abuse problem in the African-American community, that is bigger than in other communities.
And thirdly, experts tell us that there is a stigma about HIV in the African-American community. And we all know silence equals death. If you don't talk about HIV, it's going to get worse and worse. And I see Don nodding his head as we talk about this.
NGUYEN: Yes. All right. A lot of issues here. A lot of things to be done, obviously, too.
COHEN: That's right. Absolutely. NGUYEN: Elizabeth, we do thank you.
COHEN: Thanks.
NGUYEN: And next hour we will talk with an activist working to mobilize black America against AIDS. Rae Lewis Thornton got her HIV diagnosis more than 20 years ago. And she's going to join us at the half-hour.
LEMON: All right. Time now to talk politics. John McCain's western swing leads our Political Ticker today.
The Republican presidential candidate talked about the economy at a town hall meeting in Sparks, Nevada. That was just a short time ago. A fund-raiser is next. Then it's on to Colorado for more campaigning.
McCain says voters should relax about his health. The Arizona senator is waiting for results of a biopsy from a mole-like growth that was removed from his face yesterday. Now, he's had four malignant melanomas removed in the past, but he tells our Larry King his doctor doesn't think the latest growth is anything to worry about.
Democratic candidate Barack Obama is spending one more day in Washington after a meeting with women leaders this morning. He sat down with the visiting prime minister of Pakistan. On his schedule this afternoon, meetings with Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and members of the House Democratic Caucus. After that, Obama heads to Missouri to campaign.
Obama was spotted yesterday heading into the Washington office of Eric Holder, who's helping lead the search for a running mate. Now, the meeting lasted almost three hours. No comment on that though from the campaign.
Check out our Political Ticker for all the latest campaign news. Just log on to CNNPolitics.com, your source for all things political.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: As the Senate tries to end gridlock over an energy bill, John McCain and Barack Obama are pushing their plans to try to solve the nation's energy problems.
McCain would work to reduce carbon emissions 60 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. He would also use a mix of free market government incentives, and to lower corporate tax rates to foster renewable energy. The Republican candidate also would lift the ban on offshore drilling and expand nuclear power.
Obama would work to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. And he would invest $150 billion in renewable energy over the next 10 years. The Democratic candidate would also keep the ban on offshore drilling and require utilities to get a certain percentage of their power from renewable sources.
NGUYEN: Let's talking about affirmative action. Is it still needed? And where does it stand?
Check out the candidates' stances on this issue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: It's half past the hour, and here are some of the stories that we are working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Take a look, ash and smoke are blanketing parts of California's Yosemite National Park right now as a fast-moving wildfire burns nearby. That fire has charred 46 square miles west of the park, burned more than two dozen homes and is threatening thousands more.
The longest running -- longest serving, I should say, Republican senator is indicted by a federal grand jury. Alaska's Ted Stevens is accused of lying about gifts he received from an Alaska-based energy company.
Meanwhile, the Senate is trying to break the gridlock over the stalled energy bill. We are waiting to hear if a surprise offer from majority leader Harry Reid will move it forward. Reid is giving Republicans a chance to vote on four measures they back, including lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling.
LEMON: OK. You should sit down and pay attention to this no matter what your ethnicity is and your stake in life is. HIV/AIDS is taking a huge and disproportionate toll among African-Americans. One leading activist now calls AIDS a black disease. Remember it used to be a gay disease? Now it is a black disease.
CNN's Ted Rowlands takes a look. You look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILL WILSON, BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE: The truth of the matter is, no matter where you look, relative to the black epidemic, it is bad news.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Phill Wilson is the founder of the Black AIDS Institute. He is talking about the incredibly disproportionate number of African-American men and women with HIV and AIDS. Blacks represent about 13 percent of the U.S. population, but about 50 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases.
WILSON: Quite frankly, today AIDS in America is a black disease. Nobody wants to talk about it, nobody wants to acknowledge to it, nobody wants to own it.
ROWLANDS: Darryl Hendrix didn't own up to being gay for years. He was married with kids but secretly having sex with men, a lifestyle that eventually led to contracting HIV in 1989.
Darryl says now he's honest with people about who he is, but believes because of the African-American community stigma, many black men are not honest. In fact, he says some gay black men have sex with women so they won't be considered gay. DARRYL HENDRIX, HIV POSITIVE: African-Americans -- they don't want to be gay. They just want to be able to be sexually active and do whatever they want with whoever -- men, women, whatever.
ROWLANDS: According to the latest numbers from the CDC, black women represent 67 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases, primarily from men with the virus. The percentage of black teens is even higher, accounting for 70 percent of new cases.
Why are the numbers so high?
Experts say it's a problem everyone knows about, but because of the stigma, few have done anything about it. African-American churches have been criticized for not getting involved.
MAMIE HARRIS, CO-FOUNDER, IV CHARIS: How are we going to deal with the condom issue? How would we deal with the homosexuality? So I think it was a safe ground to just not be involved.
ROWLANDS: Five years ago, Mamie Harris and her late husband started a program at their Cincinnati, Ohio, church. They have tested more than 11,000 people for HIV. She is urging other black Christians to get involved.
HARRIS: Not being involved can give the impression, as a church, that we don't care about the affairs of the people that we serve.
WILSON: It is more important that we change the cultural norms in our communities.
ROWLANDS: Phill Wilson says things are getting better. The Black AIDS Institute is working with a number of African-American organizations in educational outreach programs. The hope is to change habits and stigma about HIV and AIDS.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. So let's really talk about this. Let's be honest about this whole topic. AIDS activist Rae Lewis-Thornton joins us now in the CNN NEWSROOM to talk about it.
Why this -- why don't black people want to talk about this and acknowledge this problem, for the most part? That's a generality, but for the most part, you see the numbers so you can't really lie about it.
RAE LEWIS-THORNTON, AIDS ACTIVIST: The reality is that the early images of HIV were very devastating in America. The press portrayed HIV as a gay disease, as a white male disease, as an IV-drug abuse disease. And no one wants to be associated with a disease that has, what appears to be, an ugly connotation.
And so African-Americans have been -- they are very high moral people -- want to say we are different, we don't use drugs, we -- there's no homosexuality in our community. And so, some of it lies in our inability to accept that there's a reality of sexual behavior and a reality of actually drug use in our community.
LEMON: You have been living with HIV -- what -- for almost 20 years now?
LEWIS-THORNTON: Yes. I was diagnosed in '87. So, I have been infected, I believe, for 26 years, however.
LEMON: But that HIV diagnosis went over to an AIDS diagnosis.
LEWIS-THORNTON: In '92, yes, I was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS. And, I am first generation HIV, so when you think about the HIV antibody test being developed in '85 -- I was diagnosed in '87. I was first generation AZT, so I've lived a long time with this disease and I've seen -- in '87, "Cosmopolitan" magazine did an article that said women with -- quote unquote -- "normal vaginas" can't get HIV.
Who wants to be associated with a disease that has such a bad connotation? It is the perception of who gets HIV --
LEMON: And Rae, I got to ask you this, how did you get it?
LEWIS-THORNTON: Unprotected sex.
LEMON: Unprotected.
LEWIS-THORNTON: Absolutely.
LEMON: Heterosexual.
LEWIS-THORNTON: Heterosexual sex.
I was not promiscuous, never had a one night stand, never had sex on a first date, only had sex with men I thought I loved. At least I thought I was in love with them while I was loving them. Don't know you're not going to love them forever.
LEMON: OK. So there is a lesson in that.
LEWIS-THORNTON: There is.
LEMON: Let's go through some of these numbers. It is really not numbers, we are talking about people here.
And this is according to the CDC, approximately 1 million AIDS cases in the U.S. 47 percent -- 47 percent -- are blacks, 34 percent whites. According to the CDC, new HIV cases in the U.S. -- 49 percent are blacks.
LEWIS-THORNTON: Right.
LEMON: OK. Black men -- and this is -- I read this -- make up the bulk of the cases. They're seven times more likely than white men to have it. Black males are diagnosed 11 times more than Hispanic males. It is double females. So now it is a black disease, and black people need to talk about it in churches, at home, in schools and get over this whole stigma and stereotype about HIV/AIDS.
LEWIS-THORNTON: You know what? You are absolutely correct.
But however, we need partners in this and what we have seen in the AIDS epidemic is that the dollars have not followed the numbers. And so the white gay men who organized these organizations early on have not really partnered with black America very well.
The government has not partnered with black America very well. George Bush has not partnered on this issue of AIDS since the beginning of his administration. So we need partners in this.
LEMON: He's done a lot in Africa though, and worldwide.
LEWIS-THORNTON: But that's the whole point of the Black AIDS Institute study, is that we have done more for AIDS in Africa than we have AIDS in black America. And that's a travesty. How can you be a leader abroad on AIDS and not be a leader at home?
LEMON: OK, listen, I've got to ask you this. They're wrapping me here but I think this deserves a little bit more time. Make your point again about -- because this used to be a white man's disease, a gay white man's disease. They got their act together, started informing people about having safer sex and having those campaigns, but that didn't necessarily transfer to minority communities. Talk to me about that.
LEWIS-THORNTON: It did not transfer. The dollars have not followed the numbers. The programs have not followed the numbers. That's part of it. We need partners.
But another piece is that African-Americans have to move beyond the denial and shame. We have to get tested for HIV because the earlier you know your HIV status, the longer you live. And then there must be some personal responsibility. We have to use a condom 100 percent of the time, because AIDS is preventable, HIV is preventable.
LEMON: Listen, I'm going to say this because I want you to hear it, and then I've got to go. But really, it says -- I'm reading this -- and according to the CDC, it has nothing to do with race, the alarming rate that African-Americans are getting HIV and AIDS. It has to do with unprotected sex and stigma around what people believe a person with HIV and AIDS looks like and conducts themselves.
I've got to go. Make a very quick point and then I'll let you go.
LEWIS-THORNTON: No, no, no. It does -- it's culturally bound. We have a lot of -- we're poor, women are in relationships where they can't negotiate condom use. We have a high rate of men in prison who go in negative and come out positive. And the prison system has not dealt with sex in the prisons.
LEMON: Rae --
LEWIS-THORNTON: There's a lot of issues connected. You just can't say that black people aren't addressing the issues. We have a lot of socioeconomic issues connected to this.
LEMON: Rae Lewis-Thornton, very well put. We wish you the very best.
LEWIS-THORNTON: Thank you.
LEMON: And we thank you for joining us in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEWIS-THORNTON: Absolutely.
LEMON: And continued good health to you. You look very healthy.
LEWIS-THORNTON: Thank you.
LEMON: We hope you live to be 155.
LEWIS-THORNTON: Me, too.
LEMON: All right. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Well here is another story that we want to bring to you. The discrimination and abuses of slavery and Jim Crow gave birth to affirmative action. But it is a policy some want to reexamine.
Here is our Carol Costello.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Affirmative action is, shall we say, a political hot potato. Once touted as a sure-fire way to help rectify discrimination based on race and gender, it's now considered by some no more than a quota system that actually promotes reverse discrimination.
TODD GAZIANO, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: There is no justification for forward-looking racial preference policies that have no timetable, will never end, and amount, in fact, to quotas.
COSTELLO: Gaziano says times have changed. Look at the man leading the Democratic charge for president and the woman who was his main rival.
Others say it is a stretch to use them as an example that equal opportunity abounds.
WARD HENDERSON, CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION: These are extraordinary individuals and their success cannot be attributed, of course, to all the advances that we've made as a country. Their personal accomplishments have to be taken into account as well.
COSTELLO: In fact, experts say minority enrollment at major universities has fallen and it would be difficult to say discrimination on the job has disappeared for ordinary people. But despite this, and despite pro-affirmative action rallies in states like California, voters have limited the scope of affirmative action in at least three states, seeing it as a quota system that's anything but fair. A measure which would eliminate affirmative action is in the works in Arizona, John McCain's home state.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: Opponents of affirmative action are trying to get a referendum on ballot here that would do away with affirmative action. Do you support that?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, I do. I do not believe in quotas, but I have not seen the details of some of these proposals. But I have always opposed --
But the one in Arizona you support.
MCCAIN: I support it, yes.
COSTELLO: In the past, McCain has voiced opposition to hiring quotas while supporting the principles of affirmative action.
As for Barack Obama, who has long supported affirmative action, opponents point out, even he is approaching the topic gingerly.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I also think that we have to think about affirmative action and craft it in such a way where some of our children, who are advantaged, aren't getting more favorable treatment than a poor white kid who struggled more. That has to be taken into account.
COSTELLO (on camera): It is important to keep in mind there is a difference between quota systems and affirmative action programs. Quota systems are against the law, affirmative action programs are not, and have been successful in promoting diversity.
Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We want to get now to Harry Reid commenting on a senator being indicted, Senator Ted Stevens. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
SEN. HARRY REID, MAJORITY LEADER: Last week, in fact, I offered them a debate on four amendments. We've heard that many, many times. Their drilling amendment --
Got to take a call. Just one second.
LEMON: Harry Reid in the middle of giving his response on Senator Ted Stevens, a very serious story. A light moment there, saying he had to take a call obviously before he gave his response.
So -- OK, listen I believe we have an earthquake in Los Angeles. Pete Janos our L.A. bureau chief joins us now on the phone. Just getting this information in my ear, full transparency.
Pete, what do have you about this earthquake in Los Angeles?
PETE JANOS, CNN LOS ANGELES BUREAU CHIEF: I can tell you that -- this is Pete. I can tell you that we had a good-sized shake here in the bureau. There must have been about 15, 20 seconds, it started slowly. It continued on shaking the bureau pretty well. I think -- it felt like maybe in the 5 range shake wise, but right now we're just sort of assessing the situation.
Nothing fell off the -- off my walls. Pictures didn't fall, but there definitely was a shake. It was definitely a pretty good shake. I've been out here for about 12 years, and I can tell you this is probably the best one we have had.
LEMON: Hey, Pete, you sound a little shaken there.
JANOS: Well -- just running to the phone. I'm fine.
LEMON: Stand by real quick because if the weather folks can pull up a Google Earth, and Chad and you guys can help us out here with some information to see what's going on in that area and provide some background for us on this type of thing.
Pete Janos joining us now saying there was a really good-sized shake out there which is believed to be an earthquake in Los Angeles.
Pete, tell us what time it happened and how severe you believe it was?
JANOS: I believe it happened about 11:42, maybe, Pacific time. Looks like it was east of Los Angeles near Pomona. South of Pomona looks like it might be the epicenter.
People felt it 25 miles away. People are starting to call in to the bureau saying they felt it. Again, like I said, it started slowly. We were having a conversation. It started slowly, it picked up steam. At its height the building was doing some good swaying back and forth and then it sort of quieted down. It didn't last, like I said, probably more than 20 seconds. But it was a pretty good sway. You knew after about the first five seconds or so that we were dealing with an earthquake.
But again, I'm in a bureau that things are not -- have not fallen down off walls, no pictures have fallen down. But again, it was a very good size swaying.
NGUYEN: Pete, this is Betty Nguyen in Atlanta. I want to ask you this. We're hearing that it was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that started out in southern -- southern Los Angeles, could be felt from L.A. down to San Diego, even to Vegas.
Are you hearing any emergency personnel, any sirens or anything like that going off?
JANOS: Not yet. I think that what you are looking at on air is the camera off of our roof. But I am not seeing anything outside that's out of the ordinary. No sirens, no police, no fire right now. Like I said, I'm just looking around. There -- seems to be pretty normal. I don't see any debris on the streets whatsoever. 5.8 is not a major quake, but it's got some -- it had some good punch to it. It looks like it's near Chino Hills, California, about two miles from Chino, about seven miles from Pomona, 29 miles -- it looks like it is 29 miles from downtown L.A.
LEMON: So if he could -- Betty, I mean, if you could feel it there, 5.8, that's pretty severe.
Hey, you know what? Don't go anywhere, Pete, because we need you. We also have another producer from Los Angeles who's on the phone now -- Chet Condor (ph) joins us.
Chet, where were you and what did you feel?
CHET CONDOR, CNN PRODUCER, LOS ANGELES: I was in my home in La Crescenta, California, which is just north of Glendale. There was some pretty heavy shaking for about five seconds at my house. It was a kind of a back and forth shaking. It wasn't up and down.
LEMON: Hello?
CONDOR: Hello?
LEMON: Yes, that's someone else joining us on the line. We're on the air live. Can you hang up?
Whoever's on the phone now, and if you can hear my voice, we need you to hang up so that we can continue to talk with Chet.
OK, Chet, go ahead. You said you were in your home and then it's -- violent shaking for about five seconds?
LEMON: OK, apparently we don't have Chet.
We'll go back now to Pete until we get that -- until we figure that out.
Pete, are you still on the line with us?
OK.
Chad Myers joins us now in Atlanta in the CNN severe weather center. Chad is going to provide some information.
He's saying, Chad, if you heard this, he said it was east of La Pomona there in the California area.
Take it away, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: East of L.A., not quite until you get all the way out toward Riverside, but kind of in the middle there, Chino Hills. Kind of a -- still a rugged little area there. But the 5.8 is a pretty significant shaking. And just because people don't see anything on the ground in L.A. or in Hollywood doesn't mean that there wasn't some damage out there. There certainly could be at 5.8. We're still waiting to see what the final determination of the depth is. That always makes a huge difference. Because if it's 200 miles deep, you have 200 miles of earth and crust to kind of buffer if. But if it was only a few miles deep, four, six, 10 miles deep, then you get a lot of shaking. You get both S and P waves there and that's when you actually can feel a couple different ways, up and down and back and forth. And that back and forth is really what causes the damage there -- Don.
NGUYEN: All right, Chad. We do appreciate that, Chad.
I want to take us now on the line to CNN's Kara Finnstrom who is in Los Angeles. Actually, we understand in the bureau. Actually, she's working to get her earpiece in so she can hear what we're saying.
But, Chad was talking about the depth of this because that matters. Reading here from this Web site that we are getting some information from, it says that the depth was 7.6 miles. So that gives us a little more information. It is a 5.8 magnitude. They're saying that the closest to the epicenter was in the Chino Hills, California, area. And according to Pete Janos, our bureau chief, he didn't feel too much where he was. But Chad Myers says definitely with a magnitude that high, 5.8, you're going to see some kind of damage somewhere. We don't know the extent of it just yet because, again, it just happened not too long ago.
And the shaking for some only lasted somewhere between five to 20 seconds. Not a lot of time, but as we know with earthquakes, they can do a whole lot of damage.
All right. Now we have Kara Finnstrom seated and ready in front of a camera. She can actually hear us this time.
Kara, give us an indication of what you were able to see and feel as this earthquake happened there.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are on the third floor of a building in the middle of Hollywood. There was a lot of swaying. There were actually two jolts. One smaller, and then a few -- maybe about 20 -- 15 seconds later a second larger quake which was more the rolling quake which sent people kind of scrambling into the doorways. But, hard to say at this point exactly how large it was or where it was centered. We're trying to get information on that right now. But --
NGUYEN: -- According to the U.S. Geological Society it is a 5.8 magnitude quake. So it -- it packs some power, to say the least.
FINNSTROM: Yes, well we could feel it here. And that's more information I have been able to get. We're actually scrambling to get in front of the camera here. But we could definitely feel it on the third floor, kind of that swaying feeling where you scramble to get under something because you know it is large enough that you kind of wonder what's going to happen next.
LEMON: And Kara, we're getting reports -- you're telling us about what you felt. Pete Janos was telling us about what he felt, as well as Chet. And we're getting information from the wires saying that this jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego and slightly even to Las Vegas. And our Chad Myers told us just about what you feel in a 5.8 magnitude quake there.
You were in the bureau at the time, correct?
FINNSTROM: I was in the bureau. We're on the third floor. So -- we saw a lot of the fixtures that were hanging swaying. And as I talked to people as I was coming down here to get on camera, everyone kind of had that same sensation that it wasn't a real sharp jolt, but it was a series of kind of swaying quakes. It was the second one -- was what we felt more, at least at this spot.
I can also tell you that I went to pick up my cell phone to try and get a little more information as I was coming down here and the network is busy. So I imagine that a lot of people are probably calling everyone else to see what everyone else felt.
LEMON: Stand by, Kara, as I do this.
We want to -- it looks pretty hazy there in Los Angeles, but that has nothing to do with the fires. That's just Los Angeles haze and fog that happens there.
Also want to tell you that we want your i-Reports. Of course we want you to stay safe, especially if you get another rumble there. But if you have some i-Reports -- ireports.com, or go to CNN.com and then click on the i-Reporter logo.
Meantime, Kara Finnstrom joining us now. Betty Nguyen as well.
And Betty, you have some questions for Kara?
NGUYEN: Well I do. I just wonder, and maybe this is something that is more for Chad, but when we see a quake like this, 5.8, do you expect aftershocks anytime soon? Are people there bracing for the possibility of that, Kara?
FINNSTROM: Well, within this building it is kind of that immediate after effect. We're still -- because we are news gatherers, we're trying to find out exactly what happened and to get all that information. But -- and I haven't stepped outside of the building yet. But we certainly, kind of as we came down the stairs, we're kind of watching. Having grown up here in California, that's something that you kind of know the sound, you know the feel, and you kind of just brace for it, you look where you can go if you should feel another quake.
NGUYEN: I'm looking at some video right now on one of these other monitors and it shows people on the streets watching, of course, CNN as they see at the bottom of the screen, breaking news, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. They're on cell phones, they're calling folks just to let their family members know that everything is OK.
I'm going to ask you to stand by just for a minute, Kara. I want to bring in Chad Myers to get an answer to this question as people are getting word of this after they have just felt this 5.8 magnitude quake.
When do you expect -- will there -- should they be prepared for an aftershock?
MYERS: I think they really should. I don't know that it will be bigger than a 3, or what the number might be. But with a 5.8, there will certainly be a number of aftershocks here as we go on.
In fact, if we can go to what's called the weather switcher there in the control room, I have helicorder popped up. Here's what it looked like. Just nothing going on. And you see the hours and that's -- this is in their local time. Then all of a sudden, right there at about 42 -- about 42 minutes after the hour, it started shaking and shaking violently. Every north to south up and down line that's kind of in the middle here, right through here in the middle, that's one minute.
So this thing started shaking at about 42 minutes after the hour, and then there is a one minute of shaking, and then another minute. Now this is at Sunset Peak. It doesn't mean that on the ground there that you felt this kind of shaking for that amount of time. Some people said five seconds, I heard other people say about a minute. But it certainly was a jolt. When you see all these lines being almost flat all day long, and then, bam, right all at one point it just starts shaking back and forth.
NGUYEN: And to get some clarity here, you talked about the depth and why that's important. I'm looking at the U.S. Geological Society information on this quake. They are saying that it was a 7.6-miles deep quake. What does that tell you, Chad?
MYERS: That's actually fairly shallow. That means that there was violent shaking and crisp shaking rather than just rumbling. The violent shaking, the crisp shaking, rather than just -- almost like -- people can all understand this, when you have a lightning strike close to your house it's -- crash! And that's a violent, very -- and then if it is five miles away all you hear is rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble. That's the same kind of thing, whether you're seven miles deep, it is sharp, or whether you're 200 miles deep, it is more like a rumble, and just kind of wobble rather than such violent back and forth action.
LEMON: All right, Chad. Stand by, Chad. Obviously we're going to need your expertise.
But we want to go to someone on the ground, actually one of our CNN correspondents happened to be at Disneyland. I would imagine he is there with his family. Ed Lavandera joins us now by telephone.
Ed, what did you feel there?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don.
We're obviously here on a little family vacation. We're just near the Fantasyland portion of Disneyland, about to get on a ride. We felt the ground kind of swaying back and forth. I don't think it lasted more than three or four seconds. We were next to a ride called the Astro Orbiter. And actually what kind of startled me a little bit was the top of the Astro Orbiter was shaking back and forth. You could hear the metal kind of clanging around.
So I thought -- and then the ride was just ending. So for a moment -- I've never been in an earthquake before, I've never felt anything like this -- so I thought it just may be the ride, something wrong with the ride, the way the ride maybe kind of shook everything a little bit. And then I realized the ride had already stopped moving and the ground was still moving.
So it didn't last for more than five seconds. That's kind of what we felt.
LEMON: What were people doing around you? What did you guys do? I'm not sure -- the park back to normal, or are people doing what they're doing? They're not closing the park down, are they?
LAVANDERA: It doesn't sound like the park is totally closing down just yet. But they're inspecting all of the rides -- actually we were just talking to one of the folks who works here at the park. We're told that they are inspecting all of the rides. So everyone is kind of -- everyone that was waiting in the line here at the Disneyland park is out of the lines now and they're going through and inspecting all of the rides.
Everyone's very calm. People just kind of meandering around, and walking around, trying to kill a little bit of time as they wait for all these rides to get inspected so they can get back in line and start riding again.
LEMON: OK. And we are also getting information, Ed, stand by, about possible aftershocks.
You heard Chad Myers say that folks there should be concerned about aftershocks. And I would imagine they need to take some precautions. But we have a person who's on ground, again our Ed Lavandera just happened to be at Disneyland with his family. And if you're there with families and folks that are out and about, Ed, I would imagine there is some concern, especially when people are out with their children. Before you answer that, I want to welcome our viewers from around the world to CNN International.
You are watching breaking news here in the CNN NEWSROOM. It is 2:58 Eastern time. You're live in Atlanta in the CNN NEWSROOM with Don Lemon and Betty Nguyen.
We have breaking news. An earthquake in the Los Angeles, California, area registering 5.8 magnitude.
NGUYEN: What I'm just seeing right here, we're talking about two aftershocks right now, one of a 3.8 magnitude. So people need to be prepared for that. We're seeing at least two of them at this point since that first quake took place.
LEMON: And real quick, before we get to our Chad Myers who is our weather expert here, we want to go back to Los Angeles and Disneyland where our Ed Lavandera was there with his family because we want to get reaction from folks who were on the ground.
