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Indiana Governor Rushed to Hospital After Collapsing at Conference

Aired September 08, 2003 - 13:15   ET

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

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


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to update on the story out of Chicago we've been telling you about this morning. Indiana's governor rushed to the hospital there after collapsing at a conference this morning. Previously Governor Frank O'Bannon was said to be the picture of health. CNN's Chicago bureau chief Jeff Flock live now with the latest in all this. Hello, Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Miles, it's difficult these days to get conditions on (UNINTELLIGIBLE) public figures in hospital, but anyone, because of the new federal standard which shield the hospital's ability to give information out.

The Associated Press right now is saying that the governor has suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. We talked to someone at the governor's publishing company. He publishes a string of community newspapers in Indiana. We talked to someone there who says his son is telling people that the governor's had a stroke, but those would be reasonably consistent.

What we do know is that the governor is for sure at the hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. You him there with -- that's Joe Kernen on the right hand side. He is the lieutenant governor.

And right now we are being told that Indiana state law is being researched in terms of succession. These men ran as a team, both having their second term as governor and lieutenant governor of Indiana. And we're searching now what would need to take place if the governor would be incapacitated. Would the lieutenant governor would need to take authority? And just how the whole succession would go.

But that's Joe Kernen. He is himself a former mayor of, I believe, South Bend. He is the longest-serving mayor of South Bend but now in his second term as lieutenant governor, Joe Kernen.

As for Governor O'Bannon, as you report, Miles, he was said to be the picture of health. Seventy-three-years-old, though. Married, three children. His wife is on her way, we are told, to Chicago right now. In fact, may have even landed.

You see there he was a state senator for some years. He was lieutenant governor of Indiana, lieutenant governor for Evan Bayh who is not a senator from Indiana. And then the governor from 1996 to the present. In 1996 he was not favored to be elected governor. He was running against Steve Goldsmith who was very popular at the time, mayor of Indianapolis. And no one thought that goldsmith was beatable.

But O'Bannon proceeded to derail that express and then was reelected by a wide margin against the political unknown in the year 2000. And as speaker of the house said earlier today, the governor was approaching his last budget going through his second term. He would not be able to seek a third term consecutively.

So at this point, words like "cerebral hemorrhage" and "stroke" are certainly not good words to hear, but at this point we remain on the vigil at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, not too far from where we sit right here in the bureau, Miles. And we'll keep an eye on it. Back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Jeff Flock keeping us posted. Appreciate it.

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Conference>


Aired September 8, 2003 - 13:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to update on the story out of Chicago we've been telling you about this morning. Indiana's governor rushed to the hospital there after collapsing at a conference this morning. Previously Governor Frank O'Bannon was said to be the picture of health. CNN's Chicago bureau chief Jeff Flock live now with the latest in all this. Hello, Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Miles, it's difficult these days to get conditions on (UNINTELLIGIBLE) public figures in hospital, but anyone, because of the new federal standard which shield the hospital's ability to give information out.

The Associated Press right now is saying that the governor has suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. We talked to someone at the governor's publishing company. He publishes a string of community newspapers in Indiana. We talked to someone there who says his son is telling people that the governor's had a stroke, but those would be reasonably consistent.

What we do know is that the governor is for sure at the hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. You him there with -- that's Joe Kernen on the right hand side. He is the lieutenant governor.

And right now we are being told that Indiana state law is being researched in terms of succession. These men ran as a team, both having their second term as governor and lieutenant governor of Indiana. And we're searching now what would need to take place if the governor would be incapacitated. Would the lieutenant governor would need to take authority? And just how the whole succession would go.

But that's Joe Kernen. He is himself a former mayor of, I believe, South Bend. He is the longest-serving mayor of South Bend but now in his second term as lieutenant governor, Joe Kernen.

As for Governor O'Bannon, as you report, Miles, he was said to be the picture of health. Seventy-three-years-old, though. Married, three children. His wife is on her way, we are told, to Chicago right now. In fact, may have even landed.

You see there he was a state senator for some years. He was lieutenant governor of Indiana, lieutenant governor for Evan Bayh who is not a senator from Indiana. And then the governor from 1996 to the present. In 1996 he was not favored to be elected governor. He was running against Steve Goldsmith who was very popular at the time, mayor of Indianapolis. And no one thought that goldsmith was beatable.

But O'Bannon proceeded to derail that express and then was reelected by a wide margin against the political unknown in the year 2000. And as speaker of the house said earlier today, the governor was approaching his last budget going through his second term. He would not be able to seek a third term consecutively.

So at this point, words like "cerebral hemorrhage" and "stroke" are certainly not good words to hear, but at this point we remain on the vigil at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, not too far from where we sit right here in the bureau, Miles. And we'll keep an eye on it. Back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Jeff Flock keeping us posted. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Conference>