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Is It Possible World Could Soon Run Out of Oil?; U.S. Sprinter Kelli White Comes Clean About Using Performance-Enhancing Stimulants

Aired May 20, 2004 - 13:30   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A $2.4 trillion hot potato is now in the hands of the Senate. Last night, the House passed its version of the federal budget, but the stage is now set for a showdown between moderate and conservative Republicans over the issue of permanent tax cuts. The bill could hit the Senate floor and the political fan sometime today.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Is the White House guilty of selling a little Medicare snake oil? Congressional investigators say the government did violate federal law in producing and circulating video news releases, portraying the Medicare law as a boon to the elderly. The General Accounting Office says the videos constituted improper use of federal funds for publicity and propaganda, because the government was not identified as the source of the stories. The government also failed to note that the reporters who appeared in the segments were paid with federal funds. "The New York Times" says the videos were broadcast by at least 40 television stations in 33 different markets.

With the budget on the table in an election year coming up around the corner, President Bush took some time this morning to rally his Republican troops on Capitol Hill. But Iraq trumped domestic issues in the closed-door session with GOP legislators. Lawmakers say the president did not dwell on the Iraqi prison abuse scandal. He also didn't mention the political standing of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. But Mr. Bush firmly restated his position that the administration will not cut and run in Iraq, and made a point of stressing his commitment to the June 30th date for the turnover of power.

WHITFIELD: Well, soaring gasoline prices aren't putting the breaks on summer vacation plans. Travel industry experts predict a record 334 million trips will be taken by Americans this summer. An increase of more than 3 percent over last year. But experts warn rising gas prices could force travelers to take shorter trips, closer to home. Some airlines, including Continental and American, have already raised fares to help offset higher fuel costs. With worldwide crude oil consumption at a record high, is it possible the world could soon run out of oil?

Here's CNN Financial News correspondent Chris Huntington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As gas prices go through the roof, SUVs are sticking to the showroom floors and now automakers are offering substantial rebates to move those monsters off the lot. Cause and effect or just coincidence?

BOB SCHNORBUS, CHIEF ECONOMIST, J.D. POWER & ASSOCIATES: Certainly, they have to be concerned about SUVs, which is a primary profit center for them. Oil prices are likely to continue to remain high perhaps throughout the summer.

HUNTINGTON: According to industry analyst Autodata, U.S. sales of large SUVs fell 15 percent "L.A. Times" month compared to the same period a year ago. Some models were particularly hard-hit. Ford Expedition sales fell 33 percent, while sales of the Hummer H2 and the Chevy Suburban each fell 21 percent.

General Motors says its overall SUV sales are up from a year ago and insist that rising gas prices have nothing to do with certain models slumping, nor the new rebates. GM is now offering $5,000 cash back on 2004 Chevy Blazers, Suburbans and TrailBlazers, as well as some of its big GMC models. DaimlerChrysler also says the cost of gasoline has nothing to do with inspiring a $4,500 rebate now available on Dodge Durangos.

But Ford concedes that higher gas prices are a factor and have hurt SUV sales and led to rebates such as $2,000 to $3,000 back on Explorers, Expeditions and Excursions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: It is the end of the line for the athlete caught up in a steroids scandal. Hear how she is going to help run down more in the ongoing investigation, when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: U.S. sprinter Kelli White coming clean now about using performance-enhancing stimulants, and has agreed to be sidelined for two years. White tested positive for a banned substance last year. The runner's admission disqualifies all her results since December 15, 2000. It also nullifies White's gold medals won at U.S. championships. As part of the deal, she has agreed to become a whistle-blower for investigators trying to clean up track and field.

Jerrold Colten is white's attorney. He join us from Philadelphia.

Mr. Colten, thank you for joining us.

How much can your client help in the investigation? What does she know about other athletes?

JERROLD COLTEN, KELLI WHITE'S ATTY.: Well that would be up to the officials as to how much they think she has value to them in future investigation. But most of these athletes don't talk to each other about these thing. They don't do these things in each other's presence. So I don't know that she has direct knowledge. What she can assist with certainly is the decoding of certain documents that were obtained by the Senate committee in the Balco investigation into to the distribution of these illegal substances in the Bay Area. GRIFFIN: Your client has been quoted as saying anticipate other athletes will be charged, but can't anything more at this time. What can you say about more athletes being charged, and when?

COLTEN: We expect that there are going to be a number of athletes charged, and probably in the very near future, but we haven't been told exactly. And when they do charge them, they actually don't release that. You hear it only when the penalty has been invoked or result has been reached, unless certain people put it out there, which we expect, with the number of athletes that will be involved, that you will hear something in the not too distant future.

GRIFFIN: Well, Mr. Colten, based on your information, is this going to decimate the Olympic team, the track team, for this coming Olympics?

COLTEN: It's going to change the landscape of it drastically. But Usad (ph) is on a mission to try to clean up sport in general, the Olympic sports, and my client is now on board to try to assist them in those efforts.

GRIFFIN: Your client banned now for two years. She's given up all of her winnings. Can she come back in two years? Is it her willingness to come back? Or does she know at this time?

COLTEN: Actually she does intend to continue on as a competitive track athlete. And part of our agreement, and under the rules, she is permitted to apply for early reinstatement as a result of her assistance as well. So hopefully, it's not even a full two years before she's back on track.

GRIFFIN: Does she feel sorry about take these steroids? And why did she do it in the first place?

COLTEN: Well, unfortunately, her relationship with her coach dates back to when she was 12 years old. She put her trust into somebody who misused that trust. And when she first starting taking these, she wasn't even aware as to what she was taking. There's also a feeling you need to do these things to be competitive at the world class level, and that really needs to be eliminated. And is she sorry? Absolutely. She regrets it terribly. She feels bad that she betrayed fans, friends, her family and herself. And now she's trying to do the right thing and step up, and make sure that when she returns, that it's a cleaner sport.

GRIFFIN: Well, you mentioned she may have been on these as early as 12 years old.

COLTEN: No, it doesn't go back that far, but that's the relationship she had with the person she trusted. It went back that far in her life.

GRIFFIN: Will the investigation go to that person, that coach?

COLTEN: That person is actually already indicted as part of the Balco conspiracy. GRIFFIN: OK, Jerrold Colten, from Philadelphia, Kelli White's attorney, thank you for joining us.

COLTEN: My pleasure. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: More sports talk now. There is no crying in baseball, but there is a lot of honesty, at least from one fan to one player. Plus, one more check from Wall Street, Rhonda.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, as we reported earlier, President Bush took some time this morning to rally his Republican troops on Capitol Hill. GOP unity may be hard to achieve right now. In addition to the issues over budget grappling and Iraqi policies, it was a very public spat yesterday between two top Republicans. House Speaker Dennis Hastert questioned the GOP credentials of John McCain after the senator wondered about cutting taxes during war time and asked, where's the sacrifice?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His observation was, never before when we've been at war have we been worrying about cutting taxes. His question was, where's the sacrifice? So we have the war in Iraq, and we...

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), MAJORITY LEADER: If you want to see the sacrifice, John McCain ought to visit our young men and women at Walter Reed and Bethesda. There's the sacrifice in this country. We're trying to make sure they have the ability to fight this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Senator McCain fired back in a statement saying, quote, "The speaker is correct in saying that nothing we are called upon to do comes close to matching the heroism of our troops. All we're called upon to do is not send our nation into bankruptcy while our soldiers risk their lives. I fondly remember a time when real Republicans stood for fiscal responsibility. Apparently those days are long gone for some in our party," end quote. That statement from John McCain.

Well, where does the party go from here. Republican, former congressman, and CNN contributor Bob Barr joins us from Atlanta to talk about that, and we're also joined by former Clinton White House Deputy Chief of Staff Maria Eschaveste, from our D.C. bureau. Good to see both of you.

First, let's talk about the relationship between President Bush and lawmakers on the hill. Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel has made it very clear in the past that President Bush has isolated -- those are his words -- he's isolated, he has not spent enough time with lawmakers.

Congressman, does today's visit make a difference? BOB BARR (R), FMR. U.S. REP.: No one visit is going to make a difference. While certainly the leadership of the House and the vast majority of Republican members are on the sage wavelength with the president, there are some undercurrents of very significant dissatisfaction, federal spending, tax issues, the Patriot Act issues, Iraq. This is not going to be an election cycle where the president can simply rely on members of Congress having an 'r' after their name to get excited about his campaign. He's going to have to do an awful lot more to re-establish his conservative credentials in one visit to the Hill.

WHITFIELD: Mr. Eschaveste, what kind of relationship -- the relationship, rather, between President Bush and congressional leaders, what does this say, the strained relationship between the Capitol Hill and the White House?

MARIA ESCHAVESTE, FMR. CLINTON DEP. CHIEF OF STAFF: Well what it says is that things must be very amiss up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, because it's pretty unusual to have a president go visit with the leaders in his party up on the Hill, when there's not a bill being introduced or when there is specific action that is being targeted. This really reflects some deep divisions that really should give the president great pause.

WHITFIELD: And, congressman, six month to go before election day. This certainly seems to be a new thorn in the side of the Bush White House, and possibly a serious distraction.

BARR: Well, it's something that the president and Dick Cheney should not have allowed to have happen. They should not be going in to the last six months of an election cycle not having their support on Capitol Hill in their own party very, very strong.

WHITFIELD: Is six months enough to mend those fences?

BARR: It's going to be difficult. I don't think it's a problem that might be characterized as a disaster. But Maria's absolutely correct, it's very unusual that the White House has not paid close enough attention to its relationship with the rank and file members, not with the leadership, but the rank-and-file members, and that can hurt it.

WHITFIELD: And this certainly, Mrs. Eschaveste, does say something about the entire Republican Party, sending some serious shockwaves through it, that there is a lot of dissension, and it's being revealed quite publicly there's a problem with some of these very high-profile relationships.

ESCHAVESTE: Well, there's no question that six months ago, all the political pollsters did not give much thought to the potential for Democrats to either take back the Senate or perhaps even make some inroads in the House. Now many of those polls are showing that, in fact, the Republicans association -- support for Bush may cost a few of them. And this is really going to cause a lot of concerns up on the Hill, because 435 folks are running for re-election in the House and 33 in the Senate, and many of those Republicans have to think twice about the record that President Bush has put in front of them and that the voters will be voting for them as well, or against them.

WHITFIELD: And clearly, congressman, the last thing the Republican Party needs is this public revealing of dissension among the ranks.

BARR: Well, we saw that -- you're absolutely correct, and we saw that just in your last clip with the speaker, Dennis Hastert, having some words with John McCain. Of course John McCain is always sort of an independent character, shall we say, but it does indicate that all is not well on the Capitol Hill on the Republican side at a very crucial time in this election cycle.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about relationship building of another sort, that between John Kerry and the Democratic Party, and now Ralph Nader. Certainly they just met yesterday. And apparently Ralph Nader walked away saying -- describing Kerry as being very presidential-like, perhaps the Democrats working very hard to make sure that the Democrat votes don't go toward Nader, splitting the popularity -- Congressman.

BARR: They -- the Democrats ought to be very concerned about Ralph Nader. As we all know, the last election cycle was one of the closest in our nation's history, and this one shapes up to be just the same type of very close battle. And if you have now Ralph Nader, who has -- now has the option of running on at least seven states as the Reform Party candidate, you have the makings for a -- very serious problem for the Democrats. So if Kerry is, in fact, reaching out, if the Democrat Party is, in fact, reaching out to Ralph Nader, they're doing something that they really need to be doing. It's very important for them.

WHITFIELD: And miss Eschaveste, John Kerry said his meeting, the intent was not to woo Ralph Nader from stepping out of the race, trying to get him to back off. If not that, then what? What would be your interpretation?

ESCHAVESTE: Well, they clearly needed to meet. They certainly have known each other in the past. But what's really important is to understand that when a person chooses to run for president, that's a very solemn, a very personal decision. What we hope -- what many of us hope in the Democratic Party is that those supporters of Ralph Nader, who obviously care very much about the direction that this country is going in, ask themselves deep in their heart whether they, in fact, want to perhaps cast their vote for someone that may well ensure that we have another four years of George Bush. It will make a difference, just as it made a difference in 2000. And voting for John Kerry will change the direction of this country.

WHITFIELD: Maria Eschaveste, former Clinton White House deputy chief of staff and former Georgia Republican Congressman Bob Barr, thanks very much.

ESCHAVESTE: Thanks.

(BUSINESS UPDATE) WHITFIELD: History has shown that some of the most brilliant minds often aren't the most socially fit. Scientists today continue to study whether what make a person genius will also make them crazy. It's a question our Anderson Cooper also examines in his series, "Unlocking the Secrets of the Brain."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From artist Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Strokes" to mathematician John Nash's window scribbles, as see in the film "A Beautiful Mind," in the works of brilliant minds throughout history creativity and mental illness have often crossed paths.

CAREN LERMAN, SON'S AUTISTIC: I feel as though his artwork is a window into his soul.

COOPER: Caren Lerman's son Jonathan may not speak like other 16- year-old boys but with a pencil in hand he can communicate a world of knowledge and unending creativity. Jonathan is an autistic savant.

LERMAN: Through Jonathan's art we see that he's taking in a lot more than we ever realized and I think he feels things even more keenly than we do.

COOPER: Jonathan began sketching when he was ten. Today his works sell for thousands of dollars.

LERMAN: He wants to be like everybody else and he knows he isn't. It's abstract for him to say that verbally, you know, that he's lonely but he's letting us know this way.

COOPER: But scientists are wondering how we can emulate Jonathan's level of creativity by studying how autism and other mental illnesses, like psychosis, can increase a person's potential for creativity.

SHELLEY CARSON, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY: What's causing the dots to appear?

COOPER: Harvard professor Dr. Shelley Carson recently completed a study which uncovered a link between creativity and mental illness. The connection, both highly creative people and psychosis prone people have reduced levels of what doctors call latent inhibition, that is, they can't ignore all the extraneous and irrelevant things that happen in the environment around them. And a possible explanation for this, dopamine.

CARSON: Reduced latent inhibition is associated with higher levels of dopamine in the mesolimbic system of the brain.

COOPER: So, depending on your level of intelligence and dopamine absorbing the information around you may actually fuel creativity or madness.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Tonight, Anderson Cooper examines what many of us want to know, how the minds of men differ from the minds of women. That's at 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.

GRIFFIN: And finally in this hour, honesty pays, especially for this man, Jose Oriano (ph), cleaning out a bus last week when he found a wallet belonging to Cincinnati Reds' pitcher Danny Graves. Graves lost the wallet during a trip to the West Coast last week. Inside, $1,400 in cash and credit cards. Oriano didn't think twice before mailing it back to Graves. He said he only wanted an autographed picture in return. Graves say he's going to send him an autograph, money and much more.

Coming up next in our second hour of LIVE FROM, more on today's news from Iraq. Plus, the planets and stars not lining up in NASA's accounting books. Does the space agency have a money problem?

LIVE FROM returns after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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


Aired May 20, 2004 - 13:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A $2.4 trillion hot potato is now in the hands of the Senate. Last night, the House passed its version of the federal budget, but the stage is now set for a showdown between moderate and conservative Republicans over the issue of permanent tax cuts. The bill could hit the Senate floor and the political fan sometime today.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Is the White House guilty of selling a little Medicare snake oil? Congressional investigators say the government did violate federal law in producing and circulating video news releases, portraying the Medicare law as a boon to the elderly. The General Accounting Office says the videos constituted improper use of federal funds for publicity and propaganda, because the government was not identified as the source of the stories. The government also failed to note that the reporters who appeared in the segments were paid with federal funds. "The New York Times" says the videos were broadcast by at least 40 television stations in 33 different markets.

With the budget on the table in an election year coming up around the corner, President Bush took some time this morning to rally his Republican troops on Capitol Hill. But Iraq trumped domestic issues in the closed-door session with GOP legislators. Lawmakers say the president did not dwell on the Iraqi prison abuse scandal. He also didn't mention the political standing of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. But Mr. Bush firmly restated his position that the administration will not cut and run in Iraq, and made a point of stressing his commitment to the June 30th date for the turnover of power.

WHITFIELD: Well, soaring gasoline prices aren't putting the breaks on summer vacation plans. Travel industry experts predict a record 334 million trips will be taken by Americans this summer. An increase of more than 3 percent over last year. But experts warn rising gas prices could force travelers to take shorter trips, closer to home. Some airlines, including Continental and American, have already raised fares to help offset higher fuel costs. With worldwide crude oil consumption at a record high, is it possible the world could soon run out of oil?

Here's CNN Financial News correspondent Chris Huntington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As gas prices go through the roof, SUVs are sticking to the showroom floors and now automakers are offering substantial rebates to move those monsters off the lot. Cause and effect or just coincidence?

BOB SCHNORBUS, CHIEF ECONOMIST, J.D. POWER & ASSOCIATES: Certainly, they have to be concerned about SUVs, which is a primary profit center for them. Oil prices are likely to continue to remain high perhaps throughout the summer.

HUNTINGTON: According to industry analyst Autodata, U.S. sales of large SUVs fell 15 percent "L.A. Times" month compared to the same period a year ago. Some models were particularly hard-hit. Ford Expedition sales fell 33 percent, while sales of the Hummer H2 and the Chevy Suburban each fell 21 percent.

General Motors says its overall SUV sales are up from a year ago and insist that rising gas prices have nothing to do with certain models slumping, nor the new rebates. GM is now offering $5,000 cash back on 2004 Chevy Blazers, Suburbans and TrailBlazers, as well as some of its big GMC models. DaimlerChrysler also says the cost of gasoline has nothing to do with inspiring a $4,500 rebate now available on Dodge Durangos.

But Ford concedes that higher gas prices are a factor and have hurt SUV sales and led to rebates such as $2,000 to $3,000 back on Explorers, Expeditions and Excursions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: It is the end of the line for the athlete caught up in a steroids scandal. Hear how she is going to help run down more in the ongoing investigation, when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: U.S. sprinter Kelli White coming clean now about using performance-enhancing stimulants, and has agreed to be sidelined for two years. White tested positive for a banned substance last year. The runner's admission disqualifies all her results since December 15, 2000. It also nullifies White's gold medals won at U.S. championships. As part of the deal, she has agreed to become a whistle-blower for investigators trying to clean up track and field.

Jerrold Colten is white's attorney. He join us from Philadelphia.

Mr. Colten, thank you for joining us.

How much can your client help in the investigation? What does she know about other athletes?

JERROLD COLTEN, KELLI WHITE'S ATTY.: Well that would be up to the officials as to how much they think she has value to them in future investigation. But most of these athletes don't talk to each other about these thing. They don't do these things in each other's presence. So I don't know that she has direct knowledge. What she can assist with certainly is the decoding of certain documents that were obtained by the Senate committee in the Balco investigation into to the distribution of these illegal substances in the Bay Area. GRIFFIN: Your client has been quoted as saying anticipate other athletes will be charged, but can't anything more at this time. What can you say about more athletes being charged, and when?

COLTEN: We expect that there are going to be a number of athletes charged, and probably in the very near future, but we haven't been told exactly. And when they do charge them, they actually don't release that. You hear it only when the penalty has been invoked or result has been reached, unless certain people put it out there, which we expect, with the number of athletes that will be involved, that you will hear something in the not too distant future.

GRIFFIN: Well, Mr. Colten, based on your information, is this going to decimate the Olympic team, the track team, for this coming Olympics?

COLTEN: It's going to change the landscape of it drastically. But Usad (ph) is on a mission to try to clean up sport in general, the Olympic sports, and my client is now on board to try to assist them in those efforts.

GRIFFIN: Your client banned now for two years. She's given up all of her winnings. Can she come back in two years? Is it her willingness to come back? Or does she know at this time?

COLTEN: Actually she does intend to continue on as a competitive track athlete. And part of our agreement, and under the rules, she is permitted to apply for early reinstatement as a result of her assistance as well. So hopefully, it's not even a full two years before she's back on track.

GRIFFIN: Does she feel sorry about take these steroids? And why did she do it in the first place?

COLTEN: Well, unfortunately, her relationship with her coach dates back to when she was 12 years old. She put her trust into somebody who misused that trust. And when she first starting taking these, she wasn't even aware as to what she was taking. There's also a feeling you need to do these things to be competitive at the world class level, and that really needs to be eliminated. And is she sorry? Absolutely. She regrets it terribly. She feels bad that she betrayed fans, friends, her family and herself. And now she's trying to do the right thing and step up, and make sure that when she returns, that it's a cleaner sport.

GRIFFIN: Well, you mentioned she may have been on these as early as 12 years old.

COLTEN: No, it doesn't go back that far, but that's the relationship she had with the person she trusted. It went back that far in her life.

GRIFFIN: Will the investigation go to that person, that coach?

COLTEN: That person is actually already indicted as part of the Balco conspiracy. GRIFFIN: OK, Jerrold Colten, from Philadelphia, Kelli White's attorney, thank you for joining us.

COLTEN: My pleasure. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: More sports talk now. There is no crying in baseball, but there is a lot of honesty, at least from one fan to one player. Plus, one more check from Wall Street, Rhonda.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, as we reported earlier, President Bush took some time this morning to rally his Republican troops on Capitol Hill. GOP unity may be hard to achieve right now. In addition to the issues over budget grappling and Iraqi policies, it was a very public spat yesterday between two top Republicans. House Speaker Dennis Hastert questioned the GOP credentials of John McCain after the senator wondered about cutting taxes during war time and asked, where's the sacrifice?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His observation was, never before when we've been at war have we been worrying about cutting taxes. His question was, where's the sacrifice? So we have the war in Iraq, and we...

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), MAJORITY LEADER: If you want to see the sacrifice, John McCain ought to visit our young men and women at Walter Reed and Bethesda. There's the sacrifice in this country. We're trying to make sure they have the ability to fight this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Senator McCain fired back in a statement saying, quote, "The speaker is correct in saying that nothing we are called upon to do comes close to matching the heroism of our troops. All we're called upon to do is not send our nation into bankruptcy while our soldiers risk their lives. I fondly remember a time when real Republicans stood for fiscal responsibility. Apparently those days are long gone for some in our party," end quote. That statement from John McCain.

Well, where does the party go from here. Republican, former congressman, and CNN contributor Bob Barr joins us from Atlanta to talk about that, and we're also joined by former Clinton White House Deputy Chief of Staff Maria Eschaveste, from our D.C. bureau. Good to see both of you.

First, let's talk about the relationship between President Bush and lawmakers on the hill. Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel has made it very clear in the past that President Bush has isolated -- those are his words -- he's isolated, he has not spent enough time with lawmakers.

Congressman, does today's visit make a difference? BOB BARR (R), FMR. U.S. REP.: No one visit is going to make a difference. While certainly the leadership of the House and the vast majority of Republican members are on the sage wavelength with the president, there are some undercurrents of very significant dissatisfaction, federal spending, tax issues, the Patriot Act issues, Iraq. This is not going to be an election cycle where the president can simply rely on members of Congress having an 'r' after their name to get excited about his campaign. He's going to have to do an awful lot more to re-establish his conservative credentials in one visit to the Hill.

WHITFIELD: Mr. Eschaveste, what kind of relationship -- the relationship, rather, between President Bush and congressional leaders, what does this say, the strained relationship between the Capitol Hill and the White House?

MARIA ESCHAVESTE, FMR. CLINTON DEP. CHIEF OF STAFF: Well what it says is that things must be very amiss up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, because it's pretty unusual to have a president go visit with the leaders in his party up on the Hill, when there's not a bill being introduced or when there is specific action that is being targeted. This really reflects some deep divisions that really should give the president great pause.

WHITFIELD: And, congressman, six month to go before election day. This certainly seems to be a new thorn in the side of the Bush White House, and possibly a serious distraction.

BARR: Well, it's something that the president and Dick Cheney should not have allowed to have happen. They should not be going in to the last six months of an election cycle not having their support on Capitol Hill in their own party very, very strong.

WHITFIELD: Is six months enough to mend those fences?

BARR: It's going to be difficult. I don't think it's a problem that might be characterized as a disaster. But Maria's absolutely correct, it's very unusual that the White House has not paid close enough attention to its relationship with the rank and file members, not with the leadership, but the rank-and-file members, and that can hurt it.

WHITFIELD: And this certainly, Mrs. Eschaveste, does say something about the entire Republican Party, sending some serious shockwaves through it, that there is a lot of dissension, and it's being revealed quite publicly there's a problem with some of these very high-profile relationships.

ESCHAVESTE: Well, there's no question that six months ago, all the political pollsters did not give much thought to the potential for Democrats to either take back the Senate or perhaps even make some inroads in the House. Now many of those polls are showing that, in fact, the Republicans association -- support for Bush may cost a few of them. And this is really going to cause a lot of concerns up on the Hill, because 435 folks are running for re-election in the House and 33 in the Senate, and many of those Republicans have to think twice about the record that President Bush has put in front of them and that the voters will be voting for them as well, or against them.

WHITFIELD: And clearly, congressman, the last thing the Republican Party needs is this public revealing of dissension among the ranks.

BARR: Well, we saw that -- you're absolutely correct, and we saw that just in your last clip with the speaker, Dennis Hastert, having some words with John McCain. Of course John McCain is always sort of an independent character, shall we say, but it does indicate that all is not well on the Capitol Hill on the Republican side at a very crucial time in this election cycle.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about relationship building of another sort, that between John Kerry and the Democratic Party, and now Ralph Nader. Certainly they just met yesterday. And apparently Ralph Nader walked away saying -- describing Kerry as being very presidential-like, perhaps the Democrats working very hard to make sure that the Democrat votes don't go toward Nader, splitting the popularity -- Congressman.

BARR: They -- the Democrats ought to be very concerned about Ralph Nader. As we all know, the last election cycle was one of the closest in our nation's history, and this one shapes up to be just the same type of very close battle. And if you have now Ralph Nader, who has -- now has the option of running on at least seven states as the Reform Party candidate, you have the makings for a -- very serious problem for the Democrats. So if Kerry is, in fact, reaching out, if the Democrat Party is, in fact, reaching out to Ralph Nader, they're doing something that they really need to be doing. It's very important for them.

WHITFIELD: And miss Eschaveste, John Kerry said his meeting, the intent was not to woo Ralph Nader from stepping out of the race, trying to get him to back off. If not that, then what? What would be your interpretation?

ESCHAVESTE: Well, they clearly needed to meet. They certainly have known each other in the past. But what's really important is to understand that when a person chooses to run for president, that's a very solemn, a very personal decision. What we hope -- what many of us hope in the Democratic Party is that those supporters of Ralph Nader, who obviously care very much about the direction that this country is going in, ask themselves deep in their heart whether they, in fact, want to perhaps cast their vote for someone that may well ensure that we have another four years of George Bush. It will make a difference, just as it made a difference in 2000. And voting for John Kerry will change the direction of this country.

WHITFIELD: Maria Eschaveste, former Clinton White House deputy chief of staff and former Georgia Republican Congressman Bob Barr, thanks very much.

ESCHAVESTE: Thanks.

(BUSINESS UPDATE) WHITFIELD: History has shown that some of the most brilliant minds often aren't the most socially fit. Scientists today continue to study whether what make a person genius will also make them crazy. It's a question our Anderson Cooper also examines in his series, "Unlocking the Secrets of the Brain."

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From artist Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Strokes" to mathematician John Nash's window scribbles, as see in the film "A Beautiful Mind," in the works of brilliant minds throughout history creativity and mental illness have often crossed paths.

CAREN LERMAN, SON'S AUTISTIC: I feel as though his artwork is a window into his soul.

COOPER: Caren Lerman's son Jonathan may not speak like other 16- year-old boys but with a pencil in hand he can communicate a world of knowledge and unending creativity. Jonathan is an autistic savant.

LERMAN: Through Jonathan's art we see that he's taking in a lot more than we ever realized and I think he feels things even more keenly than we do.

COOPER: Jonathan began sketching when he was ten. Today his works sell for thousands of dollars.

LERMAN: He wants to be like everybody else and he knows he isn't. It's abstract for him to say that verbally, you know, that he's lonely but he's letting us know this way.

COOPER: But scientists are wondering how we can emulate Jonathan's level of creativity by studying how autism and other mental illnesses, like psychosis, can increase a person's potential for creativity.

SHELLEY CARSON, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY: What's causing the dots to appear?

COOPER: Harvard professor Dr. Shelley Carson recently completed a study which uncovered a link between creativity and mental illness. The connection, both highly creative people and psychosis prone people have reduced levels of what doctors call latent inhibition, that is, they can't ignore all the extraneous and irrelevant things that happen in the environment around them. And a possible explanation for this, dopamine.

CARSON: Reduced latent inhibition is associated with higher levels of dopamine in the mesolimbic system of the brain.

COOPER: So, depending on your level of intelligence and dopamine absorbing the information around you may actually fuel creativity or madness.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Tonight, Anderson Cooper examines what many of us want to know, how the minds of men differ from the minds of women. That's at 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.

GRIFFIN: And finally in this hour, honesty pays, especially for this man, Jose Oriano (ph), cleaning out a bus last week when he found a wallet belonging to Cincinnati Reds' pitcher Danny Graves. Graves lost the wallet during a trip to the West Coast last week. Inside, $1,400 in cash and credit cards. Oriano didn't think twice before mailing it back to Graves. He said he only wanted an autographed picture in return. Graves say he's going to send him an autograph, money and much more.

Coming up next in our second hour of LIVE FROM, more on today's news from Iraq. Plus, the planets and stars not lining up in NASA's accounting books. Does the space agency have a money problem?

LIVE FROM returns after the break.

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