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Live From...
Christopher Reeve, Actor and Activist, Remembered; Former Baseball MVP Ken Caminiti Dies at 41; Repair Shops Upset with Car Manufacturers
Aired October 11, 2004 - 14:30 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is LIVE FROM, and I'm Miles O'Brien.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's what's all new this half hour.
Actor and quadriplegic Christopher Reeve, a spinal cord injury patient, joins us to talk about Mr. Reeve's legacy when it comes to medical research.
And hanging on by a thread. Check this out -- well, that's actually the wrong video, and I truly apologize for that. We will talk about Christopher Reeve.
O'BRIEN: Well, and certainly television is not rocket science, but today we're making it that way. Fixing your new car could seem just as complicated and expensive. Don't trust us to do it.
First, here's what's happening now in the news.
In Mosul, Iraq, a suicide bomber blows up a truck packed with explosives, killing one American soldier and injuring nine. Two Iraqi civilians were also killed, 37 were wounded.
Al-Jazeera reports that another gruesome video has been posted on the Internet also, showing the beheading of a Turkish hostage and his Iraqi translator.
Letting off more steam: White mist again drifting above Mount St. Helens in Washington State. Scientists say that seismic activity remains relatively low. They suspect that part of the lava dome broke off, sending melted ice from a glacier onto hot rocks below.
Historic presidential elections in Afghanistan go under the microscope: An independent panel will review Saturday's vote to check for any cheating or fraud. Opposition candidates had threatened to boycott, but some people appear willing to accept the commission's findings. Afghan President Hamid Karzai calls the elections fair and legitimate.
After almost three years in U.S. custody, a former enemy combatant is now a free man in Saudi Arabia. Yaser Hamdi was flown home today. He was held without charges after being captured in Afghanistan in 2001. U.S. officials say he's no longer a threat. O'BRIEN: As we've been reporting today, Americans are mourning the death of actor Christopher Reeve. Reeve died suddenly yesterday after slipping into a coma from cardiac arrest related to his years of neck-down paralysis.
Here is Christopher Reeve last year speaking with CNN's Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Do you still think you will walk again?
CHRISTOPHER REEVE, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: I certainly have the motto that nothing is impossible. I think the question of whether I will walk is going to depend on politics. It's going to depend on collaboration between scientists around the world. It'll depend on economics -- a lot of factors that I knew very little about when I was injured eight years ago.
And I think my purpose, when I was 42, in saying that I would walk by the time I was 50 was to be provocative, to be a voice saying why can't we do this? Don't tell meet reasons why not.
Well, now I understand some of the difficulties, not only in terms of the science, but the other forces that I was just mentioning. But I do think that these can be overcome, I just can't put a specific date on it.
KING: What keeps you going?
REEVE: What keeps me going is, well, the possibilities of the future. Change. The fact that I'm getting better, that technology is improving, that we do have the really brilliant dedicated people who want to help.
And that also I have the opportunity to learn so much, I mean take a trip like this. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and to come here -- then just today, I -- as I said before -- saw a young man who was cured of his spinal cord injury with a surgical procedure. Something that would have been impossible when I was injured in 1995, and here it was. He was operated on, in 2001, and he's walking
And I mean, I've seen it. I've seen it. And there's more to come. It's going to be difficult. But that's what keeps me going is knowing that it can be done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Chris Reeve's repeated vow to walk rubbed a lot of people who use wheelchairs the wrong way. Many who have suffered a spinal cord injury rejected the single-minded focus on getting back on their feet,as if that was the only goal worth pursuing.
Many of them preferred the focus on the here and now issues of accessibility, societal acceptance, and being productive in spite of the chair.
James Shepherd and his family have been on a crusade since he was injured three decades ago, starting the Shepherd Center, a catastrophic care facility in Atlanta that helps people with spinal cord injuries -- not necessarily to get back on their feet, but to get back to their lives.
James, good to have you back with us.
JAMES SHEPHERD, SPINAL INJURY SURVIVOR: Thank you so much.
O'BRIEN: First of all, let's talk about that statement, his repeated vow to walk by the age of 50. Why did that rub people who use wheelchairs, who've had spinal cord injuries the wrong way?
SHEPHERD: When you look at that, that is a single-minded goal. A lot of the people didn't have the access for the care that he had, for the equipment that he had, and they felt that was being neglected.
Over the years, as Chris came along, he also started to talk about care and cure side by side, realizing that there needed aid to be a quality of until that cure did come.
O'BRIEN: But that was perhaps after hearing a little bit of the criticism that you voiced and others?
SHEPHERD: Well, I think Chris, without his single-minded push for the cure, he wouldn't have lit the torch so light. It was brightly burning, and it was a great thing. With his visibility, he had a podium to do that and maybe affect change and hurry that along. And I'm just sorry it didn't happen in his lifetime.
O'BRIEN: You talk about the amount of focus that he brought to this issue. It's probably hard to quantify it, but it must have meant a lot to people like you when you're seeking funds to help a hospital, such as yourself, and to ultimately to find a cure.
He will be missed greatly, won't he?
SHEPHERD: Chris will be missed, and I know that Dana, who I've met, and his family are really going to miss him. But I know that they're also going to celebrate his passion and his achievement for making this move forward, even though we're not there yet.
So, I know the banner will be carried. His foundation will go on and will continue to support the research for cure.
O'BRIEN: Is there enough money being spent, enough attention being put to this problem?
SHEPHERD: No, there's not.
O'BRIEN: So what can be done?
SHEPHERD: Well, I think the private sector is going to step up. We're not going to get the government funding that we want outside of the existing stem-cell lines, but there are other promising things out there right now. The ProCord treatment from Proneuron, where they use macrophage cells, which is showing some initial great promise.
And the cure itself...
O'BRIEN: And just to clarify, these are ways to kind of almost short circuiting the spinal cord where it's been injured, essentially making the connection, right?
SHEPHERD: Right. It's either stimulating the cells to heal and/or regenerate in some form. And when the cure comes, it's not going to be a magic shot you get up and walk. It's going to be some incremental or substantial amount of recovery in combination with electrical stem intensive therapy.
O'BRIEN: And you said when the cure comes -- it's not if?
SHEPHERD: Six years ago I would have said if and probably not in my lifetime. I've been hearing the cures coming since I was injured 30 years ago, probably more skeptical than most people.
But watching the stuff with stem cells today, the research that's around it, the work that's being done with macrophage cells and the improvement that's coming and actual applied -- I mean, to people today with macrophage and some other therapies -- I don't think there's any question of if. It's when.
O'BRIEN: To what extent did Chris Reeve help you make that statement? Did he help it along?
SHEPHERD: Oh, Chris moved that statement along, you know, maybe a decade, maybe two decades. There are a lot of us that have been around for years and years that have been saying, you know, we need the cure. We need to take care of people, give them a quality of life until that cure comes. But he helped really live it. He was really visible.
And probably the thing I admire most was his selfless pursuit. And sometimes I watched and looked at how he probably was physically, I think he pursued this maybe to the damage of his health at times along the road. So, he was absolutely committed.
O'BRIEN: So, really, he made a sacrifice for every one of his positions?
SHEPHERD: In my opinion, Chris made huge sacrifices along the way to move this along. Whether it was the diaphragm-paced breathing or the pool therapy or the e-stim on the bike, Chris sacrificed because he believed. And I think as he progressed, he probably realized maybe not in his lifetime, but for someone else, he was willing to sacrifice in that manner.
O'BRIEN: If that isn't courage in a nutshell, I don't know what is.
SHEPHERD: Huge. Chris is going to be so missed, but I know that the banner will be picked up. We're looking for people that are new and young and newly injured to help with this. Everyone get excited. Come on, guys. Don't let him down. He had a dream.
O'BRIEN: Who will pick up that banner, then?
SHEPHERD: Hundreds of people. And I know Dana will be the point with his foundation and the great staff he's got up there.
O'BRIEN: He will be missed.
SHEPHERD: He will be sorely missed.
O'BRIEN: James Shepherd with the Shepherd Center, catastrophic facility here in Atlanta, largest in the southeast helping people with spinal cord injuries and brain injuries. Thank you for coming in and sharing your thoughts -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: We'll have more on the life of Christopher Reeve tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.
On the field, baseball star Ken Caminiti was one of the most valuable players in the National League. Off the field it was a different story. Caminiti admitted using steroids during his major league career and just last month tested positive for cocaine. He died yesterday at age of 41.
CNN's Steve Overmyer with us to talk about Caminiti and of course another developing baseball story. First of all, Caminiti, he seemed like he had a lot of chances and a lot of people behind him trying to get him away from drug use.
STEVE OVERMYER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Such a tragic ending to a life that really a lot of people started focusing on after his career. His cause of death is an apparent heart attack, but the medical examiners can't officially rule out a cause of death until the autopsy is complete. The former San Diego Padres star was the unanimous MVP in 1996.
He will most likely be remembered for what he revealed in an interview with "Sports Illustrated" when he admitted to using steroids during that MVP season. He went onto say, quote, "it's no secret what's going on in baseball. At least half the guys are using it."
Most of his 15-year big league career was spent with the Houston Astros, but it was his post career that earned him the most publicity. Just last week he was sentenced to jail for a probation violation after testing positive for cocaine. He was given credit for time served.
This past spring, he was an instructor with the San Diego Padres, his agent said he was trying to return to baseball to help mentor young players about avoiding the mistakes he made in his life.
I stick with baseball now as the New York Yankees prepare for tomorrow's game one of the ALCS, star reliever Mariano Rivera is in Panama. Two of his family members were electrocuted in a Panama city pool.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says Rivera will be in the bullpen for game one of the Boston/Red Sox series. The Yankees closer, he saved a career high 53 games this year. The Yankees do say that he will be back in the lineup and in the bullpen and ready to go for that game one.
PHILLIPS: The Rivera story -- I know you're focusing on the baseball part, and everybody wants to see this guy playing. But from a news perspective it was sort of bizarre reading some of the reports and some of the newspapers about how this went down. Electricity in the pool and this rod that was trying to keep dogs away?
OVERMYER: Apparently the "New York Daily News" reported that the caretaker puts a rod in the pool that electrifies the pool to keep the rottweilers out of pool at night. He apparently didn't tell the 14- year-old son that the rod was in the pool. The 14-year-old son jumps in, gets electrocuted, and his father tries to save him, both of them die in that pool.
PHILLIPS: Bizarre story. Steve Overmyer, thank you for joining us today.
OVERMYER: Sure.
PHILLIPS: The unexpected costs of cars going high-tech. Why a battle between mechanics over computer information can be affecting your repair options.
Plus how a hot air balloon ride came to an abrupt end in New Mexico. We'll tell you what happened to its passengers. Hold on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Flames interrupt a family's Columbus Day boat ride. That story topping our news across America. A family of three on board the 55-foot boat when the fire broke out. Authorities in Adventura, Florida saying an investigation is under way. It's Miami area. Firefighters say fuel and fiberglass on the boat made the blaze even stronger.
In New Mexico, a beautiful balloon ride ends in a crash landing. Although do you call that a landing? I guess. The balloon hit this -- lands about 600 feet below. The balloon hit this 700-foot tall radio tower during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. The pilot and two young passengers were forced to climb most of the way down the tower.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TROY WELLS, RESCUED FROM BALLOON: When we hit I immediately got down and held onto the ropes inside the basket. I asked Bill if we should get on to the tower and he told me to get on the tower. So I got on and helped him out, and as soon as we were on the tower, it wasn't too scary. It's just when we hit.
(END VIDEO CLIP) O'BRIEN: That young man, lot of poise. Only 14 years old. Rescuers did manage to help all three down about 100 feet from the ground.
And in Washington State, a teen missing for eight days is discovered alive after a car crash. Authorities outside Seattle say the 17-year-old was found in a smashed up car about 150 feet below a road. The woman who found her says prayer and dreams led her to the girl. The teen is in serious condition at a local hospital.
PHILLIPS: Well, expect to pay more at pump and possibly for heating this winter. Crude oil prices trading at nearly $54 a barrel. Meanwhile the average cost of a gallon of self-serve regular will cost you $1.99. That's up nearly eight cents in the past two weeks. The National Lundberg Survey partly blames higher oil prices caused by strong world demand.
You might be paying more for car repair, also. Not any old shady-tree mechanic can fix your car anymore. As carmakers add more gadgets and gizmos to their vehicles, it takes more high-tech knowledge and know-how to even repair them.
CNN's Sean Callebs reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the saying goes, you don't have to be a rocket scientist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a right in 100 yards.
CALLEBS: But when it comes to repairing today's computer-laden cars, a little extra knowledge wouldn't hurt.
CHRISTIAN HASSEL, TECHNICIAN, HBL AUDI: It's got 30 distinct systems and all of these computers are communicating with each other.
CALLEBS: But non-dealer repair shops, everything from the mom and pop outfit to large chains like NAPA, AutoZone and Jiffy-Lube, say carmakers aren't playing fair. They contend as cars get more complex to repair, dealers keep vital information about computer diagnostics to themselves, freezing out mechanics not in the family.
MICHAEL FOX, BOSWELL AUTO SERVICE: If we can't scan your system because of the fact that we don't know, we don't have the technology to scan your system, you have no choice but to take it back to the dealer. That's the bottom line.
CALLEBS: Carmakers say the information is out there. Two years ago, car companies and the largest group of independent garages, reached an accord that allowed Internet access to all the information mechanics need. But independent garages say it's too complex to navigate easily and costly to purchase diagnostic equipment and tools.
Congress is considering weighing in, debating a measure called the Right to Repair Act that would give the Federal Trade Commission auto repair information oversight.
DINE STANTON, ALLIANCE OF AUTO MANUFACTURERS: There's absolutely no question that the vehicles have become much more complex.
CALLEBS: The automotive industry says it's much ado about nothing. It says the real issue is independent garages need to spend more time and money training mechanics.
STANTON: It's in our best interest that vehicles are repaired safely and economically to make our customers happy.
CALLEBS: Independent garages employ about five million people. The Coalition for Auto Repair Equality says its members are losing as much as 15 percent of their business.
SANDY BASS, AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR GROUP: Not only are consumers being locked out and the small business being locked out, but the economy is going to have a large sucking sound because we will have to lay people off. We will not be able to keep people employed.
CALLEBS (on camera): Despite demands from such organizations as AAA, it's not expected Congress will take any action on the right to repair issue.
Sean Callebs, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A check of the financial markets is next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right.
PHILLIPS: ... stock in this next company.
O'BRIEN: Yes, this is pretty cool stuff.
You know, today, if you want to be cool and you're a celebrity, or one of those corporate fat cat types...
PHILLIPS: Right.
O'BRIEN: Gulfstream V, right?
PHILLIPS: Of course.
O'BRIEN: Let me show you the next thing you want to get, corporate fat cats. Check it out.
PHILLIPS: Supersonic, that's all we have to say.
O'BRIEN: It's a supersonic jet. My computer just died.
PHILLIPS: Oh, beautiful. We've got a blank... O'BRIEN: All right, the technology is such that they can do Mach 1.1 without a boom now. It's exciting.
PHILLIPS: No, it is exciting.
Rhonda Schaffler, she's here to tell us about it.
O'BRIEN: Rhonda Schaffler's ordering one up now at $80 million or whatever it is.
PHILLIPS: She gets the Gulfstream that brings her in to the New York Stock Exchange every day.
RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, right. Yes, it's true. No problem. That will be arranged.
This is up Miles' alley, though, because it's really sort of the future of this type of aviation. And we've got two groups who say they've begun the race for one of the most elusive goals in aerospace history: that the supersonic jet without the window-rattling boom.
These are two very well-financed groups, we should add. According to "The Wall Street Journal," they believe the new technology will allow the jets to fly quieter and that means they can fly over land, which is something the Concorde couldn't do.
One group is led by Michael Paulson, the son of the late founder of Gulfstream. That's the company that makes luxurious private jets. The other group is led by Texas billionaire Robert Bass. Each group expected to announce plans during a business aircraft convention in Las Vegas next week.
Miles, you're going to want to try to get there, I think.
O'BRIEN: I think so. Las Vegas, jets -- it sounds like a...
SCHAFFLER: That all works.
O'BRIEN: ... actually, it sounds like a joint endeavor for Kyra and Miles on that one.
PHILLIPS: I'm telling you. We buy a few of those. We, you know, charge a certain amount for seats.
O'BRIEN: I'll drive. You do the...
PHILLIPS: There you go. I serve the cocktails.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: So, anyway, let's talk about the new kind of loan that may help home owners cut their mortgage payment.
O'BRIEN: Yeah, really, long after your dead, you'll still owe.
SCHAFFLER: You'll never pay the mortgage off basically is the theory here. It's just a test pilot that is being marketed right now, pilot program that they're thinking about doing on a wider scale.
Mortgage lender Fannie Mae has teamed up with 16 credit unions to test a 40-year mortgage loan. This would be for fixed-rate loans of 40 years. Of course, right now, the fixed rate loan rate is typically 30 years. If this flies, they're going to roll out the loans on a broader scale next year.
Fannie Mae says the 40-year loan is a way to make more Americans into home owners because, of course, your monthly payments would be lower over a longer period of time. Critics say it would increase debt for people who are already deep in the red.
As far as what's happening on Wall Street today, the Dow is up 27 points. Nasdaq gained three-tenths of a percent.
That the is very latest from the New York Stock Exchange. Kyra and Miles, see you later.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rhonda.
O'BRIEN: ... Rhonda. We'll try it again tomorrow.
PHILLIPS: It's been a rough Monday.
O'BRIEN: We'll try it again tomorrow. Let's just say tomorrow is the beginning of a new week.
That wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM. We'll call it an experiment in television.
PHILLIPS: Now to take us through an unscathed next hour of political headlines, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS." She's reporting from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hi, Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Nothing experimental about the two of you. Kyra, Miles, thanks very much. I am in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where if it weren't for the rain, you could feel the electricity in the air.
Just four years ago, Al Gore won this state by just 366 votes. Today, it is one of the most heavily contested states in the nation. We're going to check the lay of the land in the land of enchantment.
Plus, with just 22 days until Election Day, we're live on the campaign trail with both candidates. "INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Hello, I'm Miles O'Brien at CNN Center in Atlanta. "INSIDE POLITICS" next after a look at stories now in the news.
A spectacular display again at Mount St. Helens. A plume of steam drifted up from the volcano today. Similar activity occurred for several hours yesterday, keeping scientists guessing as to whether this is a rehearsal for something bigger to come. In Washington -- D.C., that is -- the Senate ends days of wrangling with its passage. Washington, D.C. we're looking for. There we go. Just hours ago, the $136 billion corporate tax package. The bill passed after a rare weekend session, cuts taxes for businesses and brings U.S. exporters in line with the international trade rules.
And the world is reflecting on the life and the loss of Christopher Reeve. The actor died of heart failure yesterday, nine years after he was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident. Reeve, known for his performance of Superman, may be best remembered as a tireless campaigner for, among other things, stem-cell research. More reaction to his death ahead on CNN's "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS." That's at 5:00 Eastern.
But now, Judy Woodruff and "INSIDE POLITICS."
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Aired October 11, 2004 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is LIVE FROM, and I'm Miles O'Brien.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's what's all new this half hour.
Actor and quadriplegic Christopher Reeve, a spinal cord injury patient, joins us to talk about Mr. Reeve's legacy when it comes to medical research.
And hanging on by a thread. Check this out -- well, that's actually the wrong video, and I truly apologize for that. We will talk about Christopher Reeve.
O'BRIEN: Well, and certainly television is not rocket science, but today we're making it that way. Fixing your new car could seem just as complicated and expensive. Don't trust us to do it.
First, here's what's happening now in the news.
In Mosul, Iraq, a suicide bomber blows up a truck packed with explosives, killing one American soldier and injuring nine. Two Iraqi civilians were also killed, 37 were wounded.
Al-Jazeera reports that another gruesome video has been posted on the Internet also, showing the beheading of a Turkish hostage and his Iraqi translator.
Letting off more steam: White mist again drifting above Mount St. Helens in Washington State. Scientists say that seismic activity remains relatively low. They suspect that part of the lava dome broke off, sending melted ice from a glacier onto hot rocks below.
Historic presidential elections in Afghanistan go under the microscope: An independent panel will review Saturday's vote to check for any cheating or fraud. Opposition candidates had threatened to boycott, but some people appear willing to accept the commission's findings. Afghan President Hamid Karzai calls the elections fair and legitimate.
After almost three years in U.S. custody, a former enemy combatant is now a free man in Saudi Arabia. Yaser Hamdi was flown home today. He was held without charges after being captured in Afghanistan in 2001. U.S. officials say he's no longer a threat. O'BRIEN: As we've been reporting today, Americans are mourning the death of actor Christopher Reeve. Reeve died suddenly yesterday after slipping into a coma from cardiac arrest related to his years of neck-down paralysis.
Here is Christopher Reeve last year speaking with CNN's Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Do you still think you will walk again?
CHRISTOPHER REEVE, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: I certainly have the motto that nothing is impossible. I think the question of whether I will walk is going to depend on politics. It's going to depend on collaboration between scientists around the world. It'll depend on economics -- a lot of factors that I knew very little about when I was injured eight years ago.
And I think my purpose, when I was 42, in saying that I would walk by the time I was 50 was to be provocative, to be a voice saying why can't we do this? Don't tell meet reasons why not.
Well, now I understand some of the difficulties, not only in terms of the science, but the other forces that I was just mentioning. But I do think that these can be overcome, I just can't put a specific date on it.
KING: What keeps you going?
REEVE: What keeps me going is, well, the possibilities of the future. Change. The fact that I'm getting better, that technology is improving, that we do have the really brilliant dedicated people who want to help.
And that also I have the opportunity to learn so much, I mean take a trip like this. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and to come here -- then just today, I -- as I said before -- saw a young man who was cured of his spinal cord injury with a surgical procedure. Something that would have been impossible when I was injured in 1995, and here it was. He was operated on, in 2001, and he's walking
And I mean, I've seen it. I've seen it. And there's more to come. It's going to be difficult. But that's what keeps me going is knowing that it can be done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Chris Reeve's repeated vow to walk rubbed a lot of people who use wheelchairs the wrong way. Many who have suffered a spinal cord injury rejected the single-minded focus on getting back on their feet,as if that was the only goal worth pursuing.
Many of them preferred the focus on the here and now issues of accessibility, societal acceptance, and being productive in spite of the chair.
James Shepherd and his family have been on a crusade since he was injured three decades ago, starting the Shepherd Center, a catastrophic care facility in Atlanta that helps people with spinal cord injuries -- not necessarily to get back on their feet, but to get back to their lives.
James, good to have you back with us.
JAMES SHEPHERD, SPINAL INJURY SURVIVOR: Thank you so much.
O'BRIEN: First of all, let's talk about that statement, his repeated vow to walk by the age of 50. Why did that rub people who use wheelchairs, who've had spinal cord injuries the wrong way?
SHEPHERD: When you look at that, that is a single-minded goal. A lot of the people didn't have the access for the care that he had, for the equipment that he had, and they felt that was being neglected.
Over the years, as Chris came along, he also started to talk about care and cure side by side, realizing that there needed aid to be a quality of until that cure did come.
O'BRIEN: But that was perhaps after hearing a little bit of the criticism that you voiced and others?
SHEPHERD: Well, I think Chris, without his single-minded push for the cure, he wouldn't have lit the torch so light. It was brightly burning, and it was a great thing. With his visibility, he had a podium to do that and maybe affect change and hurry that along. And I'm just sorry it didn't happen in his lifetime.
O'BRIEN: You talk about the amount of focus that he brought to this issue. It's probably hard to quantify it, but it must have meant a lot to people like you when you're seeking funds to help a hospital, such as yourself, and to ultimately to find a cure.
He will be missed greatly, won't he?
SHEPHERD: Chris will be missed, and I know that Dana, who I've met, and his family are really going to miss him. But I know that they're also going to celebrate his passion and his achievement for making this move forward, even though we're not there yet.
So, I know the banner will be carried. His foundation will go on and will continue to support the research for cure.
O'BRIEN: Is there enough money being spent, enough attention being put to this problem?
SHEPHERD: No, there's not.
O'BRIEN: So what can be done?
SHEPHERD: Well, I think the private sector is going to step up. We're not going to get the government funding that we want outside of the existing stem-cell lines, but there are other promising things out there right now. The ProCord treatment from Proneuron, where they use macrophage cells, which is showing some initial great promise.
And the cure itself...
O'BRIEN: And just to clarify, these are ways to kind of almost short circuiting the spinal cord where it's been injured, essentially making the connection, right?
SHEPHERD: Right. It's either stimulating the cells to heal and/or regenerate in some form. And when the cure comes, it's not going to be a magic shot you get up and walk. It's going to be some incremental or substantial amount of recovery in combination with electrical stem intensive therapy.
O'BRIEN: And you said when the cure comes -- it's not if?
SHEPHERD: Six years ago I would have said if and probably not in my lifetime. I've been hearing the cures coming since I was injured 30 years ago, probably more skeptical than most people.
But watching the stuff with stem cells today, the research that's around it, the work that's being done with macrophage cells and the improvement that's coming and actual applied -- I mean, to people today with macrophage and some other therapies -- I don't think there's any question of if. It's when.
O'BRIEN: To what extent did Chris Reeve help you make that statement? Did he help it along?
SHEPHERD: Oh, Chris moved that statement along, you know, maybe a decade, maybe two decades. There are a lot of us that have been around for years and years that have been saying, you know, we need the cure. We need to take care of people, give them a quality of life until that cure comes. But he helped really live it. He was really visible.
And probably the thing I admire most was his selfless pursuit. And sometimes I watched and looked at how he probably was physically, I think he pursued this maybe to the damage of his health at times along the road. So, he was absolutely committed.
O'BRIEN: So, really, he made a sacrifice for every one of his positions?
SHEPHERD: In my opinion, Chris made huge sacrifices along the way to move this along. Whether it was the diaphragm-paced breathing or the pool therapy or the e-stim on the bike, Chris sacrificed because he believed. And I think as he progressed, he probably realized maybe not in his lifetime, but for someone else, he was willing to sacrifice in that manner.
O'BRIEN: If that isn't courage in a nutshell, I don't know what is.
SHEPHERD: Huge. Chris is going to be so missed, but I know that the banner will be picked up. We're looking for people that are new and young and newly injured to help with this. Everyone get excited. Come on, guys. Don't let him down. He had a dream.
O'BRIEN: Who will pick up that banner, then?
SHEPHERD: Hundreds of people. And I know Dana will be the point with his foundation and the great staff he's got up there.
O'BRIEN: He will be missed.
SHEPHERD: He will be sorely missed.
O'BRIEN: James Shepherd with the Shepherd Center, catastrophic facility here in Atlanta, largest in the southeast helping people with spinal cord injuries and brain injuries. Thank you for coming in and sharing your thoughts -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: We'll have more on the life of Christopher Reeve tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.
On the field, baseball star Ken Caminiti was one of the most valuable players in the National League. Off the field it was a different story. Caminiti admitted using steroids during his major league career and just last month tested positive for cocaine. He died yesterday at age of 41.
CNN's Steve Overmyer with us to talk about Caminiti and of course another developing baseball story. First of all, Caminiti, he seemed like he had a lot of chances and a lot of people behind him trying to get him away from drug use.
STEVE OVERMYER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Such a tragic ending to a life that really a lot of people started focusing on after his career. His cause of death is an apparent heart attack, but the medical examiners can't officially rule out a cause of death until the autopsy is complete. The former San Diego Padres star was the unanimous MVP in 1996.
He will most likely be remembered for what he revealed in an interview with "Sports Illustrated" when he admitted to using steroids during that MVP season. He went onto say, quote, "it's no secret what's going on in baseball. At least half the guys are using it."
Most of his 15-year big league career was spent with the Houston Astros, but it was his post career that earned him the most publicity. Just last week he was sentenced to jail for a probation violation after testing positive for cocaine. He was given credit for time served.
This past spring, he was an instructor with the San Diego Padres, his agent said he was trying to return to baseball to help mentor young players about avoiding the mistakes he made in his life.
I stick with baseball now as the New York Yankees prepare for tomorrow's game one of the ALCS, star reliever Mariano Rivera is in Panama. Two of his family members were electrocuted in a Panama city pool.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says Rivera will be in the bullpen for game one of the Boston/Red Sox series. The Yankees closer, he saved a career high 53 games this year. The Yankees do say that he will be back in the lineup and in the bullpen and ready to go for that game one.
PHILLIPS: The Rivera story -- I know you're focusing on the baseball part, and everybody wants to see this guy playing. But from a news perspective it was sort of bizarre reading some of the reports and some of the newspapers about how this went down. Electricity in the pool and this rod that was trying to keep dogs away?
OVERMYER: Apparently the "New York Daily News" reported that the caretaker puts a rod in the pool that electrifies the pool to keep the rottweilers out of pool at night. He apparently didn't tell the 14- year-old son that the rod was in the pool. The 14-year-old son jumps in, gets electrocuted, and his father tries to save him, both of them die in that pool.
PHILLIPS: Bizarre story. Steve Overmyer, thank you for joining us today.
OVERMYER: Sure.
PHILLIPS: The unexpected costs of cars going high-tech. Why a battle between mechanics over computer information can be affecting your repair options.
Plus how a hot air balloon ride came to an abrupt end in New Mexico. We'll tell you what happened to its passengers. Hold on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Flames interrupt a family's Columbus Day boat ride. That story topping our news across America. A family of three on board the 55-foot boat when the fire broke out. Authorities in Adventura, Florida saying an investigation is under way. It's Miami area. Firefighters say fuel and fiberglass on the boat made the blaze even stronger.
In New Mexico, a beautiful balloon ride ends in a crash landing. Although do you call that a landing? I guess. The balloon hit this -- lands about 600 feet below. The balloon hit this 700-foot tall radio tower during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. The pilot and two young passengers were forced to climb most of the way down the tower.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TROY WELLS, RESCUED FROM BALLOON: When we hit I immediately got down and held onto the ropes inside the basket. I asked Bill if we should get on to the tower and he told me to get on the tower. So I got on and helped him out, and as soon as we were on the tower, it wasn't too scary. It's just when we hit.
(END VIDEO CLIP) O'BRIEN: That young man, lot of poise. Only 14 years old. Rescuers did manage to help all three down about 100 feet from the ground.
And in Washington State, a teen missing for eight days is discovered alive after a car crash. Authorities outside Seattle say the 17-year-old was found in a smashed up car about 150 feet below a road. The woman who found her says prayer and dreams led her to the girl. The teen is in serious condition at a local hospital.
PHILLIPS: Well, expect to pay more at pump and possibly for heating this winter. Crude oil prices trading at nearly $54 a barrel. Meanwhile the average cost of a gallon of self-serve regular will cost you $1.99. That's up nearly eight cents in the past two weeks. The National Lundberg Survey partly blames higher oil prices caused by strong world demand.
You might be paying more for car repair, also. Not any old shady-tree mechanic can fix your car anymore. As carmakers add more gadgets and gizmos to their vehicles, it takes more high-tech knowledge and know-how to even repair them.
CNN's Sean Callebs reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the saying goes, you don't have to be a rocket scientist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a right in 100 yards.
CALLEBS: But when it comes to repairing today's computer-laden cars, a little extra knowledge wouldn't hurt.
CHRISTIAN HASSEL, TECHNICIAN, HBL AUDI: It's got 30 distinct systems and all of these computers are communicating with each other.
CALLEBS: But non-dealer repair shops, everything from the mom and pop outfit to large chains like NAPA, AutoZone and Jiffy-Lube, say carmakers aren't playing fair. They contend as cars get more complex to repair, dealers keep vital information about computer diagnostics to themselves, freezing out mechanics not in the family.
MICHAEL FOX, BOSWELL AUTO SERVICE: If we can't scan your system because of the fact that we don't know, we don't have the technology to scan your system, you have no choice but to take it back to the dealer. That's the bottom line.
CALLEBS: Carmakers say the information is out there. Two years ago, car companies and the largest group of independent garages, reached an accord that allowed Internet access to all the information mechanics need. But independent garages say it's too complex to navigate easily and costly to purchase diagnostic equipment and tools.
Congress is considering weighing in, debating a measure called the Right to Repair Act that would give the Federal Trade Commission auto repair information oversight.
DINE STANTON, ALLIANCE OF AUTO MANUFACTURERS: There's absolutely no question that the vehicles have become much more complex.
CALLEBS: The automotive industry says it's much ado about nothing. It says the real issue is independent garages need to spend more time and money training mechanics.
STANTON: It's in our best interest that vehicles are repaired safely and economically to make our customers happy.
CALLEBS: Independent garages employ about five million people. The Coalition for Auto Repair Equality says its members are losing as much as 15 percent of their business.
SANDY BASS, AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR GROUP: Not only are consumers being locked out and the small business being locked out, but the economy is going to have a large sucking sound because we will have to lay people off. We will not be able to keep people employed.
CALLEBS (on camera): Despite demands from such organizations as AAA, it's not expected Congress will take any action on the right to repair issue.
Sean Callebs, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A check of the financial markets is next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right.
PHILLIPS: ... stock in this next company.
O'BRIEN: Yes, this is pretty cool stuff.
You know, today, if you want to be cool and you're a celebrity, or one of those corporate fat cat types...
PHILLIPS: Right.
O'BRIEN: Gulfstream V, right?
PHILLIPS: Of course.
O'BRIEN: Let me show you the next thing you want to get, corporate fat cats. Check it out.
PHILLIPS: Supersonic, that's all we have to say.
O'BRIEN: It's a supersonic jet. My computer just died.
PHILLIPS: Oh, beautiful. We've got a blank... O'BRIEN: All right, the technology is such that they can do Mach 1.1 without a boom now. It's exciting.
PHILLIPS: No, it is exciting.
Rhonda Schaffler, she's here to tell us about it.
O'BRIEN: Rhonda Schaffler's ordering one up now at $80 million or whatever it is.
PHILLIPS: She gets the Gulfstream that brings her in to the New York Stock Exchange every day.
RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, right. Yes, it's true. No problem. That will be arranged.
This is up Miles' alley, though, because it's really sort of the future of this type of aviation. And we've got two groups who say they've begun the race for one of the most elusive goals in aerospace history: that the supersonic jet without the window-rattling boom.
These are two very well-financed groups, we should add. According to "The Wall Street Journal," they believe the new technology will allow the jets to fly quieter and that means they can fly over land, which is something the Concorde couldn't do.
One group is led by Michael Paulson, the son of the late founder of Gulfstream. That's the company that makes luxurious private jets. The other group is led by Texas billionaire Robert Bass. Each group expected to announce plans during a business aircraft convention in Las Vegas next week.
Miles, you're going to want to try to get there, I think.
O'BRIEN: I think so. Las Vegas, jets -- it sounds like a...
SCHAFFLER: That all works.
O'BRIEN: ... actually, it sounds like a joint endeavor for Kyra and Miles on that one.
PHILLIPS: I'm telling you. We buy a few of those. We, you know, charge a certain amount for seats.
O'BRIEN: I'll drive. You do the...
PHILLIPS: There you go. I serve the cocktails.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: So, anyway, let's talk about the new kind of loan that may help home owners cut their mortgage payment.
O'BRIEN: Yeah, really, long after your dead, you'll still owe.
SCHAFFLER: You'll never pay the mortgage off basically is the theory here. It's just a test pilot that is being marketed right now, pilot program that they're thinking about doing on a wider scale.
Mortgage lender Fannie Mae has teamed up with 16 credit unions to test a 40-year mortgage loan. This would be for fixed-rate loans of 40 years. Of course, right now, the fixed rate loan rate is typically 30 years. If this flies, they're going to roll out the loans on a broader scale next year.
Fannie Mae says the 40-year loan is a way to make more Americans into home owners because, of course, your monthly payments would be lower over a longer period of time. Critics say it would increase debt for people who are already deep in the red.
As far as what's happening on Wall Street today, the Dow is up 27 points. Nasdaq gained three-tenths of a percent.
That the is very latest from the New York Stock Exchange. Kyra and Miles, see you later.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rhonda.
O'BRIEN: ... Rhonda. We'll try it again tomorrow.
PHILLIPS: It's been a rough Monday.
O'BRIEN: We'll try it again tomorrow. Let's just say tomorrow is the beginning of a new week.
That wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM. We'll call it an experiment in television.
PHILLIPS: Now to take us through an unscathed next hour of political headlines, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS." She's reporting from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hi, Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Nothing experimental about the two of you. Kyra, Miles, thanks very much. I am in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where if it weren't for the rain, you could feel the electricity in the air.
Just four years ago, Al Gore won this state by just 366 votes. Today, it is one of the most heavily contested states in the nation. We're going to check the lay of the land in the land of enchantment.
Plus, with just 22 days until Election Day, we're live on the campaign trail with both candidates. "INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Hello, I'm Miles O'Brien at CNN Center in Atlanta. "INSIDE POLITICS" next after a look at stories now in the news.
A spectacular display again at Mount St. Helens. A plume of steam drifted up from the volcano today. Similar activity occurred for several hours yesterday, keeping scientists guessing as to whether this is a rehearsal for something bigger to come. In Washington -- D.C., that is -- the Senate ends days of wrangling with its passage. Washington, D.C. we're looking for. There we go. Just hours ago, the $136 billion corporate tax package. The bill passed after a rare weekend session, cuts taxes for businesses and brings U.S. exporters in line with the international trade rules.
And the world is reflecting on the life and the loss of Christopher Reeve. The actor died of heart failure yesterday, nine years after he was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident. Reeve, known for his performance of Superman, may be best remembered as a tireless campaigner for, among other things, stem-cell research. More reaction to his death ahead on CNN's "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS." That's at 5:00 Eastern.
But now, Judy Woodruff and "INSIDE POLITICS."
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