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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

In a Medical First, Doctors Implant Self-Contained Heart Into Critically Ill Patient

Aired July 03, 2001 - 20:00   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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, a medial milestone in the fight against America's No. 1 killer. Facing death, a patient in Kentucky gets the first completely self-contained artificial heart, a big step forward from the bulky machines of the 1980s. What promise does this device hold? I'll ask heart transplant specialist Dr. Alan Gass.

A dramatic new twist in the missing intern story. Did a member of Congress obstruct justice? I'll ask former federal prosecutor Sol Wisenberg. He questioned President Clinton about another intern. And I'll also get legal perspective from former impeachment counsel Julian Epstein.

And former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic refuses to answer questions from U.N. war crimes prosecutors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC, WAR CRIMES DEFENDANT (through translator): That's your problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Other key suspects are now on the run. Will they follow him to The Hague? We'll have the latest on the manhunt.

Good evening. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting tonight from Washington.

Medical history has been made in Louisville, Kentucky. For the first time ever, doctors implanted a self-contained mechanical heart into a critically ill patient who was expected to die within 30 days. Yesterday's operation took seven hours, and the patient is now said to be resting comfortably. If this new mechanical heart works -- and that's, of course, still a big "if" -- it could prolong the lives of thousands of critically ill heart patients waiting for a heart transplant. And that's our top story.

Unlike artificial hearts of the past, which were tethered to machinery outside the body, the grapefruit-sized pump made of titanium and plastic has no external tubes or wires and is powered by a small battery pack. The two-pound device is meant to take the place of a patient's diseased heart, letting the patient maintain a productive lifestyle while awaiting a new heart.

Joining me now from New York is Dr. Alan Gass. He's the director of transplant cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Gass, thanks for joining us. And please give us some perspective. How much of a breakthrough, potentially, is this procedure that happened yesterday?

DR. ALAN GASS, MT. SINAI MEDICAL CENTER: Well, this is the way we envisioned artificial hearts 20 years ago. It represents the first time that you have a totally implantable, with no connections to the outside, no risk of infection, that supports the entire heart. And as a matter of fact, you take out the patient's heart and put in this artificial device. So it's, in effect, having a transplant, but a mechanical transplant.

BLITZER: And as you remember, Dr. Gass, and many of our viewers will remember, in 19 -- I believe it was '82, when Barney Clark got that external heart pump that was -- that was used, there was such great hope, at the time, that that was a huge breakthrough, as well. He lived for 112 days after getting that external heart machine. Is there a concern now that this development today could also prove to be not such a great breakthrough?

GASS: Well, two of the things that plagued Barney Clark was that the -- he was tethered to a cord that led to multiple infections. In addition, the surfaces inside that artificial heart were prone to thrombosis and to -- eventually to strokes. Those problems have now been alleviated, and this artificial heart potentially cannot lead to those complications. So if mechanically this remains sound, it should allow the patient to return to a quality of life and also give them longevity of life.

BLITZER: So what's the biggest worry that his doctors presumably have right now?

GASS: It's probably the mechanical efficiency of the heart itself. I think the patient will be well enough to sustain the surgery, the post-operative problems inherent to any open-heart surgery. But the biggest hurdle will be within the first few days, to make sure the patient gets out of the OR, recovers, and also to see if mechanically this heart promises to do what we all hope it will do.

BLITZER: Dr. Alan Gass, I want to thank you so much for expertise. Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

GASS: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And in other news tonight, a lawyer for Robert Hanssen says the accused FBI spy will enter a guilty plea at a Friday hearing. Sources say that in exchange for his plea, Hanssen will avoid the death penalty and will instead receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The deal is said to require Hanssen to cooperate fully with the FBI and the CIA. The former agent is accused of spying for Moscow since at least 1985.

Dramatic developments in the case of missing intern Chandra Levy tonight, allegations that California congressman Gary Condit tried to keep information about an alleged affair from FBI agents. A flight attendant says she had a year-long relationship with Condit, and she says when Levy disappeared, Condit urged her to sign an affidavit denying their affair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - Fox News Channel)

ANNE MARIE SMITH, FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Obviously, Mr. Condit knew it was false, and he was asking me to sign it. And I personally could never have signed it, or would never have signed it. And he was urging me to sign it. He said, "You don't want anything -- this could be potentially embarrassing for both of us."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Without mentioning her by name, Condit late today addressed her claims with a claim of his own. He said, quote, "I have repeatedly urged anyone who has any information that can help police find Chandra Levy to come forward, tell all they know and be as forthcoming as possible. I have not asked anyone to refrain from discussing this matter with authorities, nor have I suggested anyone mislead the authorities."

For more now on the case, let's go live to CNN national correspondent Bob Franken. He's been covering it.

Bob, this case appears to have taken an ugly turn. Why?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's sort of obscuring the fact that what this is really about is the effort to try and find Chandra Levy, the missing 24-year-old intern. But of course, the connection is that there have been allegations all along that Condit had a romantic relationship with Chandra Levy, something that Condit has repeatedly denied. And that has led to the claim that he had this romantic relationship with the flight attendant, Anne Marie Smith. So now that has become part of this.

The FBI has, in fact, interviewed Anne Marie Smith because they're trying to see if there's anything that she can tell that might give some clues as to the relationship with Gary Condit, whatever it was, and Chandra Levy. Maybe that had something that could give a clue about where Chandra Levy is right now.

So it really has gotten quite convoluted, but it has gotten to the point now where there are charges not only that Condit was having an affair, but charges that he participated in a cover-up. This is becoming both a complicated mess and a real public relations problem for Condit.

BLITZER: So Bob, how worried are Condit's attorneys right now?

FRANKEN: Well, they're worried, of course, about the fact that he is always in a position where they're having to defend him from charges that they say are unfair. They're also, of course, concerned that there was some conduct that will cause federal officials or -- or legal officials to investigate to see if he did something wrong. They're just worried that things are piling up against Gary Condit.

BLITZER: As you know, Congressman Condit every year participates in a July 4th parade in his home town in California. What are you hearing about tomorrow's scheduled parade?

FRANKEN: Well, the last we've heard is that he will, in fact, participate in the parade, that there will be added security to protect Congressman Condit from us, from the news media, but that he will be there. I can also tell you that Condit's staff agonized over whether he should be in the parade this year.

BLITZER: And very briefly, Bob, is there any indication there are any new leads whatsoever involving the whereabouts of Chandra Levy?

FRANKEN: Well, it's good that we get back to that. The answer is no. The police say that they're still considering this a missing persons investigation, and they don't know where this missing person is.

BLITZER: Bob Franken in Washington, thank you very much.

A politician, an intern, allegations of a cover-up -- it all has a very familiar ring. Joining me now are two men who played roles in the investigation of Bill Clinton's relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Attorney Sol Wisenberg served as deputy independent counsel and grilled Mr. Clinton before the grand jury. And Julian Epstein was chief counsel -- still is -- for the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee. He held that post, of course, during the impeachment process.

Thanks to both of you for joining us. And Sol, let me begin with you. This -- this whole notion of obstruction of justice -- is this a serious concern that Congressman Condit might have to worry about right now?

SOLOMON WISENBERG, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Depending on what he did, it is a serious concern. Obstruction of justice is intentionally obstructing an official government or police investigation. We don't know all the facts around this affidavit yet, so we don't know how serious it is. But he certainly has exposure, at this point.

BLITZER: What would the government have to prove if they were going to prove obstruction of justice or suborning perjury, words we haven't heard in a long time, of course?

WISENBERG: Well, for example, if the government could prove that he had an affair with this flight attendant, and knowing that, knowingly allow his lawyers to present her with an affidavit to sign explicitly denying that -- if he knew that was going to be provided to the authorities, which is a big "if," then that would be one method of proving it. BLITZER: Inevitably, the comparisons, of course, Julian, are being made. I want you to listen to this very, very famous sound bite that has been played...

JULIAN EPSTEIN, CHIEF COUNSEL, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Do I have to one more time?

BLITZER: ... indefinitely. But listen to this, and then we'll move on. Listen to this statement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time. Never. These allegations are false, and I need to go back to work for the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, Julian. What is the similarity, if any, between current case and the case of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky?

EPSTEIN: Well, there are some superficial similarities, without a doubt. But I think there are many differences. You have to keep in mind a couple things, I think, Wolf. First of all, it's not clear at all that the alleged relationship with the flight attendant, Ms. Smith, is in any way related to the whereabouts of Chandra Levy, at this point. Secondly, the police have made it clear that Gary Condit has continued to cooperate and that they don't believe he's a suspect.

Now, I think that his position depends on the fact -- his political position, if you will, depends on the level to which he cooperates with the authorities, not the level to which he does press conferences, but the level to which he cooperates with authorities. And he has said, and the press has -- the police have said that he has cooperated. If anything surfaces that suggests that he is in any way not cooperating, that could be a political problem.

As far as the law goes, however, remember, suborning perjury is a specific intent crime. In other words, the person providing someone an affidavit must intend that they file a false affidavit. It's important to talk about the facts here. What apparently happened was when the "Star" published the story about this alleged relationship, Ms. Smith, the flight attendant, became very upset about it. Her lawyers got in contact with Gary Condit's lawyers, and at least according to Condit's lawyers, this affidavit was invited by Ms. Smith's lawyers. And the affidavit itself said "Feel free to suggest it." It's -- I think it is very difficult to prove a subornation when you have lawyer-to-lawyer contact. You don't have any real contact necessarily...

BLITZER: Well -- well, let me get to that proposed affidavit that was sent from Congressman Condit's attorney to the attorney representing Ms. Smith. Among other things, it said this, in that affidavit that they wanted her to sign. It said, "I do not and have not had a relationship with Congressman Condit other than being acquainted with him. I do not and have not had a romantic real with Congressman Condit."

If they wanted her to sign this and she says that was false, wouldn't that be an attempt to suborn perjury?

WISENBERG: Not necessarily. As Julian pointed out, we don't know at this point whether or not the congressman even knew his lawyers were sending that. Now, in her statement that you played at the top of the show, she seems to be saying that he had conversations with -- with her about the -- about the affidavit. And if he did, that would be a completely different matter.

BLITZER: And the -- and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) attorney, in fairness, did put an addendum at the top of his letter to her attorney saying "Go ahead and edit this, change it, rewrite it, do what you have to do."

WISENBERG: That -- that would not be relevant if the congressman knew that that affidavit was being sent because if you send an affidavit to somebody you had an affair with that says, "I didn't have an affair with him," I don't think it matters that you say "You can cut and past this any way that you want." But it may make a big difference, again, if the congressman didn't know it was being done.

EPSTEIN: Well, Sol's...

BLITZER: Julian -- go ahead.

EPSTEIN: Sol -- I mean, Sol's a superb lawyer, and I think he states the law very well. I think it is important, though, to keep in mind that remember the context of this. This story gets published in the "Star." She's very upset about it because her roommates are apparently paid by the "Star" for the information. She feels, at least according to second-hand sources, that the reports aren't accurate. Their attorneys are in contact, and there is a suggestion by one of the attorneys to send an affidavit that might be used. I think that is a far -- there's a lot of running room between that and a specific intent to suborn perjury.

Nevertheless, I think this does create political issues. This does create a public relations issue that I think Mr. Condit and his attorneys will need to respond to.

BLITZER: Do you see, Sol, any parallels here between the case of Bill Clinton and the case of Congressman Gary Condit?

WISENBERG: Well, there are the superficial parallels that people talk about -- intern from the West Coast. I do think that it's striking, though, this particular statement, which is being called -- that the congressman made today, which is being called a denial. And as you know, it's not a denial at all. The statement...

BLITZER: Why?

WISENBERG: Well, basically, what it says is "I've always urged people to come forward, anybody with information to come forward." Well, the flight attendant didn't speak to that. Then he said, "I've never told anybody to withhold information with respect to this matter." Well, assuming "this matter" is the Chandra Levy matter, then again, that has nothing to do with what the flight attendant said. So I don't really consider it a denial.

EPSTEIN: I -- I don't...

BLITZER: Is that fair to be parsing those words...

EPSTEIN: No. I...

BLITZER: ... as carefully as Sol is?

EPSTEIN: I agree with Sol. I think that in a situation like this, where there's somebody that is missing, where the situation is this dire, you cannot parse words, and you need to do everything you can to give every piece of information over to the authorities. And I think this is no time for parsing. And I hope that that has not been the case.

But also, keep in mind, Wolf, that by all apparent -- by all appearances, this continues to be a side show. There doesn't seem to be a theory out there that whatever happened with this flight attendant, whatever the relationship was, whatever the conversations, the affidavit, is in any way related to the whereabouts of Chandra Levy. And that should be the paramount concern right now.

BLITZER: Well, on that -- on that specific point -- and let me ask both of you. If you were able to give Congressman Condit some advice, Sol, on what he should be doing right now to deal with this problem both legally, as well as politically, what should he do?

WISENBERG: Well, partly that depends, if you're his defense attorney, on how honest he's been with you, and assuming he's been honest, how much exposure you think that he -- that he has.

BLITZER: So if you're his defense attorney, you tell him basically be quiet. Is that what you're saying?

WISENBERG: Well, based on some of the actions that he's taken, which appear to be a little puzzling, I would definitely say to be quiet. But on the other hand, he's a politician. He can't be seen as not cooperating with the authorities. I'm not sure if his cooperation has been quite as complete as -- as Julian says it has.

BLITZER: Briefly, Julian.

EPSTEIN: Well, I didn't say it has. I said that the police have said that he has. And I think that he has one of the best attorneys in the country, Abbe Lowell, who Sol and I both know quite well. And I think, again, they have made the point that he has attempted to cooperate in every single way. I think he's going to have to continue to do that, and I think what he needs to do at this point is tell the police, and I think his lawyers will advise him to do this, every single related, attenuated piece of information that has...

BLITZER: Volunteer all... EPSTEIN: ... any relationship...

BLITZER: ... the information.

EPSTEIN: That's what I think he'll do.

BLITZER: You think he'll do that?

WISENBERG: I don't know. I know that it's not as -- it's not a smart thing to tell somebody you don't have to talk to the FBI. Even though that's not a crime, it's not a smart thing to do that. And even if it is a side show, you -- you have made it more important than it should be by doing that.

EPSTEIN: I agree with you 100 percent, Sol, but we don't know that that was the case, though.

WISENBERG: That's right.

EPSTEIN: Right.

BLITZER: Julian Epstein, Sol Wisenberg, thanks to both of you for joining us.

WISENBERG: Thank you.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And up next: Slobodan Milosevic fights back. We'll tell you about the former Yugoslav president's contentious first day before the U.N. war crimes tribunal.

And at Wimbledon, Jennifer Capriati adds a new chapter to her storybook comeback.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Updating former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's U.N. War crimes trial. One of his Belgrade attorneys says he believes Milosevic will eventually accept legal counsel. So far, Milosevic has been defiant, saying he doesn't need a lawyer because the trial is unlawful. Today the court entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf, after Milosevic refused to do so himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILOSEVIC (through translator): This trial is a -- is to produce false justification for the war crimes of NATO committed in Yugoslavia.

UNIDENTIFIED JUDGE: Mr. Milosevic, I asked you a question. Do you wish to enter your pleas today, or are you asking for an adjournment to consider the matter further?

MILOSEVIC (through translator): I have given you my answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The extradition of Milosevic is raising hope other war crimes suspects on the tribunal's most wanted list might be sent to The Hague. CNN's Sheila MacVicar has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you were looking for indicted war criminal General Ratko Mladic, you won't find him anymore on the streets of Belgrade. He's left town. Yugoslavia without Slobodan Milosevic is now much less hospitable, the safe haven no longer safe, and intelligence sources say the general is on the run.

These are the mountains of eastern Bosnia, and somewhere here, maybe in an old Yugoslav army base guarded by soldiers still loyal, General Mladic is hunkered down. That puts him in the same neighborhood as his wartime crony, the former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. Mr. Karadzic is indicted for war crimes, too, but for years, since the end of the war, he has moved across Serbian Bosnia to his old headquarters near Sarajevo and back to the mountains in the east.

Inevitably, say intelligence sources, Karadzic traveled past NATO checkpoints to get there. NATO commanders insist they do not know where either General Mladic or Mr. Karadzic are. From the war crimes tribunal at the Hague, the chief prosecutor has made clear she does not believe NATO.

CARLA DEL PONTE, CHIEF PROSECUTOR: Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic were first indicted about six years ago. The fact that they have not been arrested when we are preparing the trials of the other members of the Bosnian Serb leadership is scandalous.

MACVICAR (on camera): Intelligence sources say that with no political godfather, both men may now be finding their worlds are shrinking. They may now be truly in hiding. And that, the sources suggest, may lead one or both of them to give themselves up.

Sheila MacVicar, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: In other news tonight: In Siberia there are no survivors from the crash of a Russian passenger plane. Officials say more than 140 people were on board the flight when it crashed near the Siberian city of Irkutsk. The plane was a Tupolev 154, considered the aging workhorse of Russia's commercial fleet. No word yet on what caused the crash.

Back here in the United States, a convicted terrorist today gave details of his foiled New Year's 2000 bomb plot. Ahmed Ressam testified in the case of another Algerian national charged with helping with the plot. Ressam described his plans to blow up Los Angeles International Airport. The plan failed when border patrol agents arrested him as he crossed into Washington state from Canada. Ressam also gave details of his terrorist training at a camp in Afghanistan three years ago.

In about three hours, the final flight carrying portions of a dismantled U.S. Navy spy plane should arrive in Hawaii. The Pentagon says the last of three planeloads carrying the EP-3 surveillance plane left China's Hainan Island early this morning. The dismantled plane is heading to Dobbins Air Reserve Base near Atlanta to be repaired.

Two Iraqi diplomats assigned to the United Nations are asking for asylum in the United States. A source within the State Department tells CNN that one of the diplomats walked into a police precinct in New York last week asking for asylum. No official word yet from either the U.S. or Iraqi governments on the requests.

Paula Poundstone pleaded not guilty to charges of lewd conduct and child endangerment today. A California judge issued two protective orders. One prohibits her from contact with two children named in the indictments. The other allows only supervised contact with the other three children named in the charges or any other minors. Poundstone's three adopted children and two foster children are in protective custody. Poundstone was ordered to return to court July 30th.

Two points away from losing in the second set, Jennifer Capriati rallied to beat Serena Williams in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon today. Capriati advances to Thursday's semifinals and a goal of winning the fourth major tennis event in the same year. Today's win is another step in a comeback for Capriati following drug rehab and an arrest for shoplifting.

A piece of U.S. history goes on tour. One of the 200 original prints of the Declaration of Independence goes on display in Philadelphia tomorrow. It then travels to presidential libraries, schools and museums for three years. Producer Norman Lear owns the print and is lending it to the tour, hoping to inspire young people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORMAN LEAR, PRODUCER: Something very big is wanting to surface in America. An idealism and a passion for civic involvement that we all feel is yearning to express itself. So this document can once again be the lightning rod that gathers all that static electricity we are sensing out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Meanwhile, the original copy of the Declaration will be out of view for two years while scientists repair its display case.

Up next, I'll open our mailbag. Lots of reaction to President Bush's latest drop in the polls. One of you says there's no mystery to the numbers. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Time now to open our mailbag. Many of you reacted to President Bush's latest job approval poll numbers. This from Randy in Iowa. "Clinton had something going for him that Bush, Jr., doesn't ... enemies whom the public perceived as being meaner and nastier than Clinton was immoral and dishonest."

This from Adrienne in California. "It's no mystery about Mr. Bush's numbers. The majority of the people in this country did not vote for him."

This from Rialissa in Fremont, California. "I think President Bush has a good vision for this nation. What he is portraying is a modern style of governance."

And on Vice President Cheney's latest heart procedure, this from Tom in Portland, Oregon. "Let's face it. If Cheney were on the board of a large corporation and had two heart attacks, they would make him resign. But with four attacks ... he needs to go home and smell the roses."

Remember, I want to hear from you. Please e-mail me at wolf@cnn.com. And you can read my daily on-line column and sign up for my e-mail previewing our nightly programs by going to my Web site, cnn.com/wolf.

Please stay with CNN throughout the night. Larry King has a special program tonight on substance abuse at the top of the hour. Up next: Greta Van Susteren. She's standing by to tell us what she has.

Greta?

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST, THE POINT: Wolf, comedian Paula Poundstone has four counts against her. Her children have been taken away from her before anything has been proven. Right or wrong? Our guests will discuss that. Plus we have a friend of Chandra Levy's joining us to tell us a little bit about Chandra Levy.

Wolf?

BLITZER: OK, Greta. I'll be watching. Thank you very much.

And tomorrow night, we'll have a July 4th special interview with Senator John McCain.

Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "THE POINT WITH GRETA VAN SUSTEREN" begins right now.

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