True Fighter Fighting for His Life.
LEMON: We have more breaking news and I really hate to report this one. Americans may be divided over the Russia investigation and the healthcare battle. But tonight Washington and the country united in prayers and well-wishers for Senator John McCain. That true American hero diagnosed with brain cancer. President Trump in a statement tonight saying "Senator John McCain has always been a fighter. Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator John McCain, Cindy and their entire family. Get well soon." Let's discuss now. Joining me now is CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta who spoke exclusively with Senator McCain's doctors. Gloria Borger joins me as well. Sanjay, this really awful sad story about John McCain tonight. Tell us what you know.</s>SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, you know, you remember he had this operation on Friday, Don. He was having a blood clot removed from above his left eye. We found out subsequent to that that blood clot was within his brain and they actually removed a portion of the bone there to get to the brain. We just found out just over the past few hours now that that blood clot was caused by a tumor. A type of brain tumor known as glioblastoma. Some people may know that term but that is an aggressive cancer. They bring to me that it is an aggressive cancer. He is hearing this news now. I talked to the doctors. They said that he did very well from the operation. They feel like they removed all of the tumor. He was sent home the next day. Has been recovering at home. But with this particular type of tumor, it almost always requires follow-up treatment. And that's the discussion that Senator McCain and his family are having right now with his doctors. But I think you put it well, Don. I mean, everyone is thinking about him, rooting for him. I think they're thinking right now the best course of action going forward.</s>LEMON: I know that you're want his doctor, but when something like this happens, what's -- what is the usual prognosis?</s>GUPTA: Well, you know, it's tough. It's an aggressive brain cancer. I mean, if you look at numbers alone, average survival is around 14 months. This is the same type of tumor that Senator Ted Kennedy had. This is the same type of tumor that Beau Biden had. You may remember, Don. But there are people who with treatment do survive longer. About 10 percent of people will survive five years or longer, you know. So it's very tough to put numbers on this sort of thing. But that's the data that you'll read if you look at the current literature around glioblastoma.</s>LEMON: We talked about this earlier in the week, Sanjay, but friends just recently became concerned after Senator McCain's recent questioning of former FBI Director James Comey. Let's listen to that moment and we'll have another conversation about it.</s>JOHN MCCAIN, (R) UNITED STATES SENATOR: In the case of Mr. Comey, you -- president Comey.</s>JAMES COMEY, FORMER UNITED STATES FBI DIRECTOR: No, sir.</s>MCCAIN: In the case of President Trump, you have an ongoing investigation. You're going to have to help me out here. In other words, we're complete, the investigation of anything that former Secretary Clinton had to do the campaign is over and we don't have to worry about it anymore?</s>COMEY: With respect to -- I'm a little confused, Senator.</s>LEMON: So, Sanjay, when we discussed it at the time we didn't know what we know now. You didn't know what you know now. And I ask if he was relating, you said, well, you know, maybe. Because he said it was a baseball game, he stayed up late watching a baseball game, remember. Do you think it was related to the tumor now knowing what you know?</s>GUPTA: Well, you know, I asked his doctors again today, the doctors who cared for Senator McCain and they sort of say the same thing. It's possible that this tumor and the blood clot could be related. The reason they hesitate, the reason I hesitated when you asked me earlier in the week is because this portion, this part of the brain is not really responsible for speech or your ability to remember. What Senator McCain was really complaining about to his doctors when he showed up on Friday it was about a routine exam. But when asked, he said look, I've been feeling tired for the past few months really. So, this blood collection, according to the surgeons, really had probably been there for about a week and that clip you just showed was earlier than a week ago. All that to say it's possible. It's possible that maybe a headache or something like that or it's just possible as his doctors said it could just be the fatigue that was compounded by the fact that he stayed up all night. Regardless, that clearly now we know what was happening, what caused that bleeding inside his brain. That much is clear for sure now, Don.</s>LEMON: All right. Sanjay, stand by. I want to bring Gloria back in. Gloria, there has been a tremendous really outpouring of affection and prayers for the senator.</s>BORGER: Yes.</s>LEMON: And a very moving letter from his daughter Megan. And I just want to read part of that letter. It said, "It won't surprise you to learn that in all this, the one -- the one of us who is the most confident and calm is my father. He is the toughest person I know. The cruelest enemy could not break him. The aggressions of the political life could not bend him. So he is meeting this challenge as he has every other cancer may afflict him in many ways but it will not make him surrender. Nothing ever has." It's so emotional, Gloria. A lot of people are very upset by this tonight.</s>BORGER: Yes, and I think that's beautifully written and beautifully stated. There was a tweet tonight from of all people Congressman Steve Scalise, Don, who as we all recall was shot just a month ago and he said, "Praying for my friend, John McCain. One of the toughest people I know." You know, the outpouring has been quite honestly as you would expect. This is a man who is a lion of the Senate, who ran for the presidency twice, who has been known to work across party lines. He's angered people in his own party. He's angered people of the other party. And I can say as a journalist, he's one of the people I've had the most fun and learned the most from covering. He calls us those jerks, right? But he has -- there's a joy for him in his career and in his political life. And Dana Bash and I earlier this evening were talking to people who worked for him and worked with him. And they say that he's been on the phone talking about what are we going to do about healthcare, what are we going to do next, how are we going to handle this or that. And just don't forget that over the July Fourth break he was in Afghanistan.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>BORGER: And that was the tenth time he's been there since 9/11.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>BORGER: So, you know, this is a man who is not going to just sort of throw in the towel and say OK, fine.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>BORGER: He's going to -- he's going to fight it.</s>LEMON: And you know, he's served his country in so many ways. He was a prisoner of war, right? And we...</s>BORGER: Yes.</s>LEMON: You know, we sometimes throw the term hero around, but this is a person who is really a true American hero and we wish him the best.</s>BORGER: Absolutely.</s>LEMON: Sanjay, Gloria, thank you so much. I appreciate it.</s>SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Thank you.</s>BORGER: Thanks.</s>LEMON: Former President Obama tweeting tonight about his 2008 presidential campaign opponent, quote, "John McCain is an American hero and one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John."