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American Morning

Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate; Church Abuse Reports; Subway Samaritan

Aired February 27, 2004 - 09:00   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: John Edwards trying to set himself apart from John Kerry in a critical California debate, also dealing with a hot political topic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would not support the Defense of Marriage Act today if there were a vote today, which is the question you just asked Senator Kerry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: And rebels in Haiti are closing in on the capital. Another town falling near Port-au-Prince just this morning.

Plus, what made prosecutors roll out a bed and then tie up an assistant D.A. during a Texas murder trial? We'll explain just ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome everybody.

Other stories that we're following this morning, this will not be an easy day for the Roman Catholic Church in this country. A report coming out today from the U.S. Conference of Bishops on children abused by priests. It' going to have some stunning numbers. We've got an advanced look at that in just a few moments.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also this hour, say hello to a story with a very happy ending, the last-second rescue while on the tracks of a New York subway. We'll talk to a young woman who could have met her end, except for help from a stranger. They have found each other. They're front-page news here in New York City, too. So, we'll talk to them about what happened on that subway line this week.

O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty is with us. Hello.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

There might be more than meets the eye to a piece of legislation that's moving through the Congress of the United States. In essence, it says if you attack and injure or kill a woman who is pregnant, you can be charged with not one, but two crimes -- the second one being against the fetus she's carrying. Abortion rights advocates fear that it might be a first step in eventually trying to overturn Roe v. Wade. We'll explain the linkage. We're reading your e-mails on whether this thing ought to pass or not. It's gone through the House. It may not clear the Senate. But it's being talked about seriously down there.

HEMMER: All right, Jack, thanks.

Top stories again. France is calling for the resignation of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He is showing no signs, however, of standing down. The statement comes as rebels continue to close in on the capital city. They took over another town just this morning. Supporters crowding around the national palace to protect Aristide. Secretary of State Colin Powell has asked him to do what is best for the Haitian people.

A California judge has ruled on having only one set of jurors for the double murder trial of Scott Peterson. That ruling means that a single jury will hear arguments in the trial, and also participate in the penalty phase if convicted. The judge also turned down a defense request to have the jury sequestered. Peterson is accused of accusing his wife and unborn son. Jury selection in that case set to begin next week.

NASA cut short a risky space walk due to a space suit malfunction. Three hours into the walk yesterday, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri complained of water inside of his helmet. He and American astronaut Michael Foale had left the International Space Station empty, marking the first time the outpost had been unattended during a space walk. The crewmen managed to complete about half their work.

And a late winter snowstorm blanketing parts of the Deep South. This is not something you see every day. Snow started falling yesterday in Charlotte. About a foot is on the ground now. The snowfall forced schools to close. Travel is slow. The storm also hitting parts of northern Georgia, the state of Kentucky. Tennessee took a shot or two. So, that was a pretty big system coming through there.

O'BRIEN: A big system, really dramatic pictures.

Chad Myers is sort of in the thick of things there. He's in Spartanburg, South Carolina with the latest for us. No pun intended, I guess.

(WEATHER BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Democratic presidential front-runner Senator John Kerry will talk terrorism and national security today during a speech in Los Angeles. His main rival, Senator John Edwards, travels to another state, Minnesota, that's going to hold the Super Tuesday contest next week.

They faced off last night, along with Reverend Al Sharpton and Representative Dennis Kucinich in a debate that was sponsored by CNN and the "Los Angeles Times."

Edwards and Kerry differed on the death penalty and trade as well. They were also questioned about approving President Bush's Iraq war resolution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a blank check. Why?

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But those -- what we did is we voted on a resolution. The answer is, what we did is we voted on a resolution. It is for the president of the United States to determine how to conduct a war.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have a slightly different take from John on this. Let me make it very clear. We did not give the president any authority that the president of the United States didn't have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Senior political analyst Bill Schneider is in Los Angeles with his impressions of last night's debate.

Nice to see you, Bill. Good morning.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Going into the debate, here's what you said that Senator Edwards had to do to do well last night, he said he had to challenge Kerry's electability, he had to stress his own outsider status, and he had to grab the headlines. Do you think he was able to do any or all of those things?

SCHNEIDER: Well, he certainly tried, but I don't think he really succeeded in this debate, because he wasn't really able to say, you know, he is unelectable, I'm electable.

At one point, he talked about his appeal to voters that he thought Kerry really couldn't appeal to, and Kerry called him on it and said, you know, John, there really isn't much evidence for what you're trying to say. And when Edwards said, you know, you accept money from lobbyists, I wouldn't do that, I thought Kerry very effectively talked about Edwards' contributions from trial lawyers, and said, you know, you accept that money. I would ban lobbyists -- people from lobbying the government for five years. I thought Kerry was prepared for all of those remarks.

O'BRIEN: The...

SCHNEIDER: I was going to say, grabbing headlines? The headline from this was that they would make a good ticket, and Kerry said he would consider Edwards as his vice president. That's not the headline Edwards wanted to see. O'BRIEN: No it certainly isn't. The guy who chairs Edwards' California campaign said beforehand, we have a mountain to climb. So, give me a sense of whether that mountain was overcome? From what happened last night, what do you think the impact is on Super Tuesday for Senator Edwards?

SCHNEIDER: I think that Democrats continue to believe that Kerry is perfectly acceptable as their nominee. There is no anti-Kerry constituency. And I think the problem remains exactly the same, principally because Kerry's stature showed up very strong last night. He was very knowledgeable. He seemed more mature, a more authoritative person than John Edwards.

Edwards was, as always, likable. He was scrappy. He looked like he'd be terrific as a vice president. That was -- he looked like he was auditioning for the role of vice president, as someone who would, you know, get tough at times, who could go out there and mix it up. But Kerry looked like the guy -- Kerry looked like the president.

O'BRIEN: Well, then let's talk about Kerry, because you said going into this debate what Kerry needs to do is minimize his differences, keep the focus on the president, and show his personality. Many people said the format of the debate, just literally the sitting around the table, really helped Kerry with his personality issue.

SCHNEIDER: Absolutely. It was a relaxed format. So, Kerry looked unusually comfortable. Kerry can be stiff and aloof. In this case, he didn't. He smiled. There was even some touching between the two of them, which is very unusual in a debate. The format contributed to that, and I thought the format really helped Kerry, because he looked relaxed for once.

O'BRIEN: At the end of the debate, or right toward the end, there was this exchange, and you referenced it a little bit. But I want to hear what Senator Edwards had to say about Senator Kerry. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARDS: I think an Edwards/Kerry ticket would be powerful, and that's the ticket that I think we should have.

(CROSSTALK)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Are you -- hold it. Are you saying now that if you get this nomination, you will ask him to join you?

EDWARDS: Oh, he certainly should be considered. He's a very, very, very good candidate.

KING: And where does Edwards stand in your thinking? You have to be thinking about him.

KERRY: My thinking...

KING: If you say you're not thinking about him, you're kidding.

KERRY: I want to thank him for the consideration. I appreciate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Ouch, a little bit, because many people were waiting for the, well, you know, a Kerry/Edwards ticket would be a powerful thing. He wasn't giving on that at all. Give me your response to that.

SCHNEIDER: I think that Democrats looked at that exchange we just saw and said there's our ticket! There it is! With Kerry on top, not Edwards. Edwards made a joke, and Kerry trumped his joke by saying thank you for your consideration. Kerry looks like a guy who's been around. He's been through a war. He's been in Washington a long time. That can count against you sometimes.

But this year Democrats are looking for someone who can stand next to George Bush and say, I'm going to keep you safe. I'll protect the country. I can deal with international affairs, dangerous issues. Kerry looked like that guy. Edwards, entirely likable, but Democrats looked at that at the very end and they said, bingo, there's our ticket, but it's Kerry on top.

O'BRIEN: Bill Schneider for us this morning. Nice to see you, Bill. Thanks as always.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

O'BRIEN: And, of course, CNN is the place to turn for complete coverage and results from the upcoming Super Tuesday contest. Our coverage on Super Tuesday begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

HEMMER: It's about 12 minutes past the hour now.

More than 10,000 children have been abused by priests in the past 52 years. Those numbers in two reports coming out today on abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, a report sponsored by the church.

And Jason Carroll outside the National Press Building in Washington for more on this.

Jason -- good morning.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Bill.

You'll remember it was about a week ago when CNN released numbers from a draft report on sexual abuse. These are the final numbers, and they are very similar. Here they are.

Researchers found that between 1950 and 2002, 4,392 clergy were accused of abuse. That represents about 4 percent of the 110,000 priests in active ministry. They are accused of abusing some 10,667 victims -- a startling number.

Researchers from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice also found that only 14 percent of priests who were accused of abuse were actually reported to police by their bishops.

Another part of this report deals with the causes behind the abuse, and researchers found that the clergy -- quote -- "tolerated moral laxity and a gay subculture within the church."

Also, very critical in this report, several top-ranking clergy, notably Cardinal Egan from New York, Cardinal Mahoney from Los Angeles and, of course, Boston's former Cardinal Bernard Law for their role in what happened. Critics of this report say, as startling as the numbers are, they're still low, in their opinion, because researchers relied on bishops for their information instead of also looking for sources outside the church -- Bill.

HEMMER: Jason, thanks. Jason Carroll in D.C. breaking that story last week here live on AMERICAN MORNING. Jason, thanks for the update there -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: A Houston courtroom took on the air of theater yesterday, as prosecutors tried to prove their murder case with a dramatic re-creation.

Mike Brooks has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(INSERT MIKE BROOKS PACKAGE FROM ANDERSON COOPER 360 THURSDAY EVENING, 02260003.v98)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: If she is convicted, Wright could receive a prison sentence of 5 to 99 years.

HEMMER: What a story that is, huh?

O'BRIEN: Ow!

HEMMER: Yow!

In a moment here, scary moments at a New York subway stop, a woman pushed onto the tracks. In a moment, meet her and her savior on AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: Also, ahead, same-sex marriages move eastward. We're going to tell where they're going to start happening today.

HEMMER: And "90-Second Pop" today, predicting the Oscar winners on Sunday. All ahead this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Well, the next time someone complains about their nightmare commute, remember Leah Bianco, her nightmare all too real earlier this week. Standing on a New York subway platform on Monday, she was pushed onto the tracks, and moments before a train came rushing into that station she was pulled to safety.

Leah did not know who saved her, but after reading the story in a local newspaper, her mystery man appeared. They're with us now, Leah Bianco and Randy Brown, the man who saved her.

Nice to see both of you.

LEAH BIANCO, PUSHED ONTO SUBWAY TRACKS: Good to see you.

RANDY BROWN, RESCUED BIANCO FROM SUBWAY TRACKS: Thank you.

HEMMER: What a story this is. At 7:15 in the morning on Monday morning, what happened to you as you were waiting for a train?

BIANCO: I was standing perpendicular to the tracks, and a, like, deranged homeless man walked up alongside of me. And as he got, like, parallel to me, he just thrusted all of his body weight against me.

HEMMER: He literally hit you...

BIANCO: Yes.

HEMMER: ... and threw his body into you.

BIANCO: Yes, pretty much, just thrusted me.

HEMMER: So, you go down onto the tracks, which is about, a what, a six or seven-foot fall at that point?

BIANCO: I mean, I think when I stood up it was up to here, and I'm about 5'4". So, maybe like five feet.

HEMMER: OK, a little less than 6 feet, though.

BIANCO: Yes.

HEMMER: So, you're down there on the tracks. There's a train on the way. And what are you doing, Randy?

BROWN: I'm listening to my radio actually, and I hear, "Oh my God!" And I rush over from where I was, and I help her. And I pulled her out from where she was.

HEMMER: Hang on a second. There were other people at the stop at the time, right?

BROWN: Yes, there was.

HEMMER: What were they doing?

BIANCO: They were staring at me.

BROWN: I guess they were just looking. HEMMER: Staring?

BIANCO: Yes.

HEMMER: They didn't make a move?

BIANCO: I mean, I looked up at all of these people, and I remember saying -- first, I tried to pull myself up. And then I looked at all of these people. I said, 'Please, please, somebody help me.' And then all I really saw of him at the time was his hand, but I latched on to it. I just latched on to it.

HEMMER: You said, 'Please, don't let me fall? I lost my footing.' You were screaming that?

BIANCO: I said that to the homeless man that pushed me. I was losing my footing, and I trying to grab on to him, because he was right next to me. 'Please, don't let me fall.'

HEMMER: So, out of nowhere comes the arm of Randy Brown, right, Randy?

BROWN: Yes.

HEMMER: And you just shot her right out of there. Is that right?

BROWN: That's correct.

HEMMER: Now, the two of you got separated, and for days you did not know. Where did you go?

BIANCO: Yes.

BROWN: I didn't no anywhere. Actually she left. Actually, she was a little upset. Well, actually, scared and frightened, so...

BIANCO: He went over to stand by the homeless man.

BROWN: Yes.

BIANCO: But he ended up losing him, because he got on a train. And I thought, because the transit worker had come, I thought, OK, they're going to get the transit police. So, I gave the other eyewitness my card. I was really shaken up. I was shaking, and I just wanted to leave.

HEMMER: And you said you were scared, too, right Randy?

BROWN: Sure, I was, yes. I was scared because of her. I was thinking, you know, nothing would happen like that again. But I actually waited and tried to wait for the police to come, but they never came. And as the train entered the station, all of the people had gotten out of the train, and then we lost...

HEMMER: What happened to the homeless man? BROWN: We lost him.

BIANCO: Detectives, the NYPD is working so hard on it. They've been amazing. I really think we'll find him, because now we have two eyewitnesses.

HEMMER: And also you have a front-page headline in New York City.

BIANCO: I never saw it.

HEMMER: Listen, have a great weekend.

BIANCO: I never even saw it.

BROWN: Thank you.

HEMMER: And great to see you in so many ways.

BIANCO: It's nice to see you. Thank you.

HEMMER: Leah, Randy.

BROWN: Thank you.

HEMMER: Well done, my friend.

BROWN: Thank you.

HEMMER: All right, take care.

BIANCO: Thank you.

HEMMER: Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: What a nice story with a very happy ending.

Still to come this morning, another community starts handing out marriage certificates to same-sex couples. We're going to tell you where when AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Time to check in with Jack and the question of the day.

Good morning.

CAFFERTY: Thank you, mom.

The House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday, and it moves on to the Senate now, that would treat attacks on a pregnant woman as two separate crimes -- one against the woman and one against the fetus that she's carrying. Supporters of the bill named it after Laci Peterson and her unborn son.

Critics say, though, that the bill is dangerous because it would give a new federal legal status to a fetus, and that's something that people who want to overturn Roe v. Wade have wanted for a long time.

So, the question is: Should the Congress pass this Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which is what it's called?

Here's some of what you've written us today.

Alice in North Dakota: "Yes. In prosecuting a crime, it's crucial to identify the damages. Taking two human lives is a more serious crime. The bill gives teeth to the prosecution. It more fully respects the loss of surviving family members who grieve the loss of both victims."

Mark in Cocoa Beach, Florida: "First, the gay marriage amendment; now another back-door attempt to change freedom of choice. Between now and November, I predict we'll see more tax cuts, more attempts at prayer in schools laws, school vouchers redux, some sort of gun law. Oh, too late. They're already floating that one."

Ray in Fairfax, Virginia: "It's our responsibility as moral human beings to protect the innocent and the helpless. We're compelled to uphold these obligations if we're to remain a responsible and peaceful society."

And Jim in Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania: "What's the difference if Congress passes this act or not? When they do something correct like making partial-birth abortion illegal, some whacko judge will say that it, partial-birth abortion, is OK. We really need to improve our judicial system before we can get this country back to normal."

AM@cnn.com is the e-mail address if you have thoughts.

HEMMER: Good topic.

In a moment here, Hollywood picking the best of the best this weekend. Sunday night, in fact, the Oscars are given out. Our "90- Second Pop" team is going to try to predict the winners. We said try and predict the winners.

Opening bell three minutes away also. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Reports; Subway Samaritan>


Aired February 27, 2004 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: John Edwards trying to set himself apart from John Kerry in a critical California debate, also dealing with a hot political topic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would not support the Defense of Marriage Act today if there were a vote today, which is the question you just asked Senator Kerry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: And rebels in Haiti are closing in on the capital. Another town falling near Port-au-Prince just this morning.

Plus, what made prosecutors roll out a bed and then tie up an assistant D.A. during a Texas murder trial? We'll explain just ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome everybody.

Other stories that we're following this morning, this will not be an easy day for the Roman Catholic Church in this country. A report coming out today from the U.S. Conference of Bishops on children abused by priests. It' going to have some stunning numbers. We've got an advanced look at that in just a few moments.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also this hour, say hello to a story with a very happy ending, the last-second rescue while on the tracks of a New York subway. We'll talk to a young woman who could have met her end, except for help from a stranger. They have found each other. They're front-page news here in New York City, too. So, we'll talk to them about what happened on that subway line this week.

O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty is with us. Hello.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

There might be more than meets the eye to a piece of legislation that's moving through the Congress of the United States. In essence, it says if you attack and injure or kill a woman who is pregnant, you can be charged with not one, but two crimes -- the second one being against the fetus she's carrying. Abortion rights advocates fear that it might be a first step in eventually trying to overturn Roe v. Wade. We'll explain the linkage. We're reading your e-mails on whether this thing ought to pass or not. It's gone through the House. It may not clear the Senate. But it's being talked about seriously down there.

HEMMER: All right, Jack, thanks.

Top stories again. France is calling for the resignation of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He is showing no signs, however, of standing down. The statement comes as rebels continue to close in on the capital city. They took over another town just this morning. Supporters crowding around the national palace to protect Aristide. Secretary of State Colin Powell has asked him to do what is best for the Haitian people.

A California judge has ruled on having only one set of jurors for the double murder trial of Scott Peterson. That ruling means that a single jury will hear arguments in the trial, and also participate in the penalty phase if convicted. The judge also turned down a defense request to have the jury sequestered. Peterson is accused of accusing his wife and unborn son. Jury selection in that case set to begin next week.

NASA cut short a risky space walk due to a space suit malfunction. Three hours into the walk yesterday, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri complained of water inside of his helmet. He and American astronaut Michael Foale had left the International Space Station empty, marking the first time the outpost had been unattended during a space walk. The crewmen managed to complete about half their work.

And a late winter snowstorm blanketing parts of the Deep South. This is not something you see every day. Snow started falling yesterday in Charlotte. About a foot is on the ground now. The snowfall forced schools to close. Travel is slow. The storm also hitting parts of northern Georgia, the state of Kentucky. Tennessee took a shot or two. So, that was a pretty big system coming through there.

O'BRIEN: A big system, really dramatic pictures.

Chad Myers is sort of in the thick of things there. He's in Spartanburg, South Carolina with the latest for us. No pun intended, I guess.

(WEATHER BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Democratic presidential front-runner Senator John Kerry will talk terrorism and national security today during a speech in Los Angeles. His main rival, Senator John Edwards, travels to another state, Minnesota, that's going to hold the Super Tuesday contest next week.

They faced off last night, along with Reverend Al Sharpton and Representative Dennis Kucinich in a debate that was sponsored by CNN and the "Los Angeles Times."

Edwards and Kerry differed on the death penalty and trade as well. They were also questioned about approving President Bush's Iraq war resolution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a blank check. Why?

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But those -- what we did is we voted on a resolution. The answer is, what we did is we voted on a resolution. It is for the president of the United States to determine how to conduct a war.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have a slightly different take from John on this. Let me make it very clear. We did not give the president any authority that the president of the United States didn't have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Senior political analyst Bill Schneider is in Los Angeles with his impressions of last night's debate.

Nice to see you, Bill. Good morning.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Going into the debate, here's what you said that Senator Edwards had to do to do well last night, he said he had to challenge Kerry's electability, he had to stress his own outsider status, and he had to grab the headlines. Do you think he was able to do any or all of those things?

SCHNEIDER: Well, he certainly tried, but I don't think he really succeeded in this debate, because he wasn't really able to say, you know, he is unelectable, I'm electable.

At one point, he talked about his appeal to voters that he thought Kerry really couldn't appeal to, and Kerry called him on it and said, you know, John, there really isn't much evidence for what you're trying to say. And when Edwards said, you know, you accept money from lobbyists, I wouldn't do that, I thought Kerry very effectively talked about Edwards' contributions from trial lawyers, and said, you know, you accept that money. I would ban lobbyists -- people from lobbying the government for five years. I thought Kerry was prepared for all of those remarks.

O'BRIEN: The...

SCHNEIDER: I was going to say, grabbing headlines? The headline from this was that they would make a good ticket, and Kerry said he would consider Edwards as his vice president. That's not the headline Edwards wanted to see. O'BRIEN: No it certainly isn't. The guy who chairs Edwards' California campaign said beforehand, we have a mountain to climb. So, give me a sense of whether that mountain was overcome? From what happened last night, what do you think the impact is on Super Tuesday for Senator Edwards?

SCHNEIDER: I think that Democrats continue to believe that Kerry is perfectly acceptable as their nominee. There is no anti-Kerry constituency. And I think the problem remains exactly the same, principally because Kerry's stature showed up very strong last night. He was very knowledgeable. He seemed more mature, a more authoritative person than John Edwards.

Edwards was, as always, likable. He was scrappy. He looked like he'd be terrific as a vice president. That was -- he looked like he was auditioning for the role of vice president, as someone who would, you know, get tough at times, who could go out there and mix it up. But Kerry looked like the guy -- Kerry looked like the president.

O'BRIEN: Well, then let's talk about Kerry, because you said going into this debate what Kerry needs to do is minimize his differences, keep the focus on the president, and show his personality. Many people said the format of the debate, just literally the sitting around the table, really helped Kerry with his personality issue.

SCHNEIDER: Absolutely. It was a relaxed format. So, Kerry looked unusually comfortable. Kerry can be stiff and aloof. In this case, he didn't. He smiled. There was even some touching between the two of them, which is very unusual in a debate. The format contributed to that, and I thought the format really helped Kerry, because he looked relaxed for once.

O'BRIEN: At the end of the debate, or right toward the end, there was this exchange, and you referenced it a little bit. But I want to hear what Senator Edwards had to say about Senator Kerry. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARDS: I think an Edwards/Kerry ticket would be powerful, and that's the ticket that I think we should have.

(CROSSTALK)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Are you -- hold it. Are you saying now that if you get this nomination, you will ask him to join you?

EDWARDS: Oh, he certainly should be considered. He's a very, very, very good candidate.

KING: And where does Edwards stand in your thinking? You have to be thinking about him.

KERRY: My thinking...

KING: If you say you're not thinking about him, you're kidding.

KERRY: I want to thank him for the consideration. I appreciate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Ouch, a little bit, because many people were waiting for the, well, you know, a Kerry/Edwards ticket would be a powerful thing. He wasn't giving on that at all. Give me your response to that.

SCHNEIDER: I think that Democrats looked at that exchange we just saw and said there's our ticket! There it is! With Kerry on top, not Edwards. Edwards made a joke, and Kerry trumped his joke by saying thank you for your consideration. Kerry looks like a guy who's been around. He's been through a war. He's been in Washington a long time. That can count against you sometimes.

But this year Democrats are looking for someone who can stand next to George Bush and say, I'm going to keep you safe. I'll protect the country. I can deal with international affairs, dangerous issues. Kerry looked like that guy. Edwards, entirely likable, but Democrats looked at that at the very end and they said, bingo, there's our ticket, but it's Kerry on top.

O'BRIEN: Bill Schneider for us this morning. Nice to see you, Bill. Thanks as always.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

O'BRIEN: And, of course, CNN is the place to turn for complete coverage and results from the upcoming Super Tuesday contest. Our coverage on Super Tuesday begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

HEMMER: It's about 12 minutes past the hour now.

More than 10,000 children have been abused by priests in the past 52 years. Those numbers in two reports coming out today on abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, a report sponsored by the church.

And Jason Carroll outside the National Press Building in Washington for more on this.

Jason -- good morning.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Bill.

You'll remember it was about a week ago when CNN released numbers from a draft report on sexual abuse. These are the final numbers, and they are very similar. Here they are.

Researchers found that between 1950 and 2002, 4,392 clergy were accused of abuse. That represents about 4 percent of the 110,000 priests in active ministry. They are accused of abusing some 10,667 victims -- a startling number.

Researchers from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice also found that only 14 percent of priests who were accused of abuse were actually reported to police by their bishops.

Another part of this report deals with the causes behind the abuse, and researchers found that the clergy -- quote -- "tolerated moral laxity and a gay subculture within the church."

Also, very critical in this report, several top-ranking clergy, notably Cardinal Egan from New York, Cardinal Mahoney from Los Angeles and, of course, Boston's former Cardinal Bernard Law for their role in what happened. Critics of this report say, as startling as the numbers are, they're still low, in their opinion, because researchers relied on bishops for their information instead of also looking for sources outside the church -- Bill.

HEMMER: Jason, thanks. Jason Carroll in D.C. breaking that story last week here live on AMERICAN MORNING. Jason, thanks for the update there -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: A Houston courtroom took on the air of theater yesterday, as prosecutors tried to prove their murder case with a dramatic re-creation.

Mike Brooks has our report.

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O'BRIEN: If she is convicted, Wright could receive a prison sentence of 5 to 99 years.

HEMMER: What a story that is, huh?

O'BRIEN: Ow!

HEMMER: Yow!

In a moment here, scary moments at a New York subway stop, a woman pushed onto the tracks. In a moment, meet her and her savior on AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: Also, ahead, same-sex marriages move eastward. We're going to tell where they're going to start happening today.

HEMMER: And "90-Second Pop" today, predicting the Oscar winners on Sunday. All ahead this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Well, the next time someone complains about their nightmare commute, remember Leah Bianco, her nightmare all too real earlier this week. Standing on a New York subway platform on Monday, she was pushed onto the tracks, and moments before a train came rushing into that station she was pulled to safety.

Leah did not know who saved her, but after reading the story in a local newspaper, her mystery man appeared. They're with us now, Leah Bianco and Randy Brown, the man who saved her.

Nice to see both of you.

LEAH BIANCO, PUSHED ONTO SUBWAY TRACKS: Good to see you.

RANDY BROWN, RESCUED BIANCO FROM SUBWAY TRACKS: Thank you.

HEMMER: What a story this is. At 7:15 in the morning on Monday morning, what happened to you as you were waiting for a train?

BIANCO: I was standing perpendicular to the tracks, and a, like, deranged homeless man walked up alongside of me. And as he got, like, parallel to me, he just thrusted all of his body weight against me.

HEMMER: He literally hit you...

BIANCO: Yes.

HEMMER: ... and threw his body into you.

BIANCO: Yes, pretty much, just thrusted me.

HEMMER: So, you go down onto the tracks, which is about, a what, a six or seven-foot fall at that point?

BIANCO: I mean, I think when I stood up it was up to here, and I'm about 5'4". So, maybe like five feet.

HEMMER: OK, a little less than 6 feet, though.

BIANCO: Yes.

HEMMER: So, you're down there on the tracks. There's a train on the way. And what are you doing, Randy?

BROWN: I'm listening to my radio actually, and I hear, "Oh my God!" And I rush over from where I was, and I help her. And I pulled her out from where she was.

HEMMER: Hang on a second. There were other people at the stop at the time, right?

BROWN: Yes, there was.

HEMMER: What were they doing?

BIANCO: They were staring at me.

BROWN: I guess they were just looking. HEMMER: Staring?

BIANCO: Yes.

HEMMER: They didn't make a move?

BIANCO: I mean, I looked up at all of these people, and I remember saying -- first, I tried to pull myself up. And then I looked at all of these people. I said, 'Please, please, somebody help me.' And then all I really saw of him at the time was his hand, but I latched on to it. I just latched on to it.

HEMMER: You said, 'Please, don't let me fall? I lost my footing.' You were screaming that?

BIANCO: I said that to the homeless man that pushed me. I was losing my footing, and I trying to grab on to him, because he was right next to me. 'Please, don't let me fall.'

HEMMER: So, out of nowhere comes the arm of Randy Brown, right, Randy?

BROWN: Yes.

HEMMER: And you just shot her right out of there. Is that right?

BROWN: That's correct.

HEMMER: Now, the two of you got separated, and for days you did not know. Where did you go?

BIANCO: Yes.

BROWN: I didn't no anywhere. Actually she left. Actually, she was a little upset. Well, actually, scared and frightened, so...

BIANCO: He went over to stand by the homeless man.

BROWN: Yes.

BIANCO: But he ended up losing him, because he got on a train. And I thought, because the transit worker had come, I thought, OK, they're going to get the transit police. So, I gave the other eyewitness my card. I was really shaken up. I was shaking, and I just wanted to leave.

HEMMER: And you said you were scared, too, right Randy?

BROWN: Sure, I was, yes. I was scared because of her. I was thinking, you know, nothing would happen like that again. But I actually waited and tried to wait for the police to come, but they never came. And as the train entered the station, all of the people had gotten out of the train, and then we lost...

HEMMER: What happened to the homeless man? BROWN: We lost him.

BIANCO: Detectives, the NYPD is working so hard on it. They've been amazing. I really think we'll find him, because now we have two eyewitnesses.

HEMMER: And also you have a front-page headline in New York City.

BIANCO: I never saw it.

HEMMER: Listen, have a great weekend.

BIANCO: I never even saw it.

BROWN: Thank you.

HEMMER: And great to see you in so many ways.

BIANCO: It's nice to see you. Thank you.

HEMMER: Leah, Randy.

BROWN: Thank you.

HEMMER: Well done, my friend.

BROWN: Thank you.

HEMMER: All right, take care.

BIANCO: Thank you.

HEMMER: Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: What a nice story with a very happy ending.

Still to come this morning, another community starts handing out marriage certificates to same-sex couples. We're going to tell you where when AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this short break.

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O'BRIEN: Time to check in with Jack and the question of the day.

Good morning.

CAFFERTY: Thank you, mom.

The House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday, and it moves on to the Senate now, that would treat attacks on a pregnant woman as two separate crimes -- one against the woman and one against the fetus that she's carrying. Supporters of the bill named it after Laci Peterson and her unborn son.

Critics say, though, that the bill is dangerous because it would give a new federal legal status to a fetus, and that's something that people who want to overturn Roe v. Wade have wanted for a long time.

So, the question is: Should the Congress pass this Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which is what it's called?

Here's some of what you've written us today.

Alice in North Dakota: "Yes. In prosecuting a crime, it's crucial to identify the damages. Taking two human lives is a more serious crime. The bill gives teeth to the prosecution. It more fully respects the loss of surviving family members who grieve the loss of both victims."

Mark in Cocoa Beach, Florida: "First, the gay marriage amendment; now another back-door attempt to change freedom of choice. Between now and November, I predict we'll see more tax cuts, more attempts at prayer in schools laws, school vouchers redux, some sort of gun law. Oh, too late. They're already floating that one."

Ray in Fairfax, Virginia: "It's our responsibility as moral human beings to protect the innocent and the helpless. We're compelled to uphold these obligations if we're to remain a responsible and peaceful society."

And Jim in Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania: "What's the difference if Congress passes this act or not? When they do something correct like making partial-birth abortion illegal, some whacko judge will say that it, partial-birth abortion, is OK. We really need to improve our judicial system before we can get this country back to normal."

AM@cnn.com is the e-mail address if you have thoughts.

HEMMER: Good topic.

In a moment here, Hollywood picking the best of the best this weekend. Sunday night, in fact, the Oscars are given out. Our "90- Second Pop" team is going to try to predict the winners. We said try and predict the winners.

Opening bell three minutes away also. Back after this.

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Reports; Subway Samaritan>