Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Marines Battling Insurgents in Fallujah; Michael Jackson's Two High-Profile Lawyers Suddenly Off the Case
Aired April 26, 2004 - 08:00 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: Hour after hour, Marines battling insurgents today in Fallujah. The center of the fighting, a 60 foot tower, now gone.
In Baghdad, another building reduced to rubble there. Iraqis swarm U.S. Humvees crushed in the debris.
And is it an act of desperation for Michael Jackson? His two high profile lawyers suddenly off the case on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to Monday.
A little bit past eight o'clock here in New York.
The woman who was fired for photographing coffins of military personnel is with us this hour. We'll ask her why she took the pictures, two of them, in fact, in Kuwait. One was printed in a newspaper in Seattle -- whether or not she's been treated unfairly. She lost her job. So did her husband. We'll get to that this hour.
O'BRIEN: Also, a moment ago, you just saw the pictures of the University of Colorado. Well, that's because this morning the University of Colorado, two football moms join us. They say it is just shameful the way that people are treating members of the team, including their sons. We're going to find out why, what they think about the team's coach and also about the women who are making these accusations.
HEMMER: A significant story yet again today in Colorado -- Jack Cafferty, good morning to you on a Monday.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.
Coming up in the Cafferty File in a little less than an hour, why is Mona Lisa smiling? We are going to suggest that perhaps she knew at the time her portrait was being painted that the artist was working on building her a new car.
And once again the Windy City makes The File. The city of Chicago, more specifically, one of the sports teams, tackling the thorny issue of potty parity.
That's coming up in less than an hour. O'BRIEN: The publicist for the mayor's office is going to be so sorry she ever called in, isn't she?
CAFFERTY: Well, no. We were happy to hear from her. I don't remember her name right off hand but...
HEMMER: Jacqueline.
O'BRIEN: Jacqueline.
CAFFERTY: You know, the city of Chicago has, of course, a long history of things like political corruption, Al Capone, Richard Daley, the 1968. This woman called to complain...
O'BRIEN: About the librarian getting a bad rap.
CAFFERTY: ... because we reported that some city employees were calling sex and psychic hotline numbers and she just took issue with the whole report. So she called my producer, it became -- so it was a two day story.
Well, Chicago is back in The File today, but oh, what's her name, isn't included this time.
O'BRIEN: Jacqueline Herd (ph).
CAFFERTY: The flak from the mayor's office.
HEMMER: Back in The File, back in the crosshairs.
CAFFERTY: There you go.
HEMMER: Indeed.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's get to the White House this morning.
Facing a delicate dilemma over the situation in Fallujah and also out of Najaf. There was fresh fighting in Fallujah today between U.S. Marines and Iraqi insurgents and that followed the U.S. military extension of a cease-fire in the area.
We've got two reports for you this morning -- Barbara Starr, who is at the Pentagon for us, and also John King, who's live at the White House.
Let's begin with Barbara Starr -- Barbara, good morning.
And let's talk about the kind of urban warfare that we are seeing and might see much more of.
Is this essentially what the U.S. planners feared one year ago when the war started? BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's exactly right, Soledad.
Urban warfare was the scenario they were the most concerned about when they entered Baghdad. It didn't happen then. It is happening now. Cease-fire or not, you just look at these pictures, you see the battle going on.
Now, the insurgents, by all accounts, are using sniper rifles, mortars, relatively small weapons. The U.S. is responding with a variety of weapons, by all accounts, everything from 500 pound bombs to Cobra gunships to mortars and artillery. The U.S. goal, everyone in the Pentagon says, is to use precise fires to minimize civilian casualties. But that is proving to be a very difficult proposition. The U.S. being compelled, of course, to use mortars, artillery to go in and fire on these targets.
Mortars and artillery are not precise weapons. They are not guided to their target. They can go off course. It's going to be a very difficult problem with the real possibility of civilian casualties.
O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr for us this morning at the Pentagon.
Barbara, thank you for that update.
Let's go to John King, as I mentioned, who's at the White House -- and, John, let's talk about the political context of all of this.
How much of a risk does the White House face here with what's going on in Fallujah especially?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was the subject of great discussion, Soledad, over the weekend at Camp David, where the president was with his national security team. The president today on the road, off to Minnesota, mostly to talk about the economy. But certainly the ongoing situation in Iraq on his mind. And from a political standpoint, the White House was hoping to avoid a full scale offensive in Fallujah because it knows, number one, you would only embolden insurgents, anti-American sentiment elsewhere across Iraq, including within Fallujah; and also anti-American sentiment across the Arab world as that June 30 deadline for transferring sovereignty approaches.
So the point's first instinct, aides say, is to try to work with local Iraqi leaders and to try to bring the insurgency to a relatively peaceful end.
But we also are told that with all those political considerations, and certainly the president must consider them, that in the end, the military will get the final word on this. And if the generals on the ground in Iraq say, sir, working through the political process or working through these planned joint patrols with the Iraqis has simply not worked and they feel they must be more aggressive, the president will give the go ahead. Soledad, one of the concerns as you look at the pictures in Fallujah is the White House says word from the military is that weapons are being stockpiled in schools and in mosques. So the White House would like to defuse this peacefully, knowing that if you do have a military solution and you destroy schools and destroy mosques in the process, that is likely to complicate the political situation. And, again, there is already very deep anti-American sentiment on the ground.
O'BRIEN: Yes. It really pretty much defines a delicate situation, doesn't it?
KING: Sure.
O'BRIEN: John King at the White House for us this morning.
John, thanks very much -- Bill.
HEMMER: Back to our top stories this morning on a Monday.
Michael Jackson is getting a new legal team. Benjamin Brafman says he and Mark Geragos have "stepped down" from the defense team due to "complicated issues." The Associated Press reporting that Thomas Mesereau, one time lawyer to the actor Robert Blake, will now represent Jackson. In fact, Jeff Toobin confirmed that news last hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
From New Jersey, closing statements expected today in the Jayson Williams manslaughter trial. It could go to jury as early as tomorrow. The prosecution claims Williams recklessly shot a limousine driver back in 2002 and tried to make the scene look like a suicide. Williams says the shooting was an accident. Again, closing arguments begin today.
A missing New York girl has been reunited with her mother. Five- year-old Britney Fish (ph) was discovered bound and gagged outside of a warehouse. The property's owner potted the girl during a visit to the site. She had been missing since Saturday evening. Officials say they are confident the girl's abductor will be taken into custody.
A sports note for you, Indiana advanced with a 90-75 win over Boston over the weekend. It was the Pacers first NBA victory in the play-off series after three consecutive first round losses. San Antonio completing a four game sweep of Memphis, 110-97. And the New Jersey Nets, with Eli Manning sitting front row. He's going to be a rich man very soon with the New York Giants. One hundred ninety-four against the Knicks. They beat them in four straight.
The NBA playoffs continue now in the post-season and they will conclude some time around October, actually, if you look at the schedule. That's a joke. They just go on and on and on.
O'BRIEN: It doesn't seem to end.
HEMMER: I mean, you know, come on.
O'BRIEN: That's how I feel. It just doesn't seem to end.
HEMMER: And this year the first round playoffs, they used to play five, best of five. This year's it's best of seven.
O'BRIEN: Every year.
HEMMER: Maybe next year the best of 14.
O'BRIEN: It just seems like it's on all the time.
HEMMER: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Not that I'm complaining.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Back to these pictures of coffins carrying the remains of U.S. military personnel killed in action, now fueling a debate yet again. The Pentagon insists the images are private. It all started last week, at the end of last week, with one photograph taken by Tami Silicio, an American contractor working in Kuwait for the Maytag Aircraft Corporation.
When her picture appeared on the front page of the "Seattle Times," Tami was fired, along with her husband, David Landry, another contractor with Maytag.
A bit earlier today, I talked with Tami from Kuwait City, asking her why she took that well known snapshot in the first place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAMI SILICIO, FORMER MAYTAG AIRCRAFT CORPORATION EMPLOYEE: I was overwhelmed by the sight I was looking at. I was overwhelmed by the feeling I was getting when I was standing there. There had been many times that I'd seen this happen, but this time it was -- you just look at these coffins and you see the devastation that occurs and you know the grief the families are going to be going through. And I know exactly what they're going to be going through. And it's all so overwhelming. And the overwhelming part made me take the picture, you know? HEMMER: Part of the reason why you took that photo, you said, was the dignity by which the military carried out the procession really had an impact on you.
Can you explain that to us, how you saw that? And, also, the possibility that these photos now are being used as a political tool, whether you support the war or are against the war? If you could speak to that.
SILICIO: The way that our fallen heroes are being taken care of by the Army and the Air Force is so wonderful. I mean they treat them with such respect. They take such great care. It's something to really behold when you see how much something affects somebody, especially something as this. And when you see people affected by the overwhelming feelings that they have, it's in their -- they have to work through them and then they're, what they're doing is what they're doing. They just -- it was just great to see them working and taking such great care of our fallen heroes.
HEMMER: One final question, Tami.
Did you realize you would lose your job after taking those photos?
SILICIO: No, because the photo was supposed to be only for my family and friends and to, for a memory, to explain to them what was going on and how I felt at the time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Tami Silicio by telephone earlier today from Kuwait City.
She took two that day -- one sent to a friend, the other eventually ended up with the "Seattle Times." The newspaper contacted her asking for permission. She relented and here we are today. Her husband and Tami, they plan on returning back to the U.S. on the 30th of April, at the end of this month -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's go overseas now. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat promised victory after an Israeli assassination threat. Arafat spoke to a cheering crowd of Palestinians on Saturday outside his headquarters in Ramallah. He says that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has tried to kill him before and has failed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YASSER ARAFAT, PALESTINIAN LEADER: It is not the first time he was trying to (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Not a very good attack in Beirut. He was trying to kill me 13 times. As he had mentioned, not me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Ariel Sharon says that early this month he told President Bush he no longer feels bound to a pledge to not target Arafat. The White House says it strongly opposes the killing of Yasser Arafat.
HEMMER: In a moment here, what's behind this whole shakeup at Michael Jackson's defense team. Live to L.A. for the latest on that story today.
O'BRIEN: Also, Kobe Bryant back in Colorado this morning for the start of a three day hearing in his sexual assault case. We take you live to Eagle County for that.
HEMMER: And one of the biggest questions parents have of a newborn baby -- one of the biggest questions to answer, anyway. Sanjay explains that a bit later this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Let's start with some legal news this morning.
A big shake-up for Michael Jackson's legal defense team. The pop star is parting company with his two lead attorneys.
CNN's Frank Buckley joins us live from Los Angeles with more on that this morning -- hey, Frank, good morning.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
It was a Sunday surprise for those of us covering the case, even for Michael Jackson's official spokesperson, who wasn't aware of the attorney change yesterday. This morning, though, official confirmation. Jackson's official Web site lists the legal team the Thomas Mesereau at the top of the list of lawyers. Not listed, his tag team of powerful legal talent, who have been at Jackson's side until now. Ben Brafman from New York and Mark Geragos from Los Angeles are off the team.
The change comes less than a week after a Santa Barbara County grand jury indicted the pop star in connection with the case. That means that Jackson will bypass a preliminary hearing on the way to trial.
Brafman issued a statement in which he says, "We have elected to step down as a result of a number of complicated issues that have arisen in recent weeks that would not be appropriate to discuss publicly." He goes on to wish him well and says he hopes he'll be exonerated.
No one's saying publicly why the change occurred. Sources telling CNN's Jeffrey Toobin, however, there were tensions between the Jackson camp and the Jackson legal defense team over what to respond to and when in the news media. The lawyers saying their hands were tied. They are under a strict gag order in this case.
The new attorney in the case, Thomas Mesereau, is a guy with a good legal reputation. He has represented high profile clients. Most recently he's one of -- he was one of actor Robert Blake's attorneys. He was able to get bail for Blake in the murder case while he awaits trial.
All of this comes less than a week before we expect to see Michael Jackson again in court. His last court appearance for his arraignment on the criminal complaint quite a scene. This Friday, he'll be arraigned on the new grand jury indictments and fans, we are told, will be bussed in from Los Angeles free of charge, according to his Web site. So it should be quite a scene again -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It's always quite a scene, isn't it, Frank? You would know because you're always there.
Frank Buckley for us this morning.
BUCKLEY: Definitely.
O'BRIEN: Frank, thanks -- Bill. HEMMER: Also in the courtroom, Kobe Bryant returns to Colorado this morning, in fact, the site of a three day hearing there in his sexual assault case.
CNN's Adrian Baschuk live in Eagle for more on what we may anticipate there -- Adrian, good morning there.
ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
Kobe Bryant, who came up big in overtime just yesterday, has to interrupt his play-off run and make it to court right behind me at 8:30 a.m. Mountain time. These last three days of hearings are the last scheduled rounds before a trial date may finally be set.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASCHUK (voice-over): Fresh off of Sunday's Lakers-Rockets play- off game, Kobe Bryant must refocus his game on the legal battle of his life. Since the last preliminary hearing, a long for Team Bryant. Judge Terry Ruckriegle ruled that the accuser's medical and mental health records will remain sealed and confidential.
CYNTHIA STONE, COLORADO COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT: We thought that he had swung the pendulum back to where it should be.
BASCHUK: The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault argues that Kobe Bryant's superstar status unfairly hurts the alleged victim.
STONE: This woman's life has been made hell, frankly.
BASCHUK: The accuser's mother has written the judge a letter pleading that hundreds of death threats have been made against her daughter's life. She spoke out at a National Victims Rights Week rally in Denver last week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to thank my daughter for teaching me about courage. I'm proud to be her mom.
BASCHUK: Closed door pretrial hearings will resume on what portions of the accuser's sexual past will be admitted into trial as evidence, a defense challenge to the state's rape shield law.
LARRY POZNER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The rape shield hearings, there is nothing that the law says is completely shielded. The law says how relevant is the evidence?
BASCHUK: Also, the judge is expected to address a possible trial date. Legal experts say if motions are still being argued in May, don't look for a trial to start until August.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASCHUK: But before we can even talk trial date, Kobe Bryant must first enter a plea, something he has not even done yet, formally declaring his innocence before the court -- Bill.
HEMMER: Adrian, thanks.
Adrian Baschuk there in Eagle -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, much more on that fighting in Fallujah. Also, the Queen Mary 2 gets quite a sendoff from New York City. We take a look at that as well, on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Time to check in with Jack and the Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: We're talking to our director.
HEMMER: It was nice.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I know, and that's why I was jumping in.
CAFFERTY: Yes. He used to work five days a week. Now we only see you two or three days a week. I don't know what that deal is.
O'BRIEN: I know, really.
CAFFERTY: I want your agent.
The Question of the Day has to do with Pat Tillman. He's the former pro football player who was killed in Afghanistan over the week, or last week. And over the weekend, that death dominated the news coverage. He walked away from a $3.5 million football contract. And when you think about the way a lot of professional athletes conduct themselves these days -- and it isn't pretty in some cases -- then his decision to quit the pro football arena and go serve his country really stood out.
There are others, though, who have paid the ultimate price and were not accorded the amount of attention that he did.
So we asked this morning, "Does the media coverage of Tillman's death in any way diminish the sacrifice of others?"
Waverly in Dallas, Texas: "No. His death has not diminished the sacrifice of other people who served and died in combat. But it does say something about our celebrity culture that it's a major news story when a celebrity does something as basic and selfless as serving his country. Can we imagine any other celebrity we know of today who would do such a thing? It doesn't speak well for them or for us."
Ray writes: "Mr. Tillman is a shining example of all that's right with this country. Rather than detracting from all the others who have given the ultimate, he brings attention to the gifts they give us all."
Kris: "I am the wife of an active duty soldier and the first thing I thought when the story broke was what makes this guy so special that he receives all this news coverage? All the other soldiers gave up equally good lives to serve for their country and this football player's life is not any more valuable than any other soldier's."
Marc in Fort Lauderdale, Florida: "The reason this hero's story is so compelling is that Pat Tillman, a reluctant public figure, gave up the American dream in order to defend the opportunity for the rest of us to attain it."
And earlier I had commented on why it is that John McCain, the senator from Arizona, seems to be able to say things in a language that people can understand as opposed to most of the rest of the politicians. And that prompted this from Stephanie in Pittsburgh: "I can't resist answering the question Jack didn't ask. John McCain doesn't say anything differently from anyone else. He's just heard differently because we all know him to be a man of integrity who will put politics aside and speak what he thinks is the truth in all situations. Wouldn't it be great if a few more politicians -- Republicans and Democrats -- followed his lead?
Yes, wouldn't it?
But don't hold your breath.
HEMMER: You spend six years in the Hanoi Hilton, the jail in North Vietnam and your words carry a lot of credibility and an awful lot of weight for a lifetime.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And he is one of the few politicians, I think, also, who says, when they say I'm going to speak bluntly, really means what's going to follow is going to be very straightforward talk, as opposed to the bulk of politicians, who shall remain nameless, who often say that and then continue to go on without...
CAFFERTY: Certain character traits are similar to Specialist Tillman's.
HEMMER: Very true.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
You know, it was interesting to have the mom and dad on, who e- mailed us last week...
HEMMER: The Thompsons from Rome, Georgia.
O'BRIEN: ... the Johnsons, who e-mailed you last week, because they said they invited the community and the media to their son's funeral because they felt their son belonged to everybody.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And, you know, again...
HEMMER: Very open and very proud. O'BRIEN: ... I think that sort of makes sense with Tillman's death. And, you know, he's somebody who belonged not just to them, the family, but to everybody.
CAFFERTY: Well, the real sad thing to me in all of this is that the debate over the caskets and the photographs and the media coverage has become a political issue. And that's just disgusting, as far as I'm concerned. It's an election year so therefore all of this now has become a political issue. And it shouldn't be that, not ever.
O'BRIEN: And as you answered that last e-mail, not going to change any time soon, I don't think.
CAFFERTY: Well, maybe after November. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HEMMER: Let's get a break here.
In a moment, out of Colorado, the university there facing allegations of sex abuse. Some mothers of the players now speaking out. We will hear from two of them in a moment live when we go out there in Colorado after this.
Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 26, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hour after hour, Marines battling insurgents today in Fallujah. The center of the fighting, a 60 foot tower, now gone.
In Baghdad, another building reduced to rubble there. Iraqis swarm U.S. Humvees crushed in the debris.
And is it an act of desperation for Michael Jackson? His two high profile lawyers suddenly off the case on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to Monday.
A little bit past eight o'clock here in New York.
The woman who was fired for photographing coffins of military personnel is with us this hour. We'll ask her why she took the pictures, two of them, in fact, in Kuwait. One was printed in a newspaper in Seattle -- whether or not she's been treated unfairly. She lost her job. So did her husband. We'll get to that this hour.
O'BRIEN: Also, a moment ago, you just saw the pictures of the University of Colorado. Well, that's because this morning the University of Colorado, two football moms join us. They say it is just shameful the way that people are treating members of the team, including their sons. We're going to find out why, what they think about the team's coach and also about the women who are making these accusations.
HEMMER: A significant story yet again today in Colorado -- Jack Cafferty, good morning to you on a Monday.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.
Coming up in the Cafferty File in a little less than an hour, why is Mona Lisa smiling? We are going to suggest that perhaps she knew at the time her portrait was being painted that the artist was working on building her a new car.
And once again the Windy City makes The File. The city of Chicago, more specifically, one of the sports teams, tackling the thorny issue of potty parity.
That's coming up in less than an hour. O'BRIEN: The publicist for the mayor's office is going to be so sorry she ever called in, isn't she?
CAFFERTY: Well, no. We were happy to hear from her. I don't remember her name right off hand but...
HEMMER: Jacqueline.
O'BRIEN: Jacqueline.
CAFFERTY: You know, the city of Chicago has, of course, a long history of things like political corruption, Al Capone, Richard Daley, the 1968. This woman called to complain...
O'BRIEN: About the librarian getting a bad rap.
CAFFERTY: ... because we reported that some city employees were calling sex and psychic hotline numbers and she just took issue with the whole report. So she called my producer, it became -- so it was a two day story.
Well, Chicago is back in The File today, but oh, what's her name, isn't included this time.
O'BRIEN: Jacqueline Herd (ph).
CAFFERTY: The flak from the mayor's office.
HEMMER: Back in The File, back in the crosshairs.
CAFFERTY: There you go.
HEMMER: Indeed.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's get to the White House this morning.
Facing a delicate dilemma over the situation in Fallujah and also out of Najaf. There was fresh fighting in Fallujah today between U.S. Marines and Iraqi insurgents and that followed the U.S. military extension of a cease-fire in the area.
We've got two reports for you this morning -- Barbara Starr, who is at the Pentagon for us, and also John King, who's live at the White House.
Let's begin with Barbara Starr -- Barbara, good morning.
And let's talk about the kind of urban warfare that we are seeing and might see much more of.
Is this essentially what the U.S. planners feared one year ago when the war started? BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's exactly right, Soledad.
Urban warfare was the scenario they were the most concerned about when they entered Baghdad. It didn't happen then. It is happening now. Cease-fire or not, you just look at these pictures, you see the battle going on.
Now, the insurgents, by all accounts, are using sniper rifles, mortars, relatively small weapons. The U.S. is responding with a variety of weapons, by all accounts, everything from 500 pound bombs to Cobra gunships to mortars and artillery. The U.S. goal, everyone in the Pentagon says, is to use precise fires to minimize civilian casualties. But that is proving to be a very difficult proposition. The U.S. being compelled, of course, to use mortars, artillery to go in and fire on these targets.
Mortars and artillery are not precise weapons. They are not guided to their target. They can go off course. It's going to be a very difficult problem with the real possibility of civilian casualties.
O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr for us this morning at the Pentagon.
Barbara, thank you for that update.
Let's go to John King, as I mentioned, who's at the White House -- and, John, let's talk about the political context of all of this.
How much of a risk does the White House face here with what's going on in Fallujah especially?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was the subject of great discussion, Soledad, over the weekend at Camp David, where the president was with his national security team. The president today on the road, off to Minnesota, mostly to talk about the economy. But certainly the ongoing situation in Iraq on his mind. And from a political standpoint, the White House was hoping to avoid a full scale offensive in Fallujah because it knows, number one, you would only embolden insurgents, anti-American sentiment elsewhere across Iraq, including within Fallujah; and also anti-American sentiment across the Arab world as that June 30 deadline for transferring sovereignty approaches.
So the point's first instinct, aides say, is to try to work with local Iraqi leaders and to try to bring the insurgency to a relatively peaceful end.
But we also are told that with all those political considerations, and certainly the president must consider them, that in the end, the military will get the final word on this. And if the generals on the ground in Iraq say, sir, working through the political process or working through these planned joint patrols with the Iraqis has simply not worked and they feel they must be more aggressive, the president will give the go ahead. Soledad, one of the concerns as you look at the pictures in Fallujah is the White House says word from the military is that weapons are being stockpiled in schools and in mosques. So the White House would like to defuse this peacefully, knowing that if you do have a military solution and you destroy schools and destroy mosques in the process, that is likely to complicate the political situation. And, again, there is already very deep anti-American sentiment on the ground.
O'BRIEN: Yes. It really pretty much defines a delicate situation, doesn't it?
KING: Sure.
O'BRIEN: John King at the White House for us this morning.
John, thanks very much -- Bill.
HEMMER: Back to our top stories this morning on a Monday.
Michael Jackson is getting a new legal team. Benjamin Brafman says he and Mark Geragos have "stepped down" from the defense team due to "complicated issues." The Associated Press reporting that Thomas Mesereau, one time lawyer to the actor Robert Blake, will now represent Jackson. In fact, Jeff Toobin confirmed that news last hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
From New Jersey, closing statements expected today in the Jayson Williams manslaughter trial. It could go to jury as early as tomorrow. The prosecution claims Williams recklessly shot a limousine driver back in 2002 and tried to make the scene look like a suicide. Williams says the shooting was an accident. Again, closing arguments begin today.
A missing New York girl has been reunited with her mother. Five- year-old Britney Fish (ph) was discovered bound and gagged outside of a warehouse. The property's owner potted the girl during a visit to the site. She had been missing since Saturday evening. Officials say they are confident the girl's abductor will be taken into custody.
A sports note for you, Indiana advanced with a 90-75 win over Boston over the weekend. It was the Pacers first NBA victory in the play-off series after three consecutive first round losses. San Antonio completing a four game sweep of Memphis, 110-97. And the New Jersey Nets, with Eli Manning sitting front row. He's going to be a rich man very soon with the New York Giants. One hundred ninety-four against the Knicks. They beat them in four straight.
The NBA playoffs continue now in the post-season and they will conclude some time around October, actually, if you look at the schedule. That's a joke. They just go on and on and on.
O'BRIEN: It doesn't seem to end.
HEMMER: I mean, you know, come on.
O'BRIEN: That's how I feel. It just doesn't seem to end.
HEMMER: And this year the first round playoffs, they used to play five, best of five. This year's it's best of seven.
O'BRIEN: Every year.
HEMMER: Maybe next year the best of 14.
O'BRIEN: It just seems like it's on all the time.
HEMMER: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Not that I'm complaining.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Back to these pictures of coffins carrying the remains of U.S. military personnel killed in action, now fueling a debate yet again. The Pentagon insists the images are private. It all started last week, at the end of last week, with one photograph taken by Tami Silicio, an American contractor working in Kuwait for the Maytag Aircraft Corporation.
When her picture appeared on the front page of the "Seattle Times," Tami was fired, along with her husband, David Landry, another contractor with Maytag.
A bit earlier today, I talked with Tami from Kuwait City, asking her why she took that well known snapshot in the first place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAMI SILICIO, FORMER MAYTAG AIRCRAFT CORPORATION EMPLOYEE: I was overwhelmed by the sight I was looking at. I was overwhelmed by the feeling I was getting when I was standing there. There had been many times that I'd seen this happen, but this time it was -- you just look at these coffins and you see the devastation that occurs and you know the grief the families are going to be going through. And I know exactly what they're going to be going through. And it's all so overwhelming. And the overwhelming part made me take the picture, you know? HEMMER: Part of the reason why you took that photo, you said, was the dignity by which the military carried out the procession really had an impact on you.
Can you explain that to us, how you saw that? And, also, the possibility that these photos now are being used as a political tool, whether you support the war or are against the war? If you could speak to that.
SILICIO: The way that our fallen heroes are being taken care of by the Army and the Air Force is so wonderful. I mean they treat them with such respect. They take such great care. It's something to really behold when you see how much something affects somebody, especially something as this. And when you see people affected by the overwhelming feelings that they have, it's in their -- they have to work through them and then they're, what they're doing is what they're doing. They just -- it was just great to see them working and taking such great care of our fallen heroes.
HEMMER: One final question, Tami.
Did you realize you would lose your job after taking those photos?
SILICIO: No, because the photo was supposed to be only for my family and friends and to, for a memory, to explain to them what was going on and how I felt at the time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Tami Silicio by telephone earlier today from Kuwait City.
She took two that day -- one sent to a friend, the other eventually ended up with the "Seattle Times." The newspaper contacted her asking for permission. She relented and here we are today. Her husband and Tami, they plan on returning back to the U.S. on the 30th of April, at the end of this month -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's go overseas now. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat promised victory after an Israeli assassination threat. Arafat spoke to a cheering crowd of Palestinians on Saturday outside his headquarters in Ramallah. He says that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has tried to kill him before and has failed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YASSER ARAFAT, PALESTINIAN LEADER: It is not the first time he was trying to (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Not a very good attack in Beirut. He was trying to kill me 13 times. As he had mentioned, not me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Ariel Sharon says that early this month he told President Bush he no longer feels bound to a pledge to not target Arafat. The White House says it strongly opposes the killing of Yasser Arafat.
HEMMER: In a moment here, what's behind this whole shakeup at Michael Jackson's defense team. Live to L.A. for the latest on that story today.
O'BRIEN: Also, Kobe Bryant back in Colorado this morning for the start of a three day hearing in his sexual assault case. We take you live to Eagle County for that.
HEMMER: And one of the biggest questions parents have of a newborn baby -- one of the biggest questions to answer, anyway. Sanjay explains that a bit later this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Let's start with some legal news this morning.
A big shake-up for Michael Jackson's legal defense team. The pop star is parting company with his two lead attorneys.
CNN's Frank Buckley joins us live from Los Angeles with more on that this morning -- hey, Frank, good morning.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
It was a Sunday surprise for those of us covering the case, even for Michael Jackson's official spokesperson, who wasn't aware of the attorney change yesterday. This morning, though, official confirmation. Jackson's official Web site lists the legal team the Thomas Mesereau at the top of the list of lawyers. Not listed, his tag team of powerful legal talent, who have been at Jackson's side until now. Ben Brafman from New York and Mark Geragos from Los Angeles are off the team.
The change comes less than a week after a Santa Barbara County grand jury indicted the pop star in connection with the case. That means that Jackson will bypass a preliminary hearing on the way to trial.
Brafman issued a statement in which he says, "We have elected to step down as a result of a number of complicated issues that have arisen in recent weeks that would not be appropriate to discuss publicly." He goes on to wish him well and says he hopes he'll be exonerated.
No one's saying publicly why the change occurred. Sources telling CNN's Jeffrey Toobin, however, there were tensions between the Jackson camp and the Jackson legal defense team over what to respond to and when in the news media. The lawyers saying their hands were tied. They are under a strict gag order in this case.
The new attorney in the case, Thomas Mesereau, is a guy with a good legal reputation. He has represented high profile clients. Most recently he's one of -- he was one of actor Robert Blake's attorneys. He was able to get bail for Blake in the murder case while he awaits trial.
All of this comes less than a week before we expect to see Michael Jackson again in court. His last court appearance for his arraignment on the criminal complaint quite a scene. This Friday, he'll be arraigned on the new grand jury indictments and fans, we are told, will be bussed in from Los Angeles free of charge, according to his Web site. So it should be quite a scene again -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It's always quite a scene, isn't it, Frank? You would know because you're always there.
Frank Buckley for us this morning.
BUCKLEY: Definitely.
O'BRIEN: Frank, thanks -- Bill. HEMMER: Also in the courtroom, Kobe Bryant returns to Colorado this morning, in fact, the site of a three day hearing there in his sexual assault case.
CNN's Adrian Baschuk live in Eagle for more on what we may anticipate there -- Adrian, good morning there.
ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
Kobe Bryant, who came up big in overtime just yesterday, has to interrupt his play-off run and make it to court right behind me at 8:30 a.m. Mountain time. These last three days of hearings are the last scheduled rounds before a trial date may finally be set.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASCHUK (voice-over): Fresh off of Sunday's Lakers-Rockets play- off game, Kobe Bryant must refocus his game on the legal battle of his life. Since the last preliminary hearing, a long for Team Bryant. Judge Terry Ruckriegle ruled that the accuser's medical and mental health records will remain sealed and confidential.
CYNTHIA STONE, COLORADO COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT: We thought that he had swung the pendulum back to where it should be.
BASCHUK: The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault argues that Kobe Bryant's superstar status unfairly hurts the alleged victim.
STONE: This woman's life has been made hell, frankly.
BASCHUK: The accuser's mother has written the judge a letter pleading that hundreds of death threats have been made against her daughter's life. She spoke out at a National Victims Rights Week rally in Denver last week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to thank my daughter for teaching me about courage. I'm proud to be her mom.
BASCHUK: Closed door pretrial hearings will resume on what portions of the accuser's sexual past will be admitted into trial as evidence, a defense challenge to the state's rape shield law.
LARRY POZNER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The rape shield hearings, there is nothing that the law says is completely shielded. The law says how relevant is the evidence?
BASCHUK: Also, the judge is expected to address a possible trial date. Legal experts say if motions are still being argued in May, don't look for a trial to start until August.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASCHUK: But before we can even talk trial date, Kobe Bryant must first enter a plea, something he has not even done yet, formally declaring his innocence before the court -- Bill.
HEMMER: Adrian, thanks.
Adrian Baschuk there in Eagle -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, much more on that fighting in Fallujah. Also, the Queen Mary 2 gets quite a sendoff from New York City. We take a look at that as well, on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Time to check in with Jack and the Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: We're talking to our director.
HEMMER: It was nice.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I know, and that's why I was jumping in.
CAFFERTY: Yes. He used to work five days a week. Now we only see you two or three days a week. I don't know what that deal is.
O'BRIEN: I know, really.
CAFFERTY: I want your agent.
The Question of the Day has to do with Pat Tillman. He's the former pro football player who was killed in Afghanistan over the week, or last week. And over the weekend, that death dominated the news coverage. He walked away from a $3.5 million football contract. And when you think about the way a lot of professional athletes conduct themselves these days -- and it isn't pretty in some cases -- then his decision to quit the pro football arena and go serve his country really stood out.
There are others, though, who have paid the ultimate price and were not accorded the amount of attention that he did.
So we asked this morning, "Does the media coverage of Tillman's death in any way diminish the sacrifice of others?"
Waverly in Dallas, Texas: "No. His death has not diminished the sacrifice of other people who served and died in combat. But it does say something about our celebrity culture that it's a major news story when a celebrity does something as basic and selfless as serving his country. Can we imagine any other celebrity we know of today who would do such a thing? It doesn't speak well for them or for us."
Ray writes: "Mr. Tillman is a shining example of all that's right with this country. Rather than detracting from all the others who have given the ultimate, he brings attention to the gifts they give us all."
Kris: "I am the wife of an active duty soldier and the first thing I thought when the story broke was what makes this guy so special that he receives all this news coverage? All the other soldiers gave up equally good lives to serve for their country and this football player's life is not any more valuable than any other soldier's."
Marc in Fort Lauderdale, Florida: "The reason this hero's story is so compelling is that Pat Tillman, a reluctant public figure, gave up the American dream in order to defend the opportunity for the rest of us to attain it."
And earlier I had commented on why it is that John McCain, the senator from Arizona, seems to be able to say things in a language that people can understand as opposed to most of the rest of the politicians. And that prompted this from Stephanie in Pittsburgh: "I can't resist answering the question Jack didn't ask. John McCain doesn't say anything differently from anyone else. He's just heard differently because we all know him to be a man of integrity who will put politics aside and speak what he thinks is the truth in all situations. Wouldn't it be great if a few more politicians -- Republicans and Democrats -- followed his lead?
Yes, wouldn't it?
But don't hold your breath.
HEMMER: You spend six years in the Hanoi Hilton, the jail in North Vietnam and your words carry a lot of credibility and an awful lot of weight for a lifetime.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And he is one of the few politicians, I think, also, who says, when they say I'm going to speak bluntly, really means what's going to follow is going to be very straightforward talk, as opposed to the bulk of politicians, who shall remain nameless, who often say that and then continue to go on without...
CAFFERTY: Certain character traits are similar to Specialist Tillman's.
HEMMER: Very true.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
You know, it was interesting to have the mom and dad on, who e- mailed us last week...
HEMMER: The Thompsons from Rome, Georgia.
O'BRIEN: ... the Johnsons, who e-mailed you last week, because they said they invited the community and the media to their son's funeral because they felt their son belonged to everybody.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And, you know, again...
HEMMER: Very open and very proud. O'BRIEN: ... I think that sort of makes sense with Tillman's death. And, you know, he's somebody who belonged not just to them, the family, but to everybody.
CAFFERTY: Well, the real sad thing to me in all of this is that the debate over the caskets and the photographs and the media coverage has become a political issue. And that's just disgusting, as far as I'm concerned. It's an election year so therefore all of this now has become a political issue. And it shouldn't be that, not ever.
O'BRIEN: And as you answered that last e-mail, not going to change any time soon, I don't think.
CAFFERTY: Well, maybe after November. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HEMMER: Let's get a break here.
In a moment, out of Colorado, the university there facing allegations of sex abuse. Some mothers of the players now speaking out. We will hear from two of them in a moment live when we go out there in Colorado after this.
Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
