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American Morning

Update on Scott Peterson Trial; Stem-Cell Research Issue

Aired October 12, 2004 - 07:29 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.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. It's 7:30 here in New York, half past the hour this AMERICAN MORNING.
How are you doing today?

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm doing great. How are you, Bill?

HEMMER: It's that time of year.

COLLINS: Fire it up.

HEMMER: Up until now -- and I'm trying.

Up until now in this campaign, stem-cell research was a really important issue. But it was not seen as a deciding issue for either side. Will the death of Christopher Reeve now change that? We'll look at which candidate stands to gain, and that is not a simple answer. We'll get to it in a moment here.

COLLINS: Yes, it certainly is.

And also, though, hip-hop gets political. A little later we'll talk to Russell Simmons of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network about the drive to get young voters to the polls with music and video games. And boy, he's been working hard, that's for sure.

But now we want to check on the stories "Now in the News" this morning with Kelly Wallace.

Straight to Iraq once again this morning -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, Heidi. Good morning to you. Good morning, everyone.

We are beginning in Iraq, where U.S. forces have launched a new airstrike on the rebel-held city of Fallujah. Military sources say early-morning strikes destroyed a suspected meeting center and a safe house said to be used by supporters of terror militant Abu Musab al- Zarqawi. The Pentagon says six key Zarqawi lieutenants have been killed in event weeks, but no prediction on when he will be caught.

Preparations are underway in Beslan today as the traditional 40- day mourning period comes to an end. Residents of the Russian city will Mark the day with ceremonies to remember victims of the school hostage-taking last month. More than 300 people died in the siege. Many are still working to identify and bury the victims. The final presidential debate is a day away, but two other high- profile candidates square off tonight. Republican Alan Keyes and Democrat Barack Obama, running in Illinois for a U.S. Senate seat, will debate each other tonight. The radio debate between Obama and Keyes is the first of three for the Senate hopefuls.

And in Washington State, researchers are planning to fly an unmanned craft over Mount St. Helens. They want to take measurements from the crater, which has been steaming since last month. Thermal images show that magma is rising and temperatures in some spots could be as high as 570 degrees.

That gets you caught up. Now we go to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Kelly, thanks for that.

Now to "State versus Scott Peterson." When the California double-murder trial resumes today, the defense will begin presenting its case. And Court TV's Lisa Bloom is here to tell us today telling us what we may be able to expect later today.

Good morning to you.

LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Good morning.

HEMMER: There are three themes that Mark Geragos will focus on. Let's take them one at a time here. He will show, or try to show anyway, the police in Modesto botched the case. How does he do it?

BLOOM: Well, he's going to probably call some police witnesses of his own and go over the errors that they made. He started with that on cross-examination, particularly the cross-examination of Detective Al Brocchini during the prosecution's case. And he did make some good points.

But overall, Bill, so much of the prosecution's case comes out of the mouth of Scott Peterson himself on tapes that were made with Amber Frey or with the police. That can't be rebutted by just attacking the police.

HEMMER: Second point then, how does he show that Laci was abducted by strangers? Does he have witnesses?

BLOOM: Well, what he's going to show is that the baby born alive. Now, you have you to reason backwards that Laci was abducted by someone, a stranger, and kept alive for several weeks.

And you know, Mark Geragos has said throughout this case he's going to show who the real killer is. One might ask: If you know who the real killer is, why haven't you told the police up until this point? You mean you let some murderer roam around the streets of Modesto? So, it's going to be interesting to see how that plays out.

HEMMER: He alluded to that point, the point you just made, in opening statements, did he not?

BLOOM: Right. That he's going to show the real killer.

HEMMER: You mentioned this, the third point. How does he show the baby was born alive?

BLOOM: By having scientific experts come in and testify as to the level of the baby's development. The prosecution has already had an expert. We're probably going to have a battle of the experts as the trial continues to unfold, talking about the lung development of the baby, the overall development of the baby and how far along he was.

HEMMER: Why is it so important then for him to show that the baby was born alive?

BLOOM: Because Scott Peterson was followed closely by the police after December 24. If Laci and the baby were kept alive, it wasn't Scott Peterson who was the killer.

HEMMER: Mark Geragos also will have to address this issue of Scott Peterson being picked up near the Mexican border, bleached hair, cash in his wallet, his brother's driver's license, a car bought in his mother's name.

BLOOM: That's right.

HEMMER: What does this all go to?

BLOOM: Well, it goes to consciousness of guilt. If the jury believes that Scott Peterson was trying to flee, it shows that he knew he was guilty.

And by the way, what's important is keep in mind, this was in the context of a body washing up in the San Francisco Bay. Three days of national speculation, was that Laci and Conner? That was a chance for Scott Peterson to be a man, to do the right thing, to go to northern California, identify the remains. Instead, he heads in the opposite direction, by the way, with Viagra in his pocket.

HEMMER: Well, this is a circumstantial case, correct?

BLOOM: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Does he have to rebut all of this or not?

BLOOM: I think he absolutely does. I think that the consciousness of guilt evidence is very important evidence. And he's got to explain, most importantly, why he puts himself at the crime scene, why he was in the San Francisco Bay, and ultimately that's where the bodies washed up.

HEMMER: So, then, how long does the defense have to present its case, do you believe? What do you hear?

BLOOM: Well, they have as long as they need. We've heard a two- week estimate. And...

HEMMER: About two weeks. So, about, what, 10 days in court?

BLOOM: Yes, probably.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: If that's the case, then you're going to have to answer this question every time you appear on TV: Will Scott Peterson take the stand or should he?

BLOOM: No, he absolutely will not take the stand. And the defense has said that he won't.

Look, he doesn't have good answers for some of the most important questions in the case. Why did he tell Amber Frey two weeks before Laci went missing that he had lost his wife? This would be the first holidays without her. He told Amber, I can't answer that question now. Well, apparently he's not ever going to answer that question.

HEMMER: You see the cases that you cover on Court TV...

BLOOM: Yes.

HEMMER: ... through the eyes of a prosecutor. Be fair for a second.

BLOOM: No, I see it through -- actually, I'm not a former prosecutor.

HEMMER: OK, but...

BLOOM: I look at them from either side. We're covering a case right now where I'm on the defense side, a Harvard case.

HEMMER: Let me go to my point here. Do you think the prosecution has proven that Scott Peterson killed his wife?

BLOOM: I think they have proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt, but we have to keep an open mind because the defense has not started yet. If they have some evidence to rebut what the prosecution has said, I think the jury wants to hear it. I think we all want to hear it. But now it's time -- it's time to cash the check. Geragos has been talking for a long time about the real killer. Well, let's hear it.

HEMMER: Thanks, Lisa. Lisa Bloom from Court TV.

BLOOM: Thanks.

HEMMER: Heidi.

COLLINS: Christopher Reeve became one of the most visible and vocal advocates for federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. The issue is a controversial one that has gotten some attention in the presidential campaign. But will Reeve's death make it a even bigger issue?

National correspondent Kelly Wallace is joining me now to talk about this.

Yesterday such tough news, but, boy, you can't help but think about stem-cell research when you think of Christopher Reeve.

WALLACE: Absolutely, because he talked about it so much. And both sides think his death will force a renewed focus on the issue. But when it comes to politics who stands to gain? The president or Senator Kerry?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice over): In life...

CHRISTOPHER REEVE, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: It's our prerogative to push.

WALLACE: ... and now in death, the actor-turned-crusader helped make embryonic stem-cell research a national issue.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know that if we put our minds to it, one day we're going to realize Chris's inevitable dream. And that's our mission for all of us.

WALLACE: An emotional John Kerry said Reeve left him a message Saturday, the day after the second presidential debate when the senator cited his friend by name.

KERRY: And I want him to walk again. I think we can save lives.

WALLACE: President Bush sharply defended his decision to allow federal research only on embryonic stem-cell lines that already exist.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To destroy life to save life is one of the real ethical dilemmas that we face.

WALLACE: In a written statement yesterday, the president said Reeve was brave in the face of adversity and will be remembered for his dedicated advocacy for those with physical disabilities.

Even before Reeve's death, Democrats viewed the stem-cell debate as a political winner, running ads featuring actor Michael J. Fox who suffers from Parkinson's.

MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: I say lives are at stake, and it's time for leadership.

WALLACE: A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll released yesterday and conducted before Reeve died found 55 percent backing more expansive federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, 38 percent supporting the current restrictions, or no funding at all. Political observers say the renewed attention could sway uncommitted voters.

VAUGHN VERVERS, "NATIONAL JOURNAL": I think Kerry stands to benefit more from this than Bush, because of those swing voters who might come over to his side because of this issue or partly because of this issue.

WALLACE: But the new focus could also help President Bush.

VERVERS: Nothing motivates the base voters in the Republican Party more than things like abortion, embryonic stem-cell research.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE (on camera): And of course, it is so tough to talk about politics following the defendant death of Christopher Reeve, but everyone thinks now his death is making it almost a certainty that this issue will get attention in tomorrow night's debate, the final showdown between President Bush and Senator Kerry.

COLLINS: Sure. And you could argue that's exactly what he would have wanted. But does it become, you know, a moral issue, a political issue, or a medical issue?

WALLACE: It's...

COLLINS: Maybe it's all entwined.

WALLACE: All. All of them. All of the above. And to some it's a medical issue. To some it becomes a little bit of a political issue. But then there is the moral issue, and this is the issue here, too, because for Senator Kerry where some might think with Christopher Reeve's death, more attention to embryonic stem-cell research, get the support of those swing voters who might be supporting him because of this issue, you also have a big voting bloc, Catholics. And on the cover of "The New York Times" today...

COLLINS: Right.

WALLACE: ... bishop, leaders in the Catholic Church who are against abortion, against this issue. So, it could not necessarily benefit him in the long run as well.

COLLINS: And another complicated issue, no question about that.

WALLACE: Absolutely.

COLLINS: All right, Kelly Wallace, thank you.

WALLACE: Sure.

COLLINS: The presidential candidates debate for the third and final time tomorrow in Tempe, Arizona. And CNN's primetime coverage will begin at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time -- Bill?

HEMMER: It's about 21 minutes before the hour now. High winds and dry conditions are hampering efforts to put out this wildfire in northern California. Some videotape near the town of Rumsey about 75 miles northeast of Napa burning now about 4,000 acres. Firefighters are battling flames by the air and on the ground. Luckily so far no homes or businesses are believed to be threatened. That is good news.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: I think it looks like just a perfect day for a big bad baseball game, don't you?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It sure does. The wind is blowing out.

COLLINS: A beautiful shot, though, of New York City here. In fact, Chad, Yankees/Red Sox, one of the fiercest rivalries in sports, is renewed tonight. It's already drama, though. It's possible Yankee closer Mariano Rivera might not make it to game one against the Boston Red Sox in the American League championship series. Rivera is in Panama for a family funeral. Two relatives were electrocuted in Rivera's pool there. And Rivera says he hopes to make the game, though, tonight. Tough for him.

Both teams are preparing for another chapter in the rivalry. Red Sox ace Curt Schilling takes on Yankee's pitcher Mike Mussina tonight. And the war of words is already underway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURT SCHILLING, BOSTON RED SOX PITCHER: I'm not sure I can think of any scenario more enjoyable than making 55,000 people from New York shut up. But that's a challenge in this ballpark. The adrenaline -- they are going to bring the adrenaline to this park. There's no question.

MIKE MUSSINA, NEW YORK YANKEES PITCHER: I don't think there's a general dislike. I mean, we've -- when you are competing against other people as often as we have competed against them, you have to have a respect for them. You have you to have an appreciation for what they're able to do. And they have an appreciation for what we're able to do. So, you know, it's just going to be a fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Oh, the love. Last year, New York beat Boston in a hard-fought championship series. I'm sure you remember it. Long- suffering Red Sox fans haven't seen their team make the World Series since 1986. And the team hasn't won the title since 1918. Ouch!

HEMMER: And here in the Northeast, you know the colors by just walking up and down the sidewalk or in our studio, as a matter of fact. You know, Shane (ph) on the jib -- Shane (ph) is all good to go, aren't you, Shane (ph)? Wearing his Yankees' hat and jersey. Lou is over here behind camera three. He's got his Yankees' jersey on as well. Lou, good morning.

COLLINS: He's hiding there. Oh, there he is. OK.

HEMMER: Oh my gosh! Where are the Red Sox fans, huh? Well, we have a producer, Ted Fine (ph).

COLLINS: He's in hiding.

HEMMER: Oh...

COLLINS: We want a shot of him. HEMMER: Well, he's over in control across the way here

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, Red Sox!

HEMMER: Ted, good luck tonight.

In a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, big rumors on the Internet have fans of Apple's iPod all abuzz. Andy is back in a moment, explains that.

COLLINS: Plus, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons got thousands of people across the country to register to vote. But how he will make sure they'll actually go to the polls? We're going to ask him about it next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: REM's Michael Stipe joined "The Boss," Bruce Springsteen, at the Vote For Change concert. It happened outside the nation's capital. They performed before a crowd of about 20,000 fans at the MCI Center to benefit the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry.

Like his fellow rap mogul P. Diddy, Russell Simmons is going all out to get out the vote on November 2. And the vehicle driving Simmons' effort to mobilize young voters is his nonpartisan Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: We are just about three weeks away from this election. I know you have spent an enormous amount of time rallying voters, if you will. How many people do you think have responded and are going to go to those polls because of words that you have said or encouragement that you have given?

RUSSELL SIMMONS, HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NETWORK: Well, I like to think of myself as part of a team. And the fact is that Will Smith did a great event in Philadelphia, where 10,000 kids came out and god knows how many people were motivated because it was live on the radio.

COLLINS: Sure.

SIMMONS: And a lot of groundwork was done. And Beyonce did Houston, and she had Master P and Ice Cube, and others come out, and Puffy came. And then you had the Cash Money crew, and 11,000 kids came out in New Orleans, and 10,000 with Nelly in Philly. There were 26 events in total, and maybe a quarter of a million people came out.

COLLINS: Wow!

SIMMONS: But the grassroots organizations that were doing the voter registrations and the radio broadcast in New Orleans, for example, four stations carried the same broadcast, simulcast of the event. And the event is only the artists talking to the people about the need to vote and to be involved in the community. COLLINS: What is it? What are the issues that the people that you are reaching are telling you? When you go around, I mean, you talk to these people all the time. What are they concerned about? What do they want to hear about?

SIMMONS: The Playstation pulse poll, which is not accurate fully, but it's something we have done all over the country, it says that they're concerned with the war on poverty and ignorance. The lack of focus on some domestic issue like education. The idea of equal, high-quality education is something that's on the top of their list. And they are concerned with the war in Iraq, but it's much lower on their priority list.

COLLINS: Yes, I was going to say, we hear about the war on terror. But you're saying it's the war on ignorance and poverty.

SIMMONS: Yes, it's the war on poverty and ignorance. That's correct. In other words, education and opportunity here in America. And they think that they are the ones at risk. It's about -- see, rappers, whether it's Eminem, who participated in two summits in Detroit. He had 20,000 kids come out in total.

COLLINS: That's great.

SIMMONS: And you know, just him and the kids talking about these issues. Now, he and 50 Cent had the same plight. They come from extreme poverty, and rap is all about poverty and about the lack of access. I mean, if you listen closely, it's what they refer to as a gangster rap or a conscious rap. It's about the highest aspirations of those people coming out of American struggle.

And they are a voting block. And it's not black. It's 80 percent of the people listening to our music are not African-American. It's about struggle, and that's what all of the poetry is about and their reflections of the struggle and voices for voiceless people.

So, I'm excited with it. I know that they're going to the polls, and they're going to shock a lot of people. In fact, they are going to pick the president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The Hip-Hop Action Network's next event is this Thursday at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City -- Bill?

HEMMER: It's about 10 minutes before the hour. Heidi, in a moment, big changes may be in store for Apple's popular iPod. Andy is back "Minding Your Business" on that.

Also in a moment, don't forget, all next week we're taking the show on the road. Chicago! Soledad comes back on Monday. We'll be there all week long, Monday through Friday from the Windy City. Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone.

How would you like a chance to enhance your iPod, huh? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business," back with us here.

I love mine, by the way.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes.

HEMMER: I don't leave home without it.

SERWER: People really love these babies.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Enhance your iPod?

HEMMER: Enhance your iPod, yes, that's it.

CAFFERTY: What does that mean?

SERWER: Yes, just listen up, Jack.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Most people know what iPods are. Anyway, Apple should be rolling out a new model of this, Jack. The rumors on the Internet that Apple is going to be introducing a new iPod in time for the holiday season with 50 percent more storage space. That would be 15,000 songs or 1,500 CDs. And it's also supposedly going to have a color display for photographs, making it more like, you know, a personal PDA, one of those things there, as Jack would say.

But you know, what's interesting is you don't want to announce one of those things too soon, because then you cannibalize your sales, your sales that are going on right now.

HEMMER: Why? Because people hold off before buying...

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: ... because of the technology?

SERWER: Exactly. It's supposed to cost about $500.

Here are some iPod factoids. Listen to this. They sold about four million iPods, Apple has. They have an 82 percent market share, 15 percent of its sales. The Apple stock has almost doubled this year -- look at that -- while the market is flat.

And here's another interesting little endnote. They did a survey with a bunch of teenagers, 600 teenagers, and asked them what they most wanted for Christmas. Unprompted, they said clothes, money, car, and No. 4 was an iPod.

HEMMER: Yes.

SERWER: Unprompted, and they used the brand name. How about that? HEMMER: You got your 10 gig, your 20 gig, your 30 gig and your 40 gig.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: I think Cafferty is a 40-gig guy.

SERWER: He looks to me like a 40-gig man.

CAFFERTY: As soon as I get through here at 10:00, I'm going home and enhance my iPod.

SERWER: You best believe.

CAFFERTY: Yes. Why are you laughing?

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Yesterday, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported to the U.N. Security Council equipment and materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons disappearing, wholesale from Iraq, entire buildings full of this stuff vanishing.

The two candidates for president, of course, are opposed on this issue of whether going to war with Iraq made the U.S. any safer. The president said fighting the terrorists in Iraq instead of here in New York City is an option he would choose any day.

The question is this: Is the United States safer or more vulnerable as a result of going to war with Iraq?

Don in North Bay, Ontario: "I truly believe the U.S. is less safe. As Bush says, terrorists only need to be right once, and the way the U.S. went to war has created hatred where some only felt animosity before."

Pamela in Pinckney, Michigan: "We've made tens of thousands of more enemies, allowed Osama to continue to recruit. We've allowed Iran and North Korea to accumulate nuclear weapons, and we've done nothing to secure our homeland. Are we safer? I think not."

Priscilla in Huntsville, Alabama: "The world is definitely more vulnerable. George Bush's war allowed the terrorists to set up a home base in Iraq and stirred up their anger to attack more forcefully."

Charlie in Newport, Virginia: "Safer? Look at the terrorists that we fight and kill in Iraq every day that were there already. Iraq is the battleground. Look at the terrorists pouring in from neighboring countries. We are exactly where we need to be."

And finally, John writes from Toronto. I didn't realize this. Today is the anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000. "There was no justice for American dead then. There was just feeble posturing," John writes. "Our answers about whether terrorism is a police or a military problem, a nuisance or a cancer, those all came September 11, 2001, lest we forget." Am@cnn.com is the address.

COLLINS: Still so many diametrically opposed responses to this very issue.

CAFFERTY: Yes. We're getting a lot of mail. You know, it's a hot topic. It's the only presidential election I can remember where the economy wasn't cards and spades ahead of everything else as the No. 1 issue.

COLLINS: Yes.

CAFFERTY: This war and our foreign policy is right there neck and neck with the economic situation.

COLLINS: Yes, that's absolutely true.

HEMMER: Three weeks to go.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

COLLINS: Three weeks for sure.

CAFFERTY: Two hours and I can go enhance my iPod.

SERWER: We'll be waiting for that.

COLLINS: A big supporter of the Bush campaign is set to air an anti-Kerry documentary, and Democrats up in arms about it. What does the Bush campaign itself have to say about the controversy? We'll find out ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 12, 2004 - 07:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. It's 7:30 here in New York, half past the hour this AMERICAN MORNING.
How are you doing today?

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm doing great. How are you, Bill?

HEMMER: It's that time of year.

COLLINS: Fire it up.

HEMMER: Up until now -- and I'm trying.

Up until now in this campaign, stem-cell research was a really important issue. But it was not seen as a deciding issue for either side. Will the death of Christopher Reeve now change that? We'll look at which candidate stands to gain, and that is not a simple answer. We'll get to it in a moment here.

COLLINS: Yes, it certainly is.

And also, though, hip-hop gets political. A little later we'll talk to Russell Simmons of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network about the drive to get young voters to the polls with music and video games. And boy, he's been working hard, that's for sure.

But now we want to check on the stories "Now in the News" this morning with Kelly Wallace.

Straight to Iraq once again this morning -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, Heidi. Good morning to you. Good morning, everyone.

We are beginning in Iraq, where U.S. forces have launched a new airstrike on the rebel-held city of Fallujah. Military sources say early-morning strikes destroyed a suspected meeting center and a safe house said to be used by supporters of terror militant Abu Musab al- Zarqawi. The Pentagon says six key Zarqawi lieutenants have been killed in event weeks, but no prediction on when he will be caught.

Preparations are underway in Beslan today as the traditional 40- day mourning period comes to an end. Residents of the Russian city will Mark the day with ceremonies to remember victims of the school hostage-taking last month. More than 300 people died in the siege. Many are still working to identify and bury the victims. The final presidential debate is a day away, but two other high- profile candidates square off tonight. Republican Alan Keyes and Democrat Barack Obama, running in Illinois for a U.S. Senate seat, will debate each other tonight. The radio debate between Obama and Keyes is the first of three for the Senate hopefuls.

And in Washington State, researchers are planning to fly an unmanned craft over Mount St. Helens. They want to take measurements from the crater, which has been steaming since last month. Thermal images show that magma is rising and temperatures in some spots could be as high as 570 degrees.

That gets you caught up. Now we go to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Kelly, thanks for that.

Now to "State versus Scott Peterson." When the California double-murder trial resumes today, the defense will begin presenting its case. And Court TV's Lisa Bloom is here to tell us today telling us what we may be able to expect later today.

Good morning to you.

LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Good morning.

HEMMER: There are three themes that Mark Geragos will focus on. Let's take them one at a time here. He will show, or try to show anyway, the police in Modesto botched the case. How does he do it?

BLOOM: Well, he's going to probably call some police witnesses of his own and go over the errors that they made. He started with that on cross-examination, particularly the cross-examination of Detective Al Brocchini during the prosecution's case. And he did make some good points.

But overall, Bill, so much of the prosecution's case comes out of the mouth of Scott Peterson himself on tapes that were made with Amber Frey or with the police. That can't be rebutted by just attacking the police.

HEMMER: Second point then, how does he show that Laci was abducted by strangers? Does he have witnesses?

BLOOM: Well, what he's going to show is that the baby born alive. Now, you have you to reason backwards that Laci was abducted by someone, a stranger, and kept alive for several weeks.

And you know, Mark Geragos has said throughout this case he's going to show who the real killer is. One might ask: If you know who the real killer is, why haven't you told the police up until this point? You mean you let some murderer roam around the streets of Modesto? So, it's going to be interesting to see how that plays out.

HEMMER: He alluded to that point, the point you just made, in opening statements, did he not?

BLOOM: Right. That he's going to show the real killer.

HEMMER: You mentioned this, the third point. How does he show the baby was born alive?

BLOOM: By having scientific experts come in and testify as to the level of the baby's development. The prosecution has already had an expert. We're probably going to have a battle of the experts as the trial continues to unfold, talking about the lung development of the baby, the overall development of the baby and how far along he was.

HEMMER: Why is it so important then for him to show that the baby was born alive?

BLOOM: Because Scott Peterson was followed closely by the police after December 24. If Laci and the baby were kept alive, it wasn't Scott Peterson who was the killer.

HEMMER: Mark Geragos also will have to address this issue of Scott Peterson being picked up near the Mexican border, bleached hair, cash in his wallet, his brother's driver's license, a car bought in his mother's name.

BLOOM: That's right.

HEMMER: What does this all go to?

BLOOM: Well, it goes to consciousness of guilt. If the jury believes that Scott Peterson was trying to flee, it shows that he knew he was guilty.

And by the way, what's important is keep in mind, this was in the context of a body washing up in the San Francisco Bay. Three days of national speculation, was that Laci and Conner? That was a chance for Scott Peterson to be a man, to do the right thing, to go to northern California, identify the remains. Instead, he heads in the opposite direction, by the way, with Viagra in his pocket.

HEMMER: Well, this is a circumstantial case, correct?

BLOOM: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Does he have to rebut all of this or not?

BLOOM: I think he absolutely does. I think that the consciousness of guilt evidence is very important evidence. And he's got to explain, most importantly, why he puts himself at the crime scene, why he was in the San Francisco Bay, and ultimately that's where the bodies washed up.

HEMMER: So, then, how long does the defense have to present its case, do you believe? What do you hear?

BLOOM: Well, they have as long as they need. We've heard a two- week estimate. And...

HEMMER: About two weeks. So, about, what, 10 days in court?

BLOOM: Yes, probably.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: If that's the case, then you're going to have to answer this question every time you appear on TV: Will Scott Peterson take the stand or should he?

BLOOM: No, he absolutely will not take the stand. And the defense has said that he won't.

Look, he doesn't have good answers for some of the most important questions in the case. Why did he tell Amber Frey two weeks before Laci went missing that he had lost his wife? This would be the first holidays without her. He told Amber, I can't answer that question now. Well, apparently he's not ever going to answer that question.

HEMMER: You see the cases that you cover on Court TV...

BLOOM: Yes.

HEMMER: ... through the eyes of a prosecutor. Be fair for a second.

BLOOM: No, I see it through -- actually, I'm not a former prosecutor.

HEMMER: OK, but...

BLOOM: I look at them from either side. We're covering a case right now where I'm on the defense side, a Harvard case.

HEMMER: Let me go to my point here. Do you think the prosecution has proven that Scott Peterson killed his wife?

BLOOM: I think they have proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt, but we have to keep an open mind because the defense has not started yet. If they have some evidence to rebut what the prosecution has said, I think the jury wants to hear it. I think we all want to hear it. But now it's time -- it's time to cash the check. Geragos has been talking for a long time about the real killer. Well, let's hear it.

HEMMER: Thanks, Lisa. Lisa Bloom from Court TV.

BLOOM: Thanks.

HEMMER: Heidi.

COLLINS: Christopher Reeve became one of the most visible and vocal advocates for federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. The issue is a controversial one that has gotten some attention in the presidential campaign. But will Reeve's death make it a even bigger issue?

National correspondent Kelly Wallace is joining me now to talk about this.

Yesterday such tough news, but, boy, you can't help but think about stem-cell research when you think of Christopher Reeve.

WALLACE: Absolutely, because he talked about it so much. And both sides think his death will force a renewed focus on the issue. But when it comes to politics who stands to gain? The president or Senator Kerry?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice over): In life...

CHRISTOPHER REEVE, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: It's our prerogative to push.

WALLACE: ... and now in death, the actor-turned-crusader helped make embryonic stem-cell research a national issue.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know that if we put our minds to it, one day we're going to realize Chris's inevitable dream. And that's our mission for all of us.

WALLACE: An emotional John Kerry said Reeve left him a message Saturday, the day after the second presidential debate when the senator cited his friend by name.

KERRY: And I want him to walk again. I think we can save lives.

WALLACE: President Bush sharply defended his decision to allow federal research only on embryonic stem-cell lines that already exist.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To destroy life to save life is one of the real ethical dilemmas that we face.

WALLACE: In a written statement yesterday, the president said Reeve was brave in the face of adversity and will be remembered for his dedicated advocacy for those with physical disabilities.

Even before Reeve's death, Democrats viewed the stem-cell debate as a political winner, running ads featuring actor Michael J. Fox who suffers from Parkinson's.

MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: I say lives are at stake, and it's time for leadership.

WALLACE: A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll released yesterday and conducted before Reeve died found 55 percent backing more expansive federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, 38 percent supporting the current restrictions, or no funding at all. Political observers say the renewed attention could sway uncommitted voters.

VAUGHN VERVERS, "NATIONAL JOURNAL": I think Kerry stands to benefit more from this than Bush, because of those swing voters who might come over to his side because of this issue or partly because of this issue.

WALLACE: But the new focus could also help President Bush.

VERVERS: Nothing motivates the base voters in the Republican Party more than things like abortion, embryonic stem-cell research.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE (on camera): And of course, it is so tough to talk about politics following the defendant death of Christopher Reeve, but everyone thinks now his death is making it almost a certainty that this issue will get attention in tomorrow night's debate, the final showdown between President Bush and Senator Kerry.

COLLINS: Sure. And you could argue that's exactly what he would have wanted. But does it become, you know, a moral issue, a political issue, or a medical issue?

WALLACE: It's...

COLLINS: Maybe it's all entwined.

WALLACE: All. All of them. All of the above. And to some it's a medical issue. To some it becomes a little bit of a political issue. But then there is the moral issue, and this is the issue here, too, because for Senator Kerry where some might think with Christopher Reeve's death, more attention to embryonic stem-cell research, get the support of those swing voters who might be supporting him because of this issue, you also have a big voting bloc, Catholics. And on the cover of "The New York Times" today...

COLLINS: Right.

WALLACE: ... bishop, leaders in the Catholic Church who are against abortion, against this issue. So, it could not necessarily benefit him in the long run as well.

COLLINS: And another complicated issue, no question about that.

WALLACE: Absolutely.

COLLINS: All right, Kelly Wallace, thank you.

WALLACE: Sure.

COLLINS: The presidential candidates debate for the third and final time tomorrow in Tempe, Arizona. And CNN's primetime coverage will begin at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time -- Bill?

HEMMER: It's about 21 minutes before the hour now. High winds and dry conditions are hampering efforts to put out this wildfire in northern California. Some videotape near the town of Rumsey about 75 miles northeast of Napa burning now about 4,000 acres. Firefighters are battling flames by the air and on the ground. Luckily so far no homes or businesses are believed to be threatened. That is good news.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: I think it looks like just a perfect day for a big bad baseball game, don't you?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It sure does. The wind is blowing out.

COLLINS: A beautiful shot, though, of New York City here. In fact, Chad, Yankees/Red Sox, one of the fiercest rivalries in sports, is renewed tonight. It's already drama, though. It's possible Yankee closer Mariano Rivera might not make it to game one against the Boston Red Sox in the American League championship series. Rivera is in Panama for a family funeral. Two relatives were electrocuted in Rivera's pool there. And Rivera says he hopes to make the game, though, tonight. Tough for him.

Both teams are preparing for another chapter in the rivalry. Red Sox ace Curt Schilling takes on Yankee's pitcher Mike Mussina tonight. And the war of words is already underway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURT SCHILLING, BOSTON RED SOX PITCHER: I'm not sure I can think of any scenario more enjoyable than making 55,000 people from New York shut up. But that's a challenge in this ballpark. The adrenaline -- they are going to bring the adrenaline to this park. There's no question.

MIKE MUSSINA, NEW YORK YANKEES PITCHER: I don't think there's a general dislike. I mean, we've -- when you are competing against other people as often as we have competed against them, you have to have a respect for them. You have you to have an appreciation for what they're able to do. And they have an appreciation for what we're able to do. So, you know, it's just going to be a fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Oh, the love. Last year, New York beat Boston in a hard-fought championship series. I'm sure you remember it. Long- suffering Red Sox fans haven't seen their team make the World Series since 1986. And the team hasn't won the title since 1918. Ouch!

HEMMER: And here in the Northeast, you know the colors by just walking up and down the sidewalk or in our studio, as a matter of fact. You know, Shane (ph) on the jib -- Shane (ph) is all good to go, aren't you, Shane (ph)? Wearing his Yankees' hat and jersey. Lou is over here behind camera three. He's got his Yankees' jersey on as well. Lou, good morning.

COLLINS: He's hiding there. Oh, there he is. OK.

HEMMER: Oh my gosh! Where are the Red Sox fans, huh? Well, we have a producer, Ted Fine (ph).

COLLINS: He's in hiding.

HEMMER: Oh...

COLLINS: We want a shot of him. HEMMER: Well, he's over in control across the way here

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, Red Sox!

HEMMER: Ted, good luck tonight.

In a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, big rumors on the Internet have fans of Apple's iPod all abuzz. Andy is back in a moment, explains that.

COLLINS: Plus, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons got thousands of people across the country to register to vote. But how he will make sure they'll actually go to the polls? We're going to ask him about it next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: REM's Michael Stipe joined "The Boss," Bruce Springsteen, at the Vote For Change concert. It happened outside the nation's capital. They performed before a crowd of about 20,000 fans at the MCI Center to benefit the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry.

Like his fellow rap mogul P. Diddy, Russell Simmons is going all out to get out the vote on November 2. And the vehicle driving Simmons' effort to mobilize young voters is his nonpartisan Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: We are just about three weeks away from this election. I know you have spent an enormous amount of time rallying voters, if you will. How many people do you think have responded and are going to go to those polls because of words that you have said or encouragement that you have given?

RUSSELL SIMMONS, HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NETWORK: Well, I like to think of myself as part of a team. And the fact is that Will Smith did a great event in Philadelphia, where 10,000 kids came out and god knows how many people were motivated because it was live on the radio.

COLLINS: Sure.

SIMMONS: And a lot of groundwork was done. And Beyonce did Houston, and she had Master P and Ice Cube, and others come out, and Puffy came. And then you had the Cash Money crew, and 11,000 kids came out in New Orleans, and 10,000 with Nelly in Philly. There were 26 events in total, and maybe a quarter of a million people came out.

COLLINS: Wow!

SIMMONS: But the grassroots organizations that were doing the voter registrations and the radio broadcast in New Orleans, for example, four stations carried the same broadcast, simulcast of the event. And the event is only the artists talking to the people about the need to vote and to be involved in the community. COLLINS: What is it? What are the issues that the people that you are reaching are telling you? When you go around, I mean, you talk to these people all the time. What are they concerned about? What do they want to hear about?

SIMMONS: The Playstation pulse poll, which is not accurate fully, but it's something we have done all over the country, it says that they're concerned with the war on poverty and ignorance. The lack of focus on some domestic issue like education. The idea of equal, high-quality education is something that's on the top of their list. And they are concerned with the war in Iraq, but it's much lower on their priority list.

COLLINS: Yes, I was going to say, we hear about the war on terror. But you're saying it's the war on ignorance and poverty.

SIMMONS: Yes, it's the war on poverty and ignorance. That's correct. In other words, education and opportunity here in America. And they think that they are the ones at risk. It's about -- see, rappers, whether it's Eminem, who participated in two summits in Detroit. He had 20,000 kids come out in total.

COLLINS: That's great.

SIMMONS: And you know, just him and the kids talking about these issues. Now, he and 50 Cent had the same plight. They come from extreme poverty, and rap is all about poverty and about the lack of access. I mean, if you listen closely, it's what they refer to as a gangster rap or a conscious rap. It's about the highest aspirations of those people coming out of American struggle.

And they are a voting block. And it's not black. It's 80 percent of the people listening to our music are not African-American. It's about struggle, and that's what all of the poetry is about and their reflections of the struggle and voices for voiceless people.

So, I'm excited with it. I know that they're going to the polls, and they're going to shock a lot of people. In fact, they are going to pick the president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The Hip-Hop Action Network's next event is this Thursday at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City -- Bill?

HEMMER: It's about 10 minutes before the hour. Heidi, in a moment, big changes may be in store for Apple's popular iPod. Andy is back "Minding Your Business" on that.

Also in a moment, don't forget, all next week we're taking the show on the road. Chicago! Soledad comes back on Monday. We'll be there all week long, Monday through Friday from the Windy City. Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone.

How would you like a chance to enhance your iPod, huh? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business," back with us here.

I love mine, by the way.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes.

HEMMER: I don't leave home without it.

SERWER: People really love these babies.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Enhance your iPod?

HEMMER: Enhance your iPod, yes, that's it.

CAFFERTY: What does that mean?

SERWER: Yes, just listen up, Jack.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Most people know what iPods are. Anyway, Apple should be rolling out a new model of this, Jack. The rumors on the Internet that Apple is going to be introducing a new iPod in time for the holiday season with 50 percent more storage space. That would be 15,000 songs or 1,500 CDs. And it's also supposedly going to have a color display for photographs, making it more like, you know, a personal PDA, one of those things there, as Jack would say.

But you know, what's interesting is you don't want to announce one of those things too soon, because then you cannibalize your sales, your sales that are going on right now.

HEMMER: Why? Because people hold off before buying...

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: ... because of the technology?

SERWER: Exactly. It's supposed to cost about $500.

Here are some iPod factoids. Listen to this. They sold about four million iPods, Apple has. They have an 82 percent market share, 15 percent of its sales. The Apple stock has almost doubled this year -- look at that -- while the market is flat.

And here's another interesting little endnote. They did a survey with a bunch of teenagers, 600 teenagers, and asked them what they most wanted for Christmas. Unprompted, they said clothes, money, car, and No. 4 was an iPod.

HEMMER: Yes.

SERWER: Unprompted, and they used the brand name. How about that? HEMMER: You got your 10 gig, your 20 gig, your 30 gig and your 40 gig.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: I think Cafferty is a 40-gig guy.

SERWER: He looks to me like a 40-gig man.

CAFFERTY: As soon as I get through here at 10:00, I'm going home and enhance my iPod.

SERWER: You best believe.

CAFFERTY: Yes. Why are you laughing?

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Yesterday, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported to the U.N. Security Council equipment and materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons disappearing, wholesale from Iraq, entire buildings full of this stuff vanishing.

The two candidates for president, of course, are opposed on this issue of whether going to war with Iraq made the U.S. any safer. The president said fighting the terrorists in Iraq instead of here in New York City is an option he would choose any day.

The question is this: Is the United States safer or more vulnerable as a result of going to war with Iraq?

Don in North Bay, Ontario: "I truly believe the U.S. is less safe. As Bush says, terrorists only need to be right once, and the way the U.S. went to war has created hatred where some only felt animosity before."

Pamela in Pinckney, Michigan: "We've made tens of thousands of more enemies, allowed Osama to continue to recruit. We've allowed Iran and North Korea to accumulate nuclear weapons, and we've done nothing to secure our homeland. Are we safer? I think not."

Priscilla in Huntsville, Alabama: "The world is definitely more vulnerable. George Bush's war allowed the terrorists to set up a home base in Iraq and stirred up their anger to attack more forcefully."

Charlie in Newport, Virginia: "Safer? Look at the terrorists that we fight and kill in Iraq every day that were there already. Iraq is the battleground. Look at the terrorists pouring in from neighboring countries. We are exactly where we need to be."

And finally, John writes from Toronto. I didn't realize this. Today is the anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000. "There was no justice for American dead then. There was just feeble posturing," John writes. "Our answers about whether terrorism is a police or a military problem, a nuisance or a cancer, those all came September 11, 2001, lest we forget." Am@cnn.com is the address.

COLLINS: Still so many diametrically opposed responses to this very issue.

CAFFERTY: Yes. We're getting a lot of mail. You know, it's a hot topic. It's the only presidential election I can remember where the economy wasn't cards and spades ahead of everything else as the No. 1 issue.

COLLINS: Yes.

CAFFERTY: This war and our foreign policy is right there neck and neck with the economic situation.

COLLINS: Yes, that's absolutely true.

HEMMER: Three weeks to go.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

COLLINS: Three weeks for sure.

CAFFERTY: Two hours and I can go enhance my iPod.

SERWER: We'll be waiting for that.

COLLINS: A big supporter of the Bush campaign is set to air an anti-Kerry documentary, and Democrats up in arms about it. What does the Bush campaign itself have to say about the controversy? We'll find out ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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