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American Morning

'Real' Journalist?; Prince Charles, Camilla to Marry; Michael Jackson Case

Aired February 10, 2005 - 07:32 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: Welcome back, everybody. The morning commute under way today. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Any minuet now, we're expecting to get a statement from Britain's House of Commons about the marriage plans for Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. We'll have that for you. Also, we'll talk to a journalist with London's "Evening Standard."

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also this half-hour, we'll talk with a longtime veteran of the White House press corps about a possible intruder in the ranks. There is some controversy over this reporter who goes by the name of Jeff Gannon. Was he a conservative plant by the White House, or was he just a reporter working for an increasingly diversified media world? We'll get into that and also talk about how he was discovered, so to speak, and what's happening with his position now. So, we'll talk about it in a moment.

O'BRIEN: First, though, we're going to get a check of the headlines.

Good morning -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News."

North Korea is vowing to bolster its nuclear weapons arsenal. Just hours ago, North Korea announcing through its official news agency it is pulling out of six-party nuclear talks, citing what it calls U.S. threats to topple the country's political system. And for the first time publicly, North Korea is now admitting to actually possessing nuclear weapons.

In the meantime, secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is urging North Korea to return to multilateral talks. Speaking in Luxembourg just moments ago, Rice said the United States has no intention of attacking or invading North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is an unfortunate move, most especially probably for the people of North Korea, because it only deepens the North Korean isolation from the rest of the international community. It's very clear that all responsible members of the international community, and most especially North Korea's neighbors, support the six-party framework as a way to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Rice is wrapping up her week-long visit to the Middle East and Europe. She is set to come home to Washington later today.

And President Bush is hitting two more states as he presses Congress to act on Social Security. In a little over two hours, the president is set to travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, and to the Philadelphia area. The visits come after the White House released a higher-than-expected estimate on the Medicare drug plan, and that drew new criticism from some Democrats about the president's Social Security overhaul.

So, it's getting ever more controversial and ever more difficult to get that through Congress for the president.

O'BRIEN: Yes. And you know what? They've still got a long way to go for that.

COSTELLO: They do.

O'BRIEN: Carol, thank you very much.

Let's go back to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

A new journalism controversy for the White House. White House reporter Jeff Gannon resigned yesterday from Talon News. That's a conservative Web site reportedly funded by a Republican operative. Media watchdogs, liberal groups and bloggers began investigating Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, after he asked the question, a certain particular question to the president last month.

One man who watched Gannon in the White House Briefing Room is Bob Deans of Cox Newspapers. He is a former president of the White House Correspondents Association. And Bob Deans is my guest in D.C.

Good morning. Welcome here. I want to take you back to the question in the focus. Listen here how it was asked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF GANNON, FMR. TALON NEWS EMPLOYEE: Senate Democratic leaders have painted a very bleak picture of the U.S. economy. Harry Reid was talking about soup lines, and Hillary Clinton was talking about the economy being on the verge of collapse. Yet, in the same breath, they say that Social Security is rock solid, and there's no crisis there.

How are you going to work? You said you're going to reach out to these people. How are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: All right. So, Bob, that's the question at issue that raised some red flags. Did it raise flags when it was asked?

BOB DEANS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, COX NEWSPAPERS: I think so, Bill. You know, personally Jeff is a good guy. He has sat by me for two years. He's always been a gentleman. But those kinds of questions come with a partisan assertion that really doesn't belong in the Briefing Room.

What we're trying to do in that Briefing Room is hold the administration accountable to the public, develop information on behalf of the public. And it's really not the place for partisan assertions from the left or right. It's not crossfire.

HEMMER: He, again, is quoted as saying, call me partisan, fine. But don't let my colleagues off the hook. They're partisan too, but they don't admit it. How do you respond to his reaction?

DEANS: You know, we all are squeezing our own personal biases out of our reporting. It is always a work-in-progress. But most of the people in that Briefing Room are serious very professionals. They're not partisans. There are people in there I've known, Bill, for 5, 7, 15 years. I couldn't tell you how they vote. They don't know how I vote. We don't talk about it. It is not a partisan crowd. The people in there take their jobs seriously. They take their mission seriously.

HEMMER: Is Gannon's behavior worse than anyone else's if they acknowledge that they're a liberal or a conservative?

DEANS: I think the point is, Bill, that we're not trying to set up a briefing room of liberals and conservatives where we have argument and debate. The American people are entitled to know that those correspondents in there are who we say we are, that we don't have a political ax to grind, that we're going to deliver it straight- up. And if we don't do it, our own editors will yank us out of there.

HEMMER: Bob, do you think the White House did anything wrong here?

DEANS: Well, the White House hadn't done anything wrong that I can discern. You know, Jeff doesn't hold a permanent card. He's never applied for a permanent press pass to the White House. He gets cleared there on a daily basis. The Correspondents Association never asked that he leave, never raised it had with Scott McClellan. But again, it's a serious issue as to make sure the public doesn't view us as partisans from the left or the right.

HEMMER: Have you heard what Scott McClellan said, the White House spokesperson said? In part, he said it's not our job to decide who is or who is not a real journalist. What is the White House's role then?

DEANS: Well, it's a slippery slope, Bill. And I did talk to Scott about this just last night. You know, as journalists, it's a trade. It's not a profession. I don't have a certificate hanging on my wall. And part of the price we pay for a free and unfettered press in America is a certain tolerance. But again, there's a difference in aggressive objective questioning and partisanship. And partisanship has no place in that briefing room.

HEMMER: One final thing here. You said he's a good guy. He sat next to you for about two years. Did you ever think he shouldn't be there?

DEANS: I never had a sense that he shouldn't be there. I was...

HEMMER: Did you ever say anything?

DEANS: I never said anything to him. We talked every day and would exchange pleasantries. He never said to me, what do you think of my questions? Again, we're a tolerant bunch. We go down a slippery slope when we start pointing fingers at each other. But I think many of us did feel like there was a partisan bent to his questions that was at odds with our mission there.

HEMMER: All right, Bob Deans, thanks. He no longer works there, by the way. He gave up his job just yesterday. Thank you, Bob. Good to talk to you.

DEANS: Thank you.

HEMMER: Here's Soledad now with more news.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Bill.

Prince Charles announced this morning that he's going to marry longtime partner Camilla Parker Bowles in April. The leader of the House of Commons, Peter Hayne (ph), congratulated them from the floor of the House of Commons just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (AUDIO GAP) the whole House will wish to send their warm congratulations to his royal highness, the prince of Wales, and Mrs. Parker Bowles. As secretary of state for Wales, I'm personally delighted. And the House wishes them every happiness for the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Robert Jobson covers the royal family for the "London Evening Standard." He's there this morning for us.

Nice to see you. Robert, thanks for being with us. How much of a surprise is this not only to the folks from the House of Commons, but also everyone in London and Britain today?

ROBERT JOBSON, "LONDON EVENING STANDARD": Not a surprise for us at the "Standard." We had the story last night and broke it this morning. So, it's a good story. It's a happy news story. I think one thing on a slightly more obtuse note is, of course, it confirms everything that Princess Diana always said, that this was always going to happen. But the reality is this is a good news story. We broke it in the "London Evening Standard," and we're very happy.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about what Camilla Parker Bowles' title would be. She's going to be the duchess, not a princess. Explain that to me.

JOBSON: Well, it's just a little bit of aristocratic nonsense really. She technically could be the princess of Wales, because she's married to the prince of Wales. But the prince of Wales has a number of titles, including the Duke Cuomo (ph), the earl of Chester. So, it's chosen, I think, for political reasons to call her the duchess of Cornwall, her royal highness, the duchess of Cornwall, which she'll be the second-most senior woman member of the royal family, second only to the queen.

The reality is, of course, is that it's just a way around this problem of having another princess of Wales. There is only one princess of Wales, in living memory anyway, and that was Diana.

The reality also is that she will become the princess consort when she becomes -- when Prince Charles ascends the throne, if indeed he ever does. That is similar to what the duke of Edinburgh is now. He is the prince consort to the queen. And it's effectively queen in all but name. There's no doubt about that. But they're just trying to fudge that issue really.

O'BRIEN: Here's what the queen had to say: "The duke of Edinburgh and I are happy that the prince of Wales and Mrs. Parker Bowles are going to marry. We give them our warmest good wishes for their futures together."

Describe for me the relationship between the queen and Camilla Parker Bowles, and also between Prince Charles' sons and Camilla Parker-Bowles.

JOBSON: Well, the first part of, it of course, it's quite difficult. The queen has to act as a mother and also as a sovereign. As a mother, I'm sure, like any parent, she wants her son, in this case the prince of Wales, to find happiness in his personal life. Therefore, she had no animosity towards Mrs. Parker Bowles. That was just the fact that she was the woman that brought Charles happiness. So on that front there is no problem.

On the second front, that of being the queen, she has to, as sovereign, give sanction to such a wedding as this, because the prince of Wales is the heir to the throne. So that's a slightly more complex issue, and that's why it's taken so long for them to reach this stage.

On another matter, this wasn't due to be announced today. The prince of Wales is due to go off to Australia on a very important tour at the end of February. That's going to be quite complicated now, because there is a republican sentiment in Australia less than it was. And, of course, they didn't want to announce this at Clarence House until he got back. But, fortunately, we got wind of the story, and we bounced them into it.

O'BRIEN: You realize you said complex and complicated about four or five times in our interview. Robert Jobson joining us this morning. Thanks for a little insight on this story. We certainly appreciate it -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

We're learning more about the men and women who could decide the fate of Michael Jackson. The judge in that child molestation trial has now released the answers to an eight-page questionnaire supplied by 243 prospective jurors.

Our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, here to talk about this.

Good morning to you.

JEFFERY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning.

HEMMER: We have the Q. Now have the A. What strikes you about this?

TOOBIN: Well, you know, Michael Jackson is a popular person in this county, so it seems. And one of the answers that struck me particularly was that 25 percent of the people who answered this question either had been to Neverland or knew someone who had been to Neverland. That's a lot...

HEMMER: I think that's extraordinary.

TOOBIN: That's a lot of people, isn't it?

HEMMER: It tells you the population isn't strong in Santa Barbara County.

TOOBIN: Well, it's not really that big in particularly Santa Maria, which is where this trial takes place, which is the northern part of the county, which is fairly close to Neverland. I mean, it shows Michael Jackson is a real figure there. He is known as something more as the freak on TV, but he is an important local personality.

HEMMER: The other thing that's interesting, 60 percent of the potential jurors say they read or heard something about the 1993 allegations against him. What do you make of that?

TOOBIN: Bill, I have seen many of these questionnaires. That was the single weirdest question I've ever seen answered.

HEMMER: Weird?

TOOBIN: Weird and I thought inappropriate, because by raising it in the question, you're telling the people who don't know about it. But you are telling the prospective jurors, hey, you know, he's suspected of doing this again. That is going to be a tightly- contested issue in the trial, whether they're entitled to hear about that at all.

HEMMER: Are you suggesting there's prejudice in the question?

TOOBIN: I absolutely do, yes.

HEMMER: And are you also suggesting, then, the judge is perhaps inclined to allow some of that evidence into this trial?

TOOBIN: Very much. It is a signal that he is inclined to let it in. But I thought that's a silly backdoor way of doing it. Sixty percent knew about it. Forty percent didn't, but they sure know now, because they read the question.

HEMMER: The other thing you remark on is how short the questionnaire was.

TOOBIN: Very strange.

HEMMER: How so?

TOOBIN: Well, you know, in the Martha Stewart trial, it was, I believe, a 30-page questionnaire. This was an eight-page questionnaire. Usually they get a lot more information. I think the person-to-person voir dire is going to have to take a lot longer, because a lot of these questions, you know, all they do is invite more questions. Twenty percent of the people knew someone who had an inappropriate sexual contact made towards them. That's a lot of people. It reminded me of when I was a prosecutor when they used to ask people, have you ever been a victim of a crime? I was always shocked by how many hands went up. I mean, it's just -- you know, crime is really prevalent.

HEMMER: Do you allow them on or off?

TOOBIN: Well, it depends. You need to ask them about their experience. It could cut both ways. Usually in a detailed questionnaire, you get a little more information so you can weed people out more easily. This one just raises a lot of questions.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jeff. They're picking up on Monday, right?

TOOBIN: They started on Monday. They took a week off because one of the lawyers' sister died.

HEMMER: Nice to see.

TOOBIN: All right.

HEMMER: Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Another check of the weather this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: As if karaoke is not unnerving enough, try doing it naked. What? We'll explain that in a moment here. O'BRIEN: The visual on that one, ah.

HEMMER: A good one.

O'BRIEN: Andy is also "Minding Your Business" this morning. He's going to tell you why Apple will not let you listen to Howard Stern on your iPod. Those stories are ahead as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: If you like to sing karaoke in front of a group of strangers, try doing it naked. That's the challenge at one Connecticut bar advertising naked karaoke night. The bar's owner says the idea started as a joke, but then he was threatened with fines and even arrest. So, he sued the town, and he won. He says 120 people already have signed up.

And Andy Serwer apparently is one of them. The video and DVD to be released sometime very soon.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I want to see some tape here. I thought we were going to roll tape. I was waiting.

O'BRIEN: We were waiting for the video.

SERWER: Not necessarily for view, but...

HEMMER: Isn't that terrible? The exterior of a sign at the bar.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Well, I haven't done it yet.

HEMMER: That's right.

O'BRIEN: I have a theory on, you know, you never really see the people. The people you see naked are never the ones you want to see naked.

SERWER: Yes. Well, that's true, isn't it?

O'BRIEN: And I imagine with the karaoke it's really not the ones you want to see naked.

SERWER: Yes, yes.

O'BRIEN: And they probably can't see either.

Good morning. You're minding our business this morning.

SERWER: Good morning. Yes.

O'BRIEN: Talking about something completely different.

SERWER: Yes. Well, we're talking about a couple of media stories this morning, so maybe it is connected.

First of all, the iPod, 10 million of these babies sold. Thousands and thousands, millions, 230 million tunes downloaded. What about radio, though? It doesn't look like that's going to happen. Mel Karmazin, the CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio, said he talked to Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, about putting satellite radio on the Apple. Steve Jobs and his people apparently nixed the idea. Why bother? There are so many tunes to download off of his iTunes thing. And where's the money in it for apple? That's No. 1.

No. 2, movie business, usually there's two models. One, you release a movie. The other, if it looks like a turkey, it goes direct to video or now, of course, direct to DVD. "National Lampoon," the folks that brought you "Animal House," one of my favorite movies of all time, a new movie out this weekend called "Black Ball" is kind of bucking the trend. What they're going to do here is they're going to release "Black Ball." That's Vince Vaughn there. "Black Ball" is going to be release for just a couple days, and then it's going to DVD. So, they're sort of melding the two models together. And the reason why, Soledad, is because DVD sales, 15 billion last year. Movie sales, only 9.4 billion. DVDs are getting bigger and bigger all the time.

O'BRIEN: Interesting.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Andy, thank you very much.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Well, spring is just around the corner, but it is fall at New York's Fashion Week. Which styles are going to make it from the runway to your closet? A special edition of "90-Second Pop" is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: I love that song. We couldn't let Fashion Week in New York go by without putting our 90-second spin it. So we have assembled a pop panel with a world of style. "TIME's" style and design editor Kate Betts joins us this morning.

Nice to see you, Kate.

Also celebrity stylist Kevin Sanders joins us.

Hey, Kevin, nice to see you.

KEVIN FULLER, CELEBRITY STYLIST: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: And Suzie Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion editor-at- large for "Glamour" magazine.

Welcome, welcome, welcome. This is really -- I also call this the segment where we show half-naked women walking -- beautiful women walking down the runway. You know, come one. It is what it is. Let's begin, Suzie, with you. What did you like, and what did you hate?

SUZIE YALO SCHWARTZ, "GLAMOUR" MAGAZINE: I loved all of the metallics, lots of gold, lots of silver, anything that's embellished and luxurious. That's the big trend this season.

O'BRIEN: Is that a trend, thought, that people -- like you know what? I don't see myself wearing metallics to the office kind of thing.

SCHWARTZ: Not yet, Soledad, but I can see you in them. You're going to have to work on that.

FULLER: I'm going to do that. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with metallics, definitely.

SCHWARTZ: No, but definitely.

KATE BETTS, "TIME" MAGAZINE: You can wear a touch of it in the shoe or in your handbag or something, you know, just an accent.

O'BRIEN: Some of the things that we've seen are like head to toe, those things.

SCHWARTZ: That's what makes fashion exciting. I mean, you don't want to look at something that's just so classic. You want to fantasize about actually having a place to go in these clothes.

O'BRIEN: None of us go anywhere. We don't go anywhere. Let's talk a little bit about the over-the-top luxury, Kate. I mean, it's like out of control. Let's show some pictures of the lux (ph) things that seem, I think, out of everybody's reach.

BETTS: Yes, there is a lot. I mean, especially the fur and the embroidery and the crystal beading and the feathers. I mean, at Michael Kors (ph), it was really over the top. I think a lot of the American designers are speaking to the Oscars, and I think the red carpet, you know, they really want to dress these actresses. So the evening wear is over the top. And then fur is just a continuing trend.

O'BRIEN: So fur is back? Because wasn't there a big time when no one wore fur really bad? All the models came out against it? Fur was bad? No fur?

BETTS: Well, fur has been back for about a year, and it just keeps getting bigger

O'BRIEN: Where have I been?

SCHWARTZ: Soledad, come on.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about some specific designers. Kevin, why don't you take a stab at this? What did you like.

FULLER: I think Carmen de Valle (ph) really stuck out for me. It just flowed. Every model just flowed down the runway. And back to Kate with the fur, he used fur accents. He really pulled it off well, and it was elegant. It was simple. It was sexy, everything a woman needs.

O'BRIEN: This is actually -- when I see things like this, it's like real people can wear it. You know, you don't have to be 6 foot 11 and 12 pounds to pull off a look like this.

FULLER: And affordable.

BETTS: I think the amazing thing about him is that he actually sells. I think he's, like, the No. 1 seller at Neiman Marcus.

FULLER: Right, right.

O'BRIEN: Really?

BETTS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: So actual women are buying his stuff.

BETTS: Women really are.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. Kevin, who else did you like?

FULLER: I think Nannette Lepore (ph) really brought us back to a renaissance era. She really -- every piece was just right on target. I mean, women were like brought back to another era of sexiness, and yes she...

O'BRIEN: The big hat even sexy?

FULLER: I think so. I think so on the right -- you know, the right ensemble it is. But, like, when she pulls off the corset look, she really knows how to do it. And her cuts are so marvelous on women. They really, really make them really turn out well.

O'BRIEN: It seemed like Marc Jacobs (ph), I mean, you know (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I know nothing about fashion. But Jacobs (ph) is getting -- every time I read an article about what's hot this year, Marc Jacobs (ph) is doing really well. And he's the guy who it seems like everybody is always trying to knock off.

BETTS: Yes, and he's a big trendsetter. But this time I'm not so sure. I mean, he did the bubble skirt., which..

O'BRIEN: Ouch! What does that mean?

BETTS: You know, there were a lot of full skirts on the runway, and this time he did these sort of bubble skirts that were shaped like bubbles.

FULLER: Right. SCHWARTZ: And nobody could wear them.

BETTS: Nobody could wear them.

FULLER: But you've got to appreciate his art.

O'BRIEN: You know what? Here's the thing. Most women have, like, the thigh-butt issue thing going on. Why would you wear a big, old skirt like that? It just makes you look big on the bottom.

BETTS: Yes.

SCHWARTZ: You could hide it that way. If you wore something low slung that was big and then you put something really tight up top, it actually can camouflage someone who is pear shaped.

O'BRIEN: Really?

FULLER: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

BETTS: Looking forward to seeing you in that.

FULLER: Get in a cab. Get in a cab with that skirt. I want to see that happen. I don't think it's going to happen.

O'BRIEN: Oh, well, yes and I don't know that I'm going to be the first one to run out and buy the bubble skirt. You guys, thanks for your insights on Fashion Week. Has it bee fun to go to all of those shows?

SCHWARTZ: Yes.

O'BRIEN: What a tough job.

BETTS: It never gets boring. It never gets boring.

SCHWARTZ: It's so glamorous.

O'BRIEN: It's so hard to be the three of.

FULLER: I'm so glad I'm leaving today. I'm done.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, you guys. Appreciate it.

Let's go back to Bill.

HEMMER: Well, enjoy it while the week lasts.

Today's top stories in a moment here. Also this daring rescue in the icy waters of the Atlantic. Three fishermen and the choice they had to make before abandoning ship. Their story live in a moment top of the hour here as we continue after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

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Aired February 10, 2005 - 07:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. The morning commute under way today. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Any minuet now, we're expecting to get a statement from Britain's House of Commons about the marriage plans for Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. We'll have that for you. Also, we'll talk to a journalist with London's "Evening Standard."

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also this half-hour, we'll talk with a longtime veteran of the White House press corps about a possible intruder in the ranks. There is some controversy over this reporter who goes by the name of Jeff Gannon. Was he a conservative plant by the White House, or was he just a reporter working for an increasingly diversified media world? We'll get into that and also talk about how he was discovered, so to speak, and what's happening with his position now. So, we'll talk about it in a moment.

O'BRIEN: First, though, we're going to get a check of the headlines.

Good morning -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News."

North Korea is vowing to bolster its nuclear weapons arsenal. Just hours ago, North Korea announcing through its official news agency it is pulling out of six-party nuclear talks, citing what it calls U.S. threats to topple the country's political system. And for the first time publicly, North Korea is now admitting to actually possessing nuclear weapons.

In the meantime, secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is urging North Korea to return to multilateral talks. Speaking in Luxembourg just moments ago, Rice said the United States has no intention of attacking or invading North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is an unfortunate move, most especially probably for the people of North Korea, because it only deepens the North Korean isolation from the rest of the international community. It's very clear that all responsible members of the international community, and most especially North Korea's neighbors, support the six-party framework as a way to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Rice is wrapping up her week-long visit to the Middle East and Europe. She is set to come home to Washington later today.

And President Bush is hitting two more states as he presses Congress to act on Social Security. In a little over two hours, the president is set to travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, and to the Philadelphia area. The visits come after the White House released a higher-than-expected estimate on the Medicare drug plan, and that drew new criticism from some Democrats about the president's Social Security overhaul.

So, it's getting ever more controversial and ever more difficult to get that through Congress for the president.

O'BRIEN: Yes. And you know what? They've still got a long way to go for that.

COSTELLO: They do.

O'BRIEN: Carol, thank you very much.

Let's go back to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

A new journalism controversy for the White House. White House reporter Jeff Gannon resigned yesterday from Talon News. That's a conservative Web site reportedly funded by a Republican operative. Media watchdogs, liberal groups and bloggers began investigating Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, after he asked the question, a certain particular question to the president last month.

One man who watched Gannon in the White House Briefing Room is Bob Deans of Cox Newspapers. He is a former president of the White House Correspondents Association. And Bob Deans is my guest in D.C.

Good morning. Welcome here. I want to take you back to the question in the focus. Listen here how it was asked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF GANNON, FMR. TALON NEWS EMPLOYEE: Senate Democratic leaders have painted a very bleak picture of the U.S. economy. Harry Reid was talking about soup lines, and Hillary Clinton was talking about the economy being on the verge of collapse. Yet, in the same breath, they say that Social Security is rock solid, and there's no crisis there.

How are you going to work? You said you're going to reach out to these people. How are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: All right. So, Bob, that's the question at issue that raised some red flags. Did it raise flags when it was asked?

BOB DEANS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, COX NEWSPAPERS: I think so, Bill. You know, personally Jeff is a good guy. He has sat by me for two years. He's always been a gentleman. But those kinds of questions come with a partisan assertion that really doesn't belong in the Briefing Room.

What we're trying to do in that Briefing Room is hold the administration accountable to the public, develop information on behalf of the public. And it's really not the place for partisan assertions from the left or right. It's not crossfire.

HEMMER: He, again, is quoted as saying, call me partisan, fine. But don't let my colleagues off the hook. They're partisan too, but they don't admit it. How do you respond to his reaction?

DEANS: You know, we all are squeezing our own personal biases out of our reporting. It is always a work-in-progress. But most of the people in that Briefing Room are serious very professionals. They're not partisans. There are people in there I've known, Bill, for 5, 7, 15 years. I couldn't tell you how they vote. They don't know how I vote. We don't talk about it. It is not a partisan crowd. The people in there take their jobs seriously. They take their mission seriously.

HEMMER: Is Gannon's behavior worse than anyone else's if they acknowledge that they're a liberal or a conservative?

DEANS: I think the point is, Bill, that we're not trying to set up a briefing room of liberals and conservatives where we have argument and debate. The American people are entitled to know that those correspondents in there are who we say we are, that we don't have a political ax to grind, that we're going to deliver it straight- up. And if we don't do it, our own editors will yank us out of there.

HEMMER: Bob, do you think the White House did anything wrong here?

DEANS: Well, the White House hadn't done anything wrong that I can discern. You know, Jeff doesn't hold a permanent card. He's never applied for a permanent press pass to the White House. He gets cleared there on a daily basis. The Correspondents Association never asked that he leave, never raised it had with Scott McClellan. But again, it's a serious issue as to make sure the public doesn't view us as partisans from the left or the right.

HEMMER: Have you heard what Scott McClellan said, the White House spokesperson said? In part, he said it's not our job to decide who is or who is not a real journalist. What is the White House's role then?

DEANS: Well, it's a slippery slope, Bill. And I did talk to Scott about this just last night. You know, as journalists, it's a trade. It's not a profession. I don't have a certificate hanging on my wall. And part of the price we pay for a free and unfettered press in America is a certain tolerance. But again, there's a difference in aggressive objective questioning and partisanship. And partisanship has no place in that briefing room.

HEMMER: One final thing here. You said he's a good guy. He sat next to you for about two years. Did you ever think he shouldn't be there?

DEANS: I never had a sense that he shouldn't be there. I was...

HEMMER: Did you ever say anything?

DEANS: I never said anything to him. We talked every day and would exchange pleasantries. He never said to me, what do you think of my questions? Again, we're a tolerant bunch. We go down a slippery slope when we start pointing fingers at each other. But I think many of us did feel like there was a partisan bent to his questions that was at odds with our mission there.

HEMMER: All right, Bob Deans, thanks. He no longer works there, by the way. He gave up his job just yesterday. Thank you, Bob. Good to talk to you.

DEANS: Thank you.

HEMMER: Here's Soledad now with more news.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Bill.

Prince Charles announced this morning that he's going to marry longtime partner Camilla Parker Bowles in April. The leader of the House of Commons, Peter Hayne (ph), congratulated them from the floor of the House of Commons just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (AUDIO GAP) the whole House will wish to send their warm congratulations to his royal highness, the prince of Wales, and Mrs. Parker Bowles. As secretary of state for Wales, I'm personally delighted. And the House wishes them every happiness for the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Robert Jobson covers the royal family for the "London Evening Standard." He's there this morning for us.

Nice to see you. Robert, thanks for being with us. How much of a surprise is this not only to the folks from the House of Commons, but also everyone in London and Britain today?

ROBERT JOBSON, "LONDON EVENING STANDARD": Not a surprise for us at the "Standard." We had the story last night and broke it this morning. So, it's a good story. It's a happy news story. I think one thing on a slightly more obtuse note is, of course, it confirms everything that Princess Diana always said, that this was always going to happen. But the reality is this is a good news story. We broke it in the "London Evening Standard," and we're very happy.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about what Camilla Parker Bowles' title would be. She's going to be the duchess, not a princess. Explain that to me.

JOBSON: Well, it's just a little bit of aristocratic nonsense really. She technically could be the princess of Wales, because she's married to the prince of Wales. But the prince of Wales has a number of titles, including the Duke Cuomo (ph), the earl of Chester. So, it's chosen, I think, for political reasons to call her the duchess of Cornwall, her royal highness, the duchess of Cornwall, which she'll be the second-most senior woman member of the royal family, second only to the queen.

The reality is, of course, is that it's just a way around this problem of having another princess of Wales. There is only one princess of Wales, in living memory anyway, and that was Diana.

The reality also is that she will become the princess consort when she becomes -- when Prince Charles ascends the throne, if indeed he ever does. That is similar to what the duke of Edinburgh is now. He is the prince consort to the queen. And it's effectively queen in all but name. There's no doubt about that. But they're just trying to fudge that issue really.

O'BRIEN: Here's what the queen had to say: "The duke of Edinburgh and I are happy that the prince of Wales and Mrs. Parker Bowles are going to marry. We give them our warmest good wishes for their futures together."

Describe for me the relationship between the queen and Camilla Parker Bowles, and also between Prince Charles' sons and Camilla Parker-Bowles.

JOBSON: Well, the first part of, it of course, it's quite difficult. The queen has to act as a mother and also as a sovereign. As a mother, I'm sure, like any parent, she wants her son, in this case the prince of Wales, to find happiness in his personal life. Therefore, she had no animosity towards Mrs. Parker Bowles. That was just the fact that she was the woman that brought Charles happiness. So on that front there is no problem.

On the second front, that of being the queen, she has to, as sovereign, give sanction to such a wedding as this, because the prince of Wales is the heir to the throne. So that's a slightly more complex issue, and that's why it's taken so long for them to reach this stage.

On another matter, this wasn't due to be announced today. The prince of Wales is due to go off to Australia on a very important tour at the end of February. That's going to be quite complicated now, because there is a republican sentiment in Australia less than it was. And, of course, they didn't want to announce this at Clarence House until he got back. But, fortunately, we got wind of the story, and we bounced them into it.

O'BRIEN: You realize you said complex and complicated about four or five times in our interview. Robert Jobson joining us this morning. Thanks for a little insight on this story. We certainly appreciate it -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

We're learning more about the men and women who could decide the fate of Michael Jackson. The judge in that child molestation trial has now released the answers to an eight-page questionnaire supplied by 243 prospective jurors.

Our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, here to talk about this.

Good morning to you.

JEFFERY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning.

HEMMER: We have the Q. Now have the A. What strikes you about this?

TOOBIN: Well, you know, Michael Jackson is a popular person in this county, so it seems. And one of the answers that struck me particularly was that 25 percent of the people who answered this question either had been to Neverland or knew someone who had been to Neverland. That's a lot...

HEMMER: I think that's extraordinary.

TOOBIN: That's a lot of people, isn't it?

HEMMER: It tells you the population isn't strong in Santa Barbara County.

TOOBIN: Well, it's not really that big in particularly Santa Maria, which is where this trial takes place, which is the northern part of the county, which is fairly close to Neverland. I mean, it shows Michael Jackson is a real figure there. He is known as something more as the freak on TV, but he is an important local personality.

HEMMER: The other thing that's interesting, 60 percent of the potential jurors say they read or heard something about the 1993 allegations against him. What do you make of that?

TOOBIN: Bill, I have seen many of these questionnaires. That was the single weirdest question I've ever seen answered.

HEMMER: Weird?

TOOBIN: Weird and I thought inappropriate, because by raising it in the question, you're telling the people who don't know about it. But you are telling the prospective jurors, hey, you know, he's suspected of doing this again. That is going to be a tightly- contested issue in the trial, whether they're entitled to hear about that at all.

HEMMER: Are you suggesting there's prejudice in the question?

TOOBIN: I absolutely do, yes.

HEMMER: And are you also suggesting, then, the judge is perhaps inclined to allow some of that evidence into this trial?

TOOBIN: Very much. It is a signal that he is inclined to let it in. But I thought that's a silly backdoor way of doing it. Sixty percent knew about it. Forty percent didn't, but they sure know now, because they read the question.

HEMMER: The other thing you remark on is how short the questionnaire was.

TOOBIN: Very strange.

HEMMER: How so?

TOOBIN: Well, you know, in the Martha Stewart trial, it was, I believe, a 30-page questionnaire. This was an eight-page questionnaire. Usually they get a lot more information. I think the person-to-person voir dire is going to have to take a lot longer, because a lot of these questions, you know, all they do is invite more questions. Twenty percent of the people knew someone who had an inappropriate sexual contact made towards them. That's a lot of people. It reminded me of when I was a prosecutor when they used to ask people, have you ever been a victim of a crime? I was always shocked by how many hands went up. I mean, it's just -- you know, crime is really prevalent.

HEMMER: Do you allow them on or off?

TOOBIN: Well, it depends. You need to ask them about their experience. It could cut both ways. Usually in a detailed questionnaire, you get a little more information so you can weed people out more easily. This one just raises a lot of questions.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jeff. They're picking up on Monday, right?

TOOBIN: They started on Monday. They took a week off because one of the lawyers' sister died.

HEMMER: Nice to see.

TOOBIN: All right.

HEMMER: Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Another check of the weather this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: As if karaoke is not unnerving enough, try doing it naked. What? We'll explain that in a moment here. O'BRIEN: The visual on that one, ah.

HEMMER: A good one.

O'BRIEN: Andy is also "Minding Your Business" this morning. He's going to tell you why Apple will not let you listen to Howard Stern on your iPod. Those stories are ahead as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: If you like to sing karaoke in front of a group of strangers, try doing it naked. That's the challenge at one Connecticut bar advertising naked karaoke night. The bar's owner says the idea started as a joke, but then he was threatened with fines and even arrest. So, he sued the town, and he won. He says 120 people already have signed up.

And Andy Serwer apparently is one of them. The video and DVD to be released sometime very soon.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I want to see some tape here. I thought we were going to roll tape. I was waiting.

O'BRIEN: We were waiting for the video.

SERWER: Not necessarily for view, but...

HEMMER: Isn't that terrible? The exterior of a sign at the bar.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Well, I haven't done it yet.

HEMMER: That's right.

O'BRIEN: I have a theory on, you know, you never really see the people. The people you see naked are never the ones you want to see naked.

SERWER: Yes. Well, that's true, isn't it?

O'BRIEN: And I imagine with the karaoke it's really not the ones you want to see naked.

SERWER: Yes, yes.

O'BRIEN: And they probably can't see either.

Good morning. You're minding our business this morning.

SERWER: Good morning. Yes.

O'BRIEN: Talking about something completely different.

SERWER: Yes. Well, we're talking about a couple of media stories this morning, so maybe it is connected.

First of all, the iPod, 10 million of these babies sold. Thousands and thousands, millions, 230 million tunes downloaded. What about radio, though? It doesn't look like that's going to happen. Mel Karmazin, the CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio, said he talked to Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, about putting satellite radio on the Apple. Steve Jobs and his people apparently nixed the idea. Why bother? There are so many tunes to download off of his iTunes thing. And where's the money in it for apple? That's No. 1.

No. 2, movie business, usually there's two models. One, you release a movie. The other, if it looks like a turkey, it goes direct to video or now, of course, direct to DVD. "National Lampoon," the folks that brought you "Animal House," one of my favorite movies of all time, a new movie out this weekend called "Black Ball" is kind of bucking the trend. What they're going to do here is they're going to release "Black Ball." That's Vince Vaughn there. "Black Ball" is going to be release for just a couple days, and then it's going to DVD. So, they're sort of melding the two models together. And the reason why, Soledad, is because DVD sales, 15 billion last year. Movie sales, only 9.4 billion. DVDs are getting bigger and bigger all the time.

O'BRIEN: Interesting.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Andy, thank you very much.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Well, spring is just around the corner, but it is fall at New York's Fashion Week. Which styles are going to make it from the runway to your closet? A special edition of "90-Second Pop" is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: I love that song. We couldn't let Fashion Week in New York go by without putting our 90-second spin it. So we have assembled a pop panel with a world of style. "TIME's" style and design editor Kate Betts joins us this morning.

Nice to see you, Kate.

Also celebrity stylist Kevin Sanders joins us.

Hey, Kevin, nice to see you.

KEVIN FULLER, CELEBRITY STYLIST: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: And Suzie Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion editor-at- large for "Glamour" magazine.

Welcome, welcome, welcome. This is really -- I also call this the segment where we show half-naked women walking -- beautiful women walking down the runway. You know, come one. It is what it is. Let's begin, Suzie, with you. What did you like, and what did you hate?

SUZIE YALO SCHWARTZ, "GLAMOUR" MAGAZINE: I loved all of the metallics, lots of gold, lots of silver, anything that's embellished and luxurious. That's the big trend this season.

O'BRIEN: Is that a trend, thought, that people -- like you know what? I don't see myself wearing metallics to the office kind of thing.

SCHWARTZ: Not yet, Soledad, but I can see you in them. You're going to have to work on that.

FULLER: I'm going to do that. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with metallics, definitely.

SCHWARTZ: No, but definitely.

KATE BETTS, "TIME" MAGAZINE: You can wear a touch of it in the shoe or in your handbag or something, you know, just an accent.

O'BRIEN: Some of the things that we've seen are like head to toe, those things.

SCHWARTZ: That's what makes fashion exciting. I mean, you don't want to look at something that's just so classic. You want to fantasize about actually having a place to go in these clothes.

O'BRIEN: None of us go anywhere. We don't go anywhere. Let's talk a little bit about the over-the-top luxury, Kate. I mean, it's like out of control. Let's show some pictures of the lux (ph) things that seem, I think, out of everybody's reach.

BETTS: Yes, there is a lot. I mean, especially the fur and the embroidery and the crystal beading and the feathers. I mean, at Michael Kors (ph), it was really over the top. I think a lot of the American designers are speaking to the Oscars, and I think the red carpet, you know, they really want to dress these actresses. So the evening wear is over the top. And then fur is just a continuing trend.

O'BRIEN: So fur is back? Because wasn't there a big time when no one wore fur really bad? All the models came out against it? Fur was bad? No fur?

BETTS: Well, fur has been back for about a year, and it just keeps getting bigger

O'BRIEN: Where have I been?

SCHWARTZ: Soledad, come on.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about some specific designers. Kevin, why don't you take a stab at this? What did you like.

FULLER: I think Carmen de Valle (ph) really stuck out for me. It just flowed. Every model just flowed down the runway. And back to Kate with the fur, he used fur accents. He really pulled it off well, and it was elegant. It was simple. It was sexy, everything a woman needs.

O'BRIEN: This is actually -- when I see things like this, it's like real people can wear it. You know, you don't have to be 6 foot 11 and 12 pounds to pull off a look like this.

FULLER: And affordable.

BETTS: I think the amazing thing about him is that he actually sells. I think he's, like, the No. 1 seller at Neiman Marcus.

FULLER: Right, right.

O'BRIEN: Really?

BETTS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: So actual women are buying his stuff.

BETTS: Women really are.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. Kevin, who else did you like?

FULLER: I think Nannette Lepore (ph) really brought us back to a renaissance era. She really -- every piece was just right on target. I mean, women were like brought back to another era of sexiness, and yes she...

O'BRIEN: The big hat even sexy?

FULLER: I think so. I think so on the right -- you know, the right ensemble it is. But, like, when she pulls off the corset look, she really knows how to do it. And her cuts are so marvelous on women. They really, really make them really turn out well.

O'BRIEN: It seemed like Marc Jacobs (ph), I mean, you know (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I know nothing about fashion. But Jacobs (ph) is getting -- every time I read an article about what's hot this year, Marc Jacobs (ph) is doing really well. And he's the guy who it seems like everybody is always trying to knock off.

BETTS: Yes, and he's a big trendsetter. But this time I'm not so sure. I mean, he did the bubble skirt., which..

O'BRIEN: Ouch! What does that mean?

BETTS: You know, there were a lot of full skirts on the runway, and this time he did these sort of bubble skirts that were shaped like bubbles.

FULLER: Right. SCHWARTZ: And nobody could wear them.

BETTS: Nobody could wear them.

FULLER: But you've got to appreciate his art.

O'BRIEN: You know what? Here's the thing. Most women have, like, the thigh-butt issue thing going on. Why would you wear a big, old skirt like that? It just makes you look big on the bottom.

BETTS: Yes.

SCHWARTZ: You could hide it that way. If you wore something low slung that was big and then you put something really tight up top, it actually can camouflage someone who is pear shaped.

O'BRIEN: Really?

FULLER: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

BETTS: Looking forward to seeing you in that.

FULLER: Get in a cab. Get in a cab with that skirt. I want to see that happen. I don't think it's going to happen.

O'BRIEN: Oh, well, yes and I don't know that I'm going to be the first one to run out and buy the bubble skirt. You guys, thanks for your insights on Fashion Week. Has it bee fun to go to all of those shows?

SCHWARTZ: Yes.

O'BRIEN: What a tough job.

BETTS: It never gets boring. It never gets boring.

SCHWARTZ: It's so glamorous.

O'BRIEN: It's so hard to be the three of.

FULLER: I'm so glad I'm leaving today. I'm done.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, you guys. Appreciate it.

Let's go back to Bill.

HEMMER: Well, enjoy it while the week lasts.

Today's top stories in a moment here. Also this daring rescue in the icy waters of the Atlantic. Three fishermen and the choice they had to make before abandoning ship. Their story live in a moment top of the hour here as we continue after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

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