Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Latest Developments in Child Molestation Trial of Michael Jackson; How Islamic Fundamentalists Organize Jihad on Internet
Aired February 15, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Michael Jackson and his lawyers now planning a case around massive star power. But with names like Kobe Bryant and Jay Leno and other celebrities, is this about defense or distraction?
The White House asking for more money to fund the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, $82 billion. Why do they need so much?
And the new campaign to capture Osama bin Laden. Can a television do what an army cannot?
Those stories on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody.
We're here in New York City. Put this day in a bottle and keep it for a long time.
O'BRIEN: It's going to be nice today.
HEMMER: Fifty degrees and sunshine.
O'BRIEN: That's got to be higher than when I got in. It was 50 when I drove in at 4:00. It's now 47, but it's still nice.
HEMMER: Yes. And we have plenty of time to climb the thermometer.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it's great.
HEMMER: Good morning, everyone.
The Michael Jackson witness list has just about everyone in Hollywood talking, perhaps because so many people in Hollywood are on that list. The celebrity lineup and whether not all these stars are really going to be called to the stand. And also coming up here, a look at jury selection and how the process is going out there in California.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you have to wonder, with someone like Stevie Wonder.
HEMMER: Yes? O'BRIEN: What is Stevie Wonder going to say on the stand about Michael Jackson?
Also this morning, we're going to show you the new guy at this year's Westminster Dog Show -- the Neapolitan mastiff. He's there -- look at this. Look at that flabby stuff, under all those layers. As you can imagine, Jeanne Moos met the big guy and is going to give us the proper introduction.
HEMMER: Enjoy your breakfast.
O'BRIEN: That's a wonderful dog, isn't it?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is a very cool dog.
HEMMER: And it's a big one, yes.
O'BRIEN: A little flabby mouth. It's cute.
CAFFERTY: What kind is it?
O'BRIEN: It's the Neapolitan mastiff.
CAFFERTY: I would like to have one of those.
O'BRIEN: You would?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Cute. I'll bet he slobbers...
CAFFERTY: A very cool dog.
O'BRIEN: ... all over your furniture.
CAFFERTY: Yes, on a cold night, you could just get some of that extra skin and wrap yourself right up in it...
HEMMER: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Wrap it around...
CAFFERTY: ... and you'd be good to go.
O'BRIEN: That's a big old dog.
CAFFERTY: Look at that. What a cool dog. Oh, there's Jeanne.
O'BRIEN: Ooh, my goodness.
CAFFERTY: All right, nice.
HEMMER: Excess skin, and a lot of it, too.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Cute.
HEMMER: What's up?
CAFFERTY: All right, now -- never mind.
Coming up in "The Cafferty File" -- I almost got into a lot of trouble.
O'BRIEN: I know.
CAFFERTY: We're going to visit a kissing school in Seattle. You know, they come up with stuff on the West Coast of this country that the rest of the world hasn't even thought of yet, and with good reason.
Cheech and Chong with a startling revelation about those terrible movies they made.
And a Hollywood star introduces us to his new magazine, with the motto, "stay in the game past 40."
That'd be in "The File," later.
O'BRIEN: All right. Sounds good.
Thank you, Jack.
Let's get right to the headlines this morning.
Heidi Collins sitting in for us.
Nice to see you -- Heidi.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's not.
Let's get back to the dog.
O'BRIEN: Sure, we love the dog.
COLLINS: A nice dog.
O'BRIEN: The dog is beautiful.
COLLINS: We do have headlines to talk about, though, guys.
Good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news today, a sentencing hearing in Cambridge, Massachusetts in just about two hours for defrocked priest Paul Shanley. He's facing life in prison following his conviction last week for repeatedly molesting a young boy back in the 1980s. Some prison advocates are expressing concern that sending Shanley to prison will amount to a death sentence. Another figure in the clergy abuse scandal, John Geoghan, was killed in prison over one year ago. The Lebanese Army is beefing up security after a huge bomb blast killed the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. The country is observing three days of mourning for the prime minister and 15 others killed in yesterday's blast. Authorities have questioned four people in connection with the attack. All but one have been released.
The U.S. Senate is expected to confirm Michael Chertoff as the new homeland security secretary today. There was some spirited debate yesterday Chertoff's nomination. Some Democrats criticizing the Justice Department for not releasing a prison interrogation document possibly involving Chertoff. But despite the debate, the vote is expected to go to the Senate floor this afternoon and Chertoff is expected to win confirmation.
And there you have it -- back to you guys.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thank you very much.
Well, jury selection resumes this morning in Michael Jackson's child molestation case. When the testimony finally does get underway, Jackson may not be the only star in the courtroom.
CNN's Miguel Marquez is live for us outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California -- good morning to you, Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Yes, hundreds of people may be coming up here to Santa Maria to spend the day and to testify. And the defense and the prosecution sped through these lists yesterday. And we wrote them down as fast as possible. By a couple of accounts, over 500 witnesses on those lists combined, with both of them having lots of surprises.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED SUPPORTERS: Michael! Michael! Michael!
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Michael Jackson on time and in court for day one of jury questioning.
81-year-old Ralph Marks was the first juror dismissed.
RALPH MARKS, DISMISSED JUROR: I'd like to hear both sides of the story. It would have been interesting.
MARQUEZ: Interesting may be an understatement. Both defense and prosecution read their lists of possible witnesses to potential jurors. The judge ordered the lists read so potential jurors could indicate whether they knew anyone on either list.
LINDA DEUTSCH, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Everyone was fascinated by these celebrity witness lists that they gave out, which was kind of a -- it sounded like a list for an Academy Awards show.
MARQUEZ: On the defense list of almost 250, basketball star Kobe Bryant, singer and long time friend Diana Ross, "60 Minutes" correspondent Ed Bradley, Jackson friend Elizabeth Taylor and CNN show host Larry King. Also on the defense list, two of the five men who allegedly conspired with Jackson to abduct, imprison and extort the accuser and his family. They remain uncharged.
Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon, the man bringing the case, may also be called by the defense. Jackson's attorneys have argued Sneddon has a vendetta against the pop star.
DEUTSCH: The defense questioning was much more focused on would you believe children when they testify?
MARQUEZ: On the prosecution's list, Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson's children; also, Jackson's 1993 accuser, who never brought molestation charges after a multi-million dollar settlement was reached.
Jackson has maintained he is innocent of past and current allegations.
Judge Rodney Melville has still not ruled on whether he's going to allow evidence of past allegations against Jackson into the current case.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
MARQUEZ: Now, the way this is working in the courtroom, there's 112 jurors in there. Twelve of them go into the jury box at one time. And now the defense and the prosecution have 10 minutes apiece with each of those jurors. And today we expect, as that process of voire dire continues, lots of jurors will start to be dismissed for cause -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Miguel Marquez in Santa Maria, California for us.
Miguel, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: About six minutes past the hour now.
There is a very real war going on in cyberspace.
On our CNN "Security Watch" this morning, online jihad. Radical Islamic Web sites showing how to use a computer as a weapon. And some believe electrical power, transportation, communication, even government, might be at risk.
Our senior editor for Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr, she's back with us from the CNN Center -- good morning, Octavia and welcome back here.
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: What are we talking about with the phrase online jihad?
NASR: We're talking about two things. One is recruiting. You see all those calls for Mujahedeen. They have messages saying we need Mujahedeen because it seems like, if you read the messages closely, although we do not know for sure what the targets are or what the plan is, but it seems like something is being cooked up to attack computers, to create viruses, to wipe out memories on computers and attack, perhaps, big companies, as you said.
HEMMER: What are the messages? What are the materials that you find on these Web sites?
NASR: Lots of material. We're talking about hundreds and hundreds, literally, of Islamist Web sites. All of them have a cyberspace section where you can go in and learn anything about anything, from creating a dirty bomb to creating a belt with explosives, how to blow yourself up, how to kidnap people. As a matter of fact, I'm looking here at something I just printed out. It's about kidnapping. It's six pages long of the rules of kidnapping, how to find your prey, how to monitor them; also, different kinds of kidnapping. Are you kidnapping from a bus, are you kidnapping from a car, from a house, from a mall.
Very interesting. Also, they get into details of negotiating, releasing the hostage and so forth. Also, they have -- a few months ago something came up that was very interesting, which was a Jihadi Web site for women. Basically, it's teaching women how to also participate in jihad.
HEMMER: Who typically goes to a Web site? Do we know?
NASR: Extremists usually. When you monitor them, you just sit there and you read what they write. Usually they're people who sit there and look over the Internet, find things that might be interesting to other extremists. They post them and then they start chatting about them. Very interesting. I mean you don't have moderators watching...
HEMMER: Sure.
NASR: I mean maybe monitoring the Web sites, but definitely not participating. We're talking about extremists. We're talking about people who believe in blowing yourself up for a cause, people who believe that a woman's jihad is to serve her husband and raise kids, that we'll be the lions of jihad in the future.
HEMMER: Do you find -- if you monitor these Web sites long enough, is this a recruiting tool, primarily? Or is this to encourage people to go out and commit a particular act?
NASR: I would say it's more a propaganda tool, primarily. We don't sense that there is recruiting going on. But at the same time, we are not experts in this.
HEMMER: Sure.
NASR: All we do is monitor these Web sites and report back. They talk about, for example, a secret code, coming up with a coded missing and then attacking. But experts I've talked to said that their coded message system is really antiquated and nothing to be scared of or concerned about. So primarily it's propaganda. Primarily it's inciting for violence, people sitting down, using their computers to say that they're participating. Actually, one of them even said today, he said even if we just get on the Internet and support our brothers in jihad, that's very good and that will get us closer to god. So even if we don't fight, this is good enough.
HEMMER: Fascinating material.
Continue to monitor it for us.
Octavia Nasr, thanks, at the CNN Center.
And stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
In a few moments, our first look at the television ads publicizing the $25 million reward for the capture of Osama bin Laden. The first time the U.S. has been doing this overseas -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: A look at the weather now.
Chad Myers is at the CNN Center with the latest forecast -- hey, Chad, a beautiful day here in New York.
We get full credit.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It sure is, Soledad.
Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, some popular painkillers have been linked to heart problems. Where can you turn, though, if you suffer from pain and have questions? Some say look at your diet. We'll page the good doctor on that in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: Also, the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. lives on. But a tribute to his cause may be in jeopardy because of money. We'll explain.
HEMMER: And can a television commercial help catch a terrorist mastermind? The hunt for Osama bin Laden -- how that hunt is changing, ahead this hour, live in New York City on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: For the first time ever, the U.S. is airing radio and television commercials to publicize the $25 million reward for the capture of Osama bin Laden. The commercials began airing this week in Pakistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM COMMERCIAL)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Who are the victims of terrorism? Our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. Who are these terrorists and who can stop them? Only you. To bring to justice any perpetrator of any act of global terrorism against U.S. citizens or assets, please call 0-800-23234. You could be entitled to a reward of up to $25 million for providing useful information in this regard, and you and your family would be entitled to be relocated to a safe location. Your call will be kept confidential.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Print ads have already been seen in the region for several weeks. The ads are part of a stepped up American campaign that was energized by Representative Mark Kirk of Illinois.
He joins us this morning.
Nice to see you.
Thanks for coming in.
REP. MARK KIRK (R-IL), APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I know you just got access to these ads. Obviously, we're giving everybody the English translation of these ads that run in Pakistan.
Why do you think that somebody in Pakistan who hears this ad will be motivated to turn in Osama bin Laden when heretofore there's been no luck?
KIRK: Well, right now the area where we think he's hiding is rural and the communities are largely illiterate. So news about the reward program and how to come in and how safely your family will be protected hasn't really penetrated these communities.
I'm the first congressman to go into Waziristan, where we think bin Laden is hiding. And there I found people were avid radio, and some also had satellite TV stations.
So this is going to be the first time many of these communities hear about the awards program. And it's been so successful in catching other murderers of Americans.
O'BRIEN: It has a track record.
What kind of play are your commercials going to get?
KIRK: It's going to be on six Pakistani radio networks and three satellite TV stations and every major daily in Pakistan. So we're getting wide coverage, with the TV commercials just starting this morning.
O'BRIEN: When you say it's had success, give me a sense of what kind of success it's had. KIRK: We're getting about 12 leads a day. And this is a program where we could get a thousand bad leads, but if we get one good one, the program will be a success.
O'BRIEN: But 12 leads about Osama bin Laden?
KIRK: About Osama bin Laden. This is the program that got us Ramsey Yousef, that was the author of the '93 World Trade Center bombing; Mir Aimal Kansi; also, Saddam Hussein's two sons. Very successful. We've paid over $50 million in awards. But we haven't gotten bin Laden yet and that was why I went to Waziristan, because I saw that news of this program hadn't got out yet in this rural community, but the radio and TV program will definitely change the facts on the ground.
O'BRIEN: So you've been in Pakistan.
What was the reaction or -- I know it's sort of very early in on the program, but what do you expect the reaction will be? There are many people who would imagine a backlash, actually.
KIRK: Right. Some radio networks were initially concerned about running the ads. But now the ads are getting very good play and generating a lot of leads. And what we're finding is the space that bin Laden can hide in is beginning to contract. Three years ago, he could have been anywhere among a hundred million people. Now we think he's in a fairly confined place among just a million people. And as we get the rewards program notices out and make the ads more effective and more meaningful, we, generate more leads.
O'BRIEN: You say a lot of leads, but really 12 a day.
Have any of them come up with anything?
KIRK: Not yet. Not yet. But this is where 10,000 bad leads and one good one leads to a good result. And for us, we want to make this not just a program capable of nailing bin Laden, but the other 25 top al Qaeda lieutenants, so that we complete the job that we started on September 12, 2001.
O'BRIEN: Congressman Mark Kirk.
Nice to see you.
KIRK: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for coming in to talk to us about it.
KIRK: Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: We appreciate it -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, lighter news in a moment here.
Nineteen minutes past the hour.
Jeanne Moos found a new wrinkle or two, or three or four, at the Westminster Dog Show.
Back in a moment with Jeanne after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Every time of this year here in New York, canine contenders from all over the country vie for best in show. It's New York's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. And this year's edition, the 129th, in fact, has a few new wrinkles, a lot of them, and most of them belong to a new breed.
Here's Jeanne Moos this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All the Botox in the world couldn't cure Belaggio.
(on camera): You're a sucker for wrinkles...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes, I can't imagine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not on me.
MOOS (voice-over): The new breed at Westminster will leave you drooling.
(on camera): Yes, oh that is some man-sized drool.
(voice-over): Let it fly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to have a drool rag. It's like American Express, you can never leave home without it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is he?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A hippopotamus, right?
MOOS: Hippo, no. Neo, yes. Short for...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Neapolitan mastiff. His name is Belaggio.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, wow, Belaggio.
MOOS: The girls are swooning over half brothers Belaggio and Sirius...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lets get serious.
MOOS: ... two of only three Neapolitan mastiffs competing for the first time ever at Westminster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to make him flap his cheeks.
MOOS (on camera): Woah!
(voice-over): In the time of the Roman emperors, a dog like this was used as...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A canine gladiator.
MOOS: Belaggio's handler, Harry Booker, says they fought lions and tigers at the Coliseum. Their loose, wrinkly skin, makes it hard for an opponent to grab.
JIM DEPPEN, SIRIUS OWNER: He can literally turn in the skin. I can't literally restrain this dog.
MOOS (on camera): You like those wrinkles?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I just said I'll look like this in 30 years.
MOOS: Twenty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you're a sweetheart, aren't you?
MOOS (voice-over): And though they were bred to be guard dogs, they're gentle when trained from puppy hood. This is Sirius' son, seriously irresistible. Belaggio's so well trained, we had to use a treat to entice him to jump up on me.
(on camera): I can't find his mouth.
(voice-over): Maybe you've seen the breed before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: In "Harry Potter."
(on camera): Is this what happens all the time when you bring him out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Constantly, the barrage of people.
MOOS (voice-over): Amid all the acclaim, what's a little slobber on your suit? The best in breed went to Belaggio despite comments like hey, mister, someone let the air out of your dog. Maybe slimmer dogs can slip by.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He can't get through, he's so big. We've got to go around. He's the biggest dog in the show.
MOOS: At least he got the biggest laugh. Maybe those are just laugh lines.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Wow!
You can see the finals of the Kennel Club Show later tonight on the USA network. 8:00 Eastern for the Show. Tomorrow morning, we'll have this year's best in show winner right here on AMERICAN MORNING. And he or she will come over here and slobber all over our studio.
O'BRIEN: Oh, that puppy was so cute.
HEMMER: Good stuff.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: And a huge dog, too.
O'BRIEN: Yes. That grows into something big, doesn't it?
HEMMER: Howe are you?
O'BRIEN: Hi, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Good.
The Question of the Day is about another $82 billion the president wants for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They call it a supplemental. It's in addition to the budget he turned in last week for $2.57 trillion. This $82 billion wasn't in that. This is one of the larger requests in U.S. history recently, and if approved, it would push the total cost of the war on terror since September 11 to over $300 billion.
The question is, it's been three and a half years since the terrorists hit the Trade Center and the Pentagon. Do you feel safer now than right after September 11?
Steve from Staten Island writes: "You'd better believe I feel safer than on 9/11. I was there when the planes hit. Anything and everything we did helped to make us all safer. Terrorism from anywhere in the world can obviously affect us here in the United States and it must be crushed wherever it is."
Glenda in Birmingham, Alabama: "No. For $300 billion we've sent our National Guard to other shores. How are we safer when our at home military is weakened?"
Tony writes from wherever it is that Tony lives. I don't have that. "Jack, to answer your question, no. Since September 11, I left my corporate job to become a federal agent. There is so much waste and abuse with resources that it's sad. The bureaucracy and the federal government keeps anyone from being efficient and truly productive."
And Scott in Texas City writes: "We should all feel safer today than on September 11. Osama bin Laden is custody, the weapons of mass destruction have all been confiscated, nail clippers are no longer posing a threat on our airplanes and the whole world loves us. How could we not feel safer?" O'BRIEN: A fair amount of sarcasm in a lot of those answers.
CAFFERTY: A tad.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: There's a tad.
HEMMER: Jack.
O'BRIEN: Thanks.
HEMMER: The president has an expensive request for Congress. How much will the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost? Live to the Pentagon. Barbara Starr has the numbers, and they are heavy.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Just about 8:30 here in New York.
Good morning, everybody.
Welcome back here on this AMERICAN MORNING.
The price tag going up again for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan by about $82 billion. The White House now asking Congress for a new round of funding. And Barbara Starr at the Pentagon tells us where all that money is going. So we'll get to that.
O'BRIEN: Also, it's been nine years since Congress gave the go ahead for a Martin Luther King memorial on the National Mall in Washington. But so far, no construction. We're going to talk about why that is with the president of the memorial's foundation and also find out why this could be the key month for the project's future.
HEMMER: All right, a check of the headlines again.
Heidi Collins back with us here -- good morning.
COLLINS: Good morning, guys.
And good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news this morning, people in Lebanon are in mourning today for former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Hariri and 15 others were killed in a huge explosion yesterday in Beirut. Dozens more were injured. Schools, shops and public buildings will be closed until the official funeral on Wednesday. Meanwhile, an investigation into the cause of that bombing is still underway.
Two people are said to be in stable condition this morning after a small plane crash in central Florida. Authorities say the single engine plane stopped some 200 feet short of the runway about 35 miles northwest of Orlando. The pilot and another person were killed in the crash.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 15, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Michael Jackson and his lawyers now planning a case around massive star power. But with names like Kobe Bryant and Jay Leno and other celebrities, is this about defense or distraction?
The White House asking for more money to fund the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, $82 billion. Why do they need so much?
And the new campaign to capture Osama bin Laden. Can a television do what an army cannot?
Those stories on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody.
We're here in New York City. Put this day in a bottle and keep it for a long time.
O'BRIEN: It's going to be nice today.
HEMMER: Fifty degrees and sunshine.
O'BRIEN: That's got to be higher than when I got in. It was 50 when I drove in at 4:00. It's now 47, but it's still nice.
HEMMER: Yes. And we have plenty of time to climb the thermometer.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it's great.
HEMMER: Good morning, everyone.
The Michael Jackson witness list has just about everyone in Hollywood talking, perhaps because so many people in Hollywood are on that list. The celebrity lineup and whether not all these stars are really going to be called to the stand. And also coming up here, a look at jury selection and how the process is going out there in California.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you have to wonder, with someone like Stevie Wonder.
HEMMER: Yes? O'BRIEN: What is Stevie Wonder going to say on the stand about Michael Jackson?
Also this morning, we're going to show you the new guy at this year's Westminster Dog Show -- the Neapolitan mastiff. He's there -- look at this. Look at that flabby stuff, under all those layers. As you can imagine, Jeanne Moos met the big guy and is going to give us the proper introduction.
HEMMER: Enjoy your breakfast.
O'BRIEN: That's a wonderful dog, isn't it?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is a very cool dog.
HEMMER: And it's a big one, yes.
O'BRIEN: A little flabby mouth. It's cute.
CAFFERTY: What kind is it?
O'BRIEN: It's the Neapolitan mastiff.
CAFFERTY: I would like to have one of those.
O'BRIEN: You would?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Cute. I'll bet he slobbers...
CAFFERTY: A very cool dog.
O'BRIEN: ... all over your furniture.
CAFFERTY: Yes, on a cold night, you could just get some of that extra skin and wrap yourself right up in it...
HEMMER: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Wrap it around...
CAFFERTY: ... and you'd be good to go.
O'BRIEN: That's a big old dog.
CAFFERTY: Look at that. What a cool dog. Oh, there's Jeanne.
O'BRIEN: Ooh, my goodness.
CAFFERTY: All right, nice.
HEMMER: Excess skin, and a lot of it, too.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Cute.
HEMMER: What's up?
CAFFERTY: All right, now -- never mind.
Coming up in "The Cafferty File" -- I almost got into a lot of trouble.
O'BRIEN: I know.
CAFFERTY: We're going to visit a kissing school in Seattle. You know, they come up with stuff on the West Coast of this country that the rest of the world hasn't even thought of yet, and with good reason.
Cheech and Chong with a startling revelation about those terrible movies they made.
And a Hollywood star introduces us to his new magazine, with the motto, "stay in the game past 40."
That'd be in "The File," later.
O'BRIEN: All right. Sounds good.
Thank you, Jack.
Let's get right to the headlines this morning.
Heidi Collins sitting in for us.
Nice to see you -- Heidi.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's not.
Let's get back to the dog.
O'BRIEN: Sure, we love the dog.
COLLINS: A nice dog.
O'BRIEN: The dog is beautiful.
COLLINS: We do have headlines to talk about, though, guys.
Good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news today, a sentencing hearing in Cambridge, Massachusetts in just about two hours for defrocked priest Paul Shanley. He's facing life in prison following his conviction last week for repeatedly molesting a young boy back in the 1980s. Some prison advocates are expressing concern that sending Shanley to prison will amount to a death sentence. Another figure in the clergy abuse scandal, John Geoghan, was killed in prison over one year ago. The Lebanese Army is beefing up security after a huge bomb blast killed the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. The country is observing three days of mourning for the prime minister and 15 others killed in yesterday's blast. Authorities have questioned four people in connection with the attack. All but one have been released.
The U.S. Senate is expected to confirm Michael Chertoff as the new homeland security secretary today. There was some spirited debate yesterday Chertoff's nomination. Some Democrats criticizing the Justice Department for not releasing a prison interrogation document possibly involving Chertoff. But despite the debate, the vote is expected to go to the Senate floor this afternoon and Chertoff is expected to win confirmation.
And there you have it -- back to you guys.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thank you very much.
Well, jury selection resumes this morning in Michael Jackson's child molestation case. When the testimony finally does get underway, Jackson may not be the only star in the courtroom.
CNN's Miguel Marquez is live for us outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California -- good morning to you, Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Yes, hundreds of people may be coming up here to Santa Maria to spend the day and to testify. And the defense and the prosecution sped through these lists yesterday. And we wrote them down as fast as possible. By a couple of accounts, over 500 witnesses on those lists combined, with both of them having lots of surprises.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED SUPPORTERS: Michael! Michael! Michael!
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Michael Jackson on time and in court for day one of jury questioning.
81-year-old Ralph Marks was the first juror dismissed.
RALPH MARKS, DISMISSED JUROR: I'd like to hear both sides of the story. It would have been interesting.
MARQUEZ: Interesting may be an understatement. Both defense and prosecution read their lists of possible witnesses to potential jurors. The judge ordered the lists read so potential jurors could indicate whether they knew anyone on either list.
LINDA DEUTSCH, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Everyone was fascinated by these celebrity witness lists that they gave out, which was kind of a -- it sounded like a list for an Academy Awards show.
MARQUEZ: On the defense list of almost 250, basketball star Kobe Bryant, singer and long time friend Diana Ross, "60 Minutes" correspondent Ed Bradley, Jackson friend Elizabeth Taylor and CNN show host Larry King. Also on the defense list, two of the five men who allegedly conspired with Jackson to abduct, imprison and extort the accuser and his family. They remain uncharged.
Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon, the man bringing the case, may also be called by the defense. Jackson's attorneys have argued Sneddon has a vendetta against the pop star.
DEUTSCH: The defense questioning was much more focused on would you believe children when they testify?
MARQUEZ: On the prosecution's list, Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson's children; also, Jackson's 1993 accuser, who never brought molestation charges after a multi-million dollar settlement was reached.
Jackson has maintained he is innocent of past and current allegations.
Judge Rodney Melville has still not ruled on whether he's going to allow evidence of past allegations against Jackson into the current case.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
MARQUEZ: Now, the way this is working in the courtroom, there's 112 jurors in there. Twelve of them go into the jury box at one time. And now the defense and the prosecution have 10 minutes apiece with each of those jurors. And today we expect, as that process of voire dire continues, lots of jurors will start to be dismissed for cause -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Miguel Marquez in Santa Maria, California for us.
Miguel, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: About six minutes past the hour now.
There is a very real war going on in cyberspace.
On our CNN "Security Watch" this morning, online jihad. Radical Islamic Web sites showing how to use a computer as a weapon. And some believe electrical power, transportation, communication, even government, might be at risk.
Our senior editor for Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr, she's back with us from the CNN Center -- good morning, Octavia and welcome back here.
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: What are we talking about with the phrase online jihad?
NASR: We're talking about two things. One is recruiting. You see all those calls for Mujahedeen. They have messages saying we need Mujahedeen because it seems like, if you read the messages closely, although we do not know for sure what the targets are or what the plan is, but it seems like something is being cooked up to attack computers, to create viruses, to wipe out memories on computers and attack, perhaps, big companies, as you said.
HEMMER: What are the messages? What are the materials that you find on these Web sites?
NASR: Lots of material. We're talking about hundreds and hundreds, literally, of Islamist Web sites. All of them have a cyberspace section where you can go in and learn anything about anything, from creating a dirty bomb to creating a belt with explosives, how to blow yourself up, how to kidnap people. As a matter of fact, I'm looking here at something I just printed out. It's about kidnapping. It's six pages long of the rules of kidnapping, how to find your prey, how to monitor them; also, different kinds of kidnapping. Are you kidnapping from a bus, are you kidnapping from a car, from a house, from a mall.
Very interesting. Also, they get into details of negotiating, releasing the hostage and so forth. Also, they have -- a few months ago something came up that was very interesting, which was a Jihadi Web site for women. Basically, it's teaching women how to also participate in jihad.
HEMMER: Who typically goes to a Web site? Do we know?
NASR: Extremists usually. When you monitor them, you just sit there and you read what they write. Usually they're people who sit there and look over the Internet, find things that might be interesting to other extremists. They post them and then they start chatting about them. Very interesting. I mean you don't have moderators watching...
HEMMER: Sure.
NASR: I mean maybe monitoring the Web sites, but definitely not participating. We're talking about extremists. We're talking about people who believe in blowing yourself up for a cause, people who believe that a woman's jihad is to serve her husband and raise kids, that we'll be the lions of jihad in the future.
HEMMER: Do you find -- if you monitor these Web sites long enough, is this a recruiting tool, primarily? Or is this to encourage people to go out and commit a particular act?
NASR: I would say it's more a propaganda tool, primarily. We don't sense that there is recruiting going on. But at the same time, we are not experts in this.
HEMMER: Sure.
NASR: All we do is monitor these Web sites and report back. They talk about, for example, a secret code, coming up with a coded missing and then attacking. But experts I've talked to said that their coded message system is really antiquated and nothing to be scared of or concerned about. So primarily it's propaganda. Primarily it's inciting for violence, people sitting down, using their computers to say that they're participating. Actually, one of them even said today, he said even if we just get on the Internet and support our brothers in jihad, that's very good and that will get us closer to god. So even if we don't fight, this is good enough.
HEMMER: Fascinating material.
Continue to monitor it for us.
Octavia Nasr, thanks, at the CNN Center.
And stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
In a few moments, our first look at the television ads publicizing the $25 million reward for the capture of Osama bin Laden. The first time the U.S. has been doing this overseas -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: A look at the weather now.
Chad Myers is at the CNN Center with the latest forecast -- hey, Chad, a beautiful day here in New York.
We get full credit.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It sure is, Soledad.
Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, some popular painkillers have been linked to heart problems. Where can you turn, though, if you suffer from pain and have questions? Some say look at your diet. We'll page the good doctor on that in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: Also, the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. lives on. But a tribute to his cause may be in jeopardy because of money. We'll explain.
HEMMER: And can a television commercial help catch a terrorist mastermind? The hunt for Osama bin Laden -- how that hunt is changing, ahead this hour, live in New York City on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: For the first time ever, the U.S. is airing radio and television commercials to publicize the $25 million reward for the capture of Osama bin Laden. The commercials began airing this week in Pakistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM COMMERCIAL)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Who are the victims of terrorism? Our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. Who are these terrorists and who can stop them? Only you. To bring to justice any perpetrator of any act of global terrorism against U.S. citizens or assets, please call 0-800-23234. You could be entitled to a reward of up to $25 million for providing useful information in this regard, and you and your family would be entitled to be relocated to a safe location. Your call will be kept confidential.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Print ads have already been seen in the region for several weeks. The ads are part of a stepped up American campaign that was energized by Representative Mark Kirk of Illinois.
He joins us this morning.
Nice to see you.
Thanks for coming in.
REP. MARK KIRK (R-IL), APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I know you just got access to these ads. Obviously, we're giving everybody the English translation of these ads that run in Pakistan.
Why do you think that somebody in Pakistan who hears this ad will be motivated to turn in Osama bin Laden when heretofore there's been no luck?
KIRK: Well, right now the area where we think he's hiding is rural and the communities are largely illiterate. So news about the reward program and how to come in and how safely your family will be protected hasn't really penetrated these communities.
I'm the first congressman to go into Waziristan, where we think bin Laden is hiding. And there I found people were avid radio, and some also had satellite TV stations.
So this is going to be the first time many of these communities hear about the awards program. And it's been so successful in catching other murderers of Americans.
O'BRIEN: It has a track record.
What kind of play are your commercials going to get?
KIRK: It's going to be on six Pakistani radio networks and three satellite TV stations and every major daily in Pakistan. So we're getting wide coverage, with the TV commercials just starting this morning.
O'BRIEN: When you say it's had success, give me a sense of what kind of success it's had. KIRK: We're getting about 12 leads a day. And this is a program where we could get a thousand bad leads, but if we get one good one, the program will be a success.
O'BRIEN: But 12 leads about Osama bin Laden?
KIRK: About Osama bin Laden. This is the program that got us Ramsey Yousef, that was the author of the '93 World Trade Center bombing; Mir Aimal Kansi; also, Saddam Hussein's two sons. Very successful. We've paid over $50 million in awards. But we haven't gotten bin Laden yet and that was why I went to Waziristan, because I saw that news of this program hadn't got out yet in this rural community, but the radio and TV program will definitely change the facts on the ground.
O'BRIEN: So you've been in Pakistan.
What was the reaction or -- I know it's sort of very early in on the program, but what do you expect the reaction will be? There are many people who would imagine a backlash, actually.
KIRK: Right. Some radio networks were initially concerned about running the ads. But now the ads are getting very good play and generating a lot of leads. And what we're finding is the space that bin Laden can hide in is beginning to contract. Three years ago, he could have been anywhere among a hundred million people. Now we think he's in a fairly confined place among just a million people. And as we get the rewards program notices out and make the ads more effective and more meaningful, we, generate more leads.
O'BRIEN: You say a lot of leads, but really 12 a day.
Have any of them come up with anything?
KIRK: Not yet. Not yet. But this is where 10,000 bad leads and one good one leads to a good result. And for us, we want to make this not just a program capable of nailing bin Laden, but the other 25 top al Qaeda lieutenants, so that we complete the job that we started on September 12, 2001.
O'BRIEN: Congressman Mark Kirk.
Nice to see you.
KIRK: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for coming in to talk to us about it.
KIRK: Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: We appreciate it -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, lighter news in a moment here.
Nineteen minutes past the hour.
Jeanne Moos found a new wrinkle or two, or three or four, at the Westminster Dog Show.
Back in a moment with Jeanne after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Every time of this year here in New York, canine contenders from all over the country vie for best in show. It's New York's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. And this year's edition, the 129th, in fact, has a few new wrinkles, a lot of them, and most of them belong to a new breed.
Here's Jeanne Moos this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All the Botox in the world couldn't cure Belaggio.
(on camera): You're a sucker for wrinkles...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes, I can't imagine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not on me.
MOOS (voice-over): The new breed at Westminster will leave you drooling.
(on camera): Yes, oh that is some man-sized drool.
(voice-over): Let it fly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to have a drool rag. It's like American Express, you can never leave home without it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is he?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A hippopotamus, right?
MOOS: Hippo, no. Neo, yes. Short for...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Neapolitan mastiff. His name is Belaggio.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, wow, Belaggio.
MOOS: The girls are swooning over half brothers Belaggio and Sirius...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lets get serious.
MOOS: ... two of only three Neapolitan mastiffs competing for the first time ever at Westminster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to make him flap his cheeks.
MOOS (on camera): Woah!
(voice-over): In the time of the Roman emperors, a dog like this was used as...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A canine gladiator.
MOOS: Belaggio's handler, Harry Booker, says they fought lions and tigers at the Coliseum. Their loose, wrinkly skin, makes it hard for an opponent to grab.
JIM DEPPEN, SIRIUS OWNER: He can literally turn in the skin. I can't literally restrain this dog.
MOOS (on camera): You like those wrinkles?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I just said I'll look like this in 30 years.
MOOS: Twenty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you're a sweetheart, aren't you?
MOOS (voice-over): And though they were bred to be guard dogs, they're gentle when trained from puppy hood. This is Sirius' son, seriously irresistible. Belaggio's so well trained, we had to use a treat to entice him to jump up on me.
(on camera): I can't find his mouth.
(voice-over): Maybe you've seen the breed before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: In "Harry Potter."
(on camera): Is this what happens all the time when you bring him out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Constantly, the barrage of people.
MOOS (voice-over): Amid all the acclaim, what's a little slobber on your suit? The best in breed went to Belaggio despite comments like hey, mister, someone let the air out of your dog. Maybe slimmer dogs can slip by.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He can't get through, he's so big. We've got to go around. He's the biggest dog in the show.
MOOS: At least he got the biggest laugh. Maybe those are just laugh lines.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Wow!
You can see the finals of the Kennel Club Show later tonight on the USA network. 8:00 Eastern for the Show. Tomorrow morning, we'll have this year's best in show winner right here on AMERICAN MORNING. And he or she will come over here and slobber all over our studio.
O'BRIEN: Oh, that puppy was so cute.
HEMMER: Good stuff.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: And a huge dog, too.
O'BRIEN: Yes. That grows into something big, doesn't it?
HEMMER: Howe are you?
O'BRIEN: Hi, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Good.
The Question of the Day is about another $82 billion the president wants for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They call it a supplemental. It's in addition to the budget he turned in last week for $2.57 trillion. This $82 billion wasn't in that. This is one of the larger requests in U.S. history recently, and if approved, it would push the total cost of the war on terror since September 11 to over $300 billion.
The question is, it's been three and a half years since the terrorists hit the Trade Center and the Pentagon. Do you feel safer now than right after September 11?
Steve from Staten Island writes: "You'd better believe I feel safer than on 9/11. I was there when the planes hit. Anything and everything we did helped to make us all safer. Terrorism from anywhere in the world can obviously affect us here in the United States and it must be crushed wherever it is."
Glenda in Birmingham, Alabama: "No. For $300 billion we've sent our National Guard to other shores. How are we safer when our at home military is weakened?"
Tony writes from wherever it is that Tony lives. I don't have that. "Jack, to answer your question, no. Since September 11, I left my corporate job to become a federal agent. There is so much waste and abuse with resources that it's sad. The bureaucracy and the federal government keeps anyone from being efficient and truly productive."
And Scott in Texas City writes: "We should all feel safer today than on September 11. Osama bin Laden is custody, the weapons of mass destruction have all been confiscated, nail clippers are no longer posing a threat on our airplanes and the whole world loves us. How could we not feel safer?" O'BRIEN: A fair amount of sarcasm in a lot of those answers.
CAFFERTY: A tad.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: There's a tad.
HEMMER: Jack.
O'BRIEN: Thanks.
HEMMER: The president has an expensive request for Congress. How much will the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost? Live to the Pentagon. Barbara Starr has the numbers, and they are heavy.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Just about 8:30 here in New York.
Good morning, everybody.
Welcome back here on this AMERICAN MORNING.
The price tag going up again for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan by about $82 billion. The White House now asking Congress for a new round of funding. And Barbara Starr at the Pentagon tells us where all that money is going. So we'll get to that.
O'BRIEN: Also, it's been nine years since Congress gave the go ahead for a Martin Luther King memorial on the National Mall in Washington. But so far, no construction. We're going to talk about why that is with the president of the memorial's foundation and also find out why this could be the key month for the project's future.
HEMMER: All right, a check of the headlines again.
Heidi Collins back with us here -- good morning.
COLLINS: Good morning, guys.
And good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news this morning, people in Lebanon are in mourning today for former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Hariri and 15 others were killed in a huge explosion yesterday in Beirut. Dozens more were injured. Schools, shops and public buildings will be closed until the official funeral on Wednesday. Meanwhile, an investigation into the cause of that bombing is still underway.
Two people are said to be in stable condition this morning after a small plane crash in central Florida. Authorities say the single engine plane stopped some 200 feet short of the runway about 35 miles northwest of Orlando. The pilot and another person were killed in the crash.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
