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American Morning
Emotions Flooding Onto Streets of Beirut; What Happened That Sent Michael Jackson Rushing to Hospital?
Aired February 16, 2005 - 07:00 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: Emotions flooding on to the streets of Beirut. Hundreds of thousands of mourners swarm the burial procession for the former prime minister. We'll take you there live.
What happened that sent Michael Jackson rushing to the hospital? An update on the superstar's condition. His trial goes back into limbo.
Is one side ready to cave in the pro hockey lockout? a deadline to save the season is just hours away.
And "Baby 81," the child swept away by the tsunami, now back in his parents' arms, 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 Wednesday morning, everybody. Good to have you along with us today.
Good morning to you.
O'BRIEN: Good morning.
HEMMER: Watching amazing pictures out of Lebanon today, out of Beirut, just huge crowds converging on the funeral of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri. We'll go live to Beirut in a moment, also hear from John King in a moment about the pressure now the White House is putting on Syria after all of this, too. We'll get to it in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the South Carolina teenager convicted of murdering his grandparents going to prison for 30 years. Defense lawyers argued that the antidepressant Zoloft drove the boy to his crimes. This morning, we talk to a member of the jury about why that defense theory was rejected.
HEMMER: Also, Jack Cafferty. Good morning to you, Jack. What's on your mind?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. If you buy a fuel- efficient car, there is a little hidden bonus. You actually pay less in gas taxes, because you get more miles per gallon. Well God forbid you'd save a couple dollars on taxes. State governments are scrambling now to make sure you're gouged for your fair share, even though you're doing your part to reduce our dependence on Middle East oil. They're looking for ways to make sure that you pay the same amount of tax, and it involves satellites and Big Brother-ism, and the whole thing is just a nightmare. We'll take a look at it in a minute.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
Let's get right to the stories making headlines this morning. Heidi Collins at the newsdesk for us.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Happy Wednesday to you.
I want to get straight to the news, and we begin in Iraq this morning, where a kidnapped Italian journalist is said to be pleading for her life. Videotape just released this hour shows the Italian woman clasping her hands together. This is an image from that tape. The 56-year-old reporter was abducted by an unidentified gunman outside of Baghdad University nearly two weeks ago.
The Food and Drug Administration is putting a new plan into effect for drugs that are already on the market. The agency creating a panel to monitor medications for safety risks. This as a hearing gets under way in Washington in the next hour on several widely used drugs with potentially dangerous heart risks. The painkillers, called Cox-2 inhibitors, include Celebrex and Bextra.
And a baby boy in Sri Lanka is back in his mother's arms almost two months after being swept away in tsunami. The infant, known as "Baby 81," was handed over to his parents in a heavily guarded courtroom earlier today. Relatives say they'll keep the celebrations low key out of respect for other families who lost children during the tsunami disaster.
And the National Hockey League on thin ice this morning. The league and the players association have four more hours to reach an agreement on a salary cap, otherwise NHL commissioner Gary Bettman expected to cancel the entire season. Players say they would accept a $49 million cap, but the league is standing firm on its $42.5 million take-it-or-leave-it offer. So what are we were talking about, $6.5 million there and the whole season's done.
HEMMER: Hockey is not helping itself in this country, huh?
COLLINS: It is not, Bill.
HEMMER: And there is little outcry, right, Heidi?
COLLINS: I don't know about that. I'm out crying. I'll do that later.
HEMMER: You're the one.
Talk to you later, OK.
I want to get overseas and start our coverage again in Beirut today. A massive and emotional crowd packed in downtown Beirut, this for the funeral of Rafik Hariri this morning. Hysterical mourners grabbed at the coffin of the assassinated former prime minister. There have been angry shouts, accusing Syria of involvement in Monday's bombing. The assassination added to what the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls a growing list of differences between Syria and the U.S. And also yesterday, the U.S. ambassador was recalled to Washington as a sign of protest, and the secretary says relations with Syria are not getting better, but worsening.
And among the U.S. list of complaints, the administration believes Syrian troops are destabilizing Lebanon. Syria's ambassador to the U.S. shot back that accusations from Washington that Damascus is supporting terrorism are akin to American claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
With all that now as a backdrop, here's Brent Sadler now live in Beirut this morning -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The Lebanese capital has just witnessed an emotional outpouring of grief that lasted more than three and a half hours, marking the burial day of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in a massive bomb attack on the famed Corniche of Beirut, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea Monday, a powerful explosion that tore armored motorcade to shreds, liquidating one of Lebanon's most prominent Sunni Muslim politicians.
Now this burial procession today went through the center of the capital of the country, that's now in three days of mourning. A two- mile procession headed to the downtown Martyr (ph) Square area of the reconstructed city that Rafik Hariri took international credit for rebuilding over the 10 out of the 14 post-civil war years that he headed the various cabinets in this nation, once horrendously divided by rival sectarian groups.
So Lebanon was thrown back to dark days of the civil war Monday, and today saw a coming together of many. Most represented in one way or another of the various Christian and Muslim factions in this country.
However, this was a personal burial service. The government that staunchly supports Syria's relationship with the order of this day, with Lebanon, was effectively shut out of this funeral. There was no representation from the president, Amir Likud (ph), or from the government in office this day because the opposition to Syria's presence in its current form simply did not want it. They were concerned that would lead to even greater violence.
It was a massive outpouring, hundreds of thousands gathered in Martyr Square for what was a really far-reaching show of defiance among the opposition, support for Hariri's legacy, for a man who represented a Lebanon that was supposed to be emerging from civil war years, entering the modern world, and distancing its relationship with its next door neighbor, Syria -- Bill.
HEMMER: Brent Sadler, our Beirut bureau chief there, reporting in the Lebanese capital -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Jury selection in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial reassumes next week. The process was interrupted yesterday when the pop-star-turned-defendant was stricken with a flu-like illness.
CNN's Miguel Marquez live outside the hospital in Santa Maria, California this morning.
Good morning to you, Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Michael Jackson was diverted here to the Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria on his way to court yesterday, and now his trial and his jury selection is on hold until next Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at you guys, oh my God. Can I walk? He's sick. He's sick.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Michael Jackson's brother, Randy, outside the hospital where the pop singer went after becoming ill on the way to court.
DR. CHUCK MERRILL, MARIAN MEDICAL CENTER: Mr. Jackson has been evaluated in the emergency department today for a flu-like illness with some vomiting.
MARQUEZ: The emergency room doctor said Jackson was being given fluids intravenously. He would go home when he was stable.
QUESTION: When is Michael coming out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know that.
MARQUEZ: Earlier in the day, Jackson kept the judge, the attorneys and over 100 jurors waiting, when he failed to show up for court.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Behind me in court, several jurors were muttering and one of them said, six months of this? And his partner said, yes, can you believe it?
MARQUEZ: Jackson's defense team received a cell phone call shortly after they arrived at court, and informed the judge that the pop star had become ill.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The judge said at one point, he has all the symptoms that we all have when we get the flu.
MARQUEZ: Judge Rodney Melville informed the jury that Jackson's recovery would take three or four days after a lengthy conference call with the emergency-room doctor who admitted him and a lawyer for both the defense and the prosecution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, you guys. We've got medical staff with a gurney coming through, come on.
MARQUEZ: Back at the hospital, one Jackson fan, seemingly so overcome, passed out, was put on a stretcher and wheeled into the emergency room.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ: Now, the judge went to great lengths to ensure that Mr. Jackson was, indeed, sick in this case, and then once he satisfied himself of that, he went to great lengths to assure the jury Mr. Jackson was, indeed, sick, and said that -- asked for their patience, and everything would get started again next week -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Miguel Marquez in Santa Maria, California this morning.
Miguel, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Follow-up now on a story we've been watching out of Kentucky. A marketing executive facing an assault charge after an attack on a reporter investigating his company. That incident, caught on videotape Monday, shows the reporter, Eric Flack (ph), of WAVE Television, being held by his neck and repeatedly punched and kicked. There you see the neck. Flack had been looking at reports a company called PC Pro was running what appeared to be a pyramid scam. A Louisville judge issued a warrant, charging the company's president with misdemeanor assault.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: There's a new top dog in the world this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Best in show, this year's Westminster, German short-haired pointer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The winner's name is Carlee. She's five years old. She beat out more than 2,500 other competitors at Westminster, the most prestigious canine event in America. Coming up a little bit later, you'll get to meet Carlee. We're going to hear a little bit from her handler, who also won last year with the Newfoundland named Josh. Remember the big old Josh?
HEMMER: How can you forget Josh from a year ago?
Carlee stopped by a bit earlier today. You'll see the interview earlier this morning. Carlee is so cool, and barely even moved a paw this morning. Probably didn't sleep last night, too. You'll see that a bit later this morning.
Also in a moment here, a surprising link today between coffee and cancer prevention. We'll explain that link coming up.
O'BRIEN: Also, is the Bush administration letting down America's needy? A former White House official is now critical of the president.
Also, the Zoloft defense fails yesterday. A teenager getting 30 years behind bars for killing his grandparents. One of the jurors tells us how they reached that verdict.
We'll talk to that person live in a moment here as AMERICAN MORNING continues, live in New York City.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: A South Carolina jury yesterday convicted a 15-year-old boy of killing his grandparents. The jury rejected defense arguments that the antidepressant Zoloft made the teen do it. A judge sentenced Chris Pittman to 30 years behind bars. Christine Peterson served on that jury. She's my guest from now Mt. Pleasant in South Carolina.
Good morning to you, Christine. I imagine this has been a very busy time for you.
Why did you not buy the defense argument about Zoloft?
CHRISTINE PETERSON, JUROR: Good morning.
As far as the drug goes, I have to tell you in the beginning, it was sort of a mixed bag. I'm not going to deny that Chris suffered from some side effects. That was proven. However, when it came right down to it, I believe it was Chris's own words. Believe me when I tell you that once we got into the deliberation room, we went through every bit of testimony, tore into it, went through all the evidence, and this is the decision we came up with.
HEMMER: You say his own words. What words are you referring to, Christine?
PETERSON: After Chris was taken into custody, there was a confession that was taken. And the hard part for me, personally, was this 12-year-old who loved his grandparents immensely, you know, put it together piece by piece, down to so many details. I was looking to see, could the drug have clouded his judgment? And yet, everything was so clear clear. You know, after the act was committed, he picked up the shell casings, he set fire to the house, loaded up the truck, made up a story. And he said he -- they deserved it. You know, nobody deserves that.
HEMMER: You say that the jury was split when deliberations began. What was it that convinced the 12 to go along with the guilty verdict?
PETERSON: As I mentioned before, really just listening to the expert testimony, you know. We were able to take notes during this trial, and every single one of us, we just kind of bantered back and forth as far as this doctor said this, and that doctor said that, and slowly but surely, it came down to criminal intent and malice aforethought. So putting everything else aside, that's what we had to focus on. HEMMER: Christine, let me pause you just for a second. There are two things you said. I want to get to both of them in the short time we have left here. You admitted to side effects caused in this 12-year-old boy. What type of side effects do you believe?
PETERSON: The sleepiness, the crawly sensation, the burning of the skin, I believe these are all side effects that are pretty common with this drug.
HEMMER: And also, a short time ago, Soledad, spoke with the sister of the convicted, and also his attorney and another member of their family. She had essentially a question for jurors like yourself.
Listen to what she said:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIELLA PITTMAN, SISTER: I honestly thought that through the court system that justice would be served. And in this case, it wasn't. My brother should have gotten not guilty. I have no doubt about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Christine, do you have any doubt that justice has been served, 30 years behind bars?
PITTMAN: It's a very stiff penalty for a minor. Unfortunately, that is the statute in the state of South Carolina. My understanding is the law has been recently changed so it is 30 years with no parole, and it is a very stiff sentence. But in my estimation, I believe the judge was fair since this was brought to general sessions from family court, and he is getting 30 years concurrently, and my understanding is he is also receiving time already served is going against this, so.
HEMMER: Christine Peterson is a juror from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Thanks for spending time with us today. We wanted to get your answers to what has been a heavily watched trial as it progressed to the deliberation stage. Thanks for your time.
A bit later today on American morning, we'll talk more with Chris Pittman's attorney, also his sister and another member of his family.
Now Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Some Good news to tell you about. "Baby 81," going home. A Sri Lankan court handed the 4-month-old boy off to his parents today. He was swept from his mother's arms in December by the tsunami. When he was found alive, nine Sri Lankan couples claimed him. But now DNA tests have confirmed one couple's claim on that little baby, and CNN's Satinder Bindra was in the courtroom to witness the reunion.
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Soledad. An incredibly emotional moment in the packed courthouse this morning. Hardly a dry eye as A court official handed over Baby 81 to his parents. His parents, the Jaharajas (ph) were so overjoyed, they started to weep. As for Baby 81, he continued to sleep through the entire proceedings, just getting up once and asking for a feed.
As soon as court proceedings were over, the Jaharajas took Baby 81 to a temple. Here, they smashed 101 coconuts. This is a local custom to appease and thank the Gods for helping them. Later, Baby 81 was taken to his former home, the home that had been completely smashed and destroyed by the tsunami. Here his parents and family members changed his hospital clothes, and one by one they hugged and kissed him.
Now the Jaharajas realized that almost 40,000 people have died here in this tsunami or just after the tsunami so they say their celebrations will be low key, out of respect for other grieving families.
Just by way of context, at one point, nine couples were claiming Baby 81. And of course he got his name because just after the tsunami, he was the 81st patient to be admitted to a local hospital here -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Some good news to talk about, Satinder Bindra for us this morning, thank you for that update on that little very cute little baby -- Bill.
HEMMER: Now is a chance to own a piece of Camelot, but you better be ready to lay down a good chunk of change, in a moment. We'll explain after this on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. All eyes on Alan Greenspan again today, both on Wall Street and on Capitol Hill. And Andy Serwer checks in now, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you, Bill. The Fed chairman is going to be testifying before the Senate today. He visits the House tomorrow. He will be grilled about the president's Social Security plan no doubt.
Let's talk about Wall Street yesterday. Another good day here. You can see the Dow up 46 points as we continue to leave the dark days of January behind. Only 17 points below the 3 1/2-year high hit on December 28th for the Dow. January retail sales boosting things there.
A couple car stories for you. First of all, dude, you got a Ford. Ford has an innovative little plan here where you get a Dell desktop computer with the purchase of a Ford Focus. I guess that's about a $500 to $1,000 value there, all kinds of incentive programs. Trying to get young people into the fold. I would think, though, if you want to get young people this time of year, how about two free tickets to Daytona for spring break. That would work better than a computer.
HEMMER: Nice.
SERWER: Also, don't you hate when it companies kind of roll out special fees instead of raising prices? It's a special fee, we're not increasing -- Hertz tried to do this, and it's not working. They tried to have a special one-time fee for every reservation, $2.50. And here's what the Hertz spokesman said. A lot of customers calling and complaining. They weren't calling saying this was the greatest thing. No. So they canceled it.
HEMMER: Imagine that.
SERWER: Didn't work.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: We've got car stories too, right?
CAFFERTY: It's a theme show this morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
it's not taking states long to figure out that with the more fuel-efficient hybrid cars out there, motorists are paying less in gasoline taxes. Now, God forbid we'd pay less taxes. So they're looking at taxing motorists by the mile in order to make up for the potential lost revenue. A GPS device would be installed on your car, and then you'd be charged a tax based upon how far you drive, not how much gasoline you buy. It's already being tested in Oregon. Miles driven during the rush hour would be charged at a higher rate than if you drove to work at 3:00 in the morning when you'd be the only person there.
Critics scream it would be like having Big Brother riding on your bumper and would be a disincentive to buy fuel-efficient cars. The question is this, should states replace gas taxes with a tax by the on cars?
SERWER: That sounds crazy.
HEMMER: It's also proposed in San Francisco on the table, want to tax you if you're driving in the city, trying to eliminate some of the congestion there.
CAFFERTY: They've talked about doing that in New York, too.
SERWER: Raise tolls on their way in, that's one way to do that.
O'BRIEN: How about just during the holidays?
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack. And we'll be right back.
Ahead on "90-Second Pop," get ready for Brad and Jen overload. From magazines to books, the biggest Hollywood split in years does big business.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, it's Saturday night!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: "SNL's" glory days coming back to primetime, but is it too much for the current cast to live up to? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired February 16, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Emotions flooding on to the streets of Beirut. Hundreds of thousands of mourners swarm the burial procession for the former prime minister. We'll take you there live.
What happened that sent Michael Jackson rushing to the hospital? An update on the superstar's condition. His trial goes back into limbo.
Is one side ready to cave in the pro hockey lockout? a deadline to save the season is just hours away.
And "Baby 81," the child swept away by the tsunami, now back in his parents' arms, 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 Wednesday morning, everybody. Good to have you along with us today.
Good morning to you.
O'BRIEN: Good morning.
HEMMER: Watching amazing pictures out of Lebanon today, out of Beirut, just huge crowds converging on the funeral of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri. We'll go live to Beirut in a moment, also hear from John King in a moment about the pressure now the White House is putting on Syria after all of this, too. We'll get to it in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the South Carolina teenager convicted of murdering his grandparents going to prison for 30 years. Defense lawyers argued that the antidepressant Zoloft drove the boy to his crimes. This morning, we talk to a member of the jury about why that defense theory was rejected.
HEMMER: Also, Jack Cafferty. Good morning to you, Jack. What's on your mind?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. If you buy a fuel- efficient car, there is a little hidden bonus. You actually pay less in gas taxes, because you get more miles per gallon. Well God forbid you'd save a couple dollars on taxes. State governments are scrambling now to make sure you're gouged for your fair share, even though you're doing your part to reduce our dependence on Middle East oil. They're looking for ways to make sure that you pay the same amount of tax, and it involves satellites and Big Brother-ism, and the whole thing is just a nightmare. We'll take a look at it in a minute.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
Let's get right to the stories making headlines this morning. Heidi Collins at the newsdesk for us.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Happy Wednesday to you.
I want to get straight to the news, and we begin in Iraq this morning, where a kidnapped Italian journalist is said to be pleading for her life. Videotape just released this hour shows the Italian woman clasping her hands together. This is an image from that tape. The 56-year-old reporter was abducted by an unidentified gunman outside of Baghdad University nearly two weeks ago.
The Food and Drug Administration is putting a new plan into effect for drugs that are already on the market. The agency creating a panel to monitor medications for safety risks. This as a hearing gets under way in Washington in the next hour on several widely used drugs with potentially dangerous heart risks. The painkillers, called Cox-2 inhibitors, include Celebrex and Bextra.
And a baby boy in Sri Lanka is back in his mother's arms almost two months after being swept away in tsunami. The infant, known as "Baby 81," was handed over to his parents in a heavily guarded courtroom earlier today. Relatives say they'll keep the celebrations low key out of respect for other families who lost children during the tsunami disaster.
And the National Hockey League on thin ice this morning. The league and the players association have four more hours to reach an agreement on a salary cap, otherwise NHL commissioner Gary Bettman expected to cancel the entire season. Players say they would accept a $49 million cap, but the league is standing firm on its $42.5 million take-it-or-leave-it offer. So what are we were talking about, $6.5 million there and the whole season's done.
HEMMER: Hockey is not helping itself in this country, huh?
COLLINS: It is not, Bill.
HEMMER: And there is little outcry, right, Heidi?
COLLINS: I don't know about that. I'm out crying. I'll do that later.
HEMMER: You're the one.
Talk to you later, OK.
I want to get overseas and start our coverage again in Beirut today. A massive and emotional crowd packed in downtown Beirut, this for the funeral of Rafik Hariri this morning. Hysterical mourners grabbed at the coffin of the assassinated former prime minister. There have been angry shouts, accusing Syria of involvement in Monday's bombing. The assassination added to what the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls a growing list of differences between Syria and the U.S. And also yesterday, the U.S. ambassador was recalled to Washington as a sign of protest, and the secretary says relations with Syria are not getting better, but worsening.
And among the U.S. list of complaints, the administration believes Syrian troops are destabilizing Lebanon. Syria's ambassador to the U.S. shot back that accusations from Washington that Damascus is supporting terrorism are akin to American claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
With all that now as a backdrop, here's Brent Sadler now live in Beirut this morning -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The Lebanese capital has just witnessed an emotional outpouring of grief that lasted more than three and a half hours, marking the burial day of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in a massive bomb attack on the famed Corniche of Beirut, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea Monday, a powerful explosion that tore armored motorcade to shreds, liquidating one of Lebanon's most prominent Sunni Muslim politicians.
Now this burial procession today went through the center of the capital of the country, that's now in three days of mourning. A two- mile procession headed to the downtown Martyr (ph) Square area of the reconstructed city that Rafik Hariri took international credit for rebuilding over the 10 out of the 14 post-civil war years that he headed the various cabinets in this nation, once horrendously divided by rival sectarian groups.
So Lebanon was thrown back to dark days of the civil war Monday, and today saw a coming together of many. Most represented in one way or another of the various Christian and Muslim factions in this country.
However, this was a personal burial service. The government that staunchly supports Syria's relationship with the order of this day, with Lebanon, was effectively shut out of this funeral. There was no representation from the president, Amir Likud (ph), or from the government in office this day because the opposition to Syria's presence in its current form simply did not want it. They were concerned that would lead to even greater violence.
It was a massive outpouring, hundreds of thousands gathered in Martyr Square for what was a really far-reaching show of defiance among the opposition, support for Hariri's legacy, for a man who represented a Lebanon that was supposed to be emerging from civil war years, entering the modern world, and distancing its relationship with its next door neighbor, Syria -- Bill.
HEMMER: Brent Sadler, our Beirut bureau chief there, reporting in the Lebanese capital -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Jury selection in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial reassumes next week. The process was interrupted yesterday when the pop-star-turned-defendant was stricken with a flu-like illness.
CNN's Miguel Marquez live outside the hospital in Santa Maria, California this morning.
Good morning to you, Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Michael Jackson was diverted here to the Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria on his way to court yesterday, and now his trial and his jury selection is on hold until next Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at you guys, oh my God. Can I walk? He's sick. He's sick.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Michael Jackson's brother, Randy, outside the hospital where the pop singer went after becoming ill on the way to court.
DR. CHUCK MERRILL, MARIAN MEDICAL CENTER: Mr. Jackson has been evaluated in the emergency department today for a flu-like illness with some vomiting.
MARQUEZ: The emergency room doctor said Jackson was being given fluids intravenously. He would go home when he was stable.
QUESTION: When is Michael coming out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know that.
MARQUEZ: Earlier in the day, Jackson kept the judge, the attorneys and over 100 jurors waiting, when he failed to show up for court.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Behind me in court, several jurors were muttering and one of them said, six months of this? And his partner said, yes, can you believe it?
MARQUEZ: Jackson's defense team received a cell phone call shortly after they arrived at court, and informed the judge that the pop star had become ill.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The judge said at one point, he has all the symptoms that we all have when we get the flu.
MARQUEZ: Judge Rodney Melville informed the jury that Jackson's recovery would take three or four days after a lengthy conference call with the emergency-room doctor who admitted him and a lawyer for both the defense and the prosecution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, you guys. We've got medical staff with a gurney coming through, come on.
MARQUEZ: Back at the hospital, one Jackson fan, seemingly so overcome, passed out, was put on a stretcher and wheeled into the emergency room.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ: Now, the judge went to great lengths to ensure that Mr. Jackson was, indeed, sick in this case, and then once he satisfied himself of that, he went to great lengths to assure the jury Mr. Jackson was, indeed, sick, and said that -- asked for their patience, and everything would get started again next week -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Miguel Marquez in Santa Maria, California this morning.
Miguel, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Follow-up now on a story we've been watching out of Kentucky. A marketing executive facing an assault charge after an attack on a reporter investigating his company. That incident, caught on videotape Monday, shows the reporter, Eric Flack (ph), of WAVE Television, being held by his neck and repeatedly punched and kicked. There you see the neck. Flack had been looking at reports a company called PC Pro was running what appeared to be a pyramid scam. A Louisville judge issued a warrant, charging the company's president with misdemeanor assault.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: There's a new top dog in the world this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Best in show, this year's Westminster, German short-haired pointer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The winner's name is Carlee. She's five years old. She beat out more than 2,500 other competitors at Westminster, the most prestigious canine event in America. Coming up a little bit later, you'll get to meet Carlee. We're going to hear a little bit from her handler, who also won last year with the Newfoundland named Josh. Remember the big old Josh?
HEMMER: How can you forget Josh from a year ago?
Carlee stopped by a bit earlier today. You'll see the interview earlier this morning. Carlee is so cool, and barely even moved a paw this morning. Probably didn't sleep last night, too. You'll see that a bit later this morning.
Also in a moment here, a surprising link today between coffee and cancer prevention. We'll explain that link coming up.
O'BRIEN: Also, is the Bush administration letting down America's needy? A former White House official is now critical of the president.
Also, the Zoloft defense fails yesterday. A teenager getting 30 years behind bars for killing his grandparents. One of the jurors tells us how they reached that verdict.
We'll talk to that person live in a moment here as AMERICAN MORNING continues, live in New York City.
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HEMMER: A South Carolina jury yesterday convicted a 15-year-old boy of killing his grandparents. The jury rejected defense arguments that the antidepressant Zoloft made the teen do it. A judge sentenced Chris Pittman to 30 years behind bars. Christine Peterson served on that jury. She's my guest from now Mt. Pleasant in South Carolina.
Good morning to you, Christine. I imagine this has been a very busy time for you.
Why did you not buy the defense argument about Zoloft?
CHRISTINE PETERSON, JUROR: Good morning.
As far as the drug goes, I have to tell you in the beginning, it was sort of a mixed bag. I'm not going to deny that Chris suffered from some side effects. That was proven. However, when it came right down to it, I believe it was Chris's own words. Believe me when I tell you that once we got into the deliberation room, we went through every bit of testimony, tore into it, went through all the evidence, and this is the decision we came up with.
HEMMER: You say his own words. What words are you referring to, Christine?
PETERSON: After Chris was taken into custody, there was a confession that was taken. And the hard part for me, personally, was this 12-year-old who loved his grandparents immensely, you know, put it together piece by piece, down to so many details. I was looking to see, could the drug have clouded his judgment? And yet, everything was so clear clear. You know, after the act was committed, he picked up the shell casings, he set fire to the house, loaded up the truck, made up a story. And he said he -- they deserved it. You know, nobody deserves that.
HEMMER: You say that the jury was split when deliberations began. What was it that convinced the 12 to go along with the guilty verdict?
PETERSON: As I mentioned before, really just listening to the expert testimony, you know. We were able to take notes during this trial, and every single one of us, we just kind of bantered back and forth as far as this doctor said this, and that doctor said that, and slowly but surely, it came down to criminal intent and malice aforethought. So putting everything else aside, that's what we had to focus on. HEMMER: Christine, let me pause you just for a second. There are two things you said. I want to get to both of them in the short time we have left here. You admitted to side effects caused in this 12-year-old boy. What type of side effects do you believe?
PETERSON: The sleepiness, the crawly sensation, the burning of the skin, I believe these are all side effects that are pretty common with this drug.
HEMMER: And also, a short time ago, Soledad, spoke with the sister of the convicted, and also his attorney and another member of their family. She had essentially a question for jurors like yourself.
Listen to what she said:
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DANIELLA PITTMAN, SISTER: I honestly thought that through the court system that justice would be served. And in this case, it wasn't. My brother should have gotten not guilty. I have no doubt about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Christine, do you have any doubt that justice has been served, 30 years behind bars?
PITTMAN: It's a very stiff penalty for a minor. Unfortunately, that is the statute in the state of South Carolina. My understanding is the law has been recently changed so it is 30 years with no parole, and it is a very stiff sentence. But in my estimation, I believe the judge was fair since this was brought to general sessions from family court, and he is getting 30 years concurrently, and my understanding is he is also receiving time already served is going against this, so.
HEMMER: Christine Peterson is a juror from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Thanks for spending time with us today. We wanted to get your answers to what has been a heavily watched trial as it progressed to the deliberation stage. Thanks for your time.
A bit later today on American morning, we'll talk more with Chris Pittman's attorney, also his sister and another member of his family.
Now Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Some Good news to tell you about. "Baby 81," going home. A Sri Lankan court handed the 4-month-old boy off to his parents today. He was swept from his mother's arms in December by the tsunami. When he was found alive, nine Sri Lankan couples claimed him. But now DNA tests have confirmed one couple's claim on that little baby, and CNN's Satinder Bindra was in the courtroom to witness the reunion.
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Soledad. An incredibly emotional moment in the packed courthouse this morning. Hardly a dry eye as A court official handed over Baby 81 to his parents. His parents, the Jaharajas (ph) were so overjoyed, they started to weep. As for Baby 81, he continued to sleep through the entire proceedings, just getting up once and asking for a feed.
As soon as court proceedings were over, the Jaharajas took Baby 81 to a temple. Here, they smashed 101 coconuts. This is a local custom to appease and thank the Gods for helping them. Later, Baby 81 was taken to his former home, the home that had been completely smashed and destroyed by the tsunami. Here his parents and family members changed his hospital clothes, and one by one they hugged and kissed him.
Now the Jaharajas realized that almost 40,000 people have died here in this tsunami or just after the tsunami so they say their celebrations will be low key, out of respect for other grieving families.
Just by way of context, at one point, nine couples were claiming Baby 81. And of course he got his name because just after the tsunami, he was the 81st patient to be admitted to a local hospital here -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Some good news to talk about, Satinder Bindra for us this morning, thank you for that update on that little very cute little baby -- Bill.
HEMMER: Now is a chance to own a piece of Camelot, but you better be ready to lay down a good chunk of change, in a moment. We'll explain after this on AMERICAN MORNING.
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HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. All eyes on Alan Greenspan again today, both on Wall Street and on Capitol Hill. And Andy Serwer checks in now, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you, Bill. The Fed chairman is going to be testifying before the Senate today. He visits the House tomorrow. He will be grilled about the president's Social Security plan no doubt.
Let's talk about Wall Street yesterday. Another good day here. You can see the Dow up 46 points as we continue to leave the dark days of January behind. Only 17 points below the 3 1/2-year high hit on December 28th for the Dow. January retail sales boosting things there.
A couple car stories for you. First of all, dude, you got a Ford. Ford has an innovative little plan here where you get a Dell desktop computer with the purchase of a Ford Focus. I guess that's about a $500 to $1,000 value there, all kinds of incentive programs. Trying to get young people into the fold. I would think, though, if you want to get young people this time of year, how about two free tickets to Daytona for spring break. That would work better than a computer.
HEMMER: Nice.
SERWER: Also, don't you hate when it companies kind of roll out special fees instead of raising prices? It's a special fee, we're not increasing -- Hertz tried to do this, and it's not working. They tried to have a special one-time fee for every reservation, $2.50. And here's what the Hertz spokesman said. A lot of customers calling and complaining. They weren't calling saying this was the greatest thing. No. So they canceled it.
HEMMER: Imagine that.
SERWER: Didn't work.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: We've got car stories too, right?
CAFFERTY: It's a theme show this morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
it's not taking states long to figure out that with the more fuel-efficient hybrid cars out there, motorists are paying less in gasoline taxes. Now, God forbid we'd pay less taxes. So they're looking at taxing motorists by the mile in order to make up for the potential lost revenue. A GPS device would be installed on your car, and then you'd be charged a tax based upon how far you drive, not how much gasoline you buy. It's already being tested in Oregon. Miles driven during the rush hour would be charged at a higher rate than if you drove to work at 3:00 in the morning when you'd be the only person there.
Critics scream it would be like having Big Brother riding on your bumper and would be a disincentive to buy fuel-efficient cars. The question is this, should states replace gas taxes with a tax by the on cars?
SERWER: That sounds crazy.
HEMMER: It's also proposed in San Francisco on the table, want to tax you if you're driving in the city, trying to eliminate some of the congestion there.
CAFFERTY: They've talked about doing that in New York, too.
SERWER: Raise tolls on their way in, that's one way to do that.
O'BRIEN: How about just during the holidays?
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack. And we'll be right back.
Ahead on "90-Second Pop," get ready for Brad and Jen overload. From magazines to books, the biggest Hollywood split in years does big business.
Plus...
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, it's Saturday night!
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HEMMER: "SNL's" glory days coming back to primetime, but is it too much for the current cast to live up to? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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