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Pope John Paul II Going Back to the Hospital; President Bush Getting Big Reception From Crowds in Slovakia
Aired February 24, 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: Breaking news out of Rome. Pope John Paul II going back to the hospital this morning.
President Bush getting a big reception from the crowds in Slovakia. Now it's down to business in his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The men and women who will decide Michael Jackson's fate. Does it matter no African-Americans are on the jury? And desperately digging through snow and ice to find victims of a deadly avalanche. So many still missing, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Good morning to you, as well.
O'BRIEN: Likewise.
HEMMER: A lot to talk about right this morning. Right to Rome in a moment for more on the pope, and also the president finishing up a speech a few moments the Slovak capital Bratislava. In about two hours he will hold perhaps the most important meeting of his entire trip to Europe, talking Russian President Vladimir Putin. We'll look at the stake in that meeting also. Some news about an agreement between these two men. So we'll get to all of that.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, an incredible story about women who are nursing. A new study finds that a component of rocket fuel is turning up in breast milk. It's not just for a few women either, but spread across the country. We're going to take a look at just how that happens and what the dangers really are.
HEMMER: Incredible indeed.
Jack Cafferty, what's on your mind this morning?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Rocket fuel? That's unbelievable.
O'BRIEN: Yes, a chemical in rocket fuel.
CAFFERTY: That's a little strange.
O'BRIEN: And scary, too.
CAFFERTY: Speaking of strange, in this country, if you're charged with a crime, you are entitled to a trial by a jury of your peers. But what if you're Michael Jackson? What exactly constitutes a jury of Michael Jackson's peers? Think about that for a couple hours. We will. We'll look at it a little more in a few minutes.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks. Let's get right to the breaking news at this power. Pope John Paul II has had a relapse. He's been taken back to the hospital.
Let's get right to Walt Rodgers. He's in Rome for us this morning.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
It is said by Vatican officials Pope John Paul II has had a relapse of the flu. It is also said that he is having fresh difficulties breathing, and that indeed, the fever which put him in the hospital on the 1st of February has returned at this point.
Alarming because had he just been released from hospital 13 days ago, and everyone thought he was on the mend. In fact, when his holiness appeared yesterday at the general audience in the Vatican from his studio apartment from the Vatican Library, albeit on a closed circuit video, he nonetheless appeared quite vigorous at the time. His voice was a bit gravely, but he was rather forceful, and managed essentially what was a 30-minute appearance, again, from the Vatican talking via a closed circuit TV hookup to the pilgrims there.
Again, rushed to hospital again this morning. There appears to be some alarm because this is clearly a relapse. They're saying it's influenza again, and the problem, of course, is he could not be treated by his doctor in the Vatican. More specialized treatment, we're told, is required. That's why he's back in the Gemelli Clinic -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Walt Rodgers for us obviously watching this story morning.
Walt, thanks.
HEMMER: That's our first headline of the morning, Soledad.
Heidi Collins has the others now. Good morning to you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, and good morning to you once again, everybody.
Now in the news, two suicide bombings in Iraq this morning, one of them taking place about an hour ago south of Baghdad. Two police officers were killed, eight others wounded. And in a separate attack, officials confirm at least 11 policeman were killed in a blast in Tikrit.
Dozens are injured there.
In Florida, another extension in the right to die case involving Terri Schiavo. Her feeding tube will stay in place until at least tomorrow. That's because a judge has extended a temporary ruling keeping the husband from pulling the tube. The judge says he needs more time to decide whether Schiavo's parents should be allowed to pursue other legal and medical options. The parents also want to have Schiavo's husband removed as her legal guardian.
California emergency crews shifting to cleanup mode now after a series of storms. The wet weather destroying dozens of homes, flooding roads and airports. At least nine deaths have been linked to the rainstorms. Engineers are fanning out across the Los Angeles area to see which homes are OK after a series of mudslides. Clear skies though are expected today.
And just hours before the deadline, a blockbuster trade in the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers getting Chris Webber as part of a six- player deal with the Sacramento Kings. Philadelphia getting two backups in the deal, as well. Sacramento gets three forwards, and it gets rid of the $62 million remaining on Webber's contract. That's about the size of your contract, isn't it.
HEMMER: Sixty-two million, huh? Not quite. Thanks, Heidi.
President Bush right now in Slovakia on the final stop of his European tour. And topping the itinerary today is a wide-ranging summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Our CNN Sr. White House correspondent John King live in the Slovak capital of Bratislava, where the president has just concluded his main speech there.
John, hello.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Bill.
Mr. Bush will head into that summit session. The White House calls it a meeting, not a summit, with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in very high spirits.
You noted the president just finished delivering a speech here in a public square in Bratislava.
We make quite a big deal at times of the unpopularity of this president across much of Europe. Today a demonstration in a place where the United States of America and it appears even this president, George W. Bush, are quite popular. A crowd of thousands on hand applauding the president as he paid tribute to Slovakia's democracy, its help that this country has given the United States in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and as Mr. Bush prepares to head into that meeting with President Putin in which the White House views as a back sliding, if you will, of democratic reforms in Russia will be a top priority. The president pointed to Slovakia's example, Iraq's example, and Mr. Bush said, in his view, perhaps he didn't mention President Putin, but implicit in it, perhaps Mr. Putin should take the note of the spread of democracy here across Eastern Europe, in Russia's backyard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the Democratic revolutions that swept this region 15 years ago are now reaching Georgia and Ukraine. In 10 days, Moldova has the opportunity to place its democratic credentials beyond doubt as its people head to the polls. And inevitably, the people of Baylor Rue (ph) will someday proudly belong to the country of democracies. Eventually the call of liberty comes to every mind and every soul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Crackdown on press freedoms, prosecutions of Kremlin critics will be at the top of the agenda as Mr. Bush sits down with President Putin. White House officials concede that the close personal relationship between the two has been imperiled a bit, and they say the relationship is adrift because of what they view as Mr. Putin's steps away from the path to democracy in Russia. But the White House also very much wants to show that despite those differences, that this is a productive working relationship. So there will be an agreement announcing new efforts between the governments of the United States and Russia to try to take Russian nuclear materials and get them in a safe place and dismantled so they cannot be obtained by terrorists. Other agreements to try to stop the spread and the sale of those so-called manpads, shoulder-launched missiles that could be used by terrorists groups against commercial airliners.
So a delicate one for the president today, Bill. He wants to show he has a close personal relationship and a good professional working relationship with the Russian president, but he also wants to voice his displeasure at what the White House and others around the world consider clear steps by President Putin, in their view, to put too much authority back in the Kremlin -- Bill.
HEMMER: The main headline may come out of that meeting with Vladimir Putin, but there is another headline in Slovakia there, John. The president did not remove his black globs when he met with Slovak dignitaries, and apparently it's caused some kind of stir with the media there. Slovak protocol demands bare-handed shakes. Is there much to this, John?
KING: There's not much too it, bill. Obviously bigger issues on the agenda. The president well received, as you could see, in that speech in public. But it is one of the things closely watched. It's the first time an American president has come to the country since it became an independent democracy. And so when the president got off Air Force One last night and shook some hands with the dignitaries there to greet him, he did keep his gloves on, and local commentators saying it is tradition to have a bare hand and give a good strong hearty handshake. They were disappointed the president didn't do that. I wouldn't expect the buzz about that to last more than a day or so.
HEMMER: All right, the custom lives, and we'll look for the headlines again with Vladimir Putin a bit later this morning.
Thank you, John. Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.
General Wesley Clark was NATO's supreme allied commander from 1997 to 2000. He was also recently a presidential candidate.
Joining us this morning. Nice to chat with you.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK, FMR. NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Good to be with you.
O'BRIEN: We just heard John king laying out the areas in common,, the signing agreements involving the nuclear security, anti- terror security. Let's talk, though, about areas in contention, mostly involving Russia's move away from democracy. Just how tough do you think President Bush needs to be today in his meetings with President Putin.
CLARK: Well, I think we won't know that. Privately, he needs to be very firm, and he needs to be very candid with Putin. He said he has a relationship with Putin. And this is the time to use that relationship, whatever relationship it is, to lay out and make it very clear.
What President Bush said in the inaugural is, America's interests are our values. So it's good to have the agreements on nuclear security and so forth. Those are important. Those are America's interests, but our values are things like democracy, and in that area, he has to exert pressure.
O'BRIEN: You mentioned the private versus the public. To some degree, though, doesn't he have to come out publicly and say something that underscores how the private discussions -- he cannot just say, can he, oh, yes, in private I definitely hammered him?
CLARK: No, because it wouldn't be private. But you're going to get a different tone privately than publicly I suspect. I think you're going to see some hint of the pressure and the tension, but we've had the resolution in Congress by Senator McCain and others calling for Russia be thrown out of the G-8 on their economic basis, because they're not pursuing a path to democracy. That's the kind of public pressure. The president can use that and work more privately.
O'BRIEN: You talk about this relationship that the presidents, President Bush and President Putin have. President Bush had said that he gained a sense of President's Putin's soul when he looked into his eyes, and found him to be straightforward and trustworthy. To what degree can those words come back to he regret having said that when he is now in a position of contention, frankly, with the Russian president.
CLARK: I think it's always dangerous for a president to make too much out of personal relationships like this, and especially with overly flowery language, because ultimately, leaders have to represent their own interests and their own values. And those interests don't always coincide, especially the interests between the United States and Russia. So it's up to President Bush to lead America. He's got to use every tool in his arsenal, and he's got to help protect our interests and our values.
O'BRIEN: But if our interests -- our being the United States' interests -- involve keeping Iran from having a nuclear program, and you have President Putin saying very clearly that we're going to continue our cooperation with Iran on that front, that completely contradicts what President Bush has said.
CLARK: That's exactly right.
O'BRIEN: Does this lead us down the road to reigniting the Cold War?
CLARK: I don't know if it takes you that far, but you're certainly going to see sparks in this relationship. And if we don't see those, then the United States is not acting properly. We simply cannot allow Russia to move forward on its own interests, taking advantage of the United States, the president's supposed relationship, and then move wee from the things we feel are important. We don't feel that Russia should be helping Iran gain nuclear capabilities, and we don't feel that they should be moving away from democracy, from freedom of the press, from the election of governors and the other measures that Putin has recently instituted that pull Russia in the wrong direction.
O'BRIEN: NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark, nice to see you, as always.
CLARK: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: President Bush and President Putin will hold a news conference later this morning at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Be sure to stay tuned to CNN for coverage of that. We're going to take it to you live -- Bill.
HEMMER: Some dramatic videotape. One survivor now calling it a snow tsunami in Kashmir. Northern India, northeastern Pakistan. The search continues for survivors of Sunday's massive avalanche. Rescuers dug through thick walls of snow as the Indian Army rushed in medical personnel and supplies. Three-hundred people in India and Pakistan have died as a result. Hundreds more still missing. Victims across the region are being buried in mass graves. Wow. Again, that videotape from Kashmir.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Scientists make a rather alarming discovery. And ingredient for rocket fuel found in breast milk. We'll talk to an obstetrician, tell us how worried nursing mothers should be and how in the world this happens, in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also can a new class being taught in small-town Kansas actually prevent terrorism? A closer look at that this morning.
HEMMER: Also the jury is now set in the Michael Jackson case. Which side has the advantage now? We'll talk to Jeff Toobin in a moment here as AMERICAN MORNING continues, live in New York City, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HEMMER: It took only five court days to select a jury in the Michael Jackson child molestation matter. Now four women -- make that four men and eight woman have been chosen to decide his fate. The oldest juror is a 79-year-old woman, the youngest a 20-year-old man. No African-Americans are on the panel.
Jeff Toobin has a few thoughts on this.
Jeff, good morning to you.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning, sir.
HEMMER: Pardon me, I'm a little bit under the weather this morning.
You were surprised, or were you shocked at the speed of this jury selection?
TOOBIN: Shocked. The parties had talked about jury selection taking three or four weeks, and it was really just a couple of days.
HEMMER: Does the speed of that jury, two points to be made here. Does the speed of the jury tell you anything about how this judge is reacting.
TOOBIN: Very much. I mean, the reason the jury selection was so fast was that the judge limited questioning to 10 minutes a person. And when you combine that with the fact that he very carefully limited the questionnaire to just a bare seven pages, the real fact is we don't know much about what these people think, and you know that, could come back to haunt this trial?
HEMMER: Does it also say something about these 12 people, saying choose me, I can be fair. I can answer any question you want and sit on this panel.
TOOBIN: That's what you have to worry about in these high- profile cases. Are there people, so-called stealth jurors, who are trying to get on the jury. And that's what voir dire, the jury- selection process, is supposed to ferret out. But the lawyers just didn't have much of a chance.
HEMMER: There is not a single black person on this jury, yet we should say, because eight alternates still are left to be chosen. How significant do you think that is?
TOOBIN: You know, I wish I could say it wasn't significant. I wish we lived in that kind of world. But I think it's very significant. You know, Santa Maria is only 1.9 percent African Americans. So it's not surprising that you don't have an African- American on the jury. But if you look at survey research, if you look at anecdotal evidence, if you talk to trial lawyers, you know, black jurors, especially in high-profile cases, are often sympathetic to the defendant, and I think it's bad for Michael Jackson.
HEMMER: What is your reaction to this, a 79-year-old juror on the panel, a woman, her grandson was registered with police as a sex offender. Would you want this person on the panel?
TOOBIN: You know, yes, the answer is no, I wouldn't want them on the panel. But you could sort of make an argument that neither side would want them on the panel. Do they think that the grandson was treated fairly in the judicial system? Perhaps she's angry, so she would be sympathetic to the defense, or perhaps she knows the costs of what goes on with sexual abuse so she's sympathetic to the prosecution. It's an odd choice.
HEMMER: You made a point last night about how the defense will not go after the accuser. This is a surviving cancer patient after all. But will turn the attention against the accuser's mother. How so?
TOOBIN: Very interesting questioning by Tom Mesereau of the prospective jurors. Do you believe, he asked the jurors, that a child can be manipulated by a parent to lie. That tells us that that's the defense in this case. He can't really attack the kid, the accuser. I mean, he's very young, he's a cancer survivor. The jury is naturally going to be sympathetic. But what the defense will say in this case is that the accuser was manipulated by his money-grubbing mother. That's the defense in this case.
HEMMER: So you're suggesting then that the mother has put the pressure on this kid to go ahead with this trial.
TOOBIN: I'm suggesting that's what the defense says, whether it's true I of course have no idea. But that is clearly going to be the focus.
HEMMER: Opening statements may happen Monday, we're being told, out of California. If that happens, regardless whether it happens on a Monday or Tuesday, how long does the trial last?
TOOBIN: We had originally talked about five months, but if Judge Neville is going to move the trial as fast as he moved jury selection, maybe it will be faster. So maybe I got to get my plane faster than I thought.
HEMMER: Five months in Santa Barbara County. It's good to be you.
TOOBIN: Well, it could be worse.
HEMMER: See you later.
Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Martha Stewart's empire took a financial hit when she went off to prison, but a familiar face may ride to the rescue. Andy's "Minding Your Business," up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Martha Stewart's lawyers are try to negotiate a quick comeback. With a look at that and the markets as well, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Hello. Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you.
Martha is making headlines again. So what else is new? And here's the story, Soledad, Martha Stewart and her lawyers are looking to negotiate a deal with the Securities & Exchange Commission that would allow her to come back and serve as CEO of her company, Martha Stewart Omnimedia.
Now of course Martha will be getting out of prison a week from this weekend. That would be next weekend. That's after serving her sentence for the criminal part of the prosecution. Of course then she still has five month of home probation. But she also faces civil charges from the Securities & Exchange Commission. And it was expected that the SEC would seek to ban her for life from serving as CEO. But apparently now the SEC is considering a deal that would allow her to come back early. She still would have to be banned from serving as CEO for as much as five years. She would still probably have to pay fines, and she's be on sort of a lifetime probation, where if she ever got in trouble again, she'd be given the boot.
Now why would the SEC be looking to do this? I think it's a matter of public outcry and the punishment fitting the crime. In other words, she never actually pled guilty or was found guilty of insider trading. At some point, I think they're going to have to let her come back and serve. And just quickly to do a little market here, changing gears, we had a bit of a reprieve yesterday after Tuesday's debacle. You can see the Dow was up 62 points.
O'BRIEN: All right, talk about that a little more later in the morning. Thanks, Andy. Appreciate it.
SERWER: Indeed. You're welcome.
HEMMER: From Martha to Michael now. Hey, Jack.
CAFFERTY: How're you doing, Bill?
Picking the jury fits the rest of the Michael Jackson story, strange. Jackson's accuse of molesting a little boy, and yet, eight of the 12 jurors are parents, six moms, two dads. Do the jury consultants charge extra for this? One juror's sister was raped. One juror's grandson is a registered sex offender. There are no blacks on the jury. Of course, Michael isn't black anymore either. And then there's the other stuff. Jackson repeatedly told the world how he likes to sleep with little boys, and we haven't mentioned the cosmetic surgeries, dangling the babies off the balcony, the Peter Pan lifestyle. I'm not sure that a jury of his peers exists on this planet. Here's the question, can Michael Jackson get a fair trial? Am@CNN.com.
HEMMER: You shaking your head no?
SERWER: I say doubtful. The question sort of offers the answer up, I agree. I don't think so.
HEMMER: Maybe we need to bring Toobin back to reinstill some faith in the legal system. We'll see.
O'BRIEN: There's always the appeal at the end, as well.
SERWER: Yes, and there will be.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks, Jack.
We've got some breaking news this morning out of Rome. The pope back in the hospital. We'll bring you a live update in just a moment. Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired February 24, 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: Breaking news out of Rome. Pope John Paul II going back to the hospital this morning.
President Bush getting a big reception from the crowds in Slovakia. Now it's down to business in his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The men and women who will decide Michael Jackson's fate. Does it matter no African-Americans are on the jury? And desperately digging through snow and ice to find victims of a deadly avalanche. So many still missing, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Good morning to you, as well.
O'BRIEN: Likewise.
HEMMER: A lot to talk about right this morning. Right to Rome in a moment for more on the pope, and also the president finishing up a speech a few moments the Slovak capital Bratislava. In about two hours he will hold perhaps the most important meeting of his entire trip to Europe, talking Russian President Vladimir Putin. We'll look at the stake in that meeting also. Some news about an agreement between these two men. So we'll get to all of that.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, an incredible story about women who are nursing. A new study finds that a component of rocket fuel is turning up in breast milk. It's not just for a few women either, but spread across the country. We're going to take a look at just how that happens and what the dangers really are.
HEMMER: Incredible indeed.
Jack Cafferty, what's on your mind this morning?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Rocket fuel? That's unbelievable.
O'BRIEN: Yes, a chemical in rocket fuel.
CAFFERTY: That's a little strange.
O'BRIEN: And scary, too.
CAFFERTY: Speaking of strange, in this country, if you're charged with a crime, you are entitled to a trial by a jury of your peers. But what if you're Michael Jackson? What exactly constitutes a jury of Michael Jackson's peers? Think about that for a couple hours. We will. We'll look at it a little more in a few minutes.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks. Let's get right to the breaking news at this power. Pope John Paul II has had a relapse. He's been taken back to the hospital.
Let's get right to Walt Rodgers. He's in Rome for us this morning.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
It is said by Vatican officials Pope John Paul II has had a relapse of the flu. It is also said that he is having fresh difficulties breathing, and that indeed, the fever which put him in the hospital on the 1st of February has returned at this point.
Alarming because had he just been released from hospital 13 days ago, and everyone thought he was on the mend. In fact, when his holiness appeared yesterday at the general audience in the Vatican from his studio apartment from the Vatican Library, albeit on a closed circuit video, he nonetheless appeared quite vigorous at the time. His voice was a bit gravely, but he was rather forceful, and managed essentially what was a 30-minute appearance, again, from the Vatican talking via a closed circuit TV hookup to the pilgrims there.
Again, rushed to hospital again this morning. There appears to be some alarm because this is clearly a relapse. They're saying it's influenza again, and the problem, of course, is he could not be treated by his doctor in the Vatican. More specialized treatment, we're told, is required. That's why he's back in the Gemelli Clinic -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Walt Rodgers for us obviously watching this story morning.
Walt, thanks.
HEMMER: That's our first headline of the morning, Soledad.
Heidi Collins has the others now. Good morning to you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, and good morning to you once again, everybody.
Now in the news, two suicide bombings in Iraq this morning, one of them taking place about an hour ago south of Baghdad. Two police officers were killed, eight others wounded. And in a separate attack, officials confirm at least 11 policeman were killed in a blast in Tikrit.
Dozens are injured there.
In Florida, another extension in the right to die case involving Terri Schiavo. Her feeding tube will stay in place until at least tomorrow. That's because a judge has extended a temporary ruling keeping the husband from pulling the tube. The judge says he needs more time to decide whether Schiavo's parents should be allowed to pursue other legal and medical options. The parents also want to have Schiavo's husband removed as her legal guardian.
California emergency crews shifting to cleanup mode now after a series of storms. The wet weather destroying dozens of homes, flooding roads and airports. At least nine deaths have been linked to the rainstorms. Engineers are fanning out across the Los Angeles area to see which homes are OK after a series of mudslides. Clear skies though are expected today.
And just hours before the deadline, a blockbuster trade in the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers getting Chris Webber as part of a six- player deal with the Sacramento Kings. Philadelphia getting two backups in the deal, as well. Sacramento gets three forwards, and it gets rid of the $62 million remaining on Webber's contract. That's about the size of your contract, isn't it.
HEMMER: Sixty-two million, huh? Not quite. Thanks, Heidi.
President Bush right now in Slovakia on the final stop of his European tour. And topping the itinerary today is a wide-ranging summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Our CNN Sr. White House correspondent John King live in the Slovak capital of Bratislava, where the president has just concluded his main speech there.
John, hello.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Bill.
Mr. Bush will head into that summit session. The White House calls it a meeting, not a summit, with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in very high spirits.
You noted the president just finished delivering a speech here in a public square in Bratislava.
We make quite a big deal at times of the unpopularity of this president across much of Europe. Today a demonstration in a place where the United States of America and it appears even this president, George W. Bush, are quite popular. A crowd of thousands on hand applauding the president as he paid tribute to Slovakia's democracy, its help that this country has given the United States in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and as Mr. Bush prepares to head into that meeting with President Putin in which the White House views as a back sliding, if you will, of democratic reforms in Russia will be a top priority. The president pointed to Slovakia's example, Iraq's example, and Mr. Bush said, in his view, perhaps he didn't mention President Putin, but implicit in it, perhaps Mr. Putin should take the note of the spread of democracy here across Eastern Europe, in Russia's backyard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the Democratic revolutions that swept this region 15 years ago are now reaching Georgia and Ukraine. In 10 days, Moldova has the opportunity to place its democratic credentials beyond doubt as its people head to the polls. And inevitably, the people of Baylor Rue (ph) will someday proudly belong to the country of democracies. Eventually the call of liberty comes to every mind and every soul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Crackdown on press freedoms, prosecutions of Kremlin critics will be at the top of the agenda as Mr. Bush sits down with President Putin. White House officials concede that the close personal relationship between the two has been imperiled a bit, and they say the relationship is adrift because of what they view as Mr. Putin's steps away from the path to democracy in Russia. But the White House also very much wants to show that despite those differences, that this is a productive working relationship. So there will be an agreement announcing new efforts between the governments of the United States and Russia to try to take Russian nuclear materials and get them in a safe place and dismantled so they cannot be obtained by terrorists. Other agreements to try to stop the spread and the sale of those so-called manpads, shoulder-launched missiles that could be used by terrorists groups against commercial airliners.
So a delicate one for the president today, Bill. He wants to show he has a close personal relationship and a good professional working relationship with the Russian president, but he also wants to voice his displeasure at what the White House and others around the world consider clear steps by President Putin, in their view, to put too much authority back in the Kremlin -- Bill.
HEMMER: The main headline may come out of that meeting with Vladimir Putin, but there is another headline in Slovakia there, John. The president did not remove his black globs when he met with Slovak dignitaries, and apparently it's caused some kind of stir with the media there. Slovak protocol demands bare-handed shakes. Is there much to this, John?
KING: There's not much too it, bill. Obviously bigger issues on the agenda. The president well received, as you could see, in that speech in public. But it is one of the things closely watched. It's the first time an American president has come to the country since it became an independent democracy. And so when the president got off Air Force One last night and shook some hands with the dignitaries there to greet him, he did keep his gloves on, and local commentators saying it is tradition to have a bare hand and give a good strong hearty handshake. They were disappointed the president didn't do that. I wouldn't expect the buzz about that to last more than a day or so.
HEMMER: All right, the custom lives, and we'll look for the headlines again with Vladimir Putin a bit later this morning.
Thank you, John. Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.
General Wesley Clark was NATO's supreme allied commander from 1997 to 2000. He was also recently a presidential candidate.
Joining us this morning. Nice to chat with you.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK, FMR. NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Good to be with you.
O'BRIEN: We just heard John king laying out the areas in common,, the signing agreements involving the nuclear security, anti- terror security. Let's talk, though, about areas in contention, mostly involving Russia's move away from democracy. Just how tough do you think President Bush needs to be today in his meetings with President Putin.
CLARK: Well, I think we won't know that. Privately, he needs to be very firm, and he needs to be very candid with Putin. He said he has a relationship with Putin. And this is the time to use that relationship, whatever relationship it is, to lay out and make it very clear.
What President Bush said in the inaugural is, America's interests are our values. So it's good to have the agreements on nuclear security and so forth. Those are important. Those are America's interests, but our values are things like democracy, and in that area, he has to exert pressure.
O'BRIEN: You mentioned the private versus the public. To some degree, though, doesn't he have to come out publicly and say something that underscores how the private discussions -- he cannot just say, can he, oh, yes, in private I definitely hammered him?
CLARK: No, because it wouldn't be private. But you're going to get a different tone privately than publicly I suspect. I think you're going to see some hint of the pressure and the tension, but we've had the resolution in Congress by Senator McCain and others calling for Russia be thrown out of the G-8 on their economic basis, because they're not pursuing a path to democracy. That's the kind of public pressure. The president can use that and work more privately.
O'BRIEN: You talk about this relationship that the presidents, President Bush and President Putin have. President Bush had said that he gained a sense of President's Putin's soul when he looked into his eyes, and found him to be straightforward and trustworthy. To what degree can those words come back to he regret having said that when he is now in a position of contention, frankly, with the Russian president.
CLARK: I think it's always dangerous for a president to make too much out of personal relationships like this, and especially with overly flowery language, because ultimately, leaders have to represent their own interests and their own values. And those interests don't always coincide, especially the interests between the United States and Russia. So it's up to President Bush to lead America. He's got to use every tool in his arsenal, and he's got to help protect our interests and our values.
O'BRIEN: But if our interests -- our being the United States' interests -- involve keeping Iran from having a nuclear program, and you have President Putin saying very clearly that we're going to continue our cooperation with Iran on that front, that completely contradicts what President Bush has said.
CLARK: That's exactly right.
O'BRIEN: Does this lead us down the road to reigniting the Cold War?
CLARK: I don't know if it takes you that far, but you're certainly going to see sparks in this relationship. And if we don't see those, then the United States is not acting properly. We simply cannot allow Russia to move forward on its own interests, taking advantage of the United States, the president's supposed relationship, and then move wee from the things we feel are important. We don't feel that Russia should be helping Iran gain nuclear capabilities, and we don't feel that they should be moving away from democracy, from freedom of the press, from the election of governors and the other measures that Putin has recently instituted that pull Russia in the wrong direction.
O'BRIEN: NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark, nice to see you, as always.
CLARK: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: President Bush and President Putin will hold a news conference later this morning at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Be sure to stay tuned to CNN for coverage of that. We're going to take it to you live -- Bill.
HEMMER: Some dramatic videotape. One survivor now calling it a snow tsunami in Kashmir. Northern India, northeastern Pakistan. The search continues for survivors of Sunday's massive avalanche. Rescuers dug through thick walls of snow as the Indian Army rushed in medical personnel and supplies. Three-hundred people in India and Pakistan have died as a result. Hundreds more still missing. Victims across the region are being buried in mass graves. Wow. Again, that videotape from Kashmir.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Scientists make a rather alarming discovery. And ingredient for rocket fuel found in breast milk. We'll talk to an obstetrician, tell us how worried nursing mothers should be and how in the world this happens, in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also can a new class being taught in small-town Kansas actually prevent terrorism? A closer look at that this morning.
HEMMER: Also the jury is now set in the Michael Jackson case. Which side has the advantage now? We'll talk to Jeff Toobin in a moment here as AMERICAN MORNING continues, live in New York City, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HEMMER: It took only five court days to select a jury in the Michael Jackson child molestation matter. Now four women -- make that four men and eight woman have been chosen to decide his fate. The oldest juror is a 79-year-old woman, the youngest a 20-year-old man. No African-Americans are on the panel.
Jeff Toobin has a few thoughts on this.
Jeff, good morning to you.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning, sir.
HEMMER: Pardon me, I'm a little bit under the weather this morning.
You were surprised, or were you shocked at the speed of this jury selection?
TOOBIN: Shocked. The parties had talked about jury selection taking three or four weeks, and it was really just a couple of days.
HEMMER: Does the speed of that jury, two points to be made here. Does the speed of the jury tell you anything about how this judge is reacting.
TOOBIN: Very much. I mean, the reason the jury selection was so fast was that the judge limited questioning to 10 minutes a person. And when you combine that with the fact that he very carefully limited the questionnaire to just a bare seven pages, the real fact is we don't know much about what these people think, and you know that, could come back to haunt this trial?
HEMMER: Does it also say something about these 12 people, saying choose me, I can be fair. I can answer any question you want and sit on this panel.
TOOBIN: That's what you have to worry about in these high- profile cases. Are there people, so-called stealth jurors, who are trying to get on the jury. And that's what voir dire, the jury- selection process, is supposed to ferret out. But the lawyers just didn't have much of a chance.
HEMMER: There is not a single black person on this jury, yet we should say, because eight alternates still are left to be chosen. How significant do you think that is?
TOOBIN: You know, I wish I could say it wasn't significant. I wish we lived in that kind of world. But I think it's very significant. You know, Santa Maria is only 1.9 percent African Americans. So it's not surprising that you don't have an African- American on the jury. But if you look at survey research, if you look at anecdotal evidence, if you talk to trial lawyers, you know, black jurors, especially in high-profile cases, are often sympathetic to the defendant, and I think it's bad for Michael Jackson.
HEMMER: What is your reaction to this, a 79-year-old juror on the panel, a woman, her grandson was registered with police as a sex offender. Would you want this person on the panel?
TOOBIN: You know, yes, the answer is no, I wouldn't want them on the panel. But you could sort of make an argument that neither side would want them on the panel. Do they think that the grandson was treated fairly in the judicial system? Perhaps she's angry, so she would be sympathetic to the defense, or perhaps she knows the costs of what goes on with sexual abuse so she's sympathetic to the prosecution. It's an odd choice.
HEMMER: You made a point last night about how the defense will not go after the accuser. This is a surviving cancer patient after all. But will turn the attention against the accuser's mother. How so?
TOOBIN: Very interesting questioning by Tom Mesereau of the prospective jurors. Do you believe, he asked the jurors, that a child can be manipulated by a parent to lie. That tells us that that's the defense in this case. He can't really attack the kid, the accuser. I mean, he's very young, he's a cancer survivor. The jury is naturally going to be sympathetic. But what the defense will say in this case is that the accuser was manipulated by his money-grubbing mother. That's the defense in this case.
HEMMER: So you're suggesting then that the mother has put the pressure on this kid to go ahead with this trial.
TOOBIN: I'm suggesting that's what the defense says, whether it's true I of course have no idea. But that is clearly going to be the focus.
HEMMER: Opening statements may happen Monday, we're being told, out of California. If that happens, regardless whether it happens on a Monday or Tuesday, how long does the trial last?
TOOBIN: We had originally talked about five months, but if Judge Neville is going to move the trial as fast as he moved jury selection, maybe it will be faster. So maybe I got to get my plane faster than I thought.
HEMMER: Five months in Santa Barbara County. It's good to be you.
TOOBIN: Well, it could be worse.
HEMMER: See you later.
Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Martha Stewart's empire took a financial hit when she went off to prison, but a familiar face may ride to the rescue. Andy's "Minding Your Business," up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Martha Stewart's lawyers are try to negotiate a quick comeback. With a look at that and the markets as well, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Hello. Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you.
Martha is making headlines again. So what else is new? And here's the story, Soledad, Martha Stewart and her lawyers are looking to negotiate a deal with the Securities & Exchange Commission that would allow her to come back and serve as CEO of her company, Martha Stewart Omnimedia.
Now of course Martha will be getting out of prison a week from this weekend. That would be next weekend. That's after serving her sentence for the criminal part of the prosecution. Of course then she still has five month of home probation. But she also faces civil charges from the Securities & Exchange Commission. And it was expected that the SEC would seek to ban her for life from serving as CEO. But apparently now the SEC is considering a deal that would allow her to come back early. She still would have to be banned from serving as CEO for as much as five years. She would still probably have to pay fines, and she's be on sort of a lifetime probation, where if she ever got in trouble again, she'd be given the boot.
Now why would the SEC be looking to do this? I think it's a matter of public outcry and the punishment fitting the crime. In other words, she never actually pled guilty or was found guilty of insider trading. At some point, I think they're going to have to let her come back and serve. And just quickly to do a little market here, changing gears, we had a bit of a reprieve yesterday after Tuesday's debacle. You can see the Dow was up 62 points.
O'BRIEN: All right, talk about that a little more later in the morning. Thanks, Andy. Appreciate it.
SERWER: Indeed. You're welcome.
HEMMER: From Martha to Michael now. Hey, Jack.
CAFFERTY: How're you doing, Bill?
Picking the jury fits the rest of the Michael Jackson story, strange. Jackson's accuse of molesting a little boy, and yet, eight of the 12 jurors are parents, six moms, two dads. Do the jury consultants charge extra for this? One juror's sister was raped. One juror's grandson is a registered sex offender. There are no blacks on the jury. Of course, Michael isn't black anymore either. And then there's the other stuff. Jackson repeatedly told the world how he likes to sleep with little boys, and we haven't mentioned the cosmetic surgeries, dangling the babies off the balcony, the Peter Pan lifestyle. I'm not sure that a jury of his peers exists on this planet. Here's the question, can Michael Jackson get a fair trial? Am@CNN.com.
HEMMER: You shaking your head no?
SERWER: I say doubtful. The question sort of offers the answer up, I agree. I don't think so.
HEMMER: Maybe we need to bring Toobin back to reinstill some faith in the legal system. We'll see.
O'BRIEN: There's always the appeal at the end, as well.
SERWER: Yes, and there will be.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks, Jack.
We've got some breaking news this morning out of Rome. The pope back in the hospital. We'll bring you a live update in just a moment. Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
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