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American Morning
Pope Rushed Back to Hospital; Bush Meets With Putin
Aired February 24, 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
There is breaking news.
Pope John Paul II rushed back to a Rome hospital this morning. He is having trouble breathing again.
President Bush is in Slovakia, expected to begin important talks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, within the hour.
And the jury is selected in Michael Jackson's case. No African- Americans will decide his fate on the original 12.
And a battered camera found after the tsunami -- amazingly, there are pictures. And what a story they tell.
All ahead this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Welcome, everybody.
We're going to get more on the pope's condition just ahead this morning.
Also, President Bush is holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Democratic reform in Russia a big issue there, as well as disagreements on Iran and Syria. John King joins us in just a moment with his report.
Also, we talk with Senator Joe Lieberman about whether the U.S. needs a tougher stance in dealing with Russia.
HEMMER: Also this hour, we'll go on terror's trial this morning, looking at this alleged plot to assassinate President Bush.
Is the Saudi government getting serious now about cleaning up radicals in the kingdom? Peter Bergen was there three weeks ago at an international conference on terrorism. He is our guest this morning. We'll talk about that with Peter in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Good morning -- Mr. Cafferty.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, there, Hells Angel.
O'BRIEN: What's in "The File" this morning?
CAFFERTY: How are you?
Coming up in "The Cafferty File," a guy who secretly tape recorded the president back before he was president wimps out. Hunter Thompson's dead, but he's not finished. And the answer to a prayer for parents who have teenagers who drive. All coming up in less than an hour.
HEMMER: You've got some experience on that, don't you?
CAFFERTY: Four times. That's why I have no hair left.
HEMMER: You have half a head.
CAFFERTY: Yes?
HEMMER: We'll give you 50 percent.
CAFFERTY: It's a wonder there's any left.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
HEMMER: Breaking news from Rome.
Let's get right to it right now.
The pope back in the hospital.
Here's Walter Rodgers -- Walt, what do you have about his condition?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.
Not good news for the pope. He's only been out of hospital 13 days and now, quite surprisingly, this morning he was taken back to the Gemelli Hospital here in Rome with what's described as a relapse of the flu. The symptoms the pope appears to be experiencing are a recurring fever. And, again, he's having difficulty breathing, not surprising for someone who has Parkinson's Disease.
Still, it is a bit alarming. The only good news that we have in all of this is that when the hospital -- when the ambulance took the pope to hospital this morning, the pope stayed conscious throughout the trip to the hospital. He was said to have been sitting upright when he arrived there. Then he was on a stretcher, taken into the hospital, and on that stretcher he remained conscious.
Still, there is alarm here and we will not expect any new medical bulletins on His Holiness' condition until midday tomorrow -- Bill.
HEMMER: Walter Rodgers, thanks, reporting from Rome on this. More on that in a moment.
John Allen is here in New York, our Vatican analyst.
We'll get to him in a moment -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, obviously we'll continue to cover that story.
But first, let's get right to Heidi Collins.
She's got a look at some of the other stories making headlines this morning -- good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there.
Good morning.
And good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news, President Bush set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Slovakia this hour. The meeting comes as President Bush is wrapping up his five day trip to Europe. The president addressed crowds in Bratislava Square earlier. He called Slovaks "friends, allies and brothers in the global fight for freedom."
A wave of deadly attacks in Iraq this morning. Two U.S. soldiers died in roadside bombings in northern Iraq. And a suicide car bombing in Tikrit. These pictures just in to CNN now from the scene there. Officials confirm at least 11 policemen were killed in the blast. Dozens are injured.
Lawyers in the Michael Jackson case will look for eight jurors when the trial resumes this morning in California. The panel of 12 jury members was chosen yesterday. It includes four men, eight women ranging in age from 20 to 79. None are African-American. If the alternates are seated soon, opening statements in the trial could begin next week.
And in sports, it looks like Randy Moss is heading to Oakland. An agreement was reportedly reached last night, sending the Vikings' wide receiver to the Raiders. The Vikings will get the seventh pick in the upcoming draft. Trades can be arranged, but not finalized, until March 2.
The seventh pick, whoo-hoo.
HEMMER: Randy is a Raider, though.
COLLINS: Yes, see you.
Good-bye, Randy.
HEMMER: But that, no, that goes, doesn't it, a little bit?
COLLINS: Yes, it's interesting. HEMMER: Randy Moss?
COLLINS: But he can go and take his attitude with him.
O'BRIEN: Oooh, look at that.
COLLINS: And I'm not (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I swear it. Not anymore.
HEMMER: Cheer up.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Let's get back to our top story this morning, the pope's health. Just how serious and surprising is this relapse by the pope?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at the CNN Center this morning -- hey, Sanjay, good morning to you.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Given what you've been hearing out of Rome, which is obviously very little, give me a sense of what you're taking from this.
GUPTA: Well, it's not surprising, really, that a person of the pope's age would actually have a relapse of flu or flu like symptoms, as you mentioned. Few details are actually coming out. He had a fever, had some difficulties with breathing.
The last time, you remember three weeks ago now, he was rushed to the hospital because of significant problems with breathing. That was actually something known as laryngospasm. That's when the upper airway sort of spasms. And that can be a medical emergency.
This time what we're hearing, at least, reading, as well, is that the pope was, had breathing difficulties, although it didn't sound quite like it did the last time. I would say, sort of from a medical opinion, that it's always serious and perhaps more serious when someone goes back to the hospital a second time, worried about not only the flu, but even more importantly, the complications of the flu, things like pneumonia, more serious breathing difficulties, fever. All of those things exacerbated a bit by his Parkinson's Disease, as well -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: OK, so once someone goes back to the hospital, let's say, for a second time, to be treated for, we're assuming, the same thing, is the course of treatment different?
GUPTA: Well, you know, again, the flu itself, as everybody knows now, has no particular cure or treatment dedicated toward the flu. It's really the symptoms of the flu that need to be treated. So, for example, he's probably getting a chest x-ray. If he does, in fact, have pneumonia, he will probably need to be started on antibiotics.
We're hearing that a breathing tube was not necessary. That's a favorable sign in that he's not needing the ventilator, at least right now, although that could change later on. And then again, the more acute breathing difficulties, which was probably the reason that he was taken from the Vatican to this hospital.
Remember, Soledad, that the Vatican actually has pretty good medical facilities itself. So if he's being moved from the Vatican to the hospital, it's probably because of something more acute in terms of these breathing difficulties. Those are going to need to be addressed; again, sometimes just with medications, sometimes with a ventilator itself.
O'BRIEN: And I'm sure we'll get more information out of Rome, as well, over the next day and days.
GUPTA: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center for us this morning.
Hey, Sanjay, thanks.
HEMMER: Well, the pope's hospitalization earlier this month raised questions about the leadership within the church.
And our CNN Vatican analyst is John Allen; also with the "National Catholic Reporter."
Here in New York this time, and not Rome -- good morning, John.
JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST, "NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER": Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Good to have you here.
What does it tell you about the significance, going back to the hospital a second time, based on his health and his history?
ALLEN: Well, obviously, that his recovery was not full and complete, which would suggest that the -- both the fever and the respiratory difficulties which triggered this hospitalization originally on February 1 are, indeed, fairly serious. And that what the papal spokesperson this morning, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, told us is that he, the pope requires a specialized kind of treatment that can't be provided in the Apostolic Palace. That's the pope's residence in the Vatican. And that they wanted him there back on the tenth floor of the Gemelli, where they have, of course, you know, the state-of- the-art medical care, particularly because the fear here is that he'll go into some kind of respiratory arrest.
HEMMER: We saw him in the window this past Sunday and here he is again on videotape.
How did he look to you then? ALLEN: I was struck by how strong he looked. I mean, bear in mind, the previous two Sundays, for the Angeles address, he really just delivered the final benediction, the blessing, and his aide read the text of his message. On Sunday, he read the whole thing. Now, admittedly, it was only about 10 lines, but still, he seemed in control of himself. The voice seemed fairly strong. Just yesterday he met with the prime minister of Croatia. Tomorrow he was supposed to be meeting with the tourism ministers from Israel and Palestine, the first time that ministers from those two governments had ever met with the pope in a joint audience.
So obviously the Vatican had the impression that he was more or less back in the saddle. And then clearly today's developments suggest that that was a little optimistic.
HEMMER: If he's in the hospital, who makes decisions? And how much work gets done?
ALLEN: Well, actually, I mean on a short-term basis, you know, a papal hospitalization does not slow down the machinery of the Vatican at all. And in recent years, of course, given the pope's health and age and general energy levels, he's been relatively disengaged from the day to day business of running the church. So that apparatus is going to steam ahead as always.
The problem becomes if this becomes an extended convalescence in which the pope is not able to communicate his wishes on things like the appointment of bishops or doctrinal teachings in response to new situations, if that goes on for an extended period of time, then the church gets into trouble.
HEMMER: We will get a statement again tomorrow morning, a little less than 24 hours away. That is standard operating procedure, we understand, for the Vatican.
ALLEN: That's exactly right.
HEMMER: So no more news today, apparently, out of Rome.
ALLEN: That's likely to be the case, yes.
HEMMER: Thank you, John.
Good to see you here in New York.
ALLEN: Bill, a pleasure.
HEMMER: Travel safe.
ALLEN: Thanks.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Weather now.
In southern California, the rain stopped, but city workers are still scrambling to keep up with the damage. Seven days of rain have caused major flooding, numerous sinkholes and hundreds of mud slides. In Los Angeles, city engineers labeled dozens of homes uninhabitable. At least six people have died in weather related accidents.
L.A. has gotten nearly three feet of rain, making it the wettest rain season in 115 years.
So, what's ahead in the forecast for California and the rest of the country, as well?
Back to Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest -- hey, Chad, good morning again.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
And that rainy season is far from over. To give you an idea, the rain started about this time last week in Los Angeles -- 9.18 inches of rain in a week. That'll do damage to any city, not alone a city that has cliffs.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, scientists find an ingredient for rocket fuel in breast milk. We'll go back to the good doctor. We'll page Sanjay in a moment on that.
O'BRIEN: Also, critics say Vladimir Putin is out of step with democracy. But is Russia really slipping all the way back to communism? A closer look is ahead.
HEMMER: And photos of the Southeast Asian tsunami discovered against all odds. How these pictures became an emotional gift, still to come this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have a plan to keep terrorists from getting their hands on nuclear material. They'll announce that plan today after their meeting in Slovakia. They've also agreed to put controls on shoulder fired missiles.
These announcements are also meant to show cooperation.
And as John King reports, they come at a time when Presidents Bush and Putin have to confront their increasing differences.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): June, 2001 -- a picturesque walk in Slovenia and a first impression that has defined U.S.-Russia relations since.
BUSH: I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul. KING: Four years later, the man Mr. Bush calls Vladimir is widely seen as halting, if not reversing, Russia's path towards democracy.
NATAN SHARANSKY, AUTHOR, "CASE FOR DEMOCRACY": There is no gulag, no KGB. But it is right to be very concerned by some of the restrictions.
KING: So as he prepares for Thursday's meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, Mr. Bush faces pressure to reconsider his early verdict.
RICHARD PERLE, FORMER PENTAGON ADVISER: When you gaze into souls, it's something you should update periodically, because souls can change.
KING: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her Russian counterpart earlier this month and raised concerns about shutting down media critics and Kremlin prosecutions of Putin foes. The White House also is frustrated, among other things, with Russian nuclear cooperation with Iran and missile sales to Syria.
And Senator John McCain says Mr. Putin must be pressured to keep a promise to pull Russian troops out of neighboring Georgia.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Sooner or later, he has got to realize that the path that he's on is one which will eventually bring his government down. I mean, you can't continue this kind of consolidation of power and not expect to be eventually isolated, at least to some degree, in the world.
KING: The meeting comes a month after an inaugural address linking support of freedom and human rights to strong relations with Washington.
A critical time, as Senator Joseph Lieberman puts it, to talk turkey.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I think it is, in that sense, a test of this president's foreign policy credibility when he meets with Putin. And I'm confident he's going to meet the test.
KING: But White House officials also stress an upside, calling Mr. Putin a strong ally in the war on terror. And in much of Europe, there is less concern than Mr. Bush hears back in Washington.
WOLFGAND ISCHINGER, GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: On the fundamental question, is Russia moving away from us or against us, we don't think so. We think Putin has the right instinct.
KING: The meeting will test Mr. Bush's view that a close personal bond helps most when there are problems in a relationship. U.S. officials concede that bond is now strained and the relationship drifting, and say Mr. Bush will make clear to his friend that it is up to him to set it back on course.
John King, CNN, the White House. (END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: President Bush and President Putin are going to hold a news conference later this morning. That happens at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time and CNN will carry that live -- Bill.
HEMMER: An amazing story here, Soledad.
For months, the sons of John and Jackie Knill have wondered what happened to their parents. The couple was vacationing in Thailand when the tsunami hit. Their remains were identified just last week.
Now, after some technology, the brothers have some answers about their parents' final minutes before the disaster struck.
Ted Cherneki (ph) of BC-TV in Vancouver reports this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
TED CHERNEKI, BC-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In all the carnage, in the debris fields and places meters deep and extending inland for kilometers, what are the chances of finding one particular digital camera?
CHRISTIAN PILET: I found a camera. He said it was ridiculously smashed. I didn't know what to do with it. And I said well, I said well, you know, and my view was we'll just junk it. We don't need it. And he said well, hold on. And he pulls out the compact flash. And he says you never know, the little card might have recorded something.
CHERNEKI: It did. And when this Seattle resident recently returned from Thailand, he knew that he possessed photos that were both incredible and disturbing.
PILET: You could see these large navy ships in the distance, right before the wave dwarfed, by the size of the wave. And then the wave came closer in the pictures, then closer, and then it blew us away, because the very last picture showed a wall of water in front of the camera. And having now seen what the wave did, our only thought is that there's no way the person who took the picture could have survived.
CHERNEKI: There are hundreds of Web sites for the missing, yet amazingly his wife spotted photos on one site that matched those in the camera. Christian headed to north Vancouver.
CHRISTIAN KNILL, OLDEST SON: And they came that day from Seattle in the morning and brought me pictures of what had been my parents' camera, so, when the thing came. So, and there's pictures of them and then pictures of the last moments, so.
CHERNEKI: We were glad to be able to give them, this back to them. If anything, it's a gift, in a sense, from their parents. And it's something that hopefully they can treasure and use and decide what to do with.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HEMMER: Again, Ted Cherneki reporting from Vancouver station BC- TV.
The Knills' sons say their parents had wanted them to travel to Thailand with them. They, however, were unable to go -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: The American student who was indicted this week on terror charges was actually caught by Saudi authorities. So does it mean that the Saudis are finally cracking down on terror? A closer look is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: We begin with Jack and the Question of the Day -- good morning again.
CAFFERTY: Good morning.
Picking the jury fits the rest of the Michael Jackson story -- strange. Jackson's accused of molesting a little boy, and yet eight of the 12 jurors are parents. One juror's sister was raped. One juror's grandson is a registered sex offender. There are no blacks on the jury. Between the cosmetic surgeries, the baby dangling, the Peter Pan lifestyle, all of the weird publicity surrounding this guy, where is Michael going to find a jury of his peers? And, more importantly, the question is this -- can Michael Jackson get a fair trial?
Here's some of what you've written so far.
Jose in College Station, Texas: "If the leaks and media attention don't do enough to damage the fairness of this trial, Jackson's own media machine will. The biggest damage will be to the system designed to get at the truth and the public's ability to protect potential victims."
Mel in New York writes: "Yes, Michael Jackson can get a fair trial. Not too good, not too bad, fair."
Anthony in Sydney, Nova Scotia writes: "The question is can the people of the State of California get a fair trial? With high priced lawyers, spin doctors and jury consultants, the Jackson defense team has the advantage in this trial. And if by some slim chance the all white jury does find him guilty, Jackson's lawyers can then play the race card."
And finally, Allen writes from Nashville: "Still don't care about Jacko. But Soledad is smoking in that outfit."
HEMMER: Yes!
O'BRIEN: That was nice.
HEMMER: Billy Jean is not my love.
I thought that point, too, they made was very interesting. How much do these lawyers really know about these 12 people?
O'BRIEN: Very little, I think.
HEMMER: This questionnaire was really short.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: Five days in court.
O'BRIEN: Seven pages.
HEMMER: Yes. And they seat 12 people right away.
CAFFERTY: Isn't one of the guarantees under the constitution the right to a speedy the latest?
HEMMER: Well, that's true.
CAFFERTY: But let's hear it for the judge that's moving this thing along on the fast track.
HEMMER: I think that's an excellent point.
CAFFERTY: I think it's a hell of an idea and I hope the rest of it goes as quickly, because, quite frankly, I'm not sure I can take five months of Michael Jackson on trial.
HEMMER: What are you saying, Rodney Melville is no Lance Ito? Is that the suggestion?
CAFFERTY: Yes, but I mean that's a good thing, I think. You know, get them in the box and let's go.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes
HEMMER: Barry Bonds was speaking earlier this week in spring training, a very fiery and feisty press conference. And that is the topic for Jay Leno last night.
Have a look and a listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO," COURTESY NBC)
JAY LENO, HOST: I don't know if you saw Barry Bonds talking to reporters yesterday. I was there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You were there?
LENO: I was there. I brought up the steroid question. He didn't seem comfortable with it. Well, here, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARRY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: Next question.
LENO: Mr. Bonds, someone told me that people on steroids can't go more than 10 seconds without losing their temper.
Is that true?
BONDS: Where did you hear that from?
LENO: I don't know.
BONDS: Why do you guys never give up your sources. Name. Names. Names, please.
LENO: Mike, can you cut -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Oh, a lot of it got shown by Leno last night.
O'BRIEN: Oh, that's funny.
Well, our top story this morning, critics say Russia is out of step with democracy. But will taking away a key international privilege fix the problem? Senator Joe Lieberman has a plan. We talk to him just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
President Bush meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in just a few minutes, talks that are expected to go on for more than two hours. Should Bush put pressure on Russia over democratic reforms? We're going to talk about that with Senator Joe Lieberman just ahead this morning.
HEMMER: Also in a moment, Sanjay is back here with us talking about the surprising study finding that many nursing women have traces of a rocket fuel component in their breast milk. Sanjay will tell us if that's as bad as it sounds or not. We'll get to him in a moment.
O'BRIEN: OK, first, let's get a look at the headlines from Heidi Collins -- good morning, again.
COLLINS: Good morning.
And good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news this morning, a developing story at this hour. Pope John Paul II back in a Rome hospital. A Vatican spokesman says the pope is suffering a relapse of the flu and is undergoing specialized treatment. He apparently came down with a fever last night. This hospitalization comes almost two weeks after the pontiff was cleared of complications from an acute respiratory infection.
NBA star Kobe Bryant getting ready to go on the record for the first time as part of his accuser's lawsuit against him.
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Aired February 24, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
There is breaking news.
Pope John Paul II rushed back to a Rome hospital this morning. He is having trouble breathing again.
President Bush is in Slovakia, expected to begin important talks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, within the hour.
And the jury is selected in Michael Jackson's case. No African- Americans will decide his fate on the original 12.
And a battered camera found after the tsunami -- amazingly, there are pictures. And what a story they tell.
All ahead this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Welcome, everybody.
We're going to get more on the pope's condition just ahead this morning.
Also, President Bush is holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Democratic reform in Russia a big issue there, as well as disagreements on Iran and Syria. John King joins us in just a moment with his report.
Also, we talk with Senator Joe Lieberman about whether the U.S. needs a tougher stance in dealing with Russia.
HEMMER: Also this hour, we'll go on terror's trial this morning, looking at this alleged plot to assassinate President Bush.
Is the Saudi government getting serious now about cleaning up radicals in the kingdom? Peter Bergen was there three weeks ago at an international conference on terrorism. He is our guest this morning. We'll talk about that with Peter in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Good morning -- Mr. Cafferty.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, there, Hells Angel.
O'BRIEN: What's in "The File" this morning?
CAFFERTY: How are you?
Coming up in "The Cafferty File," a guy who secretly tape recorded the president back before he was president wimps out. Hunter Thompson's dead, but he's not finished. And the answer to a prayer for parents who have teenagers who drive. All coming up in less than an hour.
HEMMER: You've got some experience on that, don't you?
CAFFERTY: Four times. That's why I have no hair left.
HEMMER: You have half a head.
CAFFERTY: Yes?
HEMMER: We'll give you 50 percent.
CAFFERTY: It's a wonder there's any left.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
HEMMER: Breaking news from Rome.
Let's get right to it right now.
The pope back in the hospital.
Here's Walter Rodgers -- Walt, what do you have about his condition?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.
Not good news for the pope. He's only been out of hospital 13 days and now, quite surprisingly, this morning he was taken back to the Gemelli Hospital here in Rome with what's described as a relapse of the flu. The symptoms the pope appears to be experiencing are a recurring fever. And, again, he's having difficulty breathing, not surprising for someone who has Parkinson's Disease.
Still, it is a bit alarming. The only good news that we have in all of this is that when the hospital -- when the ambulance took the pope to hospital this morning, the pope stayed conscious throughout the trip to the hospital. He was said to have been sitting upright when he arrived there. Then he was on a stretcher, taken into the hospital, and on that stretcher he remained conscious.
Still, there is alarm here and we will not expect any new medical bulletins on His Holiness' condition until midday tomorrow -- Bill.
HEMMER: Walter Rodgers, thanks, reporting from Rome on this. More on that in a moment.
John Allen is here in New York, our Vatican analyst.
We'll get to him in a moment -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, obviously we'll continue to cover that story.
But first, let's get right to Heidi Collins.
She's got a look at some of the other stories making headlines this morning -- good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there.
Good morning.
And good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news, President Bush set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Slovakia this hour. The meeting comes as President Bush is wrapping up his five day trip to Europe. The president addressed crowds in Bratislava Square earlier. He called Slovaks "friends, allies and brothers in the global fight for freedom."
A wave of deadly attacks in Iraq this morning. Two U.S. soldiers died in roadside bombings in northern Iraq. And a suicide car bombing in Tikrit. These pictures just in to CNN now from the scene there. Officials confirm at least 11 policemen were killed in the blast. Dozens are injured.
Lawyers in the Michael Jackson case will look for eight jurors when the trial resumes this morning in California. The panel of 12 jury members was chosen yesterday. It includes four men, eight women ranging in age from 20 to 79. None are African-American. If the alternates are seated soon, opening statements in the trial could begin next week.
And in sports, it looks like Randy Moss is heading to Oakland. An agreement was reportedly reached last night, sending the Vikings' wide receiver to the Raiders. The Vikings will get the seventh pick in the upcoming draft. Trades can be arranged, but not finalized, until March 2.
The seventh pick, whoo-hoo.
HEMMER: Randy is a Raider, though.
COLLINS: Yes, see you.
Good-bye, Randy.
HEMMER: But that, no, that goes, doesn't it, a little bit?
COLLINS: Yes, it's interesting. HEMMER: Randy Moss?
COLLINS: But he can go and take his attitude with him.
O'BRIEN: Oooh, look at that.
COLLINS: And I'm not (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I swear it. Not anymore.
HEMMER: Cheer up.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Let's get back to our top story this morning, the pope's health. Just how serious and surprising is this relapse by the pope?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at the CNN Center this morning -- hey, Sanjay, good morning to you.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Given what you've been hearing out of Rome, which is obviously very little, give me a sense of what you're taking from this.
GUPTA: Well, it's not surprising, really, that a person of the pope's age would actually have a relapse of flu or flu like symptoms, as you mentioned. Few details are actually coming out. He had a fever, had some difficulties with breathing.
The last time, you remember three weeks ago now, he was rushed to the hospital because of significant problems with breathing. That was actually something known as laryngospasm. That's when the upper airway sort of spasms. And that can be a medical emergency.
This time what we're hearing, at least, reading, as well, is that the pope was, had breathing difficulties, although it didn't sound quite like it did the last time. I would say, sort of from a medical opinion, that it's always serious and perhaps more serious when someone goes back to the hospital a second time, worried about not only the flu, but even more importantly, the complications of the flu, things like pneumonia, more serious breathing difficulties, fever. All of those things exacerbated a bit by his Parkinson's Disease, as well -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: OK, so once someone goes back to the hospital, let's say, for a second time, to be treated for, we're assuming, the same thing, is the course of treatment different?
GUPTA: Well, you know, again, the flu itself, as everybody knows now, has no particular cure or treatment dedicated toward the flu. It's really the symptoms of the flu that need to be treated. So, for example, he's probably getting a chest x-ray. If he does, in fact, have pneumonia, he will probably need to be started on antibiotics.
We're hearing that a breathing tube was not necessary. That's a favorable sign in that he's not needing the ventilator, at least right now, although that could change later on. And then again, the more acute breathing difficulties, which was probably the reason that he was taken from the Vatican to this hospital.
Remember, Soledad, that the Vatican actually has pretty good medical facilities itself. So if he's being moved from the Vatican to the hospital, it's probably because of something more acute in terms of these breathing difficulties. Those are going to need to be addressed; again, sometimes just with medications, sometimes with a ventilator itself.
O'BRIEN: And I'm sure we'll get more information out of Rome, as well, over the next day and days.
GUPTA: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center for us this morning.
Hey, Sanjay, thanks.
HEMMER: Well, the pope's hospitalization earlier this month raised questions about the leadership within the church.
And our CNN Vatican analyst is John Allen; also with the "National Catholic Reporter."
Here in New York this time, and not Rome -- good morning, John.
JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST, "NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER": Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Good to have you here.
What does it tell you about the significance, going back to the hospital a second time, based on his health and his history?
ALLEN: Well, obviously, that his recovery was not full and complete, which would suggest that the -- both the fever and the respiratory difficulties which triggered this hospitalization originally on February 1 are, indeed, fairly serious. And that what the papal spokesperson this morning, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, told us is that he, the pope requires a specialized kind of treatment that can't be provided in the Apostolic Palace. That's the pope's residence in the Vatican. And that they wanted him there back on the tenth floor of the Gemelli, where they have, of course, you know, the state-of- the-art medical care, particularly because the fear here is that he'll go into some kind of respiratory arrest.
HEMMER: We saw him in the window this past Sunday and here he is again on videotape.
How did he look to you then? ALLEN: I was struck by how strong he looked. I mean, bear in mind, the previous two Sundays, for the Angeles address, he really just delivered the final benediction, the blessing, and his aide read the text of his message. On Sunday, he read the whole thing. Now, admittedly, it was only about 10 lines, but still, he seemed in control of himself. The voice seemed fairly strong. Just yesterday he met with the prime minister of Croatia. Tomorrow he was supposed to be meeting with the tourism ministers from Israel and Palestine, the first time that ministers from those two governments had ever met with the pope in a joint audience.
So obviously the Vatican had the impression that he was more or less back in the saddle. And then clearly today's developments suggest that that was a little optimistic.
HEMMER: If he's in the hospital, who makes decisions? And how much work gets done?
ALLEN: Well, actually, I mean on a short-term basis, you know, a papal hospitalization does not slow down the machinery of the Vatican at all. And in recent years, of course, given the pope's health and age and general energy levels, he's been relatively disengaged from the day to day business of running the church. So that apparatus is going to steam ahead as always.
The problem becomes if this becomes an extended convalescence in which the pope is not able to communicate his wishes on things like the appointment of bishops or doctrinal teachings in response to new situations, if that goes on for an extended period of time, then the church gets into trouble.
HEMMER: We will get a statement again tomorrow morning, a little less than 24 hours away. That is standard operating procedure, we understand, for the Vatican.
ALLEN: That's exactly right.
HEMMER: So no more news today, apparently, out of Rome.
ALLEN: That's likely to be the case, yes.
HEMMER: Thank you, John.
Good to see you here in New York.
ALLEN: Bill, a pleasure.
HEMMER: Travel safe.
ALLEN: Thanks.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Weather now.
In southern California, the rain stopped, but city workers are still scrambling to keep up with the damage. Seven days of rain have caused major flooding, numerous sinkholes and hundreds of mud slides. In Los Angeles, city engineers labeled dozens of homes uninhabitable. At least six people have died in weather related accidents.
L.A. has gotten nearly three feet of rain, making it the wettest rain season in 115 years.
So, what's ahead in the forecast for California and the rest of the country, as well?
Back to Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest -- hey, Chad, good morning again.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
And that rainy season is far from over. To give you an idea, the rain started about this time last week in Los Angeles -- 9.18 inches of rain in a week. That'll do damage to any city, not alone a city that has cliffs.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, scientists find an ingredient for rocket fuel in breast milk. We'll go back to the good doctor. We'll page Sanjay in a moment on that.
O'BRIEN: Also, critics say Vladimir Putin is out of step with democracy. But is Russia really slipping all the way back to communism? A closer look is ahead.
HEMMER: And photos of the Southeast Asian tsunami discovered against all odds. How these pictures became an emotional gift, still to come this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have a plan to keep terrorists from getting their hands on nuclear material. They'll announce that plan today after their meeting in Slovakia. They've also agreed to put controls on shoulder fired missiles.
These announcements are also meant to show cooperation.
And as John King reports, they come at a time when Presidents Bush and Putin have to confront their increasing differences.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): June, 2001 -- a picturesque walk in Slovenia and a first impression that has defined U.S.-Russia relations since.
BUSH: I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul. KING: Four years later, the man Mr. Bush calls Vladimir is widely seen as halting, if not reversing, Russia's path towards democracy.
NATAN SHARANSKY, AUTHOR, "CASE FOR DEMOCRACY": There is no gulag, no KGB. But it is right to be very concerned by some of the restrictions.
KING: So as he prepares for Thursday's meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, Mr. Bush faces pressure to reconsider his early verdict.
RICHARD PERLE, FORMER PENTAGON ADVISER: When you gaze into souls, it's something you should update periodically, because souls can change.
KING: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her Russian counterpart earlier this month and raised concerns about shutting down media critics and Kremlin prosecutions of Putin foes. The White House also is frustrated, among other things, with Russian nuclear cooperation with Iran and missile sales to Syria.
And Senator John McCain says Mr. Putin must be pressured to keep a promise to pull Russian troops out of neighboring Georgia.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Sooner or later, he has got to realize that the path that he's on is one which will eventually bring his government down. I mean, you can't continue this kind of consolidation of power and not expect to be eventually isolated, at least to some degree, in the world.
KING: The meeting comes a month after an inaugural address linking support of freedom and human rights to strong relations with Washington.
A critical time, as Senator Joseph Lieberman puts it, to talk turkey.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I think it is, in that sense, a test of this president's foreign policy credibility when he meets with Putin. And I'm confident he's going to meet the test.
KING: But White House officials also stress an upside, calling Mr. Putin a strong ally in the war on terror. And in much of Europe, there is less concern than Mr. Bush hears back in Washington.
WOLFGAND ISCHINGER, GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: On the fundamental question, is Russia moving away from us or against us, we don't think so. We think Putin has the right instinct.
KING: The meeting will test Mr. Bush's view that a close personal bond helps most when there are problems in a relationship. U.S. officials concede that bond is now strained and the relationship drifting, and say Mr. Bush will make clear to his friend that it is up to him to set it back on course.
John King, CNN, the White House. (END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: President Bush and President Putin are going to hold a news conference later this morning. That happens at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time and CNN will carry that live -- Bill.
HEMMER: An amazing story here, Soledad.
For months, the sons of John and Jackie Knill have wondered what happened to their parents. The couple was vacationing in Thailand when the tsunami hit. Their remains were identified just last week.
Now, after some technology, the brothers have some answers about their parents' final minutes before the disaster struck.
Ted Cherneki (ph) of BC-TV in Vancouver reports this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
TED CHERNEKI, BC-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In all the carnage, in the debris fields and places meters deep and extending inland for kilometers, what are the chances of finding one particular digital camera?
CHRISTIAN PILET: I found a camera. He said it was ridiculously smashed. I didn't know what to do with it. And I said well, I said well, you know, and my view was we'll just junk it. We don't need it. And he said well, hold on. And he pulls out the compact flash. And he says you never know, the little card might have recorded something.
CHERNEKI: It did. And when this Seattle resident recently returned from Thailand, he knew that he possessed photos that were both incredible and disturbing.
PILET: You could see these large navy ships in the distance, right before the wave dwarfed, by the size of the wave. And then the wave came closer in the pictures, then closer, and then it blew us away, because the very last picture showed a wall of water in front of the camera. And having now seen what the wave did, our only thought is that there's no way the person who took the picture could have survived.
CHERNEKI: There are hundreds of Web sites for the missing, yet amazingly his wife spotted photos on one site that matched those in the camera. Christian headed to north Vancouver.
CHRISTIAN KNILL, OLDEST SON: And they came that day from Seattle in the morning and brought me pictures of what had been my parents' camera, so, when the thing came. So, and there's pictures of them and then pictures of the last moments, so.
CHERNEKI: We were glad to be able to give them, this back to them. If anything, it's a gift, in a sense, from their parents. And it's something that hopefully they can treasure and use and decide what to do with.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HEMMER: Again, Ted Cherneki reporting from Vancouver station BC- TV.
The Knills' sons say their parents had wanted them to travel to Thailand with them. They, however, were unable to go -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: The American student who was indicted this week on terror charges was actually caught by Saudi authorities. So does it mean that the Saudis are finally cracking down on terror? A closer look is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: We begin with Jack and the Question of the Day -- good morning again.
CAFFERTY: Good morning.
Picking the jury fits the rest of the Michael Jackson story -- strange. Jackson's accused of molesting a little boy, and yet eight of the 12 jurors are parents. One juror's sister was raped. One juror's grandson is a registered sex offender. There are no blacks on the jury. Between the cosmetic surgeries, the baby dangling, the Peter Pan lifestyle, all of the weird publicity surrounding this guy, where is Michael going to find a jury of his peers? And, more importantly, the question is this -- can Michael Jackson get a fair trial?
Here's some of what you've written so far.
Jose in College Station, Texas: "If the leaks and media attention don't do enough to damage the fairness of this trial, Jackson's own media machine will. The biggest damage will be to the system designed to get at the truth and the public's ability to protect potential victims."
Mel in New York writes: "Yes, Michael Jackson can get a fair trial. Not too good, not too bad, fair."
Anthony in Sydney, Nova Scotia writes: "The question is can the people of the State of California get a fair trial? With high priced lawyers, spin doctors and jury consultants, the Jackson defense team has the advantage in this trial. And if by some slim chance the all white jury does find him guilty, Jackson's lawyers can then play the race card."
And finally, Allen writes from Nashville: "Still don't care about Jacko. But Soledad is smoking in that outfit."
HEMMER: Yes!
O'BRIEN: That was nice.
HEMMER: Billy Jean is not my love.
I thought that point, too, they made was very interesting. How much do these lawyers really know about these 12 people?
O'BRIEN: Very little, I think.
HEMMER: This questionnaire was really short.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: Five days in court.
O'BRIEN: Seven pages.
HEMMER: Yes. And they seat 12 people right away.
CAFFERTY: Isn't one of the guarantees under the constitution the right to a speedy the latest?
HEMMER: Well, that's true.
CAFFERTY: But let's hear it for the judge that's moving this thing along on the fast track.
HEMMER: I think that's an excellent point.
CAFFERTY: I think it's a hell of an idea and I hope the rest of it goes as quickly, because, quite frankly, I'm not sure I can take five months of Michael Jackson on trial.
HEMMER: What are you saying, Rodney Melville is no Lance Ito? Is that the suggestion?
CAFFERTY: Yes, but I mean that's a good thing, I think. You know, get them in the box and let's go.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes
HEMMER: Barry Bonds was speaking earlier this week in spring training, a very fiery and feisty press conference. And that is the topic for Jay Leno last night.
Have a look and a listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO," COURTESY NBC)
JAY LENO, HOST: I don't know if you saw Barry Bonds talking to reporters yesterday. I was there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You were there?
LENO: I was there. I brought up the steroid question. He didn't seem comfortable with it. Well, here, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARRY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: Next question.
LENO: Mr. Bonds, someone told me that people on steroids can't go more than 10 seconds without losing their temper.
Is that true?
BONDS: Where did you hear that from?
LENO: I don't know.
BONDS: Why do you guys never give up your sources. Name. Names. Names, please.
LENO: Mike, can you cut -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Oh, a lot of it got shown by Leno last night.
O'BRIEN: Oh, that's funny.
Well, our top story this morning, critics say Russia is out of step with democracy. But will taking away a key international privilege fix the problem? Senator Joe Lieberman has a plan. We talk to him just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
President Bush meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in just a few minutes, talks that are expected to go on for more than two hours. Should Bush put pressure on Russia over democratic reforms? We're going to talk about that with Senator Joe Lieberman just ahead this morning.
HEMMER: Also in a moment, Sanjay is back here with us talking about the surprising study finding that many nursing women have traces of a rocket fuel component in their breast milk. Sanjay will tell us if that's as bad as it sounds or not. We'll get to him in a moment.
O'BRIEN: OK, first, let's get a look at the headlines from Heidi Collins -- good morning, again.
COLLINS: Good morning.
And good morning to you, everybody.
Now in the news this morning, a developing story at this hour. Pope John Paul II back in a Rome hospital. A Vatican spokesman says the pope is suffering a relapse of the flu and is undergoing specialized treatment. He apparently came down with a fever last night. This hospitalization comes almost two weeks after the pontiff was cleared of complications from an acute respiratory infection.
NBA star Kobe Bryant getting ready to go on the record for the first time as part of his accuser's lawsuit against him.
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