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American Morning
Latest on Michael Jackson Child Molestation Trial; Discussing the BTK Case
Aired March 01, 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.
The pope's silence is now broken. Five days after a tracheotomy, Pope John Paul II now said to be speaking again.
Sordid details coming out of the Michael Jackson matter as each side rips into the other in opening statements.
And here we go again. The second winter storm in less than a week pounding the Northeast again this morning. Who gets hit next, on this 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: Oh, that's a cute looking little snowman right in the middle of the town.
HEMMER: For now. That morning commute is going to have that thing kicked to the curb in a second.
O'BRIEN: You know, people will be knocking that snowman right out of the way as they're...
HEMMER: I'll give him five minutes of survival outside.
O'BRIEN: ... trying to get to work this morning.
Good morning, everybody.
Welcome back.
Also this morning, we're looking at proceedings today in the BTK case. In just a few hours, Dennis Rader is going before a judge for the first time. Also this morning, KAKE anchor Larry Hatteberg. He knows about this case just as much as anybody else covering it. We're going to find out what he's hearing about a possible confession.
HEMMER: Also from overseas, more political upheaval in Beirut. Protesters there getting credit for forcing the pro-Syrian government to step down on Monday. We'll find out what the White House has to say about this and also talk with Lebanon's ambassador to the U.S. about what happens now. An interesting time, to say the least.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty.
A look at the "Cafferty File" this morning -- good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Americans hit a new longevity record. A Hollywood has been demanding a $25,000 gift bag for a seven minute appearance at an Oscar party. And John Travolta does his imitation of a Chia pet, growing hair in three days. We have pictures. I am so envious.
HEMMER: Worth seeing.
Thank you, Jack.
Here's Carol Costello, also watching the headlines this morning.
How are you doing -- good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Does he have pictures of the hair actually growing or is it before and after pictures?
CAFFERTY: You'll have to wait. We only reveal just a very little bit at this time.
COSTELLO: I'm loving that.
Thank you, Jack.
Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, a new development from the Vatican, and it's good news this morning. Pope John Paul II is said to be speaking again. A top Vatican cardinal saying the people has spoken with him this morning. The pope underwent a tracheotomy last week and was said to be improving. He waved from his hospital window in Rome on Sunday.
Authorities in Chicago are looking into the apparent shooting deaths of two family members of a federal judge. According to local media reports, the judge found the bodies of her husband and her mother last night in their Chicago home. The judge was once the target of a white supremacist, but no word yet on whether there is a connection between the cases.
There's word that testing under major league baseball's new drug agreement will start this week. The commissioner's office says Thursday is the day. Under this new plan, a player will be suspended for 10 days for a first offense, there will be more random tests and for the first time, tests will also be given during the off season.
And, oh, boy, it's going to be a rough morning commute along the East Coast this morning. Snowplows and salt trucks are out trying to stay ahead of this latest winter blast. Despite some troubles on the roadways, no reports of any major accidents this hour. That's because we're all getting used to driving in this stuff now. But, of course, tons and tons of flights have been grounded, so pack your patience when you head to the airport this morning.
Let's check on the weather to see if this horrible Nor'easter is over -- Chad. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, Carol, it's not. For a lot of folks it's not.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: I still we dodged the worst of it, didn't we, here in New York?
MYERS: Yes, you really did.
HEMMER: It could have been worse here.
MYERS: I was listening to Jack Cafferty say that -- you know, obviously, he lives in New Jersey -- that he had nine inches. And that's about where the heaviest stuff was, right on up into Massachusetts.
HEMMER: Got it. Better him than us, huh?
MYERS: Yes.
HEMMER: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
HEMMER: For the first time, we're learning the lurid details in the child molestation case against the pop star Michael Jackson. The judge in that case is now allowing the release of previously sealed documents, including the indictment against Jackson.
Chris Lawrence is live in Santa Maria, California.
Good morning there -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Bill.
The defense attorneys will wrap up their opening statement later this morning and the way this is shaping up early on, this case will come down to credibility. Both sides are trying to give jurors a different answer to the question who do you believe?
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): As we head into the second day of trial, it's becoming clear the attorneys are arguing two distinct cases -- one against Michael Jackson, the other against his accuser's family.
MICHAEL CARDOZA, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They're laying out some devastating evidence about the mother.
LAWRENCE: Legal analyst Michael Cardoza listened to the defense describe her as a con artist. Defense attorney Thomas Mesereau told the jury she used her cancer stricken son to swindle money out of celebrities. Mesereau said before the mother met Jackson, she tried to convince comedian Jay Leno to donate money for medical care. CARDOZA: And he somehow knew that a fraud was being perpetrated. He reported it to the Santa Barbara Police Department and he said something's wrong here.
LAWRENCE: The district attorney portrayed Jackson as a perverted child molester who introduced the boy to Internet porn and gave him alcohol in a soda can. D.A. Tom Sneddon also described a TV documentary by filmmaker Martin Bashir, which he says damaged Jackson's reputation.
To repair that damage, Sneddon says Jackson's associates held the family captive at Neverland Ranch until the boy's mother recorded a rebuttal video.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LAWRENCE: Now, that tape and the documentary could both play a big part in this trial beginning as early as later this morning. That's when Martin Bashir is expected to take the stand as the prosecution's first witness -- Bill.
HEMMER: Chris Lawrence, thanks, in Santa Maria this morning -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: The man accused of being the BTK serial killer will hear the charges against him today. Dennis Rader is suspected in 10 killings in Wichita and Park City, Kansas between 1974 and 1991.
KAKE anchor Larry Hatteberg has covered the BTK case over these many, many years.
He joins us live from Wichita.
Larry, nice to see you again.
Thanks for talking with us.
LARRY HATTEBERG, KAKE TV ANCHOR: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Did Dennis Rader confess?
HATTEBERG: We understand and we are reporting that Dennis Rader is talking and that he has confessed to some of the crimes. Just how many, we're not sure. But we know he is both talking to the Wichita Police Department and to the FBI. So he has confessed, we believe, to some of the crimes. But you have to understand that the Wichita Police Department is holding a lot of this information very close to the vest and they're not releasing very much information at all because they're afraid of tainting the case. So they're being very quiet about what's going on behind-the-scenes right now.
O'BRIEN: Yes, they've been very tight-lipped.
Is there any indication, though, about what may have broken this case for them? HATTEBERG: Well, there are a couple of indications and as you know, as we're gathering this information, some of the information keeps changing. We know that in the last communication that he gave to television station KSAS there was a floppy disk in there. And apparently there was some data on the floppy disk that the Wichita police detectives were able to trace back to Dennis Rader's church.
As you know, he was president of his local church, of that congregation. And they were able to trace that floppy disk, that $0.39 floppy disk, back to his church.
So, as you know, the Police Department were hoping that he would continue the communications because they thought that it might lead to a break in the case, and apparently it did.
O'BRIEN: And, in fact, you and I have spoken before about the love of publicity that BTK certainly seemed to have.
Is that what you think, in the end, tripped him up?
HATTEBERG: I think it is, is he's loved publicity since the early days. I remember he wrote us a letter back in the '70s and he was unhappy because the local newspaper had not published a letter that he wrote to them. They actually lost it in their mailroom for a while. So he wrote to us and he said how many more people do I have to kill before I get my name in the paper? And so we know he loved publicity, that he really fed on the publicity.
The interesting thing, as far as we know, when he was getting the publicity, at least he wasn't killing. And so that was kind of a positive thing about the publicity.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about what's going to happen today. He is not expected, Dennis Rader, that is, to appear physically in court. There's going to be some kind of video link.
HATTEBERG: Right.
O'BRIEN: He does not, at least from what we last heard, does not have an attorney yet.
So what exactly happens today?
HATTEBERG: Well, there was an interesting meeting that took place that we just found out about late last night. Apparently Dennis Rader's family was concerned that he have some sort of representation as he appears in this meeting. So there was a confidential meeting attended by two members of the district attorney's office, a judge, a representative from the Wichita Police Department. And what it was, the legal term for it was judicial intervention with regard to temporary legal counsel.
So apparently they had an attorney, a local attorney by the name of Richard Ney, who was also in that meeting. So it appears, to the best of our knowledge, that he may be the temporary legal counsel, at least through this morning's first appearance. Now, the judge will ask Mr. Rader when he appears before the judge if he has legal counsel. If he says no this morning, then he will be appointed a public defender.
O'BRIEN: Larry Hatteberg bringing us up to speed on developments there, as we've talked many times, obviously, over the last several months.
Larry, thanks.
HATTEBERG: Sure.
My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: Eleven minutes now past the hour.
Last minute preparations underway at Martha Stewart's prison away from prison. Stewart will serve a five month home detention at her 153-acre estate north of New York City. The decorating diva will only be allowed to leave the house 48 hours per week, and all for work. But she can be filmed at her home, so equipment has been installed there. Stewart expected to be released on Friday from a federal prison in Alderson, West Virginia. She will also be wearing a monitoring bracelet. That electronic anklet will allow authorities to check her movements and enforce the ban on leaving during non-working hours.
The comeback is about to begin for Martha Stewart.
O'BRIEN: Yes, absolutely. The comeback starts on Friday.
HEMMER: Right.
O'BRIEN: Well, another drug already approved by the FDA gets pulled from the market. We are "Paging Dr. Gupta" just ahead.
HEMMER: Also, from overseas, tension with Syria reaching a boiling point in Lebanon. But is the U.S. playing too big a role in what could be a revolution there?
O'BRIEN: And the search for little Jessica Lunsford. Could her shoes provide a clue as to what happened to her? Marc Klaas is our guest up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: It was almost a week ago when 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford vanished from her bedroom in Homosassa Springs, Florida. Authorities in Citrus County now suspending a full scale search and will now rely on the help of child abduction experts, who will come into the area to help with that.
Marc Klaas, whose daughter Polly was abducted and killed back in 1993, is the founder of the Klaas Kids Foundation. He's back with us live in San Francisco.
Marc, good morning to you, and thanks for getting up early for us.
We talked to the sheriff 45 minutes ago. It appears that he does not have a single clue as to the whereabouts of this girl or how she turned up missing.
What does that tell you early on in this case?
MARC KLAAS, FOUNDER, MARC KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: Well, there's a couple of things it tells us. I think what he's not telling us is as instructive as what he is telling us. He's telling us that this is not an abduction, or he's not classifying it as an abduction, which indicates that he might know something. Also, the fact, we also know that she did not walk out of her own volition. She wasn't wearing shoes. None of her shoes were missing. So however she got to where she was going, it was under somebody else's power, and certainly that doesn't bode well either.
HEMMER: Let me show some videotape to our viewers here inside of her bedroom and let's take up on that point, too, Marc, about the fact that no shoes are missing. Apparently a stuffed animal was.
But what do you glean from that information? If you're not missing any pairs of shoes, that tells you what, then, somebody picked up and carried her away?
KLAAS: That's exactly what it tells me. Sure. If you were going to have the -- let's take the Elizabeth Smart case, for instance. When she was walked out of that house, it was with shoes, simply because the kidnapper knew that he had to take her some distance away and that it would be easier to affect that trip with her cooperation and with her walking.
In this case, the little girl had no shoes. She was not in a position to walk outside that door and assist in her own disappearance, if you will have it. They would have had to go, I guess, some distance to a vehicle, since nobody heard anything. And that doesn't -- it just doesn't make a lot of sense that this would have been any kind of a, say, a stranger abduction and that she would have cooperated to any kind of a degree that would have allowed that to happen.
HEMMER: Well, the sheriff also tells us, when we asked him about the grandfather and asked him about her own father, apparently the father has gone so far as to take a polygraph test. And the grandfather may do that later today, as well.
When it comes to family cooperation at this level, that indicates what to you, Marc?
KLAAS: Well, the family has to cooperate. It's very simple. The father said last night on TV that he understands that it's a process of elimination and that he'll do whatever is necessary to ensure that he's eliminated. The grandfather should do exactly the same thing, for a couple of reasons.
First of all, he needs the peace of mind knowing that he's no longer being looked at as a suspect. But you also want to free up the law enforcement resources so they can start focusing on actually what did happen.
HEMMER: Certainly.
KLAAS: So one hopes that this man sits down very, very soon and takes care of business.
HEMMER: One theme you come back to consistently in these stories is the issue of time. Time has proven to be an enemy in the past.
Explain that to us.
KLAAS: Well, time is always an enemy. Three quarters of the children that are murdered as the result of an abduction are murdered within the first three hours. Another way to look at it is that a kidnapper can disappear with a victim at the rate of a mile a minute. Therefore, you have to start the wheels turning, which, in fact, happened in this case very, very quickly, so that you can create a perimeter that the kidnapper cannot get through. You then are able to contain the situation and hopefully come to a quicker resolution.
When time goes on, for instance, in this case, so many hours have passed that this guy could have circumnavigated the globe a couple of times. It's unsure where she could be. She could literally be almost anywhere, although, that having been said, I suspect they're going to find her much closer to home.
HEMMER: A local pastor says we're expecting a miracle.
Let's hope they get one.
Marc Klaas, thanks, in San Francisco, with us this morning.
KLAAS: Yes.
HEMMER: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's turn now to Jack and the Question of the Day -- good morning, again.
CAFFERTY: Good morning.
Seminal events are taking place in the Middle East. But what will be the result? Massive demonstrations in Lebanon brought down the longstanding Syrian-backed government. Elections are taking place in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine. This past weekend, Egypt's President Mubarak announced he'll allow his nation's first ever multi-party elections.
The democratic dominoes are in place, but the process continues to be tested by deadly fundamentalist bombings in Iraq and elsewhere.
The question is this -- is the Middle East moving toward democracy or instability?
Peter in Texas writes: "Inching toward democracy is instability. For 5,000 years of known history in the Middle East, there has always been totalitarianism and religious fascism. The structures of democracy will take years, not to say centuries."
Vivian in Seattle writes: "America's moving toward bankruptcy. In the end, the real question will be could America afford to import democracy at the end of a gun barrel."
Franz in New Mexico writes: "Democracy is by its nature unstable. That's the beauty of it. A good democracy is a constant state of slow and gentle revolution."
And Mike in South Carolina writes: "Jack, it's a Band-Aid at best. They've been fighting for 4,000 years. Why are they going to stop now? I really don't expect them to have a block barbecue, pass the ribs, share a beer and sing 'Kumbaya' any time soon."
O'BRIEN: Ah, the cynics.
CAFFERTY: Those are my people. You be nice to the cynics.
O'BRIEN: They make an interesting point. But at the same time, I mean, as we talked about, you've got to look to some of the most recent developments and see a little bit of hope in that direction.
CAFFERTY: There are encouraging signs. Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
Well, if you are sick of the long lines at the concession stand when you go to the game, Andy tells us that there is a new way to zip through the line -- carry less cash. It's a special series, "The Future Is Now."
But first, let's give you some stadium food trivia.
Just how many hot dogs do Americans eat each year? Is it A, five billion; B10 billion; or, C20 billion hot dogs every single year? The answer is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Before the break, we asked this question -- just how many hot dogs do Americans eat each year? Believe it or not, the answer is C, 20 billion hot dogs. Americans spend, in fact, an estimated $1.8 billion on hot dogs each year. That's according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.
Who knew?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Who knew?
O'BRIEN: That works out to something like 70 hot dogs per person.
SERWER: Yes, 50 to 100, 70, yes. That's about right.
O'BRIEN: It kind of brings us nicely into business news.
In fact, die hard football fans are going to soon be able to spend more time watching the game, less time in the concession line.
In our series "The Future Is Now," Andy Serwer has got details of this new technology, which would let fans actually just leave the cash at home.
SERWER: That's right, Soledad.
And what could be more dangerous than buying beer without cash, especially in Philadelphia?
Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SERWER (voice-over): So Philadelphia Eagles' fans didn't get everything they wanted this season.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) or bust!
SERWER: But they may have scored one lasting victory in the battle of man versus beer lines. This year, the Eagles became the first sports franchise to roll out Power Pay to its concession lines. Consider it a toll tag for sports fans.
(on camera): So you've got your Power Pay here?
BILL MARTIN, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES FAN: Absolutely. It's the only way to go to pay for beers. No more change. You don't worry about the $20 bill flying out the stadium.
SERWER (voice-over): These tiny tags have radio frequency identification antennas embedded inside. Fans sign up before the game and link it to a credit card for free. Just swipe the tag and your credit card is automatically billed. Power Pay holders also get their own lines at some food stands.
Still, the Eagles say fans were slow to sign up.
MARK DONOVAN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: This is a show me town. People want to see it. They want to see it work. They want to understand what it is. So it sort of ramped up slowly.
SERWER: One big concern, security. Power Pay doesn't require a pin number or signature, so if you lose your card, you could wind up buying a round of beers for a stadium full of Donovan McNabb fans.
Smart System Technologies, the company behind Power Pay, says no cash is key. MICHAEL RICHARDSON, SMART SYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES: What happens is the consumer gets to go through that line faster and they tend to buy a little bit more that way, as well.
SERWER: Eighteen percent more on an average purchase, according to the company.
IRA COHEN, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES FAN: I've got four kids and they're always eating. So this way I don't have to stand in line all the time.
I need three hot chocolates, a large water, a bag of peanuts.
Bada bing, bada boom, very quick. There it is. Beautiful.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: I like it.
Is that the same technology as like an Easy Pass?
SERWER: Right, those toll lines on the highways. It is, Soledad, and, you know, gas stations have the same kind of technology. And CVS, the drugstore company, is trying it, too. I guess ultimately the thing is if you had one Easy Pass or one token like that from your credit card and all the companies would accept it so you could go get your beer and your gasoline and your drugstore stuff, that's way off, but I think that's really going to happen down the road.
O'BRIEN: Well, how does that save you, though, if you have a -- I mean why not just bring your credit card?
SERWER: Well, it's better because you don't have to get it out. You don't have to put your number in and you don't have to sign it. So it's a little bit quicker.
O'BRIEN: All right.
What are you talking about tomorrow?
SERWER: Tomorrow, we have a real wacky one. It's wearable technology -- smart clothes. And included in the segment is going to be a self-stabbing. So viewer discretion is advised.
O'BRIEN: You're -- we're serious?
SERWER: I'm serious.
O'BRIEN: No one was...
SERWER: It's a coat where it's just knife proof.
O'BRIEN: Oh.
SERWER: I was hurt doing it, but don't worry about it.
O'BRIEN: Really? No badly, though, because here you are.
SERWER: Not badly.
You'll see.
O'BRIEN: All right.
SERWER: It's going to be good.
O'BRIEN: That's the tease.
Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: 'Tis a mere flesh wound.
SERWER: Yes.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
A surprising new development out of Rome today. What the Vatican says the pope is doing for the first time since surgery about a week ago. We'll get to that after a break here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 1, 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.
The pope's silence is now broken. Five days after a tracheotomy, Pope John Paul II now said to be speaking again.
Sordid details coming out of the Michael Jackson matter as each side rips into the other in opening statements.
And here we go again. The second winter storm in less than a week pounding the Northeast again this morning. Who gets hit next, on this 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: Oh, that's a cute looking little snowman right in the middle of the town.
HEMMER: For now. That morning commute is going to have that thing kicked to the curb in a second.
O'BRIEN: You know, people will be knocking that snowman right out of the way as they're...
HEMMER: I'll give him five minutes of survival outside.
O'BRIEN: ... trying to get to work this morning.
Good morning, everybody.
Welcome back.
Also this morning, we're looking at proceedings today in the BTK case. In just a few hours, Dennis Rader is going before a judge for the first time. Also this morning, KAKE anchor Larry Hatteberg. He knows about this case just as much as anybody else covering it. We're going to find out what he's hearing about a possible confession.
HEMMER: Also from overseas, more political upheaval in Beirut. Protesters there getting credit for forcing the pro-Syrian government to step down on Monday. We'll find out what the White House has to say about this and also talk with Lebanon's ambassador to the U.S. about what happens now. An interesting time, to say the least.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty.
A look at the "Cafferty File" this morning -- good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Americans hit a new longevity record. A Hollywood has been demanding a $25,000 gift bag for a seven minute appearance at an Oscar party. And John Travolta does his imitation of a Chia pet, growing hair in three days. We have pictures. I am so envious.
HEMMER: Worth seeing.
Thank you, Jack.
Here's Carol Costello, also watching the headlines this morning.
How are you doing -- good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Does he have pictures of the hair actually growing or is it before and after pictures?
CAFFERTY: You'll have to wait. We only reveal just a very little bit at this time.
COSTELLO: I'm loving that.
Thank you, Jack.
Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, a new development from the Vatican, and it's good news this morning. Pope John Paul II is said to be speaking again. A top Vatican cardinal saying the people has spoken with him this morning. The pope underwent a tracheotomy last week and was said to be improving. He waved from his hospital window in Rome on Sunday.
Authorities in Chicago are looking into the apparent shooting deaths of two family members of a federal judge. According to local media reports, the judge found the bodies of her husband and her mother last night in their Chicago home. The judge was once the target of a white supremacist, but no word yet on whether there is a connection between the cases.
There's word that testing under major league baseball's new drug agreement will start this week. The commissioner's office says Thursday is the day. Under this new plan, a player will be suspended for 10 days for a first offense, there will be more random tests and for the first time, tests will also be given during the off season.
And, oh, boy, it's going to be a rough morning commute along the East Coast this morning. Snowplows and salt trucks are out trying to stay ahead of this latest winter blast. Despite some troubles on the roadways, no reports of any major accidents this hour. That's because we're all getting used to driving in this stuff now. But, of course, tons and tons of flights have been grounded, so pack your patience when you head to the airport this morning.
Let's check on the weather to see if this horrible Nor'easter is over -- Chad. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, Carol, it's not. For a lot of folks it's not.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: I still we dodged the worst of it, didn't we, here in New York?
MYERS: Yes, you really did.
HEMMER: It could have been worse here.
MYERS: I was listening to Jack Cafferty say that -- you know, obviously, he lives in New Jersey -- that he had nine inches. And that's about where the heaviest stuff was, right on up into Massachusetts.
HEMMER: Got it. Better him than us, huh?
MYERS: Yes.
HEMMER: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
HEMMER: For the first time, we're learning the lurid details in the child molestation case against the pop star Michael Jackson. The judge in that case is now allowing the release of previously sealed documents, including the indictment against Jackson.
Chris Lawrence is live in Santa Maria, California.
Good morning there -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Bill.
The defense attorneys will wrap up their opening statement later this morning and the way this is shaping up early on, this case will come down to credibility. Both sides are trying to give jurors a different answer to the question who do you believe?
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): As we head into the second day of trial, it's becoming clear the attorneys are arguing two distinct cases -- one against Michael Jackson, the other against his accuser's family.
MICHAEL CARDOZA, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They're laying out some devastating evidence about the mother.
LAWRENCE: Legal analyst Michael Cardoza listened to the defense describe her as a con artist. Defense attorney Thomas Mesereau told the jury she used her cancer stricken son to swindle money out of celebrities. Mesereau said before the mother met Jackson, she tried to convince comedian Jay Leno to donate money for medical care. CARDOZA: And he somehow knew that a fraud was being perpetrated. He reported it to the Santa Barbara Police Department and he said something's wrong here.
LAWRENCE: The district attorney portrayed Jackson as a perverted child molester who introduced the boy to Internet porn and gave him alcohol in a soda can. D.A. Tom Sneddon also described a TV documentary by filmmaker Martin Bashir, which he says damaged Jackson's reputation.
To repair that damage, Sneddon says Jackson's associates held the family captive at Neverland Ranch until the boy's mother recorded a rebuttal video.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LAWRENCE: Now, that tape and the documentary could both play a big part in this trial beginning as early as later this morning. That's when Martin Bashir is expected to take the stand as the prosecution's first witness -- Bill.
HEMMER: Chris Lawrence, thanks, in Santa Maria this morning -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: The man accused of being the BTK serial killer will hear the charges against him today. Dennis Rader is suspected in 10 killings in Wichita and Park City, Kansas between 1974 and 1991.
KAKE anchor Larry Hatteberg has covered the BTK case over these many, many years.
He joins us live from Wichita.
Larry, nice to see you again.
Thanks for talking with us.
LARRY HATTEBERG, KAKE TV ANCHOR: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Did Dennis Rader confess?
HATTEBERG: We understand and we are reporting that Dennis Rader is talking and that he has confessed to some of the crimes. Just how many, we're not sure. But we know he is both talking to the Wichita Police Department and to the FBI. So he has confessed, we believe, to some of the crimes. But you have to understand that the Wichita Police Department is holding a lot of this information very close to the vest and they're not releasing very much information at all because they're afraid of tainting the case. So they're being very quiet about what's going on behind-the-scenes right now.
O'BRIEN: Yes, they've been very tight-lipped.
Is there any indication, though, about what may have broken this case for them? HATTEBERG: Well, there are a couple of indications and as you know, as we're gathering this information, some of the information keeps changing. We know that in the last communication that he gave to television station KSAS there was a floppy disk in there. And apparently there was some data on the floppy disk that the Wichita police detectives were able to trace back to Dennis Rader's church.
As you know, he was president of his local church, of that congregation. And they were able to trace that floppy disk, that $0.39 floppy disk, back to his church.
So, as you know, the Police Department were hoping that he would continue the communications because they thought that it might lead to a break in the case, and apparently it did.
O'BRIEN: And, in fact, you and I have spoken before about the love of publicity that BTK certainly seemed to have.
Is that what you think, in the end, tripped him up?
HATTEBERG: I think it is, is he's loved publicity since the early days. I remember he wrote us a letter back in the '70s and he was unhappy because the local newspaper had not published a letter that he wrote to them. They actually lost it in their mailroom for a while. So he wrote to us and he said how many more people do I have to kill before I get my name in the paper? And so we know he loved publicity, that he really fed on the publicity.
The interesting thing, as far as we know, when he was getting the publicity, at least he wasn't killing. And so that was kind of a positive thing about the publicity.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about what's going to happen today. He is not expected, Dennis Rader, that is, to appear physically in court. There's going to be some kind of video link.
HATTEBERG: Right.
O'BRIEN: He does not, at least from what we last heard, does not have an attorney yet.
So what exactly happens today?
HATTEBERG: Well, there was an interesting meeting that took place that we just found out about late last night. Apparently Dennis Rader's family was concerned that he have some sort of representation as he appears in this meeting. So there was a confidential meeting attended by two members of the district attorney's office, a judge, a representative from the Wichita Police Department. And what it was, the legal term for it was judicial intervention with regard to temporary legal counsel.
So apparently they had an attorney, a local attorney by the name of Richard Ney, who was also in that meeting. So it appears, to the best of our knowledge, that he may be the temporary legal counsel, at least through this morning's first appearance. Now, the judge will ask Mr. Rader when he appears before the judge if he has legal counsel. If he says no this morning, then he will be appointed a public defender.
O'BRIEN: Larry Hatteberg bringing us up to speed on developments there, as we've talked many times, obviously, over the last several months.
Larry, thanks.
HATTEBERG: Sure.
My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: Eleven minutes now past the hour.
Last minute preparations underway at Martha Stewart's prison away from prison. Stewart will serve a five month home detention at her 153-acre estate north of New York City. The decorating diva will only be allowed to leave the house 48 hours per week, and all for work. But she can be filmed at her home, so equipment has been installed there. Stewart expected to be released on Friday from a federal prison in Alderson, West Virginia. She will also be wearing a monitoring bracelet. That electronic anklet will allow authorities to check her movements and enforce the ban on leaving during non-working hours.
The comeback is about to begin for Martha Stewart.
O'BRIEN: Yes, absolutely. The comeback starts on Friday.
HEMMER: Right.
O'BRIEN: Well, another drug already approved by the FDA gets pulled from the market. We are "Paging Dr. Gupta" just ahead.
HEMMER: Also, from overseas, tension with Syria reaching a boiling point in Lebanon. But is the U.S. playing too big a role in what could be a revolution there?
O'BRIEN: And the search for little Jessica Lunsford. Could her shoes provide a clue as to what happened to her? Marc Klaas is our guest up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: It was almost a week ago when 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford vanished from her bedroom in Homosassa Springs, Florida. Authorities in Citrus County now suspending a full scale search and will now rely on the help of child abduction experts, who will come into the area to help with that.
Marc Klaas, whose daughter Polly was abducted and killed back in 1993, is the founder of the Klaas Kids Foundation. He's back with us live in San Francisco.
Marc, good morning to you, and thanks for getting up early for us.
We talked to the sheriff 45 minutes ago. It appears that he does not have a single clue as to the whereabouts of this girl or how she turned up missing.
What does that tell you early on in this case?
MARC KLAAS, FOUNDER, MARC KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: Well, there's a couple of things it tells us. I think what he's not telling us is as instructive as what he is telling us. He's telling us that this is not an abduction, or he's not classifying it as an abduction, which indicates that he might know something. Also, the fact, we also know that she did not walk out of her own volition. She wasn't wearing shoes. None of her shoes were missing. So however she got to where she was going, it was under somebody else's power, and certainly that doesn't bode well either.
HEMMER: Let me show some videotape to our viewers here inside of her bedroom and let's take up on that point, too, Marc, about the fact that no shoes are missing. Apparently a stuffed animal was.
But what do you glean from that information? If you're not missing any pairs of shoes, that tells you what, then, somebody picked up and carried her away?
KLAAS: That's exactly what it tells me. Sure. If you were going to have the -- let's take the Elizabeth Smart case, for instance. When she was walked out of that house, it was with shoes, simply because the kidnapper knew that he had to take her some distance away and that it would be easier to affect that trip with her cooperation and with her walking.
In this case, the little girl had no shoes. She was not in a position to walk outside that door and assist in her own disappearance, if you will have it. They would have had to go, I guess, some distance to a vehicle, since nobody heard anything. And that doesn't -- it just doesn't make a lot of sense that this would have been any kind of a, say, a stranger abduction and that she would have cooperated to any kind of a degree that would have allowed that to happen.
HEMMER: Well, the sheriff also tells us, when we asked him about the grandfather and asked him about her own father, apparently the father has gone so far as to take a polygraph test. And the grandfather may do that later today, as well.
When it comes to family cooperation at this level, that indicates what to you, Marc?
KLAAS: Well, the family has to cooperate. It's very simple. The father said last night on TV that he understands that it's a process of elimination and that he'll do whatever is necessary to ensure that he's eliminated. The grandfather should do exactly the same thing, for a couple of reasons.
First of all, he needs the peace of mind knowing that he's no longer being looked at as a suspect. But you also want to free up the law enforcement resources so they can start focusing on actually what did happen.
HEMMER: Certainly.
KLAAS: So one hopes that this man sits down very, very soon and takes care of business.
HEMMER: One theme you come back to consistently in these stories is the issue of time. Time has proven to be an enemy in the past.
Explain that to us.
KLAAS: Well, time is always an enemy. Three quarters of the children that are murdered as the result of an abduction are murdered within the first three hours. Another way to look at it is that a kidnapper can disappear with a victim at the rate of a mile a minute. Therefore, you have to start the wheels turning, which, in fact, happened in this case very, very quickly, so that you can create a perimeter that the kidnapper cannot get through. You then are able to contain the situation and hopefully come to a quicker resolution.
When time goes on, for instance, in this case, so many hours have passed that this guy could have circumnavigated the globe a couple of times. It's unsure where she could be. She could literally be almost anywhere, although, that having been said, I suspect they're going to find her much closer to home.
HEMMER: A local pastor says we're expecting a miracle.
Let's hope they get one.
Marc Klaas, thanks, in San Francisco, with us this morning.
KLAAS: Yes.
HEMMER: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's turn now to Jack and the Question of the Day -- good morning, again.
CAFFERTY: Good morning.
Seminal events are taking place in the Middle East. But what will be the result? Massive demonstrations in Lebanon brought down the longstanding Syrian-backed government. Elections are taking place in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine. This past weekend, Egypt's President Mubarak announced he'll allow his nation's first ever multi-party elections.
The democratic dominoes are in place, but the process continues to be tested by deadly fundamentalist bombings in Iraq and elsewhere.
The question is this -- is the Middle East moving toward democracy or instability?
Peter in Texas writes: "Inching toward democracy is instability. For 5,000 years of known history in the Middle East, there has always been totalitarianism and religious fascism. The structures of democracy will take years, not to say centuries."
Vivian in Seattle writes: "America's moving toward bankruptcy. In the end, the real question will be could America afford to import democracy at the end of a gun barrel."
Franz in New Mexico writes: "Democracy is by its nature unstable. That's the beauty of it. A good democracy is a constant state of slow and gentle revolution."
And Mike in South Carolina writes: "Jack, it's a Band-Aid at best. They've been fighting for 4,000 years. Why are they going to stop now? I really don't expect them to have a block barbecue, pass the ribs, share a beer and sing 'Kumbaya' any time soon."
O'BRIEN: Ah, the cynics.
CAFFERTY: Those are my people. You be nice to the cynics.
O'BRIEN: They make an interesting point. But at the same time, I mean, as we talked about, you've got to look to some of the most recent developments and see a little bit of hope in that direction.
CAFFERTY: There are encouraging signs. Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
Well, if you are sick of the long lines at the concession stand when you go to the game, Andy tells us that there is a new way to zip through the line -- carry less cash. It's a special series, "The Future Is Now."
But first, let's give you some stadium food trivia.
Just how many hot dogs do Americans eat each year? Is it A, five billion; B10 billion; or, C20 billion hot dogs every single year? The answer is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Before the break, we asked this question -- just how many hot dogs do Americans eat each year? Believe it or not, the answer is C, 20 billion hot dogs. Americans spend, in fact, an estimated $1.8 billion on hot dogs each year. That's according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.
Who knew?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Who knew?
O'BRIEN: That works out to something like 70 hot dogs per person.
SERWER: Yes, 50 to 100, 70, yes. That's about right.
O'BRIEN: It kind of brings us nicely into business news.
In fact, die hard football fans are going to soon be able to spend more time watching the game, less time in the concession line.
In our series "The Future Is Now," Andy Serwer has got details of this new technology, which would let fans actually just leave the cash at home.
SERWER: That's right, Soledad.
And what could be more dangerous than buying beer without cash, especially in Philadelphia?
Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SERWER (voice-over): So Philadelphia Eagles' fans didn't get everything they wanted this season.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) or bust!
SERWER: But they may have scored one lasting victory in the battle of man versus beer lines. This year, the Eagles became the first sports franchise to roll out Power Pay to its concession lines. Consider it a toll tag for sports fans.
(on camera): So you've got your Power Pay here?
BILL MARTIN, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES FAN: Absolutely. It's the only way to go to pay for beers. No more change. You don't worry about the $20 bill flying out the stadium.
SERWER (voice-over): These tiny tags have radio frequency identification antennas embedded inside. Fans sign up before the game and link it to a credit card for free. Just swipe the tag and your credit card is automatically billed. Power Pay holders also get their own lines at some food stands.
Still, the Eagles say fans were slow to sign up.
MARK DONOVAN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: This is a show me town. People want to see it. They want to see it work. They want to understand what it is. So it sort of ramped up slowly.
SERWER: One big concern, security. Power Pay doesn't require a pin number or signature, so if you lose your card, you could wind up buying a round of beers for a stadium full of Donovan McNabb fans.
Smart System Technologies, the company behind Power Pay, says no cash is key. MICHAEL RICHARDSON, SMART SYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES: What happens is the consumer gets to go through that line faster and they tend to buy a little bit more that way, as well.
SERWER: Eighteen percent more on an average purchase, according to the company.
IRA COHEN, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES FAN: I've got four kids and they're always eating. So this way I don't have to stand in line all the time.
I need three hot chocolates, a large water, a bag of peanuts.
Bada bing, bada boom, very quick. There it is. Beautiful.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: I like it.
Is that the same technology as like an Easy Pass?
SERWER: Right, those toll lines on the highways. It is, Soledad, and, you know, gas stations have the same kind of technology. And CVS, the drugstore company, is trying it, too. I guess ultimately the thing is if you had one Easy Pass or one token like that from your credit card and all the companies would accept it so you could go get your beer and your gasoline and your drugstore stuff, that's way off, but I think that's really going to happen down the road.
O'BRIEN: Well, how does that save you, though, if you have a -- I mean why not just bring your credit card?
SERWER: Well, it's better because you don't have to get it out. You don't have to put your number in and you don't have to sign it. So it's a little bit quicker.
O'BRIEN: All right.
What are you talking about tomorrow?
SERWER: Tomorrow, we have a real wacky one. It's wearable technology -- smart clothes. And included in the segment is going to be a self-stabbing. So viewer discretion is advised.
O'BRIEN: You're -- we're serious?
SERWER: I'm serious.
O'BRIEN: No one was...
SERWER: It's a coat where it's just knife proof.
O'BRIEN: Oh.
SERWER: I was hurt doing it, but don't worry about it.
O'BRIEN: Really? No badly, though, because here you are.
SERWER: Not badly.
You'll see.
O'BRIEN: All right.
SERWER: It's going to be good.
O'BRIEN: That's the tease.
Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: 'Tis a mere flesh wound.
SERWER: Yes.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
A surprising new development out of Rome today. What the Vatican says the pope is doing for the first time since surgery about a week ago. We'll get to that after a break here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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