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CNN Live At Daybreak
New Developments in Killings of Federal Judge's Mother, Husband; What Did Public Relations Expert Tell Michael Jackson and His Innermost Circle?
Aired March 03, 2005 - 06:00 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: New developments this morning in the killings of a federal judge's mother and husband. Police now have an idea of who they're looking for.
What did a public relations expert tell Michael Jackson and his innermost circle? We'll have more on the first week of testimony.
And is there light at the end of the tunnel for Kobe Bryant's courtroom drama? Hear his post-game comments.
It is Thursday, March 3.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Now in the news, a suicide car bomber blew himself up in Ba'qubah, Iraq this morning. At least one other person was killed, about a dozen more wounded. The blast follows two others just minutes apart in Baghdad, five killed, seven wounded. Both explosions hit a checkpoint outside the interior ministry. All of the victims Iraqi policemen.
And Indonesian cleric has been sentenced to 30 months in jail for his role in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings. The cleric was acquitted on more serious charges in the attacks that killed 202 people.
In just about a half an hour, we expect to get an update on Pope John Paul II's health. He's been hospitalized in Rome since last week, when he had throat surgery.
And Steve Fossett is getting closer to completing his around the world solo flight despite a fuel problem. Right now, the global flyer is approaching the West Coast. He's expected to land in Kansas this afternoon. So he's very close to his destination now -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: He's still in the Pacific Ocean. He's west of like Cabo San Lucas, heading on up now toward Catalina Island. Virginatlanticglobalflyer.com, one big long word and you can click on his position. He's doing 220 knots right now, Carol, about 250 miles per hour. He still has a way to go, though. Did you know -- and this is diverting from weather -- he had to fly a little bit of a detour in the Pacific Ocean so that he actually could make enough miles to be totaled -- said that he actually went around the world, because you can go around the world in the Arctic Circle like this. Right? Hey, I went around the world. But you have to actually go closer to the equator to go farther around, which is 24,000 miles. He has to go at least 19,500.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Carol, guess what's coming up in three days? And it's not NASCAR.
COSTELLO: What?
MYERS: The Iditarod in Alaska. It's been so warm, they actually had to shorten the course a little this year.
COSTELLO: Isn't that something?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Because, what, in Anchorage it was 32 degrees yesterday? It was colder here.
MYERS: Absolutely. And here, too.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: What could be important new clues in a Chicago double murder. And the federal judge whose husband and mother were killed is speaking out.
First, the pictures. Police are calling these men persons of interest. They were seen near Judge Joan Lefkow's home. One of the men described as 50 to 60 years old, with hazel eyes and a large build. The other man in his mid-20s with strawberry blonde hair. The A.P. also reporting police found a bloody footprint and a fingerprint at the judge's house.
Now for Judge Lefkow's reaction. She's quoted in the "Chicago Sun-Times" this morning. She says: "If someone was angry at me, they should go after me. It's not fair to go after my family. It was just cold-blooded. Who would do this? I'm just furious."
The judge and her four daughters remain in protective custody this morning.
Michael Jackson's publicist is getting a workout during his child molestation trial. On Wednesday, his former public relations specialist took the stand. Jackson hired Ann Kite to deal with the fallout from Martin Bashir's documentary, "Living With Michael Jackson." Kite testified she was fired abruptly after expressing concern for the family of the boy who later accused Jackson. His current spokeswoman says part of the pop singer's anger was directed at Bashir.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAYMONE BAIN, JACKSON SPOKESWOMAN: It's very hard when you're being vilified, you know? And it has been going on for a year, for one full year. And he's very angry because here was somebody whom he had embraced. I mean you all are journalists and I'm a publicist. You know, it's very rare for a journalist to get seven months with someone, you know, as high profile as Michael Jackson. And I believe that he felt there was some betrayal there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We'll go live at the half hour to Santa Maria, California for an update on the Jackson trial.
It is over for Kobe Bryant and his accuser. As expected, they've settled. So no more questions about Bryant's sex life. We'll probably never know the terms of the deal. Bryant did not address the issue after last night's Lakers game in Boston. And both sides say no other comments can be made or will be made.
But is it over, really?
CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman live in Atlanta. He's been following this case -- good morning, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.
You know, the summer of 2003, a 19-year-old woman accused Bryant of rape. We now know a jury will never hear any kind of details about this. A civil case filed by the accuser against the basketball superstar has now been dropped. An out of court settlement has been agreed to by both sides.
Now, Bryant has agreed to pay the woman most likely a huge amount of money for her. But one of the terms of the agreement is that neither side is permitted to discuss what the settlement is.
Now, Bryant did have a game last night. His Lakers played the Celtics. The Lakers ended up losing by three points to the Celtics.
After the game, as you might expect, reporters did ask about the case and Kobe Bryant, as you might expect, tried to say nothing about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Kobe, do you have comment on the settlement of your legal case? Is it a weight off your mind?
KOBE BRYANT, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Gentlemen, anybody with basketball questions, gentlemen?
QUESTION: Did you feel any freer or any looser out on the court today, Kobe, than maybe other games?
BRYANT: No. Just normal. Business as usual.
QUESTION: You seemed to be having a good time in the locker room before the game. Obviously there are reports that it's been settled.
Is there anything you can tell us...
BRYANT: Anybody with any basketball questions?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Now, this case was actually settled 20 minutes before game time in Boston last night.
Bryant's attorneys say the matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties. A motion for dismissal declaring the case can never be rifled in the court system has also been agreed to. And we knew settlement talks were very active after a schedule deposition of Kobe Bryant was canceled this past Friday. It would have been his first time talking about that summer night under oath.
Just this past September, the criminal case was dropped. The woman deciding she did not want to go forward. Many legal analysts thought the prosecution case was weak and that was the main reason the woman decided to give it up. The chance of putting Kobe Bryant behind bars, that was the only possibility of that criminal case. The only penalty in losing a civil case is losing money, which Bryant now has. But it's certainly something he can financially afford to make go away.
Bryant will now continue his basketball career without this case hanging over his head.
The woman, who is now 20, recently got married and will be having a baby this spring.
What happened that night will officially always be a mystery, except, of course, to the two of them.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Gary Tuchman live in Atlanta this morning.
Thank you.
Two airlines will begin turning over passenger names to the Transportation Security Administration in August. It'll be the first real test of Secure Flight, the government's newest passenger pre- screening system. The government, instead of the airlines, will now be checking passenger names against terror watch lists.
A newspaper in Spain reported yesterday on an alleged terrorist plot to attack Grand Central terminal in New York. But a Spanish police source told CNN the report included several inaccurate details and was not relevant. And the maker of Zippo lighters is protesting the new ban on cigarette lighters on airplane cabins -- in airplane cabins, rather. Zippo also says lighters in checked luggage present no safety or security risks.
A House subcommittee opens hearings this morning on border security, penetrated each year by an estimated half million illegal entrants.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim visited a section of the country's northern border, much of it a frozen frontier this time of year.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Larry Jerde walks in the cold, just feet from the U.S.-Canadian line. This is where he grew up, where North Dakota and Minnesota meet Manitoba, Canada.
LARRY JERDE, U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENT: See this little rise right in front of us close to that cottonwood tree there? That's Canada.
OPPENHEIM: And it is where, 27 years ago, he decided he wanted to be an agent for the U.S. Border Patrol.
JERDE: My father was a Border Patrol agent, so I sort of knew about the job and it looked like sort of an adventure to me.
OPPENHEIM: The adventure now is high stakes. Larry Jerde is part of a group watching 900 miles of border, which before 9/11 was protected by only 30 agents. Now, the Border Patrol says that number has gone way up, though it won't say by how much. And it's clear this line of defense is still stretched thin.
(on camera): How tough a job is it?
JERDE: At times it's very tough, the amount of areas we have to cover with the amount of people we have in the conditions we have.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): The conditions can be brutal. Winds howl across the plains.
JERDE: With the wind field, it's probably more like 30, 35 below. But if you don't stand around out in it, it's a pretty nice day.
OPPENHEIM: Jerde and his agents use snowmobiles like most police officers drive squad cars, scouring the frozen tundra for signs of anything suspicious.
JERDE: We're looking for any sign of humans to come through.
OPPENHEIM: Yet even in this intimidating weather, illegal immigrants enter. And authorities can only guess at how many attempt to get through. GLEN SCHROEDER, CHIEF PATROL AGENT: I don't want to see organized smuggling develop to the north of us with an infrastructure to the south of us that allows for the passage of people of terrorist, terrorist weapons into the United States and then the ability to leave this area and go to other parts of the country.
OPPENHEIM: Last year, Jerde and the agents in his district arrested more than 1,300 illegal aliens. Cases often start with a tip.
JERDE: People talk. We have a lot of people out here that tell us what's going on in their own backyard.
OPPENHEIM: Many times, helicopter crews fly out for a first look.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're able to get out there and see if there's anything crossing out there, vehicle signs, foot signs.
OPPENHEIM: And while Jerde gets backup from the sky, he gets the same from underground.
JERDE: It's like a suitcase, easily carried.
OPPENHEIM: A variety of sensors buried in strategic locations detect metals and motion.
(on camera): To show you how technology can help, I'm going to demonstrate something that I'm doing with the permission of the U.S. Border Patrol and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I am just on the Canadian side of the border. A few feet that way is the United States. There are sensors all around here. The Border Patrol won't say how many or where they are. But you can be sure of this, when I walk from here, Canada, to over here, the United States, that incursion across the border has been picked up by those sensors, which alert federal agents at a command center more than 70 miles away.
(voice-over): Along with sensors, there are cameras. At this U.S. Customs office, Larry Jerde and other agents can monitor what happens overnight when smaller border crossings shut down. But surveillance cameras, recently installed, stay on.
JERDE: Jason, why don't you show him Ambrose?
JASON: This one here is Ambrose, North Dakota, which is approximately 240 miles away on the western half of North Dakota.
OPPENHEIM: While the equipment is evolving...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next one is in that risk assessment.
OPPENHEIM: ... so are relationships across the border. Since 9/11, Jerde and other agents formalized their meetings with Canadian authorities.
JERDE: Where they get together and share information. OPPENHEIM (on camera): This is every day?
JERDE: This is every day.
OPPENHEIM: They both work in the same place?
JERDE: In the same room at the same time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not only coming to the table with certain information we have, but we're able to check that information against information that our partners have.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Still, with all the improvements, the challenge is daunting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of the bad guys coming across, we need to be correct 100 percent of the time.
OPPENHEIM: And for his part, Larry Jerde doesn't like over confidence.
JERDE: What mix of technology and manpower is required to make our borders save? We're in that process now.
OPPENHEIM: For those trusted with the first line of defense, like Larry Jerde, there has been a realization, that an open crossing, however inhospitable, is an invitation to danger. That is how September 11 changed the landscape here.
JERDE: It was a heck of a way to open eyes, but I think it's -- from bad will come good. And I think we're on our way.
OPPENHEIM: Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Pembina, North Dakota.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: Is it better communication or a bigger health bill? More and more doctors are giving advice via e-mail. But is it better for you? Convenience versus face-to-face medical care ahead on DAYBREAK. Decide which you prefer.
Also, we're awaiting word from Rome on the latest update on the pope's health. We'll bring it to you live.
And the woman Michael Jackson hired to help him manage a crisis takes the stand against the pop star. A live report on the Michael Jackson case ahead.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Still to come, getting medical advice in an e-mail, and then you're charged for it. Another sign of doctor-patient degradation or an effective time saver for both? You decide, straight ahead.
This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:18 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Chicago police have released sketches of two persons of interest seen near the home of a federal judge whose husband and mother were killed. One of the men described as 50 to 60 years old, with hazel eyes and a large build. The other man in his mid-20s with strawberry blonde hair.
The jockey for Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones has an immigration hearing today. INS agents detained jockey Stewart Elliott over a felony assault conviction four years ago. Elliott is Canadian.
In money news, passengers want to derail a proposal to jack up the price on San Francisco's historic cable cars to $5 a ride. If approved, it would make a cable car ride the most local -- the most expensive transit fare in the country.
In culture, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" chocked up 11 daytime Emmy nominations in the talk show category. Martha Stewart, who's only been watching TV of late, picked up three nominations.
In sports, Jackie Robinson gets a congressional gold medal at a White House ceremony. President Bush presented the award to Robinson's widow, Rachel.
To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.
MYERS: And good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
A reminder -- we are awaiting a health update on Pope John Paul II. Any minute now, Vatican officials will release new information on the pope's condition. We'll bring it to you.
And a company scammed out of confidential information twice. Now the federal government is stepping in to help protect your identity, when DAYBREAK continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, everyone.
I'm Carrie Lee at the Nasdaq market site. The trouble seems to be getting deeper for ChoicePoint. This is the company which stores personal information for most U.S. residents. Remember, last week they had a breach that may have compromised the information of almost 150,000 people.
Well, now it's reported that a similar case occurred in 2002. And that would contradict statements by the company's CEO, which said the recent problems were the first of its kind.
A U.S. attorney in Los Angeles told the A.P., Associated Press, that a brother and sister team were charged in 2002 with fraud after posing as a legitimate business to gain access to ChoicePoint's database. And those circumstances are almost exactly like the recent case. So we'll be keeping an eye on ChoicePoint's shares today.
Meanwhile, stock futures across-the-board looking up a bit for this morning. The volatility, though, does continue on Wall Street this week. Oil prices yesterday settling out above $53 a barrel, so that's a point of concern.
Also, retailers reporting profits for the month of February. We have already heard from Starbucks. February sales coming in better than the Wall Street estimate.
And that's the latest business news.
DAYBREAK will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Taking a look at your health this morning, we know house calls are a thing of the distant past, but they may be making a comeback via your computer. It's doctoring via e-mail and your insurance may cover it. We didn't say it would be free.
Joining us live is Dr. Barbara Walters.
She is the senior medical director at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, but she is in Florida this morning.
You know, we can't help but notice your name, Dr. Barbara Walters.
You must get teased a lot.
DR. BARBARA WALTERS, DARTMOUTH HITCHCOCK MEDICAL CENTER: I do.
COSTELLO: But we're glad your joining DAYBREAK this morning to talk about this.
Tell you about this, doctoring by e-mail. It sounds so impersonal.
WALTERS: At Dartmouth Hitchcock, the way that we do this is a patient would already have had to have a previously established relationship with a provider. So this is someone you know. You've been taking care of this patient for any period of time.
So, already having a previously established relationship, they could then choose to use a secure Internet site. This isn't typical e-mail. It is, in fact, protected, encrypted so that your clinical information can't get out on the World Wide Web. And then they would have a previously established relationship with you and they could visit with you using this site for advice, diagnosis and therapy for something that previously would have required a face-to-face interaction in the office.
COSTELLO: Well, gauge of that.
When you say diagnose something, what might that something be?
WALTERS: As an example, there are lots of folks who have chronic sinusitis. It flares up around allergy time, depending on where they live. And in the past, they would have had to come into the office for something that they can describe very well. They understand the symptoms. They may even know which medication works best for them.
So if you and I had a relationship and I was your primary care physician, you could send me a request versus this, what we call a patient portal, and say Dr. Walters, you know, it's allergy time again. I'm having trouble breathing. I have these kinds of symptoms. This is the medication that has worked well for me in the past. Do you think that it's happening again? Should, in fact, you prescribe penicillin for me, as an example.
COSTELLO: OK. I understand that. I also understand that your insurance company might be billed for this sort of diagnosis.
Is that true?
WALTERS: There are some insurance companies that would reimburse the physician for this kind of a visit, just like they would reimburse you for an office visit. So, yes, there are some companies that will reimburse for this.
COSTELLO: Well, let me ask you this question. Because some -- because you might be charged up to $25 for a diagnosis over the e- mail. But, frankly, if I called my doctor and said that I had a recurring problem and I needed a prescription and I did it by phone, my doctor would probably give me that prescription for free.
WALTERS: I'm not sure. Some physicians may, in fact, do that kind of diagnosis on the telephone. Most physicians actually ask people to come into the office for these kinds of things. There are things that docs will absolutely do on the telephone -- clear, describe the results of a lab test that you had had, for example. Or answer a simple question.
But things that actually require clinical judgment, those are the kinds of things that, in general, physicians would request a visit for.
COSTELLO: Request -- even if you're doing it by e-mail, you would want them to come in, too, though, wouldn't you?
WALTERS: Not necessarily. If there wasn't a prominent visual component or if it's not something that I felt like I needed to look the patient eye to eye and have a discussion about, there are things that I would feel very comfortable diagnosing, again, making sure that we had enough information, we understood the symptoms and we had a previously established relationship.
COSTELLO: I guess it's just bugging me that it might cost you money to do it by e-mail when it wouldn't cost you a dime if you did it by phone.
WALTERS: Again, this isn't the kind of thing that you would previously had done over the telephone. It's meant to be for something that you would have had a face to face, in office visit for.
COSTELLO: All right, Dr. Barbara Walters joining us live from Florida this morning.
Thank you so much.
Her days in the big house will soon be behind her. Can domestic diva Martha Stewart cook up a recipe to restore her company's image? One financial expert joins us in 10 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 3, 2005 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: New developments this morning in the killings of a federal judge's mother and husband. Police now have an idea of who they're looking for.
What did a public relations expert tell Michael Jackson and his innermost circle? We'll have more on the first week of testimony.
And is there light at the end of the tunnel for Kobe Bryant's courtroom drama? Hear his post-game comments.
It is Thursday, March 3.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Now in the news, a suicide car bomber blew himself up in Ba'qubah, Iraq this morning. At least one other person was killed, about a dozen more wounded. The blast follows two others just minutes apart in Baghdad, five killed, seven wounded. Both explosions hit a checkpoint outside the interior ministry. All of the victims Iraqi policemen.
And Indonesian cleric has been sentenced to 30 months in jail for his role in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings. The cleric was acquitted on more serious charges in the attacks that killed 202 people.
In just about a half an hour, we expect to get an update on Pope John Paul II's health. He's been hospitalized in Rome since last week, when he had throat surgery.
And Steve Fossett is getting closer to completing his around the world solo flight despite a fuel problem. Right now, the global flyer is approaching the West Coast. He's expected to land in Kansas this afternoon. So he's very close to his destination now -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: He's still in the Pacific Ocean. He's west of like Cabo San Lucas, heading on up now toward Catalina Island. Virginatlanticglobalflyer.com, one big long word and you can click on his position. He's doing 220 knots right now, Carol, about 250 miles per hour. He still has a way to go, though. Did you know -- and this is diverting from weather -- he had to fly a little bit of a detour in the Pacific Ocean so that he actually could make enough miles to be totaled -- said that he actually went around the world, because you can go around the world in the Arctic Circle like this. Right? Hey, I went around the world. But you have to actually go closer to the equator to go farther around, which is 24,000 miles. He has to go at least 19,500.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Carol, guess what's coming up in three days? And it's not NASCAR.
COSTELLO: What?
MYERS: The Iditarod in Alaska. It's been so warm, they actually had to shorten the course a little this year.
COSTELLO: Isn't that something?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Because, what, in Anchorage it was 32 degrees yesterday? It was colder here.
MYERS: Absolutely. And here, too.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: What could be important new clues in a Chicago double murder. And the federal judge whose husband and mother were killed is speaking out.
First, the pictures. Police are calling these men persons of interest. They were seen near Judge Joan Lefkow's home. One of the men described as 50 to 60 years old, with hazel eyes and a large build. The other man in his mid-20s with strawberry blonde hair. The A.P. also reporting police found a bloody footprint and a fingerprint at the judge's house.
Now for Judge Lefkow's reaction. She's quoted in the "Chicago Sun-Times" this morning. She says: "If someone was angry at me, they should go after me. It's not fair to go after my family. It was just cold-blooded. Who would do this? I'm just furious."
The judge and her four daughters remain in protective custody this morning.
Michael Jackson's publicist is getting a workout during his child molestation trial. On Wednesday, his former public relations specialist took the stand. Jackson hired Ann Kite to deal with the fallout from Martin Bashir's documentary, "Living With Michael Jackson." Kite testified she was fired abruptly after expressing concern for the family of the boy who later accused Jackson. His current spokeswoman says part of the pop singer's anger was directed at Bashir.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAYMONE BAIN, JACKSON SPOKESWOMAN: It's very hard when you're being vilified, you know? And it has been going on for a year, for one full year. And he's very angry because here was somebody whom he had embraced. I mean you all are journalists and I'm a publicist. You know, it's very rare for a journalist to get seven months with someone, you know, as high profile as Michael Jackson. And I believe that he felt there was some betrayal there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We'll go live at the half hour to Santa Maria, California for an update on the Jackson trial.
It is over for Kobe Bryant and his accuser. As expected, they've settled. So no more questions about Bryant's sex life. We'll probably never know the terms of the deal. Bryant did not address the issue after last night's Lakers game in Boston. And both sides say no other comments can be made or will be made.
But is it over, really?
CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman live in Atlanta. He's been following this case -- good morning, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.
You know, the summer of 2003, a 19-year-old woman accused Bryant of rape. We now know a jury will never hear any kind of details about this. A civil case filed by the accuser against the basketball superstar has now been dropped. An out of court settlement has been agreed to by both sides.
Now, Bryant has agreed to pay the woman most likely a huge amount of money for her. But one of the terms of the agreement is that neither side is permitted to discuss what the settlement is.
Now, Bryant did have a game last night. His Lakers played the Celtics. The Lakers ended up losing by three points to the Celtics.
After the game, as you might expect, reporters did ask about the case and Kobe Bryant, as you might expect, tried to say nothing about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Kobe, do you have comment on the settlement of your legal case? Is it a weight off your mind?
KOBE BRYANT, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Gentlemen, anybody with basketball questions, gentlemen?
QUESTION: Did you feel any freer or any looser out on the court today, Kobe, than maybe other games?
BRYANT: No. Just normal. Business as usual.
QUESTION: You seemed to be having a good time in the locker room before the game. Obviously there are reports that it's been settled.
Is there anything you can tell us...
BRYANT: Anybody with any basketball questions?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Now, this case was actually settled 20 minutes before game time in Boston last night.
Bryant's attorneys say the matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties. A motion for dismissal declaring the case can never be rifled in the court system has also been agreed to. And we knew settlement talks were very active after a schedule deposition of Kobe Bryant was canceled this past Friday. It would have been his first time talking about that summer night under oath.
Just this past September, the criminal case was dropped. The woman deciding she did not want to go forward. Many legal analysts thought the prosecution case was weak and that was the main reason the woman decided to give it up. The chance of putting Kobe Bryant behind bars, that was the only possibility of that criminal case. The only penalty in losing a civil case is losing money, which Bryant now has. But it's certainly something he can financially afford to make go away.
Bryant will now continue his basketball career without this case hanging over his head.
The woman, who is now 20, recently got married and will be having a baby this spring.
What happened that night will officially always be a mystery, except, of course, to the two of them.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Gary Tuchman live in Atlanta this morning.
Thank you.
Two airlines will begin turning over passenger names to the Transportation Security Administration in August. It'll be the first real test of Secure Flight, the government's newest passenger pre- screening system. The government, instead of the airlines, will now be checking passenger names against terror watch lists.
A newspaper in Spain reported yesterday on an alleged terrorist plot to attack Grand Central terminal in New York. But a Spanish police source told CNN the report included several inaccurate details and was not relevant. And the maker of Zippo lighters is protesting the new ban on cigarette lighters on airplane cabins -- in airplane cabins, rather. Zippo also says lighters in checked luggage present no safety or security risks.
A House subcommittee opens hearings this morning on border security, penetrated each year by an estimated half million illegal entrants.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim visited a section of the country's northern border, much of it a frozen frontier this time of year.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Larry Jerde walks in the cold, just feet from the U.S.-Canadian line. This is where he grew up, where North Dakota and Minnesota meet Manitoba, Canada.
LARRY JERDE, U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENT: See this little rise right in front of us close to that cottonwood tree there? That's Canada.
OPPENHEIM: And it is where, 27 years ago, he decided he wanted to be an agent for the U.S. Border Patrol.
JERDE: My father was a Border Patrol agent, so I sort of knew about the job and it looked like sort of an adventure to me.
OPPENHEIM: The adventure now is high stakes. Larry Jerde is part of a group watching 900 miles of border, which before 9/11 was protected by only 30 agents. Now, the Border Patrol says that number has gone way up, though it won't say by how much. And it's clear this line of defense is still stretched thin.
(on camera): How tough a job is it?
JERDE: At times it's very tough, the amount of areas we have to cover with the amount of people we have in the conditions we have.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): The conditions can be brutal. Winds howl across the plains.
JERDE: With the wind field, it's probably more like 30, 35 below. But if you don't stand around out in it, it's a pretty nice day.
OPPENHEIM: Jerde and his agents use snowmobiles like most police officers drive squad cars, scouring the frozen tundra for signs of anything suspicious.
JERDE: We're looking for any sign of humans to come through.
OPPENHEIM: Yet even in this intimidating weather, illegal immigrants enter. And authorities can only guess at how many attempt to get through. GLEN SCHROEDER, CHIEF PATROL AGENT: I don't want to see organized smuggling develop to the north of us with an infrastructure to the south of us that allows for the passage of people of terrorist, terrorist weapons into the United States and then the ability to leave this area and go to other parts of the country.
OPPENHEIM: Last year, Jerde and the agents in his district arrested more than 1,300 illegal aliens. Cases often start with a tip.
JERDE: People talk. We have a lot of people out here that tell us what's going on in their own backyard.
OPPENHEIM: Many times, helicopter crews fly out for a first look.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're able to get out there and see if there's anything crossing out there, vehicle signs, foot signs.
OPPENHEIM: And while Jerde gets backup from the sky, he gets the same from underground.
JERDE: It's like a suitcase, easily carried.
OPPENHEIM: A variety of sensors buried in strategic locations detect metals and motion.
(on camera): To show you how technology can help, I'm going to demonstrate something that I'm doing with the permission of the U.S. Border Patrol and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I am just on the Canadian side of the border. A few feet that way is the United States. There are sensors all around here. The Border Patrol won't say how many or where they are. But you can be sure of this, when I walk from here, Canada, to over here, the United States, that incursion across the border has been picked up by those sensors, which alert federal agents at a command center more than 70 miles away.
(voice-over): Along with sensors, there are cameras. At this U.S. Customs office, Larry Jerde and other agents can monitor what happens overnight when smaller border crossings shut down. But surveillance cameras, recently installed, stay on.
JERDE: Jason, why don't you show him Ambrose?
JASON: This one here is Ambrose, North Dakota, which is approximately 240 miles away on the western half of North Dakota.
OPPENHEIM: While the equipment is evolving...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next one is in that risk assessment.
OPPENHEIM: ... so are relationships across the border. Since 9/11, Jerde and other agents formalized their meetings with Canadian authorities.
JERDE: Where they get together and share information. OPPENHEIM (on camera): This is every day?
JERDE: This is every day.
OPPENHEIM: They both work in the same place?
JERDE: In the same room at the same time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not only coming to the table with certain information we have, but we're able to check that information against information that our partners have.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Still, with all the improvements, the challenge is daunting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of the bad guys coming across, we need to be correct 100 percent of the time.
OPPENHEIM: And for his part, Larry Jerde doesn't like over confidence.
JERDE: What mix of technology and manpower is required to make our borders save? We're in that process now.
OPPENHEIM: For those trusted with the first line of defense, like Larry Jerde, there has been a realization, that an open crossing, however inhospitable, is an invitation to danger. That is how September 11 changed the landscape here.
JERDE: It was a heck of a way to open eyes, but I think it's -- from bad will come good. And I think we're on our way.
OPPENHEIM: Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Pembina, North Dakota.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: Is it better communication or a bigger health bill? More and more doctors are giving advice via e-mail. But is it better for you? Convenience versus face-to-face medical care ahead on DAYBREAK. Decide which you prefer.
Also, we're awaiting word from Rome on the latest update on the pope's health. We'll bring it to you live.
And the woman Michael Jackson hired to help him manage a crisis takes the stand against the pop star. A live report on the Michael Jackson case ahead.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
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COSTELLO: Still to come, getting medical advice in an e-mail, and then you're charged for it. Another sign of doctor-patient degradation or an effective time saver for both? You decide, straight ahead.
This is DAYBREAK.
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COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:18 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Chicago police have released sketches of two persons of interest seen near the home of a federal judge whose husband and mother were killed. One of the men described as 50 to 60 years old, with hazel eyes and a large build. The other man in his mid-20s with strawberry blonde hair.
The jockey for Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones has an immigration hearing today. INS agents detained jockey Stewart Elliott over a felony assault conviction four years ago. Elliott is Canadian.
In money news, passengers want to derail a proposal to jack up the price on San Francisco's historic cable cars to $5 a ride. If approved, it would make a cable car ride the most local -- the most expensive transit fare in the country.
In culture, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" chocked up 11 daytime Emmy nominations in the talk show category. Martha Stewart, who's only been watching TV of late, picked up three nominations.
In sports, Jackie Robinson gets a congressional gold medal at a White House ceremony. President Bush presented the award to Robinson's widow, Rachel.
To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.
MYERS: And good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
A reminder -- we are awaiting a health update on Pope John Paul II. Any minute now, Vatican officials will release new information on the pope's condition. We'll bring it to you.
And a company scammed out of confidential information twice. Now the federal government is stepping in to help protect your identity, when DAYBREAK continues.
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CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, everyone.
I'm Carrie Lee at the Nasdaq market site. The trouble seems to be getting deeper for ChoicePoint. This is the company which stores personal information for most U.S. residents. Remember, last week they had a breach that may have compromised the information of almost 150,000 people.
Well, now it's reported that a similar case occurred in 2002. And that would contradict statements by the company's CEO, which said the recent problems were the first of its kind.
A U.S. attorney in Los Angeles told the A.P., Associated Press, that a brother and sister team were charged in 2002 with fraud after posing as a legitimate business to gain access to ChoicePoint's database. And those circumstances are almost exactly like the recent case. So we'll be keeping an eye on ChoicePoint's shares today.
Meanwhile, stock futures across-the-board looking up a bit for this morning. The volatility, though, does continue on Wall Street this week. Oil prices yesterday settling out above $53 a barrel, so that's a point of concern.
Also, retailers reporting profits for the month of February. We have already heard from Starbucks. February sales coming in better than the Wall Street estimate.
And that's the latest business news.
DAYBREAK will be right back.
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COSTELLO: Taking a look at your health this morning, we know house calls are a thing of the distant past, but they may be making a comeback via your computer. It's doctoring via e-mail and your insurance may cover it. We didn't say it would be free.
Joining us live is Dr. Barbara Walters.
She is the senior medical director at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, but she is in Florida this morning.
You know, we can't help but notice your name, Dr. Barbara Walters.
You must get teased a lot.
DR. BARBARA WALTERS, DARTMOUTH HITCHCOCK MEDICAL CENTER: I do.
COSTELLO: But we're glad your joining DAYBREAK this morning to talk about this.
Tell you about this, doctoring by e-mail. It sounds so impersonal.
WALTERS: At Dartmouth Hitchcock, the way that we do this is a patient would already have had to have a previously established relationship with a provider. So this is someone you know. You've been taking care of this patient for any period of time.
So, already having a previously established relationship, they could then choose to use a secure Internet site. This isn't typical e-mail. It is, in fact, protected, encrypted so that your clinical information can't get out on the World Wide Web. And then they would have a previously established relationship with you and they could visit with you using this site for advice, diagnosis and therapy for something that previously would have required a face-to-face interaction in the office.
COSTELLO: Well, gauge of that.
When you say diagnose something, what might that something be?
WALTERS: As an example, there are lots of folks who have chronic sinusitis. It flares up around allergy time, depending on where they live. And in the past, they would have had to come into the office for something that they can describe very well. They understand the symptoms. They may even know which medication works best for them.
So if you and I had a relationship and I was your primary care physician, you could send me a request versus this, what we call a patient portal, and say Dr. Walters, you know, it's allergy time again. I'm having trouble breathing. I have these kinds of symptoms. This is the medication that has worked well for me in the past. Do you think that it's happening again? Should, in fact, you prescribe penicillin for me, as an example.
COSTELLO: OK. I understand that. I also understand that your insurance company might be billed for this sort of diagnosis.
Is that true?
WALTERS: There are some insurance companies that would reimburse the physician for this kind of a visit, just like they would reimburse you for an office visit. So, yes, there are some companies that will reimburse for this.
COSTELLO: Well, let me ask you this question. Because some -- because you might be charged up to $25 for a diagnosis over the e- mail. But, frankly, if I called my doctor and said that I had a recurring problem and I needed a prescription and I did it by phone, my doctor would probably give me that prescription for free.
WALTERS: I'm not sure. Some physicians may, in fact, do that kind of diagnosis on the telephone. Most physicians actually ask people to come into the office for these kinds of things. There are things that docs will absolutely do on the telephone -- clear, describe the results of a lab test that you had had, for example. Or answer a simple question.
But things that actually require clinical judgment, those are the kinds of things that, in general, physicians would request a visit for.
COSTELLO: Request -- even if you're doing it by e-mail, you would want them to come in, too, though, wouldn't you?
WALTERS: Not necessarily. If there wasn't a prominent visual component or if it's not something that I felt like I needed to look the patient eye to eye and have a discussion about, there are things that I would feel very comfortable diagnosing, again, making sure that we had enough information, we understood the symptoms and we had a previously established relationship.
COSTELLO: I guess it's just bugging me that it might cost you money to do it by e-mail when it wouldn't cost you a dime if you did it by phone.
WALTERS: Again, this isn't the kind of thing that you would previously had done over the telephone. It's meant to be for something that you would have had a face to face, in office visit for.
COSTELLO: All right, Dr. Barbara Walters joining us live from Florida this morning.
Thank you so much.
Her days in the big house will soon be behind her. Can domestic diva Martha Stewart cook up a recipe to restore her company's image? One financial expert joins us in 10 minutes.
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