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American Morning
Massive Demonstration Under Way as Thousands of Supporters of Syria Flood City Streets; In Michael Jackson Matter, Most Graphic Testimony to Date
Aired March 08, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. A developing story at this hour in Beirut. A massive demonstration under way as thousands of supporters of Syria flood the city streets.
While in Washington, the president with another key speech on terrorism today, expected to take the pressure on Damascus even higher.
And in the Michael Jackson matter, the most graphic testimony to date. One boy's shocking accusations, 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: Good morning. Welcome everybody. Much more on what's happening in Beirut in a few moments. Also ahead, this morning, those beached dolphins in Florida. Rescuers have been working for a week to try to save as many of them as possible. There is a theory, though, that a Navy submarine may have played a role in what's happening there. We'll talk to one of the folks who is leading the rescue, ask him about what he thinks happened.
HEMMER: Also, Sanjay is back here in New York today for the finale of the "New You Revolution," eight weeks, five people, trying to break a variety of bad habits. They run the gamut this year too. And we've watched them every step of the way. And today, we'll watch them cross the finish line. Let you know how they finish a bit later this hour, too.
O'BRIEN: It will be interesting to see what the biggest obstacles were, and if they were able to overcome them.
Good morning Mr. Cafferty.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Ms. O'Brien.
Office romances, they happen all the time, but are they appropriate? The CEO of Boeing Aircraft got tossed out of a good job yesterday by the board of directors for a consensual affair with a female colleague. We will take a look at the phenomenon of love in the workplace.
HEMMER: All right, Jack, thanks for that.
First, this developing story from the Middle East, tens of thousands of pro-Syrian demonstrators packing a square in Beirut at this hour. They're the counterpoint to the protesters who have been calling for Syria to get out of Lebanon. President Bush considers what happens in Beirut a critical and immediate test of his policy promoting democracy in the Middle East.
Dana Bash starts our coverage at the White House today.
Dana, good morning to you.
This speech later today is focusing on the Middle East. What's his message this morning?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
That's right. And you mentioned Syria. That will be a central part of the president's speech in about three hours to the National Defense University, and aides say it's not going to be -- don't look for any new policy announcements, but it will be significant for a number of reasons. First of all, you remember during the president's inaugural address, he talked about the need for freedom, for liberty around the world, but he did so in terms of a moral reasons, and even religious reasons.
Notably absent there was the talk of the war on terrorism. Well, today, the president will talk about the need for democracy, particularly in the Middle East, as a way to stop the spread of terrorism, calling it a generational challenge.
Now, a second point about the president's speech later today is that aides say he's been looking for a way to pull a thread through several significant moves recently towards Democratic reform in the Middle East. Aides say that he will talk about the remarkable progress in the region, talk about places like in the Palestinian elections; like a Saudi Arabia, the move perhaps to have women vote there; in Egypt, the move for multiparty elections. And, of course, he'll talk about Lebanon. We've seen demonstrations this morning. The president has been noting almost daily the, perhaps, move from within towards democracy in Lebanon. He will talk about that.
White House aides say that they've been surprised, certainly, about the confluence of events in the Middle East, and although the president is going to talk about it, they say don't expect him to perhaps say that he is vindicated or at least allude to that at all, because this is, perhaps, the extension of some of his policies. They know here that everything that happens in the Middle East is quite volatile and things could change, as we saw this morning again with some pro-Syria demonstrations in Lebanon.
But to that end, bill, as you mentioned earlier, the president will talk about the fact that he sees Syria as perhaps at this point the biggest impediment to momentum towards the democracy in the Middle East. And again, he'll keep the pressure and say no half measures are needed. He will say that Syria must get its troops out of Lebanon -- Bill.
HEMMER: Dana Bash, thanks for that at the White House. We'll look for the speech three hours from now, 10:15 Eastern Time. You'll see it live we're on CNN, when it happens -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Pro-Syrian demonstrators believe that Syrian troops are needed to stabilize Lebanon.
Brent Sadler live for us Beirut.
Brent, good morning to you.
Just give us a sense how big this demonstration is.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
So far, we are seeing very impressive numbers here in downtown Beirut. We're going to pan the camera off now and give you an idea of the scale of the crowd. Already, tens, many tens of thousands strong. They continue to converge on one of Beirut's main squares in the downtown city area. It's been like this building for the past couple hours.
This may turn out to be a demonstration that actually outnumbers the anti-Syrian protests that we've seeing going on for the past three weeks since the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri three weeks ago.
Now what we're seeing in the crowd is not only pro-Syrian support. Swing to my right now so you get a full idea of the numbers here. Not just pro-Syrian support, but also denunciations of many of the slogans these are carrying. This rally was called by Hezbollah, the Islamic resistance group that the United States labels a terrorist organization. This is a show of Shia Muslim support called by Hezbollah to confront the United States policy, they say, vis-a-vis Syria's relationship with Lebanon.
We're seeing in the crowd signs that say "America is the mother of all our troubles," referring to the situation here in the Middle East. So that gives you an idea of the anti-American, pro-Syrian fervor that's now here taking place in the heart of downtown Beirut -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, Brent, the pictures really are quite remarkable. Question, though, how the demonstrations could affect the troop pullback plan.
SADLER: Well, we know that the two leaders of Lebanon and Syria agreed a two-phase withdrawal, the first to be completed by the end of this month. But no Syrian troops have been committed to actually leave the country so far. There are some within the opposition saying that Syria has been busing unknown numbers of people across the border, because today marks an important day in Syria's own calendar. That is Syria's National Baath Party Day. Lebanese opposition leaders say it's a celebration that should be taking place in Syria, not Lebanon. You're not seeing this as a pro-democracy march, you're seeing this as a pro-Syrian, anti-American rally.
O'BRIEN: Brent Sadler is in Beirut this morning.
Brent, thank you -- Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, Italy's foreign minister is demanding, quote, "truth and justice" and wants the United States to, quote, "punish and identify" those responsible for killing Rome's top intelligence agent in Iraq.
Nicola Calipari and freed Italian hostage the journalist Giuliana Sgrena were en route to the Baghdad airport on Friday night, in the dark when U.S. troops opened fire on the car. U.S. soldiers at the roadside checkpoint blame the shootings on a lack of communication.
The mayor of Baghdad is Alaa Al-Tamimi. He's visiting Washington today, trying to raise more money for his city. I asked him about his version of this incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAA AL-TAMIMI, BAGHDAD MAYOR: First of all, I am sorry about what's happening to the journalist and really, we are very pleased to liberate her with others Italian.
But what happened really is understandable, because normally at the airport road, there is good signs to stop, and especially when we arrived at the airport. So I don't know what happened, but really, the driver of the car should know that there is the sign to stop.
HEMMER: You have said before that I don't believe the Americans would shoot for nothing. Has that been your experience?
AL-TAMIMI: I didn't say that this is exactly, but you know we are in war. Sometimes some soldiers are very sensitive to any movement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That's the mayor from Baghdad. We spoke earlier today. Next hour, more on what he considers the critical point for moving Baghdad forward, also get a sense of what the Iraqis are feeling on the streets of Baghdad. We'll get that next hour.
Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: The younger brother of Michael Jackson's accuser returns to the witness stand yesterday after jurors heard some graphic, eyewitness testimony at Jackson's child-molestation trial. A warning, this report may not be considered acceptable for some viewers. We've got more now from CNN's Miguel Marquez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUESTION: Michael, how did you feel hearing the allegations?
MICHAEL JACKSON, ENTERTAINER: I'm sorry, I'm under gag order.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Jackson answered no questions, after the brother of his accuser testified that he saw Jackson molest his then 13-year-old brother twice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My first impression of the witness is one who'S earnest, straightforward.
MARQUEZ: The high school freshman told prosecutors that he walked in on the pop star and his brother in Jackson's bedroom. The boy alleged Jackson's left hand was in his brother's pants while he was pleasuring himself with his right hand.
JIM HAMMER, LEGAL ANALYST: The part that he was haziest on, that caused me some problem, was on what he said he saw at the time of the two alleged molestations. He seemed pretty hazy on the clothing description.
MARQUEZ: The 14-year-old testified that Jackson showed them sexual explicit magazines, and that on one occasion, while both brothers were in the pop star's bedroom, Jackson walked in naked and aroused and told them, "It's only natural."
The boy also testified that Jackson encouraged drinking at Neverland by turning into it a game. The allegation, the pop star and the boys would make crank calls. If the number dialed didn't work, then the caller had to drink. The prosecution contends Jackson got his victim drunk and then molested him.
HAMMER: On the molestation, the heart of that case comes down to the testimony of the alleged victim in this case. I think at this pace, the jury's going to see him in a couple of days.
MARQUEZ (on camera): Cross-examination of the accuser's brother is expected to start later today.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Earlier on Monday, defense attorneys finished their cross-examination of the accuser's sister -- Bill.
HEMMER: About 10 minutes past the hour now. It is the end of an era at CBS news; 73-year-old anchor Dan Rather steps down officially from the CBS Evening News tomorrow night. That is 24 years to the day after taking over for Walter Cronkite.
Even with a new era at hand for CBS News, Cronkite now wondering out loud why it did not begin earlier, that new era. He spoke with Wolf Blitzer here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER CRONKITE, AUTHOR, "MEMOIRS: A REPORTER'S LIFE": It surprised quite a few people at CBS and elsewhere that without being able to pull up the ratings, beyond third in a three-man field, that they tolerated his being there for so long.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: So you would have been happy if Bob Schieffer would have replaced Dan Rather a while ago?
CRONKITE: I would have thought so, certainly; if not Bob, someone else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Sixty-eight-year-old Bob Schieffer begins anchoring that broadcast on Thursday. Cbs says that is on an interim basis.
O'BRIEN: I got to say, that's kind of cold for your colleagues.
HEMMER: Friends like these, huh?
O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, we're going to try and sort out what's happening in a Texas town today. A nightclub catches fire. Police are caught making jokes about it. There are charges of racism. We'll talk to the police chief for his view, in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: Also, this a mystery in the Florida Keys. You're looking at a live picture. Dozens of dolphins have been beached, and they are dying along the shore. What exactly is behind it? A report ahead.
HEMMER: Also, the grand finale is ahead of the "New You Revolution." Sanjay stops by, tells us who came closest to their goal, when we continue here in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Investigators are trying to find our what caused almost 70 dolphins to beach themselves off the Florida Keys. Nearly two dozen have died since last week. Experts are conducting tests to determine just what caused their deaths. Rescue workers and volunteers are fighting to keep the remaining dolphins alive.
Joining us this morning from Key Largo in Florida is Lloyd Brown. He's the vice president of the Marine Mammal Conservancy.
Nice to see you, Mr. Brown. Thank you for your time this morning.
Give me a sense of exactly how those dolphins that have survived are doing. What's their condition?
LLOYD BROWN, V.P., MARINE MAMMAL CONSERVANCY: Well, most of the ones that we have here behind me right now are mostly stable. We still have one or two whose condition is guarded. We have three animals in isolation. But I think the ones that we have behind me are -- stand a good chance of rehabilitation for eventual release.
O'BRIEN: That's a little good news to report in all of this. As you well know, there's some speculation that possibly sonar from a Navy sub may be related to what caused all these dolphins to beach themselves.
Let me read to you a statement from the Naval submarine forces. Here's what they said, "The cause of the strandings is not known. Every effort will be taken between the federal agencies to determine what may have caused the strandings. The U.S. Navy takes its role as a good steward of the seas very seriously. Navy peacetime organizations and training events are designed to fully comply with U.S. environmental laws and regulations."
Essentially saying they don't exactly know what happened either. What do you think is the cause?
BROWN: At this point, we still don't know exactly what the cause is. We have diagnostic tests being conducted on all of the animals to try and determine what we might find. We've also done necropsies on those that have already died to see what we might find in the body of those animals, to see if there is any damage.
We don't have proof of anything at this time. What we do know is that we have animals who need to be cared for, and that's what we're focusing our efforts on right now.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I would imagine, an important focus.
What exactly, though, can sonar do to a dolphin? What evidence do you have of that?
BROWN: Sonar would cause the same type of injury as you would suffer standing next to a very loud explosion. It's a force of acoustic energy, and it would implode your eardrums. It could seriously damage your internal organs just from the shock of it.
O'BRIEN: Really. Wow. If it's not sonar, though, then what other hypothesis are you looking at this morning?
BROWN: Could be any manner of bacterial or viral infection. It could be anything from -- we don't believe it's a toxic waste spill, but it could be any kind of exposure to hazardous materials. The initial blood work showed dehydration, which is common in any stranding, and an elevated white cell count. The white cell count indicates there's an infection present. We're now working to determine exactly what that infection is. We can then try to develop a course of action to fight that infection and eventually release these guys back to the wild.
O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of why you don't push them back into the water. I know that that's sometimes a strategy for whales and other strandings, but I know that's not your strategy. Why not?
BROWN: Well, our strategy is to solve the problem. Pushing them back out into the water really doesn't solve the problem. It doesn't even address the issue. If you push them back out, basically, all you've done is you have a free-swimming animal who has already expressed some kind of problem.
We want to bring the animals in. We want to treat the entire pod, not just individuals. The pod's social dynamics are very important to the individual survival. So we want to treat the entire pod, get them all well and release them all together at the same time.
O'BRIEN: We are certainly rooting for you guys to do that successfully.
BROWN: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Lloyd Brown, vice president of the Marine Mammal Conservancy, thank you for talking with us this morning. I know you've got a busy day ahead of you. We appreciate it -- Bill.
BROWN: Thank you.
HEMMER: At the age of 42, six years removed from his last Major League Baseball game, Darryl Strawberry, a bit of a comeback in Florida, suited up with a Mets uniform on Monday, the first time in 15 years. Have to go to 1990 to see him wearing Met blue. Strawberry's returning to the team that launched his career as a spring training instructor. He's also working to set an example for younger players.
Here's the Straw:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARRYL STRAWBERRY, N.Y. METS SPECIAL INSTRUCTOR: I really just hope to come here and just let guys know, you know, that winning is everything, and you know, stress the point of winning to some of the players and, you know, don't really try to interfere when with what they have to do, because they have to do their work and stuff and stay focused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Strawberry's once brilliant career derailed by substance abuse, and he's also survived two bouts with cancer. He has lived a life -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Martha Stewart gets back to business. Employees find out her appearance wasn't the only thing that got an overhaul. Andy explains, when he "Minds Your Business," just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. Martha Stewart addressing the troops yesterday in a manner of speaking. Back at work here in New York.
Andy Serwer, first check, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning to you.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Quick, the event yesterday. I don't know if you watched Martha live coming back to work, you know, and it really was very much of an orchestrated P.R. event, I have to say, just like everything else, or almost everything else, she's done since she's gotten out of prison on Friday. Instead of meeting privately with employees to talk about strategy and how she was going to bring the company back, she invited cameras in and spoke to them while cameras rolled and in front of the world.
And you can see there the reason the camera panned up from her ankle, of course, was to show that she was not wearing her electronic ankle bracelet -- more, that she's not wearing the electronic ankle bracelet yet. And, you know, that poncho that she was wearing on Friday night, she brought that in and explained to the employees this was not a designer poncho, no, no, no, it was crocheted by a fellow inmate who gave to it her to wear for her release, and she said, I hope she's watching, because I'm so very proud of her. It's a little saccharine if you ask me, but that's just my take.
HEMMER: But the truth is she needs to resuscitate that company. They've been losing millions.
SERWER: She does. And I think it's legitimate for her to go to work and talk to her employees. I just sort of resent the fact that it's a public spectacle.
The electronic ankle bracelet, she had 72 hours since her release to get that thing attached. So it's very likely that the next time we see her, she will be wearing pants.
O'BRIEN: Makes sense why she suddenly held this meeting with her employees and had tape rolling so that you wouldn't have the shot with the ankle bracelet.
SERWER: With the skirt, and the dress and the suit.
O'BRIEN: She looks good, though.
SERWER: She does look good.
O'BRIEN: She lost a little weight.
SERWER: Yes, maybe I'm just jealous, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I hear you. Too much Martha, I'm with you on that one.
Question of the Day?
CAFFERTY: She looks marvelous.
O'BRIEN: She does.
CAFFERTY: Oh, give me a break.
Are office romances bad for business? The guy who ran Boeing Aircraft, a fellow named Harry Stonecipher got tossed right out on his carne (ph), because it came to light that he was having a little fling, consensual though it was reportedly, with a female executive at the same company. Boeing said the little affair violated the company's ethical code of conduct.
Companies are increasingly pressured these days by lawsuits that often result from office affairs, especially high-level relationships that might affect a public company financially. Passage of ethics laws like Sarbanes-Oxley has put further pressure on companies to clamp down on office improprieties. But with people spend more and more time in the office, it's not easy.
According to a survey of employers by Career Publisher Vault, 58 percent of Americans said they have been involved with a coworker. And 22 percent said they met their spouse or significant other at work.
Here's the question, are office romances acceptable? Am@CNN.com.
HEMMER: There's one person in this particular group here that has very acute experience with this particular subject.
SERWER: Yes, I have some intelligence. Yes, I'm going to confess. I had an affair with a woman at work. I wasn't married, and neither was she, and we ended up getting married. I met my wife at work, OK? But we did have to keep it hush-hush. I mean, it's tricky stuff.
CAFFERTY: Welcome to "The View."
SERWER: And now I'm going to start to cry.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, five people and a whole bunch of bad habits, the final day of our eight-week "New You Revolution." They're back here in New York, and we will see in a moment who had the most dramatic turnaround. Sanjay joins us in the next 30 minutes here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 8, 2005 - 07:00 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. A developing story at this hour in Beirut. A massive demonstration under way as thousands of supporters of Syria flood the city streets.
While in Washington, the president with another key speech on terrorism today, expected to take the pressure on Damascus even higher.
And in the Michael Jackson matter, the most graphic testimony to date. One boy's shocking accusations, 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: Good morning. Welcome everybody. Much more on what's happening in Beirut in a few moments. Also ahead, this morning, those beached dolphins in Florida. Rescuers have been working for a week to try to save as many of them as possible. There is a theory, though, that a Navy submarine may have played a role in what's happening there. We'll talk to one of the folks who is leading the rescue, ask him about what he thinks happened.
HEMMER: Also, Sanjay is back here in New York today for the finale of the "New You Revolution," eight weeks, five people, trying to break a variety of bad habits. They run the gamut this year too. And we've watched them every step of the way. And today, we'll watch them cross the finish line. Let you know how they finish a bit later this hour, too.
O'BRIEN: It will be interesting to see what the biggest obstacles were, and if they were able to overcome them.
Good morning Mr. Cafferty.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Ms. O'Brien.
Office romances, they happen all the time, but are they appropriate? The CEO of Boeing Aircraft got tossed out of a good job yesterday by the board of directors for a consensual affair with a female colleague. We will take a look at the phenomenon of love in the workplace.
HEMMER: All right, Jack, thanks for that.
First, this developing story from the Middle East, tens of thousands of pro-Syrian demonstrators packing a square in Beirut at this hour. They're the counterpoint to the protesters who have been calling for Syria to get out of Lebanon. President Bush considers what happens in Beirut a critical and immediate test of his policy promoting democracy in the Middle East.
Dana Bash starts our coverage at the White House today.
Dana, good morning to you.
This speech later today is focusing on the Middle East. What's his message this morning?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
That's right. And you mentioned Syria. That will be a central part of the president's speech in about three hours to the National Defense University, and aides say it's not going to be -- don't look for any new policy announcements, but it will be significant for a number of reasons. First of all, you remember during the president's inaugural address, he talked about the need for freedom, for liberty around the world, but he did so in terms of a moral reasons, and even religious reasons.
Notably absent there was the talk of the war on terrorism. Well, today, the president will talk about the need for democracy, particularly in the Middle East, as a way to stop the spread of terrorism, calling it a generational challenge.
Now, a second point about the president's speech later today is that aides say he's been looking for a way to pull a thread through several significant moves recently towards Democratic reform in the Middle East. Aides say that he will talk about the remarkable progress in the region, talk about places like in the Palestinian elections; like a Saudi Arabia, the move perhaps to have women vote there; in Egypt, the move for multiparty elections. And, of course, he'll talk about Lebanon. We've seen demonstrations this morning. The president has been noting almost daily the, perhaps, move from within towards democracy in Lebanon. He will talk about that.
White House aides say that they've been surprised, certainly, about the confluence of events in the Middle East, and although the president is going to talk about it, they say don't expect him to perhaps say that he is vindicated or at least allude to that at all, because this is, perhaps, the extension of some of his policies. They know here that everything that happens in the Middle East is quite volatile and things could change, as we saw this morning again with some pro-Syria demonstrations in Lebanon.
But to that end, bill, as you mentioned earlier, the president will talk about the fact that he sees Syria as perhaps at this point the biggest impediment to momentum towards the democracy in the Middle East. And again, he'll keep the pressure and say no half measures are needed. He will say that Syria must get its troops out of Lebanon -- Bill.
HEMMER: Dana Bash, thanks for that at the White House. We'll look for the speech three hours from now, 10:15 Eastern Time. You'll see it live we're on CNN, when it happens -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Pro-Syrian demonstrators believe that Syrian troops are needed to stabilize Lebanon.
Brent Sadler live for us Beirut.
Brent, good morning to you.
Just give us a sense how big this demonstration is.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
So far, we are seeing very impressive numbers here in downtown Beirut. We're going to pan the camera off now and give you an idea of the scale of the crowd. Already, tens, many tens of thousands strong. They continue to converge on one of Beirut's main squares in the downtown city area. It's been like this building for the past couple hours.
This may turn out to be a demonstration that actually outnumbers the anti-Syrian protests that we've seeing going on for the past three weeks since the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri three weeks ago.
Now what we're seeing in the crowd is not only pro-Syrian support. Swing to my right now so you get a full idea of the numbers here. Not just pro-Syrian support, but also denunciations of many of the slogans these are carrying. This rally was called by Hezbollah, the Islamic resistance group that the United States labels a terrorist organization. This is a show of Shia Muslim support called by Hezbollah to confront the United States policy, they say, vis-a-vis Syria's relationship with Lebanon.
We're seeing in the crowd signs that say "America is the mother of all our troubles," referring to the situation here in the Middle East. So that gives you an idea of the anti-American, pro-Syrian fervor that's now here taking place in the heart of downtown Beirut -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, Brent, the pictures really are quite remarkable. Question, though, how the demonstrations could affect the troop pullback plan.
SADLER: Well, we know that the two leaders of Lebanon and Syria agreed a two-phase withdrawal, the first to be completed by the end of this month. But no Syrian troops have been committed to actually leave the country so far. There are some within the opposition saying that Syria has been busing unknown numbers of people across the border, because today marks an important day in Syria's own calendar. That is Syria's National Baath Party Day. Lebanese opposition leaders say it's a celebration that should be taking place in Syria, not Lebanon. You're not seeing this as a pro-democracy march, you're seeing this as a pro-Syrian, anti-American rally.
O'BRIEN: Brent Sadler is in Beirut this morning.
Brent, thank you -- Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, Italy's foreign minister is demanding, quote, "truth and justice" and wants the United States to, quote, "punish and identify" those responsible for killing Rome's top intelligence agent in Iraq.
Nicola Calipari and freed Italian hostage the journalist Giuliana Sgrena were en route to the Baghdad airport on Friday night, in the dark when U.S. troops opened fire on the car. U.S. soldiers at the roadside checkpoint blame the shootings on a lack of communication.
The mayor of Baghdad is Alaa Al-Tamimi. He's visiting Washington today, trying to raise more money for his city. I asked him about his version of this incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAA AL-TAMIMI, BAGHDAD MAYOR: First of all, I am sorry about what's happening to the journalist and really, we are very pleased to liberate her with others Italian.
But what happened really is understandable, because normally at the airport road, there is good signs to stop, and especially when we arrived at the airport. So I don't know what happened, but really, the driver of the car should know that there is the sign to stop.
HEMMER: You have said before that I don't believe the Americans would shoot for nothing. Has that been your experience?
AL-TAMIMI: I didn't say that this is exactly, but you know we are in war. Sometimes some soldiers are very sensitive to any movement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That's the mayor from Baghdad. We spoke earlier today. Next hour, more on what he considers the critical point for moving Baghdad forward, also get a sense of what the Iraqis are feeling on the streets of Baghdad. We'll get that next hour.
Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: The younger brother of Michael Jackson's accuser returns to the witness stand yesterday after jurors heard some graphic, eyewitness testimony at Jackson's child-molestation trial. A warning, this report may not be considered acceptable for some viewers. We've got more now from CNN's Miguel Marquez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUESTION: Michael, how did you feel hearing the allegations?
MICHAEL JACKSON, ENTERTAINER: I'm sorry, I'm under gag order.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Jackson answered no questions, after the brother of his accuser testified that he saw Jackson molest his then 13-year-old brother twice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My first impression of the witness is one who'S earnest, straightforward.
MARQUEZ: The high school freshman told prosecutors that he walked in on the pop star and his brother in Jackson's bedroom. The boy alleged Jackson's left hand was in his brother's pants while he was pleasuring himself with his right hand.
JIM HAMMER, LEGAL ANALYST: The part that he was haziest on, that caused me some problem, was on what he said he saw at the time of the two alleged molestations. He seemed pretty hazy on the clothing description.
MARQUEZ: The 14-year-old testified that Jackson showed them sexual explicit magazines, and that on one occasion, while both brothers were in the pop star's bedroom, Jackson walked in naked and aroused and told them, "It's only natural."
The boy also testified that Jackson encouraged drinking at Neverland by turning into it a game. The allegation, the pop star and the boys would make crank calls. If the number dialed didn't work, then the caller had to drink. The prosecution contends Jackson got his victim drunk and then molested him.
HAMMER: On the molestation, the heart of that case comes down to the testimony of the alleged victim in this case. I think at this pace, the jury's going to see him in a couple of days.
MARQUEZ (on camera): Cross-examination of the accuser's brother is expected to start later today.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Earlier on Monday, defense attorneys finished their cross-examination of the accuser's sister -- Bill.
HEMMER: About 10 minutes past the hour now. It is the end of an era at CBS news; 73-year-old anchor Dan Rather steps down officially from the CBS Evening News tomorrow night. That is 24 years to the day after taking over for Walter Cronkite.
Even with a new era at hand for CBS News, Cronkite now wondering out loud why it did not begin earlier, that new era. He spoke with Wolf Blitzer here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER CRONKITE, AUTHOR, "MEMOIRS: A REPORTER'S LIFE": It surprised quite a few people at CBS and elsewhere that without being able to pull up the ratings, beyond third in a three-man field, that they tolerated his being there for so long.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: So you would have been happy if Bob Schieffer would have replaced Dan Rather a while ago?
CRONKITE: I would have thought so, certainly; if not Bob, someone else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Sixty-eight-year-old Bob Schieffer begins anchoring that broadcast on Thursday. Cbs says that is on an interim basis.
O'BRIEN: I got to say, that's kind of cold for your colleagues.
HEMMER: Friends like these, huh?
O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, we're going to try and sort out what's happening in a Texas town today. A nightclub catches fire. Police are caught making jokes about it. There are charges of racism. We'll talk to the police chief for his view, in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: Also, this a mystery in the Florida Keys. You're looking at a live picture. Dozens of dolphins have been beached, and they are dying along the shore. What exactly is behind it? A report ahead.
HEMMER: Also, the grand finale is ahead of the "New You Revolution." Sanjay stops by, tells us who came closest to their goal, when we continue here in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Investigators are trying to find our what caused almost 70 dolphins to beach themselves off the Florida Keys. Nearly two dozen have died since last week. Experts are conducting tests to determine just what caused their deaths. Rescue workers and volunteers are fighting to keep the remaining dolphins alive.
Joining us this morning from Key Largo in Florida is Lloyd Brown. He's the vice president of the Marine Mammal Conservancy.
Nice to see you, Mr. Brown. Thank you for your time this morning.
Give me a sense of exactly how those dolphins that have survived are doing. What's their condition?
LLOYD BROWN, V.P., MARINE MAMMAL CONSERVANCY: Well, most of the ones that we have here behind me right now are mostly stable. We still have one or two whose condition is guarded. We have three animals in isolation. But I think the ones that we have behind me are -- stand a good chance of rehabilitation for eventual release.
O'BRIEN: That's a little good news to report in all of this. As you well know, there's some speculation that possibly sonar from a Navy sub may be related to what caused all these dolphins to beach themselves.
Let me read to you a statement from the Naval submarine forces. Here's what they said, "The cause of the strandings is not known. Every effort will be taken between the federal agencies to determine what may have caused the strandings. The U.S. Navy takes its role as a good steward of the seas very seriously. Navy peacetime organizations and training events are designed to fully comply with U.S. environmental laws and regulations."
Essentially saying they don't exactly know what happened either. What do you think is the cause?
BROWN: At this point, we still don't know exactly what the cause is. We have diagnostic tests being conducted on all of the animals to try and determine what we might find. We've also done necropsies on those that have already died to see what we might find in the body of those animals, to see if there is any damage.
We don't have proof of anything at this time. What we do know is that we have animals who need to be cared for, and that's what we're focusing our efforts on right now.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I would imagine, an important focus.
What exactly, though, can sonar do to a dolphin? What evidence do you have of that?
BROWN: Sonar would cause the same type of injury as you would suffer standing next to a very loud explosion. It's a force of acoustic energy, and it would implode your eardrums. It could seriously damage your internal organs just from the shock of it.
O'BRIEN: Really. Wow. If it's not sonar, though, then what other hypothesis are you looking at this morning?
BROWN: Could be any manner of bacterial or viral infection. It could be anything from -- we don't believe it's a toxic waste spill, but it could be any kind of exposure to hazardous materials. The initial blood work showed dehydration, which is common in any stranding, and an elevated white cell count. The white cell count indicates there's an infection present. We're now working to determine exactly what that infection is. We can then try to develop a course of action to fight that infection and eventually release these guys back to the wild.
O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of why you don't push them back into the water. I know that that's sometimes a strategy for whales and other strandings, but I know that's not your strategy. Why not?
BROWN: Well, our strategy is to solve the problem. Pushing them back out into the water really doesn't solve the problem. It doesn't even address the issue. If you push them back out, basically, all you've done is you have a free-swimming animal who has already expressed some kind of problem.
We want to bring the animals in. We want to treat the entire pod, not just individuals. The pod's social dynamics are very important to the individual survival. So we want to treat the entire pod, get them all well and release them all together at the same time.
O'BRIEN: We are certainly rooting for you guys to do that successfully.
BROWN: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Lloyd Brown, vice president of the Marine Mammal Conservancy, thank you for talking with us this morning. I know you've got a busy day ahead of you. We appreciate it -- Bill.
BROWN: Thank you.
HEMMER: At the age of 42, six years removed from his last Major League Baseball game, Darryl Strawberry, a bit of a comeback in Florida, suited up with a Mets uniform on Monday, the first time in 15 years. Have to go to 1990 to see him wearing Met blue. Strawberry's returning to the team that launched his career as a spring training instructor. He's also working to set an example for younger players.
Here's the Straw:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARRYL STRAWBERRY, N.Y. METS SPECIAL INSTRUCTOR: I really just hope to come here and just let guys know, you know, that winning is everything, and you know, stress the point of winning to some of the players and, you know, don't really try to interfere when with what they have to do, because they have to do their work and stuff and stay focused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Strawberry's once brilliant career derailed by substance abuse, and he's also survived two bouts with cancer. He has lived a life -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Martha Stewart gets back to business. Employees find out her appearance wasn't the only thing that got an overhaul. Andy explains, when he "Minds Your Business," just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. Martha Stewart addressing the troops yesterday in a manner of speaking. Back at work here in New York.
Andy Serwer, first check, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning to you.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Quick, the event yesterday. I don't know if you watched Martha live coming back to work, you know, and it really was very much of an orchestrated P.R. event, I have to say, just like everything else, or almost everything else, she's done since she's gotten out of prison on Friday. Instead of meeting privately with employees to talk about strategy and how she was going to bring the company back, she invited cameras in and spoke to them while cameras rolled and in front of the world.
And you can see there the reason the camera panned up from her ankle, of course, was to show that she was not wearing her electronic ankle bracelet -- more, that she's not wearing the electronic ankle bracelet yet. And, you know, that poncho that she was wearing on Friday night, she brought that in and explained to the employees this was not a designer poncho, no, no, no, it was crocheted by a fellow inmate who gave to it her to wear for her release, and she said, I hope she's watching, because I'm so very proud of her. It's a little saccharine if you ask me, but that's just my take.
HEMMER: But the truth is she needs to resuscitate that company. They've been losing millions.
SERWER: She does. And I think it's legitimate for her to go to work and talk to her employees. I just sort of resent the fact that it's a public spectacle.
The electronic ankle bracelet, she had 72 hours since her release to get that thing attached. So it's very likely that the next time we see her, she will be wearing pants.
O'BRIEN: Makes sense why she suddenly held this meeting with her employees and had tape rolling so that you wouldn't have the shot with the ankle bracelet.
SERWER: With the skirt, and the dress and the suit.
O'BRIEN: She looks good, though.
SERWER: She does look good.
O'BRIEN: She lost a little weight.
SERWER: Yes, maybe I'm just jealous, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I hear you. Too much Martha, I'm with you on that one.
Question of the Day?
CAFFERTY: She looks marvelous.
O'BRIEN: She does.
CAFFERTY: Oh, give me a break.
Are office romances bad for business? The guy who ran Boeing Aircraft, a fellow named Harry Stonecipher got tossed right out on his carne (ph), because it came to light that he was having a little fling, consensual though it was reportedly, with a female executive at the same company. Boeing said the little affair violated the company's ethical code of conduct.
Companies are increasingly pressured these days by lawsuits that often result from office affairs, especially high-level relationships that might affect a public company financially. Passage of ethics laws like Sarbanes-Oxley has put further pressure on companies to clamp down on office improprieties. But with people spend more and more time in the office, it's not easy.
According to a survey of employers by Career Publisher Vault, 58 percent of Americans said they have been involved with a coworker. And 22 percent said they met their spouse or significant other at work.
Here's the question, are office romances acceptable? Am@CNN.com.
HEMMER: There's one person in this particular group here that has very acute experience with this particular subject.
SERWER: Yes, I have some intelligence. Yes, I'm going to confess. I had an affair with a woman at work. I wasn't married, and neither was she, and we ended up getting married. I met my wife at work, OK? But we did have to keep it hush-hush. I mean, it's tricky stuff.
CAFFERTY: Welcome to "The View."
SERWER: And now I'm going to start to cry.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, five people and a whole bunch of bad habits, the final day of our eight-week "New You Revolution." They're back here in New York, and we will see in a moment who had the most dramatic turnaround. Sanjay joins us in the next 30 minutes here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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