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American Morning
Madrid Bombings Mystery; NYPD Mobsters?; Dog Snarls Interstate
Aired March 11, 2005 - 07:29 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: Is it supposed to snow in mid-March?
O'BRIEN: I was thinking the same thing. No, no, no!
HEMMER: Hopefully just a few hours of it. Good morning, everybody on a Friday morning. It's 7:30 here in New York.
It is a very somber day today in Spain. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the deadly Madrid train bombings from March 11 a year ago. Many suggest that that date was Spain's own 9/11. How then has life changed since the attacks? We'll look into that in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, a story straight out of a mob movie. Two ex-New York City cops to be arraigned today. Authorities say they led double lives for years. They were hit men for the mob.
HEMMER: Wow! Back to the headlines first. Carol Costello with us here, looking at Iraq for a story.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: This strange, sad story out of Iraq this morning.
"Now in the News."
The U.S. military is now saying at least 50 people are dead after a suicide bombing in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Get this: The bomber attacked a funeral procession. Eighty others were injured, at least 10 of them undergoing treatment at a U.S. military hospital. They are said to be in critical condition.
President Bush is touting his plan to reform Social Security for a second day in the South. In less than three hours, the president is set to speak in Memphis, Tennessee. Facing skepticism over privatized Social Security accounts, the president says he wants to fix the system permanently, not with a -- quote -- "band-aid." He's set to be in northern Louisiana later today.
A new measure making it harder to file for bankruptcy is likely to become law this spring. The Senate approved the legislation in a 74-25 vote. Seen as a victory for banking and credit card industries and for President Bush, who championed on behalf of the bill. The House is expected to give its OK next month.
And a million-dollar offer in the right-to-die case involving a severely brain-damaged woman in Florida. The offer coming from a California man who wants Terri Schiavo's husband, Michael, to keep her feeding tube intact. Without intervention, the tube will be removed on March 18. The million-dollar offer expires on Monday. Michael Schiavo's lawyer says his client will reject the offer. He's absolutely not interested.
O'BRIEN: They've offered money before. But, you know, he has said that it's not about money to keep her alive, but it's a moral issue for him; that that's what he says his wife wanted.
COSTELLO: Right, exactly. His wife wanted to die.
O'BRIEN: It's kind of the whole debate.
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.
Well, it's one year to the day since bombs aboard four commuter trains in Spain killed 191 people, injured more than 1,500 others. A day of mourning across Spain today as bells tolled in memory of the dead. But the question of who actually ordered the attacks still remains a mystery.
CNN's Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman at a station where the bombings took place.
Good morning to you -- Al.
AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Soledad.
Well, I'm at the Atocha train station, which took the brunt of the casualties in this attack one year ago today that killed 191 people. Of the four trains that were bombed, one was right here in this station, down here on track No. 2. One was just outside the station. The other two were down the line.
A lot of remembrance here this day in the Atocha station, in Madrid and across Spain. In the middle of the day after that morning bell ringing, there was silence across the country. At noon local time, five minutes of silence.
And in the main park near here, the king of Spain and other dignitaries inaugurated the Forest of the Absent, one tree for each of the people who was killed.
Now, in the year since the bombing, authorities have learned a lot about the investigation. Seventy-four people have been charged, but there are still some questions that remain. Here is our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOODMAN (voice over): Spanish authorities mainly blame Islamic terrorists for the Madrid train bombings last March 11. There were claims of responsibility in the name of al Qaeda, and many clues gleaned from a cell phone-activated bomb that did not explode. FLORENTINO PORTERO, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: I believe (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we can confirm that this is part of the global al Qaeda network.
GOODMAN: Many of the 74 suspects charged in the case lived in Spain, but were originally from Morocco. Key suspects in jail: the Moroccan on the left and the Syrian on the right. Witnesses say they saw them near the trains. Both say they are innocent.
Seven other prime suspects from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria are dead. They blew themselves up here three weeks after the train bombings as police raided their suburban Madrid hideout.
Police say explosives used in the attack were stolen from this mine with the help of Spaniards, like this jailed suspect, who told the court he didn't know what the explosives were being used for.
Police know the bombs were assembled at this rural house near the station, where at least 10 terrorists boarded the trains. But some big questions remain about the bombings.
GUSTAVO DE ARISTEGUI, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: We still don't know who ordered them. Who inspired them? Yes. But not who carried them out also. But who cooperated? No. What kind of connection do they have? No. And who ordered the attacks? No.
GOODMAN: Police are still looking for some prime suspects, like this Moroccan. The judge in charge of the investigation was there from day one and recently made a solemn vow at a rare speaking engagement.
JUAN DEL OLMO, INVESTIGATING MAGISTRATE (through translator): Justice will provide many answers. Don't doubt it. All of us working together will achieve that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOODMAN: An ominous note on this day of remembrance, Soledad. Officials here in Spain elsewhere in Europe say that Spain and Europe remain very much under threat from Islamic terrorists -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman for us this morning. Thank you -- Bill.
HEMMER: Here in New York City, two retired police detectives will appear in court, this time on the other side of the law. They are accused of working as hit men for the mob, kidnapping and killing rival mobsters.
Aaron Brown has our story this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was Jimmy and Tommy and me and there was Anthony Stabile (ph).
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): In every good gangster movie, you notice the characters first.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then there was Moe Black's (ph) brother, Fat Andy.
BROWN: Louis Eppolito to you; back then Detective Louis Eppolito.
ROSLYNN MAUSKOPF, U.S. ATTORNEY, NEW YORK: In a stunning betrayal of their shields, their colleagues and the citizens they were sworn to protect, Louie Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa secretly worked on the payroll of the mob while they were members of the NYPD.
BROWN: And according to a 27-page indictment, the job description included kidnapping and 10 murders or attempted murders. The detectives, the government says, were hit men.
MAUSKOPF: Beginning in the early 1980s and for many years thereafter, Eppolito and Caracappa used the confidential files of the NYPD as their personal yellow pages. They funneled to members and associates of the Luchese crime family the identities of actual or suspected informants, witnesses, ongoing wiretaps and surveillance operations.
BROWN: Big names, including Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, whom the detectives allegedly tried to kill. And in a scene straight out of "Goodfellas," an associate of Gravano's outfit bundled into the trunk of a car, never to be seen again.
MAUSKOPF: All told, the numbers are staggering. Eppolito and Caracappa are charged for their roles in eight murders, two attempted murders and one murder conspiracy. Five were committed while both men were cops. All of them committed while Caracappa was on the job.
BROWN: They're both now retired from the force. The actor, also an author of "Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family was the mob."
Aaron Brown, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And here's another twist for you. Both officers arrested on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. They have been living there since their retirement back in the early '90's. Wow! Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Another look at the weather now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Don't be surprised to pull up to a drive-thru McDonald's here in New York and find out you're speaking to someone hundreds of miles away. Andy explains that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, the 90-second poppers weigh in on Michael Jackson's bizarre outfit in court. Are those pajamas? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: In New York, what you might call a high-speed dog chase, a white poodle named Snoopy on the loose in rush hour traffic on a busy highway.
CNN's Heidi Collins takes us through it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): You could call it a traffic-snarling incident. A very confused poodle running loose in New York's rush hour traffic. A nightmare scenario on the major Deegan Expressway through the Bronx. Nightmare for the poodle and commuters -- as the dog repeatedly dodged death across three lanes in of out of traffic.
It wasn't exactly a high-speed car chase; nonetheless, local news choppers hovered overhead, catching every moment of the drama.
Local news anchors couldn't turn away. The dog did try to jump over a barrier and get out of the danger zone, but he was a little too small, or the barrier a little too big.
So, instead, he turned back into traffic, again, causing motorists to slam on their breaks. One person opened his car door, but the dog went the other way.
Who would save the poodle? The police arrive, but the sirens scare the dog. Then, New York's finest run a classic rolling road block. The dog is cornered, Then nearly gets away again.
In the end, it was the lady cops who finally managed to corral him and whisk him away.
Heidi Collins, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Wow!
O'BRIEN: Oh, that is riveting. Snoopy is now with his family. They say he didn't even -- they didn't even realize he was gone until they heard about all of that massive media coverage Snoopy's getaway on TV. They saw it, I guess, on TV. Isn't that terrible?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I'm glad there was a happy ending there.
O'BRIEN: Poor dog!
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Can you imagine turning on the TV...
O'BRIEN: And there's your dog.
CAFFERTY: ... and there's the dog that's left the yard and running down the major Deegan?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: That was a...
O'BRIEN: And some close calls, too, for that little puppy.
SERWER: Oh, yes. Almost like a pinball.
HEMMER: Very.
O'BRIEN: But you're right. I wonder why people didn't jump out and help.
CAFFERTY: Yes. Wouldn't you think somebody would stop and put him in the car? I guess the one person tried, but it went the other way.
O'BRIEN: Tried.
SERWER: It's dangerous to do that.
CAFFERTY: Some telling video.
O'BRIEN: And a happy ending, which is what we like.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Hey, Jack, do you want to talk about Michael Jackson?
CAFFERTY: Yes, I do.
O'BRIEN: Want to rant about Michael Jackson?
SERWER: Actually, he does.
CAFFERTY: No, no, but we're going to try this again, because the first time we tried to do it, it was a bigger train wreck than that dog on the major Deegan. So here we go again.
Michael Jackson is making a mockery of his trial for sexually molesting little boys. It started last year when he thought it was appropriate to be late for his arraignment, and then afterwards get up on top of his car and dance. It's pretty grown-up stuff, don't you think?
Now switch ahead to yesterday. The little boy who has accused him of sexually molesting on the witness stand testifying in case that could send you to prison, Jackson saunters into court more than an hour and half late wearing his pajama bottoms, complaining of back pain. His back was so sore that at one point he was able to whip around and wave to all his fans, with his back pain.
Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville is showing remarkable patience in all of this. At one point yesterday, he issued an arrest warrant for Jackson and threatened to revoke his bail. But he changed his mind and allowed Jackson to embarrass himself and embarrass and mock the court and mock the jury and, most of all, mock his alleged victim.
The question is this: Should Jackson's bail be revoked? We are getting, as you might expect, a rather large number of letters on this subject.
Sheila in Ohio writes: "Absolutely he should have been jailed. That was the worst job of malingering I've seen. I did a better job of looking like I was suffering when I tried to get out of going to school in the fifth grade."
D.W. in California writes: "No, it should not be revoked. My sense is that he is highly fragile mentally, and that putting him prison would push him over the edge. It would not be setting a precedent to cut him a little slack. There's only one like him."
Mercifully.
Rick in Nova Scotia writes: "If showing up late for court while wearing pajamas is not contempt of court, I would like the judge to explain what is. Jackson showed the entire world that the judicial system doesn't even deserve his time or effort."
Jose in Texas writes: "The judge showed that he has no teeth. If he issued an ultimatum and it wasn't met, then some sort of sanctions should have been imposed."
And Wistar in Georgia writes: "No, the pajama entrance was worth the wait. And since it's Friday, how do you get the name Jacko?"
I really don't know. Do you?
HEMMER: No.
SERWER: What happens...
HEMMER: The bail is 3 million, though, right?
SERWER: Yes. And what happens if someone ordinary guy was accused of stealing a car comes to court an hour late wearing pajamas? Boom.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: He's in jail.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: He's in jail.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Right. But I think the judge sort of gave the timeline. And I think actually -- because he missed it by about three minutes -- that if a regular guy stole a car and came to court, they probably would give a three-minute leeway.
CAFFERTY: No, he was an hour and a half late.
O'BRIEN: That wouldn't be a big problem.
SERWER: He was in pajamas.
O'BRIEN: Oh, an hour and a half late overall. But when the judge said that he would revoke the bail if he missed this time deadline that was actually three minutes.
HEMMER: Listen, he got two strikes. He gets on more.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: And he's going to really hit hard.
"IN THE MONEY," quickly, do we have time or not?
CAFFERTY: Now, why is he named Jacko? Nobody knows.
SERWER: We'll find out.
O'BRIEN: I don't know.
CAFFERTY: In the same week that the Senate refused to increase the minimum wage, it also passed a bill making it harder to declare bankruptcy. We're going to talk this on "IN THE MONEY" with Thomas Frank, who has written a book called, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" It's all about how both Republicans and Democrats in this country are abandoning the lower middle class. "IN THE MONEY" airs Saturdays at 1:00, Sundays at 3:00. My kid's in college. I need the tuition money. Please watch. Get a neighbor. Watch with a neighbor.
HEMMER: We will be there. Thank you, Jack.
McDonalds is looking to make fast food even faster. In fact, a type of outsourcing for your next order. Here's Andy Serwer on this.
Good morning.
SERWER: Good morning. I don't have any Jacko footage, but I've got some pizza footage here.
First of all, we're going to start with Bernie Ebbers. Yesterday was pizza day for the jurors. Remember this? We told you they were going to order -- this is footage of the actual pizza, Jack, being delivered to the actual courtroom. OK, we don't have a whole lot going on here. Day six for the Ebbers trial. We don't have a verdict yet. But you know what? They say Friday is verdict day, because the jurors want to get this thing done.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
SERWER: It's amazing. The biggest corporate fraud in history and they're just hashing this thing out. OK.
If you are in North Dakota and you have a South Carolina accent respond to you at the drive-in at McDonalds it's because the company is finally fessing up. Yes, they're going to be outsourcing the drive-ins to other states. No, they're not outsourcing to India -- yet. That's a joke. They haven't said they're going to do that. But it's interesting. It's so...
CAFFERTY: So there won't be anybody there on the other end of the voice box?
SERWER: Well, there's got to be someone there. Maybe it's Robuss (ph).
CAFFERTY: They won't be in that McDonalds.
SERWER: No.
CAFFERTY: It will be like...
SERWER: No, it's somewhere else in another part of the country.
HEMMER: Who do you complain to?
SERWER: The third state. A third state.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
Another jury is out. Robert Blake's trial, too, on a Friday, too. So, we'll watch that.
SERWER: Yes.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Verdict day. We'll see.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Well, there's a new public service announcement to teach kids tolerance, but some say it could make kids gay. We're going to find out what all of the fuss is about ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Oh, that was such a great album, wasn't it? And then the drama of the last few days. Welcome back, everybody. It's time for "90-Second Pop" for a Friday. Our panel of pop stars. Karyn Bryant, she's the co-host of headline prime show, "Showbiz Tonight." B.J. Sigesmund from "Us Weekly." And Carol Costello. Good morning. Nice to have you. OK.
COSTELLO: You know, I'm only here because Toure -- there was something wrong with his hair and he refused to appear.
O'BRIEN: Well, until he works that out, we are so happy to have you. Let's get right to it. We've got to start with M.J., Michael Jackson, the drama...
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... the circus, the craziness.
SIGESMUND: M.J. in his PJ's.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
SIGESMUND: Right? Well, the judge has taken a hard line obviously and said, you know, there will be no nonsense. No more nonsense than we need to have in this trial.
Yesterday at 8:30 a.m. California time, the judge heard from Michael Jackson's lawyer that the guy had had a fall overnight and was in the hospital with back pain. And the judge was, like, he needs to be here in one hour. So...
O'BRIEN: Or I'll revoke his bail...
SIGESMUND: Yes, exactly.
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST, CNN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Right.
O'BRIEN: ... and put him in jail.
BRYANT: And put him in jail.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And that seemed to get the ball rolling.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
BRYANT: Yes.
SIGESMUND: So that's...
BRYANT: But not enough to get slacks on.
O'BRIEN: What was that about?
BRYANT: I don't know.
O'BRIEN: I mean, you know...
SIGESMUND: Within 10 minutes he was in his SUV, riding shotgun, 90 miles an hour down Highway 101 to get to court.
O'BRIEN: I'm with you, but why not have an assistant to an assistant...
BRYANT: Right.
O'BRIEN: ... to a third assistant run to Kmart and get some slacks?
COSTELLO: Because I think he wanted people to feel sorry for him. But I must say, Soledad, that in some weird way he looked better today than he has with his other...
O'BRIEN: Do you think?
COSTELLO: Yes.
SIGESMUND: Well, I was...
COSTELLO: He looked more normal, because his hair wasn't plastered and he didn't have quite so much makeup on.
BRYANT: Well, you'll notice, there's a whole -- did you see the "Daily News" today? It's a whole thing about Michael's wig now is the other big discussion is not only was he wearing pajamas, but his wig was off kilter.
SIGESMUND: Right. They're supposedly extensions...
BRYANT: I mean, before...
SIGESMUND: ... and things like that. It's not all real hair.
BRYANT: I think it's sad. I think it's really sad. Like, they're saying that he was such a great musician. He had so many great songs. It's sad and tragic what is happening to him. I just think that the whole undoing, you know, is really sad.
SIGESMUND: But he's making it worse by allowing things like this to happen. You know, he should not have rolled in there, like, looking like he had just fallen out of bed.
O'BRIEN: Just bizarre.
SIGESMUND: It's terrible.
O'BRIEN: And you know what? I've got to predict that we're going to see more of this.
BRYANT: Yes.
O'BRIEN: I don't know what it's going to be.
BRYANT: It's not getting better.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
BRYANT: No. O'BRIEN: More drama. A public service announcement involving SpongeBob and some other cartoon characters. Let's watch a little bit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): We are family. Get up everybody and sing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Clap your hands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Having just begun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: We are family.
COSTELLO: I can't explain the controversy after watching this, because, you know, a very conservative group came out and said that this kind of promotes gay life. This is around all the schools and it's teaching our kids to accept gay people, and they have a problem with that.
SIGESMUND: The thing is, there's always been this sort of in- joke in the media that SpongeBob is gay. So, SpongeBob has gotten caught up in this huge debate that has nothing to do with SpongeBob, which is about teaching tolerance toward homosexuality in elementary school, which is a cultural moral and religious debate that's much bigger than SpongeBob.
O'BRIEN: Why is it focusing on SpongeBob? Because you saw there, Dora The Explorer...
BRYANT: Because he holds his friend's hand, and that's why. Patrick, right?
COSTELLO: Have you seen Patrick? He's pinkish, and they hold hands a lot.
(CROSSTALK)
BRYANT: But it's a cartoon. I'm not...
O'BRIEN: And he's a sponge.
BRYANT: He's a sponge.
O'BRIEN: He's not a person.
BRYANT: I don't understand why people are so freaked out about a cartoon saying be nice to the guy sitting next to you. Like, the whole drama about it is unbelievable to me.
SIGESMUND: Right. If SpongeBob weren't in this, though, this group would not have a way in. Having SpongeBob in there teaching tolerance is a way to say, oh, they are, you know, teaching pro- homosexuality.
O'BRIEN: OK. Continuing with the world of the bizarre. No, this one actually is...
BRYANT: Don't you mess with my "Star Wars."
O'BRIEN: I'm so loving "Star Wars." Remember the lines for the original way back -- she yawned.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Break them up, B.J.
COSTELLO: I am so over "Star Wars."
BRYANT: How are you over "Star Wars?" It hasn't opened yet.
COSTELLO: Because the last movie stunk.
BRYANT: No. The last one was setting the stage for the great undoing. He is going to the dark side. This is going to be phenomenal. The trailer, I think, looked amazing.
O'BRIEN: Because that's what was released in the middle of the "O.C."...
BRYANT: Right.
O'BRIEN: ... for some reason.
BRYANT: Right, right, right.
O'BRIEN: They run the trailer. The movie is not out until the middle of May.
COSTELLO: Not until May.
BRYANT: Right, right.
SIGESMUND: Well, the "O.C" is the exact audience they want for "Star Wars III."
O'BRIEN: Right.
SIGESMUND: The "O.C." has all of the young viewers.
O'BRIEN: That was 20 years ago.
SIGESMUND: Back in the day.
BRYANT: I know.
COSTELLO: That doesn't make sense to me. Those people weren't even born yet when the first "Star Wars" came out.
BRYANT: I know, but they're tuning in for Hayden Christensen and for Natalie Portman. The "O.C." audience is the one who will tune in for that. But this is the one we've been waiting for. How does Annigan (ph) go to the dark side? What happens? I mean, this is -- I have "Star Wars" ornaments on my Christmas tree. I'm getting up right now. I'm telling you, I've been to midnight screenings of the movie on the first night.
SIGESMUND: You're getting in line right after "90-Second Pop".
BRYANT: I'm down. I'm down. And I think it's going to be fantastic. I think, you know, you can't compare it to the love that we have for the original. That one obviously holds such a high place in my...
O'BRIEN: We'll see if it's any good, because, I've got to tell you, I love "Star Wars." I've got to agree with Carol on how some of them...
SIGESMUND: Yes.
COSTELLO: I actually fell asleep. I fell asleep in the first one.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BRYANT: That was very unfortunate.
O'BRIEN: You know what? You guys are going to have to argue it out in the break, because we're out of time. As always, thank you very much. Carol, thanks for helping us out. We appreciate it.
We want to mention also that you can catch Karyn and her co-host, A.J. Hammer, on "Showbiz Tonight." That's weeknights at 7:00 p.m. on "HEADLINE NEWS PRIME." Thanks, guys -- Bill.
HEMMER: I'm not A.J., by the way. Carol, well done.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
HEMMER: Carol Costello. A star is born.
Top stories in a moment here. Plus, think twice about what you pack the next time you fly. Checking bags could cost you soon. Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired March 11, 2005 - 07:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Is it supposed to snow in mid-March?
O'BRIEN: I was thinking the same thing. No, no, no!
HEMMER: Hopefully just a few hours of it. Good morning, everybody on a Friday morning. It's 7:30 here in New York.
It is a very somber day today in Spain. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the deadly Madrid train bombings from March 11 a year ago. Many suggest that that date was Spain's own 9/11. How then has life changed since the attacks? We'll look into that in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, a story straight out of a mob movie. Two ex-New York City cops to be arraigned today. Authorities say they led double lives for years. They were hit men for the mob.
HEMMER: Wow! Back to the headlines first. Carol Costello with us here, looking at Iraq for a story.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: This strange, sad story out of Iraq this morning.
"Now in the News."
The U.S. military is now saying at least 50 people are dead after a suicide bombing in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Get this: The bomber attacked a funeral procession. Eighty others were injured, at least 10 of them undergoing treatment at a U.S. military hospital. They are said to be in critical condition.
President Bush is touting his plan to reform Social Security for a second day in the South. In less than three hours, the president is set to speak in Memphis, Tennessee. Facing skepticism over privatized Social Security accounts, the president says he wants to fix the system permanently, not with a -- quote -- "band-aid." He's set to be in northern Louisiana later today.
A new measure making it harder to file for bankruptcy is likely to become law this spring. The Senate approved the legislation in a 74-25 vote. Seen as a victory for banking and credit card industries and for President Bush, who championed on behalf of the bill. The House is expected to give its OK next month.
And a million-dollar offer in the right-to-die case involving a severely brain-damaged woman in Florida. The offer coming from a California man who wants Terri Schiavo's husband, Michael, to keep her feeding tube intact. Without intervention, the tube will be removed on March 18. The million-dollar offer expires on Monday. Michael Schiavo's lawyer says his client will reject the offer. He's absolutely not interested.
O'BRIEN: They've offered money before. But, you know, he has said that it's not about money to keep her alive, but it's a moral issue for him; that that's what he says his wife wanted.
COSTELLO: Right, exactly. His wife wanted to die.
O'BRIEN: It's kind of the whole debate.
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.
Well, it's one year to the day since bombs aboard four commuter trains in Spain killed 191 people, injured more than 1,500 others. A day of mourning across Spain today as bells tolled in memory of the dead. But the question of who actually ordered the attacks still remains a mystery.
CNN's Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman at a station where the bombings took place.
Good morning to you -- Al.
AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Soledad.
Well, I'm at the Atocha train station, which took the brunt of the casualties in this attack one year ago today that killed 191 people. Of the four trains that were bombed, one was right here in this station, down here on track No. 2. One was just outside the station. The other two were down the line.
A lot of remembrance here this day in the Atocha station, in Madrid and across Spain. In the middle of the day after that morning bell ringing, there was silence across the country. At noon local time, five minutes of silence.
And in the main park near here, the king of Spain and other dignitaries inaugurated the Forest of the Absent, one tree for each of the people who was killed.
Now, in the year since the bombing, authorities have learned a lot about the investigation. Seventy-four people have been charged, but there are still some questions that remain. Here is our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOODMAN (voice over): Spanish authorities mainly blame Islamic terrorists for the Madrid train bombings last March 11. There were claims of responsibility in the name of al Qaeda, and many clues gleaned from a cell phone-activated bomb that did not explode. FLORENTINO PORTERO, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: I believe (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we can confirm that this is part of the global al Qaeda network.
GOODMAN: Many of the 74 suspects charged in the case lived in Spain, but were originally from Morocco. Key suspects in jail: the Moroccan on the left and the Syrian on the right. Witnesses say they saw them near the trains. Both say they are innocent.
Seven other prime suspects from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria are dead. They blew themselves up here three weeks after the train bombings as police raided their suburban Madrid hideout.
Police say explosives used in the attack were stolen from this mine with the help of Spaniards, like this jailed suspect, who told the court he didn't know what the explosives were being used for.
Police know the bombs were assembled at this rural house near the station, where at least 10 terrorists boarded the trains. But some big questions remain about the bombings.
GUSTAVO DE ARISTEGUI, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: We still don't know who ordered them. Who inspired them? Yes. But not who carried them out also. But who cooperated? No. What kind of connection do they have? No. And who ordered the attacks? No.
GOODMAN: Police are still looking for some prime suspects, like this Moroccan. The judge in charge of the investigation was there from day one and recently made a solemn vow at a rare speaking engagement.
JUAN DEL OLMO, INVESTIGATING MAGISTRATE (through translator): Justice will provide many answers. Don't doubt it. All of us working together will achieve that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOODMAN: An ominous note on this day of remembrance, Soledad. Officials here in Spain elsewhere in Europe say that Spain and Europe remain very much under threat from Islamic terrorists -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman for us this morning. Thank you -- Bill.
HEMMER: Here in New York City, two retired police detectives will appear in court, this time on the other side of the law. They are accused of working as hit men for the mob, kidnapping and killing rival mobsters.
Aaron Brown has our story this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was Jimmy and Tommy and me and there was Anthony Stabile (ph).
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): In every good gangster movie, you notice the characters first.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then there was Moe Black's (ph) brother, Fat Andy.
BROWN: Louis Eppolito to you; back then Detective Louis Eppolito.
ROSLYNN MAUSKOPF, U.S. ATTORNEY, NEW YORK: In a stunning betrayal of their shields, their colleagues and the citizens they were sworn to protect, Louie Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa secretly worked on the payroll of the mob while they were members of the NYPD.
BROWN: And according to a 27-page indictment, the job description included kidnapping and 10 murders or attempted murders. The detectives, the government says, were hit men.
MAUSKOPF: Beginning in the early 1980s and for many years thereafter, Eppolito and Caracappa used the confidential files of the NYPD as their personal yellow pages. They funneled to members and associates of the Luchese crime family the identities of actual or suspected informants, witnesses, ongoing wiretaps and surveillance operations.
BROWN: Big names, including Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, whom the detectives allegedly tried to kill. And in a scene straight out of "Goodfellas," an associate of Gravano's outfit bundled into the trunk of a car, never to be seen again.
MAUSKOPF: All told, the numbers are staggering. Eppolito and Caracappa are charged for their roles in eight murders, two attempted murders and one murder conspiracy. Five were committed while both men were cops. All of them committed while Caracappa was on the job.
BROWN: They're both now retired from the force. The actor, also an author of "Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family was the mob."
Aaron Brown, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And here's another twist for you. Both officers arrested on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. They have been living there since their retirement back in the early '90's. Wow! Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Another look at the weather now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Don't be surprised to pull up to a drive-thru McDonald's here in New York and find out you're speaking to someone hundreds of miles away. Andy explains that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, the 90-second poppers weigh in on Michael Jackson's bizarre outfit in court. Are those pajamas? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: In New York, what you might call a high-speed dog chase, a white poodle named Snoopy on the loose in rush hour traffic on a busy highway.
CNN's Heidi Collins takes us through it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): You could call it a traffic-snarling incident. A very confused poodle running loose in New York's rush hour traffic. A nightmare scenario on the major Deegan Expressway through the Bronx. Nightmare for the poodle and commuters -- as the dog repeatedly dodged death across three lanes in of out of traffic.
It wasn't exactly a high-speed car chase; nonetheless, local news choppers hovered overhead, catching every moment of the drama.
Local news anchors couldn't turn away. The dog did try to jump over a barrier and get out of the danger zone, but he was a little too small, or the barrier a little too big.
So, instead, he turned back into traffic, again, causing motorists to slam on their breaks. One person opened his car door, but the dog went the other way.
Who would save the poodle? The police arrive, but the sirens scare the dog. Then, New York's finest run a classic rolling road block. The dog is cornered, Then nearly gets away again.
In the end, it was the lady cops who finally managed to corral him and whisk him away.
Heidi Collins, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Wow!
O'BRIEN: Oh, that is riveting. Snoopy is now with his family. They say he didn't even -- they didn't even realize he was gone until they heard about all of that massive media coverage Snoopy's getaway on TV. They saw it, I guess, on TV. Isn't that terrible?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I'm glad there was a happy ending there.
O'BRIEN: Poor dog!
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Can you imagine turning on the TV...
O'BRIEN: And there's your dog.
CAFFERTY: ... and there's the dog that's left the yard and running down the major Deegan?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: That was a...
O'BRIEN: And some close calls, too, for that little puppy.
SERWER: Oh, yes. Almost like a pinball.
HEMMER: Very.
O'BRIEN: But you're right. I wonder why people didn't jump out and help.
CAFFERTY: Yes. Wouldn't you think somebody would stop and put him in the car? I guess the one person tried, but it went the other way.
O'BRIEN: Tried.
SERWER: It's dangerous to do that.
CAFFERTY: Some telling video.
O'BRIEN: And a happy ending, which is what we like.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Hey, Jack, do you want to talk about Michael Jackson?
CAFFERTY: Yes, I do.
O'BRIEN: Want to rant about Michael Jackson?
SERWER: Actually, he does.
CAFFERTY: No, no, but we're going to try this again, because the first time we tried to do it, it was a bigger train wreck than that dog on the major Deegan. So here we go again.
Michael Jackson is making a mockery of his trial for sexually molesting little boys. It started last year when he thought it was appropriate to be late for his arraignment, and then afterwards get up on top of his car and dance. It's pretty grown-up stuff, don't you think?
Now switch ahead to yesterday. The little boy who has accused him of sexually molesting on the witness stand testifying in case that could send you to prison, Jackson saunters into court more than an hour and half late wearing his pajama bottoms, complaining of back pain. His back was so sore that at one point he was able to whip around and wave to all his fans, with his back pain.
Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville is showing remarkable patience in all of this. At one point yesterday, he issued an arrest warrant for Jackson and threatened to revoke his bail. But he changed his mind and allowed Jackson to embarrass himself and embarrass and mock the court and mock the jury and, most of all, mock his alleged victim.
The question is this: Should Jackson's bail be revoked? We are getting, as you might expect, a rather large number of letters on this subject.
Sheila in Ohio writes: "Absolutely he should have been jailed. That was the worst job of malingering I've seen. I did a better job of looking like I was suffering when I tried to get out of going to school in the fifth grade."
D.W. in California writes: "No, it should not be revoked. My sense is that he is highly fragile mentally, and that putting him prison would push him over the edge. It would not be setting a precedent to cut him a little slack. There's only one like him."
Mercifully.
Rick in Nova Scotia writes: "If showing up late for court while wearing pajamas is not contempt of court, I would like the judge to explain what is. Jackson showed the entire world that the judicial system doesn't even deserve his time or effort."
Jose in Texas writes: "The judge showed that he has no teeth. If he issued an ultimatum and it wasn't met, then some sort of sanctions should have been imposed."
And Wistar in Georgia writes: "No, the pajama entrance was worth the wait. And since it's Friday, how do you get the name Jacko?"
I really don't know. Do you?
HEMMER: No.
SERWER: What happens...
HEMMER: The bail is 3 million, though, right?
SERWER: Yes. And what happens if someone ordinary guy was accused of stealing a car comes to court an hour late wearing pajamas? Boom.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: He's in jail.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: He's in jail.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Right. But I think the judge sort of gave the timeline. And I think actually -- because he missed it by about three minutes -- that if a regular guy stole a car and came to court, they probably would give a three-minute leeway.
CAFFERTY: No, he was an hour and a half late.
O'BRIEN: That wouldn't be a big problem.
SERWER: He was in pajamas.
O'BRIEN: Oh, an hour and a half late overall. But when the judge said that he would revoke the bail if he missed this time deadline that was actually three minutes.
HEMMER: Listen, he got two strikes. He gets on more.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: And he's going to really hit hard.
"IN THE MONEY," quickly, do we have time or not?
CAFFERTY: Now, why is he named Jacko? Nobody knows.
SERWER: We'll find out.
O'BRIEN: I don't know.
CAFFERTY: In the same week that the Senate refused to increase the minimum wage, it also passed a bill making it harder to declare bankruptcy. We're going to talk this on "IN THE MONEY" with Thomas Frank, who has written a book called, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" It's all about how both Republicans and Democrats in this country are abandoning the lower middle class. "IN THE MONEY" airs Saturdays at 1:00, Sundays at 3:00. My kid's in college. I need the tuition money. Please watch. Get a neighbor. Watch with a neighbor.
HEMMER: We will be there. Thank you, Jack.
McDonalds is looking to make fast food even faster. In fact, a type of outsourcing for your next order. Here's Andy Serwer on this.
Good morning.
SERWER: Good morning. I don't have any Jacko footage, but I've got some pizza footage here.
First of all, we're going to start with Bernie Ebbers. Yesterday was pizza day for the jurors. Remember this? We told you they were going to order -- this is footage of the actual pizza, Jack, being delivered to the actual courtroom. OK, we don't have a whole lot going on here. Day six for the Ebbers trial. We don't have a verdict yet. But you know what? They say Friday is verdict day, because the jurors want to get this thing done.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
SERWER: It's amazing. The biggest corporate fraud in history and they're just hashing this thing out. OK.
If you are in North Dakota and you have a South Carolina accent respond to you at the drive-in at McDonalds it's because the company is finally fessing up. Yes, they're going to be outsourcing the drive-ins to other states. No, they're not outsourcing to India -- yet. That's a joke. They haven't said they're going to do that. But it's interesting. It's so...
CAFFERTY: So there won't be anybody there on the other end of the voice box?
SERWER: Well, there's got to be someone there. Maybe it's Robuss (ph).
CAFFERTY: They won't be in that McDonalds.
SERWER: No.
CAFFERTY: It will be like...
SERWER: No, it's somewhere else in another part of the country.
HEMMER: Who do you complain to?
SERWER: The third state. A third state.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
Another jury is out. Robert Blake's trial, too, on a Friday, too. So, we'll watch that.
SERWER: Yes.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Verdict day. We'll see.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Well, there's a new public service announcement to teach kids tolerance, but some say it could make kids gay. We're going to find out what all of the fuss is about ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Oh, that was such a great album, wasn't it? And then the drama of the last few days. Welcome back, everybody. It's time for "90-Second Pop" for a Friday. Our panel of pop stars. Karyn Bryant, she's the co-host of headline prime show, "Showbiz Tonight." B.J. Sigesmund from "Us Weekly." And Carol Costello. Good morning. Nice to have you. OK.
COSTELLO: You know, I'm only here because Toure -- there was something wrong with his hair and he refused to appear.
O'BRIEN: Well, until he works that out, we are so happy to have you. Let's get right to it. We've got to start with M.J., Michael Jackson, the drama...
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... the circus, the craziness.
SIGESMUND: M.J. in his PJ's.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
SIGESMUND: Right? Well, the judge has taken a hard line obviously and said, you know, there will be no nonsense. No more nonsense than we need to have in this trial.
Yesterday at 8:30 a.m. California time, the judge heard from Michael Jackson's lawyer that the guy had had a fall overnight and was in the hospital with back pain. And the judge was, like, he needs to be here in one hour. So...
O'BRIEN: Or I'll revoke his bail...
SIGESMUND: Yes, exactly.
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST, CNN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Right.
O'BRIEN: ... and put him in jail.
BRYANT: And put him in jail.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And that seemed to get the ball rolling.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
BRYANT: Yes.
SIGESMUND: So that's...
BRYANT: But not enough to get slacks on.
O'BRIEN: What was that about?
BRYANT: I don't know.
O'BRIEN: I mean, you know...
SIGESMUND: Within 10 minutes he was in his SUV, riding shotgun, 90 miles an hour down Highway 101 to get to court.
O'BRIEN: I'm with you, but why not have an assistant to an assistant...
BRYANT: Right.
O'BRIEN: ... to a third assistant run to Kmart and get some slacks?
COSTELLO: Because I think he wanted people to feel sorry for him. But I must say, Soledad, that in some weird way he looked better today than he has with his other...
O'BRIEN: Do you think?
COSTELLO: Yes.
SIGESMUND: Well, I was...
COSTELLO: He looked more normal, because his hair wasn't plastered and he didn't have quite so much makeup on.
BRYANT: Well, you'll notice, there's a whole -- did you see the "Daily News" today? It's a whole thing about Michael's wig now is the other big discussion is not only was he wearing pajamas, but his wig was off kilter.
SIGESMUND: Right. They're supposedly extensions...
BRYANT: I mean, before...
SIGESMUND: ... and things like that. It's not all real hair.
BRYANT: I think it's sad. I think it's really sad. Like, they're saying that he was such a great musician. He had so many great songs. It's sad and tragic what is happening to him. I just think that the whole undoing, you know, is really sad.
SIGESMUND: But he's making it worse by allowing things like this to happen. You know, he should not have rolled in there, like, looking like he had just fallen out of bed.
O'BRIEN: Just bizarre.
SIGESMUND: It's terrible.
O'BRIEN: And you know what? I've got to predict that we're going to see more of this.
BRYANT: Yes.
O'BRIEN: I don't know what it's going to be.
BRYANT: It's not getting better.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
BRYANT: No. O'BRIEN: More drama. A public service announcement involving SpongeBob and some other cartoon characters. Let's watch a little bit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): We are family. Get up everybody and sing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Clap your hands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Having just begun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: We are family.
COSTELLO: I can't explain the controversy after watching this, because, you know, a very conservative group came out and said that this kind of promotes gay life. This is around all the schools and it's teaching our kids to accept gay people, and they have a problem with that.
SIGESMUND: The thing is, there's always been this sort of in- joke in the media that SpongeBob is gay. So, SpongeBob has gotten caught up in this huge debate that has nothing to do with SpongeBob, which is about teaching tolerance toward homosexuality in elementary school, which is a cultural moral and religious debate that's much bigger than SpongeBob.
O'BRIEN: Why is it focusing on SpongeBob? Because you saw there, Dora The Explorer...
BRYANT: Because he holds his friend's hand, and that's why. Patrick, right?
COSTELLO: Have you seen Patrick? He's pinkish, and they hold hands a lot.
(CROSSTALK)
BRYANT: But it's a cartoon. I'm not...
O'BRIEN: And he's a sponge.
BRYANT: He's a sponge.
O'BRIEN: He's not a person.
BRYANT: I don't understand why people are so freaked out about a cartoon saying be nice to the guy sitting next to you. Like, the whole drama about it is unbelievable to me.
SIGESMUND: Right. If SpongeBob weren't in this, though, this group would not have a way in. Having SpongeBob in there teaching tolerance is a way to say, oh, they are, you know, teaching pro- homosexuality.
O'BRIEN: OK. Continuing with the world of the bizarre. No, this one actually is...
BRYANT: Don't you mess with my "Star Wars."
O'BRIEN: I'm so loving "Star Wars." Remember the lines for the original way back -- she yawned.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Break them up, B.J.
COSTELLO: I am so over "Star Wars."
BRYANT: How are you over "Star Wars?" It hasn't opened yet.
COSTELLO: Because the last movie stunk.
BRYANT: No. The last one was setting the stage for the great undoing. He is going to the dark side. This is going to be phenomenal. The trailer, I think, looked amazing.
O'BRIEN: Because that's what was released in the middle of the "O.C."...
BRYANT: Right.
O'BRIEN: ... for some reason.
BRYANT: Right, right, right.
O'BRIEN: They run the trailer. The movie is not out until the middle of May.
COSTELLO: Not until May.
BRYANT: Right, right.
SIGESMUND: Well, the "O.C" is the exact audience they want for "Star Wars III."
O'BRIEN: Right.
SIGESMUND: The "O.C." has all of the young viewers.
O'BRIEN: That was 20 years ago.
SIGESMUND: Back in the day.
BRYANT: I know.
COSTELLO: That doesn't make sense to me. Those people weren't even born yet when the first "Star Wars" came out.
BRYANT: I know, but they're tuning in for Hayden Christensen and for Natalie Portman. The "O.C." audience is the one who will tune in for that. But this is the one we've been waiting for. How does Annigan (ph) go to the dark side? What happens? I mean, this is -- I have "Star Wars" ornaments on my Christmas tree. I'm getting up right now. I'm telling you, I've been to midnight screenings of the movie on the first night.
SIGESMUND: You're getting in line right after "90-Second Pop".
BRYANT: I'm down. I'm down. And I think it's going to be fantastic. I think, you know, you can't compare it to the love that we have for the original. That one obviously holds such a high place in my...
O'BRIEN: We'll see if it's any good, because, I've got to tell you, I love "Star Wars." I've got to agree with Carol on how some of them...
SIGESMUND: Yes.
COSTELLO: I actually fell asleep. I fell asleep in the first one.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BRYANT: That was very unfortunate.
O'BRIEN: You know what? You guys are going to have to argue it out in the break, because we're out of time. As always, thank you very much. Carol, thanks for helping us out. We appreciate it.
We want to mention also that you can catch Karyn and her co-host, A.J. Hammer, on "Showbiz Tonight." That's weeknights at 7:00 p.m. on "HEADLINE NEWS PRIME." Thanks, guys -- Bill.
HEMMER: I'm not A.J., by the way. Carol, well done.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
HEMMER: Carol Costello. A star is born.
Top stories in a moment here. Plus, think twice about what you pack the next time you fly. Checking bags could cost you soon. Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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