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American Morning
Terri Schiavo's Fate Up in the Air; Person of Interest Questioned in Lunsford Investigation
Aired March 18, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: With virtually no time left, the fate of Terri Schiavo is now up in the air once again after an unexpected move in Washington. We explain.
The big leaguers get grilled in Washington, D.C., as well. Is baseball offering more than promises to get steroids out of the game?
And in the Michael Jackson trial, stories of boys running wild at Neverland. A new picture of Jackson for the jury on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning.
Welcome, everybody.
Bill Hemmer has got the day off, but Rob Marciano has been helping us out.
We certainly appreciate it.
Thank you very much.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Bill is back on Monday.
Ahead this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, some developments in the disappearance of that little girl in Florida, 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. John Couey -- take a look at his picture. He's a sex offender. He is now being questioned in the investigation. Let's get that picture to you. He is going to court today. We're going to have more on that, and also what police say he is telling them.
MARCIANO: Also, a shocking plot to kidnap David Letterman's son. We're talking about what could have happened if it had actually panned out, how close the suspect actually got. That's coming up.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack Cafferty is with us this morning.
Obviously we're having a little issue with some of our servers this morning -- good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pictures were not meant to fly through the air, you know?
MARCIANO: That's a good point.
CAFFERTY: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," a city boy is caught with a sheep in his pickup truck. Wait until you hear the rest of this story.
A dictator who doesn't want to be known as one of the richest people in the world. They never do because the people they dictate to invariably don't have two nickels to rub together. They steal all the money. This clown is no exception.
And your chance to be a part of a guaranteed best-selling book. But you won't make a dime.
It's all coming up in a little less than an hour, assuming this place is still functioning.
MARCIANO: We'll try to keep it together.
O'BRIEN: It's all going to work just fine, Jack. Don't worry. I'm in control. I'm in control.
MARCIANO: That's because you didn't wear green yesterday, Jack. It's the bad luck of the...
CAFFERTY: When do you go back to...
MARCIANO: They put me back in my weather box tomorrow morning.
CAFFERTY: All right.
O'BRIEN: All right, you guys.
MARCIANO: See you.
O'BRIEN: Thanks.
All right, let's talk a little bit about what happened in a last minute move, the House committee planning to issue subpoenas. They're trying to stop the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. Doctors are scheduled to remove the tube in just about five hours from now.
Let's get right to CNN's Carol Lin.
She's in Clearwater, Florida this morning in front of the hospice where, in fact, Terri Schiavo is being cared for -- Carol, good morning to you.
First, let's talk about why Congress is getting involved in the first place.
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, Soledad, the parents have no other recourse. Time and again the federal courts, and even as high as the U.S. Supreme Court, have rejected appeals, saying that this really is a state matter. The State of Florida so far has not been responsive to any of Terri Schiavo's parents' appeals.
So the House has now issued a statement, along with the House speaker, the Senate majority leader and the House Reform Committee, saying: "Later this morning, we will issue a subpoena, which will require hospice administrators, attending physicians to preserve nutrition and hydration for Terri Schiavo to allow Congress to fully understand the procedures and practices that are currently keeping her alive. This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends, and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety."
Soledad, the implications of this -- and we don't know the exact wording yet of the subpoena -- but this may very well be the last best hope for Bob and Mary Schindler to prevent doctors from disconnecting Terri Schiavo's feeding tube at 1:00 Eastern today.
Protesters are already beginning to gather out here for a prayer vigil. There's going to be a lot of activity on the street outside of the hospice -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Any official reaction to the hospice -- from the hospice to this new information?
LIN: Well, the hospice is very careful to guard the privacy of Terri Schiavo and her family. They are very concerned about security, Soledad. The last time the tube was disconnected there were thousands of protesters out on the street. I did ask them whether the Schindlers would be present, whether even Michael Schiavo, the husband, would be present. They declined to comment about that. But we do know that Terri Schiavo's parents will be here. They will be holding a news conference. There will be hourly updates and prayer vigils, as well.
O'BRIEN: Carol Lin in Florida for us this morning.
Carol, thanks for that update.
And let's turn to our other Carol, Carol Costello.
She's watching the headlines for us -- good morning.
MARCIANO: Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
Now in the news, a Congressional showdown over next year's $2.6 trillion budget. The Senate approved its version of the plan. It restores billions of dollars. President Bush and the House had wanted to cut from Medicaid, school aid and community development. Lawmakers will have to work out the differences.
Scott Peterson has only been on California's death row for one day and he's already getting mail and phone calls from admirers. He's even getting marriage proposals. Peterson was taken early Thursday morning from the San Mateo County Jail to San Quentin.
A prison spokesman describes Peterson's first moments on death row.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. VERNELL CRITTENDON, SAN QUENTIN SPOKESMAN: Scott Peterson went in and immediately sat on the bunk, looking at the wall of the cell. He then, the officer said, "Well, Scott, I guess you want to plan to lay down and take a nap now."
Scott looked over at the officer from the seated position and said, "Man, I'm just too jazzed to even think about sleeping," and then again began to stare off into the emptiness of the cell...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow!
CRITTENDON: ... as the metal door then slid shut, locking him behind it. And the staff then walked away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Despite that too jazzed comment, prison officials say Peterson did appear nervous. His lawyers are appealing his conviction.
Prosecutors pushing for a tougher sentence for former Connecticut Governor John Rowland. Under a plea deal, he faces about a year and a half in prison for trading political access for more than $100,000 in chartered trips. Connecticut prosecutors say he should serve about three years for also trying to hide a $400,000 retirement account from a judge.
And the friendly skies are apparently getting more and more crowded. The Federal Aviation Administration predicts travel on U.S. airlines will top one billion passengers every year by the end of 2015. The FAA credits a rebounding economy and low ticket prices for the surge and says air traffic will return to pre-2001 levels this year. So I guess be prepared for more waiting time at the airport, because that's what that's going to mean.
MARCIANO: More? You mean more?
O'BRIEN: The good news and the bad news, right?
COSTELLO: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Carol.
The man Florida police are calling a person of interest in the case of a missing 9-year-old, Jessica Lunsford, well, he'll face a judge this afternoon. Forty-six-year-old John Couey was arrested Thursday in Augusta, Georgia for failing to tell his probation officer in Florida that he was leaving the state. Police say Couey is cooperating with them. He has not been charged in Jessica's disappearance.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is live in Augusta this morning -- good morning, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob.
A person of interest in the disappearance of Jessica Lunsford, John Couey has been staying in a lot of homeless shelters lately. Well, this morning he woke up in another form of free lodging, the county jail in Augusta, Georgia, all because of an alert office worker.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our system works.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Every morning, this Salvation Army worker is required to check the Internet for national news updates. That's when she discovered the man in this wanted photo was an overnight guest at their homeless shelter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it matches the name of someone that stayed here, then we contact the authorities.
CANDIOTTI: It turns out John Couey almost slipped away from police again. The Salvation Army says he had already left the shelter by the time workers there made the connection. Police found Couey a few blocks away, apparently heading for Tennessee.
SHERIFF RONNIE STRENGTH, RICHMOND COUNTY, GEORGIA: He was taken without incident. He did not try to hide who he was. He told us who he was and we had no problem whatsoever with him.
CANDIOTTI: Couey remains a person of interest in the disappearance of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. After she was reported missing, police started looking for Couey and other convicted sex offenders, but he used a fake name to buy a bus ticket and stayed at a homeless shelter in Savannah, Georgia. Police there could not legally hold him and he vanished again, turning up in Augusta. Investigators say he'd been living with relatives near Jessica Lunsford's home.
For nearly four hours Thursday, Couey answered questions without a lawyer at the Augusta sheriff's office.
SHERIFF JEFF DAWSY, CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA: The one good news for us is that he is still willing to talk with us and that the fact is that we have made a little headway not so much on the Jessica case, but so much of clarifying some issues.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: And Couey is scheduled to appear in court here in Augusta later today on his probation violation charges, a hearing on that. And, the sheriff says, the subject of his removal to Florida to face those charges is also likely to come up. Investigators are also awaiting test results on evidence collected from a car in Florida and Couey's home.
Back to you -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Susan.
Susan Candiotti live for us in Augusta, Georgia -- Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: Some of the biggest names in major league baseball past and present on Capitol Hill on Thursday to talk about the steroids scandal. But who talked, who balked and what comes next?
Jeff Greenfield takes a look at that this morning -- good morning.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.
O'BRIEN: You know, it seemed like a week ago people were talking about why is Congress getting involved. Now, the tables have certainly turned and it seems like what's baseball doing about this problem?
GREENFIELD: Yes, I think that's right. Baseball is clearly not saying, as it has in the past, you know, everything's fine, it's not a big problem, we've got it under control. The earlier efforts last week by the commissioner, Bud Selig, his office, and the union to rebuff the hearings, to say you guys just don't have any jurisdiction, that was a non-starter.
So the panel of present and former major league stars, that was the highlight, were there to say yes, we think the problem is real, we don't want any more kids to risk their lives.
One of the problems was that Congress was clearly angered by what they saw as a gap between what baseball said the policy now is, 10 day suspensions, and what they thought the paper actually said. You'll hear that dustup right now, I think.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HENRY WAXMAN (D-CF), GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: Major league baseball and the Players Association say that this is a subject that should be left to the bargaining table. They're wrong. This is an issue that needs debt in Congress and around the dinner table of American families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: Now, later in that -- very late -- it was a 13 hour hearing -- Bud Selig said look, what you think our policy is, let me clarify that, and he tried to in this bite you'll hear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUD SELIG, COMMISSIONER, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: I sill suspend any player who tests positive for an illegal steroid. There will be no exceptions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Finally some clarity, but, of course, many questions remain about what's going to happen at the end of the day.
GREENFIELD: Right.
O'BRIEN: Jose Canseco, ooh, attention was thick in that room.
GREENFIELD: That was one of the more dramatic moments, because you have Jose Canseco who says I'm the truth teller, I used steroids, Mark McGwire used steroids, there was widespread steroid abuse. And the others, the other players there said look, this is a guy who's just trying to make a buck with widely overstated charges. Here's an example of that exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE CANSECO, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: We've got to admit to certain things we've done and change things there. From what I'm hearing, more or less, I was the only individual in major league baseball who used steroids. So that's hard to believe.
CURT SCHILLING, BOSTON RED SOX PLAYER: First, I hope the committee recognizes the danger of possibly glorifying the so-called author scheduled to testify today or by indirectly assisting him to sell more books through his claim that what he was doing is somehow good for this country or the game of baseball.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: That was Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox, who was clearly one of the people who said I've never used steroids, we do have a problem here.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Mark McGwire. First, let's listen to what he said.
GREENFIELD: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And he said this over and over and over in the hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK MCGWIRE, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm talk -- I'm here to talk about the positive and not the negative about this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Kind of a toughie considering you're sitting in front of a Congressional panel that are talking about steroid abuse by pro athletes.
How badly did his performance yesterday hurt him, do you think? GREENFIELD: It hurt him and it hurt baseball. First of all, he said that line over and over, like a politician using a talking point. But I think the reason it's going to hurt him is the in the first place, the key question for baseball fans and for some of the congressmen was look, you hit 70 home runs in 1998. You and Sammy Sosa helped bring the sport back. Were those home runs, in part, the product of steroid use? And he won't say. So that cloud hangs over him, you know?
He also, by the way, showed up about 30 or 40 pounds thinner than his baseball days, which also raised some eyebrows.
But more important, McGwire said in this testimony I'm directing my foundation to get out a message aimed at kids saying steroids are a problem. And he said I'd be the perfect person to talk about this. OK, the first time he goes out in front of a bunch of kids, what's the first question a kid is going to ask? Mark...
O'BRIEN: Do you use steroids?
GREENFIELD: ... when you were breaking Roger Maris' record back in '98, was it -- were you using steroids? And he's going to say I'm not here to talk about the past? Not a good answer.
And one more quick thing. We learn this every time there's a hearing like this. When you have 30 politicians asking questions at the same time, the noise to information ratio isn't very impressive.
O'BRIEN: Yes, true. It did seem like a very confusing hearing in a long time.
GREENFIELD: Thirteen hours.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jeff Greenfield, as always, thanks for your insight.
GREENFIELD: You bet.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
Let's get to Rob.
MARCIANO: Soledad, now time to check on the weather forecast.
Oh, they just told me they killed it. I hate when they kill weather.
Damaging testimony in the Michael Jackson case. That's coming up. A former housekeeper makes Neverland look like a house of horrors.
Also, a man working for David Letterman is charged with plotting to kidnap the star's son.
And two years since the U.S. went to war in Iraq, when will troops finally come home? Insight from the Pentagon, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: A last night talk show host is breathing a sigh of relief. That would be David Letterman, my personal favorite. He's lucky. Police say a suspected plot to kidnap Letterman's 16-month-old son and his nanny has been foiled. That story now from CNN's David Haffenreffer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was a proud papa when his son Harry Joseph was born in November, 2003. His boy was all he could talk about.
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: And my father passed away when he was 57.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LETTERMAN: I'm 56 years old and yesterday I had my first child. So I named him for my father and his name is Harry Joseph Letterman. That's...
HAFFENREFFER: But now, a parent's worst nightmare. Authorities say there was a plot to kidnap his only son. The suspect, 43-year-old Kelly Frank. He worked as a painter on Letterman's Montana ranch. Officials say he was arrested Sunday when a friend of Franks went to the cops and told them he was approached with the plans.
Letterman's sprawling ranch was apparently the target, about 60 miles outside of Great Falls, near Choteau.
This isn't the first time Letterman's personal life has been invaded. In 1988, Margaret Ray was arrested for stalking Letterman and breaking into his New Canaan, Connecticut home. She once told reporters she left cookies and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels in the foyer. The troubled woman committed suicide seven years ago.
That same year, another woman was arrested for trespassing at that same home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: That was CNN's David Haffenreffer.
Letterman and his long time girlfriend released this statement: "Regina and I would like to express our endless gratitude to the FBI and law enforcement professionals. We will be forever grateful for their tireless efforts and determination to vigorously pursue this situation."
Police also say Frank had planned on asking for $5 million ransom.
O'BRIEN: Some colorful testimony from a housekeeper who says she worked on and off at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch for more than a decade.
Criminal defense attorney Anne Bremner was in the courtroom on Thursday.
Anne, good morning to you.
ANNE BREMNER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to this housekeeper. Ms. Fournier called Neverland Ranch "Pinocchio's Pleasure Island," where essentially, as she described it, the kids were running absolutely wild, no parents in sight.
How damaging was that?
BREMNER: It was terribly damaging. Neverland has never looked this bad. This was after we had testimony and images on a big screen of pornography in the courtroom, as Michael Jackson sat there with his parents side by side behind him. It was, you know, boys going wild all over the ranch, staying in Michael Jackson's bedroom, drinking. It -- mayhem at Neverland.
O'BRIEN: She really focused on boys ages 10 to 15 who, when she would go to clean the rooms, obviously hadn't slept in their own beds...
BREMNER: Right.
O'BRIEN: ... but were clearly sleeping in Michael Jackson's room.
First of all, did she talk about any girls in her testimony? And how incriminating is this specific part of her testimony?
BREMNER: Well, you know, girls are like non-entities at Neverland. We heard that from the accuser's sister. I mean they just simply don't exist. They're not part of the equation or part of Michael Jackson's universe.
So this has basically helped complete a tapestry the prosecutor wants to put before the jury, you know, of the drinking, of the young boys and the general atmosphere that it's really a nightmare at Neverland. This is not, you know, a wonderful place for children to come from all over the world. It's more like a pedophile's paradise.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Fritz Coleman. He is a TV weatherman in Los Angeles.
BREMNER: Right.
O'BRIEN: He's also a comedian part-time, as well. He had a very different take on the kids, meaning the accuser and his family, who he'd met.
BREMNER: That was very interesting because in the opening statements of the defense and the whole theme has been these are grifters, con artists and they've gone out and tried to get money for the accuser's cancer treatment when it was already paid for. His take was they didn't ask for anything. He wanted to help and they lived in a house where sheets divided the rooms.
So they came off as very sympathetic, not as portrayed by the defense. And, again, this is very damaging testimony to the defense this early in the case.
O'BRIEN: Last, but not least certainly, is this information from the '93 molestation allegations against Michael Jackson.
BREMNER: Right.
O'BRIEN: A decision still has yet to be made. I think either way it's going to be a bombshell, don't you?
BREMNER: Oh, absolutely, Soledad. I mean this is huge. And it's going to be like a mini trial in the middle of the trial, dealing with '93, with a settlement of $20 million to $26 million, and an additional settlement. And then there's some other evidence that we don't know exactly the nature of, but it involves seven other types of acts.
So a huge bombshell that could totally turn this case around. And we'll probably see this happen next week.
O'BRIEN: We will. And that means we will probably see you again next week.
Anne Bremner, who's been in the courtroom watching this case up close.
Thanks, Anne.
BREMNER: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: Rob.
MARCIANO: Still to come, after two years of war in Iraq, how confident are American commanders that troops will be on their way home?
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN:
MARCIANO:
O'BRIEN:
MARCIANO:
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Time now to check back in with Jack and The Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Rob.
On the day Terri Schiavo's feeding tubes are to be removed, the House Committee on Government Reform is issuing a subpoena to Schiavo's doctors, ordering them not to remove the tubes. They've also passed legislation granting federal courts the power to review decisions by Florida's state courts, which have ruled over the last seven years that her wishes should be respected and she should be allowed to die. They said that she would not want to live in a vegetative state. That's the position her husband has taken.
Her parents, on the other hand, are opposed to allowing her to die.
The question is this, does the federal government have the right to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo and, in effect, usurp the authority of the Florida state courts?
Robert in Oklahoma writes: "I'm a paramedic. I see traumatic brain injuries all the time. Some people can be helped. But for politicians to bow to the wishes of a bunch of religious zealots who don't know what they're talking about is beyond disgusting. It's tantamount to torture. Let her go and give her husband some peace."
This letter: "All of those Republicans want less government in our lives and they also want to change the constitution to protect the sanctity of marriage. But in this case, the sanctity of marriage is thrown out the window. Once married, the husband-wife team has final say over their decisions."
Eric in Ohio: "Where's the federal issue in the Schiavo case? There is none. Congress has absolutely no authority to intervene. This is a travesty. The poor woman has become a political pawn."
And Theresa in Massachusetts writes: "Cafferty, you are a jerk. Congress had to step in because her husband was trying to commit state-sanctioned murder. She deserves to live, has two wonderful parents and many people in her community that care for her, as well."
Thank you, Theresa.
O'BRIEN: How is the e-mail running? Most people are saying...
MARCIANO: Lots?
O'BRIEN: ... they think Congress is overstepping?
CAFFERTY: Well, it's hard to tell because there are -- we're not talking about whether or not the feeding tubes ought to be disconnected. The issue is whether the federal government has a right to intervene and usurp what the state courts have said in this case for seven years. So the answer to your question is I don't know.
MARCIANO: And remind us all of...
O'BRIEN: All right, I'll take that answer.
Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: That's the only one you're going to get.
O'BRIEN: Well, thank you.
Then I'll definitely take it then.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Jack.
O'BRIEN: Well, those heated hearings on steroids in baseball -- was Thursday's session much ado about nothing? Our "Gimme A Minute" panel takes a look.
Stay with us.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 18, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: With virtually no time left, the fate of Terri Schiavo is now up in the air once again after an unexpected move in Washington. We explain.
The big leaguers get grilled in Washington, D.C., as well. Is baseball offering more than promises to get steroids out of the game?
And in the Michael Jackson trial, stories of boys running wild at Neverland. A new picture of Jackson for the jury on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning.
Welcome, everybody.
Bill Hemmer has got the day off, but Rob Marciano has been helping us out.
We certainly appreciate it.
Thank you very much.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Bill is back on Monday.
Ahead this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, some developments in the disappearance of that little girl in Florida, 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. John Couey -- take a look at his picture. He's a sex offender. He is now being questioned in the investigation. Let's get that picture to you. He is going to court today. We're going to have more on that, and also what police say he is telling them.
MARCIANO: Also, a shocking plot to kidnap David Letterman's son. We're talking about what could have happened if it had actually panned out, how close the suspect actually got. That's coming up.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack Cafferty is with us this morning.
Obviously we're having a little issue with some of our servers this morning -- good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pictures were not meant to fly through the air, you know?
MARCIANO: That's a good point.
CAFFERTY: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," a city boy is caught with a sheep in his pickup truck. Wait until you hear the rest of this story.
A dictator who doesn't want to be known as one of the richest people in the world. They never do because the people they dictate to invariably don't have two nickels to rub together. They steal all the money. This clown is no exception.
And your chance to be a part of a guaranteed best-selling book. But you won't make a dime.
It's all coming up in a little less than an hour, assuming this place is still functioning.
MARCIANO: We'll try to keep it together.
O'BRIEN: It's all going to work just fine, Jack. Don't worry. I'm in control. I'm in control.
MARCIANO: That's because you didn't wear green yesterday, Jack. It's the bad luck of the...
CAFFERTY: When do you go back to...
MARCIANO: They put me back in my weather box tomorrow morning.
CAFFERTY: All right.
O'BRIEN: All right, you guys.
MARCIANO: See you.
O'BRIEN: Thanks.
All right, let's talk a little bit about what happened in a last minute move, the House committee planning to issue subpoenas. They're trying to stop the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. Doctors are scheduled to remove the tube in just about five hours from now.
Let's get right to CNN's Carol Lin.
She's in Clearwater, Florida this morning in front of the hospice where, in fact, Terri Schiavo is being cared for -- Carol, good morning to you.
First, let's talk about why Congress is getting involved in the first place.
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, Soledad, the parents have no other recourse. Time and again the federal courts, and even as high as the U.S. Supreme Court, have rejected appeals, saying that this really is a state matter. The State of Florida so far has not been responsive to any of Terri Schiavo's parents' appeals.
So the House has now issued a statement, along with the House speaker, the Senate majority leader and the House Reform Committee, saying: "Later this morning, we will issue a subpoena, which will require hospice administrators, attending physicians to preserve nutrition and hydration for Terri Schiavo to allow Congress to fully understand the procedures and practices that are currently keeping her alive. This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends, and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety."
Soledad, the implications of this -- and we don't know the exact wording yet of the subpoena -- but this may very well be the last best hope for Bob and Mary Schindler to prevent doctors from disconnecting Terri Schiavo's feeding tube at 1:00 Eastern today.
Protesters are already beginning to gather out here for a prayer vigil. There's going to be a lot of activity on the street outside of the hospice -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Any official reaction to the hospice -- from the hospice to this new information?
LIN: Well, the hospice is very careful to guard the privacy of Terri Schiavo and her family. They are very concerned about security, Soledad. The last time the tube was disconnected there were thousands of protesters out on the street. I did ask them whether the Schindlers would be present, whether even Michael Schiavo, the husband, would be present. They declined to comment about that. But we do know that Terri Schiavo's parents will be here. They will be holding a news conference. There will be hourly updates and prayer vigils, as well.
O'BRIEN: Carol Lin in Florida for us this morning.
Carol, thanks for that update.
And let's turn to our other Carol, Carol Costello.
She's watching the headlines for us -- good morning.
MARCIANO: Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
Now in the news, a Congressional showdown over next year's $2.6 trillion budget. The Senate approved its version of the plan. It restores billions of dollars. President Bush and the House had wanted to cut from Medicaid, school aid and community development. Lawmakers will have to work out the differences.
Scott Peterson has only been on California's death row for one day and he's already getting mail and phone calls from admirers. He's even getting marriage proposals. Peterson was taken early Thursday morning from the San Mateo County Jail to San Quentin.
A prison spokesman describes Peterson's first moments on death row.
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LT. VERNELL CRITTENDON, SAN QUENTIN SPOKESMAN: Scott Peterson went in and immediately sat on the bunk, looking at the wall of the cell. He then, the officer said, "Well, Scott, I guess you want to plan to lay down and take a nap now."
Scott looked over at the officer from the seated position and said, "Man, I'm just too jazzed to even think about sleeping," and then again began to stare off into the emptiness of the cell...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow!
CRITTENDON: ... as the metal door then slid shut, locking him behind it. And the staff then walked away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Despite that too jazzed comment, prison officials say Peterson did appear nervous. His lawyers are appealing his conviction.
Prosecutors pushing for a tougher sentence for former Connecticut Governor John Rowland. Under a plea deal, he faces about a year and a half in prison for trading political access for more than $100,000 in chartered trips. Connecticut prosecutors say he should serve about three years for also trying to hide a $400,000 retirement account from a judge.
And the friendly skies are apparently getting more and more crowded. The Federal Aviation Administration predicts travel on U.S. airlines will top one billion passengers every year by the end of 2015. The FAA credits a rebounding economy and low ticket prices for the surge and says air traffic will return to pre-2001 levels this year. So I guess be prepared for more waiting time at the airport, because that's what that's going to mean.
MARCIANO: More? You mean more?
O'BRIEN: The good news and the bad news, right?
COSTELLO: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Carol.
The man Florida police are calling a person of interest in the case of a missing 9-year-old, Jessica Lunsford, well, he'll face a judge this afternoon. Forty-six-year-old John Couey was arrested Thursday in Augusta, Georgia for failing to tell his probation officer in Florida that he was leaving the state. Police say Couey is cooperating with them. He has not been charged in Jessica's disappearance.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is live in Augusta this morning -- good morning, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob.
A person of interest in the disappearance of Jessica Lunsford, John Couey has been staying in a lot of homeless shelters lately. Well, this morning he woke up in another form of free lodging, the county jail in Augusta, Georgia, all because of an alert office worker.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our system works.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Every morning, this Salvation Army worker is required to check the Internet for national news updates. That's when she discovered the man in this wanted photo was an overnight guest at their homeless shelter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it matches the name of someone that stayed here, then we contact the authorities.
CANDIOTTI: It turns out John Couey almost slipped away from police again. The Salvation Army says he had already left the shelter by the time workers there made the connection. Police found Couey a few blocks away, apparently heading for Tennessee.
SHERIFF RONNIE STRENGTH, RICHMOND COUNTY, GEORGIA: He was taken without incident. He did not try to hide who he was. He told us who he was and we had no problem whatsoever with him.
CANDIOTTI: Couey remains a person of interest in the disappearance of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. After she was reported missing, police started looking for Couey and other convicted sex offenders, but he used a fake name to buy a bus ticket and stayed at a homeless shelter in Savannah, Georgia. Police there could not legally hold him and he vanished again, turning up in Augusta. Investigators say he'd been living with relatives near Jessica Lunsford's home.
For nearly four hours Thursday, Couey answered questions without a lawyer at the Augusta sheriff's office.
SHERIFF JEFF DAWSY, CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA: The one good news for us is that he is still willing to talk with us and that the fact is that we have made a little headway not so much on the Jessica case, but so much of clarifying some issues.
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CANDIOTTI: And Couey is scheduled to appear in court here in Augusta later today on his probation violation charges, a hearing on that. And, the sheriff says, the subject of his removal to Florida to face those charges is also likely to come up. Investigators are also awaiting test results on evidence collected from a car in Florida and Couey's home.
Back to you -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Susan.
Susan Candiotti live for us in Augusta, Georgia -- Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: Some of the biggest names in major league baseball past and present on Capitol Hill on Thursday to talk about the steroids scandal. But who talked, who balked and what comes next?
Jeff Greenfield takes a look at that this morning -- good morning.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.
O'BRIEN: You know, it seemed like a week ago people were talking about why is Congress getting involved. Now, the tables have certainly turned and it seems like what's baseball doing about this problem?
GREENFIELD: Yes, I think that's right. Baseball is clearly not saying, as it has in the past, you know, everything's fine, it's not a big problem, we've got it under control. The earlier efforts last week by the commissioner, Bud Selig, his office, and the union to rebuff the hearings, to say you guys just don't have any jurisdiction, that was a non-starter.
So the panel of present and former major league stars, that was the highlight, were there to say yes, we think the problem is real, we don't want any more kids to risk their lives.
One of the problems was that Congress was clearly angered by what they saw as a gap between what baseball said the policy now is, 10 day suspensions, and what they thought the paper actually said. You'll hear that dustup right now, I think.
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REP. HENRY WAXMAN (D-CF), GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: Major league baseball and the Players Association say that this is a subject that should be left to the bargaining table. They're wrong. This is an issue that needs debt in Congress and around the dinner table of American families.
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GREENFIELD: Now, later in that -- very late -- it was a 13 hour hearing -- Bud Selig said look, what you think our policy is, let me clarify that, and he tried to in this bite you'll hear.
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BUD SELIG, COMMISSIONER, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: I sill suspend any player who tests positive for an illegal steroid. There will be no exceptions.
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O'BRIEN: Finally some clarity, but, of course, many questions remain about what's going to happen at the end of the day.
GREENFIELD: Right.
O'BRIEN: Jose Canseco, ooh, attention was thick in that room.
GREENFIELD: That was one of the more dramatic moments, because you have Jose Canseco who says I'm the truth teller, I used steroids, Mark McGwire used steroids, there was widespread steroid abuse. And the others, the other players there said look, this is a guy who's just trying to make a buck with widely overstated charges. Here's an example of that exchange.
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JOSE CANSECO, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: We've got to admit to certain things we've done and change things there. From what I'm hearing, more or less, I was the only individual in major league baseball who used steroids. So that's hard to believe.
CURT SCHILLING, BOSTON RED SOX PLAYER: First, I hope the committee recognizes the danger of possibly glorifying the so-called author scheduled to testify today or by indirectly assisting him to sell more books through his claim that what he was doing is somehow good for this country or the game of baseball.
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GREENFIELD: That was Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox, who was clearly one of the people who said I've never used steroids, we do have a problem here.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Mark McGwire. First, let's listen to what he said.
GREENFIELD: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And he said this over and over and over in the hearing.
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MARK MCGWIRE, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm talk -- I'm here to talk about the positive and not the negative about this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Kind of a toughie considering you're sitting in front of a Congressional panel that are talking about steroid abuse by pro athletes.
How badly did his performance yesterday hurt him, do you think? GREENFIELD: It hurt him and it hurt baseball. First of all, he said that line over and over, like a politician using a talking point. But I think the reason it's going to hurt him is the in the first place, the key question for baseball fans and for some of the congressmen was look, you hit 70 home runs in 1998. You and Sammy Sosa helped bring the sport back. Were those home runs, in part, the product of steroid use? And he won't say. So that cloud hangs over him, you know?
He also, by the way, showed up about 30 or 40 pounds thinner than his baseball days, which also raised some eyebrows.
But more important, McGwire said in this testimony I'm directing my foundation to get out a message aimed at kids saying steroids are a problem. And he said I'd be the perfect person to talk about this. OK, the first time he goes out in front of a bunch of kids, what's the first question a kid is going to ask? Mark...
O'BRIEN: Do you use steroids?
GREENFIELD: ... when you were breaking Roger Maris' record back in '98, was it -- were you using steroids? And he's going to say I'm not here to talk about the past? Not a good answer.
And one more quick thing. We learn this every time there's a hearing like this. When you have 30 politicians asking questions at the same time, the noise to information ratio isn't very impressive.
O'BRIEN: Yes, true. It did seem like a very confusing hearing in a long time.
GREENFIELD: Thirteen hours.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jeff Greenfield, as always, thanks for your insight.
GREENFIELD: You bet.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
Let's get to Rob.
MARCIANO: Soledad, now time to check on the weather forecast.
Oh, they just told me they killed it. I hate when they kill weather.
Damaging testimony in the Michael Jackson case. That's coming up. A former housekeeper makes Neverland look like a house of horrors.
Also, a man working for David Letterman is charged with plotting to kidnap the star's son.
And two years since the U.S. went to war in Iraq, when will troops finally come home? Insight from the Pentagon, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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MARCIANO: A last night talk show host is breathing a sigh of relief. That would be David Letterman, my personal favorite. He's lucky. Police say a suspected plot to kidnap Letterman's 16-month-old son and his nanny has been foiled. That story now from CNN's David Haffenreffer.
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DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was a proud papa when his son Harry Joseph was born in November, 2003. His boy was all he could talk about.
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: And my father passed away when he was 57.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LETTERMAN: I'm 56 years old and yesterday I had my first child. So I named him for my father and his name is Harry Joseph Letterman. That's...
HAFFENREFFER: But now, a parent's worst nightmare. Authorities say there was a plot to kidnap his only son. The suspect, 43-year-old Kelly Frank. He worked as a painter on Letterman's Montana ranch. Officials say he was arrested Sunday when a friend of Franks went to the cops and told them he was approached with the plans.
Letterman's sprawling ranch was apparently the target, about 60 miles outside of Great Falls, near Choteau.
This isn't the first time Letterman's personal life has been invaded. In 1988, Margaret Ray was arrested for stalking Letterman and breaking into his New Canaan, Connecticut home. She once told reporters she left cookies and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels in the foyer. The troubled woman committed suicide seven years ago.
That same year, another woman was arrested for trespassing at that same home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: That was CNN's David Haffenreffer.
Letterman and his long time girlfriend released this statement: "Regina and I would like to express our endless gratitude to the FBI and law enforcement professionals. We will be forever grateful for their tireless efforts and determination to vigorously pursue this situation."
Police also say Frank had planned on asking for $5 million ransom.
O'BRIEN: Some colorful testimony from a housekeeper who says she worked on and off at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch for more than a decade.
Criminal defense attorney Anne Bremner was in the courtroom on Thursday.
Anne, good morning to you.
ANNE BREMNER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to this housekeeper. Ms. Fournier called Neverland Ranch "Pinocchio's Pleasure Island," where essentially, as she described it, the kids were running absolutely wild, no parents in sight.
How damaging was that?
BREMNER: It was terribly damaging. Neverland has never looked this bad. This was after we had testimony and images on a big screen of pornography in the courtroom, as Michael Jackson sat there with his parents side by side behind him. It was, you know, boys going wild all over the ranch, staying in Michael Jackson's bedroom, drinking. It -- mayhem at Neverland.
O'BRIEN: She really focused on boys ages 10 to 15 who, when she would go to clean the rooms, obviously hadn't slept in their own beds...
BREMNER: Right.
O'BRIEN: ... but were clearly sleeping in Michael Jackson's room.
First of all, did she talk about any girls in her testimony? And how incriminating is this specific part of her testimony?
BREMNER: Well, you know, girls are like non-entities at Neverland. We heard that from the accuser's sister. I mean they just simply don't exist. They're not part of the equation or part of Michael Jackson's universe.
So this has basically helped complete a tapestry the prosecutor wants to put before the jury, you know, of the drinking, of the young boys and the general atmosphere that it's really a nightmare at Neverland. This is not, you know, a wonderful place for children to come from all over the world. It's more like a pedophile's paradise.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Fritz Coleman. He is a TV weatherman in Los Angeles.
BREMNER: Right.
O'BRIEN: He's also a comedian part-time, as well. He had a very different take on the kids, meaning the accuser and his family, who he'd met.
BREMNER: That was very interesting because in the opening statements of the defense and the whole theme has been these are grifters, con artists and they've gone out and tried to get money for the accuser's cancer treatment when it was already paid for. His take was they didn't ask for anything. He wanted to help and they lived in a house where sheets divided the rooms.
So they came off as very sympathetic, not as portrayed by the defense. And, again, this is very damaging testimony to the defense this early in the case.
O'BRIEN: Last, but not least certainly, is this information from the '93 molestation allegations against Michael Jackson.
BREMNER: Right.
O'BRIEN: A decision still has yet to be made. I think either way it's going to be a bombshell, don't you?
BREMNER: Oh, absolutely, Soledad. I mean this is huge. And it's going to be like a mini trial in the middle of the trial, dealing with '93, with a settlement of $20 million to $26 million, and an additional settlement. And then there's some other evidence that we don't know exactly the nature of, but it involves seven other types of acts.
So a huge bombshell that could totally turn this case around. And we'll probably see this happen next week.
O'BRIEN: We will. And that means we will probably see you again next week.
Anne Bremner, who's been in the courtroom watching this case up close.
Thanks, Anne.
BREMNER: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: Rob.
MARCIANO: Still to come, after two years of war in Iraq, how confident are American commanders that troops will be on their way home?
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN:
MARCIANO:
O'BRIEN:
MARCIANO:
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MARCIANO: Time now to check back in with Jack and The Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Rob.
On the day Terri Schiavo's feeding tubes are to be removed, the House Committee on Government Reform is issuing a subpoena to Schiavo's doctors, ordering them not to remove the tubes. They've also passed legislation granting federal courts the power to review decisions by Florida's state courts, which have ruled over the last seven years that her wishes should be respected and she should be allowed to die. They said that she would not want to live in a vegetative state. That's the position her husband has taken.
Her parents, on the other hand, are opposed to allowing her to die.
The question is this, does the federal government have the right to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo and, in effect, usurp the authority of the Florida state courts?
Robert in Oklahoma writes: "I'm a paramedic. I see traumatic brain injuries all the time. Some people can be helped. But for politicians to bow to the wishes of a bunch of religious zealots who don't know what they're talking about is beyond disgusting. It's tantamount to torture. Let her go and give her husband some peace."
This letter: "All of those Republicans want less government in our lives and they also want to change the constitution to protect the sanctity of marriage. But in this case, the sanctity of marriage is thrown out the window. Once married, the husband-wife team has final say over their decisions."
Eric in Ohio: "Where's the federal issue in the Schiavo case? There is none. Congress has absolutely no authority to intervene. This is a travesty. The poor woman has become a political pawn."
And Theresa in Massachusetts writes: "Cafferty, you are a jerk. Congress had to step in because her husband was trying to commit state-sanctioned murder. She deserves to live, has two wonderful parents and many people in her community that care for her, as well."
Thank you, Theresa.
O'BRIEN: How is the e-mail running? Most people are saying...
MARCIANO: Lots?
O'BRIEN: ... they think Congress is overstepping?
CAFFERTY: Well, it's hard to tell because there are -- we're not talking about whether or not the feeding tubes ought to be disconnected. The issue is whether the federal government has a right to intervene and usurp what the state courts have said in this case for seven years. So the answer to your question is I don't know.
MARCIANO: And remind us all of...
O'BRIEN: All right, I'll take that answer.
Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: That's the only one you're going to get.
O'BRIEN: Well, thank you.
Then I'll definitely take it then.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Jack.
O'BRIEN: Well, those heated hearings on steroids in baseball -- was Thursday's session much ado about nothing? Our "Gimme A Minute" panel takes a look.
Stay with us.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
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