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CNN Live Today
Bush Signs Legislation Allowing Review of Schiavo Case; Explosion at Steel Plant in Michigan Kills 1; Jessica Lunsford's Alleged Killer Appears Before Judge
Aired March 21, 2005 - 10:00 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Let's get right to it with a look at what's happening now in the news.
Want to show you a live picture of the Supreme Court building. Chief Justice William Rehnquist is inside back on the bench today. The High Court has just reconvened with the chief justice of the United States attending for the first time since October. Rehnquist has been working from home as he continues his thyroid cancer treatment. CNN's Kathleen Koch is at The Court and as soon as she walks out, we will bring you a live report.
Terri Schiavo's case continues to develop minute by minute. There will be a hearing today at 3:00 p.m. regarding the request for a restraining order in the Terri Schiavo case. That is the U.S. District Court in Tampa handling that. More on that in a moment.
Other news today, cabaret singer Bobby Short died today of leukemia. He was 80 years old. In the face of the changing musical style, Short was devoted to the songs of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and George and Ira Gershwin. Short performed for more than 35 years at New York's Carlisle Hotel.
There's a new call to end the death penalty. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is leading the campaign. A news conference is under way in Washington at this hour. Among the speakers, an exonerated death row inmate and the father of an Oklahoma City bombing victim.
And get yet another story we're following, reform at the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is speaking to the General Assembly this hour. Annan is proposing the Security Council expand from 15to 24 members. The U.N. chief wants to create a new group to protect human rights. Annan also wants to strengthen the U.N.'s internal watchdog agency.
And good morning to you on this Monday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan. Rick Sanchez is off this week.
Congress intervenes. The president signs off in the case of Terri Schiavo is now back before a judge. Let's go back over the last few hours. Just after midnight, Congress ended a day of extraordinary political maneuverings. And President Bush has started a new one. He signed a measure on behalf of Terri Schiavo, the severely brain- damaged Florida woman at the center of a bitter right-to-die case. Now a judge will decide whether her feeding tube should be reinserted. And as we were saying new development on that.
Ed Henry has the congressional debate. Suzanne Malveaux covers the president's intervention. And Bob Franken has the family's reaction. Let's begin with Bob outside the hospice where Terri Schiavo clings to life, her family holding on to hope, but her husband fighting in a different direction. Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. And the family's hopes that overnight, a federal judge would take action following the congressional action and the president's signature, which would have immediately resulted in the reinsertion of the feeding tube, has been postponed a little bit. The federal Judge James Whitamore scheduled a hearing at 3:00 Eastern to discuss the pleas by the family to have the feeding tube reconnected.
Of course, this is part of a bitter dispute between the blood relatives of Terri Schiavo who say that they want to continue to rehabilitate her from her brain injuries and her husband, Michael Schiavo -- excuse me the parents' name are the Schindlers. They are the parents of Terri Schiavo, as I said.
Her husband, Michael Schiavo, has been trying for years to disconnect the feeding tube and give what he calls a merciful end to a life in which she is now completely incapacitated.
This is not going to get another hearing after the state courts have repeatedly ruled in favor of the request to remove the tube. And politicians twice before have tried and succeeded in getting the actions stayed. Now the third time, it has been out but it's now going to federal court.
This was after a dramatic congressional hearing last night, which resulted in the legislation putting it in federal court and delighted the family. The father, Robert Schindler, had gone into visit his daughter right after the decision and the legislation was passed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT SCHINDLER, SR., FATHER OF TERRI SCHIAVO: I asked her if she was ready to attack a little ride. And I told her we would take her for a little trip and take her outside and get her some breakfast. And I got a big smile out of her face, so help me God. So she seemed to be very pleased. And we're pleased. And we're very thankful for both the House and the Senate for passing this bill and saving -- literally saving Terri's life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: So the fate of Terri Schiavo continues to be uncertain and now it's an uncertainty that has gotten into the federal court system -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So Bob, this hearing at 3:00 p.m. today will decide what?
FRANKEN: It would decide whether the judge would put out an order, saying reconnect the tube while we consider the legal arguments. The judge will have to decide if there's a likelihood that the suit would finally prevail when it gets to a hearing. And it would have to decide whether there would be irreparable harm if it didn't.
The feeding tube has been out since Friday. And doctors say after two weeks she would expire. So there is some urgency here.
KAGAN: Bob Franken in Florida, thank you for that.
So we heard from Terri Schiavo's father. Her husband says he is outraged by Congress' involvement. Here's what Michael Schiavo had to say earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL SCHIAVO, TERRI SCHIAVO'S HUSBAND: I think it's an invasion to the American people when you make a private decision in a family matter that they're thumbing, their nose up to the American people and the Constitution. This is what Terri wanted. This is Terri's wish. OK? It's not -- it's not President Bush's wish. This is about Terri Schiavo, not the government, not President Bush and Governor Bush. They should be ashamed of themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Schiavo also says Congress should be concentrating on stories of greater national impact and not a legal battle within a single family. For more from Michael Schiavo on what could be a critical day, join us tonight. He'll be joining CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE," that's 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific right here on CNN.
The case, of course has stoked emotions and indignation as it moved through Congress. Let's go to Capitol Hill now, our congressional correspondent Ed Henry watching things there -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. That's right. A very emotional debate last night in the House as it passed legislation giving this federal court jurisdiction to consider whether or not to restore the feeding tube. I can tell you it's extremely rare for the House to even meet on a Sunday, let alone pass emergency legislation on Palm Sunday in the middle of the night.
This was also supposed to be this week and next, spring recess for lawmakers. But they were all rushing back from various airports in the middle of the night with luggage in hand, trying to make this vote in time.
I spoke with one congressman from Idaho who had traveled by air for seven hours last night just to get here in time. And then he was voting for about a minute, and then heading back out on a plane this morning for seven more hours back to Idaho. He said it was worth it because it was history in the making and he would not miss this vote.
Now, during those three hours of debate, many Democrats charged that this was blatantly political citing, a Republican memo that leaked out over the weekend that suggested Republicans were very excited about conservative support that was being whip up at the grassroots level by this vote. Republicans disavowed the memo, and said it was only about the sanctity of life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: I say again the legal and political issues may be complicated. But the moral ones are not. A young woman in Florida is being dehydrated and starved to death. For 58 long hours, her mouth has been parched and her hunger pains have been throbbing. If we do not act, she will die of thirst.
However helpless, Mr. Speaker, she is alive.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ (D), FLORIDA: This type of decision happens every single day to thousands of families across America. Where will we stop if we allow this to go forward? Today, it will be Terri Schiavo. Tomorrow it will be someone's brother or a constituent's uncle or next week, a family member, God forbid of one of my colleagues or another constituent.
Do we really want to set the precedent of this great body, the United States Congress, to insert ourselves in the middle private matters all across America?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother, was in the Capitol last night watching the vote on a television screen just a few doors down from the House floor. After it passed through the House, House majority leader Tom DeLay went over and embraced Bobby Schindler. There was applause from some Republicans nearby. But I can tell you that Tom DeLay himself told me in the hallway, he is not celebrating yet. He thinks and he fears, despite this congressional action, the federal judge may not act in time to save Terri Schiavo's life -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ed, I do have Ed Henry questions. We also have breaking news, so my questions will wait until the next hour. Thank you for that.
Our breaking news also coming out of Washington, D.C. out of the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. High Court has rejected the appeal by Zacharias Moussaoui. He is the lone person who has been charged in the 9/11 attacks.
He had requested to have access to witnesses in building a defense. and the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected that appeal to have more access to al Qaeda captives. More on that ahead from the High Court. Our Kathleen Koch is there today.
Getting back to the Schiavo case. President Bush had flown back to Washington to await the congressional measure and within an hour of receiving it, he signed it into law. He also released a statement on his case for intervening.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has that part of the story -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONENT: Daryn, the president's back on the road today selling his Social Security plan. You're right, extraordinary series of developments that happened over the weekend here at the White House. Yesterday, President Bush abruptly leaving his Crawford ranch to return here to Washington for only 16 hours, of course, in anticipation of signing that legislation to turn it over to the federal court.
Now it was about when the House se started debating. It was about 12:20 in the morning when the president actually signed that legislation into law. And 10 minutes later, releasing a statement explaining why the president is jumping into such a contentious case here. In part it reads, "In cases like this one where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. This presumption is essentially critical for those like Terri Schiavo who live at the mercy of others. I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities."
Now, critics already are criticizing Congress, as well as the White House, saying this is an abuse of power, that it's overreaching. And that it is really playing politics with this woman's life. One organization in particular a critic called the Center for American Progress, sending articles this morning highlighting a case they say in 1999, it was then-Governor Bush of Texas, signing legislation into law which gives hospitals the right to discontinue life-saving measures sustaining care, even if the patient's family disagrees.
Now, the White House rejecting that this is politics. They say this is an extraordinary case, a rare case. They say the president, in all situations, promotes the culture of life. And that is a message, of course that resonates with a very important group of supporters for the president, the social conservatives -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, thank you for that.
We have breaking news just outside of the Detroit area, a fire at a steel plant in Dearborn, Michigan just out of Detroit. I believe we have some pictures to show you there. Live pictures there. It's a two-alarm fire. This is a plant that was once owned by the Ford Motor Company. Apparently there was an explosion. The fire took place just after 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Fire officials the confirming the fire, saying it's at Severstall. That's a Dearborn steel company that was once part of Ford's massive Rouge Steel Complex in Dearborn.
WDIV affiliate has a reporter on the scene. This is what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MELONI, WDIV CORRESPONDENT: The vehicle here and that just from where I can see, Guy -- and I'm going to try to put it on the double extender here, get a little closer look. I don't know how good the focus is going to be. We'll work on that. It looks like a giant caldron in the middle of that vehicle.
And normally what they would do is pour that steel that would be inside that caldron into the forms that they've got inside the plant. And so basically what they're trying to do is get that thing to cool down in order to be able to get at it. That is the vehicle there.
But the explosion may not have been in that vehicle itself but may have been inside the building. Because, as you can see there, the breakage on the building to the right of that vehicle is -- has been pushed out rather severely. And so you can imagine anybody that was in that area certainly would have been subject to some very ugly fire.
So that's the way it looks from here. And if I can see it anything more, Guy, I will certainly pass it along to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And that coming from our affiliate WDIV. A steel plant explosion, a fire just outside of Detroit in Dearborn, Michigan.
We have a lot more coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY. More on the Terri Schiavo case; legal expert Kendall Coffey joins me live.
Plus, the suspect in the Jessica Lunsford murder awaits more charges, as disturbing, new details of that case come to light. We'll take you to Florida for an update on that.
And later, he says he didn't. She says he did. And ex- girlfriend of Barry Bonds steps to the forefront of the steroid scandal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Want to get back to breaking news just outside of Detroit, Michigan in Dearborn. An explosion and a fire at a steel plant.
We have with us now Rob Meloni with WDIV -- Rob.
All right.
MELONI: OK.
Go ahead, Rob.
MELONI: Yes. You're clipping yourself, Jeff.
KAGAN: OK. Well, apparently Rob Meloni does not...
MELONI: OK. We're live here in Dearborn, Michigan. As you can see, this is the Rouge assembly plant, which goes for a couple of square miles in Dearborn, Michigan as a storied plant. They used to make Model TS here. Now, they were making Mustangs up until a while ago. And now they make F-150 pickup trucks.
But the section of plant that we're looking at right now is called the Severstall Steel Plant. It used to be Rouge Steel up until a couple of years ago. And we have fire equipment on the scene here. What you're seeing is video of a -- of the area in the Rouge Steel Plant, which is the casting area. And you can see that orange vehicle there is a big truck that has a cauldron in it that pours molten steel.
Apparently there was a fire in the section where this truck was operating. And up until a couple of minutes ago, the fire crews were pouring water on that. There has been explosion in the building and you can see the damage there to right of that vehicle. And we're told now that there are at least three people who have been brought to the hospital. And the company has confirmed at least one fatality, perhaps more.
But clearly this is a very dangerous line of work to start with. And there was a fire inside this building. And then two large explosions that blew this section of the building apart. We have looked for evacuations. We haven't seen a mass evacuation. This plant is the size of a small city. And so far, most of the people are still working in this area.
But as you can see, there are fire crews and also emergency crews on the scene. And they are -- when they do these things, investigators move right in to figure out precisely what happened and hope they can't have another one like this. But as things stand right now, this is way too early to know precisely what happened.
But when you're talking about making steel, you're talking thousands of degrees of heat inside that cauldron with all of the steel, the liquid, molten steel that is in there. And so something happened in the transfer process. A couple of years ago, there was a major explosion out here, where there was a gas line that actually blew up ruptured at the Ford plant, which just around the back end of this facility.
So for now, we know there have been fatalities, people have been hurt. And we will certainly stay on top of this and bring you more a little bit later.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: All right. Rob Meloni reporting for WDIV, bringing us the latest from Dearborn, Michigan.
Let's go back now to Florida. Disturbing, new details this morning in the case of Jessica Lunsford, the missing 9-year-old Florida girl whose body was found over the weekend. The Citrus County sheriff now says she was sexually assaulted and may have been held for as long as two days before she was killed.
CNN's Sara Dorsey has been covering the grim story in Inverness, Florida -- Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy is scheduled to meet with the state's attorney today to discuss murder charges against John Couey. He is the man who allegedly confessed to killing Jessica Marie Lunsford. We are told those charges could be filed as early as this afternoon. And the sheriff has already told us he hopes to seek the death penalty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DORSEY (voice-over): Law enforcement sources tell CNN it appears John Couey walked into the Lunsford home, made his way into Jessica's bedroom, put his hand over her mouth, told her to be quiet and then forced her out of the house.
JEFF DAWSEY, SHERIFF, CITRUS COUNTY, Florida: There is evidence, through the M.E., of a sexual assault.
DORSEY: Sources say it appears Jessica was not killed immediately. Couey might have held her hostage more than a day, possibly two. Investigators say because of Couey's drug haze, quote, "His timelines are all over the place."
Couey, the alleged killer, sits in jail, just one town away. He made his first court appearance handcuffed and shackled Sunday morning in front of Circuit Court Judge Stephen Spivey on unrelated charges.
STEPHEN SPIVEY, JUDGE, CIRCUIT COURT: Do you have any questions of the court this morning?
JOHN COUEY, ALLEGED CHILD KILLER: No, sir.
DORSEY: Citrus County Shariff officials say charges in the Lunsford case are coming. Jessica's dad wants to see Couey gone for good.
MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: I hope you rot in hell and I hope you get the death penalty. And I hope you can find it somewhere in you to be a man and stand up and take your punishment.
DORSEY: John Couey was extradited overnight from Georgia, where he allegedly confessed to killing Jessica and told investigators where her body was buried.
Those that knew Jessica, and some who only knew her unfortunate story, packed into Faith Baptist Church, Jessica's church to try to find some comfort after such a senseless crime.
RITA SODERBERG, CHURCHGOER: We're all thankful she's heaven now. We're happy about that. It's just sad how the road that she took to get there.
DORSEY: The crime scene tape, still visible from the Lunsford's front door. A reminder of a three-week search that came to a horrible end.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DORSEY: And the Lunsford family is spending the better part of today making funeral arrangements for Jessica. John Couey is being housed in jail, away from the general population. We are told for his own safety and because of the national attention this case is getting -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Sara Dorsey live from Inverness, Florida. Thank you.
Programming for you at home, a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT with AARON BROWN" focuses on protecting our children. That's tonight at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.
Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY more on the controversial Terri Schiavo case. Legal analyst Kendall Coffey will be with me.
Plus, Gerri Willis has some tips we all need to hear on creating a living will.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey there, Daryn. We'll tell you everything you need to know if you want to prevent pain and suffering felt by Terri Schiavo's family. We'll talk about living wills when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Now something that we all need to think about. Some say this years long battle over the Terri Schiavo case would not have happened if there was a living will.
Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us. "Top Five Tips" you need to know about a living will.
Good morning, Gerri.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn. Happy Monday. Tip No. 1, you've got to know the definition. What is a living will? Well, it's simply a written document that will let people in your family know how you want to be treated if you're incapacitated. It's a critical document to get and easy to do. But at the baseline, it's going to tell people how you want to be treated when you're at your most vulnerable.
KAGAN: And you have to be specific about what you want.
WILLIS: Absolutely. You can't have a lot of loose language. This is very important to be specific. You'll want to tell things, like whether you want artificial nutrition and hydration and when you want it. And remember, the terms of the will don't go into effect at any old time. You truly have to be incapacitated and incapable of taking for yourself. What's more, if you're in emergency situation it won't apply either. It really is a very specific time when these wills go into effect.
KAGAN: You bring up an interesting point. Think about who you do want to talk for you if you are in a situation where you can talk for yourself.
WILLIS: And you know, Daryn, this sounds really easy to do. You might think well, I'll appoint my husband, my spouse, my wife. But think again. If you're older, maybe you're in your 80s, you don't want to appoint a spouse because they could be in trouble as well. Pick somebody in your family who is outspoken, strong, as has a lot of will, won't be afraid to question the doctors if push comes to shove.
KAGAN: You want to talk about what you want as well.
WILLIS: Exactly. You've got to tell the family, your doctor and, of course, your advocate exactly what it is you want to have happen. You have to be very clear about it. The worst thing that can happen is that you have a living will and nobody knows about it. or they don't know where to find it. So make sure you communicate your desires.
KAGAN: Do you get a lawyer or don't you?
WILLIS: It's up to you. I have to tell you, either one will work. A lot of people like using an attorney because they really like to have the T's crossed and I's dotted. But you can go to a Web site called agingwithdignity.org that will help put together your own document.
Keep in mind you want everybody to know where that document is. And you should look at it about once a year to make sure it's still representing your best interests. It's easy like for something like this to get forgotten about. But you really do want to revisit the situation, revisit the will to make sure that it's as up to date as possible.
KAGAN: Gerri Willis, thank you. And as we're watching, it's not just making sure your own wishes are honored but you're saving a family from a lot of pain...
WILLIS: Absolutely.
KAGAN: ... as well.
WILLIS: That's right, Daryn.
KAGAN: Gerri Willis, thank you for that.
The private conversation about a public controversial still to come. A woman from Barry Bonds' past is now stepping forward, revealing details from a conversation she says they had about steroids.
Plus, it's back to work for the oldest serving Supreme Court justice. A look at the first day back on the job for Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 21, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Let's get right to it with a look at what's happening now in the news.
Want to show you a live picture of the Supreme Court building. Chief Justice William Rehnquist is inside back on the bench today. The High Court has just reconvened with the chief justice of the United States attending for the first time since October. Rehnquist has been working from home as he continues his thyroid cancer treatment. CNN's Kathleen Koch is at The Court and as soon as she walks out, we will bring you a live report.
Terri Schiavo's case continues to develop minute by minute. There will be a hearing today at 3:00 p.m. regarding the request for a restraining order in the Terri Schiavo case. That is the U.S. District Court in Tampa handling that. More on that in a moment.
Other news today, cabaret singer Bobby Short died today of leukemia. He was 80 years old. In the face of the changing musical style, Short was devoted to the songs of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and George and Ira Gershwin. Short performed for more than 35 years at New York's Carlisle Hotel.
There's a new call to end the death penalty. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is leading the campaign. A news conference is under way in Washington at this hour. Among the speakers, an exonerated death row inmate and the father of an Oklahoma City bombing victim.
And get yet another story we're following, reform at the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is speaking to the General Assembly this hour. Annan is proposing the Security Council expand from 15to 24 members. The U.N. chief wants to create a new group to protect human rights. Annan also wants to strengthen the U.N.'s internal watchdog agency.
And good morning to you on this Monday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan. Rick Sanchez is off this week.
Congress intervenes. The president signs off in the case of Terri Schiavo is now back before a judge. Let's go back over the last few hours. Just after midnight, Congress ended a day of extraordinary political maneuverings. And President Bush has started a new one. He signed a measure on behalf of Terri Schiavo, the severely brain- damaged Florida woman at the center of a bitter right-to-die case. Now a judge will decide whether her feeding tube should be reinserted. And as we were saying new development on that.
Ed Henry has the congressional debate. Suzanne Malveaux covers the president's intervention. And Bob Franken has the family's reaction. Let's begin with Bob outside the hospice where Terri Schiavo clings to life, her family holding on to hope, but her husband fighting in a different direction. Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. And the family's hopes that overnight, a federal judge would take action following the congressional action and the president's signature, which would have immediately resulted in the reinsertion of the feeding tube, has been postponed a little bit. The federal Judge James Whitamore scheduled a hearing at 3:00 Eastern to discuss the pleas by the family to have the feeding tube reconnected.
Of course, this is part of a bitter dispute between the blood relatives of Terri Schiavo who say that they want to continue to rehabilitate her from her brain injuries and her husband, Michael Schiavo -- excuse me the parents' name are the Schindlers. They are the parents of Terri Schiavo, as I said.
Her husband, Michael Schiavo, has been trying for years to disconnect the feeding tube and give what he calls a merciful end to a life in which she is now completely incapacitated.
This is not going to get another hearing after the state courts have repeatedly ruled in favor of the request to remove the tube. And politicians twice before have tried and succeeded in getting the actions stayed. Now the third time, it has been out but it's now going to federal court.
This was after a dramatic congressional hearing last night, which resulted in the legislation putting it in federal court and delighted the family. The father, Robert Schindler, had gone into visit his daughter right after the decision and the legislation was passed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT SCHINDLER, SR., FATHER OF TERRI SCHIAVO: I asked her if she was ready to attack a little ride. And I told her we would take her for a little trip and take her outside and get her some breakfast. And I got a big smile out of her face, so help me God. So she seemed to be very pleased. And we're pleased. And we're very thankful for both the House and the Senate for passing this bill and saving -- literally saving Terri's life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: So the fate of Terri Schiavo continues to be uncertain and now it's an uncertainty that has gotten into the federal court system -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So Bob, this hearing at 3:00 p.m. today will decide what?
FRANKEN: It would decide whether the judge would put out an order, saying reconnect the tube while we consider the legal arguments. The judge will have to decide if there's a likelihood that the suit would finally prevail when it gets to a hearing. And it would have to decide whether there would be irreparable harm if it didn't.
The feeding tube has been out since Friday. And doctors say after two weeks she would expire. So there is some urgency here.
KAGAN: Bob Franken in Florida, thank you for that.
So we heard from Terri Schiavo's father. Her husband says he is outraged by Congress' involvement. Here's what Michael Schiavo had to say earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL SCHIAVO, TERRI SCHIAVO'S HUSBAND: I think it's an invasion to the American people when you make a private decision in a family matter that they're thumbing, their nose up to the American people and the Constitution. This is what Terri wanted. This is Terri's wish. OK? It's not -- it's not President Bush's wish. This is about Terri Schiavo, not the government, not President Bush and Governor Bush. They should be ashamed of themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Schiavo also says Congress should be concentrating on stories of greater national impact and not a legal battle within a single family. For more from Michael Schiavo on what could be a critical day, join us tonight. He'll be joining CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE," that's 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific right here on CNN.
The case, of course has stoked emotions and indignation as it moved through Congress. Let's go to Capitol Hill now, our congressional correspondent Ed Henry watching things there -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. That's right. A very emotional debate last night in the House as it passed legislation giving this federal court jurisdiction to consider whether or not to restore the feeding tube. I can tell you it's extremely rare for the House to even meet on a Sunday, let alone pass emergency legislation on Palm Sunday in the middle of the night.
This was also supposed to be this week and next, spring recess for lawmakers. But they were all rushing back from various airports in the middle of the night with luggage in hand, trying to make this vote in time.
I spoke with one congressman from Idaho who had traveled by air for seven hours last night just to get here in time. And then he was voting for about a minute, and then heading back out on a plane this morning for seven more hours back to Idaho. He said it was worth it because it was history in the making and he would not miss this vote.
Now, during those three hours of debate, many Democrats charged that this was blatantly political citing, a Republican memo that leaked out over the weekend that suggested Republicans were very excited about conservative support that was being whip up at the grassroots level by this vote. Republicans disavowed the memo, and said it was only about the sanctity of life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: I say again the legal and political issues may be complicated. But the moral ones are not. A young woman in Florida is being dehydrated and starved to death. For 58 long hours, her mouth has been parched and her hunger pains have been throbbing. If we do not act, she will die of thirst.
However helpless, Mr. Speaker, she is alive.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ (D), FLORIDA: This type of decision happens every single day to thousands of families across America. Where will we stop if we allow this to go forward? Today, it will be Terri Schiavo. Tomorrow it will be someone's brother or a constituent's uncle or next week, a family member, God forbid of one of my colleagues or another constituent.
Do we really want to set the precedent of this great body, the United States Congress, to insert ourselves in the middle private matters all across America?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother, was in the Capitol last night watching the vote on a television screen just a few doors down from the House floor. After it passed through the House, House majority leader Tom DeLay went over and embraced Bobby Schindler. There was applause from some Republicans nearby. But I can tell you that Tom DeLay himself told me in the hallway, he is not celebrating yet. He thinks and he fears, despite this congressional action, the federal judge may not act in time to save Terri Schiavo's life -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ed, I do have Ed Henry questions. We also have breaking news, so my questions will wait until the next hour. Thank you for that.
Our breaking news also coming out of Washington, D.C. out of the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. High Court has rejected the appeal by Zacharias Moussaoui. He is the lone person who has been charged in the 9/11 attacks.
He had requested to have access to witnesses in building a defense. and the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected that appeal to have more access to al Qaeda captives. More on that ahead from the High Court. Our Kathleen Koch is there today.
Getting back to the Schiavo case. President Bush had flown back to Washington to await the congressional measure and within an hour of receiving it, he signed it into law. He also released a statement on his case for intervening.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has that part of the story -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONENT: Daryn, the president's back on the road today selling his Social Security plan. You're right, extraordinary series of developments that happened over the weekend here at the White House. Yesterday, President Bush abruptly leaving his Crawford ranch to return here to Washington for only 16 hours, of course, in anticipation of signing that legislation to turn it over to the federal court.
Now it was about when the House se started debating. It was about 12:20 in the morning when the president actually signed that legislation into law. And 10 minutes later, releasing a statement explaining why the president is jumping into such a contentious case here. In part it reads, "In cases like this one where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. This presumption is essentially critical for those like Terri Schiavo who live at the mercy of others. I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities."
Now, critics already are criticizing Congress, as well as the White House, saying this is an abuse of power, that it's overreaching. And that it is really playing politics with this woman's life. One organization in particular a critic called the Center for American Progress, sending articles this morning highlighting a case they say in 1999, it was then-Governor Bush of Texas, signing legislation into law which gives hospitals the right to discontinue life-saving measures sustaining care, even if the patient's family disagrees.
Now, the White House rejecting that this is politics. They say this is an extraordinary case, a rare case. They say the president, in all situations, promotes the culture of life. And that is a message, of course that resonates with a very important group of supporters for the president, the social conservatives -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, thank you for that.
We have breaking news just outside of the Detroit area, a fire at a steel plant in Dearborn, Michigan just out of Detroit. I believe we have some pictures to show you there. Live pictures there. It's a two-alarm fire. This is a plant that was once owned by the Ford Motor Company. Apparently there was an explosion. The fire took place just after 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Fire officials the confirming the fire, saying it's at Severstall. That's a Dearborn steel company that was once part of Ford's massive Rouge Steel Complex in Dearborn.
WDIV affiliate has a reporter on the scene. This is what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MELONI, WDIV CORRESPONDENT: The vehicle here and that just from where I can see, Guy -- and I'm going to try to put it on the double extender here, get a little closer look. I don't know how good the focus is going to be. We'll work on that. It looks like a giant caldron in the middle of that vehicle.
And normally what they would do is pour that steel that would be inside that caldron into the forms that they've got inside the plant. And so basically what they're trying to do is get that thing to cool down in order to be able to get at it. That is the vehicle there.
But the explosion may not have been in that vehicle itself but may have been inside the building. Because, as you can see there, the breakage on the building to the right of that vehicle is -- has been pushed out rather severely. And so you can imagine anybody that was in that area certainly would have been subject to some very ugly fire.
So that's the way it looks from here. And if I can see it anything more, Guy, I will certainly pass it along to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And that coming from our affiliate WDIV. A steel plant explosion, a fire just outside of Detroit in Dearborn, Michigan.
We have a lot more coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY. More on the Terri Schiavo case; legal expert Kendall Coffey joins me live.
Plus, the suspect in the Jessica Lunsford murder awaits more charges, as disturbing, new details of that case come to light. We'll take you to Florida for an update on that.
And later, he says he didn't. She says he did. And ex- girlfriend of Barry Bonds steps to the forefront of the steroid scandal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Want to get back to breaking news just outside of Detroit, Michigan in Dearborn. An explosion and a fire at a steel plant.
We have with us now Rob Meloni with WDIV -- Rob.
All right.
MELONI: OK.
Go ahead, Rob.
MELONI: Yes. You're clipping yourself, Jeff.
KAGAN: OK. Well, apparently Rob Meloni does not...
MELONI: OK. We're live here in Dearborn, Michigan. As you can see, this is the Rouge assembly plant, which goes for a couple of square miles in Dearborn, Michigan as a storied plant. They used to make Model TS here. Now, they were making Mustangs up until a while ago. And now they make F-150 pickup trucks.
But the section of plant that we're looking at right now is called the Severstall Steel Plant. It used to be Rouge Steel up until a couple of years ago. And we have fire equipment on the scene here. What you're seeing is video of a -- of the area in the Rouge Steel Plant, which is the casting area. And you can see that orange vehicle there is a big truck that has a cauldron in it that pours molten steel.
Apparently there was a fire in the section where this truck was operating. And up until a couple of minutes ago, the fire crews were pouring water on that. There has been explosion in the building and you can see the damage there to right of that vehicle. And we're told now that there are at least three people who have been brought to the hospital. And the company has confirmed at least one fatality, perhaps more.
But clearly this is a very dangerous line of work to start with. And there was a fire inside this building. And then two large explosions that blew this section of the building apart. We have looked for evacuations. We haven't seen a mass evacuation. This plant is the size of a small city. And so far, most of the people are still working in this area.
But as you can see, there are fire crews and also emergency crews on the scene. And they are -- when they do these things, investigators move right in to figure out precisely what happened and hope they can't have another one like this. But as things stand right now, this is way too early to know precisely what happened.
But when you're talking about making steel, you're talking thousands of degrees of heat inside that cauldron with all of the steel, the liquid, molten steel that is in there. And so something happened in the transfer process. A couple of years ago, there was a major explosion out here, where there was a gas line that actually blew up ruptured at the Ford plant, which just around the back end of this facility.
So for now, we know there have been fatalities, people have been hurt. And we will certainly stay on top of this and bring you more a little bit later.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: All right. Rob Meloni reporting for WDIV, bringing us the latest from Dearborn, Michigan.
Let's go back now to Florida. Disturbing, new details this morning in the case of Jessica Lunsford, the missing 9-year-old Florida girl whose body was found over the weekend. The Citrus County sheriff now says she was sexually assaulted and may have been held for as long as two days before she was killed.
CNN's Sara Dorsey has been covering the grim story in Inverness, Florida -- Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy is scheduled to meet with the state's attorney today to discuss murder charges against John Couey. He is the man who allegedly confessed to killing Jessica Marie Lunsford. We are told those charges could be filed as early as this afternoon. And the sheriff has already told us he hopes to seek the death penalty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DORSEY (voice-over): Law enforcement sources tell CNN it appears John Couey walked into the Lunsford home, made his way into Jessica's bedroom, put his hand over her mouth, told her to be quiet and then forced her out of the house.
JEFF DAWSEY, SHERIFF, CITRUS COUNTY, Florida: There is evidence, through the M.E., of a sexual assault.
DORSEY: Sources say it appears Jessica was not killed immediately. Couey might have held her hostage more than a day, possibly two. Investigators say because of Couey's drug haze, quote, "His timelines are all over the place."
Couey, the alleged killer, sits in jail, just one town away. He made his first court appearance handcuffed and shackled Sunday morning in front of Circuit Court Judge Stephen Spivey on unrelated charges.
STEPHEN SPIVEY, JUDGE, CIRCUIT COURT: Do you have any questions of the court this morning?
JOHN COUEY, ALLEGED CHILD KILLER: No, sir.
DORSEY: Citrus County Shariff officials say charges in the Lunsford case are coming. Jessica's dad wants to see Couey gone for good.
MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: I hope you rot in hell and I hope you get the death penalty. And I hope you can find it somewhere in you to be a man and stand up and take your punishment.
DORSEY: John Couey was extradited overnight from Georgia, where he allegedly confessed to killing Jessica and told investigators where her body was buried.
Those that knew Jessica, and some who only knew her unfortunate story, packed into Faith Baptist Church, Jessica's church to try to find some comfort after such a senseless crime.
RITA SODERBERG, CHURCHGOER: We're all thankful she's heaven now. We're happy about that. It's just sad how the road that she took to get there.
DORSEY: The crime scene tape, still visible from the Lunsford's front door. A reminder of a three-week search that came to a horrible end.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DORSEY: And the Lunsford family is spending the better part of today making funeral arrangements for Jessica. John Couey is being housed in jail, away from the general population. We are told for his own safety and because of the national attention this case is getting -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Sara Dorsey live from Inverness, Florida. Thank you.
Programming for you at home, a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT with AARON BROWN" focuses on protecting our children. That's tonight at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.
Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY more on the controversial Terri Schiavo case. Legal analyst Kendall Coffey will be with me.
Plus, Gerri Willis has some tips we all need to hear on creating a living will.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey there, Daryn. We'll tell you everything you need to know if you want to prevent pain and suffering felt by Terri Schiavo's family. We'll talk about living wills when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Now something that we all need to think about. Some say this years long battle over the Terri Schiavo case would not have happened if there was a living will.
Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us. "Top Five Tips" you need to know about a living will.
Good morning, Gerri.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn. Happy Monday. Tip No. 1, you've got to know the definition. What is a living will? Well, it's simply a written document that will let people in your family know how you want to be treated if you're incapacitated. It's a critical document to get and easy to do. But at the baseline, it's going to tell people how you want to be treated when you're at your most vulnerable.
KAGAN: And you have to be specific about what you want.
WILLIS: Absolutely. You can't have a lot of loose language. This is very important to be specific. You'll want to tell things, like whether you want artificial nutrition and hydration and when you want it. And remember, the terms of the will don't go into effect at any old time. You truly have to be incapacitated and incapable of taking for yourself. What's more, if you're in emergency situation it won't apply either. It really is a very specific time when these wills go into effect.
KAGAN: You bring up an interesting point. Think about who you do want to talk for you if you are in a situation where you can talk for yourself.
WILLIS: And you know, Daryn, this sounds really easy to do. You might think well, I'll appoint my husband, my spouse, my wife. But think again. If you're older, maybe you're in your 80s, you don't want to appoint a spouse because they could be in trouble as well. Pick somebody in your family who is outspoken, strong, as has a lot of will, won't be afraid to question the doctors if push comes to shove.
KAGAN: You want to talk about what you want as well.
WILLIS: Exactly. You've got to tell the family, your doctor and, of course, your advocate exactly what it is you want to have happen. You have to be very clear about it. The worst thing that can happen is that you have a living will and nobody knows about it. or they don't know where to find it. So make sure you communicate your desires.
KAGAN: Do you get a lawyer or don't you?
WILLIS: It's up to you. I have to tell you, either one will work. A lot of people like using an attorney because they really like to have the T's crossed and I's dotted. But you can go to a Web site called agingwithdignity.org that will help put together your own document.
Keep in mind you want everybody to know where that document is. And you should look at it about once a year to make sure it's still representing your best interests. It's easy like for something like this to get forgotten about. But you really do want to revisit the situation, revisit the will to make sure that it's as up to date as possible.
KAGAN: Gerri Willis, thank you. And as we're watching, it's not just making sure your own wishes are honored but you're saving a family from a lot of pain...
WILLIS: Absolutely.
KAGAN: ... as well.
WILLIS: That's right, Daryn.
KAGAN: Gerri Willis, thank you for that.
The private conversation about a public controversial still to come. A woman from Barry Bonds' past is now stepping forward, revealing details from a conversation she says they had about steroids.
Plus, it's back to work for the oldest serving Supreme Court justice. A look at the first day back on the job for Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
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