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American Morning

Celebrity Stalkers; Developments in Terri Schiavo Case

Aired March 22, 2005 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also in a few moments, Soledad, this alleged plot to kidnap David Letterman's son, just the latest in a string of cases that involves celebrity stalkers. But even with all the bad people out there, could it be the celebrities are sometimes their own worst enemies. We'll try and get an answer on that in a moment.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: First, though, let's right to those developments in the Terri Schiavo case. A federal judge has refused to order Schiavo's feeding tube be reinserted. Her parents say they will appeal.

CNN's Bob Franken is at Terri Schiavo's hospice, which is in Pinellas Park, in Florida.

Bob, good morning to you.

Break down for us the crux of this decision.

Well, first of all, he was being asked to create what is sometimes called a temporary restraining order, an emergency order that would have required the feeding tube to be reconnected. And the two standards for that are you are urgency, that there could be irreparable harm if something is not done. And also a likelihood that the litigants, this time it would be the parents of Terri Schiavo, that they would succeed ultimately in the lawsuit. Well, it was that second one that hung them up.

The judge, and he made it clear in the skeptical questioning yesterday, has decided that there is not a likelihood that they would ultimately would prevail. So the family now will have to rush to the next level, which is the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, in Atlanta, to try and seek some sort of extraordinary action. Most legal experts say that they're fighting uphill because of the same standard, and secondly because appeals courts start with a deference to the lower courts making a ruling. So could be expected that this might get all the way to the Supreme Court before it is ultimately decided. The Supreme Court twice before has turned down efforts to get involved in the Terri Schiavo case.

The family, the blood relatives have been fighting for years to get her reconnected. We've all seen the videotapes which suggest that there are some responses. We've all heard analysis on the other side that says their only reflexive responses, that really she's been in what they call a persistent vegetative state for many, many years. The legislators have gotten involved. This has been a huge political issue, and of course it became an extraordinary thing Sunday night, Monday morning, when Congress in a very unusual session, ordered the federal courts to once again look at this. But constitutional restrictions would stop them from ordering the courts to come to a conclusion and so now that the first judge has looked at it, his conclusion is that the case does not have very much of a chance of succeeding on its merits -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: But, obviously, Bob, time is of the essence in this case specifically, and cases like it. So give me a sense of the timeline. When could all this happen?

FRANKEN: Well, first of all, the timeline at the appeals court is that they're ready to go. The lawyers anticipating that there would be a ruling today are already talking to the clerks at the appeals court and getting the paperwork in. So the court can decide if it's going to get involved. (INAUDIBLE). And if they don't succeed there, the same kind of thing can happen at the United States Supreme Court. At the Supreme Court, you have individual justice whose are responsible for different regions of the country.

So that timeline is when justice has to, it can move quickly, although it oftentimes doesn't. As for the important timeline, Terri Schiavo had her feeding tube removed on Friday. Most medical experts will tell you that she has a week to two weeks before she would pass away.

O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning in Pinellas Park, Florida, which of course is where Terri Schiavo's hospice is. Bob, thanks -- Bill.

HEMMER: Terri Schiavo and her parents are Catholic. In fact, in court on Monday, they argued that removing Terri's feeding tube violates their daughter's constitutional right of religion. Now the Vatican is weighing in on this heated debate.

From Rome this morning, here's Alessio Vinci.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It rare for Vatican officials to publicly discuss ongoing legal matters, but in Terri Schiavo's case, they took the unusual step of harshly criticizing the removal of her feeding tube, saying the procedure amounts to nothing less than a ruthless way to kill a person.

Church officials say they are against keeping a person alive at all costs, especially if medical intervention prolongs the patient's agony. But the Vatican insists artificially feeding and hydrating a person in a vegetative state does not constitute aggressive therapy.

Pope John Paul II a year ago wrote that doctors have a moral duty to preserve life, saying, quote, "The administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural way of preserving life, not a medical procedure."

And because Terri Schiavo has not been pronounced brain dead, but brain damaged, Vatican officials say she must be kept alive. Nobody at the Vatican is drawing parallels between Terri Schiavo and the frail condition of the pope, himself at risk of becoming incapacitated.

But the debate over Schiavo's fate has once more raised questions no one inside or outside the Vatican can answer. What would happen should the pope become incapacitated? Should he one day require artificial means to breathe, eat and drink, for how long should these machines be kept on, and who would take the decision to pull the plug?

FATHER BRIAN JOHNSTONE, MORAL THEOLOGIAN: There is no provision in canon law for dealing with a situation where the pope himself simply is not in a position to make decisions. So that would cause considerable difficulty.

VINCI (on camera): Combining the dilemma of an incapacitated pope with the ability of modern medicine to keep a person alive for a long time has led some to suggest future popes should be bound by age limit, a proposal senior Vatican officials here are dismissing, saying it is God who chooses the pope, and only God can decide when his term expires.

Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: And again, the headline no feeding tube for now. The next stop for Terri Schiavo's case, to the 11th Circuit in Atlanta. More developments as we get them here regarding that story.

That's our major headline. The others headlines now with Carol Costello.

Good morning, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill. And good morning to all of you.

A Florida judge denying bond to convicted sex offender John Couey in the kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. Couey made his first court appearance on the Lunsford charges within the past hour. The judge telling the suspect his alleged crimes were, quote, "beyond words." Jessica's body was found on Saturday. The first of three memorial services are set for Thursday.

Investigators looking into a school shooting in Minnesota say so far they believe the suspect was acting alone. Authorities are still piecing together what exactly happened. The suspect killed his grandparents and seven others before turning the gun on himself. Still no word of a motive. The FBI is expected to give more details at a news conference less than three hours from now.

In the West Bank, some Palestinians celebrating this morning. There is word Israel has completed its handover of the town of Tulkarem. This is the first time in three years traffic is flowing freely between the two sides. Tulkarem is the second of five towns in the West Bank Israel is supposed to hand over. And the National Coast Guard Working through the night to free a grounded ship near Oxnard, California. Take a look. This vessel apparently got stuck on a sandbar during an oncoming storm. Look at these amazing pictures. They show the massive waves. All 20 people were brought to shore after some of them were knocked overboard. But luckily, all were wearing life vests and are safe this morning -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.

Well, the man who is charged with plotting to kidnap David Letterman's son makes his first appearance in court today in Montana. Forty-three-year-old Kelly Frank worked as a house painter at Letterman's Montana ranch. The incident is just the latest case involving celebrities as victims.

Here's CNN's Brooke Anderson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hollywood has had its share of fans that turn fanatical. Donette Knight pleaded no contest last month to stalking and threatening actress Catherine Zeta- Jones. Prosecutors say Knight was infatuated with Jones' husband, actor Michael Douglas. Actress Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered in 1989 by Robert Bardot (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was just screaming.

ANDERSON: The obsessed fan stalked her for two years, hiring a detective to get her home address, and then gunning Schaeffer down on her front step. In 1963, Frank Sinatra Jr. was held captive in a Lake Tahoe hotel for four days before his father paid $240,000 in ransom money.

In a recent interview, actor Russell Crowe says al Qaeda wanted to kidnap him as part of a bigger cultural-destabilization plot. And Idaho drifter Zach Sinclair claimed he was on a mission from God to pray with Mel Gibson. His mission ended with a felony stalking conviction and as much as three years' jail time when he is sentenced in June.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: So what are these celebrities doing to protect themselves and their families? Well, Bill Daly is a former FBI investigator. He's now senior vice president of Control Risk Groups, where he's developed personal protection programs for celebrities and corporate executives.

Nice to see you, Bill. Thanks for coming to talk to us.

WILLIAM DALY, FMR. FBI INVESTIGATOR: Good to see you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Do you think that there are more cases, or do you think we're just hearing more of these cases?

DALY: Well, it's quite interesting. It's that it seems to be more reported today. Celebrities in the past have been a little bit concerned about having some negative publicity. So over the past few decades, we've seen more people coming forward, which has in some ways suggested there are more incidents. And possibly, it also encouraged other people to get the notoriety if they want to be stalkers that now they're going to get the attention they wanted. So it's very difficult to sort it out, but a lot of times, more times you have things reported, it seems bigger. But we think that probably it's about the same, and just becoming more well known.

O'BRIEN: At the same time, it feels like there are many more shows, and venues and outlets for celebrities to be talking about their families. There are sort of more and more personal information out there. Do you think that they play a tremendous role in the celebrities now being targeted by either obsessed fans or people who want to hurt their families?

DALY: So that -- exactly. I mean, I feel as though with all these outlets you mentioned, you know, some of them briefly here, we have shows that just talk about isn't it nice to be so and so and talks about the money they make and where they live and their children. We have, you know, tabloids. We have, you know, traditional news outlets that have...

O'BRIEN: A zillion entertainment shows.

DALY: Everybody has a little entertainment show and they talk about what's going on in their lives. Now, part of the whole issue of being a celebrity is having that celebrity and talking about yourself and being out there in the forefront of the media. But what it also does is it attracts those people on the fringe, those people who have some emotional, perhaps, tie, feel as if they have a tie. Or those, such as suggested by the individual in Montana, may have some other motives, such as money.

O'BRIEN: So how do you protect yourself? I think for the celebrity, but also for other people, how do you possibly protect yourself? It's a double-edged sword. You've got to do interviews, you've got to talk about your family. Those are the questions people are asking. You can't say I got nothing to tell you.

DALY: Exactly. Well, celebrities actually have a more rigorous process than ourselves, but there are some things we can learn from this to incorporate into our own lives. Well, first of all, celebrities, you know, screen their mail. We actually help people analyze what's going on with communications that come in. Some people are just fan mail, it's fine, put it aside. But sometimes you'll see letters that are -- suggest that there's something more going on. You want to start looking closely at these people, where it's coming from, potentially what they could lead to.

The other key aspects of their own security would be their physical security, their home alarms. They have close protection or body guards at times, but not all the time. But I think probably the most critical element and it goes for all of us as well, is not to divulge too much about your personal life to people who may come and be doing work for you, people even in your employ, such as nannies and other people in the household. Don't be too forthcoming with your plans and personal information.

O'BRIEN: Some of these cases, though, get to court and they're basically tossed out. I mean, to some degree, and I don't think I'm overstating it. If you are not killed by your stalker, or if the stalker doesn't actually go ahead and succeed in kidnapping your child and your nanny, a lot of times in many cases, it goes nowhere. They have no legal leg to stand on.

DALY: Exactly. We saw just this with the show...

O'BRIEN: I mean, Letterman's kind of the exception to the rule, I would guess.

DALY: Letterman, but because this was allegedly a plot to kidnap and there are other charges associated with it. In stalking cases, it's sometimes very difficult to prove that stalking. I believe in the Sheryl Crow case, that case was tossed out, even though we had this plethora of communication and potential contacts. The concern that I have is that people who are stalkers -- it can lead to something more disastrous, such as we saw with the Schaefer (ph) incident a few years ago.

But a lot of times, it's difficult, it's nebulous. It's very difficult to say when did they cross that line. Just because they're writing, they're showing up. Judges sometimes say that hasn't really violated the law. And to put people away for assessment, they'll hold them, but they don't put them in jail for a long time.

O'BRIEN: Bill Daly, nice to see you, as always. Thanks -- Bill.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: And even though prices are rising, drivers still have to gas up. Gerri Willis with some advice that could save you a little cash at the pump this morning.

HEMMER: Also if you feel your memory is not what it used to be, Dr. Gupta is back today. Some tips on how to sharpen those brain cells. Back in a moment with Sanjay after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Question this morning, why do we forget things we want to remember and then retain others that we'd like to forget? Good questions. All this week, Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the science of memory. And this morning, Sanjay reports on a memory boot camp.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, I'll talk to you later. Hi, this is Linda. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In her line of work, 53-year-old Linda Jenkins (ph) spends practically all day talking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what, I don't even know who I was talking to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm lost.

GUPTA: And lately, she's been hitting some blank spots.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A big...

GUPTA: Causing her a lot of anxiety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be taking along and all of a sudden -- when that happens so often, it calls attention. And it's frustrating. Oh, absolutely. To me, it is.

GUPTA: So Jenkins is trying an unusual program to fix her memory flame-outs. The first boot camp for the brain, run by the Memory Fitness Institute in Fountain Valley, California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'd like to remember to come.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope so, too!

DR. GARY SMALL, DIRECTOR, UCLA CENTER ON AGING: You can go home today and start protecting your brain.

GUPTA: The brains of the operation is Dr. Gary Small. The program, based on his book, "The Memory Prescription." He has spent his life trying to unravel the memory mystery. While admitting there are other factors, he says simple lifestyle changes can improve your memory in just 14 days.

SMALL: What can we do today to keep our brains healthy and fit? And here it is, the big four. Mental activity. Physical conditioning. Healthy diet. And stress reduction. The key to memory fitness.

GUPTA: Back at boot camp, Jenkins is already busy. First, stocking up on healthy brain foods, rich in antioxidants and with plenty of omega-3 fatty acid, which Small says may keep brain cells from degenerating. Some of his suggestions are blueberries, prunes, salmon and nuts. Another prescription? Cut down on stress. That's a memory-buster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's enough.

GUPTA: Two other key elements of the program, exercise your body and your brain, like zany storytelling methods to remember lists of words.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So the more fantastic or exaggerated you can make the picture, the easier it is to remember.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had a lawyer wearing a vest eating an artichoke and a banana.

GUPTA: Mind-benders, or simply writing with your left hand if you're right-handed. All are ways boot campers sharpen their brains during weekly meetings.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, thanks for that. Later this weekend, the primetime special comes your way. It's called "MEMORY." Sanjay's your host. Comes your way at 10:00 Eastern on Sunday night, 7:00 on the West Coast, here on CNN -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Ahead, nobody likes the rising prices at the gas pump, but you can help control the costs. We're going to tell you how up next on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: There is something you can do about rising gas prices. With that and a look at the markets, Gerri Willis is "Minding Your Business," in for Andy Serwer this morning. Good morning.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jack. Good to see you.

Here's what's going on with gas prices. The average $2.10 a gallon. You've got to beat that. How do you do it? Well, first off, don't be loyal to the guy down the block where you've been buying your gas all this time. You definitely want to shop around. The difference in prices can be as much as 20 cents per gallon. Go to gasbuddy.com or gaspricewatch.com for some ideas on where to get the cheapest gas.

Tip number two, be a better driver. You know who you are out there, you accelerate really rapidly, you brake really fast. You're costing yourself a lot of money in gas. You can reduce your -- increase, pardon me, your gas mileage by as much as a third if you drive like a normal person.

Tip number three, it's time to tune up. You can save yourself a lot of money by just getting a basic tune-up. Check the motor oil and air filters and don't buy premium gas. Bad idea. You don't need it. You don't need to pay for the extra.

CAFFERTY: Well, don't some engines require it, though?

WILLIS: Most don't.

CAFFERTY: But some do. WILLIS: Some do. So be sure check your owner's manual.

CAFFERTY: There you go. Get that little thing out of the glove box that nobody ever looks at the entire time they own the car. Thanks, Gerri.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

CAFFERTY: It looks like time for "The File." Camilla's going to be the queen after all. Prince Charles had said his future wife would be known as the princess consort when and if he becomes king. But that would mean a new law in Britain and in 15 other countries as well and that's not likely to happen. Camilla, who is called Cow-milla in Britain by the people that don't like her, and her jug-eared fiance are going to get married next month.

Home run king Mark McGwire not exactly batting 1,000. He went into Congress to talk about steroids, and didn't tell anybody anything. Except he told everybody a lot because he wouldn't tell anybody anything. He has seen a precipitous fall in his popularity as a result of his performance. "USA Today"/CNN/Gallup poll over the weekend showed 53 percent of respondents still had a favorable opinion of McGwire, but his unfavorable rating dropped -- rose, rather, from three to 25 percent because he wouldn't come clean and talk about whether or not he did steroids.

A first grader in a Chicago school learned last week that sharing is not always caring. A 6-year-old boy passed out 40 bags of what he thought was candy to his classmates. Turned out it was crack cocaine. Teachers called police. They found that drug-dealing member of the boy's own family had stashed the drugs in the kid's backpack. All of the bags were accounted for and none of the kids was hurt.

O'BRIEN: That's terrible.

CAFFERTY: That's a tough neighborhood.

HEMMER: Yes, I would say. McGwire, Hall of Fame? Do you think he has damaged his chances?

CAFFERTY: Of course he's damaged his chances.

O'BRIEN: Not a chance.

CAFFERTY: How can you sit there and say I refuse to talk about the past when they're asking you under oath have you used steroids and you won't answer the question?

HEMMER: I want to know why he took that course of action and Sammy Sosa and the other guys did not.

CAFFERTY: Because he probably used steroids and maybe Sammy Sosa and the others didn't use them. That would be my guess.

HEMMER: What he didn't say said a lot, as you say?

CAFFERTY: Oh, man.

HEMMER: All right, thank you, Jack. Let's get a break here. In a moment, top stories coming up. A busy Tuesday morning. We'll catch you up on what you need to know. Also, this federal judge ruling on an emergency request to reinsert Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. Live to the courthouse in Florida. More on that decision as we continue after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: A major development in the Terri Schiavo case. A federal judge in Florida refuses to get involved. Would an appeal change anything in that case?

The investigation this morning into the worst school shooting since Columbine. Ten people are dead. The alleged shooters' actions still a mystery.

And John Couey is facing justice in the Jessica Lunsford murder. Those stories all ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired March 22, 2005 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also in a few moments, Soledad, this alleged plot to kidnap David Letterman's son, just the latest in a string of cases that involves celebrity stalkers. But even with all the bad people out there, could it be the celebrities are sometimes their own worst enemies. We'll try and get an answer on that in a moment.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: First, though, let's right to those developments in the Terri Schiavo case. A federal judge has refused to order Schiavo's feeding tube be reinserted. Her parents say they will appeal.

CNN's Bob Franken is at Terri Schiavo's hospice, which is in Pinellas Park, in Florida.

Bob, good morning to you.

Break down for us the crux of this decision.

Well, first of all, he was being asked to create what is sometimes called a temporary restraining order, an emergency order that would have required the feeding tube to be reconnected. And the two standards for that are you are urgency, that there could be irreparable harm if something is not done. And also a likelihood that the litigants, this time it would be the parents of Terri Schiavo, that they would succeed ultimately in the lawsuit. Well, it was that second one that hung them up.

The judge, and he made it clear in the skeptical questioning yesterday, has decided that there is not a likelihood that they would ultimately would prevail. So the family now will have to rush to the next level, which is the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, in Atlanta, to try and seek some sort of extraordinary action. Most legal experts say that they're fighting uphill because of the same standard, and secondly because appeals courts start with a deference to the lower courts making a ruling. So could be expected that this might get all the way to the Supreme Court before it is ultimately decided. The Supreme Court twice before has turned down efforts to get involved in the Terri Schiavo case.

The family, the blood relatives have been fighting for years to get her reconnected. We've all seen the videotapes which suggest that there are some responses. We've all heard analysis on the other side that says their only reflexive responses, that really she's been in what they call a persistent vegetative state for many, many years. The legislators have gotten involved. This has been a huge political issue, and of course it became an extraordinary thing Sunday night, Monday morning, when Congress in a very unusual session, ordered the federal courts to once again look at this. But constitutional restrictions would stop them from ordering the courts to come to a conclusion and so now that the first judge has looked at it, his conclusion is that the case does not have very much of a chance of succeeding on its merits -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: But, obviously, Bob, time is of the essence in this case specifically, and cases like it. So give me a sense of the timeline. When could all this happen?

FRANKEN: Well, first of all, the timeline at the appeals court is that they're ready to go. The lawyers anticipating that there would be a ruling today are already talking to the clerks at the appeals court and getting the paperwork in. So the court can decide if it's going to get involved. (INAUDIBLE). And if they don't succeed there, the same kind of thing can happen at the United States Supreme Court. At the Supreme Court, you have individual justice whose are responsible for different regions of the country.

So that timeline is when justice has to, it can move quickly, although it oftentimes doesn't. As for the important timeline, Terri Schiavo had her feeding tube removed on Friday. Most medical experts will tell you that she has a week to two weeks before she would pass away.

O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning in Pinellas Park, Florida, which of course is where Terri Schiavo's hospice is. Bob, thanks -- Bill.

HEMMER: Terri Schiavo and her parents are Catholic. In fact, in court on Monday, they argued that removing Terri's feeding tube violates their daughter's constitutional right of religion. Now the Vatican is weighing in on this heated debate.

From Rome this morning, here's Alessio Vinci.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It rare for Vatican officials to publicly discuss ongoing legal matters, but in Terri Schiavo's case, they took the unusual step of harshly criticizing the removal of her feeding tube, saying the procedure amounts to nothing less than a ruthless way to kill a person.

Church officials say they are against keeping a person alive at all costs, especially if medical intervention prolongs the patient's agony. But the Vatican insists artificially feeding and hydrating a person in a vegetative state does not constitute aggressive therapy.

Pope John Paul II a year ago wrote that doctors have a moral duty to preserve life, saying, quote, "The administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural way of preserving life, not a medical procedure."

And because Terri Schiavo has not been pronounced brain dead, but brain damaged, Vatican officials say she must be kept alive. Nobody at the Vatican is drawing parallels between Terri Schiavo and the frail condition of the pope, himself at risk of becoming incapacitated.

But the debate over Schiavo's fate has once more raised questions no one inside or outside the Vatican can answer. What would happen should the pope become incapacitated? Should he one day require artificial means to breathe, eat and drink, for how long should these machines be kept on, and who would take the decision to pull the plug?

FATHER BRIAN JOHNSTONE, MORAL THEOLOGIAN: There is no provision in canon law for dealing with a situation where the pope himself simply is not in a position to make decisions. So that would cause considerable difficulty.

VINCI (on camera): Combining the dilemma of an incapacitated pope with the ability of modern medicine to keep a person alive for a long time has led some to suggest future popes should be bound by age limit, a proposal senior Vatican officials here are dismissing, saying it is God who chooses the pope, and only God can decide when his term expires.

Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: And again, the headline no feeding tube for now. The next stop for Terri Schiavo's case, to the 11th Circuit in Atlanta. More developments as we get them here regarding that story.

That's our major headline. The others headlines now with Carol Costello.

Good morning, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill. And good morning to all of you.

A Florida judge denying bond to convicted sex offender John Couey in the kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. Couey made his first court appearance on the Lunsford charges within the past hour. The judge telling the suspect his alleged crimes were, quote, "beyond words." Jessica's body was found on Saturday. The first of three memorial services are set for Thursday.

Investigators looking into a school shooting in Minnesota say so far they believe the suspect was acting alone. Authorities are still piecing together what exactly happened. The suspect killed his grandparents and seven others before turning the gun on himself. Still no word of a motive. The FBI is expected to give more details at a news conference less than three hours from now.

In the West Bank, some Palestinians celebrating this morning. There is word Israel has completed its handover of the town of Tulkarem. This is the first time in three years traffic is flowing freely between the two sides. Tulkarem is the second of five towns in the West Bank Israel is supposed to hand over. And the National Coast Guard Working through the night to free a grounded ship near Oxnard, California. Take a look. This vessel apparently got stuck on a sandbar during an oncoming storm. Look at these amazing pictures. They show the massive waves. All 20 people were brought to shore after some of them were knocked overboard. But luckily, all were wearing life vests and are safe this morning -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.

Well, the man who is charged with plotting to kidnap David Letterman's son makes his first appearance in court today in Montana. Forty-three-year-old Kelly Frank worked as a house painter at Letterman's Montana ranch. The incident is just the latest case involving celebrities as victims.

Here's CNN's Brooke Anderson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hollywood has had its share of fans that turn fanatical. Donette Knight pleaded no contest last month to stalking and threatening actress Catherine Zeta- Jones. Prosecutors say Knight was infatuated with Jones' husband, actor Michael Douglas. Actress Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered in 1989 by Robert Bardot (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was just screaming.

ANDERSON: The obsessed fan stalked her for two years, hiring a detective to get her home address, and then gunning Schaeffer down on her front step. In 1963, Frank Sinatra Jr. was held captive in a Lake Tahoe hotel for four days before his father paid $240,000 in ransom money.

In a recent interview, actor Russell Crowe says al Qaeda wanted to kidnap him as part of a bigger cultural-destabilization plot. And Idaho drifter Zach Sinclair claimed he was on a mission from God to pray with Mel Gibson. His mission ended with a felony stalking conviction and as much as three years' jail time when he is sentenced in June.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: So what are these celebrities doing to protect themselves and their families? Well, Bill Daly is a former FBI investigator. He's now senior vice president of Control Risk Groups, where he's developed personal protection programs for celebrities and corporate executives.

Nice to see you, Bill. Thanks for coming to talk to us.

WILLIAM DALY, FMR. FBI INVESTIGATOR: Good to see you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Do you think that there are more cases, or do you think we're just hearing more of these cases?

DALY: Well, it's quite interesting. It's that it seems to be more reported today. Celebrities in the past have been a little bit concerned about having some negative publicity. So over the past few decades, we've seen more people coming forward, which has in some ways suggested there are more incidents. And possibly, it also encouraged other people to get the notoriety if they want to be stalkers that now they're going to get the attention they wanted. So it's very difficult to sort it out, but a lot of times, more times you have things reported, it seems bigger. But we think that probably it's about the same, and just becoming more well known.

O'BRIEN: At the same time, it feels like there are many more shows, and venues and outlets for celebrities to be talking about their families. There are sort of more and more personal information out there. Do you think that they play a tremendous role in the celebrities now being targeted by either obsessed fans or people who want to hurt their families?

DALY: So that -- exactly. I mean, I feel as though with all these outlets you mentioned, you know, some of them briefly here, we have shows that just talk about isn't it nice to be so and so and talks about the money they make and where they live and their children. We have, you know, tabloids. We have, you know, traditional news outlets that have...

O'BRIEN: A zillion entertainment shows.

DALY: Everybody has a little entertainment show and they talk about what's going on in their lives. Now, part of the whole issue of being a celebrity is having that celebrity and talking about yourself and being out there in the forefront of the media. But what it also does is it attracts those people on the fringe, those people who have some emotional, perhaps, tie, feel as if they have a tie. Or those, such as suggested by the individual in Montana, may have some other motives, such as money.

O'BRIEN: So how do you protect yourself? I think for the celebrity, but also for other people, how do you possibly protect yourself? It's a double-edged sword. You've got to do interviews, you've got to talk about your family. Those are the questions people are asking. You can't say I got nothing to tell you.

DALY: Exactly. Well, celebrities actually have a more rigorous process than ourselves, but there are some things we can learn from this to incorporate into our own lives. Well, first of all, celebrities, you know, screen their mail. We actually help people analyze what's going on with communications that come in. Some people are just fan mail, it's fine, put it aside. But sometimes you'll see letters that are -- suggest that there's something more going on. You want to start looking closely at these people, where it's coming from, potentially what they could lead to.

The other key aspects of their own security would be their physical security, their home alarms. They have close protection or body guards at times, but not all the time. But I think probably the most critical element and it goes for all of us as well, is not to divulge too much about your personal life to people who may come and be doing work for you, people even in your employ, such as nannies and other people in the household. Don't be too forthcoming with your plans and personal information.

O'BRIEN: Some of these cases, though, get to court and they're basically tossed out. I mean, to some degree, and I don't think I'm overstating it. If you are not killed by your stalker, or if the stalker doesn't actually go ahead and succeed in kidnapping your child and your nanny, a lot of times in many cases, it goes nowhere. They have no legal leg to stand on.

DALY: Exactly. We saw just this with the show...

O'BRIEN: I mean, Letterman's kind of the exception to the rule, I would guess.

DALY: Letterman, but because this was allegedly a plot to kidnap and there are other charges associated with it. In stalking cases, it's sometimes very difficult to prove that stalking. I believe in the Sheryl Crow case, that case was tossed out, even though we had this plethora of communication and potential contacts. The concern that I have is that people who are stalkers -- it can lead to something more disastrous, such as we saw with the Schaefer (ph) incident a few years ago.

But a lot of times, it's difficult, it's nebulous. It's very difficult to say when did they cross that line. Just because they're writing, they're showing up. Judges sometimes say that hasn't really violated the law. And to put people away for assessment, they'll hold them, but they don't put them in jail for a long time.

O'BRIEN: Bill Daly, nice to see you, as always. Thanks -- Bill.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: And even though prices are rising, drivers still have to gas up. Gerri Willis with some advice that could save you a little cash at the pump this morning.

HEMMER: Also if you feel your memory is not what it used to be, Dr. Gupta is back today. Some tips on how to sharpen those brain cells. Back in a moment with Sanjay after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Question this morning, why do we forget things we want to remember and then retain others that we'd like to forget? Good questions. All this week, Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the science of memory. And this morning, Sanjay reports on a memory boot camp.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, I'll talk to you later. Hi, this is Linda. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In her line of work, 53-year-old Linda Jenkins (ph) spends practically all day talking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what, I don't even know who I was talking to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm lost.

GUPTA: And lately, she's been hitting some blank spots.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A big...

GUPTA: Causing her a lot of anxiety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be taking along and all of a sudden -- when that happens so often, it calls attention. And it's frustrating. Oh, absolutely. To me, it is.

GUPTA: So Jenkins is trying an unusual program to fix her memory flame-outs. The first boot camp for the brain, run by the Memory Fitness Institute in Fountain Valley, California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'd like to remember to come.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope so, too!

DR. GARY SMALL, DIRECTOR, UCLA CENTER ON AGING: You can go home today and start protecting your brain.

GUPTA: The brains of the operation is Dr. Gary Small. The program, based on his book, "The Memory Prescription." He has spent his life trying to unravel the memory mystery. While admitting there are other factors, he says simple lifestyle changes can improve your memory in just 14 days.

SMALL: What can we do today to keep our brains healthy and fit? And here it is, the big four. Mental activity. Physical conditioning. Healthy diet. And stress reduction. The key to memory fitness.

GUPTA: Back at boot camp, Jenkins is already busy. First, stocking up on healthy brain foods, rich in antioxidants and with plenty of omega-3 fatty acid, which Small says may keep brain cells from degenerating. Some of his suggestions are blueberries, prunes, salmon and nuts. Another prescription? Cut down on stress. That's a memory-buster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's enough.

GUPTA: Two other key elements of the program, exercise your body and your brain, like zany storytelling methods to remember lists of words.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So the more fantastic or exaggerated you can make the picture, the easier it is to remember.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had a lawyer wearing a vest eating an artichoke and a banana.

GUPTA: Mind-benders, or simply writing with your left hand if you're right-handed. All are ways boot campers sharpen their brains during weekly meetings.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, thanks for that. Later this weekend, the primetime special comes your way. It's called "MEMORY." Sanjay's your host. Comes your way at 10:00 Eastern on Sunday night, 7:00 on the West Coast, here on CNN -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Ahead, nobody likes the rising prices at the gas pump, but you can help control the costs. We're going to tell you how up next on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: There is something you can do about rising gas prices. With that and a look at the markets, Gerri Willis is "Minding Your Business," in for Andy Serwer this morning. Good morning.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jack. Good to see you.

Here's what's going on with gas prices. The average $2.10 a gallon. You've got to beat that. How do you do it? Well, first off, don't be loyal to the guy down the block where you've been buying your gas all this time. You definitely want to shop around. The difference in prices can be as much as 20 cents per gallon. Go to gasbuddy.com or gaspricewatch.com for some ideas on where to get the cheapest gas.

Tip number two, be a better driver. You know who you are out there, you accelerate really rapidly, you brake really fast. You're costing yourself a lot of money in gas. You can reduce your -- increase, pardon me, your gas mileage by as much as a third if you drive like a normal person.

Tip number three, it's time to tune up. You can save yourself a lot of money by just getting a basic tune-up. Check the motor oil and air filters and don't buy premium gas. Bad idea. You don't need it. You don't need to pay for the extra.

CAFFERTY: Well, don't some engines require it, though?

WILLIS: Most don't.

CAFFERTY: But some do. WILLIS: Some do. So be sure check your owner's manual.

CAFFERTY: There you go. Get that little thing out of the glove box that nobody ever looks at the entire time they own the car. Thanks, Gerri.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

CAFFERTY: It looks like time for "The File." Camilla's going to be the queen after all. Prince Charles had said his future wife would be known as the princess consort when and if he becomes king. But that would mean a new law in Britain and in 15 other countries as well and that's not likely to happen. Camilla, who is called Cow-milla in Britain by the people that don't like her, and her jug-eared fiance are going to get married next month.

Home run king Mark McGwire not exactly batting 1,000. He went into Congress to talk about steroids, and didn't tell anybody anything. Except he told everybody a lot because he wouldn't tell anybody anything. He has seen a precipitous fall in his popularity as a result of his performance. "USA Today"/CNN/Gallup poll over the weekend showed 53 percent of respondents still had a favorable opinion of McGwire, but his unfavorable rating dropped -- rose, rather, from three to 25 percent because he wouldn't come clean and talk about whether or not he did steroids.

A first grader in a Chicago school learned last week that sharing is not always caring. A 6-year-old boy passed out 40 bags of what he thought was candy to his classmates. Turned out it was crack cocaine. Teachers called police. They found that drug-dealing member of the boy's own family had stashed the drugs in the kid's backpack. All of the bags were accounted for and none of the kids was hurt.

O'BRIEN: That's terrible.

CAFFERTY: That's a tough neighborhood.

HEMMER: Yes, I would say. McGwire, Hall of Fame? Do you think he has damaged his chances?

CAFFERTY: Of course he's damaged his chances.

O'BRIEN: Not a chance.

CAFFERTY: How can you sit there and say I refuse to talk about the past when they're asking you under oath have you used steroids and you won't answer the question?

HEMMER: I want to know why he took that course of action and Sammy Sosa and the other guys did not.

CAFFERTY: Because he probably used steroids and maybe Sammy Sosa and the others didn't use them. That would be my guess.

HEMMER: What he didn't say said a lot, as you say?

CAFFERTY: Oh, man.

HEMMER: All right, thank you, Jack. Let's get a break here. In a moment, top stories coming up. A busy Tuesday morning. We'll catch you up on what you need to know. Also, this federal judge ruling on an emergency request to reinsert Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. Live to the courthouse in Florida. More on that decision as we continue after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: A major development in the Terri Schiavo case. A federal judge in Florida refuses to get involved. Would an appeal change anything in that case?

The investigation this morning into the worst school shooting since Columbine. Ten people are dead. The alleged shooters' actions still a mystery.

And John Couey is facing justice in the Jessica Lunsford murder. Those stories all ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

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