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American Morning
Agonizing Wait for Terri Schiavo's Parents After Filing Late- Night Plea to Supreme Court
Aired March 24, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The agonizing wait for Terri Schiavo's parents after filing a late-night plea to the Supreme Court. Is the final stop there after years of fighting?
And investigators are looking at millions of Ford pickups and SUVs, raising some serious questions about their safety, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Good to have you with us today. We're watching that massive explosion in Texas at an oil refinery that happened late yesterday afternoon. We'll get to that this hour as well. And following the latest across the board in the Terri Schiavo case, reports in a moment from the Supreme Court and from Florida's capital in Tallahassee. We'll talk with Michael Schiavo's brother this morning and the spiritual adviser to Terri Schiavo's parents, and we'll look at the remaining legal options that may be on the table, and many that were taken off the table yesterday.
O'BRIEN: Also another story out of Florida, several children becoming gravely ill after visiting a petting zoo. Jack Hannah is going to join us this morning to talk about safety at petting zoos.
HEMMER: Also Jack Cafferty is with us. Good morning. What's on your mind?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Bill.
The question of the day has to do with whether or not the Supreme Court of the United States may change its mind and agree to hear the Schiavo case. They have declined to do that in the past. Interested parties are making another run at them this morning. We'll take a look at what you think about whether it ought to go to the nation's highest court or not.
HEMMER: All right, Jack, thanks for that.
First let's start this morning, get you caught up on where we are at this hour. There are two legal avenues still open in the Terri Schiavo case. One in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. The other will be decided today by a Florida circuit court. We're covering both options now as we start this morning with Joe Johns at the U.S. Supreme Court, Ed Henry is at the Florida State Capitol Building in Tallahassee. First to Joe in D.C. What is the status of the appeal there at the court?
Joe, good morning.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The appeal came in to the Supreme Court around 11:00 last night, Eastern Time. This is the appeal. It's about 40 pages long. It really covers the waterfront, of course. It came into Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is the circuit justice for the 11th Circuit. It makes a number of assertions, and really brings this case into focus once again for the Supreme Court.
We have a graphic to show you some of the operative language in there. "It says Terri Schiavo is dying of starvation and dehydration. If the tube is not reinserted by order of this court, Terri will die before this court is able to consider the merits of the petition."
It also makes reference to a miraculous event which occurred during the weekend after Terri's feeding tube was removed. Apparently, a reference to something said by her father over the weekend suggesting that she does have a present ability to communicate on a very basic level. Of course, question number one here is whether the Supreme Court will, in fact, decide to hear the court -- hear the case. Justice Kennedy has the opportunity, of course, to bump this decision up to the entire court for review. No word on timing, no word on when or if they'll make a decision very, very soon, although it is very clear that they understand that timing is critical in this case.
Bill, back to you.
HEMMER: Thanks for that from D.C.
Let's go down to Florida, Tallahassee, and Ed Henry.
What does the governor, Jeb Bush, plan to do there, Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
A flurry of activity here in the state capital yesterday, as the governor was pushing very hard, last-ditch efforts to try to save Terri Schiavo's life. First of all, he filed a petition with the circuit court here, trying to take custody of her through the Department of Children and Families.
There was, though, an emergency order issued late yesterday by Judge George Greer, saying the governor cannot take custody of Terri Schiavo. That was because the governor was saying that she is not in a persistent vegetative state.
So the governor then also tried the legislative angle. He urged the state Senate behind me to take up legislation that would have reinserted the feeding tube for Terri Schiavo. There was a three-hour emotional debate here. Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother, was in the gallery watching that debate, but the state Senate defeated the legislation, 21-18.
Bobby Schindler said afterward that he has not lost hope. And in fact, there was an all-night, candlelight prayer vigil outside the governor's mansion, supporters of Terri Schiavo's parents trying to gather this morning at 9:00 a.m., outside the governor's office.
But the bottom line here is that all of the state legislative avenues have been exhausted. The state Senate leaders said yesterday they cannot bring this legislation back up again. That's why the (INAUDIBLE).
HEMMER: I apologize about that. The signal breaking up a little bit there in Tallahassee, with Ed Henry reporting there.
We will follow the latest from Florida, again, as we wait for a decision from the district court. Perhaps that comes later in the morning. But at this point, we cannot say for certain, most likely before noon Eastern time today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Ed was updating us on the legislative angles. The courts have, however, have consistently sided with Michael Schiavo. He's been at his wife's bedside almost constantly since Friday when a Florida judge ruled that her feeding tube could be removed.
Michael Schiavo's brother, Scott, is in Levittown, Pennsylvania this morning.
Good morning. Thanks for being with us.
SCOTT SCHIAVO, MICHAEL SCHIAVO'S BROTHER: You're quite welcome.
O'BRIEN: You've heard, obviously about all that has happened overnight. Give me your thoughts on the very latest, certainly as far as the Supreme Court goes.
S. SCHIAVO: Well, we haven't -- we're still waiting for the ruling to come down. We're just waiting.
O'BRIEN: I guess what I meant specifically was give me a sense of what you make of this case now going back to the Supreme Court, or at least going to the Supreme Court to see if they will weigh in on it.
S. SCHIAVO: Oh. Well, it's been before them several times already, and they -- you know, they didn't rule on it, didn't want to hear it, thought it wasn't their issue to deal with, and we're just hoping they go the same route again.
O'BRIEN: Another development, as you well know, is the Florida governor, Jeb Bush asserting that the state might have the ability, the authority to take custody of Terri Schiavo.
Let's listen first to what the governor had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: The neurologists review indicates that Terri may have been misdiagnosed, and it is more likely that she is in a state of minimal consciousness, rather than in a state of in a persistent vegetative state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The state of Florida having custody -- authority to take custody of Terri, a new doctor stepping forward, saying there may be a misdiagnosis. What do you make of those development overnight?
S. SCHIAVO: This is not about Terri anymore; this is all a political view. They're trying to -- they're being bullied actually by these right-for-life people, basically telling them that if you don't vote our way, you won't get our votes. And it's -- these people are right for life, but they control everybody's life. You know, they threaten people's lives and this is -- this has gone too far. You know -- they threaten people's lives, and the politicians wanted to have this go to a federal court so they can review the case, and it's almost like being little kids, they want a do over now because now that the federal courts have ruled against it, it's not good, so they've got to come up with another political ploy.
O'BRIEN: Your brother, Michael, has been accused by his in-laws of doing some pretty tough things, pretty awful things. They've said he's in it for the money. They have charged abuse. The Department of Florida Children and Family Services alleging possibly 30 allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The list goes on and on and on. People say that he has a conflict of interest because he's got a relationship with another woman now, children with this woman. What do you make of all these allegations coming in?
S. SCHIAVO: These allegations are, you know, it's just part of their little setup here. Mike, in 1991 when the Schindlers testified in the malpractice suit, both the parents had testified that Mike and Terri had a wonderful marriage. They were deeply in love. When asked the question, what type of son-in-law Mike was, they said you couldn't ask for a better son-in-law, he was wonderful, you saw he was there, he was a great guy, and they even said if it wasn't for him, during that period, they could have never made it through it, that he was their rock.
And you know, now all of a sudden, you know, in 1993, I believe it was, '92, Bob Schindler told Mike in the room that night on Valentine's Day when he found out he was not going to get any money that, you know, he told Mike he was going to make his life a living hell. And he has set out to do that, and that's just the type of man that he is. It's all about Bob.
O'BRIEN: Michael Schiavo's brother, Scott Schiavo, joining us this morning. Thanks for your time. Appreciate your insights.
HEMMER: Terri Schiavo has been without food or water for about six days now, now entering her seventh day. Brother Paul O'Donnell is a spiritual adviser to the Schindlers. He's in Pinellas Park, Florida. We thank you for your time. I know you personally have not seen Terri Schiavo. Her parents have -- when was the last time the parents visited her, Brother Paul?
BROTHER PAUL O'DONNELL, SCHINDLER'S SPIRITUAL ADVISER: I believe it was last night about 11:00 p.m..
HEMMER: How much time did they spend with her?
O'DONNELL: Well, it depends because Michael Schiavo can suspend visitation rights. Yesterday, Mary Schindler had to wait over five- and-a-half hours before she could go in to see her daughter. And so it just depends. Sometimes it's a half an hour. Sometimes it's an hour at a time.
HEMMER: What did they tell you about her condition?
O'DONNELL: Well, she's showing signs of dehydration. Her face is starting to sink in. The bones around her eyes are starting to be prominent. Her mouth is dry. Her tongue is dry. She's still alert. She's still communicates with them, but she's suffering. I mean, and anybody who says this is a simple painless death is just not dealing with reality.
Here in Florida, a man has gone to prison for five years for starving animals and we're starving this human being, and we've begged Governor Bush to take action.
HEMMER: The other description we're getting though, Brother Paul, comes from the attorney for Michael. He describes Terri as stable, as peaceful and calm. How do you then explain the discrepancies between these two very different viewpoints about her current condition?
O'DONNELL: I would say Terri is tired, because any of us who go without food or water are weak, and Terri is suffering, despite what Mr. Felos says.
And by the way, Mr. Felos has claimed Terri can't feel anything at anytime and has made reference to her being a house plant. I don't think the man has any credibility in my eyes.
HEMMER: What is the talk among her supporters outside that hospice, if the U.S. Supreme Court yet again denies to take up this case?
O'DONNELL: Our hope is in Governor Bush. No matter what Judge Greer did with the DCF, we believe that the governor has the power to pardon mass murderers on death row in Florida. He has by his executive office the ability to stop this insanity. And we beg the governor to take action, and take it now. This woman is going to die.
HEMMER: You mentioned DCF. That's the Defense of Children and Families, a group there in the state of Florida. But knowing over the past 48 hours, every legal decision has gone against you, do you have a sense there is more urgency than ever, that time is running out?
O'DONNELL: I do, I do. This woman is being starved and dehydrated to death in the United States of America, and her own mother can't be next to her swabbing out her mouth and comforting her because of a court order. This is the first time in the United States a court said, you shall remove the feeding tube, in essence, saying this woman shall die.
HEMMER: Brother Paul O'Donnell is a spiritual adviser. He's been outside that hospice many, many times over the past several months and years, live in Pinellas Park. Thank you for your time there.
O'DONNELL: Thank you.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad now with more.
O'BRIEN: Search-and-rescue operations have been going on all night after an explosion at an oil refinery in Texas. The blast happened on Wednesday afternoon at the BP refinery in Texas City. It's about 40 miles southeast of Houston. Company officials say at least first 14 workers were killed, more than 100 others are -- and residents as well, workers and residents, are injured. Terrorism now, though, has been ruled out as a possible cause. Officials say the explosion happened in an octane-enhancing unit. It took nearly two hours to put out the fires. The refinery is the country's third largest. No word on so far on whether the explosion is going to affect any production at that refinery.
Coming up in our next half hour, we're going to talk with the president of BP Oil about the rescue efforts, and also the possible causes that they are looking at there in that blast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, at least seven children may have picked up this rare infection at a petting zoo. Are the petting zoos safe? We'll take a look at that ahead.
HEMMER: Also, there was possible trouble at Ford. It involves some of its bestsellers. How serious is this problem? What you need to know. We'll get to it in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Plus, faith in America, a closer look at the increasing influence of black churches on political policy. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: There are some new troubles for the Ford Motor Company. The government is investigating possible defects in almost four million of Ford's most popular pickups and SUVs. The problem could be in the cruise-control switches. Under examination, the Ford f-150 pickups, model years 1995 to 1999, and 2001 and 2002, and Ford Expeditions, and Lincoln Navigators, the model years 1997 to 1999, and 2001 and 2002.
Jean Jennings is the editor-in-chief of "Automobile" magazine. She's with us this morning for a little more explanation.
Good morning.
JEAN JENNINGS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "AUTOMOBILE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We mentioned cruise control in the F-150, the Ford Expedition, the Lincoln Navigators. What specifically is the problem?
JENNINGS: The problem apparently, what is under investigation, is this switch is possibly sparking and causing fire when the vehicle is turned off, which makes it interesting and a little more significant than the average recall.
O'BRIEN: And really scary as well.
JENNINGS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: People obviously -- the investigation began because people started calling in with their complaints.
JENNINGS: Yes, and this is not rife. I mean, it's not thousands of people calling in. There's a couple hundred out of 3.5 million.
O'BRIEN: What were they describing, the people who were complaining?
JENNINGS: That I think there's a fire in the engine compartment, and the garage burned down.
O'BRIEN: Wow, that's very serious.
There was another recall, as you well know, back in January. That was 800,000.
JENNINGS: Same switch.
O'BRIEN: So it's the same exact problem, but now just a different year.
JENNINGS: And there was a recall six years ago and it was an ignition switch. So I think it was part of that same circuitry. The problem is, the switch, it gets constant power. It's in the a case of not using your cruise control or making sure your car's turned off with the key out. That's when it happens, and there's possible sparking in there.
O'BRIEN: Well, you kind of bring us to the next question. For anybody who owns these cars, and there are a tremendous number of people who have the F-150...
JENNINGS: Number one for twenty three years.
O'BRIEN: ... Ford Expedition, the Lincoln Navigators. What do you do? The only advice I've read, seriously, is don't park near your house. That seems very scary to me.
JENNINGS: That's right. Well, that's it. You have to park on street, and that's easy to say from someone out in the Midwest. I don't know what you're going to do with your vehicle.
O'BRIEN: Anybody in an urban center is in big trouble. Do you have any other advice, what people should do? Now that they say, OK, well, gee, I have that car, what do you do?
JENNINGS: Well, the recall that happened in January -- and this is an investigation. The recall that happened in January has people going to the dealer, the dealers are deactivating the switch entirely until they can bring new switches in. So I suppose if you're worried, you could go to the dealer, have yours deactivated, save your receipts, and if there is a recall, you could turn them in later. But like I said, this is a small percentage.
The other thing people can do is keep in touch with government's investigation, NHTSA.
O'BRIEN: NHTSA. How long before we see results from the investigation? How long do they usually take?
JENNINGS: Well, you know, this could take a couple of months. It depends on Ford's own internal investigations. I know they don't want this to carry on. They will do the right thing and work with the government to solve this situation. But there are not enough switches now to replace 3.5 million, so I think it's a deactivation.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jean Jennings is the editor-in-chief of "Automobile" magazine. Nice to see you. Thanks for some useful advice on dealing with this issue -- Bill.
HEMMER: Related matter now, Soledad.
General Motors also facing tough times. What the world's largest automaker says it may do with some of its, quote, "damaged brands." That is next from a chilly and wet New York City. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. We mentioned this huge explosion yesterday in southeast Texas that killed 14 people. Many more were injured, and now we're learning that this oil-refinery incident could affect many folks across the country.
Gerri Willis, working for Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. Good to see you.
This tragic fire in Texas just 40 miles southeast of Houston is going to have ramifications beyond Texas City. In fact, gas futures this morning surging to a record. We expect it to have further ramifications, as well, Bill. You know, refinery capacity in this country very tight indeed. The refinery built in 1934, it was owned by British Petroleum, and it's the third largest refinery in the country. Got to ask yourself, can this have an impact on oil prices going forward. Looks like it will. A lot of discussion about it today, and you can expect the market to be a little queasy.
HEMMER: We'll watch that.
Meanwhile, what's GM doing? The going to phase something out? We losing some brands?
WILLIS: Well, here's what's interesting, yesterday, Bob Lutz, the vice chairman of the company, met with analysts, and he said Buick, Pontiac, both having their troubles. They could phase out these two brands, still not confirming if those are exactly the brands they'll phase out. We'll hear more later. But, you know, this company reeling from health care costs, pension costs, having its trouble, losing marketshare. They're having to take some kind of action -- Bill.
HEMMER: We'll watch it. Thank you, Gerri. Changing times for GM. Thanks -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We, obviously, have been talking about the Terri Schiavo case. It's part of the Question of the Day this morning.
Good morning.
CAFFERTY: Hi.
The parents of Terri Schiavo, the woman whose feeding tube was removed last Friday, are going to the Supreme Court again as a last resort. This will be the sixth time the case has been presented to the nation's highest court, and each time it refused to hear it. That was before, though, Congress came back from recess and passed that law to allow Schiavo's case to be heard in the federal courts, and President Bush got up in the middle of the night to sign it. A federal appeals court has refused to order the tube reinserted and now Terri Schiavo has been without food and water for six days.
The question is this, do you think the U.S. Supreme Court should hear the Schiavo case? Am@CNN.com is the e-mail address.
O'BRIEN: It was interesting, talking to Alan Dershowitz yesterday, he said he though maybe the Supreme Court would opt to weigh in, because now that the Congress has made its wishes known, that might be a time for the Supreme Court to comment on that action. That would make it different from the previous six times the Supreme Court has turned it down.
CAFFERTY: I just wish this story would go away. I'm tired of it.
O'BRIEN: It's heart breaking on all sides.
HEMMER: Everyone can relate to this story.
CAFFERTY: We've absolutely driven it into the ground.
HEMMER: Everyone can relate to this -- you can put yourself in the situation of Terri Schiavo, you can put yourself in the situation of Michael Schiavo, Her parents, his lawyer.
CAFFERTY: You know what, Medicare's going broke, and it will run out of money before Social Security does. Maybe we ought to talk about more stuff besides Terri Schiavo.
HEMMER: Yes, true on that. But it's more than just science; it's the morals, it's the way you conduct your life, it's what you do to get prepared in the event, Gerri, as you mentioned, of living wills, if you come in a situation like this. I think there are a multitude of questions on every side, and that's why it's so fascinating.
CAFFERTY: Really?
HEMMER: Done.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, the black church is gaining new ground in the Republican Party. We'll take a look at how some black ministers are influencing policy from the pulpit. Our special series "Faith in America," ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 24, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The agonizing wait for Terri Schiavo's parents after filing a late-night plea to the Supreme Court. Is the final stop there after years of fighting?
And investigators are looking at millions of Ford pickups and SUVs, raising some serious questions about their safety, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Good to have you with us today. We're watching that massive explosion in Texas at an oil refinery that happened late yesterday afternoon. We'll get to that this hour as well. And following the latest across the board in the Terri Schiavo case, reports in a moment from the Supreme Court and from Florida's capital in Tallahassee. We'll talk with Michael Schiavo's brother this morning and the spiritual adviser to Terri Schiavo's parents, and we'll look at the remaining legal options that may be on the table, and many that were taken off the table yesterday.
O'BRIEN: Also another story out of Florida, several children becoming gravely ill after visiting a petting zoo. Jack Hannah is going to join us this morning to talk about safety at petting zoos.
HEMMER: Also Jack Cafferty is with us. Good morning. What's on your mind?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Bill.
The question of the day has to do with whether or not the Supreme Court of the United States may change its mind and agree to hear the Schiavo case. They have declined to do that in the past. Interested parties are making another run at them this morning. We'll take a look at what you think about whether it ought to go to the nation's highest court or not.
HEMMER: All right, Jack, thanks for that.
First let's start this morning, get you caught up on where we are at this hour. There are two legal avenues still open in the Terri Schiavo case. One in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. The other will be decided today by a Florida circuit court. We're covering both options now as we start this morning with Joe Johns at the U.S. Supreme Court, Ed Henry is at the Florida State Capitol Building in Tallahassee. First to Joe in D.C. What is the status of the appeal there at the court?
Joe, good morning.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The appeal came in to the Supreme Court around 11:00 last night, Eastern Time. This is the appeal. It's about 40 pages long. It really covers the waterfront, of course. It came into Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is the circuit justice for the 11th Circuit. It makes a number of assertions, and really brings this case into focus once again for the Supreme Court.
We have a graphic to show you some of the operative language in there. "It says Terri Schiavo is dying of starvation and dehydration. If the tube is not reinserted by order of this court, Terri will die before this court is able to consider the merits of the petition."
It also makes reference to a miraculous event which occurred during the weekend after Terri's feeding tube was removed. Apparently, a reference to something said by her father over the weekend suggesting that she does have a present ability to communicate on a very basic level. Of course, question number one here is whether the Supreme Court will, in fact, decide to hear the court -- hear the case. Justice Kennedy has the opportunity, of course, to bump this decision up to the entire court for review. No word on timing, no word on when or if they'll make a decision very, very soon, although it is very clear that they understand that timing is critical in this case.
Bill, back to you.
HEMMER: Thanks for that from D.C.
Let's go down to Florida, Tallahassee, and Ed Henry.
What does the governor, Jeb Bush, plan to do there, Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
A flurry of activity here in the state capital yesterday, as the governor was pushing very hard, last-ditch efforts to try to save Terri Schiavo's life. First of all, he filed a petition with the circuit court here, trying to take custody of her through the Department of Children and Families.
There was, though, an emergency order issued late yesterday by Judge George Greer, saying the governor cannot take custody of Terri Schiavo. That was because the governor was saying that she is not in a persistent vegetative state.
So the governor then also tried the legislative angle. He urged the state Senate behind me to take up legislation that would have reinserted the feeding tube for Terri Schiavo. There was a three-hour emotional debate here. Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother, was in the gallery watching that debate, but the state Senate defeated the legislation, 21-18.
Bobby Schindler said afterward that he has not lost hope. And in fact, there was an all-night, candlelight prayer vigil outside the governor's mansion, supporters of Terri Schiavo's parents trying to gather this morning at 9:00 a.m., outside the governor's office.
But the bottom line here is that all of the state legislative avenues have been exhausted. The state Senate leaders said yesterday they cannot bring this legislation back up again. That's why the (INAUDIBLE).
HEMMER: I apologize about that. The signal breaking up a little bit there in Tallahassee, with Ed Henry reporting there.
We will follow the latest from Florida, again, as we wait for a decision from the district court. Perhaps that comes later in the morning. But at this point, we cannot say for certain, most likely before noon Eastern time today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Ed was updating us on the legislative angles. The courts have, however, have consistently sided with Michael Schiavo. He's been at his wife's bedside almost constantly since Friday when a Florida judge ruled that her feeding tube could be removed.
Michael Schiavo's brother, Scott, is in Levittown, Pennsylvania this morning.
Good morning. Thanks for being with us.
SCOTT SCHIAVO, MICHAEL SCHIAVO'S BROTHER: You're quite welcome.
O'BRIEN: You've heard, obviously about all that has happened overnight. Give me your thoughts on the very latest, certainly as far as the Supreme Court goes.
S. SCHIAVO: Well, we haven't -- we're still waiting for the ruling to come down. We're just waiting.
O'BRIEN: I guess what I meant specifically was give me a sense of what you make of this case now going back to the Supreme Court, or at least going to the Supreme Court to see if they will weigh in on it.
S. SCHIAVO: Oh. Well, it's been before them several times already, and they -- you know, they didn't rule on it, didn't want to hear it, thought it wasn't their issue to deal with, and we're just hoping they go the same route again.
O'BRIEN: Another development, as you well know, is the Florida governor, Jeb Bush asserting that the state might have the ability, the authority to take custody of Terri Schiavo.
Let's listen first to what the governor had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: The neurologists review indicates that Terri may have been misdiagnosed, and it is more likely that she is in a state of minimal consciousness, rather than in a state of in a persistent vegetative state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The state of Florida having custody -- authority to take custody of Terri, a new doctor stepping forward, saying there may be a misdiagnosis. What do you make of those development overnight?
S. SCHIAVO: This is not about Terri anymore; this is all a political view. They're trying to -- they're being bullied actually by these right-for-life people, basically telling them that if you don't vote our way, you won't get our votes. And it's -- these people are right for life, but they control everybody's life. You know, they threaten people's lives and this is -- this has gone too far. You know -- they threaten people's lives, and the politicians wanted to have this go to a federal court so they can review the case, and it's almost like being little kids, they want a do over now because now that the federal courts have ruled against it, it's not good, so they've got to come up with another political ploy.
O'BRIEN: Your brother, Michael, has been accused by his in-laws of doing some pretty tough things, pretty awful things. They've said he's in it for the money. They have charged abuse. The Department of Florida Children and Family Services alleging possibly 30 allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The list goes on and on and on. People say that he has a conflict of interest because he's got a relationship with another woman now, children with this woman. What do you make of all these allegations coming in?
S. SCHIAVO: These allegations are, you know, it's just part of their little setup here. Mike, in 1991 when the Schindlers testified in the malpractice suit, both the parents had testified that Mike and Terri had a wonderful marriage. They were deeply in love. When asked the question, what type of son-in-law Mike was, they said you couldn't ask for a better son-in-law, he was wonderful, you saw he was there, he was a great guy, and they even said if it wasn't for him, during that period, they could have never made it through it, that he was their rock.
And you know, now all of a sudden, you know, in 1993, I believe it was, '92, Bob Schindler told Mike in the room that night on Valentine's Day when he found out he was not going to get any money that, you know, he told Mike he was going to make his life a living hell. And he has set out to do that, and that's just the type of man that he is. It's all about Bob.
O'BRIEN: Michael Schiavo's brother, Scott Schiavo, joining us this morning. Thanks for your time. Appreciate your insights.
HEMMER: Terri Schiavo has been without food or water for about six days now, now entering her seventh day. Brother Paul O'Donnell is a spiritual adviser to the Schindlers. He's in Pinellas Park, Florida. We thank you for your time. I know you personally have not seen Terri Schiavo. Her parents have -- when was the last time the parents visited her, Brother Paul?
BROTHER PAUL O'DONNELL, SCHINDLER'S SPIRITUAL ADVISER: I believe it was last night about 11:00 p.m..
HEMMER: How much time did they spend with her?
O'DONNELL: Well, it depends because Michael Schiavo can suspend visitation rights. Yesterday, Mary Schindler had to wait over five- and-a-half hours before she could go in to see her daughter. And so it just depends. Sometimes it's a half an hour. Sometimes it's an hour at a time.
HEMMER: What did they tell you about her condition?
O'DONNELL: Well, she's showing signs of dehydration. Her face is starting to sink in. The bones around her eyes are starting to be prominent. Her mouth is dry. Her tongue is dry. She's still alert. She's still communicates with them, but she's suffering. I mean, and anybody who says this is a simple painless death is just not dealing with reality.
Here in Florida, a man has gone to prison for five years for starving animals and we're starving this human being, and we've begged Governor Bush to take action.
HEMMER: The other description we're getting though, Brother Paul, comes from the attorney for Michael. He describes Terri as stable, as peaceful and calm. How do you then explain the discrepancies between these two very different viewpoints about her current condition?
O'DONNELL: I would say Terri is tired, because any of us who go without food or water are weak, and Terri is suffering, despite what Mr. Felos says.
And by the way, Mr. Felos has claimed Terri can't feel anything at anytime and has made reference to her being a house plant. I don't think the man has any credibility in my eyes.
HEMMER: What is the talk among her supporters outside that hospice, if the U.S. Supreme Court yet again denies to take up this case?
O'DONNELL: Our hope is in Governor Bush. No matter what Judge Greer did with the DCF, we believe that the governor has the power to pardon mass murderers on death row in Florida. He has by his executive office the ability to stop this insanity. And we beg the governor to take action, and take it now. This woman is going to die.
HEMMER: You mentioned DCF. That's the Defense of Children and Families, a group there in the state of Florida. But knowing over the past 48 hours, every legal decision has gone against you, do you have a sense there is more urgency than ever, that time is running out?
O'DONNELL: I do, I do. This woman is being starved and dehydrated to death in the United States of America, and her own mother can't be next to her swabbing out her mouth and comforting her because of a court order. This is the first time in the United States a court said, you shall remove the feeding tube, in essence, saying this woman shall die.
HEMMER: Brother Paul O'Donnell is a spiritual adviser. He's been outside that hospice many, many times over the past several months and years, live in Pinellas Park. Thank you for your time there.
O'DONNELL: Thank you.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad now with more.
O'BRIEN: Search-and-rescue operations have been going on all night after an explosion at an oil refinery in Texas. The blast happened on Wednesday afternoon at the BP refinery in Texas City. It's about 40 miles southeast of Houston. Company officials say at least first 14 workers were killed, more than 100 others are -- and residents as well, workers and residents, are injured. Terrorism now, though, has been ruled out as a possible cause. Officials say the explosion happened in an octane-enhancing unit. It took nearly two hours to put out the fires. The refinery is the country's third largest. No word on so far on whether the explosion is going to affect any production at that refinery.
Coming up in our next half hour, we're going to talk with the president of BP Oil about the rescue efforts, and also the possible causes that they are looking at there in that blast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, at least seven children may have picked up this rare infection at a petting zoo. Are the petting zoos safe? We'll take a look at that ahead.
HEMMER: Also, there was possible trouble at Ford. It involves some of its bestsellers. How serious is this problem? What you need to know. We'll get to it in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Plus, faith in America, a closer look at the increasing influence of black churches on political policy. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
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O'BRIEN: There are some new troubles for the Ford Motor Company. The government is investigating possible defects in almost four million of Ford's most popular pickups and SUVs. The problem could be in the cruise-control switches. Under examination, the Ford f-150 pickups, model years 1995 to 1999, and 2001 and 2002, and Ford Expeditions, and Lincoln Navigators, the model years 1997 to 1999, and 2001 and 2002.
Jean Jennings is the editor-in-chief of "Automobile" magazine. She's with us this morning for a little more explanation.
Good morning.
JEAN JENNINGS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "AUTOMOBILE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We mentioned cruise control in the F-150, the Ford Expedition, the Lincoln Navigators. What specifically is the problem?
JENNINGS: The problem apparently, what is under investigation, is this switch is possibly sparking and causing fire when the vehicle is turned off, which makes it interesting and a little more significant than the average recall.
O'BRIEN: And really scary as well.
JENNINGS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: People obviously -- the investigation began because people started calling in with their complaints.
JENNINGS: Yes, and this is not rife. I mean, it's not thousands of people calling in. There's a couple hundred out of 3.5 million.
O'BRIEN: What were they describing, the people who were complaining?
JENNINGS: That I think there's a fire in the engine compartment, and the garage burned down.
O'BRIEN: Wow, that's very serious.
There was another recall, as you well know, back in January. That was 800,000.
JENNINGS: Same switch.
O'BRIEN: So it's the same exact problem, but now just a different year.
JENNINGS: And there was a recall six years ago and it was an ignition switch. So I think it was part of that same circuitry. The problem is, the switch, it gets constant power. It's in the a case of not using your cruise control or making sure your car's turned off with the key out. That's when it happens, and there's possible sparking in there.
O'BRIEN: Well, you kind of bring us to the next question. For anybody who owns these cars, and there are a tremendous number of people who have the F-150...
JENNINGS: Number one for twenty three years.
O'BRIEN: ... Ford Expedition, the Lincoln Navigators. What do you do? The only advice I've read, seriously, is don't park near your house. That seems very scary to me.
JENNINGS: That's right. Well, that's it. You have to park on street, and that's easy to say from someone out in the Midwest. I don't know what you're going to do with your vehicle.
O'BRIEN: Anybody in an urban center is in big trouble. Do you have any other advice, what people should do? Now that they say, OK, well, gee, I have that car, what do you do?
JENNINGS: Well, the recall that happened in January -- and this is an investigation. The recall that happened in January has people going to the dealer, the dealers are deactivating the switch entirely until they can bring new switches in. So I suppose if you're worried, you could go to the dealer, have yours deactivated, save your receipts, and if there is a recall, you could turn them in later. But like I said, this is a small percentage.
The other thing people can do is keep in touch with government's investigation, NHTSA.
O'BRIEN: NHTSA. How long before we see results from the investigation? How long do they usually take?
JENNINGS: Well, you know, this could take a couple of months. It depends on Ford's own internal investigations. I know they don't want this to carry on. They will do the right thing and work with the government to solve this situation. But there are not enough switches now to replace 3.5 million, so I think it's a deactivation.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jean Jennings is the editor-in-chief of "Automobile" magazine. Nice to see you. Thanks for some useful advice on dealing with this issue -- Bill.
HEMMER: Related matter now, Soledad.
General Motors also facing tough times. What the world's largest automaker says it may do with some of its, quote, "damaged brands." That is next from a chilly and wet New York City. Back after this.
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HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. We mentioned this huge explosion yesterday in southeast Texas that killed 14 people. Many more were injured, and now we're learning that this oil-refinery incident could affect many folks across the country.
Gerri Willis, working for Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. Good to see you.
This tragic fire in Texas just 40 miles southeast of Houston is going to have ramifications beyond Texas City. In fact, gas futures this morning surging to a record. We expect it to have further ramifications, as well, Bill. You know, refinery capacity in this country very tight indeed. The refinery built in 1934, it was owned by British Petroleum, and it's the third largest refinery in the country. Got to ask yourself, can this have an impact on oil prices going forward. Looks like it will. A lot of discussion about it today, and you can expect the market to be a little queasy.
HEMMER: We'll watch that.
Meanwhile, what's GM doing? The going to phase something out? We losing some brands?
WILLIS: Well, here's what's interesting, yesterday, Bob Lutz, the vice chairman of the company, met with analysts, and he said Buick, Pontiac, both having their troubles. They could phase out these two brands, still not confirming if those are exactly the brands they'll phase out. We'll hear more later. But, you know, this company reeling from health care costs, pension costs, having its trouble, losing marketshare. They're having to take some kind of action -- Bill.
HEMMER: We'll watch it. Thank you, Gerri. Changing times for GM. Thanks -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We, obviously, have been talking about the Terri Schiavo case. It's part of the Question of the Day this morning.
Good morning.
CAFFERTY: Hi.
The parents of Terri Schiavo, the woman whose feeding tube was removed last Friday, are going to the Supreme Court again as a last resort. This will be the sixth time the case has been presented to the nation's highest court, and each time it refused to hear it. That was before, though, Congress came back from recess and passed that law to allow Schiavo's case to be heard in the federal courts, and President Bush got up in the middle of the night to sign it. A federal appeals court has refused to order the tube reinserted and now Terri Schiavo has been without food and water for six days.
The question is this, do you think the U.S. Supreme Court should hear the Schiavo case? Am@CNN.com is the e-mail address.
O'BRIEN: It was interesting, talking to Alan Dershowitz yesterday, he said he though maybe the Supreme Court would opt to weigh in, because now that the Congress has made its wishes known, that might be a time for the Supreme Court to comment on that action. That would make it different from the previous six times the Supreme Court has turned it down.
CAFFERTY: I just wish this story would go away. I'm tired of it.
O'BRIEN: It's heart breaking on all sides.
HEMMER: Everyone can relate to this story.
CAFFERTY: We've absolutely driven it into the ground.
HEMMER: Everyone can relate to this -- you can put yourself in the situation of Terri Schiavo, you can put yourself in the situation of Michael Schiavo, Her parents, his lawyer.
CAFFERTY: You know what, Medicare's going broke, and it will run out of money before Social Security does. Maybe we ought to talk about more stuff besides Terri Schiavo.
HEMMER: Yes, true on that. But it's more than just science; it's the morals, it's the way you conduct your life, it's what you do to get prepared in the event, Gerri, as you mentioned, of living wills, if you come in a situation like this. I think there are a multitude of questions on every side, and that's why it's so fascinating.
CAFFERTY: Really?
HEMMER: Done.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, the black church is gaining new ground in the Republican Party. We'll take a look at how some black ministers are influencing policy from the pulpit. Our special series "Faith in America," ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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