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CNN Live At Daybreak
Schiavo Appeal; Broken Dreams; Schiavo's Bulimia
Aired March 30, 2005 - 05:30 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.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, along with Chad Myers, in today for Carol Costello.
"Now in the News."
A new legal development in the fight to keep Terri Schiavo alive, a federal appeals court is being asked by the brain-damaged woman's parents for a new hearing in the case. This comes 12 days after Schiavo's feeding tube was removed.
Pope John Paul II appeared just over an hour ago at his apartment window overlooking St. Peter's Square. He raised his arm to bless the crowd and the crowd cheered.
First Lady Laura Bush is in Afghanistan today. She arrived less than three hours ago to promote education and the role of women in society. She's also meeting with U.S. troops and the Afghan president.
Taking the stand today in the Michael Jackson trial is the man who introduced the pop star to his accuser while the boy was battling cancer. The man owns a comedy club.
And look at this, those are dozens, dozens of sharks in the ocean off Deerfield Beach in Florida. Officials have shut down the city's beaches after spotting the shark. The beach patrol is out this morning to determine if they can reopen the beach or not.
To Atlanta and Chad Myers.
Chad, I don't think I would be swimming anytime soon in Deerfield Beach.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I got an e-mail yesterday, Kelly, about this story from somebody in Fairfield, Connecticut. They want me to keep track of these sharks because they are going down there in a week and they want to go diving with the sharks.
WALLACE: That's so great, personal travel tips from Chad Myers, weather and so much more, right?
MYERS: Wasn't there some type of movie that -- some made-for-TV movie called "Spring Break" with all these sharks, with all these fins sticking out of the water?
WALLACE: That's right, yes.
MYERS: Not so farfetched now, was it?
WALLACE: Exactly.
MYERS: Good morning. Yes. Good morning, Kelly, and good morning, northeast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Kelly, back to you.
WALLACE: Windy indeed.
MYERS: Yes.
WALLACE: All right, Chad, we'll talk to you in about a few minutes.
MYERS: OK.
WALLACE: Thanks so much.
And now to our top story, the Terri Schiavo case. We are following new developments this morning. Her parents have filed an appeal, an emergency petition with a federal appeals court.
Earlier, Schiavo's mother appealed to her brain-damaged daughter's husband and the woman he is now living with.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY SCHINDLER, TERRI SCHIAVO'S MOTHER: Michael and Jodi, you have your own children. Please, please give my child back to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And our Sean Callebs outside Terri Schiavo's hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida. He is covering numerous developments.
Good morning again to you, Sean. First, to this 11th hour appeal, what grounds do the Schindler's think they have for this appeal?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, really what they are doing is attacking the heart of the case in reference to Michael Schiavo and really what the courts have ruled consistently during this entire saga involving Terri Schiavo.
What the Schindler family claims is that the other courts, the other rulings that have come down basically erred, because when they considered that Terri Schiavo allegedly or apparently made remarks to Michael Schiavo that she would not want to live with artificial life support, well the legal filing really attacks that and says there simply is not enough evidence to that. And it goes on to say that Terri Schiavo's due process was violated by that -- Kelly. WALLACE: Sean, is the original appeal deadline for the Schindler's was 8:00 a.m. Saturday, March 26. The 11th Circuit clearly allowing them to file this emergency petition even after the deadline has passed.
CALLEBS: Yes, exactly. Now all they did was accept the filing that asked for the full 12-judge panel to hear this case. They haven't agreed to hear the case. But you're exactly right, this was supposed to be done by 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday morning.
But the court filing really takes two things into account. One, it says that they had time to take into consideration and reflect on some of the court findings. And the other simply says that the lawyers have simply been overburdened by a flurry of 11th hour legal tactics and that's the reason that this filing came in so late.
But think about it, Terri Schiavo has now been without the feeding tube for 12 whole days. In a matter of hours, we will move into the 13th day. And we're all aware that doctors have said that they believe that Terri Schiavo could live somewhere between a week and two weeks without this feeding tube. So clearly the window is closing quickly and time is of the essence.
The legal filing asked, if indeed the court agrees to hear this latest argument, take into consideration last week, the full court by a 10 to 2 vote and then a three-judge panel both ruled against the Schindler's. If indeed the court agrees to hear this, clearly a great deal at stake, and they would like to have the feeding tube reinserted, if indeed the judges agree to hear this argument -- Kelly.
WALLACE: All right, Sean, a lot we'll be watching today. Sean Callebs reporting from Pinellas Park, Florida.
And we should let you know also that the lawyer for Michael Schiavo is reacting to this move. He calls it some sort of last- minute desperation move and says he believes the federal courts have spoken on all of this already.
Turning now to legendary attorney Johnnie Cochran. He is being remembered this morning after dying of a brain tumor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: Johnnie Cochran put on a workshop for a year that raised the bar for lawyers, black lawyer's excellence. In many ways, he redefined the stereotype, the character type of an excellent lawyer, a black lawyer, and therefore, all benefited from his excellence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: The Reverend Jesse Jackson speaking out.
Those sentiments echoed by Christopher Darden, former prosecuting attorney in the O.J. Simpson trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This guy had savvy and a very efficient trial lawyer. He had a tendency to do what all trial lawyers want to do and that is command the courtroom. You know to command a courtroom is to command a battlefield, and he did it time and time again. And I don't see another Johnnie Cochran on the horizon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And Michael Jackson, whom Cochran once represented, issued this statement -- quote -- "I am saddened to hear of the death of my friend, Johnnie Cochran. I would like to send my condolences to his family. Johnnie Cochran was a true gentleman who embodied class, brilliance, honesty and integrity. His fight for justice transcended color, age or economic status. So many have been touched by his life of service as well as his infectious smile and personality. Johnnie Cochran was a great humanitarian. I loved him and I will miss him. I am proud to have called him my friend." Again, a statement from Michael Jackson.
And O.J. Simpson said this -- quote -- "I look at Johnnie as a great Christian. I knew him as that. He was a great guy."
Johnnie Cochran is also remembered as an incredible civil rights lawyer. He died yesterday at the age of 67.
The Reverend Jerry Falwell now is said to be resting comfortably. The minister is in critical condition at a Lynchburg, Virginia hospital. He's battling his second case of viral pneumonia in the last month. His assistant says the 71-year-old preacher is on a respirator but is alert and responsive.
So people who play the lottery, they're hoping for a dream come true, but that dream quickly turned into a nightmare for hundreds of lotto players in New York City. We'll tell you what happened to their big payoff just ahead.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Welcome back.
It is a nightmare for many, a game of chance led thousands to believe they were suddenly rich, only to find broken dreams.
CNN's senior analyst Jeff Greenfield has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICIA DUNBAR, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: I scratched them and I got three $100,000 winners.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST (voice-over): When retired nanny Patricia Dunbar played "The New York Daily News" Scratch N' Match game a week ago Saturday, she thought a miracle had happened.
DUNBAR: Went out to dinner. My daughter bought a nice bottle of special Scotch.
GREENFIELD: To Charlotte Gallo, an unemployed mother of eight, the idea of winning $100,000 was almost too much.
CHARLOTTE GALLO, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: I was shaking. I couldn't believe it.
GREENFIELD: But for Les Goodstein, president of the newspaper, all those winners calling the paper with their good news was very, very bad news.
LES GOODSTEIN, PRESIDENT, "DAILY NEWS": I heard that there was a higher-than-usual volume of callers into our call center, and many of them were claiming that they won $100,000 on Scratch N' Match. And I said, uh-oh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a gimmick. This is all gimmick.
GREENFIELD: It was, of course, a mistake. By listing the wrong number, 13, for those of you into numerology, the company that supplied the game had mistakenly told thousands of people that they were winners.
GOODSTEIN: I think that, by and large, our readers understand that it was a mistake and that mistakes do happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want our money. We want our money.
GREENFIELD: Well, not everyone has been that understanding. Game players, a couple of thousand of them, were demanding payment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not the ones that made the mistake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I won. I am a winner, and I expect to get paid.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have to pay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are real victims.
GREENFIELD: Attorney Steven Gildin has received thousands of calls from people looking to get their money.
STEVEN GILDIN, ATTORNEY: There may be a gross negligence claim. There may be a breach of contract claim. There may be a punitive damage claim.
GREENFIELD: And the rival tabloid, "New York Post," has been covering the story with glee, even sending a huge bag of peanuts to "The News" to mark its efforts to make good with an extra $1 million in prizes.
(on camera): Now, before you dismiss this story as an amusing bureaucratic snafu, listen to the lives these people thought would be changed by their sudden wealth and remember how deeply such desperate dreams have been woven into the very fabric of our public life.
RONALD ISERNIA, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: My son and me said right away, well, we're out of hock. We could handle all the bills.
MARIA JESIAVA, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: The first thing I thought it was, God had answered our prayers.
SHELIA WASHINGTON, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: I was planning on using some of that money to get married.
GALLO: My one boy, he's sick. I was going to help with breathing machine.
GREENFIELD (voice-over): Over and over, people were speaking not just of luxuries they planned to buy, but of money needed to deal with some of the hardest blows life can deliver. And to believe that a newspaper game fed those dreams is to ignore a sea change that's happened in this country.
Lotteries, illegal almost everywhere a generation ago, are now operating in 40 states and the nation's capital, almost $49 billion in sales last year. Overwhelmingly, the games are played by people at the lower end of the income level, looking for the one long shot to change their lives, at considerable cost.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I play the numbers every day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty dollars a month.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forty dollars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventy, 80 dollars, maybe.
GREENFIELD: And when the jackpot grows, so do the lines, as local reporters invariably ask the same question again and again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you want to buy? You must have a list.
GREENFIELD: Never, how much would you have if you had saved what you risked, or, do you know the odds against winning are five million to one?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the live lotto and take five drawings.
GREENFIELD: It's not that governments have created the urge to gamble, but they feed on it, to the tune of nearly $14 billion a year in revenue.
(on camera): It may be small consolation to those who thought they had won big money, but at least "The Daily News" did give them a newspaper for their 50 cents. That's more than you can say for the governments that increasingly rely on such desperate dreams of wealth to fill their treasuries.
Jeff Greenfield, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Tough times for all those people. They thought they had won it big.
Well your news, money, weather and sports. It's about 47 minutes after the hour, and here is what is all new this morning.
The battle to keep Terri Schiavo alive takes a new legal turn. Her parents filed an emergency petition late last night asking all 12 judges on a federal court to hear their appeal.
A lightning fast trip this morning for Laura Bush. The first lady is in Afghanistan on a five-hour tour. She is visiting with Afghan women and U.S. troops.
In money, a long rumored split is official. Miramax founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein and the Walt Disney Studios will be parting ways as of September 30. Disney gets to keep the Miramax name. The Weinsteins will start a new company.
In culture, the Broadway revival of "Sweet Charity" is back just four days after an announcement that the production was closing. "The New York Times" says Christina Applegate, the show's injured star, persuaded producers not to throw in the towel.
And in sports, the Tennessee Lady Vols are in the Final Four for the fourth straight year. They beat Rutgers 59 to 49 last night and will play Michigan State in a semifinal game Sunday.
To Chad in Atlanta.
Chad, do you watch women's college basketball?
MYERS: You know I watched it a little bit, yes, actually, in between as I was flipping through other channels. But I actually didn't stay around and stick around long enough for the end of the game, so I'm glad we got the score there.
WALLACE: Yes.
MYERS: Good morning, Kelly.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: All right, Chad, talk to you in a few minutes.
After the break here on DAYBREAK, a look at bulimia, an illness that may have caused Terri Schiavo's heart attack years ago. We'll be right back. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: The heart attack that left Terri Schiavo in that vegetative state was believe to have been caused by bulimia, at least that's what her husband, Michael Schiavo, believes.
Here to talk about this very serious eating disorder is Dr. Belisa Vranich, Editor of "Men's Fitness" magazine, also a psychologist specializing in body image and self-esteem issues.
Thank you so much for being here.
BELISA VRANICH, EDITOR, "MEN'S FITNESS": Good to be here.
WALLACE: You know many of us have read a lot about eating disorders, but never quite heard of perhaps bulimia perhaps leading to a heart attack and leaving someone brain damaged. How does that happen?
VRANICH: There are a lot of medical problems that are associated with bulimia. Cardiac problems, gastrointestinal problems, esophagus, tears in the esophagus, so it does have a lot of medical complications and it can be fatal. One of the reasons we don't hear about it is because it's a secret addiction.
WALLACE: That's it, it's so secretive.
VRANICH: Exactly.
WALLACE: And it affects women and men, which we'll talk about. So secretive, how then, what are the warning signs, really, for friends and family, if they believe a loved one perhaps could be suffering from bulimia?
VRANICH: Well one of the things you should look for are symptoms of depression and anxiety, because it's an eating disorder with a psychological basis. So look for low self-esteem. Look for irritability or anger that has to do with depression. Look for symptoms that have to do with anxiety. And then see if that person has very particular eating habits, if they are obsessed with their weight or with their body image. Those two things together are real factors.
WALLACE: I had heard an interview with a man whose daughter died from bulimia.
VRANICH: Yes.
WALLACE: And he said one of the things they noticed is her mood swings. That she would eat a lot of food, leave for a while in a bad mood, come back much lighter and much more...
VRANICH: Yes.
WALLACE: Is that another warning sign?
VRANICH: Well what happens with the bingeing is that the bingeing is an attempt to numb pain and then the purging is an attempt to gain control. So after purging, sometimes a person may feel better because they've actually felt like they have gained control over a situation.
WALLACE: We talk about this a lot with women, but we're seeing an increase in men. I mean how prevalent...
VRANICH: We do see it in men.
WALLACE: ... is it in women and in men?
VRANICH: About 95 percent of the cases are women. It's still predominately a women's disease, but we do see some in men.
WALLACE: And you see that number going up at all?
VRANICH: I see that number going up slightly.
WALLACE: Why?
VRANICH: It's not a huge increase, but when it is associated with such really devastating medical problems, it's something that no matter how low the incident is it's something we have to pay attention to.
WALLACE: Treatment options, I would think first and foremost trying to get a loved one, if possible, to get to see someone like yourself.
VRANICH: Sometimes you have to force them into therapy. It's not the easiest thing.
WALLACE: Yes. Right.
VRANICH: But absolutely, treatment should be therapy and medications, both things together. At the very least, therapy, because at the base of it is emotional pain, interpersonal problems, family conflicts. So therapy, absolutely.
WALLACE: Do you think, in some way, you know so much has been discussed about the Terri Schiavo case, the legal battles, the right- to-life issues, do you think in some way there is some message coming out here about a possible eating disorder that she may have had?
VRANICH: Well I have to tell you that at "Men's Fitness" over the last couple of weeks because of this case we've had so many people e-mail in questions and call in questions about eating disorders. And it's a terrifically tragic case, but what we can learn from it is that eating disorders can be fatal and that they're very serious and they need to be taken seriously.
WALLACE: And the key issue is a control. Is it ultimately people trying to assert control over their lives?
VRANICH: Control over their lives and it is a psychological problem. Depression, anxiety comes first. The bulimia, the bingeing, the purging, those are just symptoms of what's underneath.
WALLACE: Dr. Belisa Vranich with "Men's Fitness," also a psychologist, thank you so much.
VRANICH: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
WALLACE: Very important information for our viewers. We appreciate it.
VRANICH: Have a good day.
WALLACE: And we are working on a number of all new stories for you in the next hour of DAYBREAK, including a charge of abuse leveled against a former high-ranking official with the Boy Scouts. We'll update you on that case as it goes to court.
This is DAYBREAK for a Wednesday. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: A rare legal victory for Terri Schiavo's parents, but will this new appeal save their daughter's life?
And you know him from some very high-profile trials, but his legacy goes far beyond the law. We'll remember Johnnie Cochran coming up.
It is Wednesday, March 30, and you are watching DAYBREAK.
And good Wednesday morning to you, from the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.
Here's something else we're working on for you this morning, man versus Microsoft. A college professor says the company's grammar check program ain't where it's at.
But first, these stories "Now in the News."
We're waiting to hear the results of an emergency petition in the Terri Schiavo case this morning. Late last night, Schiavo's parents asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to take a fresh look at the case.
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 30, 2005 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, along with Chad Myers, in today for Carol Costello.
"Now in the News."
A new legal development in the fight to keep Terri Schiavo alive, a federal appeals court is being asked by the brain-damaged woman's parents for a new hearing in the case. This comes 12 days after Schiavo's feeding tube was removed.
Pope John Paul II appeared just over an hour ago at his apartment window overlooking St. Peter's Square. He raised his arm to bless the crowd and the crowd cheered.
First Lady Laura Bush is in Afghanistan today. She arrived less than three hours ago to promote education and the role of women in society. She's also meeting with U.S. troops and the Afghan president.
Taking the stand today in the Michael Jackson trial is the man who introduced the pop star to his accuser while the boy was battling cancer. The man owns a comedy club.
And look at this, those are dozens, dozens of sharks in the ocean off Deerfield Beach in Florida. Officials have shut down the city's beaches after spotting the shark. The beach patrol is out this morning to determine if they can reopen the beach or not.
To Atlanta and Chad Myers.
Chad, I don't think I would be swimming anytime soon in Deerfield Beach.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I got an e-mail yesterday, Kelly, about this story from somebody in Fairfield, Connecticut. They want me to keep track of these sharks because they are going down there in a week and they want to go diving with the sharks.
WALLACE: That's so great, personal travel tips from Chad Myers, weather and so much more, right?
MYERS: Wasn't there some type of movie that -- some made-for-TV movie called "Spring Break" with all these sharks, with all these fins sticking out of the water?
WALLACE: That's right, yes.
MYERS: Not so farfetched now, was it?
WALLACE: Exactly.
MYERS: Good morning. Yes. Good morning, Kelly, and good morning, northeast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Kelly, back to you.
WALLACE: Windy indeed.
MYERS: Yes.
WALLACE: All right, Chad, we'll talk to you in about a few minutes.
MYERS: OK.
WALLACE: Thanks so much.
And now to our top story, the Terri Schiavo case. We are following new developments this morning. Her parents have filed an appeal, an emergency petition with a federal appeals court.
Earlier, Schiavo's mother appealed to her brain-damaged daughter's husband and the woman he is now living with.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY SCHINDLER, TERRI SCHIAVO'S MOTHER: Michael and Jodi, you have your own children. Please, please give my child back to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And our Sean Callebs outside Terri Schiavo's hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida. He is covering numerous developments.
Good morning again to you, Sean. First, to this 11th hour appeal, what grounds do the Schindler's think they have for this appeal?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, really what they are doing is attacking the heart of the case in reference to Michael Schiavo and really what the courts have ruled consistently during this entire saga involving Terri Schiavo.
What the Schindler family claims is that the other courts, the other rulings that have come down basically erred, because when they considered that Terri Schiavo allegedly or apparently made remarks to Michael Schiavo that she would not want to live with artificial life support, well the legal filing really attacks that and says there simply is not enough evidence to that. And it goes on to say that Terri Schiavo's due process was violated by that -- Kelly. WALLACE: Sean, is the original appeal deadline for the Schindler's was 8:00 a.m. Saturday, March 26. The 11th Circuit clearly allowing them to file this emergency petition even after the deadline has passed.
CALLEBS: Yes, exactly. Now all they did was accept the filing that asked for the full 12-judge panel to hear this case. They haven't agreed to hear the case. But you're exactly right, this was supposed to be done by 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday morning.
But the court filing really takes two things into account. One, it says that they had time to take into consideration and reflect on some of the court findings. And the other simply says that the lawyers have simply been overburdened by a flurry of 11th hour legal tactics and that's the reason that this filing came in so late.
But think about it, Terri Schiavo has now been without the feeding tube for 12 whole days. In a matter of hours, we will move into the 13th day. And we're all aware that doctors have said that they believe that Terri Schiavo could live somewhere between a week and two weeks without this feeding tube. So clearly the window is closing quickly and time is of the essence.
The legal filing asked, if indeed the court agrees to hear this latest argument, take into consideration last week, the full court by a 10 to 2 vote and then a three-judge panel both ruled against the Schindler's. If indeed the court agrees to hear this, clearly a great deal at stake, and they would like to have the feeding tube reinserted, if indeed the judges agree to hear this argument -- Kelly.
WALLACE: All right, Sean, a lot we'll be watching today. Sean Callebs reporting from Pinellas Park, Florida.
And we should let you know also that the lawyer for Michael Schiavo is reacting to this move. He calls it some sort of last- minute desperation move and says he believes the federal courts have spoken on all of this already.
Turning now to legendary attorney Johnnie Cochran. He is being remembered this morning after dying of a brain tumor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: Johnnie Cochran put on a workshop for a year that raised the bar for lawyers, black lawyer's excellence. In many ways, he redefined the stereotype, the character type of an excellent lawyer, a black lawyer, and therefore, all benefited from his excellence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: The Reverend Jesse Jackson speaking out.
Those sentiments echoed by Christopher Darden, former prosecuting attorney in the O.J. Simpson trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This guy had savvy and a very efficient trial lawyer. He had a tendency to do what all trial lawyers want to do and that is command the courtroom. You know to command a courtroom is to command a battlefield, and he did it time and time again. And I don't see another Johnnie Cochran on the horizon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And Michael Jackson, whom Cochran once represented, issued this statement -- quote -- "I am saddened to hear of the death of my friend, Johnnie Cochran. I would like to send my condolences to his family. Johnnie Cochran was a true gentleman who embodied class, brilliance, honesty and integrity. His fight for justice transcended color, age or economic status. So many have been touched by his life of service as well as his infectious smile and personality. Johnnie Cochran was a great humanitarian. I loved him and I will miss him. I am proud to have called him my friend." Again, a statement from Michael Jackson.
And O.J. Simpson said this -- quote -- "I look at Johnnie as a great Christian. I knew him as that. He was a great guy."
Johnnie Cochran is also remembered as an incredible civil rights lawyer. He died yesterday at the age of 67.
The Reverend Jerry Falwell now is said to be resting comfortably. The minister is in critical condition at a Lynchburg, Virginia hospital. He's battling his second case of viral pneumonia in the last month. His assistant says the 71-year-old preacher is on a respirator but is alert and responsive.
So people who play the lottery, they're hoping for a dream come true, but that dream quickly turned into a nightmare for hundreds of lotto players in New York City. We'll tell you what happened to their big payoff just ahead.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Welcome back.
It is a nightmare for many, a game of chance led thousands to believe they were suddenly rich, only to find broken dreams.
CNN's senior analyst Jeff Greenfield has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICIA DUNBAR, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: I scratched them and I got three $100,000 winners.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST (voice-over): When retired nanny Patricia Dunbar played "The New York Daily News" Scratch N' Match game a week ago Saturday, she thought a miracle had happened.
DUNBAR: Went out to dinner. My daughter bought a nice bottle of special Scotch.
GREENFIELD: To Charlotte Gallo, an unemployed mother of eight, the idea of winning $100,000 was almost too much.
CHARLOTTE GALLO, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: I was shaking. I couldn't believe it.
GREENFIELD: But for Les Goodstein, president of the newspaper, all those winners calling the paper with their good news was very, very bad news.
LES GOODSTEIN, PRESIDENT, "DAILY NEWS": I heard that there was a higher-than-usual volume of callers into our call center, and many of them were claiming that they won $100,000 on Scratch N' Match. And I said, uh-oh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a gimmick. This is all gimmick.
GREENFIELD: It was, of course, a mistake. By listing the wrong number, 13, for those of you into numerology, the company that supplied the game had mistakenly told thousands of people that they were winners.
GOODSTEIN: I think that, by and large, our readers understand that it was a mistake and that mistakes do happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want our money. We want our money.
GREENFIELD: Well, not everyone has been that understanding. Game players, a couple of thousand of them, were demanding payment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not the ones that made the mistake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I won. I am a winner, and I expect to get paid.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have to pay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are real victims.
GREENFIELD: Attorney Steven Gildin has received thousands of calls from people looking to get their money.
STEVEN GILDIN, ATTORNEY: There may be a gross negligence claim. There may be a breach of contract claim. There may be a punitive damage claim.
GREENFIELD: And the rival tabloid, "New York Post," has been covering the story with glee, even sending a huge bag of peanuts to "The News" to mark its efforts to make good with an extra $1 million in prizes.
(on camera): Now, before you dismiss this story as an amusing bureaucratic snafu, listen to the lives these people thought would be changed by their sudden wealth and remember how deeply such desperate dreams have been woven into the very fabric of our public life.
RONALD ISERNIA, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: My son and me said right away, well, we're out of hock. We could handle all the bills.
MARIA JESIAVA, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: The first thing I thought it was, God had answered our prayers.
SHELIA WASHINGTON, SCRATCH N' MATCH PLAYER: I was planning on using some of that money to get married.
GALLO: My one boy, he's sick. I was going to help with breathing machine.
GREENFIELD (voice-over): Over and over, people were speaking not just of luxuries they planned to buy, but of money needed to deal with some of the hardest blows life can deliver. And to believe that a newspaper game fed those dreams is to ignore a sea change that's happened in this country.
Lotteries, illegal almost everywhere a generation ago, are now operating in 40 states and the nation's capital, almost $49 billion in sales last year. Overwhelmingly, the games are played by people at the lower end of the income level, looking for the one long shot to change their lives, at considerable cost.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I play the numbers every day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty dollars a month.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forty dollars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventy, 80 dollars, maybe.
GREENFIELD: And when the jackpot grows, so do the lines, as local reporters invariably ask the same question again and again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you want to buy? You must have a list.
GREENFIELD: Never, how much would you have if you had saved what you risked, or, do you know the odds against winning are five million to one?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the live lotto and take five drawings.
GREENFIELD: It's not that governments have created the urge to gamble, but they feed on it, to the tune of nearly $14 billion a year in revenue.
(on camera): It may be small consolation to those who thought they had won big money, but at least "The Daily News" did give them a newspaper for their 50 cents. That's more than you can say for the governments that increasingly rely on such desperate dreams of wealth to fill their treasuries.
Jeff Greenfield, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Tough times for all those people. They thought they had won it big.
Well your news, money, weather and sports. It's about 47 minutes after the hour, and here is what is all new this morning.
The battle to keep Terri Schiavo alive takes a new legal turn. Her parents filed an emergency petition late last night asking all 12 judges on a federal court to hear their appeal.
A lightning fast trip this morning for Laura Bush. The first lady is in Afghanistan on a five-hour tour. She is visiting with Afghan women and U.S. troops.
In money, a long rumored split is official. Miramax founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein and the Walt Disney Studios will be parting ways as of September 30. Disney gets to keep the Miramax name. The Weinsteins will start a new company.
In culture, the Broadway revival of "Sweet Charity" is back just four days after an announcement that the production was closing. "The New York Times" says Christina Applegate, the show's injured star, persuaded producers not to throw in the towel.
And in sports, the Tennessee Lady Vols are in the Final Four for the fourth straight year. They beat Rutgers 59 to 49 last night and will play Michigan State in a semifinal game Sunday.
To Chad in Atlanta.
Chad, do you watch women's college basketball?
MYERS: You know I watched it a little bit, yes, actually, in between as I was flipping through other channels. But I actually didn't stay around and stick around long enough for the end of the game, so I'm glad we got the score there.
WALLACE: Yes.
MYERS: Good morning, Kelly.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: All right, Chad, talk to you in a few minutes.
After the break here on DAYBREAK, a look at bulimia, an illness that may have caused Terri Schiavo's heart attack years ago. We'll be right back. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: The heart attack that left Terri Schiavo in that vegetative state was believe to have been caused by bulimia, at least that's what her husband, Michael Schiavo, believes.
Here to talk about this very serious eating disorder is Dr. Belisa Vranich, Editor of "Men's Fitness" magazine, also a psychologist specializing in body image and self-esteem issues.
Thank you so much for being here.
BELISA VRANICH, EDITOR, "MEN'S FITNESS": Good to be here.
WALLACE: You know many of us have read a lot about eating disorders, but never quite heard of perhaps bulimia perhaps leading to a heart attack and leaving someone brain damaged. How does that happen?
VRANICH: There are a lot of medical problems that are associated with bulimia. Cardiac problems, gastrointestinal problems, esophagus, tears in the esophagus, so it does have a lot of medical complications and it can be fatal. One of the reasons we don't hear about it is because it's a secret addiction.
WALLACE: That's it, it's so secretive.
VRANICH: Exactly.
WALLACE: And it affects women and men, which we'll talk about. So secretive, how then, what are the warning signs, really, for friends and family, if they believe a loved one perhaps could be suffering from bulimia?
VRANICH: Well one of the things you should look for are symptoms of depression and anxiety, because it's an eating disorder with a psychological basis. So look for low self-esteem. Look for irritability or anger that has to do with depression. Look for symptoms that have to do with anxiety. And then see if that person has very particular eating habits, if they are obsessed with their weight or with their body image. Those two things together are real factors.
WALLACE: I had heard an interview with a man whose daughter died from bulimia.
VRANICH: Yes.
WALLACE: And he said one of the things they noticed is her mood swings. That she would eat a lot of food, leave for a while in a bad mood, come back much lighter and much more...
VRANICH: Yes.
WALLACE: Is that another warning sign?
VRANICH: Well what happens with the bingeing is that the bingeing is an attempt to numb pain and then the purging is an attempt to gain control. So after purging, sometimes a person may feel better because they've actually felt like they have gained control over a situation.
WALLACE: We talk about this a lot with women, but we're seeing an increase in men. I mean how prevalent...
VRANICH: We do see it in men.
WALLACE: ... is it in women and in men?
VRANICH: About 95 percent of the cases are women. It's still predominately a women's disease, but we do see some in men.
WALLACE: And you see that number going up at all?
VRANICH: I see that number going up slightly.
WALLACE: Why?
VRANICH: It's not a huge increase, but when it is associated with such really devastating medical problems, it's something that no matter how low the incident is it's something we have to pay attention to.
WALLACE: Treatment options, I would think first and foremost trying to get a loved one, if possible, to get to see someone like yourself.
VRANICH: Sometimes you have to force them into therapy. It's not the easiest thing.
WALLACE: Yes. Right.
VRANICH: But absolutely, treatment should be therapy and medications, both things together. At the very least, therapy, because at the base of it is emotional pain, interpersonal problems, family conflicts. So therapy, absolutely.
WALLACE: Do you think, in some way, you know so much has been discussed about the Terri Schiavo case, the legal battles, the right- to-life issues, do you think in some way there is some message coming out here about a possible eating disorder that she may have had?
VRANICH: Well I have to tell you that at "Men's Fitness" over the last couple of weeks because of this case we've had so many people e-mail in questions and call in questions about eating disorders. And it's a terrifically tragic case, but what we can learn from it is that eating disorders can be fatal and that they're very serious and they need to be taken seriously.
WALLACE: And the key issue is a control. Is it ultimately people trying to assert control over their lives?
VRANICH: Control over their lives and it is a psychological problem. Depression, anxiety comes first. The bulimia, the bingeing, the purging, those are just symptoms of what's underneath.
WALLACE: Dr. Belisa Vranich with "Men's Fitness," also a psychologist, thank you so much.
VRANICH: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
WALLACE: Very important information for our viewers. We appreciate it.
VRANICH: Have a good day.
WALLACE: And we are working on a number of all new stories for you in the next hour of DAYBREAK, including a charge of abuse leveled against a former high-ranking official with the Boy Scouts. We'll update you on that case as it goes to court.
This is DAYBREAK for a Wednesday. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: A rare legal victory for Terri Schiavo's parents, but will this new appeal save their daughter's life?
And you know him from some very high-profile trials, but his legacy goes far beyond the law. We'll remember Johnnie Cochran coming up.
It is Wednesday, March 30, and you are watching DAYBREAK.
And good Wednesday morning to you, from the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.
Here's something else we're working on for you this morning, man versus Microsoft. A college professor says the company's grammar check program ain't where it's at.
But first, these stories "Now in the News."
We're waiting to hear the results of an emergency petition in the Terri Schiavo case this morning. Late last night, Schiavo's parents asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to take a fresh look at the case.
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