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American Morning

Terri Schiavo Dies

Aired March 31, 2005 - 09:31   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: Welcome back, everybody. A tick past 9:30 here in New York. Kyra Phillips working for Soledad today.
Good morning to you.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A pleasure to be here. Good morning.

HEMMER: We're going to get back to Florida right now. We're watching the very latest, a dramatic scene unfolding now outside the hospice. Terri Schiavo now said to be in her final hours of life. That word coming down about 30 minutes ago from a spokesperson for the parents of Terri Schiavo.

Bob Franken is outside that hospice. Bob, what more do you have?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, to give you some idea of just how bitter and tragic this is, the lawyers for the two sides are on the phone trying to negotiate some sort of access for the blood relatives, the Schindlers, siblings and parents of Terri Schiavo who desperately want to be at her bedside when Terri Schiavo dies. It's when, not if. Michael Schiavo, who is the husband of Terri Schiavo, who ordered the tube disconnected, is the legal guardian and controls that.

A short time ago, the brothers and brother and sister of Terri Schiavo tried to enter the hospice. They were there for a short while, but then they were told to leave, and they left, Suzanne Vitadamo, her sister, in tears. Shortly after that, there was a statement from one of the family spokesman, with Terri for a short while. Then they were told to leave, Suzanne Vitadamo in tears. Shortly after that, there was a statement from Brother Paul O'Donnell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROTHER PAUL O'DONNELL, ADVISER TO SCHINDLERS: Terri is in her final hours of life, we believe, and the family has been keeping vigil here all night. But they have been denied access all through the night to see Terri. Bobby and Suzanne went in about 40 minutes ago to see Terri, and then they were told by the police that they must leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now of course, we've been here for the last couple of weeks witnessing this huge congressional, political, state government, legal battle. Now it is just, a losing battle for Terri Schiavo's life, but the bitter family dispute continues -- Bill. HEMMER: So we've heard from the parents and we've heard from her siblings. Have we heard from Michael Schiavo? Has he been at the hospice lately, Bob?

FRANKEN: He has been there. He took a break, and that is when the other family members were allowed to go in. We're being told he asked that they leave so he can continue his vigil. He, throughout this, has been the one that's been very private about this. It is the family that waged their battle in public in the hope that somehow things could be turned around; now that it's clear that they won't be, now they're just fighting for one chance to see Terri Schiavo alive.

HEMMER: That scenario that you just described, was that yesterday that that happened?

FRANKEN: Yesterday pretty much wrapped it up. As we all know, the Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court, last night said for the sixth time that it did not want to get involved. And of course, the legalities here have to do with the tradition that these kinds of matters are handled by the state. And there's a consensus that it's really too late for anything to happen. Anyway that medically, it wouldn't make a difference. Now, the two sides are trying to maintain as much dignity over the death of Terri Schiavo as they can when it comes.

HEMMER: All right, Bob, we'll watch it down there in Florida.

Back to the headlines with Kelly Wallace, with more here in New York.

Hello, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Bill. Hello, Kyra.

Good morning again, everyone. Here are some other stories now in the news. A CNN Security Watch. A presidential commission is calling prewar assessments of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, quote, "dead wrong." President Bush meeting with the panel this morning. This video just in to CNN, the president getting that report a short time ago.

And off camera, the president asked about this. He says, quote, "We've got important work to do. We have to clean out the riffraff." We will hear from the president on the final report at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. CNN of course will have live coverage. And of course, stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that calls for tracking convicted sex offenders with a global-positioning system. The bill is named the Jessica Lunsford Act, for the 9-year-old girl found dead near her Florida home. Suspect John Couey, a registered sex offender, is charged with kidnapping and murder in that case. The bill would pertain to offenders released after that new law is passed.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz is poised to win approval today as the new president of the World Bank. This one day after Wolfowitz met with European Union officials in Brussels. The E.U. has decided to back him, despite concerns he might be too closely tied to the White House. The World Bank board is expected to give its approval later today.

And Continental Airlines has found a way to save more than $400 million a year, but it's likely to come at the expense of some workers. The country's fifth largest carrier is slashing wages and benefits. The cuts kick in tomorrow. The flight attendants were the only group of workers to reject the new agreements. Continental says it will continue discussions.

That gets you caught up. Back to Bill and Kyra.

HEMMER: All right, Kelly, thanks for that.

Two teenage boys have already been implicated in the shootings at the Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. Jeff Weise, suspected of shooting nine people before killing himself, and Louis Jourdain, arrested in connection with the attacks. The possibility that more students could be involved in an even wider plot has the community reeling, as you could imagine.

Monica Davy has a store own that in today's "New York Times," and she's back in Red Lake, Minnesota, and she's with me now.

Thank you for your time, and I know you've been talking to people throughout that community about the possibility that there was some sort of wider plot. What are they telling you about that?

MONICA DAVEY, "NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTER: Well, I think there's a lot of concern here that there may have been other children involved. And I think that for a community that's already been through a really tumultuous week, that's really difficult news, people really have a lot of questions here.

HEMMER: The school officials, too, are they worried that this could go to an area that's not really been considered just yet? You've got the one guy in custody, the other student is dead. How good, or how long or intense could this search be for others who might have been involved?

DAVEY: I think no one really knows. And I think that's one of the questions that people here in the community have, is how long will this questioning go on, and when will people really know if there was a broader plot, or whether there were one or two people involved?

HEMMER: You spoke with the principal, right, about the damage inside. What did he say?

DAVEY: He said that the damage is really extensive, and that it's likely to take until even maybe beyond the school year to fix the place. And on top of that, now you have these questions still lingering out there. So there's really a lot of uncertainty about when school will be able to reopen.

HEMMER: I can understand that. What kind of damage was done?

DAVEY: Well, there are an awful lot of bullet shells, and a lot of blood all over the building from what I understand.

HEMMER: Did the principal address that possibility, I asked you before about the possibility of a wider plot? And if so, what did he say?

DAVEY: Well, I think, the principal is just as confused and concerned as everyone else here. He said he really didn't know if there was a larger plot, but he certainly has heard what the rest of us have heard, and I think what he's trying to figure out now is really how to go forward with the students that he does have.

HEMMER: Try and clear up this report. Louis Jourdain, the 16- year-old now in custody, is it true that there's a report out there that says that he expressed disappointment that he was not involved in this?

DAVEY: I think there is a report to that effect. And but I think there's still a lot of questions that remain about really what his role was. And I know that here in the community, I think people have a lot of questions about whether Louis Jourdain really was involved. I think that he -- his father is really well respected. He's the tribal council leader, and he's fairly well liked here. And a lot of people think that Louis Jourdain was a kid who really had a great upbringing. So they're not sure they believe this.

HEMMER: One more thing here. Enlighten us if you can, dropping into that community, what has surprised you about what you are reporting and discovering there in Red Lake?

DAVEY: Well, actually, I think that a lot of what we're finding here in Red Lake is a lot of what you'd find in a lot of small communities. This is a very tight-knit group of just 5,000 people, and they're very private and protective of the people here, just like you'd find maybe in any other town in America.

HEMMER: Monica Davey from "The New York Times," thanks -- Kyra.

DAVEY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Rescuers are still pulling survivors from the wreckage, nearly three day after a powerful earthquake struck Indonesia, but the death toll is also climbing. The U.N. says at least 500 people are confirmed dead. Strong aftershocks are also rattling the area.

CNN's Hugh Riminton joins us from Medan, Indonesia. Hugh, have the aftershocks hindered rescue and aid efforts?

HUGH RIMINTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've certainly unnerved everyone on the island, and they're fairly constant. I can tell you that if you're standing there, as I have been for most of the day, they are -- they come in various magnitudes. But the largest of them are enough to make the buildings creak and groan. Many of these buildings so badly damaged and people looking very fearful, exchange glances. People stepping away from anything of any structural size.

The Indonesian president, Yudhoyono, paid a visit today, went through, saw the devastation for himself. He told people to try to be patient as an enormous international aid effort tries to get in there. But when you're looking for your loved ones in the rubble, patience is often in short supply. When you're hungry, thirsty and have no shelter, it's also a hard call -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Hugh, we remember from the devastation from the tsunami, there also were so many miraculous stories, stories of survival. Have you heard of any yet? Have you been able to meet anybody with a story with a survival?

RIMINTON: Well, yes, I have, actually. There was -- probably the most celebrated instance was about 24 hours ago now, with the help of some French search and rescue experts, they managed to find in this appalling pile-up of rubble, a teenage girl who emerged miraculously, virtually unscathed. She was smiling as she came out. She was taken away to be checked out and to go into a period of recovery, but she seemed to be unhurt. That was the best of the stories.

Unfortunately, most of the people being removed are dead, although I did hear of one man, spoke to him today, who, in the utter collapse of his house that killed his wife and two of his children, his daughter somehow managed to survive. She was in a stairwell as the whole thing came down. He dug her out with his bare hands. There are so many stories on this tiny island still.

PHILLIPS: Hugh Riminton, live from Medan, Indonesia, thank you.

HEMMER: About 18 minutes before the hour. Let's get a break here in a moment, lighten thing up a little bit here. Andy's got your first look at the action on Wall Street today. "Minding Your Business" in a moment.

PHILLIPS: And a scathing attack on the drug business from a former insider. The woman behind a biting new film, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The question of whether the drug industry puts profits ahead of patient well-being is now the subject of a new film. Here's the plot. A young woman who's struggling daily from ethical dilemmas as a sales rep for a drug company.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SIDE EFFECTS")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're recruiting me to be a pharmaceutical consultant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, isn't that exciting? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I sell cellular phones. You know, in college, I took a weather class to fulfill my science credit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, they can teach you all that stuff. They're just looking for someone with ample sales experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP FROM "SIDE EFFECTS")

O'BRIEN: The film "Side Effects" is based on the real life experiences of writer and director Kathleen Slattery-Moshkau. She's with us this morning. Nice to see you. Is that really how it was for you when you went for your interview? I mean, how much of this is your experience and how much of this is artistic license?

KATHLEEN SLATTERY-MOSHKAU, DIRECTOR/WRITER, "SIDE EFFECTS": Obviously, I'm a filmmaker, so you do take some license and it is a fiction film. However, it was strongly based on my ten years of experience, or almost ten years of experience, in the pharmaceutical industry. So it was a compilation of experiences that both myself had and other reps around me. And I just thought it would be -- it would make for a great story and people would be interested in seeing this angle of the marketing side of the pharmaceutical industry.

O'BRIEN: Why did you think it made such a great story? Tell us a little bit about it.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: It seemed that every day when I was working within the industry, different things would happen that were like candid camera moments. And I'd be turning around, like, is this really going on? And as a writer, I was constantly reaching for my pen. Before I knew it, I had a whole stack of notes and I'm like, I've got a story here.

Also, when I would be at parties and talking to people about what I did for a living and I'd be telling something that happened that day, people would just be laughing their butts off. But what was so funny about it all was also what was so scary in the end about it, because ultimately we're talking about patient safety.

O'BRIEN: Here's the word from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America on not only the movie, but also that part of it.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: Sure.

O'BRIEN: "The movie sounds like fiction," they say. "Sales reps are well-trained, hardworking professionals who help educate medical providers. Many are pharmacists and nurses by background and training." Did you find that to be the case?

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: I found that there were sometimes nurses and sometimes pharmacists, but I worked with a lot of music majors, drama majors, etc. So it was up to us to educate the doctors on how to prescribe the drugs for you, the patient. And to be honest, it's a little bit -- I mean, looking back at the whole thing, it's a little bit insulting to physicians that we were going in, trying to tell them to prescribe, which drugs to write and how to prescribe them for their patients.

O'BRIEN: In the movie, in the film, your protagonist, Carly, is trying to sell medication, which is called Vivex.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: Vivex.

O'BRIEN: Sorry for the mispronunciation. That's a fake medicine. Her conscience starts getting the better of her. Is that what happened to you?

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: You would be in these situations where it was borderline ridiculous that I would be selling these drugs to these doctors. And then different things would happen that put me into question, whether it was with my own companies or other companies, in terms of the ethics of what things we were supposed to talk about, versus what things we weren't supposed to talk about. It just felt very uncomfortable and became -- it continued to feel more uncomfortable over time.

O'BRIEN: You worked for some of the biggest drug companies.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: Right.

O'BRIEN: How are they taking this movie? Your friends there and even your bosses there?

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: The one thing I've repeatedly tried to point out to anybody who's been interviewing me about this is it isn't about any one company that I worked for. It really is about the industry as a whole. Because I saw it from company to company to company, and then also among the other reps, you know, that were working for many other companies. So I just felt that the story was universal to the industry as a whole.

O'BRIEN: The film is called "Side Effects." Kathleen Slattery- Moshkau is the writer and director. Thanks for coming in to talk to us about it.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: Thank you so much.

O'BRIEN: Appreciate it -- Bill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: 11 minutes before the hour now. Watching this picture outside the hospice in Florida. Bob and Mary Schindler, the parents of Terri Schiavo, apparently walking into that hospice just a few moments ago. Whether or not they've been given the permission that they're requesting apparently publicly to and through their lawyers to go inside the room where their daughter is, that being Terri Schiavo.

We can't say at this point. All we can show you is the picture of them coming to the area where the reporters are gathered outside the hospice. And then a few moments later, they walked down inside the building. So when we get more out of Florida, you'll hear it here. Break here. Back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: There is breaking news out of Florida. This is Brother Paul O'Donnell just telling reporters moments away that Terri Schiavo has died. We're listening to his comments outside the hospice. It was also just moments ago where Bob and Mary Schindler, the parents of Terri Schiavo, had entered that hospice. Let's listen to Brother Paul with more.

BROTHER PAUL O'DONNELL, SCHINDLER FAMILY ADVISER: Terri Schiavo has passed away just a little while ago. Bobby, Suzanne, Mary and Bob are in there now at Terri's bedside. They were denied access at the moment of her death. They've been requesting, as you know, for the last hour to try to be in there, and they were denied access by Michael Schiavo. They're in there now praying at her bedside. They will come out later today and make a statement. We will let you know. That's all the information I have.

QUESTION: Do you know what time?

O'DONNELL: We will let you know. She just died. When they're ready, they will make a statement today. Okay. Thank you.

QUESTION: Do you know who was in there when she died?

HEMMER: It was about 60 minutes ago when Brother Paul came and said that she is in her final hours. And indeed, that's been the case in Pinellas Park, Florida. Terri Schiavo, after 14 days without water or nourishment, has died at the age of 41 after a very long stay inside that hospice -- 15 years and counting -- and a seven-year protracted legal battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court on six different occasions. The battle is now over, and Terri Schiavo is dead.

I want to get to Bob Franken right now for reaction outside that hospice now there. Bob?

FRANKEN: Well, Bill, what was so sad to witness was the bitter fight that lasted until the end. It was a fight between Michael Schiavo, her husband, who was the guardian and had control over such things as the visitation of Terri Schiavo, and her blood relatives, the Schindlers, and the other ones who were close to them, who were fighting so desperately as we've watched over the last two weeks to try and get the feeding tube reconnected.

Their fight was clearly over after they exhausted legal remedies yesterday, and today, it became simply an issue of, could the blood relatives be at Terri Schiavo's bedside when she died. And as we just heard from Brother O'Donnell, that was not allowed. So this is something where the bitter reverberations are going to continue for quite some time in an agonizing family dispute that, of course, caught the attention of everybody in the United States, the various institutions, and for that matter, people around the world. But this very private tragedy is now over in that Terri Schiavo has passed on, as we just heard from Brother O'Donnell.

HEMMER: A private tragedy that's played out so publicly for all of us to watch, and we continue to watch the pictures live from Pinellas Park outside the hospice, where so many have gathered over the past two weeks. Doctors said at the most, it was likely that Terri Schiavo would live up to two weeks. And apparently she's done just that, now marking the 14th day without water or nourishment.

Bob, do you know or has anyone spoken at this point as to who was inside that room when Terri Schiavo died?

FRANKEN: No. What we were told, however, is that the blood relatives were not. They had been told that it would be Michael Schiavo who would be in the room. And I'm not ready to make any assumptions, but it was apparent that Michael Schiavo was the one who said to last that they could not be there. The family had asked that they be there even with him, in spite of the bitter dispute, even offering to use police to make sure that there was no problem. And what we just heard from Brother O'Donnell is, that request was denied. Now, shortly after Terri Schiavo's death, they're getting their chance to say their private good-byes.

HEMMER: Terri Schiavo collapsed in her home back in 1990. An after that time, she suffered from heart failure, eventually leading to brain damage due to a lack of oxygen. And Michael Schiavo has said from the beginning that his wife did not want to live in this condition. The parents, however, thought that with intensive treatment, that they could help their daughter along if she were to come out of the state in which she existed. And so many neurologists and doctors agreed on certain points and disagreed on others as to the state of Terri Schiavo.

Was it a persistent vegetative state -- PVS, as it is referred to in the medical community? And if that is the case, has anyone ever before come out of that state? And doctors disagree vehemently for several year as to what her true state was. But now the end here has arrived for Terri Schiavo. The feeding tube removed back on the 18th of March, and now 14 days later Terri Schiavo is dead at the age of 41.

I don't want to leave Bob Franken too much longer here. Bob, I don't know what kind of reaction you're able to gather. The protesters have been there from the very beginning, and they seemed to grow by the day outside that hospice. How are their numbers so far today, Bob?

FRANKEN: Well, normally -- and we're seeing a reflection of that now -- there is not a large collection of people here. They normally come a little bit later in the day. And what is just as interesting Bill -- and we've discussed this before on the air -- is the range of emotions. There was even what some considered an appropriate festive atmosphere at many occasions by the now famous jugglers who were here. They call themselves "Jugglers for Christ."

There was oftentimes a very overwhelming display of religious passion that was displayed here. And sometimes it would grow into anger, where there would be what amount to minor confrontations with the police. The police throughout have, for the most part, however, had good relations with the demonstrators.

But in the last day or so, the prevalent emotion was one of resignation, sadness, sometimes angry, but resignation. And of course, this morning we saw that that resignation was justified -- the announcement just minutes ago that Terri Schiavo had died.

HEMMER: And Bob, we've heard the parents say that they want to bury their daughter in Florida. We've heard Michael Schiavo say that he wants to cremate her body, and have her ashes distributed over the fields of Pennsylvania where she grew up. Is this the next fight in this case?

FRANKEN: Well, in all probability. And what we have here is that while Terri Schiavo has died, the bitterness lives on. And at some point, some other people who were involved in this are saying people are going to have to deal with that within the family. The first thing we were led to believe would be an agreement that Terri Schiavo would have an autopsy for a variety of reasons -- one, to determine, with the limited possibilities that they can, the extent of the brain damage and other reasons based on other charges. So unless we're told differently, the most recent information we had is that there would be an autopsy, we had been told, immediately after her death.

HEMMER: One more thing, Bob, on this. Has there been any talk down there in Florida since you've been there about a public ceremony for her?

FRANKEN: None. But a lot of this is going to be in the works. One of the things we expect to hear later in the day is comment from Governor Jeb Bush. You will know that -- remember, of course, that he's been under intense pressure to take some action even if it was extralegal action, and he said that because of the court orders, his hands, at the end, were tied. And as I said, we're expecting to hear from him, and perhaps that kind of question will be answered then.

HEMMER: All right, Bob. Thanks for that, down in Pinellas Park.

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Aired March 31, 2005 - 09:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. A tick past 9:30 here in New York. Kyra Phillips working for Soledad today.
Good morning to you.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A pleasure to be here. Good morning.

HEMMER: We're going to get back to Florida right now. We're watching the very latest, a dramatic scene unfolding now outside the hospice. Terri Schiavo now said to be in her final hours of life. That word coming down about 30 minutes ago from a spokesperson for the parents of Terri Schiavo.

Bob Franken is outside that hospice. Bob, what more do you have?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, to give you some idea of just how bitter and tragic this is, the lawyers for the two sides are on the phone trying to negotiate some sort of access for the blood relatives, the Schindlers, siblings and parents of Terri Schiavo who desperately want to be at her bedside when Terri Schiavo dies. It's when, not if. Michael Schiavo, who is the husband of Terri Schiavo, who ordered the tube disconnected, is the legal guardian and controls that.

A short time ago, the brothers and brother and sister of Terri Schiavo tried to enter the hospice. They were there for a short while, but then they were told to leave, and they left, Suzanne Vitadamo, her sister, in tears. Shortly after that, there was a statement from one of the family spokesman, with Terri for a short while. Then they were told to leave, Suzanne Vitadamo in tears. Shortly after that, there was a statement from Brother Paul O'Donnell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROTHER PAUL O'DONNELL, ADVISER TO SCHINDLERS: Terri is in her final hours of life, we believe, and the family has been keeping vigil here all night. But they have been denied access all through the night to see Terri. Bobby and Suzanne went in about 40 minutes ago to see Terri, and then they were told by the police that they must leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now of course, we've been here for the last couple of weeks witnessing this huge congressional, political, state government, legal battle. Now it is just, a losing battle for Terri Schiavo's life, but the bitter family dispute continues -- Bill. HEMMER: So we've heard from the parents and we've heard from her siblings. Have we heard from Michael Schiavo? Has he been at the hospice lately, Bob?

FRANKEN: He has been there. He took a break, and that is when the other family members were allowed to go in. We're being told he asked that they leave so he can continue his vigil. He, throughout this, has been the one that's been very private about this. It is the family that waged their battle in public in the hope that somehow things could be turned around; now that it's clear that they won't be, now they're just fighting for one chance to see Terri Schiavo alive.

HEMMER: That scenario that you just described, was that yesterday that that happened?

FRANKEN: Yesterday pretty much wrapped it up. As we all know, the Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court, last night said for the sixth time that it did not want to get involved. And of course, the legalities here have to do with the tradition that these kinds of matters are handled by the state. And there's a consensus that it's really too late for anything to happen. Anyway that medically, it wouldn't make a difference. Now, the two sides are trying to maintain as much dignity over the death of Terri Schiavo as they can when it comes.

HEMMER: All right, Bob, we'll watch it down there in Florida.

Back to the headlines with Kelly Wallace, with more here in New York.

Hello, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Bill. Hello, Kyra.

Good morning again, everyone. Here are some other stories now in the news. A CNN Security Watch. A presidential commission is calling prewar assessments of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, quote, "dead wrong." President Bush meeting with the panel this morning. This video just in to CNN, the president getting that report a short time ago.

And off camera, the president asked about this. He says, quote, "We've got important work to do. We have to clean out the riffraff." We will hear from the president on the final report at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. CNN of course will have live coverage. And of course, stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that calls for tracking convicted sex offenders with a global-positioning system. The bill is named the Jessica Lunsford Act, for the 9-year-old girl found dead near her Florida home. Suspect John Couey, a registered sex offender, is charged with kidnapping and murder in that case. The bill would pertain to offenders released after that new law is passed.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz is poised to win approval today as the new president of the World Bank. This one day after Wolfowitz met with European Union officials in Brussels. The E.U. has decided to back him, despite concerns he might be too closely tied to the White House. The World Bank board is expected to give its approval later today.

And Continental Airlines has found a way to save more than $400 million a year, but it's likely to come at the expense of some workers. The country's fifth largest carrier is slashing wages and benefits. The cuts kick in tomorrow. The flight attendants were the only group of workers to reject the new agreements. Continental says it will continue discussions.

That gets you caught up. Back to Bill and Kyra.

HEMMER: All right, Kelly, thanks for that.

Two teenage boys have already been implicated in the shootings at the Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. Jeff Weise, suspected of shooting nine people before killing himself, and Louis Jourdain, arrested in connection with the attacks. The possibility that more students could be involved in an even wider plot has the community reeling, as you could imagine.

Monica Davy has a store own that in today's "New York Times," and she's back in Red Lake, Minnesota, and she's with me now.

Thank you for your time, and I know you've been talking to people throughout that community about the possibility that there was some sort of wider plot. What are they telling you about that?

MONICA DAVEY, "NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTER: Well, I think there's a lot of concern here that there may have been other children involved. And I think that for a community that's already been through a really tumultuous week, that's really difficult news, people really have a lot of questions here.

HEMMER: The school officials, too, are they worried that this could go to an area that's not really been considered just yet? You've got the one guy in custody, the other student is dead. How good, or how long or intense could this search be for others who might have been involved?

DAVEY: I think no one really knows. And I think that's one of the questions that people here in the community have, is how long will this questioning go on, and when will people really know if there was a broader plot, or whether there were one or two people involved?

HEMMER: You spoke with the principal, right, about the damage inside. What did he say?

DAVEY: He said that the damage is really extensive, and that it's likely to take until even maybe beyond the school year to fix the place. And on top of that, now you have these questions still lingering out there. So there's really a lot of uncertainty about when school will be able to reopen.

HEMMER: I can understand that. What kind of damage was done?

DAVEY: Well, there are an awful lot of bullet shells, and a lot of blood all over the building from what I understand.

HEMMER: Did the principal address that possibility, I asked you before about the possibility of a wider plot? And if so, what did he say?

DAVEY: Well, I think, the principal is just as confused and concerned as everyone else here. He said he really didn't know if there was a larger plot, but he certainly has heard what the rest of us have heard, and I think what he's trying to figure out now is really how to go forward with the students that he does have.

HEMMER: Try and clear up this report. Louis Jourdain, the 16- year-old now in custody, is it true that there's a report out there that says that he expressed disappointment that he was not involved in this?

DAVEY: I think there is a report to that effect. And but I think there's still a lot of questions that remain about really what his role was. And I know that here in the community, I think people have a lot of questions about whether Louis Jourdain really was involved. I think that he -- his father is really well respected. He's the tribal council leader, and he's fairly well liked here. And a lot of people think that Louis Jourdain was a kid who really had a great upbringing. So they're not sure they believe this.

HEMMER: One more thing here. Enlighten us if you can, dropping into that community, what has surprised you about what you are reporting and discovering there in Red Lake?

DAVEY: Well, actually, I think that a lot of what we're finding here in Red Lake is a lot of what you'd find in a lot of small communities. This is a very tight-knit group of just 5,000 people, and they're very private and protective of the people here, just like you'd find maybe in any other town in America.

HEMMER: Monica Davey from "The New York Times," thanks -- Kyra.

DAVEY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Rescuers are still pulling survivors from the wreckage, nearly three day after a powerful earthquake struck Indonesia, but the death toll is also climbing. The U.N. says at least 500 people are confirmed dead. Strong aftershocks are also rattling the area.

CNN's Hugh Riminton joins us from Medan, Indonesia. Hugh, have the aftershocks hindered rescue and aid efforts?

HUGH RIMINTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've certainly unnerved everyone on the island, and they're fairly constant. I can tell you that if you're standing there, as I have been for most of the day, they are -- they come in various magnitudes. But the largest of them are enough to make the buildings creak and groan. Many of these buildings so badly damaged and people looking very fearful, exchange glances. People stepping away from anything of any structural size.

The Indonesian president, Yudhoyono, paid a visit today, went through, saw the devastation for himself. He told people to try to be patient as an enormous international aid effort tries to get in there. But when you're looking for your loved ones in the rubble, patience is often in short supply. When you're hungry, thirsty and have no shelter, it's also a hard call -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Hugh, we remember from the devastation from the tsunami, there also were so many miraculous stories, stories of survival. Have you heard of any yet? Have you been able to meet anybody with a story with a survival?

RIMINTON: Well, yes, I have, actually. There was -- probably the most celebrated instance was about 24 hours ago now, with the help of some French search and rescue experts, they managed to find in this appalling pile-up of rubble, a teenage girl who emerged miraculously, virtually unscathed. She was smiling as she came out. She was taken away to be checked out and to go into a period of recovery, but she seemed to be unhurt. That was the best of the stories.

Unfortunately, most of the people being removed are dead, although I did hear of one man, spoke to him today, who, in the utter collapse of his house that killed his wife and two of his children, his daughter somehow managed to survive. She was in a stairwell as the whole thing came down. He dug her out with his bare hands. There are so many stories on this tiny island still.

PHILLIPS: Hugh Riminton, live from Medan, Indonesia, thank you.

HEMMER: About 18 minutes before the hour. Let's get a break here in a moment, lighten thing up a little bit here. Andy's got your first look at the action on Wall Street today. "Minding Your Business" in a moment.

PHILLIPS: And a scathing attack on the drug business from a former insider. The woman behind a biting new film, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The question of whether the drug industry puts profits ahead of patient well-being is now the subject of a new film. Here's the plot. A young woman who's struggling daily from ethical dilemmas as a sales rep for a drug company.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SIDE EFFECTS")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're recruiting me to be a pharmaceutical consultant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, isn't that exciting? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I sell cellular phones. You know, in college, I took a weather class to fulfill my science credit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, they can teach you all that stuff. They're just looking for someone with ample sales experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP FROM "SIDE EFFECTS")

O'BRIEN: The film "Side Effects" is based on the real life experiences of writer and director Kathleen Slattery-Moshkau. She's with us this morning. Nice to see you. Is that really how it was for you when you went for your interview? I mean, how much of this is your experience and how much of this is artistic license?

KATHLEEN SLATTERY-MOSHKAU, DIRECTOR/WRITER, "SIDE EFFECTS": Obviously, I'm a filmmaker, so you do take some license and it is a fiction film. However, it was strongly based on my ten years of experience, or almost ten years of experience, in the pharmaceutical industry. So it was a compilation of experiences that both myself had and other reps around me. And I just thought it would be -- it would make for a great story and people would be interested in seeing this angle of the marketing side of the pharmaceutical industry.

O'BRIEN: Why did you think it made such a great story? Tell us a little bit about it.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: It seemed that every day when I was working within the industry, different things would happen that were like candid camera moments. And I'd be turning around, like, is this really going on? And as a writer, I was constantly reaching for my pen. Before I knew it, I had a whole stack of notes and I'm like, I've got a story here.

Also, when I would be at parties and talking to people about what I did for a living and I'd be telling something that happened that day, people would just be laughing their butts off. But what was so funny about it all was also what was so scary in the end about it, because ultimately we're talking about patient safety.

O'BRIEN: Here's the word from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America on not only the movie, but also that part of it.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: Sure.

O'BRIEN: "The movie sounds like fiction," they say. "Sales reps are well-trained, hardworking professionals who help educate medical providers. Many are pharmacists and nurses by background and training." Did you find that to be the case?

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: I found that there were sometimes nurses and sometimes pharmacists, but I worked with a lot of music majors, drama majors, etc. So it was up to us to educate the doctors on how to prescribe the drugs for you, the patient. And to be honest, it's a little bit -- I mean, looking back at the whole thing, it's a little bit insulting to physicians that we were going in, trying to tell them to prescribe, which drugs to write and how to prescribe them for their patients.

O'BRIEN: In the movie, in the film, your protagonist, Carly, is trying to sell medication, which is called Vivex.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: Vivex.

O'BRIEN: Sorry for the mispronunciation. That's a fake medicine. Her conscience starts getting the better of her. Is that what happened to you?

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: You would be in these situations where it was borderline ridiculous that I would be selling these drugs to these doctors. And then different things would happen that put me into question, whether it was with my own companies or other companies, in terms of the ethics of what things we were supposed to talk about, versus what things we weren't supposed to talk about. It just felt very uncomfortable and became -- it continued to feel more uncomfortable over time.

O'BRIEN: You worked for some of the biggest drug companies.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: Right.

O'BRIEN: How are they taking this movie? Your friends there and even your bosses there?

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: The one thing I've repeatedly tried to point out to anybody who's been interviewing me about this is it isn't about any one company that I worked for. It really is about the industry as a whole. Because I saw it from company to company to company, and then also among the other reps, you know, that were working for many other companies. So I just felt that the story was universal to the industry as a whole.

O'BRIEN: The film is called "Side Effects." Kathleen Slattery- Moshkau is the writer and director. Thanks for coming in to talk to us about it.

SLATTERY-MOSHKAU: Thank you so much.

O'BRIEN: Appreciate it -- Bill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: 11 minutes before the hour now. Watching this picture outside the hospice in Florida. Bob and Mary Schindler, the parents of Terri Schiavo, apparently walking into that hospice just a few moments ago. Whether or not they've been given the permission that they're requesting apparently publicly to and through their lawyers to go inside the room where their daughter is, that being Terri Schiavo.

We can't say at this point. All we can show you is the picture of them coming to the area where the reporters are gathered outside the hospice. And then a few moments later, they walked down inside the building. So when we get more out of Florida, you'll hear it here. Break here. Back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: There is breaking news out of Florida. This is Brother Paul O'Donnell just telling reporters moments away that Terri Schiavo has died. We're listening to his comments outside the hospice. It was also just moments ago where Bob and Mary Schindler, the parents of Terri Schiavo, had entered that hospice. Let's listen to Brother Paul with more.

BROTHER PAUL O'DONNELL, SCHINDLER FAMILY ADVISER: Terri Schiavo has passed away just a little while ago. Bobby, Suzanne, Mary and Bob are in there now at Terri's bedside. They were denied access at the moment of her death. They've been requesting, as you know, for the last hour to try to be in there, and they were denied access by Michael Schiavo. They're in there now praying at her bedside. They will come out later today and make a statement. We will let you know. That's all the information I have.

QUESTION: Do you know what time?

O'DONNELL: We will let you know. She just died. When they're ready, they will make a statement today. Okay. Thank you.

QUESTION: Do you know who was in there when she died?

HEMMER: It was about 60 minutes ago when Brother Paul came and said that she is in her final hours. And indeed, that's been the case in Pinellas Park, Florida. Terri Schiavo, after 14 days without water or nourishment, has died at the age of 41 after a very long stay inside that hospice -- 15 years and counting -- and a seven-year protracted legal battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court on six different occasions. The battle is now over, and Terri Schiavo is dead.

I want to get to Bob Franken right now for reaction outside that hospice now there. Bob?

FRANKEN: Well, Bill, what was so sad to witness was the bitter fight that lasted until the end. It was a fight between Michael Schiavo, her husband, who was the guardian and had control over such things as the visitation of Terri Schiavo, and her blood relatives, the Schindlers, and the other ones who were close to them, who were fighting so desperately as we've watched over the last two weeks to try and get the feeding tube reconnected.

Their fight was clearly over after they exhausted legal remedies yesterday, and today, it became simply an issue of, could the blood relatives be at Terri Schiavo's bedside when she died. And as we just heard from Brother O'Donnell, that was not allowed. So this is something where the bitter reverberations are going to continue for quite some time in an agonizing family dispute that, of course, caught the attention of everybody in the United States, the various institutions, and for that matter, people around the world. But this very private tragedy is now over in that Terri Schiavo has passed on, as we just heard from Brother O'Donnell.

HEMMER: A private tragedy that's played out so publicly for all of us to watch, and we continue to watch the pictures live from Pinellas Park outside the hospice, where so many have gathered over the past two weeks. Doctors said at the most, it was likely that Terri Schiavo would live up to two weeks. And apparently she's done just that, now marking the 14th day without water or nourishment.

Bob, do you know or has anyone spoken at this point as to who was inside that room when Terri Schiavo died?

FRANKEN: No. What we were told, however, is that the blood relatives were not. They had been told that it would be Michael Schiavo who would be in the room. And I'm not ready to make any assumptions, but it was apparent that Michael Schiavo was the one who said to last that they could not be there. The family had asked that they be there even with him, in spite of the bitter dispute, even offering to use police to make sure that there was no problem. And what we just heard from Brother O'Donnell is, that request was denied. Now, shortly after Terri Schiavo's death, they're getting their chance to say their private good-byes.

HEMMER: Terri Schiavo collapsed in her home back in 1990. An after that time, she suffered from heart failure, eventually leading to brain damage due to a lack of oxygen. And Michael Schiavo has said from the beginning that his wife did not want to live in this condition. The parents, however, thought that with intensive treatment, that they could help their daughter along if she were to come out of the state in which she existed. And so many neurologists and doctors agreed on certain points and disagreed on others as to the state of Terri Schiavo.

Was it a persistent vegetative state -- PVS, as it is referred to in the medical community? And if that is the case, has anyone ever before come out of that state? And doctors disagree vehemently for several year as to what her true state was. But now the end here has arrived for Terri Schiavo. The feeding tube removed back on the 18th of March, and now 14 days later Terri Schiavo is dead at the age of 41.

I don't want to leave Bob Franken too much longer here. Bob, I don't know what kind of reaction you're able to gather. The protesters have been there from the very beginning, and they seemed to grow by the day outside that hospice. How are their numbers so far today, Bob?

FRANKEN: Well, normally -- and we're seeing a reflection of that now -- there is not a large collection of people here. They normally come a little bit later in the day. And what is just as interesting Bill -- and we've discussed this before on the air -- is the range of emotions. There was even what some considered an appropriate festive atmosphere at many occasions by the now famous jugglers who were here. They call themselves "Jugglers for Christ."

There was oftentimes a very overwhelming display of religious passion that was displayed here. And sometimes it would grow into anger, where there would be what amount to minor confrontations with the police. The police throughout have, for the most part, however, had good relations with the demonstrators.

But in the last day or so, the prevalent emotion was one of resignation, sadness, sometimes angry, but resignation. And of course, this morning we saw that that resignation was justified -- the announcement just minutes ago that Terri Schiavo had died.

HEMMER: And Bob, we've heard the parents say that they want to bury their daughter in Florida. We've heard Michael Schiavo say that he wants to cremate her body, and have her ashes distributed over the fields of Pennsylvania where she grew up. Is this the next fight in this case?

FRANKEN: Well, in all probability. And what we have here is that while Terri Schiavo has died, the bitterness lives on. And at some point, some other people who were involved in this are saying people are going to have to deal with that within the family. The first thing we were led to believe would be an agreement that Terri Schiavo would have an autopsy for a variety of reasons -- one, to determine, with the limited possibilities that they can, the extent of the brain damage and other reasons based on other charges. So unless we're told differently, the most recent information we had is that there would be an autopsy, we had been told, immediately after her death.

HEMMER: One more thing, Bob, on this. Has there been any talk down there in Florida since you've been there about a public ceremony for her?

FRANKEN: None. But a lot of this is going to be in the works. One of the things we expect to hear later in the day is comment from Governor Jeb Bush. You will know that -- remember, of course, that he's been under intense pressure to take some action even if it was extralegal action, and he said that because of the court orders, his hands, at the end, were tied. And as I said, we're expecting to hear from him, and perhaps that kind of question will be answered then.

HEMMER: All right, Bob. Thanks for that, down in Pinellas Park.

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