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American Morning
Papal Intervention Saved One Man's Life; Cartoon Controversy
Aired April 15, 2005 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
HEMMER: We never get to see Don Imus, because we're on the air.
O'BRIEN: You could TiVo it, if you wanted to.
HEMMER: Nah. Welcome back, everyone. In a moment here, a man in Missouri who owes his life to the pope. Darrell Mease is right now serving life in prison for committing a triple murder. We'll tell you what the pope said to save his life and what Mease is now saying about him, in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also ahead this morning, an incredibly simple idea, but an incredibly important mission. Carol takes a look at a project that is putting some of the world's best photographers together with the kids who need them the most. The results are very amazing. She's going to talk about that in a little bit.
HEMMER: Here's Carol now with the headlines. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's an amazing...
O'BRIEN: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: And I just hope some of these kids get adopted because of this story, because of efforts of these great photographers. So you'll see it soon.
"Now in the News," though, intense security around an Atlanta courthouse this hour. Shooting suspect Brian Nichols is making a court appearance for the first time since the shooting rampage over a month ago. CNN confirming Nichols is already at the courthouse and seated. Prosecutors say they'll present his case to a new grand jury to seek an indictment on murder and other charges.
In Utah, Mark Hacking is expected in court today for a pre-trial hearing, but there's word of a possible plea agreement that could cancel his murder trial. Hacking is charged with one count of murder and three counts of obstruction of justice in the shooting death of his wife Lauri (ph). That happened in July of last year. If no deal is reached, Hacking's trial is slated to begin on Monday.
COSTELLO: The Michael Jackson trial is said to resume just hours from now and boy, it could be one doozy of a day. Jackson's lawyers are planning to cross-examine the accuser's mother. The defense had described her as a greedy force behind the child molestation allegations. The jurors will also see surveillance video from the Neverland Ranch.
And hundreds of Amtrak passengers being forced to reschedule this morning. The Acela express lines between New York and Boston and Washington and New York, out of service. Most of the other Amtrak trains to those cities are running without problems. The cancellations apparently due to problems with the brakes. No word on when those brakes will be fixed, but if you have a ticket on an Acela train this morning. You're going to have call Amtrak. You'll be on hold for about 20 minutes, and they'll refund some of your money.
HEMMER: So you're not going to lose your cash?
COSTELLO: No, you won't lose your cash.
HEMMER: It's going to take you longer to travel.
COSTELLO: Yes, 40 minutes longer.
HEMMER: Good luck, Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: It's still all about you at this moment, right?
COSTELLO: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: We feel your pain. It's OK.
HEMMER: Short time ago at the Vatican now, that chimney that all the world will be watching starting on Monday has been put in place. It's just to the right of that clock, just to the right of the statue behind there, that's sort of a brown structure there. White or black smoke will rise starting on Monday, indicating if there is a new pope or not. Cardinals start their balloting on Monday afternoon.
And now, the day Pope John Paul II asked a Baptist southern governor to do the unthinkable. It was a plea for the life of a convicted murderer, just days way from his execution. Chris Lawrence has this story in St. Louis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By most accounts, this man should already be dead. He shouldn't be shaking hands, shouldn't be serving time in this Missouri prison, but something happened six years ago, when a man who had never met Darrell Mease stepped in to save his life.
In 1988, Mease got into an argument with a drug partner. He ambushed and murdered the man, his wife and their disabled grandson.
DARRELL MEASE, CONVICTED KILLER: I shot him, then I shot Frankie and then... LAWRENCE: He was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection. His execution was scheduled for late January 1999. But that turned out to be the same date Pope John Paul II would visit St. Louis. To avoid embarrassment, Missouri delayed the execution a few weeks. But during mass, the pope stepped down off the altar and made a personal plea to Governor Mel Carnahan, who was there with his wife Jean.
JEAN CARNAHAN, FMR GOVERNOR'S WIFE: He was very precise in what he was asking for, mercy for Mr. Mease.
LAWRENCE: The leader of the Catholic Church asking a Southern Baptist governor to have mercy on a convicted killer. Governor Mel Carnahan commuted Mease's death sentence, and a year later, died in a plane crash.
LAWRENCE: The jury convicted Mease of first degree murder and he was sentence to death by lethal injection. Some 10 years later, state officials scheduled his execution. It was the same January date Pope John Paul II would be celebrating mass in St. Louis. To avoid embarrassment, the state delayed the execution until February.
So, when the pope appealed for an end to the death penalty during that St. Louis mass, Darrell Mease had only two weeks to live. So, the pope sent his archbishop to speak with the governor. Joe Bednar attended that meeting, as governor Carnahan's chief counsel.
JOE BEDNAR, FMR CHIEF COUNSEL TO GOV. CARNAHAN: Here we are, five years later. The pope and the governor are dead, and Mr. Mease is alive.
LAWRENCE: And he'll probably spend the rest of his life in this maximum security prison.
(on camera): It took probably the only man who could have made that plea to the governor on that day to stay your execution.
MEASE: I don't believe it could have been anybody else, but God knows who to use and how to use them, and he uses willing vessels, and like I say, I'm thankful the pope did that.
LAWRENCE: Darrell Mease has never really shown obvious remorse for what he did. In some ways, he was the least deserving of mercy. But perhaps, for the man who pleaded his case, that's why he needed it most.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Saint Louis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Later tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," we'll take a special look at the conclave with Aaron Brown. "NEWSNIGHT" comes your way at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 on the West Coast.
And Monday, as the conclave meets for the first time, AMERICAN focusing on the process of choosing that next pope. We come every day, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. Eastern time right here. We'll see you Monday for that -- Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: To know Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the Road Runner is to love them. So how to explain a new futuristic cartoon spin-off that transform Looney Tunes into Loonatics, more Darth Vader than Wascally Wabbit.
Well, 11-year-old Thomas Adams disliked the idea so much that he started a petition and a Web site. It's called saveourlooneytunes.com. He joins us from Tulsa, Oklahoma, along with his dad, John. And we should mention, of course, before we begin, that Looney Tunes is owned by CNN's parent company, Time Warner.
Thomas, John, good morning to both of you. Thanks for talking with us this morning.
JOHN ADAMS, FATHER OF THOMAS: Good morning.
THOMAS ADAMS, AVID LOONEY TUNES FAN: Thanks for having us.
O'BRIEN: It's my pleasure. Thomas, what don't you like about the new Loonatics? What's wrong with them?
T. ADAMS: Well, they don't really look as innocent and harmless as the other ones. They just look scary and mean and evil.
O'BRIEN: Why did you decide to start the Web site?
T. ADAMS: Because when I started at school with my paper petition, it wasn't getting people to sign it, so my mom and dad suggested that I should get it on the Web to reach more people.
O'BRIEN: Let me turn this question now to Dad. How many hits on the Web right now?
J. ADAMS: As of yesterday, there was over 70,000 hits on the Web site and he's averaging about 1,000 signatures a day on the petition.
O'BRIEN: You've gotten some notoriety, as well. And I want to read to you what Warner Brothers said about your campaign. They gave this response. They said,"Loonatics is an all-new kids animated series as an extension of the Looney Tunes brand. It's not a replacement to the much-revered classic Looney Tunes franchise. We're genuinely thrilled to hear that fans around the world, such as Thomas, continue to have a sense of ownership and intense devotion to the classic Looney Tunes."
That's kind of like, well, Thomas, we hear you, but we're not going to change what we're doing. What do you make of that response?
T. ADAMS: I believe that they're not changing the Looney Tunes, but after a while, they're going to put their money into the Loonatics show.
O'BRIEN: You've done the petition, you've gotten on the Web site. Is there another step for you?
T. ADAMS: Well, I'm going to present it to Warner Brothers this summer.
O'BRIEN: Really? Let's go back to your dad. Dad, you look at your son, who -- he says he wants to tackle Warner Brothers and their whole new project, which I'm going to assume they poured a lot of money into already, and basically tell them to scrap the whole thing. What do you think of it?
T. ADAMS: Well, I'm glad that's he taken a stand. And a lot of responses he's gotten back on the personal e-mails are from adults who grew up watching the Looney Tunes, the classics, and they pretty much support what he's saying, is that they don't want to see the identity of the Looney Tunes changed into this futuristic characters, because they're afraid they're going to lose the identity that they grew up with, these Looney Tunes. So he has a lot of support there.
O'BRIEN: It's identity theft.
J. ADAMS: He refers to it as identity theft.
O'BRIEN: Well, John Adams and Thomas Adams, we appreciate you talking with us this morning. Thanks a lot.
T. ADAMS: Thank you.
J. ADAMS: Thank you, we wake up to you and Bill every morning with our coffee and breakfast.
O'BRIEN: Well, thank you very much for that as well. Take care, guys.
J. ADAMS: Bye-.
O'BRIEN: Bye.
HEMMER: Nice.
About 20 minutes before the hour now, while Soledad was talking there we were watching at a courtroom in Atlanta, Georgia, Brian Nichols now seated at the defense table. Tough to see from this image here. He's behind these two gentlemen in the foreground. He apparently arrived today well ahead of everyone else.
He is not handcuffed, but his feet are shackled. He's wearing civilian clothing, and apparently subdued as well in his appearance. He smiled at his attorneys as he came in. There are eight armed deputies inside that courtroom, both sides now in the courtroom, too, and this goes back about five weeks after that shooting spree in Atlanta, Georgia.
O'BRIEN: People watching that closely today, us included.
HEMMER: Yes. O'BRIEN: Well, a famous sneaker company is heade to Wal-Mart, but they're not using the brand name that you're used to. Andy's "Minding Your Business." He'll explain.
HEMMER: Also "The Simple Life" a bit more complicated today. "90-Second Pop" still to come this hour on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: They are still on tour, believe it or not, the Rolling Stones.
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: As we speak.
HEMMER: "90-Second Pop" on a Friday. Say hello to Toure, pop culture correspondent.
How about them Red Sox, Toure?
TOURE: Boo!
HEMMER: Amy Barnett from "Teen People."
Amy, good morning to you.
AMY BARNETT, "TEEN PEOPLE": Good morning.
HEMMER: And B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor of "Us Weekly," the favorite magazine of Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson we found out.
HEMMER: First thing, if you're not in the world of music this summer, and if you're not on the road, you're no one. I mean, everybody is going out -- U2, the Stones, Springsteen.
TOURE: McCartney will be out. Cold Play, Chris Martin is finally leaving Apple Martin at home for a moment. Actually, he'll probably bring her out on the road with him. But the one I'm most excited about, the White Stripes. They've got a new album called "Get Behind Thee Satan." It's just Jack White and his ex-wife, Meg, on the drums. And they look at rock and roll as performance art. So, they'll be out there with everything red and white, performing their heads off. It's going to be so great. And the new songs are going to be awesome. I love these guys.
HEMMER: What's this note about tickets being cheaper, 30 percent lower than normal?
TOURE: Yes, I mean, last year the story was prices are going up, up, up. The year before I paid, what, $200 to see Madonna?
HEMMER: You did?
TOURE: I sure did.
HEMMER: You did?
TOURE: Now, I got my money's worth.
HEMMER: You admit that?
TOURE: Oh, I paid it and I paid it happily. You know, now to pay two tickets for my wife as well, now that's a lot. But, no, Madonna is great. But now prices are coming down. Clear Channel realizes that people don't want to pay $40 and $50 to sit on the grass.
HEMMER: So the demand was softening, is what you're saying?
TOURE: So what?
HEMMER: The demand was softening. They're not going to get that...
TOURE: Well, I mean, yes, people don't want to pay that much.
BARNETT: Well, who really wants to pay $200 to watch Vince Neal (ph) take his shirt off? For Vince to take his shirt off?
HEMMER: Toure...
TOURE: Not Vince Neal (ph).
BARNETT: But for Madonna to take her shirt off. I didn't say that.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": I'm not so sure it's the big ticket concerts, though, like the Madonnas and the Princes who are lowering their prices.
TOURE: Right.
SIGESMUND: It's other concerts. It's concerts that you would normally pay $40 or $50 for. You're not going to get people to pay $20 for...
TOURE: Well, like the Allman Brothers?
SIGESMUND: ... tickets on the grass. I mean, that's sort of what Toure was talking about.
HEMMER: Tickets on the grass.
SIGESMUND: Concerts. Yes. Hey, I have to give a shout out to...
HEMMER: Yes.
SIGESMUND: ... Stevie Nicks and Don Henley. That's the concert that I'm going to be at this summer.
BARNETT: Oh, you just aged yourself on that. HEMMER: You know, when I was a teenager, I wanted to be a roadie for Bruce Springsteen. That would be cool to go on the road for a year. I ended up here.
Amy, "The Simple Life." Paris Hilton has a new best friend.
BARNETT: I know.
HEMMER: Who is it?
BARNETT: I know. Kimberly Stewart, the daughter f famed rock star Rod Stewart. But I'm a little bummed out for Nicole Richie, because the thing is, you know, we were all really watching for Nicole. I mean, we're sort of fascinated by Paris' Parisness (ph).
HEMMER: Who is we? You got a mouse in your pocket?
TOURE: Yes.
SIGESMUND: Ten million viewers.
TOURE: The royal we.
BARNETT: The royal we. OK, the royal who are fascinated by Paris' Parisness (ph). But at the same time, we all really watched for Nicole. She was the smart and funny and endearing one.
TOURE: We did?
BARNETT: I think so.
SIGESMUND: Well, that's the thing. When "The Simple Life" started, Paris Hilton was the one everyone knew, and Nicole Richie, you know, we only knew she was Lionel Richie's daughter. But she has proven to be the comedian among the two.
BARNETT: Exactly.
SIGESMUND: She's funny. She's cute. And you know what? She has lost a ton of weight. She had a makeover. She has become Paris.
HEMMER: But the ultimate question is who is better, Rod Stewart or Lionel Richie? the flash poll says what, Stewart or Richie, Toure? Come on.
TOURE: Push.
HEMMER: Push.
TOURE: Even.
HEMMER: Have a great weekend, OK, B.J., Amy, Toure. Good to see all three of you -- Soledad.
(END VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, an incredibly simple idea, but an incredibly important mission. A project that's putting some of the world's best photographers together with the children who need them the most. We explain ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay about us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. The other day, Carol Costello came into the office and said that I am working on the most amazing story, and I think it's fair to say amazing doesn't even come close to describing the incredible tale you're going to tell us.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Because they're just amazing children, I mean, children that just touch your heart. I don't understand why they don't have a mom and dad. I've been working in this business for a long time, and frankly, there are few stories that really touch me, but this one did. It's about New Jersey's Heart Gallery, an effort to place foster kids who want most of us are lucky enough to already have, a mom and a dad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great! That's very nice.
COSTELLO (voice-over): If a picture is worth 1,000 words, can it also be worth one good home?
(on camera): Have you lived in a series of foster homes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
COSTELLO (voice-over): He's smart, he's funny and looking for a mom and dad. Problem is, he's not a bouncing baby boy anymore, and not many people are willing to take him in at 12. But Master, and the 327 other kids in a New Jersey foster care system, will show the country what great kids they are through the lens of a camera. It's called the Heart Gallery, and it's the brainchild of Najlah Feanny- Hicks and a few of her closest friends.
NAJLAH FEANNY-HICKS, DIR. N.J. HEART GALLERY: It was the easiest project that has come together that I know of in any project we've ever worked for.
COSTELLO: The project is part of a nationwide effort, one that puts the kids in front of the cameras of some of the country's best photographers, photographers that make a living shooting celebrities, but are volunteering their time and talent here.
NORMAN LONO, PHOTOGRAPHER: That's all we try to do, shoot the kids so that people will look at them and go, yes, you know, I'll give him a chance.
COSTELLO: But with kids who have spent years in the system, it isn't always easy.
LONO: A lot of them are really close. You have to work them hard to get them to open that door, you know, and say hi. And once they do that, you go, wow, that's gold!
FEANNY-HICKS: For the 20, 30, 45 minutes that they're photographed by a photographer who just photographed Bruce Springsteen or the president, they feel special.
COSTELLO: Back to Master. For what's at stake, he's taking it all in stride.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready for my closeup! I always wanted to say that.
COSTELLO (on camera): See, now you have your opportunity. And you look like a natural.
(voice-over): But for now, his goals, like so many other kids in his position, are much simpler.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just waiting for the perfect home, just keep waiting for the perfect one at the right time. Maybe when I get older, I might take a foster kid and adopt them. So if I'm not going to get helped, I'm going to help someone else. So any way, I win.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The Heart Gallery exhibit will open at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, from June 12th to June 19th, and then the pictures will move to train stations and other galleries around the state for adoption information. Visit the Web site at heartgallerynj.com.
O'BRIEN: Beautiful job. And both we're going to sit here at the break and cry.
A short break. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Wal-Mart makes no name Nikes, and a big game for shoe king Steve Madden. With those stories, plus a check on the markets this morning, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Do you want to start with the markets?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I do. Stocks trading lower again this morning. IMB to blame. The stock is down sharply, down 33. If we don't watch it, we're going to get below 10,000 there. And IBM falling below $80 for the first time since 2002.
A couple shoe stories here. Steve Madden, he of the shoe store chain, out of jail today. He served 41 months. Take note, Martha Stewart, 41 months. He's in a halfway house in the Bronx.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Without whining.
SERWER: Yes, money laundering and fraud there. He owns 10 percent of the company.
And as far as Nike and Wal-Mart goes, you can finally get Nikes in Wal-Marts. Hadn't been able to do that before. The shoe giant considered Wal-Mart too downscale. But they owned this company called Start they brought last year, and now they started to make sneakers for Starter. They're going to cost less than $40, which is a lot less than $110, which a lot of Nikes cost.
O'BRIEN: All right, that's good.
SERWER: Thank you.
HEMMER: Big Jack with the Big Mac, one final check.
CAFFERTY: 50th anniversary of McDonald's. The question is, was it a good idea in retrospect?
Fred in Michigan writes, "McDonald's was a great idea, because by the time Bush gets done with us, those will be the only jobs available."
Dennis in Phoenix, Arizona writes, "From buying a Big Mac and a beer in Germany to a Quarter Pounder and cup of noodles and Hawaii to the ridiculously polite and beautiful young lady behind the counter in Sydney, good or bad, love it or hate, the golden arches are a bit of home away from home for world-traveling Americans."
And Martha in Root (ph), Pennsylvania writes, "My mom couldn't cook worth a hoot, so my brother and I survived on the two major food groups, Pizza and McDonald's cheeseburgers. Later my husband and I were vegetarians for eight years. By then, we were ready to mug the nearest kid for his Happy Meal."
HEMMER: That's good stuff. What's happening this weekend?
There is insurance that you can buy to protect you, the companies,k claim, against identity theft. As Andy has been reporting for weeks, and along with everybody else, it is a huge problem, and it's only getting bigger, but there's some question about whether these policies that you can buy offer all that much protection. We will explore this in some detail on "IN THE MONEY," Saturday at 1:00, Sunday at 3:00. Attendance is required, and please dress appropriately.
O'BRIEN: I was wondering when we were going to get to the attendance is required as he always.
CAFFERTY: It is.
SERWER: We check.
CAFFERTY: We take role.
SERWER: We take role.
HEMMER: We're going to have a huge week next week. Oklahoma City comes Monday and Tuesday here on AMERICAN MORNING, and also on Monday, we're watching the conclave. There will be one vote, some time between the 7:00 a.m. hour and about 11:00 to 12:00 on the East Coast. We'll get one vote on Monday, and then usually they don't decide on a pope the first day anyway. So then it goes to Tuesday, and you get four votes Tuesday.
CAFFERTY: Which means we'll have a lot of opportunity to take a picture of the chimney.
HEMMER: Oh, yes, we're going to be watching that chimney.
O'BRIEN: Chimney cam.
SERWER: The chimney cam, that's great.
HEMMER: Brought to you by...
O'BRIEN: McDonald's.
HEMMER: McDonald's.
O'BRIEN: Why not?
SERWER: We'll have live team cover on that.
HEMMER: One more plug for McAdees. We got to run. Have a great weekend.
Here is Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center.
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Aired April 15, 2005 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
HEMMER: We never get to see Don Imus, because we're on the air.
O'BRIEN: You could TiVo it, if you wanted to.
HEMMER: Nah. Welcome back, everyone. In a moment here, a man in Missouri who owes his life to the pope. Darrell Mease is right now serving life in prison for committing a triple murder. We'll tell you what the pope said to save his life and what Mease is now saying about him, in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also ahead this morning, an incredibly simple idea, but an incredibly important mission. Carol takes a look at a project that is putting some of the world's best photographers together with the kids who need them the most. The results are very amazing. She's going to talk about that in a little bit.
HEMMER: Here's Carol now with the headlines. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's an amazing...
O'BRIEN: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: And I just hope some of these kids get adopted because of this story, because of efforts of these great photographers. So you'll see it soon.
"Now in the News," though, intense security around an Atlanta courthouse this hour. Shooting suspect Brian Nichols is making a court appearance for the first time since the shooting rampage over a month ago. CNN confirming Nichols is already at the courthouse and seated. Prosecutors say they'll present his case to a new grand jury to seek an indictment on murder and other charges.
In Utah, Mark Hacking is expected in court today for a pre-trial hearing, but there's word of a possible plea agreement that could cancel his murder trial. Hacking is charged with one count of murder and three counts of obstruction of justice in the shooting death of his wife Lauri (ph). That happened in July of last year. If no deal is reached, Hacking's trial is slated to begin on Monday.
COSTELLO: The Michael Jackson trial is said to resume just hours from now and boy, it could be one doozy of a day. Jackson's lawyers are planning to cross-examine the accuser's mother. The defense had described her as a greedy force behind the child molestation allegations. The jurors will also see surveillance video from the Neverland Ranch.
And hundreds of Amtrak passengers being forced to reschedule this morning. The Acela express lines between New York and Boston and Washington and New York, out of service. Most of the other Amtrak trains to those cities are running without problems. The cancellations apparently due to problems with the brakes. No word on when those brakes will be fixed, but if you have a ticket on an Acela train this morning. You're going to have call Amtrak. You'll be on hold for about 20 minutes, and they'll refund some of your money.
HEMMER: So you're not going to lose your cash?
COSTELLO: No, you won't lose your cash.
HEMMER: It's going to take you longer to travel.
COSTELLO: Yes, 40 minutes longer.
HEMMER: Good luck, Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: It's still all about you at this moment, right?
COSTELLO: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: We feel your pain. It's OK.
HEMMER: Short time ago at the Vatican now, that chimney that all the world will be watching starting on Monday has been put in place. It's just to the right of that clock, just to the right of the statue behind there, that's sort of a brown structure there. White or black smoke will rise starting on Monday, indicating if there is a new pope or not. Cardinals start their balloting on Monday afternoon.
And now, the day Pope John Paul II asked a Baptist southern governor to do the unthinkable. It was a plea for the life of a convicted murderer, just days way from his execution. Chris Lawrence has this story in St. Louis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By most accounts, this man should already be dead. He shouldn't be shaking hands, shouldn't be serving time in this Missouri prison, but something happened six years ago, when a man who had never met Darrell Mease stepped in to save his life.
In 1988, Mease got into an argument with a drug partner. He ambushed and murdered the man, his wife and their disabled grandson.
DARRELL MEASE, CONVICTED KILLER: I shot him, then I shot Frankie and then... LAWRENCE: He was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection. His execution was scheduled for late January 1999. But that turned out to be the same date Pope John Paul II would visit St. Louis. To avoid embarrassment, Missouri delayed the execution a few weeks. But during mass, the pope stepped down off the altar and made a personal plea to Governor Mel Carnahan, who was there with his wife Jean.
JEAN CARNAHAN, FMR GOVERNOR'S WIFE: He was very precise in what he was asking for, mercy for Mr. Mease.
LAWRENCE: The leader of the Catholic Church asking a Southern Baptist governor to have mercy on a convicted killer. Governor Mel Carnahan commuted Mease's death sentence, and a year later, died in a plane crash.
LAWRENCE: The jury convicted Mease of first degree murder and he was sentence to death by lethal injection. Some 10 years later, state officials scheduled his execution. It was the same January date Pope John Paul II would be celebrating mass in St. Louis. To avoid embarrassment, the state delayed the execution until February.
So, when the pope appealed for an end to the death penalty during that St. Louis mass, Darrell Mease had only two weeks to live. So, the pope sent his archbishop to speak with the governor. Joe Bednar attended that meeting, as governor Carnahan's chief counsel.
JOE BEDNAR, FMR CHIEF COUNSEL TO GOV. CARNAHAN: Here we are, five years later. The pope and the governor are dead, and Mr. Mease is alive.
LAWRENCE: And he'll probably spend the rest of his life in this maximum security prison.
(on camera): It took probably the only man who could have made that plea to the governor on that day to stay your execution.
MEASE: I don't believe it could have been anybody else, but God knows who to use and how to use them, and he uses willing vessels, and like I say, I'm thankful the pope did that.
LAWRENCE: Darrell Mease has never really shown obvious remorse for what he did. In some ways, he was the least deserving of mercy. But perhaps, for the man who pleaded his case, that's why he needed it most.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Saint Louis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Later tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," we'll take a special look at the conclave with Aaron Brown. "NEWSNIGHT" comes your way at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 on the West Coast.
And Monday, as the conclave meets for the first time, AMERICAN focusing on the process of choosing that next pope. We come every day, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. Eastern time right here. We'll see you Monday for that -- Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: To know Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the Road Runner is to love them. So how to explain a new futuristic cartoon spin-off that transform Looney Tunes into Loonatics, more Darth Vader than Wascally Wabbit.
Well, 11-year-old Thomas Adams disliked the idea so much that he started a petition and a Web site. It's called saveourlooneytunes.com. He joins us from Tulsa, Oklahoma, along with his dad, John. And we should mention, of course, before we begin, that Looney Tunes is owned by CNN's parent company, Time Warner.
Thomas, John, good morning to both of you. Thanks for talking with us this morning.
JOHN ADAMS, FATHER OF THOMAS: Good morning.
THOMAS ADAMS, AVID LOONEY TUNES FAN: Thanks for having us.
O'BRIEN: It's my pleasure. Thomas, what don't you like about the new Loonatics? What's wrong with them?
T. ADAMS: Well, they don't really look as innocent and harmless as the other ones. They just look scary and mean and evil.
O'BRIEN: Why did you decide to start the Web site?
T. ADAMS: Because when I started at school with my paper petition, it wasn't getting people to sign it, so my mom and dad suggested that I should get it on the Web to reach more people.
O'BRIEN: Let me turn this question now to Dad. How many hits on the Web right now?
J. ADAMS: As of yesterday, there was over 70,000 hits on the Web site and he's averaging about 1,000 signatures a day on the petition.
O'BRIEN: You've gotten some notoriety, as well. And I want to read to you what Warner Brothers said about your campaign. They gave this response. They said,"Loonatics is an all-new kids animated series as an extension of the Looney Tunes brand. It's not a replacement to the much-revered classic Looney Tunes franchise. We're genuinely thrilled to hear that fans around the world, such as Thomas, continue to have a sense of ownership and intense devotion to the classic Looney Tunes."
That's kind of like, well, Thomas, we hear you, but we're not going to change what we're doing. What do you make of that response?
T. ADAMS: I believe that they're not changing the Looney Tunes, but after a while, they're going to put their money into the Loonatics show.
O'BRIEN: You've done the petition, you've gotten on the Web site. Is there another step for you?
T. ADAMS: Well, I'm going to present it to Warner Brothers this summer.
O'BRIEN: Really? Let's go back to your dad. Dad, you look at your son, who -- he says he wants to tackle Warner Brothers and their whole new project, which I'm going to assume they poured a lot of money into already, and basically tell them to scrap the whole thing. What do you think of it?
T. ADAMS: Well, I'm glad that's he taken a stand. And a lot of responses he's gotten back on the personal e-mails are from adults who grew up watching the Looney Tunes, the classics, and they pretty much support what he's saying, is that they don't want to see the identity of the Looney Tunes changed into this futuristic characters, because they're afraid they're going to lose the identity that they grew up with, these Looney Tunes. So he has a lot of support there.
O'BRIEN: It's identity theft.
J. ADAMS: He refers to it as identity theft.
O'BRIEN: Well, John Adams and Thomas Adams, we appreciate you talking with us this morning. Thanks a lot.
T. ADAMS: Thank you.
J. ADAMS: Thank you, we wake up to you and Bill every morning with our coffee and breakfast.
O'BRIEN: Well, thank you very much for that as well. Take care, guys.
J. ADAMS: Bye-.
O'BRIEN: Bye.
HEMMER: Nice.
About 20 minutes before the hour now, while Soledad was talking there we were watching at a courtroom in Atlanta, Georgia, Brian Nichols now seated at the defense table. Tough to see from this image here. He's behind these two gentlemen in the foreground. He apparently arrived today well ahead of everyone else.
He is not handcuffed, but his feet are shackled. He's wearing civilian clothing, and apparently subdued as well in his appearance. He smiled at his attorneys as he came in. There are eight armed deputies inside that courtroom, both sides now in the courtroom, too, and this goes back about five weeks after that shooting spree in Atlanta, Georgia.
O'BRIEN: People watching that closely today, us included.
HEMMER: Yes. O'BRIEN: Well, a famous sneaker company is heade to Wal-Mart, but they're not using the brand name that you're used to. Andy's "Minding Your Business." He'll explain.
HEMMER: Also "The Simple Life" a bit more complicated today. "90-Second Pop" still to come this hour on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: They are still on tour, believe it or not, the Rolling Stones.
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: As we speak.
HEMMER: "90-Second Pop" on a Friday. Say hello to Toure, pop culture correspondent.
How about them Red Sox, Toure?
TOURE: Boo!
HEMMER: Amy Barnett from "Teen People."
Amy, good morning to you.
AMY BARNETT, "TEEN PEOPLE": Good morning.
HEMMER: And B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor of "Us Weekly," the favorite magazine of Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson we found out.
HEMMER: First thing, if you're not in the world of music this summer, and if you're not on the road, you're no one. I mean, everybody is going out -- U2, the Stones, Springsteen.
TOURE: McCartney will be out. Cold Play, Chris Martin is finally leaving Apple Martin at home for a moment. Actually, he'll probably bring her out on the road with him. But the one I'm most excited about, the White Stripes. They've got a new album called "Get Behind Thee Satan." It's just Jack White and his ex-wife, Meg, on the drums. And they look at rock and roll as performance art. So, they'll be out there with everything red and white, performing their heads off. It's going to be so great. And the new songs are going to be awesome. I love these guys.
HEMMER: What's this note about tickets being cheaper, 30 percent lower than normal?
TOURE: Yes, I mean, last year the story was prices are going up, up, up. The year before I paid, what, $200 to see Madonna?
HEMMER: You did?
TOURE: I sure did.
HEMMER: You did?
TOURE: Now, I got my money's worth.
HEMMER: You admit that?
TOURE: Oh, I paid it and I paid it happily. You know, now to pay two tickets for my wife as well, now that's a lot. But, no, Madonna is great. But now prices are coming down. Clear Channel realizes that people don't want to pay $40 and $50 to sit on the grass.
HEMMER: So the demand was softening, is what you're saying?
TOURE: So what?
HEMMER: The demand was softening. They're not going to get that...
TOURE: Well, I mean, yes, people don't want to pay that much.
BARNETT: Well, who really wants to pay $200 to watch Vince Neal (ph) take his shirt off? For Vince to take his shirt off?
HEMMER: Toure...
TOURE: Not Vince Neal (ph).
BARNETT: But for Madonna to take her shirt off. I didn't say that.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": I'm not so sure it's the big ticket concerts, though, like the Madonnas and the Princes who are lowering their prices.
TOURE: Right.
SIGESMUND: It's other concerts. It's concerts that you would normally pay $40 or $50 for. You're not going to get people to pay $20 for...
TOURE: Well, like the Allman Brothers?
SIGESMUND: ... tickets on the grass. I mean, that's sort of what Toure was talking about.
HEMMER: Tickets on the grass.
SIGESMUND: Concerts. Yes. Hey, I have to give a shout out to...
HEMMER: Yes.
SIGESMUND: ... Stevie Nicks and Don Henley. That's the concert that I'm going to be at this summer.
BARNETT: Oh, you just aged yourself on that. HEMMER: You know, when I was a teenager, I wanted to be a roadie for Bruce Springsteen. That would be cool to go on the road for a year. I ended up here.
Amy, "The Simple Life." Paris Hilton has a new best friend.
BARNETT: I know.
HEMMER: Who is it?
BARNETT: I know. Kimberly Stewart, the daughter f famed rock star Rod Stewart. But I'm a little bummed out for Nicole Richie, because the thing is, you know, we were all really watching for Nicole. I mean, we're sort of fascinated by Paris' Parisness (ph).
HEMMER: Who is we? You got a mouse in your pocket?
TOURE: Yes.
SIGESMUND: Ten million viewers.
TOURE: The royal we.
BARNETT: The royal we. OK, the royal who are fascinated by Paris' Parisness (ph). But at the same time, we all really watched for Nicole. She was the smart and funny and endearing one.
TOURE: We did?
BARNETT: I think so.
SIGESMUND: Well, that's the thing. When "The Simple Life" started, Paris Hilton was the one everyone knew, and Nicole Richie, you know, we only knew she was Lionel Richie's daughter. But she has proven to be the comedian among the two.
BARNETT: Exactly.
SIGESMUND: She's funny. She's cute. And you know what? She has lost a ton of weight. She had a makeover. She has become Paris.
HEMMER: But the ultimate question is who is better, Rod Stewart or Lionel Richie? the flash poll says what, Stewart or Richie, Toure? Come on.
TOURE: Push.
HEMMER: Push.
TOURE: Even.
HEMMER: Have a great weekend, OK, B.J., Amy, Toure. Good to see all three of you -- Soledad.
(END VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, an incredibly simple idea, but an incredibly important mission. A project that's putting some of the world's best photographers together with the children who need them the most. We explain ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay about us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. The other day, Carol Costello came into the office and said that I am working on the most amazing story, and I think it's fair to say amazing doesn't even come close to describing the incredible tale you're going to tell us.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Because they're just amazing children, I mean, children that just touch your heart. I don't understand why they don't have a mom and dad. I've been working in this business for a long time, and frankly, there are few stories that really touch me, but this one did. It's about New Jersey's Heart Gallery, an effort to place foster kids who want most of us are lucky enough to already have, a mom and a dad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great! That's very nice.
COSTELLO (voice-over): If a picture is worth 1,000 words, can it also be worth one good home?
(on camera): Have you lived in a series of foster homes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
COSTELLO (voice-over): He's smart, he's funny and looking for a mom and dad. Problem is, he's not a bouncing baby boy anymore, and not many people are willing to take him in at 12. But Master, and the 327 other kids in a New Jersey foster care system, will show the country what great kids they are through the lens of a camera. It's called the Heart Gallery, and it's the brainchild of Najlah Feanny- Hicks and a few of her closest friends.
NAJLAH FEANNY-HICKS, DIR. N.J. HEART GALLERY: It was the easiest project that has come together that I know of in any project we've ever worked for.
COSTELLO: The project is part of a nationwide effort, one that puts the kids in front of the cameras of some of the country's best photographers, photographers that make a living shooting celebrities, but are volunteering their time and talent here.
NORMAN LONO, PHOTOGRAPHER: That's all we try to do, shoot the kids so that people will look at them and go, yes, you know, I'll give him a chance.
COSTELLO: But with kids who have spent years in the system, it isn't always easy.
LONO: A lot of them are really close. You have to work them hard to get them to open that door, you know, and say hi. And once they do that, you go, wow, that's gold!
FEANNY-HICKS: For the 20, 30, 45 minutes that they're photographed by a photographer who just photographed Bruce Springsteen or the president, they feel special.
COSTELLO: Back to Master. For what's at stake, he's taking it all in stride.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready for my closeup! I always wanted to say that.
COSTELLO (on camera): See, now you have your opportunity. And you look like a natural.
(voice-over): But for now, his goals, like so many other kids in his position, are much simpler.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just waiting for the perfect home, just keep waiting for the perfect one at the right time. Maybe when I get older, I might take a foster kid and adopt them. So if I'm not going to get helped, I'm going to help someone else. So any way, I win.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The Heart Gallery exhibit will open at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, from June 12th to June 19th, and then the pictures will move to train stations and other galleries around the state for adoption information. Visit the Web site at heartgallerynj.com.
O'BRIEN: Beautiful job. And both we're going to sit here at the break and cry.
A short break. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Wal-Mart makes no name Nikes, and a big game for shoe king Steve Madden. With those stories, plus a check on the markets this morning, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Do you want to start with the markets?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I do. Stocks trading lower again this morning. IMB to blame. The stock is down sharply, down 33. If we don't watch it, we're going to get below 10,000 there. And IBM falling below $80 for the first time since 2002.
A couple shoe stories here. Steve Madden, he of the shoe store chain, out of jail today. He served 41 months. Take note, Martha Stewart, 41 months. He's in a halfway house in the Bronx.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Without whining.
SERWER: Yes, money laundering and fraud there. He owns 10 percent of the company.
And as far as Nike and Wal-Mart goes, you can finally get Nikes in Wal-Marts. Hadn't been able to do that before. The shoe giant considered Wal-Mart too downscale. But they owned this company called Start they brought last year, and now they started to make sneakers for Starter. They're going to cost less than $40, which is a lot less than $110, which a lot of Nikes cost.
O'BRIEN: All right, that's good.
SERWER: Thank you.
HEMMER: Big Jack with the Big Mac, one final check.
CAFFERTY: 50th anniversary of McDonald's. The question is, was it a good idea in retrospect?
Fred in Michigan writes, "McDonald's was a great idea, because by the time Bush gets done with us, those will be the only jobs available."
Dennis in Phoenix, Arizona writes, "From buying a Big Mac and a beer in Germany to a Quarter Pounder and cup of noodles and Hawaii to the ridiculously polite and beautiful young lady behind the counter in Sydney, good or bad, love it or hate, the golden arches are a bit of home away from home for world-traveling Americans."
And Martha in Root (ph), Pennsylvania writes, "My mom couldn't cook worth a hoot, so my brother and I survived on the two major food groups, Pizza and McDonald's cheeseburgers. Later my husband and I were vegetarians for eight years. By then, we were ready to mug the nearest kid for his Happy Meal."
HEMMER: That's good stuff. What's happening this weekend?
There is insurance that you can buy to protect you, the companies,k claim, against identity theft. As Andy has been reporting for weeks, and along with everybody else, it is a huge problem, and it's only getting bigger, but there's some question about whether these policies that you can buy offer all that much protection. We will explore this in some detail on "IN THE MONEY," Saturday at 1:00, Sunday at 3:00. Attendance is required, and please dress appropriately.
O'BRIEN: I was wondering when we were going to get to the attendance is required as he always.
CAFFERTY: It is.
SERWER: We check.
CAFFERTY: We take role.
SERWER: We take role.
HEMMER: We're going to have a huge week next week. Oklahoma City comes Monday and Tuesday here on AMERICAN MORNING, and also on Monday, we're watching the conclave. There will be one vote, some time between the 7:00 a.m. hour and about 11:00 to 12:00 on the East Coast. We'll get one vote on Monday, and then usually they don't decide on a pope the first day anyway. So then it goes to Tuesday, and you get four votes Tuesday.
CAFFERTY: Which means we'll have a lot of opportunity to take a picture of the chimney.
HEMMER: Oh, yes, we're going to be watching that chimney.
O'BRIEN: Chimney cam.
SERWER: The chimney cam, that's great.
HEMMER: Brought to you by...
O'BRIEN: McDonald's.
HEMMER: McDonald's.
O'BRIEN: Why not?
SERWER: We'll have live team cover on that.
HEMMER: One more plug for McAdees. We got to run. Have a great weekend.
Here is Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center.
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