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American Morning

U.S. Hostage in Iraq; Update on Brian Nichols Hearing

Aired April 15, 2005 - 07:30   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there goes the morning commute, now under way. It's 7:30 in the morning here on the East Coast.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, a really agonizing time for the small town of LaPorte, Indiana. One of their own, Jeffrey Ake, is now a hostage in Iraq. We're going to talk to two friends of his and find out just how the family is doing and the town, of course, as well.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: An absolute heartache, too.

In a moment here, too, very tight security in the city of Atlanta. Brian Nichols is back in court today. Five weeks ago that rampage there in that courthouse left four dead. A report live on what will happen today in court coming up in a moment.

O'BRIEN: Let's get right to the headlines first, though. Carol Costello with us.

Good morning.

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

"Now in the News."

U.S. forces have sealed off an area of western Baghdad after a suicide car bombing targeting American troops. A short time later a roadside bomb went off along an Iraqi army convoy in eastern Baghdad. Police say the blast killed at least one civilian and wounded eight others.

Authorities in Florida are expanding the search now for 13-year- old Sarah Lunde. They're also now offering a $10,000 reward for her return. The sheriff's department says it has received a surprisingly low number of tips in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF DAVID GEE, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA: The 43 number, again, I thought it was a little low for a case that had received this much attention. Not encouraging people to call if you don't have any information, but it did seem low as compared to many other cases we get that get a lot of attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: One of the potential leads centered on a convicted sex offender in the area, but no connection has been found as of yet. A nationwide missing person's alert was issued Tuesday for Lunde.

The nomination of John Negroponte for director of national intelligence is moving forward. It now goes before the full Senate. The Senate Intelligence Committee approved Negroponte Thursday in a closed-door session. If confirmed, Negroponte would oversee more than a dozen agencies that make up the country's intelligence community.

And President Bush heading back to the baseball field. Take a look at this. He threw out the ceremonial pitch at the Nationals- Diamondbacks game today. OK. So, it wasn't perfect. The president is the former part-owner of the Texas Rangers. He kicked off the first regular season pro baseball game in the nation's capital in 34 years. And by the way, the Nationals won the game 5-3. Poor President Bush.

O'BRIEN: That's how I throw. Hey, you know what? You do what you can with what you got. That's all I can say.

COSTELLO: So sad, though.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

O'BRIEN: A sad story to tell you about. The safe return of Jeffrey Ake, it's a high priority for the Bush administration. Ake was taken hostage in Iraq on Monday. He appeared in an insurgent videotape on Wednesday. The White House says it is in close contact with the family.

Dawne and Ken Willard are friends of Jeffrey Ake's. They're in his hometown of LaPorte, Indiana, this morning.

Nice to see you both. Thanks for talking with us.

DAWNE WILLARD, FRIEND OF HOSTAGE JEFFREY AKE: Good morning.

KEN WILLARD, FRIEND OF HOSTAGE JEFFREY AKE: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Have the two of you seen this videotape? Give us a sense of how you think Jeff looks in it.

D. WILLARD: Well, I was absolutely amazed when I saw it. Jeff looked very scared, very much unlike the way I've known him to be. He is not like that at all. It was just very tough to see him that way, and it's very tough. I can't watch it.

O'BRIEN: I would imagine it's terrible to watch. You say it's not like him at all. Give me a sense, Ken, if you would, of who the guy -- who Jeff Ake is.

K. WILLARD: Jeff and I have known each other for about 16 years right now. I've done some work for him in the past. We've done corporate industrial videos for his company. We helped him promote himself across the United States. And he is just one terrific guy, one of the proverbial give the shirt off your back type of guy. He was -- he's a great family man and great with his children. He's a fine entrepreneur. And he does -- wants to do nothing but good, whether it be, you know, locally, statewide, nationwide or even overseas.

So, he was -- he goes overseas to promote his exporting and to show people overseas what America has to offer.

O'BRIEN: Dawne, how concerned were you when you found out that he was going to be in Iraq and you know how dangerous it is there right now?

D. WILLARD: Well, I really didn't know that he was in Iraq other than -- I had not talked to him. Ken had seen him a couple months ago, and he had mentioned that. And I think it's a concern for anybody that's over there right now.

O'BRIEN: Ken, did he ever express any worries? I mean, was he going in fearless? Or had he talked about some of his concerns?

K. WILLARD: Well, last time I talked to him at a lunch date, we talked about what kind of projects he was wanting to work on. And he did want to work on a project with us doing a corporate video on his bottle-filling machine he was going to be using to deliver water in Iraq. But he didn't express any concerns. He didn't sound concerned. He just wanted to get over there and get the job done.

O'BRIEN: Give me a sense, Dawne, as a couple who have known him so well for so long, how do you think he is holding up right now? Give me a sense of his mental fortitude, if you will.

D. WILLARD: Knowing Jeff, he is -- he's a very strong man. And he is the type of person that if he has -- oh, he has an idea about something, he will work to get that idea out. And I'm sure that his feelings, he is there. He is thinking about his family. And we're all thinking about him.

K. WILLARD: And Jeff is a survivor. He will do what he has to do to get through this.

D. WILLARD: Yes, he is.

O'BRIEN: Oh, I'll tell you, our prayers are with you and, of course, his family members as well. A very tough time obviously for them. Dawne and Ken Willard, friends of Jeffrey Ake. Thanks for talking with us this morning. We sure appreciate it.

K. WILLARD: Thank you.

D. WILLARD: Thank you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Bill.

HEMMER: It's about 23 minutes now before the hour. There is tight security today at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia. Brian Nichols is back in the building, where he's suspected of killing several people about a month ago.

Here's Sara Dorsey live outside the courthouse in Atlanta.

Good morning there.

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

The defense is going to ask the judge to hear two very unusual motions today. And that is, first, to have grand jury members, before they even consider indicting Brian Nichols, to be questioned on pretrial publicity they may have been exposed to, and also any opinions they may have already formed as to Brian Nichols' guilt or innocence. The defense is also asking the judge to consider taping or transcribing fully the grand jury proceedings.

Now that is unlikely. The odds are stacked against the defense that they will actually have that granted, because grand jury proceedings are normally supposed to be secretive. The jurors are supposed to be able to talk and come up with a conclusion without having anything held against them or worrying about that.

The real reason why everyone here is so interested today is because this is the first time Brian Nichols will be back at the Fulton County Courthouse, the scene of those deadly shootings just over one month ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DORSEY (voice over): March 11, rape suspect Brian Nichols overpowers Atlanta Deputy Cynthia Hall, taking her gun and going on a shooting rampage that paralyzes Fulton County Courthouse. A short time later, Judge Rowland Barnes, his court reporter, Julie Brandau, and Sheriff's Deputy Hoyt Teasley are dead. Deputy Hall is in critical condition, clinging to life.

CHIEF RICHARD J. PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE: This manhunt will continue until he's apprehended. He's a very dangerous person in our community.

DORSEY: Nichols is caught on surveillance video in a nearby parking garage after reportedly carjacking several vehicles. Later that night, Nichols allegedly kills Immigration and Customs David Wilhelm, taking his gun, badge and truck.

Nichols then goes to an apartment complex takes Ashley Smith hostage. After spending the night reading and talking to Nichols, Smith is allowed to leave to go see her child.

ASHLEY SMITH, HELD HOSTAGE: He thought that I was an angel sent from God, and that I was his sister and he was my brother in Christ, and that he was lost and God led him right to me.

DORSEY: Smith calls 911, leading to Nichols' arrest just over 24 hours after the deadly rampage began.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At 9:01 at the bottom of the stairwell...

DORSEY: Nearly a month later, the Fulton County sheriff's office releases portions of a much-anticipated report, but it does little to shed light on security lapses at the courthouse.

Two days ago, some good news. The only surviving victim involved in the attacks at the courthouse, Deputy Cynthia Hall, walks out of a treatment facility, injured but alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And, Bill, today also expected in court are Brian Nichols' parents. They have been at both hearings that were open to the public, along with the judge and defense attorneys and prosecutors. Very interested in what's going to happen to their son -- Bill.

HEMMER: Sara Dorsey, thanks, in Atlanta -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Another look at the weather this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Talking a lot about security breaches involving your own personal information. There's a national retail chain that apparently had, well, some credit card information given up. The company did not tell anyone for six months. Andy has more on that story in a moment here.

HEMMER: Also, some big name concert tours are set for this summer. And guess what? It might not cost you an arm and a leg to go see them. "90-Second Pop" is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right. It's time for Jack and Big Mac, the "Question of the Day."

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Fifty years ago today, milkshake machine salesman Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald's in Illinois. Kroc believed his restaurants should all look the same, serve the same food, follow the same procedures in the preparation of the food. It was the beginning of a fast food revolution that's changed the world.

Today, there are 30,000 restaurants with the McDonald's name on them. Fifty million people a day eat there. It's become a symbol of U.S. capitalism around the world.

The question is: Was McDonald's a good idea? Here we go.

Paul in Pennsylvania: "McDonald's and all of those other fast food joints have proven to be a great idea, at least for the doctors who treat obesity, diabetes and heart disease." Dean in New Jersey: "Was McDonald's a good idea? What are you, a communist or something, Cafferty? The cheeseburger is as American as apple pie. So what if it clogs up your arteries. Nobody lives forever."

Maggie in Florida: "McDonald's has not only changed the face of America, but the fannies too."

Johnny in Mississippi: "It was definitely a good idea. McDonald's seized on an opportunity to offer food for a growing fast- paced society. Now, if they're really smart, they'll seize the opportunity to offer a healthier menu to meet the needs of a nutrition-minded society."

I think they are actually. The sell salads and stuff now.

And Josh in Los Angeles writes: "Was it a good idea? I don't know. Ask my ulcer."

O'BRIEN: Do you remember back in the day when you could go with your family to McDonald's and get, like, everyone would eat for $5?

CAFFERTY: Do you know how much the first hamburger was? Fifteen cents.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: 1955?

CAFFERTY: I don't think you can buy anything for 15 cents. Well, 50 years ago today or whatever. I didn't do that math. It was probably 1955.

HEMMER: You commie.

CAFFERTY: What are you, a communist?

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk business, shall we? One company waits months before disclosing a credit card security breach. And Congress is stepping in to stem identity theft. Andy Serwer has got those stories as he minds your business this morning.

Good morning.

SERWER: Good morning, Soledad.

There's more news in this developing identity theft story -- or stories, I should say. This is really unbelievable. We talked about this situation where 180,000 consumers had their personal files compromised in connection with this Hong Kong, Shanghai, HSBC Bank in connection with Ralph Lauren transactions that took place at Polo Ralph Lauren.

Now, yesterday, a spokesperson for Ralph Lauren said, well, since being informed in the fall of 2004 about these problems -- full stop. Fall of 2004 they knew about these problems, and they didn't tell anyone about them. And this, you know, relates to this situation in California, where we have a law where it requires businesses to tell people if their files are compromised.

CAFFERTY: Shouldn't there be some liability that accrues anyway? I mean, if you file suit against them and said, look, you knew about this problem last fall, my guess is you'd win the case.

O'BRIEN: But did they tell the bank, or did they just not do a public press conference?

SERWER: We don't know about. They didn't tell consumers, though.

O'BRIEN: Right.

SERWER: And no one told the end consumers who had their stuff violated. So, Congress is looking to pass new rules. Arlen Specter said we need legislation. Dianne Feinstein is looking at legislation, so is Hillary Clinton, Marky (ph), Schumer, Senator Nelson. So, I think we're going to get something done.

And, you know, the fall of 2004, maybe nothing happened. But we had a colleague here at CNN, his stuff was stolen, and it was nine months later. It took nine months for him to find out. So, I don't think that these people might still not have problems. They might still have problems.

CAFFERTY: And in the course of that time -- I know who you're talking about. We won't mention his name.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: But they ran up $35,000 against his account.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: Oh, my!

SERWER: And we won't mention his name, because he might get...

HEMMER: Why is California the only state making a move on this?

SERWER: Well, they have -- it's a statewide law. That's all. It's just a state law.

O'BRIEN: That state is much more aggressive, I think, when it comes to...

SERWER: Right. But you're going to see some legislation.

CAFFERTY: But if you as a company know that this stuff got out...

SERWER: Right. CAFFERTY: ... and you didn't tell your customers that it's out there...

SERWER: It's just amazing.

CAFFERTY: ... my guess is you've got to be liable.

SERWER: I would think you're probably right.

CAFFERTY: Right?

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: There is no law that says you have to in 49 other states. So maybe not.

SERWER: Yes. Well, it will be interesting. I'm sure there will be a test case.

CAFFERTY: But whether there's a law or not, just as a courtesy.

SERWER: As a business practice.

CAFFERTY: I mean, if you expose someone...

SERWER: Right.

CAFFERTY: ... to theft by not informing them of information that you have, that's a violation of some kind of a law.

HEMMER: And in the process, you're out 35,000 grand.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

HEMMER: In a moment here, life is getting complicated for the "Simple Life" folks. Why Paris Hilton could be looking for a whole new partner. "90-Second Pop" has that right after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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: Next topic. "Arrested Development" is a show you're very keen on.

SIGESMUND: Yes.

HEMMER: You say it's the best show on TV that no one's watching.

SIGESMUND: And this Sunday's finale, the finale of the second season, could be the very last episode ever. You know, the show, even though it won the best Emmy -- the Emmy for best comedy last fall, it still has been hovering around six million viewers a week. That's only 20 percent f what Fox draws for "American Idol" every time they run that show.

So "Arrested Development" is really in danger of being cancelled. And there's even a Web site called getarrested.com that's run by Fox, where you can petition -- you can sign a petition to keep the show on the air. Isn't it strange?

HEMMER: Yes.

SIGESMUND: Its own network is running a petition.

HEMMER: Boy, is this bad PR? I mean, if it's so good, why isn't anybody watching it?

TOURE: I don't know. SIGESMUND: The problem is it's hard to watch. You can't write e-mails or talk on the phone or clean your apartment while you're watching it.

HEMMER: Oh.

SIGESMUND: You have to sit there. It's a satire. It's based on characters. It's based on writing. And it takes effort, and you can't -- you have to pay attention.

TOURE: I'm just not sure what we're going to do, because there has been one Bateman or another on TV at all times for 20 years now.

HEMMER: Yes.

TOURE: What are we going to do without at least one of them on?

HEMMER: One critic said, it's too brilliant for TV.

SIGESMUND: Well, I hope it stays on.

HEMMER: We've got to go. Have a great weekend, OK? B.J., Amy, Toure, Lionel Richie or Rod Stewart.

BARNETT: Lionel Richie. I'll cast my vote right now.

HEMMER: Done. Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Yes, duh! All right. The most hated rivalry in sports just got a little hotter. A Yankee's star mixes it up with a Red Sox fan. More on that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

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Aired April 15, 2005 - 07:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there goes the morning commute, now under way. It's 7:30 in the morning here on the East Coast.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, a really agonizing time for the small town of LaPorte, Indiana. One of their own, Jeffrey Ake, is now a hostage in Iraq. We're going to talk to two friends of his and find out just how the family is doing and the town, of course, as well.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: An absolute heartache, too.

In a moment here, too, very tight security in the city of Atlanta. Brian Nichols is back in court today. Five weeks ago that rampage there in that courthouse left four dead. A report live on what will happen today in court coming up in a moment.

O'BRIEN: Let's get right to the headlines first, though. Carol Costello with us.

Good morning.

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

"Now in the News."

U.S. forces have sealed off an area of western Baghdad after a suicide car bombing targeting American troops. A short time later a roadside bomb went off along an Iraqi army convoy in eastern Baghdad. Police say the blast killed at least one civilian and wounded eight others.

Authorities in Florida are expanding the search now for 13-year- old Sarah Lunde. They're also now offering a $10,000 reward for her return. The sheriff's department says it has received a surprisingly low number of tips in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF DAVID GEE, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA: The 43 number, again, I thought it was a little low for a case that had received this much attention. Not encouraging people to call if you don't have any information, but it did seem low as compared to many other cases we get that get a lot of attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: One of the potential leads centered on a convicted sex offender in the area, but no connection has been found as of yet. A nationwide missing person's alert was issued Tuesday for Lunde.

The nomination of John Negroponte for director of national intelligence is moving forward. It now goes before the full Senate. The Senate Intelligence Committee approved Negroponte Thursday in a closed-door session. If confirmed, Negroponte would oversee more than a dozen agencies that make up the country's intelligence community.

And President Bush heading back to the baseball field. Take a look at this. He threw out the ceremonial pitch at the Nationals- Diamondbacks game today. OK. So, it wasn't perfect. The president is the former part-owner of the Texas Rangers. He kicked off the first regular season pro baseball game in the nation's capital in 34 years. And by the way, the Nationals won the game 5-3. Poor President Bush.

O'BRIEN: That's how I throw. Hey, you know what? You do what you can with what you got. That's all I can say.

COSTELLO: So sad, though.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

O'BRIEN: A sad story to tell you about. The safe return of Jeffrey Ake, it's a high priority for the Bush administration. Ake was taken hostage in Iraq on Monday. He appeared in an insurgent videotape on Wednesday. The White House says it is in close contact with the family.

Dawne and Ken Willard are friends of Jeffrey Ake's. They're in his hometown of LaPorte, Indiana, this morning.

Nice to see you both. Thanks for talking with us.

DAWNE WILLARD, FRIEND OF HOSTAGE JEFFREY AKE: Good morning.

KEN WILLARD, FRIEND OF HOSTAGE JEFFREY AKE: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Have the two of you seen this videotape? Give us a sense of how you think Jeff looks in it.

D. WILLARD: Well, I was absolutely amazed when I saw it. Jeff looked very scared, very much unlike the way I've known him to be. He is not like that at all. It was just very tough to see him that way, and it's very tough. I can't watch it.

O'BRIEN: I would imagine it's terrible to watch. You say it's not like him at all. Give me a sense, Ken, if you would, of who the guy -- who Jeff Ake is.

K. WILLARD: Jeff and I have known each other for about 16 years right now. I've done some work for him in the past. We've done corporate industrial videos for his company. We helped him promote himself across the United States. And he is just one terrific guy, one of the proverbial give the shirt off your back type of guy. He was -- he's a great family man and great with his children. He's a fine entrepreneur. And he does -- wants to do nothing but good, whether it be, you know, locally, statewide, nationwide or even overseas.

So, he was -- he goes overseas to promote his exporting and to show people overseas what America has to offer.

O'BRIEN: Dawne, how concerned were you when you found out that he was going to be in Iraq and you know how dangerous it is there right now?

D. WILLARD: Well, I really didn't know that he was in Iraq other than -- I had not talked to him. Ken had seen him a couple months ago, and he had mentioned that. And I think it's a concern for anybody that's over there right now.

O'BRIEN: Ken, did he ever express any worries? I mean, was he going in fearless? Or had he talked about some of his concerns?

K. WILLARD: Well, last time I talked to him at a lunch date, we talked about what kind of projects he was wanting to work on. And he did want to work on a project with us doing a corporate video on his bottle-filling machine he was going to be using to deliver water in Iraq. But he didn't express any concerns. He didn't sound concerned. He just wanted to get over there and get the job done.

O'BRIEN: Give me a sense, Dawne, as a couple who have known him so well for so long, how do you think he is holding up right now? Give me a sense of his mental fortitude, if you will.

D. WILLARD: Knowing Jeff, he is -- he's a very strong man. And he is the type of person that if he has -- oh, he has an idea about something, he will work to get that idea out. And I'm sure that his feelings, he is there. He is thinking about his family. And we're all thinking about him.

K. WILLARD: And Jeff is a survivor. He will do what he has to do to get through this.

D. WILLARD: Yes, he is.

O'BRIEN: Oh, I'll tell you, our prayers are with you and, of course, his family members as well. A very tough time obviously for them. Dawne and Ken Willard, friends of Jeffrey Ake. Thanks for talking with us this morning. We sure appreciate it.

K. WILLARD: Thank you.

D. WILLARD: Thank you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Bill.

HEMMER: It's about 23 minutes now before the hour. There is tight security today at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia. Brian Nichols is back in the building, where he's suspected of killing several people about a month ago.

Here's Sara Dorsey live outside the courthouse in Atlanta.

Good morning there.

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

The defense is going to ask the judge to hear two very unusual motions today. And that is, first, to have grand jury members, before they even consider indicting Brian Nichols, to be questioned on pretrial publicity they may have been exposed to, and also any opinions they may have already formed as to Brian Nichols' guilt or innocence. The defense is also asking the judge to consider taping or transcribing fully the grand jury proceedings.

Now that is unlikely. The odds are stacked against the defense that they will actually have that granted, because grand jury proceedings are normally supposed to be secretive. The jurors are supposed to be able to talk and come up with a conclusion without having anything held against them or worrying about that.

The real reason why everyone here is so interested today is because this is the first time Brian Nichols will be back at the Fulton County Courthouse, the scene of those deadly shootings just over one month ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DORSEY (voice over): March 11, rape suspect Brian Nichols overpowers Atlanta Deputy Cynthia Hall, taking her gun and going on a shooting rampage that paralyzes Fulton County Courthouse. A short time later, Judge Rowland Barnes, his court reporter, Julie Brandau, and Sheriff's Deputy Hoyt Teasley are dead. Deputy Hall is in critical condition, clinging to life.

CHIEF RICHARD J. PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE: This manhunt will continue until he's apprehended. He's a very dangerous person in our community.

DORSEY: Nichols is caught on surveillance video in a nearby parking garage after reportedly carjacking several vehicles. Later that night, Nichols allegedly kills Immigration and Customs David Wilhelm, taking his gun, badge and truck.

Nichols then goes to an apartment complex takes Ashley Smith hostage. After spending the night reading and talking to Nichols, Smith is allowed to leave to go see her child.

ASHLEY SMITH, HELD HOSTAGE: He thought that I was an angel sent from God, and that I was his sister and he was my brother in Christ, and that he was lost and God led him right to me.

DORSEY: Smith calls 911, leading to Nichols' arrest just over 24 hours after the deadly rampage began.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At 9:01 at the bottom of the stairwell...

DORSEY: Nearly a month later, the Fulton County sheriff's office releases portions of a much-anticipated report, but it does little to shed light on security lapses at the courthouse.

Two days ago, some good news. The only surviving victim involved in the attacks at the courthouse, Deputy Cynthia Hall, walks out of a treatment facility, injured but alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And, Bill, today also expected in court are Brian Nichols' parents. They have been at both hearings that were open to the public, along with the judge and defense attorneys and prosecutors. Very interested in what's going to happen to their son -- Bill.

HEMMER: Sara Dorsey, thanks, in Atlanta -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Another look at the weather this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Talking a lot about security breaches involving your own personal information. There's a national retail chain that apparently had, well, some credit card information given up. The company did not tell anyone for six months. Andy has more on that story in a moment here.

HEMMER: Also, some big name concert tours are set for this summer. And guess what? It might not cost you an arm and a leg to go see them. "90-Second Pop" is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right. It's time for Jack and Big Mac, the "Question of the Day."

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Fifty years ago today, milkshake machine salesman Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald's in Illinois. Kroc believed his restaurants should all look the same, serve the same food, follow the same procedures in the preparation of the food. It was the beginning of a fast food revolution that's changed the world.

Today, there are 30,000 restaurants with the McDonald's name on them. Fifty million people a day eat there. It's become a symbol of U.S. capitalism around the world.

The question is: Was McDonald's a good idea? Here we go.

Paul in Pennsylvania: "McDonald's and all of those other fast food joints have proven to be a great idea, at least for the doctors who treat obesity, diabetes and heart disease." Dean in New Jersey: "Was McDonald's a good idea? What are you, a communist or something, Cafferty? The cheeseburger is as American as apple pie. So what if it clogs up your arteries. Nobody lives forever."

Maggie in Florida: "McDonald's has not only changed the face of America, but the fannies too."

Johnny in Mississippi: "It was definitely a good idea. McDonald's seized on an opportunity to offer food for a growing fast- paced society. Now, if they're really smart, they'll seize the opportunity to offer a healthier menu to meet the needs of a nutrition-minded society."

I think they are actually. The sell salads and stuff now.

And Josh in Los Angeles writes: "Was it a good idea? I don't know. Ask my ulcer."

O'BRIEN: Do you remember back in the day when you could go with your family to McDonald's and get, like, everyone would eat for $5?

CAFFERTY: Do you know how much the first hamburger was? Fifteen cents.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: 1955?

CAFFERTY: I don't think you can buy anything for 15 cents. Well, 50 years ago today or whatever. I didn't do that math. It was probably 1955.

HEMMER: You commie.

CAFFERTY: What are you, a communist?

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk business, shall we? One company waits months before disclosing a credit card security breach. And Congress is stepping in to stem identity theft. Andy Serwer has got those stories as he minds your business this morning.

Good morning.

SERWER: Good morning, Soledad.

There's more news in this developing identity theft story -- or stories, I should say. This is really unbelievable. We talked about this situation where 180,000 consumers had their personal files compromised in connection with this Hong Kong, Shanghai, HSBC Bank in connection with Ralph Lauren transactions that took place at Polo Ralph Lauren.

Now, yesterday, a spokesperson for Ralph Lauren said, well, since being informed in the fall of 2004 about these problems -- full stop. Fall of 2004 they knew about these problems, and they didn't tell anyone about them. And this, you know, relates to this situation in California, where we have a law where it requires businesses to tell people if their files are compromised.

CAFFERTY: Shouldn't there be some liability that accrues anyway? I mean, if you file suit against them and said, look, you knew about this problem last fall, my guess is you'd win the case.

O'BRIEN: But did they tell the bank, or did they just not do a public press conference?

SERWER: We don't know about. They didn't tell consumers, though.

O'BRIEN: Right.

SERWER: And no one told the end consumers who had their stuff violated. So, Congress is looking to pass new rules. Arlen Specter said we need legislation. Dianne Feinstein is looking at legislation, so is Hillary Clinton, Marky (ph), Schumer, Senator Nelson. So, I think we're going to get something done.

And, you know, the fall of 2004, maybe nothing happened. But we had a colleague here at CNN, his stuff was stolen, and it was nine months later. It took nine months for him to find out. So, I don't think that these people might still not have problems. They might still have problems.

CAFFERTY: And in the course of that time -- I know who you're talking about. We won't mention his name.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: But they ran up $35,000 against his account.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: Oh, my!

SERWER: And we won't mention his name, because he might get...

HEMMER: Why is California the only state making a move on this?

SERWER: Well, they have -- it's a statewide law. That's all. It's just a state law.

O'BRIEN: That state is much more aggressive, I think, when it comes to...

SERWER: Right. But you're going to see some legislation.

CAFFERTY: But if you as a company know that this stuff got out...

SERWER: Right. CAFFERTY: ... and you didn't tell your customers that it's out there...

SERWER: It's just amazing.

CAFFERTY: ... my guess is you've got to be liable.

SERWER: I would think you're probably right.

CAFFERTY: Right?

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: There is no law that says you have to in 49 other states. So maybe not.

SERWER: Yes. Well, it will be interesting. I'm sure there will be a test case.

CAFFERTY: But whether there's a law or not, just as a courtesy.

SERWER: As a business practice.

CAFFERTY: I mean, if you expose someone...

SERWER: Right.

CAFFERTY: ... to theft by not informing them of information that you have, that's a violation of some kind of a law.

HEMMER: And in the process, you're out 35,000 grand.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

HEMMER: In a moment here, life is getting complicated for the "Simple Life" folks. Why Paris Hilton could be looking for a whole new partner. "90-Second Pop" has that right after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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: Next topic. "Arrested Development" is a show you're very keen on.

SIGESMUND: Yes.

HEMMER: You say it's the best show on TV that no one's watching.

SIGESMUND: And this Sunday's finale, the finale of the second season, could be the very last episode ever. You know, the show, even though it won the best Emmy -- the Emmy for best comedy last fall, it still has been hovering around six million viewers a week. That's only 20 percent f what Fox draws for "American Idol" every time they run that show.

So "Arrested Development" is really in danger of being cancelled. And there's even a Web site called getarrested.com that's run by Fox, where you can petition -- you can sign a petition to keep the show on the air. Isn't it strange?

HEMMER: Yes.

SIGESMUND: Its own network is running a petition.

HEMMER: Boy, is this bad PR? I mean, if it's so good, why isn't anybody watching it?

TOURE: I don't know. SIGESMUND: The problem is it's hard to watch. You can't write e-mails or talk on the phone or clean your apartment while you're watching it.

HEMMER: Oh.

SIGESMUND: You have to sit there. It's a satire. It's based on characters. It's based on writing. And it takes effort, and you can't -- you have to pay attention.

TOURE: I'm just not sure what we're going to do, because there has been one Bateman or another on TV at all times for 20 years now.

HEMMER: Yes.

TOURE: What are we going to do without at least one of them on?

HEMMER: One critic said, it's too brilliant for TV.

SIGESMUND: Well, I hope it stays on.

HEMMER: We've got to go. Have a great weekend, OK? B.J., Amy, Toure, Lionel Richie or Rod Stewart.

BARNETT: Lionel Richie. I'll cast my vote right now.

HEMMER: Done. Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Yes, duh! All right. The most hated rivalry in sports just got a little hotter. A Yankee's star mixes it up with a Red Sox fan. More on that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

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