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American Morning
Insurgent Execution; 9/11 Suspect in Court; Jackson Case Rulings
Aired April 22, 2005 - 08:59 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, everybody. Nine o'clock in New York. Good to have you along with us today.
Good morning again to you.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Back at you.
HEMMER: It will be a very interesting court appearance today.
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.
HEMMER: Zacarias Moussaoui said to be ready to enter a guilty plea for conspiracy in the attacks of 9/11. But even though prosecutors expect him to cooperate today, they're also getting ready for just about anything else as well. We'll explain that in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: I think unconventional, is that what Jeff Toobin was saying? He's sort of unconventional.
HEMMER: Very much so.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're going to take a several -- a look at several victories for the defense in the Michael Jackson trial. A judge ruling on a number of motions. A look at the impact that all of this is having on the trial.
HEMMER: Also Jack.
What's happening? What's on your mind?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: They won't let that stuff about the Vaseline into the Michael Jackson trial, though, will they?
HEMMER: Oh, really?
CAFFERTY: Yes. Apparently, that's inadmissible.
Apparently, he sent one of his bodyguards out to get a tub of Vaseline out of his car, and he was in the bedroom with a little boy, wearing nothing but his pajama bottoms. They don't want the jury to hear that.
The government's got a new food pyramid thing out on the Internet. And if you go there and plug in like your age and your sex and the amount of exercise and stuff that you get, it will spit back a little diet plan for you. We want to know if it's going to change your life. AM@CNN.com.
O'BRIEN: Jack, thanks.
Let's get right to Carol. She's got a look at the headlines.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I think I'll do it and see if it will change my life.
O'BRIEN: Are you going to do it?
COSTELLO: I need a change, frankly.
Good morning to all of you. Good morning.
"Now in the News," President Bush has poised today Marine General Peter Pace as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That announcement coming from two senior administration officials. Pace is a Vietnam veteran and would be the first Marine to hold the military's top job.
CNN will have live coverage of President Bush's announcement. That's expected to come your way at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.
Police in Baghdad are sealing off an area where a car bomb ripped through a Shiite mosque. New pictures just into us show the heavily damaged building. Police are updating the casualty numbers. At least five people believed to have been killed here. Dozens more wounded.
In New Jersey, officials clearing the debris from a fiery crash on the turnpike. State police say at least three people were killed. Three tractor trails, a commuter van and a car reportedly all collided after midnight Eastern. The northbound lanes remain closed at this hour. The morning rush a nightmare this morning.
Florida lawmakers are working on the final version of a bill requiring tougher penalties for convicted sex offenders. The bill is named after Jessica Lunsford, the third-grader killed in Florida two months ago. Her father, Mark, has become a champion for the bill. He spoke with us earlier about life without his daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: I guess the only time I have to deal with my loss is at nighttime. That's when I don't have anything -- nothing -- anything to do but just lay there and think about it. But actually, with the Lunde family, we're actually helping each other. It's not just me helping them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Convicted sex offender John Couey has been charged with Jessica Lunsford's death. He's in solitary confinement. He's awaiting trial.
A celebration of Pat Tillman's life at the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game tonight. Tillman, who left the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army after September 11, was killed a year ago today while serving in Afghanistan. A special pre-game ceremony will include a silent first pitch using a football rather than a baseball to remember Tillman's athletic career. A country music star will be there to sing, John Stone.
HEMMER: They remember him well in Arizona. Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
HEMMER: New developments from Iraq now. The Arabic language network Al Jazeera airing videotape that apparently shows a commercial helicopter being shot down on Thursday. The network also said a second group is claiming responsibility.
CNN cannot confirm the videotape's authenticity. But all this story now gets even more gruesome.
Another insurgent group has claimed it shot down the chopper, and released a videotape of the burning wreckage and a man's execution thereafter. The story can be disturbing.
Aaron Brown reports today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened north of Baghdad. Insurgents taped the aftermath. At least 10 people died, including six American contractors, men who act as bodyguards for diplomats and others.
The camera takes us on a grisly tour of the wreckage, of the carnage. The circumstances, though, of what comes next are in question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand up. Stand up.
BROWN: Unmistakably, an injured man is first interrogated, then helped to his feet. "Weapons, weapons?" they ask. He's unarmed.
Then, after the camera zooms in to get a better view, he's ordered to run.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go!
BROWN: "Go! Go!" they say. Then they open fire, something they wanted to show. But we don't and won't. So we stopped the video here.
Still unclear whether the victim being executed was in fact a victim of the crash. Or was this video of another execution, another atrocity in the war, edited together for additional propaganda?
Aaron Brown, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HEMMER: We went looking for more perspective on the story. Retired Army general and CNN military analyst David Grange says it is quite possible the execution was not staged.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: We don't know if it was an actual survivor from the wreck. It would be used as propaganda regardless. It wouldn't -- you know, that's their -- the way they operate.
They would -- they would shoot someone like that on the scene, or they would stage it. But it looks like it was a -- someone that was non-local, and it could very well have been someone that was caught that survived, and was executed, actually murdered in this case on the scene.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: General Grange also believes the recent violence is just a temporary spike in insurgent activity and not a sign that things are getting worse in Iraq.
O'BRIEN: 9/11 suspect Zacarias Moussaoui is due in court this afternoon. Even if he pleads guilty, as he said he would, there are still many unresolved issues swirling around this case.
Bob Franken live in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, for us this morning.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And you're wise to express a little bit of doubt here. Because one thing we've learned through this tumultuous proceeding is, today, just about anything could happen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the federal courthouse just nine miles from where a hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, Zacarias Moussaoui will plead guilty this afternoon to six charges growing out of the attacks, if he keeps his word. He's changed his mind before.
BERNARD GRIMM, ATTORNEY: The problem is, in representing Mr. Moussaoui, it's like -- it's essentially a 24-hour time bomb. You don't know when it's going to explode.
FRANKEN: Moussaoui used to be called the 20th hijacker, although never by prosecutors. He was already under arrest on that September 11 after erratic behavior at a Minnesota flight training school. But officials in Washington refused to allow a search of his laptop computer in spite of various warnings he had ties to al Qaeda, and despite the fact he had paid for the instruction with close to $7,000 in cash.
Different theories of his involvement include the possibility he was a potential replacement hijack pilot on 9/11, or that he was preparing to take part in the second wave of attacks. His defense lawyers continue to object to the finding by Judge Leonie Brinkema, who he's frequently ridiculed, that Moussaoui is now mentally competent to plead guilty to charges that carry the death penalty. Execution could be up to a jury.
PETER WHITE, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: This is a very unusual death penalty in that Zacarias Moussaoui didn't kill anyone. Zacarias Moussaoui was in jail, in fact, when September 11 happened.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: Still, prosecutors want the jury to consider this, remembering that the death penalty would be considered by people in an environment where the September 11 wounds are still raw -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So, Bob, what exactly are the options as far as the death penalty goes?
FRANKEN: Death penalty, life in prison, or, of course, we have to remember that perhaps none of the above right now if Mr. Moussaoui changes his mind.
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning. Bob, thanks.
In Spain, the trial is starting of three al Qaeda suspects charged with helping to plan the 9/11 terror attacks. Among the suspects, Syrian-born Imad Yarkas. He is said to be the al Qaeda leader in Spain.
Prosecutors say that the three set up a meeting of the key players in the 9/11 attack, included Mohammed Atta. Atta piloted one of the planes into the World Trade Center. The trial is expected to last two months.
HEMMER: Americas first ever intelligence czar starting his first full day on the job today. John Negroponte sworn in Thursday by the president, only minutes after the Senate confirmed his appointment to lead the nation's intelligence community.
The vote on the former ambassador to Iraq and the U.N., 98-2 in Washington. And in that new job, Negroponte will coordinate the work of all 15 U.S. spy agencies.
From California, today is a day off in the Michael Jackson case. Next week prosecutors are expected to conclude their case. But their job got a bit tougher with some rulings on Thursday.
Ted Rowlands has more today in Santa Maria.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Jackson's defense will be allowed to present testimony that when Jackson wasn't around, his teenage accuser and the boy's younger brother masturbated in the presence of another boy at Neverland Ranch. The judge's ruling allows the defense to try to cast doubt on the accusation that Jackson was the one who taught the boy how to masturbate.
In another blow to the prosecution, Judge Rodney Melville denied a request to have an expert try to explain inconsistencies in the testimony of the accuser's mother by claiming that she's a battered woman. The judge also barred a former Jackson employee from testifying about a lurid allegation against Jackson involving a 1993 alleged victim.
JIM MORET, LEGAL ANALYST: The defense fared much better today than the prosecution. But don't forget, this case still isn't over. The prosecution hasn't rested yet. The prosecution still has more witnesses, and one of them is Chris Carter, a former bodyguard.
ROWLANDS: Carter is expected to say he saw Michael Jackson provide alcohol to the alleged victim. The defense wanted Carter's testimony thrown out because he's refusing to answer questions about the fact that he's currently in custody in the state of Nevada, facing a number of felony charges, including attempted bank robbery.
(on camera): Court is dark here until Monday morning. Prosecutors have told the judge that they only need about another week to finish their case.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: One other note on this story. Michael Jackson's family has released a statement, attacking observers who say that scarce attendance lately by his own family at the trial indicates a lack of support -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: There is a new twist in the case of that severed finger that was claimed to be found in a cup of chili. Well, police in California are reporting the arrest of Anna Ayala, the woman who said she found the fingertip while she was eating at a Wendy's in San Jose.
Police say she was arrested at her Las Vegas home Thursday night. No other details yet. But there is a news conference that they are holding at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time today.
HEMMER: Several homes in southeastern Kansas damaged or destroyed when a tornado swept through that area late last night. A storm chaser captured this amazing video of the twister, perfect form here.
Luckily, no reported injuries. And the storm also produced hail and some heavy rain and forced evacuations at the Kansas City Airport.
Let's bring in Chad right now and look toward the weekend.
(WEATHER REPORT) HEMMER: In a moment here, a rite of passage for millions of teens. But the high cost of proms keeps a lot of kids from going. Meet four girls with big hearts. They have a solution, and it does not cost a penny.
O'BRIEN: Good for them.
Also, if you don't think that pro-athletes give back to their community, we want you to meet Alonzo Mourning. The NBA star talks about his incredible gift to kids in his home town. That's up next, and there he is, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: NBA talk now. The NBA -- the Miami Heat, rather, primed for an NBA playoff run. Alonzo Mourning making a big impression, too, off the court while that happens.
The NBA veteran will donate part of his 2005 salary, some $300,000, to community-based organizations throughout the Miami area. He's with us now live in Miami to talk about it.
Good morning.
ALONZO MOURNING, MIAMI HEAT: Good morning. How are you doing?
HEMMER: I'm doing just fine, thanks. Boy, you're a little mellow today. Why did you decide to do this?
MOURNING: Well, first and foremost, we have educational problems not only in the city of Miami, but in the state of Florida. And statistically, we're the worst in the whole country. And that's a very tough pill to digest, especially when you live in this community.
And I made the gesture to create awareness to our community and to let everyone know that we have a problem and that we need to fix it. And we need to be a little bit more responsible as adults and put this as a huge priority in our lives, and try to make a change from that perspective.
HEMMER: What do you hope to change with this money? Who gets help?
MOURNING: Well, there are various organizations around the city that have programs that enhances the lives of the young people in this community from an educational standpoint. And it just gives us an opportunity to provide a little hope in their lives, you know, and surround them and creating that positive atmosphere for them so that they have an opportunity to educate themselves.
You know, the biggest thing statistically about the kids, especially in one of the areas that I'm dealing with in downtown Miami, is one out of 14 graduate from high school. And they drop out between the ages of 12 and 14. So there's a problem there to where they devalue education, and we're trying to get them to take a different approach to that. HEMMER: You know, one of the things you say is that young people have to look up to successful people older than them.
MOURNING: Right.
HEMMER: To look after that example. Who inspired you?
MOURNING: Well, so many people have helped contribute to my development as a person, as well as a player, an athlete. And without those people throughout my whole life, whether it be my mother, my father, my foster mom, all my coaches, and just relatives, you know, that -- and teachers that helped contribute to my development, without those people in my life I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you today.
HEMMER: Sure.
MOURNING: You know? So it's extremely important, especially during this day and time, to try and influence our young people in a very positive way and surround them with the right people.
And the after school programming that I formulated through my foundation at the Overtown Youth Center down in Miami, we've been able to reach out to about 250 kids on a daily basis to try to get them to have a better values system when it comes to approaching their education. And we've been very successful with it.
HEMMER: Two more things. How is your health, by the way? You had a kidney transplant?
MOURNING: My health is fantastic. Thank you so much. Everything is going well, thank god.
HEMMER: You're going to face your old team this weekend Sunday against the Nets.
MOURNING: Yes, it's going to be pretty exciting. And any team that we face there in our way of accomplishing our championship goals. So I'm pretty excited about this opportunity.
HEMMER: Are you going to win it?
MOURNING: Oh, yes. I'm very confident.
HEMMER: Good luck to you. Thanks for talking.
MOURNING: Thank you.
HEMMER: Alonzo Mourning in Miami.
MOURNING: Thank you so much.
HEMMER: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: And this morning, that image that is supposed to be the Virgin Mary on a Chicago underpass, well, it turns out there's another way to look at it that shows something new.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Two former New York City police detectives pleading innocent to charges they moonlighted as Mafia hitmen. Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito are accused of murder, drug distribution and money laundering. After the two former partners were arraigned on Thursday, Eppolito's daughter told reporters that his family stands behind him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA EPPOLITO, LOUIS EPPOLITO'S DAUGHTER: My father loved being a cop. He was so proud of all of the things that he did while working for the city.
He protected women. He protected children. He worked with the elderly. And we are so proud of him for absolutely everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Prosecutors say the two men were paid thousands of dollars a month by the Mafia and took part in the killings of at least eight rival gangsters in the '80s and in the '90s.
O'BRIEN: Here is one of the most popular stories that's running on CNN.com right now. Washington State police say a teenager, well, he didn't think his $47,000 BMW was good enough, so he scammed to get a Bentley.
They say the 17-year-old faked the theft of the BMW so that he could use the insurance money for the kind of car that's been seen in lots of hip-hop videos. Bentleys go for, oh, about $160,000 to $240,000.
HEMMER: It's always the weird and the wacky as our popular story on our Web site. Don't you think?
CAFFERTY: What idiot buys a kid a $40,000 BMW to begin with?
O'BRIEN: Did I say it was bought for him? Maybe -- I don't know. I have no idea. But...
CAFFERTY: Yes? How old is he? Do we know?
O'BRIEN: Seventeen.
CAFFERTY: Seventeen. Oh, I'm sure he went out and earned the money mowing lawns to buy himself a $50,000...
HEMMER: Shoveling driveways.
CAFFERTY: The government's got this new food pyramid out. The old one apparently didn't do the -- have the desired results. So the new one has vertical triangles instead of horizontal boxes.
The government actually wants you to go here and click on this thing, mypyramid.gov. And then you can enter some information about yourself and you get this customized eating plan back for yourself. If you have no life at all, you might want to spend the afternoon on this Web site.
Alan in Connecticut, "While the intentions of the new food pyramid may be good, it's the pace of everyday life that often dictates our diet and nutrition. Prepared foods, fast food, takeout food, unfortunately often replace the planned balanced meals that we should have."
Theresa in New York, "Finally, the guidelines we fatties can use to show us the way. I can't tell you how many times I looked at the old pyramid, you know, the horizontal failure, and thought, what the hell does it all mean?"
Mark in -- Mark in Oklahoma City, "The pyramid's passe. If the government really wants an effective symbol, they'd use a bathroom scale as the centerpieces. Consumers could then click and drag and drop their favorite foods on to the scale so they could see the results of their dieting."
And Roger in Ontario writes, "Jack, I wasn't listening. Could you please repeat the instructions for finding my food pyramid? Is it age, sex and amount of daily physical activity, or is it age, physique and amount of daily sexual activity?"
HEMMER: Mypyramid.gov will give you that answer.
O'BRIEN: I'm going to go check it out.
HEMMER: Yes. All right.
HEMMER: And we'll compare with what Jack got earlier today.
CAFFERTY: OK.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Monday on AMERICAN MORNING, we'll kick off our special series on retirement. It's called "Never Too Late." There you are over there.
Our first installment, "Retirement 101." Baby boomers know they need money to retire comfortably, but how much do they really need? We'll have some useful tips starting Monday, 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time. "Retirement 101."
CAFFERTY: I'll be watching that. I'm ready.
O'BRIEN: Right now?
CAFFERTY: Right now.
O'BRIEN: Like literally today? CAFFERTY: Like literally right this minute, 9.25:06.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: And why does that not surprise me? Thanks, Jack.
Much more AMERICAN MORNING still to come.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Ahead on "90-second Pop," so are they or aren't they? Rumor has it Ben and Jen, version 2.0, have a big announcement to share.
Plus, Paula Abdul tells the world why she's been acting so strangely lately.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. It is just about half past the hour on this morning.
Coming up, we're going to talk to one of the storm chasers who took these amazing picture of a tornado in Kansas that was strong enough to destroy several homes. But these guys wanted to get even closer.
HEMMER: That they did.
O'BRIEN: Kind of crazy those guys.
HEMMER: All the time, yes.
Also, from Chicago, the steady stream of pilgrims heading to this underpass, seeing an image of the Virgin Mary. Now many of them asking for a miracle as well. We'll see what's happening there in Chicago in a moment.
First, a check of the headlines. And Carol Costello has those now.
Carol, hello.
COSTELLO: I do indeed. Good morning. Good morning, everyone.
"Now in the News," disturbing new images of what could be the final seconds before a commercial helicopter is shot down in Iraq. Take a look.
The video shows shaky footage of a chopper in flight. And then you'll see it soon, it bursts into flames. The pictures aired today on the Arabic language TV network Al Jazeera. Keep in mind, CNN has not confirmed this video's authenticity. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is reportedly calling John Bolton smart but problematic. Bolton's bid to the United Nations has been delayed amid concerns he threatened a subordinate and has disregard for the United Nations.
According to "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post," Powell spoke in private with two wavering Republicans on the panel considering his nomination. Sources stress that Powell did not advise the senators on how to vote, just said Bolton was problematic.
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Aired April 22, 2005 - 08:59 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, everybody. Nine o'clock in New York. Good to have you along with us today.
Good morning again to you.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Back at you.
HEMMER: It will be a very interesting court appearance today.
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.
HEMMER: Zacarias Moussaoui said to be ready to enter a guilty plea for conspiracy in the attacks of 9/11. But even though prosecutors expect him to cooperate today, they're also getting ready for just about anything else as well. We'll explain that in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: I think unconventional, is that what Jeff Toobin was saying? He's sort of unconventional.
HEMMER: Very much so.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're going to take a several -- a look at several victories for the defense in the Michael Jackson trial. A judge ruling on a number of motions. A look at the impact that all of this is having on the trial.
HEMMER: Also Jack.
What's happening? What's on your mind?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: They won't let that stuff about the Vaseline into the Michael Jackson trial, though, will they?
HEMMER: Oh, really?
CAFFERTY: Yes. Apparently, that's inadmissible.
Apparently, he sent one of his bodyguards out to get a tub of Vaseline out of his car, and he was in the bedroom with a little boy, wearing nothing but his pajama bottoms. They don't want the jury to hear that.
The government's got a new food pyramid thing out on the Internet. And if you go there and plug in like your age and your sex and the amount of exercise and stuff that you get, it will spit back a little diet plan for you. We want to know if it's going to change your life. AM@CNN.com.
O'BRIEN: Jack, thanks.
Let's get right to Carol. She's got a look at the headlines.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I think I'll do it and see if it will change my life.
O'BRIEN: Are you going to do it?
COSTELLO: I need a change, frankly.
Good morning to all of you. Good morning.
"Now in the News," President Bush has poised today Marine General Peter Pace as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That announcement coming from two senior administration officials. Pace is a Vietnam veteran and would be the first Marine to hold the military's top job.
CNN will have live coverage of President Bush's announcement. That's expected to come your way at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.
Police in Baghdad are sealing off an area where a car bomb ripped through a Shiite mosque. New pictures just into us show the heavily damaged building. Police are updating the casualty numbers. At least five people believed to have been killed here. Dozens more wounded.
In New Jersey, officials clearing the debris from a fiery crash on the turnpike. State police say at least three people were killed. Three tractor trails, a commuter van and a car reportedly all collided after midnight Eastern. The northbound lanes remain closed at this hour. The morning rush a nightmare this morning.
Florida lawmakers are working on the final version of a bill requiring tougher penalties for convicted sex offenders. The bill is named after Jessica Lunsford, the third-grader killed in Florida two months ago. Her father, Mark, has become a champion for the bill. He spoke with us earlier about life without his daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: I guess the only time I have to deal with my loss is at nighttime. That's when I don't have anything -- nothing -- anything to do but just lay there and think about it. But actually, with the Lunde family, we're actually helping each other. It's not just me helping them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Convicted sex offender John Couey has been charged with Jessica Lunsford's death. He's in solitary confinement. He's awaiting trial.
A celebration of Pat Tillman's life at the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game tonight. Tillman, who left the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army after September 11, was killed a year ago today while serving in Afghanistan. A special pre-game ceremony will include a silent first pitch using a football rather than a baseball to remember Tillman's athletic career. A country music star will be there to sing, John Stone.
HEMMER: They remember him well in Arizona. Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
HEMMER: New developments from Iraq now. The Arabic language network Al Jazeera airing videotape that apparently shows a commercial helicopter being shot down on Thursday. The network also said a second group is claiming responsibility.
CNN cannot confirm the videotape's authenticity. But all this story now gets even more gruesome.
Another insurgent group has claimed it shot down the chopper, and released a videotape of the burning wreckage and a man's execution thereafter. The story can be disturbing.
Aaron Brown reports today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened north of Baghdad. Insurgents taped the aftermath. At least 10 people died, including six American contractors, men who act as bodyguards for diplomats and others.
The camera takes us on a grisly tour of the wreckage, of the carnage. The circumstances, though, of what comes next are in question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand up. Stand up.
BROWN: Unmistakably, an injured man is first interrogated, then helped to his feet. "Weapons, weapons?" they ask. He's unarmed.
Then, after the camera zooms in to get a better view, he's ordered to run.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go!
BROWN: "Go! Go!" they say. Then they open fire, something they wanted to show. But we don't and won't. So we stopped the video here.
Still unclear whether the victim being executed was in fact a victim of the crash. Or was this video of another execution, another atrocity in the war, edited together for additional propaganda?
Aaron Brown, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HEMMER: We went looking for more perspective on the story. Retired Army general and CNN military analyst David Grange says it is quite possible the execution was not staged.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: We don't know if it was an actual survivor from the wreck. It would be used as propaganda regardless. It wouldn't -- you know, that's their -- the way they operate.
They would -- they would shoot someone like that on the scene, or they would stage it. But it looks like it was a -- someone that was non-local, and it could very well have been someone that was caught that survived, and was executed, actually murdered in this case on the scene.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: General Grange also believes the recent violence is just a temporary spike in insurgent activity and not a sign that things are getting worse in Iraq.
O'BRIEN: 9/11 suspect Zacarias Moussaoui is due in court this afternoon. Even if he pleads guilty, as he said he would, there are still many unresolved issues swirling around this case.
Bob Franken live in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, for us this morning.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And you're wise to express a little bit of doubt here. Because one thing we've learned through this tumultuous proceeding is, today, just about anything could happen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the federal courthouse just nine miles from where a hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, Zacarias Moussaoui will plead guilty this afternoon to six charges growing out of the attacks, if he keeps his word. He's changed his mind before.
BERNARD GRIMM, ATTORNEY: The problem is, in representing Mr. Moussaoui, it's like -- it's essentially a 24-hour time bomb. You don't know when it's going to explode.
FRANKEN: Moussaoui used to be called the 20th hijacker, although never by prosecutors. He was already under arrest on that September 11 after erratic behavior at a Minnesota flight training school. But officials in Washington refused to allow a search of his laptop computer in spite of various warnings he had ties to al Qaeda, and despite the fact he had paid for the instruction with close to $7,000 in cash.
Different theories of his involvement include the possibility he was a potential replacement hijack pilot on 9/11, or that he was preparing to take part in the second wave of attacks. His defense lawyers continue to object to the finding by Judge Leonie Brinkema, who he's frequently ridiculed, that Moussaoui is now mentally competent to plead guilty to charges that carry the death penalty. Execution could be up to a jury.
PETER WHITE, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: This is a very unusual death penalty in that Zacarias Moussaoui didn't kill anyone. Zacarias Moussaoui was in jail, in fact, when September 11 happened.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: Still, prosecutors want the jury to consider this, remembering that the death penalty would be considered by people in an environment where the September 11 wounds are still raw -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So, Bob, what exactly are the options as far as the death penalty goes?
FRANKEN: Death penalty, life in prison, or, of course, we have to remember that perhaps none of the above right now if Mr. Moussaoui changes his mind.
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning. Bob, thanks.
In Spain, the trial is starting of three al Qaeda suspects charged with helping to plan the 9/11 terror attacks. Among the suspects, Syrian-born Imad Yarkas. He is said to be the al Qaeda leader in Spain.
Prosecutors say that the three set up a meeting of the key players in the 9/11 attack, included Mohammed Atta. Atta piloted one of the planes into the World Trade Center. The trial is expected to last two months.
HEMMER: Americas first ever intelligence czar starting his first full day on the job today. John Negroponte sworn in Thursday by the president, only minutes after the Senate confirmed his appointment to lead the nation's intelligence community.
The vote on the former ambassador to Iraq and the U.N., 98-2 in Washington. And in that new job, Negroponte will coordinate the work of all 15 U.S. spy agencies.
From California, today is a day off in the Michael Jackson case. Next week prosecutors are expected to conclude their case. But their job got a bit tougher with some rulings on Thursday.
Ted Rowlands has more today in Santa Maria.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Jackson's defense will be allowed to present testimony that when Jackson wasn't around, his teenage accuser and the boy's younger brother masturbated in the presence of another boy at Neverland Ranch. The judge's ruling allows the defense to try to cast doubt on the accusation that Jackson was the one who taught the boy how to masturbate.
In another blow to the prosecution, Judge Rodney Melville denied a request to have an expert try to explain inconsistencies in the testimony of the accuser's mother by claiming that she's a battered woman. The judge also barred a former Jackson employee from testifying about a lurid allegation against Jackson involving a 1993 alleged victim.
JIM MORET, LEGAL ANALYST: The defense fared much better today than the prosecution. But don't forget, this case still isn't over. The prosecution hasn't rested yet. The prosecution still has more witnesses, and one of them is Chris Carter, a former bodyguard.
ROWLANDS: Carter is expected to say he saw Michael Jackson provide alcohol to the alleged victim. The defense wanted Carter's testimony thrown out because he's refusing to answer questions about the fact that he's currently in custody in the state of Nevada, facing a number of felony charges, including attempted bank robbery.
(on camera): Court is dark here until Monday morning. Prosecutors have told the judge that they only need about another week to finish their case.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: One other note on this story. Michael Jackson's family has released a statement, attacking observers who say that scarce attendance lately by his own family at the trial indicates a lack of support -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: There is a new twist in the case of that severed finger that was claimed to be found in a cup of chili. Well, police in California are reporting the arrest of Anna Ayala, the woman who said she found the fingertip while she was eating at a Wendy's in San Jose.
Police say she was arrested at her Las Vegas home Thursday night. No other details yet. But there is a news conference that they are holding at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time today.
HEMMER: Several homes in southeastern Kansas damaged or destroyed when a tornado swept through that area late last night. A storm chaser captured this amazing video of the twister, perfect form here.
Luckily, no reported injuries. And the storm also produced hail and some heavy rain and forced evacuations at the Kansas City Airport.
Let's bring in Chad right now and look toward the weekend.
(WEATHER REPORT) HEMMER: In a moment here, a rite of passage for millions of teens. But the high cost of proms keeps a lot of kids from going. Meet four girls with big hearts. They have a solution, and it does not cost a penny.
O'BRIEN: Good for them.
Also, if you don't think that pro-athletes give back to their community, we want you to meet Alonzo Mourning. The NBA star talks about his incredible gift to kids in his home town. That's up next, and there he is, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: NBA talk now. The NBA -- the Miami Heat, rather, primed for an NBA playoff run. Alonzo Mourning making a big impression, too, off the court while that happens.
The NBA veteran will donate part of his 2005 salary, some $300,000, to community-based organizations throughout the Miami area. He's with us now live in Miami to talk about it.
Good morning.
ALONZO MOURNING, MIAMI HEAT: Good morning. How are you doing?
HEMMER: I'm doing just fine, thanks. Boy, you're a little mellow today. Why did you decide to do this?
MOURNING: Well, first and foremost, we have educational problems not only in the city of Miami, but in the state of Florida. And statistically, we're the worst in the whole country. And that's a very tough pill to digest, especially when you live in this community.
And I made the gesture to create awareness to our community and to let everyone know that we have a problem and that we need to fix it. And we need to be a little bit more responsible as adults and put this as a huge priority in our lives, and try to make a change from that perspective.
HEMMER: What do you hope to change with this money? Who gets help?
MOURNING: Well, there are various organizations around the city that have programs that enhances the lives of the young people in this community from an educational standpoint. And it just gives us an opportunity to provide a little hope in their lives, you know, and surround them and creating that positive atmosphere for them so that they have an opportunity to educate themselves.
You know, the biggest thing statistically about the kids, especially in one of the areas that I'm dealing with in downtown Miami, is one out of 14 graduate from high school. And they drop out between the ages of 12 and 14. So there's a problem there to where they devalue education, and we're trying to get them to take a different approach to that. HEMMER: You know, one of the things you say is that young people have to look up to successful people older than them.
MOURNING: Right.
HEMMER: To look after that example. Who inspired you?
MOURNING: Well, so many people have helped contribute to my development as a person, as well as a player, an athlete. And without those people throughout my whole life, whether it be my mother, my father, my foster mom, all my coaches, and just relatives, you know, that -- and teachers that helped contribute to my development, without those people in my life I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you today.
HEMMER: Sure.
MOURNING: You know? So it's extremely important, especially during this day and time, to try and influence our young people in a very positive way and surround them with the right people.
And the after school programming that I formulated through my foundation at the Overtown Youth Center down in Miami, we've been able to reach out to about 250 kids on a daily basis to try to get them to have a better values system when it comes to approaching their education. And we've been very successful with it.
HEMMER: Two more things. How is your health, by the way? You had a kidney transplant?
MOURNING: My health is fantastic. Thank you so much. Everything is going well, thank god.
HEMMER: You're going to face your old team this weekend Sunday against the Nets.
MOURNING: Yes, it's going to be pretty exciting. And any team that we face there in our way of accomplishing our championship goals. So I'm pretty excited about this opportunity.
HEMMER: Are you going to win it?
MOURNING: Oh, yes. I'm very confident.
HEMMER: Good luck to you. Thanks for talking.
MOURNING: Thank you.
HEMMER: Alonzo Mourning in Miami.
MOURNING: Thank you so much.
HEMMER: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: And this morning, that image that is supposed to be the Virgin Mary on a Chicago underpass, well, it turns out there's another way to look at it that shows something new.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Two former New York City police detectives pleading innocent to charges they moonlighted as Mafia hitmen. Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito are accused of murder, drug distribution and money laundering. After the two former partners were arraigned on Thursday, Eppolito's daughter told reporters that his family stands behind him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA EPPOLITO, LOUIS EPPOLITO'S DAUGHTER: My father loved being a cop. He was so proud of all of the things that he did while working for the city.
He protected women. He protected children. He worked with the elderly. And we are so proud of him for absolutely everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Prosecutors say the two men were paid thousands of dollars a month by the Mafia and took part in the killings of at least eight rival gangsters in the '80s and in the '90s.
O'BRIEN: Here is one of the most popular stories that's running on CNN.com right now. Washington State police say a teenager, well, he didn't think his $47,000 BMW was good enough, so he scammed to get a Bentley.
They say the 17-year-old faked the theft of the BMW so that he could use the insurance money for the kind of car that's been seen in lots of hip-hop videos. Bentleys go for, oh, about $160,000 to $240,000.
HEMMER: It's always the weird and the wacky as our popular story on our Web site. Don't you think?
CAFFERTY: What idiot buys a kid a $40,000 BMW to begin with?
O'BRIEN: Did I say it was bought for him? Maybe -- I don't know. I have no idea. But...
CAFFERTY: Yes? How old is he? Do we know?
O'BRIEN: Seventeen.
CAFFERTY: Seventeen. Oh, I'm sure he went out and earned the money mowing lawns to buy himself a $50,000...
HEMMER: Shoveling driveways.
CAFFERTY: The government's got this new food pyramid out. The old one apparently didn't do the -- have the desired results. So the new one has vertical triangles instead of horizontal boxes.
The government actually wants you to go here and click on this thing, mypyramid.gov. And then you can enter some information about yourself and you get this customized eating plan back for yourself. If you have no life at all, you might want to spend the afternoon on this Web site.
Alan in Connecticut, "While the intentions of the new food pyramid may be good, it's the pace of everyday life that often dictates our diet and nutrition. Prepared foods, fast food, takeout food, unfortunately often replace the planned balanced meals that we should have."
Theresa in New York, "Finally, the guidelines we fatties can use to show us the way. I can't tell you how many times I looked at the old pyramid, you know, the horizontal failure, and thought, what the hell does it all mean?"
Mark in -- Mark in Oklahoma City, "The pyramid's passe. If the government really wants an effective symbol, they'd use a bathroom scale as the centerpieces. Consumers could then click and drag and drop their favorite foods on to the scale so they could see the results of their dieting."
And Roger in Ontario writes, "Jack, I wasn't listening. Could you please repeat the instructions for finding my food pyramid? Is it age, sex and amount of daily physical activity, or is it age, physique and amount of daily sexual activity?"
HEMMER: Mypyramid.gov will give you that answer.
O'BRIEN: I'm going to go check it out.
HEMMER: Yes. All right.
HEMMER: And we'll compare with what Jack got earlier today.
CAFFERTY: OK.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Monday on AMERICAN MORNING, we'll kick off our special series on retirement. It's called "Never Too Late." There you are over there.
Our first installment, "Retirement 101." Baby boomers know they need money to retire comfortably, but how much do they really need? We'll have some useful tips starting Monday, 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time. "Retirement 101."
CAFFERTY: I'll be watching that. I'm ready.
O'BRIEN: Right now?
CAFFERTY: Right now.
O'BRIEN: Like literally today? CAFFERTY: Like literally right this minute, 9.25:06.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: And why does that not surprise me? Thanks, Jack.
Much more AMERICAN MORNING still to come.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Ahead on "90-second Pop," so are they or aren't they? Rumor has it Ben and Jen, version 2.0, have a big announcement to share.
Plus, Paula Abdul tells the world why she's been acting so strangely lately.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. It is just about half past the hour on this morning.
Coming up, we're going to talk to one of the storm chasers who took these amazing picture of a tornado in Kansas that was strong enough to destroy several homes. But these guys wanted to get even closer.
HEMMER: That they did.
O'BRIEN: Kind of crazy those guys.
HEMMER: All the time, yes.
Also, from Chicago, the steady stream of pilgrims heading to this underpass, seeing an image of the Virgin Mary. Now many of them asking for a miracle as well. We'll see what's happening there in Chicago in a moment.
First, a check of the headlines. And Carol Costello has those now.
Carol, hello.
COSTELLO: I do indeed. Good morning. Good morning, everyone.
"Now in the News," disturbing new images of what could be the final seconds before a commercial helicopter is shot down in Iraq. Take a look.
The video shows shaky footage of a chopper in flight. And then you'll see it soon, it bursts into flames. The pictures aired today on the Arabic language TV network Al Jazeera. Keep in mind, CNN has not confirmed this video's authenticity. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is reportedly calling John Bolton smart but problematic. Bolton's bid to the United Nations has been delayed amid concerns he threatened a subordinate and has disregard for the United Nations.
According to "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post," Powell spoke in private with two wavering Republicans on the panel considering his nomination. Sources stress that Powell did not advise the senators on how to vote, just said Bolton was problematic.
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