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American Morning
Larry King Rejected as Jackson Witness; 'Gimme a Minute'
Aired May 20, 2005 - 08:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Chad said it. Watch for the umbrellas.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: He's never wrong.
O'BRIEN: That means it's raining. And you know what? A lot of umbrellas out there.
Coming up this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, Larry King's big day at the Michael Jackson trial.
HEMMER: In a moment, we'll tell you what he had to say and why it was not considered relevant in this case. In this case. Larry's always relevant to us, of course.
O'BRIEN: Very, very relevant.
HEMMER: Very, very relevant. Keep it going, King.
Here's Carol Costello now, looking at the headlines. What are you starting?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, that made me laugh. He looked very dapper, though, didn't he?
HEMMER: Yes, he did.
COSTELLO: When he went into court?
HEMMER: Stylin'.
COSTELLO: You go, Larry.
"Now in the News," good morning everyone.
Authorities are checking a tip about a possible sighting of those two missing children from Idaho. A store owner in Idaho called 911 and reported the children resembling 8-year-old Shasta and 9-year-old Dylan Groene, were seen with a tall man in a light colored van, who asked for directions to northwestern Montana. Authorities have been searching for those two children since their mother, older brother and another victim were found dead on Monday.
The door is now open for the possible deportation of Luis Posada Carriles, a former CIA operative wanted in Venezuela in connection with the bombing of a Cuban airliner nearly 30 years ago. Posada was arrested in Miami earlier this week. He is also known for his alleged plots to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Officials are charging him with illegal entry into the United States. He will be held without bail in El Paso, Texas, pending a hearing next month.
President Bush now speaking this morning at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. These are live pictures of that event. The president arrived at the gathering in Washington just moments ago. He is expected to meet with the prime ministers of Denmark and Greece later today.
Guess what? A diet packed with vitamin E rich foods may help ward off Parkinson's disease. That means eating things like walnuts, spinach and other dark green, leafy vegetables. But scientists stress taking vitamin E supplements does not have the same effect. The findings are based on a series of studies. Still, they say, more research needs to be done.
And a new major low-cost airliner is in the works. U.S. Airways and America West, the country's seventh and eighth largest airlines, are merging. Reps say the deal will create a strong competitor to leading discount carriers like Southwest and Jet Blue. And unlike them, it will serve the whole country. So hopefully --
HEMMER: Not just the East Coast, like US Air is mostly associated with.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Because one's based in the East, one's based in the West. Of course, these are two troubled airlines, so...
HEMMER: May have saved U.S. Air, based on the stories we've been reporting for the past year. Carol, thank you.
To California now. More defense testimony expected today in Michael Jackson's trial. Jurors were scheduled to hear from a celebrity witness Thursday, but the judge had other ideas.
Here's Ted Rowlands this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Larry King, who's usually covering the case on his show, showed up at the Michael Jackson trial ready to testify. The judge required King to take the stand without the jury to hear his story. King says he was told the mother in this case was a quote "wacko" by her one-time attorney, Larry Feldman. King says Feldman also told him he didn't take her case because he thought she was after money. The judge ruled King could not testify in front of the jury.
RAYMOND BAINE, JACKSON SPOKESWOMAN: Mr. Jackson was a little disappointed, because I think that Larry King's testimony would have been a good one for the defense, based on his hitting at motives.
ROWLANDS: Aja Pryor, the mother of comedian Chris Tucker's son, testified that she was very close to the accuser's family during the time they were at Neverland Ranch. Pryor said she never heard the family complain about being held captive as the mother and prosecutors allege. Pryor also said the mother complained about Jackson associates, that they were keeping her and her children away from Michael Jackson. If true, she's the first witness to back up defense claims that Jackson was avoiding the children during the time he's accused of molesting one of them.
The defense case may be winding down. Jackson's lawyers have told the judge they've pared down the number of witnesses they plan to call significantly.
LAURIE LEVENSON, LEGAL ANALYST: Less is more. And they learned that from the prosecution's case. The more they put on, the more they got hurt.
ROWLANDS (on camera): When court resumes, Mark Geragos, Jackson's former attorney, is scheduled to back on the stand to finish his testimony, which he began last week.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And if the schedule sticks, so far the Jackson defense expected to rest in the next week or so -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, every Friday at this time, our "Gimme A Minute" gang has the last word on the week's big stories. In Philadelphia this morning is Republican strategist Joe Watkins. In New York, Rachel Maddow from Air America Radio. And here in New York as well, Andy Borowitz from borowitzreport.com.
Good morning to all of you. Joe, we're going to begin with you this morning.
JOE WATKINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Laura Bush, as you well know, arriving in the Middle East today. Do -- what do you expect Laura Bush is going to do?
WATKINS: Well, I think she's going to be a great spokesman for this country. She's going to help to promote our image and promote democracy and also the role of women. So what better spokesman than Laura Bush? I mean, she was so witty last month at the White House Correspondents Dinner. And great spokesman for America.
O'BRIEN: I got to imagine we're not going to see that same wit on this kind of a trip, of course.
WATKINS: Probably not.
O'BRIEN: A little heavier trip, if you know. You know, the White House, of course, has called her the secret weapon. Rachel, you agree?
RACHEL MADDOW, AIR AMERICA RADIO: Well, you know, the -- no officers have been prosecuted for Abu Ghraib and there's the Downing Street memo that says the war on Iraq was -- had nothing do with weapons, so the Bush administration has decided that its strategy for approaching the Muslim public opinion? To have Laura Bush tape the Egyptian version of "Sesame Street." I think that Bush is making his policy at grade level.
O'BRIEN: Interesting. Andy, what do you think?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I think she'll be a great diplomat, because she's lived with a non-English speaking person for years.
O'BRIEN: Moving on to our next topic, and Rachel, you're going to start this one for us. The Reverend Jesse Jackson met with Mexico's president Vicente Fox after those controversial remarks that he made about even blacks won't take those jobs that Mexicans will take. Give me a sense of what you think the power of the Reverend Jackson is at this point.
MADDOW: I don't think that Jesse Jackson's is that powerful in American politics, relatively speaking. But Vicente Fox tried to get someone in the U.S. government to care about his racist comments and the phone just kept ringing and ringing and ringing. The only people who are working on civil rights issues in this country right now are the same people who have been working on them for 50 years, and those are not the people in power right now.
O'BRIEN: Vicente Fox made it very clear, Joe, that he was not apologizing. Any surprise to you that the Reverend Jackson gets involved in this kind of stuff?
WATKINS: Well, no. Jesse Jackson's been an opinion shaper and major leader in the African-American, in the American community, for years and years. However, Republicans are certainly moving forward with regard to the civil rights agenda and the inclusion of African- Americans to the party. You'll see this year a number of African- Americans running for key offices, including the Senate and governor seats in some states.
O'BRIEN: Andy, I let the bell expire there. Reverend Jackson, what do you think?
BOROWITZ: I think he's very powerful. He's got a six-month waiting list of people who have made stupid racist remarks and are trying to suck up to him.
O'BRIEN: And he's only just got to the beginning of the list there.
BOROWITZ: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's move on and get to Joe again. Judicial nominees, the debate goes on in the Senate. Could last for a long time, actually. How do you think it ends? With a compromise, Joe? WATKINS: Hopefully with a compromise. I mean, they're working real hard right now to do that, to try to forge a compromise that will put an end to this thing so they won't have to use the nuclear option. But we have to wait to see what happens.
O'BRIEN: What do you think, Rachel, a nuclear option? Is that actually really ever going to happen?
MADDOW: My prediction is that the Republicans will have the votes on this, they will get rid of the filibuster. They'll appoint Genghis Khan to the Supreme Court, there will be a massive backlash across the country, and they'll never win another presidential election this century.
O'BRIEN: I didn't realize Genghis Khan was up for the Supreme Court justice.
MADDOW: He will be.
O'BRIEN: He will be. Andy, Genghis Khan, Supreme Court, really?
BOROWITZ: You heard it here first. There will be a deal by the end of the day, because these dudes all want to go see "Star Wars." I'm telling you.
O'BRIEN: And they have to wrap it up, don't they?
BOROWITZ: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit what was undercovered this week. Rachel, why don't you start for us? What did we miss?
BOROWITZ: Well, this is graduation weekend in a lot of places. In Alabama, a high school senior was not allowed to take part in her graduation ceremony because she was pregnant, even though the boy who got her pregnant was allowed to take part. While she was sitting in the audience, the spirit moved her and she shouted out her own name and walked across the stage. Her classmates cheered. The school had the police escort her out of the building. She's my hero of the week and my underreported story of the week.
O'BRIEN: Oh, always ugly when the cops are escorting the pregnant people out. Joe, what do you think we undercovered?
WATKINS: I think the undercovered story of the week has to do with the role of women in combat in the military. I think this is going to be a huge thing going forward, and well, it really shows the changing role of women in American society.
O'BRIEN: It is Jack's "Question of the Day," as you well know. Andy, final word from you? What do you think we missed?
BOROWITZ: Well, Harvard president Larry Summers said he would spend $50 million to make Harvard's faculty more diverse. And when he was asked how he arrived at that number, he said, I'm really good at math because I'm a man. O'BRIEN: And that is our final word this morning. You all have a great weekend. We'll see you back here next week.
WATKINS: Same to you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, Andy Serwer tells us how to get two months of free DVD rentals. That's coming up, as he minds your business, ahead.
HEMMER: Also, the color of this year's senior prom might be green, as in cash and a lot of it. Back in a moment here as we continue on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: It's prom season and high school seniors everywhere are putting on their finest for the big event. Girls, on average, try on 10 to 20 prom dresses, and take one to three months to find the right one. So just what is the price of perfection?
CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the dream of many high school girls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our prom queen, Jackie.
WILLIS: The perfect prom. But paying for the bling is another thing. Babysitting wages won't cover the tab.
KRISTI LINEER, PROM-GOER: I spent 400 on this dress, but prom was like a thousand dollars.
ASHLEY CAMPISI, PROM-GOER: It should come out to about 1,500 to 2,000, I would say.
WILLIS: No wonder the Long Island high-schoolers are picking their parents pockets.
LAURA LIVINGSTONE, PROM-GOER: You only have your senior prom once. So whatever, my parents are paying for most of it.
LINEER: I called my mom, and she was like are. all right, put it on the credit card.
WILLIS: Kelly Shea came to this shop 17 days in a row to guard this dress until she could talk her dad into buying it.
KELLY SHEA, PROM-GOER: Like I was just in love with this dress, and no other dress was going to be able to compete with it, like, this was mine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said dad, I found the dress of my dreams. So, you know, she's my baby. So when she says that, she's got it.
WILLIS: Twelve-hundred dollars later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But the expression on my daughter's face is worth 10 times that.
WILLIS: According to "Teen People" magazine, 2005 will be the most expensive prom ever. Girls will spend an average of $300 to $500 just for the dress, not including all the accessories and extras.
LOREN MILLMAN, PROM-GOER: The hair, I'm guessing a little over $100. Same with the makeup and then the nails around -- pedicure, around maybe 50.
WILLIS: Who's to blame for the pricey proms? Many say Hollywood.
JORGE RAMONE, "TEEN PEOPLE": They want to live up to this celebrity dream that they have, and they're willing to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on prom.
WILLIS: Indeed, the pressure is intense for high-schoolers to compete with the likes of Jessica and Britney. But girls justify these sky-high costs and don't feel badly about asking their parents to foot the bill.
LIVINGSTONE: We didn't really tell my dad, I think, the truth.
MILLMAN: I don't think she read the price tag right.
WILLIS: Along with the high price tags comes the need for girls to feel unique. In fact this store started registering dresses to make sure that the same two aren't sharing the dance floor at the prom.
LINEER: I will be so mad. They better not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIS: So the color of the prom this year, it's green. You've obviously got to a spend a lot of money. How much? Twelve-hundred dollars on average, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Sounds like mom and dad are footing the bill.
Are there any places to go if you want to try to save bucks?
WILLIS: Yes, absolutely, some great places to go. On the web if you really want to save some money, start at princessproject. That's a Web site that will help you find a place to get a free dress, a used dress, one somebody else has used. And if you want to arrive in style, forget the limo. It's $150 bucks a couple. Think about maybe an R/V, maybe get a friend to drive it for you. Go to cruiseamerica.com to find one of those.
And finally, do you usually do a big dinner with all the friends before the prom just for fun? Well, That can run into a lot of dough. One way to cut costs, have a barbecue in the backyard and print up some T-shirts from zazzle.com.
O'BRIEN: After you just spent $200 on your makeup and your nails.
WILLIS: But you know, it was so cute, we found people who printed up T-shirts that say, "We went to the barbecue and didn't mess up our dress," which I think is so cute.
O'BRIEN: That is very cute. All right, Gerri, thanks.
When Blockbuster and Wal-Mart do battle, we win. Andy Serwer's going to tells us how we get free movies, and lots of them.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All righty. Welcome back. Here is Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Blockbuster is trying to fight its new competition with freebies. Andy Serwer has that story. He's "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Indeed I do, Jack. Good morning to you.
I want it talk about General Motors, though, first. The troubled auto giant has too many models. That is no secret. Reportedly, now it is going to be cutting back on that, and it's probably just about time. Listen to this, Toyota has 21 models in the United States. GM has one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight lines of automobiles, 82 different models. Chevy alone has more models than Toyota, Jack. This includes trucks. Chevy, 26 models. Pontiac, 13. Saturn, four. Hummer, three. GMC, 14. Buick, seven. Saab, six. Saab made by GM now. And Cadillac, nine. They're going to keep the Pontiac and Buick names. There was some talk of actually losing those lines altogether, like they did with Oldsmobile in 2003.
Forty-five percent of GM's capacity, factory space, if you will, in North America apparently goes to no or low-return businesses, like rental cars, cars for employees, and friends and family. This company has got a lot of consolidating to do.
CAFFERTY: Yes, and they got to do something about all those health care and pension liabilities that are piled up out there all the way to the horizon.
SERWER: And that is a huge problem. It's not going away anytime soon. CAFFERTY: What else?
SERWER: Let's talk about Blockbuster, and let's talk about the DVD rental business. We told you yesterday, Wal-Mart's getting out of this business, turning over all of their customers to Netflix, renting DVDs through the mail. Blockbuster fighting back today, saying if you switch, if you're a Netflix or a Wal-Mart customer, and show them your cancellation, you'll get two free months of DVD rentals at Blockbuster. So this is where competition is good for all of us.
CAFFERTY: Absolutely.
SERWER: Let's talk about the markets. Yesterday, stocks were up for the fourth day in a row. Dow up 28 points. You can see here, and that was because the price of oil fell below $47 a barrel yesterday actually, 46.90-something. But this morning, back above 47. Stock futures are down.
CAFFERTY: There you go. Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
CAFFERTY: Time for the file. Your tax dollars at work here. The Federal Aviation Administration wants to amend its regulations. Seems the folks at the FAA are concerned about the possible effects of advertising in space. So they want to make a new rule banning what they call obtrusive advertising in space. That's right, no billboards in space. This what is the FAA is doing these days. Regulators say at the FAA that big, bright advertisements might destroy the darkness of the night sky and hinder astronomers. How presumptive that the FAA thinks it has any authority over anything in space.
SERWER: Well, it wouldn't be the secretary of interior.
CAFFERTY: The perils of live television, particularly here in New York City. A reporter for the CBS flagship station, a kid named Arthur Chi'en, was fired from WCBS TV yesterday after sharing the 'f' word on the air with the Big Apple viewing audience. Chi'en was in the middle of a live shot during a local morning show here. He was being heckled by a couple of clowns on the street. The pair was carrying a sign, promoting a local morning radio program, and at one point they gave the finger to Chi'en's camera. Thinking that the station had cut away to tape, Chi'en turned around and shouted, what the bleep is your problem, man. Well, the station had not gone to tape, and now Chi'en is gone from the station.
O'BRIEN: I worked with him at NBC. He's a nice young man, so I'm sure someone else will snap him up.
CAFFERTY: Eleven-year-old Katie Brownell (ph) was somewhat of a celebrity in Oak Field, New York. She's the only girl in the local little league. On Saturday, she became a national celebrity. She pitched a perfect game against the guys. She struck out all 18 batters that she faced. Her team, the Dodgers, beat the opposing Yankees, 11-0. Katie said of her phenomenal pitching performance, the guys on the other team congratulated me, but they were kind of mad. HEMMER: I bet.
SERWER: I wonder if they were dropping any f-bombs.
O'BRIEN: We're going to talk to her Monday about her great game.
SERWER: Really? That's cool.
O'BRIEN: That's going to be fun.
HEMMER: Put a camera in that dug-out, huh? Come on, guys.
Thank you, Jack.
Top stories in a moment here. Also, 30 years since the movie "Jaws" scared America out of the water, including moi. Ahead, the fascinating story of how Steven Spielberg stumbled onto this movie magic.
Back in a moment here on a Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired May 20, 2005 - 08:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Chad said it. Watch for the umbrellas.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: He's never wrong.
O'BRIEN: That means it's raining. And you know what? A lot of umbrellas out there.
Coming up this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, Larry King's big day at the Michael Jackson trial.
HEMMER: In a moment, we'll tell you what he had to say and why it was not considered relevant in this case. In this case. Larry's always relevant to us, of course.
O'BRIEN: Very, very relevant.
HEMMER: Very, very relevant. Keep it going, King.
Here's Carol Costello now, looking at the headlines. What are you starting?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, that made me laugh. He looked very dapper, though, didn't he?
HEMMER: Yes, he did.
COSTELLO: When he went into court?
HEMMER: Stylin'.
COSTELLO: You go, Larry.
"Now in the News," good morning everyone.
Authorities are checking a tip about a possible sighting of those two missing children from Idaho. A store owner in Idaho called 911 and reported the children resembling 8-year-old Shasta and 9-year-old Dylan Groene, were seen with a tall man in a light colored van, who asked for directions to northwestern Montana. Authorities have been searching for those two children since their mother, older brother and another victim were found dead on Monday.
The door is now open for the possible deportation of Luis Posada Carriles, a former CIA operative wanted in Venezuela in connection with the bombing of a Cuban airliner nearly 30 years ago. Posada was arrested in Miami earlier this week. He is also known for his alleged plots to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Officials are charging him with illegal entry into the United States. He will be held without bail in El Paso, Texas, pending a hearing next month.
President Bush now speaking this morning at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. These are live pictures of that event. The president arrived at the gathering in Washington just moments ago. He is expected to meet with the prime ministers of Denmark and Greece later today.
Guess what? A diet packed with vitamin E rich foods may help ward off Parkinson's disease. That means eating things like walnuts, spinach and other dark green, leafy vegetables. But scientists stress taking vitamin E supplements does not have the same effect. The findings are based on a series of studies. Still, they say, more research needs to be done.
And a new major low-cost airliner is in the works. U.S. Airways and America West, the country's seventh and eighth largest airlines, are merging. Reps say the deal will create a strong competitor to leading discount carriers like Southwest and Jet Blue. And unlike them, it will serve the whole country. So hopefully --
HEMMER: Not just the East Coast, like US Air is mostly associated with.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Because one's based in the East, one's based in the West. Of course, these are two troubled airlines, so...
HEMMER: May have saved U.S. Air, based on the stories we've been reporting for the past year. Carol, thank you.
To California now. More defense testimony expected today in Michael Jackson's trial. Jurors were scheduled to hear from a celebrity witness Thursday, but the judge had other ideas.
Here's Ted Rowlands this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Larry King, who's usually covering the case on his show, showed up at the Michael Jackson trial ready to testify. The judge required King to take the stand without the jury to hear his story. King says he was told the mother in this case was a quote "wacko" by her one-time attorney, Larry Feldman. King says Feldman also told him he didn't take her case because he thought she was after money. The judge ruled King could not testify in front of the jury.
RAYMOND BAINE, JACKSON SPOKESWOMAN: Mr. Jackson was a little disappointed, because I think that Larry King's testimony would have been a good one for the defense, based on his hitting at motives.
ROWLANDS: Aja Pryor, the mother of comedian Chris Tucker's son, testified that she was very close to the accuser's family during the time they were at Neverland Ranch. Pryor said she never heard the family complain about being held captive as the mother and prosecutors allege. Pryor also said the mother complained about Jackson associates, that they were keeping her and her children away from Michael Jackson. If true, she's the first witness to back up defense claims that Jackson was avoiding the children during the time he's accused of molesting one of them.
The defense case may be winding down. Jackson's lawyers have told the judge they've pared down the number of witnesses they plan to call significantly.
LAURIE LEVENSON, LEGAL ANALYST: Less is more. And they learned that from the prosecution's case. The more they put on, the more they got hurt.
ROWLANDS (on camera): When court resumes, Mark Geragos, Jackson's former attorney, is scheduled to back on the stand to finish his testimony, which he began last week.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And if the schedule sticks, so far the Jackson defense expected to rest in the next week or so -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, every Friday at this time, our "Gimme A Minute" gang has the last word on the week's big stories. In Philadelphia this morning is Republican strategist Joe Watkins. In New York, Rachel Maddow from Air America Radio. And here in New York as well, Andy Borowitz from borowitzreport.com.
Good morning to all of you. Joe, we're going to begin with you this morning.
JOE WATKINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Laura Bush, as you well know, arriving in the Middle East today. Do -- what do you expect Laura Bush is going to do?
WATKINS: Well, I think she's going to be a great spokesman for this country. She's going to help to promote our image and promote democracy and also the role of women. So what better spokesman than Laura Bush? I mean, she was so witty last month at the White House Correspondents Dinner. And great spokesman for America.
O'BRIEN: I got to imagine we're not going to see that same wit on this kind of a trip, of course.
WATKINS: Probably not.
O'BRIEN: A little heavier trip, if you know. You know, the White House, of course, has called her the secret weapon. Rachel, you agree?
RACHEL MADDOW, AIR AMERICA RADIO: Well, you know, the -- no officers have been prosecuted for Abu Ghraib and there's the Downing Street memo that says the war on Iraq was -- had nothing do with weapons, so the Bush administration has decided that its strategy for approaching the Muslim public opinion? To have Laura Bush tape the Egyptian version of "Sesame Street." I think that Bush is making his policy at grade level.
O'BRIEN: Interesting. Andy, what do you think?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I think she'll be a great diplomat, because she's lived with a non-English speaking person for years.
O'BRIEN: Moving on to our next topic, and Rachel, you're going to start this one for us. The Reverend Jesse Jackson met with Mexico's president Vicente Fox after those controversial remarks that he made about even blacks won't take those jobs that Mexicans will take. Give me a sense of what you think the power of the Reverend Jackson is at this point.
MADDOW: I don't think that Jesse Jackson's is that powerful in American politics, relatively speaking. But Vicente Fox tried to get someone in the U.S. government to care about his racist comments and the phone just kept ringing and ringing and ringing. The only people who are working on civil rights issues in this country right now are the same people who have been working on them for 50 years, and those are not the people in power right now.
O'BRIEN: Vicente Fox made it very clear, Joe, that he was not apologizing. Any surprise to you that the Reverend Jackson gets involved in this kind of stuff?
WATKINS: Well, no. Jesse Jackson's been an opinion shaper and major leader in the African-American, in the American community, for years and years. However, Republicans are certainly moving forward with regard to the civil rights agenda and the inclusion of African- Americans to the party. You'll see this year a number of African- Americans running for key offices, including the Senate and governor seats in some states.
O'BRIEN: Andy, I let the bell expire there. Reverend Jackson, what do you think?
BOROWITZ: I think he's very powerful. He's got a six-month waiting list of people who have made stupid racist remarks and are trying to suck up to him.
O'BRIEN: And he's only just got to the beginning of the list there.
BOROWITZ: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's move on and get to Joe again. Judicial nominees, the debate goes on in the Senate. Could last for a long time, actually. How do you think it ends? With a compromise, Joe? WATKINS: Hopefully with a compromise. I mean, they're working real hard right now to do that, to try to forge a compromise that will put an end to this thing so they won't have to use the nuclear option. But we have to wait to see what happens.
O'BRIEN: What do you think, Rachel, a nuclear option? Is that actually really ever going to happen?
MADDOW: My prediction is that the Republicans will have the votes on this, they will get rid of the filibuster. They'll appoint Genghis Khan to the Supreme Court, there will be a massive backlash across the country, and they'll never win another presidential election this century.
O'BRIEN: I didn't realize Genghis Khan was up for the Supreme Court justice.
MADDOW: He will be.
O'BRIEN: He will be. Andy, Genghis Khan, Supreme Court, really?
BOROWITZ: You heard it here first. There will be a deal by the end of the day, because these dudes all want to go see "Star Wars." I'm telling you.
O'BRIEN: And they have to wrap it up, don't they?
BOROWITZ: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit what was undercovered this week. Rachel, why don't you start for us? What did we miss?
BOROWITZ: Well, this is graduation weekend in a lot of places. In Alabama, a high school senior was not allowed to take part in her graduation ceremony because she was pregnant, even though the boy who got her pregnant was allowed to take part. While she was sitting in the audience, the spirit moved her and she shouted out her own name and walked across the stage. Her classmates cheered. The school had the police escort her out of the building. She's my hero of the week and my underreported story of the week.
O'BRIEN: Oh, always ugly when the cops are escorting the pregnant people out. Joe, what do you think we undercovered?
WATKINS: I think the undercovered story of the week has to do with the role of women in combat in the military. I think this is going to be a huge thing going forward, and well, it really shows the changing role of women in American society.
O'BRIEN: It is Jack's "Question of the Day," as you well know. Andy, final word from you? What do you think we missed?
BOROWITZ: Well, Harvard president Larry Summers said he would spend $50 million to make Harvard's faculty more diverse. And when he was asked how he arrived at that number, he said, I'm really good at math because I'm a man. O'BRIEN: And that is our final word this morning. You all have a great weekend. We'll see you back here next week.
WATKINS: Same to you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, Andy Serwer tells us how to get two months of free DVD rentals. That's coming up, as he minds your business, ahead.
HEMMER: Also, the color of this year's senior prom might be green, as in cash and a lot of it. Back in a moment here as we continue on AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN: It's prom season and high school seniors everywhere are putting on their finest for the big event. Girls, on average, try on 10 to 20 prom dresses, and take one to three months to find the right one. So just what is the price of perfection?
CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the dream of many high school girls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our prom queen, Jackie.
WILLIS: The perfect prom. But paying for the bling is another thing. Babysitting wages won't cover the tab.
KRISTI LINEER, PROM-GOER: I spent 400 on this dress, but prom was like a thousand dollars.
ASHLEY CAMPISI, PROM-GOER: It should come out to about 1,500 to 2,000, I would say.
WILLIS: No wonder the Long Island high-schoolers are picking their parents pockets.
LAURA LIVINGSTONE, PROM-GOER: You only have your senior prom once. So whatever, my parents are paying for most of it.
LINEER: I called my mom, and she was like are. all right, put it on the credit card.
WILLIS: Kelly Shea came to this shop 17 days in a row to guard this dress until she could talk her dad into buying it.
KELLY SHEA, PROM-GOER: Like I was just in love with this dress, and no other dress was going to be able to compete with it, like, this was mine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said dad, I found the dress of my dreams. So, you know, she's my baby. So when she says that, she's got it.
WILLIS: Twelve-hundred dollars later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But the expression on my daughter's face is worth 10 times that.
WILLIS: According to "Teen People" magazine, 2005 will be the most expensive prom ever. Girls will spend an average of $300 to $500 just for the dress, not including all the accessories and extras.
LOREN MILLMAN, PROM-GOER: The hair, I'm guessing a little over $100. Same with the makeup and then the nails around -- pedicure, around maybe 50.
WILLIS: Who's to blame for the pricey proms? Many say Hollywood.
JORGE RAMONE, "TEEN PEOPLE": They want to live up to this celebrity dream that they have, and they're willing to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on prom.
WILLIS: Indeed, the pressure is intense for high-schoolers to compete with the likes of Jessica and Britney. But girls justify these sky-high costs and don't feel badly about asking their parents to foot the bill.
LIVINGSTONE: We didn't really tell my dad, I think, the truth.
MILLMAN: I don't think she read the price tag right.
WILLIS: Along with the high price tags comes the need for girls to feel unique. In fact this store started registering dresses to make sure that the same two aren't sharing the dance floor at the prom.
LINEER: I will be so mad. They better not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIS: So the color of the prom this year, it's green. You've obviously got to a spend a lot of money. How much? Twelve-hundred dollars on average, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Sounds like mom and dad are footing the bill.
Are there any places to go if you want to try to save bucks?
WILLIS: Yes, absolutely, some great places to go. On the web if you really want to save some money, start at princessproject. That's a Web site that will help you find a place to get a free dress, a used dress, one somebody else has used. And if you want to arrive in style, forget the limo. It's $150 bucks a couple. Think about maybe an R/V, maybe get a friend to drive it for you. Go to cruiseamerica.com to find one of those.
And finally, do you usually do a big dinner with all the friends before the prom just for fun? Well, That can run into a lot of dough. One way to cut costs, have a barbecue in the backyard and print up some T-shirts from zazzle.com.
O'BRIEN: After you just spent $200 on your makeup and your nails.
WILLIS: But you know, it was so cute, we found people who printed up T-shirts that say, "We went to the barbecue and didn't mess up our dress," which I think is so cute.
O'BRIEN: That is very cute. All right, Gerri, thanks.
When Blockbuster and Wal-Mart do battle, we win. Andy Serwer's going to tells us how we get free movies, and lots of them.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
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HEMMER: All righty. Welcome back. Here is Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Blockbuster is trying to fight its new competition with freebies. Andy Serwer has that story. He's "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Indeed I do, Jack. Good morning to you.
I want it talk about General Motors, though, first. The troubled auto giant has too many models. That is no secret. Reportedly, now it is going to be cutting back on that, and it's probably just about time. Listen to this, Toyota has 21 models in the United States. GM has one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight lines of automobiles, 82 different models. Chevy alone has more models than Toyota, Jack. This includes trucks. Chevy, 26 models. Pontiac, 13. Saturn, four. Hummer, three. GMC, 14. Buick, seven. Saab, six. Saab made by GM now. And Cadillac, nine. They're going to keep the Pontiac and Buick names. There was some talk of actually losing those lines altogether, like they did with Oldsmobile in 2003.
Forty-five percent of GM's capacity, factory space, if you will, in North America apparently goes to no or low-return businesses, like rental cars, cars for employees, and friends and family. This company has got a lot of consolidating to do.
CAFFERTY: Yes, and they got to do something about all those health care and pension liabilities that are piled up out there all the way to the horizon.
SERWER: And that is a huge problem. It's not going away anytime soon. CAFFERTY: What else?
SERWER: Let's talk about Blockbuster, and let's talk about the DVD rental business. We told you yesterday, Wal-Mart's getting out of this business, turning over all of their customers to Netflix, renting DVDs through the mail. Blockbuster fighting back today, saying if you switch, if you're a Netflix or a Wal-Mart customer, and show them your cancellation, you'll get two free months of DVD rentals at Blockbuster. So this is where competition is good for all of us.
CAFFERTY: Absolutely.
SERWER: Let's talk about the markets. Yesterday, stocks were up for the fourth day in a row. Dow up 28 points. You can see here, and that was because the price of oil fell below $47 a barrel yesterday actually, 46.90-something. But this morning, back above 47. Stock futures are down.
CAFFERTY: There you go. Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
CAFFERTY: Time for the file. Your tax dollars at work here. The Federal Aviation Administration wants to amend its regulations. Seems the folks at the FAA are concerned about the possible effects of advertising in space. So they want to make a new rule banning what they call obtrusive advertising in space. That's right, no billboards in space. This what is the FAA is doing these days. Regulators say at the FAA that big, bright advertisements might destroy the darkness of the night sky and hinder astronomers. How presumptive that the FAA thinks it has any authority over anything in space.
SERWER: Well, it wouldn't be the secretary of interior.
CAFFERTY: The perils of live television, particularly here in New York City. A reporter for the CBS flagship station, a kid named Arthur Chi'en, was fired from WCBS TV yesterday after sharing the 'f' word on the air with the Big Apple viewing audience. Chi'en was in the middle of a live shot during a local morning show here. He was being heckled by a couple of clowns on the street. The pair was carrying a sign, promoting a local morning radio program, and at one point they gave the finger to Chi'en's camera. Thinking that the station had cut away to tape, Chi'en turned around and shouted, what the bleep is your problem, man. Well, the station had not gone to tape, and now Chi'en is gone from the station.
O'BRIEN: I worked with him at NBC. He's a nice young man, so I'm sure someone else will snap him up.
CAFFERTY: Eleven-year-old Katie Brownell (ph) was somewhat of a celebrity in Oak Field, New York. She's the only girl in the local little league. On Saturday, she became a national celebrity. She pitched a perfect game against the guys. She struck out all 18 batters that she faced. Her team, the Dodgers, beat the opposing Yankees, 11-0. Katie said of her phenomenal pitching performance, the guys on the other team congratulated me, but they were kind of mad. HEMMER: I bet.
SERWER: I wonder if they were dropping any f-bombs.
O'BRIEN: We're going to talk to her Monday about her great game.
SERWER: Really? That's cool.
O'BRIEN: That's going to be fun.
HEMMER: Put a camera in that dug-out, huh? Come on, guys.
Thank you, Jack.
Top stories in a moment here. Also, 30 years since the movie "Jaws" scared America out of the water, including moi. Ahead, the fascinating story of how Steven Spielberg stumbled onto this movie magic.
Back in a moment here on a Friday morning.
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