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American Morning
Keeping Kids Safe; Aussie Outrage; O.J. Simpson Trial
Aired May 31, 2005 - 07:29 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: It's just about 7:30 in New York on a Tuesday. Good morning, everyone. Good to have you along with us today.
So many stories about child abductions in recent months. It has been story after story, especially in the state of Florida. Today, we're looking at one idea that might help kids to stay safer.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In fact, John Walsh and the Baby Einstein creator, Julie Clark, are going to join us. They've put together a new DVD to teach kids about safety.
HEMMER: We'll see if it helps, too.
First, a check of the headlines. To Carol Costello with those now
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News."
Italian military officials are on the scene of a helicopter crash this hour. They're trying to figure out why the chopper crashed earlier today in southern Iraq near the city of Nasiriyah. The entire four-person crew was killed. In the meantime, the U.S. military confirms that four U.S. Air Force personnel and an Iraqi were killed in the crash of an Iraqi plane last night. That crash took place near Baghdad.
Here in the states, two Florida teenagers face possible first- degree murder charges in the killing of a homeless man. Police say the suspects -- one 14, the other 18 -- confessed to kicking and beating the man, because they were bored and wanted something to do. Investigators say more arrests are possible.
Actor Christian Slater is in jail this morning, awaiting arraignment on a third-degree sexual assault charge. New York police arrested Slater in Manhattan earlier today. These pictures are just in to us now. Police say they responded to a call from a woman who said she had been attacked while walking. Slater is denying the charge. He shouted, "I'm innocent," as he was led that police car.
Details on this summer's Live Aid concerts are expected to be announced a little over an hour from now. The Live Aid sequel is set for Saturday, July 2, to coincide with the upcoming G8 check summit. The original Live Aid back in 1985 raised millions of dollars for African famine relief. Dave Matthews will be one of the performers, and he'll join us in the 9:00 Eastern hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
And for cheese chasers in England, victory can be very painful. More than 20 people were injured in this year's cheese rolling race. Three of them are in the hospital with broken bones. The race is a tradition that's been celebrated for centuries. The first person across the line wins the cheese and a small cash prize. The good news is that a lot more are usually injured.
O'BRIEN: Were they all chasing one thing of cheese? Or was each person chasing their own cheese?
COSTELLO: You can't explain this race, Soledad.
HEMMER: How do you not get hurt doing that? Limbs are flying all over the field down there.
O'BRIEN: It's just bizarre.
COSTELLO: Limbs and cheese.
HEMMER: See you, Carol.
O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.
Well, parents obviously tell their children not to talk to strangers, but that is not enough to keep them safe. A new video series uses a fun approach to the scary subject of abduction. It's called "Hot Tips to Keep Cool Kids Safe With People They Don't Know and Kinda Know," even the hairy ones.
Here's a little clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People who are not your safe side adults are called "kind of knows." Even I'm a kind of know. In fact, the following people are kind of knows. You just kind of know them. Ready? Your doctor, your dentist, your teacher, your mom's boss, your dad's boss, anybody who works with your mom and dad, your baby-sitter, your soccer coach, your basketball coach, your gymnastic teacher, your guitar teacher, your drum teacher, and the guy who cuts the grass.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The series' creators are John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted." He's in Fort Lauderdale. And Julie Clark, she's the creator of Baby Einstein, and she's in Denver this morning.
Nice to see you both. And thanks for talking with us.
John has obviously been involved in children's safety for a long time. But, Julie, I'm curious, why you, with the Baby Einstein products is really what you're most famous for, why did you want to get involved in children's safety?
JULIE CLARK, THE SAFE SIDE: Well, I've got children. So, much like Baby Einstein, I was really interested in what was right for my babies at the time. And The Safe Side was something that I needed for my children now that they're in elementary school.
O'BRIEN: John, I feel like this videotape takes a very different approach to the usual safety videotapes that we see. Can you explain that?
JOHN WALSH, THE SAFE SIDE: Well, we've found over the years that we've got to engage kids. We've got to make it fun while we're giving them good, important information. And Julie is the genius behind this. She's well-known for her Baby Einsteins, engaging children and letting them learn something while they're watching something that's fun. So, this is something made for parents and children to open those lines of communication.
And as you said, these are tough, tough times, and I think parents are confused, what's good to tell children, what's non- threatening. I think kids are asking all the time, gee, I see the headlines, mom. I need really need to know, daddy, I need to know, what are the rules of protection?
O'BRIEN: I thought it was interesting that you used different terminology than you usually hear. You know, we always tell our kids don't talk to strangers. And I know my 4-year-old thinks, well, you know, who is a stranger exactly? What exactly does that mean?
I want to run a clip before I ask you the next question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey! We're here at the rec center, and it's safe side day. Look at all the people. It's packed! Remember the hot tip. Never speak to a don't know unless your safe side adult says it's OK. And never give any information about yourself to somebody you don't know, like your name or where you live.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: What's a safe side adult, John? What does that mean?
WALSH: A safe side adult is, well, you've got different categories. You've got the don't knows, the kind of knows. And the safe side adults are the ones that you trust, the ones that you know they're going to protect you, take care of you, the ones that love you so much. For example, it could be a grandma. It could be a trusted uncle or an aunt, certainly mom and dad. And we try to make those categories so that children aren't confused.
For example, one of the little girls that was murdered down here in Florida was murdered by a sex offender, a convicted sex offender that her mother sort of knew. And I hate to say it, I wish that, you know kids -- this was mandatory in school curriculums that kids could know the difference between the kind of knows, the sorta knows and the safe site adults.
O'BRIEN: Julie, obviously it's directed toward kids. But do you expect that parents are going to watch it as well?
CLARK: I sure hope so. Our goal was to make a program that kids would like to watch, that they would watch repeatedly again and again, because that's the best way for kids to learn something. So, we had to make it fun for kids. But we really would like to open up the lines of communication between parents and kids. I think that parents find this to be a really difficult subject to talk about. And they don't always know how to approach it.
And so, what we've tried to do is give parents the tools that they need to be able to open up this conversation line with their kids. It's a critical, important conversation that all of us as parents need to have with our children.
O'BRIEN: I think you're right about that. John, before I let you go, I want to ask a question about the subject that was the focus of "America's Most Wanted" over the weekend, the missing children, again another headline, Shasta and Dylan Groene, who have been missing now for weeks. It seems bizarre, almost, that they have gotten so much national attention, and yet no leads, according to police, no substantial leads here. Have you been surprised that no one has come forward? A huge, $100,000 reward as well.
WALSH: Well, I'm not surprised. But we did have 40 tips on Saturday night. So, I'm hoping that those tips, because people who call "America's Most Wanted," because they can remain anonymous. Lots of people don't want to talk to cops. So, we had 40 tips that we've turned over to police, not giving the people's names, respecting their anonymity. And we're hoping that it will break this case. I am praying that this little boy and this little girl are still alive. But this is strange. But I think there's more than one person. Somebody knows what happened there, and I think it will come to light pretty soon.
O'BRIEN: The end as we begin, again, with headlines about missing children. John Walsh and Julie Clark, though, with some great advice this morning. Thanks for talking with us. We certainly appreciate it.
CLARK: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: All right, it's 22 minutes before the hour now.
Australia is trying to head off a diplomatic crisis, touched off by a drug case in Indonesia. Twenty-seven-year-old Australian Schapelle Corby was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for drug smuggling in Bali, Indonesia. The case has sparked outrage throughout Australia, where polls show most people there think she is flat-out innocent.
Deborah Knight, the senior reporter for Network 10 in Australia, is here to talk about this from Sydney.
The Australian government, Deborah, says 132 Australians are in foreign prisons, 13 in Indonesia. What is it about this case that has so many people in your country just upset?
DEBORAH KNIGHT, NETWORK 10, AUSTRALIA: It really has sparked an extraordinary reaction from the Australian people. Shapelle Corby is a young woman, who most people, as you say, in Australia do regard as innocent. And even if they do waver about her guilt or innocence, they do regard the 20-year jail term that she's been sentenced to for importing 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into Indonesia as far too long.
Interestingly, the Indonesian prosecutors are wanting her to actually have a much longer jail term. Life or the death penalty is the usual penalty for this type of crime. Twenty years in jail, they consider, is too light.
But a lot of Australians have reacted with enormous backlash to this issue. There is now a Web site called banbali.com that's been set up to try to prevent people from traveling to Indonesia. We've also seen people, also, wanting to organize a national day of action and protest on Shapelle Corby's birthday in reaction to this.
And it really is a swell of anger and distrust for the Indonesian legal system, viewing it as being corrupt and unfair for a woman whose real evidence in this case hasn't been heard fully.
HEMMER: Yes. There are some other reports here that indicate some people don't want to send any more money for charity for the victims of the tsunami in Banda Aceh in Indonesia as well. Also, getting word about canceling flights and holidays to Bali, and so many hundreds of thousands of Aussies goes to Bali every year to vacation and get some time away.
Has there been any evidence coming out of the airports in Australia that show that other people have had drugs loaded into their baggage or their suitcases before they departed places like Sydney?
KNIGHT: Well, that's where a lot of this distrust has stemmed from. There have been reports, increasing reports over the past few months and weeks of people who have arrived in Indonesia with their luggage, and have opened up their bags and found drugs planted in their luggage after they have arrived.
And we're seeing people taking extreme measures now, where they are wrapping up their suitcases themselves at the airports with Cling wrap and Glad wrap, rather than having professional services, even putting tape around their bags, as well as padlocks. Taking extreme measures with enormous skepticism and concern about corruption from baggage handlers at various airports in Australia, as well as corruption within the Indonesian legal system, if there were problems at the other end.
So, there have been reports coming to light, and there have even been reports of corruption and people importing cocaine in Australia on the day that Shapelle Corby was arrested, customs and baggage handlers. So, there is a great deal of concern. It is based on some degree of fact, but a lot of it really does stem from mistrust for the legal system in Indonesia.
HEMMER: This story seems to build by the week, especially with the sentencing coming down last week in Bali. Deborah Knight, the senior report for Network 10 in Australia, thanks for sharing what's happening in your country with us today. Appreciate it.
KNIGHT: Thanks, Bill.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It's about 20 minutes before the hour. It's time to take another look at the weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, guess what? The rumors are true, as strange as they are. Hotel heiress Paris Hilton is engaged. Hilton's spokesman says she and her fiance, the Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, are happy, and they're excited. Paris proposed to Paris on Wednesday after about eight months of dating. There is no date yet for their wedding, but you know what? I bet we're going to tell you when it's going to happen.
HEMMER: It's got to be in Paris.
O'BRIEN: Wouldn't that be nice?
HEMMER: Come on.
O'BRIEN: It's Cheesey (ph). One or the other.
Still to come this morning, Andy tells us why it's getting tougher to find the best deals on airfares. He's "Minding Your Business" just ahead.
HEMMER: Also, before the Jackson trial, there was the O.J. Simpson trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNNIE COCHRAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: In a moment here, looking back at one of the watershed news events of CNN's 25 years on the air. That's next in a moment. Back after this on a Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All week long, we're looking back at the history-making events of the past 25 years, brought to you here on CNN. Before the Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson and Martha Stewart trials, there was the O.J. Simpson trial. And as the 20th century came to a close, it became known as the trial of the century.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFFERY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The Simpson case combined everything that obsesses the American people. There was sex, race, sports, Hollywood, violence. And the only eyewitness was a dog.
HEMMER (voice over): It was called the trial of the century, and live television coverage made it feel like a made-for-TV movie.
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I understand we're going to go to a live picture in Los Angeles. Is that correct? OK. This is Interstate 5, and this is courtesy of KCAL, one of our L.A. affiliates. Police believe that O.J. Simpson is in that car.
TRACI TAMURA, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: You didn't know what was going to happen. Was he going to do something? You know, kill himself in the vehicle? You know, would they make another turn and head south?
HEMMER: From the images of O.J. Simpson's white Bronco chase to Simpson's arrest on charges of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, this story only got more dramatic when the case went to trial.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you plead to counts one and two?
O.J. SIMPSON, ACQUITTED OF MURDER: Absolutely, 100 percent not guilty.
HEMMER: The massive media onslaught than brought worldwide attention.
TAMURA: We set up the whole camp O.J., and it was a very elaborate deal. It had your mobile homes sitting there, all the satellite city of all of the trucks lined up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prosecutors have said they'll decide by the end of the month whether to seek the death penalty in the Simpson case.
TOOBIN: We all thought, well, interest can't be sustained at this level. And we were wrong.
HEMMER: And O.J.'s defense dream team knew how to fuel the fire.
COCHRAN: It's no disguise. It's no disguise. It makes no sense. It doesn't fit. If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.
TOOBIN: The only person in the Simpson trial who I thought was really larger than life was Johnnie Cochran. When he walked into that courtroom, you couldn't take your eyes off him. And he was really good at his work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We the jury in the above-entitled action find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder. HEMMER: Approximately 150 million people watched live coverage of the O.J. Simpson verdict. When it was read October 3, 1995, the public reaction was swift and intense.
TOOBIN: Fifty years from now the most important thing about the Simpson case, it will be about the public reaction to the trial and how black people and white people saw exactly the same pictures on television and came to dramatically different conclusions about what was right and what was wrong. Some cases are interesting. Some cases are important. The Simpson case turned out to be both.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: A bit later, the jury in the civil case found Simpson liable for the deaths and awarded the plaintiffs, the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, $8.5 million in damages.
If you see that little bug on our air, we call it a bug, it's in the bottom right-hand corner, normally. It has the CNN 25 logo on it. June 1, tomorrow, is the day of our anniversary, the day CNN went on the air for the first time out of Atlanta, Georgia. And a very special guest tomorrow, former CNN anchor Bernie Shaw will be here on AMERICAN MORNING.
And then later, tomorrow night, on the evening of the 1sts of June, a prime time special "Defining Moments: 25 Stories That Touched Our Lives." And the most significant events of the past two-and-a- half decades that you watched from around the world here on CNN. I'm looking forward to that. Tomorrow night at 8:00 here on CNN -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I'm looking forward to that, too.
Ahead this morning, finding the best deals on airfares is getting a little bit tougher. Andy is going to tell you why the price you find isn't always the price you'll pay. He's "Minding Your Business." That's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right. Welcome back, everyone. A word of warning: If you're planning to fly anytime soon, there might be more to those ticket prices than meets the eye. And we have heard that before. With that story and a check of the markets after an off-day yesterday, here's Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Bill.
This is kind of a pernicious little deal here, if I may say so. American Airlines is joining some discounters by not publishing the full amount of fares on its Web site, making comparisons between carriers almost impossible. This is the ultimate apple and orange deal we have here. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting this story. If you take a look, for example, at a New York to Phoenix fare, American Airlines is now saying it's $213. They're not publishing all of these different fees and taxes on their Web site. And the fees and taxes can add up to as much as 20 percent.
So, while it says it's 213, by the time you add all of these little doodads up here -- this has a layover in Dallas/Fort Worth by the way, that's what that nine bucks is -- it's $268.
So, you know, what American is trying to do here is highlight the extent that these fees and taxes are adding on to the cost of flying, maybe trying to get you to go to talk to your congressman and do something about it.
O'BRIEN: You pay for a layover?
SERWER: Yes, that's the $9 layover. Well, the segment fee, how about that? That's a fee where if you, you know, don't fly direct. So, they're going to start like a seat fee. If you're going to sit down, which you have to, then you have to pay. I mean, it's unbelievable.
HEMMER: Are the peanuts more expensive in Dallas than they are in Phoenix?
SERWER: I don't know, but there are no pretzels on Northwest anymore. We know that.
HEMMER: That would be a story.
SERWER: Let's talk about the markets. Stocks really have been rising during this month; last week no exception. You can see here, the Dow is up, Nasdaq. That was about 70 points on the Dow.
Interest rates actually falling, which is a bit surprising. We're still in the red for the year, however. And futures are lower this morning.
HEMMER: We're making up a little bit of ground, though, relative to where we were.
SERWER: Yes. The markets are down about 1, 2, 3 percent, depending on which one you look at.
HEMMER: Thanks, Andy.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much.
Jack has the got "Question of the Day." It focuses on the president.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Soledad.
With President Bush facing the lowest poll numbers of his presidency and few significant legislative victories to point to so far, rumblings of those dreaded words, "lame duck," can be heard around Washington, D.C.
A "Washington Post" analysis today cites a number of domestic and foreign setbacks for the president. Republicans in Congress have broken ranks with him over stem cell research, President Bush' judicial nominees, Social Security reforms going nowhere, despite all of that traveling and lobbying of the public. The war in Iraq is getting bloodier by the day, it seems.
When President Bush won re-election, he declared to the country that he had earned plenty of -- quote -- "political capital."
But the question this morning is: Has President Bush lost that political capital?
Joe in Florida writes: "He never had any. He was and is a figurehead installed by the conservative right to disrupt the integrity of our integrated society and install religion into our political system. He has further divided our country."
Patricia in California: "Yes. I never trusted him in the first place. People thought because he sent troops into Afghanistan that he was making us safer. Well, I truly don't feel safer at all."
Tim in New York writes: "I don't know about losing anything. I think he's going forward with everything that he's said he was going to do, popular or not."
D.W. in California writes: "Yes, I think that he lost it on about his 20th fruitless trip to rally support for Social Security privatization."
And Randy in Texas writes: " This president's self-perceived political capital has evaporated faster than a gallon of $2 gasoline. The price of fuel, ongoing occupation of Iraq and continued arrogance of this right wing, do as I say not as I do administration is literally breaking the will and the pocketbooks of the American people."
HEMMER: A lot to consider. Thank you, Jack.
The weather is turning nice. We know that now. It's time for some teens to catch some rays. There is some alarming news, though, on just how much damage they are doing to their skin. Sanjay has that after this. Back in a moment.
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Aired May 31, 2005 - 07:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's just about 7:30 in New York on a Tuesday. Good morning, everyone. Good to have you along with us today.
So many stories about child abductions in recent months. It has been story after story, especially in the state of Florida. Today, we're looking at one idea that might help kids to stay safer.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In fact, John Walsh and the Baby Einstein creator, Julie Clark, are going to join us. They've put together a new DVD to teach kids about safety.
HEMMER: We'll see if it helps, too.
First, a check of the headlines. To Carol Costello with those now
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News."
Italian military officials are on the scene of a helicopter crash this hour. They're trying to figure out why the chopper crashed earlier today in southern Iraq near the city of Nasiriyah. The entire four-person crew was killed. In the meantime, the U.S. military confirms that four U.S. Air Force personnel and an Iraqi were killed in the crash of an Iraqi plane last night. That crash took place near Baghdad.
Here in the states, two Florida teenagers face possible first- degree murder charges in the killing of a homeless man. Police say the suspects -- one 14, the other 18 -- confessed to kicking and beating the man, because they were bored and wanted something to do. Investigators say more arrests are possible.
Actor Christian Slater is in jail this morning, awaiting arraignment on a third-degree sexual assault charge. New York police arrested Slater in Manhattan earlier today. These pictures are just in to us now. Police say they responded to a call from a woman who said she had been attacked while walking. Slater is denying the charge. He shouted, "I'm innocent," as he was led that police car.
Details on this summer's Live Aid concerts are expected to be announced a little over an hour from now. The Live Aid sequel is set for Saturday, July 2, to coincide with the upcoming G8 check summit. The original Live Aid back in 1985 raised millions of dollars for African famine relief. Dave Matthews will be one of the performers, and he'll join us in the 9:00 Eastern hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
And for cheese chasers in England, victory can be very painful. More than 20 people were injured in this year's cheese rolling race. Three of them are in the hospital with broken bones. The race is a tradition that's been celebrated for centuries. The first person across the line wins the cheese and a small cash prize. The good news is that a lot more are usually injured.
O'BRIEN: Were they all chasing one thing of cheese? Or was each person chasing their own cheese?
COSTELLO: You can't explain this race, Soledad.
HEMMER: How do you not get hurt doing that? Limbs are flying all over the field down there.
O'BRIEN: It's just bizarre.
COSTELLO: Limbs and cheese.
HEMMER: See you, Carol.
O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.
Well, parents obviously tell their children not to talk to strangers, but that is not enough to keep them safe. A new video series uses a fun approach to the scary subject of abduction. It's called "Hot Tips to Keep Cool Kids Safe With People They Don't Know and Kinda Know," even the hairy ones.
Here's a little clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People who are not your safe side adults are called "kind of knows." Even I'm a kind of know. In fact, the following people are kind of knows. You just kind of know them. Ready? Your doctor, your dentist, your teacher, your mom's boss, your dad's boss, anybody who works with your mom and dad, your baby-sitter, your soccer coach, your basketball coach, your gymnastic teacher, your guitar teacher, your drum teacher, and the guy who cuts the grass.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The series' creators are John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted." He's in Fort Lauderdale. And Julie Clark, she's the creator of Baby Einstein, and she's in Denver this morning.
Nice to see you both. And thanks for talking with us.
John has obviously been involved in children's safety for a long time. But, Julie, I'm curious, why you, with the Baby Einstein products is really what you're most famous for, why did you want to get involved in children's safety?
JULIE CLARK, THE SAFE SIDE: Well, I've got children. So, much like Baby Einstein, I was really interested in what was right for my babies at the time. And The Safe Side was something that I needed for my children now that they're in elementary school.
O'BRIEN: John, I feel like this videotape takes a very different approach to the usual safety videotapes that we see. Can you explain that?
JOHN WALSH, THE SAFE SIDE: Well, we've found over the years that we've got to engage kids. We've got to make it fun while we're giving them good, important information. And Julie is the genius behind this. She's well-known for her Baby Einsteins, engaging children and letting them learn something while they're watching something that's fun. So, this is something made for parents and children to open those lines of communication.
And as you said, these are tough, tough times, and I think parents are confused, what's good to tell children, what's non- threatening. I think kids are asking all the time, gee, I see the headlines, mom. I need really need to know, daddy, I need to know, what are the rules of protection?
O'BRIEN: I thought it was interesting that you used different terminology than you usually hear. You know, we always tell our kids don't talk to strangers. And I know my 4-year-old thinks, well, you know, who is a stranger exactly? What exactly does that mean?
I want to run a clip before I ask you the next question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey! We're here at the rec center, and it's safe side day. Look at all the people. It's packed! Remember the hot tip. Never speak to a don't know unless your safe side adult says it's OK. And never give any information about yourself to somebody you don't know, like your name or where you live.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: What's a safe side adult, John? What does that mean?
WALSH: A safe side adult is, well, you've got different categories. You've got the don't knows, the kind of knows. And the safe side adults are the ones that you trust, the ones that you know they're going to protect you, take care of you, the ones that love you so much. For example, it could be a grandma. It could be a trusted uncle or an aunt, certainly mom and dad. And we try to make those categories so that children aren't confused.
For example, one of the little girls that was murdered down here in Florida was murdered by a sex offender, a convicted sex offender that her mother sort of knew. And I hate to say it, I wish that, you know kids -- this was mandatory in school curriculums that kids could know the difference between the kind of knows, the sorta knows and the safe site adults.
O'BRIEN: Julie, obviously it's directed toward kids. But do you expect that parents are going to watch it as well?
CLARK: I sure hope so. Our goal was to make a program that kids would like to watch, that they would watch repeatedly again and again, because that's the best way for kids to learn something. So, we had to make it fun for kids. But we really would like to open up the lines of communication between parents and kids. I think that parents find this to be a really difficult subject to talk about. And they don't always know how to approach it.
And so, what we've tried to do is give parents the tools that they need to be able to open up this conversation line with their kids. It's a critical, important conversation that all of us as parents need to have with our children.
O'BRIEN: I think you're right about that. John, before I let you go, I want to ask a question about the subject that was the focus of "America's Most Wanted" over the weekend, the missing children, again another headline, Shasta and Dylan Groene, who have been missing now for weeks. It seems bizarre, almost, that they have gotten so much national attention, and yet no leads, according to police, no substantial leads here. Have you been surprised that no one has come forward? A huge, $100,000 reward as well.
WALSH: Well, I'm not surprised. But we did have 40 tips on Saturday night. So, I'm hoping that those tips, because people who call "America's Most Wanted," because they can remain anonymous. Lots of people don't want to talk to cops. So, we had 40 tips that we've turned over to police, not giving the people's names, respecting their anonymity. And we're hoping that it will break this case. I am praying that this little boy and this little girl are still alive. But this is strange. But I think there's more than one person. Somebody knows what happened there, and I think it will come to light pretty soon.
O'BRIEN: The end as we begin, again, with headlines about missing children. John Walsh and Julie Clark, though, with some great advice this morning. Thanks for talking with us. We certainly appreciate it.
CLARK: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: All right, it's 22 minutes before the hour now.
Australia is trying to head off a diplomatic crisis, touched off by a drug case in Indonesia. Twenty-seven-year-old Australian Schapelle Corby was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for drug smuggling in Bali, Indonesia. The case has sparked outrage throughout Australia, where polls show most people there think she is flat-out innocent.
Deborah Knight, the senior reporter for Network 10 in Australia, is here to talk about this from Sydney.
The Australian government, Deborah, says 132 Australians are in foreign prisons, 13 in Indonesia. What is it about this case that has so many people in your country just upset?
DEBORAH KNIGHT, NETWORK 10, AUSTRALIA: It really has sparked an extraordinary reaction from the Australian people. Shapelle Corby is a young woman, who most people, as you say, in Australia do regard as innocent. And even if they do waver about her guilt or innocence, they do regard the 20-year jail term that she's been sentenced to for importing 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into Indonesia as far too long.
Interestingly, the Indonesian prosecutors are wanting her to actually have a much longer jail term. Life or the death penalty is the usual penalty for this type of crime. Twenty years in jail, they consider, is too light.
But a lot of Australians have reacted with enormous backlash to this issue. There is now a Web site called banbali.com that's been set up to try to prevent people from traveling to Indonesia. We've also seen people, also, wanting to organize a national day of action and protest on Shapelle Corby's birthday in reaction to this.
And it really is a swell of anger and distrust for the Indonesian legal system, viewing it as being corrupt and unfair for a woman whose real evidence in this case hasn't been heard fully.
HEMMER: Yes. There are some other reports here that indicate some people don't want to send any more money for charity for the victims of the tsunami in Banda Aceh in Indonesia as well. Also, getting word about canceling flights and holidays to Bali, and so many hundreds of thousands of Aussies goes to Bali every year to vacation and get some time away.
Has there been any evidence coming out of the airports in Australia that show that other people have had drugs loaded into their baggage or their suitcases before they departed places like Sydney?
KNIGHT: Well, that's where a lot of this distrust has stemmed from. There have been reports, increasing reports over the past few months and weeks of people who have arrived in Indonesia with their luggage, and have opened up their bags and found drugs planted in their luggage after they have arrived.
And we're seeing people taking extreme measures now, where they are wrapping up their suitcases themselves at the airports with Cling wrap and Glad wrap, rather than having professional services, even putting tape around their bags, as well as padlocks. Taking extreme measures with enormous skepticism and concern about corruption from baggage handlers at various airports in Australia, as well as corruption within the Indonesian legal system, if there were problems at the other end.
So, there have been reports coming to light, and there have even been reports of corruption and people importing cocaine in Australia on the day that Shapelle Corby was arrested, customs and baggage handlers. So, there is a great deal of concern. It is based on some degree of fact, but a lot of it really does stem from mistrust for the legal system in Indonesia.
HEMMER: This story seems to build by the week, especially with the sentencing coming down last week in Bali. Deborah Knight, the senior report for Network 10 in Australia, thanks for sharing what's happening in your country with us today. Appreciate it.
KNIGHT: Thanks, Bill.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It's about 20 minutes before the hour. It's time to take another look at the weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, guess what? The rumors are true, as strange as they are. Hotel heiress Paris Hilton is engaged. Hilton's spokesman says she and her fiance, the Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, are happy, and they're excited. Paris proposed to Paris on Wednesday after about eight months of dating. There is no date yet for their wedding, but you know what? I bet we're going to tell you when it's going to happen.
HEMMER: It's got to be in Paris.
O'BRIEN: Wouldn't that be nice?
HEMMER: Come on.
O'BRIEN: It's Cheesey (ph). One or the other.
Still to come this morning, Andy tells us why it's getting tougher to find the best deals on airfares. He's "Minding Your Business" just ahead.
HEMMER: Also, before the Jackson trial, there was the O.J. Simpson trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNNIE COCHRAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: In a moment here, looking back at one of the watershed news events of CNN's 25 years on the air. That's next in a moment. Back after this on a Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All week long, we're looking back at the history-making events of the past 25 years, brought to you here on CNN. Before the Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson and Martha Stewart trials, there was the O.J. Simpson trial. And as the 20th century came to a close, it became known as the trial of the century.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFFERY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The Simpson case combined everything that obsesses the American people. There was sex, race, sports, Hollywood, violence. And the only eyewitness was a dog.
HEMMER (voice over): It was called the trial of the century, and live television coverage made it feel like a made-for-TV movie.
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I understand we're going to go to a live picture in Los Angeles. Is that correct? OK. This is Interstate 5, and this is courtesy of KCAL, one of our L.A. affiliates. Police believe that O.J. Simpson is in that car.
TRACI TAMURA, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: You didn't know what was going to happen. Was he going to do something? You know, kill himself in the vehicle? You know, would they make another turn and head south?
HEMMER: From the images of O.J. Simpson's white Bronco chase to Simpson's arrest on charges of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, this story only got more dramatic when the case went to trial.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you plead to counts one and two?
O.J. SIMPSON, ACQUITTED OF MURDER: Absolutely, 100 percent not guilty.
HEMMER: The massive media onslaught than brought worldwide attention.
TAMURA: We set up the whole camp O.J., and it was a very elaborate deal. It had your mobile homes sitting there, all the satellite city of all of the trucks lined up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prosecutors have said they'll decide by the end of the month whether to seek the death penalty in the Simpson case.
TOOBIN: We all thought, well, interest can't be sustained at this level. And we were wrong.
HEMMER: And O.J.'s defense dream team knew how to fuel the fire.
COCHRAN: It's no disguise. It's no disguise. It makes no sense. It doesn't fit. If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.
TOOBIN: The only person in the Simpson trial who I thought was really larger than life was Johnnie Cochran. When he walked into that courtroom, you couldn't take your eyes off him. And he was really good at his work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We the jury in the above-entitled action find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder. HEMMER: Approximately 150 million people watched live coverage of the O.J. Simpson verdict. When it was read October 3, 1995, the public reaction was swift and intense.
TOOBIN: Fifty years from now the most important thing about the Simpson case, it will be about the public reaction to the trial and how black people and white people saw exactly the same pictures on television and came to dramatically different conclusions about what was right and what was wrong. Some cases are interesting. Some cases are important. The Simpson case turned out to be both.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: A bit later, the jury in the civil case found Simpson liable for the deaths and awarded the plaintiffs, the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, $8.5 million in damages.
If you see that little bug on our air, we call it a bug, it's in the bottom right-hand corner, normally. It has the CNN 25 logo on it. June 1, tomorrow, is the day of our anniversary, the day CNN went on the air for the first time out of Atlanta, Georgia. And a very special guest tomorrow, former CNN anchor Bernie Shaw will be here on AMERICAN MORNING.
And then later, tomorrow night, on the evening of the 1sts of June, a prime time special "Defining Moments: 25 Stories That Touched Our Lives." And the most significant events of the past two-and-a- half decades that you watched from around the world here on CNN. I'm looking forward to that. Tomorrow night at 8:00 here on CNN -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I'm looking forward to that, too.
Ahead this morning, finding the best deals on airfares is getting a little bit tougher. Andy is going to tell you why the price you find isn't always the price you'll pay. He's "Minding Your Business." That's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right. Welcome back, everyone. A word of warning: If you're planning to fly anytime soon, there might be more to those ticket prices than meets the eye. And we have heard that before. With that story and a check of the markets after an off-day yesterday, here's Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Bill.
This is kind of a pernicious little deal here, if I may say so. American Airlines is joining some discounters by not publishing the full amount of fares on its Web site, making comparisons between carriers almost impossible. This is the ultimate apple and orange deal we have here. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting this story. If you take a look, for example, at a New York to Phoenix fare, American Airlines is now saying it's $213. They're not publishing all of these different fees and taxes on their Web site. And the fees and taxes can add up to as much as 20 percent.
So, while it says it's 213, by the time you add all of these little doodads up here -- this has a layover in Dallas/Fort Worth by the way, that's what that nine bucks is -- it's $268.
So, you know, what American is trying to do here is highlight the extent that these fees and taxes are adding on to the cost of flying, maybe trying to get you to go to talk to your congressman and do something about it.
O'BRIEN: You pay for a layover?
SERWER: Yes, that's the $9 layover. Well, the segment fee, how about that? That's a fee where if you, you know, don't fly direct. So, they're going to start like a seat fee. If you're going to sit down, which you have to, then you have to pay. I mean, it's unbelievable.
HEMMER: Are the peanuts more expensive in Dallas than they are in Phoenix?
SERWER: I don't know, but there are no pretzels on Northwest anymore. We know that.
HEMMER: That would be a story.
SERWER: Let's talk about the markets. Stocks really have been rising during this month; last week no exception. You can see here, the Dow is up, Nasdaq. That was about 70 points on the Dow.
Interest rates actually falling, which is a bit surprising. We're still in the red for the year, however. And futures are lower this morning.
HEMMER: We're making up a little bit of ground, though, relative to where we were.
SERWER: Yes. The markets are down about 1, 2, 3 percent, depending on which one you look at.
HEMMER: Thanks, Andy.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much.
Jack has the got "Question of the Day." It focuses on the president.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Soledad.
With President Bush facing the lowest poll numbers of his presidency and few significant legislative victories to point to so far, rumblings of those dreaded words, "lame duck," can be heard around Washington, D.C.
A "Washington Post" analysis today cites a number of domestic and foreign setbacks for the president. Republicans in Congress have broken ranks with him over stem cell research, President Bush' judicial nominees, Social Security reforms going nowhere, despite all of that traveling and lobbying of the public. The war in Iraq is getting bloodier by the day, it seems.
When President Bush won re-election, he declared to the country that he had earned plenty of -- quote -- "political capital."
But the question this morning is: Has President Bush lost that political capital?
Joe in Florida writes: "He never had any. He was and is a figurehead installed by the conservative right to disrupt the integrity of our integrated society and install religion into our political system. He has further divided our country."
Patricia in California: "Yes. I never trusted him in the first place. People thought because he sent troops into Afghanistan that he was making us safer. Well, I truly don't feel safer at all."
Tim in New York writes: "I don't know about losing anything. I think he's going forward with everything that he's said he was going to do, popular or not."
D.W. in California writes: "Yes, I think that he lost it on about his 20th fruitless trip to rally support for Social Security privatization."
And Randy in Texas writes: " This president's self-perceived political capital has evaporated faster than a gallon of $2 gasoline. The price of fuel, ongoing occupation of Iraq and continued arrogance of this right wing, do as I say not as I do administration is literally breaking the will and the pocketbooks of the American people."
HEMMER: A lot to consider. Thank you, Jack.
The weather is turning nice. We know that now. It's time for some teens to catch some rays. There is some alarming news, though, on just how much damage they are doing to their skin. Sanjay has that after this. Back in a moment.
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