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American Morning
'90-Second Pop'; Ready for Release?
Aired August 05, 2005 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, the U.S. military launches Operation Quick Strike in Iraq. Here I am. U.S. Marines and nearly 1,000 Iraqi soldiers are carrying out the operation in Iraq's Anbar province. That's west of Baghdad. The military says the mission is aimed at disrupting insurgent activity in the region. The operation was planned before the latest wave of violence that's left at least 21 U.S. Marines dead.
There is word this morning on Tuesday's Air France crash. We're Just getting this in. According to the Associated Press, investigators say the plane appears to have landed too far down the runway. That's the early word there as they continue to investigate. None of the 309 people onboard that Airbus jet were injured.
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist was seen leaving his home this morning after a brief trip to the hospital. Rehnquist developed a fever. He was examined on Thursday at a Virginia hospital, but he was not admitted. The 80-year-old has been battling thyroid cancer since October. In July, Rehnquist spent two nights at the same hospital after complaining of a fever then. He was released -- he has released a statement saying he had no plans to retire because of his health.
And Discovery astronauts are picking up and getting ready for their return to Earth. NASA officials decided Thursday a fourth space walk would not be needed to repair a torn thermal blanket. Scientists say tests show the damage would not pose a problem during the shuttle's re-entry. Discovery's landing is set to take place on Monday, and we will be there bright and early. What? At 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We as in Miles.
COSTELLO: And me. I will be there as well.
S. O'BRIEN: That's right.
COSTELLO: But it should be pretty exciting.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, yes. It always is. And one thing about shuttle landings, once that do that orbit burn, they're coming home. Set your watch to it.
S. O'BRIEN: Certainly hope it goes well.
M. O'BRIEN: We do. All right, thank you. Let's turn to the story we've been telling you about out of Nevada. A convicted killer could go free less than a year after his trial. His defense hinged on an insanity claim, but his doctors now say he's cured.
Our correspondent Dan Simon explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBBIN TROWBRIDGE-BENKO, VICTIM'S MOTHER: The last words my son said was, why did he do this to me?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four years ago, Robbin Trowbridge-Benko's son, John, a former Navy man, was killed in a bizarre and violent fashion. Now thanks to a quirk in Nevada law, the man responsible could soon be back on the streets.
Las Vegas October 2001, Trowbridge hanging out at a friend's house when this man, Michael Kane, stabbed him repeatedly with a Roman dagger. Authorities say Kane suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and had also been under the influence of LSD.
At his trial, Kane pled not guilty by reason of insanity.
SCOTT COFFEE, KANE'S PUBLIC DEFENDER: This was a tragedy, but it wasn't criminal.
SIMON (on camera): And the jury bought it. Kane's sentence was confinement in a psychiatric hospital. Now less than a year after the trial, doctors say he's free of mental illness. That means under Nevada law, Kane could soon be a free man.
(voice-over): And that has the victim's mom completely bewildered.
When the judge signed his commitment papers she looked at me and said, he will never get out.
SIMON: What's changed? Well according to medical experts, Kane is cured, not the same man who stabbed John Trowbridge to death.
COFFEE: I don't believe society's got anything to fear from Michael Kane.
SIMON: But the victim's mother couldn't disagree more, and is lobbying to get the Nevada law changed so that even criminals judged mentally ill can't avoid paying for their crimes.
TROWBRIDGE-BENKO: I'm here to let everyone know though high to bury my son, his voice will be heard, and it will be through me, and it will be loud and it will be clear.
SIMON: Dan Simon for CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE) S. O'BRIEN: Mrs. Trowbridge-Benko joins us from Las Vegas this morning. It's nice to see you, and thank you for talking to us. Did you ever think when this trial was going on that, in fact, Michael Kane was insane?
TROWBRIDGE-BENKO: Absolutely not, Soledad. I never believed that he was insane at the time of the killing, never.
S. O'BRIEN: You thought he was faking it?
TROWBRIDGE-BENKO: I don't know if I thought he was faking it afterwards. Definitely the time he stabbed my son to death, he was not under any type of delusion. He fled the scene. He ripped his bloody clothes off. He hid them, as I understand it, we've never even found those clothes, so -- and he attacked my son. So there was no mistaking of what he was attempting to do, and he accomplished that. He killed my son.
S. O'BRIEN: There's so many outrageous things about this case, frankly, and I guess I'm asking you, what's the most outrageous that he was able to claim insanity or that he potentially, after serving 11 months, serving, I should say, in a hospital, he can go free?
TROWBRIDGE-BENKO: I guess at this point, the most outrageous aspect of this all is that he could absolutely walk free in a few hours. The hearing will be today, and the fact that he can claim at one point maybe it was the drugs, another point it was insanity, and now I'm hearing we're back to the drugs. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Psychiatrists who's examined him, who think that he should, in fact, go free have said he's made an incredible recovery. What do you say to them?
TROWBRIDGE-BENKO: I say to them, I think they need to look back at their reports on schizophrenia, because schizophrenics do not have cure. And they can go months, even years, without having an episode. That doesn't mean they're not schizophrenic, and it doesn't mean that they're not violent.
S. O'BRIEN: A big part of the problem, I guess, from your perspective, is that there's a different group of doctors who said he's insane now who are examining him, potentially releasing him, saying, well, he's not insane at all, he's fine now. Is that something that you're focused on?
TROWBRIDGE-BENKO: Very much so. What I have focused on that is speaking with the legislatures, and they have accepted the fact that this needs to be changed, and changed immediately, and one of the things we're looking to do is have the change in the statute, where the doctors that testify at trial must be involved and in the evaluation process, and the doctors that want to be involved later must be involved in the trial. Instead of the doctors passing through the night and this terrible miscommunication.
S. O'BRIEN: In the piece we ran right before we introduced you to our audience, you said your son's going to speak through you, and that justice will be served. If, in fact, he is released today, 11 months time spent in a mental institution for his killer, what do you do next?
TROWBRIDGE-BENKO: I guess at that point, I go home and I realize that I've done everything I can to find some justice for my son and to ensure the safety of, you know, the Las Vegas, Nevada, and the whole country from this injustices served, and I continue with my fight with the statutes, and I try to pull my family back together after another tragedy.
S. O'BRIEN: Robbin Trowbridge-Benko, joining us from Las Vegas this morning. Thanks for being with us.
TROWBRIDGE-BENKO: Thank you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Jessica Simpson. Oh, yes, there she is, right there in those super short-shorts.
M. O'BRIEN: Do we have time for more of this tease? Can we just extend it out a little bit?
S. O'BRIEN: We could try to keep going, Right? With her Daisy Dukes on, trying to move movie audiences. Is that little shake-a- shake-a-working?
M. O'BRIEN: You get.
S. O'BRIEN: It's working for Miles.
"90-second Pop" is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: New employment numbers out this morning, and here with that, plus a check of the markets, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business." How's the market doing?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you.
We're going to find out. I think the market was trading down. I'll put up the board to find out, Soledad. Let's see.
S. O'BRIEN: There we go.
SERWER: Down 15 points -- 14 points.
The big news this morning on Wall Street, and for the economy is the jobs report for the month of July, Soledad. It actually came in pretty good, 207,000 jobs created. Unemployment rate stays at five percent, which is pretty low. We were looking for 180,000 jobs, so we did better now. We also added 44,000 jobs when they reassessed the surveys for May and June, they added 44,000 jobs. So that's good news there. And the markets still digesting those numbers. We have been selling off a little bit over the past couple days because of that scorching rally in the month of July.
We have a little story to tell you about coming from Boston's Logan Airport of all places. Interesting things going on up there. It seems there's a little bit of a wi-fi war going on. This between Continental Airlines and the airport itself. Continental Airlines is trying to offer its customers free wi-fi in its lounges. The airport's saying, no, because that would interfere with very serious communications, and signals and securities.
S. O'BRIEN: Lots of airports offer wi-fi, don't they?
SERWER: Yes, now, Miles, smells a rat, and I think he's right, because what's going on here, is that the airport itself offers a wi- fi service for $7.95. But Continental's would interfere with the signals.
M. O'BRIEN: Serious interference, yes.
SERWER: Continental is saying, you know, we don't really think that's the case.
M. O'BRIEN: Like a cell phone issue.
SERWER: Yes, exactly. Is it really a security problem? We're not really sure.
M. O'BRIEN: Interesting. We'll see how it all ends up. Andy, thanks -- Miles.
SERWER: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, in this week's "Extra Effort" segment, a couple is devoting their lives to educating parents about a painful lesson they learned in a tragically difficult way.
Gerri Willis with their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know where little Stewie is today? He's up in Heaven.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Leonard's never imagined this would be their life's work, and their determination is borne from personal tragedy. They had it all. A beautiful family, a successful chain of gourmet food stores, vacationing in the Caribbean.
So when January 1, 1989 rolled around, there was a lot to celebrate. A new year and their daughter's third birthday.
STEW LEONARD JR., SON DROWNED: I was putting balloons up, up around the pool, and our little, almost 2-year-old son, Stewie, was helping me, was handing me the balloons, and I was putting them up. We're having a great father-son event going on, and I went to put one of the balloons up there, and I looked down, and he wasn't there. WILLIS: Stewie had chased a balloon that drifted into the Leonard's swimming pool.
LEONARD: And I remember after seemed like just minutes, I looked down. I saw a yellow shirt floating in the pool. And he was face- down in the pool, and I dove in, got him, and we administered CPR. We administered CPR, it was too late.
WILLIS: The Leonards knew that for the sake of their family, they had to find a way to move beyond the pain. Part of the healing has come from helping others. In the year following their son's death, they created the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation. To get the message out, they've raised more than a million dollars to publish books, produce videos and pay for swimming lessons for more than 10,000 kids.
At the heart of their campaign, two simple solutions they believe can keep kids safe: teaching toddlers to float on their backs and blow bubbles.
LEONARD: If they don't panic and do fall in the pool, if they just learned to blow out and just roll back and enjoy life and lay there, they could get rescued.
WILLIS: Even if that buys a child only another 30 seconds to a minute, the Leonards say that can be critical when a parent's attention has wandered.
But safety experts believe parents should do much more by installing redundant layers of protection, including a backdoor alarm, a fence with a latch, a pool alarm and safety drains.
As for the Leonards, they say they just want to save lives.
LEONARD: Hopefully, we can take the tragedy that happened to us, and we can help others prevent the same thing, you know, Happening to them what happened to us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: A tragic story, horrifying. That was CNN's Gerri Willis reporting. If you'd like to learn more about pool safety or find out where to go in your neighborhood for swimming lessons, check out the Red Cross Web site. That's redcross.org.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, just heart breaking. Gosh, wow.
All right, let's check in with Daryn Kagan now. CNN LIVE TODAY coming up in just a little bit.
Hey, Daryn, good morning.
KAGAN: Soledad, good morning to you. At the top the hour, are things looking up for the U.S. economy? We're going to go beyond the numbers. I'll ask my guest, Treasury Secretary John Snow.
Also, ever feel like somebody may be watching you? Our series "Safe at Home" looks at the explosion of security cameras.
KAGAN: Plus, America's new drink of choice. Maybe in France, but here? We're going to talk about the taste for Bourgeleit (ph), another wine product. That's coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY. More wine consumed in the U.S. now than beer.
S. O'BRIEN: Really? I thought you were going to talk about the apple martinis.
KAGAN: Another segment on that.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks. I'd like that.
M. O'BRIEN: She's been thinking about that since 7:00 this morning. Is that a sign of trouble? I don't know.
S. O'BRIEN: Is that a sign of a rough day? All right, Daryn, thanks a lot.
Still to come this morning, Hollywood's young and powerful. Lindsay Lohan made "Teen People's" hot list, but she wasn't number one. Find out just who was in "90-Second Pop." That's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
S. O'BRIEN: I can hear Miles thinking, enough of the car, show us Jessica Simpson already. Welcome back, everybody. The week is not over until our "90 Second Pop" panel sings.
Joining us this morning, Sarah Bernard from "New York" magazine. The one and only Bradley Jacobs joining from "US Weekly." And Laura Morgan. She's new. It's her first time here on "90 Second Pop." She's from "Teen People." Good morning.
Bradley, let's get right to our first story, which is Jessica Simpson and "Dukes of Hazzard," the remake of the TV show. You've seen it. You're one of the few. Loved it? Hated it? I can tell by how long you hesitate. One Mississippi, two Mississippi.
BRADLEY JACOBS, "US WEEKLY": Definitely did not love it. Jessica Simpson cannot act, yet she's the best thing about the movie. This movie is opening on 3,800 screens, which is a record for a movie without special effects. It's probably going to make $30 million. Of course, it will be the number one movie this weekend. But I'm here to tell you it is not good.
S. O'BRIEN: I'm sorry, did you not see Jessica Simpson?
JACOBS: Jessica Simpson, let's talk about her for a second. She's only in about nine or ten scenes, which adds up to 20 or so minutes in this movie. But I'll tell you, I couldn't wait for her to come back on the screen, because she adds color. She adds a little bit of camp, she adds some levity. Mostly the movie, though -- this is her big opening scene, where, you know, she's Daisy Duke. She's the cousin of Bo and Luke Duke. The guys spend a lot of time in cars. There are a zillion car chases, a zillion "yee-haws."
S. O'BRIEN: Just like the TV show.
SARAH BERNARD, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: But don't you think people are getting a little sick of the remakes? I mean, this summer, it was "Bewitched"....
S. O'BRIEN: There's a lot.
BERNARD: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." It's just been so many things you've sort of seen already.
JACOBS: But, you know, I don't mind when they do them well, like "Starsky & Hutch." Last summer was a lot of fun. I mean, they added something new. They sort of winked at the older TV series, where this one just has nothing -- nothing there to bring there.
S. O'BRIEN: Cross that off my list of movies. Thank you for saving me some time.
"Teen People" magazine listed -- I guess the readers got to weigh in, which young people are the hottest in Hollywood. The top five, let's just list them out for everybody here. I got it right here. Ashton Kutcher, no surprise. Hilary Duff, Reese Witherspoon, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan. I guess no big surprise there. Any big surprises to you?
LAURA MORGAN, "TEEN PEOPLE": The big surprise is that all of these kids are doing more than just acting. They've really turned themselves into total brands.
S. O'BRIEN: Are any of them good actors?
MORGAN: They are good actors. There's quite a lot of people on the list, including Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Scarlett Johnansson, who have serious acclaim. But people like Lindsay, Hilary Duff, Ashton, they've all got it going on in front of the camera, but the behind the scenes. Especially Ashton, who came in at number one. Because he's also a producer in his own right. He did "Beauty and the Geek," which was a hit on the WB and "Punk'd," of course, which kids just love. They're crazy about him.
S. O'BRIEN: So do you think that this is sort of the way of the future for all stars? You can't just be Meryl Streep or Marlon Brando, the fine actor, you've got to have it in spades?
BERNARD: You've got to have a perfume, you've got a clothing line. I can't believe, frankly, that the Olsen twins weren't on this. Because they're billionaires from their empire that they built.
JACOBS: Right.
BERNARD: And they were the ones, I think, who really started the branding of the teenybopper. MORGAN: Everybody is still playing catch-up to them, because they have a $300-million empire.
S. O'BRIEN: They got a good head start, though.
MORGAN: But then again, their first big movie when it came out, actually didn't do that well. But they're still an amazing brand.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's talk about this debut on Showtime. A show called "Weeds," which about a suburban mom who deals pot?
BERNARD: Yes, it's a "Desperate Housewives"...
S. O'BRIEN: Not sure I'd want to watch with the kids.
BERNARD: Well, they'll be asleep by them. It's a different kind of "Desperate Housewife." As you said, it's again set in the world of, you know, the pristine picket fence world of suburbia, where dirty things go on that you might not expect. But basically, Mary Louise Parker plays Nancy. She's a mom who's been recently widowed and to support her lifestyle, she decides that she's got to sell pot on the side. She's also like a PTA mom, which is the kind of a humor in the show.
But I don't think the show really endorses it. In fact, all of the people who smoke weed on the show are not at all likable characters. They're not people that you'd want to be. But the interesting thing here is that Showtime, which is trying to really...
S. O'BRIEN: Have edge.
BERNARD: Yes, have edge and be known by people -- would pick a show like that, because they're hoping that we're going to be having this conversation about whether this controversial.
S. O'BRIEN: And we should say, it's actually gotten some pretty good early reviews.
JACOBS: Great reviews.
S. O'BRIEN: So people have liked it so far. You guys, we're out of time. Sarah Bernard, Bradley Jacobs and Laura Morgan joining. When's your perfume coming out, Sarah?
BERNARD: Oh, you know, in the fall.
(CROSSTALK)
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, you guys -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: So what's that I smell?
All right. Monday on "AMERICAN MORNING," join me live from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I'll be there for the return of the Space Shuttle Discovery. If it all goes well, it will happen in the 4:00 a.m. Eastern hour. We'll have comprehensive coverage all throughout AMERICAN MORNING. We'll talk to the families. Maybe we'll get the crew members. You never know. If you tune in on Monday, you'll find out. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, did you guys catch Jon Stewart last night?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, I've seen it.
COSTELLO: The star of the show.
S. O'BRIEN: The star was Miles O'Brien, who was hilarious.
SERWER: Miles O'Brien Show.
S. O'BRIEN: Of course, Jon made a little fun of you not too long...
M. O'BRIEN: He did. Enormous fun, you might say.
SERWER: Big rocket. man.
COSTELLO: A rocket ship?
S. O'BRIEN: He was holding the shuttle model in his lap.
SERWER: Glad to see you.
S. O'BRIEN: Use your imaginations here. But here's how it went last night. It was hilarious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: This is the stuff they pulled out. That's the gap filler. Kind of looks like a paint chip, doesn't it?
JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW": Do you collect these like Hummel figures?
M. O'BRIEN: I'm actually trying to build a shuttle on my own, piece by piece.
STEWART: They're not having a problem with the transducer circuit combobulator; they're having a problem with the duct tape.
M. O'BRIEN: The duct tape is the problem. The flux capacitor is fine. The duct tape.
STEWART: I was going to say,they can get to time warp seven, but they can't get the foam insulation to stay on.
M. O'BRIEN: And of course, what tool did it use to remove the duct tape?
STEWART: Didn't he use his hand?
M. O'BRIEN: The opposable thumb, yes. It's the latest in technology.
STEWART: He went out...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, picked it out? Yes, that was it.
STEWART: It was schmutz.
M. O'BRIEN: Shuttle schmutz, that what it was. Can I use that?
STEWART: You're way to white to the say schmutz.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERWER: Good, that got it that time.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, they got it, they got it. That's so funny
M. O'BRIEN: Validating my terminal whiteness.
S O'BRIEN: Oh, it was so good. It went on and on. It was terrific. Great job. Was it fun?
M. O'BRIEN: It was fun, yes. I went into it thinking, I only have stuff to lose here. It actually turned out to be a blast.
S. O'BRIEN: It was so entertaining.
COSTELLO: So he was nice to you. Because we would have to take him on if he wasn't.
S. O'BRIEN: That's right.
SERWER: Was Miles nice to him?
S. O'BRIEN: It seemed like a love fest to me.
COSTELLO: Miles was much too involved with his toys to...
SERWER: He always is, Carol. He always is.
(CROSSTALK)
S. O'BRIEN: You guys, we're out of time. Let's head right to Daryn Kagan. She's at the CNN Center, going to take you through the next couple of hours.
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