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Iraqis Celebrate U.S. Military Pullback; Remembering Michael Jackson; The Wife He Betrayed; Michael Jackson Tribute; FDA Taking Closer Look at Over-the-Counter Medications
Aired June 30, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNY SANFORD, WIFE OF SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR MARK SANFORD: His career is not a concern of mine.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Her husband went to Argentina to have an affair. But you won't see her at a tearful news conference, like other jilted political wives. Now a petition drive to stand with Jenny.
Oh, my. Is that a small woodland creature in a woman's cleavage?
Your national conversation starts right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: Hello. I'm Ali Velshi, in again for Rick Sanchez.
And wait until you hear the latest from Mark Sanford, the wayward governor of South Carolina. More women, he says, and he still has a thing for that woman in Argentina, calls her the love of his life, in fact, but he says he is willing to try to fall back in love with his wife.
You can't make this stuff up. Stay around for that. I will talk with our own Candy Crowley and Leroy Chapman from "The State" newspaper in South Carolina, who has been on top of this story, ahead of the story, in fact, in just a few minutes.
But, first, Michael Jackson, he may be a product of Indiana, a perfect eccentric fit in Los Angeles, but, without New York City, without the Apollo Theater amateur night, who knows if we would have ever known his name.
Look at this scene, a live look outside of Harlem's Apollo Theater. That's where a cute 9-year-old kid and his brothers, the Jackson 5, took the stage in 1967, that theater, that neighborhood. Those people, they are out en masse today in that place that claimed so many historic careers. But they are only there for Michael Jackson today.
We have news today from the West Coast about funeral plans and where and when. I will get to that in a second.
But, first, let's bring in T.J. Holmes. He's outside the Apollo Theater, a place of both happy memories and deep sadness today -- T.J.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Ali.
I am actually back inside here now in the Apollo Theater. It's much quieter than it was just a few minutes ago. What you have -- what has happened now is, you have hit me at a time when there is that quiet time between getting one crowd out and bringing the other crowd in.
I don't know if we still have those pictures of what's going on outside, actually, but people are still lined up, hundreds and hundreds. I would think it's probably fair to say 1,000-plus people are outside, really lined up around the block, where they have been for some time, some even as early as last night.
But what they are doing is bringing them in about 600 people at a time. They let 600 come in. And what they do, when they get in here, they are treated to a video tribute and essentially a Michael Jackson party. Michael Jackson songs play in here. They have local deejays that get the crowd going and bouncing around.
So, it's essentially a party. You will get a chance to see those pictures a little later when the next group, the next crowd comes in. But right now is the time, it just so happens, that they walk out and the other crowd is going to come back in.
The Apollo Theater, this is the place originally where it all started for Michael Jackson in New York. This is where he made his New York debut back in 1967 with the Jackson 5.
The crowd I mentioned just a short time ago, they got to -- they were treated to the music, I said, but they also heard from the lady who manages the Apollo Theater and others, but also from Reverend Al Sharpton.
I see Reverend Al Sharpton. We were waiting on him. He happens to just step right here.
Good to see you, young fellow. I know you have been all over this country over the past couple days. And I know you are going back -- back.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Why was it important for you to make that cross-country trip? You are going right back to be with the family tomorrow. Why come all the way to be here for this one day, for this one event?
AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Well, we had asked the Apollo to let us do this community events, so I wanted to be here with National Action Network and the Apollo and others, because this is an important statement for those of us that have been saying since Michael's death that we don't see Michael as some media freak.
Michael was a genius, an innovator. He opened doors for us. This afternoon, at 5:26 Eastern time, the time he was pronounced dead, we're going to have a silent moment. I will give a eulogy, leading up to the funeral eulogies that will take place in the next few days.
We want the media to have to see the thousands of people that don't see Michael Jackson as anything but the hero he was. He never left us. We never left him, through thick and thin. The fans here and in the Harlems of the world stayed loyal to Michael. And we wanted to celebrate his life.
HOLMES: Well, I want to ask you one question before I move on, a little bit more about Michael. You mentioned some of the commemorations, the services we might see. Do you have words on when we might see some of those, when are they scheduled, just yet?
SHARPTON: You will hear official announcements later.
I do not want to give -- the family will make that announcement later on. And let's just put it this way. I will be headed back to the West Coast tomorrow. And there will be a series of events. And then there will be mammoth events.
But we are going to -- we not going to sit back, T.J., and allow people to destroy the legacy of Michael Jackson and the Jackson family and those of us that benefited from his breakthroughs here at the Apollo. And it will happen all over the country and the world.
HOLMES: That's something you mentioned when you were up on stage here. And it sounds like here -- it sounds -- what you have been seeing, does it seem like some of that legacy is being tarnished a bit? Because, like you said, the last few years, a lot of people don't remember him for his music, but for a lot of people would say, just some bad press.
So, why is it important you are trying to get that message out and remember him for something other than...
SHARPTON: Two things for that.
One is, as you see, you have little children here all the way to older people.
HOLMES: Oh, yes.
SHARPTON: So, a lot of people saw the bad press and still understood who he was...
(CROSSTALK)
SHARPTON: ... and of the person, the defiance, the innovation.
The second part is the Apollo is a place where we are used to seeing people tarnished unfairly. We are a community that has seen most of our heroes suffer bad press. So, if there is anywhere to start the celebration, it is in those communities that understand that, when you go against the grind and go against the status quo, sometimes, they are going to go against you.
We celebrate you when you survive. Michael didn't die with his head down. Michael didn't die somewhere in a jail, like people thought. He died getting ready to do a comeback tour worth millions of dollars. He beat them. He won. And we want to celebrate the victory.
HOLMES: All right, well, Reverend Sharpton, we appreciate you. We will be here throughout. We will you see again here shortly.
Ali, I will toss it back to you. But, again, it will continue. We are just getting started here. Just the second group of the day is going to be coming in. They are going to be letting people in, going to do it until 8:00 tonight, so much more to come from here.
And make sure you come back to me when the music is playing.
VELSHI: Yes, actually, I was going to say, we will be back to you when the show gets under way.
T.J. Holmes will stay there outside the -- or inside the Apollo. Maybe he will be outside when we come back to him -- stay with us -- later in this newscast.
Reverend Sharpton system he is going back to the West Coast. We are going to go to the West Coast now.
Watch this. It's from Drew Griffin and the CNN investigative unit on the latest information that L.A. detectives are working with.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Detectives from the Los Angeles police and coroner's office returned to the home today where Michael Jackson was found near death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What made you come back (OFF-MIKE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Information that was obtained by the Los Angeles Police Department.
GRIFFIN: And acting on what Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said was information involving medications, detectives left carrying a few bags of possible evidence, saying they are still weeks away from announcing a possible cause of death.
Meanwhile, the mystery of the 50-year-old singer's sudden death became even more curious with the release of these photos taken of an apparently healthy Michael Jackson during a rehearsal last Tuesday night, just two days before he died.
But, according to the attorney for Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson was feeling ill Wednesday and asked the doctor to spend the night in his rented mansion. The next morning, it was the doctor who found Jackson with a weak pulse and not breathing.
Attorney Ed Chernoff said what followed was panic, as at cardiologist tried to resuscitate Jackson. There was apparently no landline phone in the bedroom. The doctor had a cell phone, but the attorney says the doctor was unsure of the home's address. He describes Dr. Conrad Murray performing CPR and yelling for help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE SITUATION ROOM WITH WOLF BLITZER")
EDWARD CHERNOFF, ATTORNEY FOR DR. CONRAD MURRAY: He's a cardiologist. He knows that, if a person -- if a person is not breathing, he knows what to do. And he -- he -- he did what he needed to do to try to resuscitate Michael Jackson.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: How long did he actually perform CPR on Mr. Jackson before he realized he needed to make a phone call?
CHERNOFF: Well, it would have been five minutes, maybe, 10 minutes. But -- but the phone call then was delayed, because, like I say, there was no phone -- phone service. He called security to ask for somebody to come up to help. There was no call -- there was no answer when he called.
He then ran downstairs at some point, yelled for help, got the chef, who was in the kitchen, to get security up there. By the time security got up there, then the call was made immediately. This entire time, with the exception of him running downstairs, he was performing CPR on Michael Jackson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: It took 30 minutes, Chernoff says, before security finally made the 911 call.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he's not breathing, sir.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Jackson never recovered.
The attorney is denying his client gave Jackson any medications that could have caused death, and says his client is not a suspect and is fully cooperating with police.
The Jackson family has been publicly skeptical of the doctor they didn't know. Dr. Conrad Murray, a trained cardiologist was chosen by Jackson to be his personal physician during the upcoming concert tour.
It appears Jackson only knew the doctor from a chance encounter in Las Vegas in 2006, when the doctor treated one of Jackson's children. They remained friends. And, in May, Dr. Murray suspended his practices in Las Vegas and Houston to accept Jackson's offer to accompany him on tour as his personal physician, the job that was to pay $150,000 a month.
Jackson's father has confirmed the family has hired its own forensic expert to conduct a second autopsy. Patriarch Joe Jackson says, he remains concerned about what happened, but is withholding judgment. JOE JACKSON, FATHER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: I want to see how this autopsy is coming out, you know, the second autopsy that they're doing right now. And I'm expecting to hear about it, from it real soon.
GRIFFIN: The coroner's office has said official toxicology reports will take weeks. The private autopsy, which doesn't involve as many sophisticated tests, could be done in a matter of days.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: OK.
I told you earlier we had information about Michael Jackson's funeral.
Kara Finnstrom is outside the Neverland Ranch with more on that.
Hi, Kara.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ali.
Well, CNN has now learned that Michael Jackson's body will be brought back here late Thursday morning to Neverland, the 2,500-acre ranch he opened some 20 years ago, naming it after the land of Peter Pan, where boys never grow up.
A source tells CNN that a motorcade of 30 or more cars will be escorting his body from the Los Angeles area to these remote hills in Santa Barbara County. That's quite a distance. We are talking about some 130 miles, so lots of logistics involved with planning that, as far as security and traffic.
And we are told law enforcement is trying to iron all of that out right now. We have also learned that, on Friday, a public viewing of Michael Jackson's body will take place here. On Sunday, a private memorial service will take place for the family.
But, Ali, what we haven't learned yet is any details about the burial or where his final resting place may be.
VELSHI: Kara, what are you hearing from -- from people around the area near Neverland?
FINNSTROM: Well, especially now that we know his body will be brought back here, there are a lot of concerns. This is a -- you know, these are rolling hills, large sprawling ranches.
There are some Hollywood types that live up here. They really value their privacy. We actually had to come here down a five-mile country road. So, it's really -- you know, there is not a lot of public access here, for one. So, there is concern about support for it, restaurants, hotels, if people start coming in.
And then there's just the concerns about privacy. And, so, we are hearing from some of the locals here that they are not too excited about the possibility of this becoming a huge tourist attraction.
VELSHI: All right, you're on that story. And we will get back to you.
Thank you very much, Kara Finnstrom, outside Neverland in California.
Listen, we have got news just in. Four Detroit public school students and two other people have been shot at a bus stop in -- on Detroit's west side. Police say that multiple shots were fired into a crowd. The four students, two boys and two girls, had been let out of summer school at Cody High School, according to a spokesperson from Detroit Public Schools.
The -- do not know the identities of the victims or the other two who are not students. The victims have been transported to several area hospitals. We don't know what condition they have been in, police saying there's -- no arrests have been made.
This is the west side of Detroit. Warren is on -- adjacent to Detroit's west side. It's an area actually heavily populated with autoworkers. There are a number of auto plants belonging to all the major U.S.-based automakers in Detroit, in Warren. But this is Warren, Michigan. This is the scene now from our affiliate WDIV. And we -- we have got that story that we're continuing to follow.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
VELSHI: Iraqis are celebrating U.S. withdrawal from their towns and cities. So, where are the U.S. troops going? What are they going to do there? We will take you live to Iraq.
And a passenger jet crashes into the ocean. Guess who survives? It's a child. It's an incredible story. And it's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Today, a child has been found alive in the Indian Ocean, perhaps the only survivor of another Airbus crash, this one involving more than 150 passengers and crew.
The Yemenia Airlines A-310 departed Yemen's capital, San'a, on the final leg of a flight from France. It was approaching a planned landing in the Comoros when it crashed about some 12 miles out in reported bad weather.
There, you see the Comoros Islands between the East African country of Mozambique and the island of Madagascar.
France has sent search-and-rescue crews. It's after 10:00 p.m. local time. And, as of now, there are no reported survivors of the crash, save for that child, put in some news reports as 5 years old, in others, as 14 years old.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELSHI: Today was a national holiday in Iraq. There were fireworks and parades marking the withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraqi cities. Iraq calls it national sovereignty day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Iraqi people are rightly treating this day as a cause for celebration. This is important step forward as a sovereign and united Iraq continues to take control of its own destiny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: About 130,000 U.S. troops are still in Iraq. Most have been pulled back to U.S. bases. Some will stay in the cities as trainers and advisers.
And when General Ray Odierno was asked how many, he got a little testy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: If you are going to be so transparent, why can't you tell us how many trainers and mentors are in the cities?
MAJ. GENERAL RAYMOND ODIERNO, COMMANDER, MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS- IRAQ: Because it would be inaccurate, because I don't know how many are in the city. It varies day to day based on the mission.
QUESTION: You must have a ballpark.
ODIERNO: I don't know how many times you want -- how many times do you want me to say that? I don't know. What I am telling you is, it's training and advising teams that remain in Baghdad. And it will be different every single day. And we have worked very closely locally with the commanders to figure this out.
And it will be different tomorrow than it is today. And that's why I don't want to say a number, because it will be inaccurate.
What I am telling you is, it is significantly lower than it has been so far.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: General Odierno apologized a little later for losing his temper.
But the fact remains, U.S. troops are still in Iraq, and the violence continues. A bombing in Kirkuk killed at least 30 people and injured almost 50 more.
CNN's Michael Ware joins us live from Baghdad.
Michael, give us a sense of what's going on and what is really changing in Iraq with respect to U.S. troops. MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the first and foremost change is that America is no longer in a position of control.
Over the last few years, it has remained in control, but in a much more consultative way with the Iraqis, as they slowly, bit by bit, started to stand up. Now, technically, America is out of the decision-making process.
Even those trainers and advisers of whom General Odierno speaks cannot set foot in Iraqi cities without first asking the permission of the Iraqi government or waiting for an invitation.
So, that means that America has surrendered its ability to wage war here. Technically, again, casting forward, no matter how bad the violence might get, unless American troops are being directly attacked in their bases, there is nothing General Odierno can do, unless the Iraqi government asks for help -- Ali.
VELSHI: What's the likelihood, Mike -- Michael, of that happening? Is there some sense that U.S. troops are going to be called off their bases routinely to come in and relieve Iraqi troops?
WARE: No. No. No. No. No. I wouldn't imagine so.
I mean, there's a number of factors here. And to be as concise as I can be, one, Iraqis are fiercely proud. They have been waiting for the end of what they consider a foreign occupation for over six years. They are not going to take a backward step, either as a community or the government.
In terms of this agreement that was draft -- that was signed by the Bush administration in the dying weeks of its government, any little areas of wiggle room or discussion, the Iraqis have maintained the hardest of hard lines.
Case in point, the northern city of Mosul, that is al Qaeda's last urban stronghold. That's where the concentration of al Qaeda fighters is believed to be. Now, ideally, the Americans would have liked to have had a little bit of room to maneuver in Mosul, to stay within the city, yes, sure, under Iraqi guidance and much more at their behest, but still there.
No, the Iraqis were not interested. It didn't happen. So, the Iraqis showed very little indication of any desire to bring the American troops back, because, you know, first, they want to prove to themselves that they can do it. They want to do it their way, which is not the American way.
And, ultimately, if you want to be cutthroat about it, there's other nations in this region who will help them. They don't have to turn to America, if they don't want to -- Ali.
VELSHI: All right, a momentous day, a big day for Iraq.
Michael Ware, thank you for keeping us posted and -- and really giving this to us in terms that we understand -- Michael Ware in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J. SANFORD: His career is not a concern of mine. He's going to have to worry about that. I'm worried about my family and the character of my children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: That was the wife of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford upon the publicizing of her husband's affair with an Argentine woman.
Will she be quite so controlled now that new details are emerging? I will tell you what those details are.
But, next, a court hearing for a murder suspect turns into a melee, as the victims' relatives take matters into their own hands. We will show you the rest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: You have got to see what happened in a courtroom in Flint, Michigan.
Let's take a look at this. They say it started when this man, who is a murder suspect, smiled as he entered the courtroom. That was too much for the father of the alleged victim, who punched the defendant in the face. Suddenly, almost everyone in the courtroom was fighting, except for a defense attorney -- take a look at that on the right side -- who dived under a table.
In the end, the father went to jail, along with the murder suspect.
All right, coming up: Governor Sanford now says he -- quote -- "crossed lines" with other women -- the latest from South Carolina.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: OK, you ready for this?
Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina is reportedly telling the Associated Press that his Argentine mistress, his mistress, Maria Belen Chapur, is his soul mate. I will tell you again. He says the mistress is his soul mate.
But he is telling the AP that he is trying, trying to fall back in love with his wife.
Let's remember this. It was eight days ago that Jenny Sanford, his wife, told a reporter that she was unaware of her husband's whereabouts, and, furthermore, said that she didn't much care.
Three days later, after the wayward governor returned from his tryst in Argentina, after we thought that he was in -- hiking the Appalachian Trail, Jenny Sanford was borderline defiant.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNY SANFORD, MARK SANFORD'S WIFE: I have great faith, and I have great friends and great family. And, you know, we have a good lord in this world, and I know I'm going to be fine. Not only will I survive, I'll thrive.
QUESTION: Do you think your husband will resign?
SANFORD: I don't know whether he will be with me, but...
QUESTION: Do you think he'll resign?
SANFORD: ... I'm going to do my best to work on our marriage because I believe in marriage. I believe raising good kids is the most important thing in the world, and I'm going to continue...
QUESTION: Marriage is the first priority. Then his career, obviously, is that...
SANFORD: His career is not a concern of mine. He's going to have to worry about that. I'm worried about my family and the character of my children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Talk about defining moments.
And now it is down to this: Mark Sanford's survival as governor could very well depend on making things right with his wife. Given today's news, that is not going terribly well. Nonetheless, here is what people are saying.
Former Sanford chief of staff Tom Davis, "The people of South Carolina are looking at Jenny. In large measure, it depends on how things work and how people see things are working between the governor and the first lady."
Well, now we have the line about the "soul mate." We have Sanford saying he will try to fall back in love with his wife. We've also learned that Governor Sanford is admitting today to seven trips involving the mistress, not three, as he said last week.
And Sanford is now saying that he crossed the line with a handful of other women but never had sex with them. He says he merely crossed the line.
Joining me now from Columbia, South Carolina, Leroy Chapman, government and politics editor of "The State" newspaper. And from Washington, CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley.
Leroy, let's start with you. Aside from Governor Sanford and his affair or other relationships, the fascinating thing to many people about this story is how it just keeps unfolding bit by bit. Is this -- have we heard all of it now, as far as you know?
LEROY CHAPMAN, GOVERNMENT & POLITICS EDITOR, "THE STATE": As far as I know, but I thought we had heard all of it last week when he gave his 18-minute speech where he talked in great detail about his relationship, but apparently we haven't heard everything. I think the interview today with The Associated Press was forthcoming in a way that I wouldn't have expected, but it does raise a lot of serious questions about the governor and his ability to stay in office, admitting to other women and certainly what he had to say about his marriage and his wife, and his mistress.
VELSHI: I want to get back to why he might be so forthcoming in a minute, because I want to find out about where these e-mails got to you from in the first place and whether Governor Sanford is being forthcoming, or whether somebody's holding up a list sand saying you better say yes to this.
Let me just get to Candy for a second.
Candy, you and I have talked about this. We've talked about whether or not Governor Sanford can rehabilitate himself, whether or not this can remake him and put him back on the national stage.
Should we even be talking about this anymore? Is he done?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't think that we're talking about the national stage anymore. I think we're talking about the governorship in South Carolina.
I mean, one wonders -- there are so many times when politicians say things and I think, why did you answer that question? I mean, all of this was so unnecessary, you feel like he has, like, pressed his own self-destruct button here.
But far more relevant to whether he stays in this job, I think, is on the ongoing investigation that now the state attorney general has said that he would like to see into the trips that Governor Sanford made to see this mistress and whether any state funds were used, any taxpayer funds. I think, you know, if he wants to stay on and have all this laundry out there, I'm not sure. And obviously your other guest would be much better at this, but I'm not sure he gets thrown out or impeached by that. I think the more serious thing is to whether he can hold on to it is about whether any state taxpayer funds were used...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Let's talk about that, Leroy. And by the way, at some point, does it matter?
He's at the end of his second term. Not end, but he's got 18 months left in his second term. He wasn't going to be the governor again. But tell me about how things are going in the state with respect to Mark Sanford's future.
CHAPMAN: Well, you know, today is going to be a pivotal day for him, because some Republicans now -- they've been talking about it all weekend -- are talking about whether or not they should stand up and ask the governor to resign. Part of that has to do with them wanting to protect the Republican brand.
The national conversation that's been going on about real Republicanism, where you talk about sticking to morals and values, that conversation is going on here. And in fact, Governor Sanford, who has talked about conservative principles, has been part of that. And that's part of the reason why he wound up on the national stage.
But when you mention other women, especially, that could be a deal breaker for some of those Republicans who are on the fence. So, today is a pivotal day for him, and the expectation is that there will be more top Republicans calling for him to step down.
VELSHI: Let's talk about that, Candy. There's this movement by a conservative organization in South Carolina called Stand With Jenny to sort of encourage her strength. What an interesting line Jenny Sanford has walked on this one.
I've really reviewed a lot of her comments. She has not stepped over the line in being against him. She has certainly not stepped over the line in supporting him. She has walked this remarkable middle line, but you have not seen her by his side and you've not seen her forgiving him or even suggesting he should be forgiven.
CROWLEY: Right. I mean, and walking the middle line verbally is one thing. I think it's pretty clear how Jenny Sanford feels about all of this.
And I tell you, after today, if I were Jenny Sanford, I would probably be on the third floor of the governor's mansion throwing out his flat screen and his underwear. I mean, this has really reached the point where it's ridiculous, and that he is, you know, putting his feelings out there.
And I agree that there certainly can be a huge mass of Republicans in the state going, OK, you are hurting the party, you've got to get out of there. I was just talking about sort of impeachable things, and I think that's where the money for the trips comes in.
VELSHI: Candy, is there any -- if you are a South Carolina Republican, or, frankly, you're a Republican in the United States, are you now thinking about who the Republican Party in South Carolina has to turn to for leadership?
CROWLEY: They've got some leaders down there. I mean, you know, there's always somebody that's going to step up to the plate.
I think for the National Republican Party at this point, the real problem is, can we please get this out of the headlines? This is just one more person that they feel they have to apologize for or somehow step around when they are asked about it, as inevitably they are, so that's the problem on the national scene. South Carolina certainly has a lot of strong Republicans.
VELSHI: You know, Leroy, it's interesting, because one doesn't think that Jenny Sanford has any political ambition, but it does seem like some decisions in South Carolina are going to depend on how Jenny Sanford comes down on this whole issue, according to this conservative group that's sort of looking to her for signals.
CHAPMAN: I think that's absolutely right. One of the things about this whole ordeal is how the governor and his family is able to repair itself. Jim DeMint was talking about this last night, that the governor needed to make a decision on whether or not he can govern and whether or not he can do that and repair his family. That's important to a lot of Republicans.
So, the family issue and Jenny Sanford certainly is a big part of this. And today certainly did not help in that regard, which is why I think there will be more calls for him to perhaps step down.
VELSHI: And this business where she really is coming across as really making it clear that her priority is her family, and that's what she is going to do, people are watching to see whether he makes that his priority.
Candy, I have to come back to this again, his comment not even about the other women that he has been involved in, but the comment that this mistress is his soul mate and he is going to try to fall back in love with his wife. It's absurd.
CROWLEY: Yes. I'm not sure that's a really good way to do it, actually. And again, I would be throwing his belongings out of the governor's mansion about this point.
I mean, I think he's made pretty clear about how he feels about both these women, and I think she, by saying, you know, my interests are making sure that my sons have good moral values, I think we know how she feels about it. They have made this very tough in public. And I am assuming that there is every bit as much friction in private.
VELSHI: Leroy, what's your sense of that? I mean, your comments and the writing that you have done and the reporting that your newspaper has done has all been toward this idea that people are looking at how she is handling her family and how she's handling this, and very unique in the way that many wives have chosen to deal with their philandering husbands. But today's developments have got to sort of decided some things in the state house.
CHAPMAN: You know, my own wife, when she watched the interview, pointed out that he talked more about the mistress than he did his own family. And that was last week, when he stood up and gave his 18- minute speech.
They've been watching this all along and they've been watching Jenny Sanford. It is going to be important.
There's a local group here. And if you talk about the Republican Party in South Carolina, a large portion of that are Evangelical Christians. And how Governor Sanford relates to his family, how she reacts, his effort in repairing his marriage -- and it doesn't help with some of the revelations that he had today -- all of that is going to matter.
And the governor has a very politically shrewd wife, too. She ran his first campaign. So, when she makes public statements, I think she understands media and she understands what they convey. And if he is to save himself and save his term, she is going to have to be critical to that, because she could certainly come to his rescue, if she chooses.
VELSHI: All right. Leroy, thanks very much again for being on top of this story. We'll continue to follow it.
Candy, thanks to you as well.
Well, massive crowds paying tribute to the "King of Pop" in uptown New York. We'll take you there later.
But next, Farrah Fawcett's family and friends bid good-bye to the actress in a much quieter way.
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VELSHI: All right. We've got some messages coming in -- lots of messages coming in about Mark Sanford. We have had that for the last eight days.
Let's take a look at Rick's MySpace page.
"I really like Mrs. Sanford. I hope other politicians' wives take note on how to handle a cheating husband. Stand for your kids, not that sucker."
And let's take a look at a message coming in on my Twitter. "Governor Sanford is an idiot. Making more statements like that is not the way to reconcile with your wife. It's very inappropriate."
And of course his comments were that the woman with whom he admits having an affair is his soul mate, but he's going to try to fall back in love with his wife.
All right. News of her death was eclipsed by that of Michael Jackson's on the same day, but Farrah Fawcett, wow, talk about famous in her day -- TV actress, pinup girl, the face of show business in the 1970s. Today, Farrah Fawcett's loved ones gather for a private funeral in Los Angeles.
Look at this, a 14-year-old video of Farrah Fawcett in a very happy time for her, receiving her star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
We learned today that Farrah Fawcett's son will be allowed to attend his mother's funeral. Redmond O'Neal is serving a jail sentence for drug offenses.
Farrah Fawcett died of cancer last Thursday. She was 62 years old.
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VELSHI: As we promised you, we are going back to New York City now, Harlem and the Apollo Theater. That's where T.J. Holmes is mixing it up with thousands of people paying tribute to Michael Jackson today.
T.J., you're inside the Apollo Theater now.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And Ali, you keep coming to me at the wrong time.
You just missed another party. I swear, people are partying in here today. But some of the live pictures you have seen outside are literally, literally thousands of people lined up outside the Apollo Theater.
I believe we have that live picture -- yes. This is how it was a little earlier before they started letting people in.
But I'm told now that picture you're seeing there, those people are on 125th Street, where the Apollo Theater is. It goes down the block to Adam Clayton Powell, and then it loops around the block to 135th. So we are talking about this line goes some 10 blocks through Harlem.
So, yes, several hundred people can fit into a block. You do the math. We've got thousands of people out there.
They are waiting to come in here. Now, you can probably see some people still shuffling around, but when they come in here, they are treated to a few speakers, but essentially just a video, a silent video just showing images of Michael Jackson. But there are local deejays that are spinning nothing but Michael Jackson music.
So, people, literally, standing on a hot Harlem day outside for hours to get in here to jump up and down and essentially throw a party.
One person that stood out to us is Victoria Compomonis (ph). She's going to step into the picture here. And you will recognize what she is about today.
Now, you tell me, you tell our audience why you are here and why you are dressed like that.
I'm here because I thought that in my time that I would be able to see him in concert. But because he passed away, this is probably the closest thing that I could get to it. So, I had the chance, and I had to come down here.
VICTORIA COMPOMONIS (ph), FAN: We traveled all the way from Vermont to come here. And I dressed like this because I thought that people would like to see somebody dressing up like Michael to bring back some of those memories when they saw him in that outfit, and to do some of the moves, and just being here with all the high spirits and everybody just, like, screaming, and singing all the songs and everybody just getting along. It was just so great. It was just such a big thing to be at.
HOLMES: Tell us as well, how long were you outside waiting? It's pretty hot out there.
COMPOMONIS: I have been out there since 7:00 a.m.
HOLMES: Since 7:00 a.m.?
COMPOMONIS: Yes.
HOLMES: And when you come in here, you actually -- like I said, you get the silent video and you just the music. So you're only here about a half an hour, 45 minutes.
Still, is it worth it?
COMPOMONIS: Oh, absolutely. You have no idea how great it is to see this many people here. I mean, the line outside just went for, like, forever. And just being here and seeing Al Sharpton, and just so many people praising him, and just seeing all the music and the videos, it was worth it a lot.
HOLMES: All right. Well, thank you so much.
Again, Victoria Compomonis (ph).
I will shake with the right hand there, Ali. I hope you can see. I assume you can see.
You can't have the whole outfit without the glove. You've got to have the glove in there.
But again, certainly people have been going through. It's been a sad time the past several days. But there is not much sadness to go around in here. Today it has been essentially just a celebration of what's happening.
So they will continue to celebrate. And Ali, sorry we could not bring you the music in here in the big party, but maybe next time.
VELSHI: I hope you're enjoying my town. I think it's fascinating that she came from so far, from Vermont. It's not people just coming around from the neighborhood. People are really coming in for that.
T.J., thank you. We'll continue to check in with you. And maybe somebody will get lucky and actually talk to you while one of those parties is going on.
T.J. Holmes at the Apollo Theater, 125th Street, Harlem, where Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 performed in 1967.
All right. NyQuil, one of the most famous medicine brands in the country, but after today it could become much harder to purchase.
And a story that you are going to have to see to believe. A woman being questioned by police has a squirrel crawl out of her shirt. We have the video and I'm going to show it to you next.
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VELSHI: All right. We've got some new pictures coming in of a crane removing a car from an Atlanta parking garage that collapsed on Monday. We are looking at that -- a number of cars have been damaged in there.
One person was killed in the collapse of the garage, 18 people were injured. We are now just getting pictures now of cars being removed. The city saying it still may be a couple of days before people who had their vehicles in there are able to get to them.
They are scouring the garage to make sure nobody else is trapped in there. The fire department and authorities believe no one's trapped in there, beyond those who were injured, but they are making sure. They are still searching for possible victims. They don't believe anybody else is in there.
That is newsworthy video. Once in a while there is a piece of video that doesn't really have any news value, and I know some of you -- I have been getting the tweets -- complain that some of the stuff we do doesn't. But this one, we can't let it get by without sharing it.
Case in point, police in Warren, Ohio, brought this woman in for some questioning in a murder case. Without missing a beat in her Q&A, a squirrel popped out of the video. Might want to let you just watch what happens there.
Who brought her into that room? Did anybody check that out?
I get checked out more than that when I go through airport security. I just do not understand how somebody walked in with a squirrel in their top. They made me go through a second time and said, "Is there a pen in your pocket?" Or, you know, "Do you have coins?"
All right. It's time to start hoarding the nighttime, coughing, sniffling, sneezing, so you can rest medicine. A big recommendation on NyQuil due out any moment. We'll tell you about it.
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VELSHI: Government experts say the pain reliever acetaminophen is responsible for 1,600 cases of liver failure every year. Acetaminophen is an ingredient if a number of popular medications, including NyQuil, Tylenol and Excedrin, and an overdose in some cases can be fatal. A Food & Drug Administration panel has been meeting today to discuss what to do about it.
CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has been keeping a close eye on that.
Elizabeth, what's happened?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they haven't actually recommended officially any specific actions yet, but they have taken a couple of votes on what to do. This is a very, very complex subject, but I'm going to try to boil it down here.
The committee asked themselves, hey, should prescription drugs with acetaminophen be allowed to stay on the market? Because here's the problem: people might, let's say, take a Vicodin and take Tylenol. They're getting a lot of acetaminophen, and too much acetaminophen can really do horrible damage to your liver. In fact, it can kill you.
So, it's very interesting that this group of experts voted just recently, just this afternoon. They said 20-17 that they think prescription products with acetaminophen should be eliminated, which are things like Vicodin and Percocet.
VELSHI: And is there some -- I mean, are they weighing in on what should be done? Because people take Vicodin and Percocet. They're prescribed that for a great deal of pain, in many cases. So, are they just saying eliminate that component of it?
COHEN: What this committee has voted -- and this is not the final word in any way, shape or form -- but they voted to get rid of those products like Vicodin and Percocet. However, they haven't finalized the recommendation, and of course they don't make the final decision anyhow. It gets given to a bigger body and the whole FDA has to decide. But it's because those products contain acetaminophen, people take them and they take other stuff that contain acetaminophen.
VELSHI: And this is -- I was talking to you earlier about this. This is a bigger deal than most people sort of knew that it was. I mean, are there dangers of people who take acetaminophen regularly, taking them in different cases? Is this something that's a danger to you if you just take it once in a while?
COHEN: It is. And I think you're right, people don't realize it. People think that things like acetaminophen, like Tylenol, is kind of like, you know...
VELSHI: They're a little benign.
COHEN: I don't know -- yes, they're benign. It's like eating candy or something. But that really is not the case.
What they found is that when people take too much acetaminophen, they can go into liver failure. You've got to take a look at these numbers.
They looked at some cases from 1990 to 1998, and what they found was that over a period of eight years, there were 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations. And each year, each year, 458 overdose deaths.
VELSHI: That is remarkable.
COHEN: It is remarkable. But, you know, it's not from taking, in most cases, just the regular amount of Tylenol occasionally that is listed on the bottle. The problem is people take Tylenol and they take TheraFlu, and they maybe they take a Vicodin, too. And all of those have acetaminophen in it, and then you are getting too much.
VELSHI: All right. Good advice. Thank you very much for telling us about this.
COHEN: OK. Thank you.
VELSHI: Elizabeth Cohen.
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VELSHI: Let's take you to Suzanne Malveaux in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
