Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Final Preparation for Jackson Memorial; Congressman: Michael Jackson a 'Pedophile'; U.S., Russia Hit 'Reset'

Aired July 06, 2009 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it is quite an impressive sight because of the just sheer amount of interest that this story has worldwide.

Meanwhile, you mentioned Dodger Stadium. That is where the real action is in terms of the folks that won this Internet lottery.

They have until today to get to town, pick up their tickets, so that they can watch this memorial either here at the Staples Center, or across the street at the Nokia theater. Some of the people when they pick up those tickets are extremely emotional.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are very excited. We loved Michael Jackson. He was an amazing talent. And he will be forever loved and missed by everyone.

So, yes, we are going, baby!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just started crying because I'm happy to be here, but then I'm so sad, while I'm here, what reason that I won the ticket. So I just can't stop crying. And I've never won anything in my life, and I won the tickets. And it's like so surreal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: And Melissa, those lucky folks that do have tickets will be able to obviously come down here and partake in it. But as you mentioned earlier, the L.A. Police Department is trying to keep everybody away from the downtown area that does not have one of those tickets, or one of these wristbands, which gains you access at least to the outside. And then if you have a ticket, of course, you can go inside.

So far, so good. They've had no security problems, but they are out in force in anticipation of potential problems as we get closer to tomorrow -- Melissa.

MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Ted, before we let you go, let's talk a little more about the investigation. I know we're waiting for the toxicology reports, but I understand there were some new warrants issued as well.

ROWLANDS: Yes. Three search warrants have been issued in this death investigation. Obviously, that's very rare. More in a criminal investigation would you find search warrants, et cetera, and extensive interviews, but this is ramping up rather than down, as we get towards that four-to-six-week sort of window that the coroner thinks they need to have this final death report out.

Search warrants served. Obviously they're looking at doctors and people that were around Michael Jackson in the weeks and months leading up to his death. And they'll compare the information they get from the toxicology report, see what was in Michael Jackson's body, what they found at his home, and make some determinations from there whether or not they could potentially press charges in the death of Michael Jackson.

LONG: Ted Rowlands, live for us from L.A.

Ted, thank you.

Now, what do the developments today mean for Michael Jackson's assets? We're going to be talking to an attorney who handled soul singer James Brown's estate about the next level moves.

Now, also, all of this attention surrounding Michael Jackson seems to be causing a backlash. A New York congressman is calling on the media to stop covering Jackson, saying there was nothing good about him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETE KING (R), NEW YORK: This guy was a pervert, he was a child molester. He was a pedophile. And to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what does it say about us as a country?

I just think that we're too politically correct. No one wants to stand up and say we don't need Michael Jackson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: Now, Jackson was tried on child molestation charges. That was back in 2005. But he was acquitted after a 14-week trial.

Let's bring in CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley from New York.

And Candy, when you listen to the congressman's comments, you also have to look at I think the day on the calendar, right?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And where he is.

I mean, the fact of the matter is, first of all, Congressman King has never been shy about saying what he feels. And the totality of his comment was really wrapped around this coverage seems wildly out of whack, to who this person was and what his place is in our society.

He went on to say, what about the policemen? What about the firemen? What about the people giving their lives every day in Iraq and Afghanistan? What about teachers?

He was in front of an American Legion hall as well. So, obviously, making this point. He's a Republican, he's a conservative, and he clearly feels that Michael Jackson's private life certainly is troublesome, having gotten nine days of what he feels is adulation.

We, of course, have the other side of this equation, which is some people complaining that the entire coverage has been about drug use and his previous brushes with the law, and his paying off of one of his accusers so he didn't have to go to court, that kind of thing. So, it has certainly become sort of a test of how you really felt about Michael Jackson.

What Congressman King did say is, look, he was a dancer and he was a good singer, but this is wildly out of proportion. As you say, he calls him a pervert and a pedophile, something that was never proven in court, of course.

LONG: Candy, as you know, our CNN crew caught up with Congressman King this morning, continuing to talk about his comments.

Here's what he had to say this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: We have, I believe, an obligation to define our culture at a higher level, to say this is crazy, this is insanity to be giving this type of coverage, this type of reverence to this individual, who I think was guilty of such a deviant lifestyle which affected innocent young kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: Again, Congressman King this morning commenting on what he had to say over the weekend.

Clearly not backing down, Candy, so any potential backlash?

CROWLEY: Well, you know, certainly the people who feel that he's absolutely wrong about Michael Jackson, who idolize Michael Jackson, some of the people that Ted Rowlands was just talking about, this certainly is going to cause backlash from that. But, you know, he's also -- we should understand that Congressman King is in fact talking, I'm sure, ,for a lot of people that you might have talked to in your private life. Certainly I as a journalist sometimes get stopped by people going, "What is the deal here with all of this coverage?"

And I think if you look on the Web, you will find, you know, both sides of this saying, you know, enough. This is not a king, this is not somebody who fought for the country. This is a cultural icon, so let's be done with it and move on to some important things. It's kind of, if you will, a cultural clash, as well as just, you know, people looking at it and saying enough is enough.

LONG: Thank you so much for putting so much perspective on this.

Again, CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley.

Thank you, Candy.

CROWLEY: Sure.

LONG: Continuing to cover Michael Jackson, his memorial is tomorrow, as you know. Family, friends and fans are all saying good- bye.

We hope you will join us as we celebrate the pop icon tomorrow morning, starting at 6:00 a.m. Eastern, not only on television, but also online at CNN.com/live.

Remember when the only button associated with the U.S. and Russia had to do with launching nukes? Well, now the button says reset.

Presidents Obama and Medvedev in Moscow today agreeing to reduce nuclear stockpiles, also setting the stage for future cooperation. Basically, resetting a relationship that has been strained in recent years, but that doesn't mean the sticking points are gone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I won't pretend that the United States and Russia agree on every issue. As President Medvedev indicated, we have had some frank discussions, and there are areas where we still disagree.

For instance, we had a frank discussion on Russia -- on Georgia, and I reiterated my firm belief that Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. Yet, even as we work through our disagreements on Georgia's borders, we do agree that no one has an interest in renewed military conflict. And going forward, we must speak candidly to resolve these differences peacefully and constructively.

DMITRY MEDVEDEV, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I would like to emphasize in conclusion that our country would like to reach such a level of cooperation with the United States which would be realistically worthy of the 21st century.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: Now let's go straight to CNN's foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty, who is traveling and joins us live from Moscow -- Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Melissa, you know, you would have to say that the key thing that these two leaders did here on the first day of their summit was that -- what's called a follow-on agreement to the START arms control agreement that's going to expire very soon, December 5th. They committed to completing that deal by the end of the year, and that is important, because the START agreement really creates the entire structure for arms control between the two countries. Another very key area was Afghanistan. The Russians giving permission to the United States to transit military material, equipment and personnel across Russian territory into Afghanistan.

And then also, there were other areas, not only arms and wars, et cetera, but on the relationship, creating a bilateral commission that would be headed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, that will really look at the structure of the relationship, getting into things like energy efficiency, education, cultural things, health and others. But you'd have to say that both presidents agreed that the key thing that they did, if there was one accomplishment, it was in the nuclear area.

Here's President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: First, we've taken important steps forward to increase nuclear security and to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. This starts with the reduction of our own nuclear arsenals.

As the world's two leading nuclear powers, the United States and Russia must lead by example, and that's what we're doing here today. We have signed a joint understanding for a follow-on treaty to the START agreement that will reduce our nuclear warheads and delivery systems by up to a third from our current treaty limitations. This legally binding treaty will be completed this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: And so, tomorrow, Tuesday morning, begins with a breakfast with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who used to, of course, be the president of Russia. And then Mr. Obama will deliver a major foreign policy address.

And then, finally, there are two parallel summits, as they're being called by the Americans, going on, one on business and one on civil society. And Mr. Obama's expected to visit both of them -- Melissa.

LONG: That's Jill Dougherty, our foreign affairs correspondent, joining us live with a beautiful backdrop there from Moscow.

Thank you.

Earlier in the afternoon we told you about an ongoing search for a serial killer in a small community in South Carolina. Five people have been killed. A possible new development.

Let's check in with David Mattingly. He joins us live on the line from Gaston County, North Carolina. From what I understand,, it's about 30 miles from the community of Gaffney.

What can you tell us.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Melissa. It's a very interesting turn of events, where a couple of houses away -- we are being held by police lines, so we're at the scene of a police shooting that happened in the wee hours of the morning here in Gaston County, North Carolina.

According to police, they attempted to serve a warrant after being called to this particular house on a possible robbery call. There was gunfire exchanged. A police officer was wounded in the leg. And one man at the house was killed.

Now, a great deal of attention is being paid to this man right now. We are looking at authorities from South Carolina who are at the scene in North Carolina. These are state and local investigators who have been involved in that hunt for the serial killer in South Carolina.

They are here at the scene looking at the possibility of, does this man who was killed in this shootout, does he match the person we're looking for? There has been no sort of official announcement that, yes, that they have made that match, but they are here, they are looking.

We have talked to a neighbor across the street who witnessed the shooting. She says she saw this man go inside the house. She said that he was a large heavy-set man wearing a baseball cap. If you remember, that is loosely part of the description of the man they were looking for.

They also saw his vehicle parked in the driveway, which was a light-colored, possibly a Ford, SUV, which again also loosely matches the description of the vehicle of the suspect they were looking for. So at this point, this investigation from South Carolina, this series of terrible murders in South Carolina, has now moved to North Carolina, to one particular house in Gaston County.

In fact, I'm standing here on the side of a two-lane road in the county of Gaston. The police have it blocked off, no traffic coming or going here. There is a large number of resources brought to bear at this house, a lot of investigators wanting to see what they actually have in there, and wanting to know if they can finally answer the question, have they found their man?

LONG: And I know Gaffney's a small community, some 13,000 people. These are small rural communities.

We spoke to a city administrator earlier, David, who talked about how fear has just consumed this community, and I'm sure it is a very similar situation where you are right now.

MATTINGLY: Every single person I talk to in Gaffney today told me the same. They're looking over their shoulder. They were watching out for their neighbors. They were asking a lot of questions. They were being very aware of the people around them, the circumstances around them.

They are living in fear, and they very much hope that this case will be coming to an end soon. So, everyone very anxious to find out what they have here in North Carolina so they can go back about their daily lives.

At this point, we just went to a couple of businesses, we went to one diner in downtown Gaffney. It was almost empty during the rush hour lunch.

The owner there told me she was carrying a gun on her, something she rarely ever does. We went to a gun shop where people are buying guns for the first time for their own protection. So the random nature of these murders has spooked a whole lot of people in this area, and they're all very anxious to see what's happening here right now in North Carolina.

LONG: All right. A big potential development from Gaston County. David Mattingly live on the line for us.

David, I know -- or hopefully we'll have the opportunity to talk to you again as there are future developments. Thank you.

Now, it took some eight months -- again, eight months -- and some recounted votes and a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling, but Senator- Elect Al franken is in Washington, D.C., today, straight-faced and serious.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: CNN has learned that Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court, they will begin the 13th of July. That's one week from today. Of course, those hearings take place before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

One of those committee members, Senator Al Franken, Senator-Elect Al Franken of Minnesota. He could be sworn in as early as tomorrow. He is in Washington, D.C., right now, and the funny man, he's all business.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN.-ELECT AL FRANKEN (D), MINNESOTA: I am going to work day and night to make sure that our kids have a great future and that America's best days lay ahead. I'm ready to get to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: Important to point out that Franken will give Democrats the filibuster-proof 60 votes, but two of their party's senators, Byrd and Kennedy, are sick and haven't voted, in fact, in weeks. And some Republicans say there are enough Independent Democrats to keep the White House from having a rubber stamp in the Senate.

With this story, here's CNN's Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our next senator, Al Franken.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Democrats are counting the seconds until live from Washington, it's Al Franken.

FRANKEN: Thank you.

ACOSTA: The former "Saturday Night Live" comedian-turned- politician is about to hand his party 60 seats in the Senate, if you include the two Independents now aligned with Democrats. Franken, a Harvard graduate who can do the math, is downplaying expectations.

FRANKEN: The way I see it, I'm not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator, I'm going to Washington to be the second senator from the state of Minnesota.

ACOSTA: But that's not how others in the Senate see it.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: What I think is it should be a game changer.

ACOSTA: It takes 60 senators to kill a filibuster, so Vermont's Independent Senator, Bernie Sanders, is challenging any wavering colleagues within the new Democratic supermajority to stick together and block any filibuster attempts aimed at health care.

SANDERS: At the very least, what we should be doing, united, is saying to the Republicans, you cannot filibuster a strong health care bill to death. And if it turns out that there are only 52, 53, 54 people who vote for final passage, that's the way it is. That's a majority.

ACOSTA: But in that deck of 60, there are a few wildcards. Take Connecticut's Joe Lieberman, who told the "New Haven Independent" he is not sold on a Democratic health care proposal that would give the public the option of joining a government plan.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I) CONNECTICUT: I'm skeptical of it, both in substance and in the politics. And by the politics, I mean I think we're not going to get the votes to pass the overall bill, if that becomes a condition of it.

ACOSTA: Other Democratic wildcards from red states in the West and South are also in the mix, which may explain why the White House knows 60 is not necessarily a magic number.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We don't get everybody from every party on every vote. That includes the Democratic Party.

ACOSTA (on camera): Not to mention the fact that two prominent Democrats, Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd, have been battling illnesses. And it's still unclear whether recent Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter will even be a reliable vote.

Given all that, it may take some magic for the Democrats to get to 60.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: South Carolina Republican leaders will get on a conference call this evening. They'll be talking about Governor Mark Sanford. Now, he returned to work today after a weekend visit with family in Florida. His future has been on shaky ground since he admitted an extramarital affair. The party executive committee could ask for Sanford's resignation, could decide to censure him for his behavior, or do nothing.

The FBI says it is not investigating outgoing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for public corruption. The bureau hardly ever comes out and squashes rumors, but it felt it was necessary this time because of all kinds of stories that are circulating online.

Palin announced last week that she was resigning with 18 months left in her term. She's kept a low profile since Friday afternoon's announcement.

Another arrest for former Washington mayor Marion Barry. This time, the charge stalking.

Police say a woman flagged down an officer over the weekend and pointed out Barry in a nearby vehicle. Barry's lawyer says he's confident the charges will be dropped.

Barry served four terms as Washington, D.C.'s mayor. Still a city councilman as well. He served six months in prison after a cocaine arrest in 1990. And then in 2005, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor tax evasion charges and remains on probation today.

Red ink, the cause of job cuts and layoffs across the nation. Some new worries now about how the recession could be putting your personal safety at risk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: Some 100 firefighters and hazmat crews are cleaning up after a stubborn fire at a meat packing plant in southeastern Wisconsin. The five-alarm fire started late yesterday. It wasn't extinguished until a few hours ago.

People living within a mile of the Patrick Cudahy plant have been evacuated amid some fears that ammonia could leak from the plant into the air. All plant workers have been told to stay home.

All across America, cities are facing some serious budget shortfalls, leading to some pretty severe cuts. And there is concern your safety could be at risk when the emergency services are on the chopping block.

With this story, here's Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A 47-year-old man died in this Flint, Michigan, fire in April. The first firefighters on scene attempted a rescue, but because of recent cutbacks, didn't immediately have a pumper truck to douse the flames.

MARK KOVACH, FLINT FIREFIGHTER: If we had the water, potentially we could have made it up the stairs on the first try.

MESERVE: Last month, in Alameda, California, a firefighter was injured, his colleagues say, because cutbacks slowed the response. Officials in both Flint and Alameda dispute that budget decisions had a significant impact on these tragic events, but the Firefighters Union maintains that communities all across the country are playing Russian roulette by cutting fire services.

JEFF ZACK, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS: We are seeing firefighters furloughed, laid off, taking cuts in pay, taking cuts in pay, cuts in benefits, stations are being closed. Stations are being browned out.

MESERVE: In Atlanta, Georgia, this firehouse is one of five that have been shuttered. The Firefighters Union says the city has half the fire personnel it should.

JIM DAVIS, ATLANTA FIREFIGHTERS UNION: On any given day, we'll have only 140 firefighters on duty in the city of Atlanta to protect a city with a daytime population well over 1.5 million, which is a national scandal.

MESERVE: A survey in January indicated six percent of cities had cut emergency services. Though the number has almost certainly grown, experts say emergency services are almost always the last thing on the chopping block.

CHRIS HOENE, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES: The fact that you're seeing cities around the country making cuts to these services is evidence of the depth of the current recession.

MESERVE: Take Prince George's County, Maryland.

MARK BRADY, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, FIRE DEPT.: We have to be fiscally responsible to the citizens and residents, and do the job and provide the services that we need to provide, the best that we can with the resources that we are provided with.

MESERVE: County officials say public safety is not being jeopardized.

DOUG BARTHOLOMEW, IAFF LOCAL 1619: Currently, there is no staffing at this station today.

MESERVE: But firefighters insist job and overtime cuts, furloughs and rotating station closures are increasing the risk to firefighters and the communities they serve.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody is home. Turn out the lights.

MESERVE (on camera): The Obama administration has proposed increasing grant money to pay for firefighting positions, but as communities' budgets get tighter and tighter, more are expected to cut emergency services, which really can make the difference between life and death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: A long holiday weekend. Some people lucked out and had beautiful weather on Saturday.

Now, what about the forecast for today, for the week?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LONG: Continuing to follow the story of Steve McNair, a Titan in more ways than one. A generous man, gave to his community. His sudden and violent death spotlighting a part of his life that the fans didn't see.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: We remember Michael Jackson tomorrow not only on television also online. Go to cnn.com as well and follow our extensive coverage.

Some of Iran's top Islamic clerics are at odds over the country's presidential election and post-election violence. Clerics and seminary students in Iran's holy city of (INAUDIBLE) issued a statement over the weekend saying the June 12th election was skewed. The clergy, seen as a backbone of Iran's religious establishment and that position goes against Iran's supreme leader. CNN international correspondent Reza Sayah says the dispute is not going away any time soon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This face-off between religious powerhouses is really unprecedented. It shows the divisions within the religious establishment. On one hand, you have Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who is supposed to be the ultimate word on most matters, he's come out and stood squarely behind President Ahmadinejad and said these elections are over and anyone who says otherwise is going against the regime. On the other hand, you have these very influential clerics who are clearly rejecting the most powerful man in Iran, saying no, this is not over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: Iran is now threatening to put a local worker for the British embassy on trial for taking part in the unrest. Britain is warning Iran there will be consequences if that happens.

Mexico's president could be losing some punch with three years left in his term. Preliminary results from Sunday's midterm elections show Felipe Calderon's ruling party losing numerous local elections and seats in the lower legislative house. Some unofficial results released today give the opposition revolutionary institutional party a solid lead over Calderon's national action party.

Clashes at the main airport in Honduras after troops kept ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya's plane from even landing. The crisis that started with Zelaya's arrest more than a week ago shows no sign of easing. CNN's Karl Penhaul is live for us from Honduras. Karl, again, Zelaya blocked from returning to his country. What is his next move?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That really is the big question now. We understand that when he was unable to land here in Honduras, then he flew to El Salvador and overnighted there, where he met with a number of Latin American presidents. Right now, for the last few hours, we have not been able to get any lead on where he is right now or what his plans are. We can't get in contact with his advisors either. We had heard earlier that he may head back to Washington to continue with the diplomatic push and meet once again with the Organization of American States, but we hear on the ground here from protest organizers, his supporters that he will at some stage again during the course of this week try to come back. If he does, it's unlikely that he will fly in once again. It seems much more likely he could try and cross across one of the land crossings, one of the border crossings there and to do that, he would have to be surrounded by his supporters. They in fact would have to draw up a human cordon around him to stop the interim government that was brought in by the coup from trying to carry out their threat to arrest him. Melissa?

LONG: Karl, I know you had the opportunity yesterday to be at the airport. You were with his followers. It was chaotic, it became deadly. What is happening in the streets today with his followers?

PENHAUL: We have seen a number of his supporters out on the streets today at the protests they held today. It was very much shorter than in previous days. On the one hand, yes, after a week of protests against this coup, they are obviously tired, what some political analysts would say as well is that if they don't see any signs of Zelaya showing back up into the country, then they may lose patience, disorganization may set in, although protest organizers right now are saying they hope that does not happen. The other thing that is happening, of course, is the body of that young man, a 19- year-old, the son of an evangelical pastor, son of a small coffee farmer, was taken back to his hometown about three and a half hours outside the capital and he, we are told, will be buried tomorrow. Melissa?

LONG: Karl Penhaul live for us from Honduras. Karl, thank you.

The streets are reportedly calm today in China's western Xinjiang region after a weekend of deadly rioting. We'll show you the chaotic scene, this is from Sunday. At least 156 people are known to be dead. The figure is expected to go higher. More than 800 others were injured. Protesters flipped over cars, set them on fire. The violence is seen as part of the deteriorating relations and increasing tensions between the Chinese and ethnic Muslims.

National police aren't ready to call it a murder-suicide. But from all accounts, the death of the retired NFL quarterback Steve McNair appears to be just that. The former Tennessee Titan shot four times, nearby, the body of his girlfriend of six months, Iranian immigrant, Sahel Kazemi. Police say the 20-year-old woman was shot once in the head, a pistol found under her body at McNair's Nashville condo. Kazemi's family members paint a picture of a young woman who thought McNair was leaving his wife but Nashville courts have no record of divorce action. McNair's wife, Michelle, hasn't spoken publicly but his brother did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED MCNAIR, STEVE MCNAIR'S BROTHER: It's very disturbing, you know, that a person of Steve's caliber could just get caught like that, I mean, it's just bad. I can't really believe that, you know, that that happened like that without just him just putting up a fight or something like that. Just hard to believe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: The celebrity website tmz.com obtaining these photographs of McNair and Kazemi. A family member tells a Nashville newspaper that McNair took the young lady on trips to Florida, California and Hawaii. Police still want to see if there's any gun residue on Kazemi's hands as well as who owns that gun that was found under her body.

Jurors in South Texas get to see it firsthand this week, that cell phone video of the developmentally disabled forced to fight each other for sport. The trial of four former employees of a Corpus Christi state school begin today. This is a story we have been following for you for a few months now. It came to light in March. The defendants were supposed to be caring for these people. Prosecutors claim they forced those in their care to duke it out and again, for fun.

Ready to motor on. A judge approving General Motors' restructuring plan. What it means for you, the taxpayer, and what it means for GM customers as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: Los Angeles is bracing for an influx of thousands and thousands of people. No one really knows how many people, for tomorrow's Michael Jackson memorial. L.A. city council woman, acting Mayor as well, Jan Perry joining us live on the line with an update. Jan, thank you for your time. Jan, are you there? Maybe we don't have a connection with Jan Perry. OK. Oh, we just disconnected. We'll try to get Jan back a little bit later. Again, we were hoping to learn a little bit more about the final preparations and logistics surrounding the memorial tomorrow for the public at the Staples Center.

A judge going against the wishes of Michael Jackson's mother. We're going to talk with an attorney about what today's ruling could mean for the future of the millions of dollars in the pop star's estate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: Trying to connect with the acting mayor of Los Angeles who is busy preparing for tomorrow's memorial service. Again, thousands and thousands of people converging in Los Angeles to remember the pop icon. She's an L.A. city council woman, acting mayor, Jan Perry. Jan, we have you this time?

JAN PERRY, L.A. CITY COUNCILWOMAN (via telephone): Yes, I'm here.

LONG: OK Jan, thank you so much for your time. Again, I know this is Los Angeles, you have enormous events all the time, but how does this one compare in terms of preparation and security and logistics to other events? And are you guys ready?

PERRY: Well, I think that the police department appears to be more than ready, and they have been setting up for the last two day. Looks very organized. A good plan in place. There is a perimeter around the Staples Arena and for those who do not have tickets, they will not be able to cross that perimeter so it's a good opportunity for crowd control and to mitigate any untoward situation.

LONG: I know 8,750 names were chosen. Those wrist bands, those credentials, are coveted. There are thousands of people that want to be there, that want to say they were part of this memorial, but you're saying they're not going to have a chance to get even close.

PERRY: They won't be able to get close to the arena and there will not be any outdoor showing on any of the outdoor screens of the proceedings inside, so there really won't be anything to see. So the best thing to do is to celebrate in the comfort of your home.

LONG: Celebrate in the comfort of your home. Hopefully watching here on CNN or cnn.com as well. I'm not sure if you are able to give us some insight on a story, we're trying to get some confirmation on. But what can you tell us about the burial of Michael Jackson? We are trying to figure out whether or not it is in fact happening tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. and the location.

PERRY: Oh, I have no idea. I think you should either call Forest Lawn or a family representative but I don't have details on that.

LONG: OK. There are some local reports indicating that the location --

PERRY: Yes, I know. That's a mistake some wire service reported. That is an error and I do not have information on that.

LONG: OK. Thank you so much for clarifying that for us as well. Again, just wanted to speak with you briefly to get the final information on the preparations for tomorrow's memorial service again at the Staples Center. That's Jan Perry, a busy lady. She's not only an L.A. City Councilwoman but she's also the acting mayor right now as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is out of the area on holiday. Thank you Jan.

Also, a judge today giving control of Jackson's assets to the two men that have been named as co-executors of his will. Entertainment attorney John Branca and record executive John McLean will be responsible for protecting the estate from immediate losses. Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson, had asked for Branca to be removed from that role. Joining me now to talk about this is an attorney, Louis Levinson. He was an attorney for family members of the estate of soul singer James Brown as well. Thank you so much for joining us and adding your perspective.

LOUIS LEVENSON, FMR. ATTORNEY FOR JAMES BROWN FAMILY: Thank you.

LONG: Again, we learned this morning that the judge in Los Angeles has granted immediate control of the entertainer's assets to the two gentlemen I have just mentioned. You say you expected this to happen.

LEVENSON: Well, yes. It's not uncommon for the judge to appoint the person nominated by the deceased. At this stage of the proceeding, the co-executors are going to be having limited authority to collect the assets and to pay limited bills. I don't believe they have the authority from the court to sell any assets, dispose of anything, or to enter into any contracts which is not uncommon.

LONG: Also, we understand that they have been named special administrators, the two men as well, until the 3rd of August. Exactly what does that mean? What is their role?

LEVENSON: That's exactly what the term special administrators means, it's limited authority as the representative of the deceased's estate. It doesn't give them the authority that they would have if they were fully empowered as the co-executors, which the court is going to consider or reconsider sometime in August.

LONG: I mentioned a moment ago Michael's mother Katherine had asked for Branca to be removed from the role. Do you have any insight on why that is the case?

LEVENSON: Well, I had heard that there was an allegation that there would be waste or some loss to the estate if Branca and McLean were appointed and certainly, that is the right of Mrs. Jackson to make that, but it would be my belief that she would have to establish that there was some evidence that they are likely to cause waste or loss of the estate before the judge would override the appointment of the named executors, Branca and McLean.

LONG: I want to get back to some of the basics here with this estate, with this will, and Michael Jackson's young children. When will they have access, let's get back to the basics of how these trusts and how these wills even work.

LEVENSON: That's a good question. The estate is going to be in place for a long time collecting assets and paying bills and doing the things that estates do before the assets or even some of the assets are partially distributed to the trust. The trust isn't going to receive those assets until the business of the estate which is separate from the trust, is accomplished or substantially accomplished, so the interests of the children will be not fully funded until sometime down the road. LONG: Again Louis, this is a will dating back to 2002. Another one could feasibly surface.

LEVENSON: Well, I'm surprised, really, with someone of the stature of Michael Jackson that seven years has gone by without making a will but it is possible. But if there were another will, I would expect someone will be presenting it to the court, because the idea is the last will and testament, not just a will, and the last one is the one that takes precedence.

LONG: When we introduced you we mentioned that you represented some of James Brown's family during estate litigation. Help us understand how this type of estate, this type of will, is different than a will you may have, a will I may have.

LEVENSON: Well, in the will of James Brown, there was a considerable contest because there were questions in Mr. Brown's estate as to whether he had a spouse, there were questions about the validity of the will, there were questions about a lot of things which have all been resolved and Judge Early in Aiken County has approved recently a settlement making that settlement the disposition of the estate. It's pretty complicated there. An ordinary family will, most of the assets are left to a spouse, in this case, Michael Jackson did not have a spouse. After spouse, it's left to children. In this case, he did have children and therefore, he's made provisions. So in some ways, this is a pretty ordinary disposition. The only difference is, of course, the size of the estate and the complexity of the assets in the estate.

LONG: Interesting. An ordinary disposition, you're saying, but certainly not an ordinary man. Louis Levenson, thank you so much. An attorney who has also represented family members in the estate of James Brown as well. Louis, thank you for your time.

I want to remind you to be sure to stick with us tomorrow around the clock coverage of Michael Jackson's memorial, online, on television. Family, friends and fans are celebrating the life and legacy of this worldwide pop icon and saying good-bye. "Michael Jackson the Memorial," again CNN all day starting on Tuesday morning, on "American Morning" at 6:00 A.M. Eastern time.

As always, team Sanchez they're back there, they're hard at work getting ready for the next hour of NEWSROOM. Rick, what do you have on tap? What's on the calendar?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Working hard? Let me check around. Yes, as a matter of fact they are.

LONG: You're always hard-working, I know that.

SANCHEZ: Hey look, we have two things that are going on right now. First of all, we have this situation going on in North Carolina, where there's a possibility that this serial killer, remember I just said possibility, I don't want to spook anybody here, I'm not confirming that he's been caught, but it's starting to look like that could be a real possibility. Five people have been killed. These are like random killings in South Carolina over the last nine days. Now suddenly, there's a shootout with police about a half hour away in North Carolina.

I think both police departments are talking to each other and there's a real possibility that this thing could finally end the fears of all these people who have been walking around and buying guns like crazy because they think that there's a killer out there who is just killing people at random. We're also going to be covering the very latest out of Honduras. That movie seems to be shaking. There may be some tensions between Chavez and the people in Honduras as well.

And then, a follow-up on Steve McNair. This is a story that's got so many question marks. One of the premier NFL quarterbacks in the last decade suddenly dies and police haven't confirmed this yet, but it does start to look an awful lot like it may have been a murder- suicide. We'll have it for you. We have new information coming up in just a little bit. Back at you.

LONG: Looking forward to it all. Thank you. Coming up at the top of the hour. Thank you, Rick. We'll be right back here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: What do you think of this? They're selling the naming rights to baseball parks and football stadiums so why not subway stations? With this story, here's CNN's Richard Roth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The big news at this bustling Brooklyn, New York subway station is its name. New York City has sold the name of the massive Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street station to Barclays Bank.

DALE HEMMERDINGER, CHMN., NYC METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTH.: This is the first time we have ever succeeded in getting somebody to actually pay for a name.

ROTH: The signage isn't set but it may look like this. Barclays, a British bank, in one of Brooklyn's oldest public train stations?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's potential for a bit of a slippery slope that I can imagine when you start to sell branding name of government run or owned institutions.

ROTH: New York City Transit like its subway performers needs money. Ridership has dropped as the global economy has gone off the tracks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like transit systems all over the country and all over the world, we are facing budget deficits.

ROTH: Many of the locals don't think Barclays should be a sign of the times. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you expect me to think? That's ridiculous. The whole country is just a branding nightmare.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A London bank should not be the name of this train station. It's something that belongs in the public domain.

ROTH: A real estate developer working with Barclays is paying $200,000 for 20 years for the naming rights. It's the underground branding for a planned Barclays sports arena above the subway. Some riders don't mind the switch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they can do it, why not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trains run the same way. I couldn't care less.

ROTH: Some do care and are committing the old name to memory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Atlantic pacific. Atlantic pacific. That's what I say now. That's what I'll always say.

ROTH: In the last century, New Yorkers often had trouble reading anything in the subway because of graffiti. It's much cleaner now and New York City says corporate cash entering the subways helps keep fares low. Of course conductors will have more to announce.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why? Same reason. Money.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: From the New York subway system, that was CNN's Richard Roth. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now, the 3:00 p.m. hour with Rick Sanchez. Rick?

SANCHEZ (voice-over): What a scene in Honduras. The president not allowed to land. The public revolting. And look who's directing the chaos.

Was this NFL superstar killed by his mistress?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is clear that Steve McNair's death is a homicide, as the result of being shot four times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): New information on this shocking crime.

Republican Congressman Peter King questions the expanded media coverage of this quote, "pervert and pedophile." And he talks to CNN. What you are saying about it.