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Day Three of Conrad Murray Trial; Getting Rid of Tainted Cantaloupes; Big Rebound on Wall Street

Aired September 29, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

I want to get you up to speed for Thursday, September 29th.

The House votes any minute now on a bill that keeps the government open for business. It's going to be a unanimous consent vote, meaning the bill passes if no one objects. Only a few lawmakers are actually in the chamber because the House is in recess. The bill funds the government until Tuesday. That's when the House returns, takes up a measure of paying the government's bills through mid- November.

Well, the number of Americans filing their first unemployment claim is at the lowest level in six months. The Labor Department counts 391,000 applications last week. That's 37,000 fewer than the week before. New claims have been above 400,000 since April. That is too high, economists say, to make a dent in the unemployment rate.

Federal authorities have charged a young Massachusetts physics grad in a terror plot. Agents say Rezwan Ferdaus planned to use remote control model airlines to hit the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon. Now, these models, which are about the 10th of the size of a real plane, would have been filled with a plastic explosive. The FBI says that it arrested him -- he's an American citizen -- after a lengthy undercover operation.

John McCain leading a delegation of Republican senators on a trip to Libya today. The group has been meeting with Libya's National Transition Council. Those are the rebel leaders who drove Moammar Gadhafi from power. Now, a spokesman says the council knows Gadhafi's general location.

Senator McCain talked to CNN from Tripoli.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think that the people of Libya, the ones that I've talked to, would like to catch him alive. They would like to see him on trial for the horrendous crimes that he has committed.

You know, every few days they come across another grave, some of them with hundreds of bodies in it. There's no doubt that this guy was hated by the people of Libya, and I think they would like to see him brought to justice more than they would like to see him dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Gadhafi is facing a long list of war crimes charges. Now, if captured, he would go before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Well, the paramedics who rushed to Michael Jackson's home the day he died are expected on the stand today. Court gets under way in about 45 minutes or so. Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, is on trial for Jackson's death, and prosecutors say he gave Jackson an overdose of anesthesia, as well as other drugs.

Our CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains what the defense strategy is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They think that after Conrad Murray left the room, that Michael Jackson had in fact been feigning sleep or, as they put it, playing possum. He got up, literally got out of bed, and took more tablets, this Lorazepam, took eight of these 2 milligram tablets of that, and injected more Propofol into his system and then went back to bed.

So they say that Michael Jackson actually self-administered both this anti-anxiety medication and Propofol after feigning sleep in front of Dr. Conrad Murray.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Along with the paramedics, Jackson's chef and security chief are also expected to testify today. We're going to have portions of that live here on CNN.

In Italy today, lawyers for American Amanda Knox are giving final arguments at her appeals trial. Now, she's expected to address the jury on Saturday. A verdict could come as soon as Monday.

Knox and her boyfriend were convicted of slitting her roommate's throat in what prosecutors describe as part satanic ritual, part orgy. They want their convictions overturned, arguing that no physical evidence convicts them to the crime.

Well, legal experts say it could take months to extradite George Wright to the United States. The convicted killer escaped prison in 1970.

Now, two years later, Wright allegedly hijacked a Delta flight, flew to Algeria, and then vanished. Well, Monday, after 41 years on the run, police arrested him in Portugal. Wright was in prison for killing New Jersey gas station owner Walter Patterson in 1962. The victim's daughter wants him back behind bars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN PATTERSON, VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: It was initial shock, and then I get upset about things, and then I -- after thinking about it, it was more like a weight had been lifted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Police found Wright living in a picturesque village in Portugal, leading a normal life with a wife and two kids.

Food inspectors are fanning out today to make sure that supermarkets have pulled bad cantaloupe. Melons from a Colorado farm are contaminated with what is called listeria. It's a bacteria that has now killed 13 people.

Seventy-two people have gotten sick across 18 states, and experts think that more people are going to get sick. It can take up to three weeks for listeria symptoms to even show up.

To sports. Four teams, three amazing games, two playoff spots on the line.

Of course, closing day for Major League Baseball season. It was a rather wild one.

In the American League, the Tampa Bay rays were in the hole, 7-0 against the New York Yankees. The Rays scored eight runs and won the game in dramatic fashion. The Red Sox completed historic September collapse with a loss to the Orioles and will sit out the playoffs.

In the National League, the Atlanta Braves were up eight games at the beginning of the month. They lost last night in a 13 inning nail- biter. That, combined with St. Louis win, put the Cardinals in the playoffs.

More details now on one of the big stories of the day, the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. The third day of testimony gets under way this hour.

Now, we expect to hear more about Dr. Conrad Murray's actions the morning that Jackson died.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is outside of the courthouse in Los Angeles.

Ted, give us a sense, a preview, of who is scheduled to testify today. And what are they likely to talk about?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, it's a big day for prosecutors. They're going to start with Alberto Alvarez.

This is the first person other than Conrad Murray to see Michael Jackson unresponsive. He was the first one to walk into the room, and he was the one that was taking directions from Murray. And prosecutors are going to lay the groundwork here not only to set the scene for jurors, but also to basically critique Murray's actions specifically.

Murray asked Alvarez to call 911, but it was only after he asked Alvarez to help him gather bottles of Propofol. Very damning, because it looks to consciousness of guilt on Murray's standpoint. Then, once 911 was called, Murray was performing CPR, but he was doing it on a bed instead of a flat surface, which is normally the protocol. And he asked Alvarez if he knew CPR.

Also, going to the prosecution's theory that Murray was just in over his head all of the way through this whole process and that he was incompetent. This was a theme that they hammered out in their opening statements. Alvarez will help them with that.

The defense really will try to chip away at Alvarez very shortly. I don't expect a long cross-examination from him.

But then it goes on to the chef. This is the woman that -- the only prosecution witness really that has any sense of time.

Every other witness says, well, this was so chaotic, I have no idea what time it was. The chef, however, Kai Chase, knew exactly what time it was because she was waiting to deliver a smoothie, if you will, a fruit drink to Michael Jackson.

So she says she kept looking at her watch, looking at her watch. So prosecutors will use her to timestamp all of the things going on in the house. They're using phone records, but they're also going to use this chef. It's going to be very compelling.

And then, finally, they may get to the first responders today, the ambulance folks, the EMTs, depending on how long these other witnesses go.

MALVEAUX: And Ted, we heard some emotional testimony yesterday about Jackson's children, that they were crying, that they were trying to be comforted here as there were efforts to revive Jackson. I imagine this is going to be pretty tough for the family to sit through today.

ROWLANDS: Yes, because you're going to get more of that. Alvarez, one of the things that he testified in the preliminary hearing, was that Murray, for some reason, told Alvarez to call Prince, Michael Jackson's oldest son, up to the room. He'll detail that.

And then this chef, Kai Chase, she also details the children. She did in the preliminary hearing, what they were doing, how she helped shield them from looking at Michael Jackson.

But yesterday was gut-wrenching, talking about Michael Jackson's daughter curled up in a ball up in the house. There will be more of that today.

The family has already arrived. At least Mr. and Mrs. Jackson have arrived, and it's going to be a tough day for them as well in court, as it was yesterday.

MALVEAUX: And we don't expect that the children are actually going to be there, do we, Ted?

ROWLANDS: No. They're on the witness list, but there's no indication that either side is going to call them.

They really don't bring anything to the case. And it doesn't look like either side would dare bring one of those children in, because jurors could easily turn on whoever makes a child get up on the stand.

MALVEAUX: All right. Ted Rowlands, thank you.

We'll be following all of that as the testimony is live. We will bring that to you.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: Is Herman Cain fair when he says that African-Americans were brainwashed?

Carol Costello has more from New York.

Carol, this is very, very controversial. We heard him talk to Wolf yesterday about this, because he believes that all African- Americans are just voting Democratic, and in his view, it's brainwashing.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. You're going to hear it for yourself in just a minute. But the Republican presidential contender Herman Cain, boy did he hit a nerve.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Why is the Republican Party basically poison for so many African-Americans?

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Because many African- Americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded, not even considering a conservative point of view. I have received some of that same vitriol simply because I am running for the Republican nomination as a conservative. So it's just brainwashing and people not being open-minded, pure and simple.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Roland Martin, a CNN political analyst, called Cain's remarks "stupid." It's not that African-Americans reject Republican ideals outright. Many African-Americans are socially conservative. But martin says there hasn't been any real effort on the part of this year's Republican candidates to actually reach out to the black community.

Historically, African-Americans did not fully embrace the Democratic Party until the 1960s, when a Democratic president pushed through the Civil Rights Act. Today, according to James Peterson from Lehigh University, when Republicans talk about cutting things like entitlements and being tough on immigration, African-Americans see a subtle form of racism there. It's a complicated issue.

So, the "Talk Back" question for you today: Was Herman Cain fair when he said African-American voters are brainwashed? Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: You're going to get -- I think you're going to get a lot of responses on that one, Carol. A lot of frustrated, angry -- we'll see what happens, but I guarantee you, you're going to get a lot of responses on that one.

All right. Thanks.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering.

First, what should you look out for when buying a cantaloupe? We're going to talk to an expert about protecting yourself from the listeria outbreak.

And a man is charged with planning to pack these model airplanes with explosives and fly them into government buildings. Find out how the FBI found out about this alleged plot.

Then, more details from the moments before Michael Jackson died. They are revealed on the stand.

And later, yes, sneakers that promise to firm up your butt there, but now the government says Reebok was deceiving its customers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: So the FDA is trying to make sure that you and your local grocery store have gotten rid of cantaloupe linked to the deadly listeria outbreak. Health officials are double-checking stores for any of the contaminated fruit.

The bacteria is blamed for at least 13 deaths. That is the most fatalities from illnesses caused by tainted food in a decade.

Authorities have traced the listeria outbreak to cantaloupes grown in Colorado. It has now spread to 18 states.

Joining us to explain what listeria is and how you can protect yourself is Dr. David Acheson. He is managing director of food safety and import practice with Leavitt Partners. He's also a former chief medical officer with the FDA.

And, Doctor, thank you for joining us.

First of all, let's start with the basics here. We're not talking hysteria, but we're talking listeria. What is listeria?

DR. DAVID ACHESON, LEAVITT PARTNERS: Listeria is a bacteria, it's a microbe. It gets on the surface of foods, it can get inside foods. It can grow in your refrigerator. And if you're a high-risk person, particularly if you are pregnant or if you're elderly, immune- compromised, you're at serious risk of some major health consequences if you get exposed to it.

MALVEAUX: So what are symptoms? How would you know that you actually have been exposed to this bacteria?

ACHESON: Let's divide that into two parts.

Firstly, the two high-risk groups are pregnant women and the elderly, immune-compromised. The symptoms are actually pretty different.

If you are pregnant, and you've been exposed, you could have very little symptom. A little bit of flu-type feelings, minor fever, you just don't feel quite right. It doesn't do much to impact the mom, but it can be devastating to the baby, particularly if you are in the second or the third trimester of pregnancy.

So, there, the symptoms are minor. If you've had exposure, and you even have a little bit of flu-like illness, get yourself to the doctor.

If you're elderly or immune-compromised, the systems are more profound: fever, feeling really unwell. It can infect the brain, so you get headaches, you get an aversion to light. You may get confused, you may get unsteady. Absolutely, those are key symptoms to get yourself to a physician.

MALVEAUX: This is treatable, yes?

ACHESON: It is absolutely treatable. If you get in there early, it responds to antibiotics and it is treatable. Having said that, unfortunately, it does have a pretty high mortality rate.

Often people do die from this because they don't get in there early enough and get on some treatment. It's a nasty illness.

MALVEAUX: Doctor, we have a cantaloupe here. And you know what's surprising? This has such a thick skin, but most people would be surprised to learn that you really should wash this outside, wash it thoroughly before you actually cut into it.

What is the best way to protect yourself from food-borne illness when it comes to cantaloupe and other vegetables, fruits?

ACHESON: Great question. And it's an important one in this context.

Number one, have a look at those cantaloupes that you're purchasing at the supermarket. Are they bruised? Are they damaged? Do they have holes?

That's important, because bugs on the surface can get inside the cantaloupe. And we love that sweet, juicy meat for ourselves. So do bacteria. They love growing inside the cantaloupe. So if it's damaged, don't purchase it.

Once you get it home and you're ready to consume it, scrub it under cold running water. Get as many of those bugs off just by abrasion. When you chop it up, cut it up on a clean cutting board. Don't be mixing it up with your raw poultry or your raw fish. Get it in the refrigerator, and consume it within 24 to 48 hours. That's the best way to try to safeguard against a problem.

MALVEAUX: All right, Doctor. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

ACHESON: A pleasure. Thank you.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks.

Well, the listeria outbreak in cantaloupe, it is the latest high- profile case of illnesses that are linked to tainted food. We've also had recalls recently of ground beef and ground turkey. Now, over the past few years, we've seen huge recalls of eggs, peanut butter and spinach.

Attorney Bill Marler is with the Food Safety Law Firm that represents people suing over outbreaks from tainted food. And he joins us from Seattle.

Thanks for joining us.

First of all, is there something that is broken in the food system?

BILL MARLER, FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS ATTORNEY: Well, I think, you know, as Dr. Acheson aptly said, listeria is a very difficult bacteria to deal with. It's a real problem for industry. And if they're not on top of things, it can get into the food supply and it can get into your refrigerator and it can sicken and kill.

With the Food Safety Modernization Act passed last year, I think all of us in food safety, both from the industry side and the consumer side, are really hopeful that we're going to see a downturn in food- borne illness. But a lot of that work still needs to be done and a lot of it needs to be funded. And so I think time is going to tell.

MALVEAUX: And Bill, the fact that this happens so rarely, when we talk about the serious situation, should we take comfort for the most part that we can feel safe with the foods that we eat?

MARLER: Well, if you're a betting person, I suppose. The CDC says 48 million Americans are sickened every year from a food-borne illness, 125,000 are hospitalized and there are 3,000 deaths. It's estimated to cost the U.S. economy about $150 billion a year. So it's a big problem that requires an investment and requires our diligence.

MALVEAUX: All right. It sounds like it's still a very serious problem.

We appreciate your insights there, Bill. Thank you.

MARLER: Thank you very much. You bet.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

Well, Reebok claims that some of its shoes can make your bottom just a little bit firmer. Well, let's see. If you bought those shoes, you might want to get your money back. We're going to tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're watching a big rebound on Wall Street today.

Carter Evans is at the New York Stock Exchange.

So, Carter, what are we seeing right now?

CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we got some good numbers.

We're off our highs, but things are actually keeping -- we're holding for the good numbers actually right now. Here's what's going on.

Let's talk about the numbers that we're getting in today and the reports that we're getting in today.

We got a report in on our gross domestic product showing that our economy grew 1.3 percent in the most recent quarter. It's more than expected.

We also found out the unemployment claims last week, they fell a lot more than expected, down below that 400,000 mark. We've only seen that twice in the last five months or so, so that's good news as well.

We did find out just a little while ago that pending home sales are on the decline. They fell in August by a little more than one percent, but most of that due to Hurricane Irene -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Carter. Are you ready for this story? Are you ready for this one?

EVANS: I love it. I love it.

MALVEAUX: You've been warned. OK, so those Reebok shoes that are supposed to firm up your butt, apparently a waste of money.

EVANS: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Do you have a pair of those, by the way? I've got to ask you that first of all, Carter.

EVANS: I don't. I don't.

MALVEAUX: You don't?

EVANS: But my wife has a pair. Not of this particular brand, but another brand. But here's the deal.

MALVEAUX: OK. Tell me what the deal is.

EVANS: When it comes to EasyTone and RunTone shoes by Reebok, the Federal Trade Commission says the advertisements are deceptive. Basically, Reebok is claiming -- and you're looking at one of the commercials right now -- Reebok is claiming that they tone your butt and your thighs more than other shoes.

Other ads were a lot more specific, saying that it gave your butt 28 percent more strength. I'm not exactly sure how they measured that.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Well, we're not going to get into how they measured that, Carter. But your wife, maybe should get that refund, huh?

EVANS: I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you there. But let me explain what the option is here if you are trying to get some money back. You definitely can. You just head to the FTC's Web site.

Now, here's the thing. It's not really clear exactly how much you're going to get back. They have a $25 million fund for this set up right now, and it really depends on how many people file claims.

As far as getting money back you just head to the FTC Web site. What Reebok says about all this, Reebok says, hey, we stand by our claims, these shoes do strengthen your butt and thighs. But we settled with the FTC to avoid a long lawsuit.

MALVEAUX: All right. Fair enough, Carter. We'll see if your wife gets the refund or not.

All right. Thanks.

Here's your chance to "Choose the News" Text "22360" for the story you would like to see.

Text "1" for "Florida's Invasive Reptiles." The exotic pet trade is bringing a lot of creatures to the United States that are not from here. The problem is that they're being let loose. We're going to tell you about how it's impacting the environment.

Text "2" for "France's Post-It Wars." Fierce competition over art made out of Post-Its. Some of it is six or seven floors high. We're going to show you that artwork.

And text "3" for "Cuba, Cars for Sales." Cubans haven't been able to buy and sell cars freely, but now that's all about to change. We're going to tell you what happens to all those classic 1950s Buicks.

So you can vote by texting "22360." Text "1" for "Florida's Invasive Reptiles"; "2" for "France's Post-It Wars"; or "3" for "Cuba, Cars for Sale."

The winning story is going to air next hour. So the FBI says that it's foiled a terror plot aimed at blowing up the Pentagon and the Capitol. Model airplanes were part of that plot. We're going to go live to Washington to find out how the attacks were going to be carried out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's what ahead on the rundown next.

Toy planes and a new terror threat, Washington landmarks now the target.

Also ahead, details from the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, and the story behind this haunting photo taken at a war memorial in Hawaii.

Now, more on the bizarre terror plot uncovered by the FBI. A Massachusetts man is accused of planning to bomb the Capitol and the Pentagon with model airplanes packed with plastic explosives.

Our CNN's Brian Todd, he is live from Washington.

Brian, first of all, how do we suspect that this plan was going to be carried out?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, according to an affidavit filed by federal law enforcement authorities yesterday, Mr. Ferdaus was planning on packing model airplanes with C-4 plastic explosives, other possible explosives, and flying them by remote control into the Capitol and the Pentagon. That is according to an affidavit filed yesterday by law enforcement.

They said that he had pretty solid plans in place to purchase these planes. One -- there's one indication in the affidavit that he might have purchased at least one of them. And they actually -- federal authorities gave us pictures of these planes that he was going to use. One is a model of the F-4 phantom fighter. Another is the F- 86 Sabre fighter jet. These models are one-tenth the size of the actual aircraft.

And according to federal authorities, he was going to pack them with explosives and fly them into the Capitol and the Pentagon by remote control using them almost like drones and pinpoint these locations with GPS. And also he had a second plan, kind of a coordinated plan in place, to bring in ground operatives for a ground attack. He had plans to bring two teams of people, at least six people, in to fire on these buildings while people evacuated them.

Now, there's no indication on any of these documents or from federal officials separately of any other conspirators in this plot, but they say that he did plan on flying these planes into these buildings with explosives and then firing on people as they tried to evacuate.

MALVEAUX: Right. Brian, do we know how agents found out about this plot? How did they discover this was going to happen? TODD: We're trying to get some indications of that. We do know that they know about other plotting that he had done, according to what they are saying in this affidavit, other plotting that he had done as far back as last year. They say that last year he started to concoct some of these plots.

They had indications that he wanted to convert cell phones into switches for IEDs and that he had worked with people who he thought were al Qaeda operatives, but who were really undercover FBI agents, and to pass them these switches for IEDs that he hoped would be used overseas to kill American soldiers.

Now, some of the plotting according to these documents went back as far as last year. We do know that they were monitoring him and working with undercover agents as early as January of this year.

MALVEAUX: OK. All right, Brian, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

I want to go to Fran Townsend, also a member of the CIA External Advisory Committee. She joins us from New York.

Fran, you hear about this potential threat here. How credible was it, do you think?

FRANCES TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Suzanne, the thing that strikes one is the level of detailed planning.

This individual, this lone wolf had both the intent to carry it out and some capability. He had a physics degree from Northwestern University here in the United States. He had rented a storage facility. He had gone to Washington to do some surveillance and to understand distances from this park, this East Potomac Park, to the targets.

And so this was a guy who was very serious about the plan even if he hadn't gotten to the point of recruiting the additional six individuals who he wanted for the follow-on attack.

MALVEAUX: How easy would it have been, Fran, for him to carry out something like this for somebody to potentially be a copycatter?

TOWNSEND: The difficult -- the most difficult piece is getting your hands on the C-4. The FBI and local law enforcement all have trip wires, if you will, to try and track the purchase of C-4. You need a legitimate purpose to be able to purchase it. It's not clear how he thought he was going to get C-4.

MALVEAUX: And, Fran, I want to turn on another subject here. The chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, in an interview with our own Fareed Zakaria repeated claims that he believes that Pakistan spy's service is in cahoots with the militant, the terrorist group Haqqani in launching attacks on military forces, American forces in Afghanistan. Here's how he put it, Fran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: Do you believe you're overstating the link between the Pakistani military and the Haqqani Network?

ADMIRAL MICHAEL MULLEN, JOINTS CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: The strategic intent here is to give -- is focus on this like a laser, because it's been there for a long time. And unless the Pakistani leadership takes action, it will continue to be there. And that support will continue to be there.

I don't try to make the case that this is a light switch that you can throw on and off. There are elements I think of the ISI very active with Haqqani.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TOWNSEND: So, Fran, off the record, behind the scenes, I speak with military, White House officials who say Pakistan, it is a big, big problem especially the spy agency in working with Haqqani.

Why do we suppose that Mullen has been outspoken about this? We know that he's on his way out, that he's leaving his position. But is this a good idea? Is he actually saying publicly what many people are feeling privately?

TOWNSEND: Well, I think Admiral Mullen is both saying publicly what many people across multiple administrations have felt. I think he does feel freer to speak. He leaves at the end of week. He leaves his position.

And, third, I think he feels personally betrayed by the Pakistanis. I don't think there's a single senior government, U.S. government official who has spent as much time working with the Pakistani government as Admiral Mullen. And so I think he both feels personally betrayed and he feels a loyalty to the soldiers he represents who are in harm's way being injured or killed by the Haqqani Network in theater.

MALVEAUX: And, Fran, we know the White House is still publicly distancing itself from Mullen's remarks, but it looks to me like good cop/bad cop strategy.

TOWNSEND: I think that's absolutely right. I think what you will see now is Admiral Mullen will move on. You will have Marty Dempsey assume the role as the chairman of the joint chiefs. And the administration will have to pick up the pieces now, but they have sent a message to Pakistan that they will not tolerate this and they are willing to go public by having Admiral Mullen do it.

And with his departure, they now can turn their attention to trying to repair the relationship because we need them as counterterrorism partners.

MALVEAUX: All right. Fran Townsend, thank you so much. Fran, good to see you. A reminder to vote for today's choose the news winner. Text 22360 for the story that you would like to see. Text one for Florida's invasive reptiles, rare reptiles from other countries being let loose causing environmental concerns right here. Text two for France Post-it wars. Post-its, they're being used to make art around. They're all over French business windows. Check that out. And text three for Cuba cars for sales. For years, country's been driving around 1950s American cars. Well, now their law restricting car sales that is changing. So what will happen to the classics? That winning story will air next hour.

The Arizona memorial in Hawaii draws thousands of tourists every day. For one family, this photograph will always be a haunting reminder of their visit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

MALVEAUX: And court reconvenes just minutes from now in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. We are going to tell you what's next in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray. We're going to have a recap of yesterday's dramatic testimony as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A reminder to vote for today's choose the news winner. Text 22360 for the story that you would like to see.

Text one for Florida's invasive reptiles. Exotic pets are being let loose and the environment could be in danger. Text two for France Post-it wars. These post-its, they're being called art. They're all over French business windows. And text three for Cuba cars for sales. For years, the country has been driving old classic American cars from before Castro's revolution. Well, now a new law will change all that. The winning story will air in the next hour.

Well, day three of the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor is about to get under way shortly. We expect to hear from members of Jackson's staff and paramedics about what happened the morning that Jackson died. We're keeping an eye on the court and we will take you there live as the development unfolds.

Witnesses yesterday describe a chaotic scene after Jackson was discovered unresponsive in his bedroom, that back in June of 2009.

CNN's Randi Kaye recaps day two of the trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And does this depict...

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at the bedroom where Michael Jackson took his last breath, shown inside the courtroom. One of Jackson's security guards, Faheem Muhammad, had been called to the house when Jackson stopped breathing and described the scene for the jury.

DAVID WALGREN, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: And when you came around to the far side of the bed, what was Conrad Murray doing?

FAHEEM MUHAMMAD, SECURITY GUARD FOR MICHAEL JACKSON: He appeared to be administering CPR. He appeared very nervous. He was on his side. He was sweating.

WALGREN: At that time did you see Michael Jackson's face and his full body?

MUHAMMAD: Yes.

WALGREN: And what did you observe about his face at that time?

MUHAMMAD: That his eyes were open and that his mouth was slightly open.

WALGREN: Did he appear to be dead?

MUHAMMAD: Yes.

KAYE: Muhammad said at one point Dr. Murray asked Jackson's security guards if they knew how to revive someone.

WALGREN: Had Conrad Murray asked you and Alberto Alvarez if you knew CPR?

MUHAMMAD: Yes.

WALGREN: And did you see Alberto go over and assist Dr. Murray with CPR?

MUHAMMAD: Yes.

KAYE: By the time Faheem Muhammad had arrived, 911 had already been called, but 911 was not the first phone call Conrad Murray made when Jackson stopped breathing.

In court, new insight into Murray's state of mind from Jackson's personal assistant, Michael Amir Williams. He painted a picture of a doctor on the edge. On June 25, 2009, Williams received a frantic voice message from Murray which was played in court.

DR. CONRAD MURRAY, JACKSON'S PERSONAL PHYSICIAN: Please call me right away.

KAYE: That message was left after Michael Jackson had suffered cardiac arrest. Murray gave no indication of that on the message, only saying Jackson had, quote, "a bad reaction." Murray called Williams, not 911.

WALGREN: Were you asked to call 911?

MICHAEL AMIR WILLIAMS, JACKSON'S PERSONAL ASSISTANT: No, sir.

WALGREN: Did you, upon hearing that message, call Dr. Murray?

WILLIAMS: Yes, sir. WALGREN: Did he ask you to call 911?

WILLIAMS: No, sir.

KAYE: In court, Williams was also asked about Murray's strange behavior at the hospital, as news spread that the King of Pop was dead.

WALGREN: What, if anything, was the request of Conrad Murray?

WILLIAMS: He said that there's some cream in Michael's room or house, I believe room, that he wouldn't want the world to know about. And he requested that I or someone give him a ride back to the house.

WALGREN: Did you agree to take Conrad Murray back to the house?

WILLIAMS: No, sir.

KAYE: Williams told the court he was so spooked by Murray's behavior, he asked Jackson's security to lock up the house and not allow Murray back inside. But defense attorney Ed Chernoff pointed out Williams waited months before sharing his concerns with authorities.

ED CHERNOFF, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Mr. Williams, the very first time you told the police about Dr. Murray wanting to get some cream was on August 31, 2009, correct?

WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.

CHERNOFF: This was over two months after Michael Jackson had died.

KAYE: Williams told the jury he frequently saw oxygen tanks at Jackson's house. Oxygen is required by the FDA to be on hand when Propofol is being used, in case the patient has to be resuscitated.

WALGREN: Can you describe what you personally saw in that regard?

WILLIAMS: It was -- it was normal for oxygen tanks to be there. And if they were there, we'd bring them to the bottom of the stairs, and the chef or the children would bring them up. But it was normal to see the oxygen tanks the last few months.

WALGREN: That would be a period of time that you knew Conrad Murray was coming on an almost nightly basis?

WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.

KAYE: Even with all those oxygen tanks, Michael Jackson never had a chance. As the defense says, he died so quickly, he never even closed his eyes.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Los Angeles. (END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And court just started in day three of the Conrad Murray trial. We're going to monitor the testimony and bring you live coverage as it happens.

For complete trial coverage throughout the day, tune into our sister network HLN.

Today's "Talkback" question: Is Herman Cain fair when he says that African-Americans were brainwashed?

Joseph says: "African-Americans can choose what they want. They're not being brainwashed."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: You have been sounding off on our "Talkback" question.

Carol Costello has your responses.

Carol, I imagine they're probably pretty opinionated, yes?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think we got 100 responses in about 3.7 seconds. People feel strongly about this one.

MALVEAUX: I knew it.

COSTELLO: The "Talkback" question today was -- I know. You were right, Suzanne. The "Talkback" question today, was Herman Cain fair when he said African-Americans were brainwashed?

This from Kamal: "African-Americans are not brainwashed into voting Democratic. It is that many of us are weary when we see many Republicans make subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle racist remarks when it comes to their stances, and especially now when talking about an African-American president."

This from Carl: "This is America and he is entitled to his opinion. I do give him credit for stated what he feels vs. stating what public opinion is trending, like the other candidates."

This from Velma: "I resent that statement and any comment that supports it. If anything, he is brainwashed to actually believe his own words."

And this from Irene: "No, of course not. Most Democrats work for regular people, including the African-American community, and not for corporations, like Republicans. Oops. Oops. I forgot. Corporations are people, aren't they?"

Keep the conversation going, Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And I will be back with you in about 15 minutes.

MALVEAUX: All right, thank you, Carol. Political showdown between Florida and South Carolina. We will explain what the fighting is all about in our "Political Ticker" update next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It's punchline time, best from last night's late-night comedians.

Conan O'Brien takes a jab at President Obama and the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE COLBERT REPORT")

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": President Obama keeping busy. President Obama has invited the 1985 Chicago Bears to the White House.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

O'BRIEN: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Yes, he asked them to bring a 1985 game ball, their 1985 uniforms, and the 1985 economy. He thought that would be...

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So it is a political showdown, not over the candidates, but actually the calendar.

Jim Acosta, part of the best political team on television, from the political desk in Washington.

Hey, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So the fight's now over the primary calendar.

ACOSTA: Yes. I mean, this is sort of a war between the states, if you will.

As you will remember, our Peter Hamby yesterday reported that Florida is expected to move up its primary date to January 31. And the folks at home may be scratching their heads and wondering, well, why does this matter to me? Well, it matters a great deal because the entire primary and caucus calendar, because of this one action, could be thrown completely up into the air.

Earlier this morning, South Carolina, which has one of those coveted spots from the Republican Party to have one of those primary dates in February, they were having a meeting earlier this morning trying to decide whether or not they would try to leapfrog Florida and go earlier than Florida. The danger in all of this is that all of these states, because they're all trying to leapfrog each other, would somehow push their primary and caucus dates to around Christmas and New Year's, which would really compress the calendar. I mean, we're talking we're almost at October right now.

But earlier this morning, South Carolina said they are going to wait until Florida makes its final decision tomorrow. So we should get an answer from Florida tomorrow on when they're going to have their primary date. That's probably going to set off a chain reaction.

We are going to see a lot of other states weighing in on when they will have their primary or caucus dates. Mitt Romney was asked about this up in New Hampshire yesterday, and he was talking he was talking to a newspaper earlier yesterday saying that this may result in primaries and caucuses being held around Christmastime.

Here's what Governor Romney had to say about this yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My expectation is that Iowa and New Hampshire and, for that matter, Nevada and South Carolina will move their calendars such that they are first and that the order that people expect is the order they're going to see. And that's what we're prepared for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: So if everything goes according to plans, the way it is supposed to work, according to the Republican Party, the way they have laid this out, February 6 would be the Iowa caucus. February 14 would be the New Hampshire primary.

Then Nevada and South Carolina would go on February 28. So we have to wait and see what Florida does tomorrow, Suzanne. If they move their primary date up to the 31st of January, all of this gets completely thrown up in the air.

MALVEAUX: All right, we will be following all of the twists and turns there. Thank you, Jim. Appreciate it.

ACOSTA: You bet.

MALVEAUX: For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.