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Showdown Averted at New York City Park; iPhone 4S: 1 Million Sold in 24 Hours; Chef Without a Stomach; Nancy Grace Talks Jackson Doctor Trial, Dancing with the Stars
Aired October 14, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Live from Studio 7, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Suzanne Malveaux.
Let's get you up to speed on this Friday, the 14th of October.
A showdown between New York police and Occupy Wall Street protesters did not happen today. The group refused to leave the park that has been home base so that it could be cleaned. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the park's owner called off the cleaning after telephone threats from city officials.
The protesters had been in the park almost a month now, and there is concern about sanitation. Police say they arrested 14 protesters today who blocked traffic and turned over trash cans.
Texas Governor Rick Perry is unveiling his national energy plan in suburban Pittsburgh right now. Live pictures. He says a President Perry will expand drilling on federal lands and get rid of clean air rules and other "activist regulations." Perry says getting bureaucracy out of the way will mean a million or more new jobs.
Perry has stumbled in the polls after a mediocre start to his campaign. His wife came to his defense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANITA PERRY, RICK PERRY'S WIFE: It's been a rough month. We've been brutalized, eaten up, and chewed up in the press, to where -- I mean, we're being brutalized by our opponents and our party. So much of that is, I think they look at him because of his faith.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Anita Perry went on to say, "We didn't have to do this." She says, "We are running to save our children and the soul of the country."
All right. Presidential candidate Herman Cain is on a roll in more ways than one. He's kicking of a bus tour across Tennessee next hour.
Cain, the former pizza executive, has surged to the top of the Republican field in one national poll. Cain says his bus tour is part of a state-by-state strategy to win the nomination. Police in Seal Beach, California, will try to fill in the blanks in this week's mass shooting. They'll speak to reporters about three hours from now. Last night there were tears and candlelight for the eight people killed at a hair salon. Reports say a custody battle set off the suspect, and his ex-wife is among the dead.
Bangkok could see its worst monsoon floods in decades. This weekend, Thai officials are counting on flood walls to keep the city center dry, but many surrounding areas are already under water. Rising water has forced 15 elephants on to a rooftop at their sanctuary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVA NARKIEWICZ, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, ELEPHANTSTAY: We're obviously very concerned, because nobody had any idea how high the water was going to get. Now the elephants can't actually leave there because the babies are very young, and they won't survive in the floodwaters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Workers at the elephant sanctuary saying they're having a hard time getting enough food to the stranded animals.
Whoa. A close and dangerous call at the International Monetary Fund's man in Turkey had to actually bob and weave during that university speech. Students threw eggs and shouted, "IMF, get out!" Security guards quickly hustled protesters from the auditorium.
The iPhone 4S is flying out of the stores today. Apple sold a million 4S models online in the first 24 hours. That's almost twice as many as the original iPhone 4.
Steve Wozniak was just another Joe in line outside a neighborhood Apple store. Yes, Apple's co-founder camped out overnight. Wozniak kept busy with his iPad and with stories about his business partner and friend, the late Steve Jobs.
All right. Back to our lead story happening right now near the New York Stock Exchange. The Occupy Wall Street protesters are being allowed to stay in the park where they have been camping. Police will not force them out for a planned cleaning.
Our Susan Candiotti joins us live now from Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan.
So, Susan, the cleaning is off for now. So what is it like down there? What's the tone?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the tone is, they're saying people power won the day and ruled the day for them. In the predawn hours -- and you can see now that the crowds have thinned out around here, but it's still very busy -- before the sun came up, we got word that officials were backing down, that the people from this park agreed to not ask the city and the police department to move everyone out of here so they could ostensibly clean the park. Protesters feel it was just a veiled attempt to evict everyone from this particular park located near Wall Street. The thing is this -- they got help from, arguably, an unexpected quarter. City officials, a lot of them politicians, kept calling the mayor overnight and saying, don't do this. Don't do this, it won't look good for the city if you use force to move people from the park. That is what happened.
Now, so far we've had this morning, Fred, just about a dozen people, a little more than that, who have been involved in scuffles and who have been arrested by police. So all that is still being sorted out.
Interestingly, not everyone here in the park is one of the protesters that agrees with Occupy Wall Street. These two gentlemen tell us that they work on Wall Street.
Tell us your name and why you think this is not a good idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is John, and I'm with an organization called Occupy Occupy Wall Street. We have a Web site OOWS.org. And we kind of feel betrayed by the mayor. It seemed like he was on our side and kind of pulled a fast one on us.
CANDIOTTI: So you do favor the protest here, is that correct?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We are protesting the protest.
CANDIOTTI: Oh, you feel he betrayed you. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. So, we're down here to show that the one percent won't be silent. We're going to speak for the voice that really hasn't had a voice here. So we're out here, and we're accepting donations, and we're selling T-shirts and we're trying to --
CANDIOTTI: What's the problem with this movement, as you see it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, honestly, you know, they've been down here for a month, maybe more. And it's a really big inconvenience.
You see them down here every single day. They're sleeping here.
You know, they say it's clean. It doesn't look clean. I see dirt all over the place. I see people sleeping on the ground here. I think, you know, if Bloomberg knows what's good for him, he should try and take care of his own.
CANDIOTTI: And then, briefly, you think these protesters should go home, too?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right. I'm with OOWS.org. And we think that these protesters have been here quite long enough.
CANDIOTTI: All right. Thank you very much. Sorry. We'll talk more with you later. I've run out of time, but thank you for your point of view as well.
Throwing it back to you now -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much in downtown Manhattan.
(CROSSTALK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(APPLAUSE)
WHITFIELD: You would think they were giving away the new iPhones. Tech heads across the country, lining up, camping out, you name it, just to be among the first to own Apple's newest product, the iPhone 4S. It went on sale today and will be available on more mobile networks.
CNN's Joe Carter joins us now from an Atlanta -- outside an Atlanta mall, where inside is an Apple store.
So, Joe, Apple sold one million in the first 24 hours. Were people able to line up there?
JOE CARTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, those one million orders were done on pre-order, Fredricka. And yes, we got a sense here that a lot of people lined up, but there's going to be a lot of phones available.
Actually, I asked one of the Apple employees if they felt like they were going to run out of phones today, and he said, "Listen, if 2,000 people show up today, they're all going to get an iPhone. We're definitely prepared to supply on the demand."
Now, here in Atlanta, at the largest Apple store, the line started around 3:00 a.m. Eastern. It grew much bigger when doors opened, around 8:00 a.m. Eastern. And, you know, there's something about being the first in line and being able to scoop up the latest and greatest Apple product.
We talked to Zach, who was the very first person in line here in Atlanta, and was one of the first to walk out of the store with his new 4S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZACH SANKAR, FIRST PERSON IN LINE FOR IPHONE 4S: It feels amazing. It feels amazing. I mean, this is truly a wonderful piece of technology.
I mean, I'm just holding it in my hand. I can't wait to use it. I can't wait to get started.
CARTER: So you're kind of part of Apple history here, man. You're one of the first to get the iPhone 4S in the entire country.
SANKAR: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I'm extremely thankful for this opportunity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: Now, the new 4S, on the outside, looks exactly like the 4 does. But it's the inside that's totally different.
You've got a better digital camera, you've got a better HD recorder. You've got a better antenna, better battery life.
But the one key feature, the game-changer that everyone's talking about, is the voice-controlled personal assistant Siri. Basically, it helps you get things done by talking to the phone.
You can ask the phone to place calls for you, schedule appointments, search the Web, check the weather. Basically, what you do is talk to the phone. It understands what you want, and then it acts on it, Fredricka. So it's a total game-changer when it comes to the voice- activated or voice-command operations systems in these phones.
WHITFIELD: Yes, it was kind of human-like qualities. It's kind of your personal secretary.
So, I wonder, did any of the shoppers say that making this purchase was particularly meaningful for them, given the recent death of Steve Jobs?
CARTER: We did talk to some folks about that inside, Fredricka. And yes, people definitely touched on that, that this was the last product that Steve Jobs had an influence on.
I mean, he was always known as somebody who was very, very hands-on. Some say that the reason why they call it the 4S is for Steve Jobs. So, yes, definitely, people all had a point of view in terms of why they were here to get the product and how they view Steve Jobs, and how Apple products have influenced and changed their lives over the years -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Joe Carter, thanks so much, outside Lenox Mall in Atlanta. Thanks so much.
All right. Imagine what it might be like to create a career around food, and then find out that you are going to lose your stomach to cancer. Six years and 11 surgeries later, this chef still has a career in food. We'll find out how he's doing that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Each week we profile ordinary people who have overcome extraordinary obstacles. In today's "Human Factor," Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to a man who is helping others realize food can be medicine. It's a story about a chef with a twist.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hans Rueffert is a chef without a stomach or much of an esophagus. HANS RUEFFERT, CHEF: I've had 11 surgeries in the last six years.
GUPTA: You see, Rueffert was diagnosed with gastric cancer just weeks after appearing in the 2005 season of "The Next Food Network Star."
RUEFFERT: There was a tumor sitting right at the junction of the stomach and the esophagus.
GUPTA: His treatment was painful. Rueffert had half his stomach and most of his esophagus removed immediately after his diagnosis. And then there were more operations, chemo, radiation, but eventually he was cancer free. That's when the headaches began.
RUEFFERT: And they saw 10 to 12 lesions and was told, this is it. You've got -- you're on your way out.
GUPTA: It wasn't cancer, but it was a serious brain infection caused by his newly-constructed digestive system.
RUEFFERT: I ended up springing a leak at that junction where the esophagus and stomach were connected, and that leak actually almost killed me.
GUPTA: Antibiotics got rid of the infection, but a year later, a second one, worse than the first. Both infections were so serious that doctors didn't want to risk him getting yet another one.
So, in March of this year, the rest of Rueffert's stomach was removed. Even though his stomach is gone, he eats six healthy small meals every day which now go directly into his intestines.
RUEFFERT: The expression "You are what you eat" is so -- you know, it's cliche as it can be, and it's a cliche because it's true. And for me, that really is amplified.
GUPTA: He wrote a cookbook while in the hospital after his first operation. And for the last five years, he's been teaching fellow survivors how to incorporate healthy, cancer-fighting foods into their diets.
RUEFFERT: It's power and it's energy and it's energy that our bodies can readily assimilate even for a guy without a stomach.
GUPTA: Rueffert says six has been difficult but being open his cancer and surrounding himself with family and friends has helped him overcome every challenge so far.
RUEFFERT: Somehow you just kind to find a little more strength just to keep -- keep going, keep going and keep going and here we are. I just had my six-year check-up, and we're six years cancer free.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Hans Rueffert has had to relearn how to eat twice over the past six years. When he's not working in the kitchen at his family's restaurant in north Georgia, he's mentoring other gastric cancer survivors around the country.
Rupert Murdoch came under intense scrutiny in the News Corp. hacking scandal. Now a CNN special investigation finds one of News Corp's U.S. subsidiaries is being questioned for allegedly bullying its competitors.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
WHITFIELD: As the hacking scandal against a British newspaper owned by News Corp. appears to be growing overseas, new information is emerging about one of the company's American-based subsidiaries. It paints a picture of a ruthless company willing to engage in corporate espionage, computer hacking, and threats to destroy its U.S. competition.
Special Investigations Unit Correspondent Drew Griffin with us now with more on this.
You've got some salacious details, don't you?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Somewhat.
Fred, what we've learned is that the FBI has at least opened a preliminary investigation into this company called News America Marketing, which handles consumer-to-marketing and promotions. And the federal investigation could have political implications, because News America is part of that same media empire that owns Fox News, "The New York Post," and "The Wall Street Journal."
News America Marketing has spent more than a half-billion dollars settling lawsuits brought by competitors. And now we've obtained exclusively videotape depositions from those lawsuits, and the tapes are a fascinating window into how News America marketing has done its business.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN (voice-over): The hacking scandal in the British tabloid press may seem distant to most Americans, but not to Antonia DeMatto.
ANTONIA DEMATTO, FMR. FLOORGRAPHICS V.P.: When the news broke in the U.K., it was a little bit like reliving it.
GRIFFIN: The former employee of the advertising company Floorgraphics was floored watching James and Rupert Murdoch try to explain the hacking and espionage that took place at their British newspapers, because she insists it happened at a Murdoch company in the U.S., too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Floorgraphics has increased the presence of your product beyond your shelf facing.
GRIFFIN: Floorgraphics was a fast-growing New Jersey startup that put ads on floors in supermarket and retail outlets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Win the war, brand the floor.
DEMATTO: They were making breakthroughs in the marketplace. And we thought we could build a really fantastic company.
GRIFFIN: Floorgraphics was competing with the Murdoch's News America Marketing when DeMatto received this in her mail at home, addressed to her personally, a series of press releases touting how News America was taking away business from her company, Floorgraphics. The releases also went to the homes of her colleagues.
Her question then, as now, how did Rupert Murdoch's News America marketing get the names and home addresses of a competitor's employees?
DEMATTO: I think the creepy part of it is how they got the information.
GRIFFIN: Simple, according to News America Marketing. They had hired a former Floorgraphics sales executive, and that new employee, now a News America marketing vice president, was basically using " -- the same contact information he used to send cards at holiday time." And News America Marketing says the company's top manager had no involvement.
DEMATTO: The anger-inducing unethical part is how they used it. The absolutely infuriating part is that, apparently, this happened many times, with no one stopping to say, you know, should we really be mailing this out to the people in graphics, to the receptionists?
GRIFFIN (on camera): It turns out DeMatto was caught up in a war, a business war declared here at what used to be the Dish of Salt restaurant in Manhattan.
In 1999, Floorgraphics founders George and Richard Rebh came here for a business lunch to discuss what they thought would be a future partnership or business arrangement with a potential competitor. They sat down with this man, Paul Carlucci, the CEO of News America Marketing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Had you met Mr. Carlucci previously?
GEORGE REBH, FOUNDER, FLOORGRAPHICS: No.
GRIFFIN: In this videotape deposition obtained by CNN, George Rebh says he was astounded by what Carlucci had to say.
REBH: And he said -- again, words to the effect -- "Then you should know that I work for a man who wants it all and doesn't understand anyone telling him he can't have it all. And know this -- if you ever get into any of our businesses, I, we will destroy you." And based on who we knew him to be, and the references to the company that he worked for, we knew that that was a very serious challenge to our business.
GRIFFIN: The man Carlucci worked for, Rupert Murdoch.
REBH: So, after a couple seconds, I said to Mr. Carlucci, "So let me see if I understand this. You can get into our business, and compete with us, but if we were to get into yours, you'll destroy us." And he said, "That's right."
GRIFFIN (on camera): And according to this Floorgraphics lawsuit, Carlucci's company made good on that threat. Floorgraphics claimed News America Marketing conducted "a deliberate and malicious campaign" to put it out of business.
(voice-over): And some of that alleged activity was illegal. Floorgraphics said someone at News America Marketing hacked into the Floorgraphics computer system, stealing confidential client information. It happened not once, but 11 times in four months.
DEMATTO: I think one of the worst parts of the story here is that when this was all happening, Floorgraphics tried to bring it to the attention of the authorities. And they tried to bring it to the attention of their representatives in Congress, who, also, to their credit, tried to bring it to the attention of the authorities. And none of these investigations went anywhere.
GRIFFIN: While the criminal investigation went nowhere, Floorgraphics' civil case against News America Marketing did.
In 2009, News America paid out $29.5 million to buy the company's assets, which included a provision prohibiting the Rebh brothers from criticizing the company. News America Marketing says this was an isolated incident and it conducted a " -- thorough investigation in order to identify who was responsible," but "there was no way," according to the company, to determine who had actually accessed the Floorgraphics confidential Web site. It says it "condemned the access of the site, which was in violation of the standards of the company."
DEMATTO: I think the story here is a lesson that anyone who has children or has raised a pet knows. If you reward bad behavior, if the authorities ignore it, you'll get more bad behavior.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: One of those members of Congress, Senator Frank Lautenberg, did try to get the attention of the Justice Department back in 2005 when he learned of the computer hacking at Floorgraphics. Well, today, in the wake of what's happened in the U.K., he's again called for an investigation. But it is News America Marketing's alleged questionable business practices that are most troubling to its competitors.
When we come back, caught on tape. News America Marketing's CEO, Paul Carlucci, in his own words, dodging questions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: As more attention is being focused on News Corp.'s operations here in the United States, hacking allegations have been raised. But more importantly to the businesses that have competed against Rupert Murdoch's media companies is the allegation the media giant plays dirty, some even allege illegally, in the quest to dominate and monopolize its businesses.
In 1999, two brothers who helped found a floor advertising business called Floor Graphics thought they held an edge over News Corp.'s advertising company. That was, they say, until they became a target of Rupert Murdoch's ruthless business strategies, their words.
Drew Griffin continues his exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN (voice-over): It was just lunch, a meeting between the leaders of two companies involved in grocery store advertising.
George and Richard Rebh built a company called Floor Graphics. Their Lynch was to be with Paul Carlucci, who was running the ad company News America Marketing, a subsidiary of News Corp. The Rebhs expected a friendly meeting to discuss a mutual business relationship. Instead, the short meeting, according to the Rebhs, involved a threat: News America Marketing would destroy Floor Graphics.
In this deposition obtained by CNN, Rupert Murdoch's Paul Carlucci denies he threatened anyone, but also denied he even had lunch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Recall saying that you worked for a guy who has to have it all?
PAUL CARLUCCI, NEWS AMERICA MARKETING: I never said that comment. That doesn't sound like me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that you supposedly said that to the R-E-B-H Rebh brothers when you had that luncheon with them over at the Chinese restaurant?
CARLUCCI: I never had lunch with the Rebh brothers at a Chinese restaurant.
GRIFFIN: That, it turns out, was a technicality. Carlucci was answering the question honestly. There was no lunch. There was a meeting.
CARLUCCI: I do recall meeting them at the Dish of Salt.
GRIFFIN: Ah, OK. So you did have a meeting with them at the Dish of Salt; is that right?
CARLUCCI: Very brief meeting in the afternoon, yes.
GRIFFIN: I see. So it was not a luncheon meeting, but an afternoon meeting; is that right?
CARLUCCI: That's correct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the reason you were denying my prior questions is because I used the word lunch?
CARLUCCI: That's correct.
GRIFFIN: George Rebh testified the meeting was so hostile, he and his brother left before lunch was served.
(on camera): We wanted to talk to the man you just heard from, Paul Carlucci. Since that no-lunch meeting, his star has continued to rise here within News Corp. Not only is he still CEO of News America, but since 2005, he has also been the publisher at "The New York Post."
(voice-over): Greg Curtner is the attorney who took Carlucci's deposition. He says it is clear the head of News Corp., Rupert Murdoch, knew full well the tactics his deputy was using.
GREG CURTNER, ATTORNEY: I have looked at the evidence. It's clear to me that Mr. Rupert Murdoch is aware of what's going on, on a day-to- day basis in his businesses. Mr. Carlucci reports to Mr. Murdoch.
GRIFFIN: And Curtner says it's clear how News America operates: Win at all costs.
CURTNER: I think the best answer to that question is out of Mr. Carlucci's own mouth. "I work for a man who has to have it all and does not understand being told that he can't have it all."
That's the culture shown in time after time, business activity after business activity, lawsuit after lawsuit.
GRIFFIN (on camera): The Floor Graphics case was not unique. There were two more high-profile lawsuits, both involving companies in the in-store advertising market and both with similar allegations of unfair business practices.
(voice-over): News America Marketing settled a suit filed by Valassis Communications for $500 million. In another suit, $125 million was paid to Insignia Systems, Inc. Combined with the Floor Graphics payout, that is a whopping $654.5 million to settle lawsuits claiming News America dealt in unfair, unethical and even potentially illegal business practices.
We asked News America Marketing why it paid so much. Again, the answer was simple: "A number of our competitors have been unable to compete, so they resorted to litigation as a business strategy rather than compete. News America Marketing continues to vigorously disagree with the claims that were made against it in these cases."
Curtner points to this videotape of a News America Marketing sales meeting designed to tell employees their goal was to destroy his client, Valassis Communications.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we never would have been able to push Valassis to what we hope is the brink of utter desperation.
GRIFFIN: In this tape, it is Paul Carlucci telling his sales groups, Rupert Murdoch himself is driving the aggressive tactics. CARLUCCI: Last night, Mr. Murdoch was saying, now you have got to really go after them. That was half the conversation all evening.
GRIFFIN: Not only did News America Marketing have issues with its competitors, but some clients were also concerned about how it did business.
In this deposition, Debra Lucidi (ph), one of those clients, reads an e-mail between her and a subordinate discussing their dealings with the company.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "This is the way they have been across the board. Adding insult to injury, have had huge issues related to accuracy of placement of in-store vehicles. Feels like they are raping us and they enjoy it, and there's no desire to work with us in partnership to grow our business."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To whom is that referring?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: News America.
GRIFFIN: Curtner says all the litigation is much more than an expensive business dispute.
(on camera): So you could argue, if you were News America, that $650 million and north of that, as you indicate, could be the cost of doing a business?
CURTNER: I don't think anybody thinks a quarter or three-quarters of a billion dollars is a cost of doing business. As a matter of fact, if you think about the legal fees that they have paid out and everybody else has paid out, it's staggering.
GRIFFIN: Yet the man who cost them all this money was promoted.
CURTNER: When asking about the character of a business, the character of a corporation, is, what happens after they are brought to the bar of justice and after some of the marginal dealings are disclosed? Are the people responsible still in office? At News Corp., the answer is yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, Drew joining me right now.
So, what are the latest developments in this? It's a pretty detailed account.
GRIFFIN: A detailed account.
And there's a lot of focus being laid on how Rupert Murdoch's businesses are run, the U.K., here the News America Marketing. Just this week, the publisher of "The Wall Street Journal" in Europe resigned over ethical issues because of a program that may or may not have been designed to inflate the circulation of that newspaper. Next week, Rupert Murdoch is going to face shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting in London on Friday, and expected a lot of these ethical issues will be brought up there.
WHITFIELD: The expectation is the tone might be a little different from when Rupert Murdoch was before Parliament?
GRIFFIN: Yes. I think the shareholders, and certainly one group of shareholders is urging for no-votes on some of the board members. They want this company to be held more accountable to the ethics and business standards that they feel they would like to have a company in which they invest in.
WHITFIELD: All right, Drew Griffin, thanks so much for bringing that special investigation.
All right, as the prosecution prepares to wrap up its case against Michael Jackson's personal doctor, we take a look ahead at Conrad Murray's defense, a live interview with HLN's Nancy Grace.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Prosecutors in the Michael Jackson death trial are expected to rest their case early next week. The jurors are getting a break today.
On day 12, the prosecution began questioning its final witness, an anesthesiologist. He's one of three doctors called to the stand this week to convince jurors that the care Dr. Conrad Murray gave Jackson was not just bad medicine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID WALGREN, PROSECUTOR: Conrad Murray was grossly negligent in multiple instances, and that gross negligence directly caused the death of Michael Jackson, correct?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely it did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, joining me right now live from Los Angeles, HLN's Nancy Grace.
So, Nancy, you have heard the testimony so far. Does it appear as though this is a slam-dunk for the prosecution?
NANCY GRACE, HOST, "NANCY GRACE": Well, Fredricka, normally, I would say yes. But, remember, I predicted O.J. Simpson would go down on double murder. So consider the source.
After I have heard the state's case, I can see no way the defense can make a comeback. As a matter of fact, the defense has really got a problem, because Conrad Murray spoke to police, and when he did, he gave an extensive audiotaped statement. That statement is full of holes that only Conrad Murray can explain. Hence, Conrad Murray may be in a position of being forced to take the stand, not legally, of course, because we have the Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. But as a practical matter, he may be the only one to explain away his problems in the audiotape.
WHITFIELD: OK. So if you say there is really no way the defense can make a comeback, then it sounds like they have no recourse but to have Dr. Conrad Murray take the stand.
GRACE: Well, Abraham Lincoln once said this. It's better that people think you're an idiot than to speak and confirm their suspicions. So the defense may want to go into closing arguments with the jury wondering if their client is guilty, rather than put him on the stand and confirm their suspicions. So they're between a rock and a hard spot.
WHITFIELD: OK. And then the defense, your expectation of how many witnesses that they would actually call and how quickly this case would end up going to the jury, given it's been about a couple of weeks for the prosecution?
GRACE: Well, here's a little trick, Fredricka. The defense will always put out a big witness list and then call maybe half of those witnesses.
But I do expect their case, the defense case to be made up largely of experts to deny the allegations regarding the use of propofol in the home. As a matter of fact, we already know several of their witnesses and they're all experts. But I'm not looking for Conrad Murray to take the stand. But this defense may not have any other choice.
WHITFIELD: All right, Nancy, the other reason why you're in Los Angeles, you're having a good time with "Dancing With the Stars," aren't you?
(LAUGHTER)
GRACE: We really are.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: You and Tristan MacManus. Oh, yes, there he is.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Please make this one leave me alone. It's constant. Rumba, rumba, rumba.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right, well, it looks like you have been a great student as well, Tristan. But then you tell me, Tristan, how great a student has she been?
TRISTAN MACMANUS, "DANCING WITH THE STARS": Yes, she's been all right. (LAUGHTER)
MACMANUS: No, she's doing great. I think she's getting more confident and stronger as the weeks go on.
GRACE: Hey, see that jacket with -- it is open in the front? That was my idea.
WHITFIELD: Oh, it was?
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: OK. So I wonder, Nancy, so many dancers will say this has been kind of a life-altering experience. Would you say that for you this has been something where you have made new discoveries about yourself, your ability, or has it just been fun?
GRACE: Well, mostly it's been a lot of fun.
But, you know, Fredricka, for so many cases that we have covered, cases that I have tried, you know, to do that, you really have to go through life with blinders on. You have got to be very single-minded and focused. And this really has opened up my mind to all sorts of, you know, wonderful things.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK.
So, Tristan, can you give us a little sneak peek into what you're preparing with Nancy for next week? What do you have up your sleeves?
MACMANUS: Well, next week, we have -- the theme is '80s week. And we have a rumba to dance. So that's as much as I can tell you right now.
GRACE: Think sexy, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Oh, of course sexy is going to happen.
GRACE: We're bringing sexy back with this dance.
WHITFIELD: Oh, absolutely.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: So, are you actually leaving the ground in that rumba or does that mean staying close to the floor?
(CROSSTALK)
MACMANUS: I will try to get her as close to the floor as possible.
(LAUGHTER)
GRACE: Fredricka, operative word, sexy. Just remember that. And one more thing you need to remember -- write this down, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Uh-huh, writing.
GRACE: I know you have a great memory, a photographic memory, 800- 868-3405. And you vote 12 times from your cell phone.
WHITFIELD: Uh-huh, 800-868-3405. Got it. Vote for Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus.
GRACE: And we take sympathy votes.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: You all have been doing great. It's been fun watching you. Thanks so much. Good to see you. All the best. We will be tuning in for that '80s rumba next week.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: All right.
Let's say if you decide to jump off a perfectly good bridge in the middle of the night, this could happen. You don't want to do this at home. Your parachute could actually snag on a tree. So who do you call in a case like that? We're going to give you a hint after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, some tough words from Rick Perry's wife, Anita. She lashes out at the media over the way she says her husband's campaign has been treated. We will go live to our political desk in Washington for more on what she said.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry is out with an energy and jobs plan. Among other things, he wants to cut federal regulations.
But Perry's wife is also making headlines after some comments she made in South Carolina.
Our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, is with us now from the CNN political desk in Washington.
So Paul, tell us more about these comments from Anita Perry.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, it is usually the candidate, Fred, who makes the news, but in this case it was his wife.
And Anita Perry's comments were definitely a talker last night and this morning. And running for presidency is not for the faint of heart. And I think she was definitely pointing out how her husband may be getting beaten up by some of the other campaigns. Take a listen to what she said, as you mentioned, in South Carolina and his response this morning. Here we go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANITA PERRY, WIFE OF RICK PERRY: It's been a rough month. I have to tell you, we have been brutalized and beaten up and chewed up in the press. We are being brutalized by our opponents in our own party.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You as down on this as Anita seemed?
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, family members always take these campaigns substantially more personally than the candidate.
I have been doing this for a long time. I understand slings and arrows. And that's a diversion, frankly. This is the big leagues. Everybody understands that. It is about the presidency of the United States, and we're committed to this campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Well, Perry, of course, Fred, remember, he jumped into the campaign. He launched his bid back in mid-August. And right after that, he quickly jumped to the top spot. He was the front- runner in all the national polls and some of the state polls.
And then, yes, the last couple weeks, he's been -- his numbers have been going down in the polls because of weak debate performances, because of other attacks by the campaigns on his stance on the issues. So you hear him right there, though. He said to Ali Velshi that he is committed, is committed to his campaign to running for president, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right.
Also committed, Herman Cain, taking off a two-day bus tour just moments from now in Tennessee. What more do we know about that?
STEINHAUSER: Yes.
Well, we got some live pictures of that. Let's show that as well. And this is in Bartlett, Tennessee, as you mentioned, a two-day bus tour. Remember, Tennessee holds its primary in March. It is going to be on March 6, which is shaping up to be this year's Super Tuesday or next year's Super Tuesday.
This event right here is being hosted by the Mid-South Tea Party. And as you know, Herman Cain, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO, has been on the rise in the polls both nationally and in the state polls. And he's been the talker on the campaign trail because of his 999 plan. I think we may hear more of that tax plan today at that rally in Tennessee, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Paul. And we will see you throughout the weekend as well.
So, for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, CNNPolitics.com.
