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White House Seeks to Raise Military Death Benefit; Jackson Jury Selection Enters New Phase

Aired February 01, 2005 - 15:00   ET

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

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


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In the news as we speak, Iraq's interim president is saying it's complete nonsense to ask U.S. troops to leave now. Ghazi al-Yawer also says international forces should leave only after Iraqi forces can handle security. He's predicting the number of international troops will decline, however, by the end of the year. We'll have the latest live from Iraq in just a few moments.
Tom Ridge is wrapping up service as the nation's first homeland security secretary, leaving office officially today, getting high praise from some state officials who say he built strong relationships to try to keep the nation safe. Hearings start tomorrow for the man named to succeed him, Michael Chertoff.

Michael Jackson back in Santa Maria, California, today in court. And the judge has decided there are now enough potential jurors to end the screening process. Jackson faces child molestation charges. We'll take you live outside the courthouse again shortly.

A U.N. diplomat tells CNN Bill Clinton is being named to head tsunami reconstruction efforts for South Asia. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to name the former president as special envoy. He's already serving with the former President George Bush to encourage private donations for tsunami relief.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the Senate is taking up a proposed mega-boost in military death benefits. The current death gratuity is $12,420. A White House plan would raise it to $100,000, at a cost to the government of $200 million a year.

Lindsey Arent is in Washington with more.

I was trying to figure out all those numbers in my head, Lindsey, as I was reading that.

LINDSEY ARENT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty confusing stuff, Kyra. Good afternoon to you.

Now, the Senate Armed Services Committee just met all morning today on Capitol Hill, trying to figure out how to increase death benefits for survivors of U.S. troops killed in combat. Now, the issue they were rolling over is, how do you assign a dollar value to the death of a U.S. service member in combat? So far, more than 1,500 have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since October 2001.

And some lawmakers have expressed outrage at what they say are the paltry and miserly sums families get when a loved one dies. And they praised President Bush for including an increase in the death gratuity in his 2006 budget proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Man or woman good enough to risk their lives in defense of our country ought to know that, if they are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, that they can be confident that their families will be well taken care of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENT: Now, under the current system, families of troops killed in combat receive a one-time tax-free payment from the government of $12,420. With the administration's new proposal, that benefit would grow to $100,000. In the meantime, there are some life insurance benefits that would also rise from $250,000 to $400,000 for those killed in a designated combat zone.

Now, under this new plan, all troops would get a life insurance benefit and the Pentagon would pay for the premiums. All told, if this proposal is passed in its current form, all U.S. troops killed in a designated combat zone deemed by the secretary of defense would receive at least $250,000 in government benefits.

Now, those changes would be retroactive to any service member killed in combat since October 2001, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Let's see what happens. Lindsey Arent, thanks so much -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: A status report on the State of the Union, President Bush getting ready to go before a joint session of Congress tomorrow night to lay out his vision of where we are and where we're headed as a nation.

Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House with a preview.

Hello, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Miles.

That's right. White House officials say that President Bush will talk in greater detail about the centerpiece of his domestic addenda. And that, of course, is making changes to the Social Security system. Now, up until this point, the president has outlined only broad principles regarding this issue, namely, of course, that he wants to allow younger workers the chance to invest part of their withholdings into personal savings accounts, also, that he does not want to raise payroll taxes.

And the president has also said in the past that there would be no changes in benefits for those at or near retirement age. But, beyond that, there are still a lot of unanswered questions, specifically, how will any of these changes be funded. Some estimates put the cost of transitioning to private accounts as much as up to $2 trillion. And lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed reservations.

But, today, the White House made clear President Bush remains committed to seeing Social Security legislation moved through Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: People can look the other way and stick their head in the sand and think that the problem will go away, but it doesn't, Ken. It gets worse over time. That's why we need to work together in a bipartisan way to address it now, because, if we don't, the options for fixing it become more limited and the consequences more severe for our future generations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, to help convince the skeptics, President Bush will be heading out on Thursday on a five-state tour, embarking on visits to places where specifically the White House is looking to put pressure on Democrats on this issue.

We should also tell you, of course, the president will be talking about Iraq, this a critical time, just days after the election there, which the administration and others have characterized as a success. Now, the critical question, of course, regarding Iraq facing the administration now is, when will U.S. troops be able to leave? When, in fact, will Iraqi forces themselves be able to fully take on security responsibilities?

Just a couple other notes. We should tell you, a senior administration official says that the president has practiced his speech a couple times yesterday, also practicing it a couple times today. It will be roughly 40 minutes in length. That's without applause. One half will focus on domestic issues, the other on foreign affairs -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano on the North Lawn, thank you.

Be sure to join CNN for prime-time coverage of the president's State of the Union address tomorrow. "LARRY KING LIVE" will follow Mr. Bush's speech and the Democratic response. And, after Larry, we'll have a special edition of "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

PHILLIPS: Now to Iraq.

On a Web site, militants claim that they're holding a U.S. soldier hostage. They're threatening to behead him if Iraqi prisoners are not released. The U.S. military has not confirmed that any soldier is missing or captured. In Baghdad, Iraq's interim president, Ghazi al-Yawer, is praising Iraqi voters eve, though a shortage of ballots meant that tens of thousands didn't get to vote. Two days after the landmark elections, the counting goes on.

Our Jane Arraf gives us a progress report from Baquba.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Ballots are continuing to come streaming in from Baquba and other places. These ballots some of 3,000 votes believed to have been cast in the province.

Workers here have had no sleep, some of them say, for the past two days. They've been working in shifts to try to count these ballots. At this table, as more ballot boxes come marching in, they're actually counting the ballots that they're retrieving from the boxes.

Now, we're told that with about half of the ballots counted so far from Baquba and some surrounding areas, the front-runners are parties belonging to Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and a party belonging to President Ghazi al-Yawer. The Shia party backed by the Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani also has strong support here.

One of the problems, though, in a province where the biggest single group are Sunni voters, is there has been a weaker Sunni representation than there has been from Shia and Kurds, who came out in larger-than-expected numbers to vote. This vote counting is expected to take at least a couple of days before these ballots are sent back to Baghdad. They would have been counted in Baghdad, but for extra security they changed those plans, and they're doing it here.

Jane Arraf, CNN reporting from near Baquba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: More than a month after the tsunami hit, Indonesia has raised its death toll to more than 108,000, bringing the overall count across South Asia to more than 154,000 dead.

This morning, never-before-seen amateur from Banda Aceh, Indonesia, new images of the initial earthquake as it hit Banda Aceh on the morning of December 26. People hit the ground to wait out the tremors. Buildings sustained major damage in the area closest to the epicenter of the quake. This was taken at the -- what was to be the conclusion of a marathon.

Entire villages turned to rubble from the impact of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake. And within the remains of homes, efforts began to rescue people trapped under heavy debris. Now, more amateur video of Banda Aceh after the tsunami hit. Water rushed into the streets, of course, carrying away massive amounts of debris and flooding rivers. It's just hard to imagine what just you're seeing there right there, pictures of people floating on quick-moving river debris, fighting to avoid a bridge and trying to get to higher ground.

Look as they approach the bridge, as they do their best to avoid it. Truly remarkable video, which explains in a very small way an incredibly difficult to grasp tragedy -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, the first phase of jury selection ended moments ago in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial.

Let's get straight to CNN's Miguel Marquez in Santa Maria, California, with the latest developments -- Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this judge, Rodney Melville, he set a trial date that was sooner than anyone expected. And now he's done with the first phase of jury selection much quicker than anyone expected.

The judge left the bench today. Then he came back on the bench and said that he believed he had 250 prospective jurors and that was more than enough to get the 12 men and women and the eight alternates that would judge Michael Jackson.

He left the courthouse just a short time ago and probably on his way back to Neverland Ranch or to wherever he is going and won't be back until Monday morning, when court is back in session. At that point, we'll go to the schedule that is going to be the court schedule for the remainder of this trial, which is 8:30 Pacific to 2:30 p.m.

There will no lunch break. It will be three short breaks throughout the day, a grueling schedule, but one that the judge feels that he needs to keep to in order to keep both sides moving toward verdict day -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Miguel Marquez, live from Santa Maria the , thank you so much -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Straight ahead on LIVE FROM, courting new coaches. The NFL implements a program to diversify its teams head coaches, but has it really worked?

PHILLIPS: And later, goodbye Johnny. A longtime friend and fellow comedian pays tribute to the late-night talker.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: NFL players are usually judged on grit and physical ability, with the best man getting the job regardless of race. On the sidelines, some say that isn't always the case, especially for those head coaching jobs. That is changing, albeit slowly, as Larry Smith explaining.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In January of 2001, Herman Edwards became just the sixth African-American head coach in NFL history.

HERMAN EDWARDS, NEW JERSEY JETS HEAD COACH: I want to say that I got hired because I was a qualified to get hired and that I worked my way up the ranks.

SMITH: At the time, Edwards had been assistant coach at Tampa Bay for five seasons. And for six years before that, he held various roles with Kansas city.

HERMAN EDWARDS: I'm an Afro-American. And if I didn't get my shot, what I wanted to make sure that I dotted all the I's, so that the next guy that came along, that he'd have a better chance than maybe I would.

SMITH: Before his hiring, 40 of the previous 41 jobs had been filled by white candidates. Responding to a study that revealed the situation and threatened lawsuits, the NFL stepped in prior to the 2003 season and mandated that teams with head coaching vacancies interview a minority candidate before hiring a new coach. It's known as the Rooney rule.

HERMAN EDWARDS: I think it's good in the fact that it's given the opportunity for some guys to, obviously, get to the form of having the opportunity to interview.

SMITH: The penalty for violating the rule is stiff, something the Detroit Lions found out when they were fined $200,000 after hiring Steve Mariucci. Last month, the Miami Dolphins were only criticized for not living up to the spirits of the rule, when they hired Nick Saban.

HARRY EDWARDS, SPORTS SOCIOLOGIST: You have teams announcing the guy that they want to hire, such as Nick Saban -- and coach Saban is a great coach -- and then looking around to fulfill the league role to interview a minority and essentially asking a minority coaching candidate to play the clown in this situation.

RAY ANDERSON, NFL WORKPLACE DIVERSITY COMM.: There was no certainty, given his situation, that even if he was the main guy, he was absolutely going to take that job.

SMITH: In the two seasons before the rule was implemented, there were 16 head coaching vacancies. Two of the positions were filled by minorities. In the two years since the rule has been in place, there have been 14 coaching vacancies filled, three of those by minorities. That said, some believe teams need more of an incentive.

HARRY EDWARDS: If you could get an additional draft pick, if you could get additional moneys under the cap, the way they would do an expansion team, for example, you would have a business impact that would compel owners to take a serious look at African-American and Latin candidates in particular.

ANDERSON: I would say that is not the case. If we can put diverse candidates out there and give them a fair opportunity to show their wares, then I think that's what will get us more hopefully in the shorter term than the longer term African-Americans on the sidelines.

SMITH: And coach Edwards knows, with an average of six head coaching vacancies per year over the last five seasons, the opportunity to improve the numbers will be there.

HERMAN EDWARDS: And, hopefully, we won't have to talk about the Rooney rule 10 years from now. It will just be teams will hire the right coach.

SMITH: Larry Smith, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, still to come, AT&T says adios to even more jobs. We're going to tell you why.

Plus, marking a sad milestone. Ahead, remembering a disaster in the sky over Texas two years ago today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Nestle says it will appear what must be a bitter verdict involving its Taster's Choice coffee.

A California jury awarded Russell Christoff $15.6 million because his photo was used for years without permission on the Taster's Choice label. There it is. Christoff is a kindergarten teacher and former model who spotted his picture while shopping for Bloody Mary mix. The company's first offer was $100,000. And Christoff's counteroffer, uh-uh, $8.5 million, pals. Nestle said no and the case went to trial.

O'BRIEN: Wow. Wow. Well, as long as he was in the Bloody Mary mix area, I'm Mr. T. of Mr. and Mrs. T. I wonder if I can get that.

All right, well, how come Christoff never knew his image was on the jar? He doesn't drink freeze-dried coffee and, in his words, I do beans.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Don't blame him.

O'BRIEN: Fifteen million. Not bad.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: I do beans, too.

O'BRIEN: Actually, that kind of looks like me, don't you think? Maybe I could -- all right.

PHILLIPS: Yes, you may be able to get half.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Ma Bell now.

PHILLIPS: Take a look again. Actually, it...

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: ... you.

O'BRIEN: Yes, see, it's me. There you go. That's the ticket.

PHILLIPS: Got the thick, dark eyebrow.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE) O'BRIEN: A very emotional day at NASA. Two years ago this day, the shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it returned to Earth on reentry, killing the crew of seven, a memorial service held earlier in the day at the Kennedy Space Center, this scene in Titusville.

The team there is prepping two launch vehicles for a launch perhaps as early as mid-May. One will fly a mission to the space station. The other will be ready to rescue the crew if need be. All the pieces are now in place. The redesigned orange external fuel tank is on site. It will soon be attached to the next orbiter to fly, Discovery.

Of course, it was a suitcase-piece size of orange foam that fell off of Columbia's fuel tank, causing a mortal breach to the orbiter's heat shield.

PHILLIPS: Well, Johnny Carson returned to late-night television last night, as David Letterman honored his mentor in his first live show since Carson's death. Letterman, who was a frequent guest and guest host on "The Tonight Show," delivered a monologue of jokes. Well, they were written by Carson and fed to the man Carson reportedly wanted as his successor. Carson's jokes were written in past few months, Letterman's praise earned over the last few decades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN")

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: At the end of the day, that's who you wanted to be there, you know. It didn't make any difference what kind of a day you had, if you had a great day or a bad day, you know, the Watergate and Vietnam and the Gulf War. And it didn't make any difference who was president. It didn't make any difference what the economy was or the unemployment or what was going on.

At the end of the day, the guy you wanted there was Johnny Carson. What a tremendous luxury, if you think about it, to be tucked in at night by Johnny Carson.

(APPLAUSE)

PAUL SHAFFER, BAND LEADER: Boy, that's so true.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Letterman's tribute to Carson included former "Tonight Show" band leader Doc Severinsen and former producer Peter Lassally.

O'BRIEN: All right, that wraps up this Tuesday edition of LIVE FROM.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired February 1, 2005 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In the news as we speak, Iraq's interim president is saying it's complete nonsense to ask U.S. troops to leave now. Ghazi al-Yawer also says international forces should leave only after Iraqi forces can handle security. He's predicting the number of international troops will decline, however, by the end of the year. We'll have the latest live from Iraq in just a few moments.
Tom Ridge is wrapping up service as the nation's first homeland security secretary, leaving office officially today, getting high praise from some state officials who say he built strong relationships to try to keep the nation safe. Hearings start tomorrow for the man named to succeed him, Michael Chertoff.

Michael Jackson back in Santa Maria, California, today in court. And the judge has decided there are now enough potential jurors to end the screening process. Jackson faces child molestation charges. We'll take you live outside the courthouse again shortly.

A U.N. diplomat tells CNN Bill Clinton is being named to head tsunami reconstruction efforts for South Asia. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to name the former president as special envoy. He's already serving with the former President George Bush to encourage private donations for tsunami relief.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the Senate is taking up a proposed mega-boost in military death benefits. The current death gratuity is $12,420. A White House plan would raise it to $100,000, at a cost to the government of $200 million a year.

Lindsey Arent is in Washington with more.

I was trying to figure out all those numbers in my head, Lindsey, as I was reading that.

LINDSEY ARENT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty confusing stuff, Kyra. Good afternoon to you.

Now, the Senate Armed Services Committee just met all morning today on Capitol Hill, trying to figure out how to increase death benefits for survivors of U.S. troops killed in combat. Now, the issue they were rolling over is, how do you assign a dollar value to the death of a U.S. service member in combat? So far, more than 1,500 have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since October 2001.

And some lawmakers have expressed outrage at what they say are the paltry and miserly sums families get when a loved one dies. And they praised President Bush for including an increase in the death gratuity in his 2006 budget proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Man or woman good enough to risk their lives in defense of our country ought to know that, if they are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, that they can be confident that their families will be well taken care of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENT: Now, under the current system, families of troops killed in combat receive a one-time tax-free payment from the government of $12,420. With the administration's new proposal, that benefit would grow to $100,000. In the meantime, there are some life insurance benefits that would also rise from $250,000 to $400,000 for those killed in a designated combat zone.

Now, under this new plan, all troops would get a life insurance benefit and the Pentagon would pay for the premiums. All told, if this proposal is passed in its current form, all U.S. troops killed in a designated combat zone deemed by the secretary of defense would receive at least $250,000 in government benefits.

Now, those changes would be retroactive to any service member killed in combat since October 2001, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Let's see what happens. Lindsey Arent, thanks so much -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: A status report on the State of the Union, President Bush getting ready to go before a joint session of Congress tomorrow night to lay out his vision of where we are and where we're headed as a nation.

Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House with a preview.

Hello, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Miles.

That's right. White House officials say that President Bush will talk in greater detail about the centerpiece of his domestic addenda. And that, of course, is making changes to the Social Security system. Now, up until this point, the president has outlined only broad principles regarding this issue, namely, of course, that he wants to allow younger workers the chance to invest part of their withholdings into personal savings accounts, also, that he does not want to raise payroll taxes.

And the president has also said in the past that there would be no changes in benefits for those at or near retirement age. But, beyond that, there are still a lot of unanswered questions, specifically, how will any of these changes be funded. Some estimates put the cost of transitioning to private accounts as much as up to $2 trillion. And lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed reservations.

But, today, the White House made clear President Bush remains committed to seeing Social Security legislation moved through Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: People can look the other way and stick their head in the sand and think that the problem will go away, but it doesn't, Ken. It gets worse over time. That's why we need to work together in a bipartisan way to address it now, because, if we don't, the options for fixing it become more limited and the consequences more severe for our future generations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, to help convince the skeptics, President Bush will be heading out on Thursday on a five-state tour, embarking on visits to places where specifically the White House is looking to put pressure on Democrats on this issue.

We should also tell you, of course, the president will be talking about Iraq, this a critical time, just days after the election there, which the administration and others have characterized as a success. Now, the critical question, of course, regarding Iraq facing the administration now is, when will U.S. troops be able to leave? When, in fact, will Iraqi forces themselves be able to fully take on security responsibilities?

Just a couple other notes. We should tell you, a senior administration official says that the president has practiced his speech a couple times yesterday, also practicing it a couple times today. It will be roughly 40 minutes in length. That's without applause. One half will focus on domestic issues, the other on foreign affairs -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano on the North Lawn, thank you.

Be sure to join CNN for prime-time coverage of the president's State of the Union address tomorrow. "LARRY KING LIVE" will follow Mr. Bush's speech and the Democratic response. And, after Larry, we'll have a special edition of "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

PHILLIPS: Now to Iraq.

On a Web site, militants claim that they're holding a U.S. soldier hostage. They're threatening to behead him if Iraqi prisoners are not released. The U.S. military has not confirmed that any soldier is missing or captured. In Baghdad, Iraq's interim president, Ghazi al-Yawer, is praising Iraqi voters eve, though a shortage of ballots meant that tens of thousands didn't get to vote. Two days after the landmark elections, the counting goes on.

Our Jane Arraf gives us a progress report from Baquba.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Ballots are continuing to come streaming in from Baquba and other places. These ballots some of 3,000 votes believed to have been cast in the province.

Workers here have had no sleep, some of them say, for the past two days. They've been working in shifts to try to count these ballots. At this table, as more ballot boxes come marching in, they're actually counting the ballots that they're retrieving from the boxes.

Now, we're told that with about half of the ballots counted so far from Baquba and some surrounding areas, the front-runners are parties belonging to Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and a party belonging to President Ghazi al-Yawer. The Shia party backed by the Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani also has strong support here.

One of the problems, though, in a province where the biggest single group are Sunni voters, is there has been a weaker Sunni representation than there has been from Shia and Kurds, who came out in larger-than-expected numbers to vote. This vote counting is expected to take at least a couple of days before these ballots are sent back to Baghdad. They would have been counted in Baghdad, but for extra security they changed those plans, and they're doing it here.

Jane Arraf, CNN reporting from near Baquba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: More than a month after the tsunami hit, Indonesia has raised its death toll to more than 108,000, bringing the overall count across South Asia to more than 154,000 dead.

This morning, never-before-seen amateur from Banda Aceh, Indonesia, new images of the initial earthquake as it hit Banda Aceh on the morning of December 26. People hit the ground to wait out the tremors. Buildings sustained major damage in the area closest to the epicenter of the quake. This was taken at the -- what was to be the conclusion of a marathon.

Entire villages turned to rubble from the impact of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake. And within the remains of homes, efforts began to rescue people trapped under heavy debris. Now, more amateur video of Banda Aceh after the tsunami hit. Water rushed into the streets, of course, carrying away massive amounts of debris and flooding rivers. It's just hard to imagine what just you're seeing there right there, pictures of people floating on quick-moving river debris, fighting to avoid a bridge and trying to get to higher ground.

Look as they approach the bridge, as they do their best to avoid it. Truly remarkable video, which explains in a very small way an incredibly difficult to grasp tragedy -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, the first phase of jury selection ended moments ago in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial.

Let's get straight to CNN's Miguel Marquez in Santa Maria, California, with the latest developments -- Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this judge, Rodney Melville, he set a trial date that was sooner than anyone expected. And now he's done with the first phase of jury selection much quicker than anyone expected.

The judge left the bench today. Then he came back on the bench and said that he believed he had 250 prospective jurors and that was more than enough to get the 12 men and women and the eight alternates that would judge Michael Jackson.

He left the courthouse just a short time ago and probably on his way back to Neverland Ranch or to wherever he is going and won't be back until Monday morning, when court is back in session. At that point, we'll go to the schedule that is going to be the court schedule for the remainder of this trial, which is 8:30 Pacific to 2:30 p.m.

There will no lunch break. It will be three short breaks throughout the day, a grueling schedule, but one that the judge feels that he needs to keep to in order to keep both sides moving toward verdict day -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Miguel Marquez, live from Santa Maria the , thank you so much -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Straight ahead on LIVE FROM, courting new coaches. The NFL implements a program to diversify its teams head coaches, but has it really worked?

PHILLIPS: And later, goodbye Johnny. A longtime friend and fellow comedian pays tribute to the late-night talker.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: NFL players are usually judged on grit and physical ability, with the best man getting the job regardless of race. On the sidelines, some say that isn't always the case, especially for those head coaching jobs. That is changing, albeit slowly, as Larry Smith explaining.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In January of 2001, Herman Edwards became just the sixth African-American head coach in NFL history.

HERMAN EDWARDS, NEW JERSEY JETS HEAD COACH: I want to say that I got hired because I was a qualified to get hired and that I worked my way up the ranks.

SMITH: At the time, Edwards had been assistant coach at Tampa Bay for five seasons. And for six years before that, he held various roles with Kansas city.

HERMAN EDWARDS: I'm an Afro-American. And if I didn't get my shot, what I wanted to make sure that I dotted all the I's, so that the next guy that came along, that he'd have a better chance than maybe I would.

SMITH: Before his hiring, 40 of the previous 41 jobs had been filled by white candidates. Responding to a study that revealed the situation and threatened lawsuits, the NFL stepped in prior to the 2003 season and mandated that teams with head coaching vacancies interview a minority candidate before hiring a new coach. It's known as the Rooney rule.

HERMAN EDWARDS: I think it's good in the fact that it's given the opportunity for some guys to, obviously, get to the form of having the opportunity to interview.

SMITH: The penalty for violating the rule is stiff, something the Detroit Lions found out when they were fined $200,000 after hiring Steve Mariucci. Last month, the Miami Dolphins were only criticized for not living up to the spirits of the rule, when they hired Nick Saban.

HARRY EDWARDS, SPORTS SOCIOLOGIST: You have teams announcing the guy that they want to hire, such as Nick Saban -- and coach Saban is a great coach -- and then looking around to fulfill the league role to interview a minority and essentially asking a minority coaching candidate to play the clown in this situation.

RAY ANDERSON, NFL WORKPLACE DIVERSITY COMM.: There was no certainty, given his situation, that even if he was the main guy, he was absolutely going to take that job.

SMITH: In the two seasons before the rule was implemented, there were 16 head coaching vacancies. Two of the positions were filled by minorities. In the two years since the rule has been in place, there have been 14 coaching vacancies filled, three of those by minorities. That said, some believe teams need more of an incentive.

HARRY EDWARDS: If you could get an additional draft pick, if you could get additional moneys under the cap, the way they would do an expansion team, for example, you would have a business impact that would compel owners to take a serious look at African-American and Latin candidates in particular.

ANDERSON: I would say that is not the case. If we can put diverse candidates out there and give them a fair opportunity to show their wares, then I think that's what will get us more hopefully in the shorter term than the longer term African-Americans on the sidelines.

SMITH: And coach Edwards knows, with an average of six head coaching vacancies per year over the last five seasons, the opportunity to improve the numbers will be there.

HERMAN EDWARDS: And, hopefully, we won't have to talk about the Rooney rule 10 years from now. It will just be teams will hire the right coach.

SMITH: Larry Smith, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, still to come, AT&T says adios to even more jobs. We're going to tell you why.

Plus, marking a sad milestone. Ahead, remembering a disaster in the sky over Texas two years ago today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Nestle says it will appear what must be a bitter verdict involving its Taster's Choice coffee.

A California jury awarded Russell Christoff $15.6 million because his photo was used for years without permission on the Taster's Choice label. There it is. Christoff is a kindergarten teacher and former model who spotted his picture while shopping for Bloody Mary mix. The company's first offer was $100,000. And Christoff's counteroffer, uh-uh, $8.5 million, pals. Nestle said no and the case went to trial.

O'BRIEN: Wow. Wow. Well, as long as he was in the Bloody Mary mix area, I'm Mr. T. of Mr. and Mrs. T. I wonder if I can get that.

All right, well, how come Christoff never knew his image was on the jar? He doesn't drink freeze-dried coffee and, in his words, I do beans.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Don't blame him.

O'BRIEN: Fifteen million. Not bad.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: I do beans, too.

O'BRIEN: Actually, that kind of looks like me, don't you think? Maybe I could -- all right.

PHILLIPS: Yes, you may be able to get half.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Ma Bell now.

PHILLIPS: Take a look again. Actually, it...

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: ... you.

O'BRIEN: Yes, see, it's me. There you go. That's the ticket.

PHILLIPS: Got the thick, dark eyebrow.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE) O'BRIEN: A very emotional day at NASA. Two years ago this day, the shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it returned to Earth on reentry, killing the crew of seven, a memorial service held earlier in the day at the Kennedy Space Center, this scene in Titusville.

The team there is prepping two launch vehicles for a launch perhaps as early as mid-May. One will fly a mission to the space station. The other will be ready to rescue the crew if need be. All the pieces are now in place. The redesigned orange external fuel tank is on site. It will soon be attached to the next orbiter to fly, Discovery.

Of course, it was a suitcase-piece size of orange foam that fell off of Columbia's fuel tank, causing a mortal breach to the orbiter's heat shield.

PHILLIPS: Well, Johnny Carson returned to late-night television last night, as David Letterman honored his mentor in his first live show since Carson's death. Letterman, who was a frequent guest and guest host on "The Tonight Show," delivered a monologue of jokes. Well, they were written by Carson and fed to the man Carson reportedly wanted as his successor. Carson's jokes were written in past few months, Letterman's praise earned over the last few decades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN")

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: At the end of the day, that's who you wanted to be there, you know. It didn't make any difference what kind of a day you had, if you had a great day or a bad day, you know, the Watergate and Vietnam and the Gulf War. And it didn't make any difference who was president. It didn't make any difference what the economy was or the unemployment or what was going on.

At the end of the day, the guy you wanted there was Johnny Carson. What a tremendous luxury, if you think about it, to be tucked in at night by Johnny Carson.

(APPLAUSE)

PAUL SHAFFER, BAND LEADER: Boy, that's so true.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Letterman's tribute to Carson included former "Tonight Show" band leader Doc Severinsen and former producer Peter Lassally.

O'BRIEN: All right, that wraps up this Tuesday edition of LIVE FROM.

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