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Call For Justice; Major League Baseball Heads to Congress
Aired March 17, 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, a so-called person of interest in a Florida missing girl case is arrested on unrelated charges in Augusta, Georgia. Convicted sex offender John Couey is being questioned in connection to the disappearance of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. He had lived near Jessica's home in Homosassa Springs, Florida, but failed to inform Florida authorities of an address change. A live report is just ahead.
Police in New Jersey apprehend a man who they say carjacked a Department of Corrections van at gunpoint, ordered everyone out, and then led police on a 73-mile chase. That standoff began when the vehicle flipped. It ended when police pounced on the suspect after he exited the van.
Martha Stewart returned to a federal court today in a bid to clear her name. Her attorneys are appealing her criminal conviction for lying about a stock sale. A ruling is months away. Stewart already served five months in prison and is now under house arrest.
First this hour, baseball and steroids, the hearings on Capitol Hill. The first players have now appeared, some with attorneys present. Jose Canseco, now out of the game, requested immunity. He was denied. And, in his opening statement, Mark McGwire nearly broken down and, by implication, he lashed out at Canseco, whose tell-all book accused a number of players of steroid use. McGwire said that he will implicate no one.
In addition to those linked by accusations of steroid use, two outspoken opponents of steroids also present there, pitcher Curt Schilling and slugger Frank Thomas. Still to appear, big league commissioner Bud Selig and union chief Donald Fehr.
Joining us now, Larry Smith of CNN Sports.
Boy, I would probably say, to this point, most emotional testimony, Mark McGwire.
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. There's no question about it.
And we mentioned a few moments ago, with Mark McGwire, was very upset with the things that Canseco said in his book. He did come out. We think of Mark McGwire, we think of 1998, that historic home run chase that he had, chasing Roger Maris' single-season home run record with Sammy Sosa. He later admitted that he did do that -- he used a supplement that we know as andro. And he, in fact, last year was asked about, hey, andro is now illegal. He said, you know what? If it were illegal back then, I wouldn't have used it. He has vehemently denied steroid use all the way through.
Here is what McGwire said earlier today, as we mentioned a moment ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK MCGWIRE, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: My heart goes out to him. When I was lucky enough to secure my last Major League contract, one of the first things I did was establish a foundation and donate $3 million of my own money to support abused children.
I applaud the work of the committee in exposing this problem, so that the dangers are clearly understood. There has been a problem with steroid use in baseball. Like any sport, where there is pressure to perform at the highest level and there has been no testing to control performance-enhancing drugs, problems develop. It is a problem and that needs to be addressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Now, we do point out that baseball does have a new policy in place this year that is much stricter than ones they had in the past. One person, by the way, we will not hear today is Jason Giambi, the Yankees first baseman, who reportedly admitted in his grand jury testimony during the BALCO federal investigation that he had taken steroids. He has been excused because of that investigation. Therefore, he will not be giving testimony today.
But, again, Kyra, it's one of those situations today. We really -- so far, the statements we are hearing, really from the heart so much, so far. We have yet to see if everyone will plead the fifth and not answer the questions, because they don't have immunity, but so far, certainly again -- we keep saying this -- a step in the right direction in terms of trying to answer these questions.
PHILLIPS: Well, here is what is interesting, is, there had been so much talk about steroids in baseball. Nobody wanted to talk about it. Nobody wanted to address this issue. Then you had Jose Canseco write this book, so that made the headlines.
Now, all of a sudden, you have got members of Congress getting involved and for the first time, we are hearing major names come forward and say it is a problem. Now the next question is, how much of an impact will this have? Because there is only so much pressure Congress can put on Major League Baseball to do, I guess, to get stricter on this, to put in a tougher policy?
SMITH: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: They can't make Major League Baseball do something, can they?
SMITH: Well, they can put a lot of pressure on them, because baseball doesn't enjoy that antitrust exemption that no other sport enjoys.
PHILLIPS: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: So, Congress and baseball will always be linked, it seems, more than other sports.
But I think one thing, that Hall of Famer Jim Bunning, who is now a congressman, said, hey, back in my day, when I played, guys didn't get better as they got older. They didn't hit more home runs in their late 30s than in their late 20s. And when you have records being broken and balls flying out of the park and these superhuman things happening, for the integrity of the game, it has to happen.
What will come out of this? Maybe not much in terms baseball, but in terms of people and with kids. I have a good friend whose son plays college baseball, not a major program, but does play college baseball. He goes home to his dad and says, you know what? They're all juicing. They're all doing it.
PHILLIPS: wow.
SMITH: So, when have you that kind of pressure among kids -- there was a story last week in Connecticut, five kids arrested because they took steroids into their high school that they bought on vacation in Mexico.
PHILLIPS: Well, these kids probably think, in order to play in the big leagues or get a college scholarship, they have got to be juiced in order to be good enough to compete with these other players. hand that's just wrong.
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: Right. And that's what this new program -- again, the new steroid policy, again, doesn't have as much teeth as the minor league program or as in some other pro sports as we have seen or in track and field. We've seen so many people suffer the consequences of lifetime bans in track and field.
PHILLIPS: Sure.
SMITH: But, at the same time, baseball is going to say, let us see if this policy takes care of the problem. That is what they're going to come out and tell Congress in the end.
PHILLIPS: Sure. And Curt Schilling said that, too. Look, it's not just baseball. It's a lot of sports that have this issue. Let's look at it as a problem in society.
All right, we'll continue to listen to testimony. You're staying here with us.
SMITH: OK.
PHILLIPS: Thank you very much.
We're going to go on to other news. we'll come back to the hearings as soon as they begin. They're in about a 20-minute break.
Now to the case of a missing 9-year-old girl from Florida. John Evander Couey was picked up today on a charge not apparently related to the three-week search for a Florida girl, Jessica Marie Lunsford, but Couey still represents the first major lead and first potential break for investigators in Florida since Jessica disappeared sometime after her grandmother put her to bed.
Well, Couey is a career criminal, convicted sex offender, whom the Citrus County sheriff calls a person of interest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY DAWSY, CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF: We received probably several hundred leads from the news conference yesterday about bringing Couey out. And we're still looking at all the possibilities. And I've always said that there is somebody out there that has some information. Couey may play out not to even be in the mix, and we'll know that better. As I said this morning, I'm working for Jessica right now. Everybody is in this investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Jessica's family says they never saw or heard of Couey, despite the fact that he apparently stayed with relatives within sight of the Lunsfords' home.
CNN's John Zarrella on the phone now from Homosassa Springs, where the family lives -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Kyra.
That's exactly right. The family, both the grandmother and grandmother, Ruth and Archie Lunsford, and the father, Mark, saying last night and again today to me that they did not know this man, had no idea that he was staying across, catty-corner from them, and did not know any of the people who were living in that house. So, they have repeatedly said that they're not convinced that this is the man.
Now, Ruth Lunsford today, she was visibly upset, wanting closure, wanting to -- as she said, closure, to just know one way or the other where her granddaughter is. And if this man has the answers, well, so be it. Mark Lunsford came out about 1:00 this afternoon and talked to those of us gathered there and said that, even though the police have him, that he is not going to jump to any conclusions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LUNSFORD, FATHER OF JESSICA: I know there's a lot of questions about the guy that they just picked up. Like I said in the beginning, I'm not biting into that until the sheriff tells me that he's found my daughter and I hope that everybody else can bear with me and do the same thing. Let's not get our hopes up. We've had our hopes up before in the beginning and we got let down, so, you know, don't -- just bear with the sheriff and let him do his questioning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: Now, Mark Lunsford also said that he's planning to continue the search. There's a search that he wants volunteers for this weekend to come and help them continue searching for his daughter.
And, again, none of the family members can at all pinpoint how this man might have come in contact, if he, in fact, did, come in contact with their granddaughter and daughter. So, at this point, they are just waiting, like the rest of us are, and they, in fact, Mark Lunsford told me -- he says, look, we don't know any more than you do. In fact, you probably know more than I do -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: No doubt we're all working the story. John Zarrella, thank you so much.
Meanwhile, we want to show you some live pictures right now coming out of Jersey City, New Jersey, via our affiliate, WABC. It's a four-alarm fire at a mattress factory. No injuries to report thus far. Firefighters working this. We'll keep you updated on where exactly it is and if, indeed, firefighters get close to putting it out there in Jersey City, New Jersey, a mattress factory, four-alarm fire. We're following that story.
Now baseball hearings are taking a quick break. We're going to go back there live for questions and answers with the Major League players right ahead right here on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We are still continuing to follow the congressional hearings taking place right now about the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. We heard from some pretty big heavy hitters, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling. They're in about a 20-minute recess. They've got about 10 minutes to go. We'll dip back in once we hear more from the players and also the head of Major League Baseball.
Now, the sisters of a murdered Catholic man in Northern Ireland took their call for justice to the White House today. They say President Bush offered his support.
Robert McCartney's sisters have become a force to reckon with, as we hear from CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surrounded by TV crews wherever they go, these are perhaps the most famous sisters in the world right now: Donna, Gemma, Catherine and Claire McCartney. Their daring fight to bring their brother Robert's murderers to justice has made them instant celebrities. Because even as they're snapped by People magazine, they know they are pursuing some of the most dangerous people in the world: members of the Irish Republican Army, the IRA.
GEMMA MCCARTNEY, SISTER: We just keep thinking Robert. And then -- and how important it is to get these people to court.
AMANPOUR: And that's what they'll tell President Bush when they meet him at the White House on St. Patrick's Day.
We sat down with the McCartney sisters as they were about to leave Belfast. Even today, nearly two months later, talking of their brother's murder reduces them to tears.
They tell us that witnesses say Robert and his friend Brendan Devine were having a few drinks in this Belfast pub January 30 when a senior IRA man accused them of insulting one of his friends. Claire, Robert's youngest sister, says that she was told he and his friend Brendan Devine apologized and bought them a round of drinks.
CLAIRE MCCARTNEY, ROBERT MCCARTNEY'S SISTER: At which point the senior Republican says, do you know who I am? And Brendan Devine says, I don't care who you are. And then the next minute, there was a bottle broke on Brendan Devine's head. And a bottle stuck in his neck, and his head was yanked back and his throat was cut.
AMANPOUR: That's when all hell broke loose. Witnesses told the sisters that Robert got his bleeding injured friend out of the bar, but a group of men followed them.
C. MCCARTNEY: And at least five or six of them pursued Robert up an alley, beating him with sticks. And...
AMANPOUR: Claire can't finish the story, because it's too hard to talk about what happened next.
Witnesses have told them their brother was beaten and stabbed. And men even jumped on his face.
They left Robert and his friend Brendan for dead in the alley behind the pub. Brendan survived his severe wounds, but Robert died in hospital with his sisters at his battered side.
Besides his sisters, Robert left behind a fiancee and their two young children.
DONNA MCCARTNEY, SISTER: I just can't believe he's gone, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You all right?
AMANPOUR: Now that he's gone, though, the five sisters have gone all out to seek answers. They even met with the IRA Counsel. G. MCCARTNEY: We asked the IRA Council why, what was the reason for killing Robert? And they responded quite promptly there was no reason.
AMANPOUR: There seems to be no doubt the killers were members of the IRA , because afterwards the IRA made the sisters an extraordinary offer.
G. MCCARTNEY: Well, they were prepared to use the old traditional IRA method.
AMANPOUR (on camera): What is that?
G. MCCARTNEY: Execution.
AMANPOUR: They told you that they would execute his killers?
G. MCCARTNEY: Yes.
AMANPOUR: And you said no?
G. MCCARTNEY: No. We decided that justice was better for Robert in the conventional method, which is bring them through the courts.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): The sisters were, in fact, disgusted by that offer and so were many in Northern Ireland. But so far they've had no luck getting the killers to court.
(on camera): You know who did it?
G. MCCARTNEY: Yes.
AMANPOUR: You know who these killers are?
G. MCCARTNEY: Yes.
AMANPOUR: Do you see them? Are they walking around?
G. MCCARTNEY: Yes.
AMANPOUR: Where are they?
D. MCCARTNEY: They're in the street. I passed one the other day. The senior Republican, I passed him. He was coming back from the local shop standing brazenly in the street talking to someone.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): The McCartney sisters said they thought there would be quick arrests, since everyone, even the police, know who the main suspects are.
(on camera): And why do you think that hasn't happened?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Intimidation.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): So far, witnesses have been too afraid to come forward. (on camera): There was something like 70 people in this bar?
D. MCCARTNEY: Seventy people in the bar, and nobody's seen anything.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): After the murder, the senior IRA member at the pub allegedly ordered all forensic evidence cleaned up.
G. MCCARTNEY: And the individual then destroyed the weapon, destroyed the knife, seized CCTV footage and burnt it and burnt the murderer's clothes. And then went into the bar and basically told everyone in the bar that it was IRA business and nobody was to say anything and that they saw nothing.
AMANPOUR: But Robert McCartney's murder was so brutal and senseless that many in the Catholic community came out for a rare public display of support for the family. At least three members of Sinn Fein, the IRA 's political wing, were also in the bar the night of the murder. They too say they saw nothing.
CATHERINE MCCARTNEY, SISTER: hey haven't came forward yet. At one level Gerry Adams is saying people should come forward to the police ombudsman. He said himself that he would do that, but yet his party members have not done that.
AMANPOUR: The McCartney sisters say the world should know the IRA is squandering its historic position as defender of Catholic rights.
G. MCCARTNEY: This has all been dispelled by these individuals, by the night they murdered Robert for no reason.
D. MCCARTNEY: It just takes some people to stand up and say, no, we're not having any more. And that's what we're doing.
c. MCCARTNEY: We didn't think for one minute we were going to have to go through this. If it comes to it, we're going to have to do what some families in this country have had to do and battle for 30 years, we will do it. The truth will come out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Once again, that was our Christiane Amanpour.
A reminder that the baseball hearings about are to resume. We're going to take you back there live when they happen. Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball, sitting Right there getting ready to testify. We'll dip in as soon as he takes to the Mike.
But, first, we'll take a check on the market, the Big Board, Dow Jones industrials, up 10 points.
We're back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Live pictures once again, as the break has come to a wrapup and Major League Baseball players, in addition to Major League Baseball's commissioner, among others, have testified, getting ready to testify. We heard some pretty emotional testimony from some of the players that already spoke out about steroid use, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling.
Jose Canseco actually started off the lineup there of Major League players and testimony, not a popular guy in the room right now. I'm sure you're familiar with his book that he has come out with recently, pretty much slamming a number of fellow teammates about steroid use.
Larry Smith here on the set with us also following the testimony and all of the guys pretty much, Mark McGwire, Rafael, Curt, all of them saying, you know, we know it's a problem, but we would never implicate teammates, no matter what, pretty much a dig to Jose Canseco.
SMITH: It really is. And it's kind of a code of honor, I think, that everyone says, hey, we want to get rid of this. But let's get rid of this the right way.
You're not going to point fingers or name names. Let the process go through. One big thing that's really happened that is different with this policy, Kyra, that didn't happen before with baseball steroid policy, in the past, you could only test a player once per year and it would take five positive tests to draw a one-year suspension.
So, you could use steroids for five years before you really had to sit out a year or have some kind of serious penalty. Now the first -- it's random testing year-round beginning the first of this month. You can be tested any time, unlimited number of times. And the first positive test, it's an immediate 10-day suspension without pay, so, certainly more teeth than what they had before.
PHILLIPS: Our Larry Smith doing double duty here on domestic and Headline News.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I know you're coming back to be with Candy Crowley and "INSIDE POLITICS," as she is picking up the hearings here on baseball and steroids right after a quick break. Don't go away.
We'll be back here tomorrow.
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Aired March 17, 2005 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, a so-called person of interest in a Florida missing girl case is arrested on unrelated charges in Augusta, Georgia. Convicted sex offender John Couey is being questioned in connection to the disappearance of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. He had lived near Jessica's home in Homosassa Springs, Florida, but failed to inform Florida authorities of an address change. A live report is just ahead.
Police in New Jersey apprehend a man who they say carjacked a Department of Corrections van at gunpoint, ordered everyone out, and then led police on a 73-mile chase. That standoff began when the vehicle flipped. It ended when police pounced on the suspect after he exited the van.
Martha Stewart returned to a federal court today in a bid to clear her name. Her attorneys are appealing her criminal conviction for lying about a stock sale. A ruling is months away. Stewart already served five months in prison and is now under house arrest.
First this hour, baseball and steroids, the hearings on Capitol Hill. The first players have now appeared, some with attorneys present. Jose Canseco, now out of the game, requested immunity. He was denied. And, in his opening statement, Mark McGwire nearly broken down and, by implication, he lashed out at Canseco, whose tell-all book accused a number of players of steroid use. McGwire said that he will implicate no one.
In addition to those linked by accusations of steroid use, two outspoken opponents of steroids also present there, pitcher Curt Schilling and slugger Frank Thomas. Still to appear, big league commissioner Bud Selig and union chief Donald Fehr.
Joining us now, Larry Smith of CNN Sports.
Boy, I would probably say, to this point, most emotional testimony, Mark McGwire.
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. There's no question about it.
And we mentioned a few moments ago, with Mark McGwire, was very upset with the things that Canseco said in his book. He did come out. We think of Mark McGwire, we think of 1998, that historic home run chase that he had, chasing Roger Maris' single-season home run record with Sammy Sosa. He later admitted that he did do that -- he used a supplement that we know as andro. And he, in fact, last year was asked about, hey, andro is now illegal. He said, you know what? If it were illegal back then, I wouldn't have used it. He has vehemently denied steroid use all the way through.
Here is what McGwire said earlier today, as we mentioned a moment ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK MCGWIRE, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: My heart goes out to him. When I was lucky enough to secure my last Major League contract, one of the first things I did was establish a foundation and donate $3 million of my own money to support abused children.
I applaud the work of the committee in exposing this problem, so that the dangers are clearly understood. There has been a problem with steroid use in baseball. Like any sport, where there is pressure to perform at the highest level and there has been no testing to control performance-enhancing drugs, problems develop. It is a problem and that needs to be addressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Now, we do point out that baseball does have a new policy in place this year that is much stricter than ones they had in the past. One person, by the way, we will not hear today is Jason Giambi, the Yankees first baseman, who reportedly admitted in his grand jury testimony during the BALCO federal investigation that he had taken steroids. He has been excused because of that investigation. Therefore, he will not be giving testimony today.
But, again, Kyra, it's one of those situations today. We really -- so far, the statements we are hearing, really from the heart so much, so far. We have yet to see if everyone will plead the fifth and not answer the questions, because they don't have immunity, but so far, certainly again -- we keep saying this -- a step in the right direction in terms of trying to answer these questions.
PHILLIPS: Well, here is what is interesting, is, there had been so much talk about steroids in baseball. Nobody wanted to talk about it. Nobody wanted to address this issue. Then you had Jose Canseco write this book, so that made the headlines.
Now, all of a sudden, you have got members of Congress getting involved and for the first time, we are hearing major names come forward and say it is a problem. Now the next question is, how much of an impact will this have? Because there is only so much pressure Congress can put on Major League Baseball to do, I guess, to get stricter on this, to put in a tougher policy?
SMITH: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: They can't make Major League Baseball do something, can they?
SMITH: Well, they can put a lot of pressure on them, because baseball doesn't enjoy that antitrust exemption that no other sport enjoys.
PHILLIPS: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: So, Congress and baseball will always be linked, it seems, more than other sports.
But I think one thing, that Hall of Famer Jim Bunning, who is now a congressman, said, hey, back in my day, when I played, guys didn't get better as they got older. They didn't hit more home runs in their late 30s than in their late 20s. And when you have records being broken and balls flying out of the park and these superhuman things happening, for the integrity of the game, it has to happen.
What will come out of this? Maybe not much in terms baseball, but in terms of people and with kids. I have a good friend whose son plays college baseball, not a major program, but does play college baseball. He goes home to his dad and says, you know what? They're all juicing. They're all doing it.
PHILLIPS: wow.
SMITH: So, when have you that kind of pressure among kids -- there was a story last week in Connecticut, five kids arrested because they took steroids into their high school that they bought on vacation in Mexico.
PHILLIPS: Well, these kids probably think, in order to play in the big leagues or get a college scholarship, they have got to be juiced in order to be good enough to compete with these other players. hand that's just wrong.
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: Right. And that's what this new program -- again, the new steroid policy, again, doesn't have as much teeth as the minor league program or as in some other pro sports as we have seen or in track and field. We've seen so many people suffer the consequences of lifetime bans in track and field.
PHILLIPS: Sure.
SMITH: But, at the same time, baseball is going to say, let us see if this policy takes care of the problem. That is what they're going to come out and tell Congress in the end.
PHILLIPS: Sure. And Curt Schilling said that, too. Look, it's not just baseball. It's a lot of sports that have this issue. Let's look at it as a problem in society.
All right, we'll continue to listen to testimony. You're staying here with us.
SMITH: OK.
PHILLIPS: Thank you very much.
We're going to go on to other news. we'll come back to the hearings as soon as they begin. They're in about a 20-minute break.
Now to the case of a missing 9-year-old girl from Florida. John Evander Couey was picked up today on a charge not apparently related to the three-week search for a Florida girl, Jessica Marie Lunsford, but Couey still represents the first major lead and first potential break for investigators in Florida since Jessica disappeared sometime after her grandmother put her to bed.
Well, Couey is a career criminal, convicted sex offender, whom the Citrus County sheriff calls a person of interest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY DAWSY, CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF: We received probably several hundred leads from the news conference yesterday about bringing Couey out. And we're still looking at all the possibilities. And I've always said that there is somebody out there that has some information. Couey may play out not to even be in the mix, and we'll know that better. As I said this morning, I'm working for Jessica right now. Everybody is in this investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Jessica's family says they never saw or heard of Couey, despite the fact that he apparently stayed with relatives within sight of the Lunsfords' home.
CNN's John Zarrella on the phone now from Homosassa Springs, where the family lives -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Kyra.
That's exactly right. The family, both the grandmother and grandmother, Ruth and Archie Lunsford, and the father, Mark, saying last night and again today to me that they did not know this man, had no idea that he was staying across, catty-corner from them, and did not know any of the people who were living in that house. So, they have repeatedly said that they're not convinced that this is the man.
Now, Ruth Lunsford today, she was visibly upset, wanting closure, wanting to -- as she said, closure, to just know one way or the other where her granddaughter is. And if this man has the answers, well, so be it. Mark Lunsford came out about 1:00 this afternoon and talked to those of us gathered there and said that, even though the police have him, that he is not going to jump to any conclusions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LUNSFORD, FATHER OF JESSICA: I know there's a lot of questions about the guy that they just picked up. Like I said in the beginning, I'm not biting into that until the sheriff tells me that he's found my daughter and I hope that everybody else can bear with me and do the same thing. Let's not get our hopes up. We've had our hopes up before in the beginning and we got let down, so, you know, don't -- just bear with the sheriff and let him do his questioning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: Now, Mark Lunsford also said that he's planning to continue the search. There's a search that he wants volunteers for this weekend to come and help them continue searching for his daughter.
And, again, none of the family members can at all pinpoint how this man might have come in contact, if he, in fact, did, come in contact with their granddaughter and daughter. So, at this point, they are just waiting, like the rest of us are, and they, in fact, Mark Lunsford told me -- he says, look, we don't know any more than you do. In fact, you probably know more than I do -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: No doubt we're all working the story. John Zarrella, thank you so much.
Meanwhile, we want to show you some live pictures right now coming out of Jersey City, New Jersey, via our affiliate, WABC. It's a four-alarm fire at a mattress factory. No injuries to report thus far. Firefighters working this. We'll keep you updated on where exactly it is and if, indeed, firefighters get close to putting it out there in Jersey City, New Jersey, a mattress factory, four-alarm fire. We're following that story.
Now baseball hearings are taking a quick break. We're going to go back there live for questions and answers with the Major League players right ahead right here on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We are still continuing to follow the congressional hearings taking place right now about the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. We heard from some pretty big heavy hitters, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling. They're in about a 20-minute recess. They've got about 10 minutes to go. We'll dip back in once we hear more from the players and also the head of Major League Baseball.
Now, the sisters of a murdered Catholic man in Northern Ireland took their call for justice to the White House today. They say President Bush offered his support.
Robert McCartney's sisters have become a force to reckon with, as we hear from CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surrounded by TV crews wherever they go, these are perhaps the most famous sisters in the world right now: Donna, Gemma, Catherine and Claire McCartney. Their daring fight to bring their brother Robert's murderers to justice has made them instant celebrities. Because even as they're snapped by People magazine, they know they are pursuing some of the most dangerous people in the world: members of the Irish Republican Army, the IRA.
GEMMA MCCARTNEY, SISTER: We just keep thinking Robert. And then -- and how important it is to get these people to court.
AMANPOUR: And that's what they'll tell President Bush when they meet him at the White House on St. Patrick's Day.
We sat down with the McCartney sisters as they were about to leave Belfast. Even today, nearly two months later, talking of their brother's murder reduces them to tears.
They tell us that witnesses say Robert and his friend Brendan Devine were having a few drinks in this Belfast pub January 30 when a senior IRA man accused them of insulting one of his friends. Claire, Robert's youngest sister, says that she was told he and his friend Brendan Devine apologized and bought them a round of drinks.
CLAIRE MCCARTNEY, ROBERT MCCARTNEY'S SISTER: At which point the senior Republican says, do you know who I am? And Brendan Devine says, I don't care who you are. And then the next minute, there was a bottle broke on Brendan Devine's head. And a bottle stuck in his neck, and his head was yanked back and his throat was cut.
AMANPOUR: That's when all hell broke loose. Witnesses told the sisters that Robert got his bleeding injured friend out of the bar, but a group of men followed them.
C. MCCARTNEY: And at least five or six of them pursued Robert up an alley, beating him with sticks. And...
AMANPOUR: Claire can't finish the story, because it's too hard to talk about what happened next.
Witnesses have told them their brother was beaten and stabbed. And men even jumped on his face.
They left Robert and his friend Brendan for dead in the alley behind the pub. Brendan survived his severe wounds, but Robert died in hospital with his sisters at his battered side.
Besides his sisters, Robert left behind a fiancee and their two young children.
DONNA MCCARTNEY, SISTER: I just can't believe he's gone, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You all right?
AMANPOUR: Now that he's gone, though, the five sisters have gone all out to seek answers. They even met with the IRA Counsel. G. MCCARTNEY: We asked the IRA Council why, what was the reason for killing Robert? And they responded quite promptly there was no reason.
AMANPOUR: There seems to be no doubt the killers were members of the IRA , because afterwards the IRA made the sisters an extraordinary offer.
G. MCCARTNEY: Well, they were prepared to use the old traditional IRA method.
AMANPOUR (on camera): What is that?
G. MCCARTNEY: Execution.
AMANPOUR: They told you that they would execute his killers?
G. MCCARTNEY: Yes.
AMANPOUR: And you said no?
G. MCCARTNEY: No. We decided that justice was better for Robert in the conventional method, which is bring them through the courts.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): The sisters were, in fact, disgusted by that offer and so were many in Northern Ireland. But so far they've had no luck getting the killers to court.
(on camera): You know who did it?
G. MCCARTNEY: Yes.
AMANPOUR: You know who these killers are?
G. MCCARTNEY: Yes.
AMANPOUR: Do you see them? Are they walking around?
G. MCCARTNEY: Yes.
AMANPOUR: Where are they?
D. MCCARTNEY: They're in the street. I passed one the other day. The senior Republican, I passed him. He was coming back from the local shop standing brazenly in the street talking to someone.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): The McCartney sisters said they thought there would be quick arrests, since everyone, even the police, know who the main suspects are.
(on camera): And why do you think that hasn't happened?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Intimidation.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): So far, witnesses have been too afraid to come forward. (on camera): There was something like 70 people in this bar?
D. MCCARTNEY: Seventy people in the bar, and nobody's seen anything.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): After the murder, the senior IRA member at the pub allegedly ordered all forensic evidence cleaned up.
G. MCCARTNEY: And the individual then destroyed the weapon, destroyed the knife, seized CCTV footage and burnt it and burnt the murderer's clothes. And then went into the bar and basically told everyone in the bar that it was IRA business and nobody was to say anything and that they saw nothing.
AMANPOUR: But Robert McCartney's murder was so brutal and senseless that many in the Catholic community came out for a rare public display of support for the family. At least three members of Sinn Fein, the IRA 's political wing, were also in the bar the night of the murder. They too say they saw nothing.
CATHERINE MCCARTNEY, SISTER: hey haven't came forward yet. At one level Gerry Adams is saying people should come forward to the police ombudsman. He said himself that he would do that, but yet his party members have not done that.
AMANPOUR: The McCartney sisters say the world should know the IRA is squandering its historic position as defender of Catholic rights.
G. MCCARTNEY: This has all been dispelled by these individuals, by the night they murdered Robert for no reason.
D. MCCARTNEY: It just takes some people to stand up and say, no, we're not having any more. And that's what we're doing.
c. MCCARTNEY: We didn't think for one minute we were going to have to go through this. If it comes to it, we're going to have to do what some families in this country have had to do and battle for 30 years, we will do it. The truth will come out.
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PHILLIPS: Once again, that was our Christiane Amanpour.
A reminder that the baseball hearings about are to resume. We're going to take you back there live when they happen. Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball, sitting Right there getting ready to testify. We'll dip in as soon as he takes to the Mike.
But, first, we'll take a check on the market, the Big Board, Dow Jones industrials, up 10 points.
We're back after a quick break.
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PHILLIPS: Live pictures once again, as the break has come to a wrapup and Major League Baseball players, in addition to Major League Baseball's commissioner, among others, have testified, getting ready to testify. We heard some pretty emotional testimony from some of the players that already spoke out about steroid use, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling.
Jose Canseco actually started off the lineup there of Major League players and testimony, not a popular guy in the room right now. I'm sure you're familiar with his book that he has come out with recently, pretty much slamming a number of fellow teammates about steroid use.
Larry Smith here on the set with us also following the testimony and all of the guys pretty much, Mark McGwire, Rafael, Curt, all of them saying, you know, we know it's a problem, but we would never implicate teammates, no matter what, pretty much a dig to Jose Canseco.
SMITH: It really is. And it's kind of a code of honor, I think, that everyone says, hey, we want to get rid of this. But let's get rid of this the right way.
You're not going to point fingers or name names. Let the process go through. One big thing that's really happened that is different with this policy, Kyra, that didn't happen before with baseball steroid policy, in the past, you could only test a player once per year and it would take five positive tests to draw a one-year suspension.
So, you could use steroids for five years before you really had to sit out a year or have some kind of serious penalty. Now the first -- it's random testing year-round beginning the first of this month. You can be tested any time, unlimited number of times. And the first positive test, it's an immediate 10-day suspension without pay, so, certainly more teeth than what they had before.
PHILLIPS: Our Larry Smith doing double duty here on domestic and Headline News.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I know you're coming back to be with Candy Crowley and "INSIDE POLITICS," as she is picking up the hearings here on baseball and steroids right after a quick break. Don't go away.
We'll be back here tomorrow.
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