Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Freeways Under Fire; Accutane and the Brain
Aired May 02, 2005 - 13:31 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: Stories now in the news. An enormous explosion causes major casualties in Afghanistan. A blast at an ammunition dump north of Kabul today killed at least 28 people. Explosions at Afghan ammo dumps aren't unusual, but authorities are investigating.
An Atlanta-area district attorney says he's considering filing charges against Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride who cut out of town and conjured up on elaborate tale to avoid her wedding. Well, if you've got an opinion on this, and we know you do, send us your e- mail. We want to know what you would do if were you were the prosecutor.
Child advocates are hailing the signing of a bill that strengthens punishment for child molesters in the state of Florida. The Jessica Lunsford Act, named after the young girl who was killed earlier this year, requires child molesters be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. And if they get out, be tracked for life.
In Los Angeles, six shootings, four fatalities. Random attacks are turning area freeways into danger zones and drivers into unwitting targets.
Reporter Joel Connabul (ph) from CNN affiliate KCAL has more on a trend, disturbing echoes of the past.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOEL CONNABUL (ph), KCAL REPORTER: The 18-year-old man shot is lucky to be alive. He was hit two times while driving his car in the latest freeway shooting.
LT. JOHN DEL VECCHIO, L.A. POLICE: Early this morning, a little after 1:00 a.m., the victim was driving northbound on the 405 Freeway, just north of Roscoe Boulevard, when a dark-colored vehicle drove up alongside of him and started firing rounds into his vehicle.
CONNABUL: Even after the victim had two bullets in him, he was able to keep driving. He exited at Devonshire and drove for about a mile until by chance he ran into some firefighters on another emergency call at a Chevron gas station. That was at the corner of Devonshire and Balboa.
VECHHIO: Possible suspect vehicle is described as a dark-colored either Honda or Nissan-type vehicle with four to five males with shaved heads. CONNABUL: This is the sixth shooting on Southern California freeways in the past two months. The first was on the northbound 55 freeway where Tuston (ph). That's where a 26-year-old man was shot and killed. Then in April, another man was shot but wounded. This time on the same freeway, just a few miles away.
At the end of March, 26-year-old Michael Livingston died when his Camaro was sprayed with bullets on the 110 Freeway near Florence Avenue.
One week later, 47-year-old James Wiggins was shot and killed, also on the 110 Freeway, this time near Redondo Beach (ph), Boulevard. Then one week after that shooting, a 32-year-old man was shot and killed as he was driving on the Marino Valley Freeway out in Riverside County.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm always, you know, like on the lookout. I'm a pretty safe driver.
CONNABUL: With so many shootings so close together, many drivers they spoke to told us they definitely think about it when they're driving on the freeway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time I see cars getting close me, I'm very tense. It's very dangerous. I'm very concerned about it, because anybody can just pull out a gun and shoot you now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Other across America now, what sounds like a fictional adventure, getting lost at sea, dodging sharks and feasting on raw jellyfish turned into reality for these two young boys. Troy Driscoll and Josh Long caught -- got caught, rather, in bad weather, and ended up adrift on their sailboat for six days off the South Carolina coast. Well, they were found Saturday, 100 miles off course, sunburned and dehydrated, but otherwise OK. One of the boys recounted the ordeal earlier today on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH LONG, RESCUED AT SEA: Really, we didn't eat anything. Troy ate these little jelly balls that we catch with my hat. We just scoop them up out of the water. The only thing we could do with the water was gargle saltwater and spit it out. And it drizzled one night, and we licked water off the deck, trying to get something in us. So that's all we had.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The stakes will be higher than ever at this year's run for the roses. Horses competing in Saturday's Kentucky Derby will be tested before and after the race for performance-enhancing drugs. The racing industry acknowledges the problem of juicing up thoroughbreds after decades of doping allegations.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is proposing a "three strikes and you're out" approach to combat steroid use among players. Under his proposal, first-time offenders would be banned for 50 games, 100 games for a second offense, and a lifetime ban for a third violation. The players association has yet to respond to that proposal.
Severe acne is more than skin deep. It can affect everything from self-esteem to mental health, and suffers will just try about anything to conquer it. One treatment is the anti-acne arsenal and powerful drug Accutane. But a new study just published in "The Journal of American Psychiatry" shows how Accutane might cause depression in vulnerable patients.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: My youngest son B.J., Bart Jr., died in May 14, 2000. He shot himself.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bart Jr. was 17. Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak blames Accutane for his son's suicide and he wants it off the market. But until now, no one could say just how the drug might lead to depression.
STUPAK: This was the first study that really show as biological link a physical evidence.
GUPTA: With this high-tech camera, psychiatrist Douglas Bremner looked at the brains of 13 young adults taking Accutane for acne and another 15 on antibiotics. In the so-called Accutane brain, activity in this front part of the brain was down 21 percent.
DR. J. DOUGLAS BREMNER, EMORY UNIVERSITY: This plays a critical role in emotion. If there's a decrease in function in that part of the brain, it makes sense that there would be changes in mood.
GUPTA: Accutane and generic versions already carry an imposing warning. Aside from cautions about birth defects there's this:
(on camera): Accutane may cause depression, psychosis, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and aggressive behavior.
(voice-over): But that warning only started in 2002, four years after the Food and Drug Administration warned physicians that the drug might have psychiatric side effects. There are several lawsuits pending, including one by the family of 15-year-old patient Charles Bishop, who killed himself flying a small plane into a Tampa office tower three years ago. Of course, teens are more prone to clinical depression and experts say the rate, as measured by suicide and the number of teens seeking treatment, is rising.
A spokeswoman for Roche the company that makes Accutane, told us she doesn't know enough to comment about the new study, but says that Roche has never found a link between its drug and suicide. An FDA advisory panel recommended creating a formal registry of all patients on the drug to make it easier to keep track of side effects.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And the pharmaceutical company Roche tells CNN it has been working with the generic manufacturers of Accutane and the FDA to put together a mandatory registry of all users of that drug. This registry is expected to be in place by July.
Straight ahead, your e-mails. Also ahead, highlights of the first ladies' super hot comedy routine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: George and I are complete opposites. I'm quiet. He's talkative. I'm introverted. He's extroverted. I can pronounce "nuclear."
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So what would you do if you were the prosecutor? This is the question that we asked you in talking about the runaway bride. As you can imagine, lots of feedback over the past couple of days. After the police searched, still don't know the dollar amount -- $100,000 is the number that has been thrown out there -- of what it took to search for Jennifer Wilbanks. And now, of course, we found out she got cold feet. We asked you the question, what would do you? Would you prosecute her?
Here's what you had to say. Robert writes, "She was in the clear until she made the 911 call. If she wouldn't have done that, I'd say let her go without punishment, but the second she made the false claim, she broke the law. I can understand she was confused, so I say punish her, but not too harsh."
This comes from Joseph, "What crime has she committed in Georgia? Her community assumed the possibility of a crime. Other expenses were incurred on the basis of that assumption. She did not declare herself to have been the victim of any crime, until she was ready to return to her own community. There was no additional cost to the her community because of that brief deceit. Leave her alone, let her get over her embarrassment in private. I feel sorry for her."
Well, Greg, Terra Haute, Indiana says, "I say prosecute her according to the law, just like you would some kid who pull as fire alarm or calls in bomb threats to get out of exam week, or the idiots who sent fake anthrax to a friend in the office."
This from W. Liman (ph), "They should file charges. There are people who are actually missing and have been abducted, who could or -- those that have been abducted could benefit from the national attention that this hoax received. For this lady to abuse the system in this way and take away from those who truly should be getting national exposure about their abductions is a crime. She should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
And this one coming from Rancher: "I think show have to do community service. Let's say about 100 hours in the missing person's department."
Rancher, that's not a bad idea.
And this one, once again, coming from H.Q., our final e-mail for this afternoon: "I think they ought to give the poor girl a break. Think about how desperate she must have felt to do something like this. If the wedding had 600 invited guests, and 14 bridesmaids and her parents were a prominent family in a small community, they probably spent about $50,000 on the wedding. She probably felt very strongly that she couldn't just go to them at the last minute and say she changed her mind. She probably couldn't face them. What would they have said?"
Thanks for your e-mails. We'll keep monitor them, maybe read some more at the end of the hour.
Stay with us. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And right now, a quick check of the CNN Web site and the stories grabbing your attention. CNN's Christina Park has more from the dot-com desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are checking some of the most popular stories on CNN.com. For the top ten reports that people are clicking on the most, log onto our Web site and click on "Most Popular" at the top right-hand side of your screen.
Our first story is getting a lot of clicks. Long-time Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell resigns amid scandal. This just two days after ESPN reported that Cochell made racist remarks in two off-camera interviews, while praising freshman outfielder Joe Dunigan, who is African-American. Cochell says he deeply regrets what he calls his careless use of language.
Now another story, Daryn, that you talked about. Cnn.com users can't seem to get enough in the latest in the runaway bride saga. Our users are learning, as CNN viewers are, that Jennifer Wilbanks could face charges in the case.
And finally the Titanic still making waves this time on the auction block. A gold pocket watch, once owned by Irish immigrant Nora Keane (ph), who survived the disaster, was sold for nearly $25,000, more than three times its estimated value. Now, the engraving on the back reads: "To my dearest Nora, your visit to County Limerick warmed my heart. God bless and be with you on your return to Pennsylvania. Signed, Loving Mother."
And for what's making our top ten most popular list right now, you know where to go.
I'm Christina Park, reporting for cnn.com.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: This infamous Hollywood's madam's business lured some of Hollywood's top executives and stars. And as part of CNN's anniversary series "Then & Now," let's take a look at Heidi Fleiss.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heidi, do you think you'll give the names of the black book?
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the 1990s, Heidi Fleiss was one of Hollywood's most notorious characters. The then 20- something daughter of a wealthy pediatrician used her family's connections to attract and service rich and famous clients as the Hollywood madam. Her arrest and trial became headline news. But she never did reveal the contents of her black book, and was sentenced to three years in prison for procuring prostitution and selling cocaine.
When Fleiss was released from prison, she started capitalizing on her notoriety legally. Fleiss has a line of clothing called "Heidi Wear" and owns a West Hollywood Boutique called the Little Shop of Sex. She also invested in her looks, undergoing plastic surgery.
HEIDI FLEISS: I had the party, did the party, threw the party, was the party. I'm partied out. And I live every day to its fullest, and there is lessons that I've learned.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Fleiss wrote a book about her experiences called "Pandering." She's also opening a legal brothel in Nevada. On the personal side, she recently faced off in court against former boyfriend and actor Tom Sizemore, accusing him of abuse. The Hollywood madam turns 40 this year and would like to be remembered for one thing...
FLEISS: That I took the oldest profession on Earth and did it better than anyone on Earth. That's it, and that's all. Alexander the Great conquered the world at 32. I did it at 22.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It looks like George W. Bush has become the Rodney Dangerfield of his generation. And it's not the usual no respect from the other side of the aisle or late-night TV hosts, it's from his better half. Laura Bush definitely got the better of her spouse this weekend, not to mention choice barbs at her mother-in-law, at the Annual White House correspondents dinner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I've been attending these dinners for years and just quietly sitting there.
(LAUGHTER)
Well, I've got at few things I want to say for a change.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
This is going to be fun, because he really doesn't have a clue about what I'm going say next.
George always says he's delighted to come to these press dinners. Baloney. He's usually in bed by now. I'm not kidding. I said to him the other day, George, if you really want to end tyranny in the world, you're going to have to stay up later.
(LAUGHTER)
I am married to the president of the United States. And here's our typical evening. 9:00, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep. And I'm watching "Desperate Housewives."
(LAUGHTER)
With Lynne Cheney.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife. I mean it. Those woman on that show think they're desperate? They ought to be with George.
One night -- one night after George went to bed, Lynne Cheney, Condi Rice, Karen Hughes and I went to Chippendales. I wouldn't even mention it, except Ruth Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor saw us there.
(LAUGHTER)
I won't tell you what happened, but Lynne's secret service code name is now "Dollar Bill."
(LAUGHTER)
But George and I are complete opposites. I'm quiet, he's talkative. I'm introverted, he's extroverted. I can pronounce nuclear.
(LAUGHTER)
The amazing thing, however, is that George and I were just meant to be. I was a librarian who spent 12 hours a day in the library. Yet somehow, I met George.
(LAUGHTER)
We met and married, and I became one of the regulars up at Kennebunkport. All the Bushes loved Kennebunkport, which is like Crawford, but without the night life.
(LAUGHTER)
People ask me what's like to be up there with the whole Bush clan. Let me put it this way: first prize, three-day vacation with the Bush family. Second prize, ten days.
(LAUGHTER)
Speaking of prizes brings me to my mother-in-law. So many mothers today are just not involved in their children's lives. Not a problem with Barbara Bush. People often wonder what my mother-in- law's really like. People think she's a sweet, grandmotherly, Aunt Bea type. She's actually more like, Don Corleone.
(LAUGHTER)
Cedric, am I doing all right?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, the Cedric that she mentions is Cedric the Entertainer, who was the paid entertainment for that evening. But you'll notice, nobody's talking about his act.
Well, coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, we're following the developments in the runaway bride case. The latest from Duluth, Georgiam next.
And just when he thought he was out, well, they pulled him back in. Bill the dog, back on the beat. LIVE FROM'S "Hour of Power" begins after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 May 2, 2005 - 13:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Stories now in the news. An enormous explosion causes major casualties in Afghanistan. A blast at an ammunition dump north of Kabul today killed at least 28 people. Explosions at Afghan ammo dumps aren't unusual, but authorities are investigating.
An Atlanta-area district attorney says he's considering filing charges against Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride who cut out of town and conjured up on elaborate tale to avoid her wedding. Well, if you've got an opinion on this, and we know you do, send us your e- mail. We want to know what you would do if were you were the prosecutor.
Child advocates are hailing the signing of a bill that strengthens punishment for child molesters in the state of Florida. The Jessica Lunsford Act, named after the young girl who was killed earlier this year, requires child molesters be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. And if they get out, be tracked for life.
In Los Angeles, six shootings, four fatalities. Random attacks are turning area freeways into danger zones and drivers into unwitting targets.
Reporter Joel Connabul (ph) from CNN affiliate KCAL has more on a trend, disturbing echoes of the past.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOEL CONNABUL (ph), KCAL REPORTER: The 18-year-old man shot is lucky to be alive. He was hit two times while driving his car in the latest freeway shooting.
LT. JOHN DEL VECCHIO, L.A. POLICE: Early this morning, a little after 1:00 a.m., the victim was driving northbound on the 405 Freeway, just north of Roscoe Boulevard, when a dark-colored vehicle drove up alongside of him and started firing rounds into his vehicle.
CONNABUL: Even after the victim had two bullets in him, he was able to keep driving. He exited at Devonshire and drove for about a mile until by chance he ran into some firefighters on another emergency call at a Chevron gas station. That was at the corner of Devonshire and Balboa.
VECHHIO: Possible suspect vehicle is described as a dark-colored either Honda or Nissan-type vehicle with four to five males with shaved heads. CONNABUL: This is the sixth shooting on Southern California freeways in the past two months. The first was on the northbound 55 freeway where Tuston (ph). That's where a 26-year-old man was shot and killed. Then in April, another man was shot but wounded. This time on the same freeway, just a few miles away.
At the end of March, 26-year-old Michael Livingston died when his Camaro was sprayed with bullets on the 110 Freeway near Florence Avenue.
One week later, 47-year-old James Wiggins was shot and killed, also on the 110 Freeway, this time near Redondo Beach (ph), Boulevard. Then one week after that shooting, a 32-year-old man was shot and killed as he was driving on the Marino Valley Freeway out in Riverside County.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm always, you know, like on the lookout. I'm a pretty safe driver.
CONNABUL: With so many shootings so close together, many drivers they spoke to told us they definitely think about it when they're driving on the freeway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time I see cars getting close me, I'm very tense. It's very dangerous. I'm very concerned about it, because anybody can just pull out a gun and shoot you now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Other across America now, what sounds like a fictional adventure, getting lost at sea, dodging sharks and feasting on raw jellyfish turned into reality for these two young boys. Troy Driscoll and Josh Long caught -- got caught, rather, in bad weather, and ended up adrift on their sailboat for six days off the South Carolina coast. Well, they were found Saturday, 100 miles off course, sunburned and dehydrated, but otherwise OK. One of the boys recounted the ordeal earlier today on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH LONG, RESCUED AT SEA: Really, we didn't eat anything. Troy ate these little jelly balls that we catch with my hat. We just scoop them up out of the water. The only thing we could do with the water was gargle saltwater and spit it out. And it drizzled one night, and we licked water off the deck, trying to get something in us. So that's all we had.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The stakes will be higher than ever at this year's run for the roses. Horses competing in Saturday's Kentucky Derby will be tested before and after the race for performance-enhancing drugs. The racing industry acknowledges the problem of juicing up thoroughbreds after decades of doping allegations.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is proposing a "three strikes and you're out" approach to combat steroid use among players. Under his proposal, first-time offenders would be banned for 50 games, 100 games for a second offense, and a lifetime ban for a third violation. The players association has yet to respond to that proposal.
Severe acne is more than skin deep. It can affect everything from self-esteem to mental health, and suffers will just try about anything to conquer it. One treatment is the anti-acne arsenal and powerful drug Accutane. But a new study just published in "The Journal of American Psychiatry" shows how Accutane might cause depression in vulnerable patients.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: My youngest son B.J., Bart Jr., died in May 14, 2000. He shot himself.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bart Jr. was 17. Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak blames Accutane for his son's suicide and he wants it off the market. But until now, no one could say just how the drug might lead to depression.
STUPAK: This was the first study that really show as biological link a physical evidence.
GUPTA: With this high-tech camera, psychiatrist Douglas Bremner looked at the brains of 13 young adults taking Accutane for acne and another 15 on antibiotics. In the so-called Accutane brain, activity in this front part of the brain was down 21 percent.
DR. J. DOUGLAS BREMNER, EMORY UNIVERSITY: This plays a critical role in emotion. If there's a decrease in function in that part of the brain, it makes sense that there would be changes in mood.
GUPTA: Accutane and generic versions already carry an imposing warning. Aside from cautions about birth defects there's this:
(on camera): Accutane may cause depression, psychosis, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and aggressive behavior.
(voice-over): But that warning only started in 2002, four years after the Food and Drug Administration warned physicians that the drug might have psychiatric side effects. There are several lawsuits pending, including one by the family of 15-year-old patient Charles Bishop, who killed himself flying a small plane into a Tampa office tower three years ago. Of course, teens are more prone to clinical depression and experts say the rate, as measured by suicide and the number of teens seeking treatment, is rising.
A spokeswoman for Roche the company that makes Accutane, told us she doesn't know enough to comment about the new study, but says that Roche has never found a link between its drug and suicide. An FDA advisory panel recommended creating a formal registry of all patients on the drug to make it easier to keep track of side effects.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And the pharmaceutical company Roche tells CNN it has been working with the generic manufacturers of Accutane and the FDA to put together a mandatory registry of all users of that drug. This registry is expected to be in place by July.
Straight ahead, your e-mails. Also ahead, highlights of the first ladies' super hot comedy routine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: George and I are complete opposites. I'm quiet. He's talkative. I'm introverted. He's extroverted. I can pronounce "nuclear."
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So what would you do if you were the prosecutor? This is the question that we asked you in talking about the runaway bride. As you can imagine, lots of feedback over the past couple of days. After the police searched, still don't know the dollar amount -- $100,000 is the number that has been thrown out there -- of what it took to search for Jennifer Wilbanks. And now, of course, we found out she got cold feet. We asked you the question, what would do you? Would you prosecute her?
Here's what you had to say. Robert writes, "She was in the clear until she made the 911 call. If she wouldn't have done that, I'd say let her go without punishment, but the second she made the false claim, she broke the law. I can understand she was confused, so I say punish her, but not too harsh."
This comes from Joseph, "What crime has she committed in Georgia? Her community assumed the possibility of a crime. Other expenses were incurred on the basis of that assumption. She did not declare herself to have been the victim of any crime, until she was ready to return to her own community. There was no additional cost to the her community because of that brief deceit. Leave her alone, let her get over her embarrassment in private. I feel sorry for her."
Well, Greg, Terra Haute, Indiana says, "I say prosecute her according to the law, just like you would some kid who pull as fire alarm or calls in bomb threats to get out of exam week, or the idiots who sent fake anthrax to a friend in the office."
This from W. Liman (ph), "They should file charges. There are people who are actually missing and have been abducted, who could or -- those that have been abducted could benefit from the national attention that this hoax received. For this lady to abuse the system in this way and take away from those who truly should be getting national exposure about their abductions is a crime. She should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
And this one coming from Rancher: "I think show have to do community service. Let's say about 100 hours in the missing person's department."
Rancher, that's not a bad idea.
And this one, once again, coming from H.Q., our final e-mail for this afternoon: "I think they ought to give the poor girl a break. Think about how desperate she must have felt to do something like this. If the wedding had 600 invited guests, and 14 bridesmaids and her parents were a prominent family in a small community, they probably spent about $50,000 on the wedding. She probably felt very strongly that she couldn't just go to them at the last minute and say she changed her mind. She probably couldn't face them. What would they have said?"
Thanks for your e-mails. We'll keep monitor them, maybe read some more at the end of the hour.
Stay with us. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And right now, a quick check of the CNN Web site and the stories grabbing your attention. CNN's Christina Park has more from the dot-com desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are checking some of the most popular stories on CNN.com. For the top ten reports that people are clicking on the most, log onto our Web site and click on "Most Popular" at the top right-hand side of your screen.
Our first story is getting a lot of clicks. Long-time Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell resigns amid scandal. This just two days after ESPN reported that Cochell made racist remarks in two off-camera interviews, while praising freshman outfielder Joe Dunigan, who is African-American. Cochell says he deeply regrets what he calls his careless use of language.
Now another story, Daryn, that you talked about. Cnn.com users can't seem to get enough in the latest in the runaway bride saga. Our users are learning, as CNN viewers are, that Jennifer Wilbanks could face charges in the case.
And finally the Titanic still making waves this time on the auction block. A gold pocket watch, once owned by Irish immigrant Nora Keane (ph), who survived the disaster, was sold for nearly $25,000, more than three times its estimated value. Now, the engraving on the back reads: "To my dearest Nora, your visit to County Limerick warmed my heart. God bless and be with you on your return to Pennsylvania. Signed, Loving Mother."
And for what's making our top ten most popular list right now, you know where to go.
I'm Christina Park, reporting for cnn.com.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: This infamous Hollywood's madam's business lured some of Hollywood's top executives and stars. And as part of CNN's anniversary series "Then & Now," let's take a look at Heidi Fleiss.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heidi, do you think you'll give the names of the black book?
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the 1990s, Heidi Fleiss was one of Hollywood's most notorious characters. The then 20- something daughter of a wealthy pediatrician used her family's connections to attract and service rich and famous clients as the Hollywood madam. Her arrest and trial became headline news. But she never did reveal the contents of her black book, and was sentenced to three years in prison for procuring prostitution and selling cocaine.
When Fleiss was released from prison, she started capitalizing on her notoriety legally. Fleiss has a line of clothing called "Heidi Wear" and owns a West Hollywood Boutique called the Little Shop of Sex. She also invested in her looks, undergoing plastic surgery.
HEIDI FLEISS: I had the party, did the party, threw the party, was the party. I'm partied out. And I live every day to its fullest, and there is lessons that I've learned.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Fleiss wrote a book about her experiences called "Pandering." She's also opening a legal brothel in Nevada. On the personal side, she recently faced off in court against former boyfriend and actor Tom Sizemore, accusing him of abuse. The Hollywood madam turns 40 this year and would like to be remembered for one thing...
FLEISS: That I took the oldest profession on Earth and did it better than anyone on Earth. That's it, and that's all. Alexander the Great conquered the world at 32. I did it at 22.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It looks like George W. Bush has become the Rodney Dangerfield of his generation. And it's not the usual no respect from the other side of the aisle or late-night TV hosts, it's from his better half. Laura Bush definitely got the better of her spouse this weekend, not to mention choice barbs at her mother-in-law, at the Annual White House correspondents dinner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I've been attending these dinners for years and just quietly sitting there.
(LAUGHTER)
Well, I've got at few things I want to say for a change.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
This is going to be fun, because he really doesn't have a clue about what I'm going say next.
George always says he's delighted to come to these press dinners. Baloney. He's usually in bed by now. I'm not kidding. I said to him the other day, George, if you really want to end tyranny in the world, you're going to have to stay up later.
(LAUGHTER)
I am married to the president of the United States. And here's our typical evening. 9:00, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep. And I'm watching "Desperate Housewives."
(LAUGHTER)
With Lynne Cheney.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife. I mean it. Those woman on that show think they're desperate? They ought to be with George.
One night -- one night after George went to bed, Lynne Cheney, Condi Rice, Karen Hughes and I went to Chippendales. I wouldn't even mention it, except Ruth Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor saw us there.
(LAUGHTER)
I won't tell you what happened, but Lynne's secret service code name is now "Dollar Bill."
(LAUGHTER)
But George and I are complete opposites. I'm quiet, he's talkative. I'm introverted, he's extroverted. I can pronounce nuclear.
(LAUGHTER)
The amazing thing, however, is that George and I were just meant to be. I was a librarian who spent 12 hours a day in the library. Yet somehow, I met George.
(LAUGHTER)
We met and married, and I became one of the regulars up at Kennebunkport. All the Bushes loved Kennebunkport, which is like Crawford, but without the night life.
(LAUGHTER)
People ask me what's like to be up there with the whole Bush clan. Let me put it this way: first prize, three-day vacation with the Bush family. Second prize, ten days.
(LAUGHTER)
Speaking of prizes brings me to my mother-in-law. So many mothers today are just not involved in their children's lives. Not a problem with Barbara Bush. People often wonder what my mother-in- law's really like. People think she's a sweet, grandmotherly, Aunt Bea type. She's actually more like, Don Corleone.
(LAUGHTER)
Cedric, am I doing all right?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, the Cedric that she mentions is Cedric the Entertainer, who was the paid entertainment for that evening. But you'll notice, nobody's talking about his act.
Well, coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, we're following the developments in the runaway bride case. The latest from Duluth, Georgiam next.
And just when he thought he was out, well, they pulled him back in. Bill the dog, back on the beat. LIVE FROM'S "Hour of Power" begins after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
