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Jackson's Accuser Could Take Stand Again; New Space Race?

Aired May 27, 2005 - 14:30   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: Some stories "Now in the News." He's still there, folks. A Florida murder suspect remains perched atop a construction crane in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood. The stand-off very close to 48 hours. We'll be live at the scene about 30 minutes from now.
California jury acquits Hillary Clinton's former finance director on fundraising charges. David Rosen, accused of underreporting the cost of a lavish Hollywood gala that raised money for Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign. Rosen could have faced up to ten years in prison.

An Indonesian court sentences an Australian woman to 20 years in prison for smuggling marijuana into Bali. Schapelle Corby maintained the drugs were planted in her bag. The case is causing a major uproar in Australia. We'll have reaction, next hour right here on LIVE FROM.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Michael Jackson's accuser could make another appearance on the witness stand if the defense get its way. Joining us live from Santa Maria, California, to explain more, CNN's Ted Rowlands. Hi, Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

This is the end of the trial, basically. We're into the rebuttal, but it's getting very, very interesting and dramatic. In a few moments, when court comes back out of a short recess, the prosecution is going to be playing a videotape of the initial interview that the accuser in this case did with police. The accuser apparently breaks down a number of times during this videotaped interview when he details what he claims happened between he and Michael Jackson. This will give the jury an opportunity to once again see the accuser in this case and once again look at the sexual molestation which is alleged here and have it be front and center.

Now, in response to this, the defense has asked for and gotten permission to bring the accuser back on the stand to ask questions of that individual and of the accuser's mother. We expect that to happen next week. The prosecution has told the judge that they will finish their rebuttal case on Tuesday of next week.

Monday, Memorial Day, is a dark day. They expect to finish Tuesday. Then it will be the defense's turn. Clearly, a very important moment coming up here as the jury gets to see firsthand the accuser at the time that he initially made the accusations against Michael Jackson -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right. Ted Rowlands, live from Santa Maria. Thanks -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Still ahead on LIVE FROM, an arms race in space. Could the final frontier be the final battlefield? Is it just too risky, perhaps? We'll have a discussion of this, coming up.

Poor horse. A dangerous but injury-free ride down the catwalk. What is a horse doing on the catwalk? One of the questions we will answer provided you stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. A fanciful fashion show in Peru is about to get ugly. Poor Lady Godiva. Yes, it really happened. It's OK, though. Nobody got hurt. The horse, of course, got spooked by all the flash bulbs, took a bit of a tumble there into the audience. Everyone freaked out, the horse got more frightened, bedlam ensued. Well, no word on whether the show did, indeed, go on after everyone calmed down. Rumors of a new combined rodeo and catwalk fashion show could not be confirmed.

LIVE FROM gets back in the saddle hopefully in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On this Memorial Day weekend, CNN.com/travel is helping you get ready for summer vacation with tips on how to save you time and money. Travel experts expect Americans to take more than 300 million leisure trips in June, July and August.

To start, if you travel in a pack, try renting a home. Not only will it save you on lodging, but it also allows you to cut down on food costs since you won't have to eat out three times a day. It's a popular option for two or more families that want to vacation together.

If you're heading for a theme park with the kids this summer, avoid waiting in line all morning. Get a head start and buy tickets in advance, by phone or online. Plus, official park Web sites may offer discounts.

And for you nature lovers traveling on the cheap, "Frommer's Travel Guide" recommends National Park Service sites for a range of affordable destinations boasting breathtaking beauty, like Yosemite, and remarkable history, like Ellis Island.

The cost won't send you packing either. Many national parks charge less than 20 bucks a night to camp. Time is money. Save on both at CNN.com/travel.

I'm Christina Park, wishing you bon voyage from the dot-com desk.

(END VIDEOTAPE) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where the fun begins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let the path between us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. Forget that long, long ago, far, far away stuff. Right here and now, in our own galactic backyard, Pentagon planners are cooking up a little treatment that could be entitled "Star Wars: The Push from the Pentagon." In fact, the Bush administration is forging a controversial new space policy, which would for the first time put offensive weapons in space. Now even in the darkest days of the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union refrained from launching an arms race in orbit. So, why now? Why space?

Joining us to look at all the facets of this, Theresa Hitchens, an expert on such matters at the Center for Defense Information, Washington. And our own personal center for defense information, CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. Welcome to you both.

THERESA HITCHENS, CTR. FOR DEFENSE INFORMATION: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: All right.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET): Hello, Miles.

O'BRIEN: I've heard a lot of talk about a so-called Pearl Harbor in space. Don Shepperd, begin with you. Is there possibly one brewing and lay out that scenario for us?

SHEPPERD: I can't say there's one brewing, Miles, but I can say there is a possibility. The reason is, we are totally dependent on space for our communication, for our weather, for our intelligence, for our targeting of our weapons. And the things that provide that -- the satellites that provide those are essentially not defended in any way. So we are vulnerable, although there is no capability in another nation right now that we know of to attack those satellites.

O'BRIEN: All right, that's a good point, Theresa. Would you say that, at this point -- it's clear the U.S. has the upper hand on the high frontier of space -- would you say it's necessary to ratchet up the capabilities?

HITCHENS: It's certain that we need to protect our satellites, but it's not true we don't have any capability to defend them. We have plenty of ways to pay attention to what goes wrong with our satellites. We have certain kinds of technical capabilities that prevent them from being jammed or hacked. We can watch what other nations do in space.

So it's not quite true to say that they're not defended. It is true that we have to protect them, but weapons in space or space-based weapons will do nothing to protect our satellites. Those are offensive weapons, designed to attack other people's satellites.

O'BRIEN: Don Shepperd, if -- as we look, by the way, at these animations, which are depicting really strategic defense initiative, which would be to shoot missiles out of the sky. There's a fundamental difference here. The thought of essentially having what amounts to a bomber passing overhead of a country every 90 minutes or so in orbit, that would make a lot of people, a lot of countries, very nervous, wouldn't it?

SHEPPERD: It would, indeed, Miles. And I'm glad we've got people like Theresa that are asking very hard questions before we launch into this. Nobody wants war in space. But what we are talking about here is a couple things: protecting our satellites that enable us to provide our national security, and second, we are talking about maintaining the capability to defend the territory of the United States and the troops of the United States that are deployed.

National missile defense for the United States and theater missile defense for troops that are deployed in theaters such as in Iraq right now. That's what we're talking about. We're also looking and responsibly looking at other things. There are space vehicles being proposed. Weapons, such as the things called rods from God, that type of thing. We're looking at those things, but they've not been deployed yet.

O'BRIEN: All right. Let's talk about, Theresa, why that might be a good idea. And I noted that the Air Force, one of the research laboratories, launched a vehicle called XXS-11 just last month. And this vehicle, although they are not claiming it has anything to do with offensive capabilities, does have the ability to independently rendezvous with satellites. And in theory, this technology could be used as a satellite killer, if you will. Is that something that the U.S. should be looking at to protect this advantage that the U.S. military has?

HITCHENS: Again, weapons like -- something like the XXS-11, a microsatellite that could actually be used to attack another satellite -- while this experiment is not proving that out, the technology is capable of doing that. Those types of weapons do nothing to protect our space assets. These are weapons that are being designed to attack other people's space assets, other people's satellites.

And if you look at the Air Force's doctrine and strategy papers that have already been published, they're not talking simply about a defensive strategy. They're talking about an offensive strategy, perhaps preemptively, to take out other people's satellites.

O'BRIEN: So, Don Shepperd, what is the concern here? Are we talking about China? They've now launched people into space, another mission, perhaps, coming this fall, or so we're told. And their capabilities are actually fairly diverse in space already. Is there some concern that China might be tempted to launch its own arms race and certainly, if the U.S. went offensive in space, wouldn't China reciprocate?

SHEPPERD: Here's the problem, Miles. And that's why this issue is so important. And that is that right now we have the upper hand in space. We are the space power of the world, and nobody can essentially match us in space. If we start to protect our satellites, if we start to produce offensive weapons, it could set off a space warfare race. And there are other countries out there, particularly China with its increasing capabilities, that will be capable of starting a race in space.

When we put up a missile defense, the immediate reaction of another nation is build more missiles to overwhelm that missile defense. So it's a very serious issue that needs to be debated. It needs to be debated in Congress openly and we need to make sure the military and the Air Force isn't going off on its own, but the Air Force is the executive agent that needs to look at these problems.

O'BRIEN: Theresa, a final thought here. This is an area that clearly the U.S. has tremendous superiority. I suppose you could make a case that if you allow that to -- if the status quo continues, that could -- that advantage could wither away. Is that a real concern?

HITCHENS: I think that that's a concern that's addressed by folks in the U.S. Air Force. But to be honest, you put your finger on the issue here. The status quo is in our favor. And it seems to me that we ought to be looking at a strategy, an economic strategy, a military strategy, a political strategy, that would extend that status quo as far as we possibly can into the future. If we put weapons in space now, we are ruining that status quo and we're starting a military competition that maybe we really don't have to start.

O'BRIEN: One final thought from you, Don Shepperd.

SHEPPERD: I agree with Theresa. If we can do it through treaties, we should do it that way. Weapons in space are very expensive, they're dangerous. They should be thought through carefully. But we should look out for the national security of the United States and do whatever it takes to protect us.

O'BRIEN: All right. Good discussion. Thank you both.

HITCHENS: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Major General Don Shepperd, Theresa Hitches. And the subject of weapons in space. We appreciate it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So just how well do you know the rules of the road? Don't be so quick to answer that question. A new study shows that many of us are just plain clueless behind the wheel. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, are you hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend? Be careful out there. A new study finds 10 percent of U.S. drivers don't have basic knowledge about traffic laws and safety. We all know these people, don't we? More than 5,000 licensed drivers took a written test similar to ones that states give to beginners. The study found many were clueless about basic practices like merging, understanding road signs.

Geez, they're not even in English, folks. Drivers in the Northwest were the best. Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Idaho, Wyoming, they are good drivers. Where would you think it would be bad? Northeast, of course, right? Little Rhodey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C.

PHILLIPS: Atlanta should be in there.

O'BRIEN: They had terrible scores. So I know what you do, right? You just bring the gun, right, and take care of them right then and there? Sorry. A little road rage.

All right. "Desperate Housewives" certainly isn't desperate for advertisers, but it now has one less.

PHILLIPS: Kathleen Hays joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with that story. Hi Kathleen.

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra and Miles. Well, yes, one resident of Wisteria Lane is moving out. That's Mary Kay Cosmetics. After protests by a Christian group, the Mary Kay Corporation is suspending plans going to advertise on ABC's popular "Desperate Housewives" program. Mary Kay's official philosophy is "God first, family second and career third."

And the American Family Association questioned how that stance squared with a show that the group said promotes infidelity, seduction and promiscuity. The group urged Mary Kay consultants to tell the company that they opposed a "Desperate Housewives" ad campaign. Kyra and Miles, I wonder what they had to say about Laura Bush saying she was a desperate housewife a few weeks ago at the TV and Radio Correspondents Dinner at the White House?

O'BRIEN: You can't buy that kind of publicity, can you?

HAYS: No.

O'BRIEN: No. She and Lynne Cheney watching -- so blue light special meets Johnny Miller Menswear.

HAYS: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

HAYS: Are you a handy guy, Miles?

PHILLIPS: Tuskins (ph).

O'BRIEN: Tuskins.

PHILLIPS: Tuskins' theory.

O'BRIEN: Craftsman, what are they?

HAYS: Are you a handy kind of guy, Miles? O'BRIEN: Yes, I am. I'm a big tool belt guy.

HAYS: Well, see, this is for you. This is for you. My husband, too. Anyway, just in time for Father's Day, Craftsmen Tools will be available in 365 K-Mart stores. Now you might recall, Sears and K- Mart agreed to merge earlier this year. The introduction of the Craftsman Tools is the first broad roll-out of an exclusive Sears brand in its new retail sibling. Ten Craftsman products, including a laser level and cordless screw driver, will be available in the K-Mart stores. Sears will also be offering its line of Kenmore Appliances and Diehard Batteries at K-Mart.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

O'BRIEN: A little ahead on LIVE FROM...

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Dr. Miles.

O'BRIEN: We're going to get out the eyeball.

PHILLIPS: That's right.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Viagra and the possible side effects, blindness. And we're going to explain what this is all about in just a little bit.

PHILLIPS: Researchers looking into reports that -- actually, that the drug could increase the risk of blindness. Miles is going to talk to a doctor from Emory, right?

O'BRIEN: Yes, that is the plan. So, please, please stay with us.

(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 27, 2005 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Some stories "Now in the News." He's still there, folks. A Florida murder suspect remains perched atop a construction crane in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood. The stand-off very close to 48 hours. We'll be live at the scene about 30 minutes from now.
California jury acquits Hillary Clinton's former finance director on fundraising charges. David Rosen, accused of underreporting the cost of a lavish Hollywood gala that raised money for Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign. Rosen could have faced up to ten years in prison.

An Indonesian court sentences an Australian woman to 20 years in prison for smuggling marijuana into Bali. Schapelle Corby maintained the drugs were planted in her bag. The case is causing a major uproar in Australia. We'll have reaction, next hour right here on LIVE FROM.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Michael Jackson's accuser could make another appearance on the witness stand if the defense get its way. Joining us live from Santa Maria, California, to explain more, CNN's Ted Rowlands. Hi, Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

This is the end of the trial, basically. We're into the rebuttal, but it's getting very, very interesting and dramatic. In a few moments, when court comes back out of a short recess, the prosecution is going to be playing a videotape of the initial interview that the accuser in this case did with police. The accuser apparently breaks down a number of times during this videotaped interview when he details what he claims happened between he and Michael Jackson. This will give the jury an opportunity to once again see the accuser in this case and once again look at the sexual molestation which is alleged here and have it be front and center.

Now, in response to this, the defense has asked for and gotten permission to bring the accuser back on the stand to ask questions of that individual and of the accuser's mother. We expect that to happen next week. The prosecution has told the judge that they will finish their rebuttal case on Tuesday of next week.

Monday, Memorial Day, is a dark day. They expect to finish Tuesday. Then it will be the defense's turn. Clearly, a very important moment coming up here as the jury gets to see firsthand the accuser at the time that he initially made the accusations against Michael Jackson -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right. Ted Rowlands, live from Santa Maria. Thanks -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Still ahead on LIVE FROM, an arms race in space. Could the final frontier be the final battlefield? Is it just too risky, perhaps? We'll have a discussion of this, coming up.

Poor horse. A dangerous but injury-free ride down the catwalk. What is a horse doing on the catwalk? One of the questions we will answer provided you stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. A fanciful fashion show in Peru is about to get ugly. Poor Lady Godiva. Yes, it really happened. It's OK, though. Nobody got hurt. The horse, of course, got spooked by all the flash bulbs, took a bit of a tumble there into the audience. Everyone freaked out, the horse got more frightened, bedlam ensued. Well, no word on whether the show did, indeed, go on after everyone calmed down. Rumors of a new combined rodeo and catwalk fashion show could not be confirmed.

LIVE FROM gets back in the saddle hopefully in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On this Memorial Day weekend, CNN.com/travel is helping you get ready for summer vacation with tips on how to save you time and money. Travel experts expect Americans to take more than 300 million leisure trips in June, July and August.

To start, if you travel in a pack, try renting a home. Not only will it save you on lodging, but it also allows you to cut down on food costs since you won't have to eat out three times a day. It's a popular option for two or more families that want to vacation together.

If you're heading for a theme park with the kids this summer, avoid waiting in line all morning. Get a head start and buy tickets in advance, by phone or online. Plus, official park Web sites may offer discounts.

And for you nature lovers traveling on the cheap, "Frommer's Travel Guide" recommends National Park Service sites for a range of affordable destinations boasting breathtaking beauty, like Yosemite, and remarkable history, like Ellis Island.

The cost won't send you packing either. Many national parks charge less than 20 bucks a night to camp. Time is money. Save on both at CNN.com/travel.

I'm Christina Park, wishing you bon voyage from the dot-com desk.

(END VIDEOTAPE) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where the fun begins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let the path between us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. Forget that long, long ago, far, far away stuff. Right here and now, in our own galactic backyard, Pentagon planners are cooking up a little treatment that could be entitled "Star Wars: The Push from the Pentagon." In fact, the Bush administration is forging a controversial new space policy, which would for the first time put offensive weapons in space. Now even in the darkest days of the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union refrained from launching an arms race in orbit. So, why now? Why space?

Joining us to look at all the facets of this, Theresa Hitchens, an expert on such matters at the Center for Defense Information, Washington. And our own personal center for defense information, CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. Welcome to you both.

THERESA HITCHENS, CTR. FOR DEFENSE INFORMATION: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: All right.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET): Hello, Miles.

O'BRIEN: I've heard a lot of talk about a so-called Pearl Harbor in space. Don Shepperd, begin with you. Is there possibly one brewing and lay out that scenario for us?

SHEPPERD: I can't say there's one brewing, Miles, but I can say there is a possibility. The reason is, we are totally dependent on space for our communication, for our weather, for our intelligence, for our targeting of our weapons. And the things that provide that -- the satellites that provide those are essentially not defended in any way. So we are vulnerable, although there is no capability in another nation right now that we know of to attack those satellites.

O'BRIEN: All right, that's a good point, Theresa. Would you say that, at this point -- it's clear the U.S. has the upper hand on the high frontier of space -- would you say it's necessary to ratchet up the capabilities?

HITCHENS: It's certain that we need to protect our satellites, but it's not true we don't have any capability to defend them. We have plenty of ways to pay attention to what goes wrong with our satellites. We have certain kinds of technical capabilities that prevent them from being jammed or hacked. We can watch what other nations do in space.

So it's not quite true to say that they're not defended. It is true that we have to protect them, but weapons in space or space-based weapons will do nothing to protect our satellites. Those are offensive weapons, designed to attack other people's satellites.

O'BRIEN: Don Shepperd, if -- as we look, by the way, at these animations, which are depicting really strategic defense initiative, which would be to shoot missiles out of the sky. There's a fundamental difference here. The thought of essentially having what amounts to a bomber passing overhead of a country every 90 minutes or so in orbit, that would make a lot of people, a lot of countries, very nervous, wouldn't it?

SHEPPERD: It would, indeed, Miles. And I'm glad we've got people like Theresa that are asking very hard questions before we launch into this. Nobody wants war in space. But what we are talking about here is a couple things: protecting our satellites that enable us to provide our national security, and second, we are talking about maintaining the capability to defend the territory of the United States and the troops of the United States that are deployed.

National missile defense for the United States and theater missile defense for troops that are deployed in theaters such as in Iraq right now. That's what we're talking about. We're also looking and responsibly looking at other things. There are space vehicles being proposed. Weapons, such as the things called rods from God, that type of thing. We're looking at those things, but they've not been deployed yet.

O'BRIEN: All right. Let's talk about, Theresa, why that might be a good idea. And I noted that the Air Force, one of the research laboratories, launched a vehicle called XXS-11 just last month. And this vehicle, although they are not claiming it has anything to do with offensive capabilities, does have the ability to independently rendezvous with satellites. And in theory, this technology could be used as a satellite killer, if you will. Is that something that the U.S. should be looking at to protect this advantage that the U.S. military has?

HITCHENS: Again, weapons like -- something like the XXS-11, a microsatellite that could actually be used to attack another satellite -- while this experiment is not proving that out, the technology is capable of doing that. Those types of weapons do nothing to protect our space assets. These are weapons that are being designed to attack other people's space assets, other people's satellites.

And if you look at the Air Force's doctrine and strategy papers that have already been published, they're not talking simply about a defensive strategy. They're talking about an offensive strategy, perhaps preemptively, to take out other people's satellites.

O'BRIEN: So, Don Shepperd, what is the concern here? Are we talking about China? They've now launched people into space, another mission, perhaps, coming this fall, or so we're told. And their capabilities are actually fairly diverse in space already. Is there some concern that China might be tempted to launch its own arms race and certainly, if the U.S. went offensive in space, wouldn't China reciprocate?

SHEPPERD: Here's the problem, Miles. And that's why this issue is so important. And that is that right now we have the upper hand in space. We are the space power of the world, and nobody can essentially match us in space. If we start to protect our satellites, if we start to produce offensive weapons, it could set off a space warfare race. And there are other countries out there, particularly China with its increasing capabilities, that will be capable of starting a race in space.

When we put up a missile defense, the immediate reaction of another nation is build more missiles to overwhelm that missile defense. So it's a very serious issue that needs to be debated. It needs to be debated in Congress openly and we need to make sure the military and the Air Force isn't going off on its own, but the Air Force is the executive agent that needs to look at these problems.

O'BRIEN: Theresa, a final thought here. This is an area that clearly the U.S. has tremendous superiority. I suppose you could make a case that if you allow that to -- if the status quo continues, that could -- that advantage could wither away. Is that a real concern?

HITCHENS: I think that that's a concern that's addressed by folks in the U.S. Air Force. But to be honest, you put your finger on the issue here. The status quo is in our favor. And it seems to me that we ought to be looking at a strategy, an economic strategy, a military strategy, a political strategy, that would extend that status quo as far as we possibly can into the future. If we put weapons in space now, we are ruining that status quo and we're starting a military competition that maybe we really don't have to start.

O'BRIEN: One final thought from you, Don Shepperd.

SHEPPERD: I agree with Theresa. If we can do it through treaties, we should do it that way. Weapons in space are very expensive, they're dangerous. They should be thought through carefully. But we should look out for the national security of the United States and do whatever it takes to protect us.

O'BRIEN: All right. Good discussion. Thank you both.

HITCHENS: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Major General Don Shepperd, Theresa Hitches. And the subject of weapons in space. We appreciate it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So just how well do you know the rules of the road? Don't be so quick to answer that question. A new study shows that many of us are just plain clueless behind the wheel. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, are you hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend? Be careful out there. A new study finds 10 percent of U.S. drivers don't have basic knowledge about traffic laws and safety. We all know these people, don't we? More than 5,000 licensed drivers took a written test similar to ones that states give to beginners. The study found many were clueless about basic practices like merging, understanding road signs.

Geez, they're not even in English, folks. Drivers in the Northwest were the best. Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Idaho, Wyoming, they are good drivers. Where would you think it would be bad? Northeast, of course, right? Little Rhodey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C.

PHILLIPS: Atlanta should be in there.

O'BRIEN: They had terrible scores. So I know what you do, right? You just bring the gun, right, and take care of them right then and there? Sorry. A little road rage.

All right. "Desperate Housewives" certainly isn't desperate for advertisers, but it now has one less.

PHILLIPS: Kathleen Hays joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with that story. Hi Kathleen.

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra and Miles. Well, yes, one resident of Wisteria Lane is moving out. That's Mary Kay Cosmetics. After protests by a Christian group, the Mary Kay Corporation is suspending plans going to advertise on ABC's popular "Desperate Housewives" program. Mary Kay's official philosophy is "God first, family second and career third."

And the American Family Association questioned how that stance squared with a show that the group said promotes infidelity, seduction and promiscuity. The group urged Mary Kay consultants to tell the company that they opposed a "Desperate Housewives" ad campaign. Kyra and Miles, I wonder what they had to say about Laura Bush saying she was a desperate housewife a few weeks ago at the TV and Radio Correspondents Dinner at the White House?

O'BRIEN: You can't buy that kind of publicity, can you?

HAYS: No.

O'BRIEN: No. She and Lynne Cheney watching -- so blue light special meets Johnny Miller Menswear.

HAYS: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

HAYS: Are you a handy guy, Miles?

PHILLIPS: Tuskins (ph).

O'BRIEN: Tuskins.

PHILLIPS: Tuskins' theory.

O'BRIEN: Craftsman, what are they?

HAYS: Are you a handy kind of guy, Miles? O'BRIEN: Yes, I am. I'm a big tool belt guy.

HAYS: Well, see, this is for you. This is for you. My husband, too. Anyway, just in time for Father's Day, Craftsmen Tools will be available in 365 K-Mart stores. Now you might recall, Sears and K- Mart agreed to merge earlier this year. The introduction of the Craftsman Tools is the first broad roll-out of an exclusive Sears brand in its new retail sibling. Ten Craftsman products, including a laser level and cordless screw driver, will be available in the K-Mart stores. Sears will also be offering its line of Kenmore Appliances and Diehard Batteries at K-Mart.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

O'BRIEN: A little ahead on LIVE FROM...

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Dr. Miles.

O'BRIEN: We're going to get out the eyeball.

PHILLIPS: That's right.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Viagra and the possible side effects, blindness. And we're going to explain what this is all about in just a little bit.

PHILLIPS: Researchers looking into reports that -- actually, that the drug could increase the risk of blindness. Miles is going to talk to a doctor from Emory, right?

O'BRIEN: Yes, that is the plan. So, please, please stay with us.

(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