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Interview with Howard Dean; Jackson's Defense Wraps Up; A Day in the Life of Modern Teenagers
Aired June 03, 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Checking stories ""Now in the News," high altitude, false alarm. A Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York is diverted to Canada over what officials say was a false hijack squawk. The plane, with nearly 300 people on board, landed at Halifax International Airport. Officials say there was no problem.
The defense has wrapped up its closing arguments in the Michael Jackson trial. The prosecution has an hour of rebuttal, then the case goes to the jury, following the judge's instructions. We'll have a live update from California in just about two minutes.
The search continues for an Alabama teenager missing on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway was last seen in the early hours of Monday morning. She was with a group of high school seniors on an excursion to the resort island.
Howard Dean is on the offensive once again. During a speech last night, the Democratic Party chairman made some strong statements about Republicans. When recalling the crowded conditions at Ohio polling stations last November, Dean wondered who could work all day and then stand in line for hours to vote? Then he said, "Well, Republicans I guess, can do that because a lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives."
It's the latest anti-GOP dig from Dean. CNN's Judy Woodruff asked Dean about his other critical comments during an interview last week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Let me turn to something that a lot of people have been talking about, Howard Dean and your rhetoric, some of the language you've used from time to time as chairman of the party, even earlier. At one point, you said you hate Republicans.
People asked me, why do you use that word? Why do you use the word "hate"?
HOWARD DEAN, DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: Well, I hate what the Republicans are doing to this country. I clearly don't hate individuals.
WOODRUFF: But you said, "I hate Republicans."
DEAN: Well, that's, you know -- that was -- as you know, the print media sometimes picks things out of context. That was actually in the context of saying, "But I admire some of the things that Republicans do in order to win elections in terms of their organization."
Look, I hate what the Republican Party is doing to America. They have abuse of power. They have an elected leader in the Congress who has been reprimanded by the ethics committee three times under investigation. They have a president who suppressed a report showing that mercury was highly toxic to allow his agenda to go to go through. They lied to the Congress about how much the Medicare drug program was going to cost.
When you have one party in charge of everything, that's a huge problem. The Republicans have abused their power. I don't like what they're doing to America.
WOODRUFF: I hear you. But when you use words like that that get picked up, as the press will, doesn't that distract from what else you're trying to say?
DEAN: I can't worry about what the press does. The press has done what they do since I've been running for office. My job is not to worry about the press. My job is to worry about the American people and the Democratic Party.
WOODRUFF: But you are concerned about the impression you leave.
Let me ask you about...
DEAN: Well, I'm concerned about it but I've learned during my presidential campaign there's not much you can do about it. The press will write what the press will write. Whether it's accurate, whether it's out of context, whatever it is, there's not much I can do about it. I don't worry about it. I say what I think.
WOODRUFF: So you don't acknowledge that sometimes your rhetoric was -- your words were ill-chosen.
DEAN: You know what? Harry Truman in 1948 was told by one of his supporters: Give them hell, Harry. And what he said was: I don't give them hell, I just tell the truth and the Republicans think it's hell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to have -- this is kind of difficult to say.
HARRIS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: It's a bit of an end of an era here on CNN. It's Judy Woodruff's last day on "INSIDE POLITICS." We're going to take a look back, though, at Judy's tenure at CNN and some special guests on a special edition of "INSIDE POLITICS." That's coming up at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. You don't want to miss it.
HARRIS: Well, it is Friday. Do you know where your kids are going to be hanging out tonight? And next, our Keith Oppenheim spends a day in the life of modern teenagers, what they're doing when you are not looking.
PHILLIPS: And later, America's new man of letters. Meet this year's spelling bee champ. He was a little excited.
HARRIS: Oh.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: To Santa Maria, California, now, where a parked courtroom and a frail defendant here, one final plea on his behalf. The fate of Michael Jackson will be in the hands of the jury very soon.
Our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, is also there.
Jeffrey, I have a bit of a problem reading this. Frail?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: OK.
HARRIS: He is 46, 47 years old, and we're describing him here as frail.
TOOBIN: He sure is frail, Tony.
HARRIS: But he is? Is that it?
(LAUGHTER)
TOOBIN: Oh, absolutely.
HARRIS: OK.
TOOBIN: And, you know, what's interesting for me is that, you know, I haven't been here throughout the whole trial. I've missed weeks at a time.
He is obviously in worse shape now than he was at the beginning of the trial. When he was booked for this crime last January...
HARRIS: Right.
TOOBIN: You know, he's about 5'9''. He weighed 120 pounds. How many adult males do you know who weigh 120 pounds?
HARRIS: Forty-six, 47 years old, and that's it.
TOOBIN: And he's less than that now. Clearly, he's lost weight from the 120 pounds. He's emaciated. His skin has a terrible pallor.
Also, I noticed, you know, early in the trial, he was interacting a lot with his lawyers. He was talking to them, you know, smiling. He stares straight ahead. He doesn't interact with them anymore. He has a very sort of flat affect.
HARRIS: Yes.
TOOBIN: He really looks terrible. His health is an absolutely legitimate concern.
HARRIS: OK.
Jeffrey, let's move on to what has happened today in that courtroom. I know you've been in and out of that courtroom through most of the morning and early afternoon here. So, what are you seeing? What have you seen? What's transpired?
TOOBIN: Well, it's really been a very dramatic day. I mean, this case is just about to the jury. It will probably go to the jury within the hour.
What happened in Thomas Mesereau's, the end of his summation, what he was saying was, this was a family -- the family of the accuser's was a family of liars. And he went through up on a big screen in the courtroom transcript of the testimony of the accuser, of his mother, of the accuser's brother and his sister. And he showed, very convincingly to me, that, in many cases throughout the trial, they had lied to this jury.
And I thought it was extremely effective.
HARRIS: All right. And -- and what did you get? Have we had the rebuttal side of this argument yet?
TOOBIN: Yes. The prosecutor, Mr. Zonen...
HARRIS: Right.
TOOBIN: ... has been speaking the last 40 minutes, and he was very effective.
And, you know, one thing he said that really just sort of had the ring of truth to me, that I thought, you know, the jury, though they're very passive and not interactive at all, would have to respond to, he was talking about Michael Jackson's relationship with some of the other individuals who he's accused of molesting, the earlier witnesses, the fellow from 1993 who's gotten a lot of publicity. And he talked about how, with one of them, he essentially lived with this boy in the same bedroom for a year.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
TOOBIN: Can you imagine...
HARRIS: Yes.
TOOBIN: ... living with an 11-year-old boy for a year? He said, what would you do if you'd heard about that? He was saying that to the jurors.
I mean, wouldn't -- you, of course, would be outraged. You would be -- you'd call the police right away. I mean, anyone would know that that is not a normal relationship between a parent -- between an adult and a child. It is a sexual personal relationship. And, you know, it's hard to argue with that.
HARRIS: Right.
TOOBIN: It really is. And that idea, that Jackson has this unnatural, improper relationship with boys, is just a very difficult thing for the defense to get around.
HARRIS: I think even the most ardent fans would have to agree with that.
All right, Jeffrey, let's leave it there. This probably goes to the jury, what, in minutes, we're talking about?
TOOBIN: Within the hour.
HARRIS: Within the hour?
TOOBIN: This break lasts about 10 minutes.
I'd say Mr. Zonen has less than half-an-hour to go and just maybe a final few housekeeping details.
HARRIS: Yes.
TOOBIN: Remember, this jury has already been instructed on the law. So, within the hour, they'll have this case.
HARRIS: Wow.
Jeffrey Toobin for us in Santa Maria, California -- Jeffrey, as always, thank you. Appreciate it.
TOOBIN: OK, Tony.
PHILLIPS: Well, the social lives of many teenagers are in overdrive, and they're constantly in touch with each other, making plans throughout the day using technology that has not been available to previous generations. Whether it's the Internet, cell phones or two-way radios, communication is critical to these high-tech teens.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim finds out why, as he tags along with two typical high school students outside Chicago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Glenbard West High School in Chicago's western suburbs, I came here looking for two young people who I hoped would show me how technology has shaped and changed their social world. I started with six kids in the high school library talking about being a teen in a high-tech time, how the latest gadgets give them one of the things they crave most, spontaneity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mom is always like, how do you not know at 7: 30 at night what you're doing? And it is like, because we're teenagers. We all kind of decide whenever. It's like...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is like the beauty of having your own car.
OPPENHEIM: From this group, I picked two seniors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got to find something to do tonight.
OPPENHEIM: Nate Larkin (ph), a track star who runs hurdles the same way he runs his personal life, fast. He is tied to his cell phone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All my friends have Nextels. I mean, you can get on the walkie-talkie and get 30 of us in one spot in the span of two minutes.
OPPENHEIM: I also chose Laura Vassell (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to go to sociology.
OPPENHEIM: A leader in student organizations who manages much of her interpersonal world in cyberspace.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to like deal with my problems on the Internet, talking my -- like, get it done with. It is over in my mind.
OPPENHEIM: Laura and Nate, by the way, are school acquaintances, not boyfriend and girlfriend. With the permission of their parents and school officials:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dad, how do I look?
OPPENHEIM: Nate and Laura agree to take me and our news crews on a journey that would start at school on a Friday afternoon and go late into the night. At Glenbard West, the rules are clear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know it is not allowed out in school.
OPPENHEIM: No cell phone use during school hours. But the policing doesn't stop kids from text-messaging, a modern-day form of passing notes. In study hall, Nate and his friend Jesse (ph) make social plans by texting, that is, until Nate tires of shorthand and makes a call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris (ph), Chris, hey. Let's go up tonight and camping. If your parents will let us, we should go totally go, just to sober, chill.
OPPENHEIM: They get busted, of course. But it is Jesse who has to give up her phone, at least temporarily.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Way to take one for the team.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're an idiot.
OPPENHEIM: Make no mistake. The loss of a cell phone is no minor thing. When school gets out, cell phones come out in force.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll call you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trading phone numbers.
(LAUGHTER)
OPPENHEIM: And it seems, just about every kid uses one as a social lifeline. But it is not the only tool of the trade. When Laura Vassell gets home, she goes online. As soon as she does, three friends are sending instant messages.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're actually all guys, a guy in Arizona, a guy in Iowa, and then a guy from Illinois that I go to school with.
OPPENHEIM: Laura insists she talks to girls just as much and only communicates with people she knows.
(on camera): Do your folks know the people who you're talking to online?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out of the three that I'm talking to right now, they know one of them pretty well. They know the names, perhaps. But they don't really know the people very well.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Laura says the Internet is a way for her to resolve conflicts with friends and most certainly to make plans for an evening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is way easier. It is way more, like, efficient, because I can -- like, I'm talking to three people right now, as opposed to, like, calling each person and talking individually with them on the phone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Tom, what's up?
OPPENHEIM: In contrast, Nate takes and makes calls constantly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you possibly want to go to, like, the softball game with me?
OPPENHEIM: And what he's setting up is by no means a traditional date, more like a spontaneous group roam with pals. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When my parents were younger, they had -- they had one meeting spot. And when they went from there, they had to talk. If I want to talk to my friends, I can call them, have them come over. If we want to do something else, then we'll call somebody else, go somewhere else. You don't -- like, you have unlimited options.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody knows -- my sense is, everybody knows where everybody is, you know, every waking hour of the day.
OPPENHEIM: But if kids are so hooked into each other's whereabouts, what about parents?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just give me a phone that I can dial. Where do I put the quarter in?
OPPENHEIM: Laura's folk and Nate's are not always comfortable with the pace of technology and how it connects or perhaps disconnects them from where their kids go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to trust that he's told me -- he's being truthful about where he is.
OPPENHEIM: Next, Nate goes one way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jen (ph), what's up?
OPPENHEIM: Laura goes another.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to let you know I'm leaving my house right now, OK?
OPPENHEIM: And our cameras follow to see what teens communicate and what they don't and where it takes them on a Friday night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Your kids, 10 and 7, have they asked for the cell phone yet? Have they asked...
HARRIS: This is my last show. After seeing that piece, I'm done. I'm following their every move.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You're a stay-at-home dad. You're stalking them.
HARRIS: Every...
PHILLIPS: Just put little GPS bracelets on them.
HARRIS: That's the way to go.
PHILLIPS: On their -- yes, exactly. All right.
HARRIS: What are you going to do? PHILLIPS: Well, Keith continues to look at the life of the teenager's world coming up next.
HARRIS: See where the kids go on a Friday night. And if you're a parent, yes, uh-huh, see if those cell phones and BlackBerrys really keep you in touch when your kids leave the house.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. We return now to that story of two Chicago-area teenagers, who, like many kids their age, are living extremely busy social lives, all with the help of technology.
HARRIS: These high-tech teens organize outings on the run.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim tries to keep up with them as they head out on a typical Friday night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: Friday night and Nate Larkin is on the move...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just going see if you're going there.
OPPENHEIM: ...using the same device as a two-way radio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. I'll be there in, like, seriously, two seconds.
OPPENHEIM: Nate and his friends are orchestrating their evening electronically, talking on two-ways even when they don't need to. This nonstop social improvisation takes a gathering crowd to a softball game, to a track meet, to a friend's house to watch a Chicago Bulls' game, to a pizza joint.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're always looking for, like, the best place to go...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It changes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Constant communication, like, there'll just be whole bunch of car loads of people and constantly calling everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got somewhere better to go, everybody loads there, goes there.
OPPENHEIM: In one night they'll make, get this, 15 stops. During it all, Nate clutches his cell phone, continually making plans.
Not far away, Laura Vassell and three girlfriends are just getting started, dinner at the restaurant Laura's family owns.
As a group, do you have an idea where you're going tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
OPPENHEIM: Is it always like that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
OPPENHEIM: Laura's pace is considerably slower than Nate's. From playing mini golf...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We could do McDonald's for McFlurries.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caribou.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caribou.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caribou.
OPPENHEIM: ...to going out for coffee, she makes about four stops in a night. But like Nate, she is winging it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think you'll be there for a while? OPPENHEIM: Her mom, Joyce (ph), explained how things have changed since Laura's sister Kelly was in high school, just three years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I remember, with Kelly, very oftentimes, plans would be set ahead of time, and they didn't change on the run, where now, you know, they may start off doing something and then end up changing plans midstream and they can all do that because they can communicate that on the run.
OPPENHEIM: Communication on the run gives teenagers a lot of leeway.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd say it's definitely, like, easy for you to say you're somewhere else if you're just using your cell phone.
OPPENHEIM: Listen to how the boys put it. They claim they pretty much tell their folks where they're going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But if you're doing something crazy or like sporadic, you just kind of like -- oh, we're just driving around and -- a big thing is that they're like -- they call you and they're like, what are you doing, and you'll just be like, oh, we're just getting food. Like, that's like...
OPPENHEIM: You keep it generic?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
OPPENHEIM: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Simple. You don't have to tell them everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we just don't want them to make something out of nothing.
OPPENHEIM: Right, so the general principle is, give them general information...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As much as they need to know.
OPPENHEIM: As much as they need.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Nate. What's up?
OPPENHEIM: At the same time, what parents need, a cell phone often provides: instant access.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you're going to hang there for a while? Are you going to be there all night?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll be here for a little while -- I don't know -- until we find something else to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the plan then from there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Um, we're not really sure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Talk to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, bye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, thanks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Bye.
OPPENHEIM: The contact is both immediate and vague. Nate's father John guesses during these cell phone-driven outings, he knows about 75 percent of what his son is up to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that 25 percent, I think is -- knowledge by both, perhaps, me and Nate is, I don't want to know most of that, at this point anyway, in his evolution and our relationship.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm bound to keep on moving.
OPPENHEIM: In case you're wondering, this night was not without the lure of house parties. Laura turns down an offer to go to one where we were told no parents were at home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there's drinking and stuff and I'm not really a big drinker or anything like that, so...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Let's rock 'n' roll.
OPPENHEIM: Nate made a quick stop at a different party but within minutes, opted for discretion and chose to leave. Near midnight, he and Laura both ended up at the same bowling alley...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you kidding me?
OPPENHEIM: ...giving me a chance to talk to both of them about teens, technology, and trust.
It's my impression -- and go ahead argue with me all you want -- that you guys aren't always trustworthy and more likely that your situations are not always trustworthy. But...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're teenagers. I mean, it's our nature. It's our time to play within the lines, you know, bounce back and forth. We just -- I mean, we don't have to be completely honest all the time. We should be, but it is our time to kind of push the limits and figure out what we need to do and, you know, where our life should be, I think.
OPPENHEIM: As much as they talk about pushing limits, I saw them observing them too. Both Laura and Nate talked to their parents several times during the night. They stuck to agreements of when they'd get home and were mindful of expectations their parents had spent years developing with them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, mom. I was just letting you know...
OPPENHEIM: To these 18-year-olds, technology has changed how they communicate, but it doesn't seem to be changing a core idea expressed by teens for generations. They want to be trusted to make their own calls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a really good relationship with my mom, and she trusts me, and I trust her to, like, let me make my decisions, and I feel like if I have that trust, like, with my kids and have that, like, open communication, I'm going to worry a little bit, but I'll be like my mom. I'll be OK with, like, letting go, even, like, a little bit at a time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Almost the top of the hour. We're live in Santa Maria, California, for the Michael Jackson trial.
PHILLIPS: The jury could get to the case soon. We're going to get a live update from the courthouse coming up next.
HARRIS: And just how far would you go for a memorable wedding? Ain't no mountain high enough, no valley low enough, no river wide enough.
PHILLIPS: You sing it. Sing it.
HARRIS: For this brave duo to keep me from getting to you, babe.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANURAG KASHYAP, NATIONAL SPELLING BEE CHAMPION: Appoggiatura. A-P-P-O-G-G-I-A-T-U-R-A.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Hey. In case you've forgotten, appoggiatura is a musical term for an embellishing note. Did I even get close to it?
PHILLIPS: You were kind of close. It's Italian. You've got to whip out your Italian there.
HARRIS: OK. We'll leave it at that for now.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Wave your hands.
HARRIS: Yes. Anurag Kashyap, there's your winner of the spelling bee.
It was the California eighth grader's second trip to the OK Corral of spelling. Last time, he was bee-stung. But this time, he emerged victorious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASHYAP: I was just completely filled with bliss and, like, amazement, because all this hard work I put into it. And it finally paid off. And I was just so happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And more about the annual war of words from CNN's Christina Park at the dot-com desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN.COM: Some incredibly smart kids have got America spellbound at the 78th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. CNN. com takes you through the highs and lows of bee season.
We've got your round by round account of the competition as more than 270 of the country's best young spellers competed, taking on words like trichotillomania and cirrhosis.
We also explain how it's never been so cool to be smart. Hollywood has caught bee fever with new films like Bee Season, starring Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche, due for release in September.
According to the Oscar-nominated documentary "Spellbound," some nine million kids compete in spelling bees. Only the elite make it to the National Spelling Bee. Some of the top gun of spelling competitions for children, ages 9 to 14. Prizes, the biggest ever, $28,000 in cash plus prizes.
So think you have what it takes? Take our spelling quiz. We've collected the words that have decided champion spellers in recent years. But all you need to spell to get there is C-N-N. Click on over to CNN.com/education for your free lesson.
I'm Christina Park, reporting from the dot-com desk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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Aired June 3, 2005 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Checking stories ""Now in the News," high altitude, false alarm. A Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York is diverted to Canada over what officials say was a false hijack squawk. The plane, with nearly 300 people on board, landed at Halifax International Airport. Officials say there was no problem.
The defense has wrapped up its closing arguments in the Michael Jackson trial. The prosecution has an hour of rebuttal, then the case goes to the jury, following the judge's instructions. We'll have a live update from California in just about two minutes.
The search continues for an Alabama teenager missing on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway was last seen in the early hours of Monday morning. She was with a group of high school seniors on an excursion to the resort island.
Howard Dean is on the offensive once again. During a speech last night, the Democratic Party chairman made some strong statements about Republicans. When recalling the crowded conditions at Ohio polling stations last November, Dean wondered who could work all day and then stand in line for hours to vote? Then he said, "Well, Republicans I guess, can do that because a lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives."
It's the latest anti-GOP dig from Dean. CNN's Judy Woodruff asked Dean about his other critical comments during an interview last week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Let me turn to something that a lot of people have been talking about, Howard Dean and your rhetoric, some of the language you've used from time to time as chairman of the party, even earlier. At one point, you said you hate Republicans.
People asked me, why do you use that word? Why do you use the word "hate"?
HOWARD DEAN, DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: Well, I hate what the Republicans are doing to this country. I clearly don't hate individuals.
WOODRUFF: But you said, "I hate Republicans."
DEAN: Well, that's, you know -- that was -- as you know, the print media sometimes picks things out of context. That was actually in the context of saying, "But I admire some of the things that Republicans do in order to win elections in terms of their organization."
Look, I hate what the Republican Party is doing to America. They have abuse of power. They have an elected leader in the Congress who has been reprimanded by the ethics committee three times under investigation. They have a president who suppressed a report showing that mercury was highly toxic to allow his agenda to go to go through. They lied to the Congress about how much the Medicare drug program was going to cost.
When you have one party in charge of everything, that's a huge problem. The Republicans have abused their power. I don't like what they're doing to America.
WOODRUFF: I hear you. But when you use words like that that get picked up, as the press will, doesn't that distract from what else you're trying to say?
DEAN: I can't worry about what the press does. The press has done what they do since I've been running for office. My job is not to worry about the press. My job is to worry about the American people and the Democratic Party.
WOODRUFF: But you are concerned about the impression you leave.
Let me ask you about...
DEAN: Well, I'm concerned about it but I've learned during my presidential campaign there's not much you can do about it. The press will write what the press will write. Whether it's accurate, whether it's out of context, whatever it is, there's not much I can do about it. I don't worry about it. I say what I think.
WOODRUFF: So you don't acknowledge that sometimes your rhetoric was -- your words were ill-chosen.
DEAN: You know what? Harry Truman in 1948 was told by one of his supporters: Give them hell, Harry. And what he said was: I don't give them hell, I just tell the truth and the Republicans think it's hell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to have -- this is kind of difficult to say.
HARRIS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: It's a bit of an end of an era here on CNN. It's Judy Woodruff's last day on "INSIDE POLITICS." We're going to take a look back, though, at Judy's tenure at CNN and some special guests on a special edition of "INSIDE POLITICS." That's coming up at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. You don't want to miss it.
HARRIS: Well, it is Friday. Do you know where your kids are going to be hanging out tonight? And next, our Keith Oppenheim spends a day in the life of modern teenagers, what they're doing when you are not looking.
PHILLIPS: And later, America's new man of letters. Meet this year's spelling bee champ. He was a little excited.
HARRIS: Oh.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: To Santa Maria, California, now, where a parked courtroom and a frail defendant here, one final plea on his behalf. The fate of Michael Jackson will be in the hands of the jury very soon.
Our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, is also there.
Jeffrey, I have a bit of a problem reading this. Frail?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: OK.
HARRIS: He is 46, 47 years old, and we're describing him here as frail.
TOOBIN: He sure is frail, Tony.
HARRIS: But he is? Is that it?
(LAUGHTER)
TOOBIN: Oh, absolutely.
HARRIS: OK.
TOOBIN: And, you know, what's interesting for me is that, you know, I haven't been here throughout the whole trial. I've missed weeks at a time.
He is obviously in worse shape now than he was at the beginning of the trial. When he was booked for this crime last January...
HARRIS: Right.
TOOBIN: You know, he's about 5'9''. He weighed 120 pounds. How many adult males do you know who weigh 120 pounds?
HARRIS: Forty-six, 47 years old, and that's it.
TOOBIN: And he's less than that now. Clearly, he's lost weight from the 120 pounds. He's emaciated. His skin has a terrible pallor.
Also, I noticed, you know, early in the trial, he was interacting a lot with his lawyers. He was talking to them, you know, smiling. He stares straight ahead. He doesn't interact with them anymore. He has a very sort of flat affect.
HARRIS: Yes.
TOOBIN: He really looks terrible. His health is an absolutely legitimate concern.
HARRIS: OK.
Jeffrey, let's move on to what has happened today in that courtroom. I know you've been in and out of that courtroom through most of the morning and early afternoon here. So, what are you seeing? What have you seen? What's transpired?
TOOBIN: Well, it's really been a very dramatic day. I mean, this case is just about to the jury. It will probably go to the jury within the hour.
What happened in Thomas Mesereau's, the end of his summation, what he was saying was, this was a family -- the family of the accuser's was a family of liars. And he went through up on a big screen in the courtroom transcript of the testimony of the accuser, of his mother, of the accuser's brother and his sister. And he showed, very convincingly to me, that, in many cases throughout the trial, they had lied to this jury.
And I thought it was extremely effective.
HARRIS: All right. And -- and what did you get? Have we had the rebuttal side of this argument yet?
TOOBIN: Yes. The prosecutor, Mr. Zonen...
HARRIS: Right.
TOOBIN: ... has been speaking the last 40 minutes, and he was very effective.
And, you know, one thing he said that really just sort of had the ring of truth to me, that I thought, you know, the jury, though they're very passive and not interactive at all, would have to respond to, he was talking about Michael Jackson's relationship with some of the other individuals who he's accused of molesting, the earlier witnesses, the fellow from 1993 who's gotten a lot of publicity. And he talked about how, with one of them, he essentially lived with this boy in the same bedroom for a year.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
TOOBIN: Can you imagine...
HARRIS: Yes.
TOOBIN: ... living with an 11-year-old boy for a year? He said, what would you do if you'd heard about that? He was saying that to the jurors.
I mean, wouldn't -- you, of course, would be outraged. You would be -- you'd call the police right away. I mean, anyone would know that that is not a normal relationship between a parent -- between an adult and a child. It is a sexual personal relationship. And, you know, it's hard to argue with that.
HARRIS: Right.
TOOBIN: It really is. And that idea, that Jackson has this unnatural, improper relationship with boys, is just a very difficult thing for the defense to get around.
HARRIS: I think even the most ardent fans would have to agree with that.
All right, Jeffrey, let's leave it there. This probably goes to the jury, what, in minutes, we're talking about?
TOOBIN: Within the hour.
HARRIS: Within the hour?
TOOBIN: This break lasts about 10 minutes.
I'd say Mr. Zonen has less than half-an-hour to go and just maybe a final few housekeeping details.
HARRIS: Yes.
TOOBIN: Remember, this jury has already been instructed on the law. So, within the hour, they'll have this case.
HARRIS: Wow.
Jeffrey Toobin for us in Santa Maria, California -- Jeffrey, as always, thank you. Appreciate it.
TOOBIN: OK, Tony.
PHILLIPS: Well, the social lives of many teenagers are in overdrive, and they're constantly in touch with each other, making plans throughout the day using technology that has not been available to previous generations. Whether it's the Internet, cell phones or two-way radios, communication is critical to these high-tech teens.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim finds out why, as he tags along with two typical high school students outside Chicago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Glenbard West High School in Chicago's western suburbs, I came here looking for two young people who I hoped would show me how technology has shaped and changed their social world. I started with six kids in the high school library talking about being a teen in a high-tech time, how the latest gadgets give them one of the things they crave most, spontaneity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mom is always like, how do you not know at 7: 30 at night what you're doing? And it is like, because we're teenagers. We all kind of decide whenever. It's like...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is like the beauty of having your own car.
OPPENHEIM: From this group, I picked two seniors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got to find something to do tonight.
OPPENHEIM: Nate Larkin (ph), a track star who runs hurdles the same way he runs his personal life, fast. He is tied to his cell phone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All my friends have Nextels. I mean, you can get on the walkie-talkie and get 30 of us in one spot in the span of two minutes.
OPPENHEIM: I also chose Laura Vassell (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to go to sociology.
OPPENHEIM: A leader in student organizations who manages much of her interpersonal world in cyberspace.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to like deal with my problems on the Internet, talking my -- like, get it done with. It is over in my mind.
OPPENHEIM: Laura and Nate, by the way, are school acquaintances, not boyfriend and girlfriend. With the permission of their parents and school officials:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dad, how do I look?
OPPENHEIM: Nate and Laura agree to take me and our news crews on a journey that would start at school on a Friday afternoon and go late into the night. At Glenbard West, the rules are clear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know it is not allowed out in school.
OPPENHEIM: No cell phone use during school hours. But the policing doesn't stop kids from text-messaging, a modern-day form of passing notes. In study hall, Nate and his friend Jesse (ph) make social plans by texting, that is, until Nate tires of shorthand and makes a call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris (ph), Chris, hey. Let's go up tonight and camping. If your parents will let us, we should go totally go, just to sober, chill.
OPPENHEIM: They get busted, of course. But it is Jesse who has to give up her phone, at least temporarily.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Way to take one for the team.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're an idiot.
OPPENHEIM: Make no mistake. The loss of a cell phone is no minor thing. When school gets out, cell phones come out in force.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll call you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trading phone numbers.
(LAUGHTER)
OPPENHEIM: And it seems, just about every kid uses one as a social lifeline. But it is not the only tool of the trade. When Laura Vassell gets home, she goes online. As soon as she does, three friends are sending instant messages.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're actually all guys, a guy in Arizona, a guy in Iowa, and then a guy from Illinois that I go to school with.
OPPENHEIM: Laura insists she talks to girls just as much and only communicates with people she knows.
(on camera): Do your folks know the people who you're talking to online?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out of the three that I'm talking to right now, they know one of them pretty well. They know the names, perhaps. But they don't really know the people very well.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Laura says the Internet is a way for her to resolve conflicts with friends and most certainly to make plans for an evening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is way easier. It is way more, like, efficient, because I can -- like, I'm talking to three people right now, as opposed to, like, calling each person and talking individually with them on the phone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Tom, what's up?
OPPENHEIM: In contrast, Nate takes and makes calls constantly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you possibly want to go to, like, the softball game with me?
OPPENHEIM: And what he's setting up is by no means a traditional date, more like a spontaneous group roam with pals. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When my parents were younger, they had -- they had one meeting spot. And when they went from there, they had to talk. If I want to talk to my friends, I can call them, have them come over. If we want to do something else, then we'll call somebody else, go somewhere else. You don't -- like, you have unlimited options.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody knows -- my sense is, everybody knows where everybody is, you know, every waking hour of the day.
OPPENHEIM: But if kids are so hooked into each other's whereabouts, what about parents?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just give me a phone that I can dial. Where do I put the quarter in?
OPPENHEIM: Laura's folk and Nate's are not always comfortable with the pace of technology and how it connects or perhaps disconnects them from where their kids go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to trust that he's told me -- he's being truthful about where he is.
OPPENHEIM: Next, Nate goes one way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jen (ph), what's up?
OPPENHEIM: Laura goes another.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to let you know I'm leaving my house right now, OK?
OPPENHEIM: And our cameras follow to see what teens communicate and what they don't and where it takes them on a Friday night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Your kids, 10 and 7, have they asked for the cell phone yet? Have they asked...
HARRIS: This is my last show. After seeing that piece, I'm done. I'm following their every move.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You're a stay-at-home dad. You're stalking them.
HARRIS: Every...
PHILLIPS: Just put little GPS bracelets on them.
HARRIS: That's the way to go.
PHILLIPS: On their -- yes, exactly. All right.
HARRIS: What are you going to do? PHILLIPS: Well, Keith continues to look at the life of the teenager's world coming up next.
HARRIS: See where the kids go on a Friday night. And if you're a parent, yes, uh-huh, see if those cell phones and BlackBerrys really keep you in touch when your kids leave the house.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. We return now to that story of two Chicago-area teenagers, who, like many kids their age, are living extremely busy social lives, all with the help of technology.
HARRIS: These high-tech teens organize outings on the run.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim tries to keep up with them as they head out on a typical Friday night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: Friday night and Nate Larkin is on the move...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just going see if you're going there.
OPPENHEIM: ...using the same device as a two-way radio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. I'll be there in, like, seriously, two seconds.
OPPENHEIM: Nate and his friends are orchestrating their evening electronically, talking on two-ways even when they don't need to. This nonstop social improvisation takes a gathering crowd to a softball game, to a track meet, to a friend's house to watch a Chicago Bulls' game, to a pizza joint.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're always looking for, like, the best place to go...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It changes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Constant communication, like, there'll just be whole bunch of car loads of people and constantly calling everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got somewhere better to go, everybody loads there, goes there.
OPPENHEIM: In one night they'll make, get this, 15 stops. During it all, Nate clutches his cell phone, continually making plans.
Not far away, Laura Vassell and three girlfriends are just getting started, dinner at the restaurant Laura's family owns.
As a group, do you have an idea where you're going tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
OPPENHEIM: Is it always like that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
OPPENHEIM: Laura's pace is considerably slower than Nate's. From playing mini golf...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We could do McDonald's for McFlurries.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caribou.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caribou.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caribou.
OPPENHEIM: ...to going out for coffee, she makes about four stops in a night. But like Nate, she is winging it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think you'll be there for a while? OPPENHEIM: Her mom, Joyce (ph), explained how things have changed since Laura's sister Kelly was in high school, just three years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I remember, with Kelly, very oftentimes, plans would be set ahead of time, and they didn't change on the run, where now, you know, they may start off doing something and then end up changing plans midstream and they can all do that because they can communicate that on the run.
OPPENHEIM: Communication on the run gives teenagers a lot of leeway.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd say it's definitely, like, easy for you to say you're somewhere else if you're just using your cell phone.
OPPENHEIM: Listen to how the boys put it. They claim they pretty much tell their folks where they're going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But if you're doing something crazy or like sporadic, you just kind of like -- oh, we're just driving around and -- a big thing is that they're like -- they call you and they're like, what are you doing, and you'll just be like, oh, we're just getting food. Like, that's like...
OPPENHEIM: You keep it generic?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
OPPENHEIM: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Simple. You don't have to tell them everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we just don't want them to make something out of nothing.
OPPENHEIM: Right, so the general principle is, give them general information...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As much as they need to know.
OPPENHEIM: As much as they need.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Nate. What's up?
OPPENHEIM: At the same time, what parents need, a cell phone often provides: instant access.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you're going to hang there for a while? Are you going to be there all night?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll be here for a little while -- I don't know -- until we find something else to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the plan then from there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Um, we're not really sure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Talk to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, bye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, thanks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Bye.
OPPENHEIM: The contact is both immediate and vague. Nate's father John guesses during these cell phone-driven outings, he knows about 75 percent of what his son is up to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that 25 percent, I think is -- knowledge by both, perhaps, me and Nate is, I don't want to know most of that, at this point anyway, in his evolution and our relationship.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm bound to keep on moving.
OPPENHEIM: In case you're wondering, this night was not without the lure of house parties. Laura turns down an offer to go to one where we were told no parents were at home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there's drinking and stuff and I'm not really a big drinker or anything like that, so...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Let's rock 'n' roll.
OPPENHEIM: Nate made a quick stop at a different party but within minutes, opted for discretion and chose to leave. Near midnight, he and Laura both ended up at the same bowling alley...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you kidding me?
OPPENHEIM: ...giving me a chance to talk to both of them about teens, technology, and trust.
It's my impression -- and go ahead argue with me all you want -- that you guys aren't always trustworthy and more likely that your situations are not always trustworthy. But...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're teenagers. I mean, it's our nature. It's our time to play within the lines, you know, bounce back and forth. We just -- I mean, we don't have to be completely honest all the time. We should be, but it is our time to kind of push the limits and figure out what we need to do and, you know, where our life should be, I think.
OPPENHEIM: As much as they talk about pushing limits, I saw them observing them too. Both Laura and Nate talked to their parents several times during the night. They stuck to agreements of when they'd get home and were mindful of expectations their parents had spent years developing with them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, mom. I was just letting you know...
OPPENHEIM: To these 18-year-olds, technology has changed how they communicate, but it doesn't seem to be changing a core idea expressed by teens for generations. They want to be trusted to make their own calls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a really good relationship with my mom, and she trusts me, and I trust her to, like, let me make my decisions, and I feel like if I have that trust, like, with my kids and have that, like, open communication, I'm going to worry a little bit, but I'll be like my mom. I'll be OK with, like, letting go, even, like, a little bit at a time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Almost the top of the hour. We're live in Santa Maria, California, for the Michael Jackson trial.
PHILLIPS: The jury could get to the case soon. We're going to get a live update from the courthouse coming up next.
HARRIS: And just how far would you go for a memorable wedding? Ain't no mountain high enough, no valley low enough, no river wide enough.
PHILLIPS: You sing it. Sing it.
HARRIS: For this brave duo to keep me from getting to you, babe.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANURAG KASHYAP, NATIONAL SPELLING BEE CHAMPION: Appoggiatura. A-P-P-O-G-G-I-A-T-U-R-A.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Hey. In case you've forgotten, appoggiatura is a musical term for an embellishing note. Did I even get close to it?
PHILLIPS: You were kind of close. It's Italian. You've got to whip out your Italian there.
HARRIS: OK. We'll leave it at that for now.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Wave your hands.
HARRIS: Yes. Anurag Kashyap, there's your winner of the spelling bee.
It was the California eighth grader's second trip to the OK Corral of spelling. Last time, he was bee-stung. But this time, he emerged victorious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASHYAP: I was just completely filled with bliss and, like, amazement, because all this hard work I put into it. And it finally paid off. And I was just so happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And more about the annual war of words from CNN's Christina Park at the dot-com desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN.COM: Some incredibly smart kids have got America spellbound at the 78th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. CNN. com takes you through the highs and lows of bee season.
We've got your round by round account of the competition as more than 270 of the country's best young spellers competed, taking on words like trichotillomania and cirrhosis.
We also explain how it's never been so cool to be smart. Hollywood has caught bee fever with new films like Bee Season, starring Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche, due for release in September.
According to the Oscar-nominated documentary "Spellbound," some nine million kids compete in spelling bees. Only the elite make it to the National Spelling Bee. Some of the top gun of spelling competitions for children, ages 9 to 14. Prizes, the biggest ever, $28,000 in cash plus prizes.
So think you have what it takes? Take our spelling quiz. We've collected the words that have decided champion spellers in recent years. But all you need to spell to get there is C-N-N. Click on over to CNN.com/education for your free lesson.
I'm Christina Park, reporting from the dot-com desk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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