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CNN Live Today

1964 Civil Rights Case Back in Court; Jackson Jury

Aired June 13, 2005 - 10:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A ruling reported from the Supreme Court moments ago on an appeal from Jose Padilla. He is a U.S. citizen held for three years as an enemy combatant. The High Court rejected Padilla's request for an immediate decision on his detention. Padilla have to wait for a lower court to rule on that first.
A Republican lawmaker From North Carolina says the U.S. must start planning its exit from Iraq. Congressman Walter Jones tells ABC U.S. troops have done about as much as they can there. Jones is joining others, introducing legislation this week, calling for a timetable to withdraw troops. President Bush has said any timetable would encourage insurgents to delay major attacks.

Jurors in the Michael Jackson trial resume deliberations an hour from now. The jury has hey met for more than 24 hours over six days. Sources close to the case say jurors asked to have portions of Jackson's accuser's testimony read back to them. Jackson is charged with molesting a young boy. The pop star says he is innocent.

Going back forty-one years for this next story. This is 41 years after the killing of three young Freedom Riders ignited outrage and breathed new life into the civil rights movement. That case returns to court today. The first trial inspired the 1988 film "Mississippi Burning" that ended with the acquittal of Edgar Ray Killen. Jury selection begins this hour in the new trial of the 80-year-old reputed Klansman.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Philadelphia, Mississippi, a city still haunted by its past.

Good morning.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Before the jury selection even started this morning, a bizarre scene unfolding in front of the courthouse as Edgar Ray Killen arrived here this morning. He was greeted at his car by a man who identified himself as being a member of the Ku Klux Klan. When we asked Killen's attorney about it, he came out and said that it was a complete lie, that this man was with the Klan. The problem is the man handed a reporter his business card, and it had the Klan logo all over it. So that kind of sets the scene here for what is going on here in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where, as you mentioned, Daryn, digging up the ghosts of the past.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LAVANDERA (voice-over): It's a chapter of the civil rights struggle that remains incomplete and still haunts Philadelphia, Mississippi. It was the 1964 Summer of Freedom. Idealistic young people from around the country had come to the South to register black voters. At the center of command among those freedom writers, as they were called, were three young men. Two white, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and one black, James Chaney. It was June 21st. The three men were heading down the Mississippi back roads to investigate a recently torched church. The FBI says, after beating several church members, Ku Klux Klan members set fire to the church, leaving it a charred ruin.

But before they reached the church, the group was pulled off the road by local police. Arrested for speeding, they were tossed into the Neshoba County jail. Prosecutors say, while the three sat in jail, a gang of about 20 Klan members put a plan in motion to kill them. Accused of leading the effort, part time Baptist preacher Edgar Ray Killen. Some hours later, the three young civil rights workers were released from jail and drove away in their station wagon. Right behind them were two carloads of Klan members.

After a long chase, the mob forced them off the road. Taken from their cars, the three were killed, shot dead at close range, Schwerner, then Goodman, then Chaney. A bulldozer was brought in to bury them. The bodies disappeared. The state of Mississippi never charged any of the culprits with murder. There was no federal murder charge back then. So instead, the men were brought up on civil rights violations, with only seven serving minimal prison sentences.

The man considered to be one of the key instigators, Edgar Ray Killen, walked free, an 11-1 hung jury verdict. Although the jury was all white, there was one holdout, who said at the time she could never convict a preacher.

Killen left the courtroom that day a free man, but for more than 30 years, groups of civil rights activists, politicians and journalists refused to accept that ruling as the last word. Killen's murder case is the latest in a series of civil rights cases that have been rekindled, looking to right the wrongs of the past.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: Edgar Ray Killen is now 80 years old. He's in court today. His friends and supporters say that he's too frail and weak to even go through this kind of trial, but like it or not, it does continue -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Lavandera, live from Philadelphia, Mississippi. Thank you, Ed.

An even older lynching, also rooted in racism, surfaces today on Capitol Hill. Back in 1960, several hundred residents of Abigail, South Carolina killed Anthony Crawford. He was a local black farmer. His offense? He'd accused a white buyer of paying him less for his cotton crop than white farmers earned. Today the U.S. Senate is expected to issue a formal apology to his great-great granddaughter and others for failing to pass the anti-lynching resolutions introduced in the decades that followed.

Let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast this morning.

Later today, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will call for a special election in November. He wants voters to weigh in on a trio of reform proposals. One would makes teachers work five years for tenure. One effects legislative districts, and another the state spending cap. Critics oppose the special election and its $80 million price tag.

Also today a hearing is scheduled on a petition to recall Spokane Mayor James West. He's been embroiled in a gay sex scandal, alleging that he abused his office. West says he did not break the law. A superior court judge will decide whether the recall charges are legally and factually sound.

Firefighters in Philadelphia say that burglar bars on the windows of this row house prevented crews from rescuing the crews who were trapped inside. There siblings and two cousins died in the Sunday morning blaze. The victims ages ranged from six months to six years old. Two adults did escape. The cause of that fire is under investigation.

Jurors in the Michael Jackson trial return to deliberations next hour, and as the second full week looms, so does the scrutiny.

CNN's Chris Lawrence has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Michael Jackson's fans had their way, jurors would have needed six minutes to deliberate, not the six days it's taken so far. But the jury has to consider what 141 witnesses said and try to come to a unanimous decision on all 10 counts.

Sources tell CNN they passed several questions to the judge on Friday and asked to have portions of the teenaged accuser's testimony read back to them. The attorneys also had three meetings with the judge.

DEBRA OPRI, JACKSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: It could mean anything. Nine days to acquit Robert Blake, so many hours to convict someone else.

LAWRENCE: Prosecutors accuse Jackson of sexually molesting a 13- year-old cancer survivor, giving the boy alcohol and conspiring to keep him and his family captive. Jackson denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. In deciding who they believe, jurors have had about 28 hours of deliberation so far.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they took two weeks, if they took three days, I would trust in it, because they're the ones that have been sitting in there every day.

LAWRENCE: The first full week is over, a second about to begin.

(on camera): And those jurors are being guided by nearly 100 pages of jury instructions. It's a lot of very detailed legal jargon, but the judge wanted to cover all his bases to lessen the chances of any appeal.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Santa Maria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Stay with us. Less than an hour from now, we're going to go back to Santa Maria as the jury deliberations continue.

A check of the markets is ahead.

Plus, are you engrossed by the gross? Then you're going want to stay tuned to see what CNN.com can offer you. A quick lesson in grossology.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For 20 days and 20 nights, the amplar (ph) penguin will march to a place so extreme it supports no other life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: OK, the only thing better than those pictures? Getting to see penguins live and in person. I'm getting that chance. The penguins are coming. We're going to look at one of the most mysterious animals on Earth, the penguin. There's a new movie explaining their bizarre behavior. And we're going to have an expert telling you all about it, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, here's something you rarely see in the warm-weather months, falling gas prices. The latest Lundberg survey says the national average is $2.16 a gallon. The national average for self- serve regular, $2.13. Those prices higher than the same time last year. But now here's the good news, prices at the pump have fallen 16 cents gallon since April. An industry analysts predicts prices will keep dropping, although at a slower pace.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Look who just came in the studio here. That's Pete and Penny. Hopefully they won't go far away, and hopefully they like our set.

Yes. No, you don't want it look underneath that chair. There's some scary things under there.

Susan, don't go far. And hopefully Pete and Penny won't either. We'll be talking with them and some folks from Sea World coming up. Meanwhile, though, some fields combine art and science, and one science introduces us to a whole new field called grossology. It's not mindless primetime entertainment. Instead it's aimed at engaging young minds in some of the, well, grosser aspects of science.

Here's CNN's Veronica De La Cruz from our dot-com desk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day, the human body produces enough to fill a quart-sized mayonnaise jar. That's pretty gross, right? At CNN.com/science, learn about grossology, the impolite science of the human body. It's a traveling exhibit for kids based on a series of books using their favorite gross subjects to interest them in science. The hands-on exhibit is a cross between an arcade and a jungle gym, and features different stations that let kids spin, shoot, climb, squeeze and smell all the gross thing the human body does.

Click through this interactive gallery to see kids learn how scabs, zits and blisters form by climbing the skin wall. See how many gross things you know about the body by testing your grossology I.Q. For example, where does the smell of onion and garlic breath come from? The lungs, mouth, stomach or tongue? You can log on and find out. And check the fact box for the grossology tour schedule, to find out when this grosser than gross exhibit is headed to a town near you. Hope I haven't ruined your appetite.

From the dot-com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: My next guest, so excited about being on CNN, put on their tuxedos. The penguins, they're coming. Actually I'm going to go over and talk to them. We're not just talking with the live penguins there. There's a brand new documentary coming out on the strange the creatures. But we'll have an expert with the two live penguins, who explain all this to you. You're going to want to stick around for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have wings, but cannot fly. They're birds that think they're fish. And every year they embark on a nearly impossible journey to find a mate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: It a tale of a perilous journey that's being brought to the movies for the first time. It's called the March of the Penguins. It opens this month. It follows the annual winter migration of the emperor penguins. It's bitterly cold weather -- look at this. Look who I have. I'm so happy. This is Pete. We're going to talk about Pete here and the incredible things that penguins go through just to basically reproduce.

THEODORE DRAY, AVICULTURIST: Yes.

T.J. Dray of Sea World of Orlando, here with us today. This is Pete. And you have penny.

DRAY: I have Penny, yes.

KAGAN: You were explaining to me in the break, the woman's larger?

DRAY: Yes, well, in this case. Typically...

KAGAN: They want to get down.

DRAY: Yes. Well, we can put them on the floor.

KAGAN: We'll probably go down there, too.

DRAY: This is a Magellanic penguin. It's one of the temperate species of penguin. They're from along the coastline of South America.

KAGAN: They're the penguin wranglers, so they don't -- they're just looking around.

DRAY: Walk around the studio a little bit?

KAGAN: So these aren't the ones in the movie?

DRAY: No, no, no. They can live in much warmer conditions. Air temperature is typically about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

KAGAN: I'll go get him. You keep talking.

DRAY: And the -- the difference is that they have ice cold water, and that's where they go to be able to cool down and find their food.

KAGAN: And the incredible -- the thing about the movie is that the Emperor penguins -- see, they're happier over on the -- come on, guys!

DRAY: Who do we have?

KAGAN: Hey -- oh, that's...

DRAY: There you go.

KAGAN: Pete likes to go where Penny is. Or Penny likes to go where Pete is? I think they like the dark floor better. Well, we'll let them walk around.

DRAY: They're having a good time.

KAGAN: You know, our home is their home. But important to bring the story of penguins to the world, I guess and so...

DRAY: Absolutely. It's -- penguins are so phenomenal. They go through so many different hardships. And really most people don't really realize what penguins go through. Just being able to raise their eggs and raise their young to adulthood, sometimes it's so difficult, it's just -- you know.

KAGAN: The -- you brought these penguins because these can go in warm weather. The Emperor penguins wouldn't be happy here under a hot light?

DRAY: Correct. Yes. Like I said, this particular species can go all the way up to about 70 degrees, as far as air temperatures go. Emperor penguins, typically starting at about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes their air temperature goes all the way down to 60 below zero, so...

KAGAN: Should we go get him? OK, you go. Come on back.

DRAY: That's really funny.

KAGAN: That's OK. We're used to live television. I got to tell you, we've had a lot of movie stars and things here. No one's been as excited as to see the live penguins. So part of what they do is the mating. But also, the division of labor in the parenting I think is really interesting?

DRAY: Absolutely, yes. Most -- there are 17 species of penguins. They're all found south of the equator. Typically, penguins will -- all the smaller species, they will take care of them. The male and female will take turns taking care of the egg. Emperor is unique because, it's -- basically, it's the male's job. He takes care of that egg and he will incubate that egg for about 64 days. Dealing with the katabatic winds, which are just the intense winds that pick up speed if they travel across the glaciers and the ice. And ice cold temperatures, complete darkness. Amazing stuff they have to go through.

KAGAN: And you know, I got to tell you, I'm getting the biggest kick. I'm an animal lover. Anybody who watches knows that. I'm getting the biggest kick out of having them here. But what about people who say, oh, what are you doing with these poor penguins? They should be out in their natural habitat.

DRAY: Well, I'm from Sea World of Orlando. We -- there are 23 keepers that take care of all the birds in the park. I can tell you, we do our very best to give them the best life possible. Their exhibits that they live in there are phenomenal.

KAGAN: So they're on tour. But when they go home, they've got some pretty nice digs?

DRAY: Oh yes, absolutely. Oh, yes, they definitely do.

KAGAN: And so you are what's called an aviculturist?

DRAY: Yes. Yes.

KAGAN: Which means you get to hang out with birds.

DRAY: An aviculturist. That's -- I've been doing it seven years now and I work with all the birds in the park. Currently, I'm taking care of mostly the Puffins, but still get to hang out with the penguins every day.

KAGAN: Just to (INAUDIBLE). Well, how cool that you can grow up and have a job...

DRAY: Yes. It's what I wanted to do since I was five years old.

KAGAN: Well, that's good. Dreams come true, for you.

DRAY: Yes, absolutely.

KAGAN: And for these penguins, Pete and Penny. Thank you two for being such good guests. Really, such a big thrill. T.J. Dray from Sea World. And once again, the documentary coming out next week, "March of the Penguins." Thank you.

DRAY: Thank you.

KAGAN: And stay with us. It's going to be hard to top penguins, but we will have a quick check of the morning forecast coming up.

Plus, President Bush set to speak from the White House a few minutes from now with leaders of five African nations. We're going to bring that to you live when it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We are standing by. President Bush expected to meet with the leaders of five African nations. Coming up, Africa in the news quite a bit. When that begins, you will see that live right here live on CNN.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: And once again, we're standing by waiting for this event to happen at the White House with President Bush and the leaders of five African nations. As we do that, the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News." Democracy and debt relief among the highlights of a meeting between President Bush and the leaders of the five African nations visiting today. Economic development and the fight against AIDS are also part of the agenda. A live report from the White House is just ahead.

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 June 13, 2005 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A ruling reported from the Supreme Court moments ago on an appeal from Jose Padilla. He is a U.S. citizen held for three years as an enemy combatant. The High Court rejected Padilla's request for an immediate decision on his detention. Padilla have to wait for a lower court to rule on that first.
A Republican lawmaker From North Carolina says the U.S. must start planning its exit from Iraq. Congressman Walter Jones tells ABC U.S. troops have done about as much as they can there. Jones is joining others, introducing legislation this week, calling for a timetable to withdraw troops. President Bush has said any timetable would encourage insurgents to delay major attacks.

Jurors in the Michael Jackson trial resume deliberations an hour from now. The jury has hey met for more than 24 hours over six days. Sources close to the case say jurors asked to have portions of Jackson's accuser's testimony read back to them. Jackson is charged with molesting a young boy. The pop star says he is innocent.

Going back forty-one years for this next story. This is 41 years after the killing of three young Freedom Riders ignited outrage and breathed new life into the civil rights movement. That case returns to court today. The first trial inspired the 1988 film "Mississippi Burning" that ended with the acquittal of Edgar Ray Killen. Jury selection begins this hour in the new trial of the 80-year-old reputed Klansman.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Philadelphia, Mississippi, a city still haunted by its past.

Good morning.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Before the jury selection even started this morning, a bizarre scene unfolding in front of the courthouse as Edgar Ray Killen arrived here this morning. He was greeted at his car by a man who identified himself as being a member of the Ku Klux Klan. When we asked Killen's attorney about it, he came out and said that it was a complete lie, that this man was with the Klan. The problem is the man handed a reporter his business card, and it had the Klan logo all over it. So that kind of sets the scene here for what is going on here in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where, as you mentioned, Daryn, digging up the ghosts of the past.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LAVANDERA (voice-over): It's a chapter of the civil rights struggle that remains incomplete and still haunts Philadelphia, Mississippi. It was the 1964 Summer of Freedom. Idealistic young people from around the country had come to the South to register black voters. At the center of command among those freedom writers, as they were called, were three young men. Two white, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and one black, James Chaney. It was June 21st. The three men were heading down the Mississippi back roads to investigate a recently torched church. The FBI says, after beating several church members, Ku Klux Klan members set fire to the church, leaving it a charred ruin.

But before they reached the church, the group was pulled off the road by local police. Arrested for speeding, they were tossed into the Neshoba County jail. Prosecutors say, while the three sat in jail, a gang of about 20 Klan members put a plan in motion to kill them. Accused of leading the effort, part time Baptist preacher Edgar Ray Killen. Some hours later, the three young civil rights workers were released from jail and drove away in their station wagon. Right behind them were two carloads of Klan members.

After a long chase, the mob forced them off the road. Taken from their cars, the three were killed, shot dead at close range, Schwerner, then Goodman, then Chaney. A bulldozer was brought in to bury them. The bodies disappeared. The state of Mississippi never charged any of the culprits with murder. There was no federal murder charge back then. So instead, the men were brought up on civil rights violations, with only seven serving minimal prison sentences.

The man considered to be one of the key instigators, Edgar Ray Killen, walked free, an 11-1 hung jury verdict. Although the jury was all white, there was one holdout, who said at the time she could never convict a preacher.

Killen left the courtroom that day a free man, but for more than 30 years, groups of civil rights activists, politicians and journalists refused to accept that ruling as the last word. Killen's murder case is the latest in a series of civil rights cases that have been rekindled, looking to right the wrongs of the past.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: Edgar Ray Killen is now 80 years old. He's in court today. His friends and supporters say that he's too frail and weak to even go through this kind of trial, but like it or not, it does continue -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Lavandera, live from Philadelphia, Mississippi. Thank you, Ed.

An even older lynching, also rooted in racism, surfaces today on Capitol Hill. Back in 1960, several hundred residents of Abigail, South Carolina killed Anthony Crawford. He was a local black farmer. His offense? He'd accused a white buyer of paying him less for his cotton crop than white farmers earned. Today the U.S. Senate is expected to issue a formal apology to his great-great granddaughter and others for failing to pass the anti-lynching resolutions introduced in the decades that followed.

Let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast this morning.

Later today, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will call for a special election in November. He wants voters to weigh in on a trio of reform proposals. One would makes teachers work five years for tenure. One effects legislative districts, and another the state spending cap. Critics oppose the special election and its $80 million price tag.

Also today a hearing is scheduled on a petition to recall Spokane Mayor James West. He's been embroiled in a gay sex scandal, alleging that he abused his office. West says he did not break the law. A superior court judge will decide whether the recall charges are legally and factually sound.

Firefighters in Philadelphia say that burglar bars on the windows of this row house prevented crews from rescuing the crews who were trapped inside. There siblings and two cousins died in the Sunday morning blaze. The victims ages ranged from six months to six years old. Two adults did escape. The cause of that fire is under investigation.

Jurors in the Michael Jackson trial return to deliberations next hour, and as the second full week looms, so does the scrutiny.

CNN's Chris Lawrence has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Michael Jackson's fans had their way, jurors would have needed six minutes to deliberate, not the six days it's taken so far. But the jury has to consider what 141 witnesses said and try to come to a unanimous decision on all 10 counts.

Sources tell CNN they passed several questions to the judge on Friday and asked to have portions of the teenaged accuser's testimony read back to them. The attorneys also had three meetings with the judge.

DEBRA OPRI, JACKSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: It could mean anything. Nine days to acquit Robert Blake, so many hours to convict someone else.

LAWRENCE: Prosecutors accuse Jackson of sexually molesting a 13- year-old cancer survivor, giving the boy alcohol and conspiring to keep him and his family captive. Jackson denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. In deciding who they believe, jurors have had about 28 hours of deliberation so far.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they took two weeks, if they took three days, I would trust in it, because they're the ones that have been sitting in there every day.

LAWRENCE: The first full week is over, a second about to begin.

(on camera): And those jurors are being guided by nearly 100 pages of jury instructions. It's a lot of very detailed legal jargon, but the judge wanted to cover all his bases to lessen the chances of any appeal.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Santa Maria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Stay with us. Less than an hour from now, we're going to go back to Santa Maria as the jury deliberations continue.

A check of the markets is ahead.

Plus, are you engrossed by the gross? Then you're going want to stay tuned to see what CNN.com can offer you. A quick lesson in grossology.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For 20 days and 20 nights, the amplar (ph) penguin will march to a place so extreme it supports no other life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: OK, the only thing better than those pictures? Getting to see penguins live and in person. I'm getting that chance. The penguins are coming. We're going to look at one of the most mysterious animals on Earth, the penguin. There's a new movie explaining their bizarre behavior. And we're going to have an expert telling you all about it, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, here's something you rarely see in the warm-weather months, falling gas prices. The latest Lundberg survey says the national average is $2.16 a gallon. The national average for self- serve regular, $2.13. Those prices higher than the same time last year. But now here's the good news, prices at the pump have fallen 16 cents gallon since April. An industry analysts predicts prices will keep dropping, although at a slower pace.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Look who just came in the studio here. That's Pete and Penny. Hopefully they won't go far away, and hopefully they like our set.

Yes. No, you don't want it look underneath that chair. There's some scary things under there.

Susan, don't go far. And hopefully Pete and Penny won't either. We'll be talking with them and some folks from Sea World coming up. Meanwhile, though, some fields combine art and science, and one science introduces us to a whole new field called grossology. It's not mindless primetime entertainment. Instead it's aimed at engaging young minds in some of the, well, grosser aspects of science.

Here's CNN's Veronica De La Cruz from our dot-com desk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day, the human body produces enough to fill a quart-sized mayonnaise jar. That's pretty gross, right? At CNN.com/science, learn about grossology, the impolite science of the human body. It's a traveling exhibit for kids based on a series of books using their favorite gross subjects to interest them in science. The hands-on exhibit is a cross between an arcade and a jungle gym, and features different stations that let kids spin, shoot, climb, squeeze and smell all the gross thing the human body does.

Click through this interactive gallery to see kids learn how scabs, zits and blisters form by climbing the skin wall. See how many gross things you know about the body by testing your grossology I.Q. For example, where does the smell of onion and garlic breath come from? The lungs, mouth, stomach or tongue? You can log on and find out. And check the fact box for the grossology tour schedule, to find out when this grosser than gross exhibit is headed to a town near you. Hope I haven't ruined your appetite.

From the dot-com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: My next guest, so excited about being on CNN, put on their tuxedos. The penguins, they're coming. Actually I'm going to go over and talk to them. We're not just talking with the live penguins there. There's a brand new documentary coming out on the strange the creatures. But we'll have an expert with the two live penguins, who explain all this to you. You're going to want to stick around for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have wings, but cannot fly. They're birds that think they're fish. And every year they embark on a nearly impossible journey to find a mate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: It a tale of a perilous journey that's being brought to the movies for the first time. It's called the March of the Penguins. It opens this month. It follows the annual winter migration of the emperor penguins. It's bitterly cold weather -- look at this. Look who I have. I'm so happy. This is Pete. We're going to talk about Pete here and the incredible things that penguins go through just to basically reproduce.

THEODORE DRAY, AVICULTURIST: Yes.

T.J. Dray of Sea World of Orlando, here with us today. This is Pete. And you have penny.

DRAY: I have Penny, yes.

KAGAN: You were explaining to me in the break, the woman's larger?

DRAY: Yes, well, in this case. Typically...

KAGAN: They want to get down.

DRAY: Yes. Well, we can put them on the floor.

KAGAN: We'll probably go down there, too.

DRAY: This is a Magellanic penguin. It's one of the temperate species of penguin. They're from along the coastline of South America.

KAGAN: They're the penguin wranglers, so they don't -- they're just looking around.

DRAY: Walk around the studio a little bit?

KAGAN: So these aren't the ones in the movie?

DRAY: No, no, no. They can live in much warmer conditions. Air temperature is typically about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

KAGAN: I'll go get him. You keep talking.

DRAY: And the -- the difference is that they have ice cold water, and that's where they go to be able to cool down and find their food.

KAGAN: And the incredible -- the thing about the movie is that the Emperor penguins -- see, they're happier over on the -- come on, guys!

DRAY: Who do we have?

KAGAN: Hey -- oh, that's...

DRAY: There you go.

KAGAN: Pete likes to go where Penny is. Or Penny likes to go where Pete is? I think they like the dark floor better. Well, we'll let them walk around.

DRAY: They're having a good time.

KAGAN: You know, our home is their home. But important to bring the story of penguins to the world, I guess and so...

DRAY: Absolutely. It's -- penguins are so phenomenal. They go through so many different hardships. And really most people don't really realize what penguins go through. Just being able to raise their eggs and raise their young to adulthood, sometimes it's so difficult, it's just -- you know.

KAGAN: The -- you brought these penguins because these can go in warm weather. The Emperor penguins wouldn't be happy here under a hot light?

DRAY: Correct. Yes. Like I said, this particular species can go all the way up to about 70 degrees, as far as air temperatures go. Emperor penguins, typically starting at about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes their air temperature goes all the way down to 60 below zero, so...

KAGAN: Should we go get him? OK, you go. Come on back.

DRAY: That's really funny.

KAGAN: That's OK. We're used to live television. I got to tell you, we've had a lot of movie stars and things here. No one's been as excited as to see the live penguins. So part of what they do is the mating. But also, the division of labor in the parenting I think is really interesting?

DRAY: Absolutely, yes. Most -- there are 17 species of penguins. They're all found south of the equator. Typically, penguins will -- all the smaller species, they will take care of them. The male and female will take turns taking care of the egg. Emperor is unique because, it's -- basically, it's the male's job. He takes care of that egg and he will incubate that egg for about 64 days. Dealing with the katabatic winds, which are just the intense winds that pick up speed if they travel across the glaciers and the ice. And ice cold temperatures, complete darkness. Amazing stuff they have to go through.

KAGAN: And you know, I got to tell you, I'm getting the biggest kick. I'm an animal lover. Anybody who watches knows that. I'm getting the biggest kick out of having them here. But what about people who say, oh, what are you doing with these poor penguins? They should be out in their natural habitat.

DRAY: Well, I'm from Sea World of Orlando. We -- there are 23 keepers that take care of all the birds in the park. I can tell you, we do our very best to give them the best life possible. Their exhibits that they live in there are phenomenal.

KAGAN: So they're on tour. But when they go home, they've got some pretty nice digs?

DRAY: Oh yes, absolutely. Oh, yes, they definitely do.

KAGAN: And so you are what's called an aviculturist?

DRAY: Yes. Yes.

KAGAN: Which means you get to hang out with birds.

DRAY: An aviculturist. That's -- I've been doing it seven years now and I work with all the birds in the park. Currently, I'm taking care of mostly the Puffins, but still get to hang out with the penguins every day.

KAGAN: Just to (INAUDIBLE). Well, how cool that you can grow up and have a job...

DRAY: Yes. It's what I wanted to do since I was five years old.

KAGAN: Well, that's good. Dreams come true, for you.

DRAY: Yes, absolutely.

KAGAN: And for these penguins, Pete and Penny. Thank you two for being such good guests. Really, such a big thrill. T.J. Dray from Sea World. And once again, the documentary coming out next week, "March of the Penguins." Thank you.

DRAY: Thank you.

KAGAN: And stay with us. It's going to be hard to top penguins, but we will have a quick check of the morning forecast coming up.

Plus, President Bush set to speak from the White House a few minutes from now with leaders of five African nations. We're going to bring that to you live when it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We are standing by. President Bush expected to meet with the leaders of five African nations. Coming up, Africa in the news quite a bit. When that begins, you will see that live right here live on CNN.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: And once again, we're standing by waiting for this event to happen at the White House with President Bush and the leaders of five African nations. As we do that, the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News." Democracy and debt relief among the highlights of a meeting between President Bush and the leaders of the five African nations visiting today. Economic development and the fight against AIDS are also part of the agenda. A live report from the White House is just ahead.

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