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American Morning
A Life or Death Decision; New Details in Murder of Jessica Lunsford
Aired March 21, 2003 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A life or death decision. The fate of Terri Schiavo in the hands of a federal judge this morning. While in Washington...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we do not act, she will die of thirst.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The battle brings members of Congress rushing back to the Capitol for a remarkable debate.
And new details in a murder that shocked the nation. What really happened to little Jessica Lunsford on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone.
Good to have you here.
8:00 in the morning here in New York.
Important developments in the Terri Schiavo matter from Washington down to Florida. The Justice Department taking the matter to a federal court today, deciding whether or not to reconnect Schiavo's feeding tube. We'll look at that today and also talk to Sanjay in a moment about the medical side of this. That's coming up.
O'BRIEN: On a much lighter note, a newspaper lottery that went terribly wrong. Now, thousands of readers are having their hopes absolutely crushed. This after a misprint. We're going to take a look at whether the paper should be forced to pay for its mistake.
HEMMER: Interesting story there.
Also, Jack is back with us.
What's up in "The File?"
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," a chewing gum that can lift more than your spirits. A myth is exploded when it comes to kids' breakfast cereals. And a 5-year-old girl, 5 years old, arrested, cuffed and tossed into a police cruiser. Wait until you hear what she did.
HEMMER: Can't wait.
O'BRIEN: A hint?
HEMMER: Thanks, Jack, for that.
CAFFERTY: No hints. Hints cost extra. Got any money?
O'BRIEN: Yes, I'll pay you.
Thanks, Jack.
HEMMER: To the headlines now.
Here's Carol Costello with us -- good morning, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
President Bush on the road after rushing back to Washington to sign the Terri Schiavo law. The president set to travel any minute now from the White House to Arizona. It's part of his 60 cities and 60 days campaign for Social Security reform. The tour is to drum up support for personal savings accounts. The president will then head to Colorado and New Mexico. He'll do that later today.
A CNN "Security Watch," the U.S. Supreme Court may decide as early as today whether to accept a case involving Zacarias Moussaoui. He's the only person charged in connection with the 9/11 conspiracy. The defense wants the court to review a question on access to witnesses.
And there is word Chief Justice William Rehnquist may be back for today's session. As you know, he's been ailing with thyroid cancer since the fall.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Michael Jackson set to be back in court just hours now, as well. Prosecutors are expected to focus on whether the accuser was held at Neverland Ranch against his will. The question of possible past sexual misconduct by Jackson looms over the trial, but that won't be decided until next week
And strong aftershocks in southern Japan one day after a magnitude seven earthquake. The tremors killed at least one person and injured more than 200 others. Nearly 3,000 people are in shelters this morning, their homes on the verge of collapse or threatened by landslides. Power and water service have mostly been restored to the affected areas. So at least that's some positive news, but not much.
HEMMER: And a lot of concern, too, about the possibility of a tsunami. Luckily, that did not happen either so -- Carol, thank you. At this hour, there's a federal judge deciding Terri Schiavo's fate. If he rules her feeding tube must be reinserted, she will then be taken from the Florida hospice to a hospital. Medically, there are countless questions about her health.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now for a look at that from the CNN Center -- Sanjay, good morning to you.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
HEMMER: The first question, what happens with Terri Schiavo when that feeding tube is removed?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's pretty simple. I want to show you, actually, Bill, a feeding tube -- maybe actually looking at it gives you a better sense of what we're talking about here. It's just a simple sort of catheter. I have my little model here to show you when a feeding tube is put in, basically it's just basically put right through the skin and into the stomach. And it sits there and then through this little catheter here, nutrition is given.
When it's taken out, it's actually physically removed from the body and she is no longer getting any nutrition, is my understanding. She is no longer getting any hydration, as well.
So those are the big concerns, then, when someone has their feeding tube removed -- Bill.
HEMMER: Is -- if that's the case -- does she effectively starve to death, if that's the case?
GUPTA: Yes, you know, the bigger concern, really, is dehydration, even more so than lack of nutrition. So she, you know, in a way, sort of it's a lack of fluids that would ultimately lead to her demise more quickly than the lack of calories.
HEMMER: How long could that last? Are we talking days or weeks or more than that?
GUPTA: Most likely days, maybe 10 to 14 days, so a couple of weeks at the most. Typically, you know, there's a little bit of past knowledge when it comes to Terri in particular. In October of 2003, she was in the same situation. I'm sure you remember it well. At that point, the feeding tube was out for six and a half days, subsequently put back in. She obviously survived that. We're on day three now -- Bill.
HEMMER: Long-term effects? What could they be for her?
GUPTA: Well, the biggest concern is what happens when someone loses significant hydration? They develop chemical imbalances in their blood and that can subsequently cause heart failure.
Why do they develop those chemical imbalances is because usually the kidneys have stopped functioning, as well. So those long-term effects. Let's say she goes a few more days and subsequently has a feeding tube put in. She survives, but she may have significant damage to her kidneys, which is obviously difficult to take care of.
HEMMER: This feeding tube, this is life support for her then, right?
GUPTA: Yes, I would call it life support. I mean she couldn't get by without it at this point.
HEMMER: Thank you, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Thank you.
HEMMER: A lot more questions this morning as we roll again through this story.
Many overnight developments in this case.
Capping off a weekend of tense political debate, President Bush returned to the White House on Sunday from his vacation in Crawford, Texas signing the bill into law about 1:30 a.m. Eastern time today, only a short time after it was passed by the House in emergency session. The Senate had passed its version of the bill earlier on Sunday.
Now, the new law has paved the way for Schiavo's parents. Overnight, they filed suit in federal court in Tampa, Florida asking a judge to hear their case. And if heard, that judge would decide whether or not the feeding tube is put back in while the case continues.
Lawyers for the Justice Department have also filed court documents in support of efforts to keep Schiavo alive.
To Capitol Hill now, where Ed Henry has had a very long night there -- Ed, in short, how did we get here?
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The president signed this into law, as you mentioned, shortly after 1:00 a.m., after an extraordinary emergency session of the House of Representatives. What a scene here in the Capitol. In one room just off the House floor, you had a cluster of lawmakers smoking cigars, literally sitting around waiting for the rest of their colleagues to rush in from the airport with luggage in hand to get here for the vote.
In another room just down the hall in the Capitol, you had Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Schiavo, waiting in another room, watching the vote on a television screen. And I can tell you, right after House passage, Tom DeLay walked into that room and embraced Bobby Schindler. There was applause, as well, as Republican staffers felt that they finally had achieved their goal. And that House passage came after a very emotional debate on the House floor, three hours of debate in which Republicans like DeLay said they were just pushing for the sanctity of life. But Democrats said this was all about politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: The legal and political issues may be complicated, but the moral ones are not. A young woman in Florida is being dehydrated and starved to death.
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: This is demagoguery. This is a step in where we have no business. This is walking where the angels fear to tread. We are playing with a young woman's life for the sake of politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Despite some of the celebration in the Capitol last night that I mentioned when Bobby Schindler hugged Tom DeLay, DeLay himself, a couple of minutes earlier in the hallway, told me he's very worried that despite all of the legal and political maneuvering, the judge still may not get that feeding tube in time to Terri Schiavo to save her life -- Bill.
HEMMER: I might need a lawyer to answer this next question. Give it a shot here.
What's the constitution say about what Congress has done -- Ed?
HENRY: Well, Tom DeLay says flatly, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, Congress can step in here and save this woman's life. But Democrats like John Lewis say this really is about politics and that Congress, the federal government has no role in this and that, in fact, Congress is now setting a very dangerous precedent for other cases just like this -- Bill.
HEMMER: Ed Henry on Capitol Hill.
Ed, thanks for that.
Here's Soledad now.
O'BRIEN: Some new details in the case of Jessica Lunsford, including evidence that the 9-year-old girl was sexually assaulted before she was killed.
We've got more now from CNN's Sara Dorsey.
She's in Homosassa Springs in Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sources tell CNN it appears John Couey walked into the Lunsford home, made his way into Jessica's bedroom, put his hand over her mouth, told her to be quiet and then forced her out of the house.
SHERIFF JEFF DAWSY, CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA: There is evidence through the M.E. of a sexual assault.
DORSEY: Sources say it appears Jessica was not killed immediately. Couey might have held her hostage more than a day, possibly two. Investigators say because of Couey's drug haze, "His time lines are all over the place."
Couey, the alleged killer, sits in jail just one town away. He made his first court appearance handcuffed and shackled Sunday morning in front of Circuit Court Judge Stephen Spivey on unrelated charges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, sir, do you have any questions of the court this morning?
JOHN COUEY: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
DORSEY: Citrus County Sheriff's officials say charges in the Lunsford case are coming.
Jessica's dad wants to see Couey gone for good.
MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA'S FATHER: I hope you rot in hell and I hope you get the death penalty. And I hope you can find it somewhere in you to be a man and stand up and take your punishment.
DORSEY: John Couey was extradited overnight from Georgia, where he alleged confessed to killing Jessica and told investigators where her body was buried.
Those that knew Jessica, and some who only knew her unfortunate story, packed into Faith Baptist Church, Jessica's church, to try to find some comfort after such a senseless crime.
RITA SODERBERG, CHURCH MEMBER: We're all thankful she's in heaven now. We're happy about that. It's just sad how, the road that she took to get there.
DORSEY: The crime scene tape still visible from the Lunsfords' front door, a reminder of a three week search that came to a horrible end.
Sarah Dorsey, CNN, Homosassa Springs, Florida.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: The suspect, John Couey, has a criminal history that spans more than 30 years and includes at least two dozen arrests.
HEMMER: Wow!
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: Eleven minutes past the hour.
Back to Chad Myers now at the CNN Center.
What are you watching today?
Chad -- good morning there.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, no airport delays we're watching right now, so far, at least, Bill, although low ceilings in New York City. Also low ceilings in Atlanta. That's never a good sign for that busy airport there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: A judge is expected to decide if Terri Schiavo's feeding tube should be reinserted. We are following the very latest developments in this controversial right to die case.
HEMMER: Also, gas prices going through the roof again. $57 a barrel. Your car could be your worst enemy, too. We'll learn the simple changes that could save you at the pump.
O'BRIEN: Plus, what if you thought you had a winning lottery ticket only to find out there was a typo? That story is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Listen to this. The average price for a gallon of gas has shot up nearly $0.13 in the last two weeks. That's about $0.01 a day. According to the Trilby Lundberg Survey, the average price of self-serve gasoline, regular gasoline, is at a record $2.10 a gallon. That exceeds the previous high of $2.07, which was set last May.
Drivers in Honolulu are paying the most, $2.34 a gallon. Newark, New Jersey has the lowest price, just $1.91.
Well, what's a driver to do?
Automotive editor Rik Paul from "Consumer Reports" is with us this morning with some advice.
Good morning.
Nice to see you.
RIK PAUL, AUTOMOTIVE EDITOR, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Gas prices obviously, they're not going down. They're only going up. So I guess we should talk about ways to save money in other places. You've got some tips and I want to run through them.
PAUL: Sure.
O'BRIEN: First, you say don't let your engine idle and do not warm up your car. Isn't the whole point of idling it to get the car ready to go, make it more efficient?
PAUL: Yes, well, when you're idling, you're getting zero miles per gallon. So keep that in mind. Now, a lot of us were taught when we were learning to drive to let it idle for a couple of minutes in the morning before we drive it. That's not necessary with today's cars. To get the optimum fuel economy, get in, start it and start driving, because that warms up the engine more quickly.
O'BRIEN: How about this advice, drive smoothly and steadily?
PAUL: Yes, avoid hard acceleration or hard breaking, if you can. You know, baby your car. Accelerate more slowly and try to anticipate your stops so you're not jamming on the brakes.
O'BRIEN: Why does that waste gas?
PAUL: Well, because the steadier you can drive, the better the fuel efficiency. Like if you're on the highway, get up to a steady speed, maintain that speed and stay under 60 miles per hour, if you can.
O'BRIEN: All right, this piece of advice, overcoming aerodynamic drag. I feel like I need a Ph.D. to understand what that means.
PAUL: Aerodynamic drag is basically air resistance. At highway speeds, an engine really uses about 50 percent of its power just to overcome...
O'BRIEN: So take the stuff off the top of your car.
PAUL: Yes -- just to overcome the air resistance you're driving through. So don't add to that disturbance by putting stuff on top of your car. Even an empty ski rack wastes fuel.
O'BRIEN: Regular fuel is what you should be buying. I thought premium would make your car more efficient and be better for you. That's why you pay the extra money.
PAUL: Most cars are designed to run just fine on regular fuel. Premium does not make them run any better. If you look in your owner's manual, if your car is designed to run on regular fuel, don't buy premium. You're just using money you don't have to spend.
O'BRIEN: I've heard this advice before -- keep your tires properly inflated. Make sure you get regular maintenance.
But why does all of that impact the fuel efficiency of your vehicle?
PAUL: Well, under inflated tires take more energy to roll, so you're using more gas. And engines not running efficiently are also using more gas. Make sure you have your maintenance done on schedule, you know, and keep the engine running good. O'BRIEN: There are certain things that they'll advertise that are supposed to make your car more fuel efficient like Fuel Genie is one of them.
First of all, what are those things exactly and do they really work?
PAUL: These are add-on devices that you put on your car. They advertise that they increase fuel efficiency and performance. We tested three, the Fuel Genie, the Tornado and the Platinum Gas Saver. They all range from about $80 to $100. And in all of our tests, none of them increased fuel efficiency or performance significantly. Don't waste your money.
O'BRIEN: They're not worth the $80 or $100 that you spending in the first place.
PAUL: No, not at all. No.
O'BRIEN: If you're in a position where you're about to buy a car anyway, a new car anyway, what do you recommend as, you know, for people who are now thinking, you know what, if I'm going to buy something new, I might as well get something fuel efficient.
PAUL: Well, if you're -- if fuel efficiency is really a priority, the top ones that we've tested is the Honda Insight. That got 51 miles per gallon. That's a little two-seater. It's a good commuter, but not real practical for a lot of situations. The Toyota Prius got 44 miles per gallon overall. That's much more practical. It's a five-seater. And for a conventional gasoline engine, those two are hybrids. For a gas, a conventional gasoline engine, the Toyota Echo with a manual transmission got 38 miles per gallon.
O'BRIEN: So there are lots of things you can do if you're going to try to save some bucks, because you're not going to save at the pump.
PAUL: It all adds up. It all helps.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it sure does.
Rik Paul, nice to see you, from "Consumer Reports."
PAUL: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: We sure do appreciate it.
Tomorrow, Rik's going to tell us about new high tech systems and the hybrids that help make cars more fuel efficient. For more information, you can go to "Consumer Reports'" Web site. That's www.consumerreports.org -- Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, sometimes you cannot believe everything you read. A tough lesson learned by some very disappointed lottery players.
This story in a minute here, as we continue on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Among the most popular stories running on our Web site right now at cnn.com, this rumor that Demi Moore is pregnant. Telling "People" magazine it's just a rumor, she says. Did not flat out deny it, though. Neither did her boyfriend, Ashton Kutcher. When he was asked about it, he joked, "Why am I the last person to find out everything?"
Moore has three daughters with her ex-husband, Bruce Willis. She's 42. He, Kutcher, is 27.
O'BRIEN: You go, girl.
HEMMER: Cnn.com.
O'BRIEN: You know?
HEMMER: I'm talking about she's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) girl.
O'BRIEN: Fourth kid at 42, god bless her.
HEMMER: A difference of 15 years.
O'BRIEN: Whatever.
Hey, Jack, good morning.
CAFFERTY: Is Ashton Kutcher younger than her other children?
O'BRIEN: No.
HEMMER: No.
CAFFERTY: Oh.
O'BRIEN: They're not. I think her oldest is like 15.
CAFFERTY: It's just a question.
Congress passed a bill early this morning transferring jurisdiction of the Terri Schiavo case to a U.S. district court for a federal judge to review. This after 19 judges in six state courts over seven years had reviewed this case. Nevertheless, Congress said oh, we've got to get involved in this.
Now, this follows Thursday's round up of major league baseball players for those steroid hearings.
Here's the question -- should Congress be dealing with Schiavo and steroids when there's a war in Iraq and a record deficit?
A guy named Jack writes: "Blame only yourselves, CNN. The only reason Congressional Republicans are interested in this matter of Florida law is because they knew the media would sensationalize things."
Martha writes from Florida: "It's unfortunate the White House and neo-conservatives have chosen to use Terri Schiavo as a political football during this difficult time for her family. Their only interest in her plight is pushing through their anti-abortion platform."
Travis writes this: "It's not all about politics, Jack. Ultimately, Congress is to be commended for their heroic action to try to save this woman's life."
And Brian writes from Toronto: "Jack, you are altogether too cynical about the political aspects of the Terri Schiavo case. If Congressional Republicans were really intent on energizing their base, they would be burning witches."
HEMMER: Oh, up to Salem for that, huh, Jack? I'll tell you, it's a tragedy all the way around if you look at this family and what they've gone through for the past 15 years.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's a separate issue...
HEMMER: I mean the husband...
CAFFERTY: ... from whether the federal government belongs involved in this. I mean there's one issue about the family and the whole right to die thing. But there's also an issue about whether the Congress suddenly decides to get in the middle of this, usurp the rights of the state courts and order this thing into the hands of a federal judge. Somewhere in there there's a checks and balances thing. And I'm not sure Congress ain't on the wrong side of some of this.
Plus, isn't there something in the constitution about not legislating a law for a specific individual?
HEMMER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: I believe there is, if I'm not mistaken.
HEMMER: I do, too.
CAFFERTY: This, I mean come on. There's other stuff that has to be done. Yes, the Schiavo case is very sad. It's sad for her, it's sad for her husband, it's sad for -- but this isn't what the Congress ought to be doing.
O'BRIEN: And there are similar cases. I mean we're going to talk later this morning to an ethicist who I'm sure will tell us that he's been involved as an ethicist for a big medical community that, you know, happens a lot, that families don't all agree...
HEMMER: Sure.
CAFFERTY: Look what we're sitting here talking about, though. We're not talking about Social Security. We're not talking about the deficits.
O'BRIEN: Right.
CAFFERTY: We're not talking about the war, we're not talking about health care, we're talking about Terri Schiavo.
HEMMER: More to your point, apparently 10,000 people across this country sit in a vegetative state.
O'BRIEN: It is not an, you know, would you like legislation on each and every one of those 10,000 people?
CAFFERTY: Three hundred million people in this country are involved in the war in Iraq, are looking about Social Security, are having to pay down the deficits. Three hundred million of us are involved in those issues.
O'BRIEN: Are you getting lots of outrage in the e-mail?
CAFFERTY: It's, you know, comsi-comsa. Most people feel that this is not Congress' business.
The other thing is, they come into town in the middle of a weekend, they cancel their recess. Where were they when the 9/11 Commission report came out?
HEMMER: I know (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Jack...
O'BRIEN: Right.
CAFFERTY: It took them months.
HEMMER: 1:30 in the morning.
CAFFERTY: We might get to it next year was the first comment we heard.
O'BRIEN: Right.
CAFFERTY: I mean and all of a sudden they're...
O'BRIEN: It doesn't quite get to it. That's sad.
CAFFERTY: And all of a sudden they're here on Sunday night. And the president's flying back from Texas. Come on! Hello.
O'BRIEN: Somebody's outraged.
HEMMER: Comsi-comsa.
CAFFERTY: Well, it's just, you know...
O'BRIEN: Comsi-comsa.
CAFFERTY: ... it's just, yes, it's just.
O'BRIEN: I hear you.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
CAFFERTY: I'm sick. I'm tired. I've got a cold. I didn't sleep well.
O'BRIEN: Oh, I'm so sorry for you.
HEMMER: Tito, give me a tissue.
CAFFERTY: Can I have tomorrow off?
O'BRIEN: You know, I don't have the jurisdiction over that, but if it were up to me, yes, you could.
CAFFERTY: Can I have the rest of today off?
O'BRIEN: Because you're sick. I don't want you sitting next to me.
Thanks, Jack.
We are still, obviously, awaiting word from that federal judge in the Terri Schiavo case. Will the feeding tube be put back in for a third time? We're going to bring you live to the hospice where Terri is being cared for.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: In a moment here, Terri Schiavo's life now in the hands of a federal judge. Overnight, the emotional family matter became an extraordinary political fight. How did the politicians get involved and why? A perfect topic for Kamber and May, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 21, 2003 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A life or death decision. The fate of Terri Schiavo in the hands of a federal judge this morning. While in Washington...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we do not act, she will die of thirst.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The battle brings members of Congress rushing back to the Capitol for a remarkable debate.
And new details in a murder that shocked the nation. What really happened to little Jessica Lunsford on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone.
Good to have you here.
8:00 in the morning here in New York.
Important developments in the Terri Schiavo matter from Washington down to Florida. The Justice Department taking the matter to a federal court today, deciding whether or not to reconnect Schiavo's feeding tube. We'll look at that today and also talk to Sanjay in a moment about the medical side of this. That's coming up.
O'BRIEN: On a much lighter note, a newspaper lottery that went terribly wrong. Now, thousands of readers are having their hopes absolutely crushed. This after a misprint. We're going to take a look at whether the paper should be forced to pay for its mistake.
HEMMER: Interesting story there.
Also, Jack is back with us.
What's up in "The File?"
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," a chewing gum that can lift more than your spirits. A myth is exploded when it comes to kids' breakfast cereals. And a 5-year-old girl, 5 years old, arrested, cuffed and tossed into a police cruiser. Wait until you hear what she did.
HEMMER: Can't wait.
O'BRIEN: A hint?
HEMMER: Thanks, Jack, for that.
CAFFERTY: No hints. Hints cost extra. Got any money?
O'BRIEN: Yes, I'll pay you.
Thanks, Jack.
HEMMER: To the headlines now.
Here's Carol Costello with us -- good morning, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
President Bush on the road after rushing back to Washington to sign the Terri Schiavo law. The president set to travel any minute now from the White House to Arizona. It's part of his 60 cities and 60 days campaign for Social Security reform. The tour is to drum up support for personal savings accounts. The president will then head to Colorado and New Mexico. He'll do that later today.
A CNN "Security Watch," the U.S. Supreme Court may decide as early as today whether to accept a case involving Zacarias Moussaoui. He's the only person charged in connection with the 9/11 conspiracy. The defense wants the court to review a question on access to witnesses.
And there is word Chief Justice William Rehnquist may be back for today's session. As you know, he's been ailing with thyroid cancer since the fall.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Michael Jackson set to be back in court just hours now, as well. Prosecutors are expected to focus on whether the accuser was held at Neverland Ranch against his will. The question of possible past sexual misconduct by Jackson looms over the trial, but that won't be decided until next week
And strong aftershocks in southern Japan one day after a magnitude seven earthquake. The tremors killed at least one person and injured more than 200 others. Nearly 3,000 people are in shelters this morning, their homes on the verge of collapse or threatened by landslides. Power and water service have mostly been restored to the affected areas. So at least that's some positive news, but not much.
HEMMER: And a lot of concern, too, about the possibility of a tsunami. Luckily, that did not happen either so -- Carol, thank you. At this hour, there's a federal judge deciding Terri Schiavo's fate. If he rules her feeding tube must be reinserted, she will then be taken from the Florida hospice to a hospital. Medically, there are countless questions about her health.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now for a look at that from the CNN Center -- Sanjay, good morning to you.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
HEMMER: The first question, what happens with Terri Schiavo when that feeding tube is removed?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's pretty simple. I want to show you, actually, Bill, a feeding tube -- maybe actually looking at it gives you a better sense of what we're talking about here. It's just a simple sort of catheter. I have my little model here to show you when a feeding tube is put in, basically it's just basically put right through the skin and into the stomach. And it sits there and then through this little catheter here, nutrition is given.
When it's taken out, it's actually physically removed from the body and she is no longer getting any nutrition, is my understanding. She is no longer getting any hydration, as well.
So those are the big concerns, then, when someone has their feeding tube removed -- Bill.
HEMMER: Is -- if that's the case -- does she effectively starve to death, if that's the case?
GUPTA: Yes, you know, the bigger concern, really, is dehydration, even more so than lack of nutrition. So she, you know, in a way, sort of it's a lack of fluids that would ultimately lead to her demise more quickly than the lack of calories.
HEMMER: How long could that last? Are we talking days or weeks or more than that?
GUPTA: Most likely days, maybe 10 to 14 days, so a couple of weeks at the most. Typically, you know, there's a little bit of past knowledge when it comes to Terri in particular. In October of 2003, she was in the same situation. I'm sure you remember it well. At that point, the feeding tube was out for six and a half days, subsequently put back in. She obviously survived that. We're on day three now -- Bill.
HEMMER: Long-term effects? What could they be for her?
GUPTA: Well, the biggest concern is what happens when someone loses significant hydration? They develop chemical imbalances in their blood and that can subsequently cause heart failure.
Why do they develop those chemical imbalances is because usually the kidneys have stopped functioning, as well. So those long-term effects. Let's say she goes a few more days and subsequently has a feeding tube put in. She survives, but she may have significant damage to her kidneys, which is obviously difficult to take care of.
HEMMER: This feeding tube, this is life support for her then, right?
GUPTA: Yes, I would call it life support. I mean she couldn't get by without it at this point.
HEMMER: Thank you, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Thank you.
HEMMER: A lot more questions this morning as we roll again through this story.
Many overnight developments in this case.
Capping off a weekend of tense political debate, President Bush returned to the White House on Sunday from his vacation in Crawford, Texas signing the bill into law about 1:30 a.m. Eastern time today, only a short time after it was passed by the House in emergency session. The Senate had passed its version of the bill earlier on Sunday.
Now, the new law has paved the way for Schiavo's parents. Overnight, they filed suit in federal court in Tampa, Florida asking a judge to hear their case. And if heard, that judge would decide whether or not the feeding tube is put back in while the case continues.
Lawyers for the Justice Department have also filed court documents in support of efforts to keep Schiavo alive.
To Capitol Hill now, where Ed Henry has had a very long night there -- Ed, in short, how did we get here?
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The president signed this into law, as you mentioned, shortly after 1:00 a.m., after an extraordinary emergency session of the House of Representatives. What a scene here in the Capitol. In one room just off the House floor, you had a cluster of lawmakers smoking cigars, literally sitting around waiting for the rest of their colleagues to rush in from the airport with luggage in hand to get here for the vote.
In another room just down the hall in the Capitol, you had Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Schiavo, waiting in another room, watching the vote on a television screen. And I can tell you, right after House passage, Tom DeLay walked into that room and embraced Bobby Schindler. There was applause, as well, as Republican staffers felt that they finally had achieved their goal. And that House passage came after a very emotional debate on the House floor, three hours of debate in which Republicans like DeLay said they were just pushing for the sanctity of life. But Democrats said this was all about politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: The legal and political issues may be complicated, but the moral ones are not. A young woman in Florida is being dehydrated and starved to death.
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: This is demagoguery. This is a step in where we have no business. This is walking where the angels fear to tread. We are playing with a young woman's life for the sake of politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Despite some of the celebration in the Capitol last night that I mentioned when Bobby Schindler hugged Tom DeLay, DeLay himself, a couple of minutes earlier in the hallway, told me he's very worried that despite all of the legal and political maneuvering, the judge still may not get that feeding tube in time to Terri Schiavo to save her life -- Bill.
HEMMER: I might need a lawyer to answer this next question. Give it a shot here.
What's the constitution say about what Congress has done -- Ed?
HENRY: Well, Tom DeLay says flatly, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, Congress can step in here and save this woman's life. But Democrats like John Lewis say this really is about politics and that Congress, the federal government has no role in this and that, in fact, Congress is now setting a very dangerous precedent for other cases just like this -- Bill.
HEMMER: Ed Henry on Capitol Hill.
Ed, thanks for that.
Here's Soledad now.
O'BRIEN: Some new details in the case of Jessica Lunsford, including evidence that the 9-year-old girl was sexually assaulted before she was killed.
We've got more now from CNN's Sara Dorsey.
She's in Homosassa Springs in Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sources tell CNN it appears John Couey walked into the Lunsford home, made his way into Jessica's bedroom, put his hand over her mouth, told her to be quiet and then forced her out of the house.
SHERIFF JEFF DAWSY, CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA: There is evidence through the M.E. of a sexual assault.
DORSEY: Sources say it appears Jessica was not killed immediately. Couey might have held her hostage more than a day, possibly two. Investigators say because of Couey's drug haze, "His time lines are all over the place."
Couey, the alleged killer, sits in jail just one town away. He made his first court appearance handcuffed and shackled Sunday morning in front of Circuit Court Judge Stephen Spivey on unrelated charges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, sir, do you have any questions of the court this morning?
JOHN COUEY: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
DORSEY: Citrus County Sheriff's officials say charges in the Lunsford case are coming.
Jessica's dad wants to see Couey gone for good.
MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA'S FATHER: I hope you rot in hell and I hope you get the death penalty. And I hope you can find it somewhere in you to be a man and stand up and take your punishment.
DORSEY: John Couey was extradited overnight from Georgia, where he alleged confessed to killing Jessica and told investigators where her body was buried.
Those that knew Jessica, and some who only knew her unfortunate story, packed into Faith Baptist Church, Jessica's church, to try to find some comfort after such a senseless crime.
RITA SODERBERG, CHURCH MEMBER: We're all thankful she's in heaven now. We're happy about that. It's just sad how, the road that she took to get there.
DORSEY: The crime scene tape still visible from the Lunsfords' front door, a reminder of a three week search that came to a horrible end.
Sarah Dorsey, CNN, Homosassa Springs, Florida.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: The suspect, John Couey, has a criminal history that spans more than 30 years and includes at least two dozen arrests.
HEMMER: Wow!
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: Eleven minutes past the hour.
Back to Chad Myers now at the CNN Center.
What are you watching today?
Chad -- good morning there.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, no airport delays we're watching right now, so far, at least, Bill, although low ceilings in New York City. Also low ceilings in Atlanta. That's never a good sign for that busy airport there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: A judge is expected to decide if Terri Schiavo's feeding tube should be reinserted. We are following the very latest developments in this controversial right to die case.
HEMMER: Also, gas prices going through the roof again. $57 a barrel. Your car could be your worst enemy, too. We'll learn the simple changes that could save you at the pump.
O'BRIEN: Plus, what if you thought you had a winning lottery ticket only to find out there was a typo? That story is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Listen to this. The average price for a gallon of gas has shot up nearly $0.13 in the last two weeks. That's about $0.01 a day. According to the Trilby Lundberg Survey, the average price of self-serve gasoline, regular gasoline, is at a record $2.10 a gallon. That exceeds the previous high of $2.07, which was set last May.
Drivers in Honolulu are paying the most, $2.34 a gallon. Newark, New Jersey has the lowest price, just $1.91.
Well, what's a driver to do?
Automotive editor Rik Paul from "Consumer Reports" is with us this morning with some advice.
Good morning.
Nice to see you.
RIK PAUL, AUTOMOTIVE EDITOR, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Gas prices obviously, they're not going down. They're only going up. So I guess we should talk about ways to save money in other places. You've got some tips and I want to run through them.
PAUL: Sure.
O'BRIEN: First, you say don't let your engine idle and do not warm up your car. Isn't the whole point of idling it to get the car ready to go, make it more efficient?
PAUL: Yes, well, when you're idling, you're getting zero miles per gallon. So keep that in mind. Now, a lot of us were taught when we were learning to drive to let it idle for a couple of minutes in the morning before we drive it. That's not necessary with today's cars. To get the optimum fuel economy, get in, start it and start driving, because that warms up the engine more quickly.
O'BRIEN: How about this advice, drive smoothly and steadily?
PAUL: Yes, avoid hard acceleration or hard breaking, if you can. You know, baby your car. Accelerate more slowly and try to anticipate your stops so you're not jamming on the brakes.
O'BRIEN: Why does that waste gas?
PAUL: Well, because the steadier you can drive, the better the fuel efficiency. Like if you're on the highway, get up to a steady speed, maintain that speed and stay under 60 miles per hour, if you can.
O'BRIEN: All right, this piece of advice, overcoming aerodynamic drag. I feel like I need a Ph.D. to understand what that means.
PAUL: Aerodynamic drag is basically air resistance. At highway speeds, an engine really uses about 50 percent of its power just to overcome...
O'BRIEN: So take the stuff off the top of your car.
PAUL: Yes -- just to overcome the air resistance you're driving through. So don't add to that disturbance by putting stuff on top of your car. Even an empty ski rack wastes fuel.
O'BRIEN: Regular fuel is what you should be buying. I thought premium would make your car more efficient and be better for you. That's why you pay the extra money.
PAUL: Most cars are designed to run just fine on regular fuel. Premium does not make them run any better. If you look in your owner's manual, if your car is designed to run on regular fuel, don't buy premium. You're just using money you don't have to spend.
O'BRIEN: I've heard this advice before -- keep your tires properly inflated. Make sure you get regular maintenance.
But why does all of that impact the fuel efficiency of your vehicle?
PAUL: Well, under inflated tires take more energy to roll, so you're using more gas. And engines not running efficiently are also using more gas. Make sure you have your maintenance done on schedule, you know, and keep the engine running good. O'BRIEN: There are certain things that they'll advertise that are supposed to make your car more fuel efficient like Fuel Genie is one of them.
First of all, what are those things exactly and do they really work?
PAUL: These are add-on devices that you put on your car. They advertise that they increase fuel efficiency and performance. We tested three, the Fuel Genie, the Tornado and the Platinum Gas Saver. They all range from about $80 to $100. And in all of our tests, none of them increased fuel efficiency or performance significantly. Don't waste your money.
O'BRIEN: They're not worth the $80 or $100 that you spending in the first place.
PAUL: No, not at all. No.
O'BRIEN: If you're in a position where you're about to buy a car anyway, a new car anyway, what do you recommend as, you know, for people who are now thinking, you know what, if I'm going to buy something new, I might as well get something fuel efficient.
PAUL: Well, if you're -- if fuel efficiency is really a priority, the top ones that we've tested is the Honda Insight. That got 51 miles per gallon. That's a little two-seater. It's a good commuter, but not real practical for a lot of situations. The Toyota Prius got 44 miles per gallon overall. That's much more practical. It's a five-seater. And for a conventional gasoline engine, those two are hybrids. For a gas, a conventional gasoline engine, the Toyota Echo with a manual transmission got 38 miles per gallon.
O'BRIEN: So there are lots of things you can do if you're going to try to save some bucks, because you're not going to save at the pump.
PAUL: It all adds up. It all helps.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it sure does.
Rik Paul, nice to see you, from "Consumer Reports."
PAUL: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: We sure do appreciate it.
Tomorrow, Rik's going to tell us about new high tech systems and the hybrids that help make cars more fuel efficient. For more information, you can go to "Consumer Reports'" Web site. That's www.consumerreports.org -- Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, sometimes you cannot believe everything you read. A tough lesson learned by some very disappointed lottery players.
This story in a minute here, as we continue on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Among the most popular stories running on our Web site right now at cnn.com, this rumor that Demi Moore is pregnant. Telling "People" magazine it's just a rumor, she says. Did not flat out deny it, though. Neither did her boyfriend, Ashton Kutcher. When he was asked about it, he joked, "Why am I the last person to find out everything?"
Moore has three daughters with her ex-husband, Bruce Willis. She's 42. He, Kutcher, is 27.
O'BRIEN: You go, girl.
HEMMER: Cnn.com.
O'BRIEN: You know?
HEMMER: I'm talking about she's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) girl.
O'BRIEN: Fourth kid at 42, god bless her.
HEMMER: A difference of 15 years.
O'BRIEN: Whatever.
Hey, Jack, good morning.
CAFFERTY: Is Ashton Kutcher younger than her other children?
O'BRIEN: No.
HEMMER: No.
CAFFERTY: Oh.
O'BRIEN: They're not. I think her oldest is like 15.
CAFFERTY: It's just a question.
Congress passed a bill early this morning transferring jurisdiction of the Terri Schiavo case to a U.S. district court for a federal judge to review. This after 19 judges in six state courts over seven years had reviewed this case. Nevertheless, Congress said oh, we've got to get involved in this.
Now, this follows Thursday's round up of major league baseball players for those steroid hearings.
Here's the question -- should Congress be dealing with Schiavo and steroids when there's a war in Iraq and a record deficit?
A guy named Jack writes: "Blame only yourselves, CNN. The only reason Congressional Republicans are interested in this matter of Florida law is because they knew the media would sensationalize things."
Martha writes from Florida: "It's unfortunate the White House and neo-conservatives have chosen to use Terri Schiavo as a political football during this difficult time for her family. Their only interest in her plight is pushing through their anti-abortion platform."
Travis writes this: "It's not all about politics, Jack. Ultimately, Congress is to be commended for their heroic action to try to save this woman's life."
And Brian writes from Toronto: "Jack, you are altogether too cynical about the political aspects of the Terri Schiavo case. If Congressional Republicans were really intent on energizing their base, they would be burning witches."
HEMMER: Oh, up to Salem for that, huh, Jack? I'll tell you, it's a tragedy all the way around if you look at this family and what they've gone through for the past 15 years.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's a separate issue...
HEMMER: I mean the husband...
CAFFERTY: ... from whether the federal government belongs involved in this. I mean there's one issue about the family and the whole right to die thing. But there's also an issue about whether the Congress suddenly decides to get in the middle of this, usurp the rights of the state courts and order this thing into the hands of a federal judge. Somewhere in there there's a checks and balances thing. And I'm not sure Congress ain't on the wrong side of some of this.
Plus, isn't there something in the constitution about not legislating a law for a specific individual?
HEMMER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: I believe there is, if I'm not mistaken.
HEMMER: I do, too.
CAFFERTY: This, I mean come on. There's other stuff that has to be done. Yes, the Schiavo case is very sad. It's sad for her, it's sad for her husband, it's sad for -- but this isn't what the Congress ought to be doing.
O'BRIEN: And there are similar cases. I mean we're going to talk later this morning to an ethicist who I'm sure will tell us that he's been involved as an ethicist for a big medical community that, you know, happens a lot, that families don't all agree...
HEMMER: Sure.
CAFFERTY: Look what we're sitting here talking about, though. We're not talking about Social Security. We're not talking about the deficits.
O'BRIEN: Right.
CAFFERTY: We're not talking about the war, we're not talking about health care, we're talking about Terri Schiavo.
HEMMER: More to your point, apparently 10,000 people across this country sit in a vegetative state.
O'BRIEN: It is not an, you know, would you like legislation on each and every one of those 10,000 people?
CAFFERTY: Three hundred million people in this country are involved in the war in Iraq, are looking about Social Security, are having to pay down the deficits. Three hundred million of us are involved in those issues.
O'BRIEN: Are you getting lots of outrage in the e-mail?
CAFFERTY: It's, you know, comsi-comsa. Most people feel that this is not Congress' business.
The other thing is, they come into town in the middle of a weekend, they cancel their recess. Where were they when the 9/11 Commission report came out?
HEMMER: I know (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Jack...
O'BRIEN: Right.
CAFFERTY: It took them months.
HEMMER: 1:30 in the morning.
CAFFERTY: We might get to it next year was the first comment we heard.
O'BRIEN: Right.
CAFFERTY: I mean and all of a sudden they're...
O'BRIEN: It doesn't quite get to it. That's sad.
CAFFERTY: And all of a sudden they're here on Sunday night. And the president's flying back from Texas. Come on! Hello.
O'BRIEN: Somebody's outraged.
HEMMER: Comsi-comsa.
CAFFERTY: Well, it's just, you know...
O'BRIEN: Comsi-comsa.
CAFFERTY: ... it's just, yes, it's just.
O'BRIEN: I hear you.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
CAFFERTY: I'm sick. I'm tired. I've got a cold. I didn't sleep well.
O'BRIEN: Oh, I'm so sorry for you.
HEMMER: Tito, give me a tissue.
CAFFERTY: Can I have tomorrow off?
O'BRIEN: You know, I don't have the jurisdiction over that, but if it were up to me, yes, you could.
CAFFERTY: Can I have the rest of today off?
O'BRIEN: Because you're sick. I don't want you sitting next to me.
Thanks, Jack.
We are still, obviously, awaiting word from that federal judge in the Terri Schiavo case. Will the feeding tube be put back in for a third time? We're going to bring you live to the hospice where Terri is being cared for.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: In a moment here, Terri Schiavo's life now in the hands of a federal judge. Overnight, the emotional family matter became an extraordinary political fight. How did the politicians get involved and why? A perfect topic for Kamber and May, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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