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American Morning
Michael Jackson Case; Beirut Bombing; Like Son, Like Father
Aired February 15, 2005 - 8:59 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Investigators in Beirut learning just how massive that bomb was 24 hours ago that killed the former prime minister. This morning, surveying the devastation from the center of that blast.
Michael Jackson's lawyers counting on star power as they name their witnesses for trial. But do Kobe Bryant, Jay Leno and others really have anything to say?
And Mary Kay Letourneau sent away for having sex with a sixth- grader. Now she will marry the man. Her friend from prison explains it all on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody.
Some of the stories making headlines this morning, jury selection still going strong in California in the Michael Jackson trial. Everybody, though, is talking about some of the names on the defense witness list. We'll take a look at just what the defense is trying to do with this strategy and whether the judge will go along with it or not.
HEMMER: Pretty interesting names, huh? My.
O'BRIEN: Big names.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Leno, Kobe Bryant. A guy who didn't even testify in his own trial.
HEMMER: Larry King.
O'BRIEN: Yes. What's going on?
HEMMER: Also, a story about things fathers do with their sons -- watch it, Jack. Not a game of catch in the yard, but in this case, a trip to Iraq. Marine Reservist Kendall and Chris Phelps our guests in a moment. Their deployment started with this sign: "Dad, wish you were here." And he followed.
We'll get to that.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty, good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Remember that story a couple weeks ago, there were $9 billion that were unaccounted for in money that was spent in Iraq? Remember that?
Nobody knows what happened to the $9 billion, but the president wants another $82 billion. He went to Congress yesterday and said, I need another supplemental to fight this war on terror. $300 billion is the price tag and counting for money that this country has parted with since the terrorists hit the trade center and the Pentagon.
Do you feel any safer? AM@CNN.com.
O'BRIEN: That's a good question. Jack, thank you.
Let's get right to our headlines this morning. Heidi Collins is sitting in for us.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. And good morning to you once again, everybody.
"Now in the News" this morning, convicted child molester and defrocked Priest Paul Shanley set to be sentenced next hour in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The 74-year-old Shanley could get a maximum sentence of life behind bars.
Some prison advocates are expressing concern that sending Shanley to jail will make him a target. Another figure in the clergy abuse scandal, John Geoghan, was killed in prison.
Police in the San Francisco Bay area are checking surveillance tapes today for clues about the so-called back hoe bank robber. The suspect apparently stole a back hoe from a construction site, then used it to rip an ATM machine in pieces, but ended up breaking into the side of a bank in Richmond, California. Police say the suspected thief made a mess but didn't get any of the cash.
And talk about cash, Boeing getting ready to roll out a new version of the 777 today. It is being billed as the world's largest, longest range commercial airplane. Boeing says the 777 200LR will be able to fly almost 11,000 miles nonstop. That, of course, means you can fly from London to Sydney, Australia, in just one trip. No refueling necessary.
HEMMER: Imagine the jet lag there, huh?
COLLINS: That's a long trip.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: Thanks, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi. Jury selection continues this morning in Michael Jackson's child molestation case. Prosecutors are wondering if potential jurors might be influenced by a witness list that reads like an awards show lineup.
Miguel Marquez live outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California.
Good morning, Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
Well, I have one little anecdote that might solve one of those questions. You know, Deepak Chopra is on the defense witness list. Mr. Jackson showed up on time yesterday and was wearing black and red and a gold sort of brocade. And, you know, Deepak Chopra on that list.
The prosecution asked one of the potential jurors yesterday whether he knew who Deepak Chopra was. And the guy said, "Well, wasn't he a rap star?" Everybody in the courtroom laughed, including Mr. Jackson.
Mr. Jackson was presented to jurors when he first came in. The judge had him stand up and present himself to jurors to find out if jurors knew him personally. None of them did.
He was engaged, laughed at what the jurors were talking about, was engaged in their stories as they told their stories, some of them very sad. At one point, one person told a story about her sister playing the song "ABC, 1, 2, 3" so many times that she was just sick of it and couldn't take it anymore. And Jackson laughed a belly laugh almost at that.
The witness list over 500 witnesses long between the defense and the prosecution's list. Just an enormous number of potential witnesses in this thing. On that defense witness list: Kobe Bryant, basketball star, of course; Diana Ross, a longtime Jackson friend; Elizabeth Taylor, Jackson friend; Steve Wonder; CBS' Ed Bradley who interviewed Jackson; CNN's own Larry King; Maury Povich, the talk show host; David Blaine, the magician; Jay Leno of "The Tonight Show"; and Tom Sneddon, the Santa Barbara district attorney who is trying this case.
Now, on the prosecution list there was some interesting choices as well. Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson' children, Prince Michael and Paris Jackson, and the '93 accuser and his entire family. Also on the prosecution list is Ben Brafman, Jackson's former lawyer, and Mark Geragos. Mark Geragos is also on the defense list.
What will happen today is that the questioning or the voir dire of the jurors will continue. Defense and the prosecution have 10 minutes with each juror. There are 112 jurors in the room, 12 of them in the jury box at a time. So they go through those 12 first, and then they'll start dismissing those jurors for cause throughout the day -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Miguel Marquez for us this morning. Miguel, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Overseas, Lebanon is shut down today in mourning for the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. And there is worldwide condemnation of the bombing that killed him, along with Syria's role in Lebanon. Hariri's political allies blame Syria and Lebanon's pro- Syrian government for his assassination.
CNN's Brent Sadler, our Beirut bureau chief, following developments at the site of yesterday's explosion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: The fallout from the political assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is still reverberating, not just here in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, but throughout the Middle East and far beyond. This is where the massive explosion took place.
If we just pan off to my right, you can see the size of the crater here, a massive hole that has given you some sort of idea of the scale of the blast that claimed the life of Mr. Hariri and at least nine others in his armored motorcade. One of his closest colleagues, a former minister, Bathal Flahan (ph), is in hospital abroad fighting for his life with over 97 percent burns as a result of the magnitude of the blast.
If I can give you some idea of the collateral damage around here, we'll pick our way through the debris. This on my left is the former renowned St. Georges Hotel. It still had not been rebuilt after the 15-year civil war that engulfed this country in the 1970s and 1980s. The blast was set off between the St. Georges Hotel and another empty building in the process of reconstruction.
Now, as we walk through the debris here, I can see Lebanese army soldiers. And now in the process of taking photographs of the blast site, looking at how this detonation was laid, how these explosives were set.
It is still unclear at this stage whether or not this was a car bomb, a suicide bombing or some sort of underground explosion. What we do know is that there were construction works going on in this area, and we do know from what the authorities are telling us on the ground that between 250 and 300 kilos, maybe about 700 pounds of explosives, were detonated in, we believe, a single blast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Again, Brent Sadler reporting on the scene there in Beirut -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's tell you the story of a father and a son. Maybe it was this picture that struck a nerve with Kendall Phelps. His son, Major Christopher Phelps, sent back this photo in 2003 during his first deployment in Iraq.
Ever since then the elder Phelps has been determined to join his son in Iraq. And yesterday I had a chance to talk with both father and son.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Let's begin with Master Gunnery Sergeant Phelps. You served in Vietnam. You spent 30 years in the Marine Corps Reserves. Why did you want to re-enlist?
MASTER SGT. KENDALL PHELPS, U.S. MARINES: Well, you know, it's something that's ingrained in you. I love the Marine Corps. I love being around Marines. I saw a need for the skills that I have, the training that I've done, and I wanted to be involved and do what I could do to help out in anyway possible that I could do something.
O'BRIEN: I know that's sort of similar what your son has said as well, Major Chris Phelps. You volunteered, you left the corporate world. Why did you decide to go into the military service?
MAJOR CHRISTOPHER PHELPS, U.S. MARINES: Simply put, working at my job in corporate America on 9/11, everything that I was doing that day really seemed inconsequential. I was a captain at the time in the Marine Corps Reserve, and I had the opportunity to go back on active duty and serve on the global war on terrorism, and I was excited, and patriotic and wanted to make a difference.
O'BRIEN: You sent your dad a photo as the story goes, back in 2003. And we're going to show a picture of that picture. And it said "Dad, wish you were here." And I assume you were just kidding when you wrote that. But your dad, the master gunnery sergeant, kind of took the ball and ran with it if you will, is that right?
K. PHELPS: Well, you might say that. I wanted to go -- be there holding that sign, too, but it didn't work out that way, and I was quite pleased and excited when I saw the sign. It was really unique.
O'BRIEN: Major, what does it mean to you to be able to serve not only with your dad, but to both be deployed to Iraq at the same time as well?
C. PHELPS: I'm excited about the opportunity to go back and see the great things that have been done in the last two years since I was there the first time, in Operation Iraqi Freedom one. I love my country. I love being a Marine. I love what I do. This is an opportunity with my father here, it's really kind of the icing on the cake.
O'BRIEN: Master sergeant, I'd be curious to know what you had to go through to get not only re-enlisted, but also to get in the same unit as your son's in.
K. PHELPS: Well, that's a unique story. And I -- the Marine Corps had a hotline if you were retired, or if you had been in the military maybe in the IRR, you could call and put your name on the list. I did that. I called. I called multiple times. I talked to former marines that I knew that were in position that they might know more than I knew to try to get myself in to the position that I could do something. And so it just worked out for the good for me, and I'm real excited about being here. I love being around these Marines. They make you full of life.
O'BRIEN: I know it's pretty unusual for family members to serve in the same unit. How is the family taking all of this?
C. PHELPS: Well, I mean, both of our families are strong, patriotic, military Marine families. They have a great support network, both within the Marine Corps community, called the Key Volunteer Network. They're getting daily calls, and in the communities we live in.
I grew up, and my father and mother still live in a very small community in the heartland in Kansas. People are calling daily, coming over in the evenings. I live in the suburbs of Kansas City, and just talked to my wife the other night and they're bringing meals over and calling. And friends have come down and installed a new dishwasher we purchased. So it's a great American community, and people are coming together and helping one another in these times of strife.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Major Chris Phelps deploying tomorrow morning. His father ships out the first week in March -- Bill.
HEMMER: A check of the weather. Here's Chad at the CNN Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: "SI," The swimsuit edition hit newsstands today. The cover went to Caroline Murphy, a 31-year-old native of Panama City in Florida. The first American to make the cover since 1999, Rebecca Romijn.
Athletes also posing in the magazine. This has become the tradition as of late. Mark McGwire with his wife Stephanie here. And Venus Williams, Jenny Finch (ph), Amanda Bear (ph) and Lauren Jackson are in there, too.
An American, though, back on the cover six years later, Carolyn Murphy. You'll se her today.
O'BRIEN: Good for her.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Look forward to that.
Well, Michael Jackson's not the only celebrity in legal trouble. Find out why Robert Blake had to leave the courtroom during his trial.
HEMMER: Also in a moment, do the flu shots really work? Some startling news coming out today about a new study, and this is being debated in medical circles. And we'll talk about it in a minute.
O'BRIEN: And Mary Kay Letourneau, remember her? She's ready now to marry the student that she had sex with back when he was just 12 years old. What does one of Letourneau's prison friends have to say? That story's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Robert Blake's defense begins today. Blake broke down in court yesterday when the prosecution played tapes of him talking about his daughter Rosie (ph). Blake's lawyers took him into the hallway, but his sobbing could still be heard in court.
The actor's on trial for murder. He is charged with shooting his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, back in 2001.
HEMMER: Mary Kay Letourneau, the former school teacher who served more than seven years in jail for having sex with a sixth- grader, plans to marry that student. He's now 22.
Letourneau and Vili Fualaau plan to wed on April 16, according to an online bridal registry. The two began seeing each other last year after a judge lifted a no contact ban barring them from doing so.
Christina Dress is a friend and former inmate of Letourneau's. She's also written a book called "Mass With Mary: The Prison Years." She's my guest now in Seattle.
Christina, good morning to you.
CHRISTINA DRESS, MARY KAY LETOURNEAU'S FRIEND: Good morning.
HEMMER: You collaborated on a book. Tell me, how well do you think you know Mary Kay?
DRESS: I think I know her pretty well. I've known her since February 6th of 1998. And we've spent, well, a lot of time together.
HEMMER: You were in jail for what, Christina?
DRESS: Identity theft and forgery.
HEMMER: And you've been out since when then?
DRESS: Since January 14, a year ago.
HEMMER: Are you clean?
DRESS: Oh, yes. I'm in really good shape. And I'm very glad to be free.
HEMMER: All right. What do you think about this wedding when you heard of the plans?
DRESS: Well, I'm not surprised at all. I've been hearing about this wedding for, you know, almost eight years. So...
HEMMER: What do you mean you've heard about it for eight years? She talked about it?
DRESS: Oh, definitely. HEMMER: And what did she say?
DRESS: Well, it's always been her plan to marry Vili. She's never stopped loving him or talking about him, that's for sure.
HEMMER: And when she described wedding plans, did she ever go in detail? Because apparently we know a couple things here. A Seattle church, the two daughters they have between them will serve as bridesmaids -- flower girls, rather. I'm sorry. What else?
DRESS: That's right. Well, I know that she's thinking of inviting around 200 guests, her friends and family. And it's true the kids will be in the wedding.
And at one point she talked about having an outdoor wedding. I think that's changed now. And she's having an indoor wedding.
HEMMER: What did you think of this relationship when you first heard about it, Christina?
DRESS: I always knew -- and I never defend Mary in a way that you should have sex with somebody 13 years old. You know, she should have waited. And she knows that.
But the way it is now, I mean, Vili's 22 years old. And they're both grown adults. And if they want to get married I wish them well.
HEMMER: So you support it then? And will you attend?
DRESS: Well, I certainly hope so. She's been telling me I'll be first on the list for a lot of years.
HEMMER: Yes. When was the last time you spoke with her?
DRESS: I didn't -- I haven't talked to Mary since Christmastime.
HEMMER: Is that unusual, that period of time, the lapse between conversations?
DRESS: Yes, it is a little unusual. I know that she's probably very busy. I know she gets very wrapped up in -- Mary can get pretty tunnel vision with things. And I'm sure her and Vili are crazy with plans and preparing for their wedding.
HEMMER: Yes. Will you try and make contact again?
DRESS: Oh, yes. I called her, in fact, this weekend and just didn't catch her at home. She's gone almost every day doing things. So...
HEMMER: You say when she got out of prison she was laughing one minute and crying the next.
DRESS: Yes.
HEMMER: Do you believe she's better now and more stable? DRESS: Oh, of course. I just know that the transition for her coming from prison, you know, back into the free world was kind of hard on Mary. She was in shell shock. And everything seemed like a chore.
She would say just going out to buy shampoo or something would be maybe the only thing she'd accomplish from her list. So I know it was difficult.
HEMMER: Do you believe this is the final chapter or just another one in her relationship with Vili?
DRESS: I think it's probably another chapter.
HEMMER: Well, we'll see. Christina Dress from Seattle, Washington, this morning.
DRESS: Thanks for having me.
HEMMER: You got it -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, moments from death. A 14-year-old boy sees his hero descend from above. A teenager and his brave rescuer will share their dramatic story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Comedian Bill Maher was on last night with Larry King talking about a range of topics, including what he considers to be a hole in U.S. homeland security.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN: Perhaps the 19 suicide volunteers they had, maybe they didn't have a lot of other guys who were willing to actually take it to that degree. Remember I got in trouble for saying they weren't cowards? Well, even if you're a religious nut, it takes a lot to strap on the bomb and kill yourself. But I think the war in Iraq has served to recruit a lot more Muslims toward that end.
LARRY KING, HOST: In other words, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy?
MAHER: To a degree, it was, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Bill Maher with Larry King last night.
O'BRIEN: Jack's got the "Question of the Day."
Good morning.
CAFFERTY: What did he just say?
O'BRIEN: Same thing I think that got him off his old show.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: If I recall.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
The "Question of the Day," do you feel safer since September 11? This country spent a total of $300 billion if the president gets this additional $82 billion he asked for yesterday. War in Iraq, war in Afghanistan, Department of Homeland Security, intelligence, all of the things related to the war on terror. Do you feel any safer for that outlay of a third of a trillion dollars in cash?
Peter in Houston "No, I don't. I've long since accepted the fact that we're in a war to the death with a good portion of Islam. That it's not simply my son in Iraq who could die, but that I and my loved ones here at home can die as well."
Cara in Dallas, Texas, "Feel safer? We must be safer since the terror alert level that was raised every few days in the months leading up to the election hasn't been raised since the election."
Interesting point.
Patrick writes: "All I hear from the pundits and politicians is that something big is going to happen. When we close the borders and secure the ports, maybe then I can breathe easier." He's in St. Joseph, Missouri.
In George, Chicago writes, "Despite the tragedy of September 11, I've always said that poverty, not terrorism is the greatest enemy of the average American. And thanks to Bush's fiscal recklessness, we are a nation in grave danger."
O'BRIEN: That's some interesting feedback, I think, and responses from these folks. Some of them very I think funny and witty and off the cuff. But some of them very serious.
CAFFERTY: Yes, indeed. Poignant even.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Less poignant and more fun. More than 2,500 canines are going to be strutting their stuff at the 129th Westminster Dog Show today. David Letterman used the opportunity to make fun of another top dog.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: You know what's going on right now in New York City? The annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
(APPLAUSE) Some of you folks involved in the dog show? Yes. Yes. I thought I smelled flea collars.
(LAUGHTER)
But the dogs, I mean, they're -- this is big league stuff. They're not kidding around at the big dog show. They're judged on poise, obedience and strong hind quarters. Coincidentally, that's also how Donald Trump picks a wife.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: We should mention that that can be seen on USA Network 8:00 p.m. tonight. Tomorrow morning we're going to have the Westminster Kennel Club's best in show winner right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
HEMMER: Drooling all over the joint.
O'BRIEN: Yes, if he wins, yes.
HEMMER: That's right.
We'll get a break here in a moment. Expensive request from the White House yet again. Find out why the president could be in a tough battle with Congress over this bill. Live to Washington when we continue after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Aired February 15, 2005 - 8:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Investigators in Beirut learning just how massive that bomb was 24 hours ago that killed the former prime minister. This morning, surveying the devastation from the center of that blast.
Michael Jackson's lawyers counting on star power as they name their witnesses for trial. But do Kobe Bryant, Jay Leno and others really have anything to say?
And Mary Kay Letourneau sent away for having sex with a sixth- grader. Now she will marry the man. Her friend from prison explains it all on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody.
Some of the stories making headlines this morning, jury selection still going strong in California in the Michael Jackson trial. Everybody, though, is talking about some of the names on the defense witness list. We'll take a look at just what the defense is trying to do with this strategy and whether the judge will go along with it or not.
HEMMER: Pretty interesting names, huh? My.
O'BRIEN: Big names.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Leno, Kobe Bryant. A guy who didn't even testify in his own trial.
HEMMER: Larry King.
O'BRIEN: Yes. What's going on?
HEMMER: Also, a story about things fathers do with their sons -- watch it, Jack. Not a game of catch in the yard, but in this case, a trip to Iraq. Marine Reservist Kendall and Chris Phelps our guests in a moment. Their deployment started with this sign: "Dad, wish you were here." And he followed.
We'll get to that.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty, good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Remember that story a couple weeks ago, there were $9 billion that were unaccounted for in money that was spent in Iraq? Remember that?
Nobody knows what happened to the $9 billion, but the president wants another $82 billion. He went to Congress yesterday and said, I need another supplemental to fight this war on terror. $300 billion is the price tag and counting for money that this country has parted with since the terrorists hit the trade center and the Pentagon.
Do you feel any safer? AM@CNN.com.
O'BRIEN: That's a good question. Jack, thank you.
Let's get right to our headlines this morning. Heidi Collins is sitting in for us.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. And good morning to you once again, everybody.
"Now in the News" this morning, convicted child molester and defrocked Priest Paul Shanley set to be sentenced next hour in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The 74-year-old Shanley could get a maximum sentence of life behind bars.
Some prison advocates are expressing concern that sending Shanley to jail will make him a target. Another figure in the clergy abuse scandal, John Geoghan, was killed in prison.
Police in the San Francisco Bay area are checking surveillance tapes today for clues about the so-called back hoe bank robber. The suspect apparently stole a back hoe from a construction site, then used it to rip an ATM machine in pieces, but ended up breaking into the side of a bank in Richmond, California. Police say the suspected thief made a mess but didn't get any of the cash.
And talk about cash, Boeing getting ready to roll out a new version of the 777 today. It is being billed as the world's largest, longest range commercial airplane. Boeing says the 777 200LR will be able to fly almost 11,000 miles nonstop. That, of course, means you can fly from London to Sydney, Australia, in just one trip. No refueling necessary.
HEMMER: Imagine the jet lag there, huh?
COLLINS: That's a long trip.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: Thanks, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi. Jury selection continues this morning in Michael Jackson's child molestation case. Prosecutors are wondering if potential jurors might be influenced by a witness list that reads like an awards show lineup.
Miguel Marquez live outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California.
Good morning, Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
Well, I have one little anecdote that might solve one of those questions. You know, Deepak Chopra is on the defense witness list. Mr. Jackson showed up on time yesterday and was wearing black and red and a gold sort of brocade. And, you know, Deepak Chopra on that list.
The prosecution asked one of the potential jurors yesterday whether he knew who Deepak Chopra was. And the guy said, "Well, wasn't he a rap star?" Everybody in the courtroom laughed, including Mr. Jackson.
Mr. Jackson was presented to jurors when he first came in. The judge had him stand up and present himself to jurors to find out if jurors knew him personally. None of them did.
He was engaged, laughed at what the jurors were talking about, was engaged in their stories as they told their stories, some of them very sad. At one point, one person told a story about her sister playing the song "ABC, 1, 2, 3" so many times that she was just sick of it and couldn't take it anymore. And Jackson laughed a belly laugh almost at that.
The witness list over 500 witnesses long between the defense and the prosecution's list. Just an enormous number of potential witnesses in this thing. On that defense witness list: Kobe Bryant, basketball star, of course; Diana Ross, a longtime Jackson friend; Elizabeth Taylor, Jackson friend; Steve Wonder; CBS' Ed Bradley who interviewed Jackson; CNN's own Larry King; Maury Povich, the talk show host; David Blaine, the magician; Jay Leno of "The Tonight Show"; and Tom Sneddon, the Santa Barbara district attorney who is trying this case.
Now, on the prosecution list there was some interesting choices as well. Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson' children, Prince Michael and Paris Jackson, and the '93 accuser and his entire family. Also on the prosecution list is Ben Brafman, Jackson's former lawyer, and Mark Geragos. Mark Geragos is also on the defense list.
What will happen today is that the questioning or the voir dire of the jurors will continue. Defense and the prosecution have 10 minutes with each juror. There are 112 jurors in the room, 12 of them in the jury box at a time. So they go through those 12 first, and then they'll start dismissing those jurors for cause throughout the day -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Miguel Marquez for us this morning. Miguel, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Overseas, Lebanon is shut down today in mourning for the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. And there is worldwide condemnation of the bombing that killed him, along with Syria's role in Lebanon. Hariri's political allies blame Syria and Lebanon's pro- Syrian government for his assassination.
CNN's Brent Sadler, our Beirut bureau chief, following developments at the site of yesterday's explosion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: The fallout from the political assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is still reverberating, not just here in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, but throughout the Middle East and far beyond. This is where the massive explosion took place.
If we just pan off to my right, you can see the size of the crater here, a massive hole that has given you some sort of idea of the scale of the blast that claimed the life of Mr. Hariri and at least nine others in his armored motorcade. One of his closest colleagues, a former minister, Bathal Flahan (ph), is in hospital abroad fighting for his life with over 97 percent burns as a result of the magnitude of the blast.
If I can give you some idea of the collateral damage around here, we'll pick our way through the debris. This on my left is the former renowned St. Georges Hotel. It still had not been rebuilt after the 15-year civil war that engulfed this country in the 1970s and 1980s. The blast was set off between the St. Georges Hotel and another empty building in the process of reconstruction.
Now, as we walk through the debris here, I can see Lebanese army soldiers. And now in the process of taking photographs of the blast site, looking at how this detonation was laid, how these explosives were set.
It is still unclear at this stage whether or not this was a car bomb, a suicide bombing or some sort of underground explosion. What we do know is that there were construction works going on in this area, and we do know from what the authorities are telling us on the ground that between 250 and 300 kilos, maybe about 700 pounds of explosives, were detonated in, we believe, a single blast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Again, Brent Sadler reporting on the scene there in Beirut -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's tell you the story of a father and a son. Maybe it was this picture that struck a nerve with Kendall Phelps. His son, Major Christopher Phelps, sent back this photo in 2003 during his first deployment in Iraq.
Ever since then the elder Phelps has been determined to join his son in Iraq. And yesterday I had a chance to talk with both father and son.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Let's begin with Master Gunnery Sergeant Phelps. You served in Vietnam. You spent 30 years in the Marine Corps Reserves. Why did you want to re-enlist?
MASTER SGT. KENDALL PHELPS, U.S. MARINES: Well, you know, it's something that's ingrained in you. I love the Marine Corps. I love being around Marines. I saw a need for the skills that I have, the training that I've done, and I wanted to be involved and do what I could do to help out in anyway possible that I could do something.
O'BRIEN: I know that's sort of similar what your son has said as well, Major Chris Phelps. You volunteered, you left the corporate world. Why did you decide to go into the military service?
MAJOR CHRISTOPHER PHELPS, U.S. MARINES: Simply put, working at my job in corporate America on 9/11, everything that I was doing that day really seemed inconsequential. I was a captain at the time in the Marine Corps Reserve, and I had the opportunity to go back on active duty and serve on the global war on terrorism, and I was excited, and patriotic and wanted to make a difference.
O'BRIEN: You sent your dad a photo as the story goes, back in 2003. And we're going to show a picture of that picture. And it said "Dad, wish you were here." And I assume you were just kidding when you wrote that. But your dad, the master gunnery sergeant, kind of took the ball and ran with it if you will, is that right?
K. PHELPS: Well, you might say that. I wanted to go -- be there holding that sign, too, but it didn't work out that way, and I was quite pleased and excited when I saw the sign. It was really unique.
O'BRIEN: Major, what does it mean to you to be able to serve not only with your dad, but to both be deployed to Iraq at the same time as well?
C. PHELPS: I'm excited about the opportunity to go back and see the great things that have been done in the last two years since I was there the first time, in Operation Iraqi Freedom one. I love my country. I love being a Marine. I love what I do. This is an opportunity with my father here, it's really kind of the icing on the cake.
O'BRIEN: Master sergeant, I'd be curious to know what you had to go through to get not only re-enlisted, but also to get in the same unit as your son's in.
K. PHELPS: Well, that's a unique story. And I -- the Marine Corps had a hotline if you were retired, or if you had been in the military maybe in the IRR, you could call and put your name on the list. I did that. I called. I called multiple times. I talked to former marines that I knew that were in position that they might know more than I knew to try to get myself in to the position that I could do something. And so it just worked out for the good for me, and I'm real excited about being here. I love being around these Marines. They make you full of life.
O'BRIEN: I know it's pretty unusual for family members to serve in the same unit. How is the family taking all of this?
C. PHELPS: Well, I mean, both of our families are strong, patriotic, military Marine families. They have a great support network, both within the Marine Corps community, called the Key Volunteer Network. They're getting daily calls, and in the communities we live in.
I grew up, and my father and mother still live in a very small community in the heartland in Kansas. People are calling daily, coming over in the evenings. I live in the suburbs of Kansas City, and just talked to my wife the other night and they're bringing meals over and calling. And friends have come down and installed a new dishwasher we purchased. So it's a great American community, and people are coming together and helping one another in these times of strife.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Major Chris Phelps deploying tomorrow morning. His father ships out the first week in March -- Bill.
HEMMER: A check of the weather. Here's Chad at the CNN Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: "SI," The swimsuit edition hit newsstands today. The cover went to Caroline Murphy, a 31-year-old native of Panama City in Florida. The first American to make the cover since 1999, Rebecca Romijn.
Athletes also posing in the magazine. This has become the tradition as of late. Mark McGwire with his wife Stephanie here. And Venus Williams, Jenny Finch (ph), Amanda Bear (ph) and Lauren Jackson are in there, too.
An American, though, back on the cover six years later, Carolyn Murphy. You'll se her today.
O'BRIEN: Good for her.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Look forward to that.
Well, Michael Jackson's not the only celebrity in legal trouble. Find out why Robert Blake had to leave the courtroom during his trial.
HEMMER: Also in a moment, do the flu shots really work? Some startling news coming out today about a new study, and this is being debated in medical circles. And we'll talk about it in a minute.
O'BRIEN: And Mary Kay Letourneau, remember her? She's ready now to marry the student that she had sex with back when he was just 12 years old. What does one of Letourneau's prison friends have to say? That story's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Robert Blake's defense begins today. Blake broke down in court yesterday when the prosecution played tapes of him talking about his daughter Rosie (ph). Blake's lawyers took him into the hallway, but his sobbing could still be heard in court.
The actor's on trial for murder. He is charged with shooting his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, back in 2001.
HEMMER: Mary Kay Letourneau, the former school teacher who served more than seven years in jail for having sex with a sixth- grader, plans to marry that student. He's now 22.
Letourneau and Vili Fualaau plan to wed on April 16, according to an online bridal registry. The two began seeing each other last year after a judge lifted a no contact ban barring them from doing so.
Christina Dress is a friend and former inmate of Letourneau's. She's also written a book called "Mass With Mary: The Prison Years." She's my guest now in Seattle.
Christina, good morning to you.
CHRISTINA DRESS, MARY KAY LETOURNEAU'S FRIEND: Good morning.
HEMMER: You collaborated on a book. Tell me, how well do you think you know Mary Kay?
DRESS: I think I know her pretty well. I've known her since February 6th of 1998. And we've spent, well, a lot of time together.
HEMMER: You were in jail for what, Christina?
DRESS: Identity theft and forgery.
HEMMER: And you've been out since when then?
DRESS: Since January 14, a year ago.
HEMMER: Are you clean?
DRESS: Oh, yes. I'm in really good shape. And I'm very glad to be free.
HEMMER: All right. What do you think about this wedding when you heard of the plans?
DRESS: Well, I'm not surprised at all. I've been hearing about this wedding for, you know, almost eight years. So...
HEMMER: What do you mean you've heard about it for eight years? She talked about it?
DRESS: Oh, definitely. HEMMER: And what did she say?
DRESS: Well, it's always been her plan to marry Vili. She's never stopped loving him or talking about him, that's for sure.
HEMMER: And when she described wedding plans, did she ever go in detail? Because apparently we know a couple things here. A Seattle church, the two daughters they have between them will serve as bridesmaids -- flower girls, rather. I'm sorry. What else?
DRESS: That's right. Well, I know that she's thinking of inviting around 200 guests, her friends and family. And it's true the kids will be in the wedding.
And at one point she talked about having an outdoor wedding. I think that's changed now. And she's having an indoor wedding.
HEMMER: What did you think of this relationship when you first heard about it, Christina?
DRESS: I always knew -- and I never defend Mary in a way that you should have sex with somebody 13 years old. You know, she should have waited. And she knows that.
But the way it is now, I mean, Vili's 22 years old. And they're both grown adults. And if they want to get married I wish them well.
HEMMER: So you support it then? And will you attend?
DRESS: Well, I certainly hope so. She's been telling me I'll be first on the list for a lot of years.
HEMMER: Yes. When was the last time you spoke with her?
DRESS: I didn't -- I haven't talked to Mary since Christmastime.
HEMMER: Is that unusual, that period of time, the lapse between conversations?
DRESS: Yes, it is a little unusual. I know that she's probably very busy. I know she gets very wrapped up in -- Mary can get pretty tunnel vision with things. And I'm sure her and Vili are crazy with plans and preparing for their wedding.
HEMMER: Yes. Will you try and make contact again?
DRESS: Oh, yes. I called her, in fact, this weekend and just didn't catch her at home. She's gone almost every day doing things. So...
HEMMER: You say when she got out of prison she was laughing one minute and crying the next.
DRESS: Yes.
HEMMER: Do you believe she's better now and more stable? DRESS: Oh, of course. I just know that the transition for her coming from prison, you know, back into the free world was kind of hard on Mary. She was in shell shock. And everything seemed like a chore.
She would say just going out to buy shampoo or something would be maybe the only thing she'd accomplish from her list. So I know it was difficult.
HEMMER: Do you believe this is the final chapter or just another one in her relationship with Vili?
DRESS: I think it's probably another chapter.
HEMMER: Well, we'll see. Christina Dress from Seattle, Washington, this morning.
DRESS: Thanks for having me.
HEMMER: You got it -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, moments from death. A 14-year-old boy sees his hero descend from above. A teenager and his brave rescuer will share their dramatic story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Comedian Bill Maher was on last night with Larry King talking about a range of topics, including what he considers to be a hole in U.S. homeland security.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN: Perhaps the 19 suicide volunteers they had, maybe they didn't have a lot of other guys who were willing to actually take it to that degree. Remember I got in trouble for saying they weren't cowards? Well, even if you're a religious nut, it takes a lot to strap on the bomb and kill yourself. But I think the war in Iraq has served to recruit a lot more Muslims toward that end.
LARRY KING, HOST: In other words, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy?
MAHER: To a degree, it was, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Bill Maher with Larry King last night.
O'BRIEN: Jack's got the "Question of the Day."
Good morning.
CAFFERTY: What did he just say?
O'BRIEN: Same thing I think that got him off his old show.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: If I recall.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
The "Question of the Day," do you feel safer since September 11? This country spent a total of $300 billion if the president gets this additional $82 billion he asked for yesterday. War in Iraq, war in Afghanistan, Department of Homeland Security, intelligence, all of the things related to the war on terror. Do you feel any safer for that outlay of a third of a trillion dollars in cash?
Peter in Houston "No, I don't. I've long since accepted the fact that we're in a war to the death with a good portion of Islam. That it's not simply my son in Iraq who could die, but that I and my loved ones here at home can die as well."
Cara in Dallas, Texas, "Feel safer? We must be safer since the terror alert level that was raised every few days in the months leading up to the election hasn't been raised since the election."
Interesting point.
Patrick writes: "All I hear from the pundits and politicians is that something big is going to happen. When we close the borders and secure the ports, maybe then I can breathe easier." He's in St. Joseph, Missouri.
In George, Chicago writes, "Despite the tragedy of September 11, I've always said that poverty, not terrorism is the greatest enemy of the average American. And thanks to Bush's fiscal recklessness, we are a nation in grave danger."
O'BRIEN: That's some interesting feedback, I think, and responses from these folks. Some of them very I think funny and witty and off the cuff. But some of them very serious.
CAFFERTY: Yes, indeed. Poignant even.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Less poignant and more fun. More than 2,500 canines are going to be strutting their stuff at the 129th Westminster Dog Show today. David Letterman used the opportunity to make fun of another top dog.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: You know what's going on right now in New York City? The annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
(APPLAUSE) Some of you folks involved in the dog show? Yes. Yes. I thought I smelled flea collars.
(LAUGHTER)
But the dogs, I mean, they're -- this is big league stuff. They're not kidding around at the big dog show. They're judged on poise, obedience and strong hind quarters. Coincidentally, that's also how Donald Trump picks a wife.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: We should mention that that can be seen on USA Network 8:00 p.m. tonight. Tomorrow morning we're going to have the Westminster Kennel Club's best in show winner right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
HEMMER: Drooling all over the joint.
O'BRIEN: Yes, if he wins, yes.
HEMMER: That's right.
We'll get a break here in a moment. Expensive request from the White House yet again. Find out why the president could be in a tough battle with Congress over this bill. Live to Washington when we continue after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
