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American Morning

Syrian Troop Pullback; Second Week of Michael Jackson Trial; Remembering Selma

Aired March 07, 2005 - 08:59   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, everyone. Nine o'clock on a Monday. Good to have you along with us today.
Good morning again to you.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And likewise.

HEMMER: Extremely busy day coming out of the Middle east today. Watching all these developments of the Syrian troop pullback in Lebanon. The Syrian and Lebanese presidents met earlier today. We heard from the Syrian ambassador to the U.S. a short time ago.

We're also getting reaction from the United States on this measure. We'll get you details on all of this in a moment. Also get to Brent Sadler's reporting from the Middle East on this story.

O'BRIEN: Also, today is the 40th anniversary of the most famous march in Selma, Alabama, the one that defined the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This morning we talked to one of the men who was there on what's become to be known as Bloody Sunday. That's Congressman John Lewis. He's our guest.

HEMMER: Also, Jack.

What's on your mind?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Rap wars erupted into an actual shooting at a New York radio station last week, and now the Reverend Al Sharpton says when that happens the parties responsible should have their music banned from the airwaves for 90 days. AM@CNN.com is the email address.

O'BRIEN: Jack, thanks.

Let's get right to the headlines. Carol Costello sitting in for us this morning.

Hey, Carol. Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News," mourners lining the streets of Rome today for the funeral of an Italian secret service agent killed by American soldiers. The U.S. says the shooting was accidental, but the journalist that the agent was escorting suggests she has been deliberately targeted by U.S. troops. She spoke earlier about this incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIULIANA SGRENA, ITALIAN JOURNALIST (through translator): I saw my seat in the car full of bullets. Let's call it whatever we want. But the fact of feeling yourself covered with an avalanche of gunfire from a tank that is beside you that did not give you any warning that it was about to attack if we did not stop, this is absolutely inconceivable, even in normal situations, even if they hadn't known that we were there, that we were supposed to come through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: A U.S. official says it's absurd to suggest she was targeted by U.S. troops. The Italian agent who was killed is being buried with full military honors today.

Insurgents stepping up attacks in Iraq this morning. At least 15 people have been killed. These pictures show the aftermath of a car bomb attack in Baquba.

There were also clashes between Iraqi forces and militants there. The violence coming after Iraqi officials set March 16 for the opening of the country's first democratically-elected parliament.

Here in the U.S. in California, jurors in the Robert Blake murder trial set to resume deliberations today. Blake is excused of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, in May of 2001. If convicted, the former "Baretta" star could face life in president.

And Martha Stewart's starting a brand new chapter in her life. The home-making diva is expected at corporate office of Martha Stewart Living in New York City today. Or maybe she's just reviewing an old chapter.

She's going to meet with employees for the first time since her release from prison. Stewart will write a column for the company's flagship magazine. She's also planning to star in two TV shows next fall, and she may even launch a clothing line.

Wow.

HEMMER: Or two.

O'BRIEN: Or three.

HEMMER: They could sell that ankle bracelet at Kmart.

O'BRIEN: Oh.

HEMMER: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: I like that, Bill.

HEMMER: I know you do.

(LAUGHTER)

HEMMER: Developments from the Middle East this morning. Watching the latest out of Syria and also Lebanon. The presidents of those two countries have agreed to the first stage of a withdrawal plan.

In the first phase, Syrian troops will redeploy to the eastern Bekaa Valley near the Syrian boarder. After that the leaders will meet again to talk about complete withdrawal.

A bit earlier today, in fact last hour, I talked with Syria's ambassador of the U.S. down in Washington, who gave me his country's timetable for this particular plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: We are talking about less than -- less than two or three weeks for the first phase and less than two to three months for the second phase. The leadership are meeting to actually put the timetable.

This is what we are doing. It is clear. It's categoric. There's no doubt about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Also, a senior U.S. official says, "This sounds like more of the same." The official goes on to say that the White House is calling for a complete withdrawal, not "half measures." Is it weeks or is it months, or is it in the end all of this?

Brent Sadler is inside the palace where that meeting took place. He's now live in Damascus.

And Brent, tell us, what issues have they sorted out so far today?

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the first phase, as expected, is they're supposed to be taking place very soon. In fact, Lebanese army soldiers are lining the Beirut-Damascus highway in expectation that some Syrian troops, several thousand, will start moving pretty soon. And they have until the end of this month, according to the Damascus announcement that came out just an hour or so ago, to move to a new line closer to Syria.

That's in the Bekaa Valley. The Syrian troops will be moving from northern and central parts of Lebanon.

But a phase two hat the Syrian president signaled in his speech a couple of days ago is less clear, despite what you just heard from Syria's ambassador to Washington. And what we heard in the palace a short time ago was that there would be a joint military commission between the two countries, Syria and Lebanon, that would have up to a month to work out how many troops and for how long they would stay in this new pullback line in the Bekaa Valley. After that, timings get a little vague. They talk about a time frame. They talk about commissions to be set up. So that's really not what President Bush has been demanding in his most recent comments on this for a complete and full withdrawal of all Syrian forces -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Brent. Brent Sadler there in Damascus. The meeting is over. But the waiting game has not ended, clearly, as we'll follow it from there. Thanks for that.

Here's Soledad now with more.

O'BRIEN: The second week of Michael Jackson's child molestation trial is set to begin. So just how did the first week of testimony go for the prosecution and for the defense? CNN's Miguel Marquez takes a look at the week in review.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Week one of testimony in the Michael Jackson molestation trial. And what does the pop star think about how it went?

MICHAEL JACKSON, DEFENDANT: It went very good. It went very good.

MARQUEZ: Good, considering it's the prosecution's turn to make its case against Jackson. Its big witness, the older sister of Jackson's accuser. She testified she saw Jackson give alcohol to her brothers at Neverland Ranched and that he kissed her brother's cheek and head inappropriately.

ANNE BREMNER, LEGAL ANALYST: There were strings (ph) where she was very calm, she was very deliberate, she was not rattled. She was never really rattled.

MARQUEZ: But under cross-examination by Jackson lawyer Tom Mesereau, the 18-year-old college freshman admitted that she previously lied about what goes on at Neverland and about her family's relationship to the pop star. The prosecution also played a video made days after the documentary "Living with Michael Jackson" aired in February 2000 in which the girl, her mother and her two brothers praised Jackson effusively and denied that any molestation ever happened.

BREMNER: That was devastating for the prosecution.

MARQUEZ: Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon says the video was coerced and their answers scripted. But that's not the way many court observers saw it.

BREMNER: And even off camera they were very relaxed. No one put a gun to their head. There was no indication that it was totally scripted.

MARQUEZ: Jackson's defense team will continue its cross- examination of the accuser's sister, but the accuser and his mother are still yet to testify. After week one, the Jackson camp is upbeat.

RAYMONE BAIN, JACKSON SPOKESWOMAN: He feels that his defense team has done a good job. But it doesn't mean that he's ready to go out here and celebrate because we have a long way to go.

MARQUEZ: Miguel Marquez, CNN Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Lead defense attorney Thomas Mesereau will continue his cross-examination of the accuser's sister today -- Bill.

HEMMER: About seven minutes past the hour. Looking outside. Chad's got his eyes on the Midwest today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Forty years ago today Bloody Sunday helped secure the rights of African-Americans to vote. Marchers were back in Selma, Alabama, yesterday to remember that violent confrontation that changed the course of American history.

Congressman John Lewis was there yesterday, as he was 40 years ago. He joins us from Washington this morning.

Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for talking with us.

REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: Well, thank you for having me here this morning.

O'BRIEN: It is my pleasure. Take us back to that day. You're 25 years old, you were the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. You get to the bridge, Pettus Bridge, and there are state troopers lined up on the other side of the bridge, not about to let the marchers cross.

What happened?

LEWIS: We get to the highest point on the bridge, we see the state troopers, and we continue to walk. And we come to the hearing distance of the state troopers. And one of the state troopers said, "This is an unlawful march and we'll not be allowed to continue. I give you three minutes to disperse and return to your church."

In less than a minute and a half, the major of the state troopers said, "Troopers advance." And these men came toward us, beating us with night sticks, bull whips, tramping us with horses, releasing their tear gas.

I was hit in the head by a state trooper with a night stick and had a concussion at the bridge. I thought I was going to die. I thought I saw death.

Now, I was in and out of consciousness. And I could hear people hollering, people crying. I could hear the hoofs of the horses beating on the pavement. And we were chased and beaten all the way back through the streets of Selma, back to the little church that we left from.

O'BRIEN: How did it feel -- how did it feel at that moment? Did you feel -- did the group feel utterly defeated, or did the group feel recharged? Because the march happened again two weeks later and it was a much different story.

LEWIS: Well, we felt much more determined that we had to continue, we had to go on to Montgomery. And the nation reacted when people saw the photographs on television and read the stories in the newspaper.

There were just hundreds and thousands of people all across America that came and supported the effort. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came in and made an appeal. And religious leaders came to Selma.

There were demonstrations in more than 80 cities in America, at the White House, the Department of Justice. And we arrived in Montgomery at the end of the third march that started on March the 21st. There were more than 25,000 black and white Americans.

O'BRIEN: Forgive me for interrupting there. It has been described by you as a pivotal moment in American history. What do you mean by that?

LEWIS: Oh, it was a -- it was a pivotal moment. It was a turning point in the whole struggle for civil rights and the whole struggle for the right to vote. Because some of us gave a little blood on the bridge, it helped to expand our democracy, made it possible for people to come in.

I said it yesterday at the church in Selma that we left from, that the bill was signed into law by President Johnson in Washington. But we literally wrote that law on the streets of Selma on Highway 80 between Selma and Montgomery.

O'BRIEN: Fast forward 40 years for me. There are now certain provisions of the Voter's Rights Act that are up for renewal by Congress. That happens in 2007. How concerned are you that some of those portions will not, in fact, be renewed?

LEWIS: I am concerned. But by taking a bipartisan congressional delegation to Selma and to Birmingham and to Montgomery over the weekend, I think the leadership on both sides of the aisle, both senators and House members, will now see that it is important that we renew those two sections of the Voter's Rights Act and do what we can to make it simple and convenient for all of our citizens to become participants in the democratic process.

O'BRIEN: Congressman John Lewis joining us to talk about that day in history. Nice to see you, sir. Thank you very much.

LEWIS: Good to see you. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Thanks.

And we'll be back in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

"Consumer Reports" is at it again, putting some 200 new car models through their paces, trying to determine this year's best in safety, reliability and comfort. Quality is the magazine's rating experts value above all others.

Their top picks are in the annual April auto issue. And Rik Paul from "Consumer Reports" is the automotive editor, back with us here in New York.

Good morning to you.

RIK PAUL, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: There's an interesting twist that happened overnight. The Insurance Institute for National Highway Safety released a report stating 14 out of 16 small cars earned poor ratings in these side- impact crashes. The Ford Focus was one of them. And Ford Focus was your number one pick into the early morning hours.

You've retracted that choice now. Why?

PAUL: That's right. The Ford Focus was our top pick in small cars because it had done well in all the tests across the board. But just last night, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its -- for the first time released side-impact crash tests for small cars. And because the Focus did poorly, along with 14 other cars, we'll no longer be recommending the focus and it's no longer going to be in our top pick.

HEMMER: What are you recommending then, if not the Focus?

PAUL: We're suggesting that consumers look at the Toyota Corolla with the side airbag package. And that's important because, that version with the side airbags did acceptable in the IIHS crash test and has also been excellent across the board.

HEMMER: OK. We cleared that up now.

Now to the Honda Accord, your magazine's top pick among family sedans. What's so good about it?

PAUL: Well, what sealed the top pick for the Accord was when the Accord hybrid gas-electric version scored the highest score in our family sedan category, beating the Volkswagen Passat. And this is news, because the hybrid topping the family sedan category. It's really the first of a new wave of hybrids that gives both better performance and better fuel economy.

HEMMER: And now best upscale sedan again is the Acura TL.

PAUL: For the second year the TL is a fun-to-drive car. And it's a little higher priced than the family sedans, but it's very refined.

HEMMER: Higher priced meaning what price range?

PAUL: It's about $34,000.

HEMMER: OK. We're going to go up even higher than that now.

In the luxury sedan category, the Lexus LS430. At what price do you start? And what's so good about it?

PAUL: Well, the one we tested -- and it's typically equipped around $70,000 -- it's really hard to find fault with the Lexus. It's an excellent vehicle. Smooth, comfortable performance, good reliability. It has across the board...

HEMMER: You like -- you like to drive this car, don't you?

PAUL: Oh, it's a wonderful car.

HEMMER: I can see it on your face.

Look at the larger cars and SUVs. The Honda Odyssey is named best minivan. It beat out the Toyota Sienna. Why the Odyssey this year in 2005?

PAUL: Well, the Odyssey was resigned for 2005. And really it's quick, it handles well. It just barely beat out the Sienna, but it's really kind of a fun-to-drive minivan, which is something that you can't say a lot about a minivan.

HEMMER: Also, you rated the Lexus RX330 as the best midsized SUV.

PAUL: Right. Yes, that's about $44,000, and that's as plush and quiet as many luxury cars. Now, the Toyota Highlander is about $10,000 less and very similar to the Lexus, but didn't score quite as highly in our tests.

HEMMER: Well, two more categories, quickly. The Honda Pilot, best three-row SUV. That means seats going back three rows. Second year in a row, too, right?

PAUL: Yes. A lot of people are looking for SUVs that can hold seven or eight people. The Pilot is our pick in that category. It's just an all-around good vehicle, good reliability, good performance.

HEMMER: And Rick, you also like the winner of the green car category. Tell us why.

PAUL: That's the Toyota Prius. And it got 44 miles per gallon overall in our fuel economy test. And it really kind of illustrates the difference between the -- how should I say -- traditional hybrids, which people will buy for the fuel economy, and then the new hybrids, like the Accord hybrid, which gives both performance and fuel economy but not as good fuel economy as the Prius.

HEMMER: It's all in "Consumer Reports." Rik Paul, thanks. Good to see you, as always. PAUL: Thank you.

HEMMER: And the "Consumer Reports" auto issue will be on newsstands tomorrow, on Tuesday, and available online now -- consumerreports.org -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Controversy at a school in Illinois. A mother says her 6-year-old was suspended because she refused to spank him. The school says that's not the whole story. A closer look ahead coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: We're talking rap and rappers. Time to check in with Jack and the "Question of the Day."

Do you have this new CD?

CAFFERTY: Yes, I have two copies, one for the house and one for the car.

The feud between rappers 50 Cent, or Fiddy Cent, take your pick, and the game, is the latest to erupt in violence. There was actually a shooting at a radio station here in New York City last week.

Well, Al Sharpton talked to the "New York Daily News" over the weekend. He thinks the government ought to get into this. He wants the music of artists who use violence to be banned from the airwaves for 90 days.

These are platinum-selling artists make millions of dollars, according to the reverend, and they are involved in bloodshed. Where is the FCC response, he wants to know.

The question we are asking, should artists who incite violence be banned from the air?

Duke in Oklahoma, "Artists who incite violence should be banned from society. Let them see what it's like to try to make it in the real world."

Reg in Ontario, "Am I the only one who sees the hypocrisy from Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, who rail against this trash but are card- carrying members of a party that elects liberal judges who allow this garbage to fester?"

Regina in Wisconsin, "Yes, I do think rappers who incite violence should be pulled from the airwaves. This would be setting a good example to kids and young people that your decisions have consequences. Doesn't that still apply in the entertainment industry?"

And finally, Ronald in New York, "Rap is not music, only third grade rhyming. Turn on your closed captioning to see why they should be banned from the planet. They disrespect women and promote violence." O'BRIEN: And I'm sure all of this controversy, including the shootings, just, you know, adds up to better sales. The game is like the highest debuting...

CAFFERTY: And that's Sharpton's point. He says they're using this violence to make money and sell records.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

CAFFERTY: If you take the stuff off the radio and don't play it on MTV and the other places, then all of a sudden sales go down. Maybe this becomes an incentive to behave yourself. That's I think his idea.

O'BRIEN: All right.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Sure.

HEMMER: More to come in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER (voice-over): Ahead on "90-Second Pop"...

KIRSTIE ALLEY, ACTRESS, "FAT ACTRESS": Why can't I just get a show first and then lose the weight?

HEMMER: ...art imitating light for Kirstie Alley. But will packing on the pounds mean packing in the viewers?

And one of the big of the stories in America is legally off limits to Jay Leno. He gets by, though, with a little help from a friend. And we'll explain that a bit later on AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Almost 9:30 in New York. Welcome back, everybody.

In a moment, going to get back to Rome here. Headline again today from there, where a state funeral was held today for that security agent killed by U.S. troops in Iraq. This coming as the journalists whose life was saved as a result is disputing the U.S. version of what happened. Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon in a moment here. She has more on this investigation, what the military has to say about it.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're going to talk to the mother of a 6-year-old boy. She was told by school officials she had to spank him. He was misbehaving a little bit. She was refused.

The little boy was suspended from school. Mother and son are our guests. Also, we'll talk with an official from that school. (STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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Aired March 7, 2005 - 08:59   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, everyone. Nine o'clock on a Monday. Good to have you along with us today.
Good morning again to you.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And likewise.

HEMMER: Extremely busy day coming out of the Middle east today. Watching all these developments of the Syrian troop pullback in Lebanon. The Syrian and Lebanese presidents met earlier today. We heard from the Syrian ambassador to the U.S. a short time ago.

We're also getting reaction from the United States on this measure. We'll get you details on all of this in a moment. Also get to Brent Sadler's reporting from the Middle East on this story.

O'BRIEN: Also, today is the 40th anniversary of the most famous march in Selma, Alabama, the one that defined the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This morning we talked to one of the men who was there on what's become to be known as Bloody Sunday. That's Congressman John Lewis. He's our guest.

HEMMER: Also, Jack.

What's on your mind?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Rap wars erupted into an actual shooting at a New York radio station last week, and now the Reverend Al Sharpton says when that happens the parties responsible should have their music banned from the airwaves for 90 days. AM@CNN.com is the email address.

O'BRIEN: Jack, thanks.

Let's get right to the headlines. Carol Costello sitting in for us this morning.

Hey, Carol. Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News," mourners lining the streets of Rome today for the funeral of an Italian secret service agent killed by American soldiers. The U.S. says the shooting was accidental, but the journalist that the agent was escorting suggests she has been deliberately targeted by U.S. troops. She spoke earlier about this incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIULIANA SGRENA, ITALIAN JOURNALIST (through translator): I saw my seat in the car full of bullets. Let's call it whatever we want. But the fact of feeling yourself covered with an avalanche of gunfire from a tank that is beside you that did not give you any warning that it was about to attack if we did not stop, this is absolutely inconceivable, even in normal situations, even if they hadn't known that we were there, that we were supposed to come through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: A U.S. official says it's absurd to suggest she was targeted by U.S. troops. The Italian agent who was killed is being buried with full military honors today.

Insurgents stepping up attacks in Iraq this morning. At least 15 people have been killed. These pictures show the aftermath of a car bomb attack in Baquba.

There were also clashes between Iraqi forces and militants there. The violence coming after Iraqi officials set March 16 for the opening of the country's first democratically-elected parliament.

Here in the U.S. in California, jurors in the Robert Blake murder trial set to resume deliberations today. Blake is excused of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, in May of 2001. If convicted, the former "Baretta" star could face life in president.

And Martha Stewart's starting a brand new chapter in her life. The home-making diva is expected at corporate office of Martha Stewart Living in New York City today. Or maybe she's just reviewing an old chapter.

She's going to meet with employees for the first time since her release from prison. Stewart will write a column for the company's flagship magazine. She's also planning to star in two TV shows next fall, and she may even launch a clothing line.

Wow.

HEMMER: Or two.

O'BRIEN: Or three.

HEMMER: They could sell that ankle bracelet at Kmart.

O'BRIEN: Oh.

HEMMER: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: I like that, Bill.

HEMMER: I know you do.

(LAUGHTER)

HEMMER: Developments from the Middle East this morning. Watching the latest out of Syria and also Lebanon. The presidents of those two countries have agreed to the first stage of a withdrawal plan.

In the first phase, Syrian troops will redeploy to the eastern Bekaa Valley near the Syrian boarder. After that the leaders will meet again to talk about complete withdrawal.

A bit earlier today, in fact last hour, I talked with Syria's ambassador of the U.S. down in Washington, who gave me his country's timetable for this particular plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: We are talking about less than -- less than two or three weeks for the first phase and less than two to three months for the second phase. The leadership are meeting to actually put the timetable.

This is what we are doing. It is clear. It's categoric. There's no doubt about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Also, a senior U.S. official says, "This sounds like more of the same." The official goes on to say that the White House is calling for a complete withdrawal, not "half measures." Is it weeks or is it months, or is it in the end all of this?

Brent Sadler is inside the palace where that meeting took place. He's now live in Damascus.

And Brent, tell us, what issues have they sorted out so far today?

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the first phase, as expected, is they're supposed to be taking place very soon. In fact, Lebanese army soldiers are lining the Beirut-Damascus highway in expectation that some Syrian troops, several thousand, will start moving pretty soon. And they have until the end of this month, according to the Damascus announcement that came out just an hour or so ago, to move to a new line closer to Syria.

That's in the Bekaa Valley. The Syrian troops will be moving from northern and central parts of Lebanon.

But a phase two hat the Syrian president signaled in his speech a couple of days ago is less clear, despite what you just heard from Syria's ambassador to Washington. And what we heard in the palace a short time ago was that there would be a joint military commission between the two countries, Syria and Lebanon, that would have up to a month to work out how many troops and for how long they would stay in this new pullback line in the Bekaa Valley. After that, timings get a little vague. They talk about a time frame. They talk about commissions to be set up. So that's really not what President Bush has been demanding in his most recent comments on this for a complete and full withdrawal of all Syrian forces -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Brent. Brent Sadler there in Damascus. The meeting is over. But the waiting game has not ended, clearly, as we'll follow it from there. Thanks for that.

Here's Soledad now with more.

O'BRIEN: The second week of Michael Jackson's child molestation trial is set to begin. So just how did the first week of testimony go for the prosecution and for the defense? CNN's Miguel Marquez takes a look at the week in review.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Week one of testimony in the Michael Jackson molestation trial. And what does the pop star think about how it went?

MICHAEL JACKSON, DEFENDANT: It went very good. It went very good.

MARQUEZ: Good, considering it's the prosecution's turn to make its case against Jackson. Its big witness, the older sister of Jackson's accuser. She testified she saw Jackson give alcohol to her brothers at Neverland Ranched and that he kissed her brother's cheek and head inappropriately.

ANNE BREMNER, LEGAL ANALYST: There were strings (ph) where she was very calm, she was very deliberate, she was not rattled. She was never really rattled.

MARQUEZ: But under cross-examination by Jackson lawyer Tom Mesereau, the 18-year-old college freshman admitted that she previously lied about what goes on at Neverland and about her family's relationship to the pop star. The prosecution also played a video made days after the documentary "Living with Michael Jackson" aired in February 2000 in which the girl, her mother and her two brothers praised Jackson effusively and denied that any molestation ever happened.

BREMNER: That was devastating for the prosecution.

MARQUEZ: Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon says the video was coerced and their answers scripted. But that's not the way many court observers saw it.

BREMNER: And even off camera they were very relaxed. No one put a gun to their head. There was no indication that it was totally scripted.

MARQUEZ: Jackson's defense team will continue its cross- examination of the accuser's sister, but the accuser and his mother are still yet to testify. After week one, the Jackson camp is upbeat.

RAYMONE BAIN, JACKSON SPOKESWOMAN: He feels that his defense team has done a good job. But it doesn't mean that he's ready to go out here and celebrate because we have a long way to go.

MARQUEZ: Miguel Marquez, CNN Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Lead defense attorney Thomas Mesereau will continue his cross-examination of the accuser's sister today -- Bill.

HEMMER: About seven minutes past the hour. Looking outside. Chad's got his eyes on the Midwest today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Forty years ago today Bloody Sunday helped secure the rights of African-Americans to vote. Marchers were back in Selma, Alabama, yesterday to remember that violent confrontation that changed the course of American history.

Congressman John Lewis was there yesterday, as he was 40 years ago. He joins us from Washington this morning.

Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for talking with us.

REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: Well, thank you for having me here this morning.

O'BRIEN: It is my pleasure. Take us back to that day. You're 25 years old, you were the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. You get to the bridge, Pettus Bridge, and there are state troopers lined up on the other side of the bridge, not about to let the marchers cross.

What happened?

LEWIS: We get to the highest point on the bridge, we see the state troopers, and we continue to walk. And we come to the hearing distance of the state troopers. And one of the state troopers said, "This is an unlawful march and we'll not be allowed to continue. I give you three minutes to disperse and return to your church."

In less than a minute and a half, the major of the state troopers said, "Troopers advance." And these men came toward us, beating us with night sticks, bull whips, tramping us with horses, releasing their tear gas.

I was hit in the head by a state trooper with a night stick and had a concussion at the bridge. I thought I was going to die. I thought I saw death.

Now, I was in and out of consciousness. And I could hear people hollering, people crying. I could hear the hoofs of the horses beating on the pavement. And we were chased and beaten all the way back through the streets of Selma, back to the little church that we left from.

O'BRIEN: How did it feel -- how did it feel at that moment? Did you feel -- did the group feel utterly defeated, or did the group feel recharged? Because the march happened again two weeks later and it was a much different story.

LEWIS: Well, we felt much more determined that we had to continue, we had to go on to Montgomery. And the nation reacted when people saw the photographs on television and read the stories in the newspaper.

There were just hundreds and thousands of people all across America that came and supported the effort. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came in and made an appeal. And religious leaders came to Selma.

There were demonstrations in more than 80 cities in America, at the White House, the Department of Justice. And we arrived in Montgomery at the end of the third march that started on March the 21st. There were more than 25,000 black and white Americans.

O'BRIEN: Forgive me for interrupting there. It has been described by you as a pivotal moment in American history. What do you mean by that?

LEWIS: Oh, it was a -- it was a pivotal moment. It was a turning point in the whole struggle for civil rights and the whole struggle for the right to vote. Because some of us gave a little blood on the bridge, it helped to expand our democracy, made it possible for people to come in.

I said it yesterday at the church in Selma that we left from, that the bill was signed into law by President Johnson in Washington. But we literally wrote that law on the streets of Selma on Highway 80 between Selma and Montgomery.

O'BRIEN: Fast forward 40 years for me. There are now certain provisions of the Voter's Rights Act that are up for renewal by Congress. That happens in 2007. How concerned are you that some of those portions will not, in fact, be renewed?

LEWIS: I am concerned. But by taking a bipartisan congressional delegation to Selma and to Birmingham and to Montgomery over the weekend, I think the leadership on both sides of the aisle, both senators and House members, will now see that it is important that we renew those two sections of the Voter's Rights Act and do what we can to make it simple and convenient for all of our citizens to become participants in the democratic process.

O'BRIEN: Congressman John Lewis joining us to talk about that day in history. Nice to see you, sir. Thank you very much.

LEWIS: Good to see you. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Thanks.

And we'll be back in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

"Consumer Reports" is at it again, putting some 200 new car models through their paces, trying to determine this year's best in safety, reliability and comfort. Quality is the magazine's rating experts value above all others.

Their top picks are in the annual April auto issue. And Rik Paul from "Consumer Reports" is the automotive editor, back with us here in New York.

Good morning to you.

RIK PAUL, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: There's an interesting twist that happened overnight. The Insurance Institute for National Highway Safety released a report stating 14 out of 16 small cars earned poor ratings in these side- impact crashes. The Ford Focus was one of them. And Ford Focus was your number one pick into the early morning hours.

You've retracted that choice now. Why?

PAUL: That's right. The Ford Focus was our top pick in small cars because it had done well in all the tests across the board. But just last night, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its -- for the first time released side-impact crash tests for small cars. And because the Focus did poorly, along with 14 other cars, we'll no longer be recommending the focus and it's no longer going to be in our top pick.

HEMMER: What are you recommending then, if not the Focus?

PAUL: We're suggesting that consumers look at the Toyota Corolla with the side airbag package. And that's important because, that version with the side airbags did acceptable in the IIHS crash test and has also been excellent across the board.

HEMMER: OK. We cleared that up now.

Now to the Honda Accord, your magazine's top pick among family sedans. What's so good about it?

PAUL: Well, what sealed the top pick for the Accord was when the Accord hybrid gas-electric version scored the highest score in our family sedan category, beating the Volkswagen Passat. And this is news, because the hybrid topping the family sedan category. It's really the first of a new wave of hybrids that gives both better performance and better fuel economy.

HEMMER: And now best upscale sedan again is the Acura TL.

PAUL: For the second year the TL is a fun-to-drive car. And it's a little higher priced than the family sedans, but it's very refined.

HEMMER: Higher priced meaning what price range?

PAUL: It's about $34,000.

HEMMER: OK. We're going to go up even higher than that now.

In the luxury sedan category, the Lexus LS430. At what price do you start? And what's so good about it?

PAUL: Well, the one we tested -- and it's typically equipped around $70,000 -- it's really hard to find fault with the Lexus. It's an excellent vehicle. Smooth, comfortable performance, good reliability. It has across the board...

HEMMER: You like -- you like to drive this car, don't you?

PAUL: Oh, it's a wonderful car.

HEMMER: I can see it on your face.

Look at the larger cars and SUVs. The Honda Odyssey is named best minivan. It beat out the Toyota Sienna. Why the Odyssey this year in 2005?

PAUL: Well, the Odyssey was resigned for 2005. And really it's quick, it handles well. It just barely beat out the Sienna, but it's really kind of a fun-to-drive minivan, which is something that you can't say a lot about a minivan.

HEMMER: Also, you rated the Lexus RX330 as the best midsized SUV.

PAUL: Right. Yes, that's about $44,000, and that's as plush and quiet as many luxury cars. Now, the Toyota Highlander is about $10,000 less and very similar to the Lexus, but didn't score quite as highly in our tests.

HEMMER: Well, two more categories, quickly. The Honda Pilot, best three-row SUV. That means seats going back three rows. Second year in a row, too, right?

PAUL: Yes. A lot of people are looking for SUVs that can hold seven or eight people. The Pilot is our pick in that category. It's just an all-around good vehicle, good reliability, good performance.

HEMMER: And Rick, you also like the winner of the green car category. Tell us why.

PAUL: That's the Toyota Prius. And it got 44 miles per gallon overall in our fuel economy test. And it really kind of illustrates the difference between the -- how should I say -- traditional hybrids, which people will buy for the fuel economy, and then the new hybrids, like the Accord hybrid, which gives both performance and fuel economy but not as good fuel economy as the Prius.

HEMMER: It's all in "Consumer Reports." Rik Paul, thanks. Good to see you, as always. PAUL: Thank you.

HEMMER: And the "Consumer Reports" auto issue will be on newsstands tomorrow, on Tuesday, and available online now -- consumerreports.org -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Controversy at a school in Illinois. A mother says her 6-year-old was suspended because she refused to spank him. The school says that's not the whole story. A closer look ahead coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: We're talking rap and rappers. Time to check in with Jack and the "Question of the Day."

Do you have this new CD?

CAFFERTY: Yes, I have two copies, one for the house and one for the car.

The feud between rappers 50 Cent, or Fiddy Cent, take your pick, and the game, is the latest to erupt in violence. There was actually a shooting at a radio station here in New York City last week.

Well, Al Sharpton talked to the "New York Daily News" over the weekend. He thinks the government ought to get into this. He wants the music of artists who use violence to be banned from the airwaves for 90 days.

These are platinum-selling artists make millions of dollars, according to the reverend, and they are involved in bloodshed. Where is the FCC response, he wants to know.

The question we are asking, should artists who incite violence be banned from the air?

Duke in Oklahoma, "Artists who incite violence should be banned from society. Let them see what it's like to try to make it in the real world."

Reg in Ontario, "Am I the only one who sees the hypocrisy from Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, who rail against this trash but are card- carrying members of a party that elects liberal judges who allow this garbage to fester?"

Regina in Wisconsin, "Yes, I do think rappers who incite violence should be pulled from the airwaves. This would be setting a good example to kids and young people that your decisions have consequences. Doesn't that still apply in the entertainment industry?"

And finally, Ronald in New York, "Rap is not music, only third grade rhyming. Turn on your closed captioning to see why they should be banned from the planet. They disrespect women and promote violence." O'BRIEN: And I'm sure all of this controversy, including the shootings, just, you know, adds up to better sales. The game is like the highest debuting...

CAFFERTY: And that's Sharpton's point. He says they're using this violence to make money and sell records.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

CAFFERTY: If you take the stuff off the radio and don't play it on MTV and the other places, then all of a sudden sales go down. Maybe this becomes an incentive to behave yourself. That's I think his idea.

O'BRIEN: All right.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Sure.

HEMMER: More to come in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER (voice-over): Ahead on "90-Second Pop"...

KIRSTIE ALLEY, ACTRESS, "FAT ACTRESS": Why can't I just get a show first and then lose the weight?

HEMMER: ...art imitating light for Kirstie Alley. But will packing on the pounds mean packing in the viewers?

And one of the big of the stories in America is legally off limits to Jay Leno. He gets by, though, with a little help from a friend. And we'll explain that a bit later on AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Almost 9:30 in New York. Welcome back, everybody.

In a moment, going to get back to Rome here. Headline again today from there, where a state funeral was held today for that security agent killed by U.S. troops in Iraq. This coming as the journalists whose life was saved as a result is disputing the U.S. version of what happened. Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon in a moment here. She has more on this investigation, what the military has to say about it.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're going to talk to the mother of a 6-year-old boy. She was told by school officials she had to spank him. He was misbehaving a little bit. She was refused.

The little boy was suspended from school. Mother and son are our guests. Also, we'll talk with an official from that school. (STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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