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'90-Second Pop'; Fate of Terri Schiavo Now in Hands of Federal Judge in Florida

Aired March 21, 2005 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. It's exactly half past the hour in fact. Terri Schiavo's husband vowing keep up is fight after an extraordinary move in Congress to review a decision that would let her die.
Michael Schiavo says he is outraged. We're going to hear from him this morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also this hour, the tragic case of a boxer who committed suicide after appearing in a reality TV show. We'll talk creator of "The Contender," Mark Burnett, about whether or not the show drove the young man to take his own life. Were there any signs as the show was progressing, too? This all happened back on February 14th. And clearly, it rocked the show quite a bit. So we'll get to Mark Burnett in a moment.

O'BRIEN: First, though, let's get right to the headlines with Carol Costello.

Good morning again.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Lots of developing news to tell you about.

Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, he will be back in court this morning. The court announcing just within past 20 minutes that the chief justice will be in court when oral arguments resume in just about a half hour. The 80-year-old Rehnquist has not appeared in public since he delivered the Oath of Office to President Bush at his inauguration in January.

President Bush is trying to drum up support in the quest for Social Security reform. The president left the White House for Tucson, Arizona within the past hour. He's set to make stops in Colorado and New Mexico before running to his Texas ranch tomorrow afternoon.

A group of Catholic bishops is launching what it says is the most aggressive campaign against the death penalty in years. A Washington cardinal set to make that announcement shortly. He'll be joined by an exonerated death row inmate and the father of an Oklahoma City bombing victim.

And baseball players will no longer have to pay out if caught using steroids. Owners and players agreed to drop possible financial penalties after congressmen criticized the option during last week's hearing on Capitol Hill. The decision means players can only be punished for steroid use with suspension, because as you know, those fines really weren't very large. And you know, $10,000 to a baseball player's nothing.

O'BRIEN: And it seemed, to some degree, they would be able to negotiation, maybe either do the suspension or pay the fine.

HEMMER: I don't get it, I'm sorry.

O'BRIEN: What do you mean?

HEMMER: I mean, if you're cheating, you're cheating. If you get caught, you should pay the maximum penalty.

O'BRIEN: No, you should be kicked out.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: You're taking illegal drugs. There should be some criminal penalty, too, perhaps.

HEMMER: And that, too.

COSTELLO: Yes. I'm sure this will go on and on.

O'BRIEN: No question about it. All right, Carol, thanks.

Well, the fate of Terri Schiavo is now in the hands of a federal judge in Florida. Schiavo is, of course, the 41-year-old woman who suffered heart failure and severe brain damage back in 1990. Her parents and her husband have been arguing for years about whether to remove her feeding tube. And I asked Michael Schiavo this morning, her husband, what he thinks about Congress getting involved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL SCHIAVO, TERRI SCHIAVO'S HUSBAND: I think it's an invasion to the American people -- when you make a private decision in a family matter, that they're thumbing their nose up to the American people and the constitution. This is a sad day for Terri and it's a sad day for every American in this country. And people should be outraged.

O'BRIEN: The issue now goes to a federal judge. If the federal judge rules that, in fact, the feeding tube has to be reinserted into Terri, what happens then? Do you continue your fight?

SCHIAVO: Oh, yes, of course.

O'BRIEN: In what way? With what recourse?

SCHIAVO: I'll let my attorney handle that one.

DEBORAH BUSHNELL, MICHAEL SCHIAVO'S ATTORNEY: We feel confident that the federal courts are not going to find this act constitutional. This is simply an abuse of power by the legislative branch and the executive branch. We thank so much the Congressmen and women who stood up for us when this act was being debated.

We are sorely disappointed in the result. However, the courts have supported us consistently and we believe that they will continue to support Terri's constitutional rights and the rights of every U.S. citizen to make medical decisions for themselves.

O'BRIEN: Terri's family members, though, say that her medical wishes are, in fact, not what you claim they are. And I want to play you a little bit of what Terri Schiavo's brother, Bobby Schindler, had to say while Congress was debating last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY SCHINDLER, TERRI SCHIAVO'S BROTHER: If you would see Terri, you would see absolutely how alive she is, how alert she is, how much she responds, how she's trying to speak with us. There's a reason Michael and his attorney are doing everything they can to keep Terri hidden from the public. Terri could be sitting here right now. She could be on the House floor during this debate in a wheelchair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Is that right, Michael? She could be sitting on the House floor during this debate in a wheelchair?

SCHIAVO: She can sit in a wheelchair, yes. By she's not able to fly.

O'BRIEN: Her...

SCHIAVO: You know, let me say something. Terri can't communicate. She cannot swallow. This is Bobby Schindler's soapbox, OK? This is his way to pander votes from the Republican people up in Congress. He's not presenting the accurate facts. This case has been in front of the state courts for seven years. 20 judges have heard this case, including the Supreme Court justices. And Bobby Schindler's up there stating inaccurate facts and the Republicans up there are feeding into it.

BUSHNELL: Soledad, that statement is simply incredible. Terri does not respond. She has very little cerebral cortex left. The thinking part of her brain is simply gone and is replaced with liquid. Terri has not responded in the 15 years that she's been in this condition. Doctors -- reputable doctors agree. There's simply no hope in Terri's situation, and for Bobby Schindler or anyone to say otherwise is simply deluded.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: No word on when the federal judge who now has the case might make a ruling. We should also mention that Terri Schiavo's parents were scheduled to talk to us this morning. They canceled at their lawyer's request, saying they don't want to harm their new chances in court -- Bill.

HEMMER: Thirty-six minutes past the hour now, Soledad. Last night's episode of "The Contender" was especially compelling. The reality show follows the lives of 16 young aspiring boxers. Many viewers probably aware that one contestant, Najai Turpin, had committed suicide more than a month ago when he heard his words of last night's show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAJAI TURPIN, TOOK HIS OWN LIFE: My family, if I die today or tomorrow, they have nothing. But now this gives me an opportunity to give them something, give them something to look forward to in life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: That was from the show last night. Mark Burnett, the creator of "The Contender." He's my guest now in Santa Monica, California.

Mark, good morning to you.

MARK BURNETT, CREATOR, "THE CONTENDER": Hi, Bill.

HEMMER: I want to get a sense within the show from you what you remember about getting the news back on the 14th of February.

BURNETT: Well, first of all, it was disbelief. I was stunned, and incredibly sad. I mean, everybody at the company, the production company, had become friendly with Najai, especially all of the young girls who hung out with him all of the time. There were so many tears at the production company as we're editing. And it was even hard to continue editing. We'd already finished, completely finished, cutting last night's episode. And I chose to not change it at all. It would have been, I thought, disrespectful to have taken the words you just played out. That was his wards while he was alive. That's how he felt. And I have a lot of respect for him and I liked him so much.

HEMMER: I want to get a little more into the decision making in the show, but then again from last night, listen to how he reacted after he lost a fight that we saw last evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TURPIN: What did I do wrong for something to go wrong? And I thought I did everything right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did great.

TURPIN: I gave my word. It hurt me that I can't keep my word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: He felt he let himself down, and also his family, too, and his daughter that he was holding there. Did you see any warning signs in the taping of this show that this young man had a severe problem internally? BURNETT: No. In fact, you know, Bill, if you would have played the clip that followed that, you would have seen how he then decides to get up and play with his daughter, and his words then go on to but I know that I'm destined for greatness, you haven't seen the last of me, I'm destined for greatness. So you know, you played a convenient part their Bill.

You know, the fact is, Najai was a really great guy. Najai had lost his mother a number of years ago. And you know, the fact that he took his life on Valentine's Day I don't think is a random day. You know, he had his own personal issues. I can't judge why someone would do that. I've never walked in those shoes before. You know, and in the case of love and custody with the child, who knows what someone might do.

The double tragedy is not only did he leave a child, but he could have been great. And this he wanted his whole life, an opportunity to be known in fights. And as you know, coming later in the series, the public gets to choose who fights again on the show. A number of 10 fighters will fight again. Najai had such a great chance, but I didn't walk in his shoes. And I don't know what I would do over custody and love issues myself. So I can't judge him.

HEMMER: Mark, did you consider not airing his part of the story?

BURNETT: No, not at all. That would have been awful. I mean, this is who he was and there's no reason not to air that. In fact, could have only been criticized for changing it. Left exactly as it was, the words you've there conveniently played, and the other words about he goes out -- his last words are "I'm destined for greatness. I know I'm destined for greatness." He was at training camp training for future fights.

And something went wrong. He left training camp a couple of days before that. Apparently spend a lot of time in his car outside of his girlfriend's apartment, and this awful thing happened on Valentine's Day, and it's tragic, tragic for all of us.

HEMMER: If you keep watching in the show last night, you see, after the clip we played, him smiling and quite a happy and uplifting mood late in the show, too, in fairness there. At the end of last night's program, Sugar Ray Leonard came out and talked about -- somewhat an appeal -- if the viewing public wants to contribute to his daughter's college fund or to make sure that she has a good life later down the road. Mark, what's the show doing along the same lines, as well?

BURNETT: Well, not only the show put in, but we've all put in personally, of course. We want his daughter to have the best chance she can have. I think, as well, as millions of people are now seeing that. You know, the show is airing worldwide, as well as in Spanish on Telemundo and and on NBC and CNBC and so hopefully, the trust fund will grow. So beyond our contributions and the public, I think that one thing -- at least Najai had some wish for the goodness of his daughter and hopefully we can help that happen.

HEMMER: Is the show's contribution -- is that significant, Mark?

BURNETT: Yes, of course. And our personal contributions, as well.

HEMMER: Can you tell me how much?

BURNETT: No. And I hope that people watching right now, you know, will go to that Web site. And you guys can show that Web site. It's a tragedy. You know, someone there hasn't got a father. And you can only hope that she has a chance.

HEMMER: I believe it's contender.yahoo.com. Address right?

BURNETT: Yes. Thanks so much. Yes, it is.

HEMMER: All right, thank you, Mark. Mark Burnett out in Santa Monica. We'll see you back in New York sometime soon. Let's get a break here. 19 minutes before the hour. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Well, the Terri Schiavo legal battle is calling attention to the issue of living wills. What do you need to know? And a check of the markets now. Gerri Willis is in for Andy this morning. She's "Minding Your Business." Good morning again.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Let's start with the markets, shall we?

WILLIS: Absolutely. The markets trading lower here this morning, as we expected. You can see the numbers now. Dow Industrials, down 28 points. And as we talked about, oil prices higher, hurting the market here. The Feds meeting tomorrow. A lot of people keeping their money on the sidelines.

O'BRIEN: And let's talk about living wills, because, of course, at the end of the day, it is fair to say that if Terri Schiavo had a living will, much of the debate that's gone on would not have happened, period.

WILLIS: You bet. And I think it's a great idea for so many people here. You should get a living will. It's not that difficult to get. In fact, it can be cheap. A living will is just a written document that explains how you want to be treated if you fall victim to some horrible disease, you can't take care of yourself.

But that's only part of the solution. You'll also want to choose a healthcare proxy or surrogate, someone who will make decisions for you when you can't. It sounds easy, but choosing the right person can be difficult. Choosing a spouse may be difficult if you're in your 80s or older. A better idea, choose somebody who can speak out for themselves, isn't afraid to talk back to doctors and will represent your best interests. O'BRIEN: I mean, Terri Schiavo was only 21 years old or something when this -- basically, she lost oxygen to her brain and became incapacitated, the way she is now. And a lot of young people I don't think about living will. But her case, I think, makes it really obvious that it's important.

WILLIS: And it's not just about your life. It's also about the lives of people in your family. Because let's face it, if they're going sustain your life and you're incapable of interacting with the family or working or doing anything at all, it's going to affect your family, as well. So you have to think about it early. One great place to go on the web, agingwithdignity.org, for information.

O'BRIEN: All right, Gerri, thanks a lot.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

HEMMER: Related matter with Jack here now, "Question of the Day." Back here now.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Bill. Should Congress be dealing with Schiavo and steroids when there's a war in Iraq and a record deficit? Got a record number of e-mails from you folks on this subject this morning.

Judy writes: "Jack, there have been many, many mornings that I've thrown my shoes at the TV in response to some of your opinionated comments. But not this morning. Instead, I knelt down on my knees and kissed the screen. I agree with your comments regarding Terri and the Congress 110 percent."

Lew, in Bozeman, Montana: "Dear Jack, nice try. Senators and representatives' most important and perhaps only serious jobs are in order, one, getting re-elected, two, raising money from your rabid base to get re-elected, three, not letting someone run to the rabid right of you in the primaries. The Schiavo affair does all three."

And J.R. in Altadena, California: "Jack, issues more important than Iraq and the deficit? Not when Congress has yet to weigh in on the Michael Jackson trial."

HEMMER: Well, see where we're at at the end of the day, huh? Because no one quite knows after we hear from this federal judge and where it goes from there, so, Jack, thank you.

In a moment here, NBC hopes to recapture its must-see TV heyday. Find out what changes under way at the peacock network and what's in store for some of the former ratings toppers. "90 Second Pop" after a break here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. It's time for another edition of "90-Second Pop" with our pop stars this morning. Christopher John Farley, he's the senior editor for "TIME" magazine. Jessica Shaw of "Entertainment Weekly." And B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly."

Good morning. Hope everybody had a fabulous weekend.

JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Hot 97, the radio station, is back in the news, because they continue to be incredibly inappropriate. First, there were those nasty tsunami lyrics, right? Totally over the top or a new low, you might say. 50 Cent shot...

CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY, SR. EDITOR, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Right.

O'BRIEN: ... or shots fired when he's in the radio station. And now they've got something called smack-fest, which is possibly a new low. What is it?

FARLEY: Smack-fest has been around for a while. It's where people slap each other on the air and money is given...

SHAW: Well, women slap each other.

FARLEY: Right. And then they get money depending on the loudest slap or how it's judged. But here's the thing. You know, there's a lot of great hip-hop out there, but hip-hop for some time has been like pro wrestling. And that's part of the problem here, where they're promoting not the music, but they're promoting really the violence and the chaos and the misogyny around music. And, you know, people have to try to take the music back. Like, there's a campaign that "Essence" magazine is helping to push, take the music back, take back the music to try to get some more emphasis on the political and social content of the lyrics themselves.

O'BRIEN: What does women smacking each other has anything to do with hip-hop?

SHAW: That's the thing. I mean, I'm not sure it's appropriate to blame them for shootings and to blame the radio station for the shootings. But, I mean, women slapping each other, you know, is like the height of misogyny and the tsunami song which is so racist.

O'BRIEN: And winning money, $5,000.

SHAW: Right.

B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Right. And the thing that I don't really get is hearing a slap is so much less impactful than seeing a slap.

O'BRIEN: It's like radio stations should not be doing this.

SIGESMUND: Yes. I'm not going to tune into Hot 97 to listen to a slap.

FARLEY: So, what's the original title of "Million Dollar Baby?" Slap-Fest 05? I mean, it works in other contexts, but I think here it's wrong, because I think they're perverting hip-hop. Hip-hop is better than this, and Hot 97 can be better than this.

O'BRIEN: Oh, well, lord knows they're trying hard to be worse each and every day.

SHAW: Right.

O'BRIEN: Maybe they'll change their tune.

All right, let's talk about NBC. Remember back in the day when NBC always won in primetime?

SHAW: Oh.

O'BRIEN: Now they're hauling out the oldies, but oldies in order to see if they can revamp their primetime lineup. What's staying?

SHAW: Well, "ER" is staying. "West Wing" is staying. "Crossing Jordan." The "Medium" show has done incredible well. "Las Vegas." Yes, you know, this is the time when the networks say, like, these are the pilots we're going to do, and then in May they will announce their lineups. NBC is in trouble. You know, last year they were No. 1. They had "Friends." They had "Frazier." This year, not so much, No. 4.

SIGESMUND: Well, the "West Wing," I mean, it's lost, like, 30 or 40 percent of its viewers. And they're in a new presidential administration now. You know, Bartlett is going to be out, and they're going to have a new one. And they're hoping that they can bring new energy.

O'BRIEN: Can it work?

SHAW: Boring.

O'BRIEN: Do you think it's foreign? Or can they sort of re- launch the old versions?

FARLEY: I feel like Bartlett has been around since the Truman administration. The fact is I tend to watch cable more. I end up watching like the "L" word and not the things on network. I think a lot of my friends are the same way.

O'BRIEN: You guys, as always, thank you very much -- Bill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. We are awaiting word about the request to have Terri Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted. Daryn's up next hour with more coverage on CNN LIVE TODAY. We are back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Janet Reno broke historic ground as American's first female attorney general. And as part of CNN 25th anniversary series, "Then and Now," Paula Zahn takes a look at Reno's controversial career and what she's doing today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANET RENO, FMR. ATTY. GENERAL: I made the decision. I'm accountable. The buck stops with me.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Plain-spoken and tough, Janet Reno became the first woman U.S. attorney general. A star of the Clinton cabinet, she had the president's confidence; and ultimately took responsibility -- and heat -- for the Elian Gonzalez case and the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas. She was attorney general for eight years, earning a spot in pop culture by being impersonated on "Saturday Night Live." Reno just made a guest appearance when she left office.

RENO: I just dance. Now hit it!

ZAHN: Reno is now 66 years old and living in Miami. She's currently working on various legal issues, and supports Everglades conservation. Despite dealing with Parkinson's Disease, she hasn't slowed down or lost her sense of humor.

RENO: I just get used to the phantom wing shaking.

ZAHN: Reno ran for Florida governor in 2002. She doesn't plan on running for public office again. She enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews, and is an avid kayaker.

RENO: Time to smell the roses, to appreciate kayaking, and listen to a symphony, to spend time with the people I love. And it's a good way to live.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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Aired March 21, 2005 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. It's exactly half past the hour in fact. Terri Schiavo's husband vowing keep up is fight after an extraordinary move in Congress to review a decision that would let her die.
Michael Schiavo says he is outraged. We're going to hear from him this morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also this hour, the tragic case of a boxer who committed suicide after appearing in a reality TV show. We'll talk creator of "The Contender," Mark Burnett, about whether or not the show drove the young man to take his own life. Were there any signs as the show was progressing, too? This all happened back on February 14th. And clearly, it rocked the show quite a bit. So we'll get to Mark Burnett in a moment.

O'BRIEN: First, though, let's get right to the headlines with Carol Costello.

Good morning again.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Lots of developing news to tell you about.

Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, he will be back in court this morning. The court announcing just within past 20 minutes that the chief justice will be in court when oral arguments resume in just about a half hour. The 80-year-old Rehnquist has not appeared in public since he delivered the Oath of Office to President Bush at his inauguration in January.

President Bush is trying to drum up support in the quest for Social Security reform. The president left the White House for Tucson, Arizona within the past hour. He's set to make stops in Colorado and New Mexico before running to his Texas ranch tomorrow afternoon.

A group of Catholic bishops is launching what it says is the most aggressive campaign against the death penalty in years. A Washington cardinal set to make that announcement shortly. He'll be joined by an exonerated death row inmate and the father of an Oklahoma City bombing victim.

And baseball players will no longer have to pay out if caught using steroids. Owners and players agreed to drop possible financial penalties after congressmen criticized the option during last week's hearing on Capitol Hill. The decision means players can only be punished for steroid use with suspension, because as you know, those fines really weren't very large. And you know, $10,000 to a baseball player's nothing.

O'BRIEN: And it seemed, to some degree, they would be able to negotiation, maybe either do the suspension or pay the fine.

HEMMER: I don't get it, I'm sorry.

O'BRIEN: What do you mean?

HEMMER: I mean, if you're cheating, you're cheating. If you get caught, you should pay the maximum penalty.

O'BRIEN: No, you should be kicked out.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: You're taking illegal drugs. There should be some criminal penalty, too, perhaps.

HEMMER: And that, too.

COSTELLO: Yes. I'm sure this will go on and on.

O'BRIEN: No question about it. All right, Carol, thanks.

Well, the fate of Terri Schiavo is now in the hands of a federal judge in Florida. Schiavo is, of course, the 41-year-old woman who suffered heart failure and severe brain damage back in 1990. Her parents and her husband have been arguing for years about whether to remove her feeding tube. And I asked Michael Schiavo this morning, her husband, what he thinks about Congress getting involved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL SCHIAVO, TERRI SCHIAVO'S HUSBAND: I think it's an invasion to the American people -- when you make a private decision in a family matter, that they're thumbing their nose up to the American people and the constitution. This is a sad day for Terri and it's a sad day for every American in this country. And people should be outraged.

O'BRIEN: The issue now goes to a federal judge. If the federal judge rules that, in fact, the feeding tube has to be reinserted into Terri, what happens then? Do you continue your fight?

SCHIAVO: Oh, yes, of course.

O'BRIEN: In what way? With what recourse?

SCHIAVO: I'll let my attorney handle that one.

DEBORAH BUSHNELL, MICHAEL SCHIAVO'S ATTORNEY: We feel confident that the federal courts are not going to find this act constitutional. This is simply an abuse of power by the legislative branch and the executive branch. We thank so much the Congressmen and women who stood up for us when this act was being debated.

We are sorely disappointed in the result. However, the courts have supported us consistently and we believe that they will continue to support Terri's constitutional rights and the rights of every U.S. citizen to make medical decisions for themselves.

O'BRIEN: Terri's family members, though, say that her medical wishes are, in fact, not what you claim they are. And I want to play you a little bit of what Terri Schiavo's brother, Bobby Schindler, had to say while Congress was debating last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY SCHINDLER, TERRI SCHIAVO'S BROTHER: If you would see Terri, you would see absolutely how alive she is, how alert she is, how much she responds, how she's trying to speak with us. There's a reason Michael and his attorney are doing everything they can to keep Terri hidden from the public. Terri could be sitting here right now. She could be on the House floor during this debate in a wheelchair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Is that right, Michael? She could be sitting on the House floor during this debate in a wheelchair?

SCHIAVO: She can sit in a wheelchair, yes. By she's not able to fly.

O'BRIEN: Her...

SCHIAVO: You know, let me say something. Terri can't communicate. She cannot swallow. This is Bobby Schindler's soapbox, OK? This is his way to pander votes from the Republican people up in Congress. He's not presenting the accurate facts. This case has been in front of the state courts for seven years. 20 judges have heard this case, including the Supreme Court justices. And Bobby Schindler's up there stating inaccurate facts and the Republicans up there are feeding into it.

BUSHNELL: Soledad, that statement is simply incredible. Terri does not respond. She has very little cerebral cortex left. The thinking part of her brain is simply gone and is replaced with liquid. Terri has not responded in the 15 years that she's been in this condition. Doctors -- reputable doctors agree. There's simply no hope in Terri's situation, and for Bobby Schindler or anyone to say otherwise is simply deluded.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: No word on when the federal judge who now has the case might make a ruling. We should also mention that Terri Schiavo's parents were scheduled to talk to us this morning. They canceled at their lawyer's request, saying they don't want to harm their new chances in court -- Bill.

HEMMER: Thirty-six minutes past the hour now, Soledad. Last night's episode of "The Contender" was especially compelling. The reality show follows the lives of 16 young aspiring boxers. Many viewers probably aware that one contestant, Najai Turpin, had committed suicide more than a month ago when he heard his words of last night's show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAJAI TURPIN, TOOK HIS OWN LIFE: My family, if I die today or tomorrow, they have nothing. But now this gives me an opportunity to give them something, give them something to look forward to in life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: That was from the show last night. Mark Burnett, the creator of "The Contender." He's my guest now in Santa Monica, California.

Mark, good morning to you.

MARK BURNETT, CREATOR, "THE CONTENDER": Hi, Bill.

HEMMER: I want to get a sense within the show from you what you remember about getting the news back on the 14th of February.

BURNETT: Well, first of all, it was disbelief. I was stunned, and incredibly sad. I mean, everybody at the company, the production company, had become friendly with Najai, especially all of the young girls who hung out with him all of the time. There were so many tears at the production company as we're editing. And it was even hard to continue editing. We'd already finished, completely finished, cutting last night's episode. And I chose to not change it at all. It would have been, I thought, disrespectful to have taken the words you just played out. That was his wards while he was alive. That's how he felt. And I have a lot of respect for him and I liked him so much.

HEMMER: I want to get a little more into the decision making in the show, but then again from last night, listen to how he reacted after he lost a fight that we saw last evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TURPIN: What did I do wrong for something to go wrong? And I thought I did everything right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did great.

TURPIN: I gave my word. It hurt me that I can't keep my word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: He felt he let himself down, and also his family, too, and his daughter that he was holding there. Did you see any warning signs in the taping of this show that this young man had a severe problem internally? BURNETT: No. In fact, you know, Bill, if you would have played the clip that followed that, you would have seen how he then decides to get up and play with his daughter, and his words then go on to but I know that I'm destined for greatness, you haven't seen the last of me, I'm destined for greatness. So you know, you played a convenient part their Bill.

You know, the fact is, Najai was a really great guy. Najai had lost his mother a number of years ago. And you know, the fact that he took his life on Valentine's Day I don't think is a random day. You know, he had his own personal issues. I can't judge why someone would do that. I've never walked in those shoes before. You know, and in the case of love and custody with the child, who knows what someone might do.

The double tragedy is not only did he leave a child, but he could have been great. And this he wanted his whole life, an opportunity to be known in fights. And as you know, coming later in the series, the public gets to choose who fights again on the show. A number of 10 fighters will fight again. Najai had such a great chance, but I didn't walk in his shoes. And I don't know what I would do over custody and love issues myself. So I can't judge him.

HEMMER: Mark, did you consider not airing his part of the story?

BURNETT: No, not at all. That would have been awful. I mean, this is who he was and there's no reason not to air that. In fact, could have only been criticized for changing it. Left exactly as it was, the words you've there conveniently played, and the other words about he goes out -- his last words are "I'm destined for greatness. I know I'm destined for greatness." He was at training camp training for future fights.

And something went wrong. He left training camp a couple of days before that. Apparently spend a lot of time in his car outside of his girlfriend's apartment, and this awful thing happened on Valentine's Day, and it's tragic, tragic for all of us.

HEMMER: If you keep watching in the show last night, you see, after the clip we played, him smiling and quite a happy and uplifting mood late in the show, too, in fairness there. At the end of last night's program, Sugar Ray Leonard came out and talked about -- somewhat an appeal -- if the viewing public wants to contribute to his daughter's college fund or to make sure that she has a good life later down the road. Mark, what's the show doing along the same lines, as well?

BURNETT: Well, not only the show put in, but we've all put in personally, of course. We want his daughter to have the best chance she can have. I think, as well, as millions of people are now seeing that. You know, the show is airing worldwide, as well as in Spanish on Telemundo and and on NBC and CNBC and so hopefully, the trust fund will grow. So beyond our contributions and the public, I think that one thing -- at least Najai had some wish for the goodness of his daughter and hopefully we can help that happen.

HEMMER: Is the show's contribution -- is that significant, Mark?

BURNETT: Yes, of course. And our personal contributions, as well.

HEMMER: Can you tell me how much?

BURNETT: No. And I hope that people watching right now, you know, will go to that Web site. And you guys can show that Web site. It's a tragedy. You know, someone there hasn't got a father. And you can only hope that she has a chance.

HEMMER: I believe it's contender.yahoo.com. Address right?

BURNETT: Yes. Thanks so much. Yes, it is.

HEMMER: All right, thank you, Mark. Mark Burnett out in Santa Monica. We'll see you back in New York sometime soon. Let's get a break here. 19 minutes before the hour. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Well, the Terri Schiavo legal battle is calling attention to the issue of living wills. What do you need to know? And a check of the markets now. Gerri Willis is in for Andy this morning. She's "Minding Your Business." Good morning again.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Let's start with the markets, shall we?

WILLIS: Absolutely. The markets trading lower here this morning, as we expected. You can see the numbers now. Dow Industrials, down 28 points. And as we talked about, oil prices higher, hurting the market here. The Feds meeting tomorrow. A lot of people keeping their money on the sidelines.

O'BRIEN: And let's talk about living wills, because, of course, at the end of the day, it is fair to say that if Terri Schiavo had a living will, much of the debate that's gone on would not have happened, period.

WILLIS: You bet. And I think it's a great idea for so many people here. You should get a living will. It's not that difficult to get. In fact, it can be cheap. A living will is just a written document that explains how you want to be treated if you fall victim to some horrible disease, you can't take care of yourself.

But that's only part of the solution. You'll also want to choose a healthcare proxy or surrogate, someone who will make decisions for you when you can't. It sounds easy, but choosing the right person can be difficult. Choosing a spouse may be difficult if you're in your 80s or older. A better idea, choose somebody who can speak out for themselves, isn't afraid to talk back to doctors and will represent your best interests. O'BRIEN: I mean, Terri Schiavo was only 21 years old or something when this -- basically, she lost oxygen to her brain and became incapacitated, the way she is now. And a lot of young people I don't think about living will. But her case, I think, makes it really obvious that it's important.

WILLIS: And it's not just about your life. It's also about the lives of people in your family. Because let's face it, if they're going sustain your life and you're incapable of interacting with the family or working or doing anything at all, it's going to affect your family, as well. So you have to think about it early. One great place to go on the web, agingwithdignity.org, for information.

O'BRIEN: All right, Gerri, thanks a lot.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

HEMMER: Related matter with Jack here now, "Question of the Day." Back here now.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Bill. Should Congress be dealing with Schiavo and steroids when there's a war in Iraq and a record deficit? Got a record number of e-mails from you folks on this subject this morning.

Judy writes: "Jack, there have been many, many mornings that I've thrown my shoes at the TV in response to some of your opinionated comments. But not this morning. Instead, I knelt down on my knees and kissed the screen. I agree with your comments regarding Terri and the Congress 110 percent."

Lew, in Bozeman, Montana: "Dear Jack, nice try. Senators and representatives' most important and perhaps only serious jobs are in order, one, getting re-elected, two, raising money from your rabid base to get re-elected, three, not letting someone run to the rabid right of you in the primaries. The Schiavo affair does all three."

And J.R. in Altadena, California: "Jack, issues more important than Iraq and the deficit? Not when Congress has yet to weigh in on the Michael Jackson trial."

HEMMER: Well, see where we're at at the end of the day, huh? Because no one quite knows after we hear from this federal judge and where it goes from there, so, Jack, thank you.

In a moment here, NBC hopes to recapture its must-see TV heyday. Find out what changes under way at the peacock network and what's in store for some of the former ratings toppers. "90 Second Pop" after a break here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. It's time for another edition of "90-Second Pop" with our pop stars this morning. Christopher John Farley, he's the senior editor for "TIME" magazine. Jessica Shaw of "Entertainment Weekly." And B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly."

Good morning. Hope everybody had a fabulous weekend.

JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Hot 97, the radio station, is back in the news, because they continue to be incredibly inappropriate. First, there were those nasty tsunami lyrics, right? Totally over the top or a new low, you might say. 50 Cent shot...

CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY, SR. EDITOR, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Right.

O'BRIEN: ... or shots fired when he's in the radio station. And now they've got something called smack-fest, which is possibly a new low. What is it?

FARLEY: Smack-fest has been around for a while. It's where people slap each other on the air and money is given...

SHAW: Well, women slap each other.

FARLEY: Right. And then they get money depending on the loudest slap or how it's judged. But here's the thing. You know, there's a lot of great hip-hop out there, but hip-hop for some time has been like pro wrestling. And that's part of the problem here, where they're promoting not the music, but they're promoting really the violence and the chaos and the misogyny around music. And, you know, people have to try to take the music back. Like, there's a campaign that "Essence" magazine is helping to push, take the music back, take back the music to try to get some more emphasis on the political and social content of the lyrics themselves.

O'BRIEN: What does women smacking each other has anything to do with hip-hop?

SHAW: That's the thing. I mean, I'm not sure it's appropriate to blame them for shootings and to blame the radio station for the shootings. But, I mean, women slapping each other, you know, is like the height of misogyny and the tsunami song which is so racist.

O'BRIEN: And winning money, $5,000.

SHAW: Right.

B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Right. And the thing that I don't really get is hearing a slap is so much less impactful than seeing a slap.

O'BRIEN: It's like radio stations should not be doing this.

SIGESMUND: Yes. I'm not going to tune into Hot 97 to listen to a slap.

FARLEY: So, what's the original title of "Million Dollar Baby?" Slap-Fest 05? I mean, it works in other contexts, but I think here it's wrong, because I think they're perverting hip-hop. Hip-hop is better than this, and Hot 97 can be better than this.

O'BRIEN: Oh, well, lord knows they're trying hard to be worse each and every day.

SHAW: Right.

O'BRIEN: Maybe they'll change their tune.

All right, let's talk about NBC. Remember back in the day when NBC always won in primetime?

SHAW: Oh.

O'BRIEN: Now they're hauling out the oldies, but oldies in order to see if they can revamp their primetime lineup. What's staying?

SHAW: Well, "ER" is staying. "West Wing" is staying. "Crossing Jordan." The "Medium" show has done incredible well. "Las Vegas." Yes, you know, this is the time when the networks say, like, these are the pilots we're going to do, and then in May they will announce their lineups. NBC is in trouble. You know, last year they were No. 1. They had "Friends." They had "Frazier." This year, not so much, No. 4.

SIGESMUND: Well, the "West Wing," I mean, it's lost, like, 30 or 40 percent of its viewers. And they're in a new presidential administration now. You know, Bartlett is going to be out, and they're going to have a new one. And they're hoping that they can bring new energy.

O'BRIEN: Can it work?

SHAW: Boring.

O'BRIEN: Do you think it's foreign? Or can they sort of re- launch the old versions?

FARLEY: I feel like Bartlett has been around since the Truman administration. The fact is I tend to watch cable more. I end up watching like the "L" word and not the things on network. I think a lot of my friends are the same way.

O'BRIEN: You guys, as always, thank you very much -- Bill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. We are awaiting word about the request to have Terri Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted. Daryn's up next hour with more coverage on CNN LIVE TODAY. We are back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Janet Reno broke historic ground as American's first female attorney general. And as part of CNN 25th anniversary series, "Then and Now," Paula Zahn takes a look at Reno's controversial career and what she's doing today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANET RENO, FMR. ATTY. GENERAL: I made the decision. I'm accountable. The buck stops with me.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Plain-spoken and tough, Janet Reno became the first woman U.S. attorney general. A star of the Clinton cabinet, she had the president's confidence; and ultimately took responsibility -- and heat -- for the Elian Gonzalez case and the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas. She was attorney general for eight years, earning a spot in pop culture by being impersonated on "Saturday Night Live." Reno just made a guest appearance when she left office.

RENO: I just dance. Now hit it!

ZAHN: Reno is now 66 years old and living in Miami. She's currently working on various legal issues, and supports Everglades conservation. Despite dealing with Parkinson's Disease, she hasn't slowed down or lost her sense of humor.

RENO: I just get used to the phantom wing shaking.

ZAHN: Reno ran for Florida governor in 2002. She doesn't plan on running for public office again. She enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews, and is an avid kayaker.

RENO: Time to smell the roses, to appreciate kayaking, and listen to a symphony, to spend time with the people I love. And it's a good way to live.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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