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American Morning

Police in Aruba Trying to Break Case of Missing Alabama Teenager; On Verdict Watch on Michael Jackson Trial

Aired June 06, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

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


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Police in Aruba trying to break the case of a missing Alabama teenager, and two hotel security guards are now at the center of their investigation. We're live in Aruba with the very latest.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi, in for Bill Hemmer this morning.

On the verdict watch on the Michael Jackson jury trial. Deliberations resume in a few hours. There is news this morning about Michael Jackson's health.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Jack Cafferty. A leading senator thinks the prison at Guantanamo Bay is a huge liability for the United States. He thinks the government ought to shut it down. We'll see what you think.

O'BRIEN: And severe weather and the busiest weekend yet for tornadoes. We're tracking some new hot spots, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. Welcome, everybody.

Bill Hemmer has got day off, but Ali Velshi is helping us out. Nice to have you. Thanks for helping us.

VELSHI: Good to be back. Good morning. Got a lot to cover this morning.

O'BRIEN: Yes, let's begin, in fact, in Aruba this morning, where authorities are expanding their search for Natalee Holloway. They're calling in a special FBI diving team to try to help find the Alabama teenager. Holloway's been missing since last Monday, when she was seen leaving a popular nightclub on the island. Police have charged now two security guards in connection with her disappearance. Investigators say it is possible, in fact, that more people may have been involved. The guards reportedly work at a hotel near the Holiday Inn, which is where Holloway was staying. A search of three cars belonging to the suspects turned up none of Holloway's possessions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Carla Caccavale PR firm handles the Aruba tourism account. Natalee Holloway's family has asked her to act as their spokeswoman. Carla, good morning. Thanks for talking with us.

CARLA CACCAVALE: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: I know you had an opportunity to have dinner with Natalee's family last night. How are they doing? How are they holding up?

CACCAVALE: They're amazing. They are very, very strong, and they are going forward and doing this for Natalee.

O'BRIEN: We know that her mother, obviously, Beth Holloway Twitty, very, very distraught, and she's in Aruba to try to help authorities. What kind of help is she able to provide?

CACCAVALE: She is going around handing out flyers on her free time. She's cooperating fully with the authorities. She's in constant contact with them. Natalee's dad, Dave, is organizing volunteer searches. Yesterday he was out with about 50 of the Dutch marines, Aruba search and rescue. They had helicopters, ATVs. They are combing this island, piece by piece, on their own, in addition to the help they're receiving from the authorities.

O'BRIEN: And in fact, two men were arrested yesterday. Do you have any details on this investigation, what the charges are for these two men, anything you can tell us?

CACCAVALE: Unfortunately, all I know is what the prosecutor said yesterday at the press conference, and that is that these men are being charged with something to do with Natalee's disappearance. We don't know what that is exactly, but that's the case right now.

O'BRIEN: FBI dive team as well, the help from there has been requested. Any idea why?

CACCAVALE: All hands on deck. The more help we have to find Natalee, the better. We want to bring her home, and we want to do it soon. So the more help we have.

O'BRIEN: Back at home in Mountain Brook in Alabama, there are ribbons and a vigil also being held, vigils really for this young lady. Has that been helpful to the family? Are they aware of what's going on back in their hometown?

CACCAVALE: Yes, they are. They are. And they are so grateful for that. They repeatedly say that that's one of the reasons why they remain so strong today, because they know that back home everyone is pulling for them.

In addition to back home, here on the island, they have a great support network of friends and family.

And when people say to Beth, you know, how are you doing this? How are you remaining so strong? She simply says, I'm Natalee's mom.

O'BRIEN: You've never met Natalee, I know that, but you've had lots of conversations now with her family members. She sounds like a very remarkable young lady. What can you tell us about her?

CACCAVALE: Well, actually, Beth last night, before I left, she said to me, Carla, she said, tomorrow you better make Natalee proud, because she's going to review these tapes and critique you. I know she is a straight-A student. I know she has a full scholarship waiting for her for the University of Alabama. I know that she's a passionate dancer. I know that she used to babysit for children with special needs. Everything I've heard from everyone is just glowing about Natalee, and I do hope I have the opportunity to meet her.

O'BRIEN: I bet you will. Carla Caccavale joining us this morning. Thanks for talking with us, Carla. Appreciate it.

CACCAVALE: Thank you. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: Another story we're following, Michael Jackson is out of hospital. He went in this weekend. He's waiting now to hear if the jury says he's guilty or not guilty of child molestation.

Well, Chris Lawrence is live in Santa Maria, California.

Chris, what are you hearing about Michael Jackson's visit to the hospital last night?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ali, we know he went in about 3:00 Sunday afternoon. His bodyguards drove him to the hospital for some recurring problems, possibly also associated with his back problems that he said he's been experiencing, spent a few hours at the hospital, and returned to Neverland Ranch. A spokesperson says Jackson is exhausted, and he's under a great deal of stress.

Now, this is at least the fourth time he's had a medical problem so far this year. Back on February 15th, Jackson was briefly hospitalized for flu symptoms. They had to push back the questioning of potential jurors for about a week.

And in the most highly publicized incident, about a month later, Jackson showed up 90 minutes late for court. He was wearing pajamas and complaining about a back problem, and at that point, the judge was so angry, he threatened to revoke Jackson's bail. A few weeks after that, court was delayed again, this time for 45 minutes, when Jackson arrived late, this time with his doctor. After talking with Jackson's doctor and the attorneys behind closed doors, the judge basically said, no threats; let's just get this court session started -- Ali.

VELSHI: Chris, what about the family? How are they doing right now? what has been the reaction of Michael Jackson's family to the last few hours in court on Friday?

CACCAVALE: Well, we spent the weekend in Los Angeles, and that's where Jackson's brothers, Tito and Jermaine Jackson were. We spoke privately with both of them, and Jermaine Jackson had some interesting things to say about how this trial will affect Michael Jackson's future, even if he's acquitted. Jermaine Jackson told us privately, quote, "He'll become a complete recluse if found not guilty. He won't be able to deal with anyone, because he can't trust anyone." We believe that he was referring to former employees and confidants that have come out and testified against him in court.

He also talked about the family. He said that he stands behind his brother. He said Jackson's parents have been a rock, and he said, quote, he supports his brother 1,000 percent -- Ali.

VELSHI: Chris, we'll keep an eye on this. Thanks very much. Chris Lawrence live in California -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: To Iraq now, a huge underground hiding place for insurgents near Fallujah has been destroyed. It was the size of nine football fields.

Jennifer Eccleston is live for us in Baghdad.

Jennifer, good morning.

What exactly can be gleaned about the insurgents from this giant cache of weapons?

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

That's right. Well, you know, it was part of an ongoing anti- insurgency operation in Anbar province. That is the center of the Sunni Arab resistance. And Marines and Iraqi soldiers uncovered this elaborate series of underground bunkers with large stores of heavy weapons, including rockets and mortars. There was ammunition and a number of other supplies. It was located in the village of Karmah, which is not far, as you mentioned, from the troubled town of Fallujah.

Now the bunker was actually found on Thursday, and it was one of a dozen weapons caches that have been uncovered in the area in recent days. And no insurgents were in the compound at the time, but it was likely used recently, and that's because there was fresh food in the kitchen, and it had a fairly comfortable layout, with furnished living conditions, two showers, and a functioning air-conditioner. And the bunker were built into an old rock quarry and totalled roughly 500,000 square feet, making it, Soledad, according to a Marine spokesman, one of the largest insurgent hideouts discovered in at least a year.

Now it's not clear whether the compound dated back to the regime of Saddam Hussein or whether it was recently constructed. And nevertheless, it was destroyed, as you mentioned earlier -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: And then since that's been destroyed, what about all the weapons? Those destroyed as well?

ECCLESTON: Well, the explosion -- the explosives, rather, the mortars and the artillery rounds, are destroyed, as well as the bunker. But they take out some of the ammunition and they weapons, and they actually recycle it, for lack of a better word, and hand those over to the Iraqi security forces -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Jennifer Eccleston joining us from Baghdad with a report this morning. Jennifer, thanks for the update -- Ali.

VELSHI: Well, we're following potentially dangerous situations in the Northeast right now. Some very strong storms are expected today. Even New York City could see severe weather. Elsewhere, severe thunderstorms are swept across Michigan on Sunday night, knocking down trees and power lines. Thousands of people losing power. People in Oklahoma picking up the pieces after a tornado tore down trees and power lines on Saturday. Several homes there were reportedly damaged and fire -- I'm sorry, five people were injured in those.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the jury and Michael Jackson. A quick verdict or a long deliberation? Jeff Toobin weighs, in just ahead.

VELSHI: Also, Gitmo under fire. Is it time to shut down the controversial prison camp? We'll go live to the Pentagon.

O'BRIEN: Also, state of the art tools to track sex offenders. We'll take a look at one community's aggressive effort to try to keep kids safe.

Those stories ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: As Chris Lawrence just reported for us, the Michael Jackson jurors begin their first full day of deliberations this morning in the molestation trial. Senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin joins us.

Hey, nice to see you. Good morning.

JEFF TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Hi.

O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of how Michael Jackson visually is looking and doing to you.

TOOBIN: Awful. He's doing awfully. I mean, I was really shocked. I hadn't been there in a couple of weeks, and the physical deterioration of him during the course of the trial has been astonishing. He is emaciated. He walks with obvious great difficulty. His skin has a terrible pallor. He wears a lot of makeup. He really looks like he's in awful shape. Even mentally he doesn't seem nearly as engaged as he was. Early in the trial, he was talking with his lawyers. Now he just sort of sits there by himself. He's in terrible shape.

O'BRIEN: Sixteen weeks this has been going on, more or less.

TOOBIN: Yes, yes.

O'BRIEN: The summation on Friday that you were there for, how did it go? TOOBIN: It was really very dramatic on both sides. And I have to say, my overall impression, having thought about it over the weekend, is Jackson's in more trouble than I thought. What was most powerful about the prosecution's summation was the way Ron Zonen and the prosecutor pulled the accusations against the other kids, the earlier kids, and showed how similar they were to the current accusations. And you know, one fact sticks in my head. This is a -- Michael Jackson, with one of these earlier boys, slept in the same bed with this boy every day for six months at one point. Can you imagine? I mean, and the jury -- and he said to the jury, you don't need an explanation for that. You know that's wrong. And, you know, I thought to myself, you know, I do know that's wrong.

O'BRIEN: What about the defense? Because you really have said, as much as those previous accusers had a lot of weight, the current accuser, the one upon whom the whole case is based, was weak.

TOOBIN: And there was excellent use of that made by Thomas Mesereau. I mean, he used a lot of transcripts, of showing aspects of this family's testimony, not just the boy himself, but of course his mother, a very controversial figure, and his brother and his sister, and showed points where their testimony seemed obviously false. And then he just kept saying to the jury, you have to reject all of their testimony if they lie about one thing. And that's powerful stuff.

O'BRIEN: The jury's only had the case now to deliberate...

TOOBIN: Two hours.

TOOBIN: ... for two hours, so no expectations really that they were going to come back right away. But if they go a full day, does that say anything to you?

TOOBIN: Well, I think, you know, a case of this length and complexity, several days deliberation is what you'd expect. If they were to come back today, for example, I think that would be very good for Michael Jackson, because you know, there are complicated charges here. You've got the molestation. You've got this conspiracy count. You've got giving alcohol to a minor. If they come back after just a few hours, that means they just tossed the whole thing.

Where things start to get dicey for Michael Jackson is if we start to get into Wednesday, Thursday. That suggests they're really working their way through it, and obviously having plenty to discuss.

O'BRIEN: The judge has indicated that he's going to allow an audio verdict -- audio at the same time, so that we get it in real time as the jury comes back with their verdict, but audio only.

TOOBIN: Audio only.

O'BRIEN: What kind of an impact do you think that's going to have?

TOOBIN: I think it will get more people to follow the verdict. I mean, more people will pay attention. O'BRIEN: That's not why he's doing it.

TOOBIN: No, he's doing it for security.

The real reason, I think, is if you remember the Martha Stewart verdict, which was not -- you had people running out with codes and signs, and some of them were right, and some of them were wrong, and it was kind a chaotic environment. I think this way, everybody will get it at the same time. There will no need to have people running around. I think it was an excellent solution by Judge Melville, who really, I think, has done a wonderful job keeping this trial under control.

O'BRIEN: It hasn't been the circus that many people -- and I think you were among them -- predicted it could be.

TOOBIN: Yes, right, remember the first day when Michael Jackson danced on the roof of the car, things looked like they might get out of control, and he's made sure that didn't happen.

O'BRIEN: All right, well, I guess we'll wait as everyone else is waiting to get a verdict.

Jeff, thanks as always.

Still to come this morning, some airlines are hiking fares just in time for the summer travel season. Andy's got details as he minds your business, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Well, some airline passengers are going to be able to surf while flying. Andy Serwer's "Minding Your Business." He's got that for us.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Ali. And we're talking about Internet surfing, of course, not some flying off the plane.

United is expected to announce today that it will become the first U.S. airline to install wireless Internet on its planes. Now it's not going to happen right away. It won't be rolled out into until mid-2006. But when it does, you'll be able to do e-mail, instant messaging and surf at 30,000 feet. Lufthansa and Japan Airlines already do this. It won't be free. It will be probably $30 a flight, or maybe $10 per half hour, this according to "The New York Times." But that's good news. Still no cell phones on flights, though.

O'BRIEN: And you can't use your blackberry either, right, which is wireless. So I don't know how they get around that.

SERWER: Yes, I'm not sure either.

VELSHI: Yes, which makes you wonder about the whole issue. There's some investigation I was reading about, until 2006, they're studying the safety of this.

SERWER: They're taking their time.

VELSHI: They're taking their time with that thing.

SERWER: Indeed.

VELSHI: Because as soon as we find out it's all safe to use, all of a sudden, they don't get the revenue.

SERWER: That's right.

Let's talk a little bit about costs in airlines, though, and revenues, because you've probably seen over the past couple of months, airlines have been pressuring unions hard to cut costs. What about raising fares? Well, they've been doing that, too, kind of quietly. Some of the big carriers over the weekend announcing more increases for ticket prices. You can see here, United, Continental, American, $10 for short flights, and $20 for long hauls. And this is the ninth fare hike this year, surprisingly, so they've been really ratcheting them up.

VELSHI: I still think that they should figure out a smarter way to make money. What's happening is the fares were going down, and we're still paying for all thee extra -- the add-ons.

SERWER: No more pillows, Ali. No pretzels for you. No pretzels for you. No pretzels for him.

O'BRIEN: No pretzels. No pillows. What else is new?

All right, Andy, thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Let's get to the Question of the Day.

Good morning, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware wants the United States to shutdown that military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He says it's actually aiding terrorism. Yesterday Senator Biden called Gitmo a liability and, quote, "the greatest propaganda tool for the recruitment of terrorists worldwide."

While "Newsweek" may have gotten a few facts wrong several weeks ago, the Pentagon has now released a report admitting to incidents in which U.S. guards at Guantanamo mishandled the Koran. Last month, Amnesty International called the place a gulag. There are about 540 detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Some of them have been there three years, haven't been charged with a crime yet.

The question this morning is this, should the United States close the prison at Guantanamo Bay? AM@CNN.com is the e-mail address. O'BRIEN: That's a good question. I spent a little time at Guantanamo, right when they opened the prison there. It was a very interesting place, and there was a lot of secrecy obviously then, and now as well.

SERWER: And they've built it up a lot, too.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Yes, it was growing all the time.

SERWER: Right.

CAFFERTY: What are you going to do with these people?

VELSHI: That's what I was wondering. Where do they go?

CAFFERTY: Put them up in the Waldorf over here.

VELSHI: It might cost less, Jack.

CAFFERTY: These are suspected terrorists. I mean, what do they suggest we do with them?

O'BRIEN: Leave them at Gitmo the whole time? I mean, interesting question.

CAFFERTY: Well, they ain't bothering anybody there, are they?

O'BRIEN: That's a good point, Jack. Thanks.

Ahead this morning, "90-Second Pop." The MTV Movie Awards. We'll take a look at that. Guess who won? Here's a hint. Some big losers. We'll explain in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired June 6, 2005 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Police in Aruba trying to break the case of a missing Alabama teenager, and two hotel security guards are now at the center of their investigation. We're live in Aruba with the very latest.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi, in for Bill Hemmer this morning.

On the verdict watch on the Michael Jackson jury trial. Deliberations resume in a few hours. There is news this morning about Michael Jackson's health.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Jack Cafferty. A leading senator thinks the prison at Guantanamo Bay is a huge liability for the United States. He thinks the government ought to shut it down. We'll see what you think.

O'BRIEN: And severe weather and the busiest weekend yet for tornadoes. We're tracking some new hot spots, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. Welcome, everybody.

Bill Hemmer has got day off, but Ali Velshi is helping us out. Nice to have you. Thanks for helping us.

VELSHI: Good to be back. Good morning. Got a lot to cover this morning.

O'BRIEN: Yes, let's begin, in fact, in Aruba this morning, where authorities are expanding their search for Natalee Holloway. They're calling in a special FBI diving team to try to help find the Alabama teenager. Holloway's been missing since last Monday, when she was seen leaving a popular nightclub on the island. Police have charged now two security guards in connection with her disappearance. Investigators say it is possible, in fact, that more people may have been involved. The guards reportedly work at a hotel near the Holiday Inn, which is where Holloway was staying. A search of three cars belonging to the suspects turned up none of Holloway's possessions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Carla Caccavale PR firm handles the Aruba tourism account. Natalee Holloway's family has asked her to act as their spokeswoman. Carla, good morning. Thanks for talking with us.

CARLA CACCAVALE: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: I know you had an opportunity to have dinner with Natalee's family last night. How are they doing? How are they holding up?

CACCAVALE: They're amazing. They are very, very strong, and they are going forward and doing this for Natalee.

O'BRIEN: We know that her mother, obviously, Beth Holloway Twitty, very, very distraught, and she's in Aruba to try to help authorities. What kind of help is she able to provide?

CACCAVALE: She is going around handing out flyers on her free time. She's cooperating fully with the authorities. She's in constant contact with them. Natalee's dad, Dave, is organizing volunteer searches. Yesterday he was out with about 50 of the Dutch marines, Aruba search and rescue. They had helicopters, ATVs. They are combing this island, piece by piece, on their own, in addition to the help they're receiving from the authorities.

O'BRIEN: And in fact, two men were arrested yesterday. Do you have any details on this investigation, what the charges are for these two men, anything you can tell us?

CACCAVALE: Unfortunately, all I know is what the prosecutor said yesterday at the press conference, and that is that these men are being charged with something to do with Natalee's disappearance. We don't know what that is exactly, but that's the case right now.

O'BRIEN: FBI dive team as well, the help from there has been requested. Any idea why?

CACCAVALE: All hands on deck. The more help we have to find Natalee, the better. We want to bring her home, and we want to do it soon. So the more help we have.

O'BRIEN: Back at home in Mountain Brook in Alabama, there are ribbons and a vigil also being held, vigils really for this young lady. Has that been helpful to the family? Are they aware of what's going on back in their hometown?

CACCAVALE: Yes, they are. They are. And they are so grateful for that. They repeatedly say that that's one of the reasons why they remain so strong today, because they know that back home everyone is pulling for them.

In addition to back home, here on the island, they have a great support network of friends and family.

And when people say to Beth, you know, how are you doing this? How are you remaining so strong? She simply says, I'm Natalee's mom.

O'BRIEN: You've never met Natalee, I know that, but you've had lots of conversations now with her family members. She sounds like a very remarkable young lady. What can you tell us about her?

CACCAVALE: Well, actually, Beth last night, before I left, she said to me, Carla, she said, tomorrow you better make Natalee proud, because she's going to review these tapes and critique you. I know she is a straight-A student. I know she has a full scholarship waiting for her for the University of Alabama. I know that she's a passionate dancer. I know that she used to babysit for children with special needs. Everything I've heard from everyone is just glowing about Natalee, and I do hope I have the opportunity to meet her.

O'BRIEN: I bet you will. Carla Caccavale joining us this morning. Thanks for talking with us, Carla. Appreciate it.

CACCAVALE: Thank you. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: Another story we're following, Michael Jackson is out of hospital. He went in this weekend. He's waiting now to hear if the jury says he's guilty or not guilty of child molestation.

Well, Chris Lawrence is live in Santa Maria, California.

Chris, what are you hearing about Michael Jackson's visit to the hospital last night?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ali, we know he went in about 3:00 Sunday afternoon. His bodyguards drove him to the hospital for some recurring problems, possibly also associated with his back problems that he said he's been experiencing, spent a few hours at the hospital, and returned to Neverland Ranch. A spokesperson says Jackson is exhausted, and he's under a great deal of stress.

Now, this is at least the fourth time he's had a medical problem so far this year. Back on February 15th, Jackson was briefly hospitalized for flu symptoms. They had to push back the questioning of potential jurors for about a week.

And in the most highly publicized incident, about a month later, Jackson showed up 90 minutes late for court. He was wearing pajamas and complaining about a back problem, and at that point, the judge was so angry, he threatened to revoke Jackson's bail. A few weeks after that, court was delayed again, this time for 45 minutes, when Jackson arrived late, this time with his doctor. After talking with Jackson's doctor and the attorneys behind closed doors, the judge basically said, no threats; let's just get this court session started -- Ali.

VELSHI: Chris, what about the family? How are they doing right now? what has been the reaction of Michael Jackson's family to the last few hours in court on Friday?

CACCAVALE: Well, we spent the weekend in Los Angeles, and that's where Jackson's brothers, Tito and Jermaine Jackson were. We spoke privately with both of them, and Jermaine Jackson had some interesting things to say about how this trial will affect Michael Jackson's future, even if he's acquitted. Jermaine Jackson told us privately, quote, "He'll become a complete recluse if found not guilty. He won't be able to deal with anyone, because he can't trust anyone." We believe that he was referring to former employees and confidants that have come out and testified against him in court.

He also talked about the family. He said that he stands behind his brother. He said Jackson's parents have been a rock, and he said, quote, he supports his brother 1,000 percent -- Ali.

VELSHI: Chris, we'll keep an eye on this. Thanks very much. Chris Lawrence live in California -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: To Iraq now, a huge underground hiding place for insurgents near Fallujah has been destroyed. It was the size of nine football fields.

Jennifer Eccleston is live for us in Baghdad.

Jennifer, good morning.

What exactly can be gleaned about the insurgents from this giant cache of weapons?

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

That's right. Well, you know, it was part of an ongoing anti- insurgency operation in Anbar province. That is the center of the Sunni Arab resistance. And Marines and Iraqi soldiers uncovered this elaborate series of underground bunkers with large stores of heavy weapons, including rockets and mortars. There was ammunition and a number of other supplies. It was located in the village of Karmah, which is not far, as you mentioned, from the troubled town of Fallujah.

Now the bunker was actually found on Thursday, and it was one of a dozen weapons caches that have been uncovered in the area in recent days. And no insurgents were in the compound at the time, but it was likely used recently, and that's because there was fresh food in the kitchen, and it had a fairly comfortable layout, with furnished living conditions, two showers, and a functioning air-conditioner. And the bunker were built into an old rock quarry and totalled roughly 500,000 square feet, making it, Soledad, according to a Marine spokesman, one of the largest insurgent hideouts discovered in at least a year.

Now it's not clear whether the compound dated back to the regime of Saddam Hussein or whether it was recently constructed. And nevertheless, it was destroyed, as you mentioned earlier -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: And then since that's been destroyed, what about all the weapons? Those destroyed as well?

ECCLESTON: Well, the explosion -- the explosives, rather, the mortars and the artillery rounds, are destroyed, as well as the bunker. But they take out some of the ammunition and they weapons, and they actually recycle it, for lack of a better word, and hand those over to the Iraqi security forces -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Jennifer Eccleston joining us from Baghdad with a report this morning. Jennifer, thanks for the update -- Ali.

VELSHI: Well, we're following potentially dangerous situations in the Northeast right now. Some very strong storms are expected today. Even New York City could see severe weather. Elsewhere, severe thunderstorms are swept across Michigan on Sunday night, knocking down trees and power lines. Thousands of people losing power. People in Oklahoma picking up the pieces after a tornado tore down trees and power lines on Saturday. Several homes there were reportedly damaged and fire -- I'm sorry, five people were injured in those.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the jury and Michael Jackson. A quick verdict or a long deliberation? Jeff Toobin weighs, in just ahead.

VELSHI: Also, Gitmo under fire. Is it time to shut down the controversial prison camp? We'll go live to the Pentagon.

O'BRIEN: Also, state of the art tools to track sex offenders. We'll take a look at one community's aggressive effort to try to keep kids safe.

Those stories ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: As Chris Lawrence just reported for us, the Michael Jackson jurors begin their first full day of deliberations this morning in the molestation trial. Senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin joins us.

Hey, nice to see you. Good morning.

JEFF TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Hi.

O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of how Michael Jackson visually is looking and doing to you.

TOOBIN: Awful. He's doing awfully. I mean, I was really shocked. I hadn't been there in a couple of weeks, and the physical deterioration of him during the course of the trial has been astonishing. He is emaciated. He walks with obvious great difficulty. His skin has a terrible pallor. He wears a lot of makeup. He really looks like he's in awful shape. Even mentally he doesn't seem nearly as engaged as he was. Early in the trial, he was talking with his lawyers. Now he just sort of sits there by himself. He's in terrible shape.

O'BRIEN: Sixteen weeks this has been going on, more or less.

TOOBIN: Yes, yes.

O'BRIEN: The summation on Friday that you were there for, how did it go? TOOBIN: It was really very dramatic on both sides. And I have to say, my overall impression, having thought about it over the weekend, is Jackson's in more trouble than I thought. What was most powerful about the prosecution's summation was the way Ron Zonen and the prosecutor pulled the accusations against the other kids, the earlier kids, and showed how similar they were to the current accusations. And you know, one fact sticks in my head. This is a -- Michael Jackson, with one of these earlier boys, slept in the same bed with this boy every day for six months at one point. Can you imagine? I mean, and the jury -- and he said to the jury, you don't need an explanation for that. You know that's wrong. And, you know, I thought to myself, you know, I do know that's wrong.

O'BRIEN: What about the defense? Because you really have said, as much as those previous accusers had a lot of weight, the current accuser, the one upon whom the whole case is based, was weak.

TOOBIN: And there was excellent use of that made by Thomas Mesereau. I mean, he used a lot of transcripts, of showing aspects of this family's testimony, not just the boy himself, but of course his mother, a very controversial figure, and his brother and his sister, and showed points where their testimony seemed obviously false. And then he just kept saying to the jury, you have to reject all of their testimony if they lie about one thing. And that's powerful stuff.

O'BRIEN: The jury's only had the case now to deliberate...

TOOBIN: Two hours.

TOOBIN: ... for two hours, so no expectations really that they were going to come back right away. But if they go a full day, does that say anything to you?

TOOBIN: Well, I think, you know, a case of this length and complexity, several days deliberation is what you'd expect. If they were to come back today, for example, I think that would be very good for Michael Jackson, because you know, there are complicated charges here. You've got the molestation. You've got this conspiracy count. You've got giving alcohol to a minor. If they come back after just a few hours, that means they just tossed the whole thing.

Where things start to get dicey for Michael Jackson is if we start to get into Wednesday, Thursday. That suggests they're really working their way through it, and obviously having plenty to discuss.

O'BRIEN: The judge has indicated that he's going to allow an audio verdict -- audio at the same time, so that we get it in real time as the jury comes back with their verdict, but audio only.

TOOBIN: Audio only.

O'BRIEN: What kind of an impact do you think that's going to have?

TOOBIN: I think it will get more people to follow the verdict. I mean, more people will pay attention. O'BRIEN: That's not why he's doing it.

TOOBIN: No, he's doing it for security.

The real reason, I think, is if you remember the Martha Stewart verdict, which was not -- you had people running out with codes and signs, and some of them were right, and some of them were wrong, and it was kind a chaotic environment. I think this way, everybody will get it at the same time. There will no need to have people running around. I think it was an excellent solution by Judge Melville, who really, I think, has done a wonderful job keeping this trial under control.

O'BRIEN: It hasn't been the circus that many people -- and I think you were among them -- predicted it could be.

TOOBIN: Yes, right, remember the first day when Michael Jackson danced on the roof of the car, things looked like they might get out of control, and he's made sure that didn't happen.

O'BRIEN: All right, well, I guess we'll wait as everyone else is waiting to get a verdict.

Jeff, thanks as always.

Still to come this morning, some airlines are hiking fares just in time for the summer travel season. Andy's got details as he minds your business, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

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VELSHI: Well, some airline passengers are going to be able to surf while flying. Andy Serwer's "Minding Your Business." He's got that for us.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Ali. And we're talking about Internet surfing, of course, not some flying off the plane.

United is expected to announce today that it will become the first U.S. airline to install wireless Internet on its planes. Now it's not going to happen right away. It won't be rolled out into until mid-2006. But when it does, you'll be able to do e-mail, instant messaging and surf at 30,000 feet. Lufthansa and Japan Airlines already do this. It won't be free. It will be probably $30 a flight, or maybe $10 per half hour, this according to "The New York Times." But that's good news. Still no cell phones on flights, though.

O'BRIEN: And you can't use your blackberry either, right, which is wireless. So I don't know how they get around that.

SERWER: Yes, I'm not sure either.

VELSHI: Yes, which makes you wonder about the whole issue. There's some investigation I was reading about, until 2006, they're studying the safety of this.

SERWER: They're taking their time.

VELSHI: They're taking their time with that thing.

SERWER: Indeed.

VELSHI: Because as soon as we find out it's all safe to use, all of a sudden, they don't get the revenue.

SERWER: That's right.

Let's talk a little bit about costs in airlines, though, and revenues, because you've probably seen over the past couple of months, airlines have been pressuring unions hard to cut costs. What about raising fares? Well, they've been doing that, too, kind of quietly. Some of the big carriers over the weekend announcing more increases for ticket prices. You can see here, United, Continental, American, $10 for short flights, and $20 for long hauls. And this is the ninth fare hike this year, surprisingly, so they've been really ratcheting them up.

VELSHI: I still think that they should figure out a smarter way to make money. What's happening is the fares were going down, and we're still paying for all thee extra -- the add-ons.

SERWER: No more pillows, Ali. No pretzels for you. No pretzels for you. No pretzels for him.

O'BRIEN: No pretzels. No pillows. What else is new?

All right, Andy, thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Let's get to the Question of the Day.

Good morning, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware wants the United States to shutdown that military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He says it's actually aiding terrorism. Yesterday Senator Biden called Gitmo a liability and, quote, "the greatest propaganda tool for the recruitment of terrorists worldwide."

While "Newsweek" may have gotten a few facts wrong several weeks ago, the Pentagon has now released a report admitting to incidents in which U.S. guards at Guantanamo mishandled the Koran. Last month, Amnesty International called the place a gulag. There are about 540 detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Some of them have been there three years, haven't been charged with a crime yet.

The question this morning is this, should the United States close the prison at Guantanamo Bay? AM@CNN.com is the e-mail address. O'BRIEN: That's a good question. I spent a little time at Guantanamo, right when they opened the prison there. It was a very interesting place, and there was a lot of secrecy obviously then, and now as well.

SERWER: And they've built it up a lot, too.

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O'BRIEN: Yes, it was growing all the time.

SERWER: Right.

CAFFERTY: What are you going to do with these people?

VELSHI: That's what I was wondering. Where do they go?

CAFFERTY: Put them up in the Waldorf over here.

VELSHI: It might cost less, Jack.

CAFFERTY: These are suspected terrorists. I mean, what do they suggest we do with them?

O'BRIEN: Leave them at Gitmo the whole time? I mean, interesting question.

CAFFERTY: Well, they ain't bothering anybody there, are they?

O'BRIEN: That's a good point, Jack. Thanks.

Ahead this morning, "90-Second Pop." The MTV Movie Awards. We'll take a look at that. Guess who won? Here's a hint. Some big losers. We'll explain in just a moment. Stay with us.

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