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American Morning

Ohio Farmer Releases Exotic Animals before Committing Suicide; Protests in Greece Against Government Austerity Measures Continue; Prosecution to Rest in Trial of Michael Jackson's Doctor; Moammar Gadhafi Captured

Aired October 20, 2011 - 06:59   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Officials in Ohio say they didn't want to do it, but they simply had no choice. Dozens of wild animals let loose by their owner killed in order to protect the public.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Crowds chant chaos on the streets in a critical vote today as lawmakers in Greece try to save the country from financial ruin (ph).

ROMANS: Damaging testimony in the Conrad Murray trial. A medical expert saying the doctor is directly to blame for Michael Jackson's death. And then this --

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let's get straight, guys. Don't screw around with me.

COSTELLO: And Vice President Joe Biden trying to keep his cool after being confronted by a reporter on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS (on-camera): All right. Good morning, everyone. It's Thursday, October 20th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING this Thursday.

COSTELLO (on-camera): Yes. Let's start in Ohio. Up first, this 49 wild animals, lions, tigers, cheetahs, grizzlies, wolves, shot dead by police in Ohio after the owner of a preserve let them loose and then killed himself.

Jason Carroll live in Zanesville, Ohio, where authorities are defending their decision to take the animals down saying it was us or them. Good morning, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. So many questions this morning, Carol. Namely why Terry Thompson and -- a man by who all accounts loved those animals and cared for them for many years, why he opened their cages, set them, and then, took his own life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CARROLL: Outrage and anger in Zanesville, Ohio, this morning after 49 lions, tigers, and other wild animals were killed after being freed from a farm by its suicidal owner. Newly released 911 tapes give us a glimpse into just how serious the threat was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 911, what's your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, there's a lion on Mt. Perry road.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a big horse farm on the right. It was standing there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got one of those lions that are missing out of Muskingum County.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will get somebody out in that area. If you see it again don't approach it, OK?

CARROLL: The sheriff here shedding light on why it was so difficult to round up these animals, and why they were operating under orders to shoot to kill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If this had been a 9:00 incident in the middle of the day, odds are high we pay have been able to surround the area and keep everything contained. But our biggest problem we had in this whole thing was nightfall. We had about an hour to an hour and a half of good light and, you know, we had several animals roaming free on this property going into darkness. And we just couldn't take that chance.

CARROLL: We are learning more about the farm owner Terry Thompson. He was convicted of animal cruelty in November 2005 and released from prison just last month after serving time on an illegal firearms conviction. The police had been to his home several times before to address the animal issue, but they were never able to shut it down.

The Ohio governor now responding to questions why a law was allowed to expire which regulated the sale and ownership of exotic animals here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What had been proposed was frankly not very workable. You don't want to just put something out and not have the infrastructure ordeal with all of the complications that are connected to this. As a result of that we formed a working group. Obviously we got to move faster now. And at the end of the day, there will be legislation.

CARROLL: In all at least 49 animals were killed, shot dead by the police. They and animal experts say they simply had no choice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did shoot with a tranquillizer dart. Unfortunately 10 seconds later it roared and got up and came towards me. The special response team had to shoot it.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CARROLL: When I was speaking to Barbara Wolf about that yesterday, the woman who you just heard, she said she was simply sickened to have to take down that tiger. And that's really how so many of the Animal Control specialists who were out here felt as well as the sheriff's deputies. Carol, Christine?

ROMANS: These are people that work in this industry and veterinarians there and the people -- like Jack Hanna and others, they do the work because they love animals.

COSTELLO: You have to imagine this gigantic wild animal charging you. What would you do? You would protect yourself. That's what the sheriff's deputies are trying to do out there.

CARROLL: Yes. I spoke to one sheriff's deputy who told me at one point he was trying to chase down a very large and had no choice but to take it down. Then he went back to a house where a woman had called 911 and was confronted by another animal there and had to take down another one. He said it just broke his heart because he said these animals were simply doing what they do.

COSTELLO: Jason Carroll, we will talk much more about this. Thanks, Jason.

Why was this man allowed to have all of those animals? What needs to be changed? What about the legislation the governor was talking about?

ROMANS: The working group was not working fast enough to get this done.

COSTELLO: Right, exactly. We will ask Jack Hanna all of those questions. He has been meeting with the governor of Ohio and will get into the psychology of the man who felt the need to own all of these wild animals. We will try to answer those questions for you at 7:40 eastern.

ROMANS: Why did he let them all go?

All right, day two of a national strike in Athens of more massive crowds taking to the streets. New video just in to CNN. Protesters calm now but very angry with the Greek government, expected to finalize austerity plan today that calls for tax increases and pension and salary cuts and suspension of collective labor contracts.

Demonstrations turned violent Wednesday. At least six protesters and 15 police officers were hurt. Diana Magnay is in Athens with the latest. Diana, this has been just a bubbling of disappointment and outrage from the Greek people as the government is frantically trying to fix its problems, to avoid going bankrupt.

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As the government tries to fix its problems at the expense of the people, the people say they feel that their government is not acting in their interests but against their interests. You see that -- hear the same kind of outrage you do on occupy Wall Street. There is a democratic -- why aren't politicians acting in our interests, the interests of capitalism, the interests of the banks.

As you said yesterday, there was a degree of violence that's generally at these kinds of demonstrations. There was back in June when the second day -- now, though, there are about 50,000 people out in the streets in the scare, completely filled with demonstrators. The atmosphere so far has been peaceful. There is outrage and also a sense of calm.

ROMANS: Thank you so much, Diana, in Greece.

So what would happen if Greece leaves the Eurozone? CNN's Becky Anderson takes a quick look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If any done trip wanted to leave the euro zone, it would have to address a huge number of complicated issues. Let's take the situation, for example, for Greece. First of all, would its departure even be legal for -- according to the Eurozone, technically the answer is no. But if Greece wanted to go back to the drachma, there isn't anything anybody could do about it.

The question then is where would it get those drachma from? Without it need to print millions of notes overnight and deliver the money to every bank business and ATM in the country. Next unknown is this. How would Greeks react? Take this scene from "Mary Poppins" and people start to panic. They think their money is no longer safe. They get a run on the banks. The same scene could play out in Greece, millions of people demanding their savings right away.

What if you agree? Mortgage, for example, German bank, that needs to be paid back in euros. All of those loans would be need to be restructured or as they say in the markets forgiven. Some economists say if Greece is going stronger Eurozone countries like Germany and France, should exit first, leading to a meltdown of the entire Eurozone and its currency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: German chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have been holding emergency talks in Frankfurt. They're trying to work out a deal to keep the Eurozone from melting down. Interestingly just yesterday he was rushing from the bedside of his wife who was giving birth back to these talks that were fracturing about exactly what the European bailout system should look like. A very, very tense day yesterday. Congratulations.

COSTELLO: Just the last few hours, Moammar Gadhafi's hometown has fallen. Libya's National Transitional Council says it has taken the city of Sirte, the last stronghold of the former dictator, who as far as we know is still in hiding this morning. Only pockets of resistance remain. A frontline commander says they are trying to chase down any of Gadhafi's forces who are trying to run away. The victory for the rebels comes almost three months after Gadhafi was ousted from power. ROMANS: Also new this morning, an angry L.A. county judge revoked actress Lindsay Lohan's probation for failing to complete her community service at a woman's center.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE STEPHANIE SAUTNER, LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT: I am revoking her probation pending a hearing. I am also setting bail at $100,000. And Miss Lohan, if Miss Lohan bails out she is to immediately before the next hearing, if she wants to mitigate any potential sentence, if she is found in violation, do a minimum of 16 hours at the morgue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The troubled actress was led out of the courtroom in hand cuffs and posted $100,000 bail and was released a couple house after being booked. She's due back in court in two weeks.

COSTELLO: Love how she walked out of that courtroom with a big swish going on. Yes.

Let's talk a little sports now. NBA owners and players and a mediator are going back for a third straight day of talks. They held a 16-hour session on Tuesday. Commissioner David Stern has already canceled first two weeks of the regular season. The sides deadlocked over salaries and how to split revenue. The commissioner claims the league lost as much as $300 million last week.

ROMANS: The St. Louis Cardinals are one-zip in the World Series. They beat the Rangers 3-2 last tonight in game two of the fall classic. Craig came off the bench to drive in the winning run. Texas Governor Rick Perry placed a friendly wager on the series with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. Perry put up a Texas barbecue while Nixon bet an order of St. Louis toasted ravioli.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Did you ever have toasted ravioli in St. Louis?

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANS: Still to come this morning, more damaging testimony in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, as prosecutors prepare to rest their case.

COSTELLO: And it's Joe versus the reporter. Why vice president Joe Biden got so very testy after a question about how he is promoting the White House jobs bill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Good morning. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. The prosecution expected to rest its case today in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. And they tried to finish with a flourish calling an anesthesiologist to the stand who said Dr. Murray was clueless in his treatment of Jackson and directly responsible for his death. CNN's Ted Rowlands has the details.

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TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The prosecution's last witness took the stand Wednesday, a leading anesthesiologist who called Propofol an outstanding drug, a drug in the right hands would not have caused the death of Michael Jackson.

DR. STEVE SHAFER, ANESTHESIOLOGY EXPERT: I am asked every day I'm in the operating room. I tell patients what I'm going to do, and I am asked the question, are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson. I get this question daily. This is a fear that patients do not need to have.

ROWLANDS: Dr. Stephen Schafer presented this video to the jury and to demonstrate how to administer Propofol safely.

SHAFER: The first thing you do is you have to do the preparation of the room. So Professor Hung is reviewing the anesthesia machine, checking the equipment, and going through to make sure that everything is basically properly in place. There are emergency airways that must be available. It is not surprising we are starring our setup with airway equipment because the single most important aspect of anesthesia ever is continued movement of air into the lungs.

ROWLANDS: This photo shown earlier in the trial is Michael Jackson's bedroom where Dr. Conrad Murray says he administered a small dose of Propofol to Jackson on the day he died. Prosecutors say Murray had none of the necessary equipment to monitor Jackson while under sedation or to revive him in an emergency. Shafer used his video to make the point that quick action is needed when a patient goes into cardiac arrest.

SHAFER: The heart has stopped beating. The patient is not breathing. This is a cardiac arrest. Again, you have to respond instantly. And I cannot emphasize enough the first response to an emergency.

Those of you who have taken CPR courses may remember the instruction for CPR, you find a person who is unresponsive, what's the first thing you do? Call for help.

ROWLANDS: According to the prosecution's timeline, Murray first noticed Jackson wasn't breathing right before 12:00. The 911 call didn't come in until 12:22, more than 20 minutes later.

SHAFER: The facts in this case in my view, suggest that virtually none of the safeguards for sedation were in place when Propofol is administered to Michael Jackson.

ROWLANDS: Shafer said Jackson's life could have been saved if Murray took the necessary precautions. But the bottom line according to Shafer, Murray never should have given Jackson Propofol in the first place.

SHAFER: If Dr. Murray had acted as doctor, the very first time Michael Jackson said I need Propofol to sleep, a doctor would say you have a sleep disorder. And you need to be seen by doctors who specialize in sleep disorders. Not by having me show up with Propofol.

ROWLANDS: The defense is expected to start its case Friday. They'll try to convince the jury that Michael Jackson accidentally killed himself by administering that fatal dose of Propofol. The jury could possibly get this case for deliberation at some point next week.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Ted.

Let's head to Atlanta now to check in with Reynolds Wolf. Because it's cold in the Midwest. Winter has come.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It really has. Certainly feels that way. Certainly feels that way in Chicago.

Let's go right to this incredible video that we have for which shows people up and down Michigan Avenue. The wind is just gusty, especially between those buildings where it accelerates in excess of 40, sometimes even 50 miles per hour. And then out into Lake Michigan, we've actually had some towering waves right along the shores. So it's been certainly some rough times.

We expect that those weather conditions are still going to be rough today and here is the result delays. Some of them, yes, possibly over an hour in Chicago due to the gusty winds, the rain. Also delays in New York, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston and in Detroit.

Another issue we are going to be dealing with this morning, certainly that cold air that's been just through parts of the Central Plains, the Western Great Lakes and even into the Deep South where in Alabama and into parts of even Georgia we expect the - the cold air to remain locked in place through tomorrow morning. There may be gradual warm-up into the weekend. But still for the most part relatively cool to say the least.

Something else we're going to see is a lot of that cold air just settling in parts of the Midwest. Slowly driving (ph) its way to the East Memphis, 43 degrees on Beale Street; 35 in Denver; 55 in Portland; 53 in Seattle; 60 in Los Angeles; 55 in Boston.

Temperature at this hour, New York, a fairly balmy 66 degrees. We can expect the rain to begin to move towards parts of New York later on today and also into the eastern half of the Great Lakes. Roads will be dry and cool for the southeast. Sunshine filling up over across parts of the Central Rockies. Maybe some of these high thin clouds. But for the most part some sunshine. And more lake - more rain, rather, for Lake Sammamish and into parts of the Cascades and the Pacific Northwest.

That's a quick snap shot of your forecast. Guys, let's pitch it back to you in New York.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

ROMANS: All right, still to come this morning. A lot of people are seeing red because they claim their new iPhone looks yellow. We'll explain.

COSTELLO: Plus, YouTube about to become even - even bigger music destination. Find out which acts are heading to the site next.

It's 18 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Welcome back. "Minding Your Business" this morning.

The Fed's latest report on the economy says the economy is growing, but at a pretty slow pace. That outlook pushed U.S. stocks lower yesterday. And growing doubts overnight about the effectiveness of the new E.U. bailout fund are pushing European markets lower right now.

But in the U.S. futures this morning are up so far. Investors are waiting to get a new read on the economy about an hour from now. That read is this. We're going to find out how many people filed for jobless claims for the first time last week. Economists expect that number to be slightly lower than the week before.

Now, the Federal Reserve says it will take steps to try to be more transparent. The move coming after a government report found there was a conflict of interest with the Fed's board of directors. According to the audit, several financial firms and corporations could have benefited financially because their executives served on the bank's boards.

Some iPhone 4S users are complaining the screen on their new smartphone has sort of a yellowish tint. So far Apple not commenting. But you might remember both the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 had problems with the screens appearing yellow. That problem on those devices, an adhesive that had not completely dried yet.

And YouTube is expanding its music collection after months of negotiations. The site has struck a deal with Merlin, an agency that represents some 14,000 independent labels. Under the agreement, musicians will receive royalties each time a YouTube user publishes a video that uses parts of their song.

Don't forget, for the very latest news about your money, check out the all-new CNNMoney.com.

AMERICAN MORNING will be right back after this break.

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