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CNN Saturday Morning News
Authorities Say Alleged Terror Plot Suspects Had No Weapons, No Money; Kentucky's Army National Guard Will Deploy More Units To Iraq; Broken Heart Syndrome May Be Ultimate Link Between Body And Mind; TV Producer Aaron Spelling Dies; Men Stuck On Van In River; Oprah and Hip Hop Music
Aired June 24, 2006 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the scary part, is the weight of three men on top of that van. When my captain went out -- when he got out there and picked that first guy up, we didn't know if the vehicle was going to shift or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Wait a minute. That was the scary part? Not being trapped on a van for hours in a fast-moving river with freezing water? I'm a little confused here. It will all come together in a moment.
Good morning, everyone. It's Saturday June 24th. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Tony Harris.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Melissa Long in for Betty Nguyen this morning. We're going to tell you more about that dramatic river rescue in about 10 minutes, but first we have a check of the headlines.
Intelligence officials are analyzing the second message in less than a week from al Qaeda's top deputy. The tape from Ayman al- Zawahiri mourns the death of al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al- Zarqawi. It also blasts President Bush and the new Iraqi prime minister. Much more on that tape coming up in about 30 minutes.
In Iraq, Sunni political leaders are demanding that the U.S. military release a 70-year-old Sunni sheikh. The sheikh and his two sons were taken into custody today in Tikrit. Sunnis have condemned their detention as foolish and outrageous. The U.S. military says it is looking into it.
HARRIS: Gunfire erupts during a raid targeting militants in the Saudi capital. Authorities say six suspected al Qaeda members and a police officer were killed in the gun battle. Saudi officials say they've arrested 40 suspected Islamic militants in raids across the country.
Fierce fighting in Afghanistan. The military says coalition and Afghan forces have killed 65 Taliban fighters in two separate battles. Officials say 40 militants were killed during a five-hour gun battle in one province. Another 25 died in fighting near Kandahar province.
LONG: Tennis great Andre Agassi reportedly says he has had enough at the age of 36. Agassi will play at Wimbledon next week and at the U.S. Open in August, but after that he says he is hanging up his racket. Back problems have slowed him down in recent years.
The man who created such television hits as "Dynasty," "Charlie's Angels" and "Melrose Place" has died. Aaron Spelling passed away last night of complications from a stroke.
Spelling's 1990 series "Beverly Hills 90210" launched the acting career of his daughter Tori. It also marked his comeback after his first season without a hit. Aaron Spelling was 83. Coming up, we'll take a closer look at his life and legacy this hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: So what we have is a situation where individuals here in America made plans to hurt Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well the Feds call it homegrown terrorism. We're learning more about the case against the seven suspects in an alleged terror plot. The men are accused of conspiring to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and wage war against the U.S., but authorities say they had no weapons, no money.
CNN's Kyung Lah joins us live from Washington with the latest. Kyung, good morning.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
At best it was just talk. That's what one of the attorneys for one of the defendants is telling the news media. Five of the seven suspects appeared in a Florida courtroom. A sixth appeared in a Georgia courtroom. Now, most of them will have to be assigned a public defender because they can't afford attorneys. The public defender says how could someone like that wage war against the United States?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY HARDY, PUBLIC DEFENDER: Those are only charges. It's up to the government to prove that he is guilty. We have to find that out after the government put up their evidence. Right now we have an innocent man who is government alleged attended a meeting where evidently the only person connected with al Qaeda was the informant for the FBI.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: But the government alleges the seven defendants are part of a homegrown terror cell that they broke up just in the nick of time. The indictment states the men tried to acquire weapons and bombs and they wanted to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and government offices in five cities.
The attorney general says they wanted to wage war against the U.S. in an act as damaging as 9/11. Now, federal agents raided the Miami warehouse in an impoverished neighborhood of the city on Thursday. Agents did not find any weapons or bomb-making materials at the warehouse.
The men call their group the Seas of David. According to a member, a regimented group that avoids meat and alcohol and tries to better themselves. But the U.S. attorney general says their group plotted to kill fellow Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GONZALES: These individuals wished to wage a, quote, "full ground war" against the United States. That quote is from an investigation of these individuals who also allegedly stated the desire to, quote, "kill all the devils we can." They hoped for their attacks to be, quote, "just as good or greater than 9/11."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: Florida officials do describe the groups plans as aspirational rather than operational, but the attorney general says that that's exactly the time that they want to swoop in and try to break up these terror cells -- Tony.
HARRIS: CNN's Kyung Lah in Washington for us. Kyung, thank you.
LONG: Now neighbors and family members are speaking out about the arrests. Relatives describe the men as deeply religious with no connection to terrorism, and they are defending the man authorities point to as their leader.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARLENE PHANOR, TERROR SUSPECT'S SISTER: The leader I never know where he came from, who he was. Actually, my brother and them don't know where he come from but he came positive to them. He came to them where he can help them and help the community and humble their minds and humble their souls and everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think these guys were brainwashed?
SYLVAIN PLANTIN, STANLEY PHANOR'S COUSIN: No, they wasn't brainwashed because Sunny would never do anything to harm anybody. He was a humble guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think he didn't know about this.
PLANTIN: He didn't know anything about this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Another court hearing on this case is scheduled next week. And this is your chance to weigh in. We would like to know what you're thinking this morning. How big of a threat is homegrown terror? E-mail us your thoughts. The Web address, weekends@CNN.com and be sure to stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your safety and security.
HARRIS: Family and friends in Madras, Oregon, mourn the death of Thomas Tucker. The Oregon National Guard PFC was abducted then killed in Iraq last week. Beginning Monday, the governor wants all flags at all public institutions flown at half staff in Tucker's honor.
Tucker fellow soldier PFC Kristian Menchaca was also killed. A third soldier, Army Specialist David Babineau was not abducted, but he was killed in an attack on a checkpoint south of Baghdad. All three were based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Next week, Kentucky's Army National Guard will begin deploying more units to Iraq. It's the state's largest call-up for the Iraq war. Cathy Gramling is media relations officer for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell and she joins us live on the phone. Cathy, thanks for your time this morning.
CATHY GRAMLING, 101ST AIRBORNE MEDIA RELATIONS: No problem, Tony. Good morning to you.
HARRIS: Well, good morning. I have to ask you -- we know that this is serious business, more serious business and there are battles being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. But I have to ask you, are you beginning to feel that Fort Campbell is bearing too much of the burden, the cost of this war? I understand as many as 150 service personnel from Fort Campbell have died?
GRAMLING: Well, any time we lose a service member, obviously, you know, it affects us all, especially if it is one that's from our home station. You know, we come into this business knowing that soldiering is a difficult job, so I wouldn't say that emotions have swayed one way or another.
We're here to support the soldiers, those of us who remain back at Fort Campbell, the family members, the civilians, the other soldiers who happen not to deploy this time. And that's really, you know, what our focus is, is to support the soldiers that are still deployed.
HARRIS: And Cathy, this is not something you can sort of take in stride. I mean, this is -- these are three of your bravest.
GRAMLING: Absolutely.
HARRIS: And they are attached to families. It has to be difficult, three plus years into the war in Iraq, to see that the dying continues.
GRAMLING: It is. Like I said, every time we lose a soldier it affects us. We're very much an Army family, you know, because so many times when a soldier goes through a different installation, when they are assigned to a new unit, it moves them away from their biological family and the Army family steps in and takes that soldier as a family member and takes that soldier's family if they come with them to the new installation as a family member.
So it does very much affect us but, again, we have to realize we have chosen a profession, a dangerous profession ...
HARRIS: No, I understand.
GRAMLING: ...and a profession of war and, unfortunately, sometimes we do lose our bravest and our strongest.
HARRIS: Talk to us how this community is getting on. Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Clarksville, Tennessee, this is -- and the base straddles those community. You're 60 miles northwest of Nashville, is that correct?
GRAMLING: That is correct.
HARRIS: Talk to us about this larger community of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
GRAMLING: We are incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful support from those communities. You know, even when the division and the other units based at Fort Campbell aren't deployed, they constantly have functions for soldiers, special events for soldiers.
The communities are largely made up of military retirees and, you know, they have kind of been there and done that and are there to support the soldiers as well. And the outpouring of, you know, warm thoughts for, you know, the soldiers that are lost and those that are -- continue to fight the fight, it's just incredible. Absolutely incredible.
HARRIS: OK. Cathy Gramling is media relations officer for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, the Screaming Eagles. Cathy, thanks for time. We appreciate it.
GRAMLING: Thank you, Tony. Have a great day.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
HARRIS: And, Melissa, we're just getting news, just hearing right now, that Patsy Ramsey -- this would be the mother of the late JonBenet Ramsey -- has died of cancer. That is news just in to CNN. Don't know exactly when she passed away, but it is just information that is crossing at this moment.
Once again, Patsy Ramsey, the mother of the late JonBenet Ramsey has passed away of cancer. We'll get more information on the story which is just crossing just this moment. We'll pass that along.
Still ahead, I want you to check out these pictures. You're probably happy to know that you weren't involved in this in any way. Coming up in about 60 seconds, we'll tell you how they got stuck right there on top of the van and how they got off. And do you remember this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it isn't really your property, is it, Mrs. Jennings?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you miserable ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Ladies, ladies. That was one of the most famous or infamous, I guess, prime-time cat fights of all time. Super-producer Aaron Spelling has died. We're going to take a closer look at his TV dynasty and legacy later this hour.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
HARRIS: And if you're just joining us, we want to bring you up to date on the breaking news just in just moments ago to CNN that Patsy Ramsey, the mother of JonBenet Ramsey, has just died of cancer. That news just coming into CNN.
Lin Wood, the attorney for the Ramseys is on the phone for us. And Lin, good to talk to you this morning.
LIN WOOD, PATSY RAMSEY'S ATTORNEY: How are you, Tony?
HARRIS: Good, good, good. Just surprising news to get it just moments ago. What can you tell us about the passing of Patsy Ramsey?
WOOD: Patsy passed away this morning around 3:30. She was in Atlanta. She's been there for the last several weeks at her dad's house. And John, her husband, was by her side at the time of her death.
HARRIS: I think for a lot of us, it's a bit of a surprise to know that she had been suffering from cancer. Do you know the form of cancer and how long she had been living with it?
WOOD: Patsy was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer back in 1993 and at age 35, underwent an experimental program at NIH and is the longest survivor of that program. She was cancer-free for almost nine years, and then suffered a recurrence of cancer three years ago, has been undergoing treatment off and on over the last three years but, obviously, in the last several weeks after fighting a very courageous battle she finally succumbed to the disease.
HARRIS: How would you describe -- did you mention John was by her side. Or did I hear that correctly?
WOOD: John was with her at the time of her death, yes. HARRIS: Can I ask you what the last few years have been like for Patsy Ramsey? Still so many open questions as to the death of her daughter?
WOOD: Well, you know, John and Patsy have, I believe, shown great dignity and courage over the last several years. They've had a difficult, difficult last few years, but have been able to experience their son graduating from high school, beginning his first year in college.
And I think over the last at least two or three years have -- I think come to understand that there's been a shift in the public opinion about the death of JonBenet, and I think people realize now that this family was very much victims of that murder and have suffered greatly because of it in terms of the false accusations made against them. But, again, they have shown great dignity and courage to deal with the situation -- a very difficult situation, indeed.
HARRIS: And, Lynn, you know them as well as anyone, you can give us some insights into this. How difficult has it been through the years to live as a couple, John and Patsy, under this cloud of suspicion, as you rightly point out?
WOOD: Well, John and Patsy Ramsey are people of deep faith, and I think that their religious faith and their love for each other have been the cornerstones of their ability to deal with this situation.
And I know it's going to be very difficult for John to move forward with his life without Patsy. They really were strong together. And now I know that John will miss his partner, but I believe he'll be strong as their son as he grows older.
HARRIS: And once again, just for folks who are joining us, we're talking about the death of Patsy Ramsey early this morning with the family attorney, Lin Wood. And, Lin, if you would, just recap for folks who are just joining us who might be surprised to learn that Patsy Ramsey had been battling cancer and, as you mentioned, had been cleared and suffered a relapse. Could you recap that for us again, please?
WOOD: Sure. Patsy passed away this morning around 3:30 from a recurrence of ovarian cancer. It is a battle that she has been fighting since 1993 when she was first diagnosed, although she had a period of about nine years where she was cancer free.
She did suffer recurrence three years ago, has been under treatment periodically during the last three years but in the last several weeks it became obvious that Patsy, despite fighting an incredibly courageous battle, was not going to win ultimately over this disease. So she has passed away at age 49 -- a remarkable, remarkable lady, in my opinion.
HARRIS: You know it's interesting. I'm wondering what you are thinking about how she will be remembered. I'm thinking what the headlines might read later today and certainly tomorrow. It seems to me that fortunately -- unfortunately, that much of her life will probably be characterized by the death of her daughter and would that take away, in your estimation, from what she was able to do with her life?
WOOD: Well, unfortunately, I think you're right. I think people will remember Patsy as being someone who was falsely accused in connection with the death of her daughter, when she should be remembered for being an incredibly loving mother, a wonderful wife, and a person who showed great courage in fighting a vicious disease over the last many years.
She should be an example to others who face cancer that there can be a win, a victory, because she lived for over 10 years with the disease and I think was able to accomplish a lot in her life and to spend more valuable time with her family and her friends.
HARRIS: And we've been talking with Lin Wood, the attorney for the Ramseys on the news that Patsy Ramsey, the mother of JonBenet Ramsey, died overnight, in the overnight hours, at the age of 49 from ovarian cancer. Lin, we appreciate your time. Thank you.
WOOD: Thank you very much.
HARRIS: Let's take a break. More of CNN SATURDAY MORNING coming up. Of course, we'll continue to follow this story throughout the course of the day. We'll be right back.
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LONG: The symptoms say heart attack, but it's not. As Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us, broken heart syndrome may be the ultimate link between body and mind, and he has the story of one family's emotional ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years ago, Karen and Denny Schillings took a family trip on a pontoon boat, much like this one in the Baltimore Harbor.
DENNY SCHILLINGS, BEREAVED FATHER: Suddenly we were all under the water and under the boat.
GUPTA: Karen thrashed below the murky water, struggling to reach the surface. Denny had already reached the surface, but no sign of the Schillings' daughter, Corrine (ph), and her boyfriend, Andrew.
Karen and Denny Schillings were rescued and Karen treated for hypothermia at Johns Hopkins.
KAREN SCHILLINGS, BEREAVED MOTHER: Then later in the evening, Denny came back in to tell me that they had called off the efforts that night to find Andrew and Corrine. Not too long after that is when the chest pains started.
GUPTA: Karen's first thought -- I'm having a heart attack.
(on camera): When it comes to chest pain and numbness down the arm, that's a heart attack?
K. SCHILLINGS: That's right.
D. SCHILLINGS: Exactly.
GUPTA: But they were saying it sounds like a heart attack, it looks like a heart attack, but not a heart attack.
K. SCHILLINGS: I knew something wasn't going right, that something was happening that they hadn't seen before.
GUPTA (voice-over): What they were seeing was called broken heart syndrome.
DR. ILAN WITTSTEIN, CARDIOLOGIST: A person can come in with all of the same signs and symptoms of a heart attack, but unlike a heart attack, where there's permanent damage done to the heart muscle, with broken heart syndrome, you really have a temporary dysfunction of the heart muscle.
GUPTA: It's caused by a sudden stress or trauma. And unlike a traditional heart attack, people with broken heart syndrome have no evidence of heart disease.
Dr. Ilan Wittstein was a consulting physician on Karen Schilling's case.
WITTSTEIN: She experienced stress perhaps on multiple levels -- the physical stress of being underwater, being in freezing cold temperature, the absolute fear.
GUPTA: Cases like Karen's illustrate the profound impact that the brain and emotions can have on the heart.
DR. JAMES YOUNG, CLEVELAND CLINIC: We know that there is clearly a link between emotions, emotional stability and well-being.
GUPTA: Karen has not had any heart problems since Corrine's funeral.
K. SCHILLINGS: There are a lot of things about this that maybe have changed my perspective on life. I am happy that Corrine and Andrew are together, because that's what they wanted. So that's a good thing. Also, the idea that I should live my life now to make Corrine proud, and that's what I've tried to do.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: Be sure to tune into "HOUSE CALL WITH DR. SANJAY GUPTA" for more on how your heart and brain can impact one another. That's Sunday morning, 8:30 Eastern time. HARRIS: And Melissa, once again, we are following breaking news. The mother of the late JonBenet Ramsey, Patsy Ramsey has died at the age of 49. She died in the overnight hours of Saturday morning, about 3:30 a.m. of ovarian cancer. We talked a short time ago with Lin Wood, Ramseys' attorney, who told us of the passing of Patsy Ramsey. We'll talk Mr. Wood again very shortly.
You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Once again, breaking news this hour, the death of Patsy Ramsey, the mother of JonBenet Ramsey. The family's attorney, Lin Wood, said Mrs. Ramsey had been battling a recurrence of ovarian cancer for the past three years.
The Ramseys moved recently -- well, not so recently -- to Atlanta, after the unsolved murder of their young daughter who was 6 years old at the time of her death inside the family's Colorado home in 1996. We're hoping to talk again with Lin Wood, the Ramseys' attorney in just a couple of moments. Patsy Ramsey was 49 years old.
LONG: Also a death in Hollywood to report to you this morning. Aaron Spelling, the prolific producer, who brought us shows like "Charlie's Angels" and "Beverly Hills 90210" died Friday night in Los Angeles.
CNN's Brooke Anderson looks at the man behind some of America's most popular programs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Charlie's Angels," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Melrose Place." The "Guinness Book of World Records" cites Aaron Spelling as the most prolific TV producer ever, with more than 200 television series and movies to his credit during his 50 years in the business.
AARON SPELLING, PRODUCER: I used to think I really wanted to do movies and we did 11 movies, everything from "Mr. Mom" to "Night Mother." I thought, wow movies, and "Soapdish" was our last and I said I just want to do movies. I'm tired of television. Boy, when you take so long to do movies I couldn't wait to come back to television. I love television.
ANDERSON: And television loves him. He was nominated for seven Emmy awards and won two. Spelling's own story went from rags to riches, Texas to Tinseltown where he lived in a sprawling mansion with his wife Candy, daughter Tori, son Randy, 123 rooms and a bowling alley.
Spelling was born in Dallas in April 1923, the son of Polish and Russian immigrants. The former roadie for a band started in show business by writing and producing plays. He even worked briefly as an actor appearing on "Gunsmoke" in 1955. While Spelling often joked about his acting, he got serious with producing. In 1968 he scored his first hit as a producer with "The Mod Squad" three hip cops who lasted five years. Spelling's shows often seem to jump from picture tube favorites to pop culture phenomena. "Charlie's Angels" at first passed on by ABC, brought sex appeal to prime time and made stars of Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, among others.
TV viewers worldwide cruised on Spellings "Love Boat" cheered and jeered at the rich and infamous of "Dynasty," road along with "Starsky and Hutch" and escaped to "Fantasy Island." Beverly Hills 90210 seemed to find exactly the right time slot and demographic: young viewers. Spelling launched the popular high school drama in the early '90s. It was partly inspired by his daughter Tori who also starred in the show.
SPELLING: The most exciting is to have a hit. I guess it's like hitting a home run in a baseball game. I don't think you ever get used to it.
ANDERSON: Spelling routinely hit the type of prime time grand slam that set trends both on and off screen.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: Some other stories we're following for you across America this morning. A collection of Martin Luther King Jr.'s documents will not be sold at auction. An Atlanta coalition will buy the papers, house them at Morehouse College. That's King's alma mater. The collection had been expected to sell for $15 to $30 million at auction. It includes drafts of King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
Don't look for any more National Guard troops from California to help patrol the Mexican border. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger already has agreed to send 1,000 troops to the border, but officials say he turned down a request from the White House for an additional 1500 troops.
HARRIS: The man who fought former playmate Anna Nicole Smith over his father's oil fortune died. The family of E. Pierce Marshal says he died unexpectedly this week from an aggressive infection.
LONG: No sign of a 16-year-old boy or the 32-year-old New Hampshire woman police say he ran off with. But Florida police say they've located the woman's mini van parked at a Clearwater, Florida beach with two parking tickets on the windshield. The car's New Hampshire plates were missing. This week police began a nationwide search for Jennifer Malone, her eight-year-old son and the 16-year-old she is believed to be involved with.
Here's some high drama for you this morning. It happened along a river in central Idaho and you're going to have to sit tight to watch what happened. The pictures are pretty amazing. The story comes to us from near McCall, Idaho.
It's reporter Mike Vogel from our CNN affiliate KTVB picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VOGEL, KTVB: A van with four men inside went off a remote road in Valley County and into the freezing and swift moving water of the Secesh River, sending the driver into the water.
VOICE OF IDAHO FIRE AND RESCUE WORKER: I think the van rolled multiple times and as it was rolling, it kicked him out somehow. And yes he just made -- swam over to shore. He got up on the shore and made a fire. Then the other three just sat on the van.
VOGEL: Several hours later, a passerby called for help. The McCall Fire Department came on scene. A kayaker took a main line and hooked it to the other sign. McCall fire and search and rescue tied up a zip line system to rescue the three men who were stranded on top of the van. One by one, Capt. Brandon Swain (ph) and Jess McClain (ph) plucked them off the roof and brought them to safety.
VOICE OF IDAHO FIRE AND RESCUE WORKER: That was the scary part is the weight of three men on top of that van when my captain went out, when he got out there and picked that first guy up, we didn't know if the vehicle was going to shift or not.
VOGEL: Tonight rescuers say the men are very lucky, but it was also an experienced rescue team that helped save their lives.
VOICE OF IDAHO FIRE AND RESCUE WORKER: It's nice to see that you know we have the training and the knowledge to handle something like this safely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: And that was reporter Mike Vogel of our affiliate station KTVB.
HARRIS: At 10:35 Eastern time this morning, we continue to follow our top story this hour and that is the death of Patsy Ramsey, the mother of JonBenet Ramsey. The Ramseys' attorney, Lin Wood says Mrs. Ramsey, Patsy Ramsey, had been battling a recurrence of ovarian cancer for the past three years.
As you may know, the Ramseys moved to the Atlanta area following the unsolved murder of their 6-year-old daughter JonBenet inside their Colorado home in 1996. More on this story throughout the hour and of course throughout the day here on CNN.
Daytime talk queen Oprah Winfrey is getting an earful from rappers unhappy that she won't have them on her show. We'll take a closer look at their war over words in about 20 minutes. CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Continuing to follow the breaking news this hour, the death of Patsy Ramsey. The mother of JonBenet Ramsey, the family attorney says Mrs. Ramsey had been battling a recurrence of ovarian cancer for the past three years. The Ramsey's moved to Atlanta following the unsolved murder of their young daughter inside their Colorado home in 1996.
Patsy Ramsey, a former beauty queen, married John Ramsey who was a successful businessman at the time. They moved to Boulder in 1991 where John actually ran a computer company that he had started in his garage. The news this morning that Patsy Ramsey has died at the age of 49.
She says there is no problem. They say there's a serious one. Members of the hip hop community criticizing Oprah as unfair and suggest she opposes their music. Oprah says it's neither the artist nor the music but the message she does not like.
We get a look at this controversy from CNN's Brooke Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Oprah Winfrey, one of the most powerful and beloved celebrities in the world. But now the queen of daytime TV is catching some high profile heat.
CHRIS "LUDACRIS" BRIDGES, RAPPER/ACTOR: I feel like she doesn't respect my opinion and that there in lies the problem.
ANDERSON: Rapper and actor Ludacris feels he was mistreated when he appeared on her talk show with the cast of the film "Crash".
BRIDGES: As soon as I got on there, I felt like, in my opinion I was automatically judged.
ANDERSON: Talk from the film to explicit rap lyrics. But Ludacris says his response to the criticism was edited out of the show. Winfrey recently discussed the Ludacris flap on a New York radio station.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: I said to Ludacris, a lot of people who listen to your music aren't as smart as you are. So they take some of that stuff literally, you know, when you're just writing it for entertainment purposes.
I think that there has to be responsibility with it just like I have to have some responsibility with what I do and say on my stage every day.
ANDERSON: This controversy has led other rappers including 50 Cent and Ice Cube to lash out at Oprah, saying she discriminates against hip hop art artists by not booking them on her show. Ice cube told "FHM" magazine quote, "for 'Barbershop,' she had Cedric the Entertainer and Eve on, but I wasn't invited. Maybe she's got a problem with hip-hop." But Winfrey says that's not the case.
WINFREY: I listen to some hip hop. I have been accused of not liking hip hop and that's just not true. I'm opposed to some of the music that offends my sensibilities and that's when you're degrading women and marginalizing women.
ANDERSON: While Oprah hasn't singled out any particular videos, sounds like Ludacris' "Pimpin' All Over the World" and 50 Cents "Candy Shop" have raised the ire of critics for their graphic content.
WINFREY: My point is you don't have to bitch and hold me down in order to make music.
ANDERSON: Ice cube is appealing to Oprah to schedule a forum on her show to discuss the issue.
ICE CUBE, RAPPER/ACTOR/PRODUCER: If she don't really like the content that we using, have us on. Let's talk about it.
ANDERSON: Oprah's company Harpo Productions told CNN it has no comment on the anti-hip hop allegations and no word on whether Oprah will devote a future show to this topic, a possibility that gives Ludacris mixed emotions.
BRIDGES: It is something that we need to address, but it being on her particular show, I mean my comments got edited out before. Who is to say that the same thing wouldn't happen again.
ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: It's an interesting debate.
HARRIS: Yes, I'm just trying to figure out if you want to -- if you want to push the agenda forward, if you're a hip hop artist what better stage right now than the Oprah Winfrey show? So that seems to be the motivation, smart business people.
LONG: To get her stamp of approval. The thing is everybody is talking about it anyway.
HARRIS: I think they want to debate. I don't think they even hope to win Oprah's approval. I think they want to debate on the big stage right now. I don't know. How about we take it up with Ben Chavis, one time executive director of the NAACP, Ben Chavis, to talk about this issue when we come back. You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
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LONG: Good morning on this Saturday. If you are just waking up, just joining us, the mother of JonBenet Ramsey has died. The family attorney tells CNN this morning that Patsy Ramsey died early this morning about 3:30 after a year's long battle with ovarian cancer. Her husband John was by her side when she passed away. Patsy Ramsey was just 49. Her attorney Lin Wood spoke with us just moments ago.
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WOOD: Patsy passed away around this morning around 3:30 from a recurrence of ovarian cancer. It's been a battle she has been fighting since 1993 when she was first diagnosed although she had a period of nine years where she was cancer free.
She did suffer a recurrence three years ago, has been under treatment periodically during the last three years, but in the last several weeks it became obvious that Patsy, despite fighting an incredibly courageous battle, was not going to win ultimately over this disease. So she has passed away at age 49, a remarkable, remarkable lady in my opinion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: You have been listening to the voice of Lin Wood, the Ramsey family attorney. We will continue to follow this story for you. Now some other news we want to share with you this morning. In Saudi Arabia, counterterrorism sweeps have netted about 40 suspected militants. Six suspects and a policeman died at a shoot out in the capital of Riyadh yesterday.
In Iraq, a roadside bomb today killed the Iraqi intelligence chief in Kirkuk. His two bodyguards also died in that attack.
And in the U.S., a dramatic rescue of three men whose van careened into a stretch of white water near McCall, Idaho. The driver got out and swam to safety. No one suffered any injuries.
HARRIS: Just a few moments ago we sort of framed up this argument, this discussion, this battle with this question. Is Oprah taking on rappers, rappers taking on Oprah, what is really the problem here? Oprah is free to have whomever she wants on her program.
We're talking about successful mainstream artists, rappers who are making a fuss about who she is having on her program and not having on her program. Is this just a publicity stunt on the artist's part? Dr. Benjamin Chavis is president and CEO of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. He's here to help us get to the heart of the issue. Good to see you. It's been a long time.
BENJAMIN CHAVIS, CEO, HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NETWORK: It's been a long time Tony, good to see you again.
HARRIS: I have to ask you, Ben, what is going on here?
CHAVIS: You know, it's a question of having more dialogue. I don't think it's a real battle, a real serious dispute. I think certainly Oprah has the right -- she's a great success story and everybody admires Oprah Winfrey. So this is not about whether or not Oprah has the right to choose whoever she wants to have on her program. What the hip hop artists are saying is that we want a fair hearing.
We want to make sure that there's no rush to judgment on hip hop by Oprah or anyone else. In the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, our theme is taking back responsibility. On the one hand, we support the artist's right to freedom of expression but with freedom also comes responsibility and I worked very closely, we all worked were closely with Ludacris, the Lupus Foundation.
They do such great work, Tony, in Atlanta and throughout the country. Most hip hop artists give back more to the community than any other genre of music. But the good work that the artists do sometimes is not given a fair hearing. I think that's the issue that some of the artists are raising.
HARRIS: Well, wouldn't they love to make this point on Oprah's show? What bigger stage than the Oprah Winfrey show right now?
CHAVIS: It would be great. I mean everybody loves Oprah. And that does not mean that they are not sometimes may not have a total agreement. It's all right to have a disagreement but a disagreement does not have to lead to a polarization where one side is attacking the other. We call for more dialogue.
HARRIS: Then why isn't this a publicity stunt by 50 Cent, by Ludacris, by Ice Cube? Why isn't it just a stunt to take on the biggest name in television right now?
CHAVIS: Well because I think the artists have a legitimate - this is not a publicity - these guys already have publicity. So they don't need to stage publicity stunts. What the artists are saying they want fairness. We don't want hip hop to be mischaracterized. We don't want the motive of Ludacris to be misunderstood by Oprah or anyone else.
Oprah has said herself that she is really not against hip hop. So it's a question of facilitating more open dialogue, more discussions for the benefit of everyone. Hip hop is a blessing. It's the largest cultural phenomenon in the world today. It's not just in America. It's all over the world.
HARRIS: We're looking at a 50 Cent video right now. These women in scantily clad, well next to nothing, I have to ask you, for your taste as someone who is in a position talking to these artists, isn't there far too much of what we're watching in this video in hip hop and rap?
CHAVIS: Again, now, we just talked about the artists' right to have freedom of artistic expression and exploit their genius, but on the other hand it comes with responsibility. That video is a great video but that's not the all of hip hop. I think that -
HARRIS: Isn't it too much of it is what I'm getting at? I'm not saying that this - is all of hip hop.
CHAVIS: I think, Tony, to give you an honest answer. For some people it's too much. For some people it's not enough. There's a balance here. I think that we certainly want to portray women positively. We're not in support of misogynistic treatment, but that is not the totality of hip hop. I think it would be unfair to take one segment of one video and say this is hip hop. There's a lot of diversity from gangster rap to gospel rap. There's a lot of diversity in hip hop.
HARRIS: Let me ask you something. As a man who once ran the oldest civil rights organization in the country.
CHAVIS: Yes.
HARRIS: Ben, come on.
CHAVIS: I'm very proud of the NAACP and still support the NAACP. I'm working now with the hip hop artists. And one of the things I find out Tony about working with the artists in the studio and in the community and with their philanthropic groups like the Ludacris Foundation. The artists have a heart.
They artists also have parents. Ludacris has a mother and certainly he has respect for women. So does 50 Cent so does Ice Cube and all the other artists. I think it's a question of dialogue. What I would caution, Tony, is this rush to judgment on the artists, this rush to judgment about a particular thing or particularly image.
HARRIS: OK. We can talk about this more. I'm not quite getting the rush to judgment here. I mean but we'll talk about it. We'll talk about it here.
CHAVIS: But Tony, this is an example why we need more dialogue. I want to thank you and CNN for even raising this issue.
HARRIS: Ben, we appreciate it. Thanks for your time.
And we'll take a break. We'll come back with more of the -- Oprah's on hiatus until September and she could not comment on this topic at this time. But we did reach out to her. Now a break. We'll be back with more CNN SATURDAY MORNING after this.
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HARRIS: And we want to recap the breaking news this hour, the death of Patsy Ramsey, the mother of JonBenet Ramsey. The family's attorney says Mrs. Ramsey had been battling a recurrence of ovarian cancer for the past three years, was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1993. The Ramsey's John and Patsy, moved to Atlanta following the unsolved murder of their young daughter inside their Colorado home in 1996. And Patsy Ramsey was 49 years old.
Still ahead, homegrown terrorism. Is it possible terrorists can lurk in your or well in our backyard? In our next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING, our Drew Griffin takes us to the Miami neighborhood where police say they busted up a group of terror conspirators. We'll be right back.
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