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CNN Saturday Morning News
Michael Jackson's Body Taken to Mortuary; South Carolina Governor Apologizes to Cabinet; Jackson's Legal Woes Likely To Live On
Aired June 27, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hello there, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this June the 27th. I am T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.
All right. This morning, questions still swirling over the death of Michael Jackson. What role did prescription drugs play into that?
HOLMES: Yes. Some flat-out saying that it was prescription drugs.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: People who knew him.
Also, a lot of problems surrounding his past. A lot that's happened to him in the past decade -- a lot of those problems are not going away, and probably not anytime soon. You may be shocked at just how many issues there really are. We will tell you.
A lot to get to. Some of the developments you may have missed.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, new this morning, Michael Jackson's body in an undisclosed location at this hour. A Los Angeles coroner says Jackson's remains were removed from the coroner's office early this morning Eastern time and taken to a mortuary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED WINTER, ASST. CHIEF CORONER, LOS ANGELES CO.: Mr. Michael Jackson's remains has been removed from the coroner's office. It was removed a little bit ago. It's in an undisclosed location for the family's request. Also, there is a security hold on the case, so I can't discuss the location.
We ask that you respect the family's wishes. I spent most of the day with the family, and they're very concerned and trying to get through their mourning process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, Michael Jackson did die Thursday after collapsing at his home in Los Angeles. HOLMES: As we said here at the top, a lot of people who knew Michael Jackson are coming out now and flat-out saying that he was addicted to prescription drugs. Still don't know exactly what he may have been on, however.
Our Ted Rowlands looking into this part of the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Thursday was about shock and sadness, Friday was about questions. How and why did Michael Jackson die?
The initial autopsy was completed, but it may take weeks to know the cause of death. However, the medical examiner's office did release one finding: The Michael Jackson was using prescription drugs at the time of his death.
CRAIG HARVE, L.A. COUNTY CORONER SPOKESMAN: There was no indication of any external trauma or any indication of foul play on the body of Mr. Jackson.
ROWLANDS: Jackson went into cardiac arrest from inside the bedroom. Details of the frantic, desperate effort to revive him were revealed in the call to 911.
CALLER: Sir, we have a -- a -- a gentleman here that needs help and he's not breathing yet. He's not breathing and we need to -- we're trying to pump him, but he's not -- he's not (INAUDIBLE).
OPERATOR: OK. OK. How old is he?
CALLER: He's 50 years old, sir.
OPERATOR: Fifty. OK. He's not conscious. He's not breathing?
CALLER: Yes, he's not breathing, sir.
ROWLANDS: The voice on the call says there was one person with Jackson when he stopped breathing.
OPERATOR: Did anybody witness what happened?
CALLER: No, just the doctor, sir. The doctor's been the only one here.
OPERATOR: OK. So did the doctor see what happened?
CALLER: Doctor, did you see what happened?
ROWLANDS: Jackson's personal physician has been identified as Dr. Conrad Murray, a cardiologist who works in Houston and Las Vegas and who is licensed to practice medicine in California. A source close to the family says Murray had spent much of the last two months with Jackson as he prepared for his upcoming concert series. Police towed the car he was driving away from Jackson's rented mansion. Officials say it may contain -- quote -- "medications pertinent to the investigation." The doctor is said to be cooperating with officials.
Did drugs contribute to Jackson's death? Former family attorney Brian Oxman offered his chilling attorney.
BRIAN OXMAN, FMR. JACKSON FAMILY ATTY.: He had overmedication, and it was a serious problem. And the exact people who were doing this, I'm not going to point any fingers. All I know is that I had warned that this was a problem, and this is my worst fear. It is -- it is a nightmare.
ROWLANDS: A Jackson family spokesperson refused to comment on the allegations leveled by Oxman, saying that Oxman no longer represents the Jackson family.
Meanwhile, the LA County Coroner's Office says they expect those toxicology reports back in as early as four weeks.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, iReports on Michael Jackson are flooding in, as you can imagine. And many are from diehard fans who are reflecting on the singer's life and celebrating his music.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SINGING)
(MUSIC)
(SINGING)
(MUSIC, MICHAEL JACKSON, "BEAT IT")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, normally, I never listen to the radio. But I turned it on, heard his song, "Do You Wanna Be Starting Something." And I was like, 'Oh, I love this song,' you know? And then I hear, "musical legend Michael Jackson dead at 50." And I was like, 'What?'
(MUSIC, MICHAEL JACKSON, "BEAT IT")
RAJIM GROSS, CNN iREPORTER: Michael Jackson has influenced many, many musical artists. It's just hard to believe and hard to accept.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most of his grew up -- well, not most of us, but he was an icon. He was very troubled. And hopefully, now he'll find the peace that he couldn't find in this life.
(MUSIC, MICHAEL JACKSON, "BEAT IT")
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, as you can imagine, there's been reaction all over the place to the death of Michael Jackson, including on the Internet. We may have seen something after his death on the Internet like something we've never seen before.
Our Josh Levs looking into what may have been a history-making day on the Web.
Good morning to you, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, too.
Yes, it most likely was. It's kind of incredible.
By the way, main story still at CNN.com, we have a big screen up behind me, you can see it. Lots of interactives here. I encourage you to check it out.
But check out this story. The headline -- I'm going to scroll up a little bit -- it says, "Jackson Dies, Almost Takes Internet With Him." And we have some photos over here that represent some of the challenges they had. This represents how Twitter got overloaded. And this over here is a chart that Google put out that shows what Internet traffic usually is -- and then, boom, the hour that that news came.
Let me just give you guys a few examples and some graphics here of what happened when that news first came.
We're going to start off with this one. Google News for awhile, which is one of the main places that people get their news, was inaccessible for more than half a hour. No one could reach it because so many people overloading it.
In fact, Google thought that it might have been this spam attack because so many people searching for the same topic at the same time.
Next thing, TMZ, the place online that first announced this, had some outages because way too many people trying to get there at once.
Then, you have Twitter crashing because there were so many people trying to tweet about Michael Jackson.
Next, all these people tried to get into Michael Jackson's Wikipedia page to update it. And Wikipedia itself was overloaded; people couldn't reach any Web pages there.
Then "Los Angeles Times," the first news agency to confirm Michael Jackson's death -- they had outages for awhile. No one could get on their Web site for awhile.
One more I'm going to point here: AOL Instant Message, one of the main ways that people communicate directly with each other without going through a Web site -- AIM had outages as well.
And check out these figures from CNN -- we have some of the latest figures from CNN.com here. CNN traffic jumped fivefold in that hour after the news broke. And you can see that figure there -- 20 million page views in one hour.
So guys it's definitely something unlike we've seen before. We don't have, like, the -- the total numbers yet because it takes awhile to aggregate some of those. But it definitely looks like history- making time on the Internet.
HOLMES: And what about our iReports?
LEVS: Oh, and our iReports were big, too. You guys were just looking at a few of them.
Take a look at this here; check this out. "Remembering Michael Jackson" -- we encourage you to send some. It's at ireport.com. You can't miss it. And if you go through down here, you can see they keep coming here. They came in more and more overnight. We're following them throughout the day.
And we are also going to be speaking with some iReporters directly to ask them, 'What was it about Michael Jackson that got them so interested?'
HOLMES: All right. Josh, we appreciate you. We'll be talking to you again...
LEVS: You got it.
HOLMES: ....here in just a bit.
LEVS: Thanks.
NGUYEN: And you can stay connected with us every weekend. Just check us out at iReport, Facebook or Twitter. You can even send your thoughts to weekends@CNN.com. We're going to -- reading them this morning, so send them in.
In the meantime though, Governor Mark Sanford facing growing calls to step down after his disappearing act to Argentina to visit his mistress.
HOLMES: Well, after all that, do you think this man has a political career ahead? Well, he says, yes, he can save it. We'll tell you why he says yes, coming up.
Also, let's say good morning to Mr. Reynolds Wolf.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys.
HOLMES: How you doing?
WOLF: I know we've been talking about one musical legends, Michael Jackson, but the home of another, Elvis Presley -- it is going to be a roaring hot day today. Going up to 100 degrees in Memphis along Union Avenue. But with the high humidity, it's going to feel like it's up to 115. Same deal for a good chunk of the country. We're going to show you who's got what, how long the heatwave's going to last. That's all moments away, right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
See you in a few.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Going to turn back to another major story we've been keeping an eye on in the past couple of weeks, what's happening in Iran.
As you know, as we've been reporting, there is a pretty much a media blackout there. Foreign press restricted in what we can and cannot do. But we still monitor events through some of our witnesses and people we have on the ground. And also our iReports and amateur video.
Let's show you another one that we've got it in. It shows a violent crackdown on protesters that's still in effect, many are saying. A leading Muslim cleric now warning that they will be shown no mercy, some of these protesters.
According to Amnesty International, several Iranian and foreign journalists are being detained. Another group monitoring the situation says the paramilitary forces are carrying out nighttime raids now.
The Guardian Council has declared it will not annul the election. The Guardian Council is, of course, the body over there that does oversee elections.
Turn to North Korea now. They're sending a warning to Japan. They threatened to shoot down any Japanese plan that invades their airspace. North Korea accuses Japan of using surveillance aircraft to spy on missile launch sites. They've also designated a no-sale zone around their east coast between now and July 10. That raises concerns they plan to test-fire a short or midrange missile sometime soon.
NGUYEN: Well, after a mystery trip to visit his mistress in Argentina, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is facing growing calls to step down. And now, a possible investigation.
But as CNN's national political correspondent Jessica Yellin reports, Sanford says he will overcome this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Governor Mark Sanford has a heavy heart, but no plans to leave his job.
GOV. MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I don't see anything definitive. My hunch would be that it's a good example with regard to my boys -- if you fall down in life that you get back up.
YELLIN: Not everyone in the state agrees. A second South Carolina newspaper is calling for his resignation, arguing "the entire episode vividly illustrates irresponsibility and poor judgment."
And one of the governor's chief critics is demanding an independent investigation into Sanford's actions, alleging possible misuse of state funds and abuse of power.
REP. JAKE KNOTTS (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I would take his resignation in a heartbeat so that South Carolina can move forward.
YELLIN: One bit of good news for Sanford: so far, his lieutenant governor, who would get the job if Sanford leaves is not pushing for him to go.
LT. GOV. ANDRE BAUER (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I am not out to decide one way or another what the governor should do.
YELLIN: Meanwhile, the governor continues his apology tour humbling himself to his cabinet.
M. SANFORD: I wanted generally to apologize to every one of you all for letting you down.
YELLIN: And to local reporters.
M. SANFORD: This whole process is tough for everybody and that includes you all and so I apologize.
YELLIN: One person who won't weigh in on the governor's political future: his wife.
JENNY SANFORD, GOV. MARK SANFORD'S WIFE: His career is not a concern of mine. He is going to have to worry about that. I'm worried about my family and the character of my children.
YELLIN: Sanford says he understands.
M. SANFORD: Let me give credit to my wife, Jenny, who has been none other than magnanimous.
YELLIN (on camera): Governor Sanford says he's been calling state officials, apologizing for his behavior. He issued a statement saying he hopes to follow the example set by David in the Bible, who had a fall, then got back up and kept working.
Jessica Yellin, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, Bernie Madoff has already a whole lot. Well, he's about to lose a whole lot more, because a federal judge has now ordered that Bernie Madoff -- you know, the man convicted of that biggest Ponzi scheme ever -- says he has to forfeit $170 billion from his estate.
Now this ruling came down yesterday. Madoff scheduled to be sentenced on money -- Monday. The seizure includes almost $80 million worth of property, as well as artwork and jewelry. The Madoffs will also learn all interest in the tens of millions of dollars from loans to family and friends.
NGUYEN: Mmm. A hundred and seventy billion dollars.
HOLMES: It's amazing to think he even that much that they could take.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: But that's a lot of money. Boy.
NGUYEN: Exactly.
All right. Well, let's turn to the weather for just a second, because we are talking rockslides and mudslides.
Where is this happening, Reynolds?
WOLF: Mostly in Colorado and parts of I-70 near Grand Junction. You know -- well, what the heck? Let's just go ahead and show you the video. Because it is -- it is pretty cool. A big mess though for people to clean up with the highway department. No question. You see out there, using the elbow grease, do what they can to move a lot of these boulders.
You had some heavy rain that fell at a very quick rate. Of course, it loosened a lot of that earth and then the gravel and the -- the heavy rocks all started coming down. Heavy stuff -- certainly, stuff that people had to weave their way around. Also those raindrops.
Not as much of an issue today. And we could see more of that in the upper Midwest, possibly in parts of the Northeast.
But in terms of the big weather story today, let me show you. It's going -- not going to be something you're really going to see, but rather, something you're going to feel. And it is just going to be intense in places like Dallas, back over to Houston. Highs into the 90s, into the 100s, especially in spots like Memphis.
Kansas City at 97 degrees. But with the high humidity, places like Kansas City, back over across I-70 into St. Louis, it's going to be just brutal, with temperatures that are going to be in the 90s, as I mentioned, but very oppressive, but with the high humidity, feeling like it's beyond the century mark.
In Atlanta, 95 degrees. That's nothing new. We've been dealing with that for the last couple days.
Boston, 72 degrees. Out West we go. Denver with 78; and Salt Lake City with 83 degrees. LA with 82.
Now in terms of your chance of rough weather today, best chance is going to be in parts of the Midwest and into parts of the mid- Mississippi Valley, right along the I-70 corridor. This seems to be a recurring theme; we keep talking about that roadway.
As it stretches across the Show Me State, into the afternoon hours between 3 and into the early evening, around 6 -- 3 to 6, those are going to be your hours when you have the best chance of seeing some rough storms.
Could see some activity along the Carolina coast; even the Outer Banks later on today. So if you're going out to Kitty Hawk, be prepared for that.
Meanwhile, in the Arrowhead of Minnesota, some scattered showers. But if you head back to the West into the -- parts of the upper Plains, severe storms a possibly. But just plain old hot in parts of Texas.
Very quickly, something I want to show you that's heating up is parts of the western Caribbean. We're watching one area for potential hurricane. It's not a hurricane; it's not a tropical storm. It isn't even a depression. But we are seeing a little bit of a spin in the -- this -- this system that we see that we just due -- I -- I guess southeast of Cancun at this time. Kind of hard to make out. We're seeing a lot of deep convection. And we do have the possibility of seeing this develop over the next 24 to 48 hours into maybe a depression, maybe even a tropical storm, perhaps something bigger.
The latest computer models we have bring this system back into the Gulf of Mexico, maybe headed towards Florida, maybe over towards, say, other parts of the Gulf Coast, including Mississippi, maybe even Louisiana and Texas. It's a long way between now and tomorrow and certainly next week. So it's something that we just have to watch. It is, after all, hurricane season.
Let's send it back to you guys.
NGUYEN: Oh man, hurricanes season.
WOLF: Got to gear up. You bet.
NGUYEN: I know, right? It's coming. OK.
WOLF: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Reynolds.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE), Renny.
NGUYEN: Well, he may have been King of Pop, but in the last few years, Michael Jackson's music was often overshadowed by his legal problems.
HOLMES: Yes, and he still has legal problems that will linger even in his death. What is the biggest issue or the biggest issues he'll have to deal with?
We're talking about it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Twitters and the Facebooks just blew up with the news. And we're all devastated. You know, it's kind of like my generation's Elvis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's the reason African-Americans are on MTV today. They refused to play black music until Michael Jackson. And we need to respect that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw him live in concert in Indian when I was 12. I mean, that's how universal he is. I'm from 21,000 miles away, and I just -- I grew up on his music. And the song "Heal the World," you know? Make it a better place. I just -- just keep (INAUDIBLE) in my earphones.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Folks there remembering Michael Jackson. Those, really, celebrations of his life and his music, and also mourning the man as well, we've seen the past couple of days.
Well, a lot of issues to deal with here. Two divorces, two child- molestation cases, sour business deals, custody issues, near bankruptcy, threatened foreclosure on Neverland ranch. He had a ton of legal problems, and they're not going to be going away anytime soon, even with his death. And it might even prop up some new ones.
Attorney and law professor Avery Friedman is joining us now.
Avery, man, we don't even know where to start with this thing.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: But a -- a question that a lot of people have is, what is going to be happen to these children? Two of them with an ex-wife, Debbie Rowe.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Right.
HOLMES: But she has no custodial rights at all.
FREIDMAN: Right. Right.
HOLMES: The third with a surrogate we don't even know about. We don't even know who that person is.
So let's take the two with Debbie Rowe. What's going to happen to those children?
FRIEDMAN: The answer, T.J., is what's in the will, what's in the trust.
You're exactly right; Debbie Rowe waived custodial rights. But we don't know what exists in the instruments which were prepared as part of that deal where Debbie gave up here rights.
So the question really is: is there a trust? Is there a will? And there's another complication, T.J.
HOLMES: All right.
FRIEDMAN: It is that, there is very little doubt that as Michael continued to have his problems, we don't even know if there are subsequent wills or trusts.
So it -- from a probate perspective alone, it's a real mess.
HOLMES: All right.
What about this third child, with this surrogate?
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HOLMES: I mean, quite frankly, nobody has rights. And again, it just -- that will depend as well on what is in a will. And we don't know for sure if there is one yet, do we?
FRIEDMAN: And -- and -- and that's assuming there is. Because if there is not, T.J., it will -- it will default to California law. And if that's the case, if there is no spouse, then members of the family may have rights to the third child.
HOLMES: All right.
Besides that major legal issue that will have to get worked out in the court at some point, what else -- and we're seeing that video, actually, there of the child, Blanket. Everybody remembers that picture of him holding him over that railing there.
But besides that, what else do you see is going to be one of the biggest problems. I -- I listed a few. But what do you think is going to -- were -- going to be a real issue?
FRIEDMAN: I'll give you 10.
HOLMES: Oh wow. Give me the No. 1.
FRIEDMAN: All right. No. 1, actually, is this battle of debt. That is, you really a potential $1 billion -- with a 'B' -- value of his assets, including his copyrights and his interests in the Beatles song catalog.
HOLMES: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: At the same time, you've got $500,000 -- or $500 million in obligations. So there's going to be a battle over that.
He has a relationship with AEG, which is the promotion company for the tour. What happens to that money?
There are going to be insurance battles now that -- you know, you can't make him perform; he's gone. So that's coming up.
We have issues in terms of other business relationships.
T.J., there are 19 pending lawsuits right now. So the tip of iceberg -- and there are many, many other issues.
HOLMES: And -- and like -- and like you said, when you start talking about these issues, essentially, are people going to start coming after his estate and coming after his money?
How soon -- I mean, are they going to let him rest in peace for just a little while, or is this stuff probably already in motion?
FRIEDMAN: Michael Jackson will rest in peace perhaps in the next decade.
There are people out there, good guys and bad guys, T.J., that want a piece of the action. We are only at the beginning -- including, what actually happened to Michael Jackson? What caused his death?
HOLMES: OK. I want to end on that, that question there. We don't know, but a lot of questions now, and reports that the family's a little suspicious of his doctor who was there with him, who could have been essentially giving him some of these prescription drugs, and maybe shouldn't have, that people say that he was addicted to.
So at -- how could, or could this doctor at some point be held culpable, liable in his duties and contributing to the death of Michael Jackson?
FRIEDMAN: California Medical Board will make that determination. Police towed his car yesterday, T.J. so the investigation is under way. The -- the -- the potential here is enormous in terms of medical responsibility for that death.
HOLMES: All right. Avery Friedman, we appreciate you. We are going to be talking to you again this morning on a different topic.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HOLMES: It may be a big day tomorrow for Troy Davis in that case with the Supreme Court. Going to be discussing that with you. So appreciate you this morning. See you again soon.
FRIEDMAN: See you soon.
NGUYEN: All right. So it took hours of arm-twisting by Democratic leaders, but a sharply divided House narrowly passed a White House-backed climate-change bill.
So what will it mean for your energy bill?
HOLMES: Also, amidst private guards and loads of photography -- yes, he makes it official. He got married. Story coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. Well, the search for bodies from that Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic has ended.
The Brazilian military says it is unlikely any more bodies will be found. Searchers found 51 of the 228 people aboard Flight 447 when it went down June 1. And the search does continue though for that flight-data recorder. Those could hold vital clues, both recorders, to the cause of the crash.
And trouble at a state prison in Tucson, Arizona, to tell you about. Look at this. Several inmates were hurt during a fight between two ethnic groups last night. Prison officials say four inmates were taken out of the prison for medical treatment. Sixteen others treated on the scene. Now on Tuesday, several guards were hurt breaking up a fight between Mexican-American inmates and Mexican national inmates.
HOLMES: Five or six black high school students have pleaded no contest in the beating of a white classmate. The teens were originally charged with attempted murder in this 2006 attack. That set off a legal battle that drew national attention. You may remember this case, more so as the Jena 6.
Our Sean Callebs is in Jena with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The final chapter in the Jena 6 saga played out here in the LaSalle Parish Courthouse, the remaining five defendants in the Jena 6 case pleading no contest to a charge of simple battery. They will receive no jail time, a fine of $500, and unsupervised probation for seven days.
This is a dramatic difference from the first charges of attempted murder brought by DA Reed Walters. Those charges led to a massive civil rights demonstration on this small community, about 20,000 people descending on Jena demanding justice for the six African- American teens at the center of this controversy. So the question: Could all the controversy have been averted if the DA would have initially brought the lesser charges?
DAVID UTTER, SOUTHER POVERTY LAW CENTER: You know, but for decent lawyers, in this case, for these five young men, we would have had a different result. And I think that it's easy to point fingers at Jena, but getting railroaded and having bad lawyers, and having to take bad deals happens to African-American youth every day in this country.
CALLEBS: Trouble began in late 2006. Racial tensions in this community were escalated and they came to a head in December when the six African-American teens, at the center of this controversy, were accused of savagely beating a white classmate, Justin Barker. The DA Reed Walter says he has no regrets on how he handled this case.
In another matter, the civil lawsuits brought by the family of Justin Barker against members of the Jena 6 have all been resolved for a confidential sum. Barker's family says they do retain the right to bring a lawsuit against the school board.
Sean Callebs, CNN, in Jena, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Texas billionaire R. Allen Sanford could learn Monday if he will be freed until his trial on fraud charges. A federal judge decided yesterday to delay Sanford's release on a $500,0000 bond. That bond had been granted just a day earlier by a magistrate. A judge in Houston has ordered a hearing Monday for arguments on whether the bond should be revoked. Prosecutors say Sanford is a flight risk. He is accused of swindling investors out of $7 billion.
HOLMES: An update on a story that we were keeping up with, maybe you were as well, A Catholic priest who had a girlfriend is now an Episcopal priest with a wife.
You with me here? All right?
NGUYEN: It started with a kiss caught on camera, right?
HOLMES: Yes, it was caught on the beat (ph). We're talking about Father Cutie, he's known as -- what was it? What was his nickname? He was a TV guy, but a lot of people compared him to Oprah.
NGUYEN: Father Oprah, or something like that.
HOLMES: Father Oprah, I think that was it. You saw the woman there. He had a girlfriend, he got busted. Well, he left the Catholic Church. He had been dating this woman for two years. He is now training to be an Episcopal priest. But the couple got married at an Episcopal church in Miami Beach, yesterday. They had a civil ceremony as well, about two weeks ago. So, congratulations.
NGUYEN: He is married now. All right.
NGUYEN: Still ahead, life Michael Jackson. We'll talk with a musician, that being Tony Orlando, who first met Michael when he was just a little boy.
HOLMES: He'll tell you what Michael Jackson was like behind the scenes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: I love the "Billy Jean" video, with the "Rock My World" music.
HOLMES: Hey, that is ...
NGUYEN: It works.
HOLMES: It works. It works. I know you want to hear "Billie Jean," probably.
NGUYEN: It's one of my favorites.
HOLMES: We will hear that at some point. I was talking about this yesterday. If you probably polled everybody what their favorite song is, probably, the majority would say "Billie Jean" of all time.
NGUYEN: "Billie Jean," yeah.
HOLMES: Great song there. We've seen a lot of reaction come in here, in this country, but reaction has been coming in all over the world about the death of Michael Jackson. Here now more from our international correspondents.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: I'm Akita Shubert at the O2 Arena here in London where with Michael Jackson was due to perform in just about two weeks. He was set to perform 50 concert dates, more than 700,000 tickets had already been sold. And they had been sold out in hours, the fastest selling concert in history. Now fans in London are absolutely devastated.
MORGAN NEILL, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: I'm Morgan Neill in Tokyo, Japan, where Michael Jackson could always count on big crowds and ecstatic fans when he would come to play. The reaction today has been a mix of shock and disbelief. Lots of stores have set up displays like this one for those who still want to remember the music of Michael Jackson. Many have already sold out.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (On camera): I'm Diana Magnay in Berlin. This is at a Ardilaun Hotel, where in a bizarre incident back in 2002 Michael Jackson dangled his little baby son out of a window. The little boy's head covered with a cloth. Michael Jackson holding him by just one arm around his neck. Michael Jackson always said he really regretted the incident, and that he was simply overwhelmed by his fans, but it does remain an abiding image of Michael Jackson's later years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, singer Tony Orlando has been around the music industry a long time. Michael Jackson was about 12 years old when the two became friends. He joins me now, by phone, this morning with memories of Michael.
Tony, thanks for being with us today.
TONY ORLANDO, SINGER: Good morning to you.
You know, I was listening to your international correspondents and it was occurring to me as I was listening on the phone, I think it would be a wonderful gesture for the president of this country and for those of us in this country to kind of make "We Are The World" a wonderful way of communicating to the rest of the world, maybe Michael could be that glue that brings people together. Maybe the identification of that song and the purpose for it is more now than ever.
NGUYEN: It was such a huge hit and it brought so many people together, not only in collaboration to make the song, but when people heard it. Let me ask you a little bit about Michael Jackson, the man. You knew him when he was just a little boy growing up. In fact, didn't he come to a lot of your rehearsals?
ORLANDO: He would come in. You know, he was a very gentle, gentle, very well-mannered young man. It continued on through his adult life. He was a "please and thank you" guy, and he would walk into the studio at CBS, where we taped our show, "The Tony Orlando & Dawn Show", and he'd walk in and go, Tony, you mind if I come in and watch your rehearsal and see how you guys write the sketches and put the sketches together? He would come in, pad and pencil, sit down.
And to this day, quite frankly, I don't even know what he wrote. I used to go, what are you writing? He goes, just notes. You know, he was that kind of perfectionist. He was a sponge for knowledge. He would look at everything from old-school Fred Astaire dances, of course, to being influenced by Sammy Davis, Jr., with that hat, you know, "Mr. Bojangles" was one of his favorite. You could feel his influences. You can see where he's going to be missed.
I've heard it time and time again, but let me compliment you all at CNN for the kind of sensitivity and the kind of respect that you've given this man that he deserves.
NGUYEN: Thank you for that. You know, I find it really interesting that just at 12 years old he would be taking notes at your rehearsal. You mentioned that he is a perfectionist. What do you think of Michael Jackson, the man, as he grew up? The friendship that the both of you had, how did that grow?
ORLANDO: The thing that amazed me about Michael is that it was a very interesting kind of change in him. When he was 12 years old he was a very mature 12 years old. He was almost a boy-man. Then as he approached his adult years it reversed. He became a man-child.
NGUYEN: Why was that, do you think?
ORLANDO: I just think that Michael missed his childhood. We've heard this time and time again. You know, but I think that Michael very much related to Disney, Peter Pan, to the flight.
NGUYEN: Was it escapism?
ORLANDO: Well, I think it was less escapism and more trying to live something that you and I and most of us take for granted, and that is just our everyday childhood. I think that he wanted very much to be that little boy. And as he got older, it became more important to him.
NGUYEN: In fact, you said that you had spoke with him, what, about three months ago. What did you talk about?
ORLANDO: It may have been a little bit longer than that.
NGUYEN: OK. ORLANDO: I spoke with him about a gentleman name Jack Mister (ph), in Las Vegas, and, basically what I had done is I came up with an idea, I went to see the "Love Show" (ph) at the Mirage and I thought that "Thriller" would make a great Cirque Du Soleil show and just passed that idea on to him. You know, Michael Jackson presents "Thriller" Cirque Du Soleil.
It would have been -- it still would be a great show. I understand there's one, a show on, not Cirque Du Soleil, but a show on "Thriller." I think it will be time when there will be many, many show like that that will surround themselves around the great music written by this great artist and writer.
He was really -- you know, this is a guy who had a handshake that was as gentle as a lamb, he had a heart like a lion. He saw the world through the eyes of a child and he had the soul of a pure genius.
NGUYEN: You say it's a combination that will never happen again. Did you ever in your friendship talk to him about his medical conditions, about the struggles that he had?
ORLANDO: No. He was a private person. You know, if you look back at some of those interviews that you've been showing, he was very, very articulate. I think he articulated his case for himself much more now, in retrospect, he really articulated his belief in his innocence, and his belief that he would never do anything.
And it was presented in a calm and very, very, very -- it wasn't Wacko Jacko thing that people accuse him of. He really did speak with an intelligence, he had about himself, and a respect for elders. You know something you're going to find as time goes on, that as beautiful as his music was, you'll find that's how a beautiful man he was.
NGUYEN: Tony, very quickly, the last thing I want to ask you is, did you ever see this coming?
ORLANDO: Well, I think we all saw it coming. I think we all saw that this was a very troubled young man who fought his way through success and fame, and at the same time had to deal with stuff that, it was the luggage that he carried that was public. Everything he did was public. You leave CNN and you go home. He didn't have that life.
He was a very unique, like Elvis, like these unique people, he was this meteorite that went through our lives and affected the world. That's why I think, as I said earlier, as I was listening to your show, I think "We Are The World" is a proper -- it would be a wonderful usage right now, in looking at the way Korea and Iraq and Iran, and the world -- and the state of the mind of the world -- I think "We Are The World" I think was before its time. I'd love to see us use it more as a tool for peace.
NGUYEN: All right. Tony Orlando joining us by phone this morning, a friend of Michael Jackson's. Thanks so much for spending some of your time with us and reflecting on the man and legend, in fact, as we look at his legacy.
Thank you, Tony.
ORLANDO: Thank you. God bless.
HOLMES: Man, he hit on something, and to a person, we've been hearing, no one's surprised.
NGUYEN: I know.
HOLMES: Everybody is saying, saw this coming.
NGUYEN: He also talked about when he was a little boy he was very in touch with being a perfectionist and being a little bit older than he seemed. But as he grew older he was kind of like a man who wanted to relive his childhood. Some of the struggles that he faced.
HOLMES: We will continue to follow, of course, the investigation that we're turning to now, in the death of Michael Jackson.
Meanwhile, other stories to tell you about this morning, energy prices, they may be creeping up right now.
NGUYEN: Yes, climate and energy, there's a new climate bill, in fact, the House passed that. So, what does that mean for you and what you're going to be paying when it comes to that electric bill? We'll have the latest on that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, a milestone energy and climate bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives and faces an even bigger hurdle now. The legislation is supposed to impose new limits on energy pollution.
But as CNN's Louise Schiavone reports, staunch Republican opposition and potential Democratic defectors could doom the bill on the Senate floor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As day dawned on the House energy and climate change debate, the bill's opponents said it had been quite a night at the Rules Committee.
REP. MIKE PENCE, (R) INDIANA: Last night at 3:09 a.m., House Democrats filed a 309-page amendment.
REP. JOE BARTON, (R) ENERGY & COMMERCE CMTE.: They were literally hot off the Xerox machine when they were handed into the Rules Committee at approximately -- sometime between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m., this morning.
SCHIAVONE: By day's end, a sweeping bill, filled with tax measures, arrived on the House floor for a vote at more than ,1200 pages; not a great day for the democratic process, said this public watchdog group. JAKE BREWER, SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION: This is the kind of bill that will affect our economy on a massive scale, our climate, our national security. And it's not the kind of thing to be taken lightly. The opacity of this process is -, to be perfectly honest, it's infuriating.
SCHIAVONE: And so the Sunlight Foundation joined other unlikely allies of congressional Republicans like Green Peace, the Congress of Racial Equality, Friends of the Earth, each with their own reasons in opposing the bill.
Heavily advocated by the Obama administration and congressional Democratic leaders, the bill would change the way Americans produce and consume energy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop this addiction!
REP. ED MARKEY, (D) CHRM., HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY: This bill has the ambition of the moon landing, the moral imperative of the Civil Rights Act, and the scope of the Clean Air Act all wrapped up in one.
SCHIAVONE: Under the bill, energy producing polluters like fuel refineries and coal-fired plants would pay the price of their emissions through a system of allowances. Critics say that would make energy more expensive to producers, and consumers, alike.
REP. PHIL ROE, (R) TENNESSEE: The only certainty under this bill is that Wall Street traders sophisticated enough to understand how these credits are traded will make millions.
REP. DAVE CAMP, (R) HOUSE WAYS & MEANS: The speakers' national energy tax is bad for our economy. Bad for families who are already struggling to make ends meet. And it will do nothing to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. It's all pain and no gain.
SCHIAVONE: House Democrats produced a roster of dozens of bill supporters including the AFL-CIO, the Consumers Union and a number of energy companies.
(On camera): Democratic leaders moved the bill through the House with the most fragile of support, even though it's a safe bet that many, if not most, in Congress didn't read it all. It's expected to face an even tougher test in the Senate.
Louise Schiavone, for CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: So what's it like growing up a child star?
HOLMES: We are going to hear what it was like for Michael Jackson, in his own words.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, ANCHOR, LARRY KING LIVE: When with working with him, we've heard so many stories, mixed, pro and con. Was he difficult to work with, Quincy?
QUINCY JONES, MUSIC PRODUCER: Michael, difficult? He's the most professional person I ever worked with in my life, ever, in every way. In fact, we used to set up a stand when he sang, he'd do his dances and just have a spotlight on the stand, a pin spot on the stand. He'd do his dances and his twists and everything else while he was singing. It was absolutely amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's Quincy Jones there, who was with Michael for so many of those memorable hits we know, through "Thriller," talking about Michael Jackson last night on Larry King. Larry King had a number of people on last night who knew Michael Jackson, knew him well, friends of his.
Talking about, really, there was a dichotomy there with Michael Jackson. A lot could separate this great man, this great talent versus some of the strange behavior and some of the scandals. But still it will all be part of his history.
NGUYEN: Yes, it is going to be written into his biography. But you know, as we talk about Michael Jackson and we look back on his life and his legacy, a lot of people just want to hear from him, want to hear him speak, talk about his life. That's what we're going to do right now. We're going to show you a glimpse of Michael Jackson in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL JACKSON, (On camera): What I do? Most of my songs are fast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you put into it?
JACKSON: Well, whatever I sing, that's what I really mean. Like when I'm singing a song, I don't sing it if I don't mean it.
(MICHAEL JACKSON SINGING)
JACKSON: I would do my schoolings which was three hours with a tutor. Right after that, I would go to the recording studio and record. And I'd record for hours and hours until it was time to go to sleep. So it would be nighttime. And I remember going to the recording studio there was a park across the street and I'd see all the children playing. And they'd be rooting and making noise and I would cry. It would make me sad that I would have to go and work instead.
Oh, there's a lot of sadness about my past life, you know, adolescence, and my father and all of those things. It just made me very, very, very sad. OPRAH WINFREY, HARPO PRODUCTIONS: So he would tease you, make fun of you?
JACKSON: Yes.
WINFREY: Did he ever beat you?
JACKSON: Yes, he did. Yes. And that was ...
WINFREY: Difficult to take, getting beaten and going on stage and performing?
JACKSON: Yes.
WINFREY: Why would he beat you?
JACKSON: Because he saw me -- he wanted me -- I guess maybe I don't know if I was his golden child, or whatever it was.
JACKSON (on stage): Nobody thought this would last.
(APPLAUSE)
JACKSON (on camera): They were chanting they wanted to see the baby, so I wanted to show them the baby. I'm not going to let him fall.
It's very loving. That's what the world needs now, more love.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world needs the man who's 44 sleeping in a bed with children.
JACKSON: No. No. You're making it all wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me. Help me.
JACKSON: Because what's wrong with sharing love?
You don't sleep with your kids, or some other kid who needs love, who didn't have a good childhood?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No, I don't. I would never dream of sleeping ...
JACKSON: I would.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would never dream ...
JACKSON: Because you've never been where I've been, mentally.
If you really want to know about me, there's a song I wrote, which is the most honest song I've ever written, the most autobiographical song I've ever written, it's called "Childhood."
(SINGING): Have you seen my childhood?
They should listen to it. That's the one they really should listen to.
This is it. I mean, this is really it. This is the final -- this is the final curtain call. I love you. I really do. You have to know that I do love you so much. Really, from the bottom of my heart.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING: Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Good morning, everyone. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.
We are, of course, covering all angles of the investigation into Michael Jackson's death, including the bizarre turns of his personal life overshadowing a lot of his success dealing with his music career as well. So we're going to be talking about all of those different aspects of his life, but new this morning, Michael Jackson's body has been moved from the coroner's office and is now in an undisclosed location. But questions do still surround how he died. CNN Correspondent Susan Roesgen is live in Los Angeles. She joins us now.
Susan, what did the coroner say about the autopsy? Because I know the coroner came out and spoke yesterday.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he did. He came out late last night after the body was moved about 9:30 here, local time. He said a couple of interesting things, Betty.
First of all, he said that there was no sign of blunt trauma, no obvious sign of what might have actually led to Michael Jackson's death. He also said that his testing did show that there were prescription drugs in Michael Jackson's body, but the toxicology report won't be ready for at least a month. So, we're going to have a lot of questions there for a while.
He also said that the family asked him -- as you mentioned -- not to reveal where the body was taken, where the funeral home is. And he said that he will respect their wishes.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: What is the address of your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir. I need to -- I need an ambulance as soon as possible, sir. We have a gentleman here that needs help and he stopped breathing. He's not breathing, and we need to -- we're trying to pump him, but he's not ...
911 OPERATOR: OK. OK, how old is he?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's 50 years old, sir.
911 OPERATOR: Fifty? OK. He's unconscious? He's not breathing? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he's not breathing, sir.
911 OPERATOR: OK. And he's not conscious either.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, he's not conscious, sir.
911 OPERATOR: OK. All right. Is he on the floor? Where is he at right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's on the bed, sir. He's on the bed.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Let's get him on the floor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Let's get him down to the floor. I'm going to help you with CPR right now, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need him -- we need a ...
911 OPERATOR: Yes, we're on our way there.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WINTER: Mr. Michael Jackson's remains have been removed from the coroner's office, moved a little bit ago. It's in an undisclosed location per the family's request. Also, there is a security hold on the case so I can't discuss the location. We ask that you respect the family's wishes. I spent most of the day with the family, and they're very concerned and trying to get through their mourning process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Now, as you saw right at the beginning there, that was the dramatic 911 phone call, the actual phone call that was made by someone at the rented mansion where Michael Jackson was staying and where he collapsed on Thursday. You'll notice there, I'm sure when you were listening, T.J. and Betty, that nobody says, "It's Michael Jackson, get over here."
You know, there's a lot of tension, of course. The 911 operator tries to -- asks specific questions, why don't you move this person from the bed to the ground, what are you doing? And you can really hear the tension as you would in any 911 call -- just get here, get here fast.
So, the person that was working on Michael Jackson apparently doing the, quote-unquote, "pumping," the CPR, trying to revive him, was his personal doctor. And we're -- we're learning a little bit more about that, too, Betty.
NGUYEN: A couple of things I want to touch on. It was really odd when we listened to those 911 tapes, in its entirety, that not once did you hear them mention Michael Jackson's name. Now, I don't know if that was protocol that they were supposed to undertake, you know, considering the paparazzi or whatnot, but it was kind of odd.
Also, I want to talk to you about the doctor. There's got to be a helicopter or something flying over you right now. But the doctor in question -- what do you know about him?
ROESGEN: Well, and that is a helicopter -- probably one of the local news affiliates here in Los Angeles. The doctor's name is Conrad Murray and he was Michael Jackson's personal physician. The Los Angeles Police Department has been able to talk to him. They say he is not a subject of a criminal investigation. They just want to talk to him.
But he was actually hired by the concert promoter that had lined up Michael Jackson's sold out concerts in London that were supposed to start next month, 50 concerts. And Michael Jackson had required in his contract with the promoter that he be allowed to have his personal physician with him at all times.
So, that's what we know about him right now. Again, nothing criminal yet. No suspicion that he had, in any way, anything to do with Michael Jackson's death. We just know that he did try unsuccessfully to revive him. They tried again at UCLA Med Center for more than an hour, Betty, after that. And, as you know, nothing was successful.
NGUYEN: Yes. But indeed, there are a lot of questions surrounding Michael Jackson's death. We're going to try to get to the bottom of that. Susan Roesgen, joining us live this morning -- we'll be checking in with you throughout the morning -- T.J.?
HOLMES: All right. We're going to continue along that line of questioning there about this doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray. A lot of questions about him, even where with he is, where he went immediately after the 911 call.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson is a family friend of the Jacksons, longtime friend, and has been with the family, was with the family yesterday. He joins us on the phone now.
Reverend Jackson, we appreciate you picking up that phone and calling us this morning. ABC News has a report out, saying from you, that you spent time with the family and that, in fact, you confirmed to them, to ABC News, that the family is suspicious of this doctor. Can you confirm that and tell me what the family is suspicious of?
REV. JESSE JACKSON, JACKSON FAMILY FRIEND (via telephone): Well, they have real questions, once (ph) an inquiry is now an investigation. They didn't know the doctor. He could not be found -- which is strange. He should have at least met with the family, given them comfort in the last hours of their son. He left the scene. His car was impounded -- which is not very routine at all.
So, if someone called 911, said that the gentleman, Michael, was not breathing, how long had he not been breathing? The doctor saw him earlier in the night. A whole range of questions that take it from a routine investigation that raises real suspicions about what happened between the time Michael was determined quite healthy and this pulmonary (ph) attack.
Michael had been quite healthy, three hours a day exercise. The dancers said that he was dancing like he was 25. He was (INAUDIBLE). So, all of the good news and then the traumatic announcement that Michael is dead has left the family with these questions.
HOLMES: Reverend Jackson, you say there that Michael Jackson was healthy and was in pretty good shape. And we understood, he had been working out and getting ready for this concert. But there are plenty of people and reports out there who say they don't believe he was in very good shape and that he, in fact, had an issue with prescription drugs.
Does the family, at all believe, that Michael Jackson had an issue with prescription medication and maybe this doctor and maybe others over the past history have been enabling him -- as some say -- and feeding him drugs they know they shouldn't have been?
JACKSON: Well, all of the questions that you are now raising are reasons why there's an investigation. The suddenness of this -- there's one thing between taking routine prescription drugs and what happened the last time the doctor met with him. What was that injection? Was it an injection? Was it Demerol, as been suggested (ph)? Was it given to him once or was it given to him twice?
How long did Michael -- you know, we heard, you know, noontime or something Michael was in cardiac arrest. But how early -- how long had Michael been out of it? We don't know. The doctor could have given us all of those answers, but the doctor that they do not know was not available to give them that information.
HOLMES: Well, Reverend Jackson, what is this -- and I know there was an investigation, just as you've said, to look into it now. And there are plenty of other questions.
But as you spending time with the family yesterday, do they certainly believe that there must be some funny business here, given that this doctor did take off? And like you said, they don't know this man. So, is there no doubt in the family's mind that something is up?
JACKSON: Well, at least they suspect so. And I'll tell you what, there were three things happened. One was the pain of the family. I'm talking about Mrs. Jackson and with the father Joe. And she could not fight back the tears saying, "My baby is gone. Michael was such a good son. I love him so much. I miss my baby."
The pain of the emotion, that part of it. And then the joy of the kind of global response to Michael's music which means to them redemptive. I mean, people all around the world responding to him the way they did. I was talking with them, President Clinton called. And so, the sense that Michael's career between the concerts, sellouts that had already been made, the records -- they felt good about that.
But then, how did he die and when? Under what conditions? What's the relationship between that and the doctor -- who they don't know -- who left and would not talk with them, would not sign the death certificate? These -- there will be no closure until these questions are answered.
HOLMES: And, Reverend Jackson, are you telling me that still, to this -- at this point -- this was Thursday that we got word about Jackson's death -- Michael Jackson's death -- but still, here we are on Saturday, and the family has not spoken to this man, this doctor, who was with their son when he died?
JACKSON: They have not spoken with him, do not know him. As of last night, I've talked to them -- maybe midnight last night -- they still have not talked -- not heard from him.
HOLMES: Have they tried to reach out to him?
JACKSON: Yes. They didn't know how.
And they, first, have been grappling with the grief and the pain, because the excitement in the house was one, how quick did the concerts sell out in London. Michael was exercising about three hours with a -- under supervision. I've been, I guess, (INAUDIBLE) the day before doing his exercises or his dance routine.
So, they're feeling very good about Michael emotionally and physically. Then all of a sudden, you know, Michael -- they became, midnight -- they just had rather basic questions about what happened. But the questions began to grow in intensity from inquiry to investigation.
So -- and when the police impounded the car, the doctor can't be found, won't found the death certificate. Those are real questions, I think, of something, not just paranoia, but real question of substance on their mind.
HOLMES: All right. And last thing here, I'm going to let you go, Reverend Jackson. But, again, we've been reporting on this the past couple of days. A lot of people who've been around Michael Jackson, a lot of people who did know him, in fact, over the years and a lot of people who've watched him over years do believe there was some issue with prescription drugs with him.
But you're telling me the family does not suspect that he had any issues with prescription drugs or otherwise or was addicted or abusing prescription drugs.
JACKSON: No. And I think that, you know, you can speculate that's an item (ph) -- the question is, whatever he was doing, the doctor has not talked with the family.
HOLMES: Yes.
JACKSON: The doctor could not be found. The doctor's car was impounded. How long had Michael -- how long had the breathing stopped? These are questions that deserve some answers.
HOLMES: All right. Reverend Jackson, we appreciate you calling in here. I know we're going to be talking to you again plenty. But again, thank you so much for taking the time this morning, talk to you again here soon.
NGUYEN: Very interesting there.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: You know, good point, it happened on Thursday. We're here Saturday morning. They still have not spoken with the doctor about what happened in those final moments.
HOLMES: And, you know, it's one thing if he would have just been there with a few friends or something, but this is a man who can actually -- who has some expertise, who can tell them exactly what was going on with their son from a medical standpoint. Maybe a lot would find that -- and we're seeing a picture of Dr. Murray there. But a lot of people would probably find that pretty odd that, still, he has not spoken to the family. We will see.
NGUYEN: And I know, yesterday, when the coroner came out to speak, I was listening to that as well, and there was some questions surrounding the fact that the doctor didn't even sign the death certificate.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: In fact, the coroner had to do that. So, again, a lot of questions being asked, not a whole lot of answers right now. But we're continuing to follow this story -- and other stories, including this one.
Illogical and unethical -- that is what members of Iran's national security council are saying about Mr. Mousavi's demands for an annulment of the Iran election.
HOLMES: And also, what we're keeping an eye on in Iran, warnings to protestors from the clerics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, over the last several hours, Iran's leaders have escalated their threats so much so that high ranking clerics are now warning protesters that they will likely be punished, quote, "firmly" and shown no mercy.
Author and journalist Azadeh Moaveni joins me now -- as always, hoped for an independent Iran. In fact, she writes about that in her book, "Lipstick Jihad," and her latest release, that being "Honeymoon in Tehran."
Azadeh, thanks for joining us this morning via Skype from England. I want to get your thoughts about the latest word we're hearing from the clerics, again cracking down once again and saying that any protesters will be dealt with firmly. In fact, they will be made examples of.
What does this say about what's going to happen with other protests? Will they continue in light of this crackdown?
AZADEH MOAVENI, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST: Well, I think even before this very ominous threat coming from a top cleric, people realized that they were being outmaneuvered on the streets. I think that the day street protests were coming to an end anyway.
Tehran is a sprawling city. People weren't able to get to these protests because of authorities setting up roadblocks. So, there was a logistical problem anyway.
I think the Basij militia were so vicious in cracking down on the streets, that again, people realized that they were going to be -- that they didn't stand a chance against them, opening live rounds into unarmed protesters.
So, I think even before the sort of ominous tone that's coming out of the regime, people realized that what's being called the "green movement" might need to take a new direction, labor strikes, mass transportation strikes. It seems to be such a broad-based movement that it could involve bazaar protests from powerful merchants, more playful forms of civil disobedience -- sort of, I read things on the Internet of young people saying that, you know, a given night, everyone should pour cans of green paint into the street to turn Tehran for a night into a green city.
So, I think, we have to wait and see what direction it takes but I don't think that the energy has fizzled out.
NGUYEN: All right. You talk about energy strikes; you talk about some other possibilities. But with such a crackdown, how effective would these other options be in light of how they're being told -- look, if you do anything, you will be made an example of?
MOAVENI: Well, I think that that could be very intimidating to Iranians, certainly. But more peaceful forms of civil disobedience, I think, in terms of not turning up for work, for example, may be considered a more cautious way of expressing discontent than showing up ...
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Cautious -- but don't you think there will be a crackdown on that as well?
MOAVENI: There certainly might be, but I think we also have to bear in mind that Iran's clerics are fighting about this as well. One of the most important clerics -- if not the most highest ranking cleric in Iran -- most well-regarded, Ayatollah Montazeri, has decreed in the last couple of days that this type of crackdown (AUDIO BREAK) protesters is un-Islamic.
So, you might have the rank and file, perhaps, even of the Revolutionary Guard and those responsible for cracking down, who are very devout believers, be swayed by that. So, I think that this idea that the cleric -- that the clergy is sort of deeming something un- Islamic or Islamic in terms of crackdown or protest is being contested right now.
NGUYEN: So, you think there are still some options on the table.
All right. Azadeh, thanks so much for your time and insight and joining us via Skype this morning. We do appreciate it.
MOAVENI: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right. Coming up next here: Talking about falling trees and crashed cars -- people in Ohio cleaning up this morning after severe storms sweep across that state.
NGUYEN: Reynolds Wolf joins us when we come back with the latest news. Stay with us.
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WOLF: As our great nation continues to rise and shine, we're going to show you what you can expect today across the country. And the big story today is going to be the heat. We've got two big stories.
Let's start off with those temperatures first though: 102 in Dallas again today; 101 for -- rather 100 in Memphis; 87 degrees in the nation's capital, not so hot there; 98 in Houston, still sweltering there with high humidity; 84 in Minneapolis; back into Denver, 78 degrees reading is what you can anticipate.
Something you can expect for Denver, mix of sunshine and clouds, and possibly, some thunderstorms into the mid-Mississippi Valley. Northern plains, severe storms, chance of those. And also, along the outer banks, especially in places like Kitty Hawk, we expect a boom of thunder into the afternoon.
That is a quick check on your forecast. Let's send it back to the news desk with Betty and T.J.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: Well, a great idea can hit you just about anywhere. And as one Los Angeles mom found out, it can even hit you in the bathtub. That's where I do some of my best thinking.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Best ideas there. Melissa Long explains in this week's "How We Got Started."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Designer Tiffany Lerman didn't plan to start a new business, but the birth of her sons inspired her to create children's bath products while working from home. TIFFANY LERMAN, TINY TILLIA: I think it came about because I couldn't find anything out in the marketplace after my boys were born. I really wanted fun products that were safe and gentle.
LONG: So, she spent a year researching different formulas and had them kid approved.
LERMAN: My boys are my lab rats, and also, all of their friends. The kids tell me what smells they like, what smells they don't like.
LONG: Then, she put her design skills to work.
LERMAN: I had these ideas to come up with these characters and make them part of the products. The characters are all based on my family members.
LONG: Like Jac Jac the Cat, named after her mom, best selling author, Jackie Collins. Tiffany launched Tiny Tillia in 2006 with money from her first business and partnered with a manufacturing company.
LERMAN: When they took over production of the product, it really freed me up to be as creative as I could.
LONG: With more time on her hands, she designed a separate line for moms called Tillia, a picture book and TV show are also in the works.
LERMAN: I think the working woman today can have it all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: Classic Michael Jackson right there. You know, CNN has received a huge number of iReports from Michael Jackson fans, many saying he was the biggest star of our time.
HOLMES: Yes, a lot of people wouldn't disagree with that. Josh Levs is looking into all things online.
Good morning, again, to you, Josh.
LEVS: Good morning to you guys. It was good to hear that one. I hadn't heard that one yet and -- since his death. It's good to hear, the song (ph).
Yes, so many iReports. In fact, check it out. Let me just show you guys for a second -- iReport.com, you can't miss it. If you go there, what you're going to see is lots of iReports from all over the country. This one is over from California at the Walk of Fame. And there you can see if you scroll down, we're just -- we're getting so many and they keep coming in, lots more overnight.
We're looking at -- there's one iReporter I want to introduce you to now. He's joining us via Skype. And his name is Jayden Valentino.
Jayden, are you with us? Can he ...
JAYDEN VALENTINO, IREPORTER (via Skype): Good morning, guys. How are you?
LEVS: Hey, there you are. All right. You're joining us via Skype which -- for folks who don't know -- was a webcam. So, we're going to be seeing you in a second.
What I want to do is play a little clip from your iReport and then we'll bring you in. Let's take a look at what you sent us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, IREPORT)
VALENTINO: But he's a -- he was beyond a legend and he was beyond a genius. And just like the music of Elvis and Frank Sinatra and John Lennon have lived on forever, and people my age are associated with them and know who they are -- same will be for Michael Jackson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: All right. To a lot of people, that's really big. So, Jayden, while we take a look at some videos of Michael Jackson here, talk to me. For people who don't know, what is it about him that made you a big fan -- that made him so incredible to you?
VALENTINO: Well, you know, despite his idiosyncrasies, and despite, you know, the negative parts of what happened to him in his life, if you look at his body of work and if you look at his career as an entertainer or as somebody who admires anything that has anything to do as far as relevance in the entertainment industry or music, he was just a legend.
One point that somebody made to me that really struck me, and I think you guys had discussed this, someone else on the air had said, the music industry has changed. It's not like it used to be. And, you know, 20 years ago, people -- if a record came out -- people would go and buy that record. Today, you go on iTunes and you purchase a record, or download them illegally on LimeWire. That's the reality of how people are attaining music. So ...
LEVS: OK. But to you, he changed his sound. He was a new sound.
VALENTINO: He was. I mean, there was never, ever really a sound like him, you know?
LEVS: Yes.
VALENTINO: He was completely original, completely unique.
LEVS: I think that's part of it, so many people have copied and gained from his style, that it's easy to look back and not realize how at that time he created this brand new sound that you talk to us about in your iReport.
VALENTINO: Absolutely.
LEVS: Yes. Listen, Jayden, we've got a lot of news today. I'm sorry. We have to run right now. But we're going to talk to you again.
And, Betty and T.J., let me bring it back to you. I'll tell you, that's just one of many people that we've been hearing from iReport.com. We're going to keep this conversation going because we love to hear people's views on what made him so developmental.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: Quick break. We'll be right back.
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NGUYEN: Love it.
"HOUSE CALL" starts right now.
