Indonesia Quake; No New Speaker Named in Iraq; Battle Over Terri Schiavo
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. It's 7:30 here in New York City. Soledad has some vacation this week. Good morning to you.</s>CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A much-need vacation. I'm Carol Costello filling in. Coming up, parts of Indonesia have been devastated again by a massive earthquake. We'll look at the destruction and the search for survivors this morning, also the early panic that another tsunami was on the way.</s>HEMMER: Also, in a moment here, in the battle over the fate of Terri Schiavo, her parents are expressing frustration over some of the protests being staged outside their daughter's hospice. Bob Franken is back in Florida this morning, as he has been now for about two weeks. We'll check in with Bob on that story.</s>COSTELLO: Much more news this morning on AMERICAN MORNING. Here is Kelly Wallace. Good morning.</s>KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol and Bill. And good morning to you, everyone. Here are some of the stories "Now in the News." We begin with an arrest in connection with the Red Lake Reservation shootings in Minnesota. According to local media reports, the teenage son of the tribal chairman has been taken into custody. CNN is working this morning to confirm those reports. A total of 10 people were killed in last Monday's rampage, including suspected shooter Jeff Weise. An independent committee is expected to clear U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan of possible corruption linked to that oil-for-food program in Iraq. But the panel will criticize the secretary general for oversight. It will also criticize his son, Cojo (ph), for not revealing ties to a Swiss company linked with the aid program. The report is set to be out later today. U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist back on the bench after a brief hospital stay. Justice Rehnquist checked into Arlington Hospital in Virginia Sunday after an apparent problem with a tracheotomy tube in his neck. He's due back in court when arguments resume in just over two hours. And a case involving file-sharing will be on the docket this morning for the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices will be looking at the fine line between piracy and technology. The outcome could affect how TV shows, movies and songs are manufactured. I don't know a lot about file-sharing, but we're talking big money, big dollars.</s>HEMMER: That's right.</s>WALLACE: The future of the Internet and how Hollywood markets its products.</s>COSTELLO: And a big inconvenience to those who file-share.</s>WALLACE: Exactly. They want to keep doing it.</s>COSTELLO: Exactly. Thank you, Kelly. U.N. and Red Cross officials in Southeast Asia say the death toll from Monday's earthquake isn't going to be as high as they first feared. The Indonesian government says at least 330 people have died, but that number is expected to rise. The 8.7 quake was centered off the northern coast of Sumatra. That's about 100 miles southeast of the epicenter of December's quake. With more now from the scene, Hugh Riminton is in Medan, Indonesia. Hugh, describe what the damage like for us.</s>HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the damage is, as you say, nothing like that that we saw with the December 26 earthquake, which triggered that tsunami. That is because there was no tsunami this time. It may some days before the scientists and geologists are able to explain why a quake that was very nearly as big didn't trigger the same wave effect. But the earthquake itself was devastating, particularly to the two islands that were closest to the epicenter. The island of Nias, which is a heavily-populated island, it's fairly small, about 600,000 people live there, though. And a great number of the buildings on Nias have been destroyed. There are people in shock, just wandering around the place. There were early reports that the death toll could run into the thousands. Officially, it's being put at 330. But we must stress the assessment phase is still very much on at the moment. The Red Cross and the United Nations have been trying to get in to have a look at it. Damage is widespread. The death toll, as you say, is likely to rise as they can get in and have a better look in the days ahead -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Unlike that other quake, though, Hugh, tsunami warnings did go out. Loud alarms sounded. People were ringing bells. Did it seem like they were better prepared to deal with things after this quake?</s>RIMINTON: Certainly. And in the more sophisticated areas, for example the tourist areas of Thailand, the alarm systems from reports from Thailand were very effective, and people knew that it was coming. Everyone was much more alert to it. The thing was this time, there was no tsunami. There was a minor surge that was picked up in some of the islands, the Cocas islands, a very small isolated group picked up a small surge. One of the suggestions was, is that the pulse this time was heading south and west. Now, that was away from the mainland areas and the populated areas. Another effect is that the death toll along the Sumatran coast doesn't appear to have existed at all this time. That's partly because those areas have been depopulated as a result of the December 26 earthquake and tsunami.</s>COSTELLO: Hugh Riminton live in Indonesia this morning. Thank you.</s>HEMMER: It's about 26 minutes now before the hour. Iraq's road to a new government seems to be bit of a bumpy one. Once again today, the Transitional National Assembly failed to name a speaker. Aneesh Raman is live in Baghdad with more from there. What happened -- Aneesh? Tell us.</s>ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, good morning. Frustration is really starting to hit a boiling point among those within the National Assembly. They delayed their meeting by about an hour, and then convened only to announce that no vote would take place for the speaker; that, because negotiations had effectively had broken down among the Sunnis. Anger burst among members of the assembly, some demanding to know why this was happening, why no vote was taking place. And then rather dramatically, the live signal was cut. It went to black for Iraqis watching at home. They went into an impromptu closed session that we now know has ended. It is likely they will meet again this weekend. But Bill, they are all aware that this cannot happen again. The Iraqi people need a government to take shape. But they also need to see things happening in order. And chaotic days like this do not server see anyone any good. So, if they do convene this weekend, all sides are hoping they can reach a consensus and finally elect a speaker -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: Aneesh, is this the growing signs of a fledgling democracy? Or is this true cause for concern?</s>RAMAN: Well, at this point I think it's a mix of both. At the beginning, people on the ground were willing to forgive a lot of things as this being a new process for Iraq. But for Iraqis themselves, the process is inconsequential. They literally need a government to take shape as quickly as possible to deal with the insurgency, to deal with the services they need like water and electricity. And the longer this takes, the more confidence that was built after that historic election does begin to erode -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: Keep that momentum, too, coming back from the elections at the end of January. Aneesh, thanks for that in Baghdad -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: The Reverend Jesse Jackson will be in Florida today to hold a vigil with the parents and siblings of Terri Schiavo. As you know, Schiavo's feeding tube was removed nearly 12 days ago now. CNN's Bob Franken live in Pinellas Park, Florida, outside of Terri's hospice. Good morning -- Bob.</s>BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. And both sides of this bitter fight say that they want an autopsy when she dies, if she dies, with that likelihood of increasing by the day. As a matter of fact, some are saying it's imminent. There is some disagreement among that. As for Reverend Jackson, he's to appear later this morning. Of course, he comes from the left. Family members hope that he'll provide a counterpoint to those who are already here.</s>FRANKEN (voice over): Family members of Terri Schiavo express their private but growing frustration at polls showing negative reactions to their fight. They say public opinion has been influenced more than they'd like by a perception that religious beliefs are being imposed on public policy.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Holy Mary, mother of God.</s>FRANKEN: The vigil here has included almost exclusively participants who are intensely devout, from Catholic and evangelical Christian denominations, bringing images that have obscured the substance, they complain, of the battle to reconnect the feeding tube to Terri Schiavo. At one point on Sunday, Terri's brother, Bobby Schindler, came out and tried to quiet down his family's supporters. But many in the crowd put up an argument.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do I give it to to get it to you?</s>BOBBY SCHINDLER, TERRI SCHIAVO'S BROTHER: We're not going to solve this problem today by getting arrested. We can change the laws, OK? But we have to -- it's not going to change today. Getting arrested doesn't help Terri.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't disagree. I don't disagree.</s>SCHINDLER: It doesn't help anybody.</s>FRANKEN: Many of the most active leaders here are well-known figures from the religious right, veterans of fights that range from public display of the Ten Commandments to the strongest anti-abortion battles.</s>LARRY KLAYMAN, FOUNDER, JUDICIAL WATCH: It's not just we Christian conservatives. It's not just people of faith. It's everybody in this country.</s>FRANKEN: But the Christian right and their conservative allies in politics have been the ones who have forced Terri Schiavo into the public consciousness.</s>COSTELLO: You know, Randall Terry has been a spokesman for the family. How did they get together in the first place, the Schindlers?</s>FRANKEN: Well, the Schindlers have looked for help wherever they could get it. And people who are in the so-called right-to-life movement have feelings about pulling the plug, so to speak, as they would put it, have feelings about ending life. So, they were a natural fit. And there's also, of course, the need for funding. And the people who come from these organized groups are able to provide the money that is needed for the legal and public relations fight.</s>COSTELLO: Bob Franken, live in Pinellas Park, Florida, this morning. Thank you.</s>HEMMER: It's 22 minutes now before the hour, Carol. A check of the weather.</s>COSTELLO: A popular video game system could be forced off the market. Andy explains in "Minding Your Business."</s>HEMMER: Also this morning, pharmacist beliefs versus women's rights. The growing controversy over the refusal to fill prescriptions for birth control. That story when we continue on AMERICAN MORNING.