Death Toll Rising in Turkey; Michael Jackson Death Trial; Survey: Start Your Day With A Smile
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: New accusations against the airline involved in a deadly New York crash in 2009. Lawyers for the victims' families say high level emails show that Colgan Air sacrificed safety for profits.</s>ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Tragedy in eastern Turkey as a 7.2 magnitude earthquake took 262 lives, and bitter cold temperatures making it very hard for rescue teams to reach possible survivors.</s>VELSHI: And President Obama wants Hollywood's it guy now maybe living life on the D-list. More of entertainment's elites are saying they aren't that into him. It could be hurting him come re-election time.</s>CHO: And was it unfairness or religious intolerance? A battle is brewing between Hertz and more than two dozen Muslim drivers -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.</s>VELSHI: Good morning. It's 8:00 in the East. Monday, October the 24th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Ali Velshi.</s>CHO: Good morning, Ali. Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Christine and Carol have the day off.</s>VELSHI: Up first, a horrible day in eastern Turkey where the death count is on the rise following yesterday's devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake. Dozens of buildings have collapsed. At least 264 people are confirmed dead with search teams hampered by bitter cold temperatures as they try to find survivors under tons of concrete and rubble. Now, the hardest-hit area is the town of Ercis. Let's go there. Diana Magnay is at the scene of the worst earthquake to hit Turkey in a decade.</s>DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a country that is used to earthquakes. But as you say, 7.2 magnitude, this was a huge quake affecting this quite poor area, rural area, of southeastern Turkey. And I'm in the town of Ercis. Here behind me you can see one of the sites where search and rescue workers are continuing to try and find people in the rubble. But today, so far no one has been brought out of there alive. They have been using dogs. They have been using sound checks to see if they can hear any knocking or any screams. But as I said, no one out of here alive at this point. And, of course, the Red Crescent and various other aid organizations are putting on a huge effort to try and get aid and relief to this part of Turkey. Particularly as you have said because the evenings get so cold here. So, tonight, they are going to be sending 7,000 tents in for people who were made homeless by the quake. Also for the hundreds and thousands of other people who are too scared to go back to their own homes for fear of the fact that the foundations are unsolid now, and the continued aftershocks that hit the region. There will be blankets in these two tent cities that are being set up. There are tents that are specially designed for warm weather. There are mobile kitchens that are being brought in. Huge cargo planes full of aid coming in from Ankara to the region. So, huge efforts are being made for a country that understands how to deal with relief on this kind of front, because you remember, Ali, in 1999, there was a massive earthquake in the Marmara Region in which 17,000 people died. So again, this is a country that does understand the seismic fault lines on which it stands. But, as always, you know, it is a struggle to deal with these kinds of situations.</s>CHO: Libya is taking its first big step toward democracy. The new leaders officially declaring the country's liberation just days after the death of Moammar Gadhafi. The official announcement came in Benghazi, where the revolution began. Meantime, there are new questions about Gadhafi's death. An autopsy says he was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. But there are no details on just how it happened.</s>VELSHI: CNN's Dan Rivers is going to be with us in just a moment. But a warning from Hillary Clinton to Iran: don't even think about meddling in Iraq. Now that President Obama has announced that all U.S. troops will be leaving Iraq by the end of the year, there's growing concern that Iran will try to exploit a void and expand its reach there. That would be a mistake, according to the secretary of state. But Republican Senator John McCain insists that the White House isn't thinking straight.</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: It is viewed in the region as a victory for the Iranians. And I don't think there's any doubt there is.</s>HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We have a lot of presence in that region. So, no one, most particularly Iran, should miscalculate about our continuing commitment to and with the Iraqis going forward.</s>VELSHI: In an interview released Saturday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country has a very good relationship with Iraq, and he looks forward to seeing that relationship grow.</s>CHO: We want to get an update now from the Libyan capital. He is outside Misrata. Dan Rivers is there on really what is an historic time in Libya, in the days following the death of Moammar Gadhafi. And they have just declared that they are moving toward democracy in the next two years. Dan, what is the latest from where you are?</s>VELSHI: Looks like we just lost the connection to Dan on the phone. But we will be on that -- all right. We'll come back to that story in a moment. Also new this morning, a grenade explodes in a nightclub in Nairobi, Kenya. About a dozen people were hurt. Authorities haven't linked the attack to any one group, but it comes a day after the U.S. embassy in Kenya warned of retaliation by Islamist militants in Somalia, who are now being targeted by Kenyan troops who were sent in to Somalia to fight them.</s>CHO: An Iranian man accused of plotting the murder of the Saudi ambassador to the United States will be arraigned in New York today. U.S. officials say Manssor Arbabsiar tried to hire hit men to bomb a restaurant that the Saudi ambassador would visit. A second man indicted in the alleged plot is still at large.</s>VELSHI: And this could be the final week of testimony in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. Court will be back in session in just a few minutes. CNN's Ted Rowlands will tell us what we can expect today and later this week.</s>TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When court resumes, Steven Shafer will still be on the stand. He testified last week for the prosecution. This is the prosecution's most important witness. They are just finishing up with him. What he's been able to do is establish for the jury what the prosecution believes happened the night Michael Jackson died. After he's off the stand, the defense will start its case in chief, and we expect to hear among others from some character witnesses. These are going to be Dr. Murray's patients from Las Vegas and Houston. They will come in and tell the jury that he's not such a bad guy -- in fact, that he's been a fantastic doctor for them. Then the most important witness will take the stand for the defense, Dr. Paul White. He is basically the counter to the prosecution's expert on Propofol. White and Dr. Steven Shafer were actually colleagues, they are actually colleagues. And White is going to be paramount for the defense. He will have to answer the questions that were raised by Shafer and the prosecution. We expect he'll take the stand either Wednesday or Thursday, and we expect that he will be the defense's last witness, unless -- and we don't expect it -- they bring Dr. Conrad Murray to the stand. Bottom line: the case should end up, if Murray doesn't take the stand, at the end of the week. Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.</s>VELSHI: Police arrested 130 people over the weekend at an "Occupy Chicago" protest. Protesters were taken into custody for being in Grant Park after hours. More than 1,000 demonstrators packed the park until police ordered everyone to leave. Those who didn't were taken into custody.</s>CHO: A public memorial everything is to celebrate the life of two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon, who died last week in a fiery 15-car crash at the Las Vegas speedway. Fellow IndyCar drivers remembered Wheldon for his devotion to family and also his practical jokes.</s>VELSHI: And the World Series now a best of three. The Texas Rangers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 last night to even the series at two games apiece. The pivotal game five tonight in Arlington, Texas.</s>CHO: And it's a girl. French First Lady Carla Bruni Sarkozy heads home with the newest family addition. Her name is Giulia. Carla Bruni Sarkozy gave birth on Wednesday, and was released from the hospital over the weekend. President Nicolas Sarkozy was in Brussels for a summit of European leaders. Little Giulia is the first baby born to a sitting French president.</s>VELSHI: Huh. You would have thought there would have been another one -- but there you go. OK. Hertz is terminating more than two dozen Muslim drivers for refusing to clock out for prayer breaks. Now, the drivers union is fighting back. We'll speak to them after this break.