Murder Suspect Marcus Wesson in California Jail Waiting Arraignment
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back everybody. It is exactly half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. A somber scene in Fresno last night. A dozen coffins were removed from a home where police say a 57-year-old man killed nine of his family members. We are going to get an update on that investigation in just a few minutes, a really gruesome story there.</s>BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's gets no better. Also Kamber and May back with us on a Tuesday morning. Question in D.C. here, we know the vice president will be on the ticket, because the president has already said that publicly. Some are suggesting, though, that Dick Cheney could be a liability. Is that the case or not? One of the topics we'll tackle with Kamber and May on a Tuesday morning in a little bit here.</s>O'BRIEN: but before that let's get to the weather. No, let's do the top stories this morning. Ohio police looking for a man who is suspected in a series of highway shootings. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for yesterday for 28-year-old Charles McCoy Jr. He's been linked to 24 shootings since May on and near Interstate 270. A woman was killed in one of those incidents. Investigators say McCoy is armed and he is dangerous. Turning overseas now, Basque police say they arrested an Algerian man with connection to Madrid train bombing. Spanish police say they have the names of as many as eight Moroccans who they believe may have participated in that attack. Two hundred people were killed in the explosions. Secretary of State Colin Powell is in New Delhi today for talks with India's prime minister. Secretary Powell arrived there last night. He is expected to discuss increasing U.S. military assistance to India, and also a request that India open up more of its markets to American exports. Secretary Powell heads to Pakistan tomorrow. The U.S. Agriculture Department Plans to test nearly 10 times as many animals for mad cow disease as it did last year. Officials announced yesterday plans to test more than 200,000 animals over a 12 to 18 month period, beginning in June. They're also going to test 20,000 additional healthy cows. Department officials hope that this will help to ease some of those bans on American beef exports. And Prince among a diverse group of artists who were inducted into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. Last night, the 45-year-old musician got the crowd on its feet at a ceremony here in New York. His hits including "Let's Go Crazy." Prince was inducted along with eight others. Among them, the late George Harrison, also Bob Seger and ZZ Top.</s>HEMMER: Heck of a stage, I'm telling you.</s>O'BRIEN: Could you imagine, a jam session at the end? Sounds pretty cool doesn't it?</s>HEMMER: Where were we last night? We should have been at the Waldorf.</s>O'BRIEN: I was sleeping. I was in bed. We weren't invited.</s>HEMMER: Murder suspect Marcus Wesson in a California jail waiting arraignment tomorrow on charges of murder. Wesson accused of nine slaying inside a Fresno home on Friday of last week. Autopsies on the bodies show all the victims were shot to death. Investigators back on the scene yesterday removing a dozen empty coffins. They also removed a school bus and other assorted items. Rusty Dornin at the scene back in Fresno, California, or near the scene anyway. Rusty, good morning.</s>RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, I think you'd agree that watching those coffins come out of the house is very eerie, four days after the murders. Apparently, the suspect has said he was going to use the wood to build a boat, and he'd had them for some time. Still, lots of unanswered questions. What exactly happened in that house, when and of course why? We may get clues when toxicology results do come back later this week. We'll find out whether the victims were drugged. But otherwise, police remaining tight-lipped.</s>DORNIN (voice-over): Police say Marcus Wesson is cooperative, calm and articulate. But they still don't know what transpired in that house or why, not to mention the tangled web of relationships.</s>JERRY DEYER, FRESNO POLICE CHIEF: We are not certain of what the family structure was. Based on information we have, it is our belief that the suspect, Wesson, fathered most, if not all of the children that were in that house. We are still trying to determine who the mothers are.</s>DORNIN: The coroner says there were several mothers.</s>LORI CERVANTES, FRESNO COUNTY CORONER: With the records we have now, we believe we've identified six mothers.</s>DORNIN: She believes only one of the six was a victim herself. Three women claiming to be mothers have contacted her office. But police investigators say as far as there's concerned, DNA tests may be necessary to prove parentage. As for cults and ritualistic murders, police say all the victims were shot, but nothing has been ruled out. In front of the house, flowers, teddy bear tributes and birthday balloons to tug at the heart strings. One of the victims would have been 8 years old this past Sunday.</s>DORNIN: The house continues to draw the curious as people try to grapple with the horror in this community, and Marcus Wesson, the suspect, will be arraigned tomorrow at 1:30 Pacific -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: Rusty, thanks for that. Rusty Dornin in Fresno -- Soledad.</s>O'BRIEN: Well, the leaders of France and Germany this morning pledged to fight terrorism and cooperate with other nations. Presidential candidate John Kerry has said that some world leaders have told him that they oppose the current administration and would like to see him in the White House. Senator Kerry has not said who the world leaders are, and the White House is pressing him on it.</s>SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's not your business; it's mine.</s>DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But it is our business when a candidate for president claims the political endorsement of foreign leaders. At the very least, we have a right to know what he is saying to foreign leaders that makes them so supportive.</s>O'BRIEN: Time to hear from both sides on that issue, and from Washington, we're joined by Democratic consultant Victor Kamber. Hey, Victor, good morning to you. Nice to see you as always.</s>VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: Good morning, Soledad.</s>O'BRIEN: Cliff May is a former communications director for the Republican National Committee, joining us, as well. Good morning to you, Cliff. How are you? Nice to see you.</s>CLIFF MAY, FMR. RNC COMM. DIR: Good, Soledad.</s>O'BRIEN: Well, Cliff, you were listening to the vice president, Dick Cheney, calling on Senator Kerry to name some names, give us the names of those foreign leaders. Why do you think the senator should actually do that?</s>MAY: Well, I think the truth is that there's a suspicion that he never spoke to any foreign leaders, and no foreign leaders have endorsed him, and this was, shall we say, a flight of fantasy on the part of Senator Kerry. But if he did, I think it would be fine for him to say, yes, you know, Jacques Chirac and I the other night were sharing a crisp chardonnay and eating some runny cammanbart (ph), and he said to me, you know, you would be a lot better than that Bush to be president, Mr. Kerry. Why not? I think it's important for us to know which foreign leaders. Again, Jacques Chirac will not influence my voting behavior very much, but if it was Tony Flair, I would take it very seriously.</s>O'BRIEN: As much as I think you did an excellent French accent there, I have to say I see Victor laughing through virtually every single thing...</s>MAY: If I can make victor laugh.</s>O'BRIEN: You know, if you can make Victor laugh, then it's a good day, isn't it? Because, to some degree, many people have come to the defense of Senator Kerry, Victor has said. Well, why would he name names? It would only put those world leaders in a very awkward position.</s>KAMBER: No question. First of all, he never said they endorsed. He said that there were several world leaders that thought -- whatever the term was that he should replace Bush, or be a better president, whatever the terms where. We know this administration retaliates against people that disagree with them. World leaders do not affect world opinion in the United States in terms of voting. You know, and when this administration is prepared to share information that it is keeping secret, like who at the CIA gave the information to the president about the weapons of mass destruction, who at the CIA gave information about the Taliban and Iraq, I mean, who Dick Cheney met with in secret energy meetings. When they're prepared to share a lot of information they've determined to keep secret, then I think John Kerry can share who he talked on the phone with about changing the presidency in 2004.</s>O'BRIEN: At the same time. And he said met, he didn't say talk on the phone, he said met. It was I think Dan Bartlett from the White House who said, well, you know what, if the senator can't name the names, then maybe everybody should conclude that, as Cliff sort of indicated, it was a flight of fantasy, he was out and out lying, he made it up.</s>KAMBER: Well, why should we, unless, again, we have an administration that only wants people to believe anybody who doesn't agree with them is lying. I mean, we have an administration that's known to be retaliatory. If you disagree with them, whether you're an American, or a foreign leader, or a foreign power or foreigner, you're going to be retaliated against. We have seen it time and time again in this country. Why should he share the names? What's the big deal?</s>O'BRIEN: Things got more complicated, Cliff, when the reporter who actually was taking notes and transcribed this comment said, you know what, he never said foreign leaders, I went back and listened to it again, he actually said more leaders. Does that change things?</s>MAY: Well, all he needs to do is explain here's what I meant and here's what I was talking about. By the way, I don't know what Vic is talking about in terms of retaliation. Do they think John Kerry is going to be knee-capped? Victor, when we leave this building, I am going to be with you and I will protect you from retaliation.</s>KAMBER: Thank you. Thank you.</s>MAY: Don't you worry about it. I'm not going to let it happen.</s>KAMBER: You know, the love, you guys, between you two, it's choking me up. All right, I want to turn hear. We have just a little bit of time left, to talk about the No. 2 spot. Some people have said with Vice President Dick Cheney's approval rating, that 45 percent is pretty darn low. He should be ditched from the ticket. It should not be Bush-Cheney, that he should -- it should be Bush/fill-in-the-blank- with-somebody-else. What do you think, Cliff. Do you think that's a possibility at all?</s>MAY: I don't think it's a possibility at all. You know, there was some vice president, Victor may remember, who said the job isn't worth a bucket of warm spit. Spit is not the precise word he used. Usually vice presidents get up in the morning, find out if the president is alive. If the president is alive, they go back to bed, unless they have a funeral to attend for a foreign leader, maybe one of the ones John Kerry knows. This vice president, Dick Cheney, has been the most consequential vice president in American history. He was the most prepared for the job based upon his previous experience in government and the private sector. American taxpayers get their money worth with Dick Cheney. Whether you agree with him or not, that's true. I happen to think he's a wonderful public servant.</s>O'BRIEN: What do you think, Victor, with just a few seconds left?</s>KAMBER: I don't want him off the ticket either, for all the reasons that Cliff just said. I want his record to be the one that we vote on. I want the American public to remember that it's a Cheney- Bush ticket, and I think it's in that order probably. But a Cheney- Bush, or Bush-Cheney ticket. But the economy in this country, the problems of this country, the problems overseas, that he's as much a part of them as George Bush is. I want the country to remember that and vote that ticket down.</s>O'BRIEN: Victor Kamber, Cliff May, nice to see you guys, as always. You two are all over it today. Wow. Thanks, guys.</s>HEMMER: Next week, Kamber and May from Paris.</s>O'BRIEN: Did you like his accent?</s>HEMMER: Yes.</s>O'BRIEN: In a moment mere, Starbucks adding something new to the menu. You can't eat it, you can't sip it, but you can hear it, in a moment.</s>HEMMER: Also the best method for quitting smoking might depend on your weight or even your race. A look at that is just ahead, as AMERICAN MORNING continues.