Afterwards, I had a chat with Pam and Kenny, a delightful couple who have tried hard to recover their lives but told me: ‘You never get over it, obviously.’
We talked about the parallels with Sandy Hook.
‘It brought it all back to us,’ said Pam. ‘All those poor young children shot at school.’
Then she said: ‘Did you realise it even happened at the same time – around 9.30 a.m.?’
I hadn’t, and it was an eerie coincidence.
‘Please keep going with your gun-control campaign,’ she added softly. ‘We really do hope that your argument and passion will eventually pay at least some small dividends. Even if it saves one life, it will be worth it.’
TUESDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2013
Pope Benedict XVI sensationally resigned yesterday, and as a good (OK, goodish) Irish Catholic boy, I’m not entirely happy about this.
The papacy isn’t just a job that you walk away from. It’s a vocation, something you do until you die. Which is why no pope’s resigned in six hundred years. He is, after all, supposed to be infallible – not prone to waking up one day and resigning because he’s exhausted.
Benedict’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II, survived two assassination attempts – including being seriously shot and stabbed – several alleged bouts of cancer, Parkinson’s disease and crippling arthritis. But it never crossed his mind to quit. And I found John Paul’s utter determination to carry on despite all his physical frailties remarkably inspiring.
This might sound a bit harsh on Benedict (I’m not going to keep calling him pope, I’m afraid – that title goes with staying in the job, otherwise we’ll end up with a whole plethora of people out there called pope), but he has over a billion Catholics around the world relying on him for religious and spiritual guidance. And for fortitude.
I watched Benedict conducting mass at the Vatican after his announcement and he seemed fine to me. Old, yes, and a little slow on his feet. But otherwise no less agile than any eighty-five year old.
To put his resignation into perspective, our own Queen Elizabeth II is a year older than him, but she’d rather streak naked down Pall Mall than retire.
It’s called duty.
WEDNESDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2013
Cop killer Christopher Dorner was tracked down and killed in the early hours of this morning after a dramatic shoot-out with police.
He shot one more officer dead before the siege was over, the fourth person he murdered – the official threshold the FBI cites as qualifying for the term ‘mass shooting’. There have now been sixty-two of these in America in the last thirty years – but twenty-five of those have occurred since 2006, and eight in the last year.
A terrifying escalation.
FRIDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2013
Back in London to tape my UK show.
Elise wasn’t well all day, and by 5 p.m., she was running a raging fever.
We called the doctor, who said he’d come by in a couple of hours to check on her. But by 7 p.m., she seemed considerably better, so we cancelled him. Then, as I sat downstairs watching TV, Celia suddenly called out for help. I ran upstairs, and Elise was lying on our bed, ashen-faced, rigid and shaking violently. Her eyes were wild, and she was incredibly hot. It was a terrifying sight.
I called the emergency services immediately and explained what was happening. The operator said: ‘This sounds like a febrile convulsion. They can happen to small babies when they get high fevers, but shouldn’t last long. I’m sending an ambulance. Keep her lying on her back, and don’t try and do anything else until she stops convulsing.’
Elise stopped convulsing after about two minutes. They felt like the longest 120 seconds of both our lives. The paramedics were at the house very quickly, and raced inside to treat her.
As they did so, someone rang the doorbell. I ran down to find an angry-looking man standing there.
‘Is that your ambulance?’ he snarled.
I looked to where he was pointing.
‘Sorry?’
‘I said is that your ambulance? It’s blocking my route.’
Unbelievable.
‘My baby’s sick, you moron,’ I spat back at him, slamming the door.
I ran back upstairs and Elise was much cooler and calmer.
‘She’s going to be fine,’ one of the paramedics said. ‘We’ll take her in for a checkup, but you should be OK to bring her back home later tonight.’
I relayed my exchange with the angry driver, and they shook their heads knowingly. ‘Happens all the time; people are just extraordinary.’
TUESDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2013
Woke up to shocking news.
Oscar Pistorius has shot dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his home in Pretoria.
He denies murder, saying he mistakenly thought she was an intruder.
Either way, it’s an appalling tragedy.
Stanley called. ‘Dad, I’ve literally just finished my two-thousand-word essay on why Oscar Pistorius is such an inspiration to me. I think that’s what you call “bad timing”.’
THURSDAY, 21 FEBRUARY 2013
Interviewed former US President Jimmy Carter again in San Diego today, and asked him for his reaction to Sandy Hook.
‘I’ve advocated a prohibition against assault weapons and against magazines that hold multiple bullets and also armour-piercing bullets and things of that kind.’
‘The main reason why the assault-weapons ban may not pass,’ I responded, ‘is the power of the NRA in going after American politicians who then get cowed into silence. And I think it’s just morally cowardly.’
‘I do too. I agree with you completely,’ he said. ‘And it happens not only at the federal level, but it also happens at every state level and every municipal level. The NRA is there pressuring weak-kneed public officials to yield to their pressures, when they know what they’re doing is wrong.
‘I’m a gun owner. I’m a farmer. I have two pistols, two rifles, five shotguns. And I’ve been a hunter all my life. I never have had a need for an assault weapon. I’ve never had a need for armour-piercing bullets. And I think it’s ridiculous for our country to be in the forefront of killing people with guns.’
SUNDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2013
CNN asked me to anchor its Oscars red carpet coverage today, which was a lot of fun.
Especially when I spotted Rupert Murdoch and his wife, Wendi, walking past.
‘Mr Murdoch, a few words for CNN?’ I shouted, mindful of the fact that he’d told me two years ago my chances of securing an interview with him for CNN were ‘zero in a hundred’.
Wendi heard me and persuaded Rupert to come over.
‘We have breaking news,’ I announced to viewers. ‘I’m about to interview the boss of our rival network Fox News.’
After some chitchat about the movies, I couldn’t stop myself asking:
‘How do you feel about CNN doing so well against Fox at the moment?’
He laughed.
‘I think we’re doing OK … I suspect we’ll survive!’
MONDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2013
Everywhere I’ve gone in L.A. over this Oscars weekend, I’ve had stars come up to me wanting to talk about my gun campaign on CNN.
Jamie Foxx collared me in an elevator at Soho House about it, and was so animated we had to step outside and wait for another one. ‘We have to deal with this problem now,’ he said. ‘It won’t be easy, but I grew up a young black man in Texas. I learned how to compromise with people on emotive issues.’
Tonight I was dining with friends when Kiefer Sutherland walked over, shook my hand and said: ‘I just want to say something to you. I’ve been watching all the gun stuff you’ve been doing on CNN, and it’s one of the bravest things I’ve seen anyone do on American television for a very long time.’
I was genuinely astonished.
‘Thanks, Kiefer,’ I replied. ‘Coming from you, that means a lot.’
‘Just don’t stop,’ he added, firmly. ‘It’s too important. We’re al
l behind you.’
And then he was gone. Jack Bauer had given me my orders.
WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2013
A pizza restaurant owner from Virginia Beach is offering customers a 15 per cent discount if they arrive carrying a gun.
He claimed he’s doing this to protect his Second Amendment rights. But after further questioning from me tonight, he revealed the real reason he thinks his fellow civilians should be armed to the teeth (and rewarded with cheap pepperoni specials), and I quote directly: ‘The United Nations may attack us.’
WEDNESDAY, 6 MARCH 2013
There’s absolutely no reason now not to change the show’s name to Piers Morgan Live, given that I’m no longer doing America’s Got Talent and can now do the show 100 per cent live.
I emailed Jeff Zucker, who replied two minutes later: ‘Yes. Let’s do it.’
FRIDAY, 8 MARCH 2013
Justin Bieber’s chaotic trip to Britain took an ugly turn tonight when he got into a highly abusive argument, and nearly a physical fight, with a paparazzo in London. Watching the video closely, I was appalled to see the photographer, a large, bald, middle-aged Neanderthal, repeatedly screaming, ‘Fuck off back to America, you fucking little moron,’ at the top of his voice.
All because Bieber had the audacity to brush past him because he stood in his way to a waiting car.
I met young Justin last year at an Oscars party, and he’s absolutely tiny – like the human equivalent of a Chihuahua. He couldn’t hurt a stick insect with his minuscule frame, let alone a gigantic, blubbery, battle-scarred snapper.
The vast majority of paparazzi that I encounter are perfectly polite, and do a job that sustains many a flagging celebrity career. Morons like the revolting Bieber-baiting bully sadly give them all a bad name.
MONDAY, 11 MARCH 2013
I finally got my man.
Tom Hanks agreed to an interview today, and didn’t cancel at the last minute because he was tired.
He’s performing on Broadway for the first time in a play written by Nora Ephron just before she died last year. It’s called Lucky Guy, and Hanks plays scandalous crime-reporting legend Mike McAlary.
‘So you play a hard-drinking, controversial, Irish tabloid hack plying his trade and seeking journalistic redemption in New York?’ I said, as we sat down to start the interview.
‘Yes, Piers,’ replied Hanks. ‘You should be able to relate to him pretty well!’
TUESDAY, 19 MARCH 2013
The US Senate looks likely to throw out proposals for new gun control measures, including a renewed assault weapons ban and an expansion of background checks, in one of the more appalling acts of political cowardice I’ve seen in a long time.
Tonight I debated this debacle live with Michael Moore. And in the middle of the show, Yoko Ono sent us both a tweet containing a photo of her late husband’s blood-spattered glasses, with the words: ‘Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec, 1980.’
MONDAY, 25 MARCH 2013
Robbie Parker, who lost his daughter Emilie at Sandy Hook, wrote to thank me for an incredibly moving interview we conducted on Friday.
I feel like our society is so quick to point fingers and find blame that they fail to realise the power within us all if we have the determination to just do what is right. Unfortunately, that demeanour starts with our ‘leaders’ in Washington, and they’ve had a deteriorating effect on so many people with their lack of real leadership. If our leaders had half the courage as all the families affected by this we could start to visualise a culture change in the way things get accomplished.
To be honest, my feelings on this subject are very powerful. I have to practise extreme restraint to not just ‘go off’ about how ridiculous it is that people continue to be influenced and intimidated into doing nothing. I sincerely appreciate what you have done and will continue to do to fight gun violence.
FRIDAY, 5 APRIL 2013
Roger Ebert, America’s greatest movie critic, died yesterday.
He once said: ‘Never marry someone who doesn’t love the movies you love. Sooner or later, that person will not love you.’
When Celia declared that she couldn’t watch horror, science-fiction, ‘goofy’ or fantasy films, I knew we’d have to get married.
MONDAY, 8 APRIL 2013
Margaret Thatcher has died.
I first met her at a cocktail party in London thrown by Rupert Murdoch in 1994, soon after I’d become editor of the News of the World. She was clutching, and drinking liberally from, a vast tumbler of whisky, and was in splendidly bombastic mood – haranguing me loudly for daring to suggest that interest rate rises were hurting ordinary people.
‘What a load of nonsense! It’s much better for them because they’ll have a lasting, smooth recovery without inflation coming back again, which it was tending to do.’
I replied that this wasn’t going to help families with mortgages – the same families she’d encouraged to buy homes in the first place, especially if house prices collapsed.
She stared at me for several seconds, then began physically jabbing me hard in the chest with her firm, bony fingers.
‘You don’t know what on earth you’re talking about, young man! And I suggest you think very carefully before putting any of that rubbish in your newspaper!’
Murdoch, who’d heard all this, laughed: ‘I wouldn’t tangle with Margaret if I were you, Piers – there’ll only be one winner.’
Love her or loathe her, Margaret Thatcher was the most transformative, domineering, dominant, bold and unique prime minister of my lifetime.
MONDAY, 15 APRIL 2013
News broke this afternoon of a huge explosion at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Within minutes, that was upgraded to two explosions, and reporters at the scene were saying there were bodies everywhere and at least dozens of seriously injured people.
By the time we went on air, three people were confirmed dead, including an eight-year-old boy. Several hundred more have been wounded.
A shocking video emerged showing the exact moment of the first bomb. An elderly male runner could be seen jogging to the finish line, then being physically blown off his feet and onto the ground. Nobody seemed sure what had happened to him, with many fearing the worst. But one of our bright young interns tracked him down so I could interview him exclusively tonight.
His name was Bill Iffrig, he was seventy-eight, and he’d competed in forty-five marathons.
‘I was approaching the finish,’ he said, ‘and had a good day, and was feeling really good, when there was this tremendous explosion and the shock waves hit my whole body and my legs started jittering.
‘I knew I was going down, so I ended up on the asphalt. And I didn’t feel any severe pain; a little scratch on my leg but nothing too bad. One of the finish assistants came over and asked if there was anything he could do for me and offered to give me a hand, help me get up and get over the finish line so I could complete my race.’
TUESDAY, 16 APRIL 2013
There’s been considerable debate over how to try and stop bombing attacks like this happening again.
What I haven’t heard yet is a single NRA member argue that the only way to defend oneself from bombs is for everyone else to carry bombs too.
WEDNESDAY, 17 APRIL 2013
The US Senate today made its decision on gun control – and rejected every single proposal. No curb on assault weapons, no banning of high-capacity magazines. Not even universal background checks got passed, despite all recent polls saying 90 per cent of the American people want it.
I watched as tearful Newtown families broke down inside the Senate, and shared their sense of utter disbelief and fury. They have been betrayed in the most cowardly way imaginable.
Politicians, in many cases, voting against their conscience to save their seats.
Power before principle.
President Obama spoke angrily about his disappointm
ent, but the truth is that he’s failed those families too. He promised he’d get something done, and he got nothing done.
Sarah Palin raced to Twitter to declare a jubilant ‘victory’.
What a revolting piece of work she is.
THURSDAY, 18 APRIL 2013
The FBI has released photos of its prime suspects in the Boston bombings, and they were quickly identified as two Russian brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Both have been living in America for years, and are now the most wanted men in the country.
I anchored both a 9 p.m. and midnight show and, as I was finally coming off air, reports started coming in of an incident on the outskirts of Boston. Local news outlets on Twitter seemed to think it was gang related, and some kind of local shoot-out with police.
‘What if it’s the brothers?’ I said to Jonathan. ‘Shall we stay on air?’
‘Nothing’s pointing to it being them.’
My assistant floor director Jenna was following a Twitter feed called ‘Newsbreaker’ that specialises in breaking news.
‘They’re saying that bombs and grenades are going off. This has to be more than just gangs, doesn’t it?’ she said.
It was now 12.55 a.m., and we were due to hand over to CNN International, which would pick up live coverage.
I spoke to Jonathan again. ‘What do you think?’
‘There’s still nothing suggesting it’s them. Let’s wrap.’
I ended our show and walked back to the control room, where the general view from our reporters on the ground was that it had nothing to do with the missing brothers.
But it was still nagging in my head that it might be.
As we watched the monitors, one screen suddenly showed footage of a young man lying flat on the ground, and another clip of a naked man being led into a van. Neither looked anything like the brothers.
‘Good call,’ I said to Jonathan.
Then, a few minutes later, at a different location, an FBI vehicle raced into the camera picture at the scene. And another one.
‘Shit,’ I said. ‘They wouldn’t be there if this was a gang thing.’
‘Nope,’ said Jonathan, equally exasperated.
Shooting Straight: Guns, Gays, God, and George Clooney Page 31