Marisa’s Musings: Michael Jackson/Farrah Fawcett/Mark Sanford/Iraq

The world loses two Hollywood icons and Governor Mark Sanford spends some quality time with his family.  Here's tonight's editorial note from the ABC News desk:

MICHAEL JACKSON DIES:  Pop star Michael Jackson has died at the age of 50 from cardiac arrest. “A family member said that he collapsed in the afternoon,” Mike von Fremd reported on WORLD NEWS. “They immediately called 911 and when they showed up, they found him in cardiac arrest, which is much more serious than a heart attack.  Cardiac arrest means your heart is not functioning.” Paramedics administered CPR but were unable to revive him.  An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
Jackson rose to prominent fame alongside his brothers in the group the Jackson 5 with hits like “ABC” and “I Want You Back.”  As a solo artist he had numerous number one hits, and his “Thriller” album remains the best-selling of all time.  As an adult he had legal troubles; allegations of child molestation and bankruptcy.  Jackson is survived by his family and three children.

FARRAH FAWCETT DIES:  Actress Farrah Fawcett died in Los Angeles Thursday morning after battling cancer.  She was 62.  “She was a television icon, a blond bombshell in the truest sense whose glamour and smile first captivated the American audience in the 1970’s,” David Muir reported on WORLD NEWS. “ But it was the public role she took on in her final year of life that put a famous face to kind of battle that plays for the millions of Americans every year.”  Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006; she spent her final years raising awareness about the disease, documenting her treatments and emotional struggle.

TEEN RIGHTS:  Strip searching is a no-no in the case of an Arizona student.  And that comes from the highest court in the land.  By a vote of 8-1, the Supreme Court has ruled that school officials violated Savana Redding’s constitutional rights by strip-searching her for prescription-strength ibuprofen.  Jan Crawford Greenburg tells us what the case was all about: “Savana Redding was an 8th grade honor school student in Arizona in 2003 when a classmate accused her of having drugs.  School officials searched Redding's backpack…and then ordered her to undress.”  Jan says this is a big deal:  “The decision creates new standards for school districts across the country.  Writing for the majority, Justice David Souter emphasized the "indignity" and "degradation" of a strip search–made even worse because of an adolescent's "vulnerability." Before conducting such an intrusive search, officials must have "specific suspicions" of real danger…or  believe evidence is actually contained in a child's underwear.”  So how does Savana feel about the court ruling? “ We talked to Redding late this afternoon. She said she feels vindicated by the court’s decision.” 

GOV. SANFORD:  Governor Mark Sanford ducked out of the spotlight and spent time with his family at their beach house in Sullivans Island Thursday.  Sanford’s office said he “plans to stay on as governor, and is going to focus on building back the trust of South Carolinians.”  Even so, calls for an investigation into Sanford’s travels and his resignation are getting louder – Glenn McCall, a national representative to the Republican National Committee, told reporters "I think our party can recover from this if we hold him accountable and the governor does the right thing and resigns for the sake of the party."
And as Steve Osunsami reported on WORLD NEWS, “Back at the capital, after a meeting of state Republican leaders, one of them came out calling for a criminal investigation of the governor’s travel.”
Thursday afternoon, Sanford announced he would reimburse the state for June 2008 trip to Argentina, which is when his affair began.   On Friday Gov. Sanford will hold a cabinet meeting (12:30pm ET)

IRAQ:  Yet another bombing as U.S. combat forces prepare to pull out of Iraq’s cities by the end of the month. The latest attack killed seven people in Baghdad when a bomb exploded at a bus station.  As Mike Boettcher reported tonight on World News “A succession of deadly bombings have raised new questions about the ability of Iraqi security forces.  Across Iraq, there are fewer Americans and they are seen less.  In West Baghdad, for example, the 1st Infantry Division must now patrol an area six times larger than it did at the beginning of the year, including the neighborhood of Abu Ghraib.” Ordinary Iraqis expressed their anger over the spate of bombings this past week.  Hundreds gathered around the wreckage of a market bombing in Sadr City where 78 people were killed just yesterday. They were demanding better protection from the government when U.S. troops pull back to rural bases.