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Reports that attorney for Richard M. Scrushy, the former HealthSouth chairman who is under investigation by a Birmingham (Ala.) grand jury, has charged that the lead federal agent in the investigation of HealthSouth has a special relationship with the government's witness. Details of a meeting Scrushy had with a former friend of the witness, which was taped legally under Alabama law; Allegations made by Amy Crumpton about the relationship between Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Gerry Kelly and the witness, Hope Launius; Comments from Launius, regarding her relationship with Kelly; Reaction from the FBI.

Reports that Richard M. Scrushy, the indicted former-chief executive officer of HealthSouth Corp., is hosting a television program in Birmingham (Ala.) called "Viewpoint," on which he and guests discuss news stories. Excerpt from the show's Web site, indicating news stories can be discussed accurately and free from media bias; Comments from Scrushy about the show's goal to allow people and organizations to present their viewpoint of a particular news story; Production aspects of the television program; When the show will air on WTTO-TV, the WB affiliate Birmingham; Potential for Scrushy to influence potential jurors related to his alleged role in accounting fraud at HealthSouth; Comments from Donald V. Watkins, Scrushy's lawyer, suggesting the program is not designed for Scrushy to defend himself.

Discusses how the health-care chain HealthSouth Corp. denied the insider-trading allegations of U.S. securities regulators, and hired the law firm Fulbright & Jaworski LLP to investigate the allegations. Claim of HealthSouth that it gave the law firm freedom to investigate the allegations; Observation that Fulbright did not mention that HealthSouth had not given the independent investigation everything it promised after the law firm cleared chief executive officer Richard M. Scrushy of wrongdoing; Discussion of how the law firm did not appear to be acting independently of HealthSouth; Topic of how many corporations have hired so-called independent legal investigators during scandals.

Focuses on allegations of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) that chief executive officer Richard M. Scrushy had been instructing employees to inflate earnings at HealthSouth Corp. Lawsuit of the SEC against Scrushy and the company, alleging that since 1999 HealthSouth had overstated profits by at least $1.4 billion; Guilty pleas of finance officials at the company to federal fraud charges; Question of how employees and executives at the company were able to keep the situation quiet for so long.