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ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES

Hurricane Ivan Hits Western Cuba; John Kerry Raps President Bush on the Failure to Renew the Assault Weapons Ban; Politicians Better Know Their Sports Teams; Experts in the Courtroom Explain the GPS System Used to Track Scott Peterson's Movements; Karolina Kurkova Explains the Trials of Being a Supermodel; Oprah Winfrey Gives Away Cars to Audience Members in Anniversary Stunt

Aired September 13, 2004 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Good evening from New York. I'm Anderson Cooper.
Hurricane Ivan, stronger, deadlier, and heading this way.

360 starts now.

Killer Ivan, the massive storm gathering strength, on target to hit Cuba. Tonight, the latest projections and forecasts when Ivan will hit us.

U.S. war planes strike associates of terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, as new violence flares. Is the insurgency spinning out of control?

Bush and Kerry sharpen their attacks, talking gun control and health care on the campaign trail.

The battle of she said-she said. Author Kitty Kelley defends her allegations about the first family, but her source says she never said it.

A 12-year-old girl missing in Texas, allegedly kidnapped by her stepdad, who says he's in love with her. Tonight, her mother, her heartache, and the search for Jami.

And throwing balls, talking sports? Why are presidential candidates working so hard to make you think they're just regular guys?

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.

COOPER: And good evening.

It is hard not to use cliches when talking about Hurricane Ivan. It's been called a killer, a monster, all of which are certainly true. The storm is now category five, winds 160 miles an hour. It is one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded, and at this moment it continues its slow death march through the Caribbean. Sixty-two people have already died, and the worst may be yet to come. Right now, Ivan is spinning toward western Cuba and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. More than 1 million Cubans have been evacuated. It will be a long week of watching and waiting for residents of the Florida panhandle, where Ivan is currently predicted to hit on Thursday, and where preparations for its arrival are well under way.

Tonight, 360 covers where the storm has been, where it's going, and where it is right now.

CNN's Lucia Newman joins us from Cuba from Pinar del Rio, where the storm is expected to hit. Lucia, how bad is it?

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Oh, ooh. Hello, Anderson.

Well, as you can see, it is very, very windy. The eye of this hurricane is passing over Cuba's Cayo (ph) San Antonio as we speak. It has touched land on the very, very western tip of Cuba.

Hurricane-force winds and torrential rains have already knocked out roads, they've downed power lines, and flooded many, many homes, especially along the coastal areas. There have been hundreds of thousands of people evacuated here in Pinar del Rio, taken to higher ground, to schools, government buildings, anywhere where they can be safe.

President Fidel Castro has been here, Cuba's 78-year-old communist leader. He's been touring this area since this morning. And it's believed that right now, he is at the central civil defense command force -- post, I'm sorry, overseeing what everything that's going on.

Now, there have been -- this part of the country, Pinar del Rio, is famous for its tobacco, the tobacco that's used to make Cuban cigars, and it's believed that a lot of that will be lost in this humongous hurricane.

Nobody in Cuba has seen anything like this in at least 60 years, we're being told. And although the people here are very well prepared in terms of organizing themselves to save life, to keep out of harm's way, the real test is going to come tomorrow, when a lot of these people go home to discover that they have nothing left, Anderson.

COOPER: Lucia, how long have the high winds, the rain really been hitting you where you are?

NEWMAN: Oh, it's been since this morning it began, and it's been getting worse and worse, obviously, as the hurricane drew nearer. And right now, it's right in about the middle. But there's a lot more rain expected, particularly after the eye of the hurricane passes.

Ooh! Sorry. It's -- the rain -- the wind is so, so -- was going so quickly, so speedy, so fast, that it actually burns your face when it hits you.

But as I was saying, it should be at least four or five more hours before most of this leaves Cuba. The good news, Anderson, is that it's going a lot faster. This hurricane had been going at around eight miles an hour. Now we understand that it's speeding up and going at almost 20. So it should leave Cuba faster than what many had predicted, Anderson.

COOPER: Lucia Newman, stay safe. Thanks very much.

Tracking Ivan for us from Atlanta is CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano. Rob, how does it look?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the western tip of Cuba, Anderson, is getting hit hard, like Lucia said. She's about 100 miles from the eye itself.

This thing has grown in size, so that the hurricane-force winds go now over 100 miles from the center, and tropical storm-force winds go over 200 miles from the center. So a lot of folks are being affected, and she's right, this part of the storm is still yet to come through the western part of Cuba, and there's a lot of wind, a lot of rain.

Look how well defined this eye is, 25- to 30-mile-diameter eye here, as a category five storm, and one of the strongest in history.

North-northwest movement at nine miles an hour. Cat five, winds sustained at 160.

Here's the forecast track, expected to head into the Gulf of Mexico tonight. There are some winds that we're hoping will knock this thing down in intensity to at least a category four, hopefully category three. But at this point, it's still forecasted to be a major hurricane by the time it's in around this position, late during the day on Wednesday.

Expect it to make landfall somewhere in this general direction Wednesday night or early Thursday. Mobile, Biloxi, Gulf Shores, Pensacola, even Panama City under the gun here. And this may be a hurricane well inland as well if it keeps its strength over the next 48 hours.

Hurricane warnings up still for the western part of Cuba and eastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula, and tropical storm watches are up for the keys. Tropical storm watches could be posted later on tonight, Anderson, of the Gulf Shores of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. We'll keep you posted (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COOPER: So Rob, when it hits the U.S., what kind of speed of wind are we talking about? What category?

MARCIANO: Right now, it's expected to be a category four storm, so winds over 130 miles an hour. It could still be a doozy.

COOPER: Wow. Wow. All right, Rob Marciano, thanks very much. We're going to check in with you a little bit later on.

In Jamaica, it could be worse, though right now residents are having a pretty hard time seeing just how. The island was spared a direct hit by Ivan, but 16 people were killed, and a lot of the island is simply in ruins. The buildings, of course, can be repaired, the victims can only be remembered.

CNN's Karl Penhaul has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The storm has passed, but the time for grieving is just beginning. Minutes before we reached the fishing community of Portland Cottage, villagers had just found three more bodies, killed when Hurricane Ivan whipped up a tidal surge.

One of the dead, 2-year-old Lisan Thomson (ph), was snatched right out of her mother's arms by the raging floodwaters.

REBECCA EDWARDS, MOTHER OF VICTIMS: A big water come again and flushed her out of my hand, and she disappeared out of my hand. And I cannot find her because it was night, and the place was very dark. Couldn't find her.

PENHAUL: Her husband, Uroy (ph), was carrying their other daughter, Tiffany. She drowned too when the tide dragged her from her father's arms.

Through their tears and pain, the true horror of that night becomes clear.

(on camera): Imagine this, it's pitch-black outside, close to midnight, and the floodwaters are already waist-high. And then a huge wave comes rushing in from the sea.

(voice-over): This is what's left of the village.

Edwards and her husband take us back to the ruins of their wood home. She finds her only surviving son, Jerome, playing in the receding floodwaters. Their possessions were wrecked by the wind- lashed waves. A Zip-Loc bag failed to protect the birth certificates of her dead daughters.

Tiffany and Lisan's tiny shoes still lay in the corner.

The police come and stretcher away the corpses. Nobody seems to know what's next for the living or the dead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL: Another complaint from residents that we spoke to there in Portland Cottage, Anderson, was that they hadn't seen any government officials down there. No immediate relief effort there. When we were there, they were lacking in good drinking water, they were lacking in food. And many of them, we found, were washing clothes that they had found from the wreckage of their homes, washing those clothes in the dirty floodwater. There was no water of any kind. We put that to the Jamaican government today, in fact to Prime Minister P.J. Patterson. He assured us that help was on the way. He's also assured us that the aid relief workers and money and supplies are beginning to pour in from Japan, from the United States, from Mexico and Venezuela. He assures us that things will be all right.

Certainly, though, people in those hardest-hit areas, like Portland Cottage, have a lot to do so they can rebuild their homes and certainly rebuild their lives, Anderson.

COOPER: And for those families, things will never be all right again. Karl Penhaul, thanks very much.

It has been 12 years since a category five hurricane has struck the United States. Here's a fast fact for you. Hurricane Andrew slammed into southern Florida, south-central Louisiana, in August 1992. In all, 65 people were killed, and caused $26.5 billion in damages. Andrew, of course, remains the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

We're going to have more coverage of the storm later on on 360.

In Iraq, destruction of a different kind, wrought by human hands. Yesterday alone, 78 people were killed. Today, more casualties, as suspected insurgents in Fallujah battled U.S. forces, and American war planes took aim at the followers of an elusive terrorist leader who's been believed to be behind some of the major violence.

Senior international correspondent...

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): U.S. Air Force F-16s dropped two 500-pound bombs on what the military called, quote, "a confirmed Abu Musab Zarqawi terrorist meeting site" in Fallujah.

Zarqawi has a $25 million bounty on his head. The Americans believe he is orchestrating murderous attacks on coalition forces and Iraqi civilians.

Iraq's ministry of health reports 20 people were killed, 38 others wounded, among them five women and children. The U.S. military reports 25 of Zarqawi's fighters were killed in the latest bid to decapitate insurgent resistance in Fallujah using air power.

The outgoing Marine commander here says Fallujah has become a cancer.

LT. GEN. JAMES CONWAY, U.S. MARINES: Frankly, the Marines that we have here right now could crush the city and be done with business in four days. But that is not what we're going to do. Frankly, we can contain Fallujah, like we've been doing now for quite some time. And so there is no immediate -- sense of immediacy, or urgency, I believe, associated with it. RODGERS: Perhaps, but here in the Iraqi capital itself, the insurgents seem to be getting more powerful rather than being contained. Over the weekend, at times, it seemed to literally rain rockets and mortars in Baghdad. And the devastating effect of car bombings and about 80 Iraqis died nationwide Sunday alone.

One of the worst incidents was when insurgents hit this Bradley fighting vehicle. The crew was evacuated safely, then jubilant Iraqis danced around the burning Bradley celebrating. A U.S. helicopter sent in to destroy the Bradley killed at least 22 Iraqis, including this Al Arabiya TV journalist. His last words "I'm dying, I'm dying."

America's allies continue to die here as well. Sunday, three Polish soldiers were killed in an ambush, three others were wounded.

(on camera): A top U.S. general predicts this latest spike in violence will continue at least through the U.S. presidential elections in November. Many here believe it will bleed into the Iraqi elections in December and January. And nobody in Iraq is willing to predict when this violence will end.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, more booby-trapped mail tops our look at what's happening right now cross-country tonight.

Richmond, Virginia, two letters rigged to catch fire when they opened, when they were intercepted before they actually reached their intended targets, the governors' offices in Virginia and West Virginia. Of course, similar letters were sent to 16 other governors' offices last week. Each bears a return address from a maximum- security prison in Nevada. No one has been hurt by the mail, however.

Columbus, Ohio, now, a family killed, a powerful overnight fire wiped out a 24-unit apartment building, killing 10 people, most of whom, well, they were related. The intensity of the fire and the fact that a hydrant was knocked over, that has lead police to suspect arson. They're still investigating that.

New York, ground zero cleanup crews sue. Hundreds of people who helped remove debris from the World Trade Center site three years ago, they've filed a lawsuit against the cleanup supervisors, as well as the leaseholder of the towers. They say, really, that little was done to protect workers from dust, asbestos, and other airborne toxins.

That's a quick look at stories cross-country tonight.

360 next, Kitty Kelley goes inside and under the skin of the Bush family. Allegations of cocaine use at Camp David denied. The she said-she said over President Bush. That ahead.

Plus, a 12-year-old Texas girl missing. It is now looking like her stepdad, a pastor, may have kidnapped her, because he's said to be obsessed with her. The bottom line, little Jami is gone, and her mom wants your help.

Also tonight, a volcanic eruption. We're going to give you the bird's-eye view.

First, all that ahead. First, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories right now on CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Whether you've read a Kitty Kelley book or not, you no doubt know her name. It's really synonymous with controversy.

In her new book, Kelley paints a very unflattering portrait of President Bush's personal life, including stories of cocaine use at Camp David during his father's presidency, stories that Kelley claims came from Sharon Bush, which is the former -- the president's former sister-in-law.

Well, today Sharon Bush denied the story, and the war of words got under way.

CNN's Jason Carroll has all sides.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an explosive charge in a tell-all book. But did author Kitty Kelley accurately reflect what Sharon Bush told her? Sharon Bush, the ex-wife of the president's brother Neil, says no.

According to the book, Sharon Bush told Kelley, George W. used cocaine with one of his brothers at Camp David when their father was president. But on NBC's "Today" show, Sharon Bush she says, "I never saw the use of cocaine, and I am sticking by it. I have to set the record straight." She went on to say, "I couldn't imagine that if someone did see that, they would reveal that to Kitty Kelley."

In the past, when asked about drug abuse, George W. Bush simply admitted to having made youthful mistakes.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over 20 years ago, I did some things that, when I was young, I made mistakes. And I've learned from the mistakes. And that's all I intend to talk about it.

CARROLL: Sharon Bush's attorney says allegations about drug abuse in George W.'s later adult years should not be linked to his client.

DAVID BERG, ATTORNEY FOR SHARON BUSH: The guy is, you know, he's a reformed drinker. He is, he obviously did cocaine in his past, because of his answers to questions about it. But this is not something that can be attributed to Sharon.

CARROLL: Kelley stands by the accuracy of the allegations. The author also says Neal Bush threatened his ex-wife for cooperating with the book, saying she would end up in a dark alley.

President Bush's campaign spokesman said Monday, "The president categorically and adamantly denies the charges in the book. Kitty Kelley has made a career out of lies. This is more of the same."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And Kelley says Sharon Bush's comments regarding cocaine use were read to her over the phone the day after the two had lunch. That phone conversation witnessed by the vice president of Random House. And that book hits stores tomorrow.

COOPER: All right, I saw it online, I guess it's already a bestseller, so...

CARROLL: Number two.

COOPER: All right. People like to read it. Thanks very much. Jason Carroll.

There is an explanation today for that massive explosion in North Korea. That tops our look at what's happening in the uplink tonight.

Government officials say the huge cloud of smoke spotted last week was not caused by a nuclear explosion. Instead, they say, it was just part of a construction project. They blew up the top of a mountain to make way for a hydroelectric project.

In the Darfur region of Sudan, 10,000 per month, that is how many people the U.N.'s World Health Organization says are dying in refugee camps, 10,000 a month, most of them children. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced there.

On the Italian island of Sicily, molten lava flows from Mount Aetna. So far, no one is at risk from the new eruption. Aetna is the tallest volcano in Europe and one of the most active. And the last eruption was in June 2001.

In London, England, holy smokes, it's Batman. Not really, just an imposer making a point at Buckingham Palace. If it is Batman, he's let himself go. Thirty-two-year-old Jason Hatch spent about five hours on a ledge outside the palace. He's apparently an advocate for divorced dads who want more time with their kids. Hatch's accomplice, dressed as Robin, of course, says it was ridiculously easy to get onto the palace grounds. And there he is. No word on Alfred.

That's the uplink for you.

360 next, a 12-year-old girl allegedly kidnapped by her stepfather. And now a letter that may explain her disappearance. Her mother appeals for your help. Talk to her ahead.

Also tonight, a big political bang over assault weapons. Find out who is helping on the campaign trail.

Also a little later tonight, bracing for the big one. Again, Florida getting ready for a pounding. We're also going to have the latest from Cuba, take a look at how that island is getting hit and hit hard.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: There are new clues tonight in the search for a missing Texas girl. On September 4, 12-year-old Jami Hicks vanished from her home. Police suspected she was abducted by her stepfather, James Roy Hudachek. Her family says he's in love with Jami. And in a letter, he reportedly told them he would rather die than not be with her.

For the past week, nobody knew where Jami was, but that may have changed when her mother, Angela Hudachek, received a letter in the mail.

Angela joins us now from Dallas.

Angela, thanks for being with us.

What did it say in the letter?

ANGELA HUDACHEK, MOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: It just said that she was out touring the world, just seeing different sites and doing different things. They said she had been to the Busch Gardens, to New York City, to Six Flags. She said she's been in the Atlantic Ocean.

COOPER: So it sounds like, I mean, if this is true, that she's been all over the place. You also found, or a friend of yours in your house found, a letter you say your husband wrote to her, basically professing his love for her?

HUDACHEK: Yes, I did, sir. He said that he hadn't loved any other lady like he's loved her, and that kind of was odd, considering she's 12 years old.

COOPER: Now, I also read an account that when she was 6, she told you that he had touched her inappropriately, and that her genitals hurt. Didn't -- did you not believe that at the time?

HUDACHEK: She didn't say her genitals hurt. She just said, Dad touched my poo-poo. And he said it was just during a roughhousing, and she said they were playing when it happened. And I told her to let me know if it ever happened again. And she never mentioned anything else to me again about it.

COOPER: I read that you did find him looking at porn of teenagers. Did that raise suspicions?

HUDACHEK: No, sir, it was a pop-up ad that I seen. He was on an adult Web site, and a pop-up ad had came up on that.

COOPER: Where do you think she is now?

HUDACHEK: I'm wanting to say she's in the Pennsylvania area, if I had to narrow down a spot, according to the letter she had wrote. She said she was headed to Hershey, Pennsylvania, where they make milk chocolate.

COOPER: There had been an apparent sighting in North Carolina or South Carolina, and there was an Amber Alert in North Carolina, but I understand that's just been canceled. Do you know why that was canceled?

HUDACHEK: They said that there's no more leads out there, and that he's not been spotted out that way. I do believe he's up in the Pennsylvania area.

COOPER: What's your message, if they're out there, what do you want people to know?

HUDACHEK: I want America to know that she's right underneath our eyes, that she says she's eating out every day and she's ridden in three different taxicabs. So I just want America to know that she's out there among us, and to please help me look for her and please bring her home to me.

And I want to implore him to bring my daughter back to me. I want her home with me. She's mine, and please let her go and bring her back to me.

COOPER: Well, Angela, I know it's difficult for you, and I do appreciate you being on talking about Jami. Jami Hicks is your daughter, and she is missing. Thanks very much, Angela.

HUDACHEK: Thank you very much for having me.

COOPER: Killer Ivan, the massive storm gathering strength, on target to hit Cuba. Tonight, the latest projections and forecasts when Ivan will hit us.

And throwing balls, talking sports, why are presidential candidates working so hard to make you think they're just regular guys?

360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, the water is rising and the trees are falling in Cuba as Hurricane Ivan barrels into the island with 160-mile-per-hour winds. It's a category 5 hurricane. It's left a trail of death and ruin across the Caribbean. So far, it's killed so far 62 people, destroyed thousands of buildings. And tonight, there are already reports of seawater flooding the western portions of Cuba. That's where CNN's Lucia Newman is. She joins us from Pinar del Rio (ph), where the storm is showing its strength.

Lucia, how is it?

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Well...(AUDIO GAP)

COOPER: We're just going to cut away. It's hard to -- too hard to understand her.

Once again, let's check in with CNN's meteorologist, Rob Marciano, take a look at where the storm is now, where it's headed -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Anderson. As mentioned earlier in the program, hurricane warnings are still up for western Cuba. The reason that broadcast is so sketchy is because she's right here. The eye of the hurricane is right here, the western tip really getting pummeled with 160-mile-an-hour winds sustained. Heading through the Yucatan Channel, still hurricane warnings up for the eastern tip there of the Yucatan.

It is still expected to be in this general area as we go through the next couple of days, likely to make landfall late Wednesday, into Thursday. Right now, the effects on Key West, just with winds gusting about 30 miles an hour. And Anderson, likely the Southern part of Florida, that's about all they'll see, maybe gusts to 30 or 40 miles an hour and some rain bands. That's good news. But the northern part, namely the Panhandle, Wednesday night into Thursday morning, coming ashore possibly still as strong as a category 4. Back to you.

COOPER: All right, Rob Marciano, thanks very much.

Time now to see which way the political winds are blowing. President Bush was in Michigan today, a state he lost four years ago, of course, telling voters in Muskeegon (ph) and Holland (ph) and Battle Creek that his opponent's health care plan is a prime example of "tax and spend liberalism." Just what you'd expect, the president said, quote, "from a senator from Massachusetts." Meantime, that senator himself wasn't all that far away, just a couple hours west, in another battleground state, Wisconsin, where he tried to gain traction with an attack on the president's leadership on gun control. Here's CNN's senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hours before the expiration of the assault weapons ban, John Kerry, with Sarah Brady at his side and policemen as a backdrop, warned of dire consequences.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: So tomorrow, for the first time in 10 years, when a killer walks into a gun shop, when a terrorist goes to a gun show somewhere in America, when they want to purchase an AK-47 or some other military assault weapon, they're going to hear one word: Sure.

CROWLEY: There is conflicting data over the effectiveness of the assault weapons ban. Most violent crime is at a 30-year low, according to government statistics, and Congress never passed an extension for the president to sign. But this is not just about the guns, it's about diluting the president's strong suit.

KERRY: It is a test of character. In a secret deal, he chose his powerful friends in the gun lobby over police officers and families that he promised to protect.

CROWLEY: The assault weapons issue gave Senator Kerry an opening to undercut what aides believe sustains the president in the polls, a big lead over Kerry on leadership, honesty and trust worthiness.

KERRY: He failed the test of leadership by saying that he supports an assault weapons ban, but then doing everything in his power to keep the Republicans from sending it to him.

CROWLEY: Kerry plans to spend a good deal of time in coming weeks talking about character contrast. The president has a reputation for saying what he thinks and doing what he says, conceded a top Kerry adviser. We have to get right in their face on this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Candy Crowley joins us now. Was there concern that, politically, this was not a wise move?

CROWLEY: Not really. I talked to one top strategist, who said, you know, I got a lot of pushback. Thought we should do this because of the character issue, and it really defines that. But most people that we've talked to, particular in the battleground states, say anybody that was going to vote on the ban of assault weapons has already decided, that that's not really one of those votes where you go either way, that, basically, if you thought that the assault weapons ban should be allowed to be expired, that you were going to vote for George Bush anyway.

They also think they've done a pretty good job, in the Kerry campaign, of kind of inoculating him against, Oh, national Democrats are against guns, they're going to take away your guns. He's been seen, obviously, hunting and skeet shooting, so they think they've inoculated him. They thought this was a pretty good way to just do a comparative to George Bush's leadership and that that John Kerry offers.

COOPER: All right. Candy Crowley from Milwaukee, thanks, Candy.

On 360, we want to cover all sides of a story, all the angles. Nowhere are the angles more clear than with the guys from "CROSSFIRE," Paul Begala, Robert Novak of "CROSSFIRE." I talked to them earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

Bob, Senator Kerry has blamed President Bush for not doing more to try to extend the assault weapons ban. He said, quote, "George Bush chose to make the job of terrorists easier." Is this an issue that resonates with voters?

ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": I don't think so. I think Senator Kerry is trying to generate the left-wing base of the party, which has been very upset with him. They don't like Bush, but they haven't liked Kerry so much -- trying to generate some support. I don't think it wins any votes, but it may get some people to support him. The problem, the danger is that in a place like west Virginia, it may lose vote. It's a calculated decision because, previously, Senator Kerry had depicted himself as a hunter and as a gun owner, and he still is a hunter and a gun owner, but he hasn't come over to the hunters and gun owners as such, when he's in bed with the liberals, who hate guns.

COOPER: Well, Paul, now the NRA on their Web site say that Kerry's the most anti-gun president nominee in history. Does that make sense to you?

PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": It's silly. I mean, look, I've got a lot of friends at the NRA. I'm a hunter. I'm a gun owner. But they're whacked out, OK? The NRA leadership here, the leadership, I mean, it's silly. John Kerry is a gun owner. He is a hunter. He knows how to handle a firearm. But I think what he's doing is -- I don't think it's politically wise, OK, but I think it's pretty politically courageous. Democrats who took on the NRA when I was working for Bill Clinton in 1994, a whole lot of them got beat. And I like at least the political courage that he shows.

COOPER: I want to ask you about 9/11 and Iraq. This weekend, you had Secretary of State Colin Powell saying that there is no linkage. In the past, Vice President Dick Cheney has sort of hinted or been a little bit more ambiguous about a possible link. Kerry is now saying that President Bush has to decide between Dick Cheney and Colin Powell, make a choice in terms of whose opinion he believes. Is that fair?

NOVAK: No, it isn't fair. It's strictly politics. We're in a political season. I mean, it is not a great surprise to anybody who's interested in politics that Dick Cheney and Colin Powell don't agree. They didn't agree at the time of the first Gulf war, when they were both working in the Pentagon. But the question is, they both thought it was wise to go into Iraq, and I would tell you -- I can tell you personally that General Powell still thinks that was the right decision to make, to go in. He doesn't say, Oh, my goodness, we made a mistake.

COOPER: Why can't Kerry turn Iraq into more of a positive for him?

BEGALA: Well, it's certainly negative for President Bush. I think it has been maybe the most scurrilous and dishonest thing that President Bush and Vice President Cheney have done, to try to conflate 9/11 and the war in Iraq. No serious person believes we would have had a war in Iraq if there hadn't been 9/11. That is, I think they used...

COOPER: But out of the convention, though, people's opinions were changed. I mean, you know, the number of people...

BEGALA: Right. They're being...

COOPER: ... supporting the war went up.

BEGALA: They're being misled. They're being misled to believe there was some sort... NOVAK: Those stupid people?

BEGALA: ... of linkage -- no, they're foolish if they believe the president. I hate to say that. He's a basically decent guy. But he has consciously tried to conflate the worst terrorism attack in American history with Iraq, which had absolutely nothing to do with it. And God bless Colin Powell for having the integrity to tell the truth. Vice President Cheney knows there was no linkage. Once -- once -- President Bush admitted the truth and said there was no linkage between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein.

COOPER: Well, Bob, let me put the question to you...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Why can't Kerry make it more of a positive for him?

NOVAK: I'll tell you why. Because, Anderson, the Democrats will never learn that when there are American troops on the ground and some are dying, it is very, very difficult to get the American people to vote against them. And that may be unfair, but that's the way the world is.

COOPER: Paul, final thought?

BEGALA: Anderson, we've got over 1,000 troops who've died in this war, and they died because the president told us there was a threat. They died because the president and vice president suggested there was linkages between Iraq and 9/11. It turns out, none of those things were true. Somebody should be held accountable for that, and if John Kerry can hold George W. Bush accountable for those misstatements, for that misleading, he's going to win the election.

COOPER: Paul Begala, Bob Novak, thanks.

BEGALA: Thanks a lot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, today's "Buzz" is this. What do you think? Is it right to let the assault weapons ban expire? Log onto cnn.com/360, cast your vote. Results at the end of the program tonight.

In the world of politics, it seems that hand-shaking and baby- kissing are so yesterday. These days, the candidates want voters to see them as athletes, hurling the horsehide (ph), tossing the pigskin, being a contender. It's basic, modern, raw politics. Couch potatoes don't stand a sporting chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): On the campaign trail, it sometimes feels like it's "Monday Night Football" every day. Candidates rarely miss a chance to play quarterback, especially when cameras are rolling. Both camps agree pitching their candidate as a true athlete is the right strategy. We've seen John Kerry windsurf, snowboard and cycle, and we've seen President Bush fishing, running and golfing.

CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Politicians constantly want to refer to one of the most popular things in American society, sports and athletes, in order to make themselves seem connected, in order to make themselves seem in touch.

COOPER: And if all politics is local, so is sports. That's why candidates like to sprinkle obscure home team references wherever they go.

KERRY: I'll tell you exactly where I stand on everything, except the outcome of the Cyclones/Hawkeye game.

BEGALA: And of course, wearing the home team jacket is all part of the game even if you end up rooting for more than one team. But note to politicians. If you're going to play it local, you got to get it right. Last August, John Kerry got booed when he said...

KERRY: I just go for Buckeye football.

COOPER: Problem was, he was at a rally in Taylor, Michigan. And a few weeks later, at a stopover in the football-crazy city of Green Bay, Kerry called the Packers' legendary stadium...

KERRY: ... Lambert Field...

COOPER: Problem is, it's Lambo (ph) Field, a football faux pas that Dick Cheney did not let slide.

RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I thought after John Kerry's trek through here, I wanted to be sure and see Lambert Field all for myself.

(LAUGHTER)

CHENEY: The next thing you know, he'll be convinced that Vince Lombardi was a foreign leader -- who supports his candidacy!

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: Knowing your sports, or pretending to, that is raw politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Coming up next on 360, the Scott Peterson trial. In "Justice Served" tonight, Why the defendant's parents had a police escort into court today. And a little later, a day in the life of a supermodel in New York's fashion week. Just how stressful is that runway walk? I don't think very, but we'll find out. Plus, Oprah Winfrey's biggest giveaway ever. Did you hear about this? If not, you definitely want to tune in. The talk show queen She kicks off her 19th season with a big shocker for the audience, and they all seemed pretty happy about it. We'll take that to "The Nth" -- oh, my God. Oh, my God. Take that to "The Nth Degree."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: We turn now to Scott Peterson double murder trial. Two families once equally excited for Laci's new baby have been put on notice: Stay away from each other, or else. CNN's Ted Rowlands has the latest on why from the courtroom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Scott Peterson's parents had sheriff deputies to escort them into the courthouse, preventing any potential interaction with members of Laci Peterson's family. Last week, Lee Peterson exchanged words during this interaction with Brent Rocha, Laci Peterson's brother, and in a separate incident the day before with her stepfather, Ron Grantski.

According to a source close to the courts, the judge in this case, Alfred Delucchi, ordered the families to stop communicating near the courthouse and to sit near the back of the courtroom. The judge later changed his mind about the seating arrangements and allowed the families back to the front row.

Legal observers say something had to be done.

MICHAEL CARDOZA, LEGAL ANALYST: The only way to curb that and to be sure that doesn't happen is to drop the hammer right now on both families.

ROWLANDS: In court, jurors were giving a lesson in global positioning satellite technology. Investigators say they used GPS receivers secretly placed in Scott Peterson's vehicles to track his movements. Police started tracking Peterson two days after Laci Peterson was reported missing. Prosecutors hope to convince the jury that some of Peterson's movements were suspicious, including numerous trips to the Berkeley marina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

The Rocha family did not show up to court today. A source close to the family, however, said it had nothing to do with the family feud that was going on, but rather because they wanted to avoid some very difficult photographs, which were shown late in the day -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Ted Rowlands, covering the case for us, thanks very much.

We want to talk more about the case in "Justice Served" tonight. 360 legal analyst, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, joins us. And in Miami, criminal defense attorney Jayne Weintraub. Both of you, thanks for being on the program.

Kimberly, let me start off with you. So this expert testified about GPS systems, but at one point, the expert said that the GPS system had tracked Scott Peterson going 30,000 miles per hour. So I mean, how...

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, 360 LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, and the police...

COOPER: ... how accurate is that thing?

NEWSOM: ... didn't even give him a ticket, but yet they say that they're out to get him, OK? He got one free pass. Sure, that's ridiculous, right? I mean, it sounds like outer space stuff, 30,000 miles an hour. However, there are glitches in the system, but not enough, I think, that are going to be persuasive to the jury that this should be thrown out and is unreliable. I think this evidence is compelling. We've been using it for years in court. It's a navigational tool that's very helpful, and it is reliable. That was a small glitch that they corrected. And a lot of this is corroborated by eyewitness testimony that saw exactly where he went.

COOPER: Jayne, what's your side of the argument? I mean, is this thing credible?

JAYNE WEINTRAUB, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It doesn't even matter. I mean, I'm waiting for evidence of a murder, if they're going to be able to prove one. I mean, Whether or not he went to the marina isn't even in dispute, but that's what the prosecutors...

COOPER: They say it made him look...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: ... that he looked like a guilty man.

WEINTRAUB: No, actually, I think it makes him look like an interested man. Remember, Anderson, put it in context. It's a small town. "The Modesto Bee" is reporting there's activity at the Berkeley marina. These cops are on his tail 24/7, and he knows it. He even signals to them. He waves to them. But the bottom line is, Scott Peterson is also looking for his wife, and it's just as likely that he's going there out of interest to find her as consciousness of guilt. And the judge will instruct the jurors that when there are two constructions, one for innocence and one for guilt, you must find the one for innocence.

It doesn't prove guilty at all. And I'm still waiting for, How did she die, where did she die, and who killed her? These are not circumstances that...

NEWSOM: Jayne, the bottom line is...

(CROSSTALK)

WEINTRAUB: There is an instruction for consciousness of guilt, and if ever there was a case where it's appropriate, it's here with Scott Peterson. Sure, he knows they're following him later on. But on January 5, on January 6, on January 9, here's Scott Peterson looking to see what's going to wash up at the marina. Why? Because he's the one that committed the crime. He knows where the body is, and he's worried that it's going to wash up. Then again, let's go flash to the end. Where is Scott Peterson when Laci and Conner's bodies wash up in the exact area where he was fishing, OK? He is down by San Diego, by the border...

WEINTRAUB: Kimberly...

NEWSOM: ... with dyed hair, about $15,000 in cash, Viagra in his pocket, camping material. He's supposed to be going to hit the back 9 at the Tory (ph) Pines Golf course, but he forget his golf shoes and his golf clubs!

WEINTRAUB: Excuse me. Kimberly, when you get to -- all you're doing is telling me what a disgusting guy he is and what a bad guy he is. When you get to a murder -- that there was premeditation, that there was a murder, you know, gagged, suffocated, shot in the head, stabbed, you know, a murder, a real, live murder -- let me know. But so far, they haven't proven one iota of how she died, where she died and who killed her.

COOPER: Next time you guys are on, I want you to analyze the prosecution's case at this point and the defense case, where it stands. That'll be next time.

NEWSOM: All right.

COOPER: Jayne Weintraub...

NEWSOM: Look forward to it.

COOPER: ... good to see you. Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, thanks very much.

NEWSOM: Thank you, Anderson.

WEINTRAUB: Thanks, Anderson.

COOPER: Coming up next on 360, a far different subject, a lighter subject, you might say. Blond and beautiful, a supermodel takes you inside New York's fashion week. That's going on all this week. Plus, Oprah Winfrey's big surprise. Kimberly, did you see this? She gave her audience -- well, she had them screaming and crying. We're going to tell you why in "The Nth Degree" ahead. It had something to do with a car.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Something to smile about now. Fashion week is continuing here in New York. It's kind of like the Republican national convention without the -- well, security or the political reporters or the pundits or, frankly, the Republicans. What it does have is supermodels, lots of supermodels, and some of them make up to $30,000 a show. Here's CNN's Jason Bellini.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Karolina Kurkova, the 20-year-old model from the Czech Republic, gets checked out on runway walk after runway walk. She's a model super-model for New York's fashion week. CAROLINA HERRERA, FASHION DESIGNER: And she shows very well. And people love to see her because she's so full of life and beautiful.

BELLINI: It's 8:00 AM, two hours before the first show. Kurkova takes us along...

KAROLINA KURKOVA, MODEL: Yellow shoe and rain. Not a good thing!

BELLINI: ... to learn the myths and realities of modeldom.

KURKOVA: Let me get this straight.

BELLINI (on camera): You eat whatever you want.

KURKOVA: I eat whatever I want.

BELLINI: You don't work out. Do you know how many women...

KURKOVA: I work out sometimes.

BELLINI: I know a lot of women who would absolutely hate you.

KURKOVA: I know, but I hope they don't hate me. It's not important to be skinny. I feel everyone is beautiful the way they are.

BELLINI (voice-over): Myth: Supermodels have it easy.

KURKOVA: Everyone thinks, Oh, God, it's so easy. You just (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and just walk on the catwalk. You look amazing. Maybe between the shows, you have to take a flight to go to London for one day, then come back, you know, go straight to work, no sleep. You don't have time to eat.

Well, we're going to the fitting for this -- it's a young, upcoming designer. His name is Zalbi (ph), and the show is actually tonight.

I love this! Look at this! How cute is this?

BELLINI: Reality: Models hate the question...

KURKOVA: What do you do to look so beautiful? Like, what kind of beauty products do you use? Like, Do you wear -- I don't really do anything! You know, I was just -- I don't -- I'm just who I am. It's just a question you get all the time!

BELLINI (on camera): We're backstage at the Tommy Hilfiger show, and Karolina Kurkova will walk the runway a total of five separate times today. There's nothing glamorous about the life of a supermodel. Oh, wait. I take that back.

(voice-over): Being a model means always being on, being beautiful even in curlers. KURKOVA: It's always, Oh, Karolina, can you do this? OK. Then can you look there? OK, can I ask you this? OK, now can you go there? Can you get dressed? I mean, so you're always basically -- all day, you're like a machine.

BELLINI: The reality is, you've got to love the camera...

KURKOVA: That was just for you!

BELLINI: ... as much as the camera loves you. Jason Bellini, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Got to love the camera. 360 next, Oprah's biggest giveaway ever, "To the Nth Degree." The big shocker for the audience. She was excited, too. All that ahead.

Plus, tomorrow, a desperate decision. You're going to meet a climber who cut off his own hand to save his life. The remarkable story of Aaron Ralston (ph) tomorrow on 360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Here's your "Buzz." Up to 300,000 of you voted. We appreciate your votes.

Tonight: Taking the freebie to "The Nth Degree." There's nothing about ingratiating yourself by handing out a freebie -- you know, a freebie, a nice little gift, a keychain with a whistle attached, a ballpoint pen, a T-shirt, maybe a plastic change purse or a rain bonnet. As we say, it's the oldest trick in the book. Not, however, on this scale. On the occasion of the beginning of her 19th season, Oprah Winfrey gave every audience member present at that milestone taping a car, an actual new, full-size, six-cylinder automobile with an engine and seats and a roof and everything. Tires, too. Talk about freebie inflation.

And hey, Oprah, thanks for making all the rest of us on television look like pikers. I guess we know what we can do with our tote bags and our laminated posters now. Pity poor Ellen DeGeneres. What's she going to give her audience, houses in the Hamptons, Learjets, Harry Winston necklaces?

...is really hard when the Joneses are Oprah.

Anyway, we're not that impressed. You buy that many cars, you probably get a volume discount.

I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching. Coming up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

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