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CNN Live Today

Russian Replaced as Miss Universe

Aired September 24, 2002 - 11:55   ET

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

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


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: There is a new queen of the universe. The Miss Universe organization, which is co-owned by Donald Trump, by the way, officially took the crown away from Oxana Fedorova of Russia. Fedorova denies being secretly married and pregnant. Those would be violations of the Miss Universe rules.
A short time ago, the crown was given to first runner up Justine Pasek of Panama. The new Miss Universe will reign the remainder of the 2002 term. This is the first time in the pageant's 52-year history a crown has been rescinded.

For the record, Fedorova says she was not fired, she says she quit. She is going after her doctorate in law.

As you can imagine, taking the Miss Universe title from a former Miss Russia, not going over so well in Moscow.

We want our Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, to check more on that -- Jill, this is not a woman you mess with. She is a cop by training, isn't she?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: She is a cop, and, Daryn, she can shoot. I can guarantee you, she can shoot.

KAGAN: Not the kind of gal you want to tick off. What is the take on this Russia? Was she had?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, the news is just kind of -- it came out today, so there hasn't been a whole, whole lot of reaction at this point. But we talked to her professor -- actually, we had a brief conversation with Oxana herself by telephone, and she sounded kind of confused. I guess that's the way to put it, but she didn't really say too much except that she was going off to find some books, and That's kind of the point of this story.

We did speak with her professor, because she is a cop, but -- in fact, she is a police captain...

KAGAN: Oh, dear.

DOUGHERTY: But she is also a graduate student, and she is in a university which is -- it is like a police university, it is part of the Interior Ministry, and she is going to be defending her dissertation.

And her professor said, Look, this is a really intelligent, serious woman, who had to make a choice between being Miss Universe and following the career that she has really wanted to do forever, and having that career meant that she had to come back here to -- actually, to Saint Petersburg, defend her dissertation, that takes quite a while, and that was her choice. And I think also, listening to the interview that she gave to Russian television last night, she essentially said she did not realize what this was all about when she got into it, that it would really take a lot of time and a lot of activity.

KAGAN: Real quickly, did you ask her, is she married, is she pregnant?

DOUGHERTY: She absolutely denies that, says she is not pregnant. She says there is no secret marriage, and in fact her teacher says he doubts that she even gained any weight.

KAGAN: All right. Well, she is a stunningly beautiful woman, smart as well, as you report. We wish her well. Jill Dougherty in Moscow, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired September 24, 2002 - 11:55   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: There is a new queen of the universe. The Miss Universe organization, which is co-owned by Donald Trump, by the way, officially took the crown away from Oxana Fedorova of Russia. Fedorova denies being secretly married and pregnant. Those would be violations of the Miss Universe rules.
A short time ago, the crown was given to first runner up Justine Pasek of Panama. The new Miss Universe will reign the remainder of the 2002 term. This is the first time in the pageant's 52-year history a crown has been rescinded.

For the record, Fedorova says she was not fired, she says she quit. She is going after her doctorate in law.

As you can imagine, taking the Miss Universe title from a former Miss Russia, not going over so well in Moscow.

We want our Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, to check more on that -- Jill, this is not a woman you mess with. She is a cop by training, isn't she?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: She is a cop, and, Daryn, she can shoot. I can guarantee you, she can shoot.

KAGAN: Not the kind of gal you want to tick off. What is the take on this Russia? Was she had?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, the news is just kind of -- it came out today, so there hasn't been a whole, whole lot of reaction at this point. But we talked to her professor -- actually, we had a brief conversation with Oxana herself by telephone, and she sounded kind of confused. I guess that's the way to put it, but she didn't really say too much except that she was going off to find some books, and That's kind of the point of this story.

We did speak with her professor, because she is a cop, but -- in fact, she is a police captain...

KAGAN: Oh, dear.

DOUGHERTY: But she is also a graduate student, and she is in a university which is -- it is like a police university, it is part of the Interior Ministry, and she is going to be defending her dissertation.

And her professor said, Look, this is a really intelligent, serious woman, who had to make a choice between being Miss Universe and following the career that she has really wanted to do forever, and having that career meant that she had to come back here to -- actually, to Saint Petersburg, defend her dissertation, that takes quite a while, and that was her choice. And I think also, listening to the interview that she gave to Russian television last night, she essentially said she did not realize what this was all about when she got into it, that it would really take a lot of time and a lot of activity.

KAGAN: Real quickly, did you ask her, is she married, is she pregnant?

DOUGHERTY: She absolutely denies that, says she is not pregnant. She says there is no secret marriage, and in fact her teacher says he doubts that she even gained any weight.

KAGAN: All right. Well, she is a stunningly beautiful woman, smart as well, as you report. We wish her well. Jill Dougherty in Moscow, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com