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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Did Clarke Perjure Himself?; Is Tyco Jury Heading Toward Mistrial?; BTK Strangler Is Back
Aired March 26, 2004 - 19:00 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.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The debate over the 9/11 commission takes a turn. Did Richard Clarke perjure himself?
Tyco jury says it can't continue. Is it heading toward a mistrial? Details coming up.
The BTK strangler is back. After 25 years of silence a disturbing letter. You won't believe what was inside.
And, need plans for the weekend, we've got some ideas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COLLINS: Welcome to 360. Anderson Cooper is off tonight. I'm Heidi Collins.
In a week where terrorism has dominated the headlines, the big story today is the economy as both President Bush and Senator John Kerry unveil their economic plans for the nation, ambitious plans but will the voters be buying?
We have full coverage. Senior White House Correspondent John King reports on the president and National Correspondent Kelly Wallace is with the Kerry camp. We begin with John King at the White House. Good evening, John.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Heidi.
As you noted, dominance here in Washington. This week questions about the president's leadership in the war on terror but Mr. Bush himself on the road today focusing on the issue he believes will be the determining factor come November, the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): A carpenter's training center in Phoenix, home ownership the scheduled topic but the union president wanted to press a point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most important issue for us is jobs and -- Mr. President and...
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The most important issue for me is jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
KING: It was a moment and a day that illustrates perhaps the incumbent president's biggest challenge making the case at a time of sluggish job growth that things are heading in the right direction.
Earlier in New Mexico, a state he lost by just 366 votes last time, Mr. Bush mixed his optimism with a warning. His Democratic opponent would raise taxes and stall the economy.
BUSH: It makes sense not to be taking money out of people's pockets just as this economy is beginning to recover.
KING: In the intense campaign competition to shape perceptions of the economy, some numbers work in the president's favor. Inflation and interest rates are low. A record 68 percent of Americans own their own homes and the economy is growing at a more than four percent annual rate.
But the Bush economic record also includes record budget deficits and the loss of more than two million manufacturing jobs, raising the stakes and generating occasional protests as the president and vice president campaign in major battleground states.
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here in Ohio you had almost 24,000 new jobs created in January, the best performance of any state in the country. America's economy is moving in the right direction. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: But job growth nationally is running way behind White House expectations so even as the president offers an upbeat message, Heidi, he also says this, direly warning people that if John Kerry is elected president taxes will go up and in the president's view the job market will get even worse -- Heidi.
COLLINS: John King live at the White House tonight, John thanks so much.
In his plan, Senator Kerry is promising to bring millions of new jobs to this country. National Correspondent Kelly Wallace has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With Republicans portraying him as a tax raising threat to the economy, John Kerry heads to the battleground state of Michigan trying to define himself as a pro business Democrat proposing steps to keep jobs from being shipped overseas. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some may be surprised to hear a Democrat calling for lower corporate tax rates. The fact is I don't care about the old debates. I care about getting the job done and creating jobs here in the United States of America.
WALLACE: Kerry's goal creating ten million jobs in four years by cutting the corporate tax rate, providing credits for companies making new hires in the United States, and eliminating tax breaks that encourage American companies to outsource jobs.
The Bush-Cheney team calls it a "political gimmick" and says it won't stop businesses from sending jobs abroad. In an interview with CNN's Lou Dobbs, the presumptive Democratic nominee fires back at President Bush.
KERRY: His solution to everything is another big tax cut for the wealthiest people in the country at the expense of other choices here in our nation.
WALLACE: It is no coincidence that Kerry delivered the first of what aides say will be three major speeches on his economic plan in a state that has lost 130,000 manufacturing jobs during the Bush administration according to Michigan's governor.
KERRY: America cannot afford four more years of a president who is the first president to lose jobs since Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: And Democrats believe President Bush's greatest vulnerability this election year is on the issue of jobs, so it will be no surprise that John Kerry will mention this issue everywhere he goes during a 20-city fund-raising tour that gets underway on Monday -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Kelly Wallace live in Washington, thanks so much Kelly.
Kerry also commented today for the first time on Richard Clarke's testimony before the 9/11 commission that President Bush paid little attention to al Qaeda before the terror attacks. Kerry is challenging the White House to prosecute Clarke for perjury if they believe he's lying this after a stinging attack on Clarke from a leading Republican lawmaker.
More now from Congressional Correspondent Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist is stepping up attacks against Richard Clarke saying he may have lied to Congress.
SEN. BILL FRIST (R), MAJORITY LEADER: I'm troubled that Mr. Clarke has had a hard time keeping his own (AUDIO GAP). JOHNS: His criticism of the administration's antiterrorism efforts is at odds with supportive comments he gave to reporters two years ago. Frist said Clarke also praised the administration in closed door congressional hearings.
FRIST: It is one thing for Mr. Clarke to dissemble in front of the media, in front of the press but if he lied under oath to the United States Congress it's a far, far more serious matter.
JOHNS: Frist said Clarke's closed door testimony should be declassified to get to the bottom of it. A top Democrat on the committee who heard Clarke's testimony said he recalls no contradiction in Clarke's statements and called for full disclosure.
SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: Absolutely and I think there should be even more declassification. First the president should declassify all of Mr. Clarke's statement, not as he has done previously cherry-picked just those parts that make the president's case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: And, again, Democratic candidate John Kerry weighing in from the campaign trail clearly skeptical about the notion that Clarke lied. He said if he's not believable and they have reason to show it, they should go ahead and prosecute him for perjury -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Joe, just curious, is there a feeling on Capitol Hill that this is just partisan bickering or are people really thinking this could actually move forward?
JOHNS: Well, as you know, it's during an election year so there's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the Democrats. Of course, this issue is something that the administration controls, that issue of declassification. They have the final say on it. Democrats, of course, will advocate as much as they can to try to make sure that that information, whatever it is, is fully released and not released piece meal -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Live from Capitol Hill tonight Joe Johns, thanks so much Joe.
Fresh developments today surrounding that new audio tape believed to be from al Qaeda. Tonight the CIA says the voice on that tape is probably that of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's second in command.
The voice on the tape accuses Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf of helping the U.S. and its allies to suppress the Muslim nation. The Pakistani government today called that statement "false and baseless."
Now let's get a check of today's key developments out of Iraq. Two more examples of journalists dying to tell the story. A free lance cameraman for ABC News was killed in a firefight in Fallujah and a translator for "Time" magazine died of wounds he suffered in the Baghdad ambush two days ago. A U.S. Marine was also killed in the Fallujah firefight.
Meanwhile, some blistering anti-American rhetoric from a top Shiite cleric. During a sermon the cleric said the 9/11 attacks were "a miracle from God." He railed against the U.S. and Israel for Monday's assassination of the Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin.
And Iraq's most valuable commodity will be flowing through international pipelines by year's end. That's according to the country's oil minister who also says Iraq will not observe OPEC quotas once exports are underway.
Back here in the U.S. now where a closely watched corporate corruption case is teetering on the brink of collapse. Today jurors in the trial of former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski and the former CFO told the judge there's so much mean spirited bickering in the jury room that reaching a verdict seems impossible.
CNNFN's Chris Huntington has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dennis Kozlowski and his wife Karen had to push their way out of New York State Court amid the chaos and uncertainty of a looming mistrial.
DENNIS KOZLOWSKI: Come on guys, let me get to the car huh.
HUNTINGTON: The stunning development brought on by infighting among the jurors who claim they can no longer deliberate in good faith.
STEPHEN KAUFMAN, DENNIS KOZLOWSKI'S ATTORNEY: The mood of my client is the mood you'd expect him to have. He's concerned and he believes in the jury system and if he's not nervous there's something wrong with him and there's nothing wrong with him.
HUNTINGTON: Defense attorneys for Dennis Kozlowski and his co- defendant Mark Swartz, Tyco's former CFO, have repeatedly had their request for a mistrial denied by Judge Michael Obus who let the jury leave early for the weekend to cool off.
CHARLES STILLMAN, MARK SWARTZ' ATTORNEY: The jury has had a long time to work on this and, you know, and you know we think it's time for an end but the judge felt otherwise.
HUNTINGTON: After deliberating for nearly a week, the jury stunned the court Thursday with the first of a series of notes to Judge Obus pointing to a single juror who had "stopped deliberating in good faith." Even after the judge instructed jurors to work out their differences, their final note Friday described deliberations as "irreparably compromised."
While the case is best known for evidence of lavish spending on parties, yachts, real estate and artwork, the charges that Kozlowski and Swartz looted Tyco of more than $600 million could mean a 30-year prison term if the jury can agree on a conviction. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON: Now the jury is due back down here at 9:30 Monday morning and shortly after that they're expected to tell the judge whether they believe they can resume deliberations in good faith and, Heidi, if they cannot the judge has indicated that he'll have little choice but to declare a mistrial which is greatly over the objections of the Manhattan district attorney -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Chris Huntington, Chris thanks for that.
We are following a number of developing stories right now "Cross Country."
Raleigh, North Carolina, military jet crash. A U.S. Navy F-18 Hornet fighter crashed on takeoff from the Raleigh-Durham North Carolina Airport. The pilot ejected before the crash. The Navy says he's "relatively unharmed."
Bridgeport, Connecticut, blocked artery for weeks to come. A fuel oil tanker fire on Interstate 95 will be causing headaches for commuters for weeks. The wreck burned so fiercely it melted steel beams in an overpass. The state says it could take weeks to replace it. Close to 120,000 vehicles use that section of highway every day.
Edwards, California, nearly 5,000 miles an hour, that's how fast a new NASA aircraft will attempt to fly on Saturday when it takes its second test flight over the Pacific Ocean. If the flight goes well, the first aircraft had to be destroyed when it went off course, NASA hopes the technology will help both the space program and the commercial aviation business.
Washington, new AIDS test approved. The test uses a person's saliva to check for the presence of the HIV virus. Results are available within 20 minutes and, according to the manufacturer, the test is accurate 99 percent of the time.
Canton, Massachusetts, Bobby Brown out of jail. The R&B singer was released after paying more than $63,000 in child support payments he owed the mother of two of his children. The children, ages 12 and 14, live with their mother in Massachusetts.
Georgetown, South Carolina, whale rescuers turned back. High seas keep a group of Marine biologists from attempting to help a right whale get free of a tangled mess of nets and fishing buoys. The scientists say the endangered animal will likely die if the fishing lines are not removed, and that's a look at stories "Cross Country" tonight.
A serial killer back in action after 25 years in the shadows. He's reaching out to the media with a sinister souvenir from a victim. Police ask the public for help.
Plus, her father lost a bid for the White House but Karenna Gore now has a new cause. She joins me to explain.
And cheerleaders versus Madison Square Garden, were the Rangers girls harassed by management, then told to keep quiet?
But first let's take a look "Inside the Box" at the top stories on tonight's network newscasts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Thirty years ago, news about a serial killer and his latest victim, it was the talk of the town in Wichita, Kansas. Today the story is once again front page news all because of one mysterious letter that recently arrived at a local media outlet.
CNN's Jonathan Freed has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The people of Wichita had allowed themselves to move on, to push the images of the bodies from their minds but an old demon has pushed his way back into their lives.
LT. KEN LANDWERR, WICHITA POLICE DEPARTMENT: This communique most likely came from BTK.
FREED: The BTK strangler is connected to seven murders, mostly women attacked in their homes between 1974 and '79. He toyed with police sending letters, claiming responsibility for the crimes, even giving himself his infamous nickname.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BTK stands for bind, torture and kill.
FREED: He wasn't heard from for 25 years. Then last week, "The Wichita Eagle" newspaper received a letter containing a photocopy of the driver's license of a 1986 murder victim, Vicky Wegerle (ph) along with pictures of her body, victim number eight. Richard Lamunyon was chief of police back in the '70s.
RICHARD LAMUNYON, FORMER POLICE CHIEF OF WICHITA: I think it's unprecedented. I don't know of -- personally I don't have any knowledge where it's ever happened like this before.
FREED: Why break a quarter century of silence? We asked a psychiatrist who was involved in the investigation.
HOWARD BRODSKY, PSYCHIATRIST: Has he recently gone through some kind of a life change like a divorce where he feels like stirring up something? Has he returned to the community after being incarcerated?
FREED: Whatever the killer's motive he has peaked emotion in Wichita. Some stores have sold out of mace. Alarm companies are getting more calls and listen to a woman who lives around the corner from the site of the first attack in 1974.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought about it when I went to sleep last night, made sure that I double checked every single window in the house, as did most of the people I talk to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREED: Now, police have samples of the killer's DNA and they're hoping that modern techniques and a little luck will eventually lead them to a match -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Jonathan Freed, Jonathan thanks so much.
We know few cases would appear more tailor made for a criminal profiler, so later this hour we'll talk to Pat Brown. She wrote a book on the psychology of serial killers.
We are tracking a number of international stories right now. Let's go ahead and check the "Up Link."
Madrid, Spain, terror round-up. In Spain, a Moroccan man is charged in the train bombing bringing the total to 12 now. German authorities are looking into a visit to Germany by one of the suspects and today Moroccan police detained an unspecified number of people for questioning.
Moscow, religious exclusion, a Russian court has banned Jehovah's witnesses from the capital. In the past few years, members of the Russian Orthodox Church have waged an aggressive campaign against minority religious groups. Lawyers for Jehovah's witnesses say they will appeal.
Mexico City, Mexico, cave to custody to controversy, six British explorers who were rescued from an underground cave are now being held for possible visa violations. Four of the six are British military.
Mexican officials say the party entered on tourist visas and did not register their expedition. Now, Mexico's President Fox says he wants a better explanation from Britain about what the cavers were doing in Mexico in the first place.
London, accident or abuse? New doubts being cast on shaken baby syndrome. Doctors are questioning whether some injuries routinely used to diagnose abuse can actually occur naturally. The syndrome made headlines back in 1997 when a nanny was convicted of shaking a baby to death, and that's tonight's "Up Link."
Cheerleaders versus their bosses, they say they've been harassed, put down and told to keep quiet. Find out why the New York Rangers' cheerleaders are all fired up.
Also, politics down and dirty, the gloves come off in the U.S. but in other countries the gloves really do come off and that's raw politics.
Plus, (unintelligible) one more time, will this time be better than the last? A sneak preview of what's on the big screen this weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: They're all smiles on the ice but at least two women say something is rotten in Madison Square Garden. The former captain, Courtney Prince, said she was let go for leveling sexual harassment allegations against arena executives.
She has since filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. When asked about Prince's complaint, the arena said: "This charge is without merit and we will defend these allegations before the EEOC."
I spoke with two of the ice cheerleaders and their attorney earlier today and began by asking them why they decided to come forward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She no longer works for the Rangers. I am still employed but I honestly feel like if no one spoke about what happened and something like this I could honestly relate to her because the same people who did whatever is allegedly going on, like I mean it happened to me.
COLLINS: What happened to you and why do you no longer work there?
COURTNEY PRINCE, FORMER DANCER, RANGER CITY SKATERS: After an event with the Rangers we were all taken out to a club like they oftentimes would do. I ended up being separated from the group and ended up just with one of the Rangers' managers and also a reporter.
At that bar, the second location that I was taken to, these two gentlemen went on to describe to me about how they wanted to have sex with me, how they wanted to have sex specifically with which girls on the team they wanted to have sex with and also went on to try to kiss me and do other things.
COLLINS: What did you do with that information and that event? Where did you go? Who did you tell?
PRINCE: I, as soon as all that became apparent to me I thought I was meeting the other girls there, I got up and left and I didn't feel comfortable going to management about it.
I wasn't trying to make a big stink about all this. I wasn't trying to turn this into, oh I've been sexually harassed, you know, sort of statement. But what happened was I went to the girls on the team who most of which were very good friends. A lot of the girls on the team I've known for eight or nine years.
I went to them and I just said, you know, one of these guys has said some kind of disturbing things to me and I think that you guys need to know, you know, as you friend and also as their captain because it was my responsibility to take care of these girls and that was simply all that I said and after...
COLLINS: And then what happened?
PRINCE: After that, about a month went by. Within that month, three weeks or so later I was asked to be captain the next year and everything just kind of went along smoothly until one week I was called back into the office and the management accused me of not only being a horrible captain and that all the girls hated me and all sorts of things.
And the third thing that they said was that I had accused certain members of the Rangers' staff, including my boss, of being sexual predators, which was absolutely not the case. I never said anything about him.
COLLINS: Well, as you, I'm sure well know, MSD (ph) has completely denied all of these allegations. I want to go ahead and bring your lawyer in here for a minute now.
Kathleen, let me just ask you this is a big business. This is a sports business. There is a lot of money exchanging hands. What do you hope will happen with this case? I mean do you really expect to bring about change here?
KATHLEEN PERATIS, DANCER'S ATTORNEY: Well, I hope to get some justice for Courtney. She's gone through a very terrible time for the last several months having been accused of all manner of misdeeds as captain of this team.
As soon as she raised these allegations, as soon as the Garden learned that she'd made allegations of sexual misbehavior by management, she was in effect fired. She's been through a very bad time and I hope to bring some justice for her.
PRINCE: As a, you know whatever you want to call it, as a cheerleader or a Ranger City skater, I expect to go to the games and have the fans and the audience, you know, be -- be sexually aggressive to us or whatever. I mean that's kind of the gig.
I mean we understood what we were there for. But as soon as I leave the Garden and I put on my jeans and my tee shirt, I don't think that I should have to endure that.
COLLINS: All right. I'll just say to the three of you we certainly appreciate your time today. Courtney Prince and (unintelligible) and Kathleen Peratis thanks so much ladies for your time.
PERATIS: Thank you.
PRINCE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): The BTK strangler is back. After 25 years of silence, a disturbing letter. You won't believe what was inside.
Tyco jury says it can't continue. Is it heading toward a mistrial? Details coming up. And need plans for the weekend, we've got some ideas, 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Time now for tonight's "Reset."
Fallujah, Iraq. One marine is dead, several others wounded. The fire fight in the Sunni Triangle also injured at least 25 people according to an Iraqi doctor, including an ABC cameraman.
Phoenix, Arizona. The bishop gets probation. Bishop Thomas O'Brien, who was convicted of killing a man in a hit and run accident, and then leaving the scene, was sentenced to four years' probation. He'll also have to perform 1,000 hours of community service.
Raleigh, North Carolina. The pilot walks away. An F-18 fighter crashes on takeoff this afternoon at Raleigh-Durham airport. The pilot ejected safely from the plane and the Navy says he wasn't seriously injured. No word yet on what caused the crash.
New York. Can you bake a cake? CBS has announced plans to produce a new reality show series designed to pick someone who would be the next Martha Stewart. The program will likely feature a dozen people living together facing challenges and, for all we know, attempting to bake the perfect cake. The show has no name yet.
Back together again. Rocky -- rocker Sammy Hagar has joined up with his old band Van Halen according to his publicist. This puts an end to one of the longest running rock 'n' roll feuds going. The musicians had been at odds with each other for eight years. That's "The Reset" for tonight.
Turning now to an important health issue. There's an ongoing debate about how safe it is to eat fish, especially for children and pregnant women. Karenna Gore Schiff, daughter of the former vice president says the Bush administration isn't doing enough to lower the level of dangerous pollutants. I spoke to Karenna Gore about her latest efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Karenna, you paired up with Moveon.org in a campaign that includes an ad that's very critical about pollution and mercury and I want to go ahead and take a listen, for just a minute, to that ad.
AD ANNOUNCER: Mercury is a dangerous poison still be produced by coal-burning power plants. It gets into the air, the water, and then into the fish we eat, causing brain damage in children. President Bush has taken a lot of money from the people who own those power plants and now he wants the EPA to change the law to say that mercury isn't so dangerous. That means our children will go on eating mercury in their tuna, risking brain damage. Tell the EPA not to let this happen.
COLLINS: Are you really suggesting that the Bush administration is putting babies at risk?
KARENNA GORE SCHIFF, AL GORE'S DAUGHTER: I think that this policy does put babies at risk, because mercury is a very potent neuro toxin. We know that it comes from coal-burning power plants and we know that the emissions can be reduced dramatically with available technology. But the Bush administration is preventing the plan that was in place from going forward which would make our children safer.
COLLINS: Talk to me about this plan that was in place. Prior.
GORE SCHIFF: Well, there was a plan that was to reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent by the year 2008. And that's something that the current EPA has pulled back on. And I think that it's fair to ask whether that is in response to their donors who have contributed millions of dollars to the Bush/Cheney campaign and represent utility companies. This is a case where it's very clear that the public interest is on the side of reducing mercury emissions and the Bush administration isn't standing up for kids.
COLLINS: The EPA and also the FDA have, of course, warned parents about the dangers of mercury and eating fish. What more do you think needs to be done in that regard? Maybe more awareness?
GORE SCHIFF: Actually, I think that parents are doing their best to keep their kids safe. I think that it's time that the polluters also be called upon to change their behavior and not just parents.
COLLINS: Let's switch gears here for a moment if we could. You wrote an op ed piece about Ralph Nader, urging him to stop his campaign. What was your message that you were trying to get out there? Doesn't he have the right to promote his message like the other candidates?
GORE SCHIFF: Of course, Ralph Nader has a right to run for president. And I have a right to say I think it's a terrible idea. Part of the reason that I really object to his campaign is that he has put forward this message that there's no difference between the parties. I just think that that's very irresponsible and false.
COLLINS: Let me ask you a question about your father. We all know who he is. It was at quite a gala last night. We all know he endorsed Howard Dean. Questioning now about what he thought of that, looking back. Is he happy that he had made that endorsement?
GORE SCHIFF: My father definitely still stands by that endorsement, because he felt that at the time Howard Dean was speaking up about the fact that the war in Iraq was a diversion from the battle against al Qaeda, that there wasn't enough evidence to go to war, and that was something that greatly influenced my father's endorsement.
COLLINS: Do you plan on being involved in the Kerry campaign?
GORE SCHIFF: Sure. I'll lick envelopes, knock on doors, whatever it takes. I'll definitely be behind John Kerry.
COLLINS: Karenna Gore Schiff, we appreciate it. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: I spoke to Cynthia Bergman, press secretary at the EPA as well. I asked her for the White House response to the Moveon.org ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYNTHIA BERGMAN, EPA PRESS SECRETARY: The Bush administration, the EPA is very concerned about mercury. It is a very serious public health issue. Just this month, the EPA and the FDA issued a joint mercury fish advisory, targeted towards women and young children. This advice helps women make informed decisions about the benefits and risks of consuming fish. We're very concerned about it. And that is why we are introducing the first ever regulations to control mercury emissions from power plants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Bergman did caution about avoiding shark, albacore, swordfish, king mackerel and tile fish, as they can contain high levels of mercury.
When journalists talk about politics, we often use metaphors about conflict, you know, the candidates are in a fight to the finish. the campaign is rough and tumble. Sometimes, though, the words aren't metaphors. They mean exactly what they say. And that's what we call raw politics .
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): In Great Britain they debate their political differences with civility.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For my right honorable friend resigned...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For my right honorable friend the prime minister...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not about the right honorable gentleman.
COLLINS: In the U.S. Congress, they do their fighting with words. Often, fighting words.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator, I started my life in a house without water or electricity so I don't cede to you the high moral ground of not knowing what life is like in the ditch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I lived in a house without electricity too. No running water.
COLLINS: But sometimes in other parts of the world, the approach is a little more, shall we say, gloves off? Today, in Taiwan, at the election commission building, the opposition party called for a recount in the presidential election. They didn't get it. Yesterday in Nicaragua, the national assembly debated a bill that would force judges to take aptitude and ethics tests. It never actually came to a vote.
But slugfests are nothing new to the world of politics. The Venezuelan national assembly in November...
The Indonesian people's assembly in 2001...
The Japanese parliament in 1999...
Turkey, 1997...
South Africa, 1994...
Italy, 1993...
They make our congressional catfights look mild by comparison. Discussions, disagreements, debates are all part of government in action. But when tempers flare and fists fly, that's raw politics in any language.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: 12 angry jurors and the Tyco trial. Coming up, we talk to our legal analyst about the fallout from the feuding jurors.
Also tonight, after years without a clue a chilling new lead surfaces in the hunt for a serial killer.
And a little later, Scooby Doo, Shaggy and the amateur sleuths return to the movies with a sequel. Ahead in the "Weekender."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight, nine, 10, 11.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. That's 11 guilty. Those voting not guilty? One. Right. Eleven guilty, one not guilty. Well, now we know where we are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boy, oh, boy, there's always one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: In "Justice Served," is it a real life version of that classic film "12 Angry Men"? The Tyco corruption trial. As we mentioned earlier, the judge in the case sent the jury home for the weekend after deliberations nearly fell apart. That raises concerns about a potential jury deadlock. For more, we turn to our 360 legal analyst tonight, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom. Kimberly, thanks for being here, as always.
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, 360 LEGAL ANALYST: Thank you, Heidi. COLLINS: You know, the jury sent two notes to the judge. We want to go ahead and show that to the viewers right now.
NEWSOM: Sure.
COLLINS: "The atmosphere in the jury room has turned poisonous. The jury contends that one member has stopped deliberating in good faith." But you know, they stopped short of saying that they were hopelessly deadlocked. So how long can the judge keep going back and forth and trying before he actually declares a mistrial?
NEWSOM: Right, this is unbelievable. The language is fantastic here. Poisonous. The whole thing. But they say in good faith, so the judge has to be very careful. He has a duty to try and help this jury reach a verdict. But six days and they still haven't been able to do it. He can't hold them hostage. Otherwise, it's a jury under siege. And if they reach a verdict and it's guilty on some of these charges, the defense has a perfect ripe issue for appeal.
COLLINS: Let's talk about the appeal. Now, one of those notes gives the impression that it's only one juror who may be voting not guilty. So then what happens on Monday when they get back together on Monday? And they possibly reach a guilty verdict, is that an automatic appeal?
NEWSOM: Well, the defense for sure is going to do it. You can't in a situation like this pass up that opportunity, because it appears then that this verdict would not be the product of this juror's independent deliberation, but due to pressure the juror may feel that there's no way out and that they have to concede and go along with the other jurors. But I think the writing's on the wall on this one. I think the judge has really got his hands tied. He's going to be hard pressed, because if he removes that juror, you're going to have a whole fit by the prosecution in that case. So what I think they need to do here is say, cut the losses. But it's tough. It's six months spent invested in this case and untold amounts of money.
COLLINS: Yeah, it's a long time. But then, on the other hand, if the jury is deadlocked at 11-1, then isn't that just a given that the prosecution will try the case again?
NEWSOM: Absolutely, but what the defense should do then is understand that they've got more than an uphill battle, try to cut their losses and get some kind of deal for their clients in this case. So I think the judge is really going to have to work hard to make the right decisions, because whatever he does is going to be second- guessed.
COLLINS: All right, that's probably true. Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, thanks so much. Appreciate it tonight.
NEWSOM: Thank you.
COLLINS: Well, as we mentioned earlier, the town of Wichita, Kansas fears a serial killer from the 1970s and '80s is once again on the loose. But many hope new technology and a new clue might lead authorities to the culprit.
For more, we turn to criminal profiler Pat Brown in Minneapolis. She wrote a book on the psychology of serial killers. Pat, thanks so much for being with us tonight. Appreciate that. You know, the last time the BTK, as we've been referring to him, contacted the police was, as you know, 25 years ago. Why do you think he's suddenly resurfaced?
PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: I think he probably wants some attention. He's been out of the business for a while, probably. And he's getting a little up there in age and perhaps he's just gotten to the point where he wants that focus back on him, he wants to start his game-playing again. He wants to have a darn good time. He's had this career, and it's been halted somewhere along the way for some reason, we believe, anyway. And now he wants to get that back in gear, at least not necessarily physically but at least in the attention of the public.
COLLINS: All right, well, that being said, as you know, some people think that yes, he was in prison, couldn't get the publicity. But the former police chief believes possibly that he may have lived in Wichita all along. What's your response to that?
BROWN: Well, he could be correct, Heidi, because serial killers don't necessarily continue killing constantly. When you've had a run of it, and he had a blitz in 1974 and he got as much publicity as possible, he might have then said, I best not continue quite as much things around town that are going to get attention on me. I might get caught. So he stops for a while, he goes on with his regular life. Perhaps in 1986, he did strike again, and then he's taken his time again. Serial killers just don't really kill as often as we believe.
So he could have been there in town, or he could have moved to another location and killed elsewhere. Or he could have been incarcerated. One thing that's very interesting is I don't believe that this -- they're going to be able to match him through a DNA data bank, because this guy's not stupid enough to put himself out there if he knew his DNA could be matched up. So he probably hasn't been a recent felon.
COLLINS: All right. Well, in the last letter that he sent, I believe it was back in 1979, he bragged about his crimes. Want to go ahead and take a look at that now. He said: "How many do I have to kill before I get my name in the paper or before I get national attention?" He also says he seems -- "It seems senseless, but we cannot help it. There is no cure except death or being caught and put away." What can we learn from those letters, anything?
BROWN: Well, he's telling us the truth. He wanted to get the attention, and that's why he's saying, if I just kill one person, that probably won't do it. And he's correct. That doesn't get enough attention. He wants the community on edge. If he gets that, then his name is going to be big.
This guy wants to be a well-known serial killer. Most serial killers just kill quietly and go away and we never even catch them. But the types like Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz, those are the kind of people who want attention. So this guy has put out as much as he can to say, here I am. I want to be known. I want all this kind -- I want to be among the top. He doesn't want to be caught, but he wants to be among the top.
And now it's kind of interesting. He's come back at a much older age and one would say, why does he want to take that chance? But think about it. How long will it take to catch him? And if we do catch him, how long will it take to get him through trials? And by the time they could put him anyplace, you know, he's going to be up there in age where he'll be in a very secure place or maybe a home for wayward priests, someplace where he can be relatively protected. So he doesn't have a lot of worries. He could even write a book then. He's going to have fun. So this is not a bad move for him, even if he, you know, even if he gets caught, it's not a bad move for him.
COLLINS: Right, understood. Pat Brown, criminal profiler, we certainly appreciate your time tonight. Thanks again.
BROWN: My pleasure, Heidi.
COLLINS: He's been a castaway, an astronaut and a soldier. But a lady killer? Coming up, a review of Hanks' new film, and a look at what other films are being released this weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Now to the "Weekender." A look at what Hollywood is sending to a theater or home video system near you. Reviews in a moment. First, let's see what's out there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): In movies, Tom Hanks gives his serious side a break in "The Ladykillers" a remake of a 1955 film about hapless thieves who in this latest edition try to rob a riverboat casino.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was that?
COLLINS: Hanks is the leader of the group of misfits in this dark comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen.
COLLINS: Now if romantic comedies are more your style, there's this.
BEN AFFLECK, ACTOR: Hi, honey.
COLLINS: "Jersey Girl." Ben Affleck's first film since "Gigli" where he's tried to be funny. He's a high-flying publicist who after losing his job, finds himself living with his father and trying to raise a young daughter.
AFFLECK: That's cute. 8:00, you both get a bottle.
COLLINS: Also out, "Never Die Alone." A gritty gangster crime drama starring rapper turned actor DMX as a drug dealer seeking redemption.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is tied for the most terrifying day of my life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tied with what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every other freaking day of my life.
COLLINS: And then there's "Scooby Doo 2, Monsters Unleashed." The sequel to that first cinematic treasure from 2002. This time around, the sleuths battle monsters and film critics.
On DVD, the little ditty about Jack and Diane.
DIANE KEATON, ACTRESS: You're dating my daughter?
JACK NICHOLSON, ACTOR: Now, who would have thought that would be worse news?
COLLINS: "Something's Gotta Give" gave Keaton and Nicholson a chance to flex their sizable talents in a breezy, cheeky comedy that shows what happens when opposites attract.
KEATON: What effect do you think you're having on me?
NICHOLSON: I don't quite recognize it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And joining us now is "New York Times" film critic, Elvis Mitchell. No giggling here.
ELVIS MITCHELL, FILM CRITIC, "NEW YORK TIMES": I know, this is CNN.
COLLINS: It is CNN. Hey, first up, "Ladykillers." Is this hit or miss for Tom Hanks?
MITCHELL: Well, it's a miss but a little miss. You want it to be better and the Coen brothers who directed this movie, did "Intolerable Cruelty," which I'm the only person who speaks English likes but George Clooney is one of those actors who is really good, he knows how to talk really fast, make fun of himself for being a sort of pompous, stuck on himself jerk. Tom Hanks, you don't quite believe. And because you don't believe, you don't see why the movie is supposed to work even though it's a cartoon. We believe Elmer Fudd. Well, you believe Elmer Fudd, don't you?
COLLINS: Of course.
MITCHELL: OK.
COLLINS: What about fans of the Coen brothers, are they going to be disappointed?
MITCHELL: You know, this is how it works with the Coen brothers. They make one good one, then there's one you can pass on. So let's wait for the next one, shall we?
COLLINS: Got it. What about "Jersey Girl?" What do you think about this one? Ben Affleck, did he redeem himself?
MITCHELL: Well, gee, after "Gigli" and "Paycheck," wow, it's a lot better than those. That's what we call grading on a curve in the film critic system. He couldn't do worse than those two pictures. This one is done by Kevin Smith who has done "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" and a bunch of movies like that. He's comfortable with these kind of infantile narcissists who make fun of themselves. This is a case of trying to make a grown-up movie. You don't quite buy it because Ben Affleck doesn't quite work in it. The little girl is an amazing actor. She's a real find in this thing.
COLLINS: I've heard him talk about her on different talk shows.
MITCHELL: With his feet up, I understand.
COLLINS: That's another story.
So it brings up the question, how do you decide, somebody like Ben Affleck, if you've had a couple of bad movies.
MITCHELL: A couple of bad movies? You missed a couple.
COLLINS: OK. I'm giving him a break. How do you come back and find that movie and read that script and say,hey, this is how I'm going to come back?
MITCHELL: I think you want to do something that's very different from the kind of things he's done. He's actually done lots of different kinds of movies. Look at "Gigli," whatever it was, it was nothing else like it and "Paycheck," was an action movie, he's trying to follow it with a comedy melodrama about a man trying to find himself. Even his ex-girlfriend isn't bad in it. Maybe because she's only in it for 15 minutes. She's not bad...
COLLINS: Don't give it away, though.
MITCHELL: Right. It's only in every magazine in the English language. You're right. Oops, sorry about that. The "Jersey Girl," she's not really from Jersey.
COLLINS: All right. Let's move on, talk about "Never Die Alone." This one you really like. Why do you recommend it?
MITCHELL: Because DMX is basically playing this really sort of credible gangster character of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) novel and he's basically sort of been using this character in his work for a long time and he's a real movie star. When you see him in a picture like "Romeo Must Die," when he gets killed off in the first 15 minutes, the audience loses interest right away. He's got such amazing audience rapport. He's playing this character. He's not judging. He's a really awful human being. It's a beautifully directed movie by Ernest Dickerson who used to work with Spike Lee, as his cinematographer. It's an amazing piece of work. A lot of it falls apart, about a third because David Arquette, who plays the sort of wigger (ph) wanna- be white reporter hanging out with them, you don't quite get him at all and the character hasn't been developed enough. But the rest of the movie was just about this guy who's an unrepentant thug is really kind of amazing.
COLLINS: We'll have to check it out. We'll be looking for that one on your recommendation. We'll tell you if you don't like it. Thanks so much. Elvis Mitchell, appreciate your time tonight.
MITCHELL: Thank you.
COLLINS: On Monday a soldier fights to clear his name as he fights in Iraq. Prosecutors say his identity was being stolen right here in the U.S.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: I'm Heidi Collins. Anderson Cooper's back Monday. We promise. Hope you have a great weekend, everybody. Up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."
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 March 26, 2004 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The debate over the 9/11 commission takes a turn. Did Richard Clarke perjure himself?
Tyco jury says it can't continue. Is it heading toward a mistrial? Details coming up.
The BTK strangler is back. After 25 years of silence a disturbing letter. You won't believe what was inside.
And, need plans for the weekend, we've got some ideas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COLLINS: Welcome to 360. Anderson Cooper is off tonight. I'm Heidi Collins.
In a week where terrorism has dominated the headlines, the big story today is the economy as both President Bush and Senator John Kerry unveil their economic plans for the nation, ambitious plans but will the voters be buying?
We have full coverage. Senior White House Correspondent John King reports on the president and National Correspondent Kelly Wallace is with the Kerry camp. We begin with John King at the White House. Good evening, John.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Heidi.
As you noted, dominance here in Washington. This week questions about the president's leadership in the war on terror but Mr. Bush himself on the road today focusing on the issue he believes will be the determining factor come November, the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): A carpenter's training center in Phoenix, home ownership the scheduled topic but the union president wanted to press a point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most important issue for us is jobs and -- Mr. President and...
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The most important issue for me is jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
KING: It was a moment and a day that illustrates perhaps the incumbent president's biggest challenge making the case at a time of sluggish job growth that things are heading in the right direction.
Earlier in New Mexico, a state he lost by just 366 votes last time, Mr. Bush mixed his optimism with a warning. His Democratic opponent would raise taxes and stall the economy.
BUSH: It makes sense not to be taking money out of people's pockets just as this economy is beginning to recover.
KING: In the intense campaign competition to shape perceptions of the economy, some numbers work in the president's favor. Inflation and interest rates are low. A record 68 percent of Americans own their own homes and the economy is growing at a more than four percent annual rate.
But the Bush economic record also includes record budget deficits and the loss of more than two million manufacturing jobs, raising the stakes and generating occasional protests as the president and vice president campaign in major battleground states.
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here in Ohio you had almost 24,000 new jobs created in January, the best performance of any state in the country. America's economy is moving in the right direction. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: But job growth nationally is running way behind White House expectations so even as the president offers an upbeat message, Heidi, he also says this, direly warning people that if John Kerry is elected president taxes will go up and in the president's view the job market will get even worse -- Heidi.
COLLINS: John King live at the White House tonight, John thanks so much.
In his plan, Senator Kerry is promising to bring millions of new jobs to this country. National Correspondent Kelly Wallace has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With Republicans portraying him as a tax raising threat to the economy, John Kerry heads to the battleground state of Michigan trying to define himself as a pro business Democrat proposing steps to keep jobs from being shipped overseas. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some may be surprised to hear a Democrat calling for lower corporate tax rates. The fact is I don't care about the old debates. I care about getting the job done and creating jobs here in the United States of America.
WALLACE: Kerry's goal creating ten million jobs in four years by cutting the corporate tax rate, providing credits for companies making new hires in the United States, and eliminating tax breaks that encourage American companies to outsource jobs.
The Bush-Cheney team calls it a "political gimmick" and says it won't stop businesses from sending jobs abroad. In an interview with CNN's Lou Dobbs, the presumptive Democratic nominee fires back at President Bush.
KERRY: His solution to everything is another big tax cut for the wealthiest people in the country at the expense of other choices here in our nation.
WALLACE: It is no coincidence that Kerry delivered the first of what aides say will be three major speeches on his economic plan in a state that has lost 130,000 manufacturing jobs during the Bush administration according to Michigan's governor.
KERRY: America cannot afford four more years of a president who is the first president to lose jobs since Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: And Democrats believe President Bush's greatest vulnerability this election year is on the issue of jobs, so it will be no surprise that John Kerry will mention this issue everywhere he goes during a 20-city fund-raising tour that gets underway on Monday -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Kelly Wallace live in Washington, thanks so much Kelly.
Kerry also commented today for the first time on Richard Clarke's testimony before the 9/11 commission that President Bush paid little attention to al Qaeda before the terror attacks. Kerry is challenging the White House to prosecute Clarke for perjury if they believe he's lying this after a stinging attack on Clarke from a leading Republican lawmaker.
More now from Congressional Correspondent Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist is stepping up attacks against Richard Clarke saying he may have lied to Congress.
SEN. BILL FRIST (R), MAJORITY LEADER: I'm troubled that Mr. Clarke has had a hard time keeping his own (AUDIO GAP). JOHNS: His criticism of the administration's antiterrorism efforts is at odds with supportive comments he gave to reporters two years ago. Frist said Clarke also praised the administration in closed door congressional hearings.
FRIST: It is one thing for Mr. Clarke to dissemble in front of the media, in front of the press but if he lied under oath to the United States Congress it's a far, far more serious matter.
JOHNS: Frist said Clarke's closed door testimony should be declassified to get to the bottom of it. A top Democrat on the committee who heard Clarke's testimony said he recalls no contradiction in Clarke's statements and called for full disclosure.
SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: Absolutely and I think there should be even more declassification. First the president should declassify all of Mr. Clarke's statement, not as he has done previously cherry-picked just those parts that make the president's case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: And, again, Democratic candidate John Kerry weighing in from the campaign trail clearly skeptical about the notion that Clarke lied. He said if he's not believable and they have reason to show it, they should go ahead and prosecute him for perjury -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Joe, just curious, is there a feeling on Capitol Hill that this is just partisan bickering or are people really thinking this could actually move forward?
JOHNS: Well, as you know, it's during an election year so there's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the Democrats. Of course, this issue is something that the administration controls, that issue of declassification. They have the final say on it. Democrats, of course, will advocate as much as they can to try to make sure that that information, whatever it is, is fully released and not released piece meal -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Live from Capitol Hill tonight Joe Johns, thanks so much Joe.
Fresh developments today surrounding that new audio tape believed to be from al Qaeda. Tonight the CIA says the voice on that tape is probably that of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's second in command.
The voice on the tape accuses Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf of helping the U.S. and its allies to suppress the Muslim nation. The Pakistani government today called that statement "false and baseless."
Now let's get a check of today's key developments out of Iraq. Two more examples of journalists dying to tell the story. A free lance cameraman for ABC News was killed in a firefight in Fallujah and a translator for "Time" magazine died of wounds he suffered in the Baghdad ambush two days ago. A U.S. Marine was also killed in the Fallujah firefight.
Meanwhile, some blistering anti-American rhetoric from a top Shiite cleric. During a sermon the cleric said the 9/11 attacks were "a miracle from God." He railed against the U.S. and Israel for Monday's assassination of the Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin.
And Iraq's most valuable commodity will be flowing through international pipelines by year's end. That's according to the country's oil minister who also says Iraq will not observe OPEC quotas once exports are underway.
Back here in the U.S. now where a closely watched corporate corruption case is teetering on the brink of collapse. Today jurors in the trial of former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski and the former CFO told the judge there's so much mean spirited bickering in the jury room that reaching a verdict seems impossible.
CNNFN's Chris Huntington has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dennis Kozlowski and his wife Karen had to push their way out of New York State Court amid the chaos and uncertainty of a looming mistrial.
DENNIS KOZLOWSKI: Come on guys, let me get to the car huh.
HUNTINGTON: The stunning development brought on by infighting among the jurors who claim they can no longer deliberate in good faith.
STEPHEN KAUFMAN, DENNIS KOZLOWSKI'S ATTORNEY: The mood of my client is the mood you'd expect him to have. He's concerned and he believes in the jury system and if he's not nervous there's something wrong with him and there's nothing wrong with him.
HUNTINGTON: Defense attorneys for Dennis Kozlowski and his co- defendant Mark Swartz, Tyco's former CFO, have repeatedly had their request for a mistrial denied by Judge Michael Obus who let the jury leave early for the weekend to cool off.
CHARLES STILLMAN, MARK SWARTZ' ATTORNEY: The jury has had a long time to work on this and, you know, and you know we think it's time for an end but the judge felt otherwise.
HUNTINGTON: After deliberating for nearly a week, the jury stunned the court Thursday with the first of a series of notes to Judge Obus pointing to a single juror who had "stopped deliberating in good faith." Even after the judge instructed jurors to work out their differences, their final note Friday described deliberations as "irreparably compromised."
While the case is best known for evidence of lavish spending on parties, yachts, real estate and artwork, the charges that Kozlowski and Swartz looted Tyco of more than $600 million could mean a 30-year prison term if the jury can agree on a conviction. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON: Now the jury is due back down here at 9:30 Monday morning and shortly after that they're expected to tell the judge whether they believe they can resume deliberations in good faith and, Heidi, if they cannot the judge has indicated that he'll have little choice but to declare a mistrial which is greatly over the objections of the Manhattan district attorney -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Chris Huntington, Chris thanks for that.
We are following a number of developing stories right now "Cross Country."
Raleigh, North Carolina, military jet crash. A U.S. Navy F-18 Hornet fighter crashed on takeoff from the Raleigh-Durham North Carolina Airport. The pilot ejected before the crash. The Navy says he's "relatively unharmed."
Bridgeport, Connecticut, blocked artery for weeks to come. A fuel oil tanker fire on Interstate 95 will be causing headaches for commuters for weeks. The wreck burned so fiercely it melted steel beams in an overpass. The state says it could take weeks to replace it. Close to 120,000 vehicles use that section of highway every day.
Edwards, California, nearly 5,000 miles an hour, that's how fast a new NASA aircraft will attempt to fly on Saturday when it takes its second test flight over the Pacific Ocean. If the flight goes well, the first aircraft had to be destroyed when it went off course, NASA hopes the technology will help both the space program and the commercial aviation business.
Washington, new AIDS test approved. The test uses a person's saliva to check for the presence of the HIV virus. Results are available within 20 minutes and, according to the manufacturer, the test is accurate 99 percent of the time.
Canton, Massachusetts, Bobby Brown out of jail. The R&B singer was released after paying more than $63,000 in child support payments he owed the mother of two of his children. The children, ages 12 and 14, live with their mother in Massachusetts.
Georgetown, South Carolina, whale rescuers turned back. High seas keep a group of Marine biologists from attempting to help a right whale get free of a tangled mess of nets and fishing buoys. The scientists say the endangered animal will likely die if the fishing lines are not removed, and that's a look at stories "Cross Country" tonight.
A serial killer back in action after 25 years in the shadows. He's reaching out to the media with a sinister souvenir from a victim. Police ask the public for help.
Plus, her father lost a bid for the White House but Karenna Gore now has a new cause. She joins me to explain.
And cheerleaders versus Madison Square Garden, were the Rangers girls harassed by management, then told to keep quiet?
But first let's take a look "Inside the Box" at the top stories on tonight's network newscasts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Thirty years ago, news about a serial killer and his latest victim, it was the talk of the town in Wichita, Kansas. Today the story is once again front page news all because of one mysterious letter that recently arrived at a local media outlet.
CNN's Jonathan Freed has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The people of Wichita had allowed themselves to move on, to push the images of the bodies from their minds but an old demon has pushed his way back into their lives.
LT. KEN LANDWERR, WICHITA POLICE DEPARTMENT: This communique most likely came from BTK.
FREED: The BTK strangler is connected to seven murders, mostly women attacked in their homes between 1974 and '79. He toyed with police sending letters, claiming responsibility for the crimes, even giving himself his infamous nickname.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BTK stands for bind, torture and kill.
FREED: He wasn't heard from for 25 years. Then last week, "The Wichita Eagle" newspaper received a letter containing a photocopy of the driver's license of a 1986 murder victim, Vicky Wegerle (ph) along with pictures of her body, victim number eight. Richard Lamunyon was chief of police back in the '70s.
RICHARD LAMUNYON, FORMER POLICE CHIEF OF WICHITA: I think it's unprecedented. I don't know of -- personally I don't have any knowledge where it's ever happened like this before.
FREED: Why break a quarter century of silence? We asked a psychiatrist who was involved in the investigation.
HOWARD BRODSKY, PSYCHIATRIST: Has he recently gone through some kind of a life change like a divorce where he feels like stirring up something? Has he returned to the community after being incarcerated?
FREED: Whatever the killer's motive he has peaked emotion in Wichita. Some stores have sold out of mace. Alarm companies are getting more calls and listen to a woman who lives around the corner from the site of the first attack in 1974.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought about it when I went to sleep last night, made sure that I double checked every single window in the house, as did most of the people I talk to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREED: Now, police have samples of the killer's DNA and they're hoping that modern techniques and a little luck will eventually lead them to a match -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Jonathan Freed, Jonathan thanks so much.
We know few cases would appear more tailor made for a criminal profiler, so later this hour we'll talk to Pat Brown. She wrote a book on the psychology of serial killers.
We are tracking a number of international stories right now. Let's go ahead and check the "Up Link."
Madrid, Spain, terror round-up. In Spain, a Moroccan man is charged in the train bombing bringing the total to 12 now. German authorities are looking into a visit to Germany by one of the suspects and today Moroccan police detained an unspecified number of people for questioning.
Moscow, religious exclusion, a Russian court has banned Jehovah's witnesses from the capital. In the past few years, members of the Russian Orthodox Church have waged an aggressive campaign against minority religious groups. Lawyers for Jehovah's witnesses say they will appeal.
Mexico City, Mexico, cave to custody to controversy, six British explorers who were rescued from an underground cave are now being held for possible visa violations. Four of the six are British military.
Mexican officials say the party entered on tourist visas and did not register their expedition. Now, Mexico's President Fox says he wants a better explanation from Britain about what the cavers were doing in Mexico in the first place.
London, accident or abuse? New doubts being cast on shaken baby syndrome. Doctors are questioning whether some injuries routinely used to diagnose abuse can actually occur naturally. The syndrome made headlines back in 1997 when a nanny was convicted of shaking a baby to death, and that's tonight's "Up Link."
Cheerleaders versus their bosses, they say they've been harassed, put down and told to keep quiet. Find out why the New York Rangers' cheerleaders are all fired up.
Also, politics down and dirty, the gloves come off in the U.S. but in other countries the gloves really do come off and that's raw politics.
Plus, (unintelligible) one more time, will this time be better than the last? A sneak preview of what's on the big screen this weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: They're all smiles on the ice but at least two women say something is rotten in Madison Square Garden. The former captain, Courtney Prince, said she was let go for leveling sexual harassment allegations against arena executives.
She has since filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. When asked about Prince's complaint, the arena said: "This charge is without merit and we will defend these allegations before the EEOC."
I spoke with two of the ice cheerleaders and their attorney earlier today and began by asking them why they decided to come forward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She no longer works for the Rangers. I am still employed but I honestly feel like if no one spoke about what happened and something like this I could honestly relate to her because the same people who did whatever is allegedly going on, like I mean it happened to me.
COLLINS: What happened to you and why do you no longer work there?
COURTNEY PRINCE, FORMER DANCER, RANGER CITY SKATERS: After an event with the Rangers we were all taken out to a club like they oftentimes would do. I ended up being separated from the group and ended up just with one of the Rangers' managers and also a reporter.
At that bar, the second location that I was taken to, these two gentlemen went on to describe to me about how they wanted to have sex with me, how they wanted to have sex specifically with which girls on the team they wanted to have sex with and also went on to try to kiss me and do other things.
COLLINS: What did you do with that information and that event? Where did you go? Who did you tell?
PRINCE: I, as soon as all that became apparent to me I thought I was meeting the other girls there, I got up and left and I didn't feel comfortable going to management about it.
I wasn't trying to make a big stink about all this. I wasn't trying to turn this into, oh I've been sexually harassed, you know, sort of statement. But what happened was I went to the girls on the team who most of which were very good friends. A lot of the girls on the team I've known for eight or nine years.
I went to them and I just said, you know, one of these guys has said some kind of disturbing things to me and I think that you guys need to know, you know, as you friend and also as their captain because it was my responsibility to take care of these girls and that was simply all that I said and after...
COLLINS: And then what happened?
PRINCE: After that, about a month went by. Within that month, three weeks or so later I was asked to be captain the next year and everything just kind of went along smoothly until one week I was called back into the office and the management accused me of not only being a horrible captain and that all the girls hated me and all sorts of things.
And the third thing that they said was that I had accused certain members of the Rangers' staff, including my boss, of being sexual predators, which was absolutely not the case. I never said anything about him.
COLLINS: Well, as you, I'm sure well know, MSD (ph) has completely denied all of these allegations. I want to go ahead and bring your lawyer in here for a minute now.
Kathleen, let me just ask you this is a big business. This is a sports business. There is a lot of money exchanging hands. What do you hope will happen with this case? I mean do you really expect to bring about change here?
KATHLEEN PERATIS, DANCER'S ATTORNEY: Well, I hope to get some justice for Courtney. She's gone through a very terrible time for the last several months having been accused of all manner of misdeeds as captain of this team.
As soon as she raised these allegations, as soon as the Garden learned that she'd made allegations of sexual misbehavior by management, she was in effect fired. She's been through a very bad time and I hope to bring some justice for her.
PRINCE: As a, you know whatever you want to call it, as a cheerleader or a Ranger City skater, I expect to go to the games and have the fans and the audience, you know, be -- be sexually aggressive to us or whatever. I mean that's kind of the gig.
I mean we understood what we were there for. But as soon as I leave the Garden and I put on my jeans and my tee shirt, I don't think that I should have to endure that.
COLLINS: All right. I'll just say to the three of you we certainly appreciate your time today. Courtney Prince and (unintelligible) and Kathleen Peratis thanks so much ladies for your time.
PERATIS: Thank you.
PRINCE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): The BTK strangler is back. After 25 years of silence, a disturbing letter. You won't believe what was inside.
Tyco jury says it can't continue. Is it heading toward a mistrial? Details coming up. And need plans for the weekend, we've got some ideas, 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Time now for tonight's "Reset."
Fallujah, Iraq. One marine is dead, several others wounded. The fire fight in the Sunni Triangle also injured at least 25 people according to an Iraqi doctor, including an ABC cameraman.
Phoenix, Arizona. The bishop gets probation. Bishop Thomas O'Brien, who was convicted of killing a man in a hit and run accident, and then leaving the scene, was sentenced to four years' probation. He'll also have to perform 1,000 hours of community service.
Raleigh, North Carolina. The pilot walks away. An F-18 fighter crashes on takeoff this afternoon at Raleigh-Durham airport. The pilot ejected safely from the plane and the Navy says he wasn't seriously injured. No word yet on what caused the crash.
New York. Can you bake a cake? CBS has announced plans to produce a new reality show series designed to pick someone who would be the next Martha Stewart. The program will likely feature a dozen people living together facing challenges and, for all we know, attempting to bake the perfect cake. The show has no name yet.
Back together again. Rocky -- rocker Sammy Hagar has joined up with his old band Van Halen according to his publicist. This puts an end to one of the longest running rock 'n' roll feuds going. The musicians had been at odds with each other for eight years. That's "The Reset" for tonight.
Turning now to an important health issue. There's an ongoing debate about how safe it is to eat fish, especially for children and pregnant women. Karenna Gore Schiff, daughter of the former vice president says the Bush administration isn't doing enough to lower the level of dangerous pollutants. I spoke to Karenna Gore about her latest efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Karenna, you paired up with Moveon.org in a campaign that includes an ad that's very critical about pollution and mercury and I want to go ahead and take a listen, for just a minute, to that ad.
AD ANNOUNCER: Mercury is a dangerous poison still be produced by coal-burning power plants. It gets into the air, the water, and then into the fish we eat, causing brain damage in children. President Bush has taken a lot of money from the people who own those power plants and now he wants the EPA to change the law to say that mercury isn't so dangerous. That means our children will go on eating mercury in their tuna, risking brain damage. Tell the EPA not to let this happen.
COLLINS: Are you really suggesting that the Bush administration is putting babies at risk?
KARENNA GORE SCHIFF, AL GORE'S DAUGHTER: I think that this policy does put babies at risk, because mercury is a very potent neuro toxin. We know that it comes from coal-burning power plants and we know that the emissions can be reduced dramatically with available technology. But the Bush administration is preventing the plan that was in place from going forward which would make our children safer.
COLLINS: Talk to me about this plan that was in place. Prior.
GORE SCHIFF: Well, there was a plan that was to reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent by the year 2008. And that's something that the current EPA has pulled back on. And I think that it's fair to ask whether that is in response to their donors who have contributed millions of dollars to the Bush/Cheney campaign and represent utility companies. This is a case where it's very clear that the public interest is on the side of reducing mercury emissions and the Bush administration isn't standing up for kids.
COLLINS: The EPA and also the FDA have, of course, warned parents about the dangers of mercury and eating fish. What more do you think needs to be done in that regard? Maybe more awareness?
GORE SCHIFF: Actually, I think that parents are doing their best to keep their kids safe. I think that it's time that the polluters also be called upon to change their behavior and not just parents.
COLLINS: Let's switch gears here for a moment if we could. You wrote an op ed piece about Ralph Nader, urging him to stop his campaign. What was your message that you were trying to get out there? Doesn't he have the right to promote his message like the other candidates?
GORE SCHIFF: Of course, Ralph Nader has a right to run for president. And I have a right to say I think it's a terrible idea. Part of the reason that I really object to his campaign is that he has put forward this message that there's no difference between the parties. I just think that that's very irresponsible and false.
COLLINS: Let me ask you a question about your father. We all know who he is. It was at quite a gala last night. We all know he endorsed Howard Dean. Questioning now about what he thought of that, looking back. Is he happy that he had made that endorsement?
GORE SCHIFF: My father definitely still stands by that endorsement, because he felt that at the time Howard Dean was speaking up about the fact that the war in Iraq was a diversion from the battle against al Qaeda, that there wasn't enough evidence to go to war, and that was something that greatly influenced my father's endorsement.
COLLINS: Do you plan on being involved in the Kerry campaign?
GORE SCHIFF: Sure. I'll lick envelopes, knock on doors, whatever it takes. I'll definitely be behind John Kerry.
COLLINS: Karenna Gore Schiff, we appreciate it. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: I spoke to Cynthia Bergman, press secretary at the EPA as well. I asked her for the White House response to the Moveon.org ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYNTHIA BERGMAN, EPA PRESS SECRETARY: The Bush administration, the EPA is very concerned about mercury. It is a very serious public health issue. Just this month, the EPA and the FDA issued a joint mercury fish advisory, targeted towards women and young children. This advice helps women make informed decisions about the benefits and risks of consuming fish. We're very concerned about it. And that is why we are introducing the first ever regulations to control mercury emissions from power plants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Bergman did caution about avoiding shark, albacore, swordfish, king mackerel and tile fish, as they can contain high levels of mercury.
When journalists talk about politics, we often use metaphors about conflict, you know, the candidates are in a fight to the finish. the campaign is rough and tumble. Sometimes, though, the words aren't metaphors. They mean exactly what they say. And that's what we call raw politics .
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): In Great Britain they debate their political differences with civility.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For my right honorable friend resigned...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For my right honorable friend the prime minister...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not about the right honorable gentleman.
COLLINS: In the U.S. Congress, they do their fighting with words. Often, fighting words.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator, I started my life in a house without water or electricity so I don't cede to you the high moral ground of not knowing what life is like in the ditch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I lived in a house without electricity too. No running water.
COLLINS: But sometimes in other parts of the world, the approach is a little more, shall we say, gloves off? Today, in Taiwan, at the election commission building, the opposition party called for a recount in the presidential election. They didn't get it. Yesterday in Nicaragua, the national assembly debated a bill that would force judges to take aptitude and ethics tests. It never actually came to a vote.
But slugfests are nothing new to the world of politics. The Venezuelan national assembly in November...
The Indonesian people's assembly in 2001...
The Japanese parliament in 1999...
Turkey, 1997...
South Africa, 1994...
Italy, 1993...
They make our congressional catfights look mild by comparison. Discussions, disagreements, debates are all part of government in action. But when tempers flare and fists fly, that's raw politics in any language.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: 12 angry jurors and the Tyco trial. Coming up, we talk to our legal analyst about the fallout from the feuding jurors.
Also tonight, after years without a clue a chilling new lead surfaces in the hunt for a serial killer.
And a little later, Scooby Doo, Shaggy and the amateur sleuths return to the movies with a sequel. Ahead in the "Weekender."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight, nine, 10, 11.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. That's 11 guilty. Those voting not guilty? One. Right. Eleven guilty, one not guilty. Well, now we know where we are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boy, oh, boy, there's always one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: In "Justice Served," is it a real life version of that classic film "12 Angry Men"? The Tyco corruption trial. As we mentioned earlier, the judge in the case sent the jury home for the weekend after deliberations nearly fell apart. That raises concerns about a potential jury deadlock. For more, we turn to our 360 legal analyst tonight, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom. Kimberly, thanks for being here, as always.
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, 360 LEGAL ANALYST: Thank you, Heidi. COLLINS: You know, the jury sent two notes to the judge. We want to go ahead and show that to the viewers right now.
NEWSOM: Sure.
COLLINS: "The atmosphere in the jury room has turned poisonous. The jury contends that one member has stopped deliberating in good faith." But you know, they stopped short of saying that they were hopelessly deadlocked. So how long can the judge keep going back and forth and trying before he actually declares a mistrial?
NEWSOM: Right, this is unbelievable. The language is fantastic here. Poisonous. The whole thing. But they say in good faith, so the judge has to be very careful. He has a duty to try and help this jury reach a verdict. But six days and they still haven't been able to do it. He can't hold them hostage. Otherwise, it's a jury under siege. And if they reach a verdict and it's guilty on some of these charges, the defense has a perfect ripe issue for appeal.
COLLINS: Let's talk about the appeal. Now, one of those notes gives the impression that it's only one juror who may be voting not guilty. So then what happens on Monday when they get back together on Monday? And they possibly reach a guilty verdict, is that an automatic appeal?
NEWSOM: Well, the defense for sure is going to do it. You can't in a situation like this pass up that opportunity, because it appears then that this verdict would not be the product of this juror's independent deliberation, but due to pressure the juror may feel that there's no way out and that they have to concede and go along with the other jurors. But I think the writing's on the wall on this one. I think the judge has really got his hands tied. He's going to be hard pressed, because if he removes that juror, you're going to have a whole fit by the prosecution in that case. So what I think they need to do here is say, cut the losses. But it's tough. It's six months spent invested in this case and untold amounts of money.
COLLINS: Yeah, it's a long time. But then, on the other hand, if the jury is deadlocked at 11-1, then isn't that just a given that the prosecution will try the case again?
NEWSOM: Absolutely, but what the defense should do then is understand that they've got more than an uphill battle, try to cut their losses and get some kind of deal for their clients in this case. So I think the judge is really going to have to work hard to make the right decisions, because whatever he does is going to be second- guessed.
COLLINS: All right, that's probably true. Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, thanks so much. Appreciate it tonight.
NEWSOM: Thank you.
COLLINS: Well, as we mentioned earlier, the town of Wichita, Kansas fears a serial killer from the 1970s and '80s is once again on the loose. But many hope new technology and a new clue might lead authorities to the culprit.
For more, we turn to criminal profiler Pat Brown in Minneapolis. She wrote a book on the psychology of serial killers. Pat, thanks so much for being with us tonight. Appreciate that. You know, the last time the BTK, as we've been referring to him, contacted the police was, as you know, 25 years ago. Why do you think he's suddenly resurfaced?
PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: I think he probably wants some attention. He's been out of the business for a while, probably. And he's getting a little up there in age and perhaps he's just gotten to the point where he wants that focus back on him, he wants to start his game-playing again. He wants to have a darn good time. He's had this career, and it's been halted somewhere along the way for some reason, we believe, anyway. And now he wants to get that back in gear, at least not necessarily physically but at least in the attention of the public.
COLLINS: All right, well, that being said, as you know, some people think that yes, he was in prison, couldn't get the publicity. But the former police chief believes possibly that he may have lived in Wichita all along. What's your response to that?
BROWN: Well, he could be correct, Heidi, because serial killers don't necessarily continue killing constantly. When you've had a run of it, and he had a blitz in 1974 and he got as much publicity as possible, he might have then said, I best not continue quite as much things around town that are going to get attention on me. I might get caught. So he stops for a while, he goes on with his regular life. Perhaps in 1986, he did strike again, and then he's taken his time again. Serial killers just don't really kill as often as we believe.
So he could have been there in town, or he could have moved to another location and killed elsewhere. Or he could have been incarcerated. One thing that's very interesting is I don't believe that this -- they're going to be able to match him through a DNA data bank, because this guy's not stupid enough to put himself out there if he knew his DNA could be matched up. So he probably hasn't been a recent felon.
COLLINS: All right. Well, in the last letter that he sent, I believe it was back in 1979, he bragged about his crimes. Want to go ahead and take a look at that now. He said: "How many do I have to kill before I get my name in the paper or before I get national attention?" He also says he seems -- "It seems senseless, but we cannot help it. There is no cure except death or being caught and put away." What can we learn from those letters, anything?
BROWN: Well, he's telling us the truth. He wanted to get the attention, and that's why he's saying, if I just kill one person, that probably won't do it. And he's correct. That doesn't get enough attention. He wants the community on edge. If he gets that, then his name is going to be big.
This guy wants to be a well-known serial killer. Most serial killers just kill quietly and go away and we never even catch them. But the types like Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz, those are the kind of people who want attention. So this guy has put out as much as he can to say, here I am. I want to be known. I want all this kind -- I want to be among the top. He doesn't want to be caught, but he wants to be among the top.
And now it's kind of interesting. He's come back at a much older age and one would say, why does he want to take that chance? But think about it. How long will it take to catch him? And if we do catch him, how long will it take to get him through trials? And by the time they could put him anyplace, you know, he's going to be up there in age where he'll be in a very secure place or maybe a home for wayward priests, someplace where he can be relatively protected. So he doesn't have a lot of worries. He could even write a book then. He's going to have fun. So this is not a bad move for him, even if he, you know, even if he gets caught, it's not a bad move for him.
COLLINS: Right, understood. Pat Brown, criminal profiler, we certainly appreciate your time tonight. Thanks again.
BROWN: My pleasure, Heidi.
COLLINS: He's been a castaway, an astronaut and a soldier. But a lady killer? Coming up, a review of Hanks' new film, and a look at what other films are being released this weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Now to the "Weekender." A look at what Hollywood is sending to a theater or home video system near you. Reviews in a moment. First, let's see what's out there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): In movies, Tom Hanks gives his serious side a break in "The Ladykillers" a remake of a 1955 film about hapless thieves who in this latest edition try to rob a riverboat casino.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was that?
COLLINS: Hanks is the leader of the group of misfits in this dark comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen.
COLLINS: Now if romantic comedies are more your style, there's this.
BEN AFFLECK, ACTOR: Hi, honey.
COLLINS: "Jersey Girl." Ben Affleck's first film since "Gigli" where he's tried to be funny. He's a high-flying publicist who after losing his job, finds himself living with his father and trying to raise a young daughter.
AFFLECK: That's cute. 8:00, you both get a bottle.
COLLINS: Also out, "Never Die Alone." A gritty gangster crime drama starring rapper turned actor DMX as a drug dealer seeking redemption.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is tied for the most terrifying day of my life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tied with what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every other freaking day of my life.
COLLINS: And then there's "Scooby Doo 2, Monsters Unleashed." The sequel to that first cinematic treasure from 2002. This time around, the sleuths battle monsters and film critics.
On DVD, the little ditty about Jack and Diane.
DIANE KEATON, ACTRESS: You're dating my daughter?
JACK NICHOLSON, ACTOR: Now, who would have thought that would be worse news?
COLLINS: "Something's Gotta Give" gave Keaton and Nicholson a chance to flex their sizable talents in a breezy, cheeky comedy that shows what happens when opposites attract.
KEATON: What effect do you think you're having on me?
NICHOLSON: I don't quite recognize it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And joining us now is "New York Times" film critic, Elvis Mitchell. No giggling here.
ELVIS MITCHELL, FILM CRITIC, "NEW YORK TIMES": I know, this is CNN.
COLLINS: It is CNN. Hey, first up, "Ladykillers." Is this hit or miss for Tom Hanks?
MITCHELL: Well, it's a miss but a little miss. You want it to be better and the Coen brothers who directed this movie, did "Intolerable Cruelty," which I'm the only person who speaks English likes but George Clooney is one of those actors who is really good, he knows how to talk really fast, make fun of himself for being a sort of pompous, stuck on himself jerk. Tom Hanks, you don't quite believe. And because you don't believe, you don't see why the movie is supposed to work even though it's a cartoon. We believe Elmer Fudd. Well, you believe Elmer Fudd, don't you?
COLLINS: Of course.
MITCHELL: OK.
COLLINS: What about fans of the Coen brothers, are they going to be disappointed?
MITCHELL: You know, this is how it works with the Coen brothers. They make one good one, then there's one you can pass on. So let's wait for the next one, shall we?
COLLINS: Got it. What about "Jersey Girl?" What do you think about this one? Ben Affleck, did he redeem himself?
MITCHELL: Well, gee, after "Gigli" and "Paycheck," wow, it's a lot better than those. That's what we call grading on a curve in the film critic system. He couldn't do worse than those two pictures. This one is done by Kevin Smith who has done "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" and a bunch of movies like that. He's comfortable with these kind of infantile narcissists who make fun of themselves. This is a case of trying to make a grown-up movie. You don't quite buy it because Ben Affleck doesn't quite work in it. The little girl is an amazing actor. She's a real find in this thing.
COLLINS: I've heard him talk about her on different talk shows.
MITCHELL: With his feet up, I understand.
COLLINS: That's another story.
So it brings up the question, how do you decide, somebody like Ben Affleck, if you've had a couple of bad movies.
MITCHELL: A couple of bad movies? You missed a couple.
COLLINS: OK. I'm giving him a break. How do you come back and find that movie and read that script and say,hey, this is how I'm going to come back?
MITCHELL: I think you want to do something that's very different from the kind of things he's done. He's actually done lots of different kinds of movies. Look at "Gigli," whatever it was, it was nothing else like it and "Paycheck," was an action movie, he's trying to follow it with a comedy melodrama about a man trying to find himself. Even his ex-girlfriend isn't bad in it. Maybe because she's only in it for 15 minutes. She's not bad...
COLLINS: Don't give it away, though.
MITCHELL: Right. It's only in every magazine in the English language. You're right. Oops, sorry about that. The "Jersey Girl," she's not really from Jersey.
COLLINS: All right. Let's move on, talk about "Never Die Alone." This one you really like. Why do you recommend it?
MITCHELL: Because DMX is basically playing this really sort of credible gangster character of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) novel and he's basically sort of been using this character in his work for a long time and he's a real movie star. When you see him in a picture like "Romeo Must Die," when he gets killed off in the first 15 minutes, the audience loses interest right away. He's got such amazing audience rapport. He's playing this character. He's not judging. He's a really awful human being. It's a beautifully directed movie by Ernest Dickerson who used to work with Spike Lee, as his cinematographer. It's an amazing piece of work. A lot of it falls apart, about a third because David Arquette, who plays the sort of wigger (ph) wanna- be white reporter hanging out with them, you don't quite get him at all and the character hasn't been developed enough. But the rest of the movie was just about this guy who's an unrepentant thug is really kind of amazing.
COLLINS: We'll have to check it out. We'll be looking for that one on your recommendation. We'll tell you if you don't like it. Thanks so much. Elvis Mitchell, appreciate your time tonight.
MITCHELL: Thank you.
COLLINS: On Monday a soldier fights to clear his name as he fights in Iraq. Prosecutors say his identity was being stolen right here in the U.S.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: I'm Heidi Collins. Anderson Cooper's back Monday. We promise. Hope you have a great weekend, everybody. Up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."
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