Return to Transcripts main page
Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Remembering Marlon Brando; Are Americans Worried About Terrorist Attacks?
Aired July 02, 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, HOST: Good evening from New York. I'm Heidi Collins.
Tonight, remembering an American movie icon.
360 starts right now.
The Godfather, Marlon Brando, dies at 80. Tonight, remembering an American legend.
High security for the holiday. But are Americans worried?
Are the latest economic numbers good news or bad? Depends on which candidate you ask.
Drug side effects. Are they all in your head? A look at the placebo's evil twin.
It's the most controversial word in the English language. But does it have a place?
Spiders, kidnappings, and one-night stands. Big buzz at the box office. We'll show you what not to miss.
ANNOUNCER: Live from New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COLLINS: Good evening, everyone.
For U.S. troops on assignment overseas, but not in a war zone, it's an added luxury when your family can be there too. You get military housing, or rent a house or apartment, you try to live like you did back home. But it's not always easy. Military families in Bahrain are finding that out. CNN has learned the Pentagon may send home family members of U.S. military personnel in the island country due to growing concern they could be the target of terrorists.
CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pentagon sources say up to 900 U.S. military dependents will be ordered out of Bahrain because of credible intelligence the tiny Persian Gulf state could be the next site of a terrorist kidnapping or other attack against Americans. Also, U.S. officials are irked that six people suspected of links to al Qaeda arrested by Bahrain June 22 were released the next day for lack of evidence. A senior State Department official told CNN the six were bad guys, and that their release has left the U.S., quote, "quite concerned about Bahrain's commitment to fight terror."
A State Department travel warning issued July 1 pointedly says, "Credible information indicates that extremists remain at large and are planning attacks in Bahrain."
The U.S. has some 4,500 military personnel stationed in Bahrain, which is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. While there are no plans to withdraw any U.S. troops or curtail military operation, bringing families home would reduce the number of so-called soft targets, which are increasingly the target of terrorists.
Bahrain is just a short drive over a causeway from neighboring Saudi Arabia, where so far this year, five American civilians have been murdered, including Paul Johnson, an Apache helicopter engineer employed by Lockheed Martin, who was beheaded in Saudi Arabia June 18.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: The Pentagon is not calling the mandatory departure an evacuation but rather a temporary relocation. And while the U.S. is not happy with Bahrain for letting some suspected al Qaeda terrorists go, Bahrain is not happy with the U.S. either, for sending a signal that the country is not safe for Westerners, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Jamie McIntyre, thanks for that tonight.
On the front page of many Arab newspapers today, pictures of Saddam Hussein in handcuffs and chains, being escorted into the courthouse for his arraignment yesterday. Today, another sign that peace is still far off in Iraq. Rockets hit two Baghdad hotels, shattering the calm of a Muslim holiday. Two Iraqis were wounded. Amazingly, a minibus was rigged to fire the rockets. Luckily it malfunctioned at one point. The attack could have been much worse.
Meanwhile, three U.S. soldiers have been charged with manslaughter and another assault following the drowning of an Iraqi prisoner. The soldiers are accused of forcing two Iraqis to jump off a bridge into the Tigris River in January. One of the Iraqis drowned, the other survived.
Here in the U.S., despite FBI fears that the patriotic holiday is an inviting target to al Qaeda, there's no plan to raise the terror threat level.
CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Symbolic events drawing large crowds mean big security this Fourth of July, but the display of red, white, and blue will not move yellow to orange.
TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Even though there is credible reporting that talks about intent, that talks about desire, we are not going to raise the threat level. I mean, it's just not there yet.
MESERVE: In other words, there are no specifics about time, place, and method of attack, although the preelection train bombings in Madrid have amplified worries about al Qaeda strikes in the run-up to the U.S. elections.
RIDGE: And there's nothing to suggest that this particular weekend is a weekend that they've targeted some activity. They would strike when they're ready to strike.
MESERVE: In a Fourth of July bulletin to law enforcement, the FBI warns that infrastructure, including refineries, subways, and dams, could be targeted by small-arms-equipped assault teams, truck bombs, or suicide bombers. It urges police to step up patrols and watch for surveillance activities.
In New York City, extra precautions are being taken in lower Manhattan, where a cornerstone will be laid at the site where the Twin Towers once stood. But in many cities, the heightened security around big events has become almost routine.
(on camera): People who come to the national celebration here on the Washington Mall will have their bags checked and see a lot of police and security. But that is the new normal for an event of this magnitude and importance.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Well, new job numbers are out, and economists were hoping for better results. And President Bush probably did too, knowing his political future may hinge on domestic issues as much as Iraq. Still, he's upbeat, while his Democratic challenger is taking advantage of the numbers.
CNN's Elaine Quijano has a look at how both sides are spinning them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steady and strong, that's how President Bush sees the economy, even after new job growth numbers that fell short of economists' predictions.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After all, we've been through a recession, a national emergency, a war, corporate scandals. And all of that means it's been a difficult period of time. Yet we're strong, we're getting stronger.
QUIJANO: Friday's Labor Department numbers, 112,000 new jobs created in June, amount to less than half of what analysts had forecast. But the Bush administration maintains, thanks to its economic policies, the bigger picture is rosier than that smaller snapshot, citing 10 consecutive months of job growth with 1.5 million new jobs created.
DON EVANS, TREASURY SECRETARY: Unemployment, which peaked at 6.3 percent, is now at 5.6 percent. Five-point-six percent is below the average unemployment level of the 1970s and 1980s and the 1990s.
QUIJANO: Yet Democrats read the numbers as a sign the economic glass is half empty. They point to a jobs deficit, saying the jobs gained don't balance out the nearly 2 million jobs they say have been lost since President Bush took office.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: More than a million Americans who were working three years ago have lost their jobs. And the new jobs that are finally being created are paying, on average, $9,000 less than the jobs that we're losing.
But guess what? As the wages go down, your health care costs are going up. Your tuitions are going up. Your bills are going up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: As for President Bush, today he repeated a call to Congress for help in strengthening the nation's economy by making tax cuts permanent, by adopting a national energy policy, and by reducing what the administration calls frivolous lawsuits, Heidi.
COLLINS: Elaine Quijano at the White House tonight. Elaine, thanks.
Trying to ease the tension on nukes. That tops our look at global stories in the uplink tonight. Jakarta, Indonesia. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with his North Korean counterpart today to discuss the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. It was the highest-level talks on the issue in two years, and it came on the sidelines of an Asian summit.
Jerusalem, disputed wall. Israel's foreign minister says his government will not accept a World Court ruling on its West Bank barrier, insisting it can deal with the issue by itself. The court is expected to issue opinion on the legality of the wall next Friday.
Meshkel, Sudan, refugee camp tour. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan getting a firsthand look at the crisis in the western part of the country. At one point he stopped at a notorious refugee camp only to find its residents had been spirited out overnight for, quote, "humanitarian reasons."
Lausanne, Switzerland. Ref on the run. Branded in the British tabloids as public enemy number one, a Swiss referee is in hiding after getting death threats. The problem, his refusal to allow this goal by England in last week's Euro 2004 tournament. A foul was then called against an English player, and Portugal went on to win in penalty kicks. And that's tonight's uplink.
360 next, workplace shooting rampage. At least five people dead. The story is unfolding right now.
Plus, senseless murders. A small-town couple bludgeoned to death, allegedly by two teenage neighbors.
Plus, the man, the myth, the legend. The passing of an American icon. Marlon Brando, from professional triumph to personal tragedy.
Also, verbal dynamite. Bill Cosby sounding off about the "N word." Is it ever OK to use it? Chuck D. weighs in.
And Cheney drops the F-bomb, gets booed at a Yankee game, and is having a rough month overall. That's raw politics.
But first, your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "ON THE WATERFRONT," 1954)
MARLON BRANDO: You was my brother, Charlie. You should have looked out for me a little bit. You should have taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-end money.
ROD STEIGER: Well, I had some bets down for you, you saw some money.
BRANDO: You don't understand. I could have had class. I could have been a contender.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The passing of one of America's greatest actors, Marlon Brando. A look back in just a moment.
But first, this news just in to us now. There has been a deadly shooting rampage at a meat plant in Kansas City, Kansas. You're looking at some live pictures now from the scene. Police are saying a gunman killed himself and at least five people at the Swift ConAgra meat packing plant. There are reports the gunman was a plant employee. The story is unfolding right now, as you can see. We of course will be continuing to follow it and give you more information just as soon as it becomes available.
According to police, the weapons were knives. The motive was money. And the crime was murder. The suspects are two teenage boys accused of doing something that simply doesn't happen in the small Vermont town of Isle La Motte.
CNN's Adaora Udoji explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a loss to understand the vicious murder, nearly the entire island of 500 in Isle La Motte attended the funeral of the beloved elderly couple, George and Anna Fleury (ph).
DEBORAH LAPORTE, ISLE LA MOTTE RESIDENT: George and Ann were the heart and soul of our community. They were just good people. Not perfect, like any of us are not perfect, but they were so good.
UDOJI: Investigators discovered their bodies Sunday, Anna's throat slit, her husband stabbed multiple times, both set on fire. Within days, two neighbors, 18-year-old Heathly Lockerbie (ph) and Quentin Teepole (ph), 17, were charged with first-degree murder. Both pleaded not guilty. Their attorneys did not return calls from CNN.
LT. THOMAS NELSON, POLICE INVESTIGATOR: In the statements that the defendants have given us, they indicated that the crime was thought out, they did wish to commit robbery.
UDOJI: Police say the teenagers told investigators the robbery idea evolved after Fleury's grandson told them the couple kept a safe full of money. Authorities say the teens also told them they drank beer all day, then killed the couple, splashed gasoline they had hidden nearby, and set them on fire to destroy evidence.
The crime so shattered their small community, a concerned Vermont health commissioner set up a counseling hotline.
LAPORTE: These are our people. Our boys. To think that this could come out from, you know, people that we know and have loved and have watched grow up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
UDOJI: The local prosecutor says neither of the teens has ever been in serious trouble before this. He believed their motive was simply greed, and he says he has never seen a more senseless crime in all his years, Heidi, as a district attorney.
COLLINS: It's just heartbreaking. The whole town loved them so much. All right, Adaora, thanks so much.
Presidential candidate John Kerry stumping for votes in rural America. That tops our look at news cross-country now. The senator started his swing in Minnesota and will be traveling by bus to Wisconsin and Iowa over the holiday weekend.
A recent poll of rural voters in the most hotly contested states says President Bush's lead has slipped into single digits.
Phoenix, Arizona. No Nader on this year's ballot. Independent candidate Ralph Nader's attempt to get on the ballot failed by just over 500 signatures on the required petition. The next big challenge to Nader's ballot initiatives comes in Illinois next week. Washington. Amtrak workers can't walk off the job. A federal appeals court has told unions representing over a third of the rail system's employees that a planned work stoppage is illegal. The workers want to protest what they say is chronic underfunding of the nation's passenger rail service.
And in Houston, Texas, breastfeeding mothers protest at the upscale Galleria shopping mall, chanting "Got milk?" The women staged a nurse-in in response to the mall's security policy. A security guard had told one of the mothers earlier in the week to cover up as she nursed her son.
And that's a look at cross-country news tonight.
Hard to believe, but Francis Ford Coppola had to beg Paramount Pictures to let him cast Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in "The Godfather." At that time, one of the greatest American actors of the 20th century was considered box office poison. The studio eventually agreed, and the rest is history.
Today, Brando died at the age of 80. His life was brilliant, eccentric, and sad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): Marlon Brando will be remembered for both his professional triumphs and his personal tragedies. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1924 he came to personify the Method school of acting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDO: You're an errand boy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And wowed audiences and critics with his passionate performances.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "JULIUS CAESAR")
BRANDO: I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Tackling roles from classic to controversial, he moved quickly from stage so screen and became famous, seemingly with just one word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE," 1951)
BRANDO: Stella!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: His 1951 performance as the tortured Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" launched his image as a dangerous rebel and sex symbol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "ON THE WATERFRONT," 1954)
BRANDO: I could have been a contender.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: But true stardom came three years later with "On the Waterfront," which earned him an Oscar and catapulted him into the public eye, where he was never quite at home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE," September 7, 1994)
BRANDO: You lose your identity. And everybody calls you instantly Mr. Brando instead of, Hey, you. And then people make up notions. They want your autograph.
COLLINS: That unease drove Brando from Hollywood to Tahiti.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY," 1962)
BRANDO: I'm taking command of this ship!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Where he played Fletcher Christian in the remake of "Mutiny on the Bounty" in 1962. When the filming finished, he stayed, married his third wife, and bought his own island. It would be 10 years before his next true film triumph.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE GODFATHER," 1972)
BRANDO: I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: But as his celebrity once again grew, so did his eccentricities. He refused to accept the Oscar he won playing Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" and instead sent a representative to the ceremony to protest the treatment of Native Americans by the film and television industry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, March 1972)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The image of native Americans in this country of the United States should be changed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: He later said he felt like a prisoner of his own celebrity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE," September 7, 1994)
BRANDO: The idea of being successful and having a lot of money and having all your dreams come true is completely crazy. I've had so much misery in my life being famous and wealthy.
COLLINS: That misery seemed to pass on to his children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Total sentence imposed is 10 years in the state prison.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: In 1991, his oldest son, Christian, pleaded guilty to shooting and killing a man. It was his half-sister Cheyenne's boyfriend, Dag Drule (ph).
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDO: I saw Dag laying there. And I tried to get ahold of myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Cheyenne refused to testify and, in 1995, she took her own life. Christian was released from prison in 1996.
But Brando eventually seemed to make peace with the tragedies in his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE," September 7, 1994)
BRANDO: Regret is useless in life. It belongs to the past. The only moment we have is right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And he continued to appear in films, even as his health failed. He received a staggering $14 million for a walk-on in 1978's "Superman," parodied his "Godfather" role in "The Freshman," played opposite Johnny Depp in "Don Juan DeMarco," and his final onscreen role in "The Score."
And now the troubled actor is gone, though his legacy, those triumphs, remain forever on film.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: 360 next, it's one of the most explosive and divisive words in the English language. Now Bill Cosby's railing against it. Up next, we'll take a closer look at this verbal dynamite.
Also tonight, asset or liability? Vice President Cheney, will he make a second run? Or could he be off the ticket? That's raw politics.
And a little later, medication mind games. Are the side effects all in your head? A closer look at what's being called the nocebo effect. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Experts say the running -- the person running for vice president, that is, doesn't matter much to the ticket. People vote, they say, for president. How then to explain the beating Vice President Cheney is taking from his political opponents? A new twist in the presidential campaigning, or just a part of raw politics?
Here's CNN's Ed Henry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): June was rough for Dick Cheney. He faced nasty charges about Halliburton, dropped an F- bomb on the Senate floor, and was booed at Yankee Stadium.
TERRY MCAULIFFE, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I think the more Dick Cheney's out there, the better it is for John Kerry, better it is for Democrats. He is our new Newt Gingrich.
HENRY: Democrats see Cheney as a polarizing figure and hope to whip up support by attacking him. Senator Patrick Leahy, the man cursed by the vice president, sent out an anti-Cheney fund-raising letter this week. In just 24 hours, it raised $50,000.
But instead of hiding Cheney, the Bush camp is giving him a more prominent role. This weekend, he's leading a bus tour of three battleground states.
Cheney was greeted warmly by Republicans in Louisiana Thursday as he accused the Clinton administration of being soft on terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did not fire million-dollar cruise missiles into empty tents or drop bombs from 30,000 feet on abandoned obstacle courses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: That plays well with the GOP base. But Democrats insist raising Cheney's profile will backfire with swing voters.
MCAULIFFE: He has about a 20 percent approval rating. But the numbers that relates to voters, the independents and the swing voters, whom George Bush is trying to get, Dick Cheney's numbers are absolutely horrible.
HENRY: But the Bush-Cheney campaign's chief strategist countered that John Kerry's negative ratings are even worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's a problem with a polarizing figure or a problem with someone that needs to be on the road, maybe they ought to look at their nominee as opposed to our vice presidential candidate. HENRY (on camera): Democrats say Dick Cheney is so controversial that they'll pay his bus fare if he wants to continue barnstorming. But Republicans insist that Mr. Cheney will compare favorably to whomever John Kerry picks as his running mate.
Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The last big official surprise of this season's presidential contest is still to come. John Kerry has yet to announce his running mate. As you might expect, Washington is swamped with rumors, guesses, and people who say they have the inside story.
Here to help us cut through some of the chatter is Alexandra Starr. She's a political correspondent for "Business Week" magazine.
Alexandra, thanks for being here.
ALEXANDRA STARR, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "BUSINESS WEEK" MAGAZINE: Oh, my pleasure.
COLLINS: She's joined by Jay Carney, the deputy Washington bureau chief for "TIME" magazine.
Jay, hello to you too. Thanks for being here, guys.
And Jay, I do want to start with you. Let's talk about the Republican side for just a moment. Do you see any chance of Bush dumping Cheney?
JAMES CARNEY, DEPUTY WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "TIME" MAGAZINE: You know, Heidi, I really do not. I think that Cheney is a liability to the Bush campaign. I think that Terry McAuliffe of the DNC makes a good point when he says that Cheney at least potentially turns off swing voters.
But it is certainly not in George W. Bush's style to dump someone who's been so loyal to him. And also, if you look at it politically, if they were to get rid of Cheney now, it would be a sign of real panic. And that's how the story would be written. And unless they were able to persuade John McCain or Colin Powell to be Bush's running mate, and neither case do I think that's likely, I think the story would be the panic at the White House and the panic at the Bush campaign.
COLLINS: Right.
CARNEY: So I think Cheney stays on on the ticket through to the end.
COLLINS: All right. But Alex, do you see any scenario where Cheney might not stay on the ticket?
STARR: You know, I agree with Jay, but I have heard a lot of senior Democratic strategists. They constantly claim that if Bush is doing badly in September, that they will dump Cheney. And the theory they always come up with is that there will be some sort of manufactured medical emergency, and he'll go. I agree with Jay, it doesn't seem in Bush's character. But it's a rumor that keeps circulating.
COLLINS: Wow, all right. Well, Jay, let's talk about Kerry's choice now. Traditionally what you try to do when you're picking a veep, if you will, is get someone who can carry a state in the election. But it kind of seems like there might be new criteria now. Is that right?
CARNEY: Well, I think there are. And in fact, the new criteria were sort of established, I think, in the early '90s when Bill Clinton picked Al Gore, who was, in some ways a clone of himself, another Southerner, another young public official, not a lot of regional diversity, obviously.
And but it sort of reinforced the ticket and proved to be a big hit and a big success. You look again at Al Gore picking Joe Lieberman in 2000. A very big surprise. Connecticut was not a prize that Gore had any trouble winning. And yet I think it energized his ticket.
And in some ways also, Bush picking Cheney in 2000 was obviously a surprise, but certainly not a choice made based on electoral votes.
So I think that Kerry, I think, is more likely to pick someone for personal chemistry reasons, for the possibility of surprising all of us in the press who think we know whom he's going to pick, or making guesses. And hopefully, I think, for his part getting as much bounce and press out of it as he can.
COLLINS: Right. You know, Kerry, we've heard many times not so crazy about John Edwards. But with about 72 percent of Americans saying they would be enthusiastic about that ticket, or satisfied with it, should Kerry listen to those polls? And we're looking at it now. Or should he go with someone he's comfortable with? You can see those numbers there on your screen.
Alex, let me ask you for your response to that. We see 72 percent of people want John Edwards.
STARR: No, look, I mean, and when you follow Edwards on the trail, it's sort of breathtaking the kind of enthusiasm that he generates. And, you know, if there's a criticism people make about Senator Kerry over and over again, it's that he's not charismatic, and there isn't a lot of energy there.
But, you know, that works for and against Edwards. I think one reason that, you know, he's being considered very seriously is his popularity. At the same time, he's going to overshadow Senator Kerry. That has to be a serious consideration as they decide who to put on the ticket. And that could work against him.
COLLINS: All right. To the both of you tonight, that's all the time we have, unfortunately. Jay Carney and Alexandra Starr, thanks again, guys.
STARR: Thank you.
COLLINS: And one more political story now. When cosmetics heir Jack Ryan withdrew his name last week as the Republican candidate for senator in Illinois, he said he wasn't bitter. Ryan quit after a judge opened records from his 1999 divorce proceeding. His wife at the time, actress Jeri Ryan, said her husband took her to strip clubs and asked her to perform sex acts.
But Ryan does have problem with the intrusion into his personal life by the media, as he told ABC's "Good Morning America" and "20/20."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK RYAN (R), FORMER ILLINOIS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I think this is a horrible development for democracy. If we start going into everyone's private lives, how about married people? Is it only divorced people who gets this treatment? Or are married people who (UNINTELLIGIBLE) marital counseling, are those records now to be available? I think we're going to have to limit the amount of people who can run for office to a very small group.
And so I think the question we have as a society, as a democracy, is, are we setting the bar for public service so high that no one's going to want to do it any more?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The state Republican party says it hopes to have another candidate to replace Ryan by mid-July.
Drug side effects. Are they all in your head? A look at the placebo's evil twin.
It's the most controversial word in the English language. But does it have a place?
Spiders, kidnappings, and one night stand. Big buzz at the box office. We'll show you what not to miss. 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: This just in now. More details on that deadly shooting rampage at a meat plant near Kansas City. Again, you are looking at live pictures from the scene where police are gathering evidence. There are reports that at least five people have been killed after a plant worker walked into the cafeteria of the Swift ConAgra plant and began shooting. Here's how one worker described the shooter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Disgruntled employee?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has been working there about a month and a half. He was laid off for about four, five months. He was real quiet. Kept to himself. Didn't really want people to bother him. He had a slight attitude problem for a young man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Again, a workplace shooting rampage in Kansas. Reports that at least five people are dead. Live pictures once again there. We'll keep you updated as new information becomes available to us.
In other news now, the "N" word. Bill Cosby said it earlier this week. The entertainer and educator is wealthy, well respected, and viewed with warm regard by millions of Americans. So why did he invite passionate criticism by declaring war on the "N" word and the African-Americans who insist on using it? For Cosby, it's all about taking personal responsibility and not blaming others for your own problems. Jason Carroll has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Bill Cosby's new routine. But it's not comedy.
BILL COSBY, ENTERTAINER: The more you invest in that child, the more you're not going to let some CD tell your child how to curse. And how to say the word "nigger." This is an accepted word, you so hip, but you can't even spell it.
CARROLL: Cosby blames parents and the recording industry for promoting artists who use the word. For years this issue has been debated within the black community. In Chicago...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The "N" word is used in an endearing manner amongst African-Americans.
CARROLL: A black university in Washington, D.C.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to come out with a shocking statement to get people to stand up and take notice.
CARROLL: A basketball court in Fort Green, Brooklyn.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hate the word. It makes my skin crawl when I hear it, no matter who says it.
CARROLL: How do you justify it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like I said, as a brother.
CARROLL: But you use the term as brother?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't use it as the white people use it.
CARROLL: Industry leaders say rap lyrics can be provocative but also insightful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes the poetry or the music is a reflection of conditions that we need to look at closely.
CARROLL: Cosby's main message, take more responsibility. Stop blaming those outside the community for problems within it.
COSBY: It is almost analgesic to talk about what the white man is doing against us.
CARROLL: What about this thought of him saying that we've got to stop -- the community does too much blaming for problems that exist within the community? What do you think about that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's true.
CARROLL: You do think that's true?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Someone who is just exorbitantly wealthy making these comments about people who are poor, it seems very classist.
CARROLL: But Edna Hunt says many from her generation agree with Cosby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't keep blaming somebody else all the time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that his heartfelt intent is to inspire and to raise the bar.
CARROLL: At least it has raised inspiring discussion. Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: It's just six letters long but the "N" word carries a ton of baggage. A new documentary airing on the cable network Trio Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, takes a look at the contentious word, where it came from, and where it's going.
Earlier I spoke to hip-hop artist Chuck D. and the documentary's producer Nelson George.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Just yesterday, Bill Cosby used the "N" word. The way that he used it, he seemed to be upset about it. He said, "when children are leaving school and they're cursing at each other and they're using the "N" word, what that really does is, you know, airs the dirty laundry of the black community. Do you agree with that?
CHUCK D, HIP-HOP ARTIST: Bill Cosby is a man. Either you're a man or a woman or you're a child. There's a place for everything. And "nigger" is such a word. It's a word. But it's not a word of love. And I think what Bill Cosby is saying, not speaking for him, is the fact that there's a time and place for everything. And this is a different corner, it doesn't need to be brought out, no matter what marketing campaign or corporation or company wants to use it as being the fodder for their marketing plan or whatever. So Bill Cosby says, no, we need to have people to stand up for education and the fight against these things which are thrown at us.
COLLINS: I want to take a moment here now to listen to some clips from the documentary if we could. And then I'll ask you to explain a little bit for us. Stand by just a second. Let's listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First time somebody called me a nigger was second grade. First day of school. A little white girl, name was Carol (ph). I'll leave out her last name. It wasn't even like mean, it was like, "hi, nigger."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Myself and one of my buddies who plays football for the '49ers, were trying to get a parking spot. And these girls, they thought we cut in front of them. And they said, "you goddamn niggers."
So that was my first time and it really shocked me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Chuck D, what was it like for the first time someone called you the "N" word?
CHUCK D: Well, it didn't come from somebody white. It came from in the community. Back then, you know, the comment from people coming up at that time was, like, "why I got to be a nigger today." And then people would revert and say, "I'm sorry, my brother."
You always had these checks and balances. And then older people were always able to say, "yes, being called nigger is like somebody throwing a rock at you. First it starts out as a pebble, then later on somebody bricks you." And right now it's a brick. And anybody can throw the brick. And now people are being accustomed to being hit with a brick and loving it. Like that cartoon character. The mouse.
COLLINS: So it is very different when a black person uses the word when -- versus a white person using the word.
CHUCK D: Back in 1970s, you'd lose all the teeth in your mouth to say the word "nigger." As a matter of fact, you better say necessary, or something after it, ni, or whatever. But now, since black people quote-unquote understood by corporate mainstream culture and corporations and profit motives and marketing plans, now it's like, oh, it's cool. You got some people who say, it will never be cool. You need people to step up and be men and women as opposed to children. And that's how America still looks at black people, like we're children.
NELSON GEORGE, PRODUCER, "THE N-WORD': It's a generational thing. Let's talk about that. Richard Prior took the "N word, the word "nigger." "That Nigger's Crazy" was the name of one of his albums. He helped bring it to a certain level of exposure within the black community particularly.
He didn't renounce the word "nigger," said I would never say it again. What happened is a little break, then you have a ban -- I like to cite NWA, Niggers With Attitude out of L.A., and particularly Ice Cube, who was a chief lyricist. And he, the nigger you love to hate, he began playing with the word nigger in a lot of different contexts.
And I think he did an intelligent use of the word nigger often. What happened is that once he introduced it, it got into the blood stream of the culture, and people began using it who didn't have his nuance.
And it's -- hip-hop became so huge. White America tied into hip- hop as Chuck related to. Now you have it out in the suburbs and it's a whole dialogue, can I use the "N word," not use the "N word," what is the etiquette of this word now? Because it's no longer simply a word of derogatory term. A lot of people use it like they use brother, or like they use friend.
COLLINS: Do you think it's an important word? Do you think it's something that -- clearly you've done this whole documentary about it.
GEORGE: Absolutely.
COLLINS: Some would say, it's a word. But this has a lot more to it obviously.
GEORGE: As the "N Word" documentary will show very clearly, it has a long history that's very tied up in the history of America. It is an American word. It's a word that says a lot before who we are and why we relate to each other the way we do. So, it's not just a word. It's a word that has -- we talk about curse words, but the "N word" is both a curse word and for some a term of endearment. And how words are that?
COLLINS: The both of you, we appreciate you being here tonight, very much.
CHUCK D: Thank you.
COLLINS: Fast fact now: The "N Word" truly has invaded pop culture. Three of the top ten singles on the Billboard charts use the n-word nine times. If you go over to the hip-hop, R&B charts, you can hear the n word a total of 25 times.
Buzz question now, "is it ever acceptable to use the n-word?" Log on to CNN.com/360 to cast your vote. Results coming up at the end of the show.
360 next, workplace shooting rampage. At least five people are dead. We will have the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Drug side effects: It might seem comical when so many are rattled off at the end of commercials. But is it possible by introducing the idea of side effects, it's enough to actually cause them? It's called the nocebo effect. Think of it as the placebo effect's evil twin.
Since drug side effects cost the U.S. health care system upwards of $75 billion a year, even if a small percentage of these are due to the nocebo effect, that's a costly problem.
Earlier I talked to Dr. Herbert Benson, president of the Mind Body Medical Institute.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: If you are convinced something is going to happen, it really will happen. What is this? How does that happen in our minds?
DR. HERBERT BENSON, PRES. MIND BODY MEDICAL INSTITUTE: There are two ways to look at the nocebo effect. The best is to view it as a negative effect. And the other opposite end of that is the placebo effect, where thinking appropriate thoughts can lead to a beneficial results.
For example, on the side of placebos, a recent study has shown that Parkinson's patients taking placebos not only have brain changes in the areas that affect the Parkinson's Disease, but also their symptoms are less, they're less -- they have less tremor and actually more dopamine is secreted in the brain.
COLLINS; Are we more likely to think ourselves well or think ourselves sick, then?
BENSON: Depends on your own belief system. In other words, we're all very different. But it's been shown that we both can think of ourselves well, and sick.
A dramatic example of that is mortality itself. We all know of people who, for example, who stay alive for a graduation. Yet others, who undergo surgery, who are convinced that they want to die. For example, to reunite with a loved one will actually die. So it can work both ways.
COLLINS: And obviously, there are quite a few people out there who can be anxious over maybe an upcoming surgery, or anxious about having to take a certain drug. What is it that people can do, if there are any tips, to overcome the nocebo effect?
BENSON: One should have faith in the power of one's mind. Not only to produce problems, but also to rectify them.
For example, a simple quietude of the mind by reducing the negative thoughts. By the repetition of a word, a prayer, a sound, a phrase, lead to a set of physiologic changes which quiet the mind and do away with the likelihood of the nocebo effect.
COLLINS: Thank you, Dr. Benson, so much.
BENSON: And the same to you, thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: From statesman to the Village People? Colin Powell dons the old construction outfit for a strange turn at singing. We'll let you listen if you're good. Details on that coming up next.
Also tonight, Hollywood knows a good franchise flick when it sees it. Spider-Man 2, back in action. We'll take a look ahead in the "Weekender."
And a little later, taking in the drag racing air. Why some never get exhausted from exhaust fumes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Secretary of State Colin Powell is an expert at using delicate diplomacy to mend fences and forge relationships. He is a master at communication. Well, at least that's what we thought. Until we saw this.
(MUSIC)
And he can't dance either, wow. OK, there he was, performing his very own special, version of the Village People's "YMCA." It was all happening today at the summit he just attended in Jakarta. It's part of a last day tradition at the gathering, designed to lighten things up just a bit. Well, whatever the future holds for Powell, something tells me it's probably not going to involve a career in music.
Michael Moore may be hearing a certain buzz in his ear. It's not the adulation over "Fahrenheit 9/11." That was last week. It's the buzzing of a familiar insect spinning webs around the competition at the box office. So let's check it out in "The Weekender."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): Tobey Maguire is back as the sensitive superhero in "Spider-Man 2." This time around, Peter Parker is having troubles with his powers, his girlfriend, and as usual, an evil mad scientist. But boy, he's got good timing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to report a missing person.
COLLINS: If spiders aren't your thing, there's Robert Redford in "The Clearing." The Sundance Kid stars as a kidnapping victim who not only tries to escape his captor but rescues his marriage. Tall order.
Beautiful people in Paris makes for good scenery in "Before Sunset," the long-awaited sequel to "Before Sunrise." Once again, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy meet briefly to talk about love, and life, and philosophy. How romantic.
On DVD, "Cold Mountain," the sweeping Civil War love story starring Nicole Kidman, as a woman waiting for Jude Law's safe return from the front.
The film picked up seven Academy Award nominations.
In concert, Fleetwood Mac. The group will begin in Spokane, Washington Saturday. If you're nearby, check them out, before they break up again.
And although there are 4th of July celebrations pretty much everywhere, we recommend the one in Maui. It's on the beach, under the stars, and hey, it's Hawaii.
And what would the 4th be without a hot dog eating contest? The contenders have already weighed in for Nathan's famous chow down on Coney Island. The defending champ ate 44 1/2 hot dogs last year in just 12 minutes. Antacid, anyone?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Next on 360, inhale, exhale. For a revved up high. The other side to drag racing.
Then Monday on 360, too much too soon. Our special series, "Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll." Baby boomers may know all about that, but so does today's millennial generation. Find out what today's teens are really facing.
But first, today's "Buzz." Is it ever acceptable to use the N- word? Log on to cnn.com/360 to vote now. Results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: New details now on a developing story we've been telling you about all night. Kansas City police now say at least five people are dead after a shooting rampage at a meat packing plant. You're looking at some live pictures now from the scene. Police say the gunman killed himself after he opened fire in the cafeteria. It happened just about 90 minutes or so ago. CNN of course will continue to cover this story as it unfolds tonight.
Time now for "The Buzz." Earlier, we asked, is it ever acceptable to use the N-word? Twenty-five percent said yes, and 75 percent voted no. Of course, as you know, this is not a scientific poll, but it is your buzz and we thank you for voting.
They come in droves, hoping for a whiff of nitromethane. It may sound like the latest club drug, but it's actually fuel for drag racers. CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is it an anthrax scare? Is it a tear gas attack? No, it's just exhaust inhalers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not a stink, that's an aroma.
MOOS: What do you expect from a guy wearing a hat that says, "still plays with cars?" National Hot Rod Association races like this one, in Englishtown, New Jersey -- it's not just the race that turns heads. It's the engine warm-up.
The pit crews are smart enough to wear masks. And so do drivers, like the Army's Tony Schumacher. But some fans flock unprotected to experience engine startup up close.
TONY SCHUMACHER, U.S. ARMY DRIVER: You can't breathe. And you see them choking on it, and as soon as it stops, they go yeah! And they run to the next car.
MOOS: These 8,000 horsepower dragsters go more than 300 miles an hour. They're fueled by nitromethane.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE; The smell of the nitro. And when they rev that throttle, ground shakes, crowd jumps. I still get off on it.
SCHUMACHER: When these cars start up, they register at 2.5 on the earthquake Richter scale.
MOOS: Actually, it's 2.2. But who's counting. Protect the kiddies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see it. You can feel it. You can breathe it. And we love it.
MOOS: Some fans say gas masks are for girls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what, if you're going to wear a mask and earplugs, might as well just stay home and watch it on ESPN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We could be going to the ballet, but that's not us.
MOOS: After all, ballet dancers don't stink, smoke, spit fire.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: OK. Well, I'm Heidi Collins. Anderson Cooper is back on Monday. Thanks for watching, everybody. "PAULA ZAHN NOW" is next.
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 July 2, 2004 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, HOST: Good evening from New York. I'm Heidi Collins.
Tonight, remembering an American movie icon.
360 starts right now.
The Godfather, Marlon Brando, dies at 80. Tonight, remembering an American legend.
High security for the holiday. But are Americans worried?
Are the latest economic numbers good news or bad? Depends on which candidate you ask.
Drug side effects. Are they all in your head? A look at the placebo's evil twin.
It's the most controversial word in the English language. But does it have a place?
Spiders, kidnappings, and one-night stands. Big buzz at the box office. We'll show you what not to miss.
ANNOUNCER: Live from New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COLLINS: Good evening, everyone.
For U.S. troops on assignment overseas, but not in a war zone, it's an added luxury when your family can be there too. You get military housing, or rent a house or apartment, you try to live like you did back home. But it's not always easy. Military families in Bahrain are finding that out. CNN has learned the Pentagon may send home family members of U.S. military personnel in the island country due to growing concern they could be the target of terrorists.
CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pentagon sources say up to 900 U.S. military dependents will be ordered out of Bahrain because of credible intelligence the tiny Persian Gulf state could be the next site of a terrorist kidnapping or other attack against Americans. Also, U.S. officials are irked that six people suspected of links to al Qaeda arrested by Bahrain June 22 were released the next day for lack of evidence. A senior State Department official told CNN the six were bad guys, and that their release has left the U.S., quote, "quite concerned about Bahrain's commitment to fight terror."
A State Department travel warning issued July 1 pointedly says, "Credible information indicates that extremists remain at large and are planning attacks in Bahrain."
The U.S. has some 4,500 military personnel stationed in Bahrain, which is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. While there are no plans to withdraw any U.S. troops or curtail military operation, bringing families home would reduce the number of so-called soft targets, which are increasingly the target of terrorists.
Bahrain is just a short drive over a causeway from neighboring Saudi Arabia, where so far this year, five American civilians have been murdered, including Paul Johnson, an Apache helicopter engineer employed by Lockheed Martin, who was beheaded in Saudi Arabia June 18.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: The Pentagon is not calling the mandatory departure an evacuation but rather a temporary relocation. And while the U.S. is not happy with Bahrain for letting some suspected al Qaeda terrorists go, Bahrain is not happy with the U.S. either, for sending a signal that the country is not safe for Westerners, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Jamie McIntyre, thanks for that tonight.
On the front page of many Arab newspapers today, pictures of Saddam Hussein in handcuffs and chains, being escorted into the courthouse for his arraignment yesterday. Today, another sign that peace is still far off in Iraq. Rockets hit two Baghdad hotels, shattering the calm of a Muslim holiday. Two Iraqis were wounded. Amazingly, a minibus was rigged to fire the rockets. Luckily it malfunctioned at one point. The attack could have been much worse.
Meanwhile, three U.S. soldiers have been charged with manslaughter and another assault following the drowning of an Iraqi prisoner. The soldiers are accused of forcing two Iraqis to jump off a bridge into the Tigris River in January. One of the Iraqis drowned, the other survived.
Here in the U.S., despite FBI fears that the patriotic holiday is an inviting target to al Qaeda, there's no plan to raise the terror threat level.
CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Symbolic events drawing large crowds mean big security this Fourth of July, but the display of red, white, and blue will not move yellow to orange.
TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Even though there is credible reporting that talks about intent, that talks about desire, we are not going to raise the threat level. I mean, it's just not there yet.
MESERVE: In other words, there are no specifics about time, place, and method of attack, although the preelection train bombings in Madrid have amplified worries about al Qaeda strikes in the run-up to the U.S. elections.
RIDGE: And there's nothing to suggest that this particular weekend is a weekend that they've targeted some activity. They would strike when they're ready to strike.
MESERVE: In a Fourth of July bulletin to law enforcement, the FBI warns that infrastructure, including refineries, subways, and dams, could be targeted by small-arms-equipped assault teams, truck bombs, or suicide bombers. It urges police to step up patrols and watch for surveillance activities.
In New York City, extra precautions are being taken in lower Manhattan, where a cornerstone will be laid at the site where the Twin Towers once stood. But in many cities, the heightened security around big events has become almost routine.
(on camera): People who come to the national celebration here on the Washington Mall will have their bags checked and see a lot of police and security. But that is the new normal for an event of this magnitude and importance.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Well, new job numbers are out, and economists were hoping for better results. And President Bush probably did too, knowing his political future may hinge on domestic issues as much as Iraq. Still, he's upbeat, while his Democratic challenger is taking advantage of the numbers.
CNN's Elaine Quijano has a look at how both sides are spinning them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steady and strong, that's how President Bush sees the economy, even after new job growth numbers that fell short of economists' predictions.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After all, we've been through a recession, a national emergency, a war, corporate scandals. And all of that means it's been a difficult period of time. Yet we're strong, we're getting stronger.
QUIJANO: Friday's Labor Department numbers, 112,000 new jobs created in June, amount to less than half of what analysts had forecast. But the Bush administration maintains, thanks to its economic policies, the bigger picture is rosier than that smaller snapshot, citing 10 consecutive months of job growth with 1.5 million new jobs created.
DON EVANS, TREASURY SECRETARY: Unemployment, which peaked at 6.3 percent, is now at 5.6 percent. Five-point-six percent is below the average unemployment level of the 1970s and 1980s and the 1990s.
QUIJANO: Yet Democrats read the numbers as a sign the economic glass is half empty. They point to a jobs deficit, saying the jobs gained don't balance out the nearly 2 million jobs they say have been lost since President Bush took office.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: More than a million Americans who were working three years ago have lost their jobs. And the new jobs that are finally being created are paying, on average, $9,000 less than the jobs that we're losing.
But guess what? As the wages go down, your health care costs are going up. Your tuitions are going up. Your bills are going up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: As for President Bush, today he repeated a call to Congress for help in strengthening the nation's economy by making tax cuts permanent, by adopting a national energy policy, and by reducing what the administration calls frivolous lawsuits, Heidi.
COLLINS: Elaine Quijano at the White House tonight. Elaine, thanks.
Trying to ease the tension on nukes. That tops our look at global stories in the uplink tonight. Jakarta, Indonesia. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with his North Korean counterpart today to discuss the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. It was the highest-level talks on the issue in two years, and it came on the sidelines of an Asian summit.
Jerusalem, disputed wall. Israel's foreign minister says his government will not accept a World Court ruling on its West Bank barrier, insisting it can deal with the issue by itself. The court is expected to issue opinion on the legality of the wall next Friday.
Meshkel, Sudan, refugee camp tour. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan getting a firsthand look at the crisis in the western part of the country. At one point he stopped at a notorious refugee camp only to find its residents had been spirited out overnight for, quote, "humanitarian reasons."
Lausanne, Switzerland. Ref on the run. Branded in the British tabloids as public enemy number one, a Swiss referee is in hiding after getting death threats. The problem, his refusal to allow this goal by England in last week's Euro 2004 tournament. A foul was then called against an English player, and Portugal went on to win in penalty kicks. And that's tonight's uplink.
360 next, workplace shooting rampage. At least five people dead. The story is unfolding right now.
Plus, senseless murders. A small-town couple bludgeoned to death, allegedly by two teenage neighbors.
Plus, the man, the myth, the legend. The passing of an American icon. Marlon Brando, from professional triumph to personal tragedy.
Also, verbal dynamite. Bill Cosby sounding off about the "N word." Is it ever OK to use it? Chuck D. weighs in.
And Cheney drops the F-bomb, gets booed at a Yankee game, and is having a rough month overall. That's raw politics.
But first, your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "ON THE WATERFRONT," 1954)
MARLON BRANDO: You was my brother, Charlie. You should have looked out for me a little bit. You should have taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-end money.
ROD STEIGER: Well, I had some bets down for you, you saw some money.
BRANDO: You don't understand. I could have had class. I could have been a contender.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The passing of one of America's greatest actors, Marlon Brando. A look back in just a moment.
But first, this news just in to us now. There has been a deadly shooting rampage at a meat plant in Kansas City, Kansas. You're looking at some live pictures now from the scene. Police are saying a gunman killed himself and at least five people at the Swift ConAgra meat packing plant. There are reports the gunman was a plant employee. The story is unfolding right now, as you can see. We of course will be continuing to follow it and give you more information just as soon as it becomes available.
According to police, the weapons were knives. The motive was money. And the crime was murder. The suspects are two teenage boys accused of doing something that simply doesn't happen in the small Vermont town of Isle La Motte.
CNN's Adaora Udoji explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a loss to understand the vicious murder, nearly the entire island of 500 in Isle La Motte attended the funeral of the beloved elderly couple, George and Anna Fleury (ph).
DEBORAH LAPORTE, ISLE LA MOTTE RESIDENT: George and Ann were the heart and soul of our community. They were just good people. Not perfect, like any of us are not perfect, but they were so good.
UDOJI: Investigators discovered their bodies Sunday, Anna's throat slit, her husband stabbed multiple times, both set on fire. Within days, two neighbors, 18-year-old Heathly Lockerbie (ph) and Quentin Teepole (ph), 17, were charged with first-degree murder. Both pleaded not guilty. Their attorneys did not return calls from CNN.
LT. THOMAS NELSON, POLICE INVESTIGATOR: In the statements that the defendants have given us, they indicated that the crime was thought out, they did wish to commit robbery.
UDOJI: Police say the teenagers told investigators the robbery idea evolved after Fleury's grandson told them the couple kept a safe full of money. Authorities say the teens also told them they drank beer all day, then killed the couple, splashed gasoline they had hidden nearby, and set them on fire to destroy evidence.
The crime so shattered their small community, a concerned Vermont health commissioner set up a counseling hotline.
LAPORTE: These are our people. Our boys. To think that this could come out from, you know, people that we know and have loved and have watched grow up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
UDOJI: The local prosecutor says neither of the teens has ever been in serious trouble before this. He believed their motive was simply greed, and he says he has never seen a more senseless crime in all his years, Heidi, as a district attorney.
COLLINS: It's just heartbreaking. The whole town loved them so much. All right, Adaora, thanks so much.
Presidential candidate John Kerry stumping for votes in rural America. That tops our look at news cross-country now. The senator started his swing in Minnesota and will be traveling by bus to Wisconsin and Iowa over the holiday weekend.
A recent poll of rural voters in the most hotly contested states says President Bush's lead has slipped into single digits.
Phoenix, Arizona. No Nader on this year's ballot. Independent candidate Ralph Nader's attempt to get on the ballot failed by just over 500 signatures on the required petition. The next big challenge to Nader's ballot initiatives comes in Illinois next week. Washington. Amtrak workers can't walk off the job. A federal appeals court has told unions representing over a third of the rail system's employees that a planned work stoppage is illegal. The workers want to protest what they say is chronic underfunding of the nation's passenger rail service.
And in Houston, Texas, breastfeeding mothers protest at the upscale Galleria shopping mall, chanting "Got milk?" The women staged a nurse-in in response to the mall's security policy. A security guard had told one of the mothers earlier in the week to cover up as she nursed her son.
And that's a look at cross-country news tonight.
Hard to believe, but Francis Ford Coppola had to beg Paramount Pictures to let him cast Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in "The Godfather." At that time, one of the greatest American actors of the 20th century was considered box office poison. The studio eventually agreed, and the rest is history.
Today, Brando died at the age of 80. His life was brilliant, eccentric, and sad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): Marlon Brando will be remembered for both his professional triumphs and his personal tragedies. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1924 he came to personify the Method school of acting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDO: You're an errand boy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And wowed audiences and critics with his passionate performances.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "JULIUS CAESAR")
BRANDO: I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Tackling roles from classic to controversial, he moved quickly from stage so screen and became famous, seemingly with just one word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE," 1951)
BRANDO: Stella!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: His 1951 performance as the tortured Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" launched his image as a dangerous rebel and sex symbol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "ON THE WATERFRONT," 1954)
BRANDO: I could have been a contender.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: But true stardom came three years later with "On the Waterfront," which earned him an Oscar and catapulted him into the public eye, where he was never quite at home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE," September 7, 1994)
BRANDO: You lose your identity. And everybody calls you instantly Mr. Brando instead of, Hey, you. And then people make up notions. They want your autograph.
COLLINS: That unease drove Brando from Hollywood to Tahiti.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY," 1962)
BRANDO: I'm taking command of this ship!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Where he played Fletcher Christian in the remake of "Mutiny on the Bounty" in 1962. When the filming finished, he stayed, married his third wife, and bought his own island. It would be 10 years before his next true film triumph.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE GODFATHER," 1972)
BRANDO: I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: But as his celebrity once again grew, so did his eccentricities. He refused to accept the Oscar he won playing Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" and instead sent a representative to the ceremony to protest the treatment of Native Americans by the film and television industry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, March 1972)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The image of native Americans in this country of the United States should be changed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: He later said he felt like a prisoner of his own celebrity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE," September 7, 1994)
BRANDO: The idea of being successful and having a lot of money and having all your dreams come true is completely crazy. I've had so much misery in my life being famous and wealthy.
COLLINS: That misery seemed to pass on to his children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Total sentence imposed is 10 years in the state prison.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: In 1991, his oldest son, Christian, pleaded guilty to shooting and killing a man. It was his half-sister Cheyenne's boyfriend, Dag Drule (ph).
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDO: I saw Dag laying there. And I tried to get ahold of myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Cheyenne refused to testify and, in 1995, she took her own life. Christian was released from prison in 1996.
But Brando eventually seemed to make peace with the tragedies in his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE," September 7, 1994)
BRANDO: Regret is useless in life. It belongs to the past. The only moment we have is right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And he continued to appear in films, even as his health failed. He received a staggering $14 million for a walk-on in 1978's "Superman," parodied his "Godfather" role in "The Freshman," played opposite Johnny Depp in "Don Juan DeMarco," and his final onscreen role in "The Score."
And now the troubled actor is gone, though his legacy, those triumphs, remain forever on film.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: 360 next, it's one of the most explosive and divisive words in the English language. Now Bill Cosby's railing against it. Up next, we'll take a closer look at this verbal dynamite.
Also tonight, asset or liability? Vice President Cheney, will he make a second run? Or could he be off the ticket? That's raw politics.
And a little later, medication mind games. Are the side effects all in your head? A closer look at what's being called the nocebo effect. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Experts say the running -- the person running for vice president, that is, doesn't matter much to the ticket. People vote, they say, for president. How then to explain the beating Vice President Cheney is taking from his political opponents? A new twist in the presidential campaigning, or just a part of raw politics?
Here's CNN's Ed Henry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): June was rough for Dick Cheney. He faced nasty charges about Halliburton, dropped an F- bomb on the Senate floor, and was booed at Yankee Stadium.
TERRY MCAULIFFE, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I think the more Dick Cheney's out there, the better it is for John Kerry, better it is for Democrats. He is our new Newt Gingrich.
HENRY: Democrats see Cheney as a polarizing figure and hope to whip up support by attacking him. Senator Patrick Leahy, the man cursed by the vice president, sent out an anti-Cheney fund-raising letter this week. In just 24 hours, it raised $50,000.
But instead of hiding Cheney, the Bush camp is giving him a more prominent role. This weekend, he's leading a bus tour of three battleground states.
Cheney was greeted warmly by Republicans in Louisiana Thursday as he accused the Clinton administration of being soft on terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did not fire million-dollar cruise missiles into empty tents or drop bombs from 30,000 feet on abandoned obstacle courses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: That plays well with the GOP base. But Democrats insist raising Cheney's profile will backfire with swing voters.
MCAULIFFE: He has about a 20 percent approval rating. But the numbers that relates to voters, the independents and the swing voters, whom George Bush is trying to get, Dick Cheney's numbers are absolutely horrible.
HENRY: But the Bush-Cheney campaign's chief strategist countered that John Kerry's negative ratings are even worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's a problem with a polarizing figure or a problem with someone that needs to be on the road, maybe they ought to look at their nominee as opposed to our vice presidential candidate. HENRY (on camera): Democrats say Dick Cheney is so controversial that they'll pay his bus fare if he wants to continue barnstorming. But Republicans insist that Mr. Cheney will compare favorably to whomever John Kerry picks as his running mate.
Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The last big official surprise of this season's presidential contest is still to come. John Kerry has yet to announce his running mate. As you might expect, Washington is swamped with rumors, guesses, and people who say they have the inside story.
Here to help us cut through some of the chatter is Alexandra Starr. She's a political correspondent for "Business Week" magazine.
Alexandra, thanks for being here.
ALEXANDRA STARR, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "BUSINESS WEEK" MAGAZINE: Oh, my pleasure.
COLLINS: She's joined by Jay Carney, the deputy Washington bureau chief for "TIME" magazine.
Jay, hello to you too. Thanks for being here, guys.
And Jay, I do want to start with you. Let's talk about the Republican side for just a moment. Do you see any chance of Bush dumping Cheney?
JAMES CARNEY, DEPUTY WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "TIME" MAGAZINE: You know, Heidi, I really do not. I think that Cheney is a liability to the Bush campaign. I think that Terry McAuliffe of the DNC makes a good point when he says that Cheney at least potentially turns off swing voters.
But it is certainly not in George W. Bush's style to dump someone who's been so loyal to him. And also, if you look at it politically, if they were to get rid of Cheney now, it would be a sign of real panic. And that's how the story would be written. And unless they were able to persuade John McCain or Colin Powell to be Bush's running mate, and neither case do I think that's likely, I think the story would be the panic at the White House and the panic at the Bush campaign.
COLLINS: Right.
CARNEY: So I think Cheney stays on on the ticket through to the end.
COLLINS: All right. But Alex, do you see any scenario where Cheney might not stay on the ticket?
STARR: You know, I agree with Jay, but I have heard a lot of senior Democratic strategists. They constantly claim that if Bush is doing badly in September, that they will dump Cheney. And the theory they always come up with is that there will be some sort of manufactured medical emergency, and he'll go. I agree with Jay, it doesn't seem in Bush's character. But it's a rumor that keeps circulating.
COLLINS: Wow, all right. Well, Jay, let's talk about Kerry's choice now. Traditionally what you try to do when you're picking a veep, if you will, is get someone who can carry a state in the election. But it kind of seems like there might be new criteria now. Is that right?
CARNEY: Well, I think there are. And in fact, the new criteria were sort of established, I think, in the early '90s when Bill Clinton picked Al Gore, who was, in some ways a clone of himself, another Southerner, another young public official, not a lot of regional diversity, obviously.
And but it sort of reinforced the ticket and proved to be a big hit and a big success. You look again at Al Gore picking Joe Lieberman in 2000. A very big surprise. Connecticut was not a prize that Gore had any trouble winning. And yet I think it energized his ticket.
And in some ways also, Bush picking Cheney in 2000 was obviously a surprise, but certainly not a choice made based on electoral votes.
So I think that Kerry, I think, is more likely to pick someone for personal chemistry reasons, for the possibility of surprising all of us in the press who think we know whom he's going to pick, or making guesses. And hopefully, I think, for his part getting as much bounce and press out of it as he can.
COLLINS: Right. You know, Kerry, we've heard many times not so crazy about John Edwards. But with about 72 percent of Americans saying they would be enthusiastic about that ticket, or satisfied with it, should Kerry listen to those polls? And we're looking at it now. Or should he go with someone he's comfortable with? You can see those numbers there on your screen.
Alex, let me ask you for your response to that. We see 72 percent of people want John Edwards.
STARR: No, look, I mean, and when you follow Edwards on the trail, it's sort of breathtaking the kind of enthusiasm that he generates. And, you know, if there's a criticism people make about Senator Kerry over and over again, it's that he's not charismatic, and there isn't a lot of energy there.
But, you know, that works for and against Edwards. I think one reason that, you know, he's being considered very seriously is his popularity. At the same time, he's going to overshadow Senator Kerry. That has to be a serious consideration as they decide who to put on the ticket. And that could work against him.
COLLINS: All right. To the both of you tonight, that's all the time we have, unfortunately. Jay Carney and Alexandra Starr, thanks again, guys.
STARR: Thank you.
COLLINS: And one more political story now. When cosmetics heir Jack Ryan withdrew his name last week as the Republican candidate for senator in Illinois, he said he wasn't bitter. Ryan quit after a judge opened records from his 1999 divorce proceeding. His wife at the time, actress Jeri Ryan, said her husband took her to strip clubs and asked her to perform sex acts.
But Ryan does have problem with the intrusion into his personal life by the media, as he told ABC's "Good Morning America" and "20/20."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK RYAN (R), FORMER ILLINOIS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I think this is a horrible development for democracy. If we start going into everyone's private lives, how about married people? Is it only divorced people who gets this treatment? Or are married people who (UNINTELLIGIBLE) marital counseling, are those records now to be available? I think we're going to have to limit the amount of people who can run for office to a very small group.
And so I think the question we have as a society, as a democracy, is, are we setting the bar for public service so high that no one's going to want to do it any more?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The state Republican party says it hopes to have another candidate to replace Ryan by mid-July.
Drug side effects. Are they all in your head? A look at the placebo's evil twin.
It's the most controversial word in the English language. But does it have a place?
Spiders, kidnappings, and one night stand. Big buzz at the box office. We'll show you what not to miss. 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: This just in now. More details on that deadly shooting rampage at a meat plant near Kansas City. Again, you are looking at live pictures from the scene where police are gathering evidence. There are reports that at least five people have been killed after a plant worker walked into the cafeteria of the Swift ConAgra plant and began shooting. Here's how one worker described the shooter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Disgruntled employee?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has been working there about a month and a half. He was laid off for about four, five months. He was real quiet. Kept to himself. Didn't really want people to bother him. He had a slight attitude problem for a young man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Again, a workplace shooting rampage in Kansas. Reports that at least five people are dead. Live pictures once again there. We'll keep you updated as new information becomes available to us.
In other news now, the "N" word. Bill Cosby said it earlier this week. The entertainer and educator is wealthy, well respected, and viewed with warm regard by millions of Americans. So why did he invite passionate criticism by declaring war on the "N" word and the African-Americans who insist on using it? For Cosby, it's all about taking personal responsibility and not blaming others for your own problems. Jason Carroll has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Bill Cosby's new routine. But it's not comedy.
BILL COSBY, ENTERTAINER: The more you invest in that child, the more you're not going to let some CD tell your child how to curse. And how to say the word "nigger." This is an accepted word, you so hip, but you can't even spell it.
CARROLL: Cosby blames parents and the recording industry for promoting artists who use the word. For years this issue has been debated within the black community. In Chicago...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The "N" word is used in an endearing manner amongst African-Americans.
CARROLL: A black university in Washington, D.C.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to come out with a shocking statement to get people to stand up and take notice.
CARROLL: A basketball court in Fort Green, Brooklyn.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hate the word. It makes my skin crawl when I hear it, no matter who says it.
CARROLL: How do you justify it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like I said, as a brother.
CARROLL: But you use the term as brother?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't use it as the white people use it.
CARROLL: Industry leaders say rap lyrics can be provocative but also insightful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes the poetry or the music is a reflection of conditions that we need to look at closely.
CARROLL: Cosby's main message, take more responsibility. Stop blaming those outside the community for problems within it.
COSBY: It is almost analgesic to talk about what the white man is doing against us.
CARROLL: What about this thought of him saying that we've got to stop -- the community does too much blaming for problems that exist within the community? What do you think about that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's true.
CARROLL: You do think that's true?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Someone who is just exorbitantly wealthy making these comments about people who are poor, it seems very classist.
CARROLL: But Edna Hunt says many from her generation agree with Cosby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't keep blaming somebody else all the time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that his heartfelt intent is to inspire and to raise the bar.
CARROLL: At least it has raised inspiring discussion. Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: It's just six letters long but the "N" word carries a ton of baggage. A new documentary airing on the cable network Trio Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, takes a look at the contentious word, where it came from, and where it's going.
Earlier I spoke to hip-hop artist Chuck D. and the documentary's producer Nelson George.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Just yesterday, Bill Cosby used the "N" word. The way that he used it, he seemed to be upset about it. He said, "when children are leaving school and they're cursing at each other and they're using the "N" word, what that really does is, you know, airs the dirty laundry of the black community. Do you agree with that?
CHUCK D, HIP-HOP ARTIST: Bill Cosby is a man. Either you're a man or a woman or you're a child. There's a place for everything. And "nigger" is such a word. It's a word. But it's not a word of love. And I think what Bill Cosby is saying, not speaking for him, is the fact that there's a time and place for everything. And this is a different corner, it doesn't need to be brought out, no matter what marketing campaign or corporation or company wants to use it as being the fodder for their marketing plan or whatever. So Bill Cosby says, no, we need to have people to stand up for education and the fight against these things which are thrown at us.
COLLINS: I want to take a moment here now to listen to some clips from the documentary if we could. And then I'll ask you to explain a little bit for us. Stand by just a second. Let's listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First time somebody called me a nigger was second grade. First day of school. A little white girl, name was Carol (ph). I'll leave out her last name. It wasn't even like mean, it was like, "hi, nigger."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Myself and one of my buddies who plays football for the '49ers, were trying to get a parking spot. And these girls, they thought we cut in front of them. And they said, "you goddamn niggers."
So that was my first time and it really shocked me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Chuck D, what was it like for the first time someone called you the "N" word?
CHUCK D: Well, it didn't come from somebody white. It came from in the community. Back then, you know, the comment from people coming up at that time was, like, "why I got to be a nigger today." And then people would revert and say, "I'm sorry, my brother."
You always had these checks and balances. And then older people were always able to say, "yes, being called nigger is like somebody throwing a rock at you. First it starts out as a pebble, then later on somebody bricks you." And right now it's a brick. And anybody can throw the brick. And now people are being accustomed to being hit with a brick and loving it. Like that cartoon character. The mouse.
COLLINS: So it is very different when a black person uses the word when -- versus a white person using the word.
CHUCK D: Back in 1970s, you'd lose all the teeth in your mouth to say the word "nigger." As a matter of fact, you better say necessary, or something after it, ni, or whatever. But now, since black people quote-unquote understood by corporate mainstream culture and corporations and profit motives and marketing plans, now it's like, oh, it's cool. You got some people who say, it will never be cool. You need people to step up and be men and women as opposed to children. And that's how America still looks at black people, like we're children.
NELSON GEORGE, PRODUCER, "THE N-WORD': It's a generational thing. Let's talk about that. Richard Prior took the "N word, the word "nigger." "That Nigger's Crazy" was the name of one of his albums. He helped bring it to a certain level of exposure within the black community particularly.
He didn't renounce the word "nigger," said I would never say it again. What happened is a little break, then you have a ban -- I like to cite NWA, Niggers With Attitude out of L.A., and particularly Ice Cube, who was a chief lyricist. And he, the nigger you love to hate, he began playing with the word nigger in a lot of different contexts.
And I think he did an intelligent use of the word nigger often. What happened is that once he introduced it, it got into the blood stream of the culture, and people began using it who didn't have his nuance.
And it's -- hip-hop became so huge. White America tied into hip- hop as Chuck related to. Now you have it out in the suburbs and it's a whole dialogue, can I use the "N word," not use the "N word," what is the etiquette of this word now? Because it's no longer simply a word of derogatory term. A lot of people use it like they use brother, or like they use friend.
COLLINS: Do you think it's an important word? Do you think it's something that -- clearly you've done this whole documentary about it.
GEORGE: Absolutely.
COLLINS: Some would say, it's a word. But this has a lot more to it obviously.
GEORGE: As the "N Word" documentary will show very clearly, it has a long history that's very tied up in the history of America. It is an American word. It's a word that says a lot before who we are and why we relate to each other the way we do. So, it's not just a word. It's a word that has -- we talk about curse words, but the "N word" is both a curse word and for some a term of endearment. And how words are that?
COLLINS: The both of you, we appreciate you being here tonight, very much.
CHUCK D: Thank you.
COLLINS: Fast fact now: The "N Word" truly has invaded pop culture. Three of the top ten singles on the Billboard charts use the n-word nine times. If you go over to the hip-hop, R&B charts, you can hear the n word a total of 25 times.
Buzz question now, "is it ever acceptable to use the n-word?" Log on to CNN.com/360 to cast your vote. Results coming up at the end of the show.
360 next, workplace shooting rampage. At least five people are dead. We will have the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Drug side effects: It might seem comical when so many are rattled off at the end of commercials. But is it possible by introducing the idea of side effects, it's enough to actually cause them? It's called the nocebo effect. Think of it as the placebo effect's evil twin.
Since drug side effects cost the U.S. health care system upwards of $75 billion a year, even if a small percentage of these are due to the nocebo effect, that's a costly problem.
Earlier I talked to Dr. Herbert Benson, president of the Mind Body Medical Institute.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: If you are convinced something is going to happen, it really will happen. What is this? How does that happen in our minds?
DR. HERBERT BENSON, PRES. MIND BODY MEDICAL INSTITUTE: There are two ways to look at the nocebo effect. The best is to view it as a negative effect. And the other opposite end of that is the placebo effect, where thinking appropriate thoughts can lead to a beneficial results.
For example, on the side of placebos, a recent study has shown that Parkinson's patients taking placebos not only have brain changes in the areas that affect the Parkinson's Disease, but also their symptoms are less, they're less -- they have less tremor and actually more dopamine is secreted in the brain.
COLLINS; Are we more likely to think ourselves well or think ourselves sick, then?
BENSON: Depends on your own belief system. In other words, we're all very different. But it's been shown that we both can think of ourselves well, and sick.
A dramatic example of that is mortality itself. We all know of people who, for example, who stay alive for a graduation. Yet others, who undergo surgery, who are convinced that they want to die. For example, to reunite with a loved one will actually die. So it can work both ways.
COLLINS: And obviously, there are quite a few people out there who can be anxious over maybe an upcoming surgery, or anxious about having to take a certain drug. What is it that people can do, if there are any tips, to overcome the nocebo effect?
BENSON: One should have faith in the power of one's mind. Not only to produce problems, but also to rectify them.
For example, a simple quietude of the mind by reducing the negative thoughts. By the repetition of a word, a prayer, a sound, a phrase, lead to a set of physiologic changes which quiet the mind and do away with the likelihood of the nocebo effect.
COLLINS: Thank you, Dr. Benson, so much.
BENSON: And the same to you, thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: From statesman to the Village People? Colin Powell dons the old construction outfit for a strange turn at singing. We'll let you listen if you're good. Details on that coming up next.
Also tonight, Hollywood knows a good franchise flick when it sees it. Spider-Man 2, back in action. We'll take a look ahead in the "Weekender."
And a little later, taking in the drag racing air. Why some never get exhausted from exhaust fumes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Secretary of State Colin Powell is an expert at using delicate diplomacy to mend fences and forge relationships. He is a master at communication. Well, at least that's what we thought. Until we saw this.
(MUSIC)
And he can't dance either, wow. OK, there he was, performing his very own special, version of the Village People's "YMCA." It was all happening today at the summit he just attended in Jakarta. It's part of a last day tradition at the gathering, designed to lighten things up just a bit. Well, whatever the future holds for Powell, something tells me it's probably not going to involve a career in music.
Michael Moore may be hearing a certain buzz in his ear. It's not the adulation over "Fahrenheit 9/11." That was last week. It's the buzzing of a familiar insect spinning webs around the competition at the box office. So let's check it out in "The Weekender."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): Tobey Maguire is back as the sensitive superhero in "Spider-Man 2." This time around, Peter Parker is having troubles with his powers, his girlfriend, and as usual, an evil mad scientist. But boy, he's got good timing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to report a missing person.
COLLINS: If spiders aren't your thing, there's Robert Redford in "The Clearing." The Sundance Kid stars as a kidnapping victim who not only tries to escape his captor but rescues his marriage. Tall order.
Beautiful people in Paris makes for good scenery in "Before Sunset," the long-awaited sequel to "Before Sunrise." Once again, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy meet briefly to talk about love, and life, and philosophy. How romantic.
On DVD, "Cold Mountain," the sweeping Civil War love story starring Nicole Kidman, as a woman waiting for Jude Law's safe return from the front.
The film picked up seven Academy Award nominations.
In concert, Fleetwood Mac. The group will begin in Spokane, Washington Saturday. If you're nearby, check them out, before they break up again.
And although there are 4th of July celebrations pretty much everywhere, we recommend the one in Maui. It's on the beach, under the stars, and hey, it's Hawaii.
And what would the 4th be without a hot dog eating contest? The contenders have already weighed in for Nathan's famous chow down on Coney Island. The defending champ ate 44 1/2 hot dogs last year in just 12 minutes. Antacid, anyone?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Next on 360, inhale, exhale. For a revved up high. The other side to drag racing.
Then Monday on 360, too much too soon. Our special series, "Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll." Baby boomers may know all about that, but so does today's millennial generation. Find out what today's teens are really facing.
But first, today's "Buzz." Is it ever acceptable to use the N- word? Log on to cnn.com/360 to vote now. Results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: New details now on a developing story we've been telling you about all night. Kansas City police now say at least five people are dead after a shooting rampage at a meat packing plant. You're looking at some live pictures now from the scene. Police say the gunman killed himself after he opened fire in the cafeteria. It happened just about 90 minutes or so ago. CNN of course will continue to cover this story as it unfolds tonight.
Time now for "The Buzz." Earlier, we asked, is it ever acceptable to use the N-word? Twenty-five percent said yes, and 75 percent voted no. Of course, as you know, this is not a scientific poll, but it is your buzz and we thank you for voting.
They come in droves, hoping for a whiff of nitromethane. It may sound like the latest club drug, but it's actually fuel for drag racers. CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is it an anthrax scare? Is it a tear gas attack? No, it's just exhaust inhalers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not a stink, that's an aroma.
MOOS: What do you expect from a guy wearing a hat that says, "still plays with cars?" National Hot Rod Association races like this one, in Englishtown, New Jersey -- it's not just the race that turns heads. It's the engine warm-up.
The pit crews are smart enough to wear masks. And so do drivers, like the Army's Tony Schumacher. But some fans flock unprotected to experience engine startup up close.
TONY SCHUMACHER, U.S. ARMY DRIVER: You can't breathe. And you see them choking on it, and as soon as it stops, they go yeah! And they run to the next car.
MOOS: These 8,000 horsepower dragsters go more than 300 miles an hour. They're fueled by nitromethane.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE; The smell of the nitro. And when they rev that throttle, ground shakes, crowd jumps. I still get off on it.
SCHUMACHER: When these cars start up, they register at 2.5 on the earthquake Richter scale.
MOOS: Actually, it's 2.2. But who's counting. Protect the kiddies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see it. You can feel it. You can breathe it. And we love it.
MOOS: Some fans say gas masks are for girls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what, if you're going to wear a mask and earplugs, might as well just stay home and watch it on ESPN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We could be going to the ballet, but that's not us.
MOOS: After all, ballet dancers don't stink, smoke, spit fire.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: OK. Well, I'm Heidi Collins. Anderson Cooper is back on Monday. Thanks for watching, everybody. "PAULA ZAHN NOW" is next.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
