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Paula Zahn Now

Second Dancer in Duke University Rape Investigation Speaks Out; Hollywood Bashes Bush; Two Men Face Federal Charges in War Against Terror; Interview with Janice Dickinson

Aired April 21, 2006 - 20:00   ET

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

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everybody.
Here's what's happening at this moment -- dramatic new developments in the Duke University rape case. There is an unexpected change by a key witness and some troubling new questions tonight. We will have all the details for you in just a moment.

Plus, growing fury in Florida -- civil rights leaders charge, there was a cover-up in the death of a black teenager at a juvenile boot camp. A shocking video showed guards roughing up the boy, the third young black male to die in Florida in custody in the last three years.

And the heckler who embarrassed the White House and China's president has been charged with harassment and intimidation. As she told Wolf Blitzer last hour, she thinks it wasn't a crime, but an act of civil disobedience. She could get six months in jail.

Now onto the Duke rape investigation -- dramatic news tonight. As you know, two Duke lacrosse players are charged with raping an exotic dancer at a wild off-campus party. Well, tonight, for the first time, we are hearing from the other dancer who was at that party. And what she is saying appears to back up the charge of rape. But her reasons for saying it are already being called into question tonight.

Jason Carroll has been digging into this development all day long, He has just filed this report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): So far, most of the attention in this case has focused on three people, two lacrosse players who were arrested and charged with rape, and the exotic dancer who accused them of the crime.

But there were two dancers at the party where the alleged crime took place. Now the second dancer is going public. In an interview with the Associated Press, Kim Roberts says, at first, she was skeptical of the accuser's claim that she was raped by three players in a bathroom. But now Roberts says she isn't sure.

KIM ROBERTS, EXOTIC DANCER: I even hesitate to say that I didn't believe a rape occurred, you know? One of the reasons why I -- I hesitated to say that is because I didn't want to make any -- you know, make any -- anybody else biased. I didn't want to, you know, hurt the integrity of the case.

CARROLL: In the police affidavit, the accuser says the assault took place for an approximate 30-minute time period. It allegedly happened after the two women had finished performing.

ROBERTS: I was there from the beginning to the end. The only thing I did not see was the rape, because I was not in the bathroom at that particular moment. Everything leading up to it, I was there. Everything leaving from it, I was there. And, mind you, I believe I was the only sober person in the place.

CARROLL: Roberts says the accuser didn't mention the assault to her. She is quoted as saying that, despite her initial doubts, she now believes, in her words, "Somebody did something besides underage drinking, and I can't say which ones are guilty."

(on camera): Kim Roberts is upset that defense attorneys responded to the allegations by leaking details about her criminal past to reporters.

(voice-over): She's also angry that pictures unknowingly taken of her and the accuser on that night of the party were leaked to the media, in effort, she says, to show the defendants were innocent.

ROBERTS: If they're innocent, they should have nothing to worry about. They should sit back, relax, brush their shoulders off, and feel good. They shouldn't have anything to worry about, if -- if the truth was on their side.

CARROLL: But, privately, defense attorneys tell CNN, Roberts may be backing off her original statements to obtain favorable treatment on her own legal problems. These court documents obtained by CNN show, Roberts was arrested after the alleged rape for violating her parole in an embezzlement case. One of her violations was leaving the state without prior approval. Bail was set this past Monday at $25,000.

But district attorney Michael Nifong approved an unsecured bond, essentially allow Roberts to leave jail without posting bail. Her attorney told CNN, she's no longer a flight risk, because she's cooperating fully with the police and the district attorney in the Duke investigation.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It is a plausible theory that a witness was given special consideration in one case, in return for testimony in the really big Duke lacrosse case. The question here is, is anything she's saying ultimately all that incriminating, because she admits, she didn't see any rape.

CARROLL: The district attorney's office says bail issues are decided on a case-by-case basis. Kim Roberts, meanwhile, has considered hiring a public-relations firm.

She sent an e-mail to 5W Public Relations in New York City, saying, "I'm worried about letting this opportunity pass me by without making the best of it, and was wondering if you had any advice as to how to spin this to my advantage."

Roberts' attorney called the e-mail regrettable.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Durham, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Joining me now, criminal defense attorney Jayne Weintraub and former prosecutor Wendy Murphy.

Glad to have both of you with us tonight.

Jayne, you just heard Jason talking about the credibility problems Kim Roberts has. So, if she is now saying she does believe a rape took place, does that really mean much of anything to either side in this case?

JAYNE WEINTRAUB, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It -- it really doesn't. It's a lot of fun to talk about. And I would love to cross-examine her on any topic. But she is irrelevant. She has no firsthand knowledge whatsoever in the case.

ZAHN: But, Wendy, do you suspect the prosecution's going to try to use her anyway?

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Well, I agree with Jayne, shockingly enough, that she's not a key witness. She kind of helps the defense. She said she didn't see Seligmann there. You know, she doesn't know what happened in the bathroom.

Now she says she thinks the guys are guilty, because of all the lies and the spin and the nonsense, that -- that the dog-and-pony show coming out of the defense camp is leading all of us to believe is some evidence of guilt. After -- after all, what are they doing all this stuff for, unless they're worried about the truth coming out?

So, I just think she sounds like a rather normal person, who got caught up in something way bigger than her. And I don't think she's necessarily going to make or break this case at all. Her opinion about whether it happened or not is completely irrelevant.

WEINTRAUB: It's also inadmissible.

ZAHN: But, Jayne, how meaningful is it that she said that she seemed to be the only one who wasn't intoxicated at this party, when the defense is saying that, clearly, the accuser picked out the wrong guys?

WEINTRAUB: Well, I'm very concerned, as a defense lawyer, about the suggestive lineup.

I mean, number one, she didn't make an identification for almost 10 days. That is also good for the defense. Another good-for-the- defense-point is, when she made the identification, it's from a yearbook of the lacrosse team, individual pictures of the team. That, in and of itself, is a suggestive line-up. The question and issue for the court, legally, will be whether or not that is an unduly suggestive lineup that will warrant suppression. If that is suppressed -- if that evidence is suppressed, the only thing left will be, when he shows up in court, she is says: That's him, because I recognize him sitting here.

Nobody will believe it. Case over.

ZAHN: Wendy, that's a -- that's a big challenge for the prosecution, isn't it?

MURPHY: No. That's going nowhere. I don't know what she...

(LAUGHTER)

ZAHN: But -- but -- but -- but let's stop for a minute. You had cops describing the accuser, after getting a 911 call, being passed out in a car.

MURPHY: Yes, but look...

(CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: So, how would she know what her -- her attackers look like, if...

MURPHY: I...

ZAHN: ... she was drunk, as the second stripper seemed to indicate...

MURPHY: Well, look it...

ZAHN: ... in her interview?

MURPHY: The second -- the second dancer said she was the only sober one there. She didn't say -- in fact, she said, to the contrary, that the victim was not drunk either, and that she was stone-cold sober when they got there. And only a half-hour passed.

And, look, there's a -- a law in North Carolina that, if you're raped while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you get charged under a special section. That's not the indictment in this case. So, I don't think there's any evidence that she was either drugged or under the influence of alcohol.

And I will tell you this much. If the guys were all blotto, as no one seems to dispute, that gets them nowhere. It's not a mitigating factor. It doesn't undermine their guilt at all.

WEINTRAUB: You don't need mitigation, Wendy.

MURPHY: No.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: I'm saying it doesn't -- it -- it really does go to...

WEINTRAUB: The state has no evidence.

MURPHY: No, it goes to their guilt. It doesn't help them at all. And it could have helped her, if she had been drunk.

ZAHN: All right.

MURPHY: But she clearly wasn't.

ZAHN: Jayne, you get the final word, real briefly here.

WEINTRAUB: The state has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this crime took place by these two boys. And I don't think that the state's going to be able to come up to the plate.

ZAHN: All right. We got to leave it there.

Jayne Weintraub, Wendy Murphy, thank you for both of your perspectives.

WEINTRAUB: Thank you.

ZAHN: But now we move on to what 16 million of you did today. You all visited our Web site.

Our countdown of the top 10 stories on CNN.com starts with a race to cure a beluga whale named Gasper. Gasper is at the Atlanta Aquarium. He has skin lesions and problems breathing. But, so far, veterinarians haven't been able to pinpoint any cause.

I actually got to see him in person last week. And they were quite concerned about his keeping on weight.

Number nine -- "Dallas." The movie will star John Travolta as J.R. Ewing. And guess who's playing the scheming Sue Ellen? None other than Jennifer Lopez. It's scheduled to start filming in October. And it could be released late next year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER (voice-over): Murder in the chapel. Twenty-six years after a Catholic nun is stabbed to death, startling new evidence produces a bombshell. Could an elderly priest possibly be a ritualistic killer?

Also, it's not just the polls. The president's also taking a beating at the box office, with new movies that take direct aim at the chief executive. Hollywood takes Bush bashing to new heights.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Taking aim at President Bush in print, in song, and on the silver screen, in the form of two new films lampooning the commander in chief.

I'm Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Those details and what the White House thinks about it -- when PAULA ZAHN NOW returns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Well, as it turns out, Hollywood is the least of the president's problems right now. So, you think you have sticker shock at the gas pump now? Well, I hate to break the bad news to you tonight, but it's likely to get worse as we head into the summer.

Today, oil prices hit another record high, and gas shortages have been popping up in the Northeast. With a big election in the fall, it all adds up to some explosive politics.

Here is our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, part of the best political team on TV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just hopping in the car these days is a reminder of a growing problem for Republican Congressman Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania. Spiking gas prices are adding more anger and volatility to an already dicey political climate.

REP. JIM GERLACH (R), PENNSYLVANIA: We find out that the retiring CEO of ExxonMobil is getting a retirement package of nearly $400 million. And that drives people nuts. It drives me nuts.

BASH: No wonder he is worried. He's a Republican in a tight race this year, and this constituent is asking about a letter Democrats sent the president on the issue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... put some pressure on the oil companies to reduce their profits a little bit, to help ease the gasoline pricing. Do you know anything about that? Or is there anything being done?

BASH: He tries to turn the question to his advantage, saying he hopes concern about gas prices now will help spur long-term changes.

GERLACH: I think we have a major opportunity now, with gas prices going so high, to say, wait a minute. We shouldn't have to rely on foreign oil for our energy needs.

BASH: Gerlach is one of many endangered Republicans on the defensive back home about prices at the pump.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The price of gasoline is going up, up, up.

BASH: Democrats are holding political events at gas stations. Here's another one in New Jersey. SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: The high cost of gasoline hurts every sector of our economy.

BASH: And a four-page strategy memo tells Democrats how to take advantage of the issue: "Pledge that, as a member of Congress, you will fight for families in your district, not the oil and gas executives, for which this Republican Congress has fought so hard."

Both parties have sought political benefit from soaring gas prices before, without much evidence it worked. But Republicans fear, this year may be different. Anger over gas prices plays into their biggest problem.

STUART ROTHENBERG, POLITICAL ANALYST: It reinforces the existing mood, a mood -- mood of a pessimism, a sense that the country is headed in the wrong direction. And anything that affects people's lives negatively is probably going to hurt Republicans in Congress.

BASH: CNN has learned, congressional and Bush aides met today, scrambling to be more proactive. Top Republicans will send the president a letter Monday, encouraging him to investigate possible price-gouging.

And they will try to waive some requirements for cleaner, but more expensive gasoline. Also, House Republicans will likely call oil conservatives to testify about their huge profits.

Frustrated Republicans may try to deflect political damage, but they know there's not much they can do to bring gas prices down.

GERLACH: Well, I always put 20 bucks in, but I'm finding it's taking me shorter distances.

BASH: Jim Gerlach and other Republicans in trouble can only hope April's shock eases by November's election.

Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And we have a surprising warning that just came in a couple of minutes ago.

After a closed-door meeting, banking and finance officials of the seven major industrial powers say they are worried that the surge in oil prices could threaten the global economy.

Still ahead, my surprising conversation with the world's first supermodel, Janice Dickinson. What does she mean when she talks about Hollywood's dirty little secret?

Before that, though -- Dancing there, wasn't she? -- number eight on our CNN.com countdown -- a Georgia college student is facing federal terror charges, accused of plotting terror attacks in the U.S. Coming up, we will go "Beyond the Headlines" and show you what newly revealed documents say about the case and the suspect. Number seven -- the king of Nepal promises to give political power back to his people -- this after weeks of violent protests in the tiny Himalayan kingdom. Fourteen people have been killed during the unrest.

Stay with us. Numbers six and five are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Now we're going to take you "Outside the Law" tonight to tell you about an extraordinary murder trial. Is it even remotely possible that an elderly priest who spent his whole life comforting the sick could commit a bizarre and unholy act, the killing of a nun?

It's a case that has shocked people in Toledo, Ohio, where the trial got under way today.

Keith Oppenheim is covering the case and has more on the suspect and the mysterious murder, "Outside the Law."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN MANDROS, LUCAS COUNTY ASSISTANT PROSECUTOR: The stabbing and the strangulation.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a Toledo courtroom, while a priest sat at the defendant's table, prosecutors evoked the memory of a nun.

MANDROS: This is Sister Margaret Ann Pahl.

OPPENHEIM: Twenty-six years ago, on April 5, 1980, Sister Margaret Ann Pahl was found on the floor of a hospital chapel. She had been strangled and stabbed.

MANDROS: The killer laid her upon the floor. And, after laying her on the floor, he covered her with a white altar cloth. And, after doing that, he stabbed her over the heart nine times, nine piercings of her flesh, in the shape of an upside-down cross.

OPPENHEIM: The man accused of being that killer is Father Gerald Robinson, a well-known priest in Toledo. In 1980, Robinson was a chaplain at Toledo's Mercy Hospital. Sister Pahl was in charge of the chapel there.

When her body was found, her undergarments had been pulled down, but investigators later ruled out sexual assault. Some detectives believed this was some sort of ritual killing.

STEVE FORRESTER, COLD CASE DETECTIVE: We have some evidence now that we believe indicates that some type of ceremony took place.

OPPENHEIM: It was Easter weekend.

Dave Davison, a former Toledo police officer who was among the first at the crime scene, believes there was tension between the priest and the nun.

DAVE DAVISON, FORMER TOLEDO, OHIO, POLICE OFFICER: The story I heard was that he had cut short Good Friday services here, and that she had confronted him on it and said, don't do it for the Easter services. Don't cut it short.

Next thing you know, she's dead.

OPPENHEIM: At the time, police questioned Father Robinson, but never made an arrest. David Yonke, a religion reporter for "The Toledo Blade," is writing a book on this case.

DAVID YONKE, REPORTER, "THE TOLEDO BLADE": It's pretty clear, from everyone involved in the original investigation, that there was only one suspect. And that was Father Robinson. The police won't say that flat-out, but they just did not have enough evidence to convict him.

OPPENHEIM: Nearly 24 years later, a new cold case investigation unit was formed in the prosecutor's office, and detectives took a second look at the Sister Pahl murder case. A sketch artist noticed something previously overlooked.

YONKE: He recognized that there was a pattern in the -- on the altar cloth left in blood by what was the weapon that stabbed her, which was a letter opener.

OPPENHEIM: Prosecutors say the letter opener belonged to Father Robinson and that he has admitted it was his.

In court, lead prosecuting attorney Dean Mandros said, the priest lived in apartment near the crime scene, that he was there, and had sole possession of the murder weapon.

MANDROS: And you will learn how the defendant and the victim were together in the sacristy of that chapel, and how one of them died a horrible death.

OPPENHEIM: Father Robinson has pled not guilty to the murder. His defense attorney, Alan Konop, repeated one idea...

ALAN KONOP, ATTORNEY FOR REVEREND GERALD ROBINSON: The pieces won't fit.

OPPENHEIM: ... over...

KONOP: The pieces to the puzzle still don't fit.

OPPENHEIM: ... and over.

KONOP: The pieces do not fit.

OPPENHEIM: Konop outlined a defense that would try to poke holes in a case where evidence is old and circumstantial. And, keep in mind, even though the body of Sister Pahl was exhumed, there doesn't appear to be a DNA link between Father Robinson and the crime scene. KONOP: And guess what? I'm sure you know. It's not Father Robinson's DNA.

OPPENHEIM: A critical factor, Father Robinson is a priest. Toledo is in Lucas County, where nearly one-quarter of residents are Catholic. And some parishioners have said they would have a hard time convicting a priest of murder.

IRENE LAZETTE, PARISHIONER: If Father Robinson was real guilty, I think he suffered enough in his life through all these years, and repented that way.

OPPENHEIM: In court, it was clear, Robinson's attorneys may try to capitalize on that...

KONOP: At the point in time when he's subject to the humiliation of an arrest.

OPPENHEIM: ... emphasizing Robinson is a man of the cloth. Dave Davison hopes jurors will look beyond the collar.

DAVISON: Because there's so many people that just out and out say, there's no way a priest is capable of this. And none of them are remembering the murdered nun.

OPPENHEIM: On Friday, 12 jurors and four alternate went to the crime scene, to the sacristy of the chapel where Sister Margaret Ann Pahl was murdered.

In court, prosecutors admitted, this case has been brought to justice very late.

MANDROS: But later is better than never. And it may have taken 26 years to get the evidence to solve this murder, but we have done so.

OPPENHEIM: And now it's a question of whether the case against this priest is strong enough for a jury to believe, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he killed another servant of the church more than a quarter-century ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OPPENHEIM: Paula, I will tell you just a little bit about the makeup of this jury.

Again, there are 12 jurors, four alternates. Ten of the 16 are women. Six are men. Nine out of the 16 have identified themselves as Christians. And four have identified themselves as Catholics -- Paula.

ZAHN: Keith, let's come back to some of the speculation involving the stab wounds on -- on the nun's body, inverted crosses. And there have been people who say that that is a sign of a satanic ritual. What are you being told? OPPENHEIM: Well, detectives have certainly talked about the crime scene, and saying that it looked like some sort of ritual ceremony had taken place.

But, today, when I was in court and listening to lead prosecutor Dean Mandros' opening arguments, he didn't make a great deal of reference to ritual killings, in terms of the strategy of their case. So, one gets the sense that prosecutors may be listening to advisers, who are saying, don't talk too much about ritual killing, because that could kind of muddy the waters for a jury.

Instead, do your best to try to link the priest to physical evidence, try to convince a jury that he was there at the crime scene, and give a jury a sense of that, more than talk about ritual killing.

ZAHN: Keith Oppenheim, thanks so much. I know you will be staying on the case for us.

And we're going to change lanes here pretty dramatically. We are going to give you whiplash. Which hurts the White House more, the dreary poll numbers or an unprecedented new onslaught on the president from Hollywood?

And, then, a little bit later on, my revealing interview with the always outspoken supermodel Janice Dickinson. You have seen her face just about everywhere. After a lifetime of face-lifts, Botox and more, why does she say she's a wreck?

Now on to number six on our CNN.com countdown -- 17 million of you logging on -- a story we mentioned a little bit earlier, demonstrations outside the capital in Tallahassee, Florida, to urge Governor Jeb Bush to take stronger action against guards involved in the death of a 14-year-old boy at a boot camp in January.

Number five -- not exactly a welcoming party today for the Chinese president. As he wrapped up his U.S. tour with a speech at Yale University, hundreds of people gathered on and around the campus to protest his visit -- number four straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Ahead in this half hour, President Bush taking a whole lot of new hits in Hollywood. If you thought the polls look bad, wait until you see how he looks in these new movies or how his likenesses do.

Was this Georgia college student talking about terror targets in the U.S. with another American? Well, tonight they are both facing federal charges, and we will go beyond the headlines in the case.

And then at the top of the hour, an exclusive on "LARRY KING LIVE," a rare interview with country mega-couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, as they start on a huge countrywide tour.

Now, here's what's happening at this moment. The military confirms a U.S. Marine died in combat in Anbar Province, Iraq. That happens to bring the total number of U.S. military deaths to 2,381 as of tonight.

A call from the U.S. to Russia to stop selling weapons and high- tech equipment to Iran because of its nuclear program. China and our European allies are also being asked to help.

And now we know that this thing was all one big hoax. A startling Internet video that showed protesters spray painting graffiti on the president's plane. It turns out it was all an elaborate prank, using a rented plane painted to look like Air Force One. It looked so real that even the Air Force checked for vandalism just in case.

Well, they're not the only ones going after President Bush this weekend. You can see two brand new movies that some people say are stepping over the line when it comes to politics. Both movies paint very unflattering pictures of the commander in chief. Is it all part of an unprecedented blitz from Hollywood against the Bush administration? Or is it just typical satire from that place in the country?

Entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson talked to some Hollywood people in the know.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice over): As if sagging poll numbers weren't enough for President Bush, he's also taking a beating at the box office.

KURT LODER, MTV NEWS: The more vulnerable George Bush becomes and the lower his ratings sink, I think the easier it is to come out and sort of attack him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only demo where you have an approval rating above 30 percent is with children under the age of five.

ANDERSON: Among the new comedies taking big swipes at the president, "American Dreamz" opens this weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you know that there are two kinds of Iraqi-stanis? I mean, actually three.

ANDERSON: And in a scene evoking the documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," the new hit comedy "Scary Movie 4" parodies the president's immediate reaction to the 9/11 attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A girl had a pet duck...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, the planet is under attack by aliens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'll handle that in a minute, but right now I want to see what happens with the duck.

ANDERSON: Targeting the White House is almost a tradition on the silver screen. During the Clinton years the movies "Primary Colors" and "Wag the Dog" seem to reflect the man in office. But now conservative blogger, Jason Apuzzo, says Hollywood's political satire is growing more vicious and less creative.

JASON APUZZO, CO-DIRECTOR, LIBERTY FILM FESTIVAL: I think Hollywood frankly is sort of running out of ideas. I don't think that was the case as much in the 70s. Robert Redford did "The Candidate," which was sort of a political satire at that time. I don't think that was nearly as hard edged as the kind of stuff you're seeing today.

ANDERSON: Actor Michael Douglas, who played a pleasant president in the 1995 film "The American President," offered this comment on Hollywood's political posture.

MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR: It's always fair and right for people to speak out, and I'm sure it's difficult for the present administration to hear a response so much coming from the entertainment industry.

ANDERSON: It's not only movie-makers. Some recording artists also are taking aim at President Bush. The Dixie Chicks' defiant new tune, "Not Ready to Make Nice" continues the trio's criticism of President Bush. And Neil Young is releasing a song entitled "Let's Impeach the President."

NEIL YOUNG, MUSICIAN: I feel like I'm exercising my right of free speech. We don't all have to believe in what our president believes to be patriotic.

ANDERSON: In print, "Rolling Stone Magazine" takes Mr. Bush to task in its new issue, boldly asking if he might be the worst president in history.

ERIC BATES, NATIONAL AFFAIRS CHIEF, "ROLLING STONE": We've been critical of the Bush administration all along. I think having him on the cover at this moment is going to provoke a lot of debate.

ANDERSON (on-camera): We asked the White House for a response to the salvos from the entertainment world and were told, quote, "The White House is not in the business of doing movie or music reviews."

(voice over): But Jason Apuzzo thinks Hollywood's presidential pot shots could back fire.

APUZZO: It's, in effect, just, you know, alienating half your audience. And I don't frankly see the compelling reason to do that unless you're just trying to make it a cheap political message.

ANDERSON: In the end, audiences will be the ones to decide whether lower presidential poll numbers translate into higher entertainment revenues.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: So the question tonight is showbiz or politics? Michael Medved has some answers. He is a movie critic and a conservative radio talk show host. He joins me from Seattle tonight. Always good to see you. MICHAEL MEDVED, MOVIE CRITIC: Thank you Paula.

ZAHN: All right. So we know "Wag the Dog" absolutely skewered the Clinton administration. So what's the big deal here? Isn't satire supposed to be unfair?

MEDVED: Well, sure it is. But "Wag the Dog" really wasn't focused on Bill Clinton. You may remember that it suggested that somebody had started a totally unnecessary war. And, you see, one of the things that people need to understand...

ZAHN: Right. To cover up a sex scandal.

MEDVED: Yes.

ZAHN: Yes, so there were certainly parallels as that story was perking.

MEDVED: Well, not really, because the president was older, and it wasn't exactly like Clinton. There were other movies. There was "Pennsylvania Avenue" that came out, that suggested that there was a presidential scandal and a secret serviceman and Wesley Snipes had to find it out.

And of course "Primary Colors" dealt with Bill Clinton, but "Primary Colors" presented a full, compelling, rich character as did an "American President." And there's no question at all that there was a lot of affection for Bill Clinton in the Hollywood community. There's none for George W. Bush. And, of course, I don't think that this is the box office that's driving this. This is...

ZAHN: But why wouldn't it be? Why would someone want to make these movies if they didn't think they were going to make money off of them?

MEDVED: Because the basic reason people make movies, Paula, is not just -- people of course want to break even or do better than that, but they also want to win the respect of their peers. And right now, you can take a silly little comedy like "American Dreamz" and all of a sudden get a lot of extra publicity and a lot of extra people, look how daring you're being, you're attacking President Bush. What's amazing...

ZAHN: But they still, Michael, aren't going to make these movies unless they take some money home. They don't want to lose money on this. And after all 48 percent of the public didn't vote for the president.

MEDVED: Well, you're right. But that's 51 percent of the public that did. And the point about this is you can see movies all the time that have been anti-Bush screens like "Silver City," John Sayles movie with Chris Cooper and Richard Dreyfuss. That movie made about 15 cents at the box office.

And the idea that there's an eager audience out there to see anti-Bush movies, people did go to see "Fahrenheit 9/11" in the midst of the election...

ZAHN: Sure.

MEDVED: But I really believe that most Americans even those who dislike Bush don't want to be reminded of him when they pay $10 to go out and see a movie on Saturday night.

ZAHN: I guess the proof of that will be out of the box office receipts this weekend. Won't it, Michael? We'll both check Monday morning. Always glad to have you on with us.

MEDVED: Thank you, great to talk with you.

ZAHN: Have a good weekend.

When we come back, we are going to go beyond the headlines tonight in the arrest of this college student in a federal terror investigation. What do newly unsealed court documents tell us about targeting U.S. cities for terrorist strikes?

And a little bit later on, what kind of supermodel fesses up to a face lift, breast implants, botox, collagen, the whole nine yards? My revealing interview with Janice Dickinson.

First though, number four on the CNN.com countdown, a haunting story we first brought you last night. The woman who captured a fiery car crash on her cell phone camera and then later discovered that her younger sister was killed in that very crash. You can see more of that coverage by logging on to CNN.com, clicking on watch video. Number three in our countdown up next.

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ZAHN: So we know they met. They planned. But was it all about plotting a major terrorist attack right here in the United States or just ridiculous talk? One thing's for sure, two young men face federal charges in the war against terror. And tonight we're learning more about the two men, both of whom happen to be American citizens. Rusty Dornin takes us "Beyond the Headlines."

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RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They met here at a mosque in Atlanta. Two young Muslim men joining in prayer and possibly something else. The family of Syed Ahmed says the 21-year- old was studying at Georgia Tech to fulfill his dream of becoming an electrical engineer.

The FBI believes part of his dream involved terrorism. He was arrested last month. Ehsanul Sadequee, who was living in this house in suburban Atlanta, was arrested earlier this week in Bangladesh. He had gone there to get married.

Court papers say Sadequee and Ahmed traveled to Canada last year. There, according to the affidavit, they met with three others considered to be Islamic extremists: men who already were subjects of an FBI international terrorism investigation. The affidavit says Ahmed told the FBI that the group "discussed strategic locations in the United States suitable for a terrorist strike, including oil refineries and military bases."

DAVID NAHMIAS, U.S. ATTORNEY: The charge against Mr. Ahmed is serious and it involves national security. And this case is going to be prosecuted with that in mind.

DORNIN: Neither man is being charged with actually planning a terrorist act. Ahmed is being charged with provide material support to terrorists, while Sadequee is charged with making false statements.

GREG JONES, FBI: Let me assure you that at no time were there any instances where there was immediate danger to the Atlanta area or here in the United States.

DORNIN: But court papers say that when Sadequee left the United States for Bangladesh, he was carrying maps of the Washington D.C. area. Ahmed's sister and mother live in suburban Atlanta. They believe he was targeted because he is Muslim.

FICA AHMED, SUSPECT'S SISTER: I was shocked, because I knew he's being accused of something he didn't do. You know, he's innocent and they're putting him in jail for nothing.

DORNIN: Back at the mosque where the two met, it was Friday prayers. Those who knew them are surprised. One of Ahmed's neighbors says he remembered seeing the pair together and knows Ahmed to be a kind and gentle man.

FAISAL SHAH, SUSPECT'S NEIGHBOR: I don't think he would do anything against Allah, especially terrorism, something ridiculous like that.

DORNIN: Ahmed pleaded not guilty this week to the charges, charges that can cast a dark cloud over a mosque like this. Leaders here say their platform is peace.

DR. KHALID SADDIQ, DIRECTOR, AL-FAROOQ MASJID: Our community is a very, you know, organized, peaceful community. The mosque itself has programs that are based solely on the religious aspect of the religion.

DORNIN (on camera): The defense attorneys say they are studying the court papers. Ahmed's attorney says he won't comment on the case. Sadequee's attorney says from what he knows of his client, the accusations are totally out of character. Rusty Dornin, CNN, Atlanta.

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ZAHN: And an FBI affidavit says that agents found two CD-ROMs hidden in the lining of Sadequee's suitcase when he was leaving the U.S. One of the disks was encrypted and the FBI has not been able to crack that code yet.

Still ahead, she's obviously one of the most beautiful women in the world. But just wait until you hear what supermodel Janice Dickinson tells me about her experience with plastic surgery.

First though, let's turn to Erica Hill with a "Headline News Biz Break." Erica?

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ZAHN: Coming up next, a supermodel whose face made her millions and millions and millions of dollars. But she says she's a wreck. My opening interview with Janice Dickinson at the top of the hour.

Plus, an exclusive on "LARRY KING LIVE," a rare interview with country superstars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

Now No. 3 on our CNN.com countdown: another mission on the big screen for the "Star Trek" crew. "Daily Variety" reports the 11th film in the series is in the works and will be released in fall 2008. The last feature "Star Trek Nemesis" came out four years ago. No. 2 on our list, right after this.

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ZAHN: She's wild. She's outspoken and controversial. Well, that's exactly how Janice Dickinson has lived her life in front of the camera. But behind the facade of a fascinating life, the self- proclaimed first supermodel is a very complex woman who happens to be full of contradictions. And right now you're about to see a side of her that will probably surprise you.

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ZAHN (voice over): This is the ugly side of plastic surgery on the face of a beautiful supermodel.

JANICE DICKINSON, SUPERMODEL PLASTIC SURGERY PATIENT: There is a moment where I did have a panic attack so I had to like hyperventilate and start breathing.

ZAHN (on-camera): Were you afraid he could ruin your face?

DICKINSON: A little bit, yes. The answer is yes.

ZAHN (voice over): A big risk. Janice Dickinson's face has made her millions posing for pictures. But these pictures are not about her glamour and beauty. Instead, Dickinson says they're her way to reveal the reality and popularity of what she calls Hollywood's dirty little secret, plastic surgery.

DICKINSON: I'm just here to admit that I had a little bit of work and so far, so good. You know, it's worked perfectly for me.

ZAHN: Dickinson has always been very vocal about the deception and smoke and mirrors used in the industry that has made her famous. And now, as a mother of two, she worries even more about the pressures put on young girls to look like those famous faces.

DICKINSON: I've seen celebrities on the covers of magazines that don't talk about it, that are doing young people, men and women alike, a disservice because they are saying, oh, I haven't had any work done when I know that they've had work done. And the doctors know that they've had the work bone, but they're walking around saying, oh, I would never do that.

ZAHN: Dickinson has never hidden her plastic surgery. She openly discusses the motivation and pressure to look young and perfect.

(on-camera): Remember that woman? Who is that woman?

DICKINSON: That woman is me with, yes, you know, prior to the breast implants and the botox.

ZAHN: And you didn't have to do much in the early days of your career?

DICKINSON: No, I didn't. Because I was really lucky. That's why I became a model in the first place because I was told I was pretty. I didn't feel pretty but I was told I was pretty.

ZAHN (voice over): In her supermodel heyday, Dickinson was on the cover of almost every fashion magazine, making $2,000 a day when other models made just $75. But underneath the glitz, the glamour and all the makeup, there was a sensitive and insecure young woman who never felt gorgeous.

DICKINSON: Because I was told as a young girl by my father that I should have been a boy, that, you know, I wasn't as pretty as the girl next door. I mean, I got it from my dominant male role model to begin with. So I had in the back of my head this competitive drive to be better and fix things up.

ZAHN: It wasn't until her early 30s that the pressure to be perfect motivated her to go under the knife. In her 40s, Janice turned to collagen and botox to remove the lines. Then in her 50s, the face lift.

DICKINSON: If I had it to do all over again, I think I would have waited a good while longer, because I'm not sending the right message now out to young people.

ZAHN (on-camera): Right, to accept yourself the way you are.

DICKINSON: Yes.

ZAHN (voice over): A message she wants people, especially young girls like her daughter to hear.

DICKINSON: Daily I tell my daughter that I love her, that she's gorgeous, that she's fabulous, walk straight, be really proud of yourself.

ZAHN: Despite this confidence as a mother, Janice, the woman, says she still struggles every day with feeling insecure and not good enough, a feeling so many women share, feelings she now knows won't go away with surgery, which brings us back to these pictures, the gory images of what she did to try to look young.

(on-camera): And now that you've had the surgery, do you feel perfect?

DICKINSON: No. I'm a wreck, Paula. No, because it just makes you look better. But, you know, my work is a constant job to try to be a better person for, A. my children, B. society, C. myself, because I have to -- I think a lot - most of the work now that I look back in retrospect, it all comes from within. And I wish that I know now what I did when I was a young girl, that I was OK, that I was good enough, because I just didn't feel good enough.

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ZAHN: All right. So you want to know how old she? Fifty-three. And, by the way, she says she's going to take a break from plastic surgery at least for now.

And at the top of the hour, "LARRY KING LIVE" exclusive, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and life in the spotlight and their fight to help Katrina victims.

Number two on our CNN.com countdown now, the five teenagers suspected of plotting a violent rampage at their Kansas high school won't be charged until next week. Authorities say the boys planned to shoot students and school employees to mark the date of the Columbine High School massacre, which happened April 20, 1999.

Number one on our list, the case of a man accused of raping two teen girls in South Carolina. It has state lawmakers pushing for the execution of anyone twice convicted of molesting a child. The state Senate already passed such a bill. It's now in the House.

We will be right back in a moment.

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ZAHN: A beautiful dry night out there at Columbus Circle, our front yard to our Time Warner headquarters. It is not going to look that way tomorrow. We are going to get two or three inches of rain, not that you needed to know the local weather forecast right now, but I am kind of fixated on that as we going into the weekend here.

And now there is just enough time for a quick trip to Moscow, where they have the -- yes, that's right -- pig Olympics. Check this out. Members of the Sport Pig Federation -- yes, there is an official federation -- brought their pets from as far away as South Africa to compete. Two of those guys got stuck.

Well, that wraps it up for all of us here tonight. Thanks so much for being with us. That one you didn't want to miss, did you? See you Monday night.

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