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Gore's Nobel Prize; Anna Nicole Smith Death Probe; Pres. Bush Delivers Speech on Trade Policy; Girl Molested on Flight?; Dear Abby & Gay Marriage

Aired October 12, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: That move "An Inconvenient Truth," garnered an Emmy, an Oscar and now Al Gore has become the latest Nobel peace prize winner, and as we just heard moments ago, in that he wants to quickly find a way to use this recognition, this award to promote change. He says we have a long ways to go.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And we were talking also about the criticism. You're always going to have critics and they were talking about the science in all of this, but I think the overall belief in this is that there may be some flaws in it, and, of course, that should be addressed but it took someone like Al Gore to bring the attention to it, and that's the reason he's getting -- the main reason he's getting this award is because he's a voice in all of this and brought attention to what many believe is one of the biggest problems facing our planet.

NGUYEN: Now, some people are questioning with all of this attention, does this mean that he could use this platform to possibly rub for president once again, and we're going to be talking to someone who knows Al Gore very, very well and that's Donna Brazile. She's going to be speaking with us very shortly about what this means for Al Gore and could he decide to run?

LEMON: Yes. She would know.

NGUYEN: She would know.

LEMON: She would be the one to know, absolutely. Betty is going to talk to Donna Brazile in just a little while. That should be a very interesting conversation.

In the meantime, some are asking why Al Gore should get a peace prize. After all, what does global warming have to do with global conflict? As it turns out a lot and that's according to the pentagon itself. Here's our pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: South Asia, rising sea levels, millions living along the coast, must move inland. In the Middle East, growing water shortages, another generation of refugees on the move. North Africa, drought, crop failures and famine. Refugees escape and fill Europe. Many experts predict disasters like these can be expected as a result of global warming, but it's more than humanitarian and refugee crises. For the U.S. military it could also mean war. SHERRI GOODMAN, CNA CORPORATION: The instability that's likely to be aggravated by climate change becomes a petrie dish for extremism and terrorism and those who would wish ill upon our own country.

STARR: It's one reason the U.S. military has a new four-star command for Africa, having troops ready to help the most vulnerable, even in Darfur if it came to that, but also ready to hunt down al Qaeda in places like Somalia where governments have collapsed.

Sherry Goodman has overseen a study on the threat posed by global warming. Now congress has ordered the intelligence community to assess the security threat from having millions of displaced persons and nations potentially fight over water, land and food.

GOODMAN: The combination of sea level rise increased extreme weather events, droughts, floods, melting glaciers, melting arctic and Antarctic ice, will make it more difficult in already complicated regions of the world.

STARR: The U.S. is not immune. Goodman points out that drought in the southwest and Mexico will make the immigration problem only deepen on the border.

Experts agree that the U.S. military really remains the only organization capable of the large-scale humanitarian relief efforts that the years ahead may require.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the pentagon.

NGUYEN: Well, let's get you straight to the newsroom and Fredericka Whitfield with a developing story dealing with Anna Nicole Smith.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Betty, and possibly problems now for some of the doctors who were prescribing medication to Anna Nicole Smith before the 39-year-old died in Florida in that hotel room.

You're looking at aerial views right now of law enforcement officials who have descended upon the residence of one of the doctors of Anna Nicole Smith. Christine Oreskovich is the doctor and apparently the California Department of Justice carried out eight search warrants today, many of which involved the former doctors of Anna Nicole Smith. While the Florida coroner a while back claimed she died of an accidental overdose, there's been a lot of questions surrounding exactly what was she prescribed, how much of it, what were the instructions on how she should have taken it and who helped administer the drugs if they weren't all kind of self-administered by the form of say like pills or anything like that.

But what's interesting, too, is when these officials descend upon the residence of Dr. Oreskovich, also there was Howard K. Stern, who is the one-time live-in companion and attorney that you see on the left-hand side in file pictures there of the screen. He was at the Oreskovich's house. What Howard K. Stern's attorney is saying in a written statement is that he happened to be at that location because his dogs were there. He had been out of town. He was returning from out of town, picking up his dogs and that's all that will be said.

So still unclear exactly what's been collecting from this residence as well as office space and also a storage space of one of two doctors that are at the center of this the search warrants for today but certainly quite the presence at this residence alone, and they have been there for quite some time collecting what. Still unclear right now. Betty.

NGUYEN: To be very clear, Howard K. Stern was not there and not one of the recipients of one of those warrants.

WHITFIELD: He just happened to be there, his attorneys say, picking up his dogs.

NGUYEN: Interesting. Fredericka Whitfield, thank you.

LEMON: Now as you saw here live on CNN, a Florida jury acquitted the guards and a nurse at a boot camp for youth charged in connection with an inmate's death who is 14 years old. A tape of what happened sparked interest in the case and prompted the Florida legislature to order all such camps shut down. It shows guards, several guards, hitting and kicking 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson as a camp nurse looked on. Anderson died the next day and a county coroner testified that Anderson died of a sickle cell strait but a second autopsy concluded that the guards suffocated Anderson. The all white jury took 90 minutes to acquit the eight defendants.

We'll get you live now. This is a trade policy speech he's talking about. He's making remarks on this to spark hemispheric trade and the need for trade agreements with Peru, Colombia and all these statements are according to the White House. He's developing these remarks at the Center for Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami and the president after he leaves there he'll head to Crawford, his ranch for the weekend. The president speaking live now in Miami, Florida.

NGUYEN: Well, Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy is recovering from surgery today to clear a blocked artery in his neck. Kennedy's office says doctors removed a blockage in one of his arteries and he should be up and around again soon. That blockage was found in a routine check of a decades-old back injury. Kennedy is 75 years old and he was first elected to the senate in 1962.

LEMON: His bedroom was packed with weapons. His parents say he felt bullied. Police say he was planning a Columbine-style attack on a school he never attended. The 14-year-old Pennsylvania boy is charged as a juvenile with solicitation to commit terror. He's in juvenile detention while he undergoes a psychiatric evaluation.

Also under arrest, the boy's mother. She is accused of buying some of the weapons he was storing as well as corruption of a minor and child endangerment.

BRUCE CASTOR, MONTGOMERY COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We alleged that she purchased the .9 millimeter for her son, allowed him to have the black powder gun powder and the instruments to make the grenades, and I don't think she had anything to do with planning this attack, but by virtue of her indulgence she enabled him to get into this position.

LEMON: We see Bruce Castor, the Montgomery County district attorney, and he adds that when police searched the boy's room with the parent's permission these weapons were in plain sight. Police say the father also tried to buy the boy a rifle two years ago because he wasn't allowed to because of his prison record.

NGUYEN: An 11-year-old girl claims she was sexually molested on a cross-country airline flight. The family is now suing Delta Airlines.

Our Susan Candiotti joins us now with the details on this. This could be pretty shocking, especially for a lot of parents traveling.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, if true certainly. So we'll tell you about this lawsuit. This alleged incident happened in January when the little girl was 11. Her family paid a fee to Delta because she was flying alone from San Diego to Atlanta. The negligence lawsuit claims the youngster was sitting next to a man who stroked the girl's face while rubbing himself. When the man temporarily got up, the suit says, the girl asked a flight attendant to change her seat and was refused. The man returned and allegedly molested the girl a second time before the girl's seat was changed.

Now a lawyer for the youngster says her mother called several agencies, including the FBI, Atlanta police, police in Huntsville where the mother lives and the FAA, even the NTSB. The mother claims no one has taken any action.

Now CNN has contacted all these law enforcement agencies. So far we can tell you that the Atlanta airport police confirms it knew about the alleged incident and referred it to the FBI. The FBI says that its Atlanta office did not receive word of it. However, it is now checking with its Huntsville office and they say they were checking with Birmingham right now. However, this matter would be in the hands of the FBI if such an incident took place of molestation aboard a plane. Delta has no comment on the newly filed lawsuit and says it is looking into the allegations. The girl who is now 12 years old is said to be undergoing mental health treatment at this time.

NGUYEN: I don't know how much information has been released as this is an ongoing case, but it's one thing to say can I change my seat, but it's another to say look this guy is doing this to me and I need to move seats. Do we have any indication if that was presented?

CANDIOTTI: We don't have those details yet.

NGUYEN: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: They are not outlined in the complaint, but the lawyer did tell us that initially when the girl was sitting next to the man before anything allegedly happened she asked to have her seat changed because she said this man is in her words freaky, weird and I want to have my seat changed. NGUYEN: Gotcha.

CANDIOTTI: And it didn't happen then.

NGUYEN: All right. Susan, thank you for that.

LEMON: Police in New York are reviewing more than 50 hours of security video from Columbia University, video taken near the professor's office where a noose was found earlier this week. The noose was discovered Tuesday at Columbia's Teachers College just outside an office used by an African American professor.

Police were called back to Columbia yesterday when a swastika and a caricature of a yamika-wearing man were discovered on a stall inside the bathroom. Police say there's no reason to believe that the incidents are related, say police.

NGUYEN: Now that Al Gore has a Nobel peace prize under his belt, will he be warming to a presidential bid? We'll speak to one of his closest political advisors this hour. Don't miss it.

LEMON: And Dear Abby, need some advice? She tells readers what she really thinks about gay marriage. She will join us in a minute to explain.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: It is 14 past the hour. Here are three of the stories that we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Former vice president Al Gore will share the Nobel peace prize for his work on global warming. Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" has been credited with focusing attention on that issue, and Gore will share the prize with the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Senator Ted Kennedy had surgery today to repair a partially blocked artery in his neck. His office says it was fine and the Massachusetts democrat could leave the hospital in a few days.

We're also hearing eight search warrants have been served in connection with the death of Anna Nicole Smith. The former "Playboy" playmate died in February of a drug overdose. The warrant appears to target two doctors.

LEMON: Political analysts say gay marriage will again play a huge role in the upcoming election and gay Americans, some are calling for a constitutional ban and others say it should be legal. It's a hot political issue and for some people it's more than political, it's downright personal.

This week popular personal advice columnist Dear Abby was honored for her support of gay marriage. Thousands of people read her column daily and write to her with her problems. Here's what she said in a letter to a family dealing with a day brother's view on gay marriage. She wrote, "Accepting the status quo is not always the best thing to do. Women were once considered chattel, and slavery was regarded as sanctioned in the Bible." She goes on to say, "However, western society grew to recognize that neither was just. Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain have recognized gay marriage, and one day, perhaps, our country will, too."

Joining me now from Washington it's Jeanne Phillips who we're just going to say Dear Abby because that's what you like to be called, Dear Abby.

You had to know that this was going to be controversial but to you it's personal. Why did you come out and say that?

JEANNE PHILLIPS, DEAR ABBY: Well, first of all, I didn't know it was going to be controversial.

Here's what happened. I was giving an interview to an A.P. reporter named Lisa Leff and the conversation went on a little longer than anticipated and we covered more subjects really than I expected it would.

I'm being given something called the straight for equality award by this group. Pflag is the oldest and most respected group that I want to say lobbies for gays but they don't do it quite that politically. It's parents and friends of lesbians and gays and what they want to do is create a dialogue in which people -- in which when people hear homophobic comments what they will do is have the guts to say I have some gay friends and I don't think that's all that funny or that they will say I have a gay cousin and that's hurtful.

LEMON: Again, Dear Abby, why is this personal for you?

PHILLIPS: I don't know. I guess I just have a sense of fair play. I have some wonderful gay friends, and I think that they should be entitled to all the civil rights that everybody else has.

LEMON: And your mom, your mom started all of this, didn't she?

PHILLIPS: Yes, she did. My mother started the column in 1956.

LEMON: And she started all this meaning she actually wrote, didn't she write advice to someone regarding gay marriage or regarding homosexuality?

PHILLIPS: I believe that my mother had met a woman named Adele Starr, and Adele Starr was the woman who started Pflag and they were of like minds in certain areas and among those areas was the fact that there should be understanding that homosexuality is as natural as heterosexuality and that it's genetically based and that it isn't a choice.

LEMON: OK. I found the interview very interesting because you know the administration, the current administration, has been in support of banning gay marriage and also a constitutional amendment, and just on "The Daily Show" just two days ago Lynne Cheney, the wife of the vice president, for the first time at least in my memory, she spoke out about her daughter.

PHILLIPS: Yes.

LEMON: Who is gay and talked about the subject of gay marriage and seemed to think that gay people should be allowed to have any type of relationship they want. Let's take a listen and then we'll talk about it.

PHILLIPS: Thanks.

LYNNE CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT'S WIFE: I think he's made some of the best statements on the subject that I November, and in the 2000 debate with Joe Lieberman when asked about gay marriage he said, you know, this is a free country and people ought to be able to enter into the relationships they want. Freedom means freedom for everyone, and I think that is pretty much a bottom line.

LEMON: She went on to say right after that that both she and her husband believe that they don't believe in a ban, an amendment to the constitution banning gay marriage. Are you surprised by that?

PHILLIPS: Well, I can only say this. One, I wasn't familiar with that interview, and, two, I never thought I'd agree with the Cheneys on anything.

LEMON: That's all you have to say on the subject.

PHILLIPS: Yes.

LEMON: Let's talk about our latest poll. We did a poll back -- CNN did back in August, and it said should gay marriages be recognized by law? Should it be as valid?

40 percent said yes. 57 percent say no.

PHILLIPS: I don't agree with the 57 percent. I'm with the minority. Perhaps when the dialogue starts people will begin to talk, and when talk happens, there's understanding that's generated so I think that perhaps dialogue is healthy in this issue.

LEMON: OK. Another question, gay or lesbian couples should be allowed to have same-sex marriages, 24 percent said they should and civil unions 37 percent and neither 43 percent, and we go on to say a family member of a close friend who is gay or lesbian, do you have one? 45 percent say yes and 55 percent say no, they don't.

Why do you think this is such a big deal when it comes to politics in our country?

PHILLIPS: I think it's a cheap shot and an easy vote-getter.

LEMON: Yes.

PHILLIPS: They are playing on people's lack of understanding about this subject, and I really think it's a very sad state of affairs.

LEMON: And you received this award yesterday which was National Coming Out Day which holds a little bit more weight. That's why they probably did it on that day, gave this to you, and much has been made, especially now with georgizations to back away from talking about gay marriage and start talking about straight allies, that's the focus now, and you are a straight ally when it comes to the gay community.

PHILLIPS: I guess I am.

LEMON: How do you take that? What do you take with the responsibility of that?

PHILLIPS: I don't see it as any more of a responsibility as being the kind of person I already am. I agree with Lynne Cheney, I said before, but I'm surprised I do. I think it's a sense of justice, too. As a matter of fact, I believe our constitution, the bill of rights, says something we have the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, and if gay people are not allowed to have the full rights that are guaranteed in this country, then doggone, it I think they deserve one hell of a tax break.

LEMON: And what do you think this impact will be to your readers and viewers, because you have a very huge impact in that country with that column every day?

PHILLIPS: Anybody who reads my column regularly will know that I'm not saying anything that's much different than what I've already been saying.

LEMON: Yes.

PHILLIPS: This should not come as a shock to anybody.

LEMON: Dear Abby, congratulations on your award.

PHILLIPS: Thanks.

LEMON: Have a great weekend.

PHILLIPS: Will do. You, too.

LEMON: All right.

PHILLIPS: Another person who is having a great weekend, Al Gore. He just won the Nobel peace prize, so will he try to ride the honor to the White House? Well, coming up in NEWSROOM the word from inside the Democratic Party. You'll want to stick around for this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, this may not come as a surprise. The rich are not only getting richer but the gap between the rich and the poor is wider than ever.

Susan Lisovicz is now at the New York Stock Exchange and the rich are acquiring their wealth as we speak.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE: Hi Betty. That's right. I mean we have seen this trend for a long time but when you look at the numbers, they are still startling. The top 1 percent of American earners are doing better than ever. Topping the highs reached during the dot-com days. The most recent figures available from the IRS, the top 1 percent took home 21.2 percent of all income for the year and compared to what the bottom 50 percent earn. The bottom 50 which includes many middle-class workers earned less than 13 percent of all of the income made in '05. That means the top 1 percent earns a lot more than the bottom 50 percent all together. Scholars attribute rising inequality to globalization, technological changes that favor those with more skills, the big gains here on Wall Street and the increasingly common practice of superstar salaries and business, sports as well as entertainment.

Betty.

PHILLIPS: You know, this is a hot political issue, especially as we continue to see jobs, good jobs, going overseas.

LISOVICZ: That's right, and, I mean, it's something that a lot of companies have to hear and one of the most recent executives to hear it was the CEO of Wal-Mart. He was asked about it at a retailing conference yesterday. The questioner wanted to know why Wal-Mart doesn't buy more American products which would help keep jobs here. Lee Scott says poor people rely on the retailer's cheap imports to survive. He calls this -- this issue economic nationalism. He says one in five his customers don't have a checking account and in his words do not have the luxury of making a broader social statement. He added that Wal-Mart is willing to pay a small premium for American goods but that some products cannot be made in the U.S. ever again, so it is a vicious circle, catch-22. Turning to Wall Street, well, there are gains here, broad gains. That was also the case yesterday afternoon, but right about now the market turned lower in the final two hours. Fortunately we're seeing a consistent rally. The Dow right now up 72 points or half a percent, 14,088. The NASDAQ composite is up 1 percent, and in the next hour the real estate market slumps, the buyers who are left increasingly speak English as a second language. I'll tell you why in the next hour of NEWSROOM.

Betty and Don, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thank you, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

LEMON: Eight months after Anna Nicole Smith's overdose death search warrants are served on a pair of doctors. We'll tell you about them right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Get you straight to the newsroom and Fredericka Whitfield with the details on a developing story.

What do you have for us, Fred?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, eight months after her death, now still lingering questions about the moments that led up to Anna Nicole Smith's declared accidental overdose death. Today the Department of Justice in California, executed eight search warrants at homes, places of business, and places that were linked to two of the doctors who were known to have prescribed prescription drugs, or at least some sort of medical advice to Anna Nicole Smith.

And moments ago the Attorney General Jerry Brown, for California, answered some of the questions that many people still have eight months now after Anna Nicole Smith's death, in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY BROWN, ATTORNEY GENERAL, CALIFORNIA: We're looking into a number of possible violations, all right? And what the specific ones are we're not going to say today, because we're not going to limit our investigation. But, ultimately, when we present this for filing of charges then all the evidence will be assembled. And I don't want to start letting out bits and pieces before that happens because it could jeopardize the investigation, witnesses talk to one another, we just don't want to put out any more than what we're doing, because a lot of it is already in the media and we want to give you a definitive base of information that you can rely on.

QUESTION: But it seems like you're headed down a road where someone could be charged with murder or homicide?

BROWN: You don't go to a judge and get a search warrant for somebody's home, unless you think some rather serious crime has been committed, so that's certainly part of the equation here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Search warrants have been executed as the Attorney General Jerry Brown is underscoring there because there still are some mysteries surrounding her death, even though a Florida coroner declared it was an accidental overdosing.

Today, we were able to show you pictures of the residence of one of the doctors, Khristine Eroshevich, that were being searched. And as we understand it there's still a law enforcement presence at that home. You see on the right-hand side of the screen, the aerial view of that home, but we don't know exactly what has been seized from that residence. Also, this doctor's office space was also searched.

So until we get a clear picture from the attorney general's office as to exactly what they are searching for, I think all of us are going to be somewhat in the dark about where this investigation is leading now -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. Thank you so much, Fred. We'll be checking in with you.

Don. LEMON: And you heard it right here on CNN, Betty, just a short time ago, former Vice President Al Gore reacting to today's big honor. Gore was named co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. The prize was for raising awareness for global warming. Here he is speaking in Palo Alto, California, just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GORE, FMR. NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER: It's the most dangerous challenge we've ever faced, but it is also the greatest opportunity that we have ever had to make changes, that we should be making for other reasons, anyway.

This is a chance to elevate global consciousness about the challenges that we face now. Just two weeks ago there was a report from part of the scientific community about the accelerated melting of the north polar ice cap. Now, unbelievably, they tell us that unless we act with great urgency, the entire north polar ice cap could be gone in less than 23 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was Al Gore speaking in Palo Alto, California about, that honor moments ago. Donna Brazile, remember her? She was campaign advisor to Al Gore and also Al Gore's bon vivant, if we can say that. She will be joining our Betty Nguyen, in just a little bit, to talk more about Al Gore and this honor.

We want to hear from you. Go to CNN.com and cast your quick vote. Are Al Gore and the climate change panel deserving winners of the Nobel Peace Prize? Log on and vote. And we'll keep tabs on results throughout the afternoon right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Right now, though, we want to get you to a CNN exclusive, 911 tapes from the night a New York woman died in custody at the Phoenix airport. Carol Gotbaum's husband was frantically trying to warn airport emergency workers his wife was suicidal and an alcoholic. Well, he didn't know she was already dead. Our Alina Cho has been following the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): What you are Reporter: what you're about to hear is the desperate voice of Noah Gotbaum frantically trying to get in touch with police to tell him his wife Carol was emotionally disturbed, and need to be treated with kid gloves. What he didn't know at the time was that Carol, his beloved wife, had already died, shackled and alone in a holding cell. In fact, by the time her husband was calling, she had already been dead an hour.

(BEGIN AUDIO TAPE)

NOAH GOTBAUM, HUSBAND OF CAROL GOTBAUM: They are waiting for her down in Cottonwood at --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

GOTBAUM: At the rehab center down there --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

GOTBAUM: She is suicidal, uh, obviously she is, uh, she has been -- she is an alcohol abusive --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-huh?

GOTBAUM: But she is also in deep depression and, uh, the police have to understand that they're not dealing with someone who's been just drinking on a flight and --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

GOTBAUM: -- acting rowdy. That's not what's going on here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Yeah, I think somebody talked to the other dispatcher on that earlier and -- we passed along that information.

GOTBAUM: Well, but, again, I have not heard anything back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I don't know. You know, unfortunately,

GOTBAUM: It concerns me, Mike, that they have not called me that they're just dealing with her, that she is all alone --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-huh.

GOTBAUM: OK? Because, um, she should not be.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CHO: At this point the airport and police both knew Carol Gotbaum was dead but they weren't telling Noah anything. Phoenix police tell us that's because proper protocol is to finish their preliminary investigation before notifying next of kin. Also this morning, for the first time the family of Noah Gotbaum is speaking out extensively about who she was, what led to her alcoholism and depression, and how they believe she was man-handled by police.

DOUG MULLER, CAROL GOTBAUM'S BROTHER-IN-LAW: I think Carol must have been so desperate, so desperate. And in my heart what I believe was -- it was a cry for help. She believed she need to get on to that airplane for the sake of her children, to get help for the struggle she was going through, and she was prepared to do that at any cost.

CHO: Police have maintained Gotbaum accidentally strangled herself while trying to escape from the handcuffs. Exactly how she died is still a mystery, Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Be sure to tune into "AC 360" tonight for a special report of who is Carol Ann Gotbaum. That's tonight 10:00 eastern only on CNN.

LEMON: Al Gore and his Nobel Peace Prize. Will he try to ride the honor to the White House? Huh. Coming up in the NEWSROOM, the word from inside the Democratic Party, and guess who has that for you? Miss Donna Brazile. I see her smiling in the preview window right there.

Hey, Donna.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. If you haven't heard yet, Al Gore is co- winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. The former vice president shares the award with the U.N. Climate Change Panel, for sounding the alarm on global warming. Now Gore spoke, just a short time ago, in Palo Alto, California. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GORE, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER: I will be doing everything I can to try to understand how to best use the honor and recognition of this award as a way of speeding up the change in awareness, and the change in urgency. It truly is a planetary emergency, and we have to respond quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All this does nothing, of course, to squelch speculation Gore might still, despite his denials, run again for president. So joining us now from Washington with a big announcement, former Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile.

I'm hyping it up but we'll go ahead and put it out there. Donna, is he going to run?

DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: First of all, this is a very exciting day for Al Gore. We're all proud of Al Gore for his tremendous achievement in winning a Nobel Prize and sharing it with a very important agency.

Look, Al Gore has said repeatedly after winning the Oscars, after winning an Emmy, that his important work right now on climate change, and making the world more aware of the dangers we all face on this planet, that's his most important passion. So I believe Al Gore has already shut the door for 2008. But, look, some of us will always like to keep a crack in a window because he is not just a viable candidate, but a man of integrity, a man of deep passion.

And you saw in this announcement here is a man who has used his stature, he's used the office of the vice presidency and now as citizen Al Gore to continue to raise public awareness about climate change. I'm proud of his achievement. I wish him and I'm going to toast him tonight somehow or another, just to celebrate this enjoyable moment for him, and as well as Tipper Gore, who has been there at his side every step of the way.

NGUYEN: Have you spoken with him yet? BRAZILE: I e-mailed him. I like to e-mail Al Gore.

NGUYEN: The new thing.

BRAZILE: I e-mailed him at 5:15 this morning and received an e- mail back. I e-mailed Tipper as well. And, look, I love them both. They are good people. I have known him for over two and a half years. I know Al Gore is quite happy at this moment because, look, this is a man who has tried to put this issue on the public radar screen. And now with this award, this achievement, a book, the world is more aware. And the world will be better off in the future because Al Gore made a difference. There's an old cliche, one person can make a difference, well, Al Gore now epitomizes what that means.

NGUYEN: You know on that same token now, though, you say you don't want to shut the door. You don't want to shut the door, you want to leave it cracked open a little bit. You're not alone. A group called draftgore.com has taken out a full-page ad in "The New York Times" pleading with him, please, would you run for president. And a lot of people will say, Donna, you know, the best place to champion global warming and to create a change is from the White House. Doesn't he consider that at all, the power of that?

BRAZILE: Al Gore will champion this issue no matter if he's sitting in the Oval Office or he's sitting on an airplane crisscrossing the world to force foreign leaders, as well as our own domestic leaders, to take a stance.

Look around you today. All the democratic presidential candidates have strong statements on the environment and climate change, including some Republicans like John McCain. They are talking about capping greenhouse gas emissions, by upwards of 40 some, 60 some, 80 percent by 2050. So, I think he's already making a difference. You don't have to -- it's not where you sit in life, it's where you stand. And Al Gore has been standing up for this planet and standing up for environment for many, many decades.

NGUYEN: Well, some may say is he a little fearful standing up against Hillary?

BRAZILE: Oh, please. Al Gore is more than prepared to -- not just be our president, you know he came in first place last time. But the truth of the matter is that this is a very important campaign for Al Gore. He's running a different kind of campaign. You don't have to be in electoral politics to make a difference. And Al Gore once again has proved that you can use the power of your voice to make a change, and to raise awareness. And, again, we're just so proud of his achievement.

NGUYEN: Donna, you know, you've spent a lot of time with this man, 2000 campaign, you were the manager. And right now, let me get your honest opinion, considering everything, the Oscar, the Emmy, and now the Nobel Peace Prize, would you advise him to run?

BRAZILE: And a best-seller book.

NGUYEN: Yes.

BRAZILE: Let's remind people about that. Al Gore has many achievements under his belt.

You know, the door for 2008 is quickly being closed by some of the early deadlines to get on the ballot. And while there are no barriers for someone like Al Gore, if he decides to run, I think Al Gore has already made it very clear. I don't know if he needs to speak in French, but he said in English many times, he's a recovering politician.

And, again, he will endorse someone, he will play a very important role in getting a Democrat in the White House in 2008, and increasing the Democratic majority in Congress.

NGUYEN: All right, Donna, I've got to take you to the mat, is that a yes or a no?

BRAZILE: For Al Gore running in 2008?

NGUYEN: Would you advise him?

BRAZILE: Would I advise Al Gore to run in 2008, well, once upon a time when it was early in the season I wanted him to run because I'm out here flirting with all of the candidates. It would have made my dating season a whole lot better. But as it stands now, I'll still be without a date, but I've got a honey coming on, so we'll be OK.

Al Gore, keep up the great work. We're proud of you and this is from everybody. I think the whole country, today, is proud of Al Gore.

NGUYEN: Donna, we appreciate your time and honesty with us today.

BRAZILE: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Thanks so much.

You can see all the day's political news any time day or night at cnn.com/ticker. We're constantly updating it for you with the latest from the candidates on the campaign trail.

LEMON: Did she really answer it?

NGUYEN: I don't think so.

LEMON: I don't think she answered it.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: But she's a very happy woman, very proud of Al Gore.

LEMON: She's a smart lady, she didn't answer it. Come on, Donna, would you advise? She's there going, no, no, no. That's question. That was a very good interview.

NGUYEN: She's always very fun.

LEMON: Enjoyed that.

OK, we're going to turn now to something really serious. Eight months after Anna Nicole Smith's overdose death search warrants reportedly served on a pair of doctors. We'll have a live report straight ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Straight to the NEWSROOM now, and Fredericka Whitfield who has been working on a developing story for us.

What do you have, Fred?

WHITFIELD: This in Texas, Betty, in the Fort Worth/Dallas area, particularly in Arlington.

Well, right now, if you take a look at these live pictures, police have descended on a neighborhood there in Arlington, Texas, on Carter Drive, because they are pursuing -- now these are taped pictures that we've just received. They are pursuing an individual who is either a person of interest or even potentially a suspect connected to the fact that they found three bodies, officials did, three bodies were located in Fort Worth on Minh (ph) Street.

We don't know the circumstances as to who made the discovery of these bodies in a household on Minh (ph) Street. But somehow investigators are trying to connect the dots now with the bodies located in Fort Worth, and now a potential suspect or person of interest in Arlington, Texas.

So as soon as we get any more information about the circumstances linking these two locations, we'll be able to bring that to you as soon as possible.

NGUYEN: All right, Fred. We thank you for that.

LEMON: And with Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his work fighting global warming, it once again puts a spotlight on the environment. As part of our "Planet in Peril" series we put these powerful images to a song by REM called "Till the Day is Done." The song will be on their new album, but that won't be out until spring, so this is your chance to hear it early.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": From the air you really get a sense of just how much of this rainforest has already been destroyed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking at endangered turtles being sold in a Chinese marketplace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): Until the day is done, until the day is done --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is literally one species that holds the cards. It's our species, human beings, that controls the future for just about every life form on our planet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): Until the day is done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: "The Planet in Peril," a CNN special with Anderson Cooper airs Tuesday and Wednesday, October 23rd and 24th at 9:00 Eastern.

NGUYEN: Well, eight months after Anna Nicole Smith's overdose death, search warrants reportedly were served on a pair of doctors. We'll have a live report. That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK, eight months ago, Anna Nicole Smith died, and things are still being sorted out when it comes to her death. Let's go straight to California now, Kareen Wynter, working on the developing story where it concerns Anna Nicole Smith.

A pair of doctors, apparently, their homes have been searched. You just went to a press conference, correct?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Hi there, Don.

We learned quite a bit of information, the attorney general holding a press conference here in downtown L.A. Really revealing what's going on right now in terms of those search warrants that were conducted at homes of two doctors. Let me make it clear. The attorney general, Don, says no arrests have been made, and that it's too premature to even talk about charges. But this is what we know, the attorney general wouldn't name those doctors, but CNN was able to confirm that Smith's former psychiatrist Doctor Khristine Eroshevich, Doctor Sandeep Kapoor, who reportedly prescribed methadone to Smith, that warrants were conducted earlier today.

We actually, Don, had crews outside of Doctor Kapoor's office, our cameras were rolling at that time. And saw quite a bit of activity there. In addition to that, outside of Doctor Eroshevich, what appears to be have been her residence. So that's where things stand on that end.

The Department of Justice, they wouldn't say how many search warrants were issued. But they said quite a bit were conducted in connection with the death investigation of Anna Nicole Smith and the prescription drugs that she took.

Here's a little bit more of what prompted that investigation from the attorney general.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JERRY BROWN, ATTORNEY GENERAL, CALIFORNIA: The investigation started when I reviewed the fact that all these different dangerous drugs and controlled substances were part of the death of Anna Nicole Smith. And I learned that these were California doctors, and California prescriptions. So based on that and -- I had the Department of Justice commence the investigation, and it's been going full bore since that time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: And California attorney general also touched on in that news conference, Don, that this was quite extensive here. We are talking about a review of more than 100,000 computer images and files as well as pharmacy logs, and witness interviews, not only here in the U.S. but also abroad.

Justice officials wouldn't comment, again, on specifics of the investigation in terms of charges. They said right now that there are no arrests, but they are in their infancy stage, and that could change.

One other thing I wanted to mention, Don, Howard K. Stern, Smith's former companion -- and you know this is a case that's been so bizarre. There have been so many twists and turns here, Howard K. Stern was seen at the house of Smith's former psychiatrist Doctor Eroshevich, earlier this morning. And it turns out, his attorney confirmed to CNN, that it's because he was picking up his dogs. She was apparently dog sitting for him -- Don.

LEMON: It's so -- I mean, a complicated story that gets more complicated even as time goes on. All right, Kareen Wynter, we appreciate that report. Thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, here's another story for you, Britney Spears will be spending more time with the family. The court has agreed to let her two young children stay overnight once a week. The court-appointed monitor will have to be there, too. The pop star's lawyers are asking the court to appoint her mother as that monitor, but that hasn't been decided just yet. Ex-husband Kevin Federline won custody of the boys earlier this month because of Spears' issues with drugs and alcohol.

LEMON: One is a Democrat, one is a Republican. they both want to be president. Do they both really agree on a plan to stabilize Iraq? Yes, they do. Details coming up in CNN NEWSROOM.

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