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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
John McCain Fighting Back; Hillary Clinton Getting Personal; Federal Reserve Sounds the Economic Alarm; Wife of Fugitive Marine Speaks Up; A Look Inside the Church of Scientology
Aired January 17, 2008 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: In 2000, Senator McCain was the target of dirty politics. This time though, he's fighting back. We have all the angles tonight.
Also tonight, in the case of the murdered pregnant marine, the wife of the fugitive marine accused of killing Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach makes a stunning admission and police believe they may have found the murder weapon. We'll bring you the latest on the investigation.
Plus -- a video the Church of Scientology does not want you to see. It stars Tom Cruise, but he's not acting, he's preaching. It is a rare look inside a secretive and controversial religion.
We begin, however, with politics. All the Democrats took a break from Nevada today to grip and grin in California.
Here's what it looked like today on the trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
John Edwards spoke to hundreds of supporters at a rally in Los Angeles and took some swipes at Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger while he was at it.
In San Francisco, Barack Obama targeted women voters at a round table meeting focused on women's economic issues.
Meantime, Hillary Clinton visited a church in Compton, California, promising health to revitalize this troubled, largely black city.
The Republicans were all over South Carolina.
John McCain gave a speech in Columbia. While Mike Huckabee stopped by Clemson University. McCain and Huckabee are in a virtual tie in the race.
Rudy Giuliani meantime was, well, where else? Florida -- stopping by a rally in Fort Walton Beach. (END VIDEO TAPE)
Now Giuliani may not think so but South Carolina's Republican primary on Saturday is a key race and it has been for decades.
Since 1980, no candidate has won the Republican nomination without winning South Carolina. And just as it has in past years, the race in that state is getting dirty.
Whispers and false stories about John McCain began to fly today.
CNN's Joe Johns is "Keeping Them Honest".
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John McCain walked into South Carolina knowing what he was in for.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know that a lot of nasty things are going on. Ignore that kind of stuff.
JOHNS: South Carolinas has a lot of nasty things going on, which are pretty hard to ignore. Fake Christmas card attacks to remind voters Mitt Romney is a Mormon. False claims that Barack Obama is a Muslim extremist. Whispers about McCain's 1980 divorce.
McCain's campaign was scuttled by this eight years ago, the worst of it was a false rumor that he fathered an illegitimate black child.
Now there are new insults. I showed him this recent cartoon attacking his record as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
Is that a stab in the gut to you a little bit?
MCCAIN: No. No. I just don't look at it -- don't pay any attention. I've got to move on. I've got my campaign to run. We're running a very strong, positive campaign.
JOHNS: Negative campaigning is a tradition here.
DAVID BEASLY, FORMER GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA: These are dirty politics. It's wrong. And I think South Carolina is going to send a message, "It's us versus them. Shame on you, we don't want your dirty style politics from Washington inside South Carolina."
JOHNS: But don't buy the hype that South Carolina is the only state where this is going on. In fact, a Huckabee supporter says the organization he represents has made five million calls and many of the early primary states asking leading questions about Huckabee's opponents.
This practice is generally known as push polling, a negative campaign technique. But the guys doing it say they're not push polling at all. They label it artificial intelligence calls and say it's a public service.
PATRICK DAVIS, COMMON SENSE ISSUES: We believe we are providing very important information to the people of Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina.
JOHNS: The Huckabee campaign says it has asked these guys to cut it out. Davis says he hasn't heard from Huckabee. The assumption about negative campaigning is that it works. But does it? Some of the people who used to do it aren't so sure anymore. I met with one former practitioner at the Lizard's Thicket restaurant in Columbia where some of the deals used to get done.
ROD SHEALY, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Voters don't seem to like negative campaigning. And if you can point your finger and prove that this guy ran a negative campaign, you can get votes.
JOHNS: This time around, John McCain has a truth squad in South Carolina to fend off negative attacks. But now that he's fighting back, his political enemies claim he's playing the victim.
Just another day in the wild, wild world of South Carolina politics.
Joe Johns, CNN, Columbia, South Carolina.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COOPER: Eight years ago, John McCain had neither the staff or the money to respond to those kinds of attacks in South Carolina. This time as Joe said he does.
Joe talked more with the Arizona senator about how he's fighting back.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOHNS: Senator, there's a lot of talk about dirty politics in South Carolina. You're familiar with this.
MCCAIN: Yes, sure.
JOHNS: When you look at what's coming at you, what goes through your head, how are you combating it? I see you put up a truth squad.
MCCAIN: Yes, I have a truth squad. Most of this is, interestingly, I'm told is coming from outside of South Carolina. But we campaigned hard.
We have people who are responding to it including my senior ranking officer in prison, a congressional medal honor winner and we'll be fine.
JOHNS: One of the things that's been said is now that you're responding to it, you're playing the role of victim in South Carolina. What do you say about that?
MCCAIN: I say read "The New York Times," read it and listen and talk to the people that guy came up and he said he had 11 phone calls attacking me on every aspect of my life and character. That's all I say.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COOPER: If anyone knows the nuts and bolts of attack ads and dirty campaigning, it's Stephen Marks. He's a Republican political consultant and author of "Confessions of a Political Hitman." In the past he made a living, a very good one, digging up dirt on Democratic candidates. The fancy name for it is oppositional research.
Stephen thanks for being with us.
STEPHEN MARKS, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL CONSULTANT AND AUTHOR: Thanks for having me.
COOPER: How does oppositional research work? You would be hired by a campaign or -- MARKS: Sometimes, we're hired by the campaign. Yes, sometimes, we're hired by the campaign directly, sometimes through special interest groups. Like, on the right, you have the NRA and the Christian Coalition. And, on the left, you have the pro-choice, you know, like EMILY's List, and you have the trial lawyers.
COOPER: And you just what? You go through old documents; you go through endless files?
MARKS: It is one way of saying -- and, of course, we have these 527 independent groups -- quote, unquote -- "independent groups" now.
And we go through all the courthouse records to see if there's any lawsuits, divorces, any DUIs, any criminal activities, and, of course, going through, if they're an elected official, like John McCain, his voting record, which is where they have gotten a lot of this material from.
COOPER: What are the examples from recent history that have worked the best? I mean, I guess, what, the Willie Horton ads against Michael Dukakis?
MARKS: Yes. That was brilliant, because, in just -- just from one issue, we went from -- Bush went from 18 points behind to eight ahead.
But, even more recently, in the last election, of course, and the Swift Boat ad blunted Kerry's momentum and probably cost him the election. And, in 2000, the real stealth issue that cost Gore the election, I believe, was guns.
If you remember, about a week before the election, Charlton Heston and the NRA sent out a mailer in these states that Gore had no business losing, like West Virginia and Missouri and Arkansas and Tennessee. He ended up losing these states because, those Democratic states, those people own guns, and he got -- and Gore supported the Brady Bill. And that really -- that really hurt Gore.
COOPER: As someone who has made a livelihood out of this, do you feel guilty about it? A lot of this stuff isn't true. I mean, a lot of these last-minute things, they're just scurrilous.
MARKS: Anderson, no one would begrudge anybody for going to CARFAX before they buy a used car to see the history of that car, you know, to see accidents, to see anything that's happened to it.
If you're going to vote for somebody, how can you make an intelligent, educated vote if you don't know the background of that candidate?
Now, you can say some of these attacks, maybe you don't care if it's relevant or not, like the Vietnam stuff and the stuff about McCain's wife's or people's sex life, you don't care, but you still have the right to know.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: But, if it's inaccurate, I mean, if you're saying things about his daughter that are completely not true...
MARKS: Well, as far as us that do opposition research, we give whoever our client is accurate information. Now, it's true, the campaigns will sometimes skew that or put it out in a way that where it's slanted or where it's not completely accurate.
COOPER: Do you think this is just the beginning in terms of this campaign? In terms of the opposition research we're seeing, kind of the negative information, we're going to be hearing more about?
MARKS: Yes. Like I mentioned before, Iowa was totally positive. The attacks by Romney against Huckabee totally boomeranged. And, then, in New Hampshire everything stayed clean, and Michigan, too. And as -- like I mentioned, now Hillary and Obama being real nice to each other.
This was the first today. These hits against McCain today were the first real, real negative and nasty stuff. And, again, like I said, Huckabee, he's behind -- he has to do it.
So, what is going to happen is, whenever the next group of primaries comes, right before it, whoever is behind, if you're in a state of desperation, you have to go negative. If you are five or seven points behind a day or two before the election, your numbers aren't going to go up. The only way you can win is by bringing the other person's numbers down.
COOPER: The book is "Confessions of a Political Hitman."
Stephen Marks, it's fascinating. A lot of people don't talk about this. It's kind of a shadowy world. We appreciate you coming on and talking about it. Thanks, Stephen.
MARKS: Thank you very much, Anderson.
COOPER: There's a great dialogue on dirty politics right now on the 360 blog. You can check out my post on the subject and your feedback -- the address, cnn.com/360.
Still to come tonight: The case of the murdered Marine takes a dramatic turn, allegations the wife of the suspect might know more than she's been letting on.
Plus, these stories:
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): Hillary Clinton gets personal and talks about her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You're mad. You're really upset. You're disappointed.
COOPER: The campaign to show the softer side of Mrs. Clinton, but will the voters notice?
Also tonight: Tom Cruise preaching Scientology.
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: I think it's a privilege to call yourself a Scientologist.
COOPER: The video the church is pulling off the Internet and a new book about Cruise that has them threatening a lawsuit -- all the angles when 360 continues.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, many believe Hillary Clinton won in New Hampshire because she showed a rarely seen vulnerable side of herself.
On this program, former presidential adviser David Gergen predicted we would be seeing more of that sort of thing from Clinton.
That was the victory celebration there in New Hampshire.
More emotion, more talk about marriage and her personal life, that's what David predicted. And, as you're about to see, he was right on the money.
It may be a softer side of Hillary Clinton but it's also all about "Raw Politics."
Here's CNN's Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the sympathetic arena of daytime TV, Hillary Clinton talked issues, the country's, and infidelity, her husband's.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TYRA BANKS SHOW")
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I really had to dig down deep and think hard about what was right for me, what was right for my family. And I never -- I never doubted Bill's love for me, ever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Tyra Banks' audience is female and younger than other daytime talk shows, the sort of voter prone to go for Barack Obama, who showed up there in September.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TYRA BANKS SHOW")
TYRA BANKS, HOST, "THE TYRA BANKS SHOW": What do you see in your future, Senator?
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It says, I see the White House, right there.
BANKS: Oh!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: It is a kickback, "Look who I am" place to go; just the spot for a candidate with an image problem. Someone looking to be less of a coolly competent policy wonk and more of a people person, who talks about issues, yours, and infidelity, other people's.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TYRA BANKS SHOW")
H. CLINTON: No one story is the same as any other story. I don't know your reality. I can't possibly substitute my judgment for yours. But what I can tell you is you must be true to yourself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: On TV and the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton has become queen of the small, homey venue. She talks health care in living rooms, home foreclosures in restaurants, domestic abuse at coffee klatches.
She's living the lesson of New Hampshire, where it seemed that an emotional, intimate moment showed voters something they had never seen: Hillary, the person.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CLINTON CAMPAIGN AD)
H. CLINTON: Over the last week, I listened to you, and, in the process, I found my own voice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Her sound-bite self-analysis following her New Hampshire victory has been turned into a warm and fuzzy campaign commercial; pictures of the candidate one on one with people just like you.
H. CLINTON: Hi, everybody.
CROWLEY: These days, she's Ms. Congeniality, even with the press corps.
Her other half plays bad cop.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Give me a break.
B. CLINTON: This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I have ever seen. CROWLEY: Within the last 10 days, Bill Clinton has ravaged Barack Obama's position on the war, blasted the Obama campaign for negative attacks on his wife, and argued with a reporter over the Nevada caucus process, her own personal pit bull/cheerleader.
B. CLINTON: But the girl is doing pretty good, isn't she?
CROWLEY: Barack Obama's problem is the opposite of Clinton's. He's seen as personable, electric, and criticized as not ready to be president. He's on Nevada's airwaves looking to add steak to the sizzle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OBAMA CAMPAIGN AD)
OBAMA: I will be the president who finally makes health care affordable to every single American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY (on camera): The titles of both ads tell you everything you need to know about the state of both the Clinton and Obama campaigns, and their anxieties. His is titled "President." Hers is called "Listen."
Candy Crowley, CNN, Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: "Listen."
Well, speaking of voices, we want to show you more of that argument President Clinton had with that reporter on the trail. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
B. CLINTON: Do you think that one person's vote should count five times as much as another?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it looks as though -- to a lot of people -- as though the Clinton campaign, or Clinton supporters -- the Clinton supporters. Not the campaign, but their supporters.
(CROSSTALK)
B. CLINTON: Wait. We had nothing to do with that lawsuit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand.
B. CLINTON: I read about it in the newspaper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Mr. Clinton denying his wife's campaign had anything to do with the legal fight over Saturday's Democratic caucus in Nevada.
Today, a judge ruled that temporary voting precincts can be housed in casinos. That could help Barack Obama, because thousands of casino employees belong to the Culinary Workers Union, which, as you know, recently endorsed him for president.
Now, the state's Teachers Union filed a suit, saying the move gave the casino workers an unfair advantage over others who had to work that night.
Here's another heated moment on the campaign trail involving Mitt Romney and a reporter, when he was asked about the role of a lobbyist on his staff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's not running my campaign. He's not running my campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's helping you make the crucial decisions...
ROMNEY: But he's not running my campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's another lobbyist involved in your (INAUDIBLE) too.
ROMNEY: Listen to my words, all right? Listen to my words. I said...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's semantics, though. Running your campaign and giving you advice? Come on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Glen (ph), save the arguments for...
UNIDENTIFIEED MALE: He approached me, Eric (ph), OK? ROMNEY: Let's talk. Let's you and I talk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would be glad to talk, any time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Mitt Romney earlier had said that he doesn't have any lobbyists running his campaign. The reporter took issue with that, saying that he did have a lobbyist, a high-level member of Mitt Romney's staff was a lobbyist.
Here's what we know. The staff member is a senior adviser, one of many. Technically, he does not run Mitt Romney's campaign. So, you can make up your own mind about whether Mitt Romney was being accurate when he said he doesn't have a lobbyist running his campaign.
Still to come -- a dramatic twist in the case of the murdered pregnant Marine; what police found that could help them track down the killer.
First, Erica Hill joins us with a 360 bulletin. Erica.
ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, a fiery bus crash near Las Vegas today -- it's believed the shuttle bus was carrying casino and resort workers. Now, it happened on I-15 just inside the Nevada-California state line. We're told it rolled over, then burst into flames. Dozens of the some 40 people aboard were injured, at least four of them critically.
Another warning today about giving cough medicine to young children. The FDA said babies and toddlers under the age of 2 should never take over-the-counter cough syrup. The government says the dangers here include life-threatening side effects.
And, in Hollywood, couldbe a little bit of good news tonight. The Directors' Guild and the studios have reportedly reached a deal on a three-year contract. So, if they can see eye to see, there's some hope that this could mean the studios will also make a deal to end the writers strike, which, of course, began back in November -- Anderson.
COOPER: Well, we shall see.
Erica, stay right there.
COOPER: We have a photo you kind of have to see. A dad gets mad when his son won't wear a Green Bay Packers jersey for the big game. And, yes, he puts duct tape on the kid. What was he thinking? That is our segment today. We will have that ahead.
Also later, new details in the murder of a pregnant Marine -- what investigators are now saying about the suspect's wife and the suspect himself -- the new developments when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tolled the bell on Wall Street. Your home, your job, your money, it all may rest on what is happening right now with the economy.
And what is happening is this. Stocks fell more than 300 points today, losing 1,000 points in 2008 so far, all while inflation is rising and there's talk about a recession and the steps needed to avoid it.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: To be useful, a fiscal stimulus package should be implemented quickly and structured so that its effects on aggregate spending are felt as much as possible within the next 12 months or so.
Stimulus that comes too late will not help support economic activity in the near term, and it could be actively destabilizing if it comes at a time when growth is already improving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That was Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.
The president says he has an economic stimulus plan. All the candidates say they do as well.
Tonight, CNN's Tom Foreman has the "Raw Politics."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Snow is falling on D.C., but the chill is from a word: recession. With the Federal Reserve now sounding economic alarms, both parties are calling for swift action to stop a serious decline.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: To spark economic growth is absolutely essential.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: And if we're going to act, we need to act sooner, rather than later.
FOREMAN: Democrats and Republicans say tax rebates and business incentives could put more money into the hands of consumers and push spending. But then details get sticky, with some Democrats also talking about more food stamps and unemployment benefits, and some Republicans balking. This is delicate business.
Mark Zandi from Moody's Economy.com.
MARK ZANDI, MOODY'S ECONOMY.COM: If the policy-makers don't act, we are going to have a lot of unemployed people. And they're going to take it out on the people who are running for office.
FOREMAN: So, the candidates are echoing calls for action.
H. CLINTON: I want a moratorium for 90 days on home foreclosures in America.
ROMNEY: Preventing recession is an important responsibility of government.
FOREMAN (on camera): But it is not clear that a stimulus plan will work anyway. Just because consumers get more money doesn't mean they're necessarily going to spend it.
(voice-over) And, the economy is so enormous, some economists say even the most ambitious plan from the politicians could be like a rowboat trying to push around an ocean liner.
Russell Roberts from George Mason University:
RUSSELL ROBERTS, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: They're going to try to buy a little love with these checks, with these rebates, with these extended benefits, whatever they put in the mail, but the odds that it's going to have a serious impact on the economy are pretty small.
FOREMAN: Still, both parties clearly feel like they have to do something, or pocketbook voters could punish them this fall.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, the economy is clearly a major issue for all the candidates, voters looking for solutions. We know that you want the facts on how the candidates plan to turn the economy around.
In the days ahead, we're going to be focusing on their solutions.
Tonight, Joe Johns talks to John McCain.
Here's more of their interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: All right, the economy...
MCCAIN: Yes.
JOHNS: ... a lot of worry about it right now, Bernanke saying...
MCCAIN: Yes.
JOHNS: ... we need something, talk about a stimulus.
What's your view right now? What do you think we need to do about the economy? And how do we fix it, short-term solution? Stimulus package?
MCCAIN: First, make the tax cut permanents, so that people will have some certainty about their financial future.
Stop the outrageous pork-barrel spending. The president just signed into law a bill that had $17 billion of pork-barrel spending in it. Stop that, and stop it now.
Then let's -- let's reduce the corporate tax rate to 25 percent. Let's give them a better investment tax credit. Let's do some other things that will help business do better. Depreciation over a year for any new equipment that's bought, let's do that.
But, if you don't stop the spending, and if you want to write more checks and print more money, then you're going to have inflation and worse problems.
JOHNS: What about a stimulus package, with rebates?
MCCAIN: If you -- how can -- if you have got a leak in the boat, why don't you fix the leak first? Because if you're going to have this kind of spending then we're never going to have a stable economy.
And we have got to have -- right now, our corporate tax rate is the second highest in the world. And, so, companies and businesses go to other countries, where they have lower tax rates. Let's encourage business that way.
But for me to go to my taxpayers and say, "By the way, we just signed into law a bill that frivolously, outrageously and, sometimes, in a corrupt fashion, spent 17 billion of your dollars, and, by the way, would you give me some more?"
I don't think I want to do that. I'm not going to do it.
JOHNS: Have you backed away from the notion of offsetting spending if you make the tax cuts permanent?
MCCAIN: I have said you have to have spending cuts. You have to have spending cuts.
If you cut taxes now, if we don't make them permanent, then, on every family and every business in America, it will have the impact of a tax increase.
That's why we have got to make them permanent. Businesses around America are already doing their budgets for the year 2010.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: John McCain on the economy.
Now here's John Roberts with what's coming up tomorrow on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": Well, thanks, Anderson.
Tomorrow, wake up to the most news in the morning, including politics and health care.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta will join me in Columbia, South Carolina, for a closer look at the health care crisis hitting the South and what the candidates are doing about cancer.
We will also show you a provocative new ad campaign from Lance Armstrong.
And recession, or not? We will put that question to former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. And, if so, what might the solution be?
Get the most politics and the most news in the morning tomorrow on "AMERICAN MORNING," beginning at 6:00 a.m. Eastern. Anderson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Up next tonight -- dramatic developments in the murder of a pregnant Marine.
Plus, Tom Cruise preaching Scientology -- the church is pulling this video off the Internet, but we have got it. And we will see what it tells us about the secret workings of this controversial church -- coming up.
Before the break, here's tonight's "Beat 360." Cue the cheesy music. Here's the picture. You can tell by the sign and the gesture this is a serious Giuliani man. Now you have to come up with a caption better than the one Jack and our staff wrote.
Jack believes the man is yelling, "I knew Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a friend of mine. And Mayor Giuliani, you're no Abraham Lincoln.
All right, all right. Think you can do better? Go to cnn.com/360 and send us your submission. We'll announce the winner at the end of the program.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In "Crime and Punishment" tonight, in the case of the murdered pregnant Marine, a new face has emerged, and this one is very close to the fugitive suspect. She is his wife, and she says her husband, Corporal Cesar Laurean, told her the victim killed herself in front of him, slitting her throat.
But the new development tonight is that the wife, Christine Laurean, knew Maria Lauterbach was dead but waited a full day before telling authorities. A lot to get to tonight.
CNN's Randi Kaye has been covering the story and joins us now from Charleston, South Carolina.
Randi, what's the most surprising new information that you've uncovered today?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, we got the police affidavit today, and I have to say that the most surprising tidbit in there is the fact that the wife -- the suspect's wife, Christina Laurean, actually knew that Maria Lauterbach was dead the day before she came forward to the sheriff. She waited for him to skip town on January 11 until she went to investigators.
We also have learned, as a result of that affidavit, that she brought with her several notes that she says her husband had written about the death of Lauterbach.
We had known about this one note in which he had said that she had committed suicide, and he panicked and buried her in the back yard. But now we know, Anderson, there were several notes.
COOPER: And what more specifics did she tell investigators when she came forward?
KAYE: We know, according to the affidavit, that in May of 2007, he apparently went to his wife and told her that a junior Marine had accused him of rape. He said he didn't do it. He then told her that this Marine had become pregnant. He said it wasn't his baby.
He also told her that he had hired a lawyer who said to him that he was facing the death penalty.
Now here's the really interesting nugget there. Apparently, on January 10, the day before he disappeared, she went with him to see one of his attorneys. And during that car ride -- I'm quoting here -- he apparently said to her, "You with me on this?"
And she said, "I don't know. Is there anything that you haven't told me?"
Now yesterday, I spoke exclusively with one of Laurean's good friends, this former Marine who worked with him for four years at Camp Lejeune.
She described the couple's relationship as very good. I'm talking about Cesar Laurean and his wife, Christina. She said that they were -- they were very close.
Now, the sheriff has taken numerous questions, refusing to answer them each time, about Christina Laurean and whether or not she may have been involved in this murder. He's refusing to answer those questions. So I asked that to Cesar Laurean's good friend, and here's what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Some have suggested that maybe she was involved.
"LISA," LAUREAN'S FRIEND: When I was married to my husband, if he would have killed someone and buried them in my backyard, I think I would have noticed. You know, I noticed when he changed his shoelaces. You notice when someone kills someone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: So there's still a basic question. Where was Christina Laurean the day that police said Lauterbach was killed?
KAYE: According to the affidavit once again, the sheriff says that she told him she was at a Christmas party for her husband's unit. She was there until late in the afternoon and that her husband was supposed to be there, but he never showed up.
COOPER: And what about the weapon allegedly used to kill Lauterbach?
KAYE: We're now learning today that someone, an unidentified man had apparently discovered the weapon, the alleged weapon used in this murder, turned it into the sheriff's department last week. It has been fingerprinted, sent to the state crime lab for tests.
We do know that she died from blunt trauma to the head. But again, they're not telling us exactly what that weapon was.
COOPER: All right. Randi Kaye, thanks for the latest.
You can see the rest of Randi's exclusive interview with suspect Cesar Laurean's friend online. There's a link on our website, cnn.com/360.
Up next tonight, Tom Cruise as you've never seen him before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER (voice-over): Tom Cruise preaching Scientology. TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: I think it's a privilege to call yourself a scientologist.
COOPER: The video the church is pulling off the Internet and a new book about Cruise that has them threatening a lawsuit. All the angles -- when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tom Cruise as you've probably never seen him before. This video comes from what the Church of Scientology says was a church ceremony back in 2004. There's more to the video, and the church doesn't want non-scientologists to see it, apparently.
Up close tonight, we'll show you the hidden world the church would prefer to keep secret and the role that Tom Cruise really plays in it.
Later in the program, my interview with a scientologist about the church's controversial views on psychiatric drugs and more.
First the tape, the church and Tom Cruise's role in it.
Up close -- here's CNN's David Mattingly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no question Tom Cruise is a star who can pull fans into a theater. But moviegoers may not be used to seeing Cruise like this.
CRUISE: When you drive past an accident, it's not like anyone else, as you drive past. You know you have to do something about it, because you know you're the only one that can really help.
MATTINGLY: This is Tom Cruise talking passionately about Scientology.
CRUISE: I think it's a privilege to call yourself a scientologist, and it's something that you have to earn. And a scientologist does, he or she has the ability to create new and better realities and improve conditions.
MATTINGLY (on camera): We asked the Church of Scientology where this video, complete with a "Mission Impossible"-like soundtrack, came from. We were told you can find it at any Church of Scientology. The church says it's from a 2004 scientology ceremony honoring Cruise for his humanitarian work.
But it was never public until what the church describes as a pirated and edited version showed up on the web.
(voice-over) On a web-posted version, we hear Cruise's thoughts on leaders around the world.
CRUISE: They want help. And they are depending on people who know and who can be effective and do it. And that's us.
MATTINGLY: Former scientologist Bruce Hines says he's heard this kind of message before among the leaders.
BRUCE HINES, FORMER SCIENTOLOGIST: Scientologists think that only they have the answers to the problems of the world.
MATTINGLY: And the star's confidence comes through loud and clear. This is Tom Cruise on commitment.
CRUISE: Look, you're either onboard you're not onboard, OK? But just if you're onboard, you're onboard just like the rest of us, period.
MATTINGLY: This is Tom Cruise on psychiatry.
CRUISE: When you study the history of psychiatry, please don't make this (inaudible), it's crimes against humanity.
MATTINGLY (on camera): The appearance of the video coincides with the release of an unauthorized Cruise biography. The author claims that Cruise could be the church's second highest-ranking scientologist, an idea that the church says is ludicrous.
ANDREW MORTON, AUTHOR, "TOM CRUISE: AN UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY": He could be in the position of what they call inspector general inside scientology. But because of his film commitments and his -- obviously, his other work, he -- he has no official title.
FOREMAN (voice-over): In an eight-page rebuttal, the Church of Scientology calls Morton's book "a bigoted, defamatory assault replete with lies," saying Cruise is "a parishioner and holds no official or unofficial position in the church hierarchy."
Cruise's own attorney hints at legal action, saying the book is loaded with false statements.
One video version of the Scientology Award ceremony was given to CNN by the book's publisher, who denied leaking it to the web.
On it, we see Cruise exchanging salutes with Scientology chairman David Miscavage. Former scientologist Hines says it's a greeting common among the church's elite.
HINES: It might -- might have been meaningless or it might have just been for theatric purposes. But still, the fact he did it caught my eye.
MATTINGLY: CNN captured this version of the video from Radar Online, including this Cruise comment about something called an "SP."
CRUISE: He said, "Have you had an 'SP'?" You know, I thought what a beautiful thing because maybe one day it will be like that. You know what I'm saying? Maybe one day it will be, wow, 'SP.' They'll just read about those in the history books. You know?
MATTINGLY: Turns out "SP" is scientology lingo for suppressive person.
HINES: It's basically the bad guys. Those are the people that are responsible for trying to stop scientology in its mission.
MATTINGLY: The video appeared only briefly on YouTube before it was removed for copyright reasons.
A Cruise spokesperson would only acknowledge that the video was from a private church event in 2004. She offered no comment from the star on the video going public.
David Mattingly, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: You actually heard there Tom Cruise accuses psychiatrists of crimes against humanity. He's not the only one.
Up next, my interview with a scientologist whose organization investigates what they call psychiatry -- psychiatric abuses.
Also ahead -- a dramatic landing at London's Heathrow Airport. A hundred and thirty-six passengers onboard. More than a dozen were injured. We'll try to find out what went wrong.
And the teenager who fought off a burglar with a baseball bat. You're not going to believe this one. It's "The Shot of the Day."
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRUISE: The leaders of leaders. OK, I've met them all. So I say to you, sir, we are lucky to have you. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: A scientology award ceremony there, we're told. We are looking at the Church of Scientology up close tonight.
One of the most controversial aspects of the church is their view on mental health counseling: psychiatry, psychology. Tom Cruise has linked the science of psychology with the crimes against humanity.
And then, of course, there was his famous criticism of Brooke Shields over the effectiveness of medication in treating postpartum depression. Now, some of what Mr. Cruise has said about psychiatry and medication is simply not true.
To better understand his argument, however, on an earlier program, I spoke with scientologist Bruce Wiseman, president of an organization called the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights that says they investigate what they call psychiatric abuses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE WISEMAN, PRESIDENT, CITIZEN'S COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS: The problem with psychiatry today is that it's a fraud. Psychiatry pretends to be a science when, in fact, it is not. COOPER: But criticism is leveled against scientology that, you know -- that it's all based on pseudo science. And that it's a fraud.
WISEMAN: Scientology is a religion. It deals with the spirit of man. Psychiatry is a materialistic practice that pretends to be a science.
COOPER: You don't believe it has helped anybody?
WISEMAN: How can it help someone? You talked about the antidepressant drugs, Anderson. Studies at Harvard, studies at Yale, studies at Columbia, studies at the State University of New York tie these drugs to acts of suicide and/or science.
Yet the psychiatrist slaps a label on a child who looks out the window or butts into line and puts them on these mind-altering drugs.
COOPER: Just factually speaking, though, the actual number of suicides or side effects is actually quite small, compared to the number of people who say that they derive very real life-saving benefits from these drugs.
WISEMAN: Factually speaking, studies show that people on these anti- depressant drugs commit suicide almost twice as much as those who don't. Studies have...
COOPER: Wait a minute. What that -- what you're really -- I mean, there's no clear, necessarily, correlation between the drugs themselves. You can make the argument these are people who, you know, have real problems and maybe would have committed suicide anyway. And perhaps the drugs didn't help them.
But you're just saying categorically no drugs work?
WISEMAN: No, and it's important to understand the difference when you say the word drugs. We're talking about mind-altering drugs. We're not talking about medicines that actually help; insulin or antibiotics.
COOPER: What you have been talking about as drugs and what Tom Cruise keeps talking about is drugs and electroshock therapy. He makes it sound as if anyone who goes to a psychiatrist gets pumped full of drugs and suddenly gets electroshock therapy against their will. That's misleading.
I mean, the number of people that actually get electroshock therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, is tiny compared to the number of people that enter into talk therapy. Are you opposed to talk therapy, as well, from psychiatrists?
WISEMAN: A hundred thousand people a year get electroshocked, Anderson.
COOPER: Right. And 10 million people get anti-depressive medication. So relatively speaking, it's a tiny number, given the number of people who actually are in therapeutic situations.
So are you opposed to talk therapy?
WISEMAN: I'm opposed to any psychiatric practice that pretends to be a science and it's not. Let me go back to the instance of shock treatment.
A 5-year-old knows not to put his finger in a light socket. Yet a psychiatrist will run hundreds of volts of electricity through someone's brain and pretend that it's therapy. This is barbaric. It's actually barbaric that this practice continues.
COOPER: OK. But you -- what's interesting to me is that you're opposed to -- I mean, talk -- I mean, not every psychiatrist pumps you full of medication. The idea is, and the standards of care are, that you're supposed to enter into a discussion, a dialogue. You're supposed to enter into talk therapy, and medication is usually considered a last resort in the ideal.
What is the difference between the classes, which scientology offers, which seems to me a very expensive form of therapy, and going into a therapist office and talking about your early life or early emotional issues, the same things which scientology seems to address?
WISEMAN: Scientology addresses the spirit. Psychiatry damages the brain. These drugs are brain damaging. Shock treatment is brain damaging.
COOPER: But that -- but, sir, with all due respect, that's a slogan. Let's get away from bumper-sticker slogans and let's actually talk. What is wrong with talk therapy?
WISEMAN: It's the truth. It's the -- it's the truth.
COOPER: So, is any form of counseling other than what the scientologist or is a scientology-approved group inappropriate?
WISEMAN: Communication is a universal solvent. Pretending that someone has got some kind of chemical imbalance, that's the falsehood. There is no chemical imbalance.
COOPER: OK, but if communication is the universal solvent, then it's OK to go to a psychiatrist and communicate and talk and talk about, you know, experiences, cognitive therapy. That's OK?
WISEMAN: But the psychiatrist pretends there's a chemical imbalance, and they're going to treat this with drugs or with shock.
COOPER: But that's not true, sir. Not all psychiatrists pump you full of medication. I mean, that's just simply not true. There are plenty of people who are with psychiatrists who don't receive medication who are in talk therapy. And I just want to make sure we're accurate. You're saying that's still wrong because this person is a fraud, basically?
WISEMAN: I'm saying that they're pretending to be a science when they're not, that they're a pseudo science, that whatever treatment they're using is based on a falsehood. It's based on a lie. It's based on a pretense that there's some underlying chemical basis that there's a medical problem, when in fact, there is not.
And I think the public has been misinformed. Teachers have been misinformed about the subjective nature of psychiatric diagnosis and the violence-inducing nature of the drug used to treat them. I think it's criminal, frankly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Again, we're really just looking for facts, not opinion. And we're not out to get anybody. We should know we did speak with the church leaders today about speaking with us again tonight. They declined. They are always invited.
Coming up, our "Shot of the Day." Call this one "Bat Boy." A team, his slugger and a burglar who is looking at some down time.
But first, Erica Hill joins us again with a "360 News and Business Bulletin" -- Erica.
ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Anderson, 17 people were hurt today when a British Airways jet made a hard landing short of the runway at London's Heathrow Airport. And investigators say the plane's captain claims there just wasn't power when he needed it.
Amid talk of recession and emergency plans to stimulate the economy. That should be a little relief for homebuyers. Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are down, now just under 5.75 percent. One other problem, though -- reports out today show housing starts plunging to a three-decade low. So tough on another angle there.
And comedian Stephen Colbert has found his place among the nation's leaders after all -- sort of. A portrait of Colbert is now hanging at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Not exactly in the Hall of Presidents but it's near there. Well, it's, you know, between the restrooms for the museum. But hey, it's in the building, Anderson, so it's a start.
COOPER: You know, you got to start somewhere.
HILL: Indeed you do.
COOPER: Yes. Now tonight's "Beat 360." You know how it works. We put a picture up on the 360 blog. We asked people to submit a caption that's better than one of our own. We cue the cheesy music.
So here's the photo. You can tell by the sign and the gesture this is a serious Giuliani man.
HILL: I like this guy.
COOPER: Now, the staff suggestion of the caption is, "I knew Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a friend of mine. And Mayor Giuliani, you're no Abraham Lincoln."
HILL: OK. COOPER: All right. So the winner among our viewer offerings, this from A.J. in Huntington, Long Island. He wrote, "I'm telling you people, Rudy is the shizzle!"
HILL: Yes. He looks like a guy who uses that word all the time.
COOPER: I think he does, yes. He uses a lot of words like shizzle.
HILL: Snoop-speak, yes.
COOPER: Yes, exactly.
Check out the other suggestions. A lot of you sharing your thoughts at cnn.com/360.
Erica, stay right there, though. Don't move anywhere, Erica Hill.
HILL: OK.
COOPER: A teen home alone comes face to face with a burglar and fights back, using his baseball bat. It's our "Shot of the Day." Hear the confrontation caught on tape when he called 911. It's an unbelievable story when 360 continues.
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COOPER: Time now, Erica, for "The Shot" today -- a teenager, his baseball bat and a burglar not shown. He's very likely rethinking his career goals.
This kid is 14 years old. His name is Michael Six of Mesa, Arizona. He was home alone. Suddenly, a guy broke in. He locked himself in his bedroom and hunkered down in the closet. He says he heard the burglar outside threatening to kill him. Then he had an idea. He noticed the bat within reach.
HILL: Wow.
COOPER: He gets it. The intruder went down.
There's more to the story. While he was in the closet, he actually dialed 911. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Are you still locked in your room?
MICHAEL SIX, DEFENDED SELF WITH BASEBALL BAT: Someone's breaking in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In your room?
SIX: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need to get out the window.
SIX: I can't! (END AUDIO CLIP)
HILL: Can you imagine?
COOPER: Unbelievable. Thirty-year-old Thomas Garza was picked up a short time later, hiding in a nearby backyard and in considerable pain, I might point out.
HILL: Yes, quick thinking, Michael. Nice work.
COOPER: Yes. Yes, not bad.
If you see some remarkable video, tell us about it at cnn.com/360. You can go there to see also all the most recent "Shots" and other segments. You can read the blog. You can check out the "Beat 360" pictures.
HILL: There's a lot to do.
COOPER: You can make coffee there. Really, whatever you want.
HILL: Really?
COOPER: Yes -- cnn.com/360.
For our international viewers, CNN Today is next. Here in America, Larry King is coming up.
I'll see you tomorrow night. Thanks for watching.
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