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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Terror in Iraq: Embassy Bombing; John Allen Muhammad Enters Plea; Interview With John Edward

Aired October 14, 2003 - 19:00   ET

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

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST (voice-over): Osama bin Laden's son and other top al Qaeda leaders hiding in Iran?

Another day, another bomb. What's going on in Iraq?

The first sniper suspect pleads not guilty. Will he turn on his alleged accomplice?

She killed her children. Now, is Andrea Yates trying to kill herself?

TV's John Edward, live, talking life and afterlife.

And the device that was supposed to shield children from sex and violence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.

COOPER: And a good evening to you. Thanks for joining us on 360.

We begin with terror in Baghdad. The target, the Turkish Embassy. A suicide car bomb just days after Turkey agreed to send peacekeepers to Iraq.

It is the second bombing in three days, but there's at least some good news out of all of this. Officials say no one was killed besides the bomber. Tough security may have prevented a massacre.

Here's CNN's Harris Whitbeck.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Once again, chaos on a Baghdad street. Another suicide bomber strikes; this time in front of the Turkish Embassy.

"I saw a car drive very fast and hit a concrete block in front of the building," said this eyewitness. Iraqi police on the scene said eight people were wounded. Among them, an embassy cook and driver. Shortly after the blast, some 50 demonstrators appeared, shouting slogans of support for Saddam Hussein. Their leader was detained by Iraqi police.

As U.S. soldiers established a security cordon around the scene, it became clear that damage to the embassy building was minimal. Recently installed concrete barriers known as blast deflectors absorbed much of the impact. And it was intelligence work that led to the installation of those security walls just three days ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, based on this information, we ramped up the security measures here at this embassy. And these security measures succeeded in preventing any loss of life.

WHITBECK: This time, success in mitigating the effects of an attack.

(on camera): But there are hundreds of targets around Baghdad, and apparently many people willing this take their lives to make a point.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, you just saw those pictures of pro-Saddam demonstrators telling the U.S. to get out. So is that how most of the people in Baghdad feel? According to a new Gallup poll, the answer is no. Keep in mind, this is a poll of Iraqis.

While 26 percent said the U.S. should leave, a majority of Baghdad residents, 72 percent, think U.S. forces should stay for now. Gallup surveyed more than 1,000 adults early last month.

The White House would surely like to see more news like that reported. It accuses the media of behaving like -- well, nattering nabobs of negativism, to borrow a phrase from the Vietnam days, that we'd rather show scenes of terror today than the terror Saddam inflicted on his own people. That we'd rather show looting than a school reopening. And again today, the president was on the offensive.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): News coverage of Iraq under attack from the president.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a sense that people in America aren't getting the truth.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld repeatedly says reporters are paying too much attention to the bad news.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: It's something that everyone feels they have to put in the newspaper, put on television. And it gets drum beaten with 24-hour news in our country. It isn't like it's one problem, it's like it's 24 problems, one every hour, even though it's the same one.

STARR: The media have reported that schools are open, hospitals functioning, electricity generation and oil production are up. But attacks on U.S. soldiers continue. Suicide bombers striking twice this week in Baghdad. One analyst suggests it is the definition of news to report what goes wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The coverage has unquestionably been very negative. The question is whether that's unfair or inaccurate.

STARR: There may be reasons for reporting perceived bad news, analysts say. Attacks and bombings are more easily told offense events than societal trends about progress in Iraq. Since the war, there are fewer reporters. They tend to stay in Baghdad where major attacks are especially visible. And analysts say news organizations may be compensating for criticism that they did not aggressively question the reasons for going to war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And as for the administration, Anderson, some analysts say the criticism of media coverage may be about politics and dwindling support for the operation in Iraq -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thanks very much, Barbara.

On now to the sniper trial, which began today, exactly one year after a woman was shot dead in a Home Depot parking lot. Hard to believe it was a year ago. Suspect John Allen Muhammad entered his plea today in the murder of another sniper victim, and then began the tricky task of finding jurors who can be fair, despite the massive publicity surrounding the case.

Jeanne Meserve reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: "Not guilty," John Muhammad's plea to the charges against him, charges that could lead to his execution. Muhammad told Judge Leroy Mellette he fully understood the charges and was prepared for trial. His attorney, Peter Greenspun, said it was daunting to get started but good as well.

PETER GREENSPUN, MUHAMMAD ATTORNEY: We're ready to go. And we hope to have a good and fair trial with tremendous jurors from the city of Virginia Beach.

MESERVE: The search for those jurors is now in full swing. One hundred and twenty-three people went through initial screening Tuesday, completing biographical questionnaires and undergoing general questioning by the judge, defense and prosecuting attorneys. The lead prosecutor said good progress was made. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully we'll get a jury tomorrow.

MESERVE: Intensive individual questioning Wednesday will probe the effect of a flood of pre-trial publicity, whether potential jurors felt themselves to be potential victims during the sniper attacks and attitudes towards the death penalty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We typically try and get "death qualified" jurors. By definition, these are people who believe in the death penalty. So what often happens is you have a pool of jurors who by definition believe in the death penalty. Making it all the more harder for a defense lawyer to find jurors who might be open-minded.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: No family members of sniper victims were in court today. The brothers of Dean Harold Meyers are expected later this week. One brother tells me he wants closure and some answers -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much tonight.

Proceedings in another high profile court case are scheduled to resume tomorrow in Eagle, Colorado. Kobe Bryant's preliminary hearing began last week, but testimony in the sexual assault case was halted after Bryant's lawyer made references to the alleged victim. As Gary Tuchman reports now, those comments may offer a clue to the defense strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is Kobe Bryant who is being prosecuted. But it's his attorney, Pamela Mackey, who managed to take some of the attention away from him by putting it on herself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was sending a message to the public that she's going to zealously represent her client and pull out all the stops in representing him.

TUCHMAN: After being warned not to do so, Pamela Mackey said the alleged rape victim's name multiple times in open court. She also made insinuations about the woman's sexual history. This all came after a prosecution witness, sheriff's detective Doug Winters, testified about his interview with the accuser, who said Kobe Bryant forced himself on her.

The detective showed pictures of injuries toward (UNINTELLIGIBLE) private area and testified that nurses stated the injuries were not consistent with consensual sex, which led to defense attorney Pamela Mackey asking the detective if they were "consistent with someone who had sex with three different men in three days." That comment led to an angry judge ending the hearing for the day.

When it resumes on Wednesday, Bryant's attorney will continue a cross-examination of the detective. If defense attorneys have any other surprises, they're not saying. Bryant went back to California after last week's court session but will be back for this one. The judge pledging it will not go into a third day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: And Gary Tuchman joins us now live in Eagle. Gary, last week, there was some indication the prosecution may want the rest of the hearing closed to reporters. Is it going to be?

TUCHMAN: Well, that's the irony, Anderson. The defense originally said they wanted no reporters in during the preliminary hearing. The judge said it will be open. And now after these comments by the defense team during last week's hearing, the prosecution announced it wants the rest of the hearing closed.

The judge still says he wants to open it and says what he'll do 45 minutes before it begins tomorrow is have the lawyers meet in a closed session and discuss the issue. But he says he wants it to remain open.

COOPER: All right. We'll be watching. Gary Tuchman, thanks very much.

Some more international stories now to tell you about. Let's check tonight's "UpLink."

Northwestern China: no-see TV. China says it probably will launch its first manned spaceflight tonight, but don't expect to see it live. Without offering any explanation, Chinese state television has pulled the plug on plans for live television coverage. But we'll be monitoring the launch, which could happen at any time now, and bring you any pictures as soon as we get them.

Islamabad, Pakistan: striking distance. Pakistan says it has completed a successful series of three mid-range missile tests. Now these missiles can fly 435 miles at a striking distance of much of Pakistan's rival, India.

Monrovia, Liberia: a new era. This man, businessman Judah Bryant (ph), was sworn in today as Liberia's interim leader. He'll be in charge of a transition that's supposed to guide the war-devastated nation toward free elections in 2005.

Mexico City: naked rage. Dozens of Mexican farmers took off their clothes for an angry protest. They say a prominent politician has stolen their land and other politicians have helped him cover up his crime.

London, England: cube crowd. Magician David Blaine isolated in a cube above the River Thames, got some unexpected company. A flash mob, as the kids are calling it, appeared and chanted "What goes up must come down," and then disappeared. For the record, Blaine went up September 5th. He's expected to come down next Sunday.

And that is tonight's "UpLink.

Violent babysitter caught on tape. Find out what happened to this woman, busted by a nanny cam.

Also, porn in the USA: is it good or bad for women? Feminist Naomi Wolf and adult film star Candida Royale sound off.

And John Edward crosses over to 360. He'll answer some of your e-mails on death and TV psychics and all the rest.

But first, a look "Inside the Box." What the networks had as their top stories on tonight's evening newscasts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, in Miami, the parents of a 5-month-old baby installed a hidden camera after becoming suspicious of the way they say their daughter would cry when left with the nanny. CNN's Susan Candiotti picks up the rest of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After rewinding their recording, the parents didn't like what they saw, including this described by police...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just one shake, two shakes, and then all of a sudden, something more violent there, it looks like. And then she goes right around in here, where the pots and pans are. You'll see the baby being emerged into camera view. One, two, three, like more shaking like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we rewound it a dozen times because we truly didn't believe what we were seeing.

CANDIOTTI: Hollywood, Florida police charged nanny Claudia Morrow (ph) with four felony counts of child abuse. Bond has been set at $150,000, and even if she makes bail, the INS won't let her out until her legal status is determined. The Schwartzes say Morrow (ph) cleared a criminal background check and a private eye verified her references.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our first and only child. And to see her being treated the way she was treated is unimaginable.

CANDIOTTI: The baby's parents say their daughter suffered no apparent injuries, even after allegedly being slammed on the floor, a point raised by the nanny's attorney, who says her client denies the charges.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clearly, the evidence and the lack of injuries on the child do not substantiate that in any way, shape or form. If she was slamming the child on the floor, we would have broken bones, we would have bruises, we would have things like that.

CANDIOTTI: The Schwartzes say when hiring a nanny, background checks aren't enough. These parents say the alleged abuse may not have been discovered without a nanny cam.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: A fast fact for you now on Shaken Baby Syndrome. Doctors warn that shaking a baby for just two to three seconds can severely damage an infant's brain. There are about 50,000 documented cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome or SBS in the U.S. every year. Twenty- five percent of all babies with SBS die.

Let's take a quick trip right now "Cross Country."

Los Angeles: transit worker strike. As if the grocery store work stoppage weren't enough, a strike by transit system mechanics is making life in L.A. more of a hassle. About a half million commuters are doing without buses and trains.

Los Angeles: Rodney King arrest. Rodney King, whose videotape beating by police set off riots in 1992, he faces charges he beat his girlfriend. Officials released King on bond after a Saturday arrest. He's on probation after pleading guilty to recent reckless driving and DUI charges.

Sioux City, Iowa: too many chickens. Bewildered officials have removed as many as 400 chickens from the stench-ridden basement of a house. The fire department says the homeowner was raising the birds to give to his friends to eat.

Dallas, Texas: separated twins doing well. Doctors say two formerly conjoined twins separated in a weekend operation still face some risk, but are making remarkable progress toward recovery. We're going to have more on this story from medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in just a few minutes.

That is a quick look "Cross Country" tonight.

An update now on Andrea Yates, the mother who did the unthinkable. Her crime riveted the nation two years ago. Now her attorney is speaking out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Their faces, impossible to forget. Their fate, too terrible to imagine. Five children drowned by their own mother in the family bathtub.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We the jury find the defendant Andrea Pia (ph) Yates guilty of capital murder as charged in the indictment.

COOPER: Andrea Yates is in prison for life for what she did. A jury rejected an insanity defense. Now, the "Houston Chronicle" and "Newsweek" report that after showing signs of recovery, Yates has relapsed into psychosis.

Her husband and attorney say she is on suicide watch, refusing to eat. Texas prison officials didn't confirm or deny that. Her attorney appeared today on CNN to give his assessment of her state of mind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The catch-22 is the better you get mentally, the more you're able to understand and appreciate, much like us, what occurred. And as a consequence, that triggers set-backs. So we're going simply through that process.

COOPER: That's not the only process they're going through. George Parnham (ph) is also appealing her conviction and has a vested interest in portraying her as mentally ill. Parnham (ph) says appeal or no appeal, he's trying to raise awareness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to understand that the world of the psychotic person, the world of Andrea Yates, is not our world. Her reality is upside down.

COOPER: But for those five children, there is no reality. Next month, they would be celebrating their little sister's birthday. Mary Yates would have turned 3 years old.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, when we come back, we'll take a look at porn in the USA. Men have turned it into a billion-dollar industry. But what impact does it have on women? Feminist Naomi Wolf and adult film star Candida Royale will be here to talk about it.

Also tonight, son of bin Laden. Is he in Iran? And is the terror mastermind grooming him as his heir? We're going to take a closer look at the bin Laden family tree.

And conjoined twins living life apart. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with a medical check-up.

But first, we want to hear from you. Log on to cnn.com/360. Send us your instant feedback right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, the Supreme Court today dress addressed a number of hot topics: medical marijuana, Internet pornography, and the pledge of allegiance. The court handed a major victory to supporters of medical marijuana. It refused to review state laws that permit doctors to prescribe marijuana for their patients.

On the other hand, the court will review a lawsuit involving the Pledge of Allegiance. The California father says it is unconstitutional to have students recite the pledge in school because the phrase "under god" violates the separation of church and state.

And the high court also will review the constitutionality of a federal law aimed at protecting children from Internet pornography. The law passed in 1998, but not enforced so far. It requires Web site operators to restrict access to sexually oriented material.

Critics say, while the law is aimed at protecting kids, it ends up violating the free speech rights of adults. And it is adults we want to talk about now, adults and porn.

Cyber porn, in particular, is the focus of "New York Magazine" this week. In the issue, author Naomi Wolf argues that pornography women by eroding men's libidos and promoting unrealistic sexual standards. We invited her here, along with former porn actress and erotic film director and producer, Candida Royale.

Appreciate both of you joining us.

NAOMI WOLF, AUTHOR: I can't believe your graphics.

COOPER: What?

WOLF: Every time I do a segment on this, they lead with these unbelievably explicit graphics.

COOPER: Well, it's a hard story to kind of talk about without showing some sort of pictures.

WOLF: Yeah, most adults out there don't know what pornography is.

COOPER: Well, anyway, let's talk about your article, because it was really interesting. I want to read a quote, one of the things you wrote in "New York Magazine" this week. "Pornography has lowered young women's sense of their own sexual value and their actual sexual value. Today naked women are just bad porn."

How so? I mean, it's hard for women to live up to the images they see?

WOLF: That's one way to put it. There's a real generation gap between women my age and older. I'm 40, and the women I hear from on college campuses who were raised on pornography, with pornography -- I mean, really one reason why as a mom I'm a big supporter of laws that keep porn out of kids' space is that you and I are of a generation that learned about sexuality from other human beings, whereas young people today really are bombarded with years of graphic explicit hard core pornography before they have the chance to experience another human being...

COOPER: So you're saying young women in relationships are in a sense being pressured to act as porn stars in a way?

WOLF: That's certainly true. I mean...

COOPER: Let me bring in Candida here. Do you agree with any of this?

CANDIDA ROYALE, EROTIC FILM DIRECTOR: I get a very different take. I also do a lot of lecturing at universities. I don't get that kind of thing from women at all. In fact, I can remember one young woman, a relative of mine, actually, about 22 years old, saying, "You know I got to view some of your movies and some other adult movies and it made me very comfortable with my own sexual desire." I've also -- I spoke to another gal in her 20s today who said, "You know, what guys like about me is that I have a real body, they like that I have a brain." I don't believe that they go in with the expectations. And if they do, I think it's been going on a long time.

COOPER: But Naomi is basically saying that women even in relationships are sort of being judged -- I think your term was porn- worthy?

WOLF: Well, that's true. I mean, basically, when I was growing up, it was a big deal still to be a naked woman because naked women weren't everywhere available on tap. Now, not only are naked women coming at you on all sides, but perfect naked women are coming at you from all sides.

So young women really feel today like they have this mission (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Not only do they have to look like top-class pornography, they have to act like top-class pornography in bed. And what that is like for them is a lack of real intimacy for men and women. It's like there's a third person in the bedroom with them.

COOPER: But Candida, you believe porn can actually be good for a relationship?

ROYALE: Yes. And let me also point out that I do a line that speaks to women's values about sexuality. And I try to use women with real bodies, women of all ages. So I don't like everything that's out there either, but I think that there are benefits.

I think that a lot of the women learn from pornography. It makes them comfortable with their sexuality. They want to try out -- not more of the real negative stuff, but some of the more positive stuff. And I guess I just have an issue with pointing, once again, pornography is the reason for the ills in our society.

We tend to want to do this. And I think that women have been bombarded with super real images, images of women around us from fashion magazines, TV, the media, that we can't live up to, including our generation. It's been going on forever.

WOLF: But Candida, you know the trouble with talking to you is that you're such a sympathetic and charming face of what is a multi billion-dollar industry, bigger than conventional films and records combined. And what most people don't know is...

ROYALE: It doesn't take away from what I'm saying.

COOPER: But while the images that you may use in your videos that you say, I mean, clearly the predominant images out there are larger than life, so to speak. They are this sort of hyper image.

WOLF: Let me be graphic, if I may. You know, I've seen your videos. And I believe that you have the best of intentions.

I am sad that our daughters and sons' generation is going to learn about sexuality not from images of people making love -- which I'm a pro-sex feminist; I have no problem with that -- but images increasingly is upping the ante all the time.

You know it's no longer conventional to just have a man and a woman. It's conventional, as you know better than I do, to have multiple partners and one woman. And now in Britain, there are soccer players who are accused of gang rape. And they're saying -- gang rape of young girls.

And they're saying, well this is just good fun. So increasingly, there's a blurred sense of what intimacy is.

COOPER: Candida, I'll give you the last word.

ROYALE: Well, I think that what we have to do is talk to our young people. And I remember a father of a son telling me once, "I told him, when you watch pornography, this isn't real, don't expect this of women."

I don't think the answer is to try to keep it at bay. I think you should talk to your children.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: We're going to have to leave it there. Candida Royale, I appreciate you coming in. And Naomi Wolf, thank you. Very interesting article.

WOLF: Thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Osama bin Laden's son, is he taking over al Qaeda?

John Edward answers your e-mails live.

And the sex and violence shield. Whatever happened to it?

360 continues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Top stories in the "Reset."

Washington, a booby trapped teddy bear?

The government warns terrorists may hide explosives in clothing, pillows, and stuffed animals to smuggle them aboard commercial airliners. It says airports are putting more protective measures in place.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A trial goes on. A state court refuses to delay Oklahoma City conspirer Terry Nichols' murder trial scheduled for March 1. The judge gives the federal government until February 13 to provide witnesses for interviews. The judge says a delay would jeopardize Nichols' right to a fair trial.

Washington -- deep pockets. President Bush's reelection campaign reports raising nearly $50 million. July through September, bringing his total war chest to $70 million.

In Florida, appeal denied to the dismay of her parents and three protesters. A Florida appeals court has refused to block removal of the feeding tube, keeping a comatose woman alive in a vegetative state. Teri Schiavo suffered brain damage from a heart attack 13 years ago.

In the Scandinavian sunlight. Don't think you'll be safer laying in a tanning bed instead of the sun. A study of 10,000 Scandinavians show women who visit a tanning salon more than twice a month are twice as likely to get skin cancer.

That is a look at tonight's "Reset."

There's a new report that Iran may be sheltering leaders of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, has been looking into it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: A cross between James Bond and the Green Berets. An elite unit of Iran's revolutionary guard known as the Qods Force or Jerusalem Force may be according to U.S. intelligence officials sheltering some al Qaeda leaders. They include military commander say I don't have Saif al- Adel and one of Osama bin Laden's sons believed to have fled to Iran from Afghanistan.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We've have had concerns about al Qaeda and Iran. That we've raised those with the Iranian and we continue to raise them.

KOPPEL (on camera): Iran's government, without revealing who they have, has for months promised to extradite senior al Qaeda operatives to so-called friendly countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. But to date, no hand-overs have happened.

(voice-over): Experts say that's because the Qods Force answers to Iran's hard line clerics. Not the moderate government of President Mohammed Khatami. While U.S. officials believe it's unlikely Iran's Shiite security forces have teamed up with al Qaeda's Sunni terrorists, al Qaeda's presence could prove an important bargaining card for Iran. With international pressure focused on forcing it to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program.

Andrea Koppel CNN at the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOBBS: Among the al Qaeda members said to be in Iran is Osama Bin Laden's son, Saad. Joining us to discuss Saad bin Laden is Jim Walsh at the Kennedy School Government at the Harvard University. He joins us tonight from Watertown, Massachusetts. Jim, always good to see you. Saad bin Laden, not a lot known about this guy. Said to be, I think, 24-years- old. What do we know about him and is he being groomed to be bin Laden's heir apparent?

JIM WALSH, KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT: Well, Anderson, your right we don't know a lot about them. We don't know a lot about him. Age estimates run from mid 20s to early 30s. He's one of over 20 children that bin Laden has. He's one of the older male children.

COOPER: This is the son from the first wife who was also bin Laden's first cousin, right?

WALSH: Exactly. And he accompanied him in Afghanistan during the Soviet/Afghan war. He was with him in Sudan, when he moved operations to Sudan. So he's really been at his knee as bin Laden has formed al Qaeda, developed al Qaeda, and moved it across the globe over time.

COOPER: The sons of famous kids -- famous parents often want to prove their own worth. Has this kid tried to show he's as big a terrorist as his dad?

WALSH: We don't have a lot of data but there is speculation he was involved in the Riyadh attack, Casablanca attacks, those two truck bombings that happened earlier this year. But the evidence is again is thin. Saudi Arabia has asked Iran for his extradition so they can investigate that allegation. There is allegedly phone traffic between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran back and forth that has led some intelligence experts to wonder about his role in planning some of these operations. But again, at this point we really don't know.

COOPER: I guess we don't know how they would be communicated. I mean, I've heard some reports this kid Saad -- don't know if he's a kid really, don't know how old he is, I guess maybe mid twenties or so, that he's credited with sort of setting up the Internet communications of al Qaeda. If so, that would seem to be a pretty important piece of the puzzle.

WALSH: Absolutely. He comes with a couple of advantages. One is, he is cyber savvy. A second is that he speaks English. A lot of folks in al Qaeda don't speak English. Third, he's been training at his father's knee, as I said, to get ready to join the family business. So he has met people over time. He has seen the operations. He knows who's who in that organization. So certainly he would be prepared to take a leadership role if and when that is ready to take place.

COOPER: You know, it's amazing. We'd show you a picture of this guy if we had one but we don't. And that's a pretty frightening thing. I wonder if U.S. intelligence or any intelligence services have a photo of this guy, even know what he looks like.

WALSH: Allegedly there is video out there in which Osama bin Laden is praising his son. Perhaps that video catches a glimpse of him. I don't know what the state of evidence is on. But it's true, given all those children, we know very little about them, and we know frankly very little about the internal state of al Qaeda at this point.

COOPER: All right. That's a scary thought. Jim Walsh, we'll leave it there. Thanks very much, Jim.

WALSH: Thank you, Anderson.

WALSH: As we told you earlier, Kobe Bryant's preliminary hearing is scheduled to resume tomorrow. The NBA star is accused of sexually assaulting -- or sexual assault in a case involving a Colorado resort worker. Where do things stand and what should we expect at tomorrow's hearing? Court TV anchor, Lisa Bloom, joins us here in New York and CNN contributor Michael Smerconish is in Philadelphia. Thanks both for being with us.

Lisa let me start off with you. Last week we talked about Pamela Mackey, Bryant's attorney -- controversial I think you could say in the way she appeared in court last week. Do you think the same tactics are going to be deployed this week?

LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: I don't know why she wouldn't get more aggressive considering she hasn't been sanctioned or held in contempt of court. Although she said the accusers name six times in open court. The judge merely made a joke about it and said he was going to muzzle her. And then she joked back that she would write herself a note, which is what you've did. I've seen attorneys had to pay fines

COOPER: You think the judge should have come down harder?

BLOOM: Absolutely. I've seen attorneys have to pay fines on far less egregious conduct. And even worse, making a reference to the accuser's prior sexual history in violation of Colorado Law.

COOPER: But he did haul her into chambers --

BLOOM: Oh, not having to go into chambers. Terrible things for a lawyer to have today. I mean, come on Anderson.

COOPER: Don't mock me.

Michael Smerconish, did the tactics work? I mean, you said maybe this was a way of planting ideas in the public's mind, that people are mulling on and talking about all week.

If so, did it seem to work?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think it absolutely did work. Because but for those tactics by Pamela Mackey, I think the cocktail party conversation across the country would be, oh my god, did he really make her kiss his private parts at the conclusion of that act?

And instead, the conversation is my goodness, did she really have sex with three different individuals close in time to this particular incident?

I mean, the thing is so much on the brain, Anderson, that "Saturday Night Live" did a skit during the weekend update that you may have seen, and they poked fun at Pamela Mackey and essentially encouraged people to call her law office to put her in some discomfort like she had put the victim in discomfort.

COOPER: We're showing a bit of it now. They repeatedly mentioned her name, even her area code, her law firm's name. Lisa Bloom, no one is talking about blood evidence that was revealed in trial last week.

BLOOM: Well, exactly. I was going to say, let's turn that media bus around and talk about the real bombshell evidence at the preliminary hearing which was not only the victim's blood on Kobe Bryant's T-shirt, but inside the front of his T-shirt. How does her blood get inside his T-shirt if there was not a forcible attack? That's something the defense needs to explain. Also blood on her underwear, lacerations on her private parts and a bruise on her jaw. No one's talking about that.

COOPER: I understand Mackey may subpoena witnesses at this hearing tomorrow.

Pretty unusual is my understanding?

SMERCONISH: Yes, very rare you would see a witness called on behalf of the defense in a preliminary hearing. But unusual is the best way to describe this process. Typically, this is a rubber stamp procedure. And it would be over by now. Who knows what's to come tomorrow. Maybe there's another bombshell. Maybe there's another effort under way here to try and convince a potential pool of jurors in Eagle County, Colorado and elsewhere there's far more to the story than the detective has led people to believe.

COOPER: What's the one thing you're going to be looking for?

BLOOM: Who is the defense going to call?

Will it be the bellman that saw her giving the tour to Kobe that she reported immediately afterwards she'd been assaulted, other hotel employees, other detectives or the sexual nurse assault examiners?

We'll leave it there. Lisa Bloom, Michael Smerconish, thank you very much, we'll be watching tomorrow.

SMERCONISH: Thank you, Anderson.

COOPER: Once conjoined twins, are the twins out of danger?

Dr. Gupta joins us with a checkup. And John Edward crosses over answering some of your e-mails. Log on now to cnn.com/360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: You can e-mail us anytime. Log on to www.cnn.com/360. We want to update you on a story we've been following. Those twins, formerly conjoined, who were separated over the weekend in Dallas. Tonight will be their third night sleeping apart. The little boys are certainly not out of the danger, but their doctors are very pleased.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm pleased to report that both Ahmed and Mohammed have had another good night in the intensive care unit here at Children's. Their vital signs remain stable. They continue to be mechanically ventilated, and they remain in a barbiturate-induced coma. But all of their other organ systems appear to be functioning well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at CNN's center following the twins' progress. Sanjay, thanks for being with us. How are they doing?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it sounds like they're doing pretty well. You know, obviously with the barbiturate coma, it's hard to tell, to answer the question most people are asking, which is about their neurological function. But as you were hearing there, the other organ systems, also important. People sort of focus on the brain after an operation like this, but it's important to keep an eye on the liver, the kidneys, other organs as well. So it sounds like those are all pretty stable.

COOPER: Let's talk about that drug-induced coma. Why are they in it?

GUPTA: You know, it's really interesting, and this is not uncommon after an operation like this. The basic premise is this -- you want to try and put the brain, make it as sleepy as possible, so it's not demanding much. It doesn't demand as much blood, doesn't demand as much oxygen. The reason being, you want to try and minimize the swelling. The more the increased blood flow that goes there, the more chance of swelling around the brain, in the brain. You can decrease that over the next 72, 96 hours or so, that's very critical. So that's basically the purpose of a barbiturate coma.

COOPER: Is there -- I mean, at what point does the coma get lightened, or are they taken out of the coma?

GUPTA: Yeah, there's probably no sort of steadfast rule on that. Usually two to three days is when you get your sort of swelling at its maximized. If you can start to lighten up the coma a little bit after that, and make sure that both twins are actually moving their legs and their arms, and they appear to have neurological function, if that all appears to be well with no signs of swelling, you can lighten it up even further.

It wouldn't be uncommon, though, Anderson, if we hear tomorrow that they lightened up the coma a bit, but then decided to go ahead and add a little bit more barbiturates and keep the twins asleep for a few more days. That wouldn't be uncommon either. It can be several days sometimes that they might be in this sort of coma.

COOPER: Bottom line, what is the biggest risk right now?

GUPTA: I think the biggest risk, and it's a good question. I think people are still focused on life or death, really, decisions for these twins. People are already asking questions that you can't answer for weeks down the line. But could they develop a significant bleed in the brain that could cause the demise of one twin or the other? Could they develop a significant infection? We saw that sort of thing with one of the two Marias at UCLA.

Those are sort of the biggest risks. There are also risks as we were just talking about of other organs. If one of the hearts starts to fail, for one reason or another. These are all sort of life decisions still. And I think over the next several days, those are still going to be very critical sort of things to keep an eye on.

COOPER: Still a lot of tough times ahead. All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much for the update.

Well, how quickly we forget. Every week, we like to look at a story or issue that's faded from view, a story, right or wrong, that was once hot, now not. Today, the V-chip. You don't remember what it is? Well, how quickly we forget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 1996)

BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I call on Congress to pass the requirement for a V-chip in TV sets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Why? To protect Americans from, well, Andy Sipowitz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "NYPD BLUE")

DENNIS FRANZ, ACTOR: The deal is that I don't bust your skull open!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Increasing sex and violence on TV have led to an outcry. Just as it has every few years since the days when issues seemed much more, well, black and white.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't do a lot of things the way they used to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: So politicians called for mandatory V-chips to let parents block some TV shows. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For God's sake, we've been talking about this for years. It's time we gave the parents the tools!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That's why ratings like this one pop up on your TV screen. This one warns of overt skepticism, but the real ones rate shows for sex, violence, expletives, or someone's determination of age appropriateness.

It wasn't always clear whether V-chips were supposed to protect kids from a violent society, or society from violent kids influenced by TV. Today, almost four years after V-chips became mandatory, TV has just as much sex and violence as ever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE COUPLING")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait, wait, wait, do you have a...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Parents now have the choice to block it out. But surveys show most don't.

Well, time to check "The Current" for tonight's pop culture news. Smith & Wesson is releasing a new catalog aimed -- I'm sorry, targeted -- I'm sorry, intended for women ages 30 to 60. The catalogue will offer such items as jewelry and soap dish sets, which can be used to brighten any homemaker's bathroom. The company also sells guns, which can be used to kill things.

Some eastern Kentucky residents are mad at a federal prosecutor who said any potential jurors unfamiliar with his case would be, quote, "illiterate cave dwellers." The remark could cause a backlash against the prosecutor, this according to one anonymous source.

Nicole Kidman today agreed to a settlement with a British newspaper that alleged she had an affair with actor Jude Law. It is the second time for Kidman -- it's the second time that she's forced a paper to apologize for printing that rumor. And just to get it out of the way right now, I hereby apologize for any future reports suggesting Kidman's involvement with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. Would've been funnier if we hadn't shown that a second ago.

"Variety" reports that a sequel to "16 Candles" is in the works as a TV movie. The movie is called "32 Candles," and it's raising gen-Xers hopes for another John Hughes sequel, such as "Ferris Bueller's Official Request for an Afternoon of Personal Time."

Not to be outdone by China's upcoming space flight, South Korea is touting an achievement of its own, the world's biggest pair of jeans. I'm not kidding. The Levy's jeans were unveiled, or unzipped, last week, and are notable for being bigger than other jeans. Yes, the pants are called Big Jean, in reference to their size, which is big.

Still to come this evening, John Edward crosses over to 360, here to answer some of your e-mails. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN EDWARD, HOST, "CROSSING OVER": He's making me feel like they were his scrolls (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE). So if that's something that you would identify with, then I pass that on.

They're also making me feel like -- I need to talk about the hamburger story, flipping the burgers, or flipping something on a grill. And somebody was doing this. And they flipped it and it fell off on the ground. And they didn't think anybody was watching, and they flipped it back up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, there are some topics we always get a ton of e- mail on. Abortion, the death penalty, gun control. But say you're having John Edward of "Crossing Over" on the program and get ready for more e-mail than the eye can see.

We've got the whole range. People who wanted Edward to contact their dearly departed, people curious as to how he does it, and people who say he's nothing but a fraud.

John Edward is out with a new book, called "Afterlife: Answers From the Other Side." And he joins us now with some answers. Nice to meet you. Thank you very much for being with us.

EDWARD: Thanks for having me.

COOPER: You know, I don't have an opinion on this. I don't know if you're a fraud, I don't know if you're for real. But certainly, there are a lot of different opinions out there. But do you have a sense of the responsibility of what you're doing? Because I was reading these e-mails, and we were getting hundreds of e-mails, and they were just heartbreaking, of people who were desperate for answers from people who have died.

EDWARD: There's a huge level of responsibility that comes with this. That's one of the reasons why, you know, on "Crossing Over," we have a grief counselor on the show, for people to, you know, talk to before and after the show. Because there's a huge level of disappointment that comes into play when you're dealing with the subject matter. People look at mediums as the last chance, their last hope. Maybe if I can connect with John Edward, maybe if I can connect with a medium, it is going to make everything better. It's not.

COOPER: How do you say it works? You hear things, you see things, what?

EDWARD: As a medium, I'm clairvoyant, clairaudient and clairscentient, which means that I see, hear, and feel energy and I interpret it in my frame of reference, and pass it on to the person.

But going back to what you said earlier, what's important to really address with that is that mediumship is not a cure for grief, and anybody that's watching this who might have sent me e-mails who are so desperate to connect with a medium, to try to, you know, find closure, really have to -- you have to find that closure inside yourself, whether be with clergy, with a grief counselor, and get to a place of accepting the loss. Once you get to that place, then I think a reading or understanding the process or your own experiences can be truly helpful. But only at that point.

COOPER: Let's get to some of these e-mails. One of them is from Gordon in Vancouver: "Why is there never verifiable information brought out during John's sessions? It's always generalizations about someone's family or friends. It is never something that is a hard fact and provable." How do you answer that?

EDWARD: He doesn't watch the show. I mean, that's somebody who -- you know, that's somebody who's...

COOPER: But I think he's referencing, you know, you'd say I'm getting a letter F. Does that mean anything to anyone?

EDWARD: Well, if you would say if I'm getting the letter F, or, you know, if you say to any group of people that are there, you know, does somebody here have somebody who passed from cancer? Everybody should be able to raise their hand and draw, you know, a connection to somebody who passed from cancer. But when you consistently give validation after validation after validation after validation, and say, no, it's in this section, it's with this person, and you give information that supports that, you know, but there are always going to be people who are going to have a cynical approach and say, you know, oh, it's all generalities, it's all that. But the proof really is in the subjectivity of the person being read.

COOPER: You say it's a matter of belief, really, bottom line?

EDWARD: I do. I think you have to -- but I enjoy reading skeptical people. Not cynical people. That's a waste of my time. But I enjoy people who are skeptical, because that really means that they're thinking and if you're thinking about the process and you're thinking about the information, then you're open-minded to a good session.

COOPER: Robin in San Pedro, California. "Are you able to keep the spirits out of your head when you're not working, or do they just come to you whenever?"

EDWARD: At this point, now, some, you know, close to 20 years of doing this, I can kind of have the on-off moments. If you had caught me years ago, it would have been more on, because I was learning more about the subject matter and the parameters of what I can and cannot do.

COOPER: Michael writes in from Nashville, Indiana -- "On one program about a year ago, John mentioned that a person coming through from the other side said her former abusive husband was in a, quote, 'hot place.' It was the first and only time I've heard him mention anything resembling punishment in the afterlife. So I keep wondering, what about hell?"

EDWARD: I probably never would have said that. That's a misquote. Because I actually used something like that where I say, I have never had somebody come through saying, you know, I'm in a really hot place.

COOPER: Do you believe in hell?

EDWARD: Not in the way that, you know, as a good Catholic boy, being brought up and raised that way, I was taught. I think the other side is made up of different levels. And you know, the lower levels, if we need to kind of qualify them, or define them, maybe we'll define them as the hellish levels, but not in the way that, you know, I was taught personally.

COOPER: E-mail from Catherine in Vancouver: "You said in the past that you do not believe that our crossed over loved ones function as our spirit guides. I'd like to know why you believe that, and what is the harm in believing that? I.E., why shouldn't people believe that if they want to?"

EDWARD: Well, I think that there's two things that are going in in there. People want to believe that their loved ones who have crossed are now guiding their every aspect in their lives. I personally don't think that's the reality. I think they can help, they can give us insights. I think that they often do give us insights and look out for us. So in some respects, they might be a guiding force.

But I don't cross the terms. I don't believe that when somebody crosses over, you know, if you lose your mom, you lose your dad, you lose your grandfather, whoever it is, I don't think they become your actual guide. Is it possible? Technically, I'm sure it is. I just don't believe in most percentages (ph) that that's the case.

COOPER: As I say, we got hundreds of e-mails. To those whose e- mails weren't answered, who were disappointed, what can you -- what do you say? I mean, I'm sure people must come up to you all the time and just want something from you.

EDWARD: You know, it's different. You know, years ago, when I really wasn't that known, that was the case. Now, people have been amazing. And they just come and up and say, thank you, thank you for doing what you do. You know, and I joke around and say I walk around with a big bull's-eye on my butt, because I do this, because there are people that want to, you know, shoot me down for whatever reason.

And that's fine. I take that responsibility with it as well. But for the people that really get the subject matter and that have been helped by this, when they stop and say, thank you for doing what you do, it's just the best reward.

COOPER: All right, John Edward, appreciate you joining us.

EDWARD: Thanks for having me. Good luck.

COOPER: Thanks very much.

Well, want to put "Crossing Over" and how Americans feel about the supernatural in perspective. A recent Harris poll of more than 2,000 Americans found that 84 percent believe in miracles, 51 percent believe in ghosts, 31 percent believe in astrology, and 27 percent believe in reincarnation. A small sampling.

They tried to make it seem as though soldiers are writing positive letters from Iraq. They messed it up, but we've got some tips for them next time.

And tomorrow, weight loss surgery in Louisiana. If you're big, it is easy. We'll tell you why the state is giving the surgery away for free. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Tonight, taking letters to "The Nth Degree." You may have seen reports over the last couple of days about letters sent to local newspapers from U.S. troops in Iraq. They were identical to each other, focusing on how well things are going in Iraq, but they weren't from the servicemen and women whose names they were signed with.

The practice of simulating a grassroots movement has been called Astroturf lobbying. But you've got to do it right.

Astroturf lobbying, rule one, sound individual. Or else you get letters like this -- "Dear editor, anchor, influential pundit, things here in Iraq are just great. Next year, I'm bringing the family."

Rule number two, write in the appropriate voice, or else you get something like this: "Hi, Donny, hope you're doing just super, hugs! XOXO, Pedro."

And perhaps most importantly, rule number three, make it plausible. Otherwise, you get ridiculous stuff like this. "Yo, AC 360, you guys rock, never miss a show. Love, Shepard Smith."

There you have it, the 360 guide to Astroturfing. Don't send letters under someone else's name without it.

That wraps up our program tonight. Coming up next, from Rome, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Enters Plea; Interview With John Edward>


Aired October 14, 2003 - 19:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST (voice-over): Osama bin Laden's son and other top al Qaeda leaders hiding in Iran?

Another day, another bomb. What's going on in Iraq?

The first sniper suspect pleads not guilty. Will he turn on his alleged accomplice?

She killed her children. Now, is Andrea Yates trying to kill herself?

TV's John Edward, live, talking life and afterlife.

And the device that was supposed to shield children from sex and violence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.

COOPER: And a good evening to you. Thanks for joining us on 360.

We begin with terror in Baghdad. The target, the Turkish Embassy. A suicide car bomb just days after Turkey agreed to send peacekeepers to Iraq.

It is the second bombing in three days, but there's at least some good news out of all of this. Officials say no one was killed besides the bomber. Tough security may have prevented a massacre.

Here's CNN's Harris Whitbeck.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Once again, chaos on a Baghdad street. Another suicide bomber strikes; this time in front of the Turkish Embassy.

"I saw a car drive very fast and hit a concrete block in front of the building," said this eyewitness. Iraqi police on the scene said eight people were wounded. Among them, an embassy cook and driver. Shortly after the blast, some 50 demonstrators appeared, shouting slogans of support for Saddam Hussein. Their leader was detained by Iraqi police.

As U.S. soldiers established a security cordon around the scene, it became clear that damage to the embassy building was minimal. Recently installed concrete barriers known as blast deflectors absorbed much of the impact. And it was intelligence work that led to the installation of those security walls just three days ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, based on this information, we ramped up the security measures here at this embassy. And these security measures succeeded in preventing any loss of life.

WHITBECK: This time, success in mitigating the effects of an attack.

(on camera): But there are hundreds of targets around Baghdad, and apparently many people willing this take their lives to make a point.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, you just saw those pictures of pro-Saddam demonstrators telling the U.S. to get out. So is that how most of the people in Baghdad feel? According to a new Gallup poll, the answer is no. Keep in mind, this is a poll of Iraqis.

While 26 percent said the U.S. should leave, a majority of Baghdad residents, 72 percent, think U.S. forces should stay for now. Gallup surveyed more than 1,000 adults early last month.

The White House would surely like to see more news like that reported. It accuses the media of behaving like -- well, nattering nabobs of negativism, to borrow a phrase from the Vietnam days, that we'd rather show scenes of terror today than the terror Saddam inflicted on his own people. That we'd rather show looting than a school reopening. And again today, the president was on the offensive.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): News coverage of Iraq under attack from the president.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a sense that people in America aren't getting the truth.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld repeatedly says reporters are paying too much attention to the bad news.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: It's something that everyone feels they have to put in the newspaper, put on television. And it gets drum beaten with 24-hour news in our country. It isn't like it's one problem, it's like it's 24 problems, one every hour, even though it's the same one.

STARR: The media have reported that schools are open, hospitals functioning, electricity generation and oil production are up. But attacks on U.S. soldiers continue. Suicide bombers striking twice this week in Baghdad. One analyst suggests it is the definition of news to report what goes wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The coverage has unquestionably been very negative. The question is whether that's unfair or inaccurate.

STARR: There may be reasons for reporting perceived bad news, analysts say. Attacks and bombings are more easily told offense events than societal trends about progress in Iraq. Since the war, there are fewer reporters. They tend to stay in Baghdad where major attacks are especially visible. And analysts say news organizations may be compensating for criticism that they did not aggressively question the reasons for going to war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And as for the administration, Anderson, some analysts say the criticism of media coverage may be about politics and dwindling support for the operation in Iraq -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thanks very much, Barbara.

On now to the sniper trial, which began today, exactly one year after a woman was shot dead in a Home Depot parking lot. Hard to believe it was a year ago. Suspect John Allen Muhammad entered his plea today in the murder of another sniper victim, and then began the tricky task of finding jurors who can be fair, despite the massive publicity surrounding the case.

Jeanne Meserve reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: "Not guilty," John Muhammad's plea to the charges against him, charges that could lead to his execution. Muhammad told Judge Leroy Mellette he fully understood the charges and was prepared for trial. His attorney, Peter Greenspun, said it was daunting to get started but good as well.

PETER GREENSPUN, MUHAMMAD ATTORNEY: We're ready to go. And we hope to have a good and fair trial with tremendous jurors from the city of Virginia Beach.

MESERVE: The search for those jurors is now in full swing. One hundred and twenty-three people went through initial screening Tuesday, completing biographical questionnaires and undergoing general questioning by the judge, defense and prosecuting attorneys. The lead prosecutor said good progress was made. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully we'll get a jury tomorrow.

MESERVE: Intensive individual questioning Wednesday will probe the effect of a flood of pre-trial publicity, whether potential jurors felt themselves to be potential victims during the sniper attacks and attitudes towards the death penalty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We typically try and get "death qualified" jurors. By definition, these are people who believe in the death penalty. So what often happens is you have a pool of jurors who by definition believe in the death penalty. Making it all the more harder for a defense lawyer to find jurors who might be open-minded.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: No family members of sniper victims were in court today. The brothers of Dean Harold Meyers are expected later this week. One brother tells me he wants closure and some answers -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much tonight.

Proceedings in another high profile court case are scheduled to resume tomorrow in Eagle, Colorado. Kobe Bryant's preliminary hearing began last week, but testimony in the sexual assault case was halted after Bryant's lawyer made references to the alleged victim. As Gary Tuchman reports now, those comments may offer a clue to the defense strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is Kobe Bryant who is being prosecuted. But it's his attorney, Pamela Mackey, who managed to take some of the attention away from him by putting it on herself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was sending a message to the public that she's going to zealously represent her client and pull out all the stops in representing him.

TUCHMAN: After being warned not to do so, Pamela Mackey said the alleged rape victim's name multiple times in open court. She also made insinuations about the woman's sexual history. This all came after a prosecution witness, sheriff's detective Doug Winters, testified about his interview with the accuser, who said Kobe Bryant forced himself on her.

The detective showed pictures of injuries toward (UNINTELLIGIBLE) private area and testified that nurses stated the injuries were not consistent with consensual sex, which led to defense attorney Pamela Mackey asking the detective if they were "consistent with someone who had sex with three different men in three days." That comment led to an angry judge ending the hearing for the day.

When it resumes on Wednesday, Bryant's attorney will continue a cross-examination of the detective. If defense attorneys have any other surprises, they're not saying. Bryant went back to California after last week's court session but will be back for this one. The judge pledging it will not go into a third day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: And Gary Tuchman joins us now live in Eagle. Gary, last week, there was some indication the prosecution may want the rest of the hearing closed to reporters. Is it going to be?

TUCHMAN: Well, that's the irony, Anderson. The defense originally said they wanted no reporters in during the preliminary hearing. The judge said it will be open. And now after these comments by the defense team during last week's hearing, the prosecution announced it wants the rest of the hearing closed.

The judge still says he wants to open it and says what he'll do 45 minutes before it begins tomorrow is have the lawyers meet in a closed session and discuss the issue. But he says he wants it to remain open.

COOPER: All right. We'll be watching. Gary Tuchman, thanks very much.

Some more international stories now to tell you about. Let's check tonight's "UpLink."

Northwestern China: no-see TV. China says it probably will launch its first manned spaceflight tonight, but don't expect to see it live. Without offering any explanation, Chinese state television has pulled the plug on plans for live television coverage. But we'll be monitoring the launch, which could happen at any time now, and bring you any pictures as soon as we get them.

Islamabad, Pakistan: striking distance. Pakistan says it has completed a successful series of three mid-range missile tests. Now these missiles can fly 435 miles at a striking distance of much of Pakistan's rival, India.

Monrovia, Liberia: a new era. This man, businessman Judah Bryant (ph), was sworn in today as Liberia's interim leader. He'll be in charge of a transition that's supposed to guide the war-devastated nation toward free elections in 2005.

Mexico City: naked rage. Dozens of Mexican farmers took off their clothes for an angry protest. They say a prominent politician has stolen their land and other politicians have helped him cover up his crime.

London, England: cube crowd. Magician David Blaine isolated in a cube above the River Thames, got some unexpected company. A flash mob, as the kids are calling it, appeared and chanted "What goes up must come down," and then disappeared. For the record, Blaine went up September 5th. He's expected to come down next Sunday.

And that is tonight's "UpLink.

Violent babysitter caught on tape. Find out what happened to this woman, busted by a nanny cam.

Also, porn in the USA: is it good or bad for women? Feminist Naomi Wolf and adult film star Candida Royale sound off.

And John Edward crosses over to 360. He'll answer some of your e-mails on death and TV psychics and all the rest.

But first, a look "Inside the Box." What the networks had as their top stories on tonight's evening newscasts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, in Miami, the parents of a 5-month-old baby installed a hidden camera after becoming suspicious of the way they say their daughter would cry when left with the nanny. CNN's Susan Candiotti picks up the rest of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After rewinding their recording, the parents didn't like what they saw, including this described by police...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just one shake, two shakes, and then all of a sudden, something more violent there, it looks like. And then she goes right around in here, where the pots and pans are. You'll see the baby being emerged into camera view. One, two, three, like more shaking like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we rewound it a dozen times because we truly didn't believe what we were seeing.

CANDIOTTI: Hollywood, Florida police charged nanny Claudia Morrow (ph) with four felony counts of child abuse. Bond has been set at $150,000, and even if she makes bail, the INS won't let her out until her legal status is determined. The Schwartzes say Morrow (ph) cleared a criminal background check and a private eye verified her references.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our first and only child. And to see her being treated the way she was treated is unimaginable.

CANDIOTTI: The baby's parents say their daughter suffered no apparent injuries, even after allegedly being slammed on the floor, a point raised by the nanny's attorney, who says her client denies the charges.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clearly, the evidence and the lack of injuries on the child do not substantiate that in any way, shape or form. If she was slamming the child on the floor, we would have broken bones, we would have bruises, we would have things like that.

CANDIOTTI: The Schwartzes say when hiring a nanny, background checks aren't enough. These parents say the alleged abuse may not have been discovered without a nanny cam.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: A fast fact for you now on Shaken Baby Syndrome. Doctors warn that shaking a baby for just two to three seconds can severely damage an infant's brain. There are about 50,000 documented cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome or SBS in the U.S. every year. Twenty- five percent of all babies with SBS die.

Let's take a quick trip right now "Cross Country."

Los Angeles: transit worker strike. As if the grocery store work stoppage weren't enough, a strike by transit system mechanics is making life in L.A. more of a hassle. About a half million commuters are doing without buses and trains.

Los Angeles: Rodney King arrest. Rodney King, whose videotape beating by police set off riots in 1992, he faces charges he beat his girlfriend. Officials released King on bond after a Saturday arrest. He's on probation after pleading guilty to recent reckless driving and DUI charges.

Sioux City, Iowa: too many chickens. Bewildered officials have removed as many as 400 chickens from the stench-ridden basement of a house. The fire department says the homeowner was raising the birds to give to his friends to eat.

Dallas, Texas: separated twins doing well. Doctors say two formerly conjoined twins separated in a weekend operation still face some risk, but are making remarkable progress toward recovery. We're going to have more on this story from medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in just a few minutes.

That is a quick look "Cross Country" tonight.

An update now on Andrea Yates, the mother who did the unthinkable. Her crime riveted the nation two years ago. Now her attorney is speaking out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Their faces, impossible to forget. Their fate, too terrible to imagine. Five children drowned by their own mother in the family bathtub.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We the jury find the defendant Andrea Pia (ph) Yates guilty of capital murder as charged in the indictment.

COOPER: Andrea Yates is in prison for life for what she did. A jury rejected an insanity defense. Now, the "Houston Chronicle" and "Newsweek" report that after showing signs of recovery, Yates has relapsed into psychosis.

Her husband and attorney say she is on suicide watch, refusing to eat. Texas prison officials didn't confirm or deny that. Her attorney appeared today on CNN to give his assessment of her state of mind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The catch-22 is the better you get mentally, the more you're able to understand and appreciate, much like us, what occurred. And as a consequence, that triggers set-backs. So we're going simply through that process.

COOPER: That's not the only process they're going through. George Parnham (ph) is also appealing her conviction and has a vested interest in portraying her as mentally ill. Parnham (ph) says appeal or no appeal, he's trying to raise awareness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to understand that the world of the psychotic person, the world of Andrea Yates, is not our world. Her reality is upside down.

COOPER: But for those five children, there is no reality. Next month, they would be celebrating their little sister's birthday. Mary Yates would have turned 3 years old.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, when we come back, we'll take a look at porn in the USA. Men have turned it into a billion-dollar industry. But what impact does it have on women? Feminist Naomi Wolf and adult film star Candida Royale will be here to talk about it.

Also tonight, son of bin Laden. Is he in Iran? And is the terror mastermind grooming him as his heir? We're going to take a closer look at the bin Laden family tree.

And conjoined twins living life apart. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with a medical check-up.

But first, we want to hear from you. Log on to cnn.com/360. Send us your instant feedback right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, the Supreme Court today dress addressed a number of hot topics: medical marijuana, Internet pornography, and the pledge of allegiance. The court handed a major victory to supporters of medical marijuana. It refused to review state laws that permit doctors to prescribe marijuana for their patients.

On the other hand, the court will review a lawsuit involving the Pledge of Allegiance. The California father says it is unconstitutional to have students recite the pledge in school because the phrase "under god" violates the separation of church and state.

And the high court also will review the constitutionality of a federal law aimed at protecting children from Internet pornography. The law passed in 1998, but not enforced so far. It requires Web site operators to restrict access to sexually oriented material.

Critics say, while the law is aimed at protecting kids, it ends up violating the free speech rights of adults. And it is adults we want to talk about now, adults and porn.

Cyber porn, in particular, is the focus of "New York Magazine" this week. In the issue, author Naomi Wolf argues that pornography women by eroding men's libidos and promoting unrealistic sexual standards. We invited her here, along with former porn actress and erotic film director and producer, Candida Royale.

Appreciate both of you joining us.

NAOMI WOLF, AUTHOR: I can't believe your graphics.

COOPER: What?

WOLF: Every time I do a segment on this, they lead with these unbelievably explicit graphics.

COOPER: Well, it's a hard story to kind of talk about without showing some sort of pictures.

WOLF: Yeah, most adults out there don't know what pornography is.

COOPER: Well, anyway, let's talk about your article, because it was really interesting. I want to read a quote, one of the things you wrote in "New York Magazine" this week. "Pornography has lowered young women's sense of their own sexual value and their actual sexual value. Today naked women are just bad porn."

How so? I mean, it's hard for women to live up to the images they see?

WOLF: That's one way to put it. There's a real generation gap between women my age and older. I'm 40, and the women I hear from on college campuses who were raised on pornography, with pornography -- I mean, really one reason why as a mom I'm a big supporter of laws that keep porn out of kids' space is that you and I are of a generation that learned about sexuality from other human beings, whereas young people today really are bombarded with years of graphic explicit hard core pornography before they have the chance to experience another human being...

COOPER: So you're saying young women in relationships are in a sense being pressured to act as porn stars in a way?

WOLF: That's certainly true. I mean...

COOPER: Let me bring in Candida here. Do you agree with any of this?

CANDIDA ROYALE, EROTIC FILM DIRECTOR: I get a very different take. I also do a lot of lecturing at universities. I don't get that kind of thing from women at all. In fact, I can remember one young woman, a relative of mine, actually, about 22 years old, saying, "You know I got to view some of your movies and some other adult movies and it made me very comfortable with my own sexual desire." I've also -- I spoke to another gal in her 20s today who said, "You know, what guys like about me is that I have a real body, they like that I have a brain." I don't believe that they go in with the expectations. And if they do, I think it's been going on a long time.

COOPER: But Naomi is basically saying that women even in relationships are sort of being judged -- I think your term was porn- worthy?

WOLF: Well, that's true. I mean, basically, when I was growing up, it was a big deal still to be a naked woman because naked women weren't everywhere available on tap. Now, not only are naked women coming at you on all sides, but perfect naked women are coming at you from all sides.

So young women really feel today like they have this mission (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Not only do they have to look like top-class pornography, they have to act like top-class pornography in bed. And what that is like for them is a lack of real intimacy for men and women. It's like there's a third person in the bedroom with them.

COOPER: But Candida, you believe porn can actually be good for a relationship?

ROYALE: Yes. And let me also point out that I do a line that speaks to women's values about sexuality. And I try to use women with real bodies, women of all ages. So I don't like everything that's out there either, but I think that there are benefits.

I think that a lot of the women learn from pornography. It makes them comfortable with their sexuality. They want to try out -- not more of the real negative stuff, but some of the more positive stuff. And I guess I just have an issue with pointing, once again, pornography is the reason for the ills in our society.

We tend to want to do this. And I think that women have been bombarded with super real images, images of women around us from fashion magazines, TV, the media, that we can't live up to, including our generation. It's been going on forever.

WOLF: But Candida, you know the trouble with talking to you is that you're such a sympathetic and charming face of what is a multi billion-dollar industry, bigger than conventional films and records combined. And what most people don't know is...

ROYALE: It doesn't take away from what I'm saying.

COOPER: But while the images that you may use in your videos that you say, I mean, clearly the predominant images out there are larger than life, so to speak. They are this sort of hyper image.

WOLF: Let me be graphic, if I may. You know, I've seen your videos. And I believe that you have the best of intentions.

I am sad that our daughters and sons' generation is going to learn about sexuality not from images of people making love -- which I'm a pro-sex feminist; I have no problem with that -- but images increasingly is upping the ante all the time.

You know it's no longer conventional to just have a man and a woman. It's conventional, as you know better than I do, to have multiple partners and one woman. And now in Britain, there are soccer players who are accused of gang rape. And they're saying -- gang rape of young girls.

And they're saying, well this is just good fun. So increasingly, there's a blurred sense of what intimacy is.

COOPER: Candida, I'll give you the last word.

ROYALE: Well, I think that what we have to do is talk to our young people. And I remember a father of a son telling me once, "I told him, when you watch pornography, this isn't real, don't expect this of women."

I don't think the answer is to try to keep it at bay. I think you should talk to your children.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: We're going to have to leave it there. Candida Royale, I appreciate you coming in. And Naomi Wolf, thank you. Very interesting article.

WOLF: Thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Osama bin Laden's son, is he taking over al Qaeda?

John Edward answers your e-mails live.

And the sex and violence shield. Whatever happened to it?

360 continues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Top stories in the "Reset."

Washington, a booby trapped teddy bear?

The government warns terrorists may hide explosives in clothing, pillows, and stuffed animals to smuggle them aboard commercial airliners. It says airports are putting more protective measures in place.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A trial goes on. A state court refuses to delay Oklahoma City conspirer Terry Nichols' murder trial scheduled for March 1. The judge gives the federal government until February 13 to provide witnesses for interviews. The judge says a delay would jeopardize Nichols' right to a fair trial.

Washington -- deep pockets. President Bush's reelection campaign reports raising nearly $50 million. July through September, bringing his total war chest to $70 million.

In Florida, appeal denied to the dismay of her parents and three protesters. A Florida appeals court has refused to block removal of the feeding tube, keeping a comatose woman alive in a vegetative state. Teri Schiavo suffered brain damage from a heart attack 13 years ago.

In the Scandinavian sunlight. Don't think you'll be safer laying in a tanning bed instead of the sun. A study of 10,000 Scandinavians show women who visit a tanning salon more than twice a month are twice as likely to get skin cancer.

That is a look at tonight's "Reset."

There's a new report that Iran may be sheltering leaders of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, has been looking into it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: A cross between James Bond and the Green Berets. An elite unit of Iran's revolutionary guard known as the Qods Force or Jerusalem Force may be according to U.S. intelligence officials sheltering some al Qaeda leaders. They include military commander say I don't have Saif al- Adel and one of Osama bin Laden's sons believed to have fled to Iran from Afghanistan.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We've have had concerns about al Qaeda and Iran. That we've raised those with the Iranian and we continue to raise them.

KOPPEL (on camera): Iran's government, without revealing who they have, has for months promised to extradite senior al Qaeda operatives to so-called friendly countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. But to date, no hand-overs have happened.

(voice-over): Experts say that's because the Qods Force answers to Iran's hard line clerics. Not the moderate government of President Mohammed Khatami. While U.S. officials believe it's unlikely Iran's Shiite security forces have teamed up with al Qaeda's Sunni terrorists, al Qaeda's presence could prove an important bargaining card for Iran. With international pressure focused on forcing it to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program.

Andrea Koppel CNN at the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOBBS: Among the al Qaeda members said to be in Iran is Osama Bin Laden's son, Saad. Joining us to discuss Saad bin Laden is Jim Walsh at the Kennedy School Government at the Harvard University. He joins us tonight from Watertown, Massachusetts. Jim, always good to see you. Saad bin Laden, not a lot known about this guy. Said to be, I think, 24-years- old. What do we know about him and is he being groomed to be bin Laden's heir apparent?

JIM WALSH, KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT: Well, Anderson, your right we don't know a lot about them. We don't know a lot about him. Age estimates run from mid 20s to early 30s. He's one of over 20 children that bin Laden has. He's one of the older male children.

COOPER: This is the son from the first wife who was also bin Laden's first cousin, right?

WALSH: Exactly. And he accompanied him in Afghanistan during the Soviet/Afghan war. He was with him in Sudan, when he moved operations to Sudan. So he's really been at his knee as bin Laden has formed al Qaeda, developed al Qaeda, and moved it across the globe over time.

COOPER: The sons of famous kids -- famous parents often want to prove their own worth. Has this kid tried to show he's as big a terrorist as his dad?

WALSH: We don't have a lot of data but there is speculation he was involved in the Riyadh attack, Casablanca attacks, those two truck bombings that happened earlier this year. But the evidence is again is thin. Saudi Arabia has asked Iran for his extradition so they can investigate that allegation. There is allegedly phone traffic between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran back and forth that has led some intelligence experts to wonder about his role in planning some of these operations. But again, at this point we really don't know.

COOPER: I guess we don't know how they would be communicated. I mean, I've heard some reports this kid Saad -- don't know if he's a kid really, don't know how old he is, I guess maybe mid twenties or so, that he's credited with sort of setting up the Internet communications of al Qaeda. If so, that would seem to be a pretty important piece of the puzzle.

WALSH: Absolutely. He comes with a couple of advantages. One is, he is cyber savvy. A second is that he speaks English. A lot of folks in al Qaeda don't speak English. Third, he's been training at his father's knee, as I said, to get ready to join the family business. So he has met people over time. He has seen the operations. He knows who's who in that organization. So certainly he would be prepared to take a leadership role if and when that is ready to take place.

COOPER: You know, it's amazing. We'd show you a picture of this guy if we had one but we don't. And that's a pretty frightening thing. I wonder if U.S. intelligence or any intelligence services have a photo of this guy, even know what he looks like.

WALSH: Allegedly there is video out there in which Osama bin Laden is praising his son. Perhaps that video catches a glimpse of him. I don't know what the state of evidence is on. But it's true, given all those children, we know very little about them, and we know frankly very little about the internal state of al Qaeda at this point.

COOPER: All right. That's a scary thought. Jim Walsh, we'll leave it there. Thanks very much, Jim.

WALSH: Thank you, Anderson.

WALSH: As we told you earlier, Kobe Bryant's preliminary hearing is scheduled to resume tomorrow. The NBA star is accused of sexually assaulting -- or sexual assault in a case involving a Colorado resort worker. Where do things stand and what should we expect at tomorrow's hearing? Court TV anchor, Lisa Bloom, joins us here in New York and CNN contributor Michael Smerconish is in Philadelphia. Thanks both for being with us.

Lisa let me start off with you. Last week we talked about Pamela Mackey, Bryant's attorney -- controversial I think you could say in the way she appeared in court last week. Do you think the same tactics are going to be deployed this week?

LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: I don't know why she wouldn't get more aggressive considering she hasn't been sanctioned or held in contempt of court. Although she said the accusers name six times in open court. The judge merely made a joke about it and said he was going to muzzle her. And then she joked back that she would write herself a note, which is what you've did. I've seen attorneys had to pay fines

COOPER: You think the judge should have come down harder?

BLOOM: Absolutely. I've seen attorneys have to pay fines on far less egregious conduct. And even worse, making a reference to the accuser's prior sexual history in violation of Colorado Law.

COOPER: But he did haul her into chambers --

BLOOM: Oh, not having to go into chambers. Terrible things for a lawyer to have today. I mean, come on Anderson.

COOPER: Don't mock me.

Michael Smerconish, did the tactics work? I mean, you said maybe this was a way of planting ideas in the public's mind, that people are mulling on and talking about all week.

If so, did it seem to work?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think it absolutely did work. Because but for those tactics by Pamela Mackey, I think the cocktail party conversation across the country would be, oh my god, did he really make her kiss his private parts at the conclusion of that act?

And instead, the conversation is my goodness, did she really have sex with three different individuals close in time to this particular incident?

I mean, the thing is so much on the brain, Anderson, that "Saturday Night Live" did a skit during the weekend update that you may have seen, and they poked fun at Pamela Mackey and essentially encouraged people to call her law office to put her in some discomfort like she had put the victim in discomfort.

COOPER: We're showing a bit of it now. They repeatedly mentioned her name, even her area code, her law firm's name. Lisa Bloom, no one is talking about blood evidence that was revealed in trial last week.

BLOOM: Well, exactly. I was going to say, let's turn that media bus around and talk about the real bombshell evidence at the preliminary hearing which was not only the victim's blood on Kobe Bryant's T-shirt, but inside the front of his T-shirt. How does her blood get inside his T-shirt if there was not a forcible attack? That's something the defense needs to explain. Also blood on her underwear, lacerations on her private parts and a bruise on her jaw. No one's talking about that.

COOPER: I understand Mackey may subpoena witnesses at this hearing tomorrow.

Pretty unusual is my understanding?

SMERCONISH: Yes, very rare you would see a witness called on behalf of the defense in a preliminary hearing. But unusual is the best way to describe this process. Typically, this is a rubber stamp procedure. And it would be over by now. Who knows what's to come tomorrow. Maybe there's another bombshell. Maybe there's another effort under way here to try and convince a potential pool of jurors in Eagle County, Colorado and elsewhere there's far more to the story than the detective has led people to believe.

COOPER: What's the one thing you're going to be looking for?

BLOOM: Who is the defense going to call?

Will it be the bellman that saw her giving the tour to Kobe that she reported immediately afterwards she'd been assaulted, other hotel employees, other detectives or the sexual nurse assault examiners?

We'll leave it there. Lisa Bloom, Michael Smerconish, thank you very much, we'll be watching tomorrow.

SMERCONISH: Thank you, Anderson.

COOPER: Once conjoined twins, are the twins out of danger?

Dr. Gupta joins us with a checkup. And John Edward crosses over answering some of your e-mails. Log on now to cnn.com/360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: You can e-mail us anytime. Log on to www.cnn.com/360. We want to update you on a story we've been following. Those twins, formerly conjoined, who were separated over the weekend in Dallas. Tonight will be their third night sleeping apart. The little boys are certainly not out of the danger, but their doctors are very pleased.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm pleased to report that both Ahmed and Mohammed have had another good night in the intensive care unit here at Children's. Their vital signs remain stable. They continue to be mechanically ventilated, and they remain in a barbiturate-induced coma. But all of their other organ systems appear to be functioning well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at CNN's center following the twins' progress. Sanjay, thanks for being with us. How are they doing?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it sounds like they're doing pretty well. You know, obviously with the barbiturate coma, it's hard to tell, to answer the question most people are asking, which is about their neurological function. But as you were hearing there, the other organ systems, also important. People sort of focus on the brain after an operation like this, but it's important to keep an eye on the liver, the kidneys, other organs as well. So it sounds like those are all pretty stable.

COOPER: Let's talk about that drug-induced coma. Why are they in it?

GUPTA: You know, it's really interesting, and this is not uncommon after an operation like this. The basic premise is this -- you want to try and put the brain, make it as sleepy as possible, so it's not demanding much. It doesn't demand as much blood, doesn't demand as much oxygen. The reason being, you want to try and minimize the swelling. The more the increased blood flow that goes there, the more chance of swelling around the brain, in the brain. You can decrease that over the next 72, 96 hours or so, that's very critical. So that's basically the purpose of a barbiturate coma.

COOPER: Is there -- I mean, at what point does the coma get lightened, or are they taken out of the coma?

GUPTA: Yeah, there's probably no sort of steadfast rule on that. Usually two to three days is when you get your sort of swelling at its maximized. If you can start to lighten up the coma a little bit after that, and make sure that both twins are actually moving their legs and their arms, and they appear to have neurological function, if that all appears to be well with no signs of swelling, you can lighten it up even further.

It wouldn't be uncommon, though, Anderson, if we hear tomorrow that they lightened up the coma a bit, but then decided to go ahead and add a little bit more barbiturates and keep the twins asleep for a few more days. That wouldn't be uncommon either. It can be several days sometimes that they might be in this sort of coma.

COOPER: Bottom line, what is the biggest risk right now?

GUPTA: I think the biggest risk, and it's a good question. I think people are still focused on life or death, really, decisions for these twins. People are already asking questions that you can't answer for weeks down the line. But could they develop a significant bleed in the brain that could cause the demise of one twin or the other? Could they develop a significant infection? We saw that sort of thing with one of the two Marias at UCLA.

Those are sort of the biggest risks. There are also risks as we were just talking about of other organs. If one of the hearts starts to fail, for one reason or another. These are all sort of life decisions still. And I think over the next several days, those are still going to be very critical sort of things to keep an eye on.

COOPER: Still a lot of tough times ahead. All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much for the update.

Well, how quickly we forget. Every week, we like to look at a story or issue that's faded from view, a story, right or wrong, that was once hot, now not. Today, the V-chip. You don't remember what it is? Well, how quickly we forget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 1996)

BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I call on Congress to pass the requirement for a V-chip in TV sets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Why? To protect Americans from, well, Andy Sipowitz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "NYPD BLUE")

DENNIS FRANZ, ACTOR: The deal is that I don't bust your skull open!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Increasing sex and violence on TV have led to an outcry. Just as it has every few years since the days when issues seemed much more, well, black and white.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't do a lot of things the way they used to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: So politicians called for mandatory V-chips to let parents block some TV shows. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For God's sake, we've been talking about this for years. It's time we gave the parents the tools!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That's why ratings like this one pop up on your TV screen. This one warns of overt skepticism, but the real ones rate shows for sex, violence, expletives, or someone's determination of age appropriateness.

It wasn't always clear whether V-chips were supposed to protect kids from a violent society, or society from violent kids influenced by TV. Today, almost four years after V-chips became mandatory, TV has just as much sex and violence as ever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE COUPLING")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait, wait, wait, do you have a...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Parents now have the choice to block it out. But surveys show most don't.

Well, time to check "The Current" for tonight's pop culture news. Smith & Wesson is releasing a new catalog aimed -- I'm sorry, targeted -- I'm sorry, intended for women ages 30 to 60. The catalogue will offer such items as jewelry and soap dish sets, which can be used to brighten any homemaker's bathroom. The company also sells guns, which can be used to kill things.

Some eastern Kentucky residents are mad at a federal prosecutor who said any potential jurors unfamiliar with his case would be, quote, "illiterate cave dwellers." The remark could cause a backlash against the prosecutor, this according to one anonymous source.

Nicole Kidman today agreed to a settlement with a British newspaper that alleged she had an affair with actor Jude Law. It is the second time for Kidman -- it's the second time that she's forced a paper to apologize for printing that rumor. And just to get it out of the way right now, I hereby apologize for any future reports suggesting Kidman's involvement with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. Would've been funnier if we hadn't shown that a second ago.

"Variety" reports that a sequel to "16 Candles" is in the works as a TV movie. The movie is called "32 Candles," and it's raising gen-Xers hopes for another John Hughes sequel, such as "Ferris Bueller's Official Request for an Afternoon of Personal Time."

Not to be outdone by China's upcoming space flight, South Korea is touting an achievement of its own, the world's biggest pair of jeans. I'm not kidding. The Levy's jeans were unveiled, or unzipped, last week, and are notable for being bigger than other jeans. Yes, the pants are called Big Jean, in reference to their size, which is big.

Still to come this evening, John Edward crosses over to 360, here to answer some of your e-mails. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN EDWARD, HOST, "CROSSING OVER": He's making me feel like they were his scrolls (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE). So if that's something that you would identify with, then I pass that on.

They're also making me feel like -- I need to talk about the hamburger story, flipping the burgers, or flipping something on a grill. And somebody was doing this. And they flipped it and it fell off on the ground. And they didn't think anybody was watching, and they flipped it back up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, there are some topics we always get a ton of e- mail on. Abortion, the death penalty, gun control. But say you're having John Edward of "Crossing Over" on the program and get ready for more e-mail than the eye can see.

We've got the whole range. People who wanted Edward to contact their dearly departed, people curious as to how he does it, and people who say he's nothing but a fraud.

John Edward is out with a new book, called "Afterlife: Answers From the Other Side." And he joins us now with some answers. Nice to meet you. Thank you very much for being with us.

EDWARD: Thanks for having me.

COOPER: You know, I don't have an opinion on this. I don't know if you're a fraud, I don't know if you're for real. But certainly, there are a lot of different opinions out there. But do you have a sense of the responsibility of what you're doing? Because I was reading these e-mails, and we were getting hundreds of e-mails, and they were just heartbreaking, of people who were desperate for answers from people who have died.

EDWARD: There's a huge level of responsibility that comes with this. That's one of the reasons why, you know, on "Crossing Over," we have a grief counselor on the show, for people to, you know, talk to before and after the show. Because there's a huge level of disappointment that comes into play when you're dealing with the subject matter. People look at mediums as the last chance, their last hope. Maybe if I can connect with John Edward, maybe if I can connect with a medium, it is going to make everything better. It's not.

COOPER: How do you say it works? You hear things, you see things, what?

EDWARD: As a medium, I'm clairvoyant, clairaudient and clairscentient, which means that I see, hear, and feel energy and I interpret it in my frame of reference, and pass it on to the person.

But going back to what you said earlier, what's important to really address with that is that mediumship is not a cure for grief, and anybody that's watching this who might have sent me e-mails who are so desperate to connect with a medium, to try to, you know, find closure, really have to -- you have to find that closure inside yourself, whether be with clergy, with a grief counselor, and get to a place of accepting the loss. Once you get to that place, then I think a reading or understanding the process or your own experiences can be truly helpful. But only at that point.

COOPER: Let's get to some of these e-mails. One of them is from Gordon in Vancouver: "Why is there never verifiable information brought out during John's sessions? It's always generalizations about someone's family or friends. It is never something that is a hard fact and provable." How do you answer that?

EDWARD: He doesn't watch the show. I mean, that's somebody who -- you know, that's somebody who's...

COOPER: But I think he's referencing, you know, you'd say I'm getting a letter F. Does that mean anything to anyone?

EDWARD: Well, if you would say if I'm getting the letter F, or, you know, if you say to any group of people that are there, you know, does somebody here have somebody who passed from cancer? Everybody should be able to raise their hand and draw, you know, a connection to somebody who passed from cancer. But when you consistently give validation after validation after validation after validation, and say, no, it's in this section, it's with this person, and you give information that supports that, you know, but there are always going to be people who are going to have a cynical approach and say, you know, oh, it's all generalities, it's all that. But the proof really is in the subjectivity of the person being read.

COOPER: You say it's a matter of belief, really, bottom line?

EDWARD: I do. I think you have to -- but I enjoy reading skeptical people. Not cynical people. That's a waste of my time. But I enjoy people who are skeptical, because that really means that they're thinking and if you're thinking about the process and you're thinking about the information, then you're open-minded to a good session.

COOPER: Robin in San Pedro, California. "Are you able to keep the spirits out of your head when you're not working, or do they just come to you whenever?"

EDWARD: At this point, now, some, you know, close to 20 years of doing this, I can kind of have the on-off moments. If you had caught me years ago, it would have been more on, because I was learning more about the subject matter and the parameters of what I can and cannot do.

COOPER: Michael writes in from Nashville, Indiana -- "On one program about a year ago, John mentioned that a person coming through from the other side said her former abusive husband was in a, quote, 'hot place.' It was the first and only time I've heard him mention anything resembling punishment in the afterlife. So I keep wondering, what about hell?"

EDWARD: I probably never would have said that. That's a misquote. Because I actually used something like that where I say, I have never had somebody come through saying, you know, I'm in a really hot place.

COOPER: Do you believe in hell?

EDWARD: Not in the way that, you know, as a good Catholic boy, being brought up and raised that way, I was taught. I think the other side is made up of different levels. And you know, the lower levels, if we need to kind of qualify them, or define them, maybe we'll define them as the hellish levels, but not in the way that, you know, I was taught personally.

COOPER: E-mail from Catherine in Vancouver: "You said in the past that you do not believe that our crossed over loved ones function as our spirit guides. I'd like to know why you believe that, and what is the harm in believing that? I.E., why shouldn't people believe that if they want to?"

EDWARD: Well, I think that there's two things that are going in in there. People want to believe that their loved ones who have crossed are now guiding their every aspect in their lives. I personally don't think that's the reality. I think they can help, they can give us insights. I think that they often do give us insights and look out for us. So in some respects, they might be a guiding force.

But I don't cross the terms. I don't believe that when somebody crosses over, you know, if you lose your mom, you lose your dad, you lose your grandfather, whoever it is, I don't think they become your actual guide. Is it possible? Technically, I'm sure it is. I just don't believe in most percentages (ph) that that's the case.

COOPER: As I say, we got hundreds of e-mails. To those whose e- mails weren't answered, who were disappointed, what can you -- what do you say? I mean, I'm sure people must come up to you all the time and just want something from you.

EDWARD: You know, it's different. You know, years ago, when I really wasn't that known, that was the case. Now, people have been amazing. And they just come and up and say, thank you, thank you for doing what you do. You know, and I joke around and say I walk around with a big bull's-eye on my butt, because I do this, because there are people that want to, you know, shoot me down for whatever reason.

And that's fine. I take that responsibility with it as well. But for the people that really get the subject matter and that have been helped by this, when they stop and say, thank you for doing what you do, it's just the best reward.

COOPER: All right, John Edward, appreciate you joining us.

EDWARD: Thanks for having me. Good luck.

COOPER: Thanks very much.

Well, want to put "Crossing Over" and how Americans feel about the supernatural in perspective. A recent Harris poll of more than 2,000 Americans found that 84 percent believe in miracles, 51 percent believe in ghosts, 31 percent believe in astrology, and 27 percent believe in reincarnation. A small sampling.

They tried to make it seem as though soldiers are writing positive letters from Iraq. They messed it up, but we've got some tips for them next time.

And tomorrow, weight loss surgery in Louisiana. If you're big, it is easy. We'll tell you why the state is giving the surgery away for free. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Tonight, taking letters to "The Nth Degree." You may have seen reports over the last couple of days about letters sent to local newspapers from U.S. troops in Iraq. They were identical to each other, focusing on how well things are going in Iraq, but they weren't from the servicemen and women whose names they were signed with.

The practice of simulating a grassroots movement has been called Astroturf lobbying. But you've got to do it right.

Astroturf lobbying, rule one, sound individual. Or else you get letters like this -- "Dear editor, anchor, influential pundit, things here in Iraq are just great. Next year, I'm bringing the family."

Rule number two, write in the appropriate voice, or else you get something like this: "Hi, Donny, hope you're doing just super, hugs! XOXO, Pedro."

And perhaps most importantly, rule number three, make it plausible. Otherwise, you get ridiculous stuff like this. "Yo, AC 360, you guys rock, never miss a show. Love, Shepard Smith."

There you have it, the 360 guide to Astroturfing. Don't send letters under someone else's name without it.

That wraps up our program tonight. Coming up next, from Rome, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

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Enters Plea; Interview With John Edward>