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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

What Caused Yesterday's Staten Island Ferry Disaster?; Martha Stewart, Does She Still Sell?

Aired October 16, 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): Cops in the Midwest accused of horrific brutality. The FBI investigates.

General Clark releases a rosy record. But is it the whole picture?

Facing jailtime. Martha Stewart, does she still sell?

And astonishing pictures. Your brain with and without exercise.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

You really don't want to miss that story about the brain and memory. If you find yourself getting older, forgetting more, you may want to get off the couch and get to a gym. We'll tell you why in just a bit.

Also ahead, the latest on Mohammed and Ahmed, those 2-year-old twins fighting to recover after the marathon surgery that separated them. We'll update you on how they are doing.

But we begin with the explosive question today in New York: what caused yesterday's Staten Island ferry disaster? The latest numbers, 10 people killed, 42 hurt. Some survivors now are amputees. In one Staten Island hospital, survivors are being treated.

You are looking at pictures from the ferry. And so is the ferry's pilot -- being treated, that is. He's being treated after apparently attempting suicide, Captain Richard Smith. The late word tonight is that an early test for alcohol came back negative. They are still waiting for results of a drug test. And as the investigation began, his lawyer and family said, please do not rush to judgment.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mangled ferry sat draped in New York Bay, as assistant captain Richard J. Smith in critical condition at a Staten Island hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It appears that the captain tried to take his own life.

FEYERICK: Investigators are looking into the possibility that 55-year-old Smith passed out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The assistant captain who was piloting the ship at the time of the accident collapsed, and collapsed on to the controls, and thereby prevented the other captain from getting control of the ship before it crashed.

FEYERICK: Smith, a grandfather, has steered the ferry back and forth between Staten Island and Manhattan for 16 years. Co-workers call him safety conscious, and transportation officials say he had a good record.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a matter of fact, he had two letters of commendation in his personnel file.

FEYERICK: Those letters praised Smith for the way he handled two previous mishaps on the same ship. One a propeller failure, the other a mechanical failure. Police would not say what an apparently distraught Smith said to his brother in a phone call after a crash. Neighbors described Smith as compassionate and say he must have been devastated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he realized what had happened on the ferry boat, that he had to be totally overcome by that.

FEYERICK: Smith is in an intensive care unit unable to speak. His lawyer says his family offers condolences and prayers to all those who have been affected by this tragedy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Deborah Feyerick joins us now. Now, Deborah, there were initial reports that Smith had collapsed at the controls -- we heard one person say that in your story -- because of a medical condition. Have investigators been able to confirm that at all? What can you tell us?

FEYERICK: There are reports to that effect. They are checking to see whether he may have been on any sort of blood-thinning medication. And the toxicology reports, which have not come back yet, should determine whether in fact there was anything in his system, whether he had been taking that medication, or whether there was anything there that shouldn't have been there.

COOPER: All right. Deborah Feyerick in New York tonight. Thank you, Deborah.

On to California, where today the president met with the Republican mega-star of the moment, Governor-Elect Schwarzenegger. President Bush brought out his preferred weapon for disarming the crowd today, a shot at self-deprecation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did have a good visit. And during that visit I was able to reflect upon how much we have in common.

We both married well. Some accuse us both of not being able to speak the language. We both have big biceps. Well, two out of three isn't bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, jokes aside, neither the president nor the governor-elect went into specifics about their private meeting today or whether federal help for California might be on the way.

Mr. Bush is now on his way to Asia. Among the challenges he's going to face, selling his strategy for containing North Korea, as well as making Iraq safe for democracy. He's visiting a half dozen countries, include Thailand, where he'll attend the annual Asia- Pacific Economic Summit.

Earlier in the day, the president won a long-sought diplomatic victory. The U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-backed resolution aimed at rebuilding Iraq. The vote unanimous. It authorizes a multinational military force in Iraq under U.S. command and calls on nations to contribute troops and money. It also calls on the U.S.- appointed Iraqi Governing Council to set a timetable by December 15 for drafting a constitution and holding elections.

An American general who frames the war on terror as a religious crusade, well, he is taking some heat from critics. They say that William Boykin is "sending the wrong message," one that could hurt America's standing with Muslims. That according to the criticizes.

More from Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lieutenant General William Boykin, a former head of Army Special Forces, has been involved in operations from the failed hostage rescue in Iran to the hunt for warlords in Somalia. Now, as a top Pentagon intelligence official, he helps track Osama bin Laden.

In recent speeches before Christian prayer groups, he has expressed religious views about the war on terrorism. As reported in the "Los Angeles Times," Boykin said in June that radical Muslims hate the U.S. because we are a Christian nation, because our foundation and roots are Judeo-Christian, and the enemy is a guy named Satan. He has also said, when dealing with a Muslim,-Somali warlord, "I knew that my god was a real god and his was an idol."

BUSH: We do not fight against Islam.

STARR: President Bush insists the U.S. is not in a war against Islam. Boykin's comments have raised questions of judgment and appropriateness.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: At first bluff, it doesn't look like any rules were broken.

STARR: An Islamic-American group is offended.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think putting such a person with extremist views in a highly sensitive position and a policymaking position hurts a lot of image around the world and sends the wrong message to the Muslim world, which is very skeptical about America's intentions and motives.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is staying on the sidelines for now.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There are a lot of things that are said by people in the military or civilian life or in the Congress or in the executive branch that are their views.

STARR (on camera): Muslim groups already want General Boykin reassigned. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says it's not clear what will happen next.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, General Boykin did not respond to requests for comment, but CNN has been told he is being advised by senior officials to make a public statement soon to quiet the controversy.

Retired general and Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark is rolling out his full military record. Part of an effort to silence critics and answer questions about his level of support within the military. Mission accomplished? Well, CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wesley Clark's campaign believes releasing his military records will help set the former four-star general apart from the other Democrats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think that this is an incredibly persuasive set of documents for voters who are looking for leadership.

MCINTYRE: The nearly the 200 pages are replete with glowing evaluations from Clark's superiors during the 1970s and '80s. "An officer of impeccable character with a rare blend of personal qualities and professional attributes which uniquely qualify him as a soldier-scholar," wrote General Alexander Haig back in 1978. And Colin Powell, when he was joint chiefs chairman in 1992, called Clark "an officer of the rarest potential."

But during the 1999 Yugoslav war, Clark had many detractors in the Pentagon, especially his civilian and military bosses. Former Defense Secretary William Cohen forced him to step down early as NATO commander after what Cohen acknowledges was friction between the two.

WILLIAM COHEN, FMR. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I made a judgment during the time that he was serving as head of NATO (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and I felt the axe, as such, when it fell, spoke for itself.

MCINTYRE: And the joint chiefs chairman at the time, General Hugh Shelton, told a California group last month, "The reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues. Wes won't get my vote." Those sentiment are not reflected in Clark's record because generals above two-star rank don't receive written evaluation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Many of the four-stars who served with General Clark in his last assignment agreed that he was a brilliant commander, but one they said who had to be reigned in from time to time -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Jamie McIntyre, at the Pentagon. Thank you.

A number of other items to tell you about "Cross Country" tonight.

Washington, D.C.: government warning al Qaeda is still a dangerous threat. The Homeland Security Department put out an alert for local law enforcement that al Qaeda remains interested in "multiple attacks against U.S. targets involving commercial aircraft." There is no new intelligence behind this alert, but the department wants to see continued vigilance.

Minneapolis, Minnesota: police brutality? A man accuses police of sodomizing him with the hand of a plunger during a drug raid. The FBI is investigating. The two officers have been suspended with pay. Their attorneys say they did nothing wrong. We'll have more on this story coming up on 360.

Harrisonville, Missouri: barrel barbarity. A man already convicted of killing three women and stuffing their bodies into barrels in Kansas, well, he plead guilty to five more murders in Missouri. John Robinson, that's his name. He avoided a death sentence in Missouri by admitting he killed two women and a teenage girl whose bodies were found in barrels. The bodies of two other women were never found.

And New York City: what a mess. Take a look at these pictures. A water main break floods parts of Washington Heights and Upper Manhattan. Officials also closed the lower level of the George Washington Bridge just hours before the game seven of the American League championship in nearby Yankee Stadium.

And that's a look at stories "Cross Country." Do you ever feel like you are losing your mind or your memory? Stick around. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some fascinating new research on how to jump-start those brain cells. Unfortunately, it involves exercise.

Plus, Martha Stewart. The clean of queen tries a TV comeback.

And American hostages: the dramatic video of their life in captivity. Find out why they are asking not to be rescued.

First, let's take a look "Inside the Box" at the top stories on tonight's network evening newscasts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All right. So if this next story doesn't get you to drop everything, run for gym, I'm not quite sure what will.

It seems a regular workout isn't just for your biceps anymore. It may actually help you keep your brain from getting as, California's governor-elect might say, weak and flabby. New research says if you exercise more you just might actually remember more. More from Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We all know exercise can help you lose weight. But it may also help you prevent from losing your memory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought that we were born with a brain and then that brain degenerated as we aged until the time we died. Now we know that there are many triggers that actually make parts of the brain regenerate themselves.

GUPTA: And it seems that working out is one of those triggers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cardiovascular exercise that's done over a longer period of time will actually tend to reduce the amount of tissue that you lose as you age.

GUPTA: Losing less tissue may mean preserving precious memories. Researchers at the University of Illinois looked at MRIs of people 55 or older. The results are dramatic.

The first image, a 74-year-old person who was fit. The second, an obviously smaller brain in a 74-year-old person who was not fit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Higher levels of fitness were related to lower levels of tissue loss.

GUPTA: These red and yellow highlighted areas in the brain deteriorate more slowly in a person who is more fit. And in other research, scientists at New York University show that glucose levels also matter. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By losing weight, which can be done either by diet or most profitably through exercise, that will improve how you regulate your glucose. And we have shown that improved glucose regulation is associated with better memory.

GUPTA: It's the hippocampus that's associated with memory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The individuals who had poor glucose regulation had poor memory and they had a part of the brain that's called the hippocampus -- it was smaller.

GUPTA: Of course researches caution that the harder you work out won't necessarily protect your memory any longer. It's a life-long commitment to fitness that matters most.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: And Anderson, as our population ages, this is becoming an increasingly hot topic. The theory is this: the more you exercise, this more blood flow you have to the brain. That preserves nerve function, as well as release some chemicals in your brain that also preserve nerve function.

The good news for you, Anderson, is that most brains start degenerating around age 30. So you still have a few years to go.

COOPER: Actually, I've already started degenerating. And this actually kind of makes me feel bad, because it is yet another reason to feel bad about not going to the gym. So, all right.

GUPTA: Well, look at it like it's a two-for now. You are exercise, you get both.

COOPER: All right. Dr. Gupta, thanks very much.

I want to update you now on the Egyptian twin boys formerly conjoined at the top of their heads. The boys, as you know, were separated over the weekend. Doctors say they are recovering, but they are recovering differently.

CNN's Ed Lavandera explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The drugs that have kept Mohammed and Ahmed Ibraham paralyzed and in a coma since Sunday are now wearing off.

DR. JAMES THOMAS, CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER: Now that they are coming out of a coma, they're no longer, however, in lockstep of one another.

LAVANDERA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the coma medication and is starting to show signs that he can breathe voluntarily. He's also starting to move his left arm and left leg. But there's been no movement on the right side of Mohammed's body. As for Ahmed, it's taking him longer to come off the coma medication. As the doses were being reduced, Ahmed started involuntarily twitching on the right side of his body. Doctors say the boy was experiencing mild seizures for a while, but everything is under control again.

THOMAS: When you do get in and you touch the brain and you irritate the surface of the brain, it may develop either temporarily or permanently abnormal electrical activity, which is what a seizure is. None of the people involved in these boys' care think that this is of major importance.

LAVANDERA: The boys' parents are sleeping at the hospital and are allowed into the boys rooms at any time.

THOMAS: We tell them that they probably hear, they may not remember what they are hearing. But that the touch and the voice is important.

LAVANDERA: It's a simple idea, but sometimes the love of a mother and father can be the best medicine of all.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, in Rome today, a special milestone for Pope John Paul II. Tens of thousands of pilgrims crowded into St. Peter's Square to celebrate the pope's 25th anniversary as head of the Roman Catholic Church. The milestone is being celebrated at the Vatican with all the pomp and ceremony befitting the occasion, while Roman Catholics around the world watched and prayed along, recognizing his longevity and resilience.

Earlier, the 83-year-old pope spoke of his frailties during the homily, but said that god was asking him to continue leading the Church, despite his failing health. We'll have much more on this extraordinary day on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Paula reports live from the Vatican starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time tonight.

For our flashback tonight, check this out. Oh how young he looked then. This is John Paul II when he was chosen pope in 1978. It is often said that John Paul II is the most traveled pope ever. During the 25 years of his papacy the pope has visited 133 countries, traveled 725,070 miles, the equivalent of 29 trips around the globe and three to the moon. Quite a 25 years.

Let's take a quick trip around the globe ourselves tonight for the "UpLink."

(UNINTELLIGIBLE), Malaysia: attacking Jews. Malaysia's prime minister, this man here, opened an Islamic conference today by saying that the world is controlled by Jews.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million. But today the Jews rule this world by a proxy. They get others to fight and die for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: The prime minister also urged his fellow Muslims to borrow a page from the Jews and outthink their enemies. He also urged Muslim youth to give up suicide attacks.

This video is from La Paz, Bolivia. What they're saying is get out. That's what the State Department is telling Americans in La Paz. The government also says, if you are thinking of visiting, don't, at least not now. Tens of thousands of Bolivians took to the streets again today calling the president a butcher and murderer and telling him to quit.

Pyongyang, North Korea: nuke threats. North Korea says when the time is right it will physically display its nuclear weapons. Some observers aren't applauding. They say this is a major escalation. Others say a bluff to gain leverage in future talks with Washington.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE), Bijan: sticks and rocks. That's what rioters used to fight police after the son of the ailing president one an election to keep the family in power. Two people died, more than 60 were injured.

In Rome, Italy, holy competition. The pope wasn't the only person people were singing about. A rock 'n' roll version of the life of Mother Teresa is bringing audiences to their feet apparently. I guess that's the actress there. "Mother Teresa," the musical, is playing twice a day until Sunday's ceremony, when she's to be beatified by the pope.

And that is tonight's "UpLink."

Martha Stewart looking for a homerun. She has new ads rolling out for the World Series, but will they be a hit or a miss? We'll take a closer look.

And a little later: living single. Americans are going it alone in record numbers. But are married people getting all the benefits? And that is the buzz today.

What do you think? Are single people discriminated against? Vote now, cnn.com/360. We'll have the results at the end of the program.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, Kmart is hoping that Martha Stewart bashing is so six months ago. That's the hope. The company is unveiling a new ad campaign for her product line with Stewart herself making an appearance.

The question is, can someone indicted for securities fraud, obstruction of justice, and facing trail in a few months still be a great pitchwoman? The latest now on all things Martha with "Fortune" magazine editor at large and CNN contributor, Andy Serwer.

Andy, happy National Boss Day, by the way.

ANDY SERWER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, thanks. And happy day to our bosses too.

COOPER: Exactly. Why are they pulling out these ads now and with Martha in them? Because that is a departure from the last couple of months.

SERWER: Well, they have strayed away from using her, Anderson, because obviously the taint. But you know Kmart is not in such good shape either. They went bankrupt and now it's out (ph).

I think basically these two entities need each other. Martha needs Kmart to sell her stuff and Kmart needs someone to get them in the stores. And you know, right now, I think it should work pretty well for them.

COOPER: You think - because she has basically been removed from her magazine. I mean, you don't really see as many pictures of Martha. I mean, occasionally you do. But I guess some people say this is a little bit of a risk.

SERWER: Yes. But I mean, think of where Kmart is. They are in a death battle with Wal-Mart. I mean, it's the best thing...

COOPER: A death battle?

SERWER: A death battle with Wal-Mart and Target. The best stuff in a Kmart store is Martha Stewart's stuff.

I mean, I've gone in a Kmart. You look around, it's the same old stuff. It's the best quality stuff. It's the most unique stuff they have. So what's there to lose for Kmart here?

COOPER: What happens though as the trial date approaches in January?

SERWER: Well, I think that's going to be really touch and go. I mean, they may have to pull her off the air a little bit. But they can do that very, very quickly. There's a lot of stuff coming up for Martha.

I mean, she's got stuff with ABC coming on with Barbara Walters. She's got her lawyers visiting with witnesses. I really wonder if the whole thing is ever going to go to trial anyway.

COOPER: Really?

SERWER: I mean, it's not a great case for the government. I never think they're going to get her on insider trading.

COOPER: Especially on insider trading... SERWER: Exactly. They might get her for obstruction. Komy (ph), James Komy (ph), the man who brought the charges, is probably going to be going to Washington as the assistant attorney general. So he's leaving.

I just wonder if the whole thing is unraveling. I think Martha Stewart has the momentum, and a lot of people outside of New York City, Anderson, outside of Manhattan, don't really care. They think Martha is OK and probably want people to leave her alone.

COOPER: All right. We'll leave it there then. Andy Serwer, thanks.

SERWER: OK, Anderson.

COOPER: Well, a drug suspect versus the cops. Allegations of police brutality in Minneapolis. We'll take a closer look at a case that some fear may widen the racial divide there.

Plus, captives in Colombia, Americans. The dramatic video of Americans held hostage.

And living single: why more Americans are going it alone but may be coming up a little short.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Time for the reset. Tonight's top stories: the House is right now debating the president's request for $87 billion to fund the ongoing operations in Iraq. You're looking at a live shot right now. The debate going on. A vote is expected tonight. Expected to pass.

San Bernardino, California. Face to face. President Bush held his first meeting with Arnold Schwarzenegger since the actor turned politician was elected governor of California. Schwarzenegger says it was a get acquainted session and despite California's budget problems, he made no specific request for federal help.

Washington, D.C., getting the message? The FTC says it has received 15,000 consumer complaints about telemarketers. The complaints come from people who say they are still getting telemarketer calls, despite signing up for the government's do not call list.

Hunterdon County, New Jersey, change of venue. A judge has agreed to move the Jayson Williams trial to another county to make it easy to find an unbiased jury. The former NBA star is accused of manslaughter and evidence tampering in connection with a fatal shooting at his estate last year.

Houston, Texas, early flu. Texas health officials have extended a flu advisory after an earlier than usual spike of influenza cases in central and southeast Texas. The flu bug hasn't hit Houston this early in the year since 1991.

That is tonight's reset. On to the Kobe Bryant story. Just a day after his highly charged, highly controversial preliminary hearing, the L.A. Laker star is back training on the basketball court. It will be Monday at the earliest before we find out whether Bryant will actually go to trial for sexual assault.

CNN's Miguel Marquez looks now at how his fans have been reacting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON CACHA, LAKER FAN: I'm a huge Laker fan. I've been a Laker fan since the '80s, as I remember, since I was a little kid growing up.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like many fans, Newton Cacha was in disbelief when he heard about the rape accusation against Laker star Kobe Bryant.

CACHA: Initially I was shocked. And I think it's kind of gone on and a few months since everything came out. I think right now I'm kind of confused about it.

MARQUEZ: Much of that confusion disappeared for Cacha when he learned from the preliminary hearing that Bryant's accuser had another man's semen and pubic hair in a different pair of underwear the day after the alleged rape.

CACHA: I think in the end -- I think Kobe is going to be clear. I mean, I don't think this young lady is credible at all.

MARQUEZ: But for some fans, playing a pick-up game, the new trial information isn't enough to make the call on Bryant's innocence or guilt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard to really, you know figure out what really happened until everything comes out. Then I'll get a better decision then. Right now I really don't know.

MARQUEZ: More information may be on the way. A Colorado judge is set to rule on whether Kobe Bryant should stand trial for rape.

Long-time sports fans like Felicia Jones say the latest revelations don't even come close to exonerating Kobe Bryant.

FELICIA JONES, LAKERS FAN: I still think with the new information it really has nothing to do with the act itself, if it happened that night. I mean, she's an adult and if she's consented to somebody the day before or the day after or the hour after. Right now we're talking about just what happened that particular hour.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Tonight is the Lakers first preseason home game. Kobe Bryant is not playing in this game. He's nursing a sore knee. It's not clear when he'll take the court again. He was not at practice today.

The other thing I didn't tell you is that the judge on Monday will decide whether this case goes to trial -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Miguel Marquez, thanks very much.

Now to a case that has stirred up racial tensions in Minneapolis. A man who says he was brutalized by police. They deny it. And the city thought the best thing to do was to bring the FBI in to investigate.

We should warn you, some of what you will hear is graphic. The story, first, comes from Tony Berlin of CNN affiliate WCCO.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY BERLIN, WCCO CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Limping as he walked in, Steven Porter spoke for the first time about what he says happened Monday afternoon.

STEVEN PORTER, CLAIMS POLICE BRUTALIZED HIM: They came in, kicked the door in and were, like (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I put my hands up and said, "Here I am."

BERLIN: Porter says he was visiting friends at this north Minneapolis address when police showed up. He claims they strip- searched him once, then several officers took him to another room.

PORTER: Asked -- old Officer Kelly to go get something out of the bathroom. When he returned he had a plunger. He handed it to Officer Ginger. He kept sticking it in my butt four times. I felt it twice go in. I got teared tissues in my back, my butt.

BERLIN: This friend told us he was also there and heard Porter yelling. He didn't want to be identified.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a lot of screaming. But I didn't know exactly what they was doing. But I knew they was hurting him.

BERLIN: Earlier in the day we caught up with the suspect as he left jail.

PORTER: I hurt real bad. I'm hurting real bad. I can barely walk.

BERLIN: Then later, after a news conference, he collapsed in the hallway. Medics took him to the hospital. His attorney told us he was in a lot of pain.

BERLIN: I feel threats to my life. I'm scared.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, that was Tony Berlin of WCCO in Minneapolis. We should add that the officers involved have been suspended with pay. Their attorneys deny any wrongdoing on behalf of their clients. We contacted the Minneapolis Police and they said this, quote, "Chief of Police Robert Olson and Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak felt that the seriousness of the complaint merited an outside agency investigation. Any subsequent information involving the investigation will come through the Minneapolis office of the FBI."

Attorneys now from Minneapolis. Keith Ellison, attorney for the man who says he was brutalized, Steven Porter.

Appreciate your being with us. Your client had a very dramatic press conference earlier today, after which he collapsed. The pictures were very dramatic. He was taken to the hospital, though he wasn't admitted.

KEITH ELLISON, ATTORNEY FOR STEVEN PORTER: Yes, he was taken to the hospital and he was given medical attention.

COOPER: OK. But he was not admitted to the hospital. I mean, how bad are you saying his injuries are? Because in the video of him walking out of the prison, he seemed to be walking fine. The Associated Press reported he was walking fine and then all of a sudden he shows up at the conference, and he seems to be walking with great difficulty and sitting with difficulty. How bad are the injuries, are you saying?

ELLISON: Well, we're saying the injuries are serious. And we're taking him seriously, and we're pursuing all the medical information we can get and getting him the best treatment we can get.

COOPER: Have you released any kind of medical report or any kind of documentation?

ELLISON: No, that's private information that we don't intend to release to the media or the public.

COOPER: What do you want to see happen here?

ELLISON: Justice.

COOPER: Which means for you what?

ELLISON: Well, we believe that the people involved should be held accountable. We believe that the city needs to take changes to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. The people -- the public to believe, the community to believe that the police are there to protect them and not to do otherwise.

COOPER: Back in January your client, Steven Porter, pled guilty to hiding rock cocaine in his rectum. Is that true?

ELLISON: You know, he's not the point here. He's not the focus of this. The issue is police conduct. And we're going to continue to keep the focus on that.

COOPER: Well, I ask that question, though, because what some of the police have said is that this man has a history of hiding things inside his body. That explains why the police wanted to do a cavity search, and your response to that?

ELLISON: With a plunger? With a plunger? Please. I don't think any human being, no matter what you accuse them of, deserves to be stuck with a plunger in their rectum. It's just beyond the pale, and it's torture.

COOPER: All right. And do you have any evidence that a plunger was used? Have you been able to gather any evidence yet?

ELLISON: No, the FBI is doing everything they can at this point to pursue all leads in this case. We're going to continue to cooperate with their investigation and get all the information that we can to them.

But we stand by what Mr. Porter shared, and that's what happened. I mean, he got assaulted with a plunger.

COOPER: All right. Keith Ellison, attorney for Steven Porter. Appreciate you joining us tonight. Thank you very much.

ELLISON: Thank you.

COOPER: Three Americans are being held hostage in the jungles of Colombia. What are their chances of making it home safe? We'll try to find out.

Also, if you are alone, it turns out, maybe you're not alone. I'll try and explain that statement a little bit later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: It has been eight months since a plane on a U.S.-backed counter drug mission made an emergency landing in Colombia in rebel- held territory. The rebels killed the pilot, as well as a Colombian army sergeant.

Three Americans were taken hostage. All three, Keith Stansell, Tom Howes and Marc Gonsalves recently were interviewed in captivity. Here's an excerpt, courtesy of CBS News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To our country, we miss you, and we hope we return one day. We're alive and well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We expect to get out of here one day. We can't say for sure. But our main concern is the welfare of our family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look at my two friends here and we think to ourselves, will we be alive another day? Will we be alive tomorrow? Do we have a future? Can we see our families?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Joining us now to talk about the fate of these hostages, documentary producer Karen Hayes is here in New York and George Gonsalves, the father of hostage Marc Gonsalves, is in Hartford, Connecticut.

Appreciate both of you joining us.

George, especially, I know it's got to be difficult for you to see that tape. I want to show you a clip of a statement made by your son and then talk about it. Show the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC GONSALVES, HOSTAGE: I'm a proud American. And I look to you guys, and I ask for a diplomatic solution out of this to get us home safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: when you see this tape, George, what goes through your mind?

GEORGE GONSALVES, FATHER OF HOSTAGE: Well, what goes through my mind is getting him home. He's asking for some help, and what we're trying to do is get him some help so he can get home safely.

COOPER: How did he look to you?

GONSALVES: He looks pretty good. He looks pretty good. And I was happy to see that.

COOPER: When was the last time you had heard from him prior to this tape?

GONSALVES: Oh, probably around Christmastime -- oh, prior to the tape? I hadn't. I hadn't heard anything from him.

COOPER: And the first time you saw it how was it for you?

GONSALVES: When we saw it, it was pretty intense. I was happy. I was very happy, because up until then I didn't know what his condition was. I didn't know, even, if he was alive.

COOPER: Karen, one of your colleagues, you're the documentary producer, one of your colleagues is the one who shot this tape at enormous risk to his own safety, I imagine. How did the hostages appear to him? How were they kept?

KAREN HAYES, DOCUMENTARY MAKER: He said that -- it was Jorge Enrique Botera, who's a Colombian journalist. And he said that the hostages were physically taken care of. They were being fed three meals a day. They got meat twice a week, soda, coffee, that type of thing. But mentally, their stimulation was very limited.

And there's more actually on our Web site at www.heldhostageinColombia.com. And we have the actual video and people can see more. You can really see how the guys are living, and the guys talk about it. COOPER: And he thinks -- You think they are still alive?

HAYES: Right. We do, because the FARC, also in this video that he got, the FARC commander...

COOPER: The FARC is the rebel group.

HAYES: Right. The rebel group. And the commander, Mano Johoi (ph), he says to the guys in an exchange, he says, you know, "We want to keep you alive so that we can come to some negotiation."

COOPER: Let's play a little bit from the clip. This is one of the hostages, Keith Stansell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH STANSELL, HOSTAGE: I love the U.S. I think it's the greatest country in the world, and I'm a proud American. And if I die here, I die here. But I will tell you this, you're not coming to get us and we're going to get out unscathed. This isn't a movie. This is real life. I don't believe a rescue is possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: George, let me ask you, do you believe a rescue is possible for your son?

GONSALVES: No. No. They're just too heavily watched. If you saw the tape, you listen to Keith there, they're watched very closely.

COOPER: George Gonsalves, Karen Hayes, appreciate both of you joining us. We'll try to keep as much focus as we can on this story. Thank you.

Now a fast fact about the group that is holding these three men. The Colombian rebel group known as FARC.

FARC has been battling the Colombian government for nearly four decades. The 17,000-strong Marxist rebel group is thought to be responsible for the vast majority of the 3,000 kidnappings in Colombia. FARC makes an estimated $250-300 million from criminal activities, including kidnapping and drug trafficking.

Well, coming up now: "Overkill." Each week in our "Overkill" segment, we like to hold the media's big feet and our little ones over the fire a little bit, by pointing out a story they and we have covered a lot. Over-covered, some might say. Overkilled.

Tonight, conjoined twins.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Conjoined twins have fascinated people for Generations, long before Chang and Ang Bunker became a circus act. Perhaps it's the rarity of the condition or the difficulties inherent with it. These days medical advances have added another layer of drama, the nail-biting suspense of separation.

Conjoined twins remain extremely rare, only 2 out of every 10 million kids. Thanks to 24-hour news coverage, however, it's easy to think there are many more.

DAN RATHER, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: But they are not out of danger.

COOPER: The little Marias, the Bijani sisters and now Mohammed and Ahmed Ibrahim. All have received hours of airtime.

Their struggles are real, of course, but so are the struggles of children across the globe, children whose problems are not so TV friendly. Abuse, starvation, neglect. These are stories more difficult to tell, stories that never have the problem of overkill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: And that's tonight's overkill.

Single people of the world unite. More people alone than ever before. We are going to look at the power of one.

Which brings us to today's buzz. Do you think single people are discriminated against? You still have time to vote: CNN.com/360. We'll have results at the end of the program.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Our buzz e-mails are pouring in. You can get your vote in. Are single people being discriminated against? CNN.com/360. A few more seconds to vote.

All right. Time to check tonight's "Current" for the latest pop culture news. Well, news, I'm not sure.

Variety reports Universal pictures will reunite Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman, now starring in "Runaway Jury." Their second movie together will also include Robert Duvall. The project has baffled Hollywood power brokers due to its apparent lack of young, vacant, pretty boys.

Auction news to report today: one of only 13 original signed copies of James Joyce's "Ulysses" still in private hands went on the block today. The price? $44,000. Having someone explain it to you, priceless.

Former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick was shot in the leg in West Hollywood this morning. Kulick has already been released from the hospital. Paramedics on the scene were somehow able to tie a tourniquet around his leg without using Gene Simmons' tongue.

NBC has derailed its highly promoted series, "Coupling," for a few weeks. "Coupling" will not air tonight or the first week in November sweeps. NBC reportedly told the series it really liked the show, but it has to attend a big meeting first thing in the morning.

And a quick note to political strategists looking for what might be the next big voting block. Forget about soccer moms or NASCAR dads. Have you made your pitch to American singletons?

A statistic reported this week caught our eye: one in four Americans now lives alone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTOR: I can do that stuff you do whether you are totally alone.

COOPER (voice-over): They're here. They're single. Get used to it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Men are so frustrating.

COOPER: If you think single life is confined to the Cosmo- swilling, Monolo-wearing heroines of "Sex in the City," you're mistaken.

In 1940, less than eight percent of Americans were single, according to the "Christian Science Monitor." Today, nearly 26 percent are.

Singletons are a force to be reckoned with. The "Monitor" notes 42 percent of the workforce is unmarried. Twenty-seven percent of all vacations are taken alone, and more and more restaurants are trying hard not to seat those who eat alone in singleton Siberia.

Don't believe singles have power? Just check out the TV. Mom, Dad, Wally and the Beav are long gone. Now singletons have their own role models, like Carrie and Samantha, perhaps the boldest singleton ever portrayed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I end up old and alone it's all your fault.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all alone, even when we're with men.

COOPER: And there are signs that some singletons, like the plucky pioneer Bridget Jones, are fed up with what they see as a society catering only to the smug marrieds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You really ought to hurry up and get sprugged up, you know, old girl. Times are running out. Tick tock.

RENE ZELLWEGER, ACTRESS: Yes. Tell me. Is it one in four marriages that end in divorce now, or one in three?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One in three.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Many single people complain that workplace perks, health benefits, tax breaks are all geared to families. Earlier I spoke with E. Jean Carroll, advice columnist for "Elle" magazine. She agrees being single isn't always easy but insists it's more than worth it.

I began by asking her if being single, for her, carries a stigma.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

E. JEAN CARROLL, ADVICE COLUMNIST, "ELLE" MAGAZINE: Each carries a stigma. People who are in a straitjacketed marriage and who go to a restaurant and sit there in silence, and everybody stares at them. You know, the man and the wife who have an entire meal without speaking?

COOPER: So you like eating alone?

CARROLL: There's a stigma.

COOPER: You're single now. You've been married, but you're single now.

CARROLL: I've been married the normal amount.

COOPER: The normal amount? OK. Twice. That's the normal amount.

But you enjoy being single?

CARROLL: I love being single. It's freedom in its wildest form. Because this morning, I could get up when I wanted. I could have breakfast when I wanted. I could walk the dogs when I want. I could put on what I wanted and nobody is saying to me, "Have you put on six pounds, E. Jean?" Because I'm by myself.

COOPER: You're free.

CARROLL: I'm totally free.

COOPER: Let me ask you about this. Because I guess singles make up about 42 percent of the workforce right now. There's this group Unmarried America, which is promoting, they say, equal rights for singles.

But some startling facts from them. Single employees make less than married workers. Singles have higher unemployment. Singles receive less compensation for benefits.

Is there a disparity? Do you think it's unfair?

CARROLL: It's very unfair. Our single friends spend most of their time in rancor and viciousness about what they don't have because it's unfair.

COOPER: But some people -- you know, a married couple gets their family leave if they have a child, from work.

CARROLL: And Anderson, I think single people should have a fabulous leave instead of a family leave, and they could go off to Italy for six weeks.

COOPER: Under what you call a fabulous leave?

CARROLL: A fabulous leave.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: We'll see if the fabulous leave takes off.

That was E. Jean Carroll, advice columnist for "Elle" magazine.

Why is a Yankee fan rooting for the Red Sox? Because love has taken baseball to the Nth degree, ahead.

But first, today's buzz. Are single people being discriminated against? Vote now, CNN.com/360. We've hundreds of them in the last couple minutes. We'll give you the results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time for the buzz. We asked, are single people discriminated? Take a look at the numbers. Seventy-nine percent said yes; 21 percent voted no. Discriminated again.

This is not a scientific poll, as you have probably surmised, just viewer buzz. We do appreciate all of you, though, taking the time to vote.

Now to some of your instant feedback, your e-mails. Mike from Florida wrote tonight, "Are single people discriminated against? Yes, they are. I wanted to go on a singles cruise, and all the rooms are based on double occupancy? Where did the singles go? Go figure."

But Frederick from Florida weighed in just seconds ago, saying, "It's fairly ridiculous to say that single people are discriminated against. They're just not. Is this Russia? Nyet."

Send us your instant feedback any time. Log on to CNN.COM/360. I try to respond personally to as many as I can.

Tonight we're rounding Nth base with a story about baseball. There's been a lot of talk about the fundamentals of baseball. You know, punches, death threats, and of course, goats.

But for at least one guy this week, baseball wasn't about any of that or about salary disputes or multimillionaire owners and their millionaire players.

For Kevin Rabbit (ph), baseball was about his dad. Kevin was able to take his dad to game three of the New York/Boston series out of the blue last weekend because they were given free tickets after Kevin posted a message about the series online.

The subject heading was "For my dad." And it said, "My father has been a Sox fan since he was a little boy. He's 78 now and his health is very bad. I'm not sure if he'll be around next season. We've gone back and forth over the years because I'm a Yankees fan. I know that I love my dad more than I'll ever love the Yanks, so I hope the Boston Red Sox win it all. And if there is anyone who thinks I'm a traitor, well, they don't know what love is all about."

This Yankees fan's love for his Red Sox loving dad proves the old saying about baseball, truly it ain't whether you win or lose, it is how you play the game.

That's it for us tonight on 360.

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





Martha Stewart, Does She Still Sell?>


Aired October 16, 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): Cops in the Midwest accused of horrific brutality. The FBI investigates.

General Clark releases a rosy record. But is it the whole picture?

Facing jailtime. Martha Stewart, does she still sell?

And astonishing pictures. Your brain with and without exercise.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

You really don't want to miss that story about the brain and memory. If you find yourself getting older, forgetting more, you may want to get off the couch and get to a gym. We'll tell you why in just a bit.

Also ahead, the latest on Mohammed and Ahmed, those 2-year-old twins fighting to recover after the marathon surgery that separated them. We'll update you on how they are doing.

But we begin with the explosive question today in New York: what caused yesterday's Staten Island ferry disaster? The latest numbers, 10 people killed, 42 hurt. Some survivors now are amputees. In one Staten Island hospital, survivors are being treated.

You are looking at pictures from the ferry. And so is the ferry's pilot -- being treated, that is. He's being treated after apparently attempting suicide, Captain Richard Smith. The late word tonight is that an early test for alcohol came back negative. They are still waiting for results of a drug test. And as the investigation began, his lawyer and family said, please do not rush to judgment.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mangled ferry sat draped in New York Bay, as assistant captain Richard J. Smith in critical condition at a Staten Island hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It appears that the captain tried to take his own life.

FEYERICK: Investigators are looking into the possibility that 55-year-old Smith passed out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The assistant captain who was piloting the ship at the time of the accident collapsed, and collapsed on to the controls, and thereby prevented the other captain from getting control of the ship before it crashed.

FEYERICK: Smith, a grandfather, has steered the ferry back and forth between Staten Island and Manhattan for 16 years. Co-workers call him safety conscious, and transportation officials say he had a good record.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a matter of fact, he had two letters of commendation in his personnel file.

FEYERICK: Those letters praised Smith for the way he handled two previous mishaps on the same ship. One a propeller failure, the other a mechanical failure. Police would not say what an apparently distraught Smith said to his brother in a phone call after a crash. Neighbors described Smith as compassionate and say he must have been devastated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he realized what had happened on the ferry boat, that he had to be totally overcome by that.

FEYERICK: Smith is in an intensive care unit unable to speak. His lawyer says his family offers condolences and prayers to all those who have been affected by this tragedy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Deborah Feyerick joins us now. Now, Deborah, there were initial reports that Smith had collapsed at the controls -- we heard one person say that in your story -- because of a medical condition. Have investigators been able to confirm that at all? What can you tell us?

FEYERICK: There are reports to that effect. They are checking to see whether he may have been on any sort of blood-thinning medication. And the toxicology reports, which have not come back yet, should determine whether in fact there was anything in his system, whether he had been taking that medication, or whether there was anything there that shouldn't have been there.

COOPER: All right. Deborah Feyerick in New York tonight. Thank you, Deborah.

On to California, where today the president met with the Republican mega-star of the moment, Governor-Elect Schwarzenegger. President Bush brought out his preferred weapon for disarming the crowd today, a shot at self-deprecation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did have a good visit. And during that visit I was able to reflect upon how much we have in common.

We both married well. Some accuse us both of not being able to speak the language. We both have big biceps. Well, two out of three isn't bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, jokes aside, neither the president nor the governor-elect went into specifics about their private meeting today or whether federal help for California might be on the way.

Mr. Bush is now on his way to Asia. Among the challenges he's going to face, selling his strategy for containing North Korea, as well as making Iraq safe for democracy. He's visiting a half dozen countries, include Thailand, where he'll attend the annual Asia- Pacific Economic Summit.

Earlier in the day, the president won a long-sought diplomatic victory. The U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-backed resolution aimed at rebuilding Iraq. The vote unanimous. It authorizes a multinational military force in Iraq under U.S. command and calls on nations to contribute troops and money. It also calls on the U.S.- appointed Iraqi Governing Council to set a timetable by December 15 for drafting a constitution and holding elections.

An American general who frames the war on terror as a religious crusade, well, he is taking some heat from critics. They say that William Boykin is "sending the wrong message," one that could hurt America's standing with Muslims. That according to the criticizes.

More from Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lieutenant General William Boykin, a former head of Army Special Forces, has been involved in operations from the failed hostage rescue in Iran to the hunt for warlords in Somalia. Now, as a top Pentagon intelligence official, he helps track Osama bin Laden.

In recent speeches before Christian prayer groups, he has expressed religious views about the war on terrorism. As reported in the "Los Angeles Times," Boykin said in June that radical Muslims hate the U.S. because we are a Christian nation, because our foundation and roots are Judeo-Christian, and the enemy is a guy named Satan. He has also said, when dealing with a Muslim,-Somali warlord, "I knew that my god was a real god and his was an idol."

BUSH: We do not fight against Islam.

STARR: President Bush insists the U.S. is not in a war against Islam. Boykin's comments have raised questions of judgment and appropriateness.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: At first bluff, it doesn't look like any rules were broken.

STARR: An Islamic-American group is offended.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think putting such a person with extremist views in a highly sensitive position and a policymaking position hurts a lot of image around the world and sends the wrong message to the Muslim world, which is very skeptical about America's intentions and motives.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is staying on the sidelines for now.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There are a lot of things that are said by people in the military or civilian life or in the Congress or in the executive branch that are their views.

STARR (on camera): Muslim groups already want General Boykin reassigned. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says it's not clear what will happen next.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, General Boykin did not respond to requests for comment, but CNN has been told he is being advised by senior officials to make a public statement soon to quiet the controversy.

Retired general and Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark is rolling out his full military record. Part of an effort to silence critics and answer questions about his level of support within the military. Mission accomplished? Well, CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wesley Clark's campaign believes releasing his military records will help set the former four-star general apart from the other Democrats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think that this is an incredibly persuasive set of documents for voters who are looking for leadership.

MCINTYRE: The nearly the 200 pages are replete with glowing evaluations from Clark's superiors during the 1970s and '80s. "An officer of impeccable character with a rare blend of personal qualities and professional attributes which uniquely qualify him as a soldier-scholar," wrote General Alexander Haig back in 1978. And Colin Powell, when he was joint chiefs chairman in 1992, called Clark "an officer of the rarest potential."

But during the 1999 Yugoslav war, Clark had many detractors in the Pentagon, especially his civilian and military bosses. Former Defense Secretary William Cohen forced him to step down early as NATO commander after what Cohen acknowledges was friction between the two.

WILLIAM COHEN, FMR. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I made a judgment during the time that he was serving as head of NATO (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and I felt the axe, as such, when it fell, spoke for itself.

MCINTYRE: And the joint chiefs chairman at the time, General Hugh Shelton, told a California group last month, "The reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues. Wes won't get my vote." Those sentiment are not reflected in Clark's record because generals above two-star rank don't receive written evaluation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Many of the four-stars who served with General Clark in his last assignment agreed that he was a brilliant commander, but one they said who had to be reigned in from time to time -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Jamie McIntyre, at the Pentagon. Thank you.

A number of other items to tell you about "Cross Country" tonight.

Washington, D.C.: government warning al Qaeda is still a dangerous threat. The Homeland Security Department put out an alert for local law enforcement that al Qaeda remains interested in "multiple attacks against U.S. targets involving commercial aircraft." There is no new intelligence behind this alert, but the department wants to see continued vigilance.

Minneapolis, Minnesota: police brutality? A man accuses police of sodomizing him with the hand of a plunger during a drug raid. The FBI is investigating. The two officers have been suspended with pay. Their attorneys say they did nothing wrong. We'll have more on this story coming up on 360.

Harrisonville, Missouri: barrel barbarity. A man already convicted of killing three women and stuffing their bodies into barrels in Kansas, well, he plead guilty to five more murders in Missouri. John Robinson, that's his name. He avoided a death sentence in Missouri by admitting he killed two women and a teenage girl whose bodies were found in barrels. The bodies of two other women were never found.

And New York City: what a mess. Take a look at these pictures. A water main break floods parts of Washington Heights and Upper Manhattan. Officials also closed the lower level of the George Washington Bridge just hours before the game seven of the American League championship in nearby Yankee Stadium.

And that's a look at stories "Cross Country." Do you ever feel like you are losing your mind or your memory? Stick around. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some fascinating new research on how to jump-start those brain cells. Unfortunately, it involves exercise.

Plus, Martha Stewart. The clean of queen tries a TV comeback.

And American hostages: the dramatic video of their life in captivity. Find out why they are asking not to be rescued.

First, let's take a look "Inside the Box" at the top stories on tonight's network evening newscasts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All right. So if this next story doesn't get you to drop everything, run for gym, I'm not quite sure what will.

It seems a regular workout isn't just for your biceps anymore. It may actually help you keep your brain from getting as, California's governor-elect might say, weak and flabby. New research says if you exercise more you just might actually remember more. More from Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We all know exercise can help you lose weight. But it may also help you prevent from losing your memory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought that we were born with a brain and then that brain degenerated as we aged until the time we died. Now we know that there are many triggers that actually make parts of the brain regenerate themselves.

GUPTA: And it seems that working out is one of those triggers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cardiovascular exercise that's done over a longer period of time will actually tend to reduce the amount of tissue that you lose as you age.

GUPTA: Losing less tissue may mean preserving precious memories. Researchers at the University of Illinois looked at MRIs of people 55 or older. The results are dramatic.

The first image, a 74-year-old person who was fit. The second, an obviously smaller brain in a 74-year-old person who was not fit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Higher levels of fitness were related to lower levels of tissue loss.

GUPTA: These red and yellow highlighted areas in the brain deteriorate more slowly in a person who is more fit. And in other research, scientists at New York University show that glucose levels also matter. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By losing weight, which can be done either by diet or most profitably through exercise, that will improve how you regulate your glucose. And we have shown that improved glucose regulation is associated with better memory.

GUPTA: It's the hippocampus that's associated with memory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The individuals who had poor glucose regulation had poor memory and they had a part of the brain that's called the hippocampus -- it was smaller.

GUPTA: Of course researches caution that the harder you work out won't necessarily protect your memory any longer. It's a life-long commitment to fitness that matters most.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: And Anderson, as our population ages, this is becoming an increasingly hot topic. The theory is this: the more you exercise, this more blood flow you have to the brain. That preserves nerve function, as well as release some chemicals in your brain that also preserve nerve function.

The good news for you, Anderson, is that most brains start degenerating around age 30. So you still have a few years to go.

COOPER: Actually, I've already started degenerating. And this actually kind of makes me feel bad, because it is yet another reason to feel bad about not going to the gym. So, all right.

GUPTA: Well, look at it like it's a two-for now. You are exercise, you get both.

COOPER: All right. Dr. Gupta, thanks very much.

I want to update you now on the Egyptian twin boys formerly conjoined at the top of their heads. The boys, as you know, were separated over the weekend. Doctors say they are recovering, but they are recovering differently.

CNN's Ed Lavandera explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The drugs that have kept Mohammed and Ahmed Ibraham paralyzed and in a coma since Sunday are now wearing off.

DR. JAMES THOMAS, CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER: Now that they are coming out of a coma, they're no longer, however, in lockstep of one another.

LAVANDERA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the coma medication and is starting to show signs that he can breathe voluntarily. He's also starting to move his left arm and left leg. But there's been no movement on the right side of Mohammed's body. As for Ahmed, it's taking him longer to come off the coma medication. As the doses were being reduced, Ahmed started involuntarily twitching on the right side of his body. Doctors say the boy was experiencing mild seizures for a while, but everything is under control again.

THOMAS: When you do get in and you touch the brain and you irritate the surface of the brain, it may develop either temporarily or permanently abnormal electrical activity, which is what a seizure is. None of the people involved in these boys' care think that this is of major importance.

LAVANDERA: The boys' parents are sleeping at the hospital and are allowed into the boys rooms at any time.

THOMAS: We tell them that they probably hear, they may not remember what they are hearing. But that the touch and the voice is important.

LAVANDERA: It's a simple idea, but sometimes the love of a mother and father can be the best medicine of all.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, in Rome today, a special milestone for Pope John Paul II. Tens of thousands of pilgrims crowded into St. Peter's Square to celebrate the pope's 25th anniversary as head of the Roman Catholic Church. The milestone is being celebrated at the Vatican with all the pomp and ceremony befitting the occasion, while Roman Catholics around the world watched and prayed along, recognizing his longevity and resilience.

Earlier, the 83-year-old pope spoke of his frailties during the homily, but said that god was asking him to continue leading the Church, despite his failing health. We'll have much more on this extraordinary day on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Paula reports live from the Vatican starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time tonight.

For our flashback tonight, check this out. Oh how young he looked then. This is John Paul II when he was chosen pope in 1978. It is often said that John Paul II is the most traveled pope ever. During the 25 years of his papacy the pope has visited 133 countries, traveled 725,070 miles, the equivalent of 29 trips around the globe and three to the moon. Quite a 25 years.

Let's take a quick trip around the globe ourselves tonight for the "UpLink."

(UNINTELLIGIBLE), Malaysia: attacking Jews. Malaysia's prime minister, this man here, opened an Islamic conference today by saying that the world is controlled by Jews.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million. But today the Jews rule this world by a proxy. They get others to fight and die for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: The prime minister also urged his fellow Muslims to borrow a page from the Jews and outthink their enemies. He also urged Muslim youth to give up suicide attacks.

This video is from La Paz, Bolivia. What they're saying is get out. That's what the State Department is telling Americans in La Paz. The government also says, if you are thinking of visiting, don't, at least not now. Tens of thousands of Bolivians took to the streets again today calling the president a butcher and murderer and telling him to quit.

Pyongyang, North Korea: nuke threats. North Korea says when the time is right it will physically display its nuclear weapons. Some observers aren't applauding. They say this is a major escalation. Others say a bluff to gain leverage in future talks with Washington.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE), Bijan: sticks and rocks. That's what rioters used to fight police after the son of the ailing president one an election to keep the family in power. Two people died, more than 60 were injured.

In Rome, Italy, holy competition. The pope wasn't the only person people were singing about. A rock 'n' roll version of the life of Mother Teresa is bringing audiences to their feet apparently. I guess that's the actress there. "Mother Teresa," the musical, is playing twice a day until Sunday's ceremony, when she's to be beatified by the pope.

And that is tonight's "UpLink."

Martha Stewart looking for a homerun. She has new ads rolling out for the World Series, but will they be a hit or a miss? We'll take a closer look.

And a little later: living single. Americans are going it alone in record numbers. But are married people getting all the benefits? And that is the buzz today.

What do you think? Are single people discriminated against? Vote now, cnn.com/360. We'll have the results at the end of the program.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, Kmart is hoping that Martha Stewart bashing is so six months ago. That's the hope. The company is unveiling a new ad campaign for her product line with Stewart herself making an appearance.

The question is, can someone indicted for securities fraud, obstruction of justice, and facing trail in a few months still be a great pitchwoman? The latest now on all things Martha with "Fortune" magazine editor at large and CNN contributor, Andy Serwer.

Andy, happy National Boss Day, by the way.

ANDY SERWER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, thanks. And happy day to our bosses too.

COOPER: Exactly. Why are they pulling out these ads now and with Martha in them? Because that is a departure from the last couple of months.

SERWER: Well, they have strayed away from using her, Anderson, because obviously the taint. But you know Kmart is not in such good shape either. They went bankrupt and now it's out (ph).

I think basically these two entities need each other. Martha needs Kmart to sell her stuff and Kmart needs someone to get them in the stores. And you know, right now, I think it should work pretty well for them.

COOPER: You think - because she has basically been removed from her magazine. I mean, you don't really see as many pictures of Martha. I mean, occasionally you do. But I guess some people say this is a little bit of a risk.

SERWER: Yes. But I mean, think of where Kmart is. They are in a death battle with Wal-Mart. I mean, it's the best thing...

COOPER: A death battle?

SERWER: A death battle with Wal-Mart and Target. The best stuff in a Kmart store is Martha Stewart's stuff.

I mean, I've gone in a Kmart. You look around, it's the same old stuff. It's the best quality stuff. It's the most unique stuff they have. So what's there to lose for Kmart here?

COOPER: What happens though as the trial date approaches in January?

SERWER: Well, I think that's going to be really touch and go. I mean, they may have to pull her off the air a little bit. But they can do that very, very quickly. There's a lot of stuff coming up for Martha.

I mean, she's got stuff with ABC coming on with Barbara Walters. She's got her lawyers visiting with witnesses. I really wonder if the whole thing is ever going to go to trial anyway.

COOPER: Really?

SERWER: I mean, it's not a great case for the government. I never think they're going to get her on insider trading.

COOPER: Especially on insider trading... SERWER: Exactly. They might get her for obstruction. Komy (ph), James Komy (ph), the man who brought the charges, is probably going to be going to Washington as the assistant attorney general. So he's leaving.

I just wonder if the whole thing is unraveling. I think Martha Stewart has the momentum, and a lot of people outside of New York City, Anderson, outside of Manhattan, don't really care. They think Martha is OK and probably want people to leave her alone.

COOPER: All right. We'll leave it there then. Andy Serwer, thanks.

SERWER: OK, Anderson.

COOPER: Well, a drug suspect versus the cops. Allegations of police brutality in Minneapolis. We'll take a closer look at a case that some fear may widen the racial divide there.

Plus, captives in Colombia, Americans. The dramatic video of Americans held hostage.

And living single: why more Americans are going it alone but may be coming up a little short.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Time for the reset. Tonight's top stories: the House is right now debating the president's request for $87 billion to fund the ongoing operations in Iraq. You're looking at a live shot right now. The debate going on. A vote is expected tonight. Expected to pass.

San Bernardino, California. Face to face. President Bush held his first meeting with Arnold Schwarzenegger since the actor turned politician was elected governor of California. Schwarzenegger says it was a get acquainted session and despite California's budget problems, he made no specific request for federal help.

Washington, D.C., getting the message? The FTC says it has received 15,000 consumer complaints about telemarketers. The complaints come from people who say they are still getting telemarketer calls, despite signing up for the government's do not call list.

Hunterdon County, New Jersey, change of venue. A judge has agreed to move the Jayson Williams trial to another county to make it easy to find an unbiased jury. The former NBA star is accused of manslaughter and evidence tampering in connection with a fatal shooting at his estate last year.

Houston, Texas, early flu. Texas health officials have extended a flu advisory after an earlier than usual spike of influenza cases in central and southeast Texas. The flu bug hasn't hit Houston this early in the year since 1991.

That is tonight's reset. On to the Kobe Bryant story. Just a day after his highly charged, highly controversial preliminary hearing, the L.A. Laker star is back training on the basketball court. It will be Monday at the earliest before we find out whether Bryant will actually go to trial for sexual assault.

CNN's Miguel Marquez looks now at how his fans have been reacting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON CACHA, LAKER FAN: I'm a huge Laker fan. I've been a Laker fan since the '80s, as I remember, since I was a little kid growing up.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like many fans, Newton Cacha was in disbelief when he heard about the rape accusation against Laker star Kobe Bryant.

CACHA: Initially I was shocked. And I think it's kind of gone on and a few months since everything came out. I think right now I'm kind of confused about it.

MARQUEZ: Much of that confusion disappeared for Cacha when he learned from the preliminary hearing that Bryant's accuser had another man's semen and pubic hair in a different pair of underwear the day after the alleged rape.

CACHA: I think in the end -- I think Kobe is going to be clear. I mean, I don't think this young lady is credible at all.

MARQUEZ: But for some fans, playing a pick-up game, the new trial information isn't enough to make the call on Bryant's innocence or guilt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard to really, you know figure out what really happened until everything comes out. Then I'll get a better decision then. Right now I really don't know.

MARQUEZ: More information may be on the way. A Colorado judge is set to rule on whether Kobe Bryant should stand trial for rape.

Long-time sports fans like Felicia Jones say the latest revelations don't even come close to exonerating Kobe Bryant.

FELICIA JONES, LAKERS FAN: I still think with the new information it really has nothing to do with the act itself, if it happened that night. I mean, she's an adult and if she's consented to somebody the day before or the day after or the hour after. Right now we're talking about just what happened that particular hour.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Tonight is the Lakers first preseason home game. Kobe Bryant is not playing in this game. He's nursing a sore knee. It's not clear when he'll take the court again. He was not at practice today.

The other thing I didn't tell you is that the judge on Monday will decide whether this case goes to trial -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Miguel Marquez, thanks very much.

Now to a case that has stirred up racial tensions in Minneapolis. A man who says he was brutalized by police. They deny it. And the city thought the best thing to do was to bring the FBI in to investigate.

We should warn you, some of what you will hear is graphic. The story, first, comes from Tony Berlin of CNN affiliate WCCO.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY BERLIN, WCCO CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Limping as he walked in, Steven Porter spoke for the first time about what he says happened Monday afternoon.

STEVEN PORTER, CLAIMS POLICE BRUTALIZED HIM: They came in, kicked the door in and were, like (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I put my hands up and said, "Here I am."

BERLIN: Porter says he was visiting friends at this north Minneapolis address when police showed up. He claims they strip- searched him once, then several officers took him to another room.

PORTER: Asked -- old Officer Kelly to go get something out of the bathroom. When he returned he had a plunger. He handed it to Officer Ginger. He kept sticking it in my butt four times. I felt it twice go in. I got teared tissues in my back, my butt.

BERLIN: This friend told us he was also there and heard Porter yelling. He didn't want to be identified.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a lot of screaming. But I didn't know exactly what they was doing. But I knew they was hurting him.

BERLIN: Earlier in the day we caught up with the suspect as he left jail.

PORTER: I hurt real bad. I'm hurting real bad. I can barely walk.

BERLIN: Then later, after a news conference, he collapsed in the hallway. Medics took him to the hospital. His attorney told us he was in a lot of pain.

BERLIN: I feel threats to my life. I'm scared.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, that was Tony Berlin of WCCO in Minneapolis. We should add that the officers involved have been suspended with pay. Their attorneys deny any wrongdoing on behalf of their clients. We contacted the Minneapolis Police and they said this, quote, "Chief of Police Robert Olson and Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak felt that the seriousness of the complaint merited an outside agency investigation. Any subsequent information involving the investigation will come through the Minneapolis office of the FBI."

Attorneys now from Minneapolis. Keith Ellison, attorney for the man who says he was brutalized, Steven Porter.

Appreciate your being with us. Your client had a very dramatic press conference earlier today, after which he collapsed. The pictures were very dramatic. He was taken to the hospital, though he wasn't admitted.

KEITH ELLISON, ATTORNEY FOR STEVEN PORTER: Yes, he was taken to the hospital and he was given medical attention.

COOPER: OK. But he was not admitted to the hospital. I mean, how bad are you saying his injuries are? Because in the video of him walking out of the prison, he seemed to be walking fine. The Associated Press reported he was walking fine and then all of a sudden he shows up at the conference, and he seems to be walking with great difficulty and sitting with difficulty. How bad are the injuries, are you saying?

ELLISON: Well, we're saying the injuries are serious. And we're taking him seriously, and we're pursuing all the medical information we can get and getting him the best treatment we can get.

COOPER: Have you released any kind of medical report or any kind of documentation?

ELLISON: No, that's private information that we don't intend to release to the media or the public.

COOPER: What do you want to see happen here?

ELLISON: Justice.

COOPER: Which means for you what?

ELLISON: Well, we believe that the people involved should be held accountable. We believe that the city needs to take changes to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. The people -- the public to believe, the community to believe that the police are there to protect them and not to do otherwise.

COOPER: Back in January your client, Steven Porter, pled guilty to hiding rock cocaine in his rectum. Is that true?

ELLISON: You know, he's not the point here. He's not the focus of this. The issue is police conduct. And we're going to continue to keep the focus on that.

COOPER: Well, I ask that question, though, because what some of the police have said is that this man has a history of hiding things inside his body. That explains why the police wanted to do a cavity search, and your response to that?

ELLISON: With a plunger? With a plunger? Please. I don't think any human being, no matter what you accuse them of, deserves to be stuck with a plunger in their rectum. It's just beyond the pale, and it's torture.

COOPER: All right. And do you have any evidence that a plunger was used? Have you been able to gather any evidence yet?

ELLISON: No, the FBI is doing everything they can at this point to pursue all leads in this case. We're going to continue to cooperate with their investigation and get all the information that we can to them.

But we stand by what Mr. Porter shared, and that's what happened. I mean, he got assaulted with a plunger.

COOPER: All right. Keith Ellison, attorney for Steven Porter. Appreciate you joining us tonight. Thank you very much.

ELLISON: Thank you.

COOPER: Three Americans are being held hostage in the jungles of Colombia. What are their chances of making it home safe? We'll try to find out.

Also, if you are alone, it turns out, maybe you're not alone. I'll try and explain that statement a little bit later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: It has been eight months since a plane on a U.S.-backed counter drug mission made an emergency landing in Colombia in rebel- held territory. The rebels killed the pilot, as well as a Colombian army sergeant.

Three Americans were taken hostage. All three, Keith Stansell, Tom Howes and Marc Gonsalves recently were interviewed in captivity. Here's an excerpt, courtesy of CBS News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To our country, we miss you, and we hope we return one day. We're alive and well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We expect to get out of here one day. We can't say for sure. But our main concern is the welfare of our family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look at my two friends here and we think to ourselves, will we be alive another day? Will we be alive tomorrow? Do we have a future? Can we see our families?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Joining us now to talk about the fate of these hostages, documentary producer Karen Hayes is here in New York and George Gonsalves, the father of hostage Marc Gonsalves, is in Hartford, Connecticut.

Appreciate both of you joining us.

George, especially, I know it's got to be difficult for you to see that tape. I want to show you a clip of a statement made by your son and then talk about it. Show the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC GONSALVES, HOSTAGE: I'm a proud American. And I look to you guys, and I ask for a diplomatic solution out of this to get us home safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: when you see this tape, George, what goes through your mind?

GEORGE GONSALVES, FATHER OF HOSTAGE: Well, what goes through my mind is getting him home. He's asking for some help, and what we're trying to do is get him some help so he can get home safely.

COOPER: How did he look to you?

GONSALVES: He looks pretty good. He looks pretty good. And I was happy to see that.

COOPER: When was the last time you had heard from him prior to this tape?

GONSALVES: Oh, probably around Christmastime -- oh, prior to the tape? I hadn't. I hadn't heard anything from him.

COOPER: And the first time you saw it how was it for you?

GONSALVES: When we saw it, it was pretty intense. I was happy. I was very happy, because up until then I didn't know what his condition was. I didn't know, even, if he was alive.

COOPER: Karen, one of your colleagues, you're the documentary producer, one of your colleagues is the one who shot this tape at enormous risk to his own safety, I imagine. How did the hostages appear to him? How were they kept?

KAREN HAYES, DOCUMENTARY MAKER: He said that -- it was Jorge Enrique Botera, who's a Colombian journalist. And he said that the hostages were physically taken care of. They were being fed three meals a day. They got meat twice a week, soda, coffee, that type of thing. But mentally, their stimulation was very limited.

And there's more actually on our Web site at www.heldhostageinColombia.com. And we have the actual video and people can see more. You can really see how the guys are living, and the guys talk about it. COOPER: And he thinks -- You think they are still alive?

HAYES: Right. We do, because the FARC, also in this video that he got, the FARC commander...

COOPER: The FARC is the rebel group.

HAYES: Right. The rebel group. And the commander, Mano Johoi (ph), he says to the guys in an exchange, he says, you know, "We want to keep you alive so that we can come to some negotiation."

COOPER: Let's play a little bit from the clip. This is one of the hostages, Keith Stansell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH STANSELL, HOSTAGE: I love the U.S. I think it's the greatest country in the world, and I'm a proud American. And if I die here, I die here. But I will tell you this, you're not coming to get us and we're going to get out unscathed. This isn't a movie. This is real life. I don't believe a rescue is possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: George, let me ask you, do you believe a rescue is possible for your son?

GONSALVES: No. No. They're just too heavily watched. If you saw the tape, you listen to Keith there, they're watched very closely.

COOPER: George Gonsalves, Karen Hayes, appreciate both of you joining us. We'll try to keep as much focus as we can on this story. Thank you.

Now a fast fact about the group that is holding these three men. The Colombian rebel group known as FARC.

FARC has been battling the Colombian government for nearly four decades. The 17,000-strong Marxist rebel group is thought to be responsible for the vast majority of the 3,000 kidnappings in Colombia. FARC makes an estimated $250-300 million from criminal activities, including kidnapping and drug trafficking.

Well, coming up now: "Overkill." Each week in our "Overkill" segment, we like to hold the media's big feet and our little ones over the fire a little bit, by pointing out a story they and we have covered a lot. Over-covered, some might say. Overkilled.

Tonight, conjoined twins.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Conjoined twins have fascinated people for Generations, long before Chang and Ang Bunker became a circus act. Perhaps it's the rarity of the condition or the difficulties inherent with it. These days medical advances have added another layer of drama, the nail-biting suspense of separation.

Conjoined twins remain extremely rare, only 2 out of every 10 million kids. Thanks to 24-hour news coverage, however, it's easy to think there are many more.

DAN RATHER, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: But they are not out of danger.

COOPER: The little Marias, the Bijani sisters and now Mohammed and Ahmed Ibrahim. All have received hours of airtime.

Their struggles are real, of course, but so are the struggles of children across the globe, children whose problems are not so TV friendly. Abuse, starvation, neglect. These are stories more difficult to tell, stories that never have the problem of overkill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: And that's tonight's overkill.

Single people of the world unite. More people alone than ever before. We are going to look at the power of one.

Which brings us to today's buzz. Do you think single people are discriminated against? You still have time to vote: CNN.com/360. We'll have results at the end of the program.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Our buzz e-mails are pouring in. You can get your vote in. Are single people being discriminated against? CNN.com/360. A few more seconds to vote.

All right. Time to check tonight's "Current" for the latest pop culture news. Well, news, I'm not sure.

Variety reports Universal pictures will reunite Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman, now starring in "Runaway Jury." Their second movie together will also include Robert Duvall. The project has baffled Hollywood power brokers due to its apparent lack of young, vacant, pretty boys.

Auction news to report today: one of only 13 original signed copies of James Joyce's "Ulysses" still in private hands went on the block today. The price? $44,000. Having someone explain it to you, priceless.

Former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick was shot in the leg in West Hollywood this morning. Kulick has already been released from the hospital. Paramedics on the scene were somehow able to tie a tourniquet around his leg without using Gene Simmons' tongue.

NBC has derailed its highly promoted series, "Coupling," for a few weeks. "Coupling" will not air tonight or the first week in November sweeps. NBC reportedly told the series it really liked the show, but it has to attend a big meeting first thing in the morning.

And a quick note to political strategists looking for what might be the next big voting block. Forget about soccer moms or NASCAR dads. Have you made your pitch to American singletons?

A statistic reported this week caught our eye: one in four Americans now lives alone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTOR: I can do that stuff you do whether you are totally alone.

COOPER (voice-over): They're here. They're single. Get used to it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Men are so frustrating.

COOPER: If you think single life is confined to the Cosmo- swilling, Monolo-wearing heroines of "Sex in the City," you're mistaken.

In 1940, less than eight percent of Americans were single, according to the "Christian Science Monitor." Today, nearly 26 percent are.

Singletons are a force to be reckoned with. The "Monitor" notes 42 percent of the workforce is unmarried. Twenty-seven percent of all vacations are taken alone, and more and more restaurants are trying hard not to seat those who eat alone in singleton Siberia.

Don't believe singles have power? Just check out the TV. Mom, Dad, Wally and the Beav are long gone. Now singletons have their own role models, like Carrie and Samantha, perhaps the boldest singleton ever portrayed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I end up old and alone it's all your fault.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all alone, even when we're with men.

COOPER: And there are signs that some singletons, like the plucky pioneer Bridget Jones, are fed up with what they see as a society catering only to the smug marrieds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You really ought to hurry up and get sprugged up, you know, old girl. Times are running out. Tick tock.

RENE ZELLWEGER, ACTRESS: Yes. Tell me. Is it one in four marriages that end in divorce now, or one in three?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One in three.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Many single people complain that workplace perks, health benefits, tax breaks are all geared to families. Earlier I spoke with E. Jean Carroll, advice columnist for "Elle" magazine. She agrees being single isn't always easy but insists it's more than worth it.

I began by asking her if being single, for her, carries a stigma.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

E. JEAN CARROLL, ADVICE COLUMNIST, "ELLE" MAGAZINE: Each carries a stigma. People who are in a straitjacketed marriage and who go to a restaurant and sit there in silence, and everybody stares at them. You know, the man and the wife who have an entire meal without speaking?

COOPER: So you like eating alone?

CARROLL: There's a stigma.

COOPER: You're single now. You've been married, but you're single now.

CARROLL: I've been married the normal amount.

COOPER: The normal amount? OK. Twice. That's the normal amount.

But you enjoy being single?

CARROLL: I love being single. It's freedom in its wildest form. Because this morning, I could get up when I wanted. I could have breakfast when I wanted. I could walk the dogs when I want. I could put on what I wanted and nobody is saying to me, "Have you put on six pounds, E. Jean?" Because I'm by myself.

COOPER: You're free.

CARROLL: I'm totally free.

COOPER: Let me ask you about this. Because I guess singles make up about 42 percent of the workforce right now. There's this group Unmarried America, which is promoting, they say, equal rights for singles.

But some startling facts from them. Single employees make less than married workers. Singles have higher unemployment. Singles receive less compensation for benefits.

Is there a disparity? Do you think it's unfair?

CARROLL: It's very unfair. Our single friends spend most of their time in rancor and viciousness about what they don't have because it's unfair.

COOPER: But some people -- you know, a married couple gets their family leave if they have a child, from work.

CARROLL: And Anderson, I think single people should have a fabulous leave instead of a family leave, and they could go off to Italy for six weeks.

COOPER: Under what you call a fabulous leave?

CARROLL: A fabulous leave.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: We'll see if the fabulous leave takes off.

That was E. Jean Carroll, advice columnist for "Elle" magazine.

Why is a Yankee fan rooting for the Red Sox? Because love has taken baseball to the Nth degree, ahead.

But first, today's buzz. Are single people being discriminated against? Vote now, CNN.com/360. We've hundreds of them in the last couple minutes. We'll give you the results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time for the buzz. We asked, are single people discriminated? Take a look at the numbers. Seventy-nine percent said yes; 21 percent voted no. Discriminated again.

This is not a scientific poll, as you have probably surmised, just viewer buzz. We do appreciate all of you, though, taking the time to vote.

Now to some of your instant feedback, your e-mails. Mike from Florida wrote tonight, "Are single people discriminated against? Yes, they are. I wanted to go on a singles cruise, and all the rooms are based on double occupancy? Where did the singles go? Go figure."

But Frederick from Florida weighed in just seconds ago, saying, "It's fairly ridiculous to say that single people are discriminated against. They're just not. Is this Russia? Nyet."

Send us your instant feedback any time. Log on to CNN.COM/360. I try to respond personally to as many as I can.

Tonight we're rounding Nth base with a story about baseball. There's been a lot of talk about the fundamentals of baseball. You know, punches, death threats, and of course, goats.

But for at least one guy this week, baseball wasn't about any of that or about salary disputes or multimillionaire owners and their millionaire players.

For Kevin Rabbit (ph), baseball was about his dad. Kevin was able to take his dad to game three of the New York/Boston series out of the blue last weekend because they were given free tickets after Kevin posted a message about the series online.

The subject heading was "For my dad." And it said, "My father has been a Sox fan since he was a little boy. He's 78 now and his health is very bad. I'm not sure if he'll be around next season. We've gone back and forth over the years because I'm a Yankees fan. I know that I love my dad more than I'll ever love the Yanks, so I hope the Boston Red Sox win it all. And if there is anyone who thinks I'm a traitor, well, they don't know what love is all about."

This Yankees fan's love for his Red Sox loving dad proves the old saying about baseball, truly it ain't whether you win or lose, it is how you play the game.

That's it for us tonight on 360.

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





Martha Stewart, Does She Still Sell?>