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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Frightening Discovery on Two Southwest Airlines Jets; Rough Start for Bush in Asia

Aired October 17, 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): Box cutters on U.S. airliners, notes left behind. What is the message? How is the president protected as he travels to terrorism hot spots?

Cruel fate. He survived 9/11. now he's dead, killed on the Staten Island ferry.

A new steroid designed to be undetectable. Who's using it and how far will the scandal go?

And TV's sauciest sex expert takes your e-mail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

COOPER: And a good Friday evening to you. Thanks for joining us on 360. A lot going on we're following tonight, including a bombshell story in the sports world, a possible doping conspiracy involving potential Olympic athletes and steroids. We're going to talk with nine-time gold medal champ Carl Lewis.

First tonight, a breaking development in our top story of the day. A frightening discovery on two Southwest Airlines jets; suspicious items found in the planes' bathrooms. We want to go right now to homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve with the latest news -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, FBI sources say a 20-year-old student from North Carolina is being questioned by federal authorities in Baltimore, Maryland in connection with the discovery of contraband items on two Southwest Airlines jets. The sources say the man is cooperating with authorities. He has not been arrested or detained. And no charges are imminent.

The sources say the young man is not an employee of Southwest Airlines. He was apparently just a passenger.

Just last night, box cutters, bleach, and a suntan lotion container and clay resembling plastic explosives were discovered in the lavatories of two jets, along with notes saying that the Transportation Security Administration needs to improve security. An FBI investigation was launched, and apparently produced this young man in Baltimore.

Security inspections of all aircraft are supposed to be done before takeoff, but sources say a routine search might not have found these items because of where they were placed, in compartments in the lavatories. As a result, the TSA ordered more comprehensive searches of all U.S. commercial aircraft before Saturday morning. No additional contraband has shown up as yet.

But again, the headline, a 20-year-old student from North Carolina now being questioned in Baltimore in connection with the incident. An administration source tells me it would appear that one individual perpetrated these incidents. Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Jeanne, I just want to be clear on this. There were two separate incidents on two separate flights, both of which originated from different places. But still they're saying it's just one person?

MESERVE: That's what the source told me. And it's a little unclear at this point. They're saying this individual was a passenger, not an employee. We don't know how he might have had access to two flights, if the items were placed at separate times, separate days, perhaps. Nobody knows how long they might have been on board those aircraft.

COOPER: Fascinating. Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much tonight.

On the road again. It is a whirlwind tour of Asia for President Bush. Six countries, eight days centered around an Asian economic summit in Bangkok. The president heads off to the Philippines shortly, after his trip began with a diplomatic embarrassment involving the Japanese.

Our senior White House correspondent John King has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First stop, Tokyo. The first mission, trying to make amends for offending his host.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's a good friend. A very strong leader.

KING: All smiles after dinner with Prime Minister Koizumi, but there were some ruffled feathers because of how the president's national security adviser described the visit a few days ago.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: During this layover, the president will meet and dine with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi before departing Saturday morning for the Philippines.

KING: The Tokyo stop was just 17 hours; a good deal of that sleeping. But the Japanese would prefer to call it a thank you visit, not a layover. Japan is pledging an immediate $1.5 billion for Iraq's reconstruction and perhaps $5 billion over the next several years.

The prime minister also is considering sending Japanese troops to Iraq, something that doesn't sit well with these demonstrators. So on Air Force One en route to Tokyo, a senior administration official tried to clarify things, saying, "When you go to Japan, it is never a layover. This is one of our best friends, one of our best allies."

Mr. Bush himself put another close ally on the spot this week. Asked if he considered Australian Prime Minister John Howard his deputy sheriff in the war on terrorism, Mr. Bush said he considered Australia the sheriff in Southeast Asia.

KING (on camera): The White House says the president simply meant he considers Australia an equal partner, not in any way a deputy or second fiddle to the United States. But the remark did not sit well to others in the region who take offense at times to what they consider the Bush administration's cowboy rhetoric.

John King, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, as the president travels through Asia, security is extremely tight. Two major threats, terrorism, of course, and also anti-Western protests. Here's your look at some of the new technology Thai police will be using.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): To guard against suicide bombers, this new movable anti-car bomb device. Or, for any security breach, this unique exploding capture net.

Thai police are tough on security, but are eager to avoid the kind of bloodbaths that have happened in protest crackdowns in the past. That's why they're using new plastic bullets. At point blank, they hurt, but don't kill.

There's also the stun grenade. Loud, but does no harm. A final warning for terrorists, police have plenty of live ammunition at the ready.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, on to Iraq. Developments now.

President Bush gets much, but not all of what he wanted in reconstruction and military funding. Earlier today, the House voted 303 to 125 to approve an $87 billion spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan. Then the Senate went along, approving the emergency- spending bill as well. But its version of the bill offers a combination of grants and loans to Iraq, which the White House strongly opposes. Lawmakers must resolve the key differences in the two measures before President Bush can sign it.

In Iraq, another bloody day. At least four Americans, all military police officers, killed. Three of them in a 12-hour gun battle in Karbala. Another American soldier died when a homemade device blew up near Baghdad. This raises the death toll of Americans killed in hostile action in Iraq to 101 since May 1, when President Bush declared an end to major combat operations.

The American general who frames the war on terror in religious terms -- we talked about him last night -- calling it a spiritual battle. Well, he came to his own defense today as the controversy over his comments about Islam continued to bubble. We go now to Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with the latest -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, the controversy does continue. Tonight, a senior foreign policy adviser to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is calling the general's comments outrageous and unbecoming a senior government official.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Lieutenant General William Boykin, a proclaimed evangelical Christian, insists his statements about Islam and the war on terror have been taken out of context. He is only against radical Islamic terrorists, not Islam. One Christian conservative supports Boykin's comments.

GARY BADER, AMERICAN VALUES: I'm not sure why they're controversial because the people that attacked us on 9/11 or trying to attack us again are not Lutherans or Libertarians or vegetarians. They're self-described Islamic Jihadists. So it seems to me that the general was merely speaking the truth.

STARR: A Democrat running for president disagrees.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was angered yesterday when I read about a lieutenant general in the American military who has repeatedly cast the war on terrorism as a clash between the Judeo-Christian values and Satan.

STARR: And in a letter, Democrat Congressman John Conyers of Michigan, a state with a significant Muslim population, tells Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, "I urge you to reassign or reprimand him. We cannot afford to have such an extremist speaking on behalf of our nation and our military."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Anderson, tonight General Boykin has issued a two-page statement apologizing if he has offended anybody but not apologizing for his beliefs. He says, quoting, "I am neither a zealot nor an extremist." And he also says that his references to the United States as a "Christian nation" are, "historically undeniable" -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Barbara Starr, thanks very much.

The most wanted man in the world, al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, is still alive, according to Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf. He says recently acquired technology makes him, "reasonably sure bin Laden is alive, hiding somewhere on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border."

When asked, where is bin Laden, Musharraf said this: "I'm sure he's alive. I can't say whether he's on our side of the border or the Afghan side." He added, "This whole area affords the possibility of hiding small groups because it is a mountainous treacherous area, an inaccessible area on both sides of the border."

Well, now to that possible athlete-doping story. There are allegations tonight of a conspiracy involving chemists, athletes and performance-enhancing drugs. It centers around a compound allegedly created so athletes could use steroids without detection. Officials say several track and field athletes have tested positive for the compound and they could be barred from next year's Olympics.

We have a lot on this tonight. National correspondent Frank Buckley starts it off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some of the athletes in question had competed this past summer at the USA outdoor track and field championships. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency claiming in a statement that it had uncovered intentional doping of the worst sort and a far cry from athletes accidentally testing positive as a result of taking contaminated nutritional supplements. Rather, the agency says, this is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be undetectable designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and world public.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got to punish coaches who help athletes cheat. We've got to encourage whistleblowers to come forward. We've asked the U.S. Olympic Committee to hire a professional investigator to do what the professional sports leagues do to go and look for people who are trying to undermine fair play.

BUCKLEY: The Anti-Doping Agency claimed it was told that the source of the THG was this man, Victor Conte, the president of Balco Laboratories, a sports nutrition company in Burlingame, California. The USADA referred its information to the U.S. Justice Department. In September, the firm was raided by IRS and drug enforcement agents.

Conte strongly denied being the source of the THG in a series of e-mails to CNN. "Balco laboratories is not the source of the substance found," Conte said. "This is about jealous competitive coaches and athletes that all have a history of promoting and using performance-enhancing agents, being completely hypocritical in their actions."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BUCKLEY: Now, if this alleged designer steroid is in fact determined to be a banned substance, any athletes who test positive for it could be banned from any international track competition. So that could mean that some of these track athletes would be banned from the Olympics. We don't know just how many right now. Also, other sports may be affected. Major League Baseball today said through its spokesman that it is looking into this. And we also heard today from congressional sources that Senator Joe Biden plans to introduce a bill next week on anabolic steroids that could again reignite this discussion. The NFL groups among the groups that are supporting this, so, Anderson, expect to hear a lot more about this.

COOPER: Yes, I certainly do. Frank Buckley, thanks very much tonight.

Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis is going to join us to discuss athletes and steroids a little bit later on in the program.

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

Boston, Massachusetts: going forward. A federal judge is clearing the way for the case against this man, Ahmed Mahalaba (ph) to proceed. He was the civilian translator at Guantanamo Bay, where the U.S. military holding terrorist suspects. He is accused of illegally carrying classified documents, then lying about it when cornered by customs officials.

Virginia Beach, Virginia: a sniper trial. A jury has been seated in the trial of D.C.-area sniper suspect John Muhammad. On the panel, ten women, five men, including alternates. Opening statements are expected Monday morning.

Again, Boston: parole approved. It is for the man at the center of a notorious molestation case. This man has served 17 years for raping eight children at his family's suburban Boston day care center. His mother and sister also were convicted. Now, the family maintains they were victims of the sexual abuse hysteria of the 1980s.

And in Dallas: progress report. Doctors say the Egyptian twins who were separated Sunday are now conscious and able to move all their limbs. The 2-year-old brothers have been kept in a coma since their marathon 34-hour surgery.

And that is a look at stories "Cross Country" tonight.

Allegations of an athlete doping conspiracy. Track star Carl Lewis joins me live to talk about the pressure to win at all costs.

Plus, David Blaine's starvation stunt. He's been egged, booed and basically beaten up by the British. Was his magic trick a bust? Well, we'll take a look.

And talking about the birds and the bees with a woman who could make Dr. Ruth blush. Sex expert Sue Johanson joins me live. We'll be answering your e-mails. Send them in.

But first, a look "Inside the Box" at the top story on each of the networks' evening newscasts tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: Well, a desperate search in New Hampshire has ended with a tragic discovery. A 10-year-old boy who had been missing since Monday has been found dead. Beth Germano of CNN affiliate WBZ has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETH GERMANO, WBZ (on camera): Patrick McCarthy's parents came out to thank the hundreds of volunteers who helped them over the last four days. Conservation teams found the little boy at about 2:30 this afternoon three miles from the area where he was last spotted. It was an area of high probability, according to search officials, which is why they went over that area several times. And they are surprised just how far he went.

STEVE MCCARTHY, FATHER: Patrick's family would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who helped us look for Patrick. Everything good in people was shown by the outpouring of support in the search effort.

GERMANO (voice-over): Words of thanks to a now extended family in shock after four days of optimism.

MCCARTHY: We thank you. We love you. And always remember Patrick.

GERMANO: Officials believe 10-year-old Patrick succumbed to the cold, wet and wind of this week. He was far from a trail in a heavily wooded area search teams had passed several times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, basically, they had to be right on top of him to be able to locate him in the vegetation where he was found.

GERMANO: They are the faces of devastation for a 10-year-old who became everybody's son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's something about children who are lost or hurt that make a big difference.

GERMANO: Family members overcome by the news had to be supported as they emerged from the hills, an outcome they didn't want to plan for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were doubts in the back of my head here a lot of times, but I have a 7-year-old daughter at home I love very much, and that's what kept me going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish it was different. He had some very tough nights to go through with all that rain and wind and freezing weather. I couldn't imagine anybody surviving in those woods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a tough week for a 10-year-old to be out there for four nights, so -- at least we found him.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Well, investigators say the New York ferry that ran into a pier at Staten Island Wednesday was moving at full speed when the collision occurred. And while tests on the pilot show no sign of alcohol or illegal drugs, for that matter, authorities want to know whether prescription drugs may have played some role.

Ten people died in Wednesday's ferry crash. One of them a young newlywed who survived an earlier New York tragedy. Jason Carroll has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Darius Marshall was the youngest of those killed on the Staten Island ferry. He was 25. Marshall left work early on Wednesday, anxious to get home to his new wife. They had been married for just four months. His mother, unable to come to terms with her son being gone.

DENISE MARSHALL, MOTHER: I'm going to miss him so. And I don't know what else to do.

CARROLL: Marshall had already survived one tragedy. On 9/11, he was knocked unconscious by falling debris as he left the Borders bookstore in the World Trade Center.

MARSHALL: He was missing for 13 hours. And you think if he can survive that, with all the people that died and lost their lives, that he should have been able to survive this.

CARROLL: Following the 9/11 accident, Marshall left his job downtown as an investigator with the attorney general's office. Earlier this year, the United Nations hired him as a security guard. His family was thrilled, especially when they spotted him on TV last month as he stood next to the president addressing the General Assembly. His friend and fellow guard, Patel Nobel.

PATEL NOBEL, U.N. SECURITY GUARD: I want Darius to be remembered as committed, friendly, a loveable person.

CARROLL: That's how his football coach remembers him. Marshall was a linebacker at Wagner College in Staten Island for four years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Someone that, when he walked in a room, he had a big smile on his face and just brought a -- made you feel at ease and just a real, real good person.

MARSHALL: He's gone, but my heart is broken. I'll never get over this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Marshall's mother said that eventually he wanted to be a Secret Service agent. And she said with everything he had accomplished so far, she says he was well on his way to doing that. Services will be held for him on Sunday in Syracuse, New York. That's where he grew up with his family. COOPER: Just a beautiful piece. Thank you, Jason.

Well, coming up, bound for Bolivia. Find out why the president is sending a contingent of U.S. troops there.

Also, David Blaine, the starvation stunt almost over after 42 days or 44 days in a box with no food. He still seems to kind of weigh the same, though. Magic trick, illusion? Well, we'll take a closer look.

And a little later on, she's not your average grand mom. The host of "Talk Sex," Sue Johanson, joins me live. She' actually going to take some of your e-mail. You can e-mail us your questions: cnn.com/360. Not too racy, OK?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, it's a touching story, really. A rare moment in the history of Britain, where the people seem so unified, so driven toward a single common goal: to see David Blaine out of that little plastic box and out of their country. Just two days to go, and Big Ben is counting down the minutes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): With this stunt, David Blaine had hoped to go global, from American magician to international star. Forty-four days in that box. No food, just water, dangling over London's River Thames.

Blaine is now bearded and said to be smelly. But he knows he has just two days to go.

DAVID BLAINE, MAGICIAN: I know this is the last little piece is the hardest. It's already been bad. My vision is really blurry. My head is totally throbbing.

I black out a lot. So I don't know. I'm just trying to make it to the end.

COOPER: Blaine likely hoped all Britain would love him. But that was one trick he just couldn't pull off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Blaine, wake up!

COOPER: He's been pelted with eggs, golf balls and sundries, mocked and ridiculed on the streets and in print.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we just have a natural cynical streak, and we're not going to be that impressed by it. Plus, he's not that high up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has committed the gravest British crime, which is to take one's self too seriously. And that's the simple thing. He has done this pompous thing, saying, I'm going to go out there, I'm an artist, nothing more, nothing less. And people think, well, actually, you're a bloke in nappies in a little glass box above the Thames.

COOPER: Nappies are diapers. And yes, Blaine is wearing them. No firm number on how many he's had to go through.

Blaine makes money selling the TV rights to his stunts. But if people lose interest, the cash flow will cease. So Sunday, when the spectacle comes to an end, Blaine will need a massive turnout of spectators. In these televised times, modern magic is marketing, and Blaine needs big numbers to prove his magic's still real.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Tough crowd.

Now a look at some international stories. Let's check the "UpLink."

La Paz, Bolivia: political crisis. Reports that Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada has turned in his resignation. The government's plan to export natural gas has triggered weeks of deadly street riots. U.S. officials say they're sending a small military team to Bolivia in case Americans need to be evacuated and to protect the U.S. embassy.

Malaysia: not backing down. Despite criticism around the world, Malaysia's prime minister is sticking by his controversial comments about Jews. One day after he claimed Jews ruled the world by proxy, the prime minister has accused his critics of practicing a double standard. He said if it's permissible to accuse Muslims of terrorists, it should be permissible to accuse Jews of being terrorists.

Vatican City: remembering Mother Teresa. Catholic Church officials continue preparations for Sunday's beatification of the late Mother Theresa, famed for her missionary work among India's poor. The ceremony is considered a step toward sainthood for the European-born nun who died in 1997.

Mexico City: record ride. A Colombian man managed to bounce his bicycle -- check this out -- up to the top of the tallest building in Latin America. It took Javier Zapata (ph) one and a half hours to set a new world record. Didn't know this was even a possibility to get a world record for this. He went up 1,318 steps in a 59-story skyscraper scraper in Mexico City.

And Taipei, Taiwan: world's tallest skyscrapers. Taiwanese officials celebrated the completion of the world tallest building. There it is, 1,670 feet tall. That officially unseats Malaysia's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Towers as the world's tallest building.

And that is tonight's "UpLink."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Olympic legend Carl Lewis live on designer steroids secret labs: the price athletes play. Sue Johanson, TV's sauciest sex expert, answers your e-mails.

360 continues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All right. Time for the "Reset." Tonight's top stories.

Baltimore Maryland. Law enforcement sources tell CNN a 20-year- old college student is being questioned in connection with the suspicious materials found aboard two Southwest Airlines planes. Now, we are told the individual is from North Carolina and is believed to have been a passenger on those flights.

Miami, Florida, misguided mission. He's out of the Army now and questioning the wisdom behind the mission that made him a hero. Former Iraq prisoner of war Ronald Young, Jr., remember him? Well, he tells CNN the intelligence behind his mission was wrong and that the fateful trip turned out to be what he calls a suicide mission.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, FBI raids. You'll recall that FBI bugs were discovered last week in Mayor John Street's office. Remember that? Well, among the targets of today's raids, the office of a lawyer with ties to Street and three city departments.

And Meryl Streep will soon have something to add to her collection of 12 Academy Award nominations, a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute. The ceremony is next June, and Streep says that will give her enough time to write a list of all the people she needs to thank. I bet it's a big one.

That's tonight's "Reset."

Now to "Justice Served" and the Scott Peterson case. A judge today set the date for the preliminary hearing. It's going to be October 28. Our 360 legal analyst, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, is here to talk about what evidence may or may not be introduced at that hearing.

Kimberly, good to see you this evening.

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You, too.

COOPER: What about this witness who was hypnotized? Will she actually ever see the inside of a courtroom?

NEWSOM: Well, Kristen Dempewolf will not be called by the prosecution for purposes of the preliminary hearing, or probable cause hearing. They are planning to introduce her evidence, her testimony at the time of trial.

The problem that the defense and Mark Geragos has with this is they feel that it is unreliable and by its very nature, hypnosis is the process of suggestion. So the court's going to have to determine whether or not any information that was obtained from her, any police reports or testimony after she was hypnotized, would be admissible.

I think her independent recollection prior to being hypnotized should be allowed in. Afterwards, it's somewhat susceptible to people thinking that it's junk science and that it's not the product of her own independent memory.

COOPER: The significance of this woman, though, is that she is alleged to kind of resemble Laci Peterson, and she was pregnant around the same time. Is that correct?

NEWSOM: Exactly. It's very important evidence for the defense. It really gets Scott Peterson off the hook. They want to say -- the defense is claiming that Laci Peterson was spotted in the area on December 24. The prosecution is saying, no, it wasn't Laci Peterson. It was this Laci look-alike, Kristen Dempewolf. She is a crucial, pivotal witness in this case, so it's definitely something to keep an eye on.

COOPER: The defense is trying to exclude this hair evidence that was apparently found on a pair of pliers inside the boat. Are they going to be able to do that?

NEWSOM: This is very damaging evidence against Scott Peterson if it is allowed in court.

Basically, the crux of the argument is that the D.A.'s office used what's called mitochondrial testing, which basically comes from the mitochondria of the cell, versus the nucleus of the cell. What that breaks down to is the defense is saying this it's not something that is generally accepted in the scientific community. It lacks reliability. They do have somewhat of a credible argument there, but keep in mind, it has been used quite often.

What is more reliable, definitely, is blood or tissue DNA testing, and that's not what we have here. Keep in mind, if the judge lets it in, Mark Geragos is making a second argument that it should be excluded by saying that there was contamination at the crime scene, that when this hair on the pliers that was in Scott Peterson's boat was obtained, it was a single hair. Now there are two hairs in the bag. So we're going to see a little bit of the O.J.-esque arguments there.

COOPER: Interesting stuff. OK, October 28 is this preliminary hearing. Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, thanks very much.

NEWSOM: Thank you.

COOPER: That was "Justice Served." Now we want to christen a new segment here we'll do now and then called "There is No Justice." These are the kinds of stories that you hear and think, that ain't right.

Last night it was single people facing discrimination, higher unemployment and lower salaries. Today, short workers. A new study shows that tall people earn considerably more than their shorter co-workers. The study found that each inch adds about $789 a year to their salaries. Imagine how bad it is if you're short and single. Truly, there is no justice, at least about this.

A little earlier we told you about an alleged conspiracy involving chemists, athletes and performance enhancing drugs. It concerns a compound called THG -- I'm not even going to try to pronounce the scientific name -- allegedly created to allow athletes use steroids without detection.

Joining us from CNN Center to discuss the medical aspects of the story is our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Good to see you, Sanjay.

I had never heard of this thing before. I get guess a lot of people never really heard about this thing before. It was completely invented by man. What is TJG?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, hardly anyone has heard about it. If you do a search on the Internet, you're going to find about this much about this particular substance because it was invented and most people hadn't even heard of it until yesterday.

THG basically is a synthetic or manmade sort of anabolic steroid is what reports are saying. They're not saying that it's like a steroid. They're not saying that it does something similar to steroids. They're saying that this is essentially an anabolic steroid.

Now, admittedly, completely created in a laboratory. This isn't something that you'd find in nature. And it's not something that people even really knew how to test for, because they didn't know that it existed. But certainly hearing a lot more about it after today.

COOPER: What would make this different from other steroids. I mean, besides the fact it's not detectable?

GUPTA: Simply put, steroids are all sort of these derivatives of the testosterone hormone, the male hormone. When you sort of fiddle around with a few hydrogen atoms here and sort of move them around from location to location, you can essentially create a similar sort of steroid, although it would be a different drug in terms of being able to test for it.

So it's very similar to, probably, a lot of anabolic steroids out there. But sort of fiddling around in a laboratory with some of these hydrogen atoms, you can really change it around to essentially make it escape detection.

COOPER: Presumably, I guess, as risky as steroid use is in terms of effects on the human body. What are some of the negatives of steroid use?

GUPTA: Well, that's one thing that people do know about. I mean, anabolic steroids have been used since the 1930s, in many cases legitimately. There are very legitimate uses -- I need to point that out -- of steroid use.

But there are some side effects, as well. If you talk about them in men and women and all populations together.

In men, for example, there is side effects such as possible infertility, development of breasts, the shrinking of the testicles.

In women, there are side effects, as well, including excessive body hair and baldness.

Perhaps most striking -- those are cosmetic in some ways. Perhaps more striking, for overall, there's significant problems with heart disease, possible liver tumors. It actually could cause enlargement of the right ventricle. We've talked about this sort of thing before, in terms of sudden death, possibly, from steroid use. These are some of the potential side effects.

This is a derivative, again, of one of those sorts of medications. At least that's what it's looking like, and those are the possible side effects of something like this.

COOPER: Well, I think we're going to hear a lot more about this in the coming days.

GUPTA: Yes.

COOPER: THG. Dr. Gupta, thanks very much.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COOPER: A quick fast fact for you on athletes and performance enhancing drugs. According to "Sports Illustrated" U.S. athletes tested positive for drugs more than a hundred times from 1988 to 2000. Only a handful were actually barred from competing, and 19 of those went on to win medals.

Well, we're going to have more on the possible doping conspiracy. We're going to talk to nine-time gold medal champ Carl Lewis a little bit later on.

Also, the nice, sweet granny who you can pour your heart out to her. There she is. I mean really pour your heart out to. Sue Johanson, grandma sex expert and host of "Talk Sex." She'll be answering, actually, some of your e-mails. You can send us an e-mail.

And Gwyneth Paltrow is a tragic poet in "Sylvia." That's Sylvia Plath, one of the movies we're going to look at in tonight's "Weekender." Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUE JOHANSON, "TALK SEX" HOST: "Hot Stuff." Well, tonight, we have a toy that is so big, we could barely fit it into the "Hot Stuff" bag. It's called... COOPER: Man, I'm glad we didn't -- hello! That was -- what was grandma pulling out of that "Hot Stuff" bag? We'll never tell.

She's not your grandma, of course, but she Sue Johanson is someone's grandma. I'm still blushing from that. She's also the host of the call-in show "Talk Sex," beginning a second season on Oxygen Network this Sunday. We'll try to keep this PG rated, or PG-13, maybe.

Sue Johanson is in Toronto.

Sue, good to see you. Thanks for being with us. I don't even want to know what you were pulling out of that bag.

JOHANSON: Well, you know, just use your imagination, big guy.

COOPER: All right.

Why do you talk about this stuff on TV? I mean, why do you think it's important to get this kind of very detailed information out to people?

JOHANSON: Because there's so much misinformation out there. There are so many myths and misconceptions about sex and sexuality. And it raises the expectation level, so that people think that every time they have sex, they are going to have this cataclysmic, earth- shattering orgasm, you know, ten on the Richter scale. And when that doesn't happen, they are devastated. And they need to realize that -- this is reality therapy here.

COOPER: You know, it's interesting. You've got a huge cult following, and I mean, people just love you who watch you. But it's so unexpected. I mean, you don't -- physically, you're a grandmother, for God's sake.

JOHANSON: I'm a grandma. I've got turkey neck and wrinkles and gray hair.

COOPER: Why do you think this information coming from you, people listen to, they like?

JOHANSON: Because I've got turkey neck and wrinkles and gray hair and because I'm safe. If I was cute, young, bouncy thing with bodacious ta-tas, I would have no credibility whatsoever.

COOPER: All right.

JOHANSON: I would be more of what's already on television.

COOPER: All right. Let's...

JOHANSON: Whereas a mature grandmother, who is long in the tooth and has learned an awful lot about sex over the years from running a birth control clinic to teaching sex and sexuality on a non-stop basis.

COOPER: And you've got a couple of kids of your own.

JOHNANSON: I've got three.

COOPER: All right. Let's go to some of our e-mail. Tracy in Baltimore says, "I'm 18, and it seems that many of the TV programs and movies geared toward my generation have become so saturated with sexual innuendoes, that sex is no longer a taboo subject. Do you think that this constant media attention takes away the 'forbidden fruit' allure of sex to my generation, or do you think that it enhances it?"

JOHANSON: I think it enhances it to a certain extent. Again, it raises the expectation. But, also, it kind of puts it into perspective that this is sex. But then there's the other part of life that kind of got left out of it. And that whole realm is not being looked at.

And the other aspect is that because of the lack of sex education and the -- you know, the need for basic bottom line information, this, I hope, would encourage young people to talk about it with adults, with their parents, and get more information. Then be able to talk to their partner.

COOPER: We've been getting tons of e-mail. A lot we can't even read out. We got just one a few moments ago. I haven't actually even seen it yet. We're going to put it on the screen, from Mary.

Do we have that? OK. I don't actually have it, so...

JOHANSON: OK. Well -- we don't know what Mary would like to know?

COOPER: I'll go to another one. I'll go to M.Z. From San Francisco. "I'm a very physically fit 52-year-old. For the past year, I've lost my sexual desire and this resulted in a break-up with my boyfriend of 13 years. I know that it's partly emotional but am concerned. Is there something I can take to bring back my sex drive?"

JOHANSON: Well, I'd need to know a little bit more about her. She's 52, so she's menopausal.

COOPER: She says she's physically fit.

JOHANSON: You can be physically fit and still be menopausal, honey. And so her hormones are all out of hack. And I would like her to go to see her family doctor and talk about what's happening in her life.

We also need to look at the relationship, because she's been together for 13 years. And, you know, after 13 years of being together, it can get a little monotonous. You're not swinging from the chandeliers anymore, especially when you're 52 years of age.

COOPER: Yes.

JOHANSON: So we want to look at post-menopausal or menopausal and hormone changes, and then we want to look at his expectations.

COOPER: All right.

JOHANSON: What did he think he's getting in a 52-year-old female, and can he keep up with a 32-year-old female?

COOPER: All right. Well, you're on Oxygen. Appreciate you joining us, Sue Johanson. Thanks very much.

JOHANSON: Thanks very much. The show is changing times.

COOPER: OK.

JOHANSON: We're going to be now on at 10 in the evening.

COOPER: Ten o'clock in the evening Sunday night?

JOHANSON: Yes, 10 p.m. every Sunday, I'm there.

COOPER: All right. We'll watch it.

JOHANSON: In your face.

COOPER: You certainly are. Sue, thanks very much.

Still to come this evening, more on the bombshell from the sports world. Is there a possible doping conspiracy? We're going to talk to Carl Lewis about accusations of illegal steroid use in track and field.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: When you think of track and field in the Olympics, one name stands out. For more than a decade, Carl Lewis dominated the sport, picking up nine gold medals in four Olympic gains, one of only four athletes ever to make that achievement. Remarkable.

So when a scandal like this threatens to tarnish the sport he loves, you have to believe it weighs heavily on him. Carl Lewis joins us now from Los Angeles.

Carl, good to see you.

Is track and field a dirty sport?

CARL LEWIS, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Well, track and field has had a big problem with that. And one thing I want to make clear is that most athletes are clean. Most athletes want to do the right thing. But just like society, we have people that want to cheat.

But the problem we've had in the past is that we need an independent agency to handle that. And that's why I think this came out and also why it's going to be much better in the future. COOPER: Well, what's remarkable about this allegation is that basically they're alleging that coaches conspired with chemists and athletes to come up with this untraceable material. Do you think that's realistic, that's possible?

LEWIS: Well, even for me, it's a little shocking but not unrealistic. Because there are coaches that we've known about that have pushed drug use on athletes, and of course athletes that seek out coaches. and athletes and coaches that seek out doctors. So it's almost unbelievable, but I definitely feel it can happen. And it's something that we should all look at.

But the most important thing is now that we have this independent agency that's handling this, I really feel it's the best way and we're going to do a much better job of defeating this drug problem that's been in our sport.

COOPER: Because why? Because the testing is going to get better?

LEWIS: Well, the testing is going to get better, but then you don't have the mixture between the people like the fox watching the hen house. Of course, certain people may get preferential treatment simply because they're stars, and they don't want their stars to get caught. And what really has to happen is it has to be independent. The sport will be better if it's cleaner for every single athlete that runs and all the kids and fans that watch it.

COOPER: Explain a little bit the pressure on an athlete, an Olympic athlete, someone who wants to be in the Olympics. What is the incentive to try to get away with something like this, one of these performance enhancing drugs?

LEWIS: Well, Anderson, actually, I really feel it parallels what people do in society. There are certain people that simply will not take drugs under any circumstance and others that will. It's just like people that live every day. And they can be easily influenced. Some of them want to become successful and win that Olympic gold medal.

But at the end of the day, you still don't win it, because you realize that you did it by cheating. And how can you live the rest of your life, knowing you cheated out people that were equal?

And another thing, it hurts the entire sport, because it inhibits competition. People love competition. They love competitors, and that's what they like to see.

COOPER: You were involved, of course, in the race with Ben Johnson. He had his medal taken away. You received the gold medal in that one particular race.

When you were competing, when you looked around at the people you were competing against, working with, did you sort of -- was it known who was possibly using stuff? LEWIS: Well, at the time, of course, we had that tremendous race against Ben. And we all knew. That was pretty open. And that's what was frustrating for me.

And I'm glad that situation happened to me, because we'd heard about his coach, we'd heard about Ben's group and some others as well. And I was so frustrated that it enabled me to go out and start talking against the problem.

But I also saw at that time, back in the '80s, that an independent agency needed to be there in order to make sure it would be as effective as it can be.

COOPER: We're going to have to leave it there. Carl Lewis, I really appreciate you joining us. Thanks very much. It was interesting.

LEWIS: Great. Thank you, Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Time for a quick check of "The Current" right now.

There was a three-letter word heard at "New York Post" headquarters today: "Doh!" I think that's three letters. Maybe a few four letter words, as well. Some "Post" editions had an editorial blasting the Yankees, who won last night after 11 innings, for losing. They said it was a production snag. We think they should have had faith.

He survived "Gigli," the bloodthirsty paparazzi and the overwhelming force of Jenny from the Block and today he even offered some biting political analysis. I ask you, is there anything Ben Affleck cannot do? Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN AFFLECK, ACTOR: Here we are now at the dawn of the Schwarzenegger era in American politics. Does this seem like the decline of the Roman Empire? Does that strike -- like, and then a beast with eyes of fire will rise from the sea and the Schwarzenegger will govern! What's next?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: And speaking of that beast with eyes afire, here is the conjoined twins story you haven't heard about, a two two-headed snake -- there it is -- a two-headed snake found in Kentucky. The 10-year- old who found it needed a name and looked deep into those four cold serpentine eyes and decided the beast must be called Mary Kate and Ashley. I did not make this one up, I promise you. There are the real Mary Kate and Ashley. All right.

And that's a check of tonight's "Current."

Our now to the "Weekender," our previews from the music, the movies and more due out in the coming week. Tonight some angels, a former first lady and Londoners infected with rage that's actually not directed at David Blaine. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): The rage comes courtesy of "28 Days Later," just out on DVD.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're dead, and you're going to be next.

COOPER: It's not exactly family fare. It's about infectious rage decimating Britain.

Also on DVD, "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," which failed to rev up reviewers when the angels roared into theaters.

ROD STEWART, SINGER (singing): If you like my body and you think I'm sexy, come on sugar...

COOPER: In music, Rod Stewart is back again, with his second album of standards. But, really, hasn't he contributed enough? Who can forget the delicate lyricism of "If you want my body and you think I'm sexy, come on, sugar, let me know"?

In books, former first lady Barbara Bush is back in print with "Reflections, Life After the White House." She is an expert, after all. Mrs. Bush is the first woman since Abigail Adams to be both wife and mother to a president.

In movies...

GWYNETH PALTROW, ACTRESS: I'm thinking of trying some new things.

COOPER: Gwyneth Paltrow has become the darling of depressed undergraduate females everywhere with her portrayal of tragic poet and pearl wearing Smith graduate Sylvia Plath.

And Katie Holmes banishes the memory of Dawson and that creek with "Pieces of April" about a family and a Thanksgiving dinner gone dysfunctional.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like it from the can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody likes it from the can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Also, big movies this weekend, "Runaway Jury" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

Coming up on 360, "The Nth Degree," accused of behaving badly and still laughing all the way to the ATM. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, tonight the rewards of bad behavior, alleged and otherwise, to "The Nth Degree." Who says there are no 11th innings in American life. The "New York Post" reported today that disgraced reporter Jayson Blair has already received $60,000, the first chunk of $250,000 payoff for writing a book called "Burning Down my Master's House."

Blair claims this work, unlike so much of his previous writing, will not be fiction, but really, who knows. Look for chapters on race, scotch and Doritos, all of which Blair has cited as factors in his self-destruction.

When, exactly, did notoriety and infamy become so lucrative? Blair's quarter of a million dollar advance is chump change for Woody Allen, the director who some have yet to forgive for marrying his girlfriend's daughter or for "Hollywood Ending," has reportedly landed a $2.5 million tell-all book deal.

And then, of course, there's Martha Stewart. The domestic doyenne indicted for securities fraud and obstruction of justice is back this weekend, pitching products in K-Mart commercials.

So what about nice guys finishing first? Apparently, the moral here is one they don't teach you at school. Well, maybe at business school they do. These days, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you've got a great agent.

That wraps up our program tonight. Have a great weekend. See you back on Monday. Actually, I'll be on "NEWSNIGHT" tonight, if you want to watch at 10 p.m.

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





Rough Start for Bush in Asia>


Aired October 17, 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): Box cutters on U.S. airliners, notes left behind. What is the message? How is the president protected as he travels to terrorism hot spots?

Cruel fate. He survived 9/11. now he's dead, killed on the Staten Island ferry.

A new steroid designed to be undetectable. Who's using it and how far will the scandal go?

And TV's sauciest sex expert takes your e-mail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

COOPER: And a good Friday evening to you. Thanks for joining us on 360. A lot going on we're following tonight, including a bombshell story in the sports world, a possible doping conspiracy involving potential Olympic athletes and steroids. We're going to talk with nine-time gold medal champ Carl Lewis.

First tonight, a breaking development in our top story of the day. A frightening discovery on two Southwest Airlines jets; suspicious items found in the planes' bathrooms. We want to go right now to homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve with the latest news -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, FBI sources say a 20-year-old student from North Carolina is being questioned by federal authorities in Baltimore, Maryland in connection with the discovery of contraband items on two Southwest Airlines jets. The sources say the man is cooperating with authorities. He has not been arrested or detained. And no charges are imminent.

The sources say the young man is not an employee of Southwest Airlines. He was apparently just a passenger.

Just last night, box cutters, bleach, and a suntan lotion container and clay resembling plastic explosives were discovered in the lavatories of two jets, along with notes saying that the Transportation Security Administration needs to improve security. An FBI investigation was launched, and apparently produced this young man in Baltimore.

Security inspections of all aircraft are supposed to be done before takeoff, but sources say a routine search might not have found these items because of where they were placed, in compartments in the lavatories. As a result, the TSA ordered more comprehensive searches of all U.S. commercial aircraft before Saturday morning. No additional contraband has shown up as yet.

But again, the headline, a 20-year-old student from North Carolina now being questioned in Baltimore in connection with the incident. An administration source tells me it would appear that one individual perpetrated these incidents. Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Jeanne, I just want to be clear on this. There were two separate incidents on two separate flights, both of which originated from different places. But still they're saying it's just one person?

MESERVE: That's what the source told me. And it's a little unclear at this point. They're saying this individual was a passenger, not an employee. We don't know how he might have had access to two flights, if the items were placed at separate times, separate days, perhaps. Nobody knows how long they might have been on board those aircraft.

COOPER: Fascinating. Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much tonight.

On the road again. It is a whirlwind tour of Asia for President Bush. Six countries, eight days centered around an Asian economic summit in Bangkok. The president heads off to the Philippines shortly, after his trip began with a diplomatic embarrassment involving the Japanese.

Our senior White House correspondent John King has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First stop, Tokyo. The first mission, trying to make amends for offending his host.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's a good friend. A very strong leader.

KING: All smiles after dinner with Prime Minister Koizumi, but there were some ruffled feathers because of how the president's national security adviser described the visit a few days ago.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: During this layover, the president will meet and dine with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi before departing Saturday morning for the Philippines.

KING: The Tokyo stop was just 17 hours; a good deal of that sleeping. But the Japanese would prefer to call it a thank you visit, not a layover. Japan is pledging an immediate $1.5 billion for Iraq's reconstruction and perhaps $5 billion over the next several years.

The prime minister also is considering sending Japanese troops to Iraq, something that doesn't sit well with these demonstrators. So on Air Force One en route to Tokyo, a senior administration official tried to clarify things, saying, "When you go to Japan, it is never a layover. This is one of our best friends, one of our best allies."

Mr. Bush himself put another close ally on the spot this week. Asked if he considered Australian Prime Minister John Howard his deputy sheriff in the war on terrorism, Mr. Bush said he considered Australia the sheriff in Southeast Asia.

KING (on camera): The White House says the president simply meant he considers Australia an equal partner, not in any way a deputy or second fiddle to the United States. But the remark did not sit well to others in the region who take offense at times to what they consider the Bush administration's cowboy rhetoric.

John King, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, as the president travels through Asia, security is extremely tight. Two major threats, terrorism, of course, and also anti-Western protests. Here's your look at some of the new technology Thai police will be using.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): To guard against suicide bombers, this new movable anti-car bomb device. Or, for any security breach, this unique exploding capture net.

Thai police are tough on security, but are eager to avoid the kind of bloodbaths that have happened in protest crackdowns in the past. That's why they're using new plastic bullets. At point blank, they hurt, but don't kill.

There's also the stun grenade. Loud, but does no harm. A final warning for terrorists, police have plenty of live ammunition at the ready.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, on to Iraq. Developments now.

President Bush gets much, but not all of what he wanted in reconstruction and military funding. Earlier today, the House voted 303 to 125 to approve an $87 billion spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan. Then the Senate went along, approving the emergency- spending bill as well. But its version of the bill offers a combination of grants and loans to Iraq, which the White House strongly opposes. Lawmakers must resolve the key differences in the two measures before President Bush can sign it.

In Iraq, another bloody day. At least four Americans, all military police officers, killed. Three of them in a 12-hour gun battle in Karbala. Another American soldier died when a homemade device blew up near Baghdad. This raises the death toll of Americans killed in hostile action in Iraq to 101 since May 1, when President Bush declared an end to major combat operations.

The American general who frames the war on terror in religious terms -- we talked about him last night -- calling it a spiritual battle. Well, he came to his own defense today as the controversy over his comments about Islam continued to bubble. We go now to Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with the latest -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, the controversy does continue. Tonight, a senior foreign policy adviser to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is calling the general's comments outrageous and unbecoming a senior government official.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Lieutenant General William Boykin, a proclaimed evangelical Christian, insists his statements about Islam and the war on terror have been taken out of context. He is only against radical Islamic terrorists, not Islam. One Christian conservative supports Boykin's comments.

GARY BADER, AMERICAN VALUES: I'm not sure why they're controversial because the people that attacked us on 9/11 or trying to attack us again are not Lutherans or Libertarians or vegetarians. They're self-described Islamic Jihadists. So it seems to me that the general was merely speaking the truth.

STARR: A Democrat running for president disagrees.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was angered yesterday when I read about a lieutenant general in the American military who has repeatedly cast the war on terrorism as a clash between the Judeo-Christian values and Satan.

STARR: And in a letter, Democrat Congressman John Conyers of Michigan, a state with a significant Muslim population, tells Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, "I urge you to reassign or reprimand him. We cannot afford to have such an extremist speaking on behalf of our nation and our military."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Anderson, tonight General Boykin has issued a two-page statement apologizing if he has offended anybody but not apologizing for his beliefs. He says, quoting, "I am neither a zealot nor an extremist." And he also says that his references to the United States as a "Christian nation" are, "historically undeniable" -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Barbara Starr, thanks very much.

The most wanted man in the world, al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, is still alive, according to Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf. He says recently acquired technology makes him, "reasonably sure bin Laden is alive, hiding somewhere on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border."

When asked, where is bin Laden, Musharraf said this: "I'm sure he's alive. I can't say whether he's on our side of the border or the Afghan side." He added, "This whole area affords the possibility of hiding small groups because it is a mountainous treacherous area, an inaccessible area on both sides of the border."

Well, now to that possible athlete-doping story. There are allegations tonight of a conspiracy involving chemists, athletes and performance-enhancing drugs. It centers around a compound allegedly created so athletes could use steroids without detection. Officials say several track and field athletes have tested positive for the compound and they could be barred from next year's Olympics.

We have a lot on this tonight. National correspondent Frank Buckley starts it off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some of the athletes in question had competed this past summer at the USA outdoor track and field championships. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency claiming in a statement that it had uncovered intentional doping of the worst sort and a far cry from athletes accidentally testing positive as a result of taking contaminated nutritional supplements. Rather, the agency says, this is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be undetectable designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and world public.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got to punish coaches who help athletes cheat. We've got to encourage whistleblowers to come forward. We've asked the U.S. Olympic Committee to hire a professional investigator to do what the professional sports leagues do to go and look for people who are trying to undermine fair play.

BUCKLEY: The Anti-Doping Agency claimed it was told that the source of the THG was this man, Victor Conte, the president of Balco Laboratories, a sports nutrition company in Burlingame, California. The USADA referred its information to the U.S. Justice Department. In September, the firm was raided by IRS and drug enforcement agents.

Conte strongly denied being the source of the THG in a series of e-mails to CNN. "Balco laboratories is not the source of the substance found," Conte said. "This is about jealous competitive coaches and athletes that all have a history of promoting and using performance-enhancing agents, being completely hypocritical in their actions."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BUCKLEY: Now, if this alleged designer steroid is in fact determined to be a banned substance, any athletes who test positive for it could be banned from any international track competition. So that could mean that some of these track athletes would be banned from the Olympics. We don't know just how many right now. Also, other sports may be affected. Major League Baseball today said through its spokesman that it is looking into this. And we also heard today from congressional sources that Senator Joe Biden plans to introduce a bill next week on anabolic steroids that could again reignite this discussion. The NFL groups among the groups that are supporting this, so, Anderson, expect to hear a lot more about this.

COOPER: Yes, I certainly do. Frank Buckley, thanks very much tonight.

Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis is going to join us to discuss athletes and steroids a little bit later on in the program.

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

Boston, Massachusetts: going forward. A federal judge is clearing the way for the case against this man, Ahmed Mahalaba (ph) to proceed. He was the civilian translator at Guantanamo Bay, where the U.S. military holding terrorist suspects. He is accused of illegally carrying classified documents, then lying about it when cornered by customs officials.

Virginia Beach, Virginia: a sniper trial. A jury has been seated in the trial of D.C.-area sniper suspect John Muhammad. On the panel, ten women, five men, including alternates. Opening statements are expected Monday morning.

Again, Boston: parole approved. It is for the man at the center of a notorious molestation case. This man has served 17 years for raping eight children at his family's suburban Boston day care center. His mother and sister also were convicted. Now, the family maintains they were victims of the sexual abuse hysteria of the 1980s.

And in Dallas: progress report. Doctors say the Egyptian twins who were separated Sunday are now conscious and able to move all their limbs. The 2-year-old brothers have been kept in a coma since their marathon 34-hour surgery.

And that is a look at stories "Cross Country" tonight.

Allegations of an athlete doping conspiracy. Track star Carl Lewis joins me live to talk about the pressure to win at all costs.

Plus, David Blaine's starvation stunt. He's been egged, booed and basically beaten up by the British. Was his magic trick a bust? Well, we'll take a look.

And talking about the birds and the bees with a woman who could make Dr. Ruth blush. Sex expert Sue Johanson joins me live. We'll be answering your e-mails. Send them in.

But first, a look "Inside the Box" at the top story on each of the networks' evening newscasts tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: Well, a desperate search in New Hampshire has ended with a tragic discovery. A 10-year-old boy who had been missing since Monday has been found dead. Beth Germano of CNN affiliate WBZ has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETH GERMANO, WBZ (on camera): Patrick McCarthy's parents came out to thank the hundreds of volunteers who helped them over the last four days. Conservation teams found the little boy at about 2:30 this afternoon three miles from the area where he was last spotted. It was an area of high probability, according to search officials, which is why they went over that area several times. And they are surprised just how far he went.

STEVE MCCARTHY, FATHER: Patrick's family would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who helped us look for Patrick. Everything good in people was shown by the outpouring of support in the search effort.

GERMANO (voice-over): Words of thanks to a now extended family in shock after four days of optimism.

MCCARTHY: We thank you. We love you. And always remember Patrick.

GERMANO: Officials believe 10-year-old Patrick succumbed to the cold, wet and wind of this week. He was far from a trail in a heavily wooded area search teams had passed several times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, basically, they had to be right on top of him to be able to locate him in the vegetation where he was found.

GERMANO: They are the faces of devastation for a 10-year-old who became everybody's son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's something about children who are lost or hurt that make a big difference.

GERMANO: Family members overcome by the news had to be supported as they emerged from the hills, an outcome they didn't want to plan for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were doubts in the back of my head here a lot of times, but I have a 7-year-old daughter at home I love very much, and that's what kept me going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish it was different. He had some very tough nights to go through with all that rain and wind and freezing weather. I couldn't imagine anybody surviving in those woods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a tough week for a 10-year-old to be out there for four nights, so -- at least we found him.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Well, investigators say the New York ferry that ran into a pier at Staten Island Wednesday was moving at full speed when the collision occurred. And while tests on the pilot show no sign of alcohol or illegal drugs, for that matter, authorities want to know whether prescription drugs may have played some role.

Ten people died in Wednesday's ferry crash. One of them a young newlywed who survived an earlier New York tragedy. Jason Carroll has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Darius Marshall was the youngest of those killed on the Staten Island ferry. He was 25. Marshall left work early on Wednesday, anxious to get home to his new wife. They had been married for just four months. His mother, unable to come to terms with her son being gone.

DENISE MARSHALL, MOTHER: I'm going to miss him so. And I don't know what else to do.

CARROLL: Marshall had already survived one tragedy. On 9/11, he was knocked unconscious by falling debris as he left the Borders bookstore in the World Trade Center.

MARSHALL: He was missing for 13 hours. And you think if he can survive that, with all the people that died and lost their lives, that he should have been able to survive this.

CARROLL: Following the 9/11 accident, Marshall left his job downtown as an investigator with the attorney general's office. Earlier this year, the United Nations hired him as a security guard. His family was thrilled, especially when they spotted him on TV last month as he stood next to the president addressing the General Assembly. His friend and fellow guard, Patel Nobel.

PATEL NOBEL, U.N. SECURITY GUARD: I want Darius to be remembered as committed, friendly, a loveable person.

CARROLL: That's how his football coach remembers him. Marshall was a linebacker at Wagner College in Staten Island for four years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Someone that, when he walked in a room, he had a big smile on his face and just brought a -- made you feel at ease and just a real, real good person.

MARSHALL: He's gone, but my heart is broken. I'll never get over this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Marshall's mother said that eventually he wanted to be a Secret Service agent. And she said with everything he had accomplished so far, she says he was well on his way to doing that. Services will be held for him on Sunday in Syracuse, New York. That's where he grew up with his family. COOPER: Just a beautiful piece. Thank you, Jason.

Well, coming up, bound for Bolivia. Find out why the president is sending a contingent of U.S. troops there.

Also, David Blaine, the starvation stunt almost over after 42 days or 44 days in a box with no food. He still seems to kind of weigh the same, though. Magic trick, illusion? Well, we'll take a closer look.

And a little later on, she's not your average grand mom. The host of "Talk Sex," Sue Johanson, joins me live. She' actually going to take some of your e-mail. You can e-mail us your questions: cnn.com/360. Not too racy, OK?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, it's a touching story, really. A rare moment in the history of Britain, where the people seem so unified, so driven toward a single common goal: to see David Blaine out of that little plastic box and out of their country. Just two days to go, and Big Ben is counting down the minutes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): With this stunt, David Blaine had hoped to go global, from American magician to international star. Forty-four days in that box. No food, just water, dangling over London's River Thames.

Blaine is now bearded and said to be smelly. But he knows he has just two days to go.

DAVID BLAINE, MAGICIAN: I know this is the last little piece is the hardest. It's already been bad. My vision is really blurry. My head is totally throbbing.

I black out a lot. So I don't know. I'm just trying to make it to the end.

COOPER: Blaine likely hoped all Britain would love him. But that was one trick he just couldn't pull off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Blaine, wake up!

COOPER: He's been pelted with eggs, golf balls and sundries, mocked and ridiculed on the streets and in print.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we just have a natural cynical streak, and we're not going to be that impressed by it. Plus, he's not that high up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has committed the gravest British crime, which is to take one's self too seriously. And that's the simple thing. He has done this pompous thing, saying, I'm going to go out there, I'm an artist, nothing more, nothing less. And people think, well, actually, you're a bloke in nappies in a little glass box above the Thames.

COOPER: Nappies are diapers. And yes, Blaine is wearing them. No firm number on how many he's had to go through.

Blaine makes money selling the TV rights to his stunts. But if people lose interest, the cash flow will cease. So Sunday, when the spectacle comes to an end, Blaine will need a massive turnout of spectators. In these televised times, modern magic is marketing, and Blaine needs big numbers to prove his magic's still real.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Tough crowd.

Now a look at some international stories. Let's check the "UpLink."

La Paz, Bolivia: political crisis. Reports that Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada has turned in his resignation. The government's plan to export natural gas has triggered weeks of deadly street riots. U.S. officials say they're sending a small military team to Bolivia in case Americans need to be evacuated and to protect the U.S. embassy.

Malaysia: not backing down. Despite criticism around the world, Malaysia's prime minister is sticking by his controversial comments about Jews. One day after he claimed Jews ruled the world by proxy, the prime minister has accused his critics of practicing a double standard. He said if it's permissible to accuse Muslims of terrorists, it should be permissible to accuse Jews of being terrorists.

Vatican City: remembering Mother Teresa. Catholic Church officials continue preparations for Sunday's beatification of the late Mother Theresa, famed for her missionary work among India's poor. The ceremony is considered a step toward sainthood for the European-born nun who died in 1997.

Mexico City: record ride. A Colombian man managed to bounce his bicycle -- check this out -- up to the top of the tallest building in Latin America. It took Javier Zapata (ph) one and a half hours to set a new world record. Didn't know this was even a possibility to get a world record for this. He went up 1,318 steps in a 59-story skyscraper scraper in Mexico City.

And Taipei, Taiwan: world's tallest skyscrapers. Taiwanese officials celebrated the completion of the world tallest building. There it is, 1,670 feet tall. That officially unseats Malaysia's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Towers as the world's tallest building.

And that is tonight's "UpLink."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Olympic legend Carl Lewis live on designer steroids secret labs: the price athletes play. Sue Johanson, TV's sauciest sex expert, answers your e-mails.

360 continues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All right. Time for the "Reset." Tonight's top stories.

Baltimore Maryland. Law enforcement sources tell CNN a 20-year- old college student is being questioned in connection with the suspicious materials found aboard two Southwest Airlines planes. Now, we are told the individual is from North Carolina and is believed to have been a passenger on those flights.

Miami, Florida, misguided mission. He's out of the Army now and questioning the wisdom behind the mission that made him a hero. Former Iraq prisoner of war Ronald Young, Jr., remember him? Well, he tells CNN the intelligence behind his mission was wrong and that the fateful trip turned out to be what he calls a suicide mission.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, FBI raids. You'll recall that FBI bugs were discovered last week in Mayor John Street's office. Remember that? Well, among the targets of today's raids, the office of a lawyer with ties to Street and three city departments.

And Meryl Streep will soon have something to add to her collection of 12 Academy Award nominations, a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute. The ceremony is next June, and Streep says that will give her enough time to write a list of all the people she needs to thank. I bet it's a big one.

That's tonight's "Reset."

Now to "Justice Served" and the Scott Peterson case. A judge today set the date for the preliminary hearing. It's going to be October 28. Our 360 legal analyst, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, is here to talk about what evidence may or may not be introduced at that hearing.

Kimberly, good to see you this evening.

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You, too.

COOPER: What about this witness who was hypnotized? Will she actually ever see the inside of a courtroom?

NEWSOM: Well, Kristen Dempewolf will not be called by the prosecution for purposes of the preliminary hearing, or probable cause hearing. They are planning to introduce her evidence, her testimony at the time of trial.

The problem that the defense and Mark Geragos has with this is they feel that it is unreliable and by its very nature, hypnosis is the process of suggestion. So the court's going to have to determine whether or not any information that was obtained from her, any police reports or testimony after she was hypnotized, would be admissible.

I think her independent recollection prior to being hypnotized should be allowed in. Afterwards, it's somewhat susceptible to people thinking that it's junk science and that it's not the product of her own independent memory.

COOPER: The significance of this woman, though, is that she is alleged to kind of resemble Laci Peterson, and she was pregnant around the same time. Is that correct?

NEWSOM: Exactly. It's very important evidence for the defense. It really gets Scott Peterson off the hook. They want to say -- the defense is claiming that Laci Peterson was spotted in the area on December 24. The prosecution is saying, no, it wasn't Laci Peterson. It was this Laci look-alike, Kristen Dempewolf. She is a crucial, pivotal witness in this case, so it's definitely something to keep an eye on.

COOPER: The defense is trying to exclude this hair evidence that was apparently found on a pair of pliers inside the boat. Are they going to be able to do that?

NEWSOM: This is very damaging evidence against Scott Peterson if it is allowed in court.

Basically, the crux of the argument is that the D.A.'s office used what's called mitochondrial testing, which basically comes from the mitochondria of the cell, versus the nucleus of the cell. What that breaks down to is the defense is saying this it's not something that is generally accepted in the scientific community. It lacks reliability. They do have somewhat of a credible argument there, but keep in mind, it has been used quite often.

What is more reliable, definitely, is blood or tissue DNA testing, and that's not what we have here. Keep in mind, if the judge lets it in, Mark Geragos is making a second argument that it should be excluded by saying that there was contamination at the crime scene, that when this hair on the pliers that was in Scott Peterson's boat was obtained, it was a single hair. Now there are two hairs in the bag. So we're going to see a little bit of the O.J.-esque arguments there.

COOPER: Interesting stuff. OK, October 28 is this preliminary hearing. Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, thanks very much.

NEWSOM: Thank you.

COOPER: That was "Justice Served." Now we want to christen a new segment here we'll do now and then called "There is No Justice." These are the kinds of stories that you hear and think, that ain't right.

Last night it was single people facing discrimination, higher unemployment and lower salaries. Today, short workers. A new study shows that tall people earn considerably more than their shorter co-workers. The study found that each inch adds about $789 a year to their salaries. Imagine how bad it is if you're short and single. Truly, there is no justice, at least about this.

A little earlier we told you about an alleged conspiracy involving chemists, athletes and performance enhancing drugs. It concerns a compound called THG -- I'm not even going to try to pronounce the scientific name -- allegedly created to allow athletes use steroids without detection.

Joining us from CNN Center to discuss the medical aspects of the story is our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Good to see you, Sanjay.

I had never heard of this thing before. I get guess a lot of people never really heard about this thing before. It was completely invented by man. What is TJG?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, hardly anyone has heard about it. If you do a search on the Internet, you're going to find about this much about this particular substance because it was invented and most people hadn't even heard of it until yesterday.

THG basically is a synthetic or manmade sort of anabolic steroid is what reports are saying. They're not saying that it's like a steroid. They're not saying that it does something similar to steroids. They're saying that this is essentially an anabolic steroid.

Now, admittedly, completely created in a laboratory. This isn't something that you'd find in nature. And it's not something that people even really knew how to test for, because they didn't know that it existed. But certainly hearing a lot more about it after today.

COOPER: What would make this different from other steroids. I mean, besides the fact it's not detectable?

GUPTA: Simply put, steroids are all sort of these derivatives of the testosterone hormone, the male hormone. When you sort of fiddle around with a few hydrogen atoms here and sort of move them around from location to location, you can essentially create a similar sort of steroid, although it would be a different drug in terms of being able to test for it.

So it's very similar to, probably, a lot of anabolic steroids out there. But sort of fiddling around in a laboratory with some of these hydrogen atoms, you can really change it around to essentially make it escape detection.

COOPER: Presumably, I guess, as risky as steroid use is in terms of effects on the human body. What are some of the negatives of steroid use?

GUPTA: Well, that's one thing that people do know about. I mean, anabolic steroids have been used since the 1930s, in many cases legitimately. There are very legitimate uses -- I need to point that out -- of steroid use.

But there are some side effects, as well. If you talk about them in men and women and all populations together.

In men, for example, there is side effects such as possible infertility, development of breasts, the shrinking of the testicles.

In women, there are side effects, as well, including excessive body hair and baldness.

Perhaps most striking -- those are cosmetic in some ways. Perhaps more striking, for overall, there's significant problems with heart disease, possible liver tumors. It actually could cause enlargement of the right ventricle. We've talked about this sort of thing before, in terms of sudden death, possibly, from steroid use. These are some of the potential side effects.

This is a derivative, again, of one of those sorts of medications. At least that's what it's looking like, and those are the possible side effects of something like this.

COOPER: Well, I think we're going to hear a lot more about this in the coming days.

GUPTA: Yes.

COOPER: THG. Dr. Gupta, thanks very much.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COOPER: A quick fast fact for you on athletes and performance enhancing drugs. According to "Sports Illustrated" U.S. athletes tested positive for drugs more than a hundred times from 1988 to 2000. Only a handful were actually barred from competing, and 19 of those went on to win medals.

Well, we're going to have more on the possible doping conspiracy. We're going to talk to nine-time gold medal champ Carl Lewis a little bit later on.

Also, the nice, sweet granny who you can pour your heart out to her. There she is. I mean really pour your heart out to. Sue Johanson, grandma sex expert and host of "Talk Sex." She'll be answering, actually, some of your e-mails. You can send us an e-mail.

And Gwyneth Paltrow is a tragic poet in "Sylvia." That's Sylvia Plath, one of the movies we're going to look at in tonight's "Weekender." Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUE JOHANSON, "TALK SEX" HOST: "Hot Stuff." Well, tonight, we have a toy that is so big, we could barely fit it into the "Hot Stuff" bag. It's called... COOPER: Man, I'm glad we didn't -- hello! That was -- what was grandma pulling out of that "Hot Stuff" bag? We'll never tell.

She's not your grandma, of course, but she Sue Johanson is someone's grandma. I'm still blushing from that. She's also the host of the call-in show "Talk Sex," beginning a second season on Oxygen Network this Sunday. We'll try to keep this PG rated, or PG-13, maybe.

Sue Johanson is in Toronto.

Sue, good to see you. Thanks for being with us. I don't even want to know what you were pulling out of that bag.

JOHANSON: Well, you know, just use your imagination, big guy.

COOPER: All right.

Why do you talk about this stuff on TV? I mean, why do you think it's important to get this kind of very detailed information out to people?

JOHANSON: Because there's so much misinformation out there. There are so many myths and misconceptions about sex and sexuality. And it raises the expectation level, so that people think that every time they have sex, they are going to have this cataclysmic, earth- shattering orgasm, you know, ten on the Richter scale. And when that doesn't happen, they are devastated. And they need to realize that -- this is reality therapy here.

COOPER: You know, it's interesting. You've got a huge cult following, and I mean, people just love you who watch you. But it's so unexpected. I mean, you don't -- physically, you're a grandmother, for God's sake.

JOHANSON: I'm a grandma. I've got turkey neck and wrinkles and gray hair.

COOPER: Why do you think this information coming from you, people listen to, they like?

JOHANSON: Because I've got turkey neck and wrinkles and gray hair and because I'm safe. If I was cute, young, bouncy thing with bodacious ta-tas, I would have no credibility whatsoever.

COOPER: All right.

JOHANSON: I would be more of what's already on television.

COOPER: All right. Let's...

JOHANSON: Whereas a mature grandmother, who is long in the tooth and has learned an awful lot about sex over the years from running a birth control clinic to teaching sex and sexuality on a non-stop basis.

COOPER: And you've got a couple of kids of your own.

JOHNANSON: I've got three.

COOPER: All right. Let's go to some of our e-mail. Tracy in Baltimore says, "I'm 18, and it seems that many of the TV programs and movies geared toward my generation have become so saturated with sexual innuendoes, that sex is no longer a taboo subject. Do you think that this constant media attention takes away the 'forbidden fruit' allure of sex to my generation, or do you think that it enhances it?"

JOHANSON: I think it enhances it to a certain extent. Again, it raises the expectation. But, also, it kind of puts it into perspective that this is sex. But then there's the other part of life that kind of got left out of it. And that whole realm is not being looked at.

And the other aspect is that because of the lack of sex education and the -- you know, the need for basic bottom line information, this, I hope, would encourage young people to talk about it with adults, with their parents, and get more information. Then be able to talk to their partner.

COOPER: We've been getting tons of e-mail. A lot we can't even read out. We got just one a few moments ago. I haven't actually even seen it yet. We're going to put it on the screen, from Mary.

Do we have that? OK. I don't actually have it, so...

JOHANSON: OK. Well -- we don't know what Mary would like to know?

COOPER: I'll go to another one. I'll go to M.Z. From San Francisco. "I'm a very physically fit 52-year-old. For the past year, I've lost my sexual desire and this resulted in a break-up with my boyfriend of 13 years. I know that it's partly emotional but am concerned. Is there something I can take to bring back my sex drive?"

JOHANSON: Well, I'd need to know a little bit more about her. She's 52, so she's menopausal.

COOPER: She says she's physically fit.

JOHANSON: You can be physically fit and still be menopausal, honey. And so her hormones are all out of hack. And I would like her to go to see her family doctor and talk about what's happening in her life.

We also need to look at the relationship, because she's been together for 13 years. And, you know, after 13 years of being together, it can get a little monotonous. You're not swinging from the chandeliers anymore, especially when you're 52 years of age.

COOPER: Yes.

JOHANSON: So we want to look at post-menopausal or menopausal and hormone changes, and then we want to look at his expectations.

COOPER: All right.

JOHANSON: What did he think he's getting in a 52-year-old female, and can he keep up with a 32-year-old female?

COOPER: All right. Well, you're on Oxygen. Appreciate you joining us, Sue Johanson. Thanks very much.

JOHANSON: Thanks very much. The show is changing times.

COOPER: OK.

JOHANSON: We're going to be now on at 10 in the evening.

COOPER: Ten o'clock in the evening Sunday night?

JOHANSON: Yes, 10 p.m. every Sunday, I'm there.

COOPER: All right. We'll watch it.

JOHANSON: In your face.

COOPER: You certainly are. Sue, thanks very much.

Still to come this evening, more on the bombshell from the sports world. Is there a possible doping conspiracy? We're going to talk to Carl Lewis about accusations of illegal steroid use in track and field.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: When you think of track and field in the Olympics, one name stands out. For more than a decade, Carl Lewis dominated the sport, picking up nine gold medals in four Olympic gains, one of only four athletes ever to make that achievement. Remarkable.

So when a scandal like this threatens to tarnish the sport he loves, you have to believe it weighs heavily on him. Carl Lewis joins us now from Los Angeles.

Carl, good to see you.

Is track and field a dirty sport?

CARL LEWIS, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Well, track and field has had a big problem with that. And one thing I want to make clear is that most athletes are clean. Most athletes want to do the right thing. But just like society, we have people that want to cheat.

But the problem we've had in the past is that we need an independent agency to handle that. And that's why I think this came out and also why it's going to be much better in the future. COOPER: Well, what's remarkable about this allegation is that basically they're alleging that coaches conspired with chemists and athletes to come up with this untraceable material. Do you think that's realistic, that's possible?

LEWIS: Well, even for me, it's a little shocking but not unrealistic. Because there are coaches that we've known about that have pushed drug use on athletes, and of course athletes that seek out coaches. and athletes and coaches that seek out doctors. So it's almost unbelievable, but I definitely feel it can happen. And it's something that we should all look at.

But the most important thing is now that we have this independent agency that's handling this, I really feel it's the best way and we're going to do a much better job of defeating this drug problem that's been in our sport.

COOPER: Because why? Because the testing is going to get better?

LEWIS: Well, the testing is going to get better, but then you don't have the mixture between the people like the fox watching the hen house. Of course, certain people may get preferential treatment simply because they're stars, and they don't want their stars to get caught. And what really has to happen is it has to be independent. The sport will be better if it's cleaner for every single athlete that runs and all the kids and fans that watch it.

COOPER: Explain a little bit the pressure on an athlete, an Olympic athlete, someone who wants to be in the Olympics. What is the incentive to try to get away with something like this, one of these performance enhancing drugs?

LEWIS: Well, Anderson, actually, I really feel it parallels what people do in society. There are certain people that simply will not take drugs under any circumstance and others that will. It's just like people that live every day. And they can be easily influenced. Some of them want to become successful and win that Olympic gold medal.

But at the end of the day, you still don't win it, because you realize that you did it by cheating. And how can you live the rest of your life, knowing you cheated out people that were equal?

And another thing, it hurts the entire sport, because it inhibits competition. People love competition. They love competitors, and that's what they like to see.

COOPER: You were involved, of course, in the race with Ben Johnson. He had his medal taken away. You received the gold medal in that one particular race.

When you were competing, when you looked around at the people you were competing against, working with, did you sort of -- was it known who was possibly using stuff? LEWIS: Well, at the time, of course, we had that tremendous race against Ben. And we all knew. That was pretty open. And that's what was frustrating for me.

And I'm glad that situation happened to me, because we'd heard about his coach, we'd heard about Ben's group and some others as well. And I was so frustrated that it enabled me to go out and start talking against the problem.

But I also saw at that time, back in the '80s, that an independent agency needed to be there in order to make sure it would be as effective as it can be.

COOPER: We're going to have to leave it there. Carl Lewis, I really appreciate you joining us. Thanks very much. It was interesting.

LEWIS: Great. Thank you, Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Time for a quick check of "The Current" right now.

There was a three-letter word heard at "New York Post" headquarters today: "Doh!" I think that's three letters. Maybe a few four letter words, as well. Some "Post" editions had an editorial blasting the Yankees, who won last night after 11 innings, for losing. They said it was a production snag. We think they should have had faith.

He survived "Gigli," the bloodthirsty paparazzi and the overwhelming force of Jenny from the Block and today he even offered some biting political analysis. I ask you, is there anything Ben Affleck cannot do? Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN AFFLECK, ACTOR: Here we are now at the dawn of the Schwarzenegger era in American politics. Does this seem like the decline of the Roman Empire? Does that strike -- like, and then a beast with eyes of fire will rise from the sea and the Schwarzenegger will govern! What's next?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: And speaking of that beast with eyes afire, here is the conjoined twins story you haven't heard about, a two two-headed snake -- there it is -- a two-headed snake found in Kentucky. The 10-year- old who found it needed a name and looked deep into those four cold serpentine eyes and decided the beast must be called Mary Kate and Ashley. I did not make this one up, I promise you. There are the real Mary Kate and Ashley. All right.

And that's a check of tonight's "Current."

Our now to the "Weekender," our previews from the music, the movies and more due out in the coming week. Tonight some angels, a former first lady and Londoners infected with rage that's actually not directed at David Blaine. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): The rage comes courtesy of "28 Days Later," just out on DVD.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're dead, and you're going to be next.

COOPER: It's not exactly family fare. It's about infectious rage decimating Britain.

Also on DVD, "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," which failed to rev up reviewers when the angels roared into theaters.

ROD STEWART, SINGER (singing): If you like my body and you think I'm sexy, come on sugar...

COOPER: In music, Rod Stewart is back again, with his second album of standards. But, really, hasn't he contributed enough? Who can forget the delicate lyricism of "If you want my body and you think I'm sexy, come on, sugar, let me know"?

In books, former first lady Barbara Bush is back in print with "Reflections, Life After the White House." She is an expert, after all. Mrs. Bush is the first woman since Abigail Adams to be both wife and mother to a president.

In movies...

GWYNETH PALTROW, ACTRESS: I'm thinking of trying some new things.

COOPER: Gwyneth Paltrow has become the darling of depressed undergraduate females everywhere with her portrayal of tragic poet and pearl wearing Smith graduate Sylvia Plath.

And Katie Holmes banishes the memory of Dawson and that creek with "Pieces of April" about a family and a Thanksgiving dinner gone dysfunctional.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like it from the can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody likes it from the can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Also, big movies this weekend, "Runaway Jury" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

Coming up on 360, "The Nth Degree," accused of behaving badly and still laughing all the way to the ATM. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, tonight the rewards of bad behavior, alleged and otherwise, to "The Nth Degree." Who says there are no 11th innings in American life. The "New York Post" reported today that disgraced reporter Jayson Blair has already received $60,000, the first chunk of $250,000 payoff for writing a book called "Burning Down my Master's House."

Blair claims this work, unlike so much of his previous writing, will not be fiction, but really, who knows. Look for chapters on race, scotch and Doritos, all of which Blair has cited as factors in his self-destruction.

When, exactly, did notoriety and infamy become so lucrative? Blair's quarter of a million dollar advance is chump change for Woody Allen, the director who some have yet to forgive for marrying his girlfriend's daughter or for "Hollywood Ending," has reportedly landed a $2.5 million tell-all book deal.

And then, of course, there's Martha Stewart. The domestic doyenne indicted for securities fraud and obstruction of justice is back this weekend, pitching products in K-Mart commercials.

So what about nice guys finishing first? Apparently, the moral here is one they don't teach you at school. Well, maybe at business school they do. These days, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you've got a great agent.

That wraps up our program tonight. Have a great weekend. See you back on Monday. Actually, I'll be on "NEWSNIGHT" tonight, if you want to watch at 10 p.m.

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





Rough Start for Bush in Asia>