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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Bush Declares 4 California Counties Disaster Areas; Suicide Bombers Kill 30 in Iraq; Couple Accused of Starving Children Behind Bars

Aired October 27, 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): Western wildfires raging out of control. We'll take you live to the fire line.

Dozens dead in Baghdad. Who is behind the deadly wave of bombings.

Do parents of boys have a better chance at keeping their marriages together?

Boxers or briefs? What do young voters really want to know?

An eccentric millionaire, a gruesome murder. Can Robert Durst stand up to cross-examination?

And our special series, "Broken Vows: Infidelity in America."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

This afternoon, President Bush declared four counties in southern California major disaster areas. And Governor Gray Davis has activated the National Guard to help the state deal with its deadliest blaze in more than a decade. You are looking at a live picture right now.

At this moment, there are at least 10 separate wildfires burning, fanned by those hot, dry, Santa Ana winds. Fourteen people are known dead at this moment. More than 300,000 acres have been scorched. Flames up to 100 feet high have forced evacuations from the Mexican border to the suburbs of Los Angeles, and now some people living inside the L.A. city limits are being warned they may have to leave as well.

We have a series of reports from southern California this evening. We start with Martin Savidge.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Anderson. As you point out here, it has reached historic levels when it comes to firefighting efforts going on right now in southern California. Veteran firefighters say they have never seen anything like it.

So far, about 500 square miles have now gone up in smoke. If you want a barometer as to how much land that is, it's about half the size of the state of Rhode Island. The flames exist all the way from northwest of Los Angeles, where we are here in Simi Valley. That's about 35 miles down to the border with Mexico. That's how large these fires have now become.

Here in the Simi Valley area though, the fire has broached what was a significant standing point, and that is Highway 118. It runs basically east to west in Ventura County. That had been the fire line that firefighters were hoping to hold.

Now the fire has dropped south of that. That means, as you point out, Los Angeles, the parts of the outskirts, have been told people should be prepared to move and move quickly.

To Devore, California. That's located about 50 miles to the east of us where we are standing now. And it was another very difficult day as firefighters battled a losing battle against what is really mother nature's blowtorch.

Residents tried to fight back the flames using garden hoses. But it is to the south, in San Diego, where the firefighting has been the heaviest and the death toll has been its highest. There are a total of nine people that died there yesterday. More frantic efforts to get people out of the way of the flames, as people tried to gather up whatever they could and get moving.

Officials there are worried three separate fires could merge into one massive blaze. The largest fire, called the cedar (ph) fire, claimed nine lives, as we said, yesterday. A total of 14 people overall have now died in these wildfires. Close to 1,000 homes have been destroyed, and there are said to be about 9,000 firefighters that are manning the fire front.

President Bush, as you say, has declared much of southern California a disaster area. It opens the door for federal aid. However, the greatest aid will have to come from mother nature.

A break in the weather could come as early as Wednesday. Temperatures will drop. The winds will also die down and the humidity levels will go up. But there is a lot of fire to be fought tonight -- Anderson.

COOPER: It certainly is at that. We're going to be covering this all evening long. Martin Savidge, thanks very much tonight.

Now, all the smoke is causing major travel problems. Hundreds of flights have been canceled in and out of southern California, which, of course, affects airports around the country. An air traffic control center in San Diego had to be evacuated. LAX is open, but it is slow going there, with delays of up to two hours. The Simi Valley fire came close to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, about 400 meters. No worries now. Museum official say the building is no longer in danger. Those are obviously old pictures there.

Due to the fires in the San Diego area, there's a mew game plan for the NFL's Chargers-Dolphins game tonight. Qualcomm Stadium has been a makeshift evacuation center for resident who have left their homes. Tonight's game is being played in Tempe, Arizona, where fans lined up for free tickets. In a statement, the Chargers and Dolphins say their hearts and prayers go out to those suffering tonight.

And there is a lot of suffering right now. Lives have been lost, homes and their contents turned to ash. CNN's Frank Buckley joins us from Devore, California, about 100 miles east of where Martin Savidge was located.

Frank, how is it looking where you are?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Anderson, in this region, in and around San Bernardino, Sevore, some 520 homes have been destroyed. And it's really hard to understand the human impact of that unless you look at one home at a time. And that's what we are here to do.

I want to show you this house. This is Linda Kiniston's (ph) house. We live by our pools here in southern California. The pool behind here behind her house, where she lived for 25 years now, full of debris.

And then look right here at her house. This is where Linda Kiniston (ph) raised her children, where she lived for 25 years in a three-bedroom, two-bath house, 1,500 square feet. The good news, she got out. Her grandson, who she was living, with also got out.

They were able to take their important papers and photos. Not everything, but at least the important things.

At the end of the day, it's just a house. But it's also a home. And so even though the house is insured, the loss is emotional. Here's Ms. Kiniston's (ph) daughter on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, there's memories. Six years old, I grew up here. I mean, there's lots of memories there. But, I mean, the important -- I mean, my mom's out. I mean, that's all that matters.

She got the pictures, she got papers. She got what she needed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Now, in and around this area where we are, Devore and Devore Heights, throughout the day we saw firefighters and individual homeowners and business owners doing their best to knock down spot fires, to do their best to try to protect structures. Still, eight homes were lost in and around this area known as Devore and Devore Heights. So a very difficult day in this area -- Anderson.

COOPER: Unbelievable. Frank Buckley, thank you very much.

Eleven of the 14 deaths recorded so far have been in the San Diego area, where 585 homes have been destroyed. David Mattingly is in San Diego. He joins us from a Red Cross evacuation center -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, it's a little after 4:00 here in San Diego. Normally we'd be showing you bright sunshine. But instead, it's almost dark here because of the tremendous cloud of smoke that is enveloped the city. The sun has yet to break through today.

This clearly the worst set of brush fires that the San Diego county has seen since 1970. Eleven people were killed here yesterday in two separate fires. One of them roared through a particular neighborhood, wiping out 180 homes.

The Chargeres-Dolphins Monday night football game has been moved at the mayor's request to Arizona tonight. That's because San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium has been turned into an evacuation center.

Many people came out of their homes last night. They were ordered to leave. They spent the night in the parking lot outside the stadium last night. They are being encouraged not to do that tonight; encouraged instead to go to a number of shelters that have since been set up so they can at least get out of this bad air that is enveloping the city and causing some health problems for some people.

Governor Gray Davis today toured some of the devastated areas. He said that 135 more fire trucks are on their way to San Diego County right now. That will more than double the amount of equipment that is on the ground fighting this fire.

So with that added equipment, and the fact that firefighters caught a break today in the weather -- you might notice there is very little wind blowing here right now -- they believe they might be able to make some progress in putting these fires down some time soon -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. David Mattingly, thanks very much for that.

In San Bernardino, police are looking for two young men who they believe may have started the fire there. Now, if found, the pair could be charged with arson and murder since two people died as a result of the blaze.

Arsonists have caused a number of large wildfires in recent years. And tonight, we flash back to 2002.

Remember July of that year, the largest wildfire in Colorado's history. Destroyed nearly 60,000 acres. A former forest service worker set off the blaze after burning a letter from her estranged husband in a fire pit. Terry Barden (ph) is now serving a six-year federal sentence and a 12-year state sentence.

One month before, June 2002, Arizona saw its worst fire. Some half a million acres burned, forcing 30,000 people to evacuate their homes. A part-time firefighter, Leonard Gregg (ph), was convicted of starting the blaze. He is due to be sentenced in January and now faces up to 10 years in prison.

Well, more throughout the hour on the fires. We turn now to Iraq, where today was a bloody day indeed. Four suicide bombings killed about 30 people, including two American soldiers. Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is covering the conflict. She joins us now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): They thought they were different. They weren't. The International Red Cross had rejected the concrete barriers and armed security of other organizations. They relied on their neutrality.

The blast killed two Iraqi International Red Cross workers, 10 other people, and injured at least 20 more. Hours later, neighborhood residents were still finding body parts hundreds of yards away. And the illusion that the symbol of a humanitarian organization could protect anyone had been shattered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the whole time (ph) of protection that's put in question, and what that means is that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) nothing anymore is respected.

ARRAF: In just two hours on Monday morning, as if to prove a point, three other suicide car bombs exploded at police stations in Baghdad. The driver of the fifth car bomb was shot before he could detonate it. But senior U.S. military officials still tried to put a positive spin on the security situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reason three of the bombs had been directed at the police station is because I think these criminals realize there's been a decrease in crime in Baghdad.

ARRAF: Some defense officials said the attacks had the hallmarks of "foreign fighters." Others said they were Ba'ath Party remnants.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Jane Arraf joins us now in Baghdad. Jane, today was the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. Are U.S. officials concerned that some Iraqi elements are using this holiday basically as a cover to increase their attacks?

ARRAF: You know, Anderson, we have asked them before this started whether they expected an increase in attacks, and many of them said that they didn't. But they did expect an increase in recruiting and thought that perhaps after this month ends there would be a spike.

Now, that has been turned around a little bit. We've seen a spectacular and bloody start to this Ramada. And the common wisdom on the street is that indeed we can see more of these incidents with all the religious feeling and the intensified religious feeling that this month holds -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Jane Arraf in Baghdad. Thanks, Jane.

President Bush says the escalating violence in Iraq is not a sign the enemy is getting stronger. It's a sign, he says, they are getting more desperate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They hate freedom. They love terror. They love to try to create fear and chaos. And we're determined, and this administration is not to be intimidated by these killers. As a matter of fact, we are even more determined to work with the Iraqi people to create the conditions of freedom and peace because it's in our national interest we do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, just to point out, a total 351 U.S. troops have died since the war began; 227 of them died as the result of hostile action.

A number of other stories happening here at home. Let's take a look "Cross Country."

New York City: marshal gunned down. The U.S. Marshal Service is investigating the shooting death of one of its senior inspectors on an upper Manhattan street corner this morning. The agency says the victim was on his way to meet with another deputy marshal when he was shot in the head.

Washington: happy pumping. A federal survey shows the eighth decline in prices in the pump in nine weeks. Gas prices fell last week by 2.9 cents, averaging just over $1.50 per gallon.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida: a triumphant return. The Florida Marlins are back home after besting the New York Yankees in the World Series. Seventy-five hundred fans met the champs at the airport yesterday. Parades and rallies will honor them in Miami and Fort Lauderdale tomorrow.

Salt Lake City, Utah: Smart on "Oprah." Seven months after the end of her abduction ordeal, Elizabeth Smart says her school life is normal and she is looking forward to getting her driver's license. The 15-year-old and her family talked at their Salt Lake City home in a taped interview for today's "Oprah Winfrey Show."

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

A hidden horror: children starved to the brink of death. Their adoptive parents now face felony charges. How did four boys slip through the cracks in New Jersey? You won't believe what went on in that home. Plus, America rocks the vote. How today's politicians are trying to appeal to young voters. What works and what's just downright embarrassing?

Also, our weeklong series, "Broken Vows: Infidelity in America." New studies paint a new picture of our cheating hearts. Love and sex experts Laura and Jennifer Berman join me live.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, no amount of adjectives can be use to convey the horror of this next story. A New Jersey couple is behind bars, accused of starving their four adopted boys age 9 to 19. When he was rescued, the 19-year-old weighed less than 50 pounds. Police thought he was 10 years old.

A lot of questions tonight, including where were the social workers? CNN's Deborah Feyerick takes us inside the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In some of the harshest language yet, foster care officials attacked their own case workers who continued to fail New Jersey's children. The head of the state's agency saying some of those case workers may have even falsified records designed to report suspected neglect or abuse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are either incompetent, uncaring, or lied.

FEYERICK: This, after investigators found four boys ages nine to 19 who they say were starving to death. None weighed more than 50 pounds. Investigators say their adoptive parents had locked the kitchen, feeding them little more than pancake batter and peanut butter. Prosecutors say the boys ate wood to survive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we interview the children, they told us they basically had been eating portions of the wall and also they had, on occasion, bitten the windowsills.

FEYERICK: Officials say case workers visited the home almost once a month for the last four years, but that they were told the boys had an eating disorder.

KEVIN RYAN, NEW JERSEY CHILD ADVOCATE: The point here is not that these children were not seen by the state agency. It's that they were seen over and over and over again and nobody saved them.

FEYERICK: The advocacy group Children's Rights Incorporated says New Jersey's division of youth and family services is one of the worst foster care agencies in the country. A recent study by the group found one in 10 children at risk of abuse or neglect. Changes were made in January after a 7-year-old boy lost in a system was found in a plastic container. The medical examiner said he had been starved to death. The changes then clearly not good enough now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have provided training and we have clarified expectations, and still we have folks who don't get it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Officials have notified the nine case workers and supervisors that they are going to be fired. There is no comment from the case workers union. As for the boys, the oldest, the 19-year-old, he is still in the hospital.

They have all put on weight. The three who are under the age of 18, they're going to be returned to foster care -- Anderson.

COOPER: It's just a sickening story. Deborah Feyerick, thank you very much tonight.

Now, this story deals with foster parents abusing their charges. But how common is that? We're going to put that in perspective.

In 2001, which is the latest year we have statistics for, 903,000 kids were victims of abuse and neglect. That is about 12 out of every 1,000 kids. Only .5 percent of abusers were foster parents. It turns out a child is most likely to be victimized by his or her mother. We're talking about 40 percent of all abuse cases.

Well, now let's take a look at some international stories on tonight's "UpLink."

Novoshakhtinsk, Russia: racing against the clock. Rescuers are desperately trying to find 13 coal miners still trapped under ground. They think there's still a good chance they are alive if they found a dry spot. The mine flooded Thursday, and 33 other miners were rescued over the weekend.

In outer space: Earth bound. In about two and a half hours, a Russian cosmonaut, an American and Spanish astronauts, are expected to return from the International Space Station. They are aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule.

Bangkok, Thailand: monsoon floods. Five days of heavy rain. This is what can happen. Take a look.

The water is already receding, but slowly rescue workers are still looking for a 13-year-old boy who slipped and drowned on Friday. At least 200,000 people in eight provinces have had to flee to dryer land.

Netherlands: sexy sumo? What's this about? You're looking at women competing in the first sumo world cup. Some 40 sumo wrestlers, including men, took part in the competition. No word yet on who won.

That's tonight's "UpLink."

All right. The countdown begins to America rocks the vote. Young voters in the spotlight. Will they turn out or tune out for next year's election? We'll take a closer look.

Also tonight, the butler's bombshell. Princess Diana's life now an open book. Who is making money off it? Find out why it is sparking a royal battle.

And a little later on: why cheaters cheat. Our weeklong series on infidelity in America. Sex experts, the Berman sisters, join me live.

First, today's buzz. If you cheat, should you tell your partner? Vote now: cnn.com/360. The results at the end of the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All week long in our series "America Rocks the Vote," we'll be looking at young people and politics. It's the lead-up to our big event next Tuesday here on CNN, where I'll host a live forum from Boston with young voters questioning the nine Democratic contenders.

Tonight, a flashback to one young voter who caused a presidential sensation nearly a decade ago. Back then, she was a high school junior from Potomac, Maryland, when she put this question to President Bill Clinton on MTV. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The world is dying to know, is it boxers or briefs?

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Usually briefs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Oh, it seems like yesterday. Today, Tisha Thompson is still asking provocative questions as an investigative reporter for a Baltimore TV station. She joins us now.

Tisha, thanks for being with us. Good to meet you.

TISHA THOMPSON, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, WMAR-TV: Oh, it's nice to meet you, Anderson.

COOPER: Looking at that video just brings me back. Were you surprised, A, that you asked the question, or more surprised that he answered?

THOMPSON: I was neither. I didn't think twice about asking the question, and it occurred to me, of course, he would answer the question. It was only later, when he got a lot of criticism for answering the question, that it occurred to me that maybe a president shouldn't have answered that kind of question. But when you are 17, it doesn't even phase you to say that kind of thing.

COOPER: Were you nervous at all before asking?

THOMPSON: Yes, of course I was. I was meeting the president of the United States. I knew that that was a very big deal. And I was on TV.

At the time, I hadn't been on TV a whole heck of a lot. So I thought it was a fun thing to do. So I was a little nervous.

COOPER: What do you think it says about Clinton then that he would answer that question? I mean, there are a lot of presidents who would simply say -- you know, maybe laugh, but say that's inappropriate.

THOMPSON: Well, actually, to be totally honest with you, I was 17 then. And even now, I think it was very cool that he answered the question. I think a lot of presidents would not have answered the question, nor do I think a lot of presidents would have had that question asked of them.

COOPER: Do you think it's cool because it helps him connect to younger voters out there?

THOMPSON: I do. When I was 17 years old, there weren't many people out there that would, I guess, be approachable like the president was at the time. He gave off the impression that this was the kind of thing you could ask him.

And when you are a teenager and when you are in your early 20s, there are not that many, I guess, presidential-types who would be open to that kind of thing. And it definitely opened him up to that generation of voters.

COOPER: All right. Well, you have a small place in the history of presidential politics. Tisha Thompson, thanks for joining us.

THOMPSON: Just a tiny bit.

COOPER: All right. Well, hey, you'll have a big one in the future with your job now. Tisha, thanks very much.

THOMPSON: Thank you.

COOPER: Well, nearly a decade after Tisha's question for Mr. Clinton, the former president is still wooing the younger set. We are told he's going to appear actually tonight at a sold-out money-raising event sponsored by the Democratic National Committee at the Dream, which I'm told is one of Washington's hottest hip-hop night clubs, though I'm not quite sure.

I'm sure Kirsten, our next guest, will know about that. It brings us to two big questions. Just what does it take to win over today's young voters, and how important is getting their vote?

Let's ask two political analysts, Carlos Watson in San Francisco, and Kirsten Powers here in our New York studio. Thanks both for being with us.

Kirsten, let me start off with you. How important is the young vote? I mean, because in the past, I mean, '92 they turned out a lot, '72 they turned out a lot. But since then, they really haven't.

KIRSTEN POWERS, POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. I mean, since they -- the 18-year-olds were able to vote, Bill Clinton was the next president really that was able to tap into that. He brought out about 48 percent, which is almost what came out the first time they could vote.

As a block, are they necessarily going to swing an election? Probably not. But they are really important to campaigns in terms of energizing, in terms of getting, you know, that real buzz around a campaign. And I think we're seeing with this generation that they are really getting interested in what's going on, they are concerned about the economy, they are concerned about what's going on with the war, and they are really up for grabs.

COOPER: Carlos, how good are the Democratic candidates and President Bush, for that matter, at appealing to younger voters right now?

CARLOS WATSON, POLITICAL ANALYST: So far, really only Howard Dean on the Democratic side has stood out. Not only in terms of energizing voters on college campuses, but energizing them using the Internet.

He's raised money for them. There have been pretty big rallies. And now he's kicked off a college tour.

President Bush, interestingly enough, while many people think of young voters as being kind of left leaning and Democratic focused, actually polls not only well among young voters in a recent study of college students at Harvard University, but actually polls even higher among younger voters than he does across general...

COOPER: Well, Carlos, let me jump -- let me show that graphic to our audience. Sixty-one percent of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed by Harvard University's Institute of Politics approve of the job that George Bush is doing. And in general, only 53 percent of the general population approve.

Kirsten, does this surprise you at all?

POWERS: This is a really independent generation. And, in fact, what that survey also found is that 41 percent of them identify themselves as Independents. And that is very different than what their parents are doing. And, if you look back at the beginning of the war, they were very supportive of the war, which is a strange thing for college students to be doing.

But another thing that survey also found is that a majority of them don't think they are going to get jobs when they graduate from college. And so the economy is also really important to them. And so while they are being supportive of the president on one front, they are also -- he's vulnerable on another front with them.

COOPER: Which is interesting, because in 1972 the war was a big issue for young people. They came out to the polls, '92, jobs were. So it will be interesting to see what happens this time.

POWERS: Exactly, yes. I think we're in a very similar place as we were with Clinton in '92, where young people are worried about getting jobs.

WATSON: Anderson, one of the other things I think in '92 that was significant was the presence of a major third-party candidate, Ross Perot. And so I think one of the lessons I take from that is that young voters and all voters are more likely to turn out when they think they have more choices, and, frankly, when they think there are more choices, if you will, of outsiders.

So, again, for people like a Howard Dean, for people like a Wes Clark, that message in 2004 may be one that resonates. Not to say that the president won't have a good opportunity with young voters. In fact, he did much better than Bob Dole in '96. President Bush did very well with young voters in 2000.

COOPER: And he's doing very well with them right now. Carlos, we're going to have to leave it right there.

Carlos Watson, thank you. Kirsten Powers, good to talk to you, as always. Thanks.

WATSON: Good to see you.

COOPER: And a reminder. Join me November 4th here on CNN. As we said, I'll be hosting "America Rocks the Vote" live from Boston, where the Democratic contenders will square off and answer young voters' questions.

And now you can rock the vote with your cell phone. Receive text message alerts and vote on our online poll. Sign up now: cnn.com/360. This is the first day you can do this, and you click on to the "rock the vote" link.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Battling nature's fury: the California wildfires.

Do daughters drive their parents to divorce?

And, infidelity: who cheats and why? We'll be right back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Time for "The Reset," tonight's top stories. Southern California, homes charred. Officials say more than 800 homes are in ashes due to the wildfires. At least 14 people have died. We'll have more on the battle against the flames coming up. Washington, D.C. The State Department today updated a travel warning for Saudi Arabia. They cited, quote, "credible information that terrorists are targeting western aviation interests in Saudi Arabia," end quote.

Washington -- fighting depression. The FDA issues a health advisory to doctors that all you parents need to hear about. Listen up. It is urging doctors to reports of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts of children in critical studies.

Dallas, Texas, beating the odds. These formerly conjoined twins are no longer getting I.V. drugs. Doctors say the 2-year-old Egyptian boys are drinking formula and getting physical therapy twice a day.

And that is a look at our reset.

A look now at the human impact of the California wildfires.

With flames just half a mile from her home, Harlene Housereau was given just 20 minutes to evacuate. She joins us from Chesworth (ph), California.

Harlene, thanks very much for being with us. Where are you right now? What's your condition?

HARLENE HOUSEREAU, EVACUATED FROM HOME: Well, right now I am on the corner of Santa Susanna and Topenga and a half mile from my home. And it all just happened so fast. It just -- It was blue sky, blue sky, and we've been watching it. And all of a sudden it just went crazy.

COOPER: You were given the order to evacuate. Did you want to stay? Did you try to stay?

HOUSEREAU: Oh, no. We -- Well, I really honestly never thought it was going to get to the point where it was at. And the fire department was up to our house, and they were unbelievable, taking care of everyone. And all of a sudden in a matter of seconds, flames and the policemen came and said it's time to leave. And we just had to leave. I mean, we just left.

COOPER: You know, I mean, I thought about this a million times.

HOUSEREAU: Very scary.

COOPER: It's everyone's nightmare. You have about 20 minutes to pack your car, get your bags. What do you take? What do you choose?

HOUSEREAU: Well, the most valuable, of course, are pictures and that are very sentimental to me. And I took all my important paperwork. But, most of all, when it comes down to it, your life is the most valuable thing, and you're lucky to get out and be alive.

COOPER: Well, you certainly are, at that. Did firefighters give you any indication how far the fire was from your property? Do you have any sense of how your house is doing right now? HOUSEREAU: I really don't, because this place up here is very historical. It's been a landmark of over 3,000 movies. So I would certainly hate to see anything happen up there.

COOPER: Harlene, where are you going to stay tonight? Do you know what you're going to do?

HOUSEREAU: Well, I'm going to try and get to my daughter, hopefully. She's in wood ranch in the Cedar Valley, but that also is on fire. We're surrounded by a ring of fire, so who knows? We're just going to -- wherever we can, that's where we'll say.

COOPER: Harlene Housereau, we appreciate you taking the time to speak with us and wish you a lot of luck. We'll be thinking about you tonight. And I hope your house is intact, as well as your friends and neighbors. Thank you very much, Harlene.

HOUSEREAU: Thanks very much for your thoughts. Thank you.

COOPER: Time for a fast fact. One of California's worst wildfires ever was the 1991 Oakland Hills fire. It spread over 1,500 acres, caused $1.5 billion in damage, killed 25 people. That fire destroyed more than 3,000 homes, as well as apartments.

And now to a murder trial in Galveston, Texas. On the stand, eccentric millionaire Robert Durst, who admits he killed his neighbor and then cut up the body. He says it was all done in self-defense, however. Today he faced a grilling from the prosecution during cross- examination.

Here's CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Robert Durst says Morris Black was killed when their bodies got tangled up, struggling for a gun. The men fell to the ground. Durst says the gun went off accidentally and Black was shot in the face.

Prosecutors challenged Durst's story by playing a courtroom version of the game Twister. Prosecutors played the roles of Durst and the victim. Durst explained to them where to put their arms and bodies to re-create the scene.

The demonstration never got anywhere. Often laughing at the prosecutors, Durst said both men look like spaghetti.

Durst answered prosecutors' questions about the events leading up to Morris Black's death and his weeks on the run from police after. But Durst did not answer any questions about dismembering Morris Black's body, saying he couldn't remember how it happened.

Durst says just before he cut off the body's arms, legs and head, that he had drank a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Prosecutors asked him if he was drunk. Durst said, I hope so.

Then the prosecutor fired back and asked if cutting up the body was a sobering experience.

(on camera): Robert Durst has remained calm on the witness stand and repeatedly tells the jury that he is not guilty of murdering Morris Black, that it was all an accident. But Prosecutors argue that his actions after the shooting and his attempts to cover it up do make him a murderer.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Galveston, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, no to an occasional segment we're going to do here, when the news demands it. The kind of stories you hear and think, man, that is just wrong.

The first one, a study from the University of Texas that shows that better looking teachers get better student evaluations. That means that teachers who might slave away for their students, bring cupcakes just because, lend you their slide role, well, they may not do as well, just because they didn't win the genetic lottery.

And that is just wrong.

Also, the second story in our little segment is a study out of the University of California that showed that American couples with girls divorce more often than those with boys. Somehow boys are the glue for a weak marriage, but girls aren't?

The researchers said it's been true in every decade since the 1940s and in every region in the country. And I'm sorry, but that is just wrong.

Still to come this evening, our week-long series begins: "Broken Vows: Infidelity in America." We'll talk with the Berman sisters about why people betray the ones they love.

Also tonight, the latest on Rosie O'Donnell. She's about to premiere a musical and she has a drama on her hands, as well. A real life legal one. That's in tonight's fresh print.

Also a little later, the royal uproar over Princess Diana and the butler who is telling all, hoping to rake in big bucks. The very latest on the scandal that's the talk of Britain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Today's charming "Buzz" question: "If you cheat, should you tell your partner?" What do you think? Log on to CNN.com/360. Give us your answer. We'll have the answers later on.

Tonight we kick off a weeklong look at broken vows: infidelity in America. It's tempting to think that cheating is someone else's marital crisis. But the latest figures, and they're conservative ones at that, suggest that if you gather just 10 random people in the room there might be two cheaters among them. For every case of infidelity, there's the question that sometimes even the cheaters themselves can't answer, why they betrayed the one they love.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): The rich and famous do it.

KOBE BRYANT, ACCUSED OF RAPE: I sit here before you guys, embarrassed and ashamed.

COOPER: Preachers and presidents.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Indeed I did have a relationship with Ms. Lewinsky that was not appropriate.

COOPER: Infidelity is all around. Unfaithful is not just the name of a movie.

But how many of us actually cheat, and why do we do it? According to the "Los Angeles Times," new studies are giving us more and more clues.

Just about everyone seems to fantasize about a fling. In one recent university of Vermont study of couples, 98 percent of men and 80 percent of women had recently imagined fooling around with someone else.

How many actually follow through? Conservative estimates are that more than 20 percent of married Americans will have an affair at least once.

Think only men cheat? Not so, say experts. Women are now believed to be as likely to be unfaithful as men.

And it's not just unhappy couples who are likely to be at risk. In one study, people who said their marriages were very happy were twice as likely to cheat as those who said they were extremely happy.

Time seems to play a factor in infidelity, as well. For women and men, the first five years of marriage are the riskiest. Men who have been married more than 20 years also seem to get the itch.

So why do people cheat? The reasons vary greatly. For some, it's a desire for variety. For others, attention. Some cite revenge. Others simply say chemistry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: We want to talk more about infidelity and why it happens with the Berman sisters. Laura Berman is a sex therapist who's here in New York and Jennifer Berman is a urologist who joins us from our Los Angeles bureau.

Appreciate both of you being with us. Let me start off with you, Laura. Why do people cheat? Actually, let me ask, are the reasons that men cheat the same as the reasons women cheat?

LAURA BERMAN, SEX THERAPIST: There are similarities in terms of novelty, not getting what you want at home.

Women, per the most part, who cheat are relatively unapologetic. They're looking for someone to give them attention, to give them romance, to help them escape from the kids and work and all the drudgery of their lives. It's not too far from the reasons men cheat.

COOPER: But do guys want romance and...

L. BERMAN: Guys aren't -- it's funny. If you look at the beginning of a relationship, what women get out of it is the romance and the intimacy and connection. Men get that sexual energy and that feeling of being attractive. And that's very often what drives them to seek extra marital affairs later in life.

COOPER: Jennifer, the cliche is that men do the cheating, women don't. They're more monogamous. But you read these studies now and it seems like just about as many women cheat as men. Why do you think that change has happened?

JENNIFER BERMAN, UROLOGIST: I think a lot of it has to do with the change in women in our society. Women are becoming more successful, more powerful and more entitled. And I think that with that comes freedom, comes demands and comes, you know, desire.

So men are not the only ones that are susceptible to infidelity. Women are, too. And for the same reasons. We want sex; we want novelty. We want...

L. BERMAN: They also have more opportunities.

COOPER: Laura, you're saying because now they're in the workplace they have greater opportunity these days?

L. BERMAN: They are outside the home, so they have more access to other partners. They're spending time -- more time at work than at home. So they have much more opportunity than they did a generation ago.

COOPER: And they're not as afraid, I guess, of leaving because financially, they are more independent than before?

L. BERMAN: There's less economic risk.

COOPER: But Laura, I mean, you think it's only unhappy couples, but then you read these surveys that say, you know, people describe their marriages as very happy end up cheating. What's going on with that?

L. BERMAN: The myth is, if you cheat there's something wrong in your sex life. That's the number one myth. Or there's something wrong in your marriage.

Many people will say that they're relatively satisfied with their marriage. They don't necessarily want to rock the boat, but they want the excitement. They want that energy. They want to escape from their day-to-day lives.

Couples don't put enough effort into maintaining intimacy and connection and fun together. They get too busy working as partners.

J. BERMAN: I think that's really the point, is that relationships are work. We're always susceptible to infidelity, but we don't want to create paranoia. Are you cheating? Are you cheating? Who's cheating?

Everything -- that we're all susceptible. Relationships are work, and it's a choice that you to have make. And there are, as all the studies show, severe consequences to the relationship. It doesn't go without consequence.

COOPER: Well, Laura, you counsel a lot of people. I mean, are there signs, are there giveaway signs that people should look for?

L. BERMAN: There are signs, and none of these are guaranteed, that your partner's cheating. But obviously, if they're spending a lot of unaccounted time away from you. If they change their, you know, their dress, are dressing in sexier underwear all of a sudden. If they're using new expressions. If they're talking a lot about somebody at work.

And we also have to remember the Internet provides phenomenal opportunities for both men and women to have these online emotional affairs that can lead to physical ones.

COOPER: Jennifer, I guess the Internet makes it easier.

J. BERMAN: The Internet can make relationships easier. I mean, that's true. For men as well as women.

And one thing I would want to add to Laura's list is that becoming hypersexual is also a sign, that just -- that if your partner withdraws from sex can be a sign of infidelity, but also becoming hypersexual can also be...

COOPER: Oh, really? So if suddenly they are more interested in having sex that could be a warning sign, as well?

J. BERMAN: Can be. Can be.

L. BERMAN: Because they're feeling sexier. Or guiltier. One of the other.

COOPER: All right. Well, Laura and Jennifer Berman, appreciate you joining us. Always good to talk to you.

L. BERMAN: Thank you.

J. BERMAN: Thanks.

COOPER: Tomorrow our weeklong series continues, "Broken Vows: Infidelity in America." We're going to look at "The Monogamy Myth," as some people call it, and the question of whether we're hard-wired to cheat.

Wednesday we're going to look at athlete and infidelity, how the wives of athletes put up with it. We'll talk to two of them.

Thursday, "To Catch a Cheat," a how-to on spotting infidelity from an expert.

And Friday, a survival guide on how some couples have gotten past the betrayal.

So still to come this evening, the publisher who says Rosie is anything but the queen of nice. That story is in "Fresh Print" tonight.

Also, how David Blaine says he spiced up his recovery in a London hospital after his time in a box. I promise, this will be the last time I mention David Blaine ever.

And the battle royale over the book by Princess Diana's former butler.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time now for "Fresh Print," our weekly look at what's hot on newsstands in the wacky world of publishing.

I read "TIME" magazine. Almost called Raoul Felder when I saw a picture inside the magazine of his client, David Gest being canoodled by his estranged wife Liza Minnelli.

Now, a few months ago, this photo would have just been an odd, creepy picture. Now that he's accused her of beating him it seems like, well, an odd, creepy picture.

"People" magazine provides the jaw-dropper of the week in the new issue. Courtney Love tried to make a recent overdose enjoyable for her daughter. Quote, "I made it fun. I said it was going to be gross and I was going to have to make myself throw up, but it was going to be OK." Well, let's say three words all together folks. Child protective services.

Moving on to the battle that has the magazine world salivating. They're going to have to keep salivating a couple days more. The courtroom fight between Rosie O'Donnell and her former publisher, it was supposed to start tomorrow. But it's been delayed because of a scheduling conflict.

The publisher says O'Donnell doomed the magazine with her alleged, quote, "bizarre, mean-spirited behavior." O'Donnell says they undercut her vision and basically were not cutie patooties.

And you've got to love those tricksters at "Maxim" magazine. The lads who love "Maxim" may be alarmed at the headlines on the new cover: "25 dazzling kitchens and baths." And "Savor the flavor, the incredible, edible eggplant."

This is no doubt the first time the words "naked" or "hot sex" have not shown up all over the cover. The reason is explained at the bottom. Take a look. "Maxim" editors, too lazy to write their own cover lines." Turns out they just copied them from other magazines.

But not to fear, lads, inside there's the same high-quality thong shots and kegger tips you've come to covet and crave.

So what are shock and awe, Leatherface, Britney and Blaine have in common? They're all in tonight's pop culture "Current," of course.

And we're trying to imagine the person who heard the Pentagon phrase "shock and awe" about the night of bombing in Iraq and thought, "Now here's a great way to sell my salsa."

The U.S. Patent office has gotten dozens of trademark applications for Shock and Awe salsa, energy drinks, yo-yos, lingerie, Bloody Mary mix and perhaps most disturbing of all, infant action crib toys. Shocking and awful.

Speaking of awful, "Scary Movie 3" took out "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" for the top spot at the box office this weekend, grossing nearly $50 million. The temperamental Leatherface is said to be taking the news badly and is considering switching to CAA.

And publicity press agitator David Blaine has found yet another way to get his name in print. According to a Scottish paper, Blaine's nookie famine is over. That's right. He may have been recovering from his 44-day fast, but he says he was able to have relations with his girlfriend while hospitalized.

Not sure if he sold the video rights to the encounter, but with David Blaine, anything is possible.

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

In Britain, Blaine is getting to be so five minutes ago. The real hot topic of the moment is the late Princess Diana, the butler who's out with a tell-all book and the attacks and counter-attacks it has set off.

Last week, Diana's sons, princes William and Harry, called the book a, quote, "cold and overt betrayal" of their mother's trust. Today the butler said he'd like to give the princes, quote, "a piece of my mind."

More from CNN's Matthew chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's long touted himself as the trusted keeper of Diana's closest secrets. Now Paul Burrell's revelations are poised to become an instant bestseller. More than a million copies of the book have been ordered by retailers in the U.S. and in Britain.

But the butler's expose has provoked charges of betrayal from Diana's two sons, William and Harry. He says their minds have been poisoned against him.

PAUL BURRELL, PRINCESS DIANA'S FORMER BUTLER: I am convinced that when the princes and everyone else reads this book in its entirety, they will think differently.

CHANCE: But already the book is focusing critical attention on the British monarchy. Extracts from published letters allege Diana long suspected there was a plot to kill her in a car crash.

Her brother, Earl Spencer, is said to have expressed concern for Diana's mental health. And the book says the queen's husband, the Duke of Edinborough, wrote to Diana saying he couldn't believe that Prince Charles would leave her for Camilla Parker-Bowles, the long- time mistress.

It is all damaging enough, but in royal circles, there are fears the former butler may intend to publish more. There's no proof, but speculation is rife that Burrell has evidence of sexual impropriety in the royal household.

It may be the latest revelations are just a taste of damaging royal scandals to come, and it is what the butler may have seen and could yet print that has Britain's royals running scared.

Matthew Chance, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Coming up on 360, "The Nth Degree" on the hottest place to be in the hereafter. No, it's not Studio 54.

And -- oh, it's that guy again. What's he doing there? All right, there's the big deal.

Plus, tomorrow in our series on infidelity in America, are human being destined by nature to cheat?

You can also still get in on today's "Buzz," "If you cheat, should you tell your partner"? Vote now, CNN.com/360. Results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time for the "Buzz." We asked you if you cheat, should you tell your partner? It's been a split vote all day. Forty-nine percent said yes, 51 percent voted no. This is certainly not a scientific poll, just your "Buzz." Finally tonight, denial to "The Nth Degree." A new study about American's attitudes toward heaven and hell caught our attention in the "L.A. Times."

It turns out 76 percent of Americans believe in heaven and 71 percent believe in hell. But what's really interesting is that nearly two-thirds of us think we are headed to heaven.

Think about this for a second. If Americans are right, heaven has an acceptance rate of 64 percent. That means it's easier to get into heaven than it is to, say, Harvard or the Augusta National Golf Course.

Turns out Americans think the really tough place to get into is hell. Plenty of us believe in it, but according to this study, none of us thinks we're going there.

Only one half of one percent thinks hell is on our horizon. One half of one percent? That means hell has an acceptance rate close to Studio 54's in its heyday.

How to explain the survey results? One religion expert said simply, quote, "We're optimists at heart. I suppose one person's optimism is another's denial.

Now I know 64 percent are convinced you're going to make it past the Pearly Gates. And right now, you're probably just saying to yourself, "Anderson you, can just go to" -- well, you know where. The truth is, I'm not sure they'll let me beyond the velvet rope.

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

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





Suicide Bombers Kill 30 in Iraq; Couple Accused of Starving Children Behind Bars>


Aired October 27, 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): Western wildfires raging out of control. We'll take you live to the fire line.

Dozens dead in Baghdad. Who is behind the deadly wave of bombings.

Do parents of boys have a better chance at keeping their marriages together?

Boxers or briefs? What do young voters really want to know?

An eccentric millionaire, a gruesome murder. Can Robert Durst stand up to cross-examination?

And our special series, "Broken Vows: Infidelity in America."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

This afternoon, President Bush declared four counties in southern California major disaster areas. And Governor Gray Davis has activated the National Guard to help the state deal with its deadliest blaze in more than a decade. You are looking at a live picture right now.

At this moment, there are at least 10 separate wildfires burning, fanned by those hot, dry, Santa Ana winds. Fourteen people are known dead at this moment. More than 300,000 acres have been scorched. Flames up to 100 feet high have forced evacuations from the Mexican border to the suburbs of Los Angeles, and now some people living inside the L.A. city limits are being warned they may have to leave as well.

We have a series of reports from southern California this evening. We start with Martin Savidge.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Anderson. As you point out here, it has reached historic levels when it comes to firefighting efforts going on right now in southern California. Veteran firefighters say they have never seen anything like it.

So far, about 500 square miles have now gone up in smoke. If you want a barometer as to how much land that is, it's about half the size of the state of Rhode Island. The flames exist all the way from northwest of Los Angeles, where we are here in Simi Valley. That's about 35 miles down to the border with Mexico. That's how large these fires have now become.

Here in the Simi Valley area though, the fire has broached what was a significant standing point, and that is Highway 118. It runs basically east to west in Ventura County. That had been the fire line that firefighters were hoping to hold.

Now the fire has dropped south of that. That means, as you point out, Los Angeles, the parts of the outskirts, have been told people should be prepared to move and move quickly.

To Devore, California. That's located about 50 miles to the east of us where we are standing now. And it was another very difficult day as firefighters battled a losing battle against what is really mother nature's blowtorch.

Residents tried to fight back the flames using garden hoses. But it is to the south, in San Diego, where the firefighting has been the heaviest and the death toll has been its highest. There are a total of nine people that died there yesterday. More frantic efforts to get people out of the way of the flames, as people tried to gather up whatever they could and get moving.

Officials there are worried three separate fires could merge into one massive blaze. The largest fire, called the cedar (ph) fire, claimed nine lives, as we said, yesterday. A total of 14 people overall have now died in these wildfires. Close to 1,000 homes have been destroyed, and there are said to be about 9,000 firefighters that are manning the fire front.

President Bush, as you say, has declared much of southern California a disaster area. It opens the door for federal aid. However, the greatest aid will have to come from mother nature.

A break in the weather could come as early as Wednesday. Temperatures will drop. The winds will also die down and the humidity levels will go up. But there is a lot of fire to be fought tonight -- Anderson.

COOPER: It certainly is at that. We're going to be covering this all evening long. Martin Savidge, thanks very much tonight.

Now, all the smoke is causing major travel problems. Hundreds of flights have been canceled in and out of southern California, which, of course, affects airports around the country. An air traffic control center in San Diego had to be evacuated. LAX is open, but it is slow going there, with delays of up to two hours. The Simi Valley fire came close to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, about 400 meters. No worries now. Museum official say the building is no longer in danger. Those are obviously old pictures there.

Due to the fires in the San Diego area, there's a mew game plan for the NFL's Chargers-Dolphins game tonight. Qualcomm Stadium has been a makeshift evacuation center for resident who have left their homes. Tonight's game is being played in Tempe, Arizona, where fans lined up for free tickets. In a statement, the Chargers and Dolphins say their hearts and prayers go out to those suffering tonight.

And there is a lot of suffering right now. Lives have been lost, homes and their contents turned to ash. CNN's Frank Buckley joins us from Devore, California, about 100 miles east of where Martin Savidge was located.

Frank, how is it looking where you are?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Anderson, in this region, in and around San Bernardino, Sevore, some 520 homes have been destroyed. And it's really hard to understand the human impact of that unless you look at one home at a time. And that's what we are here to do.

I want to show you this house. This is Linda Kiniston's (ph) house. We live by our pools here in southern California. The pool behind here behind her house, where she lived for 25 years now, full of debris.

And then look right here at her house. This is where Linda Kiniston (ph) raised her children, where she lived for 25 years in a three-bedroom, two-bath house, 1,500 square feet. The good news, she got out. Her grandson, who she was living, with also got out.

They were able to take their important papers and photos. Not everything, but at least the important things.

At the end of the day, it's just a house. But it's also a home. And so even though the house is insured, the loss is emotional. Here's Ms. Kiniston's (ph) daughter on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, there's memories. Six years old, I grew up here. I mean, there's lots of memories there. But, I mean, the important -- I mean, my mom's out. I mean, that's all that matters.

She got the pictures, she got papers. She got what she needed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Now, in and around this area where we are, Devore and Devore Heights, throughout the day we saw firefighters and individual homeowners and business owners doing their best to knock down spot fires, to do their best to try to protect structures. Still, eight homes were lost in and around this area known as Devore and Devore Heights. So a very difficult day in this area -- Anderson.

COOPER: Unbelievable. Frank Buckley, thank you very much.

Eleven of the 14 deaths recorded so far have been in the San Diego area, where 585 homes have been destroyed. David Mattingly is in San Diego. He joins us from a Red Cross evacuation center -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, it's a little after 4:00 here in San Diego. Normally we'd be showing you bright sunshine. But instead, it's almost dark here because of the tremendous cloud of smoke that is enveloped the city. The sun has yet to break through today.

This clearly the worst set of brush fires that the San Diego county has seen since 1970. Eleven people were killed here yesterday in two separate fires. One of them roared through a particular neighborhood, wiping out 180 homes.

The Chargeres-Dolphins Monday night football game has been moved at the mayor's request to Arizona tonight. That's because San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium has been turned into an evacuation center.

Many people came out of their homes last night. They were ordered to leave. They spent the night in the parking lot outside the stadium last night. They are being encouraged not to do that tonight; encouraged instead to go to a number of shelters that have since been set up so they can at least get out of this bad air that is enveloping the city and causing some health problems for some people.

Governor Gray Davis today toured some of the devastated areas. He said that 135 more fire trucks are on their way to San Diego County right now. That will more than double the amount of equipment that is on the ground fighting this fire.

So with that added equipment, and the fact that firefighters caught a break today in the weather -- you might notice there is very little wind blowing here right now -- they believe they might be able to make some progress in putting these fires down some time soon -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. David Mattingly, thanks very much for that.

In San Bernardino, police are looking for two young men who they believe may have started the fire there. Now, if found, the pair could be charged with arson and murder since two people died as a result of the blaze.

Arsonists have caused a number of large wildfires in recent years. And tonight, we flash back to 2002.

Remember July of that year, the largest wildfire in Colorado's history. Destroyed nearly 60,000 acres. A former forest service worker set off the blaze after burning a letter from her estranged husband in a fire pit. Terry Barden (ph) is now serving a six-year federal sentence and a 12-year state sentence.

One month before, June 2002, Arizona saw its worst fire. Some half a million acres burned, forcing 30,000 people to evacuate their homes. A part-time firefighter, Leonard Gregg (ph), was convicted of starting the blaze. He is due to be sentenced in January and now faces up to 10 years in prison.

Well, more throughout the hour on the fires. We turn now to Iraq, where today was a bloody day indeed. Four suicide bombings killed about 30 people, including two American soldiers. Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is covering the conflict. She joins us now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): They thought they were different. They weren't. The International Red Cross had rejected the concrete barriers and armed security of other organizations. They relied on their neutrality.

The blast killed two Iraqi International Red Cross workers, 10 other people, and injured at least 20 more. Hours later, neighborhood residents were still finding body parts hundreds of yards away. And the illusion that the symbol of a humanitarian organization could protect anyone had been shattered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the whole time (ph) of protection that's put in question, and what that means is that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) nothing anymore is respected.

ARRAF: In just two hours on Monday morning, as if to prove a point, three other suicide car bombs exploded at police stations in Baghdad. The driver of the fifth car bomb was shot before he could detonate it. But senior U.S. military officials still tried to put a positive spin on the security situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reason three of the bombs had been directed at the police station is because I think these criminals realize there's been a decrease in crime in Baghdad.

ARRAF: Some defense officials said the attacks had the hallmarks of "foreign fighters." Others said they were Ba'ath Party remnants.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Jane Arraf joins us now in Baghdad. Jane, today was the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. Are U.S. officials concerned that some Iraqi elements are using this holiday basically as a cover to increase their attacks?

ARRAF: You know, Anderson, we have asked them before this started whether they expected an increase in attacks, and many of them said that they didn't. But they did expect an increase in recruiting and thought that perhaps after this month ends there would be a spike.

Now, that has been turned around a little bit. We've seen a spectacular and bloody start to this Ramada. And the common wisdom on the street is that indeed we can see more of these incidents with all the religious feeling and the intensified religious feeling that this month holds -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Jane Arraf in Baghdad. Thanks, Jane.

President Bush says the escalating violence in Iraq is not a sign the enemy is getting stronger. It's a sign, he says, they are getting more desperate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They hate freedom. They love terror. They love to try to create fear and chaos. And we're determined, and this administration is not to be intimidated by these killers. As a matter of fact, we are even more determined to work with the Iraqi people to create the conditions of freedom and peace because it's in our national interest we do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, just to point out, a total 351 U.S. troops have died since the war began; 227 of them died as the result of hostile action.

A number of other stories happening here at home. Let's take a look "Cross Country."

New York City: marshal gunned down. The U.S. Marshal Service is investigating the shooting death of one of its senior inspectors on an upper Manhattan street corner this morning. The agency says the victim was on his way to meet with another deputy marshal when he was shot in the head.

Washington: happy pumping. A federal survey shows the eighth decline in prices in the pump in nine weeks. Gas prices fell last week by 2.9 cents, averaging just over $1.50 per gallon.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida: a triumphant return. The Florida Marlins are back home after besting the New York Yankees in the World Series. Seventy-five hundred fans met the champs at the airport yesterday. Parades and rallies will honor them in Miami and Fort Lauderdale tomorrow.

Salt Lake City, Utah: Smart on "Oprah." Seven months after the end of her abduction ordeal, Elizabeth Smart says her school life is normal and she is looking forward to getting her driver's license. The 15-year-old and her family talked at their Salt Lake City home in a taped interview for today's "Oprah Winfrey Show."

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

A hidden horror: children starved to the brink of death. Their adoptive parents now face felony charges. How did four boys slip through the cracks in New Jersey? You won't believe what went on in that home. Plus, America rocks the vote. How today's politicians are trying to appeal to young voters. What works and what's just downright embarrassing?

Also, our weeklong series, "Broken Vows: Infidelity in America." New studies paint a new picture of our cheating hearts. Love and sex experts Laura and Jennifer Berman join me live.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, no amount of adjectives can be use to convey the horror of this next story. A New Jersey couple is behind bars, accused of starving their four adopted boys age 9 to 19. When he was rescued, the 19-year-old weighed less than 50 pounds. Police thought he was 10 years old.

A lot of questions tonight, including where were the social workers? CNN's Deborah Feyerick takes us inside the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In some of the harshest language yet, foster care officials attacked their own case workers who continued to fail New Jersey's children. The head of the state's agency saying some of those case workers may have even falsified records designed to report suspected neglect or abuse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are either incompetent, uncaring, or lied.

FEYERICK: This, after investigators found four boys ages nine to 19 who they say were starving to death. None weighed more than 50 pounds. Investigators say their adoptive parents had locked the kitchen, feeding them little more than pancake batter and peanut butter. Prosecutors say the boys ate wood to survive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we interview the children, they told us they basically had been eating portions of the wall and also they had, on occasion, bitten the windowsills.

FEYERICK: Officials say case workers visited the home almost once a month for the last four years, but that they were told the boys had an eating disorder.

KEVIN RYAN, NEW JERSEY CHILD ADVOCATE: The point here is not that these children were not seen by the state agency. It's that they were seen over and over and over again and nobody saved them.

FEYERICK: The advocacy group Children's Rights Incorporated says New Jersey's division of youth and family services is one of the worst foster care agencies in the country. A recent study by the group found one in 10 children at risk of abuse or neglect. Changes were made in January after a 7-year-old boy lost in a system was found in a plastic container. The medical examiner said he had been starved to death. The changes then clearly not good enough now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have provided training and we have clarified expectations, and still we have folks who don't get it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Officials have notified the nine case workers and supervisors that they are going to be fired. There is no comment from the case workers union. As for the boys, the oldest, the 19-year-old, he is still in the hospital.

They have all put on weight. The three who are under the age of 18, they're going to be returned to foster care -- Anderson.

COOPER: It's just a sickening story. Deborah Feyerick, thank you very much tonight.

Now, this story deals with foster parents abusing their charges. But how common is that? We're going to put that in perspective.

In 2001, which is the latest year we have statistics for, 903,000 kids were victims of abuse and neglect. That is about 12 out of every 1,000 kids. Only .5 percent of abusers were foster parents. It turns out a child is most likely to be victimized by his or her mother. We're talking about 40 percent of all abuse cases.

Well, now let's take a look at some international stories on tonight's "UpLink."

Novoshakhtinsk, Russia: racing against the clock. Rescuers are desperately trying to find 13 coal miners still trapped under ground. They think there's still a good chance they are alive if they found a dry spot. The mine flooded Thursday, and 33 other miners were rescued over the weekend.

In outer space: Earth bound. In about two and a half hours, a Russian cosmonaut, an American and Spanish astronauts, are expected to return from the International Space Station. They are aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule.

Bangkok, Thailand: monsoon floods. Five days of heavy rain. This is what can happen. Take a look.

The water is already receding, but slowly rescue workers are still looking for a 13-year-old boy who slipped and drowned on Friday. At least 200,000 people in eight provinces have had to flee to dryer land.

Netherlands: sexy sumo? What's this about? You're looking at women competing in the first sumo world cup. Some 40 sumo wrestlers, including men, took part in the competition. No word yet on who won.

That's tonight's "UpLink."

All right. The countdown begins to America rocks the vote. Young voters in the spotlight. Will they turn out or tune out for next year's election? We'll take a closer look.

Also tonight, the butler's bombshell. Princess Diana's life now an open book. Who is making money off it? Find out why it is sparking a royal battle.

And a little later on: why cheaters cheat. Our weeklong series on infidelity in America. Sex experts, the Berman sisters, join me live.

First, today's buzz. If you cheat, should you tell your partner? Vote now: cnn.com/360. The results at the end of the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All week long in our series "America Rocks the Vote," we'll be looking at young people and politics. It's the lead-up to our big event next Tuesday here on CNN, where I'll host a live forum from Boston with young voters questioning the nine Democratic contenders.

Tonight, a flashback to one young voter who caused a presidential sensation nearly a decade ago. Back then, she was a high school junior from Potomac, Maryland, when she put this question to President Bill Clinton on MTV. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The world is dying to know, is it boxers or briefs?

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Usually briefs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Oh, it seems like yesterday. Today, Tisha Thompson is still asking provocative questions as an investigative reporter for a Baltimore TV station. She joins us now.

Tisha, thanks for being with us. Good to meet you.

TISHA THOMPSON, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, WMAR-TV: Oh, it's nice to meet you, Anderson.

COOPER: Looking at that video just brings me back. Were you surprised, A, that you asked the question, or more surprised that he answered?

THOMPSON: I was neither. I didn't think twice about asking the question, and it occurred to me, of course, he would answer the question. It was only later, when he got a lot of criticism for answering the question, that it occurred to me that maybe a president shouldn't have answered that kind of question. But when you are 17, it doesn't even phase you to say that kind of thing.

COOPER: Were you nervous at all before asking?

THOMPSON: Yes, of course I was. I was meeting the president of the United States. I knew that that was a very big deal. And I was on TV.

At the time, I hadn't been on TV a whole heck of a lot. So I thought it was a fun thing to do. So I was a little nervous.

COOPER: What do you think it says about Clinton then that he would answer that question? I mean, there are a lot of presidents who would simply say -- you know, maybe laugh, but say that's inappropriate.

THOMPSON: Well, actually, to be totally honest with you, I was 17 then. And even now, I think it was very cool that he answered the question. I think a lot of presidents would not have answered the question, nor do I think a lot of presidents would have had that question asked of them.

COOPER: Do you think it's cool because it helps him connect to younger voters out there?

THOMPSON: I do. When I was 17 years old, there weren't many people out there that would, I guess, be approachable like the president was at the time. He gave off the impression that this was the kind of thing you could ask him.

And when you are a teenager and when you are in your early 20s, there are not that many, I guess, presidential-types who would be open to that kind of thing. And it definitely opened him up to that generation of voters.

COOPER: All right. Well, you have a small place in the history of presidential politics. Tisha Thompson, thanks for joining us.

THOMPSON: Just a tiny bit.

COOPER: All right. Well, hey, you'll have a big one in the future with your job now. Tisha, thanks very much.

THOMPSON: Thank you.

COOPER: Well, nearly a decade after Tisha's question for Mr. Clinton, the former president is still wooing the younger set. We are told he's going to appear actually tonight at a sold-out money-raising event sponsored by the Democratic National Committee at the Dream, which I'm told is one of Washington's hottest hip-hop night clubs, though I'm not quite sure.

I'm sure Kirsten, our next guest, will know about that. It brings us to two big questions. Just what does it take to win over today's young voters, and how important is getting their vote?

Let's ask two political analysts, Carlos Watson in San Francisco, and Kirsten Powers here in our New York studio. Thanks both for being with us.

Kirsten, let me start off with you. How important is the young vote? I mean, because in the past, I mean, '92 they turned out a lot, '72 they turned out a lot. But since then, they really haven't.

KIRSTEN POWERS, POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. I mean, since they -- the 18-year-olds were able to vote, Bill Clinton was the next president really that was able to tap into that. He brought out about 48 percent, which is almost what came out the first time they could vote.

As a block, are they necessarily going to swing an election? Probably not. But they are really important to campaigns in terms of energizing, in terms of getting, you know, that real buzz around a campaign. And I think we're seeing with this generation that they are really getting interested in what's going on, they are concerned about the economy, they are concerned about what's going on with the war, and they are really up for grabs.

COOPER: Carlos, how good are the Democratic candidates and President Bush, for that matter, at appealing to younger voters right now?

CARLOS WATSON, POLITICAL ANALYST: So far, really only Howard Dean on the Democratic side has stood out. Not only in terms of energizing voters on college campuses, but energizing them using the Internet.

He's raised money for them. There have been pretty big rallies. And now he's kicked off a college tour.

President Bush, interestingly enough, while many people think of young voters as being kind of left leaning and Democratic focused, actually polls not only well among young voters in a recent study of college students at Harvard University, but actually polls even higher among younger voters than he does across general...

COOPER: Well, Carlos, let me jump -- let me show that graphic to our audience. Sixty-one percent of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed by Harvard University's Institute of Politics approve of the job that George Bush is doing. And in general, only 53 percent of the general population approve.

Kirsten, does this surprise you at all?

POWERS: This is a really independent generation. And, in fact, what that survey also found is that 41 percent of them identify themselves as Independents. And that is very different than what their parents are doing. And, if you look back at the beginning of the war, they were very supportive of the war, which is a strange thing for college students to be doing.

But another thing that survey also found is that a majority of them don't think they are going to get jobs when they graduate from college. And so the economy is also really important to them. And so while they are being supportive of the president on one front, they are also -- he's vulnerable on another front with them.

COOPER: Which is interesting, because in 1972 the war was a big issue for young people. They came out to the polls, '92, jobs were. So it will be interesting to see what happens this time.

POWERS: Exactly, yes. I think we're in a very similar place as we were with Clinton in '92, where young people are worried about getting jobs.

WATSON: Anderson, one of the other things I think in '92 that was significant was the presence of a major third-party candidate, Ross Perot. And so I think one of the lessons I take from that is that young voters and all voters are more likely to turn out when they think they have more choices, and, frankly, when they think there are more choices, if you will, of outsiders.

So, again, for people like a Howard Dean, for people like a Wes Clark, that message in 2004 may be one that resonates. Not to say that the president won't have a good opportunity with young voters. In fact, he did much better than Bob Dole in '96. President Bush did very well with young voters in 2000.

COOPER: And he's doing very well with them right now. Carlos, we're going to have to leave it right there.

Carlos Watson, thank you. Kirsten Powers, good to talk to you, as always. Thanks.

WATSON: Good to see you.

COOPER: And a reminder. Join me November 4th here on CNN. As we said, I'll be hosting "America Rocks the Vote" live from Boston, where the Democratic contenders will square off and answer young voters' questions.

And now you can rock the vote with your cell phone. Receive text message alerts and vote on our online poll. Sign up now: cnn.com/360. This is the first day you can do this, and you click on to the "rock the vote" link.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Battling nature's fury: the California wildfires.

Do daughters drive their parents to divorce?

And, infidelity: who cheats and why? We'll be right back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Time for "The Reset," tonight's top stories. Southern California, homes charred. Officials say more than 800 homes are in ashes due to the wildfires. At least 14 people have died. We'll have more on the battle against the flames coming up. Washington, D.C. The State Department today updated a travel warning for Saudi Arabia. They cited, quote, "credible information that terrorists are targeting western aviation interests in Saudi Arabia," end quote.

Washington -- fighting depression. The FDA issues a health advisory to doctors that all you parents need to hear about. Listen up. It is urging doctors to reports of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts of children in critical studies.

Dallas, Texas, beating the odds. These formerly conjoined twins are no longer getting I.V. drugs. Doctors say the 2-year-old Egyptian boys are drinking formula and getting physical therapy twice a day.

And that is a look at our reset.

A look now at the human impact of the California wildfires.

With flames just half a mile from her home, Harlene Housereau was given just 20 minutes to evacuate. She joins us from Chesworth (ph), California.

Harlene, thanks very much for being with us. Where are you right now? What's your condition?

HARLENE HOUSEREAU, EVACUATED FROM HOME: Well, right now I am on the corner of Santa Susanna and Topenga and a half mile from my home. And it all just happened so fast. It just -- It was blue sky, blue sky, and we've been watching it. And all of a sudden it just went crazy.

COOPER: You were given the order to evacuate. Did you want to stay? Did you try to stay?

HOUSEREAU: Oh, no. We -- Well, I really honestly never thought it was going to get to the point where it was at. And the fire department was up to our house, and they were unbelievable, taking care of everyone. And all of a sudden in a matter of seconds, flames and the policemen came and said it's time to leave. And we just had to leave. I mean, we just left.

COOPER: You know, I mean, I thought about this a million times.

HOUSEREAU: Very scary.

COOPER: It's everyone's nightmare. You have about 20 minutes to pack your car, get your bags. What do you take? What do you choose?

HOUSEREAU: Well, the most valuable, of course, are pictures and that are very sentimental to me. And I took all my important paperwork. But, most of all, when it comes down to it, your life is the most valuable thing, and you're lucky to get out and be alive.

COOPER: Well, you certainly are, at that. Did firefighters give you any indication how far the fire was from your property? Do you have any sense of how your house is doing right now? HOUSEREAU: I really don't, because this place up here is very historical. It's been a landmark of over 3,000 movies. So I would certainly hate to see anything happen up there.

COOPER: Harlene, where are you going to stay tonight? Do you know what you're going to do?

HOUSEREAU: Well, I'm going to try and get to my daughter, hopefully. She's in wood ranch in the Cedar Valley, but that also is on fire. We're surrounded by a ring of fire, so who knows? We're just going to -- wherever we can, that's where we'll say.

COOPER: Harlene Housereau, we appreciate you taking the time to speak with us and wish you a lot of luck. We'll be thinking about you tonight. And I hope your house is intact, as well as your friends and neighbors. Thank you very much, Harlene.

HOUSEREAU: Thanks very much for your thoughts. Thank you.

COOPER: Time for a fast fact. One of California's worst wildfires ever was the 1991 Oakland Hills fire. It spread over 1,500 acres, caused $1.5 billion in damage, killed 25 people. That fire destroyed more than 3,000 homes, as well as apartments.

And now to a murder trial in Galveston, Texas. On the stand, eccentric millionaire Robert Durst, who admits he killed his neighbor and then cut up the body. He says it was all done in self-defense, however. Today he faced a grilling from the prosecution during cross- examination.

Here's CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Robert Durst says Morris Black was killed when their bodies got tangled up, struggling for a gun. The men fell to the ground. Durst says the gun went off accidentally and Black was shot in the face.

Prosecutors challenged Durst's story by playing a courtroom version of the game Twister. Prosecutors played the roles of Durst and the victim. Durst explained to them where to put their arms and bodies to re-create the scene.

The demonstration never got anywhere. Often laughing at the prosecutors, Durst said both men look like spaghetti.

Durst answered prosecutors' questions about the events leading up to Morris Black's death and his weeks on the run from police after. But Durst did not answer any questions about dismembering Morris Black's body, saying he couldn't remember how it happened.

Durst says just before he cut off the body's arms, legs and head, that he had drank a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Prosecutors asked him if he was drunk. Durst said, I hope so.

Then the prosecutor fired back and asked if cutting up the body was a sobering experience.

(on camera): Robert Durst has remained calm on the witness stand and repeatedly tells the jury that he is not guilty of murdering Morris Black, that it was all an accident. But Prosecutors argue that his actions after the shooting and his attempts to cover it up do make him a murderer.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Galveston, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, no to an occasional segment we're going to do here, when the news demands it. The kind of stories you hear and think, man, that is just wrong.

The first one, a study from the University of Texas that shows that better looking teachers get better student evaluations. That means that teachers who might slave away for their students, bring cupcakes just because, lend you their slide role, well, they may not do as well, just because they didn't win the genetic lottery.

And that is just wrong.

Also, the second story in our little segment is a study out of the University of California that showed that American couples with girls divorce more often than those with boys. Somehow boys are the glue for a weak marriage, but girls aren't?

The researchers said it's been true in every decade since the 1940s and in every region in the country. And I'm sorry, but that is just wrong.

Still to come this evening, our week-long series begins: "Broken Vows: Infidelity in America." We'll talk with the Berman sisters about why people betray the ones they love.

Also tonight, the latest on Rosie O'Donnell. She's about to premiere a musical and she has a drama on her hands, as well. A real life legal one. That's in tonight's fresh print.

Also a little later, the royal uproar over Princess Diana and the butler who is telling all, hoping to rake in big bucks. The very latest on the scandal that's the talk of Britain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Today's charming "Buzz" question: "If you cheat, should you tell your partner?" What do you think? Log on to CNN.com/360. Give us your answer. We'll have the answers later on.

Tonight we kick off a weeklong look at broken vows: infidelity in America. It's tempting to think that cheating is someone else's marital crisis. But the latest figures, and they're conservative ones at that, suggest that if you gather just 10 random people in the room there might be two cheaters among them. For every case of infidelity, there's the question that sometimes even the cheaters themselves can't answer, why they betrayed the one they love.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): The rich and famous do it.

KOBE BRYANT, ACCUSED OF RAPE: I sit here before you guys, embarrassed and ashamed.

COOPER: Preachers and presidents.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Indeed I did have a relationship with Ms. Lewinsky that was not appropriate.

COOPER: Infidelity is all around. Unfaithful is not just the name of a movie.

But how many of us actually cheat, and why do we do it? According to the "Los Angeles Times," new studies are giving us more and more clues.

Just about everyone seems to fantasize about a fling. In one recent university of Vermont study of couples, 98 percent of men and 80 percent of women had recently imagined fooling around with someone else.

How many actually follow through? Conservative estimates are that more than 20 percent of married Americans will have an affair at least once.

Think only men cheat? Not so, say experts. Women are now believed to be as likely to be unfaithful as men.

And it's not just unhappy couples who are likely to be at risk. In one study, people who said their marriages were very happy were twice as likely to cheat as those who said they were extremely happy.

Time seems to play a factor in infidelity, as well. For women and men, the first five years of marriage are the riskiest. Men who have been married more than 20 years also seem to get the itch.

So why do people cheat? The reasons vary greatly. For some, it's a desire for variety. For others, attention. Some cite revenge. Others simply say chemistry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: We want to talk more about infidelity and why it happens with the Berman sisters. Laura Berman is a sex therapist who's here in New York and Jennifer Berman is a urologist who joins us from our Los Angeles bureau.

Appreciate both of you being with us. Let me start off with you, Laura. Why do people cheat? Actually, let me ask, are the reasons that men cheat the same as the reasons women cheat?

LAURA BERMAN, SEX THERAPIST: There are similarities in terms of novelty, not getting what you want at home.

Women, per the most part, who cheat are relatively unapologetic. They're looking for someone to give them attention, to give them romance, to help them escape from the kids and work and all the drudgery of their lives. It's not too far from the reasons men cheat.

COOPER: But do guys want romance and...

L. BERMAN: Guys aren't -- it's funny. If you look at the beginning of a relationship, what women get out of it is the romance and the intimacy and connection. Men get that sexual energy and that feeling of being attractive. And that's very often what drives them to seek extra marital affairs later in life.

COOPER: Jennifer, the cliche is that men do the cheating, women don't. They're more monogamous. But you read these studies now and it seems like just about as many women cheat as men. Why do you think that change has happened?

JENNIFER BERMAN, UROLOGIST: I think a lot of it has to do with the change in women in our society. Women are becoming more successful, more powerful and more entitled. And I think that with that comes freedom, comes demands and comes, you know, desire.

So men are not the only ones that are susceptible to infidelity. Women are, too. And for the same reasons. We want sex; we want novelty. We want...

L. BERMAN: They also have more opportunities.

COOPER: Laura, you're saying because now they're in the workplace they have greater opportunity these days?

L. BERMAN: They are outside the home, so they have more access to other partners. They're spending time -- more time at work than at home. So they have much more opportunity than they did a generation ago.

COOPER: And they're not as afraid, I guess, of leaving because financially, they are more independent than before?

L. BERMAN: There's less economic risk.

COOPER: But Laura, I mean, you think it's only unhappy couples, but then you read these surveys that say, you know, people describe their marriages as very happy end up cheating. What's going on with that?

L. BERMAN: The myth is, if you cheat there's something wrong in your sex life. That's the number one myth. Or there's something wrong in your marriage.

Many people will say that they're relatively satisfied with their marriage. They don't necessarily want to rock the boat, but they want the excitement. They want that energy. They want to escape from their day-to-day lives.

Couples don't put enough effort into maintaining intimacy and connection and fun together. They get too busy working as partners.

J. BERMAN: I think that's really the point, is that relationships are work. We're always susceptible to infidelity, but we don't want to create paranoia. Are you cheating? Are you cheating? Who's cheating?

Everything -- that we're all susceptible. Relationships are work, and it's a choice that you to have make. And there are, as all the studies show, severe consequences to the relationship. It doesn't go without consequence.

COOPER: Well, Laura, you counsel a lot of people. I mean, are there signs, are there giveaway signs that people should look for?

L. BERMAN: There are signs, and none of these are guaranteed, that your partner's cheating. But obviously, if they're spending a lot of unaccounted time away from you. If they change their, you know, their dress, are dressing in sexier underwear all of a sudden. If they're using new expressions. If they're talking a lot about somebody at work.

And we also have to remember the Internet provides phenomenal opportunities for both men and women to have these online emotional affairs that can lead to physical ones.

COOPER: Jennifer, I guess the Internet makes it easier.

J. BERMAN: The Internet can make relationships easier. I mean, that's true. For men as well as women.

And one thing I would want to add to Laura's list is that becoming hypersexual is also a sign, that just -- that if your partner withdraws from sex can be a sign of infidelity, but also becoming hypersexual can also be...

COOPER: Oh, really? So if suddenly they are more interested in having sex that could be a warning sign, as well?

J. BERMAN: Can be. Can be.

L. BERMAN: Because they're feeling sexier. Or guiltier. One of the other.

COOPER: All right. Well, Laura and Jennifer Berman, appreciate you joining us. Always good to talk to you.

L. BERMAN: Thank you.

J. BERMAN: Thanks.

COOPER: Tomorrow our weeklong series continues, "Broken Vows: Infidelity in America." We're going to look at "The Monogamy Myth," as some people call it, and the question of whether we're hard-wired to cheat.

Wednesday we're going to look at athlete and infidelity, how the wives of athletes put up with it. We'll talk to two of them.

Thursday, "To Catch a Cheat," a how-to on spotting infidelity from an expert.

And Friday, a survival guide on how some couples have gotten past the betrayal.

So still to come this evening, the publisher who says Rosie is anything but the queen of nice. That story is in "Fresh Print" tonight.

Also, how David Blaine says he spiced up his recovery in a London hospital after his time in a box. I promise, this will be the last time I mention David Blaine ever.

And the battle royale over the book by Princess Diana's former butler.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time now for "Fresh Print," our weekly look at what's hot on newsstands in the wacky world of publishing.

I read "TIME" magazine. Almost called Raoul Felder when I saw a picture inside the magazine of his client, David Gest being canoodled by his estranged wife Liza Minnelli.

Now, a few months ago, this photo would have just been an odd, creepy picture. Now that he's accused her of beating him it seems like, well, an odd, creepy picture.

"People" magazine provides the jaw-dropper of the week in the new issue. Courtney Love tried to make a recent overdose enjoyable for her daughter. Quote, "I made it fun. I said it was going to be gross and I was going to have to make myself throw up, but it was going to be OK." Well, let's say three words all together folks. Child protective services.

Moving on to the battle that has the magazine world salivating. They're going to have to keep salivating a couple days more. The courtroom fight between Rosie O'Donnell and her former publisher, it was supposed to start tomorrow. But it's been delayed because of a scheduling conflict.

The publisher says O'Donnell doomed the magazine with her alleged, quote, "bizarre, mean-spirited behavior." O'Donnell says they undercut her vision and basically were not cutie patooties.

And you've got to love those tricksters at "Maxim" magazine. The lads who love "Maxim" may be alarmed at the headlines on the new cover: "25 dazzling kitchens and baths." And "Savor the flavor, the incredible, edible eggplant."

This is no doubt the first time the words "naked" or "hot sex" have not shown up all over the cover. The reason is explained at the bottom. Take a look. "Maxim" editors, too lazy to write their own cover lines." Turns out they just copied them from other magazines.

But not to fear, lads, inside there's the same high-quality thong shots and kegger tips you've come to covet and crave.

So what are shock and awe, Leatherface, Britney and Blaine have in common? They're all in tonight's pop culture "Current," of course.

And we're trying to imagine the person who heard the Pentagon phrase "shock and awe" about the night of bombing in Iraq and thought, "Now here's a great way to sell my salsa."

The U.S. Patent office has gotten dozens of trademark applications for Shock and Awe salsa, energy drinks, yo-yos, lingerie, Bloody Mary mix and perhaps most disturbing of all, infant action crib toys. Shocking and awful.

Speaking of awful, "Scary Movie 3" took out "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" for the top spot at the box office this weekend, grossing nearly $50 million. The temperamental Leatherface is said to be taking the news badly and is considering switching to CAA.

And publicity press agitator David Blaine has found yet another way to get his name in print. According to a Scottish paper, Blaine's nookie famine is over. That's right. He may have been recovering from his 44-day fast, but he says he was able to have relations with his girlfriend while hospitalized.

Not sure if he sold the video rights to the encounter, but with David Blaine, anything is possible.

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

In Britain, Blaine is getting to be so five minutes ago. The real hot topic of the moment is the late Princess Diana, the butler who's out with a tell-all book and the attacks and counter-attacks it has set off.

Last week, Diana's sons, princes William and Harry, called the book a, quote, "cold and overt betrayal" of their mother's trust. Today the butler said he'd like to give the princes, quote, "a piece of my mind."

More from CNN's Matthew chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's long touted himself as the trusted keeper of Diana's closest secrets. Now Paul Burrell's revelations are poised to become an instant bestseller. More than a million copies of the book have been ordered by retailers in the U.S. and in Britain.

But the butler's expose has provoked charges of betrayal from Diana's two sons, William and Harry. He says their minds have been poisoned against him.

PAUL BURRELL, PRINCESS DIANA'S FORMER BUTLER: I am convinced that when the princes and everyone else reads this book in its entirety, they will think differently.

CHANCE: But already the book is focusing critical attention on the British monarchy. Extracts from published letters allege Diana long suspected there was a plot to kill her in a car crash.

Her brother, Earl Spencer, is said to have expressed concern for Diana's mental health. And the book says the queen's husband, the Duke of Edinborough, wrote to Diana saying he couldn't believe that Prince Charles would leave her for Camilla Parker-Bowles, the long- time mistress.

It is all damaging enough, but in royal circles, there are fears the former butler may intend to publish more. There's no proof, but speculation is rife that Burrell has evidence of sexual impropriety in the royal household.

It may be the latest revelations are just a taste of damaging royal scandals to come, and it is what the butler may have seen and could yet print that has Britain's royals running scared.

Matthew Chance, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Coming up on 360, "The Nth Degree" on the hottest place to be in the hereafter. No, it's not Studio 54.

And -- oh, it's that guy again. What's he doing there? All right, there's the big deal.

Plus, tomorrow in our series on infidelity in America, are human being destined by nature to cheat?

You can also still get in on today's "Buzz," "If you cheat, should you tell your partner"? Vote now, CNN.com/360. Results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time for the "Buzz." We asked you if you cheat, should you tell your partner? It's been a split vote all day. Forty-nine percent said yes, 51 percent voted no. This is certainly not a scientific poll, just your "Buzz." Finally tonight, denial to "The Nth Degree." A new study about American's attitudes toward heaven and hell caught our attention in the "L.A. Times."

It turns out 76 percent of Americans believe in heaven and 71 percent believe in hell. But what's really interesting is that nearly two-thirds of us think we are headed to heaven.

Think about this for a second. If Americans are right, heaven has an acceptance rate of 64 percent. That means it's easier to get into heaven than it is to, say, Harvard or the Augusta National Golf Course.

Turns out Americans think the really tough place to get into is hell. Plenty of us believe in it, but according to this study, none of us thinks we're going there.

Only one half of one percent thinks hell is on our horizon. One half of one percent? That means hell has an acceptance rate close to Studio 54's in its heyday.

How to explain the survey results? One religion expert said simply, quote, "We're optimists at heart. I suppose one person's optimism is another's denial.

Now I know 64 percent are convinced you're going to make it past the Pearly Gates. And right now, you're probably just saying to yourself, "Anderson you, can just go to" -- well, you know where. The truth is, I'm not sure they'll let me beyond the velvet rope.

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

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