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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Terror in Iraq Caught on Tape?; Mission Iraq: Baghdad Blasts

Aired November 25, 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): Caught on tape. A new video allegedly shows a masked militant launching a missile at an airliner over Iraq.

American POWs tortured in Iraq sued Saddam for millions and won. So why is the White House trying to block them from collecting?

Lifestyles of the rich and indicted. You won't believe a former Tyco executive's luxury penthouse apartment.

This woman is missing. Could a cell phone call be the key to the case?

Signing on he dotted line before sex?

And charges are delayed against Michael Jackson. Does the prosecution have a case?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

COOPER: And a good evening. Welcome to 360.

Just a short time ago, the lawyer defending Michael Jackson came out blasting, threatening to come down hard on anyone who attacks the singer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GERAGOS, ATTORNEY: This is not the lottery. This is this man's life, this is his family's life. These are scurrilous accusations.

We are going to -- and I've been giving full authority -- we will land on you like a ton of bricks. We will land on you like a hammer if you do anything to besmirch this man's reputation, anything to intrude on his privacy in any way that's actionable. We will unleash a legal torrent like you've never seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Mark Geragos just a short time ago. More on that shortly.

But first, our top story tonight. What appears to be an act of terror in Iraq caught on videotape. Now, at first glance, the tape seems to show an attempt Saturday to shoot down a civilian cargo plane. The images are remarkable, but the truth of what the tape actually shows is not entirely clear.

Here's what we know from national security correspondent David Ensor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the tape, what appears to be a group of insurgents, their faces concealed, some carrying rocket-propelled grenades. One of them fires off a shoulder-launched missile. There is then a video edit to a sequence that shows the insurgents escaping by car while filming a civilian jet that appears to have been hit on one wing.

There's no way to be sure, but the video may show the attack Saturday near Baghdad airport on a DHL cargo plane which turned around after takeoff and landed safely, though a fire on its wing had to be extinguished. The tape was delivered in Baghdad to journalist Sara Daniel of the French "Le Nouvel Observateur" magazine, who has been contact contacting anti-U.S. insurgents.

SARA DANIEL, "LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR": They have a lot of weapons. Lots and lots of weapons.

ENSOR: On some Arab language Web sites, in recent weeks videos have appeared on what purport to be attacks on American soldiers in Iraq. Part of a cyber and media war.

PETER BERGEN, JOURNALIST: They could be wanting to get this out to the world's media for several reasons. First for fund-raising; secondly, recruitment; thirdly, propaganda value. I think all three of those things should be taken into account.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: This latest video comes out just as U.S. commanders are saying that the number of attacks against American force in Iraq are down. The attacks in number may be down, but their audacity seems to be going up based on this videotape, at least -- Anderson.

COOPER: Seems that way. David Ensor, thanks tonight.

In Baghdad today, explosions rang out once again across the city. This right after the top U.S. commander in Iraq insisted the danger for U.S. forces has actually decreased. Walter Rodgers is in Baghdad with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The warning sirens in Baghdad sounded only after two booming explosions here. In Arabic, loud speakers blared, "this is an attack, not a test." At least one person was injured as those two shells fell several hours after dark. Not much earlier, this American general said the attacks on his soldiers have been reduced.

GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, U.S. CENTRAL COMMANDER: I hate to give you a metric. But I would say the attacks are down by about half over the past two weeks.

RODGERS: Increasingly, U.S. soldiers now protect Iraqi civilians as more and more civilians find themselves becoming targets of guerrilla intimidation.

AMB. PAUL BREMER, AMERICAN ADMINISTRATOR: If Saddam taught them nothing else, he taught Iraqis how to endure the depredation of thugs. Saddam and his trained killers have no future in Iraq.

RODGERS: Tough talk, but Ambassador Bremer acknowledged these attacks will get worse as insurgents try to undermine the new government here.

(on camera): Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein himself remains at large. And the U.S. Army has yet to put those Iraqi guerrillas out of business.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, back here at home on Capitol Hill, the Senate finally approved a $400 billion Medicare makeover. Now, it is a victory for President Bush, who's fulfilled a campaign promise to get seniors a prescription drug benefit.

The 54-44 vote was not entirely on party lines. Eleven Democrats voted in favor of the bill. Nine Republicans voted no, saying the bill is just too expensive, that it adds to the budget deficit and leaves future generations paying for it.

Now, some seniors hit the streets to protest against the AARP, which has endorsed the bill. Now this demonstration -- you see it right here in Boston -- seniors ripped up their AARP membership cards, saying the plan ignores them, favors drug and insurance companies. Some Democrats certainly seem to agree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D), MARYLAND: Instead of a great feeling of joy and relief, senior citizens are now facing anxiety and also disappointment. Disappointment at how skimpy, and anxiety about what they could lose, rather than what they could gain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, that is her opinion. President Bush certainly does not see it that way. At a campaign fund-raiser today he praised the Medicare changes to come. The president also got another boost today. New numbers today showing consumer confidence rose to its highest level in more than a year.

CNN senior White House correspondent John King reports on what the White House sees as a very good day for the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a hospital in Nevada, the president cast a new Medicare prescription drug benefit as long overdue and as proof he is delivering on an issue long associated with Democrats.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some said Medicare reform could never be done. For the sake of our seniors, we've gotten something done. We're acting.

KING: An upbeat day in a state he carried by just 21,000 votes three years ago, and one of many presidential battlegrounds where the elderly vote is critical. Final passage of the Medicare bill was hardly the only development that fit nicely with the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign's domestic agenda.

The economy grew at a robust 8.2 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the strongest three months in nearly 20 years. Corporate profits rose at a nearly 11 percent annual rate in the July through September quarter, a key factor in new hiring. And consumer confidence is at its highest level in more than a year.

SCOTT REED, GOP STRATEGIST: This is about hitting stride at the right time. And by next year, most economists say there will be real job creation. Just in time for the presidential election.

KING: Democrats say there's plenty to criticize on the domestic front. They call the Medicare bill a give-away to drug and insurance companies, blame Mr. Bush for giant new budget deficits, and for the loss of more than two million jobs the past three years. Yet many Democrats are coming to the view that Mr. Bush's biggest weakness is in Iraq, not here at home.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D-OH), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can't think of anything more urgent on the agenda of our country today than to end the occupation and to bring our troops home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Now, White House aides readily concede that improving the security situation in Iraq is an urgent priority. But, Anderson, they also suggest that these Democratic criticisms about Iraq are getting louder in part because things like the Medicare victory and the improving economy leave the president in much stronger position when it comes to domestic issues.

COOPER: All right. John King at the White House. Thanks very much, John.

In the case that seems to have much of the country transfixed, Michael Jackson, of course, two big developments today. A source tells CNN that formal charges now will not be filed against Jackson any time before mid-December. Now, previously it had been thought charges would be filed right after Thanksgiving.

Also, we learned today there is a videotape that has got Jackson's legal team talking very tough. Last week, someone videotaped Jackson on that private jet as he was on his way to surrender. CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The alleged videotaping took place on this private jet, as Michael Jackson flew into Santa Barbara to turn himself in to authorities. According to this lawsuit, filed by Jackson and his attorney, Mark Geragos, the chartered jet company, XtraJet, which owns and operates the aircraft, allegedly secretly videotaped them, then tried to profit from the tape.

GERAGOS: It was disclosed that those two video cameras, which also apparently had audio on them, were surreptitiously placed in there, were recording attorney-client conversations. And then somebody had the unmitigated gall to shop those tapes around to media outlets in order to sell them to the highest bidder.

BUCKLEY: A representative for XtraJet told CNN the charter company did not have a statement at this time. But in a "Los Angeles Times" article, one corporate officer for the company is quoted as saying that once the tapes were discovered, the company "explored the opportunity as any businessperson would." Geragos said the alleged secret taping on the jet violated federal law and would also unleash a strong civil legal response from the Jackson team.

GERAGOS: This is not the lottery. This is this man's life. This is his family's life. These are scurrilous accusations.

We are going to -- and I've been given full authority -- we will land on you like a ton of bricks. We will land on you like a hammer. If you do anything to besmirch this man's reputation, anything to intrude on his privacy in any way that's actionable, we will unleash a legal torrent like you've never seen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, some tough words. Frank Buckley joins us now.

Frank, let's talk about this delay in filing charges until sometime in mid-December. Is there a problem with the prosecution's case?

BUCKLEY: Well, this source close to the investigation tells us it's not a problem with the case, it's more a problem or an issue of volume. As you know, Anderson, they served three search warrants when they served that one search warrant at Neverland. There were also two additional search warrants served down here in southern California. They say they simply need some more time to go through all of the potential evidence that they've seized. COOPER: All right. We'll see. Frank Buckley, thanks very much for the report.

Now, coming up, we're going to have more on this delay in filing charges and the comments tonight from the defense. 360 legal analyst Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom will weigh in. That is just coming up shortly.

A lot of other stories right now to tell you about. Let's take a look "Cross Country."

Atlantic City, New Jersey: holiday warning. Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge cautioned Americans to be vigilant when they travel over the Thanksgiving weekend. After inspecting an air marshal training center near the Atlantic City Airport, Ridge says there's been a high volume of terror threats against the U.S. and U.S. interests.

New York, New York: airport arrests. Twenty-five current or former baggage and air cargo handlers are under arrest right now on drug smuggling charges. Most of them worked at New York's Kennedy Airport. They allegedly used their jobs to help smuggle cocaine and marijuana from Jamaica, as well as from South America.

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: chaplain charged, but not with espionage. This guy, a U.S. Army chaplain, arrested as part of an espionage probe at Gitmo, was charged today with adultery, making false statements, and using, get this, a government computer to view and store pornography.

Earlier, Captain James Yee was charged with failing to obey an order. But charges of espionage haven't happened. His lawyer told Reuters "The case that began with a bang seems to be winding up with a whimper."

New York, New York: sailing into history. A British airways Concorde jetliner has completed one final trip. Look at those images. It's not in the air, that's right there on the water.

A barge carried the now retired aircraft through New York Harbor right under the bridge to the intrepid Sea, Air Space Museum along Manhattan's west side. It's going to go on display apparently as a reminder of the now vanished era when commercial airline passengers could travel faster than the speed of sound. At least really rich commercial airline passengers could.

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

The spoils of corporate excess. You don't need Robin Leach to check out the lifestyles of the rich and indicted. We're going to take you on a video tour through a fallen CEO's luxury apartment.

Also, without a trace. The desperate search for a college woman who has simply disappeared. Police want your help.

And is justice being denied for American POWs from the first war in Iraq? Find out why a U.S. court and the president has ruled against them.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Now, when last we checked on the Tyco corruption trial here in New York City, it was to watch video of a lavish party thrown by the company's former head honcho, Dennis Kozlowski. He, of course, is accused of raiding company coffers like, well, like Homer Simpson at a doughnut shop.

Today, jurors got a look at his Fifth Avenue pad filled with the bare necessities of life, like a $6,000 thousand shower curtain. Allan Chernoff takes us to the videotape.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNNFN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former Tyco chief executive Dennis Kozlowski's lavish spending went on display for the jury in his grand larceny trial. A prosecution video featured rich French baroque furnishings in the $18 million Fifth Avenue duplex Kozlowski had arranged for his company to buy.

A Monet and Renoir, chandelier after chandelier, a commanding view of Central Park, the now famous $6,000 shower curtain, and a $15,000 dog umbrella stand. The former CEO of Tyco is fighting charges he and his chief financial officer stole $600 million from the company and its shareholders. But testimony from housekeeper Mariola Tarnachovitz (ph) appeared to damage the prosecution's case.

The shower curtain was in a staff bathroom. Kozlowski had never seen it, she testified. Nor had Kozlowski selected the umbrella stand.

The former chief executive of Tyco, she said, used the apartment only occasionally, perhaps twice a week, sometimes merely to change his shirt. And there were periods he wouldn't show for two months. The decorator, Tranachovitz (ph) said, was there more than Kozlowski.

STEPHEN KAUFMAN, KOZLOWSKI'S ATTORNEY: I think she explained that the apartment was -- belonged to the company and it was an asset of the company, and he just used it for business purposes. And his wife was there once or twice. It doesn't seem to me to be a place where you're living. It's a place where you're staying for business purposes, which is what it was.

CHERNOFF: Earlier in the trial, prosecutors showed video of a lavish birthday party Kozlowski threw for his wife on the Italian island of Sardinia. Tyco paid half the bill, $1 million, but the defense said it was in part a business event.

(on camera): While the jury has been exposed to Kozlowski's lavish spending, the prosecution is still making its case that Mr. Kozlowski was spending Tyco's money for his own personal benefit. The case is due to resume Monday morning. Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: It was not even that nice of a shower curtain, frankly.

We are following a number of international stories right now. Let's check the "UpLink."

New York, new York: AIDS pandemic. Ahead of World AIDS Day next week, the U.N. reveals the world HIV rate has hit a record high. This year alone, some five million people became infected with HIV, and another three million have died. World AIDS Day is December 1.

Cairo, Egypt, and throughout the Muslim world, Eid celebrations, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Now the Eid is one of the most important Muslim festivals, a time for prayer and for giving charity. It's also a joyous time for families to visit relatives and to feast.

Tasmania, Australia: mysterious whale deaths. Sad to see. The corpses of more than 100 pilot whales and 10 dolphins are found scattered along a shoreline. Scientists think the whales might have panicked when chased by a predator, such as maybe a killer whale.

That is tonight's "UpLink."

Vanished before the holidays. A terrible case. Police are asking for your help to find a college student who disappeared without a trace.

Also tonight, country star blues. Find out what happened when Glen Campbell had a run-in with the law.

And a little later, Michael Jackson's lawyer takes down the sparkling gloves, promising to land like a ton of bricks on anyone who attacks his client. What does that mean? Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom weighs in.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, a college town in North Dakota is not giving up hope tonight. Hundreds of volunteers are searching for a student missing since Saturday. That young woman right there. She vanished after her cell phone went dead. And as CNN's Martin Savidge reports, it is her last words that have family and friends so worried.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoever has her, I'm sure they don't know what kind of a person she is. They don't know how strong she is.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Friends and family are baffled after 22-year-old college student Dru Sjodin vanished Saturday afternoon. She was last seen after she left her job at the mall in Grand Forks, North Dakota. But her car never left the parking lot. Friends alerted police after Sjodin failed to show up at her second job at a bar later that night and after an alarming phone call with her boyfriend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her boyfriend called and was worried about her because they got disconnected on a cell phone call. And her last words were "No, no, no. OK, OK, OK."

SAVIDGE: Authorities are concentrating their search on a rest area just seven miles from the mall, where police traced a call from her cell phone to her boyfriend at 9:00 Saturday night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No conversation took place during that telephone call. But through the assistance of Sprint telephone company, they were able to determine that that call was placed within a three to four-mile radius of a cellular phone tower.

SAVIDGE: Police are also investigating calls to Sjodin at the Victoria's Secret store where she worked. They say she received at least one call from a man she didn't know.

SVEN SJODIN, BROTHER: There's been several guys I guess that have been interested in her more than she was interested in them.

SAVIDGE: Extra buses were called in today, as hundreds of volunteers lined up to search through the snow for clues to the missing University of North Dakota student.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just hard to know that this could happen to her. She's just such a really nice, sweet person. And we just hope we find her. We pray that we find her.

SAVIDGE: Martin Savidge, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, joining us with the latest on the investigation, Sergeant Mike Hedlund of the Grand Forks Police Department.

Sergeant, thanks for being with us. At this moment, you're concentrating on this rest area where the last phone call was received. Tell us about that phone call. There were no words exchanged in it?

SGT. MIKE HEDLUND, GRAND FORKS POLICE: That's correct. The phone call was initiated from Dru's cell phone. And it was to her boyfriend, who was also the last person that she had been speaking to prior to when we believe she was abducted.

The phone call lasted for a short period of time. And through the technology of the cellular telephone company, we were able to determine an approximate area that the call had been placed from.

COOPER: So it could have been that she hit redial or that she actually dialed the number, because it was the same number she had called three hours before?

HEDLUND: At this point in time, we don't know that. But it's very possible that it could have been her or someone else pressing redial, or conceivably even the phone could have possibly been dropped and just automatically redialed the last number.

COOPER: And the first phone call that she had given to her boyfriend three hours before this last phone call, it ended. And I guess there's sort of some question as to what she actually said at the end. Do you know what she said? And does it give you some indication of what happened or that there was, in fact, some sort of an abduction?

HEDLUND: I've heard a couple of different variations of what was her final words may have been during that conversation. But regardless of which way they went, it does indicate that most definitely something did occur at that point in time. And that, along with the other evidence and information that we have been able to develop, certainly leads us to believe that she was abducted at that time.

COOPER: And while you're talking, we're showing this tip number: 701 -- I actually can't read the last digit. Can you tell us the number?

HEDLUND: 701-780-8213.

COOPER: All right. I just want to keep that up there while you're continuing to talk. Let's talk about these phone calls that she was receiving at work, or at least one phone call from someone she received at work. What do you know about them? How significant are they?

HEDLUND: I guess at this point we're not sure whether there is any significance in those or whether they're at all related. My understanding is that the phone calls occurred sometime prior to this time and actually ended several weeks ago. But here was I believe at least several phone calls placed to her work place, asking for her by name. And the individual that was making these calls spoke with a foreign accent of some type.

She was, my understanding, never present when those calls were placed. Reportedly, the person making the calls stated that he would attempt to contact her at home. But reportedly, she did not ever receive any similar type of phone calls at her residence.

COOPER: Well, the search is on. I know you have a lot of people out there volunteering, a lot of people watching this around the country. The thoughts and prayers are with this young woman and her family.

Sergeant, thanks very much for being with us tonight. Appreciate it.

HEDLUND: No problem. Thank you. COOPER: I want to put this case in some perspective for a moment. There are 41,150 active cases of missing adults in the U.S. as of the end of October. Out of these, 9,277 cases are suspected abductions. Four hundred fifty-two females between the age of 22 and 29, which is Dru Sjodin's age range, have been abducted and are still missing right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Does the prosecution have a case against Michael Jackson?

Suing Saddam. Why can't POWs tortured in Iraq collect from the former dictator?

And in the mood? Just sign right here. Do you need a sex contract?

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Here's some of the top stories we are watching tonight in the reset.

Las Vegas, Nevada: presidential applause. President Bush used an appearance in Las Vegas to congratulate Congress for passing a Medicare prescription plan. Mr. Bush says the $400 billion package will improve the lives of U.S. seniors.

Washington, D.C.: economic rebound. Newly released figures show an improving U.S. economy. Consumer confidence has risen to its highest level in more than a year. A new figures showed the gross domestic product grew last summer at its fastest pace in nearly two decades.

Houston, Texas: a brother's actions. The Reuters News Agency says President Bush's brother Neil admitted to sexual escapades and deals with a politically connected Chinese company in a deposition last March made in connection with his recent divorce. Reuters says Neil Bush admitted having extramarital sex with several women during trips to Thailand and Hong Kong and talked about a $2 million business deal with a firm backed by a son of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

And that is a look at our "Reset" tonight.

Now, justice served and the latest on the Michael Jackson story. As we reported earlier, a source tells CNN that formal charges now will not be filed against Jackson any time before mid-December. Now, previously, it had been thought charges would be filed right after Thanksgiving.

Here to discuss that and other things is 360 legal analyst Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom. She joins us from San Francisco.

Kimberly, good to see you, as always.

The prosecution basically is saying, well, look, we simply need more time to go through all this stuff which may end up being evidence in a case against Michael Jackson. That's why they need the delay. Is that the only explanation?

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, maybe things are shifting. Maybe the tide is shifting.

We're seeing the defense go on the attack here. We're seeing the prosecution withdraw back, pushing back these deadlines. What I think is unconscionable is, they either have the evidence and the facts to support it or they don't. They should have had this complaint filed at the time that they issued a $3 million arrest warrant for Michael Jackson.

This sort of process of gathering information and trying to call other people forward to present evidence against him seems to me to be an inappropriate use of the office of the district attorney. They should have had their game plan together. I would expect we'll see another delay after December and probably pushed back until the date of the arraignment.

COOPER: Well, I would imagine also, hearing this delay, the Jackson defense team has got to start to feel even more confident. It certainly just -- no matter how the prosecution tries to spin it, it doesn't seem like a good thing for them.

NEWSOM: No.

I think it's a tremendous advantage for the defense. It shows that the DA's case appears to be not as strong as they're initially suggesting. Maybe they didn't find the information they were looking for to corroborate this young boy's story at Neverland when they issued those search warrants at his residence.

They were looking to find any information on computer files, videotapes, these alleged love letters, etcetera. Maybe some of that information is not panning out.

COOPER: It certainly would seem that way right now.

January 9, arraignment date. Is it possible, and, if so, what happens if the prosecution hasn't filed charges formally by that date?

NEWSOM: Well, Michael Jackson is out of custody. So the official timelines are not going to start to run.

This was an agreed-upon date by both sides. But they would have to come up with something by that date to have a criminal complaint filed. This is not a difficult process. It's very simple. These are forms you press on a computer. It spits out, would say the exact count or charge that he is alleged to have committed. And I don't see what the delay is here. They should have this already. And if they don't have it by tonight, then I think that means they're not going to have any case. COOPER: All right, it is fascinating. Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, thanks very much.

NEWSOM: Thank you.

COOPER: Later tonight on CNN, Larry King will talk with Michael Jackson's civil co-counsel. That's on "LARRY KING LIVE," 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

Now, once celebrated, at least by himself, the onetime king of pop, Michael Jackson's career has, well, fizzled, in recent years. He's facing allegations, of course, now he molested a 12-year-old boy. Has the financial gravy train that financed Jackson's lavish lifestyle reached the end of the line? Well, we may get a clue tomorrow. Now, that is when the first sales numbers on Jackson's new album come out.

My next guest, David Itzkoff, is associate editor of "Spin" magazine.

David, good to see you.

DAVID ITZKOFF, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "SPIN": Thanks.

COOPER: What are the expectations for the numbers tomorrow on this first album?

ITZKOFF: Well, Sony would like to see about maybe 200,000 copies sold in its first week. Even in a very competitive week, just before the start of the Thanksgiving buying season, that would probably put it in the top 10. And that would be a respectable showing for him.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: That's what they want to see. Is the expectation that they will?

ITZKOFF: I don't think so.

First of all, they're up against the new releases from artists like Britney Spears and the Beatles. And from what I've heard, they're probably going to see numbers closer to about 85,000 to 100,000 copies sold. Those are just estimates, though.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Let's take a look at, over the years, how Jackson's, I guess, star has dimmed somewhat, just through the money that his albums, his C.D.s have made. We've got a graphic of it.

"Thriller," 1982, $115 million. "Bad," 1987, $57.5 million. "History," 1995, $35 million. "Invincible," 2001, $15 million. Not chump change, but a huge decline. What is going on?

ITZKOFF: Well, I think you're just seeing an artist whose relevance is decreasing. And I think that it's just -- it's a combination that you're looking also at -- his decline started around the time that that first molestation charge surfaced. And it's really difficult for, I think, the public to reconcile him as a performer with who he is as a person.

COOPER: Now, Jackson has been able to get a lot of money because he and Sony own the Beatles catalog.

ITZKOFF: Well, that's a development that actually arose during the production of his most recent studio album, "Invincible," that he actually borrowed close to $200 million from them for personal expenses.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: He borrowed that using the Beatles collection as collateral?

ITZKOFF: Right, using those publishing rights as collateral.

So, for Sony, it's kind of a win-win situation for them. Obviously, the best scenario is that he actually makes that money back. But even if he doesn't, they get -- this completes their deal with Jackson. And they could even maybe get the Beatles publishing rights from him, if he defaults. It's certainly a better asset to have than a bunch of llamas.

COOPER: Would Sony resign Michael Jackson, do you think?

ITZKOFF: I don't see why they would.

Even though Tommy Mottola is no longer with them, Jackson held a press conference vilifying their former CEO.

COOPER: Right.

ITZKOFF: I don't see why any major label would touch him at this point.

COOPER: All right, David Itzkoff, "Spin" magazine, thanks very much, David.

ITZKOFF: Thanks for having me.

COOPER: Well, that brings us to today's "Buzz" question: Do you feel sorry for Michael Jackson? Vote now at CNN.com/360. We'll have the results at the end of the program.

And has America forgotten the debt owed to prisoners of war tortured during the first Gulf War? We're going to talk to one of them about his fight with the U.S. government.

Also tonight, possible, a Glen Campbell come-back? Or did police just ask him to come back after he allegedly kneed an officer?

Also, a little later tonight, we'll talk about a really binding contract, a contract before you even have sex.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, perhaps it is inevitable, with all the debate over Iraq now, that debates still lingering over the first Gulf War get relegated to the category of how quickly we forget. One of the most heated right now is the fight for nearly $1 billion of Iraqi money, on one side, the U.S. government's need for the money.

On the other side, as CNN's Bruce Morton reports, 17 Americans who served their country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): American prisoners of war in Iraq during the first Gulf War. Some, like Dale Storr, now an airline pilot and Air National Guard member, were tortured.

LT. COL. DALE STORR, FORMER POW: I was placed into a prison we called the bunker and went through three days of very intense interrogations, a lot of beatings, electrical shocks, death threats. They broke my eardrum and my nose, dislocated my shoulder.

MORTON: Back home years later, 17 of the torture victims sued under a 1996 law. And a federal judge awarded them almost $1 billion in frozen Iraqi funds. But the Bush administration said, no, the funds were needed to rebuild Iraq.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It was determined earlier this year by Congress and the administration that those assets were no longer assets of Iraq, but they were resources required for the urgent national security needs of rebuilding Iraq.

MORTON: The judge agreed the president could withhold the money. Harry Reid of Nevada urged paying the ex-POWs, but his language didn't make the final bill.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), NEVADA: These American military personnel who are tortured and brutalized, this administration won't give them the time of day.

MORTON: When they came home in 1991, they were heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MARCH 10, 1991)

DICK CHENEY, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Every man and woman who cares for freedom owes you a very special measure of gratitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORTON: That was then. This is now. No money.

STORR: It's just a few people in either the Department of Justice or the State Department that don't want to see this case go forward. I prefer to believe that my president would be behind us. MORTON: Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, one of the 17 POWs who sued is retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Fox. Now, he was shot down over Southern Iraq, held for 15 days, repeatedly beaten and tortured.

When I spoke with him, I began by asking him about the worst of those 15 days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RET. LT. COL. JEFF FOX, FORMER POW: The toughest day was probably the day that they said that, if I did not answer the question, that they would shoot me. And then I heard them cock a pistol. And they shot the gun off near my head, then knocked me to the ground, and beat me and then drug me back into the cell. That

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: And there were repeated beatings. It wasn't just one instance.

FOX: Anderson, almost daily you were beaten. If you went to the bathroom, they would kick you. Sometimes, they would just knock you down right then. When they threw you into the prison cell, you'd knock off the back wall. And then sometimes, they'd knock you around a little bit, then lock the door.

COOPER: Now, last summer, you and 16 other former POWs were awarded some $900 million by a judge. I want to read some of what the judge said.

This is a quote from Judge Richard Roberts, July 7, 2003: "There must be a premium on protecting POWs. POWs are uniquely disadvantaged. And deterring torture of POWs should be of the highest priority and that punitive damages are particularly appropriate in seeking to deter terrorist states from engaging in heinous acts."

When you heard that, when you got that judgment, how happy were you? What went through your mind?

FOX: Very happy, quite frankly. I realized that, hey, we are in fact sending a message to those terrorist nations that, if you do capture American service men and women and you mistreat them, you are going to pay militarily, as well as financially.

COOPER: Now, that all changed, of course. The U.S. government is now blocking, effectively blocking, the money frozen in U.S. accounts from the old Iraqi regime. So you're not going to get any of that judgment. When you first heard that, did you believe it, frankly?

FOX: I found it hard to believe that the United States government would say no to us and give that money back to the nation of Iraq.

COOPER: But, Jeff, as you know, effectively, what the U.S. government is arguing is, look, the needs of the reconstruction of Iraq are great. And this money can be put to good use to help reconstruct Iraq.

FOX: Anderson, you're absolutely correct. And I believe that the lawyers actually approached the -- whether the State or the Treasury Department -- and said, hey, you're right, take the money, but, please, let's have a plan that we can be reimbursed in the future. And the State Department or the Treasury Department said no.

COOPER: Well, and now my understanding is, they're moving to block this entire judgment, effectively saying, look, this judgment never happened. But does it feel like a slap in the face to you? You served your country. You were a POW. You were tortured by these people.

FOX: It does feel like a slap in the face.

The law passed in 1996 authorizes this. The judge in our judicial system made a decision in our favor. We had Iraqi frozen assets available to us. And the United States government is saying, oh, I'm sorry, guys, you're not going to get it. We're sending it back to Iraq.

COOPER: All right, Jeff Fox, it was good to meet you. I appreciate you joining us tonight. Thanks.

FOX: Anderson, thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Jeff Fox.

We move now from the serious to the, well, downright surreal. When we return: Should you bring a legal contract with you on your next date? Believe it or not, some people actually are.

We're also going to tell you how Glen Campbell got his face plastered all over the news today. I'll give you a little hint. The key word is plastered.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Oh, Glen.

Well, the Michael Jackson story has forced us to cut back on other important celebrity-related crime stories. So we've had to squeeze them in as part of tonight's "Current." Let's take a look.

Singer Glen Campbell sang his hit song "Rhinestone Cowboy" live last night in a Phoenix jail cell, sadly, no video of that. But the sight of him during the booking process merits at least a moment of contemplation. Let's watch.

I don't know why. There's something just oddly fascinating about it. The special performance was arranged by local police after Campbell allegedly left the scene of a car accident and kneed a police officer in the thigh. The 67-year-old was charged with having a blood alcohol ratio above 0.15, raising the bar for today's young stars. Campbell reportedly kept asking police -- quote -- "Do you know who I am?" It's believed he was asking rhetorically.

"The View" has picked its new co-host, "Survivor" semifinalist Elizabeth Filarski Hasselbeck. The show's stars said Hasselbeck balances the show by bringing a uniquely conservative view to the table and said they're eager to match wits and debate politics with the 26-year-old reality show loser. I'm not sure they quite phrased it like that.

Oprah Winfrey gave away $1.5 million worth of gifts to members of the studio audience on yesterday's show. Each audience member got $4,800 worth of stuff which was donated by manufacturers who are right now hoping we're going to mention their product. But we're not. OK.

Singer Vince Neil has a date next April in court. Neil is accused of battery against a prostitute at a Nevada brothel. You may remember, Neil is the Motley Crue lead singer who used to be able to get sex for free.

Well, only in our highly litigious society could signing a legal contract substitute for foreplay. Now, we are talking about sexual consent forms, which are apparently circulating in the wake of the Kobe Bryant case. Now, here's what I mean.

Take a look. On this form, which I think we're about to show you -- well, look at that form right there. These forms ask you basically to sign a -- ask someone you're on a date with, you basically ask them to sign a document consenting to -- oh, there's the form -- well, to very specific things.

Joining us now, a sexologist who came up with these contracts and has some clients who she says actually use them, Ava Cadell. She joins us from L.A.

Ava, good to see you. Thanks for being with us.

Why do people need consent forms? What is the purpose? And what do they actually ask people to sign up for?

DR. AVA CADELL, SEXOLOGIST: Well, a sexual consent form is a way to protect yourself, because, let's be honest, if you have sex with someone, there is the possibility that, at a later date, they're going to accuse you of sexual misconduct, unfortunately.

COOPER: How does this work? I've got one of these sexual consent forms right here. Doesn't it kind of kill the mood? You're starting out on a date and you suddenly whip out a legal document and say, please sign this and check these very detailed things?

CADELL: Well, it can, of course, spoil the romance, but so can a condom. And that protects you, too.

But I also think a sexual consent form can be titillating. It can actually be rather fun to check the things that you want to do together, create some sexual anticipation, if you will.

COOPER: But asking someone -- I don't know. The idea of asking someone before anything starts to sort of check off what they will and will not engage in, I don't really want to go into too many details. But it's very specific.

Do you have any clients who have just said, look, there's no way I'm going to do this?

CADELL: There's always someone that won't sign it. But when we're talking about celebrities and high-powered people, there are groupies that will sign absolutely anything just to have sex with them. And it's those people that are using the sexual consent forms today.

COOPER: And I'm guessing you would advise celebrity clients really not to have sex with groupies. I guess that would be rule No. 1.

But you do have, I know, one client. I guess some high-powered executive has used this. How did it work for him?

CADELL: Well, it worked very nicely.

He was afraid that he couldn't trust the person that he was engaging in sexual acts with. And she was only too delighted to sign it. So it gives him peace of mind. And now they have great sex without any worries.

COOPER: All right, well, I really don't need to know the full details on that.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: But I guess there's a flip side to it, which is that some people probably wouldn't want -- it's basically a document, if you're married and you're having an affair with someone, it's basically evidence that you are having an affair.

CADELL: This is very true. You see, everything has pros and cons, absolutely.

COOPER: But you still say, go ahead, for the right client, the right situation, you should go ahead and sign it?

CADELL: It's not for everybody. But I do believe, if certain celebrities had used it in the past, they wouldn't have the problems, the legal problems, they're having today.

COOPER: Now, I understand that some universities have actually encouraged students to sign some form of this kind of document because of the problem of date rape and other such things. CADELL: Exactly.

You see, if a girl signs a form like this -- and, of course, it can be a boy as well. But if a girl signs this, she's less likely to say that the sex wasn't consensual, because when she signs it, she has the intention of having sex with you.

COOPER: Well, it's a fascinating sign of the times. We'll just -- we'll leave it at that. Ava Cadell, appreciate you joining us. Thanks very much. It was interesting.

CADELL: Thank you very much.

COOPER: Well, remember President Bush's State of the Union speech? Well, apparently, some ad-makers are now putting words in the president's mouth, or at least maybe changing some words. So we're going to take it down to the "Nth Degree" come up.

Plus, tomorrow, a family recipe gives me a little help for my interview with Nigella Lawson, TV's saucy chef. It involves my mom, but I don't really want to give too much away.

First, today's "Buzz" question, though. Do you feel sorry for Michael Jackson? Vote now, CNN.com/360. There have been a lot of vigils for him around the country. Let's see what you have to say.

We'll have the results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time now for the "Buzz."

We asked you, do you feel sorry for Michael Jackson? A lot of viewers logging on for this one. And you may be surprised by the results; 42 percent of you said, yes, you do feel sorry for Michael Jackson; 58 percent said no. This is not a scientific poll, just your "Buzz."

Tonight, taking historic speeches to the "Nth Degree."

With President Bush taking bows for the improving economy and passage of the new Medicare bill, Democrats are scrambling to find chinks in his armor. Now "The New York Times" reports, they think they might have found one. See, some Republican ad-makers wanted to use a line about Iraq from the president's State of the Union speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Take one vial, one canister, one crate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: But it wasn't delivered the way they wanted, so they changed it for their ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: It would take one vial, one canister, one crate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Democrats called the change in the new ad deceptive. Republicans call it more clear.

Now, 360 has obtained a previously nonexistent presidential speech that should clarify the issue once and for all.

If we could roll that clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only thing we have to fear is...

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Read my lips.

NEIL ARMSTRONG, NASA ASTRONAUT: That's one small step for man.

JAMES EARL JONES, ACTOR: This is CNN.

WALTER CRONKITE, NEWS ANCHOR: And that's the way it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: "PAULA ZAHN NOW" is next.

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





Blasts>


Aired November 25, 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): Caught on tape. A new video allegedly shows a masked militant launching a missile at an airliner over Iraq.

American POWs tortured in Iraq sued Saddam for millions and won. So why is the White House trying to block them from collecting?

Lifestyles of the rich and indicted. You won't believe a former Tyco executive's luxury penthouse apartment.

This woman is missing. Could a cell phone call be the key to the case?

Signing on he dotted line before sex?

And charges are delayed against Michael Jackson. Does the prosecution have a case?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

COOPER: And a good evening. Welcome to 360.

Just a short time ago, the lawyer defending Michael Jackson came out blasting, threatening to come down hard on anyone who attacks the singer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GERAGOS, ATTORNEY: This is not the lottery. This is this man's life, this is his family's life. These are scurrilous accusations.

We are going to -- and I've been giving full authority -- we will land on you like a ton of bricks. We will land on you like a hammer if you do anything to besmirch this man's reputation, anything to intrude on his privacy in any way that's actionable. We will unleash a legal torrent like you've never seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Mark Geragos just a short time ago. More on that shortly.

But first, our top story tonight. What appears to be an act of terror in Iraq caught on videotape. Now, at first glance, the tape seems to show an attempt Saturday to shoot down a civilian cargo plane. The images are remarkable, but the truth of what the tape actually shows is not entirely clear.

Here's what we know from national security correspondent David Ensor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the tape, what appears to be a group of insurgents, their faces concealed, some carrying rocket-propelled grenades. One of them fires off a shoulder-launched missile. There is then a video edit to a sequence that shows the insurgents escaping by car while filming a civilian jet that appears to have been hit on one wing.

There's no way to be sure, but the video may show the attack Saturday near Baghdad airport on a DHL cargo plane which turned around after takeoff and landed safely, though a fire on its wing had to be extinguished. The tape was delivered in Baghdad to journalist Sara Daniel of the French "Le Nouvel Observateur" magazine, who has been contact contacting anti-U.S. insurgents.

SARA DANIEL, "LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR": They have a lot of weapons. Lots and lots of weapons.

ENSOR: On some Arab language Web sites, in recent weeks videos have appeared on what purport to be attacks on American soldiers in Iraq. Part of a cyber and media war.

PETER BERGEN, JOURNALIST: They could be wanting to get this out to the world's media for several reasons. First for fund-raising; secondly, recruitment; thirdly, propaganda value. I think all three of those things should be taken into account.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: This latest video comes out just as U.S. commanders are saying that the number of attacks against American force in Iraq are down. The attacks in number may be down, but their audacity seems to be going up based on this videotape, at least -- Anderson.

COOPER: Seems that way. David Ensor, thanks tonight.

In Baghdad today, explosions rang out once again across the city. This right after the top U.S. commander in Iraq insisted the danger for U.S. forces has actually decreased. Walter Rodgers is in Baghdad with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The warning sirens in Baghdad sounded only after two booming explosions here. In Arabic, loud speakers blared, "this is an attack, not a test." At least one person was injured as those two shells fell several hours after dark. Not much earlier, this American general said the attacks on his soldiers have been reduced.

GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, U.S. CENTRAL COMMANDER: I hate to give you a metric. But I would say the attacks are down by about half over the past two weeks.

RODGERS: Increasingly, U.S. soldiers now protect Iraqi civilians as more and more civilians find themselves becoming targets of guerrilla intimidation.

AMB. PAUL BREMER, AMERICAN ADMINISTRATOR: If Saddam taught them nothing else, he taught Iraqis how to endure the depredation of thugs. Saddam and his trained killers have no future in Iraq.

RODGERS: Tough talk, but Ambassador Bremer acknowledged these attacks will get worse as insurgents try to undermine the new government here.

(on camera): Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein himself remains at large. And the U.S. Army has yet to put those Iraqi guerrillas out of business.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, back here at home on Capitol Hill, the Senate finally approved a $400 billion Medicare makeover. Now, it is a victory for President Bush, who's fulfilled a campaign promise to get seniors a prescription drug benefit.

The 54-44 vote was not entirely on party lines. Eleven Democrats voted in favor of the bill. Nine Republicans voted no, saying the bill is just too expensive, that it adds to the budget deficit and leaves future generations paying for it.

Now, some seniors hit the streets to protest against the AARP, which has endorsed the bill. Now this demonstration -- you see it right here in Boston -- seniors ripped up their AARP membership cards, saying the plan ignores them, favors drug and insurance companies. Some Democrats certainly seem to agree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D), MARYLAND: Instead of a great feeling of joy and relief, senior citizens are now facing anxiety and also disappointment. Disappointment at how skimpy, and anxiety about what they could lose, rather than what they could gain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, that is her opinion. President Bush certainly does not see it that way. At a campaign fund-raiser today he praised the Medicare changes to come. The president also got another boost today. New numbers today showing consumer confidence rose to its highest level in more than a year.

CNN senior White House correspondent John King reports on what the White House sees as a very good day for the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a hospital in Nevada, the president cast a new Medicare prescription drug benefit as long overdue and as proof he is delivering on an issue long associated with Democrats.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some said Medicare reform could never be done. For the sake of our seniors, we've gotten something done. We're acting.

KING: An upbeat day in a state he carried by just 21,000 votes three years ago, and one of many presidential battlegrounds where the elderly vote is critical. Final passage of the Medicare bill was hardly the only development that fit nicely with the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign's domestic agenda.

The economy grew at a robust 8.2 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the strongest three months in nearly 20 years. Corporate profits rose at a nearly 11 percent annual rate in the July through September quarter, a key factor in new hiring. And consumer confidence is at its highest level in more than a year.

SCOTT REED, GOP STRATEGIST: This is about hitting stride at the right time. And by next year, most economists say there will be real job creation. Just in time for the presidential election.

KING: Democrats say there's plenty to criticize on the domestic front. They call the Medicare bill a give-away to drug and insurance companies, blame Mr. Bush for giant new budget deficits, and for the loss of more than two million jobs the past three years. Yet many Democrats are coming to the view that Mr. Bush's biggest weakness is in Iraq, not here at home.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D-OH), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can't think of anything more urgent on the agenda of our country today than to end the occupation and to bring our troops home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Now, White House aides readily concede that improving the security situation in Iraq is an urgent priority. But, Anderson, they also suggest that these Democratic criticisms about Iraq are getting louder in part because things like the Medicare victory and the improving economy leave the president in much stronger position when it comes to domestic issues.

COOPER: All right. John King at the White House. Thanks very much, John.

In the case that seems to have much of the country transfixed, Michael Jackson, of course, two big developments today. A source tells CNN that formal charges now will not be filed against Jackson any time before mid-December. Now, previously it had been thought charges would be filed right after Thanksgiving.

Also, we learned today there is a videotape that has got Jackson's legal team talking very tough. Last week, someone videotaped Jackson on that private jet as he was on his way to surrender. CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The alleged videotaping took place on this private jet, as Michael Jackson flew into Santa Barbara to turn himself in to authorities. According to this lawsuit, filed by Jackson and his attorney, Mark Geragos, the chartered jet company, XtraJet, which owns and operates the aircraft, allegedly secretly videotaped them, then tried to profit from the tape.

GERAGOS: It was disclosed that those two video cameras, which also apparently had audio on them, were surreptitiously placed in there, were recording attorney-client conversations. And then somebody had the unmitigated gall to shop those tapes around to media outlets in order to sell them to the highest bidder.

BUCKLEY: A representative for XtraJet told CNN the charter company did not have a statement at this time. But in a "Los Angeles Times" article, one corporate officer for the company is quoted as saying that once the tapes were discovered, the company "explored the opportunity as any businessperson would." Geragos said the alleged secret taping on the jet violated federal law and would also unleash a strong civil legal response from the Jackson team.

GERAGOS: This is not the lottery. This is this man's life. This is his family's life. These are scurrilous accusations.

We are going to -- and I've been given full authority -- we will land on you like a ton of bricks. We will land on you like a hammer. If you do anything to besmirch this man's reputation, anything to intrude on his privacy in any way that's actionable, we will unleash a legal torrent like you've never seen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, some tough words. Frank Buckley joins us now.

Frank, let's talk about this delay in filing charges until sometime in mid-December. Is there a problem with the prosecution's case?

BUCKLEY: Well, this source close to the investigation tells us it's not a problem with the case, it's more a problem or an issue of volume. As you know, Anderson, they served three search warrants when they served that one search warrant at Neverland. There were also two additional search warrants served down here in southern California. They say they simply need some more time to go through all of the potential evidence that they've seized. COOPER: All right. We'll see. Frank Buckley, thanks very much for the report.

Now, coming up, we're going to have more on this delay in filing charges and the comments tonight from the defense. 360 legal analyst Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom will weigh in. That is just coming up shortly.

A lot of other stories right now to tell you about. Let's take a look "Cross Country."

Atlantic City, New Jersey: holiday warning. Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge cautioned Americans to be vigilant when they travel over the Thanksgiving weekend. After inspecting an air marshal training center near the Atlantic City Airport, Ridge says there's been a high volume of terror threats against the U.S. and U.S. interests.

New York, New York: airport arrests. Twenty-five current or former baggage and air cargo handlers are under arrest right now on drug smuggling charges. Most of them worked at New York's Kennedy Airport. They allegedly used their jobs to help smuggle cocaine and marijuana from Jamaica, as well as from South America.

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: chaplain charged, but not with espionage. This guy, a U.S. Army chaplain, arrested as part of an espionage probe at Gitmo, was charged today with adultery, making false statements, and using, get this, a government computer to view and store pornography.

Earlier, Captain James Yee was charged with failing to obey an order. But charges of espionage haven't happened. His lawyer told Reuters "The case that began with a bang seems to be winding up with a whimper."

New York, New York: sailing into history. A British airways Concorde jetliner has completed one final trip. Look at those images. It's not in the air, that's right there on the water.

A barge carried the now retired aircraft through New York Harbor right under the bridge to the intrepid Sea, Air Space Museum along Manhattan's west side. It's going to go on display apparently as a reminder of the now vanished era when commercial airline passengers could travel faster than the speed of sound. At least really rich commercial airline passengers could.

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

The spoils of corporate excess. You don't need Robin Leach to check out the lifestyles of the rich and indicted. We're going to take you on a video tour through a fallen CEO's luxury apartment.

Also, without a trace. The desperate search for a college woman who has simply disappeared. Police want your help.

And is justice being denied for American POWs from the first war in Iraq? Find out why a U.S. court and the president has ruled against them.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Now, when last we checked on the Tyco corruption trial here in New York City, it was to watch video of a lavish party thrown by the company's former head honcho, Dennis Kozlowski. He, of course, is accused of raiding company coffers like, well, like Homer Simpson at a doughnut shop.

Today, jurors got a look at his Fifth Avenue pad filled with the bare necessities of life, like a $6,000 thousand shower curtain. Allan Chernoff takes us to the videotape.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNNFN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former Tyco chief executive Dennis Kozlowski's lavish spending went on display for the jury in his grand larceny trial. A prosecution video featured rich French baroque furnishings in the $18 million Fifth Avenue duplex Kozlowski had arranged for his company to buy.

A Monet and Renoir, chandelier after chandelier, a commanding view of Central Park, the now famous $6,000 shower curtain, and a $15,000 dog umbrella stand. The former CEO of Tyco is fighting charges he and his chief financial officer stole $600 million from the company and its shareholders. But testimony from housekeeper Mariola Tarnachovitz (ph) appeared to damage the prosecution's case.

The shower curtain was in a staff bathroom. Kozlowski had never seen it, she testified. Nor had Kozlowski selected the umbrella stand.

The former chief executive of Tyco, she said, used the apartment only occasionally, perhaps twice a week, sometimes merely to change his shirt. And there were periods he wouldn't show for two months. The decorator, Tranachovitz (ph) said, was there more than Kozlowski.

STEPHEN KAUFMAN, KOZLOWSKI'S ATTORNEY: I think she explained that the apartment was -- belonged to the company and it was an asset of the company, and he just used it for business purposes. And his wife was there once or twice. It doesn't seem to me to be a place where you're living. It's a place where you're staying for business purposes, which is what it was.

CHERNOFF: Earlier in the trial, prosecutors showed video of a lavish birthday party Kozlowski threw for his wife on the Italian island of Sardinia. Tyco paid half the bill, $1 million, but the defense said it was in part a business event.

(on camera): While the jury has been exposed to Kozlowski's lavish spending, the prosecution is still making its case that Mr. Kozlowski was spending Tyco's money for his own personal benefit. The case is due to resume Monday morning. Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: It was not even that nice of a shower curtain, frankly.

We are following a number of international stories right now. Let's check the "UpLink."

New York, new York: AIDS pandemic. Ahead of World AIDS Day next week, the U.N. reveals the world HIV rate has hit a record high. This year alone, some five million people became infected with HIV, and another three million have died. World AIDS Day is December 1.

Cairo, Egypt, and throughout the Muslim world, Eid celebrations, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Now the Eid is one of the most important Muslim festivals, a time for prayer and for giving charity. It's also a joyous time for families to visit relatives and to feast.

Tasmania, Australia: mysterious whale deaths. Sad to see. The corpses of more than 100 pilot whales and 10 dolphins are found scattered along a shoreline. Scientists think the whales might have panicked when chased by a predator, such as maybe a killer whale.

That is tonight's "UpLink."

Vanished before the holidays. A terrible case. Police are asking for your help to find a college student who disappeared without a trace.

Also tonight, country star blues. Find out what happened when Glen Campbell had a run-in with the law.

And a little later, Michael Jackson's lawyer takes down the sparkling gloves, promising to land like a ton of bricks on anyone who attacks his client. What does that mean? Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom weighs in.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, a college town in North Dakota is not giving up hope tonight. Hundreds of volunteers are searching for a student missing since Saturday. That young woman right there. She vanished after her cell phone went dead. And as CNN's Martin Savidge reports, it is her last words that have family and friends so worried.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoever has her, I'm sure they don't know what kind of a person she is. They don't know how strong she is.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Friends and family are baffled after 22-year-old college student Dru Sjodin vanished Saturday afternoon. She was last seen after she left her job at the mall in Grand Forks, North Dakota. But her car never left the parking lot. Friends alerted police after Sjodin failed to show up at her second job at a bar later that night and after an alarming phone call with her boyfriend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her boyfriend called and was worried about her because they got disconnected on a cell phone call. And her last words were "No, no, no. OK, OK, OK."

SAVIDGE: Authorities are concentrating their search on a rest area just seven miles from the mall, where police traced a call from her cell phone to her boyfriend at 9:00 Saturday night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No conversation took place during that telephone call. But through the assistance of Sprint telephone company, they were able to determine that that call was placed within a three to four-mile radius of a cellular phone tower.

SAVIDGE: Police are also investigating calls to Sjodin at the Victoria's Secret store where she worked. They say she received at least one call from a man she didn't know.

SVEN SJODIN, BROTHER: There's been several guys I guess that have been interested in her more than she was interested in them.

SAVIDGE: Extra buses were called in today, as hundreds of volunteers lined up to search through the snow for clues to the missing University of North Dakota student.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just hard to know that this could happen to her. She's just such a really nice, sweet person. And we just hope we find her. We pray that we find her.

SAVIDGE: Martin Savidge, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, joining us with the latest on the investigation, Sergeant Mike Hedlund of the Grand Forks Police Department.

Sergeant, thanks for being with us. At this moment, you're concentrating on this rest area where the last phone call was received. Tell us about that phone call. There were no words exchanged in it?

SGT. MIKE HEDLUND, GRAND FORKS POLICE: That's correct. The phone call was initiated from Dru's cell phone. And it was to her boyfriend, who was also the last person that she had been speaking to prior to when we believe she was abducted.

The phone call lasted for a short period of time. And through the technology of the cellular telephone company, we were able to determine an approximate area that the call had been placed from.

COOPER: So it could have been that she hit redial or that she actually dialed the number, because it was the same number she had called three hours before?

HEDLUND: At this point in time, we don't know that. But it's very possible that it could have been her or someone else pressing redial, or conceivably even the phone could have possibly been dropped and just automatically redialed the last number.

COOPER: And the first phone call that she had given to her boyfriend three hours before this last phone call, it ended. And I guess there's sort of some question as to what she actually said at the end. Do you know what she said? And does it give you some indication of what happened or that there was, in fact, some sort of an abduction?

HEDLUND: I've heard a couple of different variations of what was her final words may have been during that conversation. But regardless of which way they went, it does indicate that most definitely something did occur at that point in time. And that, along with the other evidence and information that we have been able to develop, certainly leads us to believe that she was abducted at that time.

COOPER: And while you're talking, we're showing this tip number: 701 -- I actually can't read the last digit. Can you tell us the number?

HEDLUND: 701-780-8213.

COOPER: All right. I just want to keep that up there while you're continuing to talk. Let's talk about these phone calls that she was receiving at work, or at least one phone call from someone she received at work. What do you know about them? How significant are they?

HEDLUND: I guess at this point we're not sure whether there is any significance in those or whether they're at all related. My understanding is that the phone calls occurred sometime prior to this time and actually ended several weeks ago. But here was I believe at least several phone calls placed to her work place, asking for her by name. And the individual that was making these calls spoke with a foreign accent of some type.

She was, my understanding, never present when those calls were placed. Reportedly, the person making the calls stated that he would attempt to contact her at home. But reportedly, she did not ever receive any similar type of phone calls at her residence.

COOPER: Well, the search is on. I know you have a lot of people out there volunteering, a lot of people watching this around the country. The thoughts and prayers are with this young woman and her family.

Sergeant, thanks very much for being with us tonight. Appreciate it.

HEDLUND: No problem. Thank you. COOPER: I want to put this case in some perspective for a moment. There are 41,150 active cases of missing adults in the U.S. as of the end of October. Out of these, 9,277 cases are suspected abductions. Four hundred fifty-two females between the age of 22 and 29, which is Dru Sjodin's age range, have been abducted and are still missing right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): Does the prosecution have a case against Michael Jackson?

Suing Saddam. Why can't POWs tortured in Iraq collect from the former dictator?

And in the mood? Just sign right here. Do you need a sex contract?

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Here's some of the top stories we are watching tonight in the reset.

Las Vegas, Nevada: presidential applause. President Bush used an appearance in Las Vegas to congratulate Congress for passing a Medicare prescription plan. Mr. Bush says the $400 billion package will improve the lives of U.S. seniors.

Washington, D.C.: economic rebound. Newly released figures show an improving U.S. economy. Consumer confidence has risen to its highest level in more than a year. A new figures showed the gross domestic product grew last summer at its fastest pace in nearly two decades.

Houston, Texas: a brother's actions. The Reuters News Agency says President Bush's brother Neil admitted to sexual escapades and deals with a politically connected Chinese company in a deposition last March made in connection with his recent divorce. Reuters says Neil Bush admitted having extramarital sex with several women during trips to Thailand and Hong Kong and talked about a $2 million business deal with a firm backed by a son of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

And that is a look at our "Reset" tonight.

Now, justice served and the latest on the Michael Jackson story. As we reported earlier, a source tells CNN that formal charges now will not be filed against Jackson any time before mid-December. Now, previously, it had been thought charges would be filed right after Thanksgiving.

Here to discuss that and other things is 360 legal analyst Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom. She joins us from San Francisco.

Kimberly, good to see you, as always.

The prosecution basically is saying, well, look, we simply need more time to go through all this stuff which may end up being evidence in a case against Michael Jackson. That's why they need the delay. Is that the only explanation?

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, maybe things are shifting. Maybe the tide is shifting.

We're seeing the defense go on the attack here. We're seeing the prosecution withdraw back, pushing back these deadlines. What I think is unconscionable is, they either have the evidence and the facts to support it or they don't. They should have had this complaint filed at the time that they issued a $3 million arrest warrant for Michael Jackson.

This sort of process of gathering information and trying to call other people forward to present evidence against him seems to me to be an inappropriate use of the office of the district attorney. They should have had their game plan together. I would expect we'll see another delay after December and probably pushed back until the date of the arraignment.

COOPER: Well, I would imagine also, hearing this delay, the Jackson defense team has got to start to feel even more confident. It certainly just -- no matter how the prosecution tries to spin it, it doesn't seem like a good thing for them.

NEWSOM: No.

I think it's a tremendous advantage for the defense. It shows that the DA's case appears to be not as strong as they're initially suggesting. Maybe they didn't find the information they were looking for to corroborate this young boy's story at Neverland when they issued those search warrants at his residence.

They were looking to find any information on computer files, videotapes, these alleged love letters, etcetera. Maybe some of that information is not panning out.

COOPER: It certainly would seem that way right now.

January 9, arraignment date. Is it possible, and, if so, what happens if the prosecution hasn't filed charges formally by that date?

NEWSOM: Well, Michael Jackson is out of custody. So the official timelines are not going to start to run.

This was an agreed-upon date by both sides. But they would have to come up with something by that date to have a criminal complaint filed. This is not a difficult process. It's very simple. These are forms you press on a computer. It spits out, would say the exact count or charge that he is alleged to have committed. And I don't see what the delay is here. They should have this already. And if they don't have it by tonight, then I think that means they're not going to have any case. COOPER: All right, it is fascinating. Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, thanks very much.

NEWSOM: Thank you.

COOPER: Later tonight on CNN, Larry King will talk with Michael Jackson's civil co-counsel. That's on "LARRY KING LIVE," 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

Now, once celebrated, at least by himself, the onetime king of pop, Michael Jackson's career has, well, fizzled, in recent years. He's facing allegations, of course, now he molested a 12-year-old boy. Has the financial gravy train that financed Jackson's lavish lifestyle reached the end of the line? Well, we may get a clue tomorrow. Now, that is when the first sales numbers on Jackson's new album come out.

My next guest, David Itzkoff, is associate editor of "Spin" magazine.

David, good to see you.

DAVID ITZKOFF, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "SPIN": Thanks.

COOPER: What are the expectations for the numbers tomorrow on this first album?

ITZKOFF: Well, Sony would like to see about maybe 200,000 copies sold in its first week. Even in a very competitive week, just before the start of the Thanksgiving buying season, that would probably put it in the top 10. And that would be a respectable showing for him.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: That's what they want to see. Is the expectation that they will?

ITZKOFF: I don't think so.

First of all, they're up against the new releases from artists like Britney Spears and the Beatles. And from what I've heard, they're probably going to see numbers closer to about 85,000 to 100,000 copies sold. Those are just estimates, though.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Let's take a look at, over the years, how Jackson's, I guess, star has dimmed somewhat, just through the money that his albums, his C.D.s have made. We've got a graphic of it.

"Thriller," 1982, $115 million. "Bad," 1987, $57.5 million. "History," 1995, $35 million. "Invincible," 2001, $15 million. Not chump change, but a huge decline. What is going on?

ITZKOFF: Well, I think you're just seeing an artist whose relevance is decreasing. And I think that it's just -- it's a combination that you're looking also at -- his decline started around the time that that first molestation charge surfaced. And it's really difficult for, I think, the public to reconcile him as a performer with who he is as a person.

COOPER: Now, Jackson has been able to get a lot of money because he and Sony own the Beatles catalog.

ITZKOFF: Well, that's a development that actually arose during the production of his most recent studio album, "Invincible," that he actually borrowed close to $200 million from them for personal expenses.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: He borrowed that using the Beatles collection as collateral?

ITZKOFF: Right, using those publishing rights as collateral.

So, for Sony, it's kind of a win-win situation for them. Obviously, the best scenario is that he actually makes that money back. But even if he doesn't, they get -- this completes their deal with Jackson. And they could even maybe get the Beatles publishing rights from him, if he defaults. It's certainly a better asset to have than a bunch of llamas.

COOPER: Would Sony resign Michael Jackson, do you think?

ITZKOFF: I don't see why they would.

Even though Tommy Mottola is no longer with them, Jackson held a press conference vilifying their former CEO.

COOPER: Right.

ITZKOFF: I don't see why any major label would touch him at this point.

COOPER: All right, David Itzkoff, "Spin" magazine, thanks very much, David.

ITZKOFF: Thanks for having me.

COOPER: Well, that brings us to today's "Buzz" question: Do you feel sorry for Michael Jackson? Vote now at CNN.com/360. We'll have the results at the end of the program.

And has America forgotten the debt owed to prisoners of war tortured during the first Gulf War? We're going to talk to one of them about his fight with the U.S. government.

Also tonight, possible, a Glen Campbell come-back? Or did police just ask him to come back after he allegedly kneed an officer?

Also, a little later tonight, we'll talk about a really binding contract, a contract before you even have sex.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, perhaps it is inevitable, with all the debate over Iraq now, that debates still lingering over the first Gulf War get relegated to the category of how quickly we forget. One of the most heated right now is the fight for nearly $1 billion of Iraqi money, on one side, the U.S. government's need for the money.

On the other side, as CNN's Bruce Morton reports, 17 Americans who served their country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): American prisoners of war in Iraq during the first Gulf War. Some, like Dale Storr, now an airline pilot and Air National Guard member, were tortured.

LT. COL. DALE STORR, FORMER POW: I was placed into a prison we called the bunker and went through three days of very intense interrogations, a lot of beatings, electrical shocks, death threats. They broke my eardrum and my nose, dislocated my shoulder.

MORTON: Back home years later, 17 of the torture victims sued under a 1996 law. And a federal judge awarded them almost $1 billion in frozen Iraqi funds. But the Bush administration said, no, the funds were needed to rebuild Iraq.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It was determined earlier this year by Congress and the administration that those assets were no longer assets of Iraq, but they were resources required for the urgent national security needs of rebuilding Iraq.

MORTON: The judge agreed the president could withhold the money. Harry Reid of Nevada urged paying the ex-POWs, but his language didn't make the final bill.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), NEVADA: These American military personnel who are tortured and brutalized, this administration won't give them the time of day.

MORTON: When they came home in 1991, they were heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MARCH 10, 1991)

DICK CHENEY, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Every man and woman who cares for freedom owes you a very special measure of gratitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORTON: That was then. This is now. No money.

STORR: It's just a few people in either the Department of Justice or the State Department that don't want to see this case go forward. I prefer to believe that my president would be behind us. MORTON: Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, one of the 17 POWs who sued is retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Fox. Now, he was shot down over Southern Iraq, held for 15 days, repeatedly beaten and tortured.

When I spoke with him, I began by asking him about the worst of those 15 days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RET. LT. COL. JEFF FOX, FORMER POW: The toughest day was probably the day that they said that, if I did not answer the question, that they would shoot me. And then I heard them cock a pistol. And they shot the gun off near my head, then knocked me to the ground, and beat me and then drug me back into the cell. That

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: And there were repeated beatings. It wasn't just one instance.

FOX: Anderson, almost daily you were beaten. If you went to the bathroom, they would kick you. Sometimes, they would just knock you down right then. When they threw you into the prison cell, you'd knock off the back wall. And then sometimes, they'd knock you around a little bit, then lock the door.

COOPER: Now, last summer, you and 16 other former POWs were awarded some $900 million by a judge. I want to read some of what the judge said.

This is a quote from Judge Richard Roberts, July 7, 2003: "There must be a premium on protecting POWs. POWs are uniquely disadvantaged. And deterring torture of POWs should be of the highest priority and that punitive damages are particularly appropriate in seeking to deter terrorist states from engaging in heinous acts."

When you heard that, when you got that judgment, how happy were you? What went through your mind?

FOX: Very happy, quite frankly. I realized that, hey, we are in fact sending a message to those terrorist nations that, if you do capture American service men and women and you mistreat them, you are going to pay militarily, as well as financially.

COOPER: Now, that all changed, of course. The U.S. government is now blocking, effectively blocking, the money frozen in U.S. accounts from the old Iraqi regime. So you're not going to get any of that judgment. When you first heard that, did you believe it, frankly?

FOX: I found it hard to believe that the United States government would say no to us and give that money back to the nation of Iraq.

COOPER: But, Jeff, as you know, effectively, what the U.S. government is arguing is, look, the needs of the reconstruction of Iraq are great. And this money can be put to good use to help reconstruct Iraq.

FOX: Anderson, you're absolutely correct. And I believe that the lawyers actually approached the -- whether the State or the Treasury Department -- and said, hey, you're right, take the money, but, please, let's have a plan that we can be reimbursed in the future. And the State Department or the Treasury Department said no.

COOPER: Well, and now my understanding is, they're moving to block this entire judgment, effectively saying, look, this judgment never happened. But does it feel like a slap in the face to you? You served your country. You were a POW. You were tortured by these people.

FOX: It does feel like a slap in the face.

The law passed in 1996 authorizes this. The judge in our judicial system made a decision in our favor. We had Iraqi frozen assets available to us. And the United States government is saying, oh, I'm sorry, guys, you're not going to get it. We're sending it back to Iraq.

COOPER: All right, Jeff Fox, it was good to meet you. I appreciate you joining us tonight. Thanks.

FOX: Anderson, thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Jeff Fox.

We move now from the serious to the, well, downright surreal. When we return: Should you bring a legal contract with you on your next date? Believe it or not, some people actually are.

We're also going to tell you how Glen Campbell got his face plastered all over the news today. I'll give you a little hint. The key word is plastered.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Oh, Glen.

Well, the Michael Jackson story has forced us to cut back on other important celebrity-related crime stories. So we've had to squeeze them in as part of tonight's "Current." Let's take a look.

Singer Glen Campbell sang his hit song "Rhinestone Cowboy" live last night in a Phoenix jail cell, sadly, no video of that. But the sight of him during the booking process merits at least a moment of contemplation. Let's watch.

I don't know why. There's something just oddly fascinating about it. The special performance was arranged by local police after Campbell allegedly left the scene of a car accident and kneed a police officer in the thigh. The 67-year-old was charged with having a blood alcohol ratio above 0.15, raising the bar for today's young stars. Campbell reportedly kept asking police -- quote -- "Do you know who I am?" It's believed he was asking rhetorically.

"The View" has picked its new co-host, "Survivor" semifinalist Elizabeth Filarski Hasselbeck. The show's stars said Hasselbeck balances the show by bringing a uniquely conservative view to the table and said they're eager to match wits and debate politics with the 26-year-old reality show loser. I'm not sure they quite phrased it like that.

Oprah Winfrey gave away $1.5 million worth of gifts to members of the studio audience on yesterday's show. Each audience member got $4,800 worth of stuff which was donated by manufacturers who are right now hoping we're going to mention their product. But we're not. OK.

Singer Vince Neil has a date next April in court. Neil is accused of battery against a prostitute at a Nevada brothel. You may remember, Neil is the Motley Crue lead singer who used to be able to get sex for free.

Well, only in our highly litigious society could signing a legal contract substitute for foreplay. Now, we are talking about sexual consent forms, which are apparently circulating in the wake of the Kobe Bryant case. Now, here's what I mean.

Take a look. On this form, which I think we're about to show you -- well, look at that form right there. These forms ask you basically to sign a -- ask someone you're on a date with, you basically ask them to sign a document consenting to -- oh, there's the form -- well, to very specific things.

Joining us now, a sexologist who came up with these contracts and has some clients who she says actually use them, Ava Cadell. She joins us from L.A.

Ava, good to see you. Thanks for being with us.

Why do people need consent forms? What is the purpose? And what do they actually ask people to sign up for?

DR. AVA CADELL, SEXOLOGIST: Well, a sexual consent form is a way to protect yourself, because, let's be honest, if you have sex with someone, there is the possibility that, at a later date, they're going to accuse you of sexual misconduct, unfortunately.

COOPER: How does this work? I've got one of these sexual consent forms right here. Doesn't it kind of kill the mood? You're starting out on a date and you suddenly whip out a legal document and say, please sign this and check these very detailed things?

CADELL: Well, it can, of course, spoil the romance, but so can a condom. And that protects you, too.

But I also think a sexual consent form can be titillating. It can actually be rather fun to check the things that you want to do together, create some sexual anticipation, if you will.

COOPER: But asking someone -- I don't know. The idea of asking someone before anything starts to sort of check off what they will and will not engage in, I don't really want to go into too many details. But it's very specific.

Do you have any clients who have just said, look, there's no way I'm going to do this?

CADELL: There's always someone that won't sign it. But when we're talking about celebrities and high-powered people, there are groupies that will sign absolutely anything just to have sex with them. And it's those people that are using the sexual consent forms today.

COOPER: And I'm guessing you would advise celebrity clients really not to have sex with groupies. I guess that would be rule No. 1.

But you do have, I know, one client. I guess some high-powered executive has used this. How did it work for him?

CADELL: Well, it worked very nicely.

He was afraid that he couldn't trust the person that he was engaging in sexual acts with. And she was only too delighted to sign it. So it gives him peace of mind. And now they have great sex without any worries.

COOPER: All right, well, I really don't need to know the full details on that.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: But I guess there's a flip side to it, which is that some people probably wouldn't want -- it's basically a document, if you're married and you're having an affair with someone, it's basically evidence that you are having an affair.

CADELL: This is very true. You see, everything has pros and cons, absolutely.

COOPER: But you still say, go ahead, for the right client, the right situation, you should go ahead and sign it?

CADELL: It's not for everybody. But I do believe, if certain celebrities had used it in the past, they wouldn't have the problems, the legal problems, they're having today.

COOPER: Now, I understand that some universities have actually encouraged students to sign some form of this kind of document because of the problem of date rape and other such things. CADELL: Exactly.

You see, if a girl signs a form like this -- and, of course, it can be a boy as well. But if a girl signs this, she's less likely to say that the sex wasn't consensual, because when she signs it, she has the intention of having sex with you.

COOPER: Well, it's a fascinating sign of the times. We'll just -- we'll leave it at that. Ava Cadell, appreciate you joining us. Thanks very much. It was interesting.

CADELL: Thank you very much.

COOPER: Well, remember President Bush's State of the Union speech? Well, apparently, some ad-makers are now putting words in the president's mouth, or at least maybe changing some words. So we're going to take it down to the "Nth Degree" come up.

Plus, tomorrow, a family recipe gives me a little help for my interview with Nigella Lawson, TV's saucy chef. It involves my mom, but I don't really want to give too much away.

First, today's "Buzz" question, though. Do you feel sorry for Michael Jackson? Vote now, CNN.com/360. There have been a lot of vigils for him around the country. Let's see what you have to say.

We'll have the results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time now for the "Buzz."

We asked you, do you feel sorry for Michael Jackson? A lot of viewers logging on for this one. And you may be surprised by the results; 42 percent of you said, yes, you do feel sorry for Michael Jackson; 58 percent said no. This is not a scientific poll, just your "Buzz."

Tonight, taking historic speeches to the "Nth Degree."

With President Bush taking bows for the improving economy and passage of the new Medicare bill, Democrats are scrambling to find chinks in his armor. Now "The New York Times" reports, they think they might have found one. See, some Republican ad-makers wanted to use a line about Iraq from the president's State of the Union speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Take one vial, one canister, one crate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: But it wasn't delivered the way they wanted, so they changed it for their ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: It would take one vial, one canister, one crate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Democrats called the change in the new ad deceptive. Republicans call it more clear.

Now, 360 has obtained a previously nonexistent presidential speech that should clarify the issue once and for all.

If we could roll that clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only thing we have to fear is...

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Read my lips.

NEIL ARMSTRONG, NASA ASTRONAUT: That's one small step for man.

JAMES EARL JONES, ACTOR: This is CNN.

WALTER CRONKITE, NEWS ANCHOR: And that's the way it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: "PAULA ZAHN NOW" is next.

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