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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Same-Sex Marriage: Controversy on Both Coasts; Army Espionage? Soldier Accused
Aired February 12, 2004 - 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)
BILL HEMMER, HOST (voice-over): Saying I do in San Francisco. City officials give the go ahead for a gay marriage.
Cells from a human embryo have been cloned. Are cloned people next?
Charges filed against the Bay area lab at the heart of an international doping scandal.
What the shotgun says about a former NBA's stars version of events.
Our continuing series, "Love and Sex." Tonight, what makes you jealous?
And the Florida football star done in by his own very public diary.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, ANDERSON COOPER 360.
HEMMER: Good evening. Welcome to 360. I'm Bill Hemmer tonight, filling in for Anderson. A lot to talk about this evening.
An Army soldier base in Fort Lewis, Washington, has been accused of espionage. Reports say he was trying to give secret information to Al Qaeda. A live report on this story in a moment.
First, we lead off tonight with that controversy over same-sex marriage, now heating up significantly on both coasts. The focus has been on Massachusetts. But now San Francisco is in the spotlight tonight. Two reports: Rusty Dornin, the City by the Bay for us, and David Mattingly is in the Bay State.
Let's begin on the West Coast with Rusty.
Good evening there.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, as of about a half an hour ago, city officials had issued 20 marriage licenses. There was a lot of hooting and hollering going on, on the steps of City Hall. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN (voice-over): City Hall became a mob scene as word spread. The San Francisco city clerk was issuing same-sex marriage licenses. Up to the alter first, 80-year-old Phyllis Lyon and 83- year-old Dorothy Martin, lovers for 50 years and lesbian activists for nearly that long.
PHYLLIS LYON, MARRIED TODAY: We have a right just like anybody else to get married to the person that we want to get married to.
DORNIN: It was the newly elected Mayor Gavin Newsom who gave them that right, ordering the clerk to issue licenses after listening to President Bush's State of the Union address, words Jim Maloney and Andrew Nanth (ph) never thought they would utter in a legal ceremony.
JIM MALONEY, MARRIED TODAY: I'm very proud of it, very happy. It is a very exciting day for all of America.
DORNIN: City officials say they moved quickly in anticipation of a request on Friday for an injunction against gay marriages from the conservative group Campaign for California Families.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN: One reason the group didn't file the injunction today is that it is a court holiday, Lincoln's birthday. The city says they don't expect a challenge from the state, but they will take any challenge straight to the Supreme Court -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rusty Dornin tonight in San Francisco. A bit later here on 360, our exclusive interview with the mayor of that city, Gavin Newsom. Stay tuned for that.
Now to Massachusetts, where the debate still rages at this hour. David Mattingly is at the State House in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (VOICE-OVER): After two failures the night before, the strain of passing a constitutional ban on gay marriage was clearly taking its toll on Massachusetts legislators.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you defeat this amendment, we will go out into recess, and you will never vote on this today. I will guarantee you.
MATTINGLY: And there was no escaping the demonstrators, shouting at lawmakers as they entered the chamber. These wanting gay marriage to remain legal. Freshman senator, Jarrett Barrids, an openly gay legislator, reluctantly offered a personal argument, appealing for the future protection of his family.
SEN. JARRETT BARRIDS (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Because I will lose numerous financial benefits that go along with marriage, my two children are also affected by this.
MATTINGLY: But through the emotions, the core of the argument remains the same: one side seeing gay marriage as an issue of equal rights, the other as a fight to protect the sanctity of an age-old institution.
GENEVIEVE WOOD, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: But ultimately, I think they're going to give the people a chance to vote on whether or not marriage ought to remain as being that of a union of a man and of a woman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And after a day long of debate, the legislature at this hour is voting on yet another proposed amendment, something they had not been able to do successfully in the last two days. We'll wait and see if they are successful in their first vote of this new amendment banning gay marriage in Massachusetts -- Bill.
HEMMER: David Mattingly tonight in Boston.
Now to a breaking news stories involving a U.S. Army soldier accused of spying.
Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon for this story.
Jamie, what do we know?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, a Muslim National Guardsman stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, an Army base near Tacoma, Washington, arrested today and charged by the Army with trying to provide information to the Al Qaeda terrorist network. Specifically, the charge reads, "aiding the enemy by wrongfully attempting to communicate and give intelligence to the Al Qaeda network."
Sources say he was caught in a string operation. The official announcement was made about a half hour ago by a spokesman in Fort Lewis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. STEPHEN BARGER, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, U.S. ARMY: Today, Specialist Ryan G. Anderson of the Washington State National Guard 81st Armored Brigade was taken into custody without incident at Fort Lewis by military and federal law enforcement officials pursuant to a joint investigation by the Department of Army, Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Anderson is a 26-year-old tank crew member from the National Guard's 81st Armored Brigade. According to sources, he was caught in a sting operation in which he was trying to communicate to al Qaeda over an Internet chat room. But according to sources, it is not believed he actually made any contact with real al Qaeda members. He graduated from Washington State University. His brigade has been training at Fort Lewis, preparing for deployment to Iraq after some additional training in California -- Bill.
HEMMER: Two questions, Jamie. Quickly, do we know if this Internet chat room was designed to go overseas, or was this based here in the U.S?
MCINTYRE: We don't know. I mean, according to what we know at this point, it appears that law enforcement officials were in this chat room looking for people who might be trying to give up information, and that this soldier was trying to offer information to al Qaeda. But again, caught in a sting.
HEMMER: Let me try one more, Jamie, quickly. Has this soldier been overseas and served recently?
MCINTYRE: We don't believe so. We believe that he's been in Fort Lewis, been stationed there. But he was scheduled to be deployed to Iraq soon.
HEMMER: Jamie McIntyre, thanks, from the Pentagon tonight.
The battle over abortion is being waged this evening between the Justice Department and several hospitals. At issue here, the government says it needs records of women who underwent a certain procedure. But the hospital has refused to hand them over.
Kelli Arena has more now in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Justice Department says it needs certain medical record from these hospitals to uphold a ban against a controversial late-term abortion procedure.
JOHN ASHCROFT, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We would like for the medical records, when provided, to be -- to mask identifying characteristics of patients, and to expunge, if you would, the identifying names and addresses.
ARENA: But the subpoenas do not yet allow for redactions in writing, and hospital staff balked. Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel says Congress has voted overwhelmingly to protect patient privacy, and that the Justice Department request is a blatant violation.
REP. RAHM EMANUEL (D), ILLINOIS: We created a zone of privacy relating to medical information. And I don't think the first person that violates it should be the federal government.
ARENA: The subpoenas for the records came as part of a lawsuit filed by the National Abortion Federation and seven doctors. Those doctors say a ban on what the White House calls partial birth abortions is illegal and claim they have performed the procedure because it is medically necessary. Justice lawyers say they simply want to see proof to back up those claims.
(on camera): There have been contradictory rulings in the case, which is part of a larger legal battle over the abortion ban itself. Signed into law back in November, the ban remains on hold due to several temporary restraining orders.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: As we mentioned a few moments ago, following a number of developing stories now "Cross Country."
Washington: the FDA approved Erbitux, the cancer drug at the center of Martha Stewart's stock scandal. Stewart sold her shares of ImClone, the maker of the drug, just days before the FDA rejected it back in 2001. Now, officials are investigating whether or not what appears to be suspicious trading of the stock ahead of today's announcement.
Jacksonville, Florida: a bus beating caught on tape. Seven students beat a 12-year-old boy, and no one does a thing. The driver says he later asked the victim if he was all right, then continued on the route. The seven suspects have all been suspended from school.
Hurley, New York: Art Garfunkel pleads guilty to marijuana possession. He was cited last month when his limousine was stopped for speeding. The punishment, a $200 fine.
Green Bay, Wisconsin: candy never tasted so sweet. A 14-year-old girl bought the lucky bag in M&M's great color quest contest. She wins $20,000, a car she's too young to drive, and a trip to L.A.
That's a look at stories "Cross Country" tonight.
Steroids and a sports scandal. The personal trainer for Barry Bonds and three others are charged today. Did they give illegal substances to star athletes? Details in a moment.
Plus, a top U.S. general caught between explosions and gunfire today.
And our week-long series, "Love and Sex." Tonight, the impact of jealousy.
First, a look "Inside the Box" at the top stories on tonight's network newscasts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: There was a surprise today from Seoul, where South Korean researchers report successfully cloning a human embryo and extracting stem cells from it.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta here tonight to explain what it means to science and the cloning controversy. Sanjay, good evening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These researchers from South Korea have accomplished a first.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to a nouns the successful derivation of human embryo stem cells from cloned human (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
GUPTA: Yes, they cloned a human cell. No, they did not try to make a baby, nor did they develop a radically new technique.
They used essentially the same method used to create Dolly the sheep. But the South Korean scientists stopped well short of letting their embryo develop to full term. Here's what they did.
Researchers took an egg from a Korean woman, removed all the genetic material from inside that egg, then took the genetic material from another cell from the same woman and injected it into the empty egg. With a chemical bath, the researchers made this egg divide as if it had been fertilized. And after five or six days, the egg turned into a blastocyst. That's an early stage embryo.
By then, stem cells had formed inside the blastocyst, which a scientist then removed. By removing those stem cells, the embryo was destroyed. It took many attempts to finally get to one stem cell line.
Researchers are calling this a breakthrough because it is a first step towards developing specialized treatments for diabetes, Parkinson's and other genetically-linked diseases. But in theory, if the stem cells had not been removed, the blastocyst could have been implanted to a woman's uterus and possible carried to term, creating a cloned human baby.
And that's what many people fear could happen. Now that the way to create an embryo of a human clone for stem cells has been published, could it be a recipe for cloning human beings?
DONALD KENNEDY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "SCIENCE": It's a recipe only in the sense that, catch a turtle is the recipe for turtle sup. That is, there is much difficulty that would remain to anybody who tried to use this technology as a first step toward reproductive cloning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Obviously, an ethical debate as well, Bill. Scientists, including the South Korean scientists, making a point of saying that they also endorse a worldwide ban on reproductive cloning. Still, this form of therapeutic cloning could provide some treatments many years in the future -- Bill.
HEMMER: Sanjay, thanks. Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center tonight. Our "Buzz" question: How should the U.S. deal with human cloning experiments, ban them or regulate them? Vote now, cnn.com/360. Results for you a bit later in our broadcast tonight.
On to the steroids scandal. No athletes have been named. And what they know remains under wraps. But new indictments show that Washington is serious about a crackdown.
Josie Burke has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports, is dangerous and it sends the wrong message. That there are short cuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character.
JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Less than a month after President Bush called for the abolishment of steroids in sports, performance-enhancing drugs again took center stage in Washington on Thursday. Attorney General John Ashcroft, flanked by the IRS commissioner and the FDA commissioner, announced the indictment of four people who allegedly operated an illegal drug ring that supplied athletes from baseball, to football, to Olympic sports, with steroids.
ASHCROFT: The use of anabolic steroids in sports is a matter of great concern to the public. And I believe that the integrity of sports will be re-enforced by enforcement actions. I believe there is already a question in the mind of the public. And it's a question which is well founded given the indictment today.
BURKE: Those indicted include the two top men at the Bay area company, BALCO, Victor Conte Jr. and James Allente (ph), track coach Remy Korchemny, and the personal trainer of Barry Bonds, Greg Anderson. No athletes were indicted or identified in court papers.
But more than two dozen athletes, including homerun king Bonds, did testify before a grand jury leading up to the charges. And Ashcroft did not rule out the possibility some could be called as witnesses at trial. The attorney general also did not rule out the chance of further indictments.
ASHCROFT: If, as a result of these facts being made public, we learn additional information which would lead us to act in the defense of our laws and in the defense of our culture against illegal steroids or drug use or the like, we'll take additional activity. We do not want to signal in any way that we are closing the book.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Josie Burke's live tonight in Colorado.
Any chance this private testimony on behalf of the athletes goes public, Josie? BURKE: Well, for that we'll have to wait and see, Bill. If this goes to trial and any of those athletes are called as witnesses, their testimony before the grand jury could be entered as evidence. That could become public domain. But there is also the chance that any or all of these defendants could enter a deal before it ever comes to trial -- Bill.
HEMMER: Josie Burke in Colorado Springs tonight. Josie, thanks for that.
More trouble in the world of sports. Tomorrow, a top college football recruit goes to court facing criminal charges. His story also bringing to light the extremes that some universities take to get the players they want. A look at that a bit later tonight on 360.
We're tracking a number of stories still developing around the globe on the "UpLink."
Fallujah, Iraq, is our first stop. A commander in the crosshairs. Gunmen ambush a convoy, hauling America's top military officer in the Middle East, General John Abizaid, head of CENTCOM, and other U.S. forces escape unharmed.
But local police say two Iraqi civilians hit by retaliatory fire. Meanwhile, U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan, says it is unlikely Iraq will be able to hold national elections by the U.S. target date of June 30.
London, England: conduct unbecoming. A U.S. Marine pleads guilty to kidnapping a 12-year-old British girl he met over the Internet. Toby Studebaker (ph) spent months communicating with the girl before they met in person and flew to Paris for a night. He'll be sentenced in April.
Finally, Paris, France: showing some skin to save some hide. Despite frigid temperatures, animal rights activists stage a topless protest outside a department store. Their Valentine's Day message, according to the signs, "Fur out, love in."
That's our "UpLink" tonight.
The green demon, jealousy. Can it actually help a relationship? Part of our week-long series, "Love and Sex" in a moment.
Also tonight, a 360 exclusive: San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom. Find out why he's challenging state law by issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
And a bit later, inside college football recruiting: how one athlete's diary turned into a national scandal.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "OTHELLO") UNIDENTIFIED MALE: O, be aware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster that doth mock the meat it feeds on.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "OTHELLO")
HEMMER: That's a scene from a movie adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello," a story in which jealousy leads to the hero's demise.
As Valentine's Day draws near this week -- and you might be wondering, is your lover enjoying your chocolates or the sweets of someone else. Whether justified or not, jealousy can be a part of any relationship. It is the topic tonight of our continuing series this week, "Love and Sex."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER (voice-over): Ah, love, the romance, the elation, the sweet talk, the jealousy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just like this gut-wrenching feeling. It is horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You feel it always in the center of your body. It's just nasty. It's like a bad cold.
HEMMER: This all-consuming emotion that has spawned acts of revenge and even more can dominate your life. And experts warn feelings of jealousy between lovers may escalate into rage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jealousy was far and away the most powerful instigator of physical violence. It basically triples the likelihood of physical violence.
HEMMER: Stories of jealousy gone haywire are never far from the headlines. Houstonian Clara Harris ran over her husband repeatedly after finding him with another woman. New Yorker Lyra Benson (ph) was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, jealous that she had moved on. But jealousy in small doses, it turns out, can actually be a positive thing for your love life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jealousy can play a good role in helping to maintain a relationship. And this basically is a way of training people to pay attention to the relationship and also signaling that the relationship is important to the persons involved.
HEMMER: And recent studies from the University of Chicago have shown that, as more couples are living together without marriage, the jealousy quotient is on the rise. Perhaps a visit from the green-eyed monster, the research suggests, may be just what is needed to keep couples together.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: "Love and Sex" series continues tomorrow, concluding tomorrow. The new art of seduction: tips and techniques from the masters of flirtation and pick-up artists. That's tomorrow on Friday. Coming up here tonight, a CNN exclusive on 360. San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom, is our guest. Find out why he's defying California law to hand out gay marriage licenses today. That's next.
Also, John Kerry picks up a key endorsement.
The latest in a moment on those stories.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: I'm Bill Hemmer. Good evening yet again. I'm in for Anderson tonight.
The next 30 minutes here on 360, an exclusive here on CNN, San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom. Find out why he's challenging state law in California on same-sex marriage. He joins me live in a moment.
Also, John Kerry gets an endorsement from a former rival. Find out who is throwing his weight behind the front-runner now.
And fallen star. Jason Williams on trial for manslaughter. The latest on that case inside the courtroom.
First, let's check our top stories now in tonight's "Reset."
The Pentagon says a National Guard officer is being held on charges he tried to pass secret information to al Qaeda. That soldier based in Fort Lewis, Washington, was arrested on espionage charges during a sting operation.
The Air Force is launching an investigation on about two dozen reported rapes in Texas, looking into how the commanders concluded each of those cases. Last year, the Air Force Academy in Colorado was criticized for its handling of rape allegations.
The president says jobs need to stay here in the U.S. A statement today in Pennsylvania contradicting one of his top economic advisers who had said outsourcing by U.S. companies is "probably a plus to the long-term economy."
British Airways canceling two upcoming flights this weekend due to concerns about terrorism. One was scheduled to go to Washington on Sunday. The other was bound for Saudi Arabia.
The Pentagon says North Korea will cooperate more in the search for American troops missing since the Korean War. Officials from the U.S. and North Korea agreeing to resume the transfer of Americans remains across the DMZ. Direct transfers have not taken place since 1999, four years ago.
The History Channel examining whether or not President Johnson was involved in the assassination of President John Kennedy. It has assembled a panel of three renowned historians to look into the controversial theory that was presented in a documentary last year.
And that is tonight's "Reset." More on our top story, San Francisco defies state law and gives marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The mayor, Gavin Newsom, is the one who gave the order. He is live in San Francisco at city hall. With this exclusive interview. Mayor Newsom, good evening to you.
MAY. GAVIN NEWSOM, (D) SAN FRANCISCO: Good even to you.
HEMMER: Why did you support this today?
NEWSOM: Well, first of all, I don't accept it is against state law. I read the constitution in the state of California and just literally, a few weeks ago, I took the oath of office, and no where does it direct me to discriminate against people just because of their sexual orientation.
So from my perspective we've done something that fundamental. We are reading the direct language within the state constitution, and we directed our county clerk to do the right thing and extend the privilege that's extended to my wife and myself and millions of us across this country to same-sex couples.
HEMMER: Was this in a way, a preemptive strike? There is a report that there is a planned injunction to be followed tomorrow in your city to stop gay marriages?
NEWSOM: I imagine there will be. The same people that probably were arguing against blacks marrying whites in the late '40s here in California. The same people who don't like Protestants marrying Catholics around the turn of the Century. With respect, I think we all would agree, the absurdity of those laws.
And I think there will be a time in this country when we will agree with creating a statute of discrimination which says that I have a chance to be married and you and others have a chance to be married, the opposite gender individual. And I have privileges as well as obligations and right that is are not extended to other people. And I don't believe as mayor, taking the oath of the constitution, that I have the right to perpetuate that kind of discriminatory policy.
HEMMER: Mr. Mayor, what is the possible penalty today?
NEWSOM: The penalty of not doing it. Where is the morality of perpetuating discrimination. Where is the fundamental decency to extend the same privileges and rights the rest of us are afforded. What is the fundamental right to perpetuate a policy of separate, but unequal that people seem to suggest is a compromise.
Do you compromise your values, do you compromise core principles? I'm not going to compromise, I read the constitution in the state of California, no where in there does it say the fundamental right of nondiscrimination.
HEMMER: You mention you may face a challenge in your own city. You may face a challenge within your own state coming out of Sacramento. What's the governor's position, Arnold Schwarzenegger, on this?
NEWSOM: I haven't had a chance to talk to him directly. Look, good people are going to feel strongly in opposition of what we're trying to do. I certainly respect that. I just don't share that. My values are such that I don't want to perpetuate discrimination. I feel a real obligation.
And I challenge people, I mean this, read the constitution, look in the constitution, read the words, where does it say that we should extend different statutes for different people based upon our own subjectivity? No where in the constitution.
I feel very strongly about this, and passionately about this. I don't know where the governor stands. But I tell you what, a lot of good people are saying privately what a lot of us don't have the courage to do publicly.
HEMMER: Gavin Newsom is the mayor of San Francisco. Mr. Mayor, thank you for your time. Nice to see you.
NEWSOM: Thanks for having me.
HEMMER: Now to presidential politics, John Kerry hoping to wrap up his party's nomination anticipating the endorsement of a former rival. Kelly Wallace the latest now from Wisconsin this evening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE (voice-over): In an interview with CNN's Judy Woodruff, the retired four-star general and now former presidential candidate was coy.
WESLEY CLARK, (D) FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I'm looking forward to seeing John tomorrow, Judy. And I'm looking forward to going to Wisconsin. We'll have more to say about what's happening tomorrow.
WALLACE: A Democratic source says when Wesley Clark throws his support behind John Kerry Friday, he will bring a lot of the southern and military vote along with him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator John Edwards!
WALLACE: But Senator John Edwards is not so sure about that. The North Carolinian rallying in Racine, Wisconsin, predicted before news of the Kerry-Clark pairing that Clark supporters would go to him.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now that he's out of the race, I think a lot of voters will be attracted to me, because they know I'm the one person left in this race who has won a tough race in the south.
WALLACE: Howard Dean, teaming up in Madison, with wife Judy, to try to bring his campaign back to life. His aides downplayed the Clark move, noting that the Kerry campaign has said in the past, that endorsements don't matter when it comes to electability. The former Vermont governor, hoping to end his losing streak appeals to Wisconsin's independent spirit.
HOWARD DEAN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The the media would like to end this candidacy. They claim the contest is over. They say your voice doesn't matter, they say your vote doesn't count. They expect you to rubber stamp the choice of others. You don't have to listen to them.
WALLACE (on camera): Howard Dean and John Edwards have both said they will stay in this race even if they don't win here on Tuesday. But Dean is now saying this, that if he doesn't win here, he will go home and figure out what to do. Kelly Wallace, CNN, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: A former star athlete accused of killing a man with a shotgun. Coming up, the trial of Jayson Williams. Dramatic testimony this week on what happened when a limo driver died at his mansion.
Also tonight, the diary of a young college recruit. The perks, and there are so many of being recruited to play football in college.
And a bit later, is all the attention given to the "Passion of the Christ" starting to approach overkill? We'll have a look at the hype tonight and the merchandising in our segment a bit later. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Now for "Justice Served" this evening, a manslaughter trial that could present it's jury with an extremely difficult dilemma. The defendant is former NBA star Jayson Williams who shot and killed a limo driver 2 years ago. CNN's Jason Carroll is covering that case. Warn you before this story rolls, some of the images you are about to see, the same ones the jurors saw, might be a bit disturbing. Here is Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former basketball star, Jayson Williams, silent outside and expressionless inside the court room Wednesday, as paramedics described the graphic scene at his New Jersey estate two years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a gentleman laying underneath the table on his left side. He was bleeding from his chest.
CARROLL: Prosecutors showed the bloody shirt of Gus Christofi, Williams' limousine driver, and the shot gun used to killed him. New Jersey state trooper testifying Williams tried to revive him.
TOM MUEHLEISEN, NJ STATE TROOPER: Started to shake him. And then he started trying to blow air into his mouth in a CPR fashion.
CARROLL: A paramedic says, Williams looked distraught after hearing Christofi was dead. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he make any gestures or say anything?
MATTHEW WILSON, PARAMEDIC: I believe he said oh, man and kind of swung his head down, and then he walked out of the room.
CARROLL: Prosecutors charged Williams with manslauter and a cover-up, saying he recklessly shot Christofi while giving guests a tour of his home, then tried to make it look like suicide. The defense says it was all an accident.
One trooper said, Williams, who was partying with some Harlem Globetrotters that night, appeared intoxicated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His speech was slurred. He appeared as if, he had been drinking.
CARROLL: The defense disputes that. Another trooper testified, Williams seemed sober.
(on camera): Williams faces up to 30 years in prison if he's convicted of the most serious charge against him, aggravated manslaughter. Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Jason, thank you. A closer look now at the Jayson Williams case, our 360 legal analyst, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom. And yes that was here husband Gavin a short time ago, the mayor of San Francisco on the opposite coast. Nice to see you good evening.
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, "360" LEGAL ANALYST: You too.
HEMMER: You heard the prosecutions opening statements this week. You say this is a case of death and deceit. How deceit.
NEWSOM: The exact words used by the prosecute who did a job of laying out this case and showing from the beginning the very purposeful actions of Jayson Williams on this fateful evening. Right away from the beginning the reckless conduct that took the life of Gus Christfi, shooting him point blank in chest with a shotgun and all the deliberate steps and lies and cover-up that that went into trying to get him to avoid responsibility of the crime.
HEMMER: So, accused him of telling his friends to lie. And they also say he jumped into a pool to clean off.
NEWSOM: Right. That his attorney was on the way, so no one should make statements. For, everyone to lie and say they were down stairs. He was down stairs. He jumped in the pool to relieve himself of any evidence like GSR.
HEMMER: GSR?
NEWSOM: Gunshot residue that would be back low when you fire an arm. Bottom line is that they just laid it out to the point were you sat back and said, wait a second. Then Billy Martin got up and said, hold on this was accident, this is a man that has shown remorse. Something went wrong. He tried to assist the victim and basicly said Jayson is a victim here too because he was ill advised by his friends. It was their idea to cover up the crime.
HEMMER: Is it possible in this case, do I have this right? He could be found guilty of covering it up but not murder. How is that possible?
NEWSOM: He is looking 55 years total, eight counts and a number of those charges involve fabricating, tampering with evidence, trying to influence a witness, preventing a witness from testifying. The jury could compromise and say it was a terrible accident. We can't prove otherwise and therefore convict him of a lesser charge, like an assault.
HEMMER: There are fascinating elements to the story outside of court. About a year ago he settled with the family in civil suit, right, about $2.75 million. I'm also told publicly, at least he's gone to the grave site many times.
How is this playing right now outside the court?
NEWSOM: Well, two things. Trials are always played out inside the courtroom and in this day in age outside the courtroom. We've seen him go on "20/20", do Barbara Walters interview, go on "Good Morning America." There's a Web site, myjaysonwilliams.com, that his wife did. He's wearing a cross prominently displayed on his lapel in court. And he let the media know when he was going to the grave site of the Gus Christofi. And it appears this is a deliberate employ to get sympathy and show his remorse and settle the case to show it is civil, not criminal.
HEMMER: Now, all of the things you mentioned, will the jurors find out about it at some point?
NEWSOM: What was clever in his opening statement, he's not supposed to talk about the defendant's character in any of these things. He did bring up he's a good person, that he's helped family members, raise his sister's children, et cetera. He also said this is a case that belongs in civil court, but didn't go into the details, but this case has already been settled.
HEMMER: Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, nice to see you.
NEWSOM: You too.
HEMMER: Thanks for sharing tonight.
Get a break here in a moment. Still to come, the life of a college football recruit, his diary painting a sweet picture of the perks.
Also tonight, has "The Passion of the Christ" reached a state of overkill, not if you think a race car is understated.
Plus, a major turning point for Salman Rushdie, and this one does not involve a single Ayatollah. That's in "The Current" after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Time to check tonight's "Current" with a slice of tongue in cheek. Salman is engaged. He is short, balding, his fiance is a 30 years model. You can read more about the relationship in Rusdieh new biography, "I'm a Really, Really, Really Lucky Guy."
Courtney Love in trouble again. She failed to show up in court this week on drug charges. She will be arrested in a week, assuming she's not arrested before something else.
A Sicilian town struggling to figure why dozens of household items have mysteriously burst into flames. A promising scientific investigation, early theories are based on superstition.
A Chinese version of a controversial play was supposed to open last night. The "Vagina monologues" reportedly closed and said either due to government or because it simply had a headache and a tough day at work.
Now, The story of college recruitment gone awry in a big way. High school football star Willie Williams got plenty of attention talking about a lavish college recruiting process for a Miami newspaper. Tomorrow he's in the spot light yet again with more attention, facing criminal charges.
Brian Cabell has our story this even.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world of high school football star Willie Williams has turned upside down in the last week. He surrendered to authorities, Tuesday, charged with parole violation. This just days after signing a full scholarship to the University of Miami.
BRUCE LAZARUS, WILLIAMS ATTORNEY: He knows these are very serious matters and they can affect his college, affect his college career and affect the rest of his life.
CABELL: Williams, no. 17 was arrested 10 times as a teenager and he was on probation. At least two police complaints about William on one of his recruiting trip led to the parole violation charges. Williams shared had shared his recruiting adventures with a reporter "Miami Herald" reporter over the last several weeks. Florida State impressed him. A charter flight on which he was the only passenger, and a dinner consisting of four lobster tails, two steaks and shrimp scampi. Auburn, finger foods, a leaky hotel bathroom and farmer girls as he referred to the female students. University of Florida, again, disappointing food. This is where police stay he violated probation by allegedly setting off fire extinguishers and allegedly groping a girl. No mention in those mentions of those incidents in his report to the "Herald." University of Miami, he loved it. A great hotel with a Jacuzzi on the balcony, delicious food, a police escort through town. He signed with Miami. WILLIE WILLIAMS, JAILED FOOTBALL PLAYER: All this recruitment and everything, that goes to a past, all the business and everything. It's time to do business. It's time for work.
CABELL: Willie Williams may end up doing time.
Brian Cabell, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: A bit earlier I talked with Manny Navarro, sports writer for the "Miami Herald." He worked with Willie Williams on his dairies for the paper. Of all the things Williams was exposed to in the process, what surprised Manny the most?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANNY NAVARRO, "MIAMI HERALD," SPORTS WRITER: The food, treatment, private jets, staying in the fancy hotels, being treated like King Tut, as Willie put it. The fact these 18 and 19 year old kids were being treated like -- I don't know, like royalty, really.
HEMMER: Why do you think Willie was honest with you.
NAVARRO: Just a comfort level. I covered Willie playing high school football here for the last two years. When I talked to him about doing these diaries, he was all excited. I think he saw it as an opportunity to sort of have the spotlight shined on him.
NAVARRO: Do you think he held back at all with his stories?
HEMMER: Do you think he ever censored himself with you.
NAVARRO: Every once in a while we would approach the subject of girls and some of the parties he attended and so forth. And when we get to that subject, he felt like he didn't want to embarrass himself or talk about that anymore. That was really the only thing I think he held back on. Everything else, you know, the food, the restaurants, the fun that he had, that was open game for Willie.
HEMMER: I want to pick a short quote out of the first article you wrote in the series here. I will put it on the screen for our viewers to see. This is Willie Williams talking. "When I got to Miami International Airport, this guy was waiting for me. He was, like, Mr. Williams, right this way. When I got on the plane, I was, like, where's everybody else? It was me, the flight attendant, and the pilot. I was bugging out." That has to be one heck of a scene for a 19-year-old. What do you say about colleges and universities, the responsibility they have in these matters?
NAVARRO: Well, I think in the situation with his trip to Gainesville and how he got into trouble, sort of everything that comes to light, I think the reality is we need to remember these are teenagers. These aren't kids already in college. When they go off on these trips, you know, they're experiencing things that they've never experienced before, being at frat parties, being treated to fancy restaurants and so forth. I think it is like anything else. You send your kids to summer camp. You expect the people there to take care of them. I think in Willie's situation, maybe the people in charge of his trip weren't doing their job correctly.
HEMMER: Now that Willie is in jail, do you have contact with him?
NAVARRO: I haven't spoken to him since the day after signing day, which was last Wednesday. The last thing that I told him was that I wished him well and I wished him luck in his situation.
HEMMER: How does he feel about you?
NAVARRO: You know, it's hard to tell. I haven't spoken to him in a week and there has been a lot of news that's come out since then. I think the last time I spoke to Willie, he said, don't worry, Manny, it's cool. I know you're not the one coming after me. When I talk to him, I'll figure out how much he likes me then.
HEMMER: Manny Navarro has been talking to us from the "Miami Herald" in Miami, Florida. Thanks, Manny, for sharing with us tonight.
More on this story tomorrow here on CNN. We're trying something a bit dicey tonight maybe politically risky with our "Overkill" segment. We're taking in all the hype about the new Mel Gibson movie, out in about 10 days, "The Passion of the Christ." If you think it is disrespectful to kill this overkill, have a look at the merchandise for sale already.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER (voice-over): It's not just lapel pins or the book of the movie or the fan kits. There's also the race car. But most of the hype has been generated by the controversy about the movie. The controversy centers on Gibson's depiction of Jews. He's reportedly rejected modern Biblical scholarship about the Jewish role in the death of Jesus. It adheres (UNINTELLIGIBLE) some say anti-Semitic reading. Gibson denies all charges of anti-Semitism.
MEL GIBSON, ACTOR: It is ludicrous to think this. I don't want to lynch any Jews. It is not what I'm about. I love them. I pray for them.
HEMMER: And though he practices an orthodox form of Catholicism. His literalism may be what's generated so much excitement among Evangelical Protestants about the film. They are already booking theaters and buying tickets in bulk. It is precisely because so many people are interested and see the movie as long-awaited Hollywood acknowledgment of their beliefs. Some are concerned it could revive the notion of Jews as Christ killers.
Ironically, if the overkill attention, positive or negative, turns onscreen violence against Jesus into real life hatred of Jews, the movie will have undercut a central idea extolled in the original story. Love. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: The film is due out on Ash Wednesday. In a moment, here's sad news ahead. On Valentine's day, Ken and Barbie breaking up. Details on how the romance has died in a moment.
Plus tomorrow, the series of love and sex continues. A look at the art of seduction, the art of flirtation is Friday.
First, today's buzz. "How should U.S. deal with human cloning experiments? Ban them or regulate them."
Vote now, CNN.com/360. Results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: After 43 years together, Ken and Barbie are finished. America's perfect couple will be no more. Jeanne Moos tonight has more on the plastic breakup.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First Ben and Jen. Now Barbie and Ken? Their dancing days are over after 43 years of romantic walks and frolicking on the beach. Mattel made it official.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The flame of romance has gone out.
MOOS: At a jampacked press conference, they played the commercial that brought Barbie and Ken together back in 1961.
ANNOUNCER: It could lead to this.
MOOS: Instead, it led to this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She dumped him. He didn't dump her.
MOOS: Any truth to rumors about Ken's sexual orientation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can speak to that. I've been with Ken for ten years. Stop fronting, Ken. It is nice to have you home. You're a liar. I'm straight as an arrow.
MOOS: Jokester reporters aside, Mattel said last year was a challenging one for Barbie sales. Toy analysts describe the break-up as an effort to revitalize the brand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe Barbie will get a new boyfriend.
MOOS: Maybe. Ken's replacement is expected in the fall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've heard rumors and I think his name is Blaine.
MOOS: As for poor Ken...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not being disappeared, he's just simply not going to have the word boyfriend associated with him.
MOOS: A new Barbie was unveiled waving goodbye to Ken. Barbie will be tossing out Ken's photos. As for who gets to keep Barbie's dream house? No question it is Barbie which leaves girls debating where to put him Ken.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I may put my dog...
MOOS: It is a dog eat dog world. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And just in time for Valentine's day.
Time for our "Buzz." We asked you, earlier in the program, "how should the U.S. deal with human cloning experiments? Ban them or regulate them?" More than 20,000 voted tonight. 40 percent say ban them and 60 percent say the way to go is regulation. Not a scientific poll. Just your buzz. Thanks for voting online tonight. I'm Bill Hemmer. Good to have you here this evening and for Anderson Cooper, I hope to see you tomorrow morning bright and early. 7:00 a.m. Eastern time on "AMERICAN MORNING." Until then have a great evening. "PAULA" is next. Good night.
END
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Espionage? Soldier Accused>
Aired February 12, 2004 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL HEMMER, HOST (voice-over): Saying I do in San Francisco. City officials give the go ahead for a gay marriage.
Cells from a human embryo have been cloned. Are cloned people next?
Charges filed against the Bay area lab at the heart of an international doping scandal.
What the shotgun says about a former NBA's stars version of events.
Our continuing series, "Love and Sex." Tonight, what makes you jealous?
And the Florida football star done in by his own very public diary.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, ANDERSON COOPER 360.
HEMMER: Good evening. Welcome to 360. I'm Bill Hemmer tonight, filling in for Anderson. A lot to talk about this evening.
An Army soldier base in Fort Lewis, Washington, has been accused of espionage. Reports say he was trying to give secret information to Al Qaeda. A live report on this story in a moment.
First, we lead off tonight with that controversy over same-sex marriage, now heating up significantly on both coasts. The focus has been on Massachusetts. But now San Francisco is in the spotlight tonight. Two reports: Rusty Dornin, the City by the Bay for us, and David Mattingly is in the Bay State.
Let's begin on the West Coast with Rusty.
Good evening there.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, as of about a half an hour ago, city officials had issued 20 marriage licenses. There was a lot of hooting and hollering going on, on the steps of City Hall. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN (voice-over): City Hall became a mob scene as word spread. The San Francisco city clerk was issuing same-sex marriage licenses. Up to the alter first, 80-year-old Phyllis Lyon and 83- year-old Dorothy Martin, lovers for 50 years and lesbian activists for nearly that long.
PHYLLIS LYON, MARRIED TODAY: We have a right just like anybody else to get married to the person that we want to get married to.
DORNIN: It was the newly elected Mayor Gavin Newsom who gave them that right, ordering the clerk to issue licenses after listening to President Bush's State of the Union address, words Jim Maloney and Andrew Nanth (ph) never thought they would utter in a legal ceremony.
JIM MALONEY, MARRIED TODAY: I'm very proud of it, very happy. It is a very exciting day for all of America.
DORNIN: City officials say they moved quickly in anticipation of a request on Friday for an injunction against gay marriages from the conservative group Campaign for California Families.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN: One reason the group didn't file the injunction today is that it is a court holiday, Lincoln's birthday. The city says they don't expect a challenge from the state, but they will take any challenge straight to the Supreme Court -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rusty Dornin tonight in San Francisco. A bit later here on 360, our exclusive interview with the mayor of that city, Gavin Newsom. Stay tuned for that.
Now to Massachusetts, where the debate still rages at this hour. David Mattingly is at the State House in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (VOICE-OVER): After two failures the night before, the strain of passing a constitutional ban on gay marriage was clearly taking its toll on Massachusetts legislators.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you defeat this amendment, we will go out into recess, and you will never vote on this today. I will guarantee you.
MATTINGLY: And there was no escaping the demonstrators, shouting at lawmakers as they entered the chamber. These wanting gay marriage to remain legal. Freshman senator, Jarrett Barrids, an openly gay legislator, reluctantly offered a personal argument, appealing for the future protection of his family.
SEN. JARRETT BARRIDS (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Because I will lose numerous financial benefits that go along with marriage, my two children are also affected by this.
MATTINGLY: But through the emotions, the core of the argument remains the same: one side seeing gay marriage as an issue of equal rights, the other as a fight to protect the sanctity of an age-old institution.
GENEVIEVE WOOD, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: But ultimately, I think they're going to give the people a chance to vote on whether or not marriage ought to remain as being that of a union of a man and of a woman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And after a day long of debate, the legislature at this hour is voting on yet another proposed amendment, something they had not been able to do successfully in the last two days. We'll wait and see if they are successful in their first vote of this new amendment banning gay marriage in Massachusetts -- Bill.
HEMMER: David Mattingly tonight in Boston.
Now to a breaking news stories involving a U.S. Army soldier accused of spying.
Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon for this story.
Jamie, what do we know?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, a Muslim National Guardsman stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, an Army base near Tacoma, Washington, arrested today and charged by the Army with trying to provide information to the Al Qaeda terrorist network. Specifically, the charge reads, "aiding the enemy by wrongfully attempting to communicate and give intelligence to the Al Qaeda network."
Sources say he was caught in a string operation. The official announcement was made about a half hour ago by a spokesman in Fort Lewis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. STEPHEN BARGER, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, U.S. ARMY: Today, Specialist Ryan G. Anderson of the Washington State National Guard 81st Armored Brigade was taken into custody without incident at Fort Lewis by military and federal law enforcement officials pursuant to a joint investigation by the Department of Army, Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Anderson is a 26-year-old tank crew member from the National Guard's 81st Armored Brigade. According to sources, he was caught in a sting operation in which he was trying to communicate to al Qaeda over an Internet chat room. But according to sources, it is not believed he actually made any contact with real al Qaeda members. He graduated from Washington State University. His brigade has been training at Fort Lewis, preparing for deployment to Iraq after some additional training in California -- Bill.
HEMMER: Two questions, Jamie. Quickly, do we know if this Internet chat room was designed to go overseas, or was this based here in the U.S?
MCINTYRE: We don't know. I mean, according to what we know at this point, it appears that law enforcement officials were in this chat room looking for people who might be trying to give up information, and that this soldier was trying to offer information to al Qaeda. But again, caught in a sting.
HEMMER: Let me try one more, Jamie, quickly. Has this soldier been overseas and served recently?
MCINTYRE: We don't believe so. We believe that he's been in Fort Lewis, been stationed there. But he was scheduled to be deployed to Iraq soon.
HEMMER: Jamie McIntyre, thanks, from the Pentagon tonight.
The battle over abortion is being waged this evening between the Justice Department and several hospitals. At issue here, the government says it needs records of women who underwent a certain procedure. But the hospital has refused to hand them over.
Kelli Arena has more now in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Justice Department says it needs certain medical record from these hospitals to uphold a ban against a controversial late-term abortion procedure.
JOHN ASHCROFT, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We would like for the medical records, when provided, to be -- to mask identifying characteristics of patients, and to expunge, if you would, the identifying names and addresses.
ARENA: But the subpoenas do not yet allow for redactions in writing, and hospital staff balked. Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel says Congress has voted overwhelmingly to protect patient privacy, and that the Justice Department request is a blatant violation.
REP. RAHM EMANUEL (D), ILLINOIS: We created a zone of privacy relating to medical information. And I don't think the first person that violates it should be the federal government.
ARENA: The subpoenas for the records came as part of a lawsuit filed by the National Abortion Federation and seven doctors. Those doctors say a ban on what the White House calls partial birth abortions is illegal and claim they have performed the procedure because it is medically necessary. Justice lawyers say they simply want to see proof to back up those claims.
(on camera): There have been contradictory rulings in the case, which is part of a larger legal battle over the abortion ban itself. Signed into law back in November, the ban remains on hold due to several temporary restraining orders.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: As we mentioned a few moments ago, following a number of developing stories now "Cross Country."
Washington: the FDA approved Erbitux, the cancer drug at the center of Martha Stewart's stock scandal. Stewart sold her shares of ImClone, the maker of the drug, just days before the FDA rejected it back in 2001. Now, officials are investigating whether or not what appears to be suspicious trading of the stock ahead of today's announcement.
Jacksonville, Florida: a bus beating caught on tape. Seven students beat a 12-year-old boy, and no one does a thing. The driver says he later asked the victim if he was all right, then continued on the route. The seven suspects have all been suspended from school.
Hurley, New York: Art Garfunkel pleads guilty to marijuana possession. He was cited last month when his limousine was stopped for speeding. The punishment, a $200 fine.
Green Bay, Wisconsin: candy never tasted so sweet. A 14-year-old girl bought the lucky bag in M&M's great color quest contest. She wins $20,000, a car she's too young to drive, and a trip to L.A.
That's a look at stories "Cross Country" tonight.
Steroids and a sports scandal. The personal trainer for Barry Bonds and three others are charged today. Did they give illegal substances to star athletes? Details in a moment.
Plus, a top U.S. general caught between explosions and gunfire today.
And our week-long series, "Love and Sex." Tonight, the impact of jealousy.
First, a look "Inside the Box" at the top stories on tonight's network newscasts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: There was a surprise today from Seoul, where South Korean researchers report successfully cloning a human embryo and extracting stem cells from it.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta here tonight to explain what it means to science and the cloning controversy. Sanjay, good evening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These researchers from South Korea have accomplished a first.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to a nouns the successful derivation of human embryo stem cells from cloned human (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
GUPTA: Yes, they cloned a human cell. No, they did not try to make a baby, nor did they develop a radically new technique.
They used essentially the same method used to create Dolly the sheep. But the South Korean scientists stopped well short of letting their embryo develop to full term. Here's what they did.
Researchers took an egg from a Korean woman, removed all the genetic material from inside that egg, then took the genetic material from another cell from the same woman and injected it into the empty egg. With a chemical bath, the researchers made this egg divide as if it had been fertilized. And after five or six days, the egg turned into a blastocyst. That's an early stage embryo.
By then, stem cells had formed inside the blastocyst, which a scientist then removed. By removing those stem cells, the embryo was destroyed. It took many attempts to finally get to one stem cell line.
Researchers are calling this a breakthrough because it is a first step towards developing specialized treatments for diabetes, Parkinson's and other genetically-linked diseases. But in theory, if the stem cells had not been removed, the blastocyst could have been implanted to a woman's uterus and possible carried to term, creating a cloned human baby.
And that's what many people fear could happen. Now that the way to create an embryo of a human clone for stem cells has been published, could it be a recipe for cloning human beings?
DONALD KENNEDY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "SCIENCE": It's a recipe only in the sense that, catch a turtle is the recipe for turtle sup. That is, there is much difficulty that would remain to anybody who tried to use this technology as a first step toward reproductive cloning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Obviously, an ethical debate as well, Bill. Scientists, including the South Korean scientists, making a point of saying that they also endorse a worldwide ban on reproductive cloning. Still, this form of therapeutic cloning could provide some treatments many years in the future -- Bill.
HEMMER: Sanjay, thanks. Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center tonight. Our "Buzz" question: How should the U.S. deal with human cloning experiments, ban them or regulate them? Vote now, cnn.com/360. Results for you a bit later in our broadcast tonight.
On to the steroids scandal. No athletes have been named. And what they know remains under wraps. But new indictments show that Washington is serious about a crackdown.
Josie Burke has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports, is dangerous and it sends the wrong message. That there are short cuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character.
JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Less than a month after President Bush called for the abolishment of steroids in sports, performance-enhancing drugs again took center stage in Washington on Thursday. Attorney General John Ashcroft, flanked by the IRS commissioner and the FDA commissioner, announced the indictment of four people who allegedly operated an illegal drug ring that supplied athletes from baseball, to football, to Olympic sports, with steroids.
ASHCROFT: The use of anabolic steroids in sports is a matter of great concern to the public. And I believe that the integrity of sports will be re-enforced by enforcement actions. I believe there is already a question in the mind of the public. And it's a question which is well founded given the indictment today.
BURKE: Those indicted include the two top men at the Bay area company, BALCO, Victor Conte Jr. and James Allente (ph), track coach Remy Korchemny, and the personal trainer of Barry Bonds, Greg Anderson. No athletes were indicted or identified in court papers.
But more than two dozen athletes, including homerun king Bonds, did testify before a grand jury leading up to the charges. And Ashcroft did not rule out the possibility some could be called as witnesses at trial. The attorney general also did not rule out the chance of further indictments.
ASHCROFT: If, as a result of these facts being made public, we learn additional information which would lead us to act in the defense of our laws and in the defense of our culture against illegal steroids or drug use or the like, we'll take additional activity. We do not want to signal in any way that we are closing the book.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Josie Burke's live tonight in Colorado.
Any chance this private testimony on behalf of the athletes goes public, Josie? BURKE: Well, for that we'll have to wait and see, Bill. If this goes to trial and any of those athletes are called as witnesses, their testimony before the grand jury could be entered as evidence. That could become public domain. But there is also the chance that any or all of these defendants could enter a deal before it ever comes to trial -- Bill.
HEMMER: Josie Burke in Colorado Springs tonight. Josie, thanks for that.
More trouble in the world of sports. Tomorrow, a top college football recruit goes to court facing criminal charges. His story also bringing to light the extremes that some universities take to get the players they want. A look at that a bit later tonight on 360.
We're tracking a number of stories still developing around the globe on the "UpLink."
Fallujah, Iraq, is our first stop. A commander in the crosshairs. Gunmen ambush a convoy, hauling America's top military officer in the Middle East, General John Abizaid, head of CENTCOM, and other U.S. forces escape unharmed.
But local police say two Iraqi civilians hit by retaliatory fire. Meanwhile, U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan, says it is unlikely Iraq will be able to hold national elections by the U.S. target date of June 30.
London, England: conduct unbecoming. A U.S. Marine pleads guilty to kidnapping a 12-year-old British girl he met over the Internet. Toby Studebaker (ph) spent months communicating with the girl before they met in person and flew to Paris for a night. He'll be sentenced in April.
Finally, Paris, France: showing some skin to save some hide. Despite frigid temperatures, animal rights activists stage a topless protest outside a department store. Their Valentine's Day message, according to the signs, "Fur out, love in."
That's our "UpLink" tonight.
The green demon, jealousy. Can it actually help a relationship? Part of our week-long series, "Love and Sex" in a moment.
Also tonight, a 360 exclusive: San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom. Find out why he's challenging state law by issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
And a bit later, inside college football recruiting: how one athlete's diary turned into a national scandal.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "OTHELLO") UNIDENTIFIED MALE: O, be aware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster that doth mock the meat it feeds on.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "OTHELLO")
HEMMER: That's a scene from a movie adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello," a story in which jealousy leads to the hero's demise.
As Valentine's Day draws near this week -- and you might be wondering, is your lover enjoying your chocolates or the sweets of someone else. Whether justified or not, jealousy can be a part of any relationship. It is the topic tonight of our continuing series this week, "Love and Sex."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER (voice-over): Ah, love, the romance, the elation, the sweet talk, the jealousy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just like this gut-wrenching feeling. It is horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You feel it always in the center of your body. It's just nasty. It's like a bad cold.
HEMMER: This all-consuming emotion that has spawned acts of revenge and even more can dominate your life. And experts warn feelings of jealousy between lovers may escalate into rage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jealousy was far and away the most powerful instigator of physical violence. It basically triples the likelihood of physical violence.
HEMMER: Stories of jealousy gone haywire are never far from the headlines. Houstonian Clara Harris ran over her husband repeatedly after finding him with another woman. New Yorker Lyra Benson (ph) was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, jealous that she had moved on. But jealousy in small doses, it turns out, can actually be a positive thing for your love life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jealousy can play a good role in helping to maintain a relationship. And this basically is a way of training people to pay attention to the relationship and also signaling that the relationship is important to the persons involved.
HEMMER: And recent studies from the University of Chicago have shown that, as more couples are living together without marriage, the jealousy quotient is on the rise. Perhaps a visit from the green-eyed monster, the research suggests, may be just what is needed to keep couples together.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: "Love and Sex" series continues tomorrow, concluding tomorrow. The new art of seduction: tips and techniques from the masters of flirtation and pick-up artists. That's tomorrow on Friday. Coming up here tonight, a CNN exclusive on 360. San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom, is our guest. Find out why he's defying California law to hand out gay marriage licenses today. That's next.
Also, John Kerry picks up a key endorsement.
The latest in a moment on those stories.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: I'm Bill Hemmer. Good evening yet again. I'm in for Anderson tonight.
The next 30 minutes here on 360, an exclusive here on CNN, San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom. Find out why he's challenging state law in California on same-sex marriage. He joins me live in a moment.
Also, John Kerry gets an endorsement from a former rival. Find out who is throwing his weight behind the front-runner now.
And fallen star. Jason Williams on trial for manslaughter. The latest on that case inside the courtroom.
First, let's check our top stories now in tonight's "Reset."
The Pentagon says a National Guard officer is being held on charges he tried to pass secret information to al Qaeda. That soldier based in Fort Lewis, Washington, was arrested on espionage charges during a sting operation.
The Air Force is launching an investigation on about two dozen reported rapes in Texas, looking into how the commanders concluded each of those cases. Last year, the Air Force Academy in Colorado was criticized for its handling of rape allegations.
The president says jobs need to stay here in the U.S. A statement today in Pennsylvania contradicting one of his top economic advisers who had said outsourcing by U.S. companies is "probably a plus to the long-term economy."
British Airways canceling two upcoming flights this weekend due to concerns about terrorism. One was scheduled to go to Washington on Sunday. The other was bound for Saudi Arabia.
The Pentagon says North Korea will cooperate more in the search for American troops missing since the Korean War. Officials from the U.S. and North Korea agreeing to resume the transfer of Americans remains across the DMZ. Direct transfers have not taken place since 1999, four years ago.
The History Channel examining whether or not President Johnson was involved in the assassination of President John Kennedy. It has assembled a panel of three renowned historians to look into the controversial theory that was presented in a documentary last year.
And that is tonight's "Reset." More on our top story, San Francisco defies state law and gives marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The mayor, Gavin Newsom, is the one who gave the order. He is live in San Francisco at city hall. With this exclusive interview. Mayor Newsom, good evening to you.
MAY. GAVIN NEWSOM, (D) SAN FRANCISCO: Good even to you.
HEMMER: Why did you support this today?
NEWSOM: Well, first of all, I don't accept it is against state law. I read the constitution in the state of California and just literally, a few weeks ago, I took the oath of office, and no where does it direct me to discriminate against people just because of their sexual orientation.
So from my perspective we've done something that fundamental. We are reading the direct language within the state constitution, and we directed our county clerk to do the right thing and extend the privilege that's extended to my wife and myself and millions of us across this country to same-sex couples.
HEMMER: Was this in a way, a preemptive strike? There is a report that there is a planned injunction to be followed tomorrow in your city to stop gay marriages?
NEWSOM: I imagine there will be. The same people that probably were arguing against blacks marrying whites in the late '40s here in California. The same people who don't like Protestants marrying Catholics around the turn of the Century. With respect, I think we all would agree, the absurdity of those laws.
And I think there will be a time in this country when we will agree with creating a statute of discrimination which says that I have a chance to be married and you and others have a chance to be married, the opposite gender individual. And I have privileges as well as obligations and right that is are not extended to other people. And I don't believe as mayor, taking the oath of the constitution, that I have the right to perpetuate that kind of discriminatory policy.
HEMMER: Mr. Mayor, what is the possible penalty today?
NEWSOM: The penalty of not doing it. Where is the morality of perpetuating discrimination. Where is the fundamental decency to extend the same privileges and rights the rest of us are afforded. What is the fundamental right to perpetuate a policy of separate, but unequal that people seem to suggest is a compromise.
Do you compromise your values, do you compromise core principles? I'm not going to compromise, I read the constitution in the state of California, no where in there does it say the fundamental right of nondiscrimination.
HEMMER: You mention you may face a challenge in your own city. You may face a challenge within your own state coming out of Sacramento. What's the governor's position, Arnold Schwarzenegger, on this?
NEWSOM: I haven't had a chance to talk to him directly. Look, good people are going to feel strongly in opposition of what we're trying to do. I certainly respect that. I just don't share that. My values are such that I don't want to perpetuate discrimination. I feel a real obligation.
And I challenge people, I mean this, read the constitution, look in the constitution, read the words, where does it say that we should extend different statutes for different people based upon our own subjectivity? No where in the constitution.
I feel very strongly about this, and passionately about this. I don't know where the governor stands. But I tell you what, a lot of good people are saying privately what a lot of us don't have the courage to do publicly.
HEMMER: Gavin Newsom is the mayor of San Francisco. Mr. Mayor, thank you for your time. Nice to see you.
NEWSOM: Thanks for having me.
HEMMER: Now to presidential politics, John Kerry hoping to wrap up his party's nomination anticipating the endorsement of a former rival. Kelly Wallace the latest now from Wisconsin this evening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE (voice-over): In an interview with CNN's Judy Woodruff, the retired four-star general and now former presidential candidate was coy.
WESLEY CLARK, (D) FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I'm looking forward to seeing John tomorrow, Judy. And I'm looking forward to going to Wisconsin. We'll have more to say about what's happening tomorrow.
WALLACE: A Democratic source says when Wesley Clark throws his support behind John Kerry Friday, he will bring a lot of the southern and military vote along with him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator John Edwards!
WALLACE: But Senator John Edwards is not so sure about that. The North Carolinian rallying in Racine, Wisconsin, predicted before news of the Kerry-Clark pairing that Clark supporters would go to him.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now that he's out of the race, I think a lot of voters will be attracted to me, because they know I'm the one person left in this race who has won a tough race in the south.
WALLACE: Howard Dean, teaming up in Madison, with wife Judy, to try to bring his campaign back to life. His aides downplayed the Clark move, noting that the Kerry campaign has said in the past, that endorsements don't matter when it comes to electability. The former Vermont governor, hoping to end his losing streak appeals to Wisconsin's independent spirit.
HOWARD DEAN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The the media would like to end this candidacy. They claim the contest is over. They say your voice doesn't matter, they say your vote doesn't count. They expect you to rubber stamp the choice of others. You don't have to listen to them.
WALLACE (on camera): Howard Dean and John Edwards have both said they will stay in this race even if they don't win here on Tuesday. But Dean is now saying this, that if he doesn't win here, he will go home and figure out what to do. Kelly Wallace, CNN, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: A former star athlete accused of killing a man with a shotgun. Coming up, the trial of Jayson Williams. Dramatic testimony this week on what happened when a limo driver died at his mansion.
Also tonight, the diary of a young college recruit. The perks, and there are so many of being recruited to play football in college.
And a bit later, is all the attention given to the "Passion of the Christ" starting to approach overkill? We'll have a look at the hype tonight and the merchandising in our segment a bit later. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Now for "Justice Served" this evening, a manslaughter trial that could present it's jury with an extremely difficult dilemma. The defendant is former NBA star Jayson Williams who shot and killed a limo driver 2 years ago. CNN's Jason Carroll is covering that case. Warn you before this story rolls, some of the images you are about to see, the same ones the jurors saw, might be a bit disturbing. Here is Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former basketball star, Jayson Williams, silent outside and expressionless inside the court room Wednesday, as paramedics described the graphic scene at his New Jersey estate two years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a gentleman laying underneath the table on his left side. He was bleeding from his chest.
CARROLL: Prosecutors showed the bloody shirt of Gus Christofi, Williams' limousine driver, and the shot gun used to killed him. New Jersey state trooper testifying Williams tried to revive him.
TOM MUEHLEISEN, NJ STATE TROOPER: Started to shake him. And then he started trying to blow air into his mouth in a CPR fashion.
CARROLL: A paramedic says, Williams looked distraught after hearing Christofi was dead. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he make any gestures or say anything?
MATTHEW WILSON, PARAMEDIC: I believe he said oh, man and kind of swung his head down, and then he walked out of the room.
CARROLL: Prosecutors charged Williams with manslauter and a cover-up, saying he recklessly shot Christofi while giving guests a tour of his home, then tried to make it look like suicide. The defense says it was all an accident.
One trooper said, Williams, who was partying with some Harlem Globetrotters that night, appeared intoxicated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His speech was slurred. He appeared as if, he had been drinking.
CARROLL: The defense disputes that. Another trooper testified, Williams seemed sober.
(on camera): Williams faces up to 30 years in prison if he's convicted of the most serious charge against him, aggravated manslaughter. Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Jason, thank you. A closer look now at the Jayson Williams case, our 360 legal analyst, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom. And yes that was here husband Gavin a short time ago, the mayor of San Francisco on the opposite coast. Nice to see you good evening.
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, "360" LEGAL ANALYST: You too.
HEMMER: You heard the prosecutions opening statements this week. You say this is a case of death and deceit. How deceit.
NEWSOM: The exact words used by the prosecute who did a job of laying out this case and showing from the beginning the very purposeful actions of Jayson Williams on this fateful evening. Right away from the beginning the reckless conduct that took the life of Gus Christfi, shooting him point blank in chest with a shotgun and all the deliberate steps and lies and cover-up that that went into trying to get him to avoid responsibility of the crime.
HEMMER: So, accused him of telling his friends to lie. And they also say he jumped into a pool to clean off.
NEWSOM: Right. That his attorney was on the way, so no one should make statements. For, everyone to lie and say they were down stairs. He was down stairs. He jumped in the pool to relieve himself of any evidence like GSR.
HEMMER: GSR?
NEWSOM: Gunshot residue that would be back low when you fire an arm. Bottom line is that they just laid it out to the point were you sat back and said, wait a second. Then Billy Martin got up and said, hold on this was accident, this is a man that has shown remorse. Something went wrong. He tried to assist the victim and basicly said Jayson is a victim here too because he was ill advised by his friends. It was their idea to cover up the crime.
HEMMER: Is it possible in this case, do I have this right? He could be found guilty of covering it up but not murder. How is that possible?
NEWSOM: He is looking 55 years total, eight counts and a number of those charges involve fabricating, tampering with evidence, trying to influence a witness, preventing a witness from testifying. The jury could compromise and say it was a terrible accident. We can't prove otherwise and therefore convict him of a lesser charge, like an assault.
HEMMER: There are fascinating elements to the story outside of court. About a year ago he settled with the family in civil suit, right, about $2.75 million. I'm also told publicly, at least he's gone to the grave site many times.
How is this playing right now outside the court?
NEWSOM: Well, two things. Trials are always played out inside the courtroom and in this day in age outside the courtroom. We've seen him go on "20/20", do Barbara Walters interview, go on "Good Morning America." There's a Web site, myjaysonwilliams.com, that his wife did. He's wearing a cross prominently displayed on his lapel in court. And he let the media know when he was going to the grave site of the Gus Christofi. And it appears this is a deliberate employ to get sympathy and show his remorse and settle the case to show it is civil, not criminal.
HEMMER: Now, all of the things you mentioned, will the jurors find out about it at some point?
NEWSOM: What was clever in his opening statement, he's not supposed to talk about the defendant's character in any of these things. He did bring up he's a good person, that he's helped family members, raise his sister's children, et cetera. He also said this is a case that belongs in civil court, but didn't go into the details, but this case has already been settled.
HEMMER: Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, nice to see you.
NEWSOM: You too.
HEMMER: Thanks for sharing tonight.
Get a break here in a moment. Still to come, the life of a college football recruit, his diary painting a sweet picture of the perks.
Also tonight, has "The Passion of the Christ" reached a state of overkill, not if you think a race car is understated.
Plus, a major turning point for Salman Rushdie, and this one does not involve a single Ayatollah. That's in "The Current" after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Time to check tonight's "Current" with a slice of tongue in cheek. Salman is engaged. He is short, balding, his fiance is a 30 years model. You can read more about the relationship in Rusdieh new biography, "I'm a Really, Really, Really Lucky Guy."
Courtney Love in trouble again. She failed to show up in court this week on drug charges. She will be arrested in a week, assuming she's not arrested before something else.
A Sicilian town struggling to figure why dozens of household items have mysteriously burst into flames. A promising scientific investigation, early theories are based on superstition.
A Chinese version of a controversial play was supposed to open last night. The "Vagina monologues" reportedly closed and said either due to government or because it simply had a headache and a tough day at work.
Now, The story of college recruitment gone awry in a big way. High school football star Willie Williams got plenty of attention talking about a lavish college recruiting process for a Miami newspaper. Tomorrow he's in the spot light yet again with more attention, facing criminal charges.
Brian Cabell has our story this even.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world of high school football star Willie Williams has turned upside down in the last week. He surrendered to authorities, Tuesday, charged with parole violation. This just days after signing a full scholarship to the University of Miami.
BRUCE LAZARUS, WILLIAMS ATTORNEY: He knows these are very serious matters and they can affect his college, affect his college career and affect the rest of his life.
CABELL: Williams, no. 17 was arrested 10 times as a teenager and he was on probation. At least two police complaints about William on one of his recruiting trip led to the parole violation charges. Williams shared had shared his recruiting adventures with a reporter "Miami Herald" reporter over the last several weeks. Florida State impressed him. A charter flight on which he was the only passenger, and a dinner consisting of four lobster tails, two steaks and shrimp scampi. Auburn, finger foods, a leaky hotel bathroom and farmer girls as he referred to the female students. University of Florida, again, disappointing food. This is where police stay he violated probation by allegedly setting off fire extinguishers and allegedly groping a girl. No mention in those mentions of those incidents in his report to the "Herald." University of Miami, he loved it. A great hotel with a Jacuzzi on the balcony, delicious food, a police escort through town. He signed with Miami. WILLIE WILLIAMS, JAILED FOOTBALL PLAYER: All this recruitment and everything, that goes to a past, all the business and everything. It's time to do business. It's time for work.
CABELL: Willie Williams may end up doing time.
Brian Cabell, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: A bit earlier I talked with Manny Navarro, sports writer for the "Miami Herald." He worked with Willie Williams on his dairies for the paper. Of all the things Williams was exposed to in the process, what surprised Manny the most?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANNY NAVARRO, "MIAMI HERALD," SPORTS WRITER: The food, treatment, private jets, staying in the fancy hotels, being treated like King Tut, as Willie put it. The fact these 18 and 19 year old kids were being treated like -- I don't know, like royalty, really.
HEMMER: Why do you think Willie was honest with you.
NAVARRO: Just a comfort level. I covered Willie playing high school football here for the last two years. When I talked to him about doing these diaries, he was all excited. I think he saw it as an opportunity to sort of have the spotlight shined on him.
NAVARRO: Do you think he held back at all with his stories?
HEMMER: Do you think he ever censored himself with you.
NAVARRO: Every once in a while we would approach the subject of girls and some of the parties he attended and so forth. And when we get to that subject, he felt like he didn't want to embarrass himself or talk about that anymore. That was really the only thing I think he held back on. Everything else, you know, the food, the restaurants, the fun that he had, that was open game for Willie.
HEMMER: I want to pick a short quote out of the first article you wrote in the series here. I will put it on the screen for our viewers to see. This is Willie Williams talking. "When I got to Miami International Airport, this guy was waiting for me. He was, like, Mr. Williams, right this way. When I got on the plane, I was, like, where's everybody else? It was me, the flight attendant, and the pilot. I was bugging out." That has to be one heck of a scene for a 19-year-old. What do you say about colleges and universities, the responsibility they have in these matters?
NAVARRO: Well, I think in the situation with his trip to Gainesville and how he got into trouble, sort of everything that comes to light, I think the reality is we need to remember these are teenagers. These aren't kids already in college. When they go off on these trips, you know, they're experiencing things that they've never experienced before, being at frat parties, being treated to fancy restaurants and so forth. I think it is like anything else. You send your kids to summer camp. You expect the people there to take care of them. I think in Willie's situation, maybe the people in charge of his trip weren't doing their job correctly.
HEMMER: Now that Willie is in jail, do you have contact with him?
NAVARRO: I haven't spoken to him since the day after signing day, which was last Wednesday. The last thing that I told him was that I wished him well and I wished him luck in his situation.
HEMMER: How does he feel about you?
NAVARRO: You know, it's hard to tell. I haven't spoken to him in a week and there has been a lot of news that's come out since then. I think the last time I spoke to Willie, he said, don't worry, Manny, it's cool. I know you're not the one coming after me. When I talk to him, I'll figure out how much he likes me then.
HEMMER: Manny Navarro has been talking to us from the "Miami Herald" in Miami, Florida. Thanks, Manny, for sharing with us tonight.
More on this story tomorrow here on CNN. We're trying something a bit dicey tonight maybe politically risky with our "Overkill" segment. We're taking in all the hype about the new Mel Gibson movie, out in about 10 days, "The Passion of the Christ." If you think it is disrespectful to kill this overkill, have a look at the merchandise for sale already.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER (voice-over): It's not just lapel pins or the book of the movie or the fan kits. There's also the race car. But most of the hype has been generated by the controversy about the movie. The controversy centers on Gibson's depiction of Jews. He's reportedly rejected modern Biblical scholarship about the Jewish role in the death of Jesus. It adheres (UNINTELLIGIBLE) some say anti-Semitic reading. Gibson denies all charges of anti-Semitism.
MEL GIBSON, ACTOR: It is ludicrous to think this. I don't want to lynch any Jews. It is not what I'm about. I love them. I pray for them.
HEMMER: And though he practices an orthodox form of Catholicism. His literalism may be what's generated so much excitement among Evangelical Protestants about the film. They are already booking theaters and buying tickets in bulk. It is precisely because so many people are interested and see the movie as long-awaited Hollywood acknowledgment of their beliefs. Some are concerned it could revive the notion of Jews as Christ killers.
Ironically, if the overkill attention, positive or negative, turns onscreen violence against Jesus into real life hatred of Jews, the movie will have undercut a central idea extolled in the original story. Love. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: The film is due out on Ash Wednesday. In a moment, here's sad news ahead. On Valentine's day, Ken and Barbie breaking up. Details on how the romance has died in a moment.
Plus tomorrow, the series of love and sex continues. A look at the art of seduction, the art of flirtation is Friday.
First, today's buzz. "How should U.S. deal with human cloning experiments? Ban them or regulate them."
Vote now, CNN.com/360. Results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: After 43 years together, Ken and Barbie are finished. America's perfect couple will be no more. Jeanne Moos tonight has more on the plastic breakup.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First Ben and Jen. Now Barbie and Ken? Their dancing days are over after 43 years of romantic walks and frolicking on the beach. Mattel made it official.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The flame of romance has gone out.
MOOS: At a jampacked press conference, they played the commercial that brought Barbie and Ken together back in 1961.
ANNOUNCER: It could lead to this.
MOOS: Instead, it led to this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She dumped him. He didn't dump her.
MOOS: Any truth to rumors about Ken's sexual orientation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can speak to that. I've been with Ken for ten years. Stop fronting, Ken. It is nice to have you home. You're a liar. I'm straight as an arrow.
MOOS: Jokester reporters aside, Mattel said last year was a challenging one for Barbie sales. Toy analysts describe the break-up as an effort to revitalize the brand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe Barbie will get a new boyfriend.
MOOS: Maybe. Ken's replacement is expected in the fall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've heard rumors and I think his name is Blaine.
MOOS: As for poor Ken...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not being disappeared, he's just simply not going to have the word boyfriend associated with him.
MOOS: A new Barbie was unveiled waving goodbye to Ken. Barbie will be tossing out Ken's photos. As for who gets to keep Barbie's dream house? No question it is Barbie which leaves girls debating where to put him Ken.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I may put my dog...
MOOS: It is a dog eat dog world. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And just in time for Valentine's day.
Time for our "Buzz." We asked you, earlier in the program, "how should the U.S. deal with human cloning experiments? Ban them or regulate them?" More than 20,000 voted tonight. 40 percent say ban them and 60 percent say the way to go is regulation. Not a scientific poll. Just your buzz. Thanks for voting online tonight. I'm Bill Hemmer. Good to have you here this evening and for Anderson Cooper, I hope to see you tomorrow morning bright and early. 7:00 a.m. Eastern time on "AMERICAN MORNING." Until then have a great evening. "PAULA" is next. Good night.
END
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Espionage? Soldier Accused>
