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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
American held hostage in Saudi Arabia, Terrorism on the rise in Saudi Arabia, Should Son of Sam's web log be blocked? Bush hosts the Clintons at the White House
Aired June 14, 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, I'm Anderson Cooper.
Americans under attack in Saudi Arabia, 360 starts now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): The race is on to find and rescue an American kidnapped by terrorists but do the Saudis have the will and the way to stop the reign of terror in their country?
Terror bombs in Baghdad kill 16 but why are these Iraqis blaming America?
The Son of Sam finds God and the Internet. Should the .44 caliber killer's web log be blocked?
And improbable portrait. A presidential pat on the back, Bush and Clinton put the past behind them for posterity.
No longer endangered, now just dangerous, Florida's growing alligator menace.
And, our special series "Keeping the Faith," where are Americans going to find God? The wide-ranging search beyond traditional houses of worship.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COOPER: Good evening. Across the street from a New Jersey home tonight a simple sign with a simple message. "Our prayers are with the Johnson family" it reads, a small but welcome token of support for the loved ones of Paul Johnson, the American contractor who works for Lockheed Martin who was kidnapped in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the same day another American was shot dead in the capital Riyadh.
On an al Qaeda-linked website another simple message, simple but evil, "With God's help" the writers boast they've been able to "take hostage an American pig of the Christian religion."
Also posted what appears to be Johnson's passport, photo, his driver's license and a business card. The Saudi government says it is doing all it can to find Mr. Johnson. His family in New Jersey hold onto hope tonight that he is still alive.
Here's CNN's Deborah Feyerick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paul Johnson's kidnappers have promised to deliver a video, one in which the Lockheed Martin engineer is seen "confessing on camera."
It's a threat that conjures up images of other recent hostages, those who escaped and those who did not. Johnson is one of 35,000 Americans living and working in Saudi Arabia. His son pleaded for his father's safe return before flying from Florida to New Jersey to join family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all got to do jobs, you know, and he just does not deserve what has happened.
FEYERICK: The 49-year-old New Jersey native is an expert on Apache helicopters and night vision systems. His kidnappers say they're members of a group called the Arabian Peninsula Mujahadeen (ph). They make clear on their website they've been staking him out just as they did two other Americans, both fatally shot last week in their Riyadh garages.
The kidnappers accuse Johnson of "improving planes used repeatedly by Americans and their Zionist allies to launch attacks and kill Muslims and scare them and make them homeless in Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq."
A warning from the U.S. embassy in Riyadh immediately following the kidnapping, instructs westerners to take precautions like varying routines to be unpredictable and in traffic "Do not get boxed in...be prepared to take evasive action at any time."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Paul Johnson's mother and sister left home here in New Jersey around lunch time. They went to the Atlantic City Airport to pick up Johnson's son. They have not returned.
We are told by a state trooper and a neighbor that they will not be arriving back for several days choosing instead to wait for word in a more private place away from the dozen or so cameras that wait in front of their home -- Anderson.
COOPER: Deb Feyerick, thanks very much for that tonight.
Just moments ago in Iraq the interim prime minister said that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, as well as all other Iraqi detainees, will be handed over in the next two weeks, handed over to the new government in Iraq. The decision comes on a day when insurgents left their mark yet again.
In Baghdad today a deadly car bombing immediately followed by an anti-American demonstration as you see there. A car blast killed 13 and an angry mob filled the streets hitting the burned up vehicles with sticks and stones. The chants familiar, "down with the USA." "No, no governing council." Standing by live in Baghdad, CNN's Baghdad Bureau Chief Jane Arraf. Good evening Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Anderson.
There's a lot riding on that June 30 handover. One of them, according to the prime minister designate, possibly getting Saddam Hussein in Iraqi custody but there's still a lot that has to be done before that will actually happen, including keeping him secure.
The other thing that people are looking forward to, looking to with apprehension, is the prospect of increased violence as that date approaches and we saw some of that on Monday morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARRAF (voice-over): Morning rush hour turned into a desperate rush to rescue survivors. Most of the victims of this latest car bomb were working-class Iraqis but the target appeared to be the coalition.
As a convoy of western contractors drove through this densely packed street a suspected suicide car bomb packed with more than half a ton of explosives detonated. Three General Electric employees and two of their security personnel were killed. The dead included two Britons, an American and a French national.
Some of the dozens of wounded were carried into nearby hospitals. Iraq's new political leaders warned that Iraqis could see the worst violence in the coming weeks since the end of major combat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to say that the situation will be escalating in the coming days and we know the objectives behind these attacks. But I would like to say that we will achieve victory and we will protect our people from all of these criminal and vicious crimes against the Iraqi people.
ARRAF: In the streets near the blast Monday, some Iraqis took out their anger on reporters, on American soldiers and on what was left of the vehicles blaming the U.S. for not preventing attacks like this, attacks that most officials believe won't stop until Iraqis are able to prevent them themselves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARRAF: And that will have to wait until the new Iraqi police and Iraqi security forces are able to secure this country themselves -- Anderson.
COOPER: And let's hope that happens soon. Jane Arraf, thanks very much.
Prime Minister Ayad Allawi will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING" tomorrow at 7:00 a.m.
One of the challenges in the war on terror, of course, is stopping attacks before they happen and arresting those who may have only plotted an attack. Just such a case was revealed today by the Justice Department.
CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. officials say they may have thwarted a devastating attack on an Ohio shopping mall.
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: The American heartland was targeted for death and destruction by an al Qaeda cell, which allegedly including a Somali immigrant who will now face justice.
ARENA: Nuradin Abdi, a 32-year-old Somali, is charged with providing material support to al Qaeda for allegedly conspiring to set off a bomb at an unidentified mall.
KEVIN BROCK, FBI: There can be a presumption perhaps that because the conspirators were in our area that they were looking at malls in our area but we don't have that specificity.
ARENA: As the charges were read in court, Abdi did not enter a plea. His brothers insist he is innocent.
MOHAMED ABDIKARAMI, BROTHER: I think of it as all lies and stuff because it's not something that Nuradin would be capable of doing. Usually he would be the guy that would hate terrorism.
ARENA: One of Abdi's co-conspirators, according to the government, was convicted al Qaeda operative Ayman Faris, who is already serving 20 years in prison.
Law enforcement officials say Abdi was under surveillance before being taken into immigration custody in November. He's also charged with fraud and misuse of documents.
The FBI says the shopping mall plot was just one of the threats associated with Abdi but it's the only one listed in the indictment. Terror experts say malls are wide open to attack.
KEN PIERNICK, FORMER FBI COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL: The bomb, if it's a suicide bomb, can be constructed just about any place and then freely transported. We don't have internal security checkpoints to stop people to look for the contents of their vehicles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: The FBI and Homeland Security officials insist there was no imminent danger and sources say the plot was in the early stages. Still, officials say, the investigation into Abdi and anyone he associated with continues -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Kelli Arena from Washington. Thanks, Kelli.
God can stay in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Supreme Court ruling tops our look at what's happening tonight "Cross Country."
The high court tossed a lower court ruling that the Pledge was unconstitutional because it contains the phrase "under God." The justices ruled against atheist Michael Newdow who didn't want his daughter to have to listen to the Pledge in school.
The court didn't rule on the basic issue in the case but threw it out on a technicality saying that Newdow didn't have standing since he doesn't have full custody of his daughter.
In Washington, the Bush administration is rejecting on moral grounds the calls from the family of Ronald Reagan to ease restrictions on stem cell research. Many scientists believe stem cell research may lead to a cure one day for diseases like Alzheimer's.
And the White House, President and Senator Clinton returned today for the official unveiling of their portraits. President Bush welcomed Mr. and Mrs. Clinton in an East Room ceremony. Both portraits of the Clintons were painted by an Alabama artist Simmie Knox. More on this later on 360.
Mulvane, Kansas, a tornado destroys a house in this small community. Severe weather across the state left thousands without power, caused flash flooding and at least one death. Unbelievable images there. Even so, one local forecaster said, and I quote: "It is nothing out of the ordinary just typical springtime weather in Kansas.
That's a look at stories "Cross Country" right now.
360 next, an unthinkable crime, a mother kills her two daughters then calls police to confess. What drove this woman over the edge? We'll take a closer look.
Also tonight, Florida's gator problem from endangered species to, well it seems like, out of control. Take a look at that.
And our special weeklong series "Keeping the Faith." How far are we going in pursuit of spirituality? Iyanla Vanzant is our special guest but first, all that ahead, your picks, the most popular stories on cnn.com right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, some terrible statistics there. It has happened again, a crime we've seen before certainly but a crime that hasn't lost the power to shock, the power to horrify, a mother taking the life of her own children.
CNN's Kimberly Osias has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is 38-year- old Charlene Dorsey (ph), married mother of two, and now an accused murderer after calling authorities and leading them to the bodies of her own two daughters.
Police say it happened here in this remote area, 30 miles northeast of Carson, Washington, near the Pinchot National Forest. It was Dorsey herself that actually led police to the grisly discovery, the bodies of 2-year-old Brittany (ph) and 4-year-old Jessica (ph) Dorsey found lying on a blanket.
DAVE BROWN, SKAMANIA COUNTY CHERIFF: Very selfish although it's evident to us at this point that much thought went into this.
OSIAS: Today in her first court appearance, Dorsey was charged with two counts of aggravated murder.
BROWN: We have never really faced a case like this here. While professionally it's a frustrating situation, personally it's doubly hard to really fathom this and understand why.
OSIAS: Police say Saturday afternoon Dorsey drove the girls some two hours through winding country roads to an abandoned rock quarry where she allegedly shot and killed the two girls. Wary neighbors say they always felt something just wasn't right.
JEREMY BROOKS, NEIGHBOR: The kids were excellent kids. The father seemed to be a good father. You could always kind of sense that there was something maybe a little different about the mother.
OSIAS: Police have not disclosed a motive yet. Dorsey remains jailed on a $1 million bond. If convicted, she could face the death penalty.
Kimberly Osias CNN, Seattle, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Let's take a quick look at what's happening around the globe in tonight's "Up Link."
In Washington, the U.S. says ten countries have poor track records on human trafficking and could be punished with stiff sanctions. The countries are Bangladesh, Burma, Cuba, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, North Korea, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Venezuela.
In Israel now, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon survives a no confidence vote in Israel's parliament today, the vote a defeat for critics of his plan to pull Jewish settlers out of Gaza.
London and Tokyo, a costly tale of two cities, a news survey says that Tokyo still the most expensive in the world to live. London takes the number two spot on the list. Among U.S. cities, New York is the costliest but, of course, most New Yorkers don't need a survey to tell them that.
And, in France, it is not James Bond, it's Richard Branson dressed to kill or just for a martini, the dapper CEO of Virgin Atlantic Airways crossed the English Channel in a sports car turned speedboat or amphibious vessel today setting a new world record, and yes they do have records for that sort of thing, the time one hour forty minutes.
And in Sydney, Australia, officials say Steve Irwin's dangling near danger again. The guy who did this, remember letting his baby get up close and personal with a croc, is now suspected of getting too cozy with penguins, a seal and humpback whales while filming a documentary in Antarctica. Rules limit how close visitors can get to the wildlife. Irwin says he did nothing wrong.
And that's tonight's "Up Link."
They may need Steve Irwin down in Florida where a once endangered creature is suddenly running wild. Here's CNN's John Zarrella.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Try explaining this one to your insurance agent. It was no lie an alligator that ate Carolyn Christian's (ph) bumper, a last desperate act of defiance before its capture.
Another took a bite out of Jennifer Cook's (ph) dog.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I got my dog and took him right to the hospital.
ZARRELLA: This time of year in Florida, alligators are on the move. Dry weather sends them in search of water. It's mating season too. Gators end up looking for love in all the wrong places, which brings out the local trapper to remove the critter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That alligator has eaten something recently. Look at that belly. That's probably a dog in there.
ZARRELLA (on camera): This is where gators are supposed to be, out here in the Everglades but it's not surprising to find them just about anywhere. The alligator is one of nature's greatest comeback stories.
(voice-over): Twenty-five years ago the alligator was an endangered species. Now there are more than one million in Florida but Fish and Wildlife officers say people who feed them turn the creatures into nuisance gators signing their death warrants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you call in and you have an aggressive alligator and we have to come and respond to remove it, the animal is not just taken back out to the Everglades. It is killed. That is our policy.
ZARRELLA: It would be better, wildlife officials say, if humans and alligators didn't have to coexist but, in Florida where land is a premium, people and gators are increasingly calling the same territory home.
John Zarrella, CNN, Miami. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And here's a "Fast Fact" for you. Alligators may be in abundance but their accessories will cost you an arm and a leg, figuratively speaking, of course. A Hermes alligator handbag can sell for up to $80,000. They accept only ten percent of the skins they see. A flaw as simple as a mosquito bite, they say, is enough to get the skin rejected. Who knew?
360 next, "Keeping the Faith," the American press for a spiritual life, part of our special weeklong series. Best selling author Iyanla Vanzant joins us live.
Also tonight an American kidnapped. Al Qaeda spreads its web of terror.
And a little later, Son of Sam on the web, the notorious serial killer haunts his victims online.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Some statistics on faith in America from a recent Gallup poll. Roughly 60 percent of Americans say that religion is very important in their lives yet for some people belief in a higher power does not lead them to a church or a synagogue or a mosque. Instead they have turned to non-traditional religions. In a moment I'll talk with best-selling author Iyanla Vanzant about this growing trend.
But first Adaora Udoji on the search for spirituality, part one of our weeklong series, "Keeping the Faith."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to be talking about Zen and creativity.
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nestled among this crowd exploring the Zen of creativity is Manda Stretch on a quest to find a religion.
MANDA STRETCH, SEEKING ALTERNATIVE RELIGION: I've done a little bit of all of them and I kind of came to my own sense of my own connection to God or spirit.
UDOJI: That journey is shared by millions of Americans, including the rich and famous, some traveling on unconventional paths. Superstar Madonna, along with Britney Spears and Demi Moore have shined new light on Kabbalah, the ancient study of Jewish mysticism.
At the Laughing Lotus, they search for inner peace in yoga. Others study Wicca or witchcraft but that's ancient traditions tied to nature, not hexes.
PHYLLIS CUROTT, AUTHOR, "BOOK OF SHADOWS": We seek to learn from the earth. The earth for us is because it's the embodiment of the divine it's our spiritual teacher. UDOJI: Surveys show Wicca is the fastest-growing alternative religion though their numbers are small, roughly 150,000 people compared to traditional truth seekers.
Nearly half the country 160 million adults identify themselves as Christians, according to a City University of New York study. Overall, 81 percent identify with a specific religion, seven million with Judaism, anywhere from one to seven million with Islam depending on the study.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Religion has remained attractive to people and has answered many of their deepest needs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sort of think of myself as being on sort of a path or a journey.
UDOJI: It's a path conventional or not Americans are embracing, seeking the road to enlightenment.
Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Iyanla Vanzant has written 13 inspirational books, including "Until Today: Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind." Before all the books and motivational speeches she turned to her faith when leaving her abusive husband, she says, then eventually became a lawyer and later an ordained minister.
Appropriately, her chosen name Iyanla means great mother. She joins me from Washington tonight. Iyanla, thanks for being on the program.
IYANLA VANZANT, AUTHOR: Thank you for having me.
COOPER: You know this recent survey found that the number of Americans who claim no religious identity has actually doubled in the past decade. What do you make of this? What are these people not finding in traditional religions?
VANZANT: I think they're not finding that intimate connection, that personal connection with God, a higher power. I think they're not finding a sense of peace and a sense of comfort in just moving through our everyday living and our everyday lives because that comfort, that peace, that intimacy, that knowledge comes from within yourself and not from outside structure or rituals or ceremonies.
COOPER: But often those who do find that comfort, that peace, in a traditional religion, be it Christianity or Judaism or Islam, will look at those sort of seeking, you know, going to yoga or Kabbalah classes and sort of say well, you know, it's kind of a buffet style. You're kind of picking whatever you want, kind of whatever feels good but, you know, part of spirituality and faith is sacrifice.
VANZANT: Well, why shouldn't God feel good? I think that we each have to choose that intimate connection with God that feels good to us. I personally don't see yoga or the Kabbalah as religions as such but I do see them as disciplines, as practices, as processes, as theories that will get us to that place of stillness where we can find God.
COOPER: And you say people aren't actually searching for spirituality. They're actually I think your term was searching for their authentic selves. What do you mean?
VANZANT: Their authentic self is that spirit, is that sense of self, is that connection within the self and it's not going to come from a book. It's not an intellectual process. It's not an external process but an internal one where we can stand fully in our own divinity in our lives in every aspect of our lives and know that we are OK the way we are.
COOPER: Why do you think that the traditional outlets, I guess for these people, aren't really -- that they can't find what they're looking for there? I mean I guess the people who belong to the traditional outlets will look askance maybe at those on this search.
VANZANT: Well, this is not to say that church is the only way nor that people shouldn't consider church. I think what happens very often in traditional forms of religion we find a lot of fear.
They're fear based and yet there are so many rules and regulations, so many parameters that you have to function within, if you don't to this that will happen, if you do this that might happen. That might not happen.
And people are looking for a deeper sense of connection and oneness and knowing that they can then bring forward as their being- ness and not as a doing. Very often religion gives us things to do and not a way to be.
COOPER: And you say men and women approach this search differently or you're finding that.
VANZANT: I think men are finally catching up to what women have already known.
COOPER: Isn't that the case many times?
VANZANT: Well, yes, absolutely. I'm glad you acknowledge that but that connection is within you. I think a woman, because she gives life, she carries life in her being can look within, turn within, feel within at a depth that men are just realizing are possible for them.
COOPER: And to the people who ask you how people in their daily life, in moment to moment, can find some sense of spiritual fulfillment, if they haven't found it thus far what's your advice?
VANZANT: I think stay present in the moment, breaths, prayer, meditation, breath, prayer, meditation. You got financial problems, breath, prayer, meditation to still the mind and bring you to that place, the center where that spirit that is the divine, that is God, that is the higher self, will speak to you, guide you, and once you hear the voice we learn to trust the process. Meditation brings us to that so breath, prayer, meditation, stay in the moment.
COOPER: I'll take a breath and we'll come back. Iyanla Vanzant, it was fascinating to talk to you. Thank you very much.
VANZANT: Thank you.
COOPER: Well, today's "Buzz" question is this. What do you think? Do you believe in God? Log onto cnn.com/360, cast your vote. I'll have results at the end of the program.
Tomorrow night as our series "Keeping the Faith" continues, religion gets hip, celebrities sporting "Jesus is my homeboy" tee shirts, the Bible repackaged to look like "Glamour" magazine. It's all happening out there. There are also some Christian nightclubs. We'll take you inside one and see what this trend is all about.
On Wednesday, faith and healing, meet a patient who battled a serious illness with belief in a higher power and a doctor who believes in treating the soul.
Thursday, spreading the word, the unprecedented phenomenon Christian books topping best-seller lists, I'll talk with the authors, the apocalyptically popular left behind series.
And, on Friday, interfaith families, they come together in good faith but sometimes it is faith that also tears them apart, a look at the hurdles faced by one interfaith family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): The race is on to find and rescue an American kidnapped by terrorists but do the Saudis have the will and the way to stop the reign of terror in their country?
The Son of Sam finds God and the Internet, should the .44 caliber killer's web log be blocked?
An improbable portrait, a presidential pat on the back, Bush and Clinton put the past behind them for posterity. 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: 360 next. An American hostage and a web of terror. Al Qaeda changing tactics to spread fear. Is hostage taking part of a new way? Peter Bergen joins us live.
Plus back on the trail. Bush and Kerry resume their sparring with the shadow of former presidents looming large over both men.
First let's take a look at tonight's top stories in the "Reset." At the Pentagon, a military fashion show. The U.S. Army unveils its new combat uniform. Eighteen changes were made. The biggest one, a digitized camouflage pattern. What the soldiers may like most, it is wrinkle free.
Good news for gas guzzlers. For the first time this summer, average retail gasoline prices have dropped below $2 a gallon. The average national rate per gallon of unleaded regular is $1.98, of course, that is still 47 cents a gallon higher than it was this time last year. More on this later on tonight.
In Redwood City, California, defense attorney Mark Geragos angrily asked the judge in the Scott Peterson murder case for a mistrial. The judge told him he was not in the movies and denied the motion. Geragos was angry because he was not told in advance of testimony given by two police officers who had questioned Scott Peterson the day his wife disappeared.
In Columbia, South Carolina, the godfather of soul got a break in court. Singer James Brown pled guilty to a domestic violence charge stemming from a fight with his wife. Brown's plea means he will forfeit about $1,000 in bond money but he won't have to go to jail.
And finally, researchers have now shown that knowing two languages helps keep your mind quick and agile even when you get older. Canadian researchers found that, in both young and old test subjects, people who speak two languages were generally quicker than their peers who only spoke a single language. That's a quick look at the top stories in the "Reset" tonight.
In New Jersey, a family is holding out hope tonight that Paul Johnson will be found alive and well. The American contractor who works for Lockheed Martin is missing far away from home. He was kidnapped by terrorists in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. His son says he's likely wondering how he got himself in the situation and how he can get himself out of it. May be tough. His kidnapers say they are members of a group called the Arabia Peninsula Mujahideen, a splinter group of al Qaeda and they make clear on their Web site they had been staking him out. Joining me now from Washington, CNN's terrorism analyst Peter Bergen. Peter, good to see you tonight. This group, have you heard of them before? What do you know?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: I haven't really heard of this specific group but I imagine it's one of many splinter groups from al Qaeda or maybe just a new name. I mean, essentially it's the same policy that these groups are pursuing which is, a, to get foreigners out of Saudi Arabia, b, to jack the price of oil up, which they're succeeding at unfortunately rather well, and c, to get rid of the House of Saud which is the long-term objective of all these groups to get rid of the House of Saud and install some kind of quasi- fundamentalist state in Saudi Arabia.
COOPER: The Saudi Arabian government says, look, we're doing all we can. They're actively trying to track down this group. What I don't understand, though, I mean, they're basically a police state. It's an incredibly repressive government, they clearly seem to know a lot what's going on in their country. It's very hard to get into the country. Why aren't they more on top of this?
BERGEN: Well, one thing is the size of the opposition is pretty large. Since May of 2003, Anderson, we've seen multiple attacks by al Qaeda or al Qaeda affiliates in Saudi Arabia; 85 people killed. We've also seen, you know, random shootings of westerners and now targeted kidnappings, as a result of which the price of oil has gone up from about $32 a barrel some months ago to 42 barrels today, which is the highest it's ever been.
And substantial amount of that is the so-called fear premium on the price of oil. And I think that number is going to go up. You did have a piece earlier pointing out that the gas price seems to have gone down temporarily. But the price on a barrel of oil, which ultimately leads to the price at the pump, is going up, and if this continues, westerners will not -- are leaving already Saudi Arabia in droves and these kinds of targeted kidnappings are obviously going to encourage more people to leave. In fact, the United States State Department has already said that the people should leave.
COOPER: But has the Saudi government really done all they can? The sites where westerners live are limited. They're supposed to be protected. And yet, people are able to drive in. There was the hostage taking just the other week.
BERGEN: Well, they're certainly doing a lot more than they did up to -- after May, 2003, they're in a different posture, after the first attack in Riyadh which killed some school -- score people. It's a big country. This is a substantial opposition movement. They did try and do this rescue, a very screwed up rescue some weeks ago where 22 people were killed and three out of the four people who were doing this kind of hostage operation escaped.
COOPER: Right. They let the guys go and they said we know who they are but still they let them go. Are these groups becoming -- is al Qaeda becoming more of a horizontal organization? We've sort of heard that before. These sort of splinter groups, are they part of al Qaeda or are they wannabes?
BERGEN: Probably at the end of the day if the bomb goes off, you don't care if it's al Qaeda or al Qaeda wannabes. I think there are people operating in the name of Osama bin Laden. At this point, you know, Osama bin Laden is just giving general ideological direction, there's no command and control but certainly the word has already gone out for the past year at least that attacks in Saudi Arabia are OK. Previously, al Qaeda or its affiliates would not attack inside Saudi Arabia. Obviously, some kind of message came down from the top that that was OK. This is really the main thing they want to do is destabilize Saudi Arabia to the point where the House of Saud may disappear.
COOPER: It's an interesting new tactic. Peter Bergen, thanks very much.
It's often said that out of death something good happens. Consider the passing of Ronald Reagan. His death actually inspired a brief period of political civility between President Bush and Senator John Kerry, rare occurrence indeed. But now both men are hoping to stay in office. Both the man who's hoping to stay in office and the one hoping to oust him are back in battle mode. CNN's Candy Crowley is on the campaign trail tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Last week's nostalgia for Reagan era bipartisanship wafted into this week. The Bushes entertained, and we do mean entertained, the Clintons at the unveiling of their official White House portraits.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The five-time governor of Arkansas, the first man from that state to become the president. He's also the first man in his party since Franklin Roosevelt to win a second term in the White House. I can tell you more of the story but it's coming out in fine bookstores all over America.
CROWLEY: A week of tributes to Ronald Reagan and now Bill Clinton's book. It's getting so an '04 candidate can't get a word in edgewise but they keep trying. The Bush campaign is up and out with the ads it intended to run last week and the middle class squeeze week John Kerry canceled when President Reagan died is also under way.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're here. We're here to make sure that Americans get a job wherein you work and work hard and you can actually pay your bills.
CROWLEY: Off the radar screen for a week, Kerry managed to shorten his list of number twos by one. Sources say Republican John McCain has told Kerry repeatedly he will not be his running mate though it is added Kerry never directly asked nor would he tell.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator, do you deny asking Senator McCain to be your running mate?
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're here to have a great afternoon...
CROWLEY: President Clinton has reportedly said he will use his book tour to promote Kerry and not do anything to overshadow the campaign, an appropriate gesture but probably unrealistic.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, coming up next on 360, one of the most notorious serial killers has resurfaced. There he is, the Son of Sam, using the Internet to say he's a changed man. The story and the controversy next.
Also tonight, Bill Clinton. You just saw his portrait hanging in the White House, his official presidential portrait. Well, we'll get some reviews of that straight ahead. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID BERKOWITZ, "SON OF SAM": I feel that God has made me a good person, a decent person. I was not always a good person, and there's a part of everyone that has the propensity to do bad, even today. I know I can choose to do bad, but I don't want to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Those were the words of the Son of Sam, serial killer David Berkowitz. If you're of a certain age, no doubt his face, his name are etched in your memory. In 1977, the .44 caliber killer turned New York City into a shooting gallery, before he was finally caught, sent to prison.
Just last week, Berkowitz was denied parole again. He's been behind bars for more than a quarter-century. But now, the one-time Son of Sam has found a new weapon and his use of it is tormenting his victims' families.
CNN's David Mattingly has more in tonight's "Justice Served."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-seven years ago, Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz terrorized New York City with a string of violence that left six dead and seven wounded. At times, he taunted police with notes, claiming to be driven by demons in the form of his neighbor's dogs.
JOE COFFEY, BERKOWITZ CASE DETECTIVE: For three hours, he didn't blink his eyes once, he had a constant smile on his face, and it was like talking to a zucchini.
MATTINGLY: Since then, Berkowitz has been the subject of books and movies, while he serves six consecutive 25 years to life sentences. Occasionally granting interviews, the man once calling himself Beelzebub now claims to have found Christ, redemption and remorse.
BERKOWITZ: Son of Sam was a demon that worshipped Satan and was foolish. And David Berkowitz is a man who's been redeemed and forgiven.
MATTINGLY: But not forgiven by the families of his victims, who are now angered that Berkowitz has a Web site, hosted by the House Upon the Rock Church in San Diego. A spokesman identifying himself as Neil K. declined to be interviewed on camera, but responded to our e- mail saying "The site promotes the Christian belief that there is hope for any person, no matter what they have done, to change."
There's also a letter to his victims and their families. He writes he does not expect their forgiveness and they have every right to be angry. He claims he is sorry and says, "I will always pray for each of you, and I do wish you the best."
David Mattingly, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Stacy Moskowitz was Son of Sam's last victim, shot and killed by David Berkowitz in 1977. Her mother, Neysa Moskowitz, is with us now from Miami. Neysa, thanks for being with us. You have not seen this Web site. You don't -- I know you don't want to...
NEYSA MOSKOWITZ, MOTHER OF STACY MOSKOWITZ: No.
COOPER: ... and I certainly understand that. When you heard of its existence, what went through your mind?
MOSKOWITZ: You know, first of all, he makes me feel like stone inside of me. He's an animal. Anybody in prison is there for a reason. They did something wrong and they deserve to go to jail. I can see people out here in Miami, New York, wherever, people have to choose between food and medicine. And they have cable? I'm sorry. I don't think so.
COOPER: You know, Neysa, I understand he, this guy Berkowitz, actually sends -- he sent you a card on Mother's Day? He has written you letters.
MOSKOWITZ: I have many letters from him.
COOPER: I mean, have you ever responded to them? What...
MOSKOWITZ: Yes, I did
COOPER: What have you said to him?
MOSKOWITZ: Well, for one thing, I wanted to know my daughter's killer. I know my daughter's killer now. And in fact, it was an old friend of Berkowitz, and when he asked him, "did you kill all those people?" And David answered, I don't know if I'm saying it verbatim, yes, I did, and so what?
COOPER: Do you believe he's a changed man? I mean, he says he's found God in prison. Do you think there's some sort of bid, maybe hoping -- holding out hope he might get parole some day?
MOSKOWITZ: No. Why would he want to come out there? He became an important man in prison. He became a minister or whatever. And people look up to him. Like he's some sort of a VIP. He had no life out here. He was like a fly. But he's got something there. He's got a following.
COOPER: This church that operates this Web site told us, and I'm going to put it on the screen, they said, "we understand that the pain David caused by his actions was and still is for the victims' families immense, but we also know that holding bitterness and hatred inside of a person eats them alive and serves no useful purpose." What would you like to say to them?
MOSKOWITZ: Well, I blame my second cancer and my first cancer on him. I buried three children, all horribly. I'm the only one left in my family. I do speak to one of my favorite uncles. He's five years older than I am, but that's about it. And at one time, I did have a big family. My mother was one of six.
COOPER: Well, I know it's a difficult thing for you to talk about, Neysa. We do appreciate it, and our thoughts are with you and with your daughter Stacy tonight. Thank you very much, Neysa Moskowitz.
We asked the New York State Department of Correctional Services about David Berkowitz's Web site. They said, quote, "The New York State denies prison inmates direct access to the Internet. However, the courts have ruled inmates have a First Amendment right to ask providers on the outside to post their words on the Internet for them. We believe affording inmates such a platform is deplorable, and a terrible infliction of further pain on crime victims."
Well, 360 next, Bill Clinton framed by the White House. Not what you think, though. The former president and first lady on hand today for the unveiling of their official portraits.
Also, forget about gas, forget about oil. The price of milk is now at an all-time high. We'll take the cost of dairy to "The Nth Degree."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Well, former President Bill Clinton and his wife Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton made a triumphant return to the White House today where the current occupants greeted them with open arms. The Clintons were also guaranteed a place in the White House for years to come as long as they're on canvas and painted in oil. CNN's Jeanne Moos, explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's bad enough having your picture taken, but having your portrait publicly unveiled?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the artist is being extraordinarily kind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill looks about 20 years younger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He looks a little dry. Like maybe he had a bad night.
MOOS: But the Clintons had a good day at the White House, though George W. did joke about Mr. Clinton's optimism.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I mean, after all, you've got to be optimistic to give six months of your life running the McGovern campaign in Texas.
MOOS: He turned red laughing. Laughter is not something one sees in presidential portraits, except Ronald Reagan's. Mr. Clinton was painted by the artist Simmie Knox, the first African-American to paint an official presidential portrait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a really stupid colored tie.
MOOS: Mr. Clinton was dressed practically like his portrait. The president told of getting offers from plastic surgeons while he was in the White House. WILLIAM CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Saying if you would just let me straighten your nose and take the bags out from under your eyes. It was like if you had a different face, you'd be handsome.
MOOS: The first lady broke with tradition in two ways, the big smile and...
(on camera): ... this is the first first lady ever painted in a pantsuit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ahh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe she wears the pants in the relationship.
MOOS: All the other first ladies are dressed in dainty gowns, looking like, dare we say, Stepford Wives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We always want to look our very best.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On her best day, she never looked that good.
MOOS (on camera): You don't think? I think on her best day she looked this good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the way all that stuff there. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) stuff.
MOOS: Wait, what stuff are we talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, the chin stuff.
MOOS (voice-over): Being a famous portrait means having to take it on the chin and everywhere else.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Man, New Yorkers are tough, aren't they?
Anyway, time to check on some pop news in tonight's "Current." Let's take a look.
Britney Spears is coming out with a new perfume. The 22-year-old pop singer will launch Curious. The scent is described as a blend of flowers and musk. Though some think it also has just a hint of desperation in it.
Congratulations to Courtney Cox and David Arquette. Cox gave birth this weekend to a baby girl. Everyone is really happy about the news, especially NBC, which has signed the baby to star in "Friends, The Next Generation." Jackie Chan wants to be taken seriously. Chan says he wants to play dramatic roles that have meaningful dialogue. Producers think it is a great idea, but to avoid any injury, all his lines will be read by a stunt actor.
And TBS will begin running episodes of "Sex and the City" tomorrow. But the reruns will be sanitized for syndication. For example, all the sex scenes will be replaced by this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "GREASE")
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: All right, that won't really happen.
Coming up on 360, a tale of two liquids. Gallons of trouble taken to "The Nth Degree."
And tomorrow religion gets hip. Part of our special series "Keeping The Faith." We'll take you to a Christian nightclub. No cover charge required. Wait until you see the bouncer.
First today's Buzz, do you believe in God?
Part of our week-long series on "Keeping The Faith." Log on to cnn.com/360. Cast your vote. Results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time now for "The Buzz."
Earlier we asked you, do you believe in God?
Sixty-six percent said, yes, 34 percent said, no. Not a scientific poll, but it is your "Buzz." We appreciate you voting.
Tonight taking apples and oranges to "The Nth Degree." That of course is the standard figure of speech for things that cannot be compared, which oil and milk cannot be, to be sure. Still, consider, oil is at an all time high. Gas is going for just a hair under two bucks a gallon. As of today, the first decrease in five weeks. But milk is at an all-time high as well. It's twice as expensive as gas, over four bucks a gallon.
And here's the point, this is without a cartel, without OMEC, the Organization of Milk Exporting Countries, the dairy equivalent of OPEC. There are no milkshakes for heaven's sake. No one is controlling the worldwide flow of milk, so let's hear it for American's dairy farmers, they got us over twice the barrel, those sultans of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so devilish hard to roll our way. Really the pumpers of the Middle East ought to be ashamed of themselves compared to the pullers of the U.S. of A. By the way, the milk of human kindness is up too, but that is a scarcity problem.
I'm Anderson Cooper, thanks for watching 360. "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
Aired June 14, 2004 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, I'm Anderson Cooper.
Americans under attack in Saudi Arabia, 360 starts now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): The race is on to find and rescue an American kidnapped by terrorists but do the Saudis have the will and the way to stop the reign of terror in their country?
Terror bombs in Baghdad kill 16 but why are these Iraqis blaming America?
The Son of Sam finds God and the Internet. Should the .44 caliber killer's web log be blocked?
And improbable portrait. A presidential pat on the back, Bush and Clinton put the past behind them for posterity.
No longer endangered, now just dangerous, Florida's growing alligator menace.
And, our special series "Keeping the Faith," where are Americans going to find God? The wide-ranging search beyond traditional houses of worship.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COOPER: Good evening. Across the street from a New Jersey home tonight a simple sign with a simple message. "Our prayers are with the Johnson family" it reads, a small but welcome token of support for the loved ones of Paul Johnson, the American contractor who works for Lockheed Martin who was kidnapped in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the same day another American was shot dead in the capital Riyadh.
On an al Qaeda-linked website another simple message, simple but evil, "With God's help" the writers boast they've been able to "take hostage an American pig of the Christian religion."
Also posted what appears to be Johnson's passport, photo, his driver's license and a business card. The Saudi government says it is doing all it can to find Mr. Johnson. His family in New Jersey hold onto hope tonight that he is still alive.
Here's CNN's Deborah Feyerick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paul Johnson's kidnappers have promised to deliver a video, one in which the Lockheed Martin engineer is seen "confessing on camera."
It's a threat that conjures up images of other recent hostages, those who escaped and those who did not. Johnson is one of 35,000 Americans living and working in Saudi Arabia. His son pleaded for his father's safe return before flying from Florida to New Jersey to join family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all got to do jobs, you know, and he just does not deserve what has happened.
FEYERICK: The 49-year-old New Jersey native is an expert on Apache helicopters and night vision systems. His kidnappers say they're members of a group called the Arabian Peninsula Mujahadeen (ph). They make clear on their website they've been staking him out just as they did two other Americans, both fatally shot last week in their Riyadh garages.
The kidnappers accuse Johnson of "improving planes used repeatedly by Americans and their Zionist allies to launch attacks and kill Muslims and scare them and make them homeless in Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq."
A warning from the U.S. embassy in Riyadh immediately following the kidnapping, instructs westerners to take precautions like varying routines to be unpredictable and in traffic "Do not get boxed in...be prepared to take evasive action at any time."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Paul Johnson's mother and sister left home here in New Jersey around lunch time. They went to the Atlantic City Airport to pick up Johnson's son. They have not returned.
We are told by a state trooper and a neighbor that they will not be arriving back for several days choosing instead to wait for word in a more private place away from the dozen or so cameras that wait in front of their home -- Anderson.
COOPER: Deb Feyerick, thanks very much for that tonight.
Just moments ago in Iraq the interim prime minister said that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, as well as all other Iraqi detainees, will be handed over in the next two weeks, handed over to the new government in Iraq. The decision comes on a day when insurgents left their mark yet again.
In Baghdad today a deadly car bombing immediately followed by an anti-American demonstration as you see there. A car blast killed 13 and an angry mob filled the streets hitting the burned up vehicles with sticks and stones. The chants familiar, "down with the USA." "No, no governing council." Standing by live in Baghdad, CNN's Baghdad Bureau Chief Jane Arraf. Good evening Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Anderson.
There's a lot riding on that June 30 handover. One of them, according to the prime minister designate, possibly getting Saddam Hussein in Iraqi custody but there's still a lot that has to be done before that will actually happen, including keeping him secure.
The other thing that people are looking forward to, looking to with apprehension, is the prospect of increased violence as that date approaches and we saw some of that on Monday morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARRAF (voice-over): Morning rush hour turned into a desperate rush to rescue survivors. Most of the victims of this latest car bomb were working-class Iraqis but the target appeared to be the coalition.
As a convoy of western contractors drove through this densely packed street a suspected suicide car bomb packed with more than half a ton of explosives detonated. Three General Electric employees and two of their security personnel were killed. The dead included two Britons, an American and a French national.
Some of the dozens of wounded were carried into nearby hospitals. Iraq's new political leaders warned that Iraqis could see the worst violence in the coming weeks since the end of major combat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to say that the situation will be escalating in the coming days and we know the objectives behind these attacks. But I would like to say that we will achieve victory and we will protect our people from all of these criminal and vicious crimes against the Iraqi people.
ARRAF: In the streets near the blast Monday, some Iraqis took out their anger on reporters, on American soldiers and on what was left of the vehicles blaming the U.S. for not preventing attacks like this, attacks that most officials believe won't stop until Iraqis are able to prevent them themselves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARRAF: And that will have to wait until the new Iraqi police and Iraqi security forces are able to secure this country themselves -- Anderson.
COOPER: And let's hope that happens soon. Jane Arraf, thanks very much.
Prime Minister Ayad Allawi will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING" tomorrow at 7:00 a.m.
One of the challenges in the war on terror, of course, is stopping attacks before they happen and arresting those who may have only plotted an attack. Just such a case was revealed today by the Justice Department.
CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. officials say they may have thwarted a devastating attack on an Ohio shopping mall.
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: The American heartland was targeted for death and destruction by an al Qaeda cell, which allegedly including a Somali immigrant who will now face justice.
ARENA: Nuradin Abdi, a 32-year-old Somali, is charged with providing material support to al Qaeda for allegedly conspiring to set off a bomb at an unidentified mall.
KEVIN BROCK, FBI: There can be a presumption perhaps that because the conspirators were in our area that they were looking at malls in our area but we don't have that specificity.
ARENA: As the charges were read in court, Abdi did not enter a plea. His brothers insist he is innocent.
MOHAMED ABDIKARAMI, BROTHER: I think of it as all lies and stuff because it's not something that Nuradin would be capable of doing. Usually he would be the guy that would hate terrorism.
ARENA: One of Abdi's co-conspirators, according to the government, was convicted al Qaeda operative Ayman Faris, who is already serving 20 years in prison.
Law enforcement officials say Abdi was under surveillance before being taken into immigration custody in November. He's also charged with fraud and misuse of documents.
The FBI says the shopping mall plot was just one of the threats associated with Abdi but it's the only one listed in the indictment. Terror experts say malls are wide open to attack.
KEN PIERNICK, FORMER FBI COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL: The bomb, if it's a suicide bomb, can be constructed just about any place and then freely transported. We don't have internal security checkpoints to stop people to look for the contents of their vehicles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: The FBI and Homeland Security officials insist there was no imminent danger and sources say the plot was in the early stages. Still, officials say, the investigation into Abdi and anyone he associated with continues -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Kelli Arena from Washington. Thanks, Kelli.
God can stay in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Supreme Court ruling tops our look at what's happening tonight "Cross Country."
The high court tossed a lower court ruling that the Pledge was unconstitutional because it contains the phrase "under God." The justices ruled against atheist Michael Newdow who didn't want his daughter to have to listen to the Pledge in school.
The court didn't rule on the basic issue in the case but threw it out on a technicality saying that Newdow didn't have standing since he doesn't have full custody of his daughter.
In Washington, the Bush administration is rejecting on moral grounds the calls from the family of Ronald Reagan to ease restrictions on stem cell research. Many scientists believe stem cell research may lead to a cure one day for diseases like Alzheimer's.
And the White House, President and Senator Clinton returned today for the official unveiling of their portraits. President Bush welcomed Mr. and Mrs. Clinton in an East Room ceremony. Both portraits of the Clintons were painted by an Alabama artist Simmie Knox. More on this later on 360.
Mulvane, Kansas, a tornado destroys a house in this small community. Severe weather across the state left thousands without power, caused flash flooding and at least one death. Unbelievable images there. Even so, one local forecaster said, and I quote: "It is nothing out of the ordinary just typical springtime weather in Kansas.
That's a look at stories "Cross Country" right now.
360 next, an unthinkable crime, a mother kills her two daughters then calls police to confess. What drove this woman over the edge? We'll take a closer look.
Also tonight, Florida's gator problem from endangered species to, well it seems like, out of control. Take a look at that.
And our special weeklong series "Keeping the Faith." How far are we going in pursuit of spirituality? Iyanla Vanzant is our special guest but first, all that ahead, your picks, the most popular stories on cnn.com right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, some terrible statistics there. It has happened again, a crime we've seen before certainly but a crime that hasn't lost the power to shock, the power to horrify, a mother taking the life of her own children.
CNN's Kimberly Osias has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is 38-year- old Charlene Dorsey (ph), married mother of two, and now an accused murderer after calling authorities and leading them to the bodies of her own two daughters.
Police say it happened here in this remote area, 30 miles northeast of Carson, Washington, near the Pinchot National Forest. It was Dorsey herself that actually led police to the grisly discovery, the bodies of 2-year-old Brittany (ph) and 4-year-old Jessica (ph) Dorsey found lying on a blanket.
DAVE BROWN, SKAMANIA COUNTY CHERIFF: Very selfish although it's evident to us at this point that much thought went into this.
OSIAS: Today in her first court appearance, Dorsey was charged with two counts of aggravated murder.
BROWN: We have never really faced a case like this here. While professionally it's a frustrating situation, personally it's doubly hard to really fathom this and understand why.
OSIAS: Police say Saturday afternoon Dorsey drove the girls some two hours through winding country roads to an abandoned rock quarry where she allegedly shot and killed the two girls. Wary neighbors say they always felt something just wasn't right.
JEREMY BROOKS, NEIGHBOR: The kids were excellent kids. The father seemed to be a good father. You could always kind of sense that there was something maybe a little different about the mother.
OSIAS: Police have not disclosed a motive yet. Dorsey remains jailed on a $1 million bond. If convicted, she could face the death penalty.
Kimberly Osias CNN, Seattle, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Let's take a quick look at what's happening around the globe in tonight's "Up Link."
In Washington, the U.S. says ten countries have poor track records on human trafficking and could be punished with stiff sanctions. The countries are Bangladesh, Burma, Cuba, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, North Korea, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Venezuela.
In Israel now, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon survives a no confidence vote in Israel's parliament today, the vote a defeat for critics of his plan to pull Jewish settlers out of Gaza.
London and Tokyo, a costly tale of two cities, a news survey says that Tokyo still the most expensive in the world to live. London takes the number two spot on the list. Among U.S. cities, New York is the costliest but, of course, most New Yorkers don't need a survey to tell them that.
And, in France, it is not James Bond, it's Richard Branson dressed to kill or just for a martini, the dapper CEO of Virgin Atlantic Airways crossed the English Channel in a sports car turned speedboat or amphibious vessel today setting a new world record, and yes they do have records for that sort of thing, the time one hour forty minutes.
And in Sydney, Australia, officials say Steve Irwin's dangling near danger again. The guy who did this, remember letting his baby get up close and personal with a croc, is now suspected of getting too cozy with penguins, a seal and humpback whales while filming a documentary in Antarctica. Rules limit how close visitors can get to the wildlife. Irwin says he did nothing wrong.
And that's tonight's "Up Link."
They may need Steve Irwin down in Florida where a once endangered creature is suddenly running wild. Here's CNN's John Zarrella.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Try explaining this one to your insurance agent. It was no lie an alligator that ate Carolyn Christian's (ph) bumper, a last desperate act of defiance before its capture.
Another took a bite out of Jennifer Cook's (ph) dog.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I got my dog and took him right to the hospital.
ZARRELLA: This time of year in Florida, alligators are on the move. Dry weather sends them in search of water. It's mating season too. Gators end up looking for love in all the wrong places, which brings out the local trapper to remove the critter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That alligator has eaten something recently. Look at that belly. That's probably a dog in there.
ZARRELLA (on camera): This is where gators are supposed to be, out here in the Everglades but it's not surprising to find them just about anywhere. The alligator is one of nature's greatest comeback stories.
(voice-over): Twenty-five years ago the alligator was an endangered species. Now there are more than one million in Florida but Fish and Wildlife officers say people who feed them turn the creatures into nuisance gators signing their death warrants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you call in and you have an aggressive alligator and we have to come and respond to remove it, the animal is not just taken back out to the Everglades. It is killed. That is our policy.
ZARRELLA: It would be better, wildlife officials say, if humans and alligators didn't have to coexist but, in Florida where land is a premium, people and gators are increasingly calling the same territory home.
John Zarrella, CNN, Miami. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And here's a "Fast Fact" for you. Alligators may be in abundance but their accessories will cost you an arm and a leg, figuratively speaking, of course. A Hermes alligator handbag can sell for up to $80,000. They accept only ten percent of the skins they see. A flaw as simple as a mosquito bite, they say, is enough to get the skin rejected. Who knew?
360 next, "Keeping the Faith," the American press for a spiritual life, part of our special weeklong series. Best selling author Iyanla Vanzant joins us live.
Also tonight an American kidnapped. Al Qaeda spreads its web of terror.
And a little later, Son of Sam on the web, the notorious serial killer haunts his victims online.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Some statistics on faith in America from a recent Gallup poll. Roughly 60 percent of Americans say that religion is very important in their lives yet for some people belief in a higher power does not lead them to a church or a synagogue or a mosque. Instead they have turned to non-traditional religions. In a moment I'll talk with best-selling author Iyanla Vanzant about this growing trend.
But first Adaora Udoji on the search for spirituality, part one of our weeklong series, "Keeping the Faith."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to be talking about Zen and creativity.
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nestled among this crowd exploring the Zen of creativity is Manda Stretch on a quest to find a religion.
MANDA STRETCH, SEEKING ALTERNATIVE RELIGION: I've done a little bit of all of them and I kind of came to my own sense of my own connection to God or spirit.
UDOJI: That journey is shared by millions of Americans, including the rich and famous, some traveling on unconventional paths. Superstar Madonna, along with Britney Spears and Demi Moore have shined new light on Kabbalah, the ancient study of Jewish mysticism.
At the Laughing Lotus, they search for inner peace in yoga. Others study Wicca or witchcraft but that's ancient traditions tied to nature, not hexes.
PHYLLIS CUROTT, AUTHOR, "BOOK OF SHADOWS": We seek to learn from the earth. The earth for us is because it's the embodiment of the divine it's our spiritual teacher. UDOJI: Surveys show Wicca is the fastest-growing alternative religion though their numbers are small, roughly 150,000 people compared to traditional truth seekers.
Nearly half the country 160 million adults identify themselves as Christians, according to a City University of New York study. Overall, 81 percent identify with a specific religion, seven million with Judaism, anywhere from one to seven million with Islam depending on the study.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Religion has remained attractive to people and has answered many of their deepest needs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sort of think of myself as being on sort of a path or a journey.
UDOJI: It's a path conventional or not Americans are embracing, seeking the road to enlightenment.
Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Iyanla Vanzant has written 13 inspirational books, including "Until Today: Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind." Before all the books and motivational speeches she turned to her faith when leaving her abusive husband, she says, then eventually became a lawyer and later an ordained minister.
Appropriately, her chosen name Iyanla means great mother. She joins me from Washington tonight. Iyanla, thanks for being on the program.
IYANLA VANZANT, AUTHOR: Thank you for having me.
COOPER: You know this recent survey found that the number of Americans who claim no religious identity has actually doubled in the past decade. What do you make of this? What are these people not finding in traditional religions?
VANZANT: I think they're not finding that intimate connection, that personal connection with God, a higher power. I think they're not finding a sense of peace and a sense of comfort in just moving through our everyday living and our everyday lives because that comfort, that peace, that intimacy, that knowledge comes from within yourself and not from outside structure or rituals or ceremonies.
COOPER: But often those who do find that comfort, that peace, in a traditional religion, be it Christianity or Judaism or Islam, will look at those sort of seeking, you know, going to yoga or Kabbalah classes and sort of say well, you know, it's kind of a buffet style. You're kind of picking whatever you want, kind of whatever feels good but, you know, part of spirituality and faith is sacrifice.
VANZANT: Well, why shouldn't God feel good? I think that we each have to choose that intimate connection with God that feels good to us. I personally don't see yoga or the Kabbalah as religions as such but I do see them as disciplines, as practices, as processes, as theories that will get us to that place of stillness where we can find God.
COOPER: And you say people aren't actually searching for spirituality. They're actually I think your term was searching for their authentic selves. What do you mean?
VANZANT: Their authentic self is that spirit, is that sense of self, is that connection within the self and it's not going to come from a book. It's not an intellectual process. It's not an external process but an internal one where we can stand fully in our own divinity in our lives in every aspect of our lives and know that we are OK the way we are.
COOPER: Why do you think that the traditional outlets, I guess for these people, aren't really -- that they can't find what they're looking for there? I mean I guess the people who belong to the traditional outlets will look askance maybe at those on this search.
VANZANT: Well, this is not to say that church is the only way nor that people shouldn't consider church. I think what happens very often in traditional forms of religion we find a lot of fear.
They're fear based and yet there are so many rules and regulations, so many parameters that you have to function within, if you don't to this that will happen, if you do this that might happen. That might not happen.
And people are looking for a deeper sense of connection and oneness and knowing that they can then bring forward as their being- ness and not as a doing. Very often religion gives us things to do and not a way to be.
COOPER: And you say men and women approach this search differently or you're finding that.
VANZANT: I think men are finally catching up to what women have already known.
COOPER: Isn't that the case many times?
VANZANT: Well, yes, absolutely. I'm glad you acknowledge that but that connection is within you. I think a woman, because she gives life, she carries life in her being can look within, turn within, feel within at a depth that men are just realizing are possible for them.
COOPER: And to the people who ask you how people in their daily life, in moment to moment, can find some sense of spiritual fulfillment, if they haven't found it thus far what's your advice?
VANZANT: I think stay present in the moment, breaths, prayer, meditation, breath, prayer, meditation. You got financial problems, breath, prayer, meditation to still the mind and bring you to that place, the center where that spirit that is the divine, that is God, that is the higher self, will speak to you, guide you, and once you hear the voice we learn to trust the process. Meditation brings us to that so breath, prayer, meditation, stay in the moment.
COOPER: I'll take a breath and we'll come back. Iyanla Vanzant, it was fascinating to talk to you. Thank you very much.
VANZANT: Thank you.
COOPER: Well, today's "Buzz" question is this. What do you think? Do you believe in God? Log onto cnn.com/360, cast your vote. I'll have results at the end of the program.
Tomorrow night as our series "Keeping the Faith" continues, religion gets hip, celebrities sporting "Jesus is my homeboy" tee shirts, the Bible repackaged to look like "Glamour" magazine. It's all happening out there. There are also some Christian nightclubs. We'll take you inside one and see what this trend is all about.
On Wednesday, faith and healing, meet a patient who battled a serious illness with belief in a higher power and a doctor who believes in treating the soul.
Thursday, spreading the word, the unprecedented phenomenon Christian books topping best-seller lists, I'll talk with the authors, the apocalyptically popular left behind series.
And, on Friday, interfaith families, they come together in good faith but sometimes it is faith that also tears them apart, a look at the hurdles faced by one interfaith family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): The race is on to find and rescue an American kidnapped by terrorists but do the Saudis have the will and the way to stop the reign of terror in their country?
The Son of Sam finds God and the Internet, should the .44 caliber killer's web log be blocked?
An improbable portrait, a presidential pat on the back, Bush and Clinton put the past behind them for posterity. 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: 360 next. An American hostage and a web of terror. Al Qaeda changing tactics to spread fear. Is hostage taking part of a new way? Peter Bergen joins us live.
Plus back on the trail. Bush and Kerry resume their sparring with the shadow of former presidents looming large over both men.
First let's take a look at tonight's top stories in the "Reset." At the Pentagon, a military fashion show. The U.S. Army unveils its new combat uniform. Eighteen changes were made. The biggest one, a digitized camouflage pattern. What the soldiers may like most, it is wrinkle free.
Good news for gas guzzlers. For the first time this summer, average retail gasoline prices have dropped below $2 a gallon. The average national rate per gallon of unleaded regular is $1.98, of course, that is still 47 cents a gallon higher than it was this time last year. More on this later on tonight.
In Redwood City, California, defense attorney Mark Geragos angrily asked the judge in the Scott Peterson murder case for a mistrial. The judge told him he was not in the movies and denied the motion. Geragos was angry because he was not told in advance of testimony given by two police officers who had questioned Scott Peterson the day his wife disappeared.
In Columbia, South Carolina, the godfather of soul got a break in court. Singer James Brown pled guilty to a domestic violence charge stemming from a fight with his wife. Brown's plea means he will forfeit about $1,000 in bond money but he won't have to go to jail.
And finally, researchers have now shown that knowing two languages helps keep your mind quick and agile even when you get older. Canadian researchers found that, in both young and old test subjects, people who speak two languages were generally quicker than their peers who only spoke a single language. That's a quick look at the top stories in the "Reset" tonight.
In New Jersey, a family is holding out hope tonight that Paul Johnson will be found alive and well. The American contractor who works for Lockheed Martin is missing far away from home. He was kidnapped by terrorists in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. His son says he's likely wondering how he got himself in the situation and how he can get himself out of it. May be tough. His kidnapers say they are members of a group called the Arabia Peninsula Mujahideen, a splinter group of al Qaeda and they make clear on their Web site they had been staking him out. Joining me now from Washington, CNN's terrorism analyst Peter Bergen. Peter, good to see you tonight. This group, have you heard of them before? What do you know?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: I haven't really heard of this specific group but I imagine it's one of many splinter groups from al Qaeda or maybe just a new name. I mean, essentially it's the same policy that these groups are pursuing which is, a, to get foreigners out of Saudi Arabia, b, to jack the price of oil up, which they're succeeding at unfortunately rather well, and c, to get rid of the House of Saud which is the long-term objective of all these groups to get rid of the House of Saud and install some kind of quasi- fundamentalist state in Saudi Arabia.
COOPER: The Saudi Arabian government says, look, we're doing all we can. They're actively trying to track down this group. What I don't understand, though, I mean, they're basically a police state. It's an incredibly repressive government, they clearly seem to know a lot what's going on in their country. It's very hard to get into the country. Why aren't they more on top of this?
BERGEN: Well, one thing is the size of the opposition is pretty large. Since May of 2003, Anderson, we've seen multiple attacks by al Qaeda or al Qaeda affiliates in Saudi Arabia; 85 people killed. We've also seen, you know, random shootings of westerners and now targeted kidnappings, as a result of which the price of oil has gone up from about $32 a barrel some months ago to 42 barrels today, which is the highest it's ever been.
And substantial amount of that is the so-called fear premium on the price of oil. And I think that number is going to go up. You did have a piece earlier pointing out that the gas price seems to have gone down temporarily. But the price on a barrel of oil, which ultimately leads to the price at the pump, is going up, and if this continues, westerners will not -- are leaving already Saudi Arabia in droves and these kinds of targeted kidnappings are obviously going to encourage more people to leave. In fact, the United States State Department has already said that the people should leave.
COOPER: But has the Saudi government really done all they can? The sites where westerners live are limited. They're supposed to be protected. And yet, people are able to drive in. There was the hostage taking just the other week.
BERGEN: Well, they're certainly doing a lot more than they did up to -- after May, 2003, they're in a different posture, after the first attack in Riyadh which killed some school -- score people. It's a big country. This is a substantial opposition movement. They did try and do this rescue, a very screwed up rescue some weeks ago where 22 people were killed and three out of the four people who were doing this kind of hostage operation escaped.
COOPER: Right. They let the guys go and they said we know who they are but still they let them go. Are these groups becoming -- is al Qaeda becoming more of a horizontal organization? We've sort of heard that before. These sort of splinter groups, are they part of al Qaeda or are they wannabes?
BERGEN: Probably at the end of the day if the bomb goes off, you don't care if it's al Qaeda or al Qaeda wannabes. I think there are people operating in the name of Osama bin Laden. At this point, you know, Osama bin Laden is just giving general ideological direction, there's no command and control but certainly the word has already gone out for the past year at least that attacks in Saudi Arabia are OK. Previously, al Qaeda or its affiliates would not attack inside Saudi Arabia. Obviously, some kind of message came down from the top that that was OK. This is really the main thing they want to do is destabilize Saudi Arabia to the point where the House of Saud may disappear.
COOPER: It's an interesting new tactic. Peter Bergen, thanks very much.
It's often said that out of death something good happens. Consider the passing of Ronald Reagan. His death actually inspired a brief period of political civility between President Bush and Senator John Kerry, rare occurrence indeed. But now both men are hoping to stay in office. Both the man who's hoping to stay in office and the one hoping to oust him are back in battle mode. CNN's Candy Crowley is on the campaign trail tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Last week's nostalgia for Reagan era bipartisanship wafted into this week. The Bushes entertained, and we do mean entertained, the Clintons at the unveiling of their official White House portraits.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The five-time governor of Arkansas, the first man from that state to become the president. He's also the first man in his party since Franklin Roosevelt to win a second term in the White House. I can tell you more of the story but it's coming out in fine bookstores all over America.
CROWLEY: A week of tributes to Ronald Reagan and now Bill Clinton's book. It's getting so an '04 candidate can't get a word in edgewise but they keep trying. The Bush campaign is up and out with the ads it intended to run last week and the middle class squeeze week John Kerry canceled when President Reagan died is also under way.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're here. We're here to make sure that Americans get a job wherein you work and work hard and you can actually pay your bills.
CROWLEY: Off the radar screen for a week, Kerry managed to shorten his list of number twos by one. Sources say Republican John McCain has told Kerry repeatedly he will not be his running mate though it is added Kerry never directly asked nor would he tell.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator, do you deny asking Senator McCain to be your running mate?
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're here to have a great afternoon...
CROWLEY: President Clinton has reportedly said he will use his book tour to promote Kerry and not do anything to overshadow the campaign, an appropriate gesture but probably unrealistic.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, coming up next on 360, one of the most notorious serial killers has resurfaced. There he is, the Son of Sam, using the Internet to say he's a changed man. The story and the controversy next.
Also tonight, Bill Clinton. You just saw his portrait hanging in the White House, his official presidential portrait. Well, we'll get some reviews of that straight ahead. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID BERKOWITZ, "SON OF SAM": I feel that God has made me a good person, a decent person. I was not always a good person, and there's a part of everyone that has the propensity to do bad, even today. I know I can choose to do bad, but I don't want to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Those were the words of the Son of Sam, serial killer David Berkowitz. If you're of a certain age, no doubt his face, his name are etched in your memory. In 1977, the .44 caliber killer turned New York City into a shooting gallery, before he was finally caught, sent to prison.
Just last week, Berkowitz was denied parole again. He's been behind bars for more than a quarter-century. But now, the one-time Son of Sam has found a new weapon and his use of it is tormenting his victims' families.
CNN's David Mattingly has more in tonight's "Justice Served."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-seven years ago, Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz terrorized New York City with a string of violence that left six dead and seven wounded. At times, he taunted police with notes, claiming to be driven by demons in the form of his neighbor's dogs.
JOE COFFEY, BERKOWITZ CASE DETECTIVE: For three hours, he didn't blink his eyes once, he had a constant smile on his face, and it was like talking to a zucchini.
MATTINGLY: Since then, Berkowitz has been the subject of books and movies, while he serves six consecutive 25 years to life sentences. Occasionally granting interviews, the man once calling himself Beelzebub now claims to have found Christ, redemption and remorse.
BERKOWITZ: Son of Sam was a demon that worshipped Satan and was foolish. And David Berkowitz is a man who's been redeemed and forgiven.
MATTINGLY: But not forgiven by the families of his victims, who are now angered that Berkowitz has a Web site, hosted by the House Upon the Rock Church in San Diego. A spokesman identifying himself as Neil K. declined to be interviewed on camera, but responded to our e- mail saying "The site promotes the Christian belief that there is hope for any person, no matter what they have done, to change."
There's also a letter to his victims and their families. He writes he does not expect their forgiveness and they have every right to be angry. He claims he is sorry and says, "I will always pray for each of you, and I do wish you the best."
David Mattingly, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Stacy Moskowitz was Son of Sam's last victim, shot and killed by David Berkowitz in 1977. Her mother, Neysa Moskowitz, is with us now from Miami. Neysa, thanks for being with us. You have not seen this Web site. You don't -- I know you don't want to...
NEYSA MOSKOWITZ, MOTHER OF STACY MOSKOWITZ: No.
COOPER: ... and I certainly understand that. When you heard of its existence, what went through your mind?
MOSKOWITZ: You know, first of all, he makes me feel like stone inside of me. He's an animal. Anybody in prison is there for a reason. They did something wrong and they deserve to go to jail. I can see people out here in Miami, New York, wherever, people have to choose between food and medicine. And they have cable? I'm sorry. I don't think so.
COOPER: You know, Neysa, I understand he, this guy Berkowitz, actually sends -- he sent you a card on Mother's Day? He has written you letters.
MOSKOWITZ: I have many letters from him.
COOPER: I mean, have you ever responded to them? What...
MOSKOWITZ: Yes, I did
COOPER: What have you said to him?
MOSKOWITZ: Well, for one thing, I wanted to know my daughter's killer. I know my daughter's killer now. And in fact, it was an old friend of Berkowitz, and when he asked him, "did you kill all those people?" And David answered, I don't know if I'm saying it verbatim, yes, I did, and so what?
COOPER: Do you believe he's a changed man? I mean, he says he's found God in prison. Do you think there's some sort of bid, maybe hoping -- holding out hope he might get parole some day?
MOSKOWITZ: No. Why would he want to come out there? He became an important man in prison. He became a minister or whatever. And people look up to him. Like he's some sort of a VIP. He had no life out here. He was like a fly. But he's got something there. He's got a following.
COOPER: This church that operates this Web site told us, and I'm going to put it on the screen, they said, "we understand that the pain David caused by his actions was and still is for the victims' families immense, but we also know that holding bitterness and hatred inside of a person eats them alive and serves no useful purpose." What would you like to say to them?
MOSKOWITZ: Well, I blame my second cancer and my first cancer on him. I buried three children, all horribly. I'm the only one left in my family. I do speak to one of my favorite uncles. He's five years older than I am, but that's about it. And at one time, I did have a big family. My mother was one of six.
COOPER: Well, I know it's a difficult thing for you to talk about, Neysa. We do appreciate it, and our thoughts are with you and with your daughter Stacy tonight. Thank you very much, Neysa Moskowitz.
We asked the New York State Department of Correctional Services about David Berkowitz's Web site. They said, quote, "The New York State denies prison inmates direct access to the Internet. However, the courts have ruled inmates have a First Amendment right to ask providers on the outside to post their words on the Internet for them. We believe affording inmates such a platform is deplorable, and a terrible infliction of further pain on crime victims."
Well, 360 next, Bill Clinton framed by the White House. Not what you think, though. The former president and first lady on hand today for the unveiling of their official portraits.
Also, forget about gas, forget about oil. The price of milk is now at an all-time high. We'll take the cost of dairy to "The Nth Degree."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Well, former President Bill Clinton and his wife Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton made a triumphant return to the White House today where the current occupants greeted them with open arms. The Clintons were also guaranteed a place in the White House for years to come as long as they're on canvas and painted in oil. CNN's Jeanne Moos, explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's bad enough having your picture taken, but having your portrait publicly unveiled?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the artist is being extraordinarily kind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill looks about 20 years younger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He looks a little dry. Like maybe he had a bad night.
MOOS: But the Clintons had a good day at the White House, though George W. did joke about Mr. Clinton's optimism.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I mean, after all, you've got to be optimistic to give six months of your life running the McGovern campaign in Texas.
MOOS: He turned red laughing. Laughter is not something one sees in presidential portraits, except Ronald Reagan's. Mr. Clinton was painted by the artist Simmie Knox, the first African-American to paint an official presidential portrait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a really stupid colored tie.
MOOS: Mr. Clinton was dressed practically like his portrait. The president told of getting offers from plastic surgeons while he was in the White House. WILLIAM CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Saying if you would just let me straighten your nose and take the bags out from under your eyes. It was like if you had a different face, you'd be handsome.
MOOS: The first lady broke with tradition in two ways, the big smile and...
(on camera): ... this is the first first lady ever painted in a pantsuit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ahh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe she wears the pants in the relationship.
MOOS: All the other first ladies are dressed in dainty gowns, looking like, dare we say, Stepford Wives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We always want to look our very best.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On her best day, she never looked that good.
MOOS (on camera): You don't think? I think on her best day she looked this good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the way all that stuff there. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) stuff.
MOOS: Wait, what stuff are we talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, the chin stuff.
MOOS (voice-over): Being a famous portrait means having to take it on the chin and everywhere else.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Man, New Yorkers are tough, aren't they?
Anyway, time to check on some pop news in tonight's "Current." Let's take a look.
Britney Spears is coming out with a new perfume. The 22-year-old pop singer will launch Curious. The scent is described as a blend of flowers and musk. Though some think it also has just a hint of desperation in it.
Congratulations to Courtney Cox and David Arquette. Cox gave birth this weekend to a baby girl. Everyone is really happy about the news, especially NBC, which has signed the baby to star in "Friends, The Next Generation." Jackie Chan wants to be taken seriously. Chan says he wants to play dramatic roles that have meaningful dialogue. Producers think it is a great idea, but to avoid any injury, all his lines will be read by a stunt actor.
And TBS will begin running episodes of "Sex and the City" tomorrow. But the reruns will be sanitized for syndication. For example, all the sex scenes will be replaced by this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "GREASE")
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: All right, that won't really happen.
Coming up on 360, a tale of two liquids. Gallons of trouble taken to "The Nth Degree."
And tomorrow religion gets hip. Part of our special series "Keeping The Faith." We'll take you to a Christian nightclub. No cover charge required. Wait until you see the bouncer.
First today's Buzz, do you believe in God?
Part of our week-long series on "Keeping The Faith." Log on to cnn.com/360. Cast your vote. Results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time now for "The Buzz."
Earlier we asked you, do you believe in God?
Sixty-six percent said, yes, 34 percent said, no. Not a scientific poll, but it is your "Buzz." We appreciate you voting.
Tonight taking apples and oranges to "The Nth Degree." That of course is the standard figure of speech for things that cannot be compared, which oil and milk cannot be, to be sure. Still, consider, oil is at an all time high. Gas is going for just a hair under two bucks a gallon. As of today, the first decrease in five weeks. But milk is at an all-time high as well. It's twice as expensive as gas, over four bucks a gallon.
And here's the point, this is without a cartel, without OMEC, the Organization of Milk Exporting Countries, the dairy equivalent of OPEC. There are no milkshakes for heaven's sake. No one is controlling the worldwide flow of milk, so let's hear it for American's dairy farmers, they got us over twice the barrel, those sultans of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so devilish hard to roll our way. Really the pumpers of the Middle East ought to be ashamed of themselves compared to the pullers of the U.S. of A. By the way, the milk of human kindness is up too, but that is a scarcity problem.
I'm Anderson Cooper, thanks for watching 360. "PAULA ZAHN NOW" is next.
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