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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Iraqi Insurgents Murder South Korean Hostage, Coalition Strikes Against Suspected Terror Target, More American Men Say No to Marriage

Aired June 22, 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, HOST: Good evening from Erbil, northern Iraq. I'm Anderson Cooper.
Another brutal beheading, and another coalition strike against a suspected terror target in Fallujah.

360 starts now.

ANNOUNCER: Terrorists make good their death threats and execute a South Korean hostage. Who's behind the killing?

The State Department releases its revised terror report. Is the public perception changing about the administration's success in the war on terror?

New documents released in the interrogation scandal. What did the Pentagon and the White House know?

Will an ugly divorce and scandalous details about his sex life sink GOP candidate Jack Ryan's shot at the Senate?

She got breast implants as a teenager and says it was a big mistake. Find out why.

And why more and more American men are saying no to marriage.

This is a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360, with Anderson Cooper reporting from Iraq and Heidi Collins in New York.

COOPER: Good evening again. Thanks for joining us.

I'm in Erbil in northern Iraq, in Kurdish territory. We've spent a remarkable day with Ambassador Paul Bremer of the Coalition Provisional Authority. He has been touring here. It's a farewell tour of sorts. He is to hand over power and leave Iraq later next week. I'll tell you more about how we spent the day later this week.

But tonight, dramatic developments throughout Iraq, particularly in the south in the city of Fallujah. A coalition strike against a suspected terror target, and another brutal beheading of a hostage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice-over): Kim Sun-Il's heartbreaking pleas for his life did not sway the Iraqi militant group that held him. As promised, if South Korea did not give in to their demands and withdraw their troops from Iraq, they beheaded the civilian contractor.

The murder was first reported on Al Jazeera television just hours after word that negotiations were under way to save him. The U.S. military confirmed finding Kim's body between Baghdad and Fallujah.

The reaction in Washington from President Bush was swift.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not be intimidated by the brutal action of these barbaric people.

COOPER: And South Korea reacted by saying it will send an additional 3,600 soldiers to Iraq despite Kim's murder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: This beheading follows recent similar murders of two Americans, one in Iraq, the other in Saudi Arabia.

It was a deadly day in other parts of the country as well. Around Balad, two American soldiers were killed when their convoy was attacked. And an improvised bomb near Baquba left more civilians dead. In Baghdad, a car bomb killed two, and north of the capital, there was another attack on an oil pipeline.

Now, late this evening, a breaking late development. There was a coalition strike, air strike, against a suspected terrorist safe house in the city of Fallujah. Now, Fallujah is significant, of course. It's been in the news a lot in the last several months. But it is also the city where Kim Sun-Il, the South Korean contractor, was kidnapped just five days ago. Of course, his body was found today beheaded, murdered.

Now this is the second coalition strike against a suspected terror target inside the city of Fallujah. Apparently the target is one man, the coalition is going after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a suspected terrorist mastermind responsible, they think, for many of the attacks here in Iraq, in particular the beheading today, and the brutal killing of American Nick Berg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): The price tag on his head, $10 million, testament to Zarqawi's chilling terrorist resume. The Jordanians have wanted to get their hands on him since 2000. They say he was behind plans to blow up this hotel and other tourist sites during the millennium.

By then, Zarqawi was in Afghanistan, building up his own terrorist group and allying himself with Osama bin Laden. When he left there, say intelligence sources, he was bankrolled by al Qaeda. The Jordanians say Zarqawi was the mastermind behind the assassination of U.S. diplomat Lawrence Foley.

European intelligence sources say he's been linked to chemical weapons plots in Britain and France. Spanish investigators tied him more recently to the Madrid train bombings. And then there was the recently foiled massive plot to bomb Jordanian intelligence headquarters, possibly also with chemical weapons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From an operational standpoint, Zarqawi is more important than bin Laden, at least in the Middle East right now.

COOPER: Especially in Iraq, where Zarqawi has been most active, claiming credit for attacks all over the country, from Baghdad to Basra.

A letter from Zarqawi to Osama bin Laden was intercepted earlier this year, urging bin Laden to support his plan for starting a civil war in Iraq. "If you agree with us on it," said the letter, "we will be your readied soldiers."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Again, there has been a coalition strike against a suspected safe house associated, perhaps, with Zarqawi, they believe, that's the information at this point, in the city of Fallujah, the second such strike in that city. Now this just happened several hours ago. Reports are still coming in. By daylight, we anticipate to have some reports probably from the city of Fallujah, some more eyewitness accounts. We will, of course, bring that to you.

A lot more stories to cover from here in Iraq, and also elsewhere around the world, and in the United States. For that, let's go back to Heidi Collins in New York. Good evening, Heidi.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, Anderson, thanks.

President Bush clearly said this afternoon that torture is contrary to this country's philosophy. What isn't clear, though, is what constitutes torture.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has been following the administration's struggle with that question, and joins us now live in Washington. Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, it's very clear that the Bush administration certainly grappled with that issue. They launched today an extraordinary campaign to counter these claims that somehow the president signed off on these aggressive interrogation techniques, these tactics that amounted to the torture of detainees, the White House earlier today releasing thousands and thousands of pages of documents.

Also, as well, of course, there was a briefing, an on-the-record briefing, very rare, by White House counsel Alberto Gonzalez and other attorneys from the Pentagon, all making the case here that the administration never signed off on torture.

Now, it is clear that the debate was very heated at times among lawyers and others who got involved in this. What was very clear is that the Geneva Conventions did apply when it came to Iraq, a conventional war. But what some of these documents disclose is that there was the feeling, the thinking among Justice Department officials that when it comes to the Taliban and al Qaeda, the Geneva Conventions did not apply.

In a presidential memo, the president says that if the new paradigm since the 9/11 attack that he accepted the legal conclusion of the Justice Department that none of the provisions of Geneva apply to U.S. conflicts with al Qaeda in Afghanistan or else throughout the world, also accepted that he had the authority under the Constitution to suspend Geneva, between U.S. and Afghanistan.

But then he goes on to say, and this is the critical passage here, he declines to exercise that authority. He determined that the provisions of Geneva would apply with the conflict with the Taliban and that all of those detainees, including al Qaeda, would be treated humanely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We do not condone torture. I have never ordered torture. I will never order torture. The values of this country are such that torture is not a part of our soul and our being.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Heidi, there's rigorous debate, and there are a lot of people who believe that this is not the full story here, that there are missing documents, and that some believe, some Democrats, rather, believe that perhaps there are additional presidential memos that signed off on more aggressive interrogation (UNINTELLIGIBLE) techniques and tactics, one of those being Senator Patrick Leahy, releasing a statement saying, "The administration has made it a practice to deny oversight cooperation to Congress. The stonewalling in the prison abuse scandal has been building to a crisis point. Now, responding to public pressure, the White House has released a small subset of the documents that offer glimpses into the genesis of the scandal. All should have been provided earlier to Congress, and much more remains held back and hidden away from public view."

It is clear, Heidi, despite the White House effort to get much of this debate out, that, of course, it will continue, Heidi.

COLLINS: And that is clear. All right, Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much live from Washington tonight.

A quick news note now. White House and Pentagon memos released today show that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld did not approve the interrogation technique called waterboarding, designed to make those being questioned fear they are drowning. This contradicts what a source told CNN yesterday. Honesty, character, and the war on terror. In recent polls, President Bush has led his Democratic opponent in all three areas by large margins. That is, until now.

CNN's Bill Schneider has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Shocking acts of brutality and mounting losses in Iraq do not lead Americans to feel more secure. The result, last month Bush had a solid lead over Kerry on handling terrorism. That lead has vanished.

Without an edge on terrorism, Bush could be in trouble. He's slipping behind Kerry in the race for president. Only 44 percent of registered voters say they support President Bush for reelection right now.

Earlier this year, the State Department issued a report claiming that the number of terrorist attacks in the world declined sharply last year, to a 34-year low. Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of California asked the Congressional Research Service to check the facts in the report. And what happened?

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We discovered that Congressman Waxman and his staff was correct, there were errors.

SCHNEIDER: Incidents of terrorism actually rose last year, to a 20-year high.

His reputation as a man of character got George W. Bush elected in 2000. After Bill Clinton, good character was very much in demand. So the results of a new "Washington Post"-ABC News poll come as something of a shock. Many more people called John Kerry honest and trustworthy than President Bush.

What's behind Bush's fall in reputation? One word, Iraq. Many Americans feel the president misled them. Where are those weapons of mass destruction?

DAVID KAY, FORMER TOP U.S. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: It is highly unlikely that there were large stockpiles of deployed militarized chemical and biological weapons there.

SCHNEIDER: Also, last week, the staff of the 9/11 commission reported finding, quote, "no credible evidence that Iraq and al Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States."

(on camera): To add insult to injury, 62 percent of Americans now say they approve of the way Bill Clinton handled his job as president.

President Bush's current job approval rating? Forty-seven.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Is a diplomatic dispute defused? That tops our look at global stories in the uplink.

Iran, sailors held captive. Iran says it may release eight British sailors seized in Iranian waters yesterday if interrogations show they had no bad intentions. The men are accused of illegally entering Iranian waters.

Russia, searching for suspects. Soldiers near Chechnya are looking for whoever is responsible for a series of nighttime raids that left 57 people dead. Chechen rebels top the suspect list, but they've denied they were behind the attacks.

Cuba, a change in rules. Effective June 30, the U.S. government will ban U.S. citizens from sending items like clothes and personal hygiene items to Cuba. And Cuban-Americans with relatives on the island will be limited to just one visit every three years. Critics charge the Bush administration is pandering to Cuban-American voters in Florida who oppose Castro's policies and hope to deny Cuba much- needed cash and resources.

And that's tonight's uplink.

360 next, sex clubs and politics. A messy divorce threatens to derail a Senate campaign. Find out why.

Plus, breast implant dangers. Find out why one young woman is on a crusade to keep teens from making the same mistake she did.

And not walking down the aisle. Why more American men are saying, I don't to marriage. But first, your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: She's a beautiful Hollywood actress. He's a Senate candidate. Their story started out in love and ended in a bitter divorce, with allegations that might make even Jerry Springer blush.

CNN's Jonathan Freed has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The headlines all use that three-letter word. But Jack Ryan can't say it enough, it's not about sex, it's about his son.

JACK RYAN (R), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: I think about my boy we're trying to protect.

FREED: The Illinois Republican's Senate campaign is deep in damage control mode. At issue, allegations he pressured his then- wife, actress Jeri Ryan of "Star Trek Voyager" and "Boston Public," to have sex in front of other people at risque night clubs. She alleged it in 4-year-old divorce documents, unsealed by a California court and released late Monday. He denies it and hopes taking the political high road will keep his Senate bid on the rails.

RYAN: Even in the heat of a custody dispute, which you know is the most difficult dispute, I think, two people can have, even in that, when the stakes are high, and it's almost a situation where lawyers encourage you to say no-holds-barred, I said nothing negative about her.

FREED: Both Ryans fought the documents' release, trying, they said, to protect their 9-year-old boy. And she's issued a statement calling her ex a loving father and supporting his candidacy. But will it work?

RYAN: Most people we've heard from so far say, Is that all? We thought there was something really bad in there.

FREED: Ryan is trailing Democrat Barak Obama, whose effort to steal the seat from the GOP is gaining momentum.

For months, Ryan, a millionaire and political neophyte, assured his supporters and the public there was nothing damaging in the divorce documents. But now...

GREG HINZ, POLITICAL REPORTER, "CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS": There are senior people in his party who feel he misled them. He has a killer issue that's going to distract now for many months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED: Now the state's GOP leadership is expected to wait and see how all of this plays out over the next few days before deciding whether or not to pressure Ryan to quit, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Jonathan Freed, thanks so much, live from Chicago tonight.

And closing in arguments today in a bizarre gang rape trial. The alleged victim, a woman called Jane Doe. Two years ago, she says three young men drugged her, and while she lay unconscious, began a brutal gang rape, the entire incident caught on videotape.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Greg Haidl, the son of an assistant sheriff, Keith Spann, and Kyle Nachreiner sat quietly as the prosecution laid out the its rape case against them during closing arguments.

DAN HESS, PROSECUTOR: This is an unusual case in that the entire crime is on video.

GUTIERREZ: The graphic 21-minute video shot by Greg Haidl was shown to jurors several times during the two-month-long trial. The prosecution says all 24 felony counts against them are clearly seen on tape. HESS: These nice boys are raping her, penetrating her with cans and bottles and pool cues.

GUTIERREZ: Prosecutor Dan Hess reminded jurors that the 16-year- old Jane Doe was intoxicated and had passed out.

HESS: When Jane Doe's eyes are closed and she's unable to talk, and she's flopping like a rag doll, and she's unconscious on the pool table, you'll see that they're celebrating. They're mugging for the camera. They're making hand signs. They're slapping her. They're pinching her.

GUTIERREZ: The girl had consensual sex with two of the three defendants the night before the alleged gang rape. The prosecution told jurors the defense would bring up her sexual past, and it did.

JOSEPH CAVALLO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: She likes being photographed. She likes sex in strange places. She has sex with boys she barely knows. In short, ladies and gentlemen, she lies. She lies a lot. And you should not convict these boys on the testimony of a liar, and a videotape that has been tampered with.

GUTIERREZ: The defense continues closing arguments on Wednesday.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Santa Ana, California.

COLLINS: The biggest retailer in the world facing a mega-class action lawsuit. That story tops our look at news cross country.

Los Angeles, Wal-Mart discrimination lawsuit. A judge today ruled the class action case can go ahead against the megastores. Current and former female employees accuse the retail giant of paying them less than their male counterparts.

Also L.A., no minors allowed. Distributors for the documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" failed to secure a PG-13 rating for the film. The Motion Picture Association of America gave the movie an R rating, a move the distributors had fought to overturn. The documentary is set to open this weekend.

And in Hollywood, twin trouble. Mary Kate Olsen is being treated for an eating disorder. According to a statement, the 18-year-old went to a facility for professional help. "Us" weekly magazine says Olsen has anorexia.

That's a look at stories cross-country tonight.

360 next, a crusade against breast implants for teens. Meet a young woman who's warning teens to think twice before going under the knife.

Also tonight, politics or security? A landmark case in the war on terror that has the legal community up in arms. Find out why.

And a little later, our top story, hostage in Iraq beheaded. Are the media becoming the world stage for this gruesome form of terror? We'll take a closer look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Young women in America are having breast implants at a rapidly increasing rate, some even getting them as rewards for graduating from school. But along with that reward may come risks as well.

Kacey Long suffered severe health problems after having breast implants, and now she has a message for her sisters. She and her mother, Sally Long, are here to talk about the ordeal.

Thanks to both of you for being with us tonight.

Kacey, why did you decide in the first place to have breast enlargement surgery?

KACEY LONG, ACTIVIST AGAINST BREAST IMPLANTS: I always thought I was a little bit bottom-heavy, and I'm a tall girl, so I just wanted them to sort of balance me out. And I was under the impression they were completely safe and maintenance free. And I was -- I went to private schools, and so it was one, sort of like the thing to do.

COLLINS: But you got really sick after this. Let me just let our viewers know exactly some of your symptoms here that you were dealing with, joint pain, tired all the time, hair loss, burning sensation in your ribs, breasts, and nipples, heart palpitations, trouble swallowing, foot pain, brain fog, night sweats. The list goes on and on.

But you waited a couple of years after the surgery to actually have them taken out. What happened there? Why did you wait?

KACEY LONG: Look, the progress of getting sick takes a little bit. And I wanted to make sure I researched as much as possible to make sure that this is the right decision for me. I didn't want to go -- I went into it researching and thinking I knew everything about what could happen. And I also wanted to make sure that I was covering all my bases before I removed them to make sure that, yes, this is indeed what it was that made me ill.

COLLINS: What were the doctors telling you?

KACEY LONG: Well, a lot of them told me, Oh, you're just too young. They didn't take me seriously. You worked out too much. Until I started bringing a health journal with me, some documentation, and then they were like, Oh, so this girl's really serious.

COLLINS: Oh, so you actually documented it. Sally, let me ask you, I know that you were vehemently opposed to Kacey going ahead with this surgery. As a parent now, after everything that's happened, do you feel a little bit responsible?

SALLY LONG, KACEY LONG'S MOTHER: I feel responsible because my child's hurt. But after 18, they can make their own choices. I wish she had the information she had now. COLLINS: Right.

SALLY LONG: And she probably would not have made that choice.

COLLINS: What about that, Kacey? I know that you're here for a very specific reason. You want to tell other girls what?

KACEY LONG: They need to have the information that I didn't have. They need to know that breast implants aren't safe. Saline, silicone filled, anything, they are not safe. And if the risks are very real. And you can end up just like me. And even if you're OK today, it doesn't mean you'll be OK tomorrow. Or you can't promise that you'll be healthy 10 years from now.

Many people don't start getting ill before seven to 10 years after they have breast implants. And there's, it's just something that no one needs to do. And just stay away from them. Because, you know, all you have is your health. And if that goes, you know, you're not working, you can't have a family, you can't -- your just -- your life is on hold, and you move back in with your parents.

COLLINS: That's where you are now.

KACEY LONG: That's where I am.

COLLINS: All right, Kacey Long and Sally Long, thanks to the both of you for being with us. We wish you the very best of luck.

KACEY LONG: Thank you so much.

ANNOUNCER: Terrorists make good their death threats and execute a South Korean hostage. Who's behind the killing?

And why more and more American men are saying no to marriage.

This special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Good evening again from northern Iraq, Kurdish territory, the town of Erbil. We spent a remarkable day riding in Black Hawk helicopters with Ambassador Paul Bremer of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Much less violence in this part of the country. But in the center of the country in Iraq today, much violence, indeed.

Continued attacks against coalition troops, continued car bombs, and another kind of violence, as well. A kind of violence we're seeing with increasing frequency. An attack, a kidnapping of a South Korean contractor, the man was kidnapped five days ago. Today, he was beheaded by a militant group demanding that South Korea withdraw its troops from Iraq. The South Koreans refused the demand, said they would continue their mission here -- in fact, even increase their mission here. President Bush condemned the murder, as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: What they're trying to do is they're trying to shake our will and our confidence. They're trying to get us to withdraw from the world so that they can impose their dark vision on people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: We continue our coverage of this story and the other top stories of the day with Heidi Collins in New York and "The Reset" -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Anderson, thanks.

The Justice Department is disavowing a controversial internal memo that appears to justify torture when interrogating terror suspects. A high-ranking official calls the August 2002 memo "overboard, irrelevant, and unnecessary," and says, "It will be replaced." And the White House says President Bush accepted but did not follow earlier Justice Department advice that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to al Qaeda or Taliban prisoners.

A restated government accounting of worldwide terrorist acts in 2003 increases the total and more than doubles the number of fatal victims. The White House had hailed the earlier numbers as evidence the war on terror was going well. The administration insists the old report was a mistake, not a deliberate campaign ploy as some have charged.

Texas panhandle residents are totalling up damages in the millions from last night's hailstorms. Baseball sized hail and winds gusting more than 70 miles an hour even smashed windows in an Amarillo hospital. And that's "The Reset."

In much of the world once again, there is shock over the death of a hostage in Iraq. Kim Sun-il of South Korea was beheaded by his captors, the third such killing in the region in the last month-and-a- half.

Joining us in Washington tonight to talk about that is Mamoun Fandy, senior fellow at the United States Institute of Peace and a columnist for Arabic language newspapers based in Cairo and in London. Thanks for being here, Mr. Fandy. We appreciate it.

Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: Tell me, why are the terrorists choosing a method like beheading instead of another method of execution?

MAMOUN FANDY, SENIOR FELLOW, U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE: Well, actually, Heidi, I mean, the fact of beheading is to really induce sharp fear in the population, and it is also something low cost -- I mean, something that you can do via the Internet and delivering it to Al Jazeera.

These guys are -- this is a sign that actually al Qaeda is being weakened, and they're going for -- since they cannot deliver on big events like 9/11, they are going for targeted events that would have the same effect and the same results as far as their campaign of terror.

COLLINS: But you know, we have heard the terrorists say many times that these acts are in the name of Islam and consistent with sacred Jihad practices. That's not true.

FANDY: Well, forget Jihad. These guys have been killing for airtime and for televisions and for Al Jazeera screens and to gain fame. There is nothing in Islam that can justify the killing of innocent people. The Grand Mufti (UNINTELLIGIBLE) came out and talked about this, the head of the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia came and talked about how this is anathema to Islamic teachings, and it is bad for the Muslim faith and its image in the world.

These thugs are just -- this is all new. It came from Afghanistan. It came from bin Laden's dark vision that took his men to Algeria. They were slitting throats of the young people, children there. And then, they took it to Saudi Arabia, and now in Iraq, and conducting it on non-Muslims like Mr. Johnson, as well as Mr. il.

COLLINS: That's right. You know, I think when we first heard the ultimatum given by the terrorists, we all thought the worst.

Do you think that there was anything that could have been done to save the South Korean hostage -- or any of the hostages, for that matter?

FANDY: Well, I think there could have been a lot done. I think it takes a political will on the part of leaders in the Muslim world, especially the Arab world, to come out and condemn terrorism instead of running away, being intimidated by Osama bin Laden and his thugs. It would have taken a lot of community leaders and mosque leaders to also make it very clear that they do not condone this. It would have taken also not airing these messages of terrorists to free these hostages.

COLLINS: Mamoun Fandy, always nice to see you. Thanks so much for your time tonight.

FANDY: Thanks a lot, Heidi.

COLLINS: Appreciate it.

Today's "Buzz" is this: Will violence decrease in Iraq after the June 30th handover of power. Log on to CNN.COM/360 to cast your vote. We'll have the results coming up at the end of the show. .

In the remote mountains of Afghanistan's Paktika province, the war on terror continues, as well. CNN's Ryan Chilcote was recently embedded with a platoon of soldiers who were providing security for the province's new governor. During that week-long mission, he witnessed a terrible mistake, the kind that often happen in the uncertainty of combat.

We should tell you, the following report includes some disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their convoy had been attacked during the past week by people in civilian clothes who set off roadside bombs then slipped away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Auto (ph) company, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe from the lob and from...

CHILCOTE: Today, the scouts are out in front, entering a region where no American soldier has ever gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then we are headed down into an area that we knew was known it was going to be hairy.

CHILCOTE: In the distance, they spot what appears to be a man running away. They pursue on foot through a minefield and fire warning shots. The figure in the distance doesn't stop running. There's more firing, taking aim this time.

And the scouts catch up, only to encounter a combat soldier's nightmare. The target turns out to be a 12-year-old boy. The boy's name is Azizullah. He'd been helping his father tend their cattle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's hit.

CHILCOTE: Inside the bag he's carrying, that they thought was suspicious, nothing more than a bottle of water and a stick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, quit filming. Stop filming.

CHILCOTE (on camera): Two soldiers, including the soldier who shot him and CNN's security adviser, Alan Trappe, got to work on Azizullah keeping him alive for more than two hours before the helicopters arrived. Azizullah's father distraught and convinced his son wouldn't make it, pleaded with the soldiers to let him take his boy home to die.

(voice-over): But the soldiers didn't give up, and neither did Azizullah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kid held on, asked for his family and stuff. But he wasn't crying a lot. He was working with us, you know, telling us what hurt and what didn't hurt. And that really helps out a lot.

CHILCOTE: Finally, the choppers arrived. Azizullah is whisked away. It is the last time these soldiers will see him. They don't know if he will make it or not. The soldier who pulled the trigger declined to be interviewed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know him pretty well, and you know, this is -- has messed him up pretty good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, he didn't know he was a boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... establish a perimeter here...

CHILCOTE: The whole unit is stunned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...I think we're too spread out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like we all got kicked in the gut. It's going to take a little bit to get over. All of us that saw it happen are going to see it happen every single day for the rest of our lives, you know? It's -- you've got to live with that.

CHILCOTE: The army is investigating. While the investigation is underway, we're not reporting the soldier's name. Lieutenant Chris Morrison (ph) is his platoon leader.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day my soldiers are put in life and death situations and forced to make life or death decisions. And it's not easy. And they'd be foolish to think that every decision comes out the right way.

CHILCOTE: Nearly two weeks after it all went wrong, Azizullah's father arrived in the Afghan capital to see his son in an American field hospital. It was his first time in Kabul, and it had taken intervention by the provincial governor and the help of some Americans to get him here.

"Because of this," the father said, "my son is injured, my cattle went missing, and my wife has gone crazy." Azizullah's father says his wife will not leave the place where the boy was shot. "She rolls on the ground and pleads with Allah to bring her first-born son home," he says. Their livestock all ran away during the shooting. Gone with them, says Azizullah's father, their livelihood.

We asked the army if there would be any compensation for Azizullah's family. "No," we were told. "We do not pay compensation for events occurring during combat operations, ever. Twice during their short visit, Azizullah pulled his oxygen mask away and told his father, I want to go home. Doctors say it will be at least a month before Azizullah can leave the hospital.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Paktika Province, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Lynne Stewart is a radical outspoken civil rights lawyer. But is she a friend of terror?

Prosecutors are charging her with aiding Islamic terrorists. But Stewart insists she's being put on trial for other reasons. More now from Adaora Udoji.

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lynne Stewart, a veteran defense lawyer turned defendant facing terrorism charges was welcomed to New York's Federal Court by a small but very dedicated group.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We say stop the witch-hunt. Stop the police state repression.

UDOJI: The 64-year-old grandmother is charged with aiding terrorists while representing Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to blow up New York landmarks, including the World Trade Center.

LYNNE STEWART, LAWYER, DEFENDANT: I'm not part of a terrorist network. And for them to allege that is really an attack on the way we lawyer. It's not about terrorism. It's about the way this country wants to control lawyers.

UDOJI: In a packed courtroom, prosecutors accused Stewart of conspiring with two co-defendants to help Rahman spread a quote "Message of terror from his jail cell to his followers." One call to kill Americans wherever they find them. Prosecutors argued Stewart knowingly violated restrictions banning Rahman's communication outside prison, giving his links to Islamic terrorists, including al Qaeda. The evidence, they say, comes directly from conversations the government secretly taped of Stewart and her defendants meeting with Rahman and others. The extent of the tapings triggered great concern for many in the legal community.

PROF. IAN WEINSTEIN, FORDHAM LAW SCHOOL: This is a case that may tell us how criminal defense lawyers should conduct themselves in cases involving charges of terrorism. How careful they need to be. How much the government is looking over their shoulders.

UDOJI: Stewart says she has faith in the jury. Eight women and four men she helped pick.

STEWART: I think everyone will see that our cause is righteous.

UDOJI: In the next four to six months, they will decide her fate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UDOJI: Each defendant vehemently denies the seven charges they're facing. The Ph.D student at NYU, the other a former U.S. Postal worker have both pleaded innocent. Opening arguments are expected to finish tomorrow before prosecutors begin their case, which again will include hundreds of hours of secretly recorded conversations, Heidi, involving the defendants and Sheikh Rahman.

COLLINS: All right. Adaora Udoji, thanks so much for that tonight.

360, next, what does it take to go from bachelor to bridegroom?

Just ahead, intriguing new research sheds light on why some men are the marrying kind and a growing number of others are not.

Also tonight, overshadowed by Big Bill, another new book tries to avoid being eclipsed by "My Life."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Resolution number one. Will find nice sensible boyfriend to go out with, and not to continue to form romantic attachments to any of the following, alcoholics, workaholics, commitment-phobics, peeping Toms, megalomaniacs or perverts. And especially will not fantasize about a particular person who embodies all these things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: He wasn't the marrying kind in "Bridget Jones's Diary," but that type isn't just found among suave British cads. Why is it that more and more American men are steering clear of the altar. We may be able to answer that. The National Marriage Project based at Rutgers in New Jersey will release a new study tomorrow called the "Marrying Kind," which men marry and why.

Earlier, project co-director David Popanoe gave us a preview of the kind of guy who's due to say I do and the kind of guy who just can't commit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Let me ask you, Mr. Popanoe, if you could just describe for our viewers tonight what is the type of man who is most likely to get married?

DAVID POPANOE, CO-DIRECTOR, NATIONAL MARRIAGE PROJECT: Well, what we found in this national survey of men between the ages of 25 and 34, is that they're the traditional kind of guy. Just what your parents always told you, but you didn't necessarily believe. Guys from an intact family. Guys whose fathers were involved in their lives. And guys who are more religiously affiliated than the average person.

COLLINS: All right. Let's talk about the non-marrying man for just a moment. He's concerned about losing his freedom, doesn't want kids, worries about divorce, and thinks that single men actually have better sex lives.

Is there any hope for this guy?

POPANOE: It was 22 percent who said they didn't want to marry. And 54 percent that said they weren't interested in getting married any time soon. So there is a group there that just is having, as they said, fun and freedom in life, and there's no real reason why they're in a hurry to get married.

COLLINS: Did those numbers surprise you when you were doing the study?

POPANOE Well, they did, really. It's a big change from the past. Guys in their 30s in the past were married, or certainly looking to get married, and today you have more and more guys who are in a different category. COLLINS: The statistics that you have from the study, it seems like there are quite a few guys who don't want to get married.

Where does that leave women in all of this?

Who are they supposed to be with?

POPANOE: Well, we found of the single guys, 22 percent who said they didn't want to get married, and a number of those guys actually will get married. They're just not telling themselves accurately. So -- but the number of men wanting to marry is dropping, and so it's going to be harder and harder, arguably for especially older women.

COLLINS: So, tell us then, after doing all this research, how do men actually decide when to get married?

POPANOE: Well, we asked that in a number of questions, and the thing that came out way ahead of anything else is that they felt it was time to settle down. And they'd reach an age where they had done their fun and freedom bit and they were ready to settle down and I suppose the word to women is that you want to make sure you look for a guy that is at that stage of his life.

COLLINS: OK, but now wait a minute.

Where does love come into play here, anywhere?

POPANOE: Well, of course, they aren't going to marry someone they don't love, but there may be a lot of possibilities out there. And of course we know from earlier surveys that they're looking for soul mates, this one special person. And they think there's only one, but of course, there, in fact, there are a lot more than one.

COLLINS: Hmm. Well, I guess we'll just have to see. David Popanoe, we appreciate your time. Thanks so much.

POPANOE: Thank you.

COLLINS: A little depressing, isn't it?

I want to give a quick news note, though, a little bit more on this. For those of you who may be looking to find that someone special, apparently the hard-to-get game is over. 60 percent of those surveyed by Match.com say they're most likely to fall for a person they already know is head-over-heels interested in them, rather than someone they actually have to chase. And bad boys beware, women like nice guys. Only 28 percent of the women surveyed are likely to fall for a bad boy over a nice guy. So go get some flowers or something.

And it's a new book out today, generating plenty of buzz. And it has nothing to do with Bill Clinton. Just ahead it's not easy releasing a new novel when there's another one by a former president. But first today's "Buzz." "Will violence decrease in Iraq after the June 30 handover of power?" Log on to CNN.com/360 to vote now. Results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: One of the reasons he got away with it is because people like you only ask people like me the questions. You gave him a complete free ride. Any abuse they want to do, they indicted all these little people from Arkansas. What did you care about them. They're not famous. Who cares if their lives are trampled. Who cares if their children are humiliated. Who cares if Starr sends FBI agents to their school and rip them out of their school to humiliate them and try to force their parents to lie about me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Growing weary of the Lewinsky questions Bill Clinton let his anger show during a BBC interview. While Clinton speaks, millions are getting ready to pore over every word from the new book out today. We're talking, of course about "Ten Big Ones" by Janet Evanovich. But you may not have heard what with all the hype about that other little book.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): They lined up, some for 24 hours to buy the book, get an autograph and meet the author, who arrived to a rock star welcome. While this author signed away for hours, it went nearly unnoticed that another book was released today. This one by the prolific and best-selling author Janet Evanovich.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Janet Evanovich? No, never heard of her.

COLLINS: She's written more than three dozen books. Her "Stephanie Plum" series sold 12 million copies. He's only got 1.5 million in print. And Janet Evanovich will tell you her signings draw thousands of fans, too.

JANET EVANOVICH, AUTHOR, "TEN BIG ONES": I have 2,000, 3,000 people to a signing. I'll sign for six hours. I think Bill doesn't know what he's in for.

And she said her website draws 3.4 million hits a month. But today this Barnes and Noble was only big enough for one wordsmith.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bill Clinton, the only one.

COLLINS: Still Janet Evanovich, ever the savvy scribe, took it in stride.

EVANOVICH: And they're buying books. And my book will be displayed alongside his. So I think it's great. I love it. COLLINS: Beside Bill Clinton? Well, she says he's a faithful fan.

EVANOVICH: And when I sign in New York Hillary sends somebody over and I get to sign a book for Bill. I was his Christmas present the year that I had a Christmas novel out. That was a lot of fun.

COLLINS: And tomorrow her fans will line up outside the Smithsonian for her signing tour begins.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Time now for the "Buzz." Earlier we asked, "Will violence decrease in Iraq after the June 30 handover of power?" 11 percent said yes. 89 percent voted no. This is not a scientific poll, but it is your buzz.

Next, we'll go back to Anderson in Iraq and hostage taking to the Nth Degree.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Finally tonight, taking life to the "Nth Degree." Word that another hostage, another human being was murdered here in Iraq came with sadness, but, sadly, no great surprise. We've grown used to seeing these grim images, used to people being used, seeing these sickening glimpses of fear. Kim Sun-Il's captors, no doubt, wanted him to be seen this way. They didn't care what he said or who he was. They just wanted to make sure that we saw this man suffer. Kim Sun- Il's suffering is now over and we should all take great sadness in that. Thanks for watching. I'll be back in Baghdad tomorrow. "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 22, 2004 - 19:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Good evening from Erbil, northern Iraq. I'm Anderson Cooper.
Another brutal beheading, and another coalition strike against a suspected terror target in Fallujah.

360 starts now.

ANNOUNCER: Terrorists make good their death threats and execute a South Korean hostage. Who's behind the killing?

The State Department releases its revised terror report. Is the public perception changing about the administration's success in the war on terror?

New documents released in the interrogation scandal. What did the Pentagon and the White House know?

Will an ugly divorce and scandalous details about his sex life sink GOP candidate Jack Ryan's shot at the Senate?

She got breast implants as a teenager and says it was a big mistake. Find out why.

And why more and more American men are saying no to marriage.

This is a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360, with Anderson Cooper reporting from Iraq and Heidi Collins in New York.

COOPER: Good evening again. Thanks for joining us.

I'm in Erbil in northern Iraq, in Kurdish territory. We've spent a remarkable day with Ambassador Paul Bremer of the Coalition Provisional Authority. He has been touring here. It's a farewell tour of sorts. He is to hand over power and leave Iraq later next week. I'll tell you more about how we spent the day later this week.

But tonight, dramatic developments throughout Iraq, particularly in the south in the city of Fallujah. A coalition strike against a suspected terror target, and another brutal beheading of a hostage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice-over): Kim Sun-Il's heartbreaking pleas for his life did not sway the Iraqi militant group that held him. As promised, if South Korea did not give in to their demands and withdraw their troops from Iraq, they beheaded the civilian contractor.

The murder was first reported on Al Jazeera television just hours after word that negotiations were under way to save him. The U.S. military confirmed finding Kim's body between Baghdad and Fallujah.

The reaction in Washington from President Bush was swift.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not be intimidated by the brutal action of these barbaric people.

COOPER: And South Korea reacted by saying it will send an additional 3,600 soldiers to Iraq despite Kim's murder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: This beheading follows recent similar murders of two Americans, one in Iraq, the other in Saudi Arabia.

It was a deadly day in other parts of the country as well. Around Balad, two American soldiers were killed when their convoy was attacked. And an improvised bomb near Baquba left more civilians dead. In Baghdad, a car bomb killed two, and north of the capital, there was another attack on an oil pipeline.

Now, late this evening, a breaking late development. There was a coalition strike, air strike, against a suspected terrorist safe house in the city of Fallujah. Now, Fallujah is significant, of course. It's been in the news a lot in the last several months. But it is also the city where Kim Sun-Il, the South Korean contractor, was kidnapped just five days ago. Of course, his body was found today beheaded, murdered.

Now this is the second coalition strike against a suspected terror target inside the city of Fallujah. Apparently the target is one man, the coalition is going after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a suspected terrorist mastermind responsible, they think, for many of the attacks here in Iraq, in particular the beheading today, and the brutal killing of American Nick Berg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): The price tag on his head, $10 million, testament to Zarqawi's chilling terrorist resume. The Jordanians have wanted to get their hands on him since 2000. They say he was behind plans to blow up this hotel and other tourist sites during the millennium.

By then, Zarqawi was in Afghanistan, building up his own terrorist group and allying himself with Osama bin Laden. When he left there, say intelligence sources, he was bankrolled by al Qaeda. The Jordanians say Zarqawi was the mastermind behind the assassination of U.S. diplomat Lawrence Foley.

European intelligence sources say he's been linked to chemical weapons plots in Britain and France. Spanish investigators tied him more recently to the Madrid train bombings. And then there was the recently foiled massive plot to bomb Jordanian intelligence headquarters, possibly also with chemical weapons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From an operational standpoint, Zarqawi is more important than bin Laden, at least in the Middle East right now.

COOPER: Especially in Iraq, where Zarqawi has been most active, claiming credit for attacks all over the country, from Baghdad to Basra.

A letter from Zarqawi to Osama bin Laden was intercepted earlier this year, urging bin Laden to support his plan for starting a civil war in Iraq. "If you agree with us on it," said the letter, "we will be your readied soldiers."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Again, there has been a coalition strike against a suspected safe house associated, perhaps, with Zarqawi, they believe, that's the information at this point, in the city of Fallujah, the second such strike in that city. Now this just happened several hours ago. Reports are still coming in. By daylight, we anticipate to have some reports probably from the city of Fallujah, some more eyewitness accounts. We will, of course, bring that to you.

A lot more stories to cover from here in Iraq, and also elsewhere around the world, and in the United States. For that, let's go back to Heidi Collins in New York. Good evening, Heidi.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, Anderson, thanks.

President Bush clearly said this afternoon that torture is contrary to this country's philosophy. What isn't clear, though, is what constitutes torture.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has been following the administration's struggle with that question, and joins us now live in Washington. Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, it's very clear that the Bush administration certainly grappled with that issue. They launched today an extraordinary campaign to counter these claims that somehow the president signed off on these aggressive interrogation techniques, these tactics that amounted to the torture of detainees, the White House earlier today releasing thousands and thousands of pages of documents.

Also, as well, of course, there was a briefing, an on-the-record briefing, very rare, by White House counsel Alberto Gonzalez and other attorneys from the Pentagon, all making the case here that the administration never signed off on torture.

Now, it is clear that the debate was very heated at times among lawyers and others who got involved in this. What was very clear is that the Geneva Conventions did apply when it came to Iraq, a conventional war. But what some of these documents disclose is that there was the feeling, the thinking among Justice Department officials that when it comes to the Taliban and al Qaeda, the Geneva Conventions did not apply.

In a presidential memo, the president says that if the new paradigm since the 9/11 attack that he accepted the legal conclusion of the Justice Department that none of the provisions of Geneva apply to U.S. conflicts with al Qaeda in Afghanistan or else throughout the world, also accepted that he had the authority under the Constitution to suspend Geneva, between U.S. and Afghanistan.

But then he goes on to say, and this is the critical passage here, he declines to exercise that authority. He determined that the provisions of Geneva would apply with the conflict with the Taliban and that all of those detainees, including al Qaeda, would be treated humanely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We do not condone torture. I have never ordered torture. I will never order torture. The values of this country are such that torture is not a part of our soul and our being.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Heidi, there's rigorous debate, and there are a lot of people who believe that this is not the full story here, that there are missing documents, and that some believe, some Democrats, rather, believe that perhaps there are additional presidential memos that signed off on more aggressive interrogation (UNINTELLIGIBLE) techniques and tactics, one of those being Senator Patrick Leahy, releasing a statement saying, "The administration has made it a practice to deny oversight cooperation to Congress. The stonewalling in the prison abuse scandal has been building to a crisis point. Now, responding to public pressure, the White House has released a small subset of the documents that offer glimpses into the genesis of the scandal. All should have been provided earlier to Congress, and much more remains held back and hidden away from public view."

It is clear, Heidi, despite the White House effort to get much of this debate out, that, of course, it will continue, Heidi.

COLLINS: And that is clear. All right, Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much live from Washington tonight.

A quick news note now. White House and Pentagon memos released today show that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld did not approve the interrogation technique called waterboarding, designed to make those being questioned fear they are drowning. This contradicts what a source told CNN yesterday. Honesty, character, and the war on terror. In recent polls, President Bush has led his Democratic opponent in all three areas by large margins. That is, until now.

CNN's Bill Schneider has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Shocking acts of brutality and mounting losses in Iraq do not lead Americans to feel more secure. The result, last month Bush had a solid lead over Kerry on handling terrorism. That lead has vanished.

Without an edge on terrorism, Bush could be in trouble. He's slipping behind Kerry in the race for president. Only 44 percent of registered voters say they support President Bush for reelection right now.

Earlier this year, the State Department issued a report claiming that the number of terrorist attacks in the world declined sharply last year, to a 34-year low. Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of California asked the Congressional Research Service to check the facts in the report. And what happened?

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We discovered that Congressman Waxman and his staff was correct, there were errors.

SCHNEIDER: Incidents of terrorism actually rose last year, to a 20-year high.

His reputation as a man of character got George W. Bush elected in 2000. After Bill Clinton, good character was very much in demand. So the results of a new "Washington Post"-ABC News poll come as something of a shock. Many more people called John Kerry honest and trustworthy than President Bush.

What's behind Bush's fall in reputation? One word, Iraq. Many Americans feel the president misled them. Where are those weapons of mass destruction?

DAVID KAY, FORMER TOP U.S. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: It is highly unlikely that there were large stockpiles of deployed militarized chemical and biological weapons there.

SCHNEIDER: Also, last week, the staff of the 9/11 commission reported finding, quote, "no credible evidence that Iraq and al Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States."

(on camera): To add insult to injury, 62 percent of Americans now say they approve of the way Bill Clinton handled his job as president.

President Bush's current job approval rating? Forty-seven.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Is a diplomatic dispute defused? That tops our look at global stories in the uplink.

Iran, sailors held captive. Iran says it may release eight British sailors seized in Iranian waters yesterday if interrogations show they had no bad intentions. The men are accused of illegally entering Iranian waters.

Russia, searching for suspects. Soldiers near Chechnya are looking for whoever is responsible for a series of nighttime raids that left 57 people dead. Chechen rebels top the suspect list, but they've denied they were behind the attacks.

Cuba, a change in rules. Effective June 30, the U.S. government will ban U.S. citizens from sending items like clothes and personal hygiene items to Cuba. And Cuban-Americans with relatives on the island will be limited to just one visit every three years. Critics charge the Bush administration is pandering to Cuban-American voters in Florida who oppose Castro's policies and hope to deny Cuba much- needed cash and resources.

And that's tonight's uplink.

360 next, sex clubs and politics. A messy divorce threatens to derail a Senate campaign. Find out why.

Plus, breast implant dangers. Find out why one young woman is on a crusade to keep teens from making the same mistake she did.

And not walking down the aisle. Why more American men are saying, I don't to marriage. But first, your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: She's a beautiful Hollywood actress. He's a Senate candidate. Their story started out in love and ended in a bitter divorce, with allegations that might make even Jerry Springer blush.

CNN's Jonathan Freed has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The headlines all use that three-letter word. But Jack Ryan can't say it enough, it's not about sex, it's about his son.

JACK RYAN (R), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: I think about my boy we're trying to protect.

FREED: The Illinois Republican's Senate campaign is deep in damage control mode. At issue, allegations he pressured his then- wife, actress Jeri Ryan of "Star Trek Voyager" and "Boston Public," to have sex in front of other people at risque night clubs. She alleged it in 4-year-old divorce documents, unsealed by a California court and released late Monday. He denies it and hopes taking the political high road will keep his Senate bid on the rails.

RYAN: Even in the heat of a custody dispute, which you know is the most difficult dispute, I think, two people can have, even in that, when the stakes are high, and it's almost a situation where lawyers encourage you to say no-holds-barred, I said nothing negative about her.

FREED: Both Ryans fought the documents' release, trying, they said, to protect their 9-year-old boy. And she's issued a statement calling her ex a loving father and supporting his candidacy. But will it work?

RYAN: Most people we've heard from so far say, Is that all? We thought there was something really bad in there.

FREED: Ryan is trailing Democrat Barak Obama, whose effort to steal the seat from the GOP is gaining momentum.

For months, Ryan, a millionaire and political neophyte, assured his supporters and the public there was nothing damaging in the divorce documents. But now...

GREG HINZ, POLITICAL REPORTER, "CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS": There are senior people in his party who feel he misled them. He has a killer issue that's going to distract now for many months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED: Now the state's GOP leadership is expected to wait and see how all of this plays out over the next few days before deciding whether or not to pressure Ryan to quit, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Jonathan Freed, thanks so much, live from Chicago tonight.

And closing in arguments today in a bizarre gang rape trial. The alleged victim, a woman called Jane Doe. Two years ago, she says three young men drugged her, and while she lay unconscious, began a brutal gang rape, the entire incident caught on videotape.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Greg Haidl, the son of an assistant sheriff, Keith Spann, and Kyle Nachreiner sat quietly as the prosecution laid out the its rape case against them during closing arguments.

DAN HESS, PROSECUTOR: This is an unusual case in that the entire crime is on video.

GUTIERREZ: The graphic 21-minute video shot by Greg Haidl was shown to jurors several times during the two-month-long trial. The prosecution says all 24 felony counts against them are clearly seen on tape. HESS: These nice boys are raping her, penetrating her with cans and bottles and pool cues.

GUTIERREZ: Prosecutor Dan Hess reminded jurors that the 16-year- old Jane Doe was intoxicated and had passed out.

HESS: When Jane Doe's eyes are closed and she's unable to talk, and she's flopping like a rag doll, and she's unconscious on the pool table, you'll see that they're celebrating. They're mugging for the camera. They're making hand signs. They're slapping her. They're pinching her.

GUTIERREZ: The girl had consensual sex with two of the three defendants the night before the alleged gang rape. The prosecution told jurors the defense would bring up her sexual past, and it did.

JOSEPH CAVALLO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: She likes being photographed. She likes sex in strange places. She has sex with boys she barely knows. In short, ladies and gentlemen, she lies. She lies a lot. And you should not convict these boys on the testimony of a liar, and a videotape that has been tampered with.

GUTIERREZ: The defense continues closing arguments on Wednesday.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Santa Ana, California.

COLLINS: The biggest retailer in the world facing a mega-class action lawsuit. That story tops our look at news cross country.

Los Angeles, Wal-Mart discrimination lawsuit. A judge today ruled the class action case can go ahead against the megastores. Current and former female employees accuse the retail giant of paying them less than their male counterparts.

Also L.A., no minors allowed. Distributors for the documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" failed to secure a PG-13 rating for the film. The Motion Picture Association of America gave the movie an R rating, a move the distributors had fought to overturn. The documentary is set to open this weekend.

And in Hollywood, twin trouble. Mary Kate Olsen is being treated for an eating disorder. According to a statement, the 18-year-old went to a facility for professional help. "Us" weekly magazine says Olsen has anorexia.

That's a look at stories cross-country tonight.

360 next, a crusade against breast implants for teens. Meet a young woman who's warning teens to think twice before going under the knife.

Also tonight, politics or security? A landmark case in the war on terror that has the legal community up in arms. Find out why.

And a little later, our top story, hostage in Iraq beheaded. Are the media becoming the world stage for this gruesome form of terror? We'll take a closer look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Young women in America are having breast implants at a rapidly increasing rate, some even getting them as rewards for graduating from school. But along with that reward may come risks as well.

Kacey Long suffered severe health problems after having breast implants, and now she has a message for her sisters. She and her mother, Sally Long, are here to talk about the ordeal.

Thanks to both of you for being with us tonight.

Kacey, why did you decide in the first place to have breast enlargement surgery?

KACEY LONG, ACTIVIST AGAINST BREAST IMPLANTS: I always thought I was a little bit bottom-heavy, and I'm a tall girl, so I just wanted them to sort of balance me out. And I was under the impression they were completely safe and maintenance free. And I was -- I went to private schools, and so it was one, sort of like the thing to do.

COLLINS: But you got really sick after this. Let me just let our viewers know exactly some of your symptoms here that you were dealing with, joint pain, tired all the time, hair loss, burning sensation in your ribs, breasts, and nipples, heart palpitations, trouble swallowing, foot pain, brain fog, night sweats. The list goes on and on.

But you waited a couple of years after the surgery to actually have them taken out. What happened there? Why did you wait?

KACEY LONG: Look, the progress of getting sick takes a little bit. And I wanted to make sure I researched as much as possible to make sure that this is the right decision for me. I didn't want to go -- I went into it researching and thinking I knew everything about what could happen. And I also wanted to make sure that I was covering all my bases before I removed them to make sure that, yes, this is indeed what it was that made me ill.

COLLINS: What were the doctors telling you?

KACEY LONG: Well, a lot of them told me, Oh, you're just too young. They didn't take me seriously. You worked out too much. Until I started bringing a health journal with me, some documentation, and then they were like, Oh, so this girl's really serious.

COLLINS: Oh, so you actually documented it. Sally, let me ask you, I know that you were vehemently opposed to Kacey going ahead with this surgery. As a parent now, after everything that's happened, do you feel a little bit responsible?

SALLY LONG, KACEY LONG'S MOTHER: I feel responsible because my child's hurt. But after 18, they can make their own choices. I wish she had the information she had now. COLLINS: Right.

SALLY LONG: And she probably would not have made that choice.

COLLINS: What about that, Kacey? I know that you're here for a very specific reason. You want to tell other girls what?

KACEY LONG: They need to have the information that I didn't have. They need to know that breast implants aren't safe. Saline, silicone filled, anything, they are not safe. And if the risks are very real. And you can end up just like me. And even if you're OK today, it doesn't mean you'll be OK tomorrow. Or you can't promise that you'll be healthy 10 years from now.

Many people don't start getting ill before seven to 10 years after they have breast implants. And there's, it's just something that no one needs to do. And just stay away from them. Because, you know, all you have is your health. And if that goes, you know, you're not working, you can't have a family, you can't -- your just -- your life is on hold, and you move back in with your parents.

COLLINS: That's where you are now.

KACEY LONG: That's where I am.

COLLINS: All right, Kacey Long and Sally Long, thanks to the both of you for being with us. We wish you the very best of luck.

KACEY LONG: Thank you so much.

ANNOUNCER: Terrorists make good their death threats and execute a South Korean hostage. Who's behind the killing?

And why more and more American men are saying no to marriage.

This special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Good evening again from northern Iraq, Kurdish territory, the town of Erbil. We spent a remarkable day riding in Black Hawk helicopters with Ambassador Paul Bremer of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Much less violence in this part of the country. But in the center of the country in Iraq today, much violence, indeed.

Continued attacks against coalition troops, continued car bombs, and another kind of violence, as well. A kind of violence we're seeing with increasing frequency. An attack, a kidnapping of a South Korean contractor, the man was kidnapped five days ago. Today, he was beheaded by a militant group demanding that South Korea withdraw its troops from Iraq. The South Koreans refused the demand, said they would continue their mission here -- in fact, even increase their mission here. President Bush condemned the murder, as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: What they're trying to do is they're trying to shake our will and our confidence. They're trying to get us to withdraw from the world so that they can impose their dark vision on people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: We continue our coverage of this story and the other top stories of the day with Heidi Collins in New York and "The Reset" -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Anderson, thanks.

The Justice Department is disavowing a controversial internal memo that appears to justify torture when interrogating terror suspects. A high-ranking official calls the August 2002 memo "overboard, irrelevant, and unnecessary," and says, "It will be replaced." And the White House says President Bush accepted but did not follow earlier Justice Department advice that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to al Qaeda or Taliban prisoners.

A restated government accounting of worldwide terrorist acts in 2003 increases the total and more than doubles the number of fatal victims. The White House had hailed the earlier numbers as evidence the war on terror was going well. The administration insists the old report was a mistake, not a deliberate campaign ploy as some have charged.

Texas panhandle residents are totalling up damages in the millions from last night's hailstorms. Baseball sized hail and winds gusting more than 70 miles an hour even smashed windows in an Amarillo hospital. And that's "The Reset."

In much of the world once again, there is shock over the death of a hostage in Iraq. Kim Sun-il of South Korea was beheaded by his captors, the third such killing in the region in the last month-and-a- half.

Joining us in Washington tonight to talk about that is Mamoun Fandy, senior fellow at the United States Institute of Peace and a columnist for Arabic language newspapers based in Cairo and in London. Thanks for being here, Mr. Fandy. We appreciate it.

Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: Tell me, why are the terrorists choosing a method like beheading instead of another method of execution?

MAMOUN FANDY, SENIOR FELLOW, U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE: Well, actually, Heidi, I mean, the fact of beheading is to really induce sharp fear in the population, and it is also something low cost -- I mean, something that you can do via the Internet and delivering it to Al Jazeera.

These guys are -- this is a sign that actually al Qaeda is being weakened, and they're going for -- since they cannot deliver on big events like 9/11, they are going for targeted events that would have the same effect and the same results as far as their campaign of terror.

COLLINS: But you know, we have heard the terrorists say many times that these acts are in the name of Islam and consistent with sacred Jihad practices. That's not true.

FANDY: Well, forget Jihad. These guys have been killing for airtime and for televisions and for Al Jazeera screens and to gain fame. There is nothing in Islam that can justify the killing of innocent people. The Grand Mufti (UNINTELLIGIBLE) came out and talked about this, the head of the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia came and talked about how this is anathema to Islamic teachings, and it is bad for the Muslim faith and its image in the world.

These thugs are just -- this is all new. It came from Afghanistan. It came from bin Laden's dark vision that took his men to Algeria. They were slitting throats of the young people, children there. And then, they took it to Saudi Arabia, and now in Iraq, and conducting it on non-Muslims like Mr. Johnson, as well as Mr. il.

COLLINS: That's right. You know, I think when we first heard the ultimatum given by the terrorists, we all thought the worst.

Do you think that there was anything that could have been done to save the South Korean hostage -- or any of the hostages, for that matter?

FANDY: Well, I think there could have been a lot done. I think it takes a political will on the part of leaders in the Muslim world, especially the Arab world, to come out and condemn terrorism instead of running away, being intimidated by Osama bin Laden and his thugs. It would have taken a lot of community leaders and mosque leaders to also make it very clear that they do not condone this. It would have taken also not airing these messages of terrorists to free these hostages.

COLLINS: Mamoun Fandy, always nice to see you. Thanks so much for your time tonight.

FANDY: Thanks a lot, Heidi.

COLLINS: Appreciate it.

Today's "Buzz" is this: Will violence decrease in Iraq after the June 30th handover of power. Log on to CNN.COM/360 to cast your vote. We'll have the results coming up at the end of the show. .

In the remote mountains of Afghanistan's Paktika province, the war on terror continues, as well. CNN's Ryan Chilcote was recently embedded with a platoon of soldiers who were providing security for the province's new governor. During that week-long mission, he witnessed a terrible mistake, the kind that often happen in the uncertainty of combat.

We should tell you, the following report includes some disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their convoy had been attacked during the past week by people in civilian clothes who set off roadside bombs then slipped away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Auto (ph) company, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe from the lob and from...

CHILCOTE: Today, the scouts are out in front, entering a region where no American soldier has ever gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then we are headed down into an area that we knew was known it was going to be hairy.

CHILCOTE: In the distance, they spot what appears to be a man running away. They pursue on foot through a minefield and fire warning shots. The figure in the distance doesn't stop running. There's more firing, taking aim this time.

And the scouts catch up, only to encounter a combat soldier's nightmare. The target turns out to be a 12-year-old boy. The boy's name is Azizullah. He'd been helping his father tend their cattle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's hit.

CHILCOTE: Inside the bag he's carrying, that they thought was suspicious, nothing more than a bottle of water and a stick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, quit filming. Stop filming.

CHILCOTE (on camera): Two soldiers, including the soldier who shot him and CNN's security adviser, Alan Trappe, got to work on Azizullah keeping him alive for more than two hours before the helicopters arrived. Azizullah's father distraught and convinced his son wouldn't make it, pleaded with the soldiers to let him take his boy home to die.

(voice-over): But the soldiers didn't give up, and neither did Azizullah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kid held on, asked for his family and stuff. But he wasn't crying a lot. He was working with us, you know, telling us what hurt and what didn't hurt. And that really helps out a lot.

CHILCOTE: Finally, the choppers arrived. Azizullah is whisked away. It is the last time these soldiers will see him. They don't know if he will make it or not. The soldier who pulled the trigger declined to be interviewed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know him pretty well, and you know, this is -- has messed him up pretty good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, he didn't know he was a boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... establish a perimeter here...

CHILCOTE: The whole unit is stunned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...I think we're too spread out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like we all got kicked in the gut. It's going to take a little bit to get over. All of us that saw it happen are going to see it happen every single day for the rest of our lives, you know? It's -- you've got to live with that.

CHILCOTE: The army is investigating. While the investigation is underway, we're not reporting the soldier's name. Lieutenant Chris Morrison (ph) is his platoon leader.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day my soldiers are put in life and death situations and forced to make life or death decisions. And it's not easy. And they'd be foolish to think that every decision comes out the right way.

CHILCOTE: Nearly two weeks after it all went wrong, Azizullah's father arrived in the Afghan capital to see his son in an American field hospital. It was his first time in Kabul, and it had taken intervention by the provincial governor and the help of some Americans to get him here.

"Because of this," the father said, "my son is injured, my cattle went missing, and my wife has gone crazy." Azizullah's father says his wife will not leave the place where the boy was shot. "She rolls on the ground and pleads with Allah to bring her first-born son home," he says. Their livestock all ran away during the shooting. Gone with them, says Azizullah's father, their livelihood.

We asked the army if there would be any compensation for Azizullah's family. "No," we were told. "We do not pay compensation for events occurring during combat operations, ever. Twice during their short visit, Azizullah pulled his oxygen mask away and told his father, I want to go home. Doctors say it will be at least a month before Azizullah can leave the hospital.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Paktika Province, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Lynne Stewart is a radical outspoken civil rights lawyer. But is she a friend of terror?

Prosecutors are charging her with aiding Islamic terrorists. But Stewart insists she's being put on trial for other reasons. More now from Adaora Udoji.

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lynne Stewart, a veteran defense lawyer turned defendant facing terrorism charges was welcomed to New York's Federal Court by a small but very dedicated group.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We say stop the witch-hunt. Stop the police state repression.

UDOJI: The 64-year-old grandmother is charged with aiding terrorists while representing Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to blow up New York landmarks, including the World Trade Center.

LYNNE STEWART, LAWYER, DEFENDANT: I'm not part of a terrorist network. And for them to allege that is really an attack on the way we lawyer. It's not about terrorism. It's about the way this country wants to control lawyers.

UDOJI: In a packed courtroom, prosecutors accused Stewart of conspiring with two co-defendants to help Rahman spread a quote "Message of terror from his jail cell to his followers." One call to kill Americans wherever they find them. Prosecutors argued Stewart knowingly violated restrictions banning Rahman's communication outside prison, giving his links to Islamic terrorists, including al Qaeda. The evidence, they say, comes directly from conversations the government secretly taped of Stewart and her defendants meeting with Rahman and others. The extent of the tapings triggered great concern for many in the legal community.

PROF. IAN WEINSTEIN, FORDHAM LAW SCHOOL: This is a case that may tell us how criminal defense lawyers should conduct themselves in cases involving charges of terrorism. How careful they need to be. How much the government is looking over their shoulders.

UDOJI: Stewart says she has faith in the jury. Eight women and four men she helped pick.

STEWART: I think everyone will see that our cause is righteous.

UDOJI: In the next four to six months, they will decide her fate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UDOJI: Each defendant vehemently denies the seven charges they're facing. The Ph.D student at NYU, the other a former U.S. Postal worker have both pleaded innocent. Opening arguments are expected to finish tomorrow before prosecutors begin their case, which again will include hundreds of hours of secretly recorded conversations, Heidi, involving the defendants and Sheikh Rahman.

COLLINS: All right. Adaora Udoji, thanks so much for that tonight.

360, next, what does it take to go from bachelor to bridegroom?

Just ahead, intriguing new research sheds light on why some men are the marrying kind and a growing number of others are not.

Also tonight, overshadowed by Big Bill, another new book tries to avoid being eclipsed by "My Life."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Resolution number one. Will find nice sensible boyfriend to go out with, and not to continue to form romantic attachments to any of the following, alcoholics, workaholics, commitment-phobics, peeping Toms, megalomaniacs or perverts. And especially will not fantasize about a particular person who embodies all these things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: He wasn't the marrying kind in "Bridget Jones's Diary," but that type isn't just found among suave British cads. Why is it that more and more American men are steering clear of the altar. We may be able to answer that. The National Marriage Project based at Rutgers in New Jersey will release a new study tomorrow called the "Marrying Kind," which men marry and why.

Earlier, project co-director David Popanoe gave us a preview of the kind of guy who's due to say I do and the kind of guy who just can't commit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Let me ask you, Mr. Popanoe, if you could just describe for our viewers tonight what is the type of man who is most likely to get married?

DAVID POPANOE, CO-DIRECTOR, NATIONAL MARRIAGE PROJECT: Well, what we found in this national survey of men between the ages of 25 and 34, is that they're the traditional kind of guy. Just what your parents always told you, but you didn't necessarily believe. Guys from an intact family. Guys whose fathers were involved in their lives. And guys who are more religiously affiliated than the average person.

COLLINS: All right. Let's talk about the non-marrying man for just a moment. He's concerned about losing his freedom, doesn't want kids, worries about divorce, and thinks that single men actually have better sex lives.

Is there any hope for this guy?

POPANOE: It was 22 percent who said they didn't want to marry. And 54 percent that said they weren't interested in getting married any time soon. So there is a group there that just is having, as they said, fun and freedom in life, and there's no real reason why they're in a hurry to get married.

COLLINS: Did those numbers surprise you when you were doing the study?

POPANOE Well, they did, really. It's a big change from the past. Guys in their 30s in the past were married, or certainly looking to get married, and today you have more and more guys who are in a different category. COLLINS: The statistics that you have from the study, it seems like there are quite a few guys who don't want to get married.

Where does that leave women in all of this?

Who are they supposed to be with?

POPANOE: Well, we found of the single guys, 22 percent who said they didn't want to get married, and a number of those guys actually will get married. They're just not telling themselves accurately. So -- but the number of men wanting to marry is dropping, and so it's going to be harder and harder, arguably for especially older women.

COLLINS: So, tell us then, after doing all this research, how do men actually decide when to get married?

POPANOE: Well, we asked that in a number of questions, and the thing that came out way ahead of anything else is that they felt it was time to settle down. And they'd reach an age where they had done their fun and freedom bit and they were ready to settle down and I suppose the word to women is that you want to make sure you look for a guy that is at that stage of his life.

COLLINS: OK, but now wait a minute.

Where does love come into play here, anywhere?

POPANOE: Well, of course, they aren't going to marry someone they don't love, but there may be a lot of possibilities out there. And of course we know from earlier surveys that they're looking for soul mates, this one special person. And they think there's only one, but of course, there, in fact, there are a lot more than one.

COLLINS: Hmm. Well, I guess we'll just have to see. David Popanoe, we appreciate your time. Thanks so much.

POPANOE: Thank you.

COLLINS: A little depressing, isn't it?

I want to give a quick news note, though, a little bit more on this. For those of you who may be looking to find that someone special, apparently the hard-to-get game is over. 60 percent of those surveyed by Match.com say they're most likely to fall for a person they already know is head-over-heels interested in them, rather than someone they actually have to chase. And bad boys beware, women like nice guys. Only 28 percent of the women surveyed are likely to fall for a bad boy over a nice guy. So go get some flowers or something.

And it's a new book out today, generating plenty of buzz. And it has nothing to do with Bill Clinton. Just ahead it's not easy releasing a new novel when there's another one by a former president. But first today's "Buzz." "Will violence decrease in Iraq after the June 30 handover of power?" Log on to CNN.com/360 to vote now. Results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: One of the reasons he got away with it is because people like you only ask people like me the questions. You gave him a complete free ride. Any abuse they want to do, they indicted all these little people from Arkansas. What did you care about them. They're not famous. Who cares if their lives are trampled. Who cares if their children are humiliated. Who cares if Starr sends FBI agents to their school and rip them out of their school to humiliate them and try to force their parents to lie about me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Growing weary of the Lewinsky questions Bill Clinton let his anger show during a BBC interview. While Clinton speaks, millions are getting ready to pore over every word from the new book out today. We're talking, of course about "Ten Big Ones" by Janet Evanovich. But you may not have heard what with all the hype about that other little book.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): They lined up, some for 24 hours to buy the book, get an autograph and meet the author, who arrived to a rock star welcome. While this author signed away for hours, it went nearly unnoticed that another book was released today. This one by the prolific and best-selling author Janet Evanovich.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Janet Evanovich? No, never heard of her.

COLLINS: She's written more than three dozen books. Her "Stephanie Plum" series sold 12 million copies. He's only got 1.5 million in print. And Janet Evanovich will tell you her signings draw thousands of fans, too.

JANET EVANOVICH, AUTHOR, "TEN BIG ONES": I have 2,000, 3,000 people to a signing. I'll sign for six hours. I think Bill doesn't know what he's in for.

And she said her website draws 3.4 million hits a month. But today this Barnes and Noble was only big enough for one wordsmith.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bill Clinton, the only one.

COLLINS: Still Janet Evanovich, ever the savvy scribe, took it in stride.

EVANOVICH: And they're buying books. And my book will be displayed alongside his. So I think it's great. I love it. COLLINS: Beside Bill Clinton? Well, she says he's a faithful fan.

EVANOVICH: And when I sign in New York Hillary sends somebody over and I get to sign a book for Bill. I was his Christmas present the year that I had a Christmas novel out. That was a lot of fun.

COLLINS: And tomorrow her fans will line up outside the Smithsonian for her signing tour begins.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Time now for the "Buzz." Earlier we asked, "Will violence decrease in Iraq after the June 30 handover of power?" 11 percent said yes. 89 percent voted no. This is not a scientific poll, but it is your buzz.

Next, we'll go back to Anderson in Iraq and hostage taking to the Nth Degree.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Finally tonight, taking life to the "Nth Degree." Word that another hostage, another human being was murdered here in Iraq came with sadness, but, sadly, no great surprise. We've grown used to seeing these grim images, used to people being used, seeing these sickening glimpses of fear. Kim Sun-Il's captors, no doubt, wanted him to be seen this way. They didn't care what he said or who he was. They just wanted to make sure that we saw this man suffer. Kim Sun- Il's suffering is now over and we should all take great sadness in that. Thanks for watching. I'll be back in Baghdad tomorrow. "PAULA ZAHN NOW" is next.

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