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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Jury Selection Begins in Kobe Bryant Case; Bush Orders Creation of National Counterterrorism Center

Aired August 27, 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. I'm Anderson Cooper.
Traffic jam in a Colorado courthouse as jurors line up to judge a basketball superstar.

360 starts now.

The case against Kobe Bryant continues. Hundreds of potential jurors show up for the first step in jury selection. We take you inside the courtroom.

President Bush gives more power to the CIA director and orders creation of a national counterterrorism center. But is this real reform, or election-year politics?

Democrats hoping to crash the Republican party. The DNC war room revs up and controversial signs pop up around the city.

Traces of explosives found in a crashed Russian jet. Were terrorists abut to board two Russian jetliners? How could it happen? And could it happen here?

New Olympic outrage, the International Gymnastics Federation calls on Paul Hamm to hand over the gold.

And how quickly we forget. John Wayne Bobbitt in the headlines again, arrested for domestic violence. His response? Love hurts.

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

COOPER: Good evening.

When you're six-foot-six, famous the world over, and make almost $20 million a year, it may be hard to find a jury of your peers. But that's what lawyers started doing today as jury selection in the Kobe Bryant trial finally got under way in Eagle, Colorado.

And deciding who sits on the panel may very well make the difference between whether Bryant is cleared or convicted of sexual assault.

National correspondent Gary Tuchman has a wrap-up of today's court events.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kobe Bryant did not have to come to court, but so many other people did that the quiet street in front of the Eagle County Courthouse looked like rush hour in Manhattan.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: We're asking all for all the prospective jurors, ma'am, to park in this parking lot directly behind the district attorney's office.

TUCHMAN: Traffic was snarled as hundreds of prospective jurors came to the court to begin jury selection. Roughly 1,000 jury summons were sent out, the most ever mailed in this county, which only has 35,000 adults to begin with.

KAREN SALAZ, COURT SPOKESWOMAN: It's highly unusual for us to make that big of a call. The biggest thing that motivated it is, we didn't want to have to make multiple calls, because that would delay the process.

TUCHMAN: Under court rules, the prospective jurors are not allowed to be photographed or interviewed.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: He's actually marking the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) parking lot, and he'll (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

TUCHMAN: And details of the 82-item questionnaires they filled out will not be revealed until next week. But the plan is to narrow the field of prospective jurors to about 50 over the weekend, and then call them in next week for lawyer questioning.

The case that the state of Colorado versus Kobe Bean Bryant, which many thought would never get to trial, now has with the beginning of this jury selection.

CRAIG SILVERMAN, COLORADO TRIAL ATTORNEY: It's really shocking for us to get to his day. Especially in Colorado, we've had a lot of big cases, Jon-Benet, Columbine, none of them have proceeded to a criminal trial. Now it appears Kobe Bryant will be one of the biggest cases in Colorado history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Of the 1,000 summons that went out, only about 685 went to people eligible to serve on the jury. And of those 685, most did not bother to show up today.

We've just been told 300 people came for the opening day of jury selection, but we're told the judge is OK with that particular amount of people.

Now, we told you the judge is not allowing any video or photographs of prospective jurors. That's something we're used to. But to give you an idea of how fervently he's applying the rule, one creative photographer got a picture of a shadow, the shadow of a juror, as the juror went into the courthouse, just the shadows. And the judge saw the picture and said, That shadow picture won't be allowed to be used either, Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Gary Tuchman, thanks very much, from Eagle.

With the Republican National Convention three days away, officials in New York are putting finishing touches on their welcome for delegates, and their preparations for any terrorists.

And in Washington today, President Bush signed executive orders creating a new counterterrorism center and giving more power to the CIA director. Supporters called the step an interim measure going in the right direction. Critics said it was part of the show.

Here's CNN's senior White House correspondent John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president's actions give the CIA director new authority, while the administration and Congress debate just how much power to give a new national intelligence director.

Three executive orders signed by Mr. Bush Friday give the CIA director interim say over at least some spending decisions of the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and other intelligence operations, call for a new national intelligence center, a clearinghouse for information now gathered by more than a dozen spy agencies, and set guidelines for sharing sensitive intelligence among agencies, often at odds because of turf battles and other rivalries.

In Miami, Mr. Bush declined to discuss his new steps.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I signed it.

KING: The executive action is an effort by the White House to get out ahead of a heated policy and political debate.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: What he's doing is, substantively-wise, it's also obviously very politically motivated, because it's useful for him to go into next week's convention in New York being able to say that he's done something in the spirit of the 9/11 commission...

KING: The 9/11 commission recommends having the Pentagon and the CIA yield significant authority to a new national intelligence chief, but there are disagreements within the administration and in Congress over just how powerful that new post should be.

Democrat Jay Rockefeller, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the larger question is, "Will the president rise to the challenge and override turf battles?" allowing a powerful new national intelligence director?

The Kerry-Edwards campaign also focused on the broader debate, saying the test is whether the president supports "a true national intelligence director with real control over personnel and budgets. Today's actions fall short." (END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Now, administration officials concede these new steps are essentially placeholders while that broader debate over intelligence reform takes place, but they also insist, Anderson, that in the short term, they should improve intelligence gathering, and, they hope, intelligence sharing.

COOPER: Republicans all week have been saying that at the convention next week they're going to be talking about specifics. Is this idea of floating this notion today part of that, part of showing what the next four years would bring?

KING: Not so much the next four years, but what the president did not want in New York is 9/11 families among the protesters, saying he has not heeded the advice of the 9/11 commission. So if he does this now, the key question is, will he do the rest? Will he get the Pentagon and get the CIA to give up power to this new national intelligence director?

There's disagreements within the administration on that, there's disagreements within Congress on that. This will be atop the agenda when Congress comes back. But many think there are so many disagreements that they will not get it done. And what the president did today may be all the change you get for quite a while.

COOPER: Interesting. All right, John King, welcome to New York.

KING: Thank you.

COOPER: Nice to have you here.

COOPER: All right, not good, but better than expected. That's what the latest numbers say about the economy. John Kerry used those numbers, the sluggish 2.8 percent growth this spring, as the centerpiece of his campaign message in California today, promising stronger consumer protections for the middle class.

On the East Coast, Kerry's party faithful are playing defense, getting ready to respond whatever is said at the next week's Republican National Convention.

With a look at that, congressional correspondent Ed Henry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Near the home of the world-famous New Year's Eve bash, Democrats have invaded Times Square to send a message. They're here to crash the Republicans' party.

Al Sharpton happened to be driving down 42nd Street. He hopped out of his Cadillac to give the new billboard a thumbs-up.

REV. AL SHARPTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're going to try to convince America that what George Bush did was help make the world safer and better. So right here in Times Square, while they're doing all the hooplah in New York, we're going to say, the mission was not accomplished.

HENRY: Democrats opened makeshift headquarters just blocks from Madison Square Garden. This is where they will offer rapid response, just as Republicans did during the Democrat convention in Boston. Democratic officials will monitor Republican speeches and then punch back from their own television and radio studios.

TERRY MCAULIFFE, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Every time George Bush, the Republicans, try and tear down or say something that's not true about John Kerry, we're going to respond aggressively...

HENRY: But Republicans will be countering the counterspin with props like Flipper, who's stalking the Democratic headquarters to highlight what they called Kerry's policy flip-flops.

McAuliffe said Thursday that former president Bill Clinton would be overseas during the convention, but Clinton will actually make it back to New York in time to deliver a speech Sunday at the historic Riverside Church. Democrats hope this will kick off their efforts with a flourish.

SHARPTON: Who better than Bill Clinton to remind us of how times were better before Bush was president?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: Aides to former president Clinton say that his speech at the Riverside Church will last about 15 to 20 minutes and will focus on what he believes is at stake in this presidential election. He will then head out of town and not be part of the Democratic message machine here, but his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, will be here, out in full force, pushing back against the GOP, Anderson.

COOPER: It is going to be a busy week indeed. Ed Henry, thanks for that.

All of this gets us to tonight's buzz question. Who would benefit more from violent anti-Bush protests at the Republican National Convention? What do you think? President Bush, or Senator Kerry, or neither? Go to CNN.com/360, cast your vote. We'll have the results at the end of the show.

A day of cease-fire followed by another day of peace as Iraqis carry out the terms of a fragile agreement in Najaf, but tough times are still ahead, as some residents return to their homes and begin to rebuild, and Iraqi politicians and religious leaders decide where they're going to go from here.

CNN's John Vause is in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Najaf, they celebrated an end to the bloodshed and destruction, an end to the standoff which has gripped this country for three weeks.

"The city has become stable, and we hope that peace and reconstruction can return to this province."

Thousands descended on the Imam Ali Shrine, an emotionally charged pilgrimage for some, but within just a few hours, the mosque was cleared, the doors were locked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are 100 percent in control of the holy cities of Najaf and Kufa. We hope the security situation settles down and gets better in Najaf.

VAUSE: The Iraqi police are in control of the old city, but only because the Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani says so. He is now calling the shots. He was the one who struck a peace deal with Muqtada al-Sadr, and he got it in writing. Al-Sadr agreed to disarm his Mehdi militia, but that doesn't mean they have gone away.

SHEIK AHMED SHAYBANI, MUQTADA AL-SADR SPOKESMAN (through translator): The Mehdi army has not disbanded, as the authorities have wished. Every fighter has gone back to his province, and the shrine has been handed back to the care of al-Sistani. Everything is back to normal.

VAUSE: Once again, Muqtada al-Sadr walks free, once again his prestige is intact. He defied the prime minister, stood firm in the face of threats of imminent military action.

(on camera): The last cease-fire in Najaf lasted just six weeks. The only difference now is, the very public involvement of the Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani. If there is a next time, Muqtada al-Sadr will be openly defying Iraq's most senior Shi'ite cleric.

John Vause, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: We have some breaking news to report out of the Washington, an apparent case of espionage at the Pentagon.

For that, but for the latest, let's go to David Ensor, who's standing by in Washington. David, what do you know?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, this is a development that could have major national security and perhaps even political implications.

The FBI, we are told, has evidence that there may be a spy for Israel who has been working at high levels in the Pentagon. A senior official is confirming this to CNN tonight. The Israeli mole could have been in a position to influence Bush administration policy towards Iran and Iraq, the official says.

Now, CBS News, which first reported this story this evening, says the FBI has evidence against the suspect, including wiretaps and photographs. The network said that the alleged spy has ties to two senior Bush administration officials, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith.

Officials are saying that what in fact one of the things that has caused concern is that they believe that this mole got access to a presidential directive concerning policy towards Iran in the early stages, before it was finally finished, and passed it on through a lobbying organization in Washington to the government of Israel, thus giving Israel a chance to try to influence the outcome of U.S. policy on Iran.

And it is raising questions, of course, tonight about whether or not this agent, if he is indeed an agent of Israel, might have helped influence policy on the Iraq war.

So we'll be watching this story very closely. It's just breaking now, but as I say, we are told by sources here that the FBI has evidence there could be an Israeli spy at high levels in the Pentagon, Anderson.

COOPER: Of course, there has been some precedent of this, Jonathan Pollard is still in custody. He was convicted of spying for the government of Israel. And that has been really a cause celebre in Washington among some groups trying to get him out.

ENSOR: That's true. And certainly everyone knows that even friends sometimes spy on each other. The policies of the United States matter a lot to Israel and to a lot of other countries around the world. There's plenty of espionage in this town. But this would be a very serious development, and as I say, it could have some political as well as national security implications.

COOPER: And, and, and I suppose, I mean, just, it goes without saying, this would be an American national who's working at the Pentagon?

ENSOR: That's right, this would be an American national who, as working in, we understand, in the office of the secretary of defense or possibly of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Anyway, in a position reporting to these senior officials, who go right on from there to Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense...

COOPER: I know...

ENSOR: So a high-level person.

COOPER: And I know the information is still coming in, this is a breaking story, but, but, but, but try to piece the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), the pieces together a little bit of the connection with the lobbying group that you talked about. I mean, how, how would policy have been influenced?

ENSOR: Well, our understanding is, from these officials, that this (UNINTELLIGIBLE), this person might have been in a position to pass on documents, such as the one I mentioned, the presidential directive on policy towards Iran, to something called the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC. Now, this is a lobbying organization here in the United States, which lobbies, sort of for Israel and for the interests of those who believe in Israel in this country.

And the allegation is that this individual, this spy, if that's what he is, may have passed classified documents on to AIPAC, which then would have given them to the government of Israel. And that, of course, is a pretty serious violation of U.S. law.

COOPER: And the classified documents in question would be talking about what U.S. policy is going to be toward Iran, toward Iraq? I mean, it would be sort of a primer on what was going to be happening?

ENSOR: It would be an opportunity for the government of Israel, for example, to try to influence, by knowing already what the thinking behind the scenes is, of what our -- what the U.S. policy should be towards Iran or Iraq. They might be able to influence that policy before it is finally made and announced.

So it's sort of an inside piece of information that would allow them to try to lever, to leverage the policy here in Washington in a direction they'd like to see it go. And of course, it will raise questions in many minds about the Iraq war.

COOPER: And is there any information, and again, this is, I hate to be questioning you about it, because this is a breaking story, and a lot of information is not known, any idea of how long this person is accused of being a spy for?

ENSOR: I'm afraid I have no idea at all, no.

COOPER: All right.

ENSOR: All we know is that there's a suspect, that the FBI has some evidence, that they believe he could possibly have been a spy for Israel.

COOPER: Fascinating. David Ensor, thanks very much. We'll continue to following -- follow the story throughout the hour. David, thanks.

Coming up, a sickening children's toy in a bag of candy is causing outrage. Next on 360, what was an American company thinking, selling bags of children's candy with that toy in it, a model of the World Trade Center with an airplane flying into it? We'll investigate.

Also, international officials are now telling Paul Hamm to give back his gold. What are they going to do to make him? We'll talk to Olympic champion Mitch Gaylord ahead.

And the Charles Manson murders. One of his female followers, a convicted killer, gets denied parole. But the story never ends for the families of his victims. We'll talk live with the sister of Sharon Tate. But first, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, sometimes you see a story or you hear a story, and you say to yourself, That cannot be true. This is one of those stories, and unfortunately, it is true. A company, an American company, mind you, sold bags of candy with a children's toy inside. The toy, a model of the Twin Towers with a plane going into them.

What were they thinking?

Steve Barry of our Orlando affiliate WFTV tried to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE BARRY, REPORTER WFTV, ORLANDO, FLORIDA: What do you think when you look at that thing?

ANNA RODRIGUEZ, BOUGHT TOY FOR RELATIVE: It makes me angry. I'm angry, because I was offended because I couldn't believe that somebody would give something like that to a kid.

BARRY (voice-over): When Anna Rodriguez let her grandson pick out a bag of toys and candy, she never realized what was inside until her own son noticed the disturbing toy.

RODRIGUEZ: Look at the toy. I said, Come, let me look at it, and when I look at it, I was outraged. I was like, What? No way!

BARRY: She purchased the bag at this local grocery store. We found more still hanging on the candy rack. The store owners were appalled when they saw what the distributor for Lisy Corporation in Miami brought to their store. They pulled the bags from their shelves.

RODRIGUEZ: I was outraged, and my kids, they were stunned. They were like, No way.

BARRY: Anna has pictures of the Twin Towers in her living room to remember the victims of 9/11. She says there is no mistake what the toy represents, especially when you look at the product number on every single toy.

RODRIGUEZ: Everybody knows it's about the Twin Towers. And this is nothing to be joking around with.

BARRY: We called the company that distributes the candy bag, Lisy Corp. They say the product slipped through the cracks from another import company in Miami. They say they were also offended by the product, but didn't notice it until about 17,000 made it out the door.

Anna believes someone out there did this on purpose.

RODRIGUEZ: Whoever did this knew what they were doing. They definitely knew.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: That story is by Steve Barry with our affiliate WFTV.

Now, this is not the first time that Lisy Candy has been in the news. Here's a 360 fast fact. Last month, officials in North Carolina warned against eating a brand of lollipop sold by Lisy because the wrappers contained lead. And you may remember a nationwide recall of candy in 2002 after six children choked to death on a particular kind of jelly cup. Lisy was one of the companies selling that type of candy.

In Russia tonight, a tale of a mystery woman. She purchased a ticket just an hour before a doomed Russian jetliner took off. Her seat was near the back, near where investigators now believe the explosion ripped the jet apart.

Tonight, that woman has emerged as the suspect in the crash of one Russian plane, and now evidence from a nearby nearly simultaneous crash of another plane suggests both air disasters may have been no accident.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the first funerals for Tangues Yakabashvili (ph). His mother and sister wail, his wife whimpers, clutching his picture, faced inwards towards her heart.

Her husband was a passenger on one of the planes that went down Tuesday in what authorities are now investigating as twin acts of terror.

Investigators say there's now no doubt that this plane in Russia's coal-mining country was brought down by terrorists.

Its crew signaled that it has been hijacked before communications suddenly broke off, when the plane blew up in the air. They have evidence of that now.

The results of the investigation into flight 2154, he says, have found traces of an explosive substance.

Investigators have more questions about the other plane. There was no distress call, nor have they found the evidence of any explosives yet. But Thursday investigators, found the body parts of a Chechen woman, mangled almost beyond recognition, a sign, investigators say, she may have been holding a bomb.

The body of another Chechen woman was found at the other crash site.

PAUL DUFFY, AVIATION EXPERT: By now, we have absolutely no doubt that the cause of this accident, these accidents was terrorism. We are quite sure that two Muslim ladies, one in each aircraft, boarded the aircraft, apparently with a plastic explosive strapped around their waists.

BARRETT: Investigators say their suspicions were initially raised because neither woman's relatives came forward to collect their bodies.

Chechen terrorists have used female suicide bombers on Russian soil in the past. Sometimes they work in pairs. Claims of responsibility are rare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The terrorist act without a statement acknowledging responsibility for that attack may even sound more sinister. So your enemy is not just faceless, it's also nameless. It can be anywhere.

BARRETT: Even in the skies above Russia.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, we'll be seeing a lot more funerals like that in the days to come.

He won the gold medal, now Paul Hamm is being told to give it back. Coming up on 360, the pressure on the Olympic gymnast and the political fight over whether he should keep the medal. We'll talk with Olympic gold medalist Mitch Gaylord.

Also tonight, a follower of Charles Manson is denied parole, but the memories of what she did have not been locked away for the family of her victim, Sharon Tate. I'll talk to Sharon Tate's sister about Manson, the murder, and the memories she's lived with for 35 years now.

And a little later, a host of new movies out tonight. We'll give you the wrap-up of them in the weekender. All ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES MANSON: I broke no laws, not God's law nor man's law.

I've had to survive in a world that you guys don't even have any idea what's going on.

I'm a man in here, and that's a fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: The rantings of a madman, Charles Manson.

There are crimes in America that, no matter how many years may pass, never seem to fade from our collective memory. The murders committed by Charles Manson and his bizarre band of disciples are such crimes.

On an August evening 35 years ago, Charles Manson and his followers broke into a Beverly Hills mansion and brutally murdered a beautiful young pregnant actress named Sharon Tate and four others. One day later, they killed a store owner and his wife.

Manson and his followers, all convicted killers, are still in prison. Just this week, one of them, a woman named Sharon Van Houten, was up for parole. She begged, she cried, she apologized, but she was not set free.

Each parole hearing, each plea for clemency, forces the families of those murdered to relive the horror of what happened so long ago.

Debra Tate, sister of Sharon Tate, joins me from Anaheim, California, tonight.

Debra, thank you very much for being with us.

When you heard that Sharon Van Houten was yet again trying to get parole, what went through your mind?

DEBRA TATE, SHARON TATE'S SISTER: Well, I knew very well that she was trying to get paroled. Two years ago she made a plea and tried to sue the state of California, the governor of California, the parole system, the wardens, et cetera, et cetera, to set a precedent that would declare them legally political prisoners, and therefore we would have to let them out because they had completed all of the programming provided by the state of California.

COOPER: Yes, I mean, they're, you know, saying she's a model prisoner. I want to actually play for our viewers something that Leslie Van Houten said at her parole hearing just this week. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That she didn't think it was in her then. I don't want any chances. I don't trust her, I don't trust any of these people. I don't want them out...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That's the wrong tape. I'm sorry, we're going to get the right tape up there. I mean, every time one of these parole hearings comes up, I mean, do you really, do you, I mean, you must just relive what happened to your sister 35 years ago.

TATE: Absolutely. Not only my sister, everybody in that house that evening were my very close friends and my support system at the time. It was devastating, totally devastating, on multiple levels. Of course, the rest of my family fell apart personally...

COOPER: And I know your mom never really recovered. TATE: She never really recovered, that is correct.

COOPER: We have this tape of Leslie Van Houten, of her talking during her -- I want to play this now.

TATE: OK, OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESLIE VAN HOUTEN: I was raised to be a decent human being. I turned into a monster. And I have spent these years going back to a decent human being. And I just don't know what else to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Do you believe her? I mean, there are other things she could say, I suppose, I'm sorry to you and to your family.

TATE: I do believe that that was a response to her co-Manson family members' parole hearing a month ago, Patricia Kernwinkel. I stated in my statement that none of them have ever tried to contact any of us in any way to say that they were sorry.

So I do believe that that was basically for the cameras and for the public support system. If you look real close, there were no tears whatsoever.

COOPER: I know you have a Web site, Tatelegacy.com, and you...

TATE: Yes, I do.

COOPER: ... your -- one of your greatest concerns now is that some of these, I mean, that either that Charles, I mean, it's unlikely Charles Manson would ever get out. He's up for parole, I think, in 19 -- in 2007.

TATE: He said...

COOPER: But, but...

TATE: ... he does not want to be released.

COOPER: Yes, and, I mean, you know, he raves every now and then...

TATE: Yes, he does.

COOPER: ... I don't know why people, why people give him interviews and air time for that, for those kind of ravings.

But you're fearful that some of his other disciples will get out.

TATE: Correct. In my opinion, it's the disciples that decided exactly how brutal the acts were going to be. They are the ones that inflicted that brutality. And therefore, they are, in my mind, believe it or not, more dangerous than Charlie himself. COOPER: You know ...

TATE: I have more respect for the man that does not try to get out, that takes his medicine, than I do for people that are working the religious community, our precious, good American people to bend their will onto their own.

COOPER: You know, in these kinds of stories, I'm always weary about talking about criminals too much, because I think the victims in all these get lost. And I know it's been 35 years, but can you tell us about Sharon Tate, about your sister? I mean, what was she like?

TATE: Oh, gosh, she was a fabulous woman. I think everybody agrees that she was absolutely spectacular on the outside, but what they don't know is that she was equally as spectacular on the inside. She was very loving and giving and humble, and unaffected. She was -- she would give anybody the shirt off her back. She was not one that would have taken her profits and squandered them. She would have helped many others. Jay Sebring, I do believe, would have been a philanthropist. Everybody in the household were good, contributing people to the society. Abigail Folger, an heiress who chose to devote her life as a social worker, helping the same type of people that ultimately took her life.

COOPER: So many lives cut short. Debra Tate, I appreciate you being on. I know it's a difficult thing to talk about. Your Web site is tatelegacy.com. We do appreciate you being with us. Thanks very much.

TATE: Thank you.

COOPER: The case against Kobe Bryant continues. Hundreds of potential jurors show up for the first step in jury selection. We take you inside the courtroom.

New Olympic outrage. The International Gymnastics Federation calls on Paul Hamm to hand over the gold.

And "How Quickly We Forget." John Wayne Bobbitt in the headlines again, arrested for domestic violence. His response? Love hurts. 360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: We return now to the breaking news story we've been following out of Washington, where the FBI tonight says a spy for Israel may have infiltrated the highest levels of the Pentagon. Let's go back now to national security correspondent David Ensor for the very latest -- David.

ENSOR: Anderson, as you say, the FBI says it has evidence -- or officials say that the FBI has evidence there may be a spy for Israel who's been working at high level at the Pentagon.

The Israeli mole, officials say, could have been in a position to influence Bush administration policy towards Iran and Iraq. CBS News, which first reported this story, says the FBI has evidence against the suspect, including wiretaps and photographs. CBS said that the alleged spy has ties to two senior Bush administration officials, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith.

We reached the Israeli embassy here in town this evening, and the spokesman there told us, quote, this is the Israeli government, "we categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous."

Now, the allegation is that this suspect, this alleged spy in the Pentagon may have passed on classified documents to a lobbying organization called AIPAC, the America-Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is an American lobbying organization that lobbies on behalf of issues that relate to Israel. AIPAC has put out a statement this evening as well, and it says this: "AIPAC is an American organization, comprised of proud and loyal American citizens committed to promoting American interests. Any allegations of criminal conduct by the organization or its employees is baseless and false." AIPAC goes on to say, "we take our responsibilities as American citizens seriously. We would not condone or tolerate for a second any violation of U.S. law or interests."

And AIPAC says, quote, "we are fully cooperating with the governmental authorities and will continue to do so." So some strong denials there from both the Israeli government and the lobbying organization that is alleged to have been involved in this -- Anderson.

COOPER: David, the allegation -- do we know specifically where this person is allegedly worked inside the Pentagon?

ENSOR: He or she is alleged to have worked at a high level, either in the office of the secretary of the defense or in the Defense Intelligence Agency. That is not clear at this point to us, but he was a high-level official who had direct contact with Doug Feith and Paul Wolfowitz. Or that is the allegations that we are hearing from officials tonight.

COOPER: And a strong allegation it is. David Ensor, thanks. Continue to follow the story. We'll check in with you shortly.

Jury selection is under way in the Kobe Bryant trial. Selecting that panel may be the most important part of the case, of course. All day, hundreds of potential jurors streamed through an Eagle, Colorado courtroom as lawyers on both sides began the process that eventually will result in 12 people being selected for jury duty, with the fate of Bryant's future in their hands.

Joining us in "Justice Served," is Court TV anchor Lisa Bloom and from Chicago, trial consultant Paul Lisnek. Appreciate both of you being with us. Lisa, let me start off with you.

What are Kobe Bryant's attorneys looking for in a jury?

LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Well, I think they want media watchers, two kinds of media watchers. People who have been following the hard news like this show closely, because so much negative stuff has been reported about the victim, the alleged victim in the last year. Also people who read celebrity magazines, follow the star shows. People who tend to be smitten with celebrities obviously are going to be more pro-defense.

COOPER: Paul, lawyers are obviously going to be questioning potential jurors all next week. What kind of questions are they going to be asking?

PAUL LISNEK, TRIAL CONSULTANT: Well, they're going to go after the issues that Lisa said -- that Lisa just pointed to, what kind of TV shows do you watch? What kind of magazines do you read? Do you read "The National Enquirer?" They want to dig into people's life experiences, because while we're looking at certain demographic variables, you know, race and gender and what not, it's really life experiences that tell us what is behind people's attitudes and values.

COOPER: You know, Lisa, Paul surprised me yesterday on the show, because he was saying that he thinks men would be tougher on Bryant. You were saying you would actually want a jury of women if you represented Bryant?

BLOOM: I would want primarily women. I see a big gender gap in the analysis of the Kobe Bryant case. I've known relationships that have broken up over arguments about the Kobe Bryant case. I think women are far more likely to believe that Kobe Bryant could have raped this young women. Men are much less likely to believe it.

Now, of course Paul is right, you have got to look at the individual, but if you're going to base it on gender lines, I would want women if I'm on the prosecution's side.

COOPER: Paul?

LISNEK: Let me toss a comment in. Of course, Lisa and I -- you know, I would never disagree with Lisa. But what we've got to have...

(CROSSTALK)

BLOOM: Go ahead, Paul. It's OK. I'm a big girl.

LISNEK: Well, no, I mean, you're right when you start to add in those other life demographics. I mean, for example, married men for me would be a prosecution pick. Older women would be a prosecution pick, who might see the alleged victim as a victim and as a grandmotherly -- in a grandmotherly role.

BLOOM: But you know what, Paul, younger women also I think are more likely to see that a woman might go up to his room for kissing and hugging but say no at sex. I think it's a much more of a younger generation thing to say there could be some activity, but going to a hotel room doesn't mean she was willing to go all the way, so to speak.

LISNEK: And to that, Lisa, I'd say it depends whether you draw the line at younger. If we're talking Generation X, and young women in their 20s or whatever, they're very conservative, and that could be tough. But here, the median age of the jurors in Eagle County is 31, which means you're going to look at people in their 30s, in their late 20s, and that difference in age has to be factored in here when we're going to draw a conclusion as to how the young women would look at this.

BLOOM: You know, the other factor, Paul, would be people who are engineers, science types, because DNA is going to be such an important factor in this trial. People who can analyze scientific evidence. That may be the most important of all.

COOPER: What's also interesting, in just listening to you talk, is how it's clearly not a science, I mean, that it is an art to select a jury and there is a lot of a difference of opinion on it.

BLOOM: Right. Of course.

COOPER: Lisa Bloom, good to see you. Paul Lisnek, always good to talk to you as well. Thanks.

LISNEK: You as well, Anderson, thanks.

COOPER: The International Gymnastics Federation is trying to clear up a gold medal mess tonight, but instead they're really stirring up more anger. At the center of the Olympic-sized controversy, Paul Hamm, who won the gold medal in the men's all-around competition, with one of the greatest come-from-behind victories ever in gymnastics, perhaps in sports all over.

At issue, a clerical error by the judges. South Korea's athlete was wrongly docked a tenth of a point in the competition. Now, if the degree of difficulty of his routine had been correctly factored, he could have won gold instead of Hamm. Instead, he got a bronze.

Now the FIG, as it is known, is asking the United States Olympic Committee to deliver Hamm a letter asking him to hand over the medal to the South Korean. The FIG says it would be the ultimate show of sportsmanship. And this drew immediate reaction from the United States Olympic Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER UEBERROTH, USOC CHAIRMAN: We've reviewed the action of the International Gymnastics Federation, and we think it's deplorable. They're deflecting their own incompetence and their problem to a young athlete who simply came here to compete in the Olympic Games. He competed very very well. He was awarded a gold medal. And they continue to cause him grief and we're here to back him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, joining us from Los Angeles, Mitch Gaylord, former Olympic gymnast who led the U.S. team to its gold medal victory in the 1984 Olympic Games. Mitch, great to have you.

MITCH GAYLORD, FRM. OLYMPIC GYMNAST: Thank you.

COOPER: If you were Paul Hamm, would you give back the gold?

GAYLORD: Not at this point, absolutely not. There was one situation in which I thought it would be warranted, and that's if the Koreans protested when they should have, before the competition was over. Before Paul Hamm had the medal put around his neck, would have been the only time it would have made sense. Those are the rules. And It's ironic that the FIG is now asking Paul Hamm to break their own rules.

They're asking Hamm to now give the medal back. Meanwhile, the FIG should have stepped in right away and put an end to this and stated that the rule is you must protest before the competition is over.

COOPER: Yes, we're looking at video of Paul and his brother Morgan. Paul there on the right, Morgan on the left. I want to read you something that a columnist from the Associated Press wrote. He said quote, "The Paul Hamm was the perfect" -- was quote, "the perfect fall guy for inept judges, butt-covering officials and an International Olympic Committee afraid of its own shadow."

I talked to Paul Hamm yesterday and he said he basically felt hung out to dry by these guys. Does that surprise you?

GAYLORD: It doesn't surprise me, but it's totally accurate. I think Paul Hamm is the fall guy right now and it's totally unfair. Here's an athlete, 21-years-old, that competed his heart out. He ended up coming from behind, from a disappointing vault. Gave it his best. Won the gold medal under that environment.

You know gymnastics has human beings judging the event. It is subjective. It's part of the sport. When you have human being judging there's the possibility of human error. That's what existed here. It wasn't blatant cheating, it was human error. And if anything should happen, the FIG should really look at the judges that they have, judging these events, and really get some more competent people in there who know what they're doing.

COOPER: I met him yesterday, he's been handling this remarkably well. He's under intense pressure. He wrote a very nice letter to the South Korean gymnast expressing empathy.

Mitch Gaylord. Good to get your opinion. Thank you very much.

GAYLORD: Thank you.

COOPER: New numbers out tonight in the race for the White House. Next on 360, the polls may bring some troubling news for John Kerry, depending on how you interpret them. A look at the numbers next.

Also tonight, Gandhi gets violent? What's that about? Well, it's actually Ben Kingsley's newest role in a very dark film. We'll check it out in the "Weekender."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All right. Let's talk politics. With the presidential race in a statistical dead-heat, every new poll is carefully analyzed, carefully studied for what it may mean for each candidate. A news "Los Angeles Times" poll shows that George Bush with a small lead in three key Midwest states: Missouri, with a 46 to 44 percent lead, Wisconsin, where it's 48 to 44 and Ohio, 49, 44.

Now, remember the margin of error here is 4 percent, so we're still looking really at a tie. The electoral votes are the only numbers that matter. So here's CNN's state by state analysis, released a little over 2 hours ago. It shows that George Bush would keep the White House if the election were held today.

Of course, it's not. So earlier I asked the "CROSSFIRE" guys, James Carville and Robert Novak for their take on these numbers. What do they mean? And let's look ahead at the convention. Here they are.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: James, what do you make of these polls? A national poll shows a statistical dead heat right now between Bush and Kerry, and yet you have the state polls which are giving Bush a slight edge?

JAMES CARVILLE, CO-HOST CROSSFIRE: Well, you have one group of state polls, "The Los Angeles Times," but I think it would be wrong for the Kerry people not to say that there has been an ever so slight, but noticeable, erosion here. And I think the message is that they've got to be a lot more aggressive. They've got to do a lot better job of framing these issues.

I think they will. And hopefully that they'll take this as just an early minor warning sign that it's time to really get on the stick and take this campaign to the American people and frame these issues in the right kind of way.

COOPER: Bob, if this is a minor warning sign, what is the warnings? What is the problem? Is the swift boat ad controversy drawing blood?

ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST CROSSFIRE: I think it is. I think it got him off track. First he ignored it, Senator Kerry ignored it, then he came back with an ineffective response, got him off message. I think it's not a question the question that it's a statistical dead heat, it's been a statistical dead-heat for months, it's the idea that if you look at all the state polls, Kerry is going in the wrong direction.

The worst thing is the internals on the CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll which shows that Bush has made considerable gains on comparisons of strong leadership, who do you really believe? So I think this is a tough time for Senator Kerry, and I don't think they've responded very well to that time. This has been a tough month of August for the Democratic candidate.

COOPER: Let's talk about the convention a bit. James, what are you expecting? Let's give a little primer to viewers. What should viewers be looking for? What are you expecting to hear? What should viewers be expecting to see?

CARVILLE: The thing that's going to matter is President Bush's speech, specifically how does he tell American people about Vietnam, now that -- about Iraq now that he said he made a miscalculation, and specifically what will he do in the second term and what will it cost? Because when they talk about Social Security reform, the cost of that is $1 trillion.

I don't know how in the world this country can afford anything like that. So, they're going to be -- hopefully the Democrats will be ready to point this out. I think that's the big -- the only vet that will matter this entire week is going to be President Bush's speech Thursday night.

NOVAK: And he'll lay out what he calls the ownership society, where you talk about ordinary Americans being able to invest in Social Security, private accounts, so they have a stake in the market.

This is a thing that really terrifying the Democrats if everybody becomes a capitalist, then they're really sunk as a party.

CARVILLE: They're not terrified. This is an administration that threw 3 million more people into poverty, there's been no income growth, there's been no job growth. I'm don't know how to tell the president this, but let me try it. Mr. President, we ain't got nothing to buy anything, how the hell can we own anything out here in America? Get real.

NOVAK: And that comes from a millionaire, a multimillionaire.

CARVILLE: Well I do, because I got the tax cut, most people don't.

COOPER: We'll leave it there. James Carville, Bob Novak thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Today's "Buzz" is this. What do you think. "Who would benefit more from violent anti-Bush protests at the Republican National Convention if there are any? Bush, Kerry, neither?" Go to cnn.com/360. Cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the program.

Next on 360, New Yorkers have seen it all except perhaps a recent gathering of a lot of Republicans. We'll take that introduction to the "Nth Degree."

Also tonight, a look at the newest films coming out this weekend in the "Weekender." We'll also have the strange story of John Wane Bobbitt, He's back in the news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: John Wayne Bobbitt is back in the news facing charges of domestic violence. Eleven years ago he became the poster child for, well, it depends on who you ask, either unspeakable agony or just desert when he was castrated by his wife Lorena. Since then Bobbitt has become a punch line, a euphemism, a convict, a porn star and part of the past. He's this week's example of how quickly we forget.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN WAYNE BOBBITT, CASTRATED BY WIFE: Just, like, cut it off.

COOPER (voice-over): John Wayne Bobbitt on the stand in a Manassas, Virginia courthouse telling the jury and the world how his wife Lorena had given him the unkindest cut of all.

LORENA BOBBITT, WIFE OF JOHN WAYNE BOBBITT: He hurt me.

COOPER: She was charged with malicious wounding for slicing off her husband's penis and tossing it on a roadway.

L. BOBBITT: I just want to get rid of it.

COOPER: She said her husband had raped her. The jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. He was charged with and acquitted of marital sexual abuse. It took surgeons 9 1/2 hours to reattach, and according to Bobbitt, enhance his missing member.

If the trials seem like a circus, then John Wayne Bobbitt's life after the trials was a sideshow, sometimes literally.

He took a stab at a career in show businesses, with starring roles in two porn flicks. He was a greeter in Nevada's Moonlight Bunny Ranch, became part of a carnival sideshow, yes, he was part of the knife-throwing act.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now known as Reverend John Wayne Bobbitt.

COOPER: Was ordained as a minister performing weddings in Vegas and tried selling the weapon on eBay. But legal woes continually cut into his lifestyle. Bobbitt was arrested seven times on charges ranging from theft to assault and now this, arrested for beating his stepson, who allegedly discovered his stash of sex toys, then turning on his wife.

Bobbitt's attorney issued a press release which he called "Love Hurts." It said in part, "John Wayne Bobbitt discovered once again that love can indeed be painful." Not as painful it seems as sliding into obscurity. How quickly we forget.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: All right. Before the big political week, you may want to unwind this weekend, watch some mindless entertainment. You have a lot to pick from. Warriors, serial killers and some giant snakes are just some of what Hollywood is offering up in tonight's "Weekender."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COOPER (voice-over): In "Hero," Jet Li soars into the role of an ancient nameless warrior who battles assassins bent on toppling the king. Along the way there's plenty of plot twists and just enough acrobatic play sequences to keep Kung Fu action fans happy.

Happy is not the emotion that comes to mind in "Suspect Zero." Ben Kingsley is a serial killer who hunts down other serial killers. It's like "Silence of the Lambs" meets "Death Wish 5." Probably not good for the kids.

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water comes a new menace, and it's really, really big. "Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid" is a follow up to the 1997 B flick. This time around there's more than one snake and guess what? It's mating season.

New on DVD, "The Girl Next Door." A teen comedy about a high schooler whose new next-door neighbor turns out to be a porn star. It happens all the time.

In concert, Journey. Anyway you want it, the band will play to open arms tomorrow night at the state fair in Syracuse. Fans, keep on rocking and don't stop believing.

And if you're near Pelham, Alabama tonight, John Mayer is leading "The Acoustic Planet" tour with Maroon 5, Incubus and many, many more.

And let's not forget the Louie Louie 1,000 Guitar festival in Tacoma, Washington this weekend. Anyone with a six-string act should come on down for two days of clinics, classes and head-banging, hair- raising, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) madness. Steve Perry, keep on rocking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: So they've heard about them, they've read about them, now they're going to finally meet them. Next on 360, the GOP is heading to the Big Apple. We're going to introduce New Yorkers to Republicans in the "Nth Degree." And that of course all begins on Monday. Join us for our week-long coverage live from the Republican National Convention. 7:00. Be there, be square. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Earlier we asked you, who would benefit more from violent anti-Bush protests at the Republican National Convention?

39 percent of you said Bush. 18 percent said Kerry and 43 percent said neither. Not a scientific poll but it is your buzz and we appreciate you voting.

Tonight taking anticipation to the Nth Degree. OK, New Yorkers, this is it, showtime. Come Monday, only two days from now, you'll at last be able to prove to your children, many of whom may never have seen a member of the GOP in the flesh that you haven't been pulling their legs after all, that Republicans are not like imaginary friends or Jackalopes or the Yeti, that they do in fact, really and for true actually exist. New York kids are wildly excited, of course. They've been jumping up and down for weeks, hardly knowing what to believe. They're coming by the thousands. They've been told, right down to Madison Square Garden, you know, where the Knicks play. The kids want to trust their parents, of course, but not too long ago, the parents swore up and down there was a Tooth Fairy and that turned out to be a crock. On buses and subways, you see New York kids asking their dads, what do Republicans look like, Daddy? What do they eat? Are they friendly? How big are they? Can I pet one? They look like your Uncle Butch, the dads reply, and no, you can't pet one.

So, kids, get a couple of good night's sleep and then on Monday, you'll see, honest, there will be Republicans all over the place. But don't get your hopes up too much. Despite what you might have heard from your parents, Republicans kind of look like everybody else.

I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching. Have a great weekend. Coming up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

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


Aired August 27, 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. I'm Anderson Cooper.
Traffic jam in a Colorado courthouse as jurors line up to judge a basketball superstar.

360 starts now.

The case against Kobe Bryant continues. Hundreds of potential jurors show up for the first step in jury selection. We take you inside the courtroom.

President Bush gives more power to the CIA director and orders creation of a national counterterrorism center. But is this real reform, or election-year politics?

Democrats hoping to crash the Republican party. The DNC war room revs up and controversial signs pop up around the city.

Traces of explosives found in a crashed Russian jet. Were terrorists abut to board two Russian jetliners? How could it happen? And could it happen here?

New Olympic outrage, the International Gymnastics Federation calls on Paul Hamm to hand over the gold.

And how quickly we forget. John Wayne Bobbitt in the headlines again, arrested for domestic violence. His response? Love hurts.

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

COOPER: Good evening.

When you're six-foot-six, famous the world over, and make almost $20 million a year, it may be hard to find a jury of your peers. But that's what lawyers started doing today as jury selection in the Kobe Bryant trial finally got under way in Eagle, Colorado.

And deciding who sits on the panel may very well make the difference between whether Bryant is cleared or convicted of sexual assault.

National correspondent Gary Tuchman has a wrap-up of today's court events.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kobe Bryant did not have to come to court, but so many other people did that the quiet street in front of the Eagle County Courthouse looked like rush hour in Manhattan.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: We're asking all for all the prospective jurors, ma'am, to park in this parking lot directly behind the district attorney's office.

TUCHMAN: Traffic was snarled as hundreds of prospective jurors came to the court to begin jury selection. Roughly 1,000 jury summons were sent out, the most ever mailed in this county, which only has 35,000 adults to begin with.

KAREN SALAZ, COURT SPOKESWOMAN: It's highly unusual for us to make that big of a call. The biggest thing that motivated it is, we didn't want to have to make multiple calls, because that would delay the process.

TUCHMAN: Under court rules, the prospective jurors are not allowed to be photographed or interviewed.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: He's actually marking the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) parking lot, and he'll (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

TUCHMAN: And details of the 82-item questionnaires they filled out will not be revealed until next week. But the plan is to narrow the field of prospective jurors to about 50 over the weekend, and then call them in next week for lawyer questioning.

The case that the state of Colorado versus Kobe Bean Bryant, which many thought would never get to trial, now has with the beginning of this jury selection.

CRAIG SILVERMAN, COLORADO TRIAL ATTORNEY: It's really shocking for us to get to his day. Especially in Colorado, we've had a lot of big cases, Jon-Benet, Columbine, none of them have proceeded to a criminal trial. Now it appears Kobe Bryant will be one of the biggest cases in Colorado history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Of the 1,000 summons that went out, only about 685 went to people eligible to serve on the jury. And of those 685, most did not bother to show up today.

We've just been told 300 people came for the opening day of jury selection, but we're told the judge is OK with that particular amount of people.

Now, we told you the judge is not allowing any video or photographs of prospective jurors. That's something we're used to. But to give you an idea of how fervently he's applying the rule, one creative photographer got a picture of a shadow, the shadow of a juror, as the juror went into the courthouse, just the shadows. And the judge saw the picture and said, That shadow picture won't be allowed to be used either, Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Gary Tuchman, thanks very much, from Eagle.

With the Republican National Convention three days away, officials in New York are putting finishing touches on their welcome for delegates, and their preparations for any terrorists.

And in Washington today, President Bush signed executive orders creating a new counterterrorism center and giving more power to the CIA director. Supporters called the step an interim measure going in the right direction. Critics said it was part of the show.

Here's CNN's senior White House correspondent John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president's actions give the CIA director new authority, while the administration and Congress debate just how much power to give a new national intelligence director.

Three executive orders signed by Mr. Bush Friday give the CIA director interim say over at least some spending decisions of the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and other intelligence operations, call for a new national intelligence center, a clearinghouse for information now gathered by more than a dozen spy agencies, and set guidelines for sharing sensitive intelligence among agencies, often at odds because of turf battles and other rivalries.

In Miami, Mr. Bush declined to discuss his new steps.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I signed it.

KING: The executive action is an effort by the White House to get out ahead of a heated policy and political debate.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: What he's doing is, substantively-wise, it's also obviously very politically motivated, because it's useful for him to go into next week's convention in New York being able to say that he's done something in the spirit of the 9/11 commission...

KING: The 9/11 commission recommends having the Pentagon and the CIA yield significant authority to a new national intelligence chief, but there are disagreements within the administration and in Congress over just how powerful that new post should be.

Democrat Jay Rockefeller, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the larger question is, "Will the president rise to the challenge and override turf battles?" allowing a powerful new national intelligence director?

The Kerry-Edwards campaign also focused on the broader debate, saying the test is whether the president supports "a true national intelligence director with real control over personnel and budgets. Today's actions fall short." (END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Now, administration officials concede these new steps are essentially placeholders while that broader debate over intelligence reform takes place, but they also insist, Anderson, that in the short term, they should improve intelligence gathering, and, they hope, intelligence sharing.

COOPER: Republicans all week have been saying that at the convention next week they're going to be talking about specifics. Is this idea of floating this notion today part of that, part of showing what the next four years would bring?

KING: Not so much the next four years, but what the president did not want in New York is 9/11 families among the protesters, saying he has not heeded the advice of the 9/11 commission. So if he does this now, the key question is, will he do the rest? Will he get the Pentagon and get the CIA to give up power to this new national intelligence director?

There's disagreements within the administration on that, there's disagreements within Congress on that. This will be atop the agenda when Congress comes back. But many think there are so many disagreements that they will not get it done. And what the president did today may be all the change you get for quite a while.

COOPER: Interesting. All right, John King, welcome to New York.

KING: Thank you.

COOPER: Nice to have you here.

COOPER: All right, not good, but better than expected. That's what the latest numbers say about the economy. John Kerry used those numbers, the sluggish 2.8 percent growth this spring, as the centerpiece of his campaign message in California today, promising stronger consumer protections for the middle class.

On the East Coast, Kerry's party faithful are playing defense, getting ready to respond whatever is said at the next week's Republican National Convention.

With a look at that, congressional correspondent Ed Henry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Near the home of the world-famous New Year's Eve bash, Democrats have invaded Times Square to send a message. They're here to crash the Republicans' party.

Al Sharpton happened to be driving down 42nd Street. He hopped out of his Cadillac to give the new billboard a thumbs-up.

REV. AL SHARPTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're going to try to convince America that what George Bush did was help make the world safer and better. So right here in Times Square, while they're doing all the hooplah in New York, we're going to say, the mission was not accomplished.

HENRY: Democrats opened makeshift headquarters just blocks from Madison Square Garden. This is where they will offer rapid response, just as Republicans did during the Democrat convention in Boston. Democratic officials will monitor Republican speeches and then punch back from their own television and radio studios.

TERRY MCAULIFFE, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Every time George Bush, the Republicans, try and tear down or say something that's not true about John Kerry, we're going to respond aggressively...

HENRY: But Republicans will be countering the counterspin with props like Flipper, who's stalking the Democratic headquarters to highlight what they called Kerry's policy flip-flops.

McAuliffe said Thursday that former president Bill Clinton would be overseas during the convention, but Clinton will actually make it back to New York in time to deliver a speech Sunday at the historic Riverside Church. Democrats hope this will kick off their efforts with a flourish.

SHARPTON: Who better than Bill Clinton to remind us of how times were better before Bush was president?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: Aides to former president Clinton say that his speech at the Riverside Church will last about 15 to 20 minutes and will focus on what he believes is at stake in this presidential election. He will then head out of town and not be part of the Democratic message machine here, but his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, will be here, out in full force, pushing back against the GOP, Anderson.

COOPER: It is going to be a busy week indeed. Ed Henry, thanks for that.

All of this gets us to tonight's buzz question. Who would benefit more from violent anti-Bush protests at the Republican National Convention? What do you think? President Bush, or Senator Kerry, or neither? Go to CNN.com/360, cast your vote. We'll have the results at the end of the show.

A day of cease-fire followed by another day of peace as Iraqis carry out the terms of a fragile agreement in Najaf, but tough times are still ahead, as some residents return to their homes and begin to rebuild, and Iraqi politicians and religious leaders decide where they're going to go from here.

CNN's John Vause is in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Najaf, they celebrated an end to the bloodshed and destruction, an end to the standoff which has gripped this country for three weeks.

"The city has become stable, and we hope that peace and reconstruction can return to this province."

Thousands descended on the Imam Ali Shrine, an emotionally charged pilgrimage for some, but within just a few hours, the mosque was cleared, the doors were locked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are 100 percent in control of the holy cities of Najaf and Kufa. We hope the security situation settles down and gets better in Najaf.

VAUSE: The Iraqi police are in control of the old city, but only because the Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani says so. He is now calling the shots. He was the one who struck a peace deal with Muqtada al-Sadr, and he got it in writing. Al-Sadr agreed to disarm his Mehdi militia, but that doesn't mean they have gone away.

SHEIK AHMED SHAYBANI, MUQTADA AL-SADR SPOKESMAN (through translator): The Mehdi army has not disbanded, as the authorities have wished. Every fighter has gone back to his province, and the shrine has been handed back to the care of al-Sistani. Everything is back to normal.

VAUSE: Once again, Muqtada al-Sadr walks free, once again his prestige is intact. He defied the prime minister, stood firm in the face of threats of imminent military action.

(on camera): The last cease-fire in Najaf lasted just six weeks. The only difference now is, the very public involvement of the Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani. If there is a next time, Muqtada al-Sadr will be openly defying Iraq's most senior Shi'ite cleric.

John Vause, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: We have some breaking news to report out of the Washington, an apparent case of espionage at the Pentagon.

For that, but for the latest, let's go to David Ensor, who's standing by in Washington. David, what do you know?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, this is a development that could have major national security and perhaps even political implications.

The FBI, we are told, has evidence that there may be a spy for Israel who has been working at high levels in the Pentagon. A senior official is confirming this to CNN tonight. The Israeli mole could have been in a position to influence Bush administration policy towards Iran and Iraq, the official says.

Now, CBS News, which first reported this story this evening, says the FBI has evidence against the suspect, including wiretaps and photographs. The network said that the alleged spy has ties to two senior Bush administration officials, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith.

Officials are saying that what in fact one of the things that has caused concern is that they believe that this mole got access to a presidential directive concerning policy towards Iran in the early stages, before it was finally finished, and passed it on through a lobbying organization in Washington to the government of Israel, thus giving Israel a chance to try to influence the outcome of U.S. policy on Iran.

And it is raising questions, of course, tonight about whether or not this agent, if he is indeed an agent of Israel, might have helped influence policy on the Iraq war.

So we'll be watching this story very closely. It's just breaking now, but as I say, we are told by sources here that the FBI has evidence there could be an Israeli spy at high levels in the Pentagon, Anderson.

COOPER: Of course, there has been some precedent of this, Jonathan Pollard is still in custody. He was convicted of spying for the government of Israel. And that has been really a cause celebre in Washington among some groups trying to get him out.

ENSOR: That's true. And certainly everyone knows that even friends sometimes spy on each other. The policies of the United States matter a lot to Israel and to a lot of other countries around the world. There's plenty of espionage in this town. But this would be a very serious development, and as I say, it could have some political as well as national security implications.

COOPER: And, and, and I suppose, I mean, just, it goes without saying, this would be an American national who's working at the Pentagon?

ENSOR: That's right, this would be an American national who, as working in, we understand, in the office of the secretary of defense or possibly of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Anyway, in a position reporting to these senior officials, who go right on from there to Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense...

COOPER: I know...

ENSOR: So a high-level person.

COOPER: And I know the information is still coming in, this is a breaking story, but, but, but, but try to piece the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), the pieces together a little bit of the connection with the lobbying group that you talked about. I mean, how, how would policy have been influenced?

ENSOR: Well, our understanding is, from these officials, that this (UNINTELLIGIBLE), this person might have been in a position to pass on documents, such as the one I mentioned, the presidential directive on policy towards Iran, to something called the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC. Now, this is a lobbying organization here in the United States, which lobbies, sort of for Israel and for the interests of those who believe in Israel in this country.

And the allegation is that this individual, this spy, if that's what he is, may have passed classified documents on to AIPAC, which then would have given them to the government of Israel. And that, of course, is a pretty serious violation of U.S. law.

COOPER: And the classified documents in question would be talking about what U.S. policy is going to be toward Iran, toward Iraq? I mean, it would be sort of a primer on what was going to be happening?

ENSOR: It would be an opportunity for the government of Israel, for example, to try to influence, by knowing already what the thinking behind the scenes is, of what our -- what the U.S. policy should be towards Iran or Iraq. They might be able to influence that policy before it is finally made and announced.

So it's sort of an inside piece of information that would allow them to try to lever, to leverage the policy here in Washington in a direction they'd like to see it go. And of course, it will raise questions in many minds about the Iraq war.

COOPER: And is there any information, and again, this is, I hate to be questioning you about it, because this is a breaking story, and a lot of information is not known, any idea of how long this person is accused of being a spy for?

ENSOR: I'm afraid I have no idea at all, no.

COOPER: All right.

ENSOR: All we know is that there's a suspect, that the FBI has some evidence, that they believe he could possibly have been a spy for Israel.

COOPER: Fascinating. David Ensor, thanks very much. We'll continue to following -- follow the story throughout the hour. David, thanks.

Coming up, a sickening children's toy in a bag of candy is causing outrage. Next on 360, what was an American company thinking, selling bags of children's candy with that toy in it, a model of the World Trade Center with an airplane flying into it? We'll investigate.

Also, international officials are now telling Paul Hamm to give back his gold. What are they going to do to make him? We'll talk to Olympic champion Mitch Gaylord ahead.

And the Charles Manson murders. One of his female followers, a convicted killer, gets denied parole. But the story never ends for the families of his victims. We'll talk live with the sister of Sharon Tate. But first, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, sometimes you see a story or you hear a story, and you say to yourself, That cannot be true. This is one of those stories, and unfortunately, it is true. A company, an American company, mind you, sold bags of candy with a children's toy inside. The toy, a model of the Twin Towers with a plane going into them.

What were they thinking?

Steve Barry of our Orlando affiliate WFTV tried to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE BARRY, REPORTER WFTV, ORLANDO, FLORIDA: What do you think when you look at that thing?

ANNA RODRIGUEZ, BOUGHT TOY FOR RELATIVE: It makes me angry. I'm angry, because I was offended because I couldn't believe that somebody would give something like that to a kid.

BARRY (voice-over): When Anna Rodriguez let her grandson pick out a bag of toys and candy, she never realized what was inside until her own son noticed the disturbing toy.

RODRIGUEZ: Look at the toy. I said, Come, let me look at it, and when I look at it, I was outraged. I was like, What? No way!

BARRY: She purchased the bag at this local grocery store. We found more still hanging on the candy rack. The store owners were appalled when they saw what the distributor for Lisy Corporation in Miami brought to their store. They pulled the bags from their shelves.

RODRIGUEZ: I was outraged, and my kids, they were stunned. They were like, No way.

BARRY: Anna has pictures of the Twin Towers in her living room to remember the victims of 9/11. She says there is no mistake what the toy represents, especially when you look at the product number on every single toy.

RODRIGUEZ: Everybody knows it's about the Twin Towers. And this is nothing to be joking around with.

BARRY: We called the company that distributes the candy bag, Lisy Corp. They say the product slipped through the cracks from another import company in Miami. They say they were also offended by the product, but didn't notice it until about 17,000 made it out the door.

Anna believes someone out there did this on purpose.

RODRIGUEZ: Whoever did this knew what they were doing. They definitely knew.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: That story is by Steve Barry with our affiliate WFTV.

Now, this is not the first time that Lisy Candy has been in the news. Here's a 360 fast fact. Last month, officials in North Carolina warned against eating a brand of lollipop sold by Lisy because the wrappers contained lead. And you may remember a nationwide recall of candy in 2002 after six children choked to death on a particular kind of jelly cup. Lisy was one of the companies selling that type of candy.

In Russia tonight, a tale of a mystery woman. She purchased a ticket just an hour before a doomed Russian jetliner took off. Her seat was near the back, near where investigators now believe the explosion ripped the jet apart.

Tonight, that woman has emerged as the suspect in the crash of one Russian plane, and now evidence from a nearby nearly simultaneous crash of another plane suggests both air disasters may have been no accident.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the first funerals for Tangues Yakabashvili (ph). His mother and sister wail, his wife whimpers, clutching his picture, faced inwards towards her heart.

Her husband was a passenger on one of the planes that went down Tuesday in what authorities are now investigating as twin acts of terror.

Investigators say there's now no doubt that this plane in Russia's coal-mining country was brought down by terrorists.

Its crew signaled that it has been hijacked before communications suddenly broke off, when the plane blew up in the air. They have evidence of that now.

The results of the investigation into flight 2154, he says, have found traces of an explosive substance.

Investigators have more questions about the other plane. There was no distress call, nor have they found the evidence of any explosives yet. But Thursday investigators, found the body parts of a Chechen woman, mangled almost beyond recognition, a sign, investigators say, she may have been holding a bomb.

The body of another Chechen woman was found at the other crash site.

PAUL DUFFY, AVIATION EXPERT: By now, we have absolutely no doubt that the cause of this accident, these accidents was terrorism. We are quite sure that two Muslim ladies, one in each aircraft, boarded the aircraft, apparently with a plastic explosive strapped around their waists.

BARRETT: Investigators say their suspicions were initially raised because neither woman's relatives came forward to collect their bodies.

Chechen terrorists have used female suicide bombers on Russian soil in the past. Sometimes they work in pairs. Claims of responsibility are rare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The terrorist act without a statement acknowledging responsibility for that attack may even sound more sinister. So your enemy is not just faceless, it's also nameless. It can be anywhere.

BARRETT: Even in the skies above Russia.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, we'll be seeing a lot more funerals like that in the days to come.

He won the gold medal, now Paul Hamm is being told to give it back. Coming up on 360, the pressure on the Olympic gymnast and the political fight over whether he should keep the medal. We'll talk with Olympic gold medalist Mitch Gaylord.

Also tonight, a follower of Charles Manson is denied parole, but the memories of what she did have not been locked away for the family of her victim, Sharon Tate. I'll talk to Sharon Tate's sister about Manson, the murder, and the memories she's lived with for 35 years now.

And a little later, a host of new movies out tonight. We'll give you the wrap-up of them in the weekender. All ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES MANSON: I broke no laws, not God's law nor man's law.

I've had to survive in a world that you guys don't even have any idea what's going on.

I'm a man in here, and that's a fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: The rantings of a madman, Charles Manson.

There are crimes in America that, no matter how many years may pass, never seem to fade from our collective memory. The murders committed by Charles Manson and his bizarre band of disciples are such crimes.

On an August evening 35 years ago, Charles Manson and his followers broke into a Beverly Hills mansion and brutally murdered a beautiful young pregnant actress named Sharon Tate and four others. One day later, they killed a store owner and his wife.

Manson and his followers, all convicted killers, are still in prison. Just this week, one of them, a woman named Sharon Van Houten, was up for parole. She begged, she cried, she apologized, but she was not set free.

Each parole hearing, each plea for clemency, forces the families of those murdered to relive the horror of what happened so long ago.

Debra Tate, sister of Sharon Tate, joins me from Anaheim, California, tonight.

Debra, thank you very much for being with us.

When you heard that Sharon Van Houten was yet again trying to get parole, what went through your mind?

DEBRA TATE, SHARON TATE'S SISTER: Well, I knew very well that she was trying to get paroled. Two years ago she made a plea and tried to sue the state of California, the governor of California, the parole system, the wardens, et cetera, et cetera, to set a precedent that would declare them legally political prisoners, and therefore we would have to let them out because they had completed all of the programming provided by the state of California.

COOPER: Yes, I mean, they're, you know, saying she's a model prisoner. I want to actually play for our viewers something that Leslie Van Houten said at her parole hearing just this week. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That she didn't think it was in her then. I don't want any chances. I don't trust her, I don't trust any of these people. I don't want them out...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That's the wrong tape. I'm sorry, we're going to get the right tape up there. I mean, every time one of these parole hearings comes up, I mean, do you really, do you, I mean, you must just relive what happened to your sister 35 years ago.

TATE: Absolutely. Not only my sister, everybody in that house that evening were my very close friends and my support system at the time. It was devastating, totally devastating, on multiple levels. Of course, the rest of my family fell apart personally...

COOPER: And I know your mom never really recovered. TATE: She never really recovered, that is correct.

COOPER: We have this tape of Leslie Van Houten, of her talking during her -- I want to play this now.

TATE: OK, OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESLIE VAN HOUTEN: I was raised to be a decent human being. I turned into a monster. And I have spent these years going back to a decent human being. And I just don't know what else to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Do you believe her? I mean, there are other things she could say, I suppose, I'm sorry to you and to your family.

TATE: I do believe that that was a response to her co-Manson family members' parole hearing a month ago, Patricia Kernwinkel. I stated in my statement that none of them have ever tried to contact any of us in any way to say that they were sorry.

So I do believe that that was basically for the cameras and for the public support system. If you look real close, there were no tears whatsoever.

COOPER: I know you have a Web site, Tatelegacy.com, and you...

TATE: Yes, I do.

COOPER: ... your -- one of your greatest concerns now is that some of these, I mean, that either that Charles, I mean, it's unlikely Charles Manson would ever get out. He's up for parole, I think, in 19 -- in 2007.

TATE: He said...

COOPER: But, but...

TATE: ... he does not want to be released.

COOPER: Yes, and, I mean, you know, he raves every now and then...

TATE: Yes, he does.

COOPER: ... I don't know why people, why people give him interviews and air time for that, for those kind of ravings.

But you're fearful that some of his other disciples will get out.

TATE: Correct. In my opinion, it's the disciples that decided exactly how brutal the acts were going to be. They are the ones that inflicted that brutality. And therefore, they are, in my mind, believe it or not, more dangerous than Charlie himself. COOPER: You know ...

TATE: I have more respect for the man that does not try to get out, that takes his medicine, than I do for people that are working the religious community, our precious, good American people to bend their will onto their own.

COOPER: You know, in these kinds of stories, I'm always weary about talking about criminals too much, because I think the victims in all these get lost. And I know it's been 35 years, but can you tell us about Sharon Tate, about your sister? I mean, what was she like?

TATE: Oh, gosh, she was a fabulous woman. I think everybody agrees that she was absolutely spectacular on the outside, but what they don't know is that she was equally as spectacular on the inside. She was very loving and giving and humble, and unaffected. She was -- she would give anybody the shirt off her back. She was not one that would have taken her profits and squandered them. She would have helped many others. Jay Sebring, I do believe, would have been a philanthropist. Everybody in the household were good, contributing people to the society. Abigail Folger, an heiress who chose to devote her life as a social worker, helping the same type of people that ultimately took her life.

COOPER: So many lives cut short. Debra Tate, I appreciate you being on. I know it's a difficult thing to talk about. Your Web site is tatelegacy.com. We do appreciate you being with us. Thanks very much.

TATE: Thank you.

COOPER: The case against Kobe Bryant continues. Hundreds of potential jurors show up for the first step in jury selection. We take you inside the courtroom.

New Olympic outrage. The International Gymnastics Federation calls on Paul Hamm to hand over the gold.

And "How Quickly We Forget." John Wayne Bobbitt in the headlines again, arrested for domestic violence. His response? Love hurts. 360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: We return now to the breaking news story we've been following out of Washington, where the FBI tonight says a spy for Israel may have infiltrated the highest levels of the Pentagon. Let's go back now to national security correspondent David Ensor for the very latest -- David.

ENSOR: Anderson, as you say, the FBI says it has evidence -- or officials say that the FBI has evidence there may be a spy for Israel who's been working at high level at the Pentagon.

The Israeli mole, officials say, could have been in a position to influence Bush administration policy towards Iran and Iraq. CBS News, which first reported this story, says the FBI has evidence against the suspect, including wiretaps and photographs. CBS said that the alleged spy has ties to two senior Bush administration officials, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith.

We reached the Israeli embassy here in town this evening, and the spokesman there told us, quote, this is the Israeli government, "we categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous."

Now, the allegation is that this suspect, this alleged spy in the Pentagon may have passed on classified documents to a lobbying organization called AIPAC, the America-Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is an American lobbying organization that lobbies on behalf of issues that relate to Israel. AIPAC has put out a statement this evening as well, and it says this: "AIPAC is an American organization, comprised of proud and loyal American citizens committed to promoting American interests. Any allegations of criminal conduct by the organization or its employees is baseless and false." AIPAC goes on to say, "we take our responsibilities as American citizens seriously. We would not condone or tolerate for a second any violation of U.S. law or interests."

And AIPAC says, quote, "we are fully cooperating with the governmental authorities and will continue to do so." So some strong denials there from both the Israeli government and the lobbying organization that is alleged to have been involved in this -- Anderson.

COOPER: David, the allegation -- do we know specifically where this person is allegedly worked inside the Pentagon?

ENSOR: He or she is alleged to have worked at a high level, either in the office of the secretary of the defense or in the Defense Intelligence Agency. That is not clear at this point to us, but he was a high-level official who had direct contact with Doug Feith and Paul Wolfowitz. Or that is the allegations that we are hearing from officials tonight.

COOPER: And a strong allegation it is. David Ensor, thanks. Continue to follow the story. We'll check in with you shortly.

Jury selection is under way in the Kobe Bryant trial. Selecting that panel may be the most important part of the case, of course. All day, hundreds of potential jurors streamed through an Eagle, Colorado courtroom as lawyers on both sides began the process that eventually will result in 12 people being selected for jury duty, with the fate of Bryant's future in their hands.

Joining us in "Justice Served," is Court TV anchor Lisa Bloom and from Chicago, trial consultant Paul Lisnek. Appreciate both of you being with us. Lisa, let me start off with you.

What are Kobe Bryant's attorneys looking for in a jury?

LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Well, I think they want media watchers, two kinds of media watchers. People who have been following the hard news like this show closely, because so much negative stuff has been reported about the victim, the alleged victim in the last year. Also people who read celebrity magazines, follow the star shows. People who tend to be smitten with celebrities obviously are going to be more pro-defense.

COOPER: Paul, lawyers are obviously going to be questioning potential jurors all next week. What kind of questions are they going to be asking?

PAUL LISNEK, TRIAL CONSULTANT: Well, they're going to go after the issues that Lisa said -- that Lisa just pointed to, what kind of TV shows do you watch? What kind of magazines do you read? Do you read "The National Enquirer?" They want to dig into people's life experiences, because while we're looking at certain demographic variables, you know, race and gender and what not, it's really life experiences that tell us what is behind people's attitudes and values.

COOPER: You know, Lisa, Paul surprised me yesterday on the show, because he was saying that he thinks men would be tougher on Bryant. You were saying you would actually want a jury of women if you represented Bryant?

BLOOM: I would want primarily women. I see a big gender gap in the analysis of the Kobe Bryant case. I've known relationships that have broken up over arguments about the Kobe Bryant case. I think women are far more likely to believe that Kobe Bryant could have raped this young women. Men are much less likely to believe it.

Now, of course Paul is right, you have got to look at the individual, but if you're going to base it on gender lines, I would want women if I'm on the prosecution's side.

COOPER: Paul?

LISNEK: Let me toss a comment in. Of course, Lisa and I -- you know, I would never disagree with Lisa. But what we've got to have...

(CROSSTALK)

BLOOM: Go ahead, Paul. It's OK. I'm a big girl.

LISNEK: Well, no, I mean, you're right when you start to add in those other life demographics. I mean, for example, married men for me would be a prosecution pick. Older women would be a prosecution pick, who might see the alleged victim as a victim and as a grandmotherly -- in a grandmotherly role.

BLOOM: But you know what, Paul, younger women also I think are more likely to see that a woman might go up to his room for kissing and hugging but say no at sex. I think it's a much more of a younger generation thing to say there could be some activity, but going to a hotel room doesn't mean she was willing to go all the way, so to speak.

LISNEK: And to that, Lisa, I'd say it depends whether you draw the line at younger. If we're talking Generation X, and young women in their 20s or whatever, they're very conservative, and that could be tough. But here, the median age of the jurors in Eagle County is 31, which means you're going to look at people in their 30s, in their late 20s, and that difference in age has to be factored in here when we're going to draw a conclusion as to how the young women would look at this.

BLOOM: You know, the other factor, Paul, would be people who are engineers, science types, because DNA is going to be such an important factor in this trial. People who can analyze scientific evidence. That may be the most important of all.

COOPER: What's also interesting, in just listening to you talk, is how it's clearly not a science, I mean, that it is an art to select a jury and there is a lot of a difference of opinion on it.

BLOOM: Right. Of course.

COOPER: Lisa Bloom, good to see you. Paul Lisnek, always good to talk to you as well. Thanks.

LISNEK: You as well, Anderson, thanks.

COOPER: The International Gymnastics Federation is trying to clear up a gold medal mess tonight, but instead they're really stirring up more anger. At the center of the Olympic-sized controversy, Paul Hamm, who won the gold medal in the men's all-around competition, with one of the greatest come-from-behind victories ever in gymnastics, perhaps in sports all over.

At issue, a clerical error by the judges. South Korea's athlete was wrongly docked a tenth of a point in the competition. Now, if the degree of difficulty of his routine had been correctly factored, he could have won gold instead of Hamm. Instead, he got a bronze.

Now the FIG, as it is known, is asking the United States Olympic Committee to deliver Hamm a letter asking him to hand over the medal to the South Korean. The FIG says it would be the ultimate show of sportsmanship. And this drew immediate reaction from the United States Olympic Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER UEBERROTH, USOC CHAIRMAN: We've reviewed the action of the International Gymnastics Federation, and we think it's deplorable. They're deflecting their own incompetence and their problem to a young athlete who simply came here to compete in the Olympic Games. He competed very very well. He was awarded a gold medal. And they continue to cause him grief and we're here to back him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, joining us from Los Angeles, Mitch Gaylord, former Olympic gymnast who led the U.S. team to its gold medal victory in the 1984 Olympic Games. Mitch, great to have you.

MITCH GAYLORD, FRM. OLYMPIC GYMNAST: Thank you.

COOPER: If you were Paul Hamm, would you give back the gold?

GAYLORD: Not at this point, absolutely not. There was one situation in which I thought it would be warranted, and that's if the Koreans protested when they should have, before the competition was over. Before Paul Hamm had the medal put around his neck, would have been the only time it would have made sense. Those are the rules. And It's ironic that the FIG is now asking Paul Hamm to break their own rules.

They're asking Hamm to now give the medal back. Meanwhile, the FIG should have stepped in right away and put an end to this and stated that the rule is you must protest before the competition is over.

COOPER: Yes, we're looking at video of Paul and his brother Morgan. Paul there on the right, Morgan on the left. I want to read you something that a columnist from the Associated Press wrote. He said quote, "The Paul Hamm was the perfect" -- was quote, "the perfect fall guy for inept judges, butt-covering officials and an International Olympic Committee afraid of its own shadow."

I talked to Paul Hamm yesterday and he said he basically felt hung out to dry by these guys. Does that surprise you?

GAYLORD: It doesn't surprise me, but it's totally accurate. I think Paul Hamm is the fall guy right now and it's totally unfair. Here's an athlete, 21-years-old, that competed his heart out. He ended up coming from behind, from a disappointing vault. Gave it his best. Won the gold medal under that environment.

You know gymnastics has human beings judging the event. It is subjective. It's part of the sport. When you have human being judging there's the possibility of human error. That's what existed here. It wasn't blatant cheating, it was human error. And if anything should happen, the FIG should really look at the judges that they have, judging these events, and really get some more competent people in there who know what they're doing.

COOPER: I met him yesterday, he's been handling this remarkably well. He's under intense pressure. He wrote a very nice letter to the South Korean gymnast expressing empathy.

Mitch Gaylord. Good to get your opinion. Thank you very much.

GAYLORD: Thank you.

COOPER: New numbers out tonight in the race for the White House. Next on 360, the polls may bring some troubling news for John Kerry, depending on how you interpret them. A look at the numbers next.

Also tonight, Gandhi gets violent? What's that about? Well, it's actually Ben Kingsley's newest role in a very dark film. We'll check it out in the "Weekender."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All right. Let's talk politics. With the presidential race in a statistical dead-heat, every new poll is carefully analyzed, carefully studied for what it may mean for each candidate. A news "Los Angeles Times" poll shows that George Bush with a small lead in three key Midwest states: Missouri, with a 46 to 44 percent lead, Wisconsin, where it's 48 to 44 and Ohio, 49, 44.

Now, remember the margin of error here is 4 percent, so we're still looking really at a tie. The electoral votes are the only numbers that matter. So here's CNN's state by state analysis, released a little over 2 hours ago. It shows that George Bush would keep the White House if the election were held today.

Of course, it's not. So earlier I asked the "CROSSFIRE" guys, James Carville and Robert Novak for their take on these numbers. What do they mean? And let's look ahead at the convention. Here they are.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: James, what do you make of these polls? A national poll shows a statistical dead heat right now between Bush and Kerry, and yet you have the state polls which are giving Bush a slight edge?

JAMES CARVILLE, CO-HOST CROSSFIRE: Well, you have one group of state polls, "The Los Angeles Times," but I think it would be wrong for the Kerry people not to say that there has been an ever so slight, but noticeable, erosion here. And I think the message is that they've got to be a lot more aggressive. They've got to do a lot better job of framing these issues.

I think they will. And hopefully that they'll take this as just an early minor warning sign that it's time to really get on the stick and take this campaign to the American people and frame these issues in the right kind of way.

COOPER: Bob, if this is a minor warning sign, what is the warnings? What is the problem? Is the swift boat ad controversy drawing blood?

ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST CROSSFIRE: I think it is. I think it got him off track. First he ignored it, Senator Kerry ignored it, then he came back with an ineffective response, got him off message. I think it's not a question the question that it's a statistical dead heat, it's been a statistical dead-heat for months, it's the idea that if you look at all the state polls, Kerry is going in the wrong direction.

The worst thing is the internals on the CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll which shows that Bush has made considerable gains on comparisons of strong leadership, who do you really believe? So I think this is a tough time for Senator Kerry, and I don't think they've responded very well to that time. This has been a tough month of August for the Democratic candidate.

COOPER: Let's talk about the convention a bit. James, what are you expecting? Let's give a little primer to viewers. What should viewers be looking for? What are you expecting to hear? What should viewers be expecting to see?

CARVILLE: The thing that's going to matter is President Bush's speech, specifically how does he tell American people about Vietnam, now that -- about Iraq now that he said he made a miscalculation, and specifically what will he do in the second term and what will it cost? Because when they talk about Social Security reform, the cost of that is $1 trillion.

I don't know how in the world this country can afford anything like that. So, they're going to be -- hopefully the Democrats will be ready to point this out. I think that's the big -- the only vet that will matter this entire week is going to be President Bush's speech Thursday night.

NOVAK: And he'll lay out what he calls the ownership society, where you talk about ordinary Americans being able to invest in Social Security, private accounts, so they have a stake in the market.

This is a thing that really terrifying the Democrats if everybody becomes a capitalist, then they're really sunk as a party.

CARVILLE: They're not terrified. This is an administration that threw 3 million more people into poverty, there's been no income growth, there's been no job growth. I'm don't know how to tell the president this, but let me try it. Mr. President, we ain't got nothing to buy anything, how the hell can we own anything out here in America? Get real.

NOVAK: And that comes from a millionaire, a multimillionaire.

CARVILLE: Well I do, because I got the tax cut, most people don't.

COOPER: We'll leave it there. James Carville, Bob Novak thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Today's "Buzz" is this. What do you think. "Who would benefit more from violent anti-Bush protests at the Republican National Convention if there are any? Bush, Kerry, neither?" Go to cnn.com/360. Cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the program.

Next on 360, New Yorkers have seen it all except perhaps a recent gathering of a lot of Republicans. We'll take that introduction to the "Nth Degree."

Also tonight, a look at the newest films coming out this weekend in the "Weekender." We'll also have the strange story of John Wane Bobbitt, He's back in the news.

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COOPER: John Wayne Bobbitt is back in the news facing charges of domestic violence. Eleven years ago he became the poster child for, well, it depends on who you ask, either unspeakable agony or just desert when he was castrated by his wife Lorena. Since then Bobbitt has become a punch line, a euphemism, a convict, a porn star and part of the past. He's this week's example of how quickly we forget.

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JOHN WAYNE BOBBITT, CASTRATED BY WIFE: Just, like, cut it off.

COOPER (voice-over): John Wayne Bobbitt on the stand in a Manassas, Virginia courthouse telling the jury and the world how his wife Lorena had given him the unkindest cut of all.

LORENA BOBBITT, WIFE OF JOHN WAYNE BOBBITT: He hurt me.

COOPER: She was charged with malicious wounding for slicing off her husband's penis and tossing it on a roadway.

L. BOBBITT: I just want to get rid of it.

COOPER: She said her husband had raped her. The jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. He was charged with and acquitted of marital sexual abuse. It took surgeons 9 1/2 hours to reattach, and according to Bobbitt, enhance his missing member.

If the trials seem like a circus, then John Wayne Bobbitt's life after the trials was a sideshow, sometimes literally.

He took a stab at a career in show businesses, with starring roles in two porn flicks. He was a greeter in Nevada's Moonlight Bunny Ranch, became part of a carnival sideshow, yes, he was part of the knife-throwing act.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now known as Reverend John Wayne Bobbitt.

COOPER: Was ordained as a minister performing weddings in Vegas and tried selling the weapon on eBay. But legal woes continually cut into his lifestyle. Bobbitt was arrested seven times on charges ranging from theft to assault and now this, arrested for beating his stepson, who allegedly discovered his stash of sex toys, then turning on his wife.

Bobbitt's attorney issued a press release which he called "Love Hurts." It said in part, "John Wayne Bobbitt discovered once again that love can indeed be painful." Not as painful it seems as sliding into obscurity. How quickly we forget.

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COOPER: All right. Before the big political week, you may want to unwind this weekend, watch some mindless entertainment. You have a lot to pick from. Warriors, serial killers and some giant snakes are just some of what Hollywood is offering up in tonight's "Weekender."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COOPER (voice-over): In "Hero," Jet Li soars into the role of an ancient nameless warrior who battles assassins bent on toppling the king. Along the way there's plenty of plot twists and just enough acrobatic play sequences to keep Kung Fu action fans happy.

Happy is not the emotion that comes to mind in "Suspect Zero." Ben Kingsley is a serial killer who hunts down other serial killers. It's like "Silence of the Lambs" meets "Death Wish 5." Probably not good for the kids.

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water comes a new menace, and it's really, really big. "Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid" is a follow up to the 1997 B flick. This time around there's more than one snake and guess what? It's mating season.

New on DVD, "The Girl Next Door." A teen comedy about a high schooler whose new next-door neighbor turns out to be a porn star. It happens all the time.

In concert, Journey. Anyway you want it, the band will play to open arms tomorrow night at the state fair in Syracuse. Fans, keep on rocking and don't stop believing.

And if you're near Pelham, Alabama tonight, John Mayer is leading "The Acoustic Planet" tour with Maroon 5, Incubus and many, many more.

And let's not forget the Louie Louie 1,000 Guitar festival in Tacoma, Washington this weekend. Anyone with a six-string act should come on down for two days of clinics, classes and head-banging, hair- raising, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) madness. Steve Perry, keep on rocking.

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COOPER: So they've heard about them, they've read about them, now they're going to finally meet them. Next on 360, the GOP is heading to the Big Apple. We're going to introduce New Yorkers to Republicans in the "Nth Degree." And that of course all begins on Monday. Join us for our week-long coverage live from the Republican National Convention. 7:00. Be there, be square. Be right back.

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COOPER: Earlier we asked you, who would benefit more from violent anti-Bush protests at the Republican National Convention?

39 percent of you said Bush. 18 percent said Kerry and 43 percent said neither. Not a scientific poll but it is your buzz and we appreciate you voting.

Tonight taking anticipation to the Nth Degree. OK, New Yorkers, this is it, showtime. Come Monday, only two days from now, you'll at last be able to prove to your children, many of whom may never have seen a member of the GOP in the flesh that you haven't been pulling their legs after all, that Republicans are not like imaginary friends or Jackalopes or the Yeti, that they do in fact, really and for true actually exist. New York kids are wildly excited, of course. They've been jumping up and down for weeks, hardly knowing what to believe. They're coming by the thousands. They've been told, right down to Madison Square Garden, you know, where the Knicks play. The kids want to trust their parents, of course, but not too long ago, the parents swore up and down there was a Tooth Fairy and that turned out to be a crock. On buses and subways, you see New York kids asking their dads, what do Republicans look like, Daddy? What do they eat? Are they friendly? How big are they? Can I pet one? They look like your Uncle Butch, the dads reply, and no, you can't pet one.

So, kids, get a couple of good night's sleep and then on Monday, you'll see, honest, there will be Republicans all over the place. But don't get your hopes up too much. Despite what you might have heard from your parents, Republicans kind of look like everybody else.

I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching. Have a great weekend. Coming up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

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