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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Could November Election Be a Target of Terror?; Candidates Focus on Debates

Aired September 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 from New York. I'm Anderson Cooper.
While the candidates focus on debates, renewed warnings that the election could be a terror target.

360 starts now.

A new terror alert tells law enforcement, Be prepared before elections. But with no new threat, is politics at play?

The smile of a killer. Rare video of Iraq's terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The latest on where he may be and how we can get him.

A courtroom surprise in the Scott Peterson case. New details about his other affairs and what happened when one lover walked in on him and Laci.

A missing teen girl is found, her secret life revealed. Did her call to a phone sex chat line play a role in her disappearance? Tonight, her parents speak out.

A great white mystery, a 17-foot killer shark trapped in a Cape Cod bay. Is he lost, confused, or on the hunt for food?

And Hurricane Jeanne, what it's really like standing and falling in the path of a storm.

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

COOPER: Good evening again.

We begin tonight with politics and terrorism. And in a presidential election year, the first since September 11, the two cannot be separated.

For months, there have been warnings that terrorists might try to disrupt the election, and tonight, word of new, renewed efforts to prepare for, and perhaps prevent, the worst.

Here's CNN's justice correspondent Kelli Arena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is now mandatory for some police officers guarding the Capitol Building in Washington to wear special vests meant to protect them from a biological or chemical attack. As the window between now and election day narrows, counterterrorism officials are growing more anxious.

ASA HUTCHINSON, HOMELAND SECURITY UNDERSECRETARY: Really, in every area of concern we've enhanced, ratcheted up these security measures that are in place.

ARENA: Last spring, senior officials said intelligence suggested that al Qaeda wanted to not only attack the United States, but disrupt the November elections. Senior administration officials say new intelligence continues to suggest the same, but there are still no specifics.

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We still don't have any specific information as to who, what, when, where. If we did, there'd be an effort to interdict, and we'd prevent the attack.

ARENA: As election day nears, officials say they are redoubling security efforts. For example, increasing the number of ships boarded by Coast Guard inspectors, patting down some passengers at airport checkpoints, and interviewing, in some cases reinterviewing, individuals who may have information about a possible attack.

What's more, state and election officials have set up a task force to encourage jurisdictions to have contingency plans in place if al Qaeda strikes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Kelli Arena joins us now.

Kelli, you know, we like to look at all angles on this program. There are going to be some who hear, you know, a new terror warnings and think immediately about politics. Is the administration making a big deal out of these new attempts to inform law enforcement?

ARENA: Well, actually, they're actually trying to downplay them, Anderson. There's, there is, they are sensitive to sort of the claims of scaremongering tactics. And none of this was done publicly. This is all being done privately between agencies, interagency communications, and between industries and so on that need to know and be aware of how to respond.

There's been nothing done publicly, no press conferences. We actually had a briefing today, where many officials said, Our intent here is not to raise, you know, the alert level, hypothetically speaking, but to put everything in perspective.

The intelligence continues to suggest that al Qaeda wants to strike, but we don't have anything actionable at this point to move on.

COOPER: All right. Covering all angles, Kelli Arena. Thanks, Kelli.

ARENA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COOPER: There is a, here's a quick reminder for you. All the talk about terrorism, all the plans to prevent it, all the fear that we may not be able to, all those things were spawned by one man, Osama bin Laden. Today, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf went on record as being of the opinion that bin Laden is still alive. Mr. Musharraf said he did not have any notion where bin Laden might be, but the U.S. commander of troops in Afghanistan said today he believes bin Laden is in Musharraf's own country, Pakistan.

Coming up a little later, a look at the man many say has taken bin Laden's place. This rare video shows him, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, believed to be in Iraq, now called perhaps the most dangerous man in the world. We're going to take a look at what we know about him and how to get him. That's coming up on 360.

Before we head out onto the campaign trail to see what the candidates are doing, here's some new CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll results to show how they're doing. As of a couple of days ago, President Bush was the choice of 52 percent of likely voters, to Senator Kerry's 44 percent. This is likely voters. And then when asked how Mr. Bush is handling his job, 54 percent registered approval, his highest rating since January, and 44 percent disapproval.

We're going to find out what those numbers mean to both sides tonight, the Kerry side from Candy Crowley in a moment.

As for what they mean to the Bush camp, we have White House correspondent Dana Bush standing by live right now out on the campaign trail in Ohio. Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, a senior Bush aide noted that 54 percent approval is where Bill Clinton was when he won reelection, so privately they appear more confident. Nevertheless, the president appears to be preparing for this week's debate by sharpening some familiar attacks on what Team Bush calls Kerry's contradictions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): Fresh from a weekend of intense debate prep, the president delivered a mocking update of a favorite line of attack.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Later this week, I'm going to have an opportunity to debate my opponent. Been a little tough to prepare for the debates, because he keeps changing his positions.

BASH: He sealed with it a twist.

BUSH: I think he could spend 90 minutes debating himself.

BASH: Bush officials are confident the Kerry flip-flopper charge on Iraq is giving their opponent the most trouble gaining ground. So here's their debate preview ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, BUSH-CHENEY AD)

SEN. JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Before I voted against it...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The president's Iraq rhetoric is a bit more sober, but in a hint at debate strategy, he gives no ground on his decision for war. That's just fine by the whopping 45,000-plus at this rally in southwestern Ohio. This is Bush country.

BUSH: And I'm here to ask for your vote.

BASH: And this is what Mr. Bush calls fertilizing grassroots. West Chester, Ohio, went for the president by 30 percent last time around. It's a booming exurb, wedged between Cincinnati and Dayton. Farms are morphing into malls, new homes, and office parks.

And Republicans here are mobilizing hundreds of volunteers to stuff envelopes, knock on doors, to take advantage of a population exploding in GOP territory.

With so few undecideds and much of the state hard hit with job loss, this where is turning out the base matters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on phone): Hello, this is Terry Brown (ph). I'm a volunteer calling on behalf of President Bush.

BASH: So they phone bank outside the rally, help register new voters, and try make sure they actually vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Both candidates obviously very accomplished debaters. How seriously is President Bush taking this in terms of what is he doing? I mean, I read that he, that he has audiocassettes from Kerry's past debates and he's listening to them even while he exercises.

BASH: That's right. He's listening to them while he exercises.

You know, the Bush campaign is making it clear that they are not cramming for this, that the president's been working on it really for the past three months or so. As you know, Anderson, he had two intense sessions over the weekend at his ranch in Crawford. He's got a down day tomorrow to do more debate prep.

But, you know, they are playing the expectations game. They say that Kerry, Senator Kerry, is a debater who is really gifted. And they're trying to play the expectations game because they know that once they do that, that if President Bush does well, that Senator Kerry will perhaps, they hope, continue to stay where he is in the polls, Anderson. COOPER: All right, Dana Bash, thanks very much. I was afraid that truck was going to back up into you. I kept hearing that truck sound. Thanks, Dana.

BASH: OK.

COOPER: Well, there you go again.

Today was the president's 26th visit to Ohio. We're going to put that important in perspective for a moment. Guess how many times the president has actually visited Massachusetts? The answer is, only four times. He's been to Hawaii once, he hasn't visited Delaware, Rhode Island, or Vermont during the current campaign. What a difference electoral votes make.

For Democratic challenger John Kerry, what happens in the next 16 days will likely make or break his campaign, three face-to-face debates with the man he is trying to unseat. The Democratic side now from Wisconsin and senior political correspondent Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not all briefing books and supersecret mock debates.

KERRY: If you're not kind of prepared for these things after a year and a half of running, I guess you shouldn't be running.

CROWLEY: Massachusetts Senator John Kerry tuning up for the Florida debate in Wisconsin at a town hall meeting. It's like Off- Broadway for politics.

KERRY: I have a plan. Every step of the way, this president and the Republicans have tried to make it look as of John Kerry has (UNINTELLIGIBLE) position or their position. I've had one position steady all the way, folks.

CROWLEY: A tough sell so far. Kerry has blasted the president's handling of Iraq and the war on terror for two weeks, with little to show for it. The latest CNN poll shows by wide margins, registered voters believe Bush could better handle terrorism and Iraq.

KERRY: This president had four years to do it. He just doesn't get it. And I understand how to bring those countries back to our side.

CROWLEY: Another no go, at least so far. The CNN poll found by a margin of 52 to 44, voters believe Bush can better handle relations with other countries.

Wisconsin is kind of a twofer for Senator Kerry. He can study up in private in a secluded resort or in this Democrat-friendly region of this battleground state, Kerry can step out in front of the cameras to grab the headlines, although he's going to have to share with the former mayor of New York, who happened by to offer up a preview of Thursday's debate. RUDOLPH GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: President Bush is going to have basically, you know, a more consistent set of positions to describe. John Kerry, almost no matter what he says, is contradicted by something John Kerry said in the past.

CROWLEY: Rudy Giuliani said he came to Spring Green, Wisconsin, because he heard there were cameras here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: So Candy...

CROWLEY: Anderson, we know...

COOPER: I'm sorry, go ahead.

CROWLEY: ... that tomorrow -- Go ahead.

COOPER: No, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

CROWLEY: We know that tomorrow...

COOPER: You first. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is ridiculous. All right, Candy, so, it's no coincidence that Rudy Giuliani showed up there. I mean, he, he, he, he knew well. I mean, this was all planned so he (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on camera criticizing Kerry?

CROWLEY: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, they knew that the senator was going to come out of Wisconsin again, one of those states that Al Gore barely won. The polls have not been that great here for John Kerry. It's one of the reason he picked this state. But the Bush campaign's not going to give him any kind of slack here, and that's why Rudy Giuliani showed up.

COOPER: Candy, thanks very much for that. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a little, I'm still hung over, I think, from covering the hurricane. I think I still have water in my ear. Thanks, Candy.

Martha Stewart's on jail watch. That tops our look at what's happening cross-country tonight.

In New York, Martha Stewart's no longer a name but a number to the Bureau of Prisons. She got her inmate number and is listed as in transit, which means she has an October 8 surrender date. She doesn't know where she's going to do the time. That decision should be made any day now.

Nationwide, suburbanites, sprawl may be making you sick. Listen up. A new Rand study finds that folks in high-sprawl areas like Atlanta and Detroit are more prone to diabetes, high blood pressure, and arthritis than people whose home, work, and shopping areas are closer together. Researchers blame it all on the extra time driving and not walking.

In L.A., music producer Phil Spector is charged with murder. Spector's accused of shooting to death B-movie actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion last year. Spector says Clarkson killed herself. He remains free on $1 million bail.

And in Fulgen (ph), California, a terrible surprise at an air show. A small plane crashed right after takeoff at an air festival this weekend. It just missed the tower, hit a parked car. The two men on board were injured, one critically. Unbelievably, two women in the car were not seriously hurt. Could have been much worse.

That's a quick look at what's happening cross-country tonight.

360 next, soaking the source. Jeanne marches north as a tropical depression as Florida picks through the rubble. We'll have a live report on the devastation.

Plus, the Scott Peterson trial, a shocking admission from the defense. Just how many women did Scott Peterson have affairs with? We'll look at that ahead.

Also, a great white shark stalking the waters off Cape Cod. How did the fearsome predator of the sea get so close to land? We're going to talk with a shark expert about that.

First, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories right now on CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, you can call it storm fatigue, Floridians cleaning up today after the fourth significant hurricane of the season came ashore over the weekend. Tonight, at least six people are counted dead in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne, millions are still without power, and for many, an insurance policy is about all they have left.

CNN's John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the sound of paradise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what, must be what a newborn baby is like, every three to four hours, got to put gas in the generator.

ZARRELLA: More than 2.5 million utility customers in Florida still without power after another hurricane weekend.

JACK SCHLUKEBIER, MELBOURNE CITY MANAGER: The power companies did not cause this, and they're doing their darn best to help us out and get back to normal.

ZARRELLA: In Port St. Lucie, people sit in a mile-long line for ice and tarps to cover roofs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're alive. That's the best thing.

ZARRELLA: It's the same line they sat in three weeks ago after Hurricane Frances. Ice is coming in on trucks from as far away as Wisconsin. Here alone, 120,000 pounds of ice, two bags per car, goes out each day.

CHIEF JOHN SKINNER, PORT ST. LUCIE POLICE: One good thing about this is, people are not alone in this tragedy, they're in it together.

ZARRELLA: Jeanne hit the barrier islands hardest. From Melbourne south 100 miles to Palm Beach, the hurricane's high winds and storm surge trashed homes, washed out roads, and destroyed beaches. Officials estimate damage from Jeanne at between $4 and $8 billion.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: We have the largest recovery operation under way in the United States history right here in Florida.

ZARRELLA: A distinction the people of this storm-ravaged state could live without.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: In every community, there is a story. Here in this Stuart subdivision, the roofs here, like in communities all over the state of Florida, are covered in tarps. It is the new color code in Florida, the new color scheme, blue tarps over tan plywood, Anderson.

COOPER: Something we've seen an awful lot of. John, thanks very much, John.

The misery continues in Haiti after Jeanne's visit there 10 days ago. That tops our look at what's happening right now in the uplink.

In Gonaives, the death toll, it just keeps on climbing. At least 1,500 people were killed by the storm, some 200,000 others left homeless, there are hundreds still missing. U.N. peacekeepers have rushed to the city to try to stop looting. It is a mess there.

In Gaza City, a CNN producer has been abducted, missing tonight, Riad Ali. He was traveling in a taxi with CNN correspondent Ben Wedeman when a group of armed men stopped them, asked for Ali by name, and ordered him out of the car. Ali has worked for CNN in Gaza and for the -- in the West Bank for about two years. No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and the militant group Hamas has condemned it.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, now, airport terminal under construction, it collapses. At least five people were killed and 12 others injured after a crane smashed into a wall.

And on the World Wide Web, Google is under fire tonight. The Internet search engine, whose mantra is "Do no evil," is accused of bowing to the Chinese government. An Internet research firm says Google's news service in China omits results from Web sites that have been blocked by Chinese authorities.

That's a quick look what's happening around the world in the uplink.

360 next, the most wanted man in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Why he's called Osama bin Laden's rival. We'll talk with CNN terrorist analyst Peter Bergen. Some rare video, though, we're going to show you more of that later.

Plus. Bush versus Kerry, preparing to face off in their first TV debate. We'll look at how they're -- what they're doing to prepare in raw politics.

And a missing girl is found. Why was she calling a steamy sex chat line? And did that have anything to do with her disappearance? We're going to talk with her mom ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Tonight, the family of a British hostage being held in Iraq says they have reason to believe he is alive. The brother of Kenneth Bigley tells CNN negotiations are under way to secure his release. Bigley, you'll remember, was kidnapped 11 days ago, along with two Americans. They were beheaded last week.

Their killer identified himself as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Now, you are looking at very rare video of Zarqawi. He's claimed responsibility, of course, for beheading Nicholas Berg in May, and he is by far the greatest threat and most wanted man in Iraq.

He has had ties to al Qaeda in the past, we know that, but Zarqawi appears to be forging his own path of terror.

Joining me from Washington is CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen.

Peter, thanks for joining us tonight.

How come Zarqawi is so difficult to catch? I mean, it's believed, I guess, what, that he's operating out of Fallujah?

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, I mean, that's a very good question. It's hard to find one person. I mean, we spent more than three years looking for Osama bin Laden, without success. So Zarqawi, even if you nail him down to one city, we've had 20,000 troops in Mogadishu in '93 looking for Mohammad Adid, the guy who was fomenting clan fighting there, so -- and we never found him.

So it's a problem of finding one person if he's got a network to fall back on.

COOPER: Do we know how he's operating, though? I mean, my understanding is, you know, they keep releasing these videotapes, which we refuse to show on this program any longer, but they keep releasing these tapes, and, I mean, it's sort of a way of, it's promotion, I mean, it's kind of, there's a marketplace for kidnappers, and he's kind of promoting himself.

BERGEN: I think the tapes have, you know, several reasons they do it. One is to show you're in the game, two, to raise money, three, recruitment, four, it's, you know, it's terrorism at its purest, a psychological warfare against the West.

COOPER: So who's sending him money?

BERGEN: I don't know. You know, I really don't know the answer to that. I mean, I don't, a lot of these operations don't cost a lot of money to do. Just look at 9/11, it didn't cost more than perhaps $200,000 or $300,000. The kinds of things that he's doing may cost a few thousand dollars. It may just be local Iraqis supporting him (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and it's that kind of thing.

COOPER: Because in the past, he's appealed to al Qaeda for aid, I mean, I think he asked for, at one point, $35,000 for some operations. But that was long ago. His actual links to al Qaeda are, are, I mean, are somewhat in question.

BERGEN: They're sort of murky. I mean, he had a training camp in Afghanistan, which was near a place called Herat in western Afghanistan, around the same time that al Qaeda had its camps before 9/11. But these camps were very distinct. They were hundreds of miles apart. We know from a letter that Zarqawi sent to al Qaeda relatively recently that he appealed for help from al Qaeda.

But it was clear that he was appealing as an outsider, not somebody who was part of the group. Now, it may be a distinction without a difference if you get killed by Zarqawi or al Qaeda. Obviously both are bad, but it seems that they run parallel organizations that may even be somewhat competitive.

COOPER: Do you think he's sort of in some ways taken the place of bin Laden, I mean, in terms of the focus, in terms of the world looking at him as kind of a terrorist leader?

BERGEN: I think he certainly would like to. It, you know, it's he's almost like Mini Me with his own mini-al Qaeda. He does have, you know, links to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- members of his group have gone on in trial in Germany. There's been suggestions that people in Britain, perhaps Spain, also in Jordan and Iraq are related to Zarqawi.

So it's like a mini-al Qaeda, in a sense. It's not obviously as -- it's not going to be able to do a 9/11, but it's able to do all these suicide attacks we have seen in Iraq repeatedly over the past year and half.

COOPER: And the U.S. continues air strikes in the Fallujah area trying to get him. I guess they've gotten some of his lieutenants. They've not gotten him yet.

Peter Bergen, thanks for joining us.

BERGEN: Thank you.

COOPER: That gets us today's buzz. What do you think? Who do you think is more of a threat to the United States right now, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, or Osama bin Laden? Log onto CNN.com/360, cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the program. The war on terror and foreign policy's going to take center stage at the first presidential debate this week on Thursday. Between now and Thursday, President Bush and Senator John Kerry are limiting public appearances. Think of it as a political purdah so that they can shape up for their showdown in Miami. Having a good comeback or two up your sleeve, that's not just good practice, that's it's good raw politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): For the two candidates, it's prepping time. In Spring Green, Wisconsin, John Kerry is reportedly reading the transcripts of President Bush's past debates, going as far back as 1994.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 1994)

BUSH: I am not a fine tuner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: He's dissecting his style and his lines of attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 2000)

BUSH: I cannot let this go by, the old-style Washington politics. Now, if we're going to scare you in the voting booth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: In Crawford, Texas, aides have provided President Bush with audiocassettes of Kerry's past debates, which he listens to when he exercises. Both candidates are sparring with mock debate partners in full-length dress rehearsals.

In John Kerry's drills, Democratic lawyer Greg Craig plays President Bush. In President Bush's debates, Republican Senator Judd Gregg is Senator Kerry.

James Carville was one of Bill Clinton's top political strategists and debate advisers. He says there are basic debate principles that apply to Democrats and Republicans.

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You want to have a framework that the candidate can go back to, and you want to practice pivoting, that is, when you get a question, and, you know, how to answer a question and go to a larger point.

COOPER: And, of course, advisers are working hard on coming up with memorable lines that could decide the outcome of a debate like these ones did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

RONALD REAGAN: Are you better off than you were four years ago?

LLOYD BENTSEN: Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.

BILL CLINTON: You were wrong to attack my patriotism. I was opposed to the war, but I love my country.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

CARVILLE: You want to be careful (UNINTELLIGIBLE) have bad reaction shots. You know the principle in a debate, it's better to counterpunch than it is to punch.

COOPER: Looking for the counterpunch that would knock out your opponent in this political showdown, that can only be raw politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: A courtroom surprise in the Scott Peterson case. New details about his other affairs and what happened when one lover walked in an him and Laci.

A missing teen girl is found, her secret life revealed. Did her call to a phone sex chat line play a role in her disappearance? Tonight, her parents speak out.

And Hurricane Jeanne, what it's really like standing and falling in the path of a storm.

360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Here's what's coming up in the next half hour on 360. A courtroom bombshell in the Scott Peterson trial. Just how many affairs did he have?

Also tonight, swimming too close to shore. How did this great white shark get stuck in water near Cape Cod? We'll talk with a shark expert.

First, let's take a look at our top stories right now in the "Reset."

The army is looking at ways to reduce its tour of duty in combat zones. The current tour for troops in Iraq is one full year. The army is concerned about a sharp drop in recruiting. No indication if or when the tour may change.

Olympian Paul Hamm launched a gold medal appeal in one of the biggest controversies to spring from the Athens game. The American gymnast has attended a hearing today at the world's highest sports court where a South Korean is a judging error in the parallel bars routine. A decision is expected in the next two weeks.

And here's Conan. That was lame. Today, NBC used a 50th anniversary of "The Tonight Show" to announce big changes. Jay Leno will step down in 2009. Conan O'Brien will replace him. Leno will be 59 when he retires and we can only guess the number in his bank account. I guess that's a lot higher.

For months now the jury in the Scott Peterson murder trial has heard about the other woman. They've been told she's Amber Frey. But today, in a stunning development the jurors learned that there were other other women besides Frey in Peterson's lie and it's not the prosecution that's making this argument. CNN's Ted Rowlands has the latest from the courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jurors were riveted as they learned that Scott Peterson had been cheating on his wife Laci since the first year of their marriage. With lead detective Craig Grogan on the stand, defense attorney Mark Geragos decided to provide jurors with new details of Peterson's infidelity, including a story about one girlfriend who didn't know Peterson was married and caused a scene when she walked in on Scott and Laci in bed.

Peterson told another woman he was separated according to today's testimony and she didn't find out the real story until meeting Laci at Scott's college graduation. One of Laci's friends told investigators the that Petersons were not having sex because of her pregnancy. The defense theory is that Scott Peterson did not kill his wife because of the now well-known affair with Amber Frey.

DEAN JOHNSON, LEGAL ANALYST: Now, they want to point out, look, this has happened over and over again. It's never been a motive for murder before, why should it be a motive for murder now?

ROWLANDS: Earlier, Geragos disputed the suggestion that a reference to Laci in the past tense by Peterson was incriminating. Laci's mother, brother and sister, according to Geragos did the same thing in media interviews less than a week after Laci disappeared.

The other women Peterson had affairs with were not identified in court and it is unclear whether either side will have them testify. Detective Grogan is expected to be back on the stand when court resumes. Ted Rowlands, CNN, Redwood City, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Covering the case for us in "Justice Served" tonight from Redwood City is 360 legal analyst, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom who has been in the courtroom and from Miami, defense attorney Jayne Weintraub. Good to see you both.

Kimberly, let me start off with you. What was the reaction in the courtroom when the defense revealed that there had been other other women?

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, 360 LEGAL ANALYST: This was just a bold risky maneuver by Mark Geragos. Everyone from the media were hitting each other, elbowing one another, looking around. I was looking at the jury. They were listening very closely, even leaning forward on them of the edge of their seats listening to this information. It begs the question, why would Mark Geragos bring something up like this? Well, perhaps to deflate the idea that Amber Frey is the motive for murder. If Scott had other affairs that Laci knew about, why kill his wife now?

COOPER: Jayne, it's kind of a risky strategy because it does kind of make him look like even more of a jerk.

JAYNE WEINTRAUB, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Actually, I happen to agree with Kimberly, note the date and time. It's exactly the point that we're talking about. Mark wanted to demonstrate the fact that there were so many other women, he doesn't care about one woman enough to kill somebody. No, that's not the kind of guy that Scott Peterson is.

I'll tell you what's important. Guilty of adulterer and a perjurer and being a lousy husband. Not guilty, let's get back to the murder. Is there any evidence whatsoever? Grogan has 41 ways why Scott Peterson killed his wife. Three of them have just gone away in day. He referred to his wife in the past tense he said, they followed up every lead. They didn't even fingerprint the house, for goodness sakes.

COOPER: Kimberly, that was surprising to me, that came out in court today, Geragos getting the detective to admit they didn't fingerprint inside the house. You would think that's a common procedure?

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: If I was the D.A. on the case I would have wanted my detective to do that to cover every base because I always love to preempt the defense so they can't raise these issues at the 11th hour in the trial. Here's the problem. From her husband, you have the information that she left the house, that she was outside of the home and that's when she was abducted. You wouldn't expect -- you would not expect, and there was no evidence of any forced entry, et cetera to suggest this was a forced entry into the home or a stranger abduction. There's no evidence to support that, so, really, no need, no real cause to fingerprint the house.

COOPER: But Jayne, the defense is saying this is proof that the police basically focused on Scott Peterson to the exclusion of other potential people out there.

WEINTRAUB: Exactly. They never looked for anyone else, which is exactly what Mark has said from the beginning. They targeted Scott Peterson, they focused on him and no others. And Kimberly, to say now, well, they knew from Scott Peterson that nobody else had been in the house, what are you going to say that they were taking his word for things?

(CROSSTALK)

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: There's no evidence to suggest anyone else was in the house, nothing was missing from the home. It wasn't a home invasion, robbery, burglary.

WEINTRAUB: There's no question, we don't know what happened, Kimberly.

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: There's no other physical evidence in the house. No other forensic inside the house to suggest that.

WEINTRAUB: Kimberly, you indict a case...

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: We do know that they did check for blood and everything else, any other substances in the house, they even swept along the floor boards, everything, to look for evidence in this house through the drains, the holes...

WEINTRAUB: And they found none. And then he goes and says, maybe he sanitized the house? Come on, a little speculation.

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: I wouldn't argue that point. I've always thought this was a situation where I wouldn't expect forensic evidence because anything in the home would be natural to that environment, Laci's hair, Scott's fingerprints, Laci's fingerprints, nothing out of the ordinary...

(CROSSTALK)

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: If you choke or strangle your wife, you don't necessarily have to have those type of things at a murder scene. They can happen. It is not automatic. And it's something if he removed her body right away you wouldn't necessarily find in there. In terms of other suspects, they looked at the whole Rocha family. Can you imagine, to think maybe Laci Peterson's mother or brother or sister had something to do with this. The cops checked them out. Everyone was cleared but Scott Peterson.

COOPER: Finally, Jayne, how significant is it that the lead detective sort of backed up the notion that Laci Peterson was out perhaps walking her dog that morning?

WEINTRAUB: I think that was incredibly significant. Of all the witnesses and all the evidence that the D.A. is putting on to deflect from the defense putting it on first, they don't call the deputy D.A. who was threatened, who was pregnant walking the dog, who was mistaken for Laci at different times. I think that was pretty bad lawyering. That's what I think. But more important I think there's no evidence whatsoever to tie Scott Peterson to this horrible tragic crime.

COOPER: Final thought, Kimberly.

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: Come on, Anderson, not only satanic cults, and burglars in the area, lovesick neighbors, now you've got the D.A. with a death threat and I've had a few of those myself. It's a mistaken identity? Oops, I did it again. We killed the wrong woman, come on.

WEINTRAUB: You never know. Meanwhile, where's the evidence that is in the indictment? He was charged with killing his wife December 24 in the home. There has not been one scintilla of evidence to prove their case. And they're only in what, the 20th week?

COOPER: Spoken like a true criminal defense attorney. Jayne Weintraub, thanks for joining us. Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, thanks as well. Coming up on 360 next, the search for a missing teen is over. She is safe tonight. Did someone on a teen chat line lure her away from her home?

Also tonight, the great white mystery. Why the perfect killing machine is making a home off Cape Cod.

And a little later, covering a hurricane, not easy especially when you run out of things to talk about. You'll see what I mean inside the box.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: The parents of Brianne Greig had a message for their daughter just call us. The 16-year-old vanished from their home in Montgomery, New York last week. Now, they fear the she may have been lured by an adult predator she met over a chat line. After waiting and worrying for days, they finally received the best news that any parent can here, their daughter is safe and the 27-year-old suspect is in custody.

CNN's Jason Bellini reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianne Greig's parents didn't know their 16-year-old daughter was talking on sex chat lines until she went missing 10 days ago.

DEBRA GREIG, MOTHER: Where ever you are, we will come and get you.

BELLINI: Her anguished parents, Walter and Debra found phone numbers in Brianne's room which led them to a New York telephone chat line, which her parents believe was connected to her disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you've got some minutes to, blow them with us. If your into the adult hardcore sexual cruising scene, do not do it here.

BELLINI: The free free-for-all chat line pro-claimed sexually explicit conversation is not permitted, we discovered otherwise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who you be?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very difficult.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, you be difficult, no doubt. I'll be easy.

BELLINI: Child protection experts say phone chat lines often attract children who are lonely or depressed.

BOB HOEVER, NATL. CTR. FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN: It can lead to children running away. It has led to children running away. It has led to children being sexually assaulted and molested. BELLINI: Walter Greg, a state trooper, tried to protect his daughters from the dangers that lurk on line. He said 18 months ago he got rid of the home computer. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said parents that know about the dangers of online chat rooms often don't know about the phone chat lines which they say a can be even more dangerous.

HOEVER: Just because they hear a voice on the other side, I think they're lured into a false sense of security, here I hear a voice and that person sounds kind, so it must be OK.

BELLINI (on camera): Brianne turned up in Harlem today, the police aren't talking and many questions remain answered.

Jason Bellini, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Joining me now from Crawford Township in New York is Brianne mother, Debra Greig. Thanks for joining us. I'm so happy things have turned out OK.

How's your daughter doing tonight?

GREIG: Brianne is very upset, tired, hungry. She's dirty. You know, but she's happy to be home. And of course, we're happy to have her.

COOPER: And she's home and that is the most important thing.

GREIG: Absolutely.

COOPER: Do you have a sense of -- what happened to her over the last couple of days?

GREIG: Not really. We know she had been staying with different people down in New York City that she had met through this chat phone line. She's not being very precise as to who they were. I don't think she knew actually -- she didn't really know them, but she knew them through other people that she had met on these chat lines. Brianne had never met any of these people in person so it was all done over the phone. But at some point or another she did become frightened, that it didn't turn out the way she had expected it.

COOPER: I think a lot of parents don't know about these chat lines. I know you were unaware of them. You had removed her computer, I guess, a while back because you were concerned about some Web sites she was visiting.

When you actually -- you called up some of these lines when she was missing and -- how surprised were you by what you heard?

GREIG: Well, it was very disturbing for the fact that when you first dial into it, it's an advertisement for hardcore sex. And then there's a disclaimer that comes on, do not enter this if you 18 years of age, so on and so forth, and then they prompt you into these teen chat rooms. Once you're in the chat rooms, you can actually enter 10 rooms at different times. They allow eight chatters into each room, kind of like a conference thing that goes on, where the kids discuss drugs, sex, music, lot of it is normal teenage chatter, that sort of thing.

COOPER: Well, I know it's been -- I'm sorry. Go ahead.

GREIG: When we as adults tried to enter the room, just to see if we could make any head way or figure out what was going on, these kids on the line knew immediately that it was an adult on the line and the room shut down.

COOPER: I know it's been a horrible ordeal for you and for your husband. I'm very happy that your daughter is home. And I know there are a lot of questions you still need answered and people want answered, but hopefully, you'll find those answers in the coming days. Debra, thanks very much for joining us.

GREIG: Thank you, too. Thank you.

COOPER: All right. Coming up next on 360, a shark tail from the Cape. How a giant predator is making waves so close to the shore.

Also tonight, a much lighter note, talking up a storm: trying hard to find the talking points in the middle of a hurricane. It's not as easy and maybe as stupid as it looks. It's not as easy as it looks. We'll go inside the box for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "JAWS")

ROY R. SHEIDER, ACTOR: I can go slow ahead, come on down and chump some of this (EXPLICIT DELETED).

You're going to need a bigger boat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That is truly one of the great movie scenes and lines of all time. Thirty years after Steven Spielberg filmed "Jaws" there, a great white shark has turned -- returned. This time it is for real of course. The wayward shark has been patrolling the shallows for a week now. Tourist and scientist alike are flocking to see the man eater. It is 17 feet, 1,700 pounds. Some tells me Quint would definitely need a bigger boat for this.

Joining me from Woods Hole, Massachusetts is shark researcher Greg Skomal. Greg, thanks for joining us. What are you trying to learn from this shark? Actually, first, do you have any idea why it's so close to shore now?

GREG SKOMAL, SHARK EXPERT: Oh, a very good question. It's been asked often. What would bring a shark of this size close to shore in our coastal waters? And the fact of the matter is, every year I get reports in my office and my agency gets reports about large white sharks being somewhat close to shore, but we're never really able to confirm it. In this case, we are able to confirm it. This is a white shark that came in very close and apparently navigated incorrectly, and got into an area that it's not too comfortable with getting out of.

COOPER: But is it not able to get out of this area, or does it not want to get out?

SKOMAL: That's another great question. Is this shark able to get out? I think it is. There's enough water. There's an inlet -- an outlet of this area. I think that her comfort zone, however, is in this particular area, which is somewhat restricted.

But she'll get out. And it's just a matter of time.

COOPER: Well, I know (UNINTELLIGIBLE) maybe due to hurricane season, maybe due to growth in the seal population. I know you tagged this shark, though. What are you hoping to learn from it?

SKOMAL: Well, what's fascinating about the white shark in the Atlantic Ocean is we know very, very little about its biology. And the tag that I deployed is going to let me collect valuable information on temperature, depth. Let me track the movements of this animal throughout the Atlantic, really filling in bits and pieces of such a small story that we know very little about.

COOPER: And I mean, is there a danger that if this shark doesn't leave the waters, you know what I mean, that it could die?

SKOMAL: You know, I'd like to be able to answer that. I can't say. You know, I know eventually, if this shark stays for weeks upon weeks, we're in New England, these waters will cool down. I think that that kind of a change will absolutely force this shark out of this area. I'm also hoping that with this change of weather we're getting over the next few days, we're going to see the remnants of Hurricane Jeanne, that may also set up the conditions that are right for this animal to leave.

COOPER: Well, Greg, I hope you continue your research, I hope you got the information you need from the shark. Greg Skomal, thanks for joining us.

SKOMAL: Thank you.

COOPER: Greg mentioned the hurricanes. We had four hurricanes in six weeks hitting Florida. Here is the best news of the day: There are no new tropical storms in the forecast. For the people of the southeast, I mean, it's been unthinkable hard. For reporters standing out in a storm, it's been much less difficult. But what I found is not only is it hard to stand in wind and rain, it's hard to talk about wind and rain for hours on end. "Inside the Box."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to start with our own Anderson Cooper. Anderson, you're becoming our hurricane guy. COOPER (voice-over): The problem with reporting hurricanes isn't so much the wind and the rain, it's the endless hours of talking. I started covering Hurricane Jeanne at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

(on camera): This place is right in the path of this storm.

(voice-over): When you first start, it seems like there's plenty to talk about.

(on camera): Frances was 105 and weakening when it hit land. This is 115 right now and maybe getting stronger.

(voice-over): But after a couple of hours, you've said just about all there is to say about wind and rain, and you start to repeat yourself.

(on camera): It is like nothing I've ever seen before. I've never seen anything like it. I mean, I've really never seen anything like it. I mean, I hate to repeat myself, but it's like nothing I've ever seen, Catherine.

(voice-over): Water gets into everything. After a while, you can't even hear what people are saying.

(on camera): I'm sorry. I can't even hear you. So...

(voice-over): It's hard not to look stupid standing out in the wind and rain. The key is not to fall. Falling makes reporters look really stupid.

See what I mean? I came close a couple of times, but got lucky.

Standing is hard, but what's even harder is trying to make sense.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: When you were in the bathroom, I know the power was out, did you look down, did you look in the bowl? The water's moving. The water's moving like you're in a cruise ship.

COOPER: I still don't know what Chad was talking about. The truth is I was kind of punchy, too.

(on camera): Chad, your eyes are freaking me out. Your eyes are like completely red.

(voice-over): That's about when we decided to call it a night. Twelve hours in a storm is plenty, especially when you're spending it outside, "Inside the Box."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: His eyes were freaking me out.

Staying "Inside the Box," up tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," all this week Aaron Brown will be working on the Left Coast with a series of special reports, "West Coast Voters Weigh In." Aaron joins us live from Seattle with a preview -- Aaron. AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you. They gave me a choice of standing in a hurricane, which I've done a fair amount of in my life, or being in Seattle on a day when you can see Mt. Rainer in the background and the Space Needle and the rest. No fool me, I chose this.

Tonight, we'll talk to voters here about the presidential campaign. Washington isn't one of those battleground states as such, it's a pretty strong Kerry state, but people's views on how the campaign is being conducted, how we in the media cover it, are fascinating nevertheless, and we'll talk with voters tonight.

We'll also take a look at Mt. St. Helen's. Twenty-four years ago now, I covered the eruption of Mt. St. Helen's, and the volcano is burping again. So we'll take a look at that, and much more, as we continue on the West Coast all this week -- Anderson.

COOPER: You were wise to avoid the hurricane, actually. I will learn from you next time. Aaron, thanks.

360 next, rough politics to "The Nth Degree." Let's hope President Bush and Senator Kerry don't pick up any pointers from politicians in the Ukraine. We'll tell you why ahead.

First, today's "Buzz." What do you think, who do you think is more of a threat to the United States right now, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, or Osama bin Laden? Log on to cnn.com/360, cast your vote. Results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Here's "The Buzz." Who do you think is more of a threat to the United States, Zarqawi or bin Laden? Here's what you said -- 28 percent of you said Zarqawi; 72 bin Laden. Not a scientific poll, but it is your buzz. Thanks for voting.

Tonight, taking tough campaigning to "The Nth Degree."

So you think we're having a pretty nasty presidential campaign in this country? What with jibes and charges being hurled back and forth and toxic language and all that sort of thing? Yeah, well, Bush-Kerry doesn't hold a candle to Yanukovich-Yushchenko. Now, that's a tough campaign.

In the hurling category, for instance, one of Ukraine's presidential candidates recently spent several hours in the hospital after having not a charge, but an egg hurled at him. He says his opponent was behind the attack.

And as for poisonous language, that's a laugh. In Ukraine, they don't use poisonous language; they use actual poison. The fellow whose forces are accused of having thrown the egg claimed last month that the current regime, which supports the candidate who was beaned, somehow slipped him a toxic Mickey. He seems still to have trouble talking and moving one side of his face. All of this sounds bad, sure, but it actually represents an improvement. Five years ago, in Ukraine's last presidential election, the object thrown at one of the candidates wasn't an egg; it was a hand grenade.

The lesson is, don't let's tut-tut too much. Our guys are girlie men compared to the Ukraine's two Viktors.

I'm Anderson Cooper, thanks for watching 360. 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 September 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 from New York. I'm Anderson Cooper.
While the candidates focus on debates, renewed warnings that the election could be a terror target.

360 starts now.

A new terror alert tells law enforcement, Be prepared before elections. But with no new threat, is politics at play?

The smile of a killer. Rare video of Iraq's terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The latest on where he may be and how we can get him.

A courtroom surprise in the Scott Peterson case. New details about his other affairs and what happened when one lover walked in on him and Laci.

A missing teen girl is found, her secret life revealed. Did her call to a phone sex chat line play a role in her disappearance? Tonight, her parents speak out.

A great white mystery, a 17-foot killer shark trapped in a Cape Cod bay. Is he lost, confused, or on the hunt for food?

And Hurricane Jeanne, what it's really like standing and falling in the path of a storm.

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

COOPER: Good evening again.

We begin tonight with politics and terrorism. And in a presidential election year, the first since September 11, the two cannot be separated.

For months, there have been warnings that terrorists might try to disrupt the election, and tonight, word of new, renewed efforts to prepare for, and perhaps prevent, the worst.

Here's CNN's justice correspondent Kelli Arena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is now mandatory for some police officers guarding the Capitol Building in Washington to wear special vests meant to protect them from a biological or chemical attack. As the window between now and election day narrows, counterterrorism officials are growing more anxious.

ASA HUTCHINSON, HOMELAND SECURITY UNDERSECRETARY: Really, in every area of concern we've enhanced, ratcheted up these security measures that are in place.

ARENA: Last spring, senior officials said intelligence suggested that al Qaeda wanted to not only attack the United States, but disrupt the November elections. Senior administration officials say new intelligence continues to suggest the same, but there are still no specifics.

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We still don't have any specific information as to who, what, when, where. If we did, there'd be an effort to interdict, and we'd prevent the attack.

ARENA: As election day nears, officials say they are redoubling security efforts. For example, increasing the number of ships boarded by Coast Guard inspectors, patting down some passengers at airport checkpoints, and interviewing, in some cases reinterviewing, individuals who may have information about a possible attack.

What's more, state and election officials have set up a task force to encourage jurisdictions to have contingency plans in place if al Qaeda strikes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Kelli Arena joins us now.

Kelli, you know, we like to look at all angles on this program. There are going to be some who hear, you know, a new terror warnings and think immediately about politics. Is the administration making a big deal out of these new attempts to inform law enforcement?

ARENA: Well, actually, they're actually trying to downplay them, Anderson. There's, there is, they are sensitive to sort of the claims of scaremongering tactics. And none of this was done publicly. This is all being done privately between agencies, interagency communications, and between industries and so on that need to know and be aware of how to respond.

There's been nothing done publicly, no press conferences. We actually had a briefing today, where many officials said, Our intent here is not to raise, you know, the alert level, hypothetically speaking, but to put everything in perspective.

The intelligence continues to suggest that al Qaeda wants to strike, but we don't have anything actionable at this point to move on.

COOPER: All right. Covering all angles, Kelli Arena. Thanks, Kelli.

ARENA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COOPER: There is a, here's a quick reminder for you. All the talk about terrorism, all the plans to prevent it, all the fear that we may not be able to, all those things were spawned by one man, Osama bin Laden. Today, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf went on record as being of the opinion that bin Laden is still alive. Mr. Musharraf said he did not have any notion where bin Laden might be, but the U.S. commander of troops in Afghanistan said today he believes bin Laden is in Musharraf's own country, Pakistan.

Coming up a little later, a look at the man many say has taken bin Laden's place. This rare video shows him, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, believed to be in Iraq, now called perhaps the most dangerous man in the world. We're going to take a look at what we know about him and how to get him. That's coming up on 360.

Before we head out onto the campaign trail to see what the candidates are doing, here's some new CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll results to show how they're doing. As of a couple of days ago, President Bush was the choice of 52 percent of likely voters, to Senator Kerry's 44 percent. This is likely voters. And then when asked how Mr. Bush is handling his job, 54 percent registered approval, his highest rating since January, and 44 percent disapproval.

We're going to find out what those numbers mean to both sides tonight, the Kerry side from Candy Crowley in a moment.

As for what they mean to the Bush camp, we have White House correspondent Dana Bush standing by live right now out on the campaign trail in Ohio. Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, a senior Bush aide noted that 54 percent approval is where Bill Clinton was when he won reelection, so privately they appear more confident. Nevertheless, the president appears to be preparing for this week's debate by sharpening some familiar attacks on what Team Bush calls Kerry's contradictions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): Fresh from a weekend of intense debate prep, the president delivered a mocking update of a favorite line of attack.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Later this week, I'm going to have an opportunity to debate my opponent. Been a little tough to prepare for the debates, because he keeps changing his positions.

BASH: He sealed with it a twist.

BUSH: I think he could spend 90 minutes debating himself.

BASH: Bush officials are confident the Kerry flip-flopper charge on Iraq is giving their opponent the most trouble gaining ground. So here's their debate preview ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, BUSH-CHENEY AD)

SEN. JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Before I voted against it...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The president's Iraq rhetoric is a bit more sober, but in a hint at debate strategy, he gives no ground on his decision for war. That's just fine by the whopping 45,000-plus at this rally in southwestern Ohio. This is Bush country.

BUSH: And I'm here to ask for your vote.

BASH: And this is what Mr. Bush calls fertilizing grassroots. West Chester, Ohio, went for the president by 30 percent last time around. It's a booming exurb, wedged between Cincinnati and Dayton. Farms are morphing into malls, new homes, and office parks.

And Republicans here are mobilizing hundreds of volunteers to stuff envelopes, knock on doors, to take advantage of a population exploding in GOP territory.

With so few undecideds and much of the state hard hit with job loss, this where is turning out the base matters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on phone): Hello, this is Terry Brown (ph). I'm a volunteer calling on behalf of President Bush.

BASH: So they phone bank outside the rally, help register new voters, and try make sure they actually vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Both candidates obviously very accomplished debaters. How seriously is President Bush taking this in terms of what is he doing? I mean, I read that he, that he has audiocassettes from Kerry's past debates and he's listening to them even while he exercises.

BASH: That's right. He's listening to them while he exercises.

You know, the Bush campaign is making it clear that they are not cramming for this, that the president's been working on it really for the past three months or so. As you know, Anderson, he had two intense sessions over the weekend at his ranch in Crawford. He's got a down day tomorrow to do more debate prep.

But, you know, they are playing the expectations game. They say that Kerry, Senator Kerry, is a debater who is really gifted. And they're trying to play the expectations game because they know that once they do that, that if President Bush does well, that Senator Kerry will perhaps, they hope, continue to stay where he is in the polls, Anderson. COOPER: All right, Dana Bash, thanks very much. I was afraid that truck was going to back up into you. I kept hearing that truck sound. Thanks, Dana.

BASH: OK.

COOPER: Well, there you go again.

Today was the president's 26th visit to Ohio. We're going to put that important in perspective for a moment. Guess how many times the president has actually visited Massachusetts? The answer is, only four times. He's been to Hawaii once, he hasn't visited Delaware, Rhode Island, or Vermont during the current campaign. What a difference electoral votes make.

For Democratic challenger John Kerry, what happens in the next 16 days will likely make or break his campaign, three face-to-face debates with the man he is trying to unseat. The Democratic side now from Wisconsin and senior political correspondent Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not all briefing books and supersecret mock debates.

KERRY: If you're not kind of prepared for these things after a year and a half of running, I guess you shouldn't be running.

CROWLEY: Massachusetts Senator John Kerry tuning up for the Florida debate in Wisconsin at a town hall meeting. It's like Off- Broadway for politics.

KERRY: I have a plan. Every step of the way, this president and the Republicans have tried to make it look as of John Kerry has (UNINTELLIGIBLE) position or their position. I've had one position steady all the way, folks.

CROWLEY: A tough sell so far. Kerry has blasted the president's handling of Iraq and the war on terror for two weeks, with little to show for it. The latest CNN poll shows by wide margins, registered voters believe Bush could better handle terrorism and Iraq.

KERRY: This president had four years to do it. He just doesn't get it. And I understand how to bring those countries back to our side.

CROWLEY: Another no go, at least so far. The CNN poll found by a margin of 52 to 44, voters believe Bush can better handle relations with other countries.

Wisconsin is kind of a twofer for Senator Kerry. He can study up in private in a secluded resort or in this Democrat-friendly region of this battleground state, Kerry can step out in front of the cameras to grab the headlines, although he's going to have to share with the former mayor of New York, who happened by to offer up a preview of Thursday's debate. RUDOLPH GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: President Bush is going to have basically, you know, a more consistent set of positions to describe. John Kerry, almost no matter what he says, is contradicted by something John Kerry said in the past.

CROWLEY: Rudy Giuliani said he came to Spring Green, Wisconsin, because he heard there were cameras here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: So Candy...

CROWLEY: Anderson, we know...

COOPER: I'm sorry, go ahead.

CROWLEY: ... that tomorrow -- Go ahead.

COOPER: No, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

CROWLEY: We know that tomorrow...

COOPER: You first. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is ridiculous. All right, Candy, so, it's no coincidence that Rudy Giuliani showed up there. I mean, he, he, he, he knew well. I mean, this was all planned so he (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on camera criticizing Kerry?

CROWLEY: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, they knew that the senator was going to come out of Wisconsin again, one of those states that Al Gore barely won. The polls have not been that great here for John Kerry. It's one of the reason he picked this state. But the Bush campaign's not going to give him any kind of slack here, and that's why Rudy Giuliani showed up.

COOPER: Candy, thanks very much for that. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a little, I'm still hung over, I think, from covering the hurricane. I think I still have water in my ear. Thanks, Candy.

Martha Stewart's on jail watch. That tops our look at what's happening cross-country tonight.

In New York, Martha Stewart's no longer a name but a number to the Bureau of Prisons. She got her inmate number and is listed as in transit, which means she has an October 8 surrender date. She doesn't know where she's going to do the time. That decision should be made any day now.

Nationwide, suburbanites, sprawl may be making you sick. Listen up. A new Rand study finds that folks in high-sprawl areas like Atlanta and Detroit are more prone to diabetes, high blood pressure, and arthritis than people whose home, work, and shopping areas are closer together. Researchers blame it all on the extra time driving and not walking.

In L.A., music producer Phil Spector is charged with murder. Spector's accused of shooting to death B-movie actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion last year. Spector says Clarkson killed herself. He remains free on $1 million bail.

And in Fulgen (ph), California, a terrible surprise at an air show. A small plane crashed right after takeoff at an air festival this weekend. It just missed the tower, hit a parked car. The two men on board were injured, one critically. Unbelievably, two women in the car were not seriously hurt. Could have been much worse.

That's a quick look at what's happening cross-country tonight.

360 next, soaking the source. Jeanne marches north as a tropical depression as Florida picks through the rubble. We'll have a live report on the devastation.

Plus, the Scott Peterson trial, a shocking admission from the defense. Just how many women did Scott Peterson have affairs with? We'll look at that ahead.

Also, a great white shark stalking the waters off Cape Cod. How did the fearsome predator of the sea get so close to land? We're going to talk with a shark expert about that.

First, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories right now on CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, you can call it storm fatigue, Floridians cleaning up today after the fourth significant hurricane of the season came ashore over the weekend. Tonight, at least six people are counted dead in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne, millions are still without power, and for many, an insurance policy is about all they have left.

CNN's John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the sound of paradise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what, must be what a newborn baby is like, every three to four hours, got to put gas in the generator.

ZARRELLA: More than 2.5 million utility customers in Florida still without power after another hurricane weekend.

JACK SCHLUKEBIER, MELBOURNE CITY MANAGER: The power companies did not cause this, and they're doing their darn best to help us out and get back to normal.

ZARRELLA: In Port St. Lucie, people sit in a mile-long line for ice and tarps to cover roofs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're alive. That's the best thing.

ZARRELLA: It's the same line they sat in three weeks ago after Hurricane Frances. Ice is coming in on trucks from as far away as Wisconsin. Here alone, 120,000 pounds of ice, two bags per car, goes out each day.

CHIEF JOHN SKINNER, PORT ST. LUCIE POLICE: One good thing about this is, people are not alone in this tragedy, they're in it together.

ZARRELLA: Jeanne hit the barrier islands hardest. From Melbourne south 100 miles to Palm Beach, the hurricane's high winds and storm surge trashed homes, washed out roads, and destroyed beaches. Officials estimate damage from Jeanne at between $4 and $8 billion.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: We have the largest recovery operation under way in the United States history right here in Florida.

ZARRELLA: A distinction the people of this storm-ravaged state could live without.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: In every community, there is a story. Here in this Stuart subdivision, the roofs here, like in communities all over the state of Florida, are covered in tarps. It is the new color code in Florida, the new color scheme, blue tarps over tan plywood, Anderson.

COOPER: Something we've seen an awful lot of. John, thanks very much, John.

The misery continues in Haiti after Jeanne's visit there 10 days ago. That tops our look at what's happening right now in the uplink.

In Gonaives, the death toll, it just keeps on climbing. At least 1,500 people were killed by the storm, some 200,000 others left homeless, there are hundreds still missing. U.N. peacekeepers have rushed to the city to try to stop looting. It is a mess there.

In Gaza City, a CNN producer has been abducted, missing tonight, Riad Ali. He was traveling in a taxi with CNN correspondent Ben Wedeman when a group of armed men stopped them, asked for Ali by name, and ordered him out of the car. Ali has worked for CNN in Gaza and for the -- in the West Bank for about two years. No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and the militant group Hamas has condemned it.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, now, airport terminal under construction, it collapses. At least five people were killed and 12 others injured after a crane smashed into a wall.

And on the World Wide Web, Google is under fire tonight. The Internet search engine, whose mantra is "Do no evil," is accused of bowing to the Chinese government. An Internet research firm says Google's news service in China omits results from Web sites that have been blocked by Chinese authorities.

That's a quick look what's happening around the world in the uplink.

360 next, the most wanted man in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Why he's called Osama bin Laden's rival. We'll talk with CNN terrorist analyst Peter Bergen. Some rare video, though, we're going to show you more of that later.

Plus. Bush versus Kerry, preparing to face off in their first TV debate. We'll look at how they're -- what they're doing to prepare in raw politics.

And a missing girl is found. Why was she calling a steamy sex chat line? And did that have anything to do with her disappearance? We're going to talk with her mom ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Tonight, the family of a British hostage being held in Iraq says they have reason to believe he is alive. The brother of Kenneth Bigley tells CNN negotiations are under way to secure his release. Bigley, you'll remember, was kidnapped 11 days ago, along with two Americans. They were beheaded last week.

Their killer identified himself as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Now, you are looking at very rare video of Zarqawi. He's claimed responsibility, of course, for beheading Nicholas Berg in May, and he is by far the greatest threat and most wanted man in Iraq.

He has had ties to al Qaeda in the past, we know that, but Zarqawi appears to be forging his own path of terror.

Joining me from Washington is CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen.

Peter, thanks for joining us tonight.

How come Zarqawi is so difficult to catch? I mean, it's believed, I guess, what, that he's operating out of Fallujah?

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, I mean, that's a very good question. It's hard to find one person. I mean, we spent more than three years looking for Osama bin Laden, without success. So Zarqawi, even if you nail him down to one city, we've had 20,000 troops in Mogadishu in '93 looking for Mohammad Adid, the guy who was fomenting clan fighting there, so -- and we never found him.

So it's a problem of finding one person if he's got a network to fall back on.

COOPER: Do we know how he's operating, though? I mean, my understanding is, you know, they keep releasing these videotapes, which we refuse to show on this program any longer, but they keep releasing these tapes, and, I mean, it's sort of a way of, it's promotion, I mean, it's kind of, there's a marketplace for kidnappers, and he's kind of promoting himself.

BERGEN: I think the tapes have, you know, several reasons they do it. One is to show you're in the game, two, to raise money, three, recruitment, four, it's, you know, it's terrorism at its purest, a psychological warfare against the West.

COOPER: So who's sending him money?

BERGEN: I don't know. You know, I really don't know the answer to that. I mean, I don't, a lot of these operations don't cost a lot of money to do. Just look at 9/11, it didn't cost more than perhaps $200,000 or $300,000. The kinds of things that he's doing may cost a few thousand dollars. It may just be local Iraqis supporting him (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and it's that kind of thing.

COOPER: Because in the past, he's appealed to al Qaeda for aid, I mean, I think he asked for, at one point, $35,000 for some operations. But that was long ago. His actual links to al Qaeda are, are, I mean, are somewhat in question.

BERGEN: They're sort of murky. I mean, he had a training camp in Afghanistan, which was near a place called Herat in western Afghanistan, around the same time that al Qaeda had its camps before 9/11. But these camps were very distinct. They were hundreds of miles apart. We know from a letter that Zarqawi sent to al Qaeda relatively recently that he appealed for help from al Qaeda.

But it was clear that he was appealing as an outsider, not somebody who was part of the group. Now, it may be a distinction without a difference if you get killed by Zarqawi or al Qaeda. Obviously both are bad, but it seems that they run parallel organizations that may even be somewhat competitive.

COOPER: Do you think he's sort of in some ways taken the place of bin Laden, I mean, in terms of the focus, in terms of the world looking at him as kind of a terrorist leader?

BERGEN: I think he certainly would like to. It, you know, it's he's almost like Mini Me with his own mini-al Qaeda. He does have, you know, links to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- members of his group have gone on in trial in Germany. There's been suggestions that people in Britain, perhaps Spain, also in Jordan and Iraq are related to Zarqawi.

So it's like a mini-al Qaeda, in a sense. It's not obviously as -- it's not going to be able to do a 9/11, but it's able to do all these suicide attacks we have seen in Iraq repeatedly over the past year and half.

COOPER: And the U.S. continues air strikes in the Fallujah area trying to get him. I guess they've gotten some of his lieutenants. They've not gotten him yet.

Peter Bergen, thanks for joining us.

BERGEN: Thank you.

COOPER: That gets us today's buzz. What do you think? Who do you think is more of a threat to the United States right now, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, or Osama bin Laden? Log onto CNN.com/360, cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the program. The war on terror and foreign policy's going to take center stage at the first presidential debate this week on Thursday. Between now and Thursday, President Bush and Senator John Kerry are limiting public appearances. Think of it as a political purdah so that they can shape up for their showdown in Miami. Having a good comeback or two up your sleeve, that's not just good practice, that's it's good raw politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): For the two candidates, it's prepping time. In Spring Green, Wisconsin, John Kerry is reportedly reading the transcripts of President Bush's past debates, going as far back as 1994.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 1994)

BUSH: I am not a fine tuner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: He's dissecting his style and his lines of attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 2000)

BUSH: I cannot let this go by, the old-style Washington politics. Now, if we're going to scare you in the voting booth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: In Crawford, Texas, aides have provided President Bush with audiocassettes of Kerry's past debates, which he listens to when he exercises. Both candidates are sparring with mock debate partners in full-length dress rehearsals.

In John Kerry's drills, Democratic lawyer Greg Craig plays President Bush. In President Bush's debates, Republican Senator Judd Gregg is Senator Kerry.

James Carville was one of Bill Clinton's top political strategists and debate advisers. He says there are basic debate principles that apply to Democrats and Republicans.

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You want to have a framework that the candidate can go back to, and you want to practice pivoting, that is, when you get a question, and, you know, how to answer a question and go to a larger point.

COOPER: And, of course, advisers are working hard on coming up with memorable lines that could decide the outcome of a debate like these ones did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

RONALD REAGAN: Are you better off than you were four years ago?

LLOYD BENTSEN: Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.

BILL CLINTON: You were wrong to attack my patriotism. I was opposed to the war, but I love my country.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

CARVILLE: You want to be careful (UNINTELLIGIBLE) have bad reaction shots. You know the principle in a debate, it's better to counterpunch than it is to punch.

COOPER: Looking for the counterpunch that would knock out your opponent in this political showdown, that can only be raw politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: A courtroom surprise in the Scott Peterson case. New details about his other affairs and what happened when one lover walked in an him and Laci.

A missing teen girl is found, her secret life revealed. Did her call to a phone sex chat line play a role in her disappearance? Tonight, her parents speak out.

And Hurricane Jeanne, what it's really like standing and falling in the path of a storm.

360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Here's what's coming up in the next half hour on 360. A courtroom bombshell in the Scott Peterson trial. Just how many affairs did he have?

Also tonight, swimming too close to shore. How did this great white shark get stuck in water near Cape Cod? We'll talk with a shark expert.

First, let's take a look at our top stories right now in the "Reset."

The army is looking at ways to reduce its tour of duty in combat zones. The current tour for troops in Iraq is one full year. The army is concerned about a sharp drop in recruiting. No indication if or when the tour may change.

Olympian Paul Hamm launched a gold medal appeal in one of the biggest controversies to spring from the Athens game. The American gymnast has attended a hearing today at the world's highest sports court where a South Korean is a judging error in the parallel bars routine. A decision is expected in the next two weeks.

And here's Conan. That was lame. Today, NBC used a 50th anniversary of "The Tonight Show" to announce big changes. Jay Leno will step down in 2009. Conan O'Brien will replace him. Leno will be 59 when he retires and we can only guess the number in his bank account. I guess that's a lot higher.

For months now the jury in the Scott Peterson murder trial has heard about the other woman. They've been told she's Amber Frey. But today, in a stunning development the jurors learned that there were other other women besides Frey in Peterson's lie and it's not the prosecution that's making this argument. CNN's Ted Rowlands has the latest from the courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jurors were riveted as they learned that Scott Peterson had been cheating on his wife Laci since the first year of their marriage. With lead detective Craig Grogan on the stand, defense attorney Mark Geragos decided to provide jurors with new details of Peterson's infidelity, including a story about one girlfriend who didn't know Peterson was married and caused a scene when she walked in on Scott and Laci in bed.

Peterson told another woman he was separated according to today's testimony and she didn't find out the real story until meeting Laci at Scott's college graduation. One of Laci's friends told investigators the that Petersons were not having sex because of her pregnancy. The defense theory is that Scott Peterson did not kill his wife because of the now well-known affair with Amber Frey.

DEAN JOHNSON, LEGAL ANALYST: Now, they want to point out, look, this has happened over and over again. It's never been a motive for murder before, why should it be a motive for murder now?

ROWLANDS: Earlier, Geragos disputed the suggestion that a reference to Laci in the past tense by Peterson was incriminating. Laci's mother, brother and sister, according to Geragos did the same thing in media interviews less than a week after Laci disappeared.

The other women Peterson had affairs with were not identified in court and it is unclear whether either side will have them testify. Detective Grogan is expected to be back on the stand when court resumes. Ted Rowlands, CNN, Redwood City, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Covering the case for us in "Justice Served" tonight from Redwood City is 360 legal analyst, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom who has been in the courtroom and from Miami, defense attorney Jayne Weintraub. Good to see you both.

Kimberly, let me start off with you. What was the reaction in the courtroom when the defense revealed that there had been other other women?

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE NEWSOM, 360 LEGAL ANALYST: This was just a bold risky maneuver by Mark Geragos. Everyone from the media were hitting each other, elbowing one another, looking around. I was looking at the jury. They were listening very closely, even leaning forward on them of the edge of their seats listening to this information. It begs the question, why would Mark Geragos bring something up like this? Well, perhaps to deflate the idea that Amber Frey is the motive for murder. If Scott had other affairs that Laci knew about, why kill his wife now?

COOPER: Jayne, it's kind of a risky strategy because it does kind of make him look like even more of a jerk.

JAYNE WEINTRAUB, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Actually, I happen to agree with Kimberly, note the date and time. It's exactly the point that we're talking about. Mark wanted to demonstrate the fact that there were so many other women, he doesn't care about one woman enough to kill somebody. No, that's not the kind of guy that Scott Peterson is.

I'll tell you what's important. Guilty of adulterer and a perjurer and being a lousy husband. Not guilty, let's get back to the murder. Is there any evidence whatsoever? Grogan has 41 ways why Scott Peterson killed his wife. Three of them have just gone away in day. He referred to his wife in the past tense he said, they followed up every lead. They didn't even fingerprint the house, for goodness sakes.

COOPER: Kimberly, that was surprising to me, that came out in court today, Geragos getting the detective to admit they didn't fingerprint inside the house. You would think that's a common procedure?

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: If I was the D.A. on the case I would have wanted my detective to do that to cover every base because I always love to preempt the defense so they can't raise these issues at the 11th hour in the trial. Here's the problem. From her husband, you have the information that she left the house, that she was outside of the home and that's when she was abducted. You wouldn't expect -- you would not expect, and there was no evidence of any forced entry, et cetera to suggest this was a forced entry into the home or a stranger abduction. There's no evidence to support that, so, really, no need, no real cause to fingerprint the house.

COOPER: But Jayne, the defense is saying this is proof that the police basically focused on Scott Peterson to the exclusion of other potential people out there.

WEINTRAUB: Exactly. They never looked for anyone else, which is exactly what Mark has said from the beginning. They targeted Scott Peterson, they focused on him and no others. And Kimberly, to say now, well, they knew from Scott Peterson that nobody else had been in the house, what are you going to say that they were taking his word for things?

(CROSSTALK)

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: There's no evidence to suggest anyone else was in the house, nothing was missing from the home. It wasn't a home invasion, robbery, burglary.

WEINTRAUB: There's no question, we don't know what happened, Kimberly.

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: There's no other physical evidence in the house. No other forensic inside the house to suggest that.

WEINTRAUB: Kimberly, you indict a case...

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: We do know that they did check for blood and everything else, any other substances in the house, they even swept along the floor boards, everything, to look for evidence in this house through the drains, the holes...

WEINTRAUB: And they found none. And then he goes and says, maybe he sanitized the house? Come on, a little speculation.

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: I wouldn't argue that point. I've always thought this was a situation where I wouldn't expect forensic evidence because anything in the home would be natural to that environment, Laci's hair, Scott's fingerprints, Laci's fingerprints, nothing out of the ordinary...

(CROSSTALK)

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: If you choke or strangle your wife, you don't necessarily have to have those type of things at a murder scene. They can happen. It is not automatic. And it's something if he removed her body right away you wouldn't necessarily find in there. In terms of other suspects, they looked at the whole Rocha family. Can you imagine, to think maybe Laci Peterson's mother or brother or sister had something to do with this. The cops checked them out. Everyone was cleared but Scott Peterson.

COOPER: Finally, Jayne, how significant is it that the lead detective sort of backed up the notion that Laci Peterson was out perhaps walking her dog that morning?

WEINTRAUB: I think that was incredibly significant. Of all the witnesses and all the evidence that the D.A. is putting on to deflect from the defense putting it on first, they don't call the deputy D.A. who was threatened, who was pregnant walking the dog, who was mistaken for Laci at different times. I think that was pretty bad lawyering. That's what I think. But more important I think there's no evidence whatsoever to tie Scott Peterson to this horrible tragic crime.

COOPER: Final thought, Kimberly.

GUILFOYLE NEWSOM: Come on, Anderson, not only satanic cults, and burglars in the area, lovesick neighbors, now you've got the D.A. with a death threat and I've had a few of those myself. It's a mistaken identity? Oops, I did it again. We killed the wrong woman, come on.

WEINTRAUB: You never know. Meanwhile, where's the evidence that is in the indictment? He was charged with killing his wife December 24 in the home. There has not been one scintilla of evidence to prove their case. And they're only in what, the 20th week?

COOPER: Spoken like a true criminal defense attorney. Jayne Weintraub, thanks for joining us. Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, thanks as well. Coming up on 360 next, the search for a missing teen is over. She is safe tonight. Did someone on a teen chat line lure her away from her home?

Also tonight, the great white mystery. Why the perfect killing machine is making a home off Cape Cod.

And a little later, covering a hurricane, not easy especially when you run out of things to talk about. You'll see what I mean inside the box.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: The parents of Brianne Greig had a message for their daughter just call us. The 16-year-old vanished from their home in Montgomery, New York last week. Now, they fear the she may have been lured by an adult predator she met over a chat line. After waiting and worrying for days, they finally received the best news that any parent can here, their daughter is safe and the 27-year-old suspect is in custody.

CNN's Jason Bellini reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianne Greig's parents didn't know their 16-year-old daughter was talking on sex chat lines until she went missing 10 days ago.

DEBRA GREIG, MOTHER: Where ever you are, we will come and get you.

BELLINI: Her anguished parents, Walter and Debra found phone numbers in Brianne's room which led them to a New York telephone chat line, which her parents believe was connected to her disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you've got some minutes to, blow them with us. If your into the adult hardcore sexual cruising scene, do not do it here.

BELLINI: The free free-for-all chat line pro-claimed sexually explicit conversation is not permitted, we discovered otherwise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who you be?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very difficult.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, you be difficult, no doubt. I'll be easy.

BELLINI: Child protection experts say phone chat lines often attract children who are lonely or depressed.

BOB HOEVER, NATL. CTR. FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN: It can lead to children running away. It has led to children running away. It has led to children being sexually assaulted and molested. BELLINI: Walter Greg, a state trooper, tried to protect his daughters from the dangers that lurk on line. He said 18 months ago he got rid of the home computer. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said parents that know about the dangers of online chat rooms often don't know about the phone chat lines which they say a can be even more dangerous.

HOEVER: Just because they hear a voice on the other side, I think they're lured into a false sense of security, here I hear a voice and that person sounds kind, so it must be OK.

BELLINI (on camera): Brianne turned up in Harlem today, the police aren't talking and many questions remain answered.

Jason Bellini, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Joining me now from Crawford Township in New York is Brianne mother, Debra Greig. Thanks for joining us. I'm so happy things have turned out OK.

How's your daughter doing tonight?

GREIG: Brianne is very upset, tired, hungry. She's dirty. You know, but she's happy to be home. And of course, we're happy to have her.

COOPER: And she's home and that is the most important thing.

GREIG: Absolutely.

COOPER: Do you have a sense of -- what happened to her over the last couple of days?

GREIG: Not really. We know she had been staying with different people down in New York City that she had met through this chat phone line. She's not being very precise as to who they were. I don't think she knew actually -- she didn't really know them, but she knew them through other people that she had met on these chat lines. Brianne had never met any of these people in person so it was all done over the phone. But at some point or another she did become frightened, that it didn't turn out the way she had expected it.

COOPER: I think a lot of parents don't know about these chat lines. I know you were unaware of them. You had removed her computer, I guess, a while back because you were concerned about some Web sites she was visiting.

When you actually -- you called up some of these lines when she was missing and -- how surprised were you by what you heard?

GREIG: Well, it was very disturbing for the fact that when you first dial into it, it's an advertisement for hardcore sex. And then there's a disclaimer that comes on, do not enter this if you 18 years of age, so on and so forth, and then they prompt you into these teen chat rooms. Once you're in the chat rooms, you can actually enter 10 rooms at different times. They allow eight chatters into each room, kind of like a conference thing that goes on, where the kids discuss drugs, sex, music, lot of it is normal teenage chatter, that sort of thing.

COOPER: Well, I know it's been -- I'm sorry. Go ahead.

GREIG: When we as adults tried to enter the room, just to see if we could make any head way or figure out what was going on, these kids on the line knew immediately that it was an adult on the line and the room shut down.

COOPER: I know it's been a horrible ordeal for you and for your husband. I'm very happy that your daughter is home. And I know there are a lot of questions you still need answered and people want answered, but hopefully, you'll find those answers in the coming days. Debra, thanks very much for joining us.

GREIG: Thank you, too. Thank you.

COOPER: All right. Coming up next on 360, a shark tail from the Cape. How a giant predator is making waves so close to the shore.

Also tonight, a much lighter note, talking up a storm: trying hard to find the talking points in the middle of a hurricane. It's not as easy and maybe as stupid as it looks. It's not as easy as it looks. We'll go inside the box for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "JAWS")

ROY R. SHEIDER, ACTOR: I can go slow ahead, come on down and chump some of this (EXPLICIT DELETED).

You're going to need a bigger boat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That is truly one of the great movie scenes and lines of all time. Thirty years after Steven Spielberg filmed "Jaws" there, a great white shark has turned -- returned. This time it is for real of course. The wayward shark has been patrolling the shallows for a week now. Tourist and scientist alike are flocking to see the man eater. It is 17 feet, 1,700 pounds. Some tells me Quint would definitely need a bigger boat for this.

Joining me from Woods Hole, Massachusetts is shark researcher Greg Skomal. Greg, thanks for joining us. What are you trying to learn from this shark? Actually, first, do you have any idea why it's so close to shore now?

GREG SKOMAL, SHARK EXPERT: Oh, a very good question. It's been asked often. What would bring a shark of this size close to shore in our coastal waters? And the fact of the matter is, every year I get reports in my office and my agency gets reports about large white sharks being somewhat close to shore, but we're never really able to confirm it. In this case, we are able to confirm it. This is a white shark that came in very close and apparently navigated incorrectly, and got into an area that it's not too comfortable with getting out of.

COOPER: But is it not able to get out of this area, or does it not want to get out?

SKOMAL: That's another great question. Is this shark able to get out? I think it is. There's enough water. There's an inlet -- an outlet of this area. I think that her comfort zone, however, is in this particular area, which is somewhat restricted.

But she'll get out. And it's just a matter of time.

COOPER: Well, I know (UNINTELLIGIBLE) maybe due to hurricane season, maybe due to growth in the seal population. I know you tagged this shark, though. What are you hoping to learn from it?

SKOMAL: Well, what's fascinating about the white shark in the Atlantic Ocean is we know very, very little about its biology. And the tag that I deployed is going to let me collect valuable information on temperature, depth. Let me track the movements of this animal throughout the Atlantic, really filling in bits and pieces of such a small story that we know very little about.

COOPER: And I mean, is there a danger that if this shark doesn't leave the waters, you know what I mean, that it could die?

SKOMAL: You know, I'd like to be able to answer that. I can't say. You know, I know eventually, if this shark stays for weeks upon weeks, we're in New England, these waters will cool down. I think that that kind of a change will absolutely force this shark out of this area. I'm also hoping that with this change of weather we're getting over the next few days, we're going to see the remnants of Hurricane Jeanne, that may also set up the conditions that are right for this animal to leave.

COOPER: Well, Greg, I hope you continue your research, I hope you got the information you need from the shark. Greg Skomal, thanks for joining us.

SKOMAL: Thank you.

COOPER: Greg mentioned the hurricanes. We had four hurricanes in six weeks hitting Florida. Here is the best news of the day: There are no new tropical storms in the forecast. For the people of the southeast, I mean, it's been unthinkable hard. For reporters standing out in a storm, it's been much less difficult. But what I found is not only is it hard to stand in wind and rain, it's hard to talk about wind and rain for hours on end. "Inside the Box."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to start with our own Anderson Cooper. Anderson, you're becoming our hurricane guy. COOPER (voice-over): The problem with reporting hurricanes isn't so much the wind and the rain, it's the endless hours of talking. I started covering Hurricane Jeanne at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

(on camera): This place is right in the path of this storm.

(voice-over): When you first start, it seems like there's plenty to talk about.

(on camera): Frances was 105 and weakening when it hit land. This is 115 right now and maybe getting stronger.

(voice-over): But after a couple of hours, you've said just about all there is to say about wind and rain, and you start to repeat yourself.

(on camera): It is like nothing I've ever seen before. I've never seen anything like it. I mean, I've really never seen anything like it. I mean, I hate to repeat myself, but it's like nothing I've ever seen, Catherine.

(voice-over): Water gets into everything. After a while, you can't even hear what people are saying.

(on camera): I'm sorry. I can't even hear you. So...

(voice-over): It's hard not to look stupid standing out in the wind and rain. The key is not to fall. Falling makes reporters look really stupid.

See what I mean? I came close a couple of times, but got lucky.

Standing is hard, but what's even harder is trying to make sense.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: When you were in the bathroom, I know the power was out, did you look down, did you look in the bowl? The water's moving. The water's moving like you're in a cruise ship.

COOPER: I still don't know what Chad was talking about. The truth is I was kind of punchy, too.

(on camera): Chad, your eyes are freaking me out. Your eyes are like completely red.

(voice-over): That's about when we decided to call it a night. Twelve hours in a storm is plenty, especially when you're spending it outside, "Inside the Box."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: His eyes were freaking me out.

Staying "Inside the Box," up tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," all this week Aaron Brown will be working on the Left Coast with a series of special reports, "West Coast Voters Weigh In." Aaron joins us live from Seattle with a preview -- Aaron. AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you. They gave me a choice of standing in a hurricane, which I've done a fair amount of in my life, or being in Seattle on a day when you can see Mt. Rainer in the background and the Space Needle and the rest. No fool me, I chose this.

Tonight, we'll talk to voters here about the presidential campaign. Washington isn't one of those battleground states as such, it's a pretty strong Kerry state, but people's views on how the campaign is being conducted, how we in the media cover it, are fascinating nevertheless, and we'll talk with voters tonight.

We'll also take a look at Mt. St. Helen's. Twenty-four years ago now, I covered the eruption of Mt. St. Helen's, and the volcano is burping again. So we'll take a look at that, and much more, as we continue on the West Coast all this week -- Anderson.

COOPER: You were wise to avoid the hurricane, actually. I will learn from you next time. Aaron, thanks.

360 next, rough politics to "The Nth Degree." Let's hope President Bush and Senator Kerry don't pick up any pointers from politicians in the Ukraine. We'll tell you why ahead.

First, today's "Buzz." What do you think, who do you think is more of a threat to the United States right now, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, or Osama bin Laden? Log on to cnn.com/360, cast your vote. Results when we come back.

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COOPER: Here's "The Buzz." Who do you think is more of a threat to the United States, Zarqawi or bin Laden? Here's what you said -- 28 percent of you said Zarqawi; 72 bin Laden. Not a scientific poll, but it is your buzz. Thanks for voting.

Tonight, taking tough campaigning to "The Nth Degree."

So you think we're having a pretty nasty presidential campaign in this country? What with jibes and charges being hurled back and forth and toxic language and all that sort of thing? Yeah, well, Bush-Kerry doesn't hold a candle to Yanukovich-Yushchenko. Now, that's a tough campaign.

In the hurling category, for instance, one of Ukraine's presidential candidates recently spent several hours in the hospital after having not a charge, but an egg hurled at him. He says his opponent was behind the attack.

And as for poisonous language, that's a laugh. In Ukraine, they don't use poisonous language; they use actual poison. The fellow whose forces are accused of having thrown the egg claimed last month that the current regime, which supports the candidate who was beaned, somehow slipped him a toxic Mickey. He seems still to have trouble talking and moving one side of his face. All of this sounds bad, sure, but it actually represents an improvement. Five years ago, in Ukraine's last presidential election, the object thrown at one of the candidates wasn't an egg; it was a hand grenade.

The lesson is, don't let's tut-tut too much. Our guys are girlie men compared to the Ukraine's two Viktors.

I'm Anderson Cooper, thanks for watching 360. Coming up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

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