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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Clinton Resting After Surgery; Rice Meets With Mexican Leaders; Pakistan: A.Q. Khan Sold Centrifuges to Iran

Aired March 10, 2005 - 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.

HEIDI COLLINS, HOST: Hi, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins. Anderson is off tonight.
Here now are the latest headlines at this hour.

Doctors say former President Bill Clinton is resting comfortably after surgery today. They successfully removed fluid and scar tissue that built up after Clinton's heart bypass operation six months ago. Clinton is expected to fully recover in three to 10 days.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Mexico's leaders today to strengthen U.S. ties with its southern neighbor. Her one-day trip comes as Mexican politicians have expressed frustration with U.S. policies.

And Pakistan says its top nuclear scientist, this man, A.Q. Kahn, gave Iran centrifuges that could be used to make a nuclear weapon. Kahn is under house arrest and had earlier admitted to giving Libya enriched uranium and gas centrifuge parts.

More headlines in 15 minutes.

360 starts now.

Michael Jackson causing a stir at the courthouse. The judge threatens the pop star with arrest after Jackson shows up for court more than an hour late, in his jammies.

Former President Clinton goes under the knife to fix the aftereffects of his quadruple bypass.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is awake, he is resting comfortably.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Tonight, 360 M.D. Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the health of the former president's heart.

A pet store explodes, collapsing the roof and trapping employees inside. Tonight, a dramatic story of survival and support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY CELANO,MONMOUTH COUNTY 911 DISPATCHER: Jennifer...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jennifer, stay right there.

JENNIFER ROHAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not going to let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And, what's so funny? Depends on who you ask. Tonight, part of our special series, Of Two Minds. How your sex determines your sense of humor.

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

COLLINS: Good evening once again.

We begin tonight with a bizarre midday countdown in California. As if there weren't enough drama already in the Michael Jackson case, and tension enough, and oddity enough, today, there came more of all of the above, in the form of an ultimatum, a ticking clock, and the threatened arrest of the king of pop himself for failing to show up in court on time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): It should have been just another day in court for Michael Jackson. But, instead of showing up to the appointed 8:30 start time, the star called in sick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He tripped this morning and he fell in the early morning hours while he was getting dressed. His back is in terrible pain.

COLLINS: When Jackson's attorney, Thomas Mesereau, told Judge Rodney S. Melville the news, the judge was not amused and gave the gloved one an hour to get to the courthouse, saying, "I'm issuing a warrant for his arrest. I'm forfeiting his bail."

As Mesereau paced impatiently in and out of the courthouse, cell phone stuck to his ear, a countdown clock ticked away the time on MSNBC. A CNN banner counted the minutes Jackson might have left if the judge carried through with his thread.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: We can't underestimate how weird this all is. I mean, this is incredibly weird, what is going on.

COLLINS: Then, a five-minute reprieve from the judge, when word came that the defendant was on his way. No helicopters tracked Jackson's trek from the hospital toward the courthouse, but the deadline came and went, and the pop star was still a no-show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The time is past, the deadline has come and gone. COLLINS: Well, for a few minutes, anyway. Then, Jackson's police escort encourage arrived, and he stepped out, a little disheveled, listing to the left, and wearing his jammies.

But once he made his way slowly into court, there was no arrest. The frenzy fizzled, and the case against the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" just carried on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: So, the defendant did show up, hobbling, in pajamas, and the bench warrant for his arrest was revoked.

So much for developments outside the courtroom. As for what happened today inside the courtroom, we want to warn you, some of the testimony was actually very graphic. You may not want your children in the room for this.

Here now, CNN's Miguel Marquez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jackson may have arrived in court in pain, but there was no relief as the judge had him sit through a day of testimony from his 15-year-old accuser.

PROF. LAURIE LEVENSON, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: It was very personal in there. It was personal on the boy's side, talking about how much he felt hurt by Michael Jackson. And you could see on the other side, Michael Jackson's feeling pretty hurt by the accusations against him.

MARQUEZ: The boy testified that Jackson masturbated him and brought him to ejaculation twice. He said the incidents lasted about five minutes each, and both happened in the pop star's bedroom at Neverland Ranch. The boy said on the second incident, Jackson wanted the boy to reciprocate. The boy said he didn't want to do it, and, quote, "felt weird and embarrassed."

MICHAEL JACKSON: Sorry, I can't speak (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARQUEZ: The teenager also testified that Jackson gave him alcohol several times, which the pop star told him was Jesus juice. The boy told jurors that Jackson ordered the accuser and his family not to watch the Martin Bashir video "Living with Michael Jackson" that aired on ABC in February 2003.

The prosecutor charges that Jackson, among other things, conspired to keep the family from seeing the documentary. Before the court day ended, Jackson's attorney had 20 minutes of cross- examination.

LEVENSON: It was a little bit of a staredown going on between the boy and Michael Jackson during the testimony, whereas at times before that, the boy would talk to the jury. If you noticed, when he was talking about that molestation, and especially on cross- examination, he was looking at Michael Jackson. (END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Just an incredible showdown between this 15-year-old boy and this world-renowned pop star in this courtroom. The key now for the prosecution will be whether they can corroborate all those points that this boy made, with his brother and sister, who testified earlier. They've gone a long way today, but now the cross-examine's begun, and it will get heavier and more difficult for this 15-year-old on Monday.

Back to you for now.

COLLINS: Ah, what a day. All right, Miguel Marquez, thanks for that.

Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton is spending the next few days at a New York hospital recovering from surgery. Today, doctors opened Clinton's chest to clean up minor complications from a quadruple heart bypass operation he had six month ago.

Here now, 360 M.D., Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After four hours of surgery, doctors say the former president will be back on his feet in just a day. It's no surprise to anyone that the procedure went seamlessly, especially to Mr. Clinton.

In the days preceding, he let his characteristic optimism drive both his golf game and his attitude about the operation.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not useful to sit around and worry about things you have no control over. I want to be able to breathe again fully.

GUPTA: To help him breathe fully, doctors honed in on scar tissue surrounding his left lower lung, stripping it away like an orange peel and draining the fluid that had built up as a consequence of his quadruple bypass just six months ago.

The only minor hiccup, if you can call it that, during the four- hour procedure, doctors realized the almost one centimeter plaque-like rind on his left lung was too thick to remove with just a tiny incision.

DR. JOSHUA SONETT, CLINTON'S THORACIC SURGEON: It became quickly apparent that more was going to be needed. So then we find the best place to enter, between another set of ribs, and we go between ribs and gently spread the ribs.

GUPTA: While any operation of the chest is serious, surgeons considered this one low risk. Doctors do agree it's curious for symptoms like Mr. Clinton's to manifest so many months after a quadruple bypass. DR. JONATHAN REINER, CARDIOLOGIST: We see typically patients develop some fluid in their chest in the days or even early weeks after bypass surgery. But now, you know, more than five months following surgery, it's really very unusual.

COLLINS: Dr. Craig Smith, Mr. Clinton's cardiac surgeon, says of the 6,000 bypass operations he's performed, only 10 have resulted in this kind of condition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So quite uncommon.

GUPTA: The fact that one of those 10 complications was in a former president has given this rare condition significant attention, top of the hour news all day long by just about every broadcast network.

But regardless of its rarity, everything went as expected, even better.

SONETT: And a full functional recovery with not only no limitations, but improved function, is expected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: He got here about 14 hours ago. The operation took four hours, from 7:00 in the morning till 11:00. And he's been resting comfortably, we're told, for the last eight hours. Senator Clinton and Chelsea Clinton were by his side, arrived with him this morning, and have been here all day long as well, Heidi.

COLLINS: Sanjay, if former President Clinton had not gotten this procedure, do you think his lung condition could have progressively gotten worse, then?

GUPTA: Yes, I mean, that was something we asked the surgeons as well. They thought it could have progressively gotten worse. You know, it's important to point out that while he was playing golf yesterday, we saw that, he had about 25 percent reduction in his lung capacity on that left side, so not insignificant. If he had nothing done, that scar may have grown even further, possibly reducing his capacity even more.

And he was having difficulty breathing when he walked. That may have gotten worse as well. But again, it looks like the operation was successful. The doctors say he should be even better than he was over the last several weeks, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much for the update.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COLLINS: 360 next, a traffic stop turns to suicide, and possibly solves the murder of a federal judge's family. Find out why police think the two may be connected.

Also tonight, trapped under the rubble. A woman pinned down after a pet store explodes. Hear for yourself the rescue as it unfolded.

And a little later, freeway dog. He makes a run for the money and shuts down traffic. Find out what happened to this pooch on the lam.

But first, your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Murder cases are usually solved by relentless investigation and dogged police work, sometimes over decades. Think of the BTK serial killer case.

But then, once in a while, the key comes coincidentally, almost entirely out of the blue. So it may be in the killing of the husband and the mother of a judge in Chicago. A broken taillight, a gunshot, a note left behind.

The rest of the story now from CNN's Keith Oppenheim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The traffic stop of the minivan Wednesday evening in a Milwaukee suburb may have turned a murder investigation that was stalling into high gear.

PHIL CLINE, CHICAGO POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: We are attempting to learn as much as we possibly can about Bart Ross' history.

OPPENHEIM: In West Allis, Wisconsin, police say, Bart Ross, a 57-year-old Chicago man with no known criminal record, was pulled over because his taillights were out. Suddenly, an unexpected suicide.

CHIEF DEAN PUSCHNIG, WEST ALLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: While approaching the driver, a single gunshot was fired from inside the vehicle. The bullet exited the driver's window very close to where the officer was standing.

CLINE: In processing the crime scene, we came upon a note written presumably by the victim where he implicated himself in the murders of Michael Lefkow and Donna Humphrey.

OPPENHEIM: Chicago police said the note in Ross's van had information about the Lefkow family murders only the killer could know.

Thursday, Chicago TV station WMAQ received typed and handwritten letters signed Bart Ross, letters the station submitted to the FBI. In them, the station reports, the author wrote, "I regret killing husband and mother of Judge Lefkow as much as I regret that I have to die for the simple reason that they personally did to me no wrong. I had no choice but to shoot him. Then I heard, Michael, Michael, so I looked to the hallway and saw an older woman. I had to shoot her too." (on camera): Court records indicate Bart Ross last year filed a lawsuit that was assigned to Judge Lefkow. The lawsuit was against numerous parties for a cancer treatment he received and was ultimately dismissed by Judge Lefkow in January of 2005.

Police sources tell CNN, in the suicide note found in the minivan, Ross wrote the judgment cost him his house, his job, and his family.

(voice-over): Until Wednesday, this case had focused on Matt Hale, a white supremacist who last year was convicted of plotting to kill Judge Lefkow. If investigators confirm that Bart Ross was indeed trying to do the same thing, to kill Judge Lefkow, then the story will end with a tragic irony, that the judge survived, but this time, with a terrible loss.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: President Bush continued his push for Social Security reform.

Here with details on that and the rest of the hour's top stories is Erica Hill from Headline News. Hi, Erica.

ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS: Hey, Heidi, good to see you.

Yes, President Bush is on a two-day, four-state Social Security blitz with Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana on the itinerary. He's trying to drum up support for his plan to privatize the system.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a safety net for retirees. There's a hole in the safety net for a younger generation coming up.

And that's why I've asked Congress to discuss the issue. I guess it's just my nature. I believe when you see a problem, you've got to deal with it and not pass it on to future presidents and future Congresses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Congressional Democrats are virtually unanimous in their opposition to the president's privatization plan.

The Environmental Protection Agency is hoping you'll breathe easier with the agency's new limits on smog and soot pollution. The new rules require most coal-fired power plants in the East, South, and Midwest to cut nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. They can drift long distances across state lines.

More than 30 years after Agent Orange was used in Vietnam, a federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit accusing U.S. chemical companies of war crime. The suit, on behalf of 4 million Vietnamese citizens, said the defoliant sprayed in the country from 1962 to 1971 caused birth defects, miscarriages, and cancer. The judge says the suit had no basis under domestic or international law.

Continental Airlines says a French magistrate is investigating the company. Investigators believe metal that came off a Continental plane may have contributed to the crash of a supersonic Concorde in 2000. One hundred thirteen people were killed. The airline says it is confident it will be cleared of responsibility.

And that's the latest from Atlanta. Heidi, back to you.

COLLINS: Yes, who could forget that video? All right, Erica, thanks so much.

360 next, trapped under tons of rubble. The race against time to save a woman pinned down after a pet store explodes.

Also tonight, Michael Jackson in his pajamas and late to court. A surreal scene before his accuser takes the stand against him.

And a little later, the differences between men and women. Ever wonder why you just can't agree what TV show you should watch? Well, it may be connected to your funny bone. Part of our special series.

Keep it here on AC360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: When you look at these images, you wonder how every person inside this building survived.

On Friday, we told you how a gas explosion at this PetCo in Eatontown, New Jersey, collapsed much of the store's roof and floor, burying two people for more than an hour.

Through those frightening moments, one survivor found a friend, a 911 dispatcher who helped save her life.

CNN's Adaora Udoji takes us beyond the headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: Hi. I'm in the Eatontown explosion at PetCo.

CELANO: Are you stuck inside the building?

ROHAN: I'm stuck inside the building.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Or what was left of a New Jersey pet superstore after a powerful blast nearly obliterated the building at 11:30 in the morning.

Pinned down inside, the caller to 911 dispatcher Anthony Celano was surprisingly calm.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CELANO: Where are you in the building?

ROHAN: I don't know. I'm underneath all this rubble.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: Tons of rubble.

(on camera): Police say the explosion hit the building about here. By noon, Jennifer Rohan, trapped in the wellness section, was on a cell phone with Anthony Celano.

(voice-over): He patched in police.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: Please save me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, ma'am...

CELANO: Jennifer...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jennifer, stay right there...

ROHAN: I'm afraid I'm going to die.

CELANO: All right, we're not going to let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UDOJI: Investigators say construction workers outside punctured a gas line, triggering the explosion, so strong the roof plunged to the basement, taking Rohan, the store's manager, down with it.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CELANO: You said you can't move your legs? Is that because of the debris on top of you?

ROHAN: No, but my legs are actually free of debris.

CELANO: OK.

ROHAN: I think it's because their losing the blood to them, the circulation.

CELANO: OK. Can you wiggle your toes?

ROHAN: I can on one foot, can't move the other.

CELANO: You can on one foot?

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: She could hear rescuers pulling out a co-worker. They could not hear her.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help!

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: Covered in debris, she was having trouble breathing and increasingly panicking.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: I got to get another phone call. Hold on, please.

CELANO: No, Jennifer, don't worry about that phone call, OK?

ROHAN: Huh?

CELANO: Don't worry about the phone ringing. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) keep me on the line, OK?

ROHAN: I would like to say goodbye to my loved ones.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: But there was no need. Slowly, she guided rescuers to her.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: They're saving someone named Nick. Please let them know I'm underneath there.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: Celano kept her calm.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: I want to fall asleep.

CELANO: You want to -- no, no, don't -- whatever you do, don't fall asleep, OK?

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: Fifty-one minutes, they talked about their dogs, their neighborhoods, the longest call Celano's ever had. It took another two hours to stabilize the building and pull Rohan out. Four others were injured, Rohan among the most critical.

CELANO: This is probably one and only call I've ever had like this.

UDOJI: A memorable call. The four-year dispatch veteran brushes aside praise, though he is looking forward to meeting his rescuee when she gets out of the hospital.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UDOJI: Now, Celano's boss told us he has never, ever seen a 51- minute emergency call. He says his dispatcher handled it incredibly smoothly. But as you've seen, Celano's quite humble. Over and over again, he told us, simply over and over again, Heidi, that all he wants is for Jennifer Rohan to have a speedy recovery.

COLLINS: Yes, that's what's great about the people that work at 911. But what about her condition now, though, Jennifer Rohan? How's she doing?

UDOJI: The hospital's been very guarded. Essentially she's been in -- listed as critical condition for the last couple of days. We did speak to someone close to the family who says that she is expected to weather this, weather this terrible incident just fine.

COLLINS: That's incredible. Well, another question, too, about all of the animals. I mean, PetCo's a huge store, a lot of animals usually inside (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

UDOJI: In this instance, we're talking about 10,000 square feet. And inside, they had over 150 animals. Ninety percent of them were taken out. Dozens died. We're talking, they were pulling out gerbils and fish and hamsters, and some of them died, but some of them, they were able to rescue, most of them, actually.

COLLINS: All right, well, that's a happier ending. All right, Adaora Udoji, thanks so much for that.

Michael Jackson causing a stir at the courthouse. The judge threatens the pop star with arrest after Jackson shows up for court more than an hour late, in his jammies.

And, what's so funny? Depends on who you ask. Tonight, part of our special series, Of Two Minds. How your sex determines your sense of humor.

360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, at first there, you saw Thomas Mesereau, high- speed attorney to Michael Jackson, who was, today, anyway, a pretty slow-moving defendant. All day long, the Jackson case has been one of the most-viewed stories on CNN.com.

And 360's Rudi Bakhtiar has an angle on the story you won't see anywhere else. Rudi, what did you find out?

RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, considering, Heidi, what's been going on all day, we wanted to find out more about the man on the bench in this case, the judge who was so very put out today by the defendant, Michael Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BAKHTIAR (voice-over): Everybody agrees, Judge Rodney Melville is no Judge Judy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "JUDGE JUDY")

JUDGE JUDY: What the hell is wrong with you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: He's mild mannered and rarely barks.

But many lawyers who argue before him also admit he's no Judge Ito either.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE LANCE ITO: You have reached a verdict in this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: Many considered him a pushover in the O.J. Simpson case.

On Michael Jackson's first day in court, Judge Melville admonished the King of Pop after he showed up 20 minutes late telling him it was "an insult to the court."

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: He's mostly a quiet judge. But you can tell he has a temper, because sometimes, when people are wasting the jury's time, he gets upset.

BAKHTIAR: The 63-year-old judge has served at the Santa Barbara Superior Court since 1990. Before that, he was a trial lawyer, specializing in family law.

Though he has an impressive resume, Judge Melville is quick to admit he has his faults.

JUDGE RODNEY MELVILLE: The first time I had a drink, I knew right away that I liked alcohol. It was hot, it was straight.

BAKHTIAR: In an interview in 2001, Melville candidly talked about his fight with alcoholism decades ago.

MELVILLE: What happened to me was, one night, and having been extremely drunk, I woke up, and it struck me that I was an alcoholic.

BAKHTIAR: Today, Melville swears he hasn't had a drink in 26 years, and says that that has helped him better understand some defendants.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BAKHTIAR: And one more thing about Judge Melville that might surprise you. According to one of his aides, Judge Melville is said to fancy dancing, if only occasionally. Last year at his office party, he is said to have sang the Village People's big hit "YMCA," and, mind you, performed, and I'm quoting here, "the chicken dance." We do not know, though, if it was performed with Michael Jackson-esque style, Heidi, but it does seem that these two men just might have more in common than we thought.

COLLINS: Yeah, did he know he was performing to the wrong music, whatever it was? Wrong group, right? All right, Rudi Bakhtiar, thanks.

BAKHTIAR: Thank you.

COLLINS: If you'd like a pretty good word picture of how the day began, behind schedule at the Michael Jackson trial, before the bench warrant was revoked and the proceedings got under way, here's Diane Dimond of Court TV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANE DIMOND, COURT TV: Michael Jackson arrived to court an hour and 40 minutes left. He was wearing a white collarless shirt, or button-down, very simple black blazer, and what appeared to be pajama bottoms, Navy blue and light blue pattern. He had on white socks and brown leather sandals. He was accompanied and supported by his bodyguards, his attorneys, including Tom Mesereau, and his parents were also in attendance.

He went through the metal detector right through this door here, and about 15 or 20 seconds later, he came right back out again.

Michael Jackson looks like he is clearly in distress. His hair was not combed. He was not wearing his impeccable costumes today. His demeanor seemed to have him listing to the left a bit, as if he's having a lower back problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: We want to go beyond the headlines now to the events inside the courtroom. And we should say, once again, that some of this is necessarily pretty graphic, so you may want to shoo the kids away for just a bit. And we are joined now by CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. Don't want to shoo the kids away because you are here, but because of what we are talking about.

And in fact, as we mentioned, Jackson comes in, over an hour and a half late, he's wearing his pajamas. I mean, what kind of impact is this going to have on the jury?

TOOBIN: Well, I actually think the jury probably was not aware of most of that. They were -- are kept away from the media to the extent possible. And the way the courtroom is set up, they can only see the top part of Jackson. They can't see what he's wearing, certainly on his legs. So, I don't think they will pay that much attention to it.

The real issue here is with the judge. This judge is not happy with Michael Jackson's performance. He was late for his arraignment. Jury selection was delayed a week because of his supposed flu-like symptoms. Now this. He's used up two strikes. If he's late again, he won't give Jackson an hour the way he did. He'll just throw him right in jail for the rest of the trial.

COLLINS: Yes, and in fact, you mention that, and I mean, what happened today must be every defense attorney's worst nightmare. If you can imagine that (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

TOOBIN: Tom Mesereau, you could see, was giving serious thought to why he didn't go to medical school today. I mean, it was really not -- not a good day for him. Fortunately for him, the cross- examination of the accuser, whose testimony was today, won't start until Monday. There's no court tomorrow for the jury. It will give him and presumably Jackson a chance to recollect their wits and start over.

COLLINS: Well, let's talk about that some of that testimony. As we have mentioned, some pretty graphic testimony today. In fact, at one point, the accuser said that Jackson masturbated and brought him to ejaculation twice. At another point, he claimed that Jackson told him that a man who doesn't masturbate could end up raping a girl or becoming disabled. How damaging is this?

TOOBIN: Well, it's very damaging, particularly because it appears that the accuser is a much better, more articulate, more believable witness than his brother and his sister, who were actually pretty bad witnesses earlier in the week. And you know, he's not a kid. He is 15 years old now, and the jury is going to say, how can a 15-year-old make up such detail? Especially so embarrassing to him? This case is going to have -- so much is going to come down to the cross-examination...

COLLINS: It is possible they'll say, though, that the accuser was briefed on all this?

TOOBIN: That's clearly what they'll say, that he was put up to it by his mother, who is seen by the defense as the orchestrator of this big fraud. But so much is going to come down to whether Mesereau can break down this story without offending the jury by taking on a very sympathetic kid. It's a very difficult line for Mesereau to walk.

COLLINS: But the alleged victim was asked how many times he was inappropriately touched, and I want to show at home this is what he said. "In my memory, it was only twice. But I feel it was more than twice. But I only remember it twice." Could his uncertainty come back to haunt him?

TOOBIN: Certainly.

COLLINS: During cross-examination? TOOBIN: Yeah, especially since that's one of the critical issues in the case, how many times. His brother, there was a little confusion with his brother, who says he witnessed it twice, but maybe he said three times at one point. These kind of specifics are what Mesereau, politely but insistently, is going to explore and ask the jury to ask themselves, well, how can you not be sure about something so significant? And if it happened once, why did you go back a second time? And why didn't you tell anyone? Those are the kind of questions that Mesereau is going to hope that the jury is asking when it's all done.

COLLINS: And I think a lot of people are asking now, especially after seeing some of this today, how long do you think this all is going to last?

TOOBIN: Well, the trial has gone a lot faster than anyone expected. People were saying six months. I think a month or two is much more likely, given the pace at which it's gone so far.

COLLINS: Interesting. All right, Jeffrey Toobin, thanks so much for your analysis on that. Appreciate it.

360 next now, hot pursuit. A police chase and a deadly standoff, all caught on tape.

Plus, the humor gap between the sexes. Why men may laugh at a movie and women may not. Part of our special series, "Of Two Minds."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: If right now you hear sirens and the screeching tires of a car being chased, chances are you're living in California. The Golden State is by far the nation's leader in police chases. But this week, lawmakers there have called for policy changes aimed at putting the breaks on such pursuits.

But as their debate goes on, another chase happened over night in Los Angeles and ended in gun fire. It was all caught on tape. Here's CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): South Los Angeles before dawn. Police pursue two men in a blue SUV, suspected drunk drivers. But, it's not your average chase.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The suspect began shooting at the officers and they made a U-turn throwing objects out of the windows.

GUTIERREZ: This chase involves an army of police. First on the scene, camera man Jesse Escochea, the video-stringer who captures the drama on tape.

JESSE ESCOCHEA, PRODUCER/CAMERAMAN: When I first arrived, I was actually behind a couple of officers who had just pulled up. Their doors are open, they're jumping out, I'm jumping out. And they just hit the ground, they started ducking. I'm rolling. Gunfire's going on in the background.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need to get down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got down. Don't worry about me, I'm covered.

GUTIERREZ: It's a ferocious gun battle right in the middle of an intersection. The men in this SUV firing a .22 caliber rifle at police. And police firing back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, get back, get back.

GUTIERREZ: Witnesses say the gun fight lasted some 20 minutes. And it sounded like hundreds of rounds were fired.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I made it to the corner, and I was laying down behind a car. And you could hear the shots ricocheting off the stores.

GUTIERREZ: The passenger in this SUV is killed. The driver barricades himself in the vehicle and the SWAT team is called in.

ESCOCHEA: He was yelling that he couldn't move. He was wounded, and, he couldn't move his left hand.

GUTIERREZ: After three tense hours, police close in on the critically injured driver. He is taken to the hospital. Cameraman Jesse Escochea heard the call on a police scanner. He says, within minutes, he was in the middle of the gun battle.

ESCOCHEA: When I'm looking through the view finder, it's like I'm watching television. I'm not there.

GUTIERREZ: Escochea says, it's all in a days work. No police and no bystanders were injured. Hours later, investigators are still counting the casings and gathering evidence, trying to figure out what the driver's motive may have been.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(EN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A routine traffic stop turns into a suicide with an alleged confession of 2 murders. With that top story and more, we go back to Erica Hill of Headline News.

Hi, once again, Erica.

HILL: Hi there Heidi.

Yeah. Police say there are connections between a suicide in Milwaukee and the killings of a federal judge's husband and mother. When a police officer pulled over Bart Ross's van last night in Wisconsin, Ross shot himself. Sources say he left behind a note confessing to the killing. Judge Joan Lefkow ruled against Ross in a civil case. Is your cell phone bill a little longer than your phone book? The FCC wants cell phone companies to file truth in billing guidelines that traditional carriers adhere to. What would that mean for you? Well, they'd have to make the charges on your bill brief, clear and in plain language. Officials say they should be folded into the base rate so consumers have a more accurate cost comparison.

The home state of that rainy city of Seattle is declaring a drought emergency. Something you'd never thought you'd hear. Snowfall has been unusually low in the Cascades, leaving rivers at record low levels. And Washington State's governor told the National Guard to get ready to fight wildfires.

Tennis great Martina Navratilova is suing to stop a credit card company from using her name and likeness to market directly to gays and lesbians. Navratilova allowed Due Tell to use her likeness for years, but asked them to stop after she found their marketing campaign offensive. She now wants at least $75,000 in damages.

Norway's prime minister says Ikea is sexist. He is accusing the Swedish furniture chain of only showing men assembling furniture in its instruction manuals. The prime minister says Ikea left out women, because it was afraid of offending Muslims. Ikea promises it will show more women to get a better balance. So, we'll have to look out for that one, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yeah. Apparently the founder of Ikea, about the sixth wealthiest guy in the world.

HILL: He's doing all right for himself.

COLLINS: Yeah. I like it.

All right, Erica, thanks so much.

360 next. The humor gap between women. Why our laughter may not be in sync when watching TV. Part of our special series.

And later, a dog chase, a pooch on the run on a busy highway. See how it ended.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SEINFELD, COMEDIAN: Dry clean only is the only warning label that human beings actually respect. You know, they look at cigarettes this will give you cancer, kill you, your kids, everything, ah, screw it! I'll do whatever the hell I want. Don't drink this medicine and operate heavy machinery. Oh, glug, glug, glug, who cares? That's for people that don't know what the hell their doing. I'm a pro.

But if you have something that's dry clean only, and someone goes to put it in the washing machine: Don't put it in the washing machine? Are you crazy? Are out of your mind? (END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: True, isn't it? A joke there from Jerry Seinfeld. And chances are, you're laughing at that one whether you are a man or woman. But when it comes to some TV shows and movies, experts are finding a clear gender difference in what's funny.

Tonight, our Gary Tuchman looks at the humor gap between the sexes as we continue our special series "Of Two Minds."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sorority row at Northwestern University.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't we give him to Tamango (ph).

TUCHMAN: Where we gathered students inside a sorority house to have a few laughs. As we try to determine why men and women often can't agree on what's funny. Psychologist Ed Dunkleblau is an export on humor.

ED DUNKLEBLAU, FMR. PRES. ASSN. OF THERAPEUTIC HUMOR: I have a theory that says genetically, what allows people to like the "Three Stooges" is the same thing that requires them to hold the remote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, we've got to get going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does your watch say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It don't say nothing you've got to look at it.

TUCHMAN: We paired up sorority sisters with fraternity brothers and watched their faces as they watched male skewing comedies, like the "Stooges."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready.

TUCHMAN: And female-skewing comedies.

KIM CATTRALL, ACTRESS: Is a three-way with a 21-year-old a bad idea for Richard's birthday?

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS: What are you going to get him next year, a four way?

TUCHMAN: Like "Sex in the City."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Men get better looking as they get older, and women get three ways apparently or A Mark Jacobs ultra mod little notebook, huh. TUCHMAN: And what we saw is that on some occasions, both genders had similar reactions, like during this viewing of the comedy classic "Animal House." But more often than not, our couples looked like they were watching different programs. Jackie Haller (ph) loves Lucy. This is a classic episode, but, Justin Welkie (ph) can't relate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how are we today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Better?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Better get a bucket. I'm going to throw up.

TUCHMAN: And what about this scene from Monty Python's "Meaning of Life," you might want to turn your head if you're not into extreme male oriented comedy.

Jenna Rubin (ph) reacts, but it's mostly out of genuine amazement of the level of grossness. Nick is loving it. Culture, of course, is a major determinate in what males and females laugh at. But some in the medical field believe the way our brains are wired might have something to do with it, too.

DR. RUBEN GUR, DIRECTOR, BRAIN BEHAVIOR LAB, UNIV. OF PA: It appears, men and women have very different -- not just cognitive styles, but, perhaps, more importantly, emotional styles. And, humor is very closely linked to emotion.

TUCHMAN: And then there is this tidbit about the humor gap.

(on camera): Research shows that women are far more likely than men to want a partner who makes them laugh. Men on the other hand, are more likely than women to want a partner who laughs at their jokes. Isn't that true.

(voice-over): When a night of comedy comes to an end, the conversation is back to, what else, Moe, Larry, and Curly.

(on camera): What did you think of the Three Stooges? I didn't see you laughing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just think it's stupid. They just hit each other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love the "Three Stooges." I mean, I don't know a guy who doesn't.

TUCHMAN: I mean, there's nothing like slugging a guy to make you laugh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never met a guy that doesn't think the "Three Stooges" are funny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, we were tied up.

TUCHMAN: Are these hits or misses? It likely depends if you are a mister or misses.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Evanston, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Tomorrow night, when we wrap up our special series "Of Two Minds," gender, hormones, and menopause. And when we say mood swings, we're talking about women and men, thank you very much. Surviving your spouses mid-life crisis. Tomorrow on 360.

Now, let's find out what's coming up in a few minutes on "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

Hi, Paula.

PAULA ZAHN, "PAULA ZAHN NOW": Hi, Heidi. Thanks.

We have an amazing story of survival. A woman riding along a bike trial in California was attacked and dragged away by a mountain lion. She was, ultimately, rescued and is now actually riding that same trail where she almost lost her life. Her story is amazing, and it's a miracle that she is alive today.

Plus, we'll bring you up to date on the Michael Jackson day in court. We'll being catching up with his spokeswoman, and try to get her to explain why he showed up in court in his PJs bottoms this morning. All of that at the top of the hour -- Heidi.

COLLINS: In his night, nights. All right, Paula, thanks so much.

360 next, a runaway dog in harms way on a freeway. We'll show you how this dog chase ended.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Much has been said about the obsession of Los Angeles television stations and their viewers covering freeway crashes -- well, or chases, that is, pardon me. Far be it for New Yorkers to be outdone, in fact, they may have topped it. The target of today's chase on a Big Apple highway was a dog. The canine's brush with the law involved some heart-stopping near misses with rush hour traffic. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: You could call it a traffic snarling incident. A very confused poodle running loose in New York's rush hour traffic. A nightmare scenario on the Major Deegan Expressway through the Bronx. Nightmare for the poodle and commuters -- as the dog repeatedly dodged death across three lanes in and out of traffic. It wasn't exactly a high-speed car chase, nonetheless, local news choppers hovered overhead, catching every moment of the drama.

Local news anchors couldn't turn away. The dog did try to jump over a barrier and get out of the danger zone, but the barrier was a little too big. So, instead, he turned back into traffic, again, causing motorists to slam on their breaks, one person opened his car door, but the dog went the other way.

Who would save the poodle? The police arrive, but the sirens scare the dog. Then, New York's finest run a classic rolling road block. The dog is cornered, and then nearly gets away again. In the end, it was the lady cops who finally managed to corral him and whisk him away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: We're told that animal control now has him, and as of right now, no one has yet to come forward to claim him. Wow, even if it was a stray, maybe someone now will want to bring that dog home, lucky and brave as he was.

And before we go, a quick shout out to my 4-year-old who's having a birthday today. Happy birthday, my sweet Riley (ph).

That's 360 tonight. I'm Heidi Collins in for Anderson Cooper. Prime-time coverage continues now with Paula Zahn.

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 March 10, 2005 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, HOST: Hi, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins. Anderson is off tonight.
Here now are the latest headlines at this hour.

Doctors say former President Bill Clinton is resting comfortably after surgery today. They successfully removed fluid and scar tissue that built up after Clinton's heart bypass operation six months ago. Clinton is expected to fully recover in three to 10 days.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Mexico's leaders today to strengthen U.S. ties with its southern neighbor. Her one-day trip comes as Mexican politicians have expressed frustration with U.S. policies.

And Pakistan says its top nuclear scientist, this man, A.Q. Kahn, gave Iran centrifuges that could be used to make a nuclear weapon. Kahn is under house arrest and had earlier admitted to giving Libya enriched uranium and gas centrifuge parts.

More headlines in 15 minutes.

360 starts now.

Michael Jackson causing a stir at the courthouse. The judge threatens the pop star with arrest after Jackson shows up for court more than an hour late, in his jammies.

Former President Clinton goes under the knife to fix the aftereffects of his quadruple bypass.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is awake, he is resting comfortably.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Tonight, 360 M.D. Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the health of the former president's heart.

A pet store explodes, collapsing the roof and trapping employees inside. Tonight, a dramatic story of survival and support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY CELANO,MONMOUTH COUNTY 911 DISPATCHER: Jennifer...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jennifer, stay right there.

JENNIFER ROHAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not going to let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And, what's so funny? Depends on who you ask. Tonight, part of our special series, Of Two Minds. How your sex determines your sense of humor.

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

COLLINS: Good evening once again.

We begin tonight with a bizarre midday countdown in California. As if there weren't enough drama already in the Michael Jackson case, and tension enough, and oddity enough, today, there came more of all of the above, in the form of an ultimatum, a ticking clock, and the threatened arrest of the king of pop himself for failing to show up in court on time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): It should have been just another day in court for Michael Jackson. But, instead of showing up to the appointed 8:30 start time, the star called in sick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He tripped this morning and he fell in the early morning hours while he was getting dressed. His back is in terrible pain.

COLLINS: When Jackson's attorney, Thomas Mesereau, told Judge Rodney S. Melville the news, the judge was not amused and gave the gloved one an hour to get to the courthouse, saying, "I'm issuing a warrant for his arrest. I'm forfeiting his bail."

As Mesereau paced impatiently in and out of the courthouse, cell phone stuck to his ear, a countdown clock ticked away the time on MSNBC. A CNN banner counted the minutes Jackson might have left if the judge carried through with his thread.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: We can't underestimate how weird this all is. I mean, this is incredibly weird, what is going on.

COLLINS: Then, a five-minute reprieve from the judge, when word came that the defendant was on his way. No helicopters tracked Jackson's trek from the hospital toward the courthouse, but the deadline came and went, and the pop star was still a no-show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The time is past, the deadline has come and gone. COLLINS: Well, for a few minutes, anyway. Then, Jackson's police escort encourage arrived, and he stepped out, a little disheveled, listing to the left, and wearing his jammies.

But once he made his way slowly into court, there was no arrest. The frenzy fizzled, and the case against the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" just carried on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: So, the defendant did show up, hobbling, in pajamas, and the bench warrant for his arrest was revoked.

So much for developments outside the courtroom. As for what happened today inside the courtroom, we want to warn you, some of the testimony was actually very graphic. You may not want your children in the room for this.

Here now, CNN's Miguel Marquez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jackson may have arrived in court in pain, but there was no relief as the judge had him sit through a day of testimony from his 15-year-old accuser.

PROF. LAURIE LEVENSON, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: It was very personal in there. It was personal on the boy's side, talking about how much he felt hurt by Michael Jackson. And you could see on the other side, Michael Jackson's feeling pretty hurt by the accusations against him.

MARQUEZ: The boy testified that Jackson masturbated him and brought him to ejaculation twice. He said the incidents lasted about five minutes each, and both happened in the pop star's bedroom at Neverland Ranch. The boy said on the second incident, Jackson wanted the boy to reciprocate. The boy said he didn't want to do it, and, quote, "felt weird and embarrassed."

MICHAEL JACKSON: Sorry, I can't speak (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARQUEZ: The teenager also testified that Jackson gave him alcohol several times, which the pop star told him was Jesus juice. The boy told jurors that Jackson ordered the accuser and his family not to watch the Martin Bashir video "Living with Michael Jackson" that aired on ABC in February 2003.

The prosecutor charges that Jackson, among other things, conspired to keep the family from seeing the documentary. Before the court day ended, Jackson's attorney had 20 minutes of cross- examination.

LEVENSON: It was a little bit of a staredown going on between the boy and Michael Jackson during the testimony, whereas at times before that, the boy would talk to the jury. If you noticed, when he was talking about that molestation, and especially on cross- examination, he was looking at Michael Jackson. (END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Just an incredible showdown between this 15-year-old boy and this world-renowned pop star in this courtroom. The key now for the prosecution will be whether they can corroborate all those points that this boy made, with his brother and sister, who testified earlier. They've gone a long way today, but now the cross-examine's begun, and it will get heavier and more difficult for this 15-year-old on Monday.

Back to you for now.

COLLINS: Ah, what a day. All right, Miguel Marquez, thanks for that.

Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton is spending the next few days at a New York hospital recovering from surgery. Today, doctors opened Clinton's chest to clean up minor complications from a quadruple heart bypass operation he had six month ago.

Here now, 360 M.D., Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After four hours of surgery, doctors say the former president will be back on his feet in just a day. It's no surprise to anyone that the procedure went seamlessly, especially to Mr. Clinton.

In the days preceding, he let his characteristic optimism drive both his golf game and his attitude about the operation.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not useful to sit around and worry about things you have no control over. I want to be able to breathe again fully.

GUPTA: To help him breathe fully, doctors honed in on scar tissue surrounding his left lower lung, stripping it away like an orange peel and draining the fluid that had built up as a consequence of his quadruple bypass just six months ago.

The only minor hiccup, if you can call it that, during the four- hour procedure, doctors realized the almost one centimeter plaque-like rind on his left lung was too thick to remove with just a tiny incision.

DR. JOSHUA SONETT, CLINTON'S THORACIC SURGEON: It became quickly apparent that more was going to be needed. So then we find the best place to enter, between another set of ribs, and we go between ribs and gently spread the ribs.

GUPTA: While any operation of the chest is serious, surgeons considered this one low risk. Doctors do agree it's curious for symptoms like Mr. Clinton's to manifest so many months after a quadruple bypass. DR. JONATHAN REINER, CARDIOLOGIST: We see typically patients develop some fluid in their chest in the days or even early weeks after bypass surgery. But now, you know, more than five months following surgery, it's really very unusual.

COLLINS: Dr. Craig Smith, Mr. Clinton's cardiac surgeon, says of the 6,000 bypass operations he's performed, only 10 have resulted in this kind of condition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So quite uncommon.

GUPTA: The fact that one of those 10 complications was in a former president has given this rare condition significant attention, top of the hour news all day long by just about every broadcast network.

But regardless of its rarity, everything went as expected, even better.

SONETT: And a full functional recovery with not only no limitations, but improved function, is expected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: He got here about 14 hours ago. The operation took four hours, from 7:00 in the morning till 11:00. And he's been resting comfortably, we're told, for the last eight hours. Senator Clinton and Chelsea Clinton were by his side, arrived with him this morning, and have been here all day long as well, Heidi.

COLLINS: Sanjay, if former President Clinton had not gotten this procedure, do you think his lung condition could have progressively gotten worse, then?

GUPTA: Yes, I mean, that was something we asked the surgeons as well. They thought it could have progressively gotten worse. You know, it's important to point out that while he was playing golf yesterday, we saw that, he had about 25 percent reduction in his lung capacity on that left side, so not insignificant. If he had nothing done, that scar may have grown even further, possibly reducing his capacity even more.

And he was having difficulty breathing when he walked. That may have gotten worse as well. But again, it looks like the operation was successful. The doctors say he should be even better than he was over the last several weeks, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much for the update.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COLLINS: 360 next, a traffic stop turns to suicide, and possibly solves the murder of a federal judge's family. Find out why police think the two may be connected.

Also tonight, trapped under the rubble. A woman pinned down after a pet store explodes. Hear for yourself the rescue as it unfolded.

And a little later, freeway dog. He makes a run for the money and shuts down traffic. Find out what happened to this pooch on the lam.

But first, your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Murder cases are usually solved by relentless investigation and dogged police work, sometimes over decades. Think of the BTK serial killer case.

But then, once in a while, the key comes coincidentally, almost entirely out of the blue. So it may be in the killing of the husband and the mother of a judge in Chicago. A broken taillight, a gunshot, a note left behind.

The rest of the story now from CNN's Keith Oppenheim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The traffic stop of the minivan Wednesday evening in a Milwaukee suburb may have turned a murder investigation that was stalling into high gear.

PHIL CLINE, CHICAGO POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: We are attempting to learn as much as we possibly can about Bart Ross' history.

OPPENHEIM: In West Allis, Wisconsin, police say, Bart Ross, a 57-year-old Chicago man with no known criminal record, was pulled over because his taillights were out. Suddenly, an unexpected suicide.

CHIEF DEAN PUSCHNIG, WEST ALLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: While approaching the driver, a single gunshot was fired from inside the vehicle. The bullet exited the driver's window very close to where the officer was standing.

CLINE: In processing the crime scene, we came upon a note written presumably by the victim where he implicated himself in the murders of Michael Lefkow and Donna Humphrey.

OPPENHEIM: Chicago police said the note in Ross's van had information about the Lefkow family murders only the killer could know.

Thursday, Chicago TV station WMAQ received typed and handwritten letters signed Bart Ross, letters the station submitted to the FBI. In them, the station reports, the author wrote, "I regret killing husband and mother of Judge Lefkow as much as I regret that I have to die for the simple reason that they personally did to me no wrong. I had no choice but to shoot him. Then I heard, Michael, Michael, so I looked to the hallway and saw an older woman. I had to shoot her too." (on camera): Court records indicate Bart Ross last year filed a lawsuit that was assigned to Judge Lefkow. The lawsuit was against numerous parties for a cancer treatment he received and was ultimately dismissed by Judge Lefkow in January of 2005.

Police sources tell CNN, in the suicide note found in the minivan, Ross wrote the judgment cost him his house, his job, and his family.

(voice-over): Until Wednesday, this case had focused on Matt Hale, a white supremacist who last year was convicted of plotting to kill Judge Lefkow. If investigators confirm that Bart Ross was indeed trying to do the same thing, to kill Judge Lefkow, then the story will end with a tragic irony, that the judge survived, but this time, with a terrible loss.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: President Bush continued his push for Social Security reform.

Here with details on that and the rest of the hour's top stories is Erica Hill from Headline News. Hi, Erica.

ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS: Hey, Heidi, good to see you.

Yes, President Bush is on a two-day, four-state Social Security blitz with Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana on the itinerary. He's trying to drum up support for his plan to privatize the system.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a safety net for retirees. There's a hole in the safety net for a younger generation coming up.

And that's why I've asked Congress to discuss the issue. I guess it's just my nature. I believe when you see a problem, you've got to deal with it and not pass it on to future presidents and future Congresses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Congressional Democrats are virtually unanimous in their opposition to the president's privatization plan.

The Environmental Protection Agency is hoping you'll breathe easier with the agency's new limits on smog and soot pollution. The new rules require most coal-fired power plants in the East, South, and Midwest to cut nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. They can drift long distances across state lines.

More than 30 years after Agent Orange was used in Vietnam, a federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit accusing U.S. chemical companies of war crime. The suit, on behalf of 4 million Vietnamese citizens, said the defoliant sprayed in the country from 1962 to 1971 caused birth defects, miscarriages, and cancer. The judge says the suit had no basis under domestic or international law.

Continental Airlines says a French magistrate is investigating the company. Investigators believe metal that came off a Continental plane may have contributed to the crash of a supersonic Concorde in 2000. One hundred thirteen people were killed. The airline says it is confident it will be cleared of responsibility.

And that's the latest from Atlanta. Heidi, back to you.

COLLINS: Yes, who could forget that video? All right, Erica, thanks so much.

360 next, trapped under tons of rubble. The race against time to save a woman pinned down after a pet store explodes.

Also tonight, Michael Jackson in his pajamas and late to court. A surreal scene before his accuser takes the stand against him.

And a little later, the differences between men and women. Ever wonder why you just can't agree what TV show you should watch? Well, it may be connected to your funny bone. Part of our special series.

Keep it here on AC360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: When you look at these images, you wonder how every person inside this building survived.

On Friday, we told you how a gas explosion at this PetCo in Eatontown, New Jersey, collapsed much of the store's roof and floor, burying two people for more than an hour.

Through those frightening moments, one survivor found a friend, a 911 dispatcher who helped save her life.

CNN's Adaora Udoji takes us beyond the headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: Hi. I'm in the Eatontown explosion at PetCo.

CELANO: Are you stuck inside the building?

ROHAN: I'm stuck inside the building.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Or what was left of a New Jersey pet superstore after a powerful blast nearly obliterated the building at 11:30 in the morning.

Pinned down inside, the caller to 911 dispatcher Anthony Celano was surprisingly calm.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CELANO: Where are you in the building?

ROHAN: I don't know. I'm underneath all this rubble.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: Tons of rubble.

(on camera): Police say the explosion hit the building about here. By noon, Jennifer Rohan, trapped in the wellness section, was on a cell phone with Anthony Celano.

(voice-over): He patched in police.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: Please save me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, ma'am...

CELANO: Jennifer...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jennifer, stay right there...

ROHAN: I'm afraid I'm going to die.

CELANO: All right, we're not going to let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UDOJI: Investigators say construction workers outside punctured a gas line, triggering the explosion, so strong the roof plunged to the basement, taking Rohan, the store's manager, down with it.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CELANO: You said you can't move your legs? Is that because of the debris on top of you?

ROHAN: No, but my legs are actually free of debris.

CELANO: OK.

ROHAN: I think it's because their losing the blood to them, the circulation.

CELANO: OK. Can you wiggle your toes?

ROHAN: I can on one foot, can't move the other.

CELANO: You can on one foot?

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: She could hear rescuers pulling out a co-worker. They could not hear her.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help!

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: Covered in debris, she was having trouble breathing and increasingly panicking.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: I got to get another phone call. Hold on, please.

CELANO: No, Jennifer, don't worry about that phone call, OK?

ROHAN: Huh?

CELANO: Don't worry about the phone ringing. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) keep me on the line, OK?

ROHAN: I would like to say goodbye to my loved ones.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: But there was no need. Slowly, she guided rescuers to her.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: They're saving someone named Nick. Please let them know I'm underneath there.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: Celano kept her calm.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROHAN: I want to fall asleep.

CELANO: You want to -- no, no, don't -- whatever you do, don't fall asleep, OK?

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UDOJI: Fifty-one minutes, they talked about their dogs, their neighborhoods, the longest call Celano's ever had. It took another two hours to stabilize the building and pull Rohan out. Four others were injured, Rohan among the most critical.

CELANO: This is probably one and only call I've ever had like this.

UDOJI: A memorable call. The four-year dispatch veteran brushes aside praise, though he is looking forward to meeting his rescuee when she gets out of the hospital.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UDOJI: Now, Celano's boss told us he has never, ever seen a 51- minute emergency call. He says his dispatcher handled it incredibly smoothly. But as you've seen, Celano's quite humble. Over and over again, he told us, simply over and over again, Heidi, that all he wants is for Jennifer Rohan to have a speedy recovery.

COLLINS: Yes, that's what's great about the people that work at 911. But what about her condition now, though, Jennifer Rohan? How's she doing?

UDOJI: The hospital's been very guarded. Essentially she's been in -- listed as critical condition for the last couple of days. We did speak to someone close to the family who says that she is expected to weather this, weather this terrible incident just fine.

COLLINS: That's incredible. Well, another question, too, about all of the animals. I mean, PetCo's a huge store, a lot of animals usually inside (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

UDOJI: In this instance, we're talking about 10,000 square feet. And inside, they had over 150 animals. Ninety percent of them were taken out. Dozens died. We're talking, they were pulling out gerbils and fish and hamsters, and some of them died, but some of them, they were able to rescue, most of them, actually.

COLLINS: All right, well, that's a happier ending. All right, Adaora Udoji, thanks so much for that.

Michael Jackson causing a stir at the courthouse. The judge threatens the pop star with arrest after Jackson shows up for court more than an hour late, in his jammies.

And, what's so funny? Depends on who you ask. Tonight, part of our special series, Of Two Minds. How your sex determines your sense of humor.

360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, at first there, you saw Thomas Mesereau, high- speed attorney to Michael Jackson, who was, today, anyway, a pretty slow-moving defendant. All day long, the Jackson case has been one of the most-viewed stories on CNN.com.

And 360's Rudi Bakhtiar has an angle on the story you won't see anywhere else. Rudi, what did you find out?

RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, considering, Heidi, what's been going on all day, we wanted to find out more about the man on the bench in this case, the judge who was so very put out today by the defendant, Michael Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BAKHTIAR (voice-over): Everybody agrees, Judge Rodney Melville is no Judge Judy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "JUDGE JUDY")

JUDGE JUDY: What the hell is wrong with you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: He's mild mannered and rarely barks.

But many lawyers who argue before him also admit he's no Judge Ito either.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE LANCE ITO: You have reached a verdict in this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: Many considered him a pushover in the O.J. Simpson case.

On Michael Jackson's first day in court, Judge Melville admonished the King of Pop after he showed up 20 minutes late telling him it was "an insult to the court."

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: He's mostly a quiet judge. But you can tell he has a temper, because sometimes, when people are wasting the jury's time, he gets upset.

BAKHTIAR: The 63-year-old judge has served at the Santa Barbara Superior Court since 1990. Before that, he was a trial lawyer, specializing in family law.

Though he has an impressive resume, Judge Melville is quick to admit he has his faults.

JUDGE RODNEY MELVILLE: The first time I had a drink, I knew right away that I liked alcohol. It was hot, it was straight.

BAKHTIAR: In an interview in 2001, Melville candidly talked about his fight with alcoholism decades ago.

MELVILLE: What happened to me was, one night, and having been extremely drunk, I woke up, and it struck me that I was an alcoholic.

BAKHTIAR: Today, Melville swears he hasn't had a drink in 26 years, and says that that has helped him better understand some defendants.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BAKHTIAR: And one more thing about Judge Melville that might surprise you. According to one of his aides, Judge Melville is said to fancy dancing, if only occasionally. Last year at his office party, he is said to have sang the Village People's big hit "YMCA," and, mind you, performed, and I'm quoting here, "the chicken dance." We do not know, though, if it was performed with Michael Jackson-esque style, Heidi, but it does seem that these two men just might have more in common than we thought.

COLLINS: Yeah, did he know he was performing to the wrong music, whatever it was? Wrong group, right? All right, Rudi Bakhtiar, thanks.

BAKHTIAR: Thank you.

COLLINS: If you'd like a pretty good word picture of how the day began, behind schedule at the Michael Jackson trial, before the bench warrant was revoked and the proceedings got under way, here's Diane Dimond of Court TV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANE DIMOND, COURT TV: Michael Jackson arrived to court an hour and 40 minutes left. He was wearing a white collarless shirt, or button-down, very simple black blazer, and what appeared to be pajama bottoms, Navy blue and light blue pattern. He had on white socks and brown leather sandals. He was accompanied and supported by his bodyguards, his attorneys, including Tom Mesereau, and his parents were also in attendance.

He went through the metal detector right through this door here, and about 15 or 20 seconds later, he came right back out again.

Michael Jackson looks like he is clearly in distress. His hair was not combed. He was not wearing his impeccable costumes today. His demeanor seemed to have him listing to the left a bit, as if he's having a lower back problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: We want to go beyond the headlines now to the events inside the courtroom. And we should say, once again, that some of this is necessarily pretty graphic, so you may want to shoo the kids away for just a bit. And we are joined now by CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. Don't want to shoo the kids away because you are here, but because of what we are talking about.

And in fact, as we mentioned, Jackson comes in, over an hour and a half late, he's wearing his pajamas. I mean, what kind of impact is this going to have on the jury?

TOOBIN: Well, I actually think the jury probably was not aware of most of that. They were -- are kept away from the media to the extent possible. And the way the courtroom is set up, they can only see the top part of Jackson. They can't see what he's wearing, certainly on his legs. So, I don't think they will pay that much attention to it.

The real issue here is with the judge. This judge is not happy with Michael Jackson's performance. He was late for his arraignment. Jury selection was delayed a week because of his supposed flu-like symptoms. Now this. He's used up two strikes. If he's late again, he won't give Jackson an hour the way he did. He'll just throw him right in jail for the rest of the trial.

COLLINS: Yes, and in fact, you mention that, and I mean, what happened today must be every defense attorney's worst nightmare. If you can imagine that (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

TOOBIN: Tom Mesereau, you could see, was giving serious thought to why he didn't go to medical school today. I mean, it was really not -- not a good day for him. Fortunately for him, the cross- examination of the accuser, whose testimony was today, won't start until Monday. There's no court tomorrow for the jury. It will give him and presumably Jackson a chance to recollect their wits and start over.

COLLINS: Well, let's talk about that some of that testimony. As we have mentioned, some pretty graphic testimony today. In fact, at one point, the accuser said that Jackson masturbated and brought him to ejaculation twice. At another point, he claimed that Jackson told him that a man who doesn't masturbate could end up raping a girl or becoming disabled. How damaging is this?

TOOBIN: Well, it's very damaging, particularly because it appears that the accuser is a much better, more articulate, more believable witness than his brother and his sister, who were actually pretty bad witnesses earlier in the week. And you know, he's not a kid. He is 15 years old now, and the jury is going to say, how can a 15-year-old make up such detail? Especially so embarrassing to him? This case is going to have -- so much is going to come down to the cross-examination...

COLLINS: It is possible they'll say, though, that the accuser was briefed on all this?

TOOBIN: That's clearly what they'll say, that he was put up to it by his mother, who is seen by the defense as the orchestrator of this big fraud. But so much is going to come down to whether Mesereau can break down this story without offending the jury by taking on a very sympathetic kid. It's a very difficult line for Mesereau to walk.

COLLINS: But the alleged victim was asked how many times he was inappropriately touched, and I want to show at home this is what he said. "In my memory, it was only twice. But I feel it was more than twice. But I only remember it twice." Could his uncertainty come back to haunt him?

TOOBIN: Certainly.

COLLINS: During cross-examination? TOOBIN: Yeah, especially since that's one of the critical issues in the case, how many times. His brother, there was a little confusion with his brother, who says he witnessed it twice, but maybe he said three times at one point. These kind of specifics are what Mesereau, politely but insistently, is going to explore and ask the jury to ask themselves, well, how can you not be sure about something so significant? And if it happened once, why did you go back a second time? And why didn't you tell anyone? Those are the kind of questions that Mesereau is going to hope that the jury is asking when it's all done.

COLLINS: And I think a lot of people are asking now, especially after seeing some of this today, how long do you think this all is going to last?

TOOBIN: Well, the trial has gone a lot faster than anyone expected. People were saying six months. I think a month or two is much more likely, given the pace at which it's gone so far.

COLLINS: Interesting. All right, Jeffrey Toobin, thanks so much for your analysis on that. Appreciate it.

360 next now, hot pursuit. A police chase and a deadly standoff, all caught on tape.

Plus, the humor gap between the sexes. Why men may laugh at a movie and women may not. Part of our special series, "Of Two Minds."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: If right now you hear sirens and the screeching tires of a car being chased, chances are you're living in California. The Golden State is by far the nation's leader in police chases. But this week, lawmakers there have called for policy changes aimed at putting the breaks on such pursuits.

But as their debate goes on, another chase happened over night in Los Angeles and ended in gun fire. It was all caught on tape. Here's CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): South Los Angeles before dawn. Police pursue two men in a blue SUV, suspected drunk drivers. But, it's not your average chase.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The suspect began shooting at the officers and they made a U-turn throwing objects out of the windows.

GUTIERREZ: This chase involves an army of police. First on the scene, camera man Jesse Escochea, the video-stringer who captures the drama on tape.

JESSE ESCOCHEA, PRODUCER/CAMERAMAN: When I first arrived, I was actually behind a couple of officers who had just pulled up. Their doors are open, they're jumping out, I'm jumping out. And they just hit the ground, they started ducking. I'm rolling. Gunfire's going on in the background.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need to get down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got down. Don't worry about me, I'm covered.

GUTIERREZ: It's a ferocious gun battle right in the middle of an intersection. The men in this SUV firing a .22 caliber rifle at police. And police firing back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, get back, get back.

GUTIERREZ: Witnesses say the gun fight lasted some 20 minutes. And it sounded like hundreds of rounds were fired.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I made it to the corner, and I was laying down behind a car. And you could hear the shots ricocheting off the stores.

GUTIERREZ: The passenger in this SUV is killed. The driver barricades himself in the vehicle and the SWAT team is called in.

ESCOCHEA: He was yelling that he couldn't move. He was wounded, and, he couldn't move his left hand.

GUTIERREZ: After three tense hours, police close in on the critically injured driver. He is taken to the hospital. Cameraman Jesse Escochea heard the call on a police scanner. He says, within minutes, he was in the middle of the gun battle.

ESCOCHEA: When I'm looking through the view finder, it's like I'm watching television. I'm not there.

GUTIERREZ: Escochea says, it's all in a days work. No police and no bystanders were injured. Hours later, investigators are still counting the casings and gathering evidence, trying to figure out what the driver's motive may have been.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(EN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A routine traffic stop turns into a suicide with an alleged confession of 2 murders. With that top story and more, we go back to Erica Hill of Headline News.

Hi, once again, Erica.

HILL: Hi there Heidi.

Yeah. Police say there are connections between a suicide in Milwaukee and the killings of a federal judge's husband and mother. When a police officer pulled over Bart Ross's van last night in Wisconsin, Ross shot himself. Sources say he left behind a note confessing to the killing. Judge Joan Lefkow ruled against Ross in a civil case. Is your cell phone bill a little longer than your phone book? The FCC wants cell phone companies to file truth in billing guidelines that traditional carriers adhere to. What would that mean for you? Well, they'd have to make the charges on your bill brief, clear and in plain language. Officials say they should be folded into the base rate so consumers have a more accurate cost comparison.

The home state of that rainy city of Seattle is declaring a drought emergency. Something you'd never thought you'd hear. Snowfall has been unusually low in the Cascades, leaving rivers at record low levels. And Washington State's governor told the National Guard to get ready to fight wildfires.

Tennis great Martina Navratilova is suing to stop a credit card company from using her name and likeness to market directly to gays and lesbians. Navratilova allowed Due Tell to use her likeness for years, but asked them to stop after she found their marketing campaign offensive. She now wants at least $75,000 in damages.

Norway's prime minister says Ikea is sexist. He is accusing the Swedish furniture chain of only showing men assembling furniture in its instruction manuals. The prime minister says Ikea left out women, because it was afraid of offending Muslims. Ikea promises it will show more women to get a better balance. So, we'll have to look out for that one, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yeah. Apparently the founder of Ikea, about the sixth wealthiest guy in the world.

HILL: He's doing all right for himself.

COLLINS: Yeah. I like it.

All right, Erica, thanks so much.

360 next. The humor gap between women. Why our laughter may not be in sync when watching TV. Part of our special series.

And later, a dog chase, a pooch on the run on a busy highway. See how it ended.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SEINFELD, COMEDIAN: Dry clean only is the only warning label that human beings actually respect. You know, they look at cigarettes this will give you cancer, kill you, your kids, everything, ah, screw it! I'll do whatever the hell I want. Don't drink this medicine and operate heavy machinery. Oh, glug, glug, glug, who cares? That's for people that don't know what the hell their doing. I'm a pro.

But if you have something that's dry clean only, and someone goes to put it in the washing machine: Don't put it in the washing machine? Are you crazy? Are out of your mind? (END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: True, isn't it? A joke there from Jerry Seinfeld. And chances are, you're laughing at that one whether you are a man or woman. But when it comes to some TV shows and movies, experts are finding a clear gender difference in what's funny.

Tonight, our Gary Tuchman looks at the humor gap between the sexes as we continue our special series "Of Two Minds."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sorority row at Northwestern University.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't we give him to Tamango (ph).

TUCHMAN: Where we gathered students inside a sorority house to have a few laughs. As we try to determine why men and women often can't agree on what's funny. Psychologist Ed Dunkleblau is an export on humor.

ED DUNKLEBLAU, FMR. PRES. ASSN. OF THERAPEUTIC HUMOR: I have a theory that says genetically, what allows people to like the "Three Stooges" is the same thing that requires them to hold the remote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, we've got to get going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does your watch say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It don't say nothing you've got to look at it.

TUCHMAN: We paired up sorority sisters with fraternity brothers and watched their faces as they watched male skewing comedies, like the "Stooges."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready.

TUCHMAN: And female-skewing comedies.

KIM CATTRALL, ACTRESS: Is a three-way with a 21-year-old a bad idea for Richard's birthday?

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS: What are you going to get him next year, a four way?

TUCHMAN: Like "Sex in the City."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Men get better looking as they get older, and women get three ways apparently or A Mark Jacobs ultra mod little notebook, huh. TUCHMAN: And what we saw is that on some occasions, both genders had similar reactions, like during this viewing of the comedy classic "Animal House." But more often than not, our couples looked like they were watching different programs. Jackie Haller (ph) loves Lucy. This is a classic episode, but, Justin Welkie (ph) can't relate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how are we today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Better?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Better get a bucket. I'm going to throw up.

TUCHMAN: And what about this scene from Monty Python's "Meaning of Life," you might want to turn your head if you're not into extreme male oriented comedy.

Jenna Rubin (ph) reacts, but it's mostly out of genuine amazement of the level of grossness. Nick is loving it. Culture, of course, is a major determinate in what males and females laugh at. But some in the medical field believe the way our brains are wired might have something to do with it, too.

DR. RUBEN GUR, DIRECTOR, BRAIN BEHAVIOR LAB, UNIV. OF PA: It appears, men and women have very different -- not just cognitive styles, but, perhaps, more importantly, emotional styles. And, humor is very closely linked to emotion.

TUCHMAN: And then there is this tidbit about the humor gap.

(on camera): Research shows that women are far more likely than men to want a partner who makes them laugh. Men on the other hand, are more likely than women to want a partner who laughs at their jokes. Isn't that true.

(voice-over): When a night of comedy comes to an end, the conversation is back to, what else, Moe, Larry, and Curly.

(on camera): What did you think of the Three Stooges? I didn't see you laughing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just think it's stupid. They just hit each other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love the "Three Stooges." I mean, I don't know a guy who doesn't.

TUCHMAN: I mean, there's nothing like slugging a guy to make you laugh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never met a guy that doesn't think the "Three Stooges" are funny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, we were tied up.

TUCHMAN: Are these hits or misses? It likely depends if you are a mister or misses.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Evanston, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Tomorrow night, when we wrap up our special series "Of Two Minds," gender, hormones, and menopause. And when we say mood swings, we're talking about women and men, thank you very much. Surviving your spouses mid-life crisis. Tomorrow on 360.

Now, let's find out what's coming up in a few minutes on "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

Hi, Paula.

PAULA ZAHN, "PAULA ZAHN NOW": Hi, Heidi. Thanks.

We have an amazing story of survival. A woman riding along a bike trial in California was attacked and dragged away by a mountain lion. She was, ultimately, rescued and is now actually riding that same trail where she almost lost her life. Her story is amazing, and it's a miracle that she is alive today.

Plus, we'll bring you up to date on the Michael Jackson day in court. We'll being catching up with his spokeswoman, and try to get her to explain why he showed up in court in his PJs bottoms this morning. All of that at the top of the hour -- Heidi.

COLLINS: In his night, nights. All right, Paula, thanks so much.

360 next, a runaway dog in harms way on a freeway. We'll show you how this dog chase ended.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Much has been said about the obsession of Los Angeles television stations and their viewers covering freeway crashes -- well, or chases, that is, pardon me. Far be it for New Yorkers to be outdone, in fact, they may have topped it. The target of today's chase on a Big Apple highway was a dog. The canine's brush with the law involved some heart-stopping near misses with rush hour traffic. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: You could call it a traffic snarling incident. A very confused poodle running loose in New York's rush hour traffic. A nightmare scenario on the Major Deegan Expressway through the Bronx. Nightmare for the poodle and commuters -- as the dog repeatedly dodged death across three lanes in and out of traffic. It wasn't exactly a high-speed car chase, nonetheless, local news choppers hovered overhead, catching every moment of the drama.

Local news anchors couldn't turn away. The dog did try to jump over a barrier and get out of the danger zone, but the barrier was a little too big. So, instead, he turned back into traffic, again, causing motorists to slam on their breaks, one person opened his car door, but the dog went the other way.

Who would save the poodle? The police arrive, but the sirens scare the dog. Then, New York's finest run a classic rolling road block. The dog is cornered, and then nearly gets away again. In the end, it was the lady cops who finally managed to corral him and whisk him away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: We're told that animal control now has him, and as of right now, no one has yet to come forward to claim him. Wow, even if it was a stray, maybe someone now will want to bring that dog home, lucky and brave as he was.

And before we go, a quick shout out to my 4-year-old who's having a birthday today. Happy birthday, my sweet Riley (ph).

That's 360 tonight. I'm Heidi Collins in for Anderson Cooper. Prime-time coverage continues now with Paula Zahn.

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