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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Landslide in California, Hurricane Heartache, Teen Thrill Kill?, Hero or Villain?
Aired June 01, 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Kitty, thanks very much.
Good evening, everyone.
California homes crashing down as residents run for their lives. 360 starts now.
A massive landslide destroys million dollar homes. Tonight, a California coastal community devastated. But was this disaster a ticking time bomb waiting to blow?
Killing for the thrill? Teens charged with first degree murder for kicking and beating a homeless man to death. Tonight, did they really kill just because they were bored? And what drove one of their mothers to turn them in?
The deep secrets of Deep Throat. Tonight, hero or villain? Was Mark Felt just doing his patriot duty when he helped topple a president?
An update on the tsunami. Six months later. Remembering the children lost and celebrating those who survived.
And the school bus attack caught on tape. Now the two kids will not be charged with a crime. Tonight, does this send the wrong message to rowdy kids? And what will happen to the bus driver who lost control?
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
And good evening to you. The good news first.
In the landslide you're about to see, there were only two minor injuries. Now you're going to appreciate just how remarkable that is when we tell you or rather show you the bad news. Eighteen homes worth millions of dollars have been damaged or destroyed. Take a look. It is hard to imagine the scope of the devastation here. More than 300 homes have been evacuated. And a peaceful neighborhood essentially turned upside down. It happened this morning. A mountain of mud giving way. Residents scrambling to save their lives. Liz Habib reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL LOCKHART (ph): My house is ruined. LIZ HABIB, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Jill Lockhart's home was more than a dozen that came crashing down. At the crack of dawn, multimillion dollar homes started cracking and folding and sliding down the hill.
LOCKHART: We ran down the front side of the mountain. And we could hear this house collapsing behind us, sinking in and I guess the driveway moved 200 feet as we were running down it.
HABIB: Sherry Way (ph) lives in this gray house and that's her SUV, now sitting at an angle. She says the whole thing started with a noise.
SHERRY WAY: You know that crackling candy that you eat? Thank you. That's exactly what it is like.
HABIB: Some people thought it was an earthquake. They got out with what they could carry. Or what they could cart. Dr. Jeff Jacobs (ph) left surgery worried about getting what his kids need.
JEFF JACOBS: Clothing for myself and a whole thing of dolls for my kids, sippy cups, cereal.
HABIB: David and Sara Vandervene (ph) had been in the process of remodeling their million dollar dream home.
DAVID VANDERVENE: There will be big sliders that open across so that the whole house will open up basically like a lanai.
HABIB: Now they can only watch helplessly from a distance.
DAVID VANDERVENE: Obviously its changed and we're definitely sad. Had a tough morning.
SARA VANDERVENE: Sad for our neighbors. I cried a little. And, you know, it's just - we just - there's a lot we don't know at this point. We're hoping for the best but we're really sad for our neighbors.
HABIB: It could be two to three days before they and everyone else can get in to see the damage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HABIB: Now the latest information is that it does stand at 18 homes damaged or destroyed. Seven of those homes completely destroyed, buckled in and uninhabitable. This is still a very active situation. That hill is moving -- actually in millimeters right now -- but there's so much danger that it could actually come crashing down all at once because it hasn't stopped moving. If you're up in there, way up in there, gas lines are breaking, power lines are still down. You can actually hear the hissing of the gas as it comes out of the gas lines up there.
Why is all of this going on now? We haven't had any noticeable rain here in Southern California in a long time. But as you may recall, we did have a very wet winter. In fact, it was near record breaking weather with all of the rain going on. So the theory is that all of that rain and all of that water seeped into the hillsides here in Laguna Beach and now, a couple months later, it's all loosening up and bringing down these unbelievable multimillion dollar homes with them.
Which by the way, Anderson, if you're up there on those bluffs, the views of the Pacific Ocean here are out of this world. So you can understand why people might want to live in those type of homes even with that type of danger.
COOPER: Yes, Liz, a couple of questions. We're looking at a live shot right now of a home with a flag on it. Previously we were looking at what looked like a search and rescue dog or a cadaver dog. Are they -- they're still actively looking for people. Do they know of anyone who's missing at that point?
HABIB: No. They don't believe there are any more people up there. Right now it's really deserted. What they're doing is they're up there making sure that everything is secure at this point. Making sure there are no people. No one's reported anybody still up there or anybody missing. People were running down here. It was chaotic this morning. They weren't just bringing themselves and their kids, of course, and their clothes, but their cats, their dogs. One guy with an aquarium with a snake in it. Anything they needed to get out of there because there were upwards of 300 homes that have been evacuated. Not that many homes are in danger, it's just they want to get those people out because they don't even have power up there right now.
COOPER: Has this happened before in Laguna Beach?
HABIB: Yes, it has. As a matter of fact, on the other side of the road back in 1978 there was a mudslide very similar to this. And there are a few people who live up in those homes who lived through that mudslide back in '78. This is a very common occurrence in California. When you live up in the hills, you could expect that you might have to live through a mudslide and it could cause you to lose everything.
COOPER: Such a beautiful part of the world, part of the United States.
Liz, thanks very much. Appreciate you joining us.
We're going to be talking live in a little bit with a woman whose home and future very much in doubt at this very moment. She fled her house with her kids this morning. Right now there is a house above hers which may collapse and fall on to her home. She's staying with friends. She's going to join us live later on in this hour.
Today's landslide reminded us of another recent California mudslide. Reminded us that we often don't follow-up enough to see what happens after the headlines fade. The loss in La Conchita was not just houses, however. The town is still grieving. Still literally picking up the pieces. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER, (voice over): When the hillside along the Pacific Coast Highway buried part of La Conchita, California, on January 10th, it was no surprise. The warning signs had been there for days. When the hillside let loose just afternoon, it released an estimated 465,000 tons of earth and rock and leveled 15 of La Conchita's 166 houses. Firefighter Garrett Prader helped rescue three people buried alive.
GARRETT PRADER, FIREFIGHTER: She was probably a good 20, 30 feet in underneath several layers of flooring and roof. And she was pinned from her legs down but she had debris all the way up to her neck.
COOPER: Among those lost in the slide were Jimmy Wallet's wife and three of his children. He spent days along side rescue workers digging with his bare hands trying to find them.
JIMMY WALLET, LOST WIFE AND THREE CHILDREN: When it hit, well you're running towards it and it just hitting your house where you know your kids are at with mud blowing through the wall and hitting every room and filling up and exploding. People started coming up. And I was just -- I mean everyone's just looking, searching, trying to dig, get shovels. Give me some chain saws. Anything. Let's go.
COOPER: Today, the town of La Conchita has a cloud still hanging over its head. The unstable hill above still threatening to repeat the devastation its caused repeatedly over the years.
DON SKI, SURVIVOR: I just walked outside and I was right down here at the bottom of the driveway when the mud was going by me.
COOPER: Don Ski barely made it out of his house alive on the day of the mudslide. Today, he can't live in his own home but rents right across the street.
SKI: I like living on the beach. I mean, this is where I live. This is my house. This -- you know, I was here for the last one and I guess it's just not my time to go, you know. I'll keep coming back til I can't come back anymore.
COOPER: Don knows it is just a matter of time before the kill slides into La Conchita again.
SKI: You know, I think when it does happen again it's going to be -- I think it will go all the way to the beach the next time and I think there will be nothing left to even worry about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, he's not the only one who thinks that. The experts seem to agree there are more landslides in La Conchita's future. A study done this spring by the United States Geological Survey predicts that more heavy rain or earthquake activity could bring parts or all of the hillside down on the town.
To the East Coast now and a threat of another sort. Welcome to June and the hurricane season. It started today and this year promises to be, in the words of forecasters, very active. Now they predict 15 tropical storm, of which eight may grow to hurricane strength with perhaps half of those becoming intense. And in case you need a reminder of what intense looks like, here's a look at last season. For many, however, especially in Florida, no reminders are needed, thank you very much. CNN's John Zarrella is in Punta Gorda tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Nearly 10 months after Richard Taylor and his family lost just about everything but their lives, reflection is still painful.
RICHARD TAYLOR, HURRICANE VICTIM: I dang sure don't want to look at that thing because that is a constant reminder. I can't even stand looking at it now. I still -- brings back memories. That day, man, when I drove up here and my house was gone.
ZARRELLA: The Taylors lived in a mobile home on this piece of ground outside Punta Gorda. It was their world. Then Charlie came, swallowed up their home and others round it.
TAYLOR: One minute you own the world and the next minute you're homeless and you don't know -- you just don't know what -- what tomorrow holds. It's a weird feeling. I hope I never have to feel it again.
ZARRELLA: We first met the Taylors, Richard, Marni, and their three children, a month after the hurricane. They were living in a FEMA provided travel trailer in Port Charlotte.
TAYLOR: And I pulled in there and seen them setting up FEMA trailers. I told the guys, I said, look man, I got $11 in my pocket. I don't have no place to go. No food. No nothing. What do I do? He said, buddy, I'll have you a place in five minutes. So he put us in a FEMA camping trailer.
ZARRELLA: They called these cramped quarters home for three months until the federal agency moved the Taylors to a mobile home city set up across from Interstate 75 on the outskirts of Punta Gorda. More than 27,000 people are still living in FEMA housing. Five hundred families live in the neat rows of homes here. At least this place had more room. Four-year-old Richie (ph) liked that.
RICHIE TAYLOR: Because.
ZARRELLA: Because why?
RICHIE TAYLOR: Because it's bigger.
ZARRELLA: A week before Christmas we caught up with the Taylors again. They had done their best to prepare for the holidays. But with Richard disabled and Marni's job bringing barely enough to get by, there was little left for presents.
MARNI TAYLOR: We're struggling right now. I mean we're broke. Flat broke.
ZARRELLA: Today, 10 months since the storm, the Taylors are still here, still struggling, still living on the edge.
MARNI TAYLOR: I went today and they paid my St. Vincent (INAUDIBLE) of Punta Gorda. Paid my electric and my water.
ZARRELLA: As difficult as times have been, life may finally be cutting the Taylors a break. Through a federal grant they will get a new $55,000 double wide. No cost as long as they live in it for five years. Really cool, says Richie.
RICHIE TAYLOR: Two houses sticked together.
ZARRELLA: The Taylors qualified because they own the property where the old mobile home sat. Richard and Marni are thankful for all FEMA has done but it's time for them and the children to go home.
TAYLOR: They take it well. They have been through a lot.
ZARRELLA: Doing better now?
TAYLOR: Yes. They're ready to go home. They say it all the time, we're ready to go home. This is home. Right, bo?
ZARRELLA: As for the timing of the move, that's a bit unsettling. The Taylors should be in by September -- the peak of hurricane season.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now the real tragedy here is that the Taylors are not alone. They are one of thousands of family in the same or worse shape here in Florida still trying to rebuild.
We are in downtown Punta Gorda tonight. Behind me, this used to be a shopping plaza. A strip mall. In fact, Anderson, I'm sure you remember, you and I were here on the 14th, the morning after the storm, August 14th, you profiled the man who owned an ice cream store that was sitting right about here where I am standing right now. Everything is gone now. That man had hoped to rebuild. He was trying to get back together. Get his life back together. His business back together. And as you can see, it is all gone now. Many hopes, many dreams were shattered here and across Florida last year during that mean six-week period from August through September.
Anderson.
COOPER: I remember that spot very well. It is incredible just to see it all gone like that. I mean there was a huge shopping mall there. And I know the man with the ice cream store was saying that he simply didn't have enough insurance. They had under covered themselves. So it's just one of the many tragic stories we followed.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
COOPER: All right, John, thanks very much. Appreciate it.
We like to check up on stories that we brought you. And today we found out our favorite hurricane alligator, Chucky (ph), has also had a pretty tough year. Here's a quick news note.
You remember Chucky? He escaped his pen when Hurricane Ivan slammed at the Gulf Shores Alabama. Later recaptured and then safely taken back to the zoo. That's him being recaptured. The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo was heavily damaged. They say they are still waiting for their FEMA money. They remain closed to the public. Chucky, all 11 feet and 1,100 pounds of him, is there in the zoo. However, eating chicken, as you can say, and said to be doing just fine. And, yes, it does taste like chicken.
Next on 360, Deep Throat. The secret's out and so are the opinions. Was W. Mark Felt acting in the nation's best interest or his own when he helped bring down President Bush. President Bush weighed in on that today. We'll talk about that ahead.
Also, a homeless man murdered. Three teens accused. Why did one of their own mothers turn them in?
And later, that school bus beating caught on tape. Remember this, bus driver hitting the student and the student hitting back. Felony charges were filed against two of the students. Well, the state's attorney making some decisions today about those charges. We'll talk to the kids attorney in just a bit.
All that ahead. First, your picks, the most popular stories on cnn.com right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: You know, sometimes you come across a story that makes you ask yourself, what would I do in this situation? And this next story is definitely one of those. What would you do if you thought your child was involved in a brutal crime? Would you call police? Tonight you're going to hear from a woman from Florida faced with that very question. Her son and another teen are accused of beating a homeless man to death for the thrill of it. CNN's Susan Candiotti investigates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Vicky Spurgeon is a mother torn in two.
VICKY SPURGEON, SUSPECT'S MOTHER: It's a nightmare. I haven't been able to sleep. It's like I'm putting my son in his grave.
CANDIOTTI: It isn't every day you turn in your son for alleged murder.
SPURGEON: This is not something that he would do.
CANDIOTTI: But police say Spurgeon's 18-year-old son Jeffrey, a high school dropout, said by his parents to be learning disabled, and a 14-year-old friend, who, for now, is being charged as a juvenile, are among those responsible for the savage beating death of a homeless man last week. The scene of the crime, behind a car wash.
We're walking down a path very heavily wooded, as you can see.
One clearing reveal as makeshift lean-to decorated with a soggy American flag, a pair of tennis shoes, a mixing bowl, an empty metal tool kit. The sheriff takes us down another trail that led to death.
Sheriff, to say this area is remote is to put it mildly. A lot of heavy brush back here.
SHERIFF BEN JOHNSON, VOLUSIA CO., FLORIDA: Well, this is thick. This is a whole Florida woods.
CANDIOTTI: And where was the body found?
JOHNSON: The body was in this area right here.
CANDIOTTI: The victim, a homeless but not nameless man. 53- year-old Michael Roberts, looking much older than his age. His family says he used to be a talented carpenter before alcohol took control. When police found Roberts, he had been dead for nearly four days. His clothes soaked in blood.
JOHNSON: They had three separate attacks on him. They came and attacked him one time and admittedly the first time around hit him with their fists. Then they came back two more times, at which time they hit him with sticks. They kicked him. Threw a log on him and stomped on the log. It was a brutal beating.
CANDIOTTI: But why?
JOHNSON: I don't know. You know, how can you say -- what can you say about why would somebody beat man like this. And he's guilty of one thing, being homeless and living in the woods?
SPURGEON: My son would never do this intentionally. I didn't bring him up like this. He's a loving kid. He'd give the shirt off his back to anyone. I don't know why this was done.
CANDIOTTI: Vicky Spurgeon says she suspects others with her son gave him alcohol and drugs which affected his judgment. She says when her son told her what happened, she called police anonymously about a body in the woods.
VICKY SPURGEON: And supposedly these boys killed this guy. But I don't want to give my name or my daughter's name. She doesn't want to be involved. She just thought somebody should know about it and check it out to see if it's true.
CANDIOTTI: Police say they call the woman back and that she told them she believed her son was involved.
SPURGEON: He attended church. He worked. He was a full-time worker. He was a good kid.
CANDIOTTI: A motive? A police form says her son told them it was "just for fun and to have something to do."
JOHNSON: I can't fathom that. It's fun to beat a man to death for no reason? But it's one of those things that some people -- I just don't understand it. I do know they're in the correct place now.
CANDIOTTI: And that is?
JOHNSON: In jail.
CANDIOTTI: The brother of victim Michael Roberts devastated. He supports the death penalty but not for those in this case.
DONNIE ROBERTS, VICTIM'S BROTHER: I want them both to tell me the truth. What -- out of boredom? Out of boredom?
CANDIOTTI: Spurgeon is convinced her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She says she wants him to know . . .
SPURGEON: That I love him and that I did this to try to help him and try to see that you can't get by with murder.
CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Holly Hills, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Wow. Another -- just a short time ago, CNN learned that another teen has been charged with the murder of Michael Roberts. Police say 18-year-old Justin Sterns (ph) took part in the attacks by hitting the victim in the face and throwing a log on top of him.
We're following a number of other stories. Right now, cross country, Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS is here with the latest.
Erica.
ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS: Hello again. Nice to see you.
COOPER: Great to see you.
HILL: We start off with the White House, now the Pentagon. It was first how the Pentagon reacting to that Amnesty International report claiming human rights abuses at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the allegation the facility is run like a Soviet Arab prison are "reprehensible." Rumsfeld also said compared Gitmo to such atrocities cannot be excused. In its report, Amnesty International said not a single gitmo detainee has access to due process despite a Supreme Court ruling last year.
On Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange unexpectedly halted trading four minutes early today due to a glitch in a telecommunications system. So if you made any late stock trades, keep in mind they may not post now until tomorrow. Lubbock, Texas, where golf ball size hail fell and real golf ball size. Look at that. Not good for those cars. The hail and drenching rain also damaged the area's cotton crop.
And in Washington, D.C., the 78th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. After four rounds, 51 contest are left out of the 273 who started. It will be narrowed down to a winner tomorrow. He or she will take home the biggest prize ever, $28,000 in cash, scholarships and other prizes. And since we have a "Jeopardy" champ here, we thought, let's see how Anderson does with a spelling bee question.
COOPER: Who would you be talking about? A "Jeopardy" champion here?
HILL: Oh, who could it be? I don't know?
COOPER: Is Aaron Brown here? No. No.
HILL: It ain't me.
COOPER: It's me.
HILL: It's you. So, since you can win "Jeopardy."
COOPER: You know, you with your tests. With the on air surprise little test. Go ahead. Go ahead. Give me your best shot.
HILL: All right. All right.
COOPER: I'm going to borrow your pen just so I can write it out.
HILL: OK. There you go. You can take the pen.
COOPER: OK.
HILL: The word is metonymy.
COOPER: Metonymy.
HILL: Metonymy. Do you need a definition? Would you like me to use it in a sentence?
COOPER: Please. Yes. Yes.
HILL: It is a figure of speech. I love that test music you people have. The 360 band is amazing. A figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another.
COOPER: Metonymy.
HILL: For example...
COOPER: Metonymy.
HILL: Metonymy. COOPER: Well, can you use it in a sentence?
HILL: I can use it in a sentence. Actually, I can. And I'm not even a "Jeopardy" champ.
When you say, I count two heads at this table instead of count two people at this table, that's an example of a metonymy.
COOPER: All right. Is it -- I'm going to get it wrong. Is it m-a-t-o-n-o-m-y?
HILL: Can you go a little slower here. I'm trying to spell it for people at home.
COOPER: m-a-t-o-n-o-m-y?
HILL: No. There's a few letters that are correct but really not even close. Would you like the spelling?
COOPER: Yes.
HILL: It's m-e-t...
COOPER: m-e-t. You said matonymy. Anyway, go ahead.
HILL: That's how it's pronounced. I looked into it online.
COOPER: OK.
HILL: Your people gave me the link.
COOPER: All right.
HILL: m-e-t-o-n-y-m-y.
COOPER: All right. Erica Hill may be back in 30 minutes. We're not sure. We'll see.
HILL: And you may come back to Atlanta one day but maybe not.
COOPER: Thanks very much, Erica. Appreciate it. Making me a fool yet again.
Coming up on 360, a school bus beating that was caught on tape. Two boys charged with felonies. Will those charges stick? Some decisions have been made today. We'll talk to their attorney.
Also ahead tonight, landslide in California. Houses crushed, dreams dashed and the earth is still moving. More houses could go. We're going to go back out to Laguna Beach and talk to a woman whose house was wiped out today.
A little bit later also tonight, one day after W. Mark Felt reveals he is Deep Throat. The questions and opinions are flying. Is Felt a hero or a rogue? We don't take sides. We're covering all the angles. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, burying a secret for more than three decades is difficult. And burying feelings of betrayal can be just as hard. Now everything is out with the revelation of the former number two man at the FBI, W. Mark Felt, was Deep Throat, the secret source who brought down the Nixon White House. At "The Washington Post," those who value him came together yesterday. Journalist Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward reunited to discuss the man who helped them unravel the Watergate scandal. Some say Felt is a hero for his role in their reporting, but elsewhere voices of anger were loud and clear saying Felt turned on his country by betraying the FBI and the president.
Now we don't take sides on 360. Covering all the angles for us tonight, CNN's Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): In early 1973, the White House was pretty sure Mark Felt was leaking to "The Washington Post," prompting the president to wonder how the public would feel about Felt's role.
RICHARD NIXON: The informer is not wanted in our society. Either way, that's the one thing people do sort of line up against.
CROWLEY: Thirty-two years later, the man in the oval office would rather not get into whether W. Mark Felt betrayed or lived up to his public trust.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He was a -- it's hard for me to judge learning more about the situation. All I can tell you is, is that it's a -- it was a revelation that caught me by surprise.
CROWLEY: In an administration which despises leaks, putting a name to the most famous, anonymous source in journalism calls for some nuance.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think that any time wrongdoing occurs, it's important that that wrongdoing be reported. And I think that's appropriate. Now, who one reports that to, the authorities is one thing, or somebody else is another.
CROWLEY: Aye, there's the rub.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I have to do this my way.
CROWLEY: Unlike the heroic nation saving myth of Deep Throat, reality is messier, less clear.
RONALD KESSLER, AUTHOR: I think that Mark Felt was an American hero. Trying to make sure that this government would continue because Nixon was capable of almost anything, including tearing up the constitution, in my opinion. CROWLEY: But Felt's critics, many of them Watergate figures, say by revealing the contents of an ongoing investigation, Felt betrayed his job and his country.
BERNARD BARKER, WATERGATE BURGLAR: The man has no honor. I think he is a crumb and I think it -- I don't see how he can live with himself.
CROWLEY: Others fault felt not for revealing the information but for how he went about it.
CHARLES COLSON, FORMER NIXON SPECIAL COUNSEL: He easily could have come to the officials responsible if they hadn't acted, then he would resign, have a press conference and that would be entirely honorable. It would be an honorable position for a whistleblower to take.
CROWLEY: Felt has the course of history on his side, of course. The Nixon White House was revealed to be involved in a string of illegalities and the president was forced to resign. Still, it took him 32 years to step out, telling his family he leaked the information out of a sense of duty.
But consider this, "It would be contrary to my responsible as a loyal employee of the FBI to leak information." A 1999 statement from Deep Throat. In the end, the biggest argument over his role in history was between Mark Felt and Mark Felt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, nice to see you. Thanks for coming.
CROWLEY: Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: The school bus attack caught on tape. Now the two kids will not be charged with a crime. Tonight, does this send the wrong message to rowdy kids? What will happen to the bus driver who lost control?
And an update on the tsunami. Six months later. Remembering the children lost and celebrating those who survived. 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We began this evening at the scene of that landslide in Laguna Beach, California, where, fortunately, no lives have been lost but an awful lot of very expensive property is about to be. Seven million dollar homes are gone. Eleven others have been damaged and more than 300 homes have now been evacuated. Very luckily, indeed, only two minor injuries have been reported.
Joining us live now is Jill Lockhart who made it out of her two kids, her two four-year-old children -- excuse me, two and four-year- old children. Their house itself did not make it. Would he are so happy you are safe and kids are safe and very sorry about your home.
What happened this morning? You heard what? The sound of cracking and glass shattering?
JILL LOCKHART, HOME DESTROYED: And popping. Popping wood. Cracking. The electrical boxes on the electrical poles were exploding. Immediately, living in Laguna on a hillside I thought the house was sliding. So I grabbed my two-year-old out of his crib and grabbed my four-year-old. We went to the front of the house thinking the street would be the safest place. But the street was a disaster. It was a nightmare. It was buckling. The street dropped 100 feet on one side of us. On the other side of us it buckled like 40 feet. It was complete chaos.
COOPER: So you actually saw the street, the ground buckling?
LOCKHART: Oh, yeah, 40 feet above our head. We tried to jump in an SUV to get out. And there was no place we could go. We were blocked in by a fallen electrical pole. And the street buckled and we were trapped. Essentially we were all trapped on top of the hill. Me with the two kids. My husband had just left for work 20 minutes earlier and that's why I was awake.
COOPER: How were your kids dealing with all this?
LOCKHART: My two-year-old was hysterical on my arm. And my four-year-old kept asking me why the street was breaking and where the poles were falling. And out of nowhere some 20-year-old kid that doesn't live on my street I don't think was there to help me. And we had to actually come down the face of the hill. We had to come down the front face of the hill where the slide was happening. There was no other way to get off the hill. We would have been gone. We would have never survived. It was awful.
COOPER: Your quick thinking got you out of the house. Did you feel the house moving when you heard the cracking and popping did you say we just got to get out?
LOCKHART: I at first said get us out of here, please. Then the minute I was running up the stairs and grabbed my 4-year-old almost felt like I was on stilts like it was bumping up and down moving. My poor cat is still stuck up there. But we made it out safe. It was horrible. The house in front of us like sunk in a giant sinkhole. And that house has to be a $6 or $7 million home that is a huge estate. It sunk in a giant sea hole. We were running around the side of that home down the iceplants (ph) to get down the driveway to get down to the bottom of the hill. And the driveway was cracking as we were running down the hill. I looked back now and the driveway moved 400 feet, 200 feet, something, I don't know how would he got down. I don't know how we got off the hill.
COOPER: Are you going to be able to get back into the house. Salvage whatever remains of it?
LOCKHART: As of right now they are telling us no. I don't know. There's a home that's teetering right above us. The one on the right side already came down in the road where we were standing. So I don't think so. It's done.
COOPER: Well, Jill, I know you are happy to have gotten out of there and thank God you thought so quickly and got your kids.
LOCKHART: Thank God. Thank God.
COOPER: And you got help from someone who didn't live on your block. Jill, good luck to you. I know ...
LOCKHART: We're so lucky.
COOPER: Lucky indeed. Really good luck to you. We'll continue to follow your story. And we wish you the best.
LOCKHART: Thanks again.
COOPER: All right. So many people out of their homes tonight. Some 300 homes have been evacuated.
Far from the California coast recovery and relief efforts from last year's tsunami continue. They are going to continue for years to come, of course. The wave killed more than 169,000 people. Millions, of course, were left homeless. Lives changed forever. Earlier this month, President Bush signed a supplemental bill which will provide a total of a $907 million in tsunami relief. The UN reports that aid groups like UNICEF and the World Health Organization have spent nearly $300 million so far.
Tonight, as CNN marks its 25 anniversary, we take a look back at those defining tragic moments in December. What happened more than five months ago touched all of us and the story continues to this day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tsunami, my God, it's coming. A big one.
Oh, my God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifteen, 20 feet tall, easy.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. Like many people around the world and many CNNers I was on Christmas vacation with my family. I came immediately to Sri Lanka in the southern part of Sri Lanka it was hit very, very badly.
(voice-over): There was small fishing villages that had essentially been wiped out. Trees had been leveled. Cars, lorries, ships, boats, thing had simply been displaced. And, of course, people so many people had been killed.
Many of the world's officials, certainly many of the aid organizations, the United Nations, had never, ever seen a disaster on this scale and of this magnitude.
The first story I did was about a little boy and his father. Little Cheyenne (ph) was six years old when the tragedy struck. He was traveling with his mother his sisters and a cousin on a train which ironically was called Queen of the Sea. We took him back with his father Ranjit (ph) to go and see the site of the devastation and the disaster.
The train tracks had been lifted from the ground and simply tossed aside and the train carriages had also been tossed off the train tracks and lying on their sides all down the length of the railroad track. Cheyenne, the little boy, told us that the only way he survived was by reaching his little arms up to hold on to the luggage rack. And by doing that he was able to keep his head above the water that had flooded the carriages. And he said that was the last he saw of his mother and his sisters and his cousin.
And it was really tragic because this little boy, you could see that he was still traumatized. As he was trying to tell us the story he was only coming out in halting statements and little fractions and fragments of conversation. Ranjit says Cheyenne has not yet shed a tear. He is still keeping that emotion inside. He says he misses his mother and his sisters and the father is trying his best to help him get over this. Help him try to understand what happened.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And that train is back up and running. Join CNN tonight at 8:00 as we mark our anniversary with a special prime time event. The defining moments that have touched people over the world in the last quarter century.
Earlier CNN chief international correspondent sat down with the man who created CNN, Ted Turner. And among other things she asked him how he came up with the idea to take CNN global.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED TURNER, CNN FOUNDER: I got the idea to go global with Fidel Castro. The signal spilled into Cuba and he heard about it and he bought a satellite dish or got one somehow and started watching the news. And he said it was incredibly important. When I met him in '82. He said, Ted, the whole world needs CNN, he said, I use it all the time. It's very important to me. So I said if Castro needs it, certainly the capitalist around the world could use it and perhaps some other communists, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Coming up next on 360, two stepbrothers in a scuffle with a bus driver. It was all caught on tape. The bus driver hit one of the kids. The kid hit back. There's been a big legal decision in this case. We're going to talk to one of the kid's lawyers about what happened.
Also tonight, well, we'll always have Paris, won't we, do we really need another Paris and her mother, too? She is not downloadable yet but mom is following her daughter on to TV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In a moment, the story of the bus driver who hit one of the kids on the bus. We'll tell you what happened to him. Time now, though, to check on what else is happening in the world. Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS joins us with the latest. Erica?
HILL: Hey again, Anderson. We started off with news from the Associated Press reporting that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas underwent heart angioplasty today to clear up clogged arteries. Now the AP says Abbas was taken to a Jordanian hospital after complaining of fatigue. An aide is reported as saying the heart procedure was successful.
In Europe the E.U. fails to go Dutch. The Netherlands has now become the second country to reject the proposed constitution for the European Union, following France. One political analyst say some Dutch are still angry the euro became Europe's currency even though they voted against it.
In Haifa, Israel, courtroom chaos. This is absolutely insane video, watch this. A free for all brawl erupts at a murder trial on Monday. And this one pretty ugly. Spectators hurling chairs and throwing punches. Two people were arrested. But amazingly, despite the violence, no one was seriously injured.
And what would a news update be? About an animal story and a cute one at that. Take a look at this little guy. This squirrel spotted in Denver, Colorado not snacking on a dandelion, it's a lollipop. Some areas of the country they call it a sucker, I call it a lollipop. He probably spoiled his dinner of nuts and berries. Grass, what have you.
COOPER: All right, well I see your cut little news kicker and raise you a cutesy news kicker.
HILL: All right. What have you got?
COOPER: This is Twiggy water skiing. This is the legendary news kicker of all time, the skiing squirrel.
HILL: Twiggy is good.
COOPER: West Palm Beach, Florida, three years ago. Beloved by newscasters across the country.
HILL: I'm a little surprised you didn't come out with either A, the bear on the trampoline ...
COOPER: Bear on trampoline? Yeah.
HILL: Or B, the smoking chimp.
COOPER: We don't want to be predictable.
All right, Erica, thanks very much.
360 "Next," you saw the video, a bus driver in a fight with school kids. Prosecutors call the teens rude, they are essentially off the hook. We're going to talk to their lawyer. Also tonight, Paris in love with a Paris, two Hiltons in reality TV. They may all seem a bit confusing and a too much. A little too much Hilton. A little too much Paris action. We'll talk about that ahead. But first a CNN at 25 quiz.
In 1980 three very different films topped the list of the highest grossing movies, "9 to 5," starring Jane Fonda, Lilly Tomlin and Dolly Parton and "Superman II" both brought in about $100 million each. But "Star Wars, Episode V, The Emperor Strikes Back" made the most money that year, almost 300 million. But none of these movies won the best picture category at the 1980 Academy awards. Which film brought home the Oscar that year?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Before the break we asked you what film won the Best Picture Oscar in 1980? The answer, "Ordinary People" starring Mary Tyler Moore, Donald Sutherland and Timothy Hutton.
Well, last month we showed you some pretty shocking video. A school bus driver in a 15 minute brawl with teenagers on his bus. Now the driver faces a misdemeanor battery charge. Yesterday prosecutors announced no charges will be filed against the kids involved. They had originally been charged with felonies. Even though they feel the kids need to be punished by their parents and the school district. The kids' side of the story tonight.
We are joined in Punta Gorda, Florida by their attorney, Russell Hershey. Russell, good to speak to you again. Albert Taylor the bus driver is still being charged with a misdemeanor. Could face up to a year in prison. Does the family think he should serve time in prison for what he did?
RUSSELL KIRSHY, ATTORNEY FOR BUS FIGHT BOYS: You know, we talked about that. And I discussed with them the normal procedures for somebody who is a first-time offender. And I don't believe that they are going to be requesting a jail sentence on this case.
COOPER: The state's attorney said no charges are going to be charged against your two clients, these kids, the boys were disrespectful, rude and profane and that they needed their parents and the school district to address it. Do the parents feel these kids have done anything wrong?
KIRSHY: Well, Anderson, one of the difficulties is that despite our repeated requests we have never been provided with the entire 15- minute video. We have been provided with 40 minutes of videotape and we used that to address the criminal matter. If there are things that happened before then that are a violation of school board policy then obviously we will sit down with the school board and help them determine what an appropriate sanction is.
COOPER: You may not have seen the tape. But there are a lot of parents who don't videotape their kids, they expect their kids to tell them the truth. Have the kids said that they were rude?
KIRSHY: Actually, no. They in fact they denied being rude at all. And they gave us the play by play of what was going to happen in the videotape and everything they told us was exactly the truth so far. So until we see the videotape we're really not going to be able to judge.
COOPER: Are you going to sue the bus driver, the school district at this point?
KIRSHY: We have no plans to do that. We're obviously exploring everything related to the case. And so we'll be requesting a lot of records and things like that. After we have that -- those in hand we'll sit down and discuss it.
COOPER: Russell, we appreciate you joining us. We've talked with you before. Thank you very much for being with us.
KIRSHY: My pleasure. Thank you for having me.
COOPER: Coming up next tonight on 360, like mother like daughter. Another Hilton is stepping into the reality TV business. How long before she is downloadable, too? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well on tonight's "Current," the Hiltons. First it was all about Paris. Now she is getting a little competition for the limelight and it's coming from her mother.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (on camera): Okay. Would he know who this is, Paris. She revealed herself in so many ways. On TV, DVD, Internet downloads and now a racy commercial for a hamburger. I think it's for a hamburger.
Now Hilton's publicist, Rob Shooter (ph), says the heiress will be marrying an heir, also named Paris. Can you imagine the confusion? How will they know who is who. He is into shipping and she's into shopping. Together, we don't think money is going to be a problem. Soon, the pseudo-celebrity socialite will leave her diamond studded luxury nest. So what's a mother to do? If you are Kathy Hilton you do the only logical thing. Star in a reality show.
In "I want to be a Hilton" Kathy Hilton will help guide contestants up the social ladder. The winner gets a trust fund, an apartment and a full wardrobe, though let's pray it doesn't belong to Paris.
And we hear the wannabes will be put through the ringer with all kinds of tough, complicated challenges. Like posing outside downtown hip clubs. Posing inside hit downtown clubs, finding an entourage big enough for the Humvee limo. And perhaps figuring out how to extend your 15 minutes of fame for a few minutes longer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (on camera): Ah, Paris. You know, I hate to give them any more publicity but sometimes you just can't resist. I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks very much for watching 360 tonight. Tonight CNN is celebrating its 25 anniversary with a special program called "Defining Moments," a look back at some of the stories that have defined CNN and defined our lives for the last 25 years.
That begins right now.
END
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 1, 2005 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Kitty, thanks very much.
Good evening, everyone.
California homes crashing down as residents run for their lives. 360 starts now.
A massive landslide destroys million dollar homes. Tonight, a California coastal community devastated. But was this disaster a ticking time bomb waiting to blow?
Killing for the thrill? Teens charged with first degree murder for kicking and beating a homeless man to death. Tonight, did they really kill just because they were bored? And what drove one of their mothers to turn them in?
The deep secrets of Deep Throat. Tonight, hero or villain? Was Mark Felt just doing his patriot duty when he helped topple a president?
An update on the tsunami. Six months later. Remembering the children lost and celebrating those who survived.
And the school bus attack caught on tape. Now the two kids will not be charged with a crime. Tonight, does this send the wrong message to rowdy kids? And what will happen to the bus driver who lost control?
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
And good evening to you. The good news first.
In the landslide you're about to see, there were only two minor injuries. Now you're going to appreciate just how remarkable that is when we tell you or rather show you the bad news. Eighteen homes worth millions of dollars have been damaged or destroyed. Take a look. It is hard to imagine the scope of the devastation here. More than 300 homes have been evacuated. And a peaceful neighborhood essentially turned upside down. It happened this morning. A mountain of mud giving way. Residents scrambling to save their lives. Liz Habib reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL LOCKHART (ph): My house is ruined. LIZ HABIB, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Jill Lockhart's home was more than a dozen that came crashing down. At the crack of dawn, multimillion dollar homes started cracking and folding and sliding down the hill.
LOCKHART: We ran down the front side of the mountain. And we could hear this house collapsing behind us, sinking in and I guess the driveway moved 200 feet as we were running down it.
HABIB: Sherry Way (ph) lives in this gray house and that's her SUV, now sitting at an angle. She says the whole thing started with a noise.
SHERRY WAY: You know that crackling candy that you eat? Thank you. That's exactly what it is like.
HABIB: Some people thought it was an earthquake. They got out with what they could carry. Or what they could cart. Dr. Jeff Jacobs (ph) left surgery worried about getting what his kids need.
JEFF JACOBS: Clothing for myself and a whole thing of dolls for my kids, sippy cups, cereal.
HABIB: David and Sara Vandervene (ph) had been in the process of remodeling their million dollar dream home.
DAVID VANDERVENE: There will be big sliders that open across so that the whole house will open up basically like a lanai.
HABIB: Now they can only watch helplessly from a distance.
DAVID VANDERVENE: Obviously its changed and we're definitely sad. Had a tough morning.
SARA VANDERVENE: Sad for our neighbors. I cried a little. And, you know, it's just - we just - there's a lot we don't know at this point. We're hoping for the best but we're really sad for our neighbors.
HABIB: It could be two to three days before they and everyone else can get in to see the damage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HABIB: Now the latest information is that it does stand at 18 homes damaged or destroyed. Seven of those homes completely destroyed, buckled in and uninhabitable. This is still a very active situation. That hill is moving -- actually in millimeters right now -- but there's so much danger that it could actually come crashing down all at once because it hasn't stopped moving. If you're up in there, way up in there, gas lines are breaking, power lines are still down. You can actually hear the hissing of the gas as it comes out of the gas lines up there.
Why is all of this going on now? We haven't had any noticeable rain here in Southern California in a long time. But as you may recall, we did have a very wet winter. In fact, it was near record breaking weather with all of the rain going on. So the theory is that all of that rain and all of that water seeped into the hillsides here in Laguna Beach and now, a couple months later, it's all loosening up and bringing down these unbelievable multimillion dollar homes with them.
Which by the way, Anderson, if you're up there on those bluffs, the views of the Pacific Ocean here are out of this world. So you can understand why people might want to live in those type of homes even with that type of danger.
COOPER: Yes, Liz, a couple of questions. We're looking at a live shot right now of a home with a flag on it. Previously we were looking at what looked like a search and rescue dog or a cadaver dog. Are they -- they're still actively looking for people. Do they know of anyone who's missing at that point?
HABIB: No. They don't believe there are any more people up there. Right now it's really deserted. What they're doing is they're up there making sure that everything is secure at this point. Making sure there are no people. No one's reported anybody still up there or anybody missing. People were running down here. It was chaotic this morning. They weren't just bringing themselves and their kids, of course, and their clothes, but their cats, their dogs. One guy with an aquarium with a snake in it. Anything they needed to get out of there because there were upwards of 300 homes that have been evacuated. Not that many homes are in danger, it's just they want to get those people out because they don't even have power up there right now.
COOPER: Has this happened before in Laguna Beach?
HABIB: Yes, it has. As a matter of fact, on the other side of the road back in 1978 there was a mudslide very similar to this. And there are a few people who live up in those homes who lived through that mudslide back in '78. This is a very common occurrence in California. When you live up in the hills, you could expect that you might have to live through a mudslide and it could cause you to lose everything.
COOPER: Such a beautiful part of the world, part of the United States.
Liz, thanks very much. Appreciate you joining us.
We're going to be talking live in a little bit with a woman whose home and future very much in doubt at this very moment. She fled her house with her kids this morning. Right now there is a house above hers which may collapse and fall on to her home. She's staying with friends. She's going to join us live later on in this hour.
Today's landslide reminded us of another recent California mudslide. Reminded us that we often don't follow-up enough to see what happens after the headlines fade. The loss in La Conchita was not just houses, however. The town is still grieving. Still literally picking up the pieces. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER, (voice over): When the hillside along the Pacific Coast Highway buried part of La Conchita, California, on January 10th, it was no surprise. The warning signs had been there for days. When the hillside let loose just afternoon, it released an estimated 465,000 tons of earth and rock and leveled 15 of La Conchita's 166 houses. Firefighter Garrett Prader helped rescue three people buried alive.
GARRETT PRADER, FIREFIGHTER: She was probably a good 20, 30 feet in underneath several layers of flooring and roof. And she was pinned from her legs down but she had debris all the way up to her neck.
COOPER: Among those lost in the slide were Jimmy Wallet's wife and three of his children. He spent days along side rescue workers digging with his bare hands trying to find them.
JIMMY WALLET, LOST WIFE AND THREE CHILDREN: When it hit, well you're running towards it and it just hitting your house where you know your kids are at with mud blowing through the wall and hitting every room and filling up and exploding. People started coming up. And I was just -- I mean everyone's just looking, searching, trying to dig, get shovels. Give me some chain saws. Anything. Let's go.
COOPER: Today, the town of La Conchita has a cloud still hanging over its head. The unstable hill above still threatening to repeat the devastation its caused repeatedly over the years.
DON SKI, SURVIVOR: I just walked outside and I was right down here at the bottom of the driveway when the mud was going by me.
COOPER: Don Ski barely made it out of his house alive on the day of the mudslide. Today, he can't live in his own home but rents right across the street.
SKI: I like living on the beach. I mean, this is where I live. This is my house. This -- you know, I was here for the last one and I guess it's just not my time to go, you know. I'll keep coming back til I can't come back anymore.
COOPER: Don knows it is just a matter of time before the kill slides into La Conchita again.
SKI: You know, I think when it does happen again it's going to be -- I think it will go all the way to the beach the next time and I think there will be nothing left to even worry about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, he's not the only one who thinks that. The experts seem to agree there are more landslides in La Conchita's future. A study done this spring by the United States Geological Survey predicts that more heavy rain or earthquake activity could bring parts or all of the hillside down on the town.
To the East Coast now and a threat of another sort. Welcome to June and the hurricane season. It started today and this year promises to be, in the words of forecasters, very active. Now they predict 15 tropical storm, of which eight may grow to hurricane strength with perhaps half of those becoming intense. And in case you need a reminder of what intense looks like, here's a look at last season. For many, however, especially in Florida, no reminders are needed, thank you very much. CNN's John Zarrella is in Punta Gorda tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Nearly 10 months after Richard Taylor and his family lost just about everything but their lives, reflection is still painful.
RICHARD TAYLOR, HURRICANE VICTIM: I dang sure don't want to look at that thing because that is a constant reminder. I can't even stand looking at it now. I still -- brings back memories. That day, man, when I drove up here and my house was gone.
ZARRELLA: The Taylors lived in a mobile home on this piece of ground outside Punta Gorda. It was their world. Then Charlie came, swallowed up their home and others round it.
TAYLOR: One minute you own the world and the next minute you're homeless and you don't know -- you just don't know what -- what tomorrow holds. It's a weird feeling. I hope I never have to feel it again.
ZARRELLA: We first met the Taylors, Richard, Marni, and their three children, a month after the hurricane. They were living in a FEMA provided travel trailer in Port Charlotte.
TAYLOR: And I pulled in there and seen them setting up FEMA trailers. I told the guys, I said, look man, I got $11 in my pocket. I don't have no place to go. No food. No nothing. What do I do? He said, buddy, I'll have you a place in five minutes. So he put us in a FEMA camping trailer.
ZARRELLA: They called these cramped quarters home for three months until the federal agency moved the Taylors to a mobile home city set up across from Interstate 75 on the outskirts of Punta Gorda. More than 27,000 people are still living in FEMA housing. Five hundred families live in the neat rows of homes here. At least this place had more room. Four-year-old Richie (ph) liked that.
RICHIE TAYLOR: Because.
ZARRELLA: Because why?
RICHIE TAYLOR: Because it's bigger.
ZARRELLA: A week before Christmas we caught up with the Taylors again. They had done their best to prepare for the holidays. But with Richard disabled and Marni's job bringing barely enough to get by, there was little left for presents.
MARNI TAYLOR: We're struggling right now. I mean we're broke. Flat broke.
ZARRELLA: Today, 10 months since the storm, the Taylors are still here, still struggling, still living on the edge.
MARNI TAYLOR: I went today and they paid my St. Vincent (INAUDIBLE) of Punta Gorda. Paid my electric and my water.
ZARRELLA: As difficult as times have been, life may finally be cutting the Taylors a break. Through a federal grant they will get a new $55,000 double wide. No cost as long as they live in it for five years. Really cool, says Richie.
RICHIE TAYLOR: Two houses sticked together.
ZARRELLA: The Taylors qualified because they own the property where the old mobile home sat. Richard and Marni are thankful for all FEMA has done but it's time for them and the children to go home.
TAYLOR: They take it well. They have been through a lot.
ZARRELLA: Doing better now?
TAYLOR: Yes. They're ready to go home. They say it all the time, we're ready to go home. This is home. Right, bo?
ZARRELLA: As for the timing of the move, that's a bit unsettling. The Taylors should be in by September -- the peak of hurricane season.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now the real tragedy here is that the Taylors are not alone. They are one of thousands of family in the same or worse shape here in Florida still trying to rebuild.
We are in downtown Punta Gorda tonight. Behind me, this used to be a shopping plaza. A strip mall. In fact, Anderson, I'm sure you remember, you and I were here on the 14th, the morning after the storm, August 14th, you profiled the man who owned an ice cream store that was sitting right about here where I am standing right now. Everything is gone now. That man had hoped to rebuild. He was trying to get back together. Get his life back together. His business back together. And as you can see, it is all gone now. Many hopes, many dreams were shattered here and across Florida last year during that mean six-week period from August through September.
Anderson.
COOPER: I remember that spot very well. It is incredible just to see it all gone like that. I mean there was a huge shopping mall there. And I know the man with the ice cream store was saying that he simply didn't have enough insurance. They had under covered themselves. So it's just one of the many tragic stories we followed.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
COOPER: All right, John, thanks very much. Appreciate it.
We like to check up on stories that we brought you. And today we found out our favorite hurricane alligator, Chucky (ph), has also had a pretty tough year. Here's a quick news note.
You remember Chucky? He escaped his pen when Hurricane Ivan slammed at the Gulf Shores Alabama. Later recaptured and then safely taken back to the zoo. That's him being recaptured. The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo was heavily damaged. They say they are still waiting for their FEMA money. They remain closed to the public. Chucky, all 11 feet and 1,100 pounds of him, is there in the zoo. However, eating chicken, as you can say, and said to be doing just fine. And, yes, it does taste like chicken.
Next on 360, Deep Throat. The secret's out and so are the opinions. Was W. Mark Felt acting in the nation's best interest or his own when he helped bring down President Bush. President Bush weighed in on that today. We'll talk about that ahead.
Also, a homeless man murdered. Three teens accused. Why did one of their own mothers turn them in?
And later, that school bus beating caught on tape. Remember this, bus driver hitting the student and the student hitting back. Felony charges were filed against two of the students. Well, the state's attorney making some decisions today about those charges. We'll talk to the kids attorney in just a bit.
All that ahead. First, your picks, the most popular stories on cnn.com right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: You know, sometimes you come across a story that makes you ask yourself, what would I do in this situation? And this next story is definitely one of those. What would you do if you thought your child was involved in a brutal crime? Would you call police? Tonight you're going to hear from a woman from Florida faced with that very question. Her son and another teen are accused of beating a homeless man to death for the thrill of it. CNN's Susan Candiotti investigates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Vicky Spurgeon is a mother torn in two.
VICKY SPURGEON, SUSPECT'S MOTHER: It's a nightmare. I haven't been able to sleep. It's like I'm putting my son in his grave.
CANDIOTTI: It isn't every day you turn in your son for alleged murder.
SPURGEON: This is not something that he would do.
CANDIOTTI: But police say Spurgeon's 18-year-old son Jeffrey, a high school dropout, said by his parents to be learning disabled, and a 14-year-old friend, who, for now, is being charged as a juvenile, are among those responsible for the savage beating death of a homeless man last week. The scene of the crime, behind a car wash.
We're walking down a path very heavily wooded, as you can see.
One clearing reveal as makeshift lean-to decorated with a soggy American flag, a pair of tennis shoes, a mixing bowl, an empty metal tool kit. The sheriff takes us down another trail that led to death.
Sheriff, to say this area is remote is to put it mildly. A lot of heavy brush back here.
SHERIFF BEN JOHNSON, VOLUSIA CO., FLORIDA: Well, this is thick. This is a whole Florida woods.
CANDIOTTI: And where was the body found?
JOHNSON: The body was in this area right here.
CANDIOTTI: The victim, a homeless but not nameless man. 53- year-old Michael Roberts, looking much older than his age. His family says he used to be a talented carpenter before alcohol took control. When police found Roberts, he had been dead for nearly four days. His clothes soaked in blood.
JOHNSON: They had three separate attacks on him. They came and attacked him one time and admittedly the first time around hit him with their fists. Then they came back two more times, at which time they hit him with sticks. They kicked him. Threw a log on him and stomped on the log. It was a brutal beating.
CANDIOTTI: But why?
JOHNSON: I don't know. You know, how can you say -- what can you say about why would somebody beat man like this. And he's guilty of one thing, being homeless and living in the woods?
SPURGEON: My son would never do this intentionally. I didn't bring him up like this. He's a loving kid. He'd give the shirt off his back to anyone. I don't know why this was done.
CANDIOTTI: Vicky Spurgeon says she suspects others with her son gave him alcohol and drugs which affected his judgment. She says when her son told her what happened, she called police anonymously about a body in the woods.
VICKY SPURGEON: And supposedly these boys killed this guy. But I don't want to give my name or my daughter's name. She doesn't want to be involved. She just thought somebody should know about it and check it out to see if it's true.
CANDIOTTI: Police say they call the woman back and that she told them she believed her son was involved.
SPURGEON: He attended church. He worked. He was a full-time worker. He was a good kid.
CANDIOTTI: A motive? A police form says her son told them it was "just for fun and to have something to do."
JOHNSON: I can't fathom that. It's fun to beat a man to death for no reason? But it's one of those things that some people -- I just don't understand it. I do know they're in the correct place now.
CANDIOTTI: And that is?
JOHNSON: In jail.
CANDIOTTI: The brother of victim Michael Roberts devastated. He supports the death penalty but not for those in this case.
DONNIE ROBERTS, VICTIM'S BROTHER: I want them both to tell me the truth. What -- out of boredom? Out of boredom?
CANDIOTTI: Spurgeon is convinced her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She says she wants him to know . . .
SPURGEON: That I love him and that I did this to try to help him and try to see that you can't get by with murder.
CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Holly Hills, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Wow. Another -- just a short time ago, CNN learned that another teen has been charged with the murder of Michael Roberts. Police say 18-year-old Justin Sterns (ph) took part in the attacks by hitting the victim in the face and throwing a log on top of him.
We're following a number of other stories. Right now, cross country, Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS is here with the latest.
Erica.
ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS: Hello again. Nice to see you.
COOPER: Great to see you.
HILL: We start off with the White House, now the Pentagon. It was first how the Pentagon reacting to that Amnesty International report claiming human rights abuses at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the allegation the facility is run like a Soviet Arab prison are "reprehensible." Rumsfeld also said compared Gitmo to such atrocities cannot be excused. In its report, Amnesty International said not a single gitmo detainee has access to due process despite a Supreme Court ruling last year.
On Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange unexpectedly halted trading four minutes early today due to a glitch in a telecommunications system. So if you made any late stock trades, keep in mind they may not post now until tomorrow. Lubbock, Texas, where golf ball size hail fell and real golf ball size. Look at that. Not good for those cars. The hail and drenching rain also damaged the area's cotton crop.
And in Washington, D.C., the 78th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. After four rounds, 51 contest are left out of the 273 who started. It will be narrowed down to a winner tomorrow. He or she will take home the biggest prize ever, $28,000 in cash, scholarships and other prizes. And since we have a "Jeopardy" champ here, we thought, let's see how Anderson does with a spelling bee question.
COOPER: Who would you be talking about? A "Jeopardy" champion here?
HILL: Oh, who could it be? I don't know?
COOPER: Is Aaron Brown here? No. No.
HILL: It ain't me.
COOPER: It's me.
HILL: It's you. So, since you can win "Jeopardy."
COOPER: You know, you with your tests. With the on air surprise little test. Go ahead. Go ahead. Give me your best shot.
HILL: All right. All right.
COOPER: I'm going to borrow your pen just so I can write it out.
HILL: OK. There you go. You can take the pen.
COOPER: OK.
HILL: The word is metonymy.
COOPER: Metonymy.
HILL: Metonymy. Do you need a definition? Would you like me to use it in a sentence?
COOPER: Please. Yes. Yes.
HILL: It is a figure of speech. I love that test music you people have. The 360 band is amazing. A figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another.
COOPER: Metonymy.
HILL: For example...
COOPER: Metonymy.
HILL: Metonymy. COOPER: Well, can you use it in a sentence?
HILL: I can use it in a sentence. Actually, I can. And I'm not even a "Jeopardy" champ.
When you say, I count two heads at this table instead of count two people at this table, that's an example of a metonymy.
COOPER: All right. Is it -- I'm going to get it wrong. Is it m-a-t-o-n-o-m-y?
HILL: Can you go a little slower here. I'm trying to spell it for people at home.
COOPER: m-a-t-o-n-o-m-y?
HILL: No. There's a few letters that are correct but really not even close. Would you like the spelling?
COOPER: Yes.
HILL: It's m-e-t...
COOPER: m-e-t. You said matonymy. Anyway, go ahead.
HILL: That's how it's pronounced. I looked into it online.
COOPER: OK.
HILL: Your people gave me the link.
COOPER: All right.
HILL: m-e-t-o-n-y-m-y.
COOPER: All right. Erica Hill may be back in 30 minutes. We're not sure. We'll see.
HILL: And you may come back to Atlanta one day but maybe not.
COOPER: Thanks very much, Erica. Appreciate it. Making me a fool yet again.
Coming up on 360, a school bus beating that was caught on tape. Two boys charged with felonies. Will those charges stick? Some decisions have been made today. We'll talk to their attorney.
Also ahead tonight, landslide in California. Houses crushed, dreams dashed and the earth is still moving. More houses could go. We're going to go back out to Laguna Beach and talk to a woman whose house was wiped out today.
A little bit later also tonight, one day after W. Mark Felt reveals he is Deep Throat. The questions and opinions are flying. Is Felt a hero or a rogue? We don't take sides. We're covering all the angles. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, burying a secret for more than three decades is difficult. And burying feelings of betrayal can be just as hard. Now everything is out with the revelation of the former number two man at the FBI, W. Mark Felt, was Deep Throat, the secret source who brought down the Nixon White House. At "The Washington Post," those who value him came together yesterday. Journalist Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward reunited to discuss the man who helped them unravel the Watergate scandal. Some say Felt is a hero for his role in their reporting, but elsewhere voices of anger were loud and clear saying Felt turned on his country by betraying the FBI and the president.
Now we don't take sides on 360. Covering all the angles for us tonight, CNN's Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): In early 1973, the White House was pretty sure Mark Felt was leaking to "The Washington Post," prompting the president to wonder how the public would feel about Felt's role.
RICHARD NIXON: The informer is not wanted in our society. Either way, that's the one thing people do sort of line up against.
CROWLEY: Thirty-two years later, the man in the oval office would rather not get into whether W. Mark Felt betrayed or lived up to his public trust.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He was a -- it's hard for me to judge learning more about the situation. All I can tell you is, is that it's a -- it was a revelation that caught me by surprise.
CROWLEY: In an administration which despises leaks, putting a name to the most famous, anonymous source in journalism calls for some nuance.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think that any time wrongdoing occurs, it's important that that wrongdoing be reported. And I think that's appropriate. Now, who one reports that to, the authorities is one thing, or somebody else is another.
CROWLEY: Aye, there's the rub.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I have to do this my way.
CROWLEY: Unlike the heroic nation saving myth of Deep Throat, reality is messier, less clear.
RONALD KESSLER, AUTHOR: I think that Mark Felt was an American hero. Trying to make sure that this government would continue because Nixon was capable of almost anything, including tearing up the constitution, in my opinion. CROWLEY: But Felt's critics, many of them Watergate figures, say by revealing the contents of an ongoing investigation, Felt betrayed his job and his country.
BERNARD BARKER, WATERGATE BURGLAR: The man has no honor. I think he is a crumb and I think it -- I don't see how he can live with himself.
CROWLEY: Others fault felt not for revealing the information but for how he went about it.
CHARLES COLSON, FORMER NIXON SPECIAL COUNSEL: He easily could have come to the officials responsible if they hadn't acted, then he would resign, have a press conference and that would be entirely honorable. It would be an honorable position for a whistleblower to take.
CROWLEY: Felt has the course of history on his side, of course. The Nixon White House was revealed to be involved in a string of illegalities and the president was forced to resign. Still, it took him 32 years to step out, telling his family he leaked the information out of a sense of duty.
But consider this, "It would be contrary to my responsible as a loyal employee of the FBI to leak information." A 1999 statement from Deep Throat. In the end, the biggest argument over his role in history was between Mark Felt and Mark Felt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, nice to see you. Thanks for coming.
CROWLEY: Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: The school bus attack caught on tape. Now the two kids will not be charged with a crime. Tonight, does this send the wrong message to rowdy kids? What will happen to the bus driver who lost control?
And an update on the tsunami. Six months later. Remembering the children lost and celebrating those who survived. 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We began this evening at the scene of that landslide in Laguna Beach, California, where, fortunately, no lives have been lost but an awful lot of very expensive property is about to be. Seven million dollar homes are gone. Eleven others have been damaged and more than 300 homes have now been evacuated. Very luckily, indeed, only two minor injuries have been reported.
Joining us live now is Jill Lockhart who made it out of her two kids, her two four-year-old children -- excuse me, two and four-year- old children. Their house itself did not make it. Would he are so happy you are safe and kids are safe and very sorry about your home.
What happened this morning? You heard what? The sound of cracking and glass shattering?
JILL LOCKHART, HOME DESTROYED: And popping. Popping wood. Cracking. The electrical boxes on the electrical poles were exploding. Immediately, living in Laguna on a hillside I thought the house was sliding. So I grabbed my two-year-old out of his crib and grabbed my four-year-old. We went to the front of the house thinking the street would be the safest place. But the street was a disaster. It was a nightmare. It was buckling. The street dropped 100 feet on one side of us. On the other side of us it buckled like 40 feet. It was complete chaos.
COOPER: So you actually saw the street, the ground buckling?
LOCKHART: Oh, yeah, 40 feet above our head. We tried to jump in an SUV to get out. And there was no place we could go. We were blocked in by a fallen electrical pole. And the street buckled and we were trapped. Essentially we were all trapped on top of the hill. Me with the two kids. My husband had just left for work 20 minutes earlier and that's why I was awake.
COOPER: How were your kids dealing with all this?
LOCKHART: My two-year-old was hysterical on my arm. And my four-year-old kept asking me why the street was breaking and where the poles were falling. And out of nowhere some 20-year-old kid that doesn't live on my street I don't think was there to help me. And we had to actually come down the face of the hill. We had to come down the front face of the hill where the slide was happening. There was no other way to get off the hill. We would have been gone. We would have never survived. It was awful.
COOPER: Your quick thinking got you out of the house. Did you feel the house moving when you heard the cracking and popping did you say we just got to get out?
LOCKHART: I at first said get us out of here, please. Then the minute I was running up the stairs and grabbed my 4-year-old almost felt like I was on stilts like it was bumping up and down moving. My poor cat is still stuck up there. But we made it out safe. It was horrible. The house in front of us like sunk in a giant sinkhole. And that house has to be a $6 or $7 million home that is a huge estate. It sunk in a giant sea hole. We were running around the side of that home down the iceplants (ph) to get down the driveway to get down to the bottom of the hill. And the driveway was cracking as we were running down the hill. I looked back now and the driveway moved 400 feet, 200 feet, something, I don't know how would he got down. I don't know how we got off the hill.
COOPER: Are you going to be able to get back into the house. Salvage whatever remains of it?
LOCKHART: As of right now they are telling us no. I don't know. There's a home that's teetering right above us. The one on the right side already came down in the road where we were standing. So I don't think so. It's done.
COOPER: Well, Jill, I know you are happy to have gotten out of there and thank God you thought so quickly and got your kids.
LOCKHART: Thank God. Thank God.
COOPER: And you got help from someone who didn't live on your block. Jill, good luck to you. I know ...
LOCKHART: We're so lucky.
COOPER: Lucky indeed. Really good luck to you. We'll continue to follow your story. And we wish you the best.
LOCKHART: Thanks again.
COOPER: All right. So many people out of their homes tonight. Some 300 homes have been evacuated.
Far from the California coast recovery and relief efforts from last year's tsunami continue. They are going to continue for years to come, of course. The wave killed more than 169,000 people. Millions, of course, were left homeless. Lives changed forever. Earlier this month, President Bush signed a supplemental bill which will provide a total of a $907 million in tsunami relief. The UN reports that aid groups like UNICEF and the World Health Organization have spent nearly $300 million so far.
Tonight, as CNN marks its 25 anniversary, we take a look back at those defining tragic moments in December. What happened more than five months ago touched all of us and the story continues to this day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tsunami, my God, it's coming. A big one.
Oh, my God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifteen, 20 feet tall, easy.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. Like many people around the world and many CNNers I was on Christmas vacation with my family. I came immediately to Sri Lanka in the southern part of Sri Lanka it was hit very, very badly.
(voice-over): There was small fishing villages that had essentially been wiped out. Trees had been leveled. Cars, lorries, ships, boats, thing had simply been displaced. And, of course, people so many people had been killed.
Many of the world's officials, certainly many of the aid organizations, the United Nations, had never, ever seen a disaster on this scale and of this magnitude.
The first story I did was about a little boy and his father. Little Cheyenne (ph) was six years old when the tragedy struck. He was traveling with his mother his sisters and a cousin on a train which ironically was called Queen of the Sea. We took him back with his father Ranjit (ph) to go and see the site of the devastation and the disaster.
The train tracks had been lifted from the ground and simply tossed aside and the train carriages had also been tossed off the train tracks and lying on their sides all down the length of the railroad track. Cheyenne, the little boy, told us that the only way he survived was by reaching his little arms up to hold on to the luggage rack. And by doing that he was able to keep his head above the water that had flooded the carriages. And he said that was the last he saw of his mother and his sisters and his cousin.
And it was really tragic because this little boy, you could see that he was still traumatized. As he was trying to tell us the story he was only coming out in halting statements and little fractions and fragments of conversation. Ranjit says Cheyenne has not yet shed a tear. He is still keeping that emotion inside. He says he misses his mother and his sisters and the father is trying his best to help him get over this. Help him try to understand what happened.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And that train is back up and running. Join CNN tonight at 8:00 as we mark our anniversary with a special prime time event. The defining moments that have touched people over the world in the last quarter century.
Earlier CNN chief international correspondent sat down with the man who created CNN, Ted Turner. And among other things she asked him how he came up with the idea to take CNN global.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED TURNER, CNN FOUNDER: I got the idea to go global with Fidel Castro. The signal spilled into Cuba and he heard about it and he bought a satellite dish or got one somehow and started watching the news. And he said it was incredibly important. When I met him in '82. He said, Ted, the whole world needs CNN, he said, I use it all the time. It's very important to me. So I said if Castro needs it, certainly the capitalist around the world could use it and perhaps some other communists, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Coming up next on 360, two stepbrothers in a scuffle with a bus driver. It was all caught on tape. The bus driver hit one of the kids. The kid hit back. There's been a big legal decision in this case. We're going to talk to one of the kid's lawyers about what happened.
Also tonight, well, we'll always have Paris, won't we, do we really need another Paris and her mother, too? She is not downloadable yet but mom is following her daughter on to TV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In a moment, the story of the bus driver who hit one of the kids on the bus. We'll tell you what happened to him. Time now, though, to check on what else is happening in the world. Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS joins us with the latest. Erica?
HILL: Hey again, Anderson. We started off with news from the Associated Press reporting that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas underwent heart angioplasty today to clear up clogged arteries. Now the AP says Abbas was taken to a Jordanian hospital after complaining of fatigue. An aide is reported as saying the heart procedure was successful.
In Europe the E.U. fails to go Dutch. The Netherlands has now become the second country to reject the proposed constitution for the European Union, following France. One political analyst say some Dutch are still angry the euro became Europe's currency even though they voted against it.
In Haifa, Israel, courtroom chaos. This is absolutely insane video, watch this. A free for all brawl erupts at a murder trial on Monday. And this one pretty ugly. Spectators hurling chairs and throwing punches. Two people were arrested. But amazingly, despite the violence, no one was seriously injured.
And what would a news update be? About an animal story and a cute one at that. Take a look at this little guy. This squirrel spotted in Denver, Colorado not snacking on a dandelion, it's a lollipop. Some areas of the country they call it a sucker, I call it a lollipop. He probably spoiled his dinner of nuts and berries. Grass, what have you.
COOPER: All right, well I see your cut little news kicker and raise you a cutesy news kicker.
HILL: All right. What have you got?
COOPER: This is Twiggy water skiing. This is the legendary news kicker of all time, the skiing squirrel.
HILL: Twiggy is good.
COOPER: West Palm Beach, Florida, three years ago. Beloved by newscasters across the country.
HILL: I'm a little surprised you didn't come out with either A, the bear on the trampoline ...
COOPER: Bear on trampoline? Yeah.
HILL: Or B, the smoking chimp.
COOPER: We don't want to be predictable.
All right, Erica, thanks very much.
360 "Next," you saw the video, a bus driver in a fight with school kids. Prosecutors call the teens rude, they are essentially off the hook. We're going to talk to their lawyer. Also tonight, Paris in love with a Paris, two Hiltons in reality TV. They may all seem a bit confusing and a too much. A little too much Hilton. A little too much Paris action. We'll talk about that ahead. But first a CNN at 25 quiz.
In 1980 three very different films topped the list of the highest grossing movies, "9 to 5," starring Jane Fonda, Lilly Tomlin and Dolly Parton and "Superman II" both brought in about $100 million each. But "Star Wars, Episode V, The Emperor Strikes Back" made the most money that year, almost 300 million. But none of these movies won the best picture category at the 1980 Academy awards. Which film brought home the Oscar that year?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Before the break we asked you what film won the Best Picture Oscar in 1980? The answer, "Ordinary People" starring Mary Tyler Moore, Donald Sutherland and Timothy Hutton.
Well, last month we showed you some pretty shocking video. A school bus driver in a 15 minute brawl with teenagers on his bus. Now the driver faces a misdemeanor battery charge. Yesterday prosecutors announced no charges will be filed against the kids involved. They had originally been charged with felonies. Even though they feel the kids need to be punished by their parents and the school district. The kids' side of the story tonight.
We are joined in Punta Gorda, Florida by their attorney, Russell Hershey. Russell, good to speak to you again. Albert Taylor the bus driver is still being charged with a misdemeanor. Could face up to a year in prison. Does the family think he should serve time in prison for what he did?
RUSSELL KIRSHY, ATTORNEY FOR BUS FIGHT BOYS: You know, we talked about that. And I discussed with them the normal procedures for somebody who is a first-time offender. And I don't believe that they are going to be requesting a jail sentence on this case.
COOPER: The state's attorney said no charges are going to be charged against your two clients, these kids, the boys were disrespectful, rude and profane and that they needed their parents and the school district to address it. Do the parents feel these kids have done anything wrong?
KIRSHY: Well, Anderson, one of the difficulties is that despite our repeated requests we have never been provided with the entire 15- minute video. We have been provided with 40 minutes of videotape and we used that to address the criminal matter. If there are things that happened before then that are a violation of school board policy then obviously we will sit down with the school board and help them determine what an appropriate sanction is.
COOPER: You may not have seen the tape. But there are a lot of parents who don't videotape their kids, they expect their kids to tell them the truth. Have the kids said that they were rude?
KIRSHY: Actually, no. They in fact they denied being rude at all. And they gave us the play by play of what was going to happen in the videotape and everything they told us was exactly the truth so far. So until we see the videotape we're really not going to be able to judge.
COOPER: Are you going to sue the bus driver, the school district at this point?
KIRSHY: We have no plans to do that. We're obviously exploring everything related to the case. And so we'll be requesting a lot of records and things like that. After we have that -- those in hand we'll sit down and discuss it.
COOPER: Russell, we appreciate you joining us. We've talked with you before. Thank you very much for being with us.
KIRSHY: My pleasure. Thank you for having me.
COOPER: Coming up next tonight on 360, like mother like daughter. Another Hilton is stepping into the reality TV business. How long before she is downloadable, too? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well on tonight's "Current," the Hiltons. First it was all about Paris. Now she is getting a little competition for the limelight and it's coming from her mother.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (on camera): Okay. Would he know who this is, Paris. She revealed herself in so many ways. On TV, DVD, Internet downloads and now a racy commercial for a hamburger. I think it's for a hamburger.
Now Hilton's publicist, Rob Shooter (ph), says the heiress will be marrying an heir, also named Paris. Can you imagine the confusion? How will they know who is who. He is into shipping and she's into shopping. Together, we don't think money is going to be a problem. Soon, the pseudo-celebrity socialite will leave her diamond studded luxury nest. So what's a mother to do? If you are Kathy Hilton you do the only logical thing. Star in a reality show.
In "I want to be a Hilton" Kathy Hilton will help guide contestants up the social ladder. The winner gets a trust fund, an apartment and a full wardrobe, though let's pray it doesn't belong to Paris.
And we hear the wannabes will be put through the ringer with all kinds of tough, complicated challenges. Like posing outside downtown hip clubs. Posing inside hit downtown clubs, finding an entourage big enough for the Humvee limo. And perhaps figuring out how to extend your 15 minutes of fame for a few minutes longer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (on camera): Ah, Paris. You know, I hate to give them any more publicity but sometimes you just can't resist. I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks very much for watching 360 tonight. Tonight CNN is celebrating its 25 anniversary with a special program called "Defining Moments," a look back at some of the stories that have defined CNN and defined our lives for the last 25 years.
That begins right now.
END
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