Return to Transcripts main page

Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Britain, Italy Terror Arrests; Stem Cell Flap; Discovery Safe; Lightning Strikes; Work Productivity

Aired July 29, 2005 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A dramatic raid in London and a swift arrest in Rome: all four bombers now in custody. Tonight, police vow more raids to go after the masterminds of the London bombing.

Breaking ranks: top Senate Republican and physician Bill Frist breaks with the White House and speaks out for stem cell research. But is it politically charged?

REP. TOM DELAY, (R) TEXAS: I think a candidate that believes in the destruction of life would have a very hard time appealing to the vast majority of the Republicans in this party.

COLLINS: Presidential politics or curing diseases?

Out of the blue, lightning hits a scout in the California mountains. Tonight, we look at what you need to do and not to do when lightning strikes.

And most people would love to work less and get more done. But how? Tonight, the secrets of being more productive in less time.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Good evening, everybody. Welcome to 360. I'm Heidi Collins in for Anderson Cooper who is on his way to Niger. The famine-stricken West African country he will be reporting from over the next few days.

As for us tonight, here are the questions we are looking at. Step-by-step, what happened in the swift London and Rome raids to capture the last three of the four London bombers? And what of a hunt for a mastermind? Here in the United States, stem cell research: What caused Senate Republican leader Dr. Bill Frist to break from supporting the White House? And finally, lightning. With 500,000 people struck every year, what should you do or not do to be safe.

To begin with, today's events which included raids in two London neighborhoods and an arrest at about the same time in Rome. Here's CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson with a time-line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Incredible pictures: hands on his head and shirtless, the man police say identified himself as Ibrahim Muktar Said is captured. They say he tried to detonate a bomb on a London bus last week. Neighbors saw it all.

After what it's like to see him coming out of the flat with your underwear on and your arms up in the air. He then was saying to them, how do I know you're not going to shoot me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep going, please. Keep moving back.

ROBERTSON: A day of massive police raids in London and Rome, ending in the capture of Britain's three most wanted men. Now, all four suspects in last week's failed bombings are in police captivity.

It began in West London, two raids a mile apart. The most dramatic caught on camera as police storm a flat in the low rent Peabody housing escape. Incredibly, two floors below, a young child stumbles across the raid. She approaches to befriend the police dog. Another child joins. Then an adult appears. Eventually, the police officer is forced to back off. Above, all is not going well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The police then started to say to him, you know, like, you need to maintain contact with us. You need to come out on the street. He stopped talking to them. And then, like a more aggressive police officer came on the loud speaker.

ROBERTSON: White smoke from tear gas fired by the police begins to emerge from the flat, followed by Ibrahim and the man police identify as Ramzi Mohammed. He appears to be the man, who according to police, tried to detonate a bomb at the Oval tube station last week.

A mile away, in an apparently coordinated raid in the more upscale Notting Hill neighborhood, police netted another man in connection with the failed bombings.

At about the same time in Rome, the fourth and final suspect in last week's failed attacks was arrested. A man police now identify as Hussein Osman whom they previously identified as suspect No. 4. They say he tried to detonate his bomb on a tube train in Shepherds Bush.

PETER CLARKE, DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER: A European arrest warrant has been issued. And we will be seeking the return of that man to this country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: Now, these arrests should dramatically increase the possibility that police can capture the people behind the bombings. But despite that, they warn there could be other terror cells out there. And they could yet attack -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Nic Robertson. Thank you, Nic. And as you've heard the other significant development of the day happened not in England at all, but on an overnight train ride away, under the English channel and then south through Europe to Italy.

CNN's Jennifer Eccleston is standing by live in Rome to bring us up to the minute on the day's events there -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Heidi. It was very much an international sting operation. The Italian authorities confirming that Hussein Osman, a British naturalized citizen of Somali origin was arrested today in an apartment in eastern Rome shortly after arriving by train.

Now, of course, he is believed to be the fourth bomber from that July 21 failed attack on the London transport system. What happened was, Scotland Yard tipped off the Italian anti-terrorism police who traced Osman's movements from the U.K. to Italy by a cell phone.

And according to police, he arrived in Italy 48 hours ago. He stopped in Milan before coming to Rome.

Now, the apartment where Osman was arrested is owned by his brother whom police have detained for questioning. Now, that apartment has been cordoned off. And a number of items have been retrieved from the apartment, including a number of computers and a printer.

Now, police also confirm that that tracked cell phone belonged to Osman's brother-in-law.

Now, these suspects are being held at Rome's main police station. And they're undergoing interrogation by the chief anti-terror prosecutor here in Rome. As we heard earlier, British authorities have already requested his extradition, although, we're not clear when those proceedings will begin -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Jennifer Eccleston live from Rome tonight. Thank you.

The men arrested in London have been seen by the people in that city before on the blurry images on closed circuit TV. Today, though, the picture of who they are became much more fine tuned. CNN's Matthew Chance now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a face well-known to the British public, Muktar Said Ibrahim, suspected July 21 bomber of a London bus. He came to Britain in 1990 from (INAUDIBLE) in East Africa as a refugee. And was convicted for a string of muggings in 1996, serving two-and-a-half years in prison. Despite his record, he was given a British passport just a year ago.

This was the moment of surrender, two suspected bombers stripped to the waist. Ibrahim on the left. At his side, on the right, a second man being turned around by police named as Ramzi Mohammed, suspected by police as being the Oval station bomber where he was caught on CCTV in a New York sweatshirt on July the 21st making his escape. Police say he left the device on a train heading north, then ran away.

The police net has been closing on the suspected bombers for days now. Yasin Hassan Omar is the alleged Warren Street station bomber, an immigrant from Somalia captured earlier this week. The 24-year-old has British residency and like Ibrahim came to Britain as a child from East Africa.

And it appears this fourth would-be bomber, suspected of the Shepherds Bush attempted attack, is now also in custody not in London, but in Rome.

Italian officials say Hussein Osman, also of Somali origin, was detained at this apartment after being tracked across Europe through his use of a cell phone. Forensic teams are scouring the scene in the Italian capital.

In a single day of dramatic arrests, it seems, Britain's biggest ever manhunt has come to an end. Londoners can perhaps breathe a sigh of relief. But police continue to warn the threat of further terrorism is very real.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: And with those four bombing suspects now in police custody, police are refocusing their efforts on others who may have been involved but still out there on the streets. The planners, the bombmakers, anyone who supported these attackers, may be the next target -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, in particular, on that note Matthew, is there a fifth bomber that we're still kind of hearing anything about?

CHANCE: Well, there's certainly a lot of speculation about the possibility of a fifth bomber. But you may remember on July 21st when these attempted attacks took place, shortly after that, another rucksack, a fifth rucksack filled with explosives was found in West London. And so that raised the possibility of a fifth bomber.

Police have arrested a fifth person, somebody else, in one of the apartments raided in West London today, speculation is rife at the moment, that that person is the fifth bomber awaiting for police confirmation on that, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. We'll wait to hear. Matthew Chance, thanks.

To put the investigation we've been talking about into some kind of perspective, here's the 360 download, this is the biggest police operation ever undertaken in the United Kingdom. There have been 5,000 calls to Britain's anti-terror hot line. Police have collected statements from 1,800 witnesses and are looking at 15,000 closed circuit television tapes. 360 next now, movie stars call it home and so do suspected terrorists. Today's raid in Notting Hill told by the people who live there and watched it all happen.

Also tonight, anxious moments for the Space Shuttle Discovery. Today, the crew went searching for damage. And NASA was holding it's breath. We'll have the latest.

Plus, it's happened again, another Scout leader struck dead by lightning and a Boy Scout left on life support. We'll talk live to a man who survived a lightning strike.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: When you think of Notting Hill, images of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts might come to mind, not police in body armor arresting terrorist suspects. But that's exactly what happened today in the leafy London neighborhood that's home to millionaires, movie stars and some the most wanted men in Britain. CNN's Kelly Wallace has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of London's most famous neighborhoods, suddenly the center of the country's largest man hunt ever. Residents could only wait and watch and then learn that would-be suicide bombers were just down the street.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was like: oh, my God. You know, because I never suspected something to happen around here. It doesn't strike me as the sort of place at all.

HUGH GRANT, ACTOR: I live just over the street.

WALLACE: After all, it is the place two stars made a household name in the movie "Noting Hill." A community known for its wealthy neighbors, thriving markets and that eclectic feel with many races mixing together.

(on camera): Are you surprised?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all.

WALLACE (on camera): How come?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because this is such a multi-cultural neighborhood. We would expect something like this to happen. You know, we accept it because there's so many cultures here.

WALLACE: Breany Chisman (ph) brought her 8-year-old daughter outside to let her record what happened in this unforgettable day in their neighborhood. Breany (ph) worries things could change here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... feel very protective of the atmosphere that we have here. I would like it to stay the same. You know, we've got a big Moroccann community here. We've got a big West Indian community. We've got a great mix of people.

WALLACE: Hours after the raids, it was almost a carnival-like atmosphere, even with the police investigation still under way. Martin Manning (ph) and his friends made a point of visiting the pub.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It puts you on edge. So, we decided well we're not going to have that and we're going to carry on as normal and so be it. They can't beat us.

WALLACE: Still, despite the bravado, there is real fear that something so scary can hit so close to home.

Susana Walker (ph) manages a boutique just down the street from one of the raids.

WALLACE (on camera): Does it make you a little bit more afraid. You managed this beautiful boutique and that during the day, there was this big operation just down the street.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it would untrue so say we're not afraid or we're not concerned. Obviously we are, but we are going to show resistance and we are going to continue as usual and we're not going to let this affect our lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And of course, a huge sigh of relief tonight in Notting Hill and throughout the rest of London as the most wanted men in Britain are now behind bars. However, the anxiety is certainly not going entirely away, because Londoners now have to worry how many other would-be bombers might still be out there -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Understandable. Kelly Wallace, thanks.

Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS joins us now with some of the other stories we're following tonight.

Hi, Erica.

HILL: Hi, Heidi.

It is a new, more forceful step in Pakistan's crackdown on Islamic extremism. President Pervez Musharraf says all foreign students in religious schools there, madrasas, will be thrown out of the country, even those with dual nationally. President Musharraf was urged to take action after it was discovered at least two of the London bombers had visited Pakistan in recent months and stayed at a madrasa.

Meantime, in and around Mumbai, India, the death toll climbs. At least 749 people have died after torrential rains caused flooding and massive mudslides. Twenty-two of the victims died in a stampede that started with rumors of a collapsed dam. And as the water reseeds, there is another potential threat: The spread of disease.

In California's Sequoia National Park, lightning strikes a group of Boy Scouts. The troop's assistant Scout master was killed. A 13- year-old scout is hospitalized now, in critical condition. The grandfather tells the Associated Press the boy's being kept on a ventilator so his organs can be donated.

No in fact, about 500 people are hit by lightning every year and just little bit later on 360, we're going to tell everything you need to know about the danger. Heidi, we'll turn it back to you.

COLLINS: I really hate that story. All right. Erica, we'll see you again in about 30 minutes.

360 next: The space shuttle Discovery in orbit and under inspection from crew members, a robotic arm and NASA. What did they find? We'll have the results.

Also tonight: A stem-cell switch for the Senate majority leader. Bill Frist's surprise reversal and the political fallout over it.

And a little later: Why work a 40-hour week? Great question. Tonight, find out how to do more by working less. We'll give you the tips on how to make it happen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: High above the Earth, the Space Shuttle Discovery is traveling 17,500 miles per hour tonight in a mission that changed dramatically since the launch. These are pictures now about 200 miles up as we say, where tomorrow Discovery crew members will step out of the shuttle for the first of three space walks. And today, they were busy of another task, a critical one, to see if Discovery suffered any damage stemming from Tuesday's less than perfect blast off.

CNN's John Zarrella has the latest from Houston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the astronauts in space and for the shuttle team on the ground, Friday was clearly a much better day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to finish up this procedure and then step straight into the (INAUDIBLE) grapple (ph).

ZARRELLA: A system of cameras and lasers attached to the shuttle's robotic arm was maneuvered beneath Discovery, looking for any damage to the sensitive heat resistant tiles. After three hours of eyeballing the belling, little, if anything showed up that worried mission managers.

JOHN SHANNON, FLIGHT OPERATIONS MANAGER: The report that we got back, was that there were 25 small dings, no major dings. And you would compare that to about almost 150 that we had on average for other flights.

ZARRELLA: It was something to smile about. The pictures of the external tank shedding potentially catastrophic debris during liftoff gave pause for concern.

EILEEN COLLINS, SHUTTLE COMMANDER: We were actually quite surprised to hear that we had large pieces of debris fall off the external tank. It wasn't what we had expected.

ZARRELLA: Mission managers the clean inspection all but guaranteed Discovery would soon be deemed in excellent shape for a return to Earth at the end of the mission, a mission that could be extended by a day with a possibility that the external tank debris issue might cause a lengthy fleet grounded, an extra day in space now, wouldn't hurt.

PHIL ENGELAUF, MISSION OPERATIONS: If we need to extend the mission it would be to accomplish more dock activities with the station. Anything that could be taken of, the number of crew members available during dock operations, anything that might be better done with the unique tools that are available on the shuttle.

ZARRELLA: Tools that some day may include tile repair kits. Tomorrow morning, on the first of three space walks planned for the mission, astronauts will test materials that could be used to fix damaged tiles on future missions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now, tomorrow, NASA expects to have a final decision on whether they will extend the mission by a day. And all indications, Heidi, are in fact that the mission will be extended -- Heidi.

COLLINS: John, what is the status now with the shuttle Atlantis? I know that is the shuttle to is going to go up and perform a rescue mission, if you will, if the Shuttle Discovery had severe damage?

ZARRELLA: Right. And Atlantis is sitting in the vehicle assembly building. It was getting ready to be rolled out to the launch pad next week on a mission scheduled for September. The plan right now, according to NASA, give the team the weekend off. Let them get some down time. They could still make a September launch.

But the reality is that a lot has to be done to understand what happened with that external fuel tank before any decision can be made on that. So, chances are a launch by maybe the end of the year, but probably not September -- Heidi.

COLLINS: John Zarrella in Houston. Thanks, John.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): Breaking ranks, top Senate Republican and physician Bill Frist breaks with the White House and speaks out for stem cell research. But is it politically charged?

DELAY: I think a candidate that believes in the destruction of life would have a very hard time appealing to the vast majority of the Republicans in this party. COLLINS: Presidential politics or curing diseases?

Out of the blue, lightning hits a Scout troop in the California mountains. Tonight, we look at what you need to do and not do when lightning strikes.

360 continues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: This was a day of intense police activity in London, much of which television viewers in England were able to follow almost in realtime. Here's a sample of how they saw the day's drama in a report from James Mates of Britain's Independent Television Network.

Maybe not. We're going to try and get that for you in just a moment. Once again, from James Mates. We're going to look for that video and get it to you just as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you watched anything this morning and saw some of the footage that came from that television network, you may have already seen what must have been this day's most terrifying moment in London. There were two little children that were innocently wandering out onto the balcony where a heavily armed policeman was taking part in this raid for those two bombing suspects. And just so you know, their father says that they are fine tonight. Here's what he saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN DEMPSTER, LIVES IN APARTMENT BELOW RAID: They were shooting outside, so there was -- and then after that, we were told to hurry up and go, get out of the house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And were you told what was going on?

DEMPSTER: No. Never. Got told to get out and get some clothes. As you see, we're still in our pajamas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How frightening was it four all?

DEMPSTER: Oh, it's scary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was crying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; What were you saying?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was very scared. I was crying.

DEMPSTER: And there was one explosion, but four rounds of like shooting, I counted, anyway of like machine gun. Yes. Shots like that. But in the spaces of time, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you think was going on then? DEMPSTER: Bombers and terrorists, but didn't figure it would come from our block.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The children were not the only ones that didn't know exactly what was going on in London. Many adults didn't know either. But most of them were watching television.

We want to show you a piece now of exactly what unfolded from the Independent Television Network and James Mates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MATES, ITV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sound of shots are almost certainly tear gas rounds being fired into the flat from the top-floor balcony. Shortly, you'll see wasps of gas blowing back out of the now opened door.

Eyewitnesses spoke of hearing voices at this time inside the flat shouting at men to take their clothes off and come outside.

On the balcony two floors below, police wearing gas masks are trying to get into another flat. It appears to be empty. But right in the middle of an operation to capture men who have already tried to blow themselves up, a child appears. Apparently attracted by the police dog, he wants to talk to the officer.

But it gets worse. Another child comes out on the balcony. It's a policing nightmare: The very real possibility of an explosion at any time, and children around.

Eventually, an adult appears. But still followed by the children, the officer is forced to give up.

Two floors above, two men, naked, at least from the waist up, have been ordered at gunpoint out onto the balcony, there at the top of the screen.

The man on the left appears to be following orders to lower his trousers. Both men seem to be suffering from the effects of gas.

The sounds of shouted orders from the police can be heard, but the words are hard to make out.

The identity of the man on the right, the first to be turned around and taken away, is unknown. But police source have told ITV News they believe him to be the man who tried to explode a device on a train near Oval tube station in south London.

The man on the left is believed to be and bears a striking resemblance to the photographs of Muktar Said Ibrahim. He's alleged to have attempted to blow up himself and the #26 bus in Hackney on July the 21st.

An armed policeman covering every move, he's then ordered to approach and turn around.

Ibrahim was born in East Africa, coming from Eritrea to this country as a child. Despite having served more than two years in jail as a violent criminal, he was given British citizenship less than a year ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: For more now on the many developments today in London, we go back to CNN's Matthew Chance.

Matthew, obviously, there are these four people under arrest now. Is there a sense that Britons feel any better or relieved in any way?

CHANCE: I think they do. I think after seeing those broadcasts on the British evening news that you just played out there from James Mates, people will be feeling a lot more relieved, or certainly a certain sense of relief. These people, the four bombers that attempted to blow up the Underground trains and the London bus on the 21st of July have now been taken off the streets.

At the same time, there's still a sort of great sense of concern amongst many people in this country, everyone in this country, that there are still possibly people out there, other cells out there, people who planned these attacks, people who have built the bombs. Those are people who are still very much outside of the grasp of the authorities in this country. And that's why all these scenes that have been raided, both here and in Italy, are now crime scenes. And police forensic teams are there, trying to get as much evidence as they can to try and pin these people down and to get them into custody as well.

COLLINS: What about the police work, Matthew? I mean, there were people that we heard from who were pretty upset about the man who was shot and killed and didn't have anything to do, at least as far as we know now, with this -- these events. And now, within a few days, there are four suspects under arrest. How are they feeling about their police?

CHANCE: There's been highs and lows, obviously, in this investigation on the part of the British police. The low point, obviously, was the killing of the Brazilian national who they simply mistook for somebody who was involved in terrorism, and turned out nothing to do with terrorism whatsoever. A tragic accident, a tragic mistake on the part of the British London Metropolitan Police.

That's been balanced by some big highs in this investigation. And one of the biggest highs I think came today, when these simultaneous raids were staged across London and Italy as well. And basically, all of these bombers believed to be on the run were taken into police custody. This is something that's happened, remember, just eight days after the attacks, or the attempted attacks, were carried out. And so it's obviously been frantic paced work for these London detectives, for the rest of the securities services working here, to get these people into custody so soon -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Matthew Chance in London. Matthew, thanks.

Back here in the U.S., support for President Bush is reaching new lows. Here's a 360 download. A new Gallup poll out today shows his job approval rating at 44 percent. That's his lowest since taking office. And the numbers seem to be sliding quickly for the president. Just last week, Gallup poll had his approval rating at 49 percent. It has dropped five points in five days.

Coming up on 360, conservative Republican leaders and why they're angry at Bill Frist. We'll tell you how the Senate majority leader stunned his peers and the White House.

Also tonight, when lightning strikes. We'll meet a man who was struck five years ago, but survived to tell the tale.

And a little later, how many of us actually work only 40 hours a week? We'll talk to one expert who says you can work less and be more productive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Today, Senate majority leader and possible future presidential candidate Bill Frist stunned the White House. The Republican senator says he will support extending the funding for stem cell research. His decision is getting raves from Democrats, but putting him squarely at odds with the White House. We'll get the politics behind Frist's surprise move. But first, the facts on embryonic stem cell research. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like life itself, the stem cell controversy begins with a sperm entering an egg. In clinics around the country, infertile couples have their eggs and sperm joined in a lab to create embryos. But often, parents end up creating more than they want, and so unused embryos sit frozen in the lab for years. Many doctors say, instead of letting them sit, why not try to turn them into medical treatments?

Inside the unused embryos are hundreds of stem cells. They're believed to be the raw ingredients for virtually any tissue in the human body. For example, researchers hope to turn stem cells into cardiac muscle, to help heal heart tissue after a heart attacks.

But here's the hitch. To make stem cells, the embryo must be destroyed. And for many, these embryos are life, to be protected at all costs.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Life is a creation of God, not a commodity to be exploited by man.

COHEN: That's why in 2001, President Bush made his now-famous speech. He said if scientists want to use federal dollars, they would have to restrict themselves to some 78 existing groups of stem cells so that no more embryos would be destroyed. But scientists say those groups are virtually useless for a variety of technical reasons.

And that's why many people, including Senator Bill Frist and Nancy Reagan, want the law to be changed to include more groups of embryonic stem cells.

NANCY REAGAN, FORMER FIRST LADY: There are so many diseases that can be cured, or at least helped. We've lost so much time already. And I just really can't bear to lose any more.

COHEN (on camera): Right now, no one's been cured by embryonic stem cells. But many believe that these cells may will one day save lives. However, others say that this entire area of research threatens the very meaning of life itself.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Senator Bill Frist's decision to extend funding for stem cell research could cause political shock waves. After all, he's the Senate majority leader, a potential presidential candidate, and a close ally of the White House. Or is he? CNN's Ed Henry takes a look at the fallout over Frist's stem cell decision.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Following a White House signing ceremony, President Bush sought out Bill Frist after the majority leader's stunning decision to break with the White House on stem cell research.

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: I believe the president's policy should be modified. We should expand federal funding.

HENRY: After backing the president's restrictive policy for four years, Frist stunned fellow Republicans by throwing his weight behind increased taxpayer financing for embryonic stem cell research. Critics charge Frist has his eyes on a presidential run, and sees broad support for the research. But Frist said, as a physician, he believes more research could help cure diseases like Alzheimers' and Parkinson's.

FRIST: It will define us as a civilized and ethical society forever in the eyes of history.

HENRY: Leading conservatives blasted the move on moral grounds, and said it will damage Frist's presidential ambitions.

REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: I think a candidate that believes in the destruction of life would have a very hard time appealing to the vast majority of the Republicans in this party.

HENRY: But it could play well with swing voters, especially after Nancy Reagan put out a statement saying Frist's decision has, quote, "the potential to alleviate so much suffering." And Frist quickly won emotional praise from the bill's Republican sponsor.

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Here's a man who really knows science and who really knows government. So it's a very, very profound change. It's an earthquake.

HENRY: Arlen Specter speaks from personal experience. He's battling cancer, and says this issue is a matter of life and death.

Ed Henry, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS joins us now with some of the day's other top stories. Hi, Erica.

HILL: Hi, Heidi, again.

The BTK killer saying he will represent himself in court against civil lawsuits. Now, last month, if you'll recall, Dennis Rader confessed that sexual fantasies drove him to kill 10 people in the Wichita area from 1974 to 1991. Now, since that confession, victims' families have filed 10 civil lawsuits against Rader. BTK stands for bind, torture, kill.

Near Hartford, Connecticut, a 20-vehicle pile-up leaves at least four people today. Authorities say the crash took place during this morning's commute when a dump truck collided with a commuter bus and sparked a fire.

Well, could there be a new member in the Solar System? Astronomers say they may have found a 10th planet, or maybe just a lump of rock and ice. The nameless orbit slightly large than Pluto. It's about 9 billion miles away from the sun. A little far out there.

Onto West Haven, Utah now, where 22-year-old Damon Crist is under arrest on suspicion he kidnapped a 12-year-old girl. But the girl, Mackenzie (ph), whose family has asked their last name not be used, successfully fought off her alleged kidnapper after he forced her into his truck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was just hitting and screaming and doing whatever I could to aggravate him and make him mad. And he just pulled over and told me to get out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Authorities say Crist has a criminal record.

Heidi, we'll turn it back over to you. Pretty amazing she was able to fight him off.

COLLINS: A brave little girl. HILL: That's really brave.

COLLINS: Erica, thanks. We'll see you again in about 30 minutes.

Ahead on 360, struck by lightning. A Boy Scout leader killed yesterday, struck by lightning in Sequoia National Park. We'll talk to one expert who has some tips on how to stay safe in an electrical storm.

Also tonight, staying one step ahead of the competition. How to work less and get more done. Sounds pretty good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: It has been a week full of tragedy for the nation's Boy Scouts. We heard about a troop leader killed by lightning yesterday in California's Sequoia National Park. The actual odds that a person will be struck and killed by lighting are 3,000 to 1. Our next guest was one of those unlucky few. Mike Utley was hit on a golf course five years ago by lightning, but luckily, he survived, and joins us now from Las Vegas.

Mike, thanks for being here. Your story is just unbelievable. You were hit by lightning in your head while you were playing golf. Can you take us back and tell us what you remember about that day?

MIKE UTLEY, LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVOR: Well, Heidi, I actually don't remember anything, but what I was told about it is that I took a lightning bolt to the head. It came in, went around out through my body, through the potter into the ground. I spent 38 days in an ICU unit and another two and a half, three months in a rehab unit.

COLLINS: When you came to, after being unconscious for 38 days, what went through your mind?

UTLEY: Well, it was a pretty interesting couple of minutes when I was told that, you know, I was tied down and was struck by lightning. And who gets struck by lightning? You don't think about that.

COLLINS: You think about it now a lot, though. How are you doing today? Are you suffering from any long-term effects from the accident?

UTLEY: I still have mental and physical problems, but compared to most people that are struck, I'm much better off. And I'm still getting better every day. So most people at 53 can't say they're getting better every day.

COLLINS: That's true. You have become quite an expert, though, on all of this, namely safety tips during a storm. If you find yourself on a golf course or an open field, and a storm is approaching, where should you take cover?

UTLEY: Well, most of the time, we're within running distance to a house or a car. And that's the first thing you do. The 5 percent of the time that we're not within running distance to a house or a car, there are a couple of things you can do. You want to avoid trees, tall objects, things like that. If you're in the woods, you want to go to the lower trees, not the taller trees. If you're in a field, you want to try to find a ditch, and you want to squat down so you're not the tallest object in the field.

COLLINS: If there isn't a car or a house nearby, though, how do you keep safe?

UTLEY: Well, as I said, you can squat down on the balls of your feet, putting your feet together and your hands over your ears. That's what we call the lightning crouch. And so far, we haven't heard of anyone who's been struck in it. But it is a last-ditch measure, because the reality of it is, there is no place safe outside in a lightning storm.

COLLINS: That's absolutely true. I'm not sure everybody takes it as seriously as they should. In fact, if you are with someone who has been struck by lightning, what do you do as the person who sees that?

UTLEY: Well, the first thing you do is go get to that person, and most likely, you'll need to administer CPR. The majority, if not all, of the lightning deaths are cardiac arrests. The amount of electricity going through the body just stops the heart.

COLLINS: I know that you're a golfer. I imagine you probably know Retief Goosen pretty well by now, who suffered the same type thing -- a top PGA player. You had sponsored some type of discussions here about having the PGA player and caddies both being, you know, certified in CPR?

UTLEY: Yes. In fact, the West Chester Open -- a couple years back I talked to the caddies about that and to the pros. I told the pros that they should have in their contract with the caddies that all of the caddies know CPR, because they're the closest guys to the pros and their life's in their hands. And then I turned around and I looked at the caddies a I said with your contract with the pros, I'd make sure they know CPR also.

COLLINS: All right. Anything else you want to share as far as the tips go for people who are out there. Do you think people take lightning strikes seriously or not?

UTLEY: No. Not at all. Not at all. People don't realize the incredible power or danger of lightning. People are struck in the house a lot. People -- kids are struck playing Playstation. If it's a stormy day, the parents say 'go in the house.' The kids are playing Playstation. It hits the power lines. It runs through the wires. So, it's not only dangerous outside, but it can be dangerous inside.

COLLINS: Yes. We're going to talk about that right, in fact.

Mike Utley, we're so glad that you're all right and wish you the best of luck. Thanks for the tips tonight. UTLEY: Thank you.

COLLINS: Lightning is not just potential dangerous outside, as Mike was just saying. Her's the "360 Download." You need to be careful when you're inside your home. According to the U.S. government, phone use is the leading cause of indoor lightning injuries in the U.S. When lightning strikes, you should also avoid contact with plumbing and electrical equipment.

I want to go and find out what's coming up at the top of the hour now, on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Hi, Paula.

PAULA ZAHN, "HOST, PAULA ZAHN NOW": Hi, Heidi. Of course, we'll have the latest from London, as well as an hour of rogues and renegades. Three outrageous personalities who have known wild popularity, but who have pushed all of the limits. Music producer, Phil Specter (ph), his murder trial begins soon. Drug-dealer turned rap megastar, 50 Cent and Howard Stern. Need we say more?

I hope to see you at the top of the hour. Just about eight minutes or now (ph) from now. Rogues and renegades.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Paula, thanks.

ZAHN: Thank you.

360 next: Why working less can actually make you more productive. You want to share this with the boss on Monday. Good luck.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: I probably don't need to remind anyone that it's Friday; the end to yet another long week. And if you're like most Americans, you're working more hours than ever before. Here's a "Download."

In fact, a 2004 study showed 40 percent of Americans now work more than 50 hours a week. Some companies, maybe even your own, would like to you think all those hours are necessary, but is it that really the case?

Our next guest says long hours do not guarantee results. Early this week, I sat down with Kevin Salwen, co-editor of "Worthwhile" magazine. He had some tips on how to work less, but get more done.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Kevin, it's probably safe to say most people would love to work less and that actually end up being more productive. But really, how many people have that kind of control over their jobs?

KEVIN SALWEN, "WORTHWHILE" MAGAZINE: Well, many more than you might think and in fact, there's really no alchemy to this. If you can figure out ways to be more productive in less hours and by the way, less hours can make you more productive in the right kind of creativity space and innovation space -- there actually are some smart ways you can do this.

COLLINS: All right. So, the big point to understand here from all of this is, working longer does not equal working harder or being more productive?

SALWEN: No and in fact, in many ways, it's counterproductive. We've known this since Henry Ford took to us to the 40-hour work week. There were fewer defects in his cars. Even now, smart software companies like the Fast Institute (ph) in North Carolina, are showing that with a 35-hour work week, they can have many fewer defects in their software coding. It's actually a much smarter way to work.

COLLINS: All right. Let's get to some of your recommendations now on how to work less and be more productive. Tip number one: Match your career with your passions.

SALWEN: Hey, there is nothing that's more important than this. In fact, it's cornerstone of "Worthwhile" magazine. If you don't absolutely love what you do, you're in the wrong line of work. It really has to connect to your passions. Then that -- those hours that you work, first of all, are going to feel like they are fun and secondly, that fun -- that enjoyment that you have is really going to shine through in your work and you'll be more productive.

COLLINS: OK. So as you know, you're sitting in the middle of our Atlanta newsroom, which is designed, like many other workplaces, to promote multi-tasking.

SALWEN: Right.

COLLINS: But your second tip is actually limit multi-tasking. Why?

SALWEN: Well, you know, I'm walking through the newsroom here and I'm seeing people, they've got a screen with four different video feeds on the way. They're on the phone with one hand. They're clicking on the mouse with the other as they read through e-mail.

How many of those things do you think they're effectively as if they were pulling back and only trying to do one thing at a time? It doesn't mean that there aren't some times that multi-task, but multi- tasking does not promote efficiency.

COLLINS: All right. Well, you also say "don't underestimate stepping away from the desk." Why is this so important?

SALWEN: You -- I don't think anybody has ever gotten a great idea sitting in an office, sitting at a desk. Most people's ideas -- think about being on vacation. Think about being on the beach. That's where great ideas come flowing.

So, you've got to create sort of a mini version of that in your own daily life. I love the idea of just taking a walk. Going out with your dogs in the morning. Anything that gets you to sort of a more of a relaxed space, to let your ideas flow.

COLLINS: All right. And your fourth tip is: Boredom can actually be a good thing. Explain this.

SALWEN: Well, you know, if you look at what psychologists have figured out, in order to get to the truly creative and innovative areas of your mind, you actually have to pass through a boredom phase. These days we're all so over schedule. We're all doing so many things. It's not a bad idea to be bored. That's when -- Once you get through that phase, you can get to innovation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: I'm taking notes on my travel vacations here coming up. I'm Heidi Collins. Anderson Cooper will start his special reports on the famine in Niger on Monday . He's flown from London, to Paris, then on to the capital city of Niamey, Niger and then, on to, you see there, a 10-hour drive, but reporting from the center of the famine in Maradi, where 3.6 million people are on the verge of starvation.

We will bring it to you from Niger, but now, primetime coverage continues with Paula Zahn. Hi, Paula.

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