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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Mexican Drugs, American Kids; Beginning of a Backlash? Terrorist gets Life; The Verdict, The Impact; Masha's Story; Flu Pandemic Plan; Sago Mine Tragedy; High Risk Rescue; The Big Spill?; Tiger's Hero;
Aired May 03, 2006 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COOPER: Good evening again. Breaking news in the battle on the border and a bill that would legalize hard drugs in Mexico. Also, with the massive immigration rallies still fresh in memory, the consequences are beginning to be felt. And they might not be what organizers were hoping for.
ANNOUNCER: Backlash: the fallout over the immigration protests. Instead of helping the cause, they may have made it harder for millions to become citizens.
Life for Moussaoui: the only terrorist tried in America in connection with September 11 is spared the death penalty. Was justice served?
And stolen childhood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASHA ALLEN, CHILD PORN VICTIM: The abuse started the night I got there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: A girl who became a victim of online porn when she was just 5 years old speaks out against the dangers children face on the Internet.
Across the country and around the world, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360. Live from the CNN broadcast center in New York, here's Anderson Cooper.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: And we begin with breaking news. A change of mind that any parent will be grateful to hear. Concerns a plan to legalize drug possession in Mexico, a very popular foreign destination for young Americans. The plan would have legalized small amounts of marijuana, ecstasy, even heroin, and Mexico's president supported it. Tonight, it seems he caved to pressure from Washington.
CNN's Chief National Correspondent John King is monitoring the situation from New Orleans -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESONDENT: Good evening, Anderson. A significant retreat from the Mexican President Vicente Fox tonight that is being welcomed in Washington by the Bush administration, also by mayors. The mayor of San Diego, quoted on the wires tonight saying, this is a positive step.
At issue was, as you noted, the Mexican president had said he would sign that legislation that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, meth amphetamines, marijuana.
Now, the United States government strenuously objected, saying at a time when there is all this effort to improve relations with Mexico on immigration, on border security and other issues, that this would send a seriously wrong signal to the United States, especially creating a new drug tourism, if you will.
Americans, particularly young Americans, who would want to go south of the border to obtain those small amounts of drugs.
We know the State Department objected, we know the White House directly objected through its Office of National Drug Control Policy. No official reaction is yet tonight, but administration officials in e-mail conversations saying they view this as a very positive step. They appreciate the retreat by President Fox.
Now, the main objection from the Bush administration and all the mayors along the border was on the grounds that it would send a dangerous signal about drug use, create this drug tourism, but also was a factor in the very divisive immigration debate in Washington.
Many of the critics of allowing illegal Mexicans in this country legal status say they don't want to do anything to cooperate with the Mexican government until it showed more progress, improving its economy, improving border security, improving cooperation in the drug war.
So, this step will be welcomed in Congress, as well, Anderson. A significant retreat by Mexico this evening. Mexico's president, he said he will not sign that bill.
COOPER: Yes, it would have meant basically, any kid from the United States could have crossed over into Tijuana. And if he was able to buy, you know, heroin, if he wanted to, or cocaine, if he was caught with it, it wouldn't be a criminal offense there in Tijuana or anywhere else in the Mexico.
Do we know how much pressure was put on the U.S. by the Mexican president?
KING: We don't have a detail of how many phone calls, how high up the chain we went. But we do know officials at the State Department in Washington, officials at the White House, officials at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico all say that phone calls were made directly to their counterparts, high officials in the Mexican government saying that this would be an incredibly counterproductive step in U.S.-Mexico relations, again, not only affecting cooperation when it comes to the drug war, but also affecting the tone of other debates, trade debates, economic debates, and certainly the one front and center in Washington right now, the immigration debate.
COOPER: All right, John King, thanks for the update.
(END BREAKING NEWS)
COOPER: Drugs are just one part of the battle on the border that's become a defining issue this election year. Monday's massive demonstrations with hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their supporters marching in the streets were meant to be a display of economic and political clout. Now there's talk of a possible backlash. At least one politician has already paid the price.
CNN's Candy Crowley has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is where day laborers, mostly immigrants, legal and not, hang out looking for work in Herndon, Virginia. It may not look like an election issue, but last night, voters threw out their mayor and two city council members who pushed for the day labor center. This is the new mayor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They welcome immigrants, but they have concerns, valid concerns, about illegal immigration.
CROWLEY: Fewer than 3,000 people voted in Herndon, just about 24 hours after the nation watched hundreds of thousands of immigrants, legal and not, demonstrate across the country.
FRANK SHARRY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM: I've never known a politician who wasn't attracted to a large crowd. And these have been some pretty large crowds.
CROWLEY: True enough, it was evidence that the immigrant community can galvanize itself. The question is, to what end? Congress is reading the tea leaves.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MINORITY LEADER: I personally believe very, very fervently that they have helped, helped picture this issue in the minds of the American people in a positive fashion.
CROWLEY: Tea leaf reading is not an exact science. Particularly in an election year where frankly Democrats would be better off if the Republican-led Congress did nothing.
SHARRY: I think Congress is going to have a lot of explaining to do if they don't end this session with a good comprehensive bill.
CROWLEY: Republicans, desperate for something to tout as accomplishment, anxious not to alienate core conservative voters, are afraid the demonstrations harden conservative opposition to anything that smacks of a break for illegals.
SEN. MEL MARTINEZ (R), FLORIDA: I believe at the end of the day, we'll see that it really had a negative effect and it backfired on those of us who are trying to move forward with something that is comprehensive, but yet a middle course. CROWLEY: Senator Mel Martinez of Florida says since Monday's demonstrations, calls to his office have run 10 to one against his bill, providing tougher border security and a pathway to citizenship after hurdles are jumped.
JOHN FUND, WALL STREET JOURNAL: The boycott has so heated up the measure that we're not going to have any bill this year. It simply poisoned the well.
CROWLEY: As Washington lawmakers struggle with the political weight of all those demonstrations...
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: It wasn't clear exactly what the message was. And I think in some ways it tended to polarize people.
CROWLEY: Herndon, Virginia, is already discussing changes to ensure the day labor center cannot be used by illegals. The problem with tea leaves is, you never know which ones to read.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, a complicated story to be sure. Earlier I talked to Candy Crowley, John Roberts and John King, part of the best political team in the business.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: John Roberts, what are the prospects for getting immigration reform this year?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That would depend on who you talk to. Some Republicans who want to put a good spin on this, say that it's possible that they can get it done. It might even be possible they can get it done by the August recess.
Other people, including the White House, are much more pessimistic about it, saying they don't expect anything to happen until after the November election.
COOPER: Candy, I mean, could these demonstrations rally have backfired and derailed a compromised deal, even those who support some sort of reform?
CROWLEY (on camera): Absolutely. I mean, the problem really is, you know, first of all, the politics are that the Democrats would rather have the issue at this point because it's an election year, than a bill. The Republicans would like a bill because it will be an accomplishment, but they have problems with their conservative core. And the people we talked to said, listen, the demonstrations backfired. It left -- people looked and said, well they're not working, and they're out demonstrating. And, you know, fair or not, the conservative core sort of toughened up. It seemed to have hardened both sides of this debate.
COOPER: John King, a lot of talk too about all the Mexican flags out in the street. Obviously there were a lot of American flags where organizers really tried to get American flags out there. But that certainly angers a lot of people.
What are you hearing from the people you talk to in Washington?
KING: Well, that tactic -- as Candy just noted, there was a backfiring from these demonstrations. And that tactic in particular has emboldened conservatives. Remember, the key question here is if they can get a bill through the Senate, can they then get the House to embrace a more liberal immigration policy?
The House members, most are from safe, conservative districts. And back home, in their districts, they didn't feel all that much pressure to begin with. And what they are saying now is that this sends an anti-American signal. If these people want legal status in the United States, they should be holding American flags, they should be demonstrating for rights in the United States, not celebrating Mexico or El Salvador.
So to that degree, while the masses in the streets certainly showed emerging political power and potential political power of the Latino vote, that symbol has helped the opponents of this measure, especially in the House. It has simply stiffened the resolve of conservatives who say no to any new broad immigration reform.
COOPER: John Roberts, what do you make of this breaking news tonight that Mexican President Vicente Fox has apparently backed off a bill that would have decriminalized possession of small amounts drugs? We're talking about heroin, cocaine, marijuana, even LSD? Did he bow to U.S. pressure?
ROBERTS: Sounds like he finally saw the light, the very bright light that was being shone in his face by U.S. officials who are saying to Mexico, look, we're spending almost $20 million this year alone in fighting the war on drugs. The states kick in about another extra $30 billion a year. And what are you trying to say to Americans? Come down here for a drug holiday? It's just not the sort of thing that we want to see along our borders.
COOPER: And Candy, of course, this comes at a time when you not only have this drug bill in Mexico, you also have the singing of the National Anthem in Spanish by a record label. Certainly for those who want some sort of immigration reform, those two incidences, though unrelated, not anything they have control over for organizers of these demonstrations, could not have come at a worse time.
CROWLEY: No, it couldn't. And they're symbolic. I mean, look, you know, the fact of the matter is the country's still pretty divided on how to go about immigration reform. What to do with the illegals. And that's really what the crux of this problem is. Everybody thinks there ought to be border security. The problem is, what do you do with the illegals? How do you deal with those that are already in this country?
So those are so tangential. You know, the anthem in Spanish and what sort of flags they're flying, but all it did was harden how people already felt. You know, it was a Rorschach's test when you looked at those demonstrations. And it just didn't help politically on Capitol Hill any of those that were trying to push for something in more moderation.
COOPER: And the divide just seems to deepen. Candy Crowley, John Roberts, John King, thanks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: The verdict is in for the man who may have been able to stop the September 11 attacks. Zacarias Moussaoui learned his fate today. He wanted to be a martyr. The jury made sure he would never get that chance.
Also tonight, stolen childhood, a victim of Internet porn. Today she spoke out about the abuse that began at the hands of her adopted father.
We'll also have this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't recall the exact words that I used, but I -- and I didn't have a radio, but I was just screaming out for help. I think I said, "they're alive."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: False hope for the families of the Sago miners as a would-be rescuer testifies about what happened when he reached them. All that and more when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, the trial has been heart-wrenching, convoluted, bizarre even. In fact, a whole lot of things. But once Zacarias Moussaoui took the stand, nearly every expert on the case believed it was also a foregone conclusion. Moussaoui, they said, was on so antagonistic, so hateful, the jury would come back with the recommendation that he be put to death in connection with 9/11. Instead, today, after seven days of deliberations, the jury decided otherwise. The repercussions in a moment.
First, here's CNN's Kelli Arena.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On his way out of the courtroom, Zacarias Moussaoui yelled, "America, you lost!" Defiant until the end, he never expressed any remorse for 9/11.
Still, the jury decide Moussaoui will not be executed. The 37- year-old is expected to spend the rest of his life in a maximum security prison.
Carie Lemack lost her mother on September 11. CARIE LEMACK, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: He's an al Qaeda wannabe and he does not deserve any credit for 9/11 because he was not part of it. And I am so glad the jury recognized that.
ARENA: Other 9/11 family members were disappointed.
MARGARET POTHIER, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: I think he deserved the death penalty, and I'm sorry he didn't get it.
ARENA: Three jurors said on the verdict form they believe Moussaoui's role in the 9/11 conspiracy was minor and that he had limited knowledge of the attack plan. The jury rejected the government's claim that Moussaoui's actions resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths on 9/11.
PAUL MCNULTY, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: We respect that and we accept that. But accountability for the crimes committed has been achieved through the prosecution. There's no doubt about that.
ARENA: No jurors were swayed by the notion that executing Moussaoui would make him a martyr for al Qaeda. They also weren't convinced he was mentally ill. Though the majority accepted the defense's argument Moussaoui came from a dysfunctional family with a violent father.
EDWARD MACMAHON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The court charged us with defending Mr. Moussaoui's constitutional rights and we have done so to the best of our abilities.
ARENA: Even though the four and a half year legal drama did not end with a death sentence, President Bush defended the outcome.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And they spared his life, which is something that he evidently wasn't willing to do for innocent American citizens.
ARENA (on camera): What remains to be seen is how this administration handles the al Qaeda higher-ups in U.S. custody who are more culpable for the September 11th attacks.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, it bears repeating, Zacarias Moussaoui is the only terrorist put on trial in connection with the attacks on 9/11 in the United States. So the question is, why is that? And was the verdict a loss for the government today?
I talked earlier tonight with CNN's Terrorism Analyst Peter Bergen and Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: So Jeff, the government put a lot into this case, a lot of time, a lot of money. Was it a defeat for them? JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I think you have to conclude that it was. There were only two possibilities. The government wanted one. The defense wanted the other, and they picked the defense option.
COOPER: Why do you think they did that?
TOOBIN: I think the defense argument that this was a small fry, that this was a wannabe, that this was a crazy guy whose importance was being inflated by the government, persuaded at least one juror that this was not a death penalty case.
We don't know what the split was, but we do know that it was not unanimous for the death penalty.
COOPER: Peter, is this guy just a small fry?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: No doubt. I mean, some of the testimony we heard in the case -- well, it wasn't testimony, it was summary of interrogations of some of the al Qaeda leadership that is in American custody. And they were talking about this was a guy they wanted to cut loose, somebody who was a pain, who they didn't appreciate the fact that he didn't behave in a very rational manner. And they kind of cut him out of the plot.
COOPER: So as, I mean, as a terrorist, he's kind of a loser?
BERGEN: Completely.
COOPER: Why is that? I mean, how can you be a bad terrorist? What, he's just a loose cannon?
BERGEN: Well, you know, al Qaeda's leadership is a fairly rational group of people, and they don't want people on the team who have got personality problems. You know, the jury did not find, in the mitigating factors that Zacarias Moussaoui is actually psychotic.
But clearly, his behavior during the trial, the way he behaves with everybody he deals with, indicates that you wouldn't want him on your team, whether you were running a business or a terrorist organization.
TOOBIN: And Anderson, he may have wanted to be a terrorist, but the government couldn't point to any terrorism that he did. This is a guy who was in prison as of the middle of August 2001. He got caught before he could even attempt to do anything. So the argument that he was dangerous and wanted to do something was all theoretical. They couldn't point to anything he actually did.
COOPER: Peter, you talk about this testimony that they did point to, testimony from other higher-level terrorists who are in custody in undisclosed locations. Any chance that they are going to be brought to court?
BERGEN: Well, to me, the real tragedy here is that I think it's very unlikely that the people really responsible for 9/11, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi bin al Sheed (ph), who were the operational planners, it was their idea, their execution. They're in American custody, and I don't think they're ever going to see the inside of an American courtroom.
I think most Americans would be surprised by that. Why will they not see inside an American courtroom? Very possibly because they'd be treated in such a way that their evidence would be inadmissible. The "New York Times" said that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is being water bottled, which is a technique somewhere between abuse and torture, where you make somebody -- you put somebody's head into the water and you make them think they're drowning.
And I wonder what Jeff's opinion is here in terms of why they won't be inside an American courtroom.
COOPER: Yes, Jeff, I mean, will these guys just be sort of disappeared?
TOOBIN: I think they are going to be disappeared. I think they will never return to American soil, for just the reasons Peter was suggesting, that, you know, the protections of civil liberties that are enshrined in our system are not something that have been honored in these cases.
And maybe they shouldn't have been honored. Maybe the circumstances called for it, but the treatment is indefensible. The evidence was collected in a way that comported with military and intelligence procedures, but not with criminal justice procedures, and our government would prefer not to deal with it.
COOPER: All right.
Peter Bergen, Jeffrey Toobin, thanks.
BERGEN: Thank you, Anderson.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, a small voice speaks out for the young victims of Internet porn. Today she testified before Congress about being targeted by predators when she was just 5 years old. She was adopted by a pedophile from Russia. It was just an incredible story. We'll have that coming up.
First, Erica Hill, from "HEADLINE NEWS," joins us with some of the other stories we're following -- Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Anderson.
At the U.N., the U.S. has teamed up with Britain and France in an effort to get tougher on Iran. They've introduced a draft security council resolution that calls on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program. If approved, it could be enforced by sanctions or military action. Iran, meantime, insists its nuclear program is peaceful. The U.S., though, is concerned the country could be trying to build a weapon. Back stateside in Shelby County, Alabama, three college students accused of setting nine church fires back in February will now face 46 state felony counts. They already are facing federal charges.
And in Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand, a huge sigh of relief today. Tsunami warnings triggered after a powerful early morning earthquake in the South Pacific were lifted without any major incident. The only tsunami to come from the quake was less than two feet high. And there are no reports of injuries or damage.
And some good news for those of you annoyed with all of those postal rate hikes. No, they're not going to go away, but the post office is considering a plan to create forever stamps, which would be good no matter how many times the cost of stamps go up, with no need to buy extra postage. By the way, the post office is also considering a plan to raise stamp prices by another three cents next year. So you might want to stock up on the evergreen stamps if they come out, Anderson.
COOPER: Forever stamps. Sounds like a, I don't know, like a Hallmark commercial.
HILL: It could be.
COOPER: Maybe so.
HILL: You could always use it for your Hallmark card.
COOPER: I guess so. Erica, thanks.
Well, straight ahead tonight, you don't want to hear it, which is exactly why everyone ought to hear it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASHA ALLEN, CHILD PORN VICTIM: Sometimes he kept me chained in the basement because he didn't want me to grow up. He only let me eat a little fit of food.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: A young woman's story of sex, slavery that began when she was just 5 years old, adopted by an American man, a pedophile. She spoke out today. So did CNN's Nancy Grace. We'll hear from both of them.
Also tonight, with the government planning for a flu pandemic, what can you do? And what's a pandemic anyhow? 360 M.D. Sanjay Gupta explains.
Across America and around the world, you're watching 360.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Now a story every parent really needs to hear. It's about the dangers their kids face on the Internet. Predators, pedophiles, trolling Web sites and chat rooms, looking for boys and girls. We've heard the horrors, of course, but seldom have we seen the faces of victims. Today that changed. And in a very powerful way when a young woman went to Capitol Hill and put a face to the reality of online porn.
CNN's Randi Kaye reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Her name is Masha Allen, but she wants Congress and the world to know who she used to be.
MASHA ALLEN, CHILD PORN VICTIM: My name is Masha Allen, I'm 13 years old.
KAYE: For years this brave little girl was an unwilling child porn star, one of the most popular dirty downloads for online pedophiles.
DET. SGT. PAUL GILLESPIE, TORONTO POLICE DEPARTENT: It's horrific abuse of a very young, vulnerable child. And you just -- once you've seen the images and you've seen the collection that this set of pictures is, it really breaks your heart.
KAYE: Her journey began in 1998 when Masha was adopted from a Russian orphanage by this man, Matthew Mancuso. For five years, she was forced to share his bed. Touching led to sex. This is how Masha remembers it.
ALLEN: We left Russia and traveled to his house outside of Pittsburgh. The abuse started the night I got there. Matthew didn't have a bedroom for me. He made me sleep in his bed from the very beginning. He molested me all the time.
KAYE: Investigators say Mancuso adopted Masha solely for his own pleasure. He had her on a strict diet to keep her looking young and lean.
ALLEN: Sometimes he kept me chained in the basement because he didn't want me to grow up. He only let me eat a little bit of food -- plain pasta, raw vegetables, no meat.
KAYE: Like many child porn victims, Masha was a challenge to find. But after studying dozens of photographs, Toronto investigators realized they could erase her from this photograph found online. This way, the crime scene picture could be released to the public without identifying the young victim. And it worked. Someone recognized the hotel room bedspread from this Disney resort in Orlando. But before Toronto police could solve the case, the FBI did.
(On camera): In 2003, federal agents traced Mancuso from an Internet porn chat room to his home in a rural suburb of Pittsburgh. There they found evidence of child porn and a helpless Masha. Five years after the abuse began, she was finally safe. (Voice-over): Today, Matthew Mancuso is in a prison hospital getting treatment. Masha has a new family. And while she can't do a thing about the hundreds of graphic photos of her that are still traded online around the world, she believes she can do something for others like her, children silently hoping someone will find them.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Masha Allen asked Nancy Grace of "CNN HEADLINE NEWS," to accompany her to Congress today. I spoke to Nancy earlier. But first, here's some of what she testified to in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GRACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Her memories are fear and pain and sexual exploitation at the hands of a man we now know to be a virtual clearinghouse for the most horrific child pornography I have ever laid my eyes on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: You know, Nancy, when you hear the details of Masha's story, it's almost inconceivable that something like that could happen. And yet it seems like other people must have had a hint that something was going on with this little girl. I mean, teachers at the school who saw this little girl who, you know, was half the size of what she should have been.
GRACE: You know, Anderson, you're right. Apparently her adopted father, Mancuso, would only feed her, like, macaroni and cheese in an effort to keep her looking like a little girl for many, many years. But it started before that, Anderson.
She was adopted, as you well know, from a Russian orphanage to an American pedophile. No home study was apparently done, Anderson, or they would have known it was a home where there was no mommy. It was just Mancuso. The wife and daughter have left him because he had molested the daughter. They never bothered to ask.
There was one bedroom. And the night she came here from Russia, he moved her into his bed, and the molestation started that night.
COOPER: And I guess the point is -- and it's the reason you were testified today, and the point of these hearings -- is that this only can exist because other people don't pay attention, or other people aren't as aware of it as they should be.
What should people know about what is going on, on the Internet with child pornography?
GRACE: It is a multibillion dollar business. The photos of this little girl -- she told me today, and my eyes teared up -- she told Congress today that the photos of her taken nude. She was 5 years old, Anderson, until about age 11, are still on the Internet now. And that hurts her more than the fact that she was raped for so many years. It pains her more. She said the rapes are over. But my photos of me are still out there. And she asked her lawyer today. He discussed, she said, can we just get them back? And he had to tell her, no, that we could never get them back.
COOPER: And they're going to be out there forever. And that's the way the Internet works. She's trying to get something called Masha's Law passed. What is that?
GRACE: Masha's Law gets civil remedies against these Internet predators. They're perverts. They are sick. They are deranged. They take joy out of torturing and raping little children, sometimes as young as 2 years old.
And yes, I know it's distasteful, Anderson. I know nobody wants to talk about it or hear about it, but if we don't, it won't stop.
Masha's Law seeks civil remedies. It's so hard to find and prosecute these people criminally. There are all sorts of defenses like entrapment. The list goes on and on. Civil penalties are easier to get and will put them out of business.
You know how roaches are, Anderson, you kill one, there's another one right behind it, but at least we can put him out of business.
COOPER: Well, and this man who did this to Masha is now in a hospital, I mean, a prison hospital, but a hospital, receiving treatment. Even though most, you know, doctors will tell you, you know, obviously the recidivism rate is very high and treatment is questionable.
GRACE: Well, it's so interesting. Anderson, I'm glad you brought that up. Because Mancuso, who was due, set to get out in 2017, I don't mean he comes up for parole. He gets out at 2017 for years of abuse on this child, in addition to his own little girl, his biological daughter, that was never prosecuted. But she, Masha, got no rehabilitation. No free services, nothing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That was Nancy Grace. You can catch here on "HEADLINE PRIME," weeknights at 8:00 p.m., Eastern.
According to Family Safe Media, child pornography generates $3 billion a year and it's growing every day. Here's the raw data.
More than 100,000 Web sites offer illegal child porn. And the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children says more than 20,000 images of child pornography are toe posted on the Internet every week -- 20,000 images. Remarkable.
Coming up, the White House unveils an ambitious plan to defeat an enemy that could kill millions, an enemy that could be hiding in these birds. The deadly flu virus that could mutate at any time and run rampant in humans. How the White House plans to contain the damage if and when that happens.
Plus, a night that false hopes were shattered outside the Sago Mine. Four months later, the truth behind a terrible miscommunication is revealed. That story coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRAN TOWNSEND, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: If this develops into a circumstance where there is efficient human to human transmission, we will take immediate action to prevent or to slow the spread of the infection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Francis Townsend, the president's Homeland Security adviser.
To date, bird flu has killed at least 113,00 people worldwide. There's always the threat of a much greater toll, of course, one that could claim millions.
The White House today, as you heard, unveiled its plan to fight a potential flu pandemic.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us from Atlanta, to tell us if the plan makes any sense at all -- Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Anderson.
It's interesting that people are talking about this at all. You know, for the most part, people think about the bird flu, they're still thinking about a virus that affects birds on the other side of the world. So when people say that the White House has really sunk their teeth into it, now people somewhat surprised.
But over 300 different recommendations actually coming out today, specifically talking about stockpiling vaccines. And I should add, developing new vaccines if this virus mutates.
Also, possibly mandatory evacuations and deploying the National Guard as well. Haven't heard those sorts of plans for a long time.
But more than anything else, they're talking about not only the federal government being involved, Anderson, but also states and communities. Schools, for example, canceling classes and sporting events if something were to happen. Businesses, you know, not having meetings in person, but rather by phone.
Really, everybody sort of being a part of a possible plan if this virus were to find its way into the United States.
COOPER: Well, it's certainly the numbers, I mean the numbers of people, it dwarfs Hurricane Katrina. We all saw how the federal government handled that. Is there any sense whether these plans will work?
GUPTA: Yes, you know what's interesting, Anderson, I did a lot of homework on this, specifically looking at Tamiflu, for example. It's the only antiviral that people really know about in terms of combating bird flu.
I want to show you something. I spent some time with this Dr. Ira Longini (ph). He's an adviser to the World Health Organization. And he was basically showing me models.
What you're looking at there, the yellow dots -- this is Southeast Asia, people getting bird flu. This is a model again. And the blue dots are either people dying or recovering. Now, take a look at the same thing. Screen on the left is how a pandemic would actually break out. That's all of Southeast Asia. And on the right is a same model if Tamiflu and quarantines were imposed.
Might be hard for you to tell there, Anderson, but actually very few yellow -- very few blue dots actually on the right-hand side, showing that Tamiflu and quarantines could actually really stave off a pandemic if it were to start occurring.
COOPER: And if there was a pandemic tomorrow, how would we fare compared to pandemics of the past? Because I mean there were huge death tolls in the past.
GUPTA: Yes, that's a great question. You know, in 1918, they talked about up to 50 million people may have died from -- these are some images actually from around that time, people actually -- these quarantines, these hospitals, they're just makeshift hospitals they had to set up at that time.
We're better off in some ways. There's no question we have better medications. We have hospitals, although we may not have enough beds. But we are better in so many ways.
On the other hand, Anderson, I guess this just goes without saying, if a pandemic were to start, it could explosively grow in nature just because of international travel. That's how the virus would make its way around the world.
COOPER: Technology working for and against us.
Sanjay, thanks.
GUPTA: Thank you.
COOPER: More emotion today at the Sago Mine hearings, including a candid admission. The heartbreaking story behind those first erroneous reports that everyone was alive. Remember that? Well, at last we know what likely happened.
Plus, he was Tiger Woods' best friend. He was also his dad. Tonight, a farewell to Earl Woods who unleashed a tiger on the world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: There was a moment, that surreal, terrible moment this past January, when the world first learned that the Sago Mine families had just been told that contrary to the initial report, only one miner was found alive. Everyone else had perished.
Today on a second day of hearings into the tragedy, we learned more about how that miscommunication apparently unfolded.
CNN's Joe Johns reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An unforgettable night. Church bells ring out the good news. They're alive. But only one of the 13 men trapped in the mine made it out.
Today, a full accounting of the search and rescue effort, bringing family members of the deceased miners to tears, also lifting the veil on how false hope spread like wildfire from the mine to the world. One rescue team member admitted, he thinks he kicked off the miscommunication.
BILL TUCKER, RESCUE TEAM MEMBER: I started screaming for help and saying, they're over here, they're over here. I don't recall the exact words that I used, but I -- and I didn't have a radio, but I was just screaming out for help. And I think I said, they're alive.
JOHNS: Communication was tough through breathing devices and walkie-talkies with depleted batteries. And there were plenty of human mistakes up and down the line. No one felt worse about it than the rescuers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We apologize for any of the problems or heartaches that the miscommunications caused. That was not meant to be.
JOHNS: Afterwards, hugs from the families and a standing ovation. But the tone changed when company representatives returned as witnesses, defending their preliminary finding that lightning sparked the explosion in the mine.
THOMAS NOVAK, ICG CONSULTANT: You know, and if you read the title of this report, it says "preliminary report." It's not -- it's not finished.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. I know what preliminary means.
NOVACK: OK. Well...
JOHNS (on camera): The company says the evidence so far points to a huge lightning strike near here about the time of the explosion that sent electricity four miles into the mine. Or perhaps it had hit a gas line. Or that it even just went through the ground.
The science was unconvincing to a representative for one of the families, the president of the United Mine Workers of America. CECIL ROBERTS, PRESIDENT, UNITED MINE WORKERS OF AMERICA: In the history of coal mining in North America, the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, can you cite one single incident, one, in the history of coal mining where that lightning strike caused an explosion?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I can't.
JOHNS (voice-over): And one family member responded sharply when the lead scientist explained he didn't have the time to personally conduct every aspect of his research.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you know what? My dad is dead. I think you need to make the time if you're going to come up with these conclusions that it was lightning.
JOHNS: At the end of the day, a bottom-line question for the president of the company.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Hatfield, when you look at our pictures behind you, how does that make you feel?
BENNETT HATFIELD, ICG PRESIDENT AND CEO: What it makes me feel is all the more determined to learn something from this accident so that no one ever has to go through this again.
JOHNS: That, at least, they agreed.
Joe Johns, CNN, Buckhannon, West Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: The question is, of course, has anything really changed?
Worldwide, mining accidents kill thousands of people each year. In Australia, right at this hour, a complex rescue mission is underway for two men who have been trapped a half mile underground for nine days now. A third miner we know has died. This is all happening in an Australia gold mine in Beaconsfield in that country's southern state of Tasmania.
Joining me from there is Reporter Jessica Adamson of Australia's Seven Network.
Jessica, I know the rescue plan is to drill a three-foot tunnel through about 50 feet of rock to save these miners. They started drilling last night. How is it going?
JESSICA ADAMSON, AUSTRALIA REPORTER, SEVEN NETWORK: Good evening, Anderson. Well, the signs are very encouraging. It's certainly -- it's very much slowly but surely. They're doing all they can to keep these two men safe. It's an extremely dangerous operation.
But as you say, they were drilling a 50-foot tunnel just three feet wide, and it was a pilot hole, to set themselves up for what comes next. In the last few minutes, they have completed that process.
They'll now change the equipment slightly. They'll fit a bigger header to the borer machine and they'll go back to the start of that tunnel, clean out all the debris and start again, using the very small pilot hole as a guide to boring a much bigger hole.
Hopefully sometime tomorrow afternoon, the two trapped men could be seeing the faces of their rescuers for the first time.
COOPER: It's been nine days. You talked about the danger. What is the biggest danger right now?
ADAMSON: Well, more rock falls. Kind of vibrations and things like that. One of the strongest theories for this catastrophe happening in the first place is the drilling that was going on at the mining. This town is not on a fault line. So it's thought that the mining operation and activity probably sparked this whole problem in the first place.
Bringing in so much heavy equipment and tunneling through so far underground is a huge risk, not only to the two men trapped underground, but to their 20 or so rescuers, the paramedics as well, and all of the people involved in this massive operation.
COOPER: Well, it's incredible. It's been going on about nine days. For almost a week, no one even knew that these two miners were down there and were alive.
Jessica Adamson, appreciate the update. Thanks.
In a moment, a failing levee protecting millions of people in southern Florida from hurricane damage. A new report says it has to be fixed now and fixed right. But is it? We're "Keeping them Honest."
We'll also have the latest on Tiger Woods' father, who passed away today.
Erica Hill first, from "HEADLINE NEWS," joins us with some of the business stories we're following -- Erica.
HILL: Hey, Anderson.
Wall Street taking a bit of a dip today. Investors apparently having second thoughts about the possibility the Fed will stop tightening interest rates anytime soon. The Dow slid 16; the S&P, 5; the NASDAQ, just under 6 points.
And weak earnings played a part, or in the case of Proctor & Gamble, the mere forecast of future weak earnings. P&G reporting 37 percent higher profits for the last quarter, but it lowered estimates for the next, knocking 5 percent off the price of a share.
And get ready for computers a la carte. Wal-Mart is rolling out build your own PCs at about 1,200 locations. Customers will be able to choose their own components and pick up the assembled machines just moments later.
I don't know if I'd be any good at that, personally, though.
COOPER: I can't even figure out my TiVo, so.
HILL: I think I'd pick the wrong things. But one thing I would definitely pick up in any store, might be the latest issue of "Vanity Fair."
COOPER: Oh, Erica Hill.
HILL: With someone on the cover -- and it's not me.
COOPER: Yes.
HILL: It's a nice cover. So congratulations.
COOPER: Well, thank you. I was very surprised by it. But it's nice.
HILL: Nice work. You deserve it.
COOPER: Well.
All right, Erica, thanks.
Well, coming up, he was the man who made Tiger Woods the "King of Golf." Tiger's father passed away today and his son wanted the world to know what kind of dad he had. We'll have that when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, when you heard the word "levee," you think protection, safety, security. But if people start comparing your local levee to Swiss cheese, that can't be good.
Tonight, that is what folks in Florida are hearing about the levee that holds back Lake Okeechobee, one of the largest lakes in the nation. Add the fact that hurricane season is now 28 days away, and you've got a real potential for disaster.
CNN's Gary Tuchman, tonight, "Keeping them Honest."
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When it comes to risks in Florida's Lake Okeechobee, a 10-foot long alligator prowling the waters is low on the list.
High on the list is the possibility of devastating loss of life and flooding from a hurricane. South Florida's water agency says in a report that Katrina-caliber flooding could easily happen here. And the dike that surrounds this lake, the second largest freshwater lake entirely inside the United States, is in danger of failing.
GOVERNOR JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: I'm very concerned about this.
TUCHMAN: The governor of this state, the president's brother, is asking for an immediate federal response.
J. BUSH: Obviously, the first thing that needs to be done is that there needs to be a commitment to fortify the dike. Secondly, we need to adjust our evacuation plans.
TUCHMAN: The dike rises up to 35 feet above the ground and protects nearby towns from floodwaters.
The Herbert Hoover dike was built during the depression after a terrible hurricane in 1928 that killed more than 2,000 people.
What does it mean to you, this lake?
LAVONNE SHERRYL, RESIDENT: It means everything to me. I was born and raised here.
TUCHMAN: Lavonne Sherryl lives in Clewiston, a sugar producing town, heavily damaged in that hurricane nearly eight decades ago.
On a scale of one to 10, how concerned are you about a hurricane here?
SHERRYL: Ten. Very concerned.
TUCHMAN (on camera): The report proclaims this dike poses an imminent danger to south Floridians, and that its physical characteristics bear a striking resemblance to, quote, "Swiss cheese." Not exactly what a lot of people want to hear.
(Voice-over): But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers insists the dike, which it built, remains safe and is being made even safer. Many in the corps don't feel this part of Florida faces the same sort of risk as New Orleans.
JIM HAMMOND, ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: Absolutely not the same animal. Again, we are at a much higher elevation, above sea level. They're below sea level.
TUCHMAN (on camera): The people in charge of safeguarding the lake like to stay out of the political disputes, but are more than aware of the worst-case scenario.
So, it's something that's not being ignored, that possibility?
TRAVIS FRANKLIN, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE: No, sir, it's not. It's very much something we'll pay attention to, with the hurricanes of the last two years.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): The governor is asking for fast repairs and daily inspections. The Army Corps promises to review the report as south Florida gets ready for another hurricane season.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Well, he taught Tiger Woods everything there is about golf and about being a man. A look back at the life of Earl Woods, Tiger's father and best friend, who the world learned passed away this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tiger Woods announced today his father and best friend, Earl Woods, has died. We'll look at his life and impact on the golfing great in a moment.
But first, a preview of what's on "AMERICAN MORNING," tomorrow. Miles O'Brien, apparently heads to Gleason's Gym to try his hand as white collar boxing, a trend that's pulling New York's businessmen off Wall Street and into the ring.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Olin (ph) is the Muhammad Ali of white collar boxing.
MILES O'BRIEN, "AMERICAN MORNING" CO-ANCHOR: And I'm about to go in the ring with him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're about to go in the ring with him.
O'BRIEN: You think I'm crazy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You might be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: I could take Miles O'Brien so easy. Oh, am I on? OK. So yes, so let's see how Miles does in the ring. That's on "AMERICAN MORNING," tomorrow, 6:00 a.m., Eastern Time, of course.
Well, I don't play golf, but you don't have to be a golfer to admire Tiger Woods. He's a hero to many around the world. And for Tiger, there was only one hero. His father, Earl Woods. Today he died of cancer.
CNN's Larry Smith looks back on the champion's champion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Earl Woods was the rock upon which Tiger Woods built his career. From the age of 2, when the nation first got a glimpse of Tiger on the "Mike Douglas Show," Earl Woods knew his son was destined for greatness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw the total package. I saw his intelligence. I saw his personality. I saw his creativity. I saw his athleticism. I saw his ability to learn so fast and rapidly. And his desire, his competitiveness. He had all that stuff when he was 2.
SMITH: And it was with that knowledge and belief that Earl Woods dedicated himself to turning Tiger into a golfing prodigy.
The elder Woods was an athlete in his own right, as a scholarship baseball player for Kansas State University. He was also the first African-American to play baseball in the former big eight conference.
Upon graduating in 1953, Earl joined the Army and did two tours of duty in Vietnam with the Green Berets. He uses military training to toughen up Tiger, physically and mentally.
Once a picture in Tiger's tournaments, Earl Woods became less and less visible as Tiger's career progressed and his own health declined. The affect his absence had on Tiger came into full view during the trophy presentation for Tiger's fourth Master's title in 2005.
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Every year that I've been lucky enough to have one this tournament, my dad's been there to give me a hug. And he wasn't there today. I can't wait to get home and see him, to give him a big bear hug.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I talk about Tiger, sometimes I do get emotional. That's the deep personal love we have for each other, the respect and trust that we have, and we've earned. It's just a bond.
SMITH: It was a bond that helped turned Tiger Woods into the best golfer in the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: The man, Earl Woods, has died.
"LARRY KING" is coming up next. His guest tonight, Dr. Phil.
See you tomorrow.
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