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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Questions Remain Unanswered About Kennedy Crash; CIA Director Resigns
Aired May 05, 2006 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: A CIA director leaves on short notice, without so much as a reason why. And, tonight, a new name emerges as a possible replacement, a name wrapped in controversy.
Also, a lawmaker named Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy, makes a surprising announcement and checks into rehab.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: He's heading for a clinic, just 12 steps ahead of questions about special treatment, drunk driving and police incompetence. A bad day in the life of Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Who is Patrick Kennedy? And is there a Kennedy curse?
Plus, he was supposed to fix the intelligence failures that led to 9/11.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition.
ANNOUNCER: But did the CIA's top man leave behind an agency just as broken as before?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: 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.
COOPER: Thanks for joining us. Hope you had a good Friday.
We begin with Congressman Patrick Kennedy, the Democrat from Rhode Island and son of Senator Ted Kennedy. After hours of speculation and accusations of inebriation and special treatment after crashing his car, today, Patrick Kennedy made an announcement, talking about his past problems with drugs and depression and his current concerns about medication he's been taking.
Tonight, he's expected to enter a rehab program at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. It is his second visit there in the past six months. Tonight, the Kennedy crash -- all the angles. What really happened? He says he doesn't remember. Police are speaking out, and investigations are under way. We will also investigate exactly what Kennedy admitted to today and what he didn't, his long struggle with addiction and depression, and new questions about what drugs he's been taking. We will also examine his family's history of addiction and tragedy.
First, we want to play for you exactly what Mr. Kennedy said today before he left for Minnesota, unedited, in full. It is a very, very carefully worded statement, in what it says and what it doesn't say. And it's important, we think, to keep that in mind as we go along tonight. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PATRICK KENNEDY (D), RHODE ISLAND: Over my 15 years in public life I've felt a responsibility to speak honestly and openly about the challenges that I have with addiction and depression.
I have been fighting this chronic disease since I was a young man and have aggressively and periodically sought treatment, so that I can live a full and productive life.
I struggle every day with this disease, as do millions of Americans. I have dedicated my public service to raising awareness about the chronic disease of addiction and have fought to increase access to care and recovery supports for the many Americans forced to struggle on their own.
This past Christmas, I realized I needed to seek help again, so I checked myself into the Mayo Clinic for addiction to prescription pain medication. I was there over the holiday and during the House recess, as well, and I returned to the House of Representatives and to Rhode Island reinvigorated and healthy.
Of course, in every recovery, each day has its ups and downs, but I have been strong, focused and productive in my term of office.
But, in all candor, the incident on Wednesday evening concerns me greatly. I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions.
That's not how I want to live my life, and it's not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island.
The reoccurrence of an addiction problem can be triggered by things that happen in everyday life, such as taking the common treatment for a stomach flu. That's not an excuse for what happened Wednesday evening, but it is a reality of fighting a chronic condition, for which I'm taking full responsibility.
I am deeply concerned about my reaction to the medication, and my lack of knowledge of the accident that evening. But I do know enough that I know that I need help.
This afternoon, I am traveling to Minnesota to seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic to ensure that I can continue on my road to recovery. The greatest honor in my public life is to serve the people of Rhode Island. And I'm determined to address this issue, so that I can continue to fight for the families of Rhode Island with the same dedication and rigor that I have exemplified over the past decade.
I hope that my openness today and in the past, and my acknowledgment that I need help, will give others the courage to get help if they need it.
I am blessed to have a loving family, who is in my corner every step of the way. And I'm grateful to my friends, both here and in Rhode Island, for reaching out to me at this time.
And I'd like to call, once again, for passage of mental health parity.
Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, that was Congressman Kennedy today. Now, there's a lot he said and a lot he didn't say. And we mentioned it was a very carefully worded statement.
We asked CNN's Brian Todd to check the facts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KENNEDY: The incident on Wednesday evening concerns me greatly.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A contrite Congressman Patrick Kennedy speaks about addiction to prescription painkillers and says he will check into rehab.
As to the car accident:
KENNEDY: I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions.
TODD: But CNN obtained this traffic accident report. Notice a box marked "sobriety," indicating Kennedy had been drinking, and his ability was impaired. Under "contributing circumstances," officers cite speed, alcohol influence, driving on the wrong side of the street, and driver inattention. Kennedy yesterday denied using alcohol, though he didn't address it specifically today.
(on camera): The report also says Kennedy drove fast down this street without headlights, swerved three times, hit that curb right there, almost hit a police car, came right past the point where I'm standing, then ran into that checkpoint barrier head on.
(voice-over): The report lists Kennedy's eyes as red and watery, speech slightly slurred, and his balance unsure after exiting his green Ford Mustang. Kennedy claims a prescribed anti-nausea medication left him drowsy. He also says he took the sleeping pill Ambien. KENNEDY: That's not an excuse for what happened Wednesday evening. But it is a reality of fighting a chronic condition, for which I'm taking full responsibility.
TODD: A law enforcement source tells CNN police are checking Capitol Hill bars and restaurants for Kennedy's whereabouts before the accident, a Capitol Hill Police detective, tight-lipped after leaving the bar Hawk and Dove, Kennedy emphatically denying published reports that he was there.
STUART LONG, OWNER, HAWK DOVE: I have one night manager who thinks he may have served him, but...
TODD: The Hawk Dove owner tells CNN the bar has no receipts from Kennedy.
But Capitol Hill Police are also facing tough questions about whether they gave preferential treatment to the congressman. CNN sources and a letter from a police union official to the chief say, responding officers were not allowed to give Kennedy a Breathalyzer test, were ordered by their superiors to leave the scene, at which point Kennedy was driven home.
CNN obtained a statement from the Capitol Hill Police, reading, in part: "It has been determined that, in the initial stages, supervisors employed improper judgment. Corrective administrative and personnel action has been taken."
A top congressional source tells CNN, the watch commander involved in those decisions has been reassigned. Kennedy did not make clear how long he will be in treatment and away from Washington.
KENNEDY: I need to stay in the fight.
TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, he says he doesn't remember what happened, a statement seemingly at odds with his previous statement on the crash.
Whether it is the police, the media or Congressman Kennedy himself, if his memory returns, an awful lot of people will be reconstructing the morning of the crash and the night leading up to it, moment by moment. And it's already begun, step by step, pill by pill. Right now, the questions outnumber the answers.
We put CNN's Tom Foreman on the job, however, and here's what he found out about exactly what happened early Thursday morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House will be in order.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Representative Kennedy's trip to trouble appears to have started at the end of a long day in Congress, in which he cast his final vote at 9:06 p.m.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ayes are 226. The nays are...
FOREMAN: No on a port security bill.
Shortly afterward, according to his office, he drove to his nearby home to turn in for the evening. And, a minute before midnight, Congress adjourned. By that time, Kennedy says he had already taken the medication in question, Phenergan for nausea, and Ambien to help him sleep, both prescribed by doctors. He says he doesn't remember waking up.
But, at 2:45 a.m., he got behind the wheel again, headed back to the Capitol complex. Two minutes later, Capitol Police say they spotted him, traveling at a high rate of speed, with no lights on, and swerving into the oncoming traffic lane. One officer says he even had to steer out of the way to avoid Kennedy's rushing car.
When the congressman finally struck the barricade and stopped, police say his eyes were red and watery. His speech was slightly slurred. His balance was unsure, and he told them, at almost 3:00 in the morning, he was headed to the Capitol to make a vote.
The police report says he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, but no sobriety test was administered. Instead, a police supervisor made sure the congressman was given a ride home.
9:00 a.m. Thursday: Representative Kennedy issues a statement, saying, "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident." And he pledges full cooperation with the investigation.
KENNEDY: I never asked for any preferential treatment.
FOREMAN: Twelve-and-a-half-hours later, however, as questions mount about what happened, he issues a second statement, and, this time, he offers an explanation. For the first time, he says prescription drugs may be to blame. "Apparently," he wrote, "I was disoriented from the medication."
(on camera): Kennedy insists, he did not ask for any special treatment from Capitol Police, but the police now say their supervisors showed bad judgment in how they handled this accident.
(voice-over): And investigators are now asking questions in bars and restaurants along his path, clearly trying to find out if Congressman Kennedy made any stops they don't know about before his final stop at the Capitol.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, Patrick Kennedy's personal troubles didn't start in Washington. Unfortunately, they followed him there. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KENNEDY: Over my 15 years in public life, I've felt a responsibility to speak honestly and openly about the challenges that I have with addiction and depression.
COOPER (voice-over): Much like his dad, Senator Ted Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy's life is one part politics, one part scandal, with both beginning at an early age. When he was still a teenager, Kennedy admitted to using cocaine, an addiction that led him to seek treatment in 1986.
Two years later, at just 21, he won a seat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, becoming the youngest Kennedy ever to be elected into office. In 1994, Kennedy went to Washington as a United States congressman. He's been reelected five times since.
On Capitol Hill, he's made a name for himself as an advocate for universal health care, protecting the environment, and championing human rights.
KENNEDY: It's the whole family that's affected.
COOPER: But that's not what was making headlines.
KENNEDY: I apologized for my behavior, which was uncalled for and something I'm ashamed of.
COOPER: In 2000, Kennedy allegedly pushed a security guard at Los Angeles International Airport. No charges were brought against him. Kennedy was sued and settled out of court. A few months later, a New England boat company said that Kennedy had trashed a sailboat he rented. That same year, he said he was taking prescription drugs for depression, a disease he says he continues to battle with.
For the past few years, he's been trying to reshape his image, but with today's announcement, improving the image of this 39-year-old single congressman may not be as important as his need to get help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, it bears repeating, we don't know all the facts about what drugs Patrick Kennedy was or was not consuming. He admitted to taking Ambien and the other prescription drug. Could those drugs cause a person to forget crashing a car?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These people remember nothing. And that's part of what makes them so disconcerted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, we will talk to a number of doctors about mixing drugs and other possible explanations for the congressman's behavior.
Plus, it always comes up when something happens to a Kennedy, the Kennedy curse. We will look at the history of drug and alcohol abuse in the Kennedy clan.
Also, the sudden surprising resignation of CIA chief Porter Goss. After just a year-and-a-half on the job, what really caused him to quit? And new information tonight about who's going to replace him -- when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Congressman Kennedy blames his most recent accident on side effects from Ambien, a sleeping pill, and an anti-nausea sedative called Phenergan. Phenergan is also prescribed for allergy symptoms and some other conditions.
Despite his statement today, Congressman Kennedy was unclear about whether or not he's also been taking painkillers, which he's admitted he was addicted to in the past.
We asked 360 M.D. Sanjay Gupta to examine the -- the risks of combining certain medications.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 2:45 a.m. -- it's the middle of the night. You get out of bed. You get into your car and drive to work. Suddenly, a car accident. Police arrive at the scene. You remember nothing about it.
By now, we know Congressman Patrick Kennedy says that happened to him. Kennedy has a well-known history of addiction. And, today, he indicated he had a history of painkiller abuse. But he says it was two medications, neither of which is used for pain, that caused this to happen, Ambien and Phenergan.
JOE ZIVE, AMERICAN PHARMACIST ASSOCIATION: The combination of Ambien and Phenergan, it's an uncommon treatment.
GUPTA: Ten days ago, April 25, the attending physician for Congress prescribed the sleeping pill Ambien to Kennedy. A week later, he was prescribed Phenergan for nausea.
Phenergan, which has been around for a long time, is also very sedating, in combination with Ambien, could be dangerous. We have done a lot of reporting recently on the bizarre side effects Ambien alone can produce. See if this sounds familiar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At some point, I got up. I got dressed. I -- I came downstairs, got my car keys. I drove to a grocery store that is probably three minutes away from home. I went in the store. I bought three packages of cookies. As I was leaving the grocery store, that's where the police report says the policeman first saw me.
GUPTA: This man says he was asleep the entire time. It's almost identical to Kennedy's story. But that man was handcuffed, until he could prove Ambien, not alcohol, caused his accident.
Dr. Carlos Schenck says he has documented at least 32 cases of people sleepwalking, sleep-eating and even sleep-driving, all under the influence of Ambien.
DR. CARLOS SCHENCK, MINNESOTA REGIONAL SLEEP DISORDERS CENTER: Once someone is engaged in sleepwalking, he or she can leave the house into an automobile and drive in a mixed state of sleep and wakefulness. It's a dissociated state, where the body is moving, but the mind is suspended in its judgment.
GUPTA: Ambien's manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, released this statement on March 20, in response to reports of sleepwalking, sometimes leading to sleep-driving.
"Although sleepwalking may occur during treatment with Ambien, it may not necessarily be caused by it. It is difficult to determine with certainty whether a particular instance of sleepwalking is drug- induced, spontaneous in origin, or a result of an underlying disorder."
To be clear, drugs like Ambien do not affect everyone equally. What may put one person to sleep may leave another person zombie-like.
But what about a situation like Kennedy's, combing Ambien with Phenergan? For some patients, it could produce drowsiness, disorientation, and even amnesia.
ZIVE: The more drugs that are on board in somebody, the -- the greater chance you have of something happening.
GUPTA: Whatever the cause of the accident, the one question remains: Why would you go to an addiction treatment center for an addiction to painkillers, when he made no mention of that in connection to the crash?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, that gets to the question. I mean, Kennedy's statement was actually not clear on whether or not he has been taking painkillers. He's only talked about these two drugs Ambien and Phenergan.
Would taking only Ambien and Phenergan be enough to send someone back to rehab?
GUPTA: Not typically, Anderson.
You -- Phenergan, for example, is not really addictive. Ambien can be addictive, or you develop a significant tolerance to it, where you need more and more. But it's not typically a medication that someone goes to rehab for.
Now, it -- it can get to the point where, in combination, if you're taking other drugs, it might make you a little bit more likely to develop addictions to -- to both drugs, for example, and that could send you to rehab. But, in and of itself -- I read it the same way you did, Anderson -- it's a little bit difficult to figure out exactly what he was saying.
But, in and of itself, Ambien and Phenergan probably is not going to send someone to rehab.
COOPER: Well, it was a very carefully worded statement and, I think, probably, my guess would be, intentionally, kind of leaving it open for -- for whatever happens down the road.
Sanjay, thanks. Appreciate the expertise.
GUPTA: Thank you.
COOPER: Ambien is the best-selling prescription sleeping pill in America. Here's some raw data.
Last year, 26.5 million people were taking the drug, accounting for $2.2 billion in sales. When you compare it to its other two competitors, Lunesta and Sonata, Ambien accounts for 84 percent of prescriptions for -- for sleeping.
Congressman Kennedy today seemed to suggest that Ambien helped trigger the -- the relapse. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to stick around after the break to talk about that. Also joining us will be an addiction expert, Dr. Drew Pinsky.
Plus, the CIA all shook up -- turf battles, different points of view, and, suddenly, the CIA's director is out. We will look at the fallout and what's next for the spy agency -- when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: So, did Congressman Kennedy come clean today? Does his story make sense? Addiction experts weigh in -- next on 360.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We continue now with the Patrick Kennedy story, specifically the potential side effects from the widely used drugs the congressman was taking before his accident.
360 M.D. Sanjay Gupta is back with us from Atlanta. Also joining us from Washington, Dr. Drew Pinsky -- he's the medical director of the chemical dependency unit at Las Encinas -- Las Encinas -- Is that right? -- Hospital in...
DR. DREW PINSKY, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, LAS ENCINAS HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY SERVICES: Las Encinas Hospital. That's it.
COOPER: I'm sorry. I'm terrible at this -- in Pasadena, California, an addiction expert.
Dr. Drew, let's start off with you.
What do you make of -- of Patrick Kennedy's statement today?
PINSKY: You know, it makes sense to me. He's -- he's an opiate addict. He's told us that. And an opiate addict, only under the most extraordinary circumstances, should ever be exposed to a medication like Ambien. When they go to a drug like Ambien, it reawakens, reactivates their disease very quickly.
Opiate addicts know they're not supposed to do this. He went to his doctor. He asked for it. He should have checked with his sponsor. He should have checked with recovering peers. It's just -- while Sanjay is right, it doesn't -- it's not usually the case that a couple doses of Ambien sends somebody to rehab, but an opiate addict who gets exposed to this class of medication usually very quickly spirals back into their disease.
COOPER: Wait. You say it reawakens the addiction. What does that mean?
PINSKY: It -- addiction is a disorder of the reward system of the brain, a part called the medial forebrain bundle. And anything that triggers extra -- sort of triggers that in an extra-physiologic way will activate the disease.
So, it's why, if you're a marijuana addict, you can't take Vicodin, why, if you're an alcoholic, you can't take Valium. These all reactivate the biology of the disease. And it very quickly takes off again. And that's what you're seeing in this poor guy.
COOPER: Sanjay, what do you make of that?
GUPTA: Well, I mean, it's interesting, for sure.
When you talk about Ambien -- and a lot of people listening, obviously, take Ambien -- in of and itself, as Dr. Drew said, it may not be a problem. You can develop a tolerance to it. But, you know, someone who has a known addiction, and maybe even an addictive personality, to some extent -- I would be interested to hear what Dr. Drew says about that -- but someone who has known addictions, you can just make it that much worse by taking a medication like Ambien.
So, you know, it's hard to say in his case, because he's not specifically talking in that press statement about if he's still taking painkillers, if he's re-addicted to them, or...
PINSKY: But...
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Yes. What -- what do you make of that, Dr. Drew? I mean, he was very specific...
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Addict is addict is addict. It doesn't matter what your drug of choice is.
Just because you're a painkiller addict, it doesn't mean you are not going to come in next time as an alcoholic or next time as a marijuana addict or next time as a Valium addict.
COOPER: And when you say it reawakens the addiction, does that mean he takes the Ambien and then -- and then an addict starts to take -- take painkillers as well?
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Well, no, he may not. He may just -- he may escalate. He may go to his doctor and seek more medication: I need something for my cough. I need something more for my sleep. I need something for my anxiety.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: So, when he talked about being concerned by what happened, you're -- you read into that -- that he's -- he realizes, you know what, I'm -- this could lead to something else?
PINSKY: From an addictionologist's standpoint, this is a very positive statement.
This is a guy who had a very scary experience. And he's saying: Oh, my God. I have to do something about this.
And that's -- what we look for is motivation for treatment. And now he has motivation. You have got to understand, addiction is a disorder of drive. And he's activated these drives. And they're causing him to do things that are dangerous. And he can't contain it without treatment. He needs to go back.
Clearly, his treatment wasn't sort of on course. He needs to get back in the game, get back in treatment. And he should be commended for it, frankly. I mean, he's doing exactly the right thing from a medical standpoint.
COOPER: And, Sanjay, of course, with depression in the mix, that, I guess, also is a contributing factor to addictions, or maybe vice-versa.
GUPTA: Yes.
You know, it's -- it's interesting. And, you know, when -- when you talk about addiction overall -- and Dr. Drew is, you know, obviously the expert on this area, as he's been doing this for a long time -- but when you talk about an addictive personality, I'm sort of interested in what the congressman said today, that this -- this sort of thing frightened him.
You know, we hear about Ambien -- and we talked about it just last segment -- about people having scary episodes like this with this medication. But given his past history of the depression, of the addiction, and now this very scary thing that happened to him a couple of nights ago, he's saying, you know, OK, I -- I need to -- I need to do something about this before it spirals out of control.
COOPER: Dr. Drew, what comes first, the -- the addiction or the depression?
PINSKY: That's -- that's always a very interesting question.
Almost all addicts, when they come to treatment, are depressed. The vast majority of them, their depression will go away simply by treating their addiction. But he has said -- I -- it's -- I think I have heard him say he was depressed well before the addiction really was active.
And, so, he probably has what is called a dual diagnosis. He has a second disorder we call depression, a primary disorder we call addiction. The problem is, you cannot treat the depression until the addiction is well in control. And that's the primary objective of treatment.
COOPER: And -- and I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who probably view this through a political lens. And -- and -- and there's lots of ways to look at it. It is -- it's certainly just a sad -- you know, just a sad day for -- for that family...
PINSKY: Sure.
COOPER: ... and for him in particular.
What are his chances of -- of, you know, bouncing back?
PINSKY: Well, it's -- it's -- opiate addiction has a very poor prognosis.
And, as you're saying, it's a family disease. It's a genetic disorder. He -- it's about roughly a 50 percent probability of inheriting it from your parents. He got the gene. He activated the disease.
And he has activated the disease -- form of the disease that has the most serious recidivism. That is opiates and opioids. I don't know what he was taking, but it really doesn't matter. Whether it's heroin, or Vicodin, or OxyContin, it's a chronic condition that requires daily, daily management.
And maybe it got away from him, and he needs to get back on the beam.
COOPER: Dr. Drew Pinsky and Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much. I learned a lot. Thank you.
PINSKY: Pleasure.
COOPER: We will have more on Congressman Patrick Kennedy in a moment.
But, first, Erica Hill from Headline News joins us with some of the other stories we're following -- Erica.
ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Anderson. And an update on a story we have been following for some time now -- a 14-year-old boy who died at a juvenile boot camp in Bay County, Florida, may have been suffocated. The medical examiner says the guards who kicked and punched Martin Lee Anderson in January also covered his mouth and forced him to inhale ammonia fumes, and that led to his death. The findings contradict an earlier autopsy report by another examiner, which concluded Anderson died of complications of a usually benign blood disorder.
In the Darfur region of Sudan, a peace deal at last -- under intense international pressure, the Sudanese government and Sudan's largest rebel faction came to terms, ending two years of difficult talks. Violence in Darfur has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than two million.
In Washington, the vice president's former chief of staff back in court -- Lewis Scooter Libby is accused of lying to a grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA operative's identity. Today, his defense revealed parts of their strategy, including plans to call White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove as a witness.
And, tomorrow, Sneakers the cat going home, reuniting with his owner 10 years after he disappeared. The cat was brought to an animal shelter in Sacramento, California, last week, hundreds of miles from his Seattle home. Workers there scanned him for an implanted microchip, they found one, tracked down the owner who says the whole thing is understandably very surreal. Ten years later.
COOPER: What's he been doing for the last ten years?
HILL: Well hopefully we'll get some information from sneakers tomorrow.
COOPER: Maybe he's going to be writing memoirs -- going to be full of salacious details.
HILL: Best-seller.
COOPER: Life of a cat on the street. Erica Hill thanks.
Well when your name is Kennedy, does it come with a curse?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's almost like we know the sun is going to come up in the east and eventually we're going to see on television breaking news that one of the Kennedy's has been involved in a problem, in a serious problem, whether it has to be with alcohol or drugs or sex.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, from the car crash at the capitol, to (INAUDIBLE) scandals are clinging to one of the most famous families around.
Plus the president's top man of the CIA resigns after losing an apparent power struggle, what really happened behind the scenes and who's going to replace him? New word on that tonight when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And a new development. We have just received word that Congressman Kennedy has arrived at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for drug treatment. It is headline news in part because Kennedy is really one of the most famous names around. He announced earlier today, if you do not know, that he would be going to the Mayo. We can now tell you that he has arrived.
It must also be said that the Kennedy name is, well, it's infamous as well as famous. To be a Kennedy is to grow up in the spotlight by virtue of your name. It also means seeing your troubles splashed across the evening news, and there have been plenty of troubles. Here's CNN's Randi Kaye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As much as the Kennedy's are a part of United States history, so to are their drug and alcohol- related scandals.
GERALD STROBER, CO-AUTHOR, "THE KENNEDY PRESIDENCY": I think it's almost like we know the sun is going to come up in the east, and eventually, we're going to see on television breaking news that one of the Kennedy's has been involved in a problem, in a serious problem, whether it has to do with alcohol or drugs or sex. This just seems to be a given that kind of hangs over this family.
KAYE: Patrick Kennedy's father, Senator Ted Kennedy, has long had a reputation as a heavy drinker. He may best be remembered for a tragedy. Chappaquiddick Island near Martha's Vineyard 1969, Kennedy drove his car off a bridge. His passenger and aide Mary Jo Kopechne died. It was never proven, but long speculated that Kennedy was drunk. His ex-wife, Joan Kennedy, was in and out of rehabilitation for years, and her family got her assigned a court-appointed guardian after she broke her shoulder in a drunken fall.
STROBER: I think there was also a pressure on Edward Kennedy and then on the children to live up to what was expected of a Kennedy, that John and Bobby had sent -- laid out certain markers in public life. And here these people had to live up to this. And how can you live up to a martyr, the martyred president, John F. Kennedy, the martyred senator, Robert F. Kennedy? It's very difficult. So perhaps, again, without engaging in psychobabble, perhaps there is an escape sought, and that escape is in alcohol or drugs.
KAYE: Some Kennedy's have battled addiction in their adolescence. Patrick Kennedy has said he was treated for cocaine and alcohol dependency when he was in high school. His brother, Edward Kennedy Jr., also went through rehab. In 1983, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pleaded guilty to possession of heroin and was sentenced to community service and drug treatment. That next year, another of Robert Kennedy's sons, David, died of a cocaine and Demerol overdose in a Palm Beach, Florida, hotel. David was widely reported to have battled drug addiction since the age of 12, not long after his father was assassinated.
After the assassination, David was treated at least twice for heroin dependency and had suffered from a heart infection associated with narcotics use. And remember the baby-sitter scandal? David's brother, Michael Kennedy checked into rehab after his wife caught him in bed with the baby-sitter. He blamed the relationship on an alcohol problem. Years later, at age 39, Michael died in a skiing accident. With a family history like this, what will be of the Kennedy legacy?
STROBER: All of this kind of reduces Kennedy's to a kind of common denominator. In other words, they are like many families tragically in our country. Many families face the problem either with parents or children or grandchildren with alcohol abuse, with drug abuse.
KAYE: The big difference, of course, not all families' problems play out so publicly. Randi Kaye, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: From Camelot to Chappaquiddick to yesterday's car crash at the capitol, the "Boston Herald" has covered the Kennedy family, its highs and lows for decades. Dave Wedge is an investigative reporter for the paper, he joins me now from Boston, Dave thanks for being on the program. Today Kennedy came out and talked about the pills. You say you talked to a hostess at a bar in D.C. called the Hawk and Dove. What did she tell you?
DAVE WEDGE, BOSTON HERALD INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: She told me that Representative Kennedy was in the bar on Wednesday in the hours before the accident on the capitol. She knows the representative very well. She said he's in there quite often. As did other folks at the bars on that row.
COOPER: Did she specify a time?
WEDGE: She did not specify a time, no.
COOPER: And did she say he was drinking?
WEDGE: She did indicate that he was drinking, yeah. She said he wasn't -- he didn't appear to be drunk, but he had been drinking.
COOPER: The bar, I guess, doesn't have any receipts, which would back up her story. You also spoke to the bartender in the place next door. What did he say?
WEDGE: The bartender at the place next door, The Tune In, is also a popular place where Congressman Kennedy is known to frequent. And he said that he knew that he was in the Hawk and Dove as well. The manager of the Hawk and Dove -- I'm sorry, go ahead.
COOPER: No, no, go ahead.
WEDGE: The manager of the Hawk and Dove said that he didn't see him. Didn't say he wasn't there, he just said he didn't see him.
COOPER: Are you surprised by how this was handled by capitol police?
WEDGE: From my understanding, there's a pretty divisive struggle going on right now between some of the older officers and the younger officers on the Capitol Police Department. And this seems to be an indication of that. This is kind of an old-school way of handling a problem like this. And the younger officers, the patrolmen, were clearly upset that they weren't allowed to follow protocol and give a sobriety test.
COOPER: Because there was really this letter calling for an investigation by the police union official which got this story in play.
WEDGE: Yeah. The "Roll Call Newspaper" picked that up, and that's what got this whole ball rolling. You know, the police have a valid concern. Lou Cannon, the union president there, is quick to say that if this was anyone else, they would have been given a sobriety test. I think that's unquestioned.
COOPER: Anyone else, you mean not a Kennedy, or anyone else not a congressman? Because it seems -- we've heard a lot today that --
WEDGE: Exactly.
COOPER: You're saying a congressman.
WEDGE: A regular person, not a senator or a congressman would have likely been given a sobriety test, and that would have been the outcome of the incident.
COOPER: Right. Because some saying, look, the Kennedy's are getting special treatment. Others are saying, well, it's any congressman or senator, you know, gets this kind of wink and a nod, and oh, we'll escort you home kind of treatment.
WEDGE: That seems to be the case. That's certainly what the rank and file officers are complaining about. And there is an active investigation into that. Hopefully, the acting chief there at the Capitol Police Department will do the due diligence and find out what happened and set things straight.
COOPER: Dave Wedge, appreciate you joining us. Thanks.
Bombshell announcement from the CIA today. After just 18 months, the CIA director is calling it quits. We'll explore the reasons why and have the latest on who will likely replace him. That's coming up.
Also tonight, boot camp death, caught on tape, a teen beaten by guards. The tape, you see it yourself. Today new autopsy results are in and the verdict, murder. Was there a cover-up? Across America and around the world you're watching 360.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: Breaking news out of the CIA. Earlier today, the agency's director, Porter Goss, suddenly resigned leaving many to wonder why he left and who's going to replace him. Tonight we have an answer. For that let's go live to CNN senior national correspondent, David Ensor. David, who's replacing him?
DAVID ENSOR, SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Anderson we're hearing from a number of sources that they believe that the choice will be General Michael Hayden, who's currently the number two man in U.S. intelligence. This is a man who is a safe pair of hands, no question about that, a seasoned intelligence officer. He's the principal deputy director of National Intelligence right now. Oversees the day to day activities of the National Intelligence Program. He is the highest ranking military intelligence officer in the armed forces with four stars on his shoulders. He earned that fourth star last year after 36 years in the military. And he is the longest serving director before that of the National Security Agency, which is kind of the big ear of the U.S. government.
COOPER: So he used to run the NSA. So he knows a lot about signals intelligence.
ENSOR: Right.
COOPER: What is the -- what is it he's doing now? I didn't quite understand that.
ENSOR: He's Negroponte's deputy, basically.
COOPER: How would he differ from Porter Goss?
ENSOR: Well, he's very seasoned, very knowledgeable. At the same time, and really an excellent manager. But he doesn't -- he's never run human intelligence before. So he's going to have a steep learning curve in that area. And he also, as the former NSA director, you know, could face a lot of questions before congress about the warrant less wiretap program. So, it's not without complexity, this appointment if it is indeed going to be General Hayden.
COOPER: Will he be able to fix the problems that Porter Goss couldn't? I mean, the agency, it seems like a revolving door of directors. That can't be good for intelligence gathering.
ENSOR: It is not. And one would have to hope that if General Hayden comes in, he will stay for the rest of President Bush's term and there will be some stability over there at the CIA which is badly needed. Can he fix the things that haven't been fixed so far? Probably some of them. I mean, he's a very intelligent man. I'm sure he'll -- he's very good analyst of what the problems are and how to tackle them. But this is a big, big problem. There's been a dramatic remake of the way intelligence is constructed in the post 9/11 world by congress and by the president's orders. And it's simply going to take time for the community to get itself oriented around the new organizational structure. I'm not sure that any one man can change the fact that it's going to take a while.
COOPER: David Ensor, appreciate the reporting tonight.
From the incoming CIA director, we're going to the man he's replacing. A look inside the intelligence agency where a power struggle may have led to the chief calling it quits. We're covering all the angles tonight.
And later the priest charged with murdering a nun. Today the strange case got even stranger. That and more when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: So Porter Goss ran the CIA for only a year and a half. And today he resigned, quitting suddenly. The question around Washington tonight is why? CNN's Elaine Quijano reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Bush's handpicked choice to run the CIA quit after just 20 months on the job. In making the announcement, the president named no replacement.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition where he's helped this agency become integrated into the intelligence community, and that was a tough job. He's led ably.
PORTER GOSS, OUTGOING CIA DIRECTOR: I would like to report back to you that I believe the agency is on a very even keel. Sailing well.
QUIJANO: But by many accounts, turbulence marked Goss's time in charge of the spy agency. While neither Goss nor the president offered an explanation for the sudden resignation, ignoring questions from reporters, intelligence sources close to the discussions about the CIA's future say Goss's departure was anything but a surprise. The reason? Sharp differences between Goss and the man he reported to, John Negroponte, the director of National Intelligence. A job created after Goss was appointed CIA director.
An intelligence source says Negroponte wanted changes, moving functions from the CIA to Negroponte's umbrella agency, the DNI. But Goss pushed back, hard, arguing those changes would weaken the CIA. In the end, Negroponte took his case to the White House for resolution where top Bush aides sided with him. A senior administration official says Negroponte did raise with Goss the idea that he leave and says the decision was ultimately based on a mutual understanding between Negroponte, Goss and President Bush. John McLaughlin, the man who temporarily held the job before Goss, says the resignation is not a sign the CIA is in disarray, but --
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: The danger here is that we could go back into an era where we have revolving door directors. With Porter Goss's departure, we'll have something like three directors in four years. And that's seldom a good thing.
QUIJANO: Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Coming up, the shot of the day. The picture that caught our eye today, and what a picture it is. But first, Erica Hill from "Headline News" joins us with some of the business news we're following. Erica?
HILL: My favorite part of the show. I can't wait. Meantime though, first we got to tell you about a record day on Wall Street. The Dow climbed up 138 points. Closing at 11,577, a new six-year high. The big boost coming after a mixed report on job growth which led to hopes the Federal Reserve will end interest rate hikes. The NASDAQ gained 18, the S&P 500 up 13. All three major indices finished this week with gains.
After that mixed jobs report the Labor Department says the national jobless rate held steady at 4.7 percent, and new hiring fell to its slowest pace since hurricane Katrina with retailers cutting thousands of jobs, although manufacturers and other businesses added employees.
Also seeing a slower pace, credit card use. The Federal Reserve says consumer borrowing rose at an annual rate of 1.4 percent in March, that's down from 2.5 percent in February. Economists say Americans may be responding to higher lender rates. They may also be trying to cut back on their spending.
COOPER: Saving a little money. Never a bad idea.
HILL: No.
COOPER: Erica, I know you can't leave without seeing the shot.
HILL: Absolutely not.
COOPER: It's our favorite picture or video of the day. Here it is, ta-da. The Pillsbury Doughboy.
HILL: Hey.
COOPER: Kidnapped. That's right, the 4 foot fellow was atop the dairy aisle at a New Hampshire supermarket for 20 years. That all changed on April 15th. He was abducted, abducted I say. The sick, twisted captors snapped photographs of him that you're seeing at several locations including a Dairy Queen. Reportedly his kidnappers want the supermarket, which is closing, to remain open. Don't give up Doughboy, be strong.
HILL: I think the Doughboy's going to be okay. What do you think he got at the Dairy Queen?
COOPER: I don't know.
HILL: Peanut butter parfait?
COOPER: I love, though, that they're like, you know, photographing him.
HILL: He looks like he's having a grand time. Maybe he needed to get out. 20 years in the dairy aisle? Maybe he needed a little, you know, last hooraw.
COOPER: He's in a league with his captors is what you're saying.
HILL: He might be.
COOPER: Possible stockroom syndrome, you know. Terrible thing. Erica, thanks.
Well, we are following a number of major stories at this hour. Patrick Kennedy as arrived at the Mayo Clinic for treatment. Coming up, we'll retrace Kennedy's steps, investigating exactly what happened before and after Kennedy crashed his car.
Also a stunning development in the case of the 14-year-old Florida teen who died after a beating at a state boot camp. Authorities first said he died of sickle cell anemia. Remember that? Well, a new autopsy report says the boy died because of what those guards did to him. His family tonight demanding justice and an end to what they say is a cover-up.
Also, the strange story, the priest on trial for murdering a nun 26 years ago, today got even stranger. Details on that when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tonight a congressman named Kennedy is back in rehab, and Washington is buzzing with questions about addiction, preferential treatment, and a nighttime crash the congressman says he doesn't remember.
(ANNOUNCER)
A blackout, a car crash, and a trip to rehab. All of it raising more questions than answers about Congressman Patrick Kennedy. The Kennedy curse.
Millions including Congressman Kennedy use Ambien to help them sleep. But for some, the drug is a dangerous dark side.
Pain at the polls. Why the president and his party should worry.
And a new autopsy says this young boot camp inmate didn't die of natural causes. He was suffocated.
The truth is out.
But was it an accident? Or murder? 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.
COOPER: Well, tonight Patrick Kennedy is about to start another round of treatment at the chemical dependency unit of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He checked in tonight, we know that. It's his second visit since Christmas. He is getting help in the wake of a car crash on Capitol Hill, an accident he says he doesn't remember. The evening, he says, included at least two drugs, medicine he was taking he says for nausea and the sleeping pill Ambien. All the angles tonight starting with a powerful but very carefully worded statement today from Congressman Kennedy. We are airing it for you in full so you can see and hear for yourself why so many questions remain unanswered tonight.
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