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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Endangered Species of the Amazon; Congress Approves Nonbinding Resolution Opposing Troop Surge in Iraq; Anna Nicole Legal Circus Escalates; Brazil University Studying Endangered Species; Pastor Gets Reprieve After Stealing from Church; Teen Serving Jail Time for Sex
Aired February 16, 2007 - 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: We are in the city of Manaus, which is really in the heart of the Amazon.
And I don't know if you can see what I have in my hand. This is a pie-faced tamarind. It's one of the most endangered primates in all of the Amazon.
And, tonight, we are going to look a lot at some of the endangered species here. It is not just the forest which under threat. It is also many of the animal species. As you know, Larry, about a quarter of all the species of animals live in the Amazon. And they are very much under threat, just like this little guy here. We will talk about the tamarind with Jeff Corwin. He's also got a couple other animals we will show you in just a moment.
But, first, I want to welcome a new member of the CNN family, Kiran Chetry, who is joining me in New York.
Kiran, good to have you on the program.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Great to be here, Anderson.
And that's the cutest little thing I have ever seen -- the tamarind, not you.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: No, I'm kidding.
All right, well, we look forward to hearing much more about the wonderful stuff you're doing there in Brazil.
But, meantime, we're going to talk about some other things tonight, including in Washington, the first vote against President Bush's troop escalation in Iraq. It's a symbolic gesture, really, with the president warning lawmakers against anything more substantial.
Also, Anna Nicole Smith's last will and testament, it's out today. So, will it clear anything up, or will it just add to the confusion? We are going to have that and much more here tonight -- Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: Kiran, thanks very much. As I said, we are in Manaus, which really is a remarkable city, a bustling city, in the heart of the Amazon rain forest. As you know, we have been really all over Brazil in these last couple of days.
We started. We flew into a city called Belem in the north of Brazil, and then went down to spend some time with the Kraho Indians, then were in Imperatriz last night, when we came to you.
And now we have flown, by way of Belem, back to here in Manaus, where we have really spent the day out in the rain forest, meeting some of these animals, which are so endangered, like this tamarind, which I talked about here.
But, first, I just want to give you a little overview of some of the endangered species we have been seeing and also endangered species around the world. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): Today, they're alive. Tomorrow, they may be dead. That's the truth about endangered animals.
Here are the facts. More than 15,000 species are threatened with extinction around the world. In the last 500 years, human influence has forced 844 species to extinction. In the near future, one in every four mammals, such as gorillas, will face a high risk of extinction. And only 1,600 giant pandas are alive today -- also threatened, one out of every eight bird species, like the majestic California condor, with a wingspan up to nearly 10 feet, one of the longest in the world, plus, one in amphibians, like the red hill salamander, one of Earth's largest salamanders, now just a few left living, only in Alabama -- and almost half of all tortoises and freshwater turtles.
Here in Brazil, more than 160 separate species of plants or animals are endangered or threatened, including the largest freshwater dolphin, the Amazon river dolphin, also known as the pink dolphin -- beautiful animals with an ugly future, all at risk, unless we act now to protect them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And we're back here with -- with Jeff Corwin, a wildlife biologist.
What is this that you have?
JEFF CORWIN, HOST, "THE JEFF CORWIN EXPERIENCE": Well, a most incredible creature, Anderson.
This is one of my favorite Amazon residents right here, a just incredible animal. This is a three-toed sloth. This is a creature that can spend its entire life up in the canopy, up in the rain forest. It is completely arboreal. And, as you see, it has these incredible claws.
COOPER: It's so soft.
(CROSSTALK)
CORWIN: It's so soft. It's so amazing.
You know, when we explore this habitat, and we come face to face with the wildlife, we discover that each creature, each species is unique. And that certainly holds true with the sloth. Its fur is very dense. These animals actually have problems regulating their own body temperatures, so they need that awesome sense of insulation.
What's amazing about these creatures is, they are almost like a world unto themselves.
COOPER: How do you mean?
CORWIN: Well, they actually have an algae, a type of plant that grows in their fur. And because of that algae, which serves as a resource for other animals, they have unique creatures. They have actual caterpillars and -- and beetles and small insects that live in their fur and live nowhere else. It's as if it's its own habitat.
COOPER: And you have -- you have another kind...
(CROSSTALK)
CORWIN: I do.
So, you could -- I will pass him onto you.
COOPER: OK.
CORWIN: His claws are very sharp.
So, that's the three-toed sloth.
And this one is a very, very different species of sloth.
Hi there. This -- come here.
COOPER: We should explain, also, to people the markings on your arms, these are from the Kraho Indians. It still has not come off.
(CROSSTALK)
CORWIN: Basically, we have got two sloths and a wannabe zebra.
(LAUGHTER)
CORWIN: I can't get rid of these stripes.
This is an awesome creature. Now, this is a different type of sloth that lives in the Amazon. This is a two-toed sloth. And, as you see, this creature right here has only two fingers.
Again, both of these animals arboreal, spending most of their lives up in the treetops. And, even though they're very different, the three-toed from the two-toed, and the little tamarind you're holding, there's something that all three of these creatures share in common. And that is a very uncertain future.
All of these animals were orphaned. This animal is about a year in age. This one is a little younger.
Yes, I know.
And their mothers were actually hunted or shot for food. Luckily, the babies were salvaged. And now they potentially get a second lease on life.
But an incredible part of our evolutionary history, an amazing story when it comes to rain forest wildlife...
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Look at this face. It's incredible.
CORWIN: It's absolutely amazing. And you can see how they are very, very different.
This sloth is often sitting upright like that. This sloth will spend most of its life just like this, upside down. This is an absolute specialist. He will live in one type of tree, eat one sort of food product, eat cecropia leaves. This sloth tends to be so mobile. But, again, what makes all sloths totally unique is that they are just very languid, very slow in movement.
And, again...
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: And, as the forest gets cut down, their habitat is threatened and their lives are -- are threatened.
CORWIN: These animals are specialists. They can only survive in the ecosystem around us that is quickly disappearing -- again, every year, 7,000 square miles of Amazon rain forest in Brazil lost forever.
COOPER: We literally were just out with Jeff in the rain forest, running around in the dark, and barely, actually, got here in time to do this program.
So, we are going to show you a little bit about what we saw earlier today later on 360.
Let's toss it back, though, to New York and Kiran in New York for the day's top stories -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Wow. It's just fascinating to see those two.
And are they part of a program, Anderson, where they are being protected and possibly bred? COOPER: Yes. The idea is possibly to try to reintroduce them into the wild. And they are doing that here at the University in Manaus. And we will show you some of that work a little bit later on.
CHETRY: All right. You got some cute, cuddly creatures with you. And we will check back in with you in a couple of minutes.
Meantime, not as cute and cuddly, and that's Congress today. And there was a landmark vote -- the House approving a resolution condemning President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq. And there were 17 Republicans that joined with the 229 Democrats to approve the measure that some believe really signifies nothing, in spite all the sound and fury today.
All right, well, we are going to have another closer look at exactly what went down on the House floor.
But, first, we are going to explore the question, did it make a difference today, that nonbinding resolution?
Amy Walter is the senior editor of "The Cook Political Report." And she joins me from Washington this morning.
Hi, Amy.
AMY WALTER, SENIOR EDITOR, "THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT": Hi, Kiran. How are you?
CHETRY: This afternoon.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: This evening.
WALTER: This afternoon, or whatever it is. I can't keep track either.
CHETRY: The days have run together.
WALTER: Exactly.
CHETRY: Amy, can Democrats really claim a victory, though, by passing this nonbinding resolution?
WALTER: Well, they certainly can, because it did pass.
What they would like to have done, of course, is to go into this weekend with a little bit more momentum. They would like to have seen more Republican defections.
For example, you mentioned 17 Republicans did vote for the resolution. It's a, you know, certainly significant number, but it's not as big as had been talked about earlier, maybe 20, 25 or more defections. Remember, in the Senate, there is a rare Saturday vote tomorrow. Democrats want to try to get this issue debated as well, hoping that the momentum created from today's vote would help Democrats get some Republicans to cross over on that side -- so, not clear yet if that's going to make the difference.
There's still a lot of talk tonight that Democrats still don't have the votes that they need to -- for cloture. So, we may not see much more out of it here.
CHETRY: All right, Amy, let's take a quick look at exactly what went down today on the House floor. And then we will talk a little bit...
WALTER: Sure.
CHETRY: ... more about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): A showdown over Iraq on Capitol Hill.
REP. RAHM EMANUEL (D), ILLINOIS: More than 3,000 dead, more than 20,000 wounded -- how long must this grim line of photographs grow before we acknowledge that this policy is not working?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make no mistake about this. What we are doing with this resolution is not a salute to G.I. Joe. It's a capitulation to jihadist Joe.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The concurrent resolution is accepted.
CHETRY: In the end, after hours of tough talk, the House approved a nonbinding resolution opposing President Bush's plan to add 21,500 troops to Iraq -- the key word, nonbinding, a symbolic vote on a concrete war.
PELOSI: The bipartisan resolution today may be nonbinding, but it will send a strong message to the president.
CHETRY: But some say, strong, it's not.
JOHN YOO, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: What doesn't really have any force are all these nonbinding resolutions or -- resolutions, they have all the force of a letter from your mother.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, Dems in the Senate are several hurdles away from a resolution of their own. In a rare Saturday session, senators are expected to vote on whether to bring their own version of the nonbinding resolution to the floor, first for a debate, and then perhaps, eventually, for a vote.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: We demand an up-or-down vote. We are determined to give our troops and the American people the debate they deserve.
CHETRY: A debate with a purpose.
JOHN HARRIS, EDITOR IN CHIEF, POLITICO.COM: Look, they call this a nonbinding resolution, but it is much more than symbolic, in terms of its real-life impact. With lots of Republicans joining Democrats and expressing opposition to the surge, that sends a powerful message that political support for this is draining fast.
CHETRY: In other words, yes, it's nonbinding, but the question is, will it be effective or not?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: All right, and we are talking more about that with Amy Walter from "The Cook Report."
And Republicans are saying that Democrats don't want to stop, actually, with this nonbinding resolution. What they want to aim for is to eventually cut off funding for the troops.
Here's what Republican Congressman Roy Blunt said about that today. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ROY BLUNT (R-MO), HOUSE MINORITY WHIP: While this resolution itself appears to be a resolution that would be nonbinding and have no impact, that it is clearly the first step toward defunding troops and defunding the war against these Islamic totalitarians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Amy, do you believe that?
WALTER: Well, here's where we are. We are in basically a rhetorical game of chicken right now between the Democrats and the Republicans.
What Democrats are saying is: OK, Republicans, we have put this out on the table pretty simply. You either support the surge or you don't. And, so, if you voted against this resolution -- we can call it nonbinding or whatever you want to call it -- but the fact is, then, you stand with the president, who is very unpopular, and a war that is very unpopular.
Republicans saying: Oh, yes, Democrats, you want to play that game? Well, guess what? When you try to come up and attach these certain restrictions to the upcoming appropriations to fund this war, it's going to be dangerous for you. You are going to push the -- you are going to push the envelope here. Voters are going to see that you are trying to drain resources from the troops, that you are not as supportive of the war on terrorism, and you are going to pay the price.
So, the two sides now really trying to battle over who controls the terms of this debate. The bottom line, of course, is that the war is very unpopular, and that the president certainly unpopular. So, Democrats, right now, do have the upper hand at this moment in time.
What Republicans are hoping is that Democrats will overstep the boundaries and put themselves in a difficult position, allowing Republicans to change the debate.
CHETRY: All right, well, surely, they do have the upper hand, because we are all talking about it today.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: But, also, today, in "The Wall Street Journal," there was an editorial. And it was interesting. It questioned the Democrats' decision, actually, to push for a nonbinding resolution, and not for something with more teeth.
And this is what it said: "If Democrats do not want the war to be continued, then they should bring resolution either cutting funds or setting a date for withdrawal. There's no rationale for troops in terrible danger to be held hostage to the political expediency of nervous Democrats, who are not prepared to do what they really mean to do and to say what they really mean to say."
So, you know, that -- that is a valid argument, you know, to discuss. Why haven't Democrats proposed something other than a symbolic vote that maybe they could get?
WALTER: Right.
Well, this is what we are going to see in the coming weeks. Congressman John Murtha came out in response to a lot of these -- this criticism, and said: Oh, no, we are not stopping here. Remember, this appropriations has to come before us. And we can attach basically restrictions, not on the mound of money that is going to get spent there, but how the money gets spent.
Now, what Republicans are going to say is: You know what? That is still taking the money away from the commander in chief and the -- the military commanders, and putting it in the hands of politicians. That's not right. That's dangerous for the troops.
We have to wait and see just how voters are going to react to this and how the legislation actually gets crafted. It is true that, when Democrats go down this path, if they try to get something that's staying away from nonbinding and on to something that is more tangible, you might even see some nervous Democrats, worried that, on these issues, support of the troops, support on the war on terrorism, Republicans could try to get the upper hand here, have shown an effective ability to do that in the past.
So, you -- you are going to see this -- this was, you know, the first step. When the rubber hits the road will be on this appropriations, when the money starts to -- when we see the vote on the money, how it gets spent.
CHETRY: Right. And it will get all that interesting with the presidential election year as well.
WALTER: Oh, you think so?
(LAUGHTER) WALTER: Yes, probably.
CHETRY: Amy Walter, senior editor of "The Cook Political Report," thanks so much for being here tonight.
WALTER: Thanks a lot.
CHETRY: Well, in Iraq today, the offensive against a Shiite cult took a new turn. Here's the "Raw Data."
Iraqi security forces arrested 35 members of Soldiers of Heaven. They were nabbed in 15 raids across the city of Hillah. You may recall, it's the same cult that tried to seize control in Najaf just last month, when nearly 300 of them were killed, 300 others wounded. Another 600 members were detained, including more than 200 women and children.
Well, coming up tonight, picture this: a straight-as-an-arrow teenager convicted of a felony, branded as a sex offender, all for something that, well, millions of teenager say they do every weekend.
Also, get this: It's doing something that a lot of parents might consider worse. That's actually less of a crime. It's a confusing story. It's sure to get you very fired up, though.
Also tonight, this:
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): Where there's a will, there's a way, right?
JUDGE LARRY SEIDLIN, BROWARD COUNTY FAMILY COURT: We're beginning to give her peace.
CHETRY: Sixteen pages, what do they say? And will they lay the legal battle over her body, her baby, and her money to rest?
Later: vanishing world, vital beauty -- creatures you have never seen before, plants that could save your life -- the rain forest up close and very personal, ahead on 360.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: I believe that's the pie-faced tamarind.
Animals of the Amazon, they're endangered. They're exotic. And, all this week, Anderson has been in the rain forest. He's going to join us for a live report in just a moment.
First, though, Anna Nicole Smith -- she's gone, but the feuding over her baby, her will, and even her body continues. So, where she goes next is actually anybody's guess. But, today, a Florida judge ordered her body embalmed. But it was Smith who had the final word of the day, when her will was made public. CNN's Randi Kaye has her wishes and the war over them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a case already filled with more questions than answers, here are two more: Where did Anna Nicole Smith want to be buried? And how much of her estate is new baby Dannielynn entitled to?
The answers, you might think, rest inside the former "Playboy" Playmate's will. They don't. The 16-page document just released this afternoon is signed "Vickie Lynn Marshall," Smith's legal name, dated July 30, 2001.
A lot has changed since then. Smith had a daughter. There were stories of a wedding planned, and she lost her only son. Daniel, who was set to inherit everything, died suddenly last September.
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV ANCHOR: When someone wants to leave their entire estate to one person, as Anna did to her son, Daniel, usually, there's a follow-up paragraph that says, in the event he predeceases me, then all of my assets will go to somebody else. This will does not say that.
KAYE: So, where does that leave Dannielynn and companion Howard K. Stern, one of four men still playing a game of: Who's your daddy? The will specifically excludes any spouse or future children from inheritance.
BLOOM: I think she will be treated as an intestate person, in other words, somebody who died without a will. All the money will go to her only surviving heir. That will be Dannielynn. So, I think Dannielynn is going to take anyway.
KAYE: That could leave Stern, named as executor of the will, with no money from his honey.
Smith's estranged mother, Virgie, also gets nothing, though her lawyer called the will a phantom will, and questioned its validity, because it wasn't filed in court. Virgie and Stern are still arm- wrestling over Smith's body and where to bury it.
JUDGE LARRY SEIDLIN, BROWARD COUNTY FAMILY COURT: The court's signing an order. And this is the title of it: "Order Authorizing Embalmment of Decedent," decedent being Anna Nicole Smith. We're beginning to give her peace.
KAYE: But, even as the embalming got under way today, more questions about drugs. TMZ.com posted this prescription for methadone written for a "Michelle Chase," one of Smith's aliases, and this receipt from Key Pharmacy, which shipped the methadone to Vickie Marshall, Smith's legal name, in the Bahamas. Notice the date, August 25 last year. Smith was eight months pregnant. The California Medical Board is investigating.
Dr. Sandeep Kapoor's lawyer sent us this statement: "Dr. Kapoor's treatment program for Anna Nicole Smith was at all times medically sound and appropriate. Medical research and protocols confirm that methadone is approved for use by pregnant patients."
(on camera): And, come Tuesday, Howard K. Stern will appear in a Florida courtroom to try and convince the judge Smith should be buried next to her son in the Bahamas.
Until now, Stern has been taking part in the proceedings by speakerphone. His lawyer said he needed to stay in the Bahamas with the baby. But the lawyer for Smith's mother made a compelling argument, saying Stern and Smith had left the baby before, once to see a boxing match in Florida, again to buy a boat. It was during that trip that Anna Nicole Smith died.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Up next, we are going to ask Court TV's Jami Floyd what she thinks of the Anna Nicole legal mess.
But, first, we head back to Brazil. And that's where Anderson joins us live once again.
Hi, Anderson.
COOPER: Hey, Kiran.
Yes, in a few minutes, we are going to take you deep inside the Amazon rain forest and show you some of the -- the most endangered species with wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin. That's live from the Amazon -- coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Anna Nicole Smith's intentions should have been clear in her will. After all, that's what wills are for. But, somehow, her wishes concerning what should happen when she died have only added to the chaos.
So, helping us sort it out is Court TV anchor Jami Floyd. I spoke with her a bit earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: So, Jami, I would like to read a little excerpt from Anna Nicole Smith's will.
And it says: "I have intentionally omitted to provide for my spouse and other heirs, including future spouses and children and other descendants now living and those hereafter born or adopted."
And, of course, now that we know about, you know, the baby that's here now, what does it mean for little Dannielynn?
JAMI FLOYD, COURT TV ANCHOR: Well, it's pretty extraordinary to have that clause. And, when I first read it, and when I read it again and again, it's very heartbreaking, in a way, because it effectively cuts her out, as if her mother never even contemplated her existence.
And, then, of course, after she was born, it could have been amended. The will could have been thrown out, or she could have had a codicil, but no. This is very much in effect.
So, the question for Dannielynn is, will this will remain valid, or will it be declared invalid? And, if it is, does she then inherit according to the laws of the state? My guess is, in the end, Dannielynn inherits from her mother whatever she stands to inherit, but not before a lot of legal rigmarole.
CHETRY: So, this was drafted up in -- in 2001. And there are actually questions about whether or not this will -- this will is actually valid, because of whether or not it was filed in court. What is...
FLOYD: Right.
CHETRY: What is that debate?
FLOYD: Whether it was filed in court. That's required. But that's usually an issue when you have several different wills. The one that's been filed, registered, with the court is the most valid. And we don't have that here, as far as we know.
CHETRY: Right.
FLOYD: But there are also questions about whether she was competent to make the will, and whether or not, in the course of the events related to the current situation, the -- the death of her son...
CHETRY: Right.
FLOYD: ... the will is therefore declared invalid. The only beneficiary is now dead.
CHETRY: Right.
So, then -- and then you have the other mess with the paternity, because what -- she's named Howard K. Stern, who is claiming that Dannielynn is his, the executor of the will. Yet, at the same time, what if it turns out that Larry Birkhead is indeed the father?
FLOYD: Well, let's assume for a moment that Larry is the dad...
CHETRY: Right.
FLOYD: ... and that the will is valid, two big assumptions. That's OK, because you can name anyone as executor. It doesn't have to be the dad. And, in fact, in many cases, it's not the dad. It's often some disinterested party.
I think there's a big conflict of interest here for Howard K. Stern, especially if he was sleeping with his client. He says he wasn't. But, if he's the daddy, I guess, then, he was. So, there are some questions there. But, if Larry turns out to be the dad, you could have this bizarre circumstance of Dannie getting the money, the executor being Howard K. Stern, and the nemesis being the daddy.
Probably not going to happen, because, if the will is invalid, then Howard K. Stern is not the executor. But that is one very bizarre possibility.
CHETRY: Does it strike you as strange that Anna Nicole, who, you know, has been through such notorious battles over money and court, wouldn't want to get a will nailed down a little better than this?
FLOYD: Well, part of me was surprised that she had any will at all.
But now that we know she had one, you would wonder why she didn't amend it more recently, after having her daughter...
(CROSSTALK)
FLOYD: ... and certainly after the only beneficiary she named in this one died.
But then you have got to think like a human and not a lawyer. I try to do that occasionally. And this is a whom who had a baby, and then, immediately thereafter, lost her first child, her son. And -- and, by all accounts, she loved her son dearly. So, the emotions, the reeling -- and she was struggling with the -- the drug problem and -- and taking...
CHETRY: Right. We didn't know really acutely aware she was.
FLOYD: Well, her mental status.
CHETRY: Right.
FLOYD: So, I think it's a lot to ask, that she would have been so present. And -- and, of course, she's only 39 years old. She probably doesn't think she's going to die any time soon.
CHETRY: Very true. Some good points tonight.
Jami Floyd, from Court TV, thanks for being with us.
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: All right, so, if the Anna Nicole story is strange, this one should really be on another planet. It's a kid doing hard time now, 10 years, for teen sex. That's coming up.
And also, we're back to Brazil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY (voice-over): Later, vanishing world, vital beauty. Creatures you've never seen before. Plants that could save your life. The rainforest, up close and very personal, ahead on 360.
And later, a holy roller.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't make any comment.
CHETRY: He sold the church, bought a Beamer, fleeced his flock and more, and then it gets really strange. The story ahead on 360.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And we're live in Manaus a city really in the heart of the Amazon. I'm back with the three-toed sloth here, which has grown quite attached to me, as you can see, literally. His giant toes dig into you and just kind of hold on.
This is just one of the animals that's been rescued by the University of Manaus by wildlife biologists there who are working very hard to try to save some of these endangered species. This lost mother was shot and was rescued by the university, and it's probably going to be reintroduced into the wild by the scientists there.
Earlier in the day I went out with the wildlife biologist, Jeff Corwin, to take a look at some of the animals like the sloth out in the rainforest. Take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JEFF CORWIN, WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST: Most life forms that you find here in this incredible forest are living in a canopy and that, my friend, is one excellent example.
Who needs Pilates when you have a rainforest? This is one of my most favorite creatures right here. This is just an incredible life form, easily the slowest mammal living on the planet.
And while many creatures will use speed as a defense or biting, this creature does neither. The secret to its survival is being very slow.
COOPER: It's a sloth?
CORWIN: It is a sloth. So this is scientifically known as bradypus tridactylus, which means three toes, tri. You can see them right here.
These claws are absolutely amazing. They're modified fingers. The digit of the fingers right here, but extending out from them are these long claws.
This is a very young sloth. This is a female. The males of this species have a bright greenish yellow-like patch in the back. And they're just extraordinary.
And that's what's so amazing about the ecosystem. It is, is that 80 percent of the life that lives here is above your head. And you can see how easily we could have missed this creature.
But the other thing that's really exciting for me to see is if you look at its neck, you'll see, he's got himself a bit of jewelry there. This little choker.
COOPER: What's that?
CORWIN: This is 243, so this is sloth two, four, three, one of many living in this area that's part of a very intensive study to really unravel the secrets of this creature, secrets that, once revealed, will hopefully apply to the conservation of these animals.
You can actually hold him if you want. But you see how those claws work. I mean, what do you think when you feel the fur?
COOPER: Very deep.
CORWIN: It's very thick. Basically, the fur is designed to keep certain types of parasites at bay. But also this fur is for insulation, because if the temperature does drop in this forest, whatever body temperature this animal is able to keep within its body is insulated by this fur.
As you see he's just looking upward. He's ready to flee, so I think it's best we just sort of sit him back in his tree and send him on his way.
COOPER: What is that?
CORWIN: Anderson, this is just such an incredible creature I wanted to show you. I mean look at that face. This right here is a pie-faced tamarind. Scientific name is saguinus bicolor. Bicolor because you see two colors. You see the brown fur right here and the white fur around the nape.
COOPER: Is that a monkey?
CORWIN: It is. This is a primate. And this is one of the smallest group groups of primates you can find on our planet. It's also 100 percent endangered. This is one of the most critically endangered primates in South America, and it lives exclusively here in this forest.
COOPER: Endangered because people are hunting it?
CORWIN: It's endangered because of habitat loss and because of hunting.
COOPER: Can I hold him?
CORWIN: Absolutely. You just want to secure him. And once he feels sheltered, if you sort of cup him. And he'll just sort of settle right in. They're just incredible creatures.
COOPER: You can feel his heart beat.
CORWIN: Yes, and it's very rapid.
COOPER: Yes.
CORWIN: They have incredibly fast metabolisms. And they're actually very intelligent. These animals are on the forest. They explore the forest. They're eating everything from small fruits to sap which bleeds from trees to even insects and small lizards. They can be quite the voracious hunter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Sadly, that tamarind that you just saw is not going to be able to be reintroduced into the wild. It's just not going to be possible. Wouldn't be able to survive on its own.
Professor Marcello Gordon at the university here in Manaus really has dedicated his life to trying to help the species like the tamarind and like this sloth here.
This sloth, as we said, probably will be able to be reintroduced into the wild. So that's certainly some good news for it. But it's just one of the many remarkable creatures we've been running into, and we'll have more in the coming days for you here -- Kiran.
CHETRY: So that sloth that you were holding earlier and then Jeff put him back up on the tree, that animal was just in the wild?
COOPER: Yes, that's actually part of the rainforest that the University of Manaus maintains to study those species. So that's in a program at the University of Manaus.
CHETRY: All right. And a lot of people were wondering, and I know we saw it yesterday, about the markings on both of your arms.
COOPER: I know, mine have sort of -- I've been rubbing at them pretty aggressively in the shower. I don't think Jeff showers quite as much as I, Jeff Corwin.
But these are actually the Kraho Indians who we were with for about 24 hours gave us these markings. It's made from a blue dye from a local fruit, and it was sort of a welcome ceremony that they did for us. And to welcome us to their village, they put this dye on us. None of us really thought about it very much. You know, we were appreciative, but we didn't realize that it wouldn't come off.
So I've been told it may stay on for as long as two weeks. So we'll -- we'll see.
CHETRY: Or in the case of Jeff, two months. All right, Anderson, we'll check in with you in a couple of minutes.
Coming up next on 360, our special report on modern day slavery, "Invisible Chains: Sex, Work and Slavery". And it's actually happening right here in the United States in the year 2007. And many of the victims, young girls forced to become sex slaves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes we think it's so hard to understand, but for people who can remember what it was like to be 13 and be in love, and you know, especially if he was an older man, that's very exciting as a 13-year-old girl.
He takes you out to dinner. He gets your nails done and he gives you a pair of sneakers. He takes you on a road trip. It's not until the violence starts, the abuse starts, you start being sold that you understand that you are ultimately his slave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: It's a problem hiding in plain sight and we'll tell you much more about it, coming up in the next hour.
But first, the small town pastor with expensive tastes and the sins that got him thrown into jail and the surprising new twist in that case.
Also, there are some new developments in the story of a high school homecoming king, football star, who was thrown in prison for doing something that many teens admit they do every weekend. Still ahead on 360.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A small town pastor stole from his flock. He then wrote a tell-all blog about his double life of sin. He confessed to his crimes. And today he was in a California courtroom to face his punishment. Instead, though, of a tough prison sentence, the pastor ended up getting a strange reprieve.
CNN's Dan Simon reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Church members had admired him for his riveting sermons about God's love and his ability to forgive. But as he walks into the courthouse...
RANDALL RADIC, FORMER PASTOR, FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH: I'm sorry, my attorney has advised me not to say anything. I have no comment.
SIMON: Pastor Randall Radic is silent. His former congregants and the woman who replaced him, anything but.
JUDY EDWARDS, PASTOR, FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH: I'm horrified that he did this. And I don't think he realizes what he really did.
SIMON: What Radic did requires smarts and, even he now concedes, stupidity. Radic took his 90-year-old church and sold it for more than $500,000. Might not seem like a problem, except it wasn't his to sell. Radic forged documents to sell it, pocketed the money, and made an attention-grabbing purchase.
We talked with Radic's lawyer.
(on camera) Let me understand this correctly. He takes the money from this illegal sale, and buys himself a BMW?
MICHAEL BABITZKE, RADIC'S ATTORNEY: Yes. Obviously, at this point in time he was not thinking straight, because there was no way that he could have possibly gotten away with it at this point.
SIMON (voice-over): That's because $100,000 car driven by a pastor in a small town tends to draw attention.
EDWARDS: And I understand he drove it right down Main Street.
SIMON (on camera): Flaunted it?
EDWARDS: Yes.
SIMON (voice-over): And that's not all Radic did with the money.
BABITZKE: He put $1,000 into his girlfriend's bank account, $1,800 into her daughter's bank account, bought a computer.
SIMON: His attorney says the scheme unraveled when his banker noticed unusual transactions. Radic came clean, never trying to deny it. But what about the people who bought the church?
KIM ROLAND, CHURCH BUYER: I thought it would be different to own a church. I thought it would be great to own a church.
SIMON: Steve and Kim Roland are realtors and thought they were buying a good investment for themselves, the idea to lease the church to start-up congregations. Mr. Roland will never forget that phone call from the title company.
STEVE ROLAND, CHURCH BUYER: They basically said we have a problem with the sale of the church. And I said it's already closed escrow. They said I know, but there may be a problem.
SIMON: The Beamer sold, the remaining cash frozen. The Rolands in the title company recovered most of their money. Radic pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and agreed to spend 16 months in jail.
(on camera) But that's not the end of this story. There's also a twist. While serving time here at the county jail, Radic befriended an accused murderer. Maybe an odd relationship for a pastor, but one that allowed Radic to walk out early.
(voice-over) The accused killer, a man named Roy Smith, allegedly confided to the former pastor.
BABITZKE: Mr. Smith was more or less bragging about how he had outsmarted the police and the press.
SIMON: Radic went to prosecutors. They agreed to let him out and wave the rest of his sentence in exchange for his testimony. Smith maintains his innocence, and his trial is yet to start. Radic's attorney says the former pastor is trying to make amends for the pain he caused.
BABITZKE: How his actions may have impacted his congregation has been a question that's haunted him every night.
SIMON: A small town pastor trying to live like a high roller, only to fall from grace.
Dan Simon, CNN, Ripon, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And from teen sex to ten years in prison. It's a shocking case that put an honor student behind bars. We have the update, next.
Also, a bit later, bought and sold in America. "Invisible Chains: Sex, Work and Slavery". It's a 360 special, and it's coming your way at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And welcome back tonight.
We want to update you on a story that 360 first told you about a few weeks ago about a former high school homecoming king who may be spending ten years in prison for having teen sex.
Some say what he did wasn't a crime, but one politician disagrees, even if he doesn't necessarily have his facts straight.
We get more now from CNN's Rick Sanchez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Genarlow Wilson was a track and football star, A student, homecoming king.
GENARLOW WILSON, CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER: I was somewhat popular, you know, maybe too much in the spotlight, for my own good.
SANCHEZ: Imagine going from that to this.
For something that some consider immoral, maybe stupid, maybe even criminal, but ten years in prison?
(on camera) You lost your freedom. What's that like to lose your freedom?
WILSON: It's real hard, because I started off. It was like I had everything on one day and the next day I had nothing. SANCHEZ: where and when did this all begin? Right here. At this Day's Inn in suburban Atlanta, December 31, 2003.
Genarlow and some of his friends decided they would come here, rent a room and ring in the new year. It was a decision that has forever changed his life.
(voice-over) Here's why. Genarlow Wilson was videotaped at this New Year's Eve party. After these scenes, the 17-year-old Wilson receives oral sex from a 15-year-old girl. It appears to be a consensual act between two teens.
(on camera) At no time did you tell that young lady that she had to give you oral sex?
WILSON: No, sir.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Eddie Barker, who prosecuted Genarlow Wilson, showed us the tape.
EDDIE BARKER, DOUGLASVILLE PROSECUTOR: From what we've seen on the videotape and heard from the victim ourself, we do not believe there was any physical force used.
SANCHEZ: No physical force? Doesn't matter. Nor does it matter that it was consensual sex between two teens. Ten years, mandatory, no way around it.
The law that ensnared Genarlow is so illogical that if he'd had intercourse with the 15-year-old instead of oral sex, his punishment would only have been a misdemeanor.
Back to the Georgia legislature, which recently changed the law but didn't change Genarlow Wilson's punishment. Why not?
State Senator Eric Johnson took the floor.
ERIC JOHNSON, GEORGIA STATE SENATOR: Mr. Wilson participated in multiple sexual acts with a minor while she was unconscious.
SANCHEZ: Wrong. The girl was not unconscious. The senator also said she was raped. That's not even what the prosecutor thought.
So we called the senator and asked for an interview.
(on camera) Do you feel bad about the fact that you characterized this as a rape when you were talking yesterday in the Senate?
JOHNSON: No.
SANCHEZ: You don't have any problem with that?
JOHNSON: No.
SANCHEZ: Because it wasn't a rape.
JOHNSON: It's a rape in my mind.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here's what it was in the minds of the jurors. We know; we talked to them.
MARIE MANIGAULT, JURY FOREPERSON: When we viewed the tape, there was absolutely nothing in there that showed us that he in any way encouraged this person, even invited the person to come.
SANCHEZ: So for now, the Georgia legislature has done nothing, leaving Genarlow Wilson behind these walls, hoping some day for justice.
Rick Sanchez, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And when Rick confronted the state senator, the senator showed signs that he actually might change his position. We're going to get more on all of this, including the full contentious interview with that senator on a half-hour CNN special 10 p.m. Eastern on Saturday.
And that does it from here tonight. I'm Kiran Chetry. We're going to get more from Anderson in Brazil on Monday.
Still ahead tonight, slavery. No, not history, but modern-day slavery involving millions of people all around the country and world. 360 investigates. It's a special hour, "Invisible Chains", coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Good evening, again. This is a special edition of 360, "Invisible Chains: Sex, Work and Slavery". It's one of the world's ugliest truths, a story so shameful it is frankly unforgivable.
Slavery, if you think it no longer exists, you are wrong. Right now, tonight, the United Nations estimates there are more than 12 million people around the world bound by invisible chains. We're talking about women, children, men, who for all intents and purposes are modern-day slaves. Many in their own countries, others are far from home.
Every year, according to the U.S. State Department as many as 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders. Eighty percent of them are women and girls, and most of them are forced to work as sex slaves. Others are sold to work in fields and sweat shops, even in private homes here in America.
We realize the numbers are huge, and they can be hard to absorb, so tonight we're going to try to put faces on the numbers and the misery behind them.
From Cambodia to California, Uganda to Atlanta, you'll see and you'll hear what it means to be a modern-day slave.
Here's one of the people you'll meet, a young woman forced into sexual slavery right here in America.
SHANTIQUE WALLACE, FORMER SEX SLAVE VICTIM: They tied me down to a bed. They told me if I ever got home, they would kill me. And if it didn't happen, that next day that it was going to happen.
COOPER: She was just 12 years old when she was enslaved. Her story is ahead.
Plus, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof has been covering sexual slavery in Asia for years, using his column at the "New York Times" to try to put faces on the horrible truth. He recently returned to Cambodia. Take a look.
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