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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Barack's Hillary Problem?; Obama and McCain Trade Shots Over Energy Policy
Aired August 07, 2008 - 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: Tonight, breaking news, a major new role for Clinton at the convention, Bill Clinton. We have got late- breaking details tonight.
And Hillary Clinton is front and center once again tonight, calling for a catharsis at the convention. Does Barack Obama still have a Hillary problem? The latest details on that tonight.
And, later, new developments in the disappearance of Caylee Anthony, police back at her home and new information released from a search warrant that pokes holes, big holes, in her mother's changing story.
We begin tonight with the breaking news on a day when a tape of Hillary Clinton has been making Obama supporters nervous by making headlines. Late word tonight on an olive branch to Bill Clinton, the former president, who, by many accounts, is still smarting, if not outright steaming, from his wife's defeat and his own treatment at the hands of the Obama camp.
360's Candy Crowley, working her sources, joins us now with the details of what was offered and accepted -- Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Anderson.
Sources tell me tonight that Bill Clinton has been slotted to speak Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention. Now, whether intended or not, this leak will certainly help assuage some of the Clinton-Obama drama.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice-over): Barack Obama will accept the Democratic nomination three weeks from tonight. Presumably, they will have the kinks worked out by then.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're still working out the mechanics of the four days, and our staffs are in communication with Senator Clinton's staffs. But I don't anticipate any problems.
CROWLEY: Obama's assessment sunny-side-up assessment runs counter to subterranean grumbling from some residents of Clinton land, some peculiar praise from Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton's embrace of a plan to put her name into nomination. SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I happen to believe that we will come out stronger if people feel that their voices were heard and their views were respected.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
CROWLEY: Pressed repeatedly, Obama was noticeably cool to the idea.
QUESTION: So, you would not object to having her...
OBAMA: I didn't say that. I said that they're working it out, guys.
QUESTION: How hard can it be, yes or no? Get her name in or not? How hard could it be (OFF-MIKE)
OBAMA: I don't understand. What do you mean? Just because I'm not answering your question doesn't mean that it's hard. It's getting worked out by our staffs.
CROWLEY: In the modern era of presidential primaries, no losing candidate has so visibly endorsed their opponent months before the convention and still put their name into nomination.
CLINTON: I know from just what I'm hearing, that there's just this incredible pent-up desire. And I think that, you know, people want to feel like, OK, it's a catharsis, we're here, we did it, and then everybody get behind Senator Obama.
CROWLEY: It is kink number one.
OBAMA: I'm letting our respective teams work out the details. I don't think we're looking for catharsis. I think what we're looking for is energy and excitement about the prospect of changing this country.
CROWLEY: Kink two, a still-smoldering Bill Clinton capable of blazing into the headlines. ABC asked if Barack Obama was ready to be president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA")
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You could argue that no one is ever ready to be president. I mean, I certainly learned a lot about the job in the first year. And he's smart as a whip, so there's nothing he can't learn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: A simple yes would have done, but the Obama camp knows, the relationship with the former president needs work.
Obama, who spoke with Clinton on the phone today, is bent on accentuating the positives. OBAMA: He's been very supportive. I thought he showed extraordinary restraint in a fairly provocative interview while he was on his trip. I couldn't ask for him to be any more gracious than he's been and supportive since the campaign ended.
CROWLEY: Conspiracy theorists think the Clintons want Obama to lose so she can run again in four years. But close friends insist that's baloney. Hillary Clinton tomorrow flies off on her first solo campaign trip on behalf of Barack Obama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, let's talk strategy now with Candy and Dana Milbank, national political correspondent for "The Washington Post" and CNN's newest contributor. Also joining us on the phone, CNN senior political analyst David Gergen.
Dana, welcome very much.
DANA MILBANK, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks, Anderson.
COOPER: Obama today saying this is all a media creation. How bad is the tension between the Clinton and the Obama camps?
MILBANK: Well, it's getting a lot better with this late-breaking development here. And I think that they are moving very quickly to work said kinks out, because it is a problem.
At the very least, it's a distraction that's taking Obama off his message. And, at worst, it's a serious problem, because Obama still has not captured all of those lower-income white voters that were behind Hillary Clinton in the primaries. So, he really has to get this right here. And they're sort of running out of time.
COOPER: David, how much of a -- really, of a difference is this going to make? I mean, if Bill Clinton had not been given a prime- time speaking role at the convention, that would have been unthinkable.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely, Anderson.
It's -- it's important to remember that Bill Clinton is not only the husband of Hillary Clinton, but he is the only Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to have served two consecutive terms in the White House. So, he's a major, major figure in American politics.
I think it was important for them to give him a role. It's interesting they chose Wednesday night, because that is the night of the roll call, and that is what is in contention. And this may be a way to dampen down hurt feelings. If there is no roll call for Hillary, if there's not a chance to put her name in nomination, at least there's a Clinton there that evening who can speak about her with enormous enthusiasm, and also about Barack Obama and be a bridge between the two. I'm also hearing, Anderson, that there's some possibility that Chelsea Clinton may be given a role when it's over. One wonders if she might not introduce her mother on that Tuesday night.
COOPER: So, Hillary Clinton is going to speak on Tuesday night?
GERGEN: Tuesday, yes. The notion now is that Senator Kennedy will speak on Monday night. Hillary Clinton will speak on Tuesday night. And now we learn that Bill Clinton will speak on Wednesday night. And, of course, Barack Obama will be the featured speaker on Thursday night, along with his vice presidential nominee.
COOPER: Candy, this may be a dumb question, but for those who haven't been following this as closely as, you know, the real political die-hards, the -- the idea that Hillary Clinton's name would be put up for a roll call vote, what does that mean? What -- for her supporters, what is the significance? And, for Obama supporters, what's the problem with that?
CROWLEY: Well, listen, you know, you can look at this two ways. And you just did. And you opened the way for that.
First of all, Hillary Clinton has said from the beginning -- and certainly more so as it became clear that she wasn't going to win -- that she felt this was history, and that history should be given its due. She said, this is about her supporters, all of whom dreamed of, you know, having the first woman in the White House.
So, this is kind of her period. We knew from the day she bowed out that they wanted to have a roll call vote on her name, because it puts a period on the history. You know, the Obama people, obviously, they don't want this to be about a look how close this was, rah-rah, Hillary Clinton, have it -- sort of bring it all up again.
So, the question is, would it roil the present or would it put a period on history? And that's where they're caught here.
COOPER: Dana, given these lingering tensions, is a V.P. spot for Hillary Clinton still on the table, if it ever was on the table?
MILBANK: It's doubtful it ever was. It would certainly shock everybody in Washington and everybody in the chattering classes. I think that goes just a step too far.
You saw them disagreeing even on whether we can use the -- the term catharsis here. If Hillary Clinton wants a catharsis, that, in medical terms, is a purging. And, of course, that may feel better for the party when it's over, but it's going to be pretty uncomfortable along the way.
COOPER: And pretty messy on the convention floor.
(LAUGHTER)
MILBANK: Indeed. A mass purging on the floor is not what the party needs right now. COOPER: David, meanwhile, you have got Democrats voicing concern that Obama is not responding forcefully enough to John McCain's attacks. Do you think he should be going blow to blow with John McCain on these negative ads? I mean, he's -- Obama has put out some negative ads of his own.
(CROSSTALK)
GERGEN: Anderson, more than going toe to toe, he needs to have a group of surrogates who can (AUDIO GAP) and, first and foremost, a vice president who can take the fight to the opposition.
I'm not sure it's in his DNA, nor does he want to practice that kind of politics, to have a slugfest between -- over the next 90 days with John McCain. Rather, he wants to be the positive candidate, but he does need some people to defend himself. Just ask Michael Dukakis, you know, a President Dukakis, who never happened, in part because he didn't respond forcefully to the kind of attacks that came.
COOPER: Candy, how negative has this become early on? I mean, historically, speaking -- you have covered a lot of these races -- does it get this negative this early?
CROWLEY: Rarely.
You know, the summer is kind of a lull time. I remember -- well, mostly because they ran out of money, and the candidates would sort of sit around Washington or they go off to fund-raisers. I remember, with Bob Dole, we were in Washington for a couple of months, because they were waiting for the money to come in, in August.
So, I think, you know, the money, and the tenseness of the campaign, and the stakes have all shown that everything comes early, and, in this case, the negative ads.
And I would tell you, just in response to the last question, that Barack Obama doesn't pull a lot of punches on the campaign trail. If we're talking about ads, that's something different. But he's quite willing to take a whack at John McCain on the campaign trail.
Mostly, his response, say, to the Paris Hilton, that kind of thing, has -- has been to sort of rise above it and say, well, listen, if they want to talk about Paris Hilton, have at it. We need to talk about the issues.
But he is -- he -- he does take swings at him, at least on the stump.
COOPER: All right, we're going to leave it there.
Dana Milbank, David Gergen, Candy Crowley, good to have all. Thank you.
Stay -- Candy is going to stick with us.
We have more on our breaking news tonight about Bill Clinton. As always, I'm blogging throughout the hour. Join the conversation at AC360.com. I will join during the commercial break.
Up next; Bill Clinton up close and in his own words, the roots of his apparent resentment, not just at Hillary losing, but also the slings and arrows he thinks he took in the process.
Also ahead, a man in custody after allegedly threatening to kill Barack Obama caught with a stash of weapons.
And new police activity in the disappearance of Caylee Anthony -- what police took from her grandparents' home today, and new details we have learned today on a search warrant that may have some new clues in the case. It certainly pokes big holes in her mother's story -- "Crime and Punishment" tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Bill Clinton there.
In case you're just joining us now, breaking news tonight, he and Barack Obama speaking by phone today, Senator Obama offering him a prime speaking role at the Democratic Convention in December -- in Denver, Wednesday, the 27th, of course, the same night the vice presidential nominee speaks.
Bill Clinton accepts the invitation. It comes hard on the heels of an interview with which the former president seemed to be doing all he could not to endorse Barack Obama.
Up close, 360's Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The former president was in Africa talking up health care, as he has before, for his charitable foundation. But when ABC News asked if he has regrets about his performance in his wife's campaign against Obama, he did not sound charitable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA")
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are things that I wish I had urged her to do, things I wish I hadn't said -- things I wish I hadn't said. But I am not a racist. I never made a racist comment. And I didn't attack him personally.
He hit her hard a couple of times. And they hit us a few times, and weeks before she ever responded in kind.
The only thing I ever got mad about was people in your line of work pretending that she had somehow started the negative stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Mr. Clinton took particular exception to media coverage of his wife and his work on her behalf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA")
B. CLINTON: I got bad press. Why? Because I told the truth, that there was a different standard applied to the finest candidate I ever supported.
Now, I would be glad, as soon as the election is over in January, to have this conversation with you and everybody else. I have very strong feelings about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Mr. Clinton has said for weeks that he fully supports Senator Obama now. But it is still not clear what that means, not clear how much he will campaign for Obama, or what role he or his wife would play in an Obama administration. So, those close to the Clintons are grumbling.
JOHN HARRIS, EDITOR IN CHIEF, POLITICO.COM: They feel that Barack Obama should be working harder to help Hillary Clinton retire her debt. They feel he should be looking more closely at Hillary Clinton as a vice presidential nominee. They feel that he should be paying more respect to both Clintons for the contributions they have made to the Democratic Party.
FOREMAN (on camera): Democratic Party leaders continue to say publicly all of this will be smoothed over by convention time. But, privately, they are looking at their calendars.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Back now with Candy Crowley, who has been following all the late-breaking developments tonight.
So, we know now, Wednesday, 10:00. Is it -- was this -- as far as we know, was this only the second time they have talked on the phone since the -- the primary ended?
CROWLEY: As far as I know, it is, yes. Now, they -- they have a habit of sort of leaking these things out after the fact. But, as far as we know, he did talk that one time. We waited and waited. It was after Hillary Clinton had the event with Obama up in New Hampshire.
Again, things sort of ratcheted up. Where was Bill Clinton? Why wasn't he coming out? There was that phone call. And interesting that news of this phone call comes even as the whole drama comes up again. So, yes, as far as I know, the two times, and, each time, those calls seemed intended -- at least, the leaking of the news of those calls seemed intended to kind of tamp down this notion of a continuing feud.
COOPER: And Barack Obama certainly tried to do that today, comments on the plane to reporters saying that, basically, look, this is kind of a media creation, that his people are working it out with the Clinton people.
CROWLEY: Absolutely.
And part of that is his own personality. He's very cool. He doesn't tend to sort of rise to the bait. He sort of sees it, he think, for what it is, and also because there is knowledge inside the Obama campaign, whether they like it or not -- and some don't -- that they do need to do a better job reaching out to Bill Clinton.
Again, as David said earlier, Bill Clinton is a force in the party, as is Hillary Clinton. Now, they have to watch it as well, not to be looking as though they're setting up road barriers for Obama. But they're aware on the Obama campaign that they in fact do have to kind of work at that relationship a little more. And I think that's what you saw on that plane today.
COOPER: It's going to be a fascinating convention.
Candy, thanks very much.
CROWLEY: Sure.
COOPER: In Florida tonight, a man in custody after allegedly threatening to assassinate Barack Obama. When and where he allegedly made the there and what the Secret Service says they found inside his SUV and his hotel room, that's just ahead.
Plus, new developments in the search for little Caylee Anthony, including what detectives took from her mother's closet today. Plus, new details in a search warrant released today. They apparently debunk a story about Casey Anthony getting a phone call during which she actually talked to her daughter. That allegedly happened a month after she was last seen -- all that ahead tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: The case of the missing toddler Caylee Anthony gets stranger by the day. She's been missing now more than a month. Investigators cannot seem to get a straight story from her mother -- new details on that tonight just ahead.
But, first, Randi Kaye joins us with a 360 bulletin.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Anderson.
A Florida man is being held without bond for allegedly threatening to assassinate Barack Obama. The Secret Service says Raymond Hunter Geisel made the threat last month during a training class for bail bondsmen and had weapons in his SUV and Miami hotel room. Geisel denies the charge.
A military jury sentenced Osama bin Laden's former driver, Salim Hamdan, to five years, six months in prison, far less than the 30 months to life the government wanted. Hamdan was convicted of providing material support to al Qaeda, but cleared of terrorism conspiracy charges. And Detroit's mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, was jailed today for violating the terms of his bond by taking an unauthorized trip to Canada last month. Kilpatrick is awaiting trial on perjury and other felony charges.
So, it looks as though he will spend at least tonight, one night, in jail.
COOPER: All right, Randi.
Here's tonight's "Beat 360" photo: Senator Barack Obama speaking by satellite TV to members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in San Francisco last week.
Here's the caption from our staff winner, Julia: "Obama doing little to diffuse allegations that he's getting a big head."
KAYE: Oh, boy.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: All right. If you think you can do better, go to our Web site, AC360.com, click on the "Beat 360" link, send us your entry. We will announce the winner at the end of the program tonight. The winner, of course, gets the "Beat 360" T-shirt.
Still ahead: Obama and McCain's energy battle heats up. Hear both candidates in their own words, and then a fact check on those words. And you can decide for yourself who's right.
Also ahead tonight, a mayor's dogs are killed during a police raid at his home, and the police are not apologizing. What happened? Details ahead.
And new clues in the search for Caylee Anthony and a search warrant that contradicts her mom's story big time -- coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: On the trail today, John McCain visited Wilmington, Ohio, a stressed-out city in the critical swing state. Wilmington could lose up to 10,000 jobs if the shipping company DHL goes through with the plans to shut its local hub.
McCain and his campaign manager have been under fire for helping DHL complete a key corporate merger in 2003. Today, McCain called for a federal investigation into DHL's latest plans. He also hammered Barack Obama's energy plan.
As part of our ongoing commitment to letting you make up your own mind on these issues, we're bringing you the candidates, in their own words, extended chunks of their comments. And then we will check those words against the facts.
Here's what John McCain said today in Ohio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I spoke up against out-of-control spending. I spoke up against the administration and Congress and Senator Obama when they gave us an energy bill with more than giveaways to big oil and really no solution to our energy problems. I want to take a minute here on this issue because I think Senator Obama might be a little bit confused.
Yesterday, he accused me of having President Bush's policies on energy. That's odd, because he voted for the president's energy bill and I voted against it. I voted against -- it had $2.8 billion in corporate welfare to big oil companies, and they're already making record profits, as you know.
Senator Obama voted for that bill and its big oil giveaways. I know he hasn't been in the Senate that long, but even in the real world, voting for something -- voting for something means you support it and voting against something means you oppose it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: So, how does his words check with the facts -- or how do his words check with the facts?
"Keeping Them Honest," here's 360's Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): Anderson, for weeks, Obama has been drawing links between McCain's energy plan and the policies of President Bush, sticking with his theme that McCain will be just the McSame as Bush. But McCain is now saying, let's play that record.
(voice-over): In 2005, when a big energy bill came up with potentially far-reaching impacts on America's energy supply, President Bush supported the plan, signed it into law three years ago this week. And 85 senators voted for it, including Barack Obama. Only 12 voted against it, and John McCain was one of them, saying it contained wasteful spending.
The bill was sharply criticized, even at the time, for giving billions in subsidies to big oil. But Obama defends his vote by pointing out that the measure also included funding for alternative and renewable fuels, such as ethanol. He is, after all, a senator from Illinois, a big corn state and the nation's third largest ethanol producer.
(on camera): All of that said, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is now hitting McCain on a different vote, saying correctly that, last year, he could have helped repeal some tax breaks for big oil, but he was the only senator to skip a critical vote on that measure, and big oil won the day -- Anderson.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Tom. Up next: Obama fires back, why he says the McCain campaign isn't serious about saving you money.
Also ahead, new developments in the search for missing 2-year-old Caylee Anthony -- new evidence seized by police, and details from a search warrant that casts a whole lot of suspicion on her mother's whereabouts and her whole story -- of course, the mom is already behind bars on other charges -- "Crime and Punishment" coming up on 360.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Barack Obama was traveling today, had no public events. But he did find time while in the air to talk about energy and some recent attacks by his opponent.
We brought you John McCain in his own words a moment ago as part of our commitment to letting you make up your own minds who's right on the issues by actually hearing extended clips of what the candidates are saying.
Now here's Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: In terms of the tire gauge issue, I think that was and is an illuminating issue.
You have got a, number one, John McCain pretending that that was some centerpiece of my policy, as opposed to a response to a town hall meeting. So, he had a misleading ad, which everybody knows was misleading.
Then it turns out that John McCain himself said, actually, inflating your tires is a smart thing to do, as did President Bush, as did the AAA, as did NASCAR.
And, so, I thought it was a good example of the fact that the other side is not serious about real energy savings that can push down the price of gas. They're interested in scoring political points.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: So how does what Obama said hold up to light? Once again, keeping them honest, 360's Tom Foreman.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, just as Obama says, it appears he brought up the idea of checking your tire pressure only in response to a question from a man attending one of his public events.
(voice-over): Obama has been talking about his energy plan at length all week and if you read that plan on his Web site, you can see the tire pressure is not a corner stone. In fact, it is not even mentioned. Obama's plan calls for energy tax rebates for consumers, big new taxes on oil companies, lots of incentives to promote green energy technology, and much more. (on camera): On the other hand, living in a glass house holds perils. Obama has said Republicans just want to score political points. Well, he himself has characterized McCain's energy program as being all about offshore drilling. And that is also untrue. McCain supports it, yes. But he's also spoken at length about the need for new greener, cleaner fuel sources and ending our oil dependence, just like Obama. Anderson?
COOPER: Tom, thanks.
The campaigning will not take a break during the Olympics which kicks of tomorrow in Beijing. Here is the raw data. Barack Obama spending $5 million on TV ads that are going to air during the summer games. The move was called unprecedented when it was announced weeks ago. Now the McCain camp is trumping that amount. It will spend $6 million on Olympic ads.
Next, new evidence in the search for Caylee Anthony. Police back at her grandparents home today collecting more evidence and releasing new information in a search warrant. What they're looking for and how it could prove Caylee's mom was lying coming up.
And later a police raid ends with a mayor in handcuffs and his dogs in a pool of blood. The latest on his story also tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: "Crime and Punishment" tonight. A flurry of new details, developments and theories in the search for Caylee Anthony. Right now police crime labs are poring over crime labs belonging to Caylee's mother, Casey. We know what they took and we'll tell you in a moment. Later, we learned that Casey's brother will reportedly visit her in jail tomorrow morning.
All this as several troubling scenarios surfaced, reports that may cast doubt on what Casey has been saying. We're going to talk to a family friend of Casey's in a moment, a woman who used to baby sit for little Caylee, in a moment.
But first let's get you caught up with the latest in the case with 360's Randi Kaye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The home on Hope Spring drive was swarmed by cameras, the curious, and crime scene investigators. Who, for a second straight day, left carrying evidence they hope may lead them to this missing toddler. The lead detective in the hunt for Caylee Anthony also paid another visit. He said he was asked to by Cindy, Caylee's grand mother.
SGT. JOHN ALLEN, ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPT.: There are things that would be important to us and asked us to come out and meet with her and pick that stuff up.
KAYE: What they picked up was evidence obtained with this search warrant. The items belong to Caylee's mother, Casey, and war taken from her bedroom. Three pairs of pants, six shirts in various sizes, and two skirts.
(on camera): Police hope the evidence from the house will provide some clues. They are already testing DNA from a stain in Casey's car. Local media say the family has turned over Casey's cell phone records.
Investigators are looking for any contact she may have had with the babysitter she claims she left Caylee with on June 9th.
(voice-over): Casey has been jailed on charges of child neglect and filing a false police report since mid July. Until recently, her family suspected she was lying. This was what her mother said in a 911 call on July 15th.
CINDY ANTHONY, CAYLEE'S GRANDMOTHER: I told you my daughter was missing for a month. I just found her today but I can't find my granddaughter. And she just admitted to me that she's been trying to find her herself. There's something wrong. I found my daughter's car today and it smells like there's been a dead body in the damned car.
KAYE: Casey initially said she did not know where he daughter was. Now she says she knows Caylee is alive and could be in harm's way. In a case full of surprising developments, one reporter in Florida tells CNN Casey may even have posed as her daughter's babysitter. One day after Caylee was last seen alive, her mom reportedly used the babysitter's name to look at an apartment, the same apartment where she told police the babysitter lived.
That apartment, police say, had been vacant for six months. Police have evidence, they have more than 1,000 tips, but are they getting any closer to solving the mystery of Caylee Anthony's disappearance? Randi Kaye, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, as Randi just reported, police went today and took clothing from Casey's closet at the invitation of Casey's mother. Some shirts, some skirts as well and pants. The family has also turned over Casey's cell phone records. The question is what do they reveal and can they bring everyone one step closer to finding this little girl? We're digging deeper tonight. In a moment we'll talk with Caylee's former babysitter, Holly Gonier (ph). But first joining us for more on the investigation is attorney and "In Session" anchor Lisa Bloom.
You read through this search and it is just a timeline of this case and it's one thing after another that Casey has said just doesn't pan out.
LISA BLOOM, ANCHOR, "IN SESSION": Yeah, she lied about where she worked. She lies about the name of her co-workers, she lies about the babysitter. She lies about where the babysitter's mother lives. She doesn't just do that, she takes the police on a wild goose chase to various locations. Universal Studios, these apartments. At the last minute sometimes confesses, OK, I lied, I don't actually work here. All the while her baby is missing.
COOPER: It's interesting. The search warrant does say she currently worked at Universal Studios and systematically the police find out that this is not the case. And they even take her to universal and she confidently takes them to a building, walks down a hall stops at an office and finally, after I guess hours of claiming she worked there, reveals in fact she made it up.
BLOOM: Exactly. And the police also talked to her friends and they talked to her parents and they all confirm that she's a habitual liar. Does that make it better or does that make it worse? Maybe she's not just lying about the baby.
COOPER: Her supporters and her family say, look, OK, so she's lied, she has a problem with lying. That doesn't make somebody a murder.
BLOOM: That doesn't make her a murderer but when there's a baby missing and she has no emotions, she doesn't seem to care to the police, she doesn't seem to have any interest helping the police find the baby.
COOPER: Is that fair? There have been plenty of cases where everybody reacts to trauma differently. Where parents have seemed unemotional, people condemn them for being unemotional ...
BLOOM: Standing alone, of course, being unemotional doesn't make her a murder. But how about not giving assistance to the police in finding her baby, in fact, giving them false clues, leading them off on false trails. It's one thing to be a pathological liar when you're a teenager, you're going out with your friends, it's another thing when there's a two-year-old missing and she's the only one that could have information to help the police.
COOPER: What I find most confusing right now about the case is exactly what she is claiming has happened, because her family, her mother, her father, a former police officer, seemed to be supporting her belief that Caylee is quote unquote close.
BLOOM: It's conflicting, though, isn't it? Look at today where they're inviting the police back in to take more of her clothes. Remember, when this baby was missing a month ago, these parents, the grandparents were telling the police that they were very concerned, their daughter was a liar, there was a smell of decomposition in the car. The grandmother said that. They've gone back and forth and now they seem to be in the middle.
COOPER: I guess there is also one school of thought, which is that -- again, this is speculation, that perhaps early on when they were critical of Casey, Casey was reacting in prison saying no one is supporting me, you guys aren't supporting me, I don't even know why I'm talking to you guys, I guess one argument could be they're now supporting her in the hopes this will make her comfortable and reveal more.
BLOOM: And keep in mind, these are her parents. Scott Peterson's parents stood by him to the bitter end. They still stand by him notwithstanding the overwhelming evidence against him that a jury found beyond a reasonable doubt. Typically the parents of the defendant are going to stand by that person. But they're also victim family members because that baby is that grandchild, so they're in a very difficult position.
COOPER: What we also learned in the search warrant today was that in the car, which belonged to Casey's mother, which Casey's mother had reported missing which turned out Casey had taken all along and was then abandoned and impounded and that's how Casey's mom found it back, not only did she smell what she said smelled like a dead body, they found clothes of Casey's in there that the mother it's revealed in the search warrant actually washed and left back in Casey's room.
BLOOM: These are gray pants that belonged to Casey the mother and that her mother, the grand mother smelled bad. These gray pants are also the same pants that the father says that she was wearing on a day that she left with the baby, the last time he saw Casey and Caylee together. Those same gray pants. The mother said they smelled bad, they were filthy and I washed them. You can read between the lines and imagine her telling the police now, she probably feels terribly she washed them.
COOPER: June 15th, June 16th is the last confirmed sighting of little Caylee and Casey and both grandparents. There's video on June 15th at Father's Day event for Casey's mother's father.
But there's also testimony from, and signed affidavits in the search warrant from other people who saw Casey separately days later saying -- and the story they were told was, oh, Caylee is with the babysitter. There is a timeline of Casey being around and with other people, but with without Caylee in sight.
BLOOM: And seeming unconcerned. And Casey also told the police she had some outcry witnesses, that's what they're called, people she supposedly told that the baby was missing, the police couldn't find these people, there was no corroboration for that. So she's behaving very strangely in the days after that little girl went missing.
COOPER: Lisa Bloom. Appreciate it. Thanks very much. Up next, coming to Casey's defends, Holly Gonier, Caylee's former babysitter and friend who stands by Casey. We'll get her reaction to all the developments to day and find out how she and the whole family are doing.
Also, emotions run high after a police raid gone wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She came in, she gave me a big hug, and she said to me, she said you've -- the police shot your dogs dead and did this to you. How can I trust them?
(END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: A mayor's wife talks about losing faith in police after a SWAT team killed her family's dog. The story that has a lot of people outraged, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: This Saturday marks two months since this little girl has disappeared. Or at least Casey Anthony, the mother's daughter -- the little girl's mother says she disappeared. This Saturday is also Caylee's birthday, she's going to be three years old. There will likely be no celebration. Caylee's mom is in jail, charged with child neglect and filing a false police report. She said she knows where Caylee is. She said Caylee is close. But she won't say where. And other times she's claimed she has no idea where her child is. That's what is so frustrating to police and too many people watching this case. If Casey knows where her daughter is, why won't so she say it and why has she seemingly lied so much to authorities.
With us now is Holly Gagne, a friend of the family. She's also Caylee's baby sitter. Holly, you're manning the volunteer center, trying to get people out there looking for this little girl. Are you getting a good response?
HOLLY GAGNE, CAYLEE ANTHONY'S FORMER BABYSITTER: We are. We have a lot of people come up and offer to hand out flyers. We do about a four-hour bloc, because it's hot down here in Florida. So we have had a really great response of people.
COOPER: Is it harder because there are so many questions swirling about, you know, about Caylee's mom and what she has said and hasn't said to get people to look out or do you hear that from people?
GAGNE: It's funny, it's the absolute opposite of that. No one comes up and says why is this girl doing that? Every person I have come in contact with has come up, put money in the jar, we keep a donation jar there. They've never asked, they've never -- they just said, what can I do to help?
COOPER: You speak to Caylee's grandparents every day. You said they're more comfortable with her mother, with Casey in jail than free. Is that accurate, and if so, what do you think they meant by that?
GAGNE: That is accurate, Anderson. They are comfortable because they feel like there's a threat or there's been a threat put on their daughter's life, possibly their own lives, and they just think she's better off there. And with the media frenzy that's outside of their home, I was by there today, I couldn't even drive down the street. It's ridiculous how crazy it is. So they just like her right where she is right now.
COOPER: What a lot of people find a hard thing to understand, and any light you can shed on this would be appreciated by a lot of people is just yes, there have been a lot of inconsistencies and outright lies in Casey's story. According to the police you read the search warrant, it's pretty devastating to her. What is your understanding, what is the family's understanding of exactly what Casey's position is now? She has said that she feels her daughter is close. Do you know what that means?
GAGNE: I don't know what it means. I don't know if she means close geographically, if she means close at heart. But they truly feel that she's -- she has to protect her and that she can't tell everything that she knows. And that's a lot of the reason why Cindy did not go and speak with her the other day at her scheduled visit because they can't talk openly because it's being recorded.
COOPER: Logically, does that make sense to you? As a friend of this little girl, as a friend of the family's?
GAGNE: Logically, no. I mean, I was listening to your reporter and, I mean, you're listening to it and I think this is a runaway train. And we all want to get off and I just go back to the person that I knew and that has been part of my family and my home. That doesn't mean that people can't make mistakes but I can't believe that she knows what's happened, that it would be a tragedy and that maybe it's death and she would just keep torturing her parents. She's in jail, so I just feel like -- and they feel strongly that she's protecting her daughter or there's another scenario that they can't tell us at this time.
COOPER: And they feel that and you feel that to a degree, even though she has clearly a record of just outright lies?
GAGNE: Yeah, she has blatantly lied. We definitely, we don't dispute that. You know, as far as her job and different things like that, I'm not quite sure. But other things she's lied about they feel like it's because she's covering up because of something else that her daughter is in danger. And I know that it sounds so unbelievably crazy, but it -- when you know people and you know their character, it's not anymore crazy to think that she would have something to do with her child's death and that's where they stand.
COOPER: And it's easy to criticize from the outside and the bottom line is, this becomes a media circus and becomes, as you said, cameras everywhere. It's important in all of this not to lose the bottom line fact, which is Caylee is missing and everything should be focused on finding this little girl. What is she like? You babysat for her. She just looks like an adorable little girl.
GAGNE: She is. She's just full of, you know, vinegar and spice and cinnamon and all the things that make females. She's a spit fire. And bright. And George and Cindy, there are grand parents and then there are grandparents. These people are grandparents with the potty chart on the refrigerator that has a sticker because she did what she was supposed to do. And her bedroom is full of books and stuffed animals. And they're beautiful people. And that's the kind of mother that Casey was. That's the mother that I saw. So that's why all this is just so hard to believe.
COOPER: And to your knowledge, no history of drugs -- is there a history of drugs? It seems like the mom was saying -- Casey's mom was saying she disappeared for five weeks.
GAGNE: Let me clarify that. She did not disappear. That first 911 call, Cindy had thought her granddaughter had not been with her daughter. So she reacted. They had an agreement at the beginning of June, George and Cindy were going to go on vacation and Casey was going to take some time, go see her friends, go to the beach, do some things. There was never a falling out. There was never, I don't know where she is. Cindy spoke with Casey over that period of time. But when she would ask where Caylee was, it was, well, she's here, she's there.
COOPER: Right.
GAGNE: So that's where the confusion comes in.
COOPER: Holly, it's good to have you on and I wish you the best in the search. I know that's your priority now. Thank you for being with us.
GAGNE: Thank you.
COOPER: A story now that's getting a lot of attention online and everywhere. The mayor of a small town outside Washington, DC wants the Justice Department to investigate a police raid at his own home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR CHEYE CALVO, BERWYN HEIGHTS, MARYLAND: I was in my boxer shorts literally when I was brought downstairs at gunpoint bound and forced to kneel on the floor. My mother-in-law was bound laying in the kitchen and I noticed my two dead dogs lying in pools of their own blood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That's Mayor Cheye Calvo of Berwyn Heights, Maryland. He was on CNN NEWSROOM. Earlier, he and his wife spoke at a highly emotional news conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRINITY TOMSIC, MAYOR CALVO'S WIFE: A little girl came to our house after this happened the next day. I didn't know who she was. She didn't know us. But she saw us walking the dogs every day, and waving at her. And she came in, she gave me a big hug and she said to me, she said to me, she said, "If the police shot your dogs dead and did this to you, how can I trust them?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Prince George's County Police, who oversaw the raid by sheriff's deputies, stopped short of apologizing for it, though they expressed sympathy for the dog killings. The whole thing stems from a drug investigation. A package of pot shipped to their home intended to be intercepted by drug dealers before it actually got there. In other words, authorities say there was no connection between the Calvos and the drugs.
Next on 360, even old lizards can find love. The salacious details about this rare reptile ahead.
And at the top of the hour, breaking news about Bill Clinton, whether or not he's getting a primetime role at the convention. And the Hillary puzzle What does she want from the party and the candidate? What do her supporters want? What happens if they don't get it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Randi, tonight's "Shot" is about a randy lizard. Meet Henry. Presumed to be 110 years old, he's actually related to dinosaurs. Henry is a tuatara, a rare species found off the New Zealand coast. Now scientists have spent decades trying to get Henry to mate. He's refused. But then in slithered Mildred. That's right, she's around 80. She's another tuatara. Call it fate, call it love, Randi, call it kismet, call it what you will. But Henry and Mildred, yes, they made sweet, sweet love. We're told Mildred has now laid 12 eggs. So who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
We hoped to play a little more chickabaumbaum music, but this is the only music we could find at the last second.
KAYE: And Anderson, apparently Henry is a cancer survivor, too. He had a tumor removed. I know way too much about this guy.
COOPER: We can cut the new agey porn music. It's just not working.
Time now for our "Beat 360" winners. Cue the cheesy music. Our daily challenge to viewers to show up our staffers by coming up with a better caption then the one we've come up with. Tonight's picture, Senator Barack Obama speaking to members of the Americans Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in San Francisco last week. Our staff winner, Julia. Her caption, "Obama doing little to defuse allegations that he's getting a big head."
KAYE: Not bad.
COOPER: Our viewer winner is Bob from Massillon, Ohio. His caption, "I am the biggest celebrity in the world." Badumpbah.
Bob, your "Beat 360" T-shirt is on the way. Congratulations. You can check out all the entries we received and play along tomorrow by going to our Web site, ac360.com. Randi, thanks for contributing tonight.
Coming up at the top of the hour, the latest on tonight's breaking news, giving Bill Clinton his voice at the democratic convention. Barack Obama trying to get the Clinton camp fully onboard after weeks of behind the scenes drama. That and a whole lot more when 360 continues.
