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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Jackson Family Tried to Save Michael?; President Obama's Global Challenges
Aired July 08, 2009 - 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, we have breaking news, a story you will only see here, 360 uncovering some new details of just how far Michael Jackson's family went to get him off drugs, also, new heat on one of Jackson's celebrity doctors, Arnie Klein, and what medications he might have given Jackson, and touching new video of the Jackson sisters after the memorial yesterday.
First, Drew Griffin with a 360 exclusive.
Drew, what have you learned?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, it was 2007.
Remember, that was the year two years after Michael Jackson's trial for child molestation in California. A jury did acquit him, but he was scarred and suddenly all but disappeared.
First, he headed to Bahrain for a kind of self-imposed exile, and then briefly to Ireland, happier, we're told, but his career was nowhere. This was a period where he rarely saw his family. And sources tell us Michael Jackson was becoming fixated with music superstar Celine Dion and that permanent show she was starring in, in Las Vegas.
Jackson saw that kind of permanent show might be a path for his return to show business, so he moved there in early 2007, believed to be living in this large rented home.
Two sources now close to the family saying Janet Jackson -- she hadn't seen her brother for most of the time he was out of the country -- visited him there, and was shocked.
We're told the house was nearly barren of furniture and creepy- looking, according to one source. But it was the sight of an extremely thin, disheveled Michael Jackson that actually frightened Janet.
And, Anderson, that brings us to the NBA All-Star Game weekend in Las Vegas that February. Janet Jackson was there with two brothers. She asked both of them to go with their back to the house to try and convince Michael to get help.
Reportedly, Michael ordered his new security team not to let them in. We have also learned that Michael Jackson was refusing to take calls from his own mother, Katherine Jackson, who was repeatedly calling him, pleading with her son to get help -- Anderson.
COOPER: Did he just not respond to his family at all, even his mom?
GRIFFIN: Yes, and according to -- the answer is yes, Anderson
According to both sources, Michael Jackson simply refused to see anyone who tried to stop him from using drugs, one source saying, if you did try to deal with him, he would -- he would shut you out. You just wouldn't hear from him for long periods of time -- another source telling us that the family has been concerned for a long time about drugs.
But it was Janet, Janet who tried to force this issue two years ago, and Michael Jackson simply stopped seeing them. Now, we must tell you, back in 2007, "People" magazine did report about an alleged Jackson family intervention, but the Jackson family denied it back then.
They released this statement in September of 2007, "categorically denying ever planning, participating in or having knowledge of any kind of intervention whatsoever" -- that statement signed by the Jackson family, but noticeably absent from all those signatures was Janet Jackson -- Anderson.
COOPER: So, it -- it was -- who signed -- who signed that? That was Katherine?
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: It was Katherine did sign it. Tito signed it. I don't know the other two brothers who signed it.
COOPER: Marlon, I think -- OK.
GRIFFIN: I don't believe Randy signed it. But there was four people, I think, who signed it. I don't have the document right in front of me here.
COOPER: That's right.
GRIFFIN: But it was not Janet Jackson, and it was not Randy Jackson. It was Janet, again, who was trying to press the family to get something going. This was early 2007.
COOPER: Two thousand and seven.
All right, Drew Griffin, appreciate it.
There's breaking news as well tonight on the death investigation, specifically who is being investigated, in this case, a newly discovered focus on Jackson's dermatologist Arnie Klein. You just saw him on "LARRY KING." It was newly discovered by Randi Kaye, we should say, who has that angle tonight.
Randi, she joins us now from Los Angeles. You have been working your sources all day. What more have you learned regarding the investigation of some of Jackson's doctors?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, we're getting some new information tonight from a source very close to this investigation, who is telling us that the coroner's office here in L.A. County has a list of doctors that investigators have already begun interviewing.
What they want to do is determine what drugs Michael Jackson may have been on, who prescribed them, and how he was taking them. Our source would not say how many doctors are on this list or even who's been interviewed yet exactly. But he did tell us -- and this is important here -- that Michael Jackson's longtime dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, who was just on "LARRY KING" tonight, is on that list.
Now, Arnie, Arnold Klein, has said that he has not been made aware that he's on any list and he has not been questioned.
Now, Dr. Klein was a guest on "LARRY KING" tonight. He told Larry that the strongest drug he ever gave Michael Jackson was Demerol. But here's what he had to say when Larry asked him about drugs and about whether or not he's been questioned by authorities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE")
DR. ARNOLD KLEIN, JACKSON DERMATOLOGIST: If you took all the pills I gave him in the last year at once, it wouldn't do anything to you.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": There are at least five doctors reportedly now under investigation. Is -- have you been contacted by any authorities, police, or anyone?
KLEIN: The only thing I have done is I have turned my records a long time ago over to the medical examiner. I have not been contacted by the medical examiner.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Nothing with regard to this?
KLEIN: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And, of course, his lawyer told us just a couple of days ago that his client has not been approached by anybody, and has not been questioned.
And, really, in fact, Anderson, Dr. Arnold Klein may not even that know he's on a list. Here's something else that's important. This -- this source of ours told us that if any doctor refuses to be questioned or refuses to open up his records, that investors can subpoena them.
COOPER: Investigators. Randi, do we know of any other doctors on the list?
KAYE: We do, in fact.
The source is telling us also tonight that his personal physician, Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, is also on that list. We know, we have been able to confirm that he's been questioned twice by authorities.
Dr. Klein, the -- the dermatologist, we know that he saw Michael just a few days before he died. So, that may be one reason why officials may want to question him -- Anderson.
COOPER: There -- there does seem to be a pattern developing of doctors on the defensive. And -- and at least two doctors have been somewhat coming forward and been publicly defending themselves.
KAYE: Absolutely.
We know from -- for a fact, from the attorney general's office, that they have a list of doctors that they're working from. There are reports that the police department here in Los Angeles has a list. It's really unclear if this is all the same list.
But, certainly, the investigation seems to have a very narrow focus right now, focusing on prescription drugs, and whether or not they contributed to Michael's death, and, of course, which doctors supplied them.
COOPER: And what about the toxicology results? Clearly, the Jackson family has some aspect of the toxicology reports. Authorities, for what we know, already have most of the results. It's just one aspect of the report they don't have. Do we know when we expect it to be released publicly?
KAYE: Well, we asked that of our source today. And -- and all he would tell us is that the -- the -- the toxicology tests are not done. The coroner, as we know, has said that he is not going to do a rush job. So, we're being told that the toxicology tests still not done.
We also know the coroner has a portion of -- not to be too graphic here, but a portion of Michael's brain tissue. They want to be looking at that as well. And that may be, actually, Anderson, one reason why, at least as far as we know, Michael Jackson hasn't been buried.
The family may be waiting to get that back before they bury them, which brings me to this, which we also got tonight. This is Michael Jackson's death certificate. And it -- it's -- actually, the information is provided by LaToya Jackson.
What's interesting here is that it says, for the cause of death, it is deferred, because they -- they, at this point, at least, weren't clear in terms of what the cause of death was. And, also, it mentions where the place of final disposition would be. And that is mentioned to be Forest Lawn Memorial Park, which is the cemetery where the family had visited the night before the memorial service and again that morning.
But it's interesting. It also says that the type of disposition is temporary. So, again, it does appear, at least at this point, when this document was filled out by LaToya Jackson, that it wasn't clear yet if that cemetery would be his final resting place. So, it's still unclear even tonight if that's been determined.
COOPER: All right. And from the various medical examiners we talked to last week, including our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta, him saying that that brain -- that -- that testing of the brain of Michael Jackson would -- is the last thing and does take more time, but the -- the majority of the toxicology reports probably are known to authorities and the family.
They're just waiting for that -- that brain test as well.
Randi, appreciate all the new information.
New video tonight, as well, images not seen by the 31 million Americans who watched the memorial yesterday, hundreds of millions around the world. It was a touching moment, Janet and LaToya Jackson speaking to fans at the Nokia Theatre. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you well know, Michael loved his fans more than anybody else in the world. He loved...
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has always said that his family is first and his fans are second.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I know that he's so happy that you are here supporting him. He's watching every last one of you.
And I just want to thank you all for being here for him. He loves you very, very much.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... thank you for all -- all of your love and all of your support. And Michael will forever live in all of our hearts.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Janet, LaToya and third sister Rebbie with fans yesterday. They were in the overflow crowd in the Nokia Theatre.
Some new "Raw Data" tonight on the people chipping in to help Los Angeles pay off its memorial expenses totaling $1.4 million. The city put up a Web site asking for donations. Now, it's running a half-a- billion-dollar deficit this year. It got enough hits to crash the server and hundreds of responses, but adding up to about $17,000 in pledges.
Plenty of hits, as well, at AC360.com -- we appreciate that -- where you can join the live chat which is happening right now.
And, a little bit later in the program, the Jackson kids. We all remember yesterday's moment when Paris spoke to the crowd at the Jackson memorial. Well, we're learning about the kind of life her and her brothers have led with their dad, and questions now about what happens. Should they continue to be homeschooled or go to school with other kids?
And, next, President Obama is over there, with new trouble over here, taking heat back home, while trying to get world leaders on the same page about fixing the economy and the planet. Is he trying to do too much, though, too little, or simply playing the cards he was dealt?
David Gergen joins us -- ahead on 360.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: President Obama is in Italy for the G8 Summit, even as he's taking some heat here back home, the meeting being held in the earthquake-damaged down of L'Aquila -- Mr. Obama touring the destruction this afternoon.
There's progress rebuilding -- at the summit, though, not so much -- members agreeing to condemn the Iranian election mess and North Korean nuclear testing, but are divided on global warming and approaches to jump-starting the global economy.
It was a similar story at the president's last stop, Moscow, where he got agreement on nuclear warhead cuts, which were expected, not on the tougher issues.
The question tonight, is President Obama simply making the best of a bad hand, taking small victories where he can, being diplomatic, or is he being too cautious?
Joining us now, senior -- CNN senior political analyst David Gergen. David, what -- what do you think? I mean, how big of a trip is this for the president? And -- and are people expecting too much to get done?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It's a very significant trip, because he is meeting with the heads of other industrialized nations, and he's got a big meeting tomorrow with -- the Chinese will be represented. Their leader has gone back because of the unrest in China.
But the Chinese and the Indians and others will be represented, Brazil, Mexico. And what's happened here, Anderson, is that, after trips abroad, when he's been celebrated and hailed as a -- as a -- as the leader of the world, he's running into much tougher slogging now.
It's -- this is a tougher time. His Moscow trip was a mixed success. He did achieve a couple of agreements on, you know, the overflight rights to go into Afghanistan, and on reducing missiles, but didn't resolve the -- the tough issues with the Russians over missile defense, didn't really get a lot of support on Iran, which was very important to him.
Now he goes into these industrialized nations. They really hope to get something done on climate change. He goes fresh with this victory coming out of the House of Representatives with a climate change bill, but he can't get agreement. And, you know, this is the year in which a big international treaty is supposed to be struck with China and India. And, right now, they're not playing ball.
COOPER: Yes, they have been hoping to curb -- curb...
GERGEN: So, it's tough -- this is a much tougher day.
COOPER: They have been hoping to curb, the Obama administration, hoping to curb global gas emissions. They're not having much luck on that right now.
GERGEN: Well, they're not.
And, you know, the -- the -- the bill they passed, while historic, in the House of Representatives was a very watered-down bill. At a time of great economic stress, not a lot of the politicians in any country are willing to take the tough measures that have to be done that scientists tell us are imperative, that time is running out.
I mean, the scientific community is increasingly pessimistic about what's happening on global warming. And, yet, the politics and bad economic times are proving too much, even for -- for Barack Obama right now.
COOPER: He's also getting huge problems here at home, with Republicans essentially saying the stimulus plan has just been throwing money down the drain, putting us deep in debt, and is not effective.
GERGEN: Well, he's -- you're right, Anderson.
And this stimulus question and the question of the stubbornly high unemployment that the White House has now come, I think, increasingly to accept, that the recovery is -- it will not be fast, it will be long and painful, has brought into sharp relief, just how effective were the president's early policies, especially the stimulus plan?
And you remember, Anderson, way back when, when this first was passed, we talked about the need to get a -- a Jack Welch type in to run the...
COOPER: Right.
GERGEN: ... stimulus program, to make sure the funds were spent fast and effectively. Well, they just never did that, and the funds have gone out very slowly.
And now they're talk about a second stimulus. And the second stimulus is casting a shadow, Anderson, over his domestic agenda, because, if there's a lot more talk in the fall, as there is likely to be over the need for a second stimulus, it's going to get tougher to pass health care reform, because both are expensive.
COOPER: What do -- what do you also make of -- of Vice President Biden? I mean, he took some heat for -- for something he said on Sunday, that the administration had misread how bad the economy was.
The president then had to clarify his remarks. I feel like President Obama is clarifying the remarks of his vice president quite a lot lately. That's not really something the president wants to be doing.
(LAUGHTER)
GERGEN: You're right about that.
He's a little irrepressible. You know, I'll tell you what. Joe Biden, on this one, I must say, about misreading it, you know, his -- his -- his problem was, he told the truth.
(LAUGHTER)
GERGEN: And it's an inconvenient truth...
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: You think they did -- you think they did misread it?
GERGEN: Oh, I think...
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Because Obama is saying they didn't -- that they just didn't have all the full information. GERGEN: Well, you know, the -- I -- I think, if you look at it, they didn't fully anticipate -- and some would say no economist really understood it.
There were some exceptions. Paul Krugman argued, for example, for a long time that the stimulus was way too small. But the -- by and large, most economists did not really understand that, when the United States started going down, the rest of the world would go down quickly, too. And that -- they came up with economic projections that were way too optimistic in the administration, and they're paying a price for it now.
COOPER: They certainly are.
David Gergen, appreciate it. Thanks, David.
President Obama travels next to Ghana, where, among things, he will be touring Cape Coast Castle, which is the site a dungeon, one of the many where slaves were held before their forced journey to the New World. He will be there. So will I.
The exclusive interview is airing Monday and Tuesday night on 360.
Just ahead, though, tonight, Sarah Palin says she's quitting to save Alaskans from the distraction and cost of all those frivolous complaints against her. But how frivolous are they? We found one of the complainers, a fellow Republican. We will look at exactly what -- what the complaints are.
Later, dash-cam video -- the arrest of Steve McNair's girlfriend just days before she shot the former NFL star dead, then turned the gun on herself. We have new details about her unraveling personal life and the untold side of the story.
We're also taking your questions with criminologist James Alan Fox. You can text them to 94553. The message has to start with the letters AC, then a space, then your name and a question. Otherwise, we won't get the message.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Coming up: an urgent plea from the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, where a major offensive against the Taliban is under way.
First, though, Erica Hill joins us a 360 bulletin -- Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, journalist Lisa Ling says she spoke with her sister, Laura, last night. Laura Ling is currently a prisoner in North Korea. Here's how Lisa describes that call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA LING, SISTER OF LAURA LING: A tremendous relief to hear Laura's voice last night. It's only -- it was only the first time I had heard her voice in -- in weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Laura Ling and Euna Lee were, of course, sentenced last month to 12 years in prison on charges of illegally entering North Korea to conduct a smear campaign.
Ling says her sister told her in the call both women are sorry about everything that has happened and she also stressed the need for diplomacy and government help.
China's President Hu Jintao today cutting short his trip to the G8 Summit in Italy to deal with ethnic violence still raging in northwestern China. Street battles between Han Chinese and the minority Muslim Uighurs have now killed at least 156 people. More than 1,000 are injured.
In North Korea, a rare public appearance by the reclusive Kim Jong Il -- the 67-year-old Kim appearing frail and pretty gaunt at a service marking the 15th anniversary of his father's death. He was last seen in public in April.
And Massachusetts filing a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Now, this is the first state to take aim at the 1996 law, which defines marriage as being the union between a man and a woman -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right.
Well, still ahead, Erica, Governor Sarah Palin calling it quits with 18 months left in her term, but don't call her a quitter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: I'm certainly not a quitter. I'm a fighter, and that's why I'm doing this, to go out there and fight for what is right without the constraints that have been surrounding me in these final months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: No more constraints. Palin says all those charges of ethics violations took their toll, charges she calls frivolous. Are they? We're digging deeper.
Plus, before yesterday, Michael's three young kids were rarely seen in public. Now we're learning more about what life has been like for them in the Jackson household and what lies ahead -- details.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: It's been five days since Sarah Palin dropped the bombshell that she's stepping down as governor of Alaska with 18 months left in her term. She has said repeatedly that leaving early doesn't make her a quitter.
Here's what she told CNN's Drew Griffin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: It's not a matter of retreating or -- or quitting. It's a matter of progressing and forwarding a good positive agenda in an unconventional way. And I think that is what has caught people off guard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: It's fair to say explanations like that one have left many people kind of scratching their heads.
Palin's unexpected move has put her back in the media glare big- time. "TIME" magazine is putting her on its upcoming cover with the headline, "The Renegade: Sarah Palin Takes the Road Less Traveled, But Where Does It Lead?"
One of the reasons Palin has been giving for leaving office is the time and money she has had to spend defending herself against charges of ethics violations. We have been looking closer at that.
Sean Callebs tonight has the "Raw Politics."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anchorage is bathed in unusual heavy haze. A hot dry Alaska summer is fueling scores of wildfire.
Governor Sarah Palin met with smoke jumpers in the small interior town of McGrath, praising their courage. She's also burning up Twitter, sending out a number of messages, including the somewhat cryptic: "Today, try this. Act in accordance to your conscience. Risk by pursuing larger vision, in opposition to popular powerful pressure" -- author "unknown."
Palin has just 18 days left in office until she becomes citizen Sarah. In large part, the governor says, she's quitting because of a host of accusations of ethics violations, costly and time-consuming for her and the state.
PALIN: It doesn't cost the critics anything to file frivolous lawsuits or -- or ethics violation charges. It costs our state such a great deal, thousands of state staff hours, millions of dollars in public resources that aren't going to things that it should.
Andree McLeod has been an especially sharp thorn in Palin's side.
ANDREE MCLEOD, FILED COMPLAINTS AGAINST ALASKA GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN: I have all of the evidence.
CALLEBS: She's filed four complaints against the governor and her staff and two lawsuits. Here are some of the litany of complaints leveled against Palin: a conflict of interests because she wore a jacket that had a logo on it while at a snowmobile race. Another alleged she had the state pay for her children's travel. She has since reimbursed the state.
One of Andree McLeod allegations said, Palin used cronyism to improperly hire a friend for a state job. That complaint was dismissed.
McLeod says the governor threw down the gauntlet.
MCLEOD: In December, during her inauguration, Sarah Palin said, "Alaskans, hold me accountable, and back at you."
We did. And what does she do? She quits.
CALLEBS: James Muller is a political science professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
JAMES MULLER, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE: I think most of these ethical complaints are fairly trivial. Almost all of them have been dismissed by the various levels of review that have taken them up.
CALLEBS: In fact, there are a couple of charges pending, but Palin has been cleared in all the others.
Palin's lawyer says, the accusations have personally cost the governor more than half-a-million dollars in legal fees.
MCLEOD: Every one of these complaints have to do with Sarah Palin's personal choices. She always puts her personal interests before the state's interests.
CALLEBS (on camera): Even though she's leaving office July 26, the complaints that are in the system will not simply go away. State officials tell us they will run their course until they have been legally resolved.
Sean Callebs, CNN, Anchorage, Alaska.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, join the live chat. Let us know what you think at AC360.com.
Coming up next: more troops needed in Afghanistan, the top commander's call for help, the rising U.S. death toll from the battle, and the latest in the operation against the Taliban.
Also ahead tonight, Italy's prime minister shakes up the G8 with outrageous new allegations about his private life. And the accusations keep getting worse. We have got them for you -- when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: In Afghanistan tonight, an urgent call from the U.S. commander leading that major new offensive against the Taliban. Brigadier General Larry Nicholson says he needs more Afghan forces to help battle the insurgents in Helmand province, a major stronghold for the enemy. Right now, only a few hundred Afghan troops are taking part in the operation. That's just a fraction compared to the 4,000 U.S. Marines who are on the frontlines tonight.
Americans are fighting and dying. Since Monday, nine U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Tom Foreman is following the latest on the offensive. He joins us now from Washington -- Tom.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Anderson. This is the hot zone right now, just what you mentioned, the Helmand River valley, right down here. This is where those 4,000 Marines and about 650 Afghan soldiers have been driving the Taliban away from highly valuable poppy fields down in this area. I'll show you right down in here.
And in most of the places here, the people from the Taliban were reported to have run away from these towns, but as they retreated out into the countryside, it's become very tough. It's about 100 degrees out here. The fighting has been deadly. Even though they ran off this way, pursuing them is a very difficult thing to do out there, and that's pushing the casualty rates up.
If you count the NATO troop losses, last month, 38 foreign troops died in Afghanistan. That's much higher than Iraq.
The administration's plan all along has been to have more Afghan troops leading the charge as the number of American and international troops grows. And if the Afghans don't do that, that will be a problem, because military analysts say holding these tribal areas and clearing out the countryside out here is going to be very difficult unless the locals help out, and we've learned that the hard way in Iraq -- Anderson.
COOPER: And obviously, Iraq has been the bigger conflict for years, more than 4,300 American troops lost there. How is Afghanistan comparing to that long-term so far.
FOREMAN: That's a great question, Anderson. The thing is, there have been about six times as many troop deaths in Iraq. That's much worse. But the trend has been very, very bad for Afghanistan.
In Iraq, look at this. We started fighting back in 2003, and the number of troop fatalities went very, very high. But it has declined a good bit over time.
In Afghanistan, we have the exact opposite thing happening. Look at this. In Afghanistan, it started off very low and it's been steadily climbing since we arrived back in 2001 up and up it goes. The rate of fatalities we've seen so far this year, if it continues, will make 2009 the most deadly year so far. This is just a projection based on how far we are this year that you could be, by the end of the year, at about 180, pushing 200, somewhere around there. That's about the same as Iraq.
And this is for a country that has much less than half as many of our troops in it as we have over in Iraq. So that would make Afghanistan statistically a more dangerous place.
And there's this, too, Anderson. These are pictures of the coffins of five American troops who were killed in the fighting that we were just talking about returning to the United States. Under that new policy, which permits such photographs, we will certainly see the conflict over there being brought much closer to the voters here. And that's going to raise the political stakes around support for this war if this violence continues, as it has recently -- Anderson.
COOPER: Five heroes returning home. Let's hope they get more Afghan troops to the front lines where they're needed. Tom, thanks.
The Taliban, kids are not spared. They're weapons, bought for/used in suicide attacks. Nic Robertson has a really chilling report. You can see it right now at AC360.com if you want to see what our Marines are facing right now.
Coming up next, a murder-suicide mystery. Police say former NFL star Steve McNair was killed by his mistress while he slept. The question is why did she do it? Tonight, new clues and the 911 call. We'll also be taking your questions. Send us a text message. Send us your questions to 94553. The message has to start with the letters "AC" and a space, then your name and a question. If you don't include "AC" first and a space, we don't receive the text.
Michael Jackson's kids also coming up tonight, stepping into the spotlight. We have exclusive information about their life with Jackson and what they want to be when they grow up. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tonight new video of the woman who authorities say killed former quarterback Steve McNair before taking her own life. This from a police dash cam from last Thursday when McNair's 20-year- old girlfriend was arrested for driving under the influence. The video shows her inside the police car after she was taken into custody. McNair was a passenger in the car and was not charged, however. Two days later, McNair and his young girlfriend would be dead.
Today the national medical examiner said she Shot him to death while he slept and then committed suicide. McNair was married with four kids. He was also leading, apparently, a double life.
Tonight, some new details on the relationship and the final moments in what some call a fatal attraction. With "Crime & Punishment," here's David Mattingly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): NFL quarterback Steve McNair was behind one of the biggest moments in Super Bowl history falling just a few yards short of taking the Tennessee Titans to victory in 2000. And nine years later, fans in Nashville still loved him, knowing him to be generous and approachable in public.
But in private, McNair was taking a serious and unexpected risk. A married man with children, McNair was seeing 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi. These pictures of the couple snapped recently by TMZ.
Her family said the relationship had been going for more than five months and that she was confident McNair was divorcing his wife and they would soon live together. But early Saturday that ended with this 911 call from a friend of McNair's.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I received a phone call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-huh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That there was injured parties inside this apartment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Male or female?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, there's two people.
MATTINGLY (on camera): That call came from this condo and a building not too far away from Titan Stadium. Police arrived to find the couple dead. McNair had been Shot twice in the head and twice in the chest. Police now say it was a clear case of murder-suicide, and that McNair may have been asleep and did not know it was coming.
(voice-over) Police describe Kazemi as a young woman in turmoil, reeling from financial pressures, complaining to her friends that her personal life was a mess and that she should end it.
Early Thursday morning she was arrested for DUI. That evening, police say she bought a nine millimeter handgun.
CHIEF RONAL SERPAS, METRO NASHVILLE POLICE: We also have reason to believe that Kazemi recently learned before this day that she believed McNair was involved with another woman and that, too, participated in her state of mind, we think.
MATTINGLY: Former NFL running back Eddie George tells me the man who was murdered was not the Steve McNair he had known since 1996.
EDDIE GEORGE, FORMER NFL RUNNING BACK: Underneath it all, he was in search of filling a void.
MATTINGLY: George believes his old friend was having a crisis of his own, maybe struggling with life after football. GEORGE: What people fail to realize is that, when you make a transition away from a game, emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually, you go through something. You change. And you're constantly searching for something.
MATTINGLY: And in Nashville, fans now search for ways to celebrate the life of a star athlete who brought them many fond memories while mourning his scandalous death.
David Mattingly, CNN, Nashville.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: As you heard authorities believe the girlfriend's life was spinning out of control. They said she told a friend she planned to, quote, end it all. So were warning signs missed?
James Alan Fox, professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University, he joins us now.
James, you know, there are these allegations that the girlfriend thought the relationship was unraveling. Could that have been the reason why she allegedly committed the crime?
JAMES ALAN FOX, PROFESSOR OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: Absolutely, there's a loss of affection and perhaps even a loss of support. I mean, she was struggling financially. She was planning to leave her apartment and hoping to move in with him. She was placing her furniture on -- for sale on Craigslist. So clearly, everything was depending on this relationship.
And if, in fact, it's true that he was not planning to leave his wife, and if it's true she perceived he was cheating on her, this would be something that would be intolerable. She didn't want to live anymore, but she had to, in fact, defend against her honor and defend against him leaving her.
COOPER: Is this the kind of things anybody is capable of, given you know, the set of wrong circumstances? Or is there a personality type that would be more prone to do something like this?
FOX: Not everyone is capable of this. We're talking about someone who apparently is obsessed to the point that her whole world is wrapped around this man, and her happiness depends on being with him. Now that -- many people are capable of that kind of obsession and control and dependency. That doesn't mean -- necessarily mean they'll resolve it with murder. But these cases do happen, unfortunately, all too often.
COOPER: How common is it for a woman to commit this kind of crime?
FOX: Well, you know, when you look at cases of intimate partners murdering each other, husbands, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, almost a third of the time it's the woman killing the man. Sometimes it's out of defending herself against abuse, but in cases like this, it's trying to be the one to determine how, when, where, and by whose hand the relationship will end. She would be taking control at the end.
COOPER: And control, shooting him allegedly while he was asleep. What does that tell you?
FOX: Well, it would be easier, certainly. This is a big guy, and if you attempted to shoot him while he was awake, she may not be so successful. I mean, here's a woman who just bought a gun. Likely, she wasn't particularly well trained in using that firearm. Shooting someone while they're asleep is certainly a lot easier than when they're awake. It doesn't take a marksman to shoot someone four times in bed when they're defenseless.
COOPER: Well, that gets to our next question, which is from one of our viewers. Andrea from Texas asks, can a person who hasn't Shot a gun be capable of shooting McNair like that? And I guess the fact that he was, you know, a lying -- a victim just lying there would answer that.
FOX: Well, you know, it takes practice to become a marksman. But it doesn't take a marksman to shoot someone while they're sleeping. So clearly, this was her opportunity to make sure that she killed him at a time when she could.
And maybe perhaps in her mind that she would, by the suicide aspect, she would reunite this loving couple, in her mind, reunite them in the afterlife because they died at the same time.
COOPER: It's just a tragic story all the way around. James Alan Fox, appreciate your time. Thanks.
Coming up next, suddenly in the spotlight. What the future holds for Michael Jackson's kids and new details about Jackson's fathering style and what the kids want to be when they grow up.
Plus, summit scandal. The Italian prime minister under fire. His co-host the center of attention. We have the details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, the memorial for Michael Jackson was certainly a worldwide event. Here in America, more than 31 million people watched on TV. Online, nearly 4.5 million followed the tribute on CNN.com. All of them got to see, up close, Jackson's kids.
Now, you know, he shielded them for much of their lives, going to great lengths to Prince, Paris and Blanket away from the public and prying eyes. But since their father's death, we've seen their faces. We've also heard the heart-breaking message from his daughter at the memorial.
Tonight, Erica Hill takes a closer look what their lives have been like and what happens now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Suddenly thrust into the spotlight with poise far beyond her years.
PARIS JACKSON, DAUGHTER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine.
HILL: Eleven-year-old Paris Jackson's brief eulogy at her father's memorial was spontaneous, raw, and a rare window into this very private family.
GOTHAM CHOPRA, FRIEND OF MICHAEL JACKSON: Michael is the only parent that those kids ever knew. He took them everywhere with him, and he was the world to them, and they were, of course, the world to him.
HILL: Mostly home-schooled, they not only traveled extensively but lived in a number of different places, including Bahrain. They were rarely seen in public and only recently did they start appearing without masks and veils.
Sources close to Michael Jackson and his children, seen here in happier times in photos obtained by TMZ, tell CNN their lives were filled with love and laughter and, of course, music.
CHOPRA: The kids are incredibly well adjusted, and they're very comfortable around other people. And I think this is the one thing in his life that really, you know, brought him the -- the kind of comfort and the type of just ecstasy that, you know, is being a parent.
HILL: The closeness of this family goes beyond a father and his children. Something psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere was quick to point out.
DR. JEFF GARDERE, CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST: From what I saw with those children at the memorial service, there seemed to be, really, a natural fit with the other Jackson family members. There was an outpouring of love, and that it seemed to be a very strong family unit.
HILL: A support system that will be essential as these three children adjust to their new normal.
(on camera) Friends tell CNN Paris, who's also taken the lead among her siblings is mature, sensitive and the most outgoing of the three. She reportedly wants to be a fashion designer. Twelve-year- old Prince is interested in film and reminds many of his famous father.
CHOPRA: Prince in particular, hugely mischievous like his father, you know, calls everyone by a nickname, loves to play games, loves to play pranks, you know, loves water-balloon fights, I mean, all things that his father, you know, enjoyed, like, literally to the day he died.
HILL: Blanket, just 7, may appear quiet, but sources say he has a big personality. All three children, though, now have an enormous voice.
But with the love of those around him, Dr. Gardere is confident they will find their way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: One other thing I really found interesting is that -- is that Gotham Chopra went out of his way to say, you know, the one thing that was really important to Michael is that he never pushed his children in any direction, be it music or anything else. He wanted them to find that passion on their own and said he would nurture it but he wouldn't push them into it.
COOPER: We talked to Reverend Sharpton just yesterday, who said that the kids are doing, I guess, as well as they could be.
HILL: Yes, which is pretty much what we were told today. A source very close to the family who was actually with the children this morning and also from Gotham Chopra, that they're doing basically as well as can be expected. But everybody is stressing what a tight- knit family this is and how important that is.
We've also been told that Janet has really been the rock here, Janet Jackson, both her and little Paris, who is really keeping those kids together.
COOPER: Do they have friends their own age? I mean, do they play with other kids?
HILL: It's interesting. Because they move around a lot, and they're not in a regular school like we went to, it's not the same. But I've been told that they have been around kids a lot. And part of that is, in fact, that this is a really large family, the Jackson family. So the extended family has a number of kids, a number of cousins. And so they are around other kids, but it just may not be in the way that you and I grew up.
Thanks. Right. Interesting. Erica, thanks.
You heard from Gotham Chopra in Erica's piece. He spoke to Michael Jackson just a few weeks ago. You can read about his final conversation with the singer at AC360.com.
Let's get caught up on some of the other of -- the other big stories we're following tonight. Erica Hill has a "360 Bulletin" -- Erica.
HILL: Anderson, we actually have breaking news tonight out of Washington. A letter published on the Web site of a House Democrat reveals CIA director Leon Panetta recently testified to Congress that the agency concealed information and has repeatedly misled lawmakers since 2001.
That letter, written to Panetta from seven House Democrats, was dated June 26. It did not contain details about the information CIA officials allegedly concealed nor about how they purportedly misled members of Congress.
Nearly eight years after 9/11, a new report reveals striking lapses in security. Investigators for the Government Accountability Office tried to smuggle bomb components into ten federal buildings. They succeeded at all of them.
Now, in addition, those undercover agents were actually able to assemble the components inside the restrooms and then freely enter offices.
Thirty people arrested, some 200 dogs seized in three states today. All in connection with a massive dog-fighting ring. The ASPCA calls it the largest dog-fighting operation in U.S. history. The raids took place in Texas, Missouri and Illinois.
And at the G-8 summit, a little bit of a shift. All eyes not on first lady Michelle Obama this time but on Mara Carfagna, who is the one seen there with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The topless model turned government official was chosen to accompany him to the event, not his wife.
You think that's good stuff? Here's the kicker. The Italian press reports a, quote, "cold war" has broken out between two other female officials who didn't get the invite. Ooh, the plot thickens.
COOPER: Oh, goodness.
All right. Time for our "Beat 360" winners, our daily challenge to viewers to come up with a better caption than one we can come up with for a photo that we put on the blog every day.
Let's take a look at the picture: President Obama and the Italian prime minister greeting each other at the G-8 summit in Italy.
The staff winner tonight is Kirk. His caption: "And I must say, Madame Tussaud outdid herself when she made you, Silvio."
(SOUND EFFECT: GROANS)
COOPER: Good (ph).
The viewer winner is Evan from New Mexico. His caption: "The president checks Prime Minister Berlusconi for Obama fever, which started in the states and spread across Europe."
(SOUND EFFECT: LAUGHTER)
HILL: That's not bad, Evan.
COOPER: Congratulations. Your "Beta 360" T-shirt, it is on the way.
Coming up next on 360, "The Shot." He's gone, but Michael Jackson memorabilia lives on. Want to buy a moon-walking Cheeto? We'll show you a look at the strange stuff on auction on eBay.
And at the top of the hour, much more serious. We'll have the latest on the Jackson death investigation. We'll tell you about the family's desperate intervention that we've learned about to help him back in 2007. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: It's time for "The Shot." Erica, tonight, the eBay overload over Michael Jackson. There are about 50,000 Jackson-related items for auction on the site.
HILL: Is that all?
COOPER: That's what I was -- yes, I guess. We found a few of the stranger ones like this. Take a look. Where is it?
HILL: Wait for it. Oh.
COOPER: What is that you ask? It is billed as a moon-walking Cheeto.
HILL: Huh.
COOPER: Side-to-side comparison reveals a mild resemblance between the moonwalk and the cheesy snack. Anyway, someone really wanted the Cheeto bad. It sold for 35 bucks and change.
HILL: It sold?
COOPER: Apparently so.
HILL: That's insane. Just buy a bag of Cheetos. You'll find one of your own.
COOPER: Exactly. If you missed that -- but the good thing about that Cheeto, it will probably last for the next 60 years.
If you missed out on the Cheeto, perhaps a moon-walking-branded piece of toast.
HILL: Oh, there's got to be one.
COOPER: Yes.
HILL: Branded.
COOPER: The owner said he noticed the strange image just before he was going to butter the toast. He wants to share his incredible find with the world. If you're interested, make an offer. Any offer.
Last but not least, art lovers will appreciate the face of Michael Jackson in this slab of cultured marble. Look closely. Look closely. I don't see it. Yes, no.
HILL: Yes. I don't think so.
COOPER: We asked people in our graphics department to help us out.
HILL: There. If you're lucky enough to have a graphics department you might be able to make it out.
COOPER: Exactly. I see it now. It's very clear to me.
HILL: Yes.
COOPER: Here's the marble.
HILL: Look at the nose.
COOPER: It's on the owner's shower wall. They don't want to give it away for free.
HILL: Of course not.
COOPER: It can be yours for a cool $50,000.
HILL: Fifty grand?
COOPER: Yes.
HILL: You know, my birthday is coming up. I'm just saying.
COOPER: Really?
HILL: It would look really nice.
COOPER: When is your birthday?
HILL: I don't know.
COOPER: All right.
You can see all the most recent "Shots" at our Web site, AC360.com. People want to know, Erica Hill. People want to know.
HILL: July 20.
COOPER: Really?
HILL: Yes.
COOPER: That would make you a...
HILL: Moon walk, and it's moon walk day.
COOPER: Is it?
HILL: Yes, the day they landed on the moon.
COOPER: I thought you were making yet another Michael Jackson reference. You've moved on.
HILL: I did make a Michael Jackson reference, but it was also a historical reference. I mean, I bring it full circle, because it's 360.
COOPER: I have jet lag.
HILL: You've missed being in the studio.
COOPER: I have.
HILL: Well, relax.
COOPER: Coming up at the top of the hour, back with the serious stuff. Michael Jackson story. Details of a family intervention we've learned about to try to get Michael some help. That's a 360 exclusive coming up.
Also, new information on which doctors investigators want to talk to, including this man. We're learning for the first time dermatologist Arnie Klein, we'll talk to him. Well, we'll hear Larry's interview with him ahead. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tonight we have breaking news. A story you'll only see here. 360 uncovering some new details of just how far Michael Jackson's family went to get him off drugs.
Also, new heat on one of Jackson's celebrity doctor, Arnie Klein, what medications he might have given Jackson.
And touching new video of the Jackson sisters after the memorial yesterday.
First Drew Griffin with a 360 exclusive. Drew, what have you learned?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, it was 2007. Remember, that was the year, two years after Michael Jackson's trial for child molestation in California. A jury did acquit him, but he was scarred and suddenly all but disappeared.
