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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Firestorm Erupts Over Libyan Leader; Flooding Death Toll Rises in Southeast
Aired September 22, 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: We begin tonight with the Libyan dictator, Donald Trump, a bedouin tent, and a town trying to stop a former sponsor of terror from visiting there.
Moammar Gadhafi arrived today in America. It was the first time in 40 years Libya's leader has set foot in this country. Until three years ago, he was considered a sponsor of terrorism. But now, according to the U.S., he's not, and he's here looking for a place to pitch his tent, literally.
Take a look at these pictures. A tent went up on property owned by Donald Trump in Westchester county, New York. As you can see in the pictures, it's a pretty large tent, apparently air-conditioned, very comfortable inside. Gadhafi likes to receive visitors in it while traveling.
So, why is the tent on Donald Trump property? Well, Gadhafi wanted to pitch it in Central Park this week, but the city turned down that request. So did Englewood, New Jersey, a town just across the river from Manhattan, a town that is home to dozens of relatives of the Lockerbie bombing victims.
So, how did this tent pop up on Donald Trump's land?
Erica Hill has been following the story and the breaking developments tonight that the town is now trying to make sure Gadhafi knows he's not welcome.
Erica, what you have learned?
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, late details that we're following today, because, really, this has been a fast-moving story all day long. We're still digging on it at this hour tonight to try to figure out whether or not that tent will actually be able to go up.
Here's what we know right now. As you mentioned, you showed those pictures, Anderson, the tent being set up. This is in a town about 40 miles north of New York City. It's on property owned by Trump in Westchester County. That land is known as Seven Springs.
And, clearly, we have some wider shots here that show you there is plenty of space for a large tent on this property. Late this afternoon, confirmation of that tent and plenty of questions. The big one, which you alluded to, Anderson, why would Donald Trump let the Libyan leader on his land? Well, this is what the Trump Organization told me this afternoon -- quote -- "We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle East partners who may or may not have a relationship to Mr. Gadhafi. We are looking into the matter."
Now, we did ask Mr. Trump to come on the program tonight. He declined our request. We followed up later tonight, just about an hour-and-a-half ago, when word surfaced that a stop-work order was being served on the tent and the property, because that tent, it turns out, may require a building permit.
We have not yet heard back from folks at the Trump Organization. But I want to give you a closer shot of what appears to be this tent. This picture was taken on the property by a local paper, "The Journal News." The paper says the men identified themselves, the two men you see there, as Libyan security guards -- Anderson.
COOPER: Erica, a lot of people in the area are speaking out, lawmakers issuing statements of shock and disgust, residents clearly not happy about this.
Is there anything, really, though, that they can do to keep Gadhafi out of the area?
HILL: The short answer is no. The U.S. can actually restrict diplomatic travel within a certain distance of U.N. headquarters. But this particular location in Westchester county is within those limits. So, he's allowed to travel up there.
Now, the State Department today telling CNN it's their understanding Gadhafi won't be staying in the tent, but would be visiting and having meetings there. Officials say he is staying in New York. They would not be more specific, though.
It's clear, however, that officials locally and especially here in the town of Bedford are not happy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY SPANO, WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, EXECUTIVE: We really don't want him here. He's not welcome here. This guy is a terrorist. He's maimed and killed innocent people. He really doesn't belong here, let alone in Westchester, in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: And there was also a lot of talk today, of course, about Pan Am Flight 103 -- 270 lives lost -- a lot of people very upset at the recent developments there and the homecoming that seemed to be thrown for the convicted terrorist who was welcomed back to Libya recently -- Anderson.
COOPER: Yes, Erica, Gadhafi has been trying to portray himself as a different leader than the man who supported terrorism. You will remember the two suspects charged in the bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie were Libyan citizens. Only one of them was convicted.
Libya paid nearly $3 million to compensate the victims of the bombing. But, just last month, Gadhafi made a huge deal of welcoming home the man convicted in the bombing, after Scotland released him from prison. He is said to be dying of cancer. Gadhafi's very public embrace of this guy does not win him any points in the U.S. Neither have his calls to force all Israeli embassies to leave Africa.
As Erica mentioned, residents of Englewood, New Jersey, did manage to keep Gadhafi from pitching the tent in their community.
Author and television host Rabbi Shmuley Boteach played a big role in keeping Gadhafi out of Englewood, his hometown. He helped organized the protests that in the end worked.
He joins me now, along with Brian Flynn, whose older brother J.P. was killed on Pan Am 103.
Brian, when you see Moammar Gadhafi arriving in the United States for the first time in 40 years, what goes through your mind?
BRIAN FLYNN, BROTHER KILLED IN PAN AM FLIGHT 103 BOMBING: What's amazing that there is one man who was convicted of the bombing, right, but it was clear in the conviction that -- that he did it for the furtherance of Libyan intelligence.
So, this is, in fact, a case where nothing happens in Libya without Gadhafi's, not only acknowledgment, but approval. So, the guy who attacked America and killed my brother and 269 other people was in fact directed to do it by this man who is now staying in New York City.
COOPER: Rabbi Shmuley, you were able to stop them from getting -- coming to -- to your hometown. You live right next door to a property owned by the -- the Libyan government. How did you stop it?
RABBI SHMULEY BOTEACH, AUTHOR, "THE KOSHER SUTRA": First of all, and they're still my neighbors. And we want them to sell the property and clear out.
But we stopped them by rising in our righteous American indignation to demonstrate that this is a country that stands for fraternity and brotherhood. But Gadhafi pitches a terror tent of shame. This is a man who pays for terrorism. This is a man who celebrates terrorists.
I mean, even to say, Anderson, that he's a former sponsor of terror, every one of our eyes witnessed the Mardi Gras-style celebration that he gave on Megrahi, the Libyan bomber.
And to -- and for families like the Flynns to have to relive the horrors of that moment, to see Gadhafi welcomed as an international leader on our soil, is simply reprehensible.
And I ask myself, all of our soldiers, who earn $60,000 a year, who are dodging bullets and bombs in Afghanistan and Iraq, when they see an American billionaire welcoming Gadhafi on to his soil, what are they to conclude? That we sell out our values for oil.
And the people of Bedford, I'm asking them, please, do what we did. It's not true that you can't stop him. If, tomorrow, there's a demonstration on Trump's property right outside that tent, Gadhafi will not come. And if you make -- if you're loud enough and it makes him impossible for him to even speak to the visitors he wants to welcome into that terror tent of shame, then he will be forced to go back to the U.N. compound, which is the only place that will still take him.
COOPER: We're going to talk with the rabbi and Brian in just a moment.
Stay with us. We want hear from you as well. Should Gadhafi be welcomed here? What do you think? You can join the live chat happening now at AC360.com. I'm about to log on myself.
Also coming up ahead tonight: The death toll from severe flooding in the Southeast climbs to nine, entire communities underwater. The damage is widespread. We will have a live report from the flood zone.
And, later, new insight into how the craigslist murder case was solved. New details in how the police used the Internet to track down the alleged killer -- what kind of cyber -- cyber footprints did he leave behind, and will they be enough to convict the prime suspect?
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We begin with a town in Westchester trying to stop Moammar Gadhafi from visiting there.
Let's pick up where we left off. We were talking about this massive tent that belongs to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Tonight, it's pitched in Westchester County, New York, north of Manhattan. At least for now, it is.
The property it's on belonged to the Trump Organization, Donald Trump. Gadhafi is here in New York for the U.N. General Assembly meeting. It's his first visit to the United States in 40 years.
We're talking again with Brian Flynn, whose older brother J.P. was killed on Pan Am 103, and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who was a key figure in blocking Gadhafi from pitching that tent in Englewood, New Jersey.
Brian, Gadhafi is here, as I said, for the first time in 40 years. Why do you think he's here now?
FLYNN: Well, it's interesting. In his country, he doesn't -- he needs validation and he needs acceptance by the Western world. So, he's come here to show that the Western world is now embracing Gadhafi. And I think it's -- it's tremendous hypocrisy on our part to ignore what has been one of the worst, most brutal regimes that we have seen in 50 years and by accepting him and embracing him here in the United States.
COOPER: Rabbi Shmuley, you know, there are those who say, well, look, he's -- he's clearly had this past. He's maybe a thug and a dictator, but plenty of thugs and dictators have come to the United States over the years and come to the U.N.
BOTEACH: But, Anderson, he is thumbing his nose at us. This -- this event with al-Megrahi happened about three weeks ago. And we all watched how this killer -- and a cowardly killer at that -- all he did was place a bomb on a plane and let the people be blown to smithereens.
He kissed Gadhafi's hands. And we Americans need to tell Gadhafi to kiss a different part of our anatomy entirely. The fact is, he does not belong on our soil. Donald Trump should tell him, you're fired.
I mean, what message does it send that we drown our morals in a giant vat of oil? We stand for something better. And I'm astonished that this man is welcomed as some sort of international figure to our -- to our shores.
And I think that President Obama needs to understand that he is out of step with the rest of the American people if he's to welcome him, because New Jersey, where we pushed him out, we had Governor Corzine, Senator Lautenberg, Congressman Steve Rothman. They're all Democrats. It's a staunchly blue state, and each one of them said that Gadhafi should not even be granted a visa to enter the United States.
FLYNN: And I think it's also important to point out that there was an opportunity here for the United States to take a stand against Gadhafi. And, in fact, just today, the U.S. ambassador to the U.K. said, in fact, we're ready to move on from this Libya problem.
And I was just shocked to read that today, based -- based on what's happened.
COOPER: Yes.
FLYNN: You know...
COOPER: Do -- were -- are surprised that Donald Trump has not been kind of out in front on this? I mean, clearly, he's -- the organization is saying, look, this -- this was done through business associates. And it seems like they're saying, we didn't know, you know, what was behind this tent or who was going to be visiting in -- inside this tent.
Donald Trump is a very smart guy, a very P.R.-savvy guy. I would have thought he would have gotten out in front of this today. BOTEACH: Can you imagine if this response was given by one of the people on his TV show, this kind of obfuscation, I had no idea what was going on? He would -- he would get rid of that person in a moment.
Donald Trump knows exactly what is happening with his property in Bedford. It's right outside New York City. It's a city -- it's a town that actually houses some of the wealthiest Americans. It is impossible that he could move in there without his knowledge.
And you could even see from the statement it was nothing but pure obfuscation: We do business with everyone. They may or may not be involved.
In other words, there is no clear denial. What Trump needs to do is say -- is accept mea culpa. I made a mistake. I never should have allowed him on to my property.
And to be honest, if that does not happen, then there is a need for a boycott of the Trump Organization, because the American people will not stand for terrorists and people with blood on their hands and American servicemen's blood on their hands. Remember, Gadhafi blew up a discotheque that was filled with American servicemen in 1986, which is why President Reagan called him...
COOPER: Berlin bombing.
(CROSSTALK)
BOTEACH: The Berlin bombing -- the mad dog of the Middle East.
And he's not changed his ways. The American people should not -- they should not stand for this. And these poor families -- I mean, a disproportionately high number of the Lockerbie victims were people who live in the tristate area. And they're having to relive this horror.
COOPER: Right.
How -- do you plan on -- on demonstrating at all, or...
FLYNN: Yes. Tomorrow, there is a demonstration at the U.N. to protest him being here, because this is not -- this is not a political issue or a diplomatic issue.
This is turning -- and I think Shmuley is on to it. It's turned into a moral issue. It's just wrong that -- you know, we have had plenty of dictators here. We have had Idi Amin and -- and the rest of them who have been to the United States. But none of them have been actually behind a direct attack on American citizens.
COOPER: You know, right now on the phone, we have Joel Sachs, who is the Bedford town attorney.
Mr. Sachs, I understand the town is trying to stop this from happening. What you are trying to do? JOEL SACHS, BEDFORD TOWN, NEW JERSEY, ATTORNEY: Well, what had happened was, we had learned earlier today from the Secret Service that Mr. Gadhafi was planning to locate a tent that would be used as a temporary residence on the Seven Springs property in the town of Bedford. And I discussed this matter with town officials.
And I believe, and the town building inspector believes, that this would constitute a violation of several town zoning and land use laws. And I directed the town building inspector to immediately go to the property and issue a stop-work order, which would force the individuals to cease erecting the tent and conducting any other activities that would be related to establishing a temporary residence on the premises.
COOPER: Have you talked to Donald Trump or folks from his organization? And, if so, how receptive have they been?
SACHS: I personally have not. But I know other officials from the town have.
And we were advised by the Trump Organization that they admitted that they admitted that they had leased the property to certain partners of Mr. Trump in the Middle East, but Mr. Trump disclaimed knowledge of the fact that Mr. Gadhafi would be attempting to have a -- a tent and a temporary residence on the property.
And I believe Mr. Trump indicated to some individuals in the town that he's appalled now to find out what's going on.
COOPER: What do you think is going to happen now? I mean, there is a stop -- stop-work order, so they can't do any more work on it. But it looks like the tent is already up. Does this mean Gadhafi could still visit?
SACHS: No, that means that this has now been determined to be an illegal structure that cannot be occupied.
It's both an illegal structure. Plus -- plus, it constitutes the erection of the temporary residence without a building permit -- or without a special permit from the town of Bedford.
And I'm sure, tomorrow, representatives of the town will return to the site and make sure that, if the tent is still up, that it is not being used for any type of habitation.
BOTEACH: Could I...
COOPER: Yes.
BOTEACH: Could I just say, Anderson, we had this situation in Englewood as well. It is not true, from our experience, that a simple stop-work order could stop Gadhafi from entering that tent.
You have to go to court. The Libyans defied the stop-work order, the city of Englewood and its attorney for a week. It was only when we went to court and a court ordered -- and the judge ordered them to stop work.
So, I think the city of Bedford needs to understand that they will defy this work order, as they did to Englewood. They don't care about our rules and regulations. These are people who live in a dictatorship. There's only one man who makes all the rules.
I watched and I filmed as they did all this work for a full week right next door to my home. They chopped down my trees. They took away my fence. These are not people who play by our rules. And it's only a judge enforcing this.
And, with us, it was even worse, because they had diplomatic immunity. Our -- our police force couldn't even go in to stop them.
COOPER: Mr. Sachs, what happens if they defy the work order?
SACHS: Well, the town has two alternatives. Number one, a criminal summons can be issued, which would mean that the individuals responsible would be prosecuted in the town court.
The other possibility is, the town could go to the New York State Supreme Court in White Plains, in an attempt to obtain an injunction to, in essence, get an order from the court which would direct not only the individuals to cease and desist from occupying the property, but also to remove the tent.
COOPER: All right.
(CROSSTALK)
SACHS: But that -- that is not my decision to make. I would have to discuss that with the other town officials tomorrow.
COOPER: We will continue to follow that tomorrow.
Joel Sachs, I appreciate you talking with us on the phone.
Brian Flynn, we will -- we will follow up with you tomorrow as well.
And Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, thanks very much.
FLYNN: Thank you.
BOTEACH: Thank you, Anderson.
COOPER: Coming up next: deadly flooding in the Southeast, at least nine people killed, entire neighborhoods under water. We're live in the flood zone.
And new revelations about John Edwards' affair and why his wife, Elizabeth, apparently does not want him to acknowledge the baby he may have fathered with his mistress -- "Raw Politics" coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: The governor of Georgia is asking President Obama to declare a state of emergency in his state, that after days of heavy flooding have left parts of the Southeast under water.
As of tonight, at least nine people have been killed. Others have been pulled from their cars and homes and communities devastated by some of the worst flooding in years. Look at those pictures.
David Mattingly is live in Cobb County, Georgia, for more on the flooding.
David, what you are seeing?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, to give you an idea of how dramatic some of this flash flooding was in these Atlanta area neighborhoods, if I had been standing here last night, the water would have been up to here.
Now, you can see it's gone down quite a bit since then, but it's now leaving behind all the damaged items that residents had to abandon when they evacuated here, like this -- this mud-covered vehicle right here. The water was all the way up to here. It's going to be a total loss.
And it is just an example of what's waiting for the residents when they do come back here, because, when all this water recedes, that's when the real pain begins.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Hattie Marcell took her children and ran. Now coming back to her flooded home for the first time, there are signs everywhere of the pandemonium she left behind.
(on camera): This car right here, how high did the water come up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was up under water.
HATTIE MARCELL, FLOOD VICTIM: It was -- yes, it was up under water. The only part that you could see was just the top.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): This car is just one of the things her neighbors had to abandon when the water came pouring into their cul- de-sac. Inside the houses, it's worse.
(on camera): I see the waterline right here.
MARCELL: Yes.
MATTINGLY: Right here. Oh, boy. What a mess.
(voice-over): No one had time to save their belongings. Neighbors felt lucky to save themselves.
BRANDE ALLISON, FLOOD VICTIM: I mean, I'm laughing and joking about it, but I'm really crying on the inside, because this is just unbelievable. I mean, when we left here yesterday, we got stuck in the field with three kids. And trying -- and we broke the fence down trying to get out of here.
MATTINGLY: Historic flooding left its muddy mark all over Atlanta, sending torrents water over critical interstates, turning commutes into an ordeal. The water was so high in some areas, roller coasters at an amusement park almost disappeared.
Hundreds had to be rescued by boat from densely populated areas that had never seen flooding before. To make matters worse, some flooded houses burned. State estimates place the damage at a quarter- of-a-billion dollars. And the cleanup has barely begun.
(on camera): Did it float over here?
(voice-over): Individual losses could be devastating. Hattie Marcell says her neighborhood was not in a flood zone. She did not have flood insurance.
MARCELL: I don't want to have to deal with the -- you know, the heartache and pain and going through trying to rebuild. And I had just actually redone my house.
MATTINGLY: Repairing the damage may not be an option. And she may have to move, one of the many painful decisions facing victims of a major flood in a major city.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: So many people now finding out they weren't quite prepared with their insurance, not having flood insurance to deal with anything like this, Anderson, so this disaster being very personal and hitting very hard in a lot of individuals' pocketbooks.
COOPER: Yes, good to see at least the water going down in the neighborhood you're in. David, thanks.
Erica Hill is falling other stories making headlines tonight. Let's check in with her in a 360 news and business bulletin -- Erica.
HILL: Anderson, President Obama joining other world leaders today calling for immediate and substantive steps to combat climate change. Speaking at a special United Nations summit, the president said failure to act now would bring -- quote -- "irreversible catastrophe." He pledged the full commitment of the United States.
Also today, the president meeting with Israeli Prime Minister -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He's pushing those leaders to restart Middle East peace talks. Palestinians are insisting Israel halt all construction of Jewish settlements and Palestinian territory as a precondition for resuming talks.
Netanyahu, however, told CNN the settlement issue is something that should be raised in negotiations, and not before. In Massachusetts, the state Senate approving a bill today which allows the governor to name an interim replacement for the late Senator Ted Kennedy. The bill now goes bath to both chambers for a final procedural vote tomorrow, before it heads to the governor, who has said he would sign it.
And some good news from General Motors -- the automaker adding a third shift to several plants in Kansas, Indiana, and Michigan. That extra shift is expected to add 2,400 jobs.
Finally, Jenny Sanford, the wife of embattled South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, is writing a memoir. Mrs. Sanford is now separated from her husband, after he admitted to an affair with an Argentine woman. The publisher says Sanford's book is about maintaining integrity and a self of self during life's difficult times -- Anderson.
COOPER: Well, sadly, she knows a lot about that.
Up next: new revelations about John Edwards' affair and why his wife, Elizabeth, does not want him to publicly say if he is the father of Rielle Hunter's baby. We have the "Raw Politics" on that.
Also ahead: tracking the accused craigslist killer -- new insight tonight on how police used technology and a digital trail to track the prime suspect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: New revelations tonight about former presidential candidate John Edwards' affair and possible cover-up.
Last night, we told you Edwards may be ready to admit he is the father of Rielle Hunter's 19-month-old daughter. Tonight, we have learned that Elizabeth Edwards doesn't want him to come forward because it would give him an excuse to see Hunter.
So, how did we get here? What causes a man with a legitimate shot at the presidency to risk it all?
Here's what Edwards told "Nightline."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "NIGHTLINE")
JOHN EDWARDS (D), FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Then, I went from being a senator, a young senator, to being considered for vice president, running for president, being a vice presidential candidate, and becoming a national public figure, all of which fed a self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe that -- that you can do whatever you want, you're invincible, and no -- and there will be no consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, there could be very serious consequences now.
A grand jury in Raleigh, North Carolina, is investigating whether Edwards misused campaign funds paying his mistress to keep quiet.
Joe Johns is there with the "Raw Politics."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The details are almost too sordid to believe.: Elizabeth Edwards suffering from terminal cancer, while her husband, former presidential candidate John Edwards, was having an affair with a woman named Rielle Hunter.
Now "The New York Times" is citing a leaked book proposal by onetime Edwards aide Andrew Young claiming that Edwards told Ms. Hunter that, after his wife dies, he would marry her on a New York rooftop in a ceremony where the Dave Matthews Band would play.
(MUSIC)
JOHNS: On top of that, there are now persistent reports that Edwards is considering taking responsibility for Hunter's baby, though Mrs. Edwards is said to be opposed to that.
JOE SINSHEIMER, FORMER DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: If he were to admit paternity, then I think that, as a society, we would feel that he should play a role in the baby's life. And I think that the potential is there that Elizabeth is uncomfortable with that.
MATTINGLY: Neither Edwards would comment for the story. Hunter's lawyer didn't respond to a call either.
Earlier this summer, Hunter went to testify before the grand jury, parading the baby in front of the cameras for all to see.
SINSHEIMER: It just created a different set of emotions when you saw the visual image of her holding the baby walking in the courthouse. And I think it added to what we will call the sort of yuck factor to the story.
JOHNS (on camera): This is where John Edwards is believed to spend much of his time these days, his heavily-wooded 102-acre estate in the Chapel Hill area, a secluded place, a former presidential contender now in seclusion.
To many, he was the golden boy of past elections. Now he is fodder for the tabloids.
(voice-over) Former Edwards staffer Andrew Young, married father of three, a guy who went the extra mile for Edwards but got, many say, little to show for it.
(on camera) Andrew Young appeared before the grand jury earlier this summer, which meets here at the federal courthouse in Raleigh. A source familiar with the story tells CNN at first he believed in John Edwards, worked for him for years.
And when Edwards allegedly came to him and asked him to take responsibility for fathering Rielle Hunter's child, he did it because he wanted to help.
Another source familiar with this story says he later became angry and hurt, because he felt that Edwards had dropped him like a hot potato.
At some point, Andrew Young decided he would have to take care of himself and his family. He recanted his story, said he was not the father of the child, and wrote up a book proposal.
(voice-over) And where is this going legally? Rielle Hunter's video production company was paid more than $100,000 to produce short Web clips of the Edwards campaign. So the grand jury is looking into whether any campaign contributions paid to Hunter were inappropriate.
JAN BARAN, ELECTIONS LAW EXPERT: If the investigation discovers that some campaign money went, for a purely personal reason, to somebody, then that could constitute a violation of the law.
JOHNS: Even if Edwards is cleared in the investigation, details of the affair have tarnished his reputation, and many believe it's doubtful he'll ever reclaim his status as a favorite son of North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Joe, where is Rielle Hunter now?
JOHNS: Well, she's believed to be on the East Coast, Anderson. And people tell us what they know, also what they think. The best guess right now is that she is probably in New Jersey. That's where she was seen sometime around late last year.
We are also told that there is a belief here, and people are looking for further information, suggesting that she might be moving to the Wilmington, North Carolina area at some point. Now, that happens to be an area where John Edwards actually has a beach house.
I do know a number of folks who have been trying to check through, for example, the real-estate listings and so forth in that part of the state. We don't have any confirmation on that, however, Anderson.
COOPER: Just a sad, sad story. Joe Johns, appreciate the reporting.
You can join the live chat. Let us know what you think about this at AC360.com.
Coming up next, the fight for Afghanistan. Should President Obama send more troops? The war continues to lose support here at home. The top U.S. commander predicts failure without additional forces. We're going to talk to Senator Lindsey Graham, who says there is no choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: If we're not more patient and more resolved than our enemy, we're going to get hit again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Also tonight, new details about the last three years of Anna Nicole Smith's life and her desperate hunt for drugs when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: The Pentagon has reportedly told a top commander in Afghanistan to hold off submitting his request for more troops, this one day after General Stanley McChrystal's confidential report was leaked.
Now, in that report, General McChrystal said he needs more troops in the next 12 months and a new strategy or the mission will fail.
So why the delay? According to the Pentagon, the official -- the Obama administration is rethinking its strategy. This according to Pentagon officials.
Meanwhile, support for the war has hit a new low. According to the latest CNN poll, only 39 percent of Americans favor U.S. military action in Afghanistan.
So will President Obama listen to public opinion or to the rising force of voices in the military and Congress who want more troops now?
One of those voices is Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. He joins us for a 360 interview.
Senator, thanks very much for being with us. I know you've been on the ground in Afghanistan, as have we recently. Why do you think more troops is the answer?
GRAHAM: I trust the generals who are, I think, know what they're doing. I've been there several time like yourself. The security environment is terrible. You'll never get any governance improvement until you get better security.
The only way to change the momentum on the ground is combat power now. Training the Afghan army and police is a great goal, but we need capacity on the ground now to turn the tide against the Taliban. And that capacity has to include more American troops.
COOPER: What they're calling for is basically a counterinsurgency.
GRAHAM: Yes.
COOPER: They're already doing that at Helmand province. We saw that with the Marines two weeks ago.
But as you know, counterinsurgency requires a big civilian component. And in fact, McChrystal's report calls this a civil military action. There's no civilians on the ground. I mean, the State Department is not getting the numbers of people on the ground.
In Helmand where I was, there was one guy from AID and one other person. It's all military. Did that concern you?
GRAHAM: Yes, but here's the reality: if you had 10,000 State Department lawyers dealing with a rule of law program, the security environment is so bad they can't get off the base.
The same people that take the civilians downtown to talk with the tribal leaders by military convoy to protect them are the same ones training the Afghan army and police forces and are also the same ones engaged in fire fights at night. So until you get more security, you can't utilize the increased civilian capacity that we desperately need.
COOPER: What we've heard from the Obama administration, essentially, is that the goal is defeating al Qaeda. There's a lot of critics who say, look, al Qaeda is in Pakistan. They're not on the ground in Afghanistan.
GRAHAM: Well, President Obama, I think, got it right in March. He said the goal was to provide security, turn back Taliban gangs in Afghanistan, because you cannot allow Afghanistan to partition -- the Taliban to partition or take over the country, because they will invite al Qaeda back.
So I believe the only way to keep al Qaeda out of Afghanistan is to make sure that the country does not fall back into Taliban hands. That was the strategy in March.
It was the counterinsurgency strategy to improve governance, more civilian capacity and defeat the Taliban insurgency.
What we're talking about now is completely new and different. A counterterrorism strategy that I think is doomed to fail and will lead to the resurgence of the Taliban and, eventually, al Qaeda safe havens in Afghanistan.
COOPER: Essentially, though, what is being called for in the strategy, which is protecting civilian population. It's not hunting down al Qaeda. It's protecting civilians. And basically nation building. I mean, is nation building something we really want to be involved with in Afghanistan?
GRAHAM: I don't -- I don't think our -- the surge of troops is not to nation build as to fill in a vacuum. The question to be asked is how could the Taliban that doesn't have one tank or one airplane, no navy, how could they come back? How could they re-emerge with all these folks over in Afghanistan?
The truth is we don't have enough military capacity. The Afghan army and police are not developed enough to provide security in the outer parts of Afghanistan. So the Taliban are filling a vacuum.
And to my fellow Americans, if we're not more patient and more resolved in our enemy, we're going to get hit again.
COOPER: And there's no easy answers on this one. Senator Lindsey Graham, I appreciate your time, sir. Thank you.
GRAHAM: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: As you know, we were in Afghanistan this month, reporting from the battle zone. You can see behind-the-scenes photos from our trip at AC360.com.
Coming up, our "Prime Suspect" series continues with e-mails from suspected Craigslist killer. The messages he sent the woman he's accused of killing. We'll show them to you tonight as we take you inside the investigation.
And later, caught on tape. Cops raiding a home taking time out to play a Wii bowling game. What were they thinking? It's tonight's "Shot."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Our series on "Prime Suspects" continues tonight with the capture of the alleged Craigslist killer. For the first time, we're going to take you inside the investigation.
Take a look at this. This is surveillance video of Philip Markoff, a medical student who allegedly murdered a masseuse after she posted an online classified ad.
But it wasn't just images like this one that led police to Markoff. It was also his e-mail trail. The details of those messages are in a new article in "Vanity Fair" magazine, but we have them for you tonight.
Randi Kaye has the report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first e-mail from Andy was sent at 4:37 p.m. April 13.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I myself am visiting Boston and looking for a 10 p.m. or later appointment tonight or tomorrow.
KAYE: Police say Andy wasn't his real name. In fact, he would later be dubbed by police, the Craigslist killer. Police say he was setting a trap for women like Julissa Brisman, offering massages through Craigslist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can still make it tonight. But tomorrow at 10 will be better for me. Thanks, Andy.
KAYE: Andy, police say, is a predator who went to great lengths to hide his tracks. But as careful as he was, police say, even before his first attack, he was leaving a trail that would lead right back to him.
Brisman's employer wrote Andy back on her behalf, using the name Morgan to hide Brisman's identity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can do tomorrow night or we could also do 10:30 or 11 tonight. Kisses, Morgan.
KAYE: Then Andy again, at 7:03 p.m.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Morgan, 10 p.m. tomorrow is best for me. Thank you, Andy.
KAYE (on camera): The next night Julissa Brisman was found bleeding to death in her hotel room here at the Boston Marriott. She had been shot three times at close range in the chest and the abdomen.
On her wrist, police found a plastic tie they would later match to a similar tie used in another attack. That attack took place just days before Brisman was killed, at the Westin down the street.
(voice-over) Maureen Orth investigated the Craigslist murder for "Vanity fair" magazine.
(on camera) What fascinated you about the Craigslist killer story?
MAUREEN ORTH, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, "VANITY FAIR": The way the figures involved communicate with each other was by text and e-mail. And they only met at the very last minute. And then the way the police were able to solve the crime was going back, using the clicks and the Internet addresses.
KAYE (voice-over): Mark Rasch once headed the computer crimes unit at the U.S. Department of Justice. Now an Internet forensic expert, he helped Boston police track the alleged killer.
MARK RASCH, INTERNET FORENSICS EXPERT The first thing you start with is the e-mail address. In this case, it's an e-mail address from Live.com. This is Microsoft.
KAYE: Rasch showed me the tracer program he used to help follow the alleged killer's e-mails.
RASCH: And Trace Back does what it says, traces the route that the e-mail took on its way from its origin to the destination.
KAYE: Rasch says police got the Internet protocol address for the e-mailer's computer. From there, investigators tracked down the company providing Internet service to the suspect, which told them that the subscriber lives in this Quincy, Massachusetts, apartment building outside Boston.
Even though police had what they believed was the killer's name and home address, that still was not enough.
RASCH: They have to validate and actually get this guy's fingers on the keyboard.
ORTH: So in the end they reverted to the old gumshoe thing of a stakeout.
KAYE: Police zeroed in on Philip Markoff. They'd seen a tall blond male they believed was the killer on the hotel surveillance cameras. And they did what most of us do on a daily basis: they Googled him.
Police learned their prime suspect was a medical student at Boston University, engaged to be married. They got a better look at him through pictures with his fiancee online. It's a piece of a digital trail criminals rarely think about.
ORTH: As one of the law enforcement people told me, if you can see it, they can see it.
KAYE: In fact, the alleged killer's cyber footprint was growing more clear to authorities every day.
(on camera) So finally, on April 20, six days after the murder, detectives arrested Philip Markoff. They say he was carrying on him a New York driver's license with a photo of someone named Andrew or Andy Miller. Police say Markoff used that driver's license to purchase the gun that killed Julissa Brisman, and his fingerprints were on the paperwork.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Markoff has been in jail since his arrest, charged with first-degree murder and attempted robbery plus kidnapping, robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer had no comment for our story.
Go to AC360.com to read about other Internet crimes and how can you report them.
And tomorrow night in our "Prime Suspect" series, a serial killer on the loose in Los Angeles. The so-called Grim Sleeper eluded detectives for years. They'd run out of leads. The case was cold, and they came up with a striking new idea. What happened next stunned everyone and led them straight to a prime suspect, but it was not who they thought. Tomorrow in our "Prime Suspect" series, the inside story of how they caught a different serial killer.
Coming up next, though, tonight, breaking news. New photos of the flooding in Georgia. We just got these in. Rivers raging and millions of people in harm's way.
Plus, on a lighter note and maybe more bizarre note, Tom DeLay busting some moves on "Dancing with the Stars," sort of. We'll show you his version of the cha-cha.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Breaking news, we have late word that the Yellow River in Portsdale (ph), Georgia, crested at just over 22 feet. One of our producers in Georgia just sent us these pictures. As you can see, the flood waters are raging there.
For a perspective, flood stage is 16 feet. The Yellow River has now crested at 22 feet.
A mobile home park nearby is apparently extensively flooded. Residents have been evacuated. Portsdale (ph) is about 35 miles east of Atlanta.
Erica is following -- following some of the other stories for us tonight on a "360 Bulletin" -- Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, massive raids today in and around Los Angeles. Police officers and federal agents went door to door. They arrested about 90 suspected members of the Avenues gang. Now they're accused of everything from graffiti tagging to drug dealer and even murder.
AC 360 follow for you, some newly released documents show doctors gave Anna Nicole Smith many dangerous drugs over the three years before her death. In fact, giving her some of them even while she was pregnant.
The documents shows some pharmacists refused to fill prescriptions because of the dangers.
Smith's boyfriend Howard K. Stern and her doctors have pleaded not guilty to obtaining fraudulent prescriptions and other charges. Smith died of a drug overdose in February of 2007.
One-time Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress is in prison tonight, starting off his two-year sentence on a weapons charge. You may recall last November the former New York Giants wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a nightclub. Well, he wasn't licensed to carry the gun in New York, which led to the charges and the sentence.
Former senator, Tom DeLay, made his debut on "Dancing with the Stars" last night, and there was a lot of talk about those moves. A cha-cha number to the song...
COOPER: Wow.
HILL: ... "Wild Thing." A judge told him he's crazier than Sarah Palin.
COOPER: Wow.
HILL: It's the kind of thing where there really aren't words, frankly. COOPER: Yes. I missed this on the first broadcast, I must say. I did not watch the show.
HILL: You know, luckily...
COOPER: Give him credit. He fully committed to it.
HILL: He did fully commit. And I noticed, too, that the -- I don't know who it was. Perhaps the director -- sorry, Ellie (ph) -- fully committed to several gratuitous shots from behind of Mr. Delay, which I thought were unnecessary. I'm just saying.
COOPER: Yes, well, did he get voted off? Or does that not happen?
HILL: I don't know if they voted yet.
COOPER: OK, they haven't voted.
HILL: It was last night. Maybe they voted tonight. I was making calls trying to get -- trying to some information about Gadhafi's tent.
COOPER: Yes. All right.
Coming up, our "360" winners. It's our -- or "Beat 360" winners. It's our daily challenge to viewers, a chance to show up our staffers by coming up with a better caption or picture that we put on the blog every day.
So tonight's picture, a girl walking on water in aside plastic sphere in Lake Sofia in Bulgaria.
Staff winner tonight is Rick. His caption: "Young entrepreneur tests her new invention on a busy Atlanta street."
HILL: Good timing (ph).
COOPER: Topical.
The viewer winner is Brandon from Massachusetts. His caption: "Terror threats. Health-care reform, swine flu. I think I'll stay in this bubble until they get it all figured out.
(SOUND EFFECT: DRUM BEAT)
COOPER: And congratulations. Your "Beat 360" T-shirt is on the way.
"The Shot" is next. Looking for narcotics and having some fun with Wii. Cops busted for bowling.
Also at the top of the hour, Gadhafi's tent and Donald Trump in New York for the U.N. The Libyan leader pitching a meeting place on property owned by the Donald. The story and the outrage ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Erica, for tonight's show, police officers making busts and going bowling.
Check this video out. It's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) just released. A drug task force in Florida raids the home of a suspected drug dealer, search the property, and then do something not mentioned in the warrant, examine the guy's Wii bowling game. It's up there on the screen. They start to play it and play they do.
HILL: Oh, wow.
COOPER: Several police, in fact, get really into it. Some are quite good bowlers, apparently.
HILL: Quite happy about it, too.
COOPER: Apparently so. They may be happy with their score. Supervisors are not impressed. They call the behavior inexcusable and embarrassing and vowed this will not happen again.
HILL: Did the bowling game come up on the Wii that we got you for your birthday a couple years ago that you really enjoyed so much?
COOPER: Yes. I think it did. I'm not sure.
HILL: You seem like a bowler, like a Wii bowler.
COOPER: Yes.
You can see all the most recent "Shots" on our Web site. How about that, at AC360.com?
Coming up at the top of the hour, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in New York for the first time in 40 years, getting a cold reception. One town's battle to stop the former sponsor of terror from pitching his tent, literally, in their community on Donald Trump's property.
We'll be right back.
