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CNN Live Today

Covering Storms Presents Some Challenges for Reporters; Testimony Set to Resume in Scott Peterson's Murder Trial

Aired September 07, 2004 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Calm winds have helped firefighters in their battle against a big blaze in California's wine country. The fire has burned more than 12,000 acres in Sonoma County and destroyed at least four homes, eight outbuildings and a dozen cars. But fire officials say the blaze is not expanding, and right now it's about 35 percent contained.
Well, President Bush and Senator John Kerry are trading long- distance barbs again today with the fall campaign now in overdrive.

"INSIDE POLITICS" anchor Judy Woodruff has the campaign headlines from Washington.

Hi, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Betty.

Well, John Kerry is in North Carolina this hour to condemn the outsourcing of U.S. jobs overseas, and to attack what he calls the wrong choices George W. Bush has made.

Kerry is trying to stay focused on economic issues, while Bush continues to talk up his role as commander-in-chief, and accused Kerry of flip-flopping on the war on Iraq. The president is on a bus tour in the showdown state of Missouri, riding what appears to be a modest post-convention bounce.

Our new poll of Americans likely to vote on November 2nd shows Bush now leading Kerry by seven points. Among the wider pool of registered voters, the race appears to be tighter, with Bush ahead of Kerry by just one point.

Well, John Kerry and Bush's runningmate, Dick Cheney, had a long- distance exchange Monday over U.S. policy in Iraq. At a stop in Ohio, Kerry used some tough language to repeat his criticism that the U.S. went to war without adequate support from its allies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When they talk about a coalition, that's the phoniest thing i've ever heard. You've got about 500 troops here, 500 troops there, and it's American troops that are 90 percent of the combat casualties, and it's American taxpayers that are paying 90 percent of the cost of this war. It's the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODRUFF: Later in the day, Cheney had some advice for Kerry, and he said the general who led the U.S. war in Iraq is among those who disagree with Kerry's criticisms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've got news for Senator Kerry. As General Tommy Franks said recently, every contribution from every nation is important. They deserve our respect, not insults. Demeaning our allies is an interesting approach for someone seeking the office of presidency. When it comes to diplomacy, it looks to me like John Kerry could stick to wind surfing.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODRUFF: As Kerry and Bush start their post-Labor Day campaigning, we're going to check in this afternoon with Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot, and with Democratic strategist Donna Brazile about what we can expect in the next eight weeks.

Join me when I go "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. For now, right back to Betty in Atlanta.

NGUYEN: Looking forward to it. Thank you, Judy.

While Florida begins cleaning up, the downgraded Tropical Depression Frances isn't done just yet. Georgia is feeling the fury of the storm right now. Flood warnings, power outages and school closings are reported across the state. Georgia Power estimates hundreds of thousands are without power. And it could take up to two days before some customers get their lights turned back on.

Damaged boats, businesses and homes, the aftermath of Hurricane Frances in Florida. Fort Pierce's new marina is said to be a total loss. National Guardsmen were watching over boats and yachts that smashed into the docks. Insurance companies estimate insured losses from Frances to be from $3 billion to $6 billion. President Bush is expected to visit Florida tomorrow.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

NGUYEN: Well, speaking of dealing with Frances, it's no doubt difficult for Florida residents, but covering the storm presents some challenges for reporters as well.

CNN's Anderson Cooper filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The most difficult thing about covering a hurricane isn't the wind.

(on camera): How does it feel to you, Chad? CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, I think the wind picked up again, but we had a squall that did it. It wasn't so much that it was a sustained wind, it was a gusty wind.

COOPER (voice-over): It isn't the rain.

MYERS: As the water evaporates off the ocean, and that's how the hurricane gets its power.

COOPER: It's trying to figure out what to talk about, because after you've talked about the wind...

MYERS: 76.4 was the last I got, just holding it behind you.

COOPER: And the rain.

(on camera) Why does it rain not salt water?

MYERS: Well.

COOPER (voice-over): There's really not much to talk about.

(on camera): Carol, it's a -- it's a -- it's going to be a long night.

(voice-over): After 10 hours of standing in the wind and the rain, talking about the wind and the rain, you start to wrinkle and you start to get a little punchy.

COOPER (on camera): No, it's fine, we enjoy the long, lengthy e- mails, take all the time you want. Going to give a whole new meaning to the term hanging Chad. Baba-ba. I'll be here all week. Try the veal.

(voice-over): And then after 24 hours, with only a little sleep, you start to get really punchy.

(on camera): You know what, I can't even remember where I am, Barefoot Bay, which is just south of Melbourne. It's been a long 24 hours, I'm sorry, Carol.

(voice-over): Watching weathermen get pummelled by a storm is fun, much more fun, it turns out, than being pummelled by a storm while talking inside the box.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And that was Anderson Cooper from Florida. Of course you can watch his show, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" weeknights at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

The criminal case is dead in the water. So now, for the first time, lawyers for Kobe Bryant's accuser are talking about the case and a possible civil suit. That's next.

Plus, DNA evidence is about to take center stage in the Peterson murder trial. We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Nearly a week after the sexual assault case against Kobe Bryant was dropped, the accuser's lawyers are speaking out. Today on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING, the attorneys talked about how important Bryant's statement was in this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

L. LIN WOOD, ATTY. FOR BRYANT'S ACCUSER: Bryant admits that looking at the evidence, hearing her attorneys, and hearing her testify that he recognizes that she sincerely believes that this was a non-consensual encounter. That's a remarkable admission.

Remember, this started off, Bill, with Kobe Bryant having to publicly admit that he committed adultery. He initially told the police that he had no sexual encounter with our client.

And now it ends, in effect, the criminal case with Kobe Bryant having to issue a public apology directed directly to this young girl and to her family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The accuser is planning to sue Bryant for unspecified damages.

Now to another case. Testimony is set to resume this morning in Scott Peterson's murder trial. The focus this week will be on DNA evidence and the prosecution's effort to prove Peterson used his boat to dump his wife, Laci's body.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is in Redwood City, covering the trial, and joins us now with the latest.

Hi there, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, it's mitochondrial DNA, found on a hair in Scott Peterson's boat. Prosecutors are claiming it's Laci Peterson's. It's one the most controversial pieces of evidence, and of the new physical piece of evidence that prosecutors have.

But before we get into that, let's bring you up to date on what's been going on in the case. As prosecutors try to build their circumstantial case, try to use the lies Scott Peterson was telling family and friends, and the many trips he made to the Berkeley Marina to point to his guilt.

The defense, on the other hand, says Peterson's odd behavior was due to the worry about his wife had disappeared, and also to the relentless pursuit by the police and the media.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DORNIN (voice-over): It was a game of cat and mouse. That's how one undercover Modesto police officer described the surveillance of Scott Peterson in the weeks following his wife Laci's disappearance. Peterson made three trips to the Berkeley Marina, where he told police he went fishing the day his wife disappeared. Prosecutors say it was to visit the scene of the crime, perhaps out of fear his wife's body would surface. But the defense says the trips to the Bay were prompted by the news media.

CHUCK SMITH, LEGAL ANALYST: Brought out the fact that there were news reports that were broadcast. The police department was letting the word out that there were searches going on, and that it was appropriate, or OK for Scott Peterson to be going to these locations, to see if something might be found to discover where his wife might be.

DORNIN: Officers testified Peterson rented different cars and often drove erratically. Defense attorney Mark Geragos maintains Peterson was trying to escape the prying press. The officers testified Peterson did spend a lot of time putting up "missing" posters for his wife.

Earlier last week, a dog handler testified the tracking dog shown here picked up Laci Peterson's scent at the end of a pier in the Berkeley Marina. The defense then confronted the handler with this tape, showing the dog failed to track a subject in a situation similar to the technique used for Laci Peterson, and targeted the photographer as the subject.

The dog later picked up the search subject's scent.

Up this week, DNA testimony, the controversial hair found on pliers that prosecutors say places Laci Peterson in her husband's boat, when they claim she didn't know he had one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DORNIN: Mitochondrial DNA testimony, frankly, was rather mind numbing, during the preliminary hearing. We had five days of it. There's only expected to be two days of that this week, and it will be later in the week.

Today, first up should be some so-called filler witnesses. One of those is expected to be Scott Peterson's father, Lee.

Back to you.

NGUYEN: All right, thank you, Rusty Dornin, in Redwood City, California today.

So you say you've got one of Elvis' nose hairs or maybe a first edition "Spider-man" comic book? Well, you know where you can go to unload it these days, eBay of course. Up next, meet a man who says you can practically make a living dealing on the web giant if you know how.

Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: OK, most of us think of it as a worldwide garage sale. But many small businesses are using eBay to turn their online ventures into big money makers. Now a new book can help. Scott Wingo wrote "eBay Strategies: 10 Proven Methods to Maximize Your eBay Business."

He joins me now from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Hi there.

SCOTT WINGO, AUTHOR, "EBAY STRATEGIES": Hi, Betty. How are you today?

NGUYEN: I'm doing great. Just about everything under the sun is for sale on eBay. But realistically, can you make a living at it?

WINGO: Yes, actually eBay did a survey with the Small Business Administration, and they found that over 430,000 people make a living on eBay.

NGUYEN: So what are they selling? I mean, we've seen everything under the sun on there, everything that you can even ever imagine, but I guess the key is to selling things that are hot sellers, those items that people want to buy.

WINGO: Yes., a lot of people start in collectibles, and it's hard to make a living on that, because you're constantly looking for new, unique things. So most people, once they start in collectibles, they'll expand into a new category like consumer electronics, digital cameras, something like that, auto parts, where they can find a replenishable source, so they're not having to constantly hunt down new product to sell.

NGUYEN: So is another key keeping the price realistic?

WINGO: Yes, most people go to eBay to value shop, so the key to really making a living on eBay is being able to source goods for a very low price and then offer that low price to the consumers.

NGUYEN: OK, that has to be hard, because if someone else is selling the same product for a cheaper price, and you're trying to make a living at it, what can you do?

WINGO: It's actually not that hard. Because there's a lot of price differences across the country. For example, in the book I talk about a case study where there was a guy in Raleigh here who would. He found seats for his car, race car seats, and he was able to sell those on eBay on people California for 30 percent less than they were paying and make money on that.

NGUYEN: And what about the "buy now" option, I see that all the time, instead of waiting to see if your bid's going to be the winning bid, you can just go ahead and buy it now. Is that a good way for sellers to go ahead and unload their items. WINGO: It is a great way. In the book, I recommend that sellers use all the different formats eBay has, auction format, fixed pricing and "buy it now," because there are buyers on there that don't feel like waiting up to seven days for an item to close so they want to buy it now, immediately.

NGUYEN: Exactly. And quickly, we don't have much time left, what are the biggest mistakes sellers make on eBay?

WINGO: Probably the most important thing you can do on eBay is the search engine on eBay is very important, almost like you optimize your Web site for Google, you need to optimize your sale on eBay through the search engine. So people need to optimize that. Make sure you use all 55 characters and are very descriptive there. That's one of the best ways to increase your sales dramatically.

NGUYEN: Scott Wingo, the author of eBay strategies, 10 proven methods to maximize your eBay business.

All right, thank you so much.

WINGO: Thank you.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

NGUYEN: As we wrap up this hour, it's said that lightning doesn't strike the some place twice. Yes, well, try telling that to thousands of Florida residents.

Recently battered and bruised by two hurricanes just weeks apart, first Charley, then Frances, CNN's Bruce Burkhardt profiles one family who battled and survived them both.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When you have huddled in your house during one hurricane, you really don't feel like doing it again during a second hurricane. That's why Allen and Ellen Root and Dez (ph) and Taz (ph) and Molly (ph) and Jocuv (ph), along with their daughter and son-in-law, checked in to an Orlando hotel to await the arrival of Frances.

(on camera): Why check in this storm and not the last storm?

ALLEN ROOT, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: Well, I think it's because of what happened in the first storm. The fear of going through that and thinking about going through it again was something, you know, that made us think we wanted to be here instead of at home.

ELLEN ROOT, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: Safe. Safe, because we are together.

BURKHARDT (voice over): The Root's house is not far from Orlando, just south in Kissimmee.

(on camera): It's almost the whole roof. A. ROOT: It pretty much is. I would say it's about three- quarters of it that had the shingles sheered off.

BURKHARDT (voice over): The day before Frances was due the Roots showed me what Charley had done earlier.

A. ROOT: Total damages to the house: about 16,000.

BURKHARDT: Charley was not kind to this place. Many buildings in the historic downtown are now condemned. And the old movie theater might as well be playing "Gone With the Wind."

The Root's hometown of Kissimmee had reason to believe it might be a two-time loser. Right at the intersection of Charley's path and the projected path of Frances, it was a town that could ill afford another bad hit. Piles of debris had the potential to become dangerous projectiles. And if Charley knocked off some roofs, what would Frances do to the temporary tarps that now cover the damage?

E. ROOT: Oh, they are so worried. They are so worried.

BURKHARDT: One room, four people, four dogs, three days with nothing to do but watch TV.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's starting to get a little bit worse.

BURKHARDT: And now and then an excursion outside to let the dogs do what dogs do. When the hotel shut down the elevators in anticipation of a power outage, the whole crew had to hoof it up the steps.

A. ROOT: Almost there. Almost there.

BURKHARDT: Late Saturday night, the storm's outer bands began to reach Kissimmee, and by Sunday morning Frances was in full swing.

(on camera): It's 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning, and we still don't know if the Root's house has seen the worst of this thing yet. The first thing we noticed when we got here was this: this big section of roof. It looks like the roof over the patio out back has blown off and landed here in their neighbor's house.

But the good news is that the tarp still seems to be holding on top of the house. Driving over here, we saw several in the neighborhood that had blown off. But out back, near the pool, it's a different story.

(voice over): There was some roof damage where the patio overhang had torn away; also a blown-over fence and some flooding.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, the walls were beginning to close in.

A. ROOT: Yes, the room gets smaller and smaller. As you try to find things, we're stepping over things, moving things, tripping over dogs. BURKHARDT: By Monday morning, it looked like the worst was over, and it was time to go home, but maybe not for good.

A. ROOT: Can I make a reservation for next weekend?

BURKHARDT: The third hurricane, Ivan, threatened, even as they gathered up their courage to see what Frances had done. Though there were clear signs that Frances had been there, the Roots knew it could have been so much worse.

A. ROOT: Now that this is off the roof, it means there is a hole in my roof the size of that.

BURKHARDT: Another insurance claim, another deductible. Such is life in the Sunshine State.

Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Kissimmee, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Floridians can't seem to catch a break.

Well, that does it for me, Betty Nguyen here in Atlanta. It's Wolf Blitzer now in Washington, D.C.

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Aired September 7, 2004 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Calm winds have helped firefighters in their battle against a big blaze in California's wine country. The fire has burned more than 12,000 acres in Sonoma County and destroyed at least four homes, eight outbuildings and a dozen cars. But fire officials say the blaze is not expanding, and right now it's about 35 percent contained.
Well, President Bush and Senator John Kerry are trading long- distance barbs again today with the fall campaign now in overdrive.

"INSIDE POLITICS" anchor Judy Woodruff has the campaign headlines from Washington.

Hi, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Betty.

Well, John Kerry is in North Carolina this hour to condemn the outsourcing of U.S. jobs overseas, and to attack what he calls the wrong choices George W. Bush has made.

Kerry is trying to stay focused on economic issues, while Bush continues to talk up his role as commander-in-chief, and accused Kerry of flip-flopping on the war on Iraq. The president is on a bus tour in the showdown state of Missouri, riding what appears to be a modest post-convention bounce.

Our new poll of Americans likely to vote on November 2nd shows Bush now leading Kerry by seven points. Among the wider pool of registered voters, the race appears to be tighter, with Bush ahead of Kerry by just one point.

Well, John Kerry and Bush's runningmate, Dick Cheney, had a long- distance exchange Monday over U.S. policy in Iraq. At a stop in Ohio, Kerry used some tough language to repeat his criticism that the U.S. went to war without adequate support from its allies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When they talk about a coalition, that's the phoniest thing i've ever heard. You've got about 500 troops here, 500 troops there, and it's American troops that are 90 percent of the combat casualties, and it's American taxpayers that are paying 90 percent of the cost of this war. It's the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODRUFF: Later in the day, Cheney had some advice for Kerry, and he said the general who led the U.S. war in Iraq is among those who disagree with Kerry's criticisms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've got news for Senator Kerry. As General Tommy Franks said recently, every contribution from every nation is important. They deserve our respect, not insults. Demeaning our allies is an interesting approach for someone seeking the office of presidency. When it comes to diplomacy, it looks to me like John Kerry could stick to wind surfing.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODRUFF: As Kerry and Bush start their post-Labor Day campaigning, we're going to check in this afternoon with Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot, and with Democratic strategist Donna Brazile about what we can expect in the next eight weeks.

Join me when I go "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. For now, right back to Betty in Atlanta.

NGUYEN: Looking forward to it. Thank you, Judy.

While Florida begins cleaning up, the downgraded Tropical Depression Frances isn't done just yet. Georgia is feeling the fury of the storm right now. Flood warnings, power outages and school closings are reported across the state. Georgia Power estimates hundreds of thousands are without power. And it could take up to two days before some customers get their lights turned back on.

Damaged boats, businesses and homes, the aftermath of Hurricane Frances in Florida. Fort Pierce's new marina is said to be a total loss. National Guardsmen were watching over boats and yachts that smashed into the docks. Insurance companies estimate insured losses from Frances to be from $3 billion to $6 billion. President Bush is expected to visit Florida tomorrow.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

NGUYEN: Well, speaking of dealing with Frances, it's no doubt difficult for Florida residents, but covering the storm presents some challenges for reporters as well.

CNN's Anderson Cooper filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The most difficult thing about covering a hurricane isn't the wind.

(on camera): How does it feel to you, Chad? CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, I think the wind picked up again, but we had a squall that did it. It wasn't so much that it was a sustained wind, it was a gusty wind.

COOPER (voice-over): It isn't the rain.

MYERS: As the water evaporates off the ocean, and that's how the hurricane gets its power.

COOPER: It's trying to figure out what to talk about, because after you've talked about the wind...

MYERS: 76.4 was the last I got, just holding it behind you.

COOPER: And the rain.

(on camera) Why does it rain not salt water?

MYERS: Well.

COOPER (voice-over): There's really not much to talk about.

(on camera): Carol, it's a -- it's a -- it's going to be a long night.

(voice-over): After 10 hours of standing in the wind and the rain, talking about the wind and the rain, you start to wrinkle and you start to get a little punchy.

COOPER (on camera): No, it's fine, we enjoy the long, lengthy e- mails, take all the time you want. Going to give a whole new meaning to the term hanging Chad. Baba-ba. I'll be here all week. Try the veal.

(voice-over): And then after 24 hours, with only a little sleep, you start to get really punchy.

(on camera): You know what, I can't even remember where I am, Barefoot Bay, which is just south of Melbourne. It's been a long 24 hours, I'm sorry, Carol.

(voice-over): Watching weathermen get pummelled by a storm is fun, much more fun, it turns out, than being pummelled by a storm while talking inside the box.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And that was Anderson Cooper from Florida. Of course you can watch his show, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" weeknights at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

The criminal case is dead in the water. So now, for the first time, lawyers for Kobe Bryant's accuser are talking about the case and a possible civil suit. That's next.

Plus, DNA evidence is about to take center stage in the Peterson murder trial. We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Nearly a week after the sexual assault case against Kobe Bryant was dropped, the accuser's lawyers are speaking out. Today on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING, the attorneys talked about how important Bryant's statement was in this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

L. LIN WOOD, ATTY. FOR BRYANT'S ACCUSER: Bryant admits that looking at the evidence, hearing her attorneys, and hearing her testify that he recognizes that she sincerely believes that this was a non-consensual encounter. That's a remarkable admission.

Remember, this started off, Bill, with Kobe Bryant having to publicly admit that he committed adultery. He initially told the police that he had no sexual encounter with our client.

And now it ends, in effect, the criminal case with Kobe Bryant having to issue a public apology directed directly to this young girl and to her family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The accuser is planning to sue Bryant for unspecified damages.

Now to another case. Testimony is set to resume this morning in Scott Peterson's murder trial. The focus this week will be on DNA evidence and the prosecution's effort to prove Peterson used his boat to dump his wife, Laci's body.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is in Redwood City, covering the trial, and joins us now with the latest.

Hi there, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, it's mitochondrial DNA, found on a hair in Scott Peterson's boat. Prosecutors are claiming it's Laci Peterson's. It's one the most controversial pieces of evidence, and of the new physical piece of evidence that prosecutors have.

But before we get into that, let's bring you up to date on what's been going on in the case. As prosecutors try to build their circumstantial case, try to use the lies Scott Peterson was telling family and friends, and the many trips he made to the Berkeley Marina to point to his guilt.

The defense, on the other hand, says Peterson's odd behavior was due to the worry about his wife had disappeared, and also to the relentless pursuit by the police and the media.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DORNIN (voice-over): It was a game of cat and mouse. That's how one undercover Modesto police officer described the surveillance of Scott Peterson in the weeks following his wife Laci's disappearance. Peterson made three trips to the Berkeley Marina, where he told police he went fishing the day his wife disappeared. Prosecutors say it was to visit the scene of the crime, perhaps out of fear his wife's body would surface. But the defense says the trips to the Bay were prompted by the news media.

CHUCK SMITH, LEGAL ANALYST: Brought out the fact that there were news reports that were broadcast. The police department was letting the word out that there were searches going on, and that it was appropriate, or OK for Scott Peterson to be going to these locations, to see if something might be found to discover where his wife might be.

DORNIN: Officers testified Peterson rented different cars and often drove erratically. Defense attorney Mark Geragos maintains Peterson was trying to escape the prying press. The officers testified Peterson did spend a lot of time putting up "missing" posters for his wife.

Earlier last week, a dog handler testified the tracking dog shown here picked up Laci Peterson's scent at the end of a pier in the Berkeley Marina. The defense then confronted the handler with this tape, showing the dog failed to track a subject in a situation similar to the technique used for Laci Peterson, and targeted the photographer as the subject.

The dog later picked up the search subject's scent.

Up this week, DNA testimony, the controversial hair found on pliers that prosecutors say places Laci Peterson in her husband's boat, when they claim she didn't know he had one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DORNIN: Mitochondrial DNA testimony, frankly, was rather mind numbing, during the preliminary hearing. We had five days of it. There's only expected to be two days of that this week, and it will be later in the week.

Today, first up should be some so-called filler witnesses. One of those is expected to be Scott Peterson's father, Lee.

Back to you.

NGUYEN: All right, thank you, Rusty Dornin, in Redwood City, California today.

So you say you've got one of Elvis' nose hairs or maybe a first edition "Spider-man" comic book? Well, you know where you can go to unload it these days, eBay of course. Up next, meet a man who says you can practically make a living dealing on the web giant if you know how.

Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: OK, most of us think of it as a worldwide garage sale. But many small businesses are using eBay to turn their online ventures into big money makers. Now a new book can help. Scott Wingo wrote "eBay Strategies: 10 Proven Methods to Maximize Your eBay Business."

He joins me now from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Hi there.

SCOTT WINGO, AUTHOR, "EBAY STRATEGIES": Hi, Betty. How are you today?

NGUYEN: I'm doing great. Just about everything under the sun is for sale on eBay. But realistically, can you make a living at it?

WINGO: Yes, actually eBay did a survey with the Small Business Administration, and they found that over 430,000 people make a living on eBay.

NGUYEN: So what are they selling? I mean, we've seen everything under the sun on there, everything that you can even ever imagine, but I guess the key is to selling things that are hot sellers, those items that people want to buy.

WINGO: Yes., a lot of people start in collectibles, and it's hard to make a living on that, because you're constantly looking for new, unique things. So most people, once they start in collectibles, they'll expand into a new category like consumer electronics, digital cameras, something like that, auto parts, where they can find a replenishable source, so they're not having to constantly hunt down new product to sell.

NGUYEN: So is another key keeping the price realistic?

WINGO: Yes, most people go to eBay to value shop, so the key to really making a living on eBay is being able to source goods for a very low price and then offer that low price to the consumers.

NGUYEN: OK, that has to be hard, because if someone else is selling the same product for a cheaper price, and you're trying to make a living at it, what can you do?

WINGO: It's actually not that hard. Because there's a lot of price differences across the country. For example, in the book I talk about a case study where there was a guy in Raleigh here who would. He found seats for his car, race car seats, and he was able to sell those on eBay on people California for 30 percent less than they were paying and make money on that.

NGUYEN: And what about the "buy now" option, I see that all the time, instead of waiting to see if your bid's going to be the winning bid, you can just go ahead and buy it now. Is that a good way for sellers to go ahead and unload their items. WINGO: It is a great way. In the book, I recommend that sellers use all the different formats eBay has, auction format, fixed pricing and "buy it now," because there are buyers on there that don't feel like waiting up to seven days for an item to close so they want to buy it now, immediately.

NGUYEN: Exactly. And quickly, we don't have much time left, what are the biggest mistakes sellers make on eBay?

WINGO: Probably the most important thing you can do on eBay is the search engine on eBay is very important, almost like you optimize your Web site for Google, you need to optimize your sale on eBay through the search engine. So people need to optimize that. Make sure you use all 55 characters and are very descriptive there. That's one of the best ways to increase your sales dramatically.

NGUYEN: Scott Wingo, the author of eBay strategies, 10 proven methods to maximize your eBay business.

All right, thank you so much.

WINGO: Thank you.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

NGUYEN: As we wrap up this hour, it's said that lightning doesn't strike the some place twice. Yes, well, try telling that to thousands of Florida residents.

Recently battered and bruised by two hurricanes just weeks apart, first Charley, then Frances, CNN's Bruce Burkhardt profiles one family who battled and survived them both.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When you have huddled in your house during one hurricane, you really don't feel like doing it again during a second hurricane. That's why Allen and Ellen Root and Dez (ph) and Taz (ph) and Molly (ph) and Jocuv (ph), along with their daughter and son-in-law, checked in to an Orlando hotel to await the arrival of Frances.

(on camera): Why check in this storm and not the last storm?

ALLEN ROOT, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: Well, I think it's because of what happened in the first storm. The fear of going through that and thinking about going through it again was something, you know, that made us think we wanted to be here instead of at home.

ELLEN ROOT, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: Safe. Safe, because we are together.

BURKHARDT (voice over): The Root's house is not far from Orlando, just south in Kissimmee.

(on camera): It's almost the whole roof. A. ROOT: It pretty much is. I would say it's about three- quarters of it that had the shingles sheered off.

BURKHARDT (voice over): The day before Frances was due the Roots showed me what Charley had done earlier.

A. ROOT: Total damages to the house: about 16,000.

BURKHARDT: Charley was not kind to this place. Many buildings in the historic downtown are now condemned. And the old movie theater might as well be playing "Gone With the Wind."

The Root's hometown of Kissimmee had reason to believe it might be a two-time loser. Right at the intersection of Charley's path and the projected path of Frances, it was a town that could ill afford another bad hit. Piles of debris had the potential to become dangerous projectiles. And if Charley knocked off some roofs, what would Frances do to the temporary tarps that now cover the damage?

E. ROOT: Oh, they are so worried. They are so worried.

BURKHARDT: One room, four people, four dogs, three days with nothing to do but watch TV.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's starting to get a little bit worse.

BURKHARDT: And now and then an excursion outside to let the dogs do what dogs do. When the hotel shut down the elevators in anticipation of a power outage, the whole crew had to hoof it up the steps.

A. ROOT: Almost there. Almost there.

BURKHARDT: Late Saturday night, the storm's outer bands began to reach Kissimmee, and by Sunday morning Frances was in full swing.

(on camera): It's 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning, and we still don't know if the Root's house has seen the worst of this thing yet. The first thing we noticed when we got here was this: this big section of roof. It looks like the roof over the patio out back has blown off and landed here in their neighbor's house.

But the good news is that the tarp still seems to be holding on top of the house. Driving over here, we saw several in the neighborhood that had blown off. But out back, near the pool, it's a different story.

(voice over): There was some roof damage where the patio overhang had torn away; also a blown-over fence and some flooding.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, the walls were beginning to close in.

A. ROOT: Yes, the room gets smaller and smaller. As you try to find things, we're stepping over things, moving things, tripping over dogs. BURKHARDT: By Monday morning, it looked like the worst was over, and it was time to go home, but maybe not for good.

A. ROOT: Can I make a reservation for next weekend?

BURKHARDT: The third hurricane, Ivan, threatened, even as they gathered up their courage to see what Frances had done. Though there were clear signs that Frances had been there, the Roots knew it could have been so much worse.

A. ROOT: Now that this is off the roof, it means there is a hole in my roof the size of that.

BURKHARDT: Another insurance claim, another deductible. Such is life in the Sunshine State.

Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Kissimmee, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Floridians can't seem to catch a break.

Well, that does it for me, Betty Nguyen here in Atlanta. It's Wolf Blitzer now in Washington, D.C.

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