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Paula Zahn Now

CIA Director Quits; Congressman Patrick Kennedy Enters Rehab

Aired May 05, 2006 - 20:00   ET

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

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And good evening, everybody. Glad to have you with us.
Here is what's happening at this moment.

As Wolf just reported, Congressman Patrick Kennedy under treatment for drug addiction tonight, after his emotional disclosure, a striking climax to a bizarre traffic accident on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PATRICK KENNEDY (D), RHODE ISLAND: I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: His father, Senator Edward Kennedy, says he's proud of his son's courage for publicly speaking out -- much more to that story just ahead.

And you remember this shocking video? Well, now a second autopsy concludes that a 14-year-old boy he died of suffocation, as he was kicked and punched by guards at a Florida boot camp. The first autopsy blamed the death on a rare blood disorder.

Now on to our nightly look at gas prices. We call it "Crude Awakenings." The states with today's highest gas prices are in red, the lowest in green. The average today for unleaded regular, $2.91, only one penny more than it was on Monday. But it adds up to a lot, when you're talking about long commutes for most Americans. We will continue to track the trends at the pump for you.

Tonight, there's a huge mystery, and everyone in Washington and around the nation is looking for an explanation. Just a few hours ago, Porter Goss, the number-one man at the CIA quit -- timing an absolute surprise. But no one, not Goss himself, nor even the president, will say why. Porter Goss has been in charge of the nation's spy agency for less than two years now. And, as we speak, the political cloak and dagger story behind his resignation is starting to come out.

White House correspondent Elaine Quijano just filed this report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush's handpicked choice to run the CIA quit after just 20 months on the job. In making the announcement, the president named no replacement.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition. He's helped this agency become integrated into the intelligence community, and that was a tough job. And he's led ably.

PORTER GOSS, CIA DIRECTOR: I would like to report back to you that I believe the agency is on a very even keel, sailing well.

QUIJANO: But, by many accounts, turbulence marked Goss' time in charge of the spy agency. While neither Goss nor the president offered an explanation for the sudden resignation, intelligence sources close to the discussions about the CIA's future say Goss' departure was anything but a surprise.

The reason? Sharp differences between Goss and the man he reported to, John Negroponte, the director of national intelligence, a job created after Goss was appointed CIA director. An intelligence source says Negroponte wanted changes, moving functions from the CIA to Negroponte's umbrella agency, the DNI.

But Goss pushed back, hard, arguing, those charges would weaken the CIA. In the end, Negroponte took his case to the White House for resolution, where top Bush aides sided with him. A senior administration officials says Negroponte did raise with Goss the idea that he leave and says the decision was ultimately based on a mutual understanding between Negroponte, Goss and President Bush.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO: In a statement released after the announcement, Goss said he will stay on over the next few weeks to help with the transition. White House officials say that his successor could be named as early as Monday -- Paula.

ZAHN: Elaine Quijano, thank you so much for that update.

Now, while Porter Goss' resignation this afternoon was sudden, some of our sources are indicating it may not such a big surprise after all. Maybe the timing today was, but they knew something was brewing. By some accounts, he had been skating on thin ice for a while. And people within the CIA weren't too happy with him.

National security correspondent David Ensor has been working his sources and has more on the troubles that have been brewing inside the CIA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First, there was the failure to stop 9/11, then the mistaken CIA analysis that Iraq probably had weapons of mass destruction. Those failures prompted the president and Congress to order dramatic change, a new director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, placed over the top of CIA Director Porter Goss. Now a confrontation over Negroponte's desire to move people from the CIA to the National Counterterrorism Center has come to a boil. The president must name a new CIA chief, who will need Senate approval.

TIMOTHY ROEMER, FORMER 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: This is a critically difficult time for the country. We're in the midst of war with terrorists, and now we may have to go through a brutal confirmation hearing, talking about things such as the national security wiretaps, leaks and secret prisons. This is not good for the country.

ENSOR: When Goss came in, his team from Capitol Hill quickly fired several top CIA operations officers, leading to bad blood, from which, many professionals say, he never recovered.

Officials close to Negroponte say he and others felt the CIA was not moving quickly enough to adapt to its new role as a service organization, after being the lead agency since it was founded. Since its creation, when things go wrong, the CIA tends to get blamed. And that has guaranteed turmoil before.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We have to be careful not to go back to the period of revolving-door directors at CIA. His departure will mean, with a replacement, that we will have three directors in the space of about four years. That is not a good formula.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: With officials indicating the president has made a choice, likely to be announced early next week, analysts are saying the next director needs to be a seasoned intelligence professional, who will not need to learn on the job, and who is not associated with past problems. And that, that's a tall order -- Paula.

ZAHN: David, let's come back to the timing of this. Some people were expecting Porter Goss to resign in the fall. Why now? Why was this announced today?

ENSOR: Because this is the time when Mr. Negroponte and his team over at the DNI's office said, look, we want to move this group of people out of counterterrorism at CIA. We want to put them elsewhere in the government. We think that will work better.

And Porter Goss said: Look, there's been too many people cut out of the CIA. There's too much damage being done. I can't stand for it, at which, apparently, Mr. Negroponte said, well, then, perhaps you -- you had probably better go.

ZAHN: David, we heard Mr. McLaughlin, who once ran the CIA, talking about how problematic it is to have three directors in four years, critics of the CIA saying it's in an absolute freefall now. How troubled is the administration right now about this turbulence? ENSOR: Well, they have got to get this thing settled quickly. They have got to find a director. And we have already heard hints that they may have already picked somebody who can bring the agency together.

I think we should point out, though, that this is an agency that is very loyal to the president, wants to serve. And they will rally quickly behind a director who makes any sense to them at all. So, they will get to work right away.

ZAHN: David Ensor, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Now, there's another part to the CIA mystery this evening. Porter Goss' resignation may have nothing to do with Goss himself, but, actually, with one of his closest associates at the CIA.

Senior national correspondent John Roberts has been checking into that part of the story and is here now to try to connect some of these confusing dots.

Hi, John.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We have been looking into this for some time, Paula. It is a tangled web. And it seems to be a story of relationships here.

First of all, there is Porter Goss, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and then there's his number three, the executive director, a fellow by the name of Kyle "Dusty" Foggo. Foggo and Porter Goss have been friends for a long time. Goss pulled Foggo out of virtual obscurity at the CIA to make him his number three. So, there's a very strong relationship there.

There's also a very strong relationship between Dusty Foggo and another fellow by the name of Brent Wilkes. Brent Wilkes is described as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Duke Cunningham case. Wilkes also owns a couple of companies, one of which won a contract from the CIA to provide water and other household things for CIA agents in the field. The contract is worth some $2 million to $3 million.

Now, Foggo and Wilkes have known each other since childhood. And Foggo has recently acknowledged that he has played poker at least a couple of times at poker nights that Wilkes allegedly arranged at either the Watergate or the Westin Grand hotels here Washington.

Now, why is this important? Because the FBI has been investigating Wilkes, after another person involved in the Cunningham case named Mitchell Wade said Wilkes was involved in some dealing with Duke Cunningham, prostitutes, and limousines as well. Lawmakers were brought over to these hospitality suites, and they were entertained.

So, all of this is sort of swirling around. And the -- now you have the FBI looking into Wilkes; you have the FBI looking into Dusty Foggo, and you also have the Inspector General's Office at the CIA looking into whether or not these contracts to Wilkes were awarded appropriately. A spokesperson for the CIA says they were, but the Inspector General's Office is looking into that anyways.

ZAHN: So, John, at this point in the investigation, when you look at this tangled web, does any of this come back directly to Porter Goss?

ROBERTS: At the moment, no.

It would seem that, if there's any kind of vulnerability here or any kind of potential association in Porter Goss' resignation, it's in the fact that -- or could be in the fact -- let me clarify that -- nothing -- nothing is suggested; nothing is proven -- but could be in the fact that he was the one who plucked Foggo out of obscurity at the CIA, made him his number three. And now Foggo is the subject of two investigations.

ZAHN: Keep us posted on that, what I'm certain will be a long investigation. Thanks so much, John Roberts.

Now, 17 million of you visited our Web site today. We are going to move to our countdown of the top 10 stories on CNN.com.

Number 10, a story that we brought you last night -- illusionist David Blaine's latest stunt, sealing himself in an eight-foot water- filled bubble for a week. You can't see the closeup of his hands, but they look pretty weird right now from being soaked in all that water.

And number nine -- actor Randy Quaid has dropped his lawsuit against the makers of "Brokeback Mountain." He had sued them for $10 million, claiming they had agreed to pay him more. "Brokeback" cost $14 million to make and grossed more than $160 million worldwide -- numbers eight and seven just ahead, along with the stunning revelation from a man with a star-crossed name in politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): The Kennedy curse -- a young congressman has a minor accident, and now his personal demons are publicly exposed.

And the "Eye Opener" -- a warning to flashers and mashers. This young woman got mad as hell and started a revolution. If you can't slap them, snap them -- all that and more when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PATRICK KENNEDY (D), RHODE ISLAND: I am deeply concerned about my reaction to the medication and my lack of knowledge of the accident that evening. But I do know enough that I know that I need help.

This afternoon, I am traveling to Minnesota to seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic to ensure that I can continue on my road to recovery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: That stunning announcement from Congressman Patrick Kennedy today -- the son of Senator Edward Kennedy is once again under treatment tonight for addiction problems, after a bizarre and still unexplained traffic accident on Wednesday night.

Brian Todd has been looking in provocative questions that still are hanging over the accident tonight and Kennedy's condition and his whereabouts that night. And he joins me now with the very latest -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, we are just about 41 hours, a little over 41 hours from the time that, according to police report, Congressman Kennedy drove down this street right here, at a very high rate of speed, with the headlights off, swerved three times, almost hit a police car, came right by where I'm standing now, and ran smack dead on into a police barrier.

Three bombshells today in the case -- the Capitol Hill Police came out with a very strong statement about their handling of this incident. We are going to get to that in just a moment.

Also, we obtained a copy of this police report -- some very important new detail. And, just a short time ago, the congressman came out and gave his version of his condition that led up to this accident.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENNEDY: The incident on Wednesday evening concerns me greatly.

TODD (voice over): A contrite Congressman Patrick Kennedy speaks about addiction to prescription painkillers and says he will check into rehab.

As to the car accident:

KENNEDY: I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions.

TODD: But CNN obtained this traffic accident report. Notice a box marked "sobriety," indicating Kennedy had been drinking. His ability was impaired. Under contributing circumstances, officers cite speed, alcohol influence, driving on the wrong side of the street, and driver inattention. Kennedy denies using alcohol.

The report also says Kennedy drove fast in a construction zone, without lights, swerved three times, almost hit a police car, then hit a checkpoint barrier head on. The report lists Kennedy's eyes as red and watery, speech slightly slurred, and his balance unsure, after exiting his green Ford Mustang.

Kennedy claims a prescribed anti-nausea medicine left him drowsy, as well as the sleeping pill Ambien.

KENNEDY: That's not an excuse for what happened Wednesday evening, but it is a reality of fighting a chronic condition, for which I'm taking full responsibility.

TODD: A law enforcement source tells CNN police are checking Capitol Hill bars and restaurants for Kennedy's whereabouts before the accident, a Capitol Hill Police detective, tight-lipped after leaving the Hawk Dove bar. Kennedy emphatically denying published reports that he was there.

STUART LONG, OWNER, HAWK DOVE: I have one night manager who thinks he may have served him, but...

TODD: The Hawk Dove owner tells a CNN affiliate the bar has no receipts from Kennedy.

TODD: The congressman said he will make himself available to investigators, but said his first step was to head to rehab.

KENNEDY: I hope that my openness today and in the past, and my acknowledgment that I need help, will give others the courage to get help if they need it.

TODD: His father, Senator Ted Kennedy, said, in a statement, "All of us in the family admire his courage in speaking publicly about very personal issues and fully support his decision to seek treatment."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Now, the Capitol Hill Police also tonight answering some very tough questions about their handling of this case. Our sources, and according to letter from the police union official to the chief of police, indicate that Kennedy was not allowed to be given a sobriety test, that the officers responding to the scene were told by their superiors to leave the scene, and that Kennedy was then driven home.

A short time ago, we got this statement from the Capitol Hill Police -- quote -- "It has been determined that in the initial stages, supervisors employed improper judgment. Corrective administrative and personnel action has been taken."

A top congressional source tells CNN that the watch commander involved in those decisions in those early-morning hours of Thursday has been reassigned -- Paula.

ZAHN: And, Brian, we appreciate that update.

And we are going to come back to more of that fallout a little bit later on.

But, right now, we wanted to cover the part of the story that could affect you or someone you know, the incredibly common prescription drugs that Kennedy says he was taking.

Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the very latest on that.

Hi, Doctor.

We heard the congressman say that he was taking Phenergan and Ambien, but also made reference to his previous addiction history. So, can we infer from that that something else might have been at play here?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's really hard to say, obviously, Paula. I heard the same statement this afternoon, talking specifically about checking into rehab for an addiction to painkillers.

Of course, painkillers are -- were not mentioned at the night of the accident, only Phenergan and Ambien. Phenergan is a nausea medication. Ambien is a sleeping mediation. What I found interesting as well, Paula, was that Ambien -- there has been a lot of reports about it recently, talking about people sleepwalking, sleep-driving, sleep-eating.

We did some digging today, Paula. I am going to play a little sound for you of somebody who -- he didn't want us to show his face or his name, but listen to his story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to bed. I was reading. The next thing I know, there's a policeman at my car door.

And he got me out of the car. He asked me to do field sobriety tests. I -- I failed all of them. They handcuffed me and took me to jail, most of which I really don't remember. I only remember, because I have read the police report.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Sound familiar, Paula? I mean, that was very familiar. We -- we found that similar to what the congressman was talking about.

This happens, very small numbers, for sure. But it has happened in a handful of people.

ZAHN: So, what is it that exactly happens that you wouldn't remember anything from the time that you got out of the bed, to the time you got in the car, by the time you almost smashed into a police vehicle, and were arrested?

GUPTA: Yes.

I mean, you know, it's -- it's obviously a very rare, sort of a bizarre, actually, side effect, in just case, just of Ambien, in the gentleman you just saw. But it apparently has happened to people in the past.

You add Phenergan, which is also a sedating medication. Maybe it's -- may be even more likely to put you into a state of amnesia, which it sounds like the congressman was actually in.

And I think it's worthwhile to say, Paula, we -- we -- we called Sanofi-Aventis as well, the makers of Ambien, to ask them specifically about this.

This is what they told us: "It is important to emphasize that, although sleepwalking may occur during treatment with Ambien, it may not necessarily be caused by it. It is difficult to determine with certainty whether a particular instance of sleepwalking is drug- induced, spontaneous in origin, or a result of an underlying disorder" -- all of this to say, Paula, it's a rare thing, but apparently has happened before.

ZAHN: But the important thing is, the congressman is getting help tonight.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you...

GUPTA: Thank you.

ZAHN: ... so much.

Now, when Brian Todd was talking to us a little bit earlier on, we were talking about the fallout from how Capitol Police handled Patrick Kennedy's accident. And a lot of people were outraged, because police did not give him a Breathalyzer test. And officers even drove him home.

Well, just late this afternoon, we learned that Capitol Police have reassigned a supervisor and admitted in a sometimes that supervisors used bad judgment.

Just a little bit earlier on, I spoke with Lou Cannon, president of the D.C. police union, which was highly critical of how this accident was handled.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Lou Cannon, thanks so much for joining us tonight.

LOUIS CANNON, PRESIDENT, D.C. FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE: Thank you for having me.

ZAHN: So, did Congressman Kennedy get preferential treatment?

CANNON: Well, I think we can certainly say that he got treatment that the average person wouldn't have gotten, that consideration was given to him because of his position and who he is.

ZAHN: How should he have been treated that night at the accident scene?

CANNON: I think he should have been treated just like any other person involved in a motor vehicle accident would be -- would be treated. If there's indications that a person is under some type of substance, there are procedures to follow to find out exactly what it is.

ZAHN: So, given the fact that officers on the scene described Patrick Kennedy as having runny eyes and appearing to be drunk, intoxicated, should he have been given a Breathalyzer test that night?

CANNON: Well, he should have certainly followed some procedures, starting off with psychomotor skills, to see how that reacted, which would probably lead them to give some type of either roadside breath test or be taken in to -- to blow into an Intoxilyzer at the station. And that certainly would clear a lot of questions up that we have right now.

ZAHN: Is there an unwritten rule among higher-ups to go easy on members of Congress?

CANNON: I don't know that there's an unwritten rule.

But I -- I think part of the -- part of what people may think is that there's a lot of the old school, I think, still left, and the fact that they're concerned about what may or may not happen to them because of dealing properly and -- and effectively with a member of Congress. There's a long history within the Capitol Police, of years ago, of -- of certain considerations being given. A lot of that has stopped.

ZAHN: But there's no doubt in your mind that Patrick Kennedy was driven home that night by police officers because he was told to by someone above them, higher in the food chain?

CANNON: Well, a police supervisor, one of the sergeants, or both of the sergeants that arrived on the scene, were instructed to -- to take over the scene and to transport Mr. Kennedy home.

I don't believe the sergeants made that decision on their own either. It apparently came from some higher authority.

ZAHN: And, tonight, the U.S. Capitol Police are confirming that, in fact, personnel action has been taken. Does that satisfy you?

CANNON: Well, I think that it certainly is a start in the right direction, that they have obviously not waited. They have gone directly to looking into the question about what would happen.

They have obviously identified somebody, and that they're taking quick, decisive action. I think that that's certainly a -- a good sign that they're doing the right thing.

ZAHN: We appreciate your dropping by tonight. Thanks for your time, sir.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And Congressman Kennedy's troubles with the law didn't just start the other night. What do we know about things that go back in his record for years? Could they have been warning signs?

And, a little bit later on, how did a woman start a revolution in crime fighting with only her cell phone? You will meet her and see how you can protect yourself.

Now number eight on the CNN.com countdown -- the spat between Japan and China. Tens of thousands of Chinese protested last weekend over a new Japanese history book they say minimizes Japan's World War II atrocities. China's premier says Japan needs to face up to history. A top Japanese official calls China scared.

Number seven, are they or aren't they a couple? Rumors about Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston have been swirling around since last fall. But while they have been photographed together, neither has confirmed it. But, tonight, Vaughn all about admits in an interview with David Letterman they are one -- numbers six and five still ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: We go "Beyond the Headlines" now and the troubles swirling around Representative Patrick Kennedy. The young congressman has a long trail of accidents, mishaps, and unanswered questions about his behavior.

And Allan Chernoff has been checking into his past, and takes us now "Beyond the Headlines."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Congressman Patrick Kennedy has shown signs of potential trouble in the past. Only three weeks ago, he had another auto accident in the parking lot of a pharmacy. The police report made no mention of drugs or alcohol, but witness Sheila Lash says Kennedy appeared impaired.

SHEILA LASH, ACCIDENT EYEWITNESS: He was kind of swaying back and forth when he was sitting in the car. But he got out of the car, and he stood between his car and the building. And he was swaying. You know, he was swaying back and forth, trying to, you know, sort of pull himself together. Of course, I have never seen anybody on drugs, and so I don't know, but I imagine that's how they look, if they are.

CHERNOFF: The congressman has had trouble at sea as well. Six summers ago, he abandoned a rented yacht off Martha's Vineyard. The charter company said Kennedy had trashed it. The congressman settled out of court.

Kennedy also settled a dispute out of court with a security guard at Los Angeles International Airport, after he shoved her while trying to rush through a metal detector.

KENNEDY: I apologized for my behavior, which was uncalled for and something I'm ashamed of.

CHERNOFF: It has been six years since the congressman went public with the fact that he suffers from depression, has taken medication for the disease, and receives psychiatric counseling.

(on camera): But the admission hasn't hurt Patrick Kennedy's popularity here. The six-term congressman has won elections easily.

KENNEDY: I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions.

CHERNOFF: And, after today's admission, many Rhode Islanders say they would still vote for him.

PAM HUNT, PAWTUCKET, RI RESIDENT: I don't think he's the only congressman that has issues. I don't think he'll be the only one ever that has issues. He's doing a good job, and I think as long as he's doing a good job and he's getting help and he's admitting to his problems, we should support him.

LENNY GALLEGO, PAWTUCKET, RI RESIDENT: Leave him alone. He's been great person for the state of Rhode Island.

CHERNOFF: In Rhode Island, there's a tradition of forgiving politicians. Buddy Cianci, the longest-serving mayor of Providence, pled no contest in 1984 to beating his estranged wife's lover with a fireplace log. Seven years later, voters returned him to office. Today, the former mayor is in prison following a racketeering conviction.

By comparison, Patrick Kennedy is a far more sympathetic public figure, particularly given all the tragedy his family has suffered, from the assassination of uncles John and Robert to the plane crash that killed his cousin, John Jr.

New Englanders are all too aware, it's not easy growing up a Kennedy, yet still they love their first family of politics.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Yet another thing to add here: As he was leaving the room after the surprising announcement, he was asked if he might resign, Kennedy just shook his head and said, "I need to stay in the fight."

We have found a woman who refused to a victim, so she started a revolution. How did she do it and what did she use? Well, you're probably carrying the same thing right now, and hopefully you won't have to use it, but you will certainly learn how to use it if you need to, tonight.

And if you're fed up with high gas prices, guess who is to blame? The blame game is hot tonight.

Number six now on the cnn.com countdown. The star of the TV show "The Dog Whisperer" is facing a lawsuit by a TV producer. The producer says his dog was severely injured while getting treatment at Cesar Millan's dog training facility. The suit says the dog came away bruised and bloodied after the treatment.

Number five, those reports we first told you last night about Anna Nicole Smith being pregnant, well, her spokesman is now saying, if she is, she doesn't want anyone to know about it. Just this past week, the former Playmate and reality show star won a ruling in the Supreme Court in her quest for a part of her late billionaire's husband estate.

Number four in the countdown, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Welcome back. Here's what's happening at this moment. The U.S. military is investigating a roadside bombing that killed three more soldiers, pushing the total number of American deaths in Iraq to 11 in just this first week of May. April was the deadliest month so far this year.

In Iraq, a backlash. In Britain, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice both made a surprise visit to Baghdad just weeks ago. Well, tonight, Straw, a strong supporter of the U.S. effort in Iraq, is being replaced after his party lost embarrassing losses in the latest elections.

And millions of people know, Americans particularly, that a colonoscopy is a pretty good idea for detecting colon cancer, but a warning is out to doctors tonight about some of the solutions used to cleanse the colon before the procedure. The FDA says 22 cases of kidney failure have been linked to their use.

Big goings-on in Florida tonight. A fast-spreading brush fire is burning out of control right now along the Atlantic coast. The blaze has covered some 60 acres near the border of Brevard and Volusia counties and is still growing. CNN affiliate WFTD reports at least eight homes have been evacuate in Austin (ph), Florida, and a section of Interstate 95 has been shut down. Right now, the fire is moving towards New Smyrna Beach.

We move on to our "Eye Opener" now. I bet all of you are familiar with that horrible feeling of powerlessness when you see someone doing something wrong and yet you can't seem to stop it. So who would have thought that something as simple as a cell phone camera could help all of us fight back. Just wait until you see how one small cell phone picture is changing the world. Deborah Feyerick has tonight's "Eye Opener."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ladies, you know this guy. The obscene gestures, rude comments. Hey, baby! Who he is and what he looks like doesn't matter. He's that guy who harasses women thinking he will get away with it because you don't know him. But this picture may change all that. It was taken by 22- year-old Thao Nguyen, and it sparked something of a revolution against street harassment.

(on camera): So Thao, you were siting there and he was sitting here.

THAO NGUYEN: Yes.

FEYERICK: OK. How did you first notice him?

NGUYEN: Well, he got on the train, and he kept staring at me.

FEYERICK: So he is just looking like this, just right at you.

NGUYEN: He was like this, like, you know, locked onto the target.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Nguyen showed us what happened the day she stepped onto a New York City subway last August. It was 3:00 in the afternoon, when a stranger sat across from her, and ignoring others nearby, unzipped his pants.

NGUYEN: And then I looked in the glass and I could see him rubbing his crotch. And then I took out my phone to look busy.

FEYERICK: What she did next surprised even her. Using her cell phone camera, she took his picture.

NGUYEN: I snapped it really quick. It happened like quick, like one, two, and then he zipped up and left.

FEYERICK: When a police woman wouldn't look at the photo, the young web designer posted the image online, on a girl power site, to warn others.

NGUYEN: Maybe they could go to the police and say, oh, I know this man, and I was just afraid he would do something else.

FEYERICK: The picture shot from Web site to Web site, striking a very deep nerve.

EMILY MAY, FOUNDER, HOLLABACK NYC: It's incredibly scary. Women don't know who these strangers are. You don't know if some guy who is street-harassing you is harassing you because they're going to follow you home, because they're going to kidnap you or rape you or hurt you in some way.

This is one of the first postings we got.

FEYERICK: Emily May and her friends in Brooklyn saw that picture when it was picked up and printed on the front page of a New York paper. They had talked about street harassment. Now they knew it was time to act. And though they never met Nguyen, they created a Web site, Hollaback, as in "holler back," with the motto, "if you can't slap them, snap them."

MAY: Women who have done it just said tat it's taken the power out of street harasser's hands and put it into their hands.

FEYERICK: On its busiest day, the site got 75,000 hits. Hollaback EU just started up in the European Union. And the group has been contacted by others who want to set up similar sites.

MAY: We're not trying to single out these men for their ignorance, but we're trying to educate men and women that street harassment is not OK.

FEYERICK: But that guy in the picture, the one who ultimately turned himself in, didn't see it that way. His lawyer, who says his client is really a good guy with some issues, says posting the picture online went too far.

MICHAEL BACHNER, ATTORNEY FOR DAN HOYT: To have all of a sudden know that your picture is on an Internet site without authorization has got to be one of the most horrible feelings you can have, especially if it's labeled as a stalker, immoral, you know, harasser. It's -- the punishment sometimes far exceeds the bad behavior.

FEYERICK: Nguyen sees it differently.

NGUYEN: If he didn't do it, I wouldn't have posted it. I didn't even know who he was, so. It wasn't like I was out to get him.

FEYERICK: Thao Nguyen, the cell phone photo snapper and Emily May, the Web site founder, did finally meet. They recently faced down the subway flasher when he showed up in court for sentencing after pleading guilty to public lewdness, a misdemeanor. The judge gave him two years probation and ordered him to see a therapist.

(on camera): Do you feel empowered by what you did?

NGUYEN: Yeah, I do. I felt like, you know, having the cell phone, taking the picture -- after I took it, I felt so much better.

FEYERICK: How often do you ride the subway?

NGUYEN: I ride it every day.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Thao Nguyen doesn't know whether she would do the same again, but she keeps her cell phone charged and ready.

Debra Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And she certainly is not alone. So far, more than 100 women have sent cell phone snapshots of men behaving badly to the Hollaback Web site.

All right, so you know why gas prices are so sky-high? Well, we are about to look back on a week's worth of explanations and excuses. Can you believe any of them?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. Tom Cruise put diaper duty on hold for his new baby, "Mission: Impossible III." But is all the hype worth it? I'll have that when PAULA ZAHN NOW returns. ZAHN: Number four in our cnn.com countdown: Elizabeth Smart's first live interview since her kidnapping three years ago near Salt Lake City. She was held captive for nine months. She's about to graduate high school and told Larry King last night she forgives her abductors. You can see more at cnn.com. Number three, still ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: As I mentioned to you a little bit earlier, we're driving into the weekend with gas prices averaging $2.91 a gallon. Here in New York, it's more like $3.25. Ouch.

Well, anyway, we were wondering what or who is to blame for the outrageous run-up in prices, because we have heard a ton of excuses in just the last week alone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): If you were listening on Sunday, you might have thought the oil companies were to blame for the high price of gas.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: We believe they're manipulating supply.

ZAHN: But on Tuesday, the guys at big oil said we should blame ourselves.

Did you drive an SUV?

REX TILLERSON, CEO, EXXON MOBIL: We just have to ask people to make sure they're using energy wisely, and be efficient with it and don't waste it.

ZAHN: On Wednesday, it was a Washington problem. The Democrats and Republicans were blaming each other for the high price of gas.

REP. DEBORAH PRYCE (R), OHIO: We just saw another defeat of an energy bill at the hands of the Democrats. What are they for?

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The president has said Americans are addicted to oil. Well, the president and the White House are addicted to oil companies.

ZAHN: On Thursday, Congress held a hearing, and the excuses flowed like, well, like oil.

DANIEL YERGIN, ENERGY ANALYST: There are three things that really stand out. Number one is Nigeria.

ZAHN: Nigeria? Anti-government rebels are attacking its oil industry.

YERGIN: The second is the ratcheting up of tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

The third factor that I want to just say, and you all know it very well, is clearly this rapid switchover from MTBE to ethanol.

ZAHN: Before all this, did you even know there was a switchover? And what is MTBE anyway? Oh, it's put into gas to reduce smog.

And the week's final word goes to Vice President Dick Cheney, who called on the world's largest oil and gas producer to play nice. No, not Exxon, not Saudi Arabia -- the Russians.

RICHARD B. CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No legitimate interest is served when oil and gas becomes tools of intimidation or blackmail.

ZAHN: so in just a week, it's been the oil companies, ourselves, the Republicans, the Democrats, Nigeria, Iran, clean air additives, and the Russians. It turns out everyone is to blame for the high price of gas. No wonder we're mad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: All right. Kind of leaves you dizzy, doesn't it? So you say you can't wait for hydrogen-powered cars? Well, experts predict they won't be widely available until 2012 at the earlier, and maybe more like the year 2020.

Still ahead tonight, has anyone missed the hype over Tom Cruise's latest "Mission: Impossible?" He seems to be everywhere. Should its title really be "Mission: Overkill?"

But first, today's business headlines. Wall Street finished the week with gains all the way around. The Dow up 139 points, the Nasdaq ahead 19, and the S&P up almost 14.

Unemployment held steady last month at 4.7 percent, but while employers added 138,000 jobs in April, that's more than 60,000 fewer than economists had expected.

The recall of Bausch & Lomb's ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution has turned into real trouble for the company. Its share of the lens care market has gone down by 30 percent since the recall, because some users came down with a serious eye infection. And today, the CDC reported 16 more cases of the bug (ph).

Chrysler is recalling 45,000 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum sedans. The problem appears to be a brake fluid leak that can cause a fire in the engine compartment. Unless you follow us pretty closely here, the recall covers 2006 models with 2.7 liter engines.

And one more time this week, oil prices up. Crude bounced back over $70 a barrel today.

Those are tonight's business headlines for you.

"LARRY KING LIVE" coming up in just a few minutes. You had a good show last night; who's joining you tonight? LARRY KING, HOST, LARRY KING LIVE: Hi, Paula. Equally good and very important, on drug addiction and addiction of all types. Christopher Kennedy Lawford will be here, the cousin of Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Robert Shapiro and his wife Linell. They lost their son Brent to drug addiction. Mariette Hartley, the actress and best- selling author, plagued with this in her family and herself all her life. Tom Farley, the brother of the late comic actor Chris Farley. And Joe Califano, former secretary at HEW and president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. An important hour, with phone calls, right following Paula.

ZAHN: Thank you, Larry. You know, it's interesting, no matter what people's politics are, I think they'd have to agree it took an awful lot of guts for Patrick Kennedy to have to talk the way he did, and so publicly disclose what he's been dealing with over the last several months.

We will be watching you tonight. Thanks, Lar.

When we come back, how much hype can you take? What's behind the unprecedented publicity machine for Tom Cruise's latest "Mission: Impossible?" We'll take you inside that machine.

But now, number three on the cnn.com countdown, one of our top stories, as Larry and I were just talking about. Representative Patrick Kennedy says he's checking into rehab after crashing his car on Capitol Hill this week. He says he doesn't even remember the crash, doesn't even remember getting into the car, doesn't remember leaving the apartment. Number two on the countdown, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: He's back. Have you ever heard about Tom Cruise's new movie, "Mission: Impossible III?" Oh, I bet you have, because it happens to have one of the biggest hype machines behind it, and it is virtually everywhere, as it opens this weekend.

Here's entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Execute.

VARGAS (voice-over): Like the character he plays in "MI III," Tom Cruise is a man on a global mission. Only in real life, he's not saving the planet, he's promoting his film.

First, there was a premiere in Rome, then London, then Paris, then Mexico City, and then a media tour in New York so big even Cruise's head is spinning.

CRUISE: I haven't even processed -- I literally haven't had a break to process it.

VARGAS: From Letterman to Barbara Walters to MTV. Cruise's Big Apple blitz had him practically everywhere -- on a helicopter, subway, boat, motorcycle, Mustang, even a fire truck.

This whirlwind started just six days after the birth of his new baby with fiancee Katie Holmes.

TOM O'NEIL, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: As soon as Suri was born, he was supposed to that very day begin press junkets and interviews with the TV networks, and he blew them all off. But then Katie said, go out there, promote your movie, take care of business, and I'll mind the home.

VARGAS: After six days of diaper duty and with his fiancee's apparent approval, Cruise is on the promotional trail with plenty to talk about.

O'NEIL: I think that Tom's fans understand that he can't be home right now. That he wants to as a father, but there is this crisis going on in his career, and the stakes are so high in this movie that he has got to get out there.

VARGAS: It was this time last year Cruise began promoting "War of the Worlds." Tons of press translated into major box office bucks, but for many Cruise's personal image took a nose dive.

O'NEIL: That's where all his troubles began, because he was out there too much. He was giving interviews to the "Pocono Mountain Press." Anybody who would listen to his rants about Scientology.

VARGAS: From his bouncy proclamations of love on Oprah's coach to a heated debate about psychiatry with Matt Lauer, Cruise's last press tour seems to have taught him a lesson. This time, he's been rant-free and in complete Cruise control.

CRUISE: Thank you for coming.

VARGAS: Of course, he still got a few more stops.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible). Oh, wow, we got one right here, Tom.

VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Good luck with the opening this weekend.

Now, number two on the cnn.com. countdown, Nicole Richie says she's getting treatment for being too thin. Surprise. The star of "Simple Life" tells "Vanity Fair" she doesn't want young girls looking at her now and saying that that's what they want to look like. Richie's dramatic weight loss has led to a lot of speculation that she in fact had an eating disorder.

And find out what this enormous rock has to do with the number one story in the countdown, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ZAHN: Now, the one you have been waiting for, number one on the cnn.com countdown. A giant rock is growing in the crater of Mount St. Helens in Washington state. (inaudible) look at it. It's 300 feet tall and growing, at a rate of four to five feet a day. The volcano has been quietly erupting for almost two years now.

And that wraps it up for all of us here. Thanks so much for being with us tonight. We'll be back same time, same place on Monday night. We hope you all have a great weekend again. Thanks for dropping by here tonight. "LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.

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