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Paula Zahn Now
Tanning Addiction?; Saving Lives in Iraq; CIA Turf Battle?
Aired May 09, 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, everyone. Glad to have you with us tonight.
Here's what's happening at this moment.
There's a little bit of rain, but little relief in Florida, as thousands of parched acres continue to burn, closing roads and causing fatal traffic accidents, because of the thick smoke you see on the screen.
Embarrassing new e-mails from former FEMA Director Michael Brown out tonight -- in one case, Brown actually disputes that a New Orleans levee had been breached two hours after a staffer first sent him that news.
And now our nightly look at gas prices all over the country, our "Crude Awakenings." States with today's highest gasoline prices are in red, the lowest gas prices in green. And the average today for unleaded regular continues to drop slowly. Today's average is $2.89, 1 cent less than yesterday.
Now on to the "Security Watch" tonight and the battle over who will control the CIA -- Air Force General Michael Hayden is President Bush's pick to fill the vacancy created by CIA Chief Porter Goss' sudden resignation. And all the talk today is about whether putting an Air Force general in charge of the nation's civilian spy agency is some kind of power grab.
The answer from Defense Secretary Rumsfeld: No way.
Here's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The Pentagon in a turf battle with the CIA, setting up its own rival spy operation while jealously guarding its 80 percent of the national intelligence budget? Let's see, how many ways can Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld deny that?
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The short answer is, no, we're not. The quality of the debate on this subject is pedestrian and unimpressive.
If you look at the debate and the articles in the newspaper and the comments that are being made, they are about theoretical conspiracies. They're about theoretical bureaucratic turf fights. They're all off the mark.
There's no power play taking place in Washington. It is a -- a -- a collegial and open process.
There isn't anything we're doing in the Department of Defense on intelligence that has not been worked out with the Department of State, that has not been worked out with the White House, that has not been worked out with the Central Intelligence Agency, that has not been worked out with the director of National Intelligence.
MCINTYRE: But what about the story that Rumsfeld had to rein in General Mike Hayden after his 2004 congressional testimony advocating that some Pentagon spy agencies, like his own NSA, be placed under the new national intelligence director, John Negroponte, something Rumsfeld opposed and President Bush rejected?
Hayden is a four-star general and a 37-year Air Force veteran who spent much of his career in intelligence. Before signing on as Negroponte's deputy, he headed the NSA, which is charged with listening to international communication.
RUMSFELD: Now, is that a big deal? Not...
(CROSSTALK)
RUMSFELD: ... that I know of, nor was it then.
MCINTYRE: Rumsfeld did drop one bombshell almost as a parting shot. Asked how the American people could have confidence in the current intelligence about Iran's nuclear program, when the prewar intelligence about Iraq was so far off target, he conceded the point.
RUMSFELD: It turns out it was wrong, that intelligence. Fair enough. It's a tough business. It's a difficult thing, to be right all the time. And -- and the information was not correct. Does that give one pause? You bet.
MCINTYRE (on camera): Rumsfeld insists, the debate within the administration isn't over petty turf battles, but over how to find the right formula to get the best intelligence for the American people. And he's adamant that there's no tension between himself and General Mike Hayden.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: Now, nominees routinely make the rounds on Capitol Hill to get to know the senators who will actually be voting on them. But it's crucial now for General Hayden, because, almost as soon as he was picked, some Republicans attacked their own president's choice.
The Senate Intelligence Committee could begin hearings on Hayden as early as next Tuesday.
Here's congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel, part of the best political team in TV.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's all part of the Capitol Hill ritual for nominees...
QUESTION: ... changed any minds, sir?
KOPPEL: ... questions...
QUESTION: .. concerned about...
KOPPEL: ... waiting to speak with a senator, and then more questions.
QUESTION: Sir, what do you think of Republican criticism of your nomination?
GENERAL MICHAEL HAYDEN, CIA DIRECTOR NOMINEE: No -- thank you.
KOPPEL: General Hayden's mission, to win over senators, Democrats and Republicans alike, concerned his ties to the military might be a drawback at the CIA. But when reporters tried to ask Hayden about it...
SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: Until we sort of sit down and talk -- go ahead and ask me the questions, but don't -- don't be throwing them to the general.
QUESTION: Senator Frist...
FRIST: Yes.
QUESTION: ... do you think General Hayden should resign his...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
KOPPEL: The unmistakable message: Republican leaders aren't eager to air their internal disagreements.
QUESTION: You met with -- with the chairman of the -- with the chairman of the Senate Intelligence...
(CROSSTALK)
FRIST: OK. Thank you all.
KOPPEL: Democrat Dianne Feinstein, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and a fan of Hayden's, said she thinks the four-star general should retire before taking on his new post.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I did make that as a recommendation, just as a recommendation.
KOPPEL: Still, for Republicans like Saxby Chambliss, it's more about Hayden's independence than the stars on his shoulder.
SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: Whether he's got an Air Force blue uniform on or a navy blue suit on with a tie does not make any difference. It's how he adapts to the civilian side of the intelligence community that's important.
KOPPEL: Senators also staked out their positions today on another controversial matter, the warrantless wiretapping that General Hayden authorized and defended.
SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), VIRGINIA: I feel that the program has made a very positive contribution to our intelligence and indeed the security of the United States.
FEINSTEIN: My very strong view is that the program should be subject to individual warrant, based on probably cause.
KOPPEL (on camera): And, tomorrow, General Hayden is expected to meet with Senator Arlen Specter, who has been demanding more details from the Bush administration on the wiretap program. And Specter has signaled he might put up roadblocks to Hayden's nomination, if he doesn't get the information he needs.
Andrea Koppel, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: And while the president tries to sell his nomination of General Hayden to the Senate, think of what life is like at the CIA. The spy agency is looking at its third chief in less than two years. And there's another high-level vacancy. The number three man, Dusty Foggo, is retiring, as he faces two investigations.
One of those investigations could tie him to disgraced California Congressman Duke Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to taking bribes.
Now, we're hearing an awful lot of talk about how that scandal involved poker games, limousine services, and even prostitutes. And some of the most provocative thoughts come from Republican strategist Ed Rollins, who says a lot more current members of Congress could be involved.
Ed Rollins joins me now.
Always good to see you.
ED ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Nice to be with you. Thank you.
ZAHN: You have been quoted as saying you believe that the circle of suspects could be as wide as 15 members of Congress.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: Why are you so convinced of that? ROLLINS: Well, I'm convinced there are several. And I think it can expand to that. And I -- when I said 15, I mean the Abramoff and the whole -- the whole nine yards.
This particular case, there were two contractors in California who had been partners at one point in time, Brent Wilkes and -- and -- and Mitchell Wade. They received substantial sums of money directed by the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. They're -- both have -- have -- Cunningham has said before he went off to jail that both of them bribed him. Mitch Wade has already pleaded guilty. And he's going off to jail.
The other fellow, Wilkes, is -- is named as co-conspirator number one, who Cunningham said, gave me $100,000 in bribes and paid up to $500,000 on my mortgage payments.
So, you know, it just makes sense that -- and you look at the other members of the committee, who received $75,000, $100,000 in campaign contributions, that something was going on there that was improper.
ZAHN: How tough will these allegations be to prove?
ROLLINS: Well, it's up to the Justice Department at this point in time.
And if the Justice Department walks in and basically -- you know, once they subpoena, it's like -- it's like the prostitutes and limousine drivers. When they walk in and say, this isn't about prostitution or who you drove, but who was there, and all you have to worry about is obstruction of justice, we're more interested in what the congressman did, pretty soon, you will find people being named.
And you now have a number of staffers that are pleading guilty to charges, going to jail, and, obviously, they in turn weren't doing it on their own behalf. They were doing it at the behalf of members of Congress.
ZAHN: And you don't seem to be surprised that, if these folks end up being guilty of some of the allegations you have just set forth, that they were that brazen?
ROLLINS: Well, I have been around this business for 40 years and spent 25 years in Washington. To me, two drinks, and every member of Congress thinks they're invisible. And...
ZAHN: That's all it takes?
ROLLINS: There's an arrogance that builds up.
And, over time, you -- and -- and particularly in this environment of the last decade, where lobbyists had total access. And equally as important, this earmarking, which is a brand-new thing now, where you, as a member of Congress, can say, I want to give Ed Rollins' company X amount of money. He says it's for a Navy contract, but who knows. It will come out of the defense. But he's going and he does with it what he wants.
So, I think the temptation was greater. I think the sums of money are just astronomical. And I think, to a certain extent, what has also occurred is that, in order to be in leadership today, to be a committee chairman, you have to have a big sum of money, not to run for reelection, but to take care of other members, their reelections. And, so, if you want to be a subcommittee chairman, you have got to have a $1 million fund.
ZAHN: Well, this is something we are going to be watching very carefully, as the investigation proceeds.
Ed Rollins, thanks for dropping by.
ROLLINS: My pleasure.
ZAHN: Appreciate your perspective tonight.
(CROSSTALK)
ROLLINS: Thank you.
ZAHN: And we move on now to our countdown of the top 10 stories on CNN.com. More than 18 million of you logged on to our Web site -- coming in at number 10, Nicole Kidman's frank interview about her ex- husband, Tom Cruise.
Kidman says she still loves him -- sorry, Katie -- and that their divorce in 2001 was -- quote -- "a major shock." Her interview appears in the June issue of "Ladies' Home Journal."
Number nine, "Da Vinci Code" director Ron Howard says he doesn't see a need for a disclaimer labeling the movie as a work of fiction. The Catholic group Opus Dei had urged Sony Pictures to consider running a disclaimer. That film opens next week.
Numbers eight and seven just ahead, along with an incredible controversy that still moves heartbroken families to tears.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN (voice-over): A fire that claimed 100 victims reaches a dramatic courtroom climax, as families plead for justice and a defendant asks for mercy.
And the "Eye Opener" -- they're tan, they're rested, but are they ready for this? That deep tan could be a real addiction -- all the latest evidence and much more when we come back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Despite all the warnings about skin cancer, are you one of the millions already working on your summer tan, and could you actually be addicted to that fake sunshine? And we move on now to what is happening in Iraq. It is shaken again tonight by bloodshed. Insurgent attacks in two cities killed more than 30 people, wounded dozens of others.
But now we go "Beyond the Headlines" to another battle, and that is the battle to save the lives of wounded soldiers. We want to warn you that some of what you're about to see may be very difficult to watch, but it shows just how dedicated medical professionals have saved the lives of nearly 18,000 wounded troops so far. And more than half of the wounded are able to return to the ranks in fighting shape, a record that would have seemed miraculous in past years.
Ryan Chilcote takes us "Beyond the Headlines" tonight with a rare firsthand look at a combat hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Baghdad's combat support hospital is about to get busy. Information on the incoming is scant, nuances important.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The report were two that are urgent. And it sounded like there was some nervousness in the voice of the people calling it in originally.
CHILCOTE: Colonel David Steinbruner (ph) is the on-duty doctor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We won't really know until they get to the door.
CHILCOTE: And, in a war zone, even the most seasoned doctor can be surprised at what comes through that door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy crap!
CHILCOTE: The triage begins. The walking wounded goes to a nurse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have a medic.
CHILCOTE: Next door, in the E.R., Steinbruner (ph) is beginning his initial check on the soldier brought in on the stretcher. At first glance, things aren't looking good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's real pale, guys.
CHILCOTE: Through an oxygen mask, though, the soldier manages to mumble a message. The doctor relays it to the team.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said, "Please don't let me die."
CHILCOTE: In return, he gets the doctor's word.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I promise. I wouldn't lie to you. Don't you dare try to die on me, OK? I didn't give you permission.
CHILCOTE: He's just as honest when the soldier asks if he can save his leg.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. That, I don't know. OK? We will try to save it if we can, OK? I just don't know. I -- I can't give you an answer to that yet.
CHILCOTE: Also at the soldier's side, a chaplain. The anesthesia is administered, but the soldier still stirs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got to put him down. The poor guy is waking up through all this.
CHILCOTE: Then, another call rings out: More are on the way.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Two more inbound. Two minutes.
CHILCOTE: But for this soldier, it's too late. They have been doing CPR on him for a half-hour. Five minutes later, he's pronounced dead.
In all, four soldiers were brought to the hospital after a bomb hit their vehicle. Private 1st Class Victor Vicente (ph) was behind the wheel. He's on the phone home. He doesn't tell his wife what happened to the others. That's the military's job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a cut on my head. But it's not a big problem.
CHILCOTE: But he won't be going home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I hate to tell you this, but, basically, you're RTD, return to duty.
(LAUGHTER)
CHILCOTE: The casualties are separated only by curtains. There's little privacy.
(SCREAMING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... really not going to be able to smoke for a little while.
(SCREAMING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that guy over there is getting a needle in his back.
CHILCOTE: Take this day and turn it into every day, and you have Doctor Steinbruner's (ph) routine since he arrived in Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems like it's been a long time, but it's only been, you know, six or seven months.
CHILCOTE: With this system of medical care, U.S. servicemen and women are now twice as likely to survive wounds that would have killed in Vietnam. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you push so far? You put a little (INAUDIBLE)? You put...
CHILCOTE: Today, that soldier is in the E.R. The X-rays are back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no free air?
CHILCOTE: And they're looking good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweet. Sweet.
CHILCOTE: He's stabilized and ready for the operating room.
Dr. Steinbruner's (ph) job is finished, for now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He may lose an arm or a leg. He may save it. I don't know.
CHILCOTE: But Steinbruner (ph) kept his promise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He lost a lot of blood in the field, so -- but he's a young, healthy guy. So, he was -- he was compensating. And that's why he could talk and (INAUDIBLE) and everything like that. But you could see the color of his skin. I mean, he was pale. He was -- he was definitely looking very, very sick. So -- and now I'm going to take care of his buddy.
Thanks.
CHILCOTE: Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: And Ryan did a follow-up a little bit later and found that the seriously wounded soldier you just saw had actually been transferred to a military hospital in Germany, where doctors said they were confident they had saved his shattered arm and leg.
A Rhode Island courtroom has been the scene of two days of emotion and drama. What happened when the man who inadvertently started an inferno faced the families of the people who died at this nightclub?
And, then a little bit later on, why does a bright yellow sun or cool blue tanning bed cast a potentially deadly spell over some people? Can tanning actually turn into an addiction?
We will get to all that.
We move on to number eight in our CNN.com countdown -- a new report just out today -- it's pretty amazing -- shows that the U.S. has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world. The study was done by researchers for Save the Children. Only Latvia was worse for newborns than the U.S. We will try to address the question why. And, number seven, in Germany today, a man who was tried for killing and eating a willing victim has been sentenced to life in prison, after a court threw out his previous manslaughter conviction. The suspect said he found his victim on the Internet.
We will have number six and five right out of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Tonight, a former band manager is just hours away from learning how much time he will spend in prison for his role in starting a horrific nightclub fire.
Who will ever forget the terrifying images of this club in Rhode Island going up in flames three years ago? One hundred people were killed that night. Daniel Biechele who was Great White's tour manager, pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year.
And, in court this week, relatives of the victims, in prepared impact statements, are sharing their pain.
Allan Chernoff was in the courtroom today. He just filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The courtroom ached with pain of the victims' families, parents like Claire Bruyere, who lost her daughter, Bonnie.
CLAIRE BRUYERE, MOTHER OF STATION NIGHTCLUB FIRE VICTIM: Her death will always haunt me, knowing I was asleep while my child was gasping her last breath. They took my best friend, my heart, my only child, my reason for being.
CHERNOFF: Minutes after band manager Daniel Biechele ignited a pyrotechnics display for the rock band Great White in February of 2003, the Station nightclub in Rhode Island burst into flames. Dozens of fans never had a chance to get out. And parents never had a chance to say goodbye to their children.
Miceli lost his son Sam.
TIMOTHY MICELI, FATHER OF STATION NIGHTCLUB FIRE VICTIM: I am still haunted from the visions of the tragic events and thoughts of my son's final moments.
My life will never be the same again. I just miss my son so much.
CHERNOFF: Diana Suffoletto spoke of how her family is still devastated by the death of her brother and his wife.
DIANA SUFFOLETTO, SISTER OF STATION NIGHTCLUB FIRE VICTIM: Our mom just hasn't been the same since we lost Ben and Linda. They were her babies, and now I watch her deteriorate day by day. There are days that I go into her bedroom, and she's crying, and I know why.
CHERNOFF: The pain for many parents, like Anna Gruttadauria, simply won't go away.
ANNA GRUTTADAURIA, MOTHER OF STATION NIGHTCLUB FIRE VICTIM: We thought burying our daughter was the worst thing we could go through, but living without her each day is.
CHERNOFF: Anna and her husband, Joe, tracked down their daughter Pamela at a nearby hospital after the fire. She had been labeled Jane Doe, the top half of her body burned.
GRUTTADAURIA: We had to identify her, and she was all wrapped in all kinds of bandages. And her face was covered. And we recognized her by her feet.
CHERNOFF: For two-and-a-half months, Pam struggled for life at Massachusetts General Hospital. Pam, a 33-year-old supervisor at a Holiday Inn, endured 35 operations. Her hands were amputated. Finally, infection set in. And the parents, with their doctor, had to make the awful decision of whether to take their daughter off life support.
GRUTTADAURIA: How can you decide on whether to shut the machines off on your daughter or not? It was such a hard decision. But, then, when he explained to us how Pam's life would be and how really sick she was, we said, we can't have her live like this.
CHERNOFF: Pam was so close with her parents that she lived at home with them. Now, Anna and Joe keep Pam's memory alive each day, a memorial on the front lawn and angels surrounding, protecting their home. Every day the parents still speak to their daughter.
JOSEPH GRUTTADAURIA, FATHER OF STATION NIGHTCLUB FIRE VICTIM: I would go up to the grave. I will say a little prayer for her. And I will hold a little conversation with her, tell her how the day was going and what the grandchildren are doing in baseball, and what her mother's up to, and a little conversation like that, you know, and say, you know, good night, Pam. I love you.
My heart aches. It really doesn't say anything. It just aches with -- with the pain that I don't have my daughter anymore.
CHERNOFF: Tomorrow, band manager Daniel Biechele will be sentenced to as much as 10 years in prison under a plea deal. Anna and Joe plan to be in court, but they say it won't bring them any peace. Nothing, they say, ever will.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, Providence, Rhode Island.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: And the two owners of the club are also charged in the fire. Michael Derderian is scheduled to go to trial on July 31. No trial date has been set yet for his brother, Jeffrey Derderian. They say that the Canadian Mounties always get their man, but why did they let an escaped American killer get away? Where is he now? And how did he get out of a Louisiana prison in the first place?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: I'm John Zarrella.
Are you one of those people who has to tan two, maybe three times a week? Well, doctors here at Wake Forest University's Tanning Research Center say there's a chance you may be addicted to tanning.
I will have that story -- coming up on PAULA ZAHN NOW.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Now number six on our CNN.com countdown -- the Centers for Disease Control wants HIV testing to become part of a routine physical exam. The agency is expected to issue new guidelines this summer, which would recommend that doctors give AIDS tests to every American between the ages of 13 and 64.
Number five, police in Northern Virginia say a heavily armed 18- year-old killed a detective and injured two officers in a shoot-out yesterday. Authorities also say the gunman had attempted a carjacking before the attacks I just described.
We are going to have number four right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: And we're back. Here's what's happening at this moment. Republicans in the Senate voted tonight to extend $70 billion worth of tax cuts on capital gains and stock dividends for the next four more years. Democrats are calling it more tax cuts for the wealthy.
The U.S. has decided to support a package of humanitarian aid for Palestinians as long as the aid does not directly benefit the Hamas- led government. The U.S. has withheld or suspended more than $400 million in aid.
And former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark says he needs more time to defend Saddam Hussein at his war crimes trial. Clark claims the trial is unfair and is being used by the U.S. to justify the war in Iraq.
Which brings us to tonight's "Eye Opener." Have you taken a look at your kid's high school newspaper lately? Well a lot of them are running ads for tanning salons enticing teenagers with things like prom specials. Well doctors say there's an unrecognized epidemic of skin cancer in this country. One in five of us will get the disease. And more and more tumors are turning up on the torso, which leads researchers to suspect tanning beds may be to blame. Even more troubling than that, there's new evidence that tanning is physically addictive, like heroin. John Zarrella has tonight's "Eye Opener."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What is it? What kind of spell does a broiling sun hold over some people? What makes people like Vince and Ursula Celeste (ph) soak it in for hours at a time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It makes me feel alive. It makes me feel like there's nothing that can go wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I always felt better about myself.
ZARRELLA: And Bob Lubart (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The heat just feels nurturing.
ZARRELLA: Three days a week, he's in a tanning bed. Indoor tanning is one of the nation's fastest growing industries, $5 billion a year. A good tan seems synonymous with good health. Studies found the number of people using tanning salons is increasing. At among 16- to-18 year olds, 30-to-40 percent are tanning-booth regulars.
(on camera): There may be a reason those sun worshipers simply can't get enough. Doctors here at Wake Forest University's tanning research center say frequent tanners may, in fact, be addicted.
DR. STEVE FELDMAN, WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY: They decided they couldn't tell the two beds apart?
DR. MANDEEP KAUR, WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY: No.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Doctors Steve Feldman and Mandeep Kaur, dermatologists at Wake Forest, knew that skin cells exposed to ultraviolet light appear to produce endorphins, the human body's natural feel-good molecules, kind of like narcotics.
Suddenly a light bulb went off.
FELDMAN: Whoa, that explains why people go to the beach, that's why tanning is an epidemic in America.
ZARRELLA: To prove people can be addicted to tanning, two tanning beds were set up in this room at the tanning center. Tara Burton and 11 other frequent tanners, people who tanned more than eight times a month were selected. What they didn't know was that the U.V. light was being blocked in one bed.
FELDMAN: What we did was is we put people in both beds on Monday, both beds on Wednesday. And then said to them on Friday, get in whichever bed you want.
KAUR: Eleven out of 12 ended up referring the U.V. bed.
ZARRELLA (on camera): Not knowing that it was the U.V. bed?
KAUR: Not knowing that it was the U.V. bed.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Then eight frequent tanners and eight infrequent tanners were selected. Again Tara Burton participated.
KAUR: So our next step was, how about if you block those feel- good receptors, the endorphins, and see what happens to these people.
ZARELLA: The test subject were given a drug, a narcotic blocker to see if it interrupted their ability to distinguish between the two beds.
FELDMAN: We had no idea people would get sick. Well, when you think about it, it makes sense.
ZARRELLA: Four of the eight frequent tanners suffered withdrawal-like symptoms, including Tara Burton.
TARA BURTON, STUDY VOLUNTEER: I took the drug and on the first -- I had to drop out on the first time that I tanned. I had jitteriness, I had nausea.
ZARRELLA: None of the infrequent tanners suffered any reaction, further convincing the doctors that frequent tanning is addictive and may lead to a dramatic increase in skin cancer.
(on camera) If you know tanning's bad for you, Tara, how come you do it?
BURTON: Well from what I know of addicts, which I may be one...
ZARRELLA: Apparently you are.
BURTON: Apparently I'm an addict and I didn't know it. They're in denial.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): The dermatologists worry that as more and more people seek out that bronzed as beautiful look, many will like Tara Burton, become addicted to tanning. Getting high on sunshine and not even know it. John Zarrella, CNN, Winston Salem, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: All right, so after seeing that, are you wondering if you are addicted to tanning? Well University of Texas doctors came up with this test to see if you have a problem. Have you tried to cut down on your tanning? Are you annoyed when people mention your tanning? Do you ever feel guilty about your tanning? Do you find yourself tanning first thing in the morning? The doctors say if you answer yes to two or more of those questions, you might have a problem.
And joining me right now, someone who wants the Food and Drug Administration to take a closer look at warning labels on tanning beds. Representative Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York, thanks for joining us tonight. You are so concerned about this, you've actually sponsored legislation. If passed, what exactly would it do?
REP. CAROLYN MALONEY (D), NEW YORK: It would really call upon the FDA to take another look at their warning labels. The young women that I've talked to tell me they never see a warning label. They're not aware of the dangers of tanning.
And the report that you did tonight, Paula, that it might be addictive, points to a greater need for information and for an appropriate warning. It is a woman's health issue, 70 percent of the 30 million women that use these tanning beds are between the ages of 17 and 49. And the dermatologist says that using them frequently can increase by 55 percent the degree of probability of skin cancer, which can be deadly.
ZAHN: The numbers you just shared with us are pretty scary, staggering. What was it that prompted you to get involved with this in the first place?
MALONEY: Well I spend a great deal of time and focus on women's health issues. And this is a woman's health issue. Primarily women are using these tanning machines.
Dermatologists say that they've seen a spike in the increase of cancer with young women. I've gotten heartbreaking letters from young women who say they're no longer teenagers. Now all they do is go to doctors for operations or for chemotherapy treatment.
So it's really a problem. And they tell me they're not aware of any warning label. The warning label is now 104 words. The warning label on a pack of cigarettes merely says "smoking may cause cancer." And we need the same, "will cause cancer." We need the same type of direct warning about the use of tanning beds.
ZAHN: And one you think people can actually see. Because in some of these salons, the labels are on the top of the tanning beds so when it's open, you never see them. Well we appreciate you dropping by.
MALONEY: Paula, that's like having the warning inside the pack of cigarettes. We need to make sure it's there.
ZAHN: Point well taken. Representative Carolyn Maloney, thanks for describing your legislation to us tonight.
Meanwhile, a manhunt that started in Louisiana has stretched all the way to Canada tonight. How does an escaped killer keep eluding the police?
And how long can you hold your breath? Is David Blaine out of the hospital yet after holding his for seven minutes when he really wanted to go over nine?
Before that, No. 4 on our CNN.com countdown. Iranian politicians warn that the Bush administration's dismissal of an 18-page letter from Iran's president could fuel anti-American feelings.
In the letter, Iran's president says democracy has failed and criticized Mr. Bush for his response to the 9/11 attacks. No. 3, a man who says he want lost 100 pounds walking across America. Steve Vaught was 410 pounds when he started this trek in San Diego on April 10th of last year. He's expected to arrive in New York some time tonight, a whole lot lighter when he crosses the finish line. No. 2 when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: In tonight's "Outside the Law," there is an international manhunt under way tonight for a killer who escaped from a Louisiana prison. Now, who could ever forget this video you're about to see that was taken last month as the escapee literally talking his way past a police officer in Louisiana? An officer who was actually looking for that very same convict.
At one point in the conversation, you heard the officer actually say that he was looking for a bad guy, very strange to watch that unfold. But guess what? That escapee has done it again, slipping through the fingers of police. Only this time 2,500 miles from Louisiana across the Canadian border into British Columbia. Gulf Coast correspondent Susan Roesgen has tonight's "Outside the Law."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: It's a beautiful and remote place. Penticton, British Columbia, perfect for a man on the run. Richard McNair was convicted of murder in North Dakota in 1987.
His first escape was just six months later when he used lip balm to slip out of handcuffs. Since then he's escaped two more times most recently in April when he sneaked out of a prison in Louisiana by hiding in a mail van. He was almost recaptured when he was spotted by a small town policeman. But he fooled the officer into letting him go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I crossed the tracks down there, I saw you running and I thought, well, how lucky can I be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No nope, nope, nope, I'm no prison escapee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take care now.
ROESGEN: That was the last time law enforcement actually saw McNair until last week when he was stopped in this Pontiac Grand AM by a suspicious Canadian Mountie. The car had stolen plates and McNair took off on foot before the Mountie figured out who he was.
Inside the car were photographs the police say McNair had apparently taken of himself to make fake IDs. McNair, who is 47 years old, is good at changing his appearance. Sometimes with a goatee, other times wearing glasses. He's on the U.S. Marshal's 15 Most Wanted List. Police say he's a killer who doesn't want to wind up in a maximum security prison with no hope of getting out again.
JOHN WARD, ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE: We know he's a man that's dangerous. He's got martial art degrees. He's also a survivalist. He could be in the woods. He could last, he could survive for some time.
ROESGEN: Back in Louisiana, the hapless officer who let McNair slip away shouldn't feel so bad. The famous Canadian Mounties, who always get their man, haven't yet got Richard McNair. Susan Roesgen, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: And this story has folks in British Columbia so worried that there have actually been 80 reported sightings of McNair, some putting him in two different places at the same time.
Still ahead, need some creative suggestions to cope with $3 a gallon gas? Maybe you ought to do what this guy does. He's saving a lot of money. That's ahead. Let's quickly move on to tonight's business headlines.
The Dow gained 55 points to end the day within striking distance of its all-time high. The fed meets tomorrow. Investors are hoping for a pause in interest rate increases for the first time in nearly two years. The Nasdaq lost six points, the S&P virtually unchanged.
The price of gold hit just over $700 an ounce today. That's a 25-year high. And investors have been driving up the price of other medals, too, including aluminum.
Cisco systems, the number one maker of Internet networking gear beat analysts' expectations with strong sales and a strong earnings report. Cisco's stock price is up 27 percent so far this year.
Late today the Pentagon announced it will order as many as 20 new refueling tankers. The contract could be worth $100 billion to Boeing or its competitors which includes Europe's Airbus Industries.
Thirteen minutes before the hour. "LARRY KING LIVE" gets under way in a few minutes. Hi, Larry. Who will be joining you tonight?
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Judge Judy returns tonight. She's never dull, Judge Judy. Lots of questions in legal arena. We'll take your phone calls, of course. Tomorrow night a complete hour with Mary Cheney. Judge Judy tonight. A little tip for tomorrow, Mary Cheney. Paula, black is you.
ZAHN: You are so kind. Thank you, Larry.
KING: I'll be in New York next week Paula.
ZAHN: You come walk the 100 yards to our studio.
KING: I'll be there.
ZAHN: Don't get lost. Have a good show. We'll be watching you. Appreciate it. Still to come tonight, illusionist David Blaine finally out of that giant fish bowl of his. But is he out of the hospital yet? What kind of damage did he do by holding his breath for seven minutes? And how bad those creepy looking hands look after they're drained of all oil and life.
And later, have you considered a one horsepower alternative to $75 fillups? This guy has. And has a pretty good sense of humor about it, too. Also saving a lot of money.
Right now, number two in our CNN.com countdown. More eye opening news from a sexual assault trial that made international headlines. One day after he was acquitted of rape, South Africa's former deputy president apologized for having unprotected sex with his accuser who is HIV positive.
Number one in our countdown, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Now our number one story on cnn.com. Illusionist David Blaine out of the hospital tonight after spending a week under water, then passing out during his finale. But what a finale it was. Here's Jeanne Moos to show you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): David Blaine's bubble has burst. By the morning after, there was nothing left. Bubbles were the first sign that Blaine had run out of breath.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go.
MOOS: Just over seven minutes into his stunt, a half-blacked out Blaine had to be brought to the surface.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just relax. We've got you. Come on up. You're OK.
MOOS: The star almost lived up to the show's title.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: David Blaine, "Drowned Alive."
MOOS: Drowning in tears as well.
DAVID BLAINE: Thank you all and I love you all.
MOOS: They took him away in an ambulance, but the morning after he pulled a Houdini at the hospital.
DR. MURAT GUNEL, BLAINE'S MEDICAL ADVISER: He has signed out against medical advice and went home.
MOOS: Lab tests showed moderate liver and kidney failure, but that seems to be improving, and so do his horribly shriveled hands. They say he's even played some cards. Nevertheless... KIRK KRACK, BLAINE'S TRAINER: I think he still feels like he's, you know, let people down.
MOOS: But the people we talked to seem pretty impressed that Blaine held his breath for seven minutes. After all...
(on camera): Go!
(voice-over): ... when we timed regular folks...
(on camera): Go. Go. Go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I quit.
MOOS: The results were downright pathetic.
This guy had the best time.
(on camera): Is his vein really popping?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yeah. It's popping.
MOOS: Good, though, 125.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just ate. That's why.
MOOS (voice-over): David Blaine didn't have that excuse, since he took in only liquids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just five minutes.
MOOS (on camera): Thirty seconds. Oh, I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can do it better under water.
MOOS (voice-over): Yeah, sounds like something Shelly Winters said in "The Poseidon Adventure," recounting her schoolgirl swim exploits.
SHELLY WINTERS, ACTRESS: I held my breath two minutes and 47 seconds. Let me do this.
MOOS: She did it all right. Saved the day by finding a way out underwater, but then she died of a heart attack. It's enough to make an illusionist toss his goggles.
Blaine's trainer is a professional free diver, accustomed to holding his breath.
KRACK: 6:47 is my best.
MOOS (on camera): What happens to you at 6:48 in your head?
KRACK: The urge to breathe is so insane I have to come up.
MOOS (voice-over): So did Blaine, but he's already talking about another attempt to break the nine-minute mark when he hasn't been submerged for seven days. And though they had to drag him out, at least he wasn't dragging like this woman trying to hold her breath.
(on camera): Oh, come on, 14 seconds? Yeah, take a drag of that thing, yeah.
(voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: Not the healthiest way to try to hold your breath longer than 14 seconds.
So is there any way to beat the high price of gas? Did you know there is a way to open up the pump and reprogram its computer? Well, what actually happened to a guy who tried that? Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Big news today from the U.S. Energy Department. Its experts announced that gasoline prices may have peaked for now, but they say crude oil prices will remain high through 2007.
So can anyone do something about the high price of gas? Well, actually, yes, they can.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN (voice-over): Don't you just wish you'd been able to fill up at this Shell station in Plainfield, Indiana, last night? Never mind what the sign says. Take a good look at the price on the pump. That's a mere 0.2 per gallon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw it and proceeded in filling up my truck with 26 gallons of fuel for about seven cents.
ZAHN: Before the people inside figured out they had a problem, the guy had told his friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, let's put it this way. We probably got $700, $800 worth of gas for right around about a quarter.
ZAHN: The managers say it was a computer problem.
But a similar story in Missouri has a more sinister explanation. Police say a thief illegally bought a key from a Texas company that makes gas pumps. Then he'd pull up to filling stations, open up the pumps, and program himself a free fillup.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was overriding somehow the computer program going (inaudible) to the tank.
ZAHN: Surveillance cameras finally caught him. He got one last free ride, to jail.
Now, don't get the idea that the only way to beat high gas prices is by breaking the law. Remember, there are alternate modes of transportation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a horse. This is Texas. I'll ride my horse if I have to.
ZAHN: Egan Settle (ph) tows his horse to work in Arlington, Texas, then does about 10 miles a day worth of short errands, like shopping and lunch, on horseback. He says he saved $500 in the last month alone.
Some parents near Salt Lake City, Utah, are making the same statement. Their children are now getting to school like this. Who needs an SUV?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: Unfortunately, that wouldn't work as well here in New York City. And before you go out and buy a horse, consider this: At least one expert in the oil industry is predicting that gas prices may actually drop 75 cents a gallon between now and Labor Day. We'll see. And another drop, they say, may come around the end of the year. Of course, around the time of the midterm elections, huh?
That's it for all of us tonight. Thanks so much for joining us. We really appreciate your dropping by. We'll be back same time, same place tomorrow night. Until then, have a good night. "LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.
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