The Victimizing of a Loyal Public in more ways than one

Years now people other than me have watched a 10 o'clock news program with a viewership that Aaron practically built by himself.

Today there is little appreciation of Aaron Brown other than perhaps a salary well negotiated but certainly no appreciation of the public. CNN continues to take Aaron away from the public. First it was the pre-program annoucements, then it was the e-mail, now the program announcements don't feature him and never is there an hour where he is exclusively left to anchor the news without being accompanied by a host of another news hour I have little interest in for it's content or message.

Abuse of the public, removing the personality from the news delivery continues to estrange a public that was lead to believe they mattered and were cared about. Now, while CNN wants everyone to smile nice for the camera while delivering a message of 'the warrior of injustice' no matter the venue, it is all a lie.


Aaron Brown's NewsNight

1000

Aaron was on the screen all of 10 seconds and the rest is all about the AC 369 brat. Then Franklin the automated messenger does his egotistical nonsense.

1001

Aaron live about "Wilma" - "Miers" - "Saddam's Trial" - "Taunton, Mass." I don't think it's going to collapse. I didn't think it would yesterday.

1002

Anderson at Conti and Bourbon St. - a witness that saw the beating near the camera man. She saw an innocent man beaten mercilessly for no reason. She is suffering from the entire nightmare. She states she was in shock and disbelief. That is racism, madam.

1007

Anderson and polices' DEFENSE attorney. He disclaims a witness will hold up under his cross examination. He states he has PROMINENT citizens. Well paid I am sure. He is looking to discredit him and not make witness to the events.

1011

Aaron live with questions regarding tape and when he starts bleeding. The unknown moment of blood letting. The magic is that when Mr. Davis starts to bleed all the police move away because they don't want to get blood on them as he might have a contagious and blood borne disorder.

1013

Jackie Jaris and Wilma Moving west, northwest. Hm.

1018

Aaron and Meirs on to Ed Henry. Nothing new as least for me.

1019

Aaron and Jeffery Toobin

1023

Anderson losing his voice and onto Christy the news secretary.

1025

Anderson and his hoarse voice and onto commercials. Anderson, I am sure you have an interesting message, but, it would be nice if it were a segment or two or three as when NewsNight was a news hour. When David produced this program he would sometimes revisit an issue three times in a hour for varying opinions and views. He worked the subject up for us all. We were informed about a subject with little question to the facts. That isn't what this is anymore.

1028

Anderson in the French Quarter. "Then and Now" - very cute. Well that was a brief note of information. The Ninth Ward is unchanged just dry.

Onto the murder and Nancy Grace, the princess of CNN.

1031

Commercials

To the Oil Barrons of NewsNight. Little do they have a conscience.

Assassins in Foreign Lands:
A CorpWatch Radio Interview with Nigerian Human Rights Activist Oronto Douglas

Oronto Douglas is Deputy Director of Environmental Rights Action in Nigeria. A human rights attorney who was on the defense team of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Douglas has been arrested and tortured by the brutal Nigerian Military regime. That has not stopped him from speaking out. Most recently he has been supporting "Operation Climate Change," a protest by the Law Youth Council against foreign oil companies operating in the Niger Delta. The group has reportedly shut down 40% of foreign oil production in Baylesa State, one of Nigeria's main oil producing regions. In response to the Youth Council's demand for environmental justice, Nigerian troops have killed at least 26 protestors. Unconfirmed reports put the death toll at nearly ten times as many.
Douglas visited Corporate Watch's San Francisco office in September of last year and spoke with CorpWatch Radio about the connections between human rights abuses, environmental and cultural destruction and foreign oil company operations in Nigeria.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Africa/Oronto_Douglas_Nigeria.html

1035

Anderson - Oye. Aaron's line? Share.

1036

Aaron and onto the taped segment regarding the Horowitz murder. How horrible for him. Why? Dear God, why? He's not accepting it as well as he wants to believe he is.

1039

Commercials

1042

Aaron and the subject of Judith Miller. Floyd Abrams, attorney. Aaron taped. That is true, isn't it Mr. Abrams. This is about a crime or crimes. Serious business and not martyrism. Judith has some real peril on all this. Aaron seems to think there is another source. Judith doesn't seem to think so. The note 'Valerie Flame' is somehow a note by another source. She is damaged as far as Mr. Abrams is concerned. No credit for fighting the fight, no reference to the First Amendment. I think, Mr. Abrams, this attack on Judith Miller is a well laid distraction from the prosecution. It is the first strategy by Rove/Bush to secure 'The Party' from question.

1048

Arianna Huffington on Tape - criticism of Judith Miller. No reason to postpone the moment of reckoning. I don't know. This was Judith's journalism and not anyone else's.

Is this about Judy's journalism regarding WMD? Here we go, Aaron - People on the left who normally would be supportive of a reporter to protect a source is not doing that because she never needed to protect it. THERE YA GO. Arianna nailed the issue in that Mr. Fitzgerald has put together 'The Iraq Group' but Aaron never pursued THAT subject, he derailed that focus to redirect the conversation to Judith again rather than the place where it belongs and that is the side of the Constitution and the loyalty of the American people an the compromise by this administration on multiple occasion. This is the side of this program that goes off color all the time and flies the flag NOT of Red, White and Blue but the one of The Greenback According to Bush.

1053

Commercials.

1055

Anderson and the distraction of New Orleans. The music and onto Gary Tuchman. A safe subject for Mr. Tuchman.

1058

Anderson and Gary Tuchman converting a 'jazz segment' into the Coroner with a trumpet that is slow in identifying bodies. Did this just happen? We were listening to music of a man who cannot get the job done of identifying bodies from the flood but hey, he's an okay guy and we should be understanding. Anderson? How did you fall into this mess? The same way you fell into the issues surrounding those segments regarding Reverend Jackson?

commercials

1100

Aaron pre-empted by Frankenstein - what's next an entire news program starting the faceless Frankenstein himself. The way this mechanic voice introduces the program it sounds like a lead in to a Vegas Show Girl Act.

1101

Anderson and the run down of subjects.

An American Soldier killed in Mosul and Iraqi officials were killed. Thanks for mentioning that Anderson. They still haven't returned to the "Honor Segment" of dead American soldiers. What does that tell you, Anderson? What is the role of this program? Promoting 'heroes' who enlist in the National Guard with a paycheck that doesn't exist anywhere else in their lives in hopes they will stay home and be those men and women who save lives at home without facing battle in Afghanistan or Iraq. Isn't that what this is all about Anderson? If not then why not an Honor segment that takes all of sixty seconds of 120 minutes.

1103

Aaron and onto Jackie Jarus.

1105

Aaron to Jeanne Meserve - A Bush/Cheney plot against the sanity of the USA populous. As soon as there was enough news coverage the situation is relieved. Where are the people being charged either way? You know calling 'fire' in a theater is criminal when there is no fire. So, what give here?

1106

Aaron and Daniel Horowitz and the second interview.

1107

Rusty Dornin - the reporter's view of the events.

http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_wv_hem_loop-12.html

Noted a 'hole' in the water vapor cloud nearing the Northwest Coast. The 'hole' actually is a vortex that is more than likely a huge water spout. It goes to lower altitudes. The vortex coming on shore of southern cal is picking up heat from terra firma and becoming serious weather patterns again.

1110

Nancy Grace and Daniel Horowitz. He shouldn't be talking like this. He's too vulnerable to his own circumstances. He's not even interested in his own best interest. He really isn't doing well.

That I believe Daniel. You are numb although it doesn't seem like it from time to time. He misses her. Pictures. Do you still have the puppy dog, Daniel?

1115

Anderson, powerball enthusiasm. Good. We should all be lucky to win.

Commercials.

http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_ir_enh_hem_loop-12.html

Pacific - tropical depression 16E is bearly there.

1118

Anderson at Bourbon and Conti. Fine. Relief and recovery efforts, National Guard and police. Really? I would never have guessed. Are you hearing yourself, Anderson? Are there no residents but just relief workers having a good time in the only place they can? Important to know I am sure.

1119

Powerball Fever and ADDITION. There is a difference between taking a chance and addition but this segment does not make that delineation. It treats the entire subject of Powerball as a plague on the society. Every Evangelical. Don't drink, don't wager, work hard and be on your knees emotionally and psychologically 24-7 and remember George Walker Bush is the most righteous man in the country. Vote Faith Based.

1121

Aaron and the reality that people take their chances. That's right. People do.

Christy and news items. Really? "Grandmother's Against the War" Cool. Nice. About time we got on the right side of this mess. Of course that could be just a teaser for equity to the fact Judith is a traitor and Bush is untouchable, Thank God.

1124

Commercials.

http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_ir_enh_west_loop-12.html

It seems like it's picked up velocity as 'Wilma' has as well. The vortex of the North Atlantic is finding movement in the storm.

1125

Who? Anderson. Taunton, Massachusetts. Adora. Nice to see you, sweetie. Be careful. I don't know. They need to dredge that channel near the town to keep the water between the banks but that wood isn't all that delicate. It has been there a long time without incident. It is not unusual to have wooden damns in places where small streams and creeks need to be managed including irrigation. They are usually very effective. I guess people don't like wood and water. Treated wood is used all the time for docks and boats and all sorts of things.

1128

Aaron and Tom Foreman. 'Thrifty commutes' - 'Great Commuting Odyssey.' Mass Transit. Oh, dispelling the myth that mass transit is a good and economical thing. 'A critical key to solving traffic problems everywhere.' BUT. "Calculator on line of DC Metro to show how much people would save." Ridership is up.

Ronald Utt of the Heritage Foundation is not paying for itself and a testiment to failure. GOVERNMENT FINANICIAL SUPPORT IS THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS. Gee. Do you think those monies belong to the people who benefit from cheaper fares in their personal life.

I can't believe Tom Foreman actually wants to undermine Mass Transit. You are a jerk.

Oh, poor Tom and the boredom of a crossword puzzles on a train with the 56 across being the State Flower of North Carolina the menace of all menaces.

1132

Aaron with the answer to Tom's dilemma. "Dogwood" in seven letters. What a Boy Scout. Huh?

Commercials

1135

Anderson and his hoarse voice. Chloraseptic, Anderson.

1136

Anderson taped. Katrina damage. A rug cleaner. No doubt. People want to save what they can of the devastation.

1138

Aaron and Ahnold. Tough battles. Did you his picture in younger days, Aaron. The one where he has a half naked woman on his shoulders? Quite a rascal.

Greenfield does not exist. He is a propagandist and nothing else.

Dear God how long does this travesty go on? Ahnold couldn't pay for this infomercial.

EIGHT UNINTERRUPTED MINUTES.

Naked picture: http://www.impeachgeorgewalkerbush.blogspot.com/ = page down, near Kerik's picture.

1146

Aaron and on to commercials.

1147

Aaron and onto Christiane. Hi Chris. Saddam's trial start tomorrow. About time. Where are they going to execute him? I mean it should be a matter of semantics. Right?

1150

Aaron and Chris and questions. Delay requested by Saddam's lawyer. USA invasion into Iraq as their strategy.

1151

Aaron to Anderson - on to commercials.

1154

Anderson and revelry. People are looking for family, children. That's pretty horrible to think about.

1157

Tropical Storm Wilma Causing Concern; Interview With Attorney For 'New York Times' Reporter Judith Miller

Aired October 17, 2005 - 22:00 ET

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

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. It is -- is one of the biggest White House mysteries since Watergate about to be involved solved? NEWSNIGHT starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Make no mistake. It's illegal to identify names of covert CIA agents. And that is why the White House is so nervous. Two top presidential aides may have outed an agent to a "New York Times" reporter.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not going to prejudge the outcome of the investigation.

ANNOUNCER: Karl Rove, Lewis Scooter Libby and reporter Judith Miller all feeling the heat. Katrina left them homeless and FEMA checked them into hotels. Wait until you hear what it's costing. The hotel homeless, running up a massive tab every day. And guess who's paying? You. And meet Wilma, blowing its way toward the Gulf and into the record books at the 21st named storm of the year. When and where will it hit and how big and bag will it be?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN AND ANDERSON COOPER.

COOPER: And good evening again. A lot to cover tonight, but, first, here's what's happening at this moment. Pressing the Harriet Miers nomination, today, President Bush began a new effort to quell the backlash over the Supreme Court nominee with six former Texas justices who voiced their approval for her. The White House called today a -- a pivot day in the strategy to drum up more support. In Massachusetts, a dam may give way at any moment. Two thousand people living near the Whittenton Dam in Taunton are being evacuated. A state of emergency has been declared. Heavy flooding over the last week-and-a-half has led to reports that the structure could fail. In Beijing, a hero's welcome for Chinese astronauts. The two space travelers landed safely today, ending a five-day mission. It is China's second manned space flight. The country vows to accomplish a space walk by 2007. And who cares that the odds are one in 140 million? Wednesday's Powerball drawing is creating a frenzy all across the country. It makes sense. The jackpot now stands at $340 million. To those of you who are taking a chance, good luck. And remember your old pal Anderson. That's...

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: That's the look at this moment, what's happening.We are also keep a very close eye on Tropical Storm Wilma. By tomorrow, Wilma could be a dangerous hurricane. Right now, it is swirling in the Caribbean sea, about 265 miles off Grand Cayman Island -- top winds, 50 miles per hour right now. We will have a live report just ahead. And, at 11:00, the National Hurricane Center is going to have an update. We will also bring you that. First, though, high drama at the White House and America's leading newspaper and beyond -- Aaron.

AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there are all sorts of storms, and not all involve the weather. There's the political storm that circles around CIA operative Valerie Plame and Karl Rove and Scooter Libby of the White House -- of the vice president's staff.And, of course, there's "New York Times" reporter Judy Miller and a special prosecutor who has taking a case involving all of them and run with it. Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury ends its term in less than two weeks. Who will be indicted, if anyone will, is something we do not yet know. What we do know is, something that started simply enough will not end that way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): The purpose of the probe was simple enough, at least at the start. Did the disclosure of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity violate federal law? But the story began before, with these now famous words in the president's 2003 State of the Union speech.

BUSH: The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.

BROWN: Sixteen words publicly disputed by former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who had traveled to Niger to investigate that report. In a "New York Times" op-ed piece in July of '03, he wrote that the president's statement was "not borne out by facts, as I understood them." Eight days later, conservative columnist and CNN contributor Robert Novak named Wilson's wife as a CIA operative -- quote -- "an agency operative on weapons of mass destruction."

By the end of the September '03, a Justice Department inquiry was started to determine just who leaked the name of a covert agent to the press.

At the time, President Bush, faced with the first reports that his top political adviser, Karl Rove, could be the source of the leak, was clear and direct.

BUSH: If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of.

BROWN: In August, "New York Times" reporter Judith Miller, who had spent months reporting on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in a way many critics called favorable to the administration, was subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury. Her name had appeared in a White House phone log.

Investigators wanted to know what she knew, how she knew it, even though she never wrote an article mentioning Joe Wilson's wife. Miller and "The Times" fought hard not to testify. She refused to name her source and, ultimately, spent 85 days in jail, charged with contempt.

That changed last month when Miller named her source, Lewis Scooter Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff. In one of her reporters' notebooks, there appears two words, one of them clearly misspelled, "Valerie Flame," misspelled only, she says. She doesn't remember whether Libby mentioned Plame's name. And she wrote in yesterday's edition of "The New York Times": "I said I believed the information came from another source, whom I could not recall."

Miller says she went to jail because she believed Libby didn't want her to testify. Her original attorney, Floyd Abrams, seemed to disagree with that yesterday, saying -- quote -- "That's Judy's interpretation."And he cast doubt on her contention that she couldn't remember if Libby was on the source on Valerie Plame, calling him the central and essentially only figure who had information.

Judy Miller wrote yesterday that, while in jail, she received a letter from Libby encouraging her to testify. But she said he also seemed to be telling her how to testify when he wrote, "The public report of every other reporter's testimony makes clear they did not discuss Ms. Plame's name or identity with me."

And that, says Miller's current attorney, Bob Bennett, could present a problem for Scooter Libby, who has already talked to the grand jury.

ROBERT BENNETT, ATTORNEY FOR JUDITH MILLER: He discussed with Judy Mr. Wilson and Mr. Wilson's wife. If he told the grand jury that he didn't do that, then -- then I think there's an issue there.

BROWN: Karl Rove has testified as well, of course -- four times, to be exact. We don't know what he has said. We don't know what Mr. Libby said either. What we should know, in 11 days or less, is whether either of these White House power players will be indicted by a federal grand jury.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Judy Miller has the not-so-enviable starring role in two, maybe even three, dramas, political and legal and media. Neither her jail time, nor her grand jury testimony, has managed to diminish any of them. And, for some, her account of that testimony answers few questions and raises many more, some of which we put them to Bob Bennett, who you heard briefly from a moment ago and whom we spoke with earlier tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: I thought I read where you said you did not know if he -- if he, Mr. Libby, shared classified information with Judy Miller. And -- and I read her comments to be that, as she looks at her notes, it suggests that, he, in fact, did. Can you square that?

BENNETT: Well, you know, I have read Judy's description carefully and was, of course, with her when she was debriefed and prepared. And, I don't know what in there is clearly classified. Mr. Libby certainly did not disclose to Judy the name of Mr. Wilson's wife, nor did he tell her that she was a covert agent of the CIA. So, that would have been obviously classified. I do not know what, in the general des -- description of Mr. Wilson's activities, would be classified or not, nor did -- nor did Judy.

BROWN: Did he tell her that Ambassador Wilson's wife worked at the CIA?

BENNETT: He told her that Ambassador Wilson's wife, he understood, worked at an entity at the CIA known as WINPAC.And, then, in an earlier conversation, he mentioned, according to Judy's notes, that his wife worked at the bureau. And then there was that question mark by bureau, but which Judy took to mean the Central Intelligence Agency.

(CROSSTALK)

BENNETT: But not in a necessarily covert capacity.

BROWN: The -- the question of whether he tells her -- whether he says to her Valerie Plame is an interesting one. There is that part in her note that says "Valerie Flame." And she says she doesn't remember who told her that. And I think, to some people, it's a bit of a stretch to think that a -- a reporter as resourceful and capable and experienced as Ms. Miller would not remember who told her that.

BENNETT: Well, but I -- you have to understand the context, which has been lost in some of the reporting.In the same book where Judy had conversations with Mr. Libby, she had many other conversations in unrelated -- on unrelated subjects. And, in one of those back pages, there was a just -- with no context to it, there was that name, "Valerie Flame."And, so, I'm absolutely convinced that she -- she didn't remember.

BROWN: There's this exchange of letters between Mr. Tate, Mr. Libby's lawyer, and Mr. Abrams, I gather, through -- to Ms. Miller. And the question arises, does -- does it appear that Mr. Tate or Mr. Libby is coaching Judy Miller on what to say or what he would like her to say to the grand jury? That's been described, I think, by your client as troubling. What's your take on that?

BENNETT: I don't think either Judy or I concluded that either Mr. Libby or Mr. Tate was trying to coach Judy. But, having said that, Judy was troubled by it. And I was concerned about it, because I knew that, if Judy ever -- ever did testify, and this letter became public, as I knew it would, that people like you would be asking that question. So, this wasn't about protecting harm coming to a source. This was about a journalistic principle.And, once Judy was comfortable that she had a personal waiver from him, she was going to just tell the facts as they were, without regard to whether it helped or hurt him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Bob Bennett earlier today. Two more voices now -- our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield, and Alex Jones, a former "Times" man, currently director of the Joan Shorenstein Center For Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard.

BROWN: A mouthful, that.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: But it seems to fit the story.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: It's good to see you both. And we heard Mr. Bennett say that Ms. Miller's credibility hasn't been tarnished. I wonder, Alex, if you agree with that.

ALEX JONES, DIRECTOR, JOAN SHORENSTEIN CENTER FOR PRESS, POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY: I think that Judy Miller's credibility is really in play now. And I think, unfortunately, "The New York Times"'s credibility is right in play with her. And I think it's not because "The Times" was wrong in defending Judy, when she decided not to identify her source.

It is really not about that so much.

It's about all the things that have now come out because of this controversy.

On Sunday, "The New York Times" actually had three stories. It had a story that was written by reporters of "The New York Times" that went into the history of Judy Miller and "The New York Times" and her relationship with the Bush administration. It had her first-person account. It also had an op-ed column by Frank Rich, who is one "The New York Times"' columnists.

The thrust of all of this was to raise all kinds of questions about Judy and her relationship with the Bush administration, going well beyond the Scooter Libby affair. And it is very important, within "The New York Times" and to the sort of credibility of "The New York Times" as an institution with clear standards about reporting, that they get to the bottom of this.

BROWN: Let me -- I want to get back to "The Times," Jeff -- just one more thing on Judy here, who I think a lot of us have known for a while. At -- at some -- in some pieces she's written, she doesn't just describe an unnamed source, when she is referring to Mr. Libby. She really hides his identity. She describes him, I think, as a former congressional staffer.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Well, she had agreed to -- she never wrote about this, remember, which is one of the curious things.But she had agreed to protect him by describing him as a former Hill staffer.

BROWN: But that's misleading.

GREENFIELD: Yes, it is. Had -- and that has raised as many eyebrows as anything else, which is, at that point, you begin to say, well, this is not about the people's right to know, a whistle-blower whose identity is protected. It sounds to some people, particularly those who have been very critical about Judy Miller's reporting on the weapons of mass destruction, that she is somehow trying to actively protect a source, because either of a preexisting arrangement, because of her alliance with them on that WMD issue, because he was out to discredit Wilson as part of a broader plan, it now seems, the war between the Cheney office and the CIA about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. The more I hear about this story, let me just say, the curiouser and curiouser...

(LAUGHTER)

GREENFIELD: ... the whole thing gets.

BROWN: Ah, yes. I mean, even if there are no indictments -- I don't know if there will be -- you would love to get the final report from the prosecutor...

GREENFIELD: Yes.

BROWN: ... which you are not going to get.

GREENFIELD: Which he doesn't have to do...

BROWN: Right.

GREENFIELD: ... by the way.

BROWN: I'm not even sure he can do, by law. Back to "The Times" for a second. When you read the piece on Sunday, the reporting piece in "The Times," you get the feeling, they have a -- by the way, they take a few shots at Ms. Miller.

GREENFIELD: Oh, mercy.

BROWN: That they have a star reporter that their editors are afraid to control.

GREENFIELD: Well, it -- you -- you know, you don't have to read between the lines. You just read the lines. The new executive editor, Bill Keller, comes in after Howell Raines is forced out in the Jayson Blair affair. And he says to his reporters, the first thing -- one of the first things they did was to tell Judy Miller, you can't report on Iraq. You can't report on weapons of mass destruction. And, somehow, the boss says, she had a way of getting back to that story. Alex Jones worked there for nine years. If I make take your prerogative...

BROWN: Please.

GREENFIELD: Alex, do -- can you tell us what up with that?

JONES: I think that it's stinks. I can only tell you that the idea that a reporter at "The New York Times" would not be held more accountable than Judy was -- and I worked with Judy. I know her and I admire her. But I think "The New York Times" has got to get it -- you know, it's got to come clean on this. I think you're quite right, Jeff. She has portrayed herself as a reporter run amuck.

BROWN: Alex...

JONES: She said she was making a joke.

BROWN: ... what has come...

JONES: But I think it is really important that "The New York Times" address this and get all the way to the bottom of it, because one of the most disturbing things in that article, as far as I was concerned, was that Judy, essentially, would not allow the reporters to question her, would not allow them to see her notebook...

BROWN: Her notes.

JONES: ... that, apparently, has these words in it. I think that the -- you know, you can't run...

(CROSSTALK)

JONES: ... a news organization if you have got reporters who will not respond to the editors when they say, Judy, what is going on here? BROWN: Jeff, at this point, for "The Times," is the damage done? What does even come clean at this point mean to "The Times" anymore?

GREENFIELD: Well, it mean -- it may mean to take another swing at this, because -- because there are so many weird things. Let me just put one on the table. The whole deal that Bennett struck with Fitzgerald was, you can only talk about Libby because she is the only source -- he is the only source that gave her meaningful stuff.

BROWN: Right.

GREENFIELD: But she says, no. I got this name, which was fairly key, from somebody else that I can't quite remember. Talk about raised eyebrows. There are raised hairpieces about that one. I think that, if you add -- if you add this to the Jayson Blair thing, this has been a one-two punch for the paper of record that's -- that's -- I mean, I don't think they have ever gone through anything like this back to back in their existence.

BROWN: Gentlemen, thank you both. And that's -- underscores why this is all important. If it was, you know, "The Brownsville Daily" or something, no one would care. It is "The New York Times." And people care a lot. Up next, people in the Gulf -- nothing against Brownsville, honestly.

GREENFIELD: Letters.

BROWN: It's my name.

GREENFIELD: Here come the letters.

BROWN: And, well, it was like my name. That's all I was doing there. People in the Gulf could be waking up to yet another hurricane threat by morning -- Tropical Storm Wilma building strength.And, later, the victim of a beating and an attempted baby- snatching in the woods of Pennsylvania may not have been the attacker's only target. We will take a break on a Monday night. This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Tonight, a developing story. Tropical Storm Wilma, it is gaining speed and power in the Caribbean. There it is, Wilma. And it has all of us thinking the unthinkable once again.Tracking Wilma for us in Atlanta, CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Anderson, we are concerned about this storm. It's been growing in strength all day long.And now it's starting to grow in size, also. It was kind of unbalanced earlier in the day. Now it's becoming more symmetrical. So, that's sign that it's organizing itself and will likely gain intensity. It could very well become a hurricane by midday tomorrow at a Category 1 and possibly as strong as a major hurricane status. That's is a Category 3 or better.

Forecast track has it -- it's been stationary all day -- should start to drifting off to the west, we think, even later on tonight. There, you can see, 2:00 tomorrow, up to 75-mile-per-hour winds. So, that has it up to a hurricane, then starting to curve northward and heading near the Yucatan Peninsula.

If it stays through the Yucatan Channel, that will keep the intensity up even more. Then it's expected to take a sharp right-hand turn and head towards the Eastern Gulf Coast, still some uncertainty as to whether or not it will be hitting Florida. Right now, high pressure is blocking the storm from moving very much. And that's why it's been basically stalled out for today.

But we're expecting the winds to be changing Friday and through the weekend. And that would change the steering currents and bring Wilma closer towards Florida. It could miss it still altogether. We will let you know, as things continue to develop. But we're looking at maybe next weekend at the earliest for a landfall -- Anderson.

COOPER: This is probably a stupid question, Jacqui, but that -- that dramatic turn toward Florida, that would only be if those winds continue to blow eastward? Is that correct?

JERAS: If they begin to push in from the west, right, that would blow them -- blow the storm systems towards the Florida area. And it depends what time this will move in. But there's one good note here, also. These stronger upper-level winds will start to do what we call shear the storm and start to weaken it a little bit -- so, hopefully, not a major hurricane at landfall. We will have another update, by the way, coming in from the National Hurricane Center around the top of the hour. We will bring that to you then.

COOPER: Yes. What -- and what do you expect from that? I mean, how -- how -- how much information can you find out?

JERAS: Well, I haven't seen big changes in the models as they have been coming in through the evening, so, I'm not anticipating any big changes. But we will let you know if we see any kind of shift.

COOPER: All right. We will be on the air.

JERAS: OK.

COOPER: Jacqui, thanks.Our only hope is that Wilma will do no damage, no harm. We also hope it will be the last storm of a very long and deadly season, a season that ties a dubious record, of sorts, set more than 70 years ago. CNN's John Zarrella looks back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There it is. See that blob in the Caribbean?

GOV. JEB BUSH, (R) FLORIDA: Wa-wa, that's W.

ZARRELLA: That's right, Governor, W. for Wilma, yet another pain-in-the-neck storm Florida's Jeb Bush has to worry about.

BUSH: This storm is a volatile storm. We really don't know where it's going to go.

ZARRELLA: Not only volatile, historic, number 21. Since 1851, when record-keeping began, there has been only one other year, 1933, that saw 21 tropical storms and hurricanes form. This is the name-that-storm board at the National Hurricane Center. The spaghetti lines represent the paths of the 21 storms so far this year, beginning with Tropical Storm Arlene in early June. Dennis hit Florida's Panhandle in July.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can feel it right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go. Watch out for that aluminum.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Get back! Get back! Get back! It's coming apart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that. (INAUDIBLE) Look over there. Look over there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's coming apart.

ZARRELLA: Dennis left five people dead.Katrina made landfall in August. So far, the death toll stands at 1,271. Rita hit four weeks later, in September, killing 9. Now, here's the spaghetti bowl for 1933. But, no one really knows how many storms formed that year. There were no hurricane hunter planes, no satellites. Some storms might easily have gone completely undetected or...

RICHARD PASCH, HURRICANE FORECASTER: Or I do recall there was one case of a storm that perhaps may have been counted twice.

ZARRELLA: The eighth storm that year -- they weren't named back then, just numbered -- made landfall near Nags Head, North Carolina, moved inland and flooded Washington, D.C. With six weeks left in the hurricane season, there's still plenty of time to break the record with a number 22. (on camera): So what's the next name? Well, the Hurricane Center doesn't use U or Q or X, Y or Z. They'll start over with the Greek alphabet and Alpha. And that's never happened before. Imagine. We started the hurricane season with Arlene. We could end it with Alpha. John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Quick check now of some of the other stories that made news today. Christi Paul is in Atlanta. Good evening, Ms. Paul.

CHRISTI PAUL, HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Aaron. Good to see you. We start off with the president's job approval ratings. According to the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, they're continuing to fall. It shows, only 39 percent of Americans approve of how the president's handling his job. That's down from 45 percent on September 26; 58 percent say they disapprove of President Bush's job performance. That's up from 50 percent three weeks ago. Now, the survey has a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

In Texas, investigators have recommended 23 counts of criminal negligent homicide charges against the man who was driving a bus packed with Hurricane Rita evacuees. That bus erupted in flames last month near Dallas, you will remember. Twenty-three of the passengers, most of them nursing home residents, were killed.

And it is a big week for Iraq. On Wednesday, four days after a historic vote on the proposed constitution, the much anticipated trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will begin. The toppled dictator will first face charges of crimes against humanity for a 1982 case where civilians were allegedly rounded up, tortured and killed in a small town north of Baghdad. That's also where an attempt had been made to kill Hussein.

Finally, on a lighter note, Rocky Balboa is putting his boxing gloves back on. Yes, Sylvester Stallone is back for "Rocky 6," which he actually wrote and will direct himself. Shooting is scheduled to begin in December. Aaron, it will be interesting to see if he still has what it takes 30 years after the first one.

BROWN: Hey, if George Foreman can do it...(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: ... so can Sylvester Stallone.

PAUL: Why not.

BROWN: Thank you very much.

COOPER: He has got no teeth, no brain cells, but he's getting...

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: ... back in the ring.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: We will see. Still to come, with the president pitching hard for Harriet Miers, a new curveball late tonight. We will have a live report from Washington on that. Plus, living in a tent, eating hotdogs, washing dishes in a makeshift sink -- it is not camping trip. It is daily life for a family still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Katrina. That story when NEWSNIGHT continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Some breaking news now comes on a day when the White House tried to reintroduce the president's nominee to the Supreme Court. Safe to say this isn't what they had to mind. It centers on what Harriet Miers said, or didn't say, depending on whom you believe, to a top Republican in the Senate about a case involving birth control and the right to privacy. CNN's Ed Henry is following this late-breaking story, joins us now from Washington. Ed, what's the latest?

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, the White House tonight is denying this claim by Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter that Harriet Miers told him in a private meeting this afternoon that the 1965 ruling in Griswold vs. Connecticut was -- quote -- "rightly decided."

That's significant, because the Griswold case was the underpinning for legalized abortion in America, with the subsequent Roe v. Wade decision. So, Miers suggesting it was the correct decision could further erode her support with conservatives.

Now, Specter, who supports abortion rights, was unequivocal in telling me and several other reporters -- quote -- "She said she believes there's a right to privacy in the constitution and she believes Griswold was rightly decided."

A White House official tonight told me this was not true. Miers did not discuss the Griswold case with Specter, and the senator would, quote, "correct the comments. But Specter put out an official statement that did not exactly correct his comments. He revealed that Miers called him tonight to declare that the senator had, quote, "misunderstood what she said."

That explanation is raising some eyebrows among conservatives I spoke to tonight, like Jan Larou (ph) of Concerned Women for America. She's puzzled that Specter, known for being meticulous about Constitutional law, would have a miscommunication about such a seminal case.More interesting, this controversy comes the same day Miers told another senator, Chuck Schumer, that nobody knows how she'll vote on abortion.

That question sparked by this column in today's "Wall Street Journal," alleging that during a conference call with conservatives, two Texas judges declared Miers would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Now, conservatives on that call, like James Dobson, later announced their support for Miers. I spoke tonight as well to David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter, who has come out against Miers. And he told me the Specter matter suggests Miers is trying to play this abortion issue both ways. From what he -- Frum basically said, quote, "It's remarkable and disturbing that James Dobson would be left with the impression Harriet Miers completely agrees with his position against Roe, and that Arlen Specter was left with the impression she agrees with his position on Roe."

The bottom line, this is just yet another cloud in a confirmation battle already stormy, Anderson.

COOPER: Well, a couple questions. Why would Harriet Miers have conversation with Arlen Specter? Because all along, they have been saying, I think what the White House is saying, is that she's not discussing specifics on any case, or says she hasn't made up her mind about particular cases. Is that correct?

HENRY: You're absolutely right. She's having this meeting because she's been doing meet-and-greets with lawmakers in both parties. Specter, as chairman, is obviously a key lawmaker on this.It was stunning that she would talk about a specific case, as you suggest. Now, of course, the White House is insisting she did not talk about a specific case.

But I can tell you, I was standing there with Arlen Specter. He -- this is his ninth or 10th Supreme Court battle. Unequivocally, twice, he said that she believes that Griswold was rightly decided. He said it twice.So you have to -- you know, who do you believe? A Republican chairman, or the White House? This is going to be a very interesting dispute, and it's very delicate for the White House, because they don't want to antagonize Specter, who's going to be overseeing these big hearings.

COOPER: And I know you said it once, but just repeat it, the White House had said that he was going to come out with a new statement correcting himself, but his new statement doesn't really correct himself, does it?

HENRY: It doesn't really correct it. When you read it very closely, he basically says, OK, I'll take Harriet Miers at her word that I, Arlen Specter, misunderstood what she said.The White House is saying, She said no such thing. Arlen Specter is saying, I misunderstood what she said, again, indicating that she said Griswold was rightly decided.So clearly, to me, not a correction, maybe a clarification. But this is not the last you've heard of this story, Anderson.

COOPER: A lot more tomorrow. Ed, thanks. Ed Henry.Up next, from a faked pregnancy, to a second potential victim. More disturbing details emerge from an attempted womb-snatching in Ford City, Pennsylvania. Hard to imagine.And later, most shelters have long been emptied, but FEMA estimates up to 600,000 people now living in hotels. And guess what? You're footing the bill, about $11 million a day. Is it the best solution to housing Katrina's homeless? We'll investigate. This is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, a big sign of recovery in New Orleans. We'll tell you about that in just a moment.But first, here's a look at what's happening at this moment.

Tropical storm Wilma's gaining strength in the Caribbean. Could be another danger for folks living all along the Gulf Coast. The latest projections have it heading toward Florida. Wilma is the 21st named storm in the Atlantic this season. Hard to believe, tying the record for named storms set in 1933.

Top civilian employee of the U.S. Coast Guard may have been the source of leaked information concerning a threat to the New York transit system. CNN has learned that the employee has been reassigned and his security clearance revoked, and a second person is also under investigation. The e-mail warned of a potential attack earlier this month. The information is now believed to have been part of a hoax.

In Greece, a case of the bird flu. European Union officials there say that a strain of the disease has been found on one of the Greek isles. Tests are being done to determine if it is the deadly form. Health officials fear it will turn into a pandemic. The E.U. is preparing to ban the movement of live poultry and poultry products from the infected area in Greece.

And the National Zoo's giant panda cub has a name, Meet Tai Shan, a name picked through the votes of the zoo's Web site. It means peaceful mountain, apparently. The name was announced at a ceremony marking 100 days since the cub was born.

BROWN: On to other matters.We are learning more tonight about Peggy Jo Conner, the Pennsylvania woman accused of beating her pregnant neighbor with a baseball bat, then slashing her womb open with a knife, allegedly trying to steal her baby. Ms. Conner is being held without bail, charged with attempted homicide and two counts of aggravated assault.But might there have been another, at least potential victim, another woman allegedly targeted?Reporting for us tonight, CNN's Randi Kaye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This woman is afraid for her safety and the safety of her children. She asked not to be identified but is coming forward and says she plans to go to authorities, because she believes Peggy Jo Conner is dangerous, and may have been planning to steal her baby.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She would just sit there, like, stand there and stare at my stomach. And it was -- it was scary.

KAYE: Police believe Conner cut open her pregnant neighbor in an attempt to steal her unborn baby. The prosecutor tells NEWSNIGHT Conner has made statements incriminating herself, but has not entered a plea.Also, victim Valerie Oskin told police it was Conner who attacked her in both Oskin's trailer home and in the woods.The public defender's office tells CNN they have no comment.Seventeen-year-old Adam Silvis, riding an all-terrain vehicle, spotted the women in these remote woods.

ADAM SILVIS, WITNESS: When I first saw it, I knew it was, you know, foul play, because it just -- it was very suspicious happening. The lady acted really weird. I mean, she came around the front of car and she was, like, Everything's fine here.

KAYE: Silvis, now credited with likely saving Oskin's life, called police after he saw her bleeding.

SILVIS: She didn't mumble as if she was cold, and she wanted a warm shower. So I went back and I got blankets and stuff and brought it back there. And this entire time, the lady that is charged with it just sat on the hood of the car and just hollows, just acted like nothing was going on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don't know what happened to her.

KAYE: Like Oskin, this mother of two also lived next door to Conner in Ford City, Pennsylvania. They were friends until, as she tells it, Conner started making up stories about being pregnant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She told me she was pregnant. She was due at the end of July. And it turned out that she wasn't pregnant, because she wasn't showing. She wasn't -- she wasn't nothing.

KAYE: This woman says, each time she got pregnant, Conner would claim to be pregnant too, their due dates coincidentally just weeks apart. She says Conner's babies never came, and that Conner became aggressive, calling around repeatedly, trying to find her phone number and new address, since she had moved away. The woman says she never returned Conner's calls, but saw her in town just days before investigators say Conner attacked Oskin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She didn't say really even not a whole lot, but she was staring at my son, and then she said, Well, I got to go.

KAYE: Conner had announced she was pregnant eight months ago, but the prosecutor says medical tests show Conner is not pregnant, nor was she. There's no evidence of a miscarriage.But Thomas Wilks remembers Conner showing him a sonogram picture he thought was their baby.

THOMAS WILKS, CONNER'S HUSBAND: I put my hands on the stomach, and it would move. And then the baby would kick. I'd lay my head on her stomach, and my head would move where the baby would kick.

KAYE (on camera): So there's no doubt in your mind that she was carrying a baby.

WILKS: Yes.

KAYE: So how do you explain authorities now saying that she wasn't pregnant?

WILKS: I don't know. I guess she was lying to me.

KAYE (voice-over): Wilks says until Conner tells him she did it, he won't believe it.

WILKS: I can't sleep. I can't eat. I'm sick to my stomach. Nervous. I want my wife to come home.

KAYE: Wilks says she never harmed or intended to harm anyone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Tonight, the victim, Valerie Oskin, is breathing on her own and improving. Her little boy is doing great, the prosecutor tells me. This evening, investigators were planning to meet with Oskin to try and get more information from her about the attack.

She's already told them Peggy Jo Conner is the assailant, but they will need more details.Conner is set to be arraigned this Friday.

The judge will weigh some the evidence at that time.I spoke with the prosecutor earlier, Aaron. He tells me they are confident they have the right person behind bars, that Peggy Jo Conner confirmed for police what they thought happened. Right now, Conner is not allowed to talk with visitors, so it's impossible to get her side of the story. Not even her lawyer is talking.

BROWN: Has she been evaluated psychiatrically?

KAYE: Not as of yet. Right now, just this morning, as a matter of fact, her public defender was assigned. She had to apply for this person to help her. And certainly, in the coming days ahead, they do expect to evaluate her. And she is expected to appear in court on Friday.

BROWN: Randi, thank you. Randi Kaye in Atlanta tonight.Still to come, it wasn't supposed to be like this. But then, many of life's carefully laid plans are washed away, many of them by Katrina. One family tries to make sense of life in a tent nearly two months after the storm.Take a break. This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, for the first time since Katrina, a school in the French Quarter of New Orleans reopened today, just another sign of recovery in the city. Some students arriving there getting their first hugs or settling down in class.The same cannot be said about one Mississippi town. More than six weeks after the hurricane, the people of Pearlington (ph) are still waiting for help and waiting for a place to call home again.CNN's Gary Tuchman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Life is supposed to be as sweet as this music when you're 4 years old. But Alissa LeMoine's (ph) life has taken a detour because of Hurricane Katrina, as her mother, Mandy, well knows.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never thought that, almost two months later, we would still be in a tent.

TUCHMAN: The LeMoines' house was destroyed by Katrina, so they've been living in this tent ever since. Their small town of Pearlington, Mississippi, was at the epicenter of the hurricane. Most of the 4,000 people who lived here are now homeless, many living in tents.FEMA's providing campers to some homeless families. But the LeMoines are among those still waiting.(on camera): What do you think about living in a tent?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's pretty strange.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really want them to have a warm bath and a bed of their own that they can lay in instead of having to sleep in the heat outside in a tent.

TUCHMAN: While her husband is working, Mandy makes dinner in what has become the kitchen. Alissa and her 7-year-old sister, Glenda, wash up in a makeshift sink.County employees are helping FEMA get the campers here quicker, but that's not been easy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have problems with water wells, sewage, clearing a place for the trailer to actually set.

ROCKY PULLMAN, HANCOCK COUNTY BOARD: We're having problems with water wells, sewage, clearing a place for the trailer to actually set.

TUCHMAN: In the seven weeks since Katrina struck, Mandy hasn't seen her destroyed house. Because her car was totaled, we offered to give her and her daughters a ride the see their home. But there is another house blocking the road.(on camera): This is your grandparents' home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that was on this road over here.

TUCHMAN: So it was on this road, and it blew into the middle of the street.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): So we end up walking through a field.(on camera): Be careful, Alissa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I told you to let me carry you.

TUCHMAN: Let me help you up.(voice-over): We arrive. And while the house is moved off the foundation, from the outside, it doesn't look so bad. But we haven't been inside yet.The door is jammed. So Mandy's father asks me to help him kick it in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.

TUCHMAN: Right away, the full scope of the disaster is apparent. The inside is destroyed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fish tank is in the living room that was in our room. Thank God we weren't here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mommy, where is my bunny?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baby, your bunny is not salvageable. Look at what the house looks like.

TUCHMAN: Indeed, most of this family's belongings are not salvageable. But some things are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look what I found, you guys. Whose is this? Is this yours, Alissa?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

TUCHMAN: There have been few good times since Katrina struck. It's been easy to fall into despair.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want my children to think that I'm falling apart, you know, for -- because of this. Some nights when my girls aren't here, I just sit and cry.

TUCHMAN: And now they wait and hope their camper comes soon, so they can say good-bye to life in a tent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Tonight, members of the LeMoine family are sleeping under the stars again. Mandy LeMoine tells me she did have a conversation with a FEMA official, who told her that FEMA camper would arrive within four days. But not very encouragingly, that conversation was five days ago, Anderson.COOPER: And any call back from FEMA, or any explanation why it hasn't arrived?

TUCHMAN: They haven't heard back from FEMA just yet, but they're hoping tomorrow, on the sixth day, that maybe it comes.

COOPER: Yes. Great story. Gary, thank you very much. Let's hope they get at least a trailer soon.When we return, the people of Pearlington aren't the only ones still waiting for a permanent place to call home. Why is it taking so long to find housing? Where is FEMA, and who's picking up the tab? Answers ahead on NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: It's been seven weeks since Hurricane Katrina, and almost a quarter of a million evacuees are now out of shelters. But getting them out has been complicated and expensive, as you might imagine. Many have been placed in motels at a cost to taxpayers -- that would be you -- at $11 million, not a week, or a month, but a day.Here's CNN's Rick Sanchez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the hurricanes forced an ocean of people out of their homes, the images were startling, one highway after another with people walking on them, driving on them, stuck on them.So where are those people now? They fanned out to cities across the Southeast and Southwest. And according to FEMA, you are paying for them to live in hotels, and the tab is running, big-time, a staggering $11 million a day. And if you don't like it, you should know the hotel homeless say they don't like it either.

FRANCES LANDRY, KATRINA VICTIM: Because I work, I pay my taxes, I send my kids to school, I teach them, you know, I teach them things. And my fiance is in Kuwait. So don't tell me that America doesn't love me, and don't tell me that I'm a freeloader.

SANCHEZ: Frances Landry lost her home in New Orleans, wrecked, uninhabitable, but she's still paying her mortgage. Lesley Hayley is in the same boat. But she has the added burden of new medical bills for her son, who suddenly developed seizures.(on camera): What caused the seizures?

LESLEY HAYLEY, KATRINA VICTIM: Being displaced, living in a hotel.

SANCHEZ: Frances and Lesley are just two of what FEMA estimates to be 600,000 Katrina evacuees living in hotels. It is not ideal. In fact, one official calls the hotel situation a bridge to nowhere.

VICE ADM. THAD ALLEN, FEMA: It is difficult. There's been a large dispersion of evacuees that transcends any event that this country has witnessed in recent history.

SANCHEZ (on camera): Sure enough, say city and state officials, like those here in Georgia, where an estimated 60,000 evacuees are now residing. But they also ask one question, Why hotels? Why not apartments, which are far less expensive, and, here, plentiful?

MAYOR SHIRLEY FRANKLIN, ATLANTA: We've been talking to FEMA since the storm, offering to assist. And they -- I mean, it's like talking to a brick wall. We identified over 1,000 affordable units in our city.

SANCHEZ: So how did FEMA get into the $300 million-a-month mess? In large part, a source inside FEMA tells us it's because they were in a hurry to empty the shelters that were becoming a powerful reminder of chaos for the Bush administration.But many ended up in hotels where you, the taxpayer, are picking up the tab, an average of $59 a night times the number of rooms to accommodate the 600,000 people. It's a mission even the U.S. military is having a tough time tackling.

ALLEN: Our goal is to find these people, make sure we understand what their status is, what community they came from, and best match their near-term housing needs as we transition them back to a permanent home.

SANCHEZ: The transition was supposed to include 30,000 housing trailers, but so far they've only been able to come up with about a third of those. They're also hoping to set up a voucher system so displaced residents can pay for apartments. The government used such a system after the earthquake in Northridge, California.As for Frances Landry, she, like many others from New Orleans, is asking, What next?

LANDRY: I mean, I still have to pay a mortgage. I still have bills. And I have no job.

SANCHEZ: And she's struggling to get a job, because her work record was washed away in the floods. So all she has is a hotel room paid for by FEMA in an extraordinarily expensive government program that was only intended to last a couple of weeks. But yet, somehow, they're still running the tab.Rick Sanchez, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Much more ahead on the program tonight. We're following a story out of Massachusetts where a dam is straining under the load. Evacuations there.Also, in the wake of Katrina, e-mails obtained by CNN detailing confusion and chaos inside the federal government. No!And later, the drug problem you might want to ask your parents about, or perhaps your grandparents.We'll take a break first. Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Tropical Storm Wilma Headed for Gulf of Mexico; Wife of TV Legal Analyst Found Slain; State of Emergency Declared in Taunton, Massachusetts

Aired October 17, 2005 - 23:00 ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is NEWSNIGHT with Aaron Brown and Anderson Cooper.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good evening. Thanks for joining us in this hour of NEWSNIGHT. A lot to cover tonight.

Let's check what's happening at this moment.The bird flu virus is spreading. Today it was detected on a turkey in Greece. Officials are investigating whether it is the feared deadly strain. Bird flu has also been reported in Romania and in Turkey. To date, the virus has killed more than 60 people in Asia.

Fallout over false terror threats, CNN has learned that a Coast Guard employee admitted leaking information about a possible attack on the New York subway system. It turned out to be false. That Coast Guard employee has been reassigned and his security clearance revoked.

Renewing the push for Harriet Miers, the White House is trying to build support for the Supreme Court Justice nominee. Today, President Bush hailed her as a pioneer of law. He was backed up by six current and former Texas justices who also vouched for Miers. Many conservatives are not convinced she's the best choice for the job.

And nixing a deal. Representative Tom DeLay's lawyer says the indicted congressman turned down a plea agreement that would have let him keep his job as House majority leader. DeLay is charged with money laundering and criminal conspiracy. His lawyer says the Texas prosecutor offered him a deal to plead to guilty to a misdemeanor. The prosecution has not yet confirmed that.

AARON BROWN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Sometimes it seems the time between congressional scandals can be measured roughly in nanoseconds. On the other hand, the last time we've seen so many named tropical storms in a single season -- 21, FDR was president. Just moments ago, the National Hurricane Center issued an update on the latest storm, Wilma. And actually there are some starting developments. Here, our meteorologist on watch, Jacqui Jeras, joins us from Atlanta. Good evening.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good evening, Aaron. Good evening, everyone.

Getting stronger now, Wilma's now packing winds of 65 miles per hour, making it a strong tropical storm. And we think it will be a hurricane by tomorrow. We've also seen a bit a shift in the forecast in the forecast track, which is bringing it a little bit farther to the right, keeping it closer towards Cuba, rather than into the Yucatan Peninsula. What this is going to do will likely bring it through the channel. If it stays over open water, that will allow it to be a stronger hurricane, as it doesn't interact with the land, to weakening the storm system. We are expecting it then to take a right-hand hook and possibly affect Florida late in the weekend or early next week. Now there's still a fair amount of uncertainty as to exactly where it's going to go. We could get lucky and see it move through the Florida straights and miss Florida all together. Or it could go a little bit farther on up to the north, depending on when that turn takes place. Either way, it looks like there's going to be a strong hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of the week -- Aaron.

BROWN: But just given how much has changed today, honestly, since we've been talking about this. We've got a long way to go before we can say with any certainty how this is going to play out.

JERAS: Absolutely. It's been a very slow-moving system. It was basically stalled out all day today. And just now in the past couple of hours, we've seen it start to drift off to the west. That's what we expected it to do. So we're getting higher confidence on this westerly than northerly turn that it's expected to take.

BROWN: Jacqui, thank you. Jacqui Jeras, in Atlanta tonight.

COOPER: I'm so sick of these storms. It's enough. Enough already. The next one after this, of course, would be Alpha, because they're going to go --

BROWN: Back to the beginning?

COOPER: Back the beginning, exactly. It all goes back to the beginning.We're following a developing story out of northern California, also at this hour, involving the murder of a prominent defense attorney's wife. She was found beaten to death in their Sprawling home over the weekend. And there are a lot of questions tonight. There is one thing for sure -- the killer is still on the loose. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 52-year old Pamela Vitale died a violent death.

JIMMY LEE, CONTRA COSTA SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The cause of death is listed as blunt force trauma to the head. The manner of death is listed as homicide.

GUTIERREZ: It happened Saturday, in the remote hills east of Oakland, at the home of Attorney and Television Legal Analyst Daniel Horowitz.

LEE: As far as the investigation goes, no one is under arrest. We have nobody in custody right now.

GUTIERREZ: Horowitz discovered his wife's body at the entrance of the mobile home where they lived temporarily. He immediately called 911.

MIKE FISHER, CHIEF, LAFAYETTE POLICE DEPARTMENT: It was a telephone call. Mr. Horowitz had actually called into the sheriff's department dispatch to report that there had been a murder.

GUTIERREZ: The couple had been married for 10 years, and friends say they were happy together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They loved each other with all their hearts. Pamela was Daniel's wife, but more than that, she was obviously his best friend.

GUTIERREZ: Horowitz and his wife were living in this mobile home while their 7,000 square foot mansion was under construction, atop this mountain. (on camera): Just four months ago, the couple filed this restraining order against one of their tenants, Joseph Lynch, alleging he was threatening and creating an atmosphere of violence and conflict on their four-acre parcel of land. (voice-over): Police have not named any suspects in the murder, but they say they are talking to a wide variety of people, including Joseph Lynch.

LEE: We've also interviewed Mr. Joseph Lynch. He has been very cooperative.

GUTIERREZ: According to Horowitz, they did not pursue the temporary restraining order because they were worried that might make matters worse. Lynch told CNN any allegations that he might have been connected to the murder are, quote, "ridiculous." He says he and the victim were friends. So now the man who made a name for himself talking about murder cases is tragically the subject of a high profile murder, himself. Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Martinez, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, as you just heard, Mr. Horowitz, is a legal analyst for several cable TV networks. He is also a frequent guest on Nancy Grace's show "Headline News." Nancy talked to him just yesterday, and she joined me earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: How much of the conversation with David Polk can you tell us about?

NANCY GRACE, CNN HEADLINE PRIMES "NANCY GRACE": Daniel tells me, as do his friends and co-workers, that he was with them that afternoon working on the Susan Polk trial throughout Saturday and then came home to discover Pamela. His voice was somewhere between a whisper and a voice. Yesterday he was on his way back to the scene to go through the scene with the police. And I want to point out right now, Anderson, there are a lot of fingers being pointed. And traditionally in the homicide of a woman, you look at the spouse, the boyfriend, the ex-spouse, the lover. And naturally, police will take a look at Daniel, but he has been totally cooperative with them and has been with them night and day. This is such a blow. And when I last spoke to him, Anderson, his last words were -- she is the love of my life.

COOPER: Did he talk at all about any threats that he or she had received? I mean obviously he works with criminal defendants. You know, it's a hazardous line of work. Could this possibly be work- related?

GRACE: That is an alternative that I think police are exploring. Right now, he's currently involved in a very high profile trial -- a mistrial just declared today. The Susan Polk murder case. When prosecutors and defense attorneys choose to enter criminal law, we unwittingly expose our families and our friends, our loved ones to an element we may not normally associate with -- dopers, rats, snitches, killers.

You rub shoulders with them every day.

They become part of the fabric of your life. And it is very hard to disassociate that from your home.

The reality is, I know that Daniel very often carried a weapon. I know that he had guns in the home. He had dogs there in the home. He also had about a six foot fence around his new property. I think that will be an alternative of investigation. I think that neighbors, such as they are in this circumstance, Anderson. This new home was situated up on a hill. It was very difficult to get to. Such as a neighbor would be, is someone they will look at. But I can tell you this, Anderson, due to the remote area of the home, I do not think this was a random killing. You had to know where the home was, know who Pamela was, to affect this crime. This is not a drive-by, steal the VCR and leave.

COOPER: You're in an odd position. I mean, you know the people involved in this. Does it change it reporting on it for you?GRACE: Knowing them? I feel that it doesn't change the way I look at it. It gives me more knowledge. I can tell you this, Anderson, he is a tiger in the courtroom. Outside the courtroom, I've never met a more gentle person, ever. I don't see Daniel being any part of this whatsoever. If you could have heard his voice, Anderson, I think that said it all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: The murder of Daniel Horowitz's wife comes as he was defending another wife in another very high profile murder case. Her name is Susan Polk. and before a mistrial was declared today, she stood trial for stabbing her millionaire husband to death. There was never any question that she did it. The only question is why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): They met in 1972. Susan was just 15. She was cutting school and her parents were getting a divorce. Concerned, they sent her to a psychologist, 42-year old Felix Polk. Within a year, she says, the two were having sex. Felix eventually left his wife and two kids and in 1982 married Susan. She was 25 years old.

SUSAN POLK, ACCUSED OF STABBING HUSBAND: He was my psychotherapist at the time. What I really needed help with was like tutoring and, you know, getting prepared for school.COOPER: That's Susan Polk now. She's 47, has three kids and is in jail, accused of killing her husband.POLK: My recollection is that I stabbed him five or six times.

COOPER: As she got older, she says, she grew more ashamed of their relationship and felt guilty for breaking up Felix's first marriage. She filed for divorce.

POLK: He told me I could never leave him because of what I might say, that it would destroy his career.

COOPER: What happened next depends on whom you ask. Prosecutors allege Susan attacked her 70-year old husband, stabbing him 27 times. But Susan says she was acting in self-defense, that they were having a fight and he came after her with a knife.

POLK: I was lying there and for this instant, I thought of myself as that 15-year-old girl. And I thought, no, I'm not going to die here. I'm going to live. And I kicked him as hard as I could with the heel of my foot in his groin and at the very same time I reached up and his hand just loosened on the knife. And it was a very small knife and I just took it out of his hand and I said, stop, I have the knife. And he wouldn't stop.

COOPER: The prosecution relied on Susan's son, Gabriel, who found Felix Polk's body. He told the grand jury he heard his mother threaten to kill his father a week before the murder.But Susan's son, Eli, tells a different story.

ELI POLK, SUSAN POLK'S SON: I know it was self-defense because I know my dad. I knew who he was. And I know my mom. And there's no way, there's just no way.

COOPER: The trial began last week with Renowned Attorney Daniel Horowitz, defending Susan Polk.

DANIEL HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You have a woman who was essentially raped at age 15, 16, 17, 18, by her own psychiatrist because he used his position of trust and power. Instead of helping her, he used it to form a relationship.

COOPER: Today, the judge declared a mistrial because in a bizarre twist that sounds like something out of a made-for-TV movie, Horowitz's wife, Pamela Vitale, was found dead Saturday. Herself, the victim of a homicide.Back in court, Susan Polk cried today when the judge postponed her trial until December 2. It's a delay in what she has called the fight for her life.

POLK: My life is on the line, you know. And I guess at some point we have to decide in our lives whether we're going to have courage or not. You know, what are we made of? You know, am I going to just go down without a fight? No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)COOPER: Ivan Golde serves as co-counsel on the Polk case. He's also a good friend of Daniel Horowitz. He joins me now from San Francisco. Thanks very much for being with us.You said that Daniel was worried about his safety, that he was armed because of his clients. He defends killers and drug dealers, dangerous criminals. Do you think that any of his cases had something to do with this crime?

IVAN GOLDE, FRIEND OF DANIEL HOROWITZ: Let me just say this, that could be a possibility, but I want to say that I think it is inappropriate for me to specifically to comment on the investigation. The Contra Costa Sheriff's Department is doing an excellent job. They are putting forth all of their resources into this investigation. We are all grieving with Dan, Dan's family, Pamela's family. It would be inappropriate for me to speculate on the investigation.

COOPER: They have said he is being very cooperative.

GOLDE: Of course he is. Of course he is. He wants to solve this crime. We need to bring this person to justice. If anybody out there knows anything, please come forward to the Contra Costa Sheriff's Department. Please, we must solve this crime. Please.

COOPER: Pamela Vitale was found outside I guess a trailer on their property. They're renovating their house. What kind of a woman was she?

GOLDE: Pamela Vitale was a beautiful, wonderful, smart, selfless, generous woman. She was so kind. Her and Dan were so in love. Their worlds revolved around each other. I would be in the office on a daily basis and they would call back and forth every hour. They would constantly talk. No matter what was going on, Pamela would call Dan and Dan would call Pamela. They were perfect for each other. That's why this is so sad and so tragic. She was a wonderful woman and Dan is grieving very hard.

COOPER: And what does this mean for the Polk case? A mistrial was declared today. Will you and Daniel continue to represent Susan Polk?

GOLDE: I hope so. I hope so. As soon as this person is brought to justice, Dan Horowitz and myself will walk back into court and finish the job we started. We have spent endless hours with Susan Polk and working on this case to the exclusion of everything. We have dedicated our entire lives to this case and we want to finish the job we started. Susan Polk is innocent. And the two of us want to go back into court and prove her innocence. And we will do that. We will do that.

COOPER: Ivan, thanks for joining us tonight.

GOLDE: Thank you, very much.

COOPER: A lot coming up in this hour. A state of emergency in Taunton, Massachusetts. Hundreds of homes threatened by a possible dam collapse after days of heavy rains. That is the dam. We'll have a live report with the very latest. Also later tonight, 130 million Americans commute to work every day by car, an extraordinary cost. Just how expensive is your commute, do you think? We're going to break it down for you mile by mile. Coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Minute by minute, that's how closely authorities have been watching a timber dam on the Mill River in Taunton, Massachusetts. That's about a half hour to the south of Boston. At this moment, some of the danger may be easing. But if the dam goes, so might another farther down stream. So no one is taking chances. Tonight, we're joined from Taunton now by CNN's Adaora Udoji. Good evening to you.

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Aaron. You're right.

Tonight you have 2,000 people here in Taunton who are very worried, not knowing whether or not tomorrow they're going to have a house to go home to or whether or not they're going to be -- their homes are going to be swallowed up by those flood waters.

Because as you said, right now the Mill River is at very high levels. And it's being held back by the Wintonton (ph.) Pond Dam. It's a 200-year old dam and it's already buckled.

The mayor has called for a state of emergency. He has also issued a voluntary evacuation order. Hundreds of businesses and homes were evacuated today, including some elderly housing developments.

But late tonight, as you said, they are -- officials are optimistically, cautiously optimistic that the dam will hold and that is because the water levels have stabilized and they're saying that the dam is fine; however, they just don't know how much damage it has sustained. And that is why they are keeping that evacuation order until 8:00 a.m. in the morning. And some residents have really applauded the way the mayor has handled this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't blame him. I would too. I'd be erring out on the side of caution too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think these dams should have been fixed a long time ago and I would have fixed it a long time ago and we wouldn't be in this situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UDOJI: Now the hope is that since the water has stabilized, that it will begin to recede and then in the morning in they can go take a look and assess the damage and make any repairs if it is necessary. But, Aaron, some really anxious times for the folks here in Taunton.

BROWN: Is it just made of wood? Is that what the dam's made of?

UDOJI: It's made of timber, asphalt and concrete. And again, it's almost 200 years old. Apparently they had a scare in 1968 -- another incident where the river had risen very high and they were concerned that it would break then. There were some changes that were made to the dam. There were some repairs that were made to it and then ensuing decades, they haven't had to come this close to any concerns about flooding from the dam.

BROWN: Adaora, thank you. Adaora Udoji in Massachusetts, tonight. Thank you.

COOPER: Heading to New Orleans tomorrow and we're going to look at the levees there because, you know, we all thought in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, they're going to rebuild the levees, you know, bigger and stronger and better. It turns out they're rebuilding them just exactly the same way.

BROWN: Well, eventually they'll build them bigger and stronger and better.

COOPER: Yes, eventually, when?

BROWN: Yes.

COOPER: That's the question. Anyway, we'll look at that tomorrow. Time now to check on some of the other stories making headlines with Christi Paul in Atlanta. Hi Christi.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Anderson. We start off in Toledo, Ohio, where it's been a quiet day and night. Violence erupted over the weekend as members of a white supremacist group marched through a racially mixed neighborhood. Now marchers said they aimed to call attention to the issue of black crime. More than 100 people were arrested and 12 officers injured -- one seriously.

Near Eau Claire, Wisconsin, a community in mourning. Five people were killed and 30 injured when a charter bus carrying students returning from the state marching band competition crashed into an overturned semi truck. The high school's band director, his wife and his granddaughter were among those killed.


And rapes are up again. The FBI says the number of rapes has increased in three of the past four years. They went up .8 percent from 2003 to 2004. Now the good news is that the agency says murders and the number of overall violent crimes were down.

And finally, how about some dolphin therapy when you're expecting? Scientists in Peru believe that dolphin calls may benefit prenatal children. They say the sounds can promote the development of baby senses by stimulating brain activity while the fetus is still developing. I'll keep that in mind. Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Christi, thanks very much. Aaron's saying that --

BROWN: No. That's -- no. No.

COOPER: Okay.

BROWN: No. I mean, it doesn't -- that's something that God works. No.

COOPER: You should --

BROWN: I know. Thank you. I appreciate that. You should believe this too, you should be careful about the e-mails you send. You never know who may end up reading them. Sometimes that's a bad thing, but when the e-mails are from government officials and it involves a hurricane named Katrina, you want to know what they've been saying. And in this case, they have been saying a lot.Here's Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Feuding and fumbling over the response to Katrina, documented in many of the e-mails obtained by CNN. FEMA Head Mike Brown's deputy chief of staff casts scorn on the creation of an interagency crisis group by the White house. "

Let them play their little raindeer (sic) games as long as they are not turning around and tasking us with their stupid questions."When Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff designates Brown principal federal officer, putting him in charge over the relief effort, Brown perceives it as step down.

Demote the undersecretary to principal federal officer? FEMA press secretary Sharon Worthy wrote Brown. "What about the precedent being set? What does this say about executive management and leadership in the agency?" Brown's one word response, "Exactly."


Brown's whereabouts are unknown at times. When FEMA's lead official in Mississippi is told that General Russel Onoray (ph), in charge of the military response to Katrina needs to speak with Brown very badly, he responds: Not here in Mississippi. Is in Louisiana, as far as I know.FEMA's scramble for supplies and personnel is evident. "

Food is also critical. Need MRE and/or heater meals if you have any," one FEMA official writes. "Know Florida is providing law enforcement. Need all you can send... Have used Dixie Co. body bags (250) got more?"

Several e-mails indicate the media was a factor in decision making. August 31, Brown writes about Base Aid Lewis (ph). "CNN asking where's FEMA. Would like to air drop or do something there."

Another official responds, "I am afraid we have built expectations over the year that might not be achievable for this catastrophic event."

(on camera): The Department of Homeland Security says some of the e-mails are not consistent with the facts and that they give only a small glimpse of a much larger picture. Expect chapter and verse from Michael Chertoff when he is quizzed about the e-mails before a congressional committee on Wednesday. Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: And we'll be watching that very closely on Wednesday. Coming up, millions of Americans spend hundreds of hours a year stuck in traffic. You do too. We take a look at your commute and the toll it takes on your budget.And later, a new forecast track for Wilma and it is not pretty for the people of Florida. We'll have details when NEWSNIGHT continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well now, pay what you pay for an apartment in New York, or Washington or Seattle for that matter, and the idea of living in your car may sound like paradise -- or at least it did. The car may be roomier, but it's not cheaper anymore. Not really. Even the president is asking people to drive less if they can. So can they?CNN's Tom Foreman -- he'll be trying all week long.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Americans want to go anywhere, nine times out of 10, they hop into the car, flip on the radio and stop on the gas. The Census Bureau says 130 million Americans commute this way.

For me, on this, the first day of our commuting experiment, it's 10 miles from my house in the suburbs to our offices near the capitol and I am king of my domain.

(on camera): The advantage to driving a car is obvious. You have complete control. You can adjust the music, you can pick news if you want to. You can change the climate inside the car. and you can change directions with a moment's notice.

(voice-over): The cost, however, is extraordinary. We spend about 47 hours a year just sitting in traffic. Sitting. Burning 9 billion gallons of fuel while we're at it. That's 800 times the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez. Add up vehicle price, depreciation, fuel, repairs, insurance, and depending on the type of car you have, we're paying from 32 to 52 cents for every mile you drive. AAA's Mantil Williams says you can make it cheaper.

MANTIL WILLIAMS, AAA: You can save really as much as $500 per year just by doing proper maintenance, but the most significant thing that you could do in terms of conserving fuel and saving money is change your vehicle. And most people aren't able to do that.

FOREMAN: And the options are quite limited. Hybrid cars, while increasingly popular, account for only a fraction of overall auto sales. Solar, electric and fuel cell autos have yet to become fully practical for obvious reasons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very enjoyable when you --

FOREMAN: So Phil Mitchell is delighted. He sells Vespas, those trendy little scooters. And September was spectacular. (on camera): So how popular are these things right now?

PHIL WILLIAMS, VESPA WASHINGTON: When the gasoline got above $3 a gallon, people were calling from the gas stations and saying do you still have those Vespas? You can fill up a Vespa for $5 or $6 and you're going to get 100 plus miles out of that tank full. Plus you're having fun.

FOREMAN: When I bought my SUV seven years ago, with a wife and two kids, the whole family thought it was a lot of fun. Now, when this is empty, it can take around $60 to fill it up now. (voice-over): But what else can you do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today the automobile is part of any American scene.

FOREMAN: Ever since Da Vinci wrote down his ideas for a motorized carriage and certainly since the first gas powered car started rolling, 120 years ago, the car has been burrowing into our culture. They build our societies, our jobs, our lives around it. This is how it was in 1952.

ANNOUNCER: Because there was a car or a truck for every three persons, almost 50 million motor vehicles.

FOREMAN: Today, America has more cars than drivers. What does that mean? It means my 10 mile commute takes about 45 minutes each way. You add everything up, the grand total cost is about $19 a day. Yes, I am the king of my driving domain, but I'm paying dearly. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Paying dearly, indeed. Coming up, it is a hidden epidemic among baby boomers. Hard to believe, a special report on the high rate of baby boomers using and abusing drugs. And later, the trial of the century for Iraq, and for the tens of thousands of Iraqis who perished under Saddam Hussein deadly regime. We are live in Baghdad, when NEWSNIGHT continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Just ahead tonight, what happens when the children of the '60s and '70s can't give up the drugs of the '60s, '70s and the '80s?

First, though, a quick update on what's happening at this moment. Choppers flying again in Pakistan. The heavy rain that blocked aide flights to the quake zone, also brought on landslides. That is hampering effort on the ground. In Iraq coalition forces say they've killed dozens of insurgents near Ramadi.

The ground and air strikes come not far from where a homemade bomb killed five U.S. troops over the weekend.

Investigators want charges of negligent homicide filed against the driver of a bus that caught fire in the Hurricane Rita evacuation. You recall this; 23 elderly Americans died. The driver currently in federal custody on immigration charges. And the president's job approval rating is eroding more.

The latest CNN/USA Today"/Gallup poll puts it at 39 percent, an all-time low for the president. Heavy political weather is one thing, this however, is the real thing.

Tropical Storm Wilma, that is tropical storm 21 of the season. And it now appears to have South Florida in sites, at least for now. Jacqui Jeras in Atlanta with the latest -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Aaron, it could hit South Florida. It is certainly a possibility, but we're still talking a good six plus days before landfall. A lot can happen between now and then. The storm has essentially been stationary today, but it has been gaining strength. The winds are now up to 65 miles per hour, that is up from 50 miles per hour at the last advisory. Starting to drift slightly off to the west and it is also starting to expand in size a little bit and even starting to brush western parts of Cuba already.

We're expecting it to start to curve on up to the north, moving into some warmer waters. That should bring it up to hurricane strength we think for tomorrow. And then up to major hurricane strength, that means a Category 3 as it heads through the Yucatan Channel on Thursday. Then it is going to be moving into the Gulf of Mexico. And we are anticipating that it will take a right hand hook. There is a storm system that is going to be heading down towards the Gulf of Mexico that is going to drive that storm system towards the eastern Gulf. And it could be hitting Florida. But take a look at how huge that red area is. It basically encompasses all of Florida, and much of Cuba. So there is a very good margin of error still, five days out, Aaron.

BROWN: Jacqui, thank you. A bit more weather to tell you about, this just in. The earth in Southern California giving ground, sliding down Sunset Canyon, near Burbank. My goodness. Damaging a number of cars, forcing the evacuation of about 250 homes, in about six months no one is going to be living in their own home.

COOPER: That is incredible.

BROWN: If the area sounds familiar, it is. It is the same part of Burbank that was burned by wildfires the other week, about 10 days ago. There are reports the mud has shut down portions of Interstate 5 in Southern California as well.

COOPER: That is just incredible. I've never seen images like that, that is just amazing. All right, tonight we are taking a closer look at a troubling new trend, drugs overdose in baby boomers. According to a recent "LA Times" article, Californians, age 40 and older, are dying of drug overdoses at double the rate recorded in 1990. In fact, ODing among baby boomers is so troubling in California researchers say their numbers may surpass automobile accidents as the states leading cause of non-natural deaths. CNN's Rusty Dornin is looking into why it is happening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Busted for possession of rock cocaine, 42-year-old Thomas Barnes told us he's been using drugs for 31 years, since he was 11.

THOMAS BARNES, DRUG USER: Somebody said, don't you want to live a normal life? What the hell is a normal life? This is a normal life.

DORNIN: Barnes considers himself a baby boomer. Growing up in the '60s and '70s when the themes for many were sex, drugs and rock-n- roll. But haven't most boomers given up their wild ways in middle age? Not necessarily says epidemiologist John Newmeyer (ph).

JOHN NEWMEYER (ph), HEIGHT-ASHBURY CLINIC: It's been studied, throughout the last 30 years. I've noticed an increase of -- in age of the users.

DORNIN: He knows, he's worked at the Haight-Ashbury free clinic for 34 years. (On camera): Is it because they engage in high risk behaviors and drug abuse as kid and that just followed them through middle age?

NEWMEYER (ph): Yes, I think the baby boomer generation is much more open to risk, to a chaotic lifestyle.

DORNAN (voice over): You might expect things like that in San Francisco, but sociologist Michael Males of UC Santa Cruz says it is a trend that he's been documenting for years.

MICHAEL MALES, SOCIOLOGIST: The average middle-ager today is twice as likely to be arrested for a felony as the average middle-ager of 1975.

DORNIN: Males believes this is linked to drug abuse, a problem not just in California, but nationwide. He first saw it here in drug overdoses, high rates among middle aged white men, especially heroin.

MALES: This is really a hidden epidemic. We've seen massive increase of drug abuse among baby boomers, massive increase in arrests among baby boomers, increases in HIV infection. Largest of any age group.

DORNIN: The wild '60s and '70s were followed by the law and order decades of the '80s and '90s. California imprisoned record numbers of criminals. Researchers say the gradual release of the convicts may be contributing to the increase in middle age crime and drug abuse.

(On camera): There are also high drug abuse rates among Vietnam veterans. Males says he's baffled as to why more government agencies haven't picked up on the overall trend, no matter what the contributing factors.

MALES: I think there are a lot of reasons to be studying this. And it is almost like there is a psychological block to describing crime and drugs as a middle-age problem. They have to be teenage problems. They have to be young adults.

DORNIN: These guys see plenty of young people committing crimes and taking drugs. But in the first hour we spent on the streets of Modesto, California with undercover officers, four out of the five drug users they questioned were baby boomers. Forty-two years old, this man is busted for possession of cocaine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meth amphetamine? How much of that do you use a day?

DORNIN: Forty-five years old, this woman tells detectives she's been a meth amphetamine user, but not tonight. Not tonight was also what this 60-year-old man said about his cocaine use.

SGT. ALAN TATE, STANISLAUS CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: Go ahead and continue looking.

DORNIN: Fifty-one year old Sergeant Alan Tate says when he began his career he was arresting mostly people his own age. Now, he still is.

TATE: I see people that age, people older than me. I'm 51. And they are still using and can't get off of it, or don't want to.

DORNIN: Recovery programs work for many, but Thomas Barnes has never been to a recovery program and doesn't intend to start now.

BARNES: To me, it's Peter Pan, just refuse to grow up.

DORNIN: A philosophy that has often complicated life for an entire generation. Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Doctor Peter Provert is the president of Odyssey House a New York City drug rehabilitation program and one of the few rehab centers in the country to focus on baby boomers who struggle with addiction. I spoke with him a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (on camera): How many, what percentage of these baby boomers that you see are new to drugs?

DR. PETER PROVERT, PRESIDENT, ODYSSEY HOUSE: Not a large percentage, not new to severe abuse of drugs.

COOPER: So they experimented with pot or something, back in the day?

PROVERT: That percentage of these folks, 40, 45, 50 and older have experience with drugs that dates back to the '60s; have stopped and start throughout and to the people who get into serious drug trouble it has escalated significantly.

COOPER: And, I mean, for family members, obviously, some of them are used to it because they've seen their loved one for years abuse, but for the ones who have sort of come back to it, what should family members look out for?

PROVERT: The main thing we coach for families is to look at any significant changes in behavior. A lot of these people in their 40s and 50s are getting caught up, as well, in the criminal justice system, so it is quite obvious to family members that they have a serious problem. Other folks, though, go in the opposite direction, if you will, and end up experiencing depression, social isolation. And that is something a family member should key in on.

COOPER: How much of this comes from the sort of generation of the '60s, the baby boomer generation, what they grew up seeing, what they grew up with?

PROVERT: I think a part of that. That set a course for many of the people we see today in their 40s and 50s who are serious drug addicts. It set a course. These folks, though, turn to drugs, as virtually all addicts, to self-medicate painful emotions, to medicate struggling family situations.

COOPER: So even if they've been gone for years, in their 30s say, suddenly in their 40s or 50s, something happens and they revert back?

PROVERT: In fact, we see a separate smaller subset of people who end up using drugs in their 40s and 50s for the first time, significantly, typically as the result of a trauma or an inter- personal loss. This is one of the most interesting groups of abusers that we see, that we still need to learn a lot more about.

COOPER: It is amazing to me that someone at the age of 50 would decide, you know what, I'm going to try heroin.

PROVERT: At Odyssey House we have a program for people 55 and older, actually, we call elder care.

COOPER: Elder care?

PROVERT: Elder care, our beds are filled. We have about 55 beds filled with people 55 years and older.

COOPER: Peter, thank you.

PROVERT: Pleasure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Still to come tonight, from dictator to defendant, Saddam Hussein on trial for his life. How his trial is being seen in a town devastated by the cruelty of the regime. And later, another story entirely about people and pets and friendship that survived a hurricane. Around the country, and around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

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BROWN: Nearly two years after American troops flushed him out

of a hole in the ground, the trail of Saddam Hussein is about to begin. He, and seven top associates, will be tried in Baghdad. Might want to ask for a change in venue, though, given the history it would have to be on Mars. Or as Iraq's prime minister, whose brother was killed by previous regime, put it, if Iraq's palm trees could speak, they would have spoke of Saddam's crimes. Reporting for us tonight, our Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Moussa family finally found what they were looking for, the fate of two young daughters, Korama (ph) and Helima (ph), and their 17-year-old son, Mohammad. This document stamped by Iraqi security headquarters said they, quote, "executed the three criminals". They accused them of belonging to an anti-Saddam Shiite party.

Nejla, their surviving sister says, "I was only five years old when they stormed our house and dragged my sister out by her clothes. We lived in fear all the time. I knew when they took anyone we would never see them again.

For more than 20 years their father, Naama Yusef Moussa tried in vain to find out what had happened to his children. "Every week I went to the security department," he says. "They humiliated and hit me and that's the only answer I got from them."

(On camera): There are tens of thousands of Iraqis just like the Moussas, who for decades have been victims of Saddam Hussein's petty political revenge. Although his trial will likely deal with the vast crimes against humanity and genocide committed during his rule, families like the Moussas say they, too, need justice. More than 300 mass graves have been unearthed so far in Iraq and testify to the massive crimes and atrocities committed by Saddam's regime.

But the banality of his daily evil is reflected by the Moussa family tragedy. "I am a mother who has lost her children, and I need him to be punished," says Bahiya Moussa. "If I had the chance I would hit that tyrant in the face," says her husband, Naama Moussa. But Nejla, who saw her sister wrenched from the family says a careful trial is too good for Saddam Hussein. "Everyone knows Saddam is a criminal," she says. "We don't need this long process. He should be executed immediately." They all say that they are grateful that they have at least survived to see Saddam pay for his crimes.

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AMANPOUR: So when we asked this family, again, what they were feeling that this trial was impending, it is just a day away now. They said, if I had wings, I would fly away with happiness said the father. And he also said, that they were going to buy a new television, and just as a measure of the new Iraq, they were going to buy a new generator, too. Because there isn't any permanent electricity here, to make sure that they can actually stay glued to the proceedings -- Aaron.

BROWN: So all of this is going to be on television, the whole trial?

AMANPOUR: They think so, but who knows exactly what is going to happen the first day. You know, a lot of this is still being worked out. Some people think that it may even be suspended for a while after the first day, because he's going to ask, through his lawyers, for a continuance. But they do expect, at least the people expect, that they are going to be shown the proceedings.

BROWN: And who is the jury in this?

AMANPOUR: You know, you've got me there. That is an extremely good question and I don't believe there is a jury. I'm going to check for you. But I think it's a panel of judges, like in the Hague, the International War Crimes Tribunal, where it is a panel of judges and no jury.

BROWN: So it is a tribunal of some sort, of --

AMANPOUR: It is called the Special Tribunal.

BROWN: OK, thank you, Christiane, Christiane Amanpour. I'm not trying to stump you here. I'm just trying to find out. Thank you.

COOPER: It will be interesting to see, too, if the original judge, from that hearing, will be involved in the case. BROWN: He had some -- or the original prosecutor, some relationship to Chalabi?

COOPER: No, Chalabi's son was in charge of the original proceedings.

BROWN: Yes.

COOPER: But then he was removed from that. And I'm not sure if he's back in Iraq. I know, Chalabi is certainly in Iraq and is a power player again.

BROWN: Anyway, they're working this just thing at their own pace over there.

COOPER: Exactly, yes. Coming up, we spent a lot of time covering the troubling stories of lost and suffering pets during the Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. Tonight a heartwarming reunion gives hope to animal lovers everywhere. We be right back.

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COOPER: Well, thankfully there have been a few happy stories to emerge from the ruins of Katrina. Some of them include man's best friend, the dogs and other animals who were rescued after being lost or abandoned in the storm. According to Petfinder.com there have been over 1,000 reunions of pets with their owners. That's not a lot when you consider an estimated 50,000 animals were left behind.

This story is about a dog who beat the odds.

Precious, is the dog's name, a small but feisty four-year-old Chihuahua mix, who survived for a month all alone waiting for her owner to return. A dog, who once rescued, traveled a remarkable distance from New Orleans all the way to Buffalo, New York. And remarkably enough was reunited with her owner there, Nancy Hicks.

I spoke to Nancy last week, soon after she embraced Precious. And I learned that to Nancy, whose family lost just about everything in the hurricane, Precious, is appropriately named, a dog worth immeasurable amount, especially after such devastating loss.

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Come on, Precious. Good boy!

COOPER (on camera): How's Precious doing?

NANCY HICKS, FOUND DOG AFTER KATRINA: Oh, she's doing fine. She's a little tired right now.

COOPER: So you went up to Buffalo, the moment when you saw her, what was that like? She recognized you instantly, I'll bet?

HICKS: Yes, sir. She recognized me. She had trouble finding me. But she recognized me.

COOPER: And when you made eye-contact with her, when you saw her, when you kissed her for the first time, that must have been great.

HICKS: Yes, sir, it was.

COOPER: You lost two of your dogs. What were their names?

HICKS: Rico and Beefy.

COOPER: What kind of dogs were they?

HICKS: Both of them Chihuahuas.

COOPER: How did they pass away, do you know?

HICKS: We believe that Rico drowned in my daughter's house. Because her house had four plus feet of water in it. And whenever bad weather came or anything he would run and hide underneath the bed. So we presume he drowned in the house. And Beefy, we don't know how he drowned -- how he died, because he was with Precious in my house.

COOPER: One of your daughters returned home and saw on the door, one of the rescuers had written that one dog had been rescued.

HICKS: Yes, sir.

COOPER: And you went -- and someone went to Petfinder.com, was able to find precious for you. When you saw Precious again, when you knew Precious was alive and had been rescued what -- how did you feel?

HICKS: Oh, sir, I was so happy -- feelings -- words can't express how I was feeling I was so happy. My family wasn't complete until I found Precious.

COOPER: She is already used to being back in your arms, it looks like.

HICKS: Seems like she has never gotten unused to it.

COOPER: It's great to meet you and I'm glad your pet was returned. I'm glad Precious is back in your family.

HICKS: So am I. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Well, maybe that wasn't front page news, but it was a pretty cool story anyway. Here's a quick look at the morning papers across the country, around the world.

"The Washington Post" leads with Iraq, "Iraqis Say Air Strikes Kill Many Civilians; U.S. Military Gives Different Account". This is one of those things that we'll probably never have a settled answer for. I

f you looking for something to be outraged about, "The Oregonean", out in Portland, Oregon, supplies it. "CEOs Benefit as Charities Boom". It turns out the people who run charities are making out like bandits. I'm not suggesting they're stealing, but they're doing very well. In Texas one of the biggest non-profits paid $4.6 million to a management firm founded by its CEO. By the way, many of the workers make less than the federal minimum wage at $5.15. Makes you feel good, doesn't it? When you are writing a check.

Makes this headline work great, doesn't it? "Record Bank Heist", that is the headline in the "Rocky Mountain News" out in Denver, Colorado, tonight.

The "Chattanooga Times Free Press", down in the corner here, if you don't mind, "Medicare Offers Web Tools For Choosing a Drug Plan". The drug plan goes into effect, it is actually -- I know this from my mother -- its very confusing figuring out which drug plan and how to do it. So anyway, they put it on the net, which is also very confusing for some people. "

Iraq Delays Results of Balloting on Charter: 99 Percent Approval Results in Some Areas Lead to Reexamination", that is the "International Herald Tribune".

The weather in Chicago tomorrow, according to the "Chicago Sun- Times", is "Soxie". If you follow baseball, you know exactly what that means. We'll continue in a moment.

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BROWN: Quick update before we go on Tropical Storm Wilma, troubling news for Floridians. The National Hurricane Center says the storm's current projected path has shifted some. It may turn sharply east toward the Florida coast late Saturday. What's more, storm gathering strength in the Caribbean. Could become a hurricane later tomorrow.

COOPER: All depends, I guess, on the western winds blowing it toward the -- toward Florida. But it could go -- frankly, the range is so big.

BROWN: Right.

COOPER: There is no way to know at this point.

BROWN: Anyway, it's not going to New Orleans, you are.

COOPER: That's true. I'm going to New Orleans and I'll see you from there tomorrow night. Do you want me to get you anything?

BROWN: No, just get back safely.

COOPER: All right. Thanks. Thanks for watching, see you tomorrow.

BROWN: Good night.

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