robert and jerry, thank you. the show premiers tuesday, august 18th, on tlc. don't forget, kelly, give our love to regis. we'll be seeing him soon. >> he loves you, too, larry. you know that. >> larry: "ac 360" starts right now. >> larry, thanks. tonight they are home. two women free from captivity, two families once again complete. one father no longer has to tell his little girl, mommy's away on a business trip. they arrived early this morning on a millionaire's jet landing in burbank, california, just outside of l.a. euna lee and laura ling spent 140 days in north korean custody before former president bill clinton helped secure their release on tuesday. what else may have gone into their pardon, official and otherwise, still undisclosed. that is the news tonight. but it barely hints at the story, which is frankly better told in the sights, the sounds, and the tears of the moment.

[ applause ]

the reunion is especially moving for yun la lee's husband michael saldate and their 4-year-old daughter hannah. when he spoke with him in june, he spoke of incidents when mommy's absence started to become the norm. >> yeah, yeah. normally the old pictures that she would always draw were always my wife in the center. i would always be kind of aside and smaller. and it would be all three of us. she drew a picture and i was the sister and it was just her and i. and i didn't even know what to say. you know. i still have to say, thank you, hon, that's a beautiful picture. deep down inside, she didn't

include her mother which really made me sad. >> hard to imagine what it was like for this family thinking there was a chance hannah might not see her mother for another 12 years. for laura ling, it was a husband and family waiting for her. a sushi dinner and perhaps mother's essential watercress soup which she's been keeping warm the last few days in anticipation. al gore spoke briefly today. his farmer boss, bill clinton, though, did not. president obama spoke of relief and gratitude where laura ling, silence for months, spoke at length. when she did, people across the country seemed to choke up a little. >> 30 hours ago euna lee and i were prisoners in north korea. we feared that at any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp. and then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting.

we were taken to a location. and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. we were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. and now we stand here home and free to our loved ones, friends, and colleagues, and to the complete strangers with the kindest of hearts, who showed us

so much love and sent us so many positive thoughts and energy, we thank you. the past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching time of our lives. we are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of north korea. and we are so happy to be home. and we are just so anxious right now to be able to spend some quiet, private time getting reacquainted with our families. thank you so much. >> laura ling speaking this morning. she, euna lee, and president clinton, of course, arrived home on this jet this morning provide bid multimillionaire steven bing. that's the only hard and fast detail we have tonight about the mission. well, we know for a fact.

the question swirling about possible deals struck, promises made, that president established, all of that is open to debate tonight. as tom foreman reports, it is definitely subject to raw politics. >> reporter: even as two former captives arrived home, the white house was still going to paynes to call the former president's trip a private humanitarian effort, nothing more. >> the reunion that we've all seen on television, i think is a source of happiness, not only for the families, but for the entire country. >> reporter: the administration is refuting any suggestion that the visit will lead into new direct negotiations between the u.s. and north korea over nuclear weapons. such one-to-one talks is something kim jong-il has long wanted, both for the prestige and the chance to negotiate a favorable deal with a super power. but the u.s. wants to keep russia, china, japan, and south

korea at the table, too. and the imprisonment of the two journalists had nothing to do with any of that, according to secretary of state hillary clinton. >> we've always considered that a totally separate issue from our efforts to reengage the north koreans and have them return to the six-party talks and work toward a commitment for the full verifiable denuclearization of the korean peninsula. >> reporter: there are other concerns about letting the former president's visit take on too much official weight. some critics, including a former ambassador to the united nations, john bolten, is already saying the visit rewarded bad behavior by a rogue nation. the analyst admit that a risk that could send a bad message to everyone from political foes to terror groups. >> i think there is potential danger that other rogue regimes may believe that by holding americans hostage, they can get

the attention of the administration and get the visits of high-level people like president clinton. and that is the potential downside here. >> reporter: but the trade-off, this, americans once held captive, now home. it is notable that despite the white house's stance, north korea is playing this whole affair quite differently. mr. clinton was met by top north korean officials, and while he is a former president, kim jong-il is the actual sitting leader of that country, and that fact alone made it very official in their eyes. erica? >> tom, it also gives us plenty to talk about. we want to know what you think. go to ac360.com. send your text message on the clinton mission to ac360 or 22360. a little later, inside the mind

of the health club killer in his own dark, lonely, angry words.

the safe return of journalist euna lee and laura ling, former vice president gore this morning said laura's mother had soup waiting foreher. like any family meal, it's the family part that counts the most. for laura, mother, father, husband, and sister, fellow journalist, lisa ling. >> proud would be an

understatement. the little bit that she was able to recount about her experience in the last 4 1/2 months, has been challenging for us to hear. and through it all, she has really maintained a sense of strength. >> one of the hardest things to come here every night and remind of her in the house. she is now. >> they are home now. digging deeper, though, on the global implication of how they got home. tom foreman was talking eight before the break. this meeting all happened at a time when north korea hasn't hesitated to test nukes and missiles and on the heels of news that three more americans are now being held in a country america does not have a diplomatic relationship with, iran. does this pump up one dictator and embolden others?

we're joined now by pedavid gern and peter brooks. david, i want to start with you. it's almost impossible to ignore the message that it's sends to north korea and others that may be on shaky ground with the u.s. the next time they have u.s. citizens in their custody they can use them as bargaining chips to talk with high-level people, rewarding bad behavior. how do they keep that from happening? >> erica, i think this has a more important message to the world, and that is that america is a country that cares about its own, it will go to great lengths, a former president will fly around the world to bring back two innocent brave americans to reunite them with their families and that individuals matter in this country. and this situation, we didn't give anything away. it's not as if there was a bargain or a negotiation. rather, we had a brutal regime

that captured these two young women. after 4 1/2 harrowing months for them, essentially said we're willing to give them back to you, all you have to do is send a former president and that former president had the generosity, compassion and i think -- to go there. so this is a moment for, i think, for most of us, it is a heart-warming moment. and it's to question whether this somehow sends a terrible message about america. i think it sends exactly the right message about who we are as americans. >> david, there are people who are questioning that. in fact, we got a question from a viewer and i want to pose this to you. i'm glad the girls are home safe and well but did we just naeg eight for hostages? what's your take? >> you can't argue with the successfulness of humanitarian effort but there are other things on the table. the relationship with north korea is bigger than these young journalists, the nuclear missile

and issues along that line. in some cases that is how it's going to be seen that we did ransom people in this case. here in the united states we're all very happy these ladies are home with their families. there's no question about that. how does the rest of the world see this? if you see the differences between how the obama administration is portraying this and how north korea is portraying it, they're saying that they did convey a message from president obama, even though the white house says they didn't. they talked for three hours about a whole host of issues. >> is that really a surprise? one would expect that north korea is looking at this very different from the way the u.s. is viewing that visit? >> that's critically important because how are they going to see this? are they going to see that it's okay that they brutalize their people, to keep hundreds of thousands of people in political prison camps, that they light off nukes and send missiles in the direction of the united states because they got a very large concession from the united states? you know, the use of a president or a former president as political capital should be used very cautiously.

>> moving forward -- >> wait a second. peter, i don't understand why you accept the word of the north korean government about what happened in the conversations over those of the americans? >> i don't. the question here is this is how the north koreans perceive it. david, i've been to north korea. i've dealt with the north koreans. i know what we're dealing with. i know how they see it. it's not just how we see it. >> it's also important what's right. that is the largest question. the largest question is whether it's right, if you don't have to give anything away. the only reason you believe that we gave something away is you don't believe what the american government is saying. you're believing what the north koreans are saying that's not true. you shouldn't put words in my mouth. i'm saying this probably would have been accomplished without sending president clinton. >> we've heard reports, peter, the north korean government rejected the idea of bill richardson and john kerry. >> i have not heard that confirmed. >> i do want to move forward because we're tight on time, probably out of time. i want to ask one question. david, i'll start with you.

is there a chance of this trip, though, could, in fact, maybe bring north korea back to the negotiating table when it comes to nuclear weapons? >> we don't know that because the administration did try to keep the two issues separate. to be honest with you, president clinton spent three hours with kim jong-il. he's only been -- given a very brief reading out of the white house. the white house is eager to get a full debriefing. but there are no indications, none, that any concessions were made by the americans. the hope is that this is a signal by north korea that they would like to have a -- perhaps get back into serious conversations about their nuclear capacity. the americans are not going to give concessions willy-nilly because of this. we got the girls hope, thank goodness. >> so many questions will be answered in those debriefs. many of us would like to be a fly on the wall. david gergen, peter brooks, appreciate you offering your insight. thank you. just ahead, the health club gunman's chilling words, last

night's killing spree apparently aimed at women. the words he left behind telling he had been planning his rampage for months. and later, what happens when horse meets car? believe it or not the ending is not only amazing, it's amazingly not only amazing, it's amazingly positive. rs.

killing spree in a pennsylvania health club emerging as police reveal a possible motive. >> he just had a lot of hatred in him and he was hell bent on committing this act. and there was nobody going to stop him. >> the gunman murdered three well, elizabeth gannon, jody billingsley and heidi overmier. nine other people were injured. tonight three of them are in critical condition. there are many other clues to his rm page, clues left in the gunman's own words. jeanne meserve has more tonight on the killer's chilling online

journal. >> reporter: george sodini was silent before taking his own life. but in his online diary the 48-year-old spoke volumes about the carnage he was to inflict. why do this to young girls, the journal begins. just read below. i kept a running log that includes my thoughts and actions. indeed, he did. he called his killing spree his project and it began months ago. on november 5th, 2008, he wrote, planned to do this in the summer but figured to stick around to see the election outcome. and in an entry from december 22nd, an apparent reference to the plot and the women at his gym. time is moving along. plan to have this done already. many of the young girls here look so beautiful as to not be human. very edible. the journal also reveals his desperation and loneliness. from christmas eve, no girlfriend since 1984.

who knows why. i'm not ugly or too weird. no sex since july 1990, either. in may, more despair. i made many big changes in the past two years, he wrote. but everything is still the same. life is over. this is from august 3rd. i took off today, monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished. i need to work out every detail. there is only one shot, tomorrow is the big day. hours later, sodini wearing shorts and carrying a bag loaded with guns entered an aerobics class. turned the lights off and fulfilled his death wish. >> i was right beside the room when it took place. i seen everybody running. >> reporter: but they did, committed by a man who, at the top of his journal, typed his name, age, date of birth, and listed his date of death as august 4th, 2009. >> that's just chilling, jean. i know police at this hour are

trying to reconstruct the time line. have they given you any further details about that? >> reporter: well, for one thing, from the blog we know that he tried to do this back in january but, in his words, he chickened out. police say yesterday he came to this club at 11:00, left. came back a little after 7:00. then they believe he left the building to make a telephone call at about 7:45. went back in at 7:56. they got the first 911 call at 8:16 at night. they're trying to find out more about who he called and what was said. another note, they do not believe he knew anybody who was in that aerobics class. but he did target the class. they found a schedule at his house with this class circled. and police say that -- police say, experts say, it's no surprise if he hated women he wanted to target well, an aerobics class would be a logical place to look. >> jeanne meserve, live for us tonight. thanks. if you logon to ac360.com you can read the entire text of the

killer's chilling journal. a week long series of the manson murders continue tonight. could there have been more victims died at the cult's hands? but right now, gary tuchman with us. welcome back. >> iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad has been sworn in for a second term. as his victory continues to be disputed on the ground. key opposition leaders boycotted today's ceremony. meantime, hundred of protestors turned out in tehran streets. security forces broke up the demonstrations with clubs and pepper spray. two submarines cruising off the east coast of the u.s. are not causing any alarms to go off at the pentagon. the pentagon says the subs are in international waters and not the time it can launch continental nuclear missiles. word of a major deal for eli manning. a source close to contract talks says manning has agreed to a new six-year, $97 million contract extension with the giants that

brought him the dough, once it's signed, man willing be the highest paid player in the nfl with $15 until a year. almost 1 million bucks every regular season game. and why were three horses running the wrong way down a highway in northern israel? it's unclear. one of them, the biggest of the bunch, see, was unable to clear an uncoming car. we're not sure if he was trying to trample it or couldn't stop. the good news, the driver only suffered miner cuts. the horse was not hurt. that's wild. talk about extra horsepower on tex press way, erica. >> gary tuchman. by the way, eli manning's contract is about the same as yours, right? >> his contract is a little less than mine. >> well, you know, gary tuchman, priceless. that's what i have to say. still ahead on "360," at town halls across the country, the health care debate has become a shouting match. but is all the outrage authentic or carefully orchestrated by opponents including those with

vested interest in the outcome snnchts and as the war rage on american's doorstep is becoming increasingly violent and more ruthless. micha miki micha michael. president obama tou

his message on health care reform today saying he is determined to get an overhaul of the health care system by year's end with or without bipartisan support. meantime, check out a new national poll showing how americans feel. they're weighing in now. as you can see, when they talk about the president's plan, nearly split. 50% in favor of it, 45% opposed. something else to consider.

that poll found those opposed to obama's plan, mr. obama's plan, are actually more likely than supporters to show up at town hall meetings being held by lawmakers around the country. some of those meetings have turned into out right verbal brawls. and many democrats are charging they are, in fact, an act being orchestrated by republicans. is that charge fair? joe johns is keeping them honest. >> just say no. just say no. >> reporter: the youtube videos keep coming. town hall meetings on health care held by congressional democrats dissolving into rowdy shouting meetings. and now there, an organizer in connecticut spelling out instructions on, quote, rocking the town hall with noisy opposition. it's not rocket science. the memo says protestors should pack the hall with as many fellow activists as possible to challenge the member of congress. and sure doing that, at this green bay, wisconsin, event

tuesday, people who couldn't squeeze in were demanding it be moved outside to the parking lot. >> move it outside! move it outside! >> reporter: the memo also says the team should spread out inside the hall but should try to get seats in the front half so they'll get called on to speak. protestors should watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the representative's statements early. but don't carry on and make a scene. just short intermittent shutouts. the purpose is to make them uneasy early on. kathle kathleen sebelus felt it early on. the prepared questions, it says, should put the representative on the defensive and demand a specific answer. >> so my question to you is when congressman thought of the notion of leading legislation because they are not qualified or are incompetent to understand

it, how can we be competent if those congressman are competent to reengineer the entire health care system? >> i am not a member of congress, have never been. >> reporter: you get the picture. but the democratic national committee is complaining of what looks like outrage is conditian political theater to kill health care reform. >> angry mobs organized and insighted by republicans and k-street allies in washington, d.c. to derail the president. >> reporter: cnn was not able to confirm or refute the charge that special interests were paying for the protests. but an organizer with the conservative group accuse of fuelling the protest says this. >> i would say that clearly these people are doing it on their own. they're not being paid to do this by anybody. >> reporter: the group says protestors pay their own way and nerve even saw the memo until it showed up on a liberal website. some say it's just politics in america. joe johns, cnn, new york. the health care reform, of

course, is one of president obama's key campaign promises. but one of his many challenges this hour. this marks the second 100 days in office. how is he doing? we've been digging deeper to find out what you think on that front. tom foreman joining me again now. this time, though, over at the magic wall which you've mastered, my friend. >> yes, erica. wlits special interest group or r7 republicans, we have more than a million people going to cnn.com to put their grade down for what's happening. and look what's happening on health care over here. right now, this color means a failing grade. the green in here means basically just a "c." that's not very good. all over the country, more than a million people, this is the result. overall economy, a "c" all across the country for how it's being handled. look at the president's readings overall. "c"s everywhere with a failing grade in louisiana. this is all not good for the obama administration as people have cast their grades on our website cnn.com. but it's even worse for some

others. congress, look at that. wow! everything failing. and here's a big one. the media, us, same thing. add all of this up, tomorrow night in our special at 8:00 p.m. eastern and into teching, go to cnn.com and cast your own grade for the obama administration, congress, and for us as well. >> i'm going to cast an "a" for tom foreman. >> i would appreciate that. as tom mentioned, we have a special tomorrow night at 8:00. tomorrow on "360" we're going to ac take a closer look at how americans think president obama is doing ourselves. we spoke with seven women in ohio who just a few weeks before the election said they were still undecided about whether to vote for barack obama or john mccain. gary tuchman recently interviewed them again. six of them ended up voting for obama. one chose mccain. so, 200 days in, are they happy with their choice? how do they think president obama is doing? here's a preview. >> how many of you think barack obama is doing an amazing job as

president? no hands. one hand. how many of you think he's doing a good job as president? one, two, three, four, five hands. and the one person who voted for john mccain, what kind of job do you think barack obama is doing? >> i would say average. well, some things i approve of, some things i do not. >> so what are those things? you can see gary's full report coming up tomorrow right here on "360." ahead tonight on "360," they were once military commanders. now they are the most ruthless drug cartel in mexico. michael ware is live across the border for this chilling report. later, on a much t lighter note. paula abdul quits the show. the reason and her fallout the reason and her fallout coming up.

president obama travels to mexico this sunday for a summit with north american leaders. the trip comes with some controversy. today senator patrick leahy says congress is holding $100 million in aid to battle mexico's drug cartel. why? one democrat wants to see more evidence that the mexican government is cracking down on corrupt and abusive police and soldiers. the drug war next door has left thousands dead, kidnapped, and as we know, the enemy is well armed and it is very well funded. out of all the ruthless killers there is one group in particular that stands out michael ware

reports. >> the dead always tell a story. here in mexico that story is the war raging on america's doorstep. being fought for the right to supply america's demand for illegal drugs, a war becoming more violent, more ruthless, mostly because of one group. to even begin to understand their violence, come with me. here in the southern mexican city of de la cruz. imagine, if you will, a band of special forces, green beret soldier goes rogue and offer their services and firepower to the drug cartels. well, that's precisely what's happened in mexico in 1990s, commandos from the mexican army deserted and set up their own cartel known as the loss zetas. the los zetas, the u.s. government says now is the most technological advanced, sophisticated and dangerous

cartel operating in mexico. and this is an example of some of their most recent work. until not so long ago this was the home to a local police commander, promoted just two months before. and at 5:00 a.m. one morning, two cars pulled up on this street. eight or nine gunmen got out armed with assault rifles and.40 millimeter grenade launchers. they blasted their way into this house and it took less than five minutes to execute the father, police commander, his wife, the police woman, and the blaze that they started to kill four children. this is the drug war in mexico. this is a war that the los zetas are fighting. and this is the war on america's doorstep that shows no sign of ending. and with their fearsome

weaponry, u.s. agency considers the zetas the most formidable enemy of the drug war. >> the zetas have obviously assumed the role of being the number one organization responsible for the majority of the homicides, narcotic rate of homicides, the beheadings, kidnappings, extortions in mexico. >> reporter: from this washington, d.c. office, dea central american chief directs america's fight against the zetas, a fight he says that will take years. >> they continue to train new recruits through several campaigns. one of them is a very public and open marco banners that they pose around the country of mexico, specifically tailored to the military, offer better pay than the military. >> reporter: with that, this organized crime network operates

more like an internet company in iraq than they do a street gang. and they're only getting stronger. this is de la cruz is a popular destination with plazas like this one. it's a thin veneer for what's going on beneath. local newspapers almost have daily headlines of the horror, of the bloody violence of the drug cartels. cartels that here in de la cruz are more often than not linked to the los zetas. the american drug enforcement agency tells me that it was originally based on military line, it's being built on a business structure with quarterly meetings, business ledgers kept, even votes on key assassinations. and now the loss zetas are taxing businesses even beyond their drug reach. from human trafficking across the american border to as one

recent scandal shows, they've been imposing a kind of attack on the mexican government themselves. the state-run oil company has just been revealed has been bleeding billions through corrupt officials linked to the los zetas. and as the dea agent told me, the american border makes little difference to the los zetas. to them, it doesn't matter whether their violence is being perpetrated on the mexican side of the border or on the american side. on that american side, one of their instruments of assassination was teenager reta. he was just 13 years old when he first killed. i love doing it, he says, in this police interrogation. killing that first person, i loved it. i thought i was superman. but you can be certain there are more like him. and there will be until america can defeat adversaries like the zetas and end the drug wars across the border.

>> michael, as we mentioned, president obama is headed to mexico on sunday. clearly, as you mentioned, the zetas donl have any regard tort borders here. how much do you think the drug wars and, specifically los zetas, will be on the agenda for these meetings? >> well, that's a great question, erica. at this stage we don't know. but what i can tell you is that the mexican drug war should be foremost on president obama's agenda when he does come here on the weekend to mexico. right now on average, 570 mexicans are dying every month in drug related crime, in a war that's essentially being fought by the mexicans for america. this is a war that's fueled by america's demand, for illegal drugs. and it's been fought with american weapons on both the government side and the cartel side. this is very much an american problem. and many of us in the region will be looking to president obama to say something real

about what america is about to do. erica? >> clearly, a problem that is not getting better any time soon. michael ware live for news mexico city. thanks. just ahead on "360," charles manson, 40 years after the murders. a new search is under way for possibly more of his victims. could there be more out there? the man who helped prosecute manson weighs in. and later, a former congressman now a convicted criminal. he stashed his money in the freezer. now? could he be heading to the cooler? ah, yes, we'll reveal the meaning behind the cheesy pun when "360" continues.

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she tried to assassinate president ford. in just a few days, she'll be free. cnn has learned that la net "we "squeaky" from is scheduled to released on august 16th. she was also a disciple of charles manson. this week we're taking a closer look at all the killings he and his followers are linked to. but were there actually more victims than first thought? manson prosecutor vincent bugliosi says yes. we'll talk more with him in just a moment. but first, here's ted rowlands. >> are you guilty of any murders? >> reporter: for decades speculation has swirled. there's been nine murders linked to charm charles manson and his

followers could be just the tip of the iceberg. more victims, run aways or others who came in contact with the manson family may have been murderered. according to prosecutors, he at one time alluded to as many as 35 victims. if there are other manson victims the theory is that they could have been buried at one of the manson family hideouts. right now we are at the spawn ranch. this is where the manson family was before the tate murders. this used to be an old movie set. there were buildings right in here, all wiped out by a fire. the theory is just over this ridge, there could be grave sites. >> this is where they lived, right on the riverbed. >> reporter: kitty cox is a caretaker at spawn ranch. do you think there are bodies out here? >> i think there could be. >> reporter: the other place people believe there may be more manson victims is in death valley, the barker ranch where manson was eventually arrested. when we traveled there last year we met emmitt harder, a cold prospect who met manson and his

followers, including tex watson. he said one story he was told by a manson follower made him believe there are bodies here. >> this one girl didn't get along with -- with manson or them at all. and they took her for a walk. they came back in a short distance and she -- they never saw her again. >> reporter: a former police detective brauth his cadaver dog buster to both the barker and spahn ranches. he located potential grave sites in both places. the local sheriff authorized a dig at barker ranch last year but nothing was located. one person who would know is charles "tex" watson, manson's right-hand man. we wrote to him in prison. he said, in part, i was the first family member to go to the desert after the murders and also the first to leave. i say this only to let you know that no one was killed while i was in the desert but i don't know what took place after i left. over the years, none of the

manson family members have ever said anything specific about other victims. and they are the only ones who may have ever know. ted rowlands, cnn, los angeles. >> vin gent bugliosi prosecuted charles manson and his followers. he's also the author of "he'lte skelter." he joins us now. we just saw the report of charles manson. perhaps as many as 35 bodies out there. do you believe there are other victims out there? >> yes, i do. manson's been convicted of nine murders. but the family used the term 35, they said we offed 35 people. if your neighbor told you something like that, obviously you would dismiss it out of hand. but these are people, erica, who loved to kill. that was their lifestyle, their religion, their cradle. they wanted to kill as many human beings as possible. in my opinion there are many other murders we don't know about that the manson family

committed. >> a lot bizarre about the trial were obviously the defendants here. leslie being one of them. last time i spoke with filmmaker john waters about his friendship, he's become friends with her over the years. he had this to say about his belief about the kind of person she is now. take a listen. >> i think actually she should be the poster girl for the prison system because she went in a complete lunatic and ended up someone -- a very sober person who -- who really takes responsibility and wants to lead a quiet life if she ever gets out. i even seen vincent bugliosi who wrote "helter skelter." i think he knows better. he's been fair to her, actually. he knows she's listen rehabilitated. >> he didn't go so far as saying that he believes you believe that she should, in fact, be paroled. he comes close. do you think she has been

rehabilitated. do you think she should be paroled? >> i do not think she should be paroled. i do agree if anyone is paroled it has to be she. she was not involved in the first night of the five tate murders. but this argument of rehabilitation, she may be rehabilitated. she appears to be. who aim to -- it would be presumptious of me to say that she has not been rehabilitated. i'm not qualified to make that determination. however, i think the rehabilitation argument as a basis for her release is founded upon a fundamentally lawed premise. and that premise is that if you're rehabilitated herego you're entitled to be set free. but that presupposes is that the only reason we put people behind bars is to rehabilitate them. but there's a more important reason why we put people behind bars and that's to bring about justice. you don't bring about justis by rehabilitating people. you bring about justice by

punishing them. >> i know you've been in fairly close contact over the years with the victims' families. did they feel that justice was done after the trials were over and everyone had been sentences? >> when they were sentenced to death, yes. but as you know, the very next year, the california supreme court and the u.s. supreme court set aside the death penalty and i think the victims' families felt that death -- i mean, that justice has not been served. that these people should have been executed, in a sense. i hate to say this, but in a sense, manson has beaten the wrap because he committed these murders and all we did is send them back home where me came from. >> vincent bugliosi, appreciate your time today. thank you for talking was. up next, the cold cash congressman, now a convict. does that mean a little jail time in is his future? plus, paula abdul leaving "american idol." say it ain't so.

coming up, the sexier side of russian prime minister vladimir putin, oh, yes. i know we tried to bring it to you last night. we ran out of time. you're in luck, though, we're back. gary? >> erica, a jury has convicted former louisiana congressman william jefferson of taking bribes in a case where $90,000 was found in his freezer. the new orleans democrat plans to appeal. he's out on bond while he awaits sentencing. in north carolina, a federal

judge ruled six men accused of plotting violent jihad overseas must stay in custody pending trial but the same judge express expressed pressed skepticism about the case. paula abdul after eight seasons of being a judge is calling it quits. there are reports, erica, paula, because she was getting paid a fraction of what simon and ryan seacrest was getting. before the program, i was talking to one of our wonderful makeup artists, she says she is no longer going to watch "american idol" if paula -- >> really? >> yeah. >> interesting. >> i think my husband may watch more without her. that's a story for another day. gary, don't move because i know you're really looking forward to this. coming up on "360," we're going to have more, of course, tonight on the moving homecoming that ended two families' shared nightmare. they reunite with their loved

ones. we'll bring you more on that coming up on "360." and on a lighter foreign policy note. look out michael phelps. who is that manly swimmer, you ask? vladimir putin, of course. showing off his pecks, his d lts, triceps? oh, my, that's a nice shot, when "360" continues.

gary, tonight's shot, oh, you are so happy you're here for it. vladimir putin's version of how i share my summer vacation. russia's prime minister releasing pictures of his trip to siberia. check it out. r and r, a little action on his off time. and he goes shirtless, whether he's chopping wood, swinging lats, or, oh, hey, if i'm going to go for a horseback ride, i don't want tan lines, do i? the take home message from all the macho photos, you can leave the summer beachery to someone else. this guy is a man's man. >> do you remembi don't remembe doing that. >> i don't, either. coming up at the top of the hour on "360," euna lee and laura ling's emotional homecoming. )%)%)%)%)%)%)%)%)%)%%

tonight they are home. two women free from captivity, two families once again complete. one father no longer has to tell his little girl, mommy's away on a business trip. they arrived early this morning on a millionaire's jet landing in burbank, california, just

outside of l.a. euna lee and laura ling spent 140 days in north korean custody before former president bill clinton helped to secure their release on tuesday. what else may have gone into their pardon, official and otherwise, still undisclosed. that is the news tonight. but it barely hints at the story, which is frankly better told in the sights, the sounds, and the tears of the moment. [ applause ]

it's hard to watch that and not want to hug your kids a little tighter tonight. the reunion is especially moving for euna lee's husband michael saldate and their 4-year-old daughter hannah. she's been asking at her mother for months. when michael spoke with anderson in june, he recounted of heartbreaking incidents of

things left unsaid, when mommy's absence started to become the norm. >> yeah, yeah. normally the old pictures that she would always draw were always my wife in the center. i would always be kind of aside and smaller. and it would be all three of us. she drew a picture and i was the center and it was just her and i. and i didn't even know what to say. you know. i still have to say, thank you, hon, that's a beautiful picture. deep down inside, she didn't include her mother which really made me sad. >> hard to imagine what it was like for this family thinking there was a chance hannah might not see her mother for another 12 years. for laura ling, it was a husband and a family waiting for her, a sushi dinner and perhaps mother's special water kres soup which she's been keeping warm the last few days in anticipation. al gore spoke briefly today. his farmer boss, bill clinton, though, did not. president obama spoke of relief and gratitude where laura ling,

silence for months, spoke at some length. when she did, people across the country seemed to choke up a little. >> 30 hours ago euna lee and i were prisoners in north korea. we feared that at any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp. and then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting. we were taken to a location. and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. we were shocked, but we knew

instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. and now we stand here home and free. to our loved ones, friends, and colleagues, and to the complete strangers with the kindest of hearts, who showed us so much love and sent us so many positive thoughts and energy, we thank you. the past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching time of our lives. we are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of north korea. and we are so happy to be home. and we are just so anxious right

now to be able to spend some quiet, private time getting reacquainted with our families. thank you so much. >> laura ling speaking this morning. she, euna lee, and president clinton, of course, arrived home on that jet this morning provide by multimillionaire steven bing. that's the only hard and fast detail we have tonight about the mission. well, what we know for a fact. the questions swirling about possible deals struck, promises made, bad precedent established, all of that is open to debate tonight. as tom foreman reports, it is definitely subject to raw politics. >> reporter: even as two former captives arrived home, the white house was still going to pains to call the former president's trip a private humanitarian effort, nothing more. >> the reunion that we've all seen on television, i think is a

source of happiness, not only for the families, but for the entire country. >> reporter: the administration is refuting any suggestion that the visit will lead into new direct negotiations between the u.s. and north korea over nuclear weapons. such one-to-one talks is something kim jong-il has long wanted, both for the prestige and the chance to negotiate a favorable deal with a super power. but the u.s. wants to keep russia, china, japan, and south korea at the table, too. and the imprisonment of the two journalists had nothing to do with any of that, according to secretary of state hillary clinton. >> we've always considered that a totally separate issue from our efforts to re-engage the north koreans and have them return to the six-party talks and work toward a commitment for the full verifiable denuclearization of the korean peninsula. >> reporter: there are other concerns about letting the former president's visit take on

too much official weight. some critics, including a former u.s. ambassador to the united nations, john bolten, are already saying the visit rewarded bad behavior by a rogue nation. the analysts admit that a risk that could send a bad message to everyone from political foes to terror groups. >> i think there is potential danger that other rogue regimes may believe that, by holding americans hostage, they can get the attention of the administration and get the visits of high-level people like president clinton. and that is the potential downside here. >> reporter: but the trade-off, this, americans once held captive, now home. it is notable that despite the white house's stance, north korea is playing this whole affair quite differently. mr. clinton was met by top north korean officials, and while he

is a former president, kim jong-il is the actual sitting leader of that country, and that fact alone made it very official in their eyes. erica? >> tom, it also gives us plenty to talk about. we want to know what you think. go to ac360.com. send your text message on the clinton mission to ac360 or 22360. a little later, inside the mind of the health club killer in his own dark, lonely, angry words.

the safe return of journalists euna lee and laura ling, former vice president gore this morning said laura's mother had soup waiting for her. like any family meal, it's the family part that counts the most. for laura, it's her mother, father, husband, and sister, fellow journalist, lisa ling. >> proud would be an understatement. the little bit that she was able to recount about her experience of the last 4 1/2 months, has been challenging for us to hear. and through it all, she has really maintained a sense of strength. >> one of the hardest things to come here every night and remind us of her in the house. she is now. >> she is now. >> she is now. >> they are home now.

digging deeper, though, on the global implication of how they got home. what tom foreman was talking about before the break. this meeting all happened at a time when north korea hasn't hesitated to test nukes and missiles and on the heels of news that three more americans are now being held in a country america does not have a diplomatic relationship with, iran. does this pump up one dictator and perhaps embolden others? we're joined now by david gergen and peter brooks. gentlemen, good to have both of you with us. >> good evening. >> david, i want to start with you. it's almost impossible to ignore the message that it's sends to north korea and others that may be on shaky ground with the u.s. the next time they have u.s. citizens in their custody, they can use them as bargaining chips to talk with high-level politicians, rewarding bad behavior. how do they keep that from happening?

>> erica, i think this sends a more important message to the world, and that is that america is a country that cares about its own, it will go to great lengths, a former president will fly around the world to bring back two innocent brave americans to reunite them with their families and that individuals matter in this country. and this situation, we didn't give anything away. it's not as if there was a bargain or a negotiation. rather, we had a brutal regime that captured these two young women. after 4 1/2 harrowing months for them, essentially said we're willing to give them back to you, all you have to do is send a former president, and that former president had the generosity, compassion and i think -- to go there. so this is a moment for, i think, for most of us, it is a heart-warming moment. and it's to charlish question whether this somehow sends a terrible message about america. i think it sends exactly the right message about who we are as americans. >> david, there are people who are questioning that. in fact, we got a question from

a viewer to text 360 tonight, and i want to pose this to you. i'm glad the girls are home safe and well, but did we just negotiate for hostages? what's your take? >> that's a big question. you can't argue with the success of the humanitarian effort but there are other things on the table. the relationship with north korea is bigger than these young journalists, the nuclear missiles and issues along that line. in some cases that is how it's going to be seen that we did ransom people in this case. here in the united states we're all very happy these ladies are home, with their families. there's no question about that. how does the rest of the world see this? if you see the differences between how the obama administration is portraying this and how north korea is portraying it, they're saying that they did convey a message from president obama, even though the white house says they didn't. they talked for three hours about a whole host of issues. >> is that really a surprise? one would probably expect that north korea is looking at this very different from the way the u.s. is viewing that visit?

just based on that picture of kim jong-il and president clinton. >> that's critically important because how are they going to see this? are they going to see that it's okay that they brutalize their people, to keep hundreds of thousands of people in political prison camps, that they light off nukes and send missiles in the direction of the united states because they got a very large concession from the united states? you know, the use of a president or a former president as political capital should be used very cautiously. >> moving forward -- >> wait a second. peter, i don't understand why you accept the word of the north korean government about what happened in the conversations over those of the americans? >> i don't. the question here is this is how the north koreans perceive it. david, i've been to north korea. i've dealt with the north koreans. i know what we're dealing with here. i know how they see it. it's not just how we see it. >> it's also important what's right. that is the largest question. the largest question is whether it's right, if you don't have to give anything away. the only reason you believe that we gave something away is you don't believe what the american government is saying. you're believing what the north koreans are saying

>> that's not true. you shouldn't put words in my mouth. i'm saying this probably would have been accomplished without sending president clinton. >> how do you know that? >> we've heard reports, peter, the north korean government rejected the idea of bill richardson and rejected the idea of john kerry. >> i have not heard that confirmed. >> i do want to move forward because we're tight on time, probably out of time. i want to ask one question quickly. david, i'll start with you. is there a chance of this trip, though, could, in fact, maybe bring north korea back to the negotiating table when it comes to nuclear weapons? >> we don't know that because the administration did try to keep the two issues separate. to be honest with you, president clinton spent three hours with kim jong-il. he's only been -- given a very brief reading out of the white house. the white house is eager to get a full debriefing. but there are no indications, none, that any concessions were made by the americans. the hope is that this is a signal by north korea that they would like to have a -- perhaps

get back into serious conversations about their nuclear capacity. the americans are not going to give concessions willy-nilly because of this. we got the girls home, thank goodness. >> so many questions will be answered in those debriefs. many of us would like to be a fly on the wall. david gergen, peter brooks, appreciate you offering your insight tonight. thank you. just ahead, the health club gunman's chilling words, foreshadowing last night's killing spree apparently aimed at women. the words he left behind telling he had been planning his rampage for months. and later, what happens when horse meets car? believe it or not the ending is not only amazing, it's amazingly positive.

new details tonight on that

killing spree in a pennsylvania health club emerging as police reveal a possible motive. >> he just had a lot of hatred in him and he was hell-bent on committing this act. and there was nobody going to stop him. >> the gunman murdered three women, elizabeth gannon, jody billingsley and heidi overmier. nine other people were injured. tonight, three of them are in critical condition. there are many other clues to his rampage, clues left in the gunman's own words. jeanne meserve has more tonight on the killer's chilling online journal. >> reporter: george sodini was silent when he opened fire at his pittsburgh area health club when he killed three women before taking his own life. but in his online diary the 48-year-old spoke volumes about the carnage he was to inflict. why do this to young girls, the journal begins. just read below. i kept a running log that includes my thoughts and actions. indeed, he did. he called his killing spree his

project, and it began months ago. on november 5th, 2008, he wrote, planned to do this in the summer but figured to stick around to see the election outcome. and in an entry from december 22nd, an apparent reference to the plot and the women at his gym. time is moving along. plan to have this done already. many of the young girls here look so beautiful as to not be human. very edible. the journal also reveals his desperation and loneliness. from christmas eve, no girlfriend since 1984. who knows why. i'm not ugly or too weird. no sex since july 1990, either. in may, more despair. i made many big changes in the past two years, he wrote. but everything is still the same. life is over. this is from august 3rd. i took off today, monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished. i need to work out every detail. there is only one shot, tomorrow is the big day.

hours later, sodini, wearing shorts and carrying a bag loaded with guns, entered an aerobics class. turned the lights off and fulfilled his death wish. >> i was right beside the room where it all took place. i seen everybody running. this is good neighborhood. stuff like this doesn't happen. >> reporter: but they did, committed by a man who, at the top of his journal, typed his name, age, date of birth, and listed his date of death as august 4th, 2009. >> that's just chilling, jeanne. i know police at this hour are trying to reconstruct the time line. have they given you any further details about that? >> reporter: well, for one thing, from the blog we know that he tried to do this back in january but, in his words, he chickened out. police say yesterday he came to this club at 11:00, left. came back a little after 7:00. then they believe he left the building to make a telephone call at about 7:45. went back in at 7:56. they got the first 911 call at 8:16 at night.

they're trying to find out more about who he called and what was said. another note, they do not believe he knew anybody who was in that aerobics class. but he did target the class. they found a schedule at his house with this class circled. and police say that -- police say, experts say, that it's no surprise if he hated women he wanted to target women, an aerobics class would be a logical place to look. >> jeanne meserve, live for us tonight. thanks. if you logon to ac360.com you can read the entire text of the killer's chilling journal. a week long series on the manson murders continue tonight. could there have been more victims who died at the cult's hands? we'll talk about that just ahead. but right now, gary tuchman with us. welcome back. >> iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad has been sworn in for a second term. even as his victory continues to be disputed on the ground. key opposition leaders boycotted today's ceremony. meantime, hundred of protestors turned out in tehran streets.

security forces broke up the demonstrations with clubs and pepper spray. a senior defense official says two submarines cruising off the east coast of the u.s. are not causing any alarms to go off at the pentagon. the pentagon says the subs are in international waters and not the time it can launch continental nuclear missiles. word of a major deal for new york giants quarterback eli manning. a source close to contract talks says manning has agreed to a new six-year, $97 million contract extension with the giants that brought him the dough, once it's signed, manning will be the highest paid player in the nfl with $15 million a year. almost 1 million bucks every regular season game. and why were three horses running the wrong way down a highway in northern israel? it's unclear. one of them, the biggest of the bunch, you see, was unable to clear an oncoming car. we're not sure if he was trying to trample it or couldn't stop. the good news, the driver only

suffered minor cuts. that's wild. talk about extra horsepower on the expressway, erica. >> oh, gary tuchman. by the way, eli manning's contract is about the same as yours, right? >> his contract is a little less than mine. >> well, you know, gary tuchman, priceless. that's what i have to say. still ahead on "360," at town halls across the country, the health care debate has become a shouting match. but is all the outrage authentic or is it being carefully orchestrated by opponents including those with vested interest in the outcome. and as the war rages on american's doorstep is becoming increasingly violent and more ruthless. make michael ware is crossing the border tonight to tell us how it's so dangerous, it has no match.

president obama toughening his message on health care reform today saying he is determined to get an overhaul of the health care system by year's end with or without bipartisan support. meantime, check out a new national poll showing how americans feel. they're weighing in now. as you can see, when they talk about the president's plan, nearly split. 50% in favor of it, 45% opposed. something else to consider. that poll found those opposed to obama's plan, mr. obama's plan, are actually more likely than supporters to show up at town hall meetings being held by lawmakers around the country. some of those meetings have actually turned into out right verbal brawls. and many democrats are charging that outrage is, in fact, an act being orchestrated by republicans. is that charge fair? joe johns is keeping them honest. >> just say no. just say no. just say no. >> reporter: the youtube videos keep coming. town hall meetings on health

care held by congressional democrats dissolving into rowdy shouting sessions. and now this, an organizer in connecticut spelling out instructions on, quote, rocking the town halls with noisy opposition. it's not rocket science. the memo says protestors should pack the hall with as many fellow activists as possible to challenge the member of congress. and they're sure doing that, at this green bay, wisconsin, event tuesday, people who couldn't squeeze in were demanding it be moved outside to the parking lot. >> move it outside! move it outside! >> reporter: the memo also says the team should spread out inside the hall but should try to get seats in the front half so they'll get called on to speak. protestors should watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the representative's statements early. but it says, don't carry on and make a scene. just short intermittent shutouts. the purpose is to make him uneasy early on.

health secretary kathleen sebelius felt the heat in pennsylvania. the memo is all in favor of question time, though. the prepared questions, it says, should put the representative on the defensive and demand a specific answer. >> so my question to you is when congressman thought of the notion of reading legislation because they are not qualified or are incompetent to understand it, how can we be competent if those congressmen are competent to re-engineer the entire health care system? >> i am not a member of congress, have never been. >> reporter: you get the picture. but the democratic national committee is complaining that what looks like outrage is canned political theater to kill health care reform. >> angry mobs organized and incited by republicans and k-street allies in washington, d.c. to derail the president. >> reporter: cnn was not able to confirm or refute the charge that special interests were

paying for the protests. but an organizer with the conservative group accused of fueling the protest says this. >> i would say that clearly these people are doing it on their own. they're not being paid to do this by anybody. >> reporter: the group says protestors pay their own way and protestors pay their own way and showed up on a liberal website. some say it's just politics in america. joe johns, cnn, new york. the health care reform, of course, is one of president obama's key campaign promises. but just one of his many challenges this hour on his plate. this marks the second 100 days in office. how is he doing? we've been digging deeper to find out what you think on that front. tom foreman joining me again now. this time, though, over at the magic wall, which you've mastered, my friend. >> yes, erica. let me tell you something, whether it's special interest group or republicans, we have more than a million people going to cnn.com to put their grade down for what's happening. and look what's happening on health care over here. right now, this color means a failing grade.

the green in here means basically just a "c." that's not very good. all over the country, more than a million people, this is the result. overall economy, a "c" all across the country for how it's being handled. look at the president's readings overall. "c"s everywhere with a failing grade down here in louisiana. this is all not good for the obama administration as people have cast their grades on our website cnn.com. but it's even worse for some others. congress, look at that. wow! everything failing. and here's a big one. the media, us, same thing. add all of this up, tomorrow night in our special starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern and into the evening, go to cnn.com and cast your own grade for the obama administration, congress, and for us, as well. >> i'm going to cast an "a" for tom foreman. >> i would appreciate that. as tom mentioned, we have a special tomorrow night at 8:00. tomorrow on "360" we're going to take a closer look at how americans think president obama is doing ourselves.

during the campaign we spoke with seven women in ohio who just a few weeks before the election said they were still undecided about whether to vote for barack obama or john mccain. gary tuchman recently interviewed them again. six of them ended up voting for obama. one chose mccain. so, 200 days in, are they happy with their choice? how do they think president obama is doing? here's a preview. >> how many of you think barack obama is doing an amazing job as president? no hands. one hand. how many of you think he's doing a good job as president? one, two, three, four, five hands. and the one person who voted for john mccain, what kind of job do you think barack obama is doing? >> i would say average. well, some things i approve of, some things i do not. >> so what are those things? you can see gary's full report coming up tomorrow right here on "360." ahead tonight on "360," they were once military commandos.

now they are the most ruthless drug cartel in mexico. michael ware is live across the border for this chilling report. and later, on a much lighter note. no longer an "diidol" threat. paula abdul quits the show. >>ñ

president obama travels to mexico this sunday for a summit with north american leaders. the trip comes with some controversy. today senator patrick leahy says congress is holding about $100 million in aid to battle mexico's drug cartel. why? one democrat wants to see more evidence that the mexican government is cracking down on corrupt and abusive police and soldiers. the drug war next door has left thousands dead, kidnapped, and as we know, the enemy is well armed and it is very well funded. out of all the ruthless killers there is one group in particular that stands out. michael ware reports.

>> reporter: the dead always tell a story. here in mexico that story is the war raging on america's doorstep. being fought for the right to supply america's demand for illegal drugs, a war becoming more violent, more ruthless, mostly because of one group. to even begin to understand their violence, come with me. here in the southern mexican city of de la cruz. imagine, if you will, a band of special forces, green beret soldiers go rogue and offer their services and firepower to the drug cartels. well, that's precisely what's happened in mexico in the 1990s, commandos from the mexican army deserted and set up their own cartel known as the los zetas. the los zetas, a group the u.s. government says now is the most technological advanced, sophisticated, and dangerous cartel operating in mexico.

and this is an example of some of their most recent work. until not so long ago, this was the home to a local police commander, promoted just two months before. and at 5:00 a.m. one morning, two cars pulled up on this street. eight or nine gunmen got out armed with assault rifles and .40 millimeter grenade launchers. they blasted their way into this house, and it took less than five minutes to execute the father, the police commander, his wife, a police woman, and the blaze that they started to kill four children. this is the drug war in mexico. this is a war that the los zetas are fighting. and this is the war on america's doorstep that shows no sign of ending. and with their fearsome

weaponry, u.s. agencies weaponry, u.s. agencies consider the zetas the most formidable enemy of the drug war. >> the zetas have obviously assumed the role of being the number one organization responsible for the majority of the homicides, the narcotic rate of homicides, the beheadings, kidnappings, the extortions in mexico. >> reporter: from this washington, d.c. office, dea central american chief directs america's fight against the zetas, a fight he says that will take years. >> they continue to train new recruits through several campaigns. one of them is a very public and open marco banners that they pose around the country of mexico, specifically tailored to the military, offer better pay and bitter benefits if they join the ranks of the zetas. >> reporter: with that, this organized crime network operates more like a u.s. infantry

company patrolling the streets of iraq than they do a street gang. and they're only getting stronger. de la cruz is a popular destination with colorful plazas just like this one. it's a thin veneer for what's going on beneath. local newspapers almost daily have headlines of the horror, of the bloody violence of the drug cartels. cartels that here in vera cruz are more often than not linked to the los zetas. the american drug enforcement agency tells me that it was originally based on military lines, it's being built on a business structure with quarterly meetings, business ledgers kept, even votes on key assassinations. and now the los zetas are taxing businesses even beyond their drug reach. from human trafficking across the american border to, as one recent scandal shows, they've

been imposing a kind of attacks on the mexican government themselves. the state-run oil company has just been revealed has been bleeding billions through corrupt officials linked to the los zetas. and as the dea agent told me, the american border makes little difference to the los zetas. to them, it doesn't matter whether their violence is being perpetrated on the mexican side of the border or on the american side. on that american side, one of their instruments of assassination was teenager reta. he was just 13 years old when he first killed. i love doing it, he says, in this police interrogation. killing that first person, i loved it. i thought i was superman. but you can be certain there are more like him. and there will be until america can defeat adversaries like the zetas and end the drug wars across its border. >> michael, as we mentioned, president obama is headed to

mexico on sunday. clearly, as you mentioned, the zetas don't have any regard for the borders here. how much do you think the drug wars and, specifically los zetas, will be on the agenda for these meetings? >> well, that's a great question, erica. at this stage we don't know. but what i can tell you is that the mexican drug war should be foremost on president obama's agenda when he does come here on the weekend to mexico. right now, on average, 570 mexicans are dying every month in drug-related crime, in a war that's essentially being fought by the mexicans for america. this is a war that's fueled by american's demand, for illegal drugs. and it's been fought with american weapons on both the government side and on the cartel side. this is very much an american problem. and many of us in the region will be looking to president obama to say something real about what america is about to do. erica? >> clearly, a problem that is

not getting better any time soon. michael ware live for news mexico city. thanks. just ahead on "360," charles manson, 40 years after the murders. a new search is under way for possibly more of his victims. could there be more out there? the man who helped prosecute manson weighs in. and later, a former congressman now a convicted criminal. he stashed his money in the freezer. now? could he be heading to the cooler? ah, yes, we'll reveal the meaning behind the cheesy pun when "360" continues.

she tried to assassinate president ford. in just a few days, she'll be free. cnn has learned that lynette "squeaky" fromme is scheduled to released after 34 years in prison. she's scheduled to be released on august 16th. she was also a disciple of charles manson. this week we're taking a closer look at all the killings he and his followers are linked to. the anniversary of those

killings this weekend, it will mark 40 years. but were there actually more victims than first thought? manson prosecutor vincent bugliosi says yes. we'll talk more with him in just a moment. but first, here's ted rowlands. >> are you guilty of any murders? >> reporter: for decades, speculation has swirled, that the nine murders linked to charm charles manson and his followers could be just the tip of the iceberg. more victims, runaways or others who came in contact with the manson family may have been murdered. according to prosecutors, he at one time alluded to as many as 35 victims. if there are other manson victims, the theory is that they could have been buried at one of the manson family hideouts. right now we are at the spahn ranch. this is where the manson family was before the tate murders. this used to be an old movie set. there were buildings right in here, they were all wiped out by a fire. the theory is just over this ridge, there could be grave sites. >> this is where they lived, right on the riverbed.

>> reporter: kitty cox is a caretaker at spahn ranch. do you think there are bodies out here? >> i think there could be. >> reporter: the other place people believe there may be more manson victims is in death valley, the barker ranch where manson was eventually arrested. when we traveled there last year we met emmitt harder, a gold prospector who met manson and his followers, including tex watson. he said one story he was told by a manson follower made him believe there are bodies here. >> this one girl didn't get along with -- with manson or them at all. and they took her for a walk. they came back in a short distance and she -- they never saw her again. >> reporter: a former police detective brought his cadaver dog buster to both the barker and spahn ranches. he located potential grave sites in both places. the local sheriff authorized a dig at barker ranch last year but nothing was located. one person who would know is

charles "tex" watson, manson's right-hand man. we wrote to him in prison. we received this letter back. it says, in part, i was the first family member to go to the desert after the murders and also the first to leave. i say this only to let you know that no one was killed while i was in the desert, but i don't know what took place after i left. over the years, none of the manson family members have ever said anything specific about other victims. and they are the only ones who may ever know. ted rowlands, cnn, los angeles. >> vincent bugliosi prosecuted charles manson and his followers. he's also the author of "helter skelter." it's the top-selling true crime book of all time. vincent bugliosi joins us now. we just saw the report of charles manson. perhaps as many as 35 bodies out there. do you believe there are other victims out there? >> yes, i do. manson's been convicted of nine murders. but the family used the term 35,

they said we offed 35 people. if your neighbor told you something like that, obviously you would dismiss it out of hand. but these are people, erica, who loved to kill. that was their lifestyle, their religion, their cradle. they wanted to kill as many human beings as possible. in my opinion there's many other murders we don't know about that the manson family committed. >> a lot bizarre about the trial were obviously the defendants here. leslie being one of them. last time i spoke with filmmaker john waters about his friendship, he's become friends with lindsey von hotten over the years. he had this to say about his belief about the kind of person she is now. take a listen. >> i think actually she should be the poster girl for the prison system because she went in a complete lunatic and ended up someone -- a very sober person who -- who really takes responsibility and wants to lead a quiet life if she ever gets out. i even seen vincent bugliosi who wrote "helter skelter." which is the biggest,

best-selling crime history in literature. i think he knows better. he's been fair to her, actually. he knows she's listen rehabilitated. >> john waters didn't quite go so far that you believe that lindsay should be paroled. he comes close. do you think she has been rehabilitated. do you think she should be paroled? >> i do not think she should be paroled. i do agree if anyone is paroled it has to be she. for one simple reason, she was not involved in the first night of the five tate murders. but this argument of rehabilitation, she may be rehabilitated. she appears to be. who aim to -- it would be presumptuous of me to say that she has not been rehabilitated. i'm not qualified to make that determination. however, i think the rehabilitation argument as a basis for her release is founded upon a fundamentally lawed premise. and that premise is that if

you're rehabilitated ergo you're entitled to be set free. but that presupposes is that the only reason we put people behind bars is to rehabilitate them. but there's a more important reason why we put people behind bars and that's to bring about justice. you don't bring about justice by rehabilitating people. you bring about justice by punishing them. >> i know you've been in fairly close contact over the years with the victims' families. did they feel that justice was done after the trials were over and everyone had been sentences? >> when they were sentenced to death, yes. but as you know, the very next year, the california supreme court and the u.s. supreme court set aside the death penalty and i think the victims' families felt that death -- i mean, that justice has not been served. that these people should have been executed, in a sense. i hate to say this, but in a sense, manson has beaten the wrap because he committed these murders and all we did is send

him back home where he came from. >> vincent bugliosi, appreciate your time today. thank you for talking was. >> thank you, erica. up next, the cold cash congressman, now a convict. does that mean a little jail time in is his future? plus, paula abdul leaving "american idol." say it ain't so. the possible reasons for her departure. this is my verizon small business specialist, tom. now, i know the catering business but when i walked in here i wasn't sure what i needed. i'm not sure what i need. tom showed me how to use mifi to get my whole team working online, on location.

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coming up, the sexier side of russian prime minister vladimir putin, oh, yes. i know we tried to bring it to you last night. we ran out of time. you're if luck it's back. before we can get on that, though. gary tuchman's back with us. >> reporter: erica, a jury has convicted former louisiana congressman william jefferson of taking bribes in a case where $90,000

was found in his freezer. the new orleans democrat plans to appeal. he's out on bond while he awaits sentencing. in north carolina, a federal judge has ruled six men accused of plotting violent jihad overseas must stay in custody pending a trial but the same judge expressed pressed skepticism about the case. and it's official, paula abdul says she is leaving "american idol" after eight seasons as a judge she is calling it" i. she made her announcement on her twitter page. there are reports, erica, paula, left because she was getting paid a fraction of what simon and ryan seacrest was getting. before the program, i was talking to one of our wonderful makeup artists, she says she is no longer going to watch "american idol" if paula -- >> without paula? >> yeah. >> interesting. i think my husband may watch more without her. that's a story for another day.

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gary, tonight's shot, oh, you are so happy you're here for it. vladimir putin's version of how i spent my summer vacation. lucky for us he's sharing the tale with us all. russia's prime minister releasing pictures of his trip to siberia. check it out. a little r&r, a little action on his off time. and he goes shirtless, whether he's chopping wood, swinging lats, or, oh, hey, if i'm going to go for a horseback ride, i don't want tan lines, do i? the take home message from all the macho photos, you can leave the summer beachery to someone el.