iran says it tested a missile that could reach u.s. troops overseas, but despite that, the defense secretary says there still may be a peaceful way for the u.s. to respond. a group of homeless sex offenders on probation have no place to go, so why are they setting up camp in the woods? plus -- >> if you started exhibiting new behavior and made a few purpss in a row at a bar, that would raise flags that maybe there's some impending financial crisis. >> that man is talking about credit card companies checking

on how you are spending your money. you could get penalized for changing the way you shop. hey there, let's get right to it. our top story today, iran says it successfully tested the longest range missiles in its arsonal overnight. it's reported that they can hit targets up to 1250 miles away. that means u.s. bases in the middle east, israel, moscow and athens are in range. >> the reality is there is no military option that does anything more than buy time. the estimates are one to three years or so. i think as i say, why you don't take options off the table, i think there's still room left for diplomacy. >> these missile tests come a couple of days after iran

announces a second new facility. they say it's for peaceful purposes. u.s. officials are calling for the strongest possible sanctions against iran if the facility is being used to make nuclear weapons. the u.s. wants full access. police in chicago say they have identified several people from an amateur video of a 16-year-old boy being beaten to death. some of the neighbors are blaming gang violence for this brawl that killed the boy. right now, four people are being questioned. >> i don't understand how 16, 17-year-old kids, how you could stand over someone's body and constantly beat them to death. >> his family says he's an honor roll student and that he was attacked thursday because he wouldn't join a neighborhood

gang. others are saying though that he may have been a bystander in the wrong place. his parents say as painful as the video is, they want it aired if it helps find the people who beat their son up. president obama will travel overseas to try to bring the olympics back to the united states. >> this is history in the making because never before has a u.s. president taken on such a direct role in trying to bring the games to the united states, but a senior white house adviser is saying thursday, the president will join his wife, michelle, to fly to copenhagen, meet with ioc officials and he's going to make that pitch and try to bring the 2016 games to chicago. they're d officials will make their decision friday. more sports in about ten minutes. >> tough competition there. for the first time ever, the u.s. census will be available in

two languages next year. the government will send out questionnaires in english and spanish. latino advocates hope it leads to a more accurate count of the population. roman polanski could be extradited to the u.s. back in 1977, he pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl, but fled to france before being sentenced. on friday, he was arrested as he was being honored at the film festival. >> this is a shock and i'm ashame ashamed they're doing such a thing to a brilliant, fantastic jeeb yeen yous. >> authorities say they hope he

will be able to come home as soon as possible and his victim wants the case thrown out, too. she says reliving it only causes more pain. he already paid her an undisclosed settle. the u.s. commander in afghanistan says things are tougher than expected. he says the u.s. needs to move more quickly and needs more troops on the ground. william cohen tells cnn the general is right. >> if you want to win hearts and minds, you have to pursue the strategy. if you say it costs too much, takes too long, then you come up with a counterterrorist strategy, which means you're going to start killing people and risk killing a lot of innocent civilians. >> he goes on to say the u.s. could lose in afghanistan without more soldiers. a lot of democrats say they're against that. some people accused of terrorism are going free because

prosecutors don't have enough strong evidence. a new study says the government is prosecuting about one in four terror suspects. it found federal agencies don't agree on how to categorize the crimes. dangerous flooding forcing people from their homes, devastating entire areas in the fill feens. at least 140 people have died. some held on for their lives on floating debris. rescuers are trying to reach families waiting for help on rooftops. thousands of people don't have water, food or electricity. officials say it's the worst flooding in 40 years. in this country, the phrase for the day, hang on to your hats. bob is here to tell us it's going to be windy. >> there's a powerful storm across the great lakes and

virginia. here's the way it looks on the satellite. look at the swirl in the clouds there. you have that boundary down there. it's around northern michigan. showers coming back towards ontario with a line of thunderstorms developing central new york, down the appalachains. showers and thunderstorms going down south. heavy storms near pittsburgh are moving north. another batch of rain around lake eerie. more thunderstorms, we had them this morning, might see a couple pop up. all the areas shaded in yellow, then toward it is lake shore, you could see 60 mile per hour winds. that's going to be this afternoon.

temperatures are cooling down. 46 in winnipeg. tomorrow morning, temperatures will be below freezing. the rain for ththis weekend, pu away, but it's going to be hot in las vegas. we had about three inches of rain in atlanta over the weekend. that's on top of about 15 to 20 the weekend before. sinkholes begin to open up when this happens. more details in just a little bit. >> wow. they're okay though, right? >> minor injuries. >> okay. thanks a lot, bob. you may not think twice about giving your child doctor prescribed antibiotics, but a new study shows bad reactions are more common than you might think. pothole:h no...your tire's all flat and junk. oh, did i do that?

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new this morning, more than

half a million kids in the u.s. have dangerous reactions to common drugs such as pencilen. a study says children under five are affected the most. the most common reactions include rashes and stomach aches. parents should pay closer attention when their kids take a new medicine for the first time. we are seeing security tapes from the 1995 oklahoma city bombing for the first time, but a lawyer who fought to have them released says something isn't right. four cameras from around the building went blank just before the explosion. he says the fbi is covering something up. so far, we don't have a response from the fbi. here is something you don't see every day. we're talking about the frog that eats birds? yeah, this one. in fact, no one had seen it until last year. the world wildlife fund says

it's one of a new species found in asia. 100 new plants, 28 new fish and 18 reptiles also found. all right. listen to this. more than half the people would support taxing the incomes of the country's wealthiest millionaires by 50% or more. that is from a new 60 minutes, "vanity fair" poll. a majority think walmart best symbolizes america. also, men say they would rather by george clooney for a week than president obama. plus, one in three say the toughest thing to cut back on in this recession is dining out, vacations were second. >> i'd think men would rather be single. >> you don't think it's because of all the problems that president obama has to deal with. >> it's noble. >> you may remember the study country wide financial

corporation had special mortgages for some people. well, congress is now looking into that. this is potentially stunning, right? >> yeah, well, we knew already that there was this program, that it was kind of fishy. what we didn't know, we're learning about phone calls that were destroyed. tapes of these calls and they were destroyed. of course, bank of america bought countrywide in july of 2008. bank of america spokesperson told "the wall street journal" that no recordings in terms of these recordings, were kept after it bought countrywide and terminated that program. it included mortgage loans to two senators an a former housing official. so it really raised a lot of questions like they are getting

different treatment. people take unemployment very personally. it's really hard to find a job. i don't want you to get discouraged. it really is hard out there. for every job opening out there, there are six people looking to fill it. those are new numbers coming from "the new york times." there are almost 15 million people out of work. there's still openings out there. you've just got to work extra hard for it. congress is looking at 13 more weeks of unemployment checks if you live in a state with high unemployment. so far, it passed the house, but not the senate yet. very quick, we're going to do good news in a bad economy. the stock market, up sharply this morning. the dow jones industrial average up more than 100 points. i think it's at more than 100 points, but that's where it was when i sat down. the second piece of good news,

gas prices. $2.50. it's probably a lot cheaper than it was a month ago. back to you. >> all right. we like that. thank you so much. listen to this. a clerk in a clothing store was viciously attacked by a robber with a crowbar. the video revealed what the clerk did that maybe made things worse. we'll show you. ring ring. progresso.

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get 40% off this bonded leather sofa, just $299, with very cool styling and so affordable. at 40% off, just $299. from jennifer. a store clerk in arizona was attacked by a robber and the attack was captured on camera. take a look and listen. >> stay back. >> right here. >> looks like the clerk was actually struck a second time when she tried to stop the robber. the clerk is okay, but the suspect did get away with about $200 in cash. talk about a scary moment in nascar. the youngest driver in the circuit had a nasty crash.

>> wait till you see this video, virginia. hi, virginia, nice to see you. it's been a while. it's nice to see you. the good news is this guy completely walks away from the accident. 19-year-old joey lagano. then he goes up into the wall and gets t-boned. just barrel rolling eight times. the guy's car basically reduced to scrap metal. that's his father running after him. imagine seeing your teenage son in a car wreck. fortunately, joey was okay. jimmie johnson took the checkered flag. johnson still trails mark martin by ten points in the standings. and brett favre had another miracle comeback. no time-outs. favre rolls right, heaves it, touchdown with two seconds left. greg lewis makes this stunning catch.

his first ever in a viking's uniform. with two seconds left. this is why the vikings brought brett in. they are 3-0 in minnesota and he shows he's still got it. the lions finally got their first win in two years, beating the washington redskins. call it a washington bailout perhaps? the game was blacked out and was not shown on local television because it didn't sell out. most of the fan base not able to see them win their first game in two years. michael vick, you heard of him. he returned to the football field for the first time in a couple of years about, and was pretty pedestrian. didn't do a whole lot. ran for seven yards in that one. got hammered right there and had two incompletions. everybody was so excited about him coming back. you're out for two years, it's going to take some time.

and the greatest rivalry in competitive eating history. kobayashi defeating the reigning champion. that guy there with the mohawk, 93 hamburgers in eight minutes. kobayashi wins the 20 grand. if you had eating that many, would you be that demonstrative? >> you have to keep it down for a while. >> yes. probably should not have gone there. >> thank you very much. we have an exciting lineup starting tomorrow. "the joy behar show" will air every night, 9:00 eastern right here on hln. it's her "moment of joy." last week, there was a death in the manson family. susan atkins finally died.

who was susan atkins? she helped kill actress sharon tate in a murder that shocked the world. my question is, when the charles manson going to die? my mother used to say god takes the wrong ones. she was looking at my uncle at the time, but still. good people are dropping like flies. teddy kennedy, walter cronkite, patrick swayze, but charlie manson, just fine. how is this possible? is he on a health kick in prison? drinking green tea? maybe taking a pilates class? my mother said when it's your time to die, you'll die. you know, i don't believe in the death penalty, but isn't it about his time? susan atkins finally took the ride in the mahogany taxi. i say let's pony up and give him

some car fair. >> the show starts tomorrow, 9:00 here on hln. the debate over an infamous imagine of president obama -- we'll take you to the debate. medicare.

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iran has successfully tested long range missiles that could hit u.s. military bases in the middle east. iran's state run tv reports the country tested two missiles overnightx that could hit thes targets. they also tested several others over the weekend. the philippines is asking for international help to deal with deadly flooding. at least 140 people have died already. the death toll could rise. tens of thousands of people have had to leave their homes. rescuers are still trying to reach families waiting on rooftops for help.

a u.s. friendly leader will run germany for another four years. merkel has been trying to build closer ties with the u.s. and wants her government in place by november 9th. "cloudy with a chance of me meatballs" was number one for the second week in a row. surrogates came in second. and the remake of "fame" debuts at number three. those are the headlines. former president bill clinton, he say the he says the so-called vast right wing conspiracy that attacked him is still around. his comments from the "meet the press" interview is one of the most popular stories on cnn.com right now.

>> sure, it is. not as strong as it was, but it's -- they can take his numbers down, run his opposition up, but fundamentally, he and his team have a positive agenda for america. their agenda seems to be wanting him to fail and that's not a prescription for a good america. >> he goes on to say there is no way republicans will take control of congress in next year's midterm elections the way they did during his presidency. listen to this. if you get marriage counseling or start shopping at a discount store, it could affect your credit card limit. jennifer westhoven looking out for you. jen, what up? >> i think we had heard about the where you shop might affect you, but pretty invasive stuff as we learn more details about

this. they're scouring your purchases looking for any sign that you might be losing your income. it's pretty surprising. >> you're shop from a middle or upper tier retail store and suddenly, it shows a purchase at a dollar store. some form of down shifting. suddenly shopping at walmart. >> so just shopping at walmart for a first time, marriage counseling is one of the things, too. try to fix your marriage if they're going to hit you. if you go to bars a few nights in a row for them. signs that you might have lost your job and therefore lose your ability to pay, they're willing to cut your credit. a colorado man running for office says if he's elected, he'll try to stop it. american express says we don't just look at where you shop, but overall spending patterns.

in some ways, you can understand, but still, can feel a little creepy. >> what if you're just trying to economize. you could still get penalized. thank you so much. some exoffenders have set up camp in the woods outside atlanta. authorities say the tents are a last resort for sex offenders who can't find a place to live that complies to georgia law. it bans them from living within 1,000 feet of where kids might be. a field agent checks in on them at least twice a week. robert gates is pushing back at critics who want u.s. troops out of afghanistan. gates is even saying a deadline for the pullout would be a disaster and would give the al-qaeda and taliban a boost.

>> failure in afghanistan would be a huge setback for the united states. taliban and al-qaeda, as far as they're concerned, defeated one super power. to defeat a second would have catastrophic consequences. >> democrats in congress oppose sending more soldiers. the u.s. commander in afghanistan is asking for more troops. a major lock break on the ohio river is slowing down an important shipping channel. it's still not known what caused the break. last year, the lock's performance was graded as a d. oh, boy. you never know what's going to happen on live tv. just ask one of "saturday night live's" newest cast members. >> you know what? >> you fricken just threw an

ashtray of butts at my head. you stood up for yourself and i -- love you for that. >> you're in my heart. >> that's a skit called biker chit chat. she was supposed to say fricken, but was getting into character and had a little slip. all right. we're in the -- >> you never know what the -- is going to be said. >> we're in the last beep days of september -- i know, we're officially into fall, but still surprising. >> we're seeing the warm temperatures basically across the great lakes. big area of low pressure swirling. you can see it here as the range goes underneath it. one is presently going through new york state.

ultimately, it's going to be around philadelphia and new york. if you are traveling out here, it's not just the rain and thunderstorms. it's the gusty winds developing later this evening and this afternoon. winds gusting to 25 miles per hour. so far, so good. central park looking nice. not so in buffalo. look at the rain coming in. around buffalo and eerie, pennsylvania, a nice line of showers there rochester and syracuse. on the backside of that, things are drying out, but the winds are really going to be up. we're talking winds gusting easily to 30 miles per hour. also, temperatures begin to fall. 46 in bismarck, 39 in billings. that's where the cold air is going to be located. good stuff across new england, moving away. hot again for the west coast.

99 towards las vegas with red flag warnings. the colors are starting to pop up in new england. look at these pictures from an i-reporter in vermont. looking very nice. great stuff. but winds might knock it down just a bit. some of those leaves will come off today when the cold front comes by. >> enjoy it while you can. pretty, pretty. thanks, bob. imagine you're pulling into a hospital parking lot dropping off prescription drugs. stay with us. (pouring rain)

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hurricane of people helped the environment this weekend. they took unused prescriptions to a hospital in new york because dumping pills down the drain can pollute the water and kids often get their hands on the medicine. the lawmaker who hosted the event says he wants to make it easier for people to trop of their medicine at pharmacies. expect the obama administration to make a big puch for longer school days. they say american school kids need to keep up with kids in other nations. nearly two dozen schools in massachusetts have added hours. other schools have added three to four-week summer programs. a lot of you were talking about this on facebook. francis writes -- jeffrey writes -- we give you the news,

you give us your views. go to our facebook page. a tiny car company backed by al gore got a government loan for more than half a billion dollars. jennifer westhoven has details on this and why some aren't happy about it. >> it sounds good on the surface of it. oh, the government's lending out $529 billion of your money to help build a hybrid car. you may be thinking, great. this is the sports car made in finland, who's parts are connected -- and it costs $90,000. some are outraged, saying loaning your money out so rich

people can buy a status symbol for their driveway. they're working on a more affordable sedan. madoff's family are being sued for $198 million. his job is to get basically every dime he had to split up between the victims. the trustee said he's planning to sue madoff's sons, brothers and niece because he alleges they should have known what was happening because they worked with madoff. here's what i want you to listen to. a new statement from one of the sons, peter madoff. he says, any suggestion that he knew his brother was absurd.

that's the first time i've seen any finger pointing going on. >> that's unusual. >> i was doing research, first time i've seen that. >> we'll see where that leads to if there's any more. most people have never had a family reunion like this. these people have lived for years, separated by wire and soldiers. that is until now. if you think geico's the cheap insurance company,

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they now live in two different countries. >> this is indeed is best day of my life. i was separated from my 4-year-old son 60 years ago. >> about 10,000 people wanted to take part, but fewer than 200 families will be allowed to. they will be going on until thursday. a 19-year-old wants to be the newest member of the california state assembly. you can tell by the homemade signs he doesn't have a lot of money in his campaign budget, but he says he does have a leadership skills to make a difference. the college student says his smile and personality are two of his biggest assets. >> older people bickering all the time, we need somebody that can be friends and that's happy all the time, you know? i'd reach across the aisle and stuff and make friends with everybody. >> last year, he ran for the

same assembly seat as a ride in candidate. lot of work. so what have you got for us? >> president obama. >> going to -- this is a big deal. >> and it's new because originally, we didn't think he was going. he was just going to be sending his wife, but now, we found out that the president has announced that he and michelle and oprah winfrey all are flying to copenhagen to meet with ioc officials in order to try to bring the olympic games to the windy city in 2016. they will make their decision on friday. never before has a president taken on such an active role in trying to bring the games to the u.s. phil mickelson's mother and wife are beating breast cancer and he beat tiger woods. he led one of the greatest comebacks of his career to beat tiger. tiger hitting this nice birdie

putt here finished second, but still won the fedex cup, which is the culmination of the entire year. phil was second and got about $3 million, plus the million for the tournament. about $15 million in one day. peyton manning continues to amaze. yes, he will endorse more products than anybody, but when a guy plays like this, he can back it up. he is the best quarterback in the nfl right now and showed it in the win over arizona last night. new york jets' mark sanchez is living up to his hype. he game the first rookie ever to lead his team to a 3-0 start in a comeback win over tennessee. an unnamed sports anchor called him sex on a stick. i don't know what that means, but the guy can play.

a major meltdown saturday. indiana goes to michigan's big house, almost got their first win there in decades. about two minutes left, they're battling it out for a pass. andd coach bill lynch of indiana loses his mind and his gum. there goes the gum. no players were hurt but the gum, michigan avoids the upset. and omar odom and chloe car dachian tied the knot after dating for a month. kobe and vanessa bryant and ryan sea crest. that's a look at sports. >> a whole month. new this hour, a lawyer for oscar-winning director roman polanski says he will fight extradition to the u.s. back in 1977, polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl, but fled to france before sentencing. saturday, swiss authorities arrested him after he entered the country to be honored at a film festival.

polanski's victim wants this case thrown out. she says reliving it only causes her more pain. we want to know what you think. should polanski be extradited to the u.s., or is the case too old and should it be thrown out as his victim is asking? call us at 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln. we'll air your comments starting at noon eastern time. a new york teacher went out of her way to help a student. she gave him one of her kidneys. the teacher received the new york state senate's liberty medal. she said she never intended to be an organ donor, but wanted to help a former student. >> she's great. she's amazing. >> she's not a relative, not a mother, not a sister, not a brother. she's gone out of her way. it's an extraordinary step. it's a big operation and she has saved a life. >> i was willing to do what i needed to do to help a student and now a friend for life. >> without this teacher's help,

the student could have waited eight years for a new kidney. you'd probably find it a little odd if you saw someone celebrating christmas right now, but that's exactly what one family's doing. >> outside and i start getting the looks. medicare.

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right now on "showbiz tonight," brand-new mackenzie phillips' incest shockers. why mackenzie went back on oprah today after claiming she had a sexual relationship with her father. tonight, even more startling claims and why mackenzie's half sister went on oprah with her today and what she revealed. plus, the bombshell oprah dropped about whether the incest claims could be true. the almost unbelievable chilling michael jackson tapes. jackson heard tonight on nbc's "dateline" describing how he says his father beat him. >> he would make you strip nude first, he would oil you down,

and stld beit would be a whole . >> tonight, you won't believe what you're about to hear. where do these tapes come from? why does michael slam madonna? and martha stewart's apology to jessica simpson after her beloved dog was snatched by a coyote. tv's most provocative entertainment news show starts right now. hello. i'm a.j. hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. and tonight, new incest bombshells from mackenzie phillips. >> i woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my own father. >> just days after she went on the oprah winfrey show to make that incredible claim that she had a sexual relationship with her father, mackenzie phillips went back on oprah's show today and what happened today made for

big news breaking. for the very first time, mackenzie responds to the disturbing backlash since she told oprah on wednesday about the incestuous affair with her father, mammas and the papas legend, john phillips. then there's the family feud that's erupted since mackenzie's incest claims. oprah reveals today how mackenzie's family is now torn apart and confronting her. and with her on "oprah" was her half sister chynna. so would chynna back up mackenzie or call her a liar to her face? and oprah about whether she's telling the truth. no big surprise here. mackenzie's explosive incest claims have set off a vicious feud that really has split her family right down the middle. her stepmother is furious. her younger half sister is just

scared and confused and her older half sister supports her, in spite of all of that, mackenzie went back on oprah today for a brand-new interview and says it was all still absolutely worth it. >> i understand and i totally agree that this is -- it's turned out to be much more explosive than i ever could have imagined and i'm really sorry, chy, to put you in this position, the whole family. i'm very, very sorry about that. but i don't regret writing the books, because i really believe it's going to be a great help. >> all right. so on the one hand, mackenzie said today that she's helping other victims of incest. on the other hand, she's completely torn her family in half. carlos, do you think that mackenzie really handled her confessions the right way? >> a.j., what kind of family are we talking about? this is not the brady bunch. they've admitted they are drug users -- it cracks me up when michelle phillips says, well, mackenzie's on drugs, she's had a needle in her harm for 35 years. guess who put that needle in her

arm? according to mackenzie, it was her dad. i think we need to get off of mackenzie's back here -- yeah, she's making money off of a book, but she's also doing such a great thing for such a taboo, for so many girls who are afraid to come forward. maybe now they have the guts to do so. >> look at the amount of attention this is getting. it really is unprecedented and the fact that we're talking about it again tonight. and there's so much more to tell you about what happened. you have mackenzie's stepmother, michelle phillips. michelle was the second wife of mackenzie's dad. she was a member of the mammas and the papas as well and she's outraged over mackenzie's incest claims. here's what she telled the hollywood reporter. "i have every reason to believe it was untrue, john because a bad parent and a drug addict, but blanking his daughter. if she thinks it's true, why isn't she with a good psychologist on a couch? mackenzie has had a lot of mental illness with she's had a needle stuck up her harm for 35 years. and michelle ranted again today

to "vanity fair." but watch what she told oprah today about her stepmother's comments. >> when michelle found out i was writing this book, she vowed to do everything she could to discredit me. and oprah, this is -- either she's protecting the mammas and papas brand for her own reasons or she is having a textbook reaction. she's embarrassed. sweep it under the carpet. protect the abuser. i don't have a history of mental illness. i have a history of addiction. >> cooper, what's your take on this? is michelle phillips, mackenzie's stepmother, out of line for railing so hard against her stepdaughter, or does she have every right to be so angry? >> well, she's totally out of line because she didn't live the life. so she can't suppose what happened to mackenzie. but mackenzie makes a good point. obviously, she'sed had therapy, so the correlation between being on a couch and incest, i don't understand michelle phillips' comment there. it makes absolutely no sense to me. but she is protecting the mammas and the papas, she is protecting the abuser, that's usually what

happens. so mackenzie's right in that way. it's not mackenzie's job to protect the family. no one protected her when she was being molested. i think it's fine for her to come out and say this. i think michelle phillips is doing more harm and should just shut the heck up. >> and on the other side of the family feud, you have mackenzie's older half sister, chynna, who also went on oprah today to defend mackenzie. you've got to watch this. >> so you believe her? >> well -- okay. yes, the details around the book, how can a person who has been drug, and admits that she was on drugs during the time of all this stuff going on, how can the details be perfectly accurate? but i do know there was a consensual relationship between my father and my sister that lasted for ten years. >> but it wasn't all roses for chynna. she did make it clear to oprah that mackenzie did not go about this the right way as far as she was concerned. watch. >> that was the only thing that hurt my feelings.

i felt like if i'd been privy to the information a tad bit sooner, you know, at least maybe i could have prepared myself, emotionally, for the firestorm. >> carlos, what do you think about that? a lot of people have been bringing this up. does chynna have a point? should mackenzie have gone about revealing information that's so explosive differently than she did. putting out this book and going on "oprah" without first talking to people, or does she have no responsibility there? >> in a perfect world, a.j., you're right. in a perfect world, chynna has a point that she should have gone to everyone and said, this is what i'm going to do. but keep in mind, oprah is not scripted. it's not one of those things where people are reading off a page. oprah is a great interview and she may have brought some things out of mackenzie that maybe she didn't want to talk about. but this has been on mackenzie's mind for so many years, maybe she was afraid if she called someone and told them she was going to reveal this on oprah, they would try to talk her out of it, or maybe she just wanted

to get on that show and see what happened. and maybe it wasn't her entire plan to reveal so much information. >> here's now another so interesting component to this whole thing. we also learned today that mackenzie's younger half sister bijou phillips said mackenzie told her about having a consensual sexual relationship with their dad when bijou was just 13 at the time and then mackenzie went back and told her, hey, it never happened. here's what bijou told shiite, the man that raised me would never be capable of doing such thing and if he was, it's heartbreaking that my family would leave me alone with him. it's daift ievastating to have world watch while we try to mend broken fences, especially when the man in question isn't here to defend himself. here's what mackenzie told oprah. >> my father, by the time bijou was living with him, had changed

his ways as much as he was able to. maybe i did her a disservice, i don't know, but i felt she was safe. why did i leave her there? i felt she was safe. but when i felt she was in danger, i took her out. >> cooper lawrence, i want to get your take here, because you are squarely on mackenzie's side and i'm wondering if you think bijou's claim that mackenzie took back her incest claim could actually compromise mackenzie's credibility in getting this word out. >> before we talk about credibility, let me be clear about one thing, when it comes to incest, it's not uncommon for the abuser to single out one child. you could have five kids in a family, only one of them gets abused, which is why the other kids go, i can't imagine this would happen, it didn't happen to me. that's not the answer. the answer is, it did happen to one sister, doesn't mean it has to happen to all of them. you know, i think, at the time, mackenzie wasn't clear, in her own mind. i think it really explains her drug use for so long.

you know, to compound the pain she was going through and the fact that her father was the first to introduce her to drugs, in a way it was helpful. because if he was going to be abusing her, being on drugs was the only way that she could quell the pain and deal what was ha happening to her. >> it's all so incredible. and there's more reaction to mackenzie phillips' incest claims coming in from around the country. sk and oprah surprised mackenzie. >> two days ago we received an e-mail from a woman named jessica woods. jessica's father, denny dougherty, was the other male singer in the mamas and the papas. here's some of what jessica wrote to us. >> don't move. we'll reveal what oprah had to say about that in just a moment. but first, tonight, absolutely chilling never-before-heard taped conversations with michael jackson. he describes in graphic detail how his father allegedly beat him. >> he would make you strip nude first, he would oil you down. it would be a whole ritual.

he would oil you down so when the flip of the ironing cord hit you, you know, it would just -- >> this is just mind blowing. in these tapes just heard on nbc's "dateline" tonight, michael also slams madonna and talks about his bizarre relationship with mannequins. you've got to hear this for yourself. and also, it's martha's doggone apology. martha stewart apologizes to jessica simpson after giving her a hard time after her dog was snatched by a coyote. and our brand-new segment starts tonight. we'll do this every friday. you're here for the very first one when "showbiz tonight" names the most provocative celebrity of the week. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. time now for the showbiz news ticker, more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom, making news right now. it's endless shrimp at red lobster.

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welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer in new york. tonight's martha's doggone apology.

everyone's favorite kitchen diva, martha stewart, was eating major crow today after slamming jessica simpson after jessica lost her beloved dog, daisy. days after jessica's dog was snatched by a coyote, martha stewart blamed jessica for being careless and what happened. and paula abdul is telling everyone to back off ellen. paula defends ellen, even after spoofing ellen for replacing her as a judge on "american idol." and with me tonight in new york, steven smith, a music and pop culture expert. also in new york, rachel zalis, a contributing editor for "life & style" weekly. i've been pretty bummed out about how people have been so mean to jessica simpson for hoping that daisy would be found. even dog lover martha stewart ragged on her, but tonight martha realizes that was not a good thing. here's what she said on her show. i said that she should have been watching her dog more closely, but i feel very, very sorry for anybody that loses a pet.

jessica, i hope you find your pet, but if you don't, i'm really sorry that you lost one. steven, are you with me? this is what i would have expected martha to say in the first place and not the mean thing that she said to jessica. >> yeah, you think an ex-con would be a little more sensitive to people losing a pet. just going to throw that out there. she should have said that's really awful and she also shouldn't have said, go out and buy another pet. i think that was the most insensitive remark she made. should have watched it more closely, yeah, duh. but buy a new one and love it? >> and there are reports that jessica is having a really hard time getting over the loss of daisy. you can certainly understand that. she had daisy for six years. do you think jessica should just accept this apology and move on? >> first of all, i don't know why martha is even getting involved with this. she should stick to what she does best, making buys and obstruction of justice. >> don't forget about the thing

she wore over her head, the thing, the frock, the upponcho. >> i don't think that was such an apology anyway, she reiterated what she said and said, but i'm sorry she lost her dog. i don't know. >> making news today, paula abdul defending ellen degeneres. some people have really been hating on ellen as paula's replacement on "american idol." even paula seemed to take a little shot at ellen with that hilarious spoof on vh1's "divas" of her, but paula says, enough is enough. and she's got ellen's back. >> she needs to do what she does best, which is not bother -- not be bothered by what anyone says and just be her charming self. and she's going to be great. >> you know, i have to tell you, i want to turn on "american idol" this season and see paula and ellen hug it out are, right there on the stage, kind of like a passing of the torch.

stooem steven, are you with me? >> no. what's her background, i don't think she's going to help. in fact, i think she's going to hinder "american idol" and paula should definitely come back, hug it out, and in that hug, wrestle her to the ground and take her rightful seat. >> rachel, tell me. do you think that now paula has come out and said, leave her alone, do you think the critics will shut up, finally? >> i don't know. obviously, ellen doesn't have a lot of music background, but she is one of the funniest and most beloved people on tv. i definitely think people will tune in. they want to see what she has to say, and ellen's been very funny about it herself. she said, she's been judged herself. >> thanks, guys. the showbiz on call phone lines have been loaded up. a lot of people calling in about mackenzie phillips, obviously, with her shocking claim that she and her dad had sex. people sounding off about whether it was appropriate for mackenzie to go public with this here's a call from bridgette calling in from washington, who

says mackenzie has every right to speak up. >> mackenzie was correct in doing what she did. otherwise, anytime she would go on a show, people would talk about her father in such loving and glowing terms and she would have to sit there, take that in and then perpetuate that lie. and that's what destroyed her life. >> i appreciate that, bridgette. >> we heard from cynthia calling in from canada. cynthia thinks that mackenzie must be telling the truth. >> caller: i don't think mackenzie phillips would have went on television and said the things she said when she is the one that has to take the repercussions from it. i can't understand why she would go on there and say those things if they weren't true. she needs to free herself. >> thank you, cynthia. remember, showbiz on call phone lines are open all the time,

1-888-sbt-buzz. so mackenzie phillips was back on "oprah" today with even more shocking revelations. and oprah dropped a big bombshell about whether her incest claims could be true. the great debate tonight. did mackenzie do the right thing revealing this horrifying family secret? plus, madonna and michael jackson. >> michael jackson was a human being, but dam mmitt, he was a king. long live the king. >> madonna paid tribute to michael at the mtv music awards, but in never-before-heard taped conversations with michael, he actually slams madonna and he describes in graphic detail how his father would beat him and he describes his bizarre relationship with mannequins. you won't believe your ears on this. and we'll do this every friday night and you are here for the very first one. don't move a muscle. "showbiz tonight" is naming the most provocative celebrity of the week. wow, what a week it's been. this is "showbiz tonight" on

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now on "showbiz tonight," unbelievable explosive new michael jackson tapes revealed. just a short time ago on nbc's "dateline," michael in his own words claims how his father brutally beat him. >> he would make you strip nude first. he would oil you down and it would be a whole ritual. he would oil you down, so when the flip of the ironing cord hit you, it would just, you know -- >> but why are these tapes coming out just now? plus, why michael slams madonna. new mackenzie phillips incest claims. the "one day at a time" star

back on "oprah," just this afternoon. tonight, "showbiz tonight" with the bombshell from "oprah" about whether mackenzie's incest allegations could be true. and brand-new tonight, "showbiz tonight" names the most provocative celebrity of the week. plus, more stories breaking from the showbiz news ticker. tv's most provocative entertainment news show continues right now. welcome back to "showbiz tonight." it is 30 minutes past the hour. i'm a.j. hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. tonight, the explosive brand-new secret tapes of michael jackson telling all about his father allegedly beating him, and that is only the beginning. here are the breaking developments. on nbc's "dateline" tonight, just a short time ago, we heard dramatic new audiotapes of michael jackson talking in unbelievably graphic detail

about being beaten by his father, joe jackson. i can tell you, it is just mind blowing what he claims he went through. and on those tapes, michael describes how lonely his life became and why he had a bizarre relationship with mannequins. yes, i said mannequins. and there were also brand-new remarkable revelations from these explosive tapes about how the king of pop wanted to be buried, not by himself, but with children. joining me tonight in new york, jean casarez, a legal correspondent for "in session." and in hollywood tonight, carlos diaz, a correspondent for "extra." i've got to say, these tapes we're about to play for you, they're just incredible. they're just some of the over 30 hours of interviews that were recorded between 1992 and 2001, with jackson's one-time spiritual adviser,. jackson talks about what he called his father's beating ritual when he was a child. the tapes were first aired on the "today" show.

>> it's just eerie to listen to. "showbiz tonight" did reach out to michael jackson's father, joe jackson today. a family spokesman said he wouldn't even dignify these claims with a comment. but, carlos, obviously we've heard these allegations before from michael. but to actually hear michael saying it himself in his own voice and words, it's just stunning, isn't it? >> he wouldn't even dignify

these claims with a comment? well, these claims are coming from your son, joe jackson. that's what gets me. that's when you say when a tabloid says something about you. joe jackson, these claims are coming from your son, in great detail. we've heard them before, but never from michael jackson's own mouth and in such great detail. when are we going to wake up and realize that joe jackson might not be the best guy in the world? >> yeah, no kidding. the rabbi did say today that michael gave him permission to tape these 30 hours of conversation. a lot of people have been wondering how these got out there, but michael wanted to share these tapes with the world one day. that's what he told the rabbi. and he has now written a book based on these tapes. jean casarez, what do these tapes that you heard today say to you about michael's relationship with his dad? >> i think it's shocking. i think it's shocking. you know, we have heard michael say before that he was physically abused. remember when oprah interviewed him, and very meekly to oprah's question, did he hit you?

yes. but we've never heard these specifics. if true, let's look at the facts. it does show out and out abuse. it shows his mother knew about it. it shows his mother stood by when it was all happening. those are the facts according to that tape. >> and when you listen to, again, the detail that was given, certainly michael was a creative guy, but you have to wonder, can somebody really make stuff like that up? now, we all know, michael lived a very isolated life. nothing, however, illustrates that more than this next bombshell i have to play to you. in the special that nbc "dateline" aired tonight, michael explains that he filled his life with mannequins when he felt the need to be around people.

>> you know, i'm listening to that and i'm just getting sadder and sadder. carlos, it really gives us such a sense of how lonely michael was despite the fact that he had all these people around him andagelation from people around the world. >> a.j., just when you thought you heard it all, you hear some stuff like that. it's amazing. i think back to the "bad" tour, you know, when michael was jogging with those troops and he had thousands of fans, they were screaming for him and he had hundreds of troops around him, protecting him from the fans and here's a guy who can't be in a room with real people. it blows the mind. >> and especially, when this came up today, i remember, oh, yeah, the mannequins. and i started to wonder, was that a real story or fake story back then, and obviously, michael talking about it again in such great detail.

when michael was alive, obviously, a lot of people thought he was eck secentric an little bizarre, but jean, what goes through your mind when you hear him dwescribing this relationship with mannequins? >> being shy, i don't think that's unusual for a performers. i think the majority of performers are shy people. and when we look at the mannequins, we now see the state of mind of michael jackson. it is now explained. and on "oprah" this week, oprah happened to mention that she has dolls around her house today because she didn't have them when she was younger. so what's the difference, really? >> you make an excellent point. these tapes were recorded back between '99 and 2001. and that's in between the time he was accused of child molestation, the first time in '93 and when he went on trial in 2004. keeping that in mind, another bombshell from the secret tapes that air tonight on "dateline," michael expressing his love for children, saying even when he died, he wanted to be buried around them.

>> just unbelievable. he says if it weren't for children, he would choose death. he wanted to be buried right where there were children. carlos, do you think what michael said on these tapes perhaps will serve to help people understand michael's love for children, or are people just going to find it disturbing? >> you know, i think if you have a preconceived notion about michael jackson, these tapes are going to solidify your already preconceived notion. if you believe michael jackson was a saint and that he was a beautiful person, then these tapes are going to help you believe that. if you believe he was a pedophile, you're going to go, look, he's talking about kids all the time. it's truly in the ear of the beholder. >> excellent point as well. truly more shocking things were said by michael on these tapes.

you do remember that touching speech that madonna gave about michael a couple of weeks ago at the mtv music video awards. >> we went back to my house and decided to sit on the couch. his hand snuck over and held mine. >> madonna went on to praise michael. she called him a king. you'll be shocked when you hear when michael was caught on tape calling madonna. i'll have that for you in just a moment. jean casarez, carlos diaz, i appreciate you being here tonight. and brand-new bombshells from "one day at a time" star mackenzie phillips. days after shocking the world on "oprah" that she had with claims that she had a shocking relationship with her father, oprah has a bombshell. >> we received an e-mail from jessicawoods. jessica's father was the other male singer in the mammas and

papas. >> what oprah had to say about whether mackenzie's incest allegations could actually be true. and mackenzie phillips, well, she's definitely had a provocative week, but is she the most provocative celebrity of the week? tonight, i'm rolling out something brand-new we are going to do every friday night. "showbiz tonight" names the most provocative celebrity of the week. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. time in and out for the "showbiz news ticker," these are more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now. it's endless shrimp at red lobster.

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that was madonna. that was just a couple of weeks ago at the mtv video music awards. she was paying tribute, of course, to michael jackson. so why on earth did michael jackson slam madonna in brand-new tapes released today? welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer in new york. and right now, more of the explosive michael jackson tapes seen nationwide tonight on nbc's "dateline." these tapes were recorded between 1999 and 2001, were first played on the "today" show this morning. and michael jackson reveals on these tapes how he really felt about his good friend, madonna. joining me tonight from hollywood, ken baker, an executive news editor for "e!" and in new york, cooper lawrence, a psychologist and author of "the cult of celebrity." so michael jackson's longtime spiritual adviser, ra buy skmuly.

>> well, "showbiz tonight" did reach out to madonna and a spokesperson tells us that madonna has very fond feelings for michael jackson and i don't think anything in the book is going to change that. ken baker, what do you make of mike's slam of madonna? >> we've got to put it in some context. madonna had been close to michael for some time, and then in her own admission, she says that they completely lost contact, they did fall out, and even a couple of weeks ago when she stood up at the vmas and gave that tribute to michael jackson, she had confessed that she left him. she said herself that maybe she was less of a good person with

how she definitely with michael. i don't think she denies there was some rift. as far as any repercussions, madonna also said that, and i think all out f us can agree, t michael jackson was in a lot of trouble and turmoil in his life. and even at that time, i don't know he was of totally sound mind. i'm not saying that madonna is a great person or a bad person, i don't know her personally, but i know that michael was very conflicted. he had isolated himself from a lot of people and he perceived a lot of enemies out there in the world and some of them were his friends he just shut out. >> we know he really did isolate himself. and that was going back some ten years. there are also brand-new bombshells tonight about mackenzie phillips' incest claims about her late father, john phillips. here's the big news breaking today. mackenzie phillips went back on "oprah" today, two days after making her incest claims. mackenzie's half sister, chynna phillips, also appeared on

"oprah" today to support mackenzie. but oprah herself today revealed a new bombshell on the show and it has to do with whether or not the incest claims mackenzie are making could be true. oprah received today she received an e-mail from jessica woods, whose dad was a member of the mammas and the papas with mackenzie's father, john phillips. >> she said, i just watched your show with mackenzie phillips, tears are running down my face. everything she said is true. my dad told me the awful truth. he was horrified at what john had done and knew all of it. >> wow. cooper lawrence, off to you. does this give mackenzie some more credibility here for all of those who keep going after her for revealing this stuff? >> it absolutely gives her credibility, but it shouldn't have to. the fact that she has these claims should be enough. whether they're true or not, she's bringing attention to a very important subject, because incest is one of those things that goes underreported.

somebody is at home saying to themselves, you know what, she came forward, i'm going to do the same. the bigger question, though, a.j., if this other person knew about this going on when she was a kid, why didn't they step forward then? why didn't they try to protect her when she was a child? i don't really understand that? >> and some of the things that were being said is that it was just a different time and there were a lot of drugs involved and who really knows exactly what was going on. but there's so much debate about this going on. "showbiz tonight" viewers really divided on whether or not mackenzie should have gone public with these claims of incest against her father. for our "showbiz tonight" question of the day, we asked on air and on line, mackenzie phillips criticized. was it okay for her to go public with her incest claims? this is a pretty clear divide. 56% saying yet, 46% saying no. the majority there saying she was write to come out, of course, with these claims. cooper, back to you on this. do you think the other 44% might come around a bit after they hear that this woman, jessica woods is corroborating mackenzie's story?

>> those 44%, we don't have to prove anything to them. and how dare they come forward and say it wasn't appropriate for her. if one person is going to hear this story and feel they'll stop the circle of sexual abuse in their house, that's all that matters. and those 44% have had very nice lives and haven't had to deal with any sort of incest or molestation. it's a horrible situation and children tend not to report it. so if anything makes one kid come forward, 100% of the people should be supportive of mackenzie phillips for that reason alone. >> i hear what you're saying and i guess the debate that we're hearing, cooper, is that so many people are saying, yeah, it may be helpful, but at what cost. but from what you're saying, it doesn't matter. ken baker, cooper lawrence, thanks so much for being here. appreciate it. there is certainly no doubt that mackenzie phillips has had a controversial week, but is she the most provocative celebrity of the week? don't go anywhere, because we are kicking off something brand new tonight on "showbiz tonight," and you are in on it. we're going to do this every friday night. i have gotten your e-mails, your phone calls.

also, your facebook comments. and coming up next, we will be naming the most provocative celebrity of the week. now the showbiz news ticker, more stories from the it is i'm now for "making it work," where the stars reveal their very personal secrets of how they're able to make their relationships work, and as we know, doing that in hollywood, hey, that's not such an easy thing to do. tonight it is singer harry connick jr., one of my favorite guys in the business. harry has been married to his beautiful wife jill for about 15 years now. they have three terrific daughters and on "oprah" just this afternoon, harry revealed the detroit making his marriage work is actually a bunch of

things. >> i love my wife. you know what i mean? we met 20 years ago, and we're just wsh wsh deer best friends. communicate. all the stuff you're supposed to do. we talk a lot. we have children, which is a huge part of it, and we just -- we love being with each other. >> harry connick jr. really is a terrific guy and it always truck me he has a terrific perspective on life and show business. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. would you like to go for a ride on that bike ? ok ! ok. whoooa, heyyy ! see, the terms require that you keep the bike within this pre-determined space. if you want to take the bike out, i'm going to have to charge you a penalty. i can't really ride in this little space.

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