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Laura Bush Had Skin Cancer Removed in November; Urgency for Rescue Teams On Mt. Hood Driven Impending Storm

Aired December 19, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins. For the next three hours watch events happen live on this Tuesday, the 19th of December. Here's what's on the rundown.

Two climbers lost in the snow and cold of Mt. Hood for 11 days, the rescue efforts growing more critical by the minute.

HARRIS: Divided streets, children run as Palestinian militias trade gunfire. New fears of civil war grip the territories.

COLLINS: And the little guy gets creamed. Gas-tipping subcompacts take a hit in the latest round of crash tests. Safety or savings, in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: At the top this morning, long odds growing even steeper on Mt. Hood this morning, with bad weather a day away. Crews narrow their search for two missing climbers. Meanwhile, the body of their companion is pulled from the Oregon summit. Let's get the latest from CNN's Chris Lawrence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN NEWSROOM (voice over): The small window of calm, clear weather around Mt. Hood is closing. And with it, high hopes of finding two climbers alive.

ANGELA HALL, SISTER OF BRIAN HALL: The prayers that are with us, they need to be even stronger now.

LAWRENCE: Family members say Kelly James, Brian Hall and Nikko Cooke were united by their love of climbing.

MICHAELA COOKE, WIFE OF NIKKO COOKE: The bond forged between them will last throughout eternity. We hold out hope today for Brian and Nikko's safe return.

LAWRENCE: It's too dangerous for ground crews to get near the top of Elliot Glacier, where avalanches have dumped 10 feet of new snow.

SHERIFF JOE WAMPLER, HOOD RIVER COUNTY, OREGON: If that's where they're at, I think we've got real problems. LAWRENCE: Rescue teams now believe the climbers summited the mountain Friday, but that James had a severe arm injury. All three dug out a snow cave and huddled together. The next morning Hall and Cooke went for help. But blinding wind and snow stopped them, and they anchored down, north of James' cave. What happened next, authorities might never know.

WAMPLER: I think it's going to rain or snow some more, I think that's going to drive us out of the woods.

LAWRENCE: It's been nearly two weeks since the men started their climb. At this point the sheriff says exposure and altitude would be debilitating.

WAMPLER: If they didn't get in a hole somewhere -- no, we may be actually beyond.

LAWRENCE: His voice trails off, like the footprints leading to the remaining two climbers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Of course, this is still a rescue mission at this point, but, you know, that could change over the next few days. This is the last full day of searching before that bad weather moves in tomorrow. And they'll have to re-evaluate once that storm clears out, Tony.

HARRIS: Chris, I heard what you just said there, but realistically, is this still considered a rescue operation?

LAWRENCE: At this point, yes. You know, these search teams still have high hopes, and are still holding out hope that they can find the two men alive. But again, they'll have to re-evaluate that. There is some sense of -- what if? If the weather wasn't so bad and they were able to get up to that summit this time last week.

HARRIS: OK. CNN's Chris Lawrence for us. Chris, we appreciate it. Thank you.

Let's get a check on conditions. Chad Myers, you heard Chris mention there just a moment ago that the weather is about to turn unfavorable for searchers as early as tomorrow?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST, CNN NEWSROOM: As late as -- as early as tonight, I guess, probably midnight tonight, starts to blow a little bit. But the storm really gets going in its intensity by 1:00 tomorrow afternoon, local time there.

So, do you put the searchers on the mountain for a few-hour window, and then get them in trouble as the day goes on? I'm not sure. I'm not sure that's a great idea because if you only get two or three hours of searching, then you get an ice storm, you can't fly any planes in the ice storm.

And the storm is right there, just on the western Pacific Coast now, headed into the Mt. Hood area. I would say today is the last really good day. Because as tomorrow comes in, the rain begins, the rain stops at 5,000 feet, then for a few thousand feet it's an ice event, and then after that it's all snow above that.

So, it's almost one of those things, just get it done today and see what you can get out there. Otherwise, it will be a couple more days before we get some better weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Sending a signal to Iran, news out of the Pentagon now. The U.S. is considering sending some more hardware to the Persian Gulf. CNN's Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon this morning.

Good morning to you, Barbara. What do we know about this?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT, CNN AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning to you, Heidi.

The question is, just how big a military signal does the new Defense Secretary Robert Gates want to send to Tehran? What we have learned is that U.S. military's Central Command has made a request for Mr. Gates and the chairman, General Peter Pace, to approve, to send a second aircraft carrier battle group to the Persian Gulf in the Indian Ocean, to arrive sometime after the first of the year.

All of this aimed at sending a signal to Iran in light of its recent military war games, some of its recent moves in the region, some of its rhetoric, a signal that the U.S. military is not stretched so thin that it can't put additional forces in the region.

What sources are telling us is no one is considering military action against Iran, but that sending the new additional second carrier battle group would send a signal to Tehran that the U.S. military is still very capable of putting forces in the region. The Aircraft Carrier Eisenhower is already there. And in fact, there have been -- for some time this year, when there had been no aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, now there is one. And the military wants to put a second one there. This may well become one of the first major decisions for Secretary Gates -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And, Barbara, when is that decision expected between Peter Pace and Robert Gates?

STARR: Well, what we do know is that the request was made by General John Abizaid last week. We know that the request is now here in the Pentagon, and normally these types of requests are called RFFs, Requests For Forces. Usually takes several days because what they have to do is look around, of course, find out, first, if it's a good idea, if they want to approve it? If they want to do it? And then locate and identify the ships and the resources that would actually be tapped to go to the region.

COLLINS: All right. Barbara Starr. We'll be watching this one. Live from the Pentagon this morning. Thanks, Barbara. COLLINS: In custody, a second man arrested early this morning, suspected in all five prostitute murders, in eastern England. Those women killed and left naked. CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh joins us live from Ipswich this morning with the very latest -- Alphonso.

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN NEWSROOM: That's right.

It's the second startling development in this case in a little over 24 hours. About 10 hours ago, police say they arrested, as you mentioned, a second suspect in this case. The killings of five Ipswich area women, all of them known prostitute prostitutes.

Now, where we are standing right now, this -- even though police are not naming the suspects, this is the neighborhood where the second suspect is believed to have been living. You will see it's been cordoned off there. Police officers are behind me. Some of the world press is here.

Earlier on in the day we saw forensic investigators in their trademark white jumpsuits in that building down there, looking for evidence. We also understand the police have taken a blue vehicle away, as part of the investigation.

Now, this development today comes, as I mentioned, a little over 24 hours after the arrest of the first suspect, according to police. They're not naming this person, but we understand that it is a 37- year-old man named Tom Stephens, a man who had his own profile on the Internet.

From that Internet profile we learned a little bit more about him. That, in his own words, he worked at a local supermarket. He also spoke to some of the local media here, saying he knew all five of the prostitutes, that he was worried that he didn't necessarily have an alibi. He did proclaim his innocence, but had now he is in police custody.

HARRIS: So, Alphonso, let me just ask a quick question. How were authorities -- do we know yet how authorities were led to this second suspect?

VAN MARSH: Police are not sharing those details with us at this moment. They're also not saying if there's any sort of connection between the two suspects. We do understand it's been reported in the local press here that some police sources are saying that the second arrest is a significant arrest.

Police had been saying that they are linking all five of these murders -- they're hesitant to say a serial killer, but certainly a bit of a relief, if not resolution on this case that has this whole country in shock.

HARRIS: CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh in the town of Ipswich this morning. Alphonso, appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: Easy to park, easy on gas, but how do small cars perform in crash tests? Ouch! Results, including the winning vehicle, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, is the party over for Miss USA? The good-time beauty queen could hear The Donald say, "You're fired." Trump's news conference, live, later this morning.

COLLINS: Skin cancer scare for the first lady. How it was spotted and how you can protect yourself.

HARRIS: Truce? Look at this. What truce? Child's play on the streets of Gaza. Gun battles scatter school kids. Here in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And tonight at 8 o'clock Eastern, out in the open, Paula Zahn is live from Texas with an honest discussion about race in America. What no one wants to say, "Out In The Open." Join Paula Zahn live, from Texas tonight, for a full hour special, on race in America. Again, 8:00 tonight, Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Skin cancer scare, First Lady Laura Bush had a malignant tumor removed from her right shin. It was a squamous cell carcinoma. How dangerous is this cancer? Let's bring in Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

So, first of all, I know there's a couple of pronunciations, I want to make sure I have it correctly. How dangerous is it?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: You know, it's one of the less dangerous forms of skin cancer. So if you are going to get a form of skin cancer, this is one of the ones that is less dangerous. It is not melanoma, which we have all heard of so much, which is much more dangerous.

Let's take a look at the numbers. Mrs. Bush is not alone. An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people get this kind of cancer, squamous cell skin cancer, each year. And 1,000 to 2,000 die. For the most part, the people who die are elderly people where this was diagnosed quite late in the game, so it has gone pretty far along. Or people with some kind of immune deficiency.

Most of the time, Heidi, this cancer just stays right there on the skin, and it's removed. It doesn't go anywhere.

COLLINS: All right. So what about chances of recurrence? Now that she's had it removed, is she in the clear?

COHEN: Not completely. People who do have this kind of cancer do have a higher chance of having it happen again, or a higher chance of getting melanoma. So there are certain warning signs that people do want to look for, whether or not you've had this cancer, or even if you're just worried about getting this cancer in general.

First of all, you need to stay -- stay indoors or put on sunscreen or wear protective clothing, that is the most important thing that you need to remember. Also, people who have fair skin are more likely to get this kind of cancer. And also, men are more likely to get this kind of cancer. The only reason for that is that men tend to spend more time, as a group, out in the sun than women do. So, really the basic rule here is cover up, stay out of the sun.

COLLINS: Yes, no kidding. Once you hear cancer, you never feel like you're completely in the clear, for the future.

COHEN: Right.

COLLINS: What about warning signs?

COHEN: Well, there are certain warning signs that people want to look for. You can remember it by A, B, C, D. So, let's take a look at what that stands for: A, stands for asymmetry. If you have a mole or some kind of large freckle that is asymmetrical, like the one you see here, that is a warning sign you need to go show that to your doctor.

Also, an uneven border like the one you see here, that's another thing that can signal this can turn into a melanoma or some other form of skin cancer.

Also, color. When you start seeing varying shades, if you look at that closely, you see different shades of brown. That is not a good sign.

Finally, diameter. These growths tend to grow more quickly than just your regular, benign mole.

What you want to look for is those four signs. And really, Heidi, anything new on your skin, that you've never seen before, or anything that has been there for awhile, but is growing very fast, you really need to get those checked out.

COLLINS: Or changes.

COHEN: Changes are bad, yes.

COLLINS: You mentioned prevention. We're talking about sunscreen and the proper clothing.

COHEN: Sunscreen, proper clothing, those are the two most important things.

COLLINS: OK, perfect.

All right. Elizabeth Cohen, our medical correspondent, thank you.

COHEN: Right.

HARRIS: Here's a question. Should the U.S. send a surge of troops to Iraq? That issue reportedly dividing the White House and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A report in "The Washington Post" says White House officials favor the surge proposal. One plan calls for sending 15,000 to 30,000 more troops. Their mission, probably six to eight months long. But unanimous disagreement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The report says the Joint Chiefs think the White House is latching onto the surge idea, in part, because there are few alternatives. Right now, President Bush is weighing options on U.S. strategy in Iraq. An announcement expected sometime in January.

In Baghdad, another brazen bank robbery in broad daylight. Gunmen stole cash worth close to $1 million. In today's holdup at a bank in central Baghdad, the money part of a payroll for Iraq industry ministry. It is the second such heist in a little over a week. To the Iraqi capital now, and CNN's Ryan Chilcote.

Ryan, good morning. Tell us about this most recent heist.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN NEWSROOM: Tony, one of the most interesting things about this heist, according to eyewitnesses on the scene, was that it was carried out by criminals wearing police uniforms. Meaning either that it was either carried out by, of course, the police, or people pretending to be the police.

In any case, it went off without a hitch and before it ended, the bank now is reporting the criminals got away with 1.4 billion Iraqi dinars, that is about the equivalent of $850,000 U.S. dollars -- Tony.

HARRIS: Ryan, it seems like these kinds of incidents are happening more and more often, where you have these impostors in these uniforms, carrying out these incidents.

CHILCOTE: That's right. They are quite frequent. In fact, we really don't know whether they are impostors, or whether they are the police. There's been several of these incidents, this bank heist today, a bank heist last week, which was also around $1 million. There have been two mass kidnappings in the last few weeks, one just over the weekend, about 30 workers from the Red Crescent humanitarian aid organization.

And there was a big one, you will remember, more than 100 workers of the education ministry. All of these crimes carried out by people that were wearing uniforms of the Iraqi security forces, often showing up in vehicles of the Iraqi security forces.

Now, the Iraqi security forces, themselves, they deny any involvement. In fact, they say that sometimes these are carried out by impostors and sometimes these impostors look so genuine, that their uniforms look so genuine that they unwittingly become accomplices, letting them -- giving them safe passage to and from the scene of the crime.

But they deny any involvement. However, they are people out here, particular Sunni groups, that do accuse the government of being involved in lot of the crimes here in the capital -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN'S Ryan Chilcote for us in Baghdad. Ryan, thank you.

COLLINS: Struggling to survive, the Shining Star of Africa now horribly faded. Forcing millions to scrounge for rats. Tell you about the story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: A search as formidable as the landscape. What goes into such a massive operation? We will take a closer look.

COLLINS: It's crunch time for subcompacts. Crash test results coming up.

HARRIS: And we are "Minding Your Business" Stephanie Elam is in for Ali Velshi this morning. And she is here now with a preview.

Stephanie, good morning.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN NEWSROOM: Good morning.

That's right, Delta Air has grounded US Airways' bid. I'll tell you all about it, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, Delta Airlines says thanks, but no thanks to US Airways. Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Stephanie, so we have it? It is firm? It's a no-go as far as Delta is concerned here?

ELAM: Yeah, Tony, they haven't changed their mind. They are keeping their stance pretty level here. They're saying, we are not interested in this bid. If you remember, it was mid-November when this bid came out at $8.4 billion for Delta from US Airways.

Now, remember, Delta is in bankruptcy protection here, but now Delta has said that, you know what, we value ourselves somewhere between $9.4 and $12 billion. So the issue here is it's not enough compared to what they are seeing from US Air.

HARRIS: Well, Stephanie, does US Airways come back and say, hey, look, we can sweeten the pot here?

ELAM: Part of the reason this has come out is because US Airways said, yeah, sure, we're willing to pay more for this airline. Thing is, Delta has to prove it to us. That news came out and now we are hearing the actual numbers come out, from Delta, over how much they're actually worth here.

So, yeah, they could actually raise the pot here, which would make it better for the creditors on Delta's side. That might make them more interested in the deal. Because right now they're not really showing much interest.

HARRIS: Gotcha. But is this is a situation where -- let's remember here, Delta is in bankruptcy. Is this a situation where Delta could come out of bankruptcy and US Airways could try this again?

ELAM: Well, here's an interesting thing about that aspect of the story, is the fact that Delta made it very clear that, A, they plan on coming out of bankruptcy next year. On top of that, they plan to make money next year as well.

Now, of course, if they go through, sure, US Airways could ahead and try to go after the merger at that point, but it's much easier to do it while they are in bankruptcy protection. Because they could get past more of the regulation issues.

HARRIS: Right, right. Not that I'm rooting for the deal here, Stephanie. I just want to understand what's going on here.

ELAM: That's good.

HARRIS: All right, Stephanie, I hold in my hand the new crop report. And I understand that no crop is more valuable in the United States market than wheat.

ELAM: Wheat. Well --

HARRIS: Wheat.

ELAM: I think you might want to change that T sound to a D sound.

HARRIS: Huh?

ELAM: According to this one, individual, who I will say, does believe that legalization is the way to go. But he's saying that marijuana is actually --

HARRIS: Marijuana?

ELAM: Actually, yes, I told you, you need a D there. Marijuana is actually worth $35 billion dollars making it the largest cash crop in America. If you can consider it that.

Now, I'm just curious, Tony, what state do you think is making the most of it?

HARRIS: My guess would be -- well, warm weather, I'm thinking, so what do you say, somewhere in the Southeast, the Sunbelt? How about California?

ELAM: There you go, yes. I mean it's not a big surprise.

HARRIS: California, OK.

ELAM: It is my home state, so it may be on a -- is that a good thing, or a bad thing? But anyway, a third of marijuana is actually made in California, according to this one man. But they are saying that it would beat out the top three legal cash crops, which are soybeans, corn, and also hay on that level.

And in California it would beat out the top three legal crops, there, all together, combined. So it is obviously bringing in a lot of money. And this one man goes on to say in his analysis, that actually a dozen states it would be the top crop if they were to make it legal here, so.

HARRIS: Wow. So, you heard it, but you didn't hear it here this morning. Stephanie Elam for us. "Minding Your Business." Stephanie, thank you.

ELAM: Sure.

COLLINS: Easy to park, easy on gas, but how do small cars perform in crash tests? Results, including the winning vehicle, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

Also, is the party over for Miss USA? The good-time beauty queen could hear the Donald say, you're fired. Trump's news conference is coming live a little bit later this morning.

And truce? What truce? No child's play on the streets of Gaza. Gun battles scatter school kids. You are in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, when there's no choice, desperate people do desperate things.

COLLINS: Such is the sad case today in Zimbabwe. Survival for some depends on the common rat.

The story now from CNN's African correspondent Jeff Koinange.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twelve- year-old Beatrice is digging the fields around her family's makeshift shack for dinner. And this is what dinner looks like for Beatrice and many others in Zimbabwe these days. Shocking in a nation once dubbed Southern Africa's bread basket, now a rat-infested nation of beggars to whom a rat can seem like a blessing. Beatrice takes her catch home where her mother, Elizabeth, immediately puts it on the grill. Actually, it's more like three stones supporting a wood fire. Just enough food, she says, to feed her starving family of six.

"Look what I've been reduced to eating," she says. "How can my children eat mice in a country that used to export food? This is a tragedy."

A modern day tragedy and, experts say, an unfolding catastrophe.

SHADRACK GUTTO, CTR. FOR INTL. STUDIES: They were living in Heaven when it is actually Hell, and the reality is really grinding down and not improving.

KOINANGE: It's hard to imagine how this could have ended up like this. But maybe not so hard to imagine when you consider that the man responsible, whose led this country since independence in 1980, is now, at 82 years old, still ruling with an iron fist. And if he has his way, Robert Mugabe is determined to be president for life, with little standing in his way. There is no opposition to speak of. His government has made sure of that. And those in the country's capital, Harare, who dared to oppose him in the last election, woke up to this one morning a year ago -- their homes, businesses, livelihoods reduced to rubble.

The United Nations said more than 700,000 people were left homeless in this operation, dubbed "moran bashima" (ph), or "drive out rubbish." It left people like Winnie Gondo homeless, jobless, and having to use any means available to survive, including burned-out vehicle carcasses as shelter. Gondo says she lost not only her home, but one of her twin sons also died from the conditions they've been forced to live under.

"I have lost everything," she says. We live like animals here, and there's no relief in sight. Everything Winnie Gondo does these days is a reminder of just how fast things have fallen apart in what was once one of Africa's most stable economies. Pius Ncube is archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city. He's also one of Mugabe's most outspoken critics.

PIUS NCUBE, ARCHBISHOP OF BULAWAYO: Life has become extremely, extremely difficult in Zimbabwe, and a lot of depression. People are very much depressed. And people all the time, they can no longer think idealistic. They are looking all the time for food, where do I get my next meal.

KOINANGE: The archbishop, who somehow seems immune to the government's repressive crackdown of dissidents simply because he's a man of the cloth, blames only one man for Zimbabwe's current woes -- arguably Africa's biggest of the big men, whom they say has lasted long past his sell-by date, a man who now wants to postpone presidential elections scheduled for 2008

NCUBE: It's very likely that Mugabe will extend, 90 percent likely, to 2010.

KOINANGE: Until such time, Zimbabwe seems set to remain as a nation of fuel queues and food lines, of shacks and squatters, of rats and rat-eaters, a nation fast grinding to a halt.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: What do you say about a government that can't even provide basic needs, food for its people.

COLLINS: No kidding. A couple years ago, too, you had a report saying life expectancy is, like, 35 years. I imagine that might be even less now.

HARRIS: And what do you do if you're the international community? You don't send to Harare, with that government right now. You may want to help, you have no idea where the money would go. All right, still to come, legal fights getting out of hand. Take a look at this. Disorder in the court, a little later in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: The cartoon world in mourning today, a legend: The man behind Fred Flintstone and the Jetsons has passed away. We'll take a closer look, coming up next in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And a beauty queen dethroned. Well, it's happened before. Will it again? tiara troubles for Miss USA. That story in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: So Miss USA is spreading a little too much holiday cheer, and later this morning, the Donald could actually drop the hammer on a wild child.

CNN's Brooke Anderson has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it should be a reality show. You know, if Trump knows what's good for him, then he'll pitch it to Fox for next season.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The controversy over Miss USA is certainly playing out like a juicy reality show -- scandalous allegations of wild partying, frequent hook-ups and drug and alcohol abuse are dogging Miss USA, Tara Conner. It's creating tons of headlines and one big headache for Donald trump. And like one particular reality show, the Tara Conner story looks likely to end with Trump saying...

DONALD TRUMP: You're fired.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks like Tara Conner, Miss USA, is going to lose her crown.

ANDERSON: Now "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is bringing you new, up-to-the- minute details of the shocking alleged behavior that seems likely to cost Miss USA her title.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tara Conner has kind of taken it to the extreme. She's been drinking really heavily, drinking in public. She was caught smooching Miss Teen USA at a club in New York City and she apparently failed a drug test for cocaine.

ANDERSON: Joe Piazza of "The New York Daily News" has been covering the Miss USA controversy. She tells "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" that Tara Conner strayed far from her roots in small-town Kentucky.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of her friends back home in Kentucky are saying they're really surprised. She was always a good girl, a sweet girl, you know, very well behaved. All of a sudden she was given all access to all of the hottest spots in New York, and I think it really just got to her head. Immediately after she was crowned, she really started hitting the night life circuit in New York, and really just flaunting, you know, her actions around town.

ANDERSON: To add insult to injury, Conner was under the legal drinking age when all this wilding out reportedly happened. Harvey Levin of TMZ.com tells "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" about the final straw for pageant officials.

HARVEY LEVIN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: This woman was canceling appearances, we're told, and that really upset them because their whole stock and trade is having a Miss USA who was front and center all the time, and that wasn't happening. She was MIA a lot.

ANDERSON (on camera): Here at Trump Place, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Conner shared an apartment with Miss Universe, Eulaka Rivera (ph) and Miss Teen USA, Katie Blair. And word is that Conner's wild partying made this place look like more like a house on MTV's "The Real World."

Now with reports that Conner has already moved out, the question is whether anybody else will be following her out the door. Conner's roommate, Miss Teen USA, Katie Blair, is reportedly also under scrutiny.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Katie has apparently been Tara's accomplice, going out and partying, drinking, and I can't imagine that Katie's going to get out of this unscathed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(NEWSBREAK)

HARRIS: In court and definitely out of control. The father of a home invasion victims seek to dish out his own justice. Take a look at this.

Reporter Mike Macklin of Boston affiliate WHDH has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE MACKLIN, WHDH REPORTER (voice-over): Derek Allen stood quietly in court, handcuffs restraining the man accused of terrorizing a young woman in her bed. The alleged attack in the middle of the night all captured on tape, when the woman made a chilling 91 call to police.

The drama of that 911 call matched by the court appearance, which suddenly got derailed when the victim's father made a bold move to go after his daughter's alleged defendant. Two court officers had all they could do to subdue 50-year-old Clifford Maraglia. His emotional outburst sent the proceedings into chaos, prompting the judge to order the courtroom cleared.

CLIFORD MARAGLIA, VICTIM'S FATHER: All I could hear was the tapes that you guys had before with her screaming. And what can I tell you? I lost it. You know, you're supposed to be there to protect your kids, right? And I wasn't.

MACKLIN: Before the outburst, prosecutors detailed how 22-year- old Derek Allen allegedly broke in through a window of a South Bridge home early Saturday morning, waking 21-year-old Melissa Maraglia who slept upstairs while her infant slept downstairs.

Clifford Maraglia praised his daughter for keeping her cool under pressure, something he couldn't do in court

MARAGLIA: She did a great job. I'm so proud of her. And everybody ought to take a little hint of what she did. God forbid that ever happen to anybody else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Boy.

Vigil on Mt. Hood, searchers return to work, the body of one climber returned home. More on the story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

And British police nab a second suspect in the murders of five prostitutes. More on that, right here in the NEWSROOM.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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