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Missing Boy Scout Found in Good Health; Cheney Sees Doctor for Recurring Leg Pain; Bush Supports Beleaguered Attorney General; Skywalk Opens at Grand Canyon
Aired March 20, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FRANKEN: About two minutes before 11 a.m. Eastern Time this morning, they got news over the radios that could definitely be described as A-1.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TINA WHITE, SPOKESPERSON, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: I'm very pleased to finally be standing before you with a big smile on my face. We have not had official...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: The news came over the walkie-talkies, and it was somebody in the field -- we don't have an identity yet -- saying he had found the young man, and more importantly, he was alive. Not only alive, as it turns out, but in pretty good health.
And this report said that he was able to walk out. We subsequently heard from the spokeswoman for the National Parks Service that he had been weakened -- no surprise there -- and dehydrated and the decision was that he would be transported out.
But as you can see from the video we showed you just a moment ago, he seems to be in relatively good health. What's going the happen now is there's going to be what is described as a debriefing period. That will include the medical checkup, and it will include conversations.
And what I wanted to do is -- is such an important significant event, is I wanted to share with you the radio call -- the A-1 radio call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have found Michael. He is OK. They're getting ready to walk him out now. That was -- do you copy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I copy that. I did copy that. Let me have the coordinates of where he's located.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 636 (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Can you give us a coordinate location?
(END VIDEO CLIP) FRANKEN: We hoped would be the case. Young Michael had gone missing Saturday. Sometime after lunch, he apparently just decided to take a walk in the woods, and that ended up being a four-day walk.
As a result of that, there was this intense search that was set up. A search that overnight they changed a little bit. After coming up with a computer model of the 5,900 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this heavily wooded area where they had been camping, they came up with 35 sectors, and they sent out specialized teams to those sectors.
That strategy paid off. It was one that followed the high-tech search sometime from overhead with heat-seeking airplanes and the like, and the low-tech on the ground, professional trackers and people who have their dogs with them who could smell things out.
This has been quite the ordeal. Nobody ever gave up hope, including the parents. But now, instead of just hoping for the best, the best has happened. And young Michael heads back -- in to safety with his family.
His father said when he came home, they were just going to have good fun. They're going to have their chance to do that -- don.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: All right. Bob Franken, as you said, it is the best possible outcome.
And we want to reiterate that what you've been seeing and tell you about these pictures that you've been looking at.
These are pictures that just came into the CNN NEWSROOM just moments ago. We believe that 12-year-old Michael Auberry was in this White SUV -- and this is him, obviously. Who else would they be escorting with this white sheet above him? Going into what we believe, not exactly sure -- to be a forest ranger facility. And he is going to get some medical treatment because he was found dehydrated and a bit weak.
But the good news in all of this is that he has been found. We have been speaking for days now with rescuers. The family members even came out to speak. You're looking at live pictures now of that facility where Michael Auberry is believed to be in.
But we've been talking to all those people. The dedication of those volunteers and professionals truly paid off today.
And joining us now to talk more about the search and how Michael was found is Tina White. We've seen a lot of her. She's in the National Park Service.
And Tina, I'm sure you are happy as all get out because of -- because of this.
WHITE: Yes, definitely very happy now to find out this great news on this beautiful day. A lot of folks are very excited and very happy. And I'm sure No. 1 on that list would be Michael's parents and Michael himself.
LEMON: Tina, just real quick. Because we were looking at these pictures, and we're looking live now at this facility. Very long, narrow building, brown in color, with a tin roof, an aluminum top. What facility is that near? And is that Michael Auberry that they've just -- they've just taken into this place?
WHITE: It sounds like you're describing one of our many ranger stations that we have along the parkway. That's a work office or a duty station for law enforcement, interpretive and maintenance employees who all work on the parkway.
And -- and we wanted to take Michael to a sort of a separate location where he would have time to give us more information about what happened, but most importantly, that's where Michael is going to meet up with his parents.
LEMON: Yes, and we're just getting -- this is just coming across now that this is the Blue Ridge Parkway office. Right? Is that what you're saying to me, Tina?
WHITE: Yes, that's one of many Blue Ridge Parkway offices.
LEMON: OK.
WHITE: But that's the Laurel Springs district office.
LEMON: And you did take him away in this SUV that we're seeing here with the ranger on the side -- park ranger, I believe, on the side of it?
WHITE: Yes, even though the searchers initially said that they were going to walk Michael out. I mean, why take the poor kid walk now? We got a vehicle in there and decided it was time just to give him a ride out, to get him to his parents as quickly as possible.
LEMON: Have you spoke to the parents at all since -- since they found him?
WHITE: No, I was on site when the parents received the news. So it was definitely not a moment to interrupt. A lot of hugs and kisses and a lot of tears. But the family was just grinning from just ear to ear and very happy, with good reason.
But, no, I'll wait until after they have some of that private time. And then we'll talk with them to see if we can get them to come and talk a little bit more about their experiences.
LEMON: And Tina, a lot of hugs and kisses among the family members. But what about the people who were looking for him, as well? I imagine your reaction was pretty similar.
WHITE: It was -- it was widespread. I was telling folks earlier, it wasn't just the rescuers and the family and the people that you would think of right off. It's the folks from the media too. We were all smiling. And we were all just so excited to -- to be there at that moment when we heard the radio call come across, giving us that good news.
LEMON: And there was one thing: was there a change in strategy, Tina, that led to finding Michael?
WHITE: Yes, there was definitely a lot of work put into trying to figure out the -- the priority areas. Where is it most likely that Michael is going to be, based on the terrain and the topography?
So quite a bit of time and effort was put into making these determinations on what are the most likely areas. They came up with 35. And it turns out that we found Michael in one of those segments.
LEMON: And Tina White, don't go anywhere, because I want to continue to talk to you just for a minute.
But in case viewers are just joining us, 12-year-old Michael Auberry, the Boy Scout who was missing has been found. And we can take a look. Brianna is going to join us in a second. But we're looking at pictures of a facility in North Carolina where we believe to have been taken.
So we're going to get back to these pictures. We're going to have new developments just as soon as they come in.
Go ahead, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CO-HOST: Let's get now to CNN producer Eric Fiegel. He's on the phone with us. And he's actually spoken within the woman who found Michael Auberry.
Eric, are you with us?
ERIC FIEGEL, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, Brianna. It was a pretty exciting moment up here. A group of dog rescuers came off of the trail. They actually got to speak to a Mischa Marshall (ph) with the South Carolina dog and rescue team and her dog, Gandalf, who spotted Michael walking along a trail.
The dog made the -- the dog saw Michael, barked. They discovered him. They went over to Michael. They said he was in good spirits. He said, "I'm hungry and I'm thirsty."
When the group came back here to camp, all of the scouts from his troop were waiting for him. They gave him big hugs and kisses and a round of applause. So it was a pretty exciting moment up here.
The woman who actually discovered Michael just came off of the trail with her dog, Gandalf. And it was a pretty exciting moment up here.
KEILAR: And what did she say, Eric, about Michael's condition? Obviously, when they found him, he was able to walk. But they didn't have him walk back to the camp, because he was about a mile and a half from it. What did she say about the condition he was in?
FIEGEL: She said the condition was fine. He was, you know, a little weak, a little tired. But he was fine.
But I did talk to somebody from the sheriff's department who told me they did bring him off the mountain on a stretcher because they didn't want him walking on his own. And they did do some on-site medical attention, I assume for dehydration, that sort of thing, and maybe getting some fluids in him.
But he was brought off the mountain in a stretcher by the sheriff's department. But she says his spirits was good. He smiled. He was glad to see them. And she hugged him and basically said, "Are you hungry and thirsty?" And they knew that they were looking for him.
KEILAR: Did he say anything about why he wandered off or whether he -- exactly why he wandered away from camp?
FIEGEL: No, I didn't -- she didn't divulge details. But I did speak to his assistant scout master about 30 minutes ago. And he wasn't actually at the camp the day that he disappeared. He had left on business. But was here when they first arrived.
And he said that, that Michael was just tired and his feet were cold. That's why he didn't go on the original hike. And then they all came back to camp. Everything was great. Michael really got along well with the other kids in the group.
And for some reason, he took a mess kit, and had some Pringles in it and wandered off. Don't know why he wandered off. And the assistant scout master I talked to didn't know why he wandered off either.
KEILAR: All right. Eric Fiegel, CNN producer, there on the ground in McGrady, North Carolina, covering all the angles for us. Thanks, Eric.
FIEGEL: Thank you.
LEMON: It is good news here, and we're going to continue to follow this. Gandalf, the dog, maybe the hero in all of this. The dog who apparently found 12-year-old Michael, Boy Scout in the woods.
We're going to continue to talk to investigators and folks on the scene about this amazing discovery.
The CNN NEWSROOM returns in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It's almost 15 past the hour. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We have a developing story happening here. Twelve-year-old Michael Auberry, who went missing on Saturday, has been found.
What you're looking at under that sheet is Michael being carried into the Blue Ridge Parkway office, forest rangers, the park office there to be checked out. He was fine this morning, a little weak, dehydrated. But here's the interesting thing. We're getting new information from our producers on the field, specifically producer Eric Fiegel, who says he was told by rescuers that Michael told them he didn't go on the hike that day because his feet were cold.
And so that's why he was left behind. He didn't want to go. And then wandered off into the woods. And then three days later, he is now found.
But he is believed to be in good condition, besides being cold and a little bit dehydrated. We're going to talk to the interviewers in just a moment, get some -- the interviews that our producers spoke to them about. We're going to talk to them in just a moment and see what they had to say. But more on his condition and more on this story coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
KEILAR: Vice President Dick Cheney is back at work this morning after an unplanned -- another unplanned trip to the hospital. His office first called it a routine visit, but now we're hearing it's more than that.
And our Ed Henry has the latest from the White House.
Ed, what about this confusion here?
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting, Brianna. The vice president, we're told, is now back, as you noted, to his normal schedule. We understand he's over at the Capitol. That's typically what he does. He has lunch on Tuesdays with Senate Republicans behind closed doors.
But you're right; this is after returning about an hour or so ago here at the White House -- we got some exclusive pictures of that -- for an unscheduled visit over to George Washington University Medical Center for a follow-up on that blood clot in his lower left leg from last month.
Now, this is a health scare. Even though the vice president's office initially said it was routine, they downplayed it. When I first called his office, around 11 a.m. Eastern Time, his spokesman, Megan McGinn, told me it was a routine checkup, that there was no episode this morning. When I specifically asked, "Was there an episode that prompted this?" she said no.
But then after the vice president returned to the White House, she got back to me and said, in fact, the vice president had experienced, in her words, discomfort in his left lower leg earlier this morning. He then consulted with his physicians. They decided it was prudent for him to come over to George Washington University Medical Center for some ultra sound imaging.
Now, the key is that that imaging revealed, according to the vice president's office, quote, "no extension or complication" of that blood clot from last month. They believe this was reassuring. And he's going to continue his current course of treatment, those blood- thinning drugs that he has been on. Now, I pressed Megan McGinn on the fact that initially they said there was no episode, that it was a routine checkup. She insists and maintains it still was routine, in the sense that his doctors, the vice president's doctors, tell him that this is fairly routine for someone with his condition that they're going to have repeat visits.
But certainly they did not initially disclose that he had discomfort in his lower left leg, Brianna.
KEILAR: Thank you. Ed Henry live from the White House.
Vice President Dick Cheney always rushing back to work.
But what exactly is deep vein thrombosis? What does that mean? Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is joining us with some "DVT for Dummies".
So it's been two weeks. Vice President Dick Cheney's doctors say this isn't a big deal, that he's OK and he's gone back to work. So why would this hurt, still, two weeks later?
COHEN: Right. He was treated on March 5, when they found that DVT, that blood clot in his lower left leg. And then two weeks later, he's experiencing pain again in that leg.
Well, the reason, according to some doctors that I talked to, they said, look, when you have a blood clot, you have to -- your body has to figure out another way to get that blood where it needs to go. So you're sort of rerouting the blood. You can kind of imagine rerouting traffic.
Well, that can cause some pain as the body tries to do that. It can cause some swelling. It can cause some discomfort. So, that does happen, and it appears to be what happens here.
Now what you worry about when you have that pain and the reason why he went back to the doctor, I would guess, is that they're worried about infection. And they're worried about that it has clotted again.
Well, from what they said, it appears that that hasn't happened. They said they saw an ultra sound and they used certain words. But it certainly sounds like that's not the situation.
KEILAR: So obviously, they're just being vigilant. But I imagine it's pretty important to keep an eye on this.
So is it common for people to head back to the hospital even for an un-routine checkup a little while after having DVT?
COHEN: You know, I asked a doctor that at Emory University who treats blood clots. And I said, how common? You know, you treat someone for a blood clot in the lower leg, and how commonly do you get a call from them two weeks later, saying, "Gee, it still hurts, doctor"?
She said that she thought that was relatively unusual. She said that does happen, but it is certainly not a common occurrence. She said usually, people are treated, boom, that's it. She has them come in again to be followed up, but they don't usually call her in pain.
KEILAR: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much for joining us.
COHEN: Thanks, thanks.
LEMON: And of course, we're following developing stories all day here. Lost in the wilderness since Saturday. Found alive today. Up next, the NEWSROOM takes you back, back to North Carolina for the latest on Michael Auberry.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence live atop of the Grand Canyon, where we are just two hours away from the opening ceremony of Skywalk. Is it sacrilege or just plain stunning? Coming up, you decide.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: He's a long-time friend and political comrade, plus, he's a boss. But not even President Bush may be able to save his embattled attorney general, Alberto Gonzales. That's not stopping him from trying, though.
CNN's Elaine Quijano is traveling with the president outside Kansas City, Missouri.
Hi, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Don.
Well, first of all, President Bush is here in Missouri to talk about alternative fuels and tout hybrid technology and specifically to highlight his plan to cut down on America's gas consumption by 20 percent over the next ten years.
He's going to be touring a G.M. plant, a Ford plant, and he'll make remarks. But it is, of course, the questions back in Washington that are continuing to swirl about his attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, and the dismissals of those U.S. attorneys.
In the wake of those questions, White House press secretary Tony Snow today said that the president gave Gonzales a strong vote of confidence in a phone call early this morning en route here to Missouri aboard Air Force One.
Snow was also asked whether the president assured Gonzales that he would remain in his post as attorney general. Snow said that that did not come up. And said that the Justice Department, though, has been extremely forthcoming in the administration view.
But of course, Democrats on Capitol Hill are threatening to subpoena top Bush aides, including possibly Karl Rove and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. So today in about 40 minutes or so, an important meeting set to take place on Capitol Hill. The current White House counsel, Fred Fielding, set to meet with lawmakers there to negotiate over whether or not key officials in the executive branch can, in fact, testify, might be allowed to testify.
As you know, Don, that has been something that the Bush White House has been very forcefully opposed to, citing executive privilege, Don.
LEMON: Elaine Quijano, thank you so much for that.
KEILAR: It's one of the natural wonders of the world. And soon you'll be able to get more grand views of the Grand Canyon from the new observation deck that's already causing a deep divide.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is at the unveiling of the Skywalk.
And Chris, you have a very rough gig, looking at that beautiful scenery behind you.
LAWRENCE: Yes, Brianna. You know, people who are fascinated by this project says it speaks to something in our human nature, you know, that part of us, that it feels compelled to just walk right to the edge and take a look on the other side.
The Hualapai tribal leaders say Skywalk takes that feeling to the very next step. But critics say it's sacrilege.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): The Skywalk is sheer glass and higher than three Empire State buildings stacked on top of each other. But when tribal leaders and environmentalists peer over the edge, they see two very different views.
ROBERT BRAVO JR., HUALAPAI TRIBE: I mean, look at this thing. This is a, you know, modern marvel of the world out here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Eiffel Tower is an architectural wonder. Do I want the Eiffel Tower sitting on top of the Grand Canyon? No.
LAWRENCE: Environmentalists Kiran Secline (ph) expects more than half a million tourists to make the two-hour drive from Las Vegas. He says speculators are already buying up the land in between, hoping to build hotels and restaurants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't need to bring Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon.
LAWRENCE: Our view from a helicopter was stunning -- and for $75, tourists will be able to step over the edge and look 4,000 feet straight down.
(on camera) It looks so precarious, just jutting out over the canyon like that. But the builders say you could land 70 Boeing 747s on top of the Skywalk, and it could still support the weight.
(voice-over) More than 100 steel bars were drilled 40 feet into limestone bedrock, then capped with steel plates. The Hualapai leaders compare it to Canada's development of Niagara Falls.
BRAVO: I mean, did they desecrate that? And is that OK for them to do that? Why isn't it OK for the Hualapais to do it?
LAWRENCE: The tribe is small and poor. Unemployment is at 50 percent.
SHERI YELLOWHAWK, HUALAPAI TRIBE: We have to go 50 miles to get groceries. We have to -- we don't have a gas station in town. We don't -- there's a lot of things we don't have.
LAWRENCE: They're hoping that every visitor who sets foot on Skywalk puts the tribe one step closer to getting them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: You can see, some of the workers putting the finishing touches, cleaning up the Skywalk before its grand opening ceremony in just a couple of hours.
A Las Vegas investor paid $30 million to build the Skywalk. He would need -- they would need to take in about 400,000 extra visitors in order to recoup that cost.
Initially, the investor and the tribe will split the earnings, but eventually the tribe will own the Skywalk -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Chris, $75, you said, right, if you want to go on this and take your look down, if that's what you want to do? Is that right? Seventy-five dollars?
LAWRENCE: Yes, exactly. It's $50 to get onto the reservation. They've some other cultural activities here that go on. And then $25 to actually walk out on the Skywalk for 15 minutes.
Now, right now, you can't take a camera or cell phone on there. They're afraid that if, you know, people start dropping them in great numbers it's going to chip away at that glass and smear it and scratch it, which would obviously take away from the very view you're trying to get.
They're looking into a tether system to eventually allow people to start taking their cameras onto the Skywalk.
KEILAR: All right, Chris. Thanks so much. I don't know. I may have seen "Thelma and Louise" too many times to go out on that. But thanks.
Chris Lawrence live for us, taking us to the edge there.
LEMON: I'm sure Chris is just hating this assignment today.
KEILAR: Beautiful.
LEMON: Yes, it is beautiful.
Would you pay $75 to walk on Grand Canyon Skyway? Well, that is a question that CNN.com is asking. It's our Quick Vote today. So far, the vote is -- it's fairly close: 44 percent of you say yes; 56 percent of you say no.
You can all go to CNN.com and click, and we will share your vote with you a little bit later on.
I also want to remind you -- there it is out there. What a beautiful, beautiful picture today.
KEILAR: It's gorgeous.
LEMON: The weather is amazing.
Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, well, he once walked on the moon. Most of you know that. Well, today he's walking on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Aldrin joins us live in the 3 p.m. Eastern hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
KEILAR: And we've got much more ahead on our top story, a happy story. After three days in the wilderness, a 12-year-old Boy Scout found alive in North Carolina. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: And as we go to break, here's a look at the big board. We'll have a check of Wall Street coming up with Susan Lisovicz. She'll give you all of the numbers counted down for you, coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Kyra Phillips. Tough terrain, few clues, but searchers find a missing scout alive. We're live in North Carolina with the very latest on Michael Auberry. It's our top story right now here in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: And it is a very busy day here in the CNN NEWSROOM. You're looking at live pictures now coming in from North Carolina from our affiliate, WCNC. The ambulance here we believe is carrying Michael Auberry to be checked out. Again, he was found safe and rescuers say he is doing well. But he was dehydrated and a little cold this morning and tired as well.
So we believe that ambulance is carrying him to the hospital so that he can be checked out and we believe, it's fair to say, that everything will be A-OK with this child, at least according to rescuers and initial reports on the scene. But again, you can imagine it has been tumultuous time not only for the family but for also friends and especially members of the church that Michael Auberry and his family attends. Joining us on the phone now is Jan Brittan. She is a senior pastor at Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro.
How are you doing today, ma'am?
JAN BRITTAN, SR. PASTOR, CHRIST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Well, we are just so happy, we can't stop smiling. We are thrilled. We are praising God and being thankful for the many people who had helped this come about and just thrilled to be standing with the Auberry family at a time of good news.
LEMON: Lots of prayers, I'm sure. All of you, did you have your prayer groups and links and all that? Tell me what did when he was missing?
BRITTAN: Lots of prayers. Lots of contact with Debbie and Kent. Just -- we had a prayer service on Sunday night and all of our worship services and meetings since we heard on Saturday night have begun and end with prayers for Michael.
But, you know, our focus is on him now. And we just -- we want to thank everybody for everything that they did, the media too that did so many things to try to work together and make this be a happy resolution and we're thankful to God for the way it has all turned out.
LEMON: And Pastor Brittan, as we watch these live pictures of the ambulance, what we believe is the ambulance taking Michael to the hospital, tell us about the family in all of this. Have you been their rock, the church -- has the church been their rock in all of this?
BRITTAN: Well, I wouldn't want to claim that. I think we've been the church, which is we're called to be. And I know they have expressed time and time again how thankful they are for everyone. The community here in Greensboro has come across all lines to be supportive to them in all that they've been through. And lots of family friends in the church and the neighborhood where they have worked, the schools, it has just really been an entire community effort.
LEMON: Yes, talk...
BRITTAN: But they've been appreciative of it all.
LEMON: Pastor Brittan, talk to me about that, because, you know, you had the rescuers out there. Any of the church members, any of the friends from the church help and did they volunteer to go out and help or provide any services for the family?
BRITTAN: Well, we -- yes. We had countless folks asking to go search, but we didn't have that many people who were trained to search. So when they went, they mainly -- if they did anything, they just helped in the areas around there servicing those who were doing the actual rescue work.
We did have one member who is a leader in scouting who was up there most of the time as part of the search team. LEMON: OK. And Pastor Brittan, we are happy for you. Thank you so much for joining us today.
BRITTAN: Thank you.
LEMON: I'm sure you want to get back to calling everybody and saying hey, turn on CNN, Michael is OK. So go ahead and do that. Thank you so much.
BRITTAN: Well, we are thankful. Thank you, sir. Bye-bye.
KEILAR: We're going to go to an interview now from a short time ago with Misha Marshall, she is the woman, the rescuer who found Michael Auberry. This is an interview, she and her dog, Gandalf, who actually found him.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MISHA MARSHALL, FOUND MICHAEL AUBERRY: South Carolina.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE), South Carolina. And it was your dog. What's your dog's name?
MARSHALL: Gandalf.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gandalf was the one that found him. You all found him.
MARSHALL: All three of us on our team found him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell us about it.
MARSHALL: Unbelievable. Carry it with me the rest of my life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you see?
MARSHALL: Saw him -- he saw him first. And then we went to him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he say anything to you? What happened?
MARSHALL: No. He was a little disoriented but he's great. He's great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you saw him walking around.
MARSHALL: He was off the trail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was he stumbling around?
MARSHALL: No, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was he crying?
MARSHALL: No. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he saw you, what did he do?
MARSHALL: He was glad, very glad, took him a minute to realize we were there for him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that you're friends.
MARSHALL: Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was he calling out for help? Or were you guys calling out his name?
MARSHALL: No, no, the dog scented in to him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The dog scented in to him?
MARSHALL: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How far was he from where -- the original spot that he was camping out at?
MARSHALL: About a mile...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A mile?
MARSHALL: Up the trail, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which way?
MARSHALL: North, north.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you describe the kind of overall scene where you guys found him?
MARSHALL: You know, obvious delight on our part. And he was safe and that's all we cared about. We do this for the kids so...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the reaction again when he saw you guys?
MARSHALL: You know, it took him a minute. But then he realized who we were. And he has been out there for a few days, so he's a little disoriented. He's good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he talk to you?
MARSHALL: Uh-huh. He can talk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, what did he say to? Like...
MARSHALL: Well, he just said, you know, I'm hungry, give me some water, you know, stuff like that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's your name, ma'am?
MARSHALL: Misha. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Misha what?
MARSHALL: Marshall.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spell you name.
MARSHALL: M-I-S-H-A.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And your last name?
MARSHALL: Marshall, with two Ls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And where are you from?
MARSHALL: Chesnee, South Carolina.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And your dog's name again?
MARSHALL: Gandalf.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gandalf.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how long have you been up here?
MARSHALL: Actually today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today was the first day of searching?
MARSHALL: Mm-hmm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're -- Chesnee? I'm sorry.
MARSHALL: Chesnee, South Carolina.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the police department?
MARSHALL: No, no, we're with the South Carolina Search and Rescue Dog Association. We're volunteers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the dog...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Gandalf alerted on something that was leading you in that direction.
MARSHALL: Well, yes. The dog were working on a scent and the boy was (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was he on a ridge?
MARSHALL: He was on the side of a ridge, yes. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So describe that. He was -- the dog knew -- he was upwind of the dog? So the dog was actually tracking his scent?
MARSHALL: Mm-hmm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he have any physical injuries or anything like that?
MARSHALL: No, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.
MARSHALL: No. So -- and I'm -- I think it's time for me to go and chill so...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, Misha, what is your last name again?
MARSHALL: Marshall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Misha Marshall?
MARSHALL: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Misha Marshall.
MARSHALL: Misha Marshall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And your dog is Gandalf?
MARSHALL: Gandalf, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Gandalf.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gandalf.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And which side was he located on?
MARSHALL: He was located on the left-hand (ph) side, across the creek (INAUDIBLE)...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Left-hand side across the creek.
MARSHALL: Uh-huh. We flagged it, though, on the trail, (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the color of the flagging?
MARSHALL: It's (INAUDIBLE), but it's right here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. That. And you flagged is on the left- hand...
MARSHALL: Yes, both sides so you can see it. But he is the left side, across the creak, about 30 yards.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the name of that area that he was found?
MARSHALL: I don't remember the name of the trail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know, Ranger?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's Basin Creek Trail, but I'm not sure.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Basin Creek Trail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what are you doing next?
MARSHALL: Go back and rest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know what hospital he went to?
MARSHALL: I don't. I don't know anything about it other than he was OK (INAUDIBLE).
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, lady (ph), how are you !
MARSHALL: Friendly faces!
(LAUGHTER)
MARSHALL: Take me away from these people I don't know!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get big hugs.
MARSHALL: Take me away from these people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Misha Marshall there, the woman who is a rescuer, who found Michael Auberry. Really, her dog, Gandalf, the dog of the day, right? He is probably going to get a great reward for this.
LEMON: Look at that, hugs all around. We're talking about the dog. The dog is wearing -- we saw his vest. It says "rescue dog" or "search dog." It should be a cape...
KEILAR: It should be.
LEMON: .. because Gandalf is a caped crusader, right?
KEILAR: That is right.
LEMON: Gandalf the rescue dog.
KEILAR: He is a hero.
LEMON: Yes. Unbelievable. So hugs all around for everyone there in North Carolina, McGrady, North Carolina, specifically. You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM, and this is coverage that's happening right now from North Carolina. The rescuers and the people who searched for 12-year-old Michael Auberry, this Boy Scout, and these are the folks who found him.
KEILAR: And Misha -- let's listen now.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) so you were involved in the original...
JOE WARE, MCGRADY, NORTH CAROLINA FIRE DEPT: I wasn't in the team that found him. But I was in the team with the paramedic, we were coming up on the team.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you hear anything he said?
WARE: Yes, you know, he was talking. You know, we asked him -- we was asking him how he liked school, what his favorite subject in school was and he told us lunch and P.E.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he say why he was lost or anything like is that?
WARE: We didn't ask -- we didn't ask when we were with him, but he was just a little disoriented.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was his -- was he crying at all?
WARE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or was he asking for his parents, or mommy or daddy?
WARE: Calm. That -- you know, he wasn't when I was with him. He was just calm as he could -- just calm. That's all I can describe. He was calm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he was walking around, right?
WARE: He was -- actually walking on the side of the hill across the creek from the trail. And when the dog found him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you give him to eat?
WARE: He wanted peanut butter crackers and water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he got that?
WARE: Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what did you treat him for medically?
WARE: Just checked his blood pressure, his pulse, checked his extremities. Checked, you know, make sure he had nothing broken. He was moving all of his extremities very well. And get a good feeling from all of his extremities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any sign of dehydration at all?
WARE: Not -- just a little. He had been drinking some out of the streams.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see him embrace his parents at all, anything like that?
WARE: No, I didn't see any of that. I didn't see his parents or anything when we brought him out to the campground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So -- and he's now off in a hospital somewhere.
WARE: Being transported to a local hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he has been transported. He is out of the woods?
WARE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out of the woods.
WARE: Out of the woods. He is on his way to be with his parents and...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name?
WARE: Joe Ware.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how do you spell your last name?
WARE: W-A-R-E.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: W-A-R-E? And what's your position or who are you with?
WARE: I am the assistant fire chief at McGrady Fire Department.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: McGrady...
WARE: Volunteer Fire Department.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe, they want you at five also. Can you do that, 5:00?
WARE: Mm-hmm.
KEILAR: All right. That is assistant fire chief Joe Ware from the McGrady Fire Department, like Misha Marshall, the woman who owns the dog who found Michael Auberry. He said that Auberry was disoriented but he was calm and that he wanted peanut butter crackers and water. So it sounds like he's doing pretty well.
LEMON: He's a kid, I think it's great. I think it's great. It's a good story, a good ending to a story that we were all concerned about. A 12-year-old Boy Scout, of course. And he had been missing for a couple of days. Temperatures didn't quite get below freezing most of the time that he was out there. But it did one night, it got down into the 20s.
But again, rescuers, as they said in the beginning, they thought that his Scout skills might help him get through this. And we'll find out as this continues if that were -- if that was indeed the case. But we've seen pictures of him going to the hospital this morning. We've talked to rescuers and we've seen the amazing rescue dog and we're going to continue to follow this story right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: We've got continuing coverage here in the CNN NEWSROOM of our top story, a 12-year-old Boy Scout, Michael Auberry, found in the North Carolina wilderness after three days missing from a camp site. Definitely the best possible end to the story. We heard just a short while ago from the rescuers on the team that found him. And we also got to see the dog who barked, who alerted the rescuers to where Michael Auberry was.
Those rescuers say he was disoriented but say he was calm. They say he wasn't stumbling. He talked with them. They fed him, they checked his blood pressure and we believe he is now on his way to the hospital in this ambulance that you're seeing here. We'll have continuing coverage of this good ending coming up.
LEMON: Yes, lots more rescuers and lots more folks to talk to here in the CNN NEWSROOM. In the meantime, another developing story we're working on. He is showing his support but is he also hedging his bets? Today President Bush reaffirmed his support for Attorney Alberto Gonzales, who is facing calls to quit over the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.
The speculation has started over who would replace Gonzales if he goes. Our next guest filed a report on that and sparking all sorts of White House reaction. Mike Allen, he is the chief political correspondent for politico.com. And before -- I know you want to get started, but before you get started, let's listen to what Tony Snow had to say at a briefing just yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He has the confidence of the president. But I do not -- is it a pure and simple matter, nobody is prophetic enough to know what the next 21 months hold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. What the next 21 months hold. He has got the confidence but he is leaving the door open as well.
MIKE ALLEN, POLITICO.COM: Right. Well, good afternoon, Don. And the president, we're told, is unmoved in his devotion to his attorney general. That's why at 7:15 this morning you had him calling him from the Oval Office. Tony Snow has subsequently told White House reporters in a briefing on Air Force One that the question of how long the attorney general would remain or the question of whether he would remain for all 21 months didn't come up.
So, Don, the White House is in a tough spot here. The president clearly does not want the attorney general either to be pushed or to feel pushed or to look like he has been pushed. So that's why you get the call...
LEMON: He has got this unwavering support, Mike. I hate to cut you off. But Donald Rumsfeld had the same support and then all of a sudden we're all sitting here and it comes across the wires that he had resigned. So what does that mean? He has the unwavering support until he doesn't?
ALLEN: Well, no, the point is that this is a choice that he'll make himself whether or not to stay or go. A number of Republicans telling us that we're very likely to before long hear the attorney general saying, look, I want to fight terrorism, I want to support and promote the president's agenda. I can't do that if I'm spending all of my time answering questions from Democrats, having them go through my drawers. I'm going to pass this baton as my final act of loyalty.
And so if that occurs, the White House wants to be ready. And that's why you have Republicans figuring out who's available, who might be willing, who might be confirmable if a vacancy occurs.
LEMON: All right. Well, Mike, let's talk about that. Because -- to say he does go, and we're not sure because the president is supporting him now. But what if he does go? The person at the top of that list is Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
ALLEN: Yes, and, Don, I wouldn't make it necessarily an ordinal list, but it's definitely one of the people that is being talked about. He has been confirmed before. I think one reservation about him is whether a confirmation hearing for him would open the doors to re-litigating Katrina on Capitol Hill because, of course, he oversaw FEMA at the same time.
But he is someone who has wide respect and Justice Department experience.
LEMON: OK, so he has got experience. What about Frances Townsend, the anti-terrorism coordinator? She has got experience as well. What about her?
ALLEN: Right. And people love her. She's a fantastic spokesperson and advocate for the White House. She was a very close counselor to Attorney General Janet Reno during the Clinton administration. Also has experience as a mob prosecutor in New York. So definitely not someone to mess with, someone who is very, very much appreciated within the White House.
One possibility is if Secretary Chertoff was nominated for that, she might take his job and become the secretary of homeland security. LEMON: All right. Well, that would be interesting. Also on this list here that -- if we move down it, former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson. What are his chances?
ALLEN: Yes. He's at the top of many of the lists. He's a favorite of the president. The president appreciates his personal story. As you know, Don, he was deputy attorney general earlier in this administration. Now he is a top executive with several titles, including counsel at PepsiCo. And if he could be lured back, I think the White House would be thrilled to have him.
LEMON: Yes. He is at PepsiCo, and I think it was chief legal counsel and I think was the first African-American, if I'm not wrong, to hold that position at PepsiCo. Anybody else on the list, Mike, that you want to bring up?
ALLEN: Well, Don, one commonality of some of these names is that they are people that come from outside the family. And, Don, I'm hearing a number of people who are close to the president who want him to make good use of these final two years, who point to the new secretary of defense, Gates, who point to the new counsel, Fred Fielding, who point to the new press secretary, Tony Snow, and point out that they came from outside of the original circle and have been tremendously successful.
And so what they say is we need credibility. We need someone who will give us more of a break on Capitol Hill. So you'll find a number of Republicans who are hoping that it is someone who is on the program but outside of the immediate family.
LEMON: I'm sure, sir, we'll be talking to you as this continues to go on. Mike Allen, politico.com. Thank you so much for joining us.
ALLEN: Have a great afternoon, Don. Thank you.
LEMON: You too.
KEILAR: Let's touch again now on our top story, a happy ending here after three days in the wilderness, 12-year-old Boy Scout, Michael Auberry, you see him there, has been found alive. And we heard just a short while ago from his rescuers and we actually saw the hero of the day, a dog named Gandalf. And of course, we'll be covering this as we go on today, and we'll bring you much more.
But first, it's tax time. And figuring out which expenses are tax deductible can be confusing enough. But for those who work from home, it can be even trickier. CNN's Jennifer Westhoven breaks it down for us in today's "Tax Time Made Easier."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amy from Dallas, Texas asks: "I use my home phone line for business 95 percent of the time. But I've been told not to claim it as deduction as it could lead to an audit. Any advice?" Well, Amy, bad news, it's true that if you operate a small business or a home office, you've got to be really careful about what you can and can't deduct. And the IRS says you can only deduct items or services used exclusively for business purposes.
Now, when it comes to phone charges, keep track of all of the business-related calls from your home phone. And at the end of the year, you can certainly go through line-by-line and deduct the costs of those calls. Basic phone charges and fees, not deductible unless you have got a second line that you use only for business. And then that second line would be 100 percent tax deductible.
Now a lot of other small business items are tax deductible. Office supplies like fax machines, copiers, office furniture are just a few of them. You have to make sure you keep all of those receipts. And if you are not sure about what qualifies for a deduction, ask a tax professional. That can be a great investment. Because knowing the rules about what's allowed is a lot better than that risk of getting audited.
For the "Tax Time Made Easier," I'm Jennifer Westhoven.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: You can send your tax questions to cnn.com and tune in every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern for "Tax Time Made Easier" with Jennifer Westhoven.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: National Park Service holding a briefing now, talking about the Scout that was found this morning.
DAVID BAUER, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: ... when he found the searchers, he didn't know that they were out there looking for him. He just assumed that there were other people out there and it wasn't until they said, we're here looking for you and we want to take you back that he felt a lot better.
QUESTION: Is it your understanding that he was on the move for the last three days and he never stayed in place for very long?
BAUER: Like I said, I have not debriefed Michael yet, so I'm not aware of what happened between when he left and when he was found today. Today he was walking down a stream channel.
QUESTION: What's the name of the stream?
BAUER: I can't tell you -- I'd have to look at a map.
QUESTION: Did he tell the searchers the circumstances that led him to getting lost?
BAUER: No, he did not. And the searchers didn't ask. That's something for the debriefers.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) hard to understand...
LEMON: National Park Service holding a press conference talking about finding the missing Boy Scout this morning. We will continue to follow this story as well as other breaking news in the CNN NEWSROOM all day. We'll be right back.
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