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Adventurer Steve Fossett Missing; Search Continues for Father, Son After Plane Crashes in Lake Erie; Hurricane Felix Downgraded to Category 2 Storm
Aired September 04, 2007 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Category 5 times two. For the second time in two weeks, a hurricane ranked at the top of the scale hits land.
We're live in Honduras with the latest on Felix.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And the search is on for Steve Fossett, a man who lives to go faster, higher, farther than anyone else in the world. The legendary adventurer, thrill seeker, record setter is missing.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: Our Miles O'Brien broke that story on the search for Steve Fossett. Here is what he had to say just a few minutes ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this all comes from the Civil Air Patrol in Smith Valley, that part of Nevada.
It happened last night. He took off actually noon yesterday in a Super Decathlon. That is an aerobatically-capable airplane.
We're told he was not wearing a parachute, as is the mandated FAA regulation for anyone doing acrobatics in an airplane. According to the Civil Air Patrol, Steve Fossett does not like doing acrobatics.
He had four to five hours of fuel in that Super Decathlon. This ranch, the Flying M Ranch owned by Barron Hilton, is 30 miles southeast of Yerington, Nevada, about 120 miles southeast of Reno.
A very extensive search began at 6:00 p.m. local time yesterday. Six aircraft from the Nevada Civil Air Patrol, helicopters from the naval air station in Fallon, Nevada, the Nevada Air National Guard chopper, California Highway Patrol helicopters -- as we say, no sign of him so far in that area, but took off from that private airstrip there on that ranch. And the search is under way for Steve Fossett, who holds numerous, numerous records in balloons, hot air balloons, and, of course, aircraft, most recently flying around the world twice, setting a distance and speed record in a single-engine jet designed by the aviation legend Burt Rutan -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, Miles, apparently...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Obviously, that was a part of the interview we did just a few minutes ago. In just a second, we're going to talk to a mission public information officer from the Civil Air Patrol, spokeswoman Major Cynthia Ryan. She's calling in to us.
We'll get more information as it's developing right now.
LEMON: And meantime, Kyra, another developing story involving an airplane. And for that we go to straight to the news room and our T.J. Holmes.
What are you working on, T.J.?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, this airplane and two of its occupants still missing right now. Some of the wreckage has been found of a Cessna plane that went down in Lake Erie last night.
On that plane were three individuals, a 46-year-old man and his two sons, a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old. The remarkable part of this story so far is that the 7-year-old survived this crash and was actually rescued by a good Samaritan who came out to help in his own boat, actually rowed out and heard the cries of a 7-year-old and picked him up.
Again, this was off Kelleys Island, right next to Lake Erie, when this plane went down last night. They don't know what caused the plane to go down, if they were having mechanical issues, and also if weather could have been a factor at all. But divers are in the water, boats are participating in this search, a helicopter is participating in this search, but they have been able to find some of the wreckage of that plane. Yet, they have not found any sign of the 46-year-old man and his other son, the 9-year-old, who are still missing.
And again, the 7-year-old just amazingly survived this crash. Not exactly sure how he was able to survive and get out. And right now his father and his brother have not been found, but the 7-year-old said to be alert and in pretty good shape, and actually was talking to the person who rescued him and also, of course, talking to the authorities right now, who are trying to get some idea of possibly where his father and his other brother may be.
But a story we're keeping an eye on and hoping we can have more remarkable news from this one -- Don.
LEMON: And T.J., if you get any more information, please let us know. We'll check back.
HOLMES: You know we will.
LEMON: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: And developing news now out of the severe weather center.
Chad Myers, you just got the latest on Hurricane Felix. Fill us in.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A couple of things, Kyra.
Really, it slowed down a little bit, 14 miles per hour. That's bad. The slower it goes, the more rain it makes. But it actually filled in a little bit.
It's not as deep in pressure. It doesn't have as much wind. Down to 100 miles per hour, so now down to a Category 2. And this is exactly what's going to happen.
This is no surprise that it gets on land. There's no more water under it. This hot water here, 85, 87 degrees, that's the engine. That's the steam that creates a hurricane in the first place.
You will not get a hurricane to start in Kansas. It's just not going to happen. Well, because you need the heat and the humidity and the steam and the energy.
So now it's losing it. But as it slows down, it is going to make a significant flood for Honduras, El Salvador and even the northern mountains there of Nicaragua.
Still winds at 100, maybe gusting a little bit higher than that. I doubt they're gusting to 160. I bet maybe more like 110 to 120.
But they don't fly the aircraft over or through the hurricane when it's on land. So we don't know exactly what it is. And other than just a few random, literally widely-scattered reporting places there in Honduras and Nicaragua, there's no way to know what that storm truly is.
Here is Cabo San Lucas. Here's Henriette. This thing looks like it turned a little bit to the right, maybe up toward San Jose Del Cabo, and that could help Cabo San Lucas proper because that will be an offshore wind, not an onshore wind, and that onshore wind always brings with it the storm surge. And you hate that part of a storm.
So where does it go from here? Well, on up into southern Arizona and southern New Mexico by the end of the week. It could cause flooding there.
Kyra, when you get that tropical moisture over a desert, the heat and humidity goes up in the air and you get these rainstorms that don't stop and make flashfloods in an hour. So we have to be careful about that at the end of the week.
PHILLIPS: All right. Chad Myers, we'll keep tracking. Thank you.
MYERS: All right. You're welcome.
LEMON: And our Harris Whitbeck is with rescuers and aid workers in La Ceiba, Honduras. They're waiting to hear where they're needed most.
Harris, what's going on right now? I understand you're getting a lot of rain where you are.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don. That's correct.
A lot of these outer bands are starting to affect the area around La Ceiba. That, as the nucleus of the storm, if you will, keeps heading toward the central part of the country.
The Honduran president said that he hopes that once that storm hits the mountain range there, that it might lessen in intensity. But regardless of what it does in terms of its strength, it's bringing in a lot of rain, and that is cause for concern. Honduras is a very mountainous country and there's concern that there could be lots of flooding and mudslides here.
People here still remember what happened nine years ago when Hurricane Mitch came over Honduras and it stalled for nine days. It caused massive mudslides that killed over 10,000 people in Honduras and Nicaragua.
Speaking of Nicaragua, the authorities here are waiting to see what happened on the border between Honduras and Nicaragua, which is where Hurricane Felix made landfall. We spoke to a Nicaraguan health official this morning who rode out the storm at a hospital there, and she said it was an absolutely horrific experience -- really, really strong winds which were ripping the roofs off of building, including two schools that were being used as shelter.
The U.S. military has a base in Honduras, and it is waiting for requests for help from any of the region's governments. And once they get those requests for help, and as soon as the weather permits, they've got helicopters standing by to fly into some of the most affected areas to make preliminary assessments as to what they might need there -- Don.
LEMON: CNN's Harris Whitbeck in La Ceiba, Honduras.
Thank you for that report.
And you, the viewer, if you would like to see more images of Felix as they come in to us, just go to CNN.com. You can also track Felix's path and see this year's hurricane forecast.
That and more at CNN.com/hurricanes.
PHILLIPS: Now to Washington, where a Senate committee is getting another lack of progress report on Iraq. The U.S. Government Accountability Office is giving an independent assessment on those political and military benchmarks that we have heard so much about.
The GAO says the Iraqi government has fully met three of 18 benchmarks, partially met four, and showed no headway for the remaining 11. The news wrangled some Iraq war veterans attending today's hearing to protest the war. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. AARON HUGHES, U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: We went inside. We listened to the senators speak for quite a while, and then we stood and watched. Stood up as he began to speak about Iraq, and we're hoping that we're standing more specifically so they can start taking action to show people who are out here watching over them saying, hey, you need to take action. They were elected for a reason.
SGT. GEOFF MILLARD, U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: We stood up and watched our government, and that was threatening to them. They found that as a personal threat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And why did you do it?
MILLARD: Well, I signed up for the military at age 17 to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and that's what I do. Every day on a daily basis I stand up to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
And if Congress isn't going to do that themselves, and they took that oath, then it's time for the citizens to make sure that we are a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and that we stand watch over our Congress making sure that they protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Another important assessment is due next week. That from the top military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus.
Fresh from a quick stopover in Iraq, President Bush has moved on to Australia for trade talks with America's Pacific Rim partners. He will also meet with the Australian prime minister, John Howard, one of his most loyal allies. Howard's support of the war in Iraq could cost him re-election.
Anti-war protesters staged what had they called an unwelcoming ceremony for President Bush. A number of other protests are planned, including one event that organizers say could draw 20,000 demonstrators.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation forum comes on the heels of the president's surprise visit to Anbar province, just west of Baghdad. There he raised the possibility of U.S. troop cuts if security continues to improve.
LEMON: Its founders say the curriculum is about Arabic culture, but critics fear the real lesson plan involves radical Islam. We'll talk with a woman who's fighting the new Khalil Gibran school in Brooklyn.
PHILLIPS: Plus, this time the accident happened at an unmarked mine, but safety groups have had all-terrain vehicles on their radar for years, especially when children are doing the driving.
LEMON: And a new point of view thanks to Whoopi Goldberg.
All ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: 2:13 Eastern Time right now. Here are some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
He's a world renowned adventurer and he's now missing. A massive search is under way in western Nevada for Stephen Fossett, last seen taking off from a ranch in a small plane. Fossett holds several aviation records.
Hurricane Felix weakened to a Category 2 storm after hitting the Nicaraguan coast as a Category 5. But it's still packing 100-mile-an- hour winds and could dump two feet of rain in parts of Central America.
Protesters at Capitol Hill, where a Senate panel is hearing a sobering report about progress in Iraq right now. Congressional investigators have found most of the political and security goals that have fallen short. That report says 11 of the 18 so-called benchmarks have not been met.
LEMON: Out of the closet, into the seminary. Former New Jersey governor and former Roman Catholic Jim McGreevey began classes today at an Episcopalian seminary in New York.
McGreevey announced in 2004 that he is a gay American. He also announced he was resigning as governor, saying an aide, an alleged former lover, was blackmailing him.
McGreevey switched his religion this year from Catholic to Episcopalian. And yesterday he offered support to Idaho senator Larry Craig, who is resigning after his arrest in an airport men's room sex sting.
In "The Washington Post," McGreevey writes, "I can only pray that Larry Craig and his loving family come to peace with his truth, whatever that may be. To those who judge him harshly, I ask that they fill their hearts with compassion and equanimity. The senator did not have a lover on the payroll, as I did."
No one was more stunned by Jim McGreevey's 2004 admission than his wife. Silent and smiling, Dina Matos McGreevey stood beside her husband at that fateful news conference, but she's not silent and not smiling anymore. She's written a tell-all book about their marriage and how her husband finally told her his secret.
Here is what she told our Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DINA MATOS MCGREEVEY, JIM MCGREEVEY'S ESTRANGED WIFE: The first day we sat down and he told me about being blackmailed. And when I asked him why, he said, "Well, I had a relationship," and he said it was sexual but not sexual. So he wasn't even admitting it to himself.
The second day he was trying to figure out, you know, what he would do, whether he was going to pay this guy off or -- and he said to me, "Well, if I pay him off, we won't be able to put our daughter through college, we'll never own a home." And I was thinking, well, what's the sense of paying him? We don't have a marriage after this.
And then the third day he was meeting with his advisers, and he came upstairs with a copy of his speech and he said, "I want you to read what I'm going to say during the press conference." And that's the first time I read the words "I am a gay American." Actually, the night before, he said to me, "Well, I am confused about my sexuality. I think I might be gay."
And then the next morning, I'm reading a copy of his speech and I looked up at him and I said, "What do you think? You mean you're confused, or where is this coming from?" And he says -- he looked at me and his friend, one of his mentors said, "No that's what he is, and we have to accept it." And I thought, "Well, that's easy for you to say, but, you know..."
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": And you had no idea, no -- I mean, in hindsight, I'm sure there's a million things which you pick up on.
MCGREEVEY: Well, there were signs. And, you know, I talk about them in the book, but individually they really didn't mean anything. You know, no relationship, no marriage is perfect, and I never had any suspicions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: McGreevey's book is called "Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage".
PHILLIPS: An uproar in Brooklyn as a new school plans to teach Arabic culture and language. Some say it smacks of radical Islam.
We're going to have the latest on an opening day protest straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: And balloonist and record holder, world record holder Steve Fossett missing. What's the very latest on that? What are rescuers doing to try to find him?
We'll have the very latest right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
LEMON: He took off on a mission and he's been missing since Sunday night. Steve Fossett, the record holder and millionaire, no one knows where he is. According to Civil Air Patrol, they're searching for him, haven't seen him since Monday.
We're going to update you on this story as soon as we get it right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: And California's heat wave goes from dangerous to deadly. Thousands more people are put at risk as the power fails in some places.
We'll have the details from the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. A new public school opens in Brooklyn, but some say the curriculum featuring Arabic culture is masking a radical agenda.
PHILLIPS: We're going to talk with a woman who refers to the Khalil Gibran school as a madrassa and wants it shut down.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: But first, happening right now, new information on missing adventurer Steve Fossett.
We're getting word that his plane, a single-engine plane, took off at 8:45 a.m. Monday at a private airstrip on a ranch south of Smith Valley in western Nevada. It didn't return as scheduled, and a friend reported him missing. That's according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson in Maryland.
PHILLIPS: Miles O'Brien, our aviation expert, talked to us within the past hour. As you know, he's been working his sources on this. He broke the story. This is what he had to say as soon as he talked to the Civil Air Patrol.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this all comes from the Civil Air Patrol in Smith Valley, that part of Nevada.
It happened last night. He took off actually noon yesterday in a Super Decathlon. That is an aerobatically-capable airplane.
We're told he was not wearing a parachute, as is the mandated FAA regulation for anyone doing acrobatics in an airplane. According to the Civil Air Patrol, Steve Fossett does not like doing acrobatics.
He had four to five hours of fuel in that Super Decathlon. This ranch, the Flying M Ranch owned by Barron Hilton, is 30 miles southeast of Yerington, Nevada, about 120 miles southeast of Reno.
A very extensive search began at 6:00 p.m. local time yesterday. Six aircraft from the Nevada Civil Air Patrol, helicopters from the naval air station in Fallon, Nevada, the Nevada Air National Guard chopper, California Highway Patrol helicopters -- as we say, no sign of him so far in that area, but took off from that private airstrip there on that ranch. And the search is under way for Steve Fossett, who holds numerous, numerous records in balloons, hot air balloons, and, of course, aircraft, most recently flying around the world twice, setting a distance and speed record in a single-engine jet designed by the aviation legend Burt Rutan -- Kyra.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: We'll of course continue to follow that developing story on the search for Steve Fossett.
Meanwhile, cultured Arabic speakers or angry radicals, who will make up the graduating class of New York City's first public school teaching Arabic language and culture? Well, it depends on whom you ask. The Khalil Gibran Academy is holding its first day of classes today.
CNN's Richard Roth has more on the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on, baby (ph). Help me out here.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When New York City announced plans for a public school that would teach Arabic language and culture, Carmen Cologne (ph) saw a great opportunity for her 11-year-old son.
I know for a fact that any American who learns Arabic will make tons of money, whether it's translation, whether it's in the customer service area. I thought it was the best advantage I could give my son.
ROTH: But some are outraged over the school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are paying with our public dollar for a religious school, a madrassa.
ROTH: Pamela Hall (ph) is with Stop the Madrassa. The group believes the Khalil Gibran International Academy will impose a radical Islamic agenda in its classrooms.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Arabic immigrant student will be isolated. Whether that materializes instantly into terrorists, that's a huge statement to make. But are these students not assimilating and becoming part of the American fabric? We think so, yes.
DEBRA HOWARD: There's no basis in fact for what they're saying.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Debra Howard and Riyad Feraj (ph), both parents of Brooklyn public school students, worked on the design team for the academy and say it is not a religious school.
HOWARD: In terms of the curriculum, if it's a New York City public school, it has to go by New York City standards. I am Jewish. I would never be a part of a school that would in any way, you know, be involved with Islamic fundamentalists. ROTH: Much of the criticism was directed at school's Arab American founding principal, Debbie Almontaser. Two local papers reported claims she had ties to Islamic extremist organizations. The controversy reached a fever pitch when Almontaser was quoted defending the use of the word intifada on a T-shirt. She said in Arabic it simply means shaking off. Soon after, Almontaser resigned and the city replaced her with a Jewish principal who doesn't speak Arabic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be attacked so viciously has been unbelievably unfair and quite sad.
ROTH: The verbal attacks caused Cologne to pull her son out of the school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The people who are so against the school who for me seem more like the terrorists by terrorizing the community and making us feel that it's unsafe for our children to be there, they're the ones who are terrorizing us, not the school, not the principal, and not the administration.
ROTH: Richard Roth, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: You heard from school protester Pamela Hall in Richard's piece. She joins us live from New York with more. Pamela, tell me more about why you want this school closed down.
PAMELA HALL, "STOP THE MADRASSA": The situation has never changed. We still do not know what the curricula. It has not been released. We do not have the textbooks. We do not know what has been created. It's a false statement to say that they have to simply abide by some kind of public school regulations.
And the latest document released by the department of education is that they cannot find the curricula. They opened that school today, 7:30 this morning. They're teaching the children something and they will not tell us what.
PHILLIPS: We will tell you what because Garth Harries who works for the school system talked about the curriculum this morning on CNN. Here is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARTH HARRIES, NYC DEPT. OF EDUCATION: It's the core sixth grade curriculum that these kids are starting with which is the basics, math, English, history, science and the kids are also going to be learning Arabic which is an incredibly exciting and unique opportunity for these kids.
Religion plays absolutely no part in this school. This is a public school. It wouldn't play a part in any of our schools. As a themed school focused on a language, it's like so many other. We have 70 dual language programs around the city. Those are programs that frankly give our kids a leg up. It gives them a language. They're inclusive and they let them learn about the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: There you have it. There's your answer. Do you feel better about the school now?
HALL: That's not an answer. Garth Harries is being quite dishonest with you. He himself, the department of education, they have known that they are not releasing the curricula, and they have not released it. That's why we have to go to court next week. They have told us they cannot find the curricula and it will take them at least a month to find it.
PHILLIPS: But he just laid out this is exactly like the seven other schools that are themed schools in the city that will teach a foreign language, teach a culture in addition to have a typical sixth grade curricula just like he described like in all the other schools.
HALL: No. These schools are independent. Almontaser and Salzberg together have created this curricula. Bloomberg set the program up that way. They independently create and buy the textbooks and it is not a set curricula. That is why they are by law required to reveal it. They have not revealed it, and the department of education itself said they can't find it. So what are they covering up? Garth Harries is a liar.
PHILLIPS: Well, I'm curious why you're calling it a Madrassa. It's an academy.
HALL: It is a public school that has associated with it people like Almontaser and her all religious board of imams. These people are all ...
PHILLIPS: They disassociated them from that woman who was wearing the T-shirt that was the principal. They have a new principal, a white Jewish woman.
HALL: She's not new.
PHILLIPS: She's the acting principal right now.
HALL: She's not new. She helped create the school.
PHILLIPS: You're talking about the principal that's there right now.
HALL: Yes. She's not new.
PHILLIPS: But she's not Islamic. She's not Arabic.
HALL: Because you're trying to make this be that we are saying that they are teaching religion. This is an Islamist ideology propaganda textbooks that are out there that we have seen and we have done our research on, and if they are not ...
PHILLIPS: But have you seen those textbooks in that school? You told me you haven't seen the textbooks.
HALL: No one has seen the textbooks including Garth Harries unless he wants to reveal them.
PHILLIPS: But he even came forward and said they're not going to be teaching -- using books that are in Arabic because no one speaks the language. I mean 75 percent of these students that have enrolled are African American. So I'm a bit confused.
HALL: Yes and they are not even teaching the Arabic language until after school hours from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., so why do they even need the school? Garth Harries does not speak honestly about what's transpiring in this school. He is part of the cover-up. There was no cover-up they would reveal the curricula.
PHILLIPS: What exactly is the cover-up and where is the proof and evidence of that?
HALL: Well, it's called three foils of information, legal briefs that they have not met. They are supposed to have revealed by law as a public school all of this information, including faculty and advisers. All of this was supposed to be released. They have not met it. On August 27th, they say they could not meet it. On August 27th, they said they could not find it, and that continues to be a cover-up to date because they opened the school today at 7:30 in the morning, and they're teaching them something. And it is not a set curricula, so I don't know what this man feels he's talking about. It's time for him to be honest and tell the truth.
PHILLIPS: He came forward on CNN on national television and said they are not going to be teaching religion. They are teaching a culture, they're teaching a language. That that's the most important part of this school. Here is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be teaching Arabic language and some Arabic culture in terms of history, current events. How will that be taught?
HARRIES: That's right. So cultural awareness about Arabic and the Middle East and focusing on preparing kids to go out and not only graduate from high school but understand about that part of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, Pamela, isn't that what we would want our children to do is have a better understanding of the Arabic culture so we don't create more prejudice, we don't create more division among Americans and the Arab culture?
HALL: Whose Arab culture? We keep asking them. That is why we have said please cease and desist using this name. How are they going to teach about Marinite Melkite Christians that make up most of the Arab-speaking world? How will they teach about their cultures? There is no Arab culture. Whose culture is he speaking about? PHILLIPS: You're talking about those that speak Arabic, those that live in the Middle East, those of Middle East decent that live in the United States. They're talking about bridging a very divided world right now. You've got the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, all the insurgents, the terrorism, what happened on 9/11. There's a lot of misconception about the Middle Eastern people, and this is one step toward teaching our children. This is what they say, to understand the language and the culture of the Middle East. Don't you think that's important?
HALL: Absolutely. Get that in our public schools and get the right textbooks in our public schools. That's why we have the Citizens for American Values in Public Education. That is our new organization. That is why we are publishing booklets saying these are not the right textbooks that Almontaser supports. She must support them, the ones that are the propaganda or she would reveal them. So would Salzberg. So would Garth Harries. We want a Middle Eastern history.
PHILLIPS: I just want to point out that Almontaser has been replaced by an interim principal, Danielle Salzberg, a white, Jewish woman because there was controversy about her wearing this T-shirt. She is not involved with teaching in this school. Once again, Garth Harries, who was involved in this curriculum, talked about the fact that they're not using books in Arabic. This is the same layout as the 70 other schools that have a theme in the area. So ...
HALL: No, no. Not what we're talking about, teaching it in Arabic. We are saying the propaganda Islamic ideology that's taught in the textbooks that are printed and in our schools now that are Islamist and narrow and do not teach about a broader Middle Eastern culture, and Garth Harries and Almontaser and Danielle Salzberg have all created this program.
PHILLIPS: Well I must say, I'm eager to see the textbooks because I don't know anybody in the New York public school who is reading this. But Pamela Hall with the organization "Stop the Madrassa," we will follow this and we will wait for the evidence.
We appreciate your time.
HALL: Thank you.
LEMON: A family's memorial in the hills of Arizona. One young girl is dead. Her sister on the slow road to recovery today. The latest on the mine shaft tragedy coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Plus the 411 on ATVs. Kids love to ride them, but parents worry. Are all-terrain vehicles an all-out hazard with kids behind the wheel? We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All through the night and all day today, boats, helicopters, and divers have been searching Lake Erie for a man and his 9-year-old son whose small plane crashed near Kelly's Island last night. Another son, who is 7, was rescued by a man in a rowboat who heard the boy crying for help. Searchers have only found small parts of the plane but vow to keep going.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. PATRICK BRENNAN, U.S. COAST GUARD: We need to maintain contact with the families and keep them updated regularly about the search efforts that are going on and what we're finding in the case. But our focus is to continue to search until any aspect or any possibility of survivors exist. We're going to continue to search, like I said, until the end of the day. At that point we'll reevaluate the search efforts based on the information we've gleaned throughout the day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The man and his sons are from Lima, Ohio. They were apparently flying home after a day trip at the popular tourist island.
PHILLIPS: A hilly desert in Arizona, a deadly playground for thrill seekers on all terrain vehicles. One of the two young sisters who plunged down an unmarked mine shaft Saturday is now said to be in a serious condition in a Las Vegas hospital. 10 year old Casie Hicks was riding with her 13 year old sister, Rikki Howard, and their dad on Saturday. Suddenly, the girls fell into a 125-foot deep pit. Early Sunday Rikki was found dead. Casie alive but badly hurt. The state vows to prevent accidents like this from happening again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE HART, ARIZONA MINE OFFICIAL: The one that the young lady fell into, it was a horizontal shaft. It went straight down. I mean a vertical shaft, excuse me, went straight down 125 feet. Those are the ones that I want to find first and make sure we do something about those because those are the most dangerous, and they're so well- concealed and we just need to find them and fill them up. That's basically what we have to do.
PHILLIPS: Do you think that this tragedy is going to bring more attention to it both at the state and federal level?
HART: I do. I really think, you know, that it's brought it to the forefront. It was one of the biggest issues on the campaign trail. People did not realize the impact that mining had had on the state of Arizona and the amount of abandoned mines that we have in our state.
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PHILLIPS: Well, the mine that the girls fell into was obscured by brush with no signs or barriers.
LEMON: Just because they're called all-terrain vehicles doesn't mean all terrain is safe for ATVs nor that all the ATV drivers are up to the challenge.
Here is our Chris Lawrence.
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CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little boy cuts through the sand. No other hand on the wheel but his own. A toddler driving his own ATV until his sister rear ends him. No one seriously hurt this time.
DR. LARRY FOREMAN, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: We see horrendous injuries.
LAWRENCE: Dr. Larry Foreman's hospital in central California treats more than 1,000 ATV injuries a year. For example a 4-year-old with both wrists broken. There are others.
FOREMAN: Just this year we actually had had two little kids in fact that had amputations of their feet.
LAWRENCE: According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, in 2005 alone, ATV accidents killed more than 120 children under the age of 16. That's motivated some parents to demand the government ban ATVs for anyone under 16. Do you think riding ATVs is safe?
EMILY ZEMAN, BJ'S RENTALS: Yes, I do. I think that if people pay attention to what they're doing, it's as safe as any other sport.
LAWRENCE: Emily Zeman runs BJ's Rentals and says companies like hers police themselves. For example, Zeman won't rent to kids under the age of 9. She says the real problem is people who buy their own ATVs and allow their kids to ride vehicles built for adults.
ZEMAN: They haul them down to the beach and they go out and ride. They're the ones that have the worst accidents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check it once first, make sure it's safe.
LAWRENCE: An instructor set me up on an ATV built for my size and experience and explained how to avoid those dangerous rollovers.
MIKE, INSTRUCTOR, BJ'S RENTALS: If you were riding sideways and the bike started tipping, you turn the direction you're tipping, you can save it, kind of like a car skidding. The back end fishes out and you steer that direction to save it.
LAWRENCE: Within minutes, I was safely riding the ATV. But all around me, kids too young on ATVs too big. Riders breaking the speed limit.
Dr. Foreman wants the federal government to step in. Force riders to attend a safety course and mandate escalating engine limits for 6 year olds, 12 year olds, and then older teens and adults.
FOREMAN: You protect kids, and if it needs a law, then that's what it takes. Got to protect the kids.
LAWRENCE: Depending where you live, the laws can be all over the place. Some states have a very strict list of requirements and minimum age standards of 14 or even 16 years old. Other states hardly any guidelines at all.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Grover Beach, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Kayakers trapped under a bridge. The river is rising fast. Time is running out. We will show you how this ended straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.
A.J. HAMMER, ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm A.J. Hammer in New York. It's a new view today for the once controversial talk show. Why is everybody saying Whoopi? We'll have a full report coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: OK A.J. And speaking of Whoopi, "The View's" newest member is a topic of today's news quiz. What movie earned Whoopi Goldberg a best supporting actress Oscar? The answer when we come back.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Use your body?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just do it quick before I change my mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was your hint. If you don't know much about Whoopi Goldberg, the newest host of "The View," our news quiz what movie earned Whoopi Goldberg a best supporting actress Oscar? It wasn't "Jumping Jack Flash." The answer, of course, is "Ghost," 1990. It was a film starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. You probably remember this line. Molly, you in danger girl. Do you guys remember that? That was the funniest line in the whole movie.
Rosie O'Donnell's heated spats put "The View" on the ratings map last season but now that Rosie is out many fans of the talk show are left saying one thing, Whoopi. So what kind of impression is Whoopi making? "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT'S" A.J. Hammer joins me now with that. Do you remember that? Molly, you in danger girl.
HAMMER: I was hoping you were going to say it again actually, Don. I'm glad you didn't ask me to. It was quite the different view here in New York this morning. I was there right there on the set of "The View," and the brand new Oscar-winning comedian actress Whoopi Goldberg took her role officially in her first day as the moderator of the daily chat fest to a standing ovation.
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WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTRESS: Good morning. I'm Whoopi Goldberg. And welcome to "The View." Yes, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And with that Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Golden Globe winner Whoopi Goldberg kicked off the view's 11th season on ABC this morning with her new gig as the panel moderator. Goldberg of course fills the chair that was left vacant by Rosie O'Donnell after her controversial and abrupt departure from the show last June. Of course following that heated debate with co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck. I caught up with Whoopi on the set of the show, and she told me she was truly happy to be there and to be gainfully employed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLDBERG: I'm lucky, OK. Four years ago where was the work? Now it's pouring, I'm swimming well, life is good.
HAMMER: A lot of people would say why would you take this job, but it's nice to have a job, right?
GOLDBERG: It is nice to have a job, honey, and especially at this point in time this is the perfect job for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, she did tell me that unlike Rosie O'Donnell she hopes to stick around for at least a couple years, Don, or at least as long as they'll have her. Rosie O'Donnell only stuck around for one season, the 10th season of "The View" last year and at no point, Don Lemon, did Whoopi tell me I was in danger.
LEMON: She didn't say you were in danger, girl. You know what? It's really funny because sometimes you watch that show and I can't even understand what they're saying because everybody is talking, and you know how that is.
HAMMER: They were better about that this morning. That's a difficulty they say that goes along with doing that show. Whoopi said she has to get used to now not being a guest but being somebody who has to pay attention to you know the floor directors and the camera people and all that.
LEMON: And do the homework and all that stuff. Of course, we all know Rosie O'Donnell caused plenty of controversy A.J. with her comments last season. Any chance we can expect the same thing from Whoopi?
HAMMER: I don't know. Certainly Whoopi has done her share of controversial things throughout her career in history, but I don't think she's the lightning rod that Rosie O'Donnell is, but she did make a couple of comments right out of the gate talking about Michael Vick. She basically said dog fighting is more accepted in the south and that's where he's from. That raised a few eyebrows, but for the most part, I think we're anticipating a much calmer season where the controversy will be in the topics they discuss, not necessarily the panel members themselves.
LEMON: All right. Got it. I hear Whoopi wasn't the only one adding to the excitement today. You know this whole controversy when he came on "The View" before, they said he was drunk, it was a whole thing, you guys were doing the whole thing. Did Danny DeVito really show up with liquor today?
HAMMER: He did. He looked much better than his appearance last November where quite frankly people said he looked a bit intoxicated following a night of drinking with his pal George Clooney. Well DeVito, being the capitalist and great sport that he is, he turned lemons into lemonade. He created his very own Danny DeVito premium Limoncello liquor line while he proudly displayed to the whole audience this morning while proudly plugging his brand new TV show and brand new restaurant. I think Danny DeVito may win the best pitch man of the year for his appearance on "The View" today. It was great fun to see him hanging out with the ladies.
Now coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," is this the last chance for Britney Spears. There is big Britney news from her latest courtroom hearing on child custody to a new Britney song just out. Why is the next couple weeks going to be particularly crucial to Britney? Can she revive her career? It's a special report tonight on TV's most provocative entertainment news show. It's "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." We'll look forward to you joining us at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on headline prime.
LEMON: Of course, it wouldn't be entertainment news without Britney and Lindsay Lohan. So anyway, we wish both of them well.
Also, they gave me a quiz back here. I don't want to put you on the spot. I don't even know. Do you remember Whoopi's character in "Ghost?" Do you remember the name?
HAMMER: I almost said Ginan. Of course, that was her character from Star Trek, the Next Generation.
LEMON: Oda Mae Brown.
HAMMER: Oda Mae Brown. Give it to us one more time. Give us that line one more time.
LEMON: I'm not going to do it. I'm just going to tell you to stay out of danger. Thank you. We'll be watching tonight.
HAMMER: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: An 8-year-old might have cerebral palsy, but it doesn't have him. Not reacting in an incredible way. Pulled off some real heroics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like this big smoke and I ran outside to get my grandpa and then I saved my dad's life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: We are in love with this little boy. It's a real feat considering he can't even walk. We'll have the details straight ahead.
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