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New Videotape From Osama bin Laden?; Mother of Madeleine McCann Now a Suspect

Aired September 07, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: If you were shocked by word from Portugal that police suspect the mother of Madeleine McCann in the child's disappearance, wait until you hear what Maddie's aunt now claims about the cops' bid to get a confession.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: John Walsh joins us in the NEWSROOM this hour with his take on the heartrending case and mind- blowing investigation.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM; 3:00 p.m. in the East and we begin with a developing story, developing news from Portugal this hour, the case of a missing girl that appeared to have gone cold.

Little Madeleine McCann's mother now formally named a suspect, and just a short time ago word from the McCann family that police have offered Kate McCann some options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILOMENA MCCANN, AUNT OF MADELEINE MCCANN: Tried to get Kate to confess to having accidentally killed Madeleine by offering her a deal through her lawyer, which was, if you say that you killed Madeleine by accident and then hid her and then disposed of the body, then we can guarantee you a two-year jail sentence or even less. You may get off because people feel sorry for you. It was an accident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: On the line now from Portimao, Portugal, CNN's Paula Hancocks.

Paula, she also went on to say that she found this ludicrous. This is certainly a development in this story.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. Yes, certainly it's a very surprising development.

And it's also very interesting. We should remember that all the information we're getting from this particular fascinating case is from the family itself. The Portuguese police are saying very little. They won't comment on this particular allegation by Gerry McCann's sister that Kate McCann had been offered a deal. So, all the information we're getting is from the family, which is how it has been for the past four months. They really have worked very closely with the media, used the media and the public to be able to keep this campaign to find Madeleine in the forefront, which is why it has such international fascination.

And certainly we know that Gerry McCann, the husband, is still inside this tiny police station in this holiday resort in south Portugal. He went in about, oh, four hours ago now. Now, the spokesperson for the family thought he would be in there about three hours.

Some Portuguese media is murmuring that he is going to be in there for many more hours to come. But at this point we understand he is being questioned as a witness, according to the McCanns' spokesman, but obviously the police remaining very tightlipped -- Don.

LEMON: All right, CNN's Paula Hancocks joining us by telephone. She's been following this story for us. Thank you for that, Paula.

And we spoke to just moments ago Candice DeLong, who is a former FBI profiler. And I asked her, in these situations, are parents often the first suspects?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDICE DELONG, FORMER FBI PROFILER: Young children spend almost all their time -- before they go to school, before 5, 6 years old, they are spending all their time with their caregivers, their adult caregivers.

And, oftentimes, when we see a child murdered, it's usually blunt-force trauma to the head. And, when you see that, what you're looking at is the result of an adult getting angry and losing control and hitting the child too hard. And that's the most common type of child murder that we see. And it's usually the adult caregiver.

LEMON: Not saying that that happened in this case. But we're just talking...

DELONG: No, not at all.

LEMON: You're talking context in around cases like this.

DELONG: Right.

LEMON: What about -- the parents went to dinner and left the twins and Madeleine alone. She was the oldest. She was 3 years old at the time, just about to have a birthday. Wouldn't that -- yes, I see you're sighing there.

DELONG: Yes.

LEMON: But, if they were at dinner, would that provide them with a feasible alibi for this?

DELONG: Well, it's -- it is possible.

LEMON: Wouldn't there be people there, witnesses, who would see them at dinner, but to give them some sort of alibi, it would appear?

DELONG: Well, perhaps an alibi: Yes, they were with us at this dinner. That is not to say what happened in that hotel room before they went to meet with their friends.

And it's my understanding from one report I read that, upon joining their friends for dinner, that the mother said something to the effect of: Madeleine's gone. We have failed, something like that, indicating that, if that report is accurate, that they had just come from -- from the hotel room to meet their friends, and the mother makes this kind of disclosure. And then later it's, oh, my gosh, Madeleine is gone.

LEMON: Yes. And, just real quickly, because we have got to get to a break here. Are you surprised by this latest development?

DELONG: No, I'm not surprised at all.

LEMON: Why not?

DELONG: As we mentioned, statistically, it is usually the adult caregivers, parents, that are responsible when something like this happens. And the police going in 60 days after the original incident, kidnapping incident supposedly and finding blood, and now the mother and father are being considered suspects, no, I'm not surprised at all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Former FBI profiler Candice DeLong.

John Walsh joins us in a few minutes to talk about this case.

WHITFIELD: And, Don, all day we have been talking about the latest new videotape, possibly new videotape of Osama bin Laden, the world's most sought-after terrorist. Well, this would be the newest image since 2004 if, indeed, it is new.

Kelli Arena in Washington has been examining this tape.

And now you have the transcript of this message from Osama bin Laden?

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: OK. Yes.

Let me -- first of all, I don't have the tape. I just have a transcript of what is on that tape, at least one translation that I was able to obtain of what it said on that tape. And basically it does appear to be new, given some of the time references in this tape, where it looks like Osama bin Laden, I'm told, with much darker hair and beard, on the tape, addressing the camera, talking about the fact that the Democrats have gained the majority here in Washington, talks about some -- a number of people killed in Iraq, mentions the new French president's name, Sarkozy, obviously recent events here.

So this does look to be, and the experts I have spoken to say this does look to be a new tape, which is what everyone was sort of anticipating. Now, we haven't seen the video. And it's interesting, Fredricka, because usually these al Qaeda videos are put out over the Internet or they have appeared from time to time on the Al-Jazeera Arabic network.

All of the sites that we usually turn to for videos like this are down. They have been down all day. And, so it's been very difficult to try to obtain anything. Now, whose doing that is a matter of much speculation. Some experts thought that maybe it was the government because they knew that a tape was coming and so they interfered and hacked into those sites and put them down. Who knows?

I don't have confirmation at this point, but that is at least some of the intelligence thinking out there. This transcript that I have read, Fredricka, has no overt threats against the United States. It does talk an awful lot about the Iraq War, chastising Americans for reelecting President Bush, even though they saw what was going on, even though they knew that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

He urges Americans to turn to Islam, saying that that is something that will save them, saying even though, you know, we have the entire world looking for us, we are at peace because we know Allah.

So, we continue to go through this. But the highlights here, no overt threat. It doesn't seem to be a call to action, but rather an explanation of what Osama bin Laden thinks is wrong with the world, most especially with the United States and the politicians who lead this country.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kelli Arena, thanks so much. We're continuing to gauge reaction, then, from that transcript from this new or purported new transmission of Osama bin Laden and his images. Thanks so much, Kelli.

ARENA: You're welcome.

LEMON: And, Fredricka, we're also tracking a developing story this hour involving U.S. troop levels in Iraq. U.S. military officials familiar with the thinking of General David Petraeus tell CNN Petraeus will recommend no troop reductions before next spring.

Our CNN Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is on the story for us in Washington -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Don.

On the eve of General Petraeus' anticipated report both to the president and Congress, CNN has learned that the general would like to maintain the current force levels in Iraq at least until spring, when the currently scheduled rotations would bring down the number of troops gradually over about five months from about 160,000 to 130,000.

Officials familiar with General Petraeus' thinking also strongly disputed implications of two published reports today, in both "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post," saying that General Petraeus would -- could accept or would be willing to consider the pullout or pullback -- and those are two different things -- of one brigade to assuage critics in Congress.

That is nonsense, according to one of the officials. They said, while it's certainly the case, that President Bush will be making the final decisions about troop levels and the general will probably accept whatever the president decides, if the president were to decide to pull out a brigade before that March time frame, it would not be on the recommendation of General Petraeus.

We're told the general believes that at this time it's a critical time and he needs all the troops there. They said, every brigade is important -- Don.

LEMON: And, Jamie, lots happening here, but did he send a letter to the troops?

MCINTYRE: Yes, you got an inkling of what General Petraeus' thinking was when he sent a letter to troops today, basically explaining to them why they are going to need to stay there for a while. And in the letter he said, we haven't crossed the goal line yet. He outlined how the strategy was working, although he said it was uneven in its results. But he did say it was providing this breathing space for the Iraqi government to begin some political reconciliation.

But he conceded that reconciliation hasn't happened. He said -- quote -- "It hasn't worked out as we had hoped." But he said there are some positive signs, particularly in the month of August, that gives him hope that it might work if they give it more time.

And that sort of explains exactly what you're going to hear from General Petraeus when he testifies on Monday.

LEMON: Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre -- thank you, Jamie -- Fred.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

WHITFIELD: And, in Nevada, returning to the skies -- the search for Steve Fossett expands days after the thrill-seeker disappeared.

LEMON: His brother was killed at the Pentagon on 9/11. Now he's raising money for the memorial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I always think of my brother Dave and, you know, what happened that day.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Today, victims' families are getting a special preview. Our Jamie McIntyre has that story -- straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wake up and I thank God that I'm actually alive. And I pat myself on the back I survived another day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And they made it back from war, but their battles are far from over. Straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, Iraq's veterans are the focus of a new HBO documentary.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's now 15 minutes after the hour, and here are three of the stories we're working on in the NEWSROOM.

New information about a long-awaited report. Sources tell CNN that General David Petraeus is against reducing U.S. troop levels in Iraq before next spring. He's scheduled to report to Congress next week.

And U.S. government sources say a newly released al Qaeda videotape appears to contain no overt threats. There's no confirmation yet that the speaker is really Osama bin Laden.

And a shocking report from Britain. Friends and family members say Kate McCann is a suspect in her daughter Madeleine's disappearance and was reportedly offered a plea deal if she would confess. The 4- year-old girl was reported missing in Portugal last May.

LEMON: Mountain trails and the Provo River are the focus today in the search for Camille Cleverley. The 22-year-old senior at Brigham Young University disappeared more than a week ago.

Police say two people turned in a mountain bike that may be hers, after finding it locked to a bike rack along the river. Authorities say Cleverley may have gone for a hike. They have also lowered the river, but, so far, no sign of the young woman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CLEVERLEY, MOTHER OF CAMILLE CLEVERLEY: This turnout is so amazing, and we are touched. We are deeply touched by the concern expressed here and by people all over the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And near the BYU campus, more than 100 students and staff have signed up to canvass neighborhoods.

WHITFIELD: Searchers in western Nevada hope this will be the day they spot missing aviator Steve Fossett. It's the fifth day of a search that covers a huge area of incredibly rough terrain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR CYNTHIA RYAN, CIVIL AIR PATROL: The geographical searching area has expanded up to about 17,000 square miles. Of that, I would say that we have probably got a pretty good handle on at least 50 percent of it, if not more than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Kara Finnstrom is in Minden, where the search effort is based.

And, Kara, what are the conditions like today? It looks like clear skies behind you.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, nice clear skies, light winds, those, of course, good conditions for the searchers, but at this point still no signs of the missing adventurer or of his plane to report.

You did just hear a few moments ago from the person who is in charge of overseeing this effort, Major Cynthia Ryan.

And she's joining us here to talk with us a little bit more about that 50 percent, because that's some good headway that you have made on this search. You say this is an initial cursory search of that area, though?

RYAN: Sure. We have got to start somewhere. And what we want to do is get as many areas at least with one airplane in there, give it a good look-over, before we start to raise that probability of detection to a comfortable level that we can really believe deep down that we have looked at that area thoroughly.

So, we don't want to oversaturate some of these areas, but we don't want to underserve them. And it's a balance that we have to constantly be keeping track of. And it evolves. It's fluid.

FINNSTROM: Now, you also today upped the number of square miles to 17,000. For people who have been watching at home, they may not quite get that. But this is the same footprint. It's just a new calculation, correct?

RYAN: That's absolutely correct. The footprint essentially does remain the same. But, as we pull areas out, put areas in, it does remain essentially the same, but that figure will vary over the course of this search.

FINNSTROM: All right, we thank you for joining us.

And one other point to touch on, we did today get the first word about Mr. Fossett's family. We understand Mrs. Fossett is staying at a nearby ranch, the Hilton ranch. This is where he took off from in that single-jet-engine plane from a private runway there. And a sheriff representative from the area tells us that the family is subdued, is hopeful, though, but is requesting, of course, their privacy at this point -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I can't imagine what the family is going through.

And it's still the case, Kara, right, that not even Fossett's wife knew the exact detail of exactly where he was venturing out?

FINNSTROM: That's right. And that was clarified this afternoon as well, no flight plan filed, and the sheriff said that he was not able to get any for information from his wife about exactly where he may have been headed.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kara Finnstrom, thanks so much -- Don.

LEMON: He lived his own nightmare. Now he helps other parents with children when their children are abducted. We will ask John Walsh about the latest development in the Madeleine McCann case -- coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So, when was the last time you sat down at the dinner table with your kids? Don't tell me you can't remember. Well, unfortunately, if you can't, you are not alone.

We're all pretty busy, but, as Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports in today's "Fit Nation," the family that eats together stays healthy together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Remember the classic American family dinner? Everyone sitting down at the same time every night. Today, it's not so common. But the Lee family makes sure it's a priority. Crystal and Wayne both work but manage to have dinner with their daughter Erin. Their strategy? Prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them and reheat during the week.

CRYSTAL LEE, ERIN'S MOM: If I had to prepare a meal, we probably would not eat until 6: 30 and then Erin has homework.

GUPTA: Erin is glad for the home cooking.

ERIN LEE, STUDENT: Sometimes, the stuff that you eat every single day at restaurants are greasy first of all and they're salty.

GUPTA: They're eating better foods.

WAYNE LEE, ERIN'S DAD: We try to select foods that are lower in fat and high in fiber.

GUPTA: University of Minnesota researchers questioned 1700 high school students on their eating habits and found those who ate with their families had more fruits and vegetables. Fewer sodas and most sat down for breakfast. More importantly, they discovered that the same teens continued those healthy lifestyles into adulthood.

NICOLE LARSON, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: Those teenagers who were eating with their families, seven or more times per week when they were in high school had almost a full serving more of fruits and vegetables when they were young adults.

GUPTA: For families who can't always eat together, nutritionists say a couple of family meals, even on weekends, can help young people develop better eating habits.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

LEMON: Well, sometimes karma works out the way it should. A retired disabled vet comes up with a winning ticket. And you will love hearing about his first purchase as a mega-millionaire. It's not what you think.

We are going to tell you -- coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone.

I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips.

A stunning twist today in the four-month-old case of Madeleine McCann. A relative says police are offering a plea deal to Kate McCann if she confesses to killing her daughter.

LEMON: And amid breaking details, we're going to talk to John Walsh. Since he lost his own son, he's devoted himself to helping solve crimes against children. We're going to hear from him, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

First more on that plane crash in Virginia, T.J. Holmes is in THE NEWSROOM watching the developments -- T.J. .

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we still, Fredricka, don't know the condition of the pilot -- the fate of the pilot of this plane that went down. It was at an air show, the Oceana Naval Air Station Air Show. It happens every year.

You're looking at pictures of the scene here. But this is near Virginia Beach, Virginia. But we don't know the fate of the pilot. They were rehearsing, actually. The show -- the air show is not actually slated to get started until later this evening. But during rehearsal of the Geico Skytypers Air Show Team -- this is a civilian air show team that has some vintage World War II planes -- stunt planes they use to type different letters, if you will up, into the sky.

But they were rehearsing and, actually, according to one member of the team, the six planes were coming in for a landing when this plane crashed. And now this happened some hours ago now, about three- and-a-half hours ago, and we still don't know the fate of the pilot. Again, this is a civilian -- a civilian team, but we don't know the name of the pilot. It hasn't been released just yet.

Also, the area where it goes down here, it doesn't appear that a lot of people would be congregating. So no word and no reason to believe there were any injuries on the ground. But still right now waiting to possibly get word on the fate of that one pilot who was aboard that plane.

So that's what we've been keeping an eye on this afternoon. And we're hoping to get some word. We're hoping it can be good word, but we just don't know just yet. So we'll get back to you when we get word.

WHITFIELD: OK.

Well, we are hoping for the best.

HOLMES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, T.J. .

HOLMES: All right.

LEMON: We have more developing news from Portugal this hour, the case of a missing girl that appeared to have gone cold. Little Madeleine McCann's mother now formally named as a suspect. And just a short time ago, word from the McCann family that police have offered Kate McCann some options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY ITN)

PHILOMENA MCCANN, MADELEINE'S AUNT: They tried to get Kate to confess to having accidentally killed Madeleine by offering her a deal through her lawyer, which was, as you see, that you killed Madeleine by accident and then heads up and then disposed of the body. Then we can guarantee you a two year jail sentence or even less. You may get off because people feel sorry for you, it was an accident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Joining us now from Portimao, Portugal, CNN's Paula Hancocks.

She has been following this story.

What's the latest developments -- Paula. PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it's certainly an interesting thing we heard from Gerry McCann's sister there. I've just spoken to a Portuguese lawyer who actually works in this particular area and even though he didn't want to comment on this particular thing that fill Philomena said, but said that it is entirely possible that this is what the Portuguese police would have done. It's quite normal to try and persuade a suspect to collaborate with the authorities and then say that they would reduce the sentence if they had her corroborate and then help them.

But, of course, we haven't heard from the Portuguese police. They're saying absolutely nothing. And the family itself -- the McCann family -- is still saying that the fact that Kate McCann is a formal suspect is ludicrous. They're completely rejecting any of the forensic evidence that the Portuguese police have been suggesting.

Now, we're only hearing this through the spokespeople for the McCann family itself. But Gerry McCann, the husband, is still inside this small police station. He got there, oh, probably about five hours ago now. It was expecting to be a short questioning and now Portuguese media are saying that this one could go through the night.

A very similar situation to Thursday night with his wife, Kate McCann.

LEMON: CNN's Paula Hancocks.

We appreciate your report.

We'll get back to you if any more developments come out of this.

Thanks again.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about what was a pretty high profile case in this country which seems to still have legs, so to speak. The prosecutor in the Duke lacrosse rape case, Mike Nifong, is behind bars this hour. He's serving a 24-hour sentence for contempt, having lied to the court at a hearing last fall. Nifong arrived at the Durham County Detention Center this morning flanked by family and friends. He resigned from office after being disbarred earlier this year.

The Associated Press is reporting the three exonerated lacrosse players are now trying to work out a $30 million settlement with the City of Durham.

LEMON: Three New York police officers accused of killing an unarmed man just hours before he was to marry must stand trial. A judge today denied a motion to dismiss the charges against them.

Sean Bell was killed in November as he left a nightclub after his bachelor party. Undercover officers say thought Bell and his friends were armed when they opened fire -- nearly 50 shots. Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora are charged with manslaughter. A third offer, Mark Cooper, is charged with reckless endangerment. All three have pleaded not guilty. WHITFIELD: And Phil Spector's murder trial -- well, it's almost over. Closing arguments are now underway and the judge says it's possible the jury will get the case Monday.

Spector is in this file tape, if you get a chance to see him sitting with his attorneys.

He's accused of second degree murder. Police found Lana Clarkson's body inside the music producer's L.A. mansion in February of 2003. They determined Clarkson had died of a gunshot, fired into her mouth.

Spector's attorneys claim Clarkson shot herself.

Prosecutors say otherwise.

LEMON: The families of those killed at the Pentagon on 9/11 got a chance today to take in the sight of a new memorial. The $22 million park is outside the western wall of the Pentagon. It is scheduled to open a year from now. It will feature 184 separate memorials to honor those who died inside the Pentagon and on board American Airlines' Flight 77.

And this was the incredible scene today in New York -- more than 3,000 American flags representing 9/11 victims and military deaths overseas. They were set up in Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field. The display is part of an event that raised money for the New York Fire Department's Burn Center foundation and trauma response assistance for children.

WHITFIELD: And he lived his own nightmare. Now he helps other parents when children are abducted. We'll ask John Walsh what he thinks of reports that Kate McCann is now a suspect in her daughter's disappearance. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: They went to war as young people. They came home as different people in ways you can see and ways you can't see.

A brand new HBO documentary spotlights several men and women who fought in Iraq and were badly hurt there and now share their feelings, raw and uncensored, with actor James Gandolfini.

I spoke with a couple of the veterans who appear on the program.

Why was it important -- obviously you felt it was important to -- to take part in this documentary.

Why did -- why did you think so?

Why did you allow a camera crew to, you know, document your experience?

SGT. BRYAN ANDERSON, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, um, just to get the stories out there so the American public can know what's actually going on.

LEMON: Yes.

Do you mind if I call you Crystal?

SPC. CRYSTAL DAVIS, U.S. ARMY:

KATE MCCANN, MADELEINE'S MOTHER: Oh, no, I don't mind.

LEMON: OK. Because I have the utmost respect for what you do and -- so I want to ask you that.

So, Crystal, it's called "Alive Day".

Talk about "Alive Day".

When people hear that, they automatically think, OK, you know, what does that mean?

Why are you talking about "Alive Day?"

Explain to people what that means.

DAVIS: It basically means the day you didn't die, the day you got a second chance, the day that you faced death and you beat it, basically. And it's just -- it's like a second birthday. You got a second chance at life.

LEMON: You had to recall that during your interview in the documentary.

Tell us what happened to you during your "Alive Day".

Do you remember?

You were hit by an IED, right?

DAVIS: Yes.

It was about 2:00 in the morning and we were driving down Ramadi. And I'm like the sixth, seventh vehicle in the convoy. We were searching for IEDs and I apparently found one -- for it found me at the time. And it blew upright underneath my feet. And I saw a red flash and I heard a boom. So I closed my eyes real tight and hit the gas to get out of the danger zone. And the gas pedal is actually what cut my foot off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ALIVE DAY MEMORIES," COURTESY HBO)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people have said that you now have two birthdays.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The day that you were born and the day that you almost died and you were alive. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Tell us about the experience of working with James Gandolfini. And you know he is Tony Soprano, right?

ANDERSON: He is Tony Soprano.

DAVIS: Yes.

ANDERSON: It was an honor to work with him. He is an amazing person, a good human being.

DAVIS: It was very comfortable being interviewed by him. I thought, to begin with, that I was going to be, like, star stuck, you know, just be like, oh, my God, what do I say and just blubber and just stuff like that. But he was real down to earth and it made it real comfortable, because he just sat there and he talked to us like everybody else does.

LEMON: I think what James Gandolfini gets is that you guys are the real star of the show, whether you realize it or not. And even, you know, I can't believe that you're sitting here doing this interview when you have had such catastrophic injuries, you know, even it's a year or two out.

If you had to do it all over again, having happen to you what's happened, would you still go?

DAVIS: Most definitely.

ANDERSON: Yes. Yes. That's a big part of our lives that we don't want to forget, I guess. We just, I don't know, we're proud of what we did and we don't want to lose that.

LEMON: It's called "Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq." It debuts on Sunday, September 9th.

We thank both of you for joining us and we wish you the absolute very best. And we thank you for your sacrifices at war for us.

ANDERSON: No worries.

Thank you.

DAVIS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, the mystery of Madeleine McCann takes a new twist. We'll be asking the host of "America's Most Wanted" program, John Walsh -- he's right there -- about his take on this investigation.

But, first, in this week's Life After Work, a retired musician playing a new tune with some help from a new friend.

Here's CNN's Ali Velshi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDY HALL, DOG BREEDER: What a good boy. What a good boy.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Gibson. He is the tallest dog in the world. That's according to the "Guinness World Records". His owner, Sandy Hall, named him after her treasured Gibson guitar -- a relic from 30 years in the music business. Sandy left the San Francisco music scene some nine years ago to pursue another dream -- breeding great Danes.

HALL: It's a very nice way to spend your life. I wish I could have done it earlier.

VELSHI: At 59, Sandy makes a living breeding dogs. But she's keeping Gibson for herself.

HALL: Hello, everybody.

This is Gibson.

VELSHI: Size isn't the only thing that makes this dog unique. Gibson is also a therapy dog. He visits nursing homes and schools in Grass Valley, California. He provides comfort and entertainment to enthusiastic crowds.

(APPLAUSE)

HALL: He makes people happy. I said, that's going to be your job. You just make people happy and you make people smile.

I love you.

GIBSON, DOG: I love you.

(LAUGHTER)

HALL: Oh, good one.

Making people happy -- it's just a great gift. I wish I could be almost more like him in so many ways.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Can I have some of your ice cream?

HALL: I don't have the same temperament.

VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Our breaking news this hour involves Madeleine McCann. She's the 4-year-old British girl missing since May when her panicked and anguished parents reported that she had been kidnapped. Well today, that little girl's mother is a suspect. Her father is being questioned, as well. And we've heard reports of a confession deal being proposed by the police.

It was just a few weeks ago that Kate McCann went international with a tearful plea for her daughter's safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE MCCANN, MADELEINE'S MOTHER: Please, please do not hurt her. Please don't scare her. Please tell us where to find her or put her in a place of safety and let somebody know where she is. We beg you to let Madeleine come home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: With us now from Boston, the host of "America's Most Wanted" and a man who, sadly, knows what it is like to lose a child, John Walsh.

And, John, first, before we get to the McCann piece, why are we finding you in Boston today?

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Today the FBI announced a new addition to their Ten Most Wanted. The Boston FBI headquarters here has named John Schillaci, a convicted pedophile, to replace Richard Goldberg. He's a wanted pedophile that was caught about a week ago and will be on the season premiere of "America's Most Wanted" tomorrow.

But John Schillachi, a convicted pedophile, alleged to have wormed his way into a family home, became friends with the parents and molested a 5-year-old boy. He's at large. He's the newest member of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted.

They think he's in Mexico and tomorrow night when he goes on "America's Most Wanted," the world is going to be a smaller place for this pedophile.

WHITFIELD: OK. It is good to get that word out.

Meantime, on the McCann case, give me your reaction to the fact that now we're now hearing from a family member that the mother of Madeleine McCann, Kate McCann, is now a primary suspect and also being offered this deal.

WALSH: Well, I hope that the media worldwide doesn't jump to conclusions. I think we all remember the JonBenet Ramsey case that was never solved because the entire police focus was on the family -- on the mom and dad.

This family met and met with the pope. They came to America. They have support in England from the prime minister and celebrities in England.

My experience in the last 25 years has been that if a family member or a husband or a wife -- like Susan Smith, if you remember the lady...

WHITFIELD: Right.

WALSH: ...who drowned her two boys in South Carolina, they don't go before the media. They may do media for two or three days and then they don't go and beseech the help of the media.

This is a small police agency in Portugal that has never dealt with the case of a missing child, has very limited resources, is having all kinds of scrutiny from the media throughout the world. It's not unusual for them to focus back in on the family when they're frustrated and don't have any other suspects.

WHITFIELD: OK.

And then you actually -- you actually met with Gerry, the father. You, I guess, posed an impression, right, after meeting him?

And what was that?

WALSH: Well, unfortunately, I didn't meet with him personally. He came all the way to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and I was on location and couldn't meet him.

But the impression of the experts at the National Center that have dealt with thousand of cases of missing children, that he was very sincere and that he was -- he was relentless in his efforts to try to find out what happened to his daughter.

So this is a very confusing case.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

WALSH: People have to remember, the law in Portugal says that the police agency can't talk to the media and release anything. The McCanns now have to become a suspect -- this is a technical twist in their law -- for them to be able to question the police and to get a lawyer there. So this is a catch-22 and I hope the media holds back and there's a parallel investigation.

Look at the parents. Absolutely. But don't rule out the possibility it might have been a predator.

WHITFIELD: All right.

WALSH: Don't stop that search. Don't stop that investigation.

WHITFIELD: It is a mysterious case and still too early to draw any conclusions.

John Walsh, thanks so much for your time.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, breaking news.

LEMON: For the first time in three years, a videotape from Osama bin Laden. Let's get straight to our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, who will tell us what's on that tape -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, this tape from Osama bin Laden is -- does not make any overt threats against the United States, but does seem to be relatively new. There are three references in this transcript that we acquired from our sources. One mentions the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who was elected back in May, as you know. There was an ABC report that was mentioned, quoting a British soldier in Iraq that aired in July. Another reference, the 62nd anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that Japan was celebrating. That happened back in August.

So the experts that we've spoken to say, you know, it does appear that bin Laden made this tape sometime in the middle of August. And the reason that is important is because there had long been speculation about his health, about, you know, why we hadn't heard -- seen him in such a long time. We had definitely heard his voice on tape, but not seen him.

And many times these tapes that are released by Al Qaeda are compilations of past messages, you know, that have already aired and they are all put together and sort of, you know, promoted as a new message but it really isn't new at all. And so people are sort of waiting to see if this was going to indeed be new. And it does look like it is.

CNN's justice correspondent, Kelli Arena.

Thank you for that report.

We're going to get now to Octavia Nasr, who has been watching this tape that CNN obtained from Al Jazeera.

We saw the beard. That's been in question. We've also heard in the tape that he asked people to join Islam, is that correct?

OCTAVIA NASR, SENIOR EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: Yes, actually, toward the end of that message he's inviting people to join Islam, saying that this is the only solution to save their souls and basically end this whole conflict.

A very interesting tape. As Kelli just mentioned, the date that we got, especially after that mention of Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversary -- I mean that's August and he does say a few days ago the Japanese commemorated those dates. That means he did tape this message sometime in mid-August. So for the tape to make it to the public that quickly is something stunning.

The looks, obviously, very, very important. He has a shorter and darker beard. People who know Osama bin Laden, have followed him closely over the years, would have never imagined that this man, who is very modest, usually, in his looks and his clothing and -- that he would dye his beard. So that is very interesting. It seems that he either is getting some kind of advice that he should, perhaps, dye the beard and cut it shorter so he looks younger, healthier. And when you read the message -- I only heard one portion of it on Al Jazeera. But I read the transcript that was provided through our sources. And basically he's subdued. He is calm. And he definitely has aged and looks a little bit more tired.

LEMON: OK.

CNN's Octavia Nasr and CNN's world resources working on this tape and getting more information for you.

We're going to continue to follow it in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Thanks for joining us.

WHITFIELD: And the closing Bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street is straight ahead.

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LEMON: All right. Have a great weekend.

We're going to continue to follow this story about the bin Laden tape into CNN.

We're going to send it over now to THE SITUATION ROOM and Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.

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