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Plane Crashes While Practicing for Air Show at Virginia Air Base; The Madeleine Mystery; New Osama bin Laden Tape?

Aired September 07, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Is it really him? Is it really new? If a newly surfaced video is both, it's the first visual evidence in almost three years that Osama bin Laden is alive and plotting.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Portuguese police aren't talking, but family and friends of little Madeleine McCann have plenty to say about suspicion now directed at the missing girl's mother.

We're live in Portugal with every twist in this grueling case.

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

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

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: Let's go straight again to T.J. Holmes in the newsroom. More on this Virginia kind of air show rehearsal that went very terribly bad.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: It went real wrong. The air show didn't even have a chance to get started and we have an accident to report.

This is at the Oceana Naval Station in Virginia. The Oceana annual air show supposed to get under way this evening, but one civilian World War II-era stunt plane has crashed today.

This plane was part of a six-member team called the Geico Skytypers, and during a practice, according to one of the members of that team, on the last maneuver plane six went down. Not sure why, but it went down during rehearsal, according to this one member of that rehearsal team, that the plane has no ejection system on it and the plane was actually too low when it got in trouble for the pilot to actually jump out and use a parachute that he apparently had with him.

Emergency personnel are on the scene. We do not have word of the fate of the pilot on board. No word of the extent of injuries.

You can see kind of where it went down here in the middle of your screen there, but not really an area where people would be around. So no reason right now to think that anybody on the ground would have been injured. But right now just waiting to learn the fate of the pilot of the Geico Skytypers. We're keeping an eye on this. Again, this is a World War II-era stunt plane, a civilian plane, civilian pilot here.

So we're keeping an eye on it. Hopefully, we'll get some good news about the condition of that pilot. When we do have it, we certainly will pass it along to you guys.

WHITFIELD: All right, T.J.

Thank you.

LEMON: She's been missing now for over a week. In fact, she went missing last Thursday, last seen just south of brigham Young University at her apartment by her roommate -- 22-year-old Camille Cleverley.

Well, her mother spoke out just moments ago about her disappearance and the search.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CLEVERLY, MOTHER OF MISSING STUDENT: 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: Obviously, a very emotional time for the family. Again, she went missing last Thursday.

Her roommate says she saw her around noon. Police are also searching for the bicycle she was last seen on, a silver and purple Schwinn mountain bike.

Camille Cleverley, 22 years old, still missing.

WHITFIELD: And now the continued search for answers involving a 4-year-old. Where is little Madeleine McCann, and who's behind her four-month disappearance?

Portuguese police have new evidence and a new suspect. It's the girl's mother, Kate McCann.

We're getting most of our information from family friends and a spokeswoman who tell us that police have blood evidence found in a car rented by Madeleine's British parents more than three weeks after the girl was reported abducted. Kate McCann spent hours in a Portuguese police station yesterday and several hours again today.

And you may be hearing Madeleine McCann's name for the first time today, if perhaps you haven't been following it for the past four months, but she has been front-page news in Britain and in the rest of Europe for months.

CNN's Anderson Cooper looks back at the key events of her case so far. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's May 3rd. A smiling girl sits by a pool. Her name is Madeleine McCann.

This is the last photograph taken of the 3-year-old. She vanished just hours later.

KATE MCCANN, MOTHER OF MADELEINE MCCANN: We need our Madeleine. Sean and Amelie need Madeleine, and Madeleine needs us.

COOPER: The story has received international attention, catapulting Madeleine's parents into the world spotlight. There have been dozens of interviews, celebrity pleas, even a personal meeting with the pope.

Despite all the rumors and reports, one fact remains painfully clear: Madeleine is still missing.

Her story begins innocently enough, Kate and Gerry McCann, a British couple, take Madeleine and her twin 2-year-old brother and sister on vacation to a resort in Portugal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cheer up, Gerry. We're on holiday.

COOPER: On the evening of May 3, after the children were asleep, Kate and Gerry left their ground floor room and the kids alone to have dinner at a restaurant about 300 feet away. A short time later, Kate went to check on the kids and says she discovered Madeleine was gone. Gerry's relative describes what he told her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said that Madeleine had been abducted. She's not the type of wee girl to wander off. And they had been checking every half an hour on the children. The three children were sleeping in the one room.

When Kate went back to check a half an hour after Gerry had checked, Madeleine was missing. The window was open. The shutters were open. None of that had been left like that.

COOPER: Local police are called. There's a search of the resort that is expanded to surrounding areas.

Within days, the McCanns make this heartbreaking public plea.

K. MCCANN: 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.

COOPER: In the early stages of the investigation, place say Madeleine was kidnapped, but believed she was alive. By the second week, her image was broadcast around the world. A multimillion-dollar reward was offered.

Famous faces, like "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling and soccer star David Beckham, asked for help.

DAVID BECKHAM, PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER: If you have seen this little girl, please, could you go to your local authorities or police and give any information that you have, any genuine information that you have?

COOPER: Back in Portugal, the police pursued a number of possibilities. There were reports of Madeleine sightings and that a man was seen dragging a girl near the hotel.

There was speculation that Madeleine may have been taken by a child sex ring. At one point, authorities zeroed in on a British man staying at a nearby villa. He was questioned, the home searched, and then nothing.

In fact, none of the leads were verified. And the McCanns criticized authorities for mishandling the case. They also created this Web site, findmadeleine.

GERRY MCCANN, FATHER OF MADELEINE MCCANN: We would like to again thank the thousands, if not millions, of people who are doing little things in their own way.

COOPER: The McCanns traveled throughout Europe, holding press conferences. The flew to America to meet with missing children experts. On May 30, they had a personal audience with Pope Benedict XVI.

K. MCCANN: He said that he would pray for us and our family.

COOPER: Then, in early August, a potential major break: A newspaper says traces of blood were found on the wall of the room where Madeleine was staying.

G. MCCANN: Can't comment on any specifics and forensics. And we wouldn't do that.

COOPER: But the news was followed by words no one wanted to here.

OLEGARIO SOUSA, CHIEF INSPECTOR, PORTUGUESE POLICE: The little child could be dead. But we have not decided until this moment. We must wait for -- for the results from the lab.

COOPER: And, this week, Portuguese investigators are holding separate witness interviews with Gerry and Kate. Through a spokeswoman, the couple say they are happy to help police, and Kate believes her daughter is still alive.

Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll speak to a former FBI profiler about the details of this case. LEMON: With another anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks just a few days away, we've learned of a possibly new videotape that appears to show Osama bin Laden. A senior official who's seen a transcript tells CNN the video is about 30 minutes long. The official says it contains no overt threats but does contain several date references, including one that, if confirmed, would indicate the tape is new.

Earlier today, our Jeanne Meserve discussed the bin Laden tape, or tried to, with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. She joins me now from Washington with the very latest on that.

Jeanne, tried to, why are we saying that?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, in our interview, Secretary Chertoff would not confirm what other officials have told CNN, that they have a tape purportedly from bin Laden which they are currently analyzing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, I'm not going to comment on whether we have a particular tape at this time. I'll tell you what we normally do, though. We review it for authenticity, we review it to see when we think it was made, if it's a single tape or a compilation of outtakes. We look to see if there are overt messages or hidden messages.

And that's our routine operating procedure whenever we get these kinds of tapes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: As you mentioned, Don, a senior official who has seen a transcript tells CNN's Kelli Arena that the tape runs about 30 minutes and contains no overt threats. The official says there are some current references and some outdated ones, which makes pinning down the time the tape was made confusing, at least for the moment.

If it is authentic, U.S. officials will also be looking for clues as to bin Laden's health and location. It is the first videotape of the al Qaeda leaders they've had to look at since 2004, so it is of significant interest.

It's being released, of course, near the 9/11 anniversary. No coincidence there. Chertoff says that although there is always heightened vigilance around a significant date like this, he is not any more or less worried than he was earlier this summer, when he said he had a gut feeling that the country was at an increased risk of attack.

Chertoff says recent terror arrests in Germany and Denmark confirm he had reason to be worried, and although German authorities are looking for additional people, Chertoff says no connection to the U.S. has been found. Although Chertoff says there is no evidence of a plot here in the near term, by no means, he says, can the country let down its guard.

Don, back to you.

LEMON: CNN's Jeanne Meserve.

Thank you, Jeanne.

MESERVE: You bet.

WHITFIELD: And now to North Carolina. You'll remember this case.

The prosecutor in the Duke lacrosse rape case, Mike Nifong, well now he's 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 that three exonerated lacrosse players are now trying to work out a $30 million center with the city of Durham.

LEMON: Who did it? That's still under investigation. But what kind of person might have taken Madeleine McCann from her hotel room? We'll talk with a former FBI profiler about that.

WHITFIELD: Also this: They escaped death in Iraq but their lives are changed forever. We'll hear from wounded vets about a new HBO documentary.

LEMON: And an airline flap over a very skimpy outfit. We've got the very short story all ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So, it is 14 minutes after the hour, and here are three of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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. The tape appears to be new, but it also includes some old information.

A talking report from Britain. Friends and family members say Kate McCann is a suspect in her daughter Madeleine's disappearance. The 4-year-old girl was reported missing in Portugal last May.

A World War II-era stunt plane crashes today in Virginia. It went down at the Oceana Naval Air Station during preparations for an air show. No word yet on injuries.

LEMON: A grisly scene along Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast, where bodies are washing ashore in the wake of Hurricane Felix. So far, 98 people are confirmed dead, another 120 are still missing. Most of the victims are from remote villages which were all but blown away by that storm. Nicaragua's government estimates recovery will cost $30 million.

A break in the weather for firefighters and a couple of fronts in northern California. Crews numbering 1,800 are trying to beat back these flames in Henry Coe State Park south of San Jose. The fire's burned more than 27,000 acres. It began Labor Day by someone burning trash.

Another wildfire in Plumas National Forest is forcing hundreds of people to evacuate nearby communities. This fire has grown to nearly 30,000 acres, and it is just eight percent contained.

We started the week with lots of weather news. We had hurricanes, tropical storms, and fires. And we end, I guess, with the fires and the remnants from all those storms.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, returning to the skies over Nevada now. The search for Steve Fossett expands days after the thrill-seeker disappeared.

LEMON: Sometimes karma works out the way it should. A retired, disabled vet comes up with a winning ticket. You'll love hearing about his first purchase as a Mega Millionaire.

That's coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We want to get straight to the breaking news desk, except this is good news -- except for me and T.J. and everybody else who didn't win.

Right, T.J.?

HOLMES: This is good stuff. I have a new best friend, and his name is John Belawsky.

LEMON: Right. Right. He doesn't know it yet, though, but he's you're new best friend.

HOLMES: My new buddy.

But, you know, what do you do? You just won a lump sum $48.6 million. What's the first you buy? How about papa bought a new pair of pants. Yes, John Belawsky bought himself a new pair of pants after winning the lottery so he could wear it to the press conference today.

These two, John and Sandra Belawsky, the New Jersey winners of this $330 million Mega Million jackpot. There were four winning tickets sold in Maryland, Texas, Virginia and New Jersey. This is the second winner now that's come forward. Another man in Maryland came forward. But John and Sandra Belawsky, newly retired, had picked up $48.6 million in a lump sum. They were in a press conference with those new pants on.

Take a quick listen and meet these new buddies of mine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BELAWSKY, LOTTERY WINNER: We're still in shock, honestly. We're really, really in shock. We haven't been sleeping, we haven't been eating. We're just -- just shattered (ph) by this.

SANDRA BELAWSKY, LOTTERY WINNER: We're stunned and we still don't believe it. And it doesn't seem real.

QUESTION: What's the first thing you're going to buy?

J. BELAWSKY: These pants was the first thing I bought because all my pants are too small for me.

QUESTION: Do you play the lottery or...

J. BELAWKSY: Yes.

QUESTION: You do.

J. BELAWKSY: I'm, I guess, not a real consistent player, but usually when the pot gets bigger and bigger I start playing consistent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Wow, he bought a new pair of pants for the press conference. I might have bought a new car to take to the press conference, but, hey, to each his own.

But the $48.6 million, he does have to pay a quarter of that to the federal government. So, after those taxes, he'' got about $36 million cash in the bank. So that's not bad.

LEMON: How will he survive on that, T.J.?

HOLMES: I don't know how he's going to make it. He'll be able to buy a lot more pants.

But we've got two more winners out there somewhere who still need to come forward. I'm sure they're getting their financial ducks in a row.

But the second winner has come forward, newly retired. Seem like a good couple of folks, so congratulations to them.

LEMON: And don't forget about Bunky too, right?

HOLMES: Bunky in Maryland, he's quite a character.

LEMON: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: All right, T.J. And that's probably the most expensive pair of pants since those lawsuit pants that we had. Except these are good news.

So congratulations to them.

Thank you very much for that, T.J.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

LEMON: Her daughter's been missing for four months. Now Kate McCann is reportedly a suspect.

Coming up in the NEWSROOM, we'll talk with a former FBI profiler for more insight in the very troubling case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New information on the idea of U.S. Troop withdrawal from Iraq. Jamie McIntyre is at the Pentagon with more -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has been listening carefully to what General David Petraeus and his top commanders have been saying, but military officials are now confirming to CNN that General Petraeus will recommend to President Bush that the U.S. maintain the current troop levels in Iraq, at least until next spring when the surge is scheduled to end with the normal rotations that will bring down troop levels over a series of months from about 160,000 to about 130,000.

Those officials also strongly disputed accounts that were in published reports today in both The Washington Post and The New York Times, suggesting that General Petraeus was -- could accept or was willing to consider pulling out or pulling back a brigade of U.S. troops early next year to assuage critics in Congress.

A military official told CNN "that was nonsense." And while he conceded that President Bush, as the commander-in-chief, is the decider, he gets to decide what the U.S. troop levels will be. If the president were to decide to pull a brigade out, this official said it would not be on the recommendation of General Petraeus, who believes all the troops are needed there now, including every single brigade -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jamie McIntyre, thanks so much, from Washington.

LEMON: We have some developing news when it comes to the disappearance of little Madeleine McCann. Just moments ago, one of our affiliates, one of our networks spoke with the sister of Kate McCann, who has been recently named a suspect in this case. She talks about a plea deal. Let's take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILOMENA MCCANN, MADELEINE MCCANN'S AUNT: 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 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: That is Philomena McCann, who is the father, Gerry McCann's sister, talking about a plea deal offered to her. Let's go now on the phone to CNN's Paula Hancocks who has been following this story for us.

Paula, tell us about these latest developments. We're hearing about a plea deal. What do you know?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, really, just what Philomena McCann, Gerry McCann's sister, has been saying, that the Portuguese police have actually offered Kate McCann a deal.

Now of course, we're getting no confirmation or denial from the Portuguese police. This is what has been happening over the past couple of days. All the information has been coming from the McCann family, the spokespeople and the lawyers themselves, and no way of confirming this with the police.

But according to Gerry McCann's sister, the police did offer Kate McCann a deal, basically saying, if you confess that you did accidentally kill your daughter, you may get two years in prison, so a very interesting development, obviously, no way of independently confirming with the police themselves.

It's an ongoing criminal investigation, so no information from them. But certainly, if this is true, and Philomena McCann insists it is, then it is quite an interesting development.

Now you know, Kate McCann at this point, this morning walked into the police station as a witness. She is now a formal suspect, an "arguida," as they call it in Portugal, meaning that she has more legal rights, she can have the right to remain silent, but also it means that the police can ask her a lot more questions. And according to the spokesperson, they had 22 specific questions they wanted to ask her.

LEMON: Yes, and Paula, again, according to the information we've got and that you've been reporting, in order for them to ask her those certain questions, they have to name her as a suspect in order to do it. That's the way they do it in that country.

HANCOCKS: That's right, yes. The lawyer I was speaking to earlier said that it's quite a specific law to Portugal. Not many countries have this kind of law, that if they have a certain amount of evidence, that they have a certain amount of suspicion that there could have been involvement by a particular person, in this case, Kate McCann, then they will actually make them an arguida, as they call it, a formal suspect, meaning that they can ask a different kind of question.

Now, there hasn't been much specification of what that is, whether it's more aggressive questioning, whether they can ask more and insinuate more. It's not known. But certainly, Kate McCann should have reserved the right to remain silent during Friday's questioning.

Not so during Thursday's 11-hour grilling by the police, because she was a witness then and had to answer everything. But it is certainly something very peculiar to Portugal.

LEMON: Yes. And just real quickly, in all of this, Paula, have you heard anything from Gerry McCann? I know we've heard from his sister, Philomena. Have you heard anything from the dad?

HANCOCKS: No. He did go in a few hours earlier into the police station. He's being questioned at this point. Some Portuguese media is reporting that they believe he is also a suspect. This is something we can't confirm at this point.

British media is trying to confirm, but obviously, Portuguese media is suggesting this. But they also said earlier their police sources said there were two suspects. But of course, there was a first suspect many months ago. Whether or not he's still a suspect, this is all very up in the air at the moment, trying to ascertain exactly who is the arguidas at this point.

And actually one interesting thing, Gerry McCann can actually request to be a formal suspect, which means that he does have a bit more legal protection.

LEMON: OK. Paula Hancocks, thank you very much for that. Paula has been on top of this story for us, so we appreciate your perspective on this. Also, we're going to tell you, again, if you're just joining us, Philomena McCann, the sister of Gerry McCann, has been offered -- says that the mother of Madeleine McCann, who has been missing, missing from a hotel room in Portugal, is saying that she has been offered by Portuguese police a plea deal, saying that she possibly accidentally killed her daughter.

Let's take a listen to that, Philomena McCann, who is Gerry McCann's sister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

P. MCCANN: 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 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: And also just a little bit of perspective behind that. According to the Associated Press, she went on to say: "I've never heard anything so utterly ridiculous in my life." Lots of ins and outs on this and investigating and twists and turns. We want to get some clarification on it. The person who can do it for us is Candice DeLong. She is a former FBI agent and profiler. She joins me now from San Francisco.

Candice, I'm just going to ask you, what does all of this mean?

CANDICE DELONG, FMR. FBI AGENT & PROFILER: Well, if you recall about four to five weeks ago, the police went back into the hotel room after the original search and did find two specks of blood, I believe one on the wall and one on the bedspread. And this very well may be related to that. They haven't said that there is a DNA match to Madeleine, but that might be what this is all about. They possibly have got pretty good evidence.

LEMON: And, Candice, what of this supposedly some sort of DNA evidence found in a rental car that had been rented weeks after Madeleine's disappearance?

DELONG: Yes, that, although the police aren't confirming that, but a speck of blood in the bedroom and blood in the rental car. And if that is in fact Madeleine's blood and the parents had never said anything to the police in the first part of the investigation, such as, by the way, she was bouncing on the bed, she hit the wall, she had a bloody nose, something that would explain the blood they later found, they may not be in the trouble that they're in right now.

LEMON: Yes, and we -- of course, we want to say innocent until proven guilty, but take us inside of cases like this. When it comes to missing children, as it comes to missing women, and that sort of thing, usually, the first people or -- the first people they look at, the family members. In the case of missing women, husbands or boyfriends. What about when it comes to children? Is it usually parents that they look at first?

DELONG: Yes. Because statistically I think about one study that the United States government looked at 4,000 murdered children, and 3,000 of them were killed by a parent or a primary caregiver.

Young children spend almost all their time -- before they go to school, before 5, 6 years old, they're 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: We're talking context...

DELONG: Right.

LEMON: ... around cases like this. 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 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 is gone, we have failed, something like that, indicating that -- if that report is accurate, that they had just come 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, we've 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 that the mother -- now the mother and father are being considered suspects. No, I'm not surprised at all.

LEMON: Candice DeLong...

DELONG: Sad.

LEMON: Yes, absolutely. Candice DeLong, former FBI profiler, we thank you so much for joining us today with this news and perspective on this...

DELONG: You're welcome.

LEMON: ... as sad as it is right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Again, we want to update our viewers who are -- if you're just joining us, the sister of Gerry McCann, who's the father of little Madeleine McCann, that sister is saying that Kate, the mother, has been offered a plea deal by police in Portugal. She made that statement in a taped interview that you saw just on CNN just moments ago.

We're going to continue to follow this developing story and bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Also, 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 a suspect in his (sic) daughter's disappearance and also the news about a plea deal. That's straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM in our 3:00 hour. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Want to update you on the breaking news into the CNN NEWSROOM, it involves the disappearance of 4-year-old Madeleine McCann. We've just heard from Madeleine's aunt. She is a sister of Madeleine's father. She says that police in Portugal want the mother, Kate McCann, to confess to having accidentally killed the young girl.

Philomena McCann, who is the sister, again, of Madeleine's father Gerry, told one British news organization that "she tried to get Kate to confess to having accidentally killed Madeleine, offering her a plea deal through her lawyer," and then she goes on to say: "I've never heard anything so utterly ludicrous in my life."

We're going to speak with John Walsh and get some perspective on this, John Walsh having gone through the abduction of his own child. We're going to talk to him coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: And an important advance today in the international effort to remove nuclear weapons from North Korea. At the APEC summit in Sydney, U.S. diplomat Christopher Hill announced technical experts from the China, U.S. and Russia will travel to North Korea next week by invitation. They'll examine nuclear sites and assess various plans to shut them down. Hill said he hopes North Korea's nuclear program will be dismantled by the end of the year, just as the country promises.

President Bush isn't accustomed to this sort of treatment. At the summit in Sydney today, Mr. Bush was questioned, in public no less, by the leader of a long-time ally.

Here's CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a rare, unscripted exchange. President Bush publicly challenged to explain his position on how to formally end the Korean War. It happened after private talks and pleasantries with South Korea's president, Roh Moo- hyun.

ROH MOO-HYUN, SOUTH KOREA (through translator): I think -- I might be wrong. I think I did not hear President Bush mention a declaration to end the Korean War as of just now. Did you say so, President Bush? MALVEAUX: Surprised, President Bush reaffirmed U.S. Korean policy. The U.S. will only initiate a formal declaration of peace between North and South Korea after North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il, no longer poses a threat.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I said to President Kim Jong-il as to whether or not we're able to sign a peace treaty to end the Korean War. He has got to get rid of his weapons and verifiable sanctions.

MALVEAUX: But Roh, throwing his head back with laughter, was not satisfied.

MOO-HYUN (through translator): I believe that they are the same thing, Mr. President. If you could be a little bit clear in your message, I think, (INAUDIBLE).

BUSH: I can't make it any more clearer, Mr. President. We look forward to the day when we can end the Korean War. That will end -- it will happen when Kim Jong-il verifiably gets rid of his weapons programs and his weapons.

MALVEAUX: South Korea plays a vital role as a member of the six- party talks aimed at convincing North Korea to disarm. The country is also eager to reunite with its northern neighbor. But with more than 37,000 U.S. troops helping keep the peace along the North/South Korean border, the Bush administration is reluctant to make any changes while it still considers North Korea a threat.

(on camera): White House officials say the exchange between President Bush and Roh was simply a case of "lost in translation," that they are both in agreement of what's expected of North Korea's leader and that there is no tension between them. And obviously, there is also the element of domestic politics in play for the South Korean leader.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Sydney, Australia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We have developing news in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. According to her aunt, her father's sister, the mother has been offered a plea deal in exchange for telling police that she accidentally killed the 4-year-old girl, then 3 years old, while on vacation in Portugal. We're going to speak with John Walsh coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We're back in a moment.

WHITFIELD: Also coming up, Susan Lisovicz will join us about what is turning out to be a pretty depressing Friday for the economic markets. She already told us about how the jobs markets -- or jobs reports are down as well as the housing reports down, and now look at the Dow, down more than 200 points. We'll be right back with more on what's happening on Wall Street.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Mini skirt, maxi flap. A passenger's outfit gets her tossed off a plane, at least for a time. CNN's Carol Costello reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Southwest says it always tries to do the right thing, touting itself as a no-frills airline with a sense of humor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're embarrassed to fly the airline with the fewest customer complaints in the country, Southwest will give you this bag.

COSTELLO: But Kyla Ebbert isn't laughing. The 23-year-old college student, who is also a Hooters waitress, was escorted off a Southwest flight to Tucson for wearing this outfit: a mini skirt, a tank top and a sweater. And, yes, she is wearing a bra.

Too hot to fly? Southwest Airlines thought so.

KYLA EBBERT: I've worn that outfit before and nobody has ever said anything. I was just sitting there reading my magazine and playing on my cell phone.

COSTELLO: In a statement to CNN, the airline said: "Southwest Airlines was responding to a concern about Ms. Ebbert's revealing attire on the flight that day. As a compromise, we asked her to adjust her clothing to be less revealing. She complied, and she traveled as scheduled."

So much for that sense of humor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remember what it was like before Southwest Airlines? You didn't have hostesses in hot pants.

EBBERT: I was really embarrassed. I was really upset. So I asked for a blanket and I just covered myself in a blanket.

COSTELLO: According to the San Diego Union Tribune, when Ebbert's mother complained, Southwest wrote to her saying there were concerns about the revealing nature of her outfit.

Not a concern among people we talked to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, well, I think that's outrageous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She paid the money, she should be able to fly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's ridiculous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's something that's very difficult to police.

COSTELLO: Feminist Ann Friedman can't imagine this happening to a man.

ANN FRIEDMAN, FEMINISTING.COM: The fact that she's a very attractive younger woman is something that, you know, perhaps somebody on the plane was offended by more than just some, you know, schlubby dude.

COSTELLO: Ebbert says before she was allowed back on the flight, she had to listen to a lecture on proper dress and agree to pull down her skirt and pull up her tank top.

(on camera): Kyla told me she simply wanted an apology from Southwest Airlines. That did not come, so now she's thinking of filing a lawsuit.

Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We have developing news when it comes to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Apparently, her mother has been offered a plea deal by Portuguese police. That is according to the dad's sister. We're going to update you on this situation and also speak with John Walsh about this developing story in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Another odd twist in the strange tale of political donor Norman Hsu. Twice now a fugitive from justice, Hsu is under arrest in Colorado, awaiting return to California for sentencing in a grand theft conviction. Hsu had failed to show Wednesday for a scheduled court appearance. He apparently took a train bound for Denver, got sick on the train and then was taken to a hospital where the FBI caught up with him.

Over the past three years, Hsu has given more than $500,000 to political candidates, including big-name Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Clinton and Obama are among those who have since returned Hsu's money or given it to charity.

The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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