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Indonesia Earthquake; Toy Safety Standards; Iraq Report Card; Woman Tortured; Gerri's Top Tips
Aired September 12, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning once again, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.
A strong earthquake kicks up a small tsunami off Indonesia. Now other Indian Ocean countries watch and wait this hour.
COLLINS: President Bush expected to endorse a troop draw down in Iraq. His primetime speech Thursday night.
HARRIS: Six white suspects accused of torturing a black woman. Is it a hate crime? We will talk live with a West Virginia sheriff on this Wednesday, September 12th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: A powerful earthquake hits Indonesia. A tsunami watch just lifted in that country. A watch had been ordered for the entire Indian Ocean region. A small tsunami, about two feet high, was detected shortly after the quake. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake measured 7.9 and struck off southern Sumatra Island. A spokesman for Mercy Corps tells CNN, buildings and homes have collapsed in the town of Bengkulu and people are running in the streets. This quake centered near the area where a massive earthquake struck in December 2004. It triggered that devastating tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people, most of them in Indonesia.
HARRIS: Let's get a check on all of this. Rob Marciano is in the severe weather center for us.
Rob, I see you're checking the computer for the latest information.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've had a couple of -- I guess they're aftershocks. They're not exactly -- they're not terribly close to the center of where the original earthquake was, but they're pretty large. The latest one, a 5.7. It's within 100 miles.
So that's certainly -- it's slightly affected by that original quake, which originally being reported at 7.9 and then upgraded recently by the USGS to 8.2. You see that on the bottom of your screen. You know, that's a big difference. I know you think 7.9, 8.2 is not a whole difference, but it's a logarithmic scale, meaning a eight is ten times stronger than a seven and nine is ten times stronger than an eight. So any upgrade we have indicates that it is that strong. All right. Let's widen things. To clarify, the Indonesian government has lifted their tsunami watch because they did see a rise in sea level by only about two feet. And the reason they lifted it is because if this area is going to see a tsunami, they would have already seen it.
But according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which I just got off the phone with, the rest of the Indian Ocean basin -- well, that's the fault, by the way, the blue line there where all that action takes place. The rest of the Indian Ocean basin is still under a tsunami watch well until they cancel it because any tsunami that was generated by this quake, it's going to take, well, a couple of hours before it gets to, say, to Sri Lanka, India, certainly even longer than that to get to the west coast of Africa. So there's still some guard to be -- still a reason to be on guard here for the rest of the Indian Ocean basin.
But this is much weaker, Tony and Heidi, than the quake back in 2004. So, obviously, we're seeing at least nearby the tsunami that was generated less than two feet. That certainly is encouraging at the moment.
HARRIS: That is encouraging. All right, Rob, appreciate it. Thank you.
COLLINS: If you happen to know anyone in southeast Asia right now, check in with them and see if they have any pictures or video of the scene there. If they do, they can send us an i-Report by typing ireport@cnn.com in into their cell phone. Another option too, going to cnn.com and clicking on i-Report. Of course, everybody stay safe when you're doing that.
HARRIS: A small West Virginia town stunned today by a ghastly torture case. Six people held on bond this morning. Of the white suspects accused of kidnapping, torturing and sexually assaulting an African-American woman, all six have criminal records. Police say among other things, listen to this, the victim forced to drink from a toilette, doused with hot water, choked with a cord and stabbed in the leg. Authorities now investigating the case as a possible hate crime.
Was this shocking torture case in the West Virginia hills a hate crime? We will hear from the sheriff who is investigating the case later in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Parents have certainly had plenty of questions. Less than an hour from now, toy execs will offer some answers about toy safety. A Senate committee asking the questions after massive recalls. Our Rusty Dornin is at a toy store in suburban Atlanta now for us this morning.
Rusty, how are store owners reacting to all of this? I mean there must be quite a bit that they're saying as well.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, think about it, Heidi. What's a parent to do? There are all these recalls from toys from China. So, of course, you're getting parents calling toy store owner, like Becky Goblish, here in Dunwoody (ph). She owns the Picayune Toy Store (ph). Are you getting those calls? Are people asking for toys that aren't made in China.
BECKY GOBLISH, STORE OWNER: Absolutely.
DORNIN: What are you telling them?
GOBLISH: Good luck with that.
DORNIN: Really?
GOBLISH: Yes. Very much so.
DORNIN: I mean show us what are some of your toys. And she has no toys from Mattel or any of those (INAUDIBLE), right?
GOBLISH: No. I don't -- no. We're a total specialty. This is China, China, China, Thailand.
DORNIN: Right, Thailand.
GOBLISH: China, China, China, German, but probably made in China.
DORNIN: Is that part of the problem, too, is these toys are assembled in different places (INAUDIBLE)?
GOBLISH: Absolutely. The component, even though it says assembled in the USA or put together in the USA, the components come from China.
DORNIN: Now you and your husband hunted for some toys made in the USA. Completely made in the USA.
GOBLISH: Absolutely.
DORNIN: Show us what you ended up finding.
GOBLISH: Well, you know, it's very meager.
DORNIN: I'll say.
GOBLISH: I probably have 45,000 pieces . . .
DORNIN: Made in USA. Made in USA.
GOBLISH: Made in USA. This comes from Maine.
DORNIN: OK.
GOBLISH: This is published here. So these are actually made locally. However, the components probably came from China.
DORNIN: Right. Right. OK.
GOBLISH: This came from Israel. This came from Germany. Assembled in the U.S., made in Malaysia. German. This, again, is local. The components from China. This came from Italy.
DORNIN: But some of the components came from China.
GOBLISH: That's right.
DORNIN: Now do they list on each package exactly where everything came from?
GOBLISH: It sometimes is obscure, but it's supposed to be there. It's supposed to be there.
DORNIN: Now we were talking a little earlier and you were saying that you didn't want to see the CEOs talking before Congress. You think some other people that work for those companies should be before Congress.
GOBLISH: Absolutely. The people that are actually going to China negotiating deals, looking at products, testing products. I mean it's the safety -- it should be up to the manufacturers, not the CEOs. They don't know what they're -- they just buy.
DORNIN: Becky Goblish, thank you very much for joining us, from Picayune Toys.
A lot of parents, of course, are going to be listening carefully. But as you can see, Heidi, it's not easy to find toys that aren't made in China.
COLLINS: Yes, we were actually joking in the meeting a little earlier, Rusty, what about made in the North Pole? Just have to figure this out by Christmas, right?
Thank you. Rusty Dornin, appreciate it.
HARRIS: The Iraq War and a battle over semantics. President Bush expected to announce troop withdrawals. Democrats say there's nothing new to celebrate. CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash on Capitol Hill for us.
And, Dana, describe the mood, if you would for us, on Capitol Hill now that the Petraeus/Crocker tour has moved on.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, everybody is sort of trying to settle in and figure out what their next move is. And you listen to Democrats, Tony, the leadership, they are making clear what their message is, that this is something that is not a change in course. The House speaker said that it insults the intelligence of the American people to even suggest that bringing home the extra 30,000 troops that are there for the military surge by next summer is really a new kind of policy. But that clearly is what the White House is trying to do. That is the narrow view, if you will, that they're trying to put out there.
But you know, Tony, it's interesting, even as the Democratic leadership is saying that this is not new -- and that's what we're going to hear over and over from them -- I just came from a conversation in the hallway with the Senate Armed Services chairman, Carl Levin, who actually said that he did hear some new information in General Petraeus's testimony yesterday and that he is going to continue to push for some kind of compromise that could get what has eluded Democrats thus far -- and that is enough Republican votes to change the Iraq strategy. So far Democrats have dug in and said that they only will go for a strict deadline for withdrawal. What Carl Levin is saying is that he thinks that there is another approach.
Now that is a bit controversial within Democratic circles. And I spoke with Senator Barack Obama, who, of course, is running for president. He was a little bit weary of this idea of compromise. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to have to evaluate what's available. But it appears clear to me that the president is not going to compromise short of the Congress forcing him to accept a shorter timetable. And absent that, we're essentially engaging in a bunch of symbolic action here. What we need is a clear message from the Congress that it is time for us to change course. And we're going to need some help to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So now what you have going on behind the scenes, Tony, are Democrats having a slew of meetings in their leadership and also pockets of talks of compromise among Democrats and Republicans really going on all over the Capitol to see if there is a way to change the course. Because what was interesting about yesterday's hearing was that you heard many Republican senators skeptical of the fact that this really is a new plan and making pretty clear that their constituents need to see what one Republican senator called "a light at the end of the tunnel." And that this plan, what the president is going to talk about on Thursday night, doesn't get them there.
HARRIS: Congressional correspondent Dana Bash for us.
Dana, appreciate it. Thank you.
BASH: Thank you.
COLLINS: Want to show you some live pictures coming into us now here in the CNN NEWSROOM. You see Senator John McCain there, obviously a Republican presidential candidate. He is on the campaign trail today. He's going to be in Council Bluffs, Iowa -- or I should say he's there now. He's going be to in the state of Iowa all day today.
He's launching what he is calling a no surrender tour. So he will begin in Iowa and then go on to New Hampshire and South Carolina. He says that he is rallying support for U.S. troops in Iraq. You see him there on the stage with other former prisoners of war, medal of honor recipients and veterans as well. Again, it will be a week-long tour. You see Senator John McCain there answering questions in Council Bluffs, Iowa. HARRIS: And still to come this morning, kicking in the courtroom. That's not allowed. The whole proceeding is out of order. Defense attorney must defend himself from his own client. Defendant's tasered, but so is a deputy.
COLLINS: The church handing out an eviction notice to three nuns. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we felt very secure because the convent was built for us. Well, of course I did say it hurt that we weren't worthy of a phone call, we weren't worthy of saying "we're sorry."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: A town rallies to save its nuns.
HARRIS: A little Iraqi boy who was set on fire by masked men arrives in Los Angeles for treatment. Live to the hospital straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Doctors feared he'd be paralyzed by this hit. Today an NFL tight end is down but possibly not out. Some new information still being determined. More about it from Buffalo.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
An African-American woman in West Virginia kidnapped, tortured and sexually assaulted. The suspects all white. Police are now trying to determine if it's a hate crime.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A small West Virginia town stunned by a torture case. Six people held on bond this hour. You see them there. The suspects, all of them white, are accused of kidnapping, torturing and sexually assaulting an African-American woman. All six have criminal records. Authorities now investigating the case as a possible hate crime. With us now on the phone, Logan County Sheriff W.E. Hunter.
Sheriff Hunter, thanks for being with us this morning.
As we just mentioned, six people have been arrested in connection with this case and the beating of Megan Williams. You're looking for two more. Do you know how those two people knew Ms. Megan Williams?
SHERIFF W.E. HUNTER, LOGAN COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA: No, ma'am, not at this time.
COLLINS: Any idea why she would be at the home that she was found in? We're looking at some videotape of that now. Or who took her there? If she knew any of the people previous to this incident?
HUNTER: Well, right now we're trying to put the puzzle together.
COLLINS: So you have no information that you can share with us on a possible relationship between them?
HUNTER: No, ma'am.
COLLINS: All right. Once again, we said that the six people who have been arrested do have criminal records, or at least most of them. Any indication through the interviews that I imagine are being conducted and have been conducted why they would do something like this to another human being?
HUNTER: I have no idea.
COLLINS: OK. Have you ever seen a crime like this in your area before?
HUNTER: No, ma'am. This is a -- in 30 years of law enforcement, this is a very unusual crime.
COLLINS: How so?
HUNTER: I mean, it never happens in -- maybe once in a lifetime, a crime of this nature.
COLLINS: Well, yes, it's certainly been a standout for us as well. That's why we're trying to get a little bit more information about how it all may have gone down. Clearly you're still in the throes of that in trying to determine exactly what happened.
I do know that it's being investigated as a hate crime. Is that accurate? Is race the only factor here?
HUNTER: Well, the -- it's -- the federal people are involved in it, too, along with the local authorities. And we're still putting the puzzle together.
COLLINS: Right. Have you had a chance to speak with the woman's mother, Carmen?
HUNTER: I have -- one of my sergeants has been communicating with the family. Matter of fact, she's been there at the hospital with the victim.
COLLINS: Yes, we're -- I think we're looking at a picture of that right now.
How is the family doing?
HUNTER: Pretty good under the circumstances.
COLLINS: Yes, I imagine it's pretty difficult.
Sheriff W.E. Hunter, appreciate it. Thanks so much. HUNTER: Thank you.
HARRIS: An outrageous comment and a public outcry this morning. Rutgers University basketball player Kia Vaughn has dropped her lawsuit against radio host Don Imus. Vaughn sued last month for slander and defamation. Imus was fired, as you may recall, in April after he made a racially insensitive remark about the Rutgers women's basketball team. A spokeswoman for Vaughn's attorney says the lawsuit is being dropped because Vaughn decided to focus on her education and on basketball.
COLLINS: Grounded. Another landing gear failure forcing one major aircraft maker to issue an urgent warning.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.
You want a bigger paycheck? What you may really need is better paying job. I'll show you how to get one next on "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Want to go ahead and get a look at the big board now. It's Wednesday, and it's down because, you know, we go one day up, one day down, one day up, one day down. Actually we've had two days up. So we'll see how it all ends up. Obviously it's early in the trading day. But yesterday things did close up 180 points. The Nasdaq right now up just a little tiny bit. So we're going to continue to follow those business story for you and talk more about oil prices, I bet, as well in just a few minutes.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
All right. Looking for a better job? There are some things you need to know. Here with her tips, CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis.
Gerri, good morning. Good to see you.
WILLIS: Good to see you, too, Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, what are the prospects out there for people in the job market looking around?
WILLIS: Well, it's not going to be easy. A new survey indicates the job market will remain steady but cautious. About 27 percent of companies will increase their work forces, while 9 percent say they're going to be cutting their pay rolls.
Now, remember, this comes on the heels of last week's disappointing job numbers from the government. So that wasn't positive either.
HARRIS: All right. Well, let's be positive here this morning. What are some of the things that we can do for ourselves here to give ourselves a bit of an extra push, a little extra edge in the job market?
WILLIS: Yes. Yes, yes, it's all up to you. You've got to get connected. It's more about who you know than what you know, right, Tony?
HARRIS: Yes.
WILLIS: That's why more and more people are turning to professional networking sites like LinkedIn to meet colleagues, expand their Rolodex and get info about possible jobs. Their networking sites offer offline events so members can mingle and hear about job opportunities directly. Now if you're a business exec, go to execunet.com. And if you're in advertising or marketing, check out adgabber.com. That's a mouth full.
HARRIS: Adgabber.com. What does it mean to be Google-able? What does that mean?
WILLIS: Well, everybody using Google, right?
HARRIS: Yes.
WILLIS: I mean, you've got to boost your visibility online. And there are companies that can help. Check out ziggs.com. That's two gs. You can post a free, professional profile on this Web site. This way if a recruiter is looking for a job candidate online, your name may just pop up at the top of the web search.
And sometimes your professional profile is already online and you may not even know it. Zoominfo.com scours the web, press releases, business Web sites for your professional information. And if your profile is on this Web site, make sure all that info is correct and supplement the information that's already there. Now if your profile is not on the Web site, you can start one for free.
HARRIS: Hey, Gerri, help me with this concept. Do you cast a wide net or do you target a search?
WILLIS: Well, you target your search. Of course you should also search for higher paying job prospects the old-fashioned way. Online check out theladders.com. Now here's where you can go to find jobs that offer $100,000 or more annually, which is what everybody wants, right?
HARRIS: Yes.
WILLIS: If you're right out of college or you're looking to do some part time work, you may want to check out snagajob.com. And if you're over 50, look at seniorjobbank.org. Now here you'll be able to view a number of job offers from employers looking for older workers.
And, of course, if you missed anything, you want one of these Web sites, go to cnnmoney.com/toptips. And if you have questions, send them to us at toptips@cnn.com. We answer them right here every Friday.
HARRIS: How did we do? Did we cover all the bases?
WILLIS: I think we did. I feel pretty good about it.
HARRIS: Hey. All right, Gerri, great to see you. Thank you.
WILLIS: Thank you.
HARRIS: These pictures just in to CNN that we want to show you. Want to take you to St. Petersburg, Florida. Downtown St. Pete. Take a look at these pictures. Man, a bus, as you can see here, has crashed into a building and is underneath the overhang of a structure there. You see the H&R Black office. Another building right next to it. Another business there.
It looks like the bus struck one car. Two other vehicles were involved in this as well. No major injuries at this point. But you can see, fire and ambulance teams are on the scene right now. Several people are being checked out as a precaution.
Let's take a look a -- oh, great, a wider view of the scene right now. The fire department is not sure at this time what caused the cash. Everyone has been removed from the bus. And the one worker that was in that building there where the building struck has been removed as well. We'll continue to keep an eye on this situation and bring you any updates, particularly on injuries, involving this bus accident.
Well, a strong earthquake off Indonesia. Fears of a tsunami. The latest from the scene coming up for you in the NEWSROOM.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Arwa Damon in Baghdad where Youssif (ph), a five-year-old Iraqi boy, whose face was horribly disfigured by insurgents, is about to begin to receive medical treatment. That story coming up.
HARRIS: And how about this? Disorder in the court. The judge fed up with an uncooperative defendant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your attorney has been in to see you on numerous occasions. You have spit on him. You have refused to talk to him. This trial is still going forward on Monday. You have a weekend to change your attitude, Mr. Hollingsworth (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: What is that, a spit guard he's wearing? What happened to courtroom decorum? Anyone?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Bottom of the hour. Bottom of the hour. Bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Want to give you the very latest now on what's happening in Indonesia. The magnitude of this powerful earthquake stronger than first thought. The U.S. Geological Survey now reporting the earthquake measured 8.2, that's up from the original 7.9 reporting. It struck off southern Sumatra Island and was followed by a small tsunami that was about two feet high.
An Indonesian official says one person was killed, dozens injured. A tsunami watch has been lifted in Indonesia only. A watch had been ordered for the entire Indian Ocean region. A spokesman from Mercy Corps tells CNN buildings and homes have collapsed in the town of Bengkulu and people were running in the streets.
This earthquake centered near the area where a massive earthquake struck in December of 2004 -- it triggered that terrible tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people, most of them in Indonesia.
HARRIS: Several coalition raids in central Iraq to tell you about. The U.S. military reports one insurgent killed, 13 captured among them. An alleged associate of the so-called mastermind in the bombing of one of Shia Islam's most revered mosques. That bombing last year in Samarra fueled Sunni/Shiite tensions and helped spark a wave of sectarian violence across the country.
COLLINS: Help this morning for a little Iraqi boy, 5-year-old Youssif, doused with gas, set on fire. His story on CNN led to an outpouring of help. He is now in the United States for treatment.
Our Arwa Damon live at Sherman Oaks Hospital in Los Angeles this morning. Dying to know, Arwa how Youssif is doing.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, he is beyond happy, beyond overjoyed. The entire family is. I cannot even begin to describe what it was like to accompany them on this journey from Amman, Jordan to (ph) arrive here in California. It took about 24 hours for the journey to be complete.
And, remember, this is a family that used to live in a small one- bedroom home in a very violent Baghdad neighborhood, where that horrible attack against Youssif took place and all of a sudden, they were on an airplane for the first time in their entire lives, coming here to the United States. Really, all the parents could say was that this was like living a dream, that it was like being in paradise, that they couldn't believe that this was actually happening to them and that they couldn't believe that their son was finally going to be getting the help that they risked their lives to try to bring to him.
Much of this thanks to support them came pouring in from viewers, as you just mentioned. The Children's Burn Foundation that is funding everything from Youssif's medical care to the housing expenses for the family. Here, we are in front of the Grossman Burn Center, Dr. Peter Grossman undertaking the surgery. And of course, the U.S. Embassy also was great in expediting the family's travel documents for them to finally arrive here.
When they landed in California, they were greeted by Barbara Friedman of the Children's Burn Foundation and other individuals that work there as well, taken to their new home where the family's jaws literally dropped. It was a plush two-bedroom, one living room apartment filled with toys for Youssif and his sister to play with.
And you would think that the kids would be tired after pretty much being up during the 24-hour journey, but they were running around screaming, playing. Everybody was laughing. It was so amazing to hear true genuine laughter coming from this Iraqi family that has suffered through so much, Heidi.
COLLINS: Arwa, tell us a little bit about what the next steps are, with the surgery that we're talking about here that will take place and possibly, it might be too early for you to know this yet, but what the doctors are saying about what they may be able to do for him.
DAMON: Well, Youssif actually has his first appointment with Dr. Grossman in a couple hours. And at that point in time, we'll be able to have a better assessment as to what is going to be needed to take place. But, the initial assessments are that it's going to take multiple surgeries, at least nine months if not up to a year, a year and a half, for Youssif to finish his medical treatment that's going to be necessary.
This is going to be very difficult and traumatic for him to go through a very painful process with ongoing months-long medical treatment thereafter. There are also concerns about Youssif's psychological state of mind, the psychological impact that such a horrifying attack would have had on him. He's also going to be seeking treatment in that sense.
But I can tell you he is so overjoyed at this point in time, all he's pretty much been talking about to his father has been that he wants to look like a normal child again. And all the family can really focus on right now is the fact that they are finally here in America and, at the very least, they know that they've given it their best shot and that here, they're going to be receiving the best medical treatment to hopefully give Youssif something of a relatively normal life.
COLLINS: Well, it just puts a big fat lump in your throat. I'm sure you just want to scoop him up. It's hard to watch all of that for him, such a little guy.
We so appreciate this story, Arwa Damon. We know that you'll be following it and bringing us updates on Youssif.
DAMON: Tonight.
COLLINS: In fact, thousands of people, including you, the viewer, have responded to Youssif's story through CNN's Impact Your World initiative. If you are looking for a way to make a difference for Youssif, you can still do so. Just logon to CNN.com/impact. Learn how you can become part of the solution. Impacting your world, now just a click away at CNN.com/impact. HARRIS: A new race for the Republicans. Fred Thompson's candidacy turning this into a two-horse contest, it appears. Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider takes us inside the new CNN poll numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): The Republican race now has two front runners. Last month, Rudy Giuliani was still ahead among Republicans nationally, with the still- undeclared Fred Thompson running second. Now, Thompson's in.
FRED THOMPSON, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was thinking about this race, and I saw an opportunity.
SCHNEIDER: So what's happened? Thompson has just about caught up with Giuliani, a neck and neck race nationally. Is Giuliani worried?
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Fred is a really, real good man. I think he's done a pretty good job of playing my part on "Law & Order."
SCHNEIDER: The poll shows Thompson leading among men, Giuliani among women. Thompson's ahead among Republicans over 50, Giuliani among those under 50. Thompson's on top with conservatives, Giuliani with moderates. Thompson also has the edge among Evangelical Republicans and especially among his fellow southerners. That's where Thompson's made the biggest gains, and where he's getting the most enthusiastic reception. Men, older voters, conservatives, Evangelicals, southerners. Sounds like the Republican base is tilting toward Thompson.
THOMPSON: My record is eight years of the Senate was 100 percent record against abortion or anything related to it.
SCHNEIDER: What does Giuliani have to compete with that? 9/11.
SAM PULIA, LOST COUSIN ON 9/11: I particularly like Rudy Giuliani. I think he did a hell of a job that day under enormous stress.
SCHNEIDER: But Thompson's not going to concede the terror issue.
THOMPSON: The whole world watches and waits as the determination of the American people is tested.
SCHNEIDER: Giuliani has another argument: electability. I know my opponents won't say this, he told an audience of Florida Republicans, but here is the truth. "If they get nominated, there will be no campaign in New York. If they get nominated, there will be no campaign in California. If we lose Ohio, Hillary Clinton becomes president.
(on camera): Now, our poll shows Clinton leading both Giuliani and Thompson, but Giuliani does run stronger, mostly because he's much better known.
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Last hour, we showed you pictures of Senator John McCain launching what he calls his "no surrender" tour in Iowa, then moving on to New Hampshire and to South Carolina.
Well, this afternoon, Senator Barack Obama will be in Clinton, Iowa, laying out his plan for Iraq. Obama is calling for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq, with the pullout being completed by the end of next year. Barack Obama in Clinton, Iowa. Live coverage here on CNN 2:30 Eastern time.
COLLINS: Dangerous ride on two wheels. Motorcycle deaths on the rise. New warnings and a push for new safety measures.
HARRIS: Trapped underwater, a desperate call for help answered.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. One day after Crude hit an all-time high, oil prices continue to rise. I'll have the numbers next.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Pretty amazing rescue in Colorado to tell you about now. A man trapped after his truck fell 70 feet off a cliff into the Colorado River. Upside down, he apparently used his cell phone to call for help. Rescuers reached him by boat. From the ledge above, they pulled him from the truck. His condition unknown this morning.
HARRIS: Attitude adjustment needed and then some! A restrained defendant doesn't feel bound by courtroom etiquette.
Glen McIntyre from our affiliate WBNS reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLEN MCINTYRE, WBNS REPORTER (voice-over): Wendell Hollingsworth and Judge Julie Lynch didn't exactly start off on the right foot Friday when he accused her and his attorney of religious bias and ordered them off his case.
JUDGE JULIE LYNCH, FRANKLIN CO., OHIO COMMON PLEAS COURT: Your attorney has been in to see you on numerous occasions. You have spit on him, you have refused to talk to him. This trial is still going forward on Monday. Mr. Weisman, you are still counsel of record, so you have a weekend to change your attitude, Mr. Hollingsworth.
MCINTYRE: Those hoping for a change of attitude today instead got this.
WENDELL HOLLINGSWORTH: (EXPLETIVE DELETED), (EXPLETIVE DELETED). MCINTYRE: In the melee, Hollingsworth's attorney cut his hand and a deputy caught the wrong end of a taser. Hollingsworth was removed, restrained and returned to court. Calling the trial a farce, he promptly demanded to be taken back to his cell.
HOLLINGSWORTH: (INAUDIBLE) I don't get a fair turn, this ain't no fair trial. (INAUDIBLE).
MCINTYRE: His attorney and the judge attempted to move forward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The maximum sentence that he could receive is 104 years.
HOLLINGSWORTH: OK, give it to me now. (EXPLETIVE DELETED), this is unfair, give me 250 years right now. It's unfair.
MCINTYRE: Swearing and shouting over the judge again and again, Hollingsworth repeated his demand for a new attorney. A demand again and again, the judge denied.
LYNCH: Thank you once again for telling me how to do my job.
HOLLINGSWORTH: I tell you, you ain't going to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) treat me fair, and you a Catholic. I'm charged with robbing a Catholic church, I won't get a fair trial. (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well, this is not the first courtroom outburst for Hollingsworth. I know you're surprised to hear that. During his sentencing in a 1992 robbery case, a public defender said he turned to talk to Hollingsworth's mother when his client punched him.
COLLINS: The huge downturn in the housing market has produced some astonishing effects. People are protecting their credit cards instead of protecting their homes.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with details on this.
Hi there, Susan.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, lost in the Nevada desert, the search for Steve Fossett uncovering more mysteries.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A second crash landing this week bringing an important warning. This was the scene in Denmark on Sunday. Man, the Scandinavian Airlines, turboprop losing its landing gear. The same thing happened this morning in Lithuania. There were no injuries in either incident, but now, a Canadian airplane maker Bombardier wants the planes grounded. The company says all of the Turboprops that have made over 10,000 flights need to be reinspected. Scandinavian Airlines already grounded their whole fleet of the planes, canceling more than 100 flights today.
COLLINS: Out of control on two wheels. Motorcycle crash deaths rising, but why? CNN Consumer Reporter Greg Hunter takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Motorcycle crashes can happen in an instant, like this one caught on surveillance video. Or this crash, with two riders. One was lucky enough to get up and walk away. The other was seriously hurt. The number of deaths in motorcycle crashes has more than doubled in the last ten years.
ANNE MCCARTT, INSURANCE INST. FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: Per mile driven, riding on a motorcycle means you're about 35 times more likely to die in a crash than riding in a passenger vehicle.
HUNTER: One reason why? More people are buying lighter weight, high speed supersport bikes that can go over 150 miles per hour. Sports bikes make up only 10 percent of motorcycles on the road, but they are involved in a quarter of motorcycle deaths.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We built a version for you.
HUNTER: The institute says companies like Honda, play up a racy image and encourage speeding.
MCCARTT: It's fine to push top speeds when you're a professional driver on a racetrack, but not when you're sharing the road with other people.
HUNTER: The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, who spoke on behalf of Honda, told CNN, "We encourage and expect all motorcyclists to ride within their limits, use common sense, respect other roadway users, and to follow all traffic and safety laws."
Another reason the institute says injuries and deaths are on the rise, only 20 states have laws requiring all riders to wear helmets, even though helmets protect against traumatic injuries.
RICHARD PAULKNER, CNN, MOTORCYCLE RIDERS' ASSN.: What we oppose is when the government steps in and decides that as adult riders, we're not capable of making our own choice.
HUNTER: Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, an avid Harley rider, supports mandatory helmet laws. Two years ago, she survived a crash.
MARY PETERS, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: If I hadn't had this helmet on, I'm convinced I would be a head injury patient.
HUNTER: To Peters, deciding whether to wear a helmet should not just be up to the rider.
(on camera): Is somebody's freedom a taxpayer's burden?
PETERS: It often is because brain injury patients often have to be taken care of by the taxpayer many times for the rest of their life.
HUNTER: No insurance?
PETERS: No insurance.
HUNTER (voice-over): That's an argument that opponents of mandatory helmet laws reject.
(on camera): Why should taxpayers pay for their healthcare when they could have just worn a helmet?
JEFF HENNIE, MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION: Why should I pay for childhood obesity and people's hearts getting clogged with cholesterol?
HUNTER: That's a separate issue.
HENNIE: I'm healthy, why should I pay for that? No, it's the same issue.
HUNTER: Greg Hunter, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Trouble in toy land. Happening this morning, toymakers called to Capitol Hill after those massive recalls.
COLLINS: Deploying to Iraq. U.S. troops offer their thoughts on the mission ahead while heading into the fight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A possible hate crime in West Virginia. Investigators looking deeper into the alleged torture and sexual assault of a young black woman.
COLLINS: Nine days now, the search for missing aviator Steve Fossett. He has not been found. But other mysteries of the Nevada desert may be solved now.
CNN's Kara Finnstrom explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The year was 1964, Charles Ogle, a California businessman and ex-military pilot flew a single engine plane out of Oakland headed for Reno. The wife he was divorcing, two daughters and a son, then just 4-years-old, never saw him again.
WILLIAM OGLE, SON OF MISSING AVIATOR: Having the doubt put to rest is important and knowing that he didn't run off and that it was an accident and that he would have been there.
FINNSTROM: Now, the massive search for Steve Fossett might finally resolve a 40-year-old mystery for Ogle's family. OGLE: There's a wreck that they think is from the '60s. So, we're hoping that that's the one.
FINNSTROM: The methodical work of search crews has turned up six previously undiscovered crash sites. Searchers believe there may be as many as 200 such sites around the Sierra Nevada Range. A Bermuda Triangle of soaring mountain peaks, deep ravines, sage brush and trees that provide natural camouflage for downed planes.
MAJ. CYNTHIA RYAN, CIVIL AIR PATROL: We're going to have to wait until this search is concluded so that we can pull resources and go into some of these rather treacherous areas and really comb through that wreckage, find some serial numbers, run it through manufacturers and find out who the buyer was.
FINNSTROM: Fossett search teams have the benefit of today's high tech tools and about double the normal resources in the air, thanks to aircraft belonging to hotel magnet Barron Hilton. Fossett was flying a plane from his ranch.
It's an effort that could also provide answers for the survivors of those other pilots lost so long ago.
OGLE: I'm hoping that they find the plane and now, I'm starting to have the doubts, what if they don't find his plane.
FINNSTROM (on camera): William Ogle says search crews did look for his father for about 60 days in 1964. The crews now looking for Fossett say there is specific information about Ogle's plane that makes them believe this could possibly be a match, but they really won't know anything until they get out there and investigate these planes further.
Reporting in Minden, Nevada, Kara Finnstrom for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And good morning again, everyone, you're with CNN, you're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: Hi, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.
Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on this Wednesday, the 12th day of September. Here's what's on the rundown.
Indonesia on edge today after a one/two punch. A powerful earthquake, a small tsunami, and this just in now. Word of an aftershock and a new tsunami warning.
HARRIS: Fresh troops heading into the Iraq War zone. Thousands may be going the other way soon.
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