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Boy Scouts, Troop Leaders Found; Iran's President to Speak at Columbia University Forum Today

Aired September 24, 2007 - 09:01   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody.
I'm T.J. Holmes.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, everybody.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

Tony and Heidi are off today.

You can watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on September 24th, the first full day of autumn.

Here is what's on the rundown.

Iran's president in America and speaking today at Columbia University. And that is generating outrage and protests.

HOLMES: Also, a late-breaking development. Eight Boy Scouts and their leaders found hours after they went missing in the Great Smoky Mountains.

NGUYEN: And a college newspaper's blunt editorial on a U.S. president. Bush wasn't the only four-letter word in the headline.

Impolite politics right here in the NEWSROOM.

Let's get you to some breaking news right now.

The search is over. Boy Scouts missing overnight in the western North Carolina wilderness have now been found.

CNN's Drew Griffin is live in Haywood County, North Carolina.

Drew, tell us what happened.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, a great way to start the Monday morning with some good news. A worker for the electricity company just pulled up and said she actually found the Boy Scout troop as they were coming out of the woods along a highway. And she just drove the leader of that Boy Scout troop to the fire station here in Cruso -- Cruso, North Carolina.

All indications are that the eight boys, ages 11 to 14, and the three scout leaders were just lost and couldn't get back in yesterday afternoon when they were due to come back and head back to Raleigh, North Carolina, where they're from. So they spent another night in these beautiful Smoky Mountains and this morning they are all apparently fine.

We're still waiting for the official confirmation of all of that, but right now it looks like the search is over and the Boy Scouts and their leaders have been found. And apparently, now, nobody hurt, nobody involve in any kind of a tragedy here. So it's a good way to start our Monday morning.

They had been camping for a couple of days and were due back yesterday. Families got worried when they didn't show up yesterday evening back in Raleigh. But right now, unconfirmed but on pretty good authority that these boys and their leaders have been found -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, we're going to take your word on it.

Thank you, Drew Griffin, joining us live.

And the good news is we do have good news to bring you. And that is that the Boy Scouts are found -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. And the Boy Scout troop is from Raleigh, North Carolina. And Kathryn Logan is the sister of one of the scout leaders and the aunt of one of those scouts. She joins us now by the phone.

Ms. Logan, thank you for taking some time with us.

What have you been told? We got it on pretty good authority, but we'll take your word as well. What have you been told about -- about finding these eight boys and three adults?

KATHRYN LOGAN, SISTER OF MISSING SCOUT LEADER: Well, I just got a call from my brother about a quarter to 9:00. And he said that they were fine and he just wanted to call and let us know that they were OK.

They had gotten off trail, which is not uncommon in that part of the woods, from what I understand. I've gone hiking out there too. So it's not too uncommon. But they had been backpacking all weekend and they were prepared. So they're OK. Everybody is fine.

HOLMES: And Ms. Logan, you said they -- he called you. Was he not able to call yesterday when everybody was looking for them to say, hey, we're lost, we're going to do a pit stop, we're going to just stay for the night because we can't find your way out? He wasn't able to call and tell you that?

LOGAN: No, there's no reception for cell phones in that part of the woods. A lot of the leaders had cell phones, but I had just been out that weekend also in a different part of the same forest and we didn't have cell phone reception either. So it's kind of hard to get to a point where you have cell phone reception.

HOLMES: Ms. Logan, again, what did they -- I guess, what did they do last night? Again, it was just a matter of they got a little turned around, a little lost?

LOGAN: Yes. They just got off on the wrong trail.

And they had been backpacking, camping out, so they just continued to camp out. And they had plenty of food and water. And they just -- they continued to -- they camped out another day and found a route that they began to hike on.

HOLMES: All right. And to be, I guess, kind of frank here, you weren't, would you say, that worried about it? Because you know the trail, you know the area, and you know they know what to do. So...

(CROSSTALK)

LOGAN: Well, yes. I know my brother.

HOLMES: Yes.

LOGAN: And he's -- I know he know what is to do in the woods. We both backpacked a lot. And he's very, very familiar of what to do in an emergency and everything.

HOLMES: Right.

LOGAN: I wouldn't have been worried until like maybe this evening. And even then, I think he would have been -- he would have been fine. And worst case scenario would have been something drastic happened, but otherwise, I wasn't worried about his -- you know, his taking care of the kids.

HOLMES: Wasn't worried too much.

Well, Kathryn Logan, still, we're glad to hear that everything worked out. And the scouts and the three adult leaders were found, including your brother and your -- and I guess your nephew was out there as well.

LOGAN: Yes.

HOLMES: So, Ms. Logan, we appreciate your time. And glad to hear things worked out. You take care.

LOGAN: Thank you. You too.

NGUYEN: And our other big story today, he is speaking to the American people and angry protesters are speaking back. Iran's president takes the spotlight with a speech at Columbia University in just a few hours from now.

CNN Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff is in New York.

And Allan, got to ask you -- we're expecting a lot of protesters out there. Any activity going on right now?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we have right now is plenty of barricades. We've got the police officers all set. So they certainly are ready for the protesters to come on over.

Yesterday, there were several dozen protesters here. We're certain there are going to be plenty more today, because some New Yorkers are absolutely furious that Columbia University could invite the president of Iran.

Have a look at the cover of "The Daily News" this morning -- "The Evil Has Landed". That pretty much sums up the feeling that a lot of people have here. They are insulted that the Iranian president, who has denied the Holocaust, called for the destruction of the state of Israel, and whose state even sponsors terrorism, in some cases against American troops serving in Iraq, that he would actually be invited here to speak at Columbia University.

Yesterday, some of the protesters said this is an insult against all New Yorkers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOV HIKIND, NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLYMAN: I call on New Yorkers to make the life of Ahmadinejad, as he is in New York, miserable. Make his life miserable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: Columbia University says inviting the Iranian president here is not equivalent to endorsing his views. Indeed, they say to the protesters, this is an opportunity to challenge him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: They say this is a slap in the face to all New Yorkers.

JOHN COATSWORTH, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SIPA DEAN: Well, there are two problems with that. The first is, many of the people who are going to be outside protesting are not protesting his appearance on the campus, but rather protesting his views. If I weren't the dean, I'd be out there with them.

My role in life is to present him because that's my obligation as an official. If I were not the dean of the school, I would be out there protesting his views.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: Indeed, the president of Columbia University will be introducing the Iranian president. And he says this is an opportunity to meet hateful words with wiser words.

Betty, T.J., back to you.

NGUYEN: We'll be speaking a lot about this throughout the next three hours and throughout the day, in fact.

Allan, in the meantime, we thank you for that. Do want to tell you this, though. Iran's president stirring impassioned debate even before he takes the podium in New York. Here's a sampling of reaction from key movers and shakers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY KISSINGER, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: Ahmadinejad is the first speaker in a distinguished lecture series under the auspices of the president of Columbia University, and I do not believe that that is an appropriate invitation.

ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI, FMR. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It seems to me that the function of the university is to provide a forum of the expression for every point of view, including the most obnoxious. I don't believe in censorship, I don't believe in some sort of thought control.

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: I think we violate every premise of who we are when we don't allow people to speak in this country.

NEWT GINGRICH, FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER: I think it is an outrage against civilization for Columbia University to lend its prestige and its status to a man -- to a dictator whose government executes homosexuals, tortures and kills journalists, locks up students. I mean, the Iranian government locks up students. I think that Columbia University is being very foolish to allow that kind of person to have a venue like an American university.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Some 600 Columbia students will attend Ahmadinejad's lecture today. It's not clear though how many protesters will gather outside.

HOLMES: New this morning, students return to class at Delaware State University. That's a school that's reopening after a double shooting on Friday.

The victims still in the hospital. One of those victims in serious condition, the other in stable condition.

So far, three people have been questioned in connection to the shootings, but no arrests have been made. Police believe the shooter is likely a male student.

NGUYEN: In Los Angeles, traffic is moving once again along a busy road that was buried under a massive mudslide. Look at this video.

Cleanup crews, they have cleared the road overnight. And tons of mud, boulders, even debris, came crashing down in a weekend rainstorm. At one point, more than a dozen drivers were stuck in all that muck. Some of it more than two feet deep.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My car was floating in the mud. And they made us turn around and come back this other way. And this is as far as I got.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just pulled over on the sidewalk up here and just missed kind of getting swept away. I mean, it was -- it was fierce.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: No one was hurt. Drivers are, though, being told to be very careful and to slow down because the roads still pretty slick out there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Let's get you more now on our top story today. Free speech or a forum to spew hate, the heart of the argument over Iran's leader. He is speaking today in New York.

And weighing in is Christine C. Quinn. She is the speaker of the New York City Council.

I want to thank you for being with us today.

CHRISTINE C. QUINN, SPEAKER, NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL: Thank you for having me.

NGUYEN: Well, let me tell you a little bit about this, because you have said -- and I'm quoting here -- that "The idea of Ahmadinejad as an honored guest anywhere in our city is offensive to all New Yorkers."

Now, some may argue that's a bit of a broad statement. But let me ask you, why are you so opposed to it?

QUINN: You know, this is a man who is nothing more than a hate monger. He has used every venue he has gotten to spew hate, to deny the Holocaust ever occurred, to call for the destruction of the state of Israel. This man should not be afforded an opportunity to speak at one of our country's most distinguished universities. It is just wrong, and all he will do on that stage tonight is spew more hatred and more venom out there into the world.

NGUYEN: Well, you know, when asked, why invite Ahmadinejad to campus, the dean of Columbia School and International Public Affairs had this to say -- and I want you to take a listen to it.

QUINN: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COATSWORTH: He's the leader of an important country and one that our country is going to have to deal with in the future. Iran is infinitely more powerful today than it was just three years ago.

In the future, Iran is going to be -- is going to hold the key to peace in the Middle East. We have to be able to deal with and negotiate with leaders like this, however much we may disagree with their views. Like it or not, he's an important guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: So, what's your reaction? I mean, is that a valid argument?

QUINN: You know, he is the head of a very important country, a country that's central to what's going on in the world now. But Columbia University is not our diplomatic ambassadors. They are not the ones who are going to be negotiating with this president. That is for our federal leaders, our diplomatic corps.

That really is mixing a point there. Columbia having him speaking tonight doesn't do anything to forward any type of international dialogue relating to the problems in the Middle East, relating to terror. That really is a red herring.

Columbia tonight is giving him really an open mic to spew his hate out there into our five boroughs and into our country. No one is saying that there shouldn't be diplomatic conversations with Iran. That is for our federal leaders to take a lead on and to decide on. This is a very different thing and I don't think Columbia should be mixing...

NGUYEN: But Christine, are you mixing a point there? Because you sent a letter to the president of Columbia just last week, and I'm going to read a little bit of it to you which says, "All universities, Columbia included, should be laboratories of a healthy exchange of different ideas."

How can it be possible that, you know, you're watching this healthy exchange if you don't hear the differing views and differing ideas?

QUINN: You know, Columbia, this year, is spending a year having a conversation about Iran. And that is a good thing to do. And that's the type of healthy exchange you should have at a university. And you can have lots of conversations with people putting all different types of ideas on the table.

But to give this man a forum where it's really him alone, not a debate, him alone up there with prescreened questions, a man who is furthering ideas such as that the holocaust has never occurred, that doesn't really add to true exchange of differing ideas. There's many other ways that Columbia is doing that and could do that without giving a hate monger an open mic.

NGUYEN: You know, your bio states that you've been a long-time pioneer of equal rights. But in order to achieve that and to give common ground and to hear these views, don't you have to be able to hear someone speak regardless of whether you agree with it? QUINN: You know, we in this city, state, and country have heard this man speak. We all know what he said. We heard him on "60 Minutes" and other news programs. People know his opinion.

What's going to happen tonight isn't an educational format. It's for -- a format where someone who's committed to hatred, committed to hate speech, is going to continue to do that.

This man has had more than enough opportunities to make his opinion known. And if he wants to, while he's in our great city, have a press conference, hold a rally, a demonstration, he has full First Amendment rights to do that. No one is trying to limit that. But I don't think we need him to be at Columbia tonight to significantly add to the international discourse about the unfortunate things he thinks.

NGUYEN: So I take it you won't be attending and you won't be listening at all to what he has to say?

QUINN: No, I won't be there tonight and I won't be listening. I'm very clear on what he thinks.

NGUYEN: And I assume you'll be participating in a protest during that speech. Correct?

QUINN: There's a protest this afternoon. It's not at the same time. But there's a protest that a lot of the leading Jewish and Israeli groups in the city have organized, and I'm very proud to be the first speaker at that demonstration this afternoon.

NGUYEN: All right. Christine Quinn, New York City Council speaker.

We appreciate your time today.

QUINN: Thank you very much.

HOLMES: Well, President Bush heads to New York and the United Nations. He's putting a spotlight on Mideast peace.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ali Velshi in New York, "Minding Your Business".

We're less than two hours away from a strike deadline. United Auto Workers say that if GM doesn't cut a deal with them within two hours, they are walking off of the job.

I'll give you more when we come back in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right.

We want to take you out to a press conference that's happening now. Gave you the good news earlier about the eight missing Boy Scouts and the scout leaders found after being missing for a day. Didn't show up when they were supposed to. Here's assistant scout master Rodney Jones who's talking about it here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You ready?

RODNEY JONES, ASSISTANT SCOUT MASTER: I'm Rodney Jones, assistant scout master with Troop 217 of Crossroads Fellowship out of Raleigh, North Carolina.

As expected, our scouts did get a little off course. They were in good hands the whole time.

They hunkered down last night. And the meter maid found them up off of...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Crawford Creek.

JONES: ... Crawford Creek Road. And they did just as we expected. They hunkered down.

We had our game plan way in advance, we had a shakedown list, and we had our itinerary -- I mean, to a tee. And this is what also helped the rescue and their aid.

We appreciate what they did. We appreciate the prayers of everybody.

Everybody is in good shape. A little tired, but happy to be there. And they said if they had cell service they would have called us last night and you all wouldn't be here. So...

QUESTION: Did you have any details of how they got lost or where they got turned around?

JONES: From what I understand from the rescue team and the people that do this every day up there, said that some of the trails are not marked as clear as they should be. They were going on compass bearings and Charlie (ph) was looking for a railroad -- an old railroad bed. Never came across it.

Got down into the creek bed, followed the creek bed back to this grassy meadow this morning. They woke up, saw power lines, and they said, hey, we're home. So...

QUESTION: We missed the first few seconds of that news conference. But as you said, these scouts behaved as scouts and were well prepared?

JONES: They behaved as scouts, as prepared. Most of them were out of school today, but the ones that were in school probably learned more yesterday and the day before than they would have in school. So, once again, everybody is in good shape.

And thank you.

QUESTION: And what's happening right now? When are we -- when are they going to come down here? Some of the parents are here?

JONES: Every parent that had a child on the trip is there -- is here, except for one that's flying in this morning. She should be here any time. That's the scout master's wife.

All of the boys are fine. I mean, there's nothing wrong with them. They're in good spirits. I mean, you couldn't ask -- you couldn't ask for a better outcome. They were -- as the scout motto says, they were prepared and they did just as they were supposed to.

HOLMES: Well, there you have it, the good news we got today, and as you're hearing there. The boys did exactly what they were supposed to and followed that motto -- they were prepared.

Just kind of hunkered down. Said they got a little off course. Some of the trails are not as clearly marked out there as they should be in some instances, but they followed their itinerary and did exactly what the leaders back home were expecting them to do, which was hunker down.

The boys missed a day of school, but like you just heard him say, probably got better lessons in missing a day of school than they would have in the classroom today. But good news. The eight scouts and the three leaders found. Safe, sound, everybody is OK -- Betty.

NGUYEN: It's a busy day for President Bush. Next hour, he makes a statement on the budget. Then, his next stop, New York, for the U.N. General Assembly session. Today the president is focusing on Middle East peace. He's set to meet with Palestinian leaders.

And Mr. Bush is trying to build international support for a Mideast peace conference. Tonight, he'll attend a dinner on global climate change. He's going to speak at the U.N. General Assembly tomorrow.

HOLMES: United Auto Workers set an 11:00 a.m. deadline to call a nationwide strike against General Motors. Meanwhile, contract negotiations marshal on down to the wire.

Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business".

Ali, are they going to be able to get her done here in the next hour and a half?

VELSHI: This is serious stuff. You know, it's unclear.

We haven't heard from other side for the last hour or so, so it's unclear whether they've got a deal or whether they're really trying to hammer it out, or whether at 11:00 a.m. Eastern they're going to say that we're extending this a little further. But here's what happened.

The contract expired 10 days ago, but UAW, which is negotiating with General Motors first -- they usually negotiate with one company and then try and copy the contract for Ford and Chrysler -- they're negotiating. And they had given General Motors an hour-by-hour extension, you know, indefinitely, until we got news of something. Then at 1:00 this morning, they issued a statement in which the UAW said, "Unless UAW members hear otherwise between now and the deadline, we will be on a national strike against GM at 11:00." They also sent an e-mail to workers in which the head of the union said -- he reiterated that. He said, "Unless you otherwise hear from your international union and local leadership, consider yourself on strike at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time."

Now, at the core of the problem, T.J., is this -- back in 1962 -- we'll just use that as a base -- every -- every 11 workers at General Motors sort of worked toward one retiree. One retiree was getting the benefit of 11 workers. Look how this has changed now.

In 2006, those same 11 workers are satisfying the pension and health benefit needs of 33 retirees. So, the balance has entirely shifted.

There's also some issues of job security at play today. And that's what the union says might be holding them back.

But we're going to follow this very closely, T.J., for the next hour and a half to see whether there's a development, a deal, an extension, or, in fact, a strike.

HOLMES: OK.

And what happens with Chrysler and Ford right now?

Are they just on standby?

VELSHI: They're watching very closely because, you know, they want a deal -- everybody wants a deal with G.M. so that they can know what their deal is going to be at Ford and Chrysler.

But strikes can spread. And the one thing that would be bad, even if they did go on strike, is if the strike were long. As you know, these Detroit auto companies are a little fragile right now. So they're -- both sides are hoping there isn't a strike. But we could be getting one.

HOLMES: All right, we've got an hour-and-a-half to watch this thing.

VELSHI: Yes.

HOLMES: Ali Velshi all over it for us.

Appreciate you, man.

VELSHI: All right.

NGUYEN: Well, good morning and welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

And I'm T.J. Holmes. Tony and Heidi are off today.

NGUYEN: Iran's president in New York this morning. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will face the press then he'll field questions at Columbia University. He says the American public has been denied his message, so he is going to deliver it himself.

Also, some protesters are making their own statements very loud and clear. They say Columbia is giving a forum to a hate monger and sponsor of terrorism. Along those lines, U.S. officials accuse Iran of arming insurgents in Iraq. The Iranian leader offered this response to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "60 MINUTES," COURTESY CBS NEWS)

SCOTT PELLEY, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Are you saying that it is not the policy of this government to send weapons to Iraq?

Sir, forgive me, you're smiling, but this is a very serious matter to America.

PRES. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): It's serious for us, as well. I dare say it's serious for everyone. It seems to me it's laughable for someone to turn a blind eye to the truth and accuse others. It doesn't help. And the reason that I'm smiling again it's because the picture is so clear. But American officials refuse to see it.

PELLEY: Mr. President, can you tell me that you are not sending weapons to Iraq, very simple, very directly.

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We don't need to do that. We are very much opposed to war and insecurity in Iraq.

PELLEY: Is that no, sir?

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): It's very clear the situation. The insecurity in Iraq is detrimental to our interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: OK. So there you have it -- or you don't. President Ahmadinejad says the U.S. is blaming his country for a mistake of its own making -- the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his speech tomorrow at the U.N. General assembly provides "an important podium." Some of his previous comments have outraged the world. The Iranian leader has dismissed the Nazi Holocaust of millions of Jews as a "myth." He also called for the Jewish state of Israel to be wiped off of the map. He warned Europeans that they could pay a heavy price for supporting Israel. In fact, his visit to New York is also being debated back home. Some in Iran thinks it is a publicity stunt that damages the world's view of their country.

HOLMES: Well, a four letter word in a four word editorial. Can you figure out what that might say?

It's leading to lots of talk on a Colorado campus.

Also, no signs of a missing 3-year-old. Her mom and the mom's boyfriend suspects. The latest on that search coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Check out this new video coming to CNN. Yes, the opening bell has rung.

And guess who did the ringing?

The honorable Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state. A little trivia here. She became secretary of state on January 26, 2005. And she is from Birmingham, Alabama.

Now, we'll be watching the stocks today very closely because the United Autoworkers Union has set an 11:00 a.m. Deadline -- Eastern time, that is -- a strike deadline for its 73,000 members at General Motors. So we'll see how that plays on the stock market.

But right now, the Dow is up 20 points.

HOLMES: A college newspaper editor calls it an exercise in free speech. But this exercise is getting a lot of readers bent out of shape.

Lane Lyon of affiliate KMGH reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It surprised me at first just because it's right there in big and bold letters.

LANE LYON, KMGH CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The four word editorial includes a four letter word.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was uncalled for. It was terrible journalism.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe in free speech, so I think it's fine.

LYON: Fresh off free speech debates after a Florida student was tased, the editorial on page four reads" "Taser this," then the "F" word "Bush"

David McSwain is "The Collegian's" editor and says a seven student panel came up with the column to get attention.

DAVID MCSWAIN, EDITOR, "ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGIAN": We felt that maybe four words were more impactful than 250.

LYON: For its part, the university says while we understand the editorial is upsetting and offensive to many people, it's prohibited by law from censoring or regulating content and that "The Collegian" is self-funded, not supported by student fees.

Here at CSU, authority over the student newspaper falls with the board of student communications and David McSwain says his future as editor is in jeopardy.

MCSWAIN: Well, our intentions weren't hey, let's -- let's really upset the community. Our intentions were let's get college students talking about freedom of speech.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He means what he says and I like that. I'd rather have, you know, a not so politically correct person.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Find a new editor, somebody who can edit.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HOLMES: Well, the student newspaper lost $30,000 in advertising. That's forced cutbacks in salaries and other expenses.

NGUYEN: There are new developments this morning in Iraq. The military is reporting a series of raids across the country, including this one in Baghdad. The military says coalition troops killed one person and detained four others.

Now the target -- Shiite militants said to be backed by Iran.

Other operations taking place near Tikrit and Mosul to tell you about. The military says three insurgents were killed in the northern city of Tikrit. That operation targeting Al Qaeda in Iraq.

And the military also says troops found caches of ammunitions and military-style uniforms.

Now, in another development, word of another U.S. soldier killed. The military says it happened over the weekend during a patrol in Eastern Baghdad. And that brings the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq to 3,798 since the war began.

A media mea culpa?

A leading newspaper in the hot seat over a controversial ad.

CNN's Ed Henry reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A black eye for the "New York Times." Its public editor revealing the newspaper violated its own written standards by running this ad slamming the U.S. military commander in Iraq as "General Betray Us."

HOWARD KURTZ, "THE WASHINGTON POST": This is a self-inflicted wound for the "New York Times" because its own cover story about how there wasn't any discount from MoveOn has now been eviscerated. HENRY: Contrary to earlier assertions by the "New York Times," the in-house watchdog now says the liberal group, MoveOn.org, did get a steep discount to launch the attack against General David Petraeus, paying just over $64,000 for an ad that should have cost $142,000.

The ad also contradicts the "Times'" own manual prohibiting opinion ads "that are attacks of a personal nature."

NEWT GINGRICH, (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I do not believe that serving American soldiers, Marines, airmen, seamen should be attacked in that kind of a scurrilous and dishonest ad.

HENRY: And Howard Kurtz notes the miscues by the "New York Times" have only given Republicans more ammunition.

KURTZ: The "New York Times" gave the White House and the Republican Party a big, fat gift -- a distraction to argue about, turn the debate from what was actually happening in Iraq to the MoveOn ad and whether the MoveOn organization got an unfair discount from the "New York Times". And it's the gift that keeps on giving, because now the story is going to have legs even beyond the original controversy.

HENRY: The president has already called the ad disgusting and used the flap to chide Democratic presidential candidates for not taking on anti-war liberals.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I was disappointed that not more leaders in the Democratic Party spoke out strongly against that kind of ad.

HENRY: But one of those presidential contenders fired back Sunday, noting Mr. Bush previously did not stand up to fellow Republicans who questioned John Kerry's war record and suggested Max Cleland was soft on Osama bin Laden.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I thought it was pretty sorry when his campaign attacked Senator Kerry's record of service and I thought it was pretty sorry when the Republicans attacked Senator Cleland.

HENRY (on camera): A spokeswoman says the "Times" apologizes for initially providing incorrect information about the transaction. MoveOn, meanwhile, stands behind the content of the ad, and says they didn't know there was a discount. But out of an abundance of caution, the group is now wiring the newspaper the $77,000 difference in price.

Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Let's get a check on the weather, with Rob Marciano in the CNN Center -- and looking behind you, it looks like something's brewing in the tropics.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, he filled the silence, but today there is a vacuum. Looking back on the life of the mime, Marcel Marceau.

(VIDEO OF MARCEL MARCEAU)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Trash service is suspended in Denver today. And usually that won't make national news, but here's why it is. Because police are looking for a missing toddler believed to be dead. They searched the river banks yesterday, but found nothing. The mother reported the girl kidnapped on Friday. And now the mom and her boyfriend both in jail. He is suspected of murder. She is accused of helping him. Today police sift through trash. They fear the child's body was tossed out like garbage.

HOLMES: Well, the starred (ph) family -- a search continuing this morning and new clues in the disappearance of 28-year-old Nailah Franklin. The Chicago woman was reported missing Tuesday, her car found over the weekend in Hammond, Indiana.

Franklin is a pharmaceutical sales representative. Shortly before her disappearance, she filed a police report about threatening phone calls from a man she once dated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEHIA FRANKLIN, NAILAH FRANKLIN'S SISTER: I do believe she's in distress of some sort because she's just not the kind of person who would just leave without a trace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: We'll be talking to Nailah Franklin's sister live a little later this morning here in THE NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Juvenile justice, the Jena 6 case putting it in the spotlight. There are new discussions now about race and reforms.

Our Tony Harris reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you all haven't heard from me in a long time, but I really, really, really need you all now.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Cries for help like this one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they are really mistreating us with a whole bunch of issues. It is very, very serious.

HARRIS: Is why David Utter and two other attorneys founded the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana.

DAVID UTTER, LAWYER, JUVENILE JUSTICE PROJECT OF LOUISIANA: When we opened up back in 1997, it was with the explicit purpose of addressing the issues in the juvenile justice system here in Louisiana. HARRIS: Statistics compiled by the Louisiana Office of Youth Development seem to indicate a significant number of African American youth are populating detention centers.

UTTER: I don't think there's anybody that can deny it. You know, when we were working on juvenile justice reform that resulted in landmark legislation back in 2003, the statistics speak for themselves.

HARRIS: Here's what he's referring to. African Americans make up 40 percent of the population of Louisiana. Yet African American youth make up 80 percent of incarcerated youth.

Dana Kaplan is the executive director of the JJPL in New Orleans. She works closely with David Utter, who is now representing the youngest suspect in the Jena 6 case.

DANA KAPLAN, JUVENILE JUSTICE PROJECT OF LOUISIANA: While on the one hand, I think that we're excited to see that the Jena 6 are finally getting the type of legal representation that they deserve, we want to make sure that the same type of national focus can be turned to the case of every child, and so that every child in Louisiana and in this country gets access to, you know, supreme counsel.

Tony Harris, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And put down the shuffle board, pick up that game controller and it's game on at the senior center.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Let's take you to Washington now and President Bush, who is making a statement on the budget.

GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ...a 500-page lease that he expected you to sign. In the business world, that's called alienating your customers.

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: In Washington, that's called the appropriations process.

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: The fiscal year ends in less than a week, yet Congress has not sent a single appropriations bill to my desk -- not one.

Instead, the Congressional leaders may end up lumping all 12 outstanding appropriations bills into one massive trillion dollar piece of legislation later this year. This would make it easier for members to sneak in all kinds of special projects -- put in wasteful spending or pork barrel that they are not willing to debate in the open. If they think that by waiting until just before they leave for the year to send me a bill that is way over budget and thicker than a phone book, they think that's going to force me to sign it, it's not. This would be bad for our country, it would be harmful for our economy and it would be unfair for the taxpayers.

This is an important time for our economy. For nearly six years, we've enjoyed uninterrupted economic growth. Since August, 2003, the economy has added more than 8.2 million jobs. Productivity is growing and that's translating into larger paychecks for American workers. Unemployment is low, inflation is low and opportunity abounds. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong.

You know this economic vitality just didn't happen. In other words, I think it's the result of hard work and people dreaming big dreams and working hard to fulfill them. I also believe it's the result of pro-growth economic policies. And the job is in Washington is to keep the environment sound for investment and for growth.

And so, with that in mind, last February I submitted a budget to Congress that fully funds our priorities. It holds the growth of non- security discretionary spending to less than inflation. It puts us on the path to budget surplus by 2012. And it does all this without raising taxes.

In other words, we can meet priorities and we can do so without raising taxes. I think raising taxes would be bad for the economy and bad for the working people.

Unfortunately, the Democratic majority in Congress has chosen a different path. The plan they have put forward includes an increase in discretionary spending that is nearly $22 billion more than my budget request. Some in Congress will tell you that $22 billion is not a lot of money. As business leaders, you know better. As a matter of fact, $22 billion is larger than the annual revenues of most Fortune 500 companies.

And the $22 billion is only for the first year. With every passing year, the number gets bigger and bigger. And so over the next five years, the increase in federal spending would end up to $205 billion. And the only way to pay for such a large spending increase is to raise taxes on American people.

So it's no surprise that the same members of Congress who are planning the big increase in federal spending are also planning the largest tax increase in American history. At a time when families are working hard to pay their mortgages or pay for their children going to college, now is not the time to be taking money out of their pocket.

The founders understood that there would be times when the president and the Congress would have different views about spending and taxes. And so they gave the executive and legislative branches different powers. Congress has the power of the purse, the authority to pass tax bills and set spending levels. The president has the authority to reject unwise or excessive taxes and spending. And unless the Congress has a two-thirds majority, it must come in agreement with the president if it wants to get a bill enacted.

Every year, Congress deals with separate bills that fund the day to day activities of our government -- everything from defense to homeland security to education and transportation. These 12 spending bills are the normal process by which Congress sets its priorities when they spend your money.

Now we're days away from the end of the year -- the end of the fiscal year. As I told you, Congress hasn't finished one of these bills. They got the time to do 12. They haven't done one.

If Congress doesn't get its work done in a week, the government is not going to have the funding to continue important services. And I don't believe the American people should be denied those services because Congress can't get its work done. Congress needs to pass these annual spending bills. And if they need more time, I urge them to pass a clean continuing resolution.

Under a clean continuing resolution, the government would continue to operate at current funding levels while the Congress works on the annual appropriations bills. The principle should be that there be no new spending, no new policies, no new projects unless the president and Congress agree in advance on a specific item. A continuing resolution is not a new idea. This is not the first time it would have happened.

The last Congress didn't pass all its appropriations bills on time. And with the help of a continuing resolution, Congress kept the government running while finishing the work. And the earlier Republican Congress did the same thing during President Clinton's second term, after a disruptive government shutdown that no Congress has allowed since.

When the 110th Congress took office earlier this week, the leaders promised to make the legislative process more transparent and to prove they can be responsible with the people's money. They said give us a chance to be responsible.

Well, now is the time to honor those pledges by passing a clean continuing resolution, Congress would give itself extra time to complete the 12 annual spending bills and do them one at a time in a fiscally responsible way.

I believe we can work together to keep your taxes low, to keep the economy growing and to balance the federal budget.

NGUYEN: And that's President Bush speaking at the White House today about the budget; also, urging Congress to get him a spending bill and soon.

Meantime, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Good morning, everybody.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes.

Glad you could be with us.

Tony and Heidi are off today.

We're holding down the fort.

Stay informed in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Here is what we have on the rundown.

Protests at Columbia -- the university hosting Iran's firebrand leader today for a speech and also for a Q&A.

NGUYEN: G.M. facing a possible strike. In just an hour from now, thousands of auto workers are set to walk off the job.

HOLMES: And a badly burned Iraqi boy heading into his second surgery today.

Monday, September 24th and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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