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Indiana Tornado Damage; David Copperfield Under Investigation; Rapper T.I. in Court; Pakistan Attack

Aired October 19, 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: A magician's secrets in the hands of the FBI. David Copperfield's Las Vegas warehouse is raided by the feds months after a shadowy allegation from thousands of miles away.
We'll shed some light if we can.

DAN SIMON, CNN ANCHOR: For millions of parents the Internet, well, it's a mystery. It's full of black holes and really can be scary.

This hour we will hear what teens and tweens are really doing online from the woman who wrote the book.

Hello. I'm Dan Simon, in today for Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

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

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Towns in Michigan are in shock after deadly overnight storms. Severe weather is blamed for three deaths in that state, and we're just getting pictures in one of the hardest hit areas, the town of Williamston. Tornadoes and hail are reported across much of Michigan as the line of storms swept through.

And then a state of emergency was declared in Nappanee, Indiana, where an apparent tornado touched down there. Several people there were treated for minor injuries.

With me on the phone right now, the mayor of Nappanee, Indiana, Larry Thompson.

Mr. Mayor, how are your folks doing there?

MAYOR LARRY THOMPSON, NAPPANEE, INDIANA: Our folks are doing quite well.

WHITFIELD: Really? I mean, you look at these pictures and the devastation and, what, between 200 or maybe even 250 homes and businesses that were decimated by this storm?

THOMPSON: That is correct. The damage is major. Fortunately for us, very few injuries of minor nature. No fatalities. We have a lot to be thankful for in Nappanee even under these circumstances. WHITFIELD: Well, that's true. No loss of life. Perhaps only what, at least five injuries or five people who were taken to hospitals?

THOMPSON: That's correct.

WHITFIELD: OK.

So what do you do now? How do you accommodate? I mean, 250 homes and businesses, that's a whole lot of folks who are now displaced. What do you do to try to make sure they have place to sleep tonight?

THOMPSON: We think we have a pretty good plan in place in Indiana. Our cities, counties and states work hand in hand. Every agency you can imagine is here.

We have a control center set up. Everyone is cooperating. We're removing brush and things from the streets as we can. Power has been restored to about a thousand residents of our community at this time and other power is coming up as the power companies can restore that, and we just have a lot of volunteers working very, very hard.

WHITFIELD: So, Mayor Thompson, you and perhaps a whole lot of folks in your area have had a pretty good idea that this storm system was threatening your area and nearby communities. But what about for what I understand you to have a very large, or at least a significant Amish community, which don't necessarily rely on traditional forms of communication? How were they able to be informed, or were they mostly caught by surprise?

THOMPSON: I think, you know, to some degree obviously they were caught by surprise. There was a severe storm that came through a little bit earlier in the evening, and, you know, you just kind of had that feel, it was in the air that this might not be over.

Our tornado sirens do project quite a ways out into the countryside, so we hope that some of those folks heard that. And the damage in the rural area was fairly minor, although there were a number of homes outside of our city that did receive some pretty heavy damage.

WHITFIELD: What about your home, Mr. Mayor?

THOMPSON: My home is very safe and sound, and the city lost its street department garages, but those can be rebuilt.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Mayor Larry Thompson of Nappanee, Indiana.

We wish you and your community all the best.

THOMPSON: Thank you very much.

SIMON: A real-life mystery surrounds illusionist David Copperfield. Police in Seattle say a police report was filed over the summer from an alleged female victim who made an accusation against Copperfield, an accusation though that police will not reveal.

Word of the investigation follows an FBI raid this week at a Las Vegas warehouse owned by Copperfield. Seattle police, they are saying the raids stem from an alleged incident in the Bahamas, but they are not saying anything about what that incident was all about. Copperfield's attorney says he is confident the investigation will wind up in his client's favor.

We have CNN's Katharine Barrett. She is on the phone in Seattle.

And Katharine, we talked a little while ago. You were at the police department. You were trying to get your hands on the police report.

What are you hearing now?

KATHARINE BARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I just spoke actually with Seattle FBI special agent Robbie Burrows (ph), who -- the FBI is keeping very close-lipped about this. They will say they do not expect to have any public statements on this in the near future, a matter of days perhaps.

They say that is because this investigation -- and they, again, will not identify the subject of the investigation. They merely say they have a Seattle case which sent them to Las Vegas to do some investigation.

They say that investigative part in Las Vegas is for the moment finished but, again, they won't identify the subject. They say it's ongoing. We may not actually have anything more from the FBI publicly until this lands up, if it does, in formal charges in court.

However, this morning, as you mentioned, I spoke to the Seattle Police Department, which said that at some point in midsummer a female came into their offices, a Seattle resident, and filed a report of an alleged incident which took place in the Bahamas. It's not really a formal police report because it's not in Seattle's police jurisdiction, obviously, the Bahamas. But they took what they called a courtesy report, and because of the seriousness of the alleged incident, they wrote it down and apparently it is now in the hands of the FBI. Seattle police, after initially giving me information this morning, is now referring everything to the FBI, and the FBI is keeping the lid on it.

That's the very latest from here.

SIMON: Yes. Katharine, we are told by the FBI in Vegas that they are in fact investigating an incident in connection with what may have allegedly happened here with David Copperfield. There are also reports out there that authorities in Vegas seized some $2 million in cash in a warehouse apparently rented by David Copperfield, rented or owned by David Copperfield, a really strange story here.

I know you're going to be following it there in Seattle, but before we let you go, any idea when they actually might release more information?

BARRETT: Well, it was suggested to me, again, by the FBI that they will not be releasing information publicly until it winds up as a matter of public record, which would be if it came to an actual charge in a court of law.

SIMON: Katharine Barrett there in Seattle.

Thanks a lot, Katharine.

And again, don't know a whole lot of information in terms of what authorities are telling us, in terms of what may have happened in this incident in the Bahamas.

WHITFIELD: As mysterious as his act.

SIMON: Right.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SIMON: You know, something allegedly took place in the Bahamas, and now we know that there was this raid in Las Vegas, and that's all we know at this point.

WHITFIELD: Yes, just trying to piece it all together, but we will when we get some more of the facts then.

SIMON: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dan. Thanks.

All right. Some legal troubles for a rapper, rapper T.I. However, he received some props from the judge and a high-powered show of support today. But after his latest bond hearing he is still in the slammer on federal weapons charges.

With the latest live from Atlanta, CNN's Rusty Dornin -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, that's -- the hearing today is why they call it courtroom drama. We were expecting a boring bond hearing and instead we got quite a show from the defense.

During the defense's presentation, their proposal for bond, they had some 35 members of T.I. rapper's family stand up in the courtroom, about three-quarters of the courtroom, to show he has ties to the community, he's not going anywhere. Then there was a show of six record executives, very impressive, chairman and CEO of Warner Music, Atlantic Records and several other executives, also pledging money.

They were willing to pledge up to $2.2 million in signature bond for his release. The defense has also set up a very elaborate plan to keep him monitored under surveillance and an electronic bracelet.

The judge took the matter under consideration and during a recess came back and said it's not enough. He complimented the musician up and down, said he was talented, he was gifted, but there was a dichotomy here.

He definitely got into trouble with these guns and has been in trouble with drugs before. He wants to think about this.

So he wants them to come back in a week. He wants to know exactly which monitoring company. He wants to hear more just about how this is going to be done, and he wants $2 million in cash to make sure that T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, doesn't go anywhere.

Now, after the proceedings, the defense realizes he may be released, they think that's likely, but they know they have a tough case ahead for the trial.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE SADOW, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think our hurdle is defending this case in the nature of the way it has been presented. And his criminal history has posed a problem, as the court recognized, but he also has a lot of good things that he's done, which is what the judge recognized as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: The judge did recognize that, several times commenting on how generous the rapper has been, how much he's given to the underprivileged community, but also that there's this dichotomy. On one of the most important days of his life, what does he do? The judge says he's accused of going to a parking lot armed and buying machine guns, and he says that's something he's still very concerned about -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so, Rusty, has his attorney ever said, what did he want to do with those guns anyway?

DORNIN: That's something they still have not talked about -- talking about that stumbling block and the way this has been presented, you know, that there were guns in the car, when they searched the house there were guns there. So they haven't really talked about a strategy yet for what they are -- how they are going to defend this case. But, of course, today was the day that he did plead not guilty to those charges.

WHITFIELD: I guess that strategy comes after perhaps he's able to get the bond that they can afford.

All right. Thanks so much.

Rusty Dornin, downtown Atlanta.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIMON: 2:15 Eastern Time, and here are three of the stories we are working on here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Bush, he has just announced tighter sanctions against Myanmar. He cited the military government's continuing crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

The search for a stolen tanker truck is over. Authorities say a gunman confronted the driver at a Baltimore fuel depot earlier today. They found it abandoned in Washington, D.C., about an hour ago. No word yet of any arrests.

And Joe Torre, he is holding a news conference at this hour, one day after quitting as manager of the Yankees. Owner George Steinbrenner wanted to cut Torre's pay because of the team's lackluster showing in the post-season playoffs.

WHITFIELD: And just 24 hours after returning to her homeland, Benazir Bhutto's message of change and democracy in Pakistan is eclipsed by tragedy. A suicide bomber, maybe several bombers, set off a blast that killed at least 136 people surrounding Bhutto's motorcade. Police found what they believe is the bomber's head and say they will release a sketch of it to try and find out this person's identity.

The attack is believed to have a strong al Qaeda connection. That word today from the U.S. State Department, quoting the Pakistanis. And the U.S. is helping Pakistan investigate, but whoever is responsible, the point is clear. Somebody does not want Benazir Bhutto back in Pakistan.

Well, naturally this attack has implications far beyond Pakistan's borders. To the State Department now and our correspondent, Zain Verjee.

So, Zain, what is the State Department saying about the attack? What do they feel they can actually do?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredericka, the State Department has really condemned this violence. They say that no political objective can ever be reached through violence.

The U.S. says that it's reaching out to Pakistan and saying if Pakistan wants any help in the investigation, it's happy to do so. But there's been no specific request at this stage. The U.S. has also as always called for free and fair elections as well in Pakistan.

We asked State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey, if Benazir Bhutto continues to be a target, could it create instability in the country and put the election that they so badly want in jeopardy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM CASEY, STATE DEPT. DEPUTY SPOKESMAN: We do not want to see any actions take place that would undermine the democratic process in Pakistan or make it harder for the Pakistani people to have an opportunity to express their views in free and fair elections. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: The U.S. also says that it's been in touch with members of Benazir Bhutto's party, but it's unclear whether they have reached out to her directly. But they've talked to the party members to give their condolences and their support -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, Zain, al Qaeda apparently has some links to this possible bomber, but does the State Department feel pretty confident that this is an al Qaeda operation?

VERJEE: Well, publicly the state department isn't coming out and saying that. They are saying it's too early really to tell. But privately, we've spoken to officials in this building, and what they are telling us is that there are early indications that this attack bears the hallmarks of al Qaeda or the Taliban. It could be al Qaeda most likely, but they say that there really is no smoking gun.

What they are -- and this is important -- ruling out is that they're saying that this attack was not politically motivated. The government of Pakistan was not involved.

Officials have also told us, Fredricka, that the most chilling part of this attack is that extremists, they say, still seem to have a free hand, an operational runaround in Pakistan. What they say, too, though is that this could really be an opportunity, a wakeup call for President Pervez Musharraf and his foe, Benazir Bhutto, to get together and fight a common enemy, terrorism.

WHITFIELD: Right, because Pervez Musharraf not necessarily unfamiliar with the fact of being a target of assassination attempts, many of them.

Zain Verjee, thanks so much from the State Department.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, how about this? You may have noticed something a little different about what you're seeing on TV.

See that little green logo down there? Well, CNN is going green because we're digging deeper on environmental issues, covering stories that affect all of us from the air we breathe to the fuel we use. It all coincides with the premiere of "Planet in Peril," a special report from Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet 's Jeff Corwin.

That is next Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

And still to come here in the NEWSROOM, from politician to environmental activist, how Al Gore got green. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. Live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

SIMON: And I'm Dan Simon.

Kids on the Internet, how vulnerable are there to online predators? An author who has spent years talking to kids about what they are up to, has some advice now for parents. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

First though, let's get to Betty Nguyen with that new video on a the developing story out of Maryland -- Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: We've been telling you all afternoon about this tanker that was pretty much taken at gunpoint in Baltimore. And they eventually found it. D.C. police found it in Southwest Washington.

We do have video of it. So, you can take a look at what we're talking about. This is a large taker; it carries 7,000 gallons of No. 2 diesel. You can see it's from the Baltimore Tank Lines. And No. 2 diesel is used for home heating oil. I'm told that it's not as combustible as, say, high-octane fuel. But it is still very flammable. And there was a lot of concern when this was taken at gunpoint, this vehicle right here.

Essentially what happened was the driver of the tanker was getting gas early this morning when a man in a blue jumpsuit pretty came up to him with a semi-automatic handgun, and forced him out, and then he took off in the taker.

So, when he got 7,100 gallons of No. 2 diesel rolling down the road, you don't know where it's going. Of course there's a lot of concern. The Department of Homeland Security has been looking into this. But of course, at this point, that tanker has been found. We don't know if any of the fuel has been taken out of the vehicle. And we don't know the condition of the vehicle but just looking at that picture it seems like pretty much everything -- for the most part is in tact.

The only problem is they are still looking for the man who hijacked that tanker. And, of course, we'll stay on top of this for you.

SIMON: Thanks, Betty. And again, those pictures coming to us from WUSA out of Maryland. We'll keep tabs on that story and come back to you if anything changes.

NGUYEN: All right.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, if you're a parent and you have children under two, you may be really concerned about all the reports lately about cold and cough medicines. Now an FDA advisory panel has some new recommendations on such medicines. Judy Fortin has been watching all of it. I think a lot of parents, including myself, even though my child is over two, just throwing out all those cold and cough medicines because it's just too gray, it's too confusing right now.

JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. And that's what the panel is trying to do. For the past two days they have been discussing it in Washington, D.C., it's an FDA advisory panel that is discussing the safety and efficacy of over-the-counter products, we're talking about here, and children under the age of six.

Well, just a short time ago, that panel recommended almost unanimously to tell patients not to use the products if their child is under the age of two. Again, we're talking about over-the-counter cough and cold products.

You may be saying, well, didn't this happen a week ago? Well, a week ago manufacturers of some of the drugs voluntarily agreed to withdraw more than a dozen cough and cold products that were labeled for use in infants and babies under two.

Now also today that FDA advisory panel took some other action. Unanimously voting to standardize dosing of medicines on product labels. It can be confusing. milliliters, teaspoons, tablespoons. They say let's make it all one uniform dosing recommendation.

They also say that it's very important to standardize dosing devices. If you've ever had a drawer full of the cups or vials, or syringes. And you pull one out the next time your kid is sick, they are saying let's go ahead and standardize these devices as well.

Also the panel has voted unanimously to recommend that children's cough and cold products be studied to determine how these drugs work in children, and whether they are actually effective. Up until now the data has been extrapolated, believe it or not, from adults to children. Now, these are recommendations, so the FDA doesn't have to take the recommendations, but they usually do.

And right now they are discussing -- they have just finished voting on whether or not these products should be used in children under two. They are discussing above two, so ages two to six and possibly up to 12 years of age.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

FORTIN: So for most of us with older kids this is a real worry and parents should really be paying attention to it.

WHITFIELD: There have been a lot of doctors who are arguing they are not even so sure that any of the cough and cold medicines do anything -- no matter how old you are, or how young you are.

FORTIN: That's right.

WHITFIELD: That they are not really that effective.

FORTIN: So if your kid gets sick this weekend, what do you do? Do you give them these medications, which may not work or have multiple ingredients? And that's what a lot of doctors are talking about right now. There are things you can do that don't have anything to do with medication.

For instance, you could buy a vaporizer for your children's room, or use salt water nose drops. Now, those are kind of hard to put in your kids' noses.

WHITFIELD: The ol' saline, yeah.

FORTIN: If you've ever tried to do that.

WHITFIELD: Right.

FORTIN: You can use a rubber nose bulb or syringe. That's not especially a favorite of the children.

WHITFIELD: That's true. But it is effective.

FORTIN: All right, and this sounds basic, the American Academy of Pediatrics says chicken soup really works very well. So don't discount that. And also before you do anything else talk with your pediatrician. They are used to the phone calls. They are used to late-night phone calls, give them a call, what's best for your child? And that will kind of give you a piece of mind as well.

WHITFIELD: Better safe than sorry.

FORTIN: I think so, too.

WHITFIELD: It's not worth taking any unnecessary chances.

FORTIN: If you've got a child, and we both do. Better to be safe.

WHITFIELD: I agree. All right, thanks, Judy.

FORTIN: You're welcome.

SIMON: Al Gore, he's gone from senator to vice president to global warming crusader. He got himself a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. How did Gore get so green? CNN'S Chief Technology and Environment Correspondent Miles O'Brien takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CHIEF TECH., ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Al Gore was born to be a politician, not an environmentalist. He's the son of a three-term Tennessee senator. He grew up living mostly in a Washington hotel. When Al Gore, Sr. lost his Senate seat in 1970 he cozied up with the fossil fuel industry, the elder Gore serving on the board of a big oil company, and chairman of a coal company.

Al Gore, Jr. got his first introduction to global warming from this man, Roger Revelle, a Harvard professor who became his mentor. Revelle was a charismatic visionary who was issuing warnings about global warming in the 1950s. Gore says Revelle changed his life, by sparking a passion for preserving the environment.

But the political genes were still there. He arrived in Congress in 1976. He held the first Senate hearings on global warming in 1988. That same year he ran for president, but his candidacy, like his efforts to focus attention on climate change, fell flat.

Then in 1989 another turning point for Gore. His young son was struck by a car and nearly killed. Gore says it prompted him to reevaluate his personal and professional priorities. He vowed to spend more time with his family and focus more on protecting the environment.

Out of that experience came the environmental manifesto "Earth In The Balance," published in 1992, it became a best-seller and the basis for a slide show, which morphed into "An Inconvenient Truth" 14 years later. The movie won and Oscar and now Gore is a Nobel Laureate. Suddenly the environmental movement has a global leader like never before. And many scientists have a de facto spokesman who has engaged the public in ways they cannot.

AL GORE, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST: You are Live Earth!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: With that platform, Dan, comes some risks for Al Gore. Of course, almost immediately after it was announced a week ago that he won the Nobel Peace Prize there was a huge backlash among skeptics about climate change, and global warming. Many of them calling into question the validity of a lot of things that were said in that documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."

Tonight we're keeping them all honest, taking a look at all the sides and trying to boil it all down to the scientific facts. How accurate is Al Gore's movie? How accurate are the skeptics who have attacked him? All that will be assessed tonight, Dan.

SIMON: Miles O'Brien, thanks very much.

Miles, good to see you.

O'BRIEN: All right, good to see you, Dan.

And tonight at 8 o'clock, Eastern Time, a CNN primetime special, Al Gore's global warming crusade, The facts, the questions. CNN is keeping them honest. The truth about global warming, a CNN primetime special tonight, 8:00 Eastern Time only on CNN.

WHITFIELD: And next week we travel to 13 countries on four continents for an eye-opening experience you just don't want to miss. "Planet In Peril" premiers next Tuesday here on CNN. And today our Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us inside a crisis on the Carteret Islands of Papua, New Guinea. People there are losing their homeland because, it's sinking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We're flying back to the Carteret Islands in the South Pacific to try and solve the mystery of why the islands here are disappearing. Is it rising sea levels, harvesting of coral, or something else entirely?

After two days here there was only one place left to explore, underwater. Chief Bernard takes us out by boat to the coral reef. He tells us we're the first journalists to dive the reef.

With dive gear and tanks we head down 60 feet. What we see is startling, a gray landscape with little marine life. Healthy coral reefs act as protective barriers to islands, helping slow destructive storm surges, while providing food and shelter to marine life. This reef is dying, which means less protection from storms and fewer fish to eat.

(On camera): So, from the air we could look down at the coral and it certainly looked like a lot of it was dead. But we actually just dove down and when we got down there we saw evidence of what seemed to be bleaching. We would see entire sheaths of coral that seemed to be completely dead and washed out. Now there was some evidence of live coral, but what's interesting is some of that appeared to be dying in the process as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Don't miss the four-hour "Planet In Peril" documentary. It premieres October 23rd and 24th, next Tuesday and Wednesday. And if you would like to see clips of CNN's "Plant In Peril" before it begins, just download the "AC 360" podcast. It's the only place you'll be able to watch. Go to cnn.com/planetinperil to download it right now.

SIMON: Kids online, so what are they up to? Who are they talking to? We're going to be talking to an expert on the wired world who says parents and grandparents, they just need to relax. Her advice on what you can do, and what you can do to protect your kids coming up here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Are online predators and pedophiles targeting your kids? This week a young woman who was abducted when she was just 13 by a man she met online testified before members of Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA KOZAKIEWICZ, VICTIM OF ABDUCTION: I walked out the front door and found that the boogie man is real, and he lives on the web. I know. I met him on the evening of January 1st, 2002. He came for a 13- year-old girl, for a sex slave. He came for me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A new study reveals 32 percent of teenagers say they have gotten online messages from strangers and 7 percent say the messages scared them, or made them feel pretty uncomfortable.

So is there a predator lurking behind every message? Anastasia Goodstein, author of "Totally Wired", says we shouldn't be worried about what our wired kids are doing online, but it is important to have some kind of idea of what's happening.

Right, Anastasia? So, should we be scared? Should we be nervous about our kids' activity when they are online?

ANASTASIA GOODSTEIN, AUTHOR, "TOTALLY WIRED TEENS": I don't think that you need to be scared. I mean, I think there are definitely predators, there are people without the best intentions for kids online. But the good news is that teens are very savvy. They are online to really hang out and socialize with their friends, most of whom are the same friends that they see all day at school.

WHITFIELD: But then they're also meeting new friends, too.

GOODSTEIN: They are, but it's usually based around interests. So if I'm a teen boy and I'm interested in Volkswagens, I may join the MySpace Volkswagen Group and meet other people who are interested in Volkswagens. But they are really, again, there to be in this virtual mall, hanging out with their friends. They don't want to talk to adults.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, except that's how predators, in disguise -- they're disguising themselves as being -- you know, I'm 13 just like you. And they talk the talk just like the young person online. And that's how they kind of lure them in, and the next thing you know they are meeting and come to find out it's a guy with a rap sheet, as a sexual predator.

GOODSTEIN: Right. Some of them do, but what law enforcement has actually found is that most of the teens that respond to predators are actually teens who have been victimized in the past, who are at risk, who are having issues at home, that are sort of vulnerable and needy and talk back to these guys and develop a relationship with them. And then when they go meet them in person, sometimes they will even say that they have fallen in love with them. And they don't want to press charges.

Most teens ignore these guys. They block, delete them, and what I encourage parents and teens to do is report them.

WHITFIELD: So if you are a parent, your kid is online, A, you need to have a good relationship with your child so they are telling you exactly what kind of conversations they are having. But it also means that perhaps you need to be a bit savvy about how to navigate, what are the websites as well.

Just a couple weeks ago we heard from a Florida father, whose daughter met a sexual predator online. They ended up meeting in person. And then he took her off, you know, and ended up leaving her in Florida, because he heard about reports looking for him. This is what he had to say about not really not being connected with his child when it comes to online activity. Let's listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to tell everyone out there, all the parents, watch your children, folks, OK? My baby was in front of me on her computer, I mean, in front of me, not in her room. It's centrally located. It can be seen from the back porch the house; it can be seen from the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, OK? She didn't act suspicious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So like we were saying, I mean, at least in his case they were right there. He thought he knew everything, but you also say parents remember when you were a kid. A lot of these kids are doing the same things you did. While you may have used diaries, now today kids are blogging.

GOODSTEIN: Right, right. And that desire they have to stay connected to their friends, again, mostly the same friends that they see all day at school. That's what they are doing on the social networking sites. But they are also the experts. They grew up with this stuff. They intuitively know how to use it, so parents can sit down with them and ask them to show you. Show you -- maybe not even their profile. I mean, you could work up to that.

WHITFIELD: Maybe if they don't volunteer, you need to ask?

GOODSTEIN: Yeah, you need to ask, or you can even say hey, my book club told me we need to get on FaceBook so we can organize a book group, and can you help me make a FaceBook profile? And as they are helping you make that profile, you can ask them about, oh, privacy settings? What are you your privacy settings? Are you aware that not everything can truly be private online?

WHITFIELD: Should parents even limit the amount of time their child is online. Should they say, wait a minute, you only get 15 minutes a day, or is that unrealistic? Dos 30 minutes a day, does it help, restrictions is what I mean.

GOODSTEIN: I heard on the radio actually that Bill Gates has a 10-year-old daughter and he let's her be online 45 minutes after she does her homework a day during the week. And then it goes up to an hour of recreational internet time on the weekend. I don't tell parents exactly how much time. You have to negotiate that within your own relationship. But too much of anything is never a good thing.

WHITFIELD: What just happened to go out and play? Anastasia Goodstein, the book is "Totally Wired," a great guide for parents. Thanks so much.

GOODSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

SIMON: World famous illusionist David Copperfield is in the middle of a big mystery. He is the subject of an FBI investigation. Details coming up here in the NEWSROOM.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kareen Wynter in Los Angeles.

Will the doggie drama surrounding Ellen Degeneres ever end? I'll have the answer when CNN NEWSROOM continues.

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SIMON: Some big-time news coming from the FDA. We've got Betty in the NEWSROOM with that story.

Betty, what are you hearing?

NGUYEN: Yes, Dan. You know, earlier we had been talking about how the FDA was recommending that children under the age of two shouldn't be taking cold medicine. Well, that has changed. During a hearing today that's going on in fact right now, we have learned that the FDA committee is saying that kids under the age of six should not be using cough and cold medications.

Now this is obviously an increase from the age of two to now the age of six. This is going to be affecting a lot of children. Again, this is just a recommendation by the FDA and, of course, we're going to be getting a lot more information on this with our Medical Correspondent Judy Fortin. She will be coming up very shortly, in fact at the top of the hour with some details.

But, again, the FDA saying that it is recommending that children under the age of six should not be taking cold and cough medications. So this is a big deal, Dan.

SIMON: Yes, a lot of implications for this one. And I'm just getting this Associated Press report. They are saying that the recommendation applies to medicines like decongestants, antihistamines, and that children who are under the age of six really shouldn't take them. So obviously, yes, big implications for this one. Betty, we'll continue to follow it.

We'll turn now to some entertainment news. "The Ellen Degeneres Show," it's dark today.

Kareen, there in Los Angeles, what are you hearing about that?

WYNTER: Hi there, Dan.

This has been such a huge talker all week, right? "The Ellen Degeneres Show" won't feature new shows today or on Monday and it's all because of the dog adoption controversy.

That's right. A spokesperson for the company that produces the show it's says it's been a long and tough week, and we decided to take a long weekend and be back on Tuesday. Degeneres was scheduled to tape shows yesterday that would air on Friday and Monday. Now reruns will air featuring Jessica Alba and Queen Latifah on those days, Dan.

Now, you may recall the bad press started when Degeneres adopted a dog named Iggy, and then gave it to her hairstylist's family, after the dog couldn't get along with the comedian's cat. That didn't sit well with the animal rescue agency, which claims that Degeneres violated the adoption agreement, by not informing it that she was giving the dog away. So, the dog was removed from the hairstylist's home.

Soon after that Degeneres appeared on her show in tears over the situation and later pleaded for the dog's return. And one day later the agency's owners complained that they received death threats. On Wednesday Degeneres said she wouldn't talk about the matter again unless little Iggy was returned to her hairdresser.

All right, switching gears now, tonight on "Showbiz Tonight," women in Hollywood. Do women face a ridiculous double standard? Why don't they make the same money as men? And why are their looks scrutinized more than men? Has any progress been made? They are tough questions and a special report on TV's most provocative entertainment news show. That's "Showbiz Tonight" 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on Headline Prime -- Dan.

SIMON: Kareen Wynter coming there from our L.A. bureau. Thanks a lot, Kareen.

WYNTER: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Some good news that we love to report now. This out of West Virginia. Remember for the past four days there's been an intensive search for a missing autistic boy. Well, now you're looking at pictures of him being released from the hospital, after being found after four days in the woods.

There he is being released, and wheeled to his vehicle, to be joined again with the family. It's been a harrowing past four days. He is non-verbal. He is autistic. The family was so terribly worried about him. They had all gone out for a family hike and then somehow got separated. And he had gone missing. So the good news, that we're able to report now, that has been found. That you know. But the best part of it all is that he's going home, back with family there in West Virginia.

Now there are also big problems at big airports, so why are some lawmakers spending your tax dollars on low-priority airports in vacation destination?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are security issues in terms of both of those airports, and very inclement kind of weather. They were on the list. And I think they are -- they are well deserved.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What list are they on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the -- on the comprehensive list.

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WHITFIELD: Oh, really? Well, CNN's Drew Griffin is keeping them honest straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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