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Update on Missing Pregnant Marine, Bank of America buying Countrywide Mortgage, Powerful Storms in the South and Midwest, Woman Sews for Disabled Soldiers.

Aired January 11, 2008 - 10:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Tony Harris. Here's what's on the run down. A young Marine, pregnant and missing. Moments ago, the lead investigator in a live NEWSROOM interview.
The nation's largest bank buying the nation's largest mortgage company. Rescuing Countrywide from a melt down.

Powerful storms turns parts of the South into a battleground. In the Midwest, a chance to start drying out today, Friday, January 11th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We are hearing of a possible major break in the search for a pregnant Marine missing from Camp Lejeune since mid December. We heard from Sheriff Ed Brown moments ago here in the NEWSROOM. Ed Lavandera is working on the case. He's in Jacksonville, North Carolina now.

Ed, what's the latest?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You got to hear pretty up close and personal from the sheriff here who has been personally involved in this investigation. And the roommate of this missing Marine is here in the building, talking with investigators as we speak outside here. As the sheriff has been putting it to us, all morning long, he hopes that after this conversation with this Marine, this roommate, that they will have more information to shed here in the next couple of hours. At noon eastern, the sheriff says he will be able to hold a press conference announcing what he describes a major break in the case.

But perhaps just reading kind of body language from what we can sense from the sheriff this time around after we had seen him an hour ago he seemed frustrated perhaps. That is me reading body language. He does say things are moving quickly inside that interview room.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED BROWN, SHERIFF, ONSLOW COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: The wheels are spinning fast. We've got the sergeant back in California. We're getting calls. I'm just telling you the frustration of an investigation is probably as hard for the investigators as it is anyone. You deal with positive information, you deal with negative information. And the two of them pulling you from one side to the other. The wheels are just turning. We still believe by noon day we will have a major breakthrough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Of course, this Marine who is 8 1/2 months pregnant has been missing since December 14th when she last spoke with her mother. The sheriff also tells us this morning on December 15th she purchased a bus ticket but never used it. There was also an ATM withdrawal from her bank account on Christmas Eve. That was part of the focus they wanted to talk to, her roommate about. So December 14th, since any of her family members had any contact with her. A lot of mysterious pieces to this puzzle. The sheriff hopes some of that will become clear here in the next couple of hours -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Ed, not asking you to speculate but because you are there and seeing the body language, this press conference not coming up for a couple more hours, so in the interesting of getting everything you know out of this, when the sheriff says the wheels are spinning quickly, obviously that points to the possibility they are getting a lot of information from this roommate of Maria Lauterbach.

LAVANDERA: As you heard the sheriff -- he's kind of fighting back a lot about what he can and can't say at this point. When we spoke to him this morning he did tell us that in the last few days since this case has gotten more publicity they've had a flood of calls, people coming forth with information. And because of that, they had a whole new round of questions they wanted to confront her roommate with. That's exactly what they're going over this morning.

So based on that, you can kind of sense that I think that's why the sheriff is confident in saying he will have some sort of announcement here in the coming hours. He's been saying that even before her roommate had shown up here at the sheriff's office.

COLLINS: Good point. Ed, we appreciate that live from Jacksonville.

I want to remind everybody that that news conference will be coming your way at noon eastern. CNN will have live coverage for you.

HARRIS: Today, a new measure of the nation's deepening mortgage crisis. Bank of America Corporation agreed to buy the country's biggest mortgage lender. Countrywide has been dogged by rumors of bankruptcy. Those rumors fuelled by rising foreclosures and late payments by millions of the customers.

The buyout needs to be approved by shareholders and the government. If approved, it avoids one challenge, figuring out who would approve payment it is countrywide did indeed go into bankruptcy. What does this mean if you have a countrywide mortgage? CNN's finance expert, Gerri Willis, joins us next hour.

It is a campaign cash crunch for Rudy Giuliani. CNN learned some top staff members have been asked to work without pay for the month of January, maybe longer. The move is to allow more campaign resources to be focused on Florida. Two sources in the campaign say they're not in dire financial straits but they say things are starting to get tight.

Now, for more on this story and more on the presidential candidates, go to cnnpolitics.com. It is your one stop shop for all things political.

COLLINS: A severe weather shocker. Tornadoes rip through several southern states, including Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Trees and power lines knocked over in an instant. 125 homes and buildings are damaged of destroyed in Louisiana. Heavy rains creating deadly conditions. Two people were killed on slick roads.

Look at this picture now. High winds tossed a bus on top of a Mississippi school. The children hid in a hallway and were not hurt. Pretty incredible pictures there. And then from Thursday in Alabama, a family escaped injury by hiding in a ditch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AUDREY DUCKWORTH, STORM VICTIM: We were in the mobile home and the wind picked up real bad and we were going to stay in there and get in the hallway. And we decided, me and my children, to go just jump in the ditch. I didn't actually hear the tornado. We were down, you know, hovered down. And we got up and this is what we come to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Several people were hurt, including a woman who was trapped inside her car after a tree fell on it.

Boy, oh, boy, that picture -- I don't know if you saw that, Bonnie, but the school bus on top of the school. Did you see that?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That lifting mechanism has the power to lift a school bus. What that woman was saying, that was very smart of her to get in the ditch. That's the best place to go to outside and exposed to the weather conditions. I'm glad to see she was OK.

We run the risk for severe weather in other parts of the country today. We may see more tornadoes.

Right now the tornado watch that was over parts of southern Georgia and the panhandle of Georgia, that has been lifted. A line of thunderstorms, particularly intense right along I-10 if you're driving to or from Tallahassee heading to the west. You can see this line of weather that's working its way towards you. We're looking at heavy downpours and winds gusting at 30 miles per hour at this time.

Here's our next focus. The Eastern section of the Carolinas, from Columbia up through Raleigh and the triangle area. Right now light rain. Look at the temperatures. Telling us what's ahead. Notice Charleston right now at 65. Little Rock at 33. We have a sharp contrast of much colder air that will work its way in and, as it does, that combined with the lifting mechanism of this front, will produce damaging winds and isolated areas of tornadoes. All of the way down to Carolina to the tide water region. We may see some of that activity into Delaware, Maryland, and southern New Jersey. This air is much going. We've see a big difference in the weather in the next few days.

It's been a very active January. January is not a typical tornado month but this wild weather week has already included tornadoes in Wisconsin. As you can see, the tornadoes there and in Illinois and in Washington State have been so unusual. Some of the records have been broken, all of the way back to 1844.

You're probably wondering why are we seeing so much tornadic activity in this month. We're seeing conditions for tornadoes to break out. We had all the right elements in place in these situations to get tornadoes. The type of weather we would typically see in the springtime. It's rare to see them in January.

This is more typical of January weather. What's happening in northern New England? Freezing rain, dangerous for driving. But look for accumulation, about one to two inches into northern Vermont. And up in Maine, that's where we can see more of the snow, that four inches. So that's more what we would see this time of yeah.

COLLINS: Yes. We're ready for snow. No more tornadoes, please.

All right, Bonnie, thank you.

With prison behind him, Genarlow Wilson says he's heading to college. You may recall Wilson as the Georgia man who spent two years in prison for having consensual sex with a girl when they were both teenagers. Wilson will attend Atlanta's Morehouse College next week. His tuition, room and board paid for by the foundation of radio personality Tom Joyner. The Georgia Supreme Court freed Wilson last October, ruling his ten-year sentence was rule and unusual punishment.

HARRIS: Stiffer regulations on your driver's license. New details coming out today about the government's controversial plan. Live now to Homeland Security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, in Washington.

Jean, good to see you. We are definitely hearing some push back on this plan.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this has been the flash point between the federal government and the states when it comes to homeland security.

You'll recall the 9/11 hijackers used licenses to get on the airplanes. One of the principle recommendations of the 9/11 Commission was to tighten up issuing drivers' licenses in this country. Congress passed a law saying, we'll do that. You should do it by May 2008. It said everybody was going to have to come in, have to bring a birth certificate, proof of social security number, proof of residency photo I.D. And you were going to have to go in person.

The states rose up and said, whoa, wait a minute, this is going to cost us $11 billion to do. It means people can't renew their licenses over the Internet or even by mail. They're going to have to come in, in person. Six states passed legislation saying we are not going to comply with this. Others passed resolutions saying they were very unhappy with it.

So, the Department of Homeland Security has been listening to this upheaval. They have decided to modify this a bit, rolling out the regulations at noon today. What we expect them to say is that people 50 years of age and younger will have to have these new licenses by 2014. Those over the age of 50 will have to get them by 2017.

This is not going to quell the dispute. Civil liberties people also disliked this proposal because they say it will provide a vast national database of names and information which could be hacked and exploited by various people and they don't like the Big Brother aspect of it. They will continue to make noise about this, I'm sure.

HARRIS: Sounds like it. Jeanne Meserve for us in Washington. Appreciate it. Good to see you. Thanks.

MESERVE: You bet.

COLLINS: Clinton, Obama, according to the black vote in North Carolina, two African-American ministers weigh in on the candidates and the primary.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Boy, I just -- Heidi, I just don't get this. New York Stock Exchange big board right now. Less than an hour into the trading day. Is this the way the Market responds to what was supposed to be good news? Didn't the Fed chairman yesterday, Mr. Bernanke, tell the world that the central bank was prepared to move aggressively? What's the quote here, substantial, additional action to cut interest rates? And this is the response to the market? I need an explanation.

COLLINS: I think they're waiting to see it. I heard an analyst say a couple days ago that this, for 2008 anyway, could likely be the condition that we see. Dow Jones industrial average up a couple hundred points, down a couple hundred points. This incredible volatility that we've seen in the last few months.

HARRIS: Exactly. So I need an explanation. Look, Susan Lisovicz coming up for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Want to get to politics for now. The South Carolina primary just a week from tomorrow. And for Democrats, winning the African-American vote is crucial. Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in a fierce competition for the black vote. Churches carry a lot of clout. It's an interesting topic.

Reverend Joseph A. Darby is pastor of the Morris Brown AME Church in Charleston.

Reverend, thank you for being with us. He is here in Atlanta.

JOSEPH A DARBY, PASTOR, MORRIS BROWN AME CHURCH: Thank you.

COLLINS: Pastor Timothy J. Brown, Sr., of Cleveland Chapel Baptist Church, is with us from Greenville, South Carolina.

Thank you for being with us.

All this talk about South Carolina playing a significant role in this election. I wonder, how significant does your congregation tell you this vote will be?

Let's begin with you, Pastor Brown.

TIMOTHY J. BROWN, PASTOR, CLEVELAND CHAPEL BAPTIST CHURCH: Well, I think that this is one of the most important elections of our history. We cannot afford to allow another four years of these type of politics to go on in America. So our congregants, parishioners are very, very excited and energized about this election. And it's very, very important to South Carolinians as well as America.

COLLINS: Reverend Darby, what are those issues? What are you hearing from your congregation?

DARBY: I think the issues in congregation reflect the issues nationally, the war in Iraq, the state of economy, education, healthcare, very much basket issues that are important to all Americans.

COLLINS: That probably makes sense. I know that you guys have your personal choices. I would like to ask you a little bit about that.

Reverend Darby, what exactly attracts you to Senator Barack Obama?

DARBY: Well, I am officially uncommitted and I have not endorsed the candidate.

COLLINS: Really?

DARBY: I have not. I appreciate a number of things about many of them with regard to Senator Obama and I appreciate his candor, appreciate the innovative spirit of what he's saying and I appreciate the call for change that is somewhat unconventional that resonates with me.

COLLINS: Pastor Brown, I'm not sure if you have committed yourself to either candidate either way. Was there anything that attracts you to Senator Clinton? BROWN: Oh, definitely. I think that as a man of faith, we have to look to the Bible. The Bible said faith without work is dead. And Senator Clinton has worked, is working, and will continue to work for the benefit of all Americans, not just South Carolinians but America at large.

I think we need to put our energy and our resources behind a strong candidate, all of the candidates in the Republican Party. I think a very good candidate, but we need to go into the convention knowing that we have energy and strength behind our candidate because we cannot afford to allow another four years or another eight years of the type of politics that have been going on in America to continue.

COLLINS: You're not trying to push anybody on your parishioners, are you, anybody in particular? It's funny when we talk about dinner parties we always say, boy, there's two things you never discuss with friends at a dinner party, one of them is politics and the other is religion. So you two are in a very unique position. Do you ever mention it during your sermons?

BROWN: Well, I never...

DARBY: No, no, no.

COLLINS: Sorry. Go ahead.

BROWN: Sorry.

DARBY: I never tell people how to vote. I find that to be insulting and pandering. I do think though that politics and religion meet when you discuss the issues that flow from the gospel, to me as a Christian clergy person. So I encourage people to see how those issues flow, what those issues are and make informed and prayerful choices based on what the candidates say.

HARRIS: Pastor Brown?

BROWN: Absolutely. I agree 100 percent. I would never tell my congregants who to vote for, but I'm passionate about who I support. And I would tell them to be educated on the issues, to look at all of the candidates with a sincere heart. But focus on the issues. We need healthcare in America. We needed indication reform. We need economic reform. We need to look at the issues when we're making our decision on whomever our candidates are.

COLLINS: Reverend Darby, do you sense amongst your congregation any type of divisiveness though between parishioners and what they really think about this selection and who they may be supporting?

DARBY: I don't know if I would call it difficult divisiveness. I would call it diversity. There are people who very much for Senator Obama, some very much for Senator Clinton, some very much for former Senator Edwards. I've heard all those names mentioned. We've talked through just in informal conversations, the electability factors for a white man versus a white woman versus an African-American man. And we have come to the conclusion that everybody in the race is ultimately elect I believe.

COLLINS: I do wonder, Pastor Brown, how far Senator Obama's pretty big win in Iowa and then their defeat in New Hampshire will go for him. Is anyone talking about that inside your church?

BROWN: I'm sorry. Could you repeat the question? I didn't quite...

COLLINS: Yes. Senator Barack Obama certainly had a big win in Iowa and a narrow defeat in New Hampshire. How far do you think that will take him, specifically, among the black voters?

BROWN: Well, I think that Americans and especially the black community has matured and we're no longer -- you can no longer just count on the vote. You have to speak to the issues, to the people, and the people will vote their conscience.

I think that this election has proven that you can't trust pundits, you can't trust polls. People have to be educated and you have to go out and you have to vote your conscience and see what happens at the end of the night.

COLLINS: That's exactly right, something that we learned this time around, isn't it?

Reverend Joseph A. Darby, appreciate your time.

DARBY: Thank you.

COLLINS: And Pastor Timothy J. Brown, Sr., thank you so much.

BROWN: Thank you.

HARRIS: Supporting the troops. A woman and her sewing machine cranking out special clothing for hospitalized soldiers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: He reached the top of the world. Edmund Hillary was the first man to stand on top of Mt. Everest, yet modest enough to say he shared the honor with the Sherpa guide until that man's death. Today Sir Edmund Hillary's death is being mourned. He climbed his first mountain in 1944 but etched his name in history nine years later. He described the scaling of the world's highest mountain in these words, "awe, wonder, humility, pride, exultation." Hillary was knighted and undertook other expeditions but never forgot the land of his great conquest, returning to that pole more than 120 times and set up a foundation that built dozens of schools and hospitals. Sir Edmund Hillary was 88.

COLLINS: No more breezy hospital gowns for wounded troops. An Arizona woman is pitching in with special clothing.

KNOA's Sandy Rathbun reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) EMMIE SLOCUM, SEWER FOR THE TROOPS: Breaks my heart. They're fighting for our freedom and, you know, this is just a little way I can support them.

SANDY RATHBUN, REPORTER, KNOA: Three days a week, Emmie Slocum sits down at her sewing machine to create adaptive clothing for wounded soldiers. Clothes that fit overcasts and braces.

SLOCUM: This is a pair of boxer shorts. The adaptive part is, this is velcroed down the side.

RATHBUN (on camera): Emmie sews these clothes so no matter what a medical soldier's problem, he can get them on. You can see I can even put this one on top of my skirt.

SLOCUM: These soldiers have fought for us. They've come back wounded. They are issued hospital gowns. Some of them are in rehab for months or years, and hospital gowns aren't very dignified.

RATHBUN (voice-over): Emmie sews for the volunteer organization called Sew Much Comfort. Across the comfort, the non-profit has about 500 volunteers who sew free clothe for soldiers in 100 military hospitals.

SLOCUM: With the garments we make, they're able to be more mobile, not in bed, and even perhaps go out for a movie or dinner. And it boosts the self-esteem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Slocum started sewing after she saw a news story about volunteers in other states. Now she's looking for help cutting patterns and paying for fabric.

HARRIS: The Middle East, ancient hatred, new threats. A closer look as President Bush ratchets up his peace efforts there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Your money, your questions, what do you need to know to get the most bang out of your buck? CNN's Gerri Willis answers viewer questions in minutes. Your questions, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

Bottom of the hour. Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. President Bush in Kuwait this morning. He wrapped up his three-day visit to Israel and the west bank. He's already planning a return trip there. President Bush says he'll go back in may to continue working on an Israeli/Palestinian peace deal. He is calling for an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory, and in return wants an end to violence against Israel.

HARRIS: The Middle East, the land of ancient hatred, could there ever, ever be a lasting peace deal? Our next guest is a long-time reporter cover that region. Robin Wright is the diplomatic correspondent at "The Washington Post," and she joins us for a deeper look at the Mideast.

Robin, great to see you.

Let me get started with a basic one here. What are your thoughts on the trip so far? What has the president's trip accomplished, in your mind?

ROBIN WRIGHT, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, President Bush is clearly trying to generate new momentum behind a peace effort. The question really is, will there be any muscle applied? The administration now has one year to wrap up a process that -- a conflict with the Palestinians that has dragged on since 1948. So there's a lot to accomplish, and it's still unclear whether the administration can meet the deadline.

HARRIS: Boy, you talk about bringing some muscle to bear on this process. I wonder, any of these leaders -- we're talking about the president, we're talking about Olmert, we're talking about Abbas -- do any of these leaders have the strength, the political strength, to really make something happen? They all have different challenges.

WRIGHT: Well, that's a good question, and clearly both of them have been weakened, both because of opposition to Olmert in the aftermath of the Lebanon War, and also by President Mahmoud Abbas, because he's lost control of the Gaza Strip, that half of the Palestinian territory. So both men have common interests in facing down extremism, but they also face, you know, serious opposition or limitations in their own political backyard.

HARRIS: So how do you assess the likelihood of something meaningful in this final year of the Bush presidency?

WRIGHT: Well, I think there's enormous incentive. I think there's a will, but I'm not sure that there's yet the way to do it. This is still involving the thorny key issues of Jerusalem and refugees and -- that have dragged on and been irresolvable for a long time.

HARRIS: Well, you know, Robin, Let's try to fix it. Let's talk it through together here. You talk about some of the final status issues here, land for peace, right of return for Palestinians displaced over the years. I'm wondering, those seem daunting. But is there some low-hanging road here available for all of these men to pluck here? Maybe a new stimulus package for the Palestinian economy, maybe something with checkpoints, something that at least is tangible, incremental, that could be built upon?

WRIGHT: Well, I think the administration is looking to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to work on development issues, to try to show the Palestinians that there is an incentive and a goal to achieve by cooperating. But, you know, this is a very different combination of factors limiting the prospects for peace than any side he's ever faced. HARRIS: Yes, I have to ask you, what do you think of the language -- let me see if I can find it here -- used by the president in saying that the Israeli occupation -- the Israeli occupation, that's strong language, should end?

WRIGHT: Well, clearly, I think the president used some interesting language in talking to both sides, trying to say that there is a need for movement, trying to address some of the specific concerns such as the issue of compensation for Palestinians who fled, and also dealing with Israel's concern about not giving up all territory. The use of the word "occupation" I think will probably resonate. It was used before by this administration, but not as -- in the kind of tough and precise language as it was used yesterday.

HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Robin, we've got this video of the U.S. military, just a quick Iran question for you. And then video from -- well, first, the U.S. military, then video from Iran broadcast on one of its networks, of the same incident, as you know, in the Persian Gulf. Two different views obviously of the same episode.

At the very least, this incident provided the president with an opportunity to talk tough about Iran in a way he hasn't been able to since the latest National Intelligence Estimate of Iran's nuclear program. What's your view of recent Iranian/U.S. developments?

WRIGHT: Well, I think the administration clearly was trying to focus on Iran and the threat, and will during the president's trip make that a major theme during the five-country stops in the Persian Gulf, across from Iran.

But the Pentagon now concedes that they are not sure that that voice threat which suggested that there was going to be some kind of explosion against the U.S. warships came from the five Iranian speed boats. Many Farsi speakers now say that this is not in a Persian accent, and the Pentagon is unsure actually where it came from, and that changes the dynamics of that incident.

HARRIS: Yes, it really does.

"The Washington Post's" robin wright with us this morning. Robin, great to see you. Have a great weekend.

WRIGHT: Thank you.

COLLINS: Entire neighborhoods in Illinois underwater. Torrential downpours and melting snow have triggered major flooding and sent water pouring into more than 430 homes. In several towns flooded rivers and creeks. Making matters even worse, thousands of people had to evacuate, hundreds had to be rescued by boat. The governor has declared two counties state disaster areas.

And touchdown in a place where tornadoes are extremely rare. A twister tore through Vancouver, Washington yesterday. Homes were destroyed, power lines and trees toppled. Shopping carts even were sent flying into cars, but thankfully nobody was hurt in all of that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: You know, today we've got a new measure of the nation's deepening mortgage crisis. Bank of America Corporation has agreed to buy the country's biggest mortgage lender. Countrywide has been dogged by rumors of bankruptcy. Those rumors fuelled by rising foreclosures and late payments by millions of its mortgage customers. The buyout needs to be approved by shareholders, and the government, of course. If approved, it avoids one challenge, figuring out who would collect payments if countrywide did indeed go into bankruptcy.

COLLINS: Savings, foreclosures and credit reports, just some of the topics you have questions about. Here to answer those viewer e- mails, CNN personal financed Gerri Willis this morning.

Gerri, good morning to you. Let's go ahead and get straight to the first one.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good morning, Heidi.

COLLINS: This guy not a happy camper. He says, "I've lost $9,000 in a week due to the declining stock market. Should I pull out my money or put it into CDs, or should I ride out the storm? I'm only 36, so I have time to make it back, right?" He signs it "Seasick."

WILLIS: Ouch! Nine-thousand dollars in a week, that's no chump change. But your best bet, ride out that storm. Keep in mind the market has rallied for the past two sessions. Look, the annual long- term gain on stocks is almost 11 percent. Guessing when the market hits bottom is nearly impossible. Even the pros can't do it.

Remember the golden rule, buy low, sell high. Now if you sell now you run risk of missing gains and then pay fees to reinvest in the market. Who wants to do that? Nobody.

COLLINS: Yes, nobody. This one from Kristina. "I would like to know if my credit score goes down, if I view my credit report from one of the three credit bureaus once a year."

WILLIS: Well, that is a great question.

COLLINS: Yes.

WILLIS: Checking your credit report once a year to make sure it has no errors, that's just a great idea, and it does not hurt you credit score. If you want to get your credit report, that Web site is annualcreditreport.com. It's a freebie. And the only kind of inquiry that could hurt your score is when you actively go out and seek credit, apply for a credit card or anything else. So, if a business is trying to sell you a product or your employer looks at your credit record, that will not hurt your credit score either.

COLLINS: Yes, OK, I think this one is really interesting, too, from Araba. It says, "If you foreclose on a rental property in Texas, can your primary residence in a different state, in California, be affected?"

WILLIS: All right, this took so long to research.

COLLINS: Really?

WILLIS: My producer, Jennifer Hayley (ph), spent a lot of time on it. Short answer, yes. In this case, your home can be affected by debt on an investment property, but it doesn't always work this way. You want to check the laws in your state. But remember, there is the possibility that your debt could follow you and affect assets.

COLLINS: Yes.

WILLIS: Consult an attorney in your area to get all the details if your situation isn't exactly like this fellow's.

COLLINS: OK, and from Greg, this one now. "Can you tell me the best place for up to date info on flights being canceled due to weather?"

You know, Gerri, we were joking in our meeting this morning, yes, go to the airport and stand there and ask the pilot.

WILLIS: Yes, that may not be a bad idea, actually. You know, the first thing you really want to do, though, is go to the Web site of the airline. You'll be able to check real time flight status. You know, you can even get an e-mail alert when your plane is late or canceled. In fact, if you're looking for a deal, these e-mail alerts can let you know about special sales.

And if you want to get an overall view about the on time status of your airline and special flights you like to take, check out flightstats.com. Look for the airline scorecard. Now, this will tell you how many flights have been delayed or canceled recently on the airline you use.

And of course, if you have any questions, send them to us at toptips@CNN.com. We answer them right here every Friday. And we love hearing from you.

COLLINS: All right, Gerri, and we're going to talk with you again next hour regarding this whole deal with Countrywide and Bank of America.

WILLIS: That's right. We've got lots of details. If you have a Countrywide loan, you're really going to want to listen in. We've got great details for you.

COLLINS: OK, very good. Good tease. Gerri, thanks. We'll talk next hour.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: A missing persons case where things just don't seem to add up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Things just don't fall in place like they ought to fall in place, like you think they should, then that gives you concern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a young female marine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get to some business news now. One of the nation's largest banks is buying a big mortgage lender. Susan Lisovicz, OK, is on the floor of the -- oh, we love it there when you're on the floor of the Stock Exchange.

Susan, what's the reaction so far to this news?

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COLLINS: As you know, the news doesn't stop for the weekend. Here now Betty Nguyen and T.J. Holmes with a look at what's ahead on CNN "SATURDAY."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: We're gearing up for a high-profile weekend of campaign stumping. You know, Iowa, New Hampshire, those are in the background.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, that's old news now. It's time for the rest of the country to take part. Republicans are flying between Michigan and South Carolina while the Democrats, well, they're going between South Carolina and Florida. We're going to bring you their events live.

NGUYEN: The young voters, they are getting a whole lot of attention. Candidates visiting high schools, college campuses, making sure that they're on the Web and we want to look into whether this is an affective strategy.

HOLMES: Also, no Golden Globes, no red carpet, no glamorous gowns, no Jennifer Lopez ...

NGUYEN: Say it isn't so.

HOLMES: ...no -- yes, no celebrations, none of those parties. Such a bummer. The writer's strike hurting other businesses as well. We'll be talking about that.

NGUYEN: CNN "SATURDAY" and "SUNDAY MORNING" beginning tomorrow at 7:00 Eastern.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: A former presidential candidate raising a big question. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, whatever happened to experiences, is experience kind of a leper?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK, change or experience? A look at what voters want.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We could be getting some answers in a little bit more than an hour from now about a young marine missing for weeks, and also pregnant. Authorities in North Carolina hope for a positive outcome, but still face a lot of questions.

CNN's Randi Kaye reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maria Lauterbach is a 20-year-old marine stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. She's also pregnant. In fact, she's expecting her first child any day now, that is, if she's alive.

ED BROWN, SHERIFF, ONSLOW COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA: You know when things just don't fall in place like they ought to fall in place, like you think they should, then that gives you concern.

KAYE: Sheriff Ed Brown has been searching for Lauterbach for weeks. He's faced with many mysteries. The first, did she leave on her own or is she in danger? Marine Sergeant Daniel Durham may have been the last person to have spoken with her. He's also just been ordered by the Marines to return from California back to North Carolina. Police now call him a key witness. He's been interviewed before, but the sheriff says some things don't matchup. Sheriff Brown says he wants to look Durham in the eyes again.

BROWN: Body language tells you a lot. Body language tells you a whole lot.

KAYE: The search warrant obtained by CNN shows Durham's laptop was taken as evidence from this home he shares with the missing marine.

(on-camera): What would be of interest on a laptop?

BROWN: You would be surprised what you can find out from computers. Everything is of interest, everything.

KAYE (voice-over): The sheriff says Sergeant Durham left for training in California about two weeks after Lauterbach disappeared. Investigators are especially curious about Durham's interest in the case and comments he's made. The next big question mark, does what Lauterbach claims happened to her at Camp Lejeune have anything to do with her disappearance? She filed claims of sexual assault against a senior officer there. The military says they're investigating the incident, but inconsistencies in her story have made the case difficult to pursue.

And that gets us to another issue, Lauterbach has been diagnosed with Bi-polar disorder and has a history of compulsive lying. In fact, Lauterbach was facing a possible discharge due to the personal and professional stress. But despite a troubled personal life, investigators remain concerned about evidence of a crime. Lauterbach went missing on December 14th and, since then, money has been withdrawn from her bank account. The sheriff told me there is surveillance tape of a man making that withdrawal and reports show he was even trying to cover up the surveillance camera.

(on- camera): On Monday, by chance, Lauterbach's car was discovered here in the parking lot of this fast food restaurant. One of the investigators working the case happened to come by and get a hamburger and noticed the car. At first, they thought it had been parked here just that day. But the sheriff says one of the restaurant employees has told him it had been parked here since December 15th, the day after Lauterbach was reported missing.

(voice-over): And oddly, her cell phone was found outside Camp Lejeune on December 20th. That has investigators perplexed. Why there? And why the day after her case was made public? Her family hopes answers will come through this Facebook web page, where they are pleading for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to see her again. I hope to see her and I hope the baby's healthy.

KAYE: Whether she ran or not, her mother wants her home.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Jacksonville, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Onslow County sheriff, Ed Brown, has called a news conference for later today for what he call as major update on this case. That will be at noon, Eastern. We will bring it to you live, right here, in the CNN NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Well, she was once the most celebrated female athlete in the world. Today, Marion Jones could be sent to prison. Imagine that. Steroids, fraud, and disgrace, in the newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The writer's strike isn't slowing him down. Funny man Chris Rock is touring the United Kingdom and no subject matter goes untouched, especially politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: Hillary did win? Hillary did win, so far. But we're going to ask for a recount. We're going to ask --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Join us Saturday night at 10:00 Eastern for Chris Rock raw, unedited, from politics to the writer's strike. And, he even has something to say about O.J., Michael Vick...

HARRIS: Oh, no.

COLLINS: ... and our own Wolf Blitzer. Wolf, are you listening? That's this Saturday night, 10:00 Eastern on CNN.

HARRIS: Good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.

I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on Friday, the 11th day of January.

Here's what's on the run down.

I'm Heidi Collins.

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