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Missing British Girl's Parent Suspect in Case; Troop Withdrawal From Iraq?; Fred Thompson on the Trail

Aired September 07, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Heidi Collins today.

You do want to watch events as they come into the NEWSROOM live on this Friday morning. It is September 7th and here's what's on the rundown.

We do have new developments in the case of a missing British girl. A family friend says the mother has been made a formal suspect.

HARRIS: Mixed results in Iraq. The top U.S. general there talks about momentum made but uneven military progress.

NGUYEN: And go directly to jail. The prosecutor in the Duke lacrosse case reports for a very short sentence.

All of this right here in the NEWSROOM.

We begin now with shocking developments in the search for Madeleine McCann, the British girl who vanished during a family vacation in Portugal. A family spokesman says the 4-year-old mom is now named a suspect.

Let's get you the latest with CNN's Paula Hancocks, who joins us now.

Paula, what do you know?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, Kate McCann has been inside the police station that I'm outside of for the past three hours. She is being questioned and she is now formally a suspect in the disappearance of her 4-year-old daughter, Madeleine.

Now, we are also expecting in the next hour or so that Gerry McCann is going to be coming here as well. He is still not a formal suspect. He is just expected to be helping out a witness at this point,.

But certainly a real twist in this story, considering the huge amount of publicity this story has had. The McCanns had been traveling around the world, meeting the Pope, David Beckham, celebrities like that, to try and garner support to try and find their daughter.

Now, what we have heard -- and this is very interesting -- from the spokesperson of the McCann family is last night, that Thursday evening, when Kate McCann was being questioned, police asked about blood found in a car. Now, this is a rental car that the McCanns had rented, and that matched, we believe, to Madeleine. But the interesting thing is this car was rented 25 days after Madeleine went missing.

Now, we also understand from the family lawyer that police found blood on Kate McCann's clothes, also an item of clothing that she gave to the police a month ago. That is the same blood.

So certainly the police here in Portugal feel that they have enough evidence to be able to say to the public and to the world that we believe Kate McCann is now a suspect.

NGUYEN: Well, Paula, let me ask you, in light of that blood evidence, that DNA evidence, are you saying, at least from what you know at this point, that that is what is linking the mother to this case?

HANCOCKS: Well, certainly that's what the spokesperson for the family is telling us. We're hearing very little from the Portuguese police.

Obviously, this is an ongoing criminal investigation. They can't say anything. But the spokesperson did say this is what Kate McCann was asked on Thursday evening.

Now, when she was asked about this blood in the car that was rented 25 days after Madeleine disappeared, she said that she was completely taken aback. She called it utterly ludicrous. So, of course, Kate McCann to this point is saying that she is devastated that she has been named as a suspect in the disappearance of her own daughter, and she is also saying, according to the spokesperson, that she is worried going down this line of inquiry is just going to distract from actually finding her daughter.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Paula Hancocks with the fast-moving developments in the case that is very shocking to many viewers as we're learning that the mother is now a suspect.

Paula, we thank you.

HARRIS: You want to talk about a fast developing story? Let's get you to New York now.

And Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" a little early.

We wanted to get you off the top here, Ali, because the August jobs numbers are in and there's some real "there" there.

ALI VELSHI, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Very -- it's a very big surprise and it's something to worry about. The expectation in August was that the United States would create 150,000 jobs. The U.S. lost 4,000 jobs. A net difference of 155,000 jobs, but, Tony, we haven't lost jobs in America in four years on a month-to-month basis. So this is the first job loss in four years. It is the biggest decline from one month to the next in more than three years.

The unemployment rate itself is staying steady at 4.6 percent, which is historically quite low, but the job losses have been across the board. I think I have got some -- here we go.

In production, 64,000 jobs lost in August. In manufacturing, 46,000. In government, 28,000. In construction, 22,000.

In fact, the gains are so measly in those industries that have had gains that this is actually giving people some great concern right now. Dow futures are indicating that we'll have a triple-digit loss right at the open.

HARRIS: Whoa.

VELSHI: And Tony, I'll be back with you right before the bell opens to follow that with you. But it's developing quickly.

There's also another story developing. Beazer Homes, which is one of the biggest home builders in the country, has been given a notice -- or says it's been given a notice of default by one of its lenders, saying that it is in some trouble. We are still trying to get confirmation on exactly what that means, but things are moving faster than anybody expected them to this morning.

Remember, Tony, there are three things that the average person worries about -- their retirement...

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: ... their home...

HARRIS: Absolutely.

VELSHI: ... and their job.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

VELSHI: And now everything is taking a hit. So that's a problem.

HARRIS: OK. You have plenty on your plate. All right. We're going to get back to you in just a couple of minutes.

VELSHI: Yes.

HARRIS: Ali Velshi for us in New York.

Thanks, Ali. NGUYEN: Also new today, seven more U.S. troops killed in Iraq. The military announcing this morning four Marines killed during combat operations in Anbar province. And to the north, three soldiers died in explosion near their vehicle in Niwevah province.

That makes 18 U.S. military deaths in Iraq this month.

HARRIS: Tactical momentum initiative? The top U.S. general in Iraq describing results of the troop buildup this morning.

General David Petraeus could call for troops start coming home next spring. Really?

Live now to CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.

Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony.

Well, you know, it's Friday. Come Monday, General Petraeus will be on Capitol Hill here in Washington talking to the Congress, talking to the public about what his recommendations are for the way ahead in Iraq. And everybody is playing the guessing game.

But General Petraeus did give an interview to "The Boston Globe" newspaper and he offered one clue. Here is what General Petraeus said. "I expect to be able to recommend that some of our forces will be redeployed without replacement. That will, over time, reduce the total number of troops in Iraq."

What is General Petraeus really saying? Come April, the surge runs out. Not enough troops to keep it going. He is most likely to recommend that the troops, that there be a drawdown of those surge forces beginning in April.

Now, we should tell everyone there are stories today in both "The Washington Post" and "The New York Times" indicating that General Petraeus could make a recommendation that the first troops not come home in the spring but actually maybe by Christmas or the new year. People very close to General Petraeus tell us that is not true, that is not accurate. That's not what he's looking at. He is looking much more towards the spring time frame.

But come Monday, we should know a lot more when General Petraeus goes before Congress.

HARRIS: Yes.

Hey, Barbara, talk about this challenge, this challenge of striking this balance between maintaining security on the ground there in Iraq and the desire that is palpable in the country to bring some troops home.

STARR: That is the challenge. It's that risk benefit analysis that the military likes to talk about. They want to keep General Petraeus as the guy on the ground. He wants to keep as many troops as he reasonably can to keep security in place, to keep building on the progress. By any account, any of these security games are really very fragile, they need to keep the troops there. But back home, Congress, military families, the people in the United States, want to see, by any measure, the troops start coming home.

And actually, many of the joint chiefs, the head of the military services, are getting very concerned about how tired the troops are -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr for us this morning.

Barbara, thank you.

STARR: Sure.

NGUYEN: Happening right now in North Carolina, he accused three Duke lacrosse players of rape. Now former Durham County D.A. Mike Nifong is turning himself in. He will spend 24 hours in jail, his sentence for a contempt conviction.

Now a judge ruled Nifong willfully made false statements about evidence provided in the defense. Nifong resigned and was disbarred a little bit earlier this year, as you'll recall. Well, the lacrosse players were cleared of those charges, even declared innocent.

Now The Associated Press reports the players are seeking a $30 million settlement and promises of legal reforms from Durham.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, a boy haunted by the memory of a bombing now about to see a dream come true. An Iraqi amputee heading to the United States for help.

NGUYEN: And check this out. Off and running, but did he join the race a little too late? We're going to look at Fred Thompson's first day as a full-fledged presidential candidate.

HARRIS: A Southwest Airlines passenger grounded until she makes a wardrobe adjustment.

NGUYEN: Uh-oh.

HARRIS: Is there a picture of her here? What's the problem? What is the issue here? Now she may try a suit -- a lawsuit.

NGUYEN: And athletes always looking for an edge. And the latest, a tiny energy strip that dissolves on the tongue.

We're going to give it a test run with our Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: In the race and on the campaign trail, presidential candidate Fred Thompson stumping in Iowa today, but did he join the race too late?

Let's check in now with Chief National Correspondent John King, live from Sioux City.

John, good to see you.

What's the response you're hearing to that question?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, Tony, the crowds have been modest but the reception pretty welcoming. Fred Thompson is behind the other candidates, so as he campaigns here in Sioux City and across Iowa's farm country, essentially what he's saying is, you've seen the other guys for months, now take a look at me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go Fred go! Go Fred go!

KING (voice over): The big challenge now is to make it worth the wait.

THOMPSON: So the preseason is over. Let's get on with it.

KING: Fred Thompson used his first rally as a declared candidate for president to label himself a commonsense conservative and the Republican Party's best hope of keeping the White House in a campaign in which the Democrats are heavy favorites.

THOMPSON: My friends, our country needs us to win. Our country needs us to win. I am ready to lead that fight.

Let's do it together.

KING: But this tiny crowd at the campaign kickoff highlighted concerns that Thompson waited too long and is too far behind his rivals in building an organization. Eight other Republicans have been at it for months already, but Thompson suggests that he alone is the complete package to keep taxes low, no amnesty, anti-abortion conservative, and more.

THOMPSON: We must show the determination that we are going to be United as an American people and do whatever is necessary to prevail not only in Iraq, but in the worldwide conflict that lies beyond Iraq.

KING: There are many questions, and a late start means the answers needs to come quickly.

TUCKER ESKEW, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: There's time, but he'll have to come out of the gate strong. He's got that potential and he's got a party that is looking for its man on a White horse.

KING: Early staff turnover in some cases because of friction with the candidate's wife, Jeri, who is also raising some eyebrows.

WHIT AYRES, REPUBLICAN POLLSTER: Senator Thompson's executive experience is substantially less than that demonstrated by Mayor Giuliani or Governor Romney. Therefore, people are going to evaluate Senator Thompson's executive ability through the way he organizes his campaign and sets up his organization.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Thompson, of course, probably best known for his work in Hollywood. But his speaking style is decidedly low key, much more middle Tennessee than you might expect from someone you see off and on the big screen.

And Tony, as you might expect, some hiccups in the early stages in the campaign. The buses rolled into Council Bluffs last night, and the candidate was introduced by a man who conceded he didn't know much about the senator, and then proceeded to introduce him as Senator Fred Roberts -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right. John King for us in Sioux City, Iowa.

John, good to see you. Thanks.

Well, you know you did it once. Now it is time for history to repeat itself.

Go to cnn.com/youtubedebates and post your questions for the Republican presidential candidates. The debate Wednesday, November 28th. On your calendar, Wednesday, November 28th.

Your voice will be heard only on CNN, your home for politics.

CHETRY: Amateur athletes, they are getting pumped up over a convenient alternative to sports drinks.

Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a marathoner, aside from a brain surgeon and a journalist, a father.

I mean, the list goes on, Sanjay. And you're always looking for an edge, as you need. There is only 24 hours in a day. I don't know how do you at all.

HARRIS: There you go.

NGUYEN: He joins us now from New York.

This is really interesting, Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You're putting a lot of pressure on me, Betty, as well.

I'm not a marathoner yet. I'm going to run this New York marathon, as I mentioned. But, you know, a lot of people ask the question as they're exercising and stuff, how do you best replace a lot of those electrolytes that you're losing as you're running or doing some sort of exercise?

Lots of different products out there, quite frankly. There's one product out here called Enlyten. These are actually these little strips. They look like the breath strips that you put on your tongue.

One of these things. You actually stick it right on your tongue. You're supposed to take six of these before, six during and six after your exercise. And it's designed to try and replace the electrolytes that you might lose during some sort of activity.

One of these strips, incidentally, is equivalent to about a cup -- or, I'm sorry, an ounce or so of some sort of sports drink. So that gives you a little bit of a sense of how much of the electrolytes that you're replacing.

Well, again, Betty, lots of different products out there, but the goal is trying to replace some of these things before, during, and after your exercise routines.

NGUYEN: But come on, Sanjay. Do these things really work? I mean, we're talking about a little strip, when people could drink this much of a sports drink and get the fluids they that they need.

HARRIS: Yes!

GUPTA: Tony is like "Yes!"

The question really becomes, you know, you're not getting the fluids.

NGUYEN: Right.

GUPTA: You're obviously just taking the strips. So that's obviously -- you're losing something there.

But I take it even one step further than that. I would say for the vast majority of people who exercise, myself included, you really probably don't need any kind of electrolyte replacement. The body is actually pretty good at replacing this thing themselves.

We acclimate, we sort of divert sodium and potassium to where it's most needed most. About one in five athletes, according to some of our investigations, might actually benefit from sort of an electrolyte replacement.

And you're absolutely right, again, you still need to get the fluids. This is just replacing the electrolytes. Not sure that's going to be very effective for most people.

NGUYEN: So will we be seeing these films or strips pop up with other things? Because I think I saw one in the grocery store the other day for sore throats. A medicine that you just put on as a strip instead of taking one of those lozenges.

Benefit from electrolyte replacement. You still need to get the fluids. This is just replacing the electrolytes. Not sure it's going to be very effective for most people.

Will we be seeing films or strips pop up with other things? I think I saw one in the grocery store the other day for sore throats. A medicine you just put on as a strip instead of taking a lozenges.

GUPTA: As you can imagine, this has become quite popular a lot of times for kids. Kids who don't like to swallow pills or take medications can actually take these and stick it on the kid's tongue. It just dissolves.

We've seen it as breath strips. A lot of people have heard of it for breath strips. But also, they are using it for, like, Pedialyte, which is electrolyte replacement for kids who might be sick, if you have some sort of flu or something. And also, it's going to come out as a hangover medication as well, something you just put on your tongue the morning after a night of drinking perhaps, and that might replace some of your fluids and electrolytes that way as well.

Again, it's not for everybody. I'm not sure this is going to be the wave of the future for athletes or amateur athletes like myself, but it's something that is out there. A lot of these different products are becoming quite popular.

NGUYEN: All right. Quickly, I just have to clarify -- you say you're not a marathoner, although the buzz around here was, oh, did you hear, Sanjay, he runs marathons on top of being a brain surgeon.

HARRIS: Yes. That's the buzz.

NGUYEN: So if this is your first, why in the world would you want to do that with Lance Armstrong, of all people?

GUPTA: Yes, I know. It's probably not the smartest thing to run with arguably the world's greatest athlete, but, you know, we're trying to raise money for cancer research. You know, that's something that he does, and he raised a lot of money for it last year.

He said he wasn't going to do it again this year, but he's going to. And I think it's a tremendous thing.

Hopefully he's going to slow down.

NGUYEN: Right.

GUPTA: He ran the thing in less than three hours last year. And I guarantee you, we won't be running together if he does it again this year.

NGUYEN: Well, you may want to tie a rope to him so that when you get tired he can just pull you the rest of the way.

Sanjay, thank you. And hey, good luck in that marathon.

GUPTA: Thanks guys. Thank you very much.

HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, returning to the skies over Nevada. The search for Steve Fossett expands days after the thrill seeker disappeared without a trace.

Live to Nevada -- in the NEWSROOM.

VELSHI: And I'm Ali Velshi in New York "Minding Your Business".

Less than 10 minutes to go before stock markets open in the United States. Brace for another shock. We've had the first job loss in four years.

I'll have more on that story when we're back in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, he is an actor, an ex-senator, a lawyer and a former lobbyist. And Fred Thompson is among those making their mark this week. He officially entered the presidential race after months of political flirtation.

Thompson is counting on support from conservatives not happy with the current field of GOP candidates. And he kicked off his campaign with calls for smaller government, border security, and stronger defense and victory in Iraq.

HARRIS: Just in, 4,000 jobs cut in the month of August. That is the first monthly job loss in four years.

Ali Velshi is here "Minding Your Business".

Ali, hold on a second. Hold on just a second.

This is a massive economy, the U.S. economy.

VELSHI: Yes.

HARRIS: It is massive. Why is everyone...

VELSHI: So what's 4,000 jobs?

HARRIS: Yes. There you go.

VELSHI: Well, because in a healthy economy you should be growing 175,000, 200,000, 225,000 jobs per month. That's part of economic growth.

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: That's part of inflation, it's part of everything that goes up. We have to have more jobs. We create more jobs because of more value and more work.

You're not supposed to be going the wrong way. So the 4,000 isn't as relevant as two other points.

Number one, it's the wrong direction.

HARRIS: Yes. VELSHI: We've been going from -- I think in April we had job growth of about 122,000 jobs. And since then, you know, we had 188,000, then it started going down into the double digits. So we're not -- we're going the wrong direction.

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: Number two, we depend on our jobs, our home values and our retirements to feel wealthy, to make decisions, and to make spending decisions. Now, if we're getting hit on all sides, guess what happens? The American consumer starts getting worried.

It's not about your job, Tony. It's if you hear people talking about the fact that jobs are being lost, you stop making the big purchases. You stop taking the big loans.

HARRIS: Psychologically impacted.

VELSHI: You psychologically become more conservative in your spending.

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: And this economy depends on spending. The jobs are lost in the places you would think they're lost -- construction, manufacturing, producing, transportation, government, things like that. Look at those job losses. So that's a big deal.

This is the first job loss in four years. It's the biggest job loss from one month to the next in three years.

Now, here's the other side of the coin, Tony.

HARRIS: Sure.

VELSHI: We've talked about mortgages. Delinquencies in the first -- the second three months of this year, April through June, that's what we're looking at here, were 5.12 percent -- 5.12 percent of all mortgages were delinquent in the second three months of this year. That, compared to 4.39 percent last year.

That's pretty significant. That means more than 30 days late on those mortgages. That's what leads to foreclosures.

Now, when you put all this together, what does the pie mean, Tony? When you talk about job losses, you talk about mortgages, delinquencies...

HARRIS: And delinquencies, yes.

VELSHI: ... you start hearing some people talk about, is there a danger of recession? And that talk is starting to surface.

HARRIS: What are you seeing in terms of the Dow futures? We're opening -- the markets open in just a couple of minutes here.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: All right. We will check back and just see where things open in the next minutes or so.

Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Have a great weekend, sir.

VELSHI: And you, too.

NGUYEN: Coming up...

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ten thousand square miles. Imagine searching over an area that big. Then imagine it's the most rugged terrain you could ever see.

I'm going to take you for a ride and show you what Civil Air Patrol searchers are contending with as they look for the missing adventurer Steve Fossett.

That's coming up on the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Also, a little girl missing. Her mother reportedly named a suspect. The family's anguish now deeper than ever.

We'll have that.

HARRIS: Back now to the New York Stock Exchange, just in time for the opening bell. The jobs report for August, 4,000 jobs lost. The Dow futures indicating a rocky start to the markets, but Ali said, it's probably more important where we end up at the end of the day. Foreclosures, delinquencies up. Could be a rocky day. Strap in. You're in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning, everybody, on this Friday and welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Betty Nguyen in for Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: Folks are throwing stuff at us.

What's going on?

I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: All over the place.

HARRIS: Good morning, everyone.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

NGUYEN: In the meantime, a missing little girl and a shocking new development. A friend of Madeleine McCann's family says the mother has been named a suspect. An even bigger shock may be that forensic discovery that the 4-year-old's blood reportedly found in a rental car. According to a family friend, that car rented by Madeleine's parents more than three weeks after her disappearance.

Madeleine McCann vanished in May during a family vacation in Portugal. Her parents had left her alone with her 2-year-old siblings while they went out to dinner. Well, the family's plight has seized international attention. Her parents met with the Pope Benedict at the Vatican and had enlisted the support of celebrities. And today, Madeleine's father is expected to face police questioning.

HARRIS: So here is a look at the time line of the Madeleine McCann case.

May 3rd -- her parents report her missing.

The next day, the local police are criticized for a slow response.

Several days later, police say they've investigated 350 suspicious incidents and they say none have generated leads in the search.

One week later, police identify a suspect. But they say there's not enough evidence to file charges.

August 10th now -- Gerry and Kate McCann say they won't leave Portugal until their daughter is found.

That brings us to yesterday. Madeleine's mother faces 11 hours of police questioning.

NGUYEN: Expanding the search area on day five in the hunt for Steve Fossett. Crews looking for the missing aviator returned to the skies over the vast Nevada desert.

And CNN's Miles O'Brien has been watching this.

He joins us live from Nevada -- Miles, what have you been able to learn?

MILES O'BRIEN, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, first of all, searchers are really all over the map on this one. Steve Fossett left a very general indication of where he was headed -- to the south -- but no flight plan. That's not unusual for a flight like this.

And yesterday, I had a chance to fly in my plane with one of the leaders of the Civil Air Patrol.

Let me show you what they're up against here. I'll show you a map. This is where we are right now. This is Minden, Nevada. That's Reno. There's Lake Tahoe. That gives you a general sense of where we are.

They are searching a swathe of land right down here that is huge -- 10,000 square miles. Not only is it big, it's incredibly rugged terrain.

Yesterday when we flew, I got a real sense of the challenges they face.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Major Cynthia Ryan of the Nevada Civil Air Patrol was my guide. We took off from Minden Airport and made our way to the search zone. And it is incredibly rugged territory, riddled with steep mountains and narrow canyons. (on camera): It's a cliche, but needle in a haystack applies.

MAJ. CYNTHIA RYAN, NEVADA CIVIL AIR PATROL: This is the biggest hay stack you'll ever see. And, you know, airplane wreckage, typically, you're looking at maybe 20 to 30 feet of crash site, depending on how full the pieces are. You can very easily dismiss it or -- as just mining junk out in the desert or who knows what?

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Abandoned cars, refrigerators, old sofas -- all of them, red herrings for searchers.

RYAN: Nevada is just a big junkyard.

O'BRIEN: And it is just plain big. Thirty aircraft are now deployed, searching from Lake Tahoe in the north to Bishop, California in the south -- an area of more than 10, 000 square miles, about the size of Vermont. They remain focused on the rough terrain south of the secluded Flying M Ranch, where Steve Fossett's flight began. Major Ryan gave us the basics on how they hunt for a downed plane. RYAN: His job is to look out that window. My job is to look out this window.

O'BRIEN: Right.

RYAN: And you can only truly see what amounts to the size of your fist as it goes by.

O'BRIEN (on camera): Right.

RYAN: So you work your eyes along as we go by.

O'BRIEN: A fist at a time, in other words?

RYAN: A fist at a time. And you have to let your eyes actually stop moving so that they have time to focus and register what you're actually seeing.

O'BRIEN: That -- it gets tiring, doesn't it?

RYAN: After four hours of this, you're beat.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): The military is also deploying some high- tech tools designed to find a lost person or aircraft. A spy satellite even provided a possible tip, but so far no pay dirt.

(on camera): What do we know about his chances being out in the desert?

RYAN: You know...

O'BRIEN: What kind of equipment did he have, what kind of supplies?

RYAN: He apparently didn't have any emergency supplies with him, unless we don't know about a power bar in his pocket. But his chances if he wasn't severely injured are quite good. And we really do think that we can find him alive unless he, you know, there's something really unfortunate happened.

O'BRIEN: I guess the most ominous thing is there's been no emergency beacon at all.

RYAN: Yes. Yes. You've got that right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at the where we flew yesterday to give you a sense of things.

First of all, this is where we are right now. Minden, Nevada. That's Lake Tahoe. Here's Reno there. I'm going to zoom in just a little bit -- excuse me, the other way.

And I'll tell you, we flew kind of to the northwest and around. We went near this lake, where they were searching yesterday, seeing if perhaps the plane ended up in the water there, and then made our way back.

Everything here that you see here with very darker colors are very high peaks, very narrow canyons. It's a very difficult place to search. They're going through the process of eliminating the flat areas, which apparently Fossett was looking for to do some testing for a land speed record attempt.

But those canyons and those steep mountains and those valleys are what really make it difficult for the searchers here -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Let me ask you this, Miles, because we know that Fossett is an expert aviator. But in the case he did survive this plane, if it, indeed, went down, which we're all assuming at this point, and he didn't have any supplies on board, how equipped is he to survive on the ground?

O'BRIEN: Well, it all depends on whether he's near a source of water. That is key, because you can go a long time without food, a couple of weeks even. But without water, three, four days in this desert, with this low humidity, you're going to be in great difficulty very quickly. And we're at that point right now.

So if he managed to survive the landing of this airplane, the key is, is he near water?

We just heard this morning about the story of this woman found out West after two weeks. But she happened to be near a creek which provided water.

NGUYEN: All right, so there definitely is hope and the search does continue.

Miles O'Brien, we thank you.

HARRIS: Well, let's check in once again with Rob Marciano.

I think one of the concerns that we have always in this kind of search is weather conditions -- will the weather conditions cooperate so the searchers can get in the air and conduct the search for Steve Fossett.

How is it looking out there -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Looking pretty good. Looking pretty good. Visibility will be OK in Nevada this time of the year. They don't typically get a whole lot of action. The monsoon is winding down.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: And still to come this morning, want to fly?

A woman's trip temporarily stopped for a wardrobe malfunction, adjustment?

You decide.

NGUYEN: Whatever you want to call it.

The story coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Miniskirts, maxi flap...

NGUYEN: Uh-oh.

HARRIS: Yes, here we go. A passenger's outfit gets her tossed off a plane, for a time, anyway.

CNN's Carol Costello reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY SOUTHWEST AIRLINES)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

Too hot to fly?

Southwest Airlines thought so.

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

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

So much for that sense of humor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY SOUTHWEST AIRLINES)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remember what it was like before Southwest Airlines?

You didn't have hostesses in hot pants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

Not a concern among people we talked to.

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

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's ridiculous.

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

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

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

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

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

Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NGUYEN: We'll keep you posted on that story.

In the meantime, missing girl's mom in the spotlight this hour. A family friend says the mother has been named a suspect in the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: In this week's "Life After Work," a retired musician playing new tune with some help from a new friend. Here's CNN's Ali Velshi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDY HALL, DOG BREEDER: What a good boy. What a good boy.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Gibson. He is the tallest dog in the world. That's according to the "Guinness World Records". His owner, Sandy Hall, named him after her treasured Gibson guitar -- a relic from 30 years in the music business. Sandy left the San Francisco music scene some nine years ago to pursuing another dream -- breeding been great Danes.

HALL: It's a very nice way to spend your life. I wish I could have done it earlier.

VELSHI: At 59, Sandy makes a living breeding dogs. But she's keeping Gibson for herself.

HALL: Hello, everybody.

This is Gibson.

VELSHI: Size isn't the only thing that makes this dog unique. Gibson is also a therapy dog. He visits nursing homes and schools in Grass Valley, California. He provides comfort and entertainment to enthusiastic crowds.

(APPLAUSE)

HALL: He makes people happy. I said, that's going to be your job. You just make people happy and you make people smile.

I love you. GIBSON, DOG: I love you.

(LAUGHTER)

HALL: Oh, good one.

Making people happy -- it's just a great gift. I wish I could be almost more like him in so many ways.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Can I have some of your ice cream?

HALL: I don't have the same temperament.

VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Man.

And still to come this morning, is the top U.S. general in Iraq ready to back a troop withdrawal?

We're live from the Pentagon.

NGUYEN: Also, a little girl missing. Now her mother reportedly named a suspect in a case. A family's anguish now deepens. We'll have the latest on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: Welcome back, by the way.

NGUYEN: Thank you.

HARRIS: New hope for Mohammad. Last May, we told you about a boy who lost his leg and his cousin in a bombing. Now he's found some help.

CNN's Arwa Damon has an update.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Mohammad Rasoul, this is heartbreaking journey -- a visit to his cousin's grave to tend to the tree he planted next to it.

MOHAMMED RASOUL, LEG LOST AFTER ATTACK: (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I come here always and give her water. I water her. Every other day I visit her.

DAMON: The headstone reads "Martyr 643: the child Hajid Ismael Halil (ph), October 13th, 2006."

Hajid was six years old. RASOUL (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): My cousin playing with her friend. A car appeared. I remember it was green. A convoy drove past us and the car detonated.

DAMON: He is haunted by the memory.

RASOUL (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I remember everything going pitch black. My cousin died on the scene. I still hear her screams.

DAMON: Mohammad, who is 12 years old, lost his left leg below the knee.

JINAN KHALIFA, MOHAMMED'S MOTHER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I felt the entire world go dark. I went outside and saw my son covered in blood from head to toe. He was between life and death.

DAMON: Eleven operations later, Mohammad's wound is still infected and psychologically, he struggled to adapt.

RASOUL (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): It was tearing me up and it was hard for me to watch others play and I couldn't. I couldn't walk. It agitated me.

DAMON: We first told Mohammad story back in May. It caught the attention of an American charity, The Global Medical Relief Fund, which offered to help.

KHALIFA (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The America we knew was one that came, bombed, harmed. But when this organization came forward, we saw another face of America.

DAMON: Jinan and Mohammed made the dangerous move from their hometown of Fallujah to Baghdad. Then, there were multiple trips to the passport office, two long months and hours of waiting in line. But Jinan was not giving up.

KHALIFA (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I get my strength when I look at my son, when I see hope coming back to him. As he gets his hope back, my determination grows stronger.

DAMON: Her determination, his future. Passports now in hand, they wait for their visas. The Global Medical Relief Fund has arranged for surgery at the Shriners Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. Mohammad can't wait.

RASOUL (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I want to go there and meet this person that gave me my future back.

DAMON: When he comes home, Mohammed wants to return to Fallujah and help rebuild it from the ruins of war.

RASOUL (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I will never leave school and, God willing, I will continue my education and become an architect and build all the schools.

DAMON: But before building all those schools, Mohammed just wants to walk to his cousin's gave.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning everybody on this Friday.

I'm Betty Nguyen in for Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Maddy's mystery deepens -- the missing girl's mom questioned by police today. A family friend says the mother has been named a suspect.

NGUYEN: A preview of a progress report. The top general in Iraq gives the troops an assessment before reporting to Congress. We have those details are ahead.

HARRIS: And married for 55 years -- a husband had given up hope of ever seeing his wife again. Then she turned up alive.

It is Friday, September 7th, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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