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Gabrielle in North Carolina; Wille Nelson Interview; McCanns Return to England; Haleh Esfandiari's Story

Aired September 09, 2007 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you are in the NEWSROOM. Straight ahead this hour, Gabrielle storms ashore. We've got live pictures from the Carolina coast as we track the tropical storm.
Also ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERRY MCCANN, FATHER OF MISSING GIRL: We have played no part in the disappearance of our lovely, Madeleine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The parents of missing Madeleine McCann return home still under a cloud of suspicion.

And celebrating 22 years of Farm Aid, I'll talk to founder and music legend Willie Nelson.

First this hour the second tropical storm to come ashore this season on the U.S. mainland. At this hour, Gabrielle is making waves along the coast of North Carolina. Let's go quickly to John Zarrella, he is reporting live for us from Atlantic Beach where it's still windy and still pretty rainy too. John?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka, well this is certainly the worst of the weather we have seen all day within the last hour, so the squall lines have moved in and the storm has passed us, going north. This is a south facing beach. You can certainly see out there the swells have really increased this afternoon, waves pounding in, slamming against the fishing pier that we're standing on here, and again, this is the kind of weather we expect to see the remainder of the afternoon and it's interesting, because earlier in the day, as the storm was approaching us and then paralleling us, we didn't have any of these kinds of conditions.

But it's been within the last hour or so this has all kicked up. Now, this is the kind of storm that they really need here desperately because they have had such an incredible drought in North Carolina all summer long, just gripping the area, and this rain was much, much need but it's not going to get in far enough inland certainly to quench the needs inland. But along the coast here, maybe three, four, five inches of rain. We're seeing a lot of that right now. And it's definitely going to be a blessing this storm for at least the coastal areas of Carolina. No evacuations, no folks boarding up around here. Just not a real good day to be out and about on the beach. That's for sure. And this is a real big tourist area. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Yeah, just a nasty rainy day, indeed. All right. Thanks so much, John Zarrella. Let's take a picture now, not far from where John is located at Kure Beach, North Carolina. See the pier there where you see a lot of folks who are coming out to venture out. They don't care about just the rain and just a little bit of surf and wind. Jacqui Jeras is in the Severe Weather Center and, you know, this is kind of typical of your tropical storm, just very, very wet, very miserable, maybe not as dangerous as some folks might see.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. And I think John really hit the nail on the head there by saying this is a welcome sight. We've been in an exceptional drought across more than half of North Carolina throughout much of the summer, so this rain certainly needed and what he's experiencing there is really the brunt and the worst part of the storm. As you look at it on satellite picture here, it looks really disorganized, it's hard to find out where the center of rotation is. Believe it or not, it's way up here. All the worst of the showers and thunderstorms are on the south side of the storm, as it's moving to the north.

So the conditions are getting worse around Atlantic Beach and also around Cape Fear and Cape Lookout and into those areas and there you can see the rotation. A little easier to you find the center here on this. But it's bringing showers and thunderstorms all the way up towards the Delmarva region. We have got several hours to go while the storm hovers through the Outer Banks area and then we'll see it start to take that turn on up to the north and east. Here you can see Atlantic Beach, this is where John is, where those heavy showers and thunderstorms are. He could see wind gusts maybe 40, 50 mile per hour and that can cause damage, maybe even some spotty power outages that's going to snap off some tree branches. So it's not safe to travel even though this isn't a terrible storm.

Here you can see the forecast, try pulling it back over the open waters. Late tonight into tomorrow morning, and this storm system is going to get absorbed with a cold front making its way across the northeastern parts of the United States.

We also have two other areas of disturbed weather, believe it or not, out in the open waters of the Atlantic and we'll tell you a little bit more about that later on in the show.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. Gabrielle rather messy but so far, as far as we know, not dangerous. All right. We'll check back with you.

Well, the parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann are now back at their home. Upon arrival, however, in England they made an emotional denial insisting they had nothing do with Maddy's disappearance. But hometown support in Rothley may be a bit mixed right now after Portuguese police named them suspects in the case. Here now is Emily Chang. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just after noon, Kate and Gerry McCann land in England clutching their 2-year-old twins.

G. MCCANN: Well, it's heartbreaking to return to the U.K. without Madeleine, it does not mean we're giving up our search for her. As parents, we cannot give up on our daughter until we know what has happened.

CHANG: This, after Portuguese named the McCann's formal suspects in the disappearance of their daughter.

G. MCCANN: Despite there has been so much, we wish to say, we are unable to do so, except to say this -- we have played no part in the disappearance of our lovely daughter, Madeleine.

CHANG: This is the first time Kate McCann has been back home since Madeleine disappeared four months ago. While the family went quietly inside, Madeleine's great uncle addressed reporters outside.

BRIAN KENNEDY, MADELEINE'S GREAT UNCLE: They're tired, they're very tired. I think I would be absolutely shattered under the same circumstances.

CHANG: In the village square just down the street, yellow ribbons remain, a sign of support for Madeleine's family.

GARY HALE, RESIDENT: They've been through hell and back. To try and find their daughter. And they're still not sure where Madeleine is.

CHANG: Villagers have largely stood by the McCanns throughout their ordeal, but for some, sympathy has turned to suspicion, since the parents have been named suspects by police.

DARREN STREET, RESIDENT: I had a lot of support for the McCanns, but still, since the latest media reports, my feelings have changed. I'm very suspicious of the activity.

CHANG: Others are keeping an open mind.

BECKY COOK, RESIDENT: At the end of the day, a child has gone missing and we've got to find her. A lot of people focusing on them now, not focusing on Madeleine. That's the main thing, they've got to find Madeleine.

CHANG (on camera): For now, the McCanns will remain here at their home in Rothley. Gerry McCann saying he hopes their children will be able to live a more normal life here. But Portuguese police say they can be called back to Portugal at any time for further questioning. Emily Chang, CNN, in Rothley, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And here in this country, President Bush back in Washington, ready for renewed fight with Congress over the war in Iraq. The president returned from the Asia Pacific Summit in Sydney, Australia this morning. He plans a nationally televised address this week. The president says he'll lay out a vision about the future U.S. role in Iraq.

And one item expected to play a major role in the war debate, a progress report from the top U.S. commander in Iraq. General David Petraeus testifies before Congress tomorrow and Ed Henry is in Washington with more. So I wonder, Ed, how much last minute script or note changing there may be with General Petraeus and how involved the White House would be in that?

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it's interesting you bring that up. The White House is insisting they're playing no role in preparing General Petraeus for the testimony, that they haven't seen it. But we all know behind closed doors, General Petraeus has been briefing President Bush for weeks now about what he's likely to say, about the situation on the ground, and defense officials are telling CNN that General Petraeus is very likely to recommend keeping the current higher U.S. troop levels in Iraq until the spring and that Ambassador Crocker is also expected to assert that the security aspects of the surge are working enough and they should be maintained to try to give the Iraqi government more time to forge some political reconciliation.

As you noted after this testimony on Monday and Tuesday on Capitol Hill by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, Mr. Bush is likely to address the nation in primetime later in the week, a direct appeal to the American people for more patience, an appeal that he really previewed yesterday in Hawaii on his way back from Australia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: Came back from Iraq encouraged by what I saw. No question, there's still hard work to do but my resolve is as strong as it's ever been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: This weekend the president also said that he believes that this latest videotape from Osama bin Laden shows why the U.S. cannot withdraw quickly from Iraq, that they can't give Iraq over to al Qaeda, essentially. But Democrats are charging that the fact that bin Laden is still at large nearly six years after 9/11, shows that Mr. Bush took his eye off of al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARBARA BOXER, (D) CA: Every time I see that fugitive terrorist on television taunting America, I think of how wrong this president was in turning away from going after that murderer who murdered our citizens and moving into Iraq and not having any way of getting us out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: But the political reality remains the Democrats just do not have the votes on Capitol Hill right now to force a change in the president's current strategy. So, despite all the hype about how this might be a turning point in the debate over the war, the fact remains that this very well could just be a matter of President Bush essentially kicking the can down the road, another six months, and really buying more time for the status quo. Fred?

WHITFIELD: And something, Ed, a lot of Americans still want to hear more about is the whole U.S. troop withdrawal, at least the plan on when they do come out. We've heard the General Petraeus has already said not before the surge is over. Now what about the White House, any new language that they're using?

HENRY: No, there's not. In a way, President Bush pulled back ever so slightly. If you'll remember, about a week ago, when he took that secret trip to Iraq after a briefing from General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, Mr. Bush gave the hope of troop cuts by saying, look, based on this briefing if the current success of the surge continues, I'm told in these briefings we might be able to reduce the level of U.S. troops.

Since then the president has not really said much about that and as you noted, now we're hearing that General Petraeus is likely to recommend that the current level stay at least until the spring. So the likelihood of a troop cut by Christmas is very, very unlikely, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Ed Henry in Washington, thanks so much.

HENRY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And while politicians and the White House debate the war, Anderson Cooper is in Iraq, keeping them honest. Watch AC 360 live from Iraq all this week at 10:00 Eastern.

Held in an Iranian prison for months. This Iranian American woman is finally home and telling her story of survival to our Jill Dougherty. It's an exclusive on CNN later on in the NEWSROOM. Plus -- a woman narrowly cheats death when a train hits her car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I unclipped her seat about belt and pulled her out and seconds later the car got struck by the train.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hear more from this hero who saved the life of a woman he didn't even know.

And next, alleged members of a neo-Nazi gang arrested in Israel. It's a case that has shocked the Jewish state. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, think you have heard it all, well listen to this police in Israel say they've busted their first ever gang of Israeli neo-Nazis and the arrests could have implications on the country's immigration laws. CNN's Akita Shubert has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brutal attacks, recorded on home video and set to music. Police say it is a bizarre case, the first of its kind. A home grown neo-Nazi gang in the Jewish state of Israel. Police say they confiscated this video and other photos from suspect's homes, finding also explosives, weapons and Nazi propaganda material. Police say they have been investigating the group for more than a year.

MICKEY ROSENFELD, ISRAELI POLICE: They planned and were involved in carrying out attack against innocent people, Jewish people wearing yarmulkes, Asians, foreigners, and with strong ties with neo-Nazi cells overseas as well.

SHUBERT: Police have arrested eight alleged members of the gang, bringing them to court on Sunday. They covered their faces, but at least one remained defiant. All between the ages of 16 and 21. All Israelis. Immigrants from the former Soviet Union. They came to Israel by the Law of Return, a policy that grants citizenship to any Jew that chooses to immigrate to Israel, that includes anyone who has jewish parents or grandparents. Even though they themselves may not necessarily be Jewish.

Now at least one Israeli lawmaker is demanding the suspects have their Israeli citizenship revoked. Another is threatening to change the Law of Return allowing only Jews and not their non-Jewish kin to immigrate. But some Israelis dismiss the group as nothing more than a violent, misguided group of teens.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beating up homeless people, they're thugs. I don't take it seriously.

SHUBERT: But as these pictures play across televisions nationwide, Israelis are left to wonder, how it could happen here of all places. Akita Shubert, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And missing a full seven days now, a Maryland college student reappears last evening on the side of a road. Julian McCormick's compact car was found upside down in a deep ravine, he apparently managed to crawl out yesterday. A passing motorist spotted the Bowie State University freshman, bleeding, but mostly coherent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEIGHANN HESS, FOUND MISSING STUDENT: I don't know how long he had been laying there. I can't believe that he lived. I just can't believe that he's -- he was laying there talking to me. He knew his name, knew everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, McCormick was flown to a hospital to be treated for dehydration. The accident is now under investigation.

And just as mysterious, if not more so for us, new focus today in the search for Steve Fossett. Officials in western Nevada announced they are limiting efforts to a 50-mile radius around the runway Fossett used Monday. The billionaire adventurer took off in a small plane in search of a place in the desert to test a rocket-propelled car. Air and ground searches have yielded no clues to his fate.

And a head's up move by a driver in suburban Chicago, were it not for this quick-thinking young man, this mangled car that was struck by a train, would have been a death trap. He told his story to a news crew and no, that's not his car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS FOUST, PULLED DRIVER FROM CAR: I was driving behind this elderly woman and she basically turned on the tracks and I started honking my horn at her. And the gates hadn't gone down yet. So I pulled around and then saw a train coming and I stopped my car, I exited, and right when I got by the gates they started going down. So I just ran up to her car and started pounding on the window and said, ma'am, you know, you got to get out of this vehicle and I opened the door for her because she didn't have any idea what was going on. And I unclipped her seat belt and pulled her out.

And seconds later the car got struck by the train. And I was maybe 10 feet away and covered her up so no debris hit her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. The woman's car was struck not by one, but two oncoming trains. No injuries otherwise have been reported.

And more transportation woes and more lucky survivors as well. Take a look at this picture. A pilot leaving Owens Airport in Columbia, South Carolina, this morning ran into some engine trouble and then he had to make an emergency landing. On top of a building. Officials say the plane struck a telephone poll before coming to rest on top of that warehouse. Three people on board suffered cuts and bruises with one person breaking an arm. Still very lucky.

And now, one of those talked about political events of the year. Oprah Winfrey's star-studded fund-raiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Last night's party held at Winfrey's palatial estate in Southern California. But you don't get to see the pictures of that right now. There you go. At 1,500 tickets being sold at $2,300 a piece, many folks just snapped them right up. A bunch of big-time celebrities including Forest Whitaker, Chris Rock, Cindy Crawford, the biggest stars, though, well, this seemed to be the consensus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the highlight for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, gosh. Barack Obama, of course. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The man of the hour.

Winfrey's party is expected to raise over $3 million for Obama's campaign.

Senator Obama and his Democratic rivals will try to win over Hispanic voters tonight. They'll face off at a debate hosted by the University of Miami and the Spanish language television network Univision. The questions will be asked in Spanish, translated in English for the candidates and their answers translated back to Spanish. It's the first presidential debate broadcast entirely in Spanish and we'll have a live report on the ground-breaking event at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Willie Nelson, well, he says he just wants to help the little guy. Well, he's one of the big names behind the Farm Aid concert happening today in New York and what he says has motivated him to continue Farm Aid after all of these years is pretty complex. And an Illinois teacher says he could lose his job all because he told his students not to eat meat. Get the scoop next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So he gave up meat, then all animal products. Now, it may cost a Chicago educator his job. After Dave Warwak became a vegetarian m in January, he felt compared to share his ideas about healthy eating with his middle school students. The art teacher even started a one-man crusade against animal cruelty. But school administrators didn't like it and have kicked him out of class.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE WARWAK, VEGAN TEACHER: I never told the kids, you have to believe anything I say. In fact, I tell them not to believe anything I say and don't believe anything anyone says. People say, well, just teach art, and I say I am teaching art in its purest form.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, now believe this. Warwak is to meet with school officials tomorrow to find out his fate. The teacher says if he has to choose between his job and lifestyle, he'll quit.

A wounded gray whale has died. The animal was reportedly harpooned and shot by members of the Makah Tribe yesterday, 120 miles northwest of Seattle. It disappeared beneath the water and never resurfaced. While whaling is outlawed in the U.S., the Makah Tribe has subsistence fishing rights and they can hunt them. But authorities say this whale may have been shot illegally, without tribal permission. Five people were detained by the Coast Guard and turned over to tribal police.

Some of the most popular stories on cnn.com today, the British couple whose four-year-old daughter went missing in Portugal have returned home to England. Madeleine McCann's father says, leaving without her was heartbreaking, but he insists they're not abandoning their search. Four months after her disappearance, Portuguese police have labeled the McCanns suspects and they insist they did nothing to harm Maddy.

And many of you are curious about the remarkably well preserved mummy. Scientists believe the 15-year-old Inca maiden was sacrificed along with two other children around 1500 A.D. The remains were found frozen on a volcano in Argentina.

And another story getting a lot of hits today, one of the stars of "High School Musical" apologizing for nude photos that have surfaced on the web. Vanessa Hudgens says she regrets the pictures were taken and calls the incident embarrassing.

A Pentagon worker still bears the scars from the 9/11 attacks six years ago. The heroic action he took to save his co-workers and his plea to America, as another anniversary nears.

JERAS: I'm meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in your hurricane headquarters. Tropical Storm Gabrielle is lashing the Outer Banks. Find out when it will be pulling away. Your forecast is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's what's happening right now. The parents of Madeleine McCann flew home today to England. In a statement read to reporters the father, Gerry McCann, vowed that the couple played no part in the 4-year-old's disappearance from a resort in Portugal. Last week Portuguese officials named both parents as suspects. Kate McCann is quoted today as saying she is being framed.

A missing Maryland college student reappeared last evening on the side of a road. Julian McCormick's compact car was found upside down in a deep ravine. He apparently managed to crawl out yesterday. McCormick was being treated for dehydration and is expected to survive.

North Carolina's Outer Banks getting a brush from tropical storm Gabrielle. Take a look at what's going on via the beach camera provided by Surfchecks.com. This is Surf City. Not a big storm in terms of size, strength or wind speed, but Gabrielle could still wreak havoc on the Carolina coastline causing perhaps some erosion which is always a big problem in that part of the country.

CNN's Jacqui Jeras is in the Hurricane Headquarters monitoring Gabrielle's progress or might she be dissipating?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROGIST: No. You know, not necessarily just yet, actually, Fredricka. The reason why, the thing made landfall about a quarter to noon this morning or -- yeah this morning. But it's over open waters again, not in the Atlantic but over the Pamlico Sound here, it is pulling on up to the north. We're getting interaction with land too. As long as it's over a water source it can get stronger. In fact the forecast brings the winds up to 60 miles per hour, instead of 50 miles per hour. Which is where it is at right now, we should get that 5:00 advisory shortly and we'll bring that along to you when that happens. The worst of the conditions are on the south side of the storm so we're really looking at the nastiest weather from Atlantic Beach on up towards Cape Hatteras and that is where the strongest winds are. They only go out about 45 miles from the center of the storm.

We'll zoom in here and show you there's Atlantic Beach, Morehead City right here and you can see the heavy showers and thunderstorms. And winds have been gusting here between 40 and 50 miles per hour. Out on Hatteras, we just had a wind gust reported the last hour at 39 miles per hour. The sustained winds had been in the teens and in the 20s. Making the curve towards the north and the east, so it will be hovering along the Outer Banks for the next four hours or so and then pull back on out to sea, moving up to the north and east and tomorrow looks to be a better day. But we still could see rough surf towards the Delmarva region also into Virginia. We'll be watching that throughout the day. This rain really is welcome news Fredricka, one to three inches. Could use a lot more than that in the Carolinas.

WHITFIELD: But not all at one time.

JERAS: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jacqui thanks so much.

U.S. experts right now piecing through the new Osama Bin Laden videotape looking for clues to his whereabouts, his health, and the contents of his latest message. President Bush's national security advisor tells CNN the U.S. takes the new tape very seriously but at the same time the Homeland Security advisor described the al Qaeda leader as virtually impotent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCES TOWNSEND, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: We've never seen Bin Laden use a tape to trigger any operational activity. That said we take it very seriously. We're looking at that now. But, you know, we ought to remember, six years since the tragedy of September 11th. We haven't seen another attack. This is a man on the run, in a cave, who's virtually impotent other than his ability to get these messages out. It's propaganda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Townsend says the U.S. has no specific or credible information right now about any imminent attack.

Poppy farming in Afghanistan, a way of life for generations. Now, an apparent financial lifeline for the Taliban. CNN's Special Investigation's Unit takes a closer look in Narco State, the poppy jihad. CNN's Anderson Cooper has a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's spring in the eastern Afghan Province of Nagahar. Harvest season has begun. We secured access to a poppy field inside a sprawling walled compound in the district of Nangahar. Openium harvesting is a labor intensive process, requiring the work of many farmers over the course of several weeks. The plants are ready when the flower drops its petals. Leaving behind a capsule pregnant with opium. The only tool used is a piece of wood embedded with sharp blades.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE) (Translator): When it's harvest time well, we slice the capsule, and then leave until the next day. Then we collect the opium the next morning. I have six acres. It takes 16 days to collect the opium. After the opium is oozed out, the farmers roll into balls and then it's put into a leaf and it becomes opium. This farmer says his family has been growing poppy for 100 years. He grows it, he says, to pay for the weddings of his six sons. He says this is their only choice.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE) (Translator): We do believe that this is forbidden in Islam. There is no dispute about that. But what shall I do? There is no alternative crop we can survive on. Look, there are poppy growing here as far as the eye can see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN Special Investigations Unit, presents "Narco State, The Poppy Jihad" tonight at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.

It was a beautiful day, to stroll our nation's capital. Thousands had better reasons than the weather to take part in a third annual America Supports You Freedom Walk. Sponsored by the Department of Defense, the event commemorates the lives lost in the September 11th terrorist attack as well as honoring armed forces members past and present. There are more than 200 similar walks held this weekend in advance of Tuesday's sixth anniversary of 9/11.

One hundred eighty four people died when American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon. Many more may have perished that day if not for the heroics of men and women like Major David King. King survived, but will literally carry the scars of the attack for the rest of his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD (voice over): It's been six years, but for Army Major David King, 9/11 feels like yesterday.

MAJ. DAVID KING, 9/11 SURVIVOR: I mean, beautiful day. It was like today. Big, bright blue day. Suddenly the whole office burst into flames and -- except my corner where I was because I had two safes and a column right next to me.

WHITFIELD: Major King was not injured when the plane crashed into the Pentagon. But he was later burned over 20 percent of his body after trying to save lives, including one staff sergeant.

KING: There was debris hanging there, cable, conduits, asbestos stuff and I went to bash through it to get to her and that's how I got burned trying to get to her.

WHITFIELD: He also tried to reach his trapped colonel but was pushed back by the flames.

KING: I went back to my corner which was still untouched, nothing happening there, then I remembered looking down pictures of my boys on my desk, and I got to get out of here.

WHITFIELD: King is worried. America will forget what he and his colleagues endured. On Sunday, he and his family joined others in the annual Freedom Walk from the Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon to remember and remind.

KING: It's important that we remember what happened on September 11th every day and not just once a year. And the home of the brave.

WHITFIELD: Fredricka Whitfield, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And also in the Washington area, happy to be home after spending months in an Iranian prison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): To sleep in my own bed after eight months, taking a shower in my own bathroom after eight months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: How did she make it and why was she finally set free? A story of survival next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A desperate struggle for sanity. An American scholar imprisoned in Iran accused of plotting a revolution. She's finally back home with her family after more than eight long months. CNN's Jill Dougherty has our exclusive story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What Haleh Esfandiari calls her nightmare began last December when she traveled to Iran to visit her 93-year-old mother. On the way back to the airport, her passport was stolen at knife point. Iranian officials questioned her over four months. Then imprisoned her for more than 100 days. The charge, endangering Iranian national security.

HALEH ESFANDIARI, FREED SCHOLAR: There were moments that I dreamed of this return, but to keep my own sanity, I decided I'm going to block thinking about the children, I mean, Haleh, her children, Saul, our life. I didn't want to do that. I decided I'm not going to think about it.

DOUGHERTY: Back home in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C. reunited with her husband, Professor Hash, Haleh says conditions in prison were better than might be expected at least physically.

ESFANDIARI: I decided either I'm going to succumb to despair or I'm going to try and make the best of these conditions, and the best of these conditions was to have a disciplined day. I would exercise for many hours. I would read. I would walk a lot. Some three to four hours a day. Even in the room, you know, I who pace up and down timing myself. At some stage I had access to television, and I had access to newspapers.

Public policy --

DOUGHERTY: Haleh Esfandiari is head of the Middle Eastern Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. While in prison she was put on camera for an Iranian state TV documentary allegedly linking U.S. think tanks and nongovernmental organizations with attempts to encourage a soft revolution against the Iranian government.

SHAUL BAKHASH, HUSBAND: Putting people in prison, arresting them, mega fantastic charges against them surely will have a chilling effect on intellectuals, academics, people who travel between Iran and the U.S., and that was part of the purpose too.

DOUGHERTY: Esfandiari believes she owes her freedom, in part, to a letter from the head of the Woodrow Wilson Center, former Congressman Lee Hamilton, to the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali asking for help. In a rare event, the Ayatollah responded to the letter. The Iranian government never explained precisely why she was freed. Now Haleh looks to her garden untended to more than eight months and smiles.

ESFANDIARI: Delighted to be home, you know. Sleeping in my own bed after eight months. Taking a shower in my own bathroom after eight months. Walking around the garden.

DOUGHERTY: Haleh says in spite of her ordeal, she will continue her work of bringing together scholars on Iran. Jill Dougherty, CNN, Potomac, Maryland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And Willie Nelson on the road again. This time in New York with Farm Aid 2007. I'll talk to him straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Familiar faith and sound he's been at it for decades and shows no signs of letting up. Singer Willie Nelson is fighting for the little guy, trying to save America's family farms and he's at it again this year with Farm Aid 2007. The benefit concert is shaping up to be as informal and star packed as ever. But the venue is not America's heartland this year. Big time, it's the big apple.

Earlier I had a chance to talk with Willie Nelson. Despite all his hard work he says family farms are still being squeezed financially. That's why he is still at it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIE NELSON: We've been doing Farm Aid many years, and our hope was we would only have to do one and then the powers that be, so to speak, would pass a good farm bill where a farmer could take 200 acres and make a living like they used to. That hasn't happened, and that's why we're still having Farm Aids these 20-something years later. It's not a good sign when we have to do this.

The government is supposed to come in and take care of our small family farmers, our small businessmen. I've always felt that agriculture was the bottom rung on our economic ladder. When it falls in, everything falls in on top of it. That's where we are. And that's how important I think it is to help the farmers and now, people in New York, are the best way I know of, to get the word out about how to find good food. Find a good farmer. And you've got good food. The folks here, the mayor and governor, have been very nice, making us welcome. So it's been great day.

WHITFIELD: How receptive is the New York audience as a whole outside of the government leaders? Because, you know, it's I guess pretty natural a lot of folks, even in this country as a whole, don't have an idea of how hard it is for the small family farm to keep going.

NELSON: Well, yeah. And it's mainly because the big corporate farms are getting all the subsidies; they are getting all the money. The little guy is not getting. I think it's a crime for anyone over $200,000 to get any kind of government farm subsidy. If you make more than that, you don't need it. Let the money go to the little guy.

WHITFIELD: John Mellencamp, Neil Young have been with you from the very start. How do you go about trying to recruit some of the performing artists now to make sure that the masses still have a clear understanding of what Farm Aid is all about?

NELSON: Well, of course, the artists, the guys who run up and down the highways out here, are the best people to ask about what's going on in the farm land, and they -- the first ones to tell you when it got bad and guys like John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Mathews, these guys came on board because they now how bad it is out there.

WHITFIELD: What's your greatest worry right now or greatest concern that you feel is not being addressed as it pertains to the small family farm, besides, you know, the subsidies, government subsidies being made available to the more corporate farmers?

NELSON: Absolutely, the small family farmer is getting the shaft and the big corporate farmers are getting most all the money, and it should be the other way around. Hopefully some of our elected officials on both sides will realize how important it is to keep the family farmer and to keep good organic food available for all of us.

WHITFIELD: If not for you and Farm Aid, then who or what entity would be available out there to really be the advocate for the farmer to fight for the farmer when it comes down to legislation, like you've been describing?

NELSON: Well, it is a local situation and it can be solved locally. Wherever you live, check with the farmers in your area and by helping him, he can help you and you've solved a lot of problems. First of all, you've saved transportation bringing your food in from across east China or somewhere when the tomatoes could be grown for you out here by your own farmers that you know and your kids go to school with. I think that's where it should begin.

WHITFIELD: Willie Nelson thanks so much for your time and all the best on your continued efforts with Farm Aid and reaching out to all of America in agriculture.

NELSON: Thank you very much.

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WHITFIELD: And more celebrities to come, talking about issues that affect you. Don't miss Robert Redford tonight in the CNN "Newsroom." Tony Harris talks to the Oscar winner and environmental advocate in our "Sunday Spotlight" that is tonight at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

And you know the face. Britney Spears, ready for a big comeback. A big event where she'll take center stage in a few hours from now. Coming up in the CNN "Newsroom."

JERAS: I'm Jacqui Jeras with today's allergy report. This weekend's map looks like last weekend. The same places getting those high concentrations of pollen and it's predominantly grass pollen and ragweed we have problems across the Great Basin and into the Rocky Mountain States and four corners. We have high levels across the nation's mid-section, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, over towards Detroit, and the levels picking up in the northeast, while pretty quiet in the southeast.

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WHITFIELD: Britney Spears, is she -- is her career in trouble and is she attempting a career comeback tonight on the MTV Video Music Award Show? Guess what? She's opening the VMAS with her new single "Gimme More." It's a live show, no edits, no redoes. But Britney is sure to have some magical moments, even if she bombs and that's because illusionist Chris Angel helped her with part of the act.

While the buzz is all about Britney, there will be plenty of other big name performers including 50 Cent, Kayne West, and a live behind the scenes report coming up in the next hour. Don't want to miss that.

Perhaps you've wanted to be on stage and maybe even play a guitar but you can't play a lick.

No problem. Just pick up an air guitar. The instrument is so popular, there's even annual championship in Finland. Musical ability not required. All these guys, well, they say all they need is style and enthusiasm. They certainly have a lot of enthusiasm there. The winner was reigning champ of Japan. He won a real guitar made of clear plastic. Oh, boy. What was that?

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(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Never know who you're going to run into next. It's a celeb fest.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): A President Bush. A president here. (UNIDENTIFIED MALE): About 37 Joan Rivers, I would like to put them in a pool and have them fight it out.

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WHITFIELD: Wow, are you convinced? The air guitar we talked about one thing, that's pretty fake. Guess what, a lot of these folks are too. In Orlando, Florida, hosting this entire convention of celebrity look a likes. These folks here, some are better than others. The Howard Stern guy is pretty convincing and many of these people have been able to cash in on their faces and voices to get work as stand-ins and as doubles. Really convincing stuff.

All right. Next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): What's going on with Britney?

(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): Hi. I did it again.

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WHITFIELD: Coming up next in the NEWSROOM, anticipation grows for tonight's comeback of troubled pop super star, Britney Spears.

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(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I don't know how long he had been laying there. I just -- I can't believe that he lived.

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WHITFIELD: Plus, a teenager missing for a week is found alive. Trying to climb out of a ditch to safety.

Our top story, tropical storm Gabrielle washes ashore on the Carolina coast.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You are in the NEWSROOM. You're about to see live pictures of Nags Head, North Carolina. As tropical storm Gabrielle stirs things up on the North Carolina coast, looks pretty ominous right there. Let's get to CNN's John Zarrella in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. I can hear the rain. There we go. We can see you. So sorry, John. It's nasty out there.

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