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Navy Pilot's Remains Found; Americans Detained in Iran; White House Touts Positive Economic News; Afghan Prepares to Vote; Drought Threatens Texas Farmers; McCain Full of Doubt; Unemployment Problems Continue; Electrocuted in Iraq

Aired August 02, 2009 - 18:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight: Finally, an answer. Nearly two decades after he went missing in the Iraqi desert, the remains of an American Navy officer had been found. We'll speak to the people who loved him and who have been agonizing over his fate.

Beginning of the end? An economic turnaround in its infancy. But how long before you feel some relief? How long until you get a job? We have some answers for you.

And, caught in the storm. A Hollywood heavyweight right in the middle of this deadly stage collapse. How is he doing? And what went wrong?

Plus, composing from beyond. Two compositions gathering dust for centuries now come alive because we finally know who wrote them.

The news starts right now.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.

His fate has been in question for nearly two decades. The first American officer shot down during the First Gulf War in 1991. Well, today, the Pentagon is confirming the remains of Navy Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher had been found in the Iraqi desert.

Now, as CNN reported at that time, Speicher's fighter jet was shot down on January 17th, 1991, the first night of "Operation: Desert Storm." Then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and Joint Chief Chair Colin Powell made the announcement. The Pentagon quickly declared Speicher "killed in action," but later changed his status to "missing in action."

Over the years, there had a number of alleged Speicher sightings and claims that he was a prisoner of war. None probed to be true. Then, just last month, an Iraqi civilian came forward, telling U.S. forces that Speicher had been buried at the crash site by desert dwellers. An evacuation excavation turned up bones that were positively identified as Speicher's.

And just a short time ago, we received this written statement from the Speicher family, who called the captain a brave and wonderful father, husband and naval officer who responded to the call of duty without hesitation.

Their statement goes on to say: "We thank the active duty men and women whose diligence has made this happen, and hope that this process has prevented another of our service men and women from being left behind. We will miss him, and we will never forget. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."

For Captain Speicher's friends and family, the discovery means the long years of waiting and wondering are finally over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIRIAM NOVELLY, CAPT. SPEICHER'S FRIEND: It's a bittersweet ending. I mean, it's great that we have finally accomplished an ending. But it is bittersweet. You know, you always hope that he's going to be found alive, but yet on that end, if he was found alive, look what he missed. I mean, his children are, you know, in college now. And, you know, what kind of life that he has lived (ph) of being a prisoner of war. And, of course, there was always speculation that, you know, he was, you know, tortured and beaten and, you know, so it's -- like I said -- it's bittersweet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And Speicher's widow Joanne eventually remarried an ex- Navy pilot named Buddy Harris. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida says he talked to the family today after the remains were positively identified.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: I spoke to Buddy Harris at lengths this morning, and he is -- the whole family is just so grateful that the Navy stayed on this. Admiral Roughead, the CNO, personally called the family last night.

The Navy has been very responsible in this, because, after all, a mistake was made. We walked away from a downed pilot. It was done by mistakenly declaring him dead and then they didn't go and search for him -- and that was a mistake. And that is very important that we never repeat that mistake again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You know, if you're watching the Gulf War as it unfolded here on CNN in 1991, you may recall anchor Bob Cain breaking the news about Captain Speicher to the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JANUARY 18, 1991)

BOB CAIN, CNN ANCHOR: The Pentagon has identified a United States Navy pilot as apparently the first U.S. serviceman missing in action in the Persian Gulf War. He is Lieutenant Commander Michael Speicher. His F-18 attack jet went down during the raid on Iraq before dawn yesterday. The 33-year-old pilot is married, has two young children. He is assigned to the USS Saratoga which is based in Mayport, Florida.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And with more on why Captain Speicher's official status changed several times over the past 18 years, here's CNN's Fredricka Whitfield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His F/A- 18 Hornet was shot down on the first night of the Gulf War.

DICK CHENEY, DEFENSE SECRETARY (January 17, 1991): As of 0900 this morning Washington time, there's been a single American aircraft lost.

TERRY CHANDLER, USS SARATOGA CREWMATE (January 17, 2004): It's clearly, today, as if it would have just happened, I remembered on the recovery, Commander Anderson get down from his jet and telling me that he thought we lost Speicher.

WHITFIELD: For more than 18 years, the fate of U.S. Navy Captain Michael Scott Speicher was unknown. There were many false leads. In 1993, the wreckage of Speicher's plane was found, but no body. After the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, Speicher's initials, MSS, were found carved in the wall of an Iraqi prison, leading to speculation Speicher might have survived the crash. Nothing panned out, but family members and friends worked to keep the investigation alive.

MIRIAM NOVELLY, CAPT. SPEICHER'S FRIEND: We are here in Washington, D.C., trying not to let him be forgotten, trying to make sure that the search never stops until he's found. I think we owe him that and much more.

WHITFIELD: Finally, last months, marines spoke to an Iraqi in Anbar province, who said he saw Speicher buried. Based on that account, Speicher's remains were recovered from the Iraqi desert and flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for positive identification.

Captain Speicher is survived by two children, toddlers when he disappeared, but now in college.

Fredricka Whitfield, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, many of you will never give up believing that Captain Speicher was still alive in Iraq. They formed a group called Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher. We'll speak to a couple of them in about 30 minutes, right here on CNN.

We want to go to Iran now and another developing story. The Swiss ambassador is trying to get more information on three Americans arrested Friday by Iranian troops. The Swiss embassy represents U.S. interests in Iran, because the U.S. and Iran have no diplomatic relations. The three Americans apparently strayed into Iranian territory while hiking in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

One of the three has been identified as Joshua Fattal from Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. And last night, his mother spoke with CNN Radio.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

LAURA FATTAL, MOTHER OF DETAINED AMERICAN: My husband and I are eager for the best welfare and conditions for our son Josh and for the other two companions he's with. And that is our only concern: his welfare and the best conditions for him.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEMON: A fourth American hiker from the group Shon Meckfessel is at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. He didn't go hiking with the others because, he says, he felt sick.

Also in Iran, a top opposition leader and former president are blasting the mass trials of nearly 100 people who protested the June presidential election. Mir Hossein Mousavi lost that election. On his Web site today, the opposition leader said those on trial had been tortured into making confessions.

Former President Mahmoud Khatami -- Hameni (ph), I should say, a reformist is calling the trials unconstitutional and an insult to Iran and Islam. Now, among those being tried are former government ministers, members of the reformist political parties, and a correspondent from "Newsweek" magazine.

Are we at the beginning of the end when it comes to the recession? Well, aides to President Barack Obama certainly think so. But they say that with caution. But their optimism is tempered by concerns about the growing budget deficit and the potential need for future tax hikes.

CNN's Kate Bolduan has more now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama returns from a weekend at Camp David. His administration touting the week's positive economic news as evidence their efforts are succeeding in turning around the economy.

CHRISTINA ROMER, DIR., W.H. COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: Most private forecasters think that real GDP growth will probably turn positive before the end of the year.

LAWRENCE SUMMERS, DIR., NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: People are talking about whether the recession is going to turn into a depression. They're talking about when it's going to end. Well, that's a real accomplish -- that's a real accomplishment.

BOLDUAN: While Republicans agree the economic signs are encouraging, many say it's no thanks to the Obama administration or the stimulus package.

REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: But I really believe that it's -- in spite of the prescriptions of Washington, D.C., I think what we're seeing in the economy now is the inherent resilience of the American economy and the American people.

BOLDUAN: As the White House tries to paint a rosy economic picture, they're also carefully trying to manage expectations. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says Americans face tough choices ahead in order to reduce the federal deficit, now at more than $1 trillion. And Larry Summers, the president's top economic adviser, won't rule out a middle-class tax increase down the road.

SUMMERS: The foundation of...

BOB SCHIEFFER, CBS: No tax increases for middle-income Americans.

SUMMERS: ... this economy. There is a lot, though -- there is a lot that can happen overtime. But the priority right now, so it is never a good idea to absolutely rule things -- rule things out, no matter what.

BOLDUAN: But an economic recovery may be further away than the White House hopes says Nobel Prize winning economist and former Clinton advisor, Joseph Stiglitz.

PROF. JOSEPH STIGLITZ, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: I think it's a little bit premature to be confident about a recovery and I think it's very premature to be confident about a robust recovery by early next year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Kate Bolduan joins us now from the White House.

Kate, Republicans and Democrats are obviously at odds on the economy. Is there any common ground, anything that they agree upon today?

BOLDUAN: Hey there, Don.

Well, administration -- well, following reports that more than 1 million Americans could lose their unemployment benefits by the end of the year, administration officials say they're carefully looking at extending those benefits further, working with Congress to extend those benefits further.

And Republicans today seemed to signal their support around that idea. So there's one point of agreement when it comes to the economy and how to help it -- Don?

LEMON: Yes. And that's a last resort for a lot of people. They're running out of that.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

LEMON: They're going to be in even more trouble. Thank you, Kate. We appreciate it.

BOLDUAN: Of course.

LEMON: More on politics and the economy at the bottom of the hour. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow and our senior political analyst Bill Schneider will join me to talk about Washington's response to this recession and where we go from here, and if we are actually in a turnaround -- as the administration has been saying and economists as well.

We'll have the second 100 days of the Obama administration been days of change or days of frustration? Let your voice be heard. Cast your vote at CNN.com/ReportCard, and get the results of CNN's "National Report Card" on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.

The man who allegedly sparked a bomb scare at New York's LaGuardia Airport yesterday has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination. Police say 32-year-old Scott McGann was arrested at a security checkpoint with a backpack containing wires, batteries and a trigger attached to it. The bag sparked suspicion and led to a large- scale evacuation of the New York airport. LaGuardia was shut down and thousands of passengers had their travel plans disrupted. McGann is charged with placing a false bomb in a mass transcription facility and making a terrorist threat. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.

Still ahead: It is a box that contains a gift of democracy. Why lanterns, tape, and ink hold the future for Afghanistan.

And Israel is shocked by a deadly attack at a gay teen club. Was it a hate crime?

And later, you know it's hot and dry outside when people are praying for rain. Our Jacqui Jeras tells us about her hot trip to Texas.

Also, tell us what's on your mind. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com -- that is how you get on CNN today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.

It has been a deadly weekend of fighting in Afghanistan. Three American troops were killed today in the eastern part of the country. At least six other NATO troops were killed yesterday, including several Americans. In July, 75 NATO troops were killed in Afghanistan, the deadliest month for international troops since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

And as Afghans prepare for this month's presidential election, it is worth $223 million to make sure the process runs smoothly.

CNN's Ivan Watson is in Kabul and shows us the new multimillion dollar election kit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is just a piece of the operation to put together elections in Afghanistan. It's a $223 million procedure.

What is being put together here? These are election kits and it just shows you the complications of trying to put on an election in Afghanistan. Lanterns come in each kit, because much of Afghanistan does not have electricity. So, how are you going to count ballots without that?

Security tape to block off areas, batteries, ink, so that the people can put their fingers in the ink and then vote. And then security ties here, locks to make sure that will diminish the amount of possible voter fraud, and then these bins go out, these plastic bins, more than 95,000 of them, you see them right here, going out all across Afghanistan.

And because transport is very difficult in this country, they are using everything from trucks to helicopters, airplanes and even donkeys -- more that 3,000 of them to distribute these ballots across the country. Counting the ballots is going to take weeks.

And then, there's another issue that we have not discussed, that is the security challenge. There is a raging Taliban insurgency in the south and the east of the country, and election officials say up to 10 percent of the 7,000 polls stations are not secure enough right now for voting to take place there.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Ivan.

In Tel Aviv, Israel, mourning and shock after two teenagers were shot dead at the center for gay youth last night. Hundreds of people showed up for their funerals. Meanwhile, police are looking for the shooter who, witnesses say, was wearing a mask. Protesters are condemning the attack as assault on their freedom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NITZN HOROWITZ, ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER: We're all under shock. We didn't expect such a murderous attack. This is the first time something like that is happening in Israel, and we are not goods to sit quietly and let this pass away. We're going to fight for our freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, police are treating the shooting as a hate crime against the gay community. Prime Minister Netanyahu has called for respect and tolerance, and he is promising justice in this case.

Two American filmmakers were hurt in a small plane crash in Kenya. The pilot did not survive. It happened over a residential area in Nairobi. People on the ground said the plane was flying unusually low just before it slammed into a three-story apartment building.

One of the passengers was thrown from the plane because they were filming with the doors open. One of the survivors, the flight engineer, is in a coma. No one on the ground was hurt. The cause of the crash is now being investigated.

Still ahead here on CNN: A Massachusetts mom finds her own child for sale on Craigslist. You won't believe this one.

And death at a Canadian music festival. What caused this outdoor stage to collapse and a movie star was just about to go on stage when it all happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Imagine pointing and clicking through the Internet ads only to discover a grinning for photo of your own baby boy smiling back at you from a Craigslist adoption listing. One Massachusetts mom says it happened to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNI BRENNAN, MOTHER: Out of the blue, some girl e-mailed us and said, "I think you should know that someone is using Jake's picture in an adoption scam."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Jenni Brennan thinks Jacob's picture was lifted from her family blog and then used it as a tool in an international adoption scheme that claim Jacob is Canadian-born but living in an African orphanage. Brennan alerted the FBI when the advertiser for 300 bucks to start the adoption process.

Sad silence on the last day of a country music festival in Canada after an outdoor stage collapsed in a furious summer storm. One person is dead, about 75 orders are injured, some critically. Ticket holders describe a panicked dash as the stage gave in.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MARIA ORYDZUK, SURVIVED DECK COLLAPSE (via telephone): (INAUDIBLE) which means we get access to the show on stage. The next thing I know, we're running off and 20 feet up on the stage and this wind gust comes out of nowhere and literally (INAUDIBLE) splashes just like a midway ride of Capital Ex.

The next thing I know there is like concrete and there is like or something on top of my back. I can't see a thing, all I'm doing is yelling for my sister. There's children on the deck with us.

It was awful, I thought my life was literally ending because it was completely dark and black, and I can honestly say if I wasn't just there (ph) as I was, I would have never gotten out because there was a tiny, tiny hole that I crawled through and it was probably, I don't know, a good 50 feet down that I had to jump. That was the scariest part of my life.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEMON: Actor Kevin Costner and his band were about to take the stage at the Big Valley Jamboree in Alberta when the stage toppled. Now, Costner is OK after reportedly wiggling out from under the wreckage, but two of his band mates are among those who are hospitalized.

And when you look at that video, Jacqui, and the mangled mess, it's surprising that more people weren't hit. Straight-line winds you say here?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, straight-line damaging winds. But, you know, when you think about it -- I mean, you can go at...

LEMON: Yes.

JERAS: ... outdoor concert, right?

LEMON: Yes.

JERAS: You've been to a football game or a baseball game or maybe a summer festival outdoors. And, you know, so many people don't think about severe weather safety rules when you're in a place like that. You always think about, "Yes, at home, I got my plan and I go to my basement," but what do you do when you're out, you know?

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: Out in the open, you're kind of stuck. If there's no shelter or any kind of building. You're probably better off in your car than anywhere else.

But, you know, if you go to maybe a baseball game, you know, a stairwell if it's covered is a good place. Inside a bathroom is a good place to go. And, you know, listen for announcement if you see the skies are becoming dark because you don't want to cause a mass stampede, either, trying to evacuate.

LEMON: I was just going to say, if you see it coming, then go elsewhere is probably the best thing that you can do early on. You know, they got lots of rain and they got all the wind there, but in Texas they could use -- not the wind -- but they could use the rain because it is so bone-dry there.

JERAS: Yes, it really is. You know, so much of the state is under an extreme drought. Just got back from Texas...

LEMON: Yes.

JERAS: ... and had the opportunity to talk with a cattle rancher and cotton farmer. And, you know, they've always been dealing with problems from Mother Nature, you know...

LEMON: Yes.

JERAS: ... years over years over years. But this time, people who make their living off the land are worried not only about having a bad year, but they're worried about having to given up their profession all together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT HUIE, BEE COUNTY, TEXAS RANCHER: Come here, girls.

JERAS: Matt Huie's family has been raising cattle and cotton on this Bee County, Texas land for four generations.

HUIE: The status of the ranch is sort of on hold. We got 44 more or 45 more days to try to figure out what we're going to do for the next year. And if we don't have any rain, we're just kind of in a holding pattern until we give up, you know, somewhere around the first of October.

JERAS: Huie is one of many Texas cattlemen who may have to sell off the herd in order for his ranch to survive. He's already sold a fifth of his 500 cattle because he can't afford to feed them. In good years, Huie's herd graze on plentiful hay and corn from his own field. He sells the surplus for profit.

But this year, he's had to resort to protein pellets to keep them alive. He calls it cow candy.

HUIE: You can see some of them don't look too great and you can start counting ribs.

JERAS: The drought in south central Texas is considered exceptional. There has been no significant rain for nearly a year, and searing temperatures are drying up the water supply.

(on camera): How high is this usually?

HUIE: Usually it's up to about here. You know, this is kind of the edge of the -- this is usually the waterline.

JERAS (voice-over): Huie says he's lucky. Many of his neighbors have no water at all.

(on camera): If the cattle situation sounds dire, the cotton crop is even worse. While these have reached maturity now, they're very poor. These plants should be so thick that I can't walk through the rows.

HUIE: We've got 80 acres out of the cotton out of 1,000 we planted. And this is the best 80 acres, and it's worst cotton I've grown in 12 years.

JERAS: Cotton is usually his cash crop. Now, it will cost more to harvest than he'll make. The corn is no better.

HUIE: This ought to be up here. And this ear ought to be up here.

JERAS: He'll yield about 15 percent of his corn and cotton crops.

HUIE: Is this depressing? Yes, this is sickening.

JERAS: Huie is counting on crop insurance pay outs to get through this year. A federal emergency disaster fund was approved in 2008. But so far, nobody has gotten any money. Severe drought is gripping nearly half of the state.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples says the consequences will be felt nationwide.

TODD STAPLES, TEXAS AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER: This economic crisis and this drought is only compounding and making matters worse. And if we don't see immediate action to have some relief, it is going to impact the long-term security of our nation's food supply.

JERAS: For Matt Huie, the money can't come soon enough. In the meantime, he's praying for rain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: They all are praying for rain, huh?

JERAS: I know. But, you know, despite the grim outlook, Matt Huie is actually really kind of the eternal optimist, and he hopes that he's going to be able to pull through. It's been his lifelong dream to be a farmer. He wants to stick with it.

LEMON: As I look at that dry -- the cornstalks really dry, the first thing I thought about was fire. Have they been dealing with fires?

JERAS: Yes, Matt Huie himself lost several hundred acres in the fire this year -- a huge threat across the state. They're praying for rain, like you said, and hoping for a tropical system, believe it or not, to help them out.

LEMON: All right. We hope they'll get it. Best of luck to you guys.

And thank you very much, Jacqui.

You know, have we hit bottom yet when it comes to the economy? What former Fed Chief Alan Greenspan has to say?

(MUSIC)

LEMON: That sounds good, doesn't it? And you thought you'd hear it all. Well, we'll hear a performance of some newly-discovered pieces by Mozart. That's right, I said newly-discovered by Mozart.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: There are encouraging signs that the economic free fall has hit rock bottom, if you could call that encouraging. So how do you start climbing back up? Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says Uncle Sam might have to dig deeper into your pocket.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIMOTHY GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: We will not get this economy back on track, recovery will be not strong and sustained unless we can convince the American people that we're going to have the will to bring these deficits down once recovery is firmly established.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, so taxes aren't the only dark economic cloud lingering over the White House. Millions of Americans are still worried about getting a job or keeping the one that they already have. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow is in New York with us. And Poppy, unemployment rates are on track to keep climbing, so this really doesn't feel like a recovery for a lot of people, probably for most people.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, not at all, Don. When you look at the raw data, we have 9.5 percent unemployment. That tells less than half the story because you've got millions more Americans underemployed. You've got more than 6.5 million jobs lost in this recession alone. And when you look at the job losses last month alone in June, and we'll get the July report soon, it's near 500,000.

So you're looking at tough numbers. But the scarier part, Don, and it is the story featured on the front page of the "New York Times" today, and it is the fact that come September and come the fall, about 1.5 million Americans, Don, are going to lose their unemployment benefits and they very likely won't have a job anymore. And that's the harsh reality facing a lot of folks.

And you know, Don, in the stimulus package, we got an extension of those benefits. In some states you can get 79 weeks. But that's not enough because a lot of people go more than a year, a year and a half without finding work, Don, and that is a major, major problem.

And there is a lot of calls to Congress, especially now saying, what are you going to do come the fall? Are you going to extend the unemployment benefits for all of us, the people that cannot find the work? What will you do? And Fed chairman -- former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan addressed the issue of unemployment, speaking on the weekend talk shows. Take a listen to what he had to say, quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN GREENSPAN, FORMER FED CHAIRMAN: The unemployment rate is going to continue to rise, but more slowly than it's been. We'll continue to have job loss, but that's slowing as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: All right, Don, so he said it's slowing, but the issue here is Don, he said we're going to lose more jobs in this country.

LEMON: All right, Poppy Harlow, thank you for that. Poppy is going to be back with us at 7. We are going to have a deeper conversation about this. Poppy, appreciate it, CNNMoney.com.

President Barack Obama is earning a little bit of praise from a former Republican rival, very little though. Senator John McCain told CNN's John King that the president deserves credit for a short-term perk in the economy, but McCain is doubtful that the winning streak will last, especially when it comes to health care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The passage of the stimulus package and the huge deficit associated with that I think harmed their ability to move forward with health care, because that's another trillion dollars in the view of the CBO, so that gave them a certain handicap. But I think the other thing is, aspect of it is that the president has laid out some ideas, but I think the president has to be more specific in the -- when we come down to exactly what these proposals are. And I don't think he's done that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, let's head now to Washington, D.C., and talk to our senior political analyst Mr. Bill Schneider. Hello, Bill.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Don.

LEMON: The president and the Congress will be on the road this August. Who are the voters that they are trying to persuade here? Who are they?

SCHNEIDER: Well, there's going to be a big lobbying effort. For Democrats, it's the great rescue plan to save the health care reform package, and they're going to be targeting the voters who are really the satisfied majority, the Americans who say they're happy with their health care and they're satisfied with their health insurance.

They like the idea of reform, because they want people who don't have it to get health insurance. They want to control costs and inflation. They want to be sure that they'll be able to keep what they have, but they're worried that somehow this big trillion health care plan is going to limit their choices and make things more expensive. That satisfied majority is going to be the target of all that lobbying.

LEMON: OK then, is health care -- you know we hear a lot about health care, we get a lot of responses, you know this from viewers. I'm sure you get them as well. Is this really the biggest issue to voters, Bill?

SCHNEIDER: No, actually it's not. The economy, jobs, that's the No. 1 issue to voters, all the polls show that. People are still worried about what Poppy just reported, mainly the continuing increase in unemployment, people are very insecure about their jobs and they want some assurances that whatever this recovery is, it's going to bring back jobs.

And the second most important concern to people is government spending and the deficit. Health care actually ranks third on people's list of concerns.

LEMON: Oh, OK, all right. Then who has the advantage here? Is it Congress or is it the president of the United States when it comes to -- especially the issue of health care?

SCHNEIDER: The president of the United States. He was elected with the mandate for change. He's still a very popular figure even though there's spreading doubts about his program and his policies. He himself is still very popular, which is why we're going to see a lot of the president this August.

It's supposed to be a period of vacation, but he's going to be out there on the trail. He's going to be out there this week trying to talk up the economy and trying to reassure the satisfied majority of voters who have health insurance that nothing terrible is going to happen to them, they're going to become more secure if this program passes. The president is the best salesman around for what he's trying to sell.

LEMON: That's why they have him out on the road trying to sell it to the American people. Bill, stick around. We're going to see you at 7:00.

We're going to talk more about, as you said, the number one issue, the economy, jobs, and health care. Bill will be with out Poppy Harlow as well.

Now have the second 100 days of the Obama administration been days of change, frustration, what? Let your voice be heard. Cast your vote at CNN.com/RepordCard, then get the results on CNN's "National Report Card." Write it down, Thursday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

It has taken nearly two decades, but the remains of the first American officer shot down in the first Iraq war have finally been found. We'll take you back there when it happened and tell you how we got to here. Still ahead, we'll take a closer look at his close friends and talk to them who never gave up searching for him. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, we're going to have more on the developing story we first told you about at the top of the hour, the remains of the first American officer shot down in the first Gulf War have been positively identified. An Iraqi citizen told U.S. forces in Iraq where to find the crash site.

U.S. Navy Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher was shot down in his fighter jet in 1991 in the opening night of the Persian Gulf War. The latest announcement by the Pentagon in 18 years of speculation that Speicher may have survived that crash. Captain Speicher's family and friends agonized for nearly two decades, but never gave up on the search.

Joining me now, his close friend Miriam Novelly also Jim Stafford, founder of Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher. Both join us live from Jacksonville, Florida.

Good evening to you.

MIRIAM NOVELLY, FRIEND OF SPEICHER: Good evening.

LEMON: Thank you so much for joining us. The past couple of hours I would imagine have just been unbelievable to you.

NOVELLY: Yes, they have.

LEMON: Tell us what you have been dealing with.

NOVELLY: A lot of phone calls, an emotional roller coaster, but glad there's a conclusion to this.

LEMON: Ms. Novelly, you said that it has been an emotional roller coaster not just the past couple of hours and past couple of days, but really for the past 18 years. You guys have not given up hope that you would find Scott.

NOVELLY: Correct, correct, that's why we started the Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher as we wanted answers and a conclusion.

LEMON: What is the Web site, Mr. Stafford, because I'd like to point our viewers to it. Is it still up?

JIM STAFFORD, SPEICHER'S FRIEND: Currently we've taken the Web site down as a group, we just -- the amount of time involved in the effort got to be too much for everybody. We did take the Web site down. We felt like the information and -- we had done our jobs as far as getting the word out about Scott, we knew that his fate was in good hands with his family and the military and their efforts that they were making to find him.

LEMON: You believe that he was alive or could possibly be alive for all of this time and hearing now about this Bedouin or group of Bedouins who led the U.S. military to the crash site, this was something completely new, a theory that you said you had never heard of before. STAFFORD: Right, we knew all along that he wasn't accounted for that night, and that it just left a lot of open questions when the search was made at the crash site, it was controlled. A lot of information came out that we were privy to that indicated that he was captured, was alive. Still a lot of unanswered questions now as to when he was there, or when he ended up where he did. That's where we're at right now. We're happy for the closure. We can't change the circumstances.

LEMON: Now I understand he would have been in his early 50s now. He has two kids?

STAFFORD: Right.

LEMON: How are the kids doing? How old are they now?

STAFFORD: Both kids are in college and all indications are they're doing extremely well.

LEMON: Have you spoken to the family?

STAFFORD: Not recently. We've been in constant contact for a period of time, it's been a little while. I guess about a year ago we were getting a lot of information, false leads on his whereabouts and information. But as of recent, we haven't spoken to him.

LEMON: Talk to me, Ms. Novelly, about his legacy. How do you want him to be remembered at what for?

NOVELLY: His loyalty to his country that he served and that any American that serves is going to get the same, that their country is going to go and do for them what they did for Scott, that they won't give up. And they'll bring them home just like they did for him.

LEMON: Yes, and that is exactly the sentiments that came from the family, said they hoped this prevented another of our service men and women from being left behind. They said we will miss him and we will never forget, thank you for your thoughts and for your prayers. And I'd like to thank both of you this evening for joining us. We appreciate you coming on and talking about your friend.

NOVELLY: Thank you.

LEMON: All right, have a good one. A U.S. soldier is electrocuted in Iraq, allegedly because of a faulty wiring in his own base. Now U.S. senators want the contractor who did the work to pay the price.

And you have to see this to believe it, a new type of prosthetic arm, so nimble that users can play Jenga.

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LEMON: All right. This one is for all you lovers of classical music. Two newly discovered compositions by Mozart are getting a public hearing. The pieces were found in the Mozart Library in Austria.

They're part of a well-known manuscript of Mozart's earliest work. They were considered anonymous creations before scholars took a closer look and were stunned to find out who wrote them. Here's a portion of the second one. Mozart began playing the piano when he was three, and begin composing music at the age of five. Scholars believe Mozart wrote these pieces when he was just seven or 8-years-old. By the time Mozart died, he had written more than 600 pieces of music.

Grabbing a bottle and taking a drink seems like a very simple task, but for some amputees, it can be almost impossible. That's until now. CNN's Gary Tuchman show us a new prosthetic arm that you have to see to believe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chuck Hilldrift (ph) lost his arms 28 years ago in an electrical accident. He hadn't used a drill since. Now he can. And unlatch a door chain. And even play Jenga.

He could do all these amazing things. Thanks to the DEKA, a sophisticated prosthesis created by famed Segway inventor Dean Kamen. It all started when the Pentagon's Defense Advance Research Projects Agency called DARPA wanted something new for troops who lost an arm on the battlefield.

DEAN KAMEN, INVENTOR: The first time we met with DARPA, and they described we want an arm that can do this and this and this and this and this. We told them, you're nuts.

TUCHMAN: But he delivered.

KAMEN: Until we started this project, most people would have said this was the state of the art -- basically a plastic tube with a hook on the end of it. And our goal was to replace that technology with something as a full hand with an opposed thumb and all the fingers.

TUCHMAN: The DEKA arm is still in development. The most recent design weighs about the same as a human arm and can lift up to 20 pounds. The wrist and fingers are controlled by electronic monitors worn on the user's shoulder and sensors inside the shoes.

Kamen thinks he's only a few years away from delivering the device to veterans and other amputees and, of course, came his most valuable volunteer, Chuck Hilldrift (ph).

KAMEN: OK, you can let go now.

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Gary, thank you.

We have this just in from CNN, this is a statement from the president of the United States about the remains of Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher. They have been recovered. Here's what the president says. He says, "The news that Captain Speicher's remains have been recovered is a reminder of the selfless service that led him to make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. As with all our servicemen and women considered missing in action, we remain steadfast in our determination to bring our American heroes home. I am grateful to the Marines who pursued the information that led to Captain Speicher's recovery so that he can now come home. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and I hope that the recovery of his remains will bring them a needed sense of closure."

That is from the president of the United States on the remains of Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher being found in the Iraqi desert.

U.S. soldiers electrocuted, allegedly, due to faulty wiring and poor construction. The U.S. contractor who did the work was paid millions. Now there are questions of accountability and a push to return some of that money.

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LEMON: Well bullets, bombs, the threat of kidnapping, these are the obvious dangers U.S. troops deal with when they go off to war. But there is one enemy they never thought they'd have to face, faulty contracting work. Now some U.S. lawmakers want a top contractor to pay the price. Now let's turn it over to CNN's Abbie Boudreau from our special investigations unit with a full report on this.

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ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. contractor KBR received $83.4 million in bonus payments for electrical work it performed in Iraq during the past several years. Now, there's a push for KBR to give that money back.

SEN. BOB CASEY (D), PENNSYLVANIA: These are just absolutely stunning conclusions about failures by KBR as well as failures by our government.

BOUDREAU: U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Byron Dorgan joined Sergeant Ryan Maseth's mother at a news conference. Her son was a highly decorated Green Beret who was electrocuted in his shower on a U.S. base near Baghdad last year. The senators harshly criticized both the Defense Department and Houston-based KBR, the top contractor specifically named in the IG Report. They are now demanding that DOD officials take back the $83.4 million in bonus payments the army handed out to KBR for the work it performed in Iraq.

SEN. BYRON DORGAN (D), NORTH DAKOTA: The question for us is, when will there be accountability? Accountability that requires contractors to measure up, and how do we get that from both the Pentagon and contractors? We're not going to let go of this because something's dreadfully wrong here.

BOUDREAU: The inspector general's report found that a water pump installed by KBR was not properly grounded, leading to Sergeant Maseth's electrocution after it short circuited. The inspector general also found that electrical conditions are still dangerous for U.S. soldiers at war, even in Afghanistan. Ryan Maseth's mother says she talks to soldiers who are still getting shocked.

CHERYL HARRIS, RYAN MASETH'S MOTHER: I think we really need to focus on the safety of the troops and electrical conditions in Afghanistan and I do know firsthand that our troops are continuing to be shocked even in showers in Afghanistan. I still have contact with a lot of soldiers on the ground over there.

BOUDREAU: Earlier this week, a KBR spokesperson told us that "while the death of Staff Sergeant Maseth was tragic," KBR continues to maintain that it was not responsible for his death or for any other electrocutions.

Company officials say the building where Sergeant Maseth lived was a preexisting building and it was not properly grounded by contractors who built the structure in the first place. KBR also told CNN "the senators are wrong in their assertions that we have been derelict in our duties to protect the troops." Two wrongful death lawsuits were filed against KBR by families of electrocuted soldiers.

This week, KBR was dismissed from a lawsuit in one of the deaths. The lawsuit by Ryan Maseth's family is still in court.

Abbie Boudreau, CNN, Atlanta.

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