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Search is Suspended, Wedding Called Off; HIV Scare at School; Dream Jobs

Aired April 29, 2005 - 14:00   ET

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

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS FAMILY SPOKESMAN: We would give our life and everything that we own to have her return.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A heartbreaking situation for the family of Jennifer Wilbanks, the missing bride-to-be. Within the past hour, investigators also held a news conference. We're live with the latest developments.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A no-go for the shuttle. Launch plans delayed over some safety concerns. NASA administrator Michael Griffin joins us live to talk about it.

WHITFIELD: The president's push for Social Security changes. We're going beyond the sound bites and crunching the numbers on what changes could be in store for you.

O'BRIEN: And, have you heard about the bird? This woodpecker, once thought to be extinct, is very much alive. Faithful LIVE FROM viewers heard us go on about it yesterday. But today there is more. One of the men who helped rediscover it joins us live.

He says when it happened -- Fred, you know what he said?

WHITFIELD: What?

O'BRIEN: He sat down on a tree stump and wept like a baby.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: He's into it.

O'BRIEN: We're going to try to get him to repeat the whole thing.

WHITFIELD: It's been decades since they last saw them last live.

O'BRIEN: Anyway, this is LIVE FROM. And I'm Miles O'Brien.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips today. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now. O'BRIEN: The search is suspended, the wedding is called off. But the case of the missing bride-to-be still very much open. And a small fortune awaits anybody who can crack it.

If you've been watching LIVE FROM, you've seen the heartbroken family of Jennifer Wilbanks plead for information. And you've heard investigators report on a search that's led nowhere. And a new and puzzling impasse with Wilbanks' husband to be. It's all taking place in Duluth, Georgia, just northeast of Atlanta, and that's where we find CNN's Tony Harris -- Harris.

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, just an extraordinary couple of hours here in Duluth. First, as you mentioned, at the 12:00 hour there was this emotion-packed press conference joined by both members of both families, the Wilbanks family and the Mason family. And in that news conference, we first learned that $100,000 reward has been established for any information leading to the person -- the conviction of the person who is responsible for the disappearance of Jennifer.

And we also learned at that time that John Mason, Jennifer's fiance, had taken and passed a polygraph test. Well, that would become a bone of contention a little later on in the day. Because just an hour later, just last hour, as a matter of fact, we learned from the chief of police that that examination means next to nothing to authorities here in Duluth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH, GEORGIA, POLICE: Mr. Mason did take a polygraph today by a private examiner. We have requested that he take a polygraph now through the GBI.

He has agreed to take the polygraph, but under certain conditions. The GBI was in negotiation with him to take these tests.

The conditions that Mr. Watkins (ph) has put upon us is not normal for the GBI or the FBI to do for a polygraph. So at this time, we are unable to administer a polygraph by the GBI as a result of not being able to meet Mr. Watkins' (ph) requirements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Wow. And Miles, as you mentioned, this is all about a negotiation. And as you just heard, the negotiations are at a standstill or at an impasse. And in the meantime, the search for Jennifer Wilbanks has been called off because of no new leads -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Tony Harris in Duluth, Georgia. Thank you -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, now to Iraq's horrifically unlucky 13. That's a car bomb going off in Baghdad while the victims of a previous car bombing are still being rushed off the scene.

In all today, 13 bombs went off, mostly in Baghdad, killing at least 27 people, mostly Iraqi soldiers and police. Americans are among the casualties. At least three troops killed, others wounded in two separate car bombings in two cities.

U.S. commanders say insurgents are frustrated and desperate in light of yesterday's approval by Iraq's new assembly of a new prime minister and government. But that's not the tone of an audio recording posted today on Islamic Web sites and attributed to the infamous terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The speaker warns he's not giving up, and he directed this to President Bush...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We pledge to god, oh, you Bush, the dog, that you will not have tranquility, nor will you ever be content and happy as long as we have blood flowing in our veins and beating hearts. We, god willing, are coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The tape's authenticity cannot be independently proven.

Well, back in this country, there is a change in plans for America's space program. And let's ask Miles O'Brien about some of those changes and a little bit more on that.

O'BRIEN: Let me shift into my space correspondent role her for a moment.

NASA today said it is delaying the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery for another two months. Takeoff now will not take place until now at least July 12 or 13. This, of course, would be the first shuttle launch since the Columbia disaster more than two years ago. Officials say they need more time to ensure that foam chunks or ice, more importantly, won't break off during launch, potentially damaging the shuttle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: This is consistent with our overall approach to return to flight, which is that we're going to return to flight, we're not going to rush to flight. And we want it to be -- we want it to be right. So we're doing what we need to do to ensure that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: They will fly no shuttle before its time. The man with those words, the new NASA administrator, Michael Griffin. He'll join us in about 10 minutes right here on CNN. Stay tuned for that.

WHITFIELD: And now to a health scare in Philadelphia. This should be a time when children begin looking forward to summer. But some students at an elementary school are suddenly facing testing and treatment for possible HIV infection.

CNN's Bill Hemmer explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Concern etched on parents' faces at a Philadelphia school, where more than a dozen third-graders were allegedly pricked by a classmate with a diabetic testing needle. Parents say they were told one of the children struck with the needle is apparently HIV positive.

MARTHA ADORNO, PARENT OF 3RD-GRADER: It's the same needle that they poke on every one of the 14 kids. And one of the kids that was poked is HIV positive. We don't know if that was before or after (INAUDIBLE).

HEMMER: Some parents claim at first the teacher did not take the situation seriously.

MIKE GONZALEZ, PARENT OF 3RD-GRADER: This is something that is not to be played with. You got now little kids that are in danger.

HEMMER: So far, test results for the AIDS virus have been negative. The students were given two drugs, often taken by health care workers, within 24 hours of an accidental needle prick. The children will have more tests and some parents say that waiting, not knowing whether their children have been infected, is excruciating.

MAGDALIA RIOS, RENT OF 3RD-GRADER: I have to keep coming back, like from month to month, three months. It's going to be agony for me, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And that was CNN's Bill Hemmer reporting. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk of getting HIV from a needle stick is low. One in 300 cases leads to infection.

O'BRIEN: Other news "Across America" now.

A woman in Minnesota in serious condition after being attacked by four tigers. Authorities say she was helping a man care for the big cats that he kept in his land. He is scheduled to appear in court on charges that he kept the animals illegally.

From lucky guys to accused thieves. Two Massachusetts men who made national headlines when they said they found buried treasure in a back yard now under arrest. Police say they actually stole the money from the home where they were doing some roofing work.

The current owners of the home likely didn't know about the old currency valued up to $100,000. It was in the attic.

And in Rhode Island, an 80-year-old woman is being called a hero today. Madelyn Lindell (ph) came to the rescue of a neighbor who accidentally started a fire at their housing complex. She carried the woman down two flights of stairs when the flames began to spread. The local fire chief calls Lindell (ph) a spunky character, and we heartily endorse that notion.

She's amazing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, to say the least. That's amazing.

O'BRIEN: She's got some strength there.

WHITFIELD: I like that story.

O'BRIEN: Didn't necessarily see it there. All right.

WHITFIELD: Well, more on that shuttle, which won't be getting off the ground next month.

O'BRIEN: NASA announces a change of plans. Ahead on LIVE FROM, the NASA administrator, Michael Griffin, will talk to us about what's next for the shuttle program.

WHITFIELD: Also straight ahead, it's never too late to get your dream job. Right? Real-life success stories of people who combine their passion with their pursuit of the next mortgage payment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just the most unbelievable moment in my life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like seeing a ghost.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Stirred for a bird. We'll take you inside the discovery of the survival of a species against all odds.

WHITFIELD: The ghost bird of the sky.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Getting out of the rat race, it's not easy. You need courage, determination and passion. Yes, passion.

CNN's Gerri Willis continues our series now on investing for retirement. She visits with a former banker and a family taking their passion to the next level to find their dream jobs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That looks like fun.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: What if you could get paid to do this the ret of your life?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to put my fingers in there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to jump in.

WILLIS: That's exactly what Joan Coukos did some four years ago when she left a successful career as a commercial banker to pursue her full-time love, chocolate.

Coukos dipped into the chocolate business at first, learning the ropes and the recipes. Her banking colleagues thought she was crazy.

JOAN COUKOS, OWNER, CHOCOLAT MODERNE: I would notice at the end of some of our meetings, that they'd have very worried looks on their faces.

WILLIS: Pushing the cynics aside, she used her savings to start Chocolat Moderne, investing her money in culinary training and supplies for her workshop.

(on camera): You took money most people think of as the nest egg and really gambled it.

CUOKOS: Yes.

WILLIS: Has it work for you?

CUOKOS: Yes, it's really, I think I've made -- I've been more successful than I thought I would be.

WILLIS: Chocolate, she believes, is both a passion and a profession she can follow into a successful retirement.

CUOKOS: There will always be something new and exciting to do.

WILLIS: Passions, say the experts, is exactly what later-in-life workers are looking for. Well, that and, of course, the money.

Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners, authors of the book "Don't Retire, Rewire," say the two are a natural match.

JERI SEDLAR, AUTHOR, "DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE": Start with any interest that you might have, or if you ever found yourself saying, one of these days I'll -- or if I had the time, I'd -- because it's an interesting of yours and you don't know up front where it might lead you. But that can work in conjunction with your skills and your competencies.

WILLIS: Billy Schlosser moved from technology consulting into producing music videos for children. He brought his whole family on board. Making the move required some careful financial planning to get their business started, including refinancing that I mortgage. It looks like their $400,000 investment is about to pay off.

BILLY SCHLOSSER, FOUNDER, "LAUGHING PIZZA": There's always going to be a new 5-year-old, every year, who would like to listen to this music, and it can be used in any number of ways. So we look at it as building our retirement portfolio while doing this.

LISA MICHAELIS, FOUNDER, "LAUGHING PIZZA": It sound corny, but really comes from the heart. So when you're looking for that thing, you don't have to look very far. You know, it's almost better if you just do the thing that you absolutely love.

WILLIS: Like Coukos, who developed a taste for her chocolate business.

CUOKOS: I was never someone who thought who really thought about, oh, I can't wait until I'm 59, 60 or 62 so I can, like, retire and sit on a golf course or something. I mean, I just never...

WILLIS (on camera): You have to do what you love.

CUOKOS: Yes, I have to do what I love, and I love to work, and I love to work at something that's challenging and creative.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, that report by Gerri Willis part of our "Never Too Late" series on investing for retirement.

I'm suddenly hungry now, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Hungry, and I want to retire. Retire and eat chocolates. Can we do that?

WHITFIELD: I just want to eat. That's what I like to do.

O'BRIEN: That's a good way to wind it down.

All right. Let's speak about retirement a little bit more. And just how big will your Social Security check be when you retire?

Are you counting on it?

WHITFIELD: No, I'm not. Sorry.

O'BRIEN: No, that would be...

WHITFIELD: But I am an optimist. But I'm not counting on that. How much sense does that make?

O'BRIEN: You're an optimist but a well-informed one. We'll try to find the reality behind the call for reform on Social Security ahead on LIVE FROM.

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kathleen Hays at the New York Stock Exchange. Ever optimistic.

Coming up, why the IRS says it's been sending out refunds faster than last year. Plus, a crackdown finally on those anowing online pop-up ads.

I'll have those stories next on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: More now on NASA's change of plans for the Space Shuttle Discovery. It was to launch late next month, the first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster two years ago.

But the launch window has now been delayed for another two months. NASA administrator Michael Griffin says there is no rush to flight at the agency. He joins us now live from Washington.

Dr. Griffin, good to have you with us.

MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: Good to be with you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: It seems as if it's a little bit late in the game to find out about this problem, an ice problem. Shuttle engineers have known about ice forming on that tank for years and years. Why is this just now coming to light?

GRIFFIN: Well, as you say, Miles, it's not just now coming to light. We have known about the ice for quite some time.

The issue is whether we have been able to figure out a way around it in the time that we've been looking at it. And the answer turned up to be no. And so we're going to a very direct method of putting a heater in the specific area where the ice is forming and just making sure that no ice forms.

O'BRIEN: Now, this heater that you talk about has actually been already sort of redesigned into tanks which are being produced now, which haven't already made their way to the Kennedy Space Center. Why wasn't that heater put on this tank in the first place?

GRIFFIN: Well, the heater, the design modifications for the heater, were not fully approved in time for the fabrication of this tank. So we elected to go forward in the flow, the processing flow, with it, while we completed the analyses that we were doing to determine whether, first of all, the ice would -- could potentially flake off and hit the orbiter, and second of all, if there was a way to mitigate the ice formation through means other than the heater.

And, in fact, we have mitigated it by about 70 percent with the modifications that are on this tank even without the heater. The problem is that remaining 30 percent, and we've just elected at this time to say time to call a halt, fix it, and we'll take the six-week delay.

O'BRIEN: Now, there are some other nagging issues with the tank as well, some sensors inside the tank that might need some repair. I guess the big question without get too deep into the technical details here is, how concerned are you about other matters -- because this is, after all, so complex -- other matters that you aren't aware of yet? You've only had two weeks on the job.

GRIFFIN: Well, that's true. But the shuttle processing team -- and its great team -- has had two years and more since the accident to be working return-to-flight issues. And that's exactly what they have done. We've gotten down to a point where we needed to decide either to expend the effort to go in May, or to take about a six-week delay, till mid July, and work off those remaining issues. And that's what we elected to do.

O'BRIEN: Much has been said, much has been written by the independent accident investigation board about the way NASA does business. The term is culture, the way engineers communicate with their superiors.

What have you seen thus far in two short weeks -- that's a very short time to draw any conclusions. But based on your experience with this one issue, did you have the sense that engineers are fully communicating, and are their superiors up the chain of command, all the way to you, are they listening?

GRIFFIN: Well, Miles, that's a great question. And that's at core of our return-to-flight activities and for what goes beyond return to flight.

As you pointed out, I've been on the job two weeks. In fact, technically two weeks and two days since the Senate confirmed me. And in that time, I've spent four of those days in shuttle certification and design reviews intended to deal with the issue of whether or not we're able to return to flight.

And what I saw in those meetings is a pattern of engineers going back and forth with one another and with their management trying to determine, you know, what was true, what was not true, what would work and what wouldn't work. And I would say after some initial surprise that the administrator would choose to be present in those engineering discussions.

They began treating me just like one of the guys. And so, if you will, within NASA, the head person at the chain of command -- in the chain of command was present. And it was a lively discussion in which I was able to participate, as was everyone who was there.

If anyone in any of those meetings didn't feel able to air their thoughts, then I would regret it, because that opportunity was there.

O'BRIEN: How will you know then? I know that's a difficult question. How will you know what is safe enough for the Space Shuttle Discovery?

GRIFFIN: Well, and that's part of what's causing us to take a few weeks delay, Miles. We had some additional data that had recently come in that was going to allow us to do some further analysis and to make absolutely sure, as sure as we could be, that in the common phrase all the I's are dotted and all the T's are crossed. And if we had tried to launch in May, we simply would not have had the time to analyze all that data as fully as we would like.

So part of what the six week is buying us is the locks tank ice formation, yes. But part of what that six weeks is buying us is some additional time to go through some really very late-breaking information that we need to look at to certify the safety of the orbiter.

O'BRIEN: Final thought here. There is a term in the space business, "launch fever." And there is a desire to get a space shuttle up to that International Space Station to start resupplying it. It needs those supplies.

Have you detected much launch fever within the agency? And do you feel it's your job to douse it?

GRIFFIN: Well, Miles, if I -- if I found what we call launch fever, it would absolutely be my job to douse it. But I haven't seen it. What I saw was people deliberating carefully and passionately, people who were very involved in the details of what is necessary to certify that the shuttle is as safe as it can be before we return to flight.

Opinions vary. Engineers are differences of opinion. Management exists to sort out those differences of opinion and make a decision.

And in this case, that's what we did. And I think the decision of the team to delay from the end of May until mid July is exactly the sort of decision that indicates the team is working well, the culture is improving, and no one has launch fever.

O'BRIEN: NASA administrator Michael Griffin. Thank you for your time.

GRIFFIN: Thank you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, Miles, this just in. A gruesome and shocking investigation now under way in Cook County, Illinois, where apparently a 9-year-old boy and his 3-year-old sister have been found dead in their home, each stabbed 100 times.

And now, the most shocking of all. Their mother, a 34-year-old Hoffman Estates, Illinois, woman, has been charged with first-degree murder. More on this very disturbing case as we get more information.

O'BRIEN: All right. That is a disturbing one. We'll of course be tracking that one for you.

We're also watching the nation's business for you as well. Filed your taxes electronically? I still haven't filed my taxes. But if you have, chances are you have already received your tax refund -- don't rub it in to me.

That's my problem. Isn't it?

WHITFIELD: That's OK. It's my problem, too.

O'BRIEN: Oh, OK. Good.

WHITFIELD: I'm a little late. I'm in that club.

O'BRIEN: Thank you. Stay with me on that.

Kathleen Hays joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with more on that.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired April 29, 2005 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS FAMILY SPOKESMAN: We would give our life and everything that we own to have her return.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A heartbreaking situation for the family of Jennifer Wilbanks, the missing bride-to-be. Within the past hour, investigators also held a news conference. We're live with the latest developments.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A no-go for the shuttle. Launch plans delayed over some safety concerns. NASA administrator Michael Griffin joins us live to talk about it.

WHITFIELD: The president's push for Social Security changes. We're going beyond the sound bites and crunching the numbers on what changes could be in store for you.

O'BRIEN: And, have you heard about the bird? This woodpecker, once thought to be extinct, is very much alive. Faithful LIVE FROM viewers heard us go on about it yesterday. But today there is more. One of the men who helped rediscover it joins us live.

He says when it happened -- Fred, you know what he said?

WHITFIELD: What?

O'BRIEN: He sat down on a tree stump and wept like a baby.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: He's into it.

O'BRIEN: We're going to try to get him to repeat the whole thing.

WHITFIELD: It's been decades since they last saw them last live.

O'BRIEN: Anyway, this is LIVE FROM. And I'm Miles O'Brien.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips today. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now. O'BRIEN: The search is suspended, the wedding is called off. But the case of the missing bride-to-be still very much open. And a small fortune awaits anybody who can crack it.

If you've been watching LIVE FROM, you've seen the heartbroken family of Jennifer Wilbanks plead for information. And you've heard investigators report on a search that's led nowhere. And a new and puzzling impasse with Wilbanks' husband to be. It's all taking place in Duluth, Georgia, just northeast of Atlanta, and that's where we find CNN's Tony Harris -- Harris.

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, just an extraordinary couple of hours here in Duluth. First, as you mentioned, at the 12:00 hour there was this emotion-packed press conference joined by both members of both families, the Wilbanks family and the Mason family. And in that news conference, we first learned that $100,000 reward has been established for any information leading to the person -- the conviction of the person who is responsible for the disappearance of Jennifer.

And we also learned at that time that John Mason, Jennifer's fiance, had taken and passed a polygraph test. Well, that would become a bone of contention a little later on in the day. Because just an hour later, just last hour, as a matter of fact, we learned from the chief of police that that examination means next to nothing to authorities here in Duluth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH, GEORGIA, POLICE: Mr. Mason did take a polygraph today by a private examiner. We have requested that he take a polygraph now through the GBI.

He has agreed to take the polygraph, but under certain conditions. The GBI was in negotiation with him to take these tests.

The conditions that Mr. Watkins (ph) has put upon us is not normal for the GBI or the FBI to do for a polygraph. So at this time, we are unable to administer a polygraph by the GBI as a result of not being able to meet Mr. Watkins' (ph) requirements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Wow. And Miles, as you mentioned, this is all about a negotiation. And as you just heard, the negotiations are at a standstill or at an impasse. And in the meantime, the search for Jennifer Wilbanks has been called off because of no new leads -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Tony Harris in Duluth, Georgia. Thank you -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, now to Iraq's horrifically unlucky 13. That's a car bomb going off in Baghdad while the victims of a previous car bombing are still being rushed off the scene.

In all today, 13 bombs went off, mostly in Baghdad, killing at least 27 people, mostly Iraqi soldiers and police. Americans are among the casualties. At least three troops killed, others wounded in two separate car bombings in two cities.

U.S. commanders say insurgents are frustrated and desperate in light of yesterday's approval by Iraq's new assembly of a new prime minister and government. But that's not the tone of an audio recording posted today on Islamic Web sites and attributed to the infamous terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The speaker warns he's not giving up, and he directed this to President Bush...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We pledge to god, oh, you Bush, the dog, that you will not have tranquility, nor will you ever be content and happy as long as we have blood flowing in our veins and beating hearts. We, god willing, are coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The tape's authenticity cannot be independently proven.

Well, back in this country, there is a change in plans for America's space program. And let's ask Miles O'Brien about some of those changes and a little bit more on that.

O'BRIEN: Let me shift into my space correspondent role her for a moment.

NASA today said it is delaying the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery for another two months. Takeoff now will not take place until now at least July 12 or 13. This, of course, would be the first shuttle launch since the Columbia disaster more than two years ago. Officials say they need more time to ensure that foam chunks or ice, more importantly, won't break off during launch, potentially damaging the shuttle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: This is consistent with our overall approach to return to flight, which is that we're going to return to flight, we're not going to rush to flight. And we want it to be -- we want it to be right. So we're doing what we need to do to ensure that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: They will fly no shuttle before its time. The man with those words, the new NASA administrator, Michael Griffin. He'll join us in about 10 minutes right here on CNN. Stay tuned for that.

WHITFIELD: And now to a health scare in Philadelphia. This should be a time when children begin looking forward to summer. But some students at an elementary school are suddenly facing testing and treatment for possible HIV infection.

CNN's Bill Hemmer explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Concern etched on parents' faces at a Philadelphia school, where more than a dozen third-graders were allegedly pricked by a classmate with a diabetic testing needle. Parents say they were told one of the children struck with the needle is apparently HIV positive.

MARTHA ADORNO, PARENT OF 3RD-GRADER: It's the same needle that they poke on every one of the 14 kids. And one of the kids that was poked is HIV positive. We don't know if that was before or after (INAUDIBLE).

HEMMER: Some parents claim at first the teacher did not take the situation seriously.

MIKE GONZALEZ, PARENT OF 3RD-GRADER: This is something that is not to be played with. You got now little kids that are in danger.

HEMMER: So far, test results for the AIDS virus have been negative. The students were given two drugs, often taken by health care workers, within 24 hours of an accidental needle prick. The children will have more tests and some parents say that waiting, not knowing whether their children have been infected, is excruciating.

MAGDALIA RIOS, RENT OF 3RD-GRADER: I have to keep coming back, like from month to month, three months. It's going to be agony for me, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And that was CNN's Bill Hemmer reporting. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk of getting HIV from a needle stick is low. One in 300 cases leads to infection.

O'BRIEN: Other news "Across America" now.

A woman in Minnesota in serious condition after being attacked by four tigers. Authorities say she was helping a man care for the big cats that he kept in his land. He is scheduled to appear in court on charges that he kept the animals illegally.

From lucky guys to accused thieves. Two Massachusetts men who made national headlines when they said they found buried treasure in a back yard now under arrest. Police say they actually stole the money from the home where they were doing some roofing work.

The current owners of the home likely didn't know about the old currency valued up to $100,000. It was in the attic.

And in Rhode Island, an 80-year-old woman is being called a hero today. Madelyn Lindell (ph) came to the rescue of a neighbor who accidentally started a fire at their housing complex. She carried the woman down two flights of stairs when the flames began to spread. The local fire chief calls Lindell (ph) a spunky character, and we heartily endorse that notion.

She's amazing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, to say the least. That's amazing.

O'BRIEN: She's got some strength there.

WHITFIELD: I like that story.

O'BRIEN: Didn't necessarily see it there. All right.

WHITFIELD: Well, more on that shuttle, which won't be getting off the ground next month.

O'BRIEN: NASA announces a change of plans. Ahead on LIVE FROM, the NASA administrator, Michael Griffin, will talk to us about what's next for the shuttle program.

WHITFIELD: Also straight ahead, it's never too late to get your dream job. Right? Real-life success stories of people who combine their passion with their pursuit of the next mortgage payment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just the most unbelievable moment in my life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like seeing a ghost.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Stirred for a bird. We'll take you inside the discovery of the survival of a species against all odds.

WHITFIELD: The ghost bird of the sky.

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WHITFIELD: Getting out of the rat race, it's not easy. You need courage, determination and passion. Yes, passion.

CNN's Gerri Willis continues our series now on investing for retirement. She visits with a former banker and a family taking their passion to the next level to find their dream jobs.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That looks like fun.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: What if you could get paid to do this the ret of your life?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to put my fingers in there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to jump in.

WILLIS: That's exactly what Joan Coukos did some four years ago when she left a successful career as a commercial banker to pursue her full-time love, chocolate.

Coukos dipped into the chocolate business at first, learning the ropes and the recipes. Her banking colleagues thought she was crazy.

JOAN COUKOS, OWNER, CHOCOLAT MODERNE: I would notice at the end of some of our meetings, that they'd have very worried looks on their faces.

WILLIS: Pushing the cynics aside, she used her savings to start Chocolat Moderne, investing her money in culinary training and supplies for her workshop.

(on camera): You took money most people think of as the nest egg and really gambled it.

CUOKOS: Yes.

WILLIS: Has it work for you?

CUOKOS: Yes, it's really, I think I've made -- I've been more successful than I thought I would be.

WILLIS: Chocolate, she believes, is both a passion and a profession she can follow into a successful retirement.

CUOKOS: There will always be something new and exciting to do.

WILLIS: Passions, say the experts, is exactly what later-in-life workers are looking for. Well, that and, of course, the money.

Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners, authors of the book "Don't Retire, Rewire," say the two are a natural match.

JERI SEDLAR, AUTHOR, "DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE": Start with any interest that you might have, or if you ever found yourself saying, one of these days I'll -- or if I had the time, I'd -- because it's an interesting of yours and you don't know up front where it might lead you. But that can work in conjunction with your skills and your competencies.

WILLIS: Billy Schlosser moved from technology consulting into producing music videos for children. He brought his whole family on board. Making the move required some careful financial planning to get their business started, including refinancing that I mortgage. It looks like their $400,000 investment is about to pay off.

BILLY SCHLOSSER, FOUNDER, "LAUGHING PIZZA": There's always going to be a new 5-year-old, every year, who would like to listen to this music, and it can be used in any number of ways. So we look at it as building our retirement portfolio while doing this.

LISA MICHAELIS, FOUNDER, "LAUGHING PIZZA": It sound corny, but really comes from the heart. So when you're looking for that thing, you don't have to look very far. You know, it's almost better if you just do the thing that you absolutely love.

WILLIS: Like Coukos, who developed a taste for her chocolate business.

CUOKOS: I was never someone who thought who really thought about, oh, I can't wait until I'm 59, 60 or 62 so I can, like, retire and sit on a golf course or something. I mean, I just never...

WILLIS (on camera): You have to do what you love.

CUOKOS: Yes, I have to do what I love, and I love to work, and I love to work at something that's challenging and creative.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, that report by Gerri Willis part of our "Never Too Late" series on investing for retirement.

I'm suddenly hungry now, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Hungry, and I want to retire. Retire and eat chocolates. Can we do that?

WHITFIELD: I just want to eat. That's what I like to do.

O'BRIEN: That's a good way to wind it down.

All right. Let's speak about retirement a little bit more. And just how big will your Social Security check be when you retire?

Are you counting on it?

WHITFIELD: No, I'm not. Sorry.

O'BRIEN: No, that would be...

WHITFIELD: But I am an optimist. But I'm not counting on that. How much sense does that make?

O'BRIEN: You're an optimist but a well-informed one. We'll try to find the reality behind the call for reform on Social Security ahead on LIVE FROM.

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kathleen Hays at the New York Stock Exchange. Ever optimistic.

Coming up, why the IRS says it's been sending out refunds faster than last year. Plus, a crackdown finally on those anowing online pop-up ads.

I'll have those stories next on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: More now on NASA's change of plans for the Space Shuttle Discovery. It was to launch late next month, the first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster two years ago.

But the launch window has now been delayed for another two months. NASA administrator Michael Griffin says there is no rush to flight at the agency. He joins us now live from Washington.

Dr. Griffin, good to have you with us.

MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: Good to be with you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: It seems as if it's a little bit late in the game to find out about this problem, an ice problem. Shuttle engineers have known about ice forming on that tank for years and years. Why is this just now coming to light?

GRIFFIN: Well, as you say, Miles, it's not just now coming to light. We have known about the ice for quite some time.

The issue is whether we have been able to figure out a way around it in the time that we've been looking at it. And the answer turned up to be no. And so we're going to a very direct method of putting a heater in the specific area where the ice is forming and just making sure that no ice forms.

O'BRIEN: Now, this heater that you talk about has actually been already sort of redesigned into tanks which are being produced now, which haven't already made their way to the Kennedy Space Center. Why wasn't that heater put on this tank in the first place?

GRIFFIN: Well, the heater, the design modifications for the heater, were not fully approved in time for the fabrication of this tank. So we elected to go forward in the flow, the processing flow, with it, while we completed the analyses that we were doing to determine whether, first of all, the ice would -- could potentially flake off and hit the orbiter, and second of all, if there was a way to mitigate the ice formation through means other than the heater.

And, in fact, we have mitigated it by about 70 percent with the modifications that are on this tank even without the heater. The problem is that remaining 30 percent, and we've just elected at this time to say time to call a halt, fix it, and we'll take the six-week delay.

O'BRIEN: Now, there are some other nagging issues with the tank as well, some sensors inside the tank that might need some repair. I guess the big question without get too deep into the technical details here is, how concerned are you about other matters -- because this is, after all, so complex -- other matters that you aren't aware of yet? You've only had two weeks on the job.

GRIFFIN: Well, that's true. But the shuttle processing team -- and its great team -- has had two years and more since the accident to be working return-to-flight issues. And that's exactly what they have done. We've gotten down to a point where we needed to decide either to expend the effort to go in May, or to take about a six-week delay, till mid July, and work off those remaining issues. And that's what we elected to do.

O'BRIEN: Much has been said, much has been written by the independent accident investigation board about the way NASA does business. The term is culture, the way engineers communicate with their superiors.

What have you seen thus far in two short weeks -- that's a very short time to draw any conclusions. But based on your experience with this one issue, did you have the sense that engineers are fully communicating, and are their superiors up the chain of command, all the way to you, are they listening?

GRIFFIN: Well, Miles, that's a great question. And that's at core of our return-to-flight activities and for what goes beyond return to flight.

As you pointed out, I've been on the job two weeks. In fact, technically two weeks and two days since the Senate confirmed me. And in that time, I've spent four of those days in shuttle certification and design reviews intended to deal with the issue of whether or not we're able to return to flight.

And what I saw in those meetings is a pattern of engineers going back and forth with one another and with their management trying to determine, you know, what was true, what was not true, what would work and what wouldn't work. And I would say after some initial surprise that the administrator would choose to be present in those engineering discussions.

They began treating me just like one of the guys. And so, if you will, within NASA, the head person at the chain of command -- in the chain of command was present. And it was a lively discussion in which I was able to participate, as was everyone who was there.

If anyone in any of those meetings didn't feel able to air their thoughts, then I would regret it, because that opportunity was there.

O'BRIEN: How will you know then? I know that's a difficult question. How will you know what is safe enough for the Space Shuttle Discovery?

GRIFFIN: Well, and that's part of what's causing us to take a few weeks delay, Miles. We had some additional data that had recently come in that was going to allow us to do some further analysis and to make absolutely sure, as sure as we could be, that in the common phrase all the I's are dotted and all the T's are crossed. And if we had tried to launch in May, we simply would not have had the time to analyze all that data as fully as we would like.

So part of what the six week is buying us is the locks tank ice formation, yes. But part of what that six weeks is buying us is some additional time to go through some really very late-breaking information that we need to look at to certify the safety of the orbiter.

O'BRIEN: Final thought here. There is a term in the space business, "launch fever." And there is a desire to get a space shuttle up to that International Space Station to start resupplying it. It needs those supplies.

Have you detected much launch fever within the agency? And do you feel it's your job to douse it?

GRIFFIN: Well, Miles, if I -- if I found what we call launch fever, it would absolutely be my job to douse it. But I haven't seen it. What I saw was people deliberating carefully and passionately, people who were very involved in the details of what is necessary to certify that the shuttle is as safe as it can be before we return to flight.

Opinions vary. Engineers are differences of opinion. Management exists to sort out those differences of opinion and make a decision.

And in this case, that's what we did. And I think the decision of the team to delay from the end of May until mid July is exactly the sort of decision that indicates the team is working well, the culture is improving, and no one has launch fever.

O'BRIEN: NASA administrator Michael Griffin. Thank you for your time.

GRIFFIN: Thank you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, Miles, this just in. A gruesome and shocking investigation now under way in Cook County, Illinois, where apparently a 9-year-old boy and his 3-year-old sister have been found dead in their home, each stabbed 100 times.

And now, the most shocking of all. Their mother, a 34-year-old Hoffman Estates, Illinois, woman, has been charged with first-degree murder. More on this very disturbing case as we get more information.

O'BRIEN: All right. That is a disturbing one. We'll of course be tracking that one for you.

We're also watching the nation's business for you as well. Filed your taxes electronically? I still haven't filed my taxes. But if you have, chances are you have already received your tax refund -- don't rub it in to me.

That's my problem. Isn't it?

WHITFIELD: That's OK. It's my problem, too.

O'BRIEN: Oh, OK. Good.

WHITFIELD: I'm a little late. I'm in that club.

O'BRIEN: Thank you. Stay with me on that.

Kathleen Hays joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with more on that.

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