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CNN Sunday Morning

8-Year-Old Girl Missing for Six Weeks Found; Search for Natalee Holloway Continues

Aired July 03, 2005 - 09:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Two suicide bombers have staged an attack south of Baghdad killing nine people. The bombers targeted a cafeteria popular with people in the town of Hillah last night. Several police officers are among the dead. Three dozen other people were wounded.
A top U.S. official is in Iraq this morning. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has made a surprise visit to Baghdad. Gonzales says he wants to show support for U.S. troops and Iraq's democratic government on this July 4th weekend.

NASA's comet buster is on its way to bust open a comet. As this animation shows, the space agency's 820 pound probe is on course to smash a hole in a comet early tomorrow. Scientist hope to get their first peak into the comet's icy heart.

And now CNN.com is offering a whole new way to get the headlines. Just log on to our Web site and click on video to check out the most popular stories, and it is free on CNN.com.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Out of the hands of a sex offender and back into the arms of her father. After searching for more than a month little Shasta Groene is now safe. But her brother may not be so lucky.

It is 7:00 a.m. in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, 9:00 a.m. in the nation's capitol. Good morning, everybody. From the CNN Center, I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Good morning everyone. Thank you for starting your day with us. Here's why you should stay with us for CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We'll have more on the dramatic discovery of Shasta Groene. It started with a waitress who took a closer look at her young customer.

Also, we'll relive the early days of the war in Iraq with a soldier who was in the heart of the battle.

And we've heard a lot lately about poverty and suffering in Africa, but we'll show you the brighter side of the continent.

NGUYEN: But first today, six weeks of being held against her will is no small ordeal for 8-year-old Shasta Groene. That's when Shasta and her 9-year-old brother, Dylan, disappeared from their home. After police investigated the triple killings of their brother, their mother and their mother's boy friend today, because of a fast thinking waitress at a Denny's restaurant Shasta is safe.

Early yesterday she was eating cheese sticks and chicken fingers with Joseph Edward Duncan seen here, a registered sex offender with a long arrest record. Now he is charged with kidnapping but authorities fear the worst for Shasta's brother.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is in Coeur D'Alene and joins us now with the latest on this investigation.

Rusty, what have you learned?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, investigators are still very tight lipped about where they believe the whereabouts of Dylan Groene. Of course they are saying they fear the little boy is dead, but they won't say why and they won't say whether they were tipped of by his sister, Shasta of by Joseph Duncan the suspect in this case. We may learn some more when they have a news conference here at 11 a.m. local time.

Meantime, Shasta Groene is in the hospital here said to be resting comfortably. Her father, Steven was out of town when he learned of the news. He rushed here and apparently spent the night in the hospital with his daughter. Of course the last few days a very emotional one for the family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. BEN WOLFINGER, KOOTENAI COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: It's been very bitter sweet in the last 24 hours. The joy of having Shasta here back at home and then the belief based upon the evidence we have so far that Dylan is deceased it's been a tough road for all the investigators and the family to follow right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Investigators are not saying now whether Joseph Duncan, the suspect in this case, is linked to the triple killings of Shasta's mother, brother and her mother's boy friend. Again, we might learn some more about that this morning. But they are saying that they want anyone in the area to say whether they have seen Joseph Duncan in a 2005 red Jeep Laredo. They believe he stayed in the region with Shasta and Dylan after they time they were kidnapped around the middle of May for six weeks. They were here.

Now you remember they were found in a Denny's in Coeur D'Alene, in her home town. So police are saying, look, somebody must have seen this man driving this car around perhaps with the children in it or perhaps by himself. But it will help them figure out the whereabouts and also may help them figure out the whereabouts of Dylan Groene, since they said, as I said earlier, that they're not saying they know exactly where he is. They would only tell us that they believe it's a large area the whereabouts of Dylan Groene.

Betty.

NGUYEN: Rusty, now you say that large area, is that an area near Coeur D'Alene where Shasta was found or is it somewhere far away?

DORNIN: The area where Shasta was found is here in Coeur D'Alene. Now, that's the Denny's. It's just about 15 minutes from her house and it's in her home town of Coeur D'Alene. But as far as where he was, where he kept the children they believe it was in the general area around here. But of course there's a lot of wilderness, there's a lot of mountains, there's a lot of forest in the area near Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. So he could have been hiding them up there. It's not clear. It's not clear whether they're going to tell us that today. And also where Dylan Groene's, they believe, his body might be. They're just saying it's a very large area that they might have to be looking in.

NGUYEN: A lot of questions still to be answered and hopefully we'll learn more from that news conference.

Rusty Dornin, thank you.

For her efforts the fast thinking waitress who recognized Shasta could now be in line for a $100,000 reward. Yesterday she spoke with CNN about what raised her suspicions as the man and child sat eating at table number 20.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER DEAHN, DENNY'S WAITRESS: I came back from my break and always -- when I come back from a break I always check my session to see if there's anybody new. She looked familiar and any child that comes in after two, especially at Denny's or any child I see I automatically think of the Groene children and I went to look at a poster that we have up and it wasn't up, so I didn't have a picture to go off of and I mentioned it to my manager, Linda Olsen, that maybe we should pay more attention to this little girl.

Between Linda and I both we finally decided that we need to call the officers and have them come down and have them verify whether or not it was her, but we were pretty sure it was here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And obviously that was a very good decision there.

Now as we have reported, once the waitress suspected the girl of being Shasta she and her boss decided to make that call. And here is the call that manger Linda Olsen made to 911.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPERATOR: Dispatcher, Breanna.

CALLER: Hi, Breanna. This is Linda the manager at Denny's.

OPERATOR: Yeah.

CALLER: I've got a little girl here with a tall gentleman and she looks so much like that Shasta. OPERATOR: OK. Are they still in the building?

CALLER: Yeah, they're at table 20.

OPERATOR: Can you describe the male to me?

CALLER: He is probably, how tall is he? Probably six, six, six, I'd say 6'3".

OPERATOR: OK.

CALLER: Really slim.

OPERATOR: OK.

CALLER: Dark hair, curly with a hat on.

OPERATOR: Yeah, I'm sorry, table 20?

CALLER: Uh huh. It's all the way in the back.

OPERATOR: All right.

CALLER: And we're not sure, you know, I just -- she looks so much like her and I just, I don't know.

OPERATOR: All right. We'll have someone go that way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: So there you have it. As the manager and waitress secretly waited for police to come a cook blacked the back entrance just in case Edward Duncan tried to get away.

And we do want to remind you now that at 2 p.m. Eastern we are still waiting for that news conference to take place in Idaho. When that happens we will take it live right here on CNN.

HARRIS: What a story.

In Aruba they have used divers, dogs and countless hours of man power to search for Natalee Holloway. Now one country will send a very high tool to help. Holland is sending three F-16 warplanes rigged with sonar and infrared search technology. This as Holloway's family and friends grow ever more frustrated with the investigation. The Alabama teenager has now been missing nearly five weeks. We get the latest from CNN's Chris Lawrence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Monday will give us a huge indication of where this case stands and where it's going. A judge is flying in from Curacao, one of the nearby islands. He will look at the evidence and try to decide whether to allow police to keep these three suspects in custody for up to two more months or say there's not enough evidence and let one or all of them go free. Now that means prosecutors may be running out of time in terms of making sense of the suspects stories. We know that they have been interrogated separately and we know at other times they have been interrogated together. Here we can see two of them handcuffed together leaving the police station on Thursday.

Now just judging by their body language and facial expressions both seem fairly calm. We spoke with the mother of one of the two brothers in custody she said, he's confidant and holding up well.

Prosecutors say they could make the case without a body or confession, but obviously it would be easier with hard physical evidence. Now to that end, several of the banks here in Aruba have put their money together and donated $20,000 to a team of volunteers from Texas. That money is gong to allow that team to stay on the island to help the Aruban authorities and keep searing for any evidence that may have been missed.

I'm Chris Lawrence reporting from Palm Beach, Aruba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And we begin our look at news across America. In Oregon police suspect a 43 year old woman in the death of her four year old step grandson. Christine Coffman is charged with aggravated murder. Police say she led them to the boy's body yesterday. Right now officials say the boy died of homicidal violence. He'd been missing from his home in Milwaukee, a Portland suburb, since Wednesday.

In a story reminiscent of Watergate, someone broke into the Ohio Democratic Party office in Columbus. Thieves made off with a computer and a Blackberry belonging to the state's Democratic Party chairman. The break-in comes after Democrats began running TV ads critical of Republicans in an ongoing state scandal. The police are not sure if the break-in was politically motivated.

And in the nation's capital, it happened again. Another small plane has violated the restricted skies over Washington, D.C. Two F- 16 fighter jets reportedly intercepted the plane and forced it to land at the Frederick Municipal Airport last night. Officials are investigating.

NGUYEN: American troops search for a sixth day today for a missing team of Special Forces in eastern Afghanistan. They vanished Tuesday just before a U.S. helicopter carrying their reinforcements crashed killing all 16 service members aboard.

The Pentagon released the names of the dead just yesterday. So we want to get the latest now from CNN's Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, the search does continue today throughout the rugged mountainous border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan where those troops went missing. The -- what we're hearing from the Pentagon right now is that there has been no luck so far in fiddling the contingent of special forces soldiers who called for reinforcements on Tuesday. Now that was when the four helicopters were sent in. One of them catching fire -- one I should say, being shot down.

Both U.S. and Afghan troops are scouring the area. The only encouraging news thus far is that military officials say right now on the ground they have discovered no sign of blood, no sign of immediate combat. Of course also there is the awareness that these teams are highly trained in evasion and officials say that the missing soldiers may be choosing to stay out of sight and off radio contact until they can make their way to safety.

As for those killed when their MH47 helicopter was brought down the Pentagon last night released the names of the 16 dead. They were assigned to the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation regiment at Hunter Army Air Field in Georgia. Eight were Navy Seals, five based in Virginia Beach, Virginia at Naval amphibious base Little Creek. The Navy base there released four of their photos last night.

And then finally three were part of a Seal team based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

So this is a weekend of mourning for the families of those 16 men and a very difficult weekend of waiting and hoping for the families of the missing service members.

Back to you, Betty.

NGUYEN: No doubt. CNN's Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon. Thank you, Kathleen.

HARRIS: It is a surprise visit for the troops in Iraq, but perhaps an even bigger surprise for political watchers back here at home ahead. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales this morning on the ground in Baghdad.

NGUYEN: Plus it's a fight the right is ready to take and one the left doesn't want to lose, replacing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor why it promises to be a not so polite political show down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, in case you are just tuning in today, here's a check of our top stories.

An 8-year-old girl, who had been missing for six weeks is safe at an Idaho hospital this morning. Shasta Groene was discovered early Saturday at a Coeur D'Alene restaurant with a registered sex offender. He's been charged with kidnapping. The girl's nine year old brother, Dylan, is feared dead.

Holland says it's sending three F-16 war planes fitted with search gear to help look for Alabama teenager Natalie Holloway. Tomorrow will make five weeks that she has been missing.

Meanwhile, President Bush is getting a little R&R at Camp David before heading to the G-8 Summit this week. World leaders will gather in Scotland on Wednesday. A bit boost in aid to Africa tops the agenda.

HARRIS: It was a fight the entire world watched. The storm into Baghdad at the start of war. Coming up one of the men who led U.S. forces inside gives his account of the battle and the challenges.

NGUYEN: Time now to take a look at some of the major stores making headlines around the globe this morning. Hala Gorani is at the international desk with that.

Good morning, Hala.

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty and Tony. We start our look around the world this morning in Iraq. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is making a surprise visit to Baghdad. Gonzales will meet with Justice Department officials in Iraq. Also you'll pay some U.S. troops a visit on the 4th of July holiday.

In the Iraqi capital, the most high-profile kidnapping so far. The Egyptian ambassador was abducted yesterday from this Jeep Cherokee near his home. It happened on a day when two suicide bombings killed at least nine people south of Baghdad. No word on his whereabouts.

Saudi authorities say they've killed a high-ranking al Qaeda member. The man was identified as a Moroccan national living in the kingdom. The interior ministry in Saudi Arabia is offering rewards of up to almost $2 million to anyone who helps capture a suspected terrorists or foil an attack.

Finally, an American trying to beat two-time defending champion at the Wimbledon's men's final today. Andy Roddick goes up against Roger Federer. The match-up has started. He's trying to win his third consecutive title at the All-England Club. Federer, the heavy favorite with bookmakers, he's won eight of the last nine match-ups against Roddick, so pretty good odds in Federer's favor.

NGUYEN: Yes, talk about bookmakers. Are you a gambler there, Hala? Is that what I'm hearing from you?

GORANI: I don't know, eight out of the last nine...

NGUYEN: That's a pretty safe bet.

GORANI: You don't have to be a betting woman to go with. But Andy Roddick still has a shot.

NGUYEN: That's true.

HARRIS: With 135 mile an hour serve, yes he has a shot.

All right, Hala, we appreciate it.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Hala.

HARRIS: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, battling their way into Baghdad. Ahead this morning, the commander of Charlie Company recounts fighting on the front lines in March of 2003, what it was like to be in almost continuous combat for four straight weeks. His amazing story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Who will the president pick? Speculation heats up after Justice O'Connor resigns from the Supreme Court, and the fight is only just beginning. We know that to be true.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes.

HARRIS: Welcome back everyone to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We have that story coming up but first, here is what's happening right now in the news.

Hope and dread in Idaho. An 8-year-old girl missing for more than six weeks is found. Shasta Groene was spotted at a Coeur D'Alene restaurant with a registered sex offender. But authorities believe her 9-year-old brother, Dylan, who vanished along with her, may be dead.

Now, we are expecting a news conference at 2 p.m. to take place in Idaho. That's 2 p.m. Eastern. CNN will carry it live when it happens, so you'll want to stay tuned for that.

The search for a missing Oregon boy ends in tragedy. The boy's step grandmother has been charged with his murder. Christine Coffman led police to his body yesterday. Her grandson, Matal Zachery Sanchez, was reported missing on Wednesday.

And there was dancing in the streets of Madrid as tens of thousands celebrated Spain's new law legalizing gay marriage. The law gives same sex couples the same legal status as heterosexual couples. The new law takes effect today.

And now on CNN.com it is offering a whole new way to get the headlines. Just log on to our Web cite and click on video to check out the most popular stories. It's all free on CNN.com

HARRIS: Another high level official in the Bush administration makes a surprise trip to Iraq. The latest Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. He's there to meet with Department of Justice employees, Iraqi officials and U.S. troops.

CNN's Elaine Quijano was at the White House this morning with more, and good morning, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony. Well, the Justice Department as well as the U.S. embassy is confirming what you just reported that Alberto Gonzales, the U.S. attorney general is paying a surprise visit this holiday weekend to Baghdad. Now we don't have pictures but of course there's some file video.

In a statement the Justice Department said that Gonzales would be meeting with department staff members who are working in Iraq as well as members of the Iraqi government. And of course he's also set to meet with U.S. soldiers on the fourth of July itself. Now Gonzales said he is proud of the Justice Department staffers who are helping the Iraqis in his words, "advance the rule of law." In that same statement he said that it's important to recognize and thank American service men and women who are sacrificing to promote democracy in Iraq.

Now of course this visit though coming at a significant time on a couple of levels. Fist, with the retirement announcement of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. There has been much speculation that perhaps Alberto Gonzales is on the short list of possible nominees.

At the same time though conservatives are quite nervous. Some of them nervous fearing that he may be too moderate trying to make his -- we should also tell you that this comes at a time when President Bush has been trying to make his case on Iraq, that progress is being made. Of course it was just last week that the president delivered a prime time address on Iraq. Of course recent polls have shown that public support has waned certainly. But Alberto Gonzales making some news, making a surprise visit to Baghdad this weekend.

Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Elaine, thank you.

NGUYEN: Now the dynamics of the U.S. Supreme Court could soon change now that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has resigned. She's been a key swing vote on many issues. Now president Bush will have his chance to shape the bench.

So joining us to talk about all of this and the future of the high court is our senior political analyst Bill Schneider.

Good morning, Bill.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

NGUYEN: Let's start off with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, this surprise trip to Iraq. Also suspected of being on the short list to fill that spot on the Supreme Court. How does this rate with you? What do you make of all of this? Kind of interesting, right?

SCHNEIDER: Lots of people are going be looking at this and saying, asking, is this some sort of sign that he may be a favorite candidate for the Supreme Court? My guess is this trip was long planned as a surprise visit. There are justice officials in Baghdad. He is thought to be, nobody knows, thought to be on the short list, as Elaine Quijano just reported.

But this trip does remind people of the controversy over a memorandum he wrote to the president when he was White House council just before he became attorney general, which was taken as justifying the possible use of torture against terrorists suspects at Guantanamo Bay, arguing that the Geneva convention does not apply to terrorists. That's one of the most controversial things on his record, so why call attention to that.

And as Elaine reported conservatives have been rallying, the minute O'Connor retired they've been rallying against the nomination of Gonzales to the Supreme Court because they don't find him conservative enough on the abortion issue. In fact, the "National Review" online wrote an editorial which said, "Conservatives would be demoralized and appalled by a Gonzales appointment."

NGUYEN: Really? Well, you know, so much is at stake with this nomination whether it's Gonzales or not when it comes to who fills that spot. Is there going to be a litmus test on deciding who that person is?

SCHNEIDER: Well, that's the big issues. When you say litmus test the question is very simple. Will the nominee have to answer this question? Do you support overturning or upholding the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion rights? Is the answer yes or no?

Conservatives demand that the nominee answer that question and they want the answer to be that he or she would overturn Roe vs. Wade. A lot of liberals say the nominee should be expected to answer the question with the opposite answer and that anyone who does not support Roe vs. Wade that's grounds for not only opposing but possibly filibustering the nominees.

And of course there is a third opinion, which is the nominee just does not answer that, quote, "litmus test" question. But then conservatives say, no, we won't stand for that because we could get another David Souter or another Sandra Day O'Connor, someone who is thought to be conservative but turns out not to be.

NGUYEN: Though clearly both sides are ready for a tough fight here. How long have they been preparing and how much money is at the ready to push a nominee through?

SCHNEIDER: Well, it's been 11 years since the last Supreme Court nomination. I just read that only 56 out of 100 senators were even senators at the time that Justice Breyer was confirmed in the 1990s. They have been preparing then for more than a decade. This is something that liberals, conservatives, both parties have been waiting for. So many decisions on this court have been made by the narrowest possible margin, 5 to 4 that both sides know that one additional nominee could tilt the balance, particularly because the nominee replaces Justice O'Connor who has been the crucial swing vote, liberal or conservative on many of those decisions. So the future of the Supreme Court is at stake here. And remember, a Supreme Court nominee, when confirmed, serves for life.

NGUYEN: And you know we've heard that President Bush has already said that he's going to move quickly on this. We've also heard that there have been secret meetings in these interviews that have been taking place. Do you think the president may have already picked someone, it's just not known yet?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I have no privileged information about that. All I know is the news reports say that there is a short list. They have been interviewing people. The president will makeup his mind pretty quickly. He's going to -- not going to announce it until he comes back from Europe at the end of this coming week, so we don't know the schedule about this.

But we do know that there is a lot of debate over when the president should announce his choice and should the Senate Judiciary Committee hold hearings immediately or wait, as they typically do, until September. There's some concern that if President Bush names someone right away and then if the nominee is sort of left out there during the August recess no hearings are held, that nominee will just be a target for opponents to take shots at.

NGUYEN: I see what you're saying. All right. Bill Schneider as always we appreciate your insight. Thank you.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

NGUYEN: Now this CNN program note. Judge Robert Bork, a former Supreme Court nominee, who was rejected by the Senate will be a guest on "LATE EDITION" with Wolf Blitzer. You want to tune in at noon Eastern for that.

HARRIS: And time now to fast forward to some of the stories CNN will be following in the week ahead. Wednesday leaders from the world's group of eight industrialized nations will gather in Scotland. They'll discuss ways to relieve poverty, especially in Africa, and the effects of climate change around the globe. The annual summit ends on Friday.

We'll know on Wednesday where the 2012 summer games will be held. New York, Paris and Moscow are just some of the cities who have made a bid to the international Olympic committee.

And on Saturday members of the NAACP are expected to confirm Bruce Gordon as their new president. The former Verizon Communications executive will succeed Kweisi Mfume, who resigned in December. The group's annual convention is being held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

NGUYEN: Well, it was a musical marathon heard round the globe. So, did Live 8 live up to the expectations? Up next, some of the highlights you may have missed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Just in case you're just waking up with us, here's the check of the top stories today. Aruba is getting more help in the search for the missing American teen, Natalee Holloway. The Dutch are sending three fighter jets rigged with special search equipment, Aruba is governed by Dutch law. Idaho police have found one of two young children who have been missing for six weeks. Eight-year-old Shasta Groene was found at a Denny's restaurant with a registered sex offender. He is charged with kidnapping her. Police fear her 9-year-old brother, Dylan, is dead. Now, we are expecting a news conference from Idaho at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. CNN will carry that live when it happens.

President Bush is resting up at Camp David, this weekend, but he has a lot ahead of him. He's gearing up for Wednesday's G8 Summit in Scotland. The focus this year, boosting aid to Africa and the global climate.

HARRIS: Over a million people showed up, more than a billion watched, the Live 8 concerts were a rousing success, judging by those numbers, but the numbers that really count are the dollars and we won't know how those will stack up until the leaders of the world's wealthiest nations gather next week in Scotland. Mallika Kapur has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One hundred artists playing to an audience of nearly three billion. A multi city, multi continent event kicked off in Tokyo in the East, Gordon Sound in Canada in the West.

Twenty years after Bob Geldof organized Live Aid comes Live 8. This time, with a powerful political message. Instead of asking for money, he's asking world leaders to wipe out poverty.

BOB GELDOF: I couldn't resist. I'm sorry for doing this, but I just had to play on this stage. I'm very proud.

(CHEERS)

KAPUR: Some are here for the music. Some are here for the message. Around 200,000 people are here in London's Hyde Park for one of the biggest concerts in history.

(MUSIC)

One of the biggest challenges, to make sure the message is heard over the blare of the music.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I came here because I like the music here. And I think they're making perfect history is a good thing really.

(MUSIC)

KAPUR: At the concert in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela played to the crowds.

NELSON MANDELA, FMR. SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: Comrades, I am pleased to be here today to support Africa's (INAUDIBLE) against poverty.

KAPUR: The message in music rolled around the world. Before the lights went out, Live 8 rocked Philadelphia.

One of the city's where Live Aid was born two decades ago.

BEYONCE, DESTINY'S CHILD: We've been to Africa. And we've seen the children. And we've been to the townships. And we've touched the people and seen it with our own eyes. So anything we can do to help, we're here.

KAPUR: One message from a chorus of voices around the world.

Mallika Kapur, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, a big part of the Live 8 message is to find ways to help African nations become self-sustaining so they won't be dependent on foreign aid. To that end, filmmaker Carol Pineau has opened "Africa, Open for Business" it is a film that focuses on African entrepreneurship and private investment. It showcases some of the very positive economic developmental ready happening across the continent. Carol Pineau joins us from Washington.

Carol, good to see you. Good morning! Good morning.

CAROL PINEAU, FILMMAKER: Thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: I got to -- I'll tell you, I've heard more about Africa, I've heard it mentioned more over the last year or so than at any other time in my life. Is this kind of a singular, seminal moment for this continent?

PINEAU: You know, it really is. It's amazing that the G8 has Africa as one of the two agenda items now. I remember in '97 when President Clinton said two sentences about Africa at the Group of Eight in Denver and we went crazy as reporters reporting on it. We couldn't believe that a president mentioned Africa in a G8.

HARRIS: Yeah.

PINEAU: Now look at where it is.

HARRIS: Exactly. Well, there was a concert yesterday all over the globe? What did you think of Live 8?

PINEAU: Well, I think that -- of course, it is a lofty goal that they are setting to eradicate poverty around the globe, the issue of debt relief. All of those things are really important. What concerns me though is that again, we are pushing the stereotypical image of the starving African and I think it's really important that we member that there is another Africa and that this Africa is fighting to bring itself forward, that Africa can do this. It will need some help, but we need to not just see Africa and Africans as victims that are helpless, but that as people that need our help to move forward, but can do it themselves.

HARRIS: So Carol, in your film, "Africa: Open for Business," how did you find the business climate on the continent?

PINEAU: You know, it was amazing, these 10 people, they were chosen really at random, in a really ad hoc manner and I've got to believe if I found 10 people who were so extraordinary who so understood what was needed to have a business work, there have got to be thousands more like them across the continent.

HARRIS: Well how about this? Why don't we take a look at some of the companies? Ruff 'n' Tumble Clothing Company. What's that company about?

PINEAU: This is a company that a woman in Lagos, Nigeria started. It is a factory and stores for children's clothing. The woman started out making some pajamas for her children and so many people started asking for them, she turned it into a store. She now has several franchises, she's doing extremely well and it is the in- label in Nigeria.

HARRIS: Is it really?

(CROSSTALK)

PINEAU: (INAUDIBLE) insist on wearing Ruff 'n' Tumble.

HARRIS: A Shining Century, a textile company?

PINEAU: Yes. And this really comes out of the American legislation, the Afghan Growth and Opportunities Act which allowed Africans to start importing or exporting goods into the American market without any duty or quota and because of that, factories have sprung up throughout Africa. This one Lesotho has 1,500 people working at it. You can imagine how much that helps the communities there.

HARRIS: Schachter and Namdar, Limited a diamond polishing company?

PINEAU: Yes. In fact, what's really amazing about that, this company is in Botswana. Botswana produces the most diamonds in the world. It is the highest producer and they now have four different companies that do cutting and polishing. This is again, the added value that Africa has traditionally produced raw goods and now to produce those goods they're making a lot more money by doing that. So this is really helping the economies. I think what's really important to member in all of this is that Africa offers the highest return on direct investment in the world. And that's what people really don't realize. The Chinese and Indians do realize it and they're making a lot of money over there.

HARRIS: Carol, one final question, you say stop asking the media to write positive stories about Africa. Why do you say that?

PINEAU: Because what I think is that this is news. This isn't a matter of positive or negative. You know, journalists are not publicists. We don't do positive stories per se, we do news and I think that when the Ghana stock market is the highest returning stock market in the world with 144 percent the year before last, that's news and we ought to be promoting it as news.

HARRIS: Yeah. The film is "Africa: Open for Business" and the filmmaker is Carol Pineau. Carol we appreciate it, thanks for your time this morning.

PINEAU: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Great information there.

Well, its target is a half million miles away, but its impact could be seen right here from earth. Up next, NASA's new aim and why it won't be easy.

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HARRIS: Right now in outer space it is on a perilous path that will end in a cosmic clash somewhere in the distant galaxy. Well, now it's not the war of the worlds. NASA's latest probe is on its way to bust open a comet, as this animation shows, the space agency's 820- pound comet buster.

NGUYEN: Who knew you had one of those? Where do you get a comet buster, anyways?

HARRIS: How do you get the budget for that? It's on course, it will smash a hole in the comet early tomorrow. Scientists hope to get their first peek into the comet's icy hot.

NGUYEN: Comet buster up for sale. Who knows who sells them? Brad Huffines is here.

Maybe you know because you're a meteorologist.

BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: "Meteorologist" was actually an Aristotle term. Back then they called everything that flew in the sky a meteor: A bird, rock, cloud. Hey, clouds -- get it -- meteorologist, we study clouds, those things that float in the atmosphere.

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NGUYEN: Thanks, Brad.

HARRIS: All morning long, we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question. Is the U.S. justice system too easy on convicted sex offenders?

Lori writes, "Make the punishment fit the crime, castrate them and do it physically, not chemically."

Oh, my, Lori.

NGUYEN: And Linda from Texas says this: "It is disgusting that we allow these people to wander the streets and trust them to register and report their whereabouts. Yet, we spend money to put electronic bracelets on people like Martha Stewart to keep track of where they are."

HARRIS: Good point.

NGUYEN: "Something is horribly wrong with this picture."

She does make a very interesting point, there. And of course, we want to thank you for all those e-mails. We'll have another one for you next weekend.

HARRIS: That's it for us.

NGUYEN: Done.

HARRIS: This Sunday morning. We'll see you back here next weekend. A CNN special, "Can we Save Them?" is next.

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