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CNN Saturday Morning News

Number Three Al-Qaeda Leader Killed on Afghan/Pakistani Border; Child Pornography Victim Found

Aired May 14, 2005 - 09:00   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.


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is May 14th. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris, 9:00 a.m. in the east, 6:00 a.m. in the west. Thank you for being with us.

Let's get you started with the morning's headlines, "Now in the News." An al Qaeda operative is dead after a missile attack by an unmanned CIA predator aircraft. That's the word to CNN from two key sources. The attack apparently happened somewhere along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The man had been tracked for some time by the CIA. Much more on this story, straight ahead.

A developing story out of Uzbekistan, now. Hundreds are feared dead after police opened fire on protesters. Human rights monitors say bodies are being piled on to trucks. Thousands took to the streets this week to protest authoritarian rule; meantime, hundreds of refugees are fleeing the country.

President Bush will meet with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas later in this month. The two are scheduled to talk in Washington May 26th. That's the word from a Palestinian spokesperson. Mr. Bush never met with Abbas's predecessor, Yasser Arafat.

NGUYEN: Here's what we have coming up for you.

The CIA takes out a top al Qaeda operative overseas by remote control. We'll explain that, plus we will look at the technology used in these attacks and tell you what else is accomplished.

Also, Tiger Woods gets an unexpected weekend off. Find out why Tiger won't be stalking the greens.

HARRIS: Now, to the war on terror. An al Qaeda operative has been killed in a U.S. attack. Sources say the man was targeted in an area near the Pakistani-Afghan border, but Pakistan was quick to say the man was not killed on its territory. For more on this story, let's go to Anand Naidoo at the CNN international desk. Anand?

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony. Good morning.

We -- it's still unclear, actually, what exact role this operative played in al Qaeda or how high up he was in the organization, but here's what we do know so far. The man was known as Haitham al Yemeni. He was killed earlier this week by a missile which was fired from an unmanned CIA predator aircraft. Al Yemeni had been tracked for some time by U.S. intelligence. Sources are telling us he was under observation in the hopes that he might lead authorities to Osama bin Laden or other al Qaeda leaders. The attack took place near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, but Pakistan has moved very quickly to distance itself from the killing. The country's information minister says the attack did not take place on Pakistani soil.

ABC News reported earlier that al Yemeni was in line to replace Abu Faraj al-Libbi, who is shown here. Now, you may remember -- you'll recall that al Libbi, whom the United States says is al Qaeda's number three man, was captured by Pakistan last week. However, one source is telling CNN that al Yemeni was not likely to be a high level operative in al Qaeda.

One other point, Tony. Al Yemeni was not on the FBI's most- wanted list, and as far as that predator drone that was used by the CIA used to kill him -- as far as that is concerned, that's the fourth time that the CIA has used this method to try and track down and kill al Qaeda leaders. Two of those missile firings in the past were actually against Osama bin Laden. Back to you.

HARRIS: Hm. OK, Anand, thank you. Appreciate it.

NGUYEN: Let's go straight to Washington now for more on this attack. CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the Pentagon, and Kathleen, we understand this was a CIA-operated drone, but was the U.S. military involved in any of this?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, at this point according to our sources, though the U.S. military does indeed have unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, like the predator up in the air, in the skies over Afghanistan, over Iraq, this -- in this case it was indeed a CIA operation. And as Anand pointed out, the lethal ability of these "hell-fire" missiles that are now carried by the predator drones has been used before with some degree of success.

The most recent incident came in 2002 in Yemen when a top al Qaeda leader was killed he was while riding in a car there. And at that time, the Yemeni government said, yes, indeed, it did have advanced knowledge of the attack. It did approve of the attack. And that's really one of the central questions here, because as Anand did mention, the Pakistani government quickly came forward, said this did not happen on their soil.

Now, members of the U.S. military operating in that border area of Afghanistan can certainly tell you it is a very rough, a very rugged area and difficult to tell at any precise moment exactly what side of the border you are on, and with Pakistan obviously being a very important U.S. ally in the war on terror, Betty, this question could remain unsettled for some time.

NGUYEN: CNN's Kathleen Koch at Pentagon. Thanks, Kathleen.

KOCH: You bet.

HARRIS: Now to "Security Watch," we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning.

Your community will either get more money to fight terrorism, or lose it, and it's based on risk. The House overwhelmingly approved changing the way the money is awarded to end wasteful spending. Rural states would get less money, but big cities could get a whole lot more.

The Secret Service and Homeland Security Department are reviewing procedures after the securities scare in the nation's capital on Wednesday. The White House, Capitol building and Supreme Court were evacuated when a single engine plane flew into restricted air space. The plane got within three miles of the White House before fighter jets escorted it to a nearby airport. Authorities questioned pilot Jim Shaeffer and student pilot Troy Martin, then released them.

Thirteen hundred counterfeit badges are off the streets. Federal agents arrested a Russian man and charged him with possessing and selling the fake badges. The badges represented 35 agencies including the FBI, federal marshals and New York police.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

And the Pentagon wants to shut down some major military bases across the country, but it could be in for a fight. A total of 33 bases are slated to close. Some on the hit list, like Ft. McPherson in Georgia and the submarine base in New London, Connecticut, came as a shock to the communities. The proposed changes also include major reductions at 29 more military bases. Community leaders across the country are gearing up to fight many of these changes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR DAVID LANSFORD, CLOVIS, NEW MEXICO: Our resolve is to put forth the greatest fight that this community has ever put forth, because we have the right cause, the right people and the resources to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The Pentagon says the downsizing will save the government nearly $50 billion over the next 20 years. You can see the entire list at CNN.com.

NGUYEN: Definitely, you want to stay in tune for this. There is tough talk from Mexico's president on U.S. immigration measures, and you will not believe what he had to say.

HARRIS: Also, a record streak fizzles out; why you won't see Tiger teeing off this weekend.

NGUYEN: And we want to say good morning, Washington! Bring it up. There we go. A look at the nation's capital today. We'll also have the forecast for the rest of the nation. Stay tuned to CNN's SATURDAY MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Princess Diana called him her rock, but some consider former butler Paul Burrell, the man who helped put the royal family's reputation on the rocks. Burrell was the princess' most trusted servant in the tumultuous years before her fatal car crash in 1997. He served the royal family for more than 21 years. But in 2001, Burrell was arrested and accused of stealing property belonging to Diana. His trial ended dramatically, when Queen Elizabeth herself intervened on his behalf.

PAUL BURRELL, FMR ROYAL BUTLER: My name was cleared, bringing to an end 21 months of hell.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No longer a butler, Burrell lives in Wales with his wife and two sons. He own as florist shop but has greater ambitions.

BURRELL: I'd like people to say, oh, there's Paul Burrell, not Princess Diana's butler. Eventually I'd like to become my own person, and I will do things in TV, and presenting florals, history, etiquette, manners, style, those things which I know so well.

Reporter: A regular on celebrity game shows, Burrell has also published a book, "A Royal Duty," about his life with Diana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As I read it, oh my gosh, I was like, yes! This is -- yes, this is what church should be. Yes. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: He is talking about the trendy, purpose-driven church philosophy that is attracting thousands from many denominations, but has is the draw? Inside, a religious revolution in our "Faces of Faith." That is tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

HARRIS: And, Betty, here's one of those stories that makes you say, hmm! Hmm-hmm! Cavaliers superstar forward Lebron James has dropped his agent who negotiated multimillion dollar endorsement deals. Instead, James will rely on a close friend and a high school teammate who works for Nike.

NGUYEN: Hm, yes, does make you say, hmm. See, this leads to our e-mail question as well today. Which of your classmates would you entrust with your financial future? Tony's laughing. I'd be laughing, too, because I don't think I'd trust any of them with it. E-mail us, thought, what you think about this at weekends@CNN.com. Again, that's weekends@CNN.com. We've changed the e-mail address. We'll read those replies a little bit later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Betty Nguyen. A key al Qaeda operative was killed near the Afghan/Pakistan border earlier this week. Sources tell CNN the man was hit by a missile fired from a CIA operated Predator drone.

The death toll in Uzbekistan riots, well, it may be in the hundreds after soldiers opened fire on protesters. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to demand that the government resign. This morning, thousands are leaving the country.

An update now on a police investigation we've been following. The search for a young girl who has appeared in hundreds of sexually explicit internet pictures is over. CNN David Mattingly has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than two years, countless man hours and unknown thousands of dollars in the making, the desperate international hunt for a single child pornography victim ends in a way investigators never predicted.

LT. MATT IRWIN, ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We have located the victim in our case.

MATTINGLY: Orlando's Orange County investigators, after asking for the public's help in finding the blond-haired girl just two weeks ago, now confirms she has been identified by the FBI and is believed to now be 11 years old and in a Pennsylvania foster home.

IRWIN: By saying we have identified her, I don't know where she's at. We are working on getting that information. And I understand that there may be ongoing charges in Pennsylvania, which is the state that the victim is from.

MATTINGLY: The girl will remain unidentified to the public. According to the FBI and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the man responsible for putting photos of the girl on the Internet is in a federal prison in Pennsylvania, serving a 15-year sentence for production and possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty in September of 2003. He is identified by Orlando investigators as the girl's adopted father, but Florida authorities will now pursue molestation charges of their own.

IRWIN: In Florida, based on what we have, he would probably be facing life charges.

MATTINGLY: The international search for the girl began two years ago when Toronto authorities used computers to remove the girl from her pictures so clues could be pulled from the background. Investigators at that time said tiny pieces of evidence gave them hope they could find her.

SGT. PAUL GILLESPIE, TORONTO POLICE: You can often tell when children appear to be abused or when they are abused whether or not it's the first time or not. It's worse to see children who have just lost their spirit and they don't really react to abuse, because you know this is the cost of doing business in their own personal life and that that says something.

MATTINGLY: This case immediately stood out from the 50,000 other estimated child porn victims on the Internet because someone from the public was able to identify the bed spread in this photo as one used at a resort in Orlando. The victim quickly became known as "The Hotel Girl," as authorities pushed the envelope in publicizing previously withheld information in hopes a break. They even publicized a photo of a dark-haired girl they believed was a friend of hers, someone who was not molested.

But the extraordinary effort ultimately was not a factor. And Orlando authorities say they have been told that the girl may have been rescued by federal authorities more than a year before their own investigation began. Why they were not alerted until late Thursday, they say, is not as big a concern as the well-being of the victim.

David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NGUYEN: OK. Using words sure to raise the temperature of the immigration debate, Mexican president Vicente Fox defended the role of undocumented workers. Fox was speaking to a group of Texas business people meeting in Mexico when he used some racially charge language. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT VICENTE FOX, MEXICO (VIA TRANSLATOR): There's no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All right, did you catch that? President Bush proposed a temporary worker program last year, but it has stalled in Congress.

HARRIS: Well, apparently a few new car buyers don't want to ride around with shock jock Howard Stern, one of the stories piquing your interest on the web this morning, "CNN.com's Most Popular," coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Snappy music! Well, what do the world's best airports and complaints from Hyundai -- Hyundai -- Hyundai -- car owners have in common. They both make the list of the most popular stories found at CNN.com. Here to tell us all about it is Veronica de la Cruz. Veronica, good morning.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM DESK: Good morning, Tony. How're you doing?

HARRIS: I'm good. The Hyundai -- you're right.

DE LA CRUZ: Whatever you want. Hyundai, Hyundai. They're both correct.

HARRIS: Gotcha.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, I'm going to tell you how to find these pop -- most popular stories, first of all, OK? Go to our main page and click on the icon "most popular" on the right-hand side of your screen. Also, you can type in CNN.com/mostpopular.

Well, it seems that our web users are in sync with our viewers this morning because our number one story, a young girl, the victim of internet porn, is now safe after a frantic search by the FBI. Police say her adoptive father is serving prison time for child pornography.

Another hot story on the web this morning, Tony, if you have ever stuck in an airport...

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

DE LA CRUZ: ...anywhere across the country, you can probably relate. You may be stuck in an airport right now. Who knows.

HARRIS: Right, right.

DE LA CRUZ: A recent poll shows that the best airport lounges exist in other countries. And voted the best, Hong Kong International.

HARRIS: Oh!

DE LA CRUZ: Now, a close second, Singapore, where there is a swimming pool and free movie theater. What a great idea, huh, you guys?

Now, in case you're wondering, U.S. airports were nowhere near the top 10. Minneapolis did come in at number 20 however.

HARRIS: Hm. My.

DE LA CRUZ: Finally, Hyundai, Hyundai, the customers -- they don't like Howard Stern. When given the choice to have Sirius satellite radio or XM installed in their vehicles, they chose XM, because they say that Stern starts his broadcast on Sirius starting in January, and they don't want any part of it. And I don't really believe that it's Howard Stern putting them off.

HARRIS: What do you think it is?

DE LA CRUZ: I think they want XM, because CNN can be found on XM.

NGUYEN: Aah...

HARRIS: I thought it was on both? It's not on Sirius here? OK. All right.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, I don't know for a fact. I know that it is on XM for sure.

HARRIS: Oh yeah. All right, Veronica, appreciate it. Thank you.

DE LA CRUZ: Of course.

NGUYEN: All right, let's get a check of the weather right now. (WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: You know, it hasn't happened in seven years, but we'll tell you why this weekend will be a weekend without the Tiger. That's straight ahead.

NGUYEN: But first, a CNN extra for you this morning. Are you tired of those pre-movie ads? I know I can get tired of that sometimes. Starting next month, though, Loews Cineplex Entertainment will begin advertising show times with have a note saying that most movies actually start 10 to 15 minutes later. The note will appear in newspaper and internet listings for the 200 theater chain. Movie advertising is big business in America, no doubt, more than 300 million bucks a year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired May 14, 2005 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is May 14th. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris, 9:00 a.m. in the east, 6:00 a.m. in the west. Thank you for being with us.

Let's get you started with the morning's headlines, "Now in the News." An al Qaeda operative is dead after a missile attack by an unmanned CIA predator aircraft. That's the word to CNN from two key sources. The attack apparently happened somewhere along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The man had been tracked for some time by the CIA. Much more on this story, straight ahead.

A developing story out of Uzbekistan, now. Hundreds are feared dead after police opened fire on protesters. Human rights monitors say bodies are being piled on to trucks. Thousands took to the streets this week to protest authoritarian rule; meantime, hundreds of refugees are fleeing the country.

President Bush will meet with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas later in this month. The two are scheduled to talk in Washington May 26th. That's the word from a Palestinian spokesperson. Mr. Bush never met with Abbas's predecessor, Yasser Arafat.

NGUYEN: Here's what we have coming up for you.

The CIA takes out a top al Qaeda operative overseas by remote control. We'll explain that, plus we will look at the technology used in these attacks and tell you what else is accomplished.

Also, Tiger Woods gets an unexpected weekend off. Find out why Tiger won't be stalking the greens.

HARRIS: Now, to the war on terror. An al Qaeda operative has been killed in a U.S. attack. Sources say the man was targeted in an area near the Pakistani-Afghan border, but Pakistan was quick to say the man was not killed on its territory. For more on this story, let's go to Anand Naidoo at the CNN international desk. Anand?

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony. Good morning.

We -- it's still unclear, actually, what exact role this operative played in al Qaeda or how high up he was in the organization, but here's what we do know so far. The man was known as Haitham al Yemeni. He was killed earlier this week by a missile which was fired from an unmanned CIA predator aircraft. Al Yemeni had been tracked for some time by U.S. intelligence. Sources are telling us he was under observation in the hopes that he might lead authorities to Osama bin Laden or other al Qaeda leaders. The attack took place near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, but Pakistan has moved very quickly to distance itself from the killing. The country's information minister says the attack did not take place on Pakistani soil.

ABC News reported earlier that al Yemeni was in line to replace Abu Faraj al-Libbi, who is shown here. Now, you may remember -- you'll recall that al Libbi, whom the United States says is al Qaeda's number three man, was captured by Pakistan last week. However, one source is telling CNN that al Yemeni was not likely to be a high level operative in al Qaeda.

One other point, Tony. Al Yemeni was not on the FBI's most- wanted list, and as far as that predator drone that was used by the CIA used to kill him -- as far as that is concerned, that's the fourth time that the CIA has used this method to try and track down and kill al Qaeda leaders. Two of those missile firings in the past were actually against Osama bin Laden. Back to you.

HARRIS: Hm. OK, Anand, thank you. Appreciate it.

NGUYEN: Let's go straight to Washington now for more on this attack. CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the Pentagon, and Kathleen, we understand this was a CIA-operated drone, but was the U.S. military involved in any of this?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, at this point according to our sources, though the U.S. military does indeed have unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, like the predator up in the air, in the skies over Afghanistan, over Iraq, this -- in this case it was indeed a CIA operation. And as Anand pointed out, the lethal ability of these "hell-fire" missiles that are now carried by the predator drones has been used before with some degree of success.

The most recent incident came in 2002 in Yemen when a top al Qaeda leader was killed he was while riding in a car there. And at that time, the Yemeni government said, yes, indeed, it did have advanced knowledge of the attack. It did approve of the attack. And that's really one of the central questions here, because as Anand did mention, the Pakistani government quickly came forward, said this did not happen on their soil.

Now, members of the U.S. military operating in that border area of Afghanistan can certainly tell you it is a very rough, a very rugged area and difficult to tell at any precise moment exactly what side of the border you are on, and with Pakistan obviously being a very important U.S. ally in the war on terror, Betty, this question could remain unsettled for some time.

NGUYEN: CNN's Kathleen Koch at Pentagon. Thanks, Kathleen.

KOCH: You bet.

HARRIS: Now to "Security Watch," we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning.

Your community will either get more money to fight terrorism, or lose it, and it's based on risk. The House overwhelmingly approved changing the way the money is awarded to end wasteful spending. Rural states would get less money, but big cities could get a whole lot more.

The Secret Service and Homeland Security Department are reviewing procedures after the securities scare in the nation's capital on Wednesday. The White House, Capitol building and Supreme Court were evacuated when a single engine plane flew into restricted air space. The plane got within three miles of the White House before fighter jets escorted it to a nearby airport. Authorities questioned pilot Jim Shaeffer and student pilot Troy Martin, then released them.

Thirteen hundred counterfeit badges are off the streets. Federal agents arrested a Russian man and charged him with possessing and selling the fake badges. The badges represented 35 agencies including the FBI, federal marshals and New York police.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

And the Pentagon wants to shut down some major military bases across the country, but it could be in for a fight. A total of 33 bases are slated to close. Some on the hit list, like Ft. McPherson in Georgia and the submarine base in New London, Connecticut, came as a shock to the communities. The proposed changes also include major reductions at 29 more military bases. Community leaders across the country are gearing up to fight many of these changes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR DAVID LANSFORD, CLOVIS, NEW MEXICO: Our resolve is to put forth the greatest fight that this community has ever put forth, because we have the right cause, the right people and the resources to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The Pentagon says the downsizing will save the government nearly $50 billion over the next 20 years. You can see the entire list at CNN.com.

NGUYEN: Definitely, you want to stay in tune for this. There is tough talk from Mexico's president on U.S. immigration measures, and you will not believe what he had to say.

HARRIS: Also, a record streak fizzles out; why you won't see Tiger teeing off this weekend.

NGUYEN: And we want to say good morning, Washington! Bring it up. There we go. A look at the nation's capital today. We'll also have the forecast for the rest of the nation. Stay tuned to CNN's SATURDAY MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Princess Diana called him her rock, but some consider former butler Paul Burrell, the man who helped put the royal family's reputation on the rocks. Burrell was the princess' most trusted servant in the tumultuous years before her fatal car crash in 1997. He served the royal family for more than 21 years. But in 2001, Burrell was arrested and accused of stealing property belonging to Diana. His trial ended dramatically, when Queen Elizabeth herself intervened on his behalf.

PAUL BURRELL, FMR ROYAL BUTLER: My name was cleared, bringing to an end 21 months of hell.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No longer a butler, Burrell lives in Wales with his wife and two sons. He own as florist shop but has greater ambitions.

BURRELL: I'd like people to say, oh, there's Paul Burrell, not Princess Diana's butler. Eventually I'd like to become my own person, and I will do things in TV, and presenting florals, history, etiquette, manners, style, those things which I know so well.

Reporter: A regular on celebrity game shows, Burrell has also published a book, "A Royal Duty," about his life with Diana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As I read it, oh my gosh, I was like, yes! This is -- yes, this is what church should be. Yes. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: He is talking about the trendy, purpose-driven church philosophy that is attracting thousands from many denominations, but has is the draw? Inside, a religious revolution in our "Faces of Faith." That is tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

HARRIS: And, Betty, here's one of those stories that makes you say, hmm! Hmm-hmm! Cavaliers superstar forward Lebron James has dropped his agent who negotiated multimillion dollar endorsement deals. Instead, James will rely on a close friend and a high school teammate who works for Nike.

NGUYEN: Hm, yes, does make you say, hmm. See, this leads to our e-mail question as well today. Which of your classmates would you entrust with your financial future? Tony's laughing. I'd be laughing, too, because I don't think I'd trust any of them with it. E-mail us, thought, what you think about this at weekends@CNN.com. Again, that's weekends@CNN.com. We've changed the e-mail address. We'll read those replies a little bit later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Betty Nguyen. A key al Qaeda operative was killed near the Afghan/Pakistan border earlier this week. Sources tell CNN the man was hit by a missile fired from a CIA operated Predator drone.

The death toll in Uzbekistan riots, well, it may be in the hundreds after soldiers opened fire on protesters. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to demand that the government resign. This morning, thousands are leaving the country.

An update now on a police investigation we've been following. The search for a young girl who has appeared in hundreds of sexually explicit internet pictures is over. CNN David Mattingly has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than two years, countless man hours and unknown thousands of dollars in the making, the desperate international hunt for a single child pornography victim ends in a way investigators never predicted.

LT. MATT IRWIN, ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We have located the victim in our case.

MATTINGLY: Orlando's Orange County investigators, after asking for the public's help in finding the blond-haired girl just two weeks ago, now confirms she has been identified by the FBI and is believed to now be 11 years old and in a Pennsylvania foster home.

IRWIN: By saying we have identified her, I don't know where she's at. We are working on getting that information. And I understand that there may be ongoing charges in Pennsylvania, which is the state that the victim is from.

MATTINGLY: The girl will remain unidentified to the public. According to the FBI and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the man responsible for putting photos of the girl on the Internet is in a federal prison in Pennsylvania, serving a 15-year sentence for production and possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty in September of 2003. He is identified by Orlando investigators as the girl's adopted father, but Florida authorities will now pursue molestation charges of their own.

IRWIN: In Florida, based on what we have, he would probably be facing life charges.

MATTINGLY: The international search for the girl began two years ago when Toronto authorities used computers to remove the girl from her pictures so clues could be pulled from the background. Investigators at that time said tiny pieces of evidence gave them hope they could find her.

SGT. PAUL GILLESPIE, TORONTO POLICE: You can often tell when children appear to be abused or when they are abused whether or not it's the first time or not. It's worse to see children who have just lost their spirit and they don't really react to abuse, because you know this is the cost of doing business in their own personal life and that that says something.

MATTINGLY: This case immediately stood out from the 50,000 other estimated child porn victims on the Internet because someone from the public was able to identify the bed spread in this photo as one used at a resort in Orlando. The victim quickly became known as "The Hotel Girl," as authorities pushed the envelope in publicizing previously withheld information in hopes a break. They even publicized a photo of a dark-haired girl they believed was a friend of hers, someone who was not molested.

But the extraordinary effort ultimately was not a factor. And Orlando authorities say they have been told that the girl may have been rescued by federal authorities more than a year before their own investigation began. Why they were not alerted until late Thursday, they say, is not as big a concern as the well-being of the victim.

David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NGUYEN: OK. Using words sure to raise the temperature of the immigration debate, Mexican president Vicente Fox defended the role of undocumented workers. Fox was speaking to a group of Texas business people meeting in Mexico when he used some racially charge language. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT VICENTE FOX, MEXICO (VIA TRANSLATOR): There's no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All right, did you catch that? President Bush proposed a temporary worker program last year, but it has stalled in Congress.

HARRIS: Well, apparently a few new car buyers don't want to ride around with shock jock Howard Stern, one of the stories piquing your interest on the web this morning, "CNN.com's Most Popular," coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Snappy music! Well, what do the world's best airports and complaints from Hyundai -- Hyundai -- Hyundai -- car owners have in common. They both make the list of the most popular stories found at CNN.com. Here to tell us all about it is Veronica de la Cruz. Veronica, good morning.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM DESK: Good morning, Tony. How're you doing?

HARRIS: I'm good. The Hyundai -- you're right.

DE LA CRUZ: Whatever you want. Hyundai, Hyundai. They're both correct.

HARRIS: Gotcha.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, I'm going to tell you how to find these pop -- most popular stories, first of all, OK? Go to our main page and click on the icon "most popular" on the right-hand side of your screen. Also, you can type in CNN.com/mostpopular.

Well, it seems that our web users are in sync with our viewers this morning because our number one story, a young girl, the victim of internet porn, is now safe after a frantic search by the FBI. Police say her adoptive father is serving prison time for child pornography.

Another hot story on the web this morning, Tony, if you have ever stuck in an airport...

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

DE LA CRUZ: ...anywhere across the country, you can probably relate. You may be stuck in an airport right now. Who knows.

HARRIS: Right, right.

DE LA CRUZ: A recent poll shows that the best airport lounges exist in other countries. And voted the best, Hong Kong International.

HARRIS: Oh!

DE LA CRUZ: Now, a close second, Singapore, where there is a swimming pool and free movie theater. What a great idea, huh, you guys?

Now, in case you're wondering, U.S. airports were nowhere near the top 10. Minneapolis did come in at number 20 however.

HARRIS: Hm. My.

DE LA CRUZ: Finally, Hyundai, Hyundai, the customers -- they don't like Howard Stern. When given the choice to have Sirius satellite radio or XM installed in their vehicles, they chose XM, because they say that Stern starts his broadcast on Sirius starting in January, and they don't want any part of it. And I don't really believe that it's Howard Stern putting them off.

HARRIS: What do you think it is?

DE LA CRUZ: I think they want XM, because CNN can be found on XM.

NGUYEN: Aah...

HARRIS: I thought it was on both? It's not on Sirius here? OK. All right.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, I don't know for a fact. I know that it is on XM for sure.

HARRIS: Oh yeah. All right, Veronica, appreciate it. Thank you.

DE LA CRUZ: Of course.

NGUYEN: All right, let's get a check of the weather right now. (WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: You know, it hasn't happened in seven years, but we'll tell you why this weekend will be a weekend without the Tiger. That's straight ahead.

NGUYEN: But first, a CNN extra for you this morning. Are you tired of those pre-movie ads? I know I can get tired of that sometimes. Starting next month, though, Loews Cineplex Entertainment will begin advertising show times with have a note saying that most movies actually start 10 to 15 minutes later. The note will appear in newspaper and internet listings for the 200 theater chain. Movie advertising is big business in America, no doubt, more than 300 million bucks a year.

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