two pilots missed a landing by 150 miles. everyone's fine, but you've got to hear how the pilots explain the situation once they landed. also, water foundings loon refreshing, but they could make you sick. what a microbiologist says about foundings and the flu. and some parents are ticked about a new elementary school policy, one that could make the school a lot of cash. thanks for joining us. i'm natasha curry in for richard lui. the crew of a northwest airlines

jet told authorities it was arguing over airline policy and did not realize it overshot the minneapolis airport by 150 miles wednesday night. here's what happened. everything was fine when the flight left san diego at 5:41 eastern time, but about two hours later, the faa said there was no radio communication. air traffic control finally made contact more than an hour later. the plane landed safely without passengers knowing anything happened. >> i think they're facing a real serious disciplinary situation. you cannot have these kinds of events on your record and keep flying at the same level that you were. >> northwest is part of delta air lines. it issued a statement saying that it's -- the pilots have been relieved from active flying pending the

completion of these investigations. right now we are getting an update from clay county, florida, about the case of somer thompson. let's listen in. >> 10:00 meeting over at the jaxx memory gardens. it's my understanding is there's been an outpouring of support from the community not only emotionally but financially, and many offers have come in to donate funeral services to this family. that is part of the meeting that's going on right now to determine not only when the funeral will be, where it will be, but whether or not it will be a private or public event. as you can imagine, we are waiting on word from the family, and we will relay that information to you as soon as their meeting is over, and we're able to tell you how somer thompson will be laid to rest here in clay county. >> 7-year-old somer thompson who disappeared monday after school,

50 detectives active working on this case right now, they have 241 active leads, and we should be hearing shortly possibly how somer may have died. we'll let you know as soon as that info comes in. well, this morning the u.s. has formally asked switzerland to extra died academy award-winning director roman polanski. polanski has been a wanted man for the u.s. for 30 years after he pleaded guilty. he fled the country before his sentencing, though, and was arrested in switzerland last month. . new york state health care workers do not have to get vaccines after all the. the governor says the state will have about 23% of the h1n1 doses they thought they were going to have by the end of october. the workers' union had sued over

the mandate. today some nato members say they won't send more troops to afghanistan until president obama decides whether he will. general stanley mcchrystal, the top u.s. commander in afghanistan and defense secretary robert gates are meeting with nato's defense ministers. mcchrystal plans to talk about the steps he wants to take next, this comes as the u.s. wraups up a review of its own strategy in afghanistan. a tornado left quite a mess here behind in southwest louisiana. check out the damage. pow are lines were blown down, trees uprooted, and people's homes were damaged when the storms came through yesterday afternoon. a tractor trailer heading down interstate 10 was overturned as well, but fortunately there were no injuries. bob van dillen is keeping an eye on all of it for us. >> we have a tornado warning right now for okaloosa county, the panhandle of florida. that's ahead of that same cold front that spawned the tornado action you saw yesterday in

lower parts of louisiana. so another active morning, okaloosa county, until 9:30 your time this morning. look at that all the way into eastern alabama, with a real unsettled weather across the florida panhandle and extreme southern parts of florida. getting in towards kentucky, it moves all the way into great lakes, and it just fans out, we're talking a lot of rain, maybe one to two inches when you get into areas lining pittsburgh later this afternoon, but it's pouring into michigan, coming out of chicago. you see the delays at the airports are already there, we'll talk about them in a bit. look at the snow coming out of nebraska, ultimately on path for the northern parts of wisconsin and the u.p. of michigan. for the weekend, the rain heading into the northeast. it's on the light side, but watch it spread out, the next 48 hours you'll see even two, tloo, even four inches of rain pop up.

something we're watching. getting away from there, go to the pacific northwest. the rain is headed in across northern parts of washington state, dropping down through seattle into portland, too. take you live to seattle, trying to get in our out of the city will be tough. the roads are wet. it's still dark. once the sun comes up, you can see the rain off and on through the date, with temperatures topping out into the 50s. there's your wet hometown for you. >> nice and slick and wet as usual. >> pretty typical this time of year. >> thanks, bob. >> good to see you. >> good to see you, too. happy friday. a public school is charging fees for parents who pick up their kids late. an elementary school in portland announced the fines on wednesday. parents pay $5 for every ten minutes they're late picking up their kiddos. some parents are outraged. >> that's harsh. i think there's something different they could do. >> if i knew that was the case,

i would definitely have to make sure i had arrangements. >> it's about a tool the school can use to keep kids from staying at school over and over and over. >> he adds there will be some exceptions to parents with a legitimate excuse. well, flu season is here, and water fountains are serving up controversy. experts strongly disagrees about water fountains and the h1n1 flu, though. plus the sheriff in the balloon boy case says he's been compared to barney fife, but wait until you hear the tv show the sheriff turned down.

300 more dreg-related arrests were made in just the past few days. a mccan cartel was targeted in the four-year operation. the justice department says there were about 1200 arrests in all and nearly 12 tons of drugs

were seized. sources say after a meeting at the white house, senate democratic leaders may be leaning toward a public option, but states could opt out if they choose. some moderates don't like the public option, but many democrats believe it is the best way to fix the system. nancy pelosi is supposed to come out this hour to talk about the hour version. it's expected to include a public option. the sheriff in the balloon boy case says he has called gullible and compared to barney fife. in his newsletter he says he's trying to stop the media circus and turned down "the dr. phil show." the heenes say it wasn't a hoax. this just in. home sales made some major gains in september, our money expert jennifer westhoven is here to break down the numbers for us. >> hey, natasha, that's a good

sign. they rose more than 9% last month according to the national association of realtors, the $8,000 tax credit that's spurring sales. they have been up in five out of the past six months, and sales activity at its highest level in more than two years. of course that means the big question will be, can it stick when that tax credit runs out, or will congress extend it? tough new laws to protect you from credit card abuses. they weren't supposed to kick in until february, but lawmakers want to speed things up. you know why. we've heard from so many of you about how they're hiking fees and rates before the new laws kick in. well, a house committee has voted to start the rules early. december 1st. we have to see if the full house or senate approve it, but the new law, among other things it includes that when you sign up for a credit card, they cannot raise the rate for at least a year. you would getting that introductory rate at least for a little while.

if they do decide to raise the rates, it only applies to the new charges, not to your old balance, because you know, natasha, how they had that line in your contract that said we can change whatever we'd like on you, whenever we want, you have nothing to say about it. >> you have to keep your eyes open these days. thank you so much. so water fountains, they may be a potential hiding spot for germs. do you ever won't irhow many mouths drink out of that water fountain before you do? our sister station cnn had a hiding cameras. a kansas school shut down their foundens, but asper cdc chief says people are overreacting. >> i don't think that will be very helpful or important in preventing flu. i think it's common sense. let the water run for a couple seconds before you start drinking, don't touch the spout with your mouth and when you're done, if you've touched the bar

or button, clean your hands. >> a microbiologist disagrees. and they should be disinfected regularly. an independent panel told the white house yet that the moons of mars would be a better choice or, you know, nearby com either and steroids. the panel also said the rocket that would be used for the trip to the moon is a bad choice. the aries i gets tested later this month. here's the amazing part about this, new research seems to show that if a woman loses a lot of weight before she gets pregnant, she can help her kids avoid becoming obese. scientists involved in the study say there could be a signal passed between mother and baby about calorie and fat intake. a family has been missing for two weeks. you've got to hear where hunt hunters found the family's dog.

15 minutings past the hour. a big search for a missing family is set for today. they were last seen two weeks ago in rural oklahoma. the family was look to go buy land in the area. authorities found their pickup truck about po miles from their home saturday. the family's small, hungry dog was in the truck. >> it didn't look to me like they got out and walked. it just looks like they got out and that was it. i mean, they didn't take their coats. it was cold that day, they didn't take their cell phones. of course, they didn't take their dog. >> now, the dog is okay in and

out. authorities say the family disappeared in tough countryside. a woman who survived a deadly sweat lodge ceremony plans to sue the man who ran the program, according to media reports. self-help author james arthur ray helped support the program. the sweat lodge was used in spiritual cleansing exercises and three people died. sydney spencer was there, and her attorney says she has major organ failure and scorched lungs. >> he he thought he could conduct the sweat lodge and it got out of hand. >> reporter: ray's spokesman says people shouldn't rush to judgment. ray says he's hired his own investigators. we told you about a little girl who was denied health insurance for being too little. the subsidiary of united health group reversed its decision. her parents were told she didn't

meet height and weight standards. she weighed 22 pounds. they say she is healthy. united health says it did an additional review of the case and will now cover her. a minnesota man has pleaded guilty to driving his lazy boy drunk. look at the souped-up recliner here. it's powered by a converted lawn mower. dennis anderson says he had eight or nine bierce before he crashed it into a parked car. police say his blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. >> did he have a bedpan in there too? geez, unbelievable. hey, the umpires did it again. more blown calls in the playoffs and major league baseball is rethinking its action here. hey, rafer. >> honestly, we have never seen this many mistakes in the playoffs before, at least not in

my lifetime that i can remember, and the mistakes have put the umps under fire like never before. here's game 5, deja vu all over again, johnny damon is clearly safe here, but he's called out. okay. it's a little bit close. bottom line, a major league ump should not miss that call. ho hay posada, that's strike three, but it's called a ball, he walks. look at the replay. clearly it shows a strike. john lackey can't believe it. the angels go on to win, but for the first time ever, major league baseball is now only umps with world series experience will be allowed to work this year. usually at least one new ump gets to work the fall classic. johnson wrote in a tell-all book that thomas was the one responsible for spreading rumors that magic was gay after he tested positive for hiv. thomas denies it.

the thing is these two guys were friend. when the book comes out, that will end that. magic and michael jordan blackbald thomas from the dream team, according to the book. lebron james was asked, who would he like to dunk on? maybe kobe? >> yeah, kobe, why not? >> i would have thought that. the king says george w. bush, he would like to dunk on w. he said to "maxim" -- not a fan of the w., i guess. lastly a pair of dirty drawers can be yours. >> did you say dirty drawers? >> i did. a sports memorabilia collector he dumpster dived. they'll be on ebay today, he says, the collector says he's already sold an old pair of aismt rod's drawers for over

$200. >> yuck. why would you want that? that's what i want to know. >> fans will jockey for everything. thank you for all your kind words for me and my child-to-be. a lot of nice comments. >> congratulations, rafer. yay, baby on the way. we'll talk to you soon. governor schwarzenegger has signed a bill to allow a new pro football stadium to be built outside l.a. schwarzenegger said it would create 18,000 jobs and bring an economic boost to the state. it wipes out a lawsuit broad by residents who opposed the stadium on environmental grounds. a dozen people turned out to protest the move. an air force pilot had to drop two fuel tanks and two bombs, one of which exploded as a base in utah. military officials say the f-16 had to drop weight for an emergency landing. the bomb destroyed an empty shack and knocked out power

lines. we're told the pilot made the right call. experts are looking to recover the-second bomb. a bizarre tape of a robber praying with his victim. that video has landed him a spot on "opera." what? 

the 7-year-old florida girl whose body was found in a landfill may be the subject of tomorrow night's "america's most wanted." police say the high-profile killing of somer thompson has already generated more than 800 tips. a 50 detectives worked through the night. her mom spoke to the killer. >> i want you to know that i will not sleep until this person is found. i hope they get you and i hope they make you pay for a long, long time. you don't take from somebody --

you didn't take her from just me. you took her from my family. you took her from all of these people, and you don't this to a little baby and put my baby in the trash like she's nothing. that's not okay. this is not okay. >> detectives have been searching a vacant how near somer's route home from school. this is a dumpster outside the house. she was last seen in that area. they've already interviewed 90 sex offenders. authorities say they know how somer died, but they won't release that information. as soon as we hear it, we will let you know. prosecutors across the country will soon treat violence against games and lesbians the same way they treat crimes against race or religion. now it goes to president obama to sign the new bill. most republicans voted against the bill, saying it could scare people away from speaking out about their religious views. well, you see that video

here, that's a black hawk helicopter that crashed on a navy ship last night. look at that. one service member died. the navy says that a group was rappelling down the rope from the chopper onto the ship in a training exercise when this happened. eight people were hurt. authorities are starting to investigate what happened, but again one person dead after the accident. bombings may have killed at least seven people in pakistan. this is one attack outside a restaurant in a mainly residential area. two people were arrested at the scene. pakistani officials say a suicide bomber attacked a military checkpoint as well. this may have been in retaliation for a military offensive against taliban insurgents. a u.s. district court judge threw out a lawsuit. a sheriff in illinois sue craigslist because he says it's a hub for prostitution, but the judge said the bib site isn't

responsible for people misusing the site. >> every time we show up at one of these ads, we make an arrest. we've not had one where we've walked in and it was a legitimate masseuse and we've had to apologize and leave. it's never happened. i said, guys, if you're being sincere, will you tell me the basics of how you're monitoring this? do you have a college student doing the entire country? or a former law enforcement officer in each town looking at the ads? they won't even respond to my letters. this has been going on for months now. >> the sheriff says he hasn't decided if he's going to appeal. if you still need a halloween companies attitude, how about dressing up like balloon boy? a ka nailian company is selling replicas. fill it up with heedium and stick your head through a cardboard box. >> they're skyrocketing.

we're in production, laser-cutting away to make the gondolas. we have the balloons in stock. >> he set it went from idea to finished produce in one day. this is president obama here, live pictures, just leaving andrews air force base for boston. later today he's going to deliver a speech on clean energy at m.i.t. in boston, a greener economy is part of the president's plan to recover from the recession. tonight he attends a fund-raiser for senator chris dodd. we'll keep you posted on what happens with that. all right. so back to that balloon boy costume. what do you think? >> do you think it will be funny in a week? >> you know, it's so funny-looking probably how could it not be? >> i think we're pounding it into the ground at this point. >> we won't seeing you wear it, got it. >> i wish i had better news.

we have a big line of showers and thompls developing through the panhandle of florida, stretching into lower parts of alabama. we did have a tornado warn just earlier, now you zoom in, and it looks like things are calming down. no more tornado warning, but it was for the paxton area, this barb right there, a bend in that swale line as it moves on through, maybe an indication of rotation, but no tornado warning right now. just heavy rain and frequent lightning off and on. it's breaking up a bit as it moves in toward western georgia, and then the rain picks up nicely, stretching into the great lakes where it blossoms out. right now you're seeing the heavy rain sailing out of the indiana. right now chicago you're dry, notice a bit of light rain around the region, the low clouds are still hanging in there tough, so o'hare has a delay, anal 2-minute delay because of the low clouds. behind it, it was all snow for you in central nebraska earlier

this morning. now that snow will set up shot into the u.p. of michigan. there's an advisory for this afternoon through tonight in towards tomorrow. go to the east coast, here's what it looks like, the rain beginning to move in toward syracuse, stretching into new york city later this afternoon, but the heaviest rain is still in store for overnight tonight through tomorrow. rain headed in towards atlanta. if you're going to try to travel down here, here's what it looks like tower camwise. just broken cloud cover, peaks of sunshine, not a bad day yet, but give it some time. we'll see delays at the airport, too. natasha, have a good weekend. >> you have a great weekend, too. this has been a fierce rivalry, check out what one red sox fan did for a yankee fan that could actually be a life-saving donation. rafer is back with details in just a moment.

39 minutes past the hour. you've heard of the fierce rivalry with the red sox and yankees. a life-saves dough nay has put the arrival we on hold. >> natasha, robert karas is a rabid red sox fan, and he's our true champion this week, donating bone marrow to matthew well. there they are together. matthew from long island is a big yankees fan, but the two found out about their allegiances during his stay at the home.

matthew's mom decorated his home with yankees stuff. the two will be lifelong friends now. >> here's this guy who did the most gracious most given unselfish generous thing that anyone could do, this anonymous donation, he saved our son's life. what do you say to him? >> robert says he nose that mete thew will always be true to his team, but hopes deep down he'll root for the red sox. >> maybe he'll change his mind. >> they are cute together. now oprah wants to chat with that robber. it's reported that he's set to talk with oprah himself today. smith says he is sorry for what he did and now he's a different man. the woman he prayed with

describes her fear. >> i was like, dear jesus, please don't let this man hurt me. please take care of my family. >> police say he admitted to stealing $20 and the woman's cell phone, but it's reported he has a criminal record, on probation for auto theft and receiving stolen property. retailers have a holiday bonus for you. more of them are offering free shipping. i'm so excited about this. our money expert jennifer westhoven is here. i just paid $25 for shipping. i really wanted it, but i wish it were free. oops, can't hear your mike. flip the switch on real quickly. is it an easy fix? do we hear jen? we want to hear about it. >> embedments to buying something online. this season, i tell you, this is

the holiday season, natasha it's good to be a shopper. there are great deals out there. can you really get something for nothing in this case. more retailers offering free shipping, with strings, you know, like a minimum, maybe $50 of stir before you can get it, but more than half are going to be offering it with no strings attached at all, according to the national retail federation. you can stay out of lines. how do you get to carnegie hall? practice, practice, you know the joke. it turns out forget those nine years of piano lessons, it may be better to join the stage crew. the guy who oversees props at the concert hall, can you believe his salary last year? $530,000? >> that's more than half a million. >> that's more than the musicians. i mean, i don't know -- and the

four other guys, two carpenters and electricians, they made more than $400,000 in a year. one word -- union. >> that's what i was thinking, jen. >> that's a bloomberg story and they looked at karn any hall's tax returns. >> my goodness. who would have known. thanks so much. we told you earlier the northwest flight that flew 150 miles past its destination at the minneapolis airport. passengers say they had no clue what was happening and were horrified once they found out. that leads us to today's your views question. risch carrie richelle carey is with more. >> there's lots of jokes. if you were on that plane, natasha, would you have warranted to know while you were in the air, oops, we overshot the airport by 150 miles, we need to go back? would you want to know then? or later on after the situation

had been resolved? that's really the question, because maybe you're calm, maybe the person who sets next to you isn't. i put you on the spot. would you have wanted to know right then? >> watching my watch, definitely. if you have an overactive imaginati imagination, especially, like i do. >> the one question is, whether you're sitting on the tarmac forever, whether there's some sort of mechanical problem or situation like this, do you want to know every step of the way what's going on? when something like this happens, does this make you kind of question what in the world is going on with flight crews? obviously this is rare, but dive into this. would you want to know about in-flight procedures? or do you think sometimes there's too much information, because you don't know how the person next to you will handle it? call us, e-mail us cnn.com/hln. comments as well on our facebook page. we're going to mix this up. whenever you start talking about

airlines, delays, flight crews, people get fired up. >> people want to know, are they going to get more peanuts? that too. they took away the peanuts. >> darn it. thank you so much. one woman wasn't ready to become a statistic. she made a tough and courageous decision. robin meade has her story in a series we call "breakthrough women." >> reporter: lindsey took the extreme step of having both her healthy breasts removed. >> i have a very strong family history. when my mom was only 18 her mother and grandmother died a week apart. >> her mother was also later diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer. she carried a breast cancer gene, and avner had it, too. >> when somebody looks you in the eyes and says you have an

87%le chance, how do you deal with that? >> reporter: she wasn't alone. >> i was living with this very significant increased risk. >> reporter: she started bright pink, a network for cancer awareness and support. through it she's helped thousands of women just like her. >> she's helped me find my voice in inspiring other women to do self-breast examination and think about your body. >> there's nothing like an opportunity to pay it forward and make it different for somebody else. >> hundreds of people lined up waiting for a mall to open, but they didn't want a new video game or a cell phone. they just don't want to get sick. plus it may be the most bizarre marketing partnership ever. find out what company asked burger king to sell a whopper with seven patties.

a lot of people these days are just happy to have a job, but they may not be very healthy. a study from the nonprofit families and work institute finds that one third of workers have at least one symptom of depression. the main reason for this is feeling a lack of control. researchers find that key factors for healthy workers included learning opportunities, autonomy and respect and trust. cheered on business his teammates a legally blind ohio teen scored a touchdown for his high school football team. rafer has the video. this is pretty cool. >> it is cool. i've got to point out the other team had no idea of this young man's disability when he scored. we're talking about 16 why are tyler brown, normally manages the team, but his coach let him suit up this year. on act 15th his teams was on the 1 yard line. there he is being pushed in by his teammates.

his first touchdown. his mom shed happy tears, a moment they will all remember. just when it couldn't get any worse for the cleveland browns, the team has been sacked by the flu. on wednesday 12 players missed practice. symptoms. we don't know if it's swine flu, it could be just the regular flu, but the bottom line is the h1n1 has concerned the nfl so much that if at least six players get swine flu, a team can now bring in players from the practice squad. they re-wrote the rules for h1n1. and this is a scene out of peyton place. frank mccourt has fired his wife as the ceo of the team. this according to si.com. the courts are going through a pretty messy divorce right now and the sides are battling over the team, which is believed to be worth $1 billion. her lawyer says she'll address the issues in the courtroom. natasha, you know the way it is in california? half. half. the university of minnesota is apologizing for its golden gopher doing something

incredibly stupid. this was last saturday's game against penn state. defensive end jerome hayes kneels down to pray, what does this knucklehead do, mocks him, pretends to pray with him. he's not praying with him, he's mocking him. and then as hayes gets up -- >> oh! >> yeah, really smart move there, gopher. hayes crossed himself and the gopher goes, hey, buddy, are we cool -- not cool. turns the other cheek. and as a cheerleader gives him a high five, that is bad idea and that is sports. they did apologize. got to give hthem that. burger king stores in japan is serving a whopper with seven patties. >> it's part of a whole promotional idea of microsoft to launch the premiere of windows 7. >> you know what happens after you eat that? >> what's that? giving himself cpr. every day this week, the first

30 customers can buy it for about $8.50. after that, it goes to 17 bucks. and by the way, the burger has more than 2,100 calories. >> who needs your arteries? got to love this incredible dog. not only is she a seeing eye dog, but southeast being trained to save her owner's life.

right now on "showbiz tonight," brand-new shocking developments in the espn sex shocker. did steve phillips' mistress really try to get into his family's home? a frightening new 911 call is released. >> i have a crazy woman who is involved with my husband and she's come to my house. >> tonight, "showbiz tonight" asks, should the married baseball analyst who had an

affair with a much younger coworker get fired? brand-new developments in the michael jackson case. newly released documents on the investigation into his death. brand-new clips from the michael jackson movie "this is it." and katherine jackson speaks out for the first time. will she see the movie? plus, chris brown speaks out about his feelings for rihanna and while he's still upset with oprah. is it time to forgive chris? tv's first most provocative entertainment news show starts right now. hello. i'm a.j. hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. >> hi, there, everyone. i'm brooke anderson, coming to you tonight from hollywood. tv sports caster steve phillips is in hot water over his affair with a 22-year-old espn production assistant. >> and tonight, the espn sex

scandal just got even more shocking. a just-released 911 tape is putting a dramatic frightening new spin on this already outrageous tale of sex, lies, and tv. on this tape, you can hear phillips' wife desperately calling for help, saying she fears for her family's safety as her husband's former mistress shows up at the family home and that is just the beginning of a sordid affair that is making for big news breaking today. some are calling it a modern-day "fatal attraction" story. >> it might even top "fatal attraction," even though there isn't a bunny involved. >> reporter: "showbiz tonight" can tell you, this isn't a movie, but a real-life sex scandal that like the david letterman scandal, has set the gossip pages on fire. this one also involves a dashing and married tv personality. espn baseball analyst and former new york mets' general manager, steve phillips. >> he doesn't pass the gut check. >> reporter: "showbiz tonight"

can tell you phillips is admitting to an affair with a young production assistant, 22-year-old brooke hundred dollarly who went to the dark side, way to the dark side, after phillips ended things. >> according to steve, they only had three intimate encounters before he broke it off, which led brooke to go all "fatal attraction." >> reporter: according to police reports filed by phillips, his wife, and 16-year-old son, after phillips ended their brief affair this summer, the young woman started calling phillips' wife and send eing her letters. hundly apparently writes, quo, i'm a really person in his life and i care deeply about his happiness. i'm coming out now because i'm sick of hiding and sneaking around behind your back. >> she even went so far to describe birthmarks steve had in his very personal region. she said things like, we both can't have him, i just want him to be happy. >> it really makes you realize

that this is a terrifying situation. >> reporter: it got even more terrifying because hundly allegedly tried to confront phillips' wife at their home. >> i have a crazy woman who is involved with my husband and she's come to my house to harm me and my children. >> reporter: tmz obtained the frantic 911 call placed by phillips' wife, marni. she tells police she saw hundly at the home while alone with her son. >> it's a blue car, a blue sedan. >> i'm sending officers right now. what's your name? >> marni. >> did she confront you, threatening you? >> she's been threatening via texts and phone calls. >> reporter: plus, phillips' 16-year-old son tells police that hundly also harassed him via text and facebook to get dirt on his dad. in his police report, the teen reports, quote, she asked specific inappropriate questions about my parents, do they sleep in the same bed, do you think they'll be getting a divorce?

>> as a 16-year-old, you don't want to be thinking about your parents that way. the questions that were asked were completely over the line. >> reporter: in a statement to police, a clearly frightened steve phillips says about his ex-mistress, quote, this woman has clearly displayed erratic behavior and delusional the end sis. i have extreme concerns about the health and safety of my kids and myself. >> this is not just about an affair. this is about a potentially very dangerous situation and i think, luckily, it didn't escalate as far as, perhaps, it could have. >> reporter: now "showbiz tonight" can tell you, espn has been rocked by the sex scandal. phillips is on a leave of absence and his wife has filed for divorce. in a statement, he says, quote, i am deeply sorry that i have put my family and colleagues through this. but some aren't ready to forgive phillips, whose past affairs have also become public. >> frankly, it's disgusting and it's really unfortunate that he's done this not only to his wife, but really set such a bad example for his four sons. >> reporter: as for hundly, espn

tells "showbiz tonight" that she's still an employee and police tell "showbiz tonight," phillips dropped the issue and she will not be charged. but as we always see in these public sex scandals, everyone involved has been burned. >> it does seem to be an epidemic. it affects politicians and then you've got letterman involved and here you've got a baseball analyst. you just kind of think, guys, get it together. why is this something that you feel the need to do? >> no kidding. well, whatever phillips' reasons for having the affair, he probably couldn't have imagined it would end up like this. he lost his wife, his reputation. so a lot of people are asking, should he lose his job over this whole scandal? joining me tonight from hollywood, jess weiner, who's the creator of the self-esteem website jessweiner.com. tonight in hollywood, carlos diaz, a correspondent for "extra." carlos, my friend, let me begin with you. when you hear such an outrageous and tangled story, i'm thinking, it's kind of hard to know who the bigger offender is here. is it steve phillips for

cheating on his wife with the 22-year-old. or is it brooke, his production assistant, for such threatening behavior? >> i would have to go with they're both wrong in this one. it's never right at all to cheat on your wife. so he made the first mistake by cheating on his wife, but her behavior after this is terrible and it really is a kind of "fatal attraction" move to be broken up with and then try to mess with the relationship of the person that broke up with you. but i still have to go with steve phillips being more wrong. he's done it before, should have learned his lesson. he's bringing espn down with him, because this should be a time we're talking about baseball instead of steve phillips. and basically, it's kind of a black eye on espn at this very, very important time for them in the baseball post season. >> this guy was actually sued for sexual harassment back in 1998. that was when he was the general manager for the mets. he obviously didn't learn his lesson then. so he's already lost his wife. jess, do you think he should also lose his job over this or should his personal life be out of bounds here? >> no, you know, all joking

about "fatal attraction" aside, which i know is easy to do and it's an easy reference, but this is a really scary situation for his children and for his wife. but i think steve phillips is a chronic offend in this area. i think he needs serious psychiatric help. and i think this is the conversation we're having now about corporate america with david letterman and steve phillips. should they be punished and lose their jobs? if we were talking about joe smith from iowa, who slept with a secretary or an assistant, would we be more outraged and he should lose his job? i think sometimes we let fame and celebrity get in the way of this judgment and i think steve phillips, this isn't the first time and he should have thought about all he was going to lose before he made the choices that he made. >> what it comes down to, regardless of my personal judgments what we have, whatever the company's policy may have been. if it says, you know, you can't be involved with people who work with you or for you, then you're out on your butt. let us move on to another big-time tv guy involved in a sex scandal, david letterman, still feeling the heat after he admitted to sleeping with women who work for him. and today the national

organization for women wrote a really angry letter to letterman's production company, which, unfortunately, is called worldwide pants, calling their work environment toxic for women. they demanded a meeting. but letterman's company said, three out of four executive producers on our show are women. they also said, among the late-night staff, 58% are women. jess, let me go back to you on this. a lot of people would say, that's a pretty lame response. >> it is a lame response. and the guy who made it is a guy and david letterman didn't want to sleep with him, probably. but what goes on here, we have to take apart the layers. this is about power and this is about workplace power and it is not equitable for women in the workplace, contrary to popular belief. it is still a place where women need to walk a fine line between being powerful and if they are too powerful, they're called a bitch, and if they're involved with their coworkers and wear revealing clothes to work, they're looked at as using their

sexuality to gain favor. david letterman is a boss, he has to lead by example and set the tone. and if this was a one-time experience and he was deeply sorry, i think we would have a different sensibility. but, this is a chronic issue for him. and we love dave. nobody wants to look at his behavior, but we have to see through the celebrity and look at the action and the influence that it does have a in workplace. again. if this was middle america and not cbs, would we be having a different opinion about this? >> but despite all of that, letterman's how many resources department says in their defense, they've had no complaints on record. they've talked to all the female employees. carlos, quickly, do you think they have any obligation to sit down with the women's group, even to save face? >> obligated? no. should they? yes. just open the books. let them in, let n.o.w. in, let them meet with them. it's just a great pr move. it's a great smoothing over technique. what can it hurt? >> i agree with you 100%. i've got to end it there, jess. >> don't placate. >> it's not to placate, but i

think they should do it because some good could come out of it. thanks, guys. tonight, chris brown's brand-new interview. guess what, he's still mad at oprah. >> so oprah gets on tv and says -- >> can i clear that up first? >> i heard you were mad at oprah. >> why is chris holding a grudge against oprah? and we're asking the controversial question, is it time to forgive chris for beating rihanna? the heated debate. also, brand-new michael jackson bombshells. new documents revealed just today into the investigation into his death. what do they show? and your first look at brand-new footage from the michael jackson film "this is it and a shocker in the john travolta extortion case. you won't believe what happened and what happens next. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. let's roll out the "showbiz news ticker," more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom. they are making news right now.

did you see this? one of the hottest halloween costumes this year. no surprise. "jon & kate plus 8" star kate gosselin. this is called the eight is enough wig, with kate's signature reverse mullet hair style. kids not included. grab a mop. that was the message from president obama to his critics who said he hasn't done a enough since taking office in january. the crowd liked the metaphor so much, they even started their own mop chant. and now everybody is putting

their own twist on the mop metaphor. here's cnn's jeanne moos for "showbiz tonight." >> reporter: he's chorlting, he's chuckling. not even a mop could wipe the smile off the president's face. >> with a mop cleaning up somebody else's mess. >> reporter: it's one thing for a politician to wrap himself in the american flag, but wrap yourself in a mop? president obama is trying to mop the floor with critics who go after him for not having fixed the country's problems yet. >> we don't want somebody sitting back saying, you're not holding the mop the right way. >> reporter: not since gene kelly practically made love to one has such attention been lavished on a mop. ♪ let me call you sweetheart >> don't just sand there and say, you're not mopping fast enough. don't accuse me of having a socialist mop. >> reporter: but that's exactly what some are saying. there's even a socialist mop tie

for sale. critics of the president say, the mop stops here. that president obama can't keep blaming his predecessor for the mess. >> then he says, you're not holding the mop the right way. there is a right way to hold a mop. using the wrong end of the mop. >> reporter: conservatives seem to take the mop riff as a slap in the face. everyone's putting their own twist on the metaphor. ♪ twist mop with its removable head ♪ >> even jay leno. why don't you grab a mop, why don't you help clean up? you're not holding the mop the right way. that's a socialist mop. president obama's supporters even taunted the opposition. so while mrs. obama is grabbing a hula hoop to promote exercise for kids, mr. obama is grabbing

his imaginary mop. >> you're not holding the mop the right way. >> reporter: and while critics call it stupid and they wish it would kick the bucket, the president is holding on to the metaphor like a dog with a mop. >> come on! >> that was cnn's jeanne moos for "showbiz tonight." and that clip you just saw of michelle obama hula hooping, a.j., here's a fun fact. she was able to get a whopping 142 swivels in before the hula hoop hit the ground. >> 142, holy moly. all right, brooke, the "showbiz on call" phone lines have been slammed. a lot of people calling in about jon gosselin going to a synagogue looking for parenting advice. >> we got a call from carol in ohio. she says the whole thing was just another ploy to get some time on camera. >> caller: he never misses a chance to get out there and get publicity. if he really wants spiritual support to raise his kids, he would be out praying with them

instead of going out and galavanting around. >> we also heard from latrice calling in from texas saying both jon and kate need to get their acts together. >> caller: jon and kate both need to realize it's not about them and that their children will be grown some day and we'll look and see how they're bashing each other on national television. and they need to think about the kids and let the reality show go and do what's best for the kids and not for themselves. >> thanks, latrice. call us at "showbiz on call" to let us know what you're thinking about. >> and remember, the "showbiz on call" phone lines are always open. call us at 1-888-sbt-buzz. simply leave a voice mail. we will play some of your calls right here on "showbiz tonight" and your calls to "showbiz on call" are also now online. that's on our home page, cnn.com/showbiztonight. is chris brown still mad at oprah winfrey? in a brand-new interview today, chris talks about whether he's holding a grudge against oprah. plus, "showbiz tonight" asks, is

it time to forgive chris for beating rihanna? also, david beckham gets caught. i'll tell you what beck did caught on camera that's against the law. and just went you thought this infomercial couldn't get any better. ♪ shamwow, you'll be saying wow every time you use this towel ♪ >> wait until you hear the tech know remakes. it's the shamwow song that's soaking up the spot. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. it is time now for the "showbiz news ticker," more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

now on "showbiz tonight." brand-new michael jackson bombshells. tonight, katherine jackson speaks out for the very first time since the death of her son. plus, new documents revealed today in the investigation into michael's death. and your very first look at brand-new footage from michael's movie "this is it." chris brown's shocking new interview. tonight, why he is still mad at oprah. >> so oprah gets on tv and says -- >> can i clear that up first? >> yeah, cause i heard you were mad at oprah. >> chris brown versus oprah. plus, "showbiz tonight" asks the controversial question, is it time to forgive chris for

beating rihanna? also, the shocking decision in the john travolta $25 million extortion case. plus, more stories breaking from the "showbiz news ticker," tv's first most provocative entertainment news show continues right now. welcome back to "showbiz tonight." it's 30 minutes past the hour. i'm a.j. hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. >> and i'm brooke anderson, coming to you tonight from hollywood. tonight, brand-new breaking bombshells today in the michael jackson death investigation. plus, your first look at brand-new footage from michael's final rehearsals. >> here now, the breaking developments. new today, a nevada judge ruled to unseal documents revealing exactly what police were looking for at the home and office of dr. conrad murray. he, of course, is the guy suspected of administering the lethal dose of propofol that killed michael jackson.

and in more news breaking, jackson's mother, katherine, speaking out for the very first time since he died. wait until you hear what she said about the new michael jackson movie. is she going to go out and see it? and today, "showbiz tonight" will show you an amazing brand-new look at footage from "this is it," the controversial movie featuring michael's last concert rehearsal just days before his death. wait until you see how he looks and sounds. joining me tonight in new york, jane velez-mitchell, the host of hln's "issues with jane velez-mitchell" and author of the fine new book, you've got to go out and get it, "i want." also in new york, jean casarez, a legal correspondent for "in session." i do want to begin with your dramatic first look at michael jackson's film, "this is it." the film's not going to hit theaters until next wednesday, but today "showbiz tonight" got ahold of some brand-new scenes from the movie, which shows jackson rehearsing for his london concert series just days before he died. check out michael performing

"the way you make me feel." ♪ i've never been so in love before ♪ ♪ i'm keeping you satisfied ♪ because you're the one, the way you make me feel ♪ ♪ you really turn me on ♪ you really turn me on >> it is hard to get away from the idea, when you see him move around on stage and hearing his voice and watching him perform, set against the backdrop of the fact that he died just days later. i mean, jane, that is pretty remarkable, isn't it? >> it's astounding. it is actually mind boggling. we've heard so much about his illness, him being emaciated, him suffering from insomnia. well, if you've got all that going on, it's very hard to do a spin and land perfectly on both feet. and you see him doing precisely

that. for me, it's especially astounding because i covered his criminal trial in 2005. he was often in the hospital, we walked into court, he had somebody on either elbow, almost carrying him in and out. we've seen pictures of him in a wheelchair! so this is absolutely the polar opposite, and it just reminds me that it's always hard to tell what's fiction and what's fact when it comes to michael jackson michael jackson, and it was always a case of smoke and mirrors and we also wondered, is that falsetto really his voice, does he talk like a regular guy when no one's watching? you never know exactly what's going on. >> and we all know a lot of people are going to go out to see the movie because they're curious. they want to know what kind of shape michael was in before he died. it's no surprise that filmmakers wanted to show jackson on his game, at his strongest. so, jean, at least, based on the footage that we're seeing here, i think it's easy to suggest that michael probably could have pulled off 50 concerts. >> that's right. and i think what they were saying, the 50 concerts weren't

going to be one after the other, there was going to be a little bit of time span. but when i look at this, and it's going to be released next week in whole as the movie, i think about the criminal investigation. there is an investigation that's taking place right now. the death was ruled a homicide, death at the hands of another. we don't know if any charges will come, but there's a potential jury pool out there that will look at him, appearingly very fit, striding up and down the stage, and rehearsals are tough. >> that's a really good point. a lot of people, through all of this, have been questioning the timing of the film's release. it was put into production pretty quickly after he died. "showbiz tonight" sat down today with the film's director, kenny ortega is that guy and he spoke with us about how it felt putting this movie together so soon after jackson's death. >> i thought, i'll collapse, it's too hard, too soon. but, in fact, it was healing and helpful. i think in this film, it's that kind of experience. michael is very present, very much alive, very much in the

moment. and you feel that. and i'm looking forward to sharing that with the world. >> he says it was healing, he says it was helpful. a lot of people are saying releasing the film four months after jackson's death, just plain tacky and greedy. brooke anderson, what do you think? bad timing or is it the right move? >> i think it's the right move and i think it's going to bring some closure to all of his fans out there. you take a look at these clips and you see that it really honors michael jackson as a talented performer. i don't think it's tacky at all. and you watch it, he still looks crisp, as jane and jean said, he's still hitting those moves. and it's smart business. they need to capitalize now. they don't need to wait until the interest isn't as high. i don't think that's greedy, because it's not really exploiting him. it seems to be honoring him. >> and the film is setting out everywhere. do you think it's more about the fans wanting to see performance or is there a lot of morbid curiosity out there? >> i think it's a combination of both. there are a lot of ardent fans

that want to forget all about michael jackson's troubles and simply enjoy and relish his music. but threaten there's a whole other set of people who are absolutely obsessed with all the troubles of the clinical trial, where he was acquitted, of the talk of drug addiction and they have that morbid curiosity. i think it's going to be a big hit because everybody's going to want to see it, for different reasons. >> and of course, it's in this limited run. i'm certain it will be out as a master dvd set before too long. somebody that suffered a great deal through the whole ordeal, michael jackson's mother, katherine. today we're hearing for the very first time from katherine since he lost her super star son. "dancing with the stars" did an amazing tribute to michael and katherine talked about what she thought of it. >> i loved it. i thought they did a wonderful, beautiful job. i had a really nice time. >> we understand that michael was a fan of the show. >> well, you know michael, he

loved to dance, and he loved to watch the dancers, and especially the stars that are dancing. because some of them are -- can't dance a bit. >> really heartwarming seeing her smiling like that. jean, off to you, great to see her with a smile on her face, especially when you consider the ugly legal mess still going on over jackson's estate. >> that's right. i think it's so wonderful they did the tribute. i think it's even more wonderful that she went. i'm sure she was touched. i'm sure it was so emotional for her. but this is a very powerful woman. she is not only the legal guardian of the children with, but she definitely has some control over that estate and all the issues that are coming from that. >> a lot of people wondering, though, will the jackson family go to see the movie? act hollywood did ask katherine if she plans on seeing the film next week. watch what she told them. >> that's been a question they've been asking me. i don't think i can bear to look

at it right now, but maybe eventually in time i'll watch it. >> jane, you can't blame her, can you? >> no, of course not. that's got to be traumatizing. there's her precious son that she lost. and there he is, seemingly alive, full of life, yet he is not here with us and it is a tragic passing. he died way too young. >> jane velez-mitchell, jean casarez, thanks, guys. i do appreciate it. tonight, chris brown is speaking out in brand-new interview and this guy is still mad at oprah. >> so oprah gets on tv and says -- >> can i clear that up first? >> yeah, cause i heard you were madded a oprah. >> chris versus oprah again. what's his beef now? plus, tonight, we're asking, is it time to forgive chris for greating rihanna? there are even some big stars coming to his side. and a stunning move in the john travolta extortion trial i don't think anyone saw this coming. and get ready to say "wow" when you see this hysterical shamwow song.

♪ it's vince with shamwow ♪ you'll be saying wow every time you use this towel ♪ >> you can use it anywhere, it holds tons of water, and now it's all mixed up. the incredible shamwow remix. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. now the "showbiz news ticker." more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer. >> and i'm brooke anderson. >> tonight, there's a stunning development in the john travolta extortion trial. a bohemian judge has declared a mistrial. there is evidence that someone on the jury, which was still deliberating, may have leaked the verdict to a lawmaker. listen to the sound that tmz got ahold of of the lawmaker announcing that one of the defendants was off the hook and this happened at a political party last night.

>> now, plp is the progressive liberal party and pleasant bridge wat bridgewater is one of the people accused of demanding $25 million to keep quiet about details surrounding the death of travolta's teenage son, jett. the judge has now ordered a new trial. tonight, chris brown's explosive new confessions about rihanna and his big beef with oprah winfrey. what is that all about? in brown's first radio interview since pleading guilty to brutally attacking rihanna, he says he is still totally ticked off that oprerah took sides in s domestic violence case. and chris reveals intimate details about the emotional call he got from will smith after his arrest. is it time for everyone to forgive chris brown? and we've got the shocking results of our "showbiz tonight" question of the day. we asked is rihanna obligated to

be a role model? here with me is jess weiner. in new york tonight, marvette britto. a celebrity publicist and brand stan strategist. jess, marvette, chris brown is going on tour to thank fans that stood by him after his domestic violence case, but now he's lashing out at one of his biggest critics, oprah winfrey. oprah slammed chris on his show, warning rihanna that if he hit once, he'll do it again. chris tells hot 97's angie martinez that she was blindsided by oprah's attack. >> i felt that at the time i would have needed a helping hand, and not saying to boost my career, just me as a person, for her to reach out and just talk to me and rihanna or something and make it like, look, this is what it is and this is wrong, this is right, this is right, this is not what it's supposed to be or whatever the case may be, and maybe -- i'm not even saying have me on the show, but make it to where -- >> help. >> yeah. help. just help. just help. that's all i was asking for. because at the end of the day, i

thought we had that relationship to where it could be like that. >> okay, i get that he's disappointed that oprah did not support him, but marvette, why does he still act like he's the victim here? he's the one that slammed rihanna's head into a car window. >> absolutely. and oprah's only obligation is to her audience. you know, what she said to rihanna was simply the facts. that if a man hits you once, he'll hit you again. oprah doesn't owe chris anything and i think that he might be looking for love in all the wrong places. she's not his parent and the advice that she gave to her audience, which is predominantly women, was truthful, correct, proper guidance. and that's all that oprah is expected to do. >> yeah. it was great advice from oprah. it sounds like just a bunch of whining, to me, from chris brown. and another shocking confession here, chris says that will smith was actually one of the few stars to reach out to him with amazing words of encouragement. chris admits that he was stunned, but pretty grateful for

the call. >> when the situation went down like, there were certain people like called me, like will smith called me, and he was like really talking to me, one on one, man to man. >> will smith? >> yeah. >> did you know him before? >> i've met him at a couple of events, but he really reached out a hand to help. really was a man, that as a young black man myself, i needed older black men role models to step in and be like, look, man, this is not how you do things. >> yeah, this is not how you do things. i think chris having someone like will smith as a mentor is awesome and hopefully chris will never harm anybody again. but, jess, do you think it's time, that said, to forgive chris brown or is leaving rihanna bloody and bruised completely unforgivable? >> i don't know chris brown, so it's not up to me to forgive him or not. >> yes, it is, jess. >> all right, then if it is up to me, no. i think this is the biggest bunch of malarkey i've ever heard in my entire life, brooke.

here's the deal. he's a complete idiot around this right now. he's playing the pr game. i'm sure he's not as remorseful as he needs to be. he's not getting the point, as it was said earlier, it's not anyone else's responsibility to teach him how to control his anger and look at some of the demons in his life. that is up for him to do. i will forgive him when he dedicated all the proceeds from this tour to every domestic violence shelter in the country. >> and a portion of the proceeds is going to a domestic violence shelter, but not all. and i think it's a bunch of malarkey too. i want him to be sincere. he also says this new interview is the last time he's going to publicly talk about the rihanna attack. it's been eight months. we still have not heard word one from rihanna. speaking of her, marvette, do you think rihanna owes it to her fans to finally speak out? >> i think she does, as a role model, and she is a role model. the day she signed on to represent cover girl, she became a role model that day.

so, yes, you do owe it to your fans, because day do want to know, how have you dealt with this? how did you forgive him? why did you forgive him? but i think, more importantly, chris should be allowed to move past this pain and to redeem himself. we can't hold this kid's future, you know, hostage by his past. >> but we also can do things, marvette, i think we can have conversations right now that don't let celebrities off the hook so easy -- >> no, no, no, we're not letting him off the hook, but we're also not here to judge, and we can't let people push past the pain of their mistakes on to their future. >> but chris brown needs to stop acting like a victim and be remorseful, genuinely remor remorseful. we have to leave it there. thank you both. right now, did you see this? the shamwow remix. another big-time infomercial getting the techno treatment. this time it's the shamwow. the towel that soaks up tons of water. showbiz operators are standing by with your first look and

listen. ♪ shamwow will have you saying wow ♪ ♪ shamwow, you'll be saying wow ♪ ♪ i say shamwow >> it's kind of catchy. just for kicks, can we play the other remix? the same charles, do we have that, can we play that? ♪ >> my troubles feel slapped away. i've got to say, some people do have too much time on their hands. >> yes, they do, a.j. stay put, we've got the first look at john travolta's new film. it's really all in the family. his wife kelly preston co-stars. it's their daughter ella bleu's first film. it's really funny. robin williams in it.

it's good to see travoltas getting laughs. they deserve it. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. >> the showbiz news ticker. more stories making news right now.

grief now turning to rage in little somer thompson's death as people demand to know who dumped her lifeless body in the trash. how about this one, the plane didn't just miss the runway, it missed the entire city. does the pilot's excuse wash with you. talking about that. something massive burning in puerto rico big-time. we'll take you to this spectacular inferno. i'm brooke baldwin, welcome to news and views. want to get started with the story out of florida here. no one saw somer thompson

attacked or abducted. at least no witnesses have come forward. the florida girl's body was found wednesday in a georgia landfill. investigators in florida in clay county say they have talked to registered sex offenders living within five miles of her house and none of them is considered a suspect here. authorities have been collecting evidence from a vacant house in somer's neighborhood that's been undergoing renovation and includes that dumpster on the property. somer was last seen at that vacant house. an autopsy has been completed, but authorities will not say how she died. >> we know the cause of death. our focus is on preserving the integrity of this investigation and not releasing any information that in the long run would prevent us from prosecuting and convicting the person who did this to somer. for that reason at no point will we discuss the cause of death, the manner in which she died or

any other details regarding what was done to this child. >> so the last person to see somer appears to be a young boy who lives nearby. he says he saw her near that vacant house. >> she was just running, so i thought she was excited but she had like a frown on her case. >> very sickening. it's scary. >> last night there was a candlelight vigil for somer outside her home. earlier the mother told the killer there would be justice for her little girl. >> i want you to know that i will not sleep until this person is found. i hope they get you, and i hope they make you pay for a long, long time. you didn't take her from just me. you took her from my family and all these people. you don't do this to a little baby and put my baby in the trash like she's nothing. that's not okay. that's not okay.

>> breaking news tonight, nancy grace will have all the late breaking developments in the search for somer's killer tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern time right here on hln news and views. we have another missing girl to tell you about. this is nine-year-old elizabeth walking home from a friend's house wednesday night. crews are out again today searching in an area where elizabeth's cell phone signals were picked up. this is a rural area around st. martin's near jefferson city in central missouri. hundreds have joined localovers in this effort. in fact, so many people turned out to help some were turned away. violent crime unit activated. the sheriff says he sees no sign of a crime committed here. federal investigators want to know why a jet overshot the minneapolis by 150 miles. the northwest airline flight missed its designation completely. air traffic controllers first

lost contact with this plane as it was flying by the rocky mountains. the pilots didn't respond either by radio or text communications. so controllers in minneapolis finally contacted the pilot after more than an hour when it was flying over wisconsin. but his answers they say were so vague, they were worried the plane was hijacked, could have been hijacked. they told authorities they were arguing over airline policy and did not realize what happened. the plane did land safely without passengers actually knowing anything had happened. an ntsb spokesman says they are looking into whether the pilots had fallen asleep. northwest is part of delta air lines. they issued a statement saying, quote, they are cooperating with faa and ntsb as well as conducting our own internal investigation. the pilots have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations. let's talk more about this, what happened possibly with this

northwest flight. i want to go to a former pilot and 30 year aviation industry veteran. rob is joining me on the phone. rob, i have to ask you based upon your 30 years veteran hunch here, when you hear a possibility of them having this heated discussion about airline policy versus falling asleep, what's your hunch? >> first of all, let me correct one thing. i'm still an active pilot, only a former corporate pilot. >> forgive me. >> certainly the tapes that record all the conversations in the cockpit are going to pretty much prove these two guys fell asleep. that's the simple answer. the real question is why did that happen? what was their duty day like prior to this flight, what were the days like a few days prior to this trip at all. fatigue in airline flying, in all kinds of flying, is a huge issue. that's why there's a piece of legislation right now on the hill to address this.

just because of these kinds of problems. >> so your hunch is that through investigation may come out they fell asleep. forgive me, i'm no pilot. let me ask you this. a as pilot you're sitting at the controls. we're not talking about one pilot but two pilots carrying 147 passengers. all those lives in their responsibility. 136,000 miles in the air. how is it possible for not one but two pilots to doze off. >> the trouble with some of the automation we have in airplanes today is it will do practically everything. basically pilots have turned into systems monitors. and when things are just flowing around smoothly and it's quiet and air traffic is rather quiet at that time of the night and the other person is not very conversive. if you're tired, you can lull yourself back to sleep. it's happened. it's happened to me, i'll tell you. i know a lot of other people it's happened to as well.

>> it's happened to you. have you fallen asleep at the controls? >> i dozed off. i can't deny it. i remember it happening. i remember when i woke up. that's when you realize what happened. but the other guy was awake luckily. >> amazing. just shedding new light. a lot of people fly including myself. it's a shocking thought here. >> it's very shocking. >> it is shocking. they are scheduling this interview with the crew. you mention thad cockpit voice recorder. that should give us some of the details. rob mark, active pilot, 30 year veteran, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> passengers said they had no idea what was going on on that plane but they were horrified to find out once they landed of that's got us talking and we were talking about it in our editorial meeting. would you want to know if there was a problem on your flight or is ignorance bliss? does what happened on this particular plane make you any less confident in your crews. call or e-mail us. text us, text the word "views"

plus comments and name to hlntv. standard text rates do apply. we will air and read some of your spokens tlutd day. i have a feeling we'll get a bunch of calls on that. i hope so. spectacular pictures out of puerto rico of this massive fire in a fuel plant. eleven fuel tanks on fire. they are trying to keep dozens more from exploding. was anyone injured? find out.

one person was killed and another eight injured after an army black hawk helicopter crashed interest a navy ship. this happened yesterday evening as service members were rappelling down a rope to the ship. this happened off the coast of virginia during a joint training mission between the navy and the army. spectacular pictures of this fuel plant fire in san juan puerto rico, 11 fuel tanks

burning. firefighters doing everything they can to keep the others from exploding. amazing but no one was hurt. but firefighters say all the workers are accounted for and safe. several people did have minor injuries and one person needed treatment for smoke inhalation. can you see why. investigators still trying to piece together what happened. we told you earlier about the northwest flight that flue 150 miles past its destination at the minneapolis airport and passengers had no clue what was happening. they were who are filed once they found out after they landed. how would you feel if you were left in the dark. is there such a thing as too much information? i want to get your views. first an e-mail from the crew's perspective here. sharon in nebraska writes, i'm a flight attendant. i think it's very important to keep passengers informed. they probably were trying to save the flight crew from all the angry people and questions. but mark, who has flown for a

major airline says, this as a captain, i don't want to have to worry about my passengers panicking. i'll give them only the information i think they need to deal with, with a possible evacuation or other eventualities. those are two perspectives from members of the flight industry. let's go to the phone. terry on line with me from pennsylvania. terry, what do you think? >> i would like to know something. tell me anything. >> you would want to know, if you were in that plane, what was going on? >> definitely. if i'm a business traveler and i'm on a very tight schedule and i have people waiting for me or family members, at least i can call or text them to let them know i'm running late. if i get to the airport and the plane is nowhere to be found, the plane is past the airport more than five or ten miles. the first thing people think of oh, my god, it's hijacked of the last thing i want to see is fighter jets outside my plane. >> apparently in this case they were. they were getting ready to go.

there were thoughts there was possibly a hijack. terri, thank you. i want to talk to dan in alaska. you say honesty is the best policy? >> i would say honesty is the best policy. i was on a plane from seattle back to alaska when we had a volcano erupt. we diverted back to seattle, you know. i want to know stuff like that. don't keep me in the dark and have me wonder what's going on. >> what if it's something happening on the plane and not something out of the cruise control on the ground? >> i still think honesty is the best policy. >> honesty is the best policy. thank you for calling in. this is certainly something we can relate to. please, please don't be shy about giving your opinions either way. wouldn't you want to know if there was a problem on your flight. call us at 1-877-tell-hln. really we want your perspective. text views plus your comments and name to hlntv.

standard text rates do apply. thanks, everybody. a school in portland wants to make one thing clear. they don't babysit kids after school and it's a costly lesson.

happening now, president obama has arrived in boston to tout clean energy. he will be touring a research lab, m.i.t., working on clean air technology, talk about recovery investments, the white house says creating jobs in wind energy. the president plans to attend a fund-raiser for duval patrick. the obama administration should get a little more help from nato allies in afghanistan. defense secretary robert gates says nato partners are moving closer to sending more troops and civilian aid to the country. but he says no one has made any promises or offered specifics. gates was also at the meeting of defense ministers in slovakia today, the same day the top u.s.

commander in afghanistan is supposed to be addressing this group. we told you how general stanley mcchrystal will be talking about military strategy and has asked for 10, possibly 40,000 additional u.s. troops there. we're still waiting for president obama's decision on troop levels in afghanistan. and an insurance company is restoring its coverage, how about this, for a severely disabled florida man we told you about just a couple days ago on hln. guardian life issued this apology to 37-year-old ian pearl for an internal document related to his case. in it an executive referred to his case and cases like his as dogs and that the company should getted rid of. guardian announced it was restoring his plan even as his mom was on capitol hill lobbying for health care reform. the company has not said what will happen for hundreds of other policyholders like pearl who lost coverage when they discontinued the policies. we also told you about this little who was denied health

insurance for being too small. the subsidiary of unitedhealth group has changed its mind. the two-year-old weighs 22 pounds. her parents were told she didn't meet height and weight standards. they say she's healthy. now the insurer says it did an additional review of the case and now it will cover her. and the united states has formally asked switzerland to extradite academy award winning director and fugitive roman polanski. he's been a wanted man in the u.s. for 30 years after he pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. he fled the country before his sentencing. he was just arrested in switzerland last month. a u.s. district court judge tossed out a lawsuit targeting the adult services section on craig's list. a sheriff in illinois sued the website saying it's a hub for prostitution, but the judge said no. craig's list is not responsible for people who misuse the site. he also said removing the adult section would eliminate some

legal services too, like erotic dancing. >> they changed the name. they removed some of the more egregious, explicit photographs and we are left with the same thing. since they made their minor changes we're still making the same arrests. i know this is doing to shock you. when we go out to these different locations, when they answer our calls, we've not had one legitimate masseuse. every time it's prostitution. the sheriff says he has not decided if he will appeal that. a public school charging fees for parents who pick up their kids late from school. this is happening in oregon, portland. this elementary school announcing fines this past wednesday after a ten-minute grace period, parents have to pay five bucks for every tenements they are late picking up their child. some parents, they are not too happy about this. >> that's harsh. i think there's something different they could do other than charge them money. >> if i knew that was the case,

i would definitely have to make sure i had arrangements. >> it's a tool they can use to keep kids from staying in school over and over and over. >> there's a caveat, there will be exceptions for parents with a legitimate excuse. how about some good news in a bad economy here. existing home sales really jumped last month. the national association of realtors said sales rose by 9.4% in september to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.57 million. that, they say, is their highest level in more than two years. used car deals that seem too good to be true, they probably are. hln money expert clark howard warns you how to steer clear of those latest rippoffs. >> because of the recent flooding in the united states, particularly in the southeastern states, you have got to be extra careful if you're in the market for a used car. there are flood cars that are, well, this is a horrible pun to

say, that are going to flood the used car market. most people don't ever have a used car checked out before they buy it. whether you buy a used car from a dealer or from an individual, know that you are on your own. used cars almost always sold as is. although in this case i'm talking about flood damaged cars, you might not realize would have you buying a piece of junk, it could be any number of reasons. the car could have a crummy engine, crummy transmission or not have safe brakes. so no matter how shiny it looks, how nice the salesperson is, you need to have a used car checked out prior to purchase. otherwise buyer beware. i'm clark howard. for more ways for to you protect your wallet, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. you can get great consumer advice from clark howard saturday and sunday at noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern time.

water fountains look refreshing but could make you sick. what microbiologists say about fountains and the flu.

investigators in clay county, florida, say they do not want to hurt their chances of convicting whoever killed this little girl, somer thompson, so at no point will they discuss the cause of her death, how she died or what was done to her. the florida girl's body was found wednesday in a landfill in georgia. investigators say none of the registered sex offenders living within five miles of her house is considered a suspect in the case. authorities have been collecting evidence from a vacant house in her neighborhood. somer was last seen in front of that house. but no witnesses have come forward to say they saw her get

attacked or abducted. officials say it is important they talk to anyone who may have been in that neighborhood monday. >> what we're trying to do is figure out who frequents that area. obviously it's more than the people who live there. we're trying to determine and monitor any activities that go on there regularly. not only because that might lead us a suspect but it might lead us to someone who possibly comes there every monday to make a delivery and may have innocently or not even knowingly seen something that could be important to this case. certainly i wouldn't want anyone to think because we make a traffic stop that we're focusing on that person from a suspect standpoint. it could be for a variety of reasons. we definitely wan to know, and this is where the tip line comes in as well, we want to be contacted by anybody for any reason frequents that area on a regular basis and certainly anyone for any reason was in that area on monday.

>> last night there was a candlelight vigil for somer. this is just outside her house. earlier her mother diena told the killer there will be justice for her little girl. >> i want you to know i will not sleep until this person is found. i hope they get you and i hope they make you pay for a long, long time. you don't take from somebody -- you didn't take her from just me. you took her from my family, all of these people. and you don't do this to a little baby and put my baby in the trash like she's nothing. that's not okay. that's not okay. >> somer's family now making funeral arrangements for their seven-year-old daughter. we don't know if it will be public or private. one of her neighbors talked to nancy grace about how she will remember somer. >> just looking at this little

girl with beautiful brown eyes, little bangs, i just can't imagine somebody grabbing her by the article and taking her away and hurting her. what was she like? what was the little girl's disposition? >> very playful. she's very open minded. she's a very smart little girl. she knows everybody. she's a very -- i guess you could say she would basically be someone you could connect with. she's very friendly. she loves people. she loves kids. she loves to play. >> breaking news tonight, nancy grace will have late breaking developments in the search for somer's killer. that is tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern time right here on hln news and views. now, let me tell you about the search that's going on for a missing eastern oklahoma family getting even more focused every day. hunters, they found the jamison's abandoned pickup truck last saturday. they found the family's starving

dog in that truck as well as ids and a lot of cash. the last time bobby, his wife sherry lynn and their six-year-old daughter madison was seen was october 19. they were out looking for land. a search coordinator has been called in from oklahoma city. officers are looking in the muddy mountainous area by foot, horse back and helicopter. federal investigators want to know why a plane overshot the minneapolis airport by 150 miles. totally missed the airport wednesday night. they first lost contact with the plane as it was flying by the rocky mountains. the pilots did not respond either by radio or text communication. controllers in minneapolis finally contacted the pilot after more than an hour when it was over wisconsin his answers apparently were so vague they were worried it might have been hijacked. crews told authorities they were arguing over airline policy and didn't realize how far it had

gotten. the plane landed safely without the passengers having any idea what happened in the air. a spokesman is looking into whether the pilots fell asleep. northwest is part of delta air lines and they issued this statement. let me read it for you. says, it is cooperating with the faa and ntsb in their investigation as well as conducting our own internal investigation. the pilots have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of those investigations. passengers, like i said, had no idea what was going on up there but were horrified to find out once they landed. so that's got us wondering, would you want to know if there was a problem on your flight or perhaps is ignorance bliss. does what happened on this plane make you any less confident in your crews? give us a call at 1-877-tell-hln. e-mail or text us your views and comments. standard text rates do bly. we will get to some of your responses throughout the day here.

one person killed, another eight were injured after an army black hawk helicopter crashed into a navy ship. this all happened yesterday evening as service members rappelled down a rope from the helicopter to the ship. the accident occurred off the coast of virginia during this joint training mission between the navy and the army. obama might get help from nato allies in afghanistan. nato partners are moving closer to sending troops and civilian aid to the country. but he says no one has made any promises or offered specifics. gates was also at the meeting of defense ministers in slovakia today, the same day the top u.s. commander in afghanistan is supposed to be addressing this group. mcchrystal asked for thousands

of additional u.s. troops. we're still waiting for president obama's decision on troop levels in afghanistan. speaking of the president, mr. obama arrived. there he is in washington. he'll be touting clean energy, touring a research lab working on cutting edge clean air technology. he'll also talk about recovery act investments which the white house says are creating jobs in wind energy. the president plans to attend a fund-raiser for massachusetts governor duval patrick. incredible pictures. have you seen these out of puerto rico? this is a huge fire at a fuel plant. eleven fuel tanks on fire. crews trying to keep more from exploding. was anyone hurt? stay here.

take a look at this. this is aftermath of a tornado that hit southwest louisiana. a total of three twisters touched down in jefferson davis parish. quite a mess, toppled trees. power line knocked down, roofs gone. street shrines blown away. there was even a report of a tractor-trailer overturned on interstate 10. but so far we're hearing no reports of any injuries. that is good news. also here speaking of pictures, spectacular pictures of a fuel plant fire in san juan puerto rico. eleven fuel tanks burning right now. fire crews are doing everything they can to keep 29 others from exploding. these pictures looks at this, the smoke, the fire, amazing no one was seriously hurt. but firefighters say all the workers are accounted for and safe. a couple suffered minor

injuries. can you see one person suffered from smoke inhalation. investigators still trying to piece together what happened. got a couple of great ireports. look at this picture. this gives you perspective. maria marquez took these pictures from her 17th floor condo in san juan. look how thick and black it is. another ireporter has been sending us incredible video from this fire. she is joining me via web cam. i can see the smoke behind you. i want you to first explain where you are and where were you when you first heard this and smelled the smoke. >> basically right now i am at my -- my husband woke up because

of the loud noise. and then he woke me up and said look out the window. look out the window. when i looked out the window, the whole sky was orange. and after looking a little bit further, you could see the flames. it was enormous. >> it seems when we saw the picture of you with the smoke behind you on your balcony, it seemed a bit of a distance away. is the air thick at all? does the air smell? >> yes, actually it does smell. it looks farther than what it really is. but from here you can smell -- it's a burning smell actually. >> a burning smell. from what i've read, about 350 people from a nearby neighborhood are evacuated. are you being told to stay in your condo building. >> we don't have to stay in our condo building but we've been told not to leave and not crowd the road. so if there's a real big

emergency, then they can manage. >> are there people, if you look down behind your balcony, are there people out on the roads, or for the most part are people staying inside. >> most of them -- >> go ahead. >> most of them are staying inside. >> most are staying inside. i know i read that the smoke was so awful all of the schools in puerto rico have been closed today. some of the highways have been shut down because of this. what are you hearing? what are you seeing? >> yes. actually all the main roads leading to that area are closed. schools in the area, the vicinity, are all closed today. >> we're talking about jet fuel oil that has spilled. you know they are working on keeping some of those tanks contained. i want you to stay there and stay safe. amazing what technology can do, that i can talk to you and see

smoke over your shoulder. i know the fbi is investigating. jessica, thank you so much for calling us. i just want to remind everyone, if you have pictures like that, amazing pictures, no matter where you are in the world we can bring them in thanks to ireport. click on the upload now link. you'll find simple instructions how to submit your stories. maybe like jessica i'll talk to you life on air. legendary comedian soupy sales has died. he had a string of hit tv shows in the '50s and '60s, more recently and with eddie murphy in "holy man." he was best known for taking pies to the face. frank sinatra, shirley mcclain and with sales and ultimately took a pie to the chin. soupy sales was 83. it's been a fierce rivalry for decades. one red sox fan did a little something for a yankees fan that could be a life saver.

need to tell you now about another missing girl hochlt this is nine-year-old elizabeth

olten, last seen walking home wednesday night. crews are out searching for her in an area where elizabeth's cell phone signal was picked up. it's near jefferson city in central missouri. hundreds of volunteers joined local volunteers in the effort. so many volunteered to help, some were turned away. the violent crime unit has been activated. the sheriff said he's seen no sign a courtroom was committed. dozens attended a vigil for a virginia tech student that's been missing since saturday night. everyone got a purple balloon. that's morgan harrington's favorite color. police say the 20-year-old disappeared during a metallica concert in virginia. harrington's father believes his daughter was kidnapped. >> what is the likelihood of a person crossing the path of someone who would take someone. i believe morgan has been taken.

>> police said harrington had called friends to tell them she left the arena but was not allowed back in. there was a no reentry policy. her purse and cell phone were found but there was no sign of a stugel. i'm jane velez-mitchell. a mother who lost her most priced possession speaking out against violence. somer thompson's mom wants justice. who could blame her. this poor woman says she's going to devote her life to changing the blood soaked culture. she joins many who have children senselessly murdered. they can't come together. enough is enough. candlelight vigils need to turn into marches on washington. we have to demand change. the criminal justice system needs a total overhaul, targeting the monsters who are killing our children has to become priority number one. i'm jane velez-mitchell and

that's my issue. >> coming up tonight on issues, who killed summer. all weekend police will be sifting through the garbage where somer's body was found. what else is done to capture the killer and end the attack. watch "issues with jane velez-mitchell" at 7:00 p.m. eastern time on hln. insurance company restoring coverage for a severely disabled florida man we told you about just a couple of days ago. guardian life has issued an apology to 37-year-old ian pearl for an internal document receipted to his case. in it an executive referred to his case and cases like his as dogs that the company should get rid of. guardian has now announced it is restoring his plan even after his mom was on capitol hill lobbying for reform. they have not said what would happen for hundreds of other policyholders just like pearl who lost coverage when they discontinued policies. another happy ending. we told you about this little

girl. she was denied health insurance for being too small. the subsidiary of unitedhealth group reversed its decision. her parents were told she didn't meet height and weight standards. she weighs 22 pounds. she say she's healthy. of her c and will now cover her. the united states is formally asked switzerland to extradite roman polanski. polanski has been a wanted man in the u.s. for more than 30 years now after he pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. he fled the country before his sentencing and he was just arrested in switzerland last month. and if you follow baseball at all, you know you have heard of this fierce rivalry between the red sox and yankees but a life saving donation put that rivalry on hold. a sox fan donated bone marrow to

a boy who is a yankees fan. his room was decorated with yankees stuff. the two will be life-long friends. >> here's this guy who did the most gracious, most giving, unselfish generous thing that anyone could possibly do, this unanimous bone marrow donation. he saved our son's life. what do you say to him? >> it's awesome. he knows he'll be true to his team but deep down he'll root for the red sox. retailers are counting on n on on online sales to boost their bottom line. four out of five retailers will be offering free shipping with

minimum purchases according to the national retail federation. more than half will offer it with no minimum order. and the whopper getting a makeover in japan. it's lunchtime for some of you. it may -- you may need a tummy tuck after this. prepare yourself for the mother of all whoppers. d d d d d d d d