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Aftermath of Minneapolis Bridge Collapse; Expanding FISA; Investigation Into Gunned Down Reporter in Oakland, California; Bridge Safety in Louisiana; U.S. Coast Guard: Saving Lives

Aired August 04, 2007 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Dramatic video of a man a witness says is a father frantically swimming in the Mississippi River looking for his daughter in the rubble of a fallen bridge.
Plus, the president gets a first-hand look at the devastation there. He vows to help get the span back up as son as possible.

Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin this hour with the aftermath of the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Here's what we know.

The disaster has spurred other states to consider the condition of their bridges. And the Transportation Department said it will investigate the agency responsible for inspecting roads and bridges.

Braving stormy weather, divers are back in the waters of the Mississippi searching for victims. The death toll stands at five, but authorities say up to eight bodies may still be under water.

President Bush saw the twisted remains of the bridge today by land and by air. He spoke to victims' families and thanked first responders and rescue workers. Mr. Bush also praised the uncommon bravery of common civilians on the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I met a man who was on the bridge when it collapsed. His instinct was to run to a school bus of screaming children and to help bring them to safety. It's -- you know, we have an amazing country where people's instinct, first instinct is to help save lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And we're monitoring developments out of the Minneapolis area. A press conference is to get under way this hour. We'll monitor those developments and bring them to you.

Meantime, at the top of the hour, we showed you a few seconds of what one witness, the photographer, says is a desperate search. A man running up and down the river bank, asking people, according to the photographer, who also happens to be a University of Minnesota student, if anyone has seen a little girl. The unidentified man jumped into the Mississippi in this police search. I talked to the photographer/student Steven Dorwak, earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE DORWAK, PHOTOGRAPHER/STUDENT: I was probably up on the rocks about five feet from him, and that's when he was just looking around with a frantic look on his face, horrified, and just saying, "Has anyone seen a little girl with red hair, glasses?" And everyone kind of shook their head and didn't know exactly what he was talking about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Dorwak joins us again next hour to talk about what he saw and why he is sharing this video now.

Stay with us in the NEWSROOM for that.

Meantime, concern about other bridges spans the nation. Officials are ordering inspections and in some cases have already taken some action.

In Missouri, a 90-year-old bridge outside St. Louis has been closed ahead of schedule. It was due to be taken out of service at the end of the summer due to the conditions there. But after the Minneapolis situation, a county there in Missouri decided they were not going to take any chances.

In California, they have suspended the vacations of all bridge inspectors. The state's 69 bridges with a similar design to the Minnesota span must be checked out per federal order.

And also, an at-risk bridge in New Orleans is already getting daily inspections, thanks to Hurricane Katrina. The storm wiped out parts of the twin span across Lake Pontchartrain and officials are closely monitoring the temporary patches to the roadway.

And now we want to get the latest developments out of Minneapolis. Our Ed Lavandera is there.

And Ed, we've heard from the Department of Transportation earlier today, which said that they are going to closely inspect certain federal bridges. And they're also opening up invitation, I should say, to contractors across the country to submit some redesign plans to them so they can get 35W up and running again -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. And, you know, right now, one of the main focuses, of course, as you can see just beyond where this I-35 just dips down, that's where the crews continue to work throughout the day.

It's been a cloudy day. There's been rainfall throughout most of it. And that has slowed down a little bit of the situation here in terms of divers and rescue teams down on that situation.

But the only thing that officials here say would keep them off the water or out of the water would be lightning in the area. And that hasn't happened. So they have been working down there in the water since shortly before 10:00 this morning. So they've probably been about five or six hours there in the water. They continue to do that situation.

But other than that, President Bush here visited here as well earlier.

We also spoke with one of the survivors who survived a tremendous fall. He was in a jeep. It was a young man by the name of Carj Olsen (ph), who was driving on this route, going to -- making a run for work. He normally doesn't even take this route. But what is amazing about his story -- he spoke with us from his hospital room today here in Minneapolis, and he talked about how the only thing he remembers was leaving work and then waking up in a hospital bed.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much from Minneapolis.

Appreciate it.

Well, the bridge collapse has triggered a lot of questions across the country. How safe is the bridge in my community?

Well, Josh Levs has been looking into a lot of that, and looking into a lot of questions that people have been asking. In addition to that, wondering, you know, is it time to change the way we inspect these bridges across the country?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. I mean, that's what a lot of people are trying to figure out. So what we wanted to do is talk you all through the bridges in your area, see where they measure up.

We want to show you right now if we could some of the ways that you're able to do that. If you can go to the CNN.com page, the home page today, click on the link below the lead stories, and that will actually bring you to a list of states in your area. That will allow you to see the kinds of bridges that are having specific problems right now. Also, let me give you just a general sense.

You know, we've got 600,000 bridges in America. The federal government is saying 750 require immediate inspections. And so they're trying to encourage those -- yes, there you go, 756.

So, if you look at that list, what you'll be able to say is a state- by-state breakdown -- I think we have that -- how many states -- how many bridges in each state need to be checked.

Do we have that?

There you go. So we just pulled out a few examples, because we want people to have a sense of what a challenge this is. So right now, you know...

WHITFIELD: But that's not really alarming, because all bridges have to be inspected, right? I mean, they're not saying these are outstanding bridges that need inspections because they're deficient in some way, right?

LEVS: Well, actually, they're saying these need immediate inspection. Now, I don't want to scare people. I mean, that's the thing. Like...

WHITFIELD: Yes, it makes you nervous.

LEVS: Yes. And it's like we're talking about here, you know, the fact that a bridge needs inspection does not automatically mean that it's dangerous.

WHITFIELD: Right.

LEVS: But the federal government has taken a look now in the wake of this, and they said, you know what? Seven hundred and fifty bridges in America have got to be checked right away.

So this is -- you know, if you use that dotcom page, you're able to see, OK, what needs to be done right now, what needs to be changed? And in general, it gives you a sense of what the immediacy is. And then beyond that, there are thousands that can be improved.

WHITFIELD: Well, you know what that's going to do if you're a driver as well. You look at that list, you find out a bridge in your community is on that list of "in need of inspections," you're going to start looking at the map and figuring out, I want an alternate route to my point B.

LEVS: Yes. And, you know, some people are going to do that. And the thing is, authorities know that. And even just that fear has economic implications. So that's something they need to look out for already.

What you do find is that, if people look into what's available in each state, especially your local media, look newspapers, you're going to find that they will tell you if there's an area that's really a problem, that's a big danger. A lot of local media we've been checking out online today are really doing a good job of investigating that kind of thing.

And authorities are saying, look, just because you hear that a bridge needs to be improved does not mean that it's dangerous.

For example, "The New York Times" reporting on the Brooklyn Bridge. Last year, it was found to be in poor condition. But authorities are saying it's still safe. And there are already some efforts scheduled to go under way for reconstruction in 2010.

So, definitely take a look. Go to CNN.com and click on what we've got, look at your local media, but don't let this create panic and don't think that something needing improvement is the same as danger.

WHITFIELD: Yes, because naturally this disaster in Minneapolis has touched everyone directly because it makes them rethink, you know, the vulnerabilities or the safety of the bridges that they're so used to.

LEVS: And something we were talking about earlier, you know if you're on a bridge on a really windy day, you can kind of feel the sway underneath your feet.

WHITFIELD: Sure. LEVS: Well, now it's almost a little bit like you're going to feel that every time you're on a bridge, because suddenly you feel that sense of danger. A lot of people just driving are saying anecdotally since they've heard this story it scares them.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEVS: But that's why it's really good that you can take a look. Here are the bridge of most concern right away. Here's what's being done.

And we do have, you know, a lot of local media efforts say, look, these are the areas that are a problem, and even still, not necessarily immediate danger. But very, very serious and need to be checked.

WHITFIELD: Sure. It does certainly elicit a lot of questions, hopefully what it's also doing is eliciting a response to make sure that all the bridges in America are safe.

LEVS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Josh, thanks so much.

LEVS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, coming up in the next half hour, we'll take a look at how the state of Louisiana is dealing with bridge safety in particular since there's so much water throughout that state. Some of the roadways are still ravaged, by the way, by Hurricane Katrina.

And it has been a contentious week on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The chair prematurely called the vote at 214.

(BOOING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh boy. That move sparked acrimony with House Republicans earlier this week after Democrat Michael McNulty erred in ending a vote on a motion too early. Republicans simply walked out.

The Democrats say the vote was closed because it was tied. But Republicans say it was not tied. McNulty later apologized for the mistake.

House lawmakers are back at work today, in fact. A vote is possible on a Republican-sponsored bill to revamp a spying law that has been on the books for almost three decades now. The Senate passed the measure last night.

Our Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House with more details on that -- Suzanne. SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, as you saw, a lot of emotion there on the floor, and there's also a lot of pressure today for the House to pass legislation that would govern eavesdropping on foreigners.

Now, the president has told Congress that they cannot go in recess until they come up with legislation that he can sign and that the director of National Intelligence finds acceptable. Now, the Senate has done just that, but the House is holding off. And at issue is a law called the Foreign Intelligence surveillance Act, known as FISA.

A secret court that overseas FISA made a ruling earlier this year that the White House says limits the intelligence community's ability to get critical information from terrorists. The ruling says the government cannot eavesdrop on overseas calls without a warrant if that call goes through a U.S. switching center or has some kind of connection to the United States.

But intelligence officials say millions of calls, overseas calls, go through these American switching centers. Making intelligence officials get a warrant before intercepting them is crippling the U.S.'s ability to act quickly against potential terrorist plots.

So President Bush issued this statement earlier today, saying, "Today, the House of representatives has an opportunity to consider that bill, pass it and send it to me for my signature. Protecting America is our most solemn obligation and I urge the House to pass this bill without delay."

Also, Republican lawmakers trying to ramp up the pressure as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Suzanne Malveaux in Washington. Thanks so much.

Well, in addition to security concerns, Congress has plenty of other items to consider today. Among them, energy and defense spending bills and an emergency appropriations bill granting up to $250 million to help in the aftermath of the 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

Well, a reporter is gunned down in Oakland this week. Coming up in the NEWSROOM, police believe his death is connected to this nation of Islam bakery which is now the crime scene in this video.

That story coming up next in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, some pretty familiar images right there from the U.S. Coast Guard. Well, they have conducted one million rescues. And they're not done.

We'll explain why they're celebrating a milestone this weekend.

Also, take a look at this, crash tests for luxury cars. You would think for what they cost, they would be in pretty good shape, right?

See for yourself later in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News "Across America".

We begin in Brentwood, California, where dogs owned by actor Ving Rhames are suspected of fatally mauling their caretaker. Police found the body of the 40-year-old victim Friday morning on the actor's property. His body covered with dog bites. Animal control took four dogs into custody.

The Good Book turned out to be great for one U.S. soldier stationed in Iraq. Twenty-two-year-old Private First Class Brendan Schweigart says his bible actually stopped a bullet. Schweigart was shot this week. The bullet getting under his body armor. But doctors found the bullet lodged in his bible.

The NFL is getting more international these days. Case in point, Nuriaka Kinishika (ph). This 24-year-old hopes to be the first Japanese player to make an NFL squad. Nuri (ph), as they call him, is working out with the Atlanta Falcons. He's been a wideout and punt returner for the past three seasons with the NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals.

And from Maryland, police stumble on to a burglary suspect while responding to another call. Annapolis city police say they arrested 35-year-old Catherine Delgado (ph) after finding her with bricks of fudge spilling out of her purse. A nearby confectionery shop had been broken into. She now faces up to 15 years behind bars for her alleged candy run.

A brazen killing and a police raid on a well-known bakery. In Oakland, California, police are investigating a murder of a local reporter. The police chief believes members of a black Muslim group who owned the bakery are involved in the killing.

CNN's Dan Simon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Your Black Muslim Bakery was a well-known business in Oakland, and not just for its unusual name. Its founder, now deceased, had been implicated in a rape scandal. He died a few years ago shortly before trial.

More recently, his son and some associates had been charged in the vandalism of Bay area liquor stores. Chauncey Bailey, a 57-year-old Oakland newspaper reporter, had been working on a story about the shop. His boss described him as a tenacious journalist.

PAUL COBB, PUBLISHER, "OAKLAND POST": We used to call him the James Brown of journalism. He was the hardest working man in journalism. Just like they'd say James Brown was the hardest working man in show business.

SIMON: Bailey had recently become the editor of a community weekly. On Thursday, he was gunned down, murdered in plain sight as we walked to work. Paul Cobb got a phone call from police at the murder scene asking if he knew the reporter.

COBB: And I said, "Yeah, he should be there covering it for us." And the police said, "No, he won't be covering anything." I said, "What are you talking about?" And he says, "Well, we're talking about Chauncey Bailey."

And I just -- I thought it was a joke.

SIMON: Did Bailey's investigation into the shop lead to his murder? Police wouldn't comment on the motive. But during raids on several locations, including the bakery, one day after Bailey's murder, investigators say they discovered a powerful link -- a gun used in the killing of the veteran journalist.

ASST. CHIEF HOWARD JORDAN, OAKLAND POLICE DEPT.: This investigation does not involve Muslims under the leadership of the honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam and should not be seen as an investigation of any faith tradition.

SIMON: And it wasn't Bailey's murder that led police to the store.

(on camera): Police had been investigating the bakery for several months. The raid had been planned well in advance. So authorities really did not know that they were going to find evidence allegedly implicating the group in Bailey's murder.

(voice over): Police say they had been investigating the shop and its operators in connection with two other Bay area murders.

LT. ERSIE JOYNER, OAKLAND POLICE DEPT.: During our investigation, Chauncey Bailey was murdered, and it turns out that evidence in that case also links the same individuals we were looking at in the other two prior murders.

SIMON: At least seven people connected to the bakery have been placed under arrest. Chauncey Bailey's instincts that there was a story worth chasing had apparently been right.

Dan Simon, CNN, Oakland, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, it has been a week since Iraq's soccer team won the Asian Cup. Today, they brought the trophy home.

Coming up in the NEWSROOM, the jubilant scene in Baghdad provides an escape from war, if just for a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll look after your interests.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Combs (ph), he's in a meeting. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And believe this. This is a job interview actually. Rap mogul Diddy enlists YouTube to screen applicants.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Monsoon rains and massive flooding across Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Hundreds of people have been killed and millions of others have been forced from their homes. Many are suffering from waterborne diseases now. And officials war that landslides are also a big threat.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Coming up next in the NEWSROOM, Minneapolis is not the only place with reasons to be concerned about traffic safety. Find out how you can check the structures in your city.

Plus, this is the sight we've all witnessed. For more than 200 years now, U.S. Coast Guard members risking their lives to save others. Dramatic video from some of the million-plus rescue operations that have taken place in this country.

That's coming up next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Half past the hour. Here's the latest on the Minnesota bridge collapse.

President Bush pledges the federal government's help in rebuilding the fallen span during his visit to Minneapolis this morning. This, as the NTSB says the south end of the bridge shifted some 50 feet as the rest of the span apparently collapsed in place.

The tragedy has put the nation's bridges under scrutiny. Some communities taking the precaution of closing some to traffic while stepping up bridge inspections.

One state quite concerned about bridge safety is Louisiana, where some roadways are still ravaged from Hurricane Katrina.

More now from Travers Mackel of CNN affiliate WDSU.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRAVERS MACKEL, REPORTER, WDSU (voice over): They're two of the busiest bridges in the state of Louisiana, the Twin Span connection New Orleans to the North Shore. It's a roadway the state Department of Transportation considers structurally deficient.

MARK LAMBERT, LOUISIANA DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION: The reason this is classified as a deficient bridge, structurally deficient, is because it cannot hold the same load capacity that it was designed for. MACKEL: That's due in part to Hurricane Katrina. The storm destroyed part of the Twin Span. Temporary connectors are in place. Here's what they look like from the lake level.

LAMBERT: It requires a lot of maintenance and we have to inspect it every day.

MACKEL: That's good news to those who drive the Twin Span.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So, how do the bridges around you fare? Go to CNN.com and click under the main story link for a rundown of all troubled bridges state by state.

And with that in mind, don't miss the latest from our CNN Special Investigations Unit. "Road to Ruin: Are We Safe?" airing tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

Well, we've been riveted by the tragedy surrounding the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. I-Reporters on the scene captured the collapse as it happened, lending an immediacy to our reporting as the drama unfolded.

Here now is a look at just some of their efforts.

Some of the images from our I-Reporters there in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area, come Wednesday, when that bridge collapsed.

And now you're looking at live pictures right now of members of the NTSB, the National Transportation and Safety Board, who are updating folks there about their investigations as it relates to the collapse of the 35W Bridge.

We're going to continue to monitor their comments there. And when information is pertinent that we feel like needs to be passed on to you, we will do just that.

We'll be right back with much more of the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: And we just mentioned to you that the National Transportation Safety Board is holding a press conference there out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. And some of the latest information coming out of that presser is that now they have ceased the recovery and diving efforts there in the Minneapolis area right near that 35W Bridge debris as a result of shifting debris.

We know that it's been raining all day there today. But now we understand that the reason why they're stopping the diving efforts is because of the shifting debris, these huge pieces of concrete and twisted steel that still litter -- litter the Mississippi River.

Let's listen in a little bit more now to the NTSB.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... as we know at the time. That will be my final briefing here in Minneapolis, and I'll be going back to Washington to continue to monitor the investigation.

Our investigating -- investigating professionals will remain on scene. They will remain on scene until they understand and see what, in fact, they believe is the causal factor here or a probable series of causal factors.

At that point, they will bring all of that evidence back to Washington as it relates to pieces of perhaps structure, any other materials which they may find of interest. We are also -- as they begin to take the cars away, they'll take that to a secure area. We'll be looking at that from another aspect, not for causal purposes, but in the area of survival factors.

So those cars will be looked at very, very carefully. Also for identification of how people either were victims of fatally or how they were injured. And the -- that will be an important part of the final report that we provide.

As I indicated, this is a long, very long, but thorough procedure. To try to give you a bit of perspective on this, we just completed within about a year the final report on the Big Dig. That was a collapse of some tiles in a tunnel in Boston.

You may recall that. That happened last year around this time.

It was about 200 linear feet of inspection area that we had to deal with. We went for about five months without an understanding of exactly what happened.

So, given the fact that we had about 200 linear feet to look at, with fewer elements to look at -- because we're looking, of course, at the deck, we're looking, of course, at the superstructure, we're looking at the substructure -- and we're also looking at about a quarter mile in total of all of those elements. So putting that in perspective, it's going to take us a while to understand what we have here.

Now, again, we have made progress. We don't believe the southern portion of this bridge is where the accident began.

We'd like to be able to do, again, as accurate and as expeditious an examination as we did today on the southern part on the northern part. And then, of course, we will be looking at the center piece.

We were trying to do as much as we can without cutting corners to get the waters cleared in the Mississippi where this collapse occurred.

I'll take a few questions.

Yes, ma'am?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The way the -- the way the deck came down -- and I wish I had a big diagram, but I don't. But for those that have seen any of the aerial footage -- and there has been some -- a piece of that decking is leaning like this.

Under the decking is part of the superstructure. And instead of the superstructure coming down like it did on the southern side, it actually went up and still is attached to the deck, which is at this angle like this.

And unfortunately, that's kind of leaning over into the water. So we don't have a place where we can get to it easily, as we were able to do on the southern side, which is all on line, and most of it fell on the ground.

So, that's why this helicopter, we believe, is going to be a good solution to give us an accurate picture, a very high -- we're looking for a good high-definition type of resolution so we can see these parts of the superstructure to see how they -- how they sheared, how they cut, if they were pulled. And all of those evidence, our senior materials metal expert is directing this effort.

WHITFIELD: All right. You're listening to the NTSB there in Minneapolis, Minnesota, describing how this is such a precarious situation, because not only are they dealing with shifting pieces of debris, huge pieces of concrete and steel there, which is now hampering their continued recovery efforts, they're also discovering in the early stages of their investigation just where the bridge may have been compromised before it actually collapsed Wednesday night.

We're going to continue to monitor the developments there out of Minneapolis as they continue their investigation. For now, cease their recovery operations and perhaps resume at another time.

Meantime, among those who were assisting in the investigation right now by helping to close some of the waterways there around this investigation location is the U.S. Coast Guard. Ordinarily, you're used to seeing them conduct rescue missions just like this one. This rescue mission right here is a case of a woman being airlifted from flooding in Washington State last November.

When we come right back, we're going to be joined by an admiral who will explain why 217 years of this kind of operation from the U.S. Coast Guard is one to celebrate this weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, you have seen this kind of image before, a rescue mission carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard. Well, this weekend, the nation is celebrating the U.S. Coast Guard's 217th birthday, because they have done this a million times, saving people's lives, carrying out rescue missions just like that.

Rear Admiral Mary Landry is head of the public affairs for the U.S. Coast Guard and is joining us now to talk a little bit more about how the U.S. Coast Guard does what it does. And Admiral, I understand that the U.S. Coast Guard has been kind of in the periphery in the assistance of the Minneapolis bridge collapse. While you all volunteered to actually help conduct any kind of rescue missions, you were instead put in a position of really just closing off the waterways, right? How instrumental has that been in their recovery efforts that are still ongoing?

REAR ADMIRAL MARY LANDRY, U.S. COAST GUARD: It's very important, Fredricka. We have what we call a safety goen zone we're enforcing up on those waterways to ensure that no boaters that aren't familiar with what's going on with the dive operations and the rescue operations there and the investigation, if they're unfamiliar with what's going on, our Coast Guard members can keep them out of harm's way and also not interfere with the operation.

WHITFIELD: And on a regular basis, folks have become pretty used to this image that we're seeing right now, the kind of rescue operations you all conduct, particularly at sea. While originally the U.S. Coast Guard mostly was reinforcing kind of tariff laws, it ended up evolving into a lot of humanitarian rescues just like this.

How did it come to be over this 217 years?

LANDRY: Basically, we started out, as you said, as the Revenue Cutter Service in 1790, with only 10 vessels. And we were enforcing tariffs. And as the years past, we added on the life-saving service, the lighthouse service, the Bureau of Marine Inspection.

And we've evolved to now a multi-mission maritime service, where we conduct port security missions, we inspect large tank vessels that are coming into ports for safety and security. We do our day-to-day search and rescue, and we keep the waterways free and clear of dangers.

And we keep commerce moving. Commerce is very important to this country.

WHITFIELD: And we look at the videotape over and over again about these rescue missions, and we can see the kind of bravery involved, the risks that are taken by the U.S. Coast Guard members. You know, this is no easy task.

How does -- if it's the cooperation from some of those folks that you're rescuing or perhaps the technology -- how do all those things play a part in helping you do the job that you do successfully?

LANDRY: Fredricka, it really is a combination. It's a combination of our skills and training of the Coast Guard members and of the technologies we have. But it's also the mariners themselves and the boaters.

If they have the right equipment and do the right preparation and they heed the weather, they are able to assist us. If you get in trouble on the waterway, we want to find you, we want to rescue you. And the technologies and mariner preparedness really helps us to do that.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Rear Admiral Mary Landry, head of the Public Affairs Department for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Thanks so much for your time. And of course we all are very grateful for the efforts the U.S. Coast Guard carries out every day, every year in this country.

LANDRY: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: And happy birthday.

LANDRY: Happy birthday. Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot.

Well, scenes of more amazing Coast Guard saves are available right online. You can't seem to get enough of them, because they are truly remarkable. You can preview the top ten rescues on YouTube. Type in keyword "Coast Guard".

And don't just watch the news, do something about it. Make an impact on your world right now. Go to CNN.com/impact to learn how.

And Rick Sanchez is coming up with a preview of what's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, he went from Puff Daddy, to P. Diddy, to just plain old Diddy. But you can call him boss if you want to win the online competition to be Diddy's new personal assistant.

CNN's Jeanne Moos reports that in this job search, you can skip the resume and go straight to the videotape.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you want to work for this guy, better get his name straight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know I could help you, Sean "Diddy" Combs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on, Diddy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, Mr. Combs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yo, Puff! (

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diddy, Diddy, Diddy, what does Diddy wants?

MOOS: What Diddy wants is a personal assistant. But when he went on YouTube asking for online submissions...

SEAN "P. DIDDY" COMBS, RAPPER, PRODUCER: So what better job than that to have me scream at you? MOOS: He says he got 10,000 inquiries, and more than 600 videos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, yes! Scared you, huh? Anyway, it's your boy, Ito Funbruoy (ph), AKA, Diddy's next assistant.

COMBS: Oh, my God, what have I started?

MOOS: So Diddy laid down some minimum requirements.

COMBS: Know how to read. You've got to know how to write. You've got to know how to count.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can also count in three, maybe four languages.

MOOS: Even requiring a college degree didn't slow the flow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diddy, I'll look out for your interests.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, Mrs. Combs, he's in a meeting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Loyalty!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diddy only drinks Fiji water! (expletive deleted)!

MOOS: And then there was the pair offering two-for-one look-a- likes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And trust us...

TWO UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: We won't let you down. So pick us, please!

MOOS: Now it might be tough working for a guy who calls his line of perfume Unforgivable. But that didn't scare this woman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I began my career as a correctional officer at the Women's State Penitentiary in Texas, so no, Diddy, I will not curl up in a ball and start crying if you raise your voice to give orders.

MOOS: And then she really learned to take orders.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I became a waitress at Red Lobster.

MOOS: There was plenty of this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have been sucking up to shamelessly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has got to find that twinkle in my eye. Diddy, I love you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like your music and I would never carry your (expletive deleted) umbrella.

MOOS (on camera): Yes, well, before you insult the idea of holding Diddy's umbrella, consider what it did for one personal assistant who carried it. (voice-over): After this picture went worldwide, manservant Farnsworth Bentley parlayed it into his own music career. One applicant headlined her video "Give me Da Damn Job Diddy!".

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not signing for welfare because they don't give you enough money.

MOOS: YouTubers will vote for the finalist. Then Diddy will make his pick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You touched me so much, and if I'm your P.A., you can touch me whenever you want.

MOOS: Apparently she's an assistant producer for a British radio show.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let it do a dance you know.

MOOS: Trying to pull Diddy's leg.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ow! My back! My back!

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: OK. Shameless.

Good luck to the contestants, I guess.

All right. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The next hour of the NEWSROOM with Rick Sanchez -- he's not shameless -- that starts right now.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Up next in the NEWSROOM, the president sees the devastation in Minneapolis with his own eyes. These are some of the pictures that we've been getting in throughout the course of the last couple of hours.

He vows to help get the span back up as soon as he possibly can -- in helping, that is, from the White House.

Also, some dramatic video of a man. He's a witness and he says that he saw a father frantically swimming in the Mississippi River.

Now, you see it right there? It's in the circle. The reason we're calling this a mystery is apparently the man is still looking for the daughter in the rubble of that fallen bridge.

We'll try and parse this one for you. We'll try and get whatever information we can, because a lot of people have very few answers.

And welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. You are in the NEWSROOM.

And we're going to begin this hour with the aftermath of the Minneapolis bridge collapse. This is what we know so far as the information has been coming in throughout the course of the morning.

The disaster has other states now taking a real hard look at their bridges. Maybe the state you live in. The Transportation Department is saying that it's going to investigate the agency that's responsible for the safety of the nation's roads and the nation's bridges.

Rough weather and some shifting debris is making the Mississippi unsafe at this point. That's what the experts there on the scene with NTSB says. Dive teams have pulled out for now because of that.

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