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American Morning
No Sounds Detected So Far in Utah Mine; Newark Murderer Turns Himself in to Mayor;
Aired August 10, 2007 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Breaking news. A microphone reaches the spot in the collapsed mine where six men are believed to be trapped. But so far it hears nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, we were not able to gain any communication from the miners underground
ROBERTS: This morning, the next step for rescuers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully they can drop the camera in and maybe we can get lucky.
ROBERTS: And signs of hope for the families.
ROBERT MURRAY, PRES. & CEO, MURRAY ENERGY: We just got the air reading. It's very, very good. That means if they're alive, they're going to stay alive.
ROBERTS: We're live from Utah with the late-breaking developments on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Good morning to you. Welcome back. Thanks for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. It's Friday, the 10th of August. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. If you're just waking up, we've been following developing breaking news out of Utah this morning as the rescuers make another push and a breakthrough overnight punching through a two-inch hole where they think that the six miners are trapped.
They were able to drop a microphone down into that hole. So far, though, they have not been able to hear any sounds. They say that's not necessarily an indication of whether the miners are alive or dead. They could just not be in an area near that microphone.
But some progress made, because engineers were able to check the air quality, and the tests show the air is breathable with plenty of oxygen. CNN's John Zarrella joins us now. He is outside of the mine command center in Utah this morning with more details on that second drilling operation that is taking place to get a larger hole to those miners. Hi, John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran. That's exactly right. Now that they've got that microphone down inside there, the operation to get the larger hole, eight-and-five-eighths-inch hole dug -- drilled is taking place, continuing. They expect that they will be within the next 24 hours, give or take get, they will get that hole finished and into that cavity and then they will put a camera in there.
This camera has the capability to rotate 360 degrees. They will be able to get down in there and they will get a much better idea of what is going on inside that cavity and hopefully they will be able to spot the miners.
In the meantime, at the news briefing this morning, following the news that they had broken through with the microphone, Bob Murray, the president of the mining company, said that it was really good news because that drill hit right on the mark.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Two good things have happened. One, our engineers hit right on target off of the steep mountain side to where we wanted them to go. And, number two, the atmosphere in the mine is perfect to sustain human life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: Now, while all of this is going on, that horizontal tunnel shaft is being dug out where the original mine collapse occurred. The crews are in there digging out all of that coal that collapsed. The news is that in four to five days now they believe they will be able to get inside there, into the cavity and get the miners out hopefully still alive -- Kiran.
CHETRY: John Zarrella reporting for us in Utah this morning, thank you.
ROBERTS: Well, the mining company has not released the miner's names yet, family and friends have now confirmed to CNN the identities of four of them. They are 58-year-old Kerry Allred. He has been for 30 years. Friends say he is a musician on the side. He plays the guitar. Forty-one-year-old Manuel Sanchez, a 17-year veteran of coal mines in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. He has got three daughters, a son, a brother who is also a coal miner. We talked to him yesterday. Carlos Payan, a newcomer to the mine, is in is early 20s. He was reportedly planning to soon return to Mexico. And we don't have a picture of him. But one of the other miners we have confirmed the identity of is Brandon Phillips. He was also reported to be new on the job.
The men have been down there for four days already. Dennis O'Dell is with the United Mine Workers of America. He joins us now from Washington. What is your analysis of the news that you've been hearing overnight, Dennis? Is this pretty good news? Is this sort of standard as far as these mine rescues go? What are you thinking about it?
DENNIS O'DELL, UNITED MINE WORKERS OF AMERICA: Well, I think it is standard. There is always a risk that when you drop microphone or a camera into the mine, you're hopeful that you're able to put it in a location where you believe the miners may have been at the time that the roof activity occurred.
ROBERTS: Right.
O'DELL: Unfortunately, what's happening in the mining industry, the United States, for whatever reason, we fell behind in some of the technology that we should have had implemented. Tracking devices are used in other countries. If we could have had tracking devices on these miners, which is a new requirement under the new legislation regulation under the Miner Act, you know, we would know the exact location of these miners. But now we just have to hope they are we where we think they were last located.
ROBERTS: Would we know the location of those miners? Would those locating devices have worked through, you know, that 1,800 feet of mountain that they had to drill down through? Or through the 2,000 feet of collapse that's in the mine there?
O'DELL: We've learned from other countries that we've actually had some success with that. We've had tracking devices, we've had communication devices where we can send messages from underground to the outside. And it varies. And we're still looking at those things.
But, believe me, had we had those in the mine today, at least it would have been a better opportunity for us to know. I mean -- the protection, the extra added protection would have been better than what we have.
ROBERTS: The CEO of the mine, Bob Murray, has said that don't take it as bad news the fact that we haven't heard any sounds emanating from the mine. What is your read on that? Is he correct in saying it's not bad news, that there still could be good news ahead?
O'DELL: Oh yes, I agree with Mr. Murray. You have to be hopeful that the miners did not get caught in the roof fall itself. We hope that they were able to get into an area that they could protect themselves. I'm sure that the miners being in there as long as they have, because we're taught as miners that during rescue and recovery, that we're to barricade ourselves and listen for anything from the outside or try to communicate by pounding the roof. And -- but we're also taught to rest and relax so that we can conserve our energy until the rescuers can get to us.
ROBERTS: Obviously, pounding the roof with 1,800 feet of mountain on top of you wouldn't do a lot. But in terms of that, you know, listening for rescue efforts, Bob Murray also said that the miners would probably have heard that drill bit coming down through the roof. The fact that they didn't respond to it, what does that suggest?
O'DELL: Well, there again they may or they may not have heard it. It depends on where they may have retreated at the time that the roof collapsed. It may have been, you know, they may have retreated far enough away.
If you look at how the mine is laid out and if you look at the pillars that are left intact, supposed to have been left intact according to their mining plan, they may be further away from where the microphone actually dropped and they may not have been able to hear that.
ROBERTS: All right. Dennis O'Dell for us this morning from Washington from the mine workers union. Dennis, thanks.
The parents of 4-year-old Madeleine McCann are speaking out today. Kate and Gerry McCann say they are not leaving Portugal despite reports that locals want them out. Tomorrow will mark 100 days since Madeleine was snatched from her bed in the middle of the night while her parents were eating at a restaurant about 50 yards away.
The McCanns responded this morning to intense criticism of their behavior before and after their daughter's disappearance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE MCCANN, DAUGHTER IS MISSING: Certainly not going to being bullied into going home. You know, what we've gone through over the past three months, I mean, no pain is ever going to be as strong as that. And I just think any negative comments is hateful and as unhelpful as they are, they are just not going to touch what I've gone through. You know, and we'll get through that. Our main goal is to get Madeleine back.
GERRY MCCANN, DAUGHER IS MISSING: Everything we've done in the last hundred days is on the belief that we were increasing the chances and the belief that Madeleine was taken alive. And, you know, we've stayed here and we have done our absolutely utmost to help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: They believe that Madeleine was taken alive, but there are reports from Portugal that police there believe that Madeleine was killed in the family's vacation apartment.
In Minnesota, the medical examiner says recovery teams may have found as many as three more bodies from the I-35W Bridge collapse, that would bring the confirmed death toll now to eight. Crews have been searching for at least five more people listed as missing and presumed dead.
A new poll out in the last couple of hours shows Rudy Giuliani leading the pack at the GOP. The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows Giuliani at 29 percent, Fred Thompson, who is still not in the race, moving into second place with 22 percent, followed by John McCain at 16, and Mitt Romney way back there at 12 percent.
Don't forget, tomorrow, that Iowa Straw Poll that Mitt Romney is expected to win hands down -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. John, thanks. Well, time now to check in with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents for some other stories new this morning.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Yes, well, today's forecast really does tell the story of a nation divided as the Northeast gets a drenching rain, sections of the Northwest are on fire. Right now 35 large fires are burning across Montana and six other states. More than 8,000 acres have already burned and firefighters are warning that in places like Montana and Idaho, it could be on the fire line until the first snows. That won't be until probably late October or November. CNN's Sean Callebs is getting exclusive access to the fire line. He joins us now live from Boise. What was it like out there -- Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was really something, really something to see. We actually had a helicopter tour of the area with the secretary of the interior yesterday. And he is here in Boise, Idaho, to basically make sure that those crews on the front lines fighting those fires are getting the resources they need.
Well, right now, we are in the nerve center for the government agencies that come together to monitor all of the severe wildfires across the United States. As you mentioned, they're keeping an eye on close to three dozen of these wildfires. Now most of which are in western Montana, Idaho, and eastern Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice-over): Thick, white smoke as far as the eye can see. Looks almost harmless from up here. But it's a graphic reminder that much of the Northwest is burning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What a very sad view.
CALLEBS: Here in Idaho, the wildfires have named like Rattlesnake, Shower Bath and Middle Fork.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for what you're doing.
CALLEBS: But all that really matters to these gritty troops on the front lines is making it through another hot, difficult, 16-hour day.
DANE VAN HOOSER, FIREFIGHTER: They seem to be starting earlier every year and being very busy. So things are hot and dry and we're only in August now so this could go on for another month-and-a-half until we get some snow or rain. CALLEBS: It has been a fire season of historic proportions. So far, authorities tell us, 5 million acres have burned around the country, that's roughly the size of the state of New Jersey.
DIRK KEMPTHORNE, INTERIOR SECRETARY: This is America the beautiful. And we're seeing that some of it is absolutely on fire.
CALLEBS: Idaho is home for Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne. He's a former two-term governor here.
KEMPTHORNE: Now we may get one that takes off, and it is not unusual out here in the high country that some of these forest fires will not be put out until the snow flies.
CALLEBS: He is not exaggerating. Fires are so intense that in states like Idaho and Colorado, they will burn until the first significant snowfall.
This is the National Interagency Fire Center, from this room, all major wildfires are managed. The thousands of crews, all the air tankers, all the supplies, and resources are so thin right now that when homes and people are not threatened, the NIFC has had no choice, at times, but to let the fires burn.
TOM BOATNER, NATIONAL INTERAGENCY FIRE CENTER: If you're out in the field and you have a fire burning and you are not getting what you need to deal with it, that's a huge frustration. And hearing that you're low on the priority list is not necessarily what you want to hear. But that's the reality of the world we're operating in these days in the fire community.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: And the daily situation report just came out that basically is going to indicate where all of these resources are. They find of kind of walk through everything. The people that are out on the fire lines, how much it costs to fight each fire, and how much it has moved in the past 24 hours.
John, about the only thing for certain is this is going to be a long fire season. It is only early August and there is no indication that there is going to be a significant change in the weather that is going to make the job any easier for these crews in the weeks ahead.
ROBERTS: It's just so amazing, too. Because it's so wet here in the Northeast and so dry there in the Northwest. Good access you have got there, Sean. Thanks for bringing us that story.
CHETRY: And your quick hits now. The Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station today. NASA is downplaying some concerns about falling debris that may have damaged the orbiter during liftoff. The space station crew will take high resolution pictures of Endeavour on approach to figure out its condition.
And Former Astronaut Lisa Nowak is asking a judge for permission to remove an ankle monitoring device while she's awaiting trial. Nowak, you'll recall, according to police, drove from Houston to Orlando to confront a woman who was dating a fellow astronaut. Nowak's trial on attempted kidnapping and other charges starts next week. She has pled not guilty.
The brutal murders of three college students has put the national spotlight once again on Newark, New Jersey's, crime problem and the anti-crime fight of its own mayor. One of the suspects turned himself in directly to the mayor yesterday. Just ahead, we're going to talk to Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: This is some video, wow, it was a monster truck accident that happened yesterday that was captured on camera by amateur video. A frightening scene in DeKalb, Illinois. The truck was performing stunts when the driver lost control, crashed into a crowd of spectators. Nine people were hurt, police say that a mother and child are still in serious condition. Seven others were treated and then released.
ROBERTS: Coming up to 18 minutes after the hour. In a dramatic twist to the brutal execution-style murders of three college students in Newark, New Jersey, a key suspect would only turn himself in to the city's mayor. Over a year ago, Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker took office promising to curve violent street crime. Mayor Booker joins me now from Newark City Hall.
Mayor Booker, any idea why this fellow wanted to turn himself in only to you?
MAYOR CORY BOOKER, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: You know, I don't have speculation. Really the best idea I had about that was to maybe protect his safety. He knew that if he turned himself into me he would be safer. But the reality was my focus then was just to get him off the streets as quickly as possible and not to really think too much about it.
ROBERTS: So you have got two suspects in custody now. Do you expect more arrests in this crime?
BOOKER: We absolutely do. There is a manhunt under way right now for other suspects. We are going to bring to justice. And we are still asking for community support to help us with any clues that could lead to their arrest and conviction or indictment. And we also have a pretty significant reward we're offering as well.
ROBERTS: Right. The two suspects you have in custody at this point are 28-year-old Jose Carranza, he is the fellow who turned himself in to you. And also a 15-year-old. Any idea yet why they committed this heinous crime?
BOOKER: I mean, that is what is the -- sort of the evilness of this, more than many of the other murders I saw which are heinous in and of themselves. But there seems to be no motivation, no provocation. This was just a disgusting, a vicious attack and it's just troubling because it's at the core, really what they were attacking was not only these amazing children and their families, but really attacking at the core of what Newark really is about.
Most of our children overwhelming are phenomenal young people doing the right thing. And they went after the fruits, the best illustrations of who we are as a people.
ROBERTS: Yes. That's really such a shame. Mayor, you've come under heavy criticism for Newark's murder rate. You campaigned on a platform to reduce violent crime, make the neighborhoods safer, some people say you've failed.
BOOKER: Well, I think that the reality is I've been in office for about just one year. And I've said that I'm not to blame for the problems but I'm taking responsibility. And I'm hoping that especially out of this tragedy that we all come together to focus on it.
You know, Newark was already turning a corner in many significant ways. Our shooting rate was down 30 percent, 80 less people shot in our city than the year before this. We were starting to make progress, but it's just not enough.
All that pales when you have such a vicious evil murder. So now is not the time for us to divide ourselves to point fingers. Really now is the time for us to unify and come together to fight against this reality.
ROBERTS: But on that point about pointing fingers, you said that you wanted this to be a summer to brag about in terms of reducing the crime rate in Newark, New Jersey. What do you say to community activists like Donna Jackson of Take Back Our Streets who said: "You don't deserve another day, another second while our children our at stake."
BOOKER: Well, you know, again, Donna Jackson, I've know her for quite a long time. She has been somebody who has -- protesting for a long, long time. We're a small family here in Newark. And I love her and we're looking for people that will work together to make a difference.
And I'm inviting everyone, my harshest critics and my best friends. So let's not just be about rhetoric right now, but let's be about solutions and let's be about making a difference.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, good luck on the front, Mayor Booker, because certainly this crime over the weekend has illuminated a very dark side to that city that continues to exist. Mayor Cory Booker from Newark, thanks for being with us -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, it's something new on AMERICAN MORNING, today's hot political topics, a whole bunch of them. So which ones will we pick? We have our ballot in here as well. Some of them like the "primary shuffle." Perhaps "Rudy's daughter." We talked about that a little bit. Or maybe the "Clinton/Obama ticket." Is that a possibility? ROBERTS: Is there a "Sylvia's mother" in there anywhere?
CHETRY: Perhaps.
ROBERTS: Well, how about "the last straw"? Because tomorrow the big straw poll in Iowa, right? And Giuliani and McCain not taking part in all of that.
CHETRY: That's right. We're going to hear from the Democrats and the Republicans. Who knows what we'll pick coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Time to check in with T.J. Holmes at the CNN Center now for a look what is coming up "CNN SATURDAY MORNING."
Hey, T.J.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning there, kind sir. This weekend we are going to be talking about one man's remarkable journey to find his sister. Yes, this guy was the doting big brother and spent nearly every with her until the day she vanished.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is Molly? Where is Molly? Where is Molly?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: And he got this answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop talking about Molly! Go to your room!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Elizabeth Cohen explores Jeff Daly's (ph) search, his lifelong desire to solve this mystery, now helping thousands of other families. And this Sunday morning, we have got an exclusive of all exclusives. We got Jesus joining us live! It's actually the actor that makes his living portraying the son of God, actually. But, still, hey, we got an exclusive with Jesus. It's our "Faces of Faith" segment. So by all means, grab that cup of joe, your turkey bacon, your Fruit Loops, whatever it may be. "CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING" beginning tomorrow at 7:00 Eastern -- John.
ROBERTS: Oh, so he's not the real Jesus, you had me going there for a minute, T.J.
HOLMES: Sorry about that, man. Just trying to get you to watch, John, thanks.
ROBERTS: Thanks. We'll see you tomorrow. We will definitely watch.
Here is a look at our story that is coming up in our next half hour that you can't miss.
CHETRY: That's right. I'm sure the fashionistas of the world will know the difference. But if you're looking to buy a handbag, can you really tell if they're real or fake? We have some of the more popular bags like the Louis Vuittons, the Chloes.
ROBERTS: Can I ask you a question?
CHETRY: Sure.
ROBERTS: How much money worth of purses are sitting on this table right now?
CHETRY: I would say -- well, if I tell you -- it could be $5,000, $6,000 or it could be only $100 or $50 depending on whether or not these are real. But we are going to tell you how you would know. We are hitting the streets. Our Lola Ogunnaike with some tips to tell if something is high end or if it is a knock-off.
ROBERTS: Apparently you can smell the genuine article.
CHETRY: You're going to find out when AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, there's a lovely shot of Chicago this morning. Look at that. Just some early morning fog burning off. Our thanks to our friends at WGN in Chicago for that. I'll trade them that weather any time what we've got in New York right now. It's horrible.
It's Friday, August 10th. Thanks for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm John Roberts.
CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry. You won't be saying that in December when the winds are bad and it's freezing there.
ROBERTS: Oh, no. But in the middle of August, it's fine.
CHETRY: Well, we have an update now on the story we've following for you out of Utah. The latest on the trapped miners and the first possible chance to contact them. Early this morning, rescuers able to drill a two-and-a-half-inch hole right near where they think the men have been trapped since Monday. Crews were able to drop a microphone down that hole.
So far they have not been able to hear any sounds but they say it doesn't necessarily mean the miners are not alive. It could be that they are just not anywhere near the microphone right now. Engineers also were able to take air quality samples. Tests showing the air is breathable. Plenty of oxygen, no methane and low levels of carbon dioxide.
Meantime, the drilling continues on a second larger hole that will be able to put a camera as well as food and water down to the miners. The mine CEO Bob Murray updated reporters overnight. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB MURRAY, PRESIDENT & CEO, MURRAY ENERGY CORP.: Two good things have happened. One, our engineers hit right on target off of this steep mountain side to where we wanted them to go. And, number two, the atmosphere in the mine is perfect to sustain human life, 20.5 percent oxygen, no methane and a moderate amount of carbon dioxide. That means if they're alive they're going to stay alive in that atmosphere.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So again, the drilling continues on that larger hole, they say they expect to get to it some time late tonight or early tomorrow morning.
ROBERTS: The men have been down there for four days already. Tony Oppegard is with the Appalachian Citizens Loss Center and he joins us now from Lexington, Kentucky. Tony, you've heard the news overnight, what's your read on the situation there?
TONY OPPEGARD, MINE SAFETY ADVOCATE: Well, I'd have to echo Dennis O'Dell's comments where I think it's not what the families would have liked to have heard but in a situation like this, you have to be hopeful and you have to be prayerful.
ROBERTS: Do you have reason to hope that they could be alive? There doesn't seem to be any sign of that, is there anything more than hope to go on at this point?
OPPEGARD: Well, I think there is. I agree that they could be at a distance from the microphone. Although the mines are so quiet when there's no equipment running that I would think that ordinarily, they could have heard that drill. But you don't know where they are. They could be around a pillar, a distance away. They may have retreated to a safer location, you know, where they couldn't hear the drill, so that's what we have to hope.
ROBERTS: Do you have any idea, Tony, because it's been -- not a hundred percent confirmed but certainly seismologists at UC-Berkeley ringing in today saying they have every reason to believe that it wasn't an earthquake that caused this collapse, that it was the collapse itself that registered on the seismic graphs. A collapse of 3.9 on the earthquake Richter scale, does that give you any idea as to the extent of the collapse and the possible survivability of this incident?
OPPEGARD: Well it does the extent of the collapse. I mean that's a massive roof fall and I think we certainly, at this point, have to go with the scientists best belief about what happened. But also the type of mining they were doing in that mine, where they were pillaring or retreat mining, not just the fact that they were retreat mining but it was between areas that already had been long walled or pillared. So what I'm saying is there were vast parts of the mine with what we call gob that had had already been caved in. Typically, that would be difficult conditions under which to pillar. So I think as this story unfolds, we'll probably have questions about why that mining plan was approved by IMSHA, particularly in the west where you have such pressure on the pillars because of the high overburden.
ROBERTS: Yesterday, I talked with Bob Murray who told me that they were doing retreat mining in that mine but those miners, the ones that were trapped, weren't engaged in retreat mining. Is it possible the retreat mining could have set the conditions for that collapse even though they weren't working on it exactly at that moment?
OPPEGARD: Well, I think that's what I was trying to say, that the overall plan for the mine, where you're retreat mining between areas that have already been long-walled or pillared that are unstable, it's a very questionable practice, in my view. So, yeah, I think it could be the fact, the type of mining they were doing, even if they weren't doing it at the exact moment of the collapse.
ROBERTS: Tony Oppegard for us from Lexington, Kentucky this morning. Tony thanks, we'll talk to you a little bit later on today.
OPPEGARD: Thank you John.
CHETRY: Well it's time now for our Friday edition of political hot topics. We call it ballot jackpot because who knows what topic we're going to pull out of our jackpot here.
ROBERTS: This is a lot of fun because you never know what you're going to get. It's like a variable box of political chocolates here.
CHETRY: Exactly, well some of the hot topics though, a lot of them have to do with the debates but there are other ones in here.
ROBERTS: Yeah, for example, tomorrow, in Iowa, the GOP having their straw poll, so that's one called the last straw. There was the debate last night, the gay sponsored debate in Los Angeles. We know those are all the topics that we're going to put here. We'll draw them out and we'll get our guests to weigh in on them. Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons is with us from Las Vegas this morning. Leslie Sanchez is a Republican strategist and she joins us this morning from Washington. You want to go first?
CHETRY: Let's do it. All right, we'll put this one to Leslie first. I didn't bring a quarter to do heads or tails for you guys, so we'll do ladies first.
JAMAL SIMMONS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Are you just giving me a break because it's so early in the morning out here?
CHETRY: Yeah, and who knows what you were doing last night in Vegas. Here we go, stand by your man. This one is -- this is a good one that I got you, Leslie, to answer.
LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thank you!
CHETRY: It's about the improving views at least among Republicans about whether or not the Iraq war strategy is working and support for our president. What do you think? SANCHEZ: You know I think it takes a Democratic congress that has alienated itself from the American people for George Bush's numbers to go up. That's basically the bottom line. You're seeing that a lot of folks went to the polls in November thought they would have a different type of government but instead it's really shown itself to be ineffective. I think the president's plan people are willing to listen and most importantly I think people are waiting for General Petraeus' report in September.
ROBERTS: All right Jamal, why don't you take this one, the gay sponsored debate last night, it seemed to me that Bill Richardson really slipped on a banana peel when he was asked by Melissa Etheridge is it nature or nurture that was sexual orientation and he said it's a choice.
SIMMONS: Well you know for most Americans when it comes to many of these issues, they do get somewhat confused when they're trying to answer. They do have conflicts. I think that Bill Richardson probably experienced that. The reality is though Democrats are so much better on these issues than the Republicans are. And it takes a Republican spinner to try to tell you that 38 percent approval rating is good news for President Bush.
CHETRY: Leslie, is that just a lost vote? Is that a lost segment of a voting block for the GOP?
SANCHEZ: Not at all. Not at all. I think, you know, the difference between Republicans and Democrats, Democrats cater to groups with special interests and certain -- they want to categorize people and Republicans talk about ideas. You know, ideas for better government, smaller government, saving money, more money in your pocketbook. It's a big distinction and I think there's a lot of common ground there.
SIMMONS: Yeah, because Republicans never cater to the religious right, they don't talk to gun owners, they don't talk to --
SANCHEZ: We don't have debates, Jamal, with gun owners! You guys have had so many different special interest debates and I'm waiting for the feminist debate, the trial lawyers' debate, the liberal Hollywood debate.
SIMMONS: God forbid we represent all Americans.
CHETRY: You said God forbid, how about that? How about this one, can't make John black or a woman. Jamal, some controversial comments from Elizabeth Edwards about why her husband perhaps hasn't been getting as much coverage as Barack or Hillary.
SIMMONS: Oh those were certainly unfortunate comments and I'm sure Elizabeth Edwards didn't mean them the way that they sound. John Edwards was the former nominee of the Democratic Party for vice president, he's very popular and I think he probably would say that he is getting -- he is where he wants to be. He's in third place but he has a very strong showing in Iowa and I think in some of the early states like South Carolina, he could do very well so I think the Edwards campaign will be fine if they stay focused on the issues.
ROBERTS: Go ahead, Leslie.
SANCHEZ: Well no, you know one thing I would say is, it's a Democratic strategy to play the victim and it's sad that John Edwards' wife is coming out and saying that they're not getting enough attention. Part of the reason maybe that he just has ideas that do not connect with American voters. That's a bigger issue.
ROBERTS: I think we have time for one more topic here. Let's dig down deep into the ballot box and pull out the last straw. Leslie, Giuliani, John McCain not participating in tomorrow's Iowa straw poll, Mitt Romney, if he doesn't win it there is something wrong because he spent about $2 million to try to buy his way in with ads and of course they're going to pack the place with delegates. What does it really mean? It's been said that this is sort of, you know it's not a king maker it's a peasant maker, you're not a hero, you could be a goat though in this thing.
SANCHEZ: Part of that is true. There is not exactly a long history of selecting who the Republican nominee is going to be. The more important is going to be the Iowa caucus in January and the New Hampshire primary. The big difference is Romney has worked very hard in Iowa. He has social conservatives, evangelicals. He has different pockets of voters who are very much in align with his thinking. I think it's still going to be a very interesting race.
SIMMONS: Here is the tough part. You can't choose -- the tough part is you can't choose when you want to leave, and that's a tough thing for Giuliani and for McCain. You have to lead all Americans and you can't choose which contest you want to compete in. The history is the campaigns that ultimately win are the campaigns where the candidate goes into every contest and does well.
SANCHEZ: No.
ROBERTS: This year could be a little bit different because of the restacking of the primaries.
SANCHEZ: And the candidate that win South Carolina traditionally is the one that wins the Republican nomination.
SIMMONS: You know everyone always says that and I worked for Wesley Clark when he ran for president. We didn't go to Iowa and we see how well that worked out in his strategy. You have to compete in this thing if you want to win.
CHETRY: All right, thanks to both of you, Jamal Simmons, Democratic Strategist, Leslie Sanchez, Republican Strategist, thanks for being with us.
SANCHEZ: Thank you.
SIMMONS: Thank you.
CHETRY: Well a silent Big Ben leading your quick hits now, a temporary silence. How about that? London's world famous landmark will lose its hourly bongs and its quarter hour chimes for at least a month. Repairs are being done on the clock. Big Ben will sound off for the last time at 8:00 Saturday morning.
A Napoleon era firearm turns up in San Antonio? Well the FBI took it from a gun collector in Texas. It was made for Napoleon Bonaparte's(ph) nephew, Napoleon III. The French have been trying to locate it since it was taken from a museum during World War II.
A lot of vegetarians swear by the health benefits of a meat-free diet but is it a good idea for kids? We're paging Dr. Gupta, he has the answer for us when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up to 43 minutes after the hour now. If you have problems open your wallet. The fed just added another 19 billion dollars to the banking system this morning, trying to prop up the markets. Ali Velshi watching it all from the New York Stock Exchange. Is it working?
ALI VELSHI: In fact the Dow futures were 190 points lower before the Fed made the announcement that it is putting another $19 billion in addition to the $24 billion that it put in overnight. Bringing this week's total to more than $60 billion. Let me tell you what this means. It's improved the futures market. What it means it's typical, think about it in your own situation. Credit gets tight, your bank doesn't loan you money that easily, you stop spending money that easily. The fed doesn't want the economies around the world to start driving to a halt because of these credit concerns so they are making it easier and cheaper to borrow money. They're trying to keep those rates that banks use to borrow money from each other to keep their businesses going very low. That's what's happened. The European Central Bank overnight has injected close to about $200 million. Banks around the world doing the same thing, they're putting money in telling their banks that do business money is available, we'll keep this economy going. It's actually what the fed was built to do. The fed is doing it right now. It is helping futures but we are still going to have what looks like a triple digit loss at the open on the Dow. We'll keep our eye on it though John.
ROBERTS: Ali, is there any sense of desperation to this?
VELSHI: I wouldn't call it desperation, I would call it growing concern. And for viewers out there, it shouldn't be desperation for you either. The average viewer cannot play the market this way. You have to be protective of your investments by being diversified. That rule doesn't change today. All it means is pay attention to what's going on. I wouldn't call it desperation.
ROBERTS: All right Ali, thanks very much. We know you'll keep watching the situation and we'll get back to you. Kiran?
CHETRY: A lot of people swear by vegetarian diets saying that they're healthy but are they safe for kids? CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the facts in this morning's "fit nation" report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At age 13, Heather Cox became a vegetarian. That was four years ago.
HEATHER COX: I always loved animals, the whole time I was growing up. So I just kind of decided that it was something I wanted to do. I thought it would be a good thing for me and for the animals.
GUPTA: The American Dietetic Association notes almost 10 percent of America's school children are vegetarians. Nutritionists say vegetarian diets high in antioxidants and low in fat can be healthy. Parents need to make sure their children stick to a balanced diet.
KATHERINE TALLMADGE, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: You really have to know what you're doing, because you risk deficiencies, which could impede their growth and development.
GUPTA: Dr. Jennifer Tenders' children became vegetarians two years ago. They ate lots of soy and vegetables and their mom made sure they got enough protein.
DR. JENNIFER TENDER, CHILDRNE'S NATL. MED. CTR.: The main thing is just making sure the family sits together and talks about what a healthy balanced diet means.
GUPTA: The girls found sticking to a purely vegetarian diet was difficult.
ALYSSA TENDER, FORMER VEGETARIAN, AGE 13: I didn't eat like tofu, so I felt like I was not getting enough protein.
GUPTA: Most protein comes from meat products so vegetarians need to look for other sources such as beans and soy products like tofu and nuts.
TALLMADGE: A vegetarian can be at risk of certain vitamin deficiencies, iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 which is only in animal products.
GUPTA: For that reason young vegetarians should go to their doctor yearly to monitor their height and weight. Supplements may be needed to help avoid anemia and lack of muscle growth. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: For more on vegetarian kids and more of the week's health news, you can turn to Sanjay any time or you can check out "House Call with Sanjay Gupta", it airs Saturday and Sunday 8:30 eastern time.
ROBERTS: "CNN NEWSROOM" just minutes away now, Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center this morning with a look at what's ahead. FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Late developments from Utah on the "NEWSROOM" rundown, a microphone picks up no noise from six trapped miners. Searchers drilling a second hole right now, they hope to get a camera into the mine chamber later on today. And one of the suspects in Newark's execution-style killings in court at the top of the hour, we're live from the courthouse.
And buckle up, the Dow set for another bumpy ride after Thursday's big sell-off, almost 400 points. Tony Harris and I will keep you posted on any breaking news. You're in the NEWSROOM at the top of the hour. John?
ROBERTS: Fred thanks, we'll see you then.
WHITFIELD: Ok.
ROBERTS: The lawn mower sting tops your quick hits now. Police outside of Chicago say they're going undercover as landscapers and construction workers to nail speeders. There you go! Guy with a radar gun sitting on a lawn mower. Cops in one town say they handed out 30 citations and a warning all in the time it takes to just mow a couple of yards.
Inside the city of Chicago police took a bite out of crime when they ticketed the Oscar Meyer wiener mobile for illegal parking. The wiener mobile crew stopped right on Michigan Avenue, put on their blinkers and went off to visit a friend. When they got back the cops had slapped a $50 ticket on the 27-foot long hot dog. You know, can I tell you something, I saw Mr. Softy get a parking ticket in New York the other day. You don't ticket Mr. Softy!
And designer handbags, we'll tell you how you can sniff out the real ones from the knockoffs. That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 51 minutes after the hour. An offer you can't refuse tops your quick hits. Want a piece of the HBO's mob hit "The Sopranos?" The owner of the pork store (INAUDIBLE) where Tony and crew hung out is selling off the place brick by brick, $25 to $50 bucks a piece to make room for a new condo that's going to be called the soprano.
Dozens of stars have lost their place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The stars of Cary Grant, Clark Gable and Frank Sinatra among others were removed and stored to make room for a hotel, housing and shopping complex near Hollywood and Vine.
And Mr. Big, is on board for the "Sex and the City" movie. Actor Chris Knox has signed on, the four leading ladies including Sarah Jessica Parker are all on board too. They start shooting in New York next month. Mr. Big's real name is?
CHETRY: I was just going to say, John.
ROBERTS: There you are.
CHETRY: We finally found it at the end of the episode. It showed up on our cell phone.
ROBERTS: There it was on the caller ID.
CHETRY: Some top fashion designers are pushing, they want a law that would battle the cheap imitations that you see. You see them all over the place in New York. Well Nicole Miller as well as Narcisso Rodriguez says that their designs should be able to be protected by copyright laws just like art.
ROBERTS: So when it comes to handbags how do you know when you're buying a real one or a fake one. Which one of these is real and which one is fake? We sent our Lola Ogunnaike out to do some trend spotting to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOLA OGUNNAIKE: You can literally sniff out a real?
MATT RUBINGER, PORTER CONSULTANT: Oh, definitely. With a lot of fake bags they smell like plastic like chemicals. But with this bag, the entire inside is leather.
OGUNNAIKE: It smells rich.
RUBINGER: Exactly, it smells rich, it smells like luxurious leather. Like this, for example, is not a real Louis Vuitton and you can tell very easily. Maybe not from a picture or even on a screen but when you feel the leather it's not even leather. It's plastic. No matter how long you carry this, the handles are never going to look this way. Good things are, its one long piece of canvas, one side of the bag the LVs are straight up. But because it's one long piece of fabric on the other side they're upside down.
OGUNNAIKE: Oh, so on the fake ones the LVs are ---
RUBINGER: A lot of times there is a stitching down the bottom and there's two pieces of canvas.
OGUNNAIKE: Instead of right side up?
RUBINGER: Right.
OGUNNAIKE: Ok, let's talk about hardware that can be a little tricky sometimes for people. Especially when you've got the big luxury bags like this Paddington, for example. I remember when this bag was huge and this lock was major.
RUBINGER: That's what happens. The celebrities start carrying a bag like this. What people recognize about it is the lock. So when you get a bag like this on Canal Street it's going to be lightweight, it's going to fall off, it's going to break, it's not going to last and it's just not going to look right.
OGUNNAIKE: Also the color tends to be a little off as well. I mean this has more of a brassy feel. I've seen some of them that are just like cheap 14-karat gold looking type locks.
RUBINGER: Right, and the champagne type finish, that's another important thing that's much harder to fake something like that so often they do shiny.
OGUNNAIKE: Now, what do you say to the people who say I don't care, I just want the look, I don't want to keep it around forever any way. I just want to have fun.
RUBINGER: When somebody is carrying fakes they fall apart every six months. They just spent $100 here, $200 there, $100 here, and they're just falling apart.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: There they are Lola.
OGUNNAIKE: There they are.
CHETRY: John is looking at us wondering which is which, but girls can tell a mile away even if we wouldn't actually spend the money, we know. This one has to be fake.
OGUNNAIKE: This is what I call a fooey vuitton. It doesn't even have the LV on there and you feel it, the leather is just -- the quality is horrible. Another way you can tell is just by the lining. Real bags are usually lined with a great leather, a real suede, or a real sturdy canvas. The fake bags, feel this, this is ultra suede, it's kind of hideous actually.
ROBERTS: And I notice that this one does not pass the smell test. This one smells like the inside of a dry cleaners.
OGUNNAIKE: It actually does.
CHETRY: Louis aren't like they're the easier ones to fake though, because they aren't leather on the outside.
OGUNNAIKE: They are leather actually.
CHETRY: They are?
OGUNNAIKE: But the Louis, they are the most ubiquitous fakes actually.
CHETRY: Well now I'm confused. Is this one real or fake?
OGUNNAIKE: This is actually a real, yes, this is actually a real. It just hasn't aged well. You got fooled! That's why I'm here!
ROBERTS: Slam!
CHETRY: This is supposed to be the Chloe Paddington and I say fake a mile away.
OGUNNAIKE: You are so right, this is a fake and this is supposed to be the Chloe Paddington. I got this on the streets for 30 bucks yesterday. In the store it retails for 1600 and up. You can tell, this lock is so cheap, it's flimsy and the inside is scary stuff in there, people! Scary stuff!
ROBERTS: This one is definitely fake too, watch, I can rip this apart really easily.
CHETRY: That's real.
OGUNNAIKE: You know what, that is real! You know how you can tell? You can tell by the handles that age well. The fake ones they don't age, they look plastic forever but your natural oils mixed with the leather on here, it just ages beautifully like a nice saddle actually.
CHETRY: You would still have to be crazy to pay two grand for this thing!
OGUNNAIKE: $2,600 for these. But you know the people who can't afford the real ones go for the fakes and they say I don't care, it's fun, it's frivolous, I'll throw it away and buy another one for 30 bucks in the next two weeks, it doesn't matter.
CHETRY: All right Lola, thank you for breaking it all down for us.
Here is a quick look at what "CNN NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): See these stories in the "CNN NEWSROOM." Searchers lower a microphone into a Utah mine chamber. No response from six trapped miners.
In Newark, a suspect in an execution-style triple murder in court shortly.
Wall Street racing for another bumpy day.
And a woman strangles a rabid raccoon with her bare hands to save a child. "NEWSROOM" just minutes away at the top of the hour on CNN.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: That's going to wrap it up for us. Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: We'll see you back here Monday. Meantime, "CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Fredricka Whitfield begins right now.
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