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Utah Miner Rescue Effort; Sierra Leone Elections

Aired August 11, 2007 - 16:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB MURRAY, PRES./CEO, MURRAY ENERGY: This is a rescue effort, and I am extremely optimistic that we are doing everything that we can and that we will get to those miners as quickly as humanly possible.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITIFELD: It's a race against time continuing in Utah as rescuers try to reach six trapped miners and this hour they may be some small signs of hope. Hello, everyone I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM, where we continue to follow this breaking news. A flurry of coming and going, looking and listening but still no sign of life today from the Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah. Rescue teams lowered a camera into the mine shaft, in an effort to rescue the six men. They were working early Monday in the mine's deepest cavern when a tunnel gave way, the workers were. CNN's Kara Finnstrom is there with the very latest after hearing that press conference. While they did lower the camera once, they're going to try to do it again for a better purview, why?

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they just really didn't see anything Fredricka. Still the agonizing wait for these families is going to continue. Probably the most disturbing news out of this was that they banged on a drill pipe that goes all of the way down. A metal drill rather that goes all the way down. There's a particular way they do this. They waited to hear a response from these miners and they heard nothing. They also didn't see anything through the camera but they explained to us that this camera actually got dirty on the way down. The lenses on the side that you can actually see out into the tunnels became dirty so they couldn't see out of those very clearly. They could only see underneath. And the good thing that they saw underneath is that there is a 5 1/2 foot void there, a space where if these miners survived the initial collapse, if they have oxygen levels, they could live. But the question is whether they did survive and whether they have the appropriate oxygen levels. Now, one of the engineers for the mine spoke to us and gave to us a little bit of the detail about how this procedure is carried out where they hope to hear some type of response from the miners.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE GLASSON, UTAH DIV. OF OIL, GAS & MINING: The technique for signaling to coal miners who may be trapped is to wrap three times. Send a signal to them which is a series of three blows which on metal through rock is usually easily heard. And then we hope to hear a response. Which coal miners are trained to respond with rapping on, as loudly as they can, anything metallic, for example a roof bolt in the mine, very accessible. We would then be able to hear that. We would then respond with a series of five additional blows to the steel pipe, which would indicate to the trapped miners that we know that we heard them.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

FINNSTROM: We spoke with Mike Glasson after that press conference. He also said they spoke through a microphone and said hello. They yelled into this microphone hoping that the miners might hear a human voice. No response to that either. We do know that oxygen levels taken at another point of the mine were at 7 percent. They are going to test the oxygen levels in this part of the mine. They haven't gotten around to that yet. Right now they're going to be clearing out that space that goes down by putting on kind of like a metal sleeve through there so they can send this camera back down, hopefully get some better pictures. They say they hope to share those with us about 9:00 local time here. That's about seven hours from now. They do say that they shared some of those pictures with the families and that these families are holding up doing the best they can but this just has to be another devastating blow for them, waiting to hear of some kind of response and not hearing any quite yet. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Oh yes, this is so painful. Meantime, let's talk a little bit about the compressed air. They had been pumping compressed air through the smaller hole earlier on in the stage. But, did he mention or did anyone mention that they were going to continue those efforts again?

FINNSTROM: They just mentioned that they have been pumping the air. The impression that I got is that they are continuing to do so and the words from Mr. Murray were as a precaution trying to get as much air into that mine as they can. One other point out of the press conference, there is drinkable water that they saw through this lens on the bottom of the mine, so, again, if they survived, this is really a space that they could live in. There's a space, there's water on the ground. If there is oxygen and that's going to be key and if they survived that initial collapse, they may have been able to make it.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kara Finnstrom, thank you so much. Kara mentioned about the families and it is remarkable how these families have been. Those are the words from Bob Murray during that press conference. Our Ed Lavandera is at the location where many of the families have been meeting face to face with these officials trying to get an update on exactly what has been taking place. Here he is now.

All right, actually, we'll try to get with him in a moment instead. Meantime, the mining company has not released the miners' names but family and friends have confirmed the identities to CNN. The men are Carlos Payan, said to be in his 20's, Don Erickson, a 50- year-old father of two and stepfather of three. 57-year-old Kerry Allred, also a father of three. 41-year-old Manuel Sanchez, Brandon Phillips who is 24 and 23-year-old Louis Hernandez. He has a 1-year- old daughter.

In the days before the mine collapse, concerns about safety. Here now is CNN's Ted Rowlands.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Trapped miner Manuel Sanchez said he was concerned about safety inside one section of the Crandall Canyon Mine in the weeks leading up to the collapse. That's what a family member has told a local newspaper and now a source with intimate knowledge of the conditions of the mine tells CNN Sanchez wasn't alone, that other miners were also apprehensive about working in the area of the collapse. The source, who won't go on camera, says the six trapped miners were working in an area called 7 belt, the deepest part of the mine. And he tells CNN that for weeks before the collapse, the floors in that part of the mine were heaving or buckling up from intense pressure. He says supervisors knew of the problem, and the source says several miners, including Manuel Sanchez, were getting very concerned.

Do you know why this miner would have been nervous going into that particular section?

BOB MURRAY, PRES. & CEO, MURRAY ENERGY CORP.: No, I have no idea. I have never heard that. I have no idea. It's probably a rumor and I'm not going to respond to rumors. I can tell you that if any of my management or any worker here had ever said that to me, I would say yes, I was told that. No, don't know a thing about that, sir, and that's the truth.

ROWLANDS: If the miners were so afraid, why didn't they complain? Several miners we've talked to in this area say complaining means you lose your job.

MURRAY: If you're getting that from the community, it's coming from other mines, because I don't operate that way.

PAUL RIDDLE, FORMER MINER: Always profits before safety. That's my opinion, my feeling and my experience.

ROWLANDS: Paul Riddle used to work in one of Bob Murray's mines. Riddle says miners who work for Murray are sometimes forced to push the envelope when it comes to safety and are afraid to speak up for fear of losing their high-paying jobs.

RIDDLE: I'm not the only one. There are many, many, many people that feel this way and are afraid to speak up.

ROWLANDS: The federal mine safety and health administration plans to conduct an investigation into exactly what happened and the conditions at the mine leading up to the collapse. The mine's owner is confident his company will not be blamed.

MURRAY: There will be nothing in the investigation that will show that Murray Energy or Utah American or the federal mine safety and health administration did a thing wrong. It was a natural disaster.

ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Huntington, Utah.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Utah provoked a lot of thoughts about sago so tonight at 8:00 eastern CNN's Special Investigations Unit looks back at West Virginia's sago mine tragedy. What really happened and could it have been prevented? Inside the sago mine tragedy tonight and tomorrow night 8:00 eastern.

Unsubstantiated and unreliable, that's how U.S. security officials describe a web report about a possible radiological attack on U.S. cities. But New York City has been taking action despite the doubts. CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is live in New York with this developing story. Allan?

ALLAN CHERNOF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: That's right Fredricka. It was another unverified report of an Al Qaeda threat against the United States, it was certainly enough to put the New York City police department on high alert for the transport of radioactive materials. That report appeared on a website called (INAUDIBLE). It's based in Israel, a private website. It's a counterterrorism website and some of the material in the past has certainly been reliable on that website. So this was taken quite seriously by the New York City police department. It was checked out by the police department, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, but not found to actually have any verification whatsoever.

The details of the report, the report said that on Thursday an internal Al Qaeda website had messages threatening the U.S. Specifically a truck coming into New York City and targeting Wall Street, which is only 10 blocks away from where we're standing right now at the corner of Broadway and Canal Street. The second message on that site targeting New York City, Miami and Los Angeles. Again, let's emphasize there was no verification of that report. Nonetheless, New York City police department was on high alert last night into this morning. The operation has pretty much just wrapped up. In fact, just a few moments ago the final two police cars left the scene here. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Allan Chernoff, thanks so much in New York.

Stay with CNN for the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.

CNN continues to watch the drama in Utah. Rescuers race the clock to reach those six trapped miners. But the race isn't moving at the pace that they had liked. The latest plan, dropping a camera where the miners are thought to be. We'll bring you the latest news as it happens.

Police look for a fourth suspect in last week's execution style murders in New Jersey. All of this and more when the CNN NEWSROOM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Even in the absence of any sign of life, the missing miners' families still cling to hope. With that part of the story, let's go to CNN's Ed Lavandera. Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Fredricka, you know, we try to put ourselves or at least try to relay and communicate to everyone here watching this story unfold over the last few days to try to at least share a little bit of what the families are going through, at least as much as they are willing to share with us. Many of them have chosen not to but just a short while ago the son of Don Erickson, one of the trapped miners, left the second meeting here this morning. We'll play a little bit of the interview that he gave as he left here driving away from this school as he talked to reporters here just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERICKSON'S SON: We don't know anything. Just what you hear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What exactly though?

ERICKSON'S SON: The same stuff that's on TV?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The same stuff over and over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did Bob Murray have to say?

ERICKSON'S SON: The same stuff. I'm getting tired of hearing it.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And you know that frustration really starting to mount. The anxiety, the frustration, the uncertainty of what is going on. We overheard from another family member this morning as well, who said you know people are really starting to feel the sense that they are losing hope in this situation. And of course the mine officials who have been up on the mountain working they also acknowledge this has been a process that has been just incredibly slow, it's been very difficult to cut through all of the hundreds and hundreds of feet of earth to try to reach where these miners are. Those efforts continue. But what people here want to hear is just that definitive answer are they alive or they're not. And you know a few days ago we spoke with the family of Manuel Sanchez and I was struck by what one of his sisters had told me. They say they get the sense that they want to know one way or the other. They want to know what to expect when they pull these people out of the mine and that was -- they say that would go a long way to calming them down right now. And we'll hear a little bit more from our talks with the Sanchez family earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Five years ago Manuel Arturo Sanchez lost his job in a nearby mine after it was shut down. To take care of his wife and four children he started selling green chilies and watermelons. But before long Manuel Arturo found work in the Crandall Canyon Mine. His brother Cesar who is also a miner, is hoping 17 years of mining experience will help Manuel Arturo survive. How long do you think your brother and those other miners can last?

CESAR SANCHEZ, TRAPPED MINER'S BROTHER: Without, you know, a person can go a long time. I don't know. A few days. That's about it. I don't think they could go on for more than a week. Unless they had a lot of water and food and a lot of oxygen.

LAVANDERA: Cesar Sanchez works in a mine in Wyoming. Manuel came to visit him last week. Was he looking to leave this mine?

SANCHEZ: Well I don't know if he was looking to leave but he came up and paid me a visit. I don't know if he was joking around but asked me to get him a job up to (INAUDIBLE) and to get him a good deal. I said -- I told him if you're serious, I'll talk to him for you.

LAVANDERA: That was just a few days ago?

SANCHEZ: That was Sunday.

LAVANDERA: The day before.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, the same day when he went to work. Before he went to work.

LAVANDERA: Does your brother like doing this kind of work?

SANCHEZ: Yes, he's a coal miner from the heart.

LAVANDERA: A coal miner at heart in a family struggling to keep the faith.

SANCHEZ: We have one string of hope, you know. That's why I'm hanging in there, I'm hoping. But it's tough. It's a tough deal.

LAVANDERA: What about the rest of your family?

SANCHEZ: They got a lot of hope, they're strong. They're giving me a lot of hope. It's rubbing off onto me.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: Many of these families have been gathering here at this school in Huntington meeting with those mine officials and two other family members of the miners who have been going up and watching up close the rescue efforts and how that is moving along. But those families, after these two briefings, most of them have left this school site, waiting for word to come back here so they can get the latest update. Again, it looks like it will be another day of waiting for them. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: That's a terrible, tough time. Thanks so much, Ed Lavandera. WHITFIELD: Let's now take a look at other news across America. Police in Newark, New Jersey, have issued an arrest warrant for this man. A fourth suspect in last week's execution style triple murder. Authorities say 24-year-old Rodolfo Godinez was a principle player in the killings. Godinez is a Nicaraguan national. A 28-year-old illegal immigrant from Peru and two 15-year-old suspects are already in police custody.

Earlier today friends and family of the three murder victims said their final goodbyes. Newark's mayor, New Jersey's governor and a U.S. senator were among those attending separate funerals for the three. A fourth victim survived last weekend's attack and has been helping police.

In Minneapolis bad weather has stalled the search for more victims of last week's bridge collapse. Heavy rains adding to the Mississippi River's current making it too dangerous for the divers. Five more victims are believed to be buried under the rubble. Funerals for a 22-year-old woman and her nearly 2-year-old daughter found Thursday were held today.

The heat wave might have proved fatal in west Tennessee. Health officials in Memphis think a 54-year-old woman found dead Wednesday in her home succumbed to the heat. Temperatures were around 100 degrees across much of the state. Authorities are awaiting toxicology results before issuing a final report.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Coming up next in the NEWSROOM, rescuers are still working to get those six trapped miners out. We'll keep you updated on the very latest out of Utah.

From bullets to ballots, a new day dawns in war torn Sierra Leone.

History is being made in the West African nation of Sierra Leone today. Huge numbers of people are at the polls. It is their first presidential and parliamentary elections since UN peacekeepers left the war torn country. Our Betty Nguyen has more from the capital of free town.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The (INAUDIBLE) is preparing for a short trip down the road but he says it's one of the most important journeys he's ever taken. And getting there is no easy task. He lost his leg during Sierra Leon's civil war. He says rebels stormed into the diamond mine where he was working and fired a rocket propelled grenade.

SAHR TARAWALLIE, VOTER: He just went off. My fragment of the (INAUDIBLE).

NGUYEN: Tarawallie didn't think he would survive let alone see the day when he would vote in his country's second presidential election since emerging from war. He wants to see the winner bring about change.

TARAWALLIE: What this country needs is good medical facilities, good infrastructure, good education.

NGUYEN: So with the help of his wife, Tarawallie is doing his part to make that happen and he is certainly not alone. People started filing in overnight, so many that when the gates opened it was a mad dash.

(On camera): The lines are long but it often doesn't compare to the confusion. Many don't know which of these polling stations to go to and after standing in line for hours, sometimes in the rain, you can understand the frustration.

(Voice-over): Some 2.6 million people have registered to vote, that's 90 percent of the eligible population, according to Victor Angelo with the United Nations.

VICTOR ANGELO, UNITED NATIONS: The Sierra Leoneans want their voice to be heard. Want to make sure that their choice of the future is very clear.

NGUYEN: That's because there's a lot of work to be done. Sierra Leone remains the second poorest country in the world with unemployment at a staggering 70 percent. And most people are still without electricity and clean water. In fact, Tarawallie was being treated for (INAUDIBLE) when he checked himself out of the hospital just so he could vote. And because he's an amputee, he avoids waiting hours in line, but still it is not easy. Now having made the journey, Tarawallie knows exactly who he wants to win. His vote is quickly cast and his finger placed in ink so the stains of democracy are there for all to see. As he slowly heads home, the excitement hasn't diminished.

TARAWALLIE: Oh I'm happy.

NGUYEN: The question now is whether that enthusiasm will fade once the votes are counted.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And that was Betty Nguyen reporting there from Free Town, Sierra Leone. Well it is expected that it could be at least a week before they find out the final tally of those votes.

Still no sight nor sound from the six men trapped in a collapsed coal mine in Utah. Authorities have lowered a video camera hoping to see some sign of life. Friends and family of the miners are trying to be optimistic despite the lack of any reassuring news. We'll keep you posted with the latest developments as they happen.

Also coming up, a trip to some beaches is no day at the beach unless you like sewage with your sun and surf. Yuck. Dirty beaches still to come in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: We found survivable space, hopeful words last hour from a news conference on those six trapped Utah miners. But that hope was tempered by word that rescue efforts are not progressing as fast as authorities would like. The day's biggest achievement so far, a second bigger drill broke through to the mine overnight and a video camera was dropped down. It didn't show much though because of an obstructed lens. It has been pulled out for a moment and they will try to place it back down in. The head of the mine safety and health administration gave more details about that bore hole.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD STICKLER, DIRECTOR, MSHA: At approximately 3:00 a.m. this morning, the 8 5/8 inch diameter drill hole drilled into the mine. We left the drill steel down below the mine roof. We tried to signal to the miners by pounding on the drill steel. We would listen but unfortunately we did not get any response from the miners underground by trying to signal on the drill steel.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: After Richard Stickler spoke, mine owner Bob Murray stepped up to the mike with his take on things.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB MURRAY, PRES./CEO, MURRAY ENERGY CORP.: The rescue effort itself I'm very disappointed at our pace. We've made no mistakes. The federal mine safety and health administration Murray Energy Corporation and Utah American have worked hand in glove throughout the whole time. We're on our plans. The plans have been worked out together. We literally have had no mistakes. What we are dealing with is nature where the seismic forces have not yet settled down. And so our progress underground has been much slower than I like.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: For more on the rescue efforts, we're joined by someone who knows a lot about mine safety and unfortunately mine dangers as well. Davitt McAteer is the former director of the mine safety and health administration. Good to see you. You got a chance to hear that press conference. Was there anything out of it that you found to be encouraging?

DAVITT MCATEER, FORMER DIRECOTR, MSHA: Well, it was encouraging that the area that they hit was large enough and suggests that the seismic events, the collapse, did not close that area so that's as positive thing. The second is that they were able to get the drill down and that there is potable water at the bottom of that, that is the second positive. So that there is survivability in a word. One would be able to do it. Now remember, we're into the sixth day, a 24 hour cycle. So it's an extraordinarily long time for us to expect these miners to make it, but we don't want to lose hope and we want to hang on to the hope that we have that with some luck and an intervention from the divine that we will be able to save these men. WHITFIELD: Certainly everybody wants to hold out hope. You mentioned the whole survivable space, yes survivable space but unfortunately given the discrepancies over oxygen perhaps not survivable conditions. So when you hear Bob Murray say that even he is disappointed at the pace, could things have really progressed any faster than this even though we're in day six?

MCATEER: Well I think the thing -- this points out the fact that we suggests that we're not moving fast enough. The fact that we're just now getting into the area where the miners are located suggests to me that we ought to be as a country looking at better ways to deliver mine rescue protections to miners. We can't have a system where we -- where it takes us six days to get into the chamber that the miners are thought to be located. What do we need to do about that? We need to revamp our delivery system, we need to be able to get in faster and we have to think this through ahead of time rather than wait until this emergency and then try to cobble together a rescue effort. I'm not taking anything away from the mine rescue teams. They have done wonderful work. It's just the fact is we need to have a better system in place so that we're able to get to them faster and provide better protections to them over the long haul.

WHITFIELD: All of those things that you just mentioned seems as though they came to everyone's attention even those of us who were not that familiar with the mining industry immediately after the sago mine tragedy. That perhaps some of these new steps should be in place by now perhaps is that a mammoth task to have been able to think that this country could already be addressing some of these things or get some of these safety guards in place by now? Especially since it seems as though these miners are limited every day in how they're able to communicate with the outside when something like this goes wrong.

MCATEER: You're absolutely correct. Sago was the wakeup call that said we need to have a better system for the miners to have devices to stay alive underground, water, communication system, etc. We moved along in part made some progress but we haven't made the kind of progress that this mine disaster demands, which is that we need to be able to get, one, better communications with them, and two, we need to be able to get to them quicker. Sago we devised to fix the miners and give them protection with air packs and water, that was done. This advice says we need to be able to get to them faster from the surface and to communicate with them. That communication is absolutely critical and we have to redouble our efforts to make those communications work at every mine in the country.

WHITFIELD: Davitt McAteer is the former director of the mine safety and health administration. We thank you for your time and your expertise today.

MCATEER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And tonight at 8:00 eastern, we talk about sago how what happened Monday certainly I guess rekindles our thoughts about sago. Well CNN's Special Investigations Unit looks back at West Virginia's sago mine tragedy. What really happened? Could it have been prevented, inside the sago mine tragedy tonight and tomorrow 8:00 eastern.

Newark police have three in custody now they're looking for a fourth suspect in the murders of three college students. Police are calling Rodolfo Godinez a principle player in the case. CNN's Allan Chernoff takes a look at the other suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An illegal immigrant from Peru, Jose Carranza charged with murder in the execution style killing of three college students in the schoolyard of a Newark elementary school. Family members of the victims sat in the courtroom still in disbelief that the promising lives of their loved ones had been cut short. Law enforcement authorities have described Carranza as their prime suspect. His fingerprint found on a beer bottle at the scene of the crime and the sole survivor of the attack, Natasha Ariel, still recovering in a Newark hospital, picking him out from a photo lineup. Natasha was shot in the face last Saturday night, then her brother Terrance and friends Deshawn Harvey and Iofemei Hightower were shot in the back of the head against this wall. The wall now painted over with fresh green paint.

(On camera): Carranza was facing criminal charges in two other cases. Indicted for attacking four men with a beer bottle and a chair and for repeatedly raping a young girl when she was 4, 5 and 6 years old. He pled not guilty in both cases and was out on a total bail of $200,000.

(Voice-over): A 15-year-old Latino boy also is charged with murder in the triple homicide. His connection with Carranza is still unclear and police have just arrested a third suspect.

DIRECTOR GARRY MCCARTHY, NEWARK POLICE: We are actively out hunting for a number of people at this time. You know, it's going take us a while to finish the investigation.

CHERNOFF: Although there's concern the case might cause tension between Latinos and blacks in Newark, residents with whom we spoke say it's not an issue.

EDDIE SMITH, BUS DRIVER: I don't think it had anything to do with race. I never even gave it any thought.

CHERNOFF: The investigation indicates the homicide was not a hate crime rather the motive was robbery.

MAYOR CORY BOOKER, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: There's no evidence whatsoever that this crime was motivated by racial bias in any way.

CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN, Newark, New Jersey.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Another big story that got the nation's attention. Wall Street taking a big hit this week. What does that mean for Main Street? We'll talk about this and more when the CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Whether you own stocks or not, the chaos roiling Wall Street should serve as a wake-up call. It got the attention the Federal Reserve after the stock market lost nearly 400 points on Thursday, the central bank pumped in billions of dollars and managed to halt the bleeding if only temporary. Here's the problem, home loan defaults are squeezing growing numbers of lenders and Wall Street is worried that households and businesses may face trouble borrowing money. Joining us now from New York, Emily Thornton, she's the associated editor of "BusinessWeek." Good to see you Emily. I want to focus on homeownership and foreclosures, because this is so sad so many people who were like finally the American dream, I've got it, but then defaulting on their loans and losing them to foreclosures. So you have to wonder now, what's next. How much more difficult is it going to be for the average American to try to own a home now?

EMILY THORNTON, ASSOC. EDITOR, BUSINESSWEEK : Well it is very sad and we've had about a million foreclosures so far this year. Unfortunately it's going to get worse before it gets better.

WHITFIELD: Really? We're just at the tip of the iceberg? Why?

THORNTON: I think so. Well, basically, as you're saying there are mortgage companies and lenders that are going bankrupt and becoming more risk aversive. If you don't have strong credit it's going to be very difficult for you to get a mortgage and it will cost you more if you do.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So let's talk about a lot of these foreclosures on the market. Traditionally it has been a place where a lot of folks have thought well maybe I'm going to get a foreclosure because I can't afford a market value home. So even for that candidate, this might be difficult to achieve.

THORNTON: That could be if lenders are not thinking that you're a good risk yourself.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So what is going to happen to all these properties that are sitting in every neighborhood with a foreclosure sign? Are we looking at developers, investors who are going to be moving in and trying to snatch these up?

THORNTON: Well believe it or not there are some people who have been waiting for just this moment.

WHITFIELD: In what way, what do you mean?

THORNTON: Well they're professional investors. They're called distress funds and there are a lot of funds that are being raised on Wall Street right now to buy up these kind of basically mortgages on cents at the dollar and that sort of thing.

WHITFIELD: So what do you do if you are currently a homeowner, maybe for instance you have an adjustable loan, or maybe you're in a situation where you are kind of living paycheck to paycheck and it's difficult to make that mortgage every month. What do you say to that person so they can try to hold on as long as they can to this piece of the American dream?

THORNTON: Well, I think you say first of all try and get your credit in order as best as you can before you approach anyone for another loan or mortgage to work it out.

WHITFIELD: All right, Emily Thornton, associate editor of "BusinessWeek". Thanks so much for your time.

THORNTON: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, we wanted to give folks an opportunity to say wait a minute, let's just hold onto the little bit that we have because so many people are in so much trouble. Tony Harris is joining us this weekend as well. He's not in trouble.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Not that I know of any way.

WHITFIELD: Maybe stirring the pot a little bit here in the newsroom, creating a little trouble. But you know, it's been a tough story all week. With the market.

HARRIS: We've been together for a lot of this week and we talked a lot about it. The big ride, the rollercoaster ride on the Dow and what it means for folks, a, with mutual funds and maybe with a fixed or an adjustable rate mortgage, what are you going to do if you've got to reset that here soon?

WHITFIELD: We could go on. But sorry, I didn't mean to sidetrack you because I know you have lots coming up.

HARRIS: Well, we do. There is really only one story for us this evening starting at 5:00 and throughout the evening here on CNN. That's the story of these miners. We want these officials to get that camera back down there into that hole as quickly as possible and look around that cavity and find these miners. I can't imagine. Look, the families have been agonizing over this for what, since Monday. Just to get some kind of good news, something positive. Very patient with this process. So we are going to be following that story and we will update that for you throughout the evening.

Also at 10:00 tonight, let me push ahead just a bit to 10:00 tonight. We have a special guest on at 10:00. An expert in this area who is going to give us a sense of what it is like for these trapped miners, fingers crossed hoping for the best here, the conditions that they're trying to survive in right now. Cold, damp and the air quality.

WHITFIELD: And dark.

HARRIS: And dark.

WHITFIELD: So dark. HARRIS: So just an evening of watching this story out of Utah. Be with us starting at 5:00 and again at 10:00 this evening right here in the NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: We will do that indeed, thanks so much Tony.

HARRIS: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Good to see you too.

Astronauts way up there still at work. Right now outside the international space station at this hour. Details on their high flying job straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have a more down to earth problem to tell you about. Coming up a new report card on America's beaches and we're not seeing anything that says A plus.

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WHITFIELD: Two shuttle astronauts are working in space today. They're helping to install a truss on the international space station's backbone. "Endeavour" delivered the two ton unit. It will act as a spacer between the existing solar array and another one to be installed next year. Tomorrow astronauts using the shuttle's robotic arm and cameras will inspect tile damage on the underbelly of the shuttle's heat shield. Right now NASA doesn't know if it is deep enough to warrant a repair mission.

They're supposed to be the places where you can have fun in the sun. But a new report on the conditions at U.S. beaches is raising health concerns. Begging many to ask what are beach goers jumping into. Our Gary Nurenberg is in North Beach, Maryland with details. At first I would have said ooh, you lucky dog. But then again, if it's dirty, forget it.

NURENBERG: Well you know the answer to your question Fredricka is they may be jumping into pollution. There's new evidence that your mom may have been right all those years ago when she said, don't go near the water.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG (voice-over): Millions of Americans just like going to the beach.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just like the clouds and the water and just the peacefulness of it.

NURENBERG: But there is trouble in paradise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Especially when stuff washes up on the sand that may have come from far out, I try to keep my eye on them.

NURENBERG: So does the Natural Resources Defense Council whose new report on American beaches shows a 27 percent jump in beach closings and swimming advisories in 2006, the equivalent of 25,643 days. 92 beaches in 19 states failed more than 25 percent of their contamination tests. It's a health risk.

NANCY STONER, NRDC CLEAN WATER PROJECT: Most often people get severe stomach upset but they could also get pink eye, earaches, sore throat, acute respiratory illness and even very serious illnesses like meningitis and encephalitis.

NURENBERG: And there is an economic impact. North Beach, Maryland, saw closings more than 30 times last year.

MAYOR MICHAEL BOJOKLES, NORTH BEACH, MARYLAND: We are a public beach and it's a revenue source for us so when we close the beach, there is no revenue.

NURENBERG: Heavy rains play a role, sweeping animal waste into the water and putting a strain on sewage treatment plants, many of which were designed and put online decades ago.

BENJAMIN GRUMBLES, EPA ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR: One of our priorities nationally is to change the way America views and values infrastructure. Fix those leaky pipes, manage that storm water.

NURENBERG: North Beach is upgrading its sewage plant and cutting wildlife waste by banning sea gull and duck feeding. Beach users can play a role too.

STONER: If they pick up their own trash at the beach, pick up pet waste at the beach, that eliminates a source of contamination into the waters.

NURENBERG: Some beach goers are cautious.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely wouldn't drink it. I'm going take a shower as soon as I go home.

NURENBERG: Others seem less worried.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG: That little baby really makes you think twice, doesn't it. The EPA concedes there is a problem but says 95 percent of the time America's beaches are open and are safe. Fredricka?

WHITFILED: Well that's kind of encouraging. People, come on, don't pollute the beaches. Everybody wants to enjoy the beaches. All right Gary Nurenberg, thanks so much. That's my little two cents.

All right, well now let's give you the latest on those six trapped miners in Huntington, Utah. Workers using a camera dropped through a newly drilled hole and have found survivable space in an area where the miners may be. The camera lens is now being changed to get a broader image of the area. A live update from Huntington, Utah, coming up at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: The most popular stories on cnn.com, the dramatic effort to save six miners trapped inside a collapsed mine in central Utah. Workers using a camera dropped through a newly drilled hole have found survivable space near an area where the miners may be. But officials say rescuers got no response after signaling to the miners today.

Many of you want to find out about a troubling three-inch gash on the shuttle's "Endeavour's" heat shield. NASA officials suspect the gouge was caused by a piece of ice that broke off the fuel tank right after liftoff. The shuttle crew will inspect the area using a robotic arm tomorrow.

Hurricane Flossie now a category 4 storm with sustained winds of 132 miles an hour. It's churning over the pacific ocean right now about 1100 miles from Hilo, Hawaii. Click onto cnn.com for details. The next hour of the NEWSROOM begins right now.

HARRIS: A man accused of sexual assault on a child let go by mistake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: No I can't, I can barely speak English.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: How about that. President Bush and the new president of France in their informal (INAUDIBLE).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would listen but unfortunately we did not get any response from the miners underground by trying to signal on the drill steel.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Watching and listening for any sign, any sound of life in a Utah mine.

Good afternoon everyone, I'm Tony Harris in today for Rick Sanchez. Still no sign of those six missing miners trapped deep within a cavern in Utah. But now a possible glimmer of hope. Let's start with Kara Finnstrom, she has the very latest on the rescue effort. Kara, good to see you.

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