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Bush Meets Sarkozy; Miner Rescue Operations; Sexual Predator Accidentally Released; More Newark Slaying Details
Aired August 11, 2007 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A man accused of sexual assault on a child let go by mistake.
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BUSH: No I can't, I can barely speak English.
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HARRIS: How about that. President Bush and the new president of France in their informal (INAUDIBLE).
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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.
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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. Spend some time if you would, sorting out this, we mentioned it just a moment ago, this glimmer of hope.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the glimmer of hope comes from the fact that there is a survivable area down there but the part of this whole thing that's disturbing is so far rescuers have not been able to see the miners or hear them. The first thing they did Tony, the dropped a big metal drill down through this hole and they began tapping on it. These miners have been trained to listen very carefully and to know this sound and to pick up any pieces of metal they can find inside the cavern and to respond back, but they heard nothing. Then they spoke through a microphone we're told and the miners also, no response from them to that. Then when the camera actually was lowered down through the bottom of the camera they were able to see. This is the hope here, that there is a survivable area. So that is the hope, but they didn't see the miners. What they saw was a space about 5 1/2 feet where the roof line had not collapsed. Where there was also drinkable water on the ground of this. So you know, if these miners had survived the initial collapse, if they had enough oxygen to breathe, the idea is they could survive in this space. And the assistant secretary of labor who was at this press conference explained to us a little bit about what they were seeing down there.
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RICHARD STICKLER, MSHA, ASST. SECRETARY OF LABOR: The roof line has not collapsed. And even in the area where we're doing the cleanup work, we do not see any caves or collapse of the roof itself. The material that is filling the mine entry or mine tunnel is material that was forced off of the walls because of the pressure and the weight of the (INAUDIBLE) bearing down, crushing those pillars and causing the broken material to fill the void or the mine entry.
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FINNSTROM: Now, to talk a little bit about the oxygen levels in there because this is obviously very important. If they're in this space, the survivable space, the key thing they need is oxygen. Overnight we did learn from the first drill hole, the smaller drill hole, the air sample taken out of that, the oxygen level was only about 7 percent. That is not enough to survive on. That small drill hole was only about 130 feet from the second drill hole which they believe is right on target, it's right where they believe these miners are in the area of them being trapped. They are going to take another oxygen sample and hopefully get a better feel for what it might be exactly in that area. The other piece of hope is where the rescue crews are, where they're actually digging away all this rubble, trying to get to them horizontally through the mine, the oxygen levels there are at about 41 percent. So Tony there's some question about whether there may be varying levels of oxygen throughout the mine.
HARRIS: So the news is just a bit mixed right now but Kara, if you get to the bottom line on this, there really has been no sign of life at all since this collapse on Monday. I understand there was at one point they dropped a steel pole down this bore hole and they tapped on it three times looking for some kind of response and received no response from the trapped miners.
FINNSTROM: Right, they did that today. That was the first thing they did and had no response from those miners. They said they don't know how many times they actually banged on that pipe, but these miners are trained to respond to that. The next thing that's going to happen is they said there was some trouble seeing out of the lens on the side of this camera. This is a special camera that was brought in from Mississippi. There's a lens on the bottom, there's a lens on the side. Every thing that they saw today was out of that bottom lens, that's how they were able to tell that there is a 5-1/2 foot (INAUDIBLE). They couldn't see as well out of that side lens because it got dirty on the way down. So they're going to clean that off, they're going to put kind of like a metal slip inside of this big drill hole and lower it down again. And they say this will allow them to see better into the surrounding tunnels and to hopefully get a better feel for what's happened down there.
HARRIS: So is that expected to happen at some point this evening Kara?
FINNSTROM: They told us, let's see, it's about 3:00 local time. So about six hours from now they hope to have some new pictures from the camera. That's if everything goes as planned. They share everything with the families first and then they come and speak with us afterwards. So sometime later this evening they said they would also be planning to share those pictures with us, so we may get a better feel for what it looks like inside the space.
HARRIS: Ok, Kara Finnstrom for us there in Emery County, in Utah. Kara, appreciate it, thank you. We are also learning more about the six trapped miners. The mining company has not released their names but family and friends have confirmed their identities to CNN. The men are 41-year-old Manuel Sanchez, Brandon Phillips, he's 24, 23- year-old Luis Alonso Hernandez, Carlos Payan said to be in his 20's, Don Erickson, a 50-year-old father of two and stepfather of three and 57-year-old Kerry Allred, also a father of three.
Our news from across America begins in Minneapolis. Bad weather and a dangerous current have stalled recovery efforts in the Mississippi River. Divers won't go back into the water until conditions get a bit better. Five more victims are believed to be buried under the rubble. Two victims found Thursday were laid to rest earlier today.
You're looking at the pictures from nearly two months ago that wildfire at that warehouse that raged on and on that killed nine firefighters there in Charleston. The Charleston, South Carolina Fire Department releasing the frantic 911 calls and the last radio dispatches as one caller reads off a list of the firefighters who died.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They haven't given out a list yet, have they?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. The mayor got me a list of eight people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, of eight people that are dead?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. They only found four.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't have a list sir. Do you want to tell us? Do you want to tell us who some of them are, because we don't even --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hang on just a second (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok thanks. They got a list of the people, the mayor called and gave them a list of the firemen that are expired. He said they only got four of them. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFED MALE: Louis Melky, Mike Binky, Brandon Thompson, Mark Kelsey, Michael French, Melvin Champagne, Earl Drayton. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Earl Drayton, my God.
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HARRIS: Television talk show and game show guru Merv Griffin is battling a recurring case of prostate cancer. Representatives for the 82-year-old will not confirm or deny some media reports that Griffin is in grave condition. But According to E.T. online Griffin is resting comfortably in the hospital. Last month the spokesperson for Griffin acknowledged this second bout with cancer.
Our teams are standing by for news out of Huntington, Utah. Any new word on the fate of the missing miners, we will get it to you right away right here in the NEWSROOM.
Also ahead, France's new pro American president. Did you see these pictures earlier today? He is here making friends. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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HARRIS: 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 is taking action despite the doubts. Here's CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff.
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ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Another unverified report of an Al Qaeda threat against the United States. It was enough to have the New York city police department on high alert against the transport of radioactive material. Now this report was checked out by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the New York City police department. They could not verify any of the information. Nonetheless, let's give you the details. It came from (INAUDIBLE), which is a privately run Israeli website. It is a counterterrorism site. In the past it has had reliable information. The report said that on Thursday there were messages on internal Al Qaeda websites indicating that a truck carrying radioactive material would be in New York City targeting Wall Street. Another message on the site saying that New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami would be targets of this attack. Again, none of this was verified. Nonetheless, the New York City police department as we said was on high alert last night and this morning. The operation has now wrapped up. Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.
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HARRIS: Again, stay with CNN for the most reliable coverage of news that impacts your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.
Call John Palmont, Jr., the one that got away. Palmont was arrested Thursday in Maryland. Have you heard this? For allegedly sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl. But according to the "Washington Post," he was accidentally released after being treated for injuries suffered while fleeing police. Palmont's accused of bluffing his way into the little girl's apartment then attacking her. A manhunt is under way to recapture him.
The mine's owner denies it but we've heard reports that workers were concerned about the safety of the shaft that collapsed on Monday, including some of the men now trapped. We'll have details.
(WEATHER REPORT) HARRIS: Also ahead in the NEWSROOM, an update from the campaign trail on today's straw poll in Ames, Iowa.
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HARRIS: The prospects of a positive ending grow bleaker by the minute really for six men trapped in a collapsed Utah coal mine. Workers have found survivable space near an area where the miners may be, stress that, underline that, maybe. But searchers have yet to find any sign the six men are still alive. We are monitoring the situation of course and we will bring you the latest developments as they happen.
Now to the heat wave that is scorching much of the south, well it has apparently turned deadly in Tennessee. A 54-year-old woman in Memphis was found dead in her home. Officials say an autopsy indicates excessive heat contributed to her death. Temperatures have soared into the triple digits across much of the state.
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HARRIS: Coming up in the NEWSROOM, Newark's contagion of killing. Another victim remembered. Another emotional plea for a city to come to its senses.
Also, we're staying on top of the story in Utah. Coming up, we will have you the very latest on the efforts to reach the trapped miners. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Here is the very latest on the Huntington, Utah rescue efforts. Still no sign of life today from the six missing coal miners trapped since early Monday. This afternoon a federal official announced that a camera lowered down into the mine showed survivable space in the region where the miners were working. But attempts to establish contact all have been met by silence. Adjustments are being made right now for a second attempt with that camera.
Tiny miracles, big sacrifices. Our search for CNN heroes takes us to Africa where we find a young woman struggling to help her country battle AIDS.
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Personally I have had people very close to me dying of HIV/AIDS, this stupid virus is tearing lives apart. My name is Nthabeleng Lephoto, coming from Touching Tiny Lives, we support orphaned and vulnerable infants. Our safe house is for critically ill or in need children. For us, babies come first. We have to give them medication even if sometimes they have to cry. But it's not just the medication, they start feeling loved. 80 percent of the children we help are in the rural areas. We go to each individual household. We give them nutrition like food stuff, packages and medication. We want to discuss their own problems where they feel free. It's HIV/AIDS leaving the children with grandmothers. They shouldn't be doing this, but they have to. I need to support these people. It's going to go on and on. Believe me there are times when I really say this is too much, but to see them smile, starting to enjoy life as it comes, makes me want to help more and more and more and more. If there is no Touching Tiny Lives, honestly all the children that we have helped would have died.
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HARRIS: How about that. You can find out more about Nthabeleng and her Touching Tiny Lives organization on our website. You can also go there to nominate your hero for special recognition later this year. All of the details are at cnn.com/heroes.
And a friendly reminder that you can get all of the latest information in the ongoing Utah mine rescue operation at cnn.com. And as you can see right there, it is front and center as the top story on our opening page. And just ahead in the NEWSROOM, we will have the very latest from the scene. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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HARRIS: The prospects of a positive ending grow bleaker by the minute for six men trapped in a collapsed Utah coal mine. Workers -- wait a minute. Yes, that's the story. Workers have found survivable space near an area where the miners may be but searchers have yet to find any sign the six men are still alive. Ok, just needed to make sure that the pictures matched the story. We are monitoring the situation and we will bring you the very latest developments as they happen.
To Newark, New Jersey now, police are now looking for a fourth suspect in last weekend's triple murder on a school playground. Authorities call 24-year-old Rodolfo Godinez a principle player in the case. The three murdered students were buried earlier today.
And it is make or break day for a number of GOP presidential hopefuls as Iowa Republicans hold their straw poll which is set to close in the next few hours. Up to 40,000 GOP faithful expected, but noticeably absent the so-called top tier candidates. CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider is there and he joins us now with the latest in just a minute.
As the search intensifies for those six trapped miners, there is word that days before the collapse there were major concerns regarding safety at the Crandall Canyon Mine. CNN's Ted Rowlands has that angle of the story.
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TED ROWLANDS, CNN NEWS 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 say Sanchez wasn't alone, 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 Seven Belt the deepest part of the mine. And he tells CNN for weeks before the collapse, the floors in that part of the mine were 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.
(on camera): Do you know why this miner would have been nervous going into that particular section?
BOB MURRAY, PRESIDENT & CEO, MURRAY ENERGY CORP.: No. I have no idea. I have never heard that. I have no idea. It's probably a rumor. I'm not going to respond to rumors. I can tell you that if any of my management or any worker had ever said that to me, I would say, yes, I was told that. Don't know a thing about that, sir. That's the truth.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): If miners were so afraid, why didn't they complain? Several miners we 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. We 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 miner 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 in the mine leading up to the collapse. The mine's owner is confident his company won't 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.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Huntington, Utah.
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HARRIS: The Utah mine collapse points to the dangers faced on the job. Mining can be treacherous work, but does it rank as one of the country's most dangerous jobs?
CNN's Josh Levs is here with a reality check.
Josh, good to see you.
JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you too. Yeah. What happened this week obviously got me thinking, it got a lot of people thinking, about what the most dangerous jobs in America are? Coal mining is one of them. It's not on top. On Thursday the federal government came out with a new report that shows what the most deadly jobs in America are. You're going to find that some of these are expected, but some will come as a surprise.
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LEVS (voice-over): Incidents of recent days are reminders that coal mining can be life-risking work. Last year, 47 coal miners died in several incidents. Twelve of them in the Sago Mine disaster. The industry's death toll more than doubled from the year before. New federal statistics show coal mining has one of the highest death rates of any profession in the U.S. but not the highest.
That goes to fishermen. We see them being rescued after ships capsize or sink. Out of every 100,000 people in the industry, 142 died last year.
And then comes pilots due to a series of incidents in 2006 including the crash of a ComAir jet in August.
Next on the list of highest occupational fatalities, loggers, iron and steel workers and coal miners. After that comes refuse collectors, farmers and rangers, power line workers, people who work on roofs, and those who do great deal of driving for a living.
Overall preliminary figures show 5,703 occupational deaths last year. That's down just barely from the year before. If the preliminary figures hold, 2006 would mark the lowest rates since the tabulation started in 1992.
Still, the Labor Department says this week there is a long way to go. Don't be surprised if this issue gains traction in the presidential race. It often does.
JOHN KERRY, (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The safety of your work place, the ability to earn overtime, your ability to organize, it's all on the ballot November 2.
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LEVS: Some government officials at all levels as well as unions and workers rights groups call for tougher laws and stricter enforcement of laws that there are. Tony, they say incidents like what happened in Utah serve as reminders that it is a need to push forward in that area.
HARRIS: Absolutely. Help me understand this. There are top ten lists out here that I saw where mining isn't even on the list.
LEVS: That's right. I'm glad you asked that. It confuses some people. We just showed that coal mining is on there. Here's why. When the government puts out that one list, they put miners all together into one group, not just coal miners. When you include other types of miners, much less dangerous work. On a percentage basis, the overall fatality rate of miners is not in the top ten. But in order to show you where coal miners fall in that list, we looked at the raw numbers. That's why coal miners specifically, Tony, are on that list.
HARRIS; Got you. All right. Josh, great to see you.
HARRIS: Thanks, man.
LEVS: Thanks.
HARRIS: All of this reminds us of the Sago Mine disaster. Tonight, CNN's "Special Investigations Unit" looks back at what Virginia Sago Mine and what happened and could it have been prevented. "Inside the Sago Mine Tragedy" tonight and tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern.
Three friends killed and another recovering. Newark, New Jersey, police have issued a warrant for a fourth man in connection with last weekend's school yard murders. Rodolfo Godinez is 24 and a Nicaraguan national. Police call him a principle player in the case. One adult and two juveniles are already in custody in the killings of Dashon Harvey, Iofemi Hightower and Terrance Aeriel. Funeral services today for the college students drew long lines of mourners and a fiery speech by the Newark Mayor Corey Booker. To sounds of applause, he said enough is enough and implored residents to fight the city's stubborn murder rate.
Newark detectives have been putting this puzzle pieces together. One of the biggest pieces of that puzzle turned himself in to the mayor earlier this week.
More now from CNN's Allan Chernoff.
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ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An illegal immigrant from Peru, Jose Carranza, charged with murder in the execution-style killing of three college students in the school yard of a Newark elementary school.
UNIDENTIFIED JUDGE: You have entered not guilty pleas on behave of your client. Is that correct?
UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: That's correct, your honor. CHERNOFF: 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 Aeriel, still recovering in a Newark hospital, picking him out from a photo lineup. She was shot in the face last Saturday night. Then her brother and friends 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 is also charged with murder in the triple homicide. His connection with Carranza is still unclear and police have just arrested a third suspect.
GARRY MCCARTHY, DIRECTOR, 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 another thought.
CHERNOFF: The investigation authorities say indicates the homicide was not a hate crime. Rather, the motive was robbery.
CORY BOOKER, MAYOR OF 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.
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HARRIS: Thinning the herd. Today's straw poll in Iowa will do that when it comes to the ten GOP presidential hopefuls.
CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider is live in Ames, Iowa, where a win, place or show could really help a few of the dark- horse candidates.
If you would, Bill, set that scene for us for those of us who might not be familiar with the Iowa straw poll. What is that environment? What is this scene like? BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The Iowa straw poll has been a tradition for about 20 years in Iowa. It's really an unofficial event. 30,000 Republicans gather here in the center of the state. They have to pay $35 each to participate. You get a lot of food for that and rides and games and a lot of fun. There's a carnival and they also get to cast a vote for their favorite Republican presidential contender.
Now many of the contenders are buying tickets for supporters and bussing them in here and paying for them to participate. It's really a test of organization. That's important.
The top three contenders in the national poll -- that would be Rudy Giuliani, Thompson, who isn't even in the race yet and John McCain -- they have chosen not to participate in the straw poll. The number four, Mitt Romney, is running first in Iowa and he's spending a lot of money to make a strong showing in today's Iowa's straw poll, which he hopes will create a big national news story and pump him up in the national polls.
HARRIS: Who is expected to win here and might we see some weeding out of candidates if they don't do particularly well?
SCHNEIDER: As I indicated, Romney is expected to win. The question is will he win big, big enough to be convincing that he's a really serious top tier contender?
There is also a hot contest for second place. At least three candidates here have made a big effort to come in second or to win, but they're hoping to come in second. That would be Mike Huckabee, the governor of Arkansas, San Brownback, the Senator from Kansas, and Tommy Thompson, the former governor of Wisconsin, which is a neighboring state. All of them had big efforts here. They hope to come in second to show they're a favorite of Midwestern conservatives.
About a third of the voters in the Iowa caucuses are evangelical conservatives and a lot of these candidates are competing to become the favorite sun of that and make a strong showing.
HARRIS: Bill Schneider, good to see you. Thank you.
President Bush is hoping to warm up America's frayed relationship with the French. He's meeting with his French counterpart today at the family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine.
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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can't. I can barely speak English.
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HARRIS: Maybe the line of the day. A language limitation aside, both men have a serious agenda behind this casual meeting.
We go live to Elaine Quijano is live in Kennebunkport, Maine, with details.
Good to see you, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You too, Tony. You know, you're right. It may not have been some fancy dinner but that doesn't mean that there wasn't some high stakes wooing going on as they sat down for heart to heart talk, lunch and a boat ride.
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QUIJANO (voice-over): There were smiles and presidential pats on the back during a visit meant to signal a warmer chapter in U.S.- French relations.
NICHOLAS SARKOZY, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): We may be friends and not agree on everything but we're friends nonetheless. That's the truth.
QUIJANO: With the French tri-color flag flying overhead and extended family on hand, President Bush welcomed France's new president to an informal cookout at his family's home at Walker's Point in Maine. Both leaders made clear they want to move beyond past tensions over Iraq.
BUSH: We've had disagreements over Iraq in particular. I never allowed disagreements to not find other ways to work together.
QUIJANO: The two met for almost an hour along with President Bush's father, former President George H. W. Bush.
BUSH: This is a complicated world. When the America and France work together, we can get a lot of important things done.
QUIJANO: Later they went for a ride on a speed boat, Fidelity III.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: The two leaders will likely see each other again in September at the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly in New York -- Tony?
HARRIS: Elaine, I understand President Sarkozy is taking heat in France for vacationing in the United States and pumping a lot of liquidity into the local economy.
QUIJANO: That's right. In New Hampshire he was vacationing and this is a French president that isn't at all like his predecessor, President Chirac. This is a French president who has been accused of being too American. The French have written about and talked a lot about the fact that he jogs in public. That is something that is seen as very gosch (ph) by the French. When it comes to vacationing, Sarkozy said, I'm like the other 900,000 French people that visit the United States. They're trying to make light of the situation but making no apologies for his vacation plans here. HARRIS: Our White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano, traveling with the president in Kennebunkport, Maine. Elaine, thank you. Good to see you.
In the summer, life's a beach, unless you're at one of the nations dirtiest. We'll dive into this story just ahead in the "Newsroom."
Great Scott, a great white shark off the coast of the UK? It turns out it was a great scam.
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HARRIS: Two space-walking shuttle astronauts are installing a new addition to the international space station today. The two-ton truss will act as a space between the existing solar array and another one to be installed next year. Tomorrow NASA hopes to get a better look at a gash on the shuttle's underbelly. Astronauts using the shuttle's robotic arm. Cameras will inspect tile damage on the heat shield. NASA doesn't know if it is deep enough to warrant a repair mission.
You go there to have fun in the sun but does that dip in the ocean mean you are swimming with sewage or pollution? A new report on conditions at U.S. beaches is raising serious health concerns.
Here's our Gary Nuremberg.
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GARY NUREMBERG, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of Americans just like going to the beach.
JOEL TUCKER, BEACHGOER: I just like the clouds and the water and just the peacefulness of it.
NUREMBERG: There is trouble in paradise.
EBONEE FITZGERALD, BEACHGOER: Especially when stuff washes up on the sand that may have come from far out. I try to keep my eye on them.
NUREMBERG: 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. Nine-two beaches in 19 states failed more than 25 percent of their contamination tests. It's a realty risk.
NANCY STONER, NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL: Most often people get severe stomach upset. They could get pink eye, earaches, sore throats, acute respiratory illness and very serious illnesses, like meningitis and encephalitis.
NUREMBERG: There is an economic impact. North Beach, Maryland, saw closings more than 30 times last year. MICHEL BOJOKLES, NORTH BEACH, MARYLAND, MAYOR: We are a public beach. It's a revenue source for us. When we close a beach, there is no revenue.
NUREMBERG: Heavy rains play a roll 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 is to change the way America views and values infrastructure, fix those leaky pipes, manage that storm water.
NUREMBERG: North Beach is upgrading its sewage plant and cutting wildlife waste by banning seagull and duck feeding. Beach users can play a role, too.
STONER: If they pick up trash and pet waste at the beach, pick up pet waste at the beach that eliminates the source of contamination into the waters.
NUREMBERG: Some beach goers are cautious.
UNIDENTIFIED BEACHGOER: I definitely wouldn't drink it. I will take a shower as soon as I go home.
NUREMBERG: Others seem less worried.
(on camera) The EPA concedes there is a problem but says 95 percent of the time America's beaches are open and are safe.
Gary Nuremberg, CNN, North Beach, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Let's get an update on our top story. The rescue at the Utah mine where six workers are trapped. Officials say a video camera lowered into the mine shows survivable space where miners could be -- underline that, could be -- but it is still unclear at this point if there is enough oxygen in that area. Our reporters are following developments on the ground and we will update you with any new information on the rescue effort.
If you have ever wanted to get a Lamborghini cheap, we have a deal for you. Are you listening? It's got a couple of scratches, a couple big dents. We'll tell you how all of this happened and how you can get it for next to nothing.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At age 13, Heather Cox became a vegetarian. That was four years ago.
HEATHER COX, VEGETARIAN: I loved animals when I was growing up so I decided 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 says almost 10 percent of American school children are vegetarians. Nutritionists say vegetarian diets, high in antioxidants and low in fat, can be healthy, but parents need to make sure their children stick to a balanced diet.
UNIDENTIFIED DIETITIAN: You have to know what you're doing. You risk deficiencies which could impede their growth and development.
GUPTA: Dr. Jennifer Tender's 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, MOTHER OF VEGETARIAN CHILDREN: The main thing is 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.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I didn't eat tofu so I felt like I was not getting enough protein.
GUPTA: Most protein comes from meat products, so they need to look other sources, such as beans and soy products like tofu and nuts.
UNIDENTIFIED DIETITIAN, A vegetarian can be at risk of certain vitamin deficiencies -- Vitamin B, Vitamin B-12, which is only an animal product.
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.
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HARRIS: Time now to go global with headlines from around the world. A powerful roadside bomb killed two top Iraqi officials south of Baghdad today. The governor and police chief of Diwaniya Province were returning home from a tribal leader's funeral when their convoy was hit.
The fate of two of the 21 South Korean hostages held by the Taliban is uncertain at this hour. A Taliban spokesman says two female hostages were freed, but Afghan officials haven't seen them. The Taliban has killed two male hostages and are threatening to kill more unless their demands are met.
In Portugal, a grim milestone for the family of a missing 4-year old girl. Today marks 100 days since Madeline McCann disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in southern Portugal. The family has not given up hope. Portuguese police say recent evidence suggests that the British girl may have been killed. A sight that terrified beach goers in Britain. A great white shark spotted in the seas off England? That's what the tabloids said. That should have been the first red flag. There were others in these sham infested shark stories.
Here's CNN's Paula Hancocks.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water. It is. Reports of a great white shark off the coast of Britain are a great white lie.
These pictures, taken by a nightclub bouncer, were part of a tabloid feeding frenzy. It is indeed great white, but the photographer omitted to mention they were taken in South Africa rather than south England, a mere 6,000 miles away.
Kevin Keeble (ph), who gave the pictures to his local newspaper, said, "I sent the pictures in as a joke. I didn't expect anyone to be daft enough to take it seriously."
There's nothing like reports or even pictures of a giant predator off the coast of Britain to get newspaper editors salivating. And they did. The story spread from Australia to the Middle East. Home videos emerged of fins in British waters. Sharks do exist here, but not of the dreaded killing machine variety.
The sun newspaper even quoted an expert saying this was a female and her shark boyfriend was probably nearby.
People around the world have been obsessed with the great white shark ever since Steven Spielberg immortalized it in his 1975 film, "Jaws."
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ACTOR: You're going to need a bigger boat.
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HANCOCK: The great British panic seems over for now, another silly summer story that refused to let the facts get in the way.
Paul Hancocks, CNN, London.
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HARRIS: Well, this next story is no hoax, even though one man in Florida, no doubt, wishes it were. Police say the owner of this $400,000 brand new Lamborghini was speeding when he lost control on a road near Orlando. Ran off the road and crashed.
The 39-year old driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.
His wife was reportedly a passenger and hurt her arm in the crash.
There is still much more ahead on CNN.
Up next "Lou Dobbs this Week."
From CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris.
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