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Update on Trapped Miners; Stats on Riskiest Occupations in America

Aired August 11, 2007 - 22:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Cameras are sent underground to look for signs of life, while up above, the families of the trapped miners hold out hope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm hoping, but it's tough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll take you live to the scene tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And what's it like to make your living mining coal? And just how dangerous is this job? We'll dig for answers.

Who's got the deadliest job in this country? You might be surprised. It's not coal miners. We've got the stats on the most risky occupations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no evidence whatsoever that this crime was motivated by racial bias in any way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Three college students shot execution style. Tonight, police point the finger at yet another suspect.

And we have the result from the first crucial test in the Republicans race for the White House, but not all the candidates wanted in on it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because what they've essentially done is forfeited the game. And when you forfeit, you have a loss whether you like it or not.

Now the question is, who will bow out? Our political bloggers weigh in.

And a former First Lady caught on tape on a scooter. How cute is that? You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Six miners now trapped six days and a lot of developments this hour in an exhausting around the clock search at Crandall Canyon Mine in Huntington, Utah. Good evening, everyone. I'm Tony Harris in for Rick Sanchez. We've just got pictures. These pictures in my hand. We'll show them to you. And I'm seeing them actually for the first time with you. Let's take a look at them together. What you're looking at now, AP photos obtained from the Emery County Sheriff's Department. And what you see here, you're looking at the nine-inch hole that was drilled to send down the camera that returned some pictures from one of the lenses.

Let's take a look now at the second picture that we have for you now. This is the actual drilling rig that was actually a part of the effort to get that bore hole, that nine-inch bore hole set so that they could actually send that camera down. And now we can actually show you a picture of the actual camera itself. Interesting here the camera went into that nine-inch bore hole. The vertical lens actually returned pictures of the roof line, the wall line. The horizontal lens -- a bit of a malfunction. Did not return pictures. It had to be cleaned.

Now what we're trying to determine is when the repair will be finished and when that camera there will be returned back down into that bore hole or perhaps a different camera altogether will be used.

And here is what else we know at this hour. There is survivable space, we're told, where the miners may be trapped. Rescuers were able to lower that camera that we just mentioned and showed you just a moment ago into the area today and saw a clear area and safe drinking water, but there is still sadly no sign the miners are alive.

A two-way microphone isn't picking up any sounds at all. Plus, there is growing concern about air quality. New samples indicate there may be not -- may not be enough oxygen down there. Rescuers are now pumping more in through a two and a half inch hole. And finally, the ceiling of the mine didn't collapse as we first thought. Instead, the walls actually caved in.

Well, for the miners' family, time, of course, is the enemy. And here is what this story is really about. These six men. Don Erickson, bottom row in the middle, he wasn't supposed to work the day the mine collapsed, but he was helping out a buddy. Six lives. One single prayer and the challenge to keep hope alive.

Here's CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Time has stopped in Huntington, Utah. People here look toward the mountainous horizon and wonder about the fate of six trapped miners. Words of comfort are draped all over town. Inside this school, six families are living through what seems to be an endless ordeal. And the waiting is taking its toll. Terry Erickson, the brother of trapped miner Don Erickson, left irritated after a meeting with mine officials.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you a family?

TERRY ERICKSON, SON OF TRAPPED MINER: Just what you're hearing.

LAVANDERA: What exactly, though?

ERICKSON: Just the same stuff that's on TV.

LAVANDERA: Same stuff over and over?

ERICKSON: Yes.

LAVANDERA: What about...

ERICKSON: Same stuff. I'm getting tired of hearing it.

LAVANDERA (on camera): Mine officials have acknowledged that rescue efforts have not moved fast enough and that these families have endured without much positive information. The only question they want answered is whether their loved ones are dead or alive.

(voice-over): About 50 family members attend the briefings on the rescue efforts but when the meetings are over, you can sense that the uncertainty looms heavily over these families.

No good news?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no good news.

LAVANDERA: No good news because the progress is slow and definitive answers are elusive. Thomas Hernandez is the uncle of trapped miner Luis Hernandez. He says we're very sad. As more time passes, we're losing hope. We have very little hope.

RICHARD STICKLER, ASST. SEC. OF LABOR, MSHA: The families are under a lot of stress and concern. It's been a long, drawn out process. But they are supporting each other. And we're doing everything we can support them. And I think they are remarkably strong.

LAVANDERA: Even if the six miners survive the collapse, their families know that time is no longer on their side. Hoping and believing in a miracle isn't easy anymore.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Huntington, Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, the miners' families aren't the only ones struggling. Rescuers have made two attempts now to communicate directly with the miners, only to be met with a deafening silence. And the strong sound of discouragement tonight -- we're wondering how they're coping.

And for the answer, we go to CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman just outside the Crandall Canyon mine. And Gary, you gave us a look earlier in the week at these amazing pictures of what it is like to be in that mine, to be on this rescue team, this rescue effort. How are these men holding up?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think, Tony, one thing we can't lose sight of is how dangerous it is inside that mine right now for the 134 workers who are inside there. These are the actual mine workers who work at this mine. They're now rescue workers.

And think of it this way. If you live in a house and part of your house collapses, you wouldn't walk around the rest of your house for days and days just walking around. It'd be too dangerous. It's a precarious mine. It's a very dangerous situation.

Yet, they're working very hard because the fact is after six days, there's still no proof these miners are dead. So that means they could be alive. And therefore, they have an obligation to continue looking.

But the news today was quite discouraging to be honest with you. Yes, the camera went down and saw there's "survivable space", that there's a place that these men could be and be alive. And there's potable water even.

But this is the key point that we must bring up. There's a system in place. When miners are trapped, they are told by their bosses we will knock three times on this drilled steel metal. Once we get a drill into the mine. You respond any way we can. We will make it completely quiet. We will hear even if it's 1900 feet down. They kept doing it. They've heard absolutely nothing.

So that leaves three likely options. One, these men are dead. Two, they're so seriously hurt, they can't respond in any way. Or the third option is that they're alive and well and in a different part of the mine. And that would be catastrophic because they're not looking in a different part of the mine.

Now we asked one of the chief rescuers if possibly our interpretation could be wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL GLASSON, ENGINEER: If they're alive and well and didn't respond, I'm not sure why they wouldn't respond, honestly. As I said, they're trained to respond to this type of signaling. And, you know, perhaps they're injured. Perhaps -- I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: And that's sad when you hear an expert. And that man's a real hard work and really wants to find his brethren, but he just doesn't know. And one thing to keep in mind, the obstacles are enormous because it's now been almost six complete days. And when you think of the publicized mining events in the past that were in the news so much like Sago, for example, it was very dramatic. One man was pulled out alive, but it was relative, compared to this -- short time. It was only 40 hours. And there was Quecreek in 2002 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. That was a dramatic, wonderful story. All nine men were pulled out of Quecreek. But that was only three days. It was the last time that someone's been in a mine this long and pulled out was 30 years ago in 1977. That was in the Porter Tunnel Mine in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. One man was pulled out after six days. And that was 30 years ago, Tony.

HARRIS: Gary, I don't know if you've seen these pictures. Maybe you have. We just obtained them just a short time ago. We've been able to give folks a look at that nine-inch drill hole. It just sort of illustrates some of what you're talking about -- the difficulty in this mission. You've got to hit a spot. And then you have to hope correct, Gary, that you've hit the right spot that you're in the area where the men actually are.

TUCHMAN: Well, it's not only that, Tony, but what's so hard about this process and what's so incredible, I mean, you see the mountain behind me.

HARRIS: Yes.

TUCHMAN: It's a huge, gigantic mountain. They had to build a whole street before they even started this process for this huge drilling contraption so it could go down the street. And then it's on an angle. And they have to be careful the drill itself doesn't tip over. And then they start the drilling process. So it is amazing engineering that they can even get this close. And they say they have gotten it close just within a few feet of where they want it to be.

HARRIS: It's amazing, but what a job still ahead. Gary Tuchman for us. Gary good to see you, thank you.

So what is it like to work in a coal mine? Jeff Goodell knows. He wrote the book "Big Coal, The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future". And he is with us tonight. Jeff, good to see you.

JEFF GOODELL, AUTHOR, "BIG COAL": Thanks for having me.

HARRIS: Hey, Jeff if you would, literally put us - well, figuratively, put us in that mine and tell us what these trapped coal miners are being asked to survive in terms of conditions?

GOODELL: Well, I mean, these guy are really tough guys. They're used to working underground. They're used to working in the darkness, but this kind of entrapment like this is something that they, you know, is their sort of nightmare come to life.

They're now underground in total darkness. Not the darkness that you and I think of when the lights go out, but when you're in a coal mine and you know, you can put your hand in front of your face literally and feel your nose and not be able to see your fingers. I mean, it's absolute darkness.

It's cold. It's disorienting. We know from today's press conference that there seems to be some potable water in there, so maybe that's not an issue.

But the main thing is the psychological trauma, too, of just this disorientation and losing track of time. And you know, the miners that I've talked to who've been trapped underground, they talk about surreal experiences, and seeing the moon rise, and seeing the towns that they grew up in, and all kinds of psychological tricks that this kind of waiting...

HARRIS: You're describing hallucinations.

GOODELL: Right, right. So I mean, the psychological toll is in certain ways is difficult to handle as the physical part of it.

HARRIS: So -- and I don't want to be dire here, but if you could, describe for me -- I want to try to look at this from a different perspective. Describe for me the scenario by which these men actually survive this. What set of circumstances have to come together for these men to survive this?

GOODELL: Well, you know, it's very difficult. But you know, we learned today that there is this - you know, this cavity near the back of the mine near where the men are. We know that they are blowing air down into the mine. And it's possible that there is some natural ventilation that some air is getting into the region where these miners are, even though the oxygen levels that they've been sampling are low. There is a possibility of that.

You know, it's possible that they could wait this out until this horizontal tunnel...

HARRIS: Yes.

GOODELL: ...that they are going in gets there. But you know, it's really tough to put together.

HARRIS: Hey, Jeff, this industry, is it safe enough? Should it be safer?

GOODELL: Yes, it should be safer. I mean, you know, you know, this is an industry, you know, their safety record has improved in certain ways, but it's these underground mines that are really the dangerous mines. And you know, the coal industry has a sort of sad history of fighting a lot of safety legislation and improvements. And you know, they will push forward after an accident. But whenever you -- they try to get too aggressive with mining reforms...

HARRIS: Yes.

GOODELL: ...they fight it. And they're very politically powerful.

HARRIS: How much injury, how much death has this injury -- has this industry sort of factored in to let's call it the cost of doing business essentially saying to America, get over it? These are the costs for the electricity that you enjoy.

GOODELL: Well, I mean, I don't know how you can calculate what they've factored in. But you know, underground coal mining isn't just a dangerous job, but it could be made much safer. I mean, one simple example is the fact that, you know, I consider my computer at home and watch live pictures from Mars. And they cannot figure out a way to communicate with these miners. They cannot figure out a two-way communication device. I mean, technologically speaking, all of the progress in mining has gone into production, making it more productive and therefore, make more money. And very little technological progress has gone into making it safer for the miners.

HARRIS: Jeff Goodell, thanks for your time tonight. We appreciate it.

GOODELL: Thank you.

HARRIS: And coming up, we all want to know - well we do know just how dangerous this work is. But guess what? There are jobs out there even riskier. We'll tell you about them.

Also, a kids' backpack that could stop a bullet? Is it a cool invention or a really sad commentary on our schools? We will let you decide.

And later -- a Republican presidential candidate born to be wild? We will rock out, ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK, as you know, we get pictures into the CNN Newsroom from all over the world. I want to show you some of the hottest clips we found today. Take a look at this. Have we come to this? Maybe we should go to metal detectors in the schools. Well, this is what a company in Boston is working on right now. This is a Kevlar backpack. Are you ready for this? We certainly know what it's in response to. Let's listen to the owner of this company describe this backpack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they kid has a backpack next to him, or under their desk, they could pick it up. It's got this straps, act as a handle that becomes a shield.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK, what can I say? It is clearly a sign of the times. Let's roll the pictures from Kashmir, India right now. And take a look at this. Guys, take these pictures full. It's absolutely incredible. This is the scene at an Army depot. Ammunition depot in Kashmir. Look at the fireworks here. In fact, three people were killed in all of this. Look at this. Look at this, the fire, the explosions. More than 10,000 people were evacuated. The story is that perhaps some militant groups are responsible for this. But quite a scene, quite a light show there in Kashmir, India.

And OK, well you go to a bachelor party, fellas, you expect some fireworks, but what you don't expect is what happened here in Gaza City. Take a look at this scene. What you have here are Hamas gunmen rolling up on the bachelor party, looking for Fatah members, roping up with guns blazing. A number of people arrested here. Just gives you an indication of how difficult things are there in the Palestinian territories. A number of people arrested. No word on what became of the hired entertainment.

Just minutes away, dogbone politics. Iowa casts ballots for Republicans. We will tell you who won the straw poll. And one candidate pulls out his chops on the GOP monsters of rock tour. We're right back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And our top story tonight - the desperate and ongoing rescue effort at that collapsed Utah mine, where six miners are still trapped right now. Tonight, we're getting some new pictures of the scene.

Take a look at this. These are pictures obtained from the Emery County Sheriffs Department. That is the actual drill rig itself. And at the center there, you can see the effort. That is the actual location where they're drilling this. This is that nine inch bore hole that has gone down about as far as it can. It is found that little void, that cavity where they believe the miners are inside that bore hole.

What the authorities did is they dropped this camera right here, down into that nine inch bore hole. And what they were able to see from the vertical lens, the vertical lens actually returned some pictures of the roof line. The horizontal lens is the lens they had some problems with. So they're trying to clear that and send it back down. Perhaps they'll just need a whole new camera. We'll follow that.

And all of us are keeping an eye on the Utah mine story. We have become very familiar with the face and the voice of Bob Murray. He is the man in charge. And through it all, we have seen Murray's state of mind run the gamut, really, from fatherly and optimistic, to frustrated and eventually exhausted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB MURRAY, PRES. CEO/MURRAY ENERGY CORP.: We will be here on our feet until we get these men out one way or the other. But I've got to tell you it could be two or three days.

If the miners survive the concussion of the earthquake, and the shocks in the mine and the damage to the mine, we'll rescue them alive.

It seems to be that the media is more concerned about trying to place blame than they are in the families and in the actual rescue effort underground.

The second thing I want you to know is look at the amount of ventilation going through here. Huge amount of ventilation over top of this. That's encouraging for the miners. I won't say I'm cautiously optimistic. I will say that I'm optimistic. In going underground, there is good ventilation where the recovery efforts are going on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And finally here for you, sir, what was the last time you slept?

MURRAY: I've had - I don't know. I got confused a little bit ago as to what day it was. And I have no idea how much I slept. Very little. I thought it was Friday and somebody told me no, it's Saturday. Don't worry about that. I'm going to be on this mountain until these people are out of that mine. And my health or my amount of rest is not important, sir. I'll be here until they come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Bob Murray.

One of the trapped miners apparently had a foreboding something like this would happen that he wasn't the only one. CNN's Ted Rowlands is in Utah with that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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.

This 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 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.

Why this miner would have been nervous going into that particular section?

MURRAY: No, I have no idea. I've 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 seen that, said that to me, I would say yes, I was told that.

No, no, no, think 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: You're getting that from the community is coming from other mines, because they don't operate that way.

PAUL RIDDLE, FMR. 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 that 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 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 VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Coal mining can be risky. We know that, but it is not the riskiest job in America. Josh Levs joins us now. Well, Josh, if it's not the riskiest after this week, it feels like it had better be in the top five.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and actually, that's about where it is. You know, I started thinking about that this week as a lot of people were, about how dangerous really coal mining is, and started to wonder what the riskiest, deadliest jobs are in America. And then just this week, on Thursday, the federal government came out with a brand new report. So we're going to show you the basic facts from that now. And you're going to find that some things in here may come as a surprise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS (voice-over): Incidents of recent days are a reminder that coal mining can be life risking work. Last year, 47 coal miners died in several incidents, 12 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 the not the highest. That grisly distinction goes to fishermen. We sometimes see them being rescued after ships capsized or sink. Out of every 100,000 people in the industry, 142 died last year.

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 ranchers, power line workers, people who work on roofs, and those who do a great deal of driving for a living.

Overall, preliminary figures show 5703 occupational deaths last year, that's down just barely from the year before, if the preliminary figures hold, 2006 would mark the lowest rate since the tabulation started in 1992.

Still, the Labor Department said 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The safety of your workplace, the ability to earn overtime, your ability to organize, it's all on the ballot November 2nd.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS: And now you're hearing from government officials at all levels, as well as unions and workers rights groups, all pushing for stricter laws and for the laws that already exist to be enforced in cases that they're not being enforced. And Tony, they're saying look at what's happened. This terrible situation in Utah is a reminder that there's really an immediacy to doing that.

HARRIS: Now it's on everyone's plate. Happens this way so often.

LEVS: That's right.

HARRIS: Josh, good to see you. Thank you.

LEVS: Thank you.

HARRIS: And we are turning to politics next. The vote is in from Iowa. It's early and it's straw, but these people had a good time. Who won? Results coming up. Also, Rudy Giuliani is on the trail, even if he is not getting on the (INAUDIBLE) he would like.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And once again, our top stories. Six miners now trapped six days in a central Utah coal mine. And we have some new pictures from the scene tonight form atop the mountain, where the drilling is going on. That is actually a picture there of the drill rig where the drilling is going on. These pictures courtesy of the Emery County Sheriff's Department.

Guys, let's see that next picture. This is the actual nine-inch bore hole. And this was the hole that was drilled down through that mountain to this void, where they believe the miners are trapped. And then we're going to show you this next picture. This is the picture of the actual camera that was sent down that nine-inch bore hole. And there were some problems with the horizontal lens, so they couldn't get much of a view from the horizontal lens. That is being fixed now. Now the question is when can they get that camera back down into that nine-inch bore hole?

Here's what else we know that is new. There is survivable space where the miners may be trapped. Rescuers were able to lower that camera that you just saw into that area today. And they were able to see a clear area and safe drinking water for the miners, but there is still sadly no sign the miners are alive. A two way mike isn't picking up anything at all.

Plus, there is growing concern about air quality down there. New samples indicate there may not be enough oxygen. And finally, the ceiling of the mine didn't collapse as first thought. Instead, the walls caved in.

Time now for what we call dogbone politics. Political news you can really kind of sink your teeth into. Today was straw poll day for Iowa Republicans. And the results came in just a short time ago. Delayed, can you believe this, because of what officials call a machine glitch. Yes, a machine glitch.

Mitt Romney out on top. He received about 32 percent of more than 14,000 votes cast. The result of months of campaigning and organizing in the state. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee gets a boost from today's event. He came in second with about 18 percent. Kansas Senator Sam Brownback was third with about 15 percent of the vote. Brownback and Huckabee took advantage of the fact that Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and would be candidate Fred Thompson all decided to skip today's events.

How about this? Mike Huckabee, born to be wild? He sure went the extra mile to draw supporters to the straw poll, that's for sure. He even strapped on his base guitar and entertain supporters with his band, Capital Offense. That's the former Arkansas governor in the black shirt and the dark shades.

Politics plus the Internet sometimes equal political embarrassment. Take this example. Rudy Giuliani's college aged daughter Caroline, she apparently identified herself as a Barack Obama supporter in her online facebook profile. Then reporters started calling. She has since removed her name from the Obama supporters' group. Rudy Giuliani had no comment. But in the past, he's asked reporters to respect his children's privacy.

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards is blasting a White House military adviser. The adviser said it makes sense to at least consider bringing back the draft. Edwards, of course, is a fierce opponent of the Iraq War. In his words, the comments illustrate, "the true danger of the administration's breathtaking failures in Iraq and around the world."

And finally, check this out. Let's see it. Oh, there you go. The former First Lady and current first mom, Barbara Bush, she is still down with the toys, all the kids are using these days. That's her using a scooter to maneuver around the Bush family compound in Maine. Nice!

So where is John McCain? I'll tell you where he wasn't. Iowa. Hey, who needs a straw poll when you've got friends, right? So who's throwing the underdog a bone? We will tell you. And Governor Mitt Romney is picking up girls along the campaign trail. All right. Calm down. I'll give you the details. You don't have to make up your own. But first, a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And welcome back, everyone. I'm Tony Harris in for Rick Sanchez. The results are in hot off the machines. The winner of the Iowa straw poll is Mitt Romney, but who's really surprised?

Also, six of the Democratic candidates answered some straightforward questions on gay rights. Plus, it looks like Senator John McCain picked up a new friend on the campaign trail. Huh? And so has Mitt Romney. Three of -- three of them, in fact.

So let's bring in the bloggers from the right, Mary Katharine Ham joins from townhall.com. And Morra Aarons from blogher.com. Good to see you both. Ladies, let's start with the straw poll. Why do even we care? We have enough time keeping track of the stuff we really need to follow, the forums, debates. And then we've got a straw poll, which is basically a personality contest here. Mary Catherine, why should we care what happened tonight there in Ames, Iowa?

MARY KATHARINE HAM, TOWNHALL.COM: Oh, we have to care.

HARRIS: OK.

HAM: We have to care in 2007. Don't you know? Things are starting much earlier, obviously.

HARRIS: Way too early it feels, don't you think?

HAM: It does feel that way sometimes, especially when you have to cover it every day like you and I do.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

HAM: So I feel you. I feel your pain. But Mitt proved he can win, albeit with the other frontrunners out of it.

HARRIS: Thank you. Nice qualifier. Yes.

HAM: And I think what's important tonight is Huckabee was a little bit of a surprise. The whisper had been that he had run a very effective but quiet campaign in Iowa. I think he's shown he can put a ground game together. And he's been really charming in the debates I think even to folks who don't necessarily agree...

HARRIS: Yes.

HAM: ...with all of his politics. So that's a plus for him.

HARRIS: So Morra, I'm not kidding you here. It's just a matter of how many people, how many people who like you, you can load into a bus and get them to the university. That's all it is, isn't it? MORRA AARONS, BLOGHER.COM: I think Romney spent about $5 million, or $1 million per son that he has...

HARRIS: Yes.

AARONS: ...to win the straw poll today. So talk about retail politics. You know, to me from the left, the Iowa results are just really stunning. You know, Romney bought it. And then you have a guy like Tancredo coming in third or fourth. Is he really representative of the American people? Huckabee, who doesn't even believe in evolution. So from my perspective, who cares? I'm sure it was fun to be there. I'm sure the popcorn was great.

HARRIS: Mary Katherine, you won't allow her to get away with that dig, are you?

HAM: Well, I think what is important about it, regardless of how you feel about the politics, is that the people of Iowa are going to care who's spending time in that state, although I will say I think Tommy Thompson spent a lot of time there and came in last. So he may be out of there after this. But the Iowa bump is going to come for guys who spent time there. So it's going to be important for Romney and Huckabee.

HARRIS: OK. Let's talk about the -- was it a debate or a forum? I guess it was more like a forum this week. You know, the obvious motive here was to gauge where the Democratic candidates are on issues that really are important to gays in America. Mary Katherine, what did you think of the event, the staging and how the Democratic contenders performed?

HAM: Well, I -- I think the Democrats are lucky that it wasn't more widely televised, because i thought they fell fairly flat. They were very hemming and hawing. I think, you know, Hillary recounted her flip flop on Petraeus' comments about homosexuality being immoral, which you know, was not a great moment for her. Bill Richardson was caught extremely flat footed when he was asked whether he thought homosexuality was a choice.

HARRIS: Yes.

HAM: And John Edwards I think sold out his faith at one point, which he has used in the past to bolster his opposition to gay marriage.

HARRIS: So Mary Katherine, the question was how comfortable are you with gay people? How do you think the candidates did? Did they come off as being comfortable?

HAM: I think they came off as walking that political line like all candidates do at this point.

HARRIS: Yes.

HAM: They're trying to tackle the left as much as possible, while still being able to cover the center when they need to go back. HARRIS: Morra, what do you think?

AARONS: No, I don't think that was the issue at all. I think that A, for me, I mean, let's look at it from a historical perspective.

HARRIS: Sure.

AARONS: The fact that we had this forum at all this early in the race was really great. I highly doubt the Republicans are going to have a similar one. I don't know if they are.

I thought that, you know, we've all heard that Richardson really flubbed.

HARRIS: Yes.

AARONS: And that's just a big loser for him. I thought the most interesting thing was when Melissa Etheridge pulled aside Hillary Clinton and said that she really felt that Hillary and Bill had let gays down. And again, it shows what Hillary's up against in this race, that she has such a historical background to contend with, so much baggage. She's not only carrying her record on gay rights, she's carrying Bill Clinton's. So that was an interesting moment.

HARRIS: Hey -- yes, go ahead.

HAM: I appreciated a tough question for Hillary on the don't ask, don't tell because that is something that like it or not, she was involved with, and has to answer to, to some extent. But I just thought overall they didn't come off that genuine.

HARRIS: You think...

HAM: I think it's very - it's a very tough issue for them.

HARRIS: Yes.

HAM: I'm very, very annoyed with Edwards, though, hemming and hawing on faith-based issues. You saw it during the YouTube debate when he was asked a question by a pastor. And you saw it again this week. He's got to get his wording straight on that.

HARRIS: Well, ladies...

HAM: I couldn't agree with you more, Morra.

HARRIS: Ladies, we are flat out -- that was fun. Do you guys do this normally with Rick? Is this an every day segment, every weekend segment that you guys do? This is fun.

HAM: No. But I love hanging out with Morra, so...

AARONS: Absolutely. It's a great way to spend a Saturday night, let me tell you.

HARRIS: Ladies, good to see you. Thanks for your time this evening.

AARONS: Thank you very much.

HAM: Have a good one.

HARRIS: Well, we've been telling you about the mining disaster rescue effort in Utah, but what's happening with the bridge collapse recovery effort in Minneapolis? We'll give you an update. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: All right. You are looking now at a live picture of Los Angeles International Airport, where there is a major backup, about 2500 international passengers stranded for hours because of a computer shut down, a complete shut down.

Well, it has kept them from passing through customs. That particular computer system contains data on arriving passengers, including any arrest records. Customs officials are working to divert incoming flights to other airports. We will keep an eye on that situation.

Anger, outrage, disbelief. There were as many emotions as there were people today back to back funerals in Newark, New Jersey. Three college-aged friends shot execution-style in the school yard. Tonight, three suspects behind bars. And police are now looking for a fourth man, Rodolfo Godinez. They're calling Godinez a principle player in the case. The lone survivor of the execution-style shooting is helping police with their investigation.

To Minneapolis now and the site of that tragic bridge collapse. It is the last thing divers need as they search the dark and debris- filled water for five people still missing. Earlier, thunderstorms forced them to get back on land. For several hours, the storms brought up to three inches of rain and strong wind gusts. Now the divers are keeping an eye on the sky as they do their grim work.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: And still to come in the newsroom, she fights a villain she cannot see. And she is our CNN hero. You will meet her when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, tonight, CNN Hero is taking on one of the worst villains in all of history, a villain that's killed millions of people and orphaned countless children. It's called AIDS. We find tonight's CNN Hero in Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, you can just look at me.

NTHABELENG LEPHOTO: 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, it's babies come first. We have to give them medication,even if sometimes they have to cry. No, no, no.

But it's not just the medication. They start feeling loved. I have to go. 80 percent of the children we help are in the rural areas. We go to each individual household. We give them nutrition like foodstuffs, packages, and medication. We want to discuss their own problems where they feel free.

It's HIV/AIDS leaving in the children with mothers. 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 and more. If there's no touching tiny lives, honestly, all these children that we have helped would have died.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And if you would like to make a contribution to (INAUDIBLE) and her work or nominate someone you think deserves a CNN Hero award, you can find all the details at cnn.com/heroes.

And a reminder, you can get all the latest information in the ongoing Utah mine rescue effort at cnn.com. As you can see, it is front and center as the top story on the opening page.

And just ahead, we will have the very latest from the scene. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Once again, this is the drill rig. We're going to show you the second picture that we obtained from the Emery County Sheriff's Department. This is that nine inch bore hole. And one last picture, the camera. This is the picture of the picture of the camera that we hope is fixed now and on its way back down that bore hole.

Straight ahead, the Sago mine tragedy. CNN's special investigations unit looks at what really happened and if it could have been prevented. I'm Tony Harris in for Rick Sanchez. Thanks for joining me in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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