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Strain Grows for Miners' Families; Problems in Space; Two Dead After Missouri Church Shooting; Merv Griffin Dies

Aired August 12, 2007 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, astronauts get a closer look at a gash on the shuttle's belly. How bad is it? We'll find out in a moment.
Also, from talk shows to game shows, Merv Griffin did it all in Hollywood. He even wrote the "Jeopardy!" theme song. We'll remember the entertainer-turned-entrepreneur.

Plus safe sex for seniors? Some big cities, including New York, are spending big bucks to battle AIDS among the elderly. Hello everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Those stories and much more ahead here in the NEWSROOM.

The risky effort to reach those six trapped miners is moving at a painfully slow pace. Within the past hour, authorities told reporters they haven't seen or heard any sign of the miners, but will drill a third hole into the cavern. Standing by live with the latest from Huntington, Utah, CNN's Kara Finnstrom. Kara?

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka. Well it is day seven after the collapse of this mine. Still no sign of life from these miners. Rescuers not able to see or hear anything that suggests these miners might alive. But today they told us they're going to proceed with boring down this third hole down in there to try and make contact, to which Bob Murray, the head of this company, was asked, how plausible is it that they could still be alive? And here was his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB MURRAY, CEO, MURRAY ENERGY GROUP: This is a rescue mission, and we're proceeding as if the men are alive, and we will continue to do that until we have absolute proof as to their condition. They could very well be alive in there. I have been in there every other day myself. I have virtually lived at this coal mine for the week. I know what conditions they have, and it's very possible, sir, and a good question, but it's very possible, sir, that they are very much alive. There are many ways that they could still be alive, and that is, that is the absolute fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FINNSTROM: Now one of those scenarios they painted was if these miners got down there, they tried to get out all of the different exits, once the collapse took place and headed to an area where they felt there was better air and that's an area quite a bit of a ways about 1,100 to 1,200 feet from where they bore down the first two holes to try and make contact.

They tell us that this third hole will be bored down by possibly later on tonight, early tomorrow morning. They are progressing on that. Don't have any word for us yet. I'm sorry, the preparations to bore down the hole should be made by later on tonight, early tomorrow morning. But don't have any word on when the hole should actually be complete.

But Fredricka, we should mention that all of the air samples that we have gotten out of the mine so far and have gotten results back on have suggested that air in that cavity is only, the oxygen levels are only about 7 percent. That's not enough to survive on so that's one of the big questions here is what's the air quality in this other area.

WHITFIELD: Right, because optimal is 20 percent or better. Kara Finnstrom, thanks so much, from Huntington, Utah.

Well, for the six miners' families, the agonizing wait has lasted nearly a week now, and the strain appears to be growing. That part of the story, CNN's Ed Lavandera. Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well you know, family members have been coming here to this school for several times a day for the last week, getting the updates from the top of the mountain, as to how the rescue efforts and the recovery efforts continue to go 24 hours a day.

Family members returned here to this school and had a lengthy meeting with mine officials this morning, and saw parts of the video that were taken of the camera that was dropped into the cavity where they suspect the miners might be. They had a lot of questions, but again, there's nothing definitive, none of the answer to the ultimate question that they want to hear as to whether or not their loved ones are alive or if they are dead.

So that question continues to wear on them. Many family members keeping quiet, again, for another day. But we did hear briefly from the cousin of Manuel Sanchez, one of the trapped miners.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE SANDOVAL SANCHEZ, COUSIN OF TRAPPED MINER: Pretty much just about the hole they were drilling, just some camera difficulties, as far as the range they could look into the mine, but overall, just a slow process, but the families are hopeful and patient.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's some discussion yesterday that some of you guys were getting a little bit frustrated with the lack of news or no news on everybody's end, not anybody in particular, it's got to be a draining process seven days in.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, overall a slow process in general. Don't want to give specifics but slow process so it's definitely a time of grief and loss and ups and downs, but we're hanging in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: You know, one of the family members had come out yesterday and said that they were getting tired of hearing the same thing over and over, that everything was just a slow progress, and that things weren't moving as quickly as many people here would like to see it. So at this point, patience is the only option, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ed Lavandera, thank you so much there, from Huntington, Utah.

Meantime, there's some other problems, this time in space. Now the questions about the shuttle's safety in outer space. NASA taking a closer look today at the damage to protected tiles on Endeavor's belly. You're looking at pictures now of a live briefing taking place now from NASA. The shuttle's laser and high resolution video cameras scanned a three-inch gash.

If the damage is bad enough, it could mean a repair mission. NASA officials might be making some announcements during that live picture thaw just saw on exactly what will take place next. We're monitoring that press conference. When we get any information to glean, we will pass it on to you.

Hollywood, mourns the loss of a man who found as much success behind the scenes as he did in front of the camera. Merv Griffin's amazing resume included talk show host, game show creator, singer and real estate mogul. He died this morning at a Los Angeles hospital. The 82-year-old's family says he died from prostate cancer. CNN's Brooke Anderson looks back on griffin's legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a wide welcoming grin and a twinkle in his eye, Merv Griffin had an easy demeanor and a hearty laugh that was infectious. The epitome of versatility, Griffin was a singer.

MERV GRIFFIN, DECEASED ENTERTAINER: Thanks for the memories.

ANDERSON: Band leader, actor and media mogul, but he's probably best known as host of "The Merv Griffin Show."

GRIFFIN: If the talk shows were good at the time, they chronicled even better than the history books the times that we were living in.

ANDERSON: His talk show began in 1962, and ran for nearly a quarter of a century, during which time Griffin interviewed 25,000 guests.

GRIFFIN: There was only one person who ever intimidated me in 23 years of doing this show and that was Mrs. Rose Kennedy. You knew that she ruled the roost.

ANDERSON: In April 2006, Griffin's production company, Merv Griffin Entertainment, released a DVD set featuring his most memorable interviews, including Rose Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and a fresh face, Tom Cruise in 1983.

GRIFFIN: You seem a little shy about all that applause?

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: No.

ANDERSON: Griffin a native Californian, born in the San Francisco suburb of San Mateo on July 6th, 1925.

At 19, he began his singing career on the radio, working his way into nightclubs as a solo performer. In 1950, Griffin scored a hit with "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" which sold three million copies.

GRIFFIN: I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts.

ANDERSON: Merv Griffin became a household name in part because he created two of the most successful game shows in television syndication history, "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" and for writing their theme songs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is "Jeopardy!"

GRIFFIN: The "Jeopardy!" theme is amazing. I wrote it in about 15 minutes. Just sat down on the piano, wrote this simple little folk song.

ANDERSON: In 1986, Griffin sold "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel" to Columbia Pictures Television for $250 million. That same year, he was named the richest Hollywood performer in history on "Forbes" annual list of the 400 wealthiest people in America.

GRIFFIN: How are you doing?

ANDERSON: Griffin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996. He recovered and told CNN in early 2006 he felt great, and hadn't changed a thing.

GRIFFIN: I do everything that I'm not supposed to do, and I don't do it intentionally. I have just smoked all my life, and I still smoke. And I eat too much, and I don't exercise. I take a taxi to a taxi.

ANDERSON: Over the course of his career, Griffin received 17 Emmy awards and in 1994 was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, but Griffin measured success not by accolades but by his ability to make people laugh.

GRIFFIN: I just hope I entertain the most people, and they had fun with it and stuff, and my tombstone will read, "I will not be right back after this message."

ANDERSON: His sense of humor always intact, Merv Griffin was the consummate entertainer. Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE" is planned later on tonight. "Remembering Merv Griffin," airs at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

A top general dares mention the "D" word, and draws a quick White House response. We'll have much more on this latest draft headline straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, Hurricane Flossie swirls toward Hawaii. Jacqui Jeras is tracking the storm in the Weather Center.

And Virginia drivers are so not fine with new sky-high traffic fines. An update on the outrage is speeding your way. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WHITFIELD: This breaking story we're following out of Missouri. There's been a shooting at a church, the First Congregational Church in Neosho, Missouri, which is about 25 miles south of Joplin, Missouri. On the phone with us now Todd Higdon of the "Neosha Daily Hews." Todd, what do you know about the shooting taking place at this church?

TODD HIGDON, NEOSHA DAILY NEWS (on phone): What I know now is that shortly before 2:00, at the church -- they have a service from 1:00 to 3:00 on Sundays for my Micronesia people itself.

All I know is that there was a shooting. As far as any fatalities or what have you, that is still under determined. Press conference has been set up at 4:15 central time. About 17 witnesses from the church were taken to a local restaurant about 150 feet away. And I just now confirmed that there are two dead from the church itself.

WHITFIELD: So two deaths, you're hearing from sources there.

HIGDON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Two deaths at this congregational church in Neosho, Missouri. Is this a fairly remote, rural area outside of Joplin?

HIGDON: Joplin is 17 miles due north of us. Population in Neosho is about 10,000.

WHITFIELD: Tell me a little bit more about this church. You mentioned there was a service to begin at around 3:00, but it was just before 2:00 when this shooting actually took place?

HIGDON: No, actually from 1:00 to 3:00 on a Sunday, they open this church for the Micronesians who congregate and have church services itself. When I arrived on scene, it was about 2:15, 2:30, and like I said, at that time, I saw the police with their SWAT gear on, their bullet-proof vests and what have you. WHITFIELD: So these 17 witnesses have been taken to a location and we should talk a little bit more about what they saw. Are you getting any early indications of whether there was one gunman, more than one, and whether that person was a familiar face at that church at all?

HIGDON: That, I have not confirmed. The 17 people were taken out of the church to a local restaurant, about 150 feet away. At that time, two of them had gunshot wounds. I have a 40 to 45-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the head, and then I also have a 78-year-old woman with a gunshot to the left arm. Appears to be, how I understand it, is fine right now. There was no life-threatening itself. About 20 minutes ago, the witnesses were physically taken to the county sheriff's department to get statements and then they will be released.

WHITFIELD: This is a remarkable set of events taking place there in Neosho, Missouri, for those of you just now joining us. We're being joined right now by Todd Higdon of the "Neosho Daily News" just outside of Joplin, Missouri where his sources are telling him has been a shooting at the First Congregational Church in Neosho and two people, according to your sources - Todd, correct me if I got this wrong, two people are already reported dead and at least two others have been injured, they being among the 17 witnesses that are now all being questioned by police?

HIGDON: Yes, like I said, the witnesses have been taken to the noon county sheriff's department where they're giving the statements and so forth.

The owner of the restaurant down here, Suzie Hausmann (ph) actually opened her doors. She was doing the books for her restaurant, and she opened it up and had the witnesses come in, provided water, bandages, EMT was on-site, and of course, the fire department, sheriff's department, highway patrol and then of course the Neosho police department as well.

WHITFIELD: Horrible crime taking place there reportedly out of Neosho, Missouri. Todd Higdon of the "Neosho Daily News," thanks so much for your time and your information. Of course as we continue to keep tabs on this story, this reported shooting at a church there in Neosho, Missouri, we'll be able to bring that to you when we get any more information.

Meantime, let's talk about weather coming up. Big weather, big hurricane, named Flossie, heading toward Hawaii. Will the storm weaken as expected as it nears our 50th state? We're tracking the storm in our Severe Weather Center, also the hurricane center.

And looking back at a man who always looked forward, remembering T.V. visionary Merv Griffin, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Fredricka Whitfield.

WHITFIELD: U.S. troops overstretched and under stress, so is the answer bringing back the draft? President Bush's adviser on the war is not dismissing that possibility, but the White House has weighed in on the matter with a decidedly different tone. Joining us now from Washington, CNN's Kathleen Koch. Kathleen?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the subject of a draft, as you know, is simply nuclear and any time anyone touches it when a military or administration official confirms it's an option, it generates quite a swift response.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (voice-over): The comments that have sparked a furor came from Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, when asked by National Public Radio whether a return to the draft makes sense militarily.

DOUGLAS LUTE, LIEUTENANT GENERAL: I think it makes sense to certainly consider it and I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table. But ultimately this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another.

KOCH: The statement seemed a contradiction to long-standing administration policy on the draft.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Forget all this talk about a draft. We're not going to have a draft so long as I'm the president.

KOCH: Outraged democratic presidential candidates released statements condemning the general's remarks. "A draft is not the answer," said Hillary Clinton. John Edwards called the suggestion, "a profound measure of how much this president has failed our brave men and women in the military, and the American people."

White House spokesperson Dana Perino in a statement said, "The president believes in all-volunteer military serves the country well and there is no discussion of returning to a draft."

To congressmen who served in the Vietnam War when a draft was in place, maintain forcing people to serve in the military today is unnecessary, expensive, and hurts troop morale.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A draft means you're taking somebody who hasn't signed up to go and you're pushing a person who volunteered out of the way so you can put a draftee in his place. That doesn't make sense.

REP. JOE SESTAK (D-PA), ARMED SERVICES CMTE: I saw a draft and I saw a volunteer army. People who join because they want to be there really help us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: Pentagon insiders suggest that Lute's comments are less about renewing the draft and more about expressing the severe strain the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are placing on the U.S. military. Fredricka? WHITFIELD: So Kathleen, do you get the sense that the White House is really trying to re-assure Americans by its latest statements, even though their head honcho in military strategy would come out? It can't possibly be a slip of the tongue, can it?

KOCH: Well, it's unclear why he said what he said. Certainly he was asked directly about it, but the White House from time to time does have to come out on the issue and reassure the American public.

They did something similar in December, when the Selective Service was testing simply the mechanism for running the machinery for a draft if it ever were to be reinstated.

Everyone got in a tizzy then, will we have a draft. The White House said, no, no, no, no, just making sure, making sure the technology is in place and works. But this again is a nuclear subject, don't want to touch it.

WHITFIELD: It is that, capital "N." All right, Kathleen Koch, thanks so much, from Washington.

KOCH: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Well this one may be an eyebrow-raising subject, HIV the AARP set? Coming up on CNN, seniors, sexual risks and the effort to educate and protect them.

Also, NASA checks damage to the shuttle. Will astronauts endeavor some sky-high repairs? The answer straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

And readers now have a new way to get their favorite book without the wait. Richard Louis (ph) has more on the pioneering success.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD LOUIS (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A company called On Demand Books has created a machine that could make buying a book as easy as going to the ATM.

DANE NELLER, CEO, ON DEMAND BOOKS: The espresso book machine is an automatic book-making machine which can print, trim, and bind on demand and a point of sale, library-quality, perfect-bound paperback books within minutes for the cost of about a penny a page. So it's effectively an ATM for books.

LOUIS: Readers can select from over 200,000 out of copyright titles in almost any language. Software transmits a digital file of the book to the machine and in minutes, you have your selection hot off the presses.

NELLER: Book stores won't go away. People still want to go to a book store, they still want to browse a shelf, but it will allow a library to have a virtually infinite inventory. They don't need to stock. LOUIS: You can find the first espresso book machine at the New York Library. Neller hopes to continue placing the machines in libraries and expanding to coffee shops, hotels or wherever there is a reader.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Here's what's happening right now in Neosho, Missouri, about 25 miles outside of Joplin, Missouri. They're investigating a shooting at a church. Reportedly two people have died in this shooting taking place at the First Congregational Church there in Neosho. Apparently, at least 17 other witnesses, according to one of the reporters we spoke with, with "the Neosho Daily News," tells us 17 eyewitnesses are being questioned by police. It's unclear whether there was one gunman or more, and it's unclear whether that person or persons have been apprehended.

Meantime, on to Utah now and the ongoing efforts to reach those trapped miners. A third hole will be drilled into a Utah mine in an effort to locate those six trapped miners. Rescue officials are also trying to get more light into the area. Found yesterday through a second hole that officials call a quote, "survivable space." They're trying to reach that same location with the third hole now.

Hollywood is mourning the loss of veteran entertainer Merv Griffin. The TV talk show host and game show producer died this morning at a Los Angeles hospital. He had been battling prostate cancer. He was 82 years old. Talk show host and game show creator Merv Griffin died today, as I said, in a second -- in his second battle with prostate cancer.

Griffin did it all in showbiz, creating television shows. He was also a singer and an actor, and later he hosted "The Merv Griffin Show" for more than 20 years, and made a fortune with his game show creations -- "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" He even wrote the famous "Jeopardy!" theme song. He also went into hotel, casino and other real estate ventures.

Merv Griffin was a frequent guest on CNN's "Larry King Live" as well. Larry talked about his old friend in our last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST OF "LARRY KING LIVE": Merv was not only a great guest, he was a great friend, so you knew you could expect great stories, great sense of humor. A look back at show business history unparalleled, because he saw it from all angles. He was a man who sang with the Freddy Martin Orchestra, had a major hit record. Had a beautiful voice. When Barbara Streisand first heard him sing she couldn't believe what a great singer Merv Griffin was.

He was a fantastic mogul, a great hotel owner. He built -- Sean and my, my wife and I spent a great time at spa he owned in Palm Springs. He trumped Trump once in business dealings in Atlantic City. He -- in fact, everything he touched -- I don't know if Merv ever had a failure, per se.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Griffin was the man who set "Wheel of Fortune" into motion. In a statement, host Pat Sajak said, quote, "Like his family and so many of his close friends, I'm dealing with deep sadness and the realization that I will never hear that wonderful laugh of his again. He meant so much to my life and it's hard to imagine it without him." Those words from Pat Sajak.

A special edition of "Larry King Live" is in the works this evening. "Remembering Merv Griffin" begins at 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.

It has been a relatively quiet hurricane season so far. Hurricane Flossie just might be changing that. The Category 4 storm is churning toward the vicinity of Hawaii's big island. Right now it's about 750 miles southeast of Hilo. The storm is expected to weaken as it draws closer to Hawaii. That's good news, but surfers could see 8 to 12-foot waves by tomorrow or Tuesday.

And you know Hawaii. Boy, what a tempting combination. They're going to be out there -- Jacqui.

JACQUE JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know they will, absolutely. If you don't have extreme experience doing so, I don't suggest you try it this go-around.

It could be a very dangerous situation for the Hawaiian Islands. We'll have to wait and see how this bodes over the next couple of days. Right now we're expecting it will make a brush to the south of the islands, maybe about 100 miles away and it's a pretty small storm. It's compact. The tropical storm force winds extend 90 miles from the center of the storm. So we're looking ten miles difference and several days out. It's iffy. We might see watches posted by tomorrow morning.

Right now we're looking at the storm weakening a little bit. You can see on satellite imagery the eastern side of the storm looking down a touch. Maximum winds 135 miles an hour so it's packing a punch there as a Category 4 storm. And it's moving towards unfavorable wind conditions, a little bit of wind shear as we call it.

In addition to that, the waters are cooler that's why we're forecasting Flossie to weaken, but it may still stay at hurricane strength as it gets close to the islands. We'll be watching that very closely. You can see that cone of uncertainty, the islands are in it. We can't rule out a landfall at this time, but it looks like most likely scenario, brings it down to the south.

Now things are really heating up here, guys, in the tropics overall. We're getting towards that time of the year where we see a lot more activity so I expect to be a very busy person over the next two months and even in the week ahead we'll be busy at your hurricane headquarters. Right here off the African coast you can see a little wave has developed and we're expecting this will likely become a tropical depression or a tropical storm, even within the next 24 hours, it's a possibility. And some of the models are picking this up and strengthening it very significantly and it will be bringing it toward the Leeward Islands by the end of the week so be prepared. We may be looking at a hurricane here into the Caribbean, maybe into the Atlantic, maybe even into the gulf in the coming week ahead. So one weekend from now we'll be talking about that one a lot and if it gets a name it will be Dean.

Into the western Caribbean, an area of disturbed weather with an upper low across the southeastern Gulf. That could combine and develop into something but very slow to occur. So we'll wait and see what happens there, too.

As the tropics are heating up, the temperatures are not cooling down unfortunately. Still days ahead, Fredricka, of dealing with 100- plus heat across the nation mid section. Look at this, hey, for example, Atlanta...

WHITFIELD: Back to the double digits, yay.

JERAS: ... 95, a lot better than 100.

WHITFIELD: It's humid out there so it feels hotter, yeah. All right. Thanks.

But I like your the idea of you looking at the bright side.

JERAS: I'm trying.

WHITFIELD: Double digits, that's cool.

All right, thanks a lot Jacque.

JERAS: Sure.

WHITFIELD: We'll today seniors have a pretty active lifestyle in every sense of the word, they say, and they're at risk too for some unexpected STDs. We'll have that story coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: HIV-AIDS prevention for senior citizens. Not exactly the demographic group most of us associate with the disease. But as Allan Chernoff reports, that's exactly who is being targeted in a new campaign aimed at preventing the spread of the disease.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two slices a day. Very good bread.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Along with a nutritious lunch at a senior center in Flushing, New York, are free condoms. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I take it all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know you need it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not with me, baby.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?

CHERNOFF: Courtesy of city hall, official NYC subway logo condoms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look here on the logo. Is it limited to the city limits?

CHERNOFF: A joke to some but more than a laughing matter for women and men who are frisky well past their 50s.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they ask you to dance, they want to go to bed with you right away. So you got to be very careful, you know?

CHERNOFF: New York City is spending $1 million for seniors AIDS education this fiscal year, partly because drug cocktails mean those already infected are living longer and because drugs like Viagra increase sexual options for many seniors.

We are now at a point with 32 percent of those infected with HIV or AIDS are people over the age of 50 so we wanted to raise awareness among the senior population?

CHERNOFF: The educators are seniors who are HIV positive, like 66-year-old Myron Gold, a regular speaker at retirement centers.

MYRON GOLD, HIV-POSITIVE SENIOR CITIZEN: When I presented them with a bowl of condoms, they were grabbing the condoms and saying to me, it's not for me, it's for my son or grandson, but the director told me that they're having unprotected sex, the people in the 80s, men and women were having sex.

CHERNOFF: Gold and Brenda Lee Curry, who has had AIDS for eight years, says the message needs to be reinforced by physicians.

(on camera): When a senior goes to see their doctor, this is not really something that comes up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he's too embarrassed to ask it. This is like asking your mother or your Aunt Sarah," Ma, are you having sex?" No, he's not going to ask an older woman that, when he should.

CHERNOFF: The Centers for Disease Control says seniors aged over 65 accounted for just 2 percent of HIV diagnosis's in 2005, the latest year on record, but researchers say, as people with HIV age, sexually active seniors face a growing risk of infection.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Whoa, that's some pretty alarming stuff. But I know you've got more alarming stuff, too, in the "NEWSROOM" later on, Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Me? Fred, good to see you. Good to see you. We've got a situation here. We've got a Nissan is developing a new vehicle we need to get to young Hollywood as soon as possible. It's called the sober car -- sorry. The smart car, the sober car -- what happens is...

WHITFIELD: Limo, chauffer.

HARRIS: Here's what happens. It is computerized. And what happens is, if you've been drinking too much, it tells you, dude, hey, buddy, pull over, shut it down.

WHITFIELD: It shuts off?

HARRIS: Not yet. If you continue to drink, what happens is, the computer locks up the transmission, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Smart car.

HARRIS: That's coming. It's still in development. Due in a couple of years and rush order to Hollywood.

We were talking about this yesterday, Fred. We'll try to get to the bottom of what's happening with the mortgage markets now. If you need a home equity loan so you can maybe pay for your kids' college education, you want to start a new business...

WHITFIELD: Something tells me it's tough for two.

HARRIS: Why is it going to cost you with perfect credit so much more now to borrow money? We get to the bottom of it. That's coming up at 10:00 tonight.

Great interviews earlier today on Merv Griffin. It was -- and Mickey Rooney.

WHITFIELD: To hear Larry King and Mickey Rooney talk about their friend, Merv Griffin. Really was touching. And if you didn't know it before, how much Merv Griffin was been an influence on Hollywood and the television industry, you know it now, listening to good friends like that who help reflect and pass on the lesson that he was an incredible figure.

HARRIS: Yeah, so Steven Gugenberg (ph) tonight at 10:00, Robert Wagner on Merv Griffin tonight at 7:00, right here in the "NEWSROOM."

WHITFIELD: That's incredible. We look forward to all of that. Thanks a lot, Tony.

HARRIS: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: NASA is weighing the results of today's closer look at a gash in the space shuttle's heat shield. Is this deja vu? Engineers examined the images scanned by a laser and high-resolution video cameras using the shuttle's robotic arm, looking to see if a repair mission is needed.

Our space chief, Miles O'Brien, joins us with more on the findings.

I feel like with every shuttle launch, this is kind of the focus, whether there's damage to a tile.

MILES O'BRIEN, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Yeah, I guess, get used to it, Fredricka. Now that we've lived through "Columbia," and there are these inspections in orbit, there's always going to be damage of some kind to the heat shield. The question is, is it critical? Is it of great worry? We don't know yet but the first indications are that this is probably going to be okay.

Let's walk through it and back up just a little bit to Wednesday. We're talking about 58 seconds after launch. There you see that little spraying effect right in there. That's a piece of foam, maybe a little bit of ice in there, hitting the base of the space shuttle "Endeavour" as it was rocketing towards space.

Look at another view. This is from the solid rocket boosters, which now have cameras on them, another post-"Columbia" innovation. Look along this area here. NASA highlighted this chunk of foam as it made its way down, hit a strut, ricocheted and made its way onto the black tiles designed to protect the aluminum skin from temperatures approaching 2,300 degrees.

Let's go to Friday now, docking. There's another side on the other solid rocket booster. We go to Friday and show you the back flip, which is now a customary part of every shuttle mission to the space station, which gives the crew on board an opportunity to take some pictures and, as they took their pictures, hundreds of them, really, of the base, the belly of the space shuttle, they found a couple of areas of concern, there are a total of four chunks, divots, dings, whatever you want to call them.

Now, take a look at what the fruits of their labor today, which was the closer inspection, which was the result, which came out of those pictures. This is the big ding, and it is fairly deep. It does appear -- as you look down there, it does appear to go all the way down to the skin of the orbiter, potentially. And that could cause some concern, but they're going to do a series of tests now. They're going to first of all, mockup a similar ding on some tiles on the ground, put them in a blast furnace and use a computer simulation to test what happens as the heat of re-entry is exposed to that section.

One thing NASA will consider is the possibility of doing some repairs. There are three options for repairs. They can literally kind of paint that over with sort of a shoe polish-like material, which is black in color and heat-resistant and would protect that gashed area. They can fill it with sort of a high-tech Bondo, if you will, if that is required. And they actually have some plates they could bolt in place over it, but -- there you see them doing this kind of shoe polish effect, which could be ordered up potentially. But every time they consider that, you know, any time you put an astronaut near that sensitive heat shield you've got to consider the potential downside.

Take a look at this damage. This is not from this mission. This is STS-26 back in 1988, first flight after "Challenger." The reason I'm showing you this is, look at how extensive that damage is and you can see there how it clearly went all the way into the shuttle's skin. That was on the space shuttle "Discovery," just about the same place," Discovery" in that case came home fine.

Back in those days they didn't do inspections on orbit, they didn't know they had the gash until they landed. All of that will get factored in. And in the next 24 hours we'll know whether there will be an effort on the part of the astronauts and NASA to actually repair that gouge -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: And something tells me, if they are to go and repair that gouge, that's something that happens in a matter of minutes, does that take hours to do?

O'BRIEN: A lot of it is in the preparation. Any time do you a space walk it involves a fair amount of prep work. There are three additional space walks planned. They can modify the times on one of the space walks and provide a little time. I guess the trickiest part is getting the astronauts over there. They weren't planning on doing any work in that neck of the woods, so to speak. It will take a little bit of time but that's what these engineers sort of live for, to troubleshoot these things and figure out how to do it.

WHITFIELD: They're not in a rush up there. They're enjoying the time.

O'BRIEN: That's true. Look at the view. Wouldn't you like it?

WHITFIELD: Not bad. Sign me up. All right, Miles O'Brien, thanks so much.

O'BRIEN: You're welcome, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Virginia, you know it to be the place for lovers. It definitely isn't for speeders these days. Drivers in the commonwealth fuming over new sky-high traffic fines. They're feeling no love there. They want to slam the brakes on the whole thing. We'll have a live update straight ahead in the "NEWSROOM."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: And this just in to CNN. In Minneapolis, authorities recovered more human remains from the site of that massive bridge collapse. The painstaking search for victims goes on nearly two weeks after the collapse of the I-35W Bridge. Five people are still believed missing. The official death toll stands at eight.

Getting a traffic ticket in Virginia is so expensive, some drivers are revolting. Under a new state law, Virginia drivers pay more than out-of-state drivers who commit the same offenses. Some call the new law abusive, and there's a big push to repeal it.

CNN's Gary Nurenberg is live in Washington with details.

A lot of folks are outraged, huh?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It's true. As someone who runs into Virginia drivers every day, let me give you my word for this. This new law is making a lot of them angry, has a lot of them saying, this just isn't fair.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NUREMBERG (voice-over): Jessica Hodges is the proud mom of newborn Alexandra. Feeling labor pains Jessica decided thee she needed help fast.

JESSICA HODGES, TICKETED DRIVER: I started speeding and rushing to the hospital because I was -- didn't know if I was going to go into labor or not, and a cop pulled me over.

NURENBERG: Little Alexandra's college fund took a big hit before she was born.

HODGES: They gave me a fine plus civil penalties, $350 for the next three years.

NURENBERG: 1,000 bucks?

HODGES: Right.

NURENBERG: Doing 57 in a 35 mile-an-hour zone, Hodges was hit with Virginia's new abusive driving law, which imposes civil fees on top of traffic fines when the offenses are deemed egregious or drivers have too many points. But those fees only apply to Virginia drivers, not to out of state drivers.

UNIDENTIFIED VIRGINIAN: I don't think it's fair that the fines are so excessive for the Virginia drivers but not non-Virginia drivers for the same offense.

UNIDENTIFIED VIRGINIAN: That's probably unconstitutional in the end.

NURENBERG: The new law does face challenges in a variety of courts. But advocates want to crack down on abusive drivers.

DAVID ALBO, VIRGINIA STATE HOUSE: Nine thousand, six hundred, that's three times the number of soldiers, almost, who have died in Iraq died on Virginia roads in the last ten years.

NURENBERG: Nonetheless, more than 170,000 opponents have signed an on-line petition to dump the law.

(on camera): State legislators have heard the complaints and now say they will amend or repeal the law.

CHARLES COLGAN, VIRGINIA STATE SENATE: I think anyone who has paid this excessive fine should be reimbursed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NUREMBERG The two lower Virginia courts have ruled the law unconstitutional and it seems likely the state Supreme Court will make the final decision, unless, Fredricka, the legislature kills or rewrites the law first.

WHITFIELD: Ouch. Glad I don't live in Virginia now.

NURENBERG: Anymore.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, anymore. Gary Nuremberg, thanks so much.

Closing in on the one-week mark in Utah where rescuers fight the clock and the conditions to find six missing miners. We'll have an update straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, more information now on that shooting taking place at the First Congregational Church in Neosho, Missouri. We understand, through our sources, that there are three reported deaths and four, possibly as many as six people injured during the shooting taking place by midday at the First Congregational Church.

Todd Higden, with the "Neosho Daily News," joined us in the last hour to give us an idea about the church.

Now I understand, Todd, after this briefing there, we're learning this new information about more deaths than initially expected, three deaths now. Is that the same kind of information you're getting?

TODD HIGDEN, REPORTER, "NEOSHO DAILY NEWS": Yes, yes, ma'am. That is correct, three deaths.

WHITFIELD: And is the gunman in custody, is that correct?

HIGDEN: The gunman is in custody. He's down at the Noonan County Sheriff's Department, in Neosho, Missouri.

WHITFIELD: What's your understanding of the motive behind the shooting? Why did this happen?

HIGDEN: No description or motive has been found nor any charges. That will probably be taking place sometime tomorrow morning. As far as the ones wounded, four to six right now, but they think that others may have. If so, they may have ran off.

WHITFIELD: Okay, and earlier you told me this is a town, Neosho, is a town of about 10,000 people, many of whom represent the Micronesian community. Elaborate a little more on what that means.

HIGDEN: It's a population of 10,000. And as far as Micronesian it's a group itself. Neosho is pretty -- I guess you could say multicultured itself. As far as how many people were in the church, that is undetermined as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. So understandably, many people are pretty shaken up after this shooting taking place at a place there in Neosho, Missouri. Todd Higden, thanks so much, with the "Neosho Daily News."

So just to recap again, three reported deaths and at least four, possibly as many as six people injured in this church shooting in the middle of broad daylight.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks for being with me in the "NEWSROOM." Right now, time for "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT."

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