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Another Mineshaft Tragedy; Who Shall Replace Sen. Craig?; Clintons in New Hampshire

Aired September 02, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hurricane Felix takes it to the next level. Where is the Cat. 4 headed next?
Bill Clinton on the stump for the presidency this Labor Day weekend -- his wife's presidency, that is. We'll be live from New Hampshire.

And another mineshaft becomes the scene of heartbreak. This time for two girls in Arizona.

Good evening, everyone. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris in for Rick Sanchez. Two young girls, they are no longer missing in Arizona, but this is not a good news story. A 13-year-old and a 10-year-old took off last night on an ATV in northwest Arizona. They turned up today in a mineshaft.

The 13-year-old was found dead. The 10-year-old alive, but with serious injuries. She is at a hospital in Las Vegas right now. A lot of questions about what happened. The Mojave County Sheriff's office will hopefully have some answers this hour. They have scheduled a news conference any minute now. There you see the live shot. We will bring you those details as soon as that news conference begins.

But right now let's it turn our attention to Hurricane Felix. Beating the odds, forecasters who thought Category 3 was the strongest it would get thought wrong. Felix has already intensified into Category 4 status, meaning it is now considered a major hurricane and packing more of a ferocious punch than predicted.

No (INAUDIBLE) even telling that to folks in the storm's path. Felix swiped Aruba a few hours ago where people feel fortunate that Felix dropped a little more than just rain showers on the Dutch Caribbean island. Keep in mind though, Felix was a Category 2 storm at that point.

Well, you can always count on CNN's I-Reporters to catch the storm as it happens. CNN's Josh Levs keeping an eye on what's coming in. And, Josh, you have plenty to work through. Good to see you, my friend.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good to see you, too. Yes. We're hearing from a lot of people today, Tony, all over the place on there. You know, in Aruba, people have, you know, really quick access to CNN. We are getting swarmed with photos and videos from Aruba.

I want to carry you through some of these. Because this is really powerful stuff. It helps you understand what you're seeing. Now what you're looking at right there is a piece of video, and if you look very closely, there's someone who decided to go windsurfing today.

That was taken by Maki Wiggins. Now let me emphasize to you, we at CNN are not encouraging this. Never, ever a good idea in a situation like this. This is not what you want to do. However, when you see him there, you can tell the strength of the surge and the storm and how it's affecting people down there.

We've also -- it's kind of tough to watch some of those videos, I know, because it rocks you around a little bit. So I want you to take a look at some of these still pictures, if you can. Do we have these? It's an opportunity for you to see -- there you go, without getting dizzy, the effects of some of these storms right here. Take a look at what you've got there.

We've got some different I-Reporters sending us -- and we're going to show you two sets of photographs today. First of all, this is from when the storm is coming through. And you can see the kind of power that it's packing, the wind that it's bringing on. You can see the rain as it's coming in. It's all getting poured down on us.

And we want to thank a couple of people. Ken Gafner for sending us this, he's from Chicago. And he chose to go right now, unfortunately not a great time. So when you see this water coming in, keep in mind, this is a resort area. People are supposed to be hanging out on the beach. They're supposed to be hanging out at restaurants, doing the things people do when they go on vacation around Labor Day weekend.

Very different experience, what we're having here instead. One final set of pictures here from Vanessa Hollander. Because understand what's going on, you know, even after this happens, even after a storm starts to leave, you've still got the water that's left behind. So what our I-Reporters are telling us is it actually took several hours for the water to recede. And not that they could even go anywhere, some of them are saying they could effectively swim around the street.

And one more thing, Tony, and then back to you. I'll tell you, we're looking at what the tourism folks in Aruba are telling us. Hurricanes are very rare. Tropical storms are very rare. They don't get hit a lot. So that's the important of these pictures and these videos that you're seeing. You don't see this a lot in Aruba. People processing this, but saying, fortunately they knew it was coming. They were prepared -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, OK. So why don't we do this. If we've got an I- Report of folks doing something that we wouldn't encourage them to do, let's just not show it. Because you know there are copycats out there that will see that and say, hey, look, I mean, I can get on CNN. What do you think?

LEVS: Well, I'll just tell you, that's why, first of all, we don't really want to be showing his face or making a big deal of it. But the fact is, there are people out there taking chances like that. And it is legitimate for us to say it's not a good idea. And there are a lot of people who were excited in Aruba because they have still waters all year round. So it's very unusual to have something like this.

Some people who like surfing grab the opportunity, run and do it. This man was not alone. We are not encouraging it. And this is something we talked about. But yes, there you go, that's what happened.

HARRIS: Yes. OK. Let's not do that. OK. Beautiful. Josh, appreciate it. Thank you.

Topical Storm Henriette has moved out into the Pacific after dumping heavy rain across western Mexico and Acapulco. A teenager and her two brothers were killed when a landslide slammed into their house in a poor neighborhood of the resort city (INAUDIBLE). Let's get you to Jacqui Jeras now in our hurricane headquarters.

And, Jacqui, what are you starting with? You going to take a look at Felix right now?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. That's the most dominant storm, you know, and that's what's going to be threatening the most people. So you want to start there, because this hurricane has really ramped up today. Started out this morning when he was near the ABC Islands as a Category 2 storm with winds of 100 miles per hour. And look at this monster now, 140-mile-per-hour winds. That's a Category 4 storm. That's twice as fast as I drive my car on the interstate to and from work every day.

So that really packs a punch. And the eye is very well-defined. It's moving west-northwest at really a very good rate, 20 miles per hour. Most hurricanes only travel maybe about eight to 10 miles per hour. So it's kind of a fast mover. It's heading towards warmer waters. Warmer still, which means further intensification is very likely.

In fact, I wouldn't rule out the probability that this could become a Category 5 hurricane before all is said and done. Where is it headed? That's the big question. Well, we're looking at Central America on Tuesday. Potentially a landfall or a scrape here, official forecast brings it on up towards the north. And then we'll watch it head towards for the Yucatan, possibly Belize. We still can't rule out beyond that Texas. You're not off the hook just yet.

Not the most likely scenario, but down the line we've got a little change possibly with their high pressure system that could create a little weakness and bring it farther on up to the north. So next weekend, you know, late this coming week, something people really need to keep a watch on.

And as for Henriette -- or Henriette, it depends if you're French or not, right, Tony? We've been talking Henriette, Henriette, all week long. There you can see it down to -- up to a Category 1 hurricane possibly later on tonight or tomorrow.

HARRIS: OK. Jacqui, appreciate it. Thank you.

We want to take everyone out to Kingman, Arizona, right now. And let's get an update on the situation there. Two young girls missing since last night found today at the bottom of a mineshaft. You're listening to Captain Greg Smith, Mojave County Sheriff's Office.

CAPT. GREG SMITH, MOHAVE CO. SHERIFF'S OFFICE: ... sheriff's office received a report of two missing girls out in the Chloride area. They were Casie Hicks, age 10, and Rikki Howard, age 13. And these two sisters had gone riding with their father in the Chloride area. Their father was riding a dirt bike ahead of them. They were riding on a three-wheel ATV lagging along behind.

And continually their father would check on them and make sure they were still back there. And then ride on ahead and the girls would ride up and so on. Well, at one point he discovered that the girls weren't there anymore. And so he looked around the mountain for a couple hours. He could not find them. He thought that they had maybe gone off the mountain in a different direction.

At about 7:20 in the evening, the sheriff's office received a report of these missing girls. And we contacted our search and rescue people, our volunteer search groups and our search coordinators. And we conducted an all-night search out there.

About 6:20 this morning, one of my sheriff's office trackers was tracking the vehicle down this road. And the father of the girls was just ahead of him on this road. And suddenly the father called out, and received an answer from one of the girls from off the road.

Well, just off this road, concealed by a line of brush, is a mineshaft, a vertical mineshaft. It's about 120 feet deep. And it is right on the edge of this road. And when I say road, I mean basically a jeep track.

We immediately implemented -- or put into effect our rope rescue team. We have people that are trained to go into mines. We have people that are trained to rappel and do high-angle work.

One girl was responsive, and one girl was not. We couldn't get any response from the other. We rescued the 10-year-old girl, and she has significant injuries. We were able to send paramedics down to her, put her on a litter, and basically rope her out of that mine.

Significant injuries, she was packed by hand to the top of the mountain. And she was flown by Ranger to University Medical Center in Las Vegas. And she's in critical condition right now.

The other girl was found to be deceased at the scene in the mine. And her body was recovered from the mine and delivered to the medical examiner's office. As part of this response, we put the Maricopa County Rope Rescue Team and Mine Rescue people on standby, at one point they were headed up here, were able to finish this rescue with our resources. So it turns out we didn't need them.

All right. So are there any questions, ma'am? QUESTION: What were they doing there in the first place? I mean, camping, (OFF-MIKE)?

SMITH: Yes, ma'am, this family lives in Chloride, and they were having a holiday weekend jaunt riding the ATVs in the mountains there.

QUESTION: And is that a popular area to do that sort of thing?

SMITH: Yes, it is.

QUESTION: Is it Casie or Casey?

SMITH: I believe it's Casie. But I'm not sure, sir.

QUESTION: On the Associated Press wire, they quote the landlord, Seth Johnson (ph), landlord to the family. He says they're half sisters? Do you know if they're half sisters?

SMITH: I've been told they're sisters, but I don't know exactly what their relationship is. They've been described to me as two sisters and their father. But I'm not sure exactly what their relationship is.

QUESTION: And Casie is the one who survived, and Rikki is the one who died?

SMITH: That is correct.

QUESTION: Casie 10, Rikki 13?

SMITH: Casie 10, Rikki 13.

QUESTION: Was the mine in use or was it abandoned?

SMITH: I believe this mine was abandoned. There are a lot of abandoned mines, including vertical shaft mines in that area.

QUESTION: Was there anything covering the shaft or was it just exposed?

SMITH: Other than a light screen of brush which prevented our searchers from immediately seeing the mine there, they had actually been back and forth past us during the night. There were no barriers or markings or anything, or even a sign, which is not unusual there.

QUESTION: Any idea who owns the property or owns the mine?

SMITH: I do not know now who owns the mine. I can tell you that the state mine inspector's office has both -- been both involved and have gone to the scene to inspect it.

QUESTION: So there's a vertical shaft that went 120 feet down. Did it connect to anything at the bottom or was it just a dry hole, so to speak?

SMITH: It did not connect to anything at the bottom as described by me. They described it higher in the mine. There were horizontal, small shafts going off the side, but nothing that would have stopped the girls.

QUESTION: So the bottom of the shaft was 120 feet down?

SMITH: Yes.

QUESTION: Also reported by the A.P. wire was the fact that the ATV had fallen on top of one of the girls, is that right?

SMITH: I received a report that one of the girls was under the ATV, but I do not know which one.

QUESTION: The ATV has been recovered?

SMITH: The ATV has not been recovered.

QUESTION: It's still at the bottom.

SMITH: It's still at the bottom of the shaft.

QUESTION: How wide was the shaft?

SMITH: Sir, I don't know. I wasn't actually at the scene.

QUESTION: Oh, OK.

SMITH: Yes.

QUESTION: What's the exact location of that shaft, approximately?

SMITH: The exact location is about 10 miles north of Chloride. And it's on the west-facing slope of the mountains.

QUESTION: Seeing that there are a lot of these abandoned mine shafts around, should there have to be...

HARRIS: We'll keep these pictures up as we recap what has been, boy, a horrible story as shared by the captain of the Mojave County Sheriff's Office, Greg Smith. This was a family trip, a weekend trip, get-away, Labor Day weekend.

A father and his two daughters riding a dirt bike and an ATV through the mountains, the hills there in western Arizona. And then just a horrible set of circumstances. Dad turns around to identify the daughters, where are they? And they can't find them. And the next thing we have a search. We have an all-night search.

They are reported missing about 7:30 local time. A rope rescue team, a mine rescue team activated to ultimately affect this rescue attempt. And the dad leading the effort, calls out one of the girls' names, gets a response from Casie Hicks, his daughter, 10 years old.

That leads everyone to this location. And ultimately they find Rikki Howard, 13 years old, dead, one of the girls trapped under the ATV at the bottom of a mineshaft. Just a horrible story, 10-year-old Casie Hicks transported to a local hospital in Las Vegas where she is being treated right now with serious, serious injuries.

We will continue to follow the developments on this story and get more of the answers to a number of questions out there. Again, it was an abandoned mineshaft. I guess there are many in that area. We'll continue to follow this story.

But still to come in the NEWSROOM this evening, here's Bill Clinton, stumping for his wife, Hillary today, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Live pictures. Are these live pictures? We will take you there and talk to our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley in just a few moments. They are live pictures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELWOOD "BUNKY" BARTLETT, MEGA MILLIONS WINNER: So I'm standing there. And she starts calling off the numbers. And I'm like, yes? Yes? Yes! Yes! Oh, my God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Add those numbers up, and you get one lucky guy. One out of five, actually. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, it's one, two, three swings, you're out at the old brawl game. Angry Grasshoppers, irritated Intimidators turned the diamond into a boxing ring. The full story in about five minutes. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, a Maryland man has come forward saying he's one of four winners of last Friday's $330 million Mega Millions jackpot, $330 million?

LEVS: That's a lot of money.

HARRIS: Elwood "Bunky" Bartlett is an accountant and will have plenty of counting to do when he presents his ticket for confirmation on Tuesday. More from reporter Melinda Roeder of CNN affiliate WBFF in Baltimore.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELINDA ROEDER, WBFF REPORTER: It has been a busy day at Walters Liquors.

JOHN EBMEIER, LIQUOR STORE OWNER: They've been coming in all day.

ROEDER: Lotto players keep coming in to check their numbers since it was announced this is where one winning ticket for the Mega Millions jackpot was sold.

EBMEIER: I'm sure that, you know, the lottery would love for them to come forward.

ROEDER: John and Christine Ebmeier checked the surveillance camera at their store right away this morning, hoping to get a peek at the winner.

EBMEIER: We know what time it was sold. It was sold last night at 5:10.

ROEDER: They've narrowed it down to three possible customers, including Thomas Pasia (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd be speechless.

ROEDER: But a quick check shows it wasn't him after all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe next time.

ROEDER: So the buzz around the store was just starting to slow, when suddenly, Bunky Bartlett stopped by, the real winner.

BARTLETT: With my wife, yes, we're the winner.

ROEDER: The surprise of his life when he found out.

BARTLETT: So I'm standing there and she calls -- starts calling off the numbers. And I'm like, yes? Yes? Yes! Yes! Oh, my God!

ROEDER: There were screams and tears of joy.

BARTLETT: I did cry. A little. Some tears. Because it was good.

ROEDER: He immediately went out, bought a new car, started telling friends, and then came here to visit the employees at the store where his big fortune began.

EBMEIER: We're happy for them. We hope we're their new best friend.

ROEDER: Of course, Bunky will have plenty of friends now, about 83 million of them. That's how much he and his wife will claim after the $330 million jackpot is split.

BARTLETT: Yes, and I don't mind sharing it with three other people, not at all.

ROEDER: Now other people are playing here, too, hoping they might also get lucky at the local liquor store.

BARTLETT: Thank you. Have a nice night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: A lot of bones for Bunky. You know, none of the other winners has yet come forward. Other winning tickets were sold in New Jersey, Texas and Virginia. And news "Across America" right now where the great American pastime gets vicious. Thursday night's single-A ball game between Greensboro, the Grasshoppers there, and the Kannapolis Intimidators got ugly fast. We show this to you because we take this as a teaching moment.

Kids, don't let your emotions get to the point where this happens. Look, it's a little beanball that prompted both dugouts to clear. Fists fly. Separate fights all over the field. Before you know it, everybody's thrown out. Look at this. Ejected players brawling. So many people ejected, that the ump officially had to reinstate some of the players so they could actually finish the game.

Greensboro -- in case you're curious, Greensboro ultimately lost 4-3. It gets better. Safe at second. Two teams had a rematch, and there were more fights the next night.

In Ohio, a war reenactment goes horribly wrong, prompting organizers to think twice about future safety precautions. A participant was seriously burned yesterday after sparks from a musket gun he fired ignited his ammunition bag. Witnesses say the man tried shedding the fiery ammo pouch, but suffered significant burns to his face and body in doing so.

Minneapolis takes one step closer to normalcy. Transportation officials reopened the 10th Avenue Bridge Friday. The span is right next to the collapsed I-35W Bridge that killed 13 people last month. Officials trimmed the number of traffic lanes to accommodate for more pedestrians. Critics say it complicates an already congested traffic artery into the city.

How about this, a balloon festival in Canada started out just fine today and then ultimately, this is how it ended. One big dog, is that Clifford? That wasn't Clifford, It looks like Clifford. Yes. Became road kill here. And then another balloon got way too close to an apartment building. That one actually got back on track. No such luck for the big dog. The big dog. When its pilot experienced technical problems, he tried to land the balloon in the grass but it hit the highway instead. It took workers about 45 minutes to peel the pup off the pavement.

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is getting an earful these days from Great Britain, of all places. Find out why in just a few minutes.

Plus, look at these pictures. Riots in Denmark. The story behind these pictures ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So a backlash is growing in Britain over U.S. handling of the post-war strategy in Iraq. Today British troops began withdrawing from their remaining base in Basra. At the same time, British generals are stepping up their criticism of U.S. war policy. And they're drawing special aim at former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. CNN's Emily Chang reports from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY CHANG, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): For the second day in a row a top British general has attacked America's policy in Iraq, calling it "fatally flawed." Retired British Major General Tim Cross criticized former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in The Daily Mirror, saying: "We were all very concerned about the lack of detail that had gone into the postwar plan and there was no doubt that Rumsfeld was at the heart of that process."

Major General Cross is the most senior British officer involved in postwar planning. His comments followed similar remarks by retired British General Sir Mike Jackson, calling Rumsfeld's plan "intellectually bankrupt" in an interview with London's Daily Telegraph, and condemning U.S. strategy to "apply overwhelming force, win, and go."

GEN. MIKE JACKSON, BRITISH ARMY: Such an approach isn't really going to work in the very complex situations we have, such as the one we have in Iraq now.

CHANG: The Pentagon didn't want to comment on the remarks, but a U.S. admiral in Iraq seemed to take them in stride.

REAR ADM. MARK FOX, MULTINATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: First of all, there can be disagreements amongst professionals about certain ways of how you handle strategy and tactics and so forth. But I also would review a bit of the recent past of how we've gotten to where we are.

CHANG: The statements draw attention to the perceived tensions between the U.S. and the British command over strategy in Iraq. As far as the British government is concerned...

(on camera): ... the ministry of defense released just a short statement, saying the generals are "private individuals expressing private views, and we respect that, they are both entitled to their opinions."

(voice-over): The remarks come at a highly sensitive time as British troops prepare to handover control of Basra to the Iraqi army. And speculation swirls about if and when the British will pull out of Iraq for good.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised President George W. Bush the British will continue to fulfill their responsibilities in Iraq, and there is no timetable for withdrawal as the debate over Iraq policy continues.

Emily Chang, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Let's go global now with headlines from around the world. Fiery riots in Denmark. Hundreds of young protesters clashed with police on the streets of Copenhagen late yesterday. Dozen were arrested. Many of the protesters set fire to cars or smashed shop windows. The riots started after a demonstration commemorating a center for the city's anarchists. It was torn down earlier this year.

Lebanon's military has gotten the upper hand at a Palestinian refugee camp outside Tripoli. For months it has been the scene of gun battles between Lebanese forces and Islamic militants. Today 37 militants who were trying to flee the camp were reportedly killed. Government officials believe the militants have ties to al Qaeda.

Senator Larry Craig, the day after his big announcement. CNN's Kara Finnstrom has that story.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what everyone in Idaho wants to know is, who is going to fill the senator's shoes in the Senate? We'll have the latest from the governor coming up.

HARRIS: Thank you, Kara. See you in just a couple of minutes. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And here are the top stories right now. Tragedy in northwestern Arizona, a 13-year-old girl who disappeared Saturday while riding an all-terrain vehicle was found dead today inside a mine shaft. A 10-year-old girl riding with her was rescued, she is in the hospital with critical injuries.

Hurricane Felix, a Category 4 storm now, barreling through the Caribbean sea with winds nearing 140 miles an hour. Our I-Reporter Maki Wiggins took these pictures of daredevil windsurfers braving big waves as Felix passed by as Category 2 storm. Felix is expected to get stronger, and close in on Central America on Tuesday.

Hillary Clinton is the clear Democratic front-runner now, but will she be able to maintain that number one position as the election draws near? Live pictures now. And what role will Bill Clinton play in that effort? Reporting live from the Clinton rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, CNN senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley.

Candy, great to see you. You know, she is doing so well in the polling right now, you wonder if she even needs Bill Clinton right now or is this about something else? Is this about base-building? About energy?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. And it's about drawing crowds. I mean, this is a very big weekend for politicians today and tomorrow, and all next week. This is the sort of -- think of it as primetime. They really pick it up into better speed now in the coming months, because after all, January is when the voting starts.

So to bring him out today draws a big crowd. I talked to a couple of Republicans in this crowd who said they came to see him. So you know, he's a good crowd builder, he's a good energy coordinator. So he has been very good at bringing out these crowds. And that's important, because then, of course, they come and listen to her.

HARRIS: You know, that's interesting, Candy, because one wonders if she does run the risk of being overshadowed by the former president. He is still a pretty powerful political force.

CROWLEY: He absolutely is. And that's why they're walking this fine line. They're very aware that he is probably this generation's best politician. They understand that he tends to outshine everybody on the stage. So he has a very specific role. And in general -- although he deviated a bit from that tonight, in general his role is to get up and talk about her.

He brings, they think, to the stage an experience. They know he knows Hillary better than anybody else. He talks about her past experiences. So everything he does is sort of to shove the spotlight toward her. They don't bring him out that much. They obviously know that she needs to establish herself and believe that she has established herself as a good politician in her own right. He's kind of the gravy right now. He brings them in and makes it a more exciting event.

HARRIS: And you know, Candy, we know that he is doing -- the former president is doing a lot of important work around the world. But I do wonder what he gets out of an event like this, if anything.

CROWLEY: Well, I mean, what he hopes he'll get out of it is a wife in the White House. But, you know, this is generally, at this point, about her. Obviously he has his own deal that he does.

HARRIS: Sure.

CROWLEY: Obesity in children, AIDS, the fight against global AIDS. So he has that. And he indeed continues on with that most of the time. And it's only in sort of primetime that they bring him out. And this, of course, is one of those weekends.

HARRIS: Yes. Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, for us. Candy, great to see you. Thank you.

CROWLEY: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: The life and death of a long political career. What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday, who among you knew the name Larry Craig, the senior senator from Idaho? Well, sex and scandal, and the police, and gossip and rumors all collided and compelled Senator Craig to announce his departure from public service. The people of Idaho have had a day to digest these developments. Let's get to CNN's Kara Finnstrom in Boise.

Kara, good evening.

FINNSTROM: Good evening. Well, Senator Craig is someone who has been building his power, his influence, his relationships in Congress for more than 27 years. So the big question in Idaho now is, when he steps down, September 30th, as he says he intends to do, who's going to step into those shoes? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FINNSTROM (voice-over): The spotlight in Idaho now shifts from Senator Larry Craig to Idaho's governor, Butch Otter, a fellow Republican who must choose Craig's temporary replacement. He insists he hasn't given anyone the nod yet.

GOV. BUTCH OTTER (R), IDAHO: I've made no decision on that. And any report to the contrary is dead wrong. You guys have got bad information and you're spreading it around. It is dead wrong. I have made no decision.

FINNSTROM: Key Republicans say possible candidates include Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch, Representative Mike Simpson, and former Governor and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. The hope is, whoever gets the seat will have an edge of becoming the Republican candidate in 2008.

As for Craig's sudden fall from grace, top Senate Republican John Ensign now says it was Craig's guilty plea that caused the Republican leadership to call for his resignation.

SEN. JOHN ENSIGN (R), NEVADA: He had admitted guilt, guilt is something that I thought was not only embarrassing to himself and his family, but also to the whole United States Senate.

FINNSTROM: But at least on Republican senator, Arlen Specter, says Craig shouldn't give up his fight for his vindication.

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: He said he intends to resign. And if he could change the underlying sense of the case -- feel of the case, listen, you can go to court and you can withdraw a guilty plea. If that case goes to trial, and I've seen matters like this since my days as a prosecutor, he wouldn't be convicted of anything.

FINNSTROM: Craig has now hired the same high-profile attorney representing former NFL star quarterback Michael Vick. And Saturday, the senator told us he'll fight the accusations, in his words, "like hell."

But even if Craig were to win a legal victory, some Republicans say they can't imagine a political comeback.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FINNSTROM: And the latest information that we got today from the governor's aides is that he has no timetable for making a decision on this. In fact, they told us that he won't be speaking about it at all at least until Tuesday -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Kara Finnstrom for us. Kara, thank you.

Let's bring in the bloggers now. On the left, Morra Aarons from blogher.org.

MORRA AARONS, BLOGHER.ORG: Hey, Tony.

HARRIS: Good to see you. And on the right, townhall.com's Mary Katharine Ham.

MARY KATHARINE HAM: Hey, how are you?

HARRIS: Ah, you know, it's a good Sunday. Labor Day weekend, just laboring away here, just like you. Thank you for being here. All right.

Boy, Mary Katharine, I'm wondering here, did we get a resignation yesterday? I listened to Arlen Specter, and I'm not sure.

HAM: I think he's definitely resigning. The Arlen Specter thing I had not heard yet. It's...

HARRIS: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

HAM: ... a little out there. I think he's definitely resigning. As for what happens in '08 when the seat comes up for grabs again, I think, you know, the folks of Idaho who undoubtedly would rather their senator, you know, keep all this kind of stuff under wraps and keep it in his pants, are now...

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: Hey, hey, hey, hey.

HAM: Hold on. Are not...

AARONS: You said it.

HAM: Hold on. Are not going to switch to the party of Bill Clinton and the Kennedys, if that's what they're looking for. So, you know...

HARRIS: Wow, nice. It took a minute. You're right. We should have held up, very nice.

HAM: I mean, I think what we're dealing with here in '08 is Risch and a possible rematch with Risch and a local congressman who I believe only garnered 40 percent of the vote in '06 or the last time they met. So I think that this will probably remain in Republican hands, which is the bottom line.

HARRIS: Morra, hang on just a second. That was so nice. And I felt like I interrupted it and messed up her flow. So, Mary Katharine, give us that little zinger one more time without interruption this time?

(LAUGHTER)

HAM: Are you really going to let me say that?

HARRIS: Yes, I'm going to give it to you one more time. Do it one more time. Come on. Nice and clean this time, ready?

HAM: I think that the people of Idaho, if they're interested in a man who's not interested in infidelities are not going to switch to the party of Bill Clinton and the Kennedys.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: All right. Morra, you know...

HAM: I'm sorry, Morra. Morra, that was unfair.

AARONS: You know what, I think you're stuck in the family values of the '70s and '90s. You know, I mean, someone said, if you want a friend in Washington, you know, get a dog. And I think you see that with Craig in the past couple days. I mean, he has been in Washington for 30 years. People ran from him as quick as they could. And I just think it's really sad.

You know, I'm sorry that he had to live a lie, but he has kind of a hypocrite all these years. And his chickens came home to roost and he had no friends this weekend. They got him out of there quicker than you could say "closet."

HAM: Well, and he did shoot himself in the foot to some extent by pleading guilty. And that really made a huge difference, I think.

AARONS: And by not telling his party leadership until recently. I think that, you know, he didn't behave, he didn't follow the rules. They got him out of there, in a safe seat, no less.

HARRIS: Mary Katharine, do you want to see Senator Craig back in Washington, maybe just to say good-bye to the staff, maybe to make this resignation formal? Do you want the specter of all the cameras? And what do you think?

HAM: Well, I think as a guy who, like Morra said, who has been there for 30 years, he deserves the chance to come back and close the deal and say good-bye to folks. But as far as a political career, no, I think it's over.

HARRIS: So, Mary Katharine, what's the story? I missed this one about John Edwards and the hypocrisy here with an SUV. What, is he railing against SUVs and he is traveling around the country? What's this story here?

HAM: Yes. He is -- the man who owns two SUVs, at least two, is telling us that they should not drive SUVs. And, you know, as we say in North Carolina, which is where I'm from, that boy ain't right. He was born without a shame bone. And he really is just yucking it up out on the trail out there. And I don't think that plays well with people. It's liberal overreaching, especially when you can see the two SUVs in his driveway.

AARONS: Mary Katharine, with all due respect, I don't think you can call it liberal overreaching. You know, he buys carbon offsets. He was the first candidate actually to declare a carbon neutral campaign. And the fact that when he said, and the first candidate to do so, we may have to stop driving SUVs if we want to save our planet. Special interests said, oh, well, there goes Michigan. It just shows how toxic the system is.

HAM: Well, then he could stop driving his SUVs then. That would be the first step. I mean...

AARONS: Well...

(CROSSTALK)

AARONS: ... drive them very much.

HAM: ... buying carbon offsets if he's telling the rest of us to stop driving them.

HARRIS: All right. You know, well, let me jump in here and do one more quick one here before we run all out of time here. Morra, what do you think about Fred Thompson? He's going to -- he has announced, he is going to announce again. And then he's going to announce again.

AARONS: He's such a flirt.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: He's such a flirt. Hey, tell me this, though, I'm wondering, he's going to have maybe one, maybe two, maybe three big days. But how does he change the game?

AARONS: Well, you know, I think that Fred Thompson, let's talk about hypocrisy. He pretends like he's a Washington outsider, you know. And he has been a lobbyist for the better part of his life. He is going to come in. He is going to have a big splash. He is going to announce online. But he really could be the Wesley Clark of this cycle. You know, great presence, but another (INAUDIBLE) of saying that dog don't hunt. I just don't think there's much behind it.

HARRIS: Mary Katharine, what do you think of this? Has he made a bit of a joke of this process here?

HAM: Well, I think that he had a point in saying, OK, the campaign is starting earlier than it has in the past and there's no reason that I have to get in until later. But I think he kind of missed the enthusiasm boat a little bit. I was feeling it for him earlier. And I'm not so sure now. I think he needs to jump in and work really, really hard just to show that he's -- to upstand (ph) all the lazy rumors and to show that he's really serious about this, because people are wondering.

AARONS: I think we need another "Law & Order" spin-off...

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: You know what, just -- Morra Aarons, great to see you both. Mary Katharine Ham, great to see you. AARONS: Thanks, Tony.

HAM: Hey, thank you.

HARRIS: Thanks for your time. Good Labor Day weekend to you.

AARONS: You, too.

HAM: You, too.

HARRIS: And some pictures just in to the CNN NEWSROOM right now. We want to show you these new pictures of the scene there of that abandoned mine in western Arizona, the site of a horrible tragedy. Two young girls, Casie Hicks, 10, her sister, Rikki Howard, 13. Just riding along having a great time on this Labor Day holiday weekend with their dad. And boy, the blink of the eye, they're down an abandoned mineshaft, 10-year-old Casie in serious condition with serious injuries right now at a hospital in Las Vegas. And Rikki Howard, 13, pronounced dead at the scene.

An all-night search for the two young girls that started last evening. A rope rescue team called in by the Maricopa County authorities. A mine rescue team brought in as well. All activated the search for these young girls. But they found them after dad called out to the girls, and Casie responded. They identified the location of the girls, were able to extricate Casie without too much difficulty but found Rikki Howard, 13 years old, dead at the bottom of that abandoned mineshaft. Just a horrible story. We'll continue to follow the developments here.

And still to come in the NEWSROOM, a heat wave in California. Wildfires in Washington. The latest on the severe weather on the West Coast in just a couple of moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Out West, more wildfire troubles. Fire crews in eastern Washington State hope to have a blaze near Moses Lake contained later today. Flames have burned an estimated 3,500 acres in Grant County near Spokane. One small structure was burned. Roughly 60 residents evacuated from the town of Marlin earlier this weekend have been allowed back home. No injuries have been recorded. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

And hundreds of firefighters are battling a 125-acre blaze in California's San Bernardino National Forest. Flames and smoke closed down a nearby stretch of Highway 18. Dense undergrowth is fuelling the flames. Fire officials think a lightning strike yesterday started the trouble. So far, no homes are threatened.

First, days of deadly fires, and now this: unbelievable flooding in northern Greece. Torrential rains turned streets into fast-moving rivers. The current so strong, it pushed cars out into the sea. The area of Greece, at least this one in particular, was not affected by last week's devastating fires. But fires last year, burned away the vegetation and helped contribute to this dramatic flooding. Greece isn't the only place that is having problems with flooding, Jacqui Jeras following flooding problems here at home too.

Hey, Jacs (ph).

JERAS: Hey, Tony. Yes, unbelievable rain in parts of Georgia and South Carolina. We're talking more than a foot in 24 hours. Yes, that's Savannah, Georgia, right there. We'll tell you when things are going to dry up and have the rest of your holiday forecast coming up.

HARRIS: And hello, Bosnia! Oh, man, this is how folks there are trying to reshape their image. They kiss, we tell later in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Folks in southeastern Georgia are dealing with too much water. Flooded streets caused problems in Savannah, and surrounding towns this Labor Day weekend. Several drivers tried to -- no, no, don't do that -- tried to navigate some pretty deep water that came courtesy of a storm system that had stalled off the coast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Bosnia, best known for war, but not anymore. Take a look at this action. Pucker up. Hey, now, you're in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And finally, the weird, strange and bizarre. I don't know about that. In Bosnia, a mass smooch-in. Thousands gathered in Tuzla yesterday to try to break a Guinness world record. The mayor says people want to send a message of love in country know for so much hate. Hey, hey.

I'm Tony Harris. "Children of the Storm" starts right now. We will see you back here again at 10:00 Eastern time.

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