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Keeping Your Water Safe; Toxic Threat in Hungary; PA Family Convinced Coal Ash From FirstEnergy is Sickening Them; Did Obama Brush Off Steele?; Slain Army Ranger Returns Home; Chilean Rescue Tunnel Nears Miners; What's Trending in Entertainment

Aired October 07, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And here we go top of the hour, want to welcome the men and the women watching us on American Forces Network all around the world right now. I'm going to hit you fast this hour. See if you can keep up. Let's go.

A scare at the Philadelphia International Airport. Here is what we know right now. Police, they have evacuated 107 people on board that U.S. airways flight. It was bound for Bermuda. The problem, three people were loading baggage onto this plane. One of them didn't have an I.D. The other two workers noticed it, didn't recognize the guy. And when he was asked who he was, he just walked away. Listen to what the feds are now saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's nothing explosive, nothing hazardous. Nothing unusual has been found. All of the passengers that have either been interviewed or are in the process of being interviewed right now by all of the agencies involved.

But what we know right now is that this does not appear to be terrorism-related at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Police right now, they are still looking for the mystery man.

Next, Taliban militants target and kill U.S. soldiers, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai is calling them brothers and reportedly asking for peace. But his spokesman is denying that Karzai has even met face-to-face with these men -- Karzai leading this Afghan peace council, which is aimed at building a bridge and negotiating with the Taliban. Today, by the way, marks the first time this group is meeting.

And in case you are wondering, the difference between al Qaeda and the Taliban, one official tells CNN that al Qaeda wants to kill people. The Taliban wants to govern.

Next, the Obama administration did not tell the whole story about that oil spill in the Gulf. At least so says this independent panel investigating the government's response. Listen to this. According to this new report, the White House refused to publicize the worst-case scenarios of exactly how much of that oil was flowing out of there. In other words, officials led the public astray.

Listen to how the administration is responding to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No information was altered. No information was withheld. And nothing in the report had anything to do with the robust response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Robert Gibbs goes on to say the low estimates did not affect the administration's ability to stop the spill. The panel's final report is expected in January.

Next, here is some good news for you, encouraging new numbers on the economy, the government reporting that the number of people applying for first-time unemployment benefits dropped 11,000 from last week.

Folks, this is the lowest number we have seen in three months. Tomorrow, a huge day, because we find out how many people were hired in the work force for September.

Next, just into my desk, it is official. People in France will no longer be allowed to wear anything that covers their faces in public. That includes Muslim women who do wear those burqas. Top legal officials announcing their decision that the ban is legal.

Here is the debate. Now, one side is arguing that it protects women from being forced to wear these burqas. Critics say it violates religious freedoms. The ban is scheduled to go into effect next spring.

Next, did John Edwards funnel campaign cash to his mistress? A federal grand jury in North Carolina, they are working hard to figure that one out. Prosecutors issuing a new round of subpoenas in the investigation over how his campaign handled money in 2008. That, by the way -- as we remember, that's when Edwards was running for president.

His mistress, Rielle Hunter, worked as a videographer at the time. After denying everything, Edwards later admitted to the affair and to being the father of Hunter's child. Edwards' lawyers maintain he is innocent.

Next, history on the baseball diamond. This is just cool stuff. Five months here after Roy Halladay threw that rare no-hitter -- I think, it was a perfect game -- tweet me and correct me -- for the Philadelphia Phillies -- he does it again. I'm corrected already. It was a no-hitter -- this time, during a playoff game against the Cincinnati Reds. Take a look at the moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Halladay is one strike away. The 0-2, a bouncer, Ruiz, in time!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roy Halladay has thrown a no-hitter!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, this is the second time a pitcher has thrown a postseason no-hitter in the history of the majors. This was 104 pitches, 28 batters, 79 strikes, not a bad day at work.

Next, so, how do you upstage the cast at a Cirque show? Try popping the question. That is exactly what Army Sergeant Philip Clark did in Baltimore. He just got back from Iraq. There they go, the big hug. I'm guessing she said yes. At the end of this -- get on stage -- he got down on one knee, whipped out the bling. There it.

So, Sergeant Romeo, how did you come up with this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEANT PHILIP CLARK, U.S. ARMY: I really wanted to do something special, so I contacted their Web site and asked them if we could do this, and they were happily able to set this up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: When asked how a wedding could top that proposal, Sergeant Clark said he will find a way to get to the moon. Aww.

Next, finally, take a look at this scene in Oregon. So, what is that stuck in the tree?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIP POHL, OREGON RESIDENT: I thought it was a really big porcupine, and my wife stepped out on the deck and got a better look. That is a bear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That is a bear, indeed. Guess what? It is a big, whopping 300-pound bear. He climbed all the way up 60 feet into the tree in this guy's backyard.

The bear is so big, crews had to shoot it several times with tranquilizers. Don't worry. The big guy fell asleep. Firefighters lowered him down to safety, took many, many hours. And get this. This is the second time a bear has been removed from this neighborhood in the past week. Yikes.

Now, watch this. Trains knocked over, cars, RVs flipped around like toy blocks, and if you haven't heard what happened in Arizona, I want to introduce to you one of our iReporter who was in the thick of it. Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you see this, what goes through your mind?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fear. We drank that water. We weren't told it was bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: How much do you know, really, about the industrial goings-on in your own backyard? Is your water really safe? Carol Costello with the scary story we could all learn from in Pennsylvania.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Remember how we were talking about a couple tornadoes in Arizona? This was yesterday.

Well, the National Weather Service says that at least four tornadoes hit Arizona yesterday. Seven people were injured, more than 100 homes damaged. You can see roofs just blown away there. Hail of up to two inches in diameter was also reported in the area.

By the way, two of the tornado touched down -- two of these tornadoes, I should say, touched down in one single town, the town of Bellemont, where 50 to 100 power poles were snapped, and the train, something -- more than two dozen cars derailed.

A spokeswoman for the railway reports the tornado came through and actually hit the train, derailing those 28 cars. A track also damaged, we are told.

And Chad Myers joins me now to talk about this.

And I just cannot get over the fact that this one town got two tornadoes in one day.

(CROSSTALK)

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: One right after the other.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Yikes. What are the odds?

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: One was dark. Those are the most dangerous. When you don't have light, you can't see them.

BALDWIN: You can't see them coming.

MYERS: And then you hear something and you go, what is that? And that is why you need a NOAA weather radio, because the NOAA weather radio would have woken you up. You would be awake. If you hear that NOAA weather radio, it is a scary sound.

And yesterday we talked about the train, all the tracks, all the cars going one way.

BALDWIN: Right. And you were saying, it's too neat of a situation.

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: It looks a little too neat. If it was the tornado, maybe the other cars would have gone this way and the cars would have went this way.

Well, we heard from the train company, and said, wait a minute, see, because these things are buckled together like this --

BALDWIN: Oh, so they were attached.

MYERS: -- when one train goes, it pulls all the other cars with it. So that's why sometimes all the cars go in the same direction. How about that?

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Aha.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: We were a little suspect. It looked a little too neat, but there you go. They're all buckled together.

MYERS: Yes.

BALDWIN: Now, we have someone on the phone here who is a real estate agent in the area.

She took a couple of pictures here. Her name is Pamela Harris.

And she's good enough to share some of these pictures with us.

And, Pamela, we have got you on the phone here from Flagstaff, Arizona. As we look at some of your pictures, Pamela, I want you to explain where you were yesterday when these twisters ripped on through.

PAMELA HARRIS, RESIDENT OF FLAGSTAFF: Well, I live in Flagstaff, so, that's about 10 miles west of Bellemont.

So we were in Flagstaff when that happened, but we do have some rental property in the Bellemont area. Fortunately enough, it wasn't damaged too much. Some fences were ripped down there.

But it is interesting, because there's only a couple hundred homes in that subdivision and there's no other homes for 10, 15 miles from there. So for it to smack right down there, it is just kind of amazing to see those photos. And that picture up right now is of a boat there in the attic.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I was about to is a ask you about that, Pamela. I have heard that. That was pointed out to me. Once we sort of cycle through these, we will see it again. Is the attic and it's kind of the tail end of a boat, which just goes to show, Chad, how powerful the wind was.

MYERS: This is what they talk about when you drive a cornstalk through a pole. You see these things flying through. A board was stuck right in the ground. I didn't see that -- the boat. I didn't notice it.

BALDWIN: Well, wait for it. We are going to still keep rolling.

But, so, Pamela, you were in Flagstaff. That is 10 miles away. So you weren't actually in the thick of things, thank goodness for you. But what kind of damage? We are looking at the pictures here. What kind of damage did your rental get?

HARRIS: Well, we have got -- we have heard the fences are blown down there in the townhome subdivision. There are some townhomes and some houses. And the townhomes weren't hit too hard, but windows were broken on hundreds of the properties and some of the exterior siding has been blown down.

But the Red Cross has set up a shelter. And they have set up some materials, so residents can go down and get some plywood, so they can board up their windows and those types of things.

But there are a good number of homes that just weren't able to be inhabited after the storm yesterday.

BALDWIN: You mentioned the Red Cross. Let's swing around here, because we are actually, as we continue this conversation, we got a tweet from the Red Cross, if we can read this here in the studio.

They say, they're tweeting, "In Arizona, helping post-tornadoes, cleanup kits, water snacks, damage assessment ongoing."

So obviously, this kind of thing takes a little while to clean up, Chad.

MYERS: Yes.

HARRIS: yes. They are having volunteers meet down at the Flagstaff Middle School, and they're hoping that people will go down there and help out as much as they can.

MYERS: Ms. Harris, it seems like some of these houses are going to be total losses. Is that -- I mean, am I seeing -- is it just a picture or does it look some of these are just going to have to be torn down and basically just start all over?

BALDWIN: Good question. HARRIS: No, there are definitely a couple that got the brunt of the damage. There are one or two that basically took it down to the -- you know, down to the studs kind of thing.

And those are going to -- they might just be easier off just to level them. I think the majority of the homes that were really badly damaged are able to have a contractor go in and fix them up, but there are probably going to be a couple that aren't going to be salvageable.

BALDWIN: Pamela Harris, I thank you for calling in.

And, Chad, you know, you and I were talking yesterday. You don't often think about Arizona and tornadoes. Give me Kansas. Give me Oklahoma, but Arizona?

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: We are not going to put Arizona in Tornado Alley.

BALDWIN: Yes.

MYERS: We just can't. We can't do it.

But it has been a very stormy couple of weeks for the valley, down in Phoenix. I have friends in Scottsdale. They have just been pounded with rain. We saw some hail. We saw a reporter getting pounded by hail doing a live shot.

BALDWIN: With all the hail, he needed a helmet, yes, sir.

MYERS: Yes, exactly. So that is now all gone.

The threat of weather today is now Grand Junction, Colorado. It is out of Arizona.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: OK. Scary stuff yesterday and crazy pictures. Chad, thank you.

MYERS: Yes, it was. You're welcome.

BALDWIN: And, Pam Harris, thank you as well.

To another situation here. Have you seen this toxic mud now flowing into the Danube River? That is the new development today. It is in there. It is a disaster in Europe. We are going to talk about it ahead.

Also, Prince Harry no stranger to publicity, right, but what if the world turned on the TV one day to see him in captivity, a prisoner of war? It is the scenario is this provocative new documentary. We are going to tell you more here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: This is awful to look at, imagine being there. Three days ago in Hungary, an industrial accident sent this massive wave of caustic, poisonous mud into several towns, killing at least four people, some of whom were children.

Bad as that was, folks, this is getting worse. You see all the red stuff covering the ground there in Hungary? That is a toxic soup. This is full of heavy metals, chemicals that not only kills everything it touches, but it's now been detected in the Danube River and that, obviously, is very alarming to many nations where that river runs along.

Still, here what has happened is this. You see where the Danube runs north and south, it flows through a couple different countries before it reaches the Black Sea. So that is the situation in Hungary right now.

Toxic waste, though, a concern for a lot of us here in the United States, particularly if it is possibly seeping into water systems. I want you to watch this report, this is from CNN's Carol Costello, and she, in fact, met a family living in this industrial area with a long list of serious health problems and they are convinced they know why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marcy Hughes (ph) has lived in western Pennsylvania her whole life. It's gorgeous here -- rolling hills, lush farmland, and Little Blue Run, something proposed by Pennsylvania Power back in the '70s.

(on camera): What did they tell you in 1975?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, basically, they said they were going to have it where, you know, you could swim, you could you picnic, They even showed a sailboat.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Hughes said the utility company told neighbors it would dump coal ash, the waste left over from burning coal to make electricity, into a valley and then fill the valley with water. And it did, but sailboats? No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We thought you should see why for yourself. So when environmentalists offered us a ride, we took it.

(on camera): So we're on our way to Little Blue right now, it's about eight minutes away. Really I want to demonstrate to you how big this thing is.

(voice-over): It's nearly 1,000 acres and in some places it is 400 feet deep. Tons of coal ash and other waste is piped into Little Blue every year, it comes from the FirstEnergy Corporation, the utility company that now owns Little Blue.

The EPA says coal ash contains potential cancer-causing agents like arsenic, cadmium and lead. And now FirstEnergy wants to make Little Blue bigger to handle an increase in waste. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are killing nature, trees, wildlife and making human beings sick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are sick and people are dying.

COSTELLO: The EPA is now holding hearings across the country on coal ash impoundments like Little Blue. After the disastrous coal ash spill in Tennessee two years ago, the agency is considering whether to toughen regulations and classify coal ash as hazardous. Right now it's considered ordinary garbage.

For Hughes' daughter Tracey that is unbelievable. Tracey has suffered three types of cancer, the first at 18, the last seven years ago. She and her mother suspect Little Blue is to blame.

(on camera): I know that they want to expand again. So when you hear expansion, what goes through your mind?

TRACEY HEINLEIN, 3-TIME CANCER SUFFERER: Putting my house on the market, uprooting my family. Listening to my cardiologist who basically the first time we visited him, looked at my mom and I in the exam room after the exam was over and asked why do you still live there?

And why are you drinking the water?

COSTELLO (voice-over): The fear is that toxins from Little Blue are seeping into the ground water and possibly into neighbors' well water.

Barbara Reed (ph) fears that, too. Her son's fixer-upper is less than a mile from Little Blue. FirstEnergy tested Reed's well in 2009 and the results showed Reed's well water contained dangerous levels of arsenic.

(on camera): And when you see this, what goes through your mind?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fear. We've drank that water. We weren't told it was bad.

COSTELLO (voice-over): There is no proof that arsenic came from Little Blue, subsequent tests showed no arsenic, but once was enough for reed's son. His fixer-upper now silts abandoned.

CHARLES LASKY, VP OF FOSSIL OPS, FIRSTENERGY CORPORATION: We believe it is completely safe. We have not identified any well, drinking water well, that we have contaminated or contributed to.

COSTELLO: And FirstEnergy is right. There is no scientific test that shows anyone is getting sick from Little Blue.

(on camera): Why do you think they are standing up and saying these things then?

LASKY: I can't answer that. I think they have gotten some information that is not closely correlated, scientifically support. COSTELLO (voice-over): The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says its own tests show nothing harmful is leaking from the retention pond, but some neighbors are unconvinced.

HEINLEIN: This is going to sound surreal and maybe too Hollywoodish, but I would like to invite them to dinner, turn to on my tap and hand them a glass of water from my tap.

COSTELLO (on camera): And see if they drink?

HEINLEIN: And see if they would drink the water.

COSTELLO: When I say there is no scientific test showing elevated levels of arsenic in ground water, I want to clarify that is because no scientific tests have been done. But researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have begun testing residential wells in the area, but it will take some time before we see those results.

Carol Costello, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: We have some news today out of Chile. Trapped since August, freed maybe by this weekend, that could be a reality here for those 33 guys deep, deep underground at a mine in Chile. There has been some more dramatic progress in the race to set them free happening today. That is ahead.

Also, the closer we get to election day the faster and faster political developments come pouring in. We are going to be checking in again with "The Best Political Team in Television" for the latest news there. Don't move.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You keeping count with us? Twenty-six days until election day and CNN has your latest political news with all "The Best Political Team on Television." Mark Preston and I see Paul Steinhauser looking out of the corner of my eye.

I see both you guys hanging out together. How's it going? What do you have?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey , Brooke.

I got back with a from a meeting with David Plouffe, he the campaign manager for President Obama. He is doing a little senior advisory role over at the Democratic National Committee. He had a little briefing today with a few reporters, some of the high points of this meeting.

He really tried to dispel the myth that the upcoming midterms are going to be like 1994. He went on to say that at this point in the election in '94, voters had already made up their mind, plus Democrats weren't ready for it, they weren't expecting it. He also goes on to say, acknowledge that the election is not looking so well if it were to be held tomorrow, but he said that there is enough days right now ahead that Democrats are starting to begin some momentum, momentum that he thinks that Democrats can maintain control of the House and of the Senate -- Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Brooke, brand new stuff. In fact, you get it first, I haven't even finished writing it yet for the CNN Political Ticker.

I just confirmed the president, Barack Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden are heading to Delaware a week from tomorrow, that's next Friday. They're going to be teaming one with Chris Coons, he's the democratic Senate nominee in Delaware. They're going to help him raise some campaign cash. Remember, this is Joe Biden's old Senate seat, want to try to keep it in party hands. Steve Rusk, our coverage manager, he'll make sure we cover that event next Friday.

That is what I got. Mark, back to you.

PRESTON: Hey, let's try to talk a little bit more about politics very quickly here, Brooke.

Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, I had an opportunity to talk to him a couple weeks ago about politics, of course, and the midterm elections. But one of the things that I spoke to him about was his relationship or lack thereof with President Obama.

Now five years ago when Michael Steele was lieutenant governor of Maryland, he asked then-Senator Obama to meet, to come together. Maybe talk about their shared experiences about being African- Americans and achieving such high status, you know, given the fact that there isn't a whole lot of African-Americans that are in very high roles politically.

Well, he was rebuffed five years ago and he continues to be rebuffed. But he went on to tell me that he would still like to have this summit to sit down and try to talk about how they could come together and perhaps act as role models for future young black Americans.

So it was a really interesting interview. It's here on CNNPolitics.com. Again, it does have a political tone to it, but it would be interesting to see if these two gentlemen ever got together -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: That is interesting, Michael Steele and the president.

Thank you to both of you. And just let's reiterate what that URL is if you want more information, if you want to read Mark's write-up real quickly, just go to CNNPolitics.com.

We'll get another political update in the next hour. And also, they are hip, they are on Twitter, both maybe Paul, mark if they are on Twitter per se, but Political Ticker is on Twitter and you can just go to @PoliticalTicker for that. Meantime to Chile. The rescue hold that could free 33 trapped miners is now only about 300 feet away from these men. So timeline-wise, how soon can we expect them to start being pulled out? How long would that take? What do they have to go through? And what about those families waiting you and waiting for weeks for good news? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK. We are getting nearer and nearer to the point of asking, will this be the day? Will this be, you know, the day that one of those drills boring that rescue tunnel reaches those trapped miners, those 33 guys in Chile. Today, an official tells CNN the so- called Plan B drill is getting close - very close, we're hearing.

So let's now go live to Chile with CNN's Patrick Oppmann, who is there on the scene. And Patrick, this is a far cry from us hearing, you know, once upon a time that it would be until Christmas that they could get these guys out. What are you hearing today?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's just say, Brooke, that Christmas came early for these men. A matter of days, could be tomorrow, could be Saturday, that's the day that officials are saying there will be a breakthrough at this mine site here behind me after a long last, more than 60 days of eternal darkness. A drill bit will break through to these men.

Within two to 10 days after that really major event here, these men could be above ground. Eagerly awaited news, as you can imagine, for the families here, for the miners themselves, and for these rescue workers who've been toiling, frankly, tirelessly to - to get here. There've been a lot of ups and downs, but closer than ever before. Officials finally saying today that they know these men will be rescued and be rescued very soon, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Now, that is obviously huge news, not just for these men but their family members who've been in camp (INAUDIBLE) there where - where you are, waiting for them.

And one issue, though, Patrick, and let me just ask you flat out here, they were concerned that some of these guys wouldn't fit in that capsule, what they're calling the Phoenix, because it's just 21 inches around. So they've had to have a trainer on site helping these guys lose some lbs. Is that right?

OPPMANN: Absolutely. Talk about motivation to get on a diet. If you're too big, you just couldn't fit in.

That trainer tells me that all the men have lost enough weight, some of them, 20 to 30 pounds, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Wow.

OPPMANN: But it is something they had to do. They took it, obviously, very, very seriously. They've been working out every day. Also working out so they can go through that really kind of harrowing ride at the end. It's going to be tough on their bodies. They're going to be standing up. They could be going quite fast up through that whole. There're going to be some bumps along the way. So they've been working out to sort of condition themselves for that ride.

They've done it, and that trainer tells me, Brooke, that they are ready.

BALDWIN: Now, what about, though, beyond just fitting in this capsule? It will take a while to go through the earth and finally be, you know, be out and be freed. And I imagine, though, that for some people, they're pretty claustrophobic. Are they concerned at all about that?

OPPMANN: Oh, they are, and they're carefully evaluating each miner in the days ahead, and they're going to come up with a list. It - it's always been a somewhat hard thing to imagine, some men get to leave before others, but it's just the way it has to work.

These are very disciplined men, and they've decided that, at least initially, some of the men, it'll be easier to get them out, maybe don't have that claustrophobia issue, maybe a little more technically savvy. And the first cases will be so touch and go, so they're putting out with miners that they know really wouldn't have any issues. Then, some of the men did - maybe need a little more help, maybe need a little more time to get out.

But they - they're saying, Brooke, they will get all of these men out. And they've been in tight spaces now for over two months, and they're ready to get home.

BALDWIN: But then, Patrick - and this is what surprised me, they're not just going home, right? I mean, there are processes to be had once they're finally extracted out of this mine. They can't just go home to - to the wife and the kids?

OPPMANN: No. It - and it's interesting. Some of these men have already begun sending up - sending back up to the surface items they want to keep - keepsakes, little things that have helped them get through this experience.

When they finally get pulled out, there's a field hospital that's been built here behind me. Just in a matter of days they got a whole hospital, with 33 rooms, one for each of the miners. They'll be checked out here initially.

And then helicopters. They put three helicopter pads on these hills behind me. They'll ferry them to the - the nearest major hospital where they'll be checked in for about two or three days, regardless of the condition. They'll be checking out everything to make sure that these men are healthy.

You've got to think, too, Brooke, they haven't been exposed to greater society for over two months now, germs that kind of thing. The doctors are keeping a very close eye on them as well for posttraumatic stress. It's been a harrowing experience.

BALDWIN: It's been a harrowing experience, though, also there for the families, Patrick, and I'm sure you've been talking to them there at Camp Hope. How is their patience doing? I imagine it's very thin.

OPPMANN: Very, very thin. And I think the closer we get, the thinner it gets. They know it's coming soon.

But one thing to point out, the rescue's right around the corner, but it will also be the most dangerous part of this operation. Officials say that, you know, all these men that have been in the mines, they're safe. They're attempting something new here, something that's never been done before, pull these men out, one at a time, using a capsule. Frankly, somewhat untested.

And things could still go wrong here, Brooke. Everyone's keeping their fingers crossed for a safe rescue.

BALDWIN: Frightening. Of course we all hope that it will all go without a hitch.

Patrick Oppmann, I know you'll be there. Goodness. Thank you. Thank you, Patrick.

Meantime, while American Amanda Knox sits in an Italian prison, Hollywood has been busy working on a movie about the murder that put her there. That story is next.

Also, the Royal Family is fuming over this TV show that's asking this question. Here it is - "What would happen if the Taliban kidnapped Prince Harry?"

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: And now, time to find out what's trending this hour. The other Brooke of the network, the lovely Brooke Anderson, with "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is joining me now from Hollywood. Brooke, it is wonderful seeing you. Let's keep -

BROOKE ANDERSON, ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ON HLN: Likewise.

BALDWIN: -- keep the trending alive here.

And this first story, I - I was reading all about it this morning. You know, it's fascinating. But Marilyn Monroe, you're - we're finally seeing in this new book what she was writing about. I mean, poetry -

ANDERSON: Yes -

BALDWIN: -- diaries.

ANDERSON: Exactly. And, you know, Marilyn Monroe has always been a mystery, really, no matter what we have learned about her over the years. But now, yes. Nearly 50 years after her death, we're getting a look at some of Monroe's never before seen private journals.

Think diary entries. Think poems. They're part of a book titled "Fragments, Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters." That's going to hit stores around the world next week. And "Vanity Fair" magazine is analyzing excerpts for their November issue.

Some of her most haunting writings, to me, were when she analyzed her dreams, which really sounded more like nightmares. And one, she dream that her acting coach was a surgeon who cut her open and who found nothing on the inside. Quote, "There was absolutely nothing, devoid of every human living feeling thing. The only thing that came out was so finely cut sawdust, like out of a Raggedy Ann doll, existing of complete emptiness." She writes that Arthur is disappointed, let down - referring, of course, to her third husband.

So, Brooke, she chronicled a lot of sadness, a lot of unhappiness. It's pretty depressing, but a lot of people are fascinated by everything Marilyn Monroe, so that issue of "Vanity Fair" is on newsstands today.

BALDWIN: Yes. That's what I got it from, "Vanity Fair." It's a side of Marilyn Monroe, you know, we don't often talk about or hear about.

Trending blaze (ph) number two, Amanda Knox. We know her story and, of course, Hollywood all over it.

ANDERSON: That's right. You knew this one was made for TV, Brooke. It's the story that transfixed the nation for months - years, really, and is reportedly becoming a television movie.

It centers around Amanda Knox. Of course, she is the American student who was studying abroad in Italy. She was sentenced to 26 years in an Italian prison after she and her Italian boyfriend were both convicted of murdering her British roommate.

Well, "Variety", an entertainment industry trade magazine, reports that the movie is going to follow the event surrounding that - that headline-grabbing trial. "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere - she's a great actress. She is set for the title role, and Brooke, it's set for "Lifetime" - "The Lifetime Network" some time next year.

By the way, these guys have always maintained they are innocent. So appeals will be heard.

BALDWIN: Right. Very much so. Still ongoing.

Also ongoing in the U.K., the Royals are fuming because of this - what is it, a TV show? What is it, Brooke?

ANDERSON: Well, it's a British TV drama -

BALDWIN: OK.

ANDERSON: -- that is depicting what would happen if Prince Harry were kidnapped if he served again in Afghanistan. Now - now, Britain's Channel 4 website categorizes this thing as a documentary, though it's more like a mock documentary since it's all hypothetical. The network describes it as a film that raises questions about the far-reaching ramifications should Prince Harry be granted his wish to return to Afghanistan and be captured, taken hostage by the Taliban.

We know that Prince Harry served in 2007, a brief stint, and has said that he would like to serve again.

There's outrage over this, Brooke, with questions about whether this would give the Taliban ideas, whether this compromises Prince Harry's safety. But Channel 4 is reportedly standing by the drama.

It is scheduled to air October 21st.

BALDWIN: October 21st. And any idea, Brooke, what people in the U.K. are saying? I mean, they love the Royal Family. They follow them very closely. Are - are those in Britain furious as well?

ANDERSON: Well, love is putting it lightly. I think they revere this Royal Family -

BALDWIN: Yes.

ANDERSON: -- and a lot of the British tabloids are - are expressing outrage that - that Channel 4 is doing something like this and they would never want to put Prince Harry in danger.

But, reportedly, Channel 4 has said the people in charge of this documentary, the programmers, have said that, hey, it's not any ideas that the Taliban has not already had.

BALDWIN: OK.

Brooke Anderson with trending. Good to see you. Thank you.

ANDERSON: Good to see you, too. Thanks.

BALDWIN: Incumbents in trouble. It's a story we have heard throughout the primary season in several races, but could it be true in a high-profile Pennsylvania race?

I'm going to talk to Wolf Blitzer about that in just a couple of minutes. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I appreciate you tweeting me, getting a bunch of tweets on the situation in Chile, including from Conan O'Brien. Take a look at Conan's tweet. I'm having a little fun here. "The Chilean miners could be released this weekend, just in time to see Michael Bolton sing on 'Dancing with the Stars.'"

Guys, what's an extra day? Ha, ha. Got a tweet here, I was saying, gosh, would be claustrophobic. So, Jill tweeted me back, "Me, too, I believe that is why they sedate them. Would there be any more reason to?"

They are sedating them. You're right, Jill.

Conrad, "If you are a miner, I should think you are not as claustrophobic as some people." Yes, I think so.

Do we have anymore? We will leave it at that.

Coming up next here, Wolf Blitzer with the latest on Pennsylvania's Senate race, the one that has got a huge amount of attention from the White House. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Congressman Joe Sestak is in a very interesting battle right now. You see, he is running for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania and while the president and establishment Democrats are circling the wagons around Sestak right now, that wasn't always the case.

You see, Sestak broke ranks with party leaders to challenge and defeat Republican-turned-Democrat Senator Arlen Specter. Next hour, Sestak will be talking to our man, Wolf Blitzer, in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

And we have Wolf standing by in Washington.

But, first, Wolf, let's take a look together here at the CNN/"Time"/Opinion Research poll. So, right now, among likely voters, let's look at the numbers, Sestak is trailing just by a couple percentage points here his Republican opponent, Pat Toomey. He is five points behind in our most recent survey. You see 49 percent to 44 percent.

So, Wolf, Congressman Sestak, just goes to show because you are an incumbent, does -- it's not necessarily a done deal?

WOLF BLITZER, "THE SITUATION ROOM" ANCHOR: Well, he is an incumbent congressman, and Toomey is former congressman. The incumbent still, at least as of right now, Arlen Specter, remains in the Senate but he's the lame duck, as you know.

Sestak has a real, real fight on his hands. He's behind in the polls, almost all of the polls, consistently been behind. Toomey is doing very well, a conservative Republican. Pennsylvania, the Democrat really should be ahead because this is really a Democratic or blue state, at least historically. But right now, the Democrats are in deep trouble, not only in Pennsylvania but across the country.

If the Democrats lose Pennsylvania and the Senate contest, Brooke, it bodes really, really badly for several other battleground states the Republicans need to win to pick up 10 seat notice U.S. Senate to have that majority. They are close. They may not get it but they certainly are close if you believe all the polls. BALDWIN: And you mentioned the primary race of the incumbent Senator Arlen Specter and then to Congressman Sestak, we know he won. In fact, we know also that White House offers Sestak a job to get out of the race and I'm just curious if that goes on more than we really know, Wolf?

BLITZER: It probably does. It probably goes on all the time, sort of quietly behind-the-scenes without a whole lot of fanfare.

I should point out that our own Jim Acosta has just done a lengthy exclusive interview with the Republican candidate for Senate in Delaware, Christine O'Donnell. We are going to have that interview "THE SITUATION ROOM." I think our viewers are going to be interested what this woman is now saying. She is facing a very, very tough battle, Chris Coons, the Democratic candidate in Delaware. One of these battle ground states, Delaware, if the Republicans have a pickup, this would be enormously significant for them.

She is significantly behind in the polls right now, but still almost four weeks to go, so anything can really happen.

BALDWIN: We'll watch for that Christine O'Donnell interview, though. But meantime, Wolf, back to the poll, we saw Sestak was down five points. Had Arlen Specter won the primary, do you think would be even farther behind?

BLITZER: I don't know. That's a good question. It's a great question. I don't know the answer.

Arlen Specter had his own problems in Pennsylvania. He often was behind in these poll, but he almost always managed to come back. He did it the last time he faced this Democratic primary challenge from Joe Sestak. So, he lost and he's now retiring. But Arlen Specter was always a very formidable candidate.

Toomey is a lot going for him. The conservatives obviously like him a lot. He's generating a lot of support among Tea Party activist and others in Pennsylvania. So, we'll see where it goes. It's going to be a tough -- it could be a long night in Pennsylvania.

BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer, we'll see you in a couple minutes on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Meantime, it is a scene that plays out each and every week in small towns across America -- a soldier coming home under stars and stripes to his final resting place. He died serving his country on his 12th -- 12th tour of duty. His story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: When a hero was needed, he answered the call, not once, not twice, but a dozen times, serving tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. And this morning, the body of Army Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler returned home to Georgia for the final time.

Now, his grieving family faces the poignant task of honoring and burying their hero, but they want you to know that he was more than courageous and dedicated, more than a warrior, he was a beloved son.

Martin Savidge spoke with the family who is deaf -- with the help of their younger son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's heartbreak.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ask Tim Vogeler what kind of person his son was and his hands begin to move while his younger son, Chris, translates.

TIM VOGELER, FATHER (through Chris Vogeler): I wish the world could meet him. He's amazing. He thinks his son is really awesome.

SAVIDGE: He and his wife, Donna, are deaf. They may not be able to speak about how proud they are, but they certainly can still tell you.

DONNA VOGELER, MOTHER (through Chris Vogeler): Love to help people. Very joyful man. He's a great son.

SAVIDGE: Twenty-nine-year-old Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler was an Army Ranger, a special breed of soldier. Nothing proved that more than the number of times he put himself in harm's way. Vogeler did four rotations in Iraq and eight in Afghanistan. A dozen combat tours overall.

Hugh Williams served alongside him for four years.

HUGH WILLIAMS, FORMER RANGER: He led by example. The man led by example. He was not going to ask you to do something he himself was not willing to do.

SAVIDGE: Growing up, Vogeler was a boy scout. He loved rollerblading, soccer, golf and God. And it's the latter that's helped his family through since his death in combat last Friday.

T. VOGELER: It's very hard, very hard. We cope because of our faith. God has blessed us a lot.

SAVIDGE: But along with the grief comes moments of laughter as Chris Vogeler remembers.

CHRIS VOGELER, YOUNGER BROTHER: Both being children of deaf parents, we got away with a lot.

SAVIDGE: But there was no escaping the danger of so many rotations, even after being wounded in the leg, Vogeler came home, healed and went back.

I asked him mom if she ever thought he went back too many times.

C. VOGELER: Yes. She felt it was a lot. And yet she expected more, too. That was his wish.

SAVIDGE (on camera): Did you ever think this day would come? C. VOGELER: No.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): And that's when our conversation ended. And you didn't need words or hands to understand why.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Thunderbolt, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Twelve tours. We salute him.

Today marks the ninth year since the start of the war in Afghanistan. More than 1,200 U.S. troops have been killed in this conflict.

I want to remind you, you can always log on to CNN.com and you can read about the fallen men and women, what you need to do is you can click on the word "fallen" and you can read about these men and women who have given their lives to serve our country in both Iraq and in Afghanistan.

And even more specifically, you can click on the different dots, you see the dots, you can click on the links in country or in the United States. It will pull up their pictures. It will represent lives lost. You can learn about their hometowns. You can learn more about their names. And in some cases, this there are even videos and if you would like, if you know -- knew him or her, you can leave messages for them. Again, CNN.com fallen.

And now, "SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer.