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Indiana Stage Collapse Kills 5; Perry & Bachmann at Same Event; Suspect at Norway Massacre Scene; Assessing the SAT; Judge Sentenced in "Kids for Cash"

Aired August 14, 2011 -   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We begin this hour with a developing story out of Indianapolis. Investigators are now poring over a mangled mess where five people died at the Indiana State Fair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(COLLAPSE OF STAGE AT INDIANA STATE FAIR)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: This dramatic video by iReporter Jessica Silas shows a massive burst of wind sweeping through the grandstand where people were awaiting a concert by the country band Sugar Land. Four people died at the scene when the scaffolding suddenly collapsed, a fifth person died later at the hospital. At least 40 others were hurt including some children.

Jenna Gioe witnessed the tragedy and she spoke to our Fredricka Whitfield just a short time ago about what was happening just before the storm struck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNA GIOE, WITNESSED TRAGEDY AT INDIANA STATE FAIR: One of the radio stations that sponsored the concert they had gotten on the stage. One of the radio talents and they had said that there was some severe weather in the radar and it was coming our way.

They weren't sure what was going to happen with the concert but in case of emergency, they told us where to go and what buildings to head towards and how to evacuate. But possibly --

(CROSSTALK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CORRESPONDENT: Could you possibly get to those locations with that crowd? Looking at how many people were there?

GIOE: You could get there. Not in the manner that they want you to. You could get there, but in the four minutes -- I'm -- I'm not sure. They -- what they did state to us was that the concert was going to try to go on. They did say that they would let us know what -- if we needed to evacuate, and then he closed it and said Sugar Land would be on in just a couple of minutes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Now here's what people with the fair are telling CNN right now. They're saying that they will re-open Monday with a memorial service for the five victims. One of the first people on the scene was Dr. Dean Silas and he joins me now by phone.

Dr. Silas, thank you so much. I would imagine this is -- was really horrible -- a horrible spectacle to witness here. Did your medical training kick in right away?

DR. DEAN SILAS, TREATED VICTIM AFTER STAGE COLLAPSE (via telephone): Yes, my medical instincts kicked in. I saw the collapse. The photograph you saw by taken by my daughter so I was standing right next to her. I was in the grandstands and made my way down to the infield. I took a little while to find that but they were willing to accept help.

It was sheer pandemonium down there. All the people that were helping were lay people and medical professionals who were willing to assist. There were a few state police and a few state peer representatives but individuals were just helping the injured trying to provide first aid as well as trying to lift off the debris that had fallen on them.

LEMON: So there were people who are -- as we saw in this video rushed toward the stage immediately, Doctor. And obviously people there were trapped there and they began trying to pull the scaffolding up off of these people and trying to help them out?

SILAS: Absolutely. They were lifting up the metal scaffolding. The speakers were much too heavy to lift individually but there was -- many people were grabbing portions of the metal scaffolding to lift that off to try and extricate some of the injured. It took a number of minutes, 20 minutes or 30 minutes to get some of the people out.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: How long before ambulances arrived?

SILAS: My best guess for the first arrival of EMS was probably ten minutes or perhaps a little longer. So the first ten minutes were being managed by the people -- the spectators who were on the infield to begin with and any people who came to assist. Myself, I came from the grandstands so it took me a number of minutes to get there.

LEMON: Ok.

SILAS: But there were a number of medical professionals that came to help, they were all identifying themselves as physicians or EMTs or paramedics that were willing to assist.

LEMON: And those are the pictures now, the people who are -- who are trying to help there up on the screen. Were you able to enlist some of them to help to try to treat the injuries from the folks who were trying to help with this -- this scaffolding?

SILAS: I don't -- I don't think there was any need to "willing to enlist" people. People enlist themselves.

LEMON: Yes.

SILAS: By the time I arrived, everyone -- everyone who I could see that was injured was being attended to. I just assisted in areas that I perceived help was necessary. But everyone was attending -- the willingness of people to volunteer to help was absolutely incredible.

LEMON: Yes, I saw people running out of the stands. As you said in that video, at first you think, oh, my gosh, they're running to try to get away but then they are running towards the -- the stage to try to help.

We talked to the fair official, a spokesman for the fair. And he said that there was a warning. Was there any warning -- was there a sense that something was going to happen or was it just all of a sudden out of nowhere?

SILAS: Well, you can see -- you can see the storm developing for approximately 20 minutes in the -- in the horizon it was very evident to everyone in the stands that there was going to be a storm. Certainly we all expected a rain storm and a thunderstorm. Those of us in the grandstands felt relatively protected wondering about the folks on the infield, if they would be exposed to the rain and lightning.

Nobody expected anything like this. It was a gust of wind that blew up within a matter of seconds. You can see the dirt on the infield sort of rising, and within 10 or 12 seconds of that occurring, the stage fell. Nobody would have -- nobody would have expected anything like that.

LEMON: I was going to say, nobody could have expected that to happen. That was the video your daughter shot there, Jessica Silas. Wow.

Doctor, thank you. And it was probably a lucky break that you were there and able to assist some people. We appreciate you joining us here on CNN. And we're glad that you're ok. Thank you.

SILAS: Thank you, Don.

Let's turn now to politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM PAWLENTY (R), FORMER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: We needed to get some lift to continue on and to have a pathway forward. That didn't happen so I'm announcing this morning on your show that I'm going to be ending my campaign for president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, there the first major -- major casualty in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty dropped out after a disappointing third place showing in the Iowa straw poll. Pawlenty spent a hefty sum to attract voters in Iowa but he didn't get the boost he needed.

He told ABC that he would not consider running for vice president on the ticket. But he also says, he may endorse one of the Republican candidates down the road in just a little while.

It's a different story for his fellow rival from Minnesota, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. She took a victory lap on the Sunday talkers, including CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" after winning the Iowa Straw Poll with nearly 29 percent of the vote. In about a half-hour she's going to speak at a Republican dinner in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. So stay tuned to CNN.

That very same event is where we find the other break-out Republican star from this weekend, Texas Governor Rick Perry. The governor stole some of the headlines from the straw poll by announcing his candidacy on the very same day. And even though he wasn't on the ballot for the straw poll he managed to finish sixth with write-in votes.

Perry is just minutes away from speaking so I want to go to CNN's political reporter Peter Hamby who is covering the event for us. Peter, what are you expecting to hear from Perry?

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well Perry's got to make his introduction to Iowa. I mean, he's -- he's come to the top of the polls but he actually has to get out here and start campaigning. Michele Bachmann has been a workhorse throughout joining this campaign. She's been in Iowa camped out.

So Rick Perry arrived at this dinner where I am here in Blackhawk County, Iowa. And he immediately set about introducing himself to voters. He's a very good retail politician. He worked the crowd. He hugged some people. He planted some kisses on some cheeks here.

So again he's going to expect him to talk about how he shares, you know, Iowa values. He comes from -- he ran for agriculture commissioner in Texas back in 1990. He can talk the farm stuff with these folks.

So again this is going to be a very introductory speech for Rick Perry but I can tell you this entire political class is watching this very closely to see what kind of campaign skills he brings. I mean there's tons of reporters in here -- yes go ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I'm sorry to cut you off. Someone was speaking to me. I thought you had finished your thought. Go ahead.

HAMBY: Oh no, I was just going to say that this is a highly anticipated speech.

LEMON: Ok, listen, has he arrived yet? I'm not sure if that was live video we are looking at. Has he arrived?

HAMBY: He is here. Yes, he was just inside shaking hands and making new friends here in Iowa. And he caused quite the stir; I mean he was mobbed. It was kind of like Sarah Palin at the Iowa state fair the other day. We saw how she was just mobbed by cameras and Republicans. The same thing happened in here.

I believe Michele Bachmann has also just arrived. Her bus is supposedly parked on the other side of this building. So they're going to speak back-to-back, kind of previewing what could be a big rivalry out here in Iowa. We woke up this morning to an entirely different presidential race without Tim Pawlenty in the race. Iowa is going to be a fight between Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, so there is a lot to watch over the next five months.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Pete Hamby. Standby because we may be needing you soon when go -- when we show Rick Perry there and also Michele Bachmann in Waterloo, Iowa. Pete Hamby reporting from there.

Both Perry and Bachmann are getting so much attention this weekend. I want to bring in someone to put all of this into perspective for us and the person to do it is our senior political editor Mark Preston. He's back.

Mark Preston, Preston on politics as we like to say. You're just back from New Hampshire where you covered several of the candidates including Rick Perry's first visit to the state.

So who's having the better weekend here? Is it Bachmann or Perry -- or is it someone else?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, I don't want to take away from Michele Bachmann's victory out in Iowa. That was a huge victory for her. And let's note, as far as when people talk about Michele Bachmann running for the presidency and does she have a chance to win, people are not saying that she doesn't have a chance to win because she's a woman.

So I think that is huge. And I think that's been lost in a lot of the clutter and the chatter that we've heard this past weekend.

She's had a good weekend but the fact of the matter is Rick Perry has stolen the show. He decided to get in on Saturday, during the straw poll. He made the announcement in South Carolina, a very strategic decision on his part. He also went to New Hampshire where I saw him last night, another strategic decision. And now he's out in Iowa so Rick Perry -- you know, a lot of people have been waiting Don, for someone else to jump into this race to really try to jump-start it.

The front runner, Mitt Romney; a lot of folks have been kicking the tires on him but even though he does well in the polls, they haven't exactly bought into his campaign yet. So that's where Rick Perry sees this opening -- Don.

LEMON: All right. What should we expect to hear from these candidates as they step to the microphones this evening, Mark?

PRESTON: Very simply -- jobs, jobs, jobs. I heard that last night in New Hampshire from Rick Perry. We heard Michele Bachmann on the Sunday shows including "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning talking about the economy.

Now out in Iowa social conservative issues they play a big part. He'll probably talk about his faith, his family, and freedom. That's a theme the he has talked about.

Michele Bachmann's credentials are very well known in that state but bottom line is this election is about the economy. It's not necessarily going to be about social issues -- Don.

LEMON: I want to ask you just to get a sort of a time -- a gauge here of time. Rick Santorum is speaking now and then after that Rick Perry's going to speak, and then Michele Bachmann. How long do you think they're going to speak? What -- about 20 minutes, 15 minutes?

PRESTON: Yes, probably about 15 minutes. Because look, I mean, you have three speakers now that are out at this fund-raising dinner. What's really interesting is -- is that once Rick Perry announced that he was going to go to this fund-raising dinner, that's when Michele Bachmann said that she was going to go.

And Rick Santorum just this morning announced that he was going to appear at it. He looked at the straw poll results Don and said that you know what he did well enough that he's going to continue his campaign. He saw an opportunity to go out to an event where there's a lot of reporters, including Peter Hamby out there. So, kind of a smart play on Rick Santorum's part.

LEMON: Hey, Mark Preston, we like you on this program. Will you join us more as we get closer to it? You promise?

PRESTON: Yes, if you give me a raise, I'm with you.

LEMON: All right. All right, there will be a little something extra in your pay check next week. Thank you, Mark Preston we'll see you soon.

PRESTON: Thanks.

LEMON: You know, we're keeping an eye on the GOP dinner in Waterloo, Iowa, for you, awaiting Governor Rick Perry's remarks. So you see Rick Santorum speaking.

Also ahead an update on an outrage story that we brought you on this show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ma'am.

SANDY FONZO, SON COMMITTED SUICIDE: My kid's not here. He's dead because of him. He ruined my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) life. I'd like him to go to hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That is Sandy Fonzo confronting the judge she says caused her son to commit suicide in a "Kids for Cash" scandal. She's back and we'll get her reaction to the judge's recent conviction.

Many of you are asking about information through social media. You can reach out to us. We're on Twitter, we're on Facebook, were on CNN.com/don. Also on Four Square and check out the book, if you want to know about my journeys in journalism, it's called "Transparent", available anywhere books are sold.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MATHIAS JORGENSEN, VIDEO JOURNALIST, VG NEWSPAPER: We saw a very calm Breivik, he was pointing in many different directions and also raising his arms as to shoot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We want to turn our attention overseas now. A newspaper reporter in Norway describes how Anders Breivik behaved when he returned to the scene of a massacre he allegedly caused on Utoya Island last month. 69 people died on the island, another eight victims were killed in a bombing in Oslo.

A team from the "VG Newspaper" captured pictures and video were captured of the crime scene tour he gave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRIK HJORT KRABY, POLICE PROSECUTOR (through translator): The whole thing lasted for eight hours only interrupted by small breaks. The whole thing was quite intense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Breivik wore a bulletproof vest and shackles while on the island.

Police in Pakistan say a development expert kidnapped Saturday was targeted because he was an American. Warren Weinstein was abducted early yesterday just two days before he was due to return to the U.S. There's been no claim of responsibility and police say they have no idea who kidnapped Weinstein.

Tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan have been high since al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed on May 2nd.

A judge at the center of a "kids for cash" scandal is convicted and the mother who says he caused her son to commit suicide joins me next.

But first -- I want to take a look at a controversy over the SAT College exam and minorities. CNN education contributor Steve Perry explains in tonight's "Perry's Principles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: Is the SAT biased? MONTY NEILL FAIRTEST: In some technical sense it is probably not a biased test. The problems become in how it gets used in the admissions process.

PERRY: Fairtest is dedicated to ensuring fairness in standardized testing.

NEILL: The purpose of the SAT why it got constructed was to predict college grades. So what happens is that kids of color are very often left out. They're going to be predicted to not do well when, in fact, they could do well.

PERRY: What's your alternative?

NEILL: We have a list of colleges for whom the test is optional and what's been found out is that those colleges, they get in more diverse student body, the grade point average stays the same and they graduate at the same rate.

PERRY: Laurence Bunin from the College Board, the owners of the SAT disagrees.

LAURENCE BUNIN, COLLEGE BOARD: Fairtest is mistaken on this point that the SAT is absolutely predictive of how well students will do in college. Every single question on the SAT is tested with real students from all races and all walks of life to ensure that every question on the SAT is fair.

PERRY: So there is no group that generally outperforms all other groups?

BUNIN: There is an achievement gap in this country. Not just on any one test.

PERRY: So the country is bad and the test isn't?

BUNIN: Well, the test is a fair test that helps mirror what's going on in the country. Students and parents should understand that colleges look at a variety of factors, not just the test.

PERRY: So why do we need the SAT?

BUNIN: I would think that parents would be glad to know that there is a fair national test of Math and English so that college admissions are not so subjective.

PERRY: That may be one thing you and I would leave disagreeing on.

Steve Perry, New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am.

FONZO: My kid's not here. He's dead because of him. He ruined my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) life. I'd like him to go to hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was Sandy Fonzo last February when Judge Mark Ciavarella was found guilty of accepting nearly $1 million in exchange for sending kids away for minor offenses. One of them was her teenage son who ended up taking his own life. Now the former judge has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for his role in what's being called the "cash for kids" scheme.

Sandy Fonzo joins us now live; Sandy, welcome back to the program and thank you again for joining us. What's your reaction to the 28-year sentence?

FONZO: Well, now that it's sunk in, I'm very happy with it. It's justice in a sense that he is going to pay for what we've been dealing with for the last eight years. So there is -- we did get justice. I feel like I got some justice for my son.

True justice? I don't think there could ever be. He'll never live the sentence that I'll live with for the rest of my life. You know, I can't bring my son back.

LEMON: Have you spoken to any of the other families who were involved in this, any of the other parents? What's their reactions if you have spoken to them?

FONZO: Yes. Well, I started a support group for a lot of us and so we've been getting together a lot and talking. And just the Monday before the sentencing we were all together. They all -- I had 100 of these T-shirts made with my son's picture on the front and then all kinds of different -- how much is your kid worth -- different sayings on the back that they all wore together there with me on that day. So everybody was very, very pleased.

We went in there, of course, with not a lot of hope and expecting the worst and so we were all very relieved. And I think we all slept pretty good that night.

LEMON: Sandy, tell us about your son, Ed. Explain how he came in to contact with the Judge Ciavarella, his courtroom.

FONZO: It was the summer right before his senior year and he started hanging around with a different crowd of kids and you know, normal teenage experiencing, experimenting. Just was escalating and my son had his -- it was his senior year. He wrestled since he was 4.

He was expected to take the state title that year. It would have been the only one in the history of his school. So he had a lot to -- he just had a lot going on and I didn't know to the extent of what was going on. I just felt like I didn't want him taking any chances.

So it just turned into he was at an underage drinking party and the cops went in and he was charged with drug paraphernalia. A marijuana pipe was in his truck and so his charge for Judge Ciavarella -- he went in front of Judge Ciavarella -- was for a drug paraphernalia charge. He sent him for a month to this PA child care.

And right at that minute thought, this is a little excessive. I thought more of an educational or motivational community service or program to see what could happen if this -- you could go down this path. But my son sat there for 30 days and in that time he did realize, mom, you know, I know I was stupid. I made silly mistakes.

He wanted nothing more to -- just to get back to his life, to get back here. He missed a month's worth of practice and his senior year, everything he had. He had a nice little girlfriend. He just wanted to come home and get back to his life. So he went back in front of Judge Ciavarella.

At this time teachers, coaches, myself were all pleading in letters to his chamber asking for my son to come home; that he has earned his lesson. That's what we expected. And he ended up sending him to a boot camp, Northwestern Boot Academy over an hour away from our home for another four months where he was mixed in with inner city kids with violent offenses. There was -- from armed robbery -- just it was just horrible.

LEMON: This is something that he could not get over and you feel that's how he took his life.

FONZO: Yes. He never could --

LEMON: Go ahead. Finish your thought.

FONZO: Yes. He just never -- Ciavarella just never left the strings off of him. He could never come out from under it. He was never the same. It's just -- he came out of there.

He went in a young boy, a young spirited boy and came out a pent-up angry man and it just escalated.

(CROSSTALK)

FONZO: Why I'm doing this is because the message I want to get out is Judge Ciavarella is proof that for-profit incarceration cannot happen. That was the bottom line to this whole thing. If he was not able to make money off of this, and it was not legal to do so, this never could have happened. That's the true bottom line here.

This was just the tip of the iceberg and I'm reaching out for anybody that could help me to -- just to start with this. This is nationwide. It's in every state going on in every different level.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Sandy, do you have a Web site or something? How would the viewers get in touch with you? Is there a Web site?

FONZO: I'm on Facebook and I talk to people all over the country through Facebook.

LEMON: Your Facebook is Sandy Fonzo. FONZO: You know, they could Facebook me, Sandy Fonzo, yes.

LEMON: Ok Sandy.

Go on Facebook and look for Sandy Fonzo. Sandy, thank you so much. Listen, I know you don't have your son back but we're glad that you feel some degree of justice here and I think about you all the time and viewers ask me about you so be well. Ok?

FONZO: Thank you very much.

LEMON: Thank you very much.

We're going to go to Waterloo, Iowa now and talk some politics. There you see Rick Perry on stage. He's just starting. He hasn't even warmed up yet. We're going to bring it to you live just moments away.

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I guess I should say I took them for granted because I knew nothing --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Fly down to Waterloo, Iowa. Let's listen in to Rick Perry.

RICK PERRY: -- economic turmoil. And if we don't have a president of the United States that gets America working again, we are in trouble. And we need to be focused on jobs in this country. We need to be focused on getting our economy working again. And I got a track record on doing that.

I happen to think it is two of the most important issues of our time, is jobs and debt. In the state of Texas, in 2009, until currently, 40 percent of all the jobs created in America were created in the state of Texas. And there's a reason for that. There's a reason for that and the reason happens to be because we have put four simple principles into place.

And senator, I know for a fact that sometimes things are not as simple, maybe from the outside looking in, and I want to say thank you for your great service to the United States senate. And again, you all may say thank you to this man. But the fact is, you do four things and your economy will flourish. Four simple guiding principles of what we put into place into Texas over the last decade.

Number one is don't spend all of the money. I know on its face that's kind of simple, but I mean the fact is we got to have courage to walk in to Washington, D.C. and say, "Folks, we're not spending that amount of money. Worry's just not doing it." Some of you may say, "Well, what are you going to do about it? I'm going to say the president of the United States has a pen and it's called a veto pen. And I will use it until the ink runs out if that's what it takes to get the message we're not spending all the money.

Second principle is to have a tax system that is as low as you could have it and still deliver the essential services, keep that low tax burden on the job creators out there. Third one is have a regulatory climate that is fair, that is predictable. The only predictability we've got with the EPA today, senator, is we know they're going to come with some more regulations. They're going to stop us from drilling somewhere or they're going to stop us - I mean the idea - now you tell me whether this is true or not.

But one of my fellows just told me, he said that they're talking about a new regulation that, if you drive your tractor from across one public road, you're going to have a commercial driver's license. Get out of here! You're kidding me! I mean what are they thinking?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They aren't!

PERRY: There you go - they aren't!

And the fourth principle is have a legal system that doesn't allow for oversuing. In the state of Texas back in - let me tell you, you all know what it's costing us. Just to show up and to fight the defense costs. We passed some sweeping tort reform in 2003 -

DON LEON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. That is Governor Rick Perry speaking in Waterloo, Iowa at an event called the Blackhawk County GOP dinner. I want to bring in now Mark Preston. Mark Preston, you were covering him yesterday in New Hampshire. You hear him talking about jobs and debt, jobs and debt. Then he says 40 percent of all jobs created in the U.S. were created in the state of Texas. But Democrats are hitting him on that saying but what kinds of jobs? Why are the jobs coming here? This is just the beginning in all of this.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: It is just the beginning. And look what we just heard there, his four-point plan, very meat and potato issues, right, Don? He talked about fiscal issues. He talked about tort reform. He talked about regulatory reform. These are all issues, Don, that play very well with the Republican base.

As far as the job creation, he is correct that those jobs were created down in Texas but as you said we're going to hear the Democrats say that those were low-paying jobs, those are not good investment jobs.

LEMON: We're going to hear Michele Bachmann in just a few minutes. She's up to speak. The same sorts of themes that I guess we've been hearing over the past couple of months, especially in the past couple of days in Iowa at the straw poll throughout the state there, same things - spending, cutting spending, no new revenues or taxes.

PRESTON: Yes All about the economy, Don. You know, it's something that President Obama as able to win in 2008. The issue hasn't gone away. Fact of the matter is unemployment is so high, the economy hasn't turned around. Republicans are now trying to seize it and do what President Obama did to Georgia - running against George Bush when he defeated John McCain in 2008.

LEMON: All right. Mark Preston, stick around. Because Michele Bachmann's coming up. Then we'll get back to you. Appreciate it.

I want to show you now some aerials that show the aftermath of a stage collapse in Indiana that killed at least five people and injured many other concert goers. Were there warning signs and could anything have been done to prevent the loss of life?

Our Jacqui Jeras joins me next with some answers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Breaking news at 10:00 p.m. Eastern last night. The scene at the Indiana State Fair as a massive gust of wind swept through a grandstand where hundreds of people were attending a concert. At least five people were killed and dozens more were hurt. CNN's Jacqui Jeras joins me now to take us through the time line and show us how this tragedy could have been prevented. Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it may have been prevented potentially, Don. There was some kind of miscommunication error between warnings that were taking place and a clear message that evacuated people out of that stadium. This time line though will show you that there were a whole heck of a lot of things that did go right.

First of all, starting at 5:30 that evening, the fair staff called the National Weather Service to get an update on the weather. This happened four times between 5:30 and 8:00. So that's good. They were communicating with each other passing information back and forth. At 5:57 a severe thunderstorm watch was issued. That means conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop and that did include the fairgrounds in Indianapolis.

At 7:04 and 8:09 p.m., an automated dialer system messages were sent to the staff so they got that on their phones. That was good as well. At 8:39 the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning saying that severe weather is occurring, you need to take shelter now. At 8:45 some type of announcement was made on the stage in regards to impending severe weather and people's safety and where they should be going to take cover when they need to take cover. Then at 8:49 p.m., the stage collapsed.

So you know, 10 minutes between the time the warning was issued and the time the collapse did happen. That's not a lot of time. You know, this is a big venue, Don. So unfortunately you don't want to cause panic either and cause some type of stampede problem.

LEMON: Well, Jacqui, you showed us the time line, what happened. What went wrong then in this whole thing?

JERAS: Well, there were a lot of warning signs, you know, with this system but one potential problem was, OK, a watch was issued. Here come the storms as they went on through. And this will show you the severe weather and where the radar picture was at 8:50. Now this back here is normally where you would think the worst of the storms were. But what this picture doesn't show, this one does, this is what we call Gibson Ridge Radar. It is a very fine tool. Take a look right here. This white circle, that's where the fairgrounds was. And a trained meteorologist that has access to this high-resolution day will see this area right here and that is a strong sign that there were strong to severe winds across that area, Don. LEMON: So those were the warning signs. This happens at outdoor venues frequently.

JERAS: All the time.

LEMON: What should people do for safety?

JERAS: Well, there's a lot of things that you can do. The thing that just shocks me more than anything, Don, as we take a look at pictures like this. Take a look at the sky. Look at those dark clouds. There was lightning in the distance. These people knew for at least 20 minutes that severe weather was coming and there does have to be some kind of personal accountability.

So what can you do? Well plan ahead. We knew early in the day that there was a threat of severe weather later on. So check the weather before you leave. Designate a group meeting place. Cell phones were cut after off this so people couldn't communicate to each other. So let your friends know where you're going to be. Become familiar with your surroundings. See if there is a designated shelter. If there's not kind of scan the area around to see if there is a sturdy building that you can go to.

And just be weather aware. Know what county you're in. Use your cell phone if you can. There are a lot of apps out there that are even free that will warn you if you there is severe weather coming your way.

LEMON: Sometimes accidents are just accidents.

JERAS: Sometimes that just happens.

LEMON: Yes. Thank you, Jacqui Jeras. Appreciate the good information.

JERAS: Sure.

LEMON: Listen to this now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES BELLA: Do you realize that you're biting the hand that feeds you? And said, yes, but I also realize it's the hand that's killing me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Mountaintop coal mining is a primary economic engine for southern west Virginia. A living hell as one worker calls it. Another calls it a much-needed job. But at least one researcher calls it the state's biggest public health problem. Our Soledad O'Brien takes us inside this battle in her exclusive report, next.

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LEMON: With money tight, jobs scarce and battles over the environment raging, people are taking a hard look at a controversial form of coal mining known as mountaintop removal. In a recent CNN poll, 57 percent of Americans say they oppose the removal of a mountain summit to allow a mining company greater access to the coal.

As part of her upcoming "Battle for Blair Mountain" documentary, CNN's Soledad O'Brien gets an exclusive first-hand look at this highly effective and highly controversial form of coal mining.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Most mountaintop removal sites are hidden from roads. To get a clear view of the aftermath, you need to go up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're going to be taking all of that rock material, taking it all.

(INAUDIBLE)

O'BRIEN: Another concern for those opposed to mountaintop removal projects, the blasting.

BELLA: It shook the houses real bad. It cracked our porches. Ceilings in our houses. But you couldn't prove it was done by blasting. This was just a bad place to live.

O'BRIEN: Charles Bella lives in Blair when blasting began near his home in 1997, he was working in the mines.

BELLA: Every time I'd complain about the blasting, the superintendent said to me one day, he said, "Do you realize that you're biting the hand that feeds you?" And I said, "Yes, but I also realize it's the hand that's killing me."

O'BRIEN: Do you worry that the streams are damaged, that the dust is in the air? You can't tell dust by sniffing and you know it!

(voice-over): Another (INAUDIBLE) neighbor is Diane Kish (ph).

DIANE KISH (PH): Let me tell you this (INAUDIBLE) is family.

O'BRIEN (on camera): So you don't think it's unsafe?

KISH (PH): No.

O'BRIEN: You would drink this water? You would not?

KISH (PH): Yes, I would.

O'BRIEN: Come on! Look at the color. I wouldn't let you!

KISH (PH): Better than black.

O'BRIEN: When you look at this mountain, trees are stripped away, is that progress to you?

KISH (PH): It's a job in the making.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Make sure you catch Soledad's special "Working in America: The Battle for Blair Mountain," which side wins. It airs at the top of the hour, 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. I also want to say I just got a tweet from Soledad. She said she's going to be live tweeting. And you can join her with that, go on Twitter. Also check her out, it's at soledad_obrien on Twitter.

You're looking at live pictures nor. This is Waterloo, Iowa, you see Rick Perry there speaking at a Republican dinner. And up next is Michele Bachmann. We're going to bring you her remarks as soon as she speaks. Don't go anywhere.

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LEMON: You see the live picture right there. It said hawk, then that quick pull-out of the camera. Everybody there in Waterloo, Iowa, awaiting Michele Bachmann, the winner of this weekend's straw poll in Iowa. In Ames, Iowa, as a matter of fact. Only followed up by a very close second there with Ron Paul. But anyway, we're expecting Michele Bachmann to come up to the stage. Rick Perry spoke just a short time ago.

This event is called the Blackhawk County, it's a GOP dinner in Waterloo, Iowa. Let's bring in Mark Preston until we see her enter the room which is just shortly. So Mark, we heard what - they're doing the introductions now. We heard what Rick Perry had to say. He talked about jobs, talked about spending, talked about the issues in Washington with the government. We're going to hear similar issues from Michele Bachmann.

PRESTON: Yes, no question. I think we saw that this morning, Don, on the Sunday talk shows. Whenever she was asked any questions about social conservative principles and what have you, she tried to dodge them. She said the only thing people care about right now is the economy. So expect that's what we're going to hear from her tonight. It is interesting to have Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann butting up against each other at this dinner because a lot of us out there think they're going to be fishing from the same pond for the voters in this Republican presidential nomination fight, Don.

LEMON: Certainly by Rick Perry entering, he certainly adds a different dimension to all of this. They've just introduced her. We're going to go to it as soon as she takes the stage. She's got to make her way there, a little bit get through the crowd. People who wanted to shake her hand and I imagine she's getting her notes and thoughts together but it should be soon.

So what is it - that extra, that added dimension that Rick Perry - I guess people thought he might jump in this race at some point. People weren't for sure. When I spoke to Sarah Palin there two days ago, she said it's interesting, he said he wouldn't, said he would, so a lot of people don't know what's going on especially among the GOP candidates or the people who - or even some who haven't even declared yet. PRESTON: Sarah Palin. Who is close to Rick Perry as well, Don. I think she's almost like she's taking a jab, leaving the door still open oh, so much, in case she decides to run. The fact is Rick Perry said he wasn't interested in running but there was an opening for him to run. The feel that Mitt Romney has not been able to run away with it (INAUDIBLE) expecting to. Rick Perry saw an opening for him to come in, not only to talk about what his record was down in Texas in job creation, but also to really appeal to social conservative voters without really having to reach out to them because they all know he has those credentials.

So Rick Perry heard enough of the rumbling that he decided to change his mind and of course now we have quite a race on for the Republican nomination.

LEMON: There we go, if you can look in the middle of your screen there. You see Michele Bachmann entering the stage among, you see supporters there shaking hands, flash bulbs going off. I would imagine signing some stickers and paraphernalia from the campaign, Bachmann stickers and what have you. Many of these people, you know, it's interesting to see she has a lot of people to come out to see her but Sarah Palin again who is not even the race has the biggest crowd. She has big crowds, not to you know, to pit her against Sarah Palin but it is interesting to watch this all go on behind the scenes as I got to watch all last week there in Iowa.

PRESTON: Well, you know, Don, the biggest loser. We talk about the biggest winners out of the weekend. The biggest loser in all of this could be Sarah Palin. Because the fact of the matter is Michele Bachmann is really cementing herself in Iowa. Rick Perry, you know, another candidate who is going to appeal to the same voters that might have supported Sarah Palin. I'm not saying if Sarah Palin didn't get into the race, boy, she would turn the apple cart on its head again.

But still, the biggest loser on all of this could be Sarah Palin. Let me just add this very quickly as we see Michele Bachmann up there, there's something to be said about retail politics, and shaking someone's hand. I saw her in New Hampshire this weekend. It is really something to see. We're seeing that right now in Iowa.

LEMON: All right. A little celebrating there. Here's Michele Bachmann.

MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good evening, it is great to see you, too! Welcome to Waterloo. My name is Michele Bachmann and I am running to be the next president of the United States of America! Thank you, everyone, for being here. What an absolutely exciting night that we're having tonight, isn't it? It's been great so far. I'm so glad that you're all out here and it's just been a thrilling weekend for all of us and I woke up to a wonderful newspaper this morning. I don't know if you saw it, this is my copy of the "Waterloo Courier" today. I hope you enjoyed it. I know I did.

I just wanted to come back today and say thank you to all of you for what you have done. Raise your hand for any of you who were here 50 days ago. Anyone here 50 days ago? Thank you so much. Fifty days ago we launched the beginning of our candidacy to take the White House back and away from Barack Obama and finally turn the country around and we're making that down payment this weekend here in Iowa. It's a long time coming, isn't it? It seemed like a very long two to three years with President Obama, and it is coming to an end and I needed to come home and say thank you to all of you and what you have done.

LEMON: All right, everyone. That is Michele Bachmann there. We're getting close to the top of the hour. We want to thank you for joining us. We'll continue to carry, of course, these speeches and events like this throughout the campaign here on CNN.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. "CNN PRESENTS" is next.

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