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Rick's List

Nine Dead in Standoff; New York Voice Raised; Salmonella Egg Recall Expanded; Chicago Cubs Manager Retiring; Dueling Rallies Over Islamic Center; Major Fish Kill in Gulf

Aired August 23, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here we go. We're about to begin the next hour. And before I do anything else, as I always do, I want to welcome all of our troops scattered all over the world who are watching us right now on Armed Forces Network. We are honored that this hour of our show is chosen as your news of record.

It's hour two. Let's pick up the pace if we possibly can.

This is probably one of the most bone chilling, amazing stories that is taking place anywhere in the world right now -- 33 miners -- listen to this, 33 miners right now are stuck about 2,000 feet underground in Northern Chile. They've been there for about 18 days.

The good news is we've just found out that they are alive and a whole country is rejoicing. The bad news -- they could be stuck down there until maybe Christmas or beyond because that's how hard it is to be able to even get to them, all right?

First let's take a look at some of the celebrations. This is just after families got the news yesterday that their loved ones are alive. I mean, can you imagine? Rescue teams have just about given up hope, thinking all of them were dead. They already tried seven times to reach them.

But yesterday rescuers got a note from the miners. It was attached it a probe lowered through a tiny little hole that crews had drilled 2,000 feet down. And the note simply said, "We are Fine. We are fine in the shelter. The 33 of us are alive," it said, from a tiny little note. Well, Chile's president held up that note. See it right there? Telling the people the miners are all alive. What a moment. You could see the joy and the relief on his face as he is saying this. This is the president of the country. This is a major story.

This has been a huge ordeal for him and for the country. Everyone was concerned. Similar to what's happened here in the past, right? Well, folks, there had never given up. They kept their faith. They held vigils at the accident site. They waited. Here. Listen to one miner's wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always told the media every time I was asked, I know my husband is fine. I know he's alive. And I know he's keeping up all the others in the mine because that's the kind of person my husband is. He holds on. I said, he's probably looking around trying to see how they can get out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: You think that's remarkable. Take a look at this. All right? I'm going to show you something here that you're going to think is so incredibly cool. Here's one of those miners actually trapped underground. Can you make out his face right there? These images from a video camera that rescuers sent down. Now, let me tell you about the conditions that these guys are facing, all right? They're stuck in a small shelter. Apparently it's about 2300 feet down.

Like I said, more than 2,000 feet down. It gets very hot down there. Apparently, they're all shirtless. About 97 degrees when last we checked. Dark. One government official says they each may have lost 20 pounds already. So, how do you keep them alive until Christmas when they think they're finally going to be able to get to them?

The man who is heading up the rescue operation says workers are going to drill a larger hole that the miners can be pulled from eventually, but they have to be very careful to make sure another cave in doesn't happen while they're being pulled up that hole. Yes. Right now, crews are sending down containers that are packed with flash lights, water, food in the form of a gel because it's very small and oxygen.

And they're also sending microphones so that the miners can talk with the rescue operators and with their families and somehow they can try and keep their spirits up while they wait to be rescued. All right. Let's see if we can get some more details now. This is from CNN's Chile correspondent. This is Patricio Martinez. Patricio Martinez, he is at the mine in Copiapo. That's in Chile, and he is joining us now by phone. Patricio are you there?

PATRICIO MARTINEZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, Rick.

SANCHEZ: You want to do this in Spanish or in English? Either way.

MARTINEZ: Oh, let's start in English then we'll go in Spanish.

SANCHEZ: All right. I'll help you out if you get stuck on anything.

MARTINEZ: OK. I can give you the Latin secure (ph) in the mine. This has been a new communication with the walkers. This is the second one in the last 24 hours and the information has been completed by themselves. Every one of these 33 miners stuck at the bottom of the mine, one of them say that they were fine, that they were in good health conditions and psychological condition. That's the last news.

SANCHEZ: But let me just stop you right there, because, no, that's good and we've heard that they're fine. But how long can they stay fine? I mean, look. I was just telling the viewers when we were having a conversation about this, I get chills thinking about what it would be like to be in a tiny little hole 2,000 feet below the ground where it's 97 degrees and you can't see anything.

I mean, how long can a human being, any human being stay in those conditions without either physically breaking down or mentally breaking down?

MARTINEZ: Yes, yes. They had a leader. All these miners are down there and they're each helping to keep the spirit. They have water in there, and they have some oxygen. Not very good conditions for oxygen, but of course, these two elements were necessary to keep them alive. The food they had but not too much and so they said we are very hungry right now and that is why they are receiving food but some kind of solution and then they will have solid food.

SANCHEZ: How about light? Can they see?

MARTINEZ: Light, yes. This information must be confirmed. We talked to some workers that were in the moment of the accident, and they told us that there were some kind of thought down on the mine. So, probably, they could get the lights with batteries of those struck (ph), but anyway, they are getting now some flashing lights that are sending (INAUDIBLE).

SANCHEZ: And finally, the hole that they've created that goes down to them, what's the circumference? How wide is it? How big? (SPEAKING IN OTHER LANGUAGE)

MARTINEZ: Yes. I could say it's like a half mile. It's 700 meters, I would say a near half mile. The diameter is 20 centimeters. So, I don't know how to introduce that, but it's very small. I mean, no water could fit on that place. So, it's only used to give them communication by now and to give them all the supplies.

SANCHEZ: But eventually, they're going to make the hole big enough so that they can bring them up through that hole or through that, I guess, deep cavern one by one, right?

MARTINEZ: Rick, the problem is that they are not going to use the same drill. They have to take a new one for security reasons and that is going to take a lot of time. They have said (ph) nearly three or four months.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

MARTINEZ: So, during that time, they will be receiving assistance from the surface. Another drillings are about to be finished during the following hours. So, they're going to have oxygen, food, and all that through these small drillings.

SANCHEZ: Unbelievable story. As I hear it, as I tell it, I'm just thinking what I -- I can only imagine a lot of folks right now sitting around the country listening to this story and around the world must be thinking as well. You immediately start thinking if I were in that situation, would I be able to deal with that? I mean, it's one of those situations that is so remote, so out there, that you really wouldn't know unless you were actually in it.

And Just to think about it makes one think, no, I probably couldn't. I probably couldn't deal with that situation without just going totally berserk because of the claustrophobia alone. Patricio, you've done a great job describing this to us, my friend. Thank you so much for keeping us up to date on this. We'll be checking back with you from time to time.

Coming up in about 40 minutes, I'm going to talk to a man, by the way, who knows something about survival. Do you remember the story? I don't know. When I was a kid, my whole football team went and watched one day this movie, but it's a true story. Roberto Conesa (ph) is one of the guys who survived that plane crash back in the Andes. 72 days he was trapped on top of the mountain. Everybody thought that they were dead, but they made a movie about this. It's called "Alive."

You've heard the stories of how they survived, right? What they had to eat? All right. He's coming up, and he's going to take us through this.

Also, wow, some unbelievable moments caught on camera. A woman driving the wrong way on the interstate plows into a police car, and we got the entire video and the outrage that she's causing them. That's ahead in just a little bit.

Also, a bus filled with tourists, many held hostage for ten hours. This unfolds on my television, and the gunman allegedly had just one demand. One. And it wasn't money. It was about honor for him. We'll take you through it. Stay right there. This is RICK'S LIST.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We are so proud of the Twitter that we put out every day, and I was just noticing that the media eye which is one of the many blogs that we follow and that follow us has just picked up our twit vip once again. I'll show you a little bit of it just a little bit. I'll take you through it. It's the way we create this newscast every single day. It's the process of creating RICK'S LIST with everybody involved. So, that's coming up.

Meanwhile, roundup list is here. This is what we're watching. Let's start with number one. A horrible story. This is the Philippines. A gunman, an angry former policeman, keep watching the video here, takes control of a bus load of tourists. This is a ten- hour standoff. Shots are fired. When it's over, eight hostages and the gunman are dead as they crash through the bus and eventually have to go in there and get the guy. But for some it was unfortunately too little too late.

Number two, they are shouting. The mosque must go. The mosque must go. High, running emotions on both sides of the Islamic center and the mosque near where the World Trade Center towers once stood. One of the developers said yesterday that despite the growing protests, they are not yet considering the option of moving the site further from Ground Zero.

And number three, Tiger Woods is a single man and so is his wife Elin, a single woman. He and she are officially ex-husband and wife effective today. We were all so young nine months ago, before the accident and the scandals and, the mistresses and the rehab. This has been an interesting story to follow. According to divorce documents released just a short time ago, the couple will share parenting duties for their two children.

If you've ever been stuck in traffic, you'll appreciate this next story. There is a traffic jam in Beijing that's been going nine days and counting. The line stretches for miles. And you think L.A.'s traffic is difficult. We'll tell you why. That's ahead on THE LIST.

Also, more than a half of billion eggs are being recalled. We're drilling down on this for you on what you should look for and how to avoid salmonella poisoning. We'll have that for you in just a little bit. Stay with us. I'm Rick Sanchez. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here we go with the story that so many people out there with children especially have been, you know, trying to get a handle on so let me try and help you get a handle on this story. The Food and Drug Administration has expanded the recall of those salmonella tainted eggs that you've been hearing so much about including here on this newscast. A second Iowa farm has now been added to the list. That raises the total of recalled eggs from 380 million to 550 million eggs.

That's more than half a billion eggs. Sounds like a lot, but, you know, if you really put it in perspective it's less than 1 percent of the eggs that are produced in this country every year. By the way, what is salmonella? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants you to know that they define it as a group of bacteria or microscopic living creatures that cause diarrhea. Symptoms include the fever, abdominal cramps.

So, for about a thousand people, so far, we understand have become sick. A thousand people across the United States. Here's what the FDA is advising people to do. Throw out or return any eggs that are on the recall list. The recall list is made up of a bunch of different farms and a bunch of different brands. Too many to name here on the air, but you can find it on CNN.com. Or the farms cooperating. The farms that are apparently these eggs came from. Here's what the FDA commissioner says. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARGARET HAMBURG, FDA COMMISSIONER: It's also very important that we work with them to understand the networks of distribution because we have a very complex food production system in this country and the eggs go to wholesalers, distributors, food service companies in different states that then sell o distribute the eggs to other places so that you start with a couple of farms in Iowa and you can get nationwide exposure and that's what creates the challenge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: For a complete list of the brands and the recalled eggs once again, along with the expiration dates, go to CNN.com/health. And we'll get a link there for you to the egg safety center Web site in case you just want to be sure. The source of this salmonella outbreak has been traced to two Iowa egg farms. It's Hillendale Farms and Wright County Eggs.

CNN's Casey Wian is joining us now live by phone from Galt, Iowa with the very latest on this investigation. Case, what do we know about these farms?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we know they're among the largest producers of eggs in the United States. We also know they kick off a lot of folks in this area who say they've sort of changed the nature of this part of Iowa which used to be dominated by small farms, and they've brought in much bigger operations and in some ways changed the way of life around here.

Now, what we can report is that the FDA just held a briefing for members of the news media along with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control. So, here's the very latest of the -- of what's going on with the investigation. They still have 20 investigators still on the ground in Iowa. They've been looking at these facilities since last week trying to determine the source of this outbreak.

They expect that their on site investigations will conclude either later this week or early next week, and they expect actually some preliminary test results later on this week. The FDA commissioner said that we will follow this investigation wherever it takes us. There's good news in that they don't expect any additional recall. They say they can't rule that out, but they don't expect any additional egg recalls.

They also said they're monitoring for additional clusters of reported illness, and they haven't found any of those to date. Now, that's the good news, but the bad news is that the estimated number of people who have been confirmed sick with this strain of salmonella is now up to 1300. And they say that number could go higher. Now, here's what's really scary.

There's actually a multiplier that they use of the number of people who have gotten sick by salmonella and either haven't identified it as salmonella or reported it and that multiplier is between 30 and 38 to one. So, if we do the math, we're talking about 40,000 people throughout the United States who may have been sickened by this salmonella strain this summer, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Wow. That is a big number. Thanks so much. Casey Wian following this story for us. As we get any updates on it, obviously, we'll share them with you.

Take a look at this. There they go. Just ahead, I'm going to take you through the smoke stacks that came a tumbling down and what will take their place.

Also, as we go to break, I love sharing the process with you. Here's how we put today's newscast together, all right? We call these, by the way, these videos that we put out every single day, media eye just picked part of this up, by the way, if you want to see it on their Web site as well. This is called behind RICK'S LIST.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: It's like a movie of the week, the situation that's going on in the Philippines. The problem is, you know, how do we set the hook well enough to make Americans, our viewers care? Sometimes, the best part of a good story is just letting the story be a good story and getting out of the way. And my hunch is that that's the way we need to play it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here's that story you've been asking me about. If you think for one minute that your morning traffic commute is tough, imagine being stuck in traffic for nine days. You heard me right. Nine days. China's National Expressway 110, the one that heads into Beijing, is backed up for more than 62 miles. The gridlock started nine days ago. Why? Construction plus fender benders and broken down vehicles. Once it starts, it's tumultuous.

Residents who live along the expressway have come to the aid of motorists. They've set up food and drink stands with a captive audience, but even that hasn't gone well. Drivers accuse some of the vendors of price gouging. Talk about what's going on there.

Also, talk about being caught red handed. A Utah woman hits a state trooper's squad car, and she's driving the wrong way on the interstate. This is all caught on the trooper's dashboard. I want you to watch now and listen to this video. This is unbelievable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police. 10:50. I've just been hit by an individual. 10:50.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): He certainly has been hit by an individual. Luckily, the trooper and the driver of the wrong way car were not seriously hurt. The female trooper say was a 19-year-old. Her name was Haylis Arnel (ph). She was driving northbound in the southbound lane of Interstate 15. Let me say that again. She was driving northbound, but she was on the southbound lane.

The trooper went after her and she ended up crashing head on into his vehicle. Watch the video one more time. See it coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 10:50. I've just been hit by an individual. 10:50 blocking number one. SANCHEZ: The woman was treated at the scene for minor injuries. She was taken into custody. Police say she had a blood alcohol level 2.5 times the legal limit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (on-camera): Nothing new for me to call out a politician on the list that you don't want to be on, but the reason that I'm doing it today could be a first. Charging money for autographs? Are you kidding me? I'll tell you who I'm talking about in just a little bit. That's ahead.

Also, there are some great video of organized explosions today. In this case, two towers come down after officials say that they were just too dangerous. That's next right here on fotos. I'm Rick Sanchez. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: It seems like no matter how old we get, there's a little something inside of us, no matter who we are, especially with guys, we like to watch things go boom.

Time for "Fotos." Watch now as these two iconic smoke stacks at Cape Canaveral power plant send their last plumes of smoke into the sky. The towers were brought down using explosives to make way for the new billion dollar power plant on Florida's space coast. Environmentalists are excited. The new plant is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent.

You want more explosions? All right. Check out this I-report from South Africa. Two cooling (ph) towers exploding at a power station in Cape Town. The towers had been a landmark for decades, but the coal fired power station was closed in 2003, and after it became clear that the towers had become dangerous, they decided to eliminate them.

Speaking of things that go boom, watch as Cleveland Indians third baseman Jayson Nix goes over the dugout rail to catch off. This guy is tough. Oh, no! I'm okay. I'm okay. I swear. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm going to go all the way down, but I'm going to stand up now, and I'm going to show you that I'm good. That's "Fotos." And you can see them all for yourself at my blog, CNN.com/ricksanchez.

It is hard to imagine 33 miners who are right now alive and trapped underground. You see that? You can kind of make out their faces there. That's in a tiny camera that's been sent down into this den, really, about 2,300 feet below the surface. They say they may not be able to get them out until Christmas but at least they're alive and the country is rejoicing. That's ahead.

Also, the most intriguing person making news on this day. Who is it? He's known in baseball for being tough, loud, and contentious, but then he cries. Like a little kid. You're going to see this for yourself. I want you to stay there because this is interesting to watch. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: This is something that I watched last night, and it caught my eye, and I immediately thought, I should share this tomorrow on RICK'S LIST with my viewers.

He is the "Most Intriguing Person "in the news today.

This guy is so tough. I mean, a famous tough guy.

This guy is loud. He fights. He screams. He's famously or infamously emotional.

And he throws umpires' stuff around. He fights with them. He gets kicked out of games, screams and yells.

Well, today he is intriguing because of a different emotion. I want you to watch now as Lou Piniella goes in front of the cameras yesterday and announces that he's retiring, he'll no longer be coaching baseball.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOU PINIELLA, MANAGER, CHICAGO CUBS: I'd rather reflect on the good times I've had here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Oh, man. That's it? That's the sound bite?

OK. Well, we'll try and get more.

That's Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs skipper.

What you missed there, what we didn't show you was, have you ever seen a guy who just can't stop crying? I mean, he just -- I don't know how I can describe it.

Come back to me, Roger. Come back to me. I'll do it for you. I'll do it.

You ready?

You ever seen a guy -- it's like if you're watching your dad or something, and you love your dad because he's your tough guy and he's your hero, and all of a sudden you see him and he starts to quiver, and his face starts to, like, tremble and, you know, he starts going through the whole routine. And then finally he just breaks down and he just starts crying out loud like a little kid like my 3-year-old would have. That's what Lou Piniella did yesterday.

I mean, it was one of those things where you just go -- and you know what he was saying?

He was saying, I'm sorry. I don't mean to cry. I'm crying because I've been wearing the uniform for the last 40 years or so, and tomorrow I'm going to wake up and I won't put on a uniform. That's the thing he loved.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: There are certain people who seem to always be frontrunners on "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On," this daily thing that we bring you every single day.

That was (INAUDIBLE), wasn't it? I just said "this daily thing that we bring you every single day."

All right. Subtract or erase the second "day."

The former governor of Illinois is officially turning himself into a cartoon character. Yes.

Roll it, Rog.

On Tuesday morning of last week, Rod Blagojevich faced 24 corruption charges. On Tuesday night, a jury found him guilty of just one of those counts.

Deadlocked, a single juror reportedly decided there wasn't enough evidence to convict him on any of the serious charges against him. So the judge said, OK, it's a mistrial on the rest of those 23 charges. So, now prosecutors are saying we're going to get you again, we're going to retry you.

Facing round two, what does Blago do? Is he quiet? Does he just say I'm going to mind my own business and hopefully everybody will forget about this? No.

He sets up his very own booth at the Comic-Con in Chicago. You know, where Batman and Superman take breaks from fighting injustice to mingle with their fans.

And since Blago apparently sees himself as a superhero of some sort, he charged people $50 for autographs, 80 bucks to take a picture with him. Yes, the latest example of how he is making money off his trouble with the law.

Here -- watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just here to say hi and give him our support.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I can say is, uphold the law.

ROD BLAGOJEVICH, FORMER ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: I met Batman. I met Shaft. And, you know, I know something about getting the shaft.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: This guy is incredible. Something to be said about finding humor in just about any situation or taking advantage of just about any situation.

Investigators have already spent six years and millions of dollars looking into this guy. Taxpayers may again be on the hook for the sequel of this circus. And it's all because he is accused of taking corrupt politics to a whole new level, so say some Chicago political experts. But for some reason, he is still making a joke out of it.

It's been a long time coming, but today Rod Blagojevich earns top honors on "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On."

The imam who wants to build an Islamic center near Ground Zero is speaking out. In an interview appearing on "Bahra" (ph) newspaper, Abdul Rauf says that he hopes the center will offer an approach that allows for harmony and understanding among all religions and other ideas.

Now, the imam is also praising freedoms preserved under the U.S. Constitution. He is in the Middle East on a State Department -- yes, a State Department-sponsored tour to discuss Muslim life in America.

What do you make of that?

Meanwhile, about 450 people opposed to the imam and the Islamic center were protesting in lower Manhattan yesterday, while a smaller group, about 250, were voicing their support for the center.

CNN's Susan Candiotti reports that the two sides were separated by miles on the issue but only by about a block at their rallies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Passionate protesters. They argue that an Islamic center and mosque two blocks away from Ground Zero is what they call a slap in the face to those killed on 9/11.

ANDREW SULLIVAN, ANTI-ISLAMIC CENTER PROTESTER: This is Andy from Brooklyn. Forget about it!

CANDIOTTI: Andrew Sullivan is urging blue-collar workers to sign a pledge refusing any job at the proposed religious site. Hardhats were handed out at the protest rally. This man, who works for the fire department, put one on.

MIKE MEEHAN, ANTI-ISLAMIC CENTER PROTESTER: If they build it uptown, I'd have no problem with it, believe it or not. I would have no problem. Just not down here.

CANDIOTTI: For others, the Muslims behind the project are nothing short of sinister.

SHAWN GILFEATHER, ANTI-ISLAMIC CENTER PROTESTER: I think the people that are backing it, the people that are funding it, are actually in cahoots with them, you know - you know, with the terrorists.

CANDIOTTI: About a block away, supporters scoffed at suggestions that an Islamic center would be a cover for terrorists.

DR. ALI AKRAM, ISLAMIC CENTER SUPPORTER: There are many Muslims who lost Muslim family members at Ground Zero, so when they come to visit Ground Zero as a memorial, they should be able to walk two blocks down and pray for their loved ones.

CANDIOTTI: An Ohio army reservist on his way to Afghanistan sees the controversy as a perfect platform to prove what troops are fighting for overseas.

LT. COL. CHRIS DZIUBEK, ISLAMIC CENTER SUPPORTER: They have the -- certainly the right and the ability to do it whatever they would like. And - and that's what I like about the country, is the ability for people who disagree with one another to hash it out without guns.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): On Sunday, the wife of the imam involved in the Islamic center controversy said there are no changes planned, but the move could be considered after consultations, as she put it, with all major stakeholders.

DAISY KHAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MUSLIM ADVANCEMENT: We have to be cognizant that we also have that constitutional right. We have the Muslim community around the nation that we have to be concerned about. And we have to worry about the extremists as well, because they are seizing this moment.

And so we have to be very careful and - and deliberate in - when we make any major decision.

CANDIOTTI: The Islamic center planners say they're working with a rabbi to pattern the building like a Jewish community center, but that's of little interest to protesters.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Chad Myers is going to join us in just a little bit. You know what Chad's talking about? Well, he's a weather guy, so -- no, he's not a weather guy, he's a meteorologist. There's a difference.

(CROSSTALK)

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: What have you been asking for? What have you been asking for, for 115 days?

SANCHEZ: I've been asking for --

MYERS: Where are the --

SANCHEZ: -- real, tangible evidence as to what really happened in the Gulf of Mexico and how many fish kills are there.

MYERS: OK. See you in two minutes.

SANCHEZ: You got one? You've got some tangible stuff?

Look at you.

Chad Myers, ladies and gentlemen with news you can use about the Gulf of Mexico -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: One of the great mysteries of what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico is, where is the evidence, the tangible proof that some of the chemicals that have been used as dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico, as some scientists have alleged, are bound to destroy much of the sea life there? We haven't seen any real big cases. We've seen some, but sometimes there's fish kills that have nothing to do with these things.

You're saying there may be something there that somebody's going to look into?

MYERS: Well, clearly from the mouth of the Mississippi, over to Texas, there is annual fish kills.

SANCHEZ: Right.

MYERS: Hypoxia. There's no oxygen in the water, the fish just die.

SANCHEZ: Red tide.

MYERS: Correct. All kinds of things can occur. When you get that algae to bloom, it blooms so big that it absorbs the oxygen and the fish don't get any. There's nothing left.

Right? OK. That can happen.

Not typically at the mouth of MRGO. You know where that is?

SANCHEZ: No.

MYERS: MRGO, a diversion, a straight line from almost New Orleans, right into the Breton Sound, near the Chandeleur Islands.

SANCHEZ: Oh, right. Right. Right. Part of the delta.

MYERS: Correct. So that -- a lot of different reasons why this is -- and this has been controversial since the very first day that this was ever made.

MYERS: So where's MRGO? MRGO -- so it's pronounced Mr. Go -- here's New Orleans. And if you were to ship into the water, the water would literally have to go all the way down to the mouth of the Mississippi. A couple different ways out by the time it gets there. Most of the normal fish kills happen from the mouth and then over to the west, toward Texas. Kind of this ugliness coming out of the Mississippi.

Not typically will this come out of MRGO, which is this straighter line, straighter line to get into the Gulf of Mexico with a shorter distance. So the fish kill, 5,000 to 15,000 different fish found -- let me read something to you, because we're not just talking just those random fish that typically show up that are the bait fish.

Here's what they found yesterday. They found crabs, stingrays, eels, drums, speckled trout, red fish. You name it, it was included in that fish, in that fish kill, according to St. Bernard Parish president Craig Taffaro.

He said he was there and they had found recoverable oil in the areas that they found the fish. Put them together, I don't know. It's the first time that we can say there are dead fish in areas where there have been significant amounts of oil that came in from this well.

SANCHEZ: Well, I imagine they have to go and do some kind of -- what it's call a necropsy, isn't it?

MYERS: Of course.

SANCHEZ: A necropsy with the dead fish and figure out --

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: Sure. And they still might not know.

SANCHEZ: Well, you're right.

MYERS: You know why they still might not know? Because those little microbe that were going to eat the oil anyway were going to use all the oxygen. So it could still be hypoxic anyway.

SANCHEZ: Right.

MYERS: So it might not be the regular fish kill. It might be an oil fish kill from microbes. But they may not be able to tell why there was a lack of oxygen.

SANCHEZ: Oh, boy. Let's hope that we don't see a recurring problem with these, because that would be horrible.

Already, they have the issue of people -- buyers of seafood around the country are saying, you know, we're going to stay away from this stuff. So they can't get their price for even the stuff that they're fishing out of that area.

MYERS: You know, I know they drug the fishnets, the shrimp nets all weekend long, and they found great shrimp catches and they found no oil on the nets. Does it make you a little queasy yet, still, just for a little while? No one loves shrimp more than me. I'm still thinking.

SANCHEZ: The oysters, the shrimp and everything else.

(CROSSTALK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Hey, thanks so much.

MYERS: I'm always here for you.

SANCHEZ: Got some visitors over there.

Say hi, guys. Say hi to Chad.

MYERS: Hi guys.

SANCHEZ: It's always nice to see you guys dropping by and saying hi to us here.

We're going to be right back. Stay right there.

We'll talk during the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

Social networking is not just for teens. You know that we've been grooving on this, as they say, for the better part of three or four years now.

Well, college kids are using it, and parents, then grandparents. And yes, even politicians use Facebook, YouTube, Twitter. Yes, we know. We see it on the show. They try to get to you by reaching to me.

And we're glad they do. Finally.

There is a new study out though that ranks U.S. senators based on their social media savvy and frequency of use. The report found that Republicans are outpacing Democrats in terms of friends and followers on these sites.

And you're going to be shocked when you see who is at the very top of the list tied for numbers five and four with digital IQs of 143. We frequently show their tweets on the air. Maybe that's why.

Minnesota Democrat Al Franken, Texas Republican John Cornyn, he tweets us all the time.

Number three, with a digital IQ of 152, Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown. He is number two.

GOP senator from South Carolina Jim DeMint with 154. And coming in at number one with the highest social media IQ of any U.S. senator, that's right. , 74 years old, still going. He knows how to do it. Arizona Republican John McCain.

Speaking of social media, this is a good opportunity for me to share something with you, because I want to tell you now what I've learned from you. That's right, because you talk to me, and together we share some of this information.

You say oftentimes that your money is being wasted. You tell me many times that much of what you do is -- much of what we do on television confuses you. Well, essentially what you're saying is that only through social media will we be able to connect.

I have written a book. It is called, "Conventional Idiocy." Why? Well, ,I'm making fun of the idea that some people call it conventional wisdom.

But half the time what really is going on isn't conventional wisdom. It's more like conventional idiocy. That's what you tell me.

You tell me you want the truth. You tell me you want things that are real. And that's what we try and do on this newscast.

The book, by the way, second Tuesday of September hits the bookshelves.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back.

We're doing a story about surviving the unthinkable, thinking a lot about these people today who are telling the story in Chile. Have you heard?

Folks in Chile are actually stuck. They are stuck about 2,300 feet under ground in, like, a little den where it's dark and damp. And everyone thought they were dead. There's 33 of them.

It turns out they're not dead. They're alive. That's the good news.

The bad news, they're probably going to have to be there all the way until, like, Christmas, because that's as soon as they're going to possibly be able to get to them. This is a true story of survival.

Speaking of stories of survival, I want to bring somebody else to your attention now. Let me see if we can get -- Roberto Canesa is joining us now.

What's interesting about Roberto Canesa, he's joining us from Montevideo, Uruguay, by the way. Or as we would stay in the United States, Montevideo, Uruguay. And he was one of the guys, believe it or not, who was in that famous crash in the Andes. Remember 1972, a plane crashed in the Andes, they made a movie about it.

I almost hate to say this. They survived because the only thing they could do was eat, according to the movie and some of the books, some of the flesh of the people who were already deceased. Wow.

Roberto, we're only down to a minute, but can you take us through part of that story? Is that true by the way?

ROBERTO CANESA, 1972 ANDES PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR : Yes, Rick. Everything is true.

I mean, it was incredible. Sometimes you are trapped in life and in circumstances you would never dream about, and there was our plane crash. So during all day today they have been calling from Chile because these people are trapped there, and it reminds me of the avalanche that nearly buried us alive.

SANCHEZ: How long were you guys up there?

CANESA: Seventy-two days and 72 nights.

SANCHEZ: And there is nothing to eat? I mean, so eventually you literally had to do, just to survive, as horrible as it sounds, you had to literally eat other people's flesh?

CANESA: Yes. That's what impresses people in this story, but obviously I think that's a perspective if you haven't been there because that was not our main problem. Our main problem was that every day there were avalanches and you were scared to death, and after having to use the dead people, we were very far from the solution because we were still on the same place.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Roberto, I'll tell you, it's one heck of a story. I didn't think we'd be finally able to get you up, but we did. And I'm glad you at least were able to give us a little part of the story.

We'll try and get you back and try and do this again, Roberto. Thanks so much for being with us.

We're out of time.

Here now in "THE SITUATION ROOM," Wolf Blitzer.