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Toxic Gas Recovery in West Virginia Raises Concern; Abramoff Involved with Dozens of Lawmakers; People Think Congress Is Corrupt; Sago Mine Had Safety Problems Before; President Bush Pushes to Renew Patriot Act Provisions; Interview with Shelley Moore Capito; Capitol Hill Scandals Not New

Aired January 03, 2006 - 16:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And to our viewers, you're now THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information from around the world are arriving all the time.
Happening now, it's 4:00 p.m. in West Virginia, where rescue teams move steadily toward 13 miners trapped deep underground. But as they find high levels of a deadly gas, anxiety rises among waiting family members. Could the accident have been prevented? Safety violations at this recently reopened mine tripled in the past year. Officials already asking serious questions.

Here in Washington, a fallen lobbyist makes a deal with prosecutors investigating influence-peddling on Capitol Hill. Who will he bring down with him?

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

It's been more than 33 hours since an underground explosion trapped 13 miners deep inside the Sago coal mine in upper -- Upshur County, West Virginia. The miners are believed to be at a depth of some 260 feet, about two miles into the main tunnel. A rescue team has reached nearly that far and crews are drilling a small hole through which they hope a camera can give them a view of the situation below.

Earlier, a probe dropped through another hole found carbon monoxide gas at levels too high to support life. Relatives of the missing men have gathered in a local church where word of the toxic gas and the silence from the blast site weigh heavily.

Our Brian Todd is on the scene. He's joining us now live from Upshur County in West Virginia. Brian, what's the latest?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the latest is that the mood gets about as dreary as the weather is getting. Thirty three and a half hours into this ordeal now, still no signs of the missing miners.

We hope to learn more in about an hour where officials will hold another news conference about 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. We believe we'll hear some more word about how the search is going. That news conference was postponed, incidentally, by an hour and a half. We believe it will take place about an hour from now, at 5:00.

At last word, the rescue teams had gotten about 10,000 feet below the surface, a little more than 10,000 feet into the mine. But an official of the mining company told me that they believe the miners are between 11,000-and-13,000 feet in. But still -- still no sign. And they did puncture that hole in, as you mention. Found very high and dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and have found no sign of these missing miners.

Now we'll talk about the drilling here. We're going to show you some exclusive CNN tape of some of the drilling going on in this mountain. We're now told that they have drilled a third hole in. They've at least begun to drill that third hole. Two holes have been dug -- one clear through, the other at least partially through. And they've tried to drop a camera in, into the first one and have found nothing.

But we did hear earlier today from the president of International Coal Group, Ben Hatfield, excuse me. He spoke rather flatly of how the investigation is progressing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN HATFIELD, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL COAL GROUP: The rescue teams are moving forward at an accelerated pace. They're moving faster, performing better than the robot was, apparently getting bogged down in mud and other issues. And we continue to make significant progress as we try to ascertain the status of our cell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Again, we hope to hear a little bit more in about an hour. What they would not address at that news conference and publicly they won't in the coming one, is the safety record of this company. We're going to run through it a little bit for you.

Last year, they had an injury rate at this particular mine three times that have other similar-sized mines. The last six months of 2005 they reported 12 roof cave-ins at this mine and there were more than 160 safety violations in the last three inspections of last year. And that spanned a period from April until December of last year.

So Wolf, a lot of safety issues regarding this particular mine. And this company, the company says they've corrected about 80 percent of that and they just took over this mine in November. They merged with another company. So those are questions that they're going to have to answer in the future, as well, Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian, how are the families who have gathered at that church and elsewhere holding up?

TODD: We just talked to some of them a few moments ago. They're holding up exceptionally well when you consider what they're going through and the fact that they've had very little news, and then this morning had some very dispiriting news about the carbon monoxide levels.

We just talked to some of them. They are very stoic people. They know the risks involved here. Many of them have lived here for generations. They're talking to us in an almost professional manner about this. Exceptionally strong people. We did see some tears and some comforting going on, but of course, that's natural. And a lot of the time when they want to have private time, they'll break away from the area where the media is and go up to the church, Sago Baptist Church, where it's kind of a sanctuary for them. So they are getting a lot of support here in the community, I think holding up exceptionally well.

BLITZER: Brian Todd, we'll check back with you. Brian Todd on the scene for us, thank you very much.

And to our viewers, please stay with us. We'll have much more on this story. Was this mine safe? We're going to go in-depth on that in only a few minutes. And we're also awaiting another news conference right at the top of the hour, about 55 minutes or so from now, on the trapped miners' fate. We'll have live coverage of that coming up, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Moving on to other important news we're watching, he was a lobbyist with lots of friends in high places. And he made millions of dollars trading on those connections. Now he's pleaded guilty to a series of federal charges and he's pledged to cooperate with the probe into influence peddling right here on Capitol Hill. And now a lot of his friends may be sweating, they may be worried.

Let's turn to our CNN congressional correspondent Ed Henry. He has more. Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's the plea deal that is sending shock waves all over Washington.

BLITZER: Ed, unfortunately, we've had a little technical difficulty with your piece over there. Let's talk a little bit about what happened today. To our viewers who are not necessarily familiar with Jack Abramoff, let's start off at the beginning. Who is he? What did he do and what has he now confessed to doing?

HENRY: Powerful Republican lobbyist, as you mentioned, friends in high places. Today he pled guilty to three counts. He was under heavy pressure, facing a possible second indictment here in Washington. He had already been indicted down in Florida on bank fraud charges.

He pled guilty to conspiracy, also tax evasion. And he basically in this plea deal, the Justice Department is basically saying that he was trying to bribe various public officials here in Washington, including some very senior members of Congress.

Abramoff was very contrite today. This is somebody who defrauded tens of millions of dollars out of his Indian tribal clients. He allegedly used that money to then shower all kinds of gifts on lawmakers -- trips, meals, even straight cash and money according to the plea deal. In turn, those lawmakers allegedly then did official acts for Abramoff's clients. That in layman's terms is bribery.

And this plea deal goes into great detail about how allegedly Abramoff was wielding this influence all over town. It's the kind of plea deal that is really concerning a lot of lawmakers in both parties. It's mostly affected Republicans so far, Republicans like Bob Ney of Ohio, Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader -- he's also denied any wrongdoing here -- but some Democrats as well, like Byron Dorgan. They've been -- there have been a lot of questions raised about them.

Wolf.

BLITZER: Ed, what about those who may be sweating the most right now? Because this follows Michael Scanlon, who was another top aide up on the Hill, who worked with Jack Abramoff. It follows a series of events that could cause some major players here in Washington to be sweating big-time.

HENRY: That's right. I mean, if you look at it -- first of all, I mentioned Tom DeLay. He's somebody who is very close to Jack Abramoff. He received all kinds of campaign contributions from Abramoff, his clients.

Then you also have Bob Ney, I mentioned, a Republican of Ohio. He went on a big golf trip to Scotland with Jack Abramoff in 2002 -- allegations now being raised that a non-profit really did not pay for that trip. It would have been proper for a non-profit to pay for it, but that it was actually Abramoff, his lobbying clients paying for it. And two -- look back, Tom DeLay went on a similar golf trip to Scotland two years before the Bob Ney trip. So there are some of the gifts that are really under the microscope.

Also Conrad Burns, a Republican senator from Montana. He's up for reelection. He's seen his poll numbers plummet. He's had to give back all kinds of money from Jack Abramoff. His poll numbers in Montana plummeting because of those ties to Abramoff.

And then finally, I mentioned some Democrats -- Byron Dorgan, Democrat from North Dakota. He's also had to give back a lot of money he received from Abramoff and Abramoff's wife. That's been embarrassing for Democrats for two reasons. Number one, Dorgan was one of the people investigating Abramoff on the Hill. But secondly, Democrats are trying to say in these midterm elections coming up, that there's a culture of Republican corruption, culture of corruption and cronyism. If Democrats get drawn into this, Wolf, it's going to be hard to make that charge.

BLITZER: All right, Ed Henry reporting for us. Ed, thank you very much.

Jack Abramoff's fall may be causing a lot of squirming on Capitol Hill, but the ripple effect may be wider than that. Will there be fallout in this year's midterm congressional elections?

Let's turn to our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider. He's here with us for more on that. Bill?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, the corruption issue suddenly looks big, but how will it affect the vote this year? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Jack Abramoff's going to sing. But who's going to face the music? There are two schools of thought. One says that when voters hear corruption, they don't think Republicans or Democrats. They think politicians. Almost half the public believes most members of Congress are corrupt, about the same as in the fall of 1994, which saw a huge revolt against the incumbents.

Right now, corruption is not a highly partisan issue. The public does not see Republican members of Congress as significantly more or less corrupt than Democrats. It's really a populist issue.

Americans who didn't finish college believe most members of Congress are corrupt. College grads don't think so; they're closer to the establishment and less suspicious of it. Republicans are counting on the issue to remain nonpartisan. The White House is distancing itself from Abramoff.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The wrongdoing that he apparently now is acknowledging he was involved in is outrageous.

SCHNEIDER: President Bush himself called Abramoff -- quote -- "an equal money dispenser to people in both political parties."

JACK ABRAMOFF, LOBBYIST: I have no choice but to assert my various constitutional privileges.

SCHNEIDER: The second school points out that most of Abramoff's money seems to have gone to his fellow Republicans, including one very high profile Republican. And even if voters turn against all incumbents, Republicans have more at stake. Most incumbents in Congress are Republicans.

When asked in October which party in Congress would do a better job dealing with corruption, Democrats held an 11-point advantage, not because people believed Democrats are less corrupt, but because people know Democrats are out of power and money follows power.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: In 1994, Democrats had been in power for 40 years. When voters got disgusted with Congress, they threw out the Democratic majority. Well, Democrats say, it's a Republican Congress now.

BLITZER: Bill Schneider reporting for us. Bill, thank you very much.

The shock waves from the Jack Abramoff plea are being felt online. Our Internet reporter Abbi Tatton has the very latest. Abbi?

ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, a lot of information online today about the Abramoff news here. Starting at CNN.com, a summary of the charges here -- conspiracy, mail fraud, tax evasion and detailed information about each charge there. Also online, the plea agreement stating that the maximum imprisonment for these three charges combined, 30 years.

Now, bloggers are really piling on the story, especially on the left today. Here's liberal crooksandliars.com. What John Amato of Crooks and Liars has done is gone back and looked at emails that have previously been released, emails between Abramoff and a business partner which show him celebrating deals here -- those at crooksandliars.com.

Now, if you're wanting to brush up on the Abramoff case -- we know that this has been going on for some time -- look at CNN's new service, Pipeline here. I'll play it behind you. This information here, there's video on demand about anything you want.

If you want to search up here -- I did a search on Abramoff -- it give you all the information you need. In addition, there are live feeds at the bottom of your screen there, live feeds coming into CNN that you can watch at home -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Abbi Tatton reporting for us. Thank you, Abbi, very much.

Let's go up to New York. Jack Cafferty is standing by in New York with the "Cafferty File." Hi, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How you doing, Wolf?

Europeans coming to the United States might soon have to have their fingerprints on file with Uncle Sam ahead of time. Of course, if you want to enter the country from Mexico, you just climb on your burro, head north, no questions asked. Makes a lot of sense.

Anyway, the "Boston Globe" reports today that homeland security officials are considering requiring all visitors from Europe to register their fingerprints ahead of time if they want to enter this country without a visa. There's a growing concern, apparently, that terrorists may come from Western Europe instead of from the Middle East.

Of course, if terrorists from Western Europe want to enter the United States, they can just first go to Mexico, then climb on their burro and head north, no questions asked. Makes a lot of sense. As things stand now, most Europeans don't need a visa to visit the United States. And, of course, Mexicans don't need anything.

Here's the question. Should Europeans have to register their fingerprints in order to enter the United States? You can email us at CaffertyFile@CNN.com or you can go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile. Yet another MENSA meeting held at the Department of Homeland Security.

Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jack, for that. We'll get back to you soon.

Coming up, much more on our top story. How safe was the mine in West Virginia? Does it have a history of problems? We're going to be taking a closer look.

Also, the scandal that's rocking Washington. Which lawmakers are sweating now after the super lobbyist Jack Abramoff has entered a guilty plea? We'll go in depth in today's "Strategy Session."

And later, pushing the Patriot Act, tough talk from the president. We'll tell you what Mr. Bush has to say.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Back now to our top story. Rescue crews are pushing deeper into the Sago Mine in Upshur County, West Virginia. They're looking for 13 miners missing since an explosion early yesterday morning. Rescuers have advanced nearly two miles into the main tunnel and small holes have been drilled trying to pinpoint the location and the condition of those miners.

They're believed to be about 260 feet down from the surface. If the men are located, a larger hole could be drilled to allow for their rescue. But there's one especially troubling sign right now. A probe has turned up carbon monoxide gas at levels which officials say are simply too high to support life.

There have been some significant safety issues with the Sago Mine, and officials are already asking whether this accident could have been prevented.

CNN's Kathleen Koch has been looking into this part of the story. She's joining us live. Kathleen?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, both federal and state inspectors go into mines like this on a regular basis. They check things like the mine's structure, the ventilation, the work practices and they have found problems at the Sago Mine.

After being closed for a couple of years when it began ramping up in 2004 with a small number of employees, it was cited 68 times for potential safety violations.

But in 2005, its workforce more than doubled and its cited safety violations more than tripled to 2,005 (sic) with some 96 of them considered significant and serious. Now, the Sago Mine's injury rate is also three times that of most mines its size and it had 13 roof collapses in the last six months of the year.

But an important caveat here -- as of mid-November, Sago Mines is under new ownership, and the International Coal Group says that safety was up the last quarter of the year. They claim it has improved some 80 percent.

Now, a mine safety expert whom I just spoke with said that while the trend for the mine has, over the years, been toward more injuries and potential safety violations and that is not good, he says that Sago Mine, in his opinion, doesn't have the best record he's ever seen -- but, Wolf, it also doesn't have the worst.

BLITZER: And we're expecting a news conference right at the top of the hour.

Kathleen, we expect to get more on this story. We'll carry that news conference live when the authorities emerge. Thanks very much, Kathleen, for that report.

The mine explosion is certainly on President Bush's mind as well. He talked about it earlier in the day in front of reporters over at the White House.

Our Zain Verjee is off this week, but Mary Snow fortunately is with us. She's got more on that and other stories. Hi, Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf.

While West Virginia families keep vigil in a local church, rescuers step up their search for 13 trapped coal miners. They're trying to find any sign of the miners since an underground explosion sealed them 260 feet straight down more than 30 hours ago.

In Washington earlier today, President Bush said he had spoken with West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I told him that I appreciated the great outpouring of compassion from the West Virginia citizens toward those worried family members.

I also assured him that the federal government will help the folks in West Virginia any way we can to bring those miners out of that mine, hopefully in good condition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: In other news today, a warmer windier Tuesday is not helping matters for firefighters battling fast-moving flames in Texas and Oklahoma. Those fires have burned out small towns and hundreds of thousands of acres. Four deaths from the wildfires were reported last week.

Southeastern New Mexico is burning as well. Four wildfires there have scorched 53,000 acres, forced evacuations and destroyed 11 homes and two businesses near the city of Hobbs.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has gotten a look at the flooding in the state's wine country. Monday, he declared a state of emergency in seven counties. The Russian River today dropped below flood stage after overflowing its banks and flooding countless homes. It rained on the Rose Parade yesterday for the first time in half a century. Southern California got up to two inches of rain.

And rain, sleet and slushy snow are mucking things up in the Northeast with snow amounts reaching 11 inches in some areas. Highway crews have a hard time of it pushing the wet heavy stuff off the roads. Schools were closed in parts of Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York state. The heavy snow snapped branches which pulled down power lines. Tens of thousands of people also lost their electricity.

Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Mary, thank you very much. Mary Snow in New York for us.

And once again, we're standing by for the news conference from West Virginia on the fate of those 13 trapped miners. We'll bring it to you live as soon as it starts.

Also coming up, do you think Senator Hillary Clinton's too liberal? We've got some new poll numbers that might surprise you. Stick around. That's coming up.

Also, will he or won't he? What Donald Trump has to say about running for governor of New York state. That story in today's "Political Radar."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Remember, we're standing by for a news conference from West Virginia. That's coming up at the top of the hour. We'll bring it to you live, on the fate of those 13 miners who have been trapped now since yesterday morning.

Meantime, we'll follow some other news.

President Bush today launched a 30-day push to win renewal of key elements of the USA Patriot Act and he began with some tough talk aimed at critics of those anti-terror measures.

Let's go to the White House. Our correspondent Dana Bash standing by with the latest. Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Well, while Congress is out of town, the White House is trying to take advantage of having the Washington stage to themselves.

Today, as you said, it was about pushing for a renewal, not just an extension of the Patriot Act provisions that are expiring there. Now, the president had in the White House some U.S. attorneys who say that they have been -- they have benefited from the Patriot Act in prosecuting terror cases. And the president, for his part, accused lawmakers who are holding it up of playing politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: And now when it came time to renew the act, for partisan reasons in my mind, people have not stepped up and have agreed that it's still necessary to protect the country.

The enemy has not gone away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, all of the Democrats in the Senate did support a filibuster. But it should be pointed out that there were also four Republicans who thought -- who think that the Patriot Act goes too far in terms of civil liberties.

Now, on a related note very quickly, Wolf, the vice president is going to talk about this issue and he will also talk about the NSA secret surveillance program in a speech tomorrow. An administration official tells CNN that he will aggressively defend the NSA program much like he did in an interview with CNN a couple of weeks ago, say point blank that the White House has not violated the law and take on critics who say that they have.

Wolf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCLELLAN: The wrongdoing that he apparently now is acknowledging he was involved in is outrageous. And if he broke laws, he needs to be held to account and he needs to be punished. And beyond that, I think we'd just be speculating about things at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, forgive us. Those were some technical gremlins. That was Scott McClellan talking about the other issue of the day in Washington, and that is Jack Abramoff and the fact that he had a plea deal of course, as CNN has been reporting all day.

The question at the White House has been for some time, what effect that will have on the White House, if any. It has sort of been what aides have told us privately. Their fear has been that maybe it would be an X factor in preventing them from having the political comeback they hope to have in 2006.

You just heard a very strong statement from Scott McClellan about Jack Abramoff. They say here at the White House the president does not recall meeting Jack Abramoff; that he did have some meetings with low- level staffers here and maybe attended some holiday parties, but that's about it.

Now, you remember, Wolf, that there was one Bush official, the former chief of staff of the General Accounting Agency, David Safavian, who did have ties to Abramoff. He resigned. But other than that, officials both inside the White House and outside think that they are going to be pretty clear of any direct ties between Abramoff and the president.

One thing out there still is going to be whether or not the president and even Democratic members of Congress, whether they are going to be giving back money that Abramoff helped raise. It's a lot of money both for the president's re-election campaign and for many high-profile Democrats as well.

BLITZER: Dana, David Safavian not only resigned; he's been indicted even though he's not cooperating. He's pleading not guilty, is that right?

BASH: Exactly. That's exactly right. Resigned and indicted. And that is certainly somebody who worked for the White House but not somebody who is closely aligned or a close friend, if you will, of the president himself.

Wolf.

BLITZER: Dana Bash reporting for us from the White House. Dana, thank you very much.

Today in our "Political Radar," confirmation hearings begin next week for the Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Supporters today began an advertising blitz aimed at swaying some key senators. The half-million dollar campaign criticizes, quote, "desperate liberals" for what it calls "a steady drip of attacks on Alito." The ad is running on national cable networks, including right here on CNN.

Critics of Judge Alito are preparing their own ad campaign. A coalition of liberal groups plans to put commercials on the air this week attacking Alito's credibility.

Maybe Donald Trump doesn't want to be governor after all. A top New York Republican leader has suggested that the real estate mogul was weighing a run for the state house, but Trump, who stars in his own TV show, "The Apprentice," says he has absolutely no interest in running for governor right now. What's less clear is whether he'd consider a run -- as he once apparently considered way back in 1999 -- for another high office. A very high office.

Most Americans still view Hillary Clinton as a liberal. In our latest poll, 51 percent put her in that category while 32 percent describe her as a moderate. Twelve percent say she's a conservative. The numbers are basically unchanged since May, even though the Democratic senator from New York has taken stands on flag burning and Iraq that have angered some liberals.

We want to return to our top story right now. The prayers of a state and a nation for the safety of those 13 miners trapped deep in the ground in West Virginia. And the frantic work and drilling focusing in on making those prayers come true.

Our Brian Todd once again joining us from the site in Upshur County in West Virginia. Brian?

TODD: Wolf, 34 hours into this ordeal now, still no sign of the missing miners.

I'm going to get a little mini-briefing here from a member of Congress who has been in the official briefings and meeting with the families, Representative Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. Congresswoman, thank you very much for joining us. What is the latest you have been told about this?

REP. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R), WEST VIRGINIA: Well, we've been told that they've drilled the second hole and that the air is clear on the first left. The explosion is believed to have occurred at the second left. So they're moving forward. I think that's going to be able to allow them to move a little bit quicker than maybe they had anticipated. We're very anxious, as you can imagine, and hoping for the best.

TODD: You've also spent a great deal of time in the church with the families, including very recently this afternoon. How are they holding up?

CAPITO: Well, they're doing amazingly well. I mean, the community has really just outpoured a lot of love and helpfulness to these families. They're anxious. And they are very concerned, obviously, and worried. But they have -- West Virginians have an iron will and an iron heart, and they're showing it today.

TODD: Well, we wish them and you the best of luck in dealing with this situation, and we hope to hear more soon. Thank you very much, Congresswoman.

Wolf, news conference in about 30 minutes from now. We hope to hear more. Back to you.

BLITZER: And we'll take that news conference live, Brian. Thank you very much. Thank the congresswoman for us, as well.

Let's get more specific details on that be Sago mine explosion. Our Internet reporter Abbi Tatton joining us live. Abbi?

TATTON: Wolf, a page online now devoted to the mine explosion here at the Mine Safety and Health Administration. All the information as it's coming out there on the rescue efforts, the equipment involved, and also extensive information about this mine in particular. You can search and find out what accidents have taken place. Also, all the citations they've received in the last year, the last health and safety inspection, 46 citations. The one before that earlier in 2005, they received 70.

Now, if you're following along online at all the news CNN is bringing out on this, you'll want to look at CNN's new service, Pipeline. This is a video on demand service that let's you search. This is a search here for all the stories related to those miners. It allows you to watch all the video we've been showing. Here's a press conference earlier on today. All the news as it comes out will be available on this online service.

Wolf.

BLITZER: Abbi, thank you very much. Abbi Tatton with the latest on the Internet.

Up next, our "Strategy Session." He had friends in the highest places. Now the lobbyist Jack Abramoff has reached a plea deal with prosecutors. Should his friends be feeling a little high anxiety right now?

And confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito still only a few days away, but the battle lines already drawn. Does one side have the key to victory?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: CNN's Anderson Cooper is covering the story of those 13 trapped miners in West Virginia. Let's go out to Anderson for the latest. Anderson, we're standing by for a news conference, supposed to begin at the top of the hour. Give us a sense of what's going on.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we're not exactly sure what is going on. We were told to expect a news conference at 3:30 originally. Now that has been push back to 5:00. There was a meeting with the families at 2:30, after which one of the family members told a producer at CNN that the families would be told one way or the other, and I'm quoting the exact words that we were told by this family member -- that they would be told one way or the other by 4:30.

And at 4:30, which was five minutes ago, a meeting started in the church, which is just over in that direction. I saw the governor leaving the mine area heading toward this way. I'm assuming the governor is in that meeting. We do not know if it has actually begun yet, but it was scheduled to begin at 4:30. It is a private meeting with mine officials and family members.

It is one of the many kinds of meetings they have throughout the day. But a family member did tell us prior to this meeting that she had been told that they were going to be informed at this meeting one way or the other. We don't have any more verification of what that may mean or any confirmation on what they may be told. We do anticipate a press conference for the media after this private family meeting at 5:00, Wolf.

BLITZER: And Anderson, we're showing our viewers a picture of where that news conference is scheduled to take place about 20 minutes or so from now. But those words sound so ominous, one way or another. They didn't elaborate, didn't explain what they mean? Any more information that you can provide?

COOPER: I wish there was. And we just don't want to go down the road of speculation. I can't say more than that. The family member just indicating they would be told one way or another. They may be mistaken. They may have misinterpreted something. It is one person telling a producer at CNN that.

Just to give you a sense of where we are, we are relatively close to the church where this private family meeting is taking place. You've been talking to Brian Todd throughout the day. He is further down this road, probably about a half mile or so up this road actually at the entrance to the mining facility, to where they call the tippler, which is the processing plant of the mine. And then even further down that road is the actual entrance to the mine, where the miners are trapped.

This is really the staging ground for the families. It has been for these 30-plus hours since this accident occurred. Family members gathered about 100 yards or so behind me. There's a Red Cross tent. There's a mobile command center that's been set up. Sometimes they're in the church where this meeting is taking place, sometimes sitting around outside in tents out here. Last night, a bunch of them were huddled up in blankets, just kind of sitting out in the air, waiting to hear any kind of news.

It has obviously been an agonizing wait for these family members. Information has been coming out in bits and pieces, as they have been getting it. Then the media has been getting it. The mine officials have been careful that family members are not hearing anything first from the media, that all the information that they get, that mine officials get, they give to the family members first, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Anderson. We'll stay, and we'll watch, and we'll be very precise and very careful. Anderson, we'll get back to you very soon. Anderson Cooper on the scene for us in West Virginia.

Remember, we're standing by for this news conference, and we'll go there live as soon as it starts -- expected to start at the top of the hour, about 20 minutes or so from now. If we get any information before then, we'll of course go back to Anderson Cooper, or Brian Todd is on the scene, and we'll update you as soon as we get more information on the fate of the 13 miners. It's been now -- if we look at the clock, about 34 hours, 34 hours since that explosion occurred yesterday morning, 6:30 a.m.

Moving on to other news, including a big, big story here in Washington, subject for our "Strategy Session." That would be the former lobbyist Jack Abramoff reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. How worried should members of Congress be? How worried should the Bush administration be about what Jack Abramoff may be saying?

Joining us now, former Democratic strategist Bill Press, and the editor of "Human Events" online, Terry Jeffrey. Guys, thanks very much for joining us.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, issued a statement saying this, "Today, Jack Abramoff admitted to conspiring to bribe two members of Congress, a despicable action that strikes at the heart of our democracy. Sadly, it is not a surprise because this Republican Congress is the most corrupt in history, and the American people are paying the price." Strong words, Terry, from Nancy Pelosi.

TERRY JEFFREY, EDITOR, "HUMAN EVENTS": Well, they're very strong words. I don't know if it's the most corrupt Congress in American history, but clearly, the Republicans have a problem. I would caution the Democrats though, Wolf, that if they think that they can run the election this year purely on scandal, I don't think it will work.

If you look back to 1994, when the Republicans took the majority, a lot of people say that the scandals in the Democratic Congress, which had been in power for 40 years, played a role in it. But if the Republicans hadn't had the positive agenda they had in the Contract with America, I don't think they could have nationalized the election and taken the majority. So far, the Democrats haven't come up with a positive public policy agenda. BILL PRESS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, I appreciate the good advice from Terry Jeffrey, but I think the Republicans here are clearly the ones with the problem. Nancy Pelosi is right. Wolf, look, this is not an isolated incident. It comes on top of Tom DeLay's first problems. It comes on top of Bill Frist. It comes on top of Randy Cunningham and Scooter Libby.

And as Vin Weber, former Republican member of Congress, has said, the problem with this Abramoff thing is the tentacles are so long, and they reach into the House of Representatives, into the United States Senate, all the way to the White House where there were meetings with Vice President Cheney, meetings ...

(CROSSTALK)

PRESS: ...If I may finish -- meetings with John Ashcroft. We don't know where it leads. That's why so many members of Congress are understandably nervous today.

JEFFREY: Well, we don't know where it leads, and it could also lead to Democratic members. This could be a bipartisan scandal.

PRESS: No. There will definitely be some Democrats, I believe, included. But look, this is a Republican scandal. Jack Abramoff was a Republican lobbyist. He was a Bush Pioneer. He was former head of the College of Republicans. Tom DeLay...

BLITZER: When you say Bush Pioneer, means he raised at least $100,000.

PRESS: Raised $100,000 for George Bush. And if you look at -- some Democrats may have gotten some money, but most of the money and the biggest money went to Republican members of Congress. The two we know today are Tom DeLay and Bob Ney, both of whom are in serious trouble.

JEFFREY: I don't know that it's a party scandal. It's a scandal for the people who are involved. And the people who are involved in corruption should be held accountable. Whether or not one party or the other is the right party to lead the country, I think, is determined by where they want to lead the country on public policy.

PRESS: The Republicans lead the Congress, they have to take responsibility. He was their guy. He was going to Republicans in charge of the committees to get what he wanted.

The worst part about this -- here I do believe we agree -- is that nobody should rejoice in this. This is outrageous stuff. It puts a black mark on the whole United States government. And all Americans, I think, have to regret that. But at the same time, Terry's right. The people who were taking cash in return for official acts should be brought down, whether they're Republicans or Democrats.

BLITZER: This is what Vin Weber, former Republican congressman, said back in October. He said, "The one investigation that people are most worried about is Abramoff because it seems to have such long tentacles. This seems to be something that could spread almost anywhere."

Terry and Bill, you guys know Washington. Usually, when the prosecutor accepts a guilty plea, a plea bargain arrangement, whether from Abramoff or Michael Scanlon, this other former lobbyist, these are relatively, in their view, small fish because they want bigger fish. They want these guys to testify against the biggest fish, if you will. And that's the normal way these prosecution, these plea deals, work.

JEFFREY: Sure. I mean, this prosecutor wouldn't have made a deal unless he thought he was getting something of value from Jack Abramoff. And clearly, a corrupt congressman is more valuable to a prosecutor than a corrupt lobbyist.

I mean, I hope for the sake of this country that there aren't that many people who end up being in Congress who somehow were corrupted. But this investigation should go forward. It's a legitimate thing. I'm not sure it's really a partisan thing. And again, if the Democrats can't come up with a positive agenda that's right for the country and persuade the people on public policy, they're not going to win the election.

PRESS: It's a Republican scandal led by a Republican lobbyist and centered around the Republican former majority leader of the House of Representatives.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Thanks, guys. We'll continue this conversation down the road.

But right now, I want to go back to Anderson Cooper. He's in West Virginia, covering the story of those 13 trapped coal miners. Anderson?

COOPER: Wolf, we have just gotten word the meeting with the families has ended. Nick Helms, whose father Terry Helms, is trapped in the mine joins us. You were just inside the meeting. What were you told?

NICK HELMS, FATHER TRAPPED IN MINE: Absolutely nothing.

COOPER: Nothing.

HELMS: They said they had no news, and that once they hear anything they'll give us -- tell us whatever. But they didn't even give us a time that they would meet back.

COOPER: A family member had said to us prior to the meeting that they were going to be told one way or the other. But there was nothing new in that meeting?

HELMS: No, nothing at all. I've never heard that, so...

COOPER: It's got to be so frustrating for you.

HELMS: Yes, very. Everybody in there is frustrated. Pretty irritated, angry. You know, really upset.

COOPER: Do you feel you're getting the information as quickly as they're getting the information?

HELMS: That time, it was kind of -- it was one of those things that you just like, they seem like they're holding something back here. You know?

COOPER: Do you put most hope in these drills that they're putting down? Do you put most hope in the rescue team which are on the ground, walking to try to reach your father?

HELMS: Honestly, if you put them both together, it's going to work. I think they need both of them.

COOPER: And you're optimistic?

HELMS: Oh, definitely. We're all optimistic. We have to be. You know, you can't sit around and dwell and think your bad thoughts, you know, bad scenarios.

COOPER: How are you holding up? I mean, you've been awake more than 30 hours. You've been here on the site. You drove awe all the way from Myrtle Beach, Florida, to be here with your family.

HELMS: Yes. You know, I'm actually getting ready to go lay down for the first time. I'm just...

COOPER: You look like you could use it.

HELMS: Yes. You know, I'd do anything for my father, and he would do this for me if I was here in his position. So you know.

COOPER: Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and we've been talking to your family members, really, since the thing happened. And I appreciate you coming out and talking to us, Nick. Take care.

HELMS: Thank you very much.

COOPER: We'll talk to you again soon.

So, Wolf, that certainly some, I guess, good news you can say, that they were not told one way or another from this meeting. We'll keep you abreast of any new information as we get it.

BLITZER: All right, Anderson. Thanks very much.

It's been 34 hours and 17 minutes since that explosion yesterday morning. We're going to get back to Anderson Cooper shortly. We're also waiting for the start of this news conference expected to begin about 13 minutes or so from now, right at the top of the hour. We'll give you the latest on the status of the rescue mission for those 13 trapped miners in West Virginia.

Also, we're watching the Jack Abramoff indictment. Much more news coming up. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: And we're standing by for that news conference from West Virginia scheduled to start right at the top of the hour. The latest status report on the search for those 13 trapped miners in West Virginia, we'll go there live as soon as the news conference starts.

In the meantime, let's go live to CNN's Jack Cafferty. He's back with the "Cafferty File". Jack?

CAFFERTY: The "Boston Globe" is reporting that Homeland Security officials are considering requiring all visitors from Europe to register their fingerprints ahead of time if they want to enter the United States without a visa.

As things stand now, most Europeans don't need a visa to visit this country. The question is this. Should Europeans have to register their fingerprints in order to enter the U.S.?

Linda in Bella Vista, Arkansas: "Europeans and all others need to be using fingerprints or some other biometric form of I.D. to enter this country. Then, if we could just find a way to track them while they're in the U.S. and eliminate the folks that just walk across the borders, we might have a chance at homeland security."

Martha in Florida writes: "This seems to be a ploy by the government to get us all in a fingerprint database since surely the countries involved will retaliate by requiring U.S. citizens to give up their fingerprints in order to visit other countries. Then the countries will simply share the information."

Jim in Royal Randy (ph), California: "I think fingerprinting European tourists would be just dandy for our image abroad. In addition, we could make them wade through a ditch full of disinfectant, a courtesy extended to foreign visitors back in communist Albania."

Susie in Atlanta writes: "Yes, why not? And we should have to register ours when we enter a foreign country as well. Your question sounds like a warm up for Lou Dobbs. You boys been talking today?"

Mark in Baltimore writes: "Why rely on such archaic technology? Let's follow the Department of Homeland Security's lead and color code the Europeans. What better way to know if someone is for or against us? A visitor wearing orange would merely be opposed to the Iraq war whereas one wearing red would immediately be identified as a Frenchman."

BLITZER: Our viewers have a good sense of humor on this kind of stuff. So have you been talking to Lou Dobbs?

CAFFERTY: I haven't seen him. I think Lou's been away on vacation, as you have, as I have. But I'm sure that this is a story that won't escape Lou's radar. BLITZER: I suspect you're right.

CAFFERTY: This border security this is something that gets him nuts.

BLITZER: A lot of people are crazed about this, as well. Thanks very much, Jack. We're going to come back to you right at the top of the hour.

And up next, Washington buzzing about the Abramoff plea and it's potential for deeper scandal. CNN's Bruce Morton says there's nothing new here. He's going to ruminate on scandals past.

And we're also standing by for that news conference, the latest on the effort to rescue 13 trapped miners in West Virginia. That news conference scheduled a few moments from now. We'll take you there live as soon as it starts.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's been 34 hours, 27 minutes since that explosion yesterday trapped 13 miners in West Virginia. Moments from now, we're expecting to go live to West Virginia for the start of a news conference with the latest on the search. We'll go there live as soon as it starts.

In the meantime, today's guilty plea by the lobbyist Jack Abramoff reminds our national correspondent Bruce Morton that scandals under the Capitol Dome are not necessarily anything new. Bruce is joining us here live here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Bruce?

BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, whatever it is, the buying (ph), bargain, the temptation, the opportunity that leads to these things is very common. The fact is that lobbyists want congressmen to do them favors, congressmen want money so they can run for reelection. Can those two facts get you in trouble? You bet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. RANDY CUNNINGHAM (R), CALIFORNIA: I've compromised the trust of my constituents.

MORTON: In November, Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham resigned after pleading guilty to taking gifts from defense contractors worth some $2.4 million.

The Justice Department is now looking at Representative Bob Ney of Ohio because Abramoff aide Michael Scanlon pleaded guilty to conspiring with a congressman -- identified by government sources as Ney -- to exchange things of value for official acts and influence. Ney's office has said he did nothing improper.

2002, Representative James Traficant was convicted of receiving gifts and free labor in exchange for political help. 1996, Buzz Lukens of Ohio was convicted of taking $15,000 to help a trade school. 1993, Albert Bustamante of Texas was convicted of taking money to help renew an Air Force contract. Same year, Congressman Nicholas Mavroules of Massachusetts pleaded guilty to accepting free cars and a low rent beach house. 1997, 1998, Congressman Mario Biaggi of New York was convicted of accepting Florida vacations in exchange for helping one company and accepting $1.8 million in stock for helping another company get military contracts.

Funniest ever? That would be when one senator, Harrison Williams of New Jersey and six congressmen of both parties were convicted in a 1980 Abscam scandal, in which FBI agents posing as businessmen and Arab sheiks gave them money. As you can see, there's video.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MORTON: And there are more. So are the politicians all thieves and rascals? No. They are probably, on average, about as honest or as crooked as the rest of us, but it is fair to say that the temptation and the lobbyists are always with them every day, every day.

Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Bruce, thanks very much. Bruce Morton reporting for us here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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