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Jack Abramoff Pleads Guilty to Bribery, Fraud, Tax Evasion; 13 West Virginia Miners Still Trapped Underground

Aired January 03, 2006 - 19:00   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 in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you the day's top stories.
Happening now, it's 7:00 p.m. in West Virginia, where any time now, rescuers could reach that spot where 13 miners were last seen alive. But the presence of a deadly gas is dimming hopes for a successful outcome.

Here in Washington, a high-flying lobbyist takes a hard fall. Pleading guilty in an influence-peddling investigation. His highly placed friends right now are worrying about who's next.

And it's 7:00 p.m. in Miami, where the teenager who spent his holiday break in Baghdad is about to speak out. We'll hear from Farris Hassan for the first time.

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

It's now been 36.5 hours since 13 men were trapped by an underground explosion in a West Virginia mine. Rescue teams have pushed their way more than two miles into the mine, and officials say they could reach the spot soon where the miners were last seen. But optimism is getting hard to come by.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN HATFIELD, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL COAL GROUP: It is our goal to keep hope alive while there is hope. And we don't want to discourage anyone that believes we can get there. We believe we can get there if the crew has managed to barricade themselves and kept themselves protected from the noxious fumes.

Certainly with every hour that passes, the likelihood of a successful outcome diminishes, but our efforts move forward as quickly as we can and we're fervently determined to do our very best to get to them.

We are clearly in a situation where we need a miracle, but miracles happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: CNN's Brian Todd and Kimberly Osias are standing by. They've been speaking with family members and others, but let's start our coverage with CNN's Anderson Cooper. He's on the scene. Set the stage for us, Anderson, what we know right now.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, you heard the representative for the mining company say they are in need of a miracle. The governor of the state has said he believes in miracles. The question here tonight, will a miracle happen? We should know in the next several hours, according to mining company representatives.

The rescue efforts have made significant progress, in his words, in terms of actual physical progress. They were within 1,000-or-2,000 feet, they believe, of where these miners are located. It is very difficult-going, it is very slow-going. They anticipate at 5:20, they said it would be in the next three-to-five hours. That was some two hours or so ago, so anywhere from the next one-to-three hours, we can calculate, they believe they may make contact with the miners.

They do not know at this point whether the miners are alive or are dead. That is what they are trying to decide, trying to find out. And it is going to be a very long night for the families, as it gets down to the wire. The rescue efforts have really pushed to the very end of this mine.

That is where they are going to this second left turn, if you will, off the main shaft of the mine. But there are, as you said, Wolf, high levels of carbon monoxide, dangerously high, lethally high levels were recorded earlier this morning, three times the lethal dose. That people couldn't live in it more than 15 minutes.

So there's a lot of fear about what they may find as these hours tick by. They are hoping, as you said, that maybe these miners barricaded themselves in, got into a defensive position where there was some oxygen that they could breathe. And that is what -- that is what the miracle will be, if they are still alive, if they were able to avoid the blast, which we hear was a very strong one indeed.

And if they were able to find a spot where they could find enough oxygen to a spot where they could find enough oxygen to last these 30- plus hours. Let us hope that miracles happen. That's what the people here in West Virginia are looking for tonight, Wolf.

BLITZER: And if these 13 guys, Anderson are still alive, they're hoping to bring them out through that tunnel, not from the drilling that's been going from the surface.

COOPER: That is correct. They would try to bring them out as quickly as possible through the tunnel. Had the drilling been more successful earlier on, they could have drilled a three-foot hole and gotten them out that way, as we saw with the Quecreek mine.

But what we are told is that however they are found, they will be brought out by the rescue workers. And very likely, there's a bridge you can't see it, it's about 100 yards behind me, however they come, they will come likely over that bridge. This is the area where a lot of the families have gathered. This is right where the church is, and so we are on this site to bring you the first information as soon as we see what is going on, Wolf.

BLITZER: We'll be staying with you, Anderson, throughout the night. A special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360" airs at 10:00 p.m. Eastern tonight. We'll be with you all night, Anderson, thanks very next.

Outside the mine in an area where everyone knows everyone else, families and friends of the missing miners are waiting and wondering about their fate. CNN's Brian Todd is joining us now from Upshur County in West Virginia with more on this part of the story. Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, many of these families have lived here for generations and are very stoic about the predicament their loved ones are facing. But even they are getting more worn down as each hour passes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): When they come out of this hillside church, their faces are as dispirited as the news they've just gotten. No sign of their friends and loved ones, and the clock keeps ticking.

TERRY GOFF, FRIEND TRAPPED IN MINE: I want him to come out. He's a good friend, he don't deserve this, all of them are.

TODD: Friends and families get their briefings from mine officials before anyone else. Many of them have lived in these hills for decades, their lives intertwined with the mining industry. These families know the risks, and in the case of 27-year-old Randall McCoy, father of two young children, they had discussed them recently.

ANNA MCCOY, HUSBAND TRAPPED IN MINE: He just wanted to get into another career, and to let the mines go. It was just too dangerous, it wasn't worth it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: I also spoke a short time ago with Randall McCoy's sister. She also said that he had expressed concerns about the safety of the mine, saying a few weeks ago that they had to stop drilling because of the presence of noxious gases. So safety here was very much on the mind of Randall McCoy, as of a couple of weeks ago, Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian Todd on the scene for us, thank you Brian, very much. CNN's Kimberly Osias is also there. She's been spending time with relatives of those missing miners. What are you picking up, Kimberly? All right. Kimberly, hold on a second. I don't know if you can hear me, but we certainly can't hear you. We're going to try to make sure we can get your audio. Brian, are you still there with us?

TODD: Yes, I am, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Brian, talk a little bit about the inside that church. Are they praying? Are they singing? Are they holding hands? Tell our viewers what's going on, because this must be such a gut-wrenching time for all of those people.

TODD: It certainly is. What we're told is going on inside the church is that everything you just mentioned, they are praying, they are joking around to try to pass the time. There are tense moments, there are people breaking down on occasion, but they are really holding up well. But we don't have access ourselves to the church. We get this by talking to family members coming out.

BLITZER: Brian, thank you very much. Kimberly, let's see if we can work out our audio problem with you. When I spoke with you earlier, you said some these family members now were becoming angry. What exactly is going on?

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, indeed they are, Wolf, and now we've got another audio. Of course this is live television, we've got a train going by. But what happens here is these families get the information first, it is disseminated to them obviously as a courtesy and to be sensitive to their needs first before giving if to the media.

Now, initially I've gotten to know some of these family members. Initially there was a lot of sadness, obviously. It's a roller coaster of emotion, it runs the gambit. But truly now what I am hearing from people that have been inside -- and as Brian mentioned, we're not allowed inside. This is sort of their safe haven, if you will, but it is really turned, the tide has turned. The folks are angry, they are angry at this company, saying they want answers and they want them now, and they want more rescue workers down there. Wolf?

BLITZER: Kimberly, we'll watch this story with you as well. Thank you very much. Kimberly, let's pray for the best.

And we're going to have much more on this story coming up this hour. We hope to speak with some of those family members live here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Other news we're following, especially here in Washington, the fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff making a deal with prosecutors investigating influence-peddling on Capitol Hill. Very shortly we'll have in-depth coverage of who Abramoff may be bringing down, what's going on. First, though, new numbers out on corruption in Congress. For that, let's head up to New York. Jack Cafferty has got the "Cafferty File." Jack?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Wolf. An interesting statistic. This is a little scary, 49 percent of Americans say most members of Congress are corrupt. That's worth repeating. Half of all Americans think most members of their Congress are corrupt. And it's not about being Democrats or Republicans. Those who answered the poll questions thought the same number in each party were probably crooked.

When it comes to how this will affect who people vote for in November, the so-called off-year elections, 55 percent say it's the most important or a very important issue; 32 percent say it's moderately important, and 12 percent say it's not important. The mystery is this -- if half of us think most of Congress is corrupt, how come so many incumbents get reelected every time?

Here's the question -- do you think most members of Congress are corrupt? You can e-mail us your thoughts at caffertyfile@cnn.com, or you can go to cnn.com/caffertyfile.

And Wolf, it's interesting to note that this poll was done before the Abramoff guilty pleas were -- that we were talking about just a minute ago came into the news today. One of the things I was reading is as many as 20 members of Congress may be implicated in the junk that he was pulling off down there, but almost half of us, 49 percent, think most of our congressional representatives are corrupt. That is a very sad commentary on the state of this republic in this humble reporter's opinion.

BLITZER: I totally agree. Thanks very much, Jack, for that. Jack, we'll get back to you soon.

Coming up, one of the most powerful lobbyists here in Washington now pleading guilty to fraud and conspiracy. Why this case could echo through the halls of Congress.

And we're also following the late-breaking developments in West Virginia, and the efforts to reach those 13 trapped miners. We'll look at safety violations at that specific mine.

Plus, we're expecting to hear from a Florida teenager. That would be Farris Hassan. This hour, he's speaking out about what he did over his winter vacation. His solo trip to Baghdad made headlines around the world.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: He was a high-flying lobbyist with friends in very high places. Now he's taken a very hard fall. Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty today to conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion, and agreed to help federal prosecutors with their influence-peddling investigation.

Some of his friends, including members of Congress and their top aides, may have good reason to be very worried right now. Recipients of his gifts include powerful Republicans like the former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Ohio Congressman Bob Ney.

For more on Abramoff and his connections, let's turn to our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley -- Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Abramoff was the kind of guy who both discomforted and fascinated stodgy Washington. Brash and flagrantly ambitious, with a bit of Hollywood flair.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CROWLEY (voice-over): Over a decade as a lobbyist, gathering clients and building influence, Jack Abramoff became the consummate deal-maker, a guy who did not push the envelope of ethics and law, but blew right through it.

CHELLIE PINGREE, COMMON CAUSE: It's kind of the worst thing people imagined from the outside on what can go on inside Washington. No standards, no ethics, breaking all the rules, and what clearly looks like violations of the law.

CROWLEY: At 47, Abramoff, raised in Beverly Hills, educated at Brandeis and Georgetown Law, is headed for the slammer. What a long, strange trip it's been.

August 19, 1984, the chairman of College Republicans addresses the national convention.

JACK ABRAMOFF: Today, our party readies itself to mount the wave of the future. Will we ride that wave to glory or will it send us crashing to shore?

CROWLEY: At 26, Abramoff had made his national political debut. Ten years later, Republicans took over Congress. Abramoff joined a lobbying firm, and rode the wave. He bought two Washington area restaurants, wining and dining lawmakers and their staffs. He raised $100,000 for the president's reelection campaign. He donated or had clients donate to other political coffers. He leased four sky boxes in various sports arenas for his growing list of golden contacts. He arranged for elaborate golf outings and other trips, all allegedly in the service of clients who were paying Abramoff tens of millions for his access.

PINGREE: Look at the numbers of members of Congress who are already starting to give back contributions, some of whom say they never even met Jack Abramoff, but they don't want to be anywhere near it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: You may not have heard of Jack Abramoff, but you've heard of a lot of people who know him. He's at the epicenter of what could be a seismic event in Washington's corridors of power -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Candy, for that.

Friends of the fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff may be wondering who he will bring down with him. Abramoff has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors looking into influence-peddling on Capitol Hill.

Joining us for some analysis, Richard Ben-Veniste. He was chief Democratic counsel on the Senate Whitewater -- Watergate committee, that is, plus his experience goes all the way back to Watergate. And Ben Ginsberg, who was legal counsel to both Bush-Cheney campaigns. Did I get that right or wrong?

RICHARD BEN-VENISTE, FORMER WATERGATE PROSECUTOR: No, wrong again.

BLITZER: Whitewater, Watergate. All right.

BEN-VENISTE: Anything with H2O.

BLITZER: I know you were involved in Watergate and you were involved in Whitewater, so we have good talent here, who know these kinds of scandals well from all perspectives.

Here's what he agreed to as part of this plea agreement. "The defendant agrees to fully cooperate in this and any other case or investigation, with attorneys for the United States of America and federal and state law enforcement agencies, by providing truthful and complete information, evidence and testimony if required concerning any matter."

How concerned should Tom DeLay, Bob Ney and other members of Congress be right now that they could be going down with him?

BEN GINSBERG, REPUBLICAN ELECTION ATTORNEY: Well, the greatest concern is what Jack Abramoff is going to say about. And for purposes of the plea agreement that he agreed to today, he has agreed to testify against them.

Now, these members all say that they didn't do anything wrong, that what Jack Abramoff is saying is puffery, and that will be the what we'll see.

BLITZER: How big of a deal in the scheme of things -- and you've been around Washington for a long time, Richard -- how big of a deal is this?

BEN-VENISTE: This is a big deal. This is the biggest scandal to come down the pike in a long, long time.

BLITZER: The biggest scandal in Congress.

BEN-VENISTE: Yes. An my assumption is that there will be a number of indictments that will follow. The two that have been most prominently named were Tom DeLay and Congressman Ney. In some of the facts that are set forth in these pleadings and the accompanying news reports, such as Abramoff paying Tom DeLay's wife $115,000 in order to conduct a survey of what congressmen's favorite charities were, this is at a level of hubris and I think outrageousness that we have not seen in quite some time.

BLITZER: If you believe this indictment, there was a lot of extravagant money-throwing going around.

GINSBERG: Look, if this indictment is correct and this really does represent a pattern, then I think it will touch both sides of the aisle, but it is a pattern of activities that should be rooted out.

BLITZER: There is no doubt, though, that if you start with these plea agreements, a tough federal prosecutor, if he wants to be really, really tough, they try to get some of the smaller fish in order -- to cop pleas in order to go after the big fish.

GINSBERG: Sure.

BLITZER: And there's some big fish out there.

GINSBERG: Well, there are lots of big fish over which allegations have been made. Now it's up to really see where the investigation goes. For purposes of this indictment today, talks about one member and two former staffers and that's all. And the question is, is this the tip of the iceberg, or is there more to come?

BLITZER: What do you think?

BEN-VENISTE: I think there's quite clearly more to come. The question here is, was there a quid pro quo? Was there a promise in return for this lavish amount of money that was spent?

And here, without tapes, they're going to rely on documents and testimony, and so at the margins there will be people who will be scrutinized who will not have been violative of the law, and that's where they're going to need some good lawyering.

And these individuals, when you look at what they did and what they have pleaded to, Scanlon and Abramoff, they did some very dirty things to their own clients in many cases.

BLITZER: He was another prominent Republican who's copped a plea himself, Michael Scanlon so ...

BEN-VENISTE: So the cross-examination, should these cases go to trial some of them -- it's going to be very interesting. On the other hand, there is so much money involved ...

BLITZER: It's going to keep ...

BEN-VENISTE: ... and they were so outrageous, you could gag a maggot.

BLITZER: All right. It's going to keep a lot of us busy watching it and I guess a good moment for lawyers, criminal defense attorneys here in Washington.

GINSBERG: It's a tough way to make a living.

BLITZER: Yes, all right, guys. Thanks very much.

BEN-VENISTE: Someone's got to do it.

BLITZER: Richard Ben-Veniste, Ben Ginsberg, always good to have you here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

The shockwaves from the Jack Abramoff plea agreement are being felt online. Let's bring in our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton. She has more -- Abbi.

ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, you can read the charges for yourself online here at cnn.com. Amongst them here, the three counts conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion. Also the plea agreement is available here online.

Now blogs -- political blogs on both sides, but especially the liberal blogs piling on this story. Think Progress, run by a Democratic think tank, doing its own research into which members of Congress have at one time or another received more than $10,000 from Abramoff or from Ambramoff's clients.

If you want to brush up more on this, you can go to CNN's new service, Pipeline. This is video on demand. You can search, put your own terms in here up here, find exactly what you're looking for. It will bring up video archives so you can watch from your computer. Also has four streaming live feeds coming in that you can get at home -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Abbi, thank you very much. Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, the safety record of the mine where those 13 men have been trapped underground for a day and a half. We've been digging into the records. We'll show you what we found.

Plus we're expecting to hear this hour from that Florida prep school student who traveled to Iraq by himself. New details of Farris Hassan's day off. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Zain Verjee is off this week. Mary Snow is filling in with a closer look at some other stories making news. Hi, Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf. Rhode Island is now the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana. State lawmakers today voted 59 to 13 to override the governor's veto.

The move allows patients with illnesses like AIDS or cancer to buy or grow small amounts of marijuana to ease their symptoms. It's the first such move by any state since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana users can still be prosecuted under federal law.

Rescue officials in Germany fear an ice rink's collapsed roof could cave in completely. Monday's roof collapse in southern Germany killed 11 people, six of them children. A woman and three more children are still missing. Rescuers suspended their search until special cranes could clear massive cross beams from the rubble.

A former Ohio State football star remains in jail under $50,000 bond. Maurice Clarett is accused of armed robbery. He surrendered to police Monday night and appeared in court today. He's charged with robbing a man and a woman in Columbus, Ohio early Sunday morning. Clarett rushed more than 1,200 yards and scored 16 touchdowns to help the Buckeyes win the national championship in 2002.

And here in New York, the driver from a horse-drawn carriage in Midtown Manhattan is in critical condition after being thrown into the street when his horse bolted last night. The horse ran for several blocks before crashing into a station wagon.

The two people in that station wagon were treated for minor injuries and released. The horse wound up straddled across the vehicle but was eventually led away, apparently unhurt -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What a story that is, especially for all of us who have been in New York and seen those horses and those carriages. Thanks very much, Mary, for that. We'll get back to you soon.

Just ahead, crews are using drills to dig deep into the ground. We'll show you how a rescue robot would operate in this kind of a situation. It burrows down in spaces too dangerous for humans.

And now that Farris Hassan is back from Iraq, what does he have to say for himself and about his trip? Is he calling it an adventure, or as others are calling it, a misadventure? We're standing by for him to speak to reporters. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: More now on our top story, those 13 coal miners trapped underground in West Virginia. Coal mining, as all of you know, is a very dangerous jobs, because coal mines can be such dangerous places to begin with. So how safe was that Sago mine that's now in question. Our Kathleen Koch has been looking into this part of the story. She's joining us live.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this mine was like so many in this country, frequently inspected, frequently fined, and yet the safety violations continued.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice over): In a volatile work environment, hundreds of feet below the ground, federal and state inspectors make continuous safety checks. The record at the Sago mine, 68 citations in 2004. The number more than tripled to 205 in 2005, 96 were considered serious and substantial.

DAVITT MCATEER, MINE SAFETY EXPERT: Their injury rate is three times the national average. Again, it's another indication that the program you have in place isn't working and that you're having more accidents than you should.

KOCH: The Sago mine reported 11 accidental roof collapses in the last six months of the year. International Coal Group bought the mine in November and insists safety has improved significantly.

HATFIELD: We believe the mine was safe. We employ top management people that are knowledgeable OF the industry and experienced and skilled in their jobs. These are good coal miners. People that care about their employees and want to do a good job.

KOCH: Still the West Virginia governor wants some answers from those who inspected the mine. GOV. JOE MANCHIN, (D) WEST VIRGINIA: Go back to the records to see if there's anything they might have had a warning or a precautionary warning, if you will, that something needed to be corrected. I haven't heard of any of that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: Now, the government can close a mine if it is deemed unsafe, and, Wolf, that's one major reason miners in need of a job are often reluctant to complain even if they're aware of safety shortfalls.

BLITZER: Kathleen Koch reporting for us, thank you very much.

One of the mine safety experts you just saw in Kathleen's report is joining us now. Davitt McAteer was assistant secretary for mine safety and health administration at the U.S. Department of Labor. Thank you for joining us.

Does it look like this mine, based on what you know, the record it had, was safe?

MCATEER: The mine record is not positive in terms of safety. The problems that we see here are problems where there's -- the record is diminishing in terms of the safety. There are more citations, more violations from the year before to this last year. Both at the state and at the federal level.

In addition, another indicator of safety is that number of accidents or injuries that you have, and in this mine, this accident rate was two and a half times what the national average is for a mine of this size. So those three indicators together suggests to us that this mine had a safety problem and that action should have been taken to intervene and to avoid the safety problems that they were having over the past year.

BLITZER: This explosion that trapped these 13 miners occurred Monday morning around 6:30 a.m., after several days of the New Year's holiday weekend when the mine was shut. Does that have any connection in your mind potentially to this disaster?

MCATEER: Yes, it does. Historically, idle times are times working right after idle times are times when problems occur. Frequently gases can build up and become residual in the mine, and when you reintroduce power to the mine, can be a time when you have problems that can lead to explosions. We've had instances in the past where those occasions have occurred.

Now, it would be speculative to suggest that occurred here, but certainly there's a time to be very cautious. After you shut the ventilation down, after you have had the electricity off, you need to be very cautious.

It's suggested there was a pre-shift examination which should have occurred. We don't have enough facts yet, obviously, to develop a theory behind it, but those are things that we need to look at, both on the federal and state level, to see if we can in fact understand what went into causing this problem.

BLITZER: In other words, before that crew of 13 men went back into that mine, into that tunnel at 6:30 in the morning, presumably -- given the fact the mine had been shut down for a few days, the power was off, tests should have been taken to make sure that the carbon monoxide level and everything else was good?

MCATEER: There's a system in this country where a miner goes in in advance of the working shifts, called a pre-shift examination. A fire boss goes in to check to see if there's any fires, any roof falls, any untoward conditions. He would identify those to the oncoming crew. We're told that occurred, but there was nothing found to be wrong. That will give us some indications of what might have gone wrong.

BLITZER: Are you increasingly coming to the conclusion that lightning probably did not have an effect on this explosion? Because the weather was bad.

MCATEER: The weather was bad, and bad weather can indeed impact mine safety. As the weather comes in and barometric pressure drops, it allows methane gas to come out from the coalbed itself, and so you have the potential for increased methane explosions, and that has occurred as well historically.

The suggestion that a lightning strike started or ignited this explosion is possible. It has occurred in other locations. It is probable -- it's not probable to be the cause here, but one shouldn't discount that. We should keep in mind and check all the facts as we get them.

BLITZER: We're all praying for a miracle right now.

It looks grim as all the spokesmen have been suggesting, but there is hope. What is the single biggest hope almost 40 hours into this disaster that these 13 miners might still be alive?

MCATEER: Miners under duress are extremely resourceful people, but in this instance, they would have had to have a great deal of luck and a great deal of positive action quickly.

They would have had to survive the initial explosion, then they would have had to get the self-contained self-rescuers and get them on, because after the explosion, the carbon monoxide would have been toxic. Then they would have had to find a place where they could find fresh air and would have had to barricade themselves away from the carbon monoxide. Those three things are possible. It would be miraculous if it occurred.

BLITZER: Have you, in your experience of trapped miners, had miracles like this in which these miners have survived?

MCATEER: Not at this scale, but we've had some where individuals have escaped in circumstances I would not have thought they could escape. And of course we've had the Cue Creek accident in Pennsylvania several years ago where all nine got out. We in the mining industry continue to pray and hope we will get a miracle and get these men out.

BLITZER: Davitt, thanks very much for your expertise. We appreciate it, and we're praying for that miracle. Davitt McAteer knows a lot about this subject.

Still ahead, we go back to West Virginia for a live update.

Plus, are firefighters making headway against those unpredictable flames in Texas? Jeanne Meserve is there and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's go back out to West Virginia, our Brian Todd is standing by. He's got an update on the hunt, the search for those 13 trapped miners. What's the latest, Brian?

TODD (on phone): Wolf, the latest right now is that the drilling has been temporarily suspended, at least until tomorrow morning. Drill teams have been working in proximity to where some rescue teams are in the mine in the nearby shafts and they cannot drill into holes or into areas where the rescue teams are.

Right now the rescue teams themselves are about 11,200 feet into the mine, about 1,000-to-2,000 feet away from where officials believe the miners are located. They say possibly, possibly three-to-five hours away from discovering the area, the general area where these miners may be. But they're being very cautious about projecting any time for reaching them or, of course, any condition that they'll be in when they get to them, Wolf.

BLITZER: But Brian, they said three-to-five hours around 5:30 p.m. Eastern. That's more than two hours ago, so can we conclude it's now one-to-three hours before they reach that site of the explosion?

TODD: That's a possibility, Wolf, it's just a possibility. They're being very cautious. Whenever they give us a number like that, they say, "We don't want to make any projections or predictions here." They really do present a picture of contrast. I mean, in the last briefing, the president of International Coal Group Ben Hatfield said, "We are clearly in a situation now where we need a miracle."

But in the next breath, he mentioned that they have made great progress, that they're happy with the progress they've made. They are -- one positive sign is that they actually haven't found the miners yet, so whenever they encounter areas where there are lethal areas of carbon monoxide, and they've encountered several of those, they have not found the miners, so there's always a possibility that the miners have gone somewhere else in the mine where there's better air.

BLITZER: Brian, as you take a look at the overall situation there now, it's been 37 hours and 13 minutes since this explosion occurred yesterday morning. As you look at the family -- you've been speaking with the family members who have gathered at that church, trying to get a sense of their mood swings, and they go up and down, but I take it right now, it's pretty despondent?

TODD: Absolutely it is, Wolf. They seem to get more dispirited after each briefing that they're given by these mining officials. But I will say that they are incredibly stoic people. They have lived and breathed this industry for their whole lives. They go in knowing the risks, they know the odds that their loved ones are facing now. They're dealing with it very, very well. You do see an occasional breakdown, but I have to say I've come to admire these people a great deal for the way they're handling it.

BLITZER: Brian, we'll check back with you as soon as we get some more information. Thanks Brian -- Brian Todd reporting.

And once again, some time between 8:30 p.m. Eastern, 10:30 p.m. Eastern, we expect at least according to the latest briefing, those rescue workers to reach the site where the 13 trapped miners were last seen. And we'll have the latest as soon as we get that for our viewers. We'll continue to watch the story.

We're also watching other important news around the country, including in Texas, some towns are getting a very, very close call. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is tracking some of the Lonestar State's worst wildfires in decades. We'll go to Jeanne shortly.

And later, Jack Cafferty reading your comments. The question on his mind, are most members of Congress corrupt? Your e-mail and Jack here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's some of the worst wildfires officials have seen in Oklahoma and Texas in decades. And they continue to burn tonight. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of acres have been scorched. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is joining us in Texas, in a very hard-hit region just west of Ft. Worth. Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I'm in the town of Huckabee (ph), and in a school yard here. You can see how Sunday night fire leapt right into this school yard. And it came within 15 yards of the school yard. Firefighters inserted themselves between the fire and the school. They saved the school, they saved the town, but that was not the last of their close calls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): In small Texas towns like Hannibal (ph) and Huckabee, smoke snakes across the ground and slithers skyward. It was a day of close calls. Firefighters here had hoped to spend the day gaining tighter control over existing fires, but winds rose and shifted and they found themselves with another fight on their hands.

JUSTICE JONES, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY: What happened is we had a flare-over that got across the line and ended up threatening four structures on a ridge top. And had to call in for air support to drop water and protect those homes.

MESERVE: Months of drought have squeezed every bit of moisture out of the Texas ranch land. Unusually hot weather, low humidity and high winds have conspired to create a fire season that is being called unprecedented.

DAVID ABERNATHY, TEXAS FOREST SERVICE: I've been doing this for about 38 years, and I've never seen anything like this. Basically, if you want to describe it, it's like a tornado that comes from the ground instead of the sky.

MESERVE: An incident command post coordinates the bulldozers and aircraft, engines and manpower brought into Texas from all across the South to augment exhausted local volunteer firefighters. But the forecast is for more hot, dry weather. And the spiraling smoke signals that things here could get worse -- much worse, and quickly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Officials here say it's so dry that the slightest thing can start fires, like, for instance, getting a flat tire and creating a spark on a roadway. Like an animal on an electrical wire that gets electrocuted and falls to the ground. Those are the sorts of things causing these wildfires, and once they start, boy, are they moving fast. They say they can quickly outrun a man, and even some of the equipment that's been brought in to fight these fires -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jeanne, thank you very much. Jeanne Meserve reporting from Texas.

Let's find out what's coming up right at the top of the hour. Paula Zahn standing by. Hi, Paula.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. We're going to continue with CNN's special coverage of the effort to make contact with those 13 trapped miners in West Virginia. We're also going to find out more about the towns they come from and the people who live there, how do they live their lives with the ever-present danger of an explosion or a cave-in. I'll be talking with the son of a miner who's worked in mines for several decades now, and get his thoughts on what it has been like for his family to endure this almost 37-hour wait.

Also, what is it like to be starting all over when you're nearly 100 years old? We're going to meet a couple in that same predicament because of the Oklahoma grass fires. It is tragic in so many ways, Wolf, but I think when you meet them, your hearts will go out to them, and you'll actually be inspired by their story. They're two strong people.

BLITZER: Good for them. Thanks very much, Paula. We'll join you right at the top of the hour.

It's a one-of-a-kind auction on a one-of-a-kind item. Just hours ago, the World Aquarium in St. Louis began accepted bids on the two- headed albino black rat snake. Bidding online begins at, get this, $150,000. Our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner is watching the bidding -- Jacki.

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, this, the World Aquarium in St. Louis, has been the home of We, the two-headed albino snake for the past six years, but now it's looking for a new home. You can go online to the sellingblock.com for a quick link to the auction site where this thing is being auctioned off.

This is the actual site, ReptiBid.com. You can see the starting bid there at $150,000. I spoke to the president of the aquarium today, and he says they've taken into account its rarity and the work they've put into getting it up to speed. It is now of breeding age. That's part of the issue for them, that they want to be able to breed this thing. Prime breeding age. You can see there in the stats.

I asked a little bit more about the snake. He told me that they feed the heads alternately, that the stomach is connected to both of them, and that he takes this very, very seriously. Not only do you have to have the money to pay for this thing, you also have to be able to take care of it properly -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jacki, thanks very much.

Let's go back out to West Virginia. Kimberly Osias is spending lots of time with the family members. Kimberly, what are you hearing?

OSIAS: Well, I've just checked in, Wolf, with some of the family members that are actually inside that church. You know, Wolf, it has been a long, long several days. These folks just do not want to leave each other's sides. And as you can certainly imagine, the range of emotions, I mean, it has been a virtual roller coaster for these families. First, they started out very sad, then hopeful. They are sharing a lot of tales with one another, getting each other to laugh. They just broke out into "Amazing Grace," and are praying, praying for those 13 miners and praying, Wolf, for a miracle.

BLITZER: Let's pray for that miracle. Thank you very much, Kimberly Osias.

Still ahead, do you think members of Congress are corrupt? A new poll suggests half of you do, if not more. So how might that affect your vote in this year's midterm elections? Jack Cafferty has been going through your e-mail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's a look at some of the hot shots coming in from the Associated Press, pictures likely to be in your home town newspaper tomorrow. Tallmansville, West Virginia, anxious waiting. A family member of one of the trapped miners leaves a meeting with the state's governor.

McKinney, Kentucky. Twister destruction. People clean up the debris of a home destroyed by tornadoes yesterday.

Gaza City, grief for a militant killed during an Israeli missile strike. And at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, it's the first day of trading in the new year. Some of today's hot shots, pictures often worth a thousand words.

We've been reporting a major story rocking Washington today. The fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff has made a deal with prosecutors investigating influence-peddling on Capitol Hill. That brings us once again to Jack Cafferty. Jack, pick it up.

CAFFERTY: CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows that 49 percent of Americans think most members of Congress are corrupt. So that's the question, do you think most members of Congress are corrupt?

Based on the number of e-mails I've read in the last hour, it's a lot higher percentage than 49.

Pat in Deckerville, Michigan writes: "99.9 percent of them are shady and easily corrupted. We should throw them all out and go to the highways and byways of the U.S. and choose our congressmen from the common citizens. They would all have something these bozos don't have -- common sense and honesty."

Barbara in Cullowhee, North Carolina: "Of course most of Congress is corrupt. Why else would they spend millions of dollars to get a job which pays less than the amount they spend to get it?" There's a certain wisdom there.

Harry in Seattle writes: "Nothing like the latest scandal to remind us just how insignificant our voice is in the legislative process in this country. These wig-headed, makeup-wearing slimeballs are going to be out stomping for votes real soon, with tired old typical lines like 'the American people.' It's truly disgusting to ponder what our system has devolved into."

Dax in Houston, Texas writes: "While the question is asked in a nonpartisan way, the response is probably given from a partisan perspective. This may be why most people don't think their representative is corrupt and why so many incumbents are reelected."

Jamie in Maryland: "Corrupt? No. Heavily influenced by campaign contributions? Yes. Is there a difference? Absolutely. Most members of Congress are decent, honorable people, though we're all fooling ourselves if we think money doesn't make people listen in Washington."

And Brett in Wapakoneta, Ohio: "Watching what they actually do when they get into office sure makes you think that they're in it for something other than helping their constituents. I thought being elected to office was something you did when you wanted to help your city or state or country."

BLITZER: Jack, thanks very much. We'll see you back here in THE SITUATION ROOM tomorrow.

To our viewers, we had hoped to bring you a news conference of Farris Hassan, the 16-year-old Floridian who took a solo field trip to Baghdad. As you can see, he still has not emerged from his South Florida home. As a result, the news conference did not air.

Let's go to Paula Zahn in New York -- Paula.

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