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The Situation Room
Ariel Sharon Suffers Significant Stroke; Tragedy at Sago Mine; Mining Survivor In Critical Condition; How Dangerous Is Coal Mining?; Dan Kane Interview
Aired January 04, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's approaching 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, midnight in Jerusalem. To our viewers in the United States and around the world, welcome to THE SITUATION ROOM.
We're following this developing story out of Jerusalem right now. The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, 77 years old, has suffered what his doctors are now describing as a significant stroke. He has undergone -- he's undergoing treatment at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. He's had massive bleeding, his doctors say, in his brain. And there is a significant -- and he's under anesthetic treatment right now, he's receiving breathing assistance.
The 77-year-old Israeli leader had suffered what his doctors called a mild stroke on December 18, and he was scheduled to undergo treatment for a hole, a small little hole that was found in his heart in the aftermath of that mild stroke. That treatment, that procedure was supposed to take place tomorrow in Jerusalem, but he was not feeling well at his ranch in the Negev Desert near Beersheba, and as a result he was rushed by ambulance to the hospital in Jerusalem.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is our senior medical correspondent who can give us a little bit better perspective right now on the medical condition that Ariel Sharon is suffering from. Sanjay, give our viewers a sense, as only you can, how serious a situation this is.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it sounds very serious, Wolf. We're always a bit reluctant to try and diagnose this from afar without looking at his -- his brain scan or seeing the specific condition that he's in now, but everything that we're hearing and, you know, these doctors describing his condition, it sounds very serious.
In a nutshell, you have a gentleman who had a mild stroke back on December 18. This was probably from a small clot in his heart that dislodged and traveled to his brain. When doctors investigated that, they found, in fact, it was a small hole in his heart that they planned on repairing.
But in that interim period, between the time that he had his stroke and the time they were planning on doing the repair, he was on blood-thinning medications, which is a very significant thing, because now the stroke that he's had today is probably in part due to these blood-thinning medications, causing an actual bleed in his brain.
You have a 77-year-old man who's had, you know, a history of medical problems now, who has a significant bleed in his brain, has been taken to the operating room to have this blood removed, but is also still on the blood-thinning medications. It is a very concerning situation, I think, by anybody's standards. Again, diagnosing from afar, but these facts, if they are true, are all very concerning from a medical perspective.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Sanjay, the cerebral hemorrhage that he has and the surgery that he's going to need to deal with, the massive bleeding, he's being moved to the -- to the emergency operating theater, as it's called, in Jerusalem right now, the operating room. What kind of -- what kind of surgery will this require? You hear the words bleeding in the brain and treating it. How do you treat that?
GUPTA: The number one way to treat that, Wolf, is to actually remove the blood from the brain. And what we're talking about here is a procedure known as a craniotomy. What that means, Wolf, is to actually make an incision in the scalp, remove a portion of bone, and then to find where this bleeding is and take out the blood clot, the actual clotting of blood that has occurred, it sounds like, anyway, either in or on top of his brain. That is the goal of the operation, is to try and take some of the pressure off the brain.
And as it sounds like it's happening, needs to be done, and needs to be done in a fairly urgent manner. You don't want that pressure on the brain certainly to be sitting there any longer than necessary at all. So you're sort of balancing the fact that he's on these blood- thinning medications with a need for surgery. And it's a tough situation for him.
BLITZER: It sounds like a very dangerous, complicated surgery right now to go in and drill a hole, basically, into the top of your head.
GUPTA: Yes. You know, I think under any circumstances this is a operation that neurosurgeons in the United States and around the world take very seriously. But what makes this more complicated, again, Wolf, is the fact that he's on these blood-thinning medications, which may have contributed to the stroke that he had today, but also makes the operation much more difficult as well.
And then, you know, any time a gentleman who is 77 years old, has had a history of medical problems, these are all complicating factors as well. You have to look at this as a whole picture, and it's concerning for sure.
BLITZER: Sanjay, listen -- I want you and our other viewers and correspondents, analysts who are watching this breaking story out of Jerusalem to listen to what -- to what the Israel cabinet secretary said only a few moments ago. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISRAEL MAIMON, ISRAELI CABINET SECRETARY (through translator): The prime minister, Ariel Sharon, at home on his ranch felt not well. He came here about 11:00, as the director of the hospital standing next to me will shortly give you extra information, medical information.
Given the fact that the treatment of the prime minister requires anesthetic, I spoke to the attorney general a few minutes ago, and I spoke to the deputy prime minister, Minister Olmert, and it's been decided that Minister Olmert, who is at home and is updated, should be -- have powers transferred to him. And the other ministers have also been updated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The Israeli cabinet secretary, Yisrael Maimon, speaking only a few moments ago.
John Vause is our correspondent in Jerusalem, he's watching this story, together with all of us. John, for someone like myself, who's covered Israel over these many years, it's impressive how transparent they now are about dealing openly with the condition of an Israeli prime minister. In the past, in the '70s and '80s and even '90s, the Israeli authorities were pretty reluctant to give any information about any of their leaders once they were in trouble, but they seem to be pretty -- pretty open with the press and with the Israeli public right now.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you cast your line back to the '70s, when Menachem Begin actually suffered a heart attack in the -- on the floor of the Knesset and walked out, bidding fair well to a Knesset member as he left, the problems with Golda Meir as well, if you look at the medical history of Ariel Sharon, though, it has been pretty much a closely-guarded state secret up until that December 18 mild stroke.
It was then that they released all of the prime minister's medical records, and it appeared that he was in good health, that apart from the stroke and this small defect in his heart, that he was, for all intents and purposes, in good health for a man of his years and also a man of his weight.
We know that after he suffered that stroke, that doctors here in the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem advised the prime minister that he should go on a strict diet, that he should cut back the number of hours that he has been working.
But certainly there has been a great deal of transparency over the last couple of days, the last couple of weeks since Ariel Sharon did suffer that stroke. They've been very up front about this heart operation which Ariel Sharon has been going through. We've been told over and over again that it's a minor procedure, that it's a common complaint which is afflicting a very significant but small percentage of the population. The prime minister being no different at all.
In fact, we were even told that the prime minister would be arriving at Hadassah Hospital at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning local time to have this operation. So, yes, they have been very up front ever since Ariel Sharon suffered that stroke. But there was concerns, of course, that the prime minister's office, his aides, the political people around him, have been trying to hide his medical conditions for years. They refused to release his medical conditions. They refused to talk about it. In fact, when he suffered that stroke, December 18, we went back to try and find out if there's ever been any public recognition of Ariel Sharon, any health problems. The only thing we could find was a case of kidney stones back in 2004.
In fact, Ariel Sharon has always joked that he -- that longevity runs in his family, that he had an aunt who lived well into her '90s, and that if he released his medical records, he is so healthy that it would make his political opponents sick. He's that kind of -- that kind of personality, that he tends to brush off these kinds of questions with jokes, with laughter, that kind of thing.
We know that after he suffered that stroke December 18, he was back up, he was joking with his staff within a matter of hours. He was telling them he's sorry he put them through -- through so much trouble. He also joked with his staff that he was surprised that everybody was so interested in his condition.
Of course now, tonight, a lot more serious than that last stroke, December 18. Right now, the prime minister undergoing that operation.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. John Vause in Jerusalem with the latest.
And I was trying to make the point that since his mild stroke, as it was described on December 18, they've been much more open, much more transparent in dealing with his medical records. Earlier, they were very, very closed-mouth.
And you correctly point out that Golda Meir and her death, and Menachem Begin, his death, until the very, very end, Israeli officials were insisting everything was pretty good until it was all virtually over for those Israeli leaders.
John, we're going to get back to you. Stand by. We're getting more information all the time.
I want to go over to the White House, though. There's some initial reaction coming in from there. Our White House correspondent, Dana Bash, is standing by. Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Well, we just got word from Scott McClellan, the president's spokesman, that Stephen Hadley, the national security adviser, has informed President Bush about the condition of Ariel Sharon, that they have been in touch with the government of Israel. And as you can imagine, they say here that Prime Minister Sharon and his family are in the thoughts and prayers of everybody here at the White House.
As you know, Wolf, President Bush has had a very close relationship with Ariel Sharon -- sometimes complicated, but certainly close. They've known each other, actually, since the president was governor, and when he was a candidate for president, took a trip to Israel, and Ariel Sharon showed him around the country.
He's really the only prime minister that President Bush has worked with under various scenarios and various situations. But they formed a bond, a political bond, if you will, at the beginning of the president's administration and when he was first trying to deal with the Middle East -- primarily a bond over the fact that neither of them wanted to deal with Yasser Arafat, and that is certainly something that President Bush continued until Yasser Arafat passed away.
So this is a situation, as you can imagine, that the White House is watching and keeping in touch with the Israeli government over. And they say here that their thoughts and prayers, again, are with the prime minister and his family.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Dana Bash at the White House. Thanks, Dana, very much.
And once again, just to recap, the prime minister of Israel, 77- year-old Ariel Sharon, has suffered a significant stroke, a massive stroke, according to Dr. Shapiro (ph) of the Hadassah Medical Center. He told Channel 2, Israel television, that he was taken to an operating room to drain the blood from his brain.
We're continuing to watch this story for you, for our viewers. We'll go back to Jerusalem as soon as more information is under way. But Sharon now at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, being transferred -- if he hasn't already been transferred -- to the operating room for surgery to deal with this significant stroke.
To our international viewers, our coverage will continue on this matter here in the United States, in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We're going to pick up another huge story that we're following in West Virginia. Angry relatives want answers right now, and the family of the sole survivor of the mine accident is hoping for a speedy recovery. This after 12 of his co-workers are found dead in that mine -- a revelation that was at first reversed. Someone told anguished relatives 12 men had survived and one had died, a miscommunication according to the CEO of the missing -- of the mining company, who addressed this question just a short while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN HATFIELD, CEO, INTERNATIONAL COAL GROUP: We fully recognize the criticism that the company has received about the manner in which the news was communicated to the families. Rightly or wrongly, we believed it was important to make factual statements to the families, and we believe that word had been sent to the church to indicate that additional reports were -- may not be correct. We made what we believed to be the best decisions based on the information available while working under extreme stress and physical exhaustion.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: We have reporters covering all angles of this incredible, heartbreaking story.
Kimberly Osias is standing by in Upshur County in West Virginia. Chris Huntington is in Morgantown, at the hospital where the sole survivor is being treated.
Let's begin our coverage, though, with CNN's Brian Todd. He's on the scene right at that mine. Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, essentially, Ben Hatfield, the CEO of the International Coal Group, spent the majority of this news conference tearfully, haltingly trying to explain the breakdown in communication. That was the dominant theme. He also explained these miners' deaths and how they believed this happened, and the timeline for the recovery of the bodies. But it was the breakdown in communication that dominated this and where he got his toughest questions.
Essentially, you know, just very briefly, 11:45 p.m. last night, they got word from the mine, from someone, that these 12 miners were alive. That was the first inclination they had had of the incorrect report.
At that point, the story essentially got away from them. Cell phone calls went out from the members of the various rescue teams that were all around that area. They started calling relatives and friends, people down at the church where the relatives of the miners had gathered.
12:30 a.m., after the celebrations had already started, the rescue team that dealt with where the bodies were came out and indicated there may only be one survivor. But it wasn't until 2:15 to 2:30 a.m. this morning when the celebrations were well under way that they got confirmed reports that the 12 miners had in fact died.
At that point, Ben Hatfield, the CEO of the International Coal Group, went down to Sago Baptist Church and broke the news to the families.
We just a short time ago interviewed a woman named Lynette Roby (ph), who was in the church at that time. She described the scene when Mr. Hatfield broke the news.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNETTE ROBY, WITNESS TO ANNOUNCEMENT: He couldn't get out whatever he wanted to say in the manner that he wanted, Mr. Hatfield, so he just said, 11 are dead and one is alive, and he blurted out the name. People from up front, several -- the crowd started moving forward when the first people up front got upset, and they started -- somebody, I think it was a woman, I'm not sure, lunged for him, and was calmed down by, you know, the state troopers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Lynette Roby saying, in fact, that it took about six to 10 people to restrain that woman who lunged at Ben Hatfield.
Mr. Hatfield says -- he said throughout the news conference that he was very sorry. They understand the family's anger. They are dealing with the families on issues of insurance and compensation, and they're starting their investigation into this at this very moment.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Brian. Thanks very much. Brian Todd. We're going to get back to you very soon.
We're going to check in with all of our reporters momentarily.
I want to go to Jack Cafferty in New York first. He's watching the story unfold, together with all of us. Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Wolf. We were talking earlier, could we remember another story where the information initially put out proved to be as dramatically wrong as this was. And several viewers wrote in about the Munich Olympics. Remember when the terrorists kidnapped the athletes at...
BLITZER: I do, yes.
CAFFERTY: ... at the Olympic Games? And Jim McKay originally reported that the terrorists had all been killed and that the athletes had all survived. And of course later that turned out to be wrong. So that's perhaps the other biggest example, and that goes back 33 years ago.
The story of the Sago Mine was covered as intensely as any event, at least in recent memory. Around the clock, the world waited breathlessly for any development. And hours and hours passed when there just was none.
Then finally, last night word came of a miracle, 12 of the 13 miners had survived. The trouble is, the story was wrong. They were dead. But it was too late. The story had already gone out over television. It was on the front page of every major newspaper in the country this morning.
Here's the "New York Daily News": "Miracle in West Virginia," "Alive!" "Twelve miners rescued after almost two days trapped underground.
The "New York Post" same thing, "Alive!"
All the major papers all over the country.
The editor and publisher called it, "One of the most disturbing and disgraceful media performances of this type in recent years."
So here's the question this hour: What's the role of the news media in a story like the Sago Mine tragedy? And you can email us your thoughts at CaffertyFile@CNN.com, and we'll read some of your responses a bit later.
Wolf?
BLITZER: You know, it's an incredibly difficult story to cover, and I think our people at CNN and all the reporters out there, if authorities are telling us that these 12 miners are alive, people in positions to know, and family members have been told by authorities that the miners, their loved ones are alive, are we not supposed to report this information? Do we not report it?
I mean, it's a -- I've been a reporter a long time. If I'm covering a story, if I'm an Anderson Cooper there -- and he's doing an incredibly excellent job doing this -- what, do you not report what the family members are telling you?
CAFFERTY: Well, no. I mean, that's obviously a very tough question. As I understand it, initially, Anderson expressed some skepticism. When the initial report happened, he said something to the effect that, you know, we're not sure this is true, but the early word we're getting -- but it hasn't been verified -- and he put some qualifiers in.
Then he apparently, according to what one of our viewers wrote to me, he observed a reporter from the F word network down there kissing one of the family members and celebrating in jubilation that they -- apparently the report that these guys were alive. And then he took the next step, which was to repeat that everybody else was saying, that in fact these people were alive.
I don't know how you avoid doing that in a situation like these people were in. Journalism 101 says you get the information and then you verify it.
Well, the only way to verify this information, to my way of thinking, would be to go into that mine and go talk first-hand to the people on these rescue teams. And of course that was impossible. The initial reports from these rescue workers came out of the mine apparently over cell phones and were relayed to people who then eventually spread the word to the news media. Tough, tough stuff.
But, you know, the public holds us to a pretty high standard -- and I think rightfully so. They depend heavily on us for information that affects their daily lives and their economics and all kind of other things. And so they expect the truth from us, and they have every right to.
We made a mistake last night. I say we, collectively, all of the media. Whether it was an unavoidable mistake or not, I don't know the answer to that. And I'm not trying to cop out. People who watch me regularly know that I don't tend to do that. If something is wrong, I tend to say I think that's wrong. In this case, I'm just not sure.
BLITZER: Well, I just know that if I were on the scene, I think -- and I was watching Anderson and our entire team out there report this information. They were very precise, they were reporting what people were telling them, people in positions to know, and it's a tough one.
And I remember the Jim McKay story from the Munich massacre, the Olympics in '72, quite vividly as well.
CAFFERTY: Yes. The other one -- do you remember when Reagan was shot? Early reports were that Brady died in that attack. And, of course, he turned out to have survived, too. That's the only other one that I can remember.
BLITZER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: But again, I understand exactly what you're saying. And I'm not sure that any of us would have reacted any differently. It's unfortunate that it turned out to be inaccurate information.
The one little thing in here that I get out of this is, during this time, apparently the owners of the mine did not issue any kind of a statement to the effect that these miners were alive. Is that what you're gathering from all of this?
BLITZER: Right. Yes. They should have come out and said -- they should have said, hold off, we don't know, don't go with this. And instead, they were silent. And that was a huge mistake as all of us now recognize.
Hold off for a moment.
CAFFERTY: OK.
BLITZER: Because we've got to take a quick break.
CAFFERTY: Yes, go ahead.
BLITZER: There's a lot more to talk about. And I'm really anxious to hear what our viewers think. Jack Cafferty has your email. That's coming up later this hour.
Also ahead, in spite of the profound sadness in West Virginia with the deaths of those 12 miners, we're not losing sight of the fact there is a survivor. We'll tell you about Randal McCloy and his update -- and we'll update you on his condition.
Also, what's more dangerous, working in a coal mine or in a grocery store? Our Ali Velshi has an answer that might surprise you.
And we have more on the breaking news coming out of Jerusalem, the condition of the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and the political situation in the Middle East. He suffered a significant stroke. He has massive bleeding in his brain. He's in the operating room right now. We'll tell you what's going on in Israel.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Lots of news happening on this day.
The prime minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, has suffered a significant stroke. He's in surgery right now -- massive bleeding under way. We'll go to Jerusalem, update you on that, as soon as we get some more information.
Also, the fallout from the disaster in West Virginia -- those 12 miners dead.
Our Brian Todd has been speaking with the relatives of the victims. He sat down just a little while ago with Earl Casto, the cousin of one of the miners.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Can you tell us, first, you were here in the church last night when word came that these miners were alive. Can you tell us what that was like?
EARL CASTO, COUSIN OF DEAD MINER: Just overwhelming. It was overwhelming. Just -- it was just an answer from the lord we'd been looking for. And then we come out and we found out it wasn't true. We found out it wasn't true.
TODD: You went home and went to bed after you found out that they were apparently alive. How did you find out that they were not alive?
CASTO: Through CNN news.
TODD: No one else got hold of you, no one else told you?
CASTO: I went straight home, turned the television on, and there it was.
TODD: Are you angry about the way this communication was handled? What can you tell us about how you feel about that whole situation?
CASTO: I can't. I can't really say on air, because I'd -- yes, I was angry. I was angry. But it just -- something that just -- you can't hardly -- it's something you just can't hardly believe. Yes, I don't believe it yet, the way it was handled.
TODD: Can you tell us what happened when they came in first and told you the news that they were alive? How did that all play out? You were sitting here, and what happened? The first news that they were alive?
CASTO: Oh, they was singing and rejoicing and praising the lord, and just everything.
TODD: Could you tell us a little bit about your cousin George Hamner?
CASTO: He was -- I was with him the day that -- I was with him the day that he put his application in to go to work in the mines. And that's when I -- I was -- I had been working in the mines probably 10 years before that. But we was both down at the Fairmont (ph) to Bethlehem Steel's office putting in an application to go to work.
TODD: Were you the one who gave him the idea to go work in the mine, or did he have that himself?
CASTO: He had that himself. I think that was family background.
TODD: So you lost a friend and a cousin, and...
CASTO: Since I've got to talking around, that the ones that didn't make it out, that several of them that I knew. And if you was a coal miner, it was a family, you was a family. Coal miners, whenever they got together, they wasn't somebody that would put things off. They would try their hardest, and they would work the hardest.
TODD: Can you tell me what your cousin said about the safety situation?
CASTO: He -- it was -- it wasn't up to standards.
TODD: What specifically did he complain about?
CASTO: Mostly safety. Safety.
TODD: Was it a situation with the gas levels in the mine, or anything like that specifically?
CASTO: He never come out with anything specific.
TODD: What has this incident done to you and this community?
CASTO: It will take a long time for it to be healed, a long time.
TODD: What are your feelings toward the International Coal Group and the company, and the way they handled this situation?
CASTO: Well, they appeared on the outside they would handle it good, but to me they could have handled it better.
TODD: How?
CASTO: They could have been more truthful, been more truthful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: That was Earl Casto, the cousin of miner George Hamner, one of the 12 miners who died in the Sago Mine. I interviewed Mr. Casto earlier today.
Now, quickly, in response to the complaints from Mr. Casto and other relatives about the safety issues in the mines and the complaints from their relatives that the mine was unsafe, the CEO of the International Coal Group, Ben Hatfield, said he did not agree with that assessment. They understood that there were violations in the past. But, since that company took over the mine in November, they have made significant improvements in the safety record of the mine. And -- and that's how they left it.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Brian, thanks very much. What a heartbreaking story this has been for everyone. Thank you very much.
There is, though, one survivor of this coal mine disaster. And we're monitoring the condition of that sole survivor at the Sago Mine. His name is Randal McCloy. In just a moment, we will take you live to the hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, where he's being treated right now.
First, though, we want you to hear more about this man from his sister, Lila Muncy. She joined us right here in THE SITUATION ROOM on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Why did he decide to become a coal miner?
LILA MUNCY, SISTER OF RANDAL MCCLOY: The money, basically. You know, it's better money. And, in West Virginia, I mean, you know, there's not that many opportunities around here. And he felt that was, you know, the way to go right now. He was always very cautious, you know, and every -- you know, every morning, he would tell his wife, you know, God bless you, you know, before he left to work, because he always knew the danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Doctors updated us on Randal McCloy's condition just a few hours ago. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LARRY ROBERTS, WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS: In the past few hours, I'm happy to report there's been some improvement. Mr. McCloy had -- we decreased his sedation. And he was able to interact a little bit with us, some appropriate movements, responded to his wife in an appropriate manner. And I think all of that is very, very positive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: CNN's Chris Huntington is standing by just outside the hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, with more. What else do we know, Chris?
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, that's Dr. Larry Roberts, who is head of trauma here at West Virginia University Medical Center. He's been treating Randal McCloy since 3:00 a.m. He's -- his official prognosis is critical, but guardedly optimistic about the progress. Keep in mind that McCloy suffered a collapsed lung, some poisoning due to carbon monoxide. He's also suffering some kidney difficulties due to dehydration. Roberts has consistently said that dehydration, Wolf, is the biggest problem. They're rehydrating him now, trying to get his electrolytes up. You heard the doctor mention that they have trimmed back a bit on the sedatives. They're still keeping him sedated. They don't want him fully awake, because they fear, frankly, that he would become disoriented and potentially even rip some of the tubes and also breathing apparatus that are helping him breathe at this point.
The next step is, they hope to be able to feed him, literally, tomorrow. Right now, they're really just giving him hydration and saline solution to get his electrolytes up. They are hoping to feed him tomorrow. They may even hope to fully awaken him, so even trim down those sedatives even more.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Chris Huntington, in Morgantown, West Virginia, thank you very much.
Randal McCloy's rescue is an incredible survival story. But he still faces a huge battle.
Joining us now from New York is Dr. Holly Phillips, an internist, an attending physician at Lenox Hill Hospital. Holly, thanks very much...
DR. HOLLY PHILLIPS, LENOX HILL HOSPITAL: It's my...
BLITZER: ... for joining us.
PHILLIPS: My pleasure, Wolf.
BLITZER: Based on the information his doctors have provided, what goes through your mind?
PHILLIPS: You know, what they have -- what they're primarily discussing is dehydration and the sequela, they say, of long periods of immobilization.
We know that when people don't move for long periods of time -- either he was in a tight space or just, you know, unable to move because he was very dehydrated and weak -- there's some muscle breakdown that can happen, and that puts additional stress on the kidneys. What he will need right now is very aggressive hydration and fluid repletion to help to minimize any permanent damage to the kidneys.
BLITZER: I assume they're giving -- they're obviously giving him that. They're also giving him as much oxygen as he needs, in case he was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
PHILLIPS: Certainly. Really aggressive oxygen therapy is the treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning. You know, it's difficult to say at this point how much, if any carbon monoxide, he inhaled. But the aggressive oxygen therapy would be appropriate.
BLITZER: But he can make a pretty complete recovery, based on the information we have heard right now. Is that right?
PHILLIPS: Sure, based on what I have heard, and also considering that he is young. He was the youngest of the victims in this tragedy. You know, that youth gives him the extra strength and stamina he may need to make a full recovery.
BLITZER: Let's hope he certainly does. We're praying for him. Thanks, Holly, very much. Dr. Holly Phillips is at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
Coming up, the Sago disaster shows just how dangerous coal mining can be. But you may be surprised to learn about some other jobs that are even more dangerous.
And Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, undergoes surgery after what is described as a major stroke at a critical time for Israel and Middle East peace efforts. We will have the latest from Jerusalem.
All that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Just how dangerous is coal mining? Our Ali Velshi is in New York. He's got the "Bottom Line." He is looking into this story. How dangerous is coal mining, Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's dangerous, Wolf. You have heard a lot about the safety of it in the last couple days. We will hear a lot more about it. But whether or not it's safe, working in those underground mines is a tough life, and arguably tougher than -- at least physically tougher than working in a grocery store.
Now, why am I making that comparison? Because, according to a Web site that belongs to a lobby group for the coal industry, the accident -- this is -- I'm quoting -- "the accident and injury rate for miners today is comparable to that of grocery store workers."
So, I wanted to check that out with the Department of Labor. And here's the fact. In 2004, there were 71 grocery deaths and only 26 coal mining deaths. But there are a lot more grocery store workers in the United States than there are coal miners.
Now, if you look at it in terms of per 100,000 workers in an industry, the mining industry as a whole is the second most deadly industry to work for in America. The most dangerous industry is a grouping which consists of agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting. And if you take all those together, they have 30 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2004, only two more than mining.
So, this is definitely a dangerous environment. It's a dangerous field. And, a little later on, we are going to talk about whether or not unionized versus non-unionized mines make a difference to the safety of workers.
Wolf. BLITZER: Ali Velshi, reporting for us. Thanks very much, Ali, for that.
Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner, has more now on those dangers that miners face and the deaths in West Virginia. Ali -- Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, we're actually just going to talk about fatalities in mining in general. Take a look, U.S. Department of Labor keeping track. Coal fatalities, 1900 through 2004, just over almost -- it's -- I guess it's 104,000 right there. And, if you take a look by state right there, you can see, Kentucky had 130. West Virginia was just behind that, and, unfortunately, with the latest tragedy, West Virginia pulling ahead. This is from '93 through the current date.
Now, we want to take a look at the map and the dangers of coal mining related to other types of mining, this for 2004. You can see the concentration right here of coal mining in the West Virginia- Kentucky area, 28 fatalities last year. The second to that would be stone mining, with only 13 fatalities .
And the worst mining accident ever, take a look at this, in West Virginia, it was in 1907. It was an explosion, killed 362 people.
Now, again, we want to point you to the new CNN Pipeline broadband service. This is commercial free. And you can take a look at some video, including the latest press conference with Ben Hatfield, the CEO of the International Coal Group. If you missed any of the news as we go along, you can catch up and then continue to follow along with us.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Jacki, thank you very much. Jacki Schechner reporting.
For more now on the tragedy at the Sago Mine, we're joined by Dan Kane. He's the secretary and treasurer of the United Mine Workers of America. Dan, thanks very much for joining us. First of all, you know this industry about as well as anyone. What goes through your mind on the way it unfolded?
DAN KANE, SECRETARY-TREASURER, UNITED MINE WORKERS OF AMERICA: Well, I guess the first thing that we think is, our hearts go out to the families of these miners.
And we wonder how you could heap one tragedy on top of another -- that is, the tragic deaths of these miners, and then the miscommunication, the false information, that they were alive, when...
BLITZER: You heard the explanation from the CEO of the -- the company that owns this Sago Mine. Did that make sense to you?
KANE: That doesn't ring with me at all. They need to be in charge when there's something like this going on, and they can't let things, that information, run wild like that. They have to verify things. It's just inexcusable.
BLITZER: Is it normal, in a situation like this, to have the CEO of the mining company effectively provide most of the information? Where was the federal government, the representatives? Why weren't they on the scene dealing with this?
KANE: Well, they were on the scene, and they were no doubt dealing with the rescue.
BLITZER: But why weren't they making the public statements on what was going on?
KANE: I guess we have gotten to a point where we allow the owners of mines in that situation to exercise a lot of control. I just think they could have done a much better job. But the real issue here is, what led up to this disaster in the first place?
BLITZER: Now, this was not a union mine?
KANE: No, this was not a union mine. And, in spite of that fact, we did dispatch the director of our occupational department of health and safety there, an inspector to help out. And they were on site. But the fact that this was not a union mine had a big impact what we could do.
BLITZER: Well, what would -- what -- would it have made any difference if this was a union mine?
KANE: Well, in the first place, at union mines, union miners have individual health and safety rights. They have the backing of the union. When they see a problem that they feel is unsafe, we will stand behind them 100 percent. They also feel that they have a greater ability to complain to inspectors of unsafe conditions, without reprisal. As I said, the union, with our health and safety committeemen, we stand behind all our members. A union member cannot be disciplined or discharged in any fashion for complaining about unsafe conditions. We take that very seriously.
BLITZER: Do you have any reason to believe that this was not a safe mine?
KANE: Well, the number of violations are certainly troubling.
BLITZER: But there are union mines that have a number of violations as well.
KANE: That's right. There's a big difference. At union mines, look at what happens with the violations. They're corrected. And the reason that there are violations written at union mines most often are because the members who are working there make the complaint to the inspector, so that those conditions can be corrected.
BLITZER: And you have reason to believe that the problems at this mine were not corrected, after they were reported and they were admonished by federal investigators? KANE: Well, I think that's something that we have to look into. We have to look at the level of violations, the number of unwarrantable failures that were issued. And we also have to look at the amount of the fines. In many cases, fines are issued that amount to what you and I may pay for a speeding ticket out on the Beltway. Fines have to be incentives to enforce the law. We can't allow them to become just another cost of doing business to the coal company.
BLITZER: What is the major lesson that all of us should learn from what happened at the Sago Mine?
KANE: Well, I think we have to get back to a position where the individual inspectors at MSHA can do their jobs, where they have the backing of the administration to do their jobs, and where they become an enforcement agency. Mine health and safety regulations are written in blood. They can't be just -- they can't be just purely suggestions. They have to be enforced.
BLITZER: Dan Kane with the United Mine Workers of America. Thanks, Dan, very much for joining us.
KANE: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And coming up, we are going to go live to the hospital in Jerusalem where the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has been taken for emergency surgery, following what his doctors are calling a significant stroke.
And, in our 7:00 p.m. hour, we will hear from a woman who was inside the church in West Virginia when jubilation turned into despair.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
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BLITZER: A breaking story that we have been following for the past couple hours, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has suffered a massive stroke. He's undergoing treatment right now for significant bleeding in his brain.
Let's go to Jerusalem. Our correspondent, John Vause, is standing by. He's over at the Hadassah Medical Center right now. John?
VAUSE: Wolf, we know that the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, was wheeled into the operating room about 45 minutes ago.
He arrived here at Hadassah Hospital about two hours ago. And he was taken into the operating room for surgery to try and relieve the blood on his brain. As you say, doctors here describe what has happened as a massive stroke. This comes two-and-a-half weeks after the Israeli prime minister suffered a minor stroke. That was December 18.
Tonight, he was down on his ranch in the -- the Sycamore Ranch in the southern part of Israel. He began feeling unwell. At that stage, though, it did not appear to be a serious situation. His personal physician was with him. They elected to take an ambulance. They elected to drive here to the Hadassah Hospital, not fly, an indication that this wasn't considered to be serious.
In fact, on the way here to Hadassah, they passed another hospital at Beersheba. They got here at about 10:56, local time. It's now going on 1:00 a.m. in the morning. When he arrived, he was conscious, he was talking. But, after that, they decided that his situation has worsened. He is now undergoing that operation, a serious operation, to try and relieve a significant amount of blood on the prime minister's brain.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Do they -- have they told us, John, how long this operation will take?
VAUSE: It's a serious operation, from everything that we are being told. And it should take a number of hours. That's all we're being told by the doctors here at Hadassah Hospital. He has already been under for 45 minutes. He's expected to be on the table in the operating room for several more hours to come.
Wolf.
BLITZER: And the vice prime minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, is now the acting prime minister and will remain the acting prime minister for the time being.
What is the -- what is the legal transfer of power, if you will, that has already taken place in Israel?
VAUSE: Well, what happened the last time the prime minister suffered that minor stroke, it was discovered that there was no real legal mechanism for the transfer of power, should the prime minister become incapacitated -- incapacitated, as he is tonight. So, a committee was formed up in the last couple of weeks, and now that -- that procedure has been put into place.
With the prime minister incapacitated now, the cabinet secretary, amongst others, have decided that the prime minister's powers should be transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert. He will remain prime minister. Now, under this new procedure which has been worked out, Ehud Olmert will remain as the acting prime minister for the next 100 days. After that, it's pretty much an open-ended question. As we know, the Israeli electorate is set to go to the polls March 28. So, what happens now really is up in the air, Wolf. But all -- obviously, all the attention now is on the health of the prime minister and his prognosis.
Wolf.
BLITZER: It's going to be a long night for you. It's approaching 1:00 a.m. in Jerusalem. We will stay on top of this story, John. Thank you very much. John Vause reporting from the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. And, up next, what's the role of the news media in a story like the Sago mine disaster in West Virginia? It's our question of the hour. Jack Cafferty is standing by with your email.
And coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, we will show you the joy and the heartbreak minute by minute as it happened in West Virginia, celebration turning to tragedy.
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BLITZER: Zain Verjee is off this week. Fredricka Whitfield is standing by with a closer look at other stories making news. Hi, Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you, Wolf. In Turkey, we're getting word of two cases of bird flu in humans, according to preliminary tests. The disease killed a 14-year-old boy. The bird flu outbreak occurred in the eastern part of the country. An official with the World Health Organization says his agency believes the boy was infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian flu.
More guilty pleas from former top lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In a federal court in Miami today, Abramoff admitted to wire fraud and conspiracy in connection with a casino boat venture. He could face up to 87 months in prison on those charges. Yesterday, Abramoff pleaded guilty to fraud and tax-evasion charges in Washington and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in an investigation that could involve several members of Congress.
The American Bar Association has awarded Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito its highest rating for professional stature and integrity. A 15-member ABA committee agreed on the rating by unanimous vote and delivered the decision today. It's considered an important political barometer as Alito prepares for confirmation hearings next week. He's been nominated to take the seat of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
The U.S. Navy's newest and largest aircraft carrier left port in San Diego on its first deployment today. The USS Ronald Reagan is headed for a six-month mission in the western Pacific Ocean. The $4.5 billion ship is manned by 6,500 sailors.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Fred, thanks very much. Fredricka Whitfield reporting.
Up next, the news media and the disaster in West Virginia. Jack Cafferty wants to know what role you think the media played in the tragedy in the Sago Mine disaster. We will go to Jack right after of this.
Stay with us.
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BLITZER: Let's go right to Jack in New York. Jack?
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Wolf. The question this hour, what's the role of the news media in a story like the Sago Mine tragedy?
I got a note from Jamie McIntyre, who is the CNN Pentagon correspondent, and, as far I'm concerned, one of the fine correspondents on this or any television network. And he wrote this. And he's got something here: "The media were not the source of the erroneous reports. How can the media not report the families are celebrating and believe their loved ones had survived? The bells are ringing. The lesson here for the news media is attribution, attribution, attribution. Too often, we drop the attribution after we think the story is true. To the extent the news media screwed up, it was in dropping the attribution."
An Associated Press dispatch first carried the news at 11:52 last night -- quote -- "Twelve miners caught in an explosion in a coal mine were found alive late Tuesday, more than 41 hours after the blast, family members said. Bells at a church where relatives had been gathering rang out as family members ran out screaming in jubilation" -- unquote. That's from AP.
"That was accurate," Jamie writes. "Family members did say that. Bells did ring out. Family members did scream in jubilation. That all happened before, not because of the media reports."
Thank you, Jamie. Now get back to work covering the Pentagon.
Gail in Brea, California: "The tragedy of the Sago Mine story was that everyone wanted to be first, rather than accurate."
And Danielle in Clifton, New Jersey, writes this: "I watched the story of the trapped miners throughout its duration. And I can't say that I can find any reason to specifically blame the media for the confusion that occurred early this morning. You, along with the other news outlets that reported the miracle of the 12 miners found alive, were only relaying information that you received from family members of the miners themselves."
So, a tough night down there, and -- and probably some criticism justified for the inaccuracy of the information. But the way the information was conveyed and the circumstances under which we had or didn't have access, very questionable.
The attribution point that Jamie raised, though, very valid.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: As long as you say, somebody said this to me, then I think at least you're partially off the hook.
BLITZER: And I think that is exactly what we did.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: And Anderson Cooper did an excellent job reporting what he was seeing and what he was hearing. And if you or I, Jack, would have been in that situation, we would have done exactly the same thing. CAFFERTY: I think you're probably right. And, thanks, Jamie, for the input.
BLITZER: Good work, Jamie McIntyre, as well.
We are here in THE SITUATION ROOM weekdays 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern. We are back in one hour, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, an hour from now. We will be live in West Virginia. We will hear much more on the disaster there.
Lou Dobbs getting ready to pick up our coverage. Lou?
LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, thank you.
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