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CNN Sunday Morning

Romney Wins Iowa Straw Poll, Huckabee Takes Second; Update on Trapped Utah Miners

Aired August 12, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: It is Sunday, August 12th. Good morning you to all from the CNN Center right here in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen. Jamming at the state fair, take a close look at this man wearing the sunglasses. Well he's running for president. He has good reason to celebrate this morning. Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Patriot golf day if nothing else is a call to action but the beauty of the idea is so simple. Its go play golf one day, give a dollar.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Like you need a reason there to go play golf. I don't need one.

HOLMES: Yes I know you don't need one. Our Larry Smith certainly doesn't need one. He's at the PGA championship. He has this story for us. Plus, going to be talking about Tiger who is about ready to pounce on the competition today.

KEILAR: Plus, those sensors may stop a drunk driver from getting on the road. You can see them right there. We'll show you how it works.

HOLMES: Well at first here, a traveler's nightmare at LAX Airport now over, kind of sort of. At one point more than 20,000 international passengers were stuck in airport terminals and on runways yesterday. All because of a computer glitch prevented customs officials from screening arrivals. These are some cell phone images that were given us to by one of our i-Reporters. As you might imagine, passengers certainly frustrated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We sat for three hours on a plane. And then we sat for two more hours in an aisle. Then we sat for another hour in another room. Then we sit in line.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: The computer problem was fixed overnight and customs officials say the passenger backlog has been cleared, for the most part.

KEILAR: In Utah, survivable space but no signs of life, unfortunately. These are some new pictures we have. We're going to bring these to you, some new pictures this morning from the effort to rescue six trapped miners. Officials in Utah say a camera lowered into the mine shows there is survivable space. But so far there's been no response. They're going to reinsert the camera. They're hoping to get a better look. Let's go now to Huntington, Utah where CNN's John Zarrella joins us live. Hi, John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Brianna. You know now it's been almost 16 hours since we've heard anything from mine officials on the progress of the rescue effort. We don't know what the progress is of actually digging out the tunnel so they can get people physically to the trapped miners. And we don't know what the progress is on lowering that second camera back into that 8-5/8 inch hole. At the last briefing yesterday afternoon, we were told that when they did lower the camera in, the vertical lens worked fine and they were able to get a good view floor to ceiling of that space, that survivable space, which is about seven feet from floor to ceiling. A couple of feet of debris and some water on the bottom, but a good area of survivable space. But the horizontal camera which can see 100 feet in all directions was muddied up on the lens. And so they had to bring the camera back up. They were going to refit it and see if they could protect it a little better before they sent it back down. That was supposed to have been accomplished in seven hours. But, again, we're now looking at a good another seven hours since that time has passed. So no word from mine officials. During that same briefing, one of the members of the rescue team who was working on top of the mountain at the drill rig discussed what they would have hoped to hear from the miners as they broke through yesterday and then as they dropped the cameras. Something that they didn't hear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE GLASSON, UTAH DIV. OF OIL, GAS & MINING: The technique for signaling to coal miners who may be trapped is to rap three times, send a signal to them which is a series of three blows which on metal through rock is usually easily heard. And then we hope to hear a response. Which coal miners are trained to respond with rapping on as loudly as they can anything metallic, for example, a roof bolt in the mine, very accessible. And we would be able to then hear that. We would then respond with a series of five additional blows to the steel pipe which would indicate to the trapped miners that we know that we heard them.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: Now, of course, they said during that briefing it was a bit depressing that they did not hear any response from the miners. But, of course, the effort continues around the clock to dig them out. But no official word yet on how that progress is going. Brianna?

KEILAR: Thanks for that report, John. John Zarrella live for us there from Huntington, Utah.

HOLMES: And our Josh Levs with the dot com desk, checking things out online. What are you finding?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah you know guys, let's keep in mind it was a week ago today that these miners actually went down there, because this whole thing happened overnight. It was the very early hours of Monday. So now we're coming close to a week since this whole thing happened. We're looking for any new details that we can find as it progresses and we want to tell you something interesting that we are seeing this morning. We spotted this from our affiliate KSL that the federal government has sent in two capsules, human sized capsules to this rescue effort. They can be used to lower into an area. They actually were used in Pennsylvania in a major mine rescue in 2002. This is what one looks like. Basically it's lowered to the area where these people are, they can come in one at a time and be lifted up. However, we're also reading from several news media organizations, including the "Associated Press" that it would take weeks to even drill a big enough hole to put that down there. So why am I telling you this? Here's why -- all these authorities are saying that if you look at what's being done, the federal government sending this in and the fact there are focuses now on this possibility, it's a suggestion that the authorities carrying out the mine rescue effort are not satisfied with where things are going right now and may have to try something completely new just to try to get anything down there.

Also really quickly if we could. A lot of people going to church this morning, I want to show you a picture from a service last night. This took place at a Mormon church in Huntington with about 200 people who gathered from the whole community. They prayed for these families. They sang songs. They spoke about these families and you're seeing a shot of prayer here. And they also began a special fast to connect with these families. We're going to keep following all of the details throughout the day guys and anything as it comes in, even a trickle of information that could lead to something new, we'll be here with it.

KEILAR: Thank you, Josh.

HOLMES: Josh, thank you so much.

Like Josh mentioned there, tomorrow will mark a week since the mine collapse in Utah. As you can imagine, or can you just imagine the kind of agonizing wait that these families are going through? And for some the frustration is building and the hope is fading with each passing day. We get the story here from CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Time has stopped in Huntington, Utah, people here look toward the mountainous horizon and wonder about the fate of six trapped miners. Words of comfort are draped all over town. Inside this school, six families are living through what seems to be an endless ordeal. And the waiting is taking its toll. Terry Erickson, the brother of trapped miner Don Erickson left irritated after a meeting with mine officials.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did they tell you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just what are you hearing?

TERRY ERICKSON, BROTHER OF TRAPPED MINER: Just the same stuff that's on TV.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The same stuff over and over?

ERICKSON: Yeah, same stuff. I'm getting tired of hearing it.

LAVANDERA (on camera): Mine officials have acknowledged that rescue efforts have not moved fast enough and that these families have endured without much positive information. The only question they want answered is whether their loved ones are dead or alive.

(Voice-over): About 50 family members attend the briefings on the rescue efforts. When the meetings are over, you can sense that the uncertainty looms heavily over these families.

No good news?

MARIA BUENROSTRO, SISTER-IN-LAW OF TRAPPED MINER: No, no good news.

LAVANDERA: No good news because the progress is slow and definitive answers are elusive. Tomas Hernandez is the uncle of trapped miner Luis Hernandez.

TOMAS HERNANDEZ, UNCLE OF TRAPPED MINER: He says, we're very sad. As more time passes, we're losing hope. We have very little hope.

RICHARD STICKLER, MINE SAFETY & HEALTH ADMIN.: The families are under a lot of stress and concern. It's been a long, drawn out process. But they are supporting each other. And we're doing everything we can to support them. And I think they are remarkably strong.

LAVANDERA: Even if the six miners survived the collapse, their families know that time is no longer on their side. Hoping and believing in a miracle isn't easy anymore. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Huntington, Utah.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: An arrest warrant has been issued for a fourth suspect in those execution style killings in Newark, New Jersey. He is identified as 24-year-old Rodolfo Godinez. Police call him a principle player in the shooting deaths last weekend of three college students. Police are still looking for Godinez, but three others have already been arrested in connection with the case.

HOLMES: In Minneapolis, at least five people are still missing in the collapse of the interstate 35 west bridge. Navy divers were in the treacherous waters about nine hours yesterday before thunderstorms and stronger currents forced them out. So far, eight bodies have been recovered from the site of the bridge collapse 11 days ago. A double funeral was held yesterday for two of the victims.

KEILAR: This had to be very frightening. If you take a look at this, some new video in this morning. A woman was rescued after her SUV careened into a canal in Colorado last night. It was almost completely submerged in the water. The woman struggled to make it up the embankment but with the help of rescue crews, she was able to. At this point though no word on her condition.

HOLMES: That is a scary sight there.

KEILAR: But she got out of it.

HOLMES: She got it. She made it out.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KEILAR: Up and out of, shuttle "Endeavour" astronauts woke up to the music of Shania Twain's "up" this morning. Quite appropriate. And today the astronaut's will use the shuttle's robotic arm to inspect a gash in the spacecraft's heat shield. Now NASA wants to see if a repair is even needed. This gash was caused by a piece of fuel tank foam that broke off during launch.

HOLMES: Your next president? Do you want him to be a bass player? Yeah, rocking with Huckabee. We'll show you the other side of this GOP candidate a little later this hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time she would fall, they would drag her.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The troubled teen and the punishing pastor. Now he's in trouble with the law.

HOLMES: Also, a story you just got to see. The crocodile that just loves a little tender loving care. That's ahead on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney celebrating this morning. He easily won the Iowa straw poll yesterday, taking nearly twice as many votes as his nearest Republican rival. But can Romney do this? That is the nearest rival in that Iowa straw poll. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in the dark glasses there playing the bass guitar. He rocked out on stage before voting yesterday. He actually ended up second in the poll. He has done this for years with his band that is called "Capitol Offense." They play at political parties and things. But capitol offense is the name of the band. KEILAR: Catchy name, very cool.

HOLMES: Very creative there governor.

KEILAR: Very creative. And CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider has been following all this political action taking place around the country, especially in Iowa. He joins us live now from Des Moines. And, Bill, so obviously Mitt Romney, he wins the straw poll but it's Huckabee right that's really the headline here?

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, no, it's both Romney and Huckabee. Romney needed a big victory and he won a big victory here in Iowa. Huckabee came in a solid second. There was a real competition for second place. And I think that makes him a candidate that a lot of conservatives are going to take a closer look at. He may end up carrying the banner for religious conservatives who've been looking for a champion in this race.

KEILAR: Was this surprising that Huckabee came in second?

SCHNEIDER: No, I think he was competitive with Sam Brownback and Tommy Thompson here in Iowa. All three of them campaigned very hard along with Mitt Romney. Conservatives have been looking at this race and wondering do we really have a favorite candidate? The frontrunners in the national polls, Giuliani, Romney, McCain, a lot of conservatives have problems with each of them for different reasons. So they've been wondering, is there somebody who can carry our flag? And to think Huckabee comes across as convincing, he's a successful governor of Arkansas. He has a very charming personal style. You saw him playing the guitar. He's not a harsh person. He's not a candidate who comes across -- he is a preacher. But he doesn't come across as terribly judgmental. I think he won over this crowd in Iowa without spending a lot of money. He kept telling the David and Goliath story, the idea that he wasn't running well funded like Mitt Romney, but yet, he hoped to do well. And he did.

KEILAR: And the action, of course, it isn't just in Iowa. There is also some political action in Las Vegas where the NABJ conference has been going on. We know what that, it's the National Association of Black Journalists. But appearances by both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Can you just tell us, obviously, these candidates are courting the black voter constituency, can you tell us how are they really appealing to this constituency?

SCHNEIDER: Well, both Clinton and Obama have a strong appeal to African-Americans. Obama is bi-racial, of course. And he talks about the issues that concern the black community as does Hillary Clinton who has a brand name, Clinton, which is very popular in the African- American community. They are competitive. That's a wonderful thing. No one has the black vote locked up. Obama is a different kind of black candidate. He does not come out of the civil rights movement. He's too young for that. He's not like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, which makes him kind of different. The question was raised at that conference and has been raised since, is he quote, "black enough" some black journalists and voters have been asking. Because he doesn't come out of the civil rights movement, he has something to prove. And so do all the candidates. But that's the point, they all are -- many of them are competing for the black vote. I think a lot of black voters feel like that's the way it ought to be.

KEILAR: All right, Bill, well thanks for visiting with us this morning. We really appreciate it. Bill Schneider, part of the best political team on television. And also you can watch this fall as CNN brings you the Republican Youtube debate.

HOLMES: Here now, a look at some of the stories we are covering for you this Sunday morning.

KEILAR: A CNN hero risking it all to save the mountain gorilla.

HOLMES: Also, the beauty parlor attacks. Police say a man attacked grannies with a hammer. These disturbing details ahead on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The U.S. spends the most in the world on health care, but it lags behind in life expectancy. Federal figures suggest Americans are living longer but the country ranks 42nd in life expectancy worldwide. It ranks behind Japan, most of Europe as well as Jordan, Guam and the Cayman Islands, and some possible reasons, the estimated 45 million Americans with no health insurance. Also high rates of obesity and infant mortality. T.J.?

HOLMES: Brianna, of course all this year CNN is introducing you to some incredible people who are making a difference in the communities where they live and, of course, around the world. Today we want you to meet a man from Rwanda. He's fighting to protect the threatened mountain gorilla. CNN Hero Eugene Rutagarama, talks about his battlefield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EUGENE RUTAGARAMA: When you approach a group of gorillas, the first feeling that you are approaching a relative, a human being. In this region we have been able to bring conservationists from the free government together to sign an agreement to protect this mountain of gorillas. Having rangers to cover the park with their patrols means that we keep the poaching at the very lowest level, but the poaching is still there. My name is Eugene Rutagarama, my work is to protect mountain gorillas in their habitat. When I came back from Burundi, Rwanda was devastated by the genocide. You would see the bodies of dead people, thousands of people. The whole country had to resume from scratch. My attention went to the national park. If these parks were not protected, it means that we'd have lost the mountain gorillas, which is the hobby for many tourists, who bring foreign currency to this country which helps to conserve this park. Gorillas can't really do much if a human being has decided to decimate or to kill the gorillas. They needed to be defended. They need to be protected by human beings.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: And if you'd like to help Eugene Rutagarama protect mountain gorillas or nominate your own hero for special recognition, you can go to cnn.com/heroes.

KEILAR: Not sober? Well that's not allowed because this car knows if you've been drinking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before I came here, I was situated like I was always hanging out with gang members.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: A tough kid sometime require some tough action, but a pastor at a Christian boot camp accused of going too far. Why he's now facing charges that is a little bit later this hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENNY LEON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, TRUE COLORS THEATER COMPANY: I have a gift to lead actors and to tell stories and to tell stories for the world and for the community.

CAROL COSTELLO: The spotlight is on Kenny Leon, the actor, producer and director is best known for his work on Broadway and in regional theater. In 1988, Leon became one of the few African- Americans to head a notable nonprofit theater company. He later co- founded True Colors Theater which has locations in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

LEON: I think a key ingredient for any kind of leader is one with vision. You have to have an idea of what you're trying to do and you must be able to articulate that to people. You must be able to get people to follow that vision.

COSTELLO: Next, Leon hopes to do a feature film and test his directing skills outside the country.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Good morning again, everybody. Welcome back to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING, I'm T.J. Holmes.

KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen. Here's what we're working on right now. A few stories for you. In Utah, officials there planning to lower a camera into the chamber where those six miners are believed trapped. That's happening again today. They did it yesterday and now officials say there is survivable space. But, of course, there hasn't been a response from the miners and they want to try to get a better look today.

Also, shuttle "Endeavour" astronauts will use a spacecraft robotic arm to try to inspect a gash in "Endeavour's" heat shield today. NASA wants to see if a repair job is needed.

KEILAR: And Tiger Woods looks in great shape to win his 13th major title. Woods fired a one under 69 for his third round at the PGA championship.

HOLMES: Did a pastor's tough love approach to helping troubled teens go too far? The Texas pastor is facing aggravated assault charges. A teen at a Christian boot camp he operates accuses him of dragging her behind a van. Brian Collinser of affiliate WOIA has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just keep doing what you know to do is right.

BRIAN COLLINSER, WOIA: Pastor Charles Flowers gives his Christian boot camp cadets a pep talk about character.

CHARLES FLOWERS, ACCUSED PASTOR: The goal is to rescue a generation of young people from untoward behavior, drugs, alcohol, disrespect, disloyalty, disobedience to their parents. Get them hooked up to purpose, that they can understand that they have a purpose in life.

COLLINSER: Flowers says his purpose in life is to help them with tough love through his San Antonio ministry. But one camper says that approach went too far near at a camp near Corpus Christi last June. In this affidavit, a 15-year-old girl from San Antonio claims Flowers and one of his drill instructors tied a rope around her and dragged her behind a van when she could not finish a run. These pictures show injuries the teenager says she got as a result of the incident. Did you tie her up with a rope and drag her behind a van?

JANICE FLOWERS, PASTOR'S WIFE: It's not as it appears.

C. FLOWERS: I won't speak to that issue.

COLLINSER: Flowers says he can't talk about the incident because he and the instructor are now facing felony aggravated assault charges. He would only say that straightening out troubled teens is hard. Are you too rough on these kids sometimes?

C. FLOWERS: Well I think if you'd ask them that, they would tell you in the end, no. If you ask them the first day, they would say yes.

COLLINSER: His wife who helps run the ministry says what happened at the boot camp is not as it appears.

J. FLOWERS: My husband is not a cruel person. He loves young people. We do what we do because we love young people. Not, you know, and this, is you know, we're not looking forward to this happening. But, of course, when you deal with young people, you're going to have allegations.

COLLINSER: Just a few minutes after our interview, officers from the Nueces County Sheriff's Department showed up and arrested Flowers.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And as of yesterday, the pastor was still in jail.

KEILAR: An especially awful attack to tell you about now. A vicious robbery in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Police say a man armed with a hammer went into a beauty parlor and demanded money and purses from four women who were inside. Now in all, he got $90. Even though the ladies did not resist, a witness says he struck them anyway with his hammer. One woman suffered a skull fracture. The oldest victim is 76. The youngest is 56. Police later arrested a 41-year-old man.

HOLMES: President Bush returns to Washington later today after making a French connection in Maine. The president and the new president of France shared hamburgers, hotdogs and a heart to heart. White House correspondent Elaine Quijano reports now from Kennebunkport.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There were smiles and presidential pats on the back in Kennebunkport during a visit meant to signal a new warmer chapter in U.S.-French relations.

[ Speaking French ]

PRES. NICOLAS SARKOZY, FRANCE: We may be friends and not agree on everything but we are friends nevertheless. That's the truth.

BUSH: Beautiful, thank you.

QUIJANO: With the French tricolor flag flying overhead and extended family on hand, President Bush welcomed France's new President Nicolas Sarkozy to an informal cookout at his parents home at Walker's Point in Maine. Both leaders made clear they want to move beyond past tensions over Iraq.

BUSH: We have had disagreements on Iraq in particular. But I've never allowed disagreements to not find other ways to work together.

QUIJANO: The two met for almost an hour along with President Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush.

BUSH: This is a complicated world where there is a lot of opportunities to bring peace. And no question when America and France work together we can get a lot of important things done.

QUIJANO: Later, the three went on a boat ride in the former president's speed boat "Fidelity III."

(On camera): The two leaders will likely see each other again in September at the annual meeting of the U.N. general assembly in New York. As for the vacation visit here in Maine, President Bush hopes that he's laid the groundwork for a stronger relationship with a key European ally. Elaine Quijano, CNN, Kennebunkport, Maine.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Meanwhile, the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan say they're going to work together to combat the threat from Al Qaeda and Taliban militants. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's leader Pervez Musharraf addressed a closing session of a tribal assembly in Kabul today. A declaration coming out of that session called terrorism a common threat to both countries. It went on to say the war on terrorism should continue to be a part of the national security strategies of both nations.

HOLMES: Still in Afghanistan, Taliban militants said again today they will release two sick female South Korean hostages. But the international Red Cross says it has no information about that. Taliban militants kidnapped 23 South Korean volunteer workers back on July 19th. They later killed two of the male hostages. The kidnappers have demanded that nearly two dozen militant prisoners be released in exchange for the South Korean's lives.

KEILAR: Take a look at what our i-Reporter caught. The story behind these flames right after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One person can make a difference. And if you add a whole lot of individuals up, the sky truly is the limit.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Golf, the game of eternal optimism. And today's action in the PGA. We're going to be talking about that a little bit later this hour.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We're getting information from the military this morning about more U.S. troop deaths in Iraq. Officials say one soldier was killed by small arms fire while on patrol in southeast Baghdad yesterday. Four others died in an explosion during combat operations south of the Iraqi capital. Four others were wounded in that same explosion.

They are cheap, easy to make and deadly. Improvised explosive devices, IEDs, you've heard that a lot during this war. Roadside bombs are taking a toll on U.S. forces in Iraq. "Newsweek" magazine takes an in-depth look at troops trained to diffuse the bombs and Dan Ephron is the deputy Washington bureau chief for "Newsweek," he joins us now from D.C. Mr. Ephron, thank you for being here, sir. Are the U.S. military soldiers, troops there really fighting a war within a war trying to take on these IEDs?

DAN EPHRON, NEWSWEEK: Certainly the IEDs are the biggest problem for U.S. troops in Iraq. I think one of the phenomenon's we're seeing is that insurgencies elsewhere, outside Iraq have picked up on this idea that with very cheap weapons, easy to lay, easy to bleed U.S. troops, it's a good way to fight a war against a much bigger, a much stronger army. And so we've seen now IEDs in Afghanistan. We've seen them in insurgency wars in parts of Africa. That's a very disconcerting thing for the U.S. military.

HOLMES: Have these devices or how have these devices continued to evolve and improve and how is that making it more difficult for the U.S. military?

EPHRON: You know, the United States has spent to date $6 billion trying to figure out how to combat IEDs. Every time we do something to make our armor better, for instance, the other side adapts. There is a huge disproportionate problem here. IEDs cost $10 or $15 to make, maybe $50 for the heavier ones, the more expensive ones. They blow up tanks that cost millions. And so for all the time and all the research we've devoted into trying to combat this problem, we're really no further along in defeating IEDs than we were three or four years ago.

HOLMES: Would you say -- you mention there, $10 to $50 for the biggest IEDs, taking out millions of dollars in U.S. military equipment. Is there a sense, I don't know if embarrassment is the right word, but let's go with is there a sense of embarrassment on the part of the Pentagon that they're throwing billions of dollars at this problem that they have not been able to get under control?

EPHRON: Look, I think there is certainly embarrassment and I think there is concern. IEDs killed more American troops in Iraq than any other weapon. And I think there is a recognition that you don't just fight this defensively. You don't just make your vehicles heavier and better armored. You also have to have better intelligence. You have to know where these IEDs are being built and where they come from.

HOLMES: How much success have they had on that front?

EPHRON: Not a whole lot of success. This is the problem that has plagued us from the beginning, not knowing the terrain, not knowing the people and the insurgencies. Not knowing who it is that's fighting us in Iraq.

HOLMES: All right, Dan Ephron, Washington bureau chief for "Newsweek". It is a fascinating read and a scary read, really, to hear about what some of these soldiers are going through and certainly they have a special unit that's dedicated strictly to going out and finding these and diffusing these bombs. Dan Ephron, sir, thank you so much for your time this morning.

EPHRON: Thank you.

KEILAR: Some lighter news now, we're going to talk golf. Tiger Woods looks well on his way to winning his 13th major title. Woods now leading after the third round of the 89th PGA championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Woods' story isn't the only story coming out of this tournament. CNN's Larry Smith explains. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH (voice-over): At this week's PGA championship, Dan Rooney stands beneath the American flag he so often stands for. Rooney flies an F-16 in the Oklahoma National Guard. He serves two tours of duty in Iraq and clearly knows that spending a day on a golf course is very different from anything he encounters in the air in the gulf.

DAN ROONEY, PRO GOLFER, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: Is it certainly more life or death in an f-16? You bet. And as the f-16 ultimately made my golf much better than my golf made my f-16 flying, without a doubt.

SMITH: But now Rooney's flying and golfing have become intertwined. A part owner of a golf course in Michigan, he returned home from Iraq two years ago. And decided to use his golf friends to help his military family.

ROONEY: Obviously we can host a golf tournament as a PGA member and a golf course owner that's the easy thing for me to do is give up the golf course for the day to raise some money. But as I said, there was a much larger need.

SMITH: So patriot golf day was born. Partnering with the PGA of America, golf courses across the country will ask anyone playing on September 1st to donate $1 to the cause. The courses will be asked to match the contributions and the proceeds will go to Rooney's Fallen Heroes Foundation to provide educational and financial assistance for the children of soldiers injured or killed in combat.

ROONEY: Back in World War II, we bought war bonds, we conserved fuel. There was a way for the American public to participate. And that's been diluted over years. And so patriot golf day, if nothing else, is a call to action but the beauty of the idea is it's so simple. It's go play golf one day, give a dollar and exponentially courses all over the country have put us in a position where we're poised to raise hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars.

SMITH: Rooney says he's humbled by the support he has received from the golfing community. And points out that while the PGA championship is filled with great players, the PGA has shown itself full of great people.

ROONEY: One person can make a difference. And if you add a whole lot of individuals up, the sky truly is the limit.

SMITH: It seems not even the sky has ever limited Dan Rooney.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Larry Smith joins us now live from the PGA championship in Tulsa where it is a very special day. Tell us about it, Larry.

SMITH: Yeah, it certainly is, there's no question. We're -- really it's almost not a tournament at this point, it's pretty much a coronation. Tiger Woods has been shutout of a major victory in 2007. What a year it's been for him. He's a father for the first time. Two second-place finishes, but Tiger will tell you he defines great years by championships won. He's about to win his 13th major title today. He has a three-shot lead heading into the final round of this, the 89th PGA championship. He was nearly flawless on Saturday, shooting a one under par 69. As again, he stands right now and he has been near perfect when in this position. 12 times he has been tied for or in the lead by himself entering the final round. All 12 times he has come away with a victory. And keep in mind Tiger now 30 years old, he is going to come -- 31 years old, I should say. His record in his mind always has been to achieve the 18 majors won by his boyhood idol Jack Nicklaus. He's already in second place. He gets this one today he is only five away from that victory as play has already begun here in the final round. Tiger will tee off at 3:00 eastern time from southern hills. Let's go back to you.

KEILAR: All right thanks, Larry. Of course, we wish him luck. Larry Smith joining us live there from the PGA championship in Tulsa.

HOLMES: Keeping them sober, we're not talking about Larry Smith there. Sorry to have to follow you like that, Larry. But yes, keeping them sober.

KEILAR: Yeah, no confusion there. This is the latest from Japan, it's a car that just says no.

HOLMES: Also, a crocodile getting the clean sweep. A story from the lighter side, if you will. That's coming up here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Take a look at this. This is a 100-year-old building up in flames in Ohio. I-reporter Jeff Pontsler sending us these pictures from Tama, Ohio. This is near Dayton. He says he got to the scene actually last night before the fire trucks even arrived. He says nobody got hurt but the building was a total loss.

You also have your chance to be an i-Reporter. Send us your pictures or video of breaking news or just some cool stuff you see out there. Go to cnn.com. Click on i-report to find out how to become a part of the most trusted name in news.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KEILAR: Now it's time to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES. Hi there Howard.

HOWARD KURTZ: Good morning. Coming up, the Iowa straw poll is today's big political story. Even though some top contenders sat it out. Why is the press making so much of this meaningless ritual?

A 17-year-old girl is outed on Facebook for supporting Barack Obama just because her dad is Rudy Giuliani. Is everything online now public? Plus, Don Imus planning a comeback just months after losing his radio and TV gigs. Should he get another shot? That, and Barry Bonds still striking out with the press. That's ahead on "RELIABLE SOURCES."

KEILAR: All right, thanks Howard, we'll be watching.

KURTZ: Thank you.

HOLMES: Also coming up, watch this, a Russian woman who just can't say no to a cat even more than 100 of them.

KEILAR: And how do you brush a crocodile's teeth? Well, of course very, very carefully. That's coming up here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: From Japanese automakers, a car that just says no.

KEILAR: CNN's Kyung Lah reports from Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's as Japanese as sushi, the nightly communion of saki and beer. The government believes this custom is contributing to a national problem, drunk driving. A string of accidents where children were killed is disturbing the social psyche. Enter Japanese innovation, a concept car being developed by Nissan, conceptualizing the end of drunk driving. It's not aimed at the celebrity offender like, say, Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan or at the repeat offender, but at the average consumer.

MINORU SHINOHARA, NISSAN TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT: Be careful or don't drink. That kind of, or rather soft reminding is very easy to do and it has some impact for the ordinary people.

LAH (on camera): Here's how it works. An onboard computer detects any erratic driving, facial recognition technology detects if the driver is becoming sleepy. And a number of sensors mounted all around the car detect alcohol in the air or on the driver's sweat. For the purposes of demonstration only, not to drive, Nissan is allowing us to test out their drunk driving prevention system. After a few sips of beer, the car sensors go to work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The sensor has detected alcohol. You have become (INAUDIBLE). Please stop your car in a safe place.

LAH: If I drank even more, the transmission would lock.

CHARLES HURLEY, CEO, MADD: The technology isn't quite ready now, but we're very hopeful that it will be tested in various ways and it will literally hold the promise of eliminating drunk driving in the United States and other countries beginning in about 10 years. LAH: A number of automakers like Volvo and Toyota are developing similar smart cars. A change in how society approaches the problem, stopping the driver before he commits a crime. Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: I've been on a lot of stories, I never got to drink a beer on one.

KEILAR: No, I mean drinking a beer for the journalistic reasons.

HOLMES: Is that what that was?

KEILAR: I think that's what that was, that was great. Fun times.

HOLMES: Getting up close and personal now with a crocodile. We saw some of this video a little earlier, but not something you usually want to do.

KEILAR: But you know, you look at this crocodile expert. This is at a zoo in Taiwan. He's brushing the crock's teeth we're told as reptiles go, this is actually a pretty friendly crocodile. I don't know about that though. And this crock apparently even likes to have his belly tickled.

HOLMES: You have got to be kidding me with this. I'm not going to tickle the belly of the beast. The officials here say the reason the crock is so well behaved is because Buddhist prayers are played in the park every day and they never feed him anything that's live or that's moving. So he's a gentle crocodile, we're told. But probably no one takes a chance. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right. We also have some fascinating video for you. Check this ruckus out. This is coming to us from Siberia. This is an apartment with 130 house cats. Obviously they get pretty excited around feeding time, as you can see.

HOLMES: And they actually all, 130, have names we're told. Each one gets petted daily, we're told as well. The woman who takes care of them says the smell isn't too bad. But maybe she's probably used to it and probably smells just like them. They just all blend in together. Now the neighbors say the biggest problem is all the meowing that goes on late at night and not the smell.

KEILAR: You know you have a problem there when you're throwing the food out to the cats. But stay with us. Stay with CNN throughout all the day for the latest news.

HOLMES: "RELIABLE SOURCES" is of course up next. And among today's topics, the Iowa straw poll. Is the media making much ado about nothing?

KEILAR: And later on "LATE EDITION" hosted today by Joe Johns, taking on the Taliban. The Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. will be Joe Johns' guest. But first, a check of the morning's top developments.

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