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Stage Collapses at Indiana State Fair; Bachmann Wins Iowa Straw Poll; Rapper's Tweet Ties Up California Sheriff's Phone Lines; Rick Perry Makes 2012 Bid Official; Cyber-Boost for Job Seekers

Aired August 13, 2011 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon coming to you tonight from Ames, Iowa, site of the Iowa Straw Poll. In-depth analysis of the results is just ahead. But first, we have some breaking news out of Indianapolis I want to tell you about.

Look at the pictures there. Just coming in to CNN. At least a dozen people hurt tonight when a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair, that's according to the Indianapolis Star Web site. High winds toppled the stage rigging between the opening and main acts of the outdoor concert. Here's what we're hearing.

The country band Sugarland was just about to take the stage when that accident occurred. Again, this video just coming into CNN. These are live pictures coming in from our affiliate WTHR.

We're going to be following up on this breaking news and bringing you all the details. But first, I want to go to Ann Ramsey. She's joining me now.

Ann was at the State Fair. She was on a ride. And Ann, you said you felt it shaking. Was this weather, did a system come through you felt like?

ANN RAMSEY, WITNESSES STAGE COLLAPSE (via-telephone): We were at the fair. I was with my kids and my sister-in-law back in the midway and all of a sudden, the wind started blowing. Things started shaking. Luckily, my son was ushered off the ride and people just started running and screaming.

And I watched a mom and her daughter almost get trampled. The worker got her up and we got up to the front and tried to get on a tram to see if we could get to our car. And they shut the tram down and ushered us into a building for safety. And they said there were tornado warnings around. We had driven by the stage and you could see people emptying out and that the point, nothing looked like it had fallen. But when we got inside and they turned the news on to try to find out what the weather was going on, then they started showing from our local station that the stage had collapsed. And we could all stand and see.

LEMON: OK, hey. Ann, I want you to stand by. Don't go anywhere, because I want to bring in now Aaron Richmann who was at the stage when it happened.

Erin, are you there?

AARON RICHMANN, WITNESSED STAGE COLLAPSE: I am.

LEMON: Erin, tell us where you were and what happened.

RICHMANN: Well, I was sitting in the grandstand watching the concert. As the opening act had just finished, one of the announcers came on to tell us that Sugarland was going to try and perform a few of their songs. And before the actual storm came in, and usually probably like a few minutes after that, a big gust of wind came through.

You could see a lot of people panicking and just all the scaffolding and speakers and I mean just all that came crashing down and the whole stand just collapsed. Landing on the VIP section at the very front. Probably injuring at least a dozen people. It looked like there were many people underneath the stage, police and ambulance everywhere. Really chaotic.

LEMON: I was just going to ask you, did you see people trapped? Were people screaming for help? Did you see the stage or debris on top of anyone?

RICHMANN: It did look like there were people trapped underneath the stage. Right now, I mean, people were just going crazy. A lot of people trying to get underneath to get people out from under there. I honestly -- I could not tell you how many people were trapped under there, at least a few.

LEMON: OK, stand by. I want to update our viewers. If you're just joining us now, we're following breaking news here on CNN. It's from the Indiana State Fair. It's out of Indianapolis. There are live pictures coming in from our affiliate, WTHR.

A stage collapsed during a concert there. According to the "Indianapolis Star" Web site, high winds toppled the stage rigging between the opening and main acts of this outdoor concert.

We're also being told that the country band, Sugarland, was just about to take the stage when the accident occurred.

We're on the phone now with Aaron Richmann who was at the stage and said that there were people trapped in front.

Aaron, did a big wind gust come through? Was it raining at the time? Tell us about the conditions at the time of this collapse.

RICHMANN: It was not. You could definitely see the storm coming in. You could just feel the wind picking up, and it just rolled right through and then that's when the storm just like blew right through.

LEMON: OK. Aaron, stand by. We're going to go back now to Ann Ramsey. Ann Ramsey was at the fair. She was on a ride.

So Ann, did you feel a big gust of wind? And, you know, according to Aaron, he said it wasn't raining at the time. But what were the conditions like where you were in that part of the park? RAMSEY: You could see the sky just darkening and black and clouds circling. And, yes, there was a huge gust of wind and things started blowing. Also, the stands, the games, people were scrambling. Those workers were scrambling to try to get things off the games. People just started running and the rides just immediately shutdown.

LEMON: All right, Ann, thank you very much. Aaron, thank you.

We want to tell our viewers again, at least a dozen people hurt at a concert and a fair at the Indiana State Fair. This is in Indianapolis when a stage collapsed.

It appears, we don't know for sure, that there was a big gust of wind possibly that contributed to all of this happening. But again, we're going to continue to follow this breaking news and try to get some sort of official, some sort of representative from the area to tell us exactly what happened. But again, according to the people who were there, one young man we just spoke to, Aaron Richmann, he said he was at the stage when it collapsed and he said there were people who were trapped underneath.

He managed to get away but at least 12 people didn't, we are told. We're going to continue to follow this breaking news right here on CNN. Don't go anywhere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT STRAWN, CHAIRMAN, IOWA REPUBLICAN PARTY: With 16,892 Iowans voting, the winner of the 2011 Iowa Straw Poll is Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, let's talk some politics now.

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann winning one of the first major tests for the Republicans seeking the oval office in 2012. Bachmann beat all the other competitors to win with 29 percent of the vote. In her speech today, Bachmann declared, quote, "We are the team that can't be beat."

Here are the full results from the Iowa Straw Poll right here. Texas Congressman Ron Paul had a very strong showing in second place behind Bachmann. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty came in third and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum took fourth place. Businessman Herman Cain took the number five slot. And it gets really interesting here, because Texas Governor Rick Perry came in sixth. He wasn't even on the ballot. All of his support came from write-in votes. As a matter of fact, he just declared his candidacy in the South Carolina just hours before the poll results came out.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: It is time to get America working again and that's why with the support of my family and unwavering belief in the goodness of America, I declare to you today as a candidate for president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Perry definitely casts a long shadow over the Iowa Straw Poll. He beat the man whom many called the overall front-runner in this race, and that's Mitt Romney.

Romney came in seventh ahead of former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich who was in eighth place. And former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman placed ninth in the poll, and coming in last, Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter.

Well, there is still one Republican name we haven't mentioned. And she hasn't even declared, but she's definitely making her presence felt in this race. We're talking about, of course, none other than former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who paid a visit to Iowa, but insisted to me personally that she wasn't stealing the spotlight. We're going to hear more from Sarah Palin a little bit later on in this broadcast.

You know, we've got part of the best political team on television with us to break down this straw poll. With me right here in Ames is CNN political producer Shannon Travis and CNN senior political editor Mark Preston is standing by in Greenland, New Hampshire, another early primary state where Rick Perry traveled after leading South Carolina.

So, Shannon, is it a surprise to anyone that Michelle Bachmann won this poll?

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: It's not much of a surprise, Don, that Michele Bachmann won this contest. She was widely expected to win. You know, she entered the rate a little bit later than some of the competitors. But let me tell you some of the headlines that will be emerging tomorrow other than Michelle Bachmann won this race.

One, a lot of people were questioning whether she had the organization to win. She had the passion, she had the buzz, but did she have the organization. You know, it takes a whole lot of money, a whole lot of volunteers, a whole lot of staff to get people to come to these contests in the middle of a hot Saturday.

LEMON: Right.

TRAVIS: She did that.

The second headline is you know Michele Bachmann is a Tea Party darling. She is running against Washington. A lot of people dismissed her as you saw "The News Week" cover, "the queen of rage," or what have you.

She won a very traditional contest. This is a traditional Republican nominating contest. And so can she be dismissed as just the Tea Party darling, the queen of rage after this win? This legitimatizes her in a lot of ways. LEMON: After a very strong showing.

TRAVIS: Absolutely.

LEMON: Because Rick Santorum told our Candy Crowley if he didn't come in in a certain position that he was going to get out of the race. He came in fourth. He's happy about it. Is it good enough for him to stay in this race?

TRAVIS: He told our Candy Crowley that if he had Rick placed in the top five. He narrowly made that. That might be enough to keep his campaign alive for a little bit longer. But now we're moving into phase two of this campaign, and donors, donors will be looking at, OK, who's really serious? Who should we actually give our money to? So that will be a major, major thing for him whether he can convince donors that a fourth place finish is good enough.

LEMON: You know what, I want to bring in CNN's Mark Preston here.

Mark, Tim Pawlenty, we're told, spent a lot of money trying to win this thing but he only came in third.

Is this it for him?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, we're already seeing the headlines right now, Don, that Tim Pawlenty's campaign for the White House is doomed if not over. But the fact of the matter is, I believe it's going to go on. The question is, what will he do with his campaign structure? Will he wean it down? Will he try to live off the land, what they say in political speak, meaning will he just try to live in Iowa and New Hampshire with a very scaled down staff, and will he stay at, you know, in the middle to the back of the pack and hope that one of the front-runners such as Mitt Romney or looks like Governor Perry at this point stumbles and will there be an opening.

So right now, Tim Pawlenty has said he's going to stay in the race. The question is, will he have the money and how long will he stay in the race.

LEMON: All right. So there's a reason you're there in Greenland, New Hampshire, right now because you're following Rick Perry.

Mark, what does it say about Rick Perry that he came in sixth in the poll just hours after he announced his candidacy, and he wasn't even on the ballot?

PRESTON: No, he wasn't on the ballot. But we should note there was an organizing effort that was supportive of Rick Perry, was not backed by Rick Perry, meaning he did not have much if anything to do with it. But there was an organizing effort that tried to get people to write his name on the ballot.

Now the interesting thing about Rick Perry is, even though he did not participate in this straw poll, he plays very well in social conservative circles. And in Iowa, specifically, the straw poll is dominated by social conservatives.

So it shouldn't be too surprising that Rick Perry plays sixth in the straw poll. Fact of the matter is, though, Don, today, down in South Carolina and here where I'm standing in New Hampshire, he didn't talk about social conservative issues. He talked about the number one issue facing the country right now, and of course, that's the economy. And I believe that's what all we're going to hear from Rick Perry certainly in the coming weeks as he now has launched his presidential campaign.

LEMON: All right.

Mark Preston there in New Hampshire. And also Shannon Travis joining me right here in Ames, Iowa. Appreciate it, both of you, sir. Good analysis.

More analysis, as a matter of fact, coming up next. Republican Strategist Alex Castellanos on the results of the straw poll, and Rick Perry's entry into the field.

And speaking of Perry, we're going to show you a lot more of his announcement that he made this afternoon. He's already creating a lot of buzz among Republicans.

Also, will a tweet lead to possible criminal charges? A rapper offers the job of a lifetime to his followers, but the phone number is for the local sheriff's department. The chaos that resulted straight ahead.

Many of you are online, on social media sites. You can reach out to us on Twitter, on Facebook, on CNN.com/Don or on FourSquare, as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. This is our breaking news on CNN. There has been a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. You're looking at live pictures there from our affiliate WTHR.

We're told right now, at least, a dozen people were injured. A dozen people injured in this when that stage collapsed. People who were there on the scene said a strong gust of wind came through. And we're reaching out to sources there on the ground to see exactly what happened and what contributed to this.

The band, Sugarland, was just about to play and here's what they're saying now on Twitter.

"We are all right," they're saying. "We are praying for our fans and the people of Indianapolis. We hope you'll join us. They need your strength."

Again, that's our breaking news.

There's been a stage collapse. A lot of people hurt. We're going to continue to follow it here on CNN. We're going to talk some politics now. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELLE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, everyone, for coming today. And thank you so much. What we saw happen today is this is the very first step towards taking the White House in 2012. And you have just sent a message that Barack Obama will be a one-term president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Oh, Michele Bachmann and her campaign feeling lots of energy today and very proud. The Tea Party members and supporters are celebrating Michelle Bachmann's win in the Iowa Straw Poll. Bachmann is really a driving force of the Tea Party on Capitol Hill, heading the Tea Party caucus in the House of Representatives.

I want to bring in now Republican consultant and CNN contributor, Alex Castellanos.

So, listen, before I get your reaction, I want you to listen to more reaction from Michele Bachmann and then you and I will talk.

ALEX CASTELLANOS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Let's go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BACHMANN: Thank you, everyone. We did this together. Thank you, everyone, for coming today and thank you so much. What we saw happen today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So listen, again, do you think other members of the Tea Party, other members of the Tea Party who are running in this race, should they be worried about Bachmann now that she has won this?

CASTELLANOS: It's now a three-person race.

LEMON: Yes.

CASTELLANOS: It's now, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann and the new guy, Rick Perry. So yes, she's credentialed herself today, but she's got a tough choice. Now she's got to decide, does she try to out conservative Rick Perry like she out conservative Pawlenty, or does she try to demonstrate she can beat Barack Obama in a general election.

LEMON: That's -- I wanted to pose that question to her today because you said earlier that this is either the beginning of her campaign, or the end of her campaign. She either has to appeal to a broad base and become the nominee, or to a group, to a core group.

CASTELLANOS: Yes, is she Pat Buchanan or is she Ronald Reagan.

LEMON: Right. CASTELLANOS: She doesn't have to abandon her principles or anything she believes. But can she make her principles work on a larger audience? A big test for her, probably not. Her history is that she's more of a social conservative and she needs to talk economy. How are we going to grow this economy and create jobs?

LEMON: She needs to talk economy.

CASTELLANOS: Yes.

LEMON: Is there -- among other things, is that what you believe she's not -- she's not hitting that point hard enough?

CASTELLANOS: Not strong enough now. And she's running against now a governor of Texas whose created jobs, a businessman. That's his expertise. She's a congresswoman. She needs to fill that space quickly.

LEMON: She won today, but Rick Perry had a -- you know, some disagree that it was a strong showing because, she, you know, considering how much he only got 700 or so. But to not even be here and to declare today, what does that say? Does this change the game plan for everyone, including Michele Bachmann.

CASTELLANOS: It certainly does. You know, Rick Perry had a good day today. I'm not necessarily the world's biggest Rick Perry fan, but he gave a pretty good speech today.

LEMON: Why not?

CASTELLANOS: Well, there's a question of authenticity with Rick Perry, I think. A lot of people think he's a coffee table book, a lot of pretty pictures and no text.

And presidential campaigns are tough. They test you that way. But he's going to be tested. That's for voters to decide, not me. But right now, he's a job maker in Texas. Romney is a job maker as a businessman. Michele Bachmann needs to make her case quickly.

LEMON: I was just going to ask you, if you have any more advice for Bachmann or anyone, Perry, anyone who is in this race now because you and I, when we talked about, you know, organized campaigns, disorganized campaigns, how you run your campaign is really how you're going to run the White House.

What advice -- let's start with Bachmann. You said, talk economy. What advice would you give her beyond that?

CASTELLANOS: I would say go to New Hampshire tomorrow. Put a 21- point plan together on how you're going to grow America's economy, your strategy for American success in a new global frontier.

LEMON: Perry?

CASTELLANOS: Perry, Perry's conservative enough to win. His, I think, biggest challenge is going to be not only authenticity, but it's going to be, is he an echo of the last election.

You know, George Bush, Texas, same kind of ideology. Same Texas boots and we lost. Is he a sequel to the movie that nobody went to see last time? He's got to distinguish himself from that.

LEMON: Ron Paul was second. Does he stand a chance? I mean, he's very popular here. You can't walk an inch without seeing a bumper sticker, a button, something, a T-shirt, a tattoo of him. But does he really stand a chance?

CASTELLANOS: And sometimes the most intense campaigns are the least successful.

George McGovern, Barry Goldwater. He doesn't travel. He doesn't appeal to anything beyond a very narrow base. But, you know, it's funny. He's become almost an elder statesman. A lot of the things he said about the economy and sound money, now everybody is saying.

LEMON: Saying the same thing.

So as we go, before we go to break here, so that's your final advice for everyone? I'm going to let you put a book end on it, a stamp on it, if you will.

CASTELLANOS: The race is down to really, I think, two now -- Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. May the best man win.

LEMON: Not Michele Bachmann?

CASTELLANOS: I don't think she'll make it.

LEMON: You heard it.

Alex Castellanos, I really appreciate it, sir.

Up next here on CNN, what the Democrats think of today's GOP straw poll. DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz drops by, and she speaks with us.

And we have a reminder that we are following some breaking news tonight out of Indiana. A stage at a state fair has collapsed where the country band Sugarland was scheduled to perform.

This is new video. You see all of the emergency workers there on the scene. It's from our affiliate, WTHR. There are numerous injuries. And at last count, there were at least a dozen people. We're going to update you on the very latest. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Democrats were few and far between here and Ames, Iowa, today. Site of the Republican Straw Poll, but we did catch up with the head of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and asked her whether President Obama has anything to fear from any of the Republicans in today's poll.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ, CHAIRWOMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul, and the entire collection of Republican candidates are totally out of step with what the average American is looking for in terms of solutions.

Job creation, getting our economy turned around, the average American voter is not -- is supportive of ending Medicare as we know it. All the Republican candidates are. The average American voter isn't supporting privatizing social security. All the Republican candidates for president, too. The average American voter wants us to work together.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: If Mitt Romney had won, would you not have also said look, here's a radical. He's out of step. I mean, because the Democratic Party's way of going at this, and certainly the president's way of going at this is going hey, the crazy people are out there. Don't elect them. Elect the same people.

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Well, Mitt Romney has demonstrated the last few days that he's right up there with the extreme right wing fringe.

CROWLEY: Except that he polls right up there against President Obama even.

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: I don't think he will be very soon. The other day, he declared corporations and people being equivalent, and he said that corporations are people. I don't think that most people think Exxon Mobil and General Electric are the same as people.

He raised his right hand along with all of the other eight presidential candidates on Thursday night at the debate, and said that even with the most reasonable of requests in trying to solve our deficit problem, that he would oppose ten to one spending cuts to revenue. The majority of Americans don't agree with all of these candidates for president on the right wing of the Republican Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was the chair of the DNC earlier tonight here on CNN.

We have some breaking news tonight out of Indiana. A concert stage has collapsed at the state fair just as the country band Sugarland was about to perform. A number of injuries are reported. We're expecting a live news conference in just a few minutes here on CNN. We'll bring that to you live when it happens.

Also, the tweet that could lead to criminal charges against a rapper. He offers a job of a lifetime to his followers, but instead the phone number he posted is for the local sheriff's department. We're talking to a sheriff's department captain about it coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We're following breaking news here on CNN. Just look at the video coming in from Indianapolis. At least, at least a dozen people were hurt when high winds toppled the stage rigging at an outdoor concert at the Indiana State Fair. Again, this is just coming in to CNN.

I want to tell you the country band, Sugarland, was just about to take the stage when a very powerful storm hit. There are reports that people were trapped under the stage. As bad as it looks, it could have been much worse because fair goers were being evacuated before the stage collapsed.

Sugarland posted this on its Twitter account. It says, "We are all right. We are praying for our fans and the people of Indianapolis. We hope that you will join us. They need your strength."

And we're hearing that a news conference from the scene is going to happen very shortly. We're going to bring that to you here on CNN when it happens.

Onto other news now, because of this rapper named The Game, L.A. County sheriff's department says -- the sheriff's at the department says it has coined a new term and it's not happy about it. The term "flash calls." "Flash calls," and because of them, officials say, public safety was compromised.

They say The Game -- that's his name, his real name is Jayceon Taylor -- tweeted out the public number for the sheriff's station in Compton. And within minutes, hundreds of calls overwhelmed dispatch operators, delaying help for people who really needed it for two-and-a-half hours. That's what the sheriff's officials are saying there. OK, now the sheriff is going to charge the rapper with a crime.

Joining me right now is Captain Mike Parker from the LA County sheriff's department. Captain, you actually made a tweet plea, asking The Game to please delete the number. Tell us first what kind of situations were impacted by all these flash calls.

CAP. MIKE PARKER, L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: Well, it started at 5:23 PM on Friday night, when our Compton sheriff's station desk was inundated with every single phone line lit up, and they weren't even able to keep up. They had to bring in extra personnel to answer all the phones. And frankly, we weren't answering all the phones because as soon as we hung up a phone, it would ring again. Most of the calls were hangups. As soon as we -- our people said, "Compton sheriff's station, may I help you," they hung up.

So our people initially thought that this was some kind of technical problem and called the phone company and our sheriff's communication center and tried to get to the bottom of it. But then a few of the callers started asking for a rapper internship, and our guys were able to determine that there had been a tweet went out.

And so they reached me, and I have a presence on Twitter, as the L.A. County sheriff's department does, and I reached out to the rapper in an attempt to get him to take down the phone number.

LEMON: OK. So Captain, I want to understand this. Why didn't these calls go to voicemail? This wasn't a 911 line, right?

PARKER: Correct. A lot of members of the public are still under misconceptions about 911. And really, there's two primary ways for most people to reach their local law enforcement. And one is 911 and the other is a help line, a business line. And we sometimes get 911 calls for -- people asking questions about a parking ticket. And sometimes on the regular help line, we get a phone call reporting a shooting.

So although there's been this tremendous public information campaign about 911, we still get a lot of critical calls on our regular help lines.

LEMON: Captain Parker, what's the sheriff going to charge him with?

PARKER: Well, right now, we are collecting evidence regarding three different crimes. One has to do with using electronic communications to interfere with or annoy someone. Second one is obstructing a peace officer in the performance of their duties. And then the third one is interfering with law enforcement communication systems.

And we are presenting this information, this evidence, and we will present it to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. And the district attorney's office decides whether or not the case would be filed.

LEMON: OK, listen, just as you were talking, I was looking down at my Twitter account because I want to tell you that we have tweeted Jayceon Taylor, as well as reached out to Black Wall Street Records for his response. And so far, nothing. But he tweeted this earlier, Captain. He says "Yall can track a tweet down but cant solve murders! That was" -- or "Dat," as he says -- "was an accident but maybe now yall can actually do yall job!!!!"

So Captain, what's your response to this? And why do you think that he won't apologize? At least so far, he's not.

PARKER: Well, we find it very interesting, but I would say that in terms of the comment, what we really are waiting for is a comment that says that this was done in error, it was a mistake and nobody should do this because it puts people in harm's way.

We've got some people that -- we believe that there's some people that tried to contact us to report emergencies and couldn't get through. We had several critical emergencies that we were dealing with. And the community of Compton has really formed a partnership with the L.A. County sheriff's department, and over the last several years, we've reduced homicides and serious crime in Compton by over 50 percent. And so I think he's got his facts wrong on several counts.

LEMON: All right, Captain Mike Parker from the L.A. County sheriff's department, thank you, sir. Appreciate it.

PARKER: Sure.

LEMON: It's official. Rick Perry has entered the GOP race for president. We're going to replay his announcement and you'll hear it for yourself. That's right after the break. And you can also hear where he stands on the big issues. We're looking into his record as Texas governor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R-MA), FMR. GOV., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Rick Perry, or frankly anybody else on that stage last night, were our nominee, I'll be out there working hard for him because any one of the people on that stage, as well as Rick Perry, would do a heck of a lot job -- a heck of a lot better job leading this country than the current president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, Mitt Romney is in the race for president, and that's his thoughts on Texas governor Rick Perry entering the race today. Romney considered by many to be the front-runner in this race so far. Perry now officially a rival for Romney and the other Republicans in the race. The Texas governor attracted a lot of attention on his -- on day one of his campaign.

And we want to take a moment here and replay a portion of Perry's announcement speech. I want you to take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America is not broken. Washington, D.C., is broken!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

PERRY: We need balanced budgets. We need lower taxes. We need less regulation and we need civil justice reform those same four principles. Our country's most urgent need is to revitalize our economy, stop the generational theft that is going on with this record debt.

I came to South Carolina because I will not sit back and accept the path that America is on because a great country requires a better direction, because a renewed nation needs a new president.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

PERRY: It is time to get America working again. And that's why, with the support of my family and unwavering belief in the goodness of America, I declare to you today as a candidate for President of the United States!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Perry! Perry! Perry!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Perry! Perry! Perry! UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Perry! Perry! Perry!

PERRY: You know, it's time for America to believe again. It's time to believe that the promise of our future is far greater than even our best days behind us. It's time to believe again in the potential of private enterprise, set free from the shackles of overbearing federal government. And it's time to truly restore our standing in the world, renew our faith in freedom as the best hope for peace in this world that's beset with strife.

The change we seek will never emanate out of Washington, D.C. It'll come from the windswept prairies of middle America, the farms and the factories across this great land, from the hearts and the minds of the good-hearted Americans who will accept not a future that is less than our past, patriots, patriots who will not be consigned to a fate of less freedom in exchange for more government!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

PERRY: We do not have to accept our current circumstances! We will change them! We are Americans!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So Perry hit the campaign trail in New Hampshire today. Tomorrow, he'll tour Iowa. His supporters believe Perry's resume will carry him to the White House, but most voters are still getting to know him.

Jason Embry is Washington correspondent for "The Austin-American Statesman." He joins us now by phone from Charleston, South Carolina, with more on Perry.

So you have covered him. You're in South Carolina there today. He repeatedly denied any interest in the race. Now he's in. What changed?

JASON EMBRY, "AUSTIN-AMERICAN STATESMAN" (via telephone): Well, I think it changed that he didn't see anybody who he thought was going to win and that could beat Obama and that would be an acceptable nominee. Governor Romney got in there, and they have something of a rocky past.

And then when there were others who fell off, such as Haley Barbour from Mississippi and Mitch Daniels from Indiana, I think Perry took a look at it and he said, President Obama is beatable with this unemployment rate that's being so high and not getting any better. I've got this record on jobs that I want to talk about, and I don't see anybody in the field that I'm crazy about, so I'm going to jump in.

LEMON: Hey, Jason, I want to ask you, there he talks a lot about creating jobs in Texas. He spoke about it today in his speech. His critics say, though, he just stole them from other states. What's the truth here?

EMBRY: Well, I don't know if "stole" would be the right word. I mean, his job -- his duty as governor, one of them at least, and he would say his primary duty, has been to create jobs in Texas and not to worry about what's happening in other states.

And you know, the truth is, is that Texas for a long time, well before Governor Perry took office as governor, has been a business-friendly state, where the regulations are light and the taxes are somewhat low. And so it's -- and, you know, people like the weather and other things. And so the state has always attracted jobs.

Now, certainly, the numbers during Perry's tenure have been robust in terms of number of jobs that have been created in Texas, but there are an awful lot of reasons for that, and there are also some looks, you know, that need to be looked into in terms of what kinds of jobs those are.

LEMON: So since you know him and you've covered him, how would the United States be different if Perry wins the White House?

EMBRY: Well, there would certainly -- you know, it would depend a lot, I guess, on who was in control of Congress. You know, If you had a Republican Congress with Perry, you would have a very -- certainly a very conservative direction in terms of putting a big emphasis on spending cuts.

I mean, I think if Perry were at the helm of the federal government, he would put a big emphasis on light regulation, on keeping taxes low, and really, on trying to confront spending and cutting spending. But that's an important question because Perry talks a lot about what his philosophy is in terms of keeping taxes and spending and regulation low, but we haven't heard specifics from him. And I imagine that will come out over the course of the campaign, about how he would confront these national issues.

LEMON: Jason Embry, thank you very much.

EMBRY: Thank you.

LEMON: Well, Rick Perry and all of the presidential hopefuls talk a lot about jobs. So if you're submitting resumes on line but aren't hearing from anyone, you'll want to watch this next story about a new computer program that offers a solution. That's coming up right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, breaking news we're covering, a stage collapse at the Indiana state fair in Indianapolis. We just got some new video in -- it is from YouTube -- that shows the collapse of the stage. Let's listen.

Again, that is just in from YouTube. You see the stage collapse there. We're being told that local affiliates are reporting that as many as four people are dead. Again, that's being reported by our local officials. We're working -- local affiliates, I should say. We're working to confirm all of that information, but we are being told as many as -- as many as -- a dozen people were injured, and again, affiliates reporting four dead.

This new video just coming in from YouTube which shows -- there it is -- the actual stage collapse. Let's rerack that again. I think it's important to show that video, if we can rerack that and get that back on because this video, again from YouTube, apparently shows the moment it happened. Let's take a look and listen.

All right, there you go. We're going to continue to follow this breaking news here on CNN and bring you the very latest on it. Very sad incident happening there in Indianapolis.

Let's move on now and talk about your jobs. You can bet for many of you rejected from a job, a person actually didn't turn you down. A computer probably scanned over your resume and kept going. In tonight's "What Matters," we feature one company based in Atlanta that says it has a solution to help on-line job hunters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUBEN MANN, JOB SEEKER: I was unemployed, for the most part, in 2010.

CRAIG TOWNE, CNN (voice-over): Law school graduate Ruben Mann is fed up. He's applied for several on-line jobs.

MANN: I initially started by using a lot of on-line resources to look for work, and I found it extremely frustrating. For the most part, I would never get a response.

TOWNE: Mann even tried resume coaching.

MANN: They were more talking how to game the system, of how to get your resume past these search engines that were filtering, or these filters.

TOWNE (on camera): For job seekers like Ruben Mann, one of the most frustrating aspects to an on-line search is clicking the "send" button and never hearing back from a potential new boss.

(voice-over): Enter Grex, a brand-new Georgia-based company with a brand-new cyber-solution.

JAMES AUGUSTUS, Grex CEO: Well, we're able to take the recruiter and we're able to take the professional and bring them together really fast and provide them transparency that they haven't had before. Most importantly, it provides clarity, where you understand what's going on and you're really taking back control of your career.

TOWNE: How does it work? Grex founder and CEO James Augustus, a Fortune 500 recruiting vet, says he has software that evaluates employees' job requirements and applicants' qualifications. In seconds, you get a score and can see where you stand against other candidates. AUGUSTUS: When you apply to a job, you're actually able to see where you rank for the job and what the status is. That provides transparency.

TOWNE: Attorney Chad Franks is a tax manager for Ernst & Young, and he's a real fan of Grex. While he's not looking for a job, he says Grex offers true insider insight.

CHAD FRANKS, TAX MANAGER, ERNST & YOUNG: You can use it for even, like, a promotion basis. You can use it to compare, like, What are other people doing within my firm, for instance, at higher levels, like, What experiences have they had? What are their, you know, skills that I may not have or I'm lacking in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's face it, you waste a lot of time submitting resumes.

TOWNE: Grex may be able to quickly rank the company's top candidates, but there are no guarantees the top slot lands the job. There are other factors, including good, old-fashioned face-to-face chemistry. But for job seekers like Ruben Mann, knowing where you stand in the hiring process is better than having sent your resume into a cyber- black hole. Craig Towne (ph), CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, when we come right back here on CNN, we're following the breaking news out of Indianapolis at the Indiana state fair. There has been a stage collapse, incredible pictures showing people trying to hold up the stage. We'll get you the new images after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HELEN ASHE, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: My name is Helen Ashe, and I am the happy founder of the Love Kitchen. We address the needs of the five H's, I'd say -- the homeless, the hungry, the hopeless, the homebound, and the helpless.

Do you have the coffee and the cups out?

My sister, Ellen, is a blessing to me.

And how about those small tomatoes, Ellen?

The Lord sent two because there's so much work to do for one.

Do you want me to help you in?

We went to nursing school. You know, back then, segregation was pretty rampant. I just saw the black people that was having a problem with transportation and food.

So what're we going to start off with this morning? Every day on my way home, I would tell my sister, One day, I'm going to do something about this.

We're getting ready to open the line.

The first day, we served 22 meals. That was in 1986. And since that time, we've been growing, growing, growing, growing. Everybody here is a volunteer. They enjoy doing what we are doing. We deliver from 1,400 to 2,200 meals every Thursday to our homebound people.

We was taught to work for what we got and to share what we did get. And we have so many people that are in need, and that's what keeps us going.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, I want to tell you we have some breaking news, a terrifying night in Indianapolis as a crowd gathered for an outdoor concert. Check out this YouTube video that just came in.

Wow. There is that collapse right there. You see it. We're being told our affiliates are reporting that four people are dead, dozens more injured.

The band Sugarland was about to go on. I want to bring in Gail Gellman, who is the manager now for Sugarland. As we look at these pictures of people trying to prop up the stage there, Gail, tell us, how is Sugarland responding to this? What are they telling you?

GAIL GELLMAN, MANAGER, SUGARLAND (via telephone): Well, everybody is devastated. I am not with them, but I've spoken to Jennifer and also my tour manager, and everyone is just, you know, in shock and devastated, and obviously, we're waiting to see what's happened and if anybody, indeed, has died. Horrible situation.

LEMON: Do they say it was a gust of wind? Did they say -- what did they say happened?

GELLMAN: Well, they were in the bunkers (ph) in a prayer circle, waiting to go on stage, and the tour manager had held for a few minutes because of the weather. And if she hadn't held, everybody would have been on the stage. But obviously, the devastation, regardless of them being on stage, there are people being hurt in the audience (INAUDIBLE) just overwhelming for us and (INAUDIBLE)

LEMON: OK, Gail...

GELLMAN: Yes?

LEMON: Gail, we appreciate you calling in. We have to get off the air now. Thank you. We're glad that they're OK, but again, we're hearing four people have died. Again, that's according to our affiliates. And a dozen, at least a dozen injured in this collapse, in Indiana. Make sure you stay with CNN for more developments on this.

I'm Don Lemon, in Ames, Iowa. I'll see you back here tomorrow night, from Atlanta -- 6:00, 7:00 and 10:00 pm Eastern.

Good night, and thanks for watching.