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Rebirth of New Orleans; Interview with Mayor Ray Nagin; Food Crisis Hits Kids Hard; Big Sur Threatened by Wildfire; Jesse Helms Dies at 86
Aired July 04, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Veronica De La Cruz. Always good to see you.
And we begin this hour with this: Keith Stansell, seen here in less fortunate times when he and two other Americans were being held by leftist rebels in Colombia. Today all three are freed back in the states. And we're hoping to hear very soon about Keith Stansell's condition.
Susan Roesgen is in Texas with members of Stansell's family. We'll be going live to her a little later on this afternoon.
LEMON: Well, it certainly is a red, blue and white carpet welcome, all the colors of the French flag, for Ingrid Betancourt. She is in Paris today, fresh from six years of captivity at the hands of rebels in Colombia. French President Nicolas Sarkozy personally greeted Betancourt, who sat for her first English interview exclusively with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any regrets?
INGRID BETANCOURT, FMR. FARC HOSTAGE: Any regrets? No, only hopes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what are those hopes for the future?
BETANCOURT: Well, I have the hope of -- I'm a dreamer, so I hope of a better world. But that means many things to me. For example, being with my children.
I want to have the opportunity see them live. I want to see how they love. They are adults now. They have love relationships with persons that I haven't met yet. So I want to discover that life of them, and I want to be active in beside them.
But there is another side which is fighting for the ones that are still in the jungles in Colombia. We need to have them out. We need to cry very loud to the world that what happened in Colombia must stop. And we have to put all the pressure on the FARC so that they understand that there is not another issue just to give the freedom to all those persons that are kidnapped right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: "The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt," a fascinating HBO documentary. We're going to show it tomorrow evening right here on CNN at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. It covers her abduction and her family's long, desperate struggle to get her back -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Those 15 hostages weren't the only people removed from the Colombian jungle Wednesday. These two men from left to right, Gerardo Aguilar (ph) and Enrique Rojas, were taken into custody. They are FARC members.
Aguilar regarded as a senior commander of the rebel group. They were with the hostages at the time of the rescue and arrested by Colombian forces.
State-run media report that Tehran has agreed to start discussions about its nuclear program before the end of the month. The West fears Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. The European Union has offered to suspend further sanctions against Iran if they take a break from installing or building uranium-enriching centrifuges -- Don.
LEMON: Well, this Fourth of July is not exactly a holiday for a lot of people in California. Thirty-one miles of the Pacific Coast Highway, normally packed with tourists, well, it's now closed. The only out-of-towners there today are the firefighters. They're trying to save the ocean side town of Big Sur.
Farther south, about 1,700 families were forced out of their homes early this morning as flames raced through the Santa Inez Mountains. Evacuations were ordered for several communities in and around Goleta and Santa Barbara County.
Even though that fire has grown to more than 5,400 acres, not everyone is leaving. At least not yet. Barbie Krabacher are still -- that family is still at home in Goleta, and here's why in their own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBIE KRABACHER, GOLETA, CALIFORNIA: We had four emergency evacuation phone calls, the reverse 911. We had firefighters right out in front of our house. And they assured us that they would let us know if we needed to get out of here.
Our pets are ready to go. You know, we know where they all are. And so we'll put those in one car. The other car is already packed up.
So in the car, we have our photo albums, a box of pictures, more pictures, our computer, part of our computer, important papers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The winds continue to shift here. KRABACHER: When we were out talking with the firemen, they said, "Could you make coffee for us so we could keep our little eyes open all night?" And so we made coffee for them.
Almost done.
We were up really late and decided that it was too late to go to bed. So I showered up and decided to start making cookies. So at 3:00 in the morning I was making cookies for the firemen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to evacuate the streets.
KRABACHER: The flames were very, very prominent, and actually in some of the areas it looked like it was a -- it looked like an active volcano.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The visibility is getting pretty bad over here.
KRABACHER: You could see that flames were billowing and rolling. And we're kind of going, OK, I hope it will be OK. But like I said, everything is in the cars, and no big deal.
It's the people, it's the animals, and not risking somebody else's life. None of this stuff is important. You know, we want to take care of the firefighters that are risking their lives for us and do what we can to help them in some small way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(WEATHER REPORT)
DE LA CRUZ: Seventy-two new American citizens, immigrants all on a day that they will never forget. Sworn in on America's birthday at the home of Thomas Jefferson in the presence of President Bush. Mr. Bush told them he is honored to call them fellow Americans.
So if you're American by birthright, you might like to hear how it feels to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. Here's a poignant part of the ceremony today at Jefferson's home, Monticello.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a great day for us, for myself and my wife and my kids here. It's a great opportunity to be an American.
It's not easy. A lot of people take it for granted when they are born here. This is a great country. And I have been in so many countries. And nothing like America.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very happy and I'm speechless. I have a lot of things that I want to say, but they're gone. But thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I came in this country in 2002. I used to be an Indian citizen. I came in 2002 to seek a better opportunity and for a better life for my family. And today, I have the privilege that I can be -- I can say that I'm a proud U.S. citizen.
And we have the tradition and we have -- we have freedom to choose religion, to choose whatever we want to do in life. And this country is a great country of opportunities. And some people don't like the freedom, the way we live, the way our traditions are. But we'll keep it up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: And the new citizens got a star-spangled taste of dissent American-style when protesters screamed at President Bush. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: War criminal! War criminal! War criminal!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Agents led away nine anti-war activists. And in case you didn't catch it, that was President Bush in the background telling the new American citizens their country allows freedom of speech.
LEMON: Well, supporters loved him, critics hated him. There was no middle ground with former Republican senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina. He died today at the age of 86. The cause of death was not released.
Helms retired five years ago after 30 years on Capitol Hill. Among other things during his time in the Senate, Helms fought against the extension of the Voting Rights Act, he opposed a national holiday honoring the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and was a staunch opponent of gay and abortion rights.
A White House spokesman says, "America lost a great public servant and a true patriot today."
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Leading our Political Ticker now, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama celebrates the nation's birthday in Montana. That state reliably Republican in recent presidential elections, but a recent poll shows Obama with a five- point lead there.
While in Butte today, Obama attended a parade and a family picnic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So on this day, when we celebrate this great nation of ours, it's worth reminding ourselves that what makes this country great is not the size of our military or the size of our economy, or the big buildings that we have. What makes us great is its people. And all of you are part of what I celebrate when I think about America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: And I believe it's also his daughter's birthday.
And Republican candidate John McCain spending this Independence Day with his family at their Arizona ranch. McCain is back home from his three-day visit to Colombia and Mexico. Next week he hits the road for a week-long swing through some key battleground states where he will focus on the economy.
LEMON: Florida Governor Charlie Crist apparently won't be living the bachelor's life much longer. He's engaged. The 51-year-old Crist says he popped the question yesterday to Carol Rome (ph), a woman he met in September during a trip to New York, and she said yes.
Crist has been prominently mentioned as a possible Republican vice presidential choice.
Well, you know Ralph Nader. He runs for president, he never wins. But have you stopped to listen to what he's saying lately?
He is slamming Barack Obama. He says he's gone too far to the right.
And then there's this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Ralph, you've been going after this guy.
RALPH NADER (I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.
SANCHEZ: I mean, recently you said that he's trying to talk white. Do you regret that?
NADER: No, because the fact that he's talking white and not calling out the white corporate power structure which is dominating government and driving our country into the ground through this globalization stuff doesn't mean that he should talk black.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. Well, CNN Sunday night at 10:00 p.m., Rick Sanchez in the NEWSROOM with Ralph Nader on his run for the Oval Office and what he thinks is wrong with Barack Obama.
And Rick wants to hear from you. If you could ask your government one question about what this economy, whether it's about your job, your gas prices, food prices, what would you like to ask? Send your question. The e-mail address is cnnnewsroom@cnn.com.
Rick puts the secretary of Commerce on the hot seat Sunday night to ask him, what's up with issue #1? That's in the NEWSROOM Sunday night, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, on CNN. DE LA CRUZ: I'm sure he's going to get some good e-mail. You know?
LEMON: Oh yes.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, the music, the food, the fun -- it's a special Fourth of July in New Orleans as the city celebrates its rebirth. Mayor Ray Nagin will join us from the Essence Music Festival.
And...
LEMON: Oh, that's an "American Idol." He's in Washington.
Taylor Hicks will join us to talk about his performance tonight at the Fourth of July celebration at the U.S. Capitol.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Celebrating the rebirth of the Big Easy. This holiday weekend, it's all about the music and black culture as the Essence Music Festival begins in New Orleans. At the heart of it, a building that's become the symbol of recovery.
Here's CNN's Fredricka Whitfield.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Raymond Cooper would rather not ever come here again.
(on camera): Why?
RAYMOND C. COOPER, KATRINA SURVIVOR: Because it's just too much memories here and stuff. You know, too much -- I'm looking at all the different people who lost their lives here.
WHITFIELD (voice-over): For four days, he and the crush of thousands of New Orleanians withered while waiting for help here. Now cleaned up and back in the business of hosting conventions and meetings, the convention center shows no signs of the nightmare that unfolded here.
COOPER: We wish that the convention center would have some pictures or something like that.
WHITFIELD: The nightmare he lived is still vivid.
COOPER: I was sitting right here.
WHITFIELD: And he thinks it's important no one ever forgets. His was a role we'll never forget.
COOPER: After I saw where help wasn't going to come, then I felt as though, hey, I have got to do something to help, you know, myself, as well as the people that I had with me.
WHITFIELD (on camera): Are you comfortable with going inside here.
COOPER: Yes. Come on. I'll show you where I slept at.
It wasn't really boiling hot, it was just a standstill-type heat. We slept right up in here.
WHITFIELD: So when you decide to walk up these stairs, at this point you were just kind of bored, just moving around. Didn't expect to actually find anything because you weren't really looking for anything, right?
COOPER: It was that and just being nosey. You know, like, hey, I've never been up here anyway. Walked around here.
WHITFIELD: Well, you passed these pay phones, those red phones on that wall.
COOPER: Oh, yes.
WHITFIELD: They're not working.
(voice-over): Then...
COOPER: Here it is, here. The phone was sitting right there where the glass is at. And I just opened the door and went on in and pressed the button.
WHITFIELD: It worked. He called his old extension at his former employer, CNN in Atlanta, ending up on air live, along with then FEMA director Michael Brown.
COOPER: You have two old ladies that just passed, just had died. People dragging the bodies into little corners.
WHITFIELD (on camera): What were you thinking? Like, this can't be happening.
COOPER: Hey, it was -- like I said, it was a blessing.
WHITFIELD (voice-over): Soon after, help finally arrived.
Today, Raymond Cooper counts his blessings, sees this convention center as both a symbol of all that went wrong and the potential for a city's recovery.
COOPER: This is the beginning. You have to start somewhere.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Our Fredricka Whitfield joins us now form the bustling convention center with someone who is delighted to see that convention center back open. She has got the mayor of New Orleans with us.
Hi, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Hello to you, Don. OK. Well, Raymond Cooper really is a unique individual. Yes, he's one of hundreds of -- thousands of New Orleanians who decided to come back, even though there would be hardships and it's a tough place. Well, taking a lot of credit and also a lot of blame, Mayor Ray Nagin here in the city of New Orleans, is with me now.
Good to see you.
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: This really is impressive when you talk about 200,000 people who have come to this city to converge on this event, right on the heels of Jazz Fest and all kinds of events that take place here.
How encouraging do people need to be that this kind of economic boom symbolizes what's to come?
NAGIN: Well, it's not to come. It's been happening.
This year, in 2008, is probably going to be one of our biggest years ever. We had the BCS Championship and the All-Star game, but Essence is the granddaddy or the grand mama of them all -- 200,000 people, they're spending a lot of money in the city. But more importantly, they come and they help this city to heal with their empowerment seminars and everything else that they do.
WHITFIELD: But does it really help the city to heal? Because, you know, you come to this event and you see all these beautiful people who have come out, all the artists that come in town. And on the surface you might think, all right, New Orleans is back. But then as soon as you leave the French Quarter or downtown, in the Garden District, as we did, and everyone does, as -- those who have returned -- and there is a lot of pain in a huge way.
And Raymond Cooper was one of those individuals, a New Orleanian who told me that, you know what? If he had an opportunity to ask you a question, it would be, why is the red tape, the bureaucratic red tape, still so long for a typical New Orleanian who needs some assistance on getting their home back in check?
NAGIN: Well, the only thing I can tell him is to hang in there. The red tape is real because the federal government and state government and local government, for that matter, has never gone through anything like this.
Most of the systems that were set up were for a minor event. This is a catastrophic event and requires billions and billions of dollars. And those dollars are just starting to flow almost three years later. And I think he's going to see significance progress going forward.
WHITFIELD: Are you encouraged, are you happy with the progress? You know, if you want to call it progress, three years post-Katrina when you drive down, you know, Desire Street -- just a few days ago we did, and maybe one house has been refurbished...
NAGIN: Right.
WHITFIELD: ... when two or three blocks consecutively are just the same way they were three years ago?
NAGIN: But in many of the devastated areas you're going to find pockets where there's not a lot of development. The good news is that over 75 -- almost 75 percent of our citizens are back. There's another 12 percent swell that comes in during the day. And each neighborhood is getting stronger every day.
It's just something where you had 134,000 homes damaged. And that just takes a long time for that to totally come back.
WHITFIELD: People are back, but I'm also noticing a lot of people are wandering the streets. I've seen a lot of men and women looking through trash. More so than I've ever seen before in visiting New Orleans, even before Katrina.
NAGIN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: People are hungry. People are desperate. They have can't even afford the rent for some of the properties that are available.
What do you as a mayor do to try and fix this? And does it pain you that this is the status quo?
NAGIN: It definitely pains me, but I don't think it's as acute as it sometimes is portrayed. Surely, we have homeless people in this community. We have people that are having a difficult time in the new realities of the rental market. But they're doubling up with their families, they're figuring out a way to do it.
This is a very resilient city. And over the next couple of years, you should see us closer to full recovery.
WHITFIELD: So in a couple of years, two years from now, you think New Orleans is going to be back to the New Orleans it once was? Same kind of tapestry, same kind of architecture, same kind of, you know, recipe that made this city so unique?
NAGIN: If you asked me to look two or three years down the road, we're at 327,000 people right now, compared to 450,000 pre-Katrina. I think we'll be close to about 400,000. I think that's easy, because not only are citizens coming back, but young people are moving here that volunteer, fall in love with this city. And many of our neighborhoods are getting strong.
WHITFIELD: All right. And we're seeing that.
Mayor Ray Nagin, thank you so much.
NAGIN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And Don, we have been seeing still a number of church groups, college groups. Folks are coming from all over the country who are here descending on the city to help rebuild.
And we also understand a lot of the universities here, Toulon, Xavier, Dillard, all of them are receiving applications from students from all across the country who are doing these spring breaks by helping to reconstruct this city. They love this city so much, that now they're making commitments to enroll in the colleges and universities here and be part of the rebuilding process on a more permanent level -- Don.
LEMON: Good news. Fredricka Whitfield with the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin.
Thank you very much, Fred. We'll check back with you.
And joining us next hour, Angela Murray, the editor-in-chief of "Essence" magazine.
And there is more tomorrow, when Fredricka Whitfield brings you a special report on the New Orleans resurrection. Plus, the Essence Festival also becomes a backdrop for politics -- the black vote and the presidential election.
Join us for Fredricka's special report, live from the New Orleans Essence Festival, Saturday afternoon, 4:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
DE LA CRUZ: What it means to be an American, from an "American Idol." We'll talk with Taylor Hicks about his Capitol performance tonight in Washington.
LEMON: And we'll tell you why Utah is going to a four-day workweek for state employees. Here's a hint: $4 a gallon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
LEMON: I know. Fifty-five seems really slow, I remember that. I remember when gas was below $1.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I remember that too. What does that say about us?
LEMON: Old.
ELAM: Yes, I guess so. Well, have a good old Fourth of July.
LEMON: And most of all, have a safe one, Stephanie. Thank you.
ELAM: You too. Bye.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, you know, this time last year, it was $2.95 a gallon. So, it's too bad, over $4.
ELAM: Yes, we'll see.
DE LA CRUZ: Coming up next, a hurricane giveaway. We'll tell you about a state that sent supplies to everyone but its victims.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: All right. It's 34 minutes after the hour. Here are some of the stories we are working on the CNN NEWSROOM.
The death of former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina. The arch-conservative died of medical causes at a medical center in Raleigh. The White House released a statement praising Helms as a true patriot.
A hero's welcome in France for former hostage Ingrid Betancourt, a big hug from French President Nicolas Sarkozy, followed by a party at the presidential palace.
And a major wildfire creeps closer to Big Sur. It's one of hundreds fires raging today across California. Thousands of homes are threatened.
LEMON: Conservatives are mourning the death of an icon. Former Senator Jesse Helms has died at the age of 86. The North Carolina Republican was known for his unyielding stands on some controversial issues.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): Ever since he came to the Senate in 1972, Jesse Helms had been the champion of the extreme right. His positions frequently infuriated virtually everyone else.
JESSE HELMS, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Homosexuals, disgusting people, march in our streets demanding all sorts of things.
LEMON: The American Conservative Union recently gave Helms a 100 percent rating. The American Civil Liberties Union, zero. And no wonder why. On social issues, Helms was a scourge of those he ridiculed as pointy-headed liberals; whether the question was AIDS, abortion, school prayer or funding for the arts.
HELMS: And if others (ph) want to go in a men's room and write dirty words on the wall, let them furnish their own crayons. Let them furnish their own wall. But don't ask the taxpayers to support it.
LEMON: Helms put up massive walls in foreign policy as well. Time after time, he used his ranking position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to block appointment and policies he considered deviations from right-wing true faith. He's courtly southern demeanor camouflaged the reality that Helms was a brutally affected political fighter willing to do whatever it took to win.
In his last campaign, he had a tough campaign against a black Democrat. Helms' victory was partially credited to a last minute campaign commercial that many critics called blatantly racist.
Helms, it was said, approached everything from an ideological view. Adversaries called him "Senator No." Typically, Senator Helms bragged about it.
HELMS: What we have heard here today has been a political spectacle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, William Link is a professor at the University of Florida. He wrote the book, "Righteous Warrior: Jesse Helms and the Rise of Modern Conservatism." Professor Link is on the phone from Asheville, North Carolina.
Thank very much for joining us, sir.
PROF. WILLIAM LINK, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: Thanks for having me.
LEMON: In writing this book, he was staunchly against civil rights and many other things, abortion rights, gay rights. In your estimation, do you think he was a racist?
LINK: Well, I think race, certainly, formed a central part of his political message and his approach to politics dating all the way back to his career in public life in the 1950s. He made opposition in the civil rights movement into federal intervention and civil rights really a centerpiece of his approach to politics.
LEMON: It was really amazing to some people, Mr. Link, that in this day and age that Jessie Helms, considering his stances on all the things we have mentioned, continued to be re-elected. What does that say? Did that say -- what that say to you when you wrote this book about his supporters, about the country?
LINK: Well, he was elected five times to the Senate from North Carolina and one of the remarkable things was how close all of those elections were. He didn't ever win by more than 54 percent of the vote.
LEMON: He still won though.
LINK: Still won. And getting to your question, I think what it speaks to is the continuing importance of race in politics, all through the period after the civil rights revolution. Race is still really important and a central part of politics in North Carolina and, really, politics in the rest of the country, I think.
LEMON: There were some people who had similar stances to him, maybe not as staunch. They apologized for their feelings, previous feelings on race. But Jesse Helms never did that.
LINK: No, he never did. He, in fact, as late as 2000 in a long interview that he gave, he said that he agreed -- his position on the civil rights act of 1964, which, of course, was the sweeping piece of legislation that revolutionized race in the south, he opposed it in 1964. In 2000, he continued to oppose it, which is sort of unusual. There are very few southern white politicians that continued to have that point view over, say, 30 or 40 years. LEMON: You know, we remember him for that and also for opposing the King holiday. I remember in the '80s with Robert Mapplethorpe and, you know, art -- very huge and very much in the news when it came to Jessie Helms. He's always a controversial figure.
We thank you, William Link, for joining us today in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LINK: Thanks for having me.
LEMON: Veronica?
DE LA CRUZ: Outrage in Mississippi. Tens of millions of dollars of stock filed hurricanes supplies meant for storm victims never made it to the needy. Instead, they were given to other states and federal agencies.
Our Special Investigations Unit correspondent, Abbie Boudreau just got back from the Mississippi coast and joins us with your exclusive report -- Abbie.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Veronica, it was truly unbelievable to be back in the Mississippi coast, three years after the storm, and to see so many people in such a desperate need of just the basic supplies. Last month, we reported what happened in Louisiana, how FEMA stored $85 million worth of household supplies. But instead of giving those items to the people in need, it gave them away to different agencies like federal prisons.
Well, the story in Mississippi gets even more complicated, because the state took the supplies but then never gave them to the people who need them.
We sat down with a group of local nonprofit leaders in Mississippi who are astounded by all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENDA PERRYMAN, UNITED HEARTS COMMUNITY ACTION CMTE: We work so hard to help people in our community when the government is holding stuff back that we can use to give to people that don't have. And we have to give people used stuff just to survive. What's wrong with this picture?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOUDREAU: Tonight on THE SITUATION ROOM, we'll have the whole story and we'll explain how this could have happened and what's being done about it now.
DE LA CRUZ: I have a couple of questions for you, Abbie. First and foremost, did any hurricane victims get supplies?
BOUDREAU: Well, now, they're starting to get them in Louisiana because of the story. After the investigation, Senator Mary Landrieu actually said, "This is wrong. We're going to do something about this." And she was able to actually identify and locate where some of those items are. And she was able to bring them from a warehouse she found in Texas and actually bring those warehouses to New Orleans and to the people that actually need those.
So far, six truck loads have already been delivered to the people in New Orleans.
DE LA CRUZ: And what is FEMA saying about all this?
BOUDREAU: Well, FEMA says, as of yesterday, they're saying, "You know what, we're starting an internal investigation to make sure that this kind of thing does not happen again. They say that there's a lot of employee turnover. So, they're actually having a really difficult time figuring out, well, who's to blame, and what happened, and how can we make sure that this problem never happens again.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Abbie Boudreau, we are looking forward to the rest of your report. Thank you so much.
BOUDREAU: Thanks.
LEMON: Rising food prices can mean the difference between life and death in the war of hunger. The Survival Project is saving one child at a time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, sadly, for children in many parts of the world, poverty, violence, disease and disaster dim their prospects for a happy and healthy life. CNN will air a one-hour special. It will air on Sunday night, focusing on the fundamental issues threatening them, including rising food prices.
Here's CNN's Wilf Dinnick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILF DINNICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the village of Egu, there is a crisis. Children are suffering with no end in sight.
"I've gone to get help in the nearest towns," says Karentu Abdi, "but still, my child is not well."
After a year of drought and soaring food prices at local markets, and now -- "We have nothing to feed our children," says the village elder. We're losing our children day-by-day. Ethiopia's health minister along with UNICEF, the U.N.'s children agency, monitors the health of thousands of children here.
But this year, they reduced the areas they regularly visit, by half.
BJORN LJUNGQVIST, UNICEF COUNTRY DIRECTOR, ETHIOPIA: It's an open crisis, and more people than we expected, the government expected, need additional food. DINNICK: The World Food Programme supplies the emergency food. But soaring food prices means it could not guarantee aid for all the areas they monitor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People come here, these workers would come here all the time?
DINNICK: Just how bad is it? We asked those health workers to visit Egu village, one of the areas they can no longer frequently visit.
With no good roads and a day's walk from medical help, this is what we found -- children with just weeks to live.
SAMSON DESSI, NUTRITION EXPERT, UNICEF: If we are not here, those children which we have able to find now, with severe acute malnutrition would have died at home.
DINNICK (on camera): The problem is, if they have find a child in need, there just isn't enough supplies.
(voice-over): The need for food and the means to deliver it is desperate across this region. UNICEF estimates 6 million children under the age of five are at risk and more than 120,000 with only about a month to live.
JAKOB MIKKELSE, HEAD, NUTRITION AND EDUCATION, WFP: Unless you get immediate assistance, the risk is that you're going to fall into severe malnutrition and eventually death. So, unless support is coming immediately for this, we fear that that's what's going to happen in the country.
DINNICK: Back in Egu village, an argument. UNICEF workers are debating what to do with the children. Finally, agreeing to bring two of the most in need back to UNICEF trucks.
A few emergency food packs are left, along with the promise to return. But what if we had not shown up? UNICEF worries that at the other villages now cut off, children will die and no one will notice.
Wolf Dinnick, CNN, Egu village, eastern Ethiopia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The Survival Project: One Child at a Time, air Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. The one-hour special will be simulcast on CNN International. And make sure to check out the special section on our Web site dedicated to this initiative. You can find what you can do to Impact Your World for the better.
DE LA CRUZ: A big birthday party in Washington. An "American Idol" joins us just hours before the annual outdoor festival at the Capitol. There he is.
LEMON: Wave, hi.
DE LA CRUZ: Hello.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: It is the Fourth of July. An "American Idol" takes centerstage tonight in Washington. Taylor Hicks will perform at the Fourth of July gala on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Hicks won "American Idol" in that show's fifth season, and he joins us now live from Washington. Hey, Taylor.
TAYLOR HICKS, "AMERICAN IDOL": Happy Fourth of July to everybody and our servicemen. How's it going?
DE LA CRUZ: It's going well. Thanks for asking. So, you kind of have some pressure tonight -- hundreds of thousands of people there on the lawn. Of course, you're going to be live on national television. How are the rehearsals going?
HICKS: Well, there was about 100,000 people last night at the rehearsal. So, it's one big party here in Washington, especially on the Capitol steps. I'm looking forward to it.
DE LA CRUZ: We're looking forward to it as well. So, what can we expect? Who else is performing and what are you going to be singing?
HICKS: Jerry Lee Lewis is performing, McKellar, Huey Lewis & The News, Jimmy Smith who's hosting it on PBS, and a slew of other performers that I've had the honor to meet. And it's going to be one big party.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. So, I mean, is this your first year doing it?
HICKS: This is my first year. Hopefully, not my last.
DE LA CRUZ: Are you nervous?
HICKS: A little bit, you know. This is a big birthday party for our country and freedom. And it's going to be a great time.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, on that note, what does it mean to be playing tonight? I mean, what does it mean to you to be performing on the Fourth of July?
HICKS: Well, you know, freedom and democracy, and the reason why we're here is those people that are fighting for that, not here but all around the world. And for that part, I'm very thankful and glad to be able to perform here in our nation's capital.
DE LA CRUZ: So, what are you going to be singing?
HICKS: I'm going to do original tune called "Soul Thing" and "Dancing in the Dark," an old Bruce Springsteen cover, and "This Land is your Land." The all patriotic number. DE LA CRUZ: "This Land is Your Land," I've never heard that one before.
HICKS (singing): This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York Island...
DE LA CRUZ: Very nice.
HICKS: From the Redwood Forests -- look at him, singing.
LEMON (singing): To the Gulf Stream waters.
HICKS: It was a little pitchy.
LEMON: I know. What do I get? It was a little pitchy, I've got to go back and work on it, right? Dawg (ph).
(LAUGHTER)
DE LA CRUZ: Very nice.
HICKS: Thank you very much for having me on.
LEMON: Taylor, you are such a good sport, always smiling. And we appreciate what you're doing.
HICKS: Thank you.
DE LA CRUZ: You know, and, Taylor, before we let you go, we do have to say congratulations. You were the winner of the fifth season of "American Idol."
Quickly, before we let you go, what are you working on now and what's next for you?
HICKS: I'm on Broadway right now doing "Grease" and I've got a record coming out hopefully in the fall. And things are going well. The Soul Patrol is in full effect.
DE LA CRUZ: Very nice. All right, Taylor Hicks, good luck tonight. We're going to be watching.
HICKS: Thank you. Happy Fourth to everybody.
DE LA CRUZ: Happy Fourth.
LEMON: Happy Fourth to you, too. What a good sport he is. All right.
DE LA CRUZ: That wasn't too bad. I was totally off. Did you hear? I couldn't even keep the beat when I was clapping.
LEMON: You and Taylor are going to have to support me. I got the call from the bus.
Would you neglect your heritage? Well, check this out. Say it ain't so. Next hour, we'll show you national monuments that are in a state of disrepair.
But first, today, maybe a holiday and hopefully you're relaxing on this holiday, but if stress is getting you down, CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta suggests using your down time to fight back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta with this week's Fit Nation Friday tip. Is stress preventing you from losing weight? Well, for many people, a stressful day at the office, difficult life changes, and hormone fluctuations can torpedo a weight loss program.
If you're trying to start a weight loss program this weekend, here's what you need to know. First, identify your stressors and eliminate them whenever possible. Next, use a less stressful times like a weekend to really devote to your health. Try a weekend yoga class or simply a relaxing day at home. Finally, make an effort to stay away from comfort foods as a way to deal with your stress, go for a good run instead.
Have a fit-tastic (ph) weekend and don't forget to check in on CNN.com/FitNation to join the Fit Nation challenge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Big Sur, California, hugged by the seas and smothered by the smoke. A huge California wildfire jumps the fire lines and closes in.
DE LA CRUZ: "I cry out of joy," the words of former hostage Ingrid Betancourt after six years in the jungles of Colombia. A heroic welcome in France.
LEMON: And he was one of the most powerful senators in U.S. history and one of the most controversial as well. Jesse Helms, known to opponents as "Senator No," dead on the Fourth of July.
DE LA CRUZ: Hello to you. I'm Veronica De La Cruz, live today at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
