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Campbell Brown

Day 60 in the Gulf; Feds Plan to Sue Arizona

Aired June 18, 2010 - 20:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: CNN primetime begins right now.

DON LEMON, GUEST HOST: Hello, everyone. Campbell's off tonight. I'm Don Lemon.

This is day 60 -- day 60 -- of the disaster down in the Gulf of Mexico. And here's where we stand right now. The man in charge, Admiral Thad Allen, says the containment effort is improving. More than 25,000 barrels of oil were collected on Thursday and the president's claims czar, Kenneth Feinberg, says he'll begin paying out $20 billion to spill victims. That is the good news in all of this.

But with the wells still gushing up to 60,000 barrel as day, nine in 10 Americans in a latest CNN/Opinion Research Poll says the situation in the Gulf is still out-of-control.

So, two months into this, are we making enough progress?

Also tonight, my one-on-one interview with Oprah Winfrey. She tells me how she thinks the president is doing down in the Gulf.

And later, BP is the target of hundreds of lawsuits in the wake of the spill. Now, questions are being raised about the judge who may hear those cases. We've got a report from our Special Investigations Unit tonight.

Well, we begin with our number one story: the continuing saga of BP's CEO Tony Hayward. Today, BP's chairman said Hayward, quote, "has made remarks that have upset people." Many of those came during his congressional testimony yesterday. Today, BP's chairman is telling Sky News that Hayward will step aside from handling daily operations -- a move that appears to come earlier than originally planned.

So, is it because of Hayward's testimony? The folks at "Huffington Post," well, they mashed it up for us. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN DINGELL (D), MICHIGAN: How much time was saved?

TONY HAYWARD, BP CEO: I don't recall.

DINGELL: Can you tell us under oath that the decision --

HAYWARD: I was not involved in that decision.

DINGELL: Can you tell us how much money --

HAYWARD: I'm afraid I can't recall that.

DINGELL: How much time?

HAYWARD: I can't recall that either, I'm afraid.

DINGELL: Can you state under oath --

HAYWARD: Again, I was not involved with the decision-making.

DINGELL: Does that mean yes or no?

HAYWARD: That means I can't answer your question.

DINGELL: How much would this test have cost?

HAYWARD: I can't recall that number, I'm afraid.

DINGELL: How long --

(CROSSTALK)

DINGELL: Can you assure us under oath again --

HAYWARD: I can't answer that question because I wasn't there.

DINGELL: How much money --

HAYWARD: I'm afraid I can't recall. I'm afraid, I can't recall. I'm afraid I can't recall that either.

DINGELL: Can you assure the committee under oath that the decision --

HAYWARD: That was a decision I was not party to.

DINGELL: How much --

HAYWARD: I don't know.

DINGELL: How much time --

HAYWARD: I'm afraid I don't know that either.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearly, Mr. Hayward is not prepared to answer the question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Did you get anything from that?

Well, plenty of news out of Gulf this week to tell you about. President Obama's fourth visit to the region, his Oval Office address promising to fight the spill for as long as it takes, the announcement of a $20 billion escrow fund for the victims and Tony Hayward's seven- hour grilling on Capitol Hill. And I should point out: none of this -- none of this has plugged that pipe.

So, the big question: Did all of this week's development amount to anything? Will it make any difference on the ground?

Joining me now from New Orleans is "Newsweek" contributor, Julia Reed. She's the author of "The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story." And Kaare Johnson who hosts a talk show on WIST radio in the Big Easy.

Thanks to both of you for joining us.

Julia, I'm going to start with you.

You know, it's been a big week and it appears the government at least is trying to take charge down there. Where are you on this? Does it feel like progress to you?

JULIA REED, NEWSWEEK CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, certainly, a $20 billion escrow account is better than nothing. You know, the administrator of that account seems to be a terrific choice, but as far as what's going on here on the ground, nothing much has changed. It doesn't really matter if Tony Hayward is doing the day-to-day administration or somebody else, because no one is actually in charge of what's going on in the coast right now.

I mean, yes, the spill is still happening, but the clean-up efforts on the ground are like the "Keystone Kops" down there, and that hasn't changed one bit since it began and there's still nobody in charge. I mean, I was here five years ago as you were, and, you know, when General Honore came in, he was like, you know, the conquering hero on the white horse. People were literally like throwing blossoms at his feet because it's like, OK, I'm taking command. And he did.

LEMON: But that's also --

REED: I mean --

(CROSSTALK)

REED: Nobody's doing that.

LEMON: That's true, Julia because he's familiar with the region, he is a Louisiana native. So, he really knows how to deal with the people on the ground.

But I want to get to Kaare real quick because Admiral Thad Allen, who's in charge now, had this to say yesterday.

Kaare, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: I can tell you local folks are working hard, (INAUDIBLE) responses. We've got liaison officers out working and we'll continue to do that moving forward. What I saw was unity of effort, unity of purpose, and folks out there trying to do the best they can on the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, Kaare, you know, you visited that same spot. It's in Port Sulfur, Louisiana, where he was. And we hear that term all the time, a unity and unified command. We hear it a lot.

Are we seeing a lot of unity? A lot of order there?

KAARE JOHNSON, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST, WIST-AM: I mean, it's getting a little bit better a few months into this. But, no, I don't think it's a unified command. I don't think there's a single person in charge still.

It's amazing to me. It's very unorganized. It's very chaotic. There's a lot of oil and wildlife that shouldn't be coming onshore, wildlife that shouldn't be hurt by this oil.

So, no, Thad Allen was down near Myrtle Grove where this BP, I guess a place where everyone would kind -- a place where everything's organized out of.

LEMON: The command center. The command center.

JOHNSON: It's very unorganized.

LEMON: Yes.

JOHNSON: People are sitting around, picking up thrash there, sitting under trees, boats parked. I don't think it's a full-blown 110 percent effort cleaning up.

LEMON: We're going to talk a little bit about that. We're going to get to those barges in a bit.

But, Julia, let me talk about this because I mentioned in our new poll that more than 90 percent Americans feel the Gulf situation is out of control. We can't go back in time and change things. So, starting now, how does the administration fix the public perception, and, more importantly, gain control of this thing?

REED: Well, I think you need -- you know, you've got to have some top-down organization. We don't -- there's no plan. I mean, you've got BP saying one thing one day. I mean, Thad Allen is not General Honore. I mean, he is not a leader. I mean, just a couple of days ago, he was saying it's not BP's fault that the estimates of oil spillage were low.

You know, that was the government estimate. Except that, you know, BP is giving the government its info. I mean -- so, he sends mixed signals. You know, the Coast Guard shut down a bunch of shrimps boats and the boats that governor and the parish had bought to vacuum at the stuff two days ago. Now, they're back.

I mean, it's push-pull, push-pull. So, you need to have one person at the top and a plan. We haven't seeing a plan for what happens if the hurricane comes.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Hey, Julia, I want to get this in because I want to get your response to it. I spoke one-on-one with Oprah Winfrey just this week, and as you know, she's a huge supporter of the president during the campaign.

REED: Right.

LEMON: Here's Oprah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The criticism from president's handling with --

WINFREY OPRAH, TALK SHOW HOST: I think the president is doing the best anybody can. I really don't understand what people want him to do. I think he's the president of the United States. You're not supposed to be emotional. You're supposed to take action and get things done and make sure those things happen. So, I really don't know what it is people want him to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Julia, do you agree? Are his hands tied?

REED: Well, I mean, I actually did in the very beginning think, you know, this poor guy, this is the worst thing that can happen on his watch. But 60 days into it -- no. I mean, you know, only last week did he -- I don't want him to show emotion. I thought that -- you know, I want to find out whose ass to kick was this kind of like theatrics, just to calm people down and say, oh, yes, they care. You know, it's kind of like George H.W. Bush, message "I care" kind of thing.

But we still are just hearing -- you know, I directed BP to do this, every, you know, every faith that 90 percent of the oil will be picked up by the end of the summer. That speech was just full of words but there's never been any urgency. And there's still no organization.

You've got oil that doesn't need to be in the coastline right now especially in the marshes. Every day, we see these heartbreaking pictures of oil-coated pelicans and then we're seeing people sidelined that are dying to work. You got subcontractor on top of subcontractor hiring these people that are totally untrained and picking up like an oil, you know, oil-soaked piece of sand one per hour.

LEMON: And, Julia, we also mentioned the barges that are not being used because they were concerned about safety and on and on.

So, Julia, unfortunately, we're out of time. Thank you, Julia, and Kaare as well --

REED: Thank you. LEMON: -- down in the ground in New Orleans.

Up next: why is BP pushing to have one particular judge oversee the flood of lawsuits heading their way? We'll see what our Special Investigations Unit uncovered.

And we'll talk with the famed defense attorney. There he is. Thomas Mesereau. Are some judges too close to big oil?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Tonight, another CNN exclusive as we continue investigating the BP oil spill disaster.

BP wants a single federal judge to oversee all of the roughly 200 lawsuits filed since the April 20th explosion. It's not unusual for big companies to do this sort of thing, especially when it comes to a massive case. It's called "judge shopping." But in the case of BP, there are questions about the judge that they want and his connections to big oil.

Here's Abbie Boudreau of our Special Investigations Unit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT (voice-over): This man, Lynn Hughes, is the federal judge in Houston, Texas, that BP would like to supervise all the lawsuits filed against it.

(on camera): Essentially, Judge Hughes could make decisions worth billions of dollars to BP, and that's cast a spotlight on his own ties to the oil and gas industry.

(voice-over): Judge Hughes owns land that produces oil -- land that he leases to oil companies. He gets annual royalties for whatever they pump out. In 2008, the most recent records available, he received royalty payments from Conoco-Phillips between $50,000 and $100,000; royalty payments from Sun Oil of $15,000 or less, and royalties from an oil company called Devon Energy of less than $15,000.

Records dating back to 2003 show Judge Hughes received hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties from more than a dozen energy companies. Judge Hughes has said he's transparent, that all of his personal investment and finance information is online for anyone to see.

CHARLES GEYH, INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW: When you take it together, is there a concern that a reasonable person fully informed of all that might say, look it. He's not just a judge who happens to be dabbling. He's, in effect, a participant in the industry he is trying to judge.

BOUDREAU: Judge Hughes also travels to speak at meetings held by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He doesn't get a fee for speaking at those meetings, but it does pay his accommodations, his travel, and expenses.

(on camera): CNN examined Judge Hughes rulings on oil and gas cases going back three years and, in fact, he ruled in favor of oil companies just a little more often than he ruled against them.

Lawyers who know Judge Hughes tell CNN he's fair and tough, but environmental attorneys say even the request by BP to have this judge sit on the bench is, quote, "outrageous and unseemly."

Abbie Boudreau, CNN, Atlanta

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Our thanks to Abbie.

And now, let's take a closer look at this now with defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau.

Tom, welcome. Do we have a problem here?

THOMAS MESEREAU, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, we do. It's not unusual and it's not unethical for the judge to have an interest in the oil and gas industry. What causes a potential problem is whether or not they should be presiding over lawsuits like this.

And remember, both sides are going to try and find judges that would be favorable to them. British Petroleum is going to want a judge that they think will be very fair to the oil industry, perhaps even biased. The other side is going to want a judge that they think will help their side. That's the way these lawsuits proceed.

LEMON: And people have investments and may have ties to companies and may not even realize it. We're not talking about the regular investor here. Many Americans with an eye on retirements have mutual funds but the companies they invest in are paying their salaries or flying them places to speak, Tom.

MESEREAU: Well, this judge also, I'm informed, has an interest in the mutual fund which does invest in stock in Anadarko, which is one of the minority owners of the oil wells that burst.

So, he does have a reputation for being fair. He has a reputation for being an expert on ethics. But, on the other hand, he does have these financial ties. So, the question is: should he be in the case or not?

I can understand why the plaintiff's lawyers are very upset with him.

LEMON: And, you know, it's also important to point out, I should say, that more than 20 federal judges we learned across the Gulf have financial interests in oil companies and gas companies as well. Several have refused themselves from presiding over cases related to the big disaster.

So, listen, do have links to this oil and gas -- is it unique to this industry? Does it happen in other industries?

MESEREAU: Well, of course, it does. I say there's nothing illegal about a judge having a financial interest in one type of business. The question is: should they be presiding over a case like this? And remember federal judges have a lifetime tenure. They're appointed for life. They never have to run for judgeship again.

So, their positions are very secure. Once they're in a case, it's pretty tough to get rid of them. So, I think, this judge has to be scrutinized very carefully. And based on his reputation, I think he will welcome that.

LEMON: So, do you think that -- I mean, you don't know him, but theoretically, do you think that he can be objective in this situation, especially when there's big dollars involved?

MESEREAU: He may be able to be objective. Apparently, he has been objective in some other cases where he ruled against the oil and gas industry. But if I were the plaintiffs, I would want someone else with no ties to the industry.

LEMON: Yes. So, it doesn't make him -- give him special -- make him better to serve one of these cases or either to judge -- preside over one of these cases because he has special knowledge of the oil and gas industry.

MESEREAU: Well, one could argue that special knowledge might make him more adept at understanding the issues. One might also argue that if he's under this kind of scrutiny, he may want to bend over backward to show he's fair.

LEMON: Yes.

MESEREAU: But if I were representing the victims, I would want someone else.

LEMON: Tom Mesereau, appreciate it.

MESEREAU: Thank you.

LEMON: Tonight, after weeks of speculation, CNN has learned the federal government is ready to fight Arizona's new immigration law. That is next.

And also tonight, an important decision involving a drug that some called Viagra for women. We'll fill you in when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The Justice Department is planning to sue over Arizona's controversial new immigration law. That's what a senior administration official told CNN today. But Arizona's governor is furious about how the news got out. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did it during a TV in, of all places, Ecuador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS) HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: President Obama has spoken out against the law because he thinks that the federal government should be determining immigration policy. And the Justice Department under his direction will be bringing a lawsuit against the act.

GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: That is just totally outrageous. The people of Arizona would have to get this information vis-a-vis a blog from the president of our country, from Hillary Clinton in Ecuador, that they're going to sue us without coming straight to the state of Arizona and notifying me personally. It's outrageous and it's unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

LEMON: Well, either way, the word is out. The feds are ready to fight.

So, with me now, Democratic State Representative Kyrsten Sinema, along with Republican and former Arizona congressman, J.D. Hayworth.

Welcome to both of you.

Congressman Hayworth, I'll start with you. Let's talk about how this story picked up steam and it really did. You have a problem with Secretary of State Clinton leaking this while she was in a foreign country. How it's such a big deal to you?

J.D. HAYWORTH (R), FORMER ARIZONA CONGRESSMAN: Well, Don, understand when you're dealing with domestic policy, it is important that domestic policy be dealt with on American soil. The fact that the secretary of state whose portfolio does not include court cases involving Arizona or the federal government would make this statement is bad enough.

But doubling the score to make this on Ecuadorian television, to make this pronouncement in Ecuador, it betrays a couple of things. On one hand, incredible incompetence on the part of this administration, or worse, deliberate deception -- because, Don, the governor's absolutely right.

What was it, just a few short days ago, Governor Brewer was in Washington meeting in the Oval Office with the president. The president informed the governor that he would be sending, I guess, a task force to Arizona, that there would be continuing dialogue.

LEMON: I want to --

HAYWORTH: What you see here, Don, is a lot less public policy productivity and a whole lot more politics.

LEMON: I want to let the Representative Sinema get in on this. What about the legal strategy here? The Justice Department has indicated it will claim Arizona should not be getting involved with immigration laws, which is a federal government's job. Do you expect that argument to fly there? STATE REP. KYRSTEN SINEMA (D), ARIZONA: Well, that's probably the strongest argument that exists against S.B. 1070. It's the supremacy clause in the United States Constitution and it clearly says that whatever the federal government has authority over, the states are adjoined from engaging in that activity. And the federal government does have a long history of setting and enforcing immigration policy in our country.

And, you know, Don, on another note, I think it's important to realize that the Department of Justice actually came to Arizona just a few short weeks ago to meet with both Attorney General Goddard and Governor Brewer to discuss a potential lawsuit. So, this is no surprise to Arizona.

LEMON: So, listen, to your first point when you answer this question -- the federal -- what if the federal government can't or won't secure the border? What is Arizona supposed to do here then?

SINEMA: You know, that's a very real question and it's, in fact, a crisis in Arizona. Congress has completely abdicated its responsibility to enact tough immigration reform, and that leaves states like Arizona left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, S.B. 1070 doesn't do anything to solve the crime of violence along our borders and in our neighborhoods. And so, it's not a real solution to this very real problem.

That doesn't mean, though, that Congress shouldn't take action to secure the border and enact tough immigration laws.

LEMON: Go ahead, Congressman Hayworth.

HAYWORTH: Yes. Don, I was going to point out, five years ago, I introduced the "Enforcement First Act," to try to get the government to get its act together and enforce existing immigration law. But when the federal government refuses to act, states are well within constitutional bounds to move forward to enforce the law.

And all S.B. 1070 does, by and large, is to mirror the "Enforcement First Act" that I wrote five years ago, basically ensuring that Arizona law enforcement will enforce immigration law and put an end to the de facto sanctuary cities and the sanctuary situations we have.

LEMON: OK.

HAYWORTH: And one other thing, Don, it's very important to point out because all these arguments about encroaching on individual rights, listen to what the act itself says.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: So, Congressman Hayworth, we understand that. We heard the act before and we don't have time unfortunately.

(CROSSTALK)

HAYWORTH: So many people haven't read it, I thought it might be important to talk about it.

LEMON: Let me get to -- let me get to this question. They can look it up online or they can go to CNN.com and they can actually read the act. But a lot of people from left and the right say Arizona's law could lead to racial profiling.

Is that a legitimate concern and shouldn't the federal government step in to ensure that that doesn't happen?

HAYWORTH: Well, Don, you know, you precluded me from reading the exact clause that will preclude racial profiling. What you're asking us to accept is the notion that law enforcement professionals who will receive special training in this, who also have to abide by the act, which again precludes any type of profiling and respects civil rights, you're expecting -- or the premise from the left is that law enforcement will run amuck and run renegade. I categorically reject that concept.

I believe you will see all about enforcement and virtually nothing about ethnicity, and I'm sorry I couldn't read it. But I do hope people would look it up. And certainly, they'd be a step ahead of the attorney general and the secretary of homeland security who did not read the act.

LEMON: And they can absolutely look it up.

Thank to both of you. We appreciate your time. Have a great weekend.

SINEMA: Thanks so much.

HAYWORTH: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: All right.

Just ahead here on CNN: before you and your mate hit the sheets tonight, you have to see this next story first. We all know the little blue pill, what it did. It did wonders for men in the bedroom. And tonight, there's news about a little pink one for women.

We'll have that story -- coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Let's talk here -- grown folks talk as they say.

Lack of sexual desire is a chronic problem for nearly one in 10 women, and the drug flibanserin or a female Viagra, well, it was supposed to help solve that. But not so fast -- just hours ago, a federal panel unanimously rejected that drug to treat a condition called female sexual desire disorder. Critics claim drug companies created a disease for the natural ebbs and flows of a woman's sexuality all to market a potentially profitable drug.

But still, lack of desire is a major problem many women are living with.

Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A happy marriage -- except for one thing.

(on camera): So, you've been married for 20 years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty years.

COHEN: And how often do you have intercourse?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably once every three months I would say. Yes.

COHEN: Is that satisfying to your husband?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no. It's -- I'm not sure he would want it. I know he would want it more often.

COHEN: So, for years now, not much going on here.

CYNDI, LOST SEX DRIVE 20 YEARS AGO: Yes, yes. It's sad that -- you know, sometimes I think it would be better if I had never met my husband because he's such a wonderful guy and he doesn't deserve this. I wonder if it would have been better if he had met somebody else.

COHEN (voice-over): Why did Cyndi lose her libido. To figure that out, Stanford University researchers put women in MRI machines just like I'm doing here.

(on camera): Now here's the really interesting part. While these women with low libido were lying there in the MRI machines, they were actually watching pornography and the MRI was registering their brain's reaction? Can you show me some of the video that you showed these women in the MRI machines?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. I'd be happy to.

COHEN: OK. I'd be absolutely happy to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So here we go. This is an example of the pornographic videos that were shown.

COHEN: Yes, that's pornographic. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

COHEN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

COHEN: I mean this is so graphic it's hard to imagine not having much of a reaction to it. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, but if your brain's working differently and you don't have, you know, enough of a certain neurotransmitter then you're not going to react to it because you don't have the ability to react to it and that's what we found in the research study. You can see here this is a difference between women with low libido, the blue. And the yellow is one with normal libido.

COHEN: The women who had normal libidos, their brains tended to light up in this orange area.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Correct.

COHEN: And this is an area where positive emotions are registered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

COHEN: So this blue area is not an area of emotional involvement.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it's different.

COHEN: This area, they're sort of stepping back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. Exactly. There's that lack of emotional connection.

COHEN: When you see these images, does that tell you it's not really their fault?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In a lot of cases it's not. It absolutely can be a problem in their brains where they have this difference.

COHEN: So when you went to go see doctors about this initially, what were you told?

CYNDI: You know, just relax, have some wine, you know, watch some porn.

COHEN: Did any of that work?

CYNDI: No, not really.

COHEN: Do you ever blame yourself for what's happened to you?

CYNDI: I spent a lot of time, yes, blaming myself, did I do something wrong. You know, there's that part of me that keeps hoping something, you know, will happen someday and that we'll know what's going on and how to fix it. It's -- it's a very sad part of our lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now from Washington. Elizabeth, you know, this seems to be a very real problem for women like Cyndi there. So why -- why did this panel vote against the drug's approval?

COHEN: They said, Don, that the data just wasn't there. They said in the studies on average, women like Cyndi who took Flibanserin, they had one more sexually satisfying event. That's what they know is the scientific term, per month than when they didn't take it. They said one more sexually satisfying event per month might have just been a placebo effect and the drug had some side effects. Some women felt dizzy or nauseous, they're tired. And when they weighed those things going on, they said the evidence just isn't there to put it on the market and this is not the first so-called female Viagra that's been rejected. And so now there's a concern the pharmaceutical companies are not going to want to sink a whole lot of money into any more female Viagras.

LEMON: That's what I'm going to ask you. Is this the end of it? Is it back to the drawing board?

COHEN: For this one company, it certainly is. There's another drug that it's in the pipeline which is the testosterone drug for women because testosterone increases women's sex drive. After that one, there's not really a whole lot out there. So there probably will not be a real little pink pill for women for quite some time.

LEMON: But you can bet someone is going to try to develop one. Thank you, Elizabeth Cohen.

COHEN: Oh, at some point. Thanks.

LEMON: All right. Thank you.

Coming up, a father's touching plan to help his daughters as he faces a life-threatening illness.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A dad who thought he might not live long enough to raise his daughters makes extraordinary plans to ensure their future. That is ahead. But first, Joe Johns has the latest in the oil spill and some of the other stories that are developing at this hour.

Hey, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don. Tonight BP officials turned to a new source for help to clean up the gulf oil spill, actor Kevin Costner. The oil giant announced this afternoon that it will team up with Costner's company to help mop up the oil. Costner says his company has developed the technology to separate oil from water and recycle the crude at the same time. BP has ordered 32 of Costner's machines to be deployed along the Gulf Coast.

Tonight, three people are dead, dozens injured after tornadoes tore through parts of Minnesota. The number of tornado sightings has staggered, 36 in a single day. If confirmed, that's a one-day record for the state. Most of the destruction was confined to rural areas. The National Guard was dispatched to the scene to aid in the recovery effort. It was field of dreams for the U.S. soccer team in the World Cup until a referee's call in their match-up against Slovenia. The Americans were down, two goals and heading for defeat. The U.S. fought back for what looked like a 3-2 win, but what would have been a winning goal was waved off by a referee who called a foul. So in the end, it was a 2-2 draw. Still that tie keeps the U.S. alive in the World Cup.

I got to tell you I know a lot of people who were up bright and early this morning in the United States watching that thing on TV and not too happy about that last-second call there, Don.

LEMON: Did you hear that, Joe?

JOHNS: Is that the horn for me to shut up?

LEMON: I love this thing. I've been going around the newsroom doing it. Everybody is laughing at me.

Hey, Joe, who did you have last night? The Celtics or the Lakers?

JOHNS: Well, you know, the truth is I just watched the game and wanted a really good game. I kept going back and forth, you know, because it seems like the Lakers were just too good this year.

LEMON: Yes.

JOHNS: I was kind of pulling for the underdog and then the underdog lost, so I was kind of pulling for the Lakers.

LEMON: Well, I jumped on the bandwagon and it was a great series, though.

JOHNS: Yes.

LEMON: Really incredible series.

More of the human side of it than the actual games. The games weren't that interesting except for the last one last night. But it was a very human story.

JOHNS: Yes, beyond classic.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, sir.

JOHNS: You bet.

LEMON: Up next, speaking of the Lakers and the Celtics, out-of- control fans lose it in L.A. last night after the Lakers clinched the NBA championship. And later, dad's incredible plan to make sure his little girls have a strong father figure in their lives coming up.

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LEMON: And our number one sports story, the Lakers' dramatic victory over the Celtics in last night's NBA championship game. The final score, L.A., 83, Boston, 79. But then, you know, the celebration turned ugly when unruly fans rampaged the streets in a repeat of the looting and the violence that broke out after last year's championship win. Unbelievable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fights broke out. Cabs and other cars trying to leave were blocked and rocked. And riot police took on rowdy fans throwing rocks and bottles.

At least, one car was set on fire. Its gas tank eventually exploding as you saw there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The police actually had to restrain some of the thousands of fans who poured into the streets. Some arrests were made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Always have to be some spoilers. The LAPD reported a total of 38 arrests and firefighters responded to 37 incidents.

As we all know, Sunday is Father's Day, and tonight we have an incredible story of what one dad did for his two daughters. Bruce Feiler is a well-known author and adventurer, the man behind the popular series "Walking the Bible." Back in 2008, he learned he had an aggressive form of bone cancer. He knew his days were numbered and worried his girls would grow up without strong male role models. So Feiler wrote letters to six friends asking them to guide his twins through life's ups and downs. He called the group "The Council of Dads." Filer told his story to Dr. Sanjay Gupta in a new CNN documentary. It's called "Dads for My Daughters." Take a look at it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE FEILER, AUTHOR/ADVENTURER: Dear friend, as you know, I recently learned that I have a seven-inch cancerous tumor in my left leg. That afternoon, Tybee and Eden would just turn 3. Came running to greet me. Laughing, giggling, and falling to the ground.

I crumbled. I kept imagining all the walks I might not take with them.

Can you show me your twirls?

The ballet recitals I might not see. But they wondered what it was I thought put the yearn for my voice?

I believe Eden and Tybee will have plenty of opportunities in their lives. They'll have each other, but they may not have me. They may not have their dad. Will you help be their dad?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sick, scared, worried, Bruce wrote that letter to six lifelong friends, men who knew his voice, who could be fathers for his daughters. He decided to call them "The Council of Dads."

By late July, weeks after his cancer diagnosis, Bruce took the letter 200 miles north to Putney, Vermont, the home of childhood friend Jeff Shumlin.

JEFF SHUMLIN, BRUCE FEILER'S FRIEND: He said to me before coming up, I want to find some time to spend alone with you.

GUPTA: Nothing could have prepared him for what Bruce was about to ask.

SHUMLIN: Of course without skipping a heartbeat, I said, Bruce, absolutely yes.

FEILER: I was saying will you just be there? Will you take this one side of me and will you convey them that idea?

GUPTA: Jeff would capture Bruce's adventurous side. His philosophy, get off the beaten track. And that's the spirit Bruce wanted Jeff to teach Eden and Tybee.

SHUMLIN: I will get them out of their comfort zone and help them to see the world.

GUPTA: It would take five more men to complete the council. Childhood buddy Ben Edwards to show the girls where their dad came from. College roommate Max Stier to help them live life with passion. Poet Josh Ramo to make them take time to reflect on light. Business partner David Black to teach them to never give up. And close confidante, Ben Sherwood, to challenge them to always ask questions. And then, Linda, who would be in charge of them all. The council now formed snapped into action.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're safe now. Don't worry.

GUPTA: In the months to come, each man assumed his role and began making special connections to Eden and Tybee.

FEILER: We sat down and we were talking about the -- about who these men are, and they were going through it. They're like, oh, yes, there's tadpole. We went tadpole fishing with him and their tractor Jack. And he took us skiing. OK. And there's chocolate chip David because he likes to make chocolate chip cookies with us. So already even in their minds, each of them has a personality that they already associate with them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And Dr. Gupta's documentary "Dads for My Daughters" airs at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday night right here on CNN, of course. And in a moment, Bruce Feiler himself will join me. We'll talk about his prognosis and how the council of dads is morphing into a national movement.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: As we have been telling you, this weekend, CNN will present a special documentary. It's called "Dads for My Daughters." It's also a story of author Bruce Feiler. Feiler was diagnosed with cancer back in 2008 and asked six close male friends to serve as father figures to his twin daughters in the event of his death. He chronicles the experience in his new book. It's called "Council of Dads" and he joins me now tonight. But first, won't you take a look at this heart wrenching home video Feiler shot for his girls while he was undergoing treatment. It's a video he hoped they'd never see.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE FEILER, AUTHOR/ADVENTURER: Girls, there are magical places I want to show you, rivers and oceans I want to cross with you, bike rides I want to make with you, dances I want to take with you, boyfriends I want to embarrass you in front of, and aisles I want to walk down with you. I hope you go see these images until you all have kids of your own. Hope whenever you see them you will know this, I did it for you. Love, Dad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Bruce Feiler joins us now. And you're getting emotional.

BRUCE FEILER, AUTHOR/ADVENTURER: That's what I -- yes, (INAUDIBLE) cheer up. That video was taken 18 months ago before a 15- hour surgery. It was so rare to rebuild my leg that my leg that only two people before me have survived. Now you see me sitting here, you know, full of life again and a lot happened since then.

LEMON: It's hard to watch it without getting emotional.

FEILER: Yes.

LEMON: I mean, even if you're not connected to it I was getting emotional. I'm sure many of your viewers are. But there's some good news about your prognosis which is --

FEILER: I'm cancer-free now. And you know, it's amazing what they put you through but amazing how the body can resume. And someone asked me recently, have I dismissed "The Council of Dads" now that I'm better? And I was like, well, no. In fact, I can't believe I was a parent for three years without it. And I'm delighted I get to go through my life now which is in place.

LEMON: So listen, I can't imagine like, you know, writing this to your daughters, having to say this to your daughters and then having to write the letters to the dads. So here's what you had to say to the dads. I want you to look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FEILER: Will you help be their dad? Will you listen in on them? Will you answer their questions? Will you watch their ballet moves for the umpteenth time? And as time passes, will you give them advice? Will you be tough as I would be? Will you introduce them to someone who might help them with their dreams come true? Will you tell them how proud I would be? Will you be my voice?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You know, it's beautiful but as someone who lost a parent -- I lost my dad when I was a kid and my mom stepped in. She was my dad and my mom. And I think she did a fine job. I could have used a male guidance, especially, you know, a slap on the backside every once in a while. But what do you say to those who say one parent is not enough that you definitely need two parents. Do you believe that?

FEILER: I think that, you know, I believe that we now know actually that moms and dads play different roles and we were trying to fill the dad space and I think -- my wife is a council unto herself actually but I think what I did after asking these guys to be in "The Council of Dads" would say what's the one piece of advice you would give to my girls? And I said, OK, your question dad. OK, Don, you like to ask questions. You're a question dad. You're a dream dad. You're a values dad. And when I heard this advice what actually prompted me to write the book which produced this documentary we're going to see this weekend including me for the first time was the sense that I wanted to have this sort of guide book of living for my girls.

Parenting is often a solo sport. And what's happening with "The Council of Dads" I think why people are being touched around the world by it is we've made it really a team sport.

LEMON: Yes. It's a beautiful book. And I would imagine reading through them, but I would imagine this cause you to evolve in ways that most people don't evolve because they don't experience this sort of thing.

FEILER: I feel like we have this incredible new community with our kids at the heart.

LEMON: Yes. The dad council, you still have it? Council of Dads?

FEILER: Absolutely. In fact, we're going to see tomorrow night the first-ever meeting of them. CNN was there --

LEMON: Yes.

FEILER: -- exclusively. We're all -- including me. I'm going to see it together tomorrow night.

LEMON: Thank you, sir. I was just wondering if it's needed because you're doing well and we're glad you're doing well. Thank you, Mr. Feiler.

FEILER: Nice seeing you, Don. Thanks.

LEMON: Have a great weekend.

Larry King is going to start in just a few minutes. But up next, ice cream dreams, how two businesswomen from Brooklyn are changing lives halfway around the world.

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LEMON: Every Friday, we select someone who stands out from the week's events, someone with the right stuff, someone who's helped make our world just a little bit better. Tonight, the co-owners of a New York City ice cream parlor take their business model from Brooklyn to Butare (ph) in South Rwanda. The idea is to help women there develop their own business skills one scoop at a time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXIS MEISEN, CO-OWNER, BLUE MARBLE ICE CREAM: So we're at Summer Sage in Central Park. We're one of six lucky vendors that got to be part of this really special venue and enjoy the great music.

Hi. My name is Alexis Meisen. I am the co-proprietress, co- owner of Blue Marble Ice Cream and the co-founder of our non-profit offshoot Blue Marble Dreams. Blue Marble Ice Cream is a Brooklyn- based organic ice cream company.

Blue Marble is actually the nickname for planet earth. We try to do everything with the environment in mind, the planet in mind.

Blue Marble Dreams was conceived two years ago actually when my business partner Jenny met a woman from Rwanda named Kiki. She thought they could learn how to run a business. They could learn how to make ice cream. They could, you know, really earn sustainable livelihood for years to come eventually.

We all know what happened in Rwanda not so long ago, like 1994. They had a huge immeasurable impact on the kind of collective psyche of this nation. You know, it's not that we think ice cream can save the world but it is symbolic of something about the importance of happiness and recognizing happiness is actually a human need.

We opened on June 5th in a town in the southern part of Rwanda called Butare (ph). We had a fantastic opening there. The name of the shop inzozi nziza (ph), which translates in English to sweet dreams. Many had never had ice cream. The look on their face, like, whoa, what's this.

I believe we are the first, the first local ice cream parlor in Rwanda. So it's pretty exciting. It's not just introducing oh, this sweet lovely product. It's about introducing a whole new possibility for their future. So what we're trying to do is give them very quick crash courses basically on everything from accounting to production to administration. We're just a small group owned by two women who have connected with another group of women half the world away and are making a difference in a small way but in a powerful way just the same.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That's it for now. Thanks for joining us. "LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.