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American Morning
Judge Refuses to Put Hold On Overturning Drilling Moratorium; Obama to Travel to Canada for G-8 and G-20; How Jackson Really Died: Michael Jackson's Doctor Claims He Didn't Deliver Fatal Dose; Deal Reached on Financial Reform; Gulf Disaster's Emotional Toll: Alabama Fisherman Commits Suicide; Gulf Storm Threat; G-20 Arrest; Petraeus Supports Deadline
Aired June 25, 2010 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good Friday morning to you. I'm Carol Costello in for Kiran Chetry today.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Acosta. John Roberts and Kiran Chetry actually on the West Coast this morning hoping to bring home an Emmy for "AMERICAN MORNING."
COSTELLO: "AMERICAN MORNING" is going to win an Emmy. Go, go, go.
ACOSTA: Go, team.
And lots to tell you this morning, so let's get right to it. A judge now telling the Obama administration it has 30 days to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling saying the economy along the Gulf coast just cannot take another hit. We are live along the coast with reaction.
COSTELLO: President Obama heading off for three days in meetings with world leaders in Canada at G-8 and G-20 summits. The global economic crisis sure to be high on the agenda.
ACOSTA: Plus one year ago today the world lost the king of pop. The question remains who gave Michael Jackson a fatal dose of the powerful drug Propofol? Prosecutors say all signs point to his former doctor, Conrad Murray. But Murray's attorney tells a different story. That's ahead here on the Most News in the Morning.
COSTELLO: But first, a major development to tell but in the Gulf oil spill. It's now day 67 of the disaster and the battle continues between the locals and leaders in Washington. The Obama administration has lost its appeal to keep the ban on offshore drilling in place. The judge didn't budge, citing the local economy and the nation's need for domestic energy.
ACOSTA: So many Gulf residents also stunned by the tragic news this morning that a charter boat captain from Alabama took his own life. Allen Cruz was working for BP on clean-up duty after the oil spill took his livelihood away.
COSTELLO: And BP now says it spent nearly $2.4 billion on the oil spill response. That includes claims, clean-up, containment, the federal bill, and of course drilling those relief wells. Chris Lawrence is live for us in New Orleans with more on the latest developments this morning. Good morning, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. The federal government has now told these oil companies basically, look, you're now free to drill again with the moratorium being lifted. None of them are going to invest that kind of money in resources, recalling crews, restarting operations while the threat of the government appeal is still out there.
Ironically, it's hard to believe, but now you've got tens of thousands of people down here in the Gulf region actually agreeing with a BP official. The chief operating officer of BP America now says he thinks the moratorium should be lifted quickly and the government should go through and get its safety regulations in place faster to allow people to go back to work.
A lot of folks down here are very concerned about that. I spoke to one man who just had a meeting with his staff saying I'm going to have to start laying you off after the fourth of July.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DWAYNE REBSTOCK, CEO ALLPORT SERVICES: I have to sit across the table from employees and tell them, I know you have husbands, I know you have wives, I know you have children, but I can no longer afford to keep you on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: The government argues a lot of these companies are focusing on the short-term economic impact and the government has to look long-term, how will this affect the Gulf, the environment, the economy long-term.
A lot of the environmental groups we spoke to are now requesting that the judge who made this decision release his current financial records. We know that about two years ago he did have some holdings, money invested in some offshore drilling companies. Not a lot. And I can tell you it's not uncommon for judges down here to have those investments.
But now the environmental groups want to see his current statement and we're told that will be coming out soon. Obviously the environmental groups are not very happy about this judge's decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON VILES, GULF RESTORATION NETWORK: We're disappointed with the decision. Clearly, deepwater drilling has been hone to be a high- wire act without a net. And it seems to me as this forest fire is raging out there that we want to at least take away the matches from the kids who started the fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal tried to wedge himself in between this, trying to work out some sort of compromise. The state of Louisiana agrees that deepwater drilling could be a threat to public safety but they was this moratorium shortened.
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GOV. BOBBY JINDAL, (R) LOUISIANA: For example, why not put a federal inspector on every rig that can shut down production? Or, for example, why not allow the 33 rigs affected by the moratorium to drill but not up to the reservoir? That's where the greatest dangers are.
Or, for example, why not only allow them to drill in areas where there are known pressures so they know exactly what they're dealing with?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Again, we're not talking about the actual rig workers. They're covered by the $100 million fund BP set up specifically for them. These are the thousands of support workers affected.
At the same time, environmental groups say this commission that's looking at whether it is safe to drill again shouldn't have a gun to its head thinking that, hey, every week that we take to decide this matter, thousands of people are going to be out of work. So tough decisions all around.
ACOSTA: And no easy answers, Chris. Chris Lawrence down in New Orleans for us this morning. Thanks, Chris.
COSTELLO: Add to all of that that Chris just told us about, there's a storm is brewing out there that may make its way to the Gulf. Coming up next, we'll talk to Admiral Thad Allen. Is there a plan in place in case this storm hits the very place they're trying to remove all that oil?
Send us questions for Thad Allen to CNN.com/amfix. We'll pose your questions to the admiral in a couple of minutes.
ACOSTA: And in just a couple of hours President Obama leaves Washington for Canada and three days of intense diplomacy with leaders of the world's emerging and developed economies, first at the G-8 summit, then the G-20 summit in Canada.
COSTELLO: Of course, the big issue is the global economy. What do leaders hope to accomplish? CNN's Dan Lothian is live in Toronto for us. Good morning, Dan.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. It will be a very busy weekend for the president. First of all he'll be focused on the G-8 summit. This is eight industrialized nations, focused on issues such as child health, sanitation and water. Then he make the shift late tomorrow and the rest of the weekend into the G-20. Of course the focus will be the economy, the global economy. Critical here is making sure that the rest of the world is also lifting up their economies because that will lead to job creation in the United States.
Lest you believe what happens here is just handshakes and a lot of photo-ops, experts from former advisors to former presidents say that's simply not the case.
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DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: At the G-20 you will see increasing pressure on Germany to consume more, to -- there's a real attempt at this G-20 to move some of the exporting nations like China to be more consumption-oriented, because consumer nations like the United States to be more export-oriented to balance the world economy. And these meetings are important for that purpose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: President Obama does come here with some good news. He has seen up on Capitol Hill financial reform move forward, and this gives the president a chance to say to the rest of the world, hey, take a look at what we're doing. This is something that you need to push for as well.
Again, the critical thing here is making sure that the world economies are lifted so that the U.S. economy can recover as well, Carol.
COSTELLO: That sounds nice. Dan Lothian live for us this morning, thank you.
ACOSTA: Also new this morning -- I told the staff I would do this -- let's go to the videotape. The Wimbledon marathon match finally ended. American John Izner beating France's Nicolas Mahut in the fifth set, 70-68. It took three days and more than 11 hours to complete. It is the longest tennis much ever played, beating the previous record by four-and-a-half hours.
How did these guys get through this? I think they need help getting off the court there.
COSTELLO: They ran a marathon!
ACOSTA: It was like a marathon, with the survivor not much time to rest or celebrate. Izner's back on the court right now for a second round match. That guy's playing tennis right now after all of that yesterday.
COSTELLO: He's in good shape. And he's young.
ACOSTA: Yes. Ah, to be young and in shape and play tennis that long. Unbelievable. A day after launch, we're seeing iPhone complaints -- iPhone-4, the two biggies, some users say because the antenna wraps around the smart phone it is having problems with reception. Apple says those missing bars are likely just a software bug. Others say units have yellow tint in spots of the new so-called retina display screen. I have no idea what this means because I don't have one.
COSTELLO: This is amazing.
ACOSTA: But many bloggers are saying that yellow tint fades away once the phone has been used a bit. Isn't that strange?
COSTELLO: I think some people said when you cover the metal piece around the phone with your hand the bars go away, but that doesn't necessarily mean the reception is gone. So people --
ACOSTA: How much did that thing cost?
COSTELLO: A lot.
ACOSTA: Is there an app for that when your phone doesn't work?
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: They should make one. It's nine minutes past the hour.
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ACOSTA: Exactly one year after the death of Michael Jackson, his former doctor, Conrad Murray, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter in the case. But Murray's lawyer says there is no way the doctor killed the king of pop. You'll hear why. That's coming up next.
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ACOSTA: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. One year after the world lost Michael Jackson, plenty of questions still surround the king of pop's death. Jackson's former physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, is charged with involuntary manslaughter.
COSTELLO: CNN has learned his lawyer will argue Murray did not give Jackson that fatal overdose of the powerful drug Propofol. Ted Rowlands talked with Murray's attorney.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED CHERNOFF, DR. CONRAD MURRAY'S ATTORNEY: Dr. Murray did not cause the death of Michael Jackson.
ROWLANDS: Ed Chernoff says when Dr. Conrad Murray went to work as Michael Jackson's personal doctor he had no idea that Jackson was, in Chernoff's words, "addicted to Propofol," a drug normally used to put surgical patients to sleep. Murray started giving Jackson the powerful drug in Jackson's home. ROWLANDS (on camera): Doctor after doctor gets up and says this should never be used outside of a clinical setting, outside of a hospital or clinic.
CHERNOFF: The fact that the circumstances may be unusual, may be demonstrated to be unusual, does not make it egregious. That alone does not make it egregious.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): According to the coroner's report, Jackson had the same amount of Propofol in his body when he died as is used for major surgery. But Murray says he didn't give Jackson that much Propofol.
CHERNOFF: There's no way that Dr. Murray would pump Michael Jackson full of Propofol sufficient for major surgery and walk out that room. It's not going to happen. That's not the doctor that Dr. Murray is.
ROWLANDS (on camera): How did it get in him?
CHERNOFF: Well that's a good question, Ted. Do you have any idea how it got in him?
ROWLANDS (voice-over): The only other scenarios, someone else gave Jackson the fatal dose, or Jackson woke up and injected himself, which the coroner addressed but concluded would be a long shot.
CHERNOFF: But is it possible? Absolutely it's possible.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): This is Michael Jackson rehearsing two nights before he died. Murray says he got Jackson to sleep without Propofol after this rehearsal.
But the day Jackson died on June 25th, it was a different story. According to an affidavit filed in the case, Dr. Murray gave detectives the following timeline: 1:30 a.m., Murray gives Jackson a 10 milligram Valium. 2:00 a.m., Murray injects Jackson with two milligrams of Lorazepam, another sleep aid. An hour later, he gives him two milligrams of another drug, Versed. 5:00 a.m., Jackson is still awake, Murray gives him more Lorazepam. At 7:30 a.m., more Versed. By 10:40 a.m. after nine hours of trying to sleep, Jackson is still awake and Murray gives him an IVB drip of 25 milligrams of Propofol.
Where Dr. Murray was from 10:40 until noon when the coroner's report says Jackson was found unresponsive is unclear. It's the only window of time that someone else, including Jackson himself, could have administered the fatal dose of Propofol. Prosecutors say the evidence points toward Conrad Murray as the person responsible for the overdose, but Chernoff maintains that Murray had the expertise and the equipment to safely give Jackson small doses of Propofol, and he says the doctor had the knowledge not to give him an overdose.
ED CHERNOFF, DR. CONRAD MURRAY'S ATTORNEY: Whatever he did was to help. And he took the necessary precautions and then something happened that is unexplainable. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: And, Jim and Carol, Dr. Conrad Murray has pled not guilty. He has a preliminary hearing in this case scheduled for the fall. Right now, we are at the Glendale memorial -- Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Glendale, California. And right behind me is where Michael Jackson is buried. They are expecting thousands of people to come here today to pay respects to Jackson on the one-year anniversary of his death.
COSTELLO: Ted Rowlands live in Los Angeles this morning, thank you.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Ted.
Coming up next on the Most News in the Morning, another setback for Wall Street reform. Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business." That is coming up next.
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COSTELLO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's President Obama versus Lady Gaga.
ACOSTA: Huh?
COSTELLO: It's not a dance-off.
ACOSTA: Oh.
COSTELLO: Never fear.
ACOSTA: Thank God.
COSTELLO: I guess we all saw "Ellen," Mr. President.
Anyway, President Obama and Lady Gaga are in a race to become the first living public figures to break the 10 million fan mark on Facebook.
ACOSTA: Look at this. Oh, my gosh.
Look at this. Look what they threw together, Carol. Isn't it?
COSTELLO: Isn't that fascinating?
ACOSTA: How about that?
COSTELLO: The president is at about 9,900,000. Lady Gaga has a slim 10,000-fan lead. Now, there is a deceased celebrity with over 10 million Facebook fans and you probably can guess who that is.
ACOSTA: Michael Jackson?
COSTELLO: Michael Jackson --
ACOSTA: Michael Jackson.
COSTELLO: -- has over 13 million fans on Facebook and he's not even alive.
ACOSTA: Wow.
COSTELLO: So the race is on.
ACOSTA: That's right.
COSTELLO: Will it be President Obama? Will it be Lady Gaga? Only Christine Romans knows.
ACOSTA: That's right.
COSTELLO: Christine has the inside track.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And that is those people were up all night trying to hammer out financial reform.
ACOSTA: Yes, no kidding. We were saying -- we were saying before the break that they may have had some trouble putting this together, but now it looks like this thing may be coming together? The president is expected to talk about it, make some comments before he gets on Air Force One to go to Canada.
ROMANS: Right. And overnight success that took a year-and-a- half. Right? But last night, you had 43 lawmakers literally all night long. I think our Jennifer Laberdo (ph) said that at 5:49 this morning is when they were finally hammering out the last deal.
ACOSTA: Whoa.
ROMANS: And they started at 9:30 yesterday. Oh, you can imagine those people who made their money yesterday. But what they're trying to hammer out is this new financial reform that's going to change everything you touch with regards to consumer contracts, mortgages, credit cards. I mean you name it, it's in here -- except for auto loans. By the way, auto loans are exempt from all this.
So what's in the bill? A consumer protection agency, you will be allowed to get a free credit score if you lose your job -- if you lose a job offer because of your credit history. Or if you are denied a loan because of your credit history, you will be able to see your credit score for free. There are going to be limits on card swipe fees. This is something that retailers have been really, really pushing for. When you buy something at a retailer of the credit card companies --
ACOSTA: Oh, they hate it.
ROMANS: Oh, these retailers, they pay one to three percent I think.
ACOSTA: Right.
ROMANS: And they really don't like it.
ACOSTA: They always complain. And that's why some don't carry American Express.
ROMANS: And that's why sometimes you get a discount for cash --
ACOSTA: Yes.
COSTELLO: Yes.
ROMANS: -- because they don't have to pay those swipe fees. And there's a ban on liar loans which we were just joking it's like --
ACOSTA: Thank goodness.
ROMANS: It's like a ban on stupidity.
ACOSTA: Yes. Exactly.
ROMANS: I mean, these liar loans are what really got us in a lot of trouble, these mortgages where you didn't have to prove that you could pay it back.
ACOSTA: Right.
COSTELLO: Oh.
ROMANS: Imagine, here's a loan but you don't have to have any income or prove your income or pay back.
ACOSTA: Yes. No more monopoly money.
ROMANS: No more monopoly money. So, all of this is a lot of other things in there, too, but basically this is the House and the Senate versions. The conference last night was --
COSTELLO: You're making it sound really, really good. And I'm cynical.
ROMANS: Yes.
COSTELLO: And I know there must be --
ACOSTA: And you're like, "this ain't going to work."
ROMANS: Oh, yes, there are some protections that have been watered down, no doubt. And, yes --
ACOSTA: But Elizabeth Warren did come out and say that she's now OK with this protection agency which is a major thing.
ROMANS: Yes. She's a big consumer watchdog. In fact, she's talking about how what happens in this bill is eventually good for the economy. And here's why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ELIZABETH WARREN, CONSUMER WATCHDOG: We rebuild our economy one family at a time. And when families are healthy, when they can make good economic decisions, when nobody is tricking them and trapping them into spending more on credit and getting into crazy credit card arrangements and getting into crazy mortgages, then those families will be stronger and ultimately that means our whole economy will be stronger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The financial services industry spent $600 million over the past year lobbying to help shape it. So you'll be hearing today about parts that some people think there's probably watered down. But the treasury secretary just issued a statement saying this is good for Americans and he applauded them for moving this. We're near the finish line now.
ACOSTA: Too big to fail?
ROMANS: Too big to fail is in there, although there are some provisions about the early warning system that don't apply to insurance companies. But there's too big to fail and there are also derivatives rules to try to make it a little bit more transparent on derivatives trading and all that.
ACOSTA: Yes.
ROMANS: Yes.
ACOSTA: All right, Christine.
COSTELLO: Christine Romans, thanks.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Christine.
Well, with the environmental tragedy in the gulf getting worse by the day, thousands are worried about their next paycheck with bills stacking up, mortgage payments missed and families on the brink. Yes, all of that is happening. What is the emotional toll of this disaster? That is coming up next.
It's 24 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Top stories just minutes away. But first, an "A.M. Original." That is something you will only see right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
You know, the Coast Guard is using a lot of dispersants in the gulf. They're having vessels out there trying to skim crude off of the surface, but the oil keeps coming, Carol.
COSTELLO: It sure does, and the frustration keeps growing. And now officials confirm that one Alabama fisherman has taken his own life. David Mattingly is live in Orange Beach, Alabama with his story.
Hello, David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol, Jim. This morning, a lot of sadness here in Orange Beach, Alabama. He was just one fishing captain out of many here on the coast, but now his friends and family are saying that his death should serve as a warning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): People who knew him say Allen Kruse lived to fish, and those closest to him say that life unraveled when the oil spill hit the gulf waters where he work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He thought it was dead.
MATTINGLY (on camera): He said that to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MATTINGLY: And that there was no hope that the fishing was ever going to come back?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not in his lifetime.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Among charter boat captains in Orange Beach, Alabama, Kruse was a leader, drumming up business in good times.
ALLEN KRUSE, FISHERMAN: The fish is going to be good all summer.
MATTINGLY: And voicing the frustrations of a community in the bad times.
KRUSE: The day that the oil entered the gulf, my phone quit ringing.
MATTINGLY: Just a month after that interview, Kruse was found on his boat dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. For 14 days, he had worked for BP hauling boom and looking for oil. His brothers say he felt like his role in the clean-up as a BP Vessel of Opportunity was worthless.
(on camera): That's what he told you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MATTINGLY: They felt like he was being put out there just for show?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That's what he told his wife. He didn't tell me that. That's what he told his wife. That's what she told me just a while ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He told me it was madness. MATTINGLY (voice-over): Kruse's friends tell me he felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the disaster and that they're all feeling the stress.
CAPT. BEN FAIREY, FRIEND OF ALLEN KRUSE: This has been a long- term situation. This started in 2004 with a direct hit from Hurricane Ivan. Then the next year was Katrina. Then skyrocketing fuel prices. Fishing regulations. And then an oil spill. This has been six years that this area has really suffered a lot of stress.
MATTINGLY: Stress that his friends believe finally became too much for Kruse, and now they're worried about others.
(on camera): Are you afraid that maybe one of your other friends out there might be thinking about something extreme?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.
FAIREY: We worry about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We worry about that every day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you going to do about it?
FAIREY: That's why we're trying to get the word out.
MATTINGLY (on camera): As a gesture to the community that's now grieving for him, Cruz's family thought it would be best for his boat to be brought back here to home port in Orange Beach. And here it is right now, "The Rookie." His friends say that there's really no better way that they could think of to pay tribute to a man who loved what he did for a living and loved the waters where he worked.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): It's "The Rookie's" final voyage carrying a cargo of uncertainty and sorrow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And this is Cruz's boat right here behind me, sitting as memorial to him. And a reminder, his friends and family say, that there is something wrong out here in this community. Back to you.
COSTELLO: You don't know what to say, David. It's just such a sad story. So many nice, hard working people down there in Louisiana, it's just painful to hear that something like this happen.
ACOSTA: Yes. Thank you. David Mattingly live in the Gulf for us this morning. Thanks, David, appreciate it.
And stay with us. In just a few minutes, we'll be taking a harder look at this issue, the emotional impact for people down in the gulf dealing with this crisis. We'll talk with a doctor who's in New Orleans to see firsthand how people are trying to cope.
COSTELLO: He'll also tell you that there is help out there.
ACOSTA: Yes.
COSTELLO: And people need to know that. So, we're going to get into that in just a few minutes.
It's 31 minutes past the hour. Time for this morning's top stories. Storm threat rising in the Gulf. Some of it could really disrupt the clean-up effort there. The National Hurricane Center monitoring a system moving through the Caribbean right now saying there's a 60 percent chance of it becoming a tropical storm in the next two days. We'll ask Admiral Thad Allen how much of a setback this could be in the next hour.
ACOSTA: They don't need that. And ahead of this weekend's G-20 summit in Toronto, police arrested a man on weapons charges near the site. Inside the suspect's car, they found pellet guns, a crossbow, a chain saw, a sledgehammer, and gasoline. Not sure why but police say, at this point, there's no evidence that this incident was related to the summit. Canadian authorities, by the way, have spent reportedly $1 billion, so far, to protect the world leaders.
COSTELLO: And General David Petraeus says he supports President Obama's July 2011 deadline to start withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The Four-Star General has been tapped to replace General Stanley McChrystal as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
ACOSTA: And President Obama insists his Afghan policy remains the same after the dismissal of General Stanley McChrystal. But what do the top brass at the Pentagon have to say about the change in command.
COSTELLO: Our Barbara Starr knows the answer to that question. She's live at the Pentagon this morning. Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jim, Carol. I have to tell you, the aftermath of this incident now here at the Pentagon fully out in public, unprecedented.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Honestly, when I first read it, I was nearly sick.
STARR (voice-over): Admiral Michael Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates just a year ago, urged the president to choose General Stanley McChrystal to lead the war in Afghanistan. But now, they're furious at disparaging comments in "Rolling Stone" by the general and his aides about the administration.
MULLEN: It made me -- I literally, physically, I couldn't believe it. So, I was stunned.
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The statements and attitudes reported in the news media are unacceptable.
STARR: Gates initially thought McChrystal should stay. A senior Pentagon official told CNN, he worried the war could not afford a change in command. But then --
GATES: It was the president who first raised Petraeus' name. And it immediately, to me, answered a lot of the concerns that I had.
STARR: General David Petraeus was on Capitol Hill, Thursday, to talk to senators in advance of his confirmation hearings. Gates and Mullen say there's no change to the overall worst strategy, but the new commander could decide to ease rules restricting combat that were put in place by McChrystal, rules some troops believe put their lives at risk.
GATES: General Petreaus will have the flexibility to look at the campaign plan and the approach and all manner of things when he gets to Afghanistan.
STARR: Petraeus and McChrystal do see eye to eye on the counterinsurgency strategy, but will there be a difference in their style of leadership?
MICHAEL O'HANLON, SR. FELLOW BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Not much. You know, that's the main point. I think that both of them are extreme workaholics, very energetic. Both of them are good communicators.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (on-camera): And General Petreaus is going to be under tremendous pressure now to show progress in the war. The month of June is not over yet, and already, this is the deadliest month of the war for the coalition -- Jim, Carol.
COSTELLO: I think it's officially the longest war America has ever suffered through.
ACOSTA: Yes. And Barbara, just very quickly, just wanted to ask you, what are the chances that other heads will roll now that David Petraeus is moving in there to take over?
STARR: Probably, heads that are somewhat lower level. It's widely expected some of General McChrystal's aids, the men who surround him, who may have been the anonymous quotes in that article, could be resigning from the military, retiring very quietly.
ACOSTA: OK. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
COSTELLO: No surprise there.
ACOSTA: No. Thanks for that, Barbara. Appreciate it.
And coming up in very short order here, we're going to go back to that issue of what is essentially like a posttraumatic stress disorder down in the Gulf with a lot of these cleanup workers, the fishermen down there who are having to deal with seeing their livelihoods taken away by a company that they now have to rely on for their livelihood.
You know, a lot of these men go to work for BP now after their livelihood was destroyed by BP. So, there are a lot of issues down there for the folks on the Gulf that we want to get into that. That's coming up next. We're going to talk to a mental health expert about that in just a few minutes. It's 35 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Couple of minutes ago, we told you about the tragic death of an Alabama fisherman, Alan Cruz. His business depended on the Gulf, but with the spill getting worse, his brothers say, emotionally, he took a big hit. Cruz also took a turn for the worse, and as we told you, he committed suicide.
ACOSTA: Right. Without leaving a note on Wednesday, he took his own life. So, on top of the economic and ecological effects of this disaster, what about its emotional toll? That's what we want to talk about now. Let's bring in Dr. Elmore Rigamer. He is medical director for Catholic Charities of New Orleans.
And Dr. Rigamer, a very difficult subject to talk about. You are a professional, obviously, dealing with folks who have these issues. You know, I guess, earlier, I described it as sort after a posttraumatic stress disorder. I don't know if that's accurate or not, but it just feels like that. What are folks dealing with down there? Can you put a diagnosis on it?
DR. ELMORE RIGAMER, MEDICAL DIRECTOR CATHOLIC CHARITIES ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW ORLEANS: I think it's hard at this point -- posttraumatic stress, certainly, I think we'll see that later, but they do have a lot of stresses due to this trauma. The symptoms that we're seeing most frequently in the crisis centers that we're operating five are depression and anxiety, a lot of frustration if having to deal with agencies and with the legal system. And so, the brunt of our efforts and the community centers in addition to financial assistance and helping them file claims is counseling for those symptoms.
COSTELLO: Mr. Cruz, the man who committed suicide, said he felt like a prop for BP. He was out there helping to skim oil out of the Gulf. He said he felt like a prop. Are you hearing that from a lot of people that you're dealing with down there?
RIGAMER: We're really hearing especially from the fishermen and the people in the industries directly involved, they lost their jobs. They lost their livelihood, and more than that, their way of life. And suddenly, they have to deal with the legal system. They have to deal with BP. They have to deal with a lot of forms, and certainly, I think they feel pushed around, move around. And they can't make decisions like they were making before all of this started. They're dependent on others.
ACOSTA: Yes. It feels like it is a sense of hopelessness is what it sounds like, doctor. And you had dealt with a lot of this during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.
RIGAMER: Yes. The difference is, Katrina came and went, and then we started picking up the pieces the Tuesday afterwards. And, you know, we're still doing that. Also the difference with Katrina is if you -- you had a professional like carpenter, plumber, doctor, you could move to another city and get a job. Not pleasant but you could do that. With these people, the fishermen, for example, that's not so easy. And so, there are certain sectors of the population that are more vulnerable to depression and perhaps suicide that we look out for. We are in the community --
COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you, if Mr. Cruz -- you know, he told friends he feels like a prop because he's out there in the Gulf basically doing nothing, and he's feeling really even more angry at BP and depressed because of this, is there anything BP should be doing or the federal government should be doing to make people feel more useful in this time?
RIGAMER: I think to restore their livelihoods as quickly and as painlessly as possible. You wouldn't need me and social workers out there if they got back to fishing, but that's not going to happen. But what he said that is an indication that, obviously, he was depressed. And in these community centers and outreach work that we do, we ask two questions of people to screen for depression. And if -- it's called the PHQ, personal health questionnaire 2. And if they answer positive to these questions, then we go a little further in talking to them and refer them to appropriate people, all of whom are there. And so, when he says --
ACOSTA: Yes, go ahead.
RIGAMER: When he says that he feels like a prop, we ask people specifically, you know, do you have feelings of loss of self-worth or are you feeling manipulated or you just feeling dismal about the future. And then we also ask them, do you have little interest in doing things, nothing seems worth while, nothing seems meaningful to you. And those are target questions that alert us to maybe we should have a further conversation. And I would ask friends that if they hear other people talking like that, do the same, send them to us.
ACOSTA: That's great advice, doctor. Dr. Elmore Rigamer, and I guess, one of the other issues is that you got a lot of guys down there, big, burly guys who work in the oil industry, fishing industry, and they are not likely to be the guys who are going to go and get help. So, I guess, the message that we need to get out there to folks is if you think you need help or if there are folks around you who think you need help, get that help and make sure you go to folks like Dr. Rigamer. Thanks for your time this morning. We really appreciate it.
RIGAMER: You're welcome.
ACOSTA: And coming up in about 30 minutes, we're talking to the National Incident Commander for the oil spill, Admiral Thad Allen live. Every day, Admiral Allen holds a press conference with the media on cleanup efforts in the Gulf, but we want to know what you think what you should ask him and what you haven't seen so far in the response. What do you want to know? Send us your questions, head to our blog right now at CNN.com/AMFix. COSTELLO: Also, stormy weather out in the Caribbean may be headed toward the Gulf. More southern storms ignite in the summer heat. The northeast is clearing up, though.
ACOSTA: Yes.
COSTELLO: Bonnie Schneider has it all, next.
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COSTELLO: Such a gorgeous day (INAUDIBLE) in New York City, sunny and 73 degrees. But it's going to be a hot one later, 86 is the expected high.
ACOSTA: Not as hot as other places around the country, as Bonnie Schneider will tell us this morning. Bonnie, it has been so hot, high 90s, 100s across portions of the South.
I was down in South Carolina earlier this week and I think I took three showers in one day. I mean, it was just that hot.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and it's going to be again today. We have heat advisories across the Carolinas. You'll be seeing nice weather in the Northeast.
I want to start off with the tropics because everyone is wondering what is going on down here. We're starting to get a little more active certainly with an active season ahead here in the Atlantic basin. You're looking at a tropical area of disturbed weather, broad area of low pressure classified by the hurricane center as 93L. At least right now, hurricane hunters are scheduled around 1:00 to fly into the system and if they find that cold (ph) circulation, we could very well be looking at a tropical depression.
The chances of a tropical depression could occur within 48 hours, possibly 60 percent chance of that according to the National Hurricane Center. So that is something that we are monitoring here in the Weather Center, keeping a very close watch of that, certainly.
Let's take a look at what's going on across the northeast. It's nice and dry after a real volatile afternoon of thunderstorms ripping through. Wind damage was a huge problem with this system. We had 140 reports plus, I should say more like 150, of wind damage, particularly in the I-95 corridor. Another chance for severe storms in parts of the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest.
And, finally, the heat will persist. Jim, you mentioned the heat in South Carolina. It is back again, heat advisory straight through tonight for the Carolinas, the mid-South and Oklahoma.
ACOSTA: All right. No rest for the weary down there in -- in South Carolina.
Thanks, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: No. It will be hot. ACOSTA: All right. Thanks.
COSTELLO: Actor and teen heartthrob Robert Pattinson may have had a lust for blood long before the vampire series "Twilight" came along.
ACOSTA: What?
COSTELLO: Yes.
According to people at Ancestry.com, the 24-year-old is actually related to Vlad the Impaler who of course is the --
ACOSTA: Of course.
COSTELLO: -- the inspiration for Dracula.
The link is made through Pattinson's and Vlad's relation to the British Royal Familt. Pattinson is distant cousins with Princes William and Harry, and Vlad is a distant uncle. So it's Uncle Vlad the Impaler.
ACOSTA: Yes. That's one family tree I don't want to be on. I'll tell you that much.
All right, this morning's top stories just minutes away, including trying to fix the biggest environmental disaster ever in the middle of a massive storm. That sounds like a problem not just for the folks in the gulf but for everybody. Hurricane season is starting.
We'll talk to the man in charge of the recovery for the government, Admiral Thad Allen. What would you like to ask him? Go to our blog, cnn.com/amfix and tell us.
COSTELLO: Plus, one year ago today the world said goodbye to the King of Pop, and it's still not clear how a lethal amount of Propofol got into his system. Ted Rowlands talk to Dr. Conrad Murray's attorney.
ACOSTA: And Obama versus Gaga. Who wins in a popularity contest and who is taking them both down from the grave?
Those stories and more at the top of the hour. Stay with us.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": We begin the night with ten -- tennis? Seriously? That word (ph). Did McEnroe finally go home? I wonder what the fans think after seeing an historically long match such as this.
(PEOPLE SHOUTING)
STEWART: One of you must die! We are insatiable! Blood shall run like a river! More tennis!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Only Jon Stewart could turn Wimbledon into Gladiator. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Seventy to sixty-eight, that's what the score -- score fifth of the final four, not Wimbledon. But that's what it took for American John Isner to beat Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in their epic fifth set after a record of 11 hour, five minutes spread over three days. Unbelievable stuff.
COSTELLO: It's insane. Isner said he was delirious after the match. And he's back on the court right now playing his second round opponent.
So what kind of shape would he have been in when he got up this morning? Can you imagine that? How does the -- you know, the human body handle that kind of physical stress?
ACOSTA: I wouldn't know.
COSTELLO: Well, senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen does. She's been looking into that. She joins us live from Atlanta.
So he's up and playing again, Elizabeth. I bet he's an athlete.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh.
COSTELLO: I mean, he's in shape so that must mean he is OK, right?
COHEN: Right. It must mean that he's OK. I mean, he wouldn't be playing if he weren't. Elite athletes can withstand incredible amounts of stress because of course they're in top physical shape. But, really, it's all about what is up here.
I'm going to quote Craig Boynton, who is John Isner's coach. He said physically, Isner was in trouble. No doubt about it. The only thing getting him through was sheer will power. These athletes train to do what's basically mind over matter.
I mean, he's never had to deal with this before, but he's had to deal with other adversity. I'm sure he's had to play with an injury, for example, and play in pain at some point in his career and they are taught mental toughness. They are taught not to think about the big picture, but to think just about the point that's right in front of them and that's how they get through something like this -- Carol, Jim.
ACOSTA: Forms of stretching.
COSTELLO: Stretching is good. But Isner actually said something like that. He said while he was on the court he really didn't think about how tired he was. It was when he got off the court that he was feeling the pain. COHEN: Right and that's a great thing. And that's because he's such a great athlete, he was in the zone. I mean, they really call it that. He was in the zone. He was just thinking about the next point in front of him and that adrenaline and that mental toughness was just getting him through what he needed to get through.
COSTELLO: Well, he did say he felt delirious. So what was he talking about? They -- they had water breaks and they had bathroom breaks. But he said he was delirious. I mean, is it possible to hydrate yourself enough in that long of a time?
COHEN: You know what, you actually can't. You can't replace all the fluids that you're losing or all the calories you're burning. We calculated he burned approximately 5,500 calories during that seven- hour stretch that he did that one day. He can't replace 5,500 calories and still play tennis. Your stomach couldn't handle it. He just have to eat little bits of carbs throughout the match and drink little bits of fluids that contains sodium.
So that you can become delirious because there's no way you can replace everything. All you can do is your best.
ACOSTA: And medically probably not a good idea for him to be playing tennis right now which is apparently what he's doing. So we'll have to check in on his condition as the -- as the game goes on.
Elizabeth Cohen live in Atlanta for us this morning. Thanks a lot, Elizabeth. Appreciate it.
COHEN: Thanks.
ACOSTA: And, Carol, this got us thinking about some of the other epic sporting events of all time besides anchoring three hours of AMERICAN MORNING. Here are a couple in your "A.M. Extra". Sorry I had to fill that in.
First boxing, April 6, 1893, you remember this date. Andy Bowen and Jack Burke in a fight to the finish for a $2,500 purse after seven hours and 19 minutes and 110 rounds. The boxers too pooped to punch and the match was declared a no contest.
The longest baseball game ever played in terms of innings was between the Brooklyn Robins that were later named the Dodgers and The Boston Braves, 26 innings. They didn't have lights at the ballparks back in 1920, so it was called a one-to-one tie due to darkness. And here is another sign of the times. Both pitchers were still in the game.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. That wouldn't happen today, would it?
ACOSTA: Yes. Exactly.
COSTELLO: Top stories coming your way right after the break.
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