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American Morning

General Petraeus Reports for Duty in Afghanistan; Taliban Attacks U.S. Agency; Alleged Russian Spy Admits Ties; NYC's Full-Court Press for LeBron; Court's Female Touch; Spill Cleanup Gets Political; New Job Numbers; California Wage War; H1N1 Vaccines Tossed

Aired July 02, 2010 - 06:00   ET

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


JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Friday morning to you. Thanks so much for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. It's July 2nd, the beginning of the 4th of July weekend. It's great to have you with us. I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. We have a lot to talk about this morning, so we'll get right to it.

America's new top man in Afghanistan reporting for duty this morning. General David Petraeus has now left the hallowed halls of Washington and headed to the dangerous battlefields in Afghanistan. So what will the four-star general be seeing on the ground? We're going to be live at the Pentagon and in Kabul.

ROBERTS: Skewing over the skimmers, a super tanker literally a whale of a ship is now headed to the cleanup in the gulf, but a Republican congressman still says the government is wasting precious time and resources. Why he says the cleanup efforts are just a show.

CHETRY: Plus, after meeting with the Knicks and the Nets, who will LeBron James talk to next and where will he finally end up? A lot of speculation out there about LeBron James, his future, the NBA's most sought after free agent. Our own Max Kellerman is here to talk about it, coming up.

And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation right now. Go to CNN.com/amFIX.

First, though, we start with what happened overnight. General David Petraeus on his way to Afghanistan. This is video right now, the stopover in Brussels, Belgium before heading on to Afghanistan. It's been two days since he was confirmed for the job and now he has to study the battle plan, get his staff in place and try to turn things around after the deadliest month of the nine-year war.

ROBERTS: Well, paying for progress isn't cheap. President Obama asked for billions more to win this war and late last night despite the growing discord between Democrats and the president's policy, the House approved $37 billion to fund the fight in Afghanistan. And the war is raging on during the change in command. Overnight, the Taliban claiming responsibility for an attack on a U.S. aid agency in northern Afghanistan. At least four people were killed in that. CHETRY: And as we've talked about this morning, we have the story covered like no one else. Our Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon. We also have Atia Abawi live in Kabul. But first, let's start with Barbara.

It's interesting to take a look at General Petraeus as he heads in country into Afghanistan. I mean, we see him at Central Command. I mean, he was in charge of CENTCOM before this, so Afghanistan was technically under his purview before.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It was indeed, but now laser focus Afghanistan, Kiran, will be his sole job. He is expected to be on the ground in Kabul within hours, arriving later today. And, as you say, he comes at a point after stopping at NATO where he is about to fly into skyrocketing violence in that country.

In the latest, some of the latest developments in eastern Afghanistan now, the commander there has put new restrictions on troops being able to travel in Humvees. That's how bad the violence is. These Humvees, of course, we have seen for years in the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan now considered too dangerous because of the skyrocketing roadside bombs. So, now, if soldiers need to go in a Humvee, it's going to require special permission.

How bad is the violence that Petraeus is flying into? Let's look at a couple of key statistics here.

We know June just last month the deadliest month of the nine-year war. But look at the newest statistics. June of 2010, more than 100 coalition forces killed, 58 of them U.S. And that is more than double what it was just one year ago. Of course, there's more troops on the ground, but, still, a doubling of those killed.

Those IEDs, those roadside bombs, the number one killer of U.S. troops. Look at the statistics on just how bad it has gotten with the IEDs. May is the month for the latest statistics we have. May 2010, more than 1,100 IED incidents and that compares to May of last year, just over 500. Again, a doubling of the violence. That's what General Petraeus is facing on the ground, Kiran.

CHETRY: A lot of challenges certainly as you just showed us. Barbara Starr for us this morning. Thanks so much.

ROBERTS: And as we mentioned this morning, U.S. troops in northern Afghanistan are locked in a fierce battle with the Taliban. Our Atia Abawi is live in Kabul for us this morning. Atia, run down the latest for us, if you would.

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the fighting is over after a six and a half hour gun battle between Taliban forces and NATO forces. This happened -- it started around 3:00 in the morning according to the governor of Kunduz province, where six Taliban suicide bomber and gunmen tried to ram into the DAI compound. That's a subcontractor for USAID. The first suicide bomber detonated his vest at the gate making way for a car to come in where they then detonated the car bomb. The four remaining gunmen went into the compound and the governor said many lives were saved because once the people inside the compound heard the fighting begin, they ran up to the roof and they locked themselves up there. But again, the gun battle did rage on. In the end, four people were killed. Two foreigners and two Afghan nationals, including an Afghan police officer and an Afghan guard.

I should also mention that the Taliban themselves gave us a call early this morning to say that they had attacked the building with six gunmen giving somewhat of a similar account to the governor except they claimed to have killed nearly 52 people inside the compound. The governor, as well as security forces, saying that is not true -- John

ROBERTS: So, when General David Petraeus arrives on the ground there and makes an assessment of the situation, how might potential negotiations with the Taliban factor into his overall plan and does the Taliban even seem to be interested in negotiations?

ABAWI: Well, General Petraeus, when he comes in, he's going to have to look at every single option. The war in Afghanistan has obviously gotten much worse in the last couple of years. And when you look at northern Afghanistan where this attack this morning took place, just a few years ago, that was called the safe part of Afghanistan and the last year alone we've seen attacks over and over in that area. NATO forces also being killed there and it's not just negotiating with the Taliban, John. That's what's talked about here and talked about with the government, but the spokesperson says that will never happen. But when you look at it, too, there might be some insurgent groups that are willing to negotiate. But the Taliban are very fractionalized right now. You can't talk to one group and another group in the same fashion -- John.

ROBERTS: Atia Abawi for us in Kabul this morning. Atia, thanks so much.

CHETRY: Some other stories new this morning. Scary moments for an elephant handler at the Toledo Zoo. Officials say that Don Redfox was attacked yesterday by a 7-year-old elephant named Louie. He had been caring for the elephant since its birth. The 53-year-old zookeeper had to go to the hospital but officials say his injuries are not life threatening.

ROBERTS: Jaycee Dugard kidnapped as a child and held captive for 18 years is getting $20 million to settle her claim against California's Department of Corrections. Dugard was found last year, you'll remember, in the backyard of Phillp Garrrido, a registered sex offender who investigators say fathered Dugard's two daughters during her captivity. Garrido had been on parole since 1988.

CHETRY: Well, you know, they don't want you to smoke, we all know that, but in New York City they're putting their money where their mouth is. The average price now for cigarettes in New York City almost $11. That's for a pack, not a carton. State lawmakers just approving an additional $1.60 tax on cigarettes. That means that per pack you're paying nearly $6 in state and local taxes. New York City also already had the highest cigarette prices in the country. ROBERTS: And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg leading the charge to get NBA superstar LeBron James in a Knick uniform. Bloomberg telling CNN's John King last night that while he can't help LeBron with his jump shot, New York is a great place to live and work.

Our resident sports guy Max Kellerman joins us in 10 minutes with his take on all of this. And he's got some pretty interesting theories on where he thinks LeBron is going to end up and why those theories just might hold water.

CHETRY: Yes, we'll see. We should know soon enough, but it's fun to talk about it as all these cities hope and pray that "King James" is going to come to their grounds.

Well, meanwhile, it's seven minutes past the hour. We're going to get a check of the forecast this morning and everyone is paying attention, of course, because for most it's a holiday weekend.

Hey, Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kiran and John.

Well, Alex is still making trouble for Texas. We still have a lot of rain sweeping into the Houston metropolitan area this morning. And because of that, we're actually anticipating the risk for flooding. It's not just Houston. Widespread thunderstorms popping up particularly in and around the Tampa Bay area in Florida, but the flood concern is mainly for Texas. And here's the reason why.

Look at the totals in terms of precipitation from Alex. Almost 10 inches of rain in Rancho Viejo in Texas. We've got Brownsville not much less than that, so a lot of rain in an area that's been dry. So when you start factoring that all in, it makes a big difference in terms of how much moisture the ground can actually hold.

Flash flood warnings are in effect from Corpus Christi all the way up to areas of Galveston, Texas. That means we could see more flooding with an additional one to three inches of rain. Lighter amounts will accumulate in Orlando and Tampa, but we run the risk of flooding in areas that tend to flood quickly in some of the streets there.

Finally, as we look ahead, we'll be looking at nice weather for today for the northeast, but changes are on the way. Get used to these temperatures just for one day, John and Kiran, because by the time we get to the fourth, you'll be seeing about a high of 95 to 96 degrees in New York, almost 100 in Philadelphia.

ROBERTS: You know, a 4th of July just isn't a 4th of July unless you're sweating while you're out there barbequing.

SCHNEIDER: You will be.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Bonnie, so much. He was living a double life. One accused Russian spy now admits he's a fake. Just ahead, hear the dramatic confession from the man who says working for the Russian government is more important than the relationship that he has with his own son, and where the case stands for the other suspects, yes, including Anna Chapman.

Nine minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twelve minutes after the hour. As we get you set to head into your holiday weekend, the 4th of July, new developments in that suspected Russian spy ring this morning. One of the accused is now admitting that he worked for the Russians saying that the agency is even more important than his relationship with his own son. But a judge still granted his wife, another accused spy, bail.

CHETRY: There are nine defendants and they were scheduled to have detention hearings in federal court yesterday. And our Susan Candiotti following the story for us as it continues to unravel.

So, some pretty sensational confessions, at least from one of the suspects even as the wife was saying she had nothing to do with it.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty amazing stuff if all of this is true. And you know, they slipped this confession in, alleged confession in, in some court papers. And that's where the government said that this man had admitted that he, in fact, worked for the Russian intelligence agency, that he was on their payroll. So, after that the court finally said that Lazaro, he's a Spanish language newspaper reporter, and it says that he allegedly told federal agents that although he loved his son, he would not violate his loyalty to the service, even for his own son.

Now, government papers state that on the day the FBI arrested Lazaro last Sunday, he allegedly waived his Miranda rights and said Juan Lazaro is not his real name, although he wouldn't say what it is. And he added that the service pay for his house in Yonkers. Now, prosecutors said that Lazaro also admitted he was born in the Soviet Union, not Uruguay.

ROBERTS: So it sounds like he threw his wife under the bus in this confession.

CANDIOTTI: Oh, yes, he kind of did.

ROBERTS: And not to mention his son, too.

CANDIOTTI: It sure would appear to be that way. I mean, he said that his wife also, she's co-defendant Vicky Pelaez, that she had delivered letters for him to the service. And he waived his bail hearing naturally. It doesn't seem likely that he'll be freed on bail.

CHETRY: The strange part though is that if he was trying to protect the Russian government, this confession doesn't help in any way.

CANDIOTTI: It doesn't, certainly. And, you know, although it seems as though the main argument for the government is that not so much that they're necessarily a danger but it does appear they're worried about a flight risk. Because they're saying it would be really easy for these people especially in New York to walk down the street to the Russian embassy or perhaps the defendants in Washington to do the same thing. So --

CHETRY: We know that happened in Cyprus, right.

CANDIOTTI: Exactly.

CHETRY: One of the suspects made bail and then --

CANDIOTTI: He jumped bail, right. And he's still at large.

CHETRY: All right, Susan Candiotti for us this morning. The other interesting thing is why did Lazaro's wife get bail but nobody else got bail?

CANDIOTTI: Yes. The judge decided to release her because he said she didn't seem to have the same kind of training that all the other people did. And so he freed her on a $250,000 bail, personal recognizance although she does have to wear an ankle bracelet and she'll be under strict home supervision. So they will be keeping an eye on here. And in Boston, no bail for those people, no bail yet for the people that are in Washington, D.C.

ROBERTS: Any news on Anna Chapman, the one that everybody is fascinated with?

CANDIOTTI: Well, you know, "The Daily Telegraph" in London today reported they interviewed her ex-husband and they said that he said that his wife told them that her father used to be a KBG agent, so perhaps all this is starting to make more sense.

ROBERTS: Interesting.

CANDIOTTI: And he said that her - her relationship and her personality had changed over the last few years when she started meeting with Russian friends and this kind of thing in London. And so he said, I actually wasn't surprised to - to hear this of information.

ROBERTS: And now there's all these people who are meeting her at business meetings and things like that, you know, entrepreneurial gatherings, saying, wow, I didn't know anything about that. So they - they really all seem to fly under the radar.

Susan, thanks.

CANDIOTTI: You're welcome.

ROBERTS: Good to see you this morning.

The Knicks, the Nets, even Mayor Bloomberg - when all of New York should be locked into the Mets and the Yankees, the City that Never Sleeps is making a full-court press to lure LeBron. Max Kellerman joins us, coming up next.

It's 16 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Nineteen minutes now after the hour and "Minding Your Business" this morning.

The Dow, the NASDAQ, the S&P 500 all start the trading day today at their lowest point all year. The Dow is down 41 points to 9733, its lowest close since October 30th of last year, all likely reacting to worst than expected news on manufacturing, housing and the job market.

Another wow?

CHETRY: I mean, no, it is, and I don't know if the news is going to get better today, unfortunately, with the June job numbers coming out now.

ROBERTS: All right. Well, let's take a look at what's happening overseas.

Things are mixed. Japan's Nikkei finished up 12 points - oh, not wow - while Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost over 1 percent. The main markets in Europe are all up right now, London FTSE adding about a half a percent, so maybe, just maybe it will be a good day as we head into the holiday weekend.

CHETRY: We'll see.

Meantime, basketball fans are sort of eclipsing baseball fans right now. People aren't talking about the Mets and Yankees. If you go anywhere around New York, everyone's talking about whether or not the city will land LeBron James, and this conversation is taking place in other cities, of course, around the country. He is now the NBA's most sought-after free agent.

ROBERTS: And along with the Knicks, the Nets, even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made his plea while talking last night to our John King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The criticism (ph) -

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: Come on, LeBron.

KING: That's what I was wondering. What can the mayor do to get LeBron to New York?

BLOOMBERG: Well, I don't know that he can do a lot. He's not called me and asked me. I can't tell him how to fix his jump shot.

What I can tell him is New York's a great place to - to live and to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Let's bring our CNN sports contributor Max Kellerman who's got to be happy that he's not talking about soccer this morning.

What about tax breaks? They offer tax breaks to businesses that come in to New York City.

MAX KELLERMAN, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Actually -

ROBERTS: This guy's a business onto himself.

KELLERMAN: Yes. Yes. He's going to generate so much money if he were to come to New York. The Knicks commissioned a study that showed that he would - it was - it was in one of the local papers this morning, that in endorsements he would make 30 percent or so more than the next biggest market that he could possibly go to, at least $1 billion in endorsement money over the lifetime of his stay in New York, were he to come.

CHETRY: So there were a lot of speculation where is he going to go? It was interesting yesterday to hear Stephen A. Smith who's going out on a limb yesterday on 'THE NEWSROOM". He seemed convinced he was going to Miami, so I want you to -

KELLERMAN: He is my boy. That's what he said.

CHETRY: I want to hear what - I want to hear what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN A. SMITH, SPORTS JOURNALIST: Dwyane Wade has Pat Riley, he has South Beach, which I am here to inform you is a very, very big deal.

They literally have enough room for three maximum contract players. So you're talking about not just LeBron with D. Wade, but potentially a Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer. No other team could do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KELLERMAN: It's - the thing about Miami is, first of all, you're living in Miami. That's pretty great to begin with, but they also have - not -- Pat Riley's down there and he has this, you know, this great coach and really motivated winner, and Dwyane Wade's already there and they could bring in another player. That's true, and that's appealing about Miami. It's not even a top five market in this country. It's not, you know -

And then you look at Chicago and Chicago is the third biggest market in the country. There's no way you can surpass what Michael - you'll - you'll never be Michael Jordan in Chicago. It's almost - you know, no one's ever been as good as Jordan. It's unlikely you'll - and, anyway, Chicago and Miami are both really football towns, primarily.

ROBERTS: But you got the -- you got a theory here that he goes to New York and then Brooklyn?

KELLERMAN: You got to - you know, I know people like the late great Jack Newfield, great journalist and author, who used to tell me that he thought the three biggest Antichrists of the 20th Century were Hitler, Stalin and O'Malley for moving the Dodgers out of Brooklyn in 1957.

And because so much sport literature and journalism has come out of New York, other than the fact that it's this, you know, media center of the world, there's this mythology that's grown up around New York and Brooklyn, once Brooklyn lost the Dodgers, that, you know, this - this desire for this Major League franchise in Brooklyn. And I think it would be probably the sexiest ticket in sports where the Nets in Brooklyn with LeBron James.

Think about - talk about, you know, how -

ROBERTS: So - so he comes to the Knicks for a little while -

KELLERMAN: He either stays in Cleveland or goes to the Knicks. But, at any rate, within two or three years, I believe he's in Brooklyn.

Think about the New York, which has a reputation of being a baseball town, and you mentioned you can't talk about the Yankees or the Mets right now. It's all about LeBron. In the late '80s - the late '80s, 25 years ago, just about, the Knicks were getting $1,000 for a courtside seat.

So, John, let me ask you something. You're in Brooklyn - Brooklyn. LeBron James is winning championships. What does a courtside seat cost to a Nets game in two or three years? $10,000?

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: -- more than $1,000. Yes.

CHETRY: Why wouldn't he just go to the Nets in the first place?

KELLERMAN: Because they're in Jersey right now. He can't play - (INAUDIBLE) not going to play in Newark. I strongly doubt he's going to be in Newark for the next couple of years.

CHETRY: When are we going to know for sure?

KELLERMAN: July 5th, apparently, is the date that he's going to make a decision, so it's coming right up right after the holiday.

ROBERTS: All right. Well, we will take your theories and we will see how they measure up against reality. I like your - I like - I like your thinking.

KELLERMAN: Well, thank you, Sir. Well, I'm from New York, so of course I think he's going to the -- if I was from Chicago, I'd think he's going to Chicago.

ROBERTS: And if you were from Miami?

KELLERMAN: I'd be sure - who wouldn't want to live in Miami? You go to Miami when you're done. First, you live your life in New York, and then you retire down there. Doesn't LeBron know how this goes?

ROBERTS: Max, it's great to see you this morning.

CHETRY: Well, coming up, if Elena Kagan's confirmed, the Supreme Court would be a third female. How much does that actually matter? Carol Costello has a "Gut Check" for us, coming up.

It's 24 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twenty-seven minutes after the hour. We're back with the Most News in the Morning.

She got the grilling, but Elena Kagan keeps on ticking. Her confirmation as the next Supreme Court justice seems all but assured now.

CHETRY: And so that would mean there would be three female justices on the high court.

Carol Costello joins us this morning with a "Gut Check" live in Washington. How much does gender matter on the Supreme Court, Carol?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, you might be surprised, Kiran. While gender wasn't an overt issue at Kagan's confirmation hearings, Kagan's gender certainly prompted a spirited conversation before those hearings began.

So, we wonder, do women judges rule differently than men? And, if they do, what does it mean? A "Gut Check" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENA KAGAN, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE NOMINEE: I do.

COSTELLO (voice-over): If Elena Kagan is confirmed, many women, especially those who lean Left, will be elated. Gloria Allred, a lawyer known for representing high-profile women who've been victims of domestic abuse or discrimination is one of them.

GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: Where there are more women and not just a token woman or maybe even two, I do think that that is going to be important in terms of the court's ultimate perspective on issues.

COSTELLO: But is that true?

The answer is not so simple. One study found no significant difference in the way female and male judges decided cases, except one - sex discrimination. In those cases, female judges were 10 percent more likely to rule in favor of the victim.

Judge Emily Goodman is a New York State Supreme Court Justice. She says women do look at issues a certain way, but -

JUDGE EMILY JANE GOODMAN, NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: Whether that will dictate the outcome is a whole different story, because you have to put your understanding, your experiences into the framework of the law.

COSTELLO: Take for example U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Remember the Lilly Ledbetter case? Ledbetter accused her employer of pay discrimination. The majority of the court ruled against her, not because it didn't happen, but because the discrimination had occurred years earlier.

Justice Ginsburg, the only woman on the Supreme Court at the time, disagreed with the majority.

RUTH BADER GINSBURG, FORMER U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: The court does not comprehend or is indifferent to the insidious way in which women can be victims of pay discrimination.

COSTELLO: But what about abortion? In 2007, the court upheld a law that banned a type of late-term abortion. Again, the lone woman on the court at the time, Justice Ginsburg, spoke out, calling the ruling alarming. Keep in mind, though, three male justices sided with Ginsburg.

So does gender necessarily color every decision?

MARCIA GREENBERGER, NATIONAL WOMEN'S LAW CTR.: What's so good about having both men and women as part of that decision is they, they can bring their experiences to bear to figure out what the law really was intended to mean and how it applies in practices and to enrich your decision-making process for having both men and women on the court.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor famously said a wise old woman and a wise old man will reach the same conclusion. And studies have shown she's right at least 90 percent of the time, you know, because those sexual discrimination cases in 10 percent of the cases, women judges rule differently than men.

We want to know what you think this morning. You can write to me on my blog at CNN.com/amFIX. It doesn't matter if you're a man and a woman and what kind of judicial decision you make - CNN.com/amFIX.

CHETRY: Carol Costello for us this morning -- great stuff, thanks.

Meanwhile, we're crossing the half hour right now -- time for a look of this morning's top stories.

General David Petraeus is taking command in Afghanistan. He'll arrive later today, nine days after his predecessor, General Stanley McChrystal, was relieved of his duties. Petraeus' arrival in Afghanistan is marked by violence. The Taliban is claiming responsibility for an attack on a USAID agency that killed at least four people.

ROBERTS: NASA extending its shuttle countdown. The space agency making it official yesterday, the last space shuttle flight is now scheduled for February of next year. The flight was originally scheduled for November but pushed back because of technical difficulties. There's still, though, just two launches left before NASA retires its shuttle flight.

CHETRY: And now that former Hurricane Alex has lost its punch and the waves are calming, crews in the Gulf are hoping to get back to the oil spill today. The head of the EPA will also be in Louisiana for a town hall meeting and to oversee how BP is managing the waste from the cleanup.

ROBERTS: Well, hoping to dent on the massive oil slick, the mother of all skimmers, a converted supertanker aptly named "Whale" has move into the Gulf. It promises to be able to skim about 300,000 barrels in less than 10 hour's time, that's as much as 500 smaller boats.

But there are nagging concerns that too much of the cleaning equipment is just sitting there doing nothing. For that, we're going to bring in Allan Chernoff. He's in New Orleans this morning.

Allan, Republican Congressman Darrell Issa is accusing the government of holding out on resources. Is there something to his argument?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, the congressman is saying that the unified command is providing phantom assets, claiming that a certain number of boats are out there cleaning up the oil when, in fact, a far, smaller number are actually at work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF (voice-over): After visiting the Louisiana coast, Republican Congressman Darrel Issa claims areas most vulnerable to oil slicks are not getting the resources they've been promised, even told that they've received. Plaquemines Parish officials told congressional investigators that BP and the Coast Guard had a map indicating 140 vessels were cleaning up oil in the area when less than a quarter of that number were at work.

REP. DARRYL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: It's very clear they didn't have 140 skimmers on the water in the location they said they had.

CHERNOFF: The congressman says part of the problem is the White House has been slow to accept foreign help -- a charge the administration denies.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It's a myth that has been debunked literally hundreds of times. We're already 24 foreign vessels that were operating in the Gulf before the State Department announced two days ago additional international assistance.

CHERNOFF: Political battles aside, what is clear is there are not as many oil cleanup vessels as could be used. The unified command, which includes BP and federal agencies, has been deploying oil skimmers, which skim oil off the water. There are, according to the Coast Guard, just over 500 vessels prepared to do the job once the seas settle after Hurricane Alex.

St. Bernard Parish president says the process has been too slow and bureaucratic, so he's putting local fishermen to work cleaning up oil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're converting our own shrimp boats, our own oyster loggers into skimming task force -- task forces that are winding up being a very efficient way to skim oil using the ability and the skills of our local fishermen.

CHERNOFF: A shortage of skimmers is the problem, claims BP. "The issue is not about paying for them, it's finding them."

The Coast Guard tells CNN it's found another 25 coming from the Navy, to which former General Russel Honore says, what took so long?

RUSSEL HONORE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: We got to fix the command and control problem. We need more command and control at sea. To control the vessels, we need to break it down into sectors and zones, and put the command and control there so we get the skimmer at the right place and we get them in the right numbers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF: A big part of the issue is that the unified command is actually a cooperative organization. It's the Coast Guard, other federal agencies working in concert with BP and Transocean. General Honore says there needs to be one commander giving orders -- John and Kiran.

ROBERTS: Allan Chernoff this morning from New Orleans -- Allan, thanks.

We just want to also mention that we are going to take you onboard that mother of all skimmers, the "A-Whale," coming up in our next hour. Ed Lavandera paid a visit to it yesterday. It's quite a piece of technology, too.

CHETRY: It's amazing. About hundreds of thousands of gallons it can skim.

ROBERTS: Big, big boat.

CHETRY: Yes. Well, I look forward to seeing that. And I'm sure you guys are, too.

Meanwhile, this was supposed to be a big lure. Back to the beaches of Alabama, a Gulf benefit concert ended up being no match for Hurricane Alex. ROBERTS: It was postponed. Still, Jimmy Buffett rallied for his fans, belting out some of his most popular tunes. Thousands of people showed up to watch the homegrown musical hero. So, it's being rescheduled, though, it's going to bigger and better.

You know, all you Parrotheads out there, Jimmy Buffett never fails to disappoint.

CHETRY: No, especially this time of year.

ROBERTS: Oh, yes.

CHETRY: They go hand in hand.

Well, it is Fourth of July weekend and also means it's time for Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest, happening in Coney Island every year. And there's a look at reigning champ Joey Chestnut. He is here to give you some pointers for setting your own gut-busting record this weekend.

It's 36 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

CHETRY: Beautiful shots this morning of, of course, the firework displays. You're going to see a bunch of those these Sunday. And also, we saw the Statue of Liberty. So, a lot of people are getting excited for the Fourth of July holiday for many reasons.

It is actually the second biggest day on the calendar behind Thanksgiving for the world's biggest department store. Macy's is getting ready for its 34th Annual July Fourth Firework Celebration. It takes place here in Manhattan every year for blocks and blocks, people from all over come to see the celebration which for the second year in a row will be over the Hudson River and if you're in town, the show starts at 9:20 on the dot Eastern Time. Macy's says to get there early the best spots. Of course, they're along the West Side Highway, between 24th and 57th streets.

And along with the fireworks, by the way, another huge storied American tradition. It's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. And for the past three years, one name has dominated the Coney Island event and he is here to talk strategy for this year's contest.

Three-time champ Joey Chestnut joins us now.

Thanks for being here. It's great to see you. You have the mustered belt with you. What an honor. You had to work much harder to win it last year -- 68 hot dogs.

JOEY CHESTNUT, NATHAN'S HOTDOG-EATING CHAMPION: Sixty-eight. The competition is pushing me hard.

CHETRY: Well, in 2005, you ate about 35. So, how does -- how do you exponentially be able to eat that many more hot dogs in five years?

CHESTNUT: Well, 2005 is my first year. I was just figuring my body. But as I became more involved in competitive eating, I learned how to push my body to new limits, and I wanted to -- I wanted to get the title and be able to hold on to it.

CHETRY: Sixty-eight hot dogs is definitely quite a limit. Let me ask you, though --

CHESTNUT: You can't think like that, you have to think, new limits.

CHETRY: Right. And, in fact, you've been doing training. And in your practice runs, you actually can eat more than 68.

CHESTNUT: Yes. I've done more than 68. So, I'm looking forward to it.

CHETRY: Are those head games for your competition or you really can eat more than 68?

CHESTNUT: I really can.

CHETRY: That's unbelievable.

Well, you know, the big talk is, of course, the rivalry between you and Takeru Kobayashi. I mean, he was the one who won it all the time before you came on the scene. And now, this year, apparently, there's some contract dispute with Major League Eating.

CHESTNUT: It's the contract I'm locked into and all the other eaters are in. He should just sign it. The same contract he was in for seven years.

CHETRY: So, do you think this is sort of a fake out on his part?

CHESTNUT: Oh, yes. I think he'll end up competing last minute and just try to surprise everybody.

CHETRY: Because a couple of years ago, he said that he had hurt his jaw. There were questions about whether or not he was going to be able to eat more than 12, and he ended up eating 63.

CHESTNUT: Yes. He told everybody the day before the contest, oh, I might not compete. I might only eat 12.

CHETRY: What is the secret, by the way? Because you look like -- I mean, if I saw you on the street, I'd go, OK, that guy eats like probably a Cobb salad for lunch, maybe he has some chicken breasts and some grilled broccoli for dinner. I mean, and you eat incredible amounts of fat and calories and you look fined.

CHESTNUT: Well, I do love the Cobb salads but I just monitor my calorie intake while I'm training for contest. I will do a practice contest and I'll fast for days, just drink water.

CHETRY: That's what you're in right now.

CHESTNUT: Yes.

CHETRY: Which is why you're not going to be eating hotdogs. But you're going to be giving our wonderful producer Rick Saleeby some tips.

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: You're going to get to coach them.

I just want to ask you this because at one point you said you ate 15 pounds of grits. I mean, how does that even fit in your stomach?

CHESTNUT: Oh, it fits in there. It's not comfortable either. And grits aren't good either. It's tough on the body.

CHETRY: Grits are no good in terms of competitor eating. You love --

CHESTNUT: I love hotdogs.

CHETRY: -- chicken wings.

CHESTNUT: Chicken wings.

CHETRY: You love hotdogs. Nathan's are a little garlicky, that doesn't get to you after 68?

CHESTNUT: No. It's good. It's a pretty eating taste and it's all beef. So, they're good.

CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE) you love that.

CHESTNUT: Oh, they're sweet.

CHETRY: Sonia "The 100-pound" Thomas, she likes hard-boiled eggs. That seems pretty gross actually.

CHESTNUT: You know, I've never been able to compete against her in hard boiled eggs, but I love to. It's the ultimate challenge (INAUDIBLE) what from everybody knows about competitive eating.

CHETRY: All right. Well, we are going to bring in our Rick Saleeby. We have -- how many hot dogs over there, Rick?

RICK SALEEBY, CNN PRODUCER: Six.

CHETRY: Six hotdog and we're going to time him. So, stopwatch. Stopwatch, Joey. And we're going to see. All right, should he just start or you want to give him a tip?

CHESTNUT: Well, he should be ready to move both hands at the same time doing different things. One hand should be eating the meat and the other should be dunking the bun in water.

CHETRY: OK. All right. So, do you hear the dunking the bun in water. You ready to go for it, Rick?

SALEEBY: I think so.

CHETRY: All right.

CHESTNUT: So you're going to have to separate them.

CHETRY: All right. We're going to start timing now -- 43:15 -- go!

CHESTNUT: Start eating and dunk the bun in water while you're eating.

CHETRY: OK. There you go.

CHESTNUT: Slam it against your mouth. Eating contest -- not a pretty eating contest.

CHETRY: It's all right, he's known for this. He ate some ridiculous five-pound sandwich at this Manhattan --

CHESTNUT: Put the meat in your mouth.

CHETRY: Now, he's going to try two at a time. All right. Now, we're getting somewhere.

CHESTNUT: Some body movement, some body movement, move it down.

CHETRY: All right. It's been -- it's been 30 second, right, guys? Thirty seconds so far. Keep going. You know, the producers, the other producers, have their money on you finishing this in a minute. I told them 2:30.

CHESTNUT: Dunk the bun in water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, Rick!

CHETRY: Dunk the bun in water. Keep going.

CHESTNUT: There's no way he's going to make it. No way.

CHETRY: I said 2:30.

ROBERTS: See, I told him, don't -- he was drinking the water earlier and we said, don't drink the water.

CHETRY: Forty-three seconds.

ROBERTS: Oh, Rick. Oh, man.

CHETRY: Don't let us get in your head, Rick, keep going.

Any other advice?

(CROSSTALK)

CHESTNUT: Remember to breathe. A lot of people just forget to breathe.

CHETRY: All right. This is officially one minute.

All right, well, how many did he do in a minute?

ROBERTS: I think he throws up. We're bringing over a trash can just in case.

(LAUGHTER)

CHETRY: Does this make you -- I mean, is this an amateur?

CHESTNUT: It's exciting.

CHETRY: Do you feel bad for him?

CHESTNUT: It makes me just want to get out there and eat.

ROBERTS: So, how much time is left?

CHESTNUT: I really have to wait until Sunday.

CHETRY: Well, he's at 1:20. We're going to let him keep eating for a second and I'll just --- we're going to check back in with him.

CHESTNUT: All right.

CHETRY: And meanwhile, I love how this is sponsored by Pepto- Bismol. A lot of people ask, how have you eat that much? I mean, don't you feel like you're going to --

CHESTNUT: You know, I don't feel like throwing up, after the contest it settles and then my body starts producing a ridiculous amount of acid to start digesting it.

CHETRY: Right.

CHESTNUT: And I'll get a little heartburn but Pepto-Bismol is--

CHETRY: A little heart burn?

CHESTNUT: I mean, my body is made for this, and I've been, I mean, pretty much I go to the Pepto-Bismol. I've been know it for years.

CHETRY: So, you also said that you go to the doctor every four months just to monitor your vitals and to make sure that you're OK. I mean, what is your doctor say to you?

CHESTNUT: The doctor I'm going to now is an awesome. He's a doctor feel good. He's on my side. He likes to monitor my diet and monitor, I recover after every contest.

CHETRY: I mean, I'm just trying to think, let's see, how many grams of fat are in each Nathan's hotdog, is it like 26 per hotdog? CHESTNUT: We're looking at a couple kilos. But, I mean, you have to look at it. In the long run, I'm fasting for days going into the contest, and afterwards, I'm really monitoring my diet, and I do run. I'll run three times a week, three miles at least, and it's -- your body can build and adapt to anything. I like run 26 miles, my body might --

CHETRY: That also seems inhumane talking about marathons. I don't know how people do that. I don't know how you do yours, but congratulations. You're going for win number four at Nathans. We wish you the best of luck.

CHESTNUT: Thank you so much.

CHETRY: Great to talk to you, Joey. And let's just check in one more time with Rick. Where are we at now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2:55.

CHETRY: 2:55, and how many hot dogs --

CHESTNUT: Jump up and down a little bit.

CHETRY: What does that do?

CHESTNUT: It makes the food settle down in your stomach.

CHETRY: All right. We don't want to put him on the spot anymore. We'll check back in with him after the commercial break and see what happens -- John.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: He was so stoked for this, six hot dogs in a minute, no problem, I can do that, but, what's the matter, Rick?

CHETRY: He'll have to get back to you.

ROBERTS: Rick said -- that's the problem. He went in overconfident. It's perfect weekend to hit the beach. Our Bonnie Schneider got the July Fourth forecast right after the break. It's 47 minutes after the hour.

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CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour. I don't think I'm going to have to eat for days after --

ROBERTS: Just watching him trying to eat those hotdogs, I'm not going to be hungry for a week.

CHETRY: This morning, we have a check of the weather headlines. Bonnie Schneider is in the Extreme Weather Center. See, everyone is counting on you, Bonnie, for a good forecast. The hotdog eaters, the fireworks people, everyone.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: If hot weather makes you hungry for the fourth, you're going to get it at Coney Island for the hotdog eating contest. Absolutely, it's going to be a scorcher in the city. I'll show you that in a moment. But first, look at all the rain that's hitting the Gulf Coast particularly into Texas. You got it at the remnants of Alex that really brought a lot of rain. These rainfall totals are incredible, considering it's still raining in many of these locations, almost 10 inches in Rancho Veijo. In Texas, also down in Brownsville, almost ten inches with still more rain in the forecast.

We'll see that at the McCook area, as well. So, flash flood advisories are posted all the way from Brownsville straight along across the Louisiana border into New Orleans. We're watching out for the risk of flooding straight through the afternoon today because we're expecting an inch to three inches of additional rainfall with the heaviest here in Texas and considerable flow coming from Alex. And notice, we have a stationary front that's also helping to enhance the rain in Northern Florida and even down in South Florida, I'm expecting some heavy thunderstorms in Tampa to remain in morning and stick around for the rest of the day.

We'll have to show that Happy Fourth of July. Look at this forecast. Scattered storms through the center of the country, but check this out in the northeast. We are looking at a lot of heat. It's going to be a hot one for the Fourth. This is your New York City extended forecast. So, add on another three degrees for Philadelphia. So, New York City for today, 82, but then climbing up to 95 degrees on Sunday for the Fourth.

It will feel even hotter than that, and remember, I mentioned Philadelphia. You'll see a high of 97 on Sunday and 100 degrees on Monday. So, for those of you that had the Fifth of July off or the Fourth of July, you are going to be seeing a lot of heat in the northeast that's really going to be building in. A great time to head to the beaches. Back to you.

ROBERTS: You like it hot on the Fourth of July, it's summer after all, right? Bonnie, thanks so much.

This morning's stop stories just minutes away now including the general reporting for duty. Day one in Afghanistan for General David Petraeus, it's already a bloody one, too. We're live on the ground of Kabul for the challenges and the cost ahead.

CHETRY: At 25 after, a powerful "AM Original," a walk to school where you need to watch your step. Following Chicago teens on some of the meanest streets out there. T.J. Holmes takes a walk in their shoes.

ROBERTS: And at ten minutes to 8:00 eastern, bring in the bugs from the world's largest oil skimmer to some of the smallest forms of life. Can oil-eating bacteria save the Gulf of Mexico? Those stories and more coming your way beginning at the top of the hour.

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ROBERTS: Fifty-five and a half minutes after the hour and new this morning, in a little more than 90 minutes time, new job numbers will be released by the labor department. Economists are predicting that the economy shed about 110,000 jobs mostly because of census workers being let go and that the unemployment rate is going to go up at tenth of a point to 9.8 percent.

CHETRY: And a wage war unfolding in California right now. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordering state employees to be paid minimum wage about $7:25 an hour, unless lawmakers agree on a new state budget. The state controller says he has no intention of carrying out that pay cut.

ROBERTS: After a rush to develop the H1N1 vaccine last year, some 40 million doses of the stuff have officially expired. That's $250 million worth of vaccine up in smoke. The Department of Health and Human Services says, it's better to be prepared for a worse-case scenario than to have too few doses.

CHETRY: Do you remember, first we couldn't get your hands on it, people were so worried, and then it just sort of fizzled out.

ROBERTS: People stopped getting the vaccine because the flu kind of went away.

CHETRY: Just don't hold the salt, hold the sugar, as well. There's a new study saying that eating too many sweets could boost your risk for high blood pressure with (INAUDIBLE) that was associated with too much salt. Researchers say that the risk was greatest for people who consumed more than 74 grams of fructose a day. That's about 2-1/2 cans of regular soda a day.

ROBERTS: And from the budget airline that wants to charge passengers to use the bathroom. Dublin-based Ryanair now wants to introduce vertical seats. That's just a fancy way of saying you'll be on your feet for the entire flight. The standing room only ticket would cost between $6 and $12.

CHETRY: That doesn't sound very safe, either.

ROBERTS: No. What about this whole thing that everybody got to be in your seats before we can move to the airplane off the gate. Hey, anything for a buck, right?

CHETRY: You know, in about a year, you'll just hang off the wings and that's also half price.

ROBERTS: Maybe, they'll actually let you keep your tray table down on takeoff if you pay another 15 bucks.

CHETRY: You never know.

It's three minutes until the top of the hour. We'll have your top stories after a quick break.

ROBERTS: Want to keep your cell phone on, I have to cost you 50.

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