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American Morning

BP and Lockerbie Bomber's Release; Should Apple Recall iPhone 4; Reuniting Fathers & Their Families; Bill Clinton to Campaign for Fall Midterm Elections; CNN Tries To Investigate BP Testing Of New Cap, But Is Turned Away. Closing the Cap Is Delayed For More Testing

Aired July 14, 2010 - 08:02   ET

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

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: We want to welcome you back here. Good morning. It is Wednesday, July 14th. I'm Drew Griffin in for John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. We have a lot to talk about this morning. In addition to our other top stories.

We are following the oil. It keeps flowing. People in the Gulf keep waiting as this containment cap testing is now on hold. CNN traveled to the heart of the capping operation and we are going to see what we found.

GRIFFIN: If BP isn't in enough hot water for the oil leak, some senators want to know if this oil giant played a role in the Lockerbie bomber's release, so it could profit from Libyan oil deals. In a moment we are going to talk to New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who says the whole thing, quote, "smells rotten."

CHETRY: Plus, a thumbs down from "Consumer Reports". Tons of angry comments on the Web and host of tech blogs saying the iPhone 4 has a major design flaw. Will the problems with its antenna lead to a recall? Stick around to hear what one tech experts thinks.

GRIFFIN: Our "A.M. Fix" blog is up and running right now. You can join the conversation. Just go to CNN.com/Amfix.

CHETRY: First though, a step forward this morning. BP taking a step backward. Delaying testing on the new containment cap that's supposed to be taking place right now actually. It is now delayed. BP says it wants more time to analyze what's going on and to analyze the testing methods beneath the surface of the Gulf.

GRIFFIN: After so many failed attempts to stop this leak, I think eight, today's delay is causing concern that BP's hopes for a turning point may have run into a snag. Our David Mattingly is live in New Orleans. He spent the day yesterday with the Coast Guard trying to see what was happening out there in the Gulf, and updates us with that now--David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drew, if that well is about to be capped it surely didn't look like it when I was out on the water yesterday. In fact, I saw operations that were ramping up to collect more oil, not shutting down. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (voice over): You are looking at the U.S. Coast Guard Resolute. That ship was our ride out here. It took us overnight coming from Pensacola. Now we have arrived at our destination behind us here is a very spot where the Deepwater Horizon rig caught fire, sank to the bottom of the ocean, and started the huge environmental and economic disaster.

This is a critical time. One mile beneath my feet testing is underway to that could lead to capping the well. These images of the oil spewing into the Gulf may soon be just a bad memory. But you wouldn't know it by what you see on the surface. (on camera): Just some quick observations of what we see out here. It looks like a small city of vessels. About 10, 20 large ships out there, two of them clearly producing oil and pumping it up from below. That is where we see the large flames erupting as they burn off the natural gas that comes up.

(voice-over): I asked our Coast Guard escort to go in for a closer look. I wanted to see if there was anything going on that might show this catastrophe is turning a corner. But this was as close as we could go. We are about a mile away right now. Why can't we get any closer?

LT. PATRICK MONTGOMERY, U.S. COAST GUARD: Right now safety is paramount. Today is a very essential day in the operation. There is a lot of moving parts today. Just for the safety of the operation we need to stay about a mile back.

MATTINGLY (voice over): These operations show no signs of standing down. The new cap may bring hope that there will soon be an end to the leak. But there's still an oil sheen in the water and smoke from burning gas and oil climbs up the horizon.

(on camera): While those flames are burning, that tells you that the well has not been shut off. And it is expected to be a very dramatic moment out here when those flames behind me are finally extinguished. When that happens that means the flow of oil has been stopped and that well has been capped.

(voice-over): But in meantime, BP says that work will continue on the surface to improve oil collection. And in case their new capping plan does not work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Part of the reason why we couldn't get closer, we are told, is because they were doing some seismic testing of the area. We don't know what those results were. But we know now that what they have got was not encouraging enough for them to pursue the actual capping of that well.

So today, just like yesterday, we are waiting to see if they are going to be able to move forward and finally shut this well down, Drew. GRIFFIN: All right. Thanks, David. And failed blowout preventers we are told, are not the only threat to offshore rigs. At least, that's according to Virginia Senator Jim Webb who says the platforms could be a terrorist target. He is now calling on the Obama administration to develop plans to safeguard the oil rigs. Webb warns the lack of a secure plan could both leave the marine ecosystem, as well as certain areas or our national security at great risk.

Not sure what the proof is there.

CHETRY: Speaking of national security, a showdown over security at LAX. Airport police say their cutbacks are making the airport more vulnerable to terror attacks than any time since 9/11. A letter citing a 2004 study saying the three most likely attacks scenarios are large truck bomb, a curbside car bomb, or a luggage bomb. The airport's executive director, however, is firing back. The head of the airport police says she's fudging the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINA MARIE LINDSEY, EXEC. DIR., LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS: Obviously our security here at LAX has not done anything except get tighter and more strong ever since 2001. And this year is no exception. Our budget is actually up in public safety whereas the rest of our budget, we are trying very, very hard to control the costs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, there has been eliminations of positions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, but the total number of officers has gone up. Sworn officers are up 70 percent, according to the numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like I said, that's a numbers game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: LAX is the seventh busiest airport in the world.

GRIFFIN: A big heat wave on the move right now. In fact, 450,000 square miles of the country are covered by heat advisories. Who is keeping track of that? Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center.

Counting every single one of those acres, aren't you, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Eighteen, maybe I think 19 states that includes. Yes, it is a huge swath of real estate now getting some heat. It is going to be that way for the next few days. Dangerous heat waves setting up for the central part of the country. In some cases it is going to be getting some humidity from the Gulf of Mexico. That will make it feel even hotter than the actual temperatures.

Heat index, what it feels like, 110 to 115 degrees, is what it will feel like in the shade in some of those red highlighted areas, through the rest of the week. Just to take care of yourself out there. Also take care of yourself in Minnesota. Rough weather rolling through that part of the state, northern part at least. And we had some thunderstorms that had big-time hail in that cluster in North Dakota. So take cover if the storms are heading your way.

Also some thunderstorms across New York City Metropolitan area, they are heading out to Long Island and into Connecticut. Those are beginning to weaken and we will clear out and get to a high of 86 degrees in the Big Apple.

Thunderstorms expected south of Atlanta; 91 degrees expected; in Chicago, 95; even the Mile High City, up to 91 degrees. In the middle of July, it certainly is feeling that way. We will talk more about this heat wave and how long it will last and who else is getting it in about 30 minutes.

GRIFFIN: Thank you, Rob.

CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.

Well, the headline, of course, rocking the political world this morning, word Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, and the father of her child, Levi Johnston, are not only back together but they are getting married, engaged they say. Two weeks ago it happened. There you see the couple first telling "US Weekly" the big news.

GRIFFIN: They say Sarah Palin doesn't know. She probably does by now, right? Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING we spoke to the magazine's senior editor who says the couple, quote, "realized they are in love."

CHETRY: Good luck to them-because they are going to need.

GRIFFIN: They are supposed to get married really, really quick.

CHETRY: Ten minutes past the hour, right now. Election help, is the president's secret weapon the former president?

GRIFFIN: Yeah. And did BP negotiate a terrorist release in exchange for a Libyan oil deal? Senator Chuck Schumer wants to know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: It is 13 minutes past the hour now.

Troubling questions are being raised this morning involving BP and the release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber mastermind. Four senators now demanding an investigation into whether the oil giant helped win Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's freedom, so they could actually profit from Libyan oil deals.

GRIFFIN: Al-Megrahi was released and returned to Libya last August in part, because doctors said he had three months to live. The diagnosis itself coming under question, of course, Megrahi is still alive. Joining us now, live, New York senior Senator Chuck Schumer, one of the lawmakers calling for an investigation.

Senator thanks for joining us. SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D) NEW YORK: Good morning.

GRIFFIN: A $900-million deal, the timing is very suspicious. And BP says that they did at least talk to the British government about Megrahi. Do you have more proof than that, or is that what you are after to try to find out if, indeed, there was a quid pro quo here?

SCHUMER: Well, obviously the-as the lawyers would say, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. A, BP asked the British government to put al-Megrahi on a prisoner transfer list as early as 2007, while they were negotiating with Libya. B, he is put on this list and the doctor claims that he only has three months to live and it meets Scottish laws, humanitarian parole.

Now the doctor comes out and says well, he really has 10 years to live. He's fit as a fiddle. And BP, of course, got the contract shortly after his release. I think that's a pretty good case even in a criminal trial where it would have to be beyond a reasonable doubt.

So, we are--Senators Lautenberg, Menendez and Gillibrand, and myself, are basically saying to our government to demand the British ask for the return of al-Megrahi and put him back in jail. My view was he shouldn't have been released even if he had three months to live. The many parents, and husbands, and wives, who lost loved ones didn't get three months with their loved ones after his dastardly deed which lives with them as if it were yesterday.

CHETRY: Right, and I mean, there a lot of people would agree with you on that, but whether or not they're be able to prove this case remains to be seen and especially the doctor angle.

I want to ask you about this Libyan government claiming that they found this doctor for hire in a way. Many are claiming that right now. But England's U.S. ambassador is not saying that's the case at all and in fact, his prognosis was actually agreed upon by a group of doctors, not including the one who is in question. So is this going to be a difficult avenue to pursue?

SCHUMER: Well, then if the British have other evidence, they should bring it forward. We asked them last week to open up their own investigation and they said no. What are they afraid of if they think it stands on all fours.

But the evidence is awfully suspicious. This does not have anything to do with BP being in the news now. When he was released, I suggested that the oil contract might have been the reason and the evidence seems to be piling up in that direction.

GRIFFIN: Yes. I want to read a little bit of what BP has said because they have released a statement about this. Saying they raised concerns with the British government over delays, but they did not express -- over delays in the oil deal.

But did not express a view about the specific form of the agreement, which was a matter for the U.K. and Libyan governments or make representations over the Ali Al Megrahi case, which was solely a matter for the Scottish executive and not for the U.K. government.

But clearly, Senator, if you read between the lines the fact they said anything about this prisoner holding up a deal with oil seem to indicate there was some sort of involvement here or at least a little bit of influence.

SCHUMER: It would strain credibility that all of this was mere incidence and remember, Libya had been dangling this oil deal in front of Britain for years. All of a sudden it is signed a few months after he is released.

And Libya had demanded he be released, too so it all seems to add up. The British government is stonewalling. What looks suspicious when he was released is now looking more than suspicious, there's just -- as I say, piece of evidence after piece of evidence. I would like to be the prosecutor in this case, if it were a trial.

CHETRY: Senator Schumer, the bottom line, even if BP did lobby for this - they're transparent about the fact that they were trying to at least, you know, they were concerned about the British government delays and prisoner releases as it related to Libya. What can the U.S. do about it at this point? Now that he is out and now that he's there?

SCHUMER: Well, look, we believe, you know -- correctly, we have waged and led the world in a war on terror. When terrorists are released for mercenary reasons it says to future terrorists hey, if I go do a dastardly deed, this one over 250 people, 189 Americans were killed, some of them students from Syracuse University.

I happen to know one of the families who lost a son from Brooklyn, it sends a message. You know, hey, you will be taken care of down the road. Our government now has an obligation to pressure the Brits to demand his release and pressure the Brits to have a full- fledged investigation here.

This is just -- it is despicable and outrageous. Just think anyone watching this show wherever in the world they may be, think of them sitting on the couch across from one of the mothers, son or daughter of their life, age of 22, a whole lot of college students on the plane, just taken because of the despicable act of this man and now he's treated as a hero in Libya. It turns your stomach.

GRIFFIN: All right, Senator Chuck Schumer.

SCHUMER: We should do something about.

GRIFFIN: Well, we'll follow your actions. We'll see if you come up with something, a solution here. Senator Chuck Schumer.

SCHUMER: We are trying.

GRIFFIN: The release of Al Megrahi, the terrorist suspect, actually convicted terrorist in the Lockerbie, Scotland incident. Thank you, Senator.

SCHUMER: Thank you.

CHETRY: Another controversy. This one over the much lauded iPhone 4. Now there are calls that Apple should actually recall the Smart phone because of a hardware failure, but is it really the case of the antenna gone wrong? Is there more to it? We're going to talk to a tech expert about what's going on. Twenty minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Twenty two minutes past the hour right now. "Minding Your Business" this morning. Reviews have called Apple's iPhone 4 one of the most amazing Smart phones to ever hit the market as long as you can get a signal. After loads of complaints over reception in and less than consumer friendly reaction from the tech giant, should Apple bite the bullet and issue a recall?

Joining us now is Molly Wood, the executive editor of the prominent Tech Blog CNET. CNET provides a lot of news and reviews on all the latest gadgets. Molly, thanks for joining this morning.

MOLLY WOOD, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, CNET: Thank you for having me.

CHETRY: So let me ask you this. A lot of this controversy comes on the heels of the "Consumer Reports" issue that do not recommend buy rating for the Apple 4 that people waited in line for. They were selling one every three seconds and there seems to be a debate back and forth about whether or not this is a software glitch that shows more bars than you actually have or whether it is a hardware glitch with the wraparound antenna. What is your take?

WOOD: Well, it sounds like what it really is both. There is a software glitch with how many bars are displayed. So what Apple has said is, you know, you may run into a situation where you dropped a call when you thought you had five bars. But it turns out you only have three bars because our software was sort of displaying those reception bars incorrectly.

But on top of that, there does appear to be an antenna - a hardware problem with that antenna. Apple's customer support has been telling people we will issue a software update that will fix the bar display, but they can't do anything about this kind of hardware issue that we're sort of acknowledging but not really.

CHETRY: And so you were the first to call for a full recall. This is the -- this would not only be costly, but just be such a hit for the reputation of this company that's always on the cutting edge and it has, you know, a loyal fan base beyond the hopes of any company. But you think they should do a full recall, why?

WOOD: Yes. You know, I feel like that's the best thing they could do kind of to keep that reputation intact. You know, Apple has always really said we are a manufacturer of very high quality equipment. We have, you know, they obviously have beautiful designs and they are known for having just well made stuff.

And I think that they are in a position now where it is true. You know, people aren't necessarily returning the iPhone in droves that we know of. But they are in a position where their brand is starting to suffer and there's a lot of competition on the horizon.

So it seems that it would be the best thing they could do for their image right now to say you know what, we are going to do right by people. There is a flaw here. It has been widely repeated. People are able to test it and sort of repeat the results at will.

And so we are going to go ahead and be proactive and be consumer friendly. Bring these phones back and fix them.

CHETRY: So one analyst pegged the cost of doing this at $1.5 billion, but said they could actually give away a free case that would fix the problem for a buck a phone. Might that be another avenue that would be acceptable?

WOOD: Yes. Realistically I highly doubt that they would go for a full recall. I think that, you know, the second best thing they could do would be to announce some sort of a repair program and maybe an extended warranty that says if you run into this problem, we will fix it for free. I think the most likely solution is that they are going to start sending cases to everyone. Frankly, I would be shocked if they didn't at least go that far.

CHETRY: Now have you guys heard anything else from Apple? Because a lot of people were upset because they felt Apple was actually being arrogant about it. Steve Jobs apparently telling someone who he e-mailed just to avoid holding it in that way.

Do you think they mishandled this? Are they -- after the "Consumer Reports, after very high-profile blogs, highly respected blogs, coming out saying that this is a hardware problem. Are they changing their tune in any way?

WOOD: I have not seen any public evidence that they are changing their tune. I hope that they are because I think that is why the consumer reaction started to be what it was because Apple's response was very dismissive of the issue.

I mean, you just simply -- you cannot tell people that they have to buy another product to fix the first product. To say, you know, the solution to this issue is to buy a $30 case is just silly. You don't sell people a car and -- with a crooked bumper and tell them to buy duct tape.

So I think that it was that response from Apple more than anything that made people kind of say -- you know, I'm not really happy about this.

CHETRY: Right and then, Molly, quickly, what now for the future of the iPhone 4 sales? Are they going to go back to the drawing board or redesign so the new ones coming out don't have this problem? If we're not one of the many that ran out and bought it right away, but we're considering it, I mean, are they going to fix this?

WOOD: I'm sure they are. I mean, there's no question that this flaw exists and I'm sure that Apple is probably trying to get into this supply chain right now to make sure that, you know, the next run of iPhone 4s to hit the stores don't have this issue. I -- you know, certainly the second version of iPhone 4 is going to be perfect.

CHETRY: All right. That's why you always wait, but if you have to have an Apple phone, you have to have one and you can't wait. Molly Wood, executive editor of CNET. Thanks so much. Drew --

GRIFFIN: Lots of report. Democrats are in real trouble this November. So they are going to go to a savior to try to save the party, which one of those guys? We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Half past the hour right now, we check our top stories. BP says it needs more time to analyze the procedures on how it is going to check the cap on the broken well before it can start testing. The so-called integrity tests were supposed to begin yesterday. BP's holding a telephone briefing right now. Our Brian Todd is listening in, monitoring that call. He'll bring us the latest information on the new containment cap as soon as he gets it.

GRIFFIN: The Toyota thing, it could be driver-error after all. Thousands of sudden acceleration problems are being reported by Toyota owners. The "Wall Street Journal" says government investigators have been unable to find a single mechanical problem to explain all the cases. They're concluding driver error is to blame, suggesting in some cases drivers are hitting the accelerator when they think they are hitting the brake.

CHETRY: The headline that's rocking the political world this morning, word Palin's daughter Bristol and Levi Johnston are now back together and engaged. The couple first telling "Us Weekly" the big news. There you see the cover shot. The couple apparently got back together while working out custody of their now 18-month-old son, Tripp and they realized that despite it all, they are in love.

GRIFFIN: Young love.

With just over three months to go before midterm elections, Democrats are determined to keep control of the House this fall. If they succeed they might have a secret weapon to thank -- Bill Clinton.

CHETRY: The White House -- what accent was that?

GRIFFIN: I don't know, the secret weapon accent. Bill Clinton.

CHETRY: There you go. Well, the White House intends to aggressively use the former president on the campaign trail between now and November. Ed Henry live at the White House. This scenario seems unlikely at best two years ago when candidate Obama was trying to keep his distance from the former president, and my, my, my, how the times have changed.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They have. Let's face it, this is sort of -- invention being the mother of necessity, that basically they need Bill Clinton. This president is not doing very well in some of the poll numbers, as you have been talking about.

And inside the White House, they sort of brush aside the talk about the division and say, look, you know, they have always gotten along with both Clintons and they are valuable members of the Democratic Party. And as one top Democratic official told me, it is sort of a no-brainer that you would have Bill Clinton out there.

Some people may have thought that the two presidents couldn't come together. But they think that this is somebody who is very effective about making the case of Barack Obama wants to make, which is sort of lay out the distinct differences between the Democratic and Republican parties. This is somebody who has made the case to the American people many times and has been successful.

GRIFFIN: What races is Clinton going to help out in? There has to be some specific targets they need him for because this guy is really, really busy.

HENRY: Absolutely. Yes. I mean, he has a hefty international travel schedule. He has been down in Haiti this week as the U.N. special representative. He also does a lot of public speaking. He has his Clinton Foundation.

I'm told one of his staffers brought basically his schedule for the next few months, a copy of it, over here to the White House a few weeks ago, sat down with the top White House aide. They are going to use him in mostly southern states. Arkansas, for example, Blanch Lincoln, the incumbent has been in trouble. Bill Clinton helped save her a couple of months back, and now she's in a tough general election battle.

In Kentucky as well, you have Rand Paul, the son of Ron Paul running as a Republican Senate candidate, Jack Conway, the Democrats have high hopes that he can take what is a Republican seat right now. As you know, Rand Paul has had a series of controversies.

And so Barack Obama may not able to go to a state like Kentucky, Arkansas, places where he's deeply unpopular now. Bill Clinton can go there. That's why one Democratic official told me this is a good one- two punch. They will go to different places where the other guy can't go.

GRIFFIN: Ed Henry live at the White House. I guess we had change, and now we're having change back in a way.

CHETRY: Whatever works. Thanks, Ed.

HENRY: Still ahead, the face of war. Filmmaker Sebastian Junger embedded with the U.S. platoon in Afghanistan got some of the most raw, real first-hand accounts of the war you will ever see. He also wrote a book about it. We will be joining him. He will be asked to talk more about what's going on. And of course there is news of yet another attack on NATO forces in Afghanistan this morning. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: It's 37 minutes past the hour.

It is a rare and raw combination to see a view of combat in Afghanistan seen right through the eyes of the GI's in one of the most dangerous places in the world.

GRIFFIN: That's part after new documentary "Restrepo" brings you inside a remote outpost in Afghanistan. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hit the bottom right, the bottom right of the building.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Sebastian Junger is the director and producer of "Restrepo." He has also written a book about the experience titled "War." He joins us now. Fascinating stuff. Those were the exciting parts.

What I found fascinating about both the documentary and the book was the tremendous downtime that these guys have to reflect on, where they are and what they are doing, what their lives are like. It sounds like, you know, 15 seconds of running guns with just hours and hours of mind-boggling boredom.

SEBASTIAN JUNGER, FILMMAKER, "RESTREPO": They were out in an outpost called Restrepo, no internet, no phone, no running water. They couldn't bathe for a month at a time. It was an hour and a half walk to the main base. They were in almost 500 fire fights in their deployment. So there was an awful lot of combat.

Of course, even out there, there was down time. And you know, one of the -- they didn't have any connection with the outside world. They had to entertain each other. They actually got very, very funny. Young men removed from society can get very interesting, and it was definitely interesting up there.

CHETRY: I want to also show another clip here. It really provides an amazing firsthand look. You shot more than 150 hours of tape, and you your partner.

JUNGER: That's right.

CHETRY: You were -- you captured things like the IED explosion that took place on a convoy as well as other things. I want to look at one clip from the film in some cases explaining in a way the attraction to fight. Listen to these men.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't get a better high. It is like crack. You can sky dive or bungee jump, kayak. You really can't come down. There's nothing -- you can't top that. I have no idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: I mean, it almost seems like they are never going to be the same after needing to fight for their lives and worrying every moment. Another part of the film one of the commanders, a captain, said they told me to take fire every day. This is unbelievable.

So this is the most stressful of the most stressful environments of war. How do they deal with that?

JUNGER: You know, they adapt to it psychologically to the point where the thing that became stressful was days where there was no combat. That actually became more stressful in a strange way. And they didn't adjust to the civilian world because they -- all of them chose to knock it out of the army. They are still in the army.

Most of them are over there fighting again. Next deployment since I was there in '07, '08. I don't think it is an entirely avoidable problem. You ask young men to do that, and it is going to change that.

One of the things -- one of the things they actually miss out there, they do miss it, it's strange, but they do, isn't just the adrenaline. That's obvious. The brotherhood they had out there. One of them said to me, there a guys in the platoon that straight-up hate each other but we would all die for each other.

For a 19-year-old man, that is a very secure place to be compared to being at the bottom of the food chain back in society.

GRIFFIN: I mean, reading through your book, I see patriotism, loyalty, absolute devotion to friendships. What I didn't see was we are making progress, we are doing good, this is getting better.

JUNGER: They don't evaluate it that way. They are very much like the police. You know. The police don't really talk about, you know, the war on crime. They are focused on their neighborhood in Newark. Soldiers are the same way.

While I was there, there was real progress on the ground in the Korengal Valley. You could win the Korengal and lose Afghanistan or frankly, you could win Afghanistan and lose the Korengal. They are not the same thing. The soldiers did not put them together.

CHETRY: That's been some of the criticism of some of the war documentaries, including yours, that there is not a broader perspective or a broader questioning of policy, what we are doing there, whether or not this is ever going to achieve anything, and whether it is worth it for our young men and women to die each day like they are in Afghanistan. JUNGER: You know, I don't think all works of journalism have to do all things. What we wanted to do was show something that hadn't been done before, which is show the American people what it is like to be a soldier in combat. And the soldiers don't tackle those broader questions.

But to attempt a quick answer to them, I mean, I think as we all know, the U.S. got into Afghanistan because of 9/11, 3,000 people were killed. It really is a little bit like the war on drugs. Like -- you are never going to win the war on drugs, right. But if you don't fight it, thing might be worse than if you do fight it.

And I think that it is a little bit like that. Are we slowly succeeding or are we slowly failing in Afghanistan? I think to talk in terms of absolute victory that we can walk away from, that's not going to happen. It really is where is this going? Are we safer than we were ten years ago or not?

GRIFFIN: Yes. It is an impressive work not only from what it shows but for the access you had to the scene and to the people, because I really fell for the first time they did open up to you about just about everything that's going through a U.S. soldier's head in Afghanistan.

JUNGER: Tim Heather and I, my partner, did a total of ten one- month over there. We were with them an awful lot. We were in combat, patrols. We lived exactly the way they lived. And by the end we were really part of the platoon.

CHETRY: Do you keep in touch with them all?

JUNGER: Yes. I'm in touch with them. Even the guys that are back over there fighting. They loved the movie. It's a completely nonpolitical movie. It just shows what it is like to be in combat as an American soldier, period, end of sentence.

CHETRY: We all enjoyed it. It made us think a lot. So thanks so much, Sebastian Junger, also the author of "War," a great book as well, director and producer of Restrepo, which, by the way, we should say it was named after the medic who was killed there.

JUNGER: Yes. Restrepo was the platoon medic that was killed two months into the deployment.

GRIFFIN: The book is out there, it chronicles the same stories from the movie. The movie is playing in select cities. Check your local listings.

CHETRY: Still ahead, we are dealing with some oppressive heat, severe storms. Rob Marciano tracking all of it in the extreme weather center coming up. It's 44 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: That is a heavy sky in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, this morning. It's sunny, 78 now -- mostly sunny, 96 but all that sun through the haze. That's for sure.

CHETRY: Ok, it is going to be hot across most of the country today.

Our Rob Marciano is joining us now with more on what we can expect today weather-wise. Hey, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey guys, look at all the orange and pink here on the map; 18 states under advisory. If you included excessive heat watch that would make 19 states and 450,000 square miles of United States and lower 48 states having advisories right now.

Heat indexes could be 105 to 115 in these pink areas. It does include Oklahoma City. And this really includes the rest of the week. So this heat will continue to build and it will be dangerously hot in some spots.

Just north of that heat, we've got some disturbances rolling through the upper Midwest and through Minnesota, a tornado watch in effect for about another hour or two. Some of these thunderstorms have produced not only big-time winds but some big-time hail that did some damage overnight last night in North Dakota.

Some more tranquil garden variety type of thunderstorms rolling through eastern Long Island into eastern Massachusetts; these are just dumping some heavy rain and some mid -- brief lightning and thunder. But it will slow down the airports at Boston and certainly longer. And then in New York City as well, Atlanta might see some delays also and Minneapolis, those thunderstorms at least in the morning.

Temperatures will be in the 90s, widespread from the mid Atlantic back through the desert southwest.

Of course, when you want to cool off, you get into the water, right? Well, the kids off to Cape Cod and may want to say get out of the water.

Check out some this video. Well, we don't really have a good video of the actual sharks but there were a couple of great white sharks spotted just off of the Cape, off of Orleans, Massachusetts, because of those.

Those tasty little buggers and that's where the sharks want to go to feed off the seals, just off the Cape. And they have not closed the beaches. They don't think there's any immediate treats they are saying hey, if you are swimming on the Cape there, just be alert. If you see any seals, that's not necessarily a good sign because those great white sharks may very well be close by.

We had this saga last summer. No injuries thankfully to report to you but certainly interesting nonetheless. And you know, out there on Martha's Vineyard that's where they filmed the movie "Jaws." So I suppose it's a (INAUDIBLE).

CHETRY: The video is so bad there. I mean, it's like a silky- headed little innocent seals.

(CROSS TALKING)

MARCIANO: I mean when you see those kids running at the water too.

CHETRY: Yes they're just food, it's good for the great whites, stay out of the water.

MARCIANO: Well, the beaches are beautiful. I'm not deterring anybody from going there.

GRIFFIN: It's a sunset cruise they'll remember if the shark bites.

All right, speaking of biting, we are eating too much popcorn at the movies apparently, because theater seats need to get bigger.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: It's 52 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning. You're "AM House Call" now, some stories about your health. And medical experts are proposing some dramatic changes in the way that Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed and treated in this country.

The Alzheimer's Association says that more than five million people in the U.S. have the disease. New guidelines are expected to be in place this fall, calling for more brain scans to be used before symptoms develop. These changes could help pharmaceutical companies develop new drugs to combat Alzheimer's earlier.

Expanding audiences have forced many theaters across the country to install wider seats. According to a company designing theaters, the width of a typical theater seat has gone from 19 inches to 21 inches in the last century. That's to accommodate a 15 percent weight increase in the average American since 1960.

And bigger seats mean fewer seats leading to slimmer profits, making it a challenge for some theaters to stay open. Maybe they shouldn't sell us all that buttered popcorn there.

CHETRY: Exactly and this is the small.

GRIFFIN: Right.

CHETRY: For the jumbo, you need to pull a car around back.

GRIFFIN: That's right and your bucket drink.

CHETRY: Its 54 minutes past the hour.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: $38,000, that's roughly what the state of New Jersey pays each year to keep one man in prison.

In this morning's "Building up America" report our Deb Feyerick takes a look at a program that's designed to help fathers at risk turn their lives around.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fifty-seven- year-old Dawud Ward is the first to admit he wasted 30 years of his life on drugs and in jail.

DAWUD WARD, PARTICIPANT, FATHERS NOW: I had nowhere to go, nowhere to turn to.

FEYERICK: Two years ago he hit bottom.

(on camera): At that moment, if somebody had come to you and leaned over and said, "You're going to be a teacher," a couple of years you're going to be a teacher, what would you have said at that moment?

WARD: No, I wouldn't have believed it.

FEYERICK: Now, you light up when you talk about being a teacher.

WARD: It's possible. Yes, I'm able to dream again.

FEYERICK (voice-over): It was one of those moments fate plays a hand. He saw a sign for Father's Now, a nonprofit group in New Jersey helping men turn around their lives, teaching them how to get jobs and be good parents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's one of our best graduates, in fact.

FEYERICK: Program case manager John Leslie can relate to his students: drugs, prison, the hope of redemption.

(on camera): Is this about giving people another chance? Is this about giving people a first chance? Or is this about what that sign says? We want our men back.

JOHN LESLIE, CASE MANAGER, FATHERS NOW: It's basically that. It's basically about family reunification because we want our men back.

FEYERICK: Ninety percent of those in the Fathers Now program are ex-cons; not a requirement, just a reality.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So now you've got the registration done?

FEYERICK: Out of the 110 guys, who applied last semester, only 32 graduated; the majority quit even before classes started.

(on camera): At what point does a man decide, enough. I want to start living my life in a positive way. The way you do, the way these other men are doing. LESLIE: It's a different point for every person. You know everybody has -- hits bottom. And you have to know when your bottom comes.

FEYERICK: For 23-year-old Steven Ziemlinski, an ex-Marine and now aspiring tattoo artist, it was when he found himself fleeing from police over what he thought was a suspended driver's license.

The course was a condition of probation.

STEVEN ZIEMLINSKI, PARTICIPANT, FATHERS NOW: It made me realize that a lot of people have -- are a lot worse off than I imagined myself having because I mean -- you put it in perspective.

FEYERICK: Steve's daughter became a star of the class, filled with men like Keith Harrell. After 30 years as a self described street thug, he now has a part-time job and is trying to be more of a dad to his 6 kids, inspired by son Shaquan, now a college junior.

KEITH HARRELL, PARTICIPANT, FATHERS NOW: They're my reason for wanting to do better or focusing on doing better.

FEYERICK (on camera): Do you judge your dad for the kind of life he lived?

SHAQUAN BAKER, KEITH HARRELL'S SON: Not at all. I like to think that every mistake kind of makes you stronger.

FEYERICK: Do you ever see yourself going back to the life you were living?

HARRELL: No.

FEYERICK: Because why?

HARRELL: I have too much to lose.

FEYERICK: Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Newark, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: One step at a time.

GRIFFIN: Yes. Hope it works.

CHETRY: Me too. Well, continue the conversations on today's stories; go to our blog, cnn.com/amfix.

And that's going to do it for us. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

GRIFFIN: "CNN NEWSROOM" with Don Lemon starts right now.