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Flooding Devastates Pakistan; "Carpet-Bombing" the Oil?; Black Leaders Face Charges; Company Merger Earns Employees Big Money; Dying Man's YouTube Video Causes Debate

Aired August 01, 2010 - 18:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you very much for that, Randi.

In this broadcast, in these two hours that we're going to do for you here, two of the highest profile members of Congress accused publicly of doing some very bad things. Both of them are black, and now, all of a sudden come the cries of racism. We investigate. We find out what's going on.

If you can't find a job, if you're getting unemployment benefits, you might think twice. One woman who's also unemployed says that may be what's keeping you from getting a job, and that's not all she's saying to anyone who will listen to her.

And just when you thought you knew everything about Chelsea Clinton's wedding, well, think again. We are doing some digging for you for what's behind these pictures in this story.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: We begin tonight in Pakistan where a major humanitarian disaster is unfolding. The Pakistani government tells CNN: more than 1,100 people have been killed by devastating floods in the northwestern part of that country. Thousands of other people are stranded. Rescue workers are trying to reach them.

The U.S. embassy in Islamabad says it's providing immediate aid, including two water filtration units, more than 50,000 meals and helicopters that help rescued 400 people from flooded areas yesterday.

CNN's Reza Sayah is in northwest Pakistan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is what's left of a village in northwest Pakistan, near Peshawar, floodwaters wiping away the homes. All of the homes made out of mud so they never had a chance.

Here's how desperate the residents of this village are. All of them are Afghan refugees. What they did was pick up the belongings that they had, move uphill to a graveyard. That's where they pitched their tents, laying out their blankets on top of gravestones. This village is one of thousands across northwest Pakistan that have been destroyed by what Pakistani government officials are calling the worst floods in northwest Pakistan, in this nation's 63-year history -- the floods coming after three days of record-breaking monsoon rains.

Many of these villages in flood-ravaged areas are cut off from help. That's why aid groups and the government is having a very difficult time getting to them. This is obviously a big humanitarian crisis for Pakistan.

And based on what we've seen over the past couple of days, there's no way this government has the resources to get to everybody. Aid groups are helping, but in the villages that we visited, we simply haven't seen the help. That doesn't mean help is not out there, but it means many, many more people are waiting for help and frustration is growing.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Charsadda, Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Reza, thank you very much.

We go to the Gulf Coast now and on day 104 of this disaster come harsh allegations from a congressional subcommittee that BP, with federal approval, used excessive amounts of toxic chemicals to fight the oil spill. Democratic Congressman Edward Markey accused BP of, quote, "carpet bombing the ocean."

But National Incident Commander Thad Allen dismissed the charge, saying crews only used dispersant as needed.

Meantime, BP chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, you saw him a short while ago here on CNN, he was in Venice, Louisiana, today to get a firsthand look at the operations there.

Let's go to CNN's Jim Acosta. He is in Venice and he joins us now live with more.

Jim, you heard Mr. Suttles' comments there. What do you make it? Break it down for us.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, he went out about three hours this afternoon, looking for the oil. You've heard this question in the last week or so: where's the oil? So, the COO of BP went out and looked for the oil this afternoon, Doug Suttles, and essentially came back at this press briefing just a few moments ago and said they didn't -- they didn't find any.

Of course, that is not going to sit well with local officials here in Louisiana who have said for the last several days that, hey, if you want to know where the oil is, we'll be happy to take you out and show you where the oil is. So, I'm not sure Doug Suttles satisfied some of the critics that are saying those things down here in Louisiana.

But one thing that he did say is that BP is making progress, heading towards the "static kill" operation. That is the operation where they're going to pump heavy fluids into the cap, the containment cap that is on the ruptured well right now, in an attempt to if not fully plug that leak to at least get it primed for a "bottom kill" operation, which will happen later on in mid-August.

And Suttles told the press briefing just a few moments ago that everything is moving pretty smoothly in that direction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG SUTTLES, BP COO: The casing run and cemented in the relief well and that's ongoing as we speak. Once that's finished, we'll be ready to do the static kill. And the current forecast is for it looks like Tuesday right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And one of the questions that came up about the static kill operation, not only at this briefing with Doug Suttles but earlier today with Admiral Thad Allen, the national incident commander, is whether or not the static kill operation could somehow jeopardize the integrity of that cap and Suttles told the press who was gathered here this afternoon that they are very closely monitoring the pressure levels inside that ruptured well, inside that cap to make sure that once the static kill operation begins that everything goes according to plans -- Don.

LEMON: Let's go back to some of Suttles' comments, as well as Thad Allen's comments today. Big concern about the oil dispersants put in the water. And as you said, as they said, many believe that's why they can't find the oil because of the dispersants.

Talk to me about what they said and the concern level there.

ACOSTA: Well, you know, if you just talk to the local fishermen down here, Don, they will tell you they're very concerned. And as we know, Louisiana opened up many of its commercial waters to local commercial fishermen so they could go back out there and go back to their livelihoods. But many of those fishermen will tell you, they're very concerned about the millions of gallons of dispersants that were dumped in the Gulf of Mexico to clear up this oil spill.

Not only was Thad Allen asked about this earlier today but so was Doug Suttles, because as you just reported, Ed Markey, a key Massachusetts Democrat who chairs a subcommittee that is supervising and keeping an eye on the spill operations down here, fired off this angry letter to Thad Allen, as you said, saying that BP was carpet- bombing the Gulf of Mexico with these dispersants.

What Doug Suttles was saying was that, essentially, you know, the feds were in control of this. And that's what Thad Allen was saying earlier today, that there was a commander with the federal government, with the Coast Guard, making the decisions as to when dispersants were being used in the latter stages of this operation.

And according to Doug Suttles, there were some days where their request to use the dispersants were accepted and there were some days when their requests were denied. So, he essentially punted and left it right in the lapse of the federal officials, who essentially took all the responsibility earlier today. Thad Allen took all the responsibility earlier today for the use of those dispersants, Don.

LEMON: All right. Jim Acosta, thank you very much, down in the Gulf of Mexico.

Also down in the Gulf, really in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the swimming advisory has finally been lifted at the beaches and that's welcome news for local businesses. More tourists are showing up to play in the waves there. That's good news, but it's probably too late to save the season, though.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not going to salvage our season, but we appreciate all the business that we will get from it.

SHAUL ZISLIN, OWNER, THE HANGOUT: Unfortunately, you know, I think a lot of people are just not here, made their plans a long time ago, didn't show up. And, you know, we're hoping that the closer people in our surrounding areas will come down and enjoy. It's been a while since everybody enjoyed the beach here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: lot of people losing business there. One bar owner says he lost half his business this summer due to the oil spill.

This hour, one escaped murder from Arizona back in custody. The two others are still on the loose.

Here's what investigators say, they said they caught up with Daniel Renwick in Rifle, Colorado. Renwick is one of three men who broke out of a medium security prison in Kingman, Arizona, on Friday night by cutting a hole in the fence. The manhunt is on for the other two men. One is Tracy Province, and the other is John McCluskey. Police are also looking for this woman, a suspected accomplice in this.

The fugitives allegedly hijacked an 18-wheeler and abducted the two drivers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRABHJEET BAINES, TRUCKER CARJACKED: The two guys and the one female that pulled us over at the gunpoint, and they tried to kill us. So finally they drove us over here, from Kingman to Flagstaff. So, finally they changed their mind, they didn't kill us. They left us over here and we are good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Here's what police are looking for and they want you to look as well. They have an eye out for this car, a blue 1996 Chrysler Concord, four-door sedan, in which they said the suspected accomplice drove to the prison. Be on the lookout for that.

We'll bring you any new developments as they happen in this case. Next hour, I want to tell you that we're going to talk with law enforcement to get the latest on the manhunt for these escaped killers. And you heard the man there say threatened to kill them, so they're very dangerous. We'll get to you next hour.

Straight ahead this hour, though --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: Even though they're serious charges, I'm prepared to prove that the only thing I've ever had in my 50 years of public service is service. That's what I've done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Everybody knows his face and his name. That's Congressman Charlie Rangel. He is one of two black representatives facing ethics violation charges. How the outcome of the investigations could affect the Democratic Party and black leadership in Washington -- the Reverend Al Sharpton here to talk about it. There he is live on the other side of the break.

First this, though: Astronauts on the space station awakened by alarms. What happened that caused concern aboard, abroad and on the earth as well.

And meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is watching a tropical disturbance for us. It's way out in the Atlantic right now, but there are indications that it could soon pose a threat to the United States. That story is straight ahead.

And we want you to be involved in this newscast. Make sure you send me a message on Twitter or Facebook. Send us a story idea if you have one. You can also check out my blog, CNN.com/Don. Look for us on Foursquare as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: President Barack Obama has joined the ranks of those weighing in on the fate of New York Congressman Charlie Rangel. He is a powerful 20-term Democrat from Harlem who's accused of violating 13 House rules. The accusations range from financial wrongdoing to damaging the credibility of Congress. Barring a legal deal of some kind, he'll face an ethics committee trial possibly as soon as September.

President Obama says he's concerned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Charlie Rangel served a very long time and served his constituents very well. But these allegations are very troubling. And, you know, he's somebody who's at the end of his career, 80 years old. I'm sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity and my hope is that it happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Long-time Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters of Los Angeles is also facing ethics troubles. She has been in Congress since 1991.

Here's what a source tells CNN, that Waters has chosen to face a House ethics trial related to claims involving federal aid to a bank with ties to both Waters and her husband. Now, the investigation of such powerful people like Rangel and Maxine Waters have a lot of people talking. The reaction in Washington seems to be centered on whether the two House members are guilty or not.

But back home, in their respective districts, some of their constituents aren't so sure justice is being done and some are openly questioning why two high profile African-American House members are coming under such tough scrutiny.

So, let's talk about it now.

Reverend Al Sharpton, thank you for joining us.

REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: This was fodder this morning on the Sunday talk shows. It's been fodder all weekend for the newspapers.

Do you think that black members are being targeted unfairly by the ethics committee?

SHARPTON: Well, I think that we've got to really look at what is going on here. And as people have said to the African-American community, we shouldn't rush to judgment that is racial and we shouldn't. They shouldn't rush to judgment that they're guilty, because there's been allegations.

You must remember, Don, we heard a lot of allegations around the Illinois Governor Blagojevich as it related to the only black in the U.S. Senate, Roland Burris. At the end of Blagojevich's trial, it's going to the jury and have heard little of even Burris's name and he said he won't run again. Same with New York Governor David Paterson, one of two black governors, a lot of allegations and he's not running again. All of sudden, we find at least one of the major investigations they find nothing wrong.

LEMON: Yes.

SHARPTON: So, if you begin to see a pattern of people being called on, being investigated, allegations, they end up nothing, one would be very naive not to say, wait a minute, why should we rush to judgment, particularly when you have Charlie Rangel who has done so much for his district and the country, and Maxine Waters. And we've already seen two high-profile black leaders hit heavy by the media and then nothing is there. LEMON: Reverend, that's what I want to talk to you about and that's one reason we brought you on because you know both of them very well. You're from New York. Obviously, Charlie Rangel from New York -- you've known him for a long time. You've known David Paterson for a long time. So, you have some insight here which is a reason we have you here.

So -- and everyone says Charlie Rangel, nicest guy you want to meet. But that doesn't mean he didn't do anything unethical, that doesn't mean he did do that.

What is being said is that this committee is using investigation tactics that aren't -- that are rarely used, and that's why some, including the Congressional Black Caucus, are saying: is this a racist tactic?

SHARPTON: Well, they're clearly using tactics that have not been used before. They clearly are going all the way in areas that they have not, and I think what is telling is that, so far, if Mr. Rangel and Ms. Waters decides to go to a public trial, we will see whether in fact they are putting them on trial or whether they will be on trial themselves to see if this is some kind of unfair prosecution.

You've got to remember, what was most interesting to me, Don, is when they said that they were offering Congressman Rangel a reprimand -- among the lightest things you can offer. So, if he is really guilty of all these egregious acts, why are you offering such a light penalty to what you're claiming is 13 violations? So, I think that what many see as they are hurting the midterm elections could be a backlash against those that are pushing this if, in fact, they go to trial and are vindicated in the light of day we find these allegations have no merit, as we've seen with the others that I have named.

LEMON: OK. Let's talk -- let's really talk about this. The first African-American president, we have two high-profile black congressmen here. We've been talking a lot about race. The president at the Urban League talked about it this week, Shirley Sherrod. There's been a whole lot going on here.

Charlie Rangel is among what they call the Harlem "gang of four," right? With David Paterson's dad, Basil Paterson, and on and on.

SHARPTON: Right.

LEMON: What does this mean -- and Maxine Waters, we know her history -- civil rights movement, all of that. What do these mean? What do these people mean to the black community? And what kind of cloud, if any, does this place over them and the Congressional Black Caucus, if at all?

SHARPTON: Well, I think that they mean a lot to the community. I don't know anyone that has stood up longer, stronger than Maxine Waters. They mean a lot to America, not just the black community, and the same with Charlie Rangel.

Many are questioning whether or not a lot of this is raised to put a cloud there at a time that we're facing the midterm election, at a time that there's all kind of pressure being put on the president to have two high-profile members of his party and others raised in areas and trying to make a lot of our community become disenchanted with the whole process and feeling, well, if we build somebody up, they're only going to scandalize them or if we -- those that would believe it, that they're only not to be trusted. So, there's a lot of reason for some suspicion here.

LEMON: OK. So then, should they step aside, guilty or not, let a new generation take over, let the midterm elections play out without them?

SHARPTON: Well, the reason that doesn't make a lot of sense is David Paterson is the next generation and it didn't stop them from dealing with him. We saw a lot of scurrilous charges on Jesse Jackson Jr. He's the next generation.

It's not a question of the generation. It's a question of what is generating these investigations. Are they in reality based on facts, are they not?

And if Congresswoman Waters and Congressman Rangel call their hand, we'll see.

I remember when I was a kid about 14 years old, Congressman Adam Clayton Powell was censured by Congress. The Supreme Court later on found that censorship to be unconstitutional.

So, are we seeing the same pattern or not? We'll see. They tell us, don't rush to judgment. I say the same thing to them.

LEMON: OK. Listen, another surprise. There's another reason we brought you here -- because I was walking by the bookstore and happened to see this cover of "Newsweek" magazine. And it says -- it says, "The Reinvention of the Reverend Al: From Tawana to Obama, What Sharpton's Longevity Says About Race in America."

I'm not quite done -- I'd be honest -- with the article yet. It's very interesting.

Do you think that you've been reinvented? Because I remember Tawana Brawley. I lived in New York during that time. I remember all of that, to running for president, to now.

SHARPTON: I don't think it's a reinvention, I think it's a continual growth and development in public. Tawana Brawley was 23 years ago. There was Howard Beach before that 25 years ago.

Anyone that's been in public for 25 years that doesn't show a growth and maturity, I think something is wrong with them.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Let me ask you real quick, because, you know, that people are going to say, why didn't Don Lemon do this? You got a lot of criticism about Tawana Brawley. Do you regret anything? Are there any regrets? Would you -- if you could do it all over again, would you change it?

SHARPTON: Oh, no. I stood by what I believed in and I believe something happened to her. Now, there are many cases I fought since then.

I stood up for five young men in Harlem that were accused in a Central Park case. They were found guilty. Thirteen years later, DNA proved they were innocent.

Suppose if I had regretted that --

LEMON: Yes.

SHARPTON: -- I would have denied them the right to ultimately prove their innocence. I don't think all the times you're going to win cases, but I think you should stand for what you believe and take the flak. I took the flak for that 24 years ago but I stood by what I believed.

LEMON: Reverend Al, it's an interesting article. I haven't read all of it, but anyway, congratulations.

SHARPTON: I've got a surprise for you. I follow Don Lemon on Twitter.

LEMON: Thank you, Reverend. I'll tweet you after this.

SHARPTON: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you. We appreciate your candor today.

SHARPTON: All right.

LEMON: A new addition to the list of endangered sites in the world and you'll find it in the southern U.S., right here in the southern U.S.

And summertime for school kids -- hanging out, playing ball, but not for one special group of African-American students. They've been picked to take part in a summer program that could change their lives and one day maybe yours, too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It's time to check top stories.

NASA is trying to fix a problem aboard the International Space Station. A power spike in one of the ammonia-fed cooling systems triggered a warning alarm. Three Americans and three Russians are aboard the space station. NASA says they're not in any danger, though.

In California, firefighters are getting the upper hand on a wildfire burning near Palmdale, north of Los Angeles. The so-called "crown fire" is now 87 percent contained. The blaze scorched nearly 14,000 acres in the Antelope Valley and destroyed four homes. Evacuation orders have been eased and people are returning to their homes.

An army of some 1,300 firefighters managed to knock down that fire.

A U.N. group has added the Florida Everglades National Park to a list of the world's most endangered sites. UNESCO says high pollution levels are killing marine life and says water inflows have decreased by up to 60 percent. This is the second time the Everglades has made the list. The first was because of damages caused by Hurricane Andrew in the 1990s.

Could another hurricane be headed toward the U.S. in a couple of weeks? Signs point to yes.

Jacqui Jeras, our meteorologist -- another one?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It sounds like a magic eight ball thing. Signs point to yes.

LEMON: Yes. That's the problem with technology and probably the models point to yes, right?

JERAS: Yes. Well, some of them do and some of them don't. It's really too early in this game, quite honestly, to make an accurate prediction as to whether or not the U.S. is going to be hit.

But when we start seeing development in this area, we start to get nervous because this is the part of the world when tropical development begins. It can possibly end in a major hurricane. When we say major, we say category three, four and five. Most of them develop over in this area.

Now, we've got this tropical wave and we've been watching it already for a couple of days now. And it is showing some signs of organization. And the National Hurricane Center has upped their predictions that it will become a tropical depression in the next 24 to 48 hours, saying there's an 80 percent chance of it. So this is high and that's a pretty good chance. And we do think that will probably happen.

Now, where's it going to go and how strong is it going to get? Those are the questions everybody wants to know but still kind of to be determined. All the models are showing very good agreement that it's going to continue to move west-northwesterly and head toward the Lesser Antilles probably by Thursday.

Now, if it takes more of a northerly track, it's going to run into a little more wind shear. So, it's going to have a harder time becoming a more developed storm. But if it takes the track a little further to the south, especially if it were to get into the Caribbean, then we've got a much higher probability of whether or not we're going to have a hurricane here.

Now, the big steering mechanism is high pressure in the middle of the Atlantic -- the Bermuda High, as we call it. And as we take a look at history, what kind of tracks will that Bermuda High send that system? Well, in the month of August, we will often see them taking a track like this that would bring it up in and near the eastern coast of the United States or maybe stay a little offshore, which we would call a fishing storm. Or if it gets down to the Caribbean, we could start to see something push a little bit closer towards the Gulf.

So, you know, when we turn from July into August, the chances of seeing tropical storms develop and hurricanes developing is much, much higher and we are getting into what we would call a peak season. A little graphic here from NOAA showing you -- oops, excuse me, there it goes -- showing you the chart that as we go on in time. Here's that big peak to logical peak which is September 10th.

So, you know, mid-August to mid-October is when we predominantly see all of that action beginning to take place. Now, we've already had two named storms, that was Alex and Bonnie. Those were relatively weak systems and didn't cause too much trouble. If this one gets a name, it will be Colin.

And, of course, we expect with the record warm temperatures in the Atlantic that this is going to be a very busy hurricane season, Don. You know, getting close to some incredible numbers will be very possible this year as well. So --

LEMON: All right, Jacqui Jeras, appreciate it. Technology going a little awry there but you handled it.

JERAS: My map doesn't want to behave.

LEMON: You got it. All right. We appreciate it.

You know, the great African-American scholar W.E.B. DuBois, he coined the phrase "the talented tenth." He was referring to the importance of building leadership among most able 10 percent of blacks in an effort to create future leaders.

In today's "Building Up America," CNN's Allan Chernoff shows how that philosophy has been put into practice in a summer program at Princeton University.

(BEGN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Summer in the city, playing ball, hanging out. Getting in trouble? Not Robert Emmanuel. This 15-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, is a W.E.B. DuBois scholar this summer, in a different world, 40 miles south on the campus of Princeton University.

For five weeks, the DuBois Scholars Institute takes promising African-American students from underprivileged backgrounds and mixes them with equally bright black students from wealthier families, bringing more than 50 students to Princeton University.

ROBERT EMMANUEL, W.E.B. DUBOIS SCHOLAR: It really changed my thinking about myself by bringing out a new -- a new me, which I thought, which I never knew was there. CHERNOFF: Psychology professor Sherl Boone is putting Dubois talented tenth concept into practice, hoping to develop tomorrow's black leaders by building students' confidence and intellectual skills.

SHERL BOONE, CEO, W.E.B DUBOIS SCHOLAR INSTITUTE: DuBois was founded with the hope that we could begin to develop those who I believed had the greatest potential for solving some of the problems that confronted us.

CHERNOFF: Today, Robert's class is studying the BP oil crisis and business ethics.

ADEDAYO JOBI-ODENYE, STUDENT: B.P. should try to involve other oil companies, because they're also affected by this too.

CHERNOFF: The institute wants these students to remember that they can be leaders who will take on the nation's most challenging problems.

ROBERT EMMANUEL, STUDENT: Going back to school, I'm more prepared. I feel I can do anything in school. I can get straight "A"s or I can get a 4.5 GPA.

CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN, Princeton, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A corporate merger today most often means layoffs, but not always. These people not only kept their jobs when their company combined with another one, their loyalty paid off, big time. You'll meet one of them coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. When two companies merge, it often means big salaries for the top dogs and layoffs for the little guy, the worker bees. But this week, a Virginia social media marketing firm proved it doesn't have to be that way. The CEO found a unique way to reward loyal employees. He created a stock fund for them. This week, after three years, it paid off and it paid off big. And the employees at New Media Strategies, they partied. Look at that. Black-tie partying there. Everybody smiling in those pictures, because the payoffs were pretty substantial, from $80,000 to $100,000 for every employee who stayed through the merger.

Moira Curran is among them. She's with her boss, Pete Snyder, CEO of New Media Strategies.

Thank you both, and congratulations, by the way.

PETE SNYDER, CEO, NEW MEDIA STRATEGIES: Thank you, Don.

MOIRA CURRAN, VICE PRESIDENT, NEW MEDIA STRATEGIES: Thank you, Don.

SNYDER: Thanks for having us.

LEMON: Pete, explain this to our viewers. This fund is basically -- it's called a stock pool? You pool stock together? How's it work?

SNYDER: Exactly, Don. We know how the story usually goes. When a company is sold, the owners get rich and the employees usually get screwed. We wanted to do something very, very different at NMS, so we created a stock fund. Our employees were not shareholders, so we actually baked them into the deal. This is something the acquiring company, Meredith, absolutely loved because it made everyone act like an owner. So it's been terrific for loyalty and terrific for retention for us.

LEMON: So you set goals for them. If they reached those goals, that was an incentive to reach those goals and they got more money put into that pool, right?

SNYDER: Absolutely. So everyone was completely aligned.

LEMON: So, Moira, in the beginning, what did you think? Did you go, yes, that sounds good?

CURRAN: Yes, there was a lot of great energy in the office. But, you know, three years at a social media marketing company, when things are changing very rapidly and we're innovating every single day, three years seems like a long time away. Our party last weekend was a great payoff for that discussion that we had so many years ago.

LEMON: How much of that motivated you? How much of what he did motivated you?

CURRAN: Oh, absolutely. I think that there's a huge financial benefit, obviously, in being a part of this company and being a part of this program. But more than that, it's a huge motivator to be recognized, to be recognized as saying, hey, you're an important part of this company and our success.

LEMON: All right. I know you can't talk about the money, but were you happy? I'm sure you're excited. It was a pretty good sum, right?

CURRAN: Yes, we're very happy.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Hey, Pete, do you recommend this for other employers?

SNYDER: Absolutely, Don. Again, it's -- you know, I've been very fortunate. Our parent company treats me very, very well. I wanted to share that with our employees. It's -- you know, I've been able to live the dream. I want our team to be able to do that as well.

LEMON: Wow, she's smiling and saying great things about her boss. Look at that. (LAUGHTER)

Good for you guys. Thank you very much.

Moira Curran and Pete Snyder, we appreciate it.

CURRAN: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Share the wealth too.

SNYDER: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Listen, there's news today on the condition of a former vice president. We're talking about Dick Cheney. He had serious heart surgery three weeks ago and, again, we have some news.

And a dying man's wish is sparking an ethical and a moral debate. He wants to donate his organs right now, even though it would kill him before the disease takes him. He joins me straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want to check your top stories right now on CNN.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is still in a Washington hospital but he is out of intensive care. His daughter, Liz, tells "FOX News" he is doing well and may be allowed to go home later this week. Cheney has a history of heart problems, including five heart attacks. Last month, doctors implanted a small pump in his heart, a procedure reserved for the most severe cases.

In Russia, nearly a quarter million firefighters are battling some of the worst wildfires the country has ever seen. At least 28 people have been killed. Almost 3,000 others are now homeless. Russia is dealing with a major drought and scorching temperatures this summer. Altogether, 67 fires are burning across the country right now.

You know, it is a fee that many consumers have been fighting. Today is the first day that Spirit Air will charge for carry-on bags. Passengers will now pay 30 bucks to use the overhead bin. And that's if you plan ahead, online. You'll fork over 45 bucks if you pay at the gate. Spirit says the fee is to allow more space in overhead bins.

And after months of speculation and no confirmation, Chelsea Clinton did get married yesterday in Rhinebeck, New York. The daughter of the secretary of state and former president wed her long- time fiance, boyfriend, now her husband, Marc Mezvinsky. Chelsea wore a dress designed by Vera Wang. Among the guests, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

You know, some of nature's greatest climbers are inspiring new robotic inventions. This isn't about creating new toys either. It's about a new weapon on the battlefield.

And a yard sale find that may be worth millions. That is, if you believe the buyer.

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LEMON: Before the break, I said some of nature's greatest climbers, I was talking about geckos. They have inspired some PhD students at Stanford University to create a robot with some incredible abilities. CNN's Garry Tuchman is on the "Edge of Discovery" with one sticky robot.

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LEMON: A dying man's wish is sparking an ethical and moral debate. He wants to donate his organs now, even though it would kill him before the disease takes him. Garry Phebus explains why he believes the decision should be his and only his.

There he is right there with his daughter. They're going to join us next.

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LEMON: It's a very interesting story. Pay attention to this one. A Georgia man with a terminal disease has opened an ethical and moral debate over when someone can donate their organs. Garry Phebus is dying of ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. He wants to donate his heart, liver, kidneys and other vital organs while they are still healthy. Of course, doing so would kill him. Phebus, who is 61, ignited the debate with this YouTube video. Look at it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARRY PHEBUS, ALS PATIENT: I thought about this for a long time. I am not suicidal. I just know that it's a matter of time before I die. I wish to do good things for those people who have a good life expectancy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The medical profession won't even consider it. Plus, it would be illegal.

Garry Phebus joins us now from Tampa, Florida, along with his daughter. Her name is Kerri Wilkinson. With us, from Philadelphia, Arthur Kaplan, the director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Thanks to you all for joining us tonight.

PHEBUS: Thank you.

KERRI WILKINSON, DAUGHTER OF GARRY PHEBUS: Thank you.

PROF. ARTHUR KAPLAN, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR BIOETHICS, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Thank you.

LEMON: Garry, tell us why you want to do this. Don't you want to spend as much time as possible with your family?

PHEBUS: Well, the reason why I want to do this is because I think it's morally ethical. It seems to be the common sense thing to do. And, of course, I want to spend time with my family. But I don't want to drag them through the hardship. When you have thousands of people on the list, and thousands of people dying every day, it seems to me to be common sense. I can't take it with me. Why not give to someone so that can watch their loved ones or children or grandchildren grow up?

LEMON: But, Garry, doing this -- by doing this, you should essentially be taking your own life. If someone did it for you, it would be essentially assisted suicide. You still think it's ethical?

PHEBUS: I think it's morally ethical because I don't look at it as suicide. I look at it as a sacrifice.

LEMON: Kerri --

PHEBUS: I look at it as --

LEMON: Go ahead, I'm sorry. There's a delay. Go ahead.

PHEBUS: It's OK. It's like if you were in a war, somebody jump on a grenade, somebody threw a kid off a railroad track. You're sacrificing your life to save another. And in my case, I have a death sentence. And while all my organs are still viable, as far as I know, and I was told, why not save other people's lives. I don't know when I'm going to go.

LEMON: I want to talk your daughter. I want to talk to Kerri now.

What do you and the rest of your family think of this? Do you support his wishes?

WILKINSON: We do support his wishes. When he first came to us and suggested this unusual idea, not to lie, we were all in shock. But not so much shock that we weren't willing to listen to his reasons why. Once he explained those to us, it made sense. I work in the health care field, in occupational therapy, and I know how difficult things like that can be on a person and they're family. If he can do any good for anyone else, we're all behind him 100 percent. Even though --

LEMON: You said, as a health care professional, it makes sense. But when you're dealing with that sort of thing with someone you love, obviously you don't want to see him go.

WILKINSON: We don't, but I would rather see him -- I would rather see him go out doing something that will help -- I don't know how many others. That's a heck of a legacy to leave, instead of just us watching him slowly wither away. It makes sense to us.

LEMON: I want to get to Professor Kaplan now. What's your take on this request? He says that he believes it's morally ethical to do this. You think it sets a bad precedence, is that correct?

KAPLAN: I'm very moved and saddened by Garry's plight, and I understand what he's trying to do, but doctors involved in transplants cannot be the cause of death to patients. You must be dead before you can harvest organs like the heart. I understand what he's trying to do, but there isn't going to be a transplant team in the country that can help him do it. We can't violate what we call the dead donor rule. You must be dead before you start the process.

LEMON: Mr. Kaplan, he is facing death anyway though.

KAPLAN: That's true. But we don't know if he's going to live another month, another year, for that matter five years. He may live quite a while with ALS and have a good quality of life for some period of time.

The principle, Don, is, if people sign a donor card, they want to go -- they're going to get aggressive care, full treatment, no one will shorten their life in order to get an organ. What Garry is proposing, even though it may make sense for him, it doesn't make sense for society, because it will terrify people into thinking, if they're willing to be organ donors, are they going to have their lives ended prematurely?

LEMON: This is -- I want to ask, Garry, have doctors told you -- once it does happen -- obviously, you've spoken to your doctors about that. You're being very candid with us in sharing this information.

PHEBUS: Correct.

LEMON: What's wrong with waiting until it happens? Will your organs degenerate to a level where they can't be used once you do pass away?

PHEBUS: Well, yes. Basically, what I was told by the ALS Society, and I'm sure the doctor will confirm it, that they have to wait until you're brain dead. Once you're brain dead, then they have to wait -- they can't start it. They have to wait until your heart stops. Once your heart stops, it my understanding there are only so many organs that are viable at that point in time. From what I understand, from Life Link and other organizations, the two organs most on the list are liver and lungs. And they're first to go. So my position is simple -- the doctor's right. If I have a month, I might have a year, I might have two years to live. But --

LEMON: Since you said that, I want to ask you, if you don't mind sharing, what is your prognosis? What have doctors told you?

PHEBUS: My prognosis is -- right now, I'm on a breathing machine that helps you breathe. My arms constantly twitch. I have double vision, blurred vision. I have short-term memory loss. Part of my personality has changed. My legs are weak. Every night, it's getting harder to breathe. It's like turning over in bed with 200 pounds of cement tied to you. And I can --

LEMON: Have they given you a time?

PHEBUS: They have not given me a time. I don't think they will give you a time, because they don't know how fast the disease will progress. You can have upper or lower, as the doctor knows. You don't know which way it will be.

LEMON: Well, Garry, I have to tell you, listen, it's an interesting story. You're a brave man. It's a pleasure meeting you and your family.

And I want to thank Mr. Kaplan as well. Thanks to you.

We'll check back in on you, OK?

PHEBUS: Thank you very much, sir.

WILKINSON: Thank you.

KAPLAN: Thank you.

LEMON: We have new news from the Gulf of Mexico to tell you about. A B.P. executive tours the site of the oil disaster. What he says about the next step in the process to stop that leak.

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