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Live Earth Concerts Around the World; Lucky Day to Get Married; States Baking in Heat Wave; Essence Music Festival in New Orleans
Aired July 07, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good luck.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: You might need it.
Good morning, everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen. Straight ahead this hour, weekend scorcher. Is there any relief from the record heat? Triple digit details, that's coming up.
Also...
HOLMES: Eleven cities, seven continents, dozens of bands, thousands of fans. But can a giant rock concert really save the world?
NGUYEN: Plus thousands of couples, as we mentioned, getting lucky. Oh, yes, they're tying the knot. It is 7/7/07.
HOLMES: But we are going to start this hour with the west. Out west bracing for another summer sizzling day. Seven states baking in a heat wave. Temperatures expected to ease a bit today but don't know if it's enough for you to even to notice.
One Montana cattle rancher says if there's no relief soon, the hay will turn to dust.
NGUYEN: Well, that heat wave claimed at least two young lives. Listen to this, a 15-month-old Idaho boy died after being locked for hours in a parked car with its window up. The child's step- grandmother told police she just forgot about him and after going inside a friend's house and falling asleep. The boy's father says he is in disbelief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK GRABER, FATHER: He was just so cute and so full of life. I don't know how you could possibly forget him. There's just -- he was a kid you never forgot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I want to tell you about a similar situation in Storm Lake, Iowa. Police there say a 2-year-old boy died after being left in a hot car for hours by his 18-year-old uncle. Charges have been filed in both of those cases.
HOLMES: We go from the heat to the floods now. Hard hit Marble Falls, Texas hoping to dry out as rain tapers off across the state. However, forecasters warn that rivers could keep rising in some places. This comes as search teams find the bodies of two people, a 6-year-old boy swept away by a raging river and a man whose vehicle was pulled out of a creek in Ft. Hood.
Rivers also receding across Oklahoma revealing flood damage to thousands of homes and businesses. Damage there estimated in the millions of dollars.
NGUYEN: Well, let's get the latest on this weather outside. It's supposed to be a lucky day, Reynolds, you know, 7/7/07. How is it turning out for folks who really need a break from the heat?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Not much of a break in the desert Southwest. I mean let's first of all be honest with ourselves. I mean normally it is warm in the desert Southwest. Hot is a better way to describe it.
It's going to be a little bit above normal in Las Vegas. Not a record-setting day but still very warm in temperatures beyond the century mark from Saturday through next Wednesday. So certainly you want to be careful. You don't want to go outside and exert yourself between the peak heating hours today between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00.
Phoenix, same story, also very warm all the way through Wednesday. So keep that in mind.
But the problem is this hot weather is not just going to just stay in place. It's going to roll off towards the east. In fact, we're going to see warmer conditions in parts of the central and northern plains, Kansas City, Minneapolis, even Dallas getting in on the action with temperatures mainly in the 90s. But when you pile on the humidity, it's going to feel like it's into the century mark.
I got a live tower cam for you. This out of Tulsa, Oklahoma where -- or rather Tucson. Tucson easy for me to say. No rain in the picture there at all today but certainly there's temperatures that will be into the 100s.
As we go back to the weather computer, take a look at this. You know how I mentioned that the warm weather was going to spread eastward? Check out Washington, D.C. Not necessarily today or tomorrow but by Monday and Tuesday we're going to see that mercury really rise up near the century point for the beginning half of the work week. So it's certainly something you want to be advised of.
Now, not all the weather news is bad. We are getting a little bit of break in North Texas and in parts of the central plains, which is great in terms of the rainfall.
Still heavy rain possible in parts of South Texas, but for the Gulf Coast moving into Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, today we could get quite a bit of rainfall, anywhere from one to three inches of rain. That's wonderful news for this part of the country and the southeast because we've been desperate for rain. It could not come at a better time. It looks like it's going to be just some showers. Not expecting any severe thunderstorms but certainly some beneficial rainfall.
So at least there's a good side to our forecast today. I guess this is where the 7/7/07 comes into play.
NGUYEN: See!
WOLF: Back to you guys.
NGUYEN: It's already working.
HOLMES: You got to be positive.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Reynolds.
HOLMES: All right, thanks, Reynolds.
NGUYEN: Well, the first charge has been filed in connection with last weekend's failed terror plots in London and Glasgow. A 27-year- old doctor appeared in a London courtroom. And CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us now live.
What's the latest on today's legal proceedings, Karl?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, the man was named as Bilal Abdulla, a 27-year-old Iraqi doctor. The charges against him: conspiring to cause explosions likely to endanger life. That of course in connection with the botched bomb plots both here in London and also in Glasgow a week ago.
Now, the court heard that the bombs were made up of gasoline, of propane and nails. Of course, the two bombs in London failed to go off. From what we saw from those very dramatic pictures in Glasgow was that a Jeep Cherokee rammed into a Glasgow airport terminal and that caused a huge fire. Police allege that Bilal Abdulla, the man in court today, was one of two men who rammed that Jeep into the airport terminal.
But as for Mr. Abdulla himself, he was only called on to speak to confirm his name and age. What the court ordered was that he should be kept in custody for a further 20 days. And then he'll be brought before another court and the proceedings will continue at that stage, Betty.
NGUYEN: Karl, let me ask you this. Today is the two-year anniversary of another terror attack in London. How is that event being observed?
PENHAUL: There was a ceremony at Kings Cross Train Station, an underground subway station, early this morning. That was attended by some of the relatives of the victims and also by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It was a very simple, low-key commemoration, that in line with the wishes of the relatives of the victims. Gordon Brown himself laid a wreath, which we understand just carried a simple message, "with deepest respect and sympathy" -- Betty. NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Karl Penhaul joining us live from London today.
Karl, we thank you.
HOLMES: And when British police announced that last weekend's attacks were linked to the medical community, many people were shocked. There are many foreign born doctors working in Britain. And as CNN's Jill Dougherty reports, there's a large number of foreign born doctors working in the United States as well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): According to the FBI, two suspects in the British car bombings looked into the possibility of working as doctors in the United States, contacting the Philadelphia-based Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. Apparently, however, they did not take the test for med school graduates and never came to the U.S.
Muslim physicians in the United States, meanwhile, are condemning the U.K. attacks.
DR. ASMA MOBIN-UDDIN, COUNCIL OF AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: I actually was shocked to hear about the plot. I was angry. I really felt a sick feeling inside that physicians, people from my own profession, could be guilty -- suspected of being guilty of such heinous acts. I really couldn't believe it.
DOUGHERTY: The number of foreign-born doctors in the U.S. is growing because the country needs them.
(on camera): The United States has a shortage of medical personnel. And about a quarter of all physicians working in the United States are international medical graduates, according to the American Medical Association.
(voice-over): In order to work in the U.S., foreign medical professionals must have an H-1B visa, which is meant for highly skilled professionals.
The Department of Homeland Security says doctors get the same kind of screening that a computer specialist or a lawyer would, including fingerprinting and a face-to-face interview at the U.S. embassy in their home country. Their names are run through what's called the Interagency Border Inspection System, cross checking a number of law enforcement and security databases. If they get a visa, they're checked by Customs and Border Protection and fingerprinted again as they enter the U.S.
Homeland security says it is not planning any changes to H-1B visa regulations at this time.
Dr. Khalique Zahir of the Islamic Medical Association of North America agrees the checks are thorough. DR. KHALIQUE ZAHIR, ISLAMIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA: It's very difficult already for many foreign doctors to immigrate to this country and to get the training that they need. It's become significantly different since 9/11. Other than the basic backgrounds that they do, I don't know what more needs to be done.
DOUGHERTY: Dr. Zahir says the U.K. attack should not reflect on Muslim physicians in the U.S. Terrorism is contrary to Islam, he says, and contrary to Islamic medical ethics.
Jill Dougherty, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Six U.S. troops have died in Iraq. Five soldiers killed in the Baghdad area yesterday by roadside bombs. The sixth death was non-combat related.
Also in Baghdad, an attack at an Iraqi Army checkpoint. That killed five soldiers and one other person.
Elsewhere in Iraq, two British soldiers have died in Basra. And 11 deaths reported in fighting between the Shiite militia and security forces in two southern Iraqi cities.
NGUYEN: Well, it is taking place, 11 different locations on seven continents.
HOLMES: Yes, Live Earth concerts all for Mother Earth.
NGUYEN: Our Josh Levs has a reality check on all of this.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys, and hey, everybody. Do you all remember this?
(MUSIC)
LEVS: Oh, yes, back in the days when music stars actually saved the world, right?
Anyway, with Live Earth taking off, we're looking back at Live Aid and we're asking this question: Can these kinds of musical events actually make a long-term difference? That's coming up in the "CNN Reality Check" -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Josh.
Let me tell you, folks, I just got back literally last night from the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Later in the NEWSROOM, I'll show you what role politics is playing in this year's event.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: Music with a mission. Yes, some of the biggest names in entertainment rocking and rapping in cities all around the world today. Looking at the scene in Tokyo, some 10,000 people in the audience there.
T.J. wants to know where Shakira is, but you're looking at what is happening now, T.J., in Sydney, Australia. Forty thousand people filled the Aussie stadium.
Now, the goal of the Live Earth concerts is to persuade fans and governments to go green and save the environment. These concerts are being held in nine cities around the world. And here's a whole look at all of them. Organizers hope to reach 2 billion people through radio, television and Internet.
HOLMES: Well, New Jersey hosting one of the Live Earth concerts. Its governor has signed legislation making the Garden State the third in the nation to enact a greenhouse gas reduction law.
We're going to head now live to CNN entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson who's at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Good morning to you, Brooke.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.
And yes, Governor Corzine was actually here yesterday with Al Gore at a press conference to talk about how excited they are that Live Earth is here in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
And as we near the start of the concert here, it's going to kick off in about three and a half hours; I'm seeing a bit more action behind me. A sound check is under way right now. There's an impressive lineup of artists here, including Keith Urban, K.T. Tunstill, Kayne West, Melissa Etheridge, also the Police. They're actually closing out the show.
But everything kicked off in Sydney, Australia with artists including Jack Johnson, one of my favorites. And then it's been moving across the globe with the time zones.
Al Gore appeared via satellite in a recorded message to welcome everyone to Live Earth at that Sydney show.
Live Earth has also hit Shanghai, Tokyo and London.
Now, London is where Kevin Wall, the producer of this entire thing -- Wall partnered up with Al Gore, wanted to do this after seeing Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth." Wall is located in London. That's where really the nerve center, the control room, the massive control room is located to make sure everything goes well and runs smoothly all across the globe.
This of course is a mission, a personal mission by Al Gore. He wants to inspire people to take action in the fight against global warming. And as I mentioned, he was here yesterday at the site here at Giants Stadium. He was touring the facilities, walking around on stage, which, by the way, has a backdrop of recycled tires. So they're really staying true to their message.
But Gore at the press conference said that in the near future, the next generation is going to ask one of two questions. They're either going to be say, what were they thinking? Why didn't they do anything about this? This is a crisis and now it's too late. Or, he said that they will ask how did they do it? How did they solve a problem that many people thought was impossible to solve? And of course Gore hopes it's the latter question.
But, T.J., it's going to be difficult to gauge the success of Live Earth. And that's why a lot of people are skeptical about this because it is about raising consciousness not really about raising money. So Gore says it's the beginning of a three to five year campaign. He wants people to make life-style changes. And he also wants people to put pressure on their political leaders to really change policies about pollution.
So it's going to be a little bit challenging to see how successful it is because it's going to be a long-term goal that they're setting here.
HOLMES: Yes, nothing concrete, nothing on paper you can really point to and say, hey, we had a success but maybe a few years down the road, we'll look back and say this was some kind of a turning point. But you've got people on both side of this issue, of course.
Brooke Anderson, thank you so much. Enjoy the show.
NGUYEN: And when people do watch the show, they're going to wonder well, what can I do? In fact, we're going to be talking with the author of the "Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook," which really gives you some tangible things that you can do in everyday life.
But when it comes to concerts like this, people want to know, what are you doing besides raising awareness, which is really the main goal of this.
LEVS: Right. I mean it's largely about what can actually happen at an event like this.
Now, I've been telling you guys and been trying to convince you, I'm not a cynic. I'm really not, not who I am.
NGUYEN: Right.
LEVS: I know. She doesn't believe me. I'm not. But the fact is it's true. There are very few things stars love more than to get with other A-list stars and call on everybody else in the world to go save the world.
So we're taking a look today at what really is a very ambitious undertaking. You're talking about these concerts at multiple venues with stars from different countries all aimed at taking on one of the world's hugest problems. But we're looking at history because this is not the first time. So to see what kind of an impact this could actually have, we're going to take a look back now to the worldwide musical extravaganza that started it all.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
LEVS (voice-over): First, it was the single. And then...
(MUSIC)
LEVS: ...the Live Aid concerts in 1985 drew millions of people and raised more than $200 million meant to help end Ethiopia's famine. Some of the food made it and helped. But critics say much of the aid never made it to those in need.
NILE RODGERS, LIVE AID PERFORMER: We didn't understand the business and the politics of that particular country and that war. We didn't understand the infrastructure.
LEVS: Twenty years after Live Aid, Bob Geldof, the man who organized it, took a new tactic. The Live 8 Concerts of 2005 were designed to draw attention to global poverty not to raise money.
BONO, MUSICIAN/ACTIVIST: This is not about charity. This is about justice.
LEVS: World leaders appeared with Live 8 leaders. The G-8 and other world powers increased aid and alleviated Africa's debt, though we'll never know how much credit goes to Live 8.
Now, Live Earth is taking on climate change. Organizers hope the concert will have lasting effects by educating people about the environment.
But back in 1985 many people credited Live Aid with educating people about famine in Africa. And in the following years, the region faced more famine. Its population remains one of the most undernourished in the world. There's no evidence Live Aid made a long term difference.
Still, organizers of Live Earth say this will lead to change by inspiring people to make some environmentally friendly changes in their own lives.
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we can get a small fraction of the people watching this concert to sign up to those measures, then you're going to see the beginnings of major change.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: You know what, but can they get that and will it last? Because if they achieve their goals and they get people all over the world to make concrete lasting changes, then Live Earth would really become one of the most influential musical events, Betty, in all of history.
NGUYEN: Well, that is ideal and that's what they're trying to do. And today, again, is not a fund raiser.
LEVS: Right.
NGUYEN: So that leads to the question, what is happening to the money that's being raised through all the ticket sales?
LEVS: Right, exactly, because people are paying for tickets but then they say it's not a fundraiser. And people should know that. If you have bought a ticket, it's not a charity that you're giving that money to.
Here's what happens, the organizers say the money that you spent for your ticket will go to covering the costs of these. It's true the groups are working for free. All over the world, they're not making money off of it, but there are major expenses to putting on a concert. They have to set up the huge venues. They have to pay expenses of these groups to even set up and perform.
Also, there are expenses for security. Given the world as it today, there's a lot of concerns about security. So what -- you know based on what we've been told so far, we doesn't have reason to believe that there's even necessarily any kind of short-term profit from this. What they are saying, if there is, money will go to the charities that apply to this global -- you know against global warming effort.
NGUYEN: Right.
LEVS: But the short term, the money is just to cover the expenses.
NGUYEN: And really that's why the awareness part of is so crucial...
LEVS: Right.
NGUYEN: ...because in order for this to make a difference, you have to do something at home. And again, we'll be talking more about what you can do a little bit later today.
Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: You got it, thanks.
HOLMES: Well, is seven your lucky number? A lot of couples are hoping it means wedded bliss for them.
NGUYEN: Also, the Seven Wonders of the World. Is it really time for a new list?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A "Desperate Housewife" now a beautiful bride. Eva Longoria tying the knot with basketball star, Tony Parker, who is loving life right about now. He's gotten married, won an NBA championship, won the MVP award and he's 25 years old.
NGUYEN: Lucky seven, it's been his lucky year.
HOLMES: He's been lucky for -- he must have been born on 7/7.
NGUYEN: He was born lucky.
HOLMES: Yes. Well, their civil ceremony in Paris yesterday is being followed up today with a more elaborate wedding at a cathedral, then a star-studded bash at a French chateau.
NGUYEN: Lots of people saying their "I do's" today.
HOLMES: Yes, it's said to be the luckiest day of the century, seventh day of the seventh month of the century's seventh year.
We want to go live now to CNN's Lisa Goddard. She's in Largo, Maryland for some lucky seven action, if you will, at Six Flags.
Hello there.
LISA GODDARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Hey, T.J.
In France, I guess they have the scent of nobility. Here it's more the scent of sunscreen and Slushies. But the folks here wouldn't have it any other way. These are people that know weddings can be a lot of work and they want to celebrate this lucky day here at this park.
We're going to show you some video of a particularly special couple here this morning. These are the Flahertys. They -- both of them, the husband and wife, are in the military. She's in the Navy. He's in the Air Force. They were supposed to get married in 2005, a big wedding, but then he was going to be deployed. And her and her papers were changed as well.
So they had just a couple of days. Their family and friends couldn't make it to the wedding. So instead they came here today to try and finally have that big wedding they've always wanted. And they were ecstatic. However, they have very different feelings about roller coasters. Here's what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GODDARD: Why the amusement park?
MARY ELLEN WING, BRIDE: I love roller coasters. It's like my happiest place ever and I drag him with me.
GODDARD: And you're OK with roller coasters?
BRENDAN FLAHERTY, GROOM: I'm not going -- I'm not really, not much of a fan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GODDARD: Ah, he's a good man, Mike. Courtney was crying as she sat on the rollercoaster as it went off.
It's really been an incredible day here. Some other couples are newlyweds getting married now. You could see the nervousness in some of these young men's eyes, double nervousness as they were about to become married men and as they were about to go up a giant steep incline on two rollarcoasters -- T.J., Betty.
HOLMES: Yes, you got a lot of things to be nervous about on your wedding day. You don't need a rollercoaster issue as well.
All right, Lisa Goddard, thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Well, check this out. Speaking of lucky sevens and everybody getting married, one lady is kind of...
HOLMES: She's hot.
NGUYEN: ...fanning herself.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: All of it's getting to her. That's at the White Chapel in Vegas there on your left. As you can see they've been lining up. In fact, T.J., I've heard that many of these chapels there, as you know, take people at any time. Well, now they're saying because of today and the influx of people wanting to get married, it's going to cost you more. It's all a business, isn't it?
HOLMES: Of course, it's Vegas. They know how to make money in Vegas.
NGUYEN: It's true.
HOLMES: On the right there, folks getting married. You can see their insistence a bit there. But that's a wedding party. Waves are crashing in Cape May, New Jersey. A beautiful scene. Hope they don't get swept away.
NGUYEN: That's a little close to the water for a wedding dress.
HOLMES: But 7/7/07, this is the day, the luckiest day of the century, we are being told. So what better way -- or what better day to get married than this? It falls on a Saturday. That's perfect. A good day for weddings. But they -- are they going through -- are they just taking the picture or are they taking the vows here?
NGUYEN: I think these are just the pictures.
HOLMES: They don't even know that they are on national TV right now.
NGUYEN: But they're happy, look at them.
HOLMES: They are happy on this day. Aw, let's have the kiss. We got to have the kiss. OK.
NGUYEN: I don't think they're going to do that.
HOLMES: They don't have an ear piece in and they can't hear me...
NGUYEN: They can't cue on the kiss.
HOLMES: ...give them commands.
All right, well, that's just a little bit of what's going on around the country today.
We got to get back to this heat wave now. It's more than the usual July heat wave.
NGUYEN: Oh yes.
HOLMES: We're going to have the latest on a deadly impact really the high temperatures are having across the country.
NGUYEN: And later in the NEWSROOM, I'm going to talk with the man who put together the "Global Warming Survival Handbook." These are tangible things that you can do at home to stop global warming.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: I want to give you a quick look at the headlines right now.
The first suspect charged in the failed U.K. terror plot has had his initial court appearance. Bilal Abdulla, a 27-year-old doctor, spoke only to confirm his name and birth date. His next hearing is set for July 27.
You ready to rock because the 24-hour Live Earth concert is under way in cities all around the world. This is the John Butler Trio performing in Sydney, Australia. That concert is aimed at raising awareness about global warming. In fact, all of those concerts are.
And more triple digit temperatures in the western United States. Listen to this, a 15-month-old boy died in Idaho after being left in a hot car. We talk about this each and every year.
And, Reynolds, it seems like we continue to see these cases of people just forgetting that their child is in that vehicle. And when it gets as hot as it has been in the 100s, you can die in a second's notice.
WOLF: It's a heartbreaking story. But if I'm not mistaken, that story took place in Idaho, correct?
NGUYEN: Yes, in Idaho.
WOLF: And there was another one that took place similar to that in Iowa, correct? NGUYEN: Right.
WOLF: OK, keep in mind, one of those places we had record- setting temperatures, the other we did not. That's a really important point to make because you don't have to have record-setting heat out there to have incidents like that occur. It can be just a regular 88 degree day. And if you leave a child or even a pet inside a car enclosed, give it a short time, those temperatures skyrocket and then it becomes a deathly situation. Certainly, some bad news.
Right now, we're seeing some very incredible heat starting to build. Remember early morning in Phoenix. These are current temperatures, already 95 degrees. 92 in Las Vegas. 84 in Salt Lake City.
Now, temperatures in Salt Lake City will get to the century pointed today as well as Phoenix. Phoenix easily in the century point all the way through Wednesday.
Salt lake City, check this out, going from 100 but then cooling down a little bit as we get into the beginning of the work week. However, all that hot air is going to roll its way off to the east eventually moving into places like Kansas City, Chicago, where today we're expecting highs in the low 90s. But Washington, D.C., high temperature today of 91 degrees but by the time we get into Monday and Tuesday, we're getting very close to triple digits.
Some places when you combine that heat, when you have the, of course the high humidity, it's going to feel much more with the heat index. So that is something really, really important to consider.
Something else to consider, the possibility of some scattered showers in parts of South Texas. We may see some flooding here but also some beneficial rainfall into portions of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. That is certainly the best part of the forecast, rain moving to places that have just been into a very rough drought.
That's the latest we have for you. Let' get back to you at the news desk.
NUGYEN: Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: Anytime.
HOLMES: Well, the Essence Music Festival wrapped up in New Orleans. And this year's festival is a homecoming. For some presidential candidates, it was a chance to get their message out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice-over): It's always been a mix of great music and serious efforts towards social change. This year the Essence Music Festival is back in New Orleans after a year away due to Hurricane Katrina. And this year it's mixing music with presidential politics.
BARACK OBAMA (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If all of you are ready to not just rebuild New Orleans but rebuild the New Orleans all across America, on the south side of Chicago, and in New York City, and in Los Angeles, and in Houston, all across America, I am absolutely convinced that we will not just win an election this time out, but more importantly, we are going to transform a country.
HOLMES: Barak Obama took center stage at the festival Thursday night followed just hours ago by Hillary Clinton.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe it is an American responsibility to rebuild New Orleans not just one of Louisiana and New Orleans but all of us working together.
HOLMES: John Edwards isn't here, but he kicked off his presidential campaign in the Crescent City.
JOHN EDWARDS (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm here in New Orleans in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans to announce that I'm a candidate for the presidency of the United States.
HOLMES: Why all the attention to New Orleans? Because the city's plight has become a national story line and because Katrina had a devastating effect on the city's black community. Black voters are crucial to the Democratic Party.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roughly nine in 10 blacks vote Democratic. That makes them the most reliable voting bloc for the Democratic Party in this country.
HOLMES: And they'll play an important role in picking the next Democratic presidential nominee especially in South Carolina and Florida, two early primary states.
Senators Clinton and Obama are neck and neck among voters in the recent polls. But it's still very early and many voters haven't made up their minds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not feeling that either candidate would be at this point that much of a difference.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And of course the festival is one of the top black events in this country, so no surprise that Obama and Clinton would show up there. You can expect the attention from the candidates on the black community to continue. The candidates, all of them are expected to be at the NAACP Convention in Detroit next week.
NGUYEN: There's your video, T.J. Yes, around the world today performers like Shakira are trying to raise global awareness and global warming.
HOLMES: You can find out what you can do from the author of "The Global Warming Survival Handbook." It's going to be coming up. We're going to be talking to him in just a short time. And I'm just stretching this out so we can continue to watch this video. But we're going to have to eventually take a commercial break. I guess they're going to shut me up sometime coming up. But we will -- yes, we'll go to break. All right, sorry.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, an international battle of the robots going on in Georgia this weekend. It's called the Robo Cup and it's being held at the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. And CNN's Bonnie Schneider is there where the bots are battling it out.
Hello to you again there, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, T.J. I've found a robot that's just about as big as me. How do you like that? Not very tall at all.
Well, joining me now is Dr. Joe from Singapore and this is Robo Erectus, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, Robo Erectus from Singapore (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SCHNEIDER: This is the largest robot in all of Southeast Asia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is actually.
SCHNEDIER: OK, we want to see him in action. Can we get it started?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, please
SCHNEIDER: OK, let's see what he can do. We're ready. He actually can kick a goal?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it can locate the ball and perform the kick.
SCHNEIDER: How does he do it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a lot of scientific research behind this.
SCHNEIDER: Oh, I bet. How does the larger robot, how does it balance itself?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, we needed to have a model. We know where is the center of the mass and we can plant a gauge. And then we plant a motion to make sure the robot walk as straight as possible.
SCHNEIDER: And there's a computer -- I see two computers behind him and there's also a laptop over there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes. There are two computers. One computer is a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) system so that the robot can see the ball and see the goalie and it can locate the robot. And the other one is artificial intelligence so that the robot can be as intelligent as human.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You hope.
SCHNEIDER: He's getting ready for the kick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.
SCHNEIDER: Here he goes. A little side lean and...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goal!
SCHNEIDER: ...goal. All right, Singapore wins the match again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, exactly.
SCHNEIDER: That's fantastic.
See, T.J., Betty, not bad at all. That's one smart robot.
HOLMES: It is, but he's moving kind of slow. We didn't know if he was going to get the goal in before the commercial break there. It took him a while.
SCHNEIDER: It took a while but he did it. You have to believe in these types of athletes.
HOLMES: Yes, all right, I will give it to him. Bonnie Schneider for us at the Robo Cup. Thank you so much, Bonnie, with the demonstration.
NGUYEN: Increase the speed on Robo Erectus there.
HOLMES: You just had to say the name.
NGUYEN: I did.
All right, there is much more coming up.
We've been talking to you all day about Live Earth. Well, did you know accompanying the concert is a handbook? And we're going to be speaking with the author about some of the things that you can do at home to make sure that you help stop global warming. Stay with us for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Happening right now, taking you to Hollywood, Florida, where Fred Thompson is speaking to the Young Republicans Club. Now we were expecting his announcement to run for president on July 4. That has not officially been made, but again, looking like a candidate here as he speaks to the young Republicans down there in Hollywood, Florida. Let's take a lesson.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
FRED THOMPSON, PRESIDENTIAL MAYBE: ...whatever their hard work will bring them to do. And that story is repeated over and over again in this country every day of the week. And you're a part of that story. And I want to thank you for that, too.
When I say the greatest country in the history of the world, those are not light comments. The fact of the matter is not only we're the strongest militarily, not only are we the strongest economically, but we've been the beacon of hope for countries for the last 200 years for anybody in the world that has aspirations of freedom and has aspirations for democracy. We brought more freedom to other people. We've sacrificed more for other people's freedom in this world. And I'm getting tired of having to apologize for the United States of America around the world.
NGUYEN: Fred Thompson there speaking to a group of young Republicans in Hollywood, Florida. The former "Law & Order" actor as well as senator from Tennessee. We're still waiting on that official announcement that he is running for president.
HOLMES: Things are getting awfully hot in a concert to raise awareness about global warming. The all-star Live Earth concert going on all day in nine cities all over the world.
NGUYEN: Why are you speaking so slowly, T.J.?
HOLMES: Well, I'm just letting people take it in. I want them to hear what I'm saying. It's very important.
NGUYEN: You want them to see the video.
HOLMES: It's very important a lot would say to the future of this world.
NGUYEN: You don't think Shakira has anything to do with that?
HOLMES: I'm looking at the prompter. I'm not even looking at the video, Betty.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: This is what it looked like in Hamburg, Germany. This is -- one of the organizers, of course, was former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
NGUYEN: Well, today's Live Earth concerts are a reminder all of us can do something to help save the planet. But what if you don't want to do something like risk your neck climbing up onto the roof to install, say, solar panels? Well, it doesn't have to be that difficult. And our next guest wrote "The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook." It offers 77 essential skills to stop climate change or at least live through it.
David de Rothschild joins us from the site of today's Live Earth concert there at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. You know I was looking at this book and it appears that there are so many different things, tangible things everyone can do. Why did you decide to write a handbook to go along with the concert?
DAVID DE ROTHSCHILD, AUTHOR, "GLOBAL WARMING SURVIVAL GUIDE": Well, I think we hear about all these ecological disasters all the time and we think that doing something is really tough. It's going to be, you know, a major change in my life. And I think the bottom line is to realize that we can all do something really small or really big. But at least there's a chance to do it -- we have to at least take that first step.
And when I was putting this book together, I realized there's a lot of things that actually cost us nothing, have a huge amount of impact and take very little time to do.
NGUYEN: Yes. We want to run through -- there's a whole list in here, again, some 77 essential skills. But we want to go through, say, the top three. And one of them is really quite simple, just adjust your climate by two degrees. That doesn't seem like it's very hard.
DE ROTHSCHILD: No, I mean we say put a sweater on. It's two degrees. Turn your thermostat down. I mean it seems insane to be saying that today. We've got a blistering hot day here at the Giants Stadium. But if you turn the thermostat down by two degrees, you can save anything up to 4 percent on your annual energy bill. So you're saving the planet and saving money.
NGUYEN: And yes, something as simple as changing light bulbs or all of the light bulbs if you can in your house, that can do a lot to help with global warming, can't it?
DE ROTHSCHILD: Yes. I mean again, something simple; it takes a matter of seconds to change a light bulb. If every household in America was to change one light bulb, it would be the equivalent of taking 800,000 vehicles off the road. I mean that's a huge impact for not a lot of effort.
NGUYEN: But you need to change it to a specific light bulb, the energy efficient kind.
DE ROTHSCHILD: Yes. I mean everyone -- we hear about them. One of these light bulbs, they look like they're little ice creams. They're very easy to replace. You don't have to rewire your house. It's as simple as going out to the store, ask a store manager where do I find one of these efficient light bulbs, go back home and plug it in. Even if you don't like the look of them, put it in a spare room. At least change one bulb.
NGUYEN: You know the great thing about that is not only does it save you money, it's good for the environment, but these light bulbs are expected to last a much longer time than some of the regular ones.
And another thing that I do at home, and I know some people think I'm crazy about it, but when I leave and go out of town, I unplug just about everything because even when it's on standby, a lot of your items at home really are sucking in electricity.
DE ROTHSCHILD: A huge amount. I mean we say kill your phantoms. And that's not the guy who's hiding under your bed or from a horror movie. This is saying we leave thousands of appliances plugged in all over the place. And those are sucking energy even when you're not using them.
Typical is you plug your phone charger in, charge for an hour, leave for work, come back in the evening, and that little sucker has been sitting in the wall all day absorbing energy.
We waste in the U.S. alone $1 billion on TVs and VCRs that are left on standby. That's a lot of money that could be going to somewhere else for a good cause like saving the planet.
NGUYEN: You know that is a lot of money, as you mention. But you have 77 different tips in here of what you can do. But some of them, though, I have to say very quickly, David, I'm not into buying a camel. But that's something that you're suggesting.
DE ROTHSCHILD: Well, if you can't buy a camel -- I mean, the camel is -- you know, it's not the easiest pet to find. But my favorite is share a bath. We can all do that, hopefully not with a camel.
NGUYEN: Share a bath, was that an invitation? I don't know if I can do that, David. All right.
DE ROTHSCHILD: Save some water.
NGUYEN: Well, you've got a lot of people out there who you can share a bath with today, a lot of people turning for this concert. "Global Warming Survival Handbook," it's got some great information. And some thing that you may not have thought of like sharing a bath or buying a camel, but pick it up and help save the planet.
Thank you, David. We appreciate it.
DE ROTHSCHILD: Thank you very much.
HOLMES: Well, that was an interesting segment, Betty. We're going to turn to Veronica de la Cruz.
Please get us away from bath sharing.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., we're not sharing a bath.
HOLMES: Let's get away from that, please.
DE LA CRUZ: I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
You know let's head to the weather. How's that? We could do that.
Well, you know that Al Gore has asked everyone to logon, participate in the seven point pledge reduce the human impact on the earth. You can always do that, instead of sharing a bath maybe.
I'm going to take you to CNN.com. That links to anything and everything having to do with Live Earth. And one of those links will take you directly to LiveEarth.org. That's where you can read more about how to take this seven point pledge.
Also, if you can't make it to the concert today, take a look. You can actually check out any of the events. All the ones happening live around the world. It's right there online. It's pretty cool. This is a concert happening right now live. You can find it by clicking on one of the world feeds.
Also, you can find a bunch of tools and resources including an online calculator that helps measure your carbon footprint. In three minutes, T.J., you can measure your score by answering really simple questions like how much you pay a month when it comes your the electric bill, your natural gas bill, and so on and so forth.
Also, this is pretty cool. Some of the artists have been blogging. Check this out. This is a blog by John Mayer. He says, "I woke up this morning with hope, excitement even. Live Earth is taking place in 48 hours and I'm starting to feel the first ripples of what could become a revolution."
So again, you can find it all by logging onto CNN.com, searching the word "Live Earth" and that's going to give you all the information that you need -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, all the information that we'll ever need.
DE LA CRUZ: Ever.
HOLMES: Veronica de la Cruz, thank you so much.
NGUYEN: You get everything on this show. You really do. And including this, did you ever wonder what the Seven Wonders of the World would be if they just made up the list today?
HOLMES: Well, we don't have long before we find out. We'll tell you what's in the running when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, you can wonder no more about the wonders of the world. Voting is over. Yes, in a huge Internet election to choose the new Seven Wonders of the World. The winners will be announced a little bit later today in Portugal although some people are wondering why the old Seven Wonders of the World weren't enough. CNN's Michael Holmes reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Are the ancient wonders of the world too ancient? More than 2,000 years after the Greeks named the Seven Wonders, seven new ones are set to be revealed. Twenty finalists ranging from India's 17th century monument to love the Taj Mahal, to Paris' 19 century Eiffel Tower, have drawn more than 90 million Internet votes in one of the largest polls ever conducted.
July 7 or 7/7/07 will conclude the multi-year media campaign instigated by Swiss businessman Bernard Weber. BERNARD WEBER, SWISS BUSINESSMAN: This is the first time we have an opportunity to have a global vote, and by the way, also being by children. This is the first time children can vote. And they vote out of passion not out of nationalism.
So this is the first-time opportunity. And I think we should seize that opportunity so that everybody can decide what the new Seven Wonders should be and not some government, not some individuals, not some institutions.
HOLMES: The star-studded event called the New Seven Wonders of the World will feature performances by Jennifer Lopez and Chaka Khan and will be hosted by Hollywood's Hilary Swank and Dan Kingsley.
Contenders include well-known greats like the Colosseum in Rome, Machu Picchu in Peru, Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janiero, the Great Wall of China, and the giant stone statues on Chile's Easter Island. Even national figures like Brazil's president Lula DaSilva and Jordan's Queen Rania are promoting their country's hopefuls.
But the new wonders campaigning is not universally recognized. The U.N. Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, identifies world heritage sites but claims there is no link whatsoever with the new Seven Wonders of the World campaign.
Egypt has also taken exception. According to (UNINTELLIGIBLE), head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, the great pyramids of Giza should be above competition and remain the world's only surviving ancient wonder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pyramids have to be away from (UNINTELLIGIBLE). The pyramids still exist today as the symbol of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of the ancient people. And we should not put them in any modern lists.
HOLMES: Following the Egyptian protest, organizers assured the pyramids honorary status in addition to the seven new wonders. For the remaining contenders, there's no way to prevent online voters from casting multiple ballots. The new list will capture opinions of those with access to the Internet and those who vote often.
Michael Holmes, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, my vote is on the Colosseum.
HOLMES: And I have to go with the Statute of Liberty. It's the home turf. You've got to vote for the home...
NGUYEN: For the modern day choice.
HOLMES: Yes, I'm going with that.
NGUYEN: All right, we'll see...
HOLMES: We will see soon, yes.
NGUYEN: We need seven of them, so we both have a chance.
NEWSROOM continues with Fredricka Whitfield.
Hi, Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, good to see you both.
NGUYEN: Good to see you finally back.
HOLMES: Welcome back.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. I'm glad to be back.
Well, let's continue with the momentum of modern day. Let's talk about this Live Earth concert that has everyone around the world singing the praises of taking care of our environment.
We're also going to be talking to an actor, well-known actor, Ed Begley Jr., who will also be talking about his show and how he lives being environmentally conscious every day. You are looking at the performers here with the Live Earth concert.
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