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Sarah Palin is Stepping Down as Alaska's Governor; What Are the Michael Jackson Memorial Tickets Worth?; Statue of Liberty Crown to Reopen Today for Independence Day
Aired July 04, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Sarah Palin, she says she is stepping down -- Alaska's governor. We will talk to the man who's set to take over her job.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Also, a lot of people trying to get their ticket to pay their final respects to Michael Jackson. So, how much will it cost for this massive memorial to take place for the set (ph) on Tuesday. We're going to be breaking down some of these numbers.
BALDWIN: Plus, a live look at the Statue of Liberty -- there she is this morning. There she is. Beautiful day there in New York. Her crown, set to open today for the first time to the public since 9/11.
HOLMES: And how appropriate that is reopening on this Fourth of July, this Independence Day. Happy Fourth to you all from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. This the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm T.J. Holmes.
BALDWIN: And I'm Brooke Baldwin in for Betty Nguyen. Happy Fourth to you and you as well, my new friend. It is 10:00 here in Atlanta, 9:00 a.m. in Kansas, 7:00 a.m. here in Los Angeles. We thank you for joining us.
HOLMES: And we will start with the Alaska governor who not only says that, no, she won't seek reelection, she's just quitting. She's getting out of there now. She is going to be resigning a year and a half early.
Our CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley with more on the governor's July surprise.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The governor of Alaska flummoxed the political world from her backyard in Wasilla, going out Palin-style.
GOV. SARAH PALIN, (R-AK) FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only dead fish go with the flow.
CROWLEY: She's quitting her job. What's that about? Pretty much a dealer's choice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sounds like perhaps trying to keep options open for 2012. CROWLEY: Free of her job, Palin could bulk up her coffers with speaking fees and a book deal and roam freely in the lower 48, making friend and meeting people with influence in the political system.
Or she could be doing a 180. A source close to the family thinks Palin's done with politics and wants to be with her kids, a hint of that when the governor mentioned her youngest son, Trig, who has Down syndrome.
PALIN: I know he needs me, but I know that I need him even more. And what a child can offer to set priorities right, know that time is precious.
CROWLEY: It was a curious, unreadable event, a holiday weekend press conference called so hastily, most reporters couldn't get there in time.
PALIN: I just want to say hi to Alaska.
CROWLEY: Palin was expected to say she wouldn't run for a second term. But to walk away with a year and a half left in your first is something else altogether, though it's unclear what.
TONY BLANKLY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Since she's made this announcement, Washington politicians are both parties have gone nuts. It suggests to me she's probably done something pretty smart.
CROWLEY: Or not.
ED ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think this is a stupid, stupid move. It's going to cause speculation that she got chased out for some reason.
CROWLEY: The governor offered multiple reasons for her abrupt departure, first that she was the victim of, quote, "superficial, wasteful political blood sport distracting from state business and spawning costly ethics investigations."
PALIN: You are naive if you don't see a full-court press from the national level picking away right now.
CROWLEY: And then said she doesn't want to be like all of those other lame duck governors.
PALIN: They hit the road, draw a paycheck, they kind of milk it.
CROWLEY (on camera): Despite the reasons she offered and the multiple theories thrown into the swirl, at the end of the day, it still seems like a piece of the puzzle was missing.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, because the governor is stepping down, Sean Parnell is getting a promotion. Who is he? He's the lieutenant governor of Alaska right now. We talked to him live here this morning just a short time ago, and he says he understands where she's coming from and supports her all the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN PARNELL, (R) LT. GOV. ALASKA: She told me what her decision was going to be up front, and then she explained her rationale. And so I was very surprised at first, but then as she began to explain why she was doing it, I began to see it was Sarah Palin once again moving to put Alaska's interests first.
Remember that basketball metaphor she used where she talked about the full-court press being on her and how it was time for her to pass the ball to a teammate so we can progress here in Alaska with our agenda, and I think that was an apt way of prescribing how she perceived things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: All right, so we've heard from the governor, we just heard from the lieutenant governor to be governor of Alaska, but what about the people? What are they saying? How are they reacting to this news?
For that we go to anchorage Matt Felling. He's an Anchorage reporter at Anchorage affiliate KTVA. Matt, good morning to you. I know it's very early where you. Thanks for joining us.
MATTHEW FELLING, KTVA NEWS ANCHOR: Oh, stop. It's just as sunny here at 6:00 a.m. as almost anywhere at 10:00 a.m.
BALDWIN: I was wondering if it was sunny out there. Let me start with the fact that I just jumped on your station Web site KTVA.com, and I noticed you all are asking this opinion poll. The question is, do you agree with Governor Palin's decision to resign. 60-plus percent said yes. What's that yes about?
FELLING: Well, the thing about that poll is that it cuts both ways. If people aren't fans of Governor Palin, they'll say yes, that it was a good idea for her to get out just because they weren't her biggest fans.
But at the same time, people who see the vision she's laying out, people who agree in the segment she's going to take Alaska to a higher state, people are also voting yes for that reason.
So you can't parse out too much from those numbers, but it is clear that it's about a 50-50 split, 60-40. Everybody is still trying to make heads or tails of this, including the news media up here.
BALDWIN: What was your reaction, Matt, just personally, watching this come down as we all were watching yesterday, this basketball analogy, that she was going to pass the ball? What was your immediate thought?
FELLING: At first got an email about an hour and a half before the fact. And it said that Sarah Palin will make an announcement. And then it had these little bullet points that said "What? Sarah Palin, what topic? Announcement." So it was uncharacteristically vague for Sarah Palin. So we sent somebody up.
And, yes, we know about the full-court press. We know that whether you think that she was drawn into some fights or picked some herself, she a fighter. I mean, she did the Letterman thing.
And the "Vanity Fair" clips this week that everybody's talking about, you have to wonder by backing away from the fray, she's identified herself as a fighter the last six to eight months. By backing away now, does she lose that piece of her identity, both on a local and national scale?
She's not going to have the platform to really brand herself as much as she once did. She, of course, is no stranger to the media, and she'll get her bits out there, but we just don't know how this is going to play, because she doesn't get to run as governor, and the people who are not on her side are going to say she stepped away.
Her Republican colleague, Lisa Murkowski, said that she abandoned the state. So this isn't falling along party lines.
BALDWIN: I was wondering. I read the statement from Lisa Murkowski, senior senator from Alaska, saying she decided to abandon her state, wondering if Alaskans feel abandoned.
Do Alaskans feel abandoned they, in one part? And secondly, Matt and no you are going to have to have your sources up there in Alaska. Are you hearing anything down on the ground as far as what the governor has in store after she steps down? What are you hearing?
FELLING: Well, everybody -- everybody in terms of state house in terms of local politics up here in Alaska has been saying that they thought Palin might have had her eyes on the lower 48 for quite a while, and this does free her up in terms of creating a network of people down there. She already has a political action committee.
This does give her a chance to, you know, to go out there, to go to Kansas, to go to Iowa.
But at the same time, people who are in Iowa liked her stance, liked the stance she took as governor. So we still have yet to know how it's going to play.
And when you say that I do talk to the sources up here, the thing is, Governor Palin has really been uncommunicative, not just with the media up here, but also with a lot of state legislators who she caught by surprise, and even her own office yesterday wasn't sure what the announcement was about until minutes beforehand.
So she's playing it very close to the vest. And just the political textbook, we'll find out if it works or not.
BALDWIN: We will see if she has plans for 2012, or perhaps a TV gig, or perhaps something else. We have no idea so far. But Matt Spelling, I appreciate you waking up bright and early for us, live from Alaska this morning. Thank you.
FELLING: Have a good one.
HOLMES: Stop me if you heard this one -- North Korea defying the international community, this time firing more rockets. Yes, this time we're talking about some test missiles here, but South Korea reporting that Pyongyang fired seven more short-range missiles towards the Sea of Japan.
Seoul says all of the missiles were fired in a period of less than nine hours. South Korea says the missiles, which have a range of about 310 miles, not the same type of missiles many thought they might be testing, which were longer-range missiles.
Seoul called these launches a "provocative act." South Korean intelligence estimates that Pyongyang has about 700 of these short range missiles in its arsenal.
North Korea, you may remember, just on Thursday, fired four missiles.
BALDWIN: It's a sedative usually used inside of hospitals, and that was found inside of home of Michael Jackson. That is according to the Associated Press. What this drug is called, is called diprivan, and it's typically used in operating rooms in the hospitals to induce sleep.
As for the cause of Michael Jackson's death that is yet to be determined. Those toxicology results shouldn't be back several more weeks.
But Jackson's memorial, that is set for this coming Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and more than 17,000 free tickets are available through a lottery on the arena's Web site, and winners will be notified tomorrow.
Los Angeles, a city in serious financial crisis as it prepares to host hundreds of thousands of mourning Michael Jackson fans. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez takes a look at how taxpayers feel about footing the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: City officials expect it to be the biggest memorial service Los Angeles has ever seen, an estimated 20,000 people inside Staples Arena, hundreds of thousands more outside.
How the area is secured and the massive crowds controlled will be up to Los Angeles police. It won't come cheap. Taxpayers will have to foot a big chunk of the bill for public safety.
HUIZAR: We are under some difficult financial times.
GUTIERREZ: Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, who's on the Budget and Finance Committee, says the city is in a financial crisis, with a $530 million deficit.
JOSE HUIZAR, COUNCILMAN, LOS ANGELES: People's lives are being affected. So we're saying we can't do anymore this year, this coming fiscal year.
GUTIERREZ: How much will it cost taxpayers? No one is saying for sure. But during the Lakers' championship parade, nearly 2,000 police were called in at a cost of $2 million.
But the city was reimbursed for most of that by the Lakers and other private donors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think probably given the state's financial situation, that doesn't seem to me to be the best use of funds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love Michael for what he's done. I don't mind. I'll dish out whatever money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't think tax dollars should go for any kind of tribute for Michael Jackson or anything like that. If there's a way to fund it privately, then that's fine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I wouldn't mind. It's a once in a lifetime deal.
GUTIERREZ (on camera): The councilman says he hopes the private sector, the philanthropists, and the entertainment industry come through for the city of Los Angeles to help pay that bill.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: President Obama urged the nation to reflect on the spirit of our founding fathers this Fourth of July. He also seized the moment to talk about something you're familiar with hearing President Obama talk about, change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're not a people who fear the future. We're a people who make it.
And on this July 4th, we need to summon that spirit once more. We need to summon the same spirit that inhabited independence hall 233 years ago today.
That's how this generation of Americans will make its mark on history. That's how we will make the most of this extraordinary moment. And that's how we will write the next great chapter in the great American story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Arizona Senator John McCain gave the Republican address. We'll hear his Independence Day message to the country in just a few minutes.
Also, estimated on this holiday weekend, 33 million people will have hit the roads for the weekend, traveling at least 50 miles. That is say cording to AAA.
If you are one of those drivers, gas prices are working in your favor. Today AAA says you'll pay an average $2.62 per gallon of regular rather unleaded. A year ago you were paying $4.10.
BALDWIN: Whether you're hitting the road or hanging out at home, hopefully grilling out, which is what I have on tap later on today, you want to know what the weather will be like. And I have a feeling Reynolds Wolf has a pretty good indication.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A pretty good indication. One hand working on the grill, other hand holding an umbrella. Scattered showers popping up across the St. Louis area.
Might get a break, because just to the west of St. Charles seeing scattered showers behind that dry air and then another installment pulling back around, also squeaking through parts of St. Louis.
We're going to see in terms of not precipitation, but heat, plenty of it. Look what we've got. Scorching conditions from Dallas, Houston highs mainly into the triple digits, upper 90s. 80 degrees in Kansas. All that cloud cover. Denver 75 degrees. Mix of sunshine and clouds for parts of Denver.
Later today, a crash of thunders possibly heavy rainfall. Salt Lake City, 69 in San Francisco, the high. And as we head back to Washington, D.C., 86 degrees. 78 degrees in Boston, New York at 83.
They've got, of course, the big hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. Expect temperatures along the coast there right near the beach mainly in the 70s later on today.
In terms of precipitation, again, we might see some in parts of central south Florida. Severe weather, maybe severe thunderstorms. Could be in the mix for you, but the biggest thing you'll deal with, the splash and dash sea breeze showers that want to pop up.
They pop up, form quickly, in terms of the beach, heading out to the coast, either place in the part of the peninsula. Water temperatures mainly, the gulf of Mexico, and working for the outer banks northward into the jersey shore mainly 70s, 60s and 50s once you hit parts of Maine.
That's your forecast. Back to you.
HOLMES: All right. Appreciate it, as always. Talk to you shortly.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
HOLMES: And just a reminder, we, of course, are monitoring all developments we're getting out of North Korea, where we know at least seven, I believe is the count, at least that many have been launched overnight. We'll bring you updates anytime something changes.
BALDWIN: That's just within a couple of hours today.
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: Also, Vice President Joe Biden is spending the morning in a war zone. He's at Camp Victory in Baghdad. We'll hear from him coming up.
HOLMES: Also taking you to New Orleans this holiday weekend, where they have an annual tradition there that's been going on for the past 15 years, at least. The Essence Music Festival underway. We've got your front row ticket. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Carolyn manning lost a loved one on 9/11. And that tragedy linked to her many others struggling with loss and connected her to a worldwide crisis. Her work helping refugees come to America makes Carolyn Manning this week's "CNN Hero."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN news.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an explosion. There is smoke all over the place.
CAROLYN MANNING, WELCOME TO AMERICA PROJECT: My brother-in-law was killed in tower one on September 11. After September 11th, I saw a picture of an Afghan family that had lost a member because of the Taliban, and they had to flee their country.
Our family had five kids. We lost a family member too. We just naturally went from that to let's show the refugees that we welcome them.
My name is Carolyn Manning, and I started the Welcome to America project to help refugees in Phoenix, Arizona.
The families that we help come from places where there has been war and genocide. Some refugees have never lived with indoor plumbing and have never flushed the toilets.
The Welcome to America Project is the community, and it operates by community volunteers. My husband and I have many a time been out here pulling furniture in before work, after work. This is our life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much for all your help.
MANNING: When they step foot in the United States, they have been invited here. I want the refugees to feel that this is their home. And that's what America has been built on. It's our history. It's who we are. And they are part of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell us about your hero at CNN.com/heroes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Must be nice, huh? John Legend wooing the crowd at the Essence Music Festival underway right now in New Orleans.
HOLMES: Yes, that festival in its 15th year now, celebrates African-American music and culture. This year, also, though, taking the time to remember Michael Jackson.
Our Sean Callebs now standing by in New Orleans. Sean, hello to you. I know it has been a sad week for a lot of folks after the death of Michael Jackson, but that festival certainly an upbeat one.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Without question, T.J. and Brooke. I was at that show last night. John Legend, Beyonce, talk about Fourth of July fireworks coming early. A major tribute, also, to Michael Jackson there as well. Certainly that entertainer on the minds of everyone, the hundreds of thousands here.
We also had a chance this week to hit some New Orleans nightclubs, listen to some of the bands there. Of course, the musicians are steeped in blues, jazz, and funk. But to a person, everyone we spoke with said Michael Jackson has had an amazing impact on New Orleans musicians.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: Icons of the Big Easy, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band playing tribute to it king of pop.
Bands throughout the city are working Michael Jackson's signature songs into their sets.
TROY "TROMBONE SHORTY" ANDREWS, MUSICIAN: When I listen to his music, he has influence from jazz, rock, funk, R&B. and that's where I am in life right now. I'm a student of music first of all, and I just wanted to be able to take everything and put it all into one gumbo pot.
CALLEBS: And few can stir the pot with a horn like Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, a rising star in New Orleans. On the spot he can conjure up a soulful version of "Rock with You."
Black and white, young and old, stop a New Orleans musician and you'll hear a Michael Jackson story. Even for mainstays like Ivan Neville, who arguably comes from the first family of Crescent City Music.
IVAN NEVILLE, MUSICIAN: But being from New Orleans, we were all influenced by the sounds of the street of New Orleans, you know. But we always listen to the radio.
Even though my dad and uncles were all musicians and had their brand of music, but I listened to the radio. And what you hear on the radio, you hear what's popular. You hear Michael Jackson.
CALLEBS: Alan Toussaint was star in his own right when Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 stepped into the limelight.
ALAN TOUSSAINT, MUSICIAN: I was so extremely impressed when I heard him for the first time as such a young child, and singing with all the nuances that age is supposed to bring about.
If you're breathing during Michael's period, one way or another you were affected by Michael Jackson. I mean, there's no way around it.
CALLEBS: Through the personal ups and downs, artists say Jackson never lost the command of a front man, the consummate entertainer.
NEVILLE: When I look at him now and look at how somewhat tragic his life has been, that's all he had. And that's what he gave us. I mean, to me, he was put here to do it, to entertain us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: And put here to entertain us.
And T.J. and Brooke, one of the most touching moment last night, they had a traditional New Orleans jazz funeral on the stage. It starts out real somber and then breaks into a celebration. And that's what this is this weekend, a celebration of his work.
Guys, back to you.
BALDWIN: What a great piece, Sean. Thank you.
The Essence Festival attracts all kinds of celebrities. We saw some singers, actors, actresses, politicians.
HOLMES: A little bit of everybody down there.
And still to come, we'll introduce to you somebody who played a character inspired by Diana Ross on Broadway, and singer Brandi's mother in the sitcom "Moesha."
Coming up in minutes, the actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. She's live from Essence for us today. So stick around for that.
Also, there's a new Bon Jovi song that's out, and it's burning up YouTube thanks in large part to an Iranian superstar. You'll meet him and hear his remarkable story, and the story behind this duet.
BALDWIN: It's a great song.
Also coming up, it is the latest Hollywood must-have. We're talking about green set. Backstage, we went inside that stage 23, and it's one of TV's most popular shows for their energy saving secrets. You won't want to miss that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Hello again everybody. Welcome back to the CNN Saturday morning. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BALDWIN: And good morning. I'm Brooke Baldwin in for Betty Nguyen. Happy Fourth of July. We appreciate you sticking around with us here.
HOLMES: All right. We are talking about John McCain for your first. The Republican was talking about the political turmoil in Iran on this Independence Day. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: Today we stand with the millions of Iranians who brave batons, imprisonment, and gunfire to have their voices heard and their votes counted.
They do not ask us to arm them or come to their assistance with anything other than public declarations of solidarity and public denunciations of the tyrants who oppress them. We have a moral obligates to do so.
There are those among us who warn that a strong an unequivocal declaration of moral support for Iranians would be used by the cruel regime in power there to convince their subject people that the United States is behind the civil unrest they have attempted to hide from the world.
But the regime will make that claim no matter what we say or do.
Liberty and justice will someday be theirs. Let us hope they will have reason to remember then who their friends were in their struggle for freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: In his weekly address, President Obama named overhauling health care and making clean energy profitable among his top priorities.
BALDWIN: Islamic hard-liners in Iran are accusing the top opposition presidential candidate of being a U.S. agent. In a newspaper editorial out today, an aide to Iran's supreme leaders says Mir Hossein Mousavi should you tried for crimes again the nation.
The editorial also called for Mousavi and former Iranian president Khatami to be tried for treason.
In another development here, a detained Iranian employee of the British embassy has been charged with harming Iran's national security. Iran's leaders have portrayed the unrest following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection on meddling by other countries.
Vice President Joe Biden is spending this Fourth of July with troops in Iraq. He visited Camp Victory -- there he is -- with some of the troops in Baghdad today, and gave the troops a bit of a pep talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You are the reason why America's strong.
We're all immigrants -- different stages, different times, different places, we're all immigrants. And the one thing we can never forget and I hope you never forget is there's always room for more in America, always room for more in America. It's the life blood of our country. It's what made us so different.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Biden said America's role in Iraq is switching now from one of military engagement to that of diplomatic support.
HOLMES: Let's turn to our Reynolds Wolf keeping an eye on weather, a lot of people interested in that today Reynolds, because a lot of people have some outdoor family activities.
BALDWIN: Yes, they do.
WOLF: It is one ever those great outdoor holidays, out around the barbecue, having a great time swatting mosquitoes and dodging raindrops in a few spots.
Seeing a chance of rain especially in parts of Florida, later into the afternoon and evening hours, big issues. Also in parts of the Midwest talking about St. Louis, raindrops, thunderstorm there today. Mild condition ace cross the Great Lakes.
High temperatures soar. Soar, into the 70s and 60s. Fairly comfortable in places like Chicago, Detroit, but notice when you get down to parts of the gulf coast into Texas, Dallas and Houston mainly into the 90s and 100s. 93 in Tampa. 98, Miami. 92 in Atlanta. 98 for Memphis. 78 in Boston and 80 degrees for New York.
And hot dog eating contest, fairly comfortable temperatures in Coney Island. Highs in the up every 70s. One place we're keeping a sharp eye on New Orleans. At the essence festival today, high temperature in New Orleans going up to about 93 degrees. When you bring in the high humidity it had feel much more than that. Easily into the 100s. That's the latest.
Back to you at the news desk.
HOLMES: That can be sticky, icky place to be around, Essence Music Festival.
WOLF: Yes, but you have some good tunes.
BALDWIN: Good tunes. Who cares?
HOLMES: You got that.
BALDWIN: Thanks, Reynolds.
Speaking of New Orleans here, it certainly has a different kind of mood, though, this weekend. It is all about music and, of course, memories, celebration of the life of Michael Jackson.
Sheryl Lee Ralph is one of the original Dreamgirls earning a Tony nomination in her 1982 for her role on Broadway. And today she is there in New Orleans at Essence Music Festival.
Sheryl, good to see you, and good morning to you.
SHERYL LEE RALPH, ACTRESS: Thank you, and good morning. It's great to be seen, trust me.
Now, it may be icky outside, but it feels wonderful inside.
BALDWIN: Excellent. I first want to congratulate you, because I read about how the announcement came out you'll be reprising the 1996 Goldie Hawn's role in the "First Wives Club" the musical. It's a role that was written for a white woman. What's that like?
RALPH: You know something? For me it's just -- it's the way it's been for so long. I mean, when I did "Designing Women" I was coming into a role that was originally for a white woman. When it did "It's a Living" it was a role that was originally a white woman. So, once again I guess, wow, am I a white woman!
But it's -- I'm having a wonderful time. It's a great musical. I had no idea that this movie would translate so well. And with all the talk from "Dreamgirls," I've got Holland Dosha (ph) Holland writing me some great songs. So I've got Diana Ross's writers anyway.
BALDWIN: That's amazing. And from musicals to music. Did you catch any of the music at the Essence Music Festival? Did you see John Legend or Beyonce or Neo? How was that?
RALPH: When you're rehearsing a new musical, you don't get to do anything except rehearse the new musical. So we're down there in San Diego at the old Globe rehearsing. I have one day off every seven days, and I close to spend it with you.
BALDWIN: Well, thank you for spending your two minutes on a Saturday with us.
Let me ask you, though, because I'm sure you've been to the Essence Music Festival before. It started in 1995.
RALPH: Yes.
BALDWIN: I went on the Web site. It talks about sending a message of empowerment. What does the festival mean to you?
RALPH: I love this festival. I mean, it's a wonderful weekend of celebration.
Of course, we get to celebrate our country, but in all of that, Essence has created something where we get to celebrate ourselves. People are able to come together from all walks of life here in New Orleans, and discuss everything, from family to fun, from HIV and AIDS, diabetes. We get to talk about everything, politics, education.
It's just one of the greatest things when the whole family of people of color in this choice, in this instance, black, can come together and discuss, OK, here we are right now. Where do we go from here?
Then you put a little music into it, and some good food. Oh! That's a good time!
BALDWIN: She's ready to go.
And also, as we heard Sean Callebs taking about, we have to talk about Michael Jackson real quickly. But I understand the tone of celebration, celebration of his life and legacy.
RALPH: Absolutely. You know, Michael Jackson spent a day with my mother and my younger brothers in Jamaica when he was a young, a little boy. He was probably about 12 or 13 years old.
And the one thing my mother remembers is the fact that he didn't want to leave. He just wanted to stay there and play. So I think in some way we celebrate that childhood loss.
But we lost a great when we lost Michael Jackson.
BALDWIN: We did.
Sheryl Lee Ralph, actress, entrepreneur, activist, and the original "Dreamgirl." Good luck performing.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
RALPH: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Great lady.
HOLMES: She is.
BALDWIN: She's ready to bring it.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: It's something about that festival that brings it out of you down there.
But let's turn to our Susan Candiotti now. She's going to -- Susan, it's good to see you, good to see you live. We saw your piece a little earlier where you were climbing all those step there. But it's a big day.
BALDWIN: What is it, Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's 354, that's right, Brooke. I didn't huff and puff too much. I felt pretty good about it. Because of the crowds, we're did to pause a little bit, so you could theoretically catch your breath.
But I must say that it felt shorter than maybe what you thought it would be. But an exciting climb, awesome. This of course, is one of America's most endearing landmarks if not the most endearing one.
And joining me now is a family that just came down from the climb. They are Mark Andrews and his family all the way from Chicago. Tell me how you felt when you managed to get online and be among the first 30 people to go up, Mark?
MARK ANDROS, TOURIST: We were pretty excited. It took us to 8:02 in the morning, and they went on sale at 8:00. And when we got them, we were all really excited, because we wanted to come here and do this. So it was great.
CANDIOTTI: Were you in. Tell me, how did you feel after climbing up all those steps, Suzy?
SUZIE ANDROS, TOURIST: It wasn't bad. It's a little tight, but it was fun.
CANDIOTTI: And when you got up to the top what is the image you will remember the most from being inside lady liberty's head?
S. ANDROS: Actually, my kids getting to look out the window. I've been waiting a lifetime to get to do it.
CANDIOTTI: Nicholas what are you going to remember the most about being up in that crown? I think you told me you liked the steps better, right?
S. ANDROS: The steps, yes.
NICHOLAS ANDROS, TOURIST: The spiral stairs.
CANDIOTTI: There you go, very good.
And what about you, Alexis?
ALEXIS ANDROS, TOURIST: Getting to see the city and the boats.
CANDIOTTI: The city view was the most pretty.
Also, I think it's really cool to look out one of those 25 windows and see the torch. You can see part of the torch and, of course, also the seven points, you can see some of that. But climbing up those spiral staircases is something else.
As the people from the National Park Service will tell you time and again, it's maybe not so much the cool view and the portions of Lady Liberty that you can see. It's just the idea that you're inside the crown, inside her head. And that's what many people say they will remember the most.
T.J. and Brooke, heavy Fourth of July.
BALDWIN: Thank you. Same to you, beautiful weather there. See the pretty blue skies?
HOLMES: And it's good to have that reopened. It really is nice.
BALDWIN: It's a symbol of so many things, and New York and across the country will continue on. So nice.
HOLMES: And it's opening on the Fourth of July.
BALDWIN: Absolutely.
HOLMES: You all remember we talked a little earlier, maybe you caught it, maybe you didn't, talking about to Rick Holrole (ph) about the fact there were three Americans in the finals of Wimbledon over across the pond that will playing today.
We just got word that one of those America Americans has won her match. It was going to be an American won it, anyway, because it was Venus and Serena, the two sisters playing each other in the finals if Wimbledon. And Serena beat her older sister, so she is the Wimbledon champion once again. I think it's her third time around.
BALDWIN: Serena Williams.
HOLMES: She's been around a while.
BALDWIN: There she goes.
Coming up, the man who has YouTube's most popular video. I'm sure you've heard of this. He is just as John Legend and Beyonce in Iran. There he is. Find out why Andy Madadian is so hot that Jon Bon Jovi wanted to sing with him.
I love the glasses. He just looks so cool. Cool is a fan this morning. We'll talk to him after the break.
Also, we're going to be backstage at "The Closer." You recognize that face, don't you? There's star power. But the energy output is surprisingly low. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: That video getting a lot of play on YouTube these days. You'll understand why when you hear the story behind it. Iranian singer Andy Madadian joins me live this morning from Los Angeles, kind of half of that duo.
And Andy, good to see you. Tell me first ...
ANDY MADADIAN, IRANIAN SINGER: Hello.
BALDWIN: Tell me first, how did this whole collaboration come together? Did Jon Bon Jovi call you out of the blue and say "Do you want to sing a song?" MADADIAN: No, it wasn't like that, but that's a good story in itself. John was one of biggest producers ever in the world. I've known him for a long time. I'm a big fan of his.
He called me and said he'd like to do something for the Iranian people, and obviously I accepted the invitation. We went to studio and fate brought us together with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. And I was extremely lucky to get that opportunity to sang with those beautiful people.
And here we are. We're crossing 500,000 hits on the YouYube, and thank god for all this attention.
BALDWIN: 500,000 hits. What we couldn't see, when we heard just the chorus you were singing in English, but Jon Bon Jovi also singing in Farsi. How did that happen?
MADADIAN: Well, you know him. He's a beautiful person and he is a very humanitarian activist. And he was very touched by the events in Iran. And he wanted to do some Persian lyrics that keeps him closer to the Iranian people.
And the lyricist wrote beautiful lyrics right there and then, and we sang it. And I think he did a great job.
BALDWIN: And Andy, what's I think probably most important about the song, you all didn't do this to make money, to hit the billboard charts. You did this to send a message to the Iranian people and to the world.
MADADIAN: You can get this, you can hear this song and download it on the My Dam (ph) channel. It's for free. It's not for sale. Jon was wanting to put this out as a solidarity song with all the people of Iran.
There is no political view. There's no political connotation in this song. It's just a friendly gesture with all the people of Iran.
BALDWIN: It's been so difficult to get news out of Iran, to send information that way. And what we've been relying on are social networking sites like you mentioned, Facebook and twitter. I'm sure you have family, friends, back in Iran. What kind of response have you gotten from them?
MADADIAN: I get most of my news from CNN. I'm a big fan. And you're more informed than I am. I'm just lucky to be living here in this beautiful country of the United States. And I need more news from you guys. So I think everybody is doing OK these days, at least relevantly.
BALDWIN: All right. Andy Madadian, I read that in Farsi, "Stand by Me" means, "We are One." I appreciate you taking out the time out this Saturday morning, Fourth of July, for us here to speak with us about this.
And I want to leave our viewers right now with a little more of the song "Stand by Me." Thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand by me oh, stand by me please, please, stand by me stand by me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A lot of people going on vacation. Some are putting their feet up and lounging.
BALDWIN: That sounds pretty nice. But for the more ambitious, there are websites to judge some real adventures.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Don't let the weak economy stop you from traveling or learning a new skill this summer. If you've got a green thumb, learn about self-sufficient farming overseas. Pay your way, and if you lend a hand you can stay for free.
SARAH KANTROWITZ, TRAVEL AND LEISURE: Join the nonprofit network worldwide opportunities on organic farms. In exchange for room and board, you'll be working part-time on more than 1,200 organic farms around the world.
BALDWIN: If you're a sailor at heart, trade a little work for a free ride on a cruise ship, sailboat, or even a yacht.
KANTROWITZ: Go to crewfile.com for sailing opportunities. Don't worry if you're just a beginner. There are plenty of opportunities onboard if you're willing to learn.
BALDWIN: If you're a nature lover, national parks offer classes on everything from wilderness survival to history.
KANTROWITZ: One fabulous class is on wild photography at Wyoming National Park. For information on this particular fact and other activities around the country go to nts.gov.
BALDWIN: To save a bundle, check out all-inclusive packages or hit the campgrounds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'm Mike Whitaker with joint task force Guantanamo. I'd like to wish happy Independence Day to my parents and the Whitaker family in Vernon, New York.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How y'all doing. I'm a specialist from auxiliary division. I'm trying to get a warm welcome to my family back home in Atlanta, Georgia. Happy Fourth of July, and I'll see you all soon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I'm specialist Amiko Vickers (ph). I'm coming to you from Baghdad, Iraq. I'm just trying to give a shout-out to my mom and my sisters in Brooklyn, New York. To my sons, I wish you all a happy Fourth of July. Happy Fourth of July!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Hollywood powerhouse Warner Brothers Studios says they were green before green was even considered cool. Their latest project, what their calling the first green sound state ever built by a major Hollywood studio. They took me inside for a tour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Big stars, elaborate sets, and lots of lighting. In Hollywood, making a movie takes money. But at Warner Brothers headquarters, their focus is on green of a different kind.
From the front seat of her solar powered golf cart, Shelley Billik is driving the studio's environmental charge.
SHELLEY BILLIK, V.P. OF ENVIRONMENTALISM, WARNER BROTHERS: You can imagine when you do make television shows and films, you have a lot of material.
BALDWIN: Shelley's job is to look behind the scenes and find ways Warner Brothers, which, like CNN, is owned by Time-Warner can reduce its impact on the environment.
Her latest project, Stage 23. It's believed to be Hollywood's first green south stage, with fly ash in the concrete, sustainably harvested lumber on set, and energy efficient lighting from above.
BILLIK: The perimeter lights, the house lights, the catwalk lights. We have some cooling technology that uses nighttime cooling for the data rooms. So we're really focused on reducing the energy use.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTOR: We face a convergence of crises all of which are a concern for life.
BALDWIN: Sometimes this green message takes center stage on the silver screen in documentaries like Leonardo DiCaprio's "11th Hour" and the movie "Syriana." According to WB, "Syriana" was the first film to be climate neutral by investing in renewable energy.
KYRA SEDGWICK, ACTRESS, "THE CLOSER:: For me I try to have the smallest carbon footprint that I can.
BALDWIN: Even stars like "The Closer's" Kyra Sedgwick are playing lead roles in reducing their environmental impacts. On the set, her crew has barred plastic water bottles, they eat off biodegradable plates, and recycle old strips.
SEDGWICK: These are called sides, and basically there have their lines on them. You can see mine of highlighted. And instead of using fresh, virgin paper for this, what we do is use sides, what we do is use paper that's already been used for scripts.
So we, you know, as you can see, you can read the other lines from, you know, an old script, and it's not -- it's all recycled and used paper, recycled by us.
BARRY MEGER, CEO, WARNER BROTHERS: We think in the long run it is good for business.
BALDWIN: Warner Brothers CEO Barry Myers says green investments pay off long term and advises even the smaller studios to follow suit.
MEGER: Don't just assume that anything you're going to try to do environmentally is going to be economically not sustainable. I think you should look at it and make some investments. Look and how and in what way that investment pays back. And we found that it really works.
BALDWIN: Shelly Billik says the challenge is changing a culture, but anyone can help play a part.
BILLICK: No matter what you do, whether you're a journalist or a film editor or a builder, or whatever you do, you have some impact, and you can actually play a role in reducing that impact.
BALDWIN: Even in Hollywood, with the glitz, the glamour, and now the green.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: That was an interesting story there. They were doing it before it was even cool to do it.
BALDWIN: So long ago, and it's amazing, just all the different measures they've taken and how much can you save, and how other industries -- within the industry, smaller studios can follow suit.
Thank them for letting us on that lot.
HOLMES: And it can save them money in the long run.
BALDWIN: Absolutely.
HOLMES: All right, well, stay with us. The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
