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Taliban Attack; Palin Quits; Michael Jackson Memorial Lottery; Statue of Liberty Crown Reopens; TEA Party Protests
Aired July 04, 2009 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MELISSA LONG, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: U.S. troops in Afghanistan take a hit from Taliban fighters, the bold attack happening at a coalition base in eastern Afghanistan and Paktika Province. It left two Americans dead and four wounded. The U.S. had to call in air strikes to crush the two hour onslaught. The military says dozens of insurgents were killed. The assault comes as U.S. Marines launch a major offensive against the Taliban in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.
Except for one firefight that dragged on for hours, the Marines say they have run into spotty resistance from the Taliban. The U.S. is also setting up small bases and plans to hold the territory. Troops want to destroy the opium producing poppy fields which help fund Taliban attacks.
Vice President Joe Biden is spending the Fourth of July with troops in Iraq. He's sworn around 200 of them as new American citizens. Mr. Biden's visit comes just days after U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq's big cities leaving the Iraqis in charge of their own security.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), US VICE PRESIDENT: Because of your service and their sacrifice, Iraq is emerging from the terror of sectarian strife to a future of progress, and god-willing, prosperity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: In closed-door meetings an official said Biden warned Iraqi leaders not to let the country slide back into sectarian violence, that the American people had no interest in putting, "humpty-dumpty together again."
A new missile fired by North Korea, today. They test fired seven missiles over the Sea of Japan. It was last Thursday when they fired four missiles. South Korean media reports that today's tests were short range missiles that can only reach around 300 miles. Firings come amid heightened tensions. You may recall North Korea conducted a test back in May firing test rockets and threatening U.S. and South Korean ships near its territorial waters.
Back here in the states, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin quitting her job. Does this surprise move help or hurt her possible presidential bid in 2012? Well, as senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley reports it depends.
(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 friends 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, "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)
LONG: Let's get more reaction to the governor's resignation, now. Matt Felling is an anchor and reporter with our Anchorage affiliate KTVA television. Matt joins us live on the line.
A happy Fourth of July to you. And thanks for waking up early, because I know it's early there. Appreciate your time.
MATT FELLING, KTVA ANCHOR: No worries. No worries whatsoever. It's not a holiday when it comes to Governor Palin, that's for sure.
LONG: OK, well, let's talk about this abrupt announcement at her home in Wasilla and how it's going down, how it's going over with residents, there.
FELLING: Abrupt. Abrupt doesn't even begin to get to the crux of it. Abrupt would be if she just decided you know, call a press conference and make some announcement about policy. This is just staggering.
I mean, yesterday in my mail box at 9:56, an hour and four minutes before the fact I got an e-mail from her office saying Governor Palin will make an announcement. Who: Governor Palin. What: Announcement, yadda, yadda, yadda. I mean, it was vague even by her characteristic standards. And everybody here, around town, around the state and across the country is trying to make heads or tails of it.
And there's -- you know, on one level, as soon as I saw her talking and she was talking about not seeking re-election I thought OK, this makes sense. Nationally, politically, Tim Pawlenty of Minesota made the same decision to really start branching out on a political level after 2010, after filling out his term.
But to step down so soon, it really starts raising eyebrows. It really starts, as Candy Crowley mentioned before, it starts suggesting that there is a piece missing. And that got the rumor mill, which is always on rapid fire, here in Alaska, going quicker, because people are thinking, what leads to this? We know about the full-court press, we know about the "Vanity Fair" piece, we know about her fight with David Letterman. But she has done nothing. Governor Palin, love her, hate her, indifferent, she has stuck her chin out. She is a fighter, whether or not she gets drawn in to fights or she picks them herself, she is not afraid to get into the fray. And the fact that she's stepping away makes people start asking more questions.
LONG: Well, and you posed a lot of questions now in our conversation, as well. I mean, some are saying she's done with politics, some saying this is an ability to ramp up to 2012. What are her constituents saying? What are your viewers saying? FELLING: Well, her constituents, my view is they are saying I hope she goes to D.C. and cleans up things. Her constituents are saying I wonder why she's doing this. Her constituents are saying you know, she was getting beat up each and every week, she needs some time off.
But, at the same time, there are some questions about behind the scenes issues, ethical issues, the probes that she brought up herself, yesterday. And if she thought that making this splash announcement was going to make those questions go away, that nothing could be further from the truth. It actually starts to, as I said, the rumor mill gets ramped up to a whole different notch.
LONG: Matt, one other thing, July 26 is when power will transfer to the lieutenant governor. For those that are unfamiliar with him, please tell us about him.
FELLING: He is a characteristic, you know, frontier Republican. He is definitely going to carry on a lot of the same social fiscal policy as Governor Palin, but without her panache, without her charisma. Don Young, a Republican senator, himself, up here in the state, called him "Captain Zero."
So, we definitely will occupy the space, but as far as a lot of people inside the party up here, he won't really be a huge personality. Which given the fact all of the attention we've had the last eight to 10 months, will be a definite change of pace for us.
LONG: And the change of pace happening July 26 when governor Palin transfers power to the current lieutenant governor, Shawn Parnell. Matt Felling an anchor and reporter with our affiliate there out of Anchorage, that's KTVA television. Thanks so much and again, appreciate you joining us on this holiday weekend.
FELLING: Hey, no worries. Have a great one. Take care.
LONG: Thank you. You too.
Let's get you more on the death of Michael Jackson and the preparations for Tuesday's public memorial. Extraordinary demand on a short supply of tickets to be doled out by lottery, and in a few hours from now. CNN's Susan Roesgen joins us live from the Jackson family compound, which is in Encino, California.
Good morning, Susan.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brooke. I'm still amazed by all of the balloons and the flowers and the candles that are out here, the stuffed animals. This sign says, "Michael we'll see you in paradise." I have seen, Brooke, notes, handwritten notes from Iran, Turkey, Sri Lanka, India, and even Scotland. All of these different people from all over the world have come here bringing flowers, wanting to leave things for them.
And they are also trying to get up -- I talked to most of these people to here, this morning, they're also trying to get those tickets. Only 17,500 tickets will be given away for free. People have to go online to the Staples Center Web site. They have until 6:00 Local Time tonight to do it. And that's when a computer will randomly choose 17,500 freebie tickets.
What they are saying is that you know, many of those people that are trying to get online and already 500,000 people have registered, but who knows how many of those, Brooke, are actually scalpers because even though, you know, these are supposed to be free tickets, people might want to make a buck off them and the promoters are say look, these tickets are not supposed to be sold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM LEIWEKE, AEG ENTERTAINMENT: This is a memorial service, I'm hoping that people have dignity, I'm hoping that people understand we're trying to do the best we can to accommodate the worldwide demand of Michael's fans, we're hoping that no one takes advantage of this particular process. And we're going to great lengths per the request of the family to create a system that will allow us to get the tickets and the wristbands in the hands of the fans. For those that would try to take advantage of this, shame on them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: And shame on me, Melissa, because I can't see you, I can only hear a voice and I thought it was still Brooke Baldwin, I'm so sorry, Melissa.
LONG: No worry. She's a beautiful lady. No worries.
ROESGEN: I feel terrible. This is a big deal here as they say, look, if it were only this many fans that would be okay. I can only hear a voice and I thought it was still brooke. So sorry, Melissa.
LONG: No worry. She's a beautiful lady. No worries.
ROESGEN: I feel terrible. But anyway, you know, this is a big deal down here, as they say, look, if it were only this many fans that would be OK, but they expecting maybe tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of fans and media to swarm around the Staples Center so they're telling people look, if you don't have a ticket, don't even try to come down. Watch it from your living room -- Melissa.
LONG: Watch from home, because they will not have large monitors set up outside the Staples Center.
ROESGEN: Nope. And so, they are even going to cordon it off outside. They're going to keep all the traffic away if you don't have a ticket.
LONG: Susan Roesgen, joining us live from Encino, California. Susan, thanks so much.
Now, tonight, tomorrow night, CNN's Don Lemon takes an in depth look at Michael Jackson's life, Michael Jackson's legacy, his childhood, his music, his finances, his influence. Hope you'll watch as CNN presents "Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror," this weekend at 8:00 Eastern on CNN. Lady Liberty is showing off a new view this Fourth of July weekend after being shut down for eight years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CMSGT HOWARD STEANSON, U.S. ARMY: I'm Chief Master Sergeant Howard Steanson, I'm with the 447th Expeditionary Medical Squadron, camp Sather, Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq. I'm stationed at home with the 193rd Refueling Wing, 190th Medical group, Topeka, Kansas. I'd like to say hi to my wife, Carol, in Barrington, Kansas, my mom, Cleo in Topeka, Kansas, happy Fourth of July. Love you, miss you. See you in the fall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Happy fourth of July to you on this Saturday. At Liberty Island, tourists are getting a chance to see something they haven't since before 9/11, the view from the observation deck at the Statue of Liberty crown. Susan Candiotti is there on this Fourth of July.
And Susan, I climbed to the top 15 years ago, now. The view is beautiful?
(CROSSTALK)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It's a great day to be here, you know? And remember that it was only in 2004 that the National Park Service reopened just the observation deck. I'm going to have Bob, our photographer, pan up for just a moment. You see at the base of the Statue of Liberty, that observation deck reopened in 2004, but as you have said time and again, it wasn't until today that the crown has reopened.
And it was about a year ago that the secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service asked that a study be done to check into the safety and any security concerns about the Statue of Liberty. And after that was completed, just in April of this year, they decided that they would make some changes, primarily what they've done is they've added a double handrails on either side of those very, very narrow steps that go into the crown, as well as installing some safety windows, as well.
Why? One of the main reasons is because, as you know, only one way up and one way down and in case of an emergency, in the past it would have been very, very difficult to come down those stairs, and it still is difficult, but for those handrails.
Also, emergency teams here have been better trained to accommodate any problem that might come up in order to evacuate someone if they had to. And so, a bunch of people went online just a little while ago, it's just a few weeks, and managed to snag some of the first tickets to get up inside the crown. It's been exciting 354 steps to go up to the top, very narrow steps and when it opens up there's only eight feet on that deck. Only eight feet to walk around, but then you get to look through the 25 windows through the crown. You can see a bit of the torch, a bit of the Statue of Liberty's hand and very exciting. And the thickness of her skin, is the size of just two pennies. Imagine that.
The key thing to remember is if you're claustrophobic don't try to do it. It's just dark and narrow. And you can go online to buy tickets to go to the crown. They're sold out through mid September. Melissa, back to you.
LONG: Thanks for the warning. Happy Fourth.
Now, for so many the Fourth of July mean ones thing -- a cookout. Of course, weather is so important when you are having people over for that backyard barbecue. Let's bring in Reynolds Wolf who's tracking the weather and, of course, looking for rain and looking for the heat.
Morning, happy Fourth.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning to you. And you know, it is a happy Fourth for a lot of people around the country, but you know, you really keyed in on something, talking about weather. You have to have good weather for a great outdoor barbecue.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LONG: Very well said. Disturbingly entertain, of course, to watch. Yeah. You have hot dogs on your schedule...
WOLF: It's going to happen today, yes. Those burgers, I'll manage to burn both, as always. It's the holiday tradition at the Wolf house.
LONG: Well, thanks for warning all of the guests who were coming over to your house. Appreciate that. Thank you.
WOLF: You bet. Anytime.
LONG: Now, this holiday, protesters are rallying against high taxes and too much government red ink. They're doing so today in Washington, they're calling it a second round of TEA Party protests and that's where we find CNN's deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, at one of them in D.C.
Good morning.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, Melissa, good afternoon. We're right here across from the U.S. Capitol and the crowd here has definitely been growing. They have been gathering since this morning, and it gets bigger and bigger as the day goes on.
You know, the organizers' Web site says that they're planning on holding parties, tea parties across the country, today, nearly 1,500 of them. And this is round two, as you mentioned, they did one on April 15, that's Tax Day. And really, that's what this is all about, TEA Party, "TEA" stands for, taxed enough already. You know, people here and around the country, they're frustrated by exploding federal budget deficits, the government's intervention in private business to the bailout of Wall Street, to the government's major involvement with the automakers like GM and Chrysler. Take a listen to what some of the people spoke to had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we'll see I guess, at the end of this how you all portray us, but we're just regular citizens speaking up for our rights and it's just part of taking personal responsibility for your own life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They really need to be more transparent in than they once said we're going to be. Read the documents, explain what's going inside those documents to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: And what's next for these people? Well, we expect more protests, more rallies maybe later this month, and again, on September 12, the day after September 11, of course, Melissa.
LONG: Looking at the sign right behind you, it's for Ron Paul, another one said "End the Fed," another saying "Congress Get Your Hands off the Piggy Bank." I'm curious also what some of the key issues are. You outlined some of them. And also, how many people have gathered there this morning and this afternoon.
STEINHAUSER: Well, the crowd here is definitely a lot larger than it was a few hours ago. I don't have an actual number. As you mentioned, though, some of the big issues are health care and "cap and trade." A lot of people here, very excited about that and they have a lot to tell you about it. Melissa, a great -- a very excited crowd, here. I'm going to give it back to you.
LONG: All right, yeah, they're going to overpower you and your microphone's capability in a moment. Thank you, Paul.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you, Melissa.
LONG: The kids, the burial, the doctors, who supplied the drugs. Our legal guys ready to discuss Michael Jackson's growing legal quagmire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Days before Michael Jackson's memorial service in Los Angeles, still so many questions about his will, possible challenges for custody of his children, the state of his vast estate. We turn to our legal guys, this morning. Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor.
Good morning, good afternoon.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTY: Hi Melissa.
LONG: And Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor.
And a good morning to you because you're joining us from Vegas, this morning.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTY: Hi, Melissa, happy Fourth of July.
LONG: Happy Fourth of July to you, as well. We know, according to the will, dated in 2002, that Jackson's mother has been granted custody of his three children. That could change? What do you think, Avery? What type of a challange could we see from Debbie Rowe?
FRIEDMAN: Well, that's a, actually I think your word was "quagmire." Well, this is going to wind up, I think, in the quagmire hall of fame, because we've got mixed messages from Debbie Rowe. No. 1, she told a Los Angeles television station that she was going to challenge and seek custody. Her lawyer has gone public saying she's not really sure what she's going to do. But the fact is, she will be in this battle and there will be some serious implications because of the battle between her, as the natural mother, and of course, Katherine Jackson.
LONG: OK, Richard, who would win out in the court of law? Would it be Michael Jackson's mother who is named in this will or would it be a more of a biological connection?
HERMAN: It would be in the best interests of the child. That's what the judge will have to determine. And because the oldest child is 12 years old, that is going to be given a lot of weight when the judge determines who ultimately to give custody to. Katherine is 80 years old, this Debbie Rowe has basically had no relationship with the kids, has sold her relationship with these kids. She'll do it again, Avery, I believe she's just staging this, they're going to pay her off, she's going to run away again.
FRIEDMAN: You know what? I totally agree with that. I think, when it gets down to it there are two aspects, No. 1, I agree with Richard that it's a money deal, but I also think that she's probably going to have some visitation rights.
HERMAN: And I think the nanny really, if you look at it, the nanny is the one the kids have lived with forever, she's the one the kids love and respect and want to be with...
FRIEDMAN: Well, how does she get into it, though?
HERMAN: She petitions the court. Katherine's only temporary custody. We'll have a full custody hearing and maybe if the kids want to be with the nanny, maybe she's the one.
LONG: And gentlemen, also, this is a will from 2002 another could surface.
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely right.
HERMAN: And if it does surface, it wipes out all of the provisions of this will. But, just because Michael Jackson says I want my kids to go to my mother, Katherine, that's not binding on the court, Melissa. That is not binding.
LONG: All right, let's look at the trust now, created for the family. How will the funds be divided -- Avery.
FRIEDMAN: (LAUGHTER) I don't have the slightest idea and nobody else does. If people are saying that they know, they're not being truthful, because the only people who know are, No. 1, the signatories, that's Michael Jackson, and the lawyers that drafted it. And it is a very complicated deal. In fact, it is very possible that we will never see the terms of the trust. But let me tell you something, it's specific, it is very, very exact, in terms of the obligations of what happens to the money, who takes care of the children, and that's going to factor into this equation.
LONG: And also this estate, Richard, could grow exponentially.
HERMAN: Oh Melissa, this estate is going -- he's going to be bigger in death than in life. He is bigger than Elvis, he's bigger than Sinatra. If they can take Neverland and make it like a Graceland, as they say in New York, "Forget about it."
FRIEDMAN: Well, I don't know if that's going to happen, but I do agree that Michael Jackson, in terms of his wealth, will actually be greater in his death than he was at the time of his death.
LONG: Gentlemen, we're going to continue to talk about some of the other legal stories at the bottom half of our newscast, so stick around, OK? Thank you to Avery Friedman and Richard Herman, we're going to talk about some of the other legal stories coming up in just a matter of minutes.
Now, New Orleans is bursting with song again for the Essence Music Festival, but it's more than a musical message. It is political, as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Good afternoon, good morning to you. Here are some of the stories happening today. A provocative act, that's what South Korea is calling the launch -- it's a missile launch test by North Korea. South Korea says the secretive nation fired seven short-range missiles in less than nine hours earlier today.
Extraordinary demand finds short supply. Michael Jackson fans are extremely eager to attend the icon's public memorial service next week in Los Angeles. Seven hours after the online ticket lottery opened, more than a half a million people had registered.
The economy has put more pressure on families and we're learning more now about how it is affecting dads. There's a new survey that shows how much time dads actually have to spend with their kids.
Josh Levs, a dad himself ...
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There you go.
LONG: ...was it -- is that part of what inspired you to do this story?
LEVS: Absolutely, it really is. You know, we were thinking about it for weeks, and then we saw this new survey. Plus, you know, July 4th, a lot of family time and a lot of family ...
LONG: Hopefully, yes.
LEVS: Hopefully, right. But a lot of dads are working so hard and those who are or have jobs still in this economy are working the jobs sometimes of two or three people. And today is the day they get family time finally.
So, it was really interesting when we saw this from CareerBuilder. I'll show you a couple of statistics. Let's just go straight to them. They're showing here that the amount of time dads have with kids on average work days here, two hours or less, 39 percent. Fourteen percent say one hour or less. And also, check out this other statistic right here which also from the same survey. It says that 30 percent of dads would take a pay cut for more time with their kids.
Well, as we were just saying, we had assembled this great panel, great diverse panel of dads. And we talked to them about the changing face of fatherhood.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: Who here had your dad in your life growing up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALES: I did.
LEVS: Who here thinks you're as good a dad as your dad was?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I strive to be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm much better. I'm much better.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I strive to be. My father was exemplary, so.
K.J. COPELAND, STAY-AT-HOME FATHER: It's different. I mean, you know, each -- in different ways, I'm better and then in other ways, I think he was better, you know. I'm definitely -- now that I'm at home, I have a different kind of responsibility. He was the guy that worked 18 hours a day and put an awesome roof over our head and food on the table. I mean, I would never ever -- I mean, he -- I don't think I can match him in that way, you know what I mean?
LEVS: On the flip side, can you imagine your dad doing what you're doing now?
COPELAND: Oh, no. There's no way.
LEVS: What about you? Are you better or worse than your dad?
RIC RODRIGUEZ, FATHER DIED WHEN HE WAS 13: I'm not as goodas my dad was, no. He was pretty good. He was -- yes. He probably packed a lifetime of fatherhood in 13 years, you know. Yes, he was great, yes. LEVS: What is better and what's worse about being a dad today versus what it was like for our dads?
ORTEZ GUDE, 1ST WIFE DIED WHEN 2 KIDS WERE BABIES: My father was -- he was the image of what a father was supposed to be. So obviously, you know, I grew up and I'm -- well, that's -- I mean, that's what a dad and a father's supposed to be, so I'm going to emulate that.
And I can tell you, it probably was quite challenging to my ex-wife, you know, because I expected, you know, I'm the provider, I'm the gatherer, you know. I take care of that and you know, you take care of home and -- you know. And I didn't have this concept that, you know, her job, you know, she needs a break or vacation because I just kind of thought well, that's just what you do.
LEE MAY, MARRIED, 2 CHILDREN, 5 WEEKS AND 2 YEARS OLD: The traditional, you know, your mother, the wife cooks and cleans and all that and the father goes out to work and comes back home and gets fed and is the king of the house and goes to sleep. That's not in my house. Sometimes I wish it was in my house. That's not my house.
LEVS: Let's all be honest for a second. Do we all have days when we wish it was still like that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALES: Oh, yes.
LEVS: We all have days when we wish you could come home, kick up your feet ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
LEVS: ...dinner's going to be served, right.
GUDE: But what I think it's doing is kind of recalibrating the balance of our family, you know. Because what I'm able to do now when my wife wants me to cook sometimes is I'm able to cook and sit down with my daughter and talk to my daughter. Whereas I didn't necessarily have that with my father. And it's just kind of recalibrating the balance of the family. And I think it's not better or worse, it's just different and I think it's what's working for our family.
RODRIGUEZ: Maybe it could be better. The difference between, you know, the father working all the time, being -- him traveling all over the place and whatever, and not spending quality time with his children, versus you know, making an effort to do that, to -- like for example, I cook with my girls sometimes, I'll bring them in there one at a time.
We do dates, you know, I have to -- everybody in my house has to have a date. I have to -- you know, my wife, the girls, everybody gets a chance. And we go -- either go to the book store or something, you know. And it's something that probably didn't happen, you know, back then. But it's good. How can that be bad, you know.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LEVS: It was so interesting to talk with these guys. And we also want to hear your stories. Here's how you can weigh in. You got our blogs, CNN.com\newsroom. You got Facebook and Twitter, in both cases /joshlevsCNN.
And Melissa, today in the 2:00 hour, we're going to hear these guys answer this question: if you are a successful father, what will you have achieved?
LONG: Right, because what is success?
LEVS: In the end, right now.
LONG: Everybody defines it differently. The guys you talked to were very diverse.
LEVS: I know, isn't that amazing? Yes, you know, when you're a journalist, you want a diverse panel. We are so thrilled at how diverse that came out. And just such interesting stories in so many different ways, such different backgrounds.
And actually, that really helped and what was most interesting I think is that we pretty much all agreed on everything we were saying because in the end, no matter how busy you are, no matter what's going on in your world, it's about quality time with family and making sure to carve that out. Really insightful, and thanks to all the guys for their wisdom.
LONG: And for opening up, too.
LEVS: Isn't that wild? They didn't -- not one of them avoided any of my questions. And you know me, I can toss a lot at you.
LONG: Oh really? Oh no, I didn't know that. All right.
LEVS: She's on to me.
LONG: Thank you.
All right, coming up, we're going to be talking to a woman who puts the essence into this week's music festival, the Essence Festival, in New Orleans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: A special tribute to Michael Jackson in New Orleans this weekend. The late king of pop is being honored at the Essence Music Festival. This annual event marks the birthday of the black women's magazine, Beyonce, John Legend, Lionel Richie, Anita Baker, Robin Thicke among the many artists performing. And the Essence Music Festival has been considered the ultimate party weekend since it started in New Orleans. That was back in 1995 as a three-day, three- night celebration of African-American contributions.
Michelle Ebanks, the president of Essence Communications, she joins us now live from New Orleans. Good morning, good afternoon to you and happy Fourth of July.
MICHELLE EBANKS, PRESIDENT, ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.: Good morning. Happy Fourth of July to you as well.
LONG: So, with the 15th anniversary here and so much planning that went into this annual festival, how much has changed with the passing of Michael Jackson?
EBANKS: The passing of Michael Jackson has been heavy on the hearts of everyone here at the Essence Music Festival. But what it's enfused this particular festival is with a strong desire to celebrate the legacy of the king of music, the greatest musician in generations. And so, we have even moreso a celebratory mood that -- and blessings that we send out to the Jackson family.
LONG: So, the vibe there is one of celebration, it's also one of education. There are a number of seminars taking place over the three days.
EBANKS: Seminars, you know, are very important to this cultural celebration. You know, the importance of this event, it's not only to have fun and we have a wonderful time, but also to share information that will help strengthen our families, our communities so that we can still go out and address the unfinished work that's happening in the lives of black men and women.
LONG: Speaking of information and education, I understand that there's even HIV testing available at the festival?
EBANKS: Yes, there is HIV testing here at the festival, at the convention center this weekend. That testing is an important part of the message that we send as a brand that focuses on African-American women. HIV is a significant issue in the African-American community and for African-American women and we need to get the message out that everyone should get tested, know their status.
LONG: 270,000 people expected to be converging there in New Orleans for this three-day festival. Is there one event, is there one seminar that you are going to make sure you are attending, you just won't miss?
EBANKS: Oh my. The seminars during the day are just such, you know, such a rich and varied experience. You know, I would say that the celebration tomorrow, the tribute to Bishop Tiny Jake (ph) all day tomorrow will be a crescendo for the last day of the event, not to be missed.
EBANKS: A crescendo coming up tomorrow. But again, three days of remembering the legacy and a celebration of Michael Jackson as well as part of this 15th anniversary Essence Music Festival.
Michelle, thank you so much and happy Fourth of July. Have a wonderful time at your festival.
EBANKS: Thank you so much. LONG: Bernard Madoff, do you think he acted alone? Did he have help? Our legal guys are going to look at the hunt for co-conspirators in America's biggest financial fraud.
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MAJ. DIANA HAYNIF, U.S. ARMY: Hi, I'm Major Diana Haynif currently with Joint Task Force Guantanomo. I'd like to wish a happy Fourth of July and Independence Day to my friends and family in historic Hyde Park, New York. Thank you.
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LONG: Happy Fourth of July to you. One hundred and fifty years, the maximum sentence handed down in New York for Bernard Madoff. Let's bring in our legal guys once again, Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney, law professor. Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor as well.
Gentlemen, thanks for sticking around for the hour to have additional conversation about these big legal stories.
FRIEDMAN: Sure.
LONG: One hundred and fifity years, again, the maximum sentence. Everybody's got an opinion on this one. I want yours as well -- Avery.
FRIEDMAN: Well, actually, it's completely consistent with the federal sentencing guidelines. But more importantly, Melissa, this sentence by the U.S. District Judge Denny Chin came about because of the refusal of Bernie Madoff to cooperate with prosecutors and that actually bought him a great big bowl of maximum.
LONG: A maxima 150 years.
FRIEDMAN: Sure.
LONG: What do you think of this sentence, Richard?
HERMAN: I think that it's the largest sentence handed out by the southern district of New York where I practice. I think Judge Chin stacked the sentences per count, there are 11 counts that Madoff pled guilty to. Instead of running them concurrently, he ran them consecutively. It is not the largest sentence in the history of the United States. Eight hundred and forty-five years for a $450 million insurance fraud sustained by the 11 circuit. We need to talk about that case.
But in the meantime, Judge Chin cited "extraordinary evil, staggering human toll, symbolism, deterrence and satisfaction for the victims."
LONG: Yes. HERMAN: And he recited one victim whose husband died and she was concerned about her assets. And Madoff put his arm around her and said don't worry, your money's safe for me.
FRIEDMAN: The right decision, absolutely.
LONG: Bernard Madoff made some eye contact in the courtroom with his victims, talked about living in a tormented state, expressing regret. Gentlemen, what are the chances of appealing and getting a sentence that isn't as severe? Again, he's 71 years of age. This is essentially a life sentence -- Avery?
FRIEDMAN: Zero.
LONG: Richard.
HERMAN: Zero. His lawyer stood up and said he's been cooperating, he's been cooperating and then the government stood up and said no, he has not, judge. He fell on the sword, he tried to make everybody believe he did it by himself. But the prosecutors in this trial are too smart.
FRIEDMAN: And that's the problem because there are clearly other people. That was actually the premise of your question, Melissa. Are we going to find out who these other people are? Irving Picard, who's the trustee, is digging, digging, bringing lawsuits. It's going to be a very tough way to go. They've recovered about a $1 billion. There's -- in terms of documented cash value, $3 billion out there. It's going to be a real struggle.
LONG: All right, gentlemen, let me shift topics here. Let's talk about the case from this past week of a toddler who was strangled to death in a crib, an eight-foot Burmese python escaped from its cage. Should the owner of the snake, the boyfriend of the mom, be charged? Avery?
FRIEDMAN: That's Charles Darnell, and he better be charged. This has to make your blood boil. The fact is that if you live around the Everglades, you know that Burmese pythons now are the largest predator in that area, exceeding alligators.
The fact is that these are mean -- in fact, one python actually blew itself up by trying to swallow an eight-foot alligator. This is child endangerment. There are other related issues. He's already out there on four drug charges. Bad guy, go get him.
LONG: Richard, what type of charges would -- do we have here? Child neglect?
HERMAN: Child neglect, but I mean, there was a little rope and some canvas and this eight-foot animal goes into the house -- into the crib and strangles this -- I mean, we had puppy dogs and cats and gold fish as pets. What is up with the state of Florida allowing people to have these snakes as pets?
FRIEDMAN: Well, they're not allowing them. He didn't have a license HERMAN: But he -- but if he got a license, he could keep it. I mean, why even license it. You can't have a lion as a pet. It's ridiculous. It should be strict liability, civilly and criminally. This guy should go to prison for this. This is outrageous.
FRIEDMAN: I agree. Absolutely.
LONG: There are so many other legal stories we could get to, but we've had a lengthy conversation about these two. Gentlemen, thanks so much. Avery Friedman and again, Richard Herman joining us live on this Fourth of July. Appreciate your time on this holiday weekend.
HERMAN: Thank you, Melissa.
FRIEDMAN: All the best, Melissa. Take care.
LONG: Thank you. You too.
Katrina was the day the music died for some schools in New Orleans. But one man is now bringing the music back to the kids. Fredricka Whitfield takes us there.
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LONG: Ahead of Fourth of July fireworks displays tonight, word of a deadly accident. North Carolina officials are telling us that one person is dead, four people critically injured. The four people that were injured were rushed for care for severe burns.
What happened in Hyde County according to the sheriff's office, a truck was carrying fireworks and it exploded on Ocracoke Island South Ferry Terminal. Don't know why this happened. The marina dockmaster there told one of our affiliates that from his vantage point, which is about 200 yards from where this happened, it looked like 40 minutes worth of fireworks went off in four seconds.
Again, 40 minutes worth of fireworks went off in four seconds. That's according to a dockmaster there in Hyde County. Again, the Hyde County sheriff's office telling us one person is dead, four critically injured. They have been rushed to the hospital for emergency care. As we learn more information, of course, we'll share it with you today.
Also happening today, a provocative act, that's what South Korea's calling the latest missile launch test by North Korea. The nation fired seven short-range missiles in less than nine hours today. One U.S. official said, quote "this type of behavior is not helpful."
More than a half million fans have registered for the lottery to attend the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles next week, but only 17,500 will actually get inside. The drawing for those spots, that's going to take place tonight.
Music is in the air at the New Orleans Essence Music Festival this weekend, but the town lost some of its music after Katrina. Now, one man is helping the next generation to hit the right notes again. Fredricka Whitfield recently visited New Orleans to get us this story.
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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The powerful booming reach of Rebirth, one of the most popular brass bands in New Orleans just got bigger. A year ago, I told you about how hard members of this nine-piece ensemble worked to return home to this city and their most loyal fans after Hurricane Katrina scattered everyone across the country.
For drummer Derrick Tabb, their gift of music needed to reach another audience, one with an even greater hunger to fill.
DERRICK TABB, FOUNDER, THE ROOTS OF MUSIC: That music really saved me from a lot of stuff that was going on in the street. And I figured I can do the same thing with a lot of other kids.
WHITFIELD: He came up with an idea.
TABB: I had modeled it after my own junior high band director.
WHITFIELD: Offer kids ages nine to 14 a chance to learn music for free.
TABB: So, it's -- it went, and that was no advertisment or nothing, it just word of mouth.
WHITFIELD: No strings attached, no instruments needed, just bring yourself.
TABB: I call it the no excuse process. I give them a bus, I give them the transportation, I give them the instruments, I give them the food, I give them the tutors, I give them the teachers. So, you don't have no excuse why you're not here.
WHITFIELD: At first, 42 kids showed up.
TABB: Within a week and a half, we had like 65, 70 kids.
WHITFIELD: A year later ...
TABB: I have like about 100 kids in the program right now still. And 400 almost still on the waiting list.
WHITFIELD: A year-round music education program for at least three hours a day, five days a week, known as The Roots of Music, fueled by donations, volunteers and lots of love.
For kids like nine-year-old Jeremiah Russell, who first picked up a trumpet just seven months ago, even riding the program bus 20 minutes is an exercise in discipline. His mother sees the transformation.
CONNIE RUSSELL, JEREMIAH'S MOTHER: Ever since he's been in the band, he's been a much better child academically as well as his behavior. It's better. WHITFIELD (on camera): How has Jeremiah changed over the last few months because of this?
JEREMIAH RUSSELL, TRUMPET PLAYER: Because they taught me how to behave and how to sit down and listen to the teachers and stuff.
TABB: They're actually learning how to do music and to take that further in school and everyday life.
WHITFIELD (voice-over): Thirteen-year-old Briana Smith was bringing home Fs from school. Clarinet now has her hitting higher notes and better grades.
BRIANA SMITH, CLARINET PLAYER: What keeps me coming is that I know that by me playing in the band is -- I have fun doing it.
WHITFIELD: The fun isn't just here but here, too.
ALLISON REINHARDT, CO-FOUNDER, THE ROOTS OF MUSIC: OK, 10 to the second power.
WHITFIELD: Program co-founder Allison Reinhardt helps make even math something to smile about.
REINHARDT: All of our kids have gone up a letter grade in mathematics and language arts.
WHITFIELD: A success rate worth bragging.
TABB: I've only seen really like one kid who came here who wasn't really interested, and it changed his mind. He was actually a band captain right now. He's the number one kid in my program.
WHITFIELD: That would be tuba player Terrence Knockum who loves the lesson he's now teaching other kids.
TERRENCE KNOCKUM: Just keep doing your new thing you're good at until you're ...
WHITFIELD: This 15-year-old about to graduate from the program has big plans. Just like Roots of Music founder Derrick Tabb, play in his school band before one day earning a spot in a big band like Rebirth on a big stage.
Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, New Orleans.
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LONG: And music to save Katrina one download at a time. Fredricka brings you another story of one man's musical salvation. That's coming up at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
And now, while our reporters are covering the stories developing every day in the black community, Soledad O'Brien has been working on stories you will only see on the 22nd and 23rd of July when CNN presents "Black in America 2." Two nights, two primetime documentaries and all new stories here on CNN.
Do stay with CNN throughout the day for the latest breaking news. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.
