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158 Dead in India Crash; Major Cities Battle Jump in Murders; BP Readying Next Attempt to Seal the Leak
Aired May 22, 2010 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight a developing story. A jetliner crashes. More than 100 people die. But what is unbelievable are the survivors who jump from the wreckage before it burst into flames.
A 7-year-old girl killed by police. We speak live to a high- profile leader making an impassion call to action as the child is laid to rest.
The pregnancy of one of the biggest stars in the planet. The wife of one of the biggest stars in the planet causes controversy about how old is too old to have a baby.
And spoiler alert. The man who knows almost everything about the TV series "Lost," talks to us about tomorrow's big finale.
Good evening. As we go on the air tonight, one of the biggest military bases in the world is on high alert after a braising attack by insurgents. Nato's Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan was a target for militants as several tried to smash to the bases perimeter. Most troubling for the military's top brass is the fact that this is the second ambush on a major base in the past three days.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr spoke with us about the assault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It seems clear that it was Taliban-related groups. There is no official claim of responsibility to be clear at this hour. But Kandahar, the whole region really is the heartland of the Taliban insurgency. There are several warlord clans there that often stage attacks. Hard-core Taliban, a lot of the drug trade that is handled by the Taliban comes through that region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CNN's Barbara Starr. And Kandahar holds an important place in NATO's strategy for Afghanistan. It is a jumping off point for a massive offensive plan for next month.
Another developing story to tell you about now. A team from the National Transportation Safety Board is preparing to head to India. They're going to help investigate the cause of that deadly plane crash that happen about 24 hours ago.
The Air India Boeing 737 overshot the runway, crashed into a ravine and burst into flames. 158 people are dead. Eight people survived.
CNN's Liz Neisloss reports from the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIZ NEISLOSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here at the scene of the crash, you can see just how hard the impact was. All that remains charred wreckage scattered far apart. Investigators are still looking for the black box which should hold clues as to just what happened to this plane. Indian Air officials say the pilot and co-pilot were very experienced and familiar with the airport here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARVIND JADHAV, CHAIRMAN, AIR INDIA: We are seeking help from experts to really understand what really went wrong. Because the crew was one of the most cockpit crews in India Express. So given that, we really are shocked, and we feel very perplexed of all that has happened. We are awaiting experts to investigate on this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEISLOSS: Hundreds of rescue workers and volunteers worked to pull out the bodies which witnesses said were charred beyond recognition by the flames that consumed this plane. There was no distress call from the plane, but when it touched down it kept going. It broke through a wall at the end of the runway, shearing off a right wing, break into pieces and bursting into flames landing in this ravine. Miraculously there were eight survivors, one of them found wandering around at the end of the run way.
Liz Neisloss, Mangalore, India.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Unbelievable.
Three American hikers sit in an Iranian prison tonight, no closer to home despite a visit by their mothers. The three women return to New York today empty handed and unsure of when they will see their sons and daughter next. They were able to meet with the hikers while in Tehran, but a request to sit down with the Iranian president and supreme leader was rebuffed. Arriving back in New York, the mothers describe their discouragement and their frustration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CINDY HICKEY, SHANE BAUER'S MOTHER: We are also very disappointed that when we went to the airport to return from Iran, Jane, Sarah and Josh had to go back to living in prison. The pain we felt at having to leave Tehran without our children is almost more than we can bear. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shane, Sarah and Josh have done nothing to deserve their continued detention, and the lack of movement in their case troubles us greatly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And also tonight, an impatient gulf region is watching and waiting as BP works out its latest plan to stop the oil gushing underwater. Here's what we known right now.
Company officials are now preparing to try what's called a top kill, where they will dump heavy drilling fluids into the well and try to seal it with cement. But it won't happen until early next week, possibly on Tuesday.
Meantime, scientists tell the Associated Press that it may be impossible to get the oily mess out of the marshes on the gulf. The AP says officials are considering drastic measures like burning part of the wetlands or flooding certain areas.
President Barack Obama says he wants answers in this disaster. He is creating a bipartisan commission to investigate the oil leak and offer solutions to keep something like this from happening again. Former Florida Senator Bob Graham and former EPA head William Riley will head the commission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can't think of two people who bring will greater experience or better judgment to the task at hand. In the days to come, I will appoint five other distinguished Americans, including scientists, engineers and environmental advocates to join them on the commission. And I'm directing them to report back in six months with recommendations on how we can prevent and mitigate the impact of any future spills that result from offshore drilling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The commission has to report back to the president in six months.
And tomorrow on "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY," at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, BP's managing director will respond to the criticism of how the company is handling the gulf spill.
If BP's top kill method to plug the oil leak doesn't work, we're looking at what other options might be available. The possibilities straight ahead here.
But first, a 7-year-old shot in her home by police. Reverend Al Sharpton is angry. But this time, he is not just pointing the finger at the police. He joins us live tonight.
And don't just sit there. Make sure you become part of the conversation. I'm tweeting right now. Join us on Twitter or Facebook. Follow us as a matter of fact. Check out my blog, CNN.com/Don. We want to hear from you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's talk about "What Matters" tonight. Big city crime is putting pressure on police departments from the east to the Midwest. In New York City, the city is seeing a 20 percent jump in homicides this year. In Chicago, 113 murders have prompted some to call for the National Guard to help. And in Detroit, the sight of a child-sized casket broke hearts across the city today. It's a sad story. A service was held today for Aiyana Stanley Jones, a 7-year- old girl killed by police during a raid last Sunday.
Civil Rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton spoke at the gathering today. He criticized not just police, but also the community for playing a part in Aiyana's death. Detroit has not only experienced the loss of Aiyana, but at least three children and an officer had been killed in recent weeks.
So let's talk about this now. Let's talk about "What Matters."
The Reverend Al Sharpton joins me now.
Thank you, sir, for being here.
First, let's talk about this little girl's death. It is sad. There is a tape apparently of a raid from a reality show. A crew with first 48 programs there saw it as it was all going down.
So what do you think this tape shows from this reality show?
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Well, I don't know what it shows. What is disturbing to me and many in the community and especially the family is that the police apparently threw a flash grenade and it burned the little girl on the coach she was sleeping in. And then when they came in, gun discharged, shot in the neck and killed her.
They were pursuing someone that was in another apartment. It is a two-family apartment. So it was the wrong location, and this young lady lost her life. Now no matter who is guilty or not guilty, she was innocent. And you clearly have the right to ask the question, would they have done this in other neighborhoods? Would they have been as reckless if they check out the place. They saw toys in the yard. They knew kids were in. Whatever happened to flashing lights or helicopters or telling people to come out? Why do you throw in a flashing grenade and rush in with guns, and it ends up with this young 7-year-old dead.
LEMON: Reverend, let me ask you about this, because there are people who say, you know what, it was sad that the little girl died. It was a mistake by the police, but they did find the person they were looking for in the house. It's a tragedy, but police are saying, you know what, this was something that happen that was an accident.
SHARPTON: Well, I think that -- first of all, they found the person in another house. And I think that you have the right to question police procedure. But as you stated, I also challenge the community, because at the same time, we cannot harbor people that were accused of killing a member of our community.
I think that we find ourselves now, Don, in where we've got to fight on two fronts. We've got to call for police accountability, but community accountability. A police officer robbed and killed in Chicago the day before yesterday, deaths rising in New York, all over the country. So we cannot sit by and allow this kind of suicidal self-destructive behavior going on in our community, particularly on our young people and not challenge it, not say we got to find a way to work together to clearly make this kind of situation becomes something that is decreased.
And that also means another kind of engagement with police. But police have got to come to the table and also admit where they are wrong, and where they are over the top. If there is an accident, fine, but I think if procedures are violated or if you have different strokes for different folks, we cannot solve the problem. We've all got to share some blame here and deal we're trying to improve what is going on.
LEMON: I think it is interesting what you said. You said that this was a breaking point. I think your quote was that it is time for the community. And especially, let's just be honest, we are talking about the black community. Because a lot of this violence is happening in the black community. You said it is time to look at the man in the mirror. And you not only look at the community, but you are challenging leaders, and leaders not only in Detroit but especially in Chicago.
SHARPTON: Chicago, when we see a policeman killed like this Reverend Al Sampson who passes in Chicago, who was with me in Detroit today. It is heartbreaking. This is a young policeman bringing his scooter to show his parents. He gets surrounded by four so-called brothers who kill him. These are not brothers. This whole stop snitching thing. Snitching as if I'm your partner in a crime, and I tell on you. Snitching is not when I'm your victim, or the relative or friend of your victim, and I'm suppose to cover you with silence.
We've got to turn the culture of raising gangstersism and thuggism around in our community. And that is on us. Yes, he was on the police accountable, but we cannot allow our children to continue to romanticize violence because the results are, I'm looking at a 7- year-old girl in a casket today. I thought about how last year, a year ago next month, preached at Michael Jackson's funeral where he said I'm looking at the man in the mirror. We've got to look at the man in the mirror while we also hold other forces accountable.
LEMON: The Reverend Al Sharpton.
Reverend, please update us on the situation with that 7-year-old girl. We have many viewers who are interested in exactly what happen. We appreciate it. Thank you.
SHARPTON: Thank you.
LEMON: The commander-in-chief's address to graduates that may have also been a message to our enemies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We fight because we must. We fight to keep our families and communities safe. We fight for the security of our allies and partners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And plunging from more than 22 miles up in the sky. I'm not talking about a rocket taking flight. I'm talking about a man with nothing to protect him from death but a thin suit and three, yes, three parachutes. It is a crazy story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A lot of news happening tonight. We want to check some of your top stories right now. Police in West Virginia say a pipe bomber ended up killing himself when his bomb exploded outside a bar. A bomb squad diffused two other pipe bombs discovered nearby. No one else was hurt. Tonight, a 911 dispatcher says the bombs were intended for the man ex-wife. The couple had a history of domestic violence.
The father and son suspected of killing two west Memphis police officers this week may have ties to an extremist antigovernment group. Both the anti-defamation league and the Southern Poverty Law Center say the suspects belong to the so-called sovereign citizen movement. The group believes a U.S. government is illegitimate. Jerry Kane and his son, Joseph, were killed at a shootout with police on Thursday about 90 minutes after the officers were gunned down on interstate 40.
And New York's attorney general is making a bid to run his state. Democrat Andrew Cuomo officially kicked off his campaign for governor today. He faces no primary opposition from a run for governor unsuccessfully back in 2002, but won the state attorney general post in 2006. He is the son of former three-term New York Governor Mario Cuomo.
President Barack Obama today addressed graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, praising them for their accomplishments and encouraging them to be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Mr. Obama reminded his audience that this is the ninth consecutive WestPoint commencement held in a time of war. He has called for a strengthening of diplomatic alliances around the world. And he said the current conflict in Afghanistan must be brought to a successful conclusion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: This war has changed over the last nine years, but it is no less important than it was in those days after 911. We toppled the Taliban regime, now we must break the momentum of a Taliban insurgency and train Afghan security forces. We have supported the election of a sovereign government, now we must strengthen its capacities. We brought hope to the Afghan people. Now we must see that their country does not fall prey to our common enemies. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The president also took time to salute the army for its performance in Iraq praising the resilience of the men and women in uniform.
With oil from last month's rig explosion now washing up on the Louisiana coast, one congressman is giving his constituents the opportunity to sound off to him, the Coast Guard and even BP. And they had a lot to say. You want to hear it.
And six years of questions answered in one night. The true meaning of "Lost" is about to be revealed. Spoiler alert.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: In the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, BP is preparing for its next attempt to stop that gushing oil leak. Company officials will try a top kill, where pumping heavy fluids into the well and try to seal it with cement. But it won't happen until early next week, possibly on Tuesday.
A lot of people on the Gulf Coast are frustrated over how long it is taking to seal that leak. Today some of them got a chance to vent at a town hall meeting with Louisiana congressman Charlie Melancon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CHARLIE MELANCON (D), LOUISIANA (voice-over): Well, they are very frustrated, scared, feeling of helplessness, I guess, because as discussed today, you can't physically go out there and just shut it down yourself. And, of course, a lot of the unknown about what BP will be responsible for, and after Katrina went through somewhat situations around with people, misinformation that was out there and erroneous information, and then just lack of information. So that is what we were trying to accomplish today.
LEMON: And I think, there is frustration, you can say, I'm sure it's going to start to turn into anger soon if it hasn't already, so --
MELANCON: It has for some.
LEMON: For people -- go ahead, finish your thought.
MELANCON: It has turned into anger in some areas and some people. Some people are close to that beyond concern with also some of the post traumatic stress, if you would, particularly in the New Orleans region. Those parishes, because of Katrina, they thought they had been through the worst and now all of a sudden, this may be worse than Katrina in terms of not everyone, but for elements of the community.
LEMON: They're hearing different things from everyone and know one is really telling them what's really going on. I'm sure that's how they feel. And that can be very frustrating. You can see how it can turn to anger.
Listen, I want to talk about some of that because people vented today. You had a whole lot of people, a whole lot of officials at the town hall today, you had the coast guard, you had EPA, you had state wildlife, what did they tell the people there?
MELANCON: Well, basically each agency -- I gave each agency an opportunity to talk about the things that they were responsible for. Wildlife and fisheries, about the open and closings of the different seasons and the different sectors of the coastline for an oysters or shrimp or fish or for whatever it was. We had the EPA folks that were there to talk about, of course, there were lot of questions about the dispersants and whether they're doing more harm than good.
We had the BP people that were there to clarify what they were doing as far as the claims to those people that are out of work or hurting, being hurt by this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Representative Charlie Melancon.
And you know what, we have all gotten accustomed to pinning our hopes on various attempts to seal that leak. Some of them with some pretty strange names. And top kill is the very latest.
Our Jacqui Jeras joins me now.
Jacqui, what exactly is this top kill?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, top kill is BP's best hope for the short-term solution right now, Don. There is a lot riding on this. And that is a lot of the reason why they have been taking so much time to get everything in place to make sure this one works, because it's a lot more likely that this will work than anything else that they have other than a much longer term solution.
So let's talk about this. Let's show you this graphic which helps explain it right now. You know that leak is going on now at the ocean floor within what we call the riser. We'll put this into motion. We'll take it down to the ocean floor and show you what we are talking about.
What's happening is that a remote-operated vehicle has gone in and has attached a line to the blowout preventer. This is the thing that was supposed to work and stop the gusher from the beginning. Now what happens is they're going to pump within that line a thick liquid sort of like mud. And they think that the force of that liquid coming down will eventually stop the oil from coming up. Once it stops that, they are going to fill it with cement and then that cement should ultimately seal that hole.
Now there is something else that they can do. It is what they called a junk shot. And it's basically the same procedure. But instead of flowing it in with this mud, they literally put junk in it, like tire shreds, as well as golf balls. So they're going to put that thick stuff within the blowout preventer hoping to block it up.
Well, BP officials have doing over the last couple of days. They've done basically what we call an MRI almost of the blowout preventer, because if the integrity of this thing was compromised and they perform this procedure, it could potentially make matters worse.
Don?
LEMON: Jacqui, you know it's -- when you hear all these names and all the attempts that haven't worked. It seems like they sort of grasping at straws. It's just what I think. So if this top kill doesn't work, then what happens next? Because I'm hearing this is their best option.
JERAS: Yes. It really is their best option. They do have some other choices. But they haven't been proven to work. The top kill has proven to work, by the way, but they never performed it at such a depth.
A couple of things that they can do. Take a look at this graph. OK, this is the damaged riser. They could do what they call a hot tap, which basically makes some kind of a hole within here, add a pipe to it and then try and kind of siphon that thing out. But there are risks involved in this as well.
Another thing they can do. We talked about the blowout preventer. They think they can potentially add another little seal in here or put a blowout preventer on top of a blowout preventer, and hope that that will cut it off. But basically, the ultimate solution that we're talking about is this. These are wells. These are additional wells that they are working on drilling right now. They will put them down in, add an ankle to a specific point, and then they'll put a cement in here. And they say this will solve the problem. One of the wells they have already been working on for about a month now. The second one is going in as a backup.
So at the soonest if the top kill doesn't work, they don't come up with any other solutions, they say this will work, two months at the earliest before that thing is sealed off.
Don?
LEMON: Two months.
JERAS: Two months. Yes. And take a look. They've got some live video streaming off BP's Web site, by the way. There you can see it. That is exactly what it looks like right now gushing out.
LEMON: Two months. That is a long time for people there to be waiting. What happens to the gulf. It is just unbelievable.
Jacqui, thank you. Appreciate it.
JERAS: We hope that top kill works.
LEMON: Yes, very detailed. Thank you, Jacqui. You know, it sounds cliche, but it is anything but. One man going where no man has gone before. Free falling from 22 miles above the earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you step off, within the first 30 seconds, you accelerate so fast that you are going to break the speed of sound.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And traveling by land, here is some advice for you. Put the garage door up before you take out that $180,000 porch on loan to your dad.
Ouch.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: He is called Fearless Felix, and he is trying to break a free fall record with an incredible leap of faith.
CNN's Brian Todd talks to a man getting ready to jump from the edge of space. It is a stunt where he may plummet faster than the speed of sound.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's a 41-year-old Austrian sky diver who works for Red Bull, but with NASA's future so uncertain, Felix Baumgartner may just represent the next frontier of flight exploration. Later this year, this guy is going to try to jump out of a capsule at the edge of space, for what's basically a record- shattering skydive.
(on camera) So my first question is a two-parter, are you nuts and why the hell are you doing this?
(LAUGHTER)
FELIX BAUMGARTNER, SKY DIVER: First of all, I'm not nuts. It is human nature. Records are meant to be broken and I'm a very competitive person, I like the challenge, and to me there is nothing more challenging than work on the Red Bull Stratos Project.
TODD (voice-over): The Red Bull Stratos Project will test the limits of the human body. He'll try to break some unheard of records, the longest and highest free fall ever, 120,000 feet above sea level. That's more than 22 miles. And he'll try to make the fastest ever free fall.
BAUMGARTNER: When you step off, within the first 30 seconds, you accelerate so fast that you're going to break the speed of sound, which is more than 690 miles an hour. TODD: That's something no one has ever done outside a plane or spacecraft. Baumgartner's already base jumped from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and from the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro.
The man who's record Fearless Felix is trying to break is a consultant on this project, Joe Kittinger, who jumped from 102,000 feet 50 years ago.
(on camera) You're the only one who has every come close to being where he's going to go. What is it like up there?
COL. JOE KITTINGER, 1960 STRATOSPHERE JUMPER: It is distant.
TODD: I'd say so.
KITTINGER: And it is very hostile. It is not meant for man without the proper protection.
TODD: What is it about that that feels so hostile? Is it the pressure, the speed? What is it?
KITTINGER: It's the lack of pressure. And you know that right outside of you is a vacuum of space. And without the protection of that pressure suit, you cannot live. And that's an interesting thought that you have.
TODD (voice-over): Like Kittinger, Baumgartner will be taken to the stratosphere in a capsule, pulled by a helium balloon. Then he steps off. The only thing protecting him, what he calls the next- generation pressure suit, and three parachutes.
(on camera) Are you afraid of dying on this mission?
BAUMGARTNER: Of course, I'm afraid of dying because I worked so hard to reach that level, you know. And I'm living a good life. And I think the most important thing I'm doing is to come back alive.
TODD: The ultimate scientific goal, to advance human knowledge enough so that space tourists will be able to exist outside their vehicles if those spacecraft break down.
(on camera) How does Felix Baumgartner top this? Well, he probably won't. He says this is going to be his last jump, and then he's going go back to being a helicopter pilot. May be a bit of a letdown.
Brian Todd, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Why? I have to ask him that. I wish I could ask him that question. You know, this seems like the craziest science experiment ever, right? So we asked a scientist to help us understand what Baumgartner is trying to do. So Rhett Allain is an associate professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University. And he joins us from Hammond, Louisiana, tonight.
Good to see you, sir.
Is Felix, Fearless Felix going to survive this?
PROF. RHETT ALLAIN, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY: He probably can. I mean, Joe did it from 102,000 feet. 120,000 feet will be a lot faster, but he'll experience a lot of the same things. There won't be any forces outside of the realm of what a normal person should be able to take.
LEMON: I would imagine there is some -- a scientific reason to do this. Maybe it helps us understand you know what it's like to do something. Maybe it helps NASA. I don't know. I don't understand why someone would want to do this.
Is there a scientific reason to do this?
ALLAIN: Oh, I don't know about the science of this. I mean, I approach this from the science of how can we apply basic physics that a college freshman would look at in terms of this case. Atmospheric science. Maybe there is something there. That is not really something that I'm too much of an expert in.
LEMON: Yes. What I'm trying to get to is there a scientific reason to do it or is this just for the rush or the adrenaline to see what it feels like. By the way, he is being sponsored by Red Bull. We should say that.
So what is it like to fall so far, so fast?
ALLAIN: Well, I mean, the thing that is different here is at that high altitude, the density of air is very low. So you have these two competing forces, gravity and air resistance. And with the very, very low density, the air resistance isn't that much so you can really go real, real fast until you get to lower atmosphere and then you start slowing down. So he can go significantly fast.
LEMON: All right.
Hey, listen, it is good to see you. Thank you so much. Appreciate you spending a Saturday night with us. And we wish Felix, Fearless Felix Baumgartner the best of luck. God speed as I say. We hope he is safe.
Thank you very much, sir.
ALLAIN: Thank you.
Six years of waiting has come down to this. The end of "Lost."
Why is everybody freaking out about this.
Tonight, die hard fans prepare to let go of what has become an obsession to many.
And with struggling and hungry Americans fighting to stay healthy, one gardener comes up with a plan to help out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just one day, I had two shopping bags, 40 pounds more vegetables than I could use. I had given stuff away. Nobody wanted more. My wife wouldn't let me bring anymore in the house. And I didn't want it wasted.
Our CNN hero of the week when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Millions of hungry Americans rely on food pantries to feed their families. But this could mean a not so healthy diet of canned and processed food.
This week's CNN hero saw the need for fresh produce, and came up with a way to help the pantries provide it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY OPPENHEIMER, CNN HERO: Pancake mix and syrup.
The system we have in America, you donate canned goods or dried goods to a food bank. Fresh produce is almost never available.
In 2007, I had a very prolific season, and I ended up with 40 pounds more vegetables than I could use. Wow, that's good. So, I take it to a pantry. As I left, this woman said, now we can have some fresh produce. I remember thinking, they have canned stuff only all the time.
Horse radish. I had an idea about how to not waste food. We're having an ample harvest and the very least we can do is give it to people who need it.
They'll be enjoying this tomorrow at the pantry.
Ampleharvest.org enables people who grow food in home gardens to easily find a local food pantry to donate their excess produce to.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It's a nice big one. We didn't know what doors to knock on. But now that Gary has got this wonderful program, there is some rhubarb, taking it to one of the pantries really is a good way to share with ample harvest. So much of this is boxed, it is canned, it is not fresh.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Perfect. Thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: You're very welcome.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Really, we do appreciate it.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Now we're getting the fresh items.
OPPENHEIMER: The country is loaded with gardeners who have more food than they can possibly use. Ampleharvest.org gives them the ability to easily get that food to somebody who genuinely really needs it. You're not only doing good, you're feeling great about it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, so far nearly 2,000 food pantries have registered on Ampleharvest.org.
To nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to cnn.com/heroes.
Getting pregnant later in life. 47 isn't too old for Kelly Preston, but it is sparking a whole lot of debate.
And all kids make mistakes, right? Like wrecking the family car. I did it. You probably did it. It is a little different, though, when they crash a $180,000 new Porsche that you brought home on loan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: John Travolta and his wife are hearing lots of congratulations and some criticism recently. That's because actress Kelly Preston is pregnant at the age of 47. It speaks to the debate that's going on right now. Just how old is too old to have a baby?
I spoke with two mature mothers about this.
Angel La Liberte is a blogger at FlowerPowerMom.com. She had both her kids after 40. And Dr. Wendy Walsh is a psychologist who had her second child at the age of 41. I asked her if it is responsible for women to have children later in life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: There had been plenty of instances using in vitro, where women are sort of -- with the help of medicine becoming pregnant later.
Now, the government expects us to basically be responsible for our kids for 18 years. So then you start to look at life expectancy which currently in America is 78.4 years.
I think that people get concerned when they see cases like the Spanish woman a few years ago. The tragic case where she gave birth at the age of 67 - a week shy of her 67th birthday to twins and she was a single mother and she'd lied about her age at a fertility clinic and then tragically died of cancer two years later, leaving these babies orphaned. And this is the fear. But you know, there's another thing people post on my blogs too, why are we talking about women? What about all the older guys who have young wives who may drop --
(CROSSTALK) LEMON: Yes, you used to think that men can have children -- as long as they're fertile whatever, they can have kids at any age but it also poses problems as well. Listen, I want to get your response to this, I want to take a look at health risks. Just some points here that I want to tell you about, and then for women, right? Because we talked about men.
A 45-year-old mom is 23 more times likely to have a baby with a chromosome problem than a 20-year-old woman, and babies of moms 50 and older, are much more likely to be premature, have low birth weight, diabetes, hypertension and be in a hospital.
And so Angel, you heard what Dr. Walsh said about that. We talked about men, it's a problem with men as well, so how do you reconcile these increased medical risks here?
ANGEL LA LIBERTE, BLOGGER, FLOWERPOWERMOM.COM: Well, you know, first of all, modern fertility medicine has come a long way since the test-tube baby in the 1970s, and women have many, many more choices especially post-menopausal women, and you know women in their 40s. I conceived with my own eggs and I have two beautiful babies, I feel very fortunate but other women my age and older may want to look into other methods such as freezing their eggs when they're younger, such as egg donors, they have many choices.
And when it comes to having children with your own eggs, modern technology -- medical technology allows you to weigh up, you know, and make educated choices about that.
So you know it's very simplistic and linear just to talk about the chromosome risks when it comes to having children when you are older. There are many options.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Thanks to both my guests there.
After years of questions, tomorrow the answers will come. Maybe some of them will come tonight. At least fans of "Lost" hope they will, not tonight but maybe tomorrow.
If your choice about a government program, what would you cut? If you could cut any program? People step up to an online challenge from Republicans. We'll tell you about that, too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. So you guys want to talk about "Lost?" Tomorrow night the twisty sci-fi drama that became a pop culture phenomenon comes to an end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're very close to the end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't shoot him. Don't shoot him. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It is the series finale of ABC's "Lost." And after six seasons of mysterious hatches, time travel, paradoxes and one very ticked off smoke monster, fans want some answers.
If you haven't seen the show that probably sounded like total nonsense, because it did to me. I have no idea what I have just read. But don't be surprised if you get hooked on reruns or the DVDs in the future. So let's talk about this.
"Lost" has a particularly devoted cult following with entire online communities that are obsessed picking apart puzzles.
Kevin Croy runs one of the most well-known site called Lostpedia, which is pretty much like Wikipedia that's just about that show. And he joins us from Seattle.
Thank you, sir.
As I said, I have no idea what I just read. I started watching -- I'll be honest with you. People don't get mad at me. I like "The Good Wife "and "Southland," those are the kind of shows I like, and "30 Rock." I started watching it and it felt like I was watching the movie castaway over and over again, the first season. I just kind of lost interest.
What happened to make it a cult phenomenon? How did people get so interested in it?
KEVIN CROY, CREATOR, LOSTPEDIA: I think it became more of a sci- fi story than just a castaway story. And it appeals to a lot of different people at a lot of different levels.
LEMON: And, you know, it has a really unique relationship with the Web, right? So what will your online community and others do when this is all over? What do you do?
CROY: Well, that's a tough question. I think -- I guess ask me in a week, but I think the community that has come together around this is going to stick together and, you know, some of them are going to move on to other shows but I think there is going to be a lot of stuff for us to figure out even after we get whatever the writers are going to give us tomorrow.
LEMON: I'm sure after this we'll be talking about, and I'm not sure Kevin, I think we'll be talking about, you know, "Lost" withdrawal and people are going to have to go to their psychologist or psychiatrist to talk about it, or they are going to either hate or love the finale. Sort of like with "Dallas" or a lot of television shows or even "The Sopranos," where people like, that's it?
So what do you think we are going to be talking about next with "Lost" fans after this happens tomorrow night?
CROY: I'm sure we are going to be talking about how they end it. The writers have said that they are going to live up to all the hype. You know, they have done a great job so far. So I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt, and we'll just see what happens.
LEMON: OK. So spoiler alert. I'm going to tell you guys what happened. I know. I'm kidding.
Do you know? Do you know?
CROY: I do not know.
LEMON: You do not know.
Oh, come on. You are Lostpedia. You suppose to know.
CROY: I wish I did.
LEMON: Listen -- yes, and you wouldn't tell, anyway, if you did? Would you?
CROY: Probably not.
LEMON: Probably not.
Listen, hey, thank you Kevin Croy for joining us. It's very interesting. We know that you are a huge fan. Lots of people are. It is going to be broadcast. What is it, live all over the world tomorrow, I'm being told by people here in the studio. So this is huge.
Hey, listen, if it is interesting, if there is a big controversy surrounding it, come back and talk to us, OK.
CROY: Absolutely. Thanks a lot, Don.
LEMON: Good luck tomorrow night.
You know what, these tough economic times call for a tough measure.
Still ahead, one school district puts an end to free rides, literally. Some things are just too sacred to cut even in a recession. We'll tell you what made the list of things Americans just can't live without?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. So on the weekend, we always want to try to catch you up on some news that you may have missed this past week, and sometimes it is a little unusual.
First off, the initial results of the new "You Cut" initiative from the Republican Party. "You Cut" is basically an "American Idol" for government programs. People vote online for the program they think the federal government should stop supporting. And the winner from the first tally, a welfare emergency fund that would cost taxpayers about $2 billion. Republicans say 280,000 votes were cast to cut that program, but Congress Thursday refused to go along.
No more free rides for students in Parker, Colorado. Starting this fall, Colorado's third biggest school district will start charging students to ride on the school bus. At 50 cents for every ride, the school district says it will save $2 million.
Wow. OK. So put a teenage boy in a driver's seat of a $180,000 porsche and the results could be expensive. A car critic of the Canadian newspaper "The Globe and Mail" knows all of this firsthand. Peter Cheney blogged this week about how his 18-year-old son ruined his Porsche 997. It's a turbo, by the way. The teenager turned on the ignition to hear the stereo and sent the manual shift car head on into the garage door. Cheney had just test drive on the Porsche for an article. Punishment, the son was grounded and had to get a summer job to pay back the insurance deductible. Repairs cost $11,000.
Tough economic times may have us cutting on big purchases. But retailers have found there are some things people won't do without. Topping the list, portable computers, high speed Internet access, and smart phones. Also, good education, expensive but priceless. That is followed by our entertainment needs -- movies, television and music downloads. And pets rank at the bottom of the list. Drinks, coffee popped in, booze, all of that.
I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here tomorrow night. Have a good evening, everyone. Thanks for watching.
