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Oil Gushing in the Gulf; Phone Apps Aid Travelers; Stars and Their Legal Dramas; Feds Order BP to Contain More Oil; CNN Hero: Life after Prison; USA Starts World Cup Play; 17 Dead, Two Dozen Missing in Arkansas Flash Flood; 16-Year-Old Sailor Rescued; Holloway Suspect Charged With Peru Murder

Aired June 12, 2010 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Suzanne, Drew. You all have a great day. You've done great job all morning long.

We're going to talk more about what took place in southwestern Arkansas, that flash flood that took place early yesterday morning. Now confirmation that at least 17 people were killed at a campsite. People were simply caught by surprise while they were sleeping around 5:00 o'clock in the morning, many people who were in their tents, et cetera, sleeping, out there in the elements, swept away by this flash flood.

There's a press conference going on right now in Langley, Arkansas. We want to go to straight to it live now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... B-R-I-G-E-T-T-E Williams, common spelling, with the American Red Cross. With that, I will turn it over to Captain Mike Fletcher with the Arkansas State Police.

CAPT. MIKE FLETCHER, ARKANSAS STATE POLICE: First of all, I'd like to say that our hearts and prayers goes out to the families (INAUDIBLE) loved ones here. At this time, we've identified 16 of the 17 bodies that have been recovered. We still have a search and rescue operation going. We got about 20 mile of river to cover. It's going to be very time-consuming because if somebody's been in there, this terrain is really rugged.

And the law enforcement officers and volunteers -- and I want to thank the volunteers. We just had scores them that's coming here from all over the state to help us in this search and rescue operation. But we're going to throughout the day today in the search and rescue and recovery and on in tomorrow for ever how long it takes.

Can you hear me back there? OK. They say I need to speak up so you can hear me in the back. Can you hear me now? I probably won't be able to repeat what I just said like I did, but I'll get close.

So far, we've identified 16 of the 17 bodies that's been recovered. We still have a search and rescue effort ongoing. Want to thank all the volunteers that's come in and helped us. We've had them all over the state coming here and volunteering their time and resources to help us. We have several search teams in there now. We got about 20 miles of river to cover, and it's a very rugged terrain. It's just going to be very time-consuming.

Later on today, we'll try -- those of you that have not been in there, that just got here that want to get some coverage, we'll try and get you in there, some of the areas where you can see the damage that's been done. We're going to continue this for as long as it takes, and hopefully, by later today, we'll have some more information for you. Later this afternoon, we'll have another briefing. What would be the best time for y'all, about 4:00? We'll have another briefing here at 4:00 o'clock this afternoon.

QUESTION: Do you have a breakdown yet on the victims, children versus adults (INAUDIBLE)

FLETCHER: I don't have that with me, but...

QUESTION: Repeat the question, please.

FLETCHER: They want to know a breakdown in the bodies that's been recovered versus children -- they're all age groups.

QUESTION: Do you have any idea how many people remain missing?

FLETCHER: Right now, we've got somewhere around two dozen that's unaccounted for. And a lot of these people, it's -- a lot of the people couldn't get out until on up in the day because of high water, but a lot of them has probably come out of there and gone on back to their homes. And we're trying to get (INAUDIBLE) We're whittling that down as we go. So right now, somewhere around two dozen.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) how miles are you searching?

FLETCHER: We're talking about, on this river, approximately 20 miles.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) the names of the victims (INAUDIBLE)

FLETCHER: They should be released today. We're making sure that all the next of kin's been notified.

QUESTION: Could you repeat? I'm sorry.

FLETCHER: He wanted to know when the next of kin -- or when the names are going to be released, and we'll be releasing that today when all the next of kin's been notified.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

FLETCHER: Yes, ma'am, we did recover another victim this morning up near the Albert Pike area. So that brings our total to 17, and 16 of those 17 has been identified.

QUESTION: Can you describe the circumstances of where the bodies were found? Are they down low on the bank or are they up high or they're all over or...

FLETCHER: Just all over.

QUESTION: Was the victim that you found today the one that you have not identified yet?

FLETCHER: No, we identified the one we found today.

QUESTION: How did you identify them?

FLETCHER: The family members.

QUESTION: Are family members -- are you taking DNA samples from family members?

FLETCHER: Yes. Yes.

QUESTION: Can you describe a little bit of the search process (INAUDIBLE)

FLETCHER: Yes, we have searchers in there and we have kayaks and canoes going down the river. We have officers in there on foot, on four-wheelers, horseback, and they're just scouring both sides of the river from on up north of Albert Pike all the way to Lake Griese (ph).

QUESTION: Motorized boats?

FLETCHER: No motorized boats. This river's very rugged. There's a lot of rocks and debris in there. But we have some kayakers in there and canoes in there.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

FLETCHER: Oh, I'd say, all told, with the volunteers and officers and everything, we've probably got a couple of hundred people in there this morning.

QUESTION: How would you describe (INAUDIBLE) the weather conditions?

FLETCHER: Well, we don't have as much cloud cover today as we did yesterday, and it's pretty trying (ph) (INAUDIBLE) because it's very hard to walk in there. And as you know, it's getting hotter as the day goes along. But we're trying to keep water and food to them in there, and they come out where they can take a break.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

FLETCHER: The water has receded considerably since yesterday, yes.

QUESTION: Where have the victims been taken?

FLETCHER: Been taken to Mena.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) I know you were putting in a temporary cell tower. How has that improved (INAUDIBLE)

FLETCHER: It's improved an awful lot since yesterday. We've had some cell towers brought in here. We've got others coming in later today. But our communications improved greatly since yesterday morning.

QUESTION: How many cell towers? FLETCHER: We've got a couple in here now.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

FLETCHER: Yes. We'll have another briefing this afternoon at 4:00 o'clock.

QUESTION: I know (INAUDIBLE) were missing earlier this morning. Now you say two dozen? (INAUDIBLE) rescued?

FLETCHER: No, there's been no rescues today.

QUESTION: OK. So how did that number drop (INAUDIBLE)

FLETCHER: What number did you say?

QUESTION: I heard 40 to 73 were still missing and that...

FLETCHER: I didn't have that number. I don't know. Right now, we've got approximately two dozen that...

WHITFIELD: All right, you're listening to an update there coming out of Langley, Arkansas. They're talking about that flash flooding that place early yesterday morning. Confirmation now that 16 of the 17 bodies of the victims that they believe, that they're ready to confirm, 16 have actually been recovered (SIC). They continue with search and rescue teams looking through 20 miles of very rugged terrain there, as that Little Missouri River just kind of swelled in an instant, causing that flash flooding.

We'll, of course, try to get any more information as they continue to look for what they believe to be two dozen, perhaps more, people that may have been victimized by that flash flooding.

Meantime, we have been hearing from some people who have family members who had been swept up by that flooding and those who feel like they were witnesses to what some have described as tsunami-like conditions. Take a listen now to one camper who says she's feeling rather fortunate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA CHARRIS, FLOOD SURVIVOR: There was nine of us. And we were on a -- like an island, so when the dam broke -- they said a major dam broke. When it broke, the water was in front and behind us. And when it come up on the island, it put us in the dead center of the river flow. And the water rose eight feet in about three to five minutes.

My 16-year-old son was camping about 100 yards from us. And we started screaming because we couldn't get to him, the water come up so bad. And he come floating down the river with his little buddy that camped with him. He said, Mama, Daddy, please save me, help me, I'm drowning. My husband (INAUDIBLE) was in the tree, and I had my 13- year-old. He was just clinging for life!

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: It all happened, as you hear there, very quickly, very suddenly. So how is it that something like this happens? Flash flooding -- that's what they call it. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is here with us now. When people say there are flash flood warnings in effect, you've got to take it seriously because it's exactly how it just sweeps through quickly, almost without warning.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. Part of the problem here is that this was in a very remote area. There was very little communication. So even though the warning was issued, these people may not have received it. Plus, it happened in the middle of the night when most people were sleeping. So it's dark out, and you don't always hear those warnings.

Speaking of those rises on that river, you mentioned the Little Missouri River rising very quickly in a short period of time -- this is a graph of the river levels. And you can see June 7, June 8, June 9, June 10, and then, wow, that ginormous spike that happened here. And this was a 20-foot rise in the river. This is 10 feet above the previous record, to put it in perspective.

Now, how does this happen? Well, here you can see the amount of rain in a short period of time was about six to seven inches in 24 hours, estimated by Doppler radar. There were two series of thunderstorms that went through here in clusters. And the first series basically set the stage by saturating the ground. The second time it moved through is when we saw these heavy downpours.

And terrain plays a huge role in why this was such a devastating flood situation. Take a look at the valley here. You can see it's all surrounded by hills, so every drop of rain that falls into these hills and the higher elevations all funnels down to the little rivers and the little creeks and through the valley, and then makes the one river right there through that area rise up. So it all kind of funnels into a short period -- a short area, and that's why things happened so severely in this area.

High pressure was in the area. That was pulling in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. A little low pulls on through there, we get a big complex of thunderstorms, and it's two to three inches of rain per hour for a couple of hours. And boy, I'll tell you, there are not a lot of parts of the country that really can deal with that much rain in such a short period of time, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Thank so much. Of course, we're going to keep tabs on this because the story is still developing. They're still looking for roughly two dozen other people who may have been in that area. All right, thanks so much, Jacqui.

Meantime, also coming up, we're going to have what appears to be a happy ending to a rather frightening 'round-the-world journey. We're talking about this 16-year-old right here, Abby Sunderland, trying to become the youngest person to travel around the world on her yacht. Something happened, but now we've got some good news and it's being articulated by her family, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back to the NEWSROOM. So she's now in safe hands, the American teen hoping to become the youngest person to sail around the world solo. Well, she got into trouble, that you know, and was stranded in the middle of the ocean between Australia and Africa. Well, this morning, a French fishing vessel reached Abby Sunderland, and she's said to be in good health. The 16-year-old was stranded in the Indian Ocean after losing satellite contact just two days ago. Sunderland's parents just talked about their daughter just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURENCE SUNDERLAND, TEEN SAILOR'S FATHER: As of 3:00 o'clock this morning, just after 3:00 o'clock this morning, we had a phone call from Abigail aboard the La Reunion French-flagged fishing vessel. She was successfully rescued from Wild Eyes and was aboard their fishing vessel. As of now, we understand that Abigail is being taken down to the island of Kerguelen.

MARIANNE SUNDERLAND, TEEN SAILOR'S MOTHER: A little bit (INAUDIBLE) in her voice, but she was able to make jokes. And I think she was looking forward to getting some sleep. I think -- you know, it's a mixed bag. She was relieved to be off the boat because of the compromised condition that she was in. But in a sense, when you're on a boat like that, like Abby has been, and so closely united to that boat for your very everyday existence, you become very close to it. And so it's -- she's had to leave Wild Eyes in the middle of the ocean and that's been hard for her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Abby's parents should be seeing her in a few days, they understand.

All right, Joran Van Der Sloot -- well, he's become a household name because of at least one now alleged murder and because of at least one missing person case. Well, now, he faces murder trial in Peru. Our legal guys are ready to talk about the kind of justice that he may be finding in Peru.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look here at our top stories. In Arkansas this hour, the search goes on for possible survivors of a flash flood at a campground. At least 17 deaths are confirmed. The Red Cross says as many as 300 people were at the campground when the water rushed in.

And she is now in safe hands. American teen Abby Sunderland was rescued in the Indian Ocean this morning by a French fishing vessel. She sent out a distress call two days ago when her boat caught rough seas. The 16-year-old is trying to become -- or at least was trying to become the youngest person to sail around the world solo. She's from California.

And in Peru, Joran Van Der Sloot now faces murder charges. He's accused of killing a young woman in her -- in a hotel room. Van Der Sloot was arrested twice in Natalee Holloway's disappearance in Aruba five years ago. You remember her, the American teen from Alabama. But Van Der Sloot was released both times. More top stories in 20 minutes.

So we're going to hang onto this Van Der Sloot story now and this investigation. Our legal guys are with us now. Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor and Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor. Good to see both of you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK, this is...

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Welcome back, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. Glad to be with you all

FRIEDMAN: Yes, good to have you back.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it. All right, this is an incredible legal case, is it not, for so many reasons. Now, Van Der Sloot is now charged with murder in Peru. And I wonder, Richard, this murder charge -- does it finally come now on the heels of -- we've seen the videotape, Van Der Sloot along with Stephany Flores at the poker table, and then again entering the hotel room. But was it the reenactment that Peruvian authorities were able to commandeer to have him reenact the crime, and then next thing you know, we have the murder charges? Is the tie there?

HERMAN: No, Fred, they didn't even need the reenactment, and I'm not sure he did a complete reenactment here. They have him dead to rights in Peru. He's on video. It's over. You know, you hear a gun go off behind a closed door, and you open the door and the gun's smoking and someone's laying there dead, you can say that was a killing right there. Here we...

WHITFIELD: Well, the video is there, but it doesn't show the crime. No one witnessed anything.

HERMAN: No.

WHITFIELD: However, there was an alleged confession.

HERMAN: Right.

FRIEDMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: Is that what helped nail down the charge, too?

HERMAN: Yes. No, Fred. He walks into the room on video with the young girl and she doesn't come out. That alone in Peru -- you know, the standard in Peru is not like United States, "beyond a reasonable doubt."

FRIEDMAN: Right. Right.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: There it's preponderance of the evidence. It's just an ever so slight type tipping in favor of the prosecution. He cannot win this case. He's going to be convicted. The question is, is he going to get 35 years, do 50 percent of the time? And the bigger question is, will he survive their prison system?

FRIEDMAN: Well...

WHITFIELD: And the other bit of information there -- I mean, there's still that other unsolved case, Avery.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Five years ago, this young girl from Alabama goes missing. There are all these ties between he and Natalee Holloway. And so now might the pursuit of this murder charge help open the door for that investigation, whether it be to find the body that he allegedly has told people he knows about, or whether this gives United States authorities or even Aruban authorities any kind of leverage in that unsolved crime?

FRIEDMAN: Well, it's an extraordinary case because, indeed, the United States officials have evidence of at least an extortion relating to trying to find Natalee Holloway's body. I disagree with Richard, by the way. There is not going to be a charge -- there is no charge of premeditation. This is basically the third level murder charge. He's actually looking at about five years. That's it. The United States will be bringing him back...

WHITFIELD: Not 30 years? Isn't there 30 years involved? No.

HERMAN: That's wrong, Avery.

FRIEDMAN: No, in premeditation...

HERMAN: No, no. It's...

(CROSSTALK)

FRIEDMAN: There is not. There is not. And I think...

HERMAN: ... aggravating circumstances.

WHITFIELD: No doubt.

HERMAN: Aggravating circumstances raises (INAUDIBLE)

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely, but it's not a premeditation. Anyway, the point is that if he does survive -- and I agree with Richard in that respect -- he's going to have to deal with Aruban officials and United States officials. They're going to get him back here because he is indicted for extortion. The problem is -- and I actually disagree also on this recreation. He did participate. Not only do you have the video, you have the confession. Forget about self-incrimination in Peru. It's a whole different operation, Fredricka. And the bottom line is this recreation locks him in so he can't recant.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and then, you know, this extortion case -- now, this is a whole 'nother level, and this is very confusing in so many different ways because we're talking about -- we've heard it termed as an FBI sting operation. Then we've also heard the attorney for Beth Twitty, the mother of Natalee Holloway, say that he hand-delivered money, either $10,000 or $15,000, depends on what your source is, actually gave it to Van Der Sloot because he allegedly had information about the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway's body.

Well, wait a minute. So if this is part of an FBI investigation or a sting operation and there was money that was transferred, there's the evidence right there for extortion. Why wasn't he charged, arrested at that point? Why is it that this young was able to go on about his business, use this money perhaps to help carry out this alleged crime?

FRIEDMAN: Yes, that's the million-dollar question. The -- the -- the -- John Kelly, who was the cooperating witness for the FBI and counsel for the family, was there actually on Easter in April. Also returned on May 10th. The burning controversy is, Why didn't the FBI move? Of course, they could have never known he would have conducted a second murder. But that actually is the raging controversy. Why didn't...

WHITFIELD: Yes, because there's the evidence...

FRIEDMAN: ... the bureau grab him, bring him back?

WHITFIELD: ... of the money transfer. Usually -- Richard, usually, in that case, if the transfer actually takes place, that's enough right there to say, OK, handcuffs are on, you are now charged. Why is it so many days or maybe even weeks would pass before something is -- some acknowledgement takes place?

HERMAN: Because the feds were not seeking an extortion case here. They wanted to find the body. They wanted to solve the murder case, and they thought this guy was talking and giving information. And they believed reasonably, I believe, that they were on the heels of finding something. However, this guy -- we are so desperate to solve this case that we'll believe anything. He is a serial, compulsive liar. He's given four different versions of what happened, where the body is. Each one is a lie.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Would the FBI be culpable, then, in this murder...

FRIEDMAN: No.

WHITFIELD: ... of Stephany Flores, by helping him finance...

FRIEDMAN: You mean -- you mean legally -- Fredricka, legally or morally?

WHITFIELD: Both.

FRIEDMAN: Legally or morally.

WHITFIELD: Both because...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Don't they both go hand in hand at this point?

FRIEDMAN: Well, no. I mean, I think...

WHITFIELD: If this was money that he used to travel, money that he received from...

FRIEDMAN: Yes, I think the bureau...

WHITFIELD: ... this sting operation?

FRIEDMAN: It's -- we're second-guessing the bureau at this point. The fact is that this wasn't -- Richard's right in the sense they wanted to find out about Natalee, ultimately resulted in an indictment. They could have moved, but that's after the fact. I think it's really unfair to blame the FBI for the second murder.

WHITFIELD: OK. Interesting. All right, Richard, Avery, thanks so much...

HERMAN: I do, too. Fred, and they -- OK. I'm sorry.

WHITFIELD: No, that's OK. Real quick...

HERMAN: They had no idea -- all right, they had no idea this guy was going to go out and murder someone.

FRIEDMAN: That's right. That's right.

HERMAN: That's unreasonable to say that.

WHITFIELD: Yes. OK.

FRIEDMAN: That's right.

WHITFIELD: Well, we're not done with you guys because we want to hear what you have to say about Gary Coleman. Yes, he has passed away, but memorializing him in any way, shape or form is on hold because there are challenges about his will, as well as...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And his ashes.

WHITFIELD: ... his marital status. Yes, his ashes. And then let's talk also about Lindsay Lohan in trouble again. When does it end?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pitiful.

WHITFIELD: Good lord!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never!

WHITFIELD: We're going to talk to you, Richard...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never! It never ends!

WHITFIELD: ... and Avery in a moment about those cases, as well. Thanks so much.

All right, meantime, today is worldwide BP protest day, but a protest along the Alabama coast has apparently run into an obstacle that has nothing to do about oil washing up on shores. We'll have the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, seeing all that oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico day after day, well, is it any wonder that the estimates keep going up? Researchers now believe as much as 40,000 barrels a day escaped from that ruptured well for the first few weeks. Well, that means that after about one week, more oil had been spilled during the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989.

And, keep in mind now, that one barrel of oil equals 42 gallons. We're talking millions of gallons so far.

So, Riki Ott is a marine toxicologist who specializes in oil pollution, and you've been hearing from her. We've been talking to her for over a month now and she has been way out in front in terms of predictions, whether it be about the amount of oil that has been spilling, the dispersants, what it does to the dissemination of oil, and how all of that has been impacting wildlife.

Well, she's joining us now from Orange Beach, Alabama, on the phone. So, Riki, give me an idea. When you hear now that BP acknowledges that perhaps the amount of oil spewing is four times larger, if not more, than what originally was reported, is there any surprise from you to hear that information?

RIKI OTT, MARINE TOXICOLOGIST: No, there's not. And what's going on here is that BP and the other oil companies, they always underestimate the spill and they overestimate their recovery.

WHITFIELD: Well, do you feel like that's intentional to underestimate or it's just that it's difficult to know in the offset?

OTT: It's not difficult to know. It's an intentional move on their part because penalties for spilling oil are based on the amount of oil spilled. So, if they say less oil spilled, there's going to be less liability and less damages to pay for them.

WHITFIELD: Well, Riki, right now we're also looking at some still images that were taken by an "Associated Press" photographer who, as a diver, went below the surface and took some of these extraordinary images and described the kind of muck that was just below the surface, including kind of a green, slimy material. He said, you know, he's not really sure what that stuff is. But I remember you very early on talking about how the dispersants don't simply sink to the bottom, don't kind of just dissipate, but it becomes, you know, this matter in the water that some of the wildlife can confuse for food. They swim right through it. It's dangerous.

Can you give us an idea of what you think the dispersants have done or what you believe is just below the surface of the water in the gulf right now?

OTT: I think what's below the surface is a combination of dispersed oil and dispersant itself and these plumes are, well, they range in size, like what the university has - universities have shown, up to 22 miles. But they're also moving in now to the back bays and estuaries.

Where I just was in Louisiana, there are plumes in Barataria Bay now, and the fishermen there have reported this phenomenon where the plumes are visible during the day. During the day oil comes up to the surface and the fishermen are tracing it around and trying to mop it up. But then, when the water temperature cools down, the oil, the dispersed oil and dispersant, sinks back below the surface, and it looks like it disappears. But then it pops up again as soon as the temperatures warm during the day.

This is probably the problem with dispersed oil. I mean, we've got - you know, we have an option. If it's on the surface, we can see it. We know how much there is and we can try to coagulate it and pick - mechanically remove it.

The other choice is dispersing it and - polluting and contaminating an ever increasing volume of our oceans.

WHITFIELD: So you've spent a lot of time in the Venice, Louisiana area and now you're at Orange Beach, Alabama. How do you draw comparisons about what you saw in Louisiana and what you're now witnessing in the waters there of Orange Beach?

OTT: Orange Beach, the oil that's coming ashore is - tends to be the mousse right now, and also the front-runner, the - were called tar balls. Really, they're like chunks of asphalt, and that's from the berns.

The scary thing is that people who are doing the turtle watcher - watch, and this is a consistent - a program. People are out on the beaches from May to September. Each person has a half mile of beach at 6:00 in the morning, and what these people are starting to say is, like last night, we had a meeting, they're saying, oh, my God, I'm coming back with skin rashes and blisters and I've never had this happen before from walking in the water.

WHITFIELD: And they definitely - and they feel that that is directly connected to the oil sheen or the oil that's in the water there?

OTT: Well, I -- we're thinking it's more than mousse that's coming ashore. We're thinking it the dispersant as well. I have been splashed out on a boat by Venice and have also gotten a skin rash and blisters. The other thing is that people also say - the turtle watch people are saying that the beaches get raked before they can walk on them, and this is not supposed to happen. BP is very aware that the turtle watch people, to do their jobs, they need to be able to see what turtles have climbed ashore -

WHITFIELD: Like the tracks.

OTT: -- during the night. Right. And the beaches are being raked.

Other people at this meeting last night mentioned that when they go walk the beaches late at night, because, you know, that's when it's cooler, they're actually seeing people out with flashlights and, like, a couple of nights ago, a little baby dolphin washed ashore dead, and within 15 minutes it was collected and gone.

So, we're pretty certain that BP, besides underestimating the amount of oil that is spewing -

WHITFIELD: Oh, so you're - you're accusing BP of also kind of a cover-up of what's taking place there on the beach, standing in the way of what environmentalists are able to assess in terms of the wildlife damage?

OTT: Not - not only assess, but also - but destroying evidence, destroying - dead animals are - all right, let me - let me start with live animals, OK? Live animals are held in trust by the American people. We own the dolphins, the whales, the sea turtles, the birds, and the government is responsible. It holds them in trust. And when animals get destroyed, someone has to pay for these animals.

As long as the carcasses disappear, then no evidence, right? So it's another way of minimizing liability.

WHITFIELD: OK. Riki Ott, thanks so much, joining us from Orange Beach, Alabama.

We're going to try and see what BP has to say about that as well, Riki's observation, other people's observation that perhaps BP might be trying to cover up the kind of environmental damage that's taking place, at least on that beach, by removing some of the carcasses or removing any other evidence of damaged or killed wildlife.

Riki Ott, thanks so much, from Orange Beach, Alabama.

All right, we're going to talk about some other legal cases coming up. Our Richard and Avery are going to be back, talking about Gary Coleman, the late Gary Coleman, his ex-wife and - or is it wife? Which is it? And his estate.

And Lindsay Lohan, alarming ankle bracelet. Why it went off.

And Charlie Sheen, well, his plea deal, and it involves firing up and be able to - being able to smoke.

Our legal guys are available, ready to tackle these cases. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, new phone apps are helping to keep travelers organized. Here is CNN's Ayesha Tejpar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AYESHA TEJPAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Technology could be your travel guide when you're on the go with free applications on smartphones. Trip organizers can keep track of flights, hotels, car rentals and more.

GABE SAGLIE, TRAVELZOO.COM: With the touch of a button, you've got sort of this master plan in front of you that really organizes your trips effectively instead of having multiple sites to visit or multiple pieces of paper to go through.

TEJPAR: If you're hungry, you can find out what's close and what's tasty.

SAGLIE: Eating is a huge part of people's vacations. It allows you to, in essence, save money, but, at the same time, make informed dining decisions.

TEJPAR: With apps for locating taxis to exchanging currency, you can find almost anything, including the nearest bathroom.

SAGLIE: And it gave - it gives you pictures, you know, exactly what the toilets are going to look like before you get there.

TEJPAR: If you don't have a smartphone, don't worry. You can text Google and get help from any cell phone.

SAGLIE: It's basically using a 411 operator without the operator.

TEJPAR: Even with all these, new apps are being added all the time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. Gary Coleman, so many people still mourning his death, yet there is now a legal fight over whether he was indeed married and a legal fight over his will.

Back with us now, civil rights attorney and law professor Avery Friedman in Cleveland; and criminal defense attorney and law professor Richard Herman in New York.

Boy, this is so, so sad. We know that his wishes were to be cremated and perhaps even his ashes to be put over railroads. And, you know, Shannon Price, the wife or ex-wife, something, wants to do that but apparently now they can't even move forward on this, gentlemen, because they're still trying to figure out, A) was he married? Was it 2008, divorced, you know, in secret? Did it really happen? Or are they indeed still married? And what up with the will? So, Avery, you first.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Real simple.

WHITFIELD: Where we going with this poor situation?

FRIEDMAN: Yes, it's very - yes. Where is Willis when you need him?

WHITFIELD: What are you talking about?

FRIEDMAN: What - what's going to happen here is the judge is going to decide - I think there's no question about the marriage. He is divorced.

Is it going to be ashes in the railroad track, ashes in Hawaii? That's going to be the resolution. It's going to take a judge to resolve it.

WHITFIELD: But what was this about the whole common law marriage perhaps (ph), because they were still living together.

FRIEDMAN: No such thing.

WHITFIELD: No such thing?

FRIEDMAN: No such thing.

WHITFIELD: It doesn't apply in Utah?

FRIEDMAN: No such thing. No legal effect. None.

WHITFIELD: All right. OK.

So Richard, how do you see this playing out? Can there be a legitimate challenge of his will by Shannon Price?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Like tears in a clown, like Smokey Robinson sang. You know, a very sad case here.

There can be all kinds of challenges you want. It seems to me the '99 will is the only valid will, the written document handed in is not going to be adhered to by the courts. It's not valid.

The common law marriage, in order to get that you have to live together a certain number of years and hold yourself out as husband and wife. Well, they were divorced in 2008.

FRIEDMAN: Right.

HERMAN: That's not going to hold up. Kanye sang about "Gold Digger".

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

HERMAN: That looks like - that looks like what's going on here. Bad, horrible situation. I think the '99 will is going to control. WHITFIELD: So when you talk about gold digger, you are thinking about the photographs of - as well of Gary Coleman, you know -

HERMAN: How disgusting -

WHITFIELD: -- on his deathbed, or -

HERMAN: How disgusting is that, Fred?

FRIEDMAN: On his deathbed. Oh, my goodness. I'm telling you.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And there were some exchange -

HERMAN: Pathetic.

WHITFIELD: -- of money, perhaps, with Shannon Price.

OK, Lindsay Lohan, talking about pathetic. I'm talking about the string of cases. It just goes on and on forever, and she - doesn't she seem to be -- keep getting breaks, maybe, by the same judge?

But, this time, her mother is saying, no, she didn't do anything wrong. Someone may have spilled something on her anklet that is supposed to detect perspiration, which detect what kind of alcohol consumption.

But it goes off. The judge says, wait a minute, are you still imbibing? And her mom says, no, she's not. Someone, you know, spilled a drink on her.

Richard, is that going to hold up?

HERMAN: What's that Shaggy song? "It Wasn't Me." It is you, Lindsay.

Lindsay's going to jail on this one, Fred. She's definitely going to jail -

FRIEDMAN: Oh, really?

HERMAN: -- although add (ph) California, and, yes. They're going to -

FRIEDMAN: I don't think so.

HERMAN: For the thing going off -

FRIEDMAN: (INAUDIBLE) like this -

HERMAN: -- no question about - well, she may go in - wait, she may go in at 9:00 in the morning and get out at 10:00 at night.

FRIEDMAN: Yes. I don't - I think it really -

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: She's done.

FRIEDMAN: -- probably true. Lindsay's never wrong, you understand that?

WHITFIELD: She keeps winning.

HERMAN: Yes, she's a -

WHITFIELD: Charlie Sheen - OK, let's talk about Charlie Sheen. Is he going to win this -

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: Love this.

WHITFIELD: He was supposed to begin his, I guess, sentence tomorrow - or Monday, but apparently this community service that would be involving him teaching acting at the Theatre Aspen, he wants to be able to smoke because he's a chain smoker.

FRIEDMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: Is it now - all of this is being held up, his sentence, whether he's going to carry out this community service, and also being held up is the taping of his "Two and a Half Men" as a result. So it's costing a lot of money and a lot of aggravation.

So, Avery, is this a - a decent argument for his attorneys to make, that the man's got to be able to smoke to carry on with community service?

FRIEDMAN: Yes. The highest paid actor in the United - U.S. TV -

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: $1.8 million per episode. Apparently, he must be arguing that the nicotine helps his creative genius. I don't know.

It's a silly argument. He's going to jail probably in mid-July and he's going to lose money. It's just silly.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Richard, is he going to jail, quickly?

HERMAN: He's - he's going to jail. The lawyer worked out a great deal. It's outrageous that he - he can't abide by the terms of this deal here.

FRIEDMAN: Right.

HERMAN: This guys a no (ph) talent. What does it say to our society that we pay this guy $20 million a year to watch him? All he does is have confrontation after confrontation. He's pleading guilty -

FRIEDMAN: Don't watch him.

HERMAN: -- to misdemeanor assault. Add that to his list. Right, Avery. Don't watch him. It's pathetic.

WHITFIELD: And I think, adding to your list, Richard, of level of expertise, we need to put you on the billboard charts, because you named a whole lot of artists and a whole lot of songs. You were on it today.

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: Right.

FRIEDMAN: You just have to figure out how to connect them, that's all.

WHITFIELD: I loved it.

Richard, Avery, you all were great. Good to see you. Thanks so much.

FRIEDMAN: See you soon. Take care.

WHITFIELD: All right. Next weekend.

All right, the World Cup games are underway this weekend. Right now, we're live in South Africa as the U.S. takes on England in just a matter of hours. And fans, well, they're already getting ready right now for the real kickoff taking place on the field.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, just about 10 minutes ago, some very strong accusations came from a marine toxicologist, Riki Ott, right here on our air, talking about BP, and her words, she says they are guilty of a cover-up of environmental damage, that on Orange Beach, Alabama, where Riki Ott is right now.

After spending a lot of time on the Louisiana coast, she says that carcasses are disappearing, carcasses of dolphins, and she's blaming BP for doing that to try to downplay the kind of environmental damage taking place.

We said we were going to try and reach out to BP. We've done that. A spokesperson for BP, Marty Powers, is on the line with us now.

Marty, you actually heard the accusations coming from Riki Ott. How does BP respond to the fact that Riki Ott is saying that you all are guilty of a cover-up?

MARTY POWERS, SPOKESPERSON, BP (via telephone): Thank you so much. I appreciate - appreciate the opportunity to respond.

I would say that BP is actively engaged in a pretty extensive response effort, but we are not alone. There are several agencies that are participating with us, in particular the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and several other agencies.

With regards to what is happening on our beaches, (INAUDIBLE) very active - proactive cleanup effort is a wildlife rescue and recovery opportunity, or it's actually happening. So when she's talking about what's disappearing off the coastline, that is really not BP's effort. That is us working through this unified plan with the assistance of these wildlife habitat agencies who are coming in and helping us with this response effort.

WHITFIELD: So when she says that you all are - are raking the sand which obstructs from - the tracts of the turtles that may be, you know, coming on the beaches to lay their eggs or vice versa, hatchlings going into the ocean and, she says, removing carcasses of dolphins and other wildlife that have died, and BP is accused - she says doing that to cover up, your response is flat out no, that's not happening?

POWERS: What I am saying is that we are - we are cleaning these beaches on the recommendation of what we're getting from several agencies, one of those being several wildlife agencies, those on state level and the federal level, and that we are actually not responsible for picking up any wildlife that is there, found on the beaches.

We have a very active system of contacting the wildlife response and recovery unit and it's those folks who are actually coming out to investigate the situations when and where they occur.

WHITFIELD: All right. Spokesperson for BP, Marty Powers. Thanks so much for making yourself available. Appreciate your time.

POWERS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: A six-time prison inmate - not a typical resume for a CNN Hero. Find out why a California ex-con deserves the title now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN BURTON, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: I'm writing in regards to my parole plan. I'm 21 years old with two strikes (ph). I'm scared to relapse again. I want to be a success story. Please hold a bed for me.

We all leave prison saying I'm going to get my life on track, and you end up getting off a bus, downtown Los Angeles, Skid Row. People know who you are when you come off that bus, and you're targeted.

Many times you don't even make it out of the Skid Row area before you're caught up into that cycle again.

My name is Susan Burton. After my son died, I used drugs. I just spiraled into a pit of darkness.

I went to prison six times. Finally, I found rehab, and I thought, I can help women come home from prison.

I pick them up, bring them back to the house.

Here's some jeans. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Miss Burton is like a mother to all of us. She offers you a warm bed, food, like a real family.

BURTON: I want to see you shine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She made me want to change my life.

You proud of me, Miss Burton?

BURTON: Sure. You came a long way.

I want the women to realize that they have something to contribute. This is giving life. That's what it's all about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. They're fired up. Team USA is getting ready for its first game in the 2010 World Cup tournament. They're schedule to take to the field against England in less than two hours from now, and Alex Thomas of CNN International Sports is outside the stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS: Hi. Yes. We're just about an hour and a half's drive away from Johannesburg. We're at one of the FIFA fan fest, an official par (ph) where people can come and watch the match on a big screen if you haven't got tickets to the game itself.

This time, yesterday, it was packed with about 20,000 or more people, watching the host nation, Bafana Bafana, as they call them here, play their opening match in the first game of this tournament.

We're about an hour and a half away from England versus the United States, kicking off in group C, England with the better players man for man, but the United States have pulled off some shocks. And one history lesson for you, 60 years ago, in 1950, America beat England, 1-0. It was such a surprise, some of the English papers printed the score as 10-0. They thought it must be a mistake.

Don't expect the same storyline this time.

WHITFIELD: All right. No, folks are fired up on both sides.

Alex Thomas of CNN International, thanks so much. We'll of course keep you posted on World Cup soccer throughout the day.

Also investment tips in our 2:00 Eastern hour. You want to join us again in the NEWSROOM.

Meantime, "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.