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17 Killed in Arkansas Flash Floods; Spirit Airline Pilots' Strike; Teen Sailor Rescued; World Cup Excitement Builds As USA Versus England Ends In A Draw; Iranian Student Protests Are Quickly Squelched By A Massive Show Of Government Security Forces

Aired June 12, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And of course, at the top of the hour now, a brief look at other headlines. Oil gushing into the gulf and it's coming at a higher rate than first thought. Now the U.S. government wants BP to rethink their plans to cap and capture.

A teenager plucked from the Indian Ocean, dashing the dreams of going solo around the world. Bumped and bruised but she's safe and sound now.

And the return of the "A-Team." The television favorite is now a major motion picture. We'll find out if it's a hit.

All right. 54 days into BP's oil disaster and this is what's happening right now today. The U.S. government sent a letter to BP giving the oil giant until tomorrow to explain how it is going to contain more of that oil gushing into the gulf.

Earlier in the week, the government gave BP a 72-hour deadline but says the plans BP delivered actually fell short of what is needed.

And on the Louisiana coast, there is no time to wait for a BP plan. CNN's Chris Lawrence is in Grand Isle, Louisiana, with crews that are trying to save the oil-soaked birds and the beaches continue to be loaded with people who are trying to clean up, not necessarily beachgoers, who would ordinarily be there this time of year.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, the crowds that would normally be here just aren't here. Normally it would be a major area for sport fishermen to come. A lot of people make their living here. Over these next few months, it's not going to happen right now. You can take a look, just some of the last crews just finishing up here on the beach.

But earlier, we also had a chance to look at other rescue efforts, those trying to rescue some of the birds that have been affected by this oil spill. What we are seeing are some of the birds that have been coated with oil. That affects their ability to regulate their body temperature. Many of them die. Some that are able to be captured for the first time we were able to see these birds brought into the triage area, sort of like an E.R. room for some of these damaged birds.

And for the first time, we were able to see what they do to try to clean these birds up and then move them on to a better facility, hopefully then to be released back into the wild. It's a very stressful time for the birds, and what some of the officials have told me is despite the numbers that have been brought into the center, over 300 so far, that is just skimming the surface.

WHITFIELD: Gosh, it certainly is. All right. Chris Lawrence, thank you so much from Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Right now, we want to go back to another top story. Talking about what's taking place in southwest Arkansas where the search continues now for dozens of people who were at a camp ground that got flooded out from a flash flood. We know there's confirmation of 17 people who died. Let's go now to Little Rock, Arkansas, where I understand the governor is speaking about this tragedy.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. MIKE BEEBE, ARKANSAS ... to save lives and bring closure if the worst comes to pass. You have a list that we have distributed of 15 individuals who we are identifying. The other two we're not yet identifying as you might imagine. I hope you'll understand that until the next of kin or all of the next of kin that we feel appropriate to communicate have been communicated with. We don't want those names publicly released. They should be forthcoming in a very short period of time.

But the 15 names on their do contain a number of children, which I know a lot of you have asked about it and which is all the more tragic. Anecdotally, I mentioned yesterday that one of the things that bothered me most when I was down there with a stroller that was laying there with all that you can imagine about that. I think I told most of you yesterday that the sheer power of that water was such that four to five-inch slabs of asphalt have been completely ripped up off the parking lot and driven into other portions of the asphalt, much like you hear stories about wood being driven through trees in a major tornado.

We saw the power of the water able to do that. You've seen pictures of the tractor trailer truck that was wrapped around a tree and the other vehicles and campers that have been flipped upside down and thrown around like they were toys by the pure power of that water. As the water has gone down, we are able to find more vehicles, which actually allows us to trace the license numbers to try to match up with either people that we know have been rescued or that we know have been confirmed dead, or that may be in that gray area of folks that we're still worried about that are unaccounted for or that may or may not have been in the area.

Our authorities are doing all they can to try to match up that information with all the other information. The hotline is working and has received a number of calls. I think we've received a number of calls that are good news as well as a number of calls that are bad news in terms of people calling in. You see behind me some of the folks that had various agencies that have been involved.

I'm not going to go down the list. I would miss somebody. I can tell you that all the state agencies, the local responders and local EMS and the local emergency management folks as well as the local municipal and county law enforcement officials, volunteers and volunteer fire departments have worked extremely well with the state agencies and the state agency personnel.

U.S. Parks and Forest Service personnel have done a great job working extremely hard. And the cooperation between the federal folks, the state folks and the local folks as I've indicated has been exemplary. But the process continues. We'll try to continue keeping you updated as we can. Anybody else want to say anything?

WHITFIELD: Great. Governor Mike Beebe there now taking questions over what has been a devastating turn of the past 24 hours or so. Flash flood, going through a camp ground at 5:00 in the morning when most of the campers were sleeping. Confirmation now, 17 people died, and now they continue to look for dozens of other campers, other people in that area who may have been also swept away.

Sandra Endo is actually at the staging area for the relief and rescue efforts. She's coming to us from Langley, Arkansas. Sandra?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, as the governor mentioned right there, the search and rescue effort does continue at this hour and they're focusing teams on the southern part of the stream, down stream, south of the Albert Pike Camp Ground, he was talking about. And that is where teams are out there on foot, on horseback and using ATVs as well.

But the conditions are very rough, Fred. It's extremely hot outside and also communication is tough. It's a very remote area. A lot of people don't have cell phone service or any type of TV signals even. So emergency officials had to create two new cell phone towers here to try to improve emergency communications and we just heard from officials who took a tour of the site, as well as talk to some family members and they included secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, as well as Arkansas two senators, Mike Pryor and Blanche Lincoln and all those officials vowed not to stop this effort until every missing person is found.

We also talked to some survivors here who came out and told their stories and the panic they felt as they try to beat those floodwaters. One family has been camping here for more than 40 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANNON WHATLEY, FLOOD SURVIVOR: You don't think that a place where you camped all of your life with friends that you've made and have had all of your life would be the final place, you know, to leave them. We've been camping here all of our lives, and nothing like this has ever happened. And that's all I can think of is I'm going to die and my child is going to die. My mother - we're not going to live to see the rest of our family ever again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: So a lot of tragic stories here. Also a lot of tears we've seen from survivors. People looking for missing loved ones and also the rescue and search teams coming here empty handed, Fred. So severally this effort is going to continue. We understand that President Obama as well called the Governor Beebe to mention his condolences as well as pledge full support of the federal government. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Sandra Endo, thanks so much from Langley, Arkansas.

Meantime, halfway around the world, a teen's attempt to sail solo around the world actually falls short. But after a scary ordeal, she's actually safe and sound now. You'll hear about her incredible journey.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: They're walking instead of flying. Pilots for Spirit Airlines are on strike as of 5:00 a.m. this morning. That means all scheduled flights today for the low-cost carrier are canceled.

CNN's Josh Levs has more on this. You know a whole lot of passengers are fuming over this.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you know the way it works in flying is that this ripple effect, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEVS: So there might not be a ton of people at first but then it affects other people because they're trying to get on other flights and other flights can get over crowded.

Let me show you this map here. Actually, we'll start here. This is Spirit Air and this shows where they operate. Obviously, they're predominantly in the southeast. And the point of their existence will be what they call ultra low cost airlines. So this is where they're focused. They're based in Florida but they do travel all the way across the country. So it can affect travel across the country too.

Fortunately, we have not heard about major travel delays all day. We got some video. Let's go to some video of the Spirit Airlines planes in general and what we know about them. And I'll tell you some facts and some numbers on them. A total of 2,300 employees, 40 destinations around the country and they have more than 150 daily flights.

So when we take a look at how many flights are affected, that's about what you get. The headquarters is in Miramar, Florida. Now, let's do this. I have a little bit of sound for you from one of the airports where some people were stranded and here's what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have (inaudible) money so (inaudible) here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) With the Spirit Airline, I have (inaudible) certain people, we are here from yesterday. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And you always hear some bits of that. Now what I want to do is give you both sides of where this stands and how close it is to getting anywhere. We have a statement for you. First, let's start with this screen from the Airline Pilot's Association and what they've been saying. This is the union that represents the pilots who are on strike. They say that the strike is coming after nearly four years of contract negotiations and numerous attempts by the pilots to find a middle ground with management and avoid a strike. They say all Spirit pilots especially first officers have been working at below market rates for years under sub standard work rules.

Now the next screen that I have for you is the Spirit Airlines president, Ben Baldanza, in a statement he put out today, saying "We are frustrated and disappointed that our pilots have turned down an over 30 percent increase at a cost of over $70 million over five years while disrupting thousands of our customers and jeopardizing the livelihoods of our over 2,000 employees."

That's the kind of back and forth that you usually here. If you are one of the people that has a ticket, that's probably what you want to do right away, what do you do? They have two things to offer to people right now. Basically, you can either get a full credit for everything you paid plus $100 in that credit or you can get a refund, actual cash, without the extra $100.

So they're making both those things available. More information at spiritair.com.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That last statement to me says don't bother coming back to work once we resolve this. Those are terse words.

LEVS: They get tough in all these negotiations. Both sides always stand their ground. They (inaudible) too much publicly. We'll see how long it lasts.

WHITFIELD: Yes. We'll see how it - that's just my loose interpretation. But we'll see how it all plays out. All right. Josh, thanks so much.

LEVS: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate that.

All right. A California teenager sailor is dealing with some mixed emotions today. Weary but relieved that she's actually been rescued after her ordeal at sea. Sad that her dream however of sailing solo around the world has come to an abrupt end. Well, her father talked earlier today about the whole ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

As of 3:00 this morning, just after 3:00 this morning, we had a phone call from Abigail aboard a Le Reunion, a French flag fishing vessel. She was successfully rescued from (inaudible) and was aboard their fishing vessel. As of now, we understand that Abigail is being taken down to the island of Cagulen (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So our Ted Rowlands takes the story even further because some are actually questioning the parents' decision to let their 16-year-old daughter try a trip around the world alone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This photo, taken by an Australian search and rescue team, shows Abby Sunderland's stranded boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The boat is damaged but Abby is inside, alive and well, wonderful news for her family who spent almost 18 excruciating hours waiting to find out if Abby was OK.

LAURENCE SUNDERLAND, FATHER: We're absolutely over the moon. We're very, very happy and excited that the Australians search and rescue jumped on this right away.

ROWLANDS (on camera): The question many people have is how did a 16- year-old end up all by herself in the middle of the Indian Ocean?

(voice-over): The answer, with her parent's blessing. Listen to Abby's mother.

MARIANNE SUNDERLAND, MOTHER: We know the risks that are involved. You know, with technology, the choice of having a meteorologist following her trip and guiding her, routing her, you minimize as many risks as you can and you know there's always a possibility of some kind of accident, like Abby had.

ROWLANDS: Abby isn't the only Sunderland child to make this trip. Her parents also let their teenage son, Zach, sail around the world just last year. The video log of his journey highlights the dangers of the open seas.

ZACH SUNDERLAND: I've just been through my first big swell out here, and it's crazy. It was pouring with rain for like five minutes and throwing up the cockpit water, the whole boat just got soaked.

ROWLANDS: Zach Sunderland had no doubt his sister was ready for the journey.

ZACH SUNDERLAND: She's a very good sailor. She's obviously got what it takes to single hand, you know, that inner desire to just push through the hard times. And yes, I mean, crazy stuff happens, especially in the Indian Ocean, southern Indian Ocean and there's nothing you can really do about it.

ABBY SUNDERLAND: It's designed for speed and safety.

ROWLANDS: Abby, no surprise, sounded pretty confident herself when she set out. Here she is giving a tour of her boat "Wild Eyes" for Soundings, a boating web site. For a while, it was smooth sailing but Thursday, about 2,000 miles off the coast of Madagascar, Abby hit a storm. First her satellite phone failed. Then the activated two distress beacons.

JEFF CASHER, SUPPORT TEAM: Now we know we got a problem, what is it? Is she OK, is she hurt? Is the boat sinking?

ROWLANDS: At the time, the nearest boat from Abby's location was more than 40 hours away. So Australian search and rescue chartered a Quantas airbus passenger jet to locate Abby. They talked to her by radio and found out she was OK. Several vessels are heading to the area where Abby's boat was drifting.

As it stands now, the Australian government has volunteered to pay for Abby's safe turn, and that's not sitting well with some Aussie taxpayers.

PETER STEFANOVIC, CH. 9 AUSTRALIA: A lot of Australians are really annoyed that they have to pay for a recovery mission that probably should have never happened in the first place.

ROWLANDS: And this is how one family's adventure turns into a costly international rescue effort.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Thousand Oaks, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now we're about to take you back, back into time. Do not adjust your calendars. "The Karate Kid," yes, and the "A-Team," well, they're new at a theater near you and our film critic will tell you if the story still hold up if you need to rush to the theaters this weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, it's summertime. You know what that means, remakes hitting the big screen. This week, it is - there are two '80s classics, the "A-Team" and "The Karate Kid."

Ben Mankiewicz, host of "Turner Classic Movies" and film critic of "What the Flick" on the youngturk.com joins us now from Las Vegas. Good to see you. So this is like going back into time, I pity the fool. Let's talk about "The A-Team" right after we look at this clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missile away, sir.

We have shakedown. Hercules, intercept -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. We saw a lot of action, very little of the actors there, and they've got some pretty interesting names there and faces. So what do you think, did you like and what's it about?

BEN MANKIEWICZ, HOST "TURNER MOVIE CLASSICS": Well, what's it about -

WHITFIELD: I have to laugh when I ask.

MANKIEWICZ: First of all, by the way, I didn't think I was going to get a "Pity the Fool."

WHITFIELD: No?

MANKIEWICZ: I don't see -

WHITFIELD: Come on. everybody knows Mr. T.

MANKIEWICZ: I didn't think you're an "A-Team" fan. Well, these guys in the '80s series, they were mercenaries. They had been, you know, discharged from the Army, from the military. But here it's sort of almost the story before that. It's how they meet. You see them in the military, and then you see them discharged. Sort of that story.

It's Liam Neeson, it's Bradley Cooper without his shirt on through the rest of the movie.

WHITFIELD: Of course.

MANKIEWICZ: Rampage Jackson, the mix martial arts artist in a Mr. T role. And Sharito Copley who was so great in "District 9." He's very funny in this. he steals most of his scenes. I got to tell you, Fred, I -

WHITFIELD: I'm gasping. I see the grade.

MANKIEWICZ: Yes, man.

WHITFIELD: You like.

MANKIEWICZ: I liked this movie. I thought it was fun. It started out slow and then it sort of picked up speed. The beginning, I'm like, what is with Liam Neeson and his hair and his accent and by the end of it, I was kind of cheering along. Jessica Biel is good. Patrick Wilson and Brian Bloom are the bad guys, they're good.

WHITFIELD: Oh, gosh.

MANKIEWICZ: I don't know what to tell you. I liked it. I really did.

WHITFIELD: I'm shocked. That's what I'm telling you. I'm shocked. You liked it. That was a lot of testosterone in that movie.

MANKIEWICZ: So was I. I was a little shocked, too.

WHITFIELD: OK. "The Karate Kid," that was another, you know, great classic from the '80s.

MANKIEWICZ: Yes.

WHITFIELD: This time it's Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's son. Let's take a peek at this movie. It looks beautiful on the surface, doesn't? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) didn't you? You got to teach me that, how to control people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's only one person you need to learn how to control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I like it. I MEAN, You know, it's - these are great characters and a beautiful setting but I know nothing about the movie. That's where you come in? What do you think?

MANKIEWICZ: Well, you know, it's funny, I'm here in Las Vegas at the College Fest International Film Festival and there's all these sort of brave innovative short films from all these aspiring film makers who are currently in college and you go to Hollywood and they sort of all they do is - you see all these remakes of these '80s classics except again here they have come up with a rather inventive remake of this '80s classic film.

In this case, I know Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, they finance this project for their son, Jaden. He plays the Ralph Macchio character except this time he's transported with his mother. They have to move from Detroit to China. He gets picked on by the kids and Jackie Chan ends up taking on the Pat Morita role of toughening him up and teaching him kung fu.

Jackie Chan only has one sort of martial arts scene in the whole movie and he beats up some 12-year-olds, but nonetheless he's sort of terrific (inaudible) role where he does - he's incredibly charming. There's not a lot of physical action for him. He's very charming.

WHITFIELD: Did little Jaden do all that stuff? Was he doing all those stunts?

MANKIEWICZ: Yes, Jaden Pinkett Smith did a lot of those stunts. He's an incredibly appealing, charming kid.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

MANKIEWICZ: And their chemistry together is great. It's a sweet film in many ways. It's way too long, it's almost 2 1/2 hours.

WHITFIELD: Oh, but you still liked it. You gave it a B minus?

MANKIEWICZ: I liked it. I gave it a B minus.

WHITFIELD: Happy weekend, Ben.

MANKIEWICZ: Yes, I know, I'm turning soft. It's '80s week here in 2010 and I liked them both, I really did. WHITFIELD: Oh, good. All right. Cool. Then we also have some DVDs that are coming out this week too. Now, we're all inspired at least - you know, these 80s remakes because of your recommendations. Now, with these DVDs coming out, "Shutter Island," "From Paris With Love," "180 South." Of those three, which do you recommend?

MANKIEWICZ: Well, definitely and no one is going to recommend "From Paris With Love." Definitely, Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island," it's a tense, psychological drama. If you missed it in theaters, DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, I definitely recommend picking that one up.

WHITFIELD: Oh, you liked that one, OK.

MANKIEWICZ: Yes, very much, very much liked it. Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Cool. Ben Mankiewicz, thanks so much. Have fun in Vegas for the rest of - wait a minute, what did you call it, the college what?

MANKIEWICZ: It's the College Fest International Film Festival. Over 280 short films from these really talented kids, every one of them in colleges around the country. It's a great festival to be part of.

WHITFIELD: That is fantastic. All right. Ben Mankiewicz, always good to see you. Thanks so much.

I'm going to the movies after this.

And of course, you can watch Ben Mankiewicz in the movie previews on line at "What the Flick" on the youngturk.com web site and there he also gives us full details and plots and twists of the new movie releases. Much more of what you just heard from him right now.

All right. Not just another game to kick off the World Cup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Deep down, the U.S. players would be lying if they said it wouldn't matter to them that a victory over England.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. This is the big one, or at least the makings of it. The U.S. squaring off with football rival, England. Football for a lot of you, you know, soccer fan sophisticates.

The teams with 60 years of simmering discontent.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Very exciting day. World Cup soccer day, the U.S. taking on England, and guess what? It ends in a tie, 1-1. So both get to move on and the American fans get to celebrate, as well as the Brits. So, you know, this huge rivalry.

Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center. This was very exciting for those football fans.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. The U.S. is still in. Bragging rights, all that.

SCHNEIDER: You know it is still winter there. Isn't it funny? Different season.

WHITFIELD: They're all bundled up, yeah.

SCHNEIDER: Well, it is summer here, almost. It is late spring. We're getting our share of severe weather. I want to get right to it, because we are tracking tornadic activity in the panhandle of Texas. Look at this, a tornado warning is in effect until 4:15 p.m. Central Time, this is for areas of the Hansford, Hutchinson, Moore and Sherman counties. Some of the areas there. A tornado has not been detected, but keep in mind we're seeing severe weather across much of this region. I'm tracking it not just in Texas but all the way up into Kansas, as well. There is a tornado watch in effect straight through 8:00 tonight. Even though you don't see too many storms here, don't let that fool you, because it's a volatile area that we're seeing storms pop up.

Wow, we sure are. You know, this actually, the moisture you see here and the rain, this is the same system that worked its way through Arkansas yesterday. It is traveling a little bit further to the north. So now severe weather rolling on into Chicago. That's right. Get ready for a stormy Saturday night across much of Chicago and northern Illinois.

I want to take you all the way to the east now and check out Washington, D.C. Just to the south of parts of Virginia and Maryland, you are under severe thunderstorm watch. So, not a tornado watch, but a thunderstorm watch. That still will mean very gusty and frequent lightning strikes, as well as some heavy rain.

(NATIONAL WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Hot in Washington, D.C., as well, 85 degrees but it is super, super hot in Dupont Circle, because that is where thousands of football fans have converged to watch World Cup soccer like on a big screen outside. That's where we find Richard Roth as well. We know the Brit fans were there in the nation's capital, as were, of course, the American fans watching the U.S. take on Great Britain.

And a ties, 1-1, so what did folks do when they saw that happen?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, with ties in hockey, they say it's like kissing your sister. I don't have a sister, so I don't know what that means. But it is broiling here. And there were many more Americans than English fans who were probably scared and watching in the privacy of their own apartments. There was a bet on beer between the president of the United States and the prime minister of England.

WHITFIELD: Really?

ROTH: I don't know if we have it, but it was a very interesting atmosphere. Let's listen as the American's goal was scored in this crowd of thousands at Dupont Circle, in the heart of D.C., reacted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

ROTH: This was a very excited crowd and they were deflated when England scored early. Let's have some postgame analysis from an American and an English fan, here.

You're disappointed, Mr. English fan, named Tyler?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I mean, England plays well, but they could have played better. There were some serious like, you know, miss played plays that happened there.

ROTH: You're locked arm in arm. And I could say something about the later parade, but I won't.

Listen, what is your reaction? 1-1 in 1950, you beat England. What is your reaction today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, in is a good result. I think we're going to be fired up coming off of this, because we really could probably taste the victory in the closing moments there. But it's a good result, you can't argue with tying England.

ROTH: And I ask you again, do you think painting your face was worth it today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

ROTH: What about the emotional fallout? The U.S., for those in our audience who may not know this, the World Cup doesn't end today because the Americans tied England. There is Algeria and Slovenia, two other games. What do you think, are you worried now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think so. I think they're going to have just enough hunger for getting a win under their belt after this. I think both these teams will win their next match.

ROTH: Speaking of hunger I lost my turkey sandwich in this crowd. That's true. It's on the ground.

So, you are still friends after all of this? What was the spirit like in this crowd here, in the park?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, there was a lot of hate for England. There were a lot of things that we heard that we can't say on camera.

ROTH: There is some hate now, for this guy behind us, he was an Argentina fan. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, hey, this is what the World Cup is all about. It is a very competitive thing, you know? It's nations against nations. And stuff like this, events like this, this is what it's about. It's a great time.

ROTH: Tyler - I mean Ben, tell Americans why they should care, if you think they should, for a sport that every four years they hear about. There are probably some people now who say, not enough scoring. And here was a 1-1 tie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you'll get into it, more scoring will come. And there's a lot more soccer than just every four years. We've got a great club right here in D.C. that we can come out and see all the time.

ROTH: All right. Listen, Tyler and Ben, thank you very much. Congratulations. You're still friends. 1-1, USA-England, a match that people here were waiting for, for months. I know I was. I was here in the park a little early. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: I'm just happy for those two fans, the Brits and the Americans are still in it, because getting that face paint off, even after they scrub their faces, the red, something tells me it's going to be with them for a while. So they have other games in which to celebrate.

Richard Roth in Dupont Circle there. All right. Go USA.

ROTH: Yeah, my face is not painted. We're supposed to be neutral at CNN. What happens with go, USA

WHITFIELD: I know, I was about to say, and go Great Britain!

ROTH: You better catch it next time.

WHITFIELD: I got it, go, USA, and go, Great Britain.

ROTH: There are a lot of teams left in this tournament.

WHITFIELD: OK, that's right. We've gotta-

ROTH: You have to, go, Cameroon. Go, Nigeria. Go Ivory Coast.

WHITFIELD: All right. We got a long way to go over the next three weeks or so. Richard Roth, thanks so much, the ever-present diplomat Mr. U.N., setting it straight. Thanks so much.

We're going to go to London, as well, we are going to find out what the fan base is saying there, from our correspondent based there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. A look at our top stories right now.

At least two dozen people are still unaccounted for after flash floods tore through an Arkansas campground; 17 people are dead. Rescue workers have fanned out around the area looking for any survivors. President Barack Obama called the governor of Arkansas today offering support and condolences.

BP's plans for slowing the flow of oil in the Gulf are falling short. According to federal authorities on the site, they say the company is failing to take into account a higher flow rate of the oil. They want a new plan by tomorrow.

A 16-year-old sailor has some bumps and bruises but she's safe and sound. That's what Abby Sunderland's family is say thing afternoon. The teenager was rescued from her yacht drifting in the Indian Ocean. She was trying to sail around the world by herself.

OK, so World Cup soccer fans, it was close, neck and neck. The U.S. taking on Great Britain. And guess what? The game ends in a tie, 1- 1. We just took you to Washington, D.C. where fans have turned out in big numbers, rooting for, of course, in great numbers, the Americans.

Let's go now to Great Britain, and go to London where we find Kate Giles who was watching the game.

You were on air live with us live when Great Britain scored the first point, and we saw the crowds were going crazy. What happened when the U.S. matched it with another goal?

KATE GILES, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you can imagine, it was the exact opposite reaction. A lot of disappointment, a lot of very frustrated fans. It's still very, very loud here, but the fans are in general, pretty disappointed with that. They've begun to leave the venue. A few boos, for the England keeper, they were shown in close up at the end of the match. Not very impressed with him letting in that goal.

I got a couple fans here with me. Let's bring in the British fans first. England fans, see what they felt about that.

How did you guys feel, pleased, disappointed?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Slightly disappointed. You guys have a really good side. However, our goalkeeper was --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not getting too excited or disappointed about either. Both sides were really organized and disciplined without too much excitement. So I think in the coming games, we both should get through the good stages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good luck. Good luck to you guys.

GILES: Well, we did manage to find an American fan here. We thought we should bring you and American fan here as well from this venue, which was packed with England fans. But one very brave lady turned up with flew the American flag here.

How did you feel about the game? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, what, I thought it was a good-played game. I was really happy when Dempsey (ph), kind of shot that one right in there. But it's the first round, the first play, and you know, I'm just happy that we came out with a draw.

GILES: So, optimism for both sides that they can go on and do better than that results. Better enjoy the other games. That general feeling here, definitely one of frustration. But there's still some dancing in the aisles, that is probably (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

WHITFIELD: We're glad that everybody, in large part, really walked away from this happy, both teams moving on during this World Cup championship. We'll have much more from London and other parts of the world as we continue to watch World Cup soccer over the next three weeks or so. Kate Giles, thanks so much from London.

Keeping your kids safe from the sun's dangerous rays. Good sun screens, well it is a gift that just keeps on giving. We'll explain why straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: Small pockets of Iranians were back in the streets demonstrating today, and so were large numbers of the country's security forces. A few clashes erupted between the two sides as demonstrators marked the anniversary of that country's contested presidential election. Reza Sayah covers Iran for CNN and he is in Islamabad right now.

Reza, has the protest movement been muted altogether in Iran?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: I think as far as far as street protests go, many people will tell you that they're definitely on the decline. And many people were eager to see if Iran's opposition movement would do a repeat performance of last year. They didn't. There were no widespread street protests in the streets of Tehran today. Witnesses telling us there were small pockets of protests, small clashes, about 14 arrests. But this was another day when a huge number of security forces simply overwhelmed and outnumbered protestors, not allowing them to gather anywhere.

Amateur video posted on YouTube showed perhaps the biggest protest taking place at a major university in Tehran. We spoke to a student who told us about 4 p.m., hundreds of students gathered, chanted anti- government slogans. And after about an hour it was broken up. We found video that also showed anti-government slogans being chanted on a public bus.

The first set of clashes took place around 6:00 p.m. According to witnesses, security forces chasing away a growing number of people on a sidewalk in a major square, hitting some of them with batons, arresting about four people. Witnesses saying some of those arrested were taken away blindfolded with black hoods, something we haven't seen before.

But, again, Fredricka, no widespread protest. In fact, the last time we have seen widespread protests by the opposition movement, almost six months ago.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Thanks so much, Reza Sayah, joining us from Islamabad. Appreciate that.

Today's "RX Factor", protecting your children from the sun's powerful summertime rays. It won't just help them now, it will actually benefit them throughout their lives. Joining us right now with some critical protection tips, Doctor Bill Lloyd back with us.

So, Doctor Lloyd-Oh, I like you've got your sunny Hawaiian print shirt on, ready for the outdoors.

DR. BILL LLOYD, SURGEON: It's a sunny day for all soccer lovers.

WHITFIELD: OK, very good. Especially if you're rooting for the U.S. or Great Britain, because it was tide, right? Everybody is happy.

LLOYD: That's true.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about sun screens, kids, their exposure to the rays. How do we make sure that our kids are best protected in their early years?

LLOYD: Sure, Fredricka. You know, the problem with children and the sun is that in the early years of life, the cumulative early UV damage is going to lead to changes that will follow them throughout their life. The ordinary problems like, you know, the ageing and brown spots and the wrinkling. But pediatricians and dermatologists now find more cases of skin cancer in young children.

So, here' the protection. First, limit the sun exposure. That means, get them inside between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Have them come in and watch CNN. When they're out, make sure they're wearing hats and don't forget the sunglasses as well.

Think about using a quality sun block. Put it on 15 to 20 minutes before you go outside and continuously reapply it, especially if they are going to be swimming. And, finally, if anybody goes sunburned, they go inside immediately. Not so much as a punishment, but as a reminder of the damage that that sunburn will cause. Multiple intense sunburns in children will cause serious problems later in life.

WHITFIELD: Let's talk about those quality sunscreens. Because there are so many to choose from. Sometimes you see 15 SPF, you see 25. There is even 100 out there. Does that number matter?

LLOYD: The SPF number is a laboratory number. Any number of 15 or higher is fine for protection from the sun. As long as you have an SPF of 15 or higher, you are covered.

Now, when you're spending money, like you said, there are places you can buy a gallon for three bucks, there are others who have a small bottle and it's 12 bucks. Why the difference? The ingredients. When you buy a quality sun block, it's made with the right ingredients that won't be irritating to the skin. Look at the label. Make sure it doesn't have ingredients like avobenzone or parsol. They are going to make your skin very, very irritated. Go with quality, you get what you pay for.

Don't be cheap and don't forget to reapply it frequently. I've seen people at the beach and put a little dab here and a little dab there and think they're protected. Oh, no, you got to slather it on.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you sweat, you get in the water. Stuff washes off over time, so you have to keep reapplying it. OK, so now what about these sun shirts you see a lot of kids that are on the market, or you see a lot of kids wearing, or just plain old t-shirts. How helpful are those?

LLOYD: Protects well. You know, protective clothing is a great idea, but here's an important tip. It only works as long as the protective clothing stays dry. Here is an example. I've got my hand covered with this fabric, you can barely see it. But now, here we go, into the pool, we got the little CNN mini pool here. And look, you can see my hand right here.

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LLOYD: Now, this is visible light. Guess what, it is even more intense when we're talking about UV light. If your kids are going to wear clothes, keep them dry. If they get wet, they still have to have the sunblock.

WHITFIELD: Wow, OK, do you need to put the sunblock on underneath these clothes? Even like the sun shirts that we see? You know, will advertise that they are sunscreen ability there and they would protect you from the UV rays?

LLOYD: Sure. It protects you as long as it is dry. Make sure you apply 15 minutes before you go outdoors, and then if you wear the outer garment and it stays dry, you're very well protected. If they're in and out of the water, make sure they take a break every half hour or so. Re-slather them up and you can put the garment back on if you want. If you don't use the sunblock, a wet garment, a wet T-shirt is like wearing nothing at all.

WHITFIELD: OK, and how early do we need to be starting this with kids? Because, you know, infants, you worry about putting certain lotions on them, let alone a sun screen. How important is it to get into this practice and at what age? The earliest?

LLOYD: First six months, of course, no little baby ought to be out in the sun. They need to be protected and covered with an umbrella or even indoors. But from six months on, they need to be wearing sunblock. And sunblock that is safe for children ages six months and older. The damage that comes that is going to haunt them is the damage in the first eight years in life.

And, Fredricka, guess what? And by age 20, you've accumulated more UV damage than you will accumulate over the rest of your life.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that's really incredible. They make me really worry about my five-year-old boy, did I do enough in those first couple of years of sun exposure? It's time for me to get cranking, right? I do the sunscreen.

LLOYD: It's a great summer to watch soccer.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, OK. Stay inside right now. Those were the important hours though, you were talking about 11 to 3, right?

LLOYD: 11 to 3, 10:00 to 2:00, the middle of the day is peak danger for the skin.

WHITFIELD: The most intense rays. Thanks so much, Dr. Bill Lloyd, I'm super digging your shirt today. I love it, love it, love it. Makes me want to go play outside.

All right, this just in. A very serious story, this has been taking so many of us by surprise over the last 24 hours. Well, now we're understanding as a result of that flooding, that flash flooding in southwest Arkansas, now confirmation, 18 people have been killed in that; 15 people have been identified in this tragedy in Arkansas.

Don Lemon will have more on this story coming up at the top of the hour. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, thanks for being with me today. I'll see you again tomorrow in the NEWSROOM.