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World Cup; G-20 Summit; Immigration Concerns in Arizona

Aired June 26, 2010 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: So of course we'll be getting more of the World Cup in a moment. But first, a check of some of other headlines right now. The G-8 Summit has wrapped up in Canada and now it's on to the G-20 for President Obama.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is in the hospital for tests after complaining that he was not feeling well. He's in Washington, D.C.

And tropical storm Alex is moving closer to the Gulf of Mexico right now. The storm could cause serious problems for oil containment and the clean-up efforts.

A little bit more of that World Cup madness now. The U.S. taking on Ghana in the knockout stage of the World Cup. We're watching the game both here and of course in South Africa. Our Alex Thomas is in Johannesburg. And Richard Roth is in New York. All right, so Ghana, it's the last of six African teams that is still left standing there in the World Cup. Let's go to Alex Thomas in Johannesburg. I would imagine that everyone there, at least a great majority in South Africa, are rooting for Ghana since it's the last African nation. But at the same time, we know a lot of Americans have made their way to South Africa for the World Cup.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. We've been astonished by the number of American fans wearing the stars and stripes, crazy outfits, waving the flags as well that have made the long trip here. We all know that the United States, outside of South Africa itself, bought more tickets to this World Cup than any other country on the planet. So there's plenty of support here.

But also amongst the Africans themselves, it's not a given that everyone is going to transfer their loyalty to Ghana just because they're the only remaining African nation left in it. Lots of fans say, I've spoken to say hey we think President Barack Obama is cool so they're going to support the United States.

Anyway, let's bring you up to date with the match in Rustenburg, a couple of hours' drive away from here in Johannesburg. Bad news for the United States early on, a goal for Ghana and it came from Kevin Prince Botang in the 5th minute. So Ghana leading the United States 1- 0, remember its winner takes all. Pure knockout now, round-for-round through to the final.

But don't panic if you're an American fan because the U.S. has been here before at this World Cup. They were trailing England in the opening match. They were trailing Slovenia 2-0 and brought it back to 2-2. So currently, United States, 0, Ghana, 1. And they had to take one of the players off and replace him because they were playing so badly.

WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. All right. Alex Thomas thanks so much. It's still early in the game. So anything can happen. Our Richard Roth is in New York. And he is with a whole lot of fans there. You and I were on the air together when Ghana scored that goal. And you heard the crowd there like, oh, and they realized it's Ghana, and not the U.S. So how are spirits there right now?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it's pretty somber, a lot of disappointment here. It's 1-0, Ghana, as you mentioned. And fans here are soberly watching a big screen set up here under the Manhattan Bridge in the Dumbo district as it's known in Brooklyn. We're under the archway for the Manhattan Bridge. With me here is Kate, who is the executive director of the Dumbo Improvement District. What is your reaction to this 1-0 U.S. trailing right now?

KATE KERRIGAN, EXEC. DIRECTOR, DUMBO: I wouldn't say that it's disappointing. I would say we're anxious. We have about ten minutes left to go in the first half. And then we've got another 45 minutes ahead of us. So the U.S. can certainly catch up to Ghana. And I think we have a very good chance of winning.

ROTH: The U.S. starts to come down here. That's been the biggest reaction so far. What would you describe the mood of the crowd? You have about 400 people?

KERRIGAN: We've got about 400 or 500 people at least. And we have a nice crowd. We've got a family-friendly crowd which is really nice, a lot of kids out here. And I say we're anxious but getting excited, as you just heard.

ROTH: All right. Kate, thank you very much. We'll see how the mood goes. The U.S. has had a big habit of falling behind in these matches, almost every one of them and trying crawl back. They may be exhausted Fredricka after the big effort used to get past Algeria at the end of the round robin tournament side of things. So it's right now, Ghana leading the United States 1-0.

WHITFIELD: OK. Fingers are crossed for all U.S. fans, hoping they get a score. Thanks so much, Richard Roth there in Brooklyn.

All right. Let's talk weather now even though the first tropical storm of the season is not expected to make a direct hit in the Gulf. Its name is Alex and Alex could still cause a few problems for oil clean- up efforts. It's expected to strengthen into a category 1 hurricane before making landfall in Mexico. But forecasters say it could create high winds and waves, and that alone could push oil further inland.

The government's point man in the oil crisis, U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen today cautioned, quote, the weather is unpredictable and we could have a sudden last-minute change. Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center keeping a close watch on Alex. All eyes are on Alex for a couple of reasons. One, it's the first named storm. And number two, because it is near the Gulf of Mexico, people are a bit nervous it might head kind of north, northeast.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLIGIST: That's right. Storms post- Katrina we were always nervous any time a storm would be in the Gulf of Mexico because of memories of Katrina. But now with all this oil in the Gulf, it's a brand-new concern. And looking at the storm now it is pretty large and impressive. It's really pounding Belize at this hour. That's why tropical storm warnings are in place. Official landfall will occur later on tonight. A lot of those heavy rain bands are already onshore and we are looking at 4 to 6 inches of rain for the Yucatan.

Now it's important to note the storm isn't just going to be over once it hits the Yucatan. Our forecast track actually takes it back over the bay of Campeche where the water is certainly warm enough and if the storm stays out there long enough, it could become a hurricane. Possibly sometime Wednesday before making a final land fall, notice the cone of uncertainty stretches just through the central Texas coast down through Mexico.

These situations change and fluctuate. The only thing that is a little encourages for residents more in the eastern Gulf of Mexico is when you look at the computer models right now, now these could change again. But looking at them right now, the general consensus, the lines are pretty much all heading in that western direction towards Mexico. That's good news. But as you heard from Thad Allen, these storms can shift and can change suddenly. We need to monitor to see what the impact will be in the central and eastern Gulf where the oil spill is most concentrated right now. Wind and waves, I think, will definitely be a situation we're monitoring as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Bonnie.

All right. Take a look at this. The latest protest of offshore oil drilling. This is Florida where people join hands for 15 minutes, called Hands across the Sand, and organizers hope to organize a national movement to protest offshore drilling.

World leaders are actually in Canada for not one but two high-stakes economic summits. Their goal, keep the financial recovery on track. We'll have a live report from Toronto next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Former Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to spend the weekend in a Washington hospital. He was admitted yesterday after saying he wasn't feeling well. It's not known what's wrong with him right now. The former vice president has a history of heart trouble, including five heart attacks. The last was just this past February.

And leaders from around the world have converged on Canada. Leaders from the major industrialized nations and the world's emerging economies are trying to find common strategy to help the global economy continue in its recovery. CNN White House correspondent Dan Lothian joins us now live from Toronto. Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're right. You point out what the big mission has been here at the summits and that is to make sure that the global economic recovery continues. And from the White House's perspective, what these global leaders need to do is continue their stimulus spending. There's this concern that if they pull back and even pull back too quickly, that it will stall this economic recovery.

So Timothy Geithner at a briefing earlier this morning refused to sort of paint the darkest picture, what would happen if some of these world leaders decide to pull back on their federal spending too quickly? But he did point out that there needs to be balance and also that this is not the time to relax.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIMOTHY GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: When you look at how governments have acted in the past, in past crises, history is riddled with mistakes. And the two most important types of mistakes you see are governments waiting too long to escalate, hoping it won't be as severe as people fear, waiting too tentative, too early, not doing enough soon enough. These mistakes are extremely costly and devastating. But this group of people recognize that mistake beginning last year and they did act with a lot of financial force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: Now, the G-8 leaders did issue a communique. In that communique, they condemn North Korea for sinking that South Korean ship and they also called on Iran to respect human rights. But the focus now as all the leaders move to the G-20 in Toronto continues to be the global economic recovery and what could be done to sustain it.

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dan Lothian thanks so much, joining us from Toronto.

All right. During the Vietnam era, some college students left school with unfinished business. We'll tell you what some universities did this year for the class of 1970.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As world leaders gather in Toronto for those economic meetings, police and protesters are facing off. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is live from Toronto. And earlier, Jeanne, you showed us how there were some people running and others marching. What's the latest?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) there's definitely a face-off going on here. (INAUDIBLE) there were anti-war groups, a wide array of people. But frankly, I'm not seeing (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: We're going to try and catch up with Jeanne Meserve a little bit later because it is very difficult to hear for obvious reasons. A huge turnout of people demonstrating the meeting of the G- 20 leaders there. We'll get back to Jeanne momentarily when we get a better audio line on there. There you can see what appears to be some kind of conflict potentially taking place between the demonstrators there and a line of police there as well.

Meantime, we're going to check our other top stories. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Mullen met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai today; he assured Karzai that General David Petraeus will continue efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. Petraeus is President Obama's pick to replace General Stanley McChrystal who offered his resignation for criticizing administration officials earlier in the week. Mullen also met with the president of Pakistan during a stop there later on in the day.

New arrests today linked to the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India. Police in Zimbabwe have two Pakistani suspects in custody. Both are accused of using fake passports to try to cross into the border into South Africa for the World Cup.

And if you attended a college commencement ceremony this year, you may have seen more gray hair than usual. Some schools invited the class of 1970 to join the procession 40 years late.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD (voice over): In the spring of 1970, America was deeply divided over the Vietnam War. And U.S. college campuses were ground zero for dissent. On April 30, just weeks before the end of the school year, President Richard Nixon announced he was sending U.S. troops into neighboring Cambodia. That touched off protests at many U.S. College campuses. And at Kent State University in Ohio, national guardsmen shot and killed four demonstrators. The result was outrage and the biggest student strike in U.S. history. "Time" Magazine counted 441 colleges and universities affected in one way or another and on many campuses, this school year ended chaotically. Boston University canceled commencement ceremonies.

MARSHA BROME, 1970 BOSTON UNIV. GRAD.: There was great unrest on campus and there were sniper threats so the university thought it best to call off graduation.

WHITFIELD: They went ahead with commencement at the University of Cincinnati, but many of the graduates were missing.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Because school had been closed down for about five or six weeks prior to, a lot of people were not notified or could not come back to attend.

WHITFIELD: This year, after 40 years, some members of the class of 1970 finally got their commencement.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I present to you the Boston University class of 1970.

WHITFIELD: Boston University, the University of Cincinnati and Ohio University in Athens invited their 1970 graduates back to campus to join the class of 2010 for some long-awaited recognition.

LINDA CARMEROTO, 1970 BOSTON UNIV. GRAD: I was never much for pomp and circumstance in the 1960s and in 1970, it didn't really bother me. What was happening in the world was more important. But for my father who lived since the day I was born to see me graduate from college like nobody else in my family had ever done -- a couple of us looked up towards heaven for our parents who are residing there now. And we wish they could be here today to see this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Bill Mulvilhill is vice president of the University of Cincinnati Foundation. He is also a member of the class of 1970 and one of the 1970 UC graduates who participated in this year's commencement ceremony. He's joining us now from Cincinnati. Good to see you.

BILL MULVILHILL, UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI CLASS OF 1970: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: Well, congratulations again.

MULVILHILL: It was a great thrill and a great time for all of us who participated.

WHITFIELD: So give me an idea. What was it like earlier this month to have this graduation and so many of those graduates from 1970 who weren't part of the ceremonies in 1970, who made the effort to come back for this commencement?

MULVILHILL: It was a great time for us to renew some old friendships. When commencement took place so late at Cincinnati, many of us weren't able to have that usual end-of-college experience together collectively. It allowed us to do that. And I think the people who came back were pleasantly surprised at the type of campus we now have. And we're very proud of the academic program we had. And I think when they all left, they were very proudly Cincinnati.

WHITFIELD: So why was this so meaningful to do this, that Boston would do this, that your campus would do this? Why so important? Why not let bygones be bygones, so to speak?

MULVILHILL: Well I think there are certain rites of passages in all of our lives and this is one that many of us missed as a collective experience. And the opportunity to come back and have that shared experience, you know in those times, there were many more shared experiences because frankly the lack of -- the number of TV stations we have today and media outlets, everyone every morning shared something that happened the night before.

In fact, when the Kent State shooting took place, you heard that from an individual. You heard it from a person who had emotion. You didn't hear it on your cell phone or get a text about it. I think that caused that time to be much more meaningful and personal to people than maybe sometimes are today. So the opportunity to kind of close that loop, I think, was important to many of us.

WHITFIELD: Do you remember that as if it were yesterday?

MULVILHILL: I remember the closing of schools as if it were yesterday. I remember the turmoil on campus. It was such an emotional time with all the issues going on around the country. And when Kent State took place, it was such an unbelievable moment that it's hard not to remember it.

WHITFIELD: How much of that moment and the ripple effects did you think of during this year's ceremony?

MULVILHILL: Well, it was hard not to think about it because it was really the reason that we came together. It's something when you live through something like that; it's something you never forget. I think we all had somewhat tears in our eyes a little bit thinking about the emotional time and the ability to bring closure to that.

WHITFIELD: The 2010 graduates can't possibly understand. They're so far removed from that experience. But did you find you and other graduates of 1970 trying to kind of explain or educate the class of 2010 about what this really means?

MULVILHIL: Yes, we had several opportunities to interact with some of the graduates from this year. They have their own challenges going on in the world. But they were very interested in what had happened at that time. They really didn't understand the total impact of it. And I think they appreciated the fact that we took time to come back and celebrate. And they gave us a very nice, warm reception when we came back.

WHITFIELD: What were some of the reasons why some graduates did not come, did not take University of Cincinnati up on the offer to graduate, to walk?

MULVILHIL: I think one is time; the time and funds it takes to get back to the university to participate in this ceremony may have been too much for some people. I think some people just felt that it was such an emotional time; they didn't want to relive it again. So they chose to do that. I think there were others who just were so upset with what had happened at that time, they didn't think it was appropriate to come back and have a celebration about that time.

WHITFIELD: And you feel good about the opportunity to walk 40 years later?

MULVILHIL: It was great. The people I saw who I hadn't seen for 40 years, we quickly relived some memories and it was a very special time for me.

WHITFIELD: Bill Mulvilhil thanks so much. Congratulations again. Congratulations to the class of 2010 and of course the class of 1970.

MULVILHIL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: To them, America is the Promised Land. But getting here involves a risky ride.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Reporter: Some call it the beast -- to others, it's the train of death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A different look at illegal immigration through the eyes of those literally dieing to get here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A new dispute over illegal immigration involving Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer. U.S. Border Patrol agents are disputing Brewer's claim that most illegal immigrants are drug mules. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: We all know that the majority of the people that are coming into Arizona and trespassing are now become drug mules. They're coming across our borders in huge numbers. The drug cartels have taken control of the immigration, illegal trespassing that we are seeing in the state of Arizona and that is coming through and going to all of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Illegal immigration and border security are hot political issues in Arizona right now where Governor Brewer is facing a tough primary battle. Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Fred, as you can imagine, a lot of buzz over those comments made by Governor Brewer. After speaking with that local reporter, she also added that in her opinion, most of the people crossing the border illegally here into the United States are coming for work but that they quote are accosted and they become subjects of the drug cartels.

Brewer became governor last year after then Governor Janet Napolitano stepped down to join the Obama administration. This year, Brewer, who is a Republican, is running for a full term in office and she is right now involved in a pretty tough primary fight. It's a very competitive primary, it's being held in August.

And as you can imagine, Fred, on the Republican side, immigration and border security are hot issues. And it seems like the candidates are trying to one-up each other when it comes to border security. She made these comments originally in a gubernatorial debate and then of course repeated them yesterday to that reporter. Overall nationally, immigration as well becoming a hotter issue. I think you're going to see it play a larger role in the midterm elections, not only because of these comments made now by Brewer but also of course because of that controversial law in Arizona that just took effect about two months ago that gives authorities out there greater powers to question people -- to question them on whether they're here in the country legally. So immigration a hot issue and probably only going to get hotter as we delve further into the summer and then towards the midterm elections, Fred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right Paul, thanks so much. Border patrol agents near El Paso have found a tunnel that runs from Texas to Mexico under the concrete lined Rio Grande River. The tunnel is apparently used for smuggling. Agents say they found a Mexican teenager with 200 pounds of marijuana inside the tunnel. They have asked Mexican authorities to find the entrance on their side of the border.

And many illegal immigrants are so desperate for their own slice of the American dream that they are willing to risk just about everything, including their lives, to get here. For some, that means heading north from Mexico and beyond on what's called the train of death. Our Karl Penhaul climbed aboard to bring you an inside look at the dangerous journey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some call it the beast. To others, it's the train of death. But to all these illegal migrants, it's a free ride bound for their American dream of washing dishes, picking lettuce or carrying bricks.

ELVIN CHINCHILLA, ILLEGAL MIGRANT: If we work under the sun and other things over there now, if you -- if you -- if you're born over there, your life is going to be different. You're going to work in Arby's, go to a nice high school, go to a nice college, you know?

But I didn't think we're spending their money or their jobs, you know.

PENHAUL: Like Elvin, most aboard are from Central American countries like Guatemala and Honduras. They'll spend days clinging to cargo trains as they grind through Southern Mexico up toward the U.S. border. Human rights groups estimate thousands have died falling from trains like this, some of them mutilated under its wheels.

En route to the U.S. border, many more have been robbed, raped and kidnapped. The Mexican authorities do little to prevent them riding or to deter gangs from preying on them. So when I caught up with this group of migrants at a free hostel in Southern Mexico, I wondered why they were ready to sacrifice so much.

CHINCHILLA: The American dream it's real -- it's a really American dream, because you can make money and live better, help your people over here.

PENHAUL: Elvin once worked in the U.S. before being jailed on a drug and drunk driving charge and later deported.

CHINCHILLA: I now want to do the things right this time. And I don't want to get in trouble again. Yes, we're funny. I'm not -- I don't think I'm a bad person. I just like to drink sometimes. I make mistakes like every single person in the world, you know?

PENHAUL: A card game to kill the hours before the train pulls out. Antonio has also lived in the States. In the U.S., he can earn more in a day than in a whole week back home. He proudly tells me he was employee of the year at an Applebee's restaurant in Michigan.

ANTONIO GUZMAN, ILLEGAL MIGRANT (through translator): They put up a plaque in the lobby. There was only one Hispanic name up there and it was mine.

PENHAUL: Greville from Honduras is a first-timer. He's traveling alone but makes new friends when he raps about his tough upbringing.

GREVILLE BUESO, ILLEGAL MIGRANT (through translator): I've heard people saying nice things about America, like it's another world. So I want to see for myself and try my luck.

PENHAUL: By next morning, hope has become apprehension. They wait by the tracks. Some smoke a marijuana joint to calm their nerves. Elvin, stony-faced, and Greville has just seen the beast (ph) for the first train. He says he's frightened to jump onto the train. I scramble onto the train. I tie myself on for safety. I got off at an unscheduled stop a few hours later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye-bye.

PENHAUL: I heard the train arrived without incident in the (INAUDIBLE).

(on camera): It's been a tough 12 hour ride to get here, but the migrant still faces many more days of travel to get to the U.S. border.

(voice-over): A few nights later, another group of migrants who boarded the train of death were not so lucky. The train pulled out around midnight. When I caught up with it at first light, there was clearly something wrong. Only a handful of people were still aboard. As they straggled into this migrant hostel in Ictipec (ph), they claimed about 60 federal police and a heavily armed civilian gang had held up the train.

JORGE REGALADO, ILLEGAL MIGRANT (through translator): They began pulling people off the train and they fired two shots. We ran to escape, but they grabbed a lot of people.

PENHAUL: The migrants believe as many as 100 of their fellow travelers were kidnapped, including this man's sister.

RUBEL MORENO, ILLEGAL MIGRANT (through translator): I thought this is as far as I go. I thought that this was the end. I was thinking about how to escape, because I didn't know whether they were police or kidnappers.

PENHAUL: As they rest after their scare, we check what might have happened. The immigration department of federal police said there had been no official operation or arrests. A week later, hostel workers told me the detained migrants had been robbed, but were freed after human rights workers had lodged formal complaints. Fernando Batista, a senior government human rights official, is visiting the hostel. He says corrupt Mexican authorities frequently conspire with kidnap gangs.

FERNANDO BATISTA, GOVERNMENT HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL (through translator): The migrants are extremely vulnerable and there are cases where federal and local authorities, far from doing their job of preventing crime, are colluding with those people committing these crimes.

PENHAUL: Father Alejandro Saolalinde has been giving migrants a free meal and a bed at this hostel for the last five years. Bitter experience tells him they will press on despite the risks, rather than go home to poverty.

REV. ALEJANDRO SOLALINDE, MIGRANT HOSTEL FOUNDER (through translator): This is an interminable exodus. It never ends. But I'm sure they're going to make history. They're going to rebuild America.

PENHAUL: But before they make that history or achieve their own, more modest dreams, these poor migrants must first survive the train of death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That's Karl Penhaul reporting. There are more than 20,000 illegal immigrants took the train in the first four months of this year alone. Human rights workers say last year, nearly 10,000 migrants were kidnapped during a six-month period.

All right, going to the prom before it's too late. A CNN hero is making dreams come true for sick teens, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, recapping our top story, Tropical Storm Alex is in the Caribbean Sea heading for the Gulf of Mexico. Right now, it's expected to skirt the BP oil disaster, but storms are unpredictable and can turn on a dime. Officials warn that if the storm stops, oil recovery efforts it will take two weeks to start up work again.

And there's extremely tight security in Toronto where world leaders have gathered to talk about economic issues. President Obama is among those attending the G-8 and G-20 summits this weekend. There have been several protests and some security scares that turned out to be false alarm.

And a new health scare for former Vice President Dick Cheney. The 69- year-old Cheney is in George Washington University in D.C. this afternoon. He was admitted yesterday for testing after saying he wasn't feeling well. Doctors won't say exactly what's wrong with Cheney, who has a long history of heart trouble. He is expected to remain in the hospital through the weekend.

And some teenagers missed their proms this year because they were simply too sick to go. Our hero this week, a young man who tries to make sure that never happens.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Losing my hair was worse than hearing I had cancer.

Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You like it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So pretty.

Living with this life-threatening illness -- I am a whole new person -- you just wonder if this could be your last day.

FRED SCARF, YOUNG WONDER: Large here, small here, and then just put medium on the floor.

My best friend, Sherry (ph), passed way when we were in high school and one thing she really wanted to do was attend prom together and we never had a chance to do it. I didn't want to forget her charm, how funny she was, how optimistic she was. I just knew that I had to do something.

My name is Fred Scarf, and I organize proms for teens who may not live long enough to attend their own. You know, these battles go on for years and this is their life. They are continually running a marathon and they're never going to get a break.

These proms provide you with this break and create a milestone and you capture these kids imaginations and they can put on a tux and just kind of have a night off and be themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I definitely feel a different intimacy with everyone. It's so great to have a good time and let loose.

SCARF: We're going to get them all in the same place by the end of the day, which literally is on the dance floor and figuratively would be just enjoying themselves.

By the way, I hope you don't mind, I'm stealing all your girls right now.

Sherry would say, oh, my gosh, Fred and just laugh and like hit me or something. I think she'd be very proud, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That is so generous, so sweet. Fred Scarf has made prom dreams come true for more than 400 sick teens. And to see one young woman get ready for her big night or perhaps you want to nominate someone that you think is changing the world, go to CNNHeroes.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. OK, you World Cup soccer fans. You know that Ghana had scored one point against the U.S. just about an hour ago. Guess what? The U.S. has made it a tie. It's 1-1, U.S. and Ghana in South Africa.

All right, so if you love food, game's not over. If you love food, and really, who doesn't, we want to show you a new website that is going to tempt your taste buds. It is eatocracy.CNN.com. And it's a great place to go for passionate chat and information about food. There has been a lot of response from readers on the topic of server/customer dynamics and we sent a camera crew out to talk to people on both sides of the table.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really hate to hear them say, I didn't order this, when they clearly ordered it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're no good. The service is no good.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the cheapest thing on the menu?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The two last things I want to hear from a customer is, one, I forgot my wallet at home. The second would be, do you accept euros?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the one thing you never want to hear your waiter tell you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be right back. They never come back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's happened many times, right? They don't come back for a good five or 10 minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the last thing you want to hear from your waiter or waitress?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't eat that. Is that the common answer?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That the board of health was just here, and they shut me down?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The one thing I hate hearing is that the item I came to get is no longer on the menu for the night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I mean, when they're saying, oh, we're out of that, that always sucks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's terrible, because you have to read the menu again and make another choice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry, we're out of that right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Something you ordered and they don't have it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm asking for simple meal. It's on the menu. "Oh, we're out of it, sir, sorry."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you mean you're out of it? Then why it is on your menu? I hate that. That's the worst.

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WHITFIELD: All right, venting your frustrations at eatocracy.CNN.com.

All right, this breaking news. New images right now out of Toronto, Canada. This is the host city of the G-20 summit that's under way. We understand that what's burning right here is a police car. We have seen in the last hour some confrontations, threatening confrontations between police and demonstrators there who have turned out in large numbers as these industrialized nations are beginning their summit there this weekend in Toronto. G8 just finished up this morning with the eight industrialized nations and now it's the G-20 summit including President Obama is there in Toronto. Our Jeanne Meserve is going to join us at the top of the hour to give us an idea all that is taking place involving the protests around the G-20 summit. Much more right after this.

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WHITFIELD: Could the worst oil spill in U.S. history have been prevented? One man says "yes" and he should know. Every morning, Tyrone Benton's job was to use remote cameras to inspect the deepwater horizon's rig and blowout preventers. And weeks before the explosion, Benton said he noticed something highly unusual in the water. He spoke exclusively with our Drew Griffin.

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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Tyrone Benton may well have seen the first signs something was very, very wrong on the Deepwater Horizon.

(on camera): Did you ever get close enough to the leak to see what exactly was leaking?

TYRONE BENTON, ROV TECHNICIAN: Yes. We flew down to the pod and saw that there was an angular fitting that had a leak on it. What was connected to the angular fitting wasn't able to see, but there was an angular fitting that did have a leak.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): It was a fluid leak on one of the two pods. Those are the mechanisms that control the blowout preventer. If they don't work, the blowout preventer doesn't work. A leak, even if only a trickle, is a warning.

BENTON: Yes. It was abnormal.

GRIFFIN (on camera): Abnormal enough that you reported it to your company to Transocean, to BP?

BENTON: That's correct.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): One pod is always working, the other, says University of Texas petroleum engineer, Tad Patzek is designed as its immediate backup. TAD PATZEK, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: I don't think that there is any discussion of that basic fact. And the basic fact is that you have to do whatever it takes to fix the -- fully the blowout preventer as soon as you can.

GRIFFIN: Patzek says the solution is to immediately close off the well, raise the blowout preventer, find out what's wrong, and fix it.

PATZEK: Anything less than that, you know, might have led, or probably led, to a major failure of the well and the results are well known.

GRIFFIN: Back on board the Deepwater Horizon, several weeks before the explosion, Tyrone Benton knew he was looking at a potentially dangerous leak, that the BOP, the blowout preventer, was at possible risk for failure.

(on camera): And it was taken care of?

BENTON: It wasn't taken care of. In order to take care of it, you have to pull the whole BOP, which will shut down production. From like I said, from my understanding, they just shut down one pod and work off the other.

GRIFFIN: Tyrone, 11 people dead.

BENTON: Yes.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): For the better part of a day, the leak was studied, observed, measured. The most prudent course, to fix it, says Benton, was ruled out.

(on camera): And, so, instead...

BENTON: They went ahead and shut down that particular pod, the yellow pod, and started working off the other pod.

GRIFFIN: You likened that to shutting down one engine of a twin- engine plane.

BENTON: That's correct.

GRIFFIN: You can do it.

BENTON: Yes.

GRIFFIN: But not ideal.

BENTON: If you have to, then you can.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Day after day, says Benton, the fluid leak continued. Day after day, BP and Transocean were notified.

(on camera): You're the first person that's come forward that I know of that said, we have this problem. It was a leak. Instead of properly fixing the leak, officials from BP and Transocean decided to bypass that leak. It's hard to determine, as you said, whether or not that leak had anything to do with this, but certainly the prudent thing, the most safe thing to do would have been to pull up that blowout preventer, fix it and put it back down. Is that not correct?

BENTON: Yes, you could look at it that way, yes.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): No one listened, and a few weeks later, Tyrone Benton was lying in his bunk on the Deepwater Horizon when the first explosion knocked him out of bed. The second covered him in debris as he scrambled to find his flashlight. It was pitch black.

(on camera): Panic on-board? Screaming?

BENTON: Panic, screaming, people jumping overboard. It was completely chaos. And I could hear my supervisor telling everybody "let's go, let's go, let's get on the life boats. We got to go, we got to go." And he kept his head, he kept his cool. Most of us were just panicking. We wanted to go, like right then. But we had to wait for everybody. So we sat on that rig as long as we possibly could for everyone to be accounted for.

GRIFFIN: Not everybody was accounted for.

BENTON: There is a point where you have to say, we have to go. And we made it to that point.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Of the 11 who never made it to the lifeboat, Benton says many were close friends. He's now suing BP and Transocean for emotional and physical injuries. A BP spokesman wouldn't comment on reports of a leak but did say BP is determined to get to the bottom of what caused the explosion.

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GRIFFIN: We also heard from a Transocean spokesperson, who tells us the blowout preventer was tested and operating properly in the days and weeks before this explosion. Nonetheless, Transocean says it is doing its own internal examination and is cooperating with all the other investigations underway.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Houston, Texas.