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Sen. Robert Byrd Hospitalized; Kagan Confirmation Hearings; Lawmakers React to Switch in Afghanistan; Alex Moves Back into the Gulf; Compensation over Drilling Ban; Oil's Impact on Ocean Predators; Pres. Obama Back from G-20; Police Arrest Hundreds of Demonstrators; Digital Displays on License Plate

Aired June 27, 2010 - 22:00   ET

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

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: The longest serving member of Congress in history is in the hospital tonight, and it is serious. Senator Robert Byrd, a Washington legend. How his health could affect the president's political agenda.

President Obama is back from the G-20 tonight. A weekend full of meetings and photo ops, but what else did they finally accomplish?

And the oil finally washes ashore in Mississippi while gulf residents keep a close eye on the path of tropical storm Alex.

And it has been tragedy at a Michigan campground. Severe weather strikes tonight. Four people are dead.

Hello, I'm Drew Griffin. Don Lemon is on assignment tonight. We're tracking a developing story out of the nation's capital where legendary Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia has been hospitalized. His office describing this as seriously ill. Byrd has served in Congress longer than any American in history, elected to the House in 1952, to the Senate in 1958. He has been there ever since.

Let's bring in CNN's senior political editor Mark Preston. He's in Washington, and CNN's Joe Johns who joins me by phone also from D.C.

Mark, what do we know about the Senator's condition and his health as of late?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Drew, we do know that Senator Byrd was admitted to the hospital late last week for what was believed to be heat exhaustion and dehydration. However, when he got into the hospital, the doctors took a look at him and they realized that he was seriously ill as his office has stated. Now I've been in contact with his office tonight. They're not saying much more than that. But, Drew, let's take into account he is 92 years old. And over the past couple of years, Senator Byrd has had some health issues.

GRIFFIN: And states have different ways of doing this, but supposing he cannot continue on, what is the secession in West Virginia? Who picks?

PRESTON: Well, Drew, if Senator Byrd was no longer able to hold office, the governor, a Democrat, would be able to make an appointment to that seat. And given the point in time right now with Senator Byrd is in his term in the Senate, that would been a 2 1/2-year appointment. So Democrats would not lose the seat here in the Senate. It would be very likely the Democratic governor would put in a Democratic place holder for the next 2-1/2 years -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: A very political figure in Washington for decades.

Let's bring in Joe Johns because, Joe, there are some serious votes coming up. The most important so far this week is going to be the financial reform bill. I am wondering, do we know how this will play out if, indeed, Senator Byrd is not there to vote, presumably yes on this?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): The truth is you almost never predict what's going to happen in the Senate, as you know, Drew. But I can tell you that there's potential for a very close vote. There are a lot of people who count votes who say that this vote was hanging right in the balance somewhere around 60, which is the magic number in the Senate.

And while we're all watching the moderates in the Senate to see which way they swing, in particular, you know, Collins, Snowe of Maine and you also have to throw in Scott Brown of Massachusetts, the Republican. All these people are being watched very closely as to whether they are going to say yea or no. And if Senator Byrd is not there, not available to vote, it makes that an even closer scenario. So we'll just have to see. Both Senator Byrd's health and what happens to this bill. It hangs in the balance. It's important to President Obama.

GRIFFIN: All right. Joe Johns from D.C. That's the politics of it, Mark. But I want to talk to you about the man because we're dealing with a true legend in D.C. And one you got to know much more than we did from the various floor speeches that we've seen over the years.

What kind of a guy is this?

PRESTON: Well, you know, Drew, he's somebody who is a stickler for the rules. Somebody who believed in order. He's somebody who also, over the years, really had to help rehabilitate his own image. He was a member of the Ku Klux Klan as a very young man. He also voted against the civil rights bill. These two things that Senator Byrd came out and expressed regret for doing. And he was actually accepted by many people here in Washington who said, look, he made mistakes out when he was young. But here in the Senate, here in Washington, D.C., he was an institutionalist. He was the person, Drew, that young senators when they arrived in the capital, the first door they knocked on was Robert Byrd's door, including Hillary Clinton when she was first elected to the Senate. Somebody who really understood how Washington works. She still went into Bob Byrd's office, closed the door and he explained to her how the Senate worked. So he will really has had a lasting, huge impression on the Senate -- Drew. GRIFFIN: And Joe Johns, he's certainly going to have a lasting impression on his state. You and I have both chased his pork projects, earmarks, what have it. Half the state is named after him. I know that you have chased him down hallways, et cetera. Just your thoughts tonight on this legend who is seriously ill in a hospital tonight.

JOHNS: It's kind of personal for me in a strange way because I actually went to Marshall University which is where Robert Byrd went. I went to American University Law School, which is where Robert Byrd went. And so I really sort of -- in fact, he was, I believe, the very first United States senator I ever interviewed in my life in this business. So it's really quite a thing.

And the other thing I think we have to point out about Senator Byrd is he has changed and evolved over the years. You know, we know about the Ku Klux Klan and all that. But you also have to say in the same breath that he endorsed Barack Obama, even though it was pretty clear that his state was trending away from Barack Obama, and in the end didn't vote for Barack Obama for president of the United States.

So kind of a complex figure in a lot of ways. He stayed distant from a lot of reporters on the hill who covered it every day. I think in part because of that reputation he had as quote/unquote, "the king of pork." The man who brought so much money to his home state. Some of which actually was very badly needed. That needs to be said in the same breath. And, you know, a lot of people right now in West Virginia are holding their breath. Hoping for the best for Senator Byrd. He's been sick many times before, and he's always pulled through. And people are just wishing him the best tonight.

GRIFFIN: All right. Joe Johns on the phone in D.C. Mark Preston in our Washington Bureau. Thank you very much.

Again, Senator Robert Byrd, 92 years old, seriously ill, hospitalized tonight, according to his staff.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney also hospitalized this weekend in Washington, but now his office says his condition is, quote, "markedly improved." His daughter also optimistic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ CHENEY, DAUGHTER OF DICK CHENEY: We've talked about it. He's feeling better. And we expect he'll be going home tomorrow. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomorrow. When was the last time you visited him?

CHENEY: Yesterday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday?

CHENEY: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

CHENEY: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Not too chatty but at least saying that he is doing better. The former vice president not feeling well Friday because of progressive fluid retention connected to his heart disease. A family friend said he was suffering from an irregular heartbeat. Cheney has suffered five heart attacks. The most recent in February.

The political stage set for tomorrow's Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. The White House confident when all is said and done, she will get the votes to be confirmed, but her lack of experience as a judge and her political history have some concerned. Our Kate Bolduan previews the hearings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENA KAGAN, U.S. SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I look forward to working with the Senate and in the next stage of this process.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Elena Kagan has been quietly working with White House lawyers to prepare for her big moment in the political spotlight. Every aspect of her academic career and government service scrutinized for clues about the kind of justice she would become. The president who nominated her last month thinks he knows.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That understanding of law, not as intellectual exercise or words on a page, but as it affects the lives of ordinary people, has animated every step of Elena's career.

BOLDUAN: Republican senators, for their part, promised a fair but tough examination of her record in two Democratic administrations past and present. Possible areas of concern? Her resistance to allowing military recruiters on campus when she was dean of Harvard's Law School.

This, because of the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, on gays in the military. Kagan called the policy, a "profound wrong." Also, her often-politically-focused views as a top aide in the Clinton White House, on a range of hot-button issues like abortion, gun rights and executive power. Then there's Kagan's lack of judicial experience, which worries both liberals and conservatives.

CARRIE SEVERINO, JUDICIAL CORPS NETWORK: The only thing she's ever done is politics and so the concern is that she'll just continue that on the bench and continue to be a rubber stamp of the agenda of the administration she works for now.

BOLDUAN: The White House publicly insists Kagan will be a fair and impartial judge and has quietly assured liberals she will be a reliable vote on the left. Bipartisan praise as well for her consensus-building skills with those of differing viewpoints, an asset some analysts think will benefit her on a divided high court.

THOMAS GOLDSTEIN, FOUNDER, SCOTUSBLOG.COM: President Obama couldn't really hope to appoint somebody who is really going to change the views of the conservatives on the Supreme Court. They have very strongly-held opinions on lots of important legal questions. What he could hope for and what he may well have gotten is a nominee who has the skill set to find accommodations between the left and the right. To find the common ground for them. And in that way, maybe pull the court a little bit to the left.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Well, as a backdrop to the drama on Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court is going to issue this term's final opinions tomorrow. The justices will rule on a blockbuster case over the right to bear arms which could overturn a strict handgun ban in Chicago.

CNN's live coverage of the confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan, President Obama's second Supreme Court nominee, begins tomorrow at noon Eastern here on CNN.

Well, with three days still left, June has become the deadliest month for NATO forces in Afghanistan since this war began. 94 killed so far. Nine just this weekend. We don't know yet their nationalities. The Taliban had threatened to intensify its attacks. Apparently the Taliban making good on the threat. CIA director Leon Panetta tells ABC that the war has serious problems but he says the overall mission is making progress.

And those serious problems will be General David Petraeus' problems, assuming the Senate confirms him this week as top commander. His new job and the way forward after the McChrystal incident was a hot topic today in Washington. CNN's Sandra Endo has that for us.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Drew, strong words of confidence from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for General David Petraeus who is taking over command in the war in Afghanistan. But now some say a shake-up militarily may be a good opportunity for some on the civilian side to go as well. Now that could include the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry or national security adviser Jim Jones and the president's point man to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke. Here's what some lawmakers are dishing out today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I think you put the general in. He should make the call. If he can't work with the ambassador, the ambassador should be changed. If he can't work with Holbrooke, that should change. I mean, I think we put all of our eggs in the Petraeus basket at this stage.

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: Right now, General Petraeus comes in with his team of military leaders. They've got to work hand in hand on the -- with civilian side. So I think it's an opportunity for the president to take a look at it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: Clearly frustration is bubbling up over getting some real success in Afghanistan. Now two days from now, General Petraeus will be facing lawmakers during his confirmation hearing. Now at the hearing, General Petraeus will be in the hot seat and there will be a chance for lawmakers to raise the debate over the president's deadline to begin withdrawing troops in July 2011. It's a deadline General Petraeus supports, but critics argue why telegraph strategy with an arbitrary date? Listen to what senator John McCain had to say today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I am against a timetable. In wars, you declare when you are leaving after you've succeeded. And, by the way, no military adviser recommended to the president that he set a date of the middle of 2011. So it was purely a political decision. Not one based on facts on the ground. Not based on military strategy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: Many lawmakers now say troop drawdown should be based on conditions in the war and shouldn't be set in stone.

Drew?

GRIFFIN: Sandra Endo in Washington.

Up next, oil's economic impact. The moratorium on drilling is having an effect on jobs way beyond the gulf.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Want you to take a look at what a possible tornado did in the Detroit area. Four people died. Several more were hurt after the storm hit a campground overturning campers as you can see, even tossed one into the middle of a lake. Other parts of the southeast of -- part of Michigan also hit by strong winds and heavy rain. We're closely monitoring tropical depression Alex as well as it moves back now into the western part of the Gulf of Mexico. While it may not hit the oil leak area directly, it could still bring some serious trouble.

Our Jacqui Jeras is tracking Alex for us in our CNN weather center.

Jacqui, the track of this storm is so important.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it is. And unfortunately, it's uncertain. More so than what we would typically see with a storm taking this type of track and a lot of different variables coming into play. One of which is a storm system that's across the upper Midwest right now that's going to be making its way in the northeast. Whether or not that trough as we call it is going to start to pull this storm further up to the north. And that's not going to be probably until Tuesday. Now here's the latest on Alex. It is a tropical depression. And there you can kind of see that little circulation as it's moving now over the Bay of Campeche towards the western Gulf of Mexico at this time. So now that it's back over open water, we are expecting some intensification. This is likely going to be a tropical storm possibly later on tonight maybe until tomorrow. And the more time it spends over water, the stronger the storm is going to be.

Now this is the latest projected path from the National Hurricane Center, and notice how wide that cone of uncertainty is. It goes from all the way to just north of Corpus Christi down to throughout much of northern parts of Mexico. And here's why that cone is so wide. The computer models have been all over the place. And every time we get a run of these about four times a day, these lines have been zigzagging all over the place. And we've seen this trending now further up to the north. And if that ends up happening, Drew, this could have a little bit of inner action, not directly but the winds are going to start to change the direction of where the oil spill is going.

GRIFFIN: And I think the most important thing is will this -- any of these tracks require the workers to get off the containment facilities, or is it just going to be wave action?

JERAS: Right now I think it's just going to be wave action. You know the winds are going to start to become very strong coming in out of the southeast. It's going to be a little bit of good news. And it kind of chops thing ups in the water and helps disperse that oil a little more. So right now we hope that those winds will get strong enough that they'll have to do that. They say 45 miles per hour, sustained winds. They will have to start to pull in some of those ships and potentially have to unattached some of the siphoning ships.

GRIFFIN: Yes. Meanwhile, beaches in Mississippi have been somewhat immune. Not now?

JERAS: Not now. Yes, as of today, unfortunately, the governor tells us there that the tar balls washed up this afternoon. This was on western parts of Pascagoula. It was a small area, about a quarter mile to half a mile. Workers are in there cleaning up. They are expecting more to arrive tomorrow. But certainly bad news for Mississippi, which has relatively been untouched in terms of getting some of those tar balls on their beaches.

GRIFFIN: Yes. And speaking of tar balls, I want to show you this video on YouTube that we have been showing here. Just take a look at this. This is from the beaches area.

(VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: So that's a little girl screaming about the tar balls getting on her legs and heel. You've had some firsthand experience. You were just down in Destin.

JERAS: Yes. I was right there, right between Destin and Miramar Beach. And the tar balls washed up there for the first time on Wednesday. And yes, people were certainly concerned about it, but they cleaned it up so quickly. Beaches are open. And there's no tar on the beach today.

GRIFFIN: All right. Jacqui Jeras, thank you. Continue to track Alex for us.

JERAS: Sure.

GRIFFIN: Meanwhile, the Obama administration appealing a judge's ruling that overturned that six-month ban on deepwater drilling. And while the tug of war is played out, jobs are hanging in the balance.

Chris Lawrence is standing by live for us in New Orleans.

Chris, the judge refuses to stay his ruling during the appeal. So why is this moratorium still an issue?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drew, because no oil company is going to spend the money to recall their workers and restart their operations while the threat of that appeal is still hanging out there. That could shut them down all over again. So while the oil rigs are still shut down, that's means thousands of other workers that support those jobs are out of business, too.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): First the oil spill itself took out the fishermen and restaurant owners. But BP set up a $20 billion fund to cover their damages. President Obama's six-month ban shut down deepwater drilling and BP set aside another $100 million to pay the workers on those oil rigs. But the truckers, loaders, caterers and cleaners that supported those shutdown rigs, they had nothing except rising anger at Washington over what the bans done to them.

Take Anthony Thibodeaux.

(on camera) How is the moratorium affecting you?

ANTHONY THIBODEAUX, TRUCK LOADER: I basically have no job. And I'm normally checking in 8, 10, 12 trucks a day, loading up two boats to go offshore. I did none. No boats on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take it off.

THIBODEAUX: You know, I feel like a dead man walking. I know I'm just waiting for the axe to fall because it's got to. That company cannot survive holding on to guys like me. They can't.

LAWRENCE: Is this just affecting people who live right along the gulf coast of Louisiana?

THIBODEAUX: No, no. I live in Atlanta. I drive to work every week. The riggers and the crane operators and stuff like that come from Mississippi. You know, some from Alabama.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): This weekend we took their concerns to Ken Feinberg.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are we supposed to feed our families, pay our bills, get to work?

KEN FEINBERG, COMPENSATION ADMINISTRATOR: I understand that you only want what you are entitled to as an unfortunate victim of this spill.

LAWRENCE: The man President Obama appointed to take charge of the claims process to see if their damages can be covered.

(on camera) Will you be handling any claims at all for people whose businesses have been affected by the moratorium?

FEINBERG: Yes. I now have discovered. I didn't realize this until yesterday, but the moratorium claims will fall under my jurisdiction.

LAWRENCE: That's a huge development. And we didn't know that before because --

FEINBERG: I didn't either. I just learned yesterday that the administration and BP have agreed that the moratorium claims will fall under my jurisdiction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Yes, now this was something BP initially did not agree to. You know possibly on the ground that they didn't impose the moratorium. The Obama administration did. So you had all these workers, possibly tens of thousands of workers, who were just left out in the cold. They weren't covered under any process. Now when Ken Feinberg does take over, they're going to have a place to go to file their claim for their damages.

Drew?

GRIFFIN: Chris, that's well and good. But I know you followed the oil industry down there. And when these boats are in dock, when these rigs are in dock, they're not making money. The point is to get them to where that oil is being drilled.

Are you seeing any of these vehicles if you will, going to other parts of the world where their companies can make money?

LAWRENCE: Well, that is the big, big worry here. A lot of people are saying, you know, no matter what the claims process does, no matter how many payments they get, that these oil companies are only going to wait so long. And if this drags out six months, eight months, 12 months, you know, they've got, you know, opportunities in Brazil, in Africa and the big worry is that the most talented workers, the newest rigs, those are going to be the first to go. So when they do start operations down here, it's going to be with a less experienced crew operating on older rigs, which probably won't be quite as safe. That's the big worry, Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right. Chris Lawrence, live in New Orleans. Thanks, Chris. Oil not just hitting people hard. Sharks, the top predators of the ocean, but they may be no match for the slick. What scientists are doing to track the impact of these fish?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Most of us would rather not tangle with sharks. But the oil disaster is bringing urgency to research on the ocean's top predators. Our John Zarrella found out that means getting as close to sharks as you can.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A 6-foot shark.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a nice lemon, guys.

ZARRELLA: The researchers work quickly, taking blood and tissue samples, measurements.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 180.

ZARRELLA: University of Miami researcher Neil Hammerschlag is studying the migratory habits of sharks in Florida waters. The oil spill has given his work a new more urgent dimension.

NEIL HAMMERSCHLAG, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, RESEARCHER: There is the possibility that these animals might be able to anticipate the oil or sense the oil and actually move away from it. It's really unknown right now.

ZARRELLA: This lemon shark will provide valuable data. But when it comes to what Hammerschlag is looking for, it's, well, a lemon. He's after the great sharks, tigers, hammerheads, bulls. They travel greater distances. If his team lands one it will be tagged with a satellite transmitter. If the shark goes near or into the oil, Hammerschlag will know it.

(on camera) One shark Hammerschlag's team tag transmitted nearly every day for three months. But two days after the (INAUDIBLE), the transmissions suddenly stopped.

(voice-over) Coincidence? Perhaps. Here's what Hurley, the hammerhead's track looked like the days before it disappeared.

HAMMERSCHLAG: Tag could have failed or it could have headed off somewhere into deepwater and just not come up in the last few months. But that's very unlike the shark's character.

What's next biopsy? Whose biopsy?

ZARRELLA: On this day at sea, the lemons keep coming. Three black tips, too. The blood and tissue from these guys will be tested for concentrations of hydrocarbons, from oil. Scientists worry sharks could easily be contaminated even if they never swim through the oil. HAMMERSCHLAG: You know this fishing area has been closed in the Gulf of Mexico because they don't want people to catch and eat that fish. I don't know if the sharks got the memo.

ZARRELLA: Because it's a natural predator, a reduced shark population impacts the balance of nature.

(on camera) There will be enough work, scientists say, to keep researchers busy studying the effects of oil on sharks for decades.

John Zarrella, CNN, in the Gulf of Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: World leaders gather to talk about money and debt. President Obama declares progress made at the G-20 summit in Toronto. So what does that mean for you and me? Outside the meeting hall, protesters also clashed with police over a wide range of causes. Why are they marching and what do they want? We'll have a firsthand view from the streets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: President Obama arriving back in Washington just about a half hour ago. Actually, Andrews Air Force base where he got on a helicopter to fly back to the White House. He was at a weekend-long economic summit in Canada, where the leaders of the group 20 wealthy nations took on the ambitious task of restoring economic growth while reducing global debt. At the end of their meetings, they promise to cut government deficits in half by the year 2013.

And at a news conference, President Obama said leaders made progress on reforming the world's financial system. He also said the U.S. will be assisting Afghanistan for a long time to come and that North Korea's sinking of a South Korean ship is belligerent behavior that is unacceptable.

As we have reported, protesters were a constant presence at this G-20 Summit. President Obama and the other leaders were separated from the protestors by security perimeter. Police tell us no protesters were able to breach security around the meeting site but they did gather in several areas not far from where the leaders were meeting. Once arrested, demonstrators were taken to a prisoner processing center created to handle the G-20 arrests.

CNN's Dan Lothian covered the G-20 Summit from the start to finish, and then questioned President Obama at his news conference tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a final day of key bilateral meetings in Toronto, President Obama posed for the traditional G-20 class photo and admitted his push for continued stimulus spending to sustain a fragile global economic recovery won't be embraced by all nations. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every economy is unique. And every country will chart its own unique course. But make no mistake, we are moving in the same direction.

LOTHIAN: In a communique, leaders of the world's key economies agreed to ambitious targets for controlling bulging deficits, pledging to cut them in half by 2013. At his closing press conference, President Obama went beyond economic matters. He had tough words for China and its, quote, "posture of restraint in dealing with its neighbor North Korea, especially after the attack and sinking of a South Korean ship."

OBAMA: I think there's a difference between restraint and willful blindness to consistent problems. This is not an issue where you have got two parties of moral equivalence who are having an argument. This is a situation in which you have a belligerent nation that engaged in provocative and deadly acts against the other.

LOTHIAN: On Afghanistan, President Obama said even with U.S. involvement, no one expects a complete transformation any time soon. Or even in the next five years.

(on camera) What makes you think that after declaring victory in Afghanistan that it won't slide back into becoming a haven for terrorists?

OBAMA: Well, I don't have a crystal ball. I think that right now the debate surrounding Afghanistan is presented as either we get up and leave immediately because there's no chance at a positive outcome. Or we stay basically indefinitely and do, quote/unquote, "whatever it takes for as long as it takes." And what I said last year, I will repeat, which is we have a vital national interest in making sure that Afghanistan is not used as a base to launch terrorist attacks.

LOTHIAN (on camera): The real work begins now as these world leaders head home to confront their bulging deficits. They'll sit down again at the next G-20 meeting set for November in South Korea. Now the other view of this summit here in Toronto, protesters. Some got violent. Many were arrested. For more on that, here's my colleague Jeanne Meserve.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite a heavy rain and descending darkness, police and protesters faced off on the streets of Toronto into the evening, continuing a confrontation that had begun in the afternoon.

Police hemmed in a group demonstrators and unmoved by the Canadian national anthem moved forcefully to clear them out of the streets. Here the police detained dozens and some resisted. In the course of the day, police took hundreds into custody. Police stopped young people on the streets checking bags for suspicious items, searching for the people who had vandalized the city during Saturday's protest.

WENDY DRUMMOND, TORONTO POLICE SERVICES: These people out there they weren't protesters. They weren't demonstrators. They were criminals.

MESERVE: The temporary detention center where protests were taken became a flash point for even more demonstrations. And the police used teargas. Critics said police had violated the law.

NATHALIE DES ROSIERS, CANADIAN CIVIL LIBERTIES ASSOCIATION: For the G-20 it looks like the presumption of innocence has been forgotten and police powers have been expanded. This was not what we had expected and it's inappropriate. Shouldn't be happening.

RYAN WHITE, MOVEMENT OF DEFENSE COMMITTEE: Protesters are being held for up to eight hours without water. They're often being given minimal food. They're often being held six to eight per cell.

MESERVE: Police say it is their job to catch the people responsible for Saturday's downtown destruction. And they claim the public is helping them to do that with videos and photos. But they have not caught all of those responsible yet. So expect the arrests to continue though the G-20 summit is over and done.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Toronto.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And a reminder, we are following developing news out of Washington. The man who has cast more votes in the U.S. Senate than any other American is seriously ill. Senator Robert Byrd hospitalized. We'll have the details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: More on our developing story right now. Senator Robert Byrd, the longest serving member of Congress in history, reported in serious condition tonight in a Washington area hospital. His office says the 92-year-old West Virginia Democrat was admitted last week initially believed to be suffering just from heat exhaustion and dehydration. But doctors say other conditions have developed, and he is now described as, quote, "seriously ill." Byrd first elected to the Senate in 1958 after serving six years in the House.

The other developing story, tropical depression Alex in the gulf. And we bring in Jacqui Jeras for new developments on that story.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Well, we just got word that it's been upgraded to a tropical storm. So those winds have been intensifying. About 45 miles per hour. The hurricane hunters were able to fly into the storm since it's no longer over land to get a better handle on the intensity of the storm as well as the center of circulation. The forecast track has changed very little, but take note also of the rapid intensification we're going to be seeing here over the next 48 hours. Now forecast to become a category 2 hurricane by your Wednesday. But the forecast landfall has changed very little into northern parts of Mexico or possibly into southern Texas.

Drew?

GRIFFIN: Jacqui, thank you.

We're getting another information on another weather story. This in Michigan where a tornado struck a campground near Detroit. The police have just told us that one person died as a result of this storm that is believed to be a tornado. Not confirmed yet. Instead of four as we were told earlier. You can see the campers there tossed all over the place. One actually tossed in the middle of a lake. Again, police telling us now that one person killed in this, not four as they earlier reported.

We'll give you a heads-up on some of the big stories shaping up this week. Reports from the White House, Pentagon, Wall Street and showbiz. That's coming in just two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Now a look at the stories you'll be hearing a lot about in the week ahead. From the Pentagon, to Wall Street, to Hollywood, but we will start tonight at the White House.

LOTHIAN: I'm Dan Lothian with the president in Toronto. This week, Mr. Obama will be focusing on climate and energy legislation. He'll welcome a king to the White House inside and he'll talk up the economy. So it all starts on Tuesday when Mr. Obama will sit down with a bipartisan group of senators to talk about getting energy and climate legislation done this year.

Later that day, he will welcome King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to the White House. And then on Wednesday, President Obama flies to Wisconsin to talk up the economy and job creation.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. This week, General David Petraeus returns to Capitol Hill. This time for confirmation hearings as the new head of the war in Afghanistan after General Stanley McChrystal was fired by the president. Expect General Petraeus to get confirmed, but expect him to first get a lot of tough questions from the Senate about his plans to show progress in the war.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. A lot ahead this week on Wall Street on the heels of that G-20 meeting. A number of key economic reports including the latest home price survey and a reading on consumer confidence.

Also ahead, General Motors will hold an investor meeting on Tuesday for the first time since that company filed for bankruptcy. And Wall Street will be watching Washington to see if Congress acts on financial reform legislation. And finally, we will get that all- important June jobs report. It comes on Friday morning before the market opens. We'll track it all for you on CNN Money.

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer. We're expecting big fallout this week after Michael Jackson's father filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Michael's doctor Conrad Murray.

And Tom Cruise's big return to the big screen in his new movie that open over the weekend. Has Cruise finally put his controversies behind him once and for all?

All that plus all the big news breaking on "Showbiz Tonight." We're live at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. And we are still TV's most provocative entertainment news show at 11:00 Eastern and Pacific on HLN.

GRIFFIN: And up next right here, another distraction for California drivers could be on the horizon. Get this. It may help the state generate revenue, but you'll have to put ad space on your license plate.

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GRIFFIN: You've seen electronic billboards, of course. Well, can you imagine one small enough to fit on the back of your car? That is what a California state senator is suggesting. His bill proposing California look into the new technology of digital electronic license plate. For an old reason. They need money out there in California. The state has $19 billion of debt.

State Senator Curren Price joins us live from Los Angeles.

Thanks for joining us, sir.

First, let me ask you the obvious. Your state has an 11-digit debt, and you are talking about making money with license plates? I mean, could you possibly make enough money to make a dent in that debt?

CURREN PRICE (D), CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE: Well, not with the license plate alone. But I think if we started being creative and think outside of the box, ideas like this, have the potential of generating the kinds of revenues that could make a difference in our state.

GRIFFIN: But seriously how much money could you make? We're going to show a mock license plate that the company smart plate is putting up. We're going to show this up there. But how much money can you possibly make when you got such a huge, huge problem out there in terms of debt?

PRICE: Well, again, the idea of this bill is not to solve our budget problem. But merely to utilize some innovative technology and some ways that we haven't before to achieve cost savings, generate revenue and to help achieve safety. These digital plates are not unlike the vanity plates that have been very popular, not just in our state, but throughout this country.

And, indeed, in California, there's a whale plate, for example, that's generated $3.8 million from about 125,000 motorists. So we think the potential is there. And this technology would permit a variety of pre-approved ads or messages to be displayed only when the vehicle comes to a stop.

GRIFFIN: Senator, I have lived in California for ten years. I know the traffic out there. The traffic patterns. And just how people drive.

Do you really want people looking at license plates to look up at an ad while they are trying to navigate the freeways?

PRICE: Well, again, while they are navigating the freeway, while the vehicle is moving, the regular license would appear. The message or the ad would only show when the vehicle has come to a complete stop.

GRIFFIN: And how is the bill doing? Does this really have a shot, and is the company ready to move forward?

PRICE: I think it does have a shot because there are several companies in California that have expressed an interest in this technology in the application since the bill became public. I am excited because it's a chance to plug into the entrepreneurial spirit of California, the innovative spirit, and to partner with the public sector in trying to solve some problems.

GRIFFIN: Well, as cookie as it sounds to me, California usually sets the trend for these things. So we may all be seeing these license plate in the future if your bill passes.

Senator, thank you for joining us from Los Angeles tonight.

PRICE: Well, let me just say we've had interests from England, from Australia, all around the world. We think it's more than a cookie idea. Certainly worth exploring. And my bill merely gives the authority to do the study.

GRIFFIN: All right. Senator Curren Price, thank you. Joining us from Los Angeles tonight on the idea of turning your license plate into a billboard. Albeit when your vehicle is stopped. Senator, thank you.

Well, having a baby isn't easy for anyone, especially a gay couple. Up next, a look at the changing face of families in America.

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GRIFFIN: In about ten minutes from now, CNN is going to go in- depth on gay parenting in America. When we take a look at our documentary "Gary & Tony Have a Baby." You're going to see the personal and legal struggles of these two men who decide to have a baby. Here's an excerpt from Soledad O'Brien's report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's a baby on the way and Gary and Tony need just about everything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to meet you, too. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I haven't been in here.

O'BRIEN: So they register for their baby shower.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is so exciting. All right. You're going to have a baby. How old?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How old?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the baby?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Newborn?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it's been born.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not adoption. No, no, no, we're having it with our surrogate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. And so --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So she's 38 weeks pregnant now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, so she's really having your baby?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: You know, since airing this documentary, we've gotten like 7,000 e-mails on our CNN.com/GayInAmerica. I want to show you some of them because the reaction has been so strong.

Let's take a look at this one. "This is not natural. If two men and two women can't make a child together, then they shouldn't have children. This will be so confusing to the children when they hit their teens."

Here's another one. "While sexual orientation is irrelevant to parenting, the legal ramifications to the child when the gay parents split up has not. Until laws address gay marriage, divorce and how to handle the children, there should not be gay parenting."

"It doesn't matter the sexual orientation writes this person of the parents, but if the parents can love and care for the child. There are too many children in orphanages in the United States."

And finally, this one. "Two gay partners who want a child are a whole lot better than two straight partners who just mess up and have a child."

You can read them all at CNN.com/GayInAmerica. We'll be right back after this.

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GRIFFIN: Finally tonight, Vice President Joe Biden living up to his reputation for shooting from the hip. He got into a little back and forth Saturday with a custard shop manager in Wisconsin after sampling the store's specialty, here's what happened when the vice president tried to pay for his cone. Listen up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: What do we owe you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't worry, it's on us.

BIDEN: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lower our taxes or call it even.

BIDEN: Why don't you say something of being a smart (EXPLETIVE DELETED) all the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Did you hear that? The store manager told reporters that he enjoyed the banter with Biden and he said there are no hard feelings. He also said Biden later whispered to him, quote, "I'm just kidding."

I'm Drew Griffin at the CNN center in Atlanta. Our documentary special "Gary & Tony Have a Baby" is next.