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General Petraeus Takes Command of International Security Forces in Afghanistan; President Obama Promotes Comprehensive Immigration Reform; Gulf States Hope For Busy Independence Day Weekend

Aired July 03, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, there, everybody. Good morning from the CNN center in Atlanta, Georgia, our world headquarters. This is CNN Saturday morning, 10:00 a.m., where I am here in Atlanta, 7:00 out in Los Angeles, California. Wherever you may be, clad you could be right here. I'm T.J. Holmes.

And we are waking up to a beautiful, beautiful sight, look at that. Pensacola, Florida, take a look at the beautiful beach. But There is more to the story than this. Hoping for a big weekend this weekend with the holiday, but the oil disaster is keeping a lot of people away. We are going to be checking in on just what kind of weekend they are hoping to have.

Also, a lot of people looking for a way to support the troops. I've got a way you can do it. Drink beer. Seriously, we will explain how you can do that.

But first, let me check some of the other stories that are making headlines right now. We will start with the Democratic Republic of Congo where at least 230 people are dead. This after an oil tanker flipped and exploded. Again, this is in the DRC in Central Africa.

Officials believe a lit cigarette may have ignited as local residents gathered around to try to recover the oil spilling from that tanker. Authorities say they also expect the number of casualties to rise from 230 where it is right now.

Also, I want to show you a picture, a live picture here. We are listening in to this. This is in Lutz, Florida. This is just outside of Tampa. This is the funeral service for two officers who are being laid to rest. They were gunned down this week, earlier this week, 31- year-old David Curtis and 31-year-old Jeffrey Kokav.

What you are seeing here is the suspect in the case after a four- Man hunt. Here are the officers themselves, 31 years old, both of them, only separated by a couple of months. Also, one officer, Dave Curtis, he has four kids, a nine, an eight, a five, and a eight-month- old. The other officer, Jeff, has a wife who is right now nine months pregnant.

The two were gunned down by a suspect, 24-year-old Dante Morris, a four day man hunt. That guy is now in custody. This is a live picture of this going on right now, the memorial service. We will continue to keep an eye on what is a sad, very tragic and difficult day for the community of Tampa.

I want to turn now to Afghanistan. The deadliest month for the coalition troops in Afghanistan was last month. This month there is a change of command. General David Petraeus is now officially on the job.

CNN's Atia Abawi has the latest from the capital of Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: General David Petraeus spent his first full day in Afghanistan on Saturday as the top NATO commander. It started with the daily morning ISAF briefing where a NATO spokesperson said he was activity engaged, asking questions, and getting the lay of the land.

Following that, he went to the U.S. embassy for Fourth of July celebrations a day before the actual American Independence Day. That's where he and U.S. ambassador, Karl Eikenberry welcomed and greeted several hundred dignitaries. He also spoke to the crowd and said a united front must be met to have success in the war in Afghanistan.

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, ISAF COMMANDER: I'm reminded that this is an effort in which we must achieve unity of effort and common purpose. Civilian and military, Afghan and international, we are part of one team with one mission. In this important endeavor, cooperation is not optional. This is a tough mission. There is nothing easy about it.

ABAWI: Following the embassy event, General Petraeus met with his top commanders here on the ground in Afghanistan to assess the situation. But his most important meeting of the day is that with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, where he needs to build a very strong relationship to show a unite front between the NATO coalition and the Afghan government.

President Karzai had a very strong relationship with the former top commander, General Stanley McChrystal, who was dismissed by President Obama a little over a week ago. General Petraeus' biggest challenge will be the security in Afghanistan as well as the partnership with the Afghan government.

Atia Abawi, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: It is now day 75 of the Gulf oil disaster, and the oil continues to gush into the Gulf as we speak. Live picture here. We have been watching these for some time now, and they haven't changed a whole lot -- an estimated 35,000 to 60,000 barrels going into the gulf every single day.

So what's happening now? Scientists are actually going to be meeting and talking about the chemical dispersants. We have seen the first study that shows these chemicals do not have an impact on marine life, at least on their own. That's what this study showed. But there is some dispute about that already, a lot of conflict over these so-called dispersants. Again, 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil out there.

And the hurricane, tropical storm Alex, it has gone away, but still, it is causing a problem out there because of the rough waters that have made it difficult for the skimming ships to get back out there, a lot of them, those skipper boats, to get out there and operate in the rough waters.

Also, the rough waters could cause a problem down there at the actual well itself. The cap on top has been bouncing around a bit, so that means not as much oil is being siphoned up.

But as all that is going on, the recovery efforts, still people are hoping this will be a big weekend in the Gulf, because this is one of the biggest weekend, one they depend on, the Fourth of July weekend. Because of the oil disaster, it is keeping people away.

Our Reynolds Wolf is in the Gulf for us today in Alabama. Reynolds, good morning to you. You have been hearing the story there. They are hoping this will be a big weekend, but not a whole lot of reason for optimism at the same time.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I am telling you, man, just contrast of what happened last year in terms of this year in terms of businesses, it is mind-boggling. You couldn't find a hotel anywhere on the beach. Everything was basically booked up. Now, this year, you have places that are still only 50 percent to 70 percent full at this time, rooms last year that went for $225 on average now going for about $150 or less. It really is a tough time.

But perception is everything. What they are doing is they are working very hard to make things look very good. They are really working very hard. The oil has been detected not only here and parts of Alabama but parts of Florida and Mississippi.

Take a look over here you will see some of the cleanup efforts, a couple of the earth movers moving the sand barriers in place to help prevent the oil coming up on shore. They have been working so hard around the clock. You have to give your hats off to these guys, wonderful men and women working so hard to keep their community looking great. And it does look beautiful.

You can still come out to the beaches. They are, indeed, open. The only thing that is different, the water. They have not one but two red flags up. You can come out here but, of course, you cannot get into the water.

The reason is twofold. For one, you have some oil out there. Second is the surf is so incredibly rough. We have big waves out there, the threat of rip currents, the undertow might be strong. But that's not going to keep you from enjoying the beautiful, white, sand beaches. And thirty-two miles of them, the business itself brings in $1.1 billion each year in tourism. T.J., let's send it back to you.

HOLMES: Reynolds, we talk about some challenges they might have. Is weather going to be a challenge? We are going to talk to Bonnie in a second, but it looks like the winds are kicking you. You have a cloudy morning right now.

WOLF: Absolutely. All things being considered, it doesn't make the beach any less beautiful. The cloud cover is actually quite nice. A week or so ago, we were talking about temperatures in the heat index is up to 115 degrees. So it is a nice break. Anyone coming out here is certainly going to enjoy it.

I'll tell you earlier, we had a chance to speak with Grant Brown who works with the city of Gulf shores. This was going to be a really great season until all this happened. It has been certainly a bad run of luck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRANT BROWN, DIRECTOR OF RECREATION, GULF SHORES, ALABAMA: The residents here and the businesses, 100 days generally in the summertime is when they can make or break their business. And this event started at the most inappropriate or inopportune time of any time. And so you have businesses here hanging on, they're still trying. We need people to come down and support them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF: They are still planning on a great fireworks display that will be a great sight to see. Weather should hold. Bonnie Schneider will have the latest on your forecast coming up. T.J., let's kick it back to you.

HOLMES: She is coming up in a second. Thanks so much, Reynolds. We will talk to you again soon.

And also in a couple of minute we have a whole lot more on the efforts to bring the tourists back to the shores. They are counting on that guy, Jimmy Buffett. That's coming up in just a few minutes at the bottom of the hour.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: Also heating up, the issue of immigration reform. The man stirring up controversy for some this time, we will put that squarely on the president. We'll get into that in just a minute

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Quarter past the hour on CNN Saturday morning. President Obama setting off a renewed debate over immigration reform. In his speech on Thursday, the president defended efforts to secure the border and took aim at Arizona's new immigration law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is not just that the law Arizona passed is divisive, although it has fanned the flames of an already contentious debate. Laws like Arizona's puts huge pressures on local law enforcement to enforce rules that are ultimately unenforceable.

Today we have more boots on the ground near the southwest border at any time in our history. Let me repeat that. We have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Arizona's governor said the state took action because the federal government has not. Governor Jan Brewer promises to defend the immigration law and challenged the president on border security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER, (R) ARIZONA: I say, to the president of the United States, do your job. Secure our borders.

(APPLAUSE)

As for me, I'm not surrendering. I'm going to continue to do everything in my power to protect this state. No apologies, no quitting, no retreat. I'll tell you something else, we're not going to pick up the tab either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right, literally, he said, she said in this debate. What do the folks out there think about it? Paul Steinhauser, our deputy political director, is here with some of the latest numbers. What do Americans think about it? And I also probably need to ask you, are leaders listening to what Americans think about it?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, let's start with what they think about it first, T.J. Take a look at these numbers from CNN, our most recent numbers on immigration. We asked, beefing up the border, more U.S. law enforcement on the border? You can see there obviously, nine out of 10 approve of that, pretty overwhelming.

Take a look at this. How do you feel about allowing illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. if they have a job and pay taxes? Eight out of 10. Those are pretty strong numbers. Those kind of tell you something.

Then, we asked this, what's more important, what should be the focus of U.S. policy on illegal immigration? And look at the bottom there, six out of 10 say deporting them and stopping more. So border security is more important than allowing them a path to legal residence, T.J.

The president, when he was a candidate running for the White House, he promised to take action, trying to get some comprehensive immigration reform early in the first term. We are now a year and a half year in. But sources tell our Dana Bash, it doesn't look likely Congress will act before the mid-terms in November. HOLMES: Yes, and some of those numbers even seem to contradict each other with the feelings of Americans. What about this Arizona law that was the impetus for setting off the debate, what do Americans think about that?

STEINHAUSER: A lot of talk about this law which will take effect later this month. We asked, how do you feel about the immigration law in Arizona? And a majority in our poll, 57 percent favor it. Similar numbers in other national polls by other national organizations over the last two months, that a majority do favor it.

You had that sound from Jan Brewer. She is the governor of Arizona. She is in a very competitive Republican gubernatorial primary. That will be held next month, and as you can imagine, immigration reform, border security, and the new law are top issues out there, T.J.

HOLMES: She has been toughening up her rhetoric here over the past several days. Paul Steinhauser, we appreciate you, as always. Thanks so much.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you.

HOLMES: We are going to turn to some world cup in a minute. Even if you are not watching so much since the U.S. is out, you missed something yesterday that will leave you heartbroken.

Also, a former NBA star marking a milestone in a summer camp he holds for a special group of ballplayers. It is 20 minutes past the hour here on CNN Saturday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Taking a look at some of the stories making headlines -- at least 230 people dead after an oil tanker flips and explodes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Officials believe a lit cigarette may have been to blame. Local residents try recovering the spilled oil. Congolese authorities say they expect the number of dead to rise.

General David Petraeus is meeting with U.S. diplomats in the American embassy in Kabul. He has arrived in Afghanistan at a time when the violence seems to be on the rise. When he got there, militants attacked a US AID agency, killing five and wounding another 20. No Americans among the dead.

Last month was the deadliest for NATO troops since the war started.

And also, in Mogadishu, six people were killed in fighting there on Friday. Fighting was between hard line Islamist and government forces, and 32 people have been killed in the last three days. Government forces are fighting members of a militant group, and about 200,000 Somalis have fled their homes this year. A journalist at a news conference waw critically wounded. For the more than 30,000 troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, adjusting to home life can be difficult. In this week's "CNN Hero" edition, this hero is helping those troops rebuild their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baghdad ended up being the ahead on the right. I sustained a very severe blast injury. My life came to a halt.

DAN WALLRATH, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: You look sharp today.

I've been doing custom homes for 30 years. One of the most important things for a family is a home.

WALLRATH: I want you to read the sign for me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Future home of Sergeant Alexander Reyes, United States army.

(APPLAUSE)

WALLRATH: Giving these folk as new home means the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. That's all I can say.

WALLRATH: My name is Dan Wallrath. Five years ago I had a friend of mine call me. A friend of his son had been injured in Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the day after he graduated from boot camp.

WALLRATH: He showed me pictures. His son was a big, strapping marine. Then he showed me pictures of Stephen in the hospital. It just broke my heart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stephen was wheelchair bound. We would have to remodel. Dan says, we are going to take care of it.

WALLRATH: I realized, this is not an isolated case. So went back to my builder buddies and said we've got to do something. We build homes for returning heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan. The houses are mortgage-free. It changes the whole families lives, gives them a new start so they can move forward.

These young men and women are doing this for you and me. How can I not help them?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: I got to talk to Mr. Wallrath yesterday. He said they put up about seven houses so far, and they are expanding it outside of Texas. They can build these houses for about $25,000 because so much of the materials and time and effort are donated to them so it doesn't cost them a lot of money to do it. That's just one of our heroes.

To find out more or to nominate someone you think is changing the world, you can go to CNN.com/heroes and let us know about that person.

World Cup, as you know, underway right now. A couple of big games today, but we saw big games yesterday, some of them ended in heartbreaking fashion. We'll be catching you up on the World Cup.

And Wimbledon, it's still going on. We have a winner we just found out about. We'll tell you about that right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Yes, she has done it again. Serena has picked up another Wimbledon championship. She just finished up just minutes ago. Serena Williams picked up her fourth Wimbledon. I believe this is now her 13th grand slam title all together. She just won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, I believe it was with Serena Williams picking up another grand slam title, another paycheck.

We don't have the video for you just yet. There are some rules and restrictions there. But just trust me when I say that Serena picked up another one at Wimbledon. This just happened moments ago.

Well, on the basketball court, though, a celebration of basketball for the hearing impaired. Former basketball player, former NBA player, Mike Glen, he runs a basketball camp each year that helps deaf children sharpen their skills. He has done this for 30 straight years.

I spoke is to them about approaching this unique milestone and why he does this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A symphony of balls bouncing and shoes squeaking on a hardwood floor. Every basketball gym sounds the same, or at least sounds the same to you and me. To many of these athletes, it sounds more like this.

These high school students are deaf. On the court, they are determined to be like any other athlete. This camp gives them a chance to learn the game from former NBA guard, Mike Glenn.

MIKE GLENN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: Too many lazy passes and the defense is still in the ball.

HOLMES: He can hear just fine.

(on camera): You are not deaf?

GLENN: No.

HOLMES: Nobody in your family is deaf?

GLENN: No.

HOLMES: Close friends maybe, grew up with anybody deaf?

GLENN: No, not that I didn't develop from growing up with them.

HOLMES: And you have been running a deaf basketball camp for 30 years?

GLENN: Yes, sir.

HOLMES: How does that make sense?

(LAUGHTER)

GLENN: It was very interesting, T.J. It really came from my dad.

HOLMES: His dad, Charles Glenn, took a teaching job in 1952 at the Georgia school for the deaf and volunteered to start a basketball program for the students.

GLENN: So when I was born, I was into that family and I just would go with dad and hang around and watch dad and fell in love with the game and with deaf culture. And it was taken off from there.

HOLMES: Glenn parlayed his love of basketball into a ten-year NBA career and his love for the deaf into a lifetime of commitment.

GLENN: I think you have to make the best of what you are given this. Is what I was given. So I have to be true to it.

HOLMES: The camp gives deaf kids a chance to compete but also the confidence of learning the game around kids like them and from coaches who know how to relate.

GLENN: It is easy to communicate first thing. It is very easy to communicate. But it is very challenging. There are a lot of physical players here. Sometimes, you can't hit a referee but they are still playing. Don't know exactly when to stop, can't hear the buzzer.

HOLMES: There are few camps out there like Glenn's. Yes, his is different but part of the mission is the same as any other summer camp -- Let kids be kids.

And it all goes back to what Glenn learned when he was just a kid.

GLENN: My dad gave me this heritage. So I think I'm on honoring him by carrying it on. So I keep doing that too, you know, because of my dad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Mike Glenn there. You can check out more at this basketball camp. It's at mikeglenn.com.

A lot of people are going to be kicking back, a little barbecue, enjoying some fireworks. You can also do something with the troops, for the troops, at your barbecue. It is not for everybody, just for you guys drinking beer. And the more beer you drink, the more you can help out, I think. That sounds strange. We will explain, though.

It is 33 minutes past the hour. There is my man. We got Windall back. You recognize that guy. We will be talking with him right after this break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We are at 36 minutes past the hour. I want to take a look at some of the stories making headlines.

At least 230 people dead and another 190 injured after an oil tanker flipped over and exploded. This was in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa. Officials say the tanker was attempting to overtake a bus whether it flipped. The fire apparently started by someone smoking a cigarette.

Authorities say lot of people gathered around after the tanker wrecked to try to recover some of the spilled oil.

A drug charge against Paris Hilton has been dropped. This was in South Africa. The hotel heiress was arrested there on suspicion of marijuana possession. She was later released after her photographer pleaded guilty to that charge.

Also, Chicago city council has unanimously approved a new gun ordinance. This is after the Supreme Court ruled the city's gun ban was unconstitutional. Chicago residents will now be allowed one operable firearm per household while all other guns have to be locked. Residents, if you have a gun, you cannot leave the house with it. You can't step out on your porch, your backyard, or even the garage.

The World Cup, everybody is keeping an eye on the World Cup this weekend, or everybody else in the world. I know we are not a soccer country. You are missing some good stuff if you are not watching, a couple of big games.

I want to bring in my good friend, Isha Sesay I want to talk about the game from yesterday. There is no greater heartbreak. This was the worst loss I have ever seen in my life of watching sporting events. This was heartbreaking for Ghana.

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was absolutely heartbreaking, T.J. At the end of it all, I sat in a crumbled heap, not sure what to make of it all. To see Ghana lose that quarterfinal match to Uruguay, the fact that it came down to penalties at the end.

To think that Ghana played so well, T.J. You have to bear in mind that Ghana was carrying the hopes of the entire African continent. The last representative of the African continent left in the tournament. South Africa had adopted them and even renamed them from the Black Stars to "Bagana Bagana." They merged South Africa's team with them.

To see it all come down to a moment where a penalty was given, but he fluffed the penalty. They went into added time, into penalties, and Ghana, just when they needed the quality to find the back of the net, they just couldn't do it, T.J.

It was absolutely heartbreaking, T.J. not to mention that one of the Uruguayan players used his hands to clear the ball off the line. There was so much that went wrong in that match, T.J. And Africa was left with disappointment, T.J.

HOLMES: This was brutal, hard to take. You can tell me about what's going on today. My heart is not in it anymore, but go ahead.

(LAUGHTER)

SESAY: OK. I am going to see what I can work you into today's game. Some are calling this a clash of the titans. You should perk up and pay the attention. It is happening in Cape Town between Argentina and Germany.

T.J., for our international viewers, to give them some kind of perspective, these two sides met at exactly the same stage four years ago in Germany. That match went to penalties. Germany won. But there was a massive fight at the end of that, two Argentine players ending with FIFA bans.

So they come to this match in Cape Town today with so much bad blood. And there has already been a goal, and it's gone the way of Germany, Thomas Mueller heading home from a free kick. T.J.?

HOLMES: Isha, good to see you. Wish you had better news for us.

SESAY: You are not into it.

HOLMES: I was into the Ghana, the Africa thing. But good to see you, Isha. Enjoy the rest of your time over there at World Cup.

We want to pass along some news we are just getting from Iraq right now about the vice president of the United States. We are just getting word that, in fact, Vice President Biden has made his way to Iraq. He has arrived there.

We have seen this in previous times. Some presidents, including President Bush and also President Obama, have made surprise trips to war zones. That is in the interest of safety.

Right now, vice president, we are told, has made his way to Iraq. We are expecting him to visit with some of the troops on this Fourth of July. Also expect him to have talks about Iraqi leaders about, quite frankly, trying to get the government together there.

And also, he arrives at a time when we are expecting here in the end of August is when it is supposed to be, the end of August, President Obama announced that that is when all U.S. combat forces would be moved out of Iraq. So this comes at a very critical time.

There are important talks to be having over there in addition to visiting with troops on this Fourth of July holiday weekend. But all U.S. troops who are combat troops are supposed to be out by August 31st, supposed to leave another 50,000 troops there to do training and other exercises with Iraqi forces, so a very critical time.

And then by the end of next year, 2011, is when the president has announced that all U.S. forces would be out of Iraq. So the vice president, the word we are just getting, has made a surprise trip over to Iraq, has landed there. When we get video, we will certainly pass it along to you.

Also, this morning, on this Fourth of July, a lot of people have their minds on the troops right now, including a pretty popular beer company. It was one of the most popular ad campaigns of the Super Bowl, a series of one-second ads. Watch this. You need to watch closely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's my line? One Mississippi. Milwaukee, champagne and beer. Beer is here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Miller High Life, that famous pitch man got another message, an important one, though -- support American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The company wants you to mail beer caps and beer tabs back to them. In exchange, they will donate up to $1 million to a fund to help soldiers and their families have a little fun.

Here is the new Miller High Life commercial. Look at this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you buddy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These must be here for the parade.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you look at that, paying to have a designer's name all over your luggage. What is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me, sir. Whose name is on your duffle bag? My name, O'Brien.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That deserves a piece of the high life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miller High Life is saluting vets of Iraq and Afghanistan. For every bottle cap returned, 10 cents will be donated to help give bets a piece of the High Life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, joining us now, two guys. They look like brothers from another mother, don't they? Actor Windall Middlebrooks and also the executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Paul Rieckoff. Gentlemen, thank you both for being here.

Windall, good to have you back on the show with a much different message this time around. Tell me what was the thought from Miller to go this route and try something else? WINDALL MIDDLEBROOKS, ACTOR: Well, first of all, good to see you again, T.J. and thank you for having us back, and good morning, Paul.

PAUL RIECKOFF, DIRECTOR, IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA: Hello, Windall.

MIDDLEBROOKS: The last time we were here, we were giving back. After you take back the high life, there comes a responsibility. We are taking it back from a certain group. Who is the group we should be giving it to?

This time we decided it is time to honor veterans. So we want to give veterans of America a piece of the high life. So as they're returning, we want them to get back to the quality of life that we have been enjoying as they have been over sacrificing.

So we want to give them tickets to games and NASCAR races and concerts where they can have time to come back and enjoy with their family. So --

HOLMES: Sorry there, Windall, but Paul, what did you think about this idea? Everybody wants to help out troops in one way or another. Quite frankly, the more beer people drink, the more they can help out. What did you think about this campaign?

RIECKOFF: It's a great way to connect with our troops and veterans. It's common sense. I am down in San Diego right now. For the Fourth of July, we're going to have 1,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families at the Padres' game.

Miller High Life is really stepping up here. And it gives all Americans a way to get involved and connect with our veterans, which is what we need, not just on July Fourth but throughout the summer and throughout the year.

HOLMES: And Windall, am I selling this the right way and should I say drink as much beer as you can to help the troops?

MIDDLEBROOKS: Man, the thing is, you know Fourth of July, you are going to be drinking anyway.

(LAUGHTER)

With the high life, you can give back to something that's important. That's all it is. People have been asking, what can I do to say thank you? Instead of being lazy and throwing it in the trash can, take your bottle caps or pull tabs to grocery stores and bars or mail them in. And then now you're helping a veteran get to have a good time with his family, and I think that's great.

HOLMES: Paul, what can this $1 million go towards? What could you do it with that money?

RIECKOFF: One dimension, it will provide thousands of experiences for vets and their family, NASCAR pit passes and Major League all star game, but also it will support our work at IAVA. We provide educational support, employment opportunities, mental health support, family support. That will go a long way for the two million men and women that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

HOLMES: Windall, are we starting to see a softer, gentler side of Miller? We are so used to the funny commercials. The last time I talked to you, that was around the Super Bowl. You were donating to businesses who are having a tough time with the economy. You are now taking up some pretty serious campaigns.

MIDDLEBROOKS: You are seeing a softer side. We are still funny and still acting the nut. That won't change. The heart is there. How can we really make a difference? With Miller, Coors, the power they have, they have decided we want to start this movement of giving back.

And so if we start it, we have many followers, many beer drinkers who will follow and contribute to that. And so this is just starting a movement to get everybody involved. And so I won't say it's a softer sigh. We are still talking noise and giving back the high life. But now we're giving it to people who deserve it.

HOLMES: Paul, you going to have a high life or two this weekend?

RIECKOFF: With Windall, for sure.

MIDDLEBROOKS: We're going to have more than two.

HOLMES: Gentlemen, good to see you both, Paul, Windall.

RIECKOFF: Thank you, T.J.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, T.J.

HOLMES: And speaking of the war zones, Afghanistan and Iraq, we are going to go live to Iraq in just a moment. We are going to take a quick break. But as we mentioned, the vice president has made a surprise trip. He is there in the Iraq. We will take you there live in just moments. Stay here with us. Its' about quarter to the top of the hour.

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HOLMES: We are getting word that Vice President Joe Biden and his wife have landed in Iraq on a surprise trip to celebrate Independence Day with the U.S. troops. As you can imagine, the vice president is going to have some serious talks with the Iraqi officials there as well.

Our Arwa Damon is live for us in Baghdad. Arwa, tell us what could be the meaning. Certainly, he is going to be meeting with troops but much more meaning to this visit by the vice president.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There most certainly is, T.J., and this cams a surprise not only because of Vice President Biden's visit but because he came with his wife as well, Dr. Jill Biden. Now, Vice President Biden will be meeting with top Iraqi officials, including the president and the prime minister as well as the leaders of the political parties most likely in an effort to put pressure on all sides to come to an agreement to form a government.

Everyone here is worried about the political vacuum that has been created after the inconclusive elections. This could go as the U.S. military is sticking to its very strict timeline to draw down their forces to 50,000 by the end of August and bring about an end to all combat operations.

He is going to be dealing with the political side and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden is going to be meeting with the troops and also with Iraqi English teachers that teach in the greater Baghdad area. As far as we're aware, this is the first time there is a visit from a senior U.S. officials that has come with his spouse as well, perhaps a signal of how the U.S. is viewing the situation on the ground, perhaps an indication that the United States is beginning to feel more secure when it comes to stability in this country.

This all of course does come amongst a pretty tense political time, especially when it comes to the Iraqi side. It comes at a time when the Iraqi people themselves are feeling very uneasy about the situation. Even though unarguably, security has improved, it still remains unpredictable.

HOLMES: And I was trying to remember any time we knew of a spouse accompanying a leader over to Iraq. I certainly can't think of one. This may be a signal and something we need to pay attention to possibly.

Also, Arwa, remind us and remind our viewers that all combat troops are supposed to be out by the end of August and all troops out by the end of 2010. The administration saying they are sticking to the timelines. Do the leaders of Iraq believe that timeline is realistic?

DAMON: Well, T.J., what we know from senior U.S. administration officials, the Americans are going to stick to that drawdown. Already, only about 77,000 troops in Iraq. That number will go down to 50,000 by the end of August.

And the end of August is also going to signify a change in how the U.S. military operates here. It will signify an end to operation Iraqi freedom. They will still conduct training exercises, but they are going to move more towards what is being called or what is called stability operations.

We are also hearing that efforts are going to be refocused on things like trying to help the Iraqi economy. They are going to be focusing on business and training individuals such as businessmen, teachers, like we are seeing Dr. Biden do here as well. This is a very significant time of change in this country.

But again, we cannot overemphasize just how sensitive the situation here remains. HOLMES: Arwa Damon, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Again, at this moment, the vice president and his wife are both in Iraq right now. We believe it is the first time that we have seen a wife of the president or vice president travel along with their husband to the war zone.

A quick break here on CNN Saturday morning, and we're right back.

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HOLMES: Everybody is wondering right now when or if the tourists are going to show up in the Gulf this weekend, especially Mike Foster. He is with the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau. Mike, thank you for being with us. Compared to last year, what do you expect this week tend to be like?

MIKE FOSTER, ALABAMA GULF COAST CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU: We think the whole month and weekend specifically will be somewhere between 40 percent and 50 percent down over last year.

HOLMES: How damaging is that? The summer months, you guys along the gulf make your money down there. I am sure this is a big weekend.

FOSTER: It is a big weekend. You know, we look at this. We have tried very, very hard. We have tried a lot of different things to get people down here. Now, we are committed that the people here are going to have the best weekend they have ever had on the Alabama Gulf coast.

HOLMES: Now, you say you are trying to get them there. Is it by telling them what you have there or telling them what you don't have, which is a lot of tar and a lot of oil?

FOSTER: Well, actually, what we are telling them and we are being totally honest with it -- yes, we have been impacted by the oil. There is no question about that. But we are working very hard to clean our beaches and to make sure that all of the other things that are available in Gulf shores and orange beach are available for them to use.

HOLMES: What about this Jimmy Buffett angle. Is that going to work for you? That is coming up next weekend.

FOSTER: It is coming next weekend. And quite honestly, there are no tickets to it because they are all sold out. What it has done is it certainly put our destination on the map. There are a lot of people come down and look at our white beaches. They are here to talk about buffet. They get done here and say, that's the most beautiful beach I have seen.

So we have taken the opportunity to tell more and more people about what we are and who we are.

HOLMES: Well, it looks like a beautiful day on the beach as always. We know what's lurking out there in the waters. But Mike Foster, I assure you, everybody is pulling for you with the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Mike, we appreciate you taking some time out on this Saturday morning. And good luck the rest of this weekend. Ok?

FOSTER: Thank you very much. And if people really want to help, people say that they want -- they want to get involved, if they want to get involved, come on down to the Gulf Coast. Spend some time, spend some money. And that's the greatest support that you can give to us.

HOLMES: Well, good message to end on there. Mike thanks so much. And we'll make sure we keep repeating that message to the folks here on CNN. Thanks so much.