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U.S. Troops Get Holiday Surprise; Gulf Coast Disaster; Bird's Eye View Of BP Gusher Shows Pools, Streamers Of Oil; Coast Guard Has Lined Up World's Biggest Skimmer to Clean Up Gulf
Aired July 03, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This fourth of July holiday weekend, a surprise for U.S. troops in Iraq. A visit from vice president Joe Biden and his wife, Jill. The couple's visit comes as American troops are scheduled to draw down in Iraq late next month.
CNN's Arwa Damon reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What was especially surprising about this trip was that Vice President Biden was accompanied by his wife, Jill Biden. The two will be spending the fourth of July with the troops attending a number of events.
Vice President Biden will also be meeting with senior Iraqi government officials as well as the political leadership here. Iraq has been in a state of political chaos, deadlocked since the March inconclusive elections, unable to form a new government. This is causing some concern as the political vacuum that's created could be manipulate by insurgents here trying to regain their foothold.
Mrs. Biden will also be meeting with the troops as well as civilian embassy officials and she's going to be conducting a roundtable with Iraqi women who teach English.
There is also a delegation of U.S. senators made up of McCain, Lieberman and Graham. They said that they spent the day at a Baghdad bakery and upon returning stated that they felt that significant progress had been made here and that Baghdad appeared to be clean and thriving.
Vice president Biden, after meeting with U.S. ambassador Chris hill and the top U.S. commander here, General Ray Odierno, said that he was optimistic about a government being formed. It is important to note that the U.S. officials here, both military and civilian do seem to be significantly more hopeful and optimistic about the formation of a government and about the situation than the Iraqis themselves are.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And in Afghanistan, the new U.S. commander is on the ground. These are pictures just in from Kabul showing General David Petraeus celebrating the fourth of July at the U.S. embassy. He is also holding meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Petraeus arrived in Afghanistan yesterday to replace Stanley McChrystal as the man in charge of U.S. and international forces there.
All right. Now to the gulf oil disaster. Officials there hope calmer conditions allow them to get skimmers back on the water this weekend. High waves from what was Hurricane Alex have hampered efforts. The world's largest skimmer boats is also waiting to get to work. It's called "a whale" and it's undergoing environmental tests by the EPA.
Officials are seeing if it can handle oil that's been mixed with the dispersants being used in the gulf. So those high waves from Alex also have made the containment cap bounce around and that has caused 20,000 more barrels of oil to actually escape into the water.
So this is now day 75 since the spill. Jean-Michel Cousteau is an ocean conservationist and author. And part of the first family of ocean explorers. He was with us last weekend talking about his plans to make his trip there to the gulf coast of Louisiana and there he is in New Orleans. Good to see you again, Jean-Michel.
JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU, AUTHOR, "MY FATHER, THE CAPTAIN": Very good to see you. And it's sad to be back under those circumstance, but on our last trip we've been able in the last two days to literally spend almost a couple hours up in the air with helicopters and finding out how much more oil has now reached some of the bayous and some of the islands and particularly where there is a lot of birds that we've been able to see yesterday.
And then today we went further west. And there we saw some of the damage that has already reached the coastline. But because of where the wind is blowing it is no longer as visible as it probably was a few days ago. So we are here to make a difference, to try to understand what's going on and help and offer ideas, but we know there are technologies that are variable that need to be put in place. We need help really fast.
WHITFIELD: And so what do you do with this information as you do the flyovers, you make your observations. This is your third or fourth trip now back to the region. So you really kind of have a starting point, a real reference point of your observations. What do you do with this information? And how do you try to impose some change based on what you're seeing?
COUSTEAU: Well, what we try to do is just to understand what's going on. And we're not there to point fingers or to create havoc. We are there to suggest that we really need to think about the future and how we're going to handle the hundreds of thousands of people being affected by this catastrophe, which is the largest, biggest, man-made catastrophe when it comes to the ocean.
That is a lesson which I think is a turning point in our history. We can make a difference. I have suggested and I continue to create an international commission which would not be impacted by economics or industries or by politics. We need, maybe at the level of the United Nations, I don't know, but definitely an international commission which will allow us to avoid what has happened.
Mistakes were made. Shortcuts were taken. We need to avoid that by having prevention, prevention, prevention, and ultimately one, two, three solutions when there is an accident which was not the case. We were not prepared for this.
WHITFIELD: So let me ask you about the issue of the dispersants because some are still being used and apparently the EPA has scientists that are now meeting with the agency's chief to try to discern whether dispersants, the continued use of them is exacerbating the problem, if it's helping, if it's a problem, you know, that these dispersants are offering to the water and the marine life. What is your gut feeling say about the dispersants that continue to be used?
COUSTEAU: Well, my gut feeling, our gut feeling with the Ocean Futures Society where we have scientists is that we cannot continue to test things without knowing what we are doing. We don't know how dangerous these chemicals are. We know that they are not allowed in western Europe. So that's already an indication that perhaps before we use any of that, we better figure out what's going on.
The fact that it's been authorized and there were some restrictions following ultimately makes me say, wait a minute. You know, the out of sight, out of mind approach is not an answer. Because it's affecting everything within the food chain from the plankton all the way up to those whales, dolphins, turtles which have to come to the surface.
So I would say we need to capture as much of the oil as we can rather than trying to say, hey, nature or the deep ocean will take care of it. It's not going to work. I think we're going to learn that the very, very hard way. So I'm in a situation where I would say let's not continue doing this until we really know. And nobody can tell us, no scientist can sit down with us. Remember, there are patents which are attached to these chemicals. We don't know what's in it.
WHITFIELD: Conservationist Jean-Michel Cousteau and author of "My Father, the Captain." Thanks again for joining us this weekend and have a good holiday weekend there during your observations there of the Gulf of Mexico as well.
COUSTEAU: Well, I think the fourth of July is a call for action. Everyone can help. This is not a time just to sit back and relax. It's the time to think and say what is it that I and we can do differently than what we have done up to now.
WHITFIELD: Jean-Michel Cousteau, thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.
COUSTEAU: You're very welcome.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, she started singing with her brother and sister at rodeos. Tomorrow, she performs for the nation at the annual fourth of July extravaganza in Washington. You recognize her right there. In a few minutes, you will actually meet and hear from Reba McEntire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK. So July 4th is all about celebrating America's independence with food, fireworks and, of course, music. And in Washington, D.C., the place to be is the National Mall. Performing this year, superstar entertainer Reba McEntire. And there she is, in between rehearsals today. Thanks for squeezing us into your schedule.
REBA MCENTIRE, SINGER: My pleasure. How are you doing today?
WHITFIELD: I'm doing good. Is it hot enough for you there?
MCENTIRE: It is a little toasty but it' is beautiful. We got a wonderful crowd out here watching the rehearsals and it's beautiful weather. We couldn't have asked for a better weather.
WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. Well, you look so cool there even though it's the hot sun there in the nation's capital.
MCENTIRE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: So what are you going to be performing tomorrow on the capital 4th?
MCENTIRE: I'm going to do two of my songs that I have recorded and the song "Fancy," which I recorded back in the '90s and also my current number one record, "Consider me Gone." And then, of course, I get to sing two of my most favorite ballads "God Bless America" and "O Beautiful."
WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. And at the same time, during the festivities, you're going to be awarded this National Artistic Achievement Award, is that right.
MCENTIRE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: What's that going to feel like?
MCENTIRE: Well, it's a real heavy bowl. I did get to see it already and it's a huge honor for me, you know, to be here in Washington, D.C., to be performing on the capitol lawn on the fourth of July and then to receive an award for the things that we have done for the arts, it's a very special day for me tomorrow.
It will be also be a very emotional one. The band told me when they rehearsed earlier, they said get ready. Because when you sing the patriotic songs and you're looking up at the capitol, the tears are going to be just streaming. And it killed me up a lot but tonight is going to be the main rehearsal. So it's going to be very emotional but I'm looking forward to it.
WHITFIELD: Well, how fantastic and how fitting. I mean, you really are the queen of country music and really the queen of so many things. You're so, you know, diverse and varied in your talents. And you have shared that with the public for decades now. That's sounds pretty astounding to hear that, for decades. How do you keep yourself so relevant?
MCENTIRE: Well, I do enjoy what I love to do. I'm so thankful that the fans have allowed me to be doing this for so many years. I like to stay busy. I love what I do and I like to be diversified, you know, to go to New York for "Annie Get Your Gun," doing the Broadway play, to do television, and then singing. It just - it keeps me out of trouble. That's the best thing to say.
WHITFIELD: It keeps you out of trouble and, you know what, it really catches people by surprise all the time because you are always surprising folks with your talents whether it's being on Broadway, whether it's recorded music. It's fashion. And when you talk about how you want to keep current, you know, I saw that clip, that CMT of you performing "If I Were a Boy," Beyonce's tune and you gave it your own style. Why is it that important to you to, I guess, surprise people with your talent so that your music is not predictable?
MCENTIRE: Well, it's kind of the thing that we try to do in our line, the Reba line, whether it's clothing, luggage, bed, bath, table, linens, luggage, shoes, we try to stay true to the brand. So even if we are doing a big Beyonce song like "If I were a Boy" when you start singing, you know, with my dialect, and the way I sing and talk, you know it's going to be country. So it did put a different spin on it.
But I enjoy doing different things. A while back I did Aretha Franklin's "Respect." And everybody said, weren't you nervous doing that? I said, no, it's a great song. Why would anybody be nervous singing a great song. To go do Annie Oakley in "Annie Get Your Gun," I guess ignorance is bliss because I absolutely could not wait to get on stage. I wasn't nervous. I was anticipating every minute. Couldn't wait to get on stage. So it's just, I guess, it's curiosity that keeps me going, hanging out with my 20-year-old son, my stepchildren, my nieces and nephews. They're always keeping me up to date on what's going on.
WHITFIELD: So there is some collaboration there going on?
MCENTIRE: With the kids and everybody?
WHITFIELD: Yes, yes. They're telling you, you know what, you've got to do this. You know -
(CROSSTALK)
MCENTIRE: It does help, yes.
WHITFIELD: Maybe make suggestions.
MCENTIRE: They do. And I listen.
WHITFIELD: Do you ever consult with them, maybe even ask, where do you suppose I ought to go with my talents now? MCENTIRE: Well, I do ask them about the songs when I listen to demos all the time for the next record I'm also asking them, what do you think about this one and I do respect their opinion very much.
WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. So what's next for Reba McEntire?
MCENTIRE: Well, we're going to be on a tour again this fall with George Strait and Le-ann Womack. We're looking forward to that and hanging out with the family a little bit this summer, going on vacations and get back on tour and recording a brand new album that would be out this fall.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. That's a lot. So you know, before I let you go, I do want to ask you about comedy and what it feels like to be the subject of an "SNL" skit. It seems you have a great sense of humor about it with Kenan Thompson actually taking to the CMT Awards, they announced, Reba McEntire. We actually have the videotape for that.
He steps out and you can kind of see the reaction of some people in the audience was like, "wait a minute. Am I supposed to laugh? Is this funny? What is this?" But then you showed up and you showed them you got a great sense of humor about all these.
MCENTIRE: Well, thank you very much. It was fun. Kenan was a blast to hang out with. He's such a gentleman. And it was just a little spoof. They had done it two, three times him impersonating me on "Saturday Night Live." We thought it would be great to bring it to my territory, on the CMT Awards. And just kind of acknowledge it. And I think it turned out great. I hope the fans understand that it was all done in fun. My feelings weren't hurt. Or I wasn't embarrassed by. It was all done in fun.
WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. Reba McEntire, we know you have arrived a long time ago, but everybody else also knows when you're spoofed on "SNL" then you really have really arrived, right?
MCENTIRE: That's true.
WHITFIELD: We'll be watching Capitol 4th. Thanks so much for your time in between rehearsals. And break a leg, as they say.
MCENTIRE: Thank you so much. Nice visiting with you.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
All right. Well, another country music act is doing its part to help U.S. troops. The Zac Brown Band is sponsoring a letter writing campaign to help boost morale overseas. It's part of this week's "Impact Your World" segment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZAC BROWN, SOLDIERS ANGELS: Hi. I'm Zac Brown and we can make an impact supporting American troops. We put this letters for lyrics program together where we're giving away a million CDs to people that write letters for soldiers. We just got back a couple of months ago and I tell you, it gives you a whole new perspective on life and appreciation for things back over there. I think it's really going to make an impact in the morale of the people that gets those letters over there. Join the movement, "Impact Your World," at cnn.com/impact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Two highly anticipated movies are in theaters this is weekend. Our film critic gives one of them a big old fat "F."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. A block buster teen romance, a live action adaptation of a popular cartoon and a dark comedy about a bizarre love triangle. Underscore bizarre. All right. Do they make the grade? Ben Mankiewicz, host of "Turner Classic Movies" and film critics for "What the Flick" on the youngsturk.com joins us now from Los Angeles. All right. Good to see you, Ben. Happy 4th.
BEN MANKIEWICZ, HOST "TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES": You, too, Fred.
WHITFIELD: OK. This would be a good weekend to head to the movies. Let's first talk and I guess, let's first look at the "Twilight" saga "Eclipse" and then we'll talk about it.
MANKIEWICZ: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"BELLA": Edward.
"EDWARD CULLEN": If you ever touch her against her will again.
"JACOB BLACK": She's not sure what she wants.
"BELLA": Don't do this.
"EDWARD CULLEN": Let me give you a clue. Wait for her to say the words.
"JACOB BLACK": Fine. Then she will.
"BELLA": Jacob, just go, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey. Easy, guys. Easy. Let's take it down a notch. All right? What's going on?
"JACOB BLACK": I kissed Bella.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A lot of vampire stuff going on. That's what's going on. Ben, did you like this movie? MANKIEWICZ: Well, it's better than the first two, Fred. But still it would help if I were a 13-year-old girl.
WHITFIELD: And hey, that's who it's appealing to.
MANKIEWICZ: Definitely who it's appealing to. Like you say, it moves better. David Slade directed it. It moves better than the first two, but in the end it's still, I think, sullen and you know, a little wooden. But if you like the stories, if you like the books, I suspect you will like this movie. But the action's better but, again, characters, not enough smiling. I gave it a C minus.
WHITFIELD: C minus. Oh, man. OK. Well, that's not so bad. You're a tough grader. OK. So C minus, that' all right.
"The Last Airbender." This is a movie with - well, a whole lot of pictures, very little dialogue I understand.
MANKIEWICZ: Yes.
WHITFIELD: But did you like?
MANKIEWICZ: No. There's not a lot of dialogue in the trailers. Unfortunately, there is plenty of dialogue in the movie.
WHITFIELD: Oh.
MANKIEWICZ: This is based on the Nickelodeon television series, it's for children. This is rated PG. Man, the performances here are really wooden.
WHITFIELD: Really?
MANKIEWICZ: The script is brutal.
WHITFIELD: As our kids think of it as looking right now?
MANKIEWICZ: No. The special effects, they're upgraded. They're converted from 2-D to 3-D. I mean, this is as bad a movie as I have seen this year, as bad a movie as I have seen in some time. And let me just quickly relate this to people. Two tickets for this movie here in Los Angeles costs $35.
WHITFIELD: Oh, no!
MANKIEWICZ: $35. Yes, I know. I would rather give $35 to BP executives than recommend people spend $35 on this movie. I give it an F.
WHITFIELD: Why are movies so pricey? That's not fair.
MANKIEWICZ: I couldn't believe it. I missed a screening of it for free because I was playing softball. But I saw it yesterday, $35. I couldn't believe it and it's really, enormously unwatchable.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that's too much. MANKIEWICZ: Horrible. I wouldn't want a kid to see it. I wouldn't want an adult to see it.
WHITFIELD: Well, that's too much for any movie, right? But I guess that's the going rate for movies these days.
MANKIEWICZ: No, that's the most I have ever spent on a movie. Too much. Too much.
WHITFIELD: Too much. OK. Let's talk about "Cyrus." When I said this is bizarre, I really mean it. This is a little - can we call it a love triangle? It's something strange about love and three people, how's that? And a son and a mother and ugh. Tell me more.
MANKIEWICZ: Well, let's be clear. It's a relationship triangle, not a love triangle.
WHITFIELD: OK. Relationship is kind of better.
MANKIEWICZ: Jonah Hill is Marissa Tomei's son. And he has a strange relationship with his mother and she's trying to sort of form a relationship with John C. Reilly. They're all very - at least John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, very likable characters in that bizarre relationship that Jonah Hill has with his mom. Sabotages the relationship. The characters are likable. The script is funny. It's well written. You want Marissa Tomei and John C. Reilly to succeed.
In the end it gets a little predictable, but it's still, it's funny and as I said the characters are still likable. I'm still going to recommend it. But I gave it a B minus. A little too predictable in the end but certainly worth seeing. Compared to "The Last Airbender" this was "Citizen Kane."
WHITFIELD: OK. Wow. That's a big grade, B.
Because you're a tough grader, my man. You don't give those A's and B's very much.
MANKIEWICZ: I liked a lot of movies this summer. "The Last Airbender" is unwatchable.
WHITFIELD: I got it with that F. All right.
Ben Mankiewicz, thanks so much. Joining us from Los Angeles. Good to see you. And of course, have a grand holiday weekend.
MANKIEWICZ: You, too. All right. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Speaking of movies and stars, you have to join us tomorrow to see my face-to-face interview with Pam Greer. Oh, I should have asked Ben about Pam Greer. My gosh. The movie man. Can I bring you back, Ben? A little comment or two?
MANKIEWICZ: Sure.
WHITFIELD: You love Pam Greer. MANKIEWICZ: I love Pam Greer.
WHITFIELD: Who doesn't love Pam Greer?
MANKIEWICZ: Love here.
WHITFIELD: She's an icon. Well, my face-to-face interview with her tomorrow beginning at 2:00 Eastern time. Here's a little taste of what you're going to hear from her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So then, how about if I have you read a portion where you kind of describe what "blacksploitation" was all about. You talk about, you know, the plot.
PAM GREER, ACTRESS: You mean, when I stepped in the room that you hear waka-waka. You know, it's me.
WHITFIELD: Here she comes, Pam Greer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That's my favorite part, waka-waka.
Anyway, part of the president's health care reform has kicked in for patients who need it most. How to get the coverage the new law provides.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. We're getting a new look at the oil disaster today. Containment and cleanup operations have been interrupted by what was Hurricane Alex. CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff had a lift from the U.S. Coast Guard for a bird's eye view of the effects of what's taking place.
What's happening?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. We got off a C-144 Coast Guard plane with Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft, and the view is really something on top of the gusher there. You can see the puddles, the huge puddles of brown oil. It appears brown from the sky. If you are looking at the video you can also see the two rigs working on the relief wells, and also the Deepwater Horizon which is burning off gas and the Q-4000, which is burning both gas and oil.
Miles away, though, from the gusher, you don't see puddles. You see ribbons of oil through the Gulf of Mexico . They call them streamers. Every once in a while you come across a really big one, a really long one. Closer in, we passed over the Mississippi Barrier Islands and also the Chandeleur Islands, of Louisiana. Over there, you see there a light coating, a light coating of oil, a light sheen of oil.
Over there, they just have to hope it just dissolves, Mother Nature takes care of it. Of course, they have the booms around the island to protect the islands, but they can't use skimmers there. In fact, they can't even use most skimmers right now at all because the winds, waves are simply too strong. Hurricane Alex is pretty much out of the way. There is a low pressure system that is bringing in some fairly heavy winds. That's why the skimmers are still out of commission, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Wow. So while the skimmers are out of commission, what other resources are on the way to make a dent here?
CHERNOFF: Well, first of all, we did see that new giant skimmer, the A Whale from Taiwan. That operates very differently than a skimmer. It basically swallows the all water with the oil, just like a whale would, and then spits out the water. That's operating three miles from where the gusher is right now. There are 300 more skimmers on the way.
WHITFIELD: 300?
CHERNOFF: Some from foreign countries, some being manufactured. They will be in place within two weeks. Also, they are planning to have barges used along with 15,000 feet of boom and two skimmers attached to the barges. They are using ingenuity to try to get more skimming going. Once the winds die down, and they are certainly hoping that happens, within a day or two.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. Everything that a lot of people wish, you know, was being used like yesterday. But we'll have to wait. All right. Allan Chernoff, thank you very much from New Orleans. Appreciate that.
All right, people with pre-existing health problems often have a hard time finding insurance, but new help is now available. A health expert will join us to tell you how to sign up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, some Republicans have objected to extending-let's start that over again.
Let's talk about jobs instead. How about that? That was the focus of President Obama's weekly Internet and radio address.
Yesterday the Labor Department reported an unemployment rate of 9.5 percent. Employers cut 125,000 jobs in June. Many of the positions were temporary Census workers. Today, President Obama took aim at Senate Republicans and sit criticized their attempts the delayed the extension of unemployment benefits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Still, at a time when millions of Americans feel a deep sense of urgency in their own lives, Republican leaders in Washington just don't get it. A majority of senators support taking these steps to help the American people, some are playing the same old Washington games and using their power to hold this relief hostage, a move that ends upholding back our recovery. It doesn't make sense. But I promise those folks in Wisconsin, and I promise all of you, that we won't back down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Some Republicans have objected to extending unemployment benefits because they say it will expand the national debt. Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss gave this week's Republican address. And he hammered home the GOP perspective that the national debt has become a dangerous threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS, (R) GEORGIA: The national debt has risen by $2.4 trillion in the 500 days since President Obama took office. That's an average of nearly $5 billion per day. Even though we have to borrow 43 cents of every dollar we spend, and the debt is set to double in five years, Congress and this White House still continue to splurge.
More than half of the $9 trillion in debt America will accrue in the next decade will be from interest alone. That money could be better used on national defense or returned to taxpayers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Senator Chambliss also linked the growing debt to national security. He said it's not good when a country like China holds a substantial amount of U.S. debt.
We'll have much more straight ahead right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's take a look at top stories now. Vice President Joe Biden is in Iraq right now making the unannounced visit to celebrate July Fourth with U.S. Troops deployed there. Biden is also expected to meet with Iraqi government leaders while he's there. There are just over 77,000 U.S. troops still in Iraq.
And General David Petraeus is celebrating July Fourth, a day early in Afghanistan. He's replacing Stanley McChrystal as the man in charge of U.S. and international forces there. Speaking at the celebration, Petraeus called for a unity of purpose in the fight against the Taliban.
The head of the EPA is meeting with scientists tracking the affect of chemical dispersants being used in the Gulf of Mexico. In May, the EPA ordered BP to cut back on the amount of dispersants, but a CNN analysis shows that levels remain virtually the same as they were before the EPA order.
Perhaps you're going somewhere for the Fourth. Join the club. Triple A estimates nearly 35 million people are traveling 100 miles or more this weekend. That is about a 17 percent increase over last year. And 90 percent of travelers will actually be hitting the highways.
But before you pack that picnic basket, or fire up the grill for the Fourth, there is some pretty important information out there you need to know about how to keep your holiday a very healthy one, a safe one. Information you may not have heard before, we promise. Joining us now, live from Sacramento, California, Doctor Bill Lloyd.
Doctor Lloyd, you're not going to rain on our parade. We're still going to enjoy the food stuff, but you say we need to be a little bit more careful about knowing what some of the hazards are.
DR. BILL LLOYD, SURGEON, PATHOLOGIST: Well, Fredricka, holiday weather during the Fourth of July is what we call the sweet spot for bacteria contamination. Nice warm weather, not too hot, not too cold. Funny things can happen when you leave food out. It's not always the meat. We'll talk later about the meat. But other things like salads, hard-boiled eggs, things like that can go sour very, very quickly, and spoil your party.
So, you want to make sure you keep cold things cold, and the hot things hot. Here's a good tip. Take a shallow baking pan, fill it with water and put it in the freezer the night before your party. Using planks of ice like that, you can put them under the serving dishes and keep the food colder, longer.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that is clever. I didn't think about that one.
LLOYD: And beware of watermelons.
WHITFIELD: Why?
LLOYD: Fredricka, watermelons are filthy. They're coated in dirt.
WHITFIELD: Huh? Everyone eats watermelon for the Fourth of July.
LLOYD: Yes, you bring them home, you wash them and they are still dirty. So you make sure, you cut and serve the watermelon --
WHITFIELD: On the inside? You are not eating the rind!
LLOYD: I'm telling you this. You serve the watermelon some place else. You don't serve it 'til the last minute. You bring it to the party in a separate plastic bag and you don't let the knife that cuts the melon touch anything else.
And speaking of utensils I brought this beauty. This was a Father's Day gift a couple of years ago. But utensils and plates, you make sure you keep the ones that come in contact with the uncooked foods separate from ones that we use to serve the cooked food.
And an ice chest, now, you want to make sure you bring two ice chests to the party. And ice chest that is used for cocktails and beverages and smoothies. And then an ice chest you use just to keep things cold. Because when you put food items, like meat in with the soggy water and that chilled ice chest, you don't want to put those ice chips in your drink for obvious reasons for contamination.
Finally, that cutting board, that cutting board, oh, it is a sewer. It is loaded with all kinds of germs. You have to wash it frequently. And, again, never cut uncooked foods on the same cutting board you will be using to serve that food.
WHITFIELD: That's right. The meats, the vegetables, fruits, keep them away from one another.
What about apparently when you're grilling you have to be careful about -- if I'm going to have a burger I usually say really well done like almost burn it. You're saying that's actually not a good thing.
LLOYD: You know, incinerated meat is never good. You're at a party. It's time to chill. Don't be in a rush to just light that fire, throw the meat on, burn and serve. No, you don't want to do it that way because we know there are toxic substances that can form when meat is overheated, particularly fatty meats. Choose lean meats.
And, Fredricka, some people actually microwave their meat for just a few minutes before they take it to the grill to shorten the amount of time it's actually exposed to the flames.
WHITFIELD: I didn't know people did that.
(CROSS TALK)
LLOYD: And then they have six inch rule. You want to keep the meat about six inches away from the flame. That is another way, keep the heat down. Let the charcoals burn out for a while, so you have a more moderate heat, keep the rack up higher. Go get a drink from that clean ice chest, and take your time, and let the meat cook slowly and reduce you chances. And also clean that grill before the party. Scrub it and get all that greasy gunk off before you light the fire.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yeah, you don't want last year's meal, you know, last season's hot dogs and hamburgers, you don't want that on there, for sure.
LLOYD: It's specifically loaded with those poisons that can possibly cause cancer.
WHITFIELD: How about the type of grill? You may like the traditional charcoal, maybe you do the propane tank. How do either one of those things impact your food?
LLOYD: The big issue is the accelerant. So that is the lighter fluid. So whether you are squirting that gasoline, barbeque lighter fluid on either a wood fire, or a charcoal briquette fire, give the fire time to burn those chemicals off. Like we said, have a drink. Go on and watch CNN for a while. Come on back. The fire is just perfect and you will get rid of those chemicals and that could possibly ruin your party. And you will have the fire at a more moderate temperature, so the meat will cook properly, again, without causing those carcinogens to form.
WHITFIELD: All right. Doctor Bill Lloyd, what's going to be your perfect Fourth of July holiday food, menu? What's your favorite?
LLOYD: Well, my favorite one is grilled beef in a nice marinade. Be careful about marinades though. People like to take that bowl outside and baste the meat. Hey, raw meat was in that marinade. Never bring the marinade outside.
WHITFIELD: But wait, so once you pour it over it and everything is cooked.
LLOYD: Oh, no, all you're be doing is re-inoculating the meat with those same germs. Leave the marinades inside.
WHITFIELD: So the fire is not going to kill off the germs?
LLOYD: That's right.
WHITFIELD: I'm doing it all wrong. Dr. Bill Lloyd, thank goodness we have you.
LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.
WHITFIELD: Have a good holiday weekend.
We'll be back with much more in the NEWSROOM right after this.
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WHITFIELD: All right. If you have a pre-existing medical condition and you can't find affordable insurance, well, government relief is now available. It's part of President Obama's health care reform plan. It all kicked in on July 1st. Many of you don't even know that. Joining us right now to reiterate what's available to you, by Skype, let's check in with Andrew Rubin.
He's back with us. Oh, good, you have the cell phone as a nice little back-up. You can hear me, we can see you.
ANDREW RUBIN, NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER: Perfect.
WHITFIELD: As a health care expert, he hosts "Health Care Connect" on Sirius Satellite Radio. Do you believe people took advantage in a very big way, this new offer, this week, in certain states
RUBIN: Well, this was a big week. And while it launched on July 1st many states are just staring to roll this out, including the federal government that is running the program, for 20 of the states that opted not to participate at the state level. People are starting to apply and but the rules are just coming out. The rules are pretty interesting.
So first, Fredricka, the key thing is you have to have to have been denied health care insurance for at least six months. So if you have expensive health insurance now and you really can't afford it, that won't make you eligible for the high risk pools.
WHITFIELD: You have to be a U.S. citizen, or you are in the U.S. legally, and as you mentioned you had to have had a problem even getting insurance because of this pre-existing condition before. So you kind of have to prove a lot of things before you get the benefit.
RUBIN: You got it. And actually you have to apply. You apply online through health care.gov which is a new website the federal government was legislated to have to put out to explain all this new health care information. You apply online for the federal government and all the information is on there. You actually have to have a letter from your insurance company, or from an insurance company --
WHITFIELD: Saying denied?
RUBIN: Saying you have been denied health care insurance.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Now what if you never had insurance because you have never been able to afford it?
RUBIN: All right. If you have never had health insurance you have to apply, and be rejected to qualify. Another little caveat here, and as you know, there are always little devils in the detail. Some states have different rules. They are still setting up their programs to determine the eligibility criteria.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
RUBIN: So you have to go to your individual state website, as we have talked about, or you can go to health care.gov and click on the state map. They will tell you exactly what the rules are.
WHITFIELD: And they're likely-Oh, sorry go ahead.
RUBIN: I was just saying unfortunately not all the rules are up yet. You have to keep checking back.
WHITFIELD: OK.
RUBIN: We have also said that you need to apply now. Don't wait. There are a lot of concerns that there won't be enough money for this program, long term. We don't want to see people frozen out of it by not applying early.
WHITFIELD: Right, and speaking of money, when you go to the perhaps the state health care site or maybe health care.gov, you will also try to find out how much your premium would be.
Say you are eligible, systems are a go, that you may be able to benefit from this. Now, you need to find out how much out of pocket do you have to spend in order to have this special coverage?
RUBIN: And it is going to vary by state. Each state has different rules about what kind of insurance is sold in that state. And remember the premiums for this high risk rule, have to be equal essentially what the average person would pay in that state.
But because each state gets to determine the types of benefits they offer, they could be less expensive in one state from another.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
RUBIN: So it is just going to depend on what state you live in to figure out what it will actually cost you. The key here, though, is that it can't be more than the average person pays and the premiums can only vary, as we have also spoken about, by your age.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. All right. Andrew Rubin, thank you very much for coming back. We thought it was really important to reiterate that it's available. Because perhaps they didn't hear you, or me, talk about it last weekend, when we let people know that come Thursday, this would be available. Now you have to know there is no excuse, unless you're in one of those 20 states that is not honoring this. But all great information.
RUBIN: Entirely (ph).
WHITFIELD: Have a great holiday weekend. Yeah, thank you very much.
RUBIN: Happy to be here.
WHITFIELD: Let's check in with Karen Maginnis. It is a holiday weekend.
Some people are out there enjoying themselves. You know, others, well, they're with friends and family. A big old group hug for those of us who have to work. It is a nice weekend for most people out there, right?
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is.
WHITFIELD: Is you have to be outside, is what I mean.
MAGINNIS: Typical July weather. It is typically hot. Some places, a little less humidity than what we've seen as of late.
But I want to show you what is happening along the Gulf. We have Reynolds Wolf. He has been showing us how those beaches are --
WHITFIELD: Barren.
MAGINNIS: Barren. That is a good word. Yeah, unfortunately. But look at this. No swimming, no swimming, no swimming. Significant oiling. All of these beaches in Alabama. Alabama. July Fourth weekend. Normally they would be crowded with folks. People swimming in the water temperatures are in the upper 80s. It will be fabulous. But unfortunately we have the oil situation going into its third month now.
Look at these beaches in Mississippi. Use caution, avoid contact with oil, Gulf shores. Beaches and the waters are closed there-closed-if you can imagine that. The most beautiful beaches in the world along the Gulf Coast. Very spectacular. It's quite unfortunate. Here we are in July.
WHITFIELD: I know.
MAGINNIS: I don't think we really anticipated this.
WHITFIELD: I know. It's heartbreaking. The Americans love their beaches. It's a drag. You want to be on the beach, you want to enjoy the sand, but it's hard to hang out on the sand and not dip into the water.
MAGINNIS: Exactly.
WHITFIELD: That's kind of painful.
All right. Karen Maginnis, thank you very much. Check in with you later on.
MAGINNIS: OK.
WHITFIELD: OK, Americans, well, maybe you are not at the beach but maybe instead you are at Coney Island you are preparing for a Fourth of July tradition which takes place tomorrow. It is the famous hot dog eating contest held at Nathan's on Coney Island. One notable eater, may be missing from the line-up this year. Susan Candiotti explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They stuff down hot dogs like there is no tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a terrific rivalry.
CANDIOTTI: Competitive eaters are treated like rock stars by fans and curiosity seekers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's funny. There are so many people, so many cameras.
CANDIOTTI: On July Fourth, those cameras will be on Joey Chestnut, the world's number one competitive eater, a three-time champion, the current belt holder for hot dog eating, putting down 68 in just 10 minutes. He says he's training hard, hoping to top 70 dogs.
JOEY CHESTNUT, COMPETITIVE EATER: I have been eating a lot of hot dogs. I've been fasting. Making sure my body can go from absolutely empty to 100 percent full.
CANDIOTTI: And he's not kidding when he says full. This is an X-ray image of a competitive eater with 36 hotdogs in his stomach. The stomach is stretched out beyond recognition.
DR. MARC LEVINE, GI RADIOLOGIST, UNIV. OF PENN. HEALTH SYSTEMS: It was really frightening to us. We had never seen anything like this except in patients who have obstruction of their stomach.
CANDIOTTI: Doctor Marc Levine studied competitive eating. He says contestants train their stomachs to stretch out so they can eat and eat, only limited by how long the contest lasts.
LEVINE: When we had him lift his shirt, his abdomen was no longer flat. It looked like he had a nearly full-term pregnancy.
CANDIOTTI: Many of these techniques were pioneered by six-time hot dog eating champ Takeru Kobayashi. The man who boasts of downing over 17 pounds of cow brains in 15 minutes. He accompanied me to -- where else -- a hot dog stand.
(On camera): Can we get two hotdogs?
(Voice over): I asked him to show us one of those techniques, the way he gets those hot dogs down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jump, jump, shake.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Got that. He shakes to make it all go down.
(voice over): Even the hot dog vendor was impressed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to eat 16? Hundred?
CANDIOTTI: Despite his celebrity, it's not all fun and games for Kobayashi these days. A contract dispute with Major League Eating, the world body that stages 80 contests each year, is ready to sideline Kobayashi at the signature Coney Island showdown. Kobayashi says he wants to compete but the contract is too hard to swallow, forbidding him from competing in outside events
TAKERU KOBAYASHI, COMPETITIE EATER (through translator): It's very difficult. Sad and difficult, because I know so many people supporting me. It's not fair.
CANDIOTTI: The league argues no sport would allow its athletes to picks and choose events.
GEORGE SHEA, MAJOR LEAGUE EATING: You know, Tom Brady cannot say, I want to go to the Super Bowl, but then I want don't want to be part of the NFL, I'm going to do what I want. I'm going to play arena football. I'll going over to Europe. It just makes no sense.
CANDIOTTI: It may make some queasy, but the high stakes sport of competitive eating is something these guys and their fans relish. Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: I see Susan's just stopping at one.
Thank you very much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. That's it for our main course. The next main course up next with Don Lemon out of New York.
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